reward to so small a work ; but still the reward so conferred bears, and must ever bear, the character of a debt, and not of a gift.
To this it may be objected, that good works are represented in the Scripture as objects of reward, nay more, as forming the measure of that reward. This is true : but it does not in the least degree militate against the position before stated. Let us bear in mind what the Apostle's statement is : it is this, that if, in any part of our salvation from first to last, our works form the meritorious ground of our acceptance with God, our salvation is not of grace, but of works ; and that consecpiently, if salvation be of grace, all works of ours must be excluded as forming the ground of our acceptance with him. But this is not contradicted by any thing which God may do after we are accepted of him. The whole case is then altered :
The works done, are done, not in our own strength, but by
the operation of God's Spirit within us. They are done, not in order to purchase heaven, but to
manifest our love to God, and promote his glory. They come up to God, not as claiming any thing on account of their own intrinsic excellence, but as washed in the Redeemer's blood, and perfumed with the incense of his all-prevailing intercession. They come, not as demanding a recompence on the footing of justice, but as owing all their hope of acceptance to God's free and gracious promises. They come, not to set aside the grace of God, but to illustrate,
adorn, and magnify it. If any one of these works were to arrogate to itself the office of recommending us to God, its value would be lost ; and so baneful would be its influence, that it would destroy the value, and prevent the reward, of all the other works that the person had ever done. Hence then it is evident, that though God may, for the magnifying of his own grace, bestow gifts upon his children, that can be no reason why man, whilst an enemy to God, should, on the footing of justice, for the gratifying of his own pride, demand of God a reward of debt. God is at liberty to give what, and when, and to whom, he will : and whatsoever, of his own free grace, he has promised, he most assuredly will per- form: but this gives no right to man to claim what God never has promised, and what he has in ten thousand places declared he never will give.
We again therefore revert to our position, and say, that, if salvation be by grace, it cannot in any respect, or any degree, be of works: and, consequently, works must be for ever renounced as a ground of our acceptance with God, and we must look for every thing from grace, free grace, alone.]