But if those only who have done more good than evil, were to come forth to the resurrection Christ has taught us, that the of life, what room would there first and great commandment be to entertain the least hope of requires us to love the Lord our the salvation of such as are not God with all our heart and soul converted, and do not begin to and mind; and that the second do good, till near the close of is like it, in requiring the same life? Upon this supposition, the affection in kind towards our thief on the cross, to whom neighbors, viz. that we should Christ said, "This day shalt love them as ourselves; and thou be with me in paradise," that on these two commandmust, it would seem, be exclud-ments hang all the law and the ed from the resurrection of life. prophets. Therefore no man

good in an acceptable manner. For "without faith it is impossible to please God." Heb. xi. 6.

renders any true obedience to -God, before the love required begins to exist in his heart; and of consequence, before this, he" In Christ, neither circumcisdoes not so much as begin to do ion availeth any thing, nor ungood. And with this agrees circumcision; but faith which his declaration, that " a good worketh by love." Gal. v. 6. tree cannot bring forth evil fruit; It is therefore required, that neither can a corrupt tree bring whatsoever we do in word or forth good fruit." And the deed, we should do all in the words of the apostle Paul, in I name of the Lord Jesus, giving Cor. xiii. 1, 2, 3. plainly im- thanks to God and the Father port, that if a man was enabled, by him. Col. iii. 17. But cerby the Spirit of God, to speak|tainly, doing all in the name of with the tongues of men and the Lord Jesus, and giving of angels, and had the gift of thanks by him, implies faith in prophecy, and was endued with an understanding of all mysteries and knowledge, and with the faith of working miracles, so that he could remove mountains, and had not charity or the spirit of holy love, he would be nothing. And though he should bestow all his goods to feed the poor and even give his body to be burned, and had not charity, it would profit him nothing.-ed by him, and become his Thus strikingly evident is it, that the spirit of holy love is implied in and essential to doing good in God's account.

him. The spiritual sacrifices of Christians are acceptable to God by Jesus Christ; and therefore, in order to be accepted, they must be offered in his name, and presented to God by him. 1 Pet. ii. 5.

In the sense now explained, there is none of the human race that doeth good, no, not one, before he is born of God, quicken

workmanship, created in Christ unto good works. Antecedent to this, all are dead in sin, and walk according to the course of this world, and have their conversation in the lusts of the flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, as the apostle states at large in Ephes. ii. 1-10. And according to the plain tenor of the scriptures, no man hath any evidence, that he is a child of God, an heir of heaven, and shall come forth to the resurrection of life, until he begins to do good in the sense which hath now been explained. "He that committeth or allowedly practiseth sin is of the devil.Whosoever is born of God doth not commit or practise sin. In this the children of God are S. Faith is essential to doing manifest, and the children of

2. A good work rightly performed is done with a view to the glory of God. Doing good implies acting with a view to a good end, as well as from a good principle, and performing the things which God requires. And when the spirit of supreme love to God prevails in the heart, the natural consequence will be an habitual regard to his glory. And this is implied in every act of true, acceptable obedience. For it is required, that whether we eat, or drink, or whatsoever we do, we should do all to the glory of God. 1 Cor. x. 31. Once more,

the devil: whosoever doeth not | appear in the eyes of men, and righteousness is not of God." however numerous those ac1 John iii. 8, 9, 10. But eve- tions of theirs may have been ry one, who begins to do good which are correct in the view in the sense and manner now of the world. For it has been explained, shall come forth to proved, that none begin to do the resurrection of life, as one good in the divine view, so who hath done good, in contra- as will be approved and accept distinction from such as have ed of him, before they begin ta done evil; and although he hath exercise that holy love to which committed many sins: because they are quickened by being born all the evil he hath done is for- of him. Antecedent to this, the given through Jesus Christ, and prevailing disposition of every so blotted out, that it shall never human heart is that carnal mind, be remembered or brought into that mind of the flesh, which the account against him, to his is enmity against God, but is of condemnation, in the world to such a nature as is totally incon come. All who, in consequence sistent with real subjection to the of being quickened by God, re-divine law and therefore they pent and turn to him through who are in the flesh cannot Jesus Christ, are interested in please God. the promises of that new covenant, by which God has engaged to be merciful to their unrighteousness, and to remember their sins and iniquities no more. And such are saved not at all by virtue or upon the consideration of the good they have done, or for the sake of it, but by grace through faith; and their having done good is regarded not as the ground or procuring cause of their justification, but, as the evidence that they had been born of God, and did believe in Christ, and were his dis-ever so obedient for the time to

ciples indeed, really in him.

In view of what has been sta ted and, I trust, proved by the scriptures, we may remark.

1. That, notwithstanding the declaration of Christ which we have been considering, and other scripture declarations of similar import, such as are far advanced in life, and have hitherto lived in sin, have no ground or reason to be discouraged from repenting and turning to God and doing works meet for repentance, merely because their fu ture good works, should they be

come, would be few in compar

From this account of the char-ison with their evil deeds. acter of those who have done good, and who shall come forth to the resurrection of life, it will readily appear that they, on the other hand, who have done evil, and shall come forth to the resurrection of damnation, are all those, and those only, who have always done evil and no good and also, that all unrenewed impenitent sinners are of this character, however they may

They who are sensible that they have hitherto been great sinners, especially if far the greatest part of their lives is evidently past and gone, when they read or hear that men are to be judged and rewarded according to their works, and that those only who have, done good will rise to life, whilst all those who have donc evil will rise to damnation, may be ready to

learn to do well; and in case he doeth so, the same ground to expect the resurrection of life. It should however be remembered, that from the time that any one, whether old or young, turns to God and begins in the scriptural sense to do well, he must patiently continue in well doing to the end of life. For it is he that endureth to the end that

shall be saved. If any think they once began to do good, and shall therefore rise to life, but afterwards turn back to the ways of sin and live in them, there is reason to think they were deceived-that they never did even begin to do good in the sight of God. For where God begins a good work in men, he will perfrom it until the day of Christ. And those whom he hath begotten again to a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, are kept by the power | of God through faith unto salvation. Again,

think or feel as though there was no room for them to hope for salvation-as though it was impossible that they should attain to the character of such as have done good, in opposition to such as have done evil, even if they should now begin to do good and persevere in well doing the remainder of their life; because their evil deeds would so vastly outweigh and outnumber their good works. Such discouraging thoughts would be well founded, if the scripture doctrine was either, that those only, who have always done good without ever doing evil, would rise to life; or, that the resurrection of life was confined to those, who have done more good than evil upon the whole. But this is not the meaning of the scriptures. The resurrection of damnation awaits those only, who have always done evil without turning from it and beginning to do good; whilst, thro' the riches of divine grace and the ample sufficiency of Christ's atonement and righteousness, every one who, before the close of his present life and state of trial, finds an heart to forsake his evil way and unrighteous thoughts, and to return to God through Jesus Christ, and becomes truly obedient to his revealed will, has all his sins so blotted out, that they will not be brought into judg-turn to God without delay, and ment to his condemnation in to enter immediately on a course the world to come; and his hav- of such well doing as the gospel ing done good, though only for requires. These plain scripa short time and in a low de- ture truths clearly prove, that gree, will mark the character, all impenitent, christless sinners, which shall come forth to the the middle aged and the young resurrection of life. In this re- as well as the aged, are now of spect, therefore, the aged sinner that character, and belong to has the same encouragement as that class of mankind, that the young, to cease to do evil, and Christ says shall come forth to

Though the aged sinner, thro' the sovereign grace of God, may possibly become posessed of the character which will be raised to life, yet it should be further remarked,

2. That the truths we have been considering, clearly show it to be a matter of unspeakable importance to all who have hitherto lived in sin, the younger as well as the older, to repent and

appear in the eyes of men, and however numerous those actions of theirs may have been which are correct in the view of the world. For it has been proved, that none begin to do good in the divine view, so as will be approved and accept

the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God." 1 John iii. 8, 9, 10. But every one, who begins to do good in the sense and manner now explained, shall come forth to the resurrection of life, as one who hath done good, in contradistinction from such as haveed of him, before they begin to

exercise that holy love to which they are quickened by being born of him.

Antecedent to this, the prevailing disposition of every human heart is that carnal mind, that mind of the flesh, which is enmity against God, but is of such a nature as is totally inconsistent with real subjection to the divine law and therefore they who are in the flesh cannot please God.

In view of what has been sta: ted and, I trust, proved by the scriptures, we may remark.

done evil; and although he hath committed many sins: because all the evil he hath done is forgiven through Jesus Christ, and so blotted out, that it shall never be remembered or brought into the account against him, to his condemnation, in the world to come. All who, in consequence of being quickened by God, repent and turn to him through Jesus Christ, are interested in the promises of that new covenant, by which God has engaged to be merciful to their unrighteousness, and to remember their sins and iniquities no more. And such are saved not at all by virtue or upon the consideration of the good they have done, or for the sake of it, but by grace through faith; and their having done good is regarded not as the ground or procuring cause of their justification, but, as the evidence that they had been born of God, and did believe in Christ, and were his dis-ever so obedient for the time to ciples indeed, really in him.

From this account of the character of those who have done good, and who shall come forth to the resurrection of life, it will readily appear that they, on the other hand, who have done evil, and shall come forth to the resurrection of damnation, are all those, and those only, who have always done evil and no good: and also, that all unrenewed impenitent sinners are of this character, however they may

1. That, notwithstanding the declaration of Christ which we have been considering, and other scripture declarations of similar import, such as are far advanced in life, and have hitherto lived in sin, have no ground or reason to be discouraged from repenting and turning to God and doing works meet for repentance, merely because their fu ture good works, should they be

come, would be few in comparison with their evil deeds.

They who are sensible that they have hitherto been great sinners, especially if far the greatest part of their lives is evidently past and gone, when they read or hear that men are to be judged and rewarded according to their works, and that those only who have, done good will rise to life, whilst all those who have done evil will rise to damnation, may be ready to