564 " Well done,. good and faithful servant," &c. ; " For I was hun- gry and ye .fed me," &c.; nor (Heb. v. 9.) " He is the author of eternal salvation to all them that obey him ; " or (Heb. xiii.) "With such sacrifice God is well pleased;" or "He that doeth righteous- ness is righteous ; " or ': That we shall be judged according to our works; " or (Rev. xxii. 14.) "Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enterinby the gates into the city ; " or (Gal. vi. 7, 8.) "What a man soweth, that shall he reap. He that soweth to the Spirit, of. the Spirit shall reap everlasting life ; " with many such. No man well in his wits oan think that any thing we do can HOW TO DO GOOD TO MANY. merit of God in commutative justice, as if he received any thing from us. This were even to deny God to be God. But are we not under a law of grace, and doth not that law command us obe- dience, and the improvement of our talents in doing good? And shall we not be judged by that law ? And what is judging, but justifying or condemning? No works of ours can stand the trial by the law 'of innocency or works, but only the perfect righteous- ness of Christ. But he that is accused of final impenitency, in- fidelity, hypocrisy, or unholiness, if truly accused, shall, never be justified, and if falsely, must be justified against that charge by somewhat besides what is done out of him by Jesus Christ. It is an easier thing to 136 zealous for an opinion, which is sound, or supposed such, about works and grace, than to be zealous of good works, or zealously desirous of grace. How sad use did Sa- tan make of men's zeal for orthodox words, when the Nestorian, Eutychian, and Monothelite controversies were in agitation ! He went for a hollow-hearted neuter, that did not hereticate one side or other. And I would that factious, ignorant zeal were not still alive in the churches. How many have we heard on one side re viling Lutherans, Calvinists, Arminian, Episcopals, Presbyterians, Independents, &c., to render them odious, that never understand the true state of the difference ! And how fiercely do some Pa- pists and others cry down Solifidians, and persuade men that we are enemies to good works, or think that they are. not necessary to salvation, (because some rashly maintained that, in a faction .against George Major, long ago,) or at least that they are no fur- ther necessary, but as signs to prove that which God knoweth with- out them f. And on the other side, how many make themselves and others believe that the true expositors of Saint James's words are almost Papists, and teach men dangerously to trust to works for their justification, while they understand not what either of the apostles mean by justification, faith, or works! Many so carefully avoid trusting to good works, that they have none or few to trust
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=