DISCOURSE XX.

Of Good Works; and first of Fafting.

EPHESIANS ii. 10.

For we are his workmanship, created in Chrift Jefus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

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S this folemn feafon has been observed in all ages of the chriftian church, as a time ⚫ fet apart for more than ordinary exercises of devotion, it may afford fome profitable inftructions to you, to attend to a discourse upon the abfolute neceffity of cultivating all manner of good works, or in other words, of leading a life of righteousness, and true holiness."

Christians need hardly be told, that our very exiftence here, is the free gift of God; and that we are not to pafs our time in fulfilling the defires of the flesh, and the mere natural inclinations, which will render us children of wrath; but that we should fo employ our day of trial now, as wife children of our heavenly Father, who hath new created, or quickened us together with Chrift; that we may bring forth good works; for to this very end the apostle declareth, in the text, that we are created to him in Chrift Fefus; and in which it is the

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good pleasure of God, that we should walk. By this expreffion, the apoftle clearly intimates, his meaning to be, not that we fhould place any improper truft in our own works; as if by any intrinfic feparate merit in them, we can obtain remiffion of our fins for ourselves or others, and fo thereby - fecure eternal life; for that would be an impious derogation from the power of God's grace, and a lowering the value of our Savior's death and mediation. It is certainly by the free grace and mercy of God alone, through the virtue of Chrift's facrifice, and not on account of any poffible independent excellence on our part, that our fins are forgiven us*.

Although, therefore, good works are indifpenfable as the marks of chriftian character; it is evident that we are new created, or by a new creation enabled to perform them in Chrift Jefus; that is, by the power of his grace. It is, in other words, by the atonement Chrift has made, (and in confequence thereof by the Holy Spirit regenerating, and perfecting us in righteoufnefs) that we are again reconciled to the Father, and made heirs by adoption, of his heavenly kingdom. We have a very plain definition of the chriftian's cafe, by one of the ancient fathers (St. Auguftine). "Grace, faith he, being the gift of God doth call us; that is, doth move, encourage, or engage us to what is right and good; and then of courfe, whofoever hath grace produces good works. Good works then do not primarily produce grace in the fenfe of an actuating principle (for this would be to confound the caufe with the effect, but they are brought forth as the natural fruit of grace." Again, the

He who can fuppofe that any works (properly our own) are of fufficient worth to gain or deferve eternal falvation, muft be entirely dead to the great depravity of the human heart, and have very little weighed the nature of God's promises, and the riches of endlefs happiness in a perfected state of being.

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fame holy father explains his pofition by this comparifon. A wheel (faith he) does not turn round for the purpofe of becoming round, but its regular revolution is owing to its having first been made fo. C And St. Paul fpeaks much to the fame import, in his diftinction between grace and works; For if, fays he, falvation is of grace, then is it no more of works, otherwife grace is no more grace, but if it be works, then is it no more grace; otherwife works is no more works. Románs xi. 6. which is as much as to fay, no man worketh in order to procure grace; but because he hath first received it, therefore confequently doth he perform good works; this being a natural effect of the original caufe.' Let us duly confider then which are truly works of grace; or when a man may be faid to do fuch works as are acceptable to God; and, on the other hand, what works are not fo. Thus when the forementioned holy father faith in another place, Good works go not before in them that are juftified; it is only faying, in other words, that a man cannot do any thing acceptable to God of his own unaffifted power; and this can never be denied, without denying at the fame time that God is the only fource of every vital good."

*In order then to come at fome fatisfactory refolution of this queftion, we muft diftinguish between the principles of our actions; for there are works which may feem good, and in a certain comparative fenfe and degree are fo, but thefe have no faving virtue, are not effentially pleafing to God, and that because they do not flow from that one pure principle, which alone can render a man's work any ways acceptable in his pure fight, viz. The LOVE OF GOD. Now they will only be actuated by this principle, but in proportion as they partake of grace. This must be very clear, for there is a felfi principle, and a principle of gratitude and duty; for example, all works done merely to gratify ourselves in any shape or meafure whatfoever, without confulting the glory of the Creator, or attributing the power to him, as the giver of all good gifts, though they may be termed good works, fo far as they differ from their oppofite bad actions; yet are they not works under the influence of grace; they are not ftrictly chriftian and religious works, because they are defisient in the above qualifying principle of action I 3

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But good works (faith he) do follow, when a man is juftified. The fcriptures therefore enforce the neceffity of good works for various reasons. Firft, to fhew that we are obedient children to our heavenly Father, who bath ordained that we should walk in them. Secondly, because they are the only valuable marks that we are accepted, or under the influence of God's grace. And thirdly, that others feeing our good works, and perceiving the motives or principles that produce them, may be inclined to glorify our Father who is in beaven, for having vouchfated fuch power and bleffing unto his fervants, and be thereby encouraged to apply for, and hope to receive the fame, and imitate the good example. We have good reason therefore to provoke one another to good works, fince it is the will of God we fhould fo live; and from the encouraging affurance alfo, that at the laft day, every man fhall be rewarded for his labor of faith and hope, far beyond what his utmost services have deferved.

Now as the fubject of the prefent difcourfe is to be confined to one particular fort of good works, the practice and advantages of which are established both by the law and the gofpel, it was neceffary to

When he is thoroughly convicted of his infufficient state by natnre for any thing truly good, and is fo converted as to look above for the power of acting according to God's will, that is, we may fuppofe he means when he has received grace to help him: the grand point to fettle is, when we may be faid to have this free gift of God through Christ communicated to us. This with chriftians we must conclude to be at baptifm, which we hold to be the facrament of regeneration, when we are capacitated at least for its admiffion; for if we do not allow that God bestowed a proportionate and needful fhare of his renewing fpirit as early as it can poffibly appear to benefit the creature, and as is effential to its end, direct and correct the human will, we fhall be found not only to deny part of the advantages of Chrift's death and merits, but even to affirm that God leaves the creature defenceless for a time, and expofed to the workings of its own finful nature, without the neceffary affiftance to check and improve its evil inclination. This would be inconsistent with the leading principles of chriftian faith. introduce

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introduce what follows, with fome suitable obfervations on good works in general. First, to prevent, on one hand, the ignorant or unlearned from being deceived by fo grofs an error, as that any human endeavours whatever, are capable of deferting the happiness of heaven; and fecondly, on the other hand, to remove as much as poffible the falfe and flanderous affertions of thofe, who would impiously infinuate, that good works are to be efteemed entirely needlefs.

The particular good work which we mean now to treat upon, is the act of abftinence or fafting. This chriftian exercise is defined in fcripture to be of two forts, the one outward, or which concerneth the body; the other inward, or as affecting the heart or mind. Outward fafting confifts of refraining from meat and drink, or all natural food, for a certain space of time; as likewife from all worldly pleasures and amufements. When this outward act is confined to a particular perfon, or fmall number only, and does not influence the whole community, (according to the ends that will be mentioned in their proper place) it is called a private faft: but when all ages and ranks of people in a nation unite in celebrating fuch feafons of felfdenial, it is then called a public faft. (Such is this of Lent, as explained to you on the first day of it, laft Wednesday.) Such was that which the whole hoft of the children of Ifrael were commanded to keep on the tenth day of the seventh month, which the Almighty appointed to be a day of cleanfing, a day of atonement, and reconciliation, at which time the people were purified for their past fins; the whole hiftory of which you will find in the xvith and xxiiid chapters of Leviticus, On that occafion the people mourned, wept, and bewailed their former fins, and whofoever did not humble his foul that day, lamenting his offences against God, and abftaining from all bodily food

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