such, that he cannot turn and prepare himself, by his

that men were sufficiently enabled by their own natural strength to do good works, and that the grace of God, by which we may the more easily observe his commands, is given us according to our merits.

Every one must be conscious that he possesses free will, and that he is a free agent, that is, that he is capable of considering and reflecting upon the objects which are presented to his mind, and of acting, in such cases as are possible, according to the determination of his will. And indeed, without this free agency, actions cannot be morally good or bad; nor can the agents be responsible for their conduct. But the corruption introduced into our nature by the fall of Adam has so weakened our mental powers, has given such force to our passions, and such perverseness to our wills, that a man cannot turn and prepare himself by his own natural strength and good works to faith and calling upon God. It is however of the utmost importance to distinguish between natural and moral inability.

MAN'S INSUFFICIENCY IN HIS NATURAL STATE.

b God created man perfect in his kind, and with a will which was free to choose either good or evil. But he fell from that liberty when he committed sin, he broke that power which he had of election or choice, he ceased to be free with relation to good, and became the servant of sin. From thence proceeds such a blindness of his understanding, such a perverseness of his will, and such an impetuousness of his passions and appetites, that, when left to himself, he is not able either to discern or choose those things which are truly good, but is hurried into the choice of such things as are contrary thereto. Thus our Saviour says, "without me ye can do nothing." John xv. 5; and "no man can come unto me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him," John vi. 44; and the Apostle asserts, that "they that are in the flesh cannot please God." Rom. viii. 8. Hence we have need of the assistance of the Holy Spirit to enable us to choose and perform whatever is good; which, as it is the most excellent gift of God, and as it is freely given, it is by way of of eminence called "grace."

own natural strength and good works, to faith and calling upon God: wherefore we have no power to do good works, pleasant and acceptable to God, without the grace of God by Christ preventing us, that we may have a good will, and working with us when we have that good will.'

e

John xv. 4, 5; "Abide in me and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. 1 Cor. ii. 14; "The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him; neither can he know them because they are spiritually discerned." And, 1 Cor. xii. 3. "No man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost." 2 Cor. iii. 5. "Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God."

c Works done before the grace of Christ may have some specious appearance of good, from whence they are called good, but improperly: for in reality they are not good. (See Article XIII.)

THE NECESSITY OF PREVENTING AND CO-OPERATING GRACE.

d For neither can we believe, unless God " open our hearts," (Acts xvi. 14.) neither can we will or do, unless he "of his good pleasure work in us for those ends."

6.66 Preventing us" that is going before us.

All the spiritual benefits which God ever conferred upon men, he conferred by and for the sake of Christ alone. And therefore as many as are under the first covenant pleased God, (and that some of them pleased him appears from Heb. xi.) did it not by the strength of their own free will, but by the assistance of God's grace, which was then also conferred through Christ. For his merits extended to all ages of the world;

and therefore he is called "the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world." Rev. xiii. 8.

The doctrine of this article has been the subject of much dispute among Christians: some sects contend for the irresistible impulses of grace, and others reject the idea of any influence of the divine Spirit upon the human mind. The former opinion seems irreconcileable with the free-agency of man, and the latter contradicts the authority of Scripture. Psalm cx. 3. "Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power." Ezek. xxxvi. 26, 27. "A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you; and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh, and I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my commandments and do

them."

ARTICLE XI.

Of the Justification of Man.a

WE are accounted righteous before God only for the merit of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ by

a This article was directed against the popish doctrine of human merit; a doctrine inconsistent with the whole scheme of redemption through Christ.

Justification, in the language of Scripture, signifies the being accounted just or righteous in the sight of God, or the being placed in a state of salvation. When God justifies a man, it is by forgiving him his trespasses, and accepting him as a righteous person, although he is not really and strictly such. To justify, in the common spiritual notion of it, is to acquit or absolve from guilt, to discharge from punishment.

b

faith, and not for our own works, or deservings. Wherefore that we are justified by faith onlyd is a MAN JUSTIFIED FOR THE MERIT OF CHRIST THROUGH FAITH, NOT FOR HIS OWN MERIT.

b Since the very best works of even the best of men are imperfect, so that if God should "enter into judgment with his servants, no man living would be justified." (Ps. cxliii. 2.) it follows, that as many as are justified, are justified only because of the merits of Christ, by faith, that is, a lively faith, "which worketh by love," Gal. v. 6. Rom. iii. 24, 25, 26. "Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation, through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God: to declare, I say, at this time his righteousness, that he might be just, and the justifier of him that believeth in Jesus." Eph. ii. 8, 9. "By grace ye are saved, through faith; and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast."

FAITH THE SOLE CONDITION OF OUR JUSTIFICATION.

We are justified by faith, not because of faith. For there is not more merit in our faith than in our works; since faith also is imperfect in us, and in all, how great soever it be, "it is the gift of God." Eph. ii. 8. Faith is not the cause but the instrument of our justification, which is solely to be attributed to the bounty of God, and the merits of Christ.

No sooner is the mind endued with a true faith to lay hold on the salvation presented in the Gospel, than a man is reputed righteous before God. "For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness," Rom. x. 10. But the confession also of the mouth, and all other good works, are required for salvation, when we have the power to perform them. But if this be wanting, faith alone is sufficient. Rom. v. 1, 2. "Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God, through our Lord Jesus Christ: by whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God."

most wholesome doctrine, and very full of comfort; as more largely is expressed in the Homily of Justification.c

a The word "only" is here added for the purpose of again disclaiming the popish doctrine of human merit. Justification by faith cannot but be a most wholesome doctrine and very full of comfort, as it places our hope of justification in this world, and of everlasting happiness in that which is to come, upon the infallible promises of God, and the all-sufficient merits of Christ.

e There is no homily with this title. The homily entitled Of the Salvation of all Mankind, is generally supposed to be here meant.

ARTICLE XII.

Of Good Works."

ALBEIT that good works, which are the fruits of

a This article was not among those of 1552; it was added in 1562, in opposition to the opinions of certain sects called Antinomians, Solifidians, and Gospellers, who denied the necessity of good works. There might also have been a general wish in the compilers of these articles to obviate any mistake which might arise from the expression in the preceding article, in which it is said, that "we are justified by faith only."

Though good works are not meritorious, yet that they are pleasing to God, and accepted through Christ, appears from hence, because God hath "created us in Christ Jesus unto good works," Eph. ii. 10.) and because Christ "gave himself for us that he might purify unto himself a peculiar people zealous of