1. Guard against any misapprehension of this sub- ject—
[Though we affirm that our works will be the ground of God's judgment in the last day, we would not be understood to intimate, that there is, or can be, any merit in our works. It is not for any worthiness in them that we are saved, but solely for the merits of our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, and brought in an everlasting righteousness for our justification before God. Our works, it is true, will be the test by which our sincerity will be tried, and the standard to which the mea- sure of our reward will be conformed: but it is not for our blamelessness that we shall be accepted ; nor will any thing be conferred upon us on the ground of merit : the whole will be a reward of grace, for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ, and through his obedience unto death. It is highly necessary that this matter should be clearly seen, lest our very virtues become a snare to us, and we perish at last by rejecting the salvation provided for us.]
2. Give directions for attaining the state to which we are called —
[It can be attained only by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ: for it is only by faith that we can be united to him, and only by union with him that we can bring forth fruit to his glory. He himself tells us, that " without him, that is, separate from him, we can do nothing." If we attempt any thing in our own strength, we shall fail. But " through Christ strengthen- ing us, we can do all things." To him therefore we must look ; and of him we must say, " In the Lord have I right- eousness and strength." Relying on him, we shall never be confounded. Our trials may be great ; but we shall be ena- bled to bear them : our difficulties may be great ; but we shall be enabled to surmount them. Nothing shall be impossible to us, if only we live by faith in him. In the midst of tempta- tions we shall " be preserved blameless," and our " light shall shine brighter and brighter unto the perfect day."]