upon to be reconciled to him, and in love to receive him. 1 Psalm xxxii. 5, 6; li. 4, 5, 7, 9, 14. * Prov. xxviii. 13; 1 John i. 9. 3 James v. 16; Luke xvii. 3, 4; Joshua vii, 19; (Psalm li, throughout.) 42 Cor. ii. 8. CHAPTER XVI. OF GOOD WORKS. Good works are only such as God hath commanded in his holy word,' and not such as, without the warrant therof, are devised by men, out of blind zeal, or upon any pretence of good intention.2 1 Micah vi. 8; Rom. xii, 2; Heb. xiii. 21. 2 Matt. xv. 9; Isa. xxix. 13; 1 Peter i. 18; Rom. x. 2; John xvi. 2; 1 Sam. xv. 21–23. 2 3 II. These good works, done in obedience to God's commandments, are the fruits and evidences of a true and lively faith:1 and by them believers manifest their thankfulness, strengthen their assurance, edify their brethren, adorn the profession of the gospel,5 stop the mouths of the adversaries, and glorify God," whose workmanship they are, created in Christ Jesus thereunto; that, having their fruit unto holiness, they may have the end eternal life.9 1 James ii. 18, 22. 2 Peter i. 5-10. 42 vi. 1. 61 Peter ii, 15. ii, 10. 9 Rom. vi. 22. 2 Psalm cxvi. 12, 13; 1 Peter ii. 9. 31 John ii. 3,5; Cor. ix. 2; Matt. v. 16. 5 Titus ii. 5, 9-12; 1 Tim. 71 Peter ii, 12; Phil. i. 11; John xv. 8. 8 Eph. III. Their ability to do good works is not at all of themselves, but wholly from the Spirit of Christ. And that they may be enabled thereunto, besides the graces they have already received, there is required an actual influence of the same Holy Spirit to work in them to will and to do of his good pleasure: 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 stirring up the grace of God that is in them.3 1 John xv. 4-6; Ezek. xxxvi. 26, 27. 2 Phil. ii. 13; iv, 13; 2 Cor. iii, 5. 3 Phil. ii. 12; Heb. vi. 11, 12; 2 Peter i. 3, 5, 10, 11; Isa. Ixiv. 7'; 2 Tim. i. 6; Acts xxvi. 6, 7; Jude, verse 20, 21. IV. They who in their obedience attain to the greatest height which is possible in this life, are so far from being able to supererogate, and to do more than God requires, that they fall short of much which in duty they are bound to do.1 1 Luke xvii. 10; Neh. xiii. 22; Job. ix, 2,3; Gal. v. 17. V. We cannot, by our best works, merit pardon of sin, or eternal life, at the hand of God, by reason of the great disproportion that is between them and the glory to come, and the infinite distance that is between us and God, whom by them we can neither profit nor satisfy for the debt of our former sins; but when we have done all we can, we have done but our duty, and are unprofitable servants; and because, as they are good, they proceed from his Spirit ;3 and as they are wrought by us, they are defiled and mixed with so much weakness and imperfection, that they cannot endure the severity of God's judgment.* 1 Rom. iii. 20, iv. 2, 4, 6; viii. 18; Eph. ii. 8, 9, Tit. iii. 5-7; Psalm xvi. 2; Job xxii. 2, 3; xxxv. 7, 8. 2 Luke xvii. 10; (See Section IV. note 1, immediately foregoing.) 3 Gal. v. 22, 23. 4 Isaiah Ixiv. 6; Gal. v. 17; Rom. vii, 15, 18; Psalm cxxx. 3; cxliii. 2. VI. Yet notwithstanding, the persons of believers being accepted through Christ, their good works also are accepted in him ; not as though they were in this life wholly unblameable and unreprovable in God's sight; but that he, looking upon them in his Son, is pleased to accept and reward that which is sincere, although accompanied with many weaknesses and imperfections.3 1 Eph. i. 6; 1 Pet. ii. 5; Exod. xxviii. 38; Gen. iv. 4; Heb. xi. 4. 2 Job ix. 20; Psalm cxliii. 2. 3 Heb. xiii. 20, 21; vi. 10; 2 Cor. viii. 12; Matt. xxv. 21, 23. VII. Works done by unregenerate men, although, for the matter of them, they may be things which God commands, and of good use both to themselves and others; yet, because they proceed not from an heart purified by faith ; nor are done in a right manner, according to the word; nor to a right end, the glory of God; they are therefore sinful, and cannot please God, or make a man meet to receive grace from God." And yet their neglect of them is more sinful, and displeasing unto God.6 2 Gen. iv. 5; 12 Kings x. 30, 31; I Kings xxi. 27, 29; Phil. i. 15, 16, 18. Heb. xi. 4, 6. 31 Cor. xiii. 3; Isaiah i. 12. 4 Matt, vi. 2, 5, 16. 5 Hag. ii. 14; Titus i. 15; Amos v. 21, 22; Hosea i. 4; Rom. ix. 16; Titus iii. 5. 6 Psalm xiv. 4; xxxvi. 3; Job xxi. 14, 15; Matt. xxv. 41-43, 45; xxiii. 23. CHAPTER XVII. OF THE PERSEVERANCE OF THE SAINTS. THEY whom God hath accepted in his Beloved, effectually called and sanctified by his Spirit, can neither totally nor finally fall away from the state of grace ; but shall certainly persevere therein to the end, and be eternally saved.1 1 Phil, i, 6; 2 Pet, i. 10; 1 Pet. i. 5, 9; John x. 28, 29; 1 John iii. 9. II. This perseverance of the saints depends not upon their own free will, but upon the immutability of the decree of election, flowing from the free and unchangeable love of God the Father; upon the efficacy of the merit and intercession of Jesus Christ; the abiding of the Spirit, and of the seed of God within them ;3 and the nature of the covenant of grace: from all which ariseth also the certainty and infallibility thereof.5 12 Tim. ii. 18, 19; Jer. xxxi. 3. Rom, viii, 3339; John xvii. 11, xiv. 16, 17; 1 John ii. 27; iii. 9. iii. 3; 1 John ii. 19. 2 Heb. x, 10, 14; 24; Luke xxii. 32; 4 Jer. xxxii, 40. xiii. 20, 21; ix. 12—15; Heb. vii. 25. 3 John 5 John x. 28; 2 Thess. III. Nevertheless they may, through the temptations of Satan and of the world, the prevalency of corruption remaining in them, and the neglect of the means of their preservation, fall into grievous sins ;1 and for a time continue therein :2 whereby they incur God's displeasure, and grieve his Holy Spirit; come to be deprived of some measure of their graces and comforts; have their hearts hardened, and their consciences wounded;7 hurt and scandalize others, and bring temporal judgments upon themselves.9 3 8 9 Isaiah lxiv. 12; Rev. ii. 4; 7 Psalm xxxii, 1 Matt. xxvi. 70, 72, 74. Psalm li. (the title.) verse 14. 5, 7, 9; 2 Sam, xi, 27. 4 Eph. iv. 30. 5 Psalm li. 8, 10, Cant. v. 2-4, 6. 6 Isaiah lxiii, 17; Mark vi. 52; xvi. 14. 3, 4; li. 8. 82 Sam. xii, 14. 9 Psalm lxxxix, 31, 32; 1 Cor. xi, 32. CHAPTER XVIII. OF ASSURANCE OF GRACE AND SALVATION. ALTHOUGH hypocrites, and other unregenerate men, may vainly deceive themselves with false hopes and carnal presumptions of being in the favour of God and estate of salvation ; which hope of theirs shall perish ;? yet such as truly believe in the Lord Jesus, and love him in sincerity, endeavouring to walk in all good conscience before him, may in this life be certainly assured that they are in the state of grace,3 and may rejoice in the hope of the glory of God; which hope shall never make them ashamed.* 8 Matt. 1 Job viii. 13, 14; Micah iii. 11; Deut. xxix. 19; John viii. 41. vii, 22, 23. 31 John ii. 3; iii, 14, 18, 19, 21, 24; v. 13. 4 Rom. v. 2, 5. but II. This certainty is not a bare conjectural and probable persuasion, grounded upon a fallible hope ;1. an infallible assurance of faith, founded upon the divine truth of the promises of salvation, the inward evidence of those graces unto which these promises are made, the testimony of the Spirit of adoption witnessing with our spirits that we are the children of God: which Spirit is the earnest of our inheritance, whereby we are sealed to the day of redemption.5 3 1 Heb. vi. 11, 19. iii. 14; 2 Cor. i, 12. 21, 22, 2 Heb. vi. 17, 18. 32 Peter i. 4, 5, 10, 11; 1 John ii. 3; 5 Eph i. 13, 14; iv. 30; 2 Cor. í III. This infallible assurance doth not so belong to the essence of faith, but that a true believer may wait long, and conflict with many difficulties, before he be partaker of it: yet, being enabled by the Spirit to know the things which are freely given him of God, he may, without extraordinary revelation, in the right use of ordinary means, attain thereunto. And, therefore, it is the duty of every one to give all diligence to make his calling and election sure; that thereby his heart may be enlarged in peace and joy in the Holy Ghost, in love and thankfulness to God, and in strength and cheerfulness in the duties of obedience, the proper |