through the gates into the city," that is, into heaven."There shall in no wise enter into it any thing that worketh abomination."-"If thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments." *. "Thou hast answered right; this do, and thou shalt live."—"There is one Lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy." Some of whose laws run thus: "Forgive, and ye shall be forgiven."-" Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.". "With what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged."-" For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath showed no mercy."- "Blessed are the peace-makers; for they shall be called the children of God," and, of course, the heirs of the kingdom.-"The king shall say unto them, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you; for I was hungry, and ye gave me meat," &c.— "Whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance. But he that doeth wrong, shall receive for the wrong which he hath done, and there is no respect of persons."-"Be ye therefore followers of God as dear children," &c.; "for this ye know, that no whoremonger,' &c., "hath any inheritance in the kingdom of God.""The works of the flesh are manifest, which are these, adultery," &c.; "of which I tell you," (believers,) "that they who do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God."

7. To running, fighting, faithfully laying up treasure in heaven, and feeding the flock of God :-" They who run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize: so run, that you may obtain. Now they are temperate in all things to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. I therefore so run, fight, and bring my body into subjection," that I may obtain, "lest I myself should be cast away;" that is, should not be approved of, should be rejected, and lose my incorruptible crown.-"Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life.”—“ Lay up treasure in heaven."—" Make yourselves friends with the mammon of unrighteousness, that, when you fail on earth,

* See the excellent comment of our church upon these words of our Lord, Fourth Check, page 24.

they may receive you into everlasting habitations.""Charge them who are rich, that they do good, that they be rich in good works, laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.”—“ Feed the flock of God," &c., "being examples to the flock; and when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive the crown of glory, that fadeth not away."

8. To love and charity :-"Though I have all faith," &c., "and have no charity, I am nothing."—"She" (the woman) "shall be saved," &c., "if they" (womankind) "continue in faith and charity."- "Whosoever hateth his brother hath not eternal life.”- "He that loveth not his brother abideth in death."-"We know we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren.”—“ If any man love not the Lord Jesus, let him be anathema." "The crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him."

66

9. To a godly walk:-" "There is no condemnation to them," &c., "that walk not after the flesh."—" As many as walk according to this rule, mercy" (be, or will be) on them."-" If we walk in the light," (of good works, Matt. v. 15, 16,) "the blood of Christ cleanseth us from all sin."- "The Lord will give grace and glory, and no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly."— Many" (fallen believers) "walk," &c., "enemies of the cross of Christ, whose end is destruction."

10. To persevering watchfulness, faithfulness, prayer, &c. ::- "He that endureth unto the end, the same shall be saved."- “Be faithful unto death, and I will give thee the crown of life."-"Blessed is the man that endureth temptation; for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life."- "Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I will also keep thee," &c.-"To him that overcometh, will I grant to sit with me in my throne."-" To him that keepeth my words unto the end," &c., "will I give the morning star."-"Take heed to yourselves," &c., "watch and pray always, that ye may be counted worthy to escape," &c., "and to stand before the Son of man." In a word,

:

11. To patient continuance in mortifying the deeds of the body, and in well doing :- "If ye live after the flesh, ye shall die; but if ye, through the Spirit, mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.' "For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap perdition; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. And let us not be weary in well doing; for in due season we shall reap" (not, if we faint or not, but) “if we faint not."-"He that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal."-" Ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life."—" God, at the revelation of his righteous judgment, will render to every man according to his deeds: eternal life to them who, by patient continuance in well doing, seek for glory."— Anguish upon every soul of man that doeth evil," &c., "but glory to every man that worketh good," &c.; "for there is no respect of persons with God."

Is it not astonishing that, in sight of so many plain scriptures, the solifidians should still ridicule the passport of good works, and give it to the winds as a "paper kite?" However, if the preceding texts do not appear sufficient, I can send another volley of gospel truths, to show that the initial salvation of believers themselves may be lost through bad works.

"I know thy works," &c.; so then because thou art lukewarm, I will spue thee out of my mouth.""What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man" (Tis, "any one," and two verses below, "any one of you,” James ii. 14, 16,) “say he hath faith, and hath not works" (now)? 66 can faith save him?" &c.-" Faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone."-"Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned." (In the original it is the same word, which is rendered "damned," Mark xvi. 16.)

"If we suffer, we shall also reign with him; if we' (believers) "deny him, he will also deny us."-" Add to your faith virtue," &c., charity," &e. "If ye do these things, ye shall never fall; for so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord."-"It had been better for them that have escaped the pollutions of the world through the

knowledge of our Saviour," that is, for believers, "not to have known the way of righteousness, than after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them."-"Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is cut down, and cast into the fire."- -"Every branch in me, that beareth not fruit, my Father taketh away.""Abide in me," &c. "If a man abide not in me," by keeping my commandments in faith, "he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and" he shall share the fate of the branches that have really belonged to the natural vine, and now bear no more fruit, "men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned." The figtree in the Lord's moral vineyard is cut down for not bearing fruit. "Him that sinneth I will blot out of my book."—"Some having put away a good conscience, concerning faith have made shipwreck."-"Such as turn back to their own wickedness, the Lord shall lead them forth with the evil doers."-"Towards thee, goodness, if," by continuing in obedience, "thou continue in his goodness; otherwise thou shalt be cut off."

Again: "For the wickedness of their doings, I will drive them out of my house; I will love them no more. Some are already turned aside after Satan, having damnation because they have cast off their first faith; the faith that works by love; the mystery of faith kept in a pure conscience; the faith unfeigned," (that the apostle couples with) "a good conscience; the faith that is made perfect by works;" the faith that cries, like Rachel, "Give me children," give me good works, " or else I die;" the faith that faints without obedience, and actually dies by bad works; the following scriptures abundantly proving that faith, and, consequently, the just, who live by faith, may die by bad works:

"When a righteous man* doth turn from his righteous

• That this is spoken of a truly righteous man, that is, of a believer, appears from the following reasons:-1. The righteous here mentioned is opposed to the wicked mentioned in the context. As surely then as the word "wicked" means there one really wicked, so does the word "righteous" mean here one truly righteous. 2. The righteous man's turning from his righteousness is opposed to the wicked man's turning from his iniquity: if, therefore, the righteous man's righteousness is to be

ness, and commit iniquity," &c., "he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he has done shall not be remembered." Ezek. iii. 20. Again: When the righteous," &c., "doeth according to all the abominations that the wicked man doeth, shall he live? All his righteousness that he has done shall not be mentioned: in his trespass that he hath trespassed, and in his sin that he hath sinned, in them shall he die." Ezek. xviii. 24. Once more: "The righteousness of the righteous shall not deliver him in the day of his transgression," &c. "When I say to the righteous, that he shall surely live ; * if he trust to his righteousness, and commit iniquity, he shall die for it." Ezekiel xxxiii. 13.

It seems, that God, foreseeing the solifidians would be hard of belief, notwithstanding the great ado they make about faith, condescended to their infirmity, and kindly spoke the same thing over and over; for, setting again the broad seal of heaven to the truth that chiefly guards the second gospel axiom, he says, for the fourth time, "When the righteous turneth from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, he shall even die thereby: but if the wicked turn from his wickedness, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall live thereby." Ezek. xxxiii. 18, 19.

If Ezekiel is not allowed to be a competent judge, let Christ himself be heard: "Then his Lord said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt," &c. ;

understood of feigned goodness, so the wicked man's iniquity must be understood of feigned iniquity. 3. The crime of the righteous man here spoken of is turning from his righteousness; but if his righteousness were only an hypocritical righteousness, he would rather deserve to be commended for renouncing it; a wicked, sly pharisee being more odious to God, than a barefaced sinner who has honesty enough not to put on the mask of religion. Rev. iii. 15. 4. Part of this apostate's punishment will consist in not having "the righteousness that he has done remembered;" but if his righteousness is a false righteousness, or mere hypocrisy, the divine threatening proves a precious promise; for you cannot please an hypocrite better than by assuring him that his hypocrisy shall never be remembered. What a pity is it, that, to defend our mistakes, we should fix egregious nonsense and gross contradiction upon the only wise God!

These words are another indubitable proof, that the "righteous " here mentioned is a truly righteous person; as the holy and true God would never say to a wicked pharisee, that "he shall surely live."