row that brings forth thefe feven fruits you read of, 2 Cor. vii. II. And thus godly forrow, which is the happy mother of fo many good children, is caufed, like Peter's weeping, by the looks of Chrift; the reproofs, the frowns, the offences of a gracious God thaws the heart into melting fears, and would do fo though there was no hell; as a meek child needs no other house of correction than his father's looks.-Again, hope of heaven is the believer's duty, when it is looked upon as a reward of grace; for, he is to have respect to the recompence of reward; and may excite and influence him in his obedience; but the legal hope of heaven, fo as to expect to obtain it, by our obedience and good works, is a Chriftlefs doctrine: for, to fay that our works doth fave us, is to deny that Chrift is our Saviour. How is he your Saviour, if you might fave yourfelves by your works? Or, wherefore fhould he die to fave you, if any works might have faved you? Nay, fays the apostle, If righteoufnefs come by the law, Chrift is dead in vain.' If you do goods works, to get the inheritance of heaven thereby, you do not walk in Chrift; for, "Eternal life is the gift of God, thro' Jefus Chrift our Lord." And if you seek to attain falvation that way, you would receive the good, not as the gift of God, but as a debt unto you; and make yourself fellow with God, because you will take nothing from him for nought.

6. This doctrine refutes the error of thofe, that make good works and holinefs the product of man's free-will, natural power; or, at leaft, of the common and general affiftance of God; or to proceed from him only as the moral caufe, and not by way of powerful efficiency. Surely fuch do alfo herein err, that lay fo much stress upon natural endeavours, and moral ferioufnefs, as to connect the fame infallibly with faving grace: furely none of those duly ponder, that Faith is the gift of God, and the work of God's almighty power, requiring the fame powerful efficiency, that raised Christ from the dead; and that true obedience and good works, is a walking in Chrift; and that walking in Chrift, is a walking by the strength and power of the Spirit of Christ, who says that Without me ye can do nothing. Paul tells us, in his

own

own name, and in the name of all believers, that they are not fufficient of themfelves, to think any thing, as of themselves, but that their fufficiency is of God; and that it is God that worketh in us, both to will and to do of his good pleasure. All the working and walking that men are capable of, before they receive Chrift, is but evil works before God; for, "Without faith it is impoffible to pleafe God: and, Whatfoever is not of faith is fin." And furely evil works never make a good man; for good works themfelves do not make a good man: no 'works, good or evil, make a man either good or evil. 'As good fruit makes not a tree good, nor is it evil 'fruit that makes a tree evil; but a good tree bears good

fruit, and an evil tree evil fruit: fo, good works 'make not a good man, nor evil works an evil man ; 'but a good man bringeth forth good, and an evil 'man bringeth forth evil works. For, as the tree is good, ere it bringeth forth good fruit, and evil, ere it bringeth forth evil fruit; fo, a man is good, ere ' he bring forth good fruit, and evil, ere he bring forthi ' evil fruit. So that our works make us neither good

nor evil *.'

If a man hath not received Chrift, he is not a good man, and cannot walk in Chrift, or do any good work; but if a man hath received Chrift, then, and not till then, is he a good man, and fo is capable of walking in Christ, and bringing forth good works; yea, natively doth this good tree bring forth good fruit. Thus you fee, how this doctrine fets itself in oppofition to manifold erroneous principles: thefe are only a few of many that might be named, which this text and doctrine doth refute; and too many of them are either directly, or

*These are the words, and part of the articles of that valiant and heroic champion for the truth, and famous martyr for the caufe of CHRIST, the Rev. Mr. PATRICK HAMILTON, who was raifed up by God to be a happy inftrument of our Reformation from Popery, in contending zealously against the abominations of Rome, till he at laft fell a facrifice to his cruel and merciless enemies, by chearfully yielding his body to the tormenting Aames at St. Andrews, while, in that fiery chariot, through the aerial region, his foul afcended to the celestial country, to poffefs eternal bleffednefs, on the last day of February 1527.--The famous Mr. GEORGE WISHART, fuffered for the fame good caufe, in the very fame place, and in the fame manner, on the first of March 1546.

indirectly countenanced in our day, even by public acts*, and thofe that ought to contend moft zealously for the truths of Chrift.

The doctrine of the gospel is like a bridge, by which alone men can go from this valley of mifery, to the regions of blifs and happiness; and the principles of religion, or truths of the gofpel, are like fo many arches which, joined and united together, doth make up this bridge and therefore thefe errors, that doth overturn any of these principles, do, as it were, cut out an arch from the bridge, whereby a breach is made, and the paffage by it unto heaven, is either cut off, if the error be fundamental; or greatly obftructed, if it nearly concerns the fundamentals of religion. Some perhaps will think, Whether or not am I making all these fundamental errors, and fo all that maintain them to be cut off from heaven; and confequently accufe the most part of the minifters of this church, except a very few? To which I would reply, That, as I do not desire to be like thofe, that think all Blackamoors except themselves; fo I prefume, that the judgment of the generality of the church of Scotland is to be gathered from the public Standards of doctrine, in our Confeffion, and Catechifms, deliberately enacted by this church, and to which all profefs adherence; and not from any particular Acts relative to doctrine, either made by an overfight, or maintained by mere human authority. And therefore, whatever may be the dangerous confequence of public deeds of that nature; yet, I entertain charity for the most part of the minifters of the church of Scotland, that the latter Acts, that feem to clash with our Standards, hath nothing of their deliberate approbation. However, the least truth ought to be facred to every one of us, who are called to prove all things, and hold fast that which is good; for, the loss of the least truth, whether you reckon it fundamental or not, is of dangerous confequence: the lofs of the leaft divine truth, is as the lofs of a diamond out of a ring; or of a jewel out of

* Our Author here probably has his eye upon the acts of Assembly, 1720. and 1722. condemning the Marrow of Modern Divinity. See Vol. I. p. 232. Vol. II. p. 304; 305, 395.

the

the Mediator's crown. The gofpel is like a ladder, that hath fo many fteps, or rounds; every truth is like a round of the ladder; and by thefe rounds we climb up to heaven if you break off any round, you are in danger of falling; and your climbing up is rendered either difficult, or impoffible. The truths of the gofpel are like ftepping-ftones over a deep water; take away any of thefe ftones, and you make fuch a wide and dangerous ftep, that you are in hazard of falling into the deep. I now proceed,

2dly, To the other branch of this ufe of reproof, namely, to mention fome practical errors that this doctrine doth reprove; as,

1. Thofe that walk in darkness; we read this of the wicked, Pfal. lxxxii. 5. that they walk on in darkness; even in the darkness of ignorance, error, fin, and fecurity. Can they walk in Chrift who walk in dark. nefs? No: "If any man fay he hath fellowship with Christ, and yet walk in darkness, he is a liar," I John i. 6.

2. Thofe that walk in vanity, Jer. ii. 5. "Thus faith the Lord, What iniquity have your fathers found in me, that they have gone far from me, and have walked after vanity, and are become vain?" O the vanity of mind, the vanity of thought, word, and action? Is this to walk in Chrift? No, no: he says, "Follow me, for I am meek and lowly in heart."

3. It reproves thofe that walk in profanity and lafcivioufnefs; i Pet. iv. 3, 4. "For the time paft of our life may fuffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lafcivioufnefs, lufts, excefs of wine, revellings, banquettings, and abominable idolatries: wherein they think it strange that you run not with them to the fame excefs of riot, fpeaking evil of you." Do these walk in Christ, that walk in drunkenness, whoredom, fwearing, Sabbath-breaking, and fuch like abominations? Oh! it is blafphemy to think it!

4. It reproves thofe, that inftead of walking in Chrift, do walk in lies; Jer. xxiii. 14. "I have feen alfo in the' prophets of Jerufalem an horrible thing; they commit adultery, and walk in lies," &c. They that walk in hy

pocrify

pocrify and lies, instead of walking in Christ, do rather walk in the devil, the father of lies, and who was a liar from the beginning. God's children are called children that will not lie.

5.

Thofe that walk as flanderers, Jer. ix. 4, 5. "Every brother will utterly fupplant, every neighbour will walk with flanders." O flandering tongue! Is that the way to walk in Chrift? No, no. See what is the character of a godly man, that fhall abide in God's tabernacle, and dwell in his holy hill; he is one that fpeaks the truth in his heart; he backbiteth not with his tongue, nor doth evil to his neighbour, nor taketh up a reproach again!t his neighbour, Pfal. xv. 2, 3.

(6.) Thofe that walk in pride: fuch a walk you have defcribed in the daughters of Jerufalem, Ifa. iii. 16. "Becaufe the daughters of Zion are haughty, and walk with ftretched-forth necks, and wanton eyes, walking, and mincing as they go, and making a tinkling with their feet." And you fee how Nebuchadnezzar learned to preach this doctrine, after the Lord had humbled him for his pride, as low as the beafts of the field: "Those that walk in pride, he is able to abase,” Dan. iv. 37.

7. Those that walk in carnality, or walk after the fiesh, and after the imagination of their own evil heart, and fo walk contrary to God: See fuch a walk defcribed, Eph. ii. 2, 3. "Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the fpirit that now worketh in the children of difobedience. Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past, in the lufts of our flesh, fulfilling the defires of the flesh, and of the mind, and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others." To walk in Chrift is a fpiritual walk; and furely they do not walk in Chrift, who walk in the flesh, 2 Cor. x. 3.

8. Thofe that walk in fuperftition; even in fuperftitious worship and ceremonial customs, Acts xxi. 21. We read there of fome that walk after the cuftoms, viz. the Jewish ceremonies that were abolished: Thofe walk not in Christ the substance, who walk in the fhadow, Col. ii. 17.

9. Thofe that walk in felf, or felf-righteoufnefs; "Go