cally,—that is, in the power of the grace of Christ, unto the glory of:
God by him,—is an essential part of gospel obedience. And whoever they are who (under the pretence of grace or any thing else) do neglect the improvement of moral virtues, or the observance of the duties of morality, they are so far disobedient unto the gospel and
are
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APOSTASY UNDER PRETENCE OF MORALITY. - 169
_ the law thereof. And some men do not understand how contemp- tible they render themselves in the management of their cause, when
they charge others with an opposition unto morality or moral virtue,
_and setting up they know not what imaginary holiness in the room
thereof; for those whom they so calumniate are not only imme- diately discharged from any sense of guilt herein by the testimony of their own consciences, but all other men, so far as the rule of ingenuity is extended, do, from the knowledge of their doctrine and observation of their practice, avouch their innocence.
“ But is it not so, then, that men do condemn morality, as that which is not to be trusted unto, but will deceive them that rest in or upon it?” J answer, They do so when it is made (as it is by some) the whole of religion, and as it is obtruded into the place of evan- gelical grace and holiness by others. They take moral virtue, as it always was taken until of late, for natural honesty, or such a con- formity of life unto the light of nature as to be useful and approved among men. But this may be,—men may do what is morally good, and yet never do any thing that is accepted with God; for they may do it, but not for the love of God above all, but for the love of self. And therefore they charge morality with an insufficiency unto the
end of religion, or the saving of the souls of men,—
1. Where nothing is intended by it but that whereof the rule and
- measure is the light of nature: for that doth direct unto every duty
that is properly moral; and what it doth not direct unto, what is not naturally by the law of our creation obligatory unto all mankind, cannot be called moral. Now, to confine all religion, as to the pre- ceptive and obediential part of it, unto the light of nature, is to evacuate one half of the gospel.
2. Where it is in ‘practice an effect of conviction only, and per- formed in the innate strength of the rational faculties of our souls, without the especial supernatural aid of the Spirit and grace of God. Whatever name any thing may be called by that is not
z wrought im us by the grace of God, as well as by us in a way of
duty, is foreign unto evangelical obedience. And those who reject morality as insufficient unto acceptation with God and eternal sal- vation, intend only what is of that kind performed in the power of our natural faculties externally excited and directed, without any
- supernatural influence or operation of especial grace; and, indeed, so
to place a confidence in such duties is open Pelagianism.
3. Where it proceedeth not from the spiritual, supernatural re- novation of our souls. The rule and method of the gospel is, that the tree be first made good, and then the fruit will be so also. Unless a person be fist regenerate, and his nature therein renewed into the image and likeness of God,—unless he be endued with a new
+
ATO. THE NATURE AND CAUSES OF APOSTASY.
principle of spiritual life from above, enabling him to live unto God, he can do nothing, of whatsoever sort it be, that is absolutely accept- able unto God. And it is especially under this consideration that any reject morality as not comprehensive of gospel obedience, yea, as that which is apt to draw off the mind from it, and which will deceive them that trust to it,—namely, that it proceedeth not from the principle of grace in a renewed soul; for whatever doth so, though it may be originally of a moral nature in itself, yet from the manner of its performance it becomes gracious and evangelical. And we need not-fear to exclude the best works of unrenewed persons from being any part of gospel holiness or obedience.
4, Where those in whom it is, or who pretend unto it, are really destitute of the internal light of saving grace, enabling them to dis- cern spiritual things in a spiritual manner, and to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God. That there is such a saving light wrought in the minds of believers by the Holy Ghost, that without it men eannot discern spiritual things, so as to favour, like, and approve of them, hath been elsewhere at large demonstrated. But this belongs not unto the morality contended about. It is not only independent
of it, but is indeed set up in competition with it and opposition unto —
it. No man need fear to judge and censure that morality, as unto its interest in gospel obedience and sufficiency unto the salvation of the souls of men, which may be obtained, practised, and lived up unto, where God doth not “shine in the hearts of men, to give them the light of the knowledge of his glory in the face of Jesus Christ;” where no work of spiritual illumination hath been in their