41 7 GoFpel, and by the Gofpel we fhall have our trial: They thlit have finned without the taov, jha!lperijh with01<t thelmv; and they that ht~oe finned 1<nder the la1v, ]halt be Judged by the Laov. But God]halt j~tdge thefecrets ofall hearts (of all our hearts) by JefmCnuft .-ccording to my Gofpel, Rom. 2. I 2, I 6. . . . Let this then forewarn us what we have to do: It .s the Gofpel that lVtll mher thro~tghly juftijie thee, or extremly condemn thee, The Spirit Jha/1 convmce the world offin, (faith Chrifl:) and why fo? but b"·aufe theY, believe rtot on me, John r6. 9· There ts no fin, but infidelity; no righteoufneffe, but fatth: not that adultery, mtemperance, maltce are no fins · but ifunfaithfulneffe remam not, all thefe fins are pardoned, and fo they are as if they' were no fins indeed. How quick a riddance true repenting faith makes with our fins ·! They arc wo heavy for our fhoulders, nnd we cannot bear them; fatth only turns them over unto Chriil:, and we are disburthened of them : whereas there would go with us to judgement an huge kennel of lull:s, an army of vain words, ~legion of e– vil deeds,fatth tn!lantly dtfchargeth them all,and kneelmg down to Jefus Cnnlt,befeech– eth him to anfwer for them all. howfoever committed. 0 then make we much of Faith! but not of fuch a faith neither as goes alone without works: it is nothing at this j•Idg– ment to fay, I have ~elieved, and not well lived: the Gofpel requtres both f~ith to believe, and obedience to work: not only to repent a11d believe the Uojpe1 , Mark 1. '5· but to obeyfrom the heart that (on!' of DoUrine, Rom. 6. 17. True indeed , thou fhalt be fa· vcd for thy faith, not for thy works; but for fuch a faith as is without works thou fhalt never be faved; we fay therefore, works are disjoyned front the at1 of jull:ifiying - not from the perfon jull:ified : Heaven is given to us for Chrill:s merits, but we muft fhew him the fair copy of our Live.s. 0 then let this move us to abound in know– ledge, and faith,and repentancc,and love,and zeal,and clothing,and feeding,and lodging the poor memberi of Chrirt Jefus; and howfoever all thefc can merit nothing at Gods hands, yet will he crown his own gifts, and reward them in his mercy. Say then doell: thou relieve a poor member of Chrill: Jefus? doell: thou give a cup ofcold wa: ter to a Prophet in the 11ame ofa Prophet? Chrill: doth promife thee of his truth he will not let thee lcrfe thy reward: certoinly he will not, fo thy works be done in faith: why,this is the covenant, the glad tidings, the Gofpel, to live well and believe well. 0 let not that which is a word of comfort to us, be a bill of indi.'tment againll: us! al– beit in our jull:ification we may fay, He it to us according to o11r Faith; yet in our re– tribution it is faid (as you hav:e it b7fore yo~ in this Text read unto you) Then he jba/1 re1vard every maw (for the mantfell:atton of hts fatth)according to his 1vor/z;. A little to recal our fdves: The Prifoners are ~ried, the VerdiEf isbrought in, the .in– dttfment n fo;md, and the 1udge now fits o_n ltfe and death, even ready with fpork– lmg eyes to pronounce hts fmtence. Thts we mull: defer a while, and the next tJmeyou fhall hear what you have long expe{[c~. The Lord grant usan happy ilfue, that when this day is come, then fentence moy be for us, and we may be fa– ved to our endlefs comfort. Shall rew~rd. W I:fat _Affizc is this that affords each circumll:ance of each prifoners triat? the ttme ts Then,] the Judge is He] the Prifoners Men,]the evidence Wor/z:,] which no fooner gtvcn m, but the fentence follows , which is, to reov,;rd] every man accordirur , 0 hut.r9rk._r. 6 Thisreward is nothing in effe{t but a retaliatitm ; if we live well here God willthm crow;b hts oovngifts; but if we fin without repentance, we may not ~fcape without punt ment. There ts a God that fits and fees, and anon will reward w. But to unfold this Reovard,] there lies in it aJ Doom,. and ) ExecutiOn. ~0~ fpelhks it it in the firll:, effe(!s it in the fecond : he gives it in our doom, and we re– ceive It m t ee.vrcmion. ~he.do"" is of two forts, according to the parties that receive it. One is an tibfoiutim ~htch_ ts the doom of' Samts; the other is a condemnation, which is the doom ofreprobates– ![ ~re JS nhrc 1 ovafrdh on the right hand bell:owed on the blcffcd, & an heavy judgement which a s on t _e e ~ and upon the heads of the wicked. To begtn Wtth that in ou·r meditation, whic~ our Saviour begins with in a.:lion: Hh h · Image Vfe Vrf re to/aliter Al[olv;t,tJel re capitaliter damnat, John. 16. 9• M"k. '·'S• l\om. 6. q. A }•ft;Jic••Jo, non ejujlljictdO M>r: lo. 42, ll.'oncoronAt D"uJmeru" ruo ranqu11m mtrhn Httt, [eJ ranqHam dona fua, Aug. lib. dt grar,& lib. arb1t. cttp, 1•
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