XII.

· AN EXPOSITION OF

ART. that is infeparable from us. To confent to any fin, if it were ever so small in itself, is a very great fin: we ought to go 2 Cor. vii.1. on, ftill cleanfing ourselves more and more, from all filthiness both of the flesh and of the Spirit, and perfecting holiness in the fear of God. Our readiness to fin fhould awaken both our diligence to watch against it, and our humility under it. For though we grow not up to a pitch of being above all fin, and of abfolute perfection, yet there are many degrees both of purity and perfection, to which we may arrive, and to which we must conftantly afpire. So that we must keep a just temper in this matter, neither to afcribe fo much to our own works as to be lifted up by reafon of them, or to forget our daily need of a Saviour both for' pardon and interceffion; nor on the other hand fo far to neglect them, as to take no care Phil. ii. 12. about them. The due temper is to make our calling and elecCol. iii.17. tion fure, and to work out our own falvation with fear and trembling; but to do all in the name of the Lord Jefus, ever trufting to him, and giving thanks to God by him.

ARTICLE

ARTICLE XIII.

Of Works before Juftification.

Works done before the Grace of Chriff, and the Inspiration of his Spirit, are not pleasant to God; forafmuch as they spring not of Faith in Jefus Chzißk, neither do they make men meet to receive Grace, or (as the School-Authors fap) deserve Grace of Congruity : Pea rather, for that they are not done as God hath commanded and willed them to be done, we doubt not but that they have the nature of Sin.

T

HERE is but one point to be confidered in this Article, which is, whether men can without any inward affiftances from God do any action that shall be in all its circumstances so good, that it is not only acceptable to God, but meritorious in his fight, though in a lower degree of merit. If what was formerly laid down concerning a corruption that was spread over the whole race of mankind, and that had very much vitiated their faculties, be true, then it will follow from thence, that unaffifted nature can do nothing that is fo good in itself, that it can be pleasant or meritorious in the fight of God. A great difference is here to be made between an external action as it is confidered in itself, and the fame action as it was done by such a man. An action is called good, from the morality and nature of the action itfelf; fo actions of juftice and charity are in themselves good, whatsoever the doer of them may be but actions are confidered by God with relation to him that does them, in another light; his principles, ends, and motives, with all the other circumftances of the action, come into this account; for unlefs all these be good, let the action in its own abstracted nature be ever fo good, it cannot render the doer acceptable or meritorious in the fight of God.

ART.

I

XIII.

Another diftinction is alfo to be made between the methods of the goodnefs and mercy of God, and the ftrictness of juftice: for if God had fuch regard to the feigned humiliation Kings xxi. of Ahab, as to grant him and his family a reprieve for fome 29. time from thofe judgments that had been denounced against them and him; and if Jehu's executing the commands 2 Kings x. of God upon Ahab's family, and upon the worshippers of 30, 31. Baal, procured him the bleffing of a long continuance of the

kingdom

XIII.

ART. kingdom in his family, though he acted in it with a bad defign, and retained ftill the old idolatry of the calves fet up by Jeroboam; then we have all reafon to conclude, according to the infinite mercy and goodness of God, that no man is rejected by him, or denied inward affiftances, that is making the most of his faculties, and doing the best that he can; but that he who is faithful in his little, fhall be made ruler over

Rom. vii.

12, 13.

Ver. 14.

16,

17,

18,

21,

23,

more.

The question is only, whether fuch actions can be so pure, as to be free from all fin, and to merit at God's hand, as being works naturally perfect? For that is the formal notion of the merit of congruity, as the notion of the merit of condignity is, that the work is perfect in the supernatural order.

To establish the truth of this Article, belide what was faid upon the head of original fin, we ought to confider what St. Paul's words in the 7th of the Romans do import: Nothing was urged from them on the former Articles, because there is juft ground of doubting whether St. Paul is there speaking of himself in the ftate he was in when he writ it, or whether there he is perfonating a Jew, and fpeaking of himself as he was while yet a Jew. But if the words are taken in that lowest fenfe, they prove this, that an unregenerate man has in himfelf fuch a principle of corruption, that even a good and a holy law revealed to him, cannot reform it; but that, on the contrary, it will take occafion from that very law to deceive him and to flay him. So that all the benefit that he receives even from that revelation, is, that fin in him becomes exceeding finful; as being done against fuch a degree of light, by which it appears that he is carnal, and fold under fin; and that though his understanding may be enlightened by the revelation of the law of God made to him, fo that he has fome inclinations to obey it, yet he does not that which he would, but that which he would not: and though his mind is fo far convinced, that he confents to the law that it is good, yet he fill does that which he would not; which was the effect of fin that dwelt in him; and from hence he knew, that in him, that is in his fiefb, in his carnal part, or carral ftate, there dwelt no good thing; for though to will, that is, to refolve on obeying the law, was prefent, yet he found not a way how to perform that which was good; the good that he withed to do, that he did not; but he did the evil that he wished not to do; which he imputed to the fin that dwelt in him. He found then a law, a bent and bias within him, that when he wished, resolved, and endeavoured to do good, evil was prefent with him, it fprung up naturally within him; for though in his rational powers he might fo far approve the law of God as to delight in it; yet he found another law arifing upon his mind from his body, which warred against the law of his mind, and

brought

XIII.

24,

25.

brought him into captivity to the law of fin which was in his AR T. members: all this made him conclude, that he was carnal, and fold under fin; and cry out, O wretched man that I am, who fhall deliver me from the body of this death? For this he thanks God through our Lord Jefus Chrift: and he fums all up in these words; So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of fin.

If all this difcourfe is made by St. Paul of himself, when he had the light which a divinely inspired law gave him, he being educated in the exacteft way of that religion, both zealous for the law, and blameless in his own obfervance of it; we may from thence conclude how little reason there is to believe that a heathen, or indeed an unregenerated man, can be better than he was, and do actions that are both good in themselves, which it is not denied but that he may do; and do them in fuch a manner that there shall be no mixture or imperfection in them, but that they shall be perfect in a natural order, and be by confequence meritorious in a fecondary order.

By all this we do not pretend to fay, that a man in that ftate can do nothing; or that he has no ufe of his faculties: he can certainly restrain himself on many occafions; he can do many good works, and avoid many bad ones; he can raise his understanding to know and confider things according to the light that he has; he can put himself in good methods and good circumftances; he can pray, and do many acts of devotion, which though they are all very imperfect, yet none of them will be loft in the fight of God, who certainly will never be wanting to those who are doing what in them lies, to make themselves the proper objects of his mercy, and fit fubjects for his grace to work upon. Therefore this Article is not to be made ufe of to difcourage men's endeavours, but only to increase their humility; to teach them not to think of themselves above measure, but foberly; to depend always on the mercy of God, and ever to fly to it.

ARTICLE

ART.
XIV.

ARTICLE XIV.

Of Works of Supererogation.

Voluntary Works, belides, over and above God's ComBiandments, 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 moze for his fake, than of bounden Duty is requized. Whereas Chrift faith plainly, when pe have done all that are commanded to pou, fay, We are unprofitable Servants.

TH

HERE are two points that arife out of this Article to be confidered, ift. Whether there are in the New Testament counfels of perfection given; that is to fay, fuch rules which do not oblige all men to follow them, under the pain of Luke xvii. fin; but yet are useful to carry them on to a fublimer degree

of perfection, than is neceffary in order to their falvation? 2d. Whether men by following thefe do not more than they are bound to do, and by confequence, whether they have not thereby a stock of merit to communicate to others. The first of thefe leads to the fecond; for if there are no fuch counsels, then the foundation of Supererogation fails.

We deny both upon this ground, that the great obligaMatt. xxii. tions of loving God with all our heart, foul, ftrength and mind, 36, to 40. and our neighbour as ourselves, which are reckoned by our Saviour the two great Commandments, on which hang all the Law and the Prophets, are of that extent, that it seems not poffible to imagine, how any thing can be acceptable to God that does not fall within them. Since if it is acceptable to God, then that obligation to love God fo entirely muft bind us to it; for if it is a fin not to love God up to this pitch, then it is a fin not to do every thing that we imagine will please him: and by confequence, if there is a degree of pleafing God, whether precept or counfel, that we do not ftudy to attain to, we do not love him in a manner fuitable to that. It feems a great many in the Church of Rome are aware of this confequence, and therefore they have taken much pains to convince the world that we are not bound to love God at all, or, as others more cautiously word it, that we are only bound to value him above all things, but not to have a love of fuch a vaft intention for him. This is a propofition that, after all their foftening it, gives fo

much