"but doth this appertain unto man, 0 "Lord!" With what diffidence alfo and caution doth the great Apostle of the gentiles speak of his labours without measure in the church of Chrift! "I am the least of the Apoftles, that am not meet to be called an 66 Apoftle, because I perfecuted the church "of God, but by the grace of God, I am "what I am; and his grace, which was "bestowed upon me, was not in vain, but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was. with me." 66 How triumphantly also, and at the fame time how modeftly, does he declare, "count all things but lofs for the knowledge of Chrift Jefus my Lord; for whom I have fuffered the lofs of all things, and count "them but dung, that I may win Chrift, and be found in him, not having mine "own righteoufnefs, which is of the law, "but that which is through the faith of "Chrift; if by any means I might attain "unto the refurrection of the dead: not as "though I had already attained, either were already perfect; but I follow after it, that 66. I may "I may apprehend: brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended; but this one thing I do forgetting thofe things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I prefs toward the "mark, for the prize of the high calling of "God in Christ Jefus." And if we want not only a pattern to induce us to humility, but a warning alfo to deter us from vain-glory, the hiftory of Herod will furnish us with a very terrible one: St. Luke will inform us, that upon a fet day, Herod, arrayed in royal apparel, fat upon his throne and made 66 an oration and the people gave a shout, : faying, it is the voice of a god and not of a man. And immediately the Angel of the "Lord fmote him, because he gave not "God the glory; and he was eaten of worms the ghost," and gave up What shall we fay then? Are our best actions of no value in the eyes of the Deity? Does not David tell us, that "precious in "the fight of the Lord is the death of his "faints;" and St. Peter, "the ornament of a meek and quiet fpirit is in the fight of "God of great price?" Most certainly they M 3 are are fo whatsoever is perfectly good is perfectly valuable, and whatfoever is but imperfectly good is at leaft valuable, fo far as it is good: fo that if you mean no more by our works having merit, than that they are of fome value, it need not be contended with you. For as we are taught in our articles, "albeit that good works, which are the "Fruits of faith and follow after justification, 66 66 cannot put away our fins, and endure the feverity of God's judgment, yet are they pleafing and acceptable to God in Christ, "and do spring out neceffarily of a true and "lively faith, infomuch that by them a lively "faith may be as evidently known as a tree "by its fruit.' Hence then appears the abfurdity of those who put afunder what God hath joined together. They read," that by faith alone we are "faved," and therefore they conclude that good works are unneceffary: they do not confider that good works are of the very effence of faith, and that faith without works is dead, being alone. True Chriftian faith worketh by love and charity, and by such works alone faith is made perfect; for without holy actions, as as well as holy thoughts, no man fhall fee the Lord. In fum, this is the true and genuine doctrine of the Church of England: "* they believe that faith, which is alone "and unaccompanied with fincere obedience, "is to be efteemed not faith but prefumption, and is no way fufficient to justification; that though works of charity be not "imputed to juftification, yet they are re"quired as a neceffary difpofition in the "fon to be justified; and that though, in "regard of their imperfection, no man can "be justified by them, yet that, on the other "hand, no man can be juftified without them." per Let each of us, therefore, as true fons of the church, and faithful followers of Jefus Christ, cease not earnestly to befeech Almighty God, that he would pour into our hearts the gifts and graces of his holy spirit, without which we cannot attain unto a true faith; that he would also keep us ftedfast in that faith without which we cannot be juftified; and on our parts, let us fhew the purity of our faith by the fruits of good living; without |