SERM. clare that they do not come to destroy, but I. to fulfil it.

With these two keys I believe that every passage of scripture, which seems to favour the idea of the sufficiency of faith alone to salvation, may be otherwise explained; and I leave to every candid person to determine whether that interpretation, which makes a good book consistent with itself, is not to be preferred before that, which makes it at variance.

And this brings me to what I proposed in the second place, to lay before you some strong and clear quotations from the scripture, in which the virtues of a good life are insisted on as indispensably necessary to salvation. And here so many passages, to this purpose, press themselves upon me, that the only difficulty is to select and arrange them. The forerunner of our Saviour, John the Baptift, is described as opening the way for the gospel, by preaching repentance and re

mission

mission of sins, that is, by preaching that SERM.

men fhould be forgiven on sorrow for past wickedness, and amendment in future. Our Saviour also began his ministry by preaching repentance: " from that time began Jesus to preach and to say, repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." Or as St. Mark in the parallel passage expresses it," the time is fulfilled, the kingdom of God is at hand, repent ye and believe in the gospel.' Not only believing but forsaking of sin, and turning to a life of virtue, was required by him of his disciples. In his sermon on the mount he particularly insists on the practice of a variety of good qualities, and in one verse commands us to be exemplary, and even conspicuous, in the exercise of them in general; "let your light so fhine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father, which is in heaven." In the same excellent discourse he tells his hearers, that except their righteousness, that is, their practice

B 4

I.

SERM. practice of what is right, shall exceed the

I.

righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees,
they shall in no case enter into the kingdom
of heaven.
And still more to my present
purpose, he expressly declares, that not every
one who shall say unto him "Lord, Lord,"
shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but
he only that doeth the will of his father; as if
he had said, Not they, who only profess them-
selves to be christians, and who believe and
own me to be their master, but they who
do what I teach fhall obtain salvation. Nay,
he goes still further, and tells them that
though they shall have even performed mi-
racles in his name, yet if they have been dis-
obedient to his will, and lived wickedly, he
shall, at the great day of judgment, reply to
their claims of acquaintance and favour, “ I
never knew you, depart from me ye that
work iniquity."

、

You remember the parable of the king, who made a marriage feaft for his son; those,

I.

who were invited, are distinguished into three SERM, sorts: first, those who were asked and did not come, by which are meant, those who had the gospel proposed to them and did not embrace it: secondly, those who came, but had not on a wedding garment, those who had faith in Jesus, believing him to be the Christ, but were not new clad with a true repentance and amendment of life: thirdly, those who were invited and had on the wedding garment; those who both believed the gospel, and practised the precepts which it enjoins. Here you may observe, that belief without practice is equally condemned with unbelief: Bind him, says the king, speaking of the guest without a wedding garment, hand and foot, and take him away, and caft him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. They only were allowed to remain at the feast, to sit down in the kingdom of heaven, who both attended to the invitation of the king and came properly pre

pared;

SERM. pared; who both acknowledged Chrift to be 1. the Son of God, and followed that course of life which he pointed out. It is likewise very worthy of your notice, that in all the places where our Saviour speaks of the day of judgement, the sentence follows on doing or not doing, without any mention of believing. In the fifth chapter of St. John are these words, "the hour is coming, in the which all that are in their graves shall hear my voice, and shall come forth, they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life, and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.” In the seventh chapter of St. Matthew, speaking of the same day, he says, " depart from me ye workers of iniquity." In the thirteenth, "the Son of Man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity, and shall caft them into a furnace of fire." And again in the sixteenth chapter: "For the Son of Man shall come in the glory

of