honeft purpose and refolution, every fudden act of contrition and humiliation, and inftances of the like nature, which are but the beginnings of religion, are not to be efteem'd and character'd as fit conditions of acceptance and discipleship. If they stay there, the duty is only in its greens, in the firít draught and fhadows; and if it never come to finifhing, the men are like those creatures which imperfectly resemble the human shape, the more deformed for the rude conformity. A picture of this we have in the defcription * St. Paul has given us; where he brings in one juftifying the law of God, that it is holy, juft and good, but yet he did not obferve it; he accufes himself for what he did, and what he did not: For the good that I would, that I do not; and the evil that I would not, that I do; that by virtue of his inward man he delighted in the law of God; but yet by the strength of another law in his members, contending and ftruggling against the force of this, he was enflaved and captivated to the law of fin; he had many good affections by times, but no good thing abiding in him; his will was often right, and he refolved and purposed many excellent things, but ftill he was defective in the performance. This is the character of one who is fet forward in his work, but goes not on with it: And of this temper we fhall meet with many in the world, who have their fits of repentance, prayer and fafting; who hear much, and are angry with themfelves, condemn their own follies, and think it reasonable they fhould live better: All which are excellent lines of duty, and fair beginnings; but then they fill them up with fuch a mixture of impurity, fuch ill colours, and foul blemishes, and frequent apoftacies, that they destroy their own foundation: They would * Rom. vii. fain be better, but yet they are not; nay, they go as far as Herod, who not only heard John Baptift gladly, but did many things; and farther than Felix, being fully perfuaded they should be Chriftians; and they do thus much towards it, that they correct fome follies, put a stop to fome vicious habits, use the folemnities of religion, and are very punctual and severe in fome external obfervations of it; but then they are weary, they will go no farther, they grow confident and careless, and having done fomething, fancy they have done enough for heaven, while fin ftill retains its hold, and the ftrong man keeps poffeffion. All this is reprefented by our Saviour, in the parable of the feed, where that which fell on the ftony ground, or amongst thorns, or by the way-fide; although it fpring up for a time, grows into fome degrees of height and fairness, yet is loft before the time of harvest, and there is no fruit arifes from it. These are so far from being true difciples, that they are the ftain and the reproach of their profeffion; and inftead of the rewards affured unto that fellowship, they fhall find thofe contrary ones, of him who knew his mafter's will, and did it not, they shall be beaten with many fripes. But here, this caution is to be interpofed, that fince the ftrength and power of religion grows by the measures of a man, by eafy and undifcernable degrees, that we be careful not to give an ill name to every ftate of imperfection: The Apoftles ufed the compellation of babes and little children to fuch as were in this infancy of religion; and fuch may be allowed, becaufe they are growing up, their strength encreafes, they ftill rife higher in their profeffion, and thefe are kindly and tenderly to be treated; but we are not speaking of the children, but the dwarfs in religion; people of no ftature, and of as little hopes, who are already rifen to their full pitch, when they may be faid to have but be gun: 1 1 gun: and furely these are very unworthy the ftile of difciples, whofe measure it is to be perfect, as their Father which is in heaven is perfect. But then, III. THIRDLY, Since neither of thefe will fatisfy the condition, what it is that will? And here the answer must be in general, doing the will of God, or a life of holiness and good works, fpringing from a principle of faith in Chrift. For thus ftand the terms of the new covenant, which God has made with us through Chrift our Redeemer. * He that believeth on the Son bath everlasting life; and be that believeth not the Son, shall not fee life, but the wrath of God abideth on him. Here is everlasting life promised by God, but faith in Chrift exacted as the condition to be performed on our part. But St. James has told us, that faith without works is dead; and left we should miftake in fo important a concern as the terms of our falvation, St. Paul (who has faid as much of juftification by faith as any body) has moft clearly open'd the terms of this covenant, with regard to works alfo, when he thus represents the engagement both on God's part and ours. †The foundation of God ftandeth fure, having this feal, the Lord knoweth them that are his; and let every one that nameth the name of Christ, depart from iniquity. God is pleased to engage on his part to take care of us in a particular manner, and to fave us; but then our part of the covenant is, to depart from iniquity; that is, to live in an entire obedience to the commands and prohibitions laid before us in the Gofpel. And this is a condition fo abfolutely neceffary, that he elfewhere represents it as the great defign and end of our redemption. + Chrift gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. The grace of God appear'd for this purpose, to teach us, that denying ungodliness and worldly lufts, we should live foberly, righteously and godly in this prefent world. So that when we fpeak of faith, as that which faves us, we mean fuch a belief in Chrift, our Saviour and Law-giver, as makes us chearfully give up our felves to the conduct of his fpirit; obedience to his laws, and dependance upon his facrifice, to render us and all that we can do acceptable to his heavenly Father. When we infift upon good works, 'tis as the genuine effect of fuch a true faith; and fuch an effect, as if it do not follow and appear, our faith is vain, and all our hopes of heaven deceitful. From this close connexion between faith and good works, it is, that when either are named, as the condition of falvation, the other is understood. And therefore, doing the will of God, includes both believing in Chrift, and living up to that practical rule of righteousness, which he has ordain'd for us to walk by. For thus our Saviour determined in anfwer to the question of thofe auditors, who demanded what they muft do to work the works of God? *This is the work of God (fays he) that ye believe on him, whom he hath fent. Here then we have a large profpect: for that we may be the disciples of Chrift, we are to believe his revelation, and to obey his commands, and to reverence him as our Saviour and Law-giver, and in imitation of him to put on the form and habit of a new creature; in newness of life, a courfe of christian holiness and virtues; fobriety with regard to our felves, juftice and charity towards our neighbour, piety and zeal towards God. This is the great purpose of St. James, in his difcourfe con * John vi. 29. cerning cerning the perfection of the chriftian life, in the ftrict union of faith and good works, where he affigns a juft portion of duty to both: for he who believes, does what he ought. * Thou believeft, fays he, that there is one God, thou doft well; but then believing alone is not enough, for faith without works is dead, and the religion of it is no more than the evil fpirits are able to practise, the devils alfo believe and tremble. The Apostle reprefents it by the infignificancy of the kind words of him, who bids his needy brother depart in peace, and get him better cloaths and fuller provifions, but ftill affifts him not in either; the neglect betrays the charity, and the man is yet as naked as before; Even fo faith, altho' it be the profeffion of the truth, and those found words which Chrift revealed; yet when it ftands thus by it felf, affifts nothing to virtue and the perfection of religion; it is but naked, nay, worse than that, fays the Apostle, it is dead: But when it infpires and actuates all the remaining parts of duty, when it is an argument and a principle, when it provokes to holiness, when it convinces the man, and fupports his religion; then a Chriftian may be faid to be doing the will of God: and this is to arrive to the degree of a new creature, viz. to live the life of Chrift, to keep the commandments of God, to do the work and bufinefs of renewed and transform'd people, to live after the fpirit, and not after the fleth; which being the old and natural principle, is unfit to govern the new life. And now that we have gone thus far, ye may imagine, that there is nothing farther to be added: But there is one word remaining, which can by no means be fpared from this argument. Our endeavours muft extend to ALL the will of God, and not to fome parts only. Therefore, |