Veneer on Article XIII: Of Works before Justification

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The Exposition.

fHAT Works done before the Grace MfrlS of Christ, and the Inspiration of his I* - “f ’ Spirit, are not acceptable to God, is L.._ _ proved from Ro;;;. iii. 9, lo, 19, 20, 23. IVbatthen ? are zve better than they? Ng in no zmfe : For we hanje hefore proved y both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under Sin, — Now we know that what Things [oever the Law faith it faith to them that are under the Law , that euery Mouth may be flopped,, and all the World may become guilty before God, — For all ha’ve finned and come fjort of the Glory of God. And from Chap. viii. ver. 7, 8. Because the Carnal Mtnd is

Enmity

Thirty-N’me Articles. 3^p

Enmity against God : For it is not fnhjeH to the Article xiII^ Law of Godj neither indeed can be. So then they OOTN^ that are in the Flejlj cannot please God.

They that are Carnal, faith St. Ignatius^ cannot do those Things that are Spiritual , nei- ther can Unbelief do the Works of Faith t.

A s the wild Olive, faith Irenczus^ if it be not grafted, continues ufelefs to its Owner, by realbn of its v/ild Quality, and is cut down as unprofitable Wood, and cast into the Fire : So Man, who receives not the Grafting of the Holy Spirit by Faith, continues what he was before, Flesh and Blood, which cannot enter into the Kingdom of God ||.

Again, That Works be perfedly good, it is neceffary that they proceed from a good Prin- ciple, ‘viz. from Faith, and that they tend to a good End, ^iz. the Glory of God, and that they be in no refped: deficient.

But what Man, either before or since the Grace of Christ, hath been fo happy as this comes to? And, therefore, the W^orks of Un- believers, however fpecious by reason of Tmper- fedion, can merit nothing ; and by reajbn of their Defects, are rather to be looked upon as Evil than as Good.

And, as these W^orks cannot in their own Nature be perfedly pleasing to God, without something elfe to make them fo • fo lleh. xi. 6.

\

^ Eji’ijl. ad Ephef.

jj Adv, H&ref, lib. f.ca^. lo.

Y z we

340 An Expofitioti on the

ARTicLEXlli-we are exprefly told hat without Faith it is Kyy\J impofflble topleafe him. And though the Author of this Epiftic may seem, at first Sight, to mean by the Words which follow — — (For he that Cometh to Godmufi believe that he is and that he is a Rewarder of them that diligently feek him) that a Belief of thele two Fropofitions, is that Faith of which he is difcourfmg • yet, as the Learned Dr. Claget observes in his Second Sermon upon Faith, all that he intended, was to give fome particular Instances to fhew the Truth of the general Proportion, that without Faith it is impoffible to please God *.

A s Works done before the Grace of Christ are not pleasing to God, {o neither do they make Men meet to receive Grace : For the

Lonje of God our Saviour toward Man appeared not by IVorks of Kighteoufnefs which we have done but according to his Mercy he saved us by the Wajloing of Kegeneratim and Renewing of the Holy Ghoji 1 it. iii. 4 5. Much less do they defer ve Grace of Congruity, as the School Authors fay.

For the clearing of this Point, it is neceflary to observe, that fome of the Schoolmen Ipeak of a twofold Merit, a Merit of Congruity, and a Merit of Desert. The latter they aicribe to Works which a Man does by the AfUftance of Grace, and to w’hich a P^eward is in Jiiftice due. The former they afcribe to such \V’orks as Man does by the mere Strength of Free- Will,

• See Hon>ily of Good Works, Part I. Saumk-‘fm on Rom. ii. 8. •§. 5, 4. ‘^NoTvelli Cr.tech. pag. i o i . i’ield Oi the Church, page 2J-6.

and

Thirty^lSlhie Articles. 341

and which are to be rewarded only out of Li- Article XIIL

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luch a’ Merit, since all of us are by Nature

Evil ? Since in us dwelleth no geod I’hinq;,^ Rom.

vii. 18. Since they that are in the Vlefb cannot

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Since corrupt ^rees do by Nature bring forth E’vil

Fruity Mat. vii. 17, 18. Moreover, this Sort

of Merit is rejected by others, and even by

those of the Church of Rome^ as favouring of

Pelagianifin,

The last Sentence of this Article is made good by what hath been said already, as like- wife by the Words of St. Paul^ Rom, xiv. 23.

For whatsoever is not of Faith ^ is Sin.

Ar

TICLE

An Exposition on the