Part II. ftian denies it. And thus the Reader has the true OpiChap. 7. nion concerning Chriflian Truft clearly and briefly explain'd in the four foregoing Conclufions.

The Doctrin of

XLV. To conclude this long Chapter concerning Faith, for Juftification by the Length of which, it is much to be lamented, that Works and not by fo great Occafion has been given by injudicious Wriproper to be in-ters, and that as abroad, fo among our felves: altho' fifted on in com- then it may be faid in a Senfe found enough, that we mon Auditories. are juftify'd by Faith only, if thereby be meant no more,

Faith only is most

than that we are justify'd by God's Grace only, not by any Merit of our own nay, altho' it may also be most rightly faid in the true Senfe of St Paul, that we are justify'd by Faith without Works, i. e. without fuch -Works as are done before or without the Grace of God: yet fince common People are too apt greedily to embrace the wrong Meaning of the faid Expreffions, as being most agreeable to their Carnal and corrupt Inclinations; hence holy Prudence perfwades, or rather requires of Such as have the care of Souls, that they should rather inculcate to their People that more plain Doctrin concerning Faith, which was of old deliver'd by Saint James (N. B.) in order to avoid fuch Errors, as those run into, who wreft the Doctrine of St Paul concerning Faith, (as being hard to be underflood, efpecially by Common and unlearned People,) unto their own Destruction, as was of old obferv'd by St Peter in his fecond Epift. 3.16. That is, Minifters fhould in Prudence inculcate to their Hearers the Doctrin of Juftification, as exprefs'd by St James, Chap. 2. 24. viz. that we are justify'd by Works, and not by Faith only, that is, that Faith is only one Part of the Condition requir'd to be perform'd by us in the Gospel in order to our Juftification; and that the other Part, and no less neceffary, are good Works, or an holy Life, as I proceed to thew in the next following Chapter.

CHAP.

181

CHAP. VIII.

Of Good Works, and their Neceßity
to Juftification.

TH

I. Good Works

God w

HE whole Righteousness or Condition of the Gofpel-Covenant, (for they amount to the fame, what. inafmuch as our Righteoufnefs is no other than the Condition of the Gofpel-Covenant perform'd by us,) is frequently denoted in St Paul's Writings by the word Faith, and fometimes in other Parts of holy Scripture: but St James expreffes the faid Righteoufnefs or Condition of the Gofpel-Covenant more diftinctly, Chap. 2.24. viz. by Faith and Works, viz. Evangelical Works, that is, fuch as are perform'd by the Grace of the Holy Spirit, and thro' Christ or by Virtue of the Gospel-Covenant, are acceptable to God, and fo Good Works, and to be rewarded with the Bleflings of the Gofpel, efpecially That of eternal Life.

II.
Good Works are

I have already treated distinctly and largely of Faith: I proceed now to treat diftinctly of Good Works. For requir'd by the there are fome, who, being misled by one and the fame Golpel-Covenant as necessary to JuError, afcribe too much to Faith, and too little to Good Atification. Works. They affert with great Earneftness, that Faith is the only Inftrument of Juftification, and altogether exclude Good Works from having any thing to do in the Business of Juftification. But this they do, contrary to the most plain Doctrin of holy Scripture, and of the Primitive and Catholick Church. For from both these it clearly appears, that Good Works are no less requir'd to Juftification than Faith, and confequently that the Jame kind of Caufality is to be afcrib'd to Good Works, as to Faith, in the matter of Juftification.

III.

I fhall begin with Scripture-proofs, and among these The fame prov'd with the Doctrin of our Bl. Saviour himself, as what from Scripture ; all Chriftians must own ought to have the chiefeft Re. and firft from the gard. Our Saviour then, Joh. 14. 21. teaches thus: viour himself.

He

Words of our Sa

Part II. He that has my Commandments, and keeps them, be it Chap. 8. is that loves me. And be that loves me, shall be lov'd of

IV. Secondly, from St Peter.

my Father, and I will love him. And v. 23. If a Man love me, be will keep my Words, and my Father will love him. That fuch a Love is here requir'd, as produces a Keeping of the Commandments of Chrift, in order to a Man's having the Love of God, i.e. being juftify'd, is as clear as the Light it felf. Remarkable likewife to this purpofe is Matt. 11. 28, 29. and fo much the more remarkable, because it plainly contains a folemn Promulgation or Declaration of the Gofpel-Covenant: Come unto me All ye that labour, and are beavy laden, and I will give you Reft. Take my Yoke upon you, and learn of me, &c. Now Chrift's Yoke is his Law, as may be learnt by comparing 1 Joh. 5. 3. Whofoever takes not upon him this Yoke, i. e. do's not undertake to perform the Law of Chrift, to him do's not belong Chrift's Promise of giving Reft to his Soul, i. e. of Juftification or Salvation. Clear to the fame purpofe are the words of Christ, Joh. 15. 14. Te are my Friends, if ye Do whatfoever I command you. Whence it is manifeft, that no one can be the Friend of Chrift, nor confequently juftify'd, but he that do's what foever Christ has commanded to be done.'

Agreeably to this Doctrin of their Mafter, is that of Chrift's Difciples. Thus St Peter, the Chief of the twelve Apoftles, Act. 10. 34, 35. God is no Respecter of Perfons. But in every Nation, he that feareth him, and worketh Righteousness is accepted with him. What St Peter afferts here in the first place, viz, that God is no Respecter of Perfons, quite overthrows the Doctrin of irrefpective and abfolute Election; and what he afferts next, viz. that be whofoever he be, that works Righteoufnefs, is accepted with God, moft clearly proves, that in order to be accepted with God, that is, juftify'd, one must work Righteousness. It is alfo very ob fervable, that Cornelius, in reference to whom the forecited Words were fpoken by St Peter, was not yet a Chriftian, as never yet having had Chrift preach'd to him, and fo could not be justify'd by the Inftrumen

tality of Faith only, apprehending and applying Chrift's Merits to him, as the Solifidians teach; but he was justify'd by his general Belief of the True God, and by his Working Righteousness, as giving much Alms, and praying to God conftantly, and the like, as v. 2. where he is defcrib'd to have been, afore he fent for Peter, a devout Man, and one that fear'd God, &c. which plainly proves him to have been then in a State of Grace and Salvation, and therefore juftify'd; fo that had he dy'd in that State, he would have been eternally fav'd without all reasonable Doubt. For altho' he was not yet endued with an explicit Faith in Christ, as having not had it preach'd to him, yet he was endued with an implicit Faith in Chrift, i.e. with a fincere Readiness to believe in Christ, as foon as he fhould have Christ preach'd to him, and accordingly did readily believe in Christ on hearing St Peter. This I the rather take notice of, because it plainly confirms, what I have above faid concerning the Salvation of fuch good and pious Perfons, as have liv'd only under the Law of Nature, or of Mofes, and have never had the Gospel preach'd

to them.

Part II.
Chap. 8.

V.

I fhall next mention the belov'd Apoftle St John, Thirdly, from who, 1 Epift.1.7. teaches thus: If we walk in the Light, St John. as he is in the Light, we have fellowship one with another; and the Blood of Jefus Christ bis fon cleanses us from all Sin. Whence it appears, that there is no Communion with God, no Cleanfing from Sin by the Blood of Chrift, which is no other in one word than no Juftification, but to fuch as walk in the Light, i. e. work Righteoufnefs.

VI.

The Doctrin of St James to this purpofe is well Fourthly, from known, and most clear and plain, Chap. 2. 21, 22, &c. St James. Was not Abraham our father justify'd by Works, Faith wrought with his Works, and by Works was Faith made perfect. - Te fee then, how that by Works a Man is juftify'd, and not by Faith only, &c.

VII.

The laft Apoftle I fhall mention, fhall be St Paul, Fifthly, from whom the Solifidians wrongly take to be the great Pa- St Paul. tron of their Doctrin, whereas he exprefly affèrts the

Neceffity

Part II. Chap. 8.

VIII.

The fame Do

Neceffity of Works to Juftification, and that more than once. Thus 1 Cor. 7. 19. Circumcifion is nothing, and Uncircumcifion is nothing, but (N.B.) the Keeping of the Commandments of God. So Rom, 2.13. Not the Hearers of the Law are just before God, but the Doers of the Law fhall be justify'd. What words could St Paul have ufed to exprefs more plainly the Neceflity of Good Works to Juftification? The Evidence already brought from Scripture, being fo plain and direct, I fhall pafs by other Proofs of Scripture to the fame Purpofe, which are in a manner innumerable. Forafmuch as hereto belong all fuch Places, where Repentance is requir'd in order to and fo before Forgiveness of Sins.

That the Primitive Fathers of the Christian Church, arin taught by who liv'd either with the Apostles, or in the three or the Primitive Fa- four Ages next after them, understood the Doctrin of Confeffion of the Chrift and his Apoftles in the fame Sense we do, and firft Reformed confequently taught the Neceffity of Good Works to

thers, and by the

Churches.

taught by our Church.

Juftification; may be feen by the Paffages cited out of
the faid Fathers by Bp Bull in Sect. 4. of his Apology; a
and those added by Dr Grabe in the Annotations to
the faid Section. Likewife that the fame Doctrin is
taught by the Confeffions of the first and chiefest Pro-
teftant Churches, as thofe of Augsburg, Wirtemberg, and
Strasburg, the Reader may fee in Sect. 6. of Bp Bull's
foremention'd Apology. It would fwell this Treatife
to too large a Bulk for the use of those it is chiefly de-
fign'd for, to infert here all the faid Teftimonies; and
therefore I pafs them over here, it being fufficient to
have directed the Reader, that has a mind to perufe
them, where to find them.

IX. The Neceffity I haften here to fhew the Doctrin of our own Church of Good Works in this Point, as being moft material to be rightly unto Juftification derstood by a young English Student of Divinity, and fo much the more becaufe the Solifidians pretend that our Church teaches the fame Doctrin, as they do, in this Point; whereas the contrary is molt clear in almost innumerable Places. For 1ft, Such are all the Places, where our Church inculcates, or exprefly teaches, that Repentance is neceffarily requir'd aforehand in order to