to it, and contend for their own dead works. Do they receive the word of truth, with which we are begotten, in an honest and good heart? No; their doctrines, writings, sermons, and confessions, are not the word of truth, but confusion and falsehood. The firstfruits of his creatures here spoken of were first ripe in the council of God, first ripe under the sun of righteousness; they first trusted in Christ, and are the first that shall rise from the dead. Christ the firstfruits of all, and these the firstfruits of God's creatures in him.

But, alas! these labourers, who labour for that which is not bread, and who spend money for that which satisfieth not, are sad enemies to these firstfruits, redeemed from among men; they contend for the creatures, and cleave to them; they contend for the world, for universal redemption; they despise the free woman and love the bond; they hate Zion, and cleave to Sinai; they lampoon the firstfruits, and affect the corrupt fruits. And surely such works can never be called doing the word; for he that labours aright must first be a partaker of the fruits of the Spirit, and be taken himself out of the world, out of the flesh, and out of legal bondage, and bondage to sin, before he can be called a firstfruit of God's creatures.

Those who deny the fall of man, those who have a will and power of their own, who have a talent, and a stock of inherent grace to improve, can never be James's doers of the word of truth; for he that does the word receives both the word

and the power to do from God. "Do not err, my beloved brethren; every good and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights." So that he is a debtor to grace for all that is good, for all that is perfect, and for all that he does; and he is said to receive these as gifts from God: and, if all that is good and perfect comes down from above, then it cannot be inherent in man. And sure I am that fleshly perfection is not to be found among all the gifts that come down from the Father of lights.

Moreover, these are called God's gifts, and therefore not man's stock. Besides, the receiver of those gifts is led to view God as the immutable Jehovah, with whom is no variableness nor shadow of turning. But this article is no part of their creed who make God to change in his love, in his mind and will, and in his gifts of life and grace, by asserting that these firstfruits may fall from adoption, from grace, and from the gift of eternal life, and perish.

Furthermore, this doer of the word is one unto whom God hath granted repentance unto life; he is not one that hates the light, or rebels against the word of sovereign grace; but one of an humble and a contrite heart, that trembles at God's word. For James intimates that this doer receives with meekness the ingrafted word, which is able to save his soul. But then the repentance that produces such meekness is not to be found

in the elder son, the son by creation, the son that never at any time transgressed the commandment; for, when the Father said to him, "Go work to day in my vineyard, he said, I go, sir; but went not." It is the prodigal, the younger son, who has been manifested to be a son since the creation, and that by adopting grace, who, when his father said to him, "Go work to day in my vineyard, replied, I will not, but afterwards repented and went," renouncing his own will, and repenting of the rebellion of it; and upon repentance went and did the will of his father, denying self and self-will too.

Now this son is said to receive with meekness the ingrafted word, which is able to save his soul. But why is it called the ingrafted word? In opposition to all such as receive it in the head, in theory, in word only, in thorny ground, wayside, or in stony ground. And, in opposition to all that receive it as the word of man, it is received in an honest and a good heart, as the word of God, which is quick, and gives life; sharper than a sword, and cuts its way; comes in power, and makes all high things that exalt themselves fall before it; it comes in much assurance, and raises the soul to God in faith; in the Holy Ghost, regeneration follows upon it; it is received in love, and abides there; and it is the ingrafted word, and shall never be separated from the good tree that is made good by it, so mightily grows the word of God and prevails.

This is God's covenant with Christ, and with us in him. "My Spirit that is upon thee, and my words which I have put in thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the mouth of thy seed's seed, saith the Lord, from henceforth and for ever."

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Hence it is called "the incorruptible seed, the word of God, that liveth and abideth for ever." And who is to take this ingrafted word out of us? None can but the divine husbandman, and he will not, for his faithfulness shall not fail, his covenant shall not be broken, his word shall not return void, his truth shall not pass away unaccomplished; nay, he purgeth every fruitful branch in the vine, that it may bring forth more fruit; he never takes any away but concubines, who are not in wedlock, bastards who have no chastisement, and barren branches which have no union, never being made one spirit with the living vine; but these ingrafted branches, who have the ingrafted word in them, their leaf shall not wither, nor shall they cease from yielding fruit; nay, they shall bring forth fruit in old age, to shew that God is upright.

This doer of the word is further described by his light, his constancy, his state of freedom, and the blessing that he works under.

"But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed."

James here intimates that it is not enough for a man to see, but to feel; not only to look into this law, but to get into it, and to continue therein, as all will who get into this law aright; for if they do err from it, they shall come to understanding again.

The blessing is on those and only those who are in this law, for the curse is on all who are out

of it.

But then what is this law? The law of release, the law of faith; but why is it called the law of liberty? Because the obedience of Christ to the precepts of the moral law justifies us and frees us from the yoke, Do and live. The death of Christ frees us from the curse of the law; the blood of Christ frees us from the guilt of sin; the love of Christ frees us from wrath, torment, and the fear of it; and the Spirit of Christ frees us from the sordid disposition and base principles of slaves; and the reigning grace of Christ frees us from the reign of sin, and from the apostacy of hypocrites.

This man is not a forgetful hearer, he never forgets the hill Mizar; nor can he get from his part and lot in this law; and such an one is a doer of the word and work too. But what work? Not the works of the flesh, for these are sin; nor the works of Herod, who did many things, but nothing right; nor dead works, for the blood of Christ purges the conscience from them; nor the