Burnet on Article XIII: Of Works before Justification

THere is but one Point to be considered in this Article, which is, Whether Men can without any inward Assistances from God do any Action that shall be in all its circumstances so good, that it is not only acceptable to God, but meritorious in his sight, though in a lower degree of merit. If what was formerly laid down concerning a Corruption that was spread over the whole Race of Mankind, and that had very much vitiated their Faculties, be true, then it will follow from thence, That unassisted Nature can do nothing that is so good in it self, that it can be pleasant or meritorious in the sight of God. A great difference is here to be made between an external Action as it is considered in it self, and the same Action as it was done by such a Man. An Action is called good, from the Morality and Nature of the Action it self; so Actions of Justice and Charity are in themselves good, whatsoever the Doer of them may be: But Actions are considered by God with relation to him that does them, in another light; his Principles, Ends, and Motives, with all the other circumstances of the Action, come into this Account; for unless all these be good, let the Action in its own abstracted nature be ever so good, it cannot render the Doer acceptable or meritorious in the sight of God.

Another distinction is also to be made between the Methods of the Goodness and Mercy of God, and the strictness of Justice: For if God had suchregard to the feigned Humiliation of Ahab, ¹ as to grant him and his Family a Reprieve for some time from those Judgments that had been denounced against them and him; and if Iehu’s executing the Commands of God upon Ahab’s Family, and upon the Worshippers of Baal, procured him the Blessing of a long continuance of the Kingdom in his Family, though he acted in it with a bad design,² and retained still the old Idolatry of the Calves set up by Ieroboam; then we have all reason to conclude, according to the Infinite Mercy and Goodness of God, that no Man is rejected by him, or denied inward Assistances, that is, making the most of his Faculties, and doing the best that he can; but that he who is faithful in his little. shall be made Ruler over more.

The Question is only, Whether such Actions can be so pure, as to be free from all sin, and to Merit at God’s hand, as being Works naturally perfect; for that is the formal Notion of the Merit of Congruity, as the Notion of the Merit of Condignity is. That the Work is perfect in the Supernatural Order.

To establish the Truth of this Article, beside what was said upon the Head of Original Sin, we ought to consider what St. Paul’s words in the 7th of the Romans do import: Nothing was urged from them on the former Articles, because there is just ground of doubting whether St. Paul is there speaking of himself in the state he was in when he writ it, or whether he is personating a Iew, and speaking of himself as he was while yet a Iew. But if the words are taken in that lowest sense, they prove this, That an Unregenerate Man has in himself such a Principle of Corruption, that even a good and a holy Law revealed to him, cannot reform it; but that on the contrary, it will take occasion from that very Law to deceive him and to slay him. ³ So that all the benefit that he receives even from that Revelation, is,⁴ that sin in him becomes exceeding sinful; as being done against such a degree of Light, by which it appears that he is carnal, and sold under sin; and that though his Understanding may be enlighten’d by the Revelation of the Law of God made to him, so that he has some Inclinations to obey it, yet he does not that which he would, but that which he would not: And though his Mind is so far convinced,⁵ that he consents to the Law that it is good, yet he still does that which he would not; which was the effect of sin that dwelt in him; and from hence he knew, that in him, that is in his flesh, in his carnal part, or carnal state, there dwelt no good thing; for though to will, that is, to resolve on obeying the Law, was present, yet he found not a way how to perform that which was good; the good that he wished to do, that he did not; but he did the evil that he wished not to do; which he imputed to the sin that dwelt in him. He found then a Law, a Bent and Biass within him,⁶ that when he wished, resolved, and endeavoured to do good, evil was present with him, it sprung up naturally within him; for though in his rational Powers he might so far approve the Law of God as to delight in it; yet he found another Law arising upon his Mind from his Body,⁷ which warred against the law of his mind, and brought him into captivity to the law of sin which was in his members: ⁸ All this made him conclude, that he was carnal, and sold under sin; and cry out, O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from the body of this death? For this he thanks God through our Lord Iesus Christ: And he sums all up in these words; So then, with the mind I my self serve the Law of God, but with the flesh the Law of Sin.

If all this Discourse is made by St. Paul of himself when he had the Light which a Divinely-inspired Law gave him, he being educated in the exactest way of that Religion, both zealous for the Law, and blameless in his own observance of it; we may from thence conclude how little reason there is to believe that a Heathen, or indeed an unregenerated Man can be better than he was, and do Actions that are both good in themselves, which it is not denied but that he may do; and do them in such a manner that there shall be no mixture nor imperfection in them, but that they shall be perfect in a Natural Order, and be by consequence meritorious in a Secondary Order.

By all this we do not pretend to say, That a Man in that state can do nothing; or that he has no use of his Faculties: He can certainly restrain himself on many occasions; he can do many good works, and avoid many bad ones; he can raise his Understanding to know and consider things according to the Light that he has; he can put himself in good methods and good circumstances; he can Pray, and do many Acts of Devotion, which though they are all very imperfect, yet none of them will be lost in the sight of God, who certainly will never be wanting to those who are doing what in them lies, to make themselves the proper Objects of his Mercy, and fit Subjects for his Grace to work upon. Therefore this Article is not to be made use of to discourage Mens Endeavours, but only to encrease their Humility; to teach them not to think of themselves above measure, but soberly; to depend always on the mercy of God, and ever to fly to it.

Footnotes

1. 1 Kings 21.29. ↩

2. 2 Kings 10.30, 31. ↩

3. Rom. 7.12, 13. ↩

4. Ver. 14. ↩

5. 16, 17, 18, ↩

6. 21, ↩

7. 23, ↩

8. 24, 25. ↩