Baynes - BS2695 B289 1643

-."111=1.1.11 z66 Epheflans, Chapa. V sx510, Ob/eft. a/!nf r+. Sts in good íworksof nata- 1 mint Obie5i. Anf. Doít'r. 3. Fruirfuincite the end of the new creation. Yfe., Honour God withthy gra- ces. But it maybe asked,how they canbe called goodworks,feeing the belt have their defects and imperfeétions. Becaufe they haveboth a purified fountain ; To thepure all things are pure, Tit. 1.15. and becaule they have a coverture inregard of all their want ; beth of there Faith doth give: But without Faith it rs impoffiblc topleafe God, Heb.i 1.6. Faith maketh the perfon accepta- ble. TheLord had refficcl to t.4bel, and to his offering, but unto Cain and his offering he had no reffieci, Gen.4. Nowby Faith Abel offereda better faciifice then Cain, Hebr.xl.4. It doth kt us fee, what to think of molt of our gooddeeds ; they are but fhining vices, they are fuch as (hall be IndiEìments againft us, if they proceed not from a renewed nature. But fome will fay, If it be fo, that the belt works of unregenerate men are fin; then is feems unlawful' for him to pray : if he pray not, it is condemnation; if he pray, it is no leffe. He is bound to pray, but not to fin in prayer: the fecond Com- mandement injoyneth to bowdownand worfhip God in prayer; and the thirdbindes him ever todo it well , left he pray in fin , and fo take Gods name in vain. What then mutt he doe Onely the grace of re- pentance can reconcile there two , and make him acceptable to God in all his works he takes io hand. In the third place, we mull mark a notablemotive togood narks , that they are the very endofour creation. For look as we plant our Orchards to this end,rhat they may bring us fruit ; fo doth the Lord plant us, and this is hispurpofe, that we may bring him fruit : Hencearc his people called, Trees ofrighteeufneffe, theplantingofthe Lord, in whom he may beglorified, Ifa. 61.3. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruir, Joh. r 5.8. This is the end, why he bath fo dearly bought us , That we might ferve him in holismfie and righteoufneffe ; that we might be a peculiar people, zealeus ofgoodworks, Tit. 2.14. Goddoth not give tous his life, to leave us idle, or ill occupied: if God finde not there with us, he will cut us down as fuperfluous and unprofi- table branches, fit for nothing, but to make fuell for the fire of his indignation. This is one of the fpeciall ends of all that ever God did for us in the workof grace ; 1 Pet. 2.9. re are a chafen genera- tion, a royal Prieflhood, a holy nation. To what end a That yemight thew forth the verities ofhim that bath calledyou out of clarkneffe into his marvellous light : that ye might thew forth by there graces Gods ownvertues, that ye might refemble and expreffe the graces of God himfelf. This, I fay, makes much for Gods glory, it is the fpeciall thing that we muff aim at that we may expreffè his holineffe, and fo glorifie our heavenly Fatter. Let your light fothine before men, that they may fee your good works, andglorifieyour Fatherwhich is in heaven, March. 5. 16. T!is teacheth us then, that wehonour and glorifie God in, by, and with our graces. Haft thou Faith a honour God with thy Faith,lhew- ing the works thereof. It is reafon that every one Mould have the honour

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