Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB
[ocr errors]

tians, though they acknowledged Christ to be the true Messiah, thought that the ceremonial law of Moses was still to retain its force. In opposition to whom St. Paul says, we are justified by faith without the works of the law," (Rom. iii. 28. and Gal. ii. 16.) meaning the Mosaical dispensation; for he had just before divided all mankind into those who were "within the law," and those who were "without the law," (Rom. ii. 12.) that is, into Jews and Gentiles.

This Article was directed against the Popish doctrine of human merit; a doctrine inconsistent with the whole scheme of Redemption through Christ.

ARTICLE XII.

Of Good Works.

ALBEIT that good works, which are the fruits of faith, and follow after justification, cannot put away our sins, and

b

a Eph. ii. 10. We are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained, that we should walk in them.-Jam. ii. 17, 18, Faith, if it have not works, is dead, being alone. Yea, a man may say, thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.-John xv. 8. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit.-Ver. 16.—Gal. v. 6.-Col. i. 10.-Tit. iii. 8.

b Luke xvii. 10. When ye shall have done all these

endure the severity of God's judgment, yet are they pleasing and acceptable to God in Christ, and do spring out necessarily of a true and lively faith; insomuch that by them a lively faith may be as evidently known as a tree discerned by the fruit'.

things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do.-Ps. cxliii. 2.

c Heb. xiii, 16, 20, 21. To do good and to communicate forget not; for with such sacrifices God is well pleased, &c.

d Gal. v. 22, 23. The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance; against such there is no law.

e Matt. vii. 17. Every good tree bringeth forth good fruit. Ver. 20. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.-1 John iii. 3.

f Heb. xi. 1. Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

This Article was not among those of 1552: it was added in 1562, in opposition to the opinions of certain sects, called "Antinomians, Solifidians, and Gospellers," who denied the necessity of good works. There might have been also a general wish in the compilers of these Articles to obviate any mistake which might arise from the preceding Article, in which it is said that "we are justi

fied by faith only." Good works are called the fruits of faith, and are said to follow after justification; that is, after we are placed in a state of justification, by being admitted to partake of the privileges and promises of the Gospel, which we are by baptism. See Art. XI. And we assert, that such works are pleasing and acceptable to God, in opposition to the Roman Church, which thinks that a work cannot be called good, if it is not entirely good, and that nothing can please God in which there is an allay of sin. We, on the other hand, believe, according to this Article, that a good work is considered by God according to the main both of the action and the intention of him that does it: and that as a father pities his children, so God passes over the defects of those who serve him sincerely, though not perfectly; which is evident from the earnest exhortations in almost every page of the New Testament to the practice of the moral and social duties: and our Saviour illustrates it by his parable of the two men who built houses-his parable of the talents-the ten virgins-and his description of the final judgment. See Matt. xxv.

Here note, that a lively faith is opposed to an historic or dead faith, which St. James says is useless, and that even the devils have; "The devils also believe and tremble."

ARTICLE XIII.

Of Works before Justification. WORKS done before the grace of Christ and the inspiration of his Spirit are not pleasant to God, forasmuch as they spring not of faith in Jesus Christ, b neither do they make men meet to receive grace, or (as the School-authors say) deserve grace of congruity: yea, rather, for that they are not done as God has willed and commanded them to be done, we doubt not but they have the nature of sin.

с

d

e

a John xv. 5. Without (or severed from) me ye can do nothing.-Matt. vii. 17. A corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.-Rom. viii. 9. If any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.-Heb. xi. 6. Without faith it is impossible to please God.-Rom. viii. 8.

b Tit. iii. 5. Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy, he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost.

с By the School-authors, or School-men, are meant the writers of scholastic divinity, the age of the Church and form of theology succeeding that of the Fathers being called "the Schools," because this mode of treating religion arose from the use of academical disputations.

d Col. iii. 17. Whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.

e Rom. xiv. 23. Whatsoever is not of faith is sin. See Homily, "Of good Works," Part I.

This Article is designed partly against an error of the Pelagians, who contended that the good actions of the heathen were acceptable to God; and to another of the Schoolmen, who in some measure have closed with them in their distinction of good works into merits ex congruo and ex condigno.

That the actions of unbelievers cannot be acceptable to God, is evident from the particular reason assigned in the Article, viz. " because they spring not of faith in Jesus Christ, &c." since though the action may be good in itself, from the morality and nature of it, it is not good in the sight of God, unless the principles, ends, and motives of the agent be so likewise. (See texts.) The School-men devised a two-fold merit-a merit of congruity, and a merit of condignity: the latter they ascribe to works, which a man does by the assistance of grace, and to which a reward is in justice due; the former they ascribe to the works of persons in a state of nature and unbelief, which are to be rewarded only out of liberality. This doctrine of the "merit of congruity" is contrary to the notion which the Scripture gives us of persons in an unregenerate state, (see texts, ref. a,) and likewise contrary to the doctrine of preventing grace.

« AnteriorContinuar »