Faith, This not of our felves, it is the Gift. of God; and upon every good Action that we do, that of the fame Apoftle elsewhere, yet not I but the Grace of God that is in me, 1 Cor. 15. 10. But this Grace tho' mighty to inftruct, to help, to invite, to perfuade, yet is not violent to force or compell either the Affent of the Understanding, or the Co-operation of the Will. The Grace of God like the Wisdom of God (as it is exprefs'd in the Book of Wisdom) acts Fortiter fed Suaviter, Mightily yet Sweetly do's She order all things, is Powerful but not Irrefiftable. It requires to be kindly entertain'd, and obfequiously comply'd with, and by repeated applications to the Throne of Grace diligently and inceffantly to be pray'd for, that it may be continu'd to Us and encreas'd in Us. We muft Ourfelves Co-operate with it, and not think to be wholly Paffive, Unactive, and Unconcern'd in the great Work of our Own Salvation. Because God is Powerful in Working in us and for us, this is fo far from being a Reason why We should be Idle, and, leaving all to his mighty Operation, be utterly carelefs of Ourselves, that it is very juftly urg'd by St Paul as a forcible Motive and strong Reafon to the contrary. Work out your Own Salvation with Fear and Trembling, For it is God that Worketh in You both to will and to do according to his good Plea

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fure. Thus God in the Law commands, Sanctify Your felves, for it is I the Lord that Sanctify You; as on the other hand we find his Saints praying God to do that, which they know to be their Duty to do themfelves, Walk me throughly from my Sins and cleanfe me from my Wickedneß, is the Prayer of One, tho' 'tis God's command to All. Wash You, make you Clean, and Turn ye, turn ye, why will ye dye, O houfe of Ifrael, is God's Peremptory Command and Affectionate Expoftulation to the fame People, in whose behalf the Prophet as Earnestly prays Turn Thou us, O Good Lord, and fo fhall we be turned. Which with innumerable Inftances of the like Nature, every where to be met withal in Scripture, what do they teach us but that the fame Work is fometimes apply'd. to God and fometimes to Us, to fignifie that as God by his preventing, and following, and affifting, and confirming Grace, is the first Author and laft Finisher of every Holy Purpose and Righteous Work in Us; fo there is requir'd on Our part a Concurrence of Will and ready Obedience to the Motions and Suggeftions of his Blefsed Spirit, else this Grace (which meeting with an Obfequious Heart would be productive of every good Work to our Endless Salvation) might by perverfeness and obstinacy be rendred fruitlefs and ineffectual, and at

laft

laft for Our Unworthinefs be wholly taken from Us to Our Juft and Endless Condemnation. Hence it is that the Apostle fo earnestly befeeches the Corinthians that they Receive not the Grace of God in Vain, That he is fo follicitous in the Epiftle to the Hebrews That they look diligently Left any Man fall from the Grace of God, which by a long and contemptuous Refiftance of it, he both fuppofes to be poffible and aggravates the horrible guilt and unfpeakable danger of fuch contempt from the Impoffibility of Repentance. For it is impoffible for those who were once enlighten'd, and have tafted of the heavenly Gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghoft, and have tafted the good Word of God, and the Powers of the World to come; if they fball fall away, to renew them to Repen-. tance. And if he that defpifed Mofes's Law, dy'd without Mercy, of how much forer Punishment fhall be be thought worthy, who hath troden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the Blood of the Covenant wherewith he was Sanctified, an unholy thing, and has done defpite to the Spirit of Grace.

But laftly, as Grace if not by us refifted, and defpitefully us'd, is the firft Cause and principal Worker of every Virtuous and holy Action in us, fo it is Grace also that not only at prefent accepts, but finally rewards

wards what it felf at.firft enabled us to perform: 0 Lord, thou wilt ordain Peace for us, for thou also haft wrought all our Works in us, Ifaiah 26. 12.

And when we confider the glorious Reward laid up for us, we muft here efpecially be convinc'd and acknowledge, that We are fav'd by Grace. Not of Works certainly, left any Man fhould boaft, as if so un

conceivable an Exaltation as the Incomprehenfible Glories of Eternal Life could poffibly be claim'd as Due upon the score of the Worth and Value of our moft excellent Performances. Heaven is our Inheritance, not our Purchase; not our Purchase by Works, but our Inheritance by Adoption. The Doctrine of Merit, as taught in the Church of Rome, is fo contradictory to Reason as well as Scripture, that just to hint at the Absurdities of it, is to confute it. To make a Work Meritorious these Conditions are requir'd,

First, That it be not a Debt, for what thanks is there for paying what was long before due; Yet what Service is it poffible for the Holieft Creature to pay, which from his firft Creation was not by a moft juft Title indifpenfibly due to his Creator? all that we have, all that we are, is his by Eternal Right; and when we have pay'd all that we can pay, we have pay'd no more,

nay

nay not so much, as we owe; when we have done all that we can do, we must own ourfelves to be but unprofitable Servants.

2dly, That any Work may merit, it should confer fome Good, fome Advantage to the Perfon towards whom it is perform'd. But can a Man be profitable to God? fays holy Job; and again, If thou be righteous, what giveft thou him, or what receiveth he of thy hand?

3dly, In order to merit of any Person, the Services we prefent him with ought to be our Own, at leaft not His, to whom we present them: whereas it has been fufficiently before shown, that we have of ourfelves no Ability to do any Good, that whatever of that kind we offer unto God, was firft his Own Gift to us; and if it has any Value with him, it is because it proceeded from him. Not only Heaven, but all the Graces that are neceffary to purify and prepare us for it, we receive from Undeferved Mercy; fo that God, when he confers Eternity of Blifs upon Us, crowns not in Us our Works, but his own Grace.

4thly, Where Merit is pretended, there ought to be fome Proportion between the Service and the Reward; but alas! who fees not the infinite Distance between that Eternal Weight of Glory, and the momentary and light Performances of the greateft Saint that ever liv'd upon Earth?

And