Chapter XVI. Of Good Works.

CHAP. XVI.

Of Good Works.

1. Good Works are only such as God hath ²⁵⁹commanded in his Holy word; and not such as without the warrant thereof, are devised by men, out of blind zeal, ²⁶⁰or upon any pretence of good intentions.

2. These good works, done in obedience to Gods commandments, are the fruits, and evidences ²⁶¹of a true, and lively faith; and by them Believers manifest their ²⁶²thankfullness, strengthen their ²⁶³assurance, edifie their ²⁶⁴brethren, adorn the profession of the Gospel, stop the mouths of the adversaries and glorifie ²⁶⁵God whose workmanship they are, created in Christ Jesus ²⁶⁶thereunto, that having their fruit unto holiness, they may have the end ²⁶⁷eternal life.

3. Their ability to do good works, is not at all of themselves; but wholly from the Spirit ²⁶⁸of Christ; and that they may be enabled thereunto, besides the graces they have already received, there is necessary an ²⁶⁹actual influence of the same Holy Spirit, to work in them to will, and to do, of his good pleasure; yet are they not hereupon to grow negligent, as if they were not bound to perform any duty, unless upon a special motion of the Spirit; but they ought to be diligent in ²⁷⁰stirring up the Grace of God that is in them.

4. They who in their obedience attain to the greatest height which is possible in this life, are so far from being able to superrogate, and to do more then God requires, as that ²⁷¹they fall short of much which in duty they are bound to do.

5. We cannot by our best works merit pardon of Sin or Eternal Life at the hand of God, by reason of the great disproportion that is between them and the glory to come; and the infinite distance that is between us and God, whom by them we can neither profit, nor satisfie for the debt of our ²⁷²former sins; but when we have done all we can, we have done but our duty, and are unprofitable servants; and because as they are good they proceed from his ²⁷³Spirit, and as they are wrought by us they are defiled ²⁷⁴and mixed with so much weakness and imperfection that they cannot endure the severity of Gods judgement.

6. Yet notwithstanding the persons of Believers being accepted through Christ their good works also are accepted in ²⁷⁵him; not as though they were in this life wholly unblameable and unreprovable in Gods sight; but that he looking upon them in his Son is pleased to accept and reward that which is ²⁷⁶sincere although accompanied with many weaknesses and imperfections.

7. Works done by unregenerate men although for the matter of them they may be things which God commands, and of good use, both to themselves and ²⁷⁷others; yet because they proceed not from a heart purified by ²⁷⁸faith, nor are done in a right manner according to the ²⁷⁹word, nor to a right end the ²⁸⁰glory of God; they are therefore sinful and cannot please God; nor make a man meet to receive grace from ²⁸¹God; and yet their neglect of them is more sinful and ²⁸²displeasing to God.