the way of salvation ; will he not be filled with admiring and adoring thoughts of God's mercy? Will not " the grace of Christ," and " the love of the Spirit," constrain him to cry out, " What shall I render to the Lord for all the benefits that he hath done unto me ?" Yes ; let him only be penetrated with a sense of what God has done for his recovery, and he will not only " be careful to maintain," but studious to excel'^ in, good works : he will not be contented to conform to the world's standard of morality, but will seek to become pure as God is pure, and " holy as God is holy."]
2. They " are good and profitable unto men" — [This expression of the Apostle may be understood either of the doctrines of Christianity, or of the good works produced by them, or (which we rather prefer) of both together.
Who must not acknowledge the excellence and utility of tlie doctrines ? We confidently ask. What has reformed the world, as far as any change has taken place in its habits ? Have the dogmas of philosophers produced this effect ; or has it been wrought by the influence of Christianity? Let any one con- template the change that took place upon the converts on tl)e day of Pentecost ; let him see the odoriferous myrtle starting up in the place of the noxious brier, and say whether these doctrines be not " good and profitable unto men ?" Or let the appeal be made to living Christians : are there not many that must say, ' Before I heard those doctrines I was altogether earthly, sensual, and devilish ; but from the moment that I received them into my heart, I have experienced a total change of character : my spirit and temper have been wonder- fully improved ; my desires and pursuits have been altogether altered ; I am become quite a new creature : now also my peace flows down like a river; death has been disarmed of its sting, and I look forward to the eternal state with un- speakable delight?'
That the good loorhs which are produced by these doctrines are also beneficial, we gladly affirm. As for the works that are unconnected with these doctrines, they are neither good nor profitable unto men ; because they are essentially defective both in their principle and end : but the works that flow from them are both " good and profitable :" they are truly " good," because they proceed from love to God, and from an unfeigned desire to promote his glory; and they are " profitable," because they are evidences to us of our own sincerity ; they bring peace and joy into the soul^ ; they advance our meetness for heaven; and they increase that eternal weight of glory which shall be given us in exact proportion to the number and quality of our works ^. Let not any one imagine, that, by rlwelling on the
<• TTooi'cr-adGat. ^ Isai. xxxii. 17. '^ 2 Cor. v. 10.
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