Senn. CLV. Of theNecef ty ofgood Works. 3 61 Secondly, That this feems to contradict St. Paul's Doftrine ofyuflification by the free grace of Gqd in yefus Chriß, and by faith without the works of the law. I fhall endeavour to anfwer both thefe. Fiat, That this is to advance and let up Morality. To which I anfwer two things. I. That if by Morality Men mean counterfeit Virtue, and the fpecious fhew of Juftice, and Charity, and Meeknefs, or any other Virtue, without the truth and reality of them, withoutan inward principle of love to God and Goodnefs, out of'oftentation and vain-glory, or for fome other bye and finifter end, fuch as probably were the Virtues of many Heathens, and it is to be feared of too many Chriftians ; if this be that which the Obje&ors mean by Morality, then we do af- fure, them that we preach up no fuch Morality, but thofe Virtues only which are fincere and fubftantial arid real, the principle and root whereof is the love ofGod and Goodnefs, and the End the Honour and Glory of God, and a - neceifary ingre- dient whereof is fincerity and truth. It is righteoufnefs and true. holinefs, the fin- cere love of God and our Neighbour, real meeknefs, and patience, and humility; and fobriety, and chaftity, and not the glittering Phew and appearance, the vain and affefted oftentation of any of thefe Virtues, which we perfuade and preis Men fo earneftly to endeavour after. . Not that I believe that all Virtues of theHeathen were counterfeit and defti- tute ofan inward principle ofgoodnefs ; God forbid that we fhou'd pafs fo hard a Judgment upon thofe excellent Men, Socrates, and EpiEEetus, and Antoninus, and feveral others, who fincerely endeavoured to live up to the light and law ofNa- ture, and took fo much pains to cultivate and raife their minds, to govern and fubdue the irregularity of their fenfual appetites and brutifh pallions, to purifie and refine their manners, and. to excel in all virtue and goodnefs. Thefe were glorious Lights in thofe dark times, and fo much the better for being good under fo many difadvantages, as the ignorance and prejudice of their Educations, the multitude of evil Examples continually in their view, and the powerful tempta- tionof the contraryCuftoms and Fafhions of the generality of Mankind. Nor were they wholly deftitute ofan inward principle of goodnefs: for tho' they had not that powerful grace and affiftance of God's Holy Spirit which is pro- iuifed and afforded to all fincere Chriftians (as neither had theyews, who were the'peculiar people of God, and in covenant with him) yet it is very credible, that fuch Perfons were under a fpecial care and providence of God, and not wholly deftitute of Divineafliftance, no more than Joband his Friends, mention'd in the Old Teftament, and Cornelius in the New, who furely were very good Men, and accepted of God, tho' they were Gentiles, and Aliens from the Common- wealth of Ifrael, andStrangers from theCovenant of promife; but yet not excluded from the Bleffing of the Meffias, tho' they were ignorant of him, as many of the yews likewife were, nor fromthe benefit of that great propitiation, which in the fùhiefs of time he was to make for the fins of the whole World, So that there is no need fo uncharitably to conclude (at fome of theAncients have done, not all, nor the moft ancient of them neither) that there were no good Men among the Heathen, and that the brighteft of theirVirtues were coup- terfeit; and only in íhew and appearance. For there might be feveral good Men among the Gentiles, in the fame condition that Cornelius was before he became a Chriftian; of whom it is faid, whilft he was yet a Gentile, that he was a devout man, and fearedGod, and that his prayer and his alms were accepted of God, a certain fign that they were ,not counterfeit. And if he had died in that condition, before Chrift had beenrevealed to him, I- do not fee what reafonable caufe of doubt there can be concerninghis Salvation; and yet it is a nioff certain and inviolable truth, that there is no other name under heaven given among men, whereby we mull he faved, bist the name of yefus; neither is there falvation in any other. And good Men in all Ages and Nations from the beginning of the World, both before the Law, and under the Law; and without the Law, fuch as feared God, and wrought Righteoufiefs, were accepted of him in' that name, A a a and
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