to your Memory. Your own diligent Meditation, accompanied with humble Prayer, will furnish out the best Expofition.-Only I would just remark, that the Apostle, always confiftent, always uniform, marfhals his Thoughts with his usual Exactnefs. Good Works are not difbanded; nor yet suffered to lead the Van; but made to bring up the Rear *.-When he mentions these Fruits of the SPIRIT, He mentions them, not flightly, as Matters of fmall Moment; but earnestly, as Affairs of great Importance. It is his Defire and his Charge, that all Believers fhould III. The End and Confummation of all: that We should be made Heirs of the heavenly Kingdom; and live, now in the affured Hope, hereafter in the full Enjoyment, of eternal Life. *The fame Order is obferved by St. John, Rev. xiv. 13. Bleed are the Dead, which die in the LORD; for they reft from their Labours, and their Works do follow them. Not go before, to open the everlafting Doors, and give them Admittance into the Manfions of Joy. But they follow them, when admitted. As the Robe, which, on a King's Coronation-day, flows from his Shoulders, cannot but accompany Him, wherefoever He goes.-It may be pertinent, on the Mention of this Illuftration, juft to hint; That, as it is not the Robe of State, which makes the King; fo neither is it the Practice of Holiness, which makes the Chriftian. An Union with CHRIST, an Interest in his Merits, and the in-dwelling Prefence of his SPIRIT; these, and nothing fhort of thefe, conftitute the true Chriftian. Yet, as the royal Robe is an Attendant on Majefty, and diftinguishes the Monarch; so, practical Godlinefs is infeparable from Faith, and adorns the Believer. Agreeably to this Doctrine, Clemens, the apoftolic Father, fays; Εν ερίοις αγαθοις πολλές εκοσμήθησαν οι Sao. They were made duan righteous, by Faith in CHRIST. They were adorned encounOncar, they and their Faith appeared like themfelves, by abounding in every good Work. Clem. Epift. I. ad Corinth, fhould be careful*; have their Hearts upon the Bufinefs; fhould use their best Contrivance, and exert their utmoft Endeavours-not barely to practise, but to maintain † ; to be exemplary, diftinguished, and pre-eminent in the Exercife of every Virtue.-Because, this Virtue, and thefe Works, though not the Ground of a Reconciliation with GOD, are amiable in the Eyes of all, and honourable ‡ to the chriftian Profeffion. They are alfo a neceffary Ingredient in perfonal Happiness, and the apparent Means of focial Ufefulness Ther. This View of the evangelical Plan is, I muft confefs, new to me; and particularly your Ordonnance of the Epiftle to the Romans. Afp. If this be new, perhaps, what I am going to advance, may be strange.-We have been talking about Acceptance with GOD; and debating, whether our own good Works, are the Caufe of this ineftimable Blefling. What will You fay; if We can perform no good Work, till We are interested in CHRIST, and accepted by GOD? Ther. Say! That this is razing Foundations. Afp. It is razing the wrong, the Foundation falsely fo called. Which will certainly deceive as Many,' as make it their Truft.And is it not prudent, when We are building for Eternity, carefully to examine the Ground? Is it not friendly, to divert a Man from the This is fomewhat like that emphatical the treacherous Sand, and lead Him to the unfhaken Rock?-For this Caufe I faid it once, and for this Cause I say it again; That We can perform a good Work, till We are interested in CHRIST, and accepted of GOD. Ther. Produce your Reafons Afpafia. And ftrong Reasons they muft be, which are forcible enough to support such an Opinion. Afp. The Cafe feems to speak for itself. How can a Man that is evil, do Works that are good? Would You expect to gather Grapes of Thorns, or Figs of Thiftles? And is not this the Character of every Child of Adam, till He is engrafted into the true Olive-tree?-But let Us hear, what our unerring TEACHER fays: As the Branch cannot bear Fruit of itself, except it abide in the Vine; no more can Ye, perform true Obedience, or be endued with true. Sincerity, except Ye abide in me*. Nothing can be more exprefs and full to our Purpofe. But that which follows, is far more alarming and awful to our Confciences. If a Man abide not in Me, He is caft forth as a Branch, and is withered; and Men gather them, and caft them into the Fire, and they are burned +-From which it appears, that the human Heart is never actuated by good Tempers; that the human Life can never be productive of good Works; until a Man is united to CHRIST. No more than a Branch can bear valuable Fruit, while it tinues in a State of Separation from the Tree John xv. 4. + John xv. 6. con It This discovers an Error, which is often committed, in our Attempts to inftruct little Children. What is more common, than to tell them?" If they will be good, "GOD Almighty will love and bless them:"-Whereas, they should rather be informed, "That they are Sin 5 66 ners: It appears alfo, that Perfons alienated from CHRIST, are, and all their Performances too, like broken, withered, rotten Boughs: fit for nothing, but to be committed to the Flames, and confumed from the Earth. Both they and their Actions, far from being meritorious, are, in the Eftimate of Heaven, worthlefs and despicably mean. Ther. What! Are all the noble Actions, performed by the Advocates for Morality, and Lovers of Virtue, worthlefs in themselves, and despicable before the Supreme BEING? Worthless and defpicable (grating Words!) only because they are not attended with the Peculiarities of your Faith? Can the Want of this little Circumftance, change their Nature, and turn their Gold into Drofs? Afp. My dear Theron, call not the Circumftance little. It is fufficient, were your Works more splendid than Gold, to debase them into Tin, into Lead, into Drofs. When the poor Shepherd brought You, yesterday Morning, a Present of fome Wood-ftrawberries; bringing them, as an humble Exdreffion of his Gratitude, they were kindly received. But, if He had offered them, as a Price for your Houfe, or as the Purchase of your Eftate; how fhould You have regarded them, in fuch a Connection? No Words can exprefs the Difdain, You would have conceived. 6. -When Barnabas prefented a Sum of Money to the Apoftles, for the Supply of their Neceffities, and the Relief of indigent Believers *; it was welcome to and "ners: but, that GOD Almighty has given his SON "to die for Sinners: and, if they pray to Him, He will forgive their Sins; will make them holy; make them happy; and bless them with all fpiritual Bleffings in "CHRIST." ઃઃ *Acts iv. 37. the Saints, and pleafing to their GOD. But, when Simon the Sorcerer, offered his Gold to Peter and John; offering it, not from a Principle of Faith, but as an Equivalent for the HOLY SPIRIT; not in order to testify his Thankfulness, but rather to play the Huckster with Heaven; it was rejected with the utmost Indignation *. I * Acts viii. 20. We have much Talk about Simony and Simoniacal Practices. The Cafe, I think, is mifunderstood, and the Expreffion mifapplied. The more refined Species of Simony, is, the Attempt mentioned by Afpafio. An Expectation and Endeavour to procure Union with CHRIST, the Communication of the SPIRIT, and all heavenly Bleffings, by any Works or any Righteoufnefs of our own. Which, confidered in this View, are called by the Prophets, Money and Price. The groffer Kind of Simony, feems to be practifed by a certain Court, ftyled Spiritual, or Ecclefiaftical. Which thunders out Excommunications and Curfes; debars poor Creatures from religious Privileges; and caufes them to be buried with the Burial of an Afs;" unless they pacify their pious Indignation, by a little filthy Lucre.This is the Language of that fame fpiritual Judicature. "If Thou wilt lug out a few Crowns or Guineas from "thy Purse, all shall be well. Heaven fhall fmile, and "the Church opens her Arms. Whereas, if Thou art "refractory in this Particular; and unwilling, or un"able, to comply with our pecuniary Demands; Thou "art cut off from the Means of Grace. Thou shalt no 66 longer hear that Word of the Gofpel, by which the "Spirit of Faith cometh. Nor any more be Partaker "of that Sacramental Ordinance, which is a Sign and "Seal of Spiritual Benefits."-Is not this a moft infamous Traffic, whereby facred Things are bought and fold? In the prefent State of Affairs, what can be a nearer Approach to the Sin of the mercenary Magician? What can be a more indelible Blot on the Purity and Difcipline of any Church? Pudet hæc Opprobria Nobis |