will " work by love," and '' overcome the world," and " purify the heart." What if the works it produces be not to be rehed on for our justification before God ? Is it nothing that they will be adduced in the day of judgment as the evidences of our love to Christ, and as the measure of our everlasting reward ? Is it nothing that God is glorified by them, and that the dispositions from whence they spring constitute our meetness for the heavenly inheritance ? Surely these are motives enough for the performance of them, without making them the meritorious cause of our salvation ; and, if we look to fact and experience, who are the persons at this day that are accounted righteous overmuch, and are represented as making the way to heaven so strait that none but themselves can walk in it ? Is it among the declaimers about good works, that we must look for these persons ? No ; but among those who renounce all dependence on their own works, and seek for salvation by Christ alone : a sure proof, that they who look for redemp- tion solely through the blood of Christ, are by that very principle made " a peculiar people zealous of good works."
These, then, are clear evidences that the way of salvation is precisely such as we have declared it to be : for there is no other doctrine under heaven that has these marks connected with it, or these effects proceeding from it.
The second thing we mentioned as establishing our doctrine, was, that there is no other way of salvation suited to OH?' condition as fallen sinners.
Take the way of salvation by our own works : who will venture to build his hopes on such a foundation as that ? Who is not sensible that in many things he has offended God ? For those offences he must answer at the judgment-seat of Christ. If through- out a great part of our life we had done all that was commanded us, we should still be unprofitable servants : our obedience to some commandments would make no atonement for our violation of others: for the sins that we had committed, we must die.