the world than we fee there is; and every preacher of the gospel ought ftrongly to recommend the practice of it: But yet it is certain that morality is not sufficient to make a man, a Christian, seeing it hath been found in heathens, and thofe that were ignorant of Christ, and the way of falvation through faith in him.

Christianity indeed doth enforce morality and moral virtues, by the strongest motives and arguments; but, in the mean time, it teacheth us that these virtues are never good and acceptable to God, until they be the fruit of the Spirit's operation, and spring from their proper principles, faith in Chrift, and love to him: They muft be grafted in Chrift as their root, have a new principle to quicken them, and a new end to direct them, before moral virtues can commence Chriftian graces. Unregenerate morality will never please God: Let men advance it never fo far, yet, till the heart be renewed, it is ftill but nature at beft; and the fruit is always four that grows not upon the root Chrift: It can never be acceptable unto God, while Chrift's ftrength and Spirit is not fought and employed in it, nor his 'righteousnefs to cover it. So that there is a great difference be twixt morality and gofpel-holinefs.

A moral man, then, though he profess himself a Christian, yet he really is not fo, if he lives not as one that looks for and receives daily influences from Chrift; if he hath not Chrift ftill in his undertakings, duties and affections, and be not faying, "How empty and vain are all my duties without Chrift! Yea, though I could do never so much, I should be utterly loft and undone, if it were not for Chrift my furety, and his righteoufnefs. I count all but lefs and dung, that I may be found in him."

This church a good many years ago manifefted much zeal against Antinomianifm, and doctrines which feemed to tend that way: And furely it is incumbent upon all churches to watch and take care, that the obligations of Chriftians to holinefs and good works, and to all kind of duties, both of the first and fecond table, thould never be in the leaft weakened by the preachers of the gospel, under the fpecious pretext of exalting

free

free grace; seeing free grace and strict holiness do nobly confift together.

Again, on the other hand, it fhould equally be the church's concern to labour to prevent the fpreading of Legalifm, or the preaching of morality and the prac tice of duties in a legal strain; that is, in a way tending to the neglect of Chrift and his righteoufnefs, or to the difparagement of the doctrine of free grace. It was the flagrant reports of the abounding of that fort of moral preathing, efpecially among younger clergymen, that occafioned the bringing in an overture to the General Affembly 1726, for an act to difcourage the fame, and to direct to the right method of preaching Chrift, and how to preach morality in an evangelical ftrain. But, though endeavours were ufed by feverals to get this overture turned into an act, it was hindered by fome leading men, left it should reflect upon the characters of fome preachers to whom they had refpect: fo that an act of this kind could never be got brought to a bearing until the Affembly 1736: And then thofe who were most zealous to promote the act, in order to get it the more unanimously agreed to, were fain to drop out of its preamble the true caufe of making it, namely, the abounding of legal preaching in the land, or of a wrong ftrain of preaching the gofpel. But, notwithstanding of this, the act itfelf is of excellent ufe, if duly regarded and put in execution; and without this the belt acts in the world fignify nothing. O that I could perfuade all minifters and preachers of the gospel to confider and obferve the forefaid act! It would furely fare the better, both with themfelves and their hearers: And, if no more may be done for that purpofe, let me at least use some means to get the act made known to them, by transcribing it in this place.

VII. Act concerning Preaching.

Edinburgh, May 21. 1736. Sess. 8.

e

"THE General Affembly, being moved with zeal for the honour of God and our Lord Jefus Christ, Specially at a time when the Chriftian revelation is

openly

openly impugned, and infidelity, deifm, and other errors do fo much prevail: They do hereby recommend to all minifters and preachers, ferioufly to confider and obferve the directory of this church concerning the preaching of the word, which is approven by the General Affembly 1645: And, in particular, that they be careful to warn their hearers against any thing tending to Atheism, Deifm, Arianifm, Socinianifm, Arminianifm, Bourignianifm, Popery, Superftition, Anti nomianifin, or any other errors. And that, in their fermons, they infift frequently upon the truth, né ceffity and excellency of fupernatural revelation, the fupreme Deity of the Son and Holy Ghoft, as well as of the Father; together with the Oneness of the Godhead, our finful and loft eftate by nature, the neceffity of fupernatural grace, and of faith in the righ teoufnefs of Chrift, without which the best works cannot please God: And that they make it the great fcope of their fermons, to lead finners from a cove nant of works to a covenant of grace for life and fal vation, and from fin and self to precious Chrift. And the General Affembly recommends to all who preach the gospel, when they handle the doctrines of God's redeeming love, and of his free grace in the juftification and falvation of finners, the bleflings of the Redeemer's purchase, and privileges of the new and better cove nant, to ftudy to manage thefe fubjects, fo as to lead their hearers unto an abhorrence of fin, the love of God and our neighbours, and the practice of univerfal holinefs; feeing it is one great end of the gofpel, to defltoy the works of the devil, and to teach men to live foberby, righteoufly and godly in this prefent world. Upon which account, it is incumbent on all who preach the gospel, to infift not only upon the neceffity and excellency of faith in Jefus Chrift for falvation, but also upon the neceffity of repentance for fin, and reformation from it; and to prefs the practice of all moral duties, both with refpect to the first and fecond table of the law, as indifpenfibly neceffary, in obedience to God's command, to testify our gratitude to him, to evidence the fincerity of our faith, and for the benefit of hu

man

man fociety, the adorning the profeffion of religion, and making us meet for eternal life, feeing without holiness no man can fee the Lord.

"And the Affembly do seriously recommend to all minifters and preachers of the gospel, that in prefling moral duties, or obedience to the law, they thew thejnature and excellency of gospel-holinefs, and enforce conformity to the moral law, both in heart and life, not from principles of reason only, but also and more efpecially of revelation. And, in order to attain thereto, it is neceffary to fhew men the corruption and depravity of human nature by their fall in Adam, and their natural impotence for, and aversion to, what is fpiritually good, and to lead them to the true and only fource of all grace and holiness, viz union with Chrift, by the holy Spirit's working faith in us, and renewing us more and more after the image of God: And to let their hearers know, that they must first be grafted into Chrift as their root, before their fruit can be favoury unto God; that they must have a new principle to animate, and a new end to direct them, before their actions become gracious and acceptable in the fight of God: And that they teach them the neceflity of living by faith on the Son of God, in a conftant looking to and dependance upon him as the great Author of all gracious influences, for the performance of every duty: And withal, that after their beft performances and attainments, they must count them but lofs and dung in point of juftification before God; and to make it their great defire only to be found in Christ and his righteousness. And that minifters, in the application of their fermons, do endeavour rightly to divide the word of truth, fpeaking diftinctly to fuch various cafes of the converted and unconvertel, as arife natively from the fubjects they have been handling; and that, in the whole of their difcourfes, they take care to fuit themselves to the capacity of their hearers, as to matter, method, and expreflion; and to the prevailing fins of the time and place, with all prudent and zealous freedom and plainnefs: As alfo, that they make gofper fubjects their main theme and ftudy, and prefs with all earnettfs the practice of moral du

ties

ties in a gofpel-manner: And that they forbear deli vering any thing in public, that may tend more to amufement than edification; and beware of bringing into their fermons and public difcourfes, matters of doubtful difputation, which tend to gender ftrife rather than to promote the edification of Chriftians. And the Affembly exhort all to study to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

And, finally, the General Affembly recommends to all profeffors of divinity, to ufe their beft endeavours to have the ftudents under their care well acquainted with the true method of preaching the gofpel, as above directed: And that prefbyteries, at their privy cenfures, enquire concerning the obfervation of this act."

Now, bleffed be the Lord that there is fuch a public act in record, as a standing witnefs for Chrift in the midst of all our backflidings and defections! May God put it in the hearts of all who preach the gospel among us, to obferve the directions of it; that the scope and tendency of their fermons may ftill be to exalt Chrift, and raise him above all in the business of our falvation; to prefs the doctrine of regeneration and the new birth; to preach up juftification by Chrift's righteousness alone, apprehended by faith, and the neceflity of the inward operations of the holy Spirit, which Chrift hath purchafed and promifed for working that faith in us, and for bringing about the gracious change of the new birth, and carrying on a work of fanctification in us, and for enabling us to live the fpiritual life! This being the fcope of the act, happy were it for the land if it were also the main fcope of our fermons. But, after all, if profeffors of divinity do not their part in training up fudents according to it, and if prefbyteries do not theirs in calling to account those who do not obferve the act, the church will not reap much benefit by it, as I fear the hath not yet done: For, if fhe had, "what meaneth the bleating of the fheep," and "the lowing of the oxen," which we still hear? What means the murmuring of ferious Chriftians from feveral corners, for want of the proper food of their fouls? What

mean