First, We may learn hence not to satisfy ourselves, or not to rest, in any acts or duties of obedience, in any good works, how good and useful soever in themselves, or howsoever multiplied by us, unless
CHAP. VI.] IN THE SANCTinCATION OF BELIEVERS. 479
there be a vital 2)i^inciple of holiness in our hearts. A few honest actions, a few useful duties, do satisfy some persons that they are as holy as they should be, or as they need to be ; and some men's reli- gion hath consisted in the multiplying of outward duties, that they might be meritorious for themselves and others. But God expressly rejecteth not only such duties, but the greatest multitude of them, and their most frequent reiteration, if the heart be not antecedently purified and sanctified, if it be not possessed with the principle of grace and holiness insisted on, Isa. i. 11-15. Such acts and duties may be the effects of other causes, the fruits of other principles. Mere legal convictions will produce them, and put men upon a course of them. Fears, afflictions, terrors of conscience, dictates of reason, improved by education and confirmed by custom, will direct, yea, compel men unto their observance. But all is lost, men do but labour in the fire about them, if the soul be not prepared with this spiritual principle of habitual holiness, wrought in it immediately by the Holy Ghost. Yet we must here observe these two things: —
(1.) That so far as these duties, be they of morality or religion, of piety or divine worship, are good in themselves, they ought to be approved, and men encouraged in them. There are sundry ways whereby the best duties may be abused and misapplied, as when men rest in them, as if they were meritorious, or the matter of their justification before God ; for this, as is known, is an eflfectual means to divert the souls of sinners from faith in Christ for life and salvation, Rom. ix. 31, 32, x. 3, 4. And there are reasons and causes that render them unacceptable before God, with respect unto the persons by whom they are performed ; as when they are not done in faith, for which Cain's sacrifice was rejected ; and when the heart is not previously sanctified and prepared with a spiritual principle of obe- dience. But yet on neither of these grounds or pretences can we or ought we to condemn or undervalue the duties themselves, which are good in their own nature; nor take off men from the performance of them; yea, it were greatly to be desired that we could see more of the fruits of moral virtues and duties of religious piety among un- sanctified persons than we do. The world is not in a condition to spare the good acts of bad men. But this we may do, and as we are called we ought to do : When men are engaged in a course of du- ties and good works, on principles that will not abide and endure the ti'ial, or for ends that will spoil and corrupt all they do, we may tell them (as our Saviour did the young man, who gave that great account of his diligence in all legal duties), " One thing is yet want- ing unto you;" — " You want faith, or you want Christ, or you want a spiritual principle of evangelical lioliness, without which all you do will be lost, and come to no account at the last day." The due asser-
480 THE POSITIVE WORK OF THE SPIRIT [BOOK IV.
tion of grace never was nor ever can be an obstruction unto any duty of obedience. Indeed, when any will give up themselves unto those works or actings, under the name of duties and obedience unto God^ which, although they may make a specious show and appearance in the world, yet are evil in themselves, or such as God requireth not of men, we may speak against them, deny them, and take men off from them. So persecution hath been looked on as a good work, men supposing they did God good service when they slew the disci- ples of Christ; and men giving their goods unto "pious uses," as they were called (indeed, impious abuses), to have others pray for their souls and expiate their sins, when they were gone out of this world. These and the like other innumerable pretended duties may be judged, condemned, exploded, without the least fear of deterring men from obedience.
(2.) That wherever there is this principle of holiness in the heart in those that are adult, there will be the fruits and effects of it in the life, in all duties of righteousness, godliness, and holiness; for the main work and end of this principle is, to enable us to com- ply with that " grace of God which teacheth us to deny all ungod- liness and worldly lusts, and to live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world," Tit. ii. 11, 12. That which we press for is the great direction of our Saviour, " Make the tree good, and the fruit will be so also." And there can be no more vile and sordid hypocrisy than for any to pretend unto inward, habitual sanctifica- tion, whilst their lives are barren in the fruits of righteousness and duties of obedience. Wherever this root is, there it will assuredly bear fruit.