to the composition of a human creature; as they are distinct properties, and yet are truly but one man, thus have we as much light thrown on the other more exalted gradation of the divine nature, as the mind of man is capable of bearing. If, therefore, we so far receive the witness of men (which we cannot deny in this instance), the witness of God is greater (saith the Apostle); and to this we must assent and bow, with meekness and gratitude, and be humbly satisfied, that nothing, more or less, is revealed by God, than is proper and necessary for us to know and believe to our soul's health.

Having, therefore, finished the two former divisions of the Catechism, viz. first, the conditions of the Gospel covenant, and the benefits derived to us thereby; secondly, the rules of our faith, as set forth in the Holy Scriptures, and more briefly contained in our Creed, or Belief; we come now to consider the third part of our Catechism, viz. the doctrine of Gospel obedience in general, which we find is the third thing expressed in the second reply to the question of what our godfathers and godmothers did for us at our baptism, viz. "They promis"ed that we should keep God's commandments." I shall dwell on the general sense of these words, before I proceed to the particular contents and obligation of the positive commandments.

First, then, it is a most plain and indispensable condition of our salvation, that we should fulfil what was promised for us at our baptism. If so, then it may be objected by some prejudiced believers, that we expect to be saved by our own works; to which we reply, in the Apostle's words, God forbid! This truly is not the faith of Christians, but it is, nevertheless, the interest of Christians to learn wisdom and to distinguish. In support of the necessity of our obedience, we hold by that well-known admonition of the Master himself (Matt. vii. 21, 24), Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord (that merely believes that I came from heaven, dwelt on earth, and that all power is delivered unto me; not every one possessing this naked faith), shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he that doth the will of my Father that is in heaven.

Now, the will of the Father is contained in what is promised at our baptism, that we shall do when we come of age to perform it, that is, in keeping God's commandments. To those who have faith without works without positive Christian works-works of humanity-works of holy practice; though they should discover other extraordinary signs of differing from the world in general, yet Christ saith, he will profess unto all such that he knoweth them not; indeed, that he never actually knew them; nay, he even

ranks them with the workers of iniquity. But whoso heareth these sayings of his, and doeth them (that is, bringeth forth good fruit, is rich in good works, on a principle of obedience and love to him); he likens such to wise men who build upon a rock: in short, the one is mere vapour; the other, substance.

Again, as a further proof, that without obedience we are nothing worth, hear what our Lord saith in the 19th chapter of the same Gospel, verses 16-18; where, in answer to the person that asked him, how he might obtain eternal life, he delivers a sure rule to that end, speaking thus-If thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments. He saith unto him, Which? Jesus becomes more explicit, and saith, Thou shalt not murder, thou shalt not commit adultery, thou shalt not steal, thou shalt not bear false witness (i. e. perjure thyself; not only swear for truth, what thou knowest to be false, but what thou art not positively sure is true); honour thy father and thy mother. And then follows that general precept which includes all benevolent and Christian works of a positive nature, And thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself *.

* Here is a passage from the mouth of the Saviour himself, that cuts up, root and branch, all solifidian error-all antinomian mischief; an express precept level to the lowest capacity, the sense of which cannot be perverted or disputed,

At the same time we do not profess that idle notion which many most uncharitably entertain, viz. that we are saved by the merits of our imperfect works; we only insist on the necessity of them, as proofs of sound and active faith. We know that we cannot perform these works on Christian principles, without power from above; that we have nothing good in us but what we have received; and that, though we may, from a happiness of constitution and education, be more generous, more kind, and outwardly more pious, than many others; yet, if the love of God doth not qualify our exertions, they are nothing worth. Our obedience must flow from grateful, humble hearts; from a devout sense that the good things committed to our care, are not our own; that the Lord will expect the improvement of our talents; and that it is his due, and our duty, to be faithful. So far from having any confidence as to the essential virtue of our very best actions, independent of God's mercy through Christ; on the contrary, we are fully persuaded, that, when we shall have done all that we can, we are most unprofitable servants. In short, we do not cleave to one part of Scripture, without acknowledging the force of others, but

and which, nevertheless, I have guarded from any artful and false insinuation of the professors of the above dangerous

tenets.

submit most unfeignedly to our blessed Lord's assertion, Luke, xvii. 10, that when we have done all that is commanded us, we have done that which was our duty to do. And on these pure principles of our holy religion, even the pious Christian does in one true sense acknowledge himself a grievous sinner. Is that possible? say you.-Yes, it is; because, alas! he is conscious he hath not sufficiently profited by the particular means of grace afforded him: he knows that he hath either abused, or made less of the talent committed to him, than he might have done, had he been strictly faithful; in which case, as the parable declares, he would have had a great reward. He is, therefore, unavoidably led to self-condemnation, not to boasting: but, after all, he does not forget that he is in covenant with God; that the New Testament is only another word for God's will pronounced by Christ, and ratified by his death; and that, therefore, it is absolutely required of him, as much as in him lies, to profit by the grace or aid afforded him, and with the light and dictates of his conscience, to keep God's commandments, and then his faith shines powerfully in him. It then builds up a safe assurance that God will reward him, not according to his own deserts (which would inevitably subject him to punishment), but according to God's own free mercy, and promises in Christ Jesus.