to walk with him in all the ways of his commandments d. III. Although repentance be not to be rested in, as any fatisfaction for fin, or any caufe of the pardon thereofe, which is the act of God's free grace in Christf; yet is it of such neceffity to all finners, that none may expect pardon without itg. IV. As it may be that the Lord God of hosts will be gracious unto the remnant of Jofeph. Pfal. cxix. 128. Therefore I esteem all thy precepts concerning all things to be right; and I hate every falfe way. 2 Cor. vii. 11. For behold, this self-fame thing that ye forrowed after a godly fort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what clearing of yourselves, yea, what indignation, yea, what fear, yea, what vehement defire, yea, what zeal, yea, what revenge! in all things ye have approved yourselves to be clear in this matter. d Pfal. cxix. 6. Then shall I not be ashamed, when I have respect unto all thy commandments. v.59. I thought on my ways, and turned my feet unto thy teftimonies. v. 106. I have fworn, and I will perform it, that I will keep thy righteous judgments. Luke i. 6. And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blame leis. 2 Kings xxiii. 25. And like unito him was there no king before him, that turned to the Lord with all his heart, and with all his foul, and with all his might, according to all the law of Mofes; neither after him arose there any like him. III. e Ezek. xxxvi. 31. Then shall ye remember your own evil ways, and your doings that were not good, and thall lothe your selves in your own figlit, for your iniquities and for your abominations. v. 32. Not for your fakes do I this, faith the Lord God, be it known unto you: be ashamed and confounded for your own ways, O house of Ifrael. Ezek. xvi. 61. Then thou shalt remember thy ways, and be ashamed, when thou shalt receive thy futers, thine elder and thy younger: and I will give them unto thee for daughters, but not by thy covenant. v. 62. And I will establish my covenant with thee, and thou shalt know that I am the Lord. v. 63. That thou mayest remember and be confounded, and never open thy mouth any more, because of thy shame, when I am pacified toward thee for all that thou hast done, faith the Lord God. f Hof. xiv. 2. Take with you words, and turn to the Lord, fay unto him, Take away all iniquity, and receive us gracioufly: so will we render the calves of our lips. v. 4. I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely: for mine anger is turned away from him. Rom. iii. 24. Being justified freely by his grace, through the redemption that is in Jesus Christ. Eph. i. 7. In whom we have redemption thro' his blood, the forgiveness of fins, according to the riches of his grace. 8 Luke xiii. 3. I tell you, Nay: but except ye repent, ye shall all likewife perish. v. 5. I tell you, Nay: but except ye repent, ye shall all likewife perish. Acts xvii. 30. And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent. v. 31, Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world world in righteousness, by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given afsurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead. IV. As there is no sin so small, but it deserves damnati on b; so there is no sin so great, that it can bring damnation upon those who truly repenti. V. Men ought not to content themselves with a general repentance, but it is every man's duty to endeavour to repent of his particular fins particularlyk. VI. As every man is bound to make private confeffion of his fins to God, praying for the pardon thereof/; upon which, and IV. b Rom. vi. 23. For the wages of fin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life, through Jesus Chrift our Lord. Rom. v. 12. Wherefore, as by one man fin entered into the world, and death by fin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have finned. Mat. xii, 36. But I fay unto you, that every idle word that men shall speak, they fhall give account thereof in the day of judgment. i Ifa. lv. 7. Let the wicked forfake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. Rom, viii. 1. There is therefore now no condemnation to them who are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the spirit. Ifa. i. 16. Wash ye, make you clean, put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes, cease to do evil. v. 18. Come now and let as reason together, faith the Lord; though your fins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. V. Pfal. xix. 13. Keek back thy servantalso from presumptuous fins, let them not have dominion over me; then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great tranfgression. Luke xix. 8. And Zaccheus stood and faid unto the Lord, Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor, and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accufation, I restore him fourfold. I Tim. i. 13. Who was before a blafphemer, and a perfecutor and injurious. But I obtained mercy, because I did it igno-' rantly, in unbelief. v. 15. This is a faithful faying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jefus came into the world to fave finners; of whom I am chief, VI. 1 Pfal. li. 4. Against thee, thee only have I finned, and done this evil in thy fight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest. v. 5. Behold, I was shapen in iniquity: and in fin did my mother conceive me. v. 7. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. v. 9. Hide thy face from my fins; and blot out all mine iniquities. v. 14. Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my falvation and my tongue shall fing aloud of thy righteousness. Pfal. F4 xxxii. and the forsaking of them, he shall find mercym: So he that scandalizeth his brother, or the church of Christ, ought to be willing, by a private or public confession and forrow for his fin, to declare his repentance to those that are offendedn; who are thereupon to be reconciled to him, and in love to receive himo. G CHAP. XVI. Of Good Works. OOD works are only such as God hath commanded in his holy word a, and not fuch as, without the warrant thereof, are devised by men, out of blind zeal, or upon any pretence of good intention b. xxxii. 5. I acknowledged my fin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid: I faid, I will confefs my tranfgreffions unto the Lord; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my fin. Selah. v. 6. For this thall every one that is godly pray unto thee, in a time when thou mayest be found: furely in the floods of great waters, they shall not come nigh unto him. m Prov. xxviii. 13. He that covereth his fins, shall not profper: but whoso confefleth and forsaketh them, thall have mercy. I John i. 9. If we confefs our fins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our fins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. James v. 16. Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed: The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. Luke xvii. 3. Take heed to your selves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him. v. 4. And if he trespass against thee seven times in a day, and seven times in a day turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him. II. These Josh. vii. 19. And Joshua faid unto Achan, My fon, give, I pray thee, glory to the Lord God of Ifrael, and make confeflion unto him; and tell me now what thou hast done, hide it not from me. (Pfal. li. throughout.) • 2 Cor. ii. 8. Wherefore I beseech you, that you would confirm your love towards him. I a Micah vi. 8. He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justice, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God? Rom. xii. 2. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable and perfect will of God. Heb. xiii. 21. Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is well pleasing in his fight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. b Mat. xv. 9. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. Ifa. xxix. 13. Wherefore the Lord faid, Forasmuch as this people draw near me II. These good works, done in obedience to God's com mandments, are the fruits and evidences of a true and lively faith: and by them believers manifest their thankfulness d, strengthen their afsurancee, edify their brethrenf, adorn the the profession of the gospelg, stop the mouths of the adversaries b, and glorify Godi, whose workmanship they are, created in Christ Jesus thereuntok; that, having their fruit unto holiness, they may have the end eternal life/. me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear towards me is taught by the precept of men. 1 Pet. i. 18. Foraímuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as filver and gold, from your vain conversation, received by tradition from your fathers, Rom. x. 2. For I bear them record, that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. John xvi. 2. They shall put you out of the synagogues, yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you, will think that he doth God fervice. I Sam, xv. 21. But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the chief of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to facrifice unto the Lord thy God in Gilgal. v. 22. And Sa. muel faid, Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt-offerings and facri. fices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than facrifice; and to hearken, than the fat of rams. v. 23. For rebellion is as the fin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry: because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee from being king. II. James ii. 18. Yea, a man may fay, thou hast faith, and I have works: fhew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. v. 22. Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect? 4Pfal.cxvi. 12. Whatshall I ren pro der unto the Lord for all his benefits towards me? v. 13. I will take the cup of falvation, and call upon the name of the Lord. 1 Pet, ii. 9. But ye are a chofen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him, who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light. e 1 John ii. 3. And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. v. 5. But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him. 2 Pet. i. 5. And besides this, giving all diligence, add to your faith, virtue; and to virtue, knowledge; v. 6.. And to knowledge, temperance; and to temperance, patience; and to patience, godliness; v. 7. And to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, charity. v.8. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren, nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jefus Christ. v. 9. But he that lacketh these things, is blind, and cannot fee far off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old fins. v. 10. Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall. f 2 Cor. ix. 2. For I know the forwardness of your mind, for which I boast of you to them of Macedonia, that Achaia was ready a year ago; and your zeal hath provoked very many. Mat. v. 16. Let III. Their ability to do good works is not at all of themselves, but wholly from the Spirit of Christ m. And that they may be enabled thereunto, besides the graces they have already received, there is required an actual influence of the fame holy Spirit, to work in them to will and to do of his good Let your light so shine before men, that they may fee your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven. g Tit. ii. 5. To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blafphemed. v. 9. Exhort servants to be obedient unto their own masters, and to please them well in all things; not anfwering again; v. 10. Not purloining, but shewing all good fidelity; that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things. V. 11. For the grace of God that bringeth falvation, hath appeared to all men; v. 12. teaching us, that denying ungodliness and worldly lufts, we thould live soberly, righ, teoufly, and godly in this present world. I Tim, vi 1. Let as many servants as are under the yoke, count their own masters worthy of all honour; that the name of God and his doctrine be not blafphemed. b 1 Pet. ii. 15. For fo is the will of God, that with well-doing ye may put to filence the ignorance of foolish men. i 1 Pet. ii. 12. Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles; that whereas they speak against you as evil doers, they may, by your good works which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of vifitation. Phil. i. 11. Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Chrift, unto the glory and praise of God. John xv. 8. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit, so shall ye be my difciples. * Eph. ii. 10. For we are his workmanship, created in Chritt Jefus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we thould walk in them. 1 Rom. vi. 22. But now being made free from fin, and become fervants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. III. m John xv. 4. 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. * v. 5. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the fame bringeth forth much fruit, for without me ye can do nothing. v. 6. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them and caft them into the fire, and they are burned. Ezek. xxxvi. 26. A new heart alfo will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you, and I will take away the slony heart out of your leth, |