soever is not of faith is sin." For the word ÆLILA, which is here rendered " doings," (as we have it also Psalm ix. "Tell among the people his doings,") is a general noun, and signifies all things that any one may do, such as, counsels, attempts, words, works, and so, all things that a man can do which we understand to be approved and well pleasing unto God when done in faith, and corrupt and abominable when done in unbelief. For the Apostle, Tit. i. 15, when he gives the reason why there is nothing pure to the impure, and why their mind and conscience is defiled, gives none other than this, that they were unbelieving or destitute of faith, and for that reason abominable, and unto every good work reprobate. What then will those say here who have hatched up a something about works morally good, and works neuter? They will do nothing but work doings corrupt, abominable, defiled, unclean, and destitute of faith. For works not meritorious and yet not demeritorious, not sins and yet not merits, are all one and the same thing. And yet, it is in this way and with these terms that these miserable deceivers speak, extinguishing the fear of God, and flattering and pleasing men, and all the while setting aside the grace of faith. But the Apostle withstands all such even upon their own grounds, Rom. xiv. where he saith, 'That every thing which is not of faith is sin.' For these men make their conscience faith: and therein they speak well and healthfully; not less so, than Caiaphas prophesied: excepting that, they do not understand what they themselves thus say, even as also Caiaphas did not understand what he said. For if a man does any thing in act or life which he does not believe pleases God, that is, which is contrary to his conscience, he builds unto hell. And therefore, all their works and doings which they do contrary to their conscience, that is, which are not of faith, or, which they do not believe are well pleasing to God,-all such works they build up unto hell. And this is most true; for every Christian man ought to believe that all which he does pleases God. As this place calls upon us to speak of Faith and Works, we must indulge in a few observations: as we have done before concerning Hope and Passions, Psalm v. and we shall do the same concerning Love and Kindnesses, in its proper place. First of all, this is certain, that of all the commandments of God, the first, highest, and greatest is, that which is written in the first place in the Decalogue of Moses, "I am the Lord thy God, who brought thee out of the land of Egypt: thou shalt have no strange gods before me," &c. The proper works of which commandment (the elicited and immediate works as they call them) are, to believe in, to hope in, to love, and to fear God, and those things which are of God. These works the teachers of our day call elicited habits and acts. And therefore, having fallen into a dead letter, they consider external works to be these habits and acts; such as, praying with the lips, bending the knee, and other ceremonies of that kind. And being blinded with this theology, they cannot understand the words of the divine scripture, where they teach concerning the work of God, faith, hope, love, and fear. For the greater part of the whole scripture tends to this, -to set forth and commend the work of God, that is, faith: as in Isaiah v. 12, "But they regard not the work of the Lord." And John vi. 29, "This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent." And again Psalm lxxxi. 8, "O Israel, if thou wilt hearken unto me; there shall no strange god be in thee; neither shalt thou worship any strange god." As if he had said, This shall be the work and the worship of God, if thou shalt believe or hear; that is, faith is the true service, and the first work of the first commandment. Wherefore, he that would understand the scriptures, must leave all the philosophical ways of theologians, and must understand this term, THE WORK OF GOD; and learn to apply it with as much force to the internal acts of the soul, (which they call elicited acts,) as they have applied it to the external acts, (which they call commanded and mediate acts,) or, (which shews their blindness to be the more awful,) which they apply to the works of the creation; which are wrought of God out of, and independent of, all men. But as that man who omits the first precept, and yet keeps all the other works, both divine and human, does nothing at all: so, he does nothing at all, who does all that he does, or omits all that he omits, without faith in God. For, as the first precept is the measure, standard, rule, and virtue of all the other precepts; from which first precept, as from the head, all the other precepts hang, and receive life and influence: so faith, the work of the same precept, is the life, power, and virtue of all other works, and is, in the greatest truth, that universal reality, which is the one thing needful in all things: so that, no work is good, unless faith be the operating spring of it: nay, unless it be wholly imbued and anointed with faith as with a new leaven. And there can by no means be faith, unless there be a certain living and undoubting mind, whereby the man is assured, with all certainty, that he pleases God, and has him as a propitious and pardoning God in all things which he does and carries on; propitious in good things, and pardoning in evils. For what is faith if there be not this state of mind? And the Apostle proves true faith to be such as this in many examples, Hebrews xi. And Christ, in the Gospel, when he is about to display his power, generally asks them first, whether they believe that he is able and willing to do it. And therefore, it is written of him, Matt. xiii. that he could not do many works in his own country because of their unbelief. And, Matt. xvii. he says, that his disciples could not cast out devils because of their unbelief. From this we may see whence that word of the Apostle flowed, Rom. xiv. "Whatsoever is not of faith is sin." And that of Titus i. 15, "But even their mind and conscience is defiled." And why is this? because they are destitute of faith; and it is faith alone that purifies the heart, (Acts xv.) and fulfils all the commandments of God. Observe this, therefore, 'In every work of thine believe,' 'Faith is the keeping of the commandments of God.' But is not this a new kind of thing to the theologians of our day? And that also is equally new which we have, Eccles. ix. 7, "Go thy way, eat thy bread with joy, and drink thy wine with a merry heart : for God now accepteth thy works;" where the Hebrew is, KIKEBAR RAZA HAÆLOHIM ETH MAÆSECHA. But this BAR may be variously rendered, thus, For thy works are like a son (or elect, or pure,) which pleaseth his father.' Or thus, 'Thy works are like the works of a son that pleaseth his father.' So that the meaning of the whole is, Be thou always joyful and happy, knowing, that whatsoever thou doest, is, in the approbation of God, like the actions of a chosen and beloved son in the sight of his father. And in this way also it is expressed, Malachi iii. 17, "And they shall be mine, saith the Lord of Hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him." And then it follows in the same passage, Eccles. ix. " Let thy garments be always white; and let thy head lack no ointment. Live joyfully with the wife whom thou lovest all the days of the life of thy vanity, which he hath given thee under the sun, all the days of thy vanity: for that is thy portion in this life, and in thy labour which thou takest under the sun." Here, "garments" and "oil" (though many understand them, not improperly, to signify works and joyfulness,) may, I think, be received as having a literal signification: because there was a custom of putting on white garments upon days of rejoicing, and dark or black garments or sackcloth upon days of mourning, and especially among the people of the nation in the midst of whom Solomon wrote: so that, these "garments" and "oil" signify the circumstances of joy, both with respect to the food and the clothing. And thus also Christ saith, Matt. vi. "But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thy head and wash thy face:" that is, be of a glad and cheerful countenance. : Those, therefore, act most perniciously, who, professing themselves to be teachers illuminated by faith, deny that this faith is necessary at all times, and in every work: and they hatch up and frame out to us a general kind of faith sleeping in the habit, or rather a dead faith, which for the time elicits the act of believing. But what time will they define for this act? Is it only during the time of immediate exercise? But what a great folly possesses them, if they compare faith and its work with the use and nature of all other virtues? By this they would make it to be the case, that, because we cannot at all times pray, read, visit the sick, and help the weak; nay, because we cannot do any one work perpetually and continually, therefore, (as they think,) faith must be subject to the same change as the works, sometimes working or acting, and sometimes resting or doing nothing: not understanding, that under all the change and variety of works faith remains the same, believing and being confident in every work, that it pleases God, or rather, that he is pardoning and propitious. It is an error, therefore, to put faith and its work upon a footing with the other virtues and works. For this faith must be held as being exalted above all these things, and as being a sort of general and inaccessible influence above all works; by the moving and agency of which it is that all works which are done by man move, act, flourish, and please God. Thus Samuel, 1 Sam. x. 6, And the Spirit of the Lord shall come upon thee, and thou shalt prophesy with them, and shalt be turned into another man. When, therefore, all these signs are come unto thee, do whatsoever cometh into thy hands; for God is with thee.' So, in faith, all works are equal, howsoever they may present themselves unto us to be done: for faith alone is the work of all works. But wheresoever a difference of works is made, there either faith is wanting, or else, the difference only appears to be such in the eyes of those who are ignorant in these matters. For when a man believes in God, : |