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God by faith. Where it is plain the apoftle does not fediftinguish between faith in Chrift, and obedience to the precepts of his gofpel, of which faith in Chrift is one, but purely between a legal and evangelical obedience. And the righteoufnefs he disclaims, is not his obfervance of the laws of the gospel, but, as himself tells us, fuch as is (1) of the law, that Jewish law wherein he had been educated, and had lived a ftrict obferver of its rites and ceremonies, a pharifee. All these, fays he, I now despise, in comparison of the ineftimable advantages that are to be expected by the purer, and more divine, and heavenly religion of the gospel; that religion which confifts in a belief of the Chriftian doctrine, and obedience to its commands. A doctrine that has taught our duty more plainly than the law did, has given far greater encouragement to, and has promised greater affiftance in the performance of it, and has fhewn us how our failings and defects may be pardoned thro' Chrift, if we but take care to ferve him fincerely, according to our power. And, in this fenfe, is that other text, referred to likewise, by the assembly of divines, in their larger Catechifm, to be taken; (u) To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name, whofoever believeth in him, fhall receive remiffion of fins. And that other faying of St. Paul and Silas to the convert jailor, (x) Believe in the Lord Jefus Chrift, and thou shalt be faved. In neither of which places is faith to be taken as an act of reliance upon Chrift, which, the apostle St. James affures us, (y) is dead when alone, and not accompanied with good works; but it is an embracing the doctrine of the gospel, and a fubmiffion to all its precepts and injunctions, (z) as without which there is no pleafing God, or hope of being accepted with him. In a word, a resolution of all our grounds of falvation, into a mere dependence upon Christ, is no less than a total fubverfion of his Gofpel; which does moft certainly require this dependence upon (1) Acts xxvi. 5. () Acts x. 43. (x) Chap. xvi. 31. (y) James ii. 14: (*) Heb. xii. 14.

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him for the forgiveness of our fins, and the acceptance of our defective imperfect fervices, when we have ufed our own unfeigned endeavours, to qualify ourfelves for his mercy; but, from one end of it to the other, inculcates the miferable condition of fuch as indulge themselves in any fort of fin, and so are not meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the faints in light. Of fuch it affures us, beyond all contradiction, that they (a) fhall be punished with everlasting deftruction from the prefence of the Lord, and from the glory of bis power; when he shall come to be glorified in his faints, and be admired in all them that believe. So that nothing can be more vain and unreasonable, than an expectation of happiness by means of fuch a faith, as is of no avail, when feparated from that obedience, which the Gospel all along fo neceffarily requires in order to falvation. I am fure, in our bleffed Saviour's account of the last judgment, he teaches, (b) that all fhall have their final fentence paffed upon them according to their having done, or not done, what was required of them. And the apostle St. Paul affirms as exprefly as may be, that (c) we must all appear before the judgment-feat of Chrift, that every one may receive his reward, not according to his faith strictly taken, but according to his obedience in general: for fo it follows, according to that he hath done in the body, whether it be good or bad. It is not therefore faith alone that will obtain our falvation; but faith together with its effects, a faith that is productive of good works; that is to fay, fuch a belief in Chrift, as teaches us not only to rely upon his merits, but to ferve him faithfully all the days of our life. Again, It is a very falfe judgment be makes, who concludes himself at prefent to be in a state of grace, and the right way to falvation, only because he is fenfible he once was fe. This has been pofitively laid down as an infallible test, and much infifted upon, by divers authors of no fmall character in their time, but without any juft reason; (a) z Theff. i, 9, 10. (6) Matt. xxv. 31, &c. (c) 2 Cor. v. 10.

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for there is nothing more certain, than that (d) a righteous man may turn away from his righteoufnefs, and commit iniquity, and die in it. And tho' (e) the gifts and calling of God are without repentance, and he will never reject fuch, as fhew themselves worthy partakers of his favour, whilft they retain their integrity; yet, on the other hand, (f) from him that bath not, that is, that makes not a good improvement of what grace he is intrusted with, shall be taken away even that he bath. And tho' (g) whom God once loves, be loves to the end, if they continue proper objects of his love; yet this will never prove, that he will ftill go on to love them, how heinously foever they fin against him. For which reafon our Saviour cautions his difciples, fo to demean themselves, as that he may have no occafion to withdraw his affection from them. (b) As the Father bath loved me, faith our Saviour, so I have loved you: continue ye in my love. As if our Saviour should have said, Take care to do these things, which ye know pleafing to me, that fo I may yet continue to love you. And how this is to be done, the following words declare; (i) If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I bave kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love. This is the only way to have his love continued to us to the laft. And whofoever acts otherwife, has all the reafon in the world to fatisfy himfelf, that he is working out his own deftruction; and that therefore his having been formerly in God's love, will stand him in no farther ftead, when he has again fhewn himself unworthy of it. The Scripture teaches very plainly, that men may (k) run well at the first, and yet afterwards be hindered, that they shall not obey the truth; that fome, after they have been once in the right way, may neverthelefs (1) draw back unto perdition, as well as others go on to the faving of their fouls. Men may have proceeded fo far, as not only to have been

(d) Ezek. xviii. 26. (e) Rom. xi. 29. (f) Matth. xiii. 12. (g) John xiii. 1. (b) John xv. 9, (i) Ver. 10. (4) Gal. v. 7. (!) Heb. x. 39.

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enlightened, or baptized into the Chriftian church, but to (m) have tasted of the heavenly gift, enjoying the privileges of Chriftians, pardon of fin, and peace of confcience, and been made partakers of the extraordinary gifts of the Holy Ghoft, and have tafted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, as the age of the Gospel is called, having had experience of the promises of Chrift, and the wonderful works of mercy wrought for mankind by him; and yet may fall away fo defperately, that it hall be impoffible to renew them again to repentance. L no one therefore deceive himfelf with this, that he was once a child of God, and heir of glory, and for this reafon must be always fo. For unlels he retain his fenfe of duty to the laft, he will find himself upon the left-hand, when he comes at the great day to appear before his Judge. It is he only (n) who endures to the end, that shall be faved. And all elfe will have their hopes dreadfully disappointed, when they come to hear their final sentence paffed upon them. They may have deluded themselves in their life-time, with the thoughts of having been once in the way of righteousness; but will at length be convinced, to their eternal forrow, that they have not been fo wife as they thought themselves. For fuppofing they are not mistaken concerning their former ftate, and that they were once in as good a condition as they imagine, their apoftatizing afterwards is at least as certain a fign, they are now out of the way of falvation, as their utmost attainments in religion ever could be, that they were at any time in it. Nor, again, may a man conclude himself fafe, because he is forry for his fins, after be has committed them. This I own is highly commendable in him, and the best thing he can do, next to forfaking them; and gives good hopes of his amendment; yet it is really no more, than the most prefligate wretches can fometimes fay of themselves. Those i&tus & laniatus, thofe intolerable ftings of conscience, which frequently pursue them, in spight of all

(m) Heb. vi. 4, 5, 6. (x) Matth. x. 22,

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the care they can take to stifle and fupprefs them, are an undeniable proof, that a man may be greatly troubled for his fins, without being a true penitent. Judas, we all know, was fo; and no one questions to what place he went, when he left this world. Wherefore in the last place, The only true and certain teft whereby to make a right judgment of our felves, is that which our bleffed Saviour directs, for the difcovery of false prophets; but which is alike ufeful for fhewing all others to themselves, fo as that by the help hereof they may difcern, how the case stands with them, as to the fafety or loss of their fouls; namely, by the fruits they produce. By the uprightness or obliquity of his conversation, each one may make a safe trial of himself; and no other way that I know of. (0) By their fruits ye shall know them, fays our Saviour: Do men gather grapes off thorns, or figs off thistles? Even fo every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth fortb evil fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit, I is cut down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye fhall know them. A good or bad tree is not more naturally distinguishable by the quality of the fruit it yields, than a good or a bad man, a faint or a reprobate, by the conftant tenor of his conversation. And to feek after any other sort of teft, for the trial of our present, or discovery of our future ftate, is but to put a fallacy upon ourselves, and perhaps by that means to expose ourselves to eternal deftruction. It is he, and he only, (p) who feareth God, and worketh righteufness, that is accepted with him. Hence, fays St. Paul, (q) Our rejoicing, the ground of our comfort and boasting (r), is this, the teftimony of our confcience, that in fimplicity and godly fincerity, not with fleshly wifdom, but by the grace of God, we have bad our converfation in the world; Not as worldly wisdom would direct, fays (s) Dr. Hammond, but according to the Gospel rules, we have behaved ourselves towards all (0) Matth. vii. 16, &c. (p) A&s x. 35. (q) 2 Cor. i. 12:

(+) Η καύχησις ἡμῶν.

() In loc.

• men;