Secondly, How these works are considered, with respect to our sen- tence and doom.
1, Our actions are considered here with respect to the principle from whence they flow, a renewed heart ; God doth not look to the bare work, but to the spring, and motives, and ends, Prov. xvi. 2. He weigheth the spirits, quo cmirno, not only the matter and bulk of the action, but with what spirit, and from what principle it is done : Eph. V. 9, ' For the fruit of the Spirit is all goodness, righteousness and truth;' whether we act from a principle of grace in the heart. A violent motion difFereth from that which floweth from an inward principle.
78 SERMONS UPON 2 CORINTHIANS V. [SeR. XVI.
Christ first giveth a disposition to obey, before there is an actual sin- cere obedience. And Hving- in the Spirit goeth before walking in the Spirit, Gal. v. 25. The principles are infused, and then the action follows. It is said, John iii. 21, 'He that doth truth cometli to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.' A godly man cannot satisfy himself in some external conform- ity to the law, but lie must know that the actions come from God, from his grace and Spirit in us, and tend to him, that is, to his glory and honour, and are directed according to his will. A little outside holiness will not content Christ.
2. With respect to the state in which they are done. A justified estate,, and a state of reconciliation to God ; for the sacrifices of the wicked are an abomination to the Lord: Gal. ii. 19, 'I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God ; ' and Kom. vii. 4, ' Married to Christ, that I may bring forth fruit unto God.' The children born before marriage are not legitimate: 2 Peter iii. 11, ' What manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness ? ' . We ought to look to the qualification of our persons, that we be reconciled with God through Christ, daily renewing our friendship with him by sorrow for sin, by suing out our pardon and acceptance in the mediator. The apostle doth not say, How holy ought our conversation to be, but What manner of persons ought we to be.
3. They are considered with respect to their correspondency. No man is judged by one single act ; we cannot pass judgment upon our estate before God, whether good or evil, by a few particulars, but by our way, or the ordinary strain of our life and conversation, and our course: Rom. viii. 1, 'Who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.' A man may occasionally set his foot in a path which he meaneth not to walk in. God in reviewing his work considered every day's work ; apart it was good, and considered altogether, Gen. i. 31 ; the whole frame, and all very good ; all the work together was cor- respondent, and all suitable to the rest in a due proportion ; so should we endeavour to imitate God, that all our works, every one of them, and our whole course considered together, may all appear to be good, answerable to one another in order and proportion, that our whole conversations may be a perfect frame of unblamable holiness. There are some amongst men which do some things well, to which their order and carriage is not suitable. The difterence between a godly man's work and a hypocrite's lieth in this, a hypocrite's work is best considered apart, a good man's works are best, and most approved, when they are laid together.
4. These works are considered with respect to their aim and scope: Phil. i. 11, 12, ' That we may be sincere and without offence unto the day of Chi-ist, being filled with tlie fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ unto the praise and glory of God.' As it is not the doing one good work, or some few, which will qualify a man for the day of judgment, but being filled with the fruits of righteousness ; so it is necessary also that our aim be every way as good as our action, and God's glory be propounded as our great scope. An action in itself good and lawful may be reckoned unto the worker as sin or duty, as the end is, and the scope which he propoundeth unto himself.
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5. That none of our actions are lost, but stand upon record, that we may hear of them another day, and tend to increase the general sum, whether good or evil. An impenitent man's account riseth : Eom. ii. 5, ' He treasureth up wrath against the day of wrath,' like Jehoiada's chest, the longer it stood the more treasure was in it. Sins that seem inconsiderable in themselves, yet are the acts of one that hath sinned greatly before. A cipher put to a sum that is fixed increaseth it, every drop helpeth to fill the cup. So in the sincere: Phil. iv. 17, * Fruit abounding to your account.' Every sincere action makes it abound more ; some actions are more inconsiderable than others, yet if done for Christ's sake, shall be taken notice of, though small in them- selves : Mat. X. 42, ' And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward.'