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with many works, and never able to attain unto true righteousness: concerning whom Paul saith, 1 Tim. iîì., Having the form of godliness, but denying the power thereof." "Always learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.

He therefore that would not err with these blind ones, must look beyond doings, laws, and doctrines of works; yea, he must turn away his eyes from works altogether, and look to the person, how that can be justified--which can be justified and saved, neither by laws, nor by works, but by the word of God, (that is, the pro miseof his grace,) and by faith.-That the glory of the divine Majesty might stand maintained; which saves us, "not by works of righteousness that we have done, but according to his own mercy" through our believing the word of his grace.

From these things it may be clearly understood, in what sense good works are to be rejected or embraced, and according to what rule the doctrines of all men concerning works are to be understood. For if works be compared with righteousness, and if thou presume to do them under that perversion of the devil, a false persuasion that by them thou mayest become righteous, they thus impose a necessitous bondage, and destroy both liberty and faith together. Nay, from this false persuasion being added, the works are no longer good, but, in truth damnable; for they are not done in liberty, and they blaspheme the grace of God, who alone justifies and saves by faith which works, though they cannot effect, yet they attempt it, and thus presumptuously rush upon the work of grace and the glory of it.

We do not therefore reject good works, but, on the contrary, we strenuously mantain and teach them: for we do not condemn the works for themselves, but for that impiously added false opinion of seeking righteousness by them by which, they are made to have the appearance of good only, when in reality they are not good and thus, by them, men are deceived themselves, and deceive others, as ravenous wolves in sheep's clothing.

And this devil, this perverse opinion concerning works, where there is no real faith, is insuperable; for it cannot be beaten out of those holy workmen, until faith its destroyer come and plant its kingdom in the heart. Nature herself cannot drive it out, nor even know what it is: nay, she considers it to be a most holy and obedient will. And where custom has long prevailed and confirmed this depravity of nature, (as is the case under wicked teachers,) it is an evil incurable, and seduces and sends thousands to irremediable perdition.

Wherefore, although it is good to preach and write of repentance, confession, and satisfaction; yet, if there be a stopping here, and no going on to teach faith, these doctrines are, without doubt, delusive and devilish. Hence Christ, together with his servant John, not only said, "Repent ye," but added the word of faith, saying, "The kingdom of heaven is at hand."-For not one part of God's word only, but both must be preached: new, as well as old, must be brought forth out of the treasure the voice of the law, as well as the word of grace. The voice of the law must be sounded forth, that men may be alarmed and brought to a knowledge of their sins, and then converted unto repentance and newness of life. But there must not be a stopping here: for that would be, to wound without binding up; to smite, without healing; to kill, without making alive; to bring down to the gates of hell, and not to raise up; to cast down, without exalting. Therefore the word of grace and of the promise of remission of sins must be preached to teach and build up faith; without which, the law, contrition, repentance, and every thing else, will be taught and wrought in vain.

There still remain, indeed, preachers of repentance and grace, but they do not set forth the law of God and the promise in that way, and with that spirit, that their hearers may learn whence repentance and grace come: for repentance comes by the law, but faith or grace by the promise of God: as the apostle saith, Rom. x., "Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of

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Christ." Hence it is, that the man, who, by the threatenings and fear of the divine law, is brought low, and cast down into the knowledge of himself, is comforted and raised up by faith in the divine promise: as in Psalm xxx., "Weeping shall endure until the night, and joy until the morning."-So far have we spoken concerning works in general, and those also which the Christian works in his own body.

We will now, in the last place, speak of those works which he works toward his neighbour.-For man does not live for himself alone in this mortal body, and to work in it only, but he lives for all men upon the earth; yea, he lives for others only, and not for himself; for he brings his body into subjection, to the very end that he may be able to serve others more sincerely, and more freely as Paul saith, Rom. xiv., "None of us liveth unto himself, and no man dieth unto himself; for he that liveth, liveth unto the Lord; and he that dieth, dieth unto the Lord." And therefore, it is impossible that he can live at ease in this life, and without doing works toward his neighbours; for he must of necessity converse, act, and have intercourse with men; even as Christ was made in our likeness, and found in fashion as a man, and had intercourse with men: as Baruch iii. saith.

But yet he has no need of these things unto righteousness and salvation. Therefore, in all his works he ought to be in this mind, and to have only this view-that, in all things whatever he does, he serve and profit others; having nothing before his eyes, but the necessity and profit of his neighbour. For thus the apostle commands us to labour with our hands, "that we may have to give to him that needeth." Whereas he might have said, that we may have wherewith to nourish ourselves - but no ! he saith also "him that needeth." For it is a part of Christianity to take care of the body for this very end, that by its health and powers we may labour, earn, and lay up that, which may supply the necessity of those who are in need; that thus, the member that is strong may serve the member that is weak; that we may be the sons

of God, feeling and labouring for each other, bearing each others burthens, and so fulfilling the law of Christ:

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Behold, this is the true Christian life! Here is the true "Faith which worketh by love;" that is, which forth with joy and delight in the work of "perfect freedom;" it serves its neighbour freely and spontaneously, because its own treasure is richly filled, with the overflowing abundance which it possesses by faith.

Hence Paul, when he had made it evident to the Philippians, how rich they were by the faith of Christ, in which they had possession of all things, goes on to admonish them, saying, "If therefore there be any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the spirit, fulfil ye my joy that ye be like minded; having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind; doing nothing through contention or vain glory, but each in humblemindedness esteeming other better than himself; and each considering, not his own things, but the things of another." Here we see plainly, that the Christian life, is, by the apostle, made to consist in this directing all our works for the benefit of others; because, each one so abounds by his faith, that all his other works, yea, his life itself, are but superabounding blessings, which he may devote with spontaneous bene volence to the service and benefit of his neighbour.→→→He then, moreover, brings forward Christ as an example, saying, "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus. Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God. Nevertheless, he made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: and, being found in fashion as a man, he became obedient unto death."-This most healthful admonition has been obscured from us by those, who, not at all understanding these apostolical terms, "form of God," "form of a servant," fashion" and "likeness of men," have made this passage refer expressly to the divine and human natures. Whereas the apostle's meaning is, that Christ, though he was full in his form of God, and abounding

in all good, so that he wanted no work or suffering in order to his becoming righteous and saved, (for he had all these things immediately from the beginning of himself); yet, was not puffed up with these, nor lifted up above us, nor did arrogate to himself a certain power over us, (although he might have done that by right ;) but that, on the contrary, he condescended so to labour, suffer, and die, that he might become like other men, and in form and fashion nothing more than a man, as though he had need of these things, and had nothing of the form of God; and that, he did all this for us, that he might serve us, and that all those things might become ours which he did in this form of a servant.

So the Christian, being by his faith complete and full, like Christ his head, ought to be satisfied with this "form of God" which he has obtained by faith:-(except that, as I have before observed, he ought to increase this same faith until it be perfected; for this faith is his life, his righteousness, his salvation; preserving his person and rendering it acceptable, and making him a partaker of all that Christ possesses; as we have shewn before, and as Paul affirms Gal. i., saying, "The life that I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God: ")--but yet, although he is thus free from all works, he ought, nevertheless, in this his liberty, to make himself of no reputation, to take upon him the form of a servant, to be made in the likeness of men, to be found in fashion as a man, to serve, to help, and in all things to do unto his neighbour, as he sees God has done, and still does, for Christ's sake, unto him: and that freely, and without any thing else in view than doing the good-will of God. He ought to think thus with himself Behold! here am I an unworthy and condemned wretch, and my God has, of his own pure and free mercy, without any deserving on my part, given unto me in Christ all the riches of righteousness and salvation: so that, I want no one thing else whatever, but faith to believe that this really is so. Unto such a Father, therefore, who has more than filled me with these his inestimable riches,