"Christ, our Lord and Master, to rule well your "own family, to live a holy and circumspect life, "and faithfully, diligently, and cheerfully to dis"charge all the parts of the Ministerial work, to the "edification of the body of Christ?

9. "Do you accept of, and close with the call to "be pastor of this parish, and promise, through grace, to perform all the duties of a faithful minis"ter of the Gospel, among this people?"

Having obtained by his answers, the declarations, promises and engagements which that act requires, he proceeds to invest him with the full character of a Minister of the Gospel; conveying to him, by prayer, and imposition of the hands of the Presbytery, all the powers implied in that character. He then, in name of the Presbytery, receives and admits the person thus ordained, to be minister of the vacant parish; by which deed, the Presbytery, in execution of the office committed to them as a branch of the established Church, constitute a connexion between him and the inhabitants of that parish; which gives him a legal title to the emoluments provided by law for the person who officiates there; which, during its subsistence, renders him incapable of holding any other charge that has the care of souls; and which, during his life, can be dissolved only by an act of the Church, either accepting his resignation, or deposing him from the office of a minister, or translating him to a different charge.

If the person presented has been formerly ordained, it is not competent to repeat the act of ordina tion but he is required by the Presbytery, to declare in face of the congregation, that he consents and adheres to the declarations, promises, and engagements implied in his answers to the questions. which were put to him when he was ordained, and he is then received and admitted minister of the parish.

(To be continued.)

FOR THE CHRISTIAN's MAGAZINE.

THE DOCTRINE OF GOOD WORKS.

TITUS iii. 8.

This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou constantly affirm, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works: these things are good and profitable unto men.

THERE

HERE are two extremes into which professing Christians have fallen on the subject of good works. The one is, that they constitute an essential part of our justification before God; and the other, that they are not necessary evidences of our sanctification. The truth lies between these two opposite and hostile sentiments. Faith alone is the instrument or mean by which we procure pardon and acceptance with God; but this faith inevitably and infallibly leads to the discharge of every duty as far as it is known. Taking the apostle for our guide on this subject*, we shall illustrate,

I. The nature of good works:

II. The duty of all believers to perform such works: and

III. The reason of this duty.

The explanation of these particulars will exhibit

We waye every critical remark on these words, because we consider the translation to convey the true meaning of the apostle.

the doctrine of good works, as held by all the advocates of free and sovereign grace.

1. Works, or the actions which a dependant, but real agent performs, are internal, when the powers of the soul are alone called into exercise; and external, when done by our bodily organs.

Goodness in general is that quality of any thing whereby it possesses the property it ought to have, or is capable of attaining the end for which it was intended. It may be viewed as supernatural, physical, and moral. Moral goodness, which is here meant, is that quality by which any thing possessing it, is conformable to the moral law, or the eternal rule of right and wrong, which God gave to man at his creation. Of this law there are remains

existing among those who are deprived of the light of revelation, which constitute what is called the law of nature. From this law are drawn the fundamental principles of civil or political law. Conformity to the law of nature constitutes natural goodness, or the goodness which men may possess, who know not the true God as revealed. Conformity to the laws of our country, constitutes civil or political goodness, or the goodness of men as mere members of society, and subjects of government. Both these species of goodness are necessarily imperfect, because the laws, from conformity to which they arise, are necessarily imperfect in their nature, and consequently in their obligation. The moral law exists only in a perfect state in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament. Conformity to this law as thus revealed, is true moral goodness. Such conformity no man, by nature, possesses: for all men are transgressors of this law.

Good works, then, without making any more preliminary remarks, are the internal, or external actions of a regenerated person, which are conformable to the

moral law of God, as contained in the Scriptures. According to this definition or description of good works, there are three things which require our special notice, to enable us to form a correct opinion on this subject: the first is, the law; the second, the properties of good works; the third, the conformity of these works to this law.

First. The law, as has been stated, is the moral law. This was published, in the form of ten commandments, from Mount Sinai, and afterwards summed up by Christ in supreme love to God, and to our neighbours as ourselves. It was originally given to Adam as a covenant of works; the condition of which was perfect obedience; its promise everlasting life; and its penalty death, temporal, spiritual, and eternal. Though this law was broken by Adam, and in him as their federal head, by all his posterity, yet since we are born under it, it remains binding upon us all. Our sin, by disabling us, has not released us from our obligation to obey it. It is holy, just, and good, being the transcript of Jehovah's perfections. It is spiritual, extending to the thoughts, desires, and motives of men. It remains unchangeably the same, as to its condition, promise, and penalty. In this form, as a covenant of works, Christ fulfilled it for all believers, by obeying its precepts, and suffering its penalty. He magnified it, and made it honourable in the eyes of men, angels, and devils. Under the Gospel, therefore, it is promulged by our great Surety, as a rule according to which all his redeemed must regulate their conduct. This he enables them to do by his grace, enlightening them and sanctifying them. They walk worthy of the Lord, unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and abounding therein, to the glory of God.

Secondly. The properties of good works are,

1. That they must be directly or indirectly com

manded by God in this law, as revealed in the Scriptures. There is no other rule of our actions, for there is no other standard of right and wrong.

2. They must originate in a principle of spiritual life. This life, which is something distinct from natural or rational life, we must possess, or we can do no work conformable to the law: for we are, as creatures, transgressors of that law. Can an evil tree bring forth good fruit? Before the fruit can be good, the tree must be made good. Before we can be fruitful in every good work, our natures must be changed. We must be regenerated, made alive, by the Spirit of God. This mode of reasoning is common in our daily occurrences. Before a dishonest man can voluntarily do honest actions, he must become honest in principle. Before a drunkard can act as a sober man, he must become a sober man. Thus, before a rebel against God, a transgressor of his law, can obey that law, he must become the friend of God, and an obedient subject of his authority. The reason why men hesitate to acknowledge the necessity of regeneration, is, because they are ig norant of God's holy and spiritual law. To this, we are absolutely, in the words of an apostle, shut up.' It justly demands what we cannot perform. It acts as a schoolmaster to lead us to Christ, who is the end of the law for righteousness. His redemption, applied by his Spirit, produces a change of heart, and consequently of conduct. Spiritual life displays itself by the steady practice of good works. These works are all of them wrought from a principle of spiritual life, without which principle they cannot be really good. The importance of this part of the subject, requires an enlargement.

A work, to be morally good, must be done with unfeigned humility. Pride, as it is inconsistent with our dependant and corrupted nature, so it mars every