IV. As there is no fin fo fmall, but it deferves damnation b ; fo there is no fin fo great, that it can bring damnation upon thofe who truly repent i. V. Men ought not to content themselves with a general repentance, but it is every man's duty to endeavour to repent of his particular fins particularly k. VI. As every man is bound to make private confeffion of his fins to God, praying for the pardon thereof 7; upon which, and he will judge the world in righteouf nefs, by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given affurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead. IV. Rom. vi. 23. For the wages of fin is death; but the gift God is eternal life, through Jefus Chrift our Lord. Rom. v. 12. Wherefore, as by one man fio entered into the world, and death by fin; and fo death paffed upon all men, for that all have finned. Mat. xii. 36. But I fay unto you, that every idle word that men fhall fpeak, they fhall give account thereof in the day of judgment. : i Ifa. Iv. 7. Let the wicked forfake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. Rom. viii. 1. There is therefore now no condemnation to them who are in Chrift Jefus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the fpirit. Ifa. i. 16. Wafh ye, make you clean, put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes, ceafe to do evil. v. 18. Come now and let us reafon together, faith the Lord though your fins be as fcarlet, they shall be as white as fnow; though they be red like crimfon, they fhall be as wool. V. A Pfal. xix. 13. Keep back thy fervant alfo from prefumptuous fins, let them not have dominion over me; then fhall I be upright, and I fhall be the innocent from the great tranfgreffion." Luke xix. 8. And Zaccheus stood and faid unto the Lord, Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor, and if I have taken any thing from any man by falfe accufation, I reftore him fourfold. 1 Tim., i. 13. Who was before a blafphemer, and a perfecutor and injurious. But I ob tained mercy, because I did it ignorantly, in unbelief. v. 15. This is a faithful faying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Chrift Jefus came into the world to fave finners; of whom I am chief. and VI. / Pfal. li. 4. Against thee, thee only have I finned, and done this evil in thy fight: that thou mightest be ju ftified when thou fpeakeft, and be clear when thou judgeft. v. 5. Behold, I was fhapen in iniquity: and in fin did my mother conceive me. v. 7. Purge me with hyffop, and I fhall be clean; wafh me, and I fhall be whiter than fnow. v. 9. Hide thy face from fins; my blot out all mine iniquities. v. 14. Deliver me from blood-guiltinefs, O God, thou God of my falvation: and my tongue fhall fing aloud of thy righte oufnefs. Pfal. xxxii. 5. I acknowledged my fin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid: I faid, I will confefs my tranfgreffions unto the Lord; and thou forgaveft the iniquity of my fin. Selah. v. 6. For this fhall every one that is godly pray unto thee, in a time when thou mayeft be found: furely i the forfaking of them, he fhall find mercy m: So he that fcandalizeth his brother, or the church of Chrift, ought to be willing, by a private or public confeffion and forrow for his fin, to declare his repentance to thofe that are offended n; who are thereupon to be reconciled to him, and in love to receive him o. CHAP. XVI. Of Good Works. WOOD works are only fuch as God hath commanded in his holy word a, and not fuch as, without the warrant thereof, are devised by men, out of blind zeal, or upon any pretence of good intention b. furely in the floods of great waters, they fhall not come nigh unto him. m Prov. xxviii. 13. He that covereth his fins, fhall not profper: but whofo confeffeth and forfaketh them, fhall have mercy. 1 John i. 9. If we confefs our fins, he is faithful and juft to forgive us our fins, and to cleanfe us from all unrighteoufnefs. " James v. 16. Confefs your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed: The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. Luke xvii. 3. Take heed to your felves: If thy brother trefpafs against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him. v. 4. And if he trefpafs against thee feven times in a day, and feven times in a day turn again to thee, faying, I repent; thou fhalt forgive him. Jofh. vii. 19. And Joshua faid unto Achan, My fon, give, I pray thee, glory to the Lord God of Ifrael, and make confeffion unto him; and tell me now what thou haft done, hide it not from me. (Pfal. li. throughout.) o 2 Cor. ii. 8. Wherefore I beseech you, that you would confirm your love towards him. I. a. Micah vi. 8. He hath fhewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do juftice, and to love mercy, and to II. Thefe walk humbly with thy God? Rom. xii. 2. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and accept-; able and perfect will of God. Heb. xiii. 21. Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is well pleafing in his fight, through Jefus Chrift; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. b Mat. xv. 9. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. Ifa. xxix. 13. Wherefore the Lord faid, Forafmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear towards me is taught by the precept of men. I Pet. i. 18. Forafmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as filver and gold, from your vain converfation, received by tradition from your fathers. Rom. x. 2. For I bear them record, that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. John xvi. 2. They shall put you out of the fynagogues, yea, the time cometh, that whofoever killeth you, will think that he doth God fervice. 1 Sam. xv. 21. But the people took of the fpoil, fheep and oxen, F.2 the II. These good works, done in obedience to God's com mandments. are the fruits and evidences of a true and lively faith c and by them believers manifeft their thankfulnefs d, ftrengthen their affurance e, edify their brethren f adorn the profeffion of the gofpel g, ftop the mouths of the c: the chief of the things which fhould have been utterly deftroyed, to facrifice unto the Lord thy God in Gilgal. v. 22. And Samuel faid, Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt-offerings and facrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than facrifice; and to hearken, than the fat of rams. v. 23. For rebellion is as the fin of witchcraft, and ftubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry: becaufe thou haft rejected the word of the Lord, he hath alfo rejected thee from being king. II. c James ii. 18. Yea, a man may fay, thou haft faith, and I have works: fhew me thy faith without thy works, and I will thew thee my faith by my works. v. 22. Seeft thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect? d Pfal. cxvi. 12. What fhall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits towards me? v. 13. I will take the cup of falvation, and call upon the name of the Lord. I Pet. ii. 9. But ye are a chofen generation, a roy-. al priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye fhould fhew forth the praifes of him, who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light. e John ii. 3. And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. v. 5. But whofo keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him. 2 Pet, i. 5. And befides this, giving all diligence, add. to your faith, virtue; and to virtue, knowledge; v. 6. And to knowledge, temperance; and to temperance, patience; and to patience, godlinefs; v. ad 7. And to godlinefs, brotherly kindnefs; and to brotherly kindnefs, cha rity. v. 8. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye fhall neither be barren, nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jefus Chrift. v. 9. But he that lacketh thefe things, is blind, and cannot fee far off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old fins. v. 10. Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election fure: fo if ye do thefe things, ye shall never fall. f 2 Cor. ix. 2. For I know the forwardness of your mind, for which I boaft of you to them of Macedonia, that Achaia was ready a year ago; and your zeal hath provoked very many." Mat. v. 16. Let your light fo fhine before men, that they may fee your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven. g Tit. ii. 5.To be difcreet, chafte, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own hufbands, that the word of God be not blafphemed. v. 9. Exhort fervants to be obedient unto their own mafters, and to please them well in all things; not anfwering again; v. 10. Not purloining, but fhewing all good' fidelity; that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things V. II. For the grace of God that bringeth falvation, hath appeared to all men; v. 12. Teaching us, that deny. ing ungodliness and worldly lufts, we fhould live foberly, righteously, and godly in this prefent world. 1 Tim. vi. 1. Let as many fervants as are under the yoke, count their own mafters wor thy adverfaries b, and glorify God i, whofe workmanship they are, created in Chrift Jefus thereunto k; that, having their fruit unto holiness, they may have the end eternal life l. III. Their ability to do good works is not at all of themselves, but wholly from the Spirit of Chrift m. And that they may be enabled thereunto, befides the graces they have already received, there is required an actual influence of the fame holy Spirit, to work in them to will and to do of his good pleafure n: yet are they not hereupon to grow negligent, as if they were not bound to perform any duty, unless upon a special motion of the Spirit; but they ought to be diligent in ftirring up the grace of God that is in them o. IV. They who in their obedience attain to the greatest height which is poffible in this life, are fo far from being able to fuper thy of all honour; that the name of God and his doctrine be not blafphemed. b Pet. ii. 15. For fo is the will of God, that with well-doing ye may put to filence the ignorance of foolish men. Ι i I Petii. 12. Having your converfation honeft among the Gentiles; that whereas they fpeak against you as evil doers, they may, by your good works which they fhall behold, glorify God in the day of vifitation. Phil. i. 11. Being filled with the fruits of righteoufnefs, which are by Jefus Chrift, unto the glory and praife of God. John xv. 8. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit, fo fhall ye be my difciples. k Eph. ii. 1o. For we are his workmanship, created in Chrift Jefus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we fhould walk in them. / Rom: vi. 22. But now being made free from fin, and become fervants to God, ye have your fruit unto holinefs, and the end everlafting life. III. m John xv. 4. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itfelf, except it abide in the vine: no more can ye, except ye abide in me. * v. 5. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that bideth erogate in me, and I in him, the fame bringeth forth much fruit, for without me ye can do nothing. v. 6. If a man abide not in me, he is caft forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them and caft them into the fire, and they are burned. Ezek. xxxvi. 26. A new heart alfo will I give you, and a new fpirit will I put within you, and I will take away the ftony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. v. 27. And I will put my fpirit within you, and caufe you to walk in my ftatutes, and ye fhall keep my judgments, and do them. n Phil. ii. 13. For it is God who worketh in you, both to will and to do, of his good pleafure. Phil. iv. 13. o Phil. ii. 12. Wherefore, my be erogate and to do more than God requires, as that they fall fhort of much which in duty they are bound to do p. V. We cannot, by our beft works, merit pardon of fin or eternal life at the hand of God, by reafon of the great difproportion that is between them and the glory to come, and the infinite diftance that is between us and God, whom by them we can neither profit, nor fatisfy for the debt of our former fins q; but, when we every one of you do fhew the fame diligence, to the full affurance of hope unto the end: v. 12. That ye be not flothful, but followers of them, who through faith and patience inherit the promifes. 2 Pet. i. 3. According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godlinefs, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue. v. 5. And befides this, giving all diligence, add to your faith, virtue; and to virtue, knowledge. v. 10. Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election fure: for if ye do thefe things, ye fhall never fall: v. II. For fo an entrance fhall be miniftred unto you abundantly, into the everlafting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jefus Chrift. Ifa. Ixiv. 7. And there is none that calleth upon thy name, that ftirreth up himfelf to take hold of thee: for thou haft hid thy face from us, and haft confumed us, becaufe of our iniquities. 2 Tim. i. 6. Wherefore I put thee in remembrance, that thou ftir up the gift of God which is in thee, by the putting on of my hands. Acts xxvi. 6. And now I ftand, and am judged for the hope of the promise made of God unto our fathers: v. 7. Unto which promife our twelve tribes inftantly ferving God day and night, hope to come for which hope's fake, king Agrippa, I am accufed of the Jews. Jude 20. But ye beloved, building up your felves on your poft holy faith, : have praying in the holy Ghoft, v. 21. Keep your felves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jefus Chrift unto eternal life. IV. p Luke xvii. 10. So likewife ye,. when ye fhall have done all those things which are commanded you, fay, We are unprofitable fervants:* we have done that which was our duty to do. Neh. xiii, 22. And I commanded the Levites, that they fhould cleanfe themfelves, and that they should come & keep the gates, to fanctify the fabbath-day. Remember me, O my God, concerning this alfo, and fpare me according to the greatness of thy mercy. Job ix. 2. I know it is fo of a truth: but how fhould man be juft with God? v. 3. If he will contend with him, he cannot answer him one of a thoufand. Gal. v. 17. For the flesh lufteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh and thefe are contrary the one to the other; fo that ye cannot do the things that ye would. V. q Rom. iii. 20. Therefore by the deeds of the law there fhall no flefh be juftified in his fight: for by the law is the knowledge of fin. Rom. iv. 2. For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory, but not before God. v. 4. Now to him that worketh, is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.. v. 6. Even as David alfo defcribeth the bleffednefs of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works. Eph. ii. 8. For by grace are ye |