faith without them is dead and useless, as the apostle James faith. Now, that fuch a diftinction is to be admitted, and that the works excluded by the apostle in the matter of justification are of the first kind, will appear, if we confider the occafion of the apoftle's mentioning this, as well here, as throughout his epiftle to the Galatians, where he speaks of this matter and to this purpose at large: which was this, That whereas many of the Gentiles, that were not of the race or feed of Abraham, as concerning the flesh, were come to be converted to the Christian faith, and to believe in him, fome of those that were of the Jewish profelytes, thought to subject the faithful and believing Gentiles to the legal ceremonies and obfervations, as neceffary to their The occa juftification: this gave the apoftle Paul occafion at apostle's length, in his epiftle to the Romans, Galatians, and fpeaking of elsewhere, to fhew the use and tendency of the of the law, law, and of its works, and to contra-diftinguish which are them from the faith of Chrift, and the righteouf fion of the the works excluded. nefs thereof; fhewing how the former was ceased and become ineffectual, the other remaining, and yet neceffary. And that the works excluded by the apostle are of this kind of works of the law, appears by the whole ftrain of his epistle to the Galatians, chap. i, ii, iii, and iv. For after, in chap. iv. he upbraideth them for their returning unto the obfervation of days and times, and that, in the beginning of chap. v. he fheweth them their folly, and the evil confequence of adhering to the ceremonies of circumcifion, then he adds, ver. 6. For in Chrift Jefus neither circumcifion nor uncircumcifion availeth, but faith, which worketh by love; and thus he concludes again, chap. vi. ver. 15. For in Chrift Jefus neither circumcifion availeth, nor uncircumcifion, but a new creature. From which places appeareth that diftinction of works before-mentioned, whereof the one is excluded, the other necessary to juftification. For the apoftle fheweth here, that circumcifion circumcifion (which word is often used to comprehend the whole ceremonies and legal performances of the Jews) is not neceffary, nor doth avail. Here then are the works which are excluded, by which no man is justified; but faith, which worketh by love, but the new creature, this is that which availeth, which is abfolutely necessary: for faith, that worketh by love, cannot be without works, for, as it is faid in the fame 5th chapter, ver. 22. Love is a work of the Spirit; alfo the new creature, if it avail and be neceffary, cannot be without works; feeing it is natural for it to bring forth works of righteoufnefs. Again, that the apoftle no ways intends to exclude fuch good works appears, in that in the fame epistle he exhorts the Galatians to them, and holds forth the usefulness and neceffity of them, and that very The ufeful. plainly, chap. vi. ver. 7, 8, 9. Be not deceived, faith nefs and ne he, God is not mocked; for whatsoever a man foweth, good works. that shall be alfo reap: for he that foweth to the flesh, fhall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that foweth to the Spirit, fhall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. And let us not be weary of well-doing, for in due feafon we shall reap, if we faint not: Doth it not hereby appear, how neceffary the apoftle would have the Galatians know that he esteemed good works to be? To wit, not the outward ceremonies and traditions of the law, but the fruits of the Spirit, mentioned a little before; by which Spirit he would have them to be led, and walk in thofe good works: as also, how much he afcribed to thefe good works, by which he affirms life everlasting is reaped. Now, that cannot be useless to man's juftification, which capacitates him to reap fo rich an harvest. ceffity of But laftly; For a full anfwer to this objection, Anf. 2. and for the establishing of this doctrine of good works, I fhall inftance another faying of the fame apostle Paul, which our adverfaries alfo in the blindnefs of their minds make ufe of against us; to wit, Tit. iii. 5. Not by works of righteoufnefs which we Q4 bave perform the Spirit. Juftified not have done, but according to his mercy he faved us, by by our legal the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy ances, but Ghoft. It is generally granted by all, that [Javed] the fruit of is here all one as if it had been faid [juftified.] Now there are two kinds of works here mentioned: one by which we are not faved, that is, not juftified; and another by which we are faved, or juftified. The firft, the works of righteoufnefs which we have wrought, that is, which we in our first fallen nature, by our own ftrength, have wrought, our own legal performances, and therefore may truly and properly be called ours, whatever fpecious appearances they may have. And that it must needs and ought to be fo understood, doth appear from the other part, By the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; feeing regeneration is a work, comprehenfive of many good works, even of all those which are called the fruits of the Spirit. Object. Anfw. Now in cafe it should be objected, That these may alfo be called ours, because wrought in us, and also by us many times as inftruments ; I answer; It is far otherwife than the former: for in the first we are yet alive in our own natural state, unrenewed, working of ourselves, feeking to fave ourselves, by imitating and endeavouring a conformity to the outward letter of the law; and fo wreftling and striving in the carnal mind, that is enmity to God, and in the curfed will not yet fubdued. But in this fecond we are crucified with Chrift, we are become dead with him, have partaken of the fellowship of his fufferings, are made conformable to his death; and our first man, our old man with all his deeds, as well the openly wicked as the feemingly righteous, our legal endeavours and foolish wrestlings, are all buried and nailed to the cross of Not we, but Chrift; and fo it is no more we, but Chrift alive in is the work- us, the worker in us. So that though it be we in a er of righte- fenfe, yet it is according to that of the apostle to oufnefs. the fame Galatians, ch. ii, ver. 20. Iam crucified, yet Chrift in us nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Chrift liveth in me: not I, but the grace of Chrift in me. Thefe works are especially to be afcribed to the Spirit of Chrift, and the grace of God in us, as being immediately thereby acted and led in them, and enabled to perform them. And this manner of fpeech is not ftrained, but familiar to the apoftles, as appears, Gal. ii. 8. For he that wrought effectually in Peter to the apostleship of the circumcifion, the fame was mighty in me, &c. Phil. ii. 13. For it is God which worketh in you, both to will and to do, &c. So that it appears by this place, that fince the washing of regeneration is neceffary to juftification, and that regeneration comprehends works, works are neceffary; and that thefe works of the law that are excluded, are different from those that are necessary and admitted. §. XI. Thirdly, They object that no works, yea, Obj. 3. not the works of Chrift in us, can have place in juftification, because nothing that is impure can be useful in it; That no impure works are useful to juftification Anf. 1. is confeffed; but that all the works wrought in the faints are fuch is denied. And for answer to this, the former diftinction will serve. We confefs, that the first fort of works above-mentioned are impure; but not the second: because the firft are wrought in the unrenewed state, but not the other. And as for that of Isaiah, it must relate to the first kind; for though he faith, All our righteoufneffes are as What fort filthy rags, yet that will not comprehend the righte- one is as oufnefs of Chrift in us, but only that which we filthy rags. work of and by ourselves. For fhould we fo con clude, of righteoufness away clude, then it would follow, that we fhould throw all holiness and righteousness; fince that which is as filthy rags, and as a menftruous garment, ought to be thrown away; yea, it would follow, that all the fruits of the Spirit, mentioned Gal. iv. were as filthy rags: whereas on the contrary, fome of the works of the faints are faid to have a fweet favour in the noftrils of the Lord; are faid to be an ornament of great price in the fight of God; are faid to prevail with him, and to be acceptable to him; which filthy rags and a menftruous garment cannot be. Yea, many famous Proteftants have acknowledged, that this place is not therefore fo to be understood. Calvin upon this place faith, "That it is ufed to « be cited by fome, that they may prove there is concerning fo little merit in our works, that they are before of our righ- "God filthy and defiled: but this feems to me to teoufnefs. "be different from the prophet's mind," faith he, Mufculus.feeing he speaks not here of all mankind." Muf Calvin and others, their fenfe Ifa. 64. 6. Bertius, Epiftolæ præfixæ differt. ann. culus upon this place faith, "That it was ufual for "this people to prefume much of their legal righ"teousness, as if thereby they were made clean; "nevertheless they had no more cleannefs than "the unclean garment of a man. Others expound "this place concerning all the righteousnets of our "flesh; that opinion indeed is true; yet I think "that the prophet did rather accommodate these fayings to the impurity of the people in legal "terms." The author (commonly fuppofed Bertius) Ipeaking concerning the true fenfe of the 7th chapter of the epistle to the Romans, hath a digresfion touching this of Ifaiah, faying, "This place " is commonly corrupted by a pernicious wretting; "for it is ftill alledged, as if the meaning thereof "inferred the most excellent works of the best ChriJa. Coret "ftians, &c." James Coret, a French minister in the preff. Paris, church of Bafil, in his apology concerning justification ann. 1597. against Alefcales, faith; "Nevertheless according to "the counsel of certain good men, I must admonish Apol. Im page 78. "the |