b

faith, and follow after justification, cannot put away our sins, and endure the severity of God's judgment,a yet are they pleasing and acceptable to God in Christe and do spring out necessarily of a true and lively

good works;" [Tit. ii. 14.) "who also will render to every man according to his deeds." Rom. ii. 6. Our works, indeed, are imperfect, so that they cannot endure the severity of God's judgment, much less expiate our sins, since they themselves want to be expiated by the merits of Christ. But for his sake God deals bountifully with us, and does not judge us severely, but has compassion upon our weakness, and ordains infinite rewards for those who do well, though imperfectly; rewards, not of debt, but of grace.

GOOD WORKS-THE FRUITS OF FAITH.

b James ii. 17, 18. "Faith, if it hath 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." And the apostle proceeds to illustrate this point to the end of the chapter.

c 1 John i. 7. "The blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin."

GOOD WORKS-NOT MERITORIOUS.

d Luke xvii. 10. "When ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do." Psalm cxxx. 3. "If thou, Lord, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand?" And, Psalm cxliii. 2. Enter not into judgment with thy servant; for in thy sight shall no man living be justified."

GOOD WORKS-ACCEPTABLE.

e Heb. xiii. 16. "To do good, and to communicate, forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased."

E

faith, insomuch that by them a lively faith may be as evidently known as a tree discerned by the fruit.

GOOD WORKS THE EVIDENCE OF FAITH.

A true faith has always love joined to it, and consequently is neither inactive nor unfruitful. And further, he who truly believes the Gospel, will be careful to maintain good works; which he who neglects to do has only a dead faith, or even none at all. Gal. v. 6. "In Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love."

For if a man sincerely believes the divine authority of Christ's religion, and is firmly convinced that his eternal happiness consists in his conformity to its precepts, such a faith will naturally produce the practice of those virtues which are enjoined by the Gospel; insomuch that by them a lively faith may be as evidently known as a tree discerned by the fruit. The performance of these good works is, indeed, the test and criterion of genuine faith, just as every tree is known by its own fruit." James ii. 26. "For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also." Matt. vii. 17, 20. 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."

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Our church considers works as essential to the character of a true Christian, and as the necessary consequences of sincere faith in Christ. The true Scripture doctrine is that good works are indispensable, but not sufficient for the attainment of eternal life.

ARTICLE XIII.

Of Works before Justification."

b

WORKS done before the grace of Christ, and the

* This article is designed partly against an error of the

inspiration of his Spirit, are not pleasant to God, foras_ much as they spring not of faith in Jesus Christ, neither do they make men meet to receive grace, or (as the school-authors saya) deserve grace of congruity;

Pelagians, who contended that the good actions of the heathen were acceptable to God; and partly against the Papists, who in some measure have closed with them in their distinction of good works into merits ex congruo and ex condigno.

WORKS OF THE UNJUSTIFIED NOT ACCEPTABLE TO GOD.

That works may be perfectly good, they must flow from a good principle, namely, faith; and they must tend to a good end, namely, the glory of God; and they must in no respect be deficient. But what mortal man, either before or after the grace of Christ, hath been thus happy in doing well? And therefore the works of unbelievers, how specious soever, can deserve nothing, by reason of their imperfection; and they are to be looked upon as evil rather than good, upon the account of their defects. Rom. vii. 8. "They that are in the flesh, cannot please God."

WORKS OF THE UNJUSTIFIED NOT DESERVING OF GRACE.

c All grace is the free gift of our heavenly Father, for Titus iii. 5. "The love of God our Saviour towards man appeared, 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." Rom. iv. 2, 6. "If Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory, but not before God. Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works." 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."

d By the school-authors, or schoolmen, 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," be

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.f

cause this mode of treating religion arose from the use of academical disputations.

WORKS OF THE UNJUSTIFIED SINFUL.

e The schoolmen speak of two sorts of merit; a merit of congruity, and a merit of condignity. The latter they ascribe to works, which a man does by assistance of grace, and to which a reward is in justice due. The former they ascribe to such works as a man does by the mere strength of free-will, and which are to be rewarded only out of liberality. But what foundation is there for this sort of merit, since all of us are by nature evil? "I know that in me, that is, in my flesh, dwelleth no good thing." Rom. vii. 18. "They that are in the flesh, cannot please God." Rom. viii. 8. "A corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit." Matt. vii. 17.

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f So great and universal a depravity is introduced into the dispositions of men in consequence of the fall of Adam, that they can in no instance of themselves act as their Creator originally commanded; and therefore, as in all their works performed without divine assistance, there is a departure from the will of God, we doubt not but they have the nature of sin. Rom. xiv. 23. "Whatsoever is not of faith is sin."

ARTICLE XIV.

Of Works of Supererogation.

VOLUNTARY Works besides, over and above God's

"This article is directed against the Romish doctrine of works of supererogation; that is, works which a man does be

commandments, which they call Works of Supererogation, cannot be taught without arrogancy and impiety: for by them men do declare, that they do not only render unto God as much as they are bound to do, but that they do more for his sake, than of bounden duty

yond his duty, and beyond what is necessary for his own salvation. Upon this doctrine the Roman Catholics built the theory of a communication of merits, and believed that the superfluous merits of their saints formed a kind of treasure in the Church. "In vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men." Col. ii. 8. "Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ."

WORKS OF SUPEREROGATION THE INVENTION OF MAN,

AND IMPIOUS TO BE TAUGHT.

b The doctrine of supererogation was first known about the twelfth or thirteenth century, and it seems to have been founded upon what the Papists call "counsels of perfection; that is, rules that are not commanded by Christ, but recommended, which do not oblige all men to follow them under pain of sin, but yet are useful to carry them on to a greater degree of perfection than is necessary to salvation. It is almost needless to say, that there is no foundation for such a doctrine in Scripture all the rules there prescribed for our conduct are given in the form of positive commands, as absolutely necessary, wherever they are applicable, to the attainment of eternal life; and the violation of every one of these commands, is declared to be sin. We are ordered to be "perfect, even as our Father which is in heaven is perfect," (Matt. v. 48.) and so far from being able to exceed what is required for our salvation, the Gospel assures us, that after our utmost care and best endeavours, we shall still fall short of our whole duty; and therefore even the best of men, laying aside all notions of supererogation, are daily to pray that their debts (or trespasses) may be for