is

pro

happens to fall into some grievous sin, or into a languid and drowsy frame of foul, then his familiarity with God is not a little interrupted; but after he is roused out of that fin, or from that drowsy frame by the preventing grace of God, and has been sufficiently exercised with the stings of conscience, then God applies that general fentence of the pardon of all his sins, which was pronounced immediately upon his regeneration, to this particular act, or state, and suffers himself to be prevailed on at length to renew this most delightful friendship.

LXII. The fourth article is immediately after In death death; when God assigns to the soul, on its also the

fentence departure from the body, an eternal mansion in his own blessed habitation, Heb. 9. 27, it is appoint- nounced. ed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment. LXIII. The fifth and last article is at the last day,

But most

solenoly which is therefore called the day of judgment, Mat.

of all ac 12. 36; when the elect shall be publickly justified, the lait and, in the view of the whole world, declared day, heirs of eternal life. Which justification, indeed, may be called universel, as all those, who are to be justified, shall appear together before God's tribunal, nevertheless it will be most particular, as every one shall be recompenced according to his works : we must All appear before the judgment sest of Chrift, that EVERY ONE may receive the things done in his body, according to that be bath done, whether it be good or bad, 2 Cor. 5.10.

LXIV. Let us briefly explain the whole manner When of this justification in the next world. Chrilt, the Chrilt the judge being delegated to that office by the father, judge As 10. 42, Acts 17. 32. will pronounce two things concerning his elect." ist.

That they are truly pious, righteous and holy. And so far this juftification will differ from the former; for by that the ungodly is justified, Ron. 4. 5. Whereas here

God,

Will pro

nounce the elect

their

1

God, when he enjoins his angels to summon one of
the parties to be judged, says, gather my SA'INTS
together, Pf. 50. 5; if, as many suppose these words
refer to the last judgment. See Mat. 13. 40, 41,
43, 49. 2dly. That they have a right to eternal
life Mat. 25. 35.

LXV. The ground of the former declaration is
inherent righteousness

, graciously communicated to holy from man by the spirit of sanctification, and good works

proceeding therefrom. For, on no other account can works;

any person be declared pious and holy, but because
he is endowed with habitual holiness, and gives
himself to the practice of godliness, Mat. 12. 37,
by thy words thou shalt be justified, that is, be declared
just or righteous, because words are indications of
the mind, and signs either of the good or bad
treasure of the heart: when the Lord will bring to
light the hidden things of darkness, and will make
manifest the counsels of the heart; and then mall

every man have praise of God, i Cor 4. 5.'
And heirs LXVI. The foundation of the latter can be no

other than the rigteousness of Christ the Lord, comkingdom municated to them according to the free decree of righteoul- election, which is succeeded by adoption, which ness im- gives them a right to take posseffion of the inheritputed to

The very sentence of the judge himself them.

leads us to this : come, ye blessed of my father, whom,
on my account, he freely loved (for, in Christ all
the nations of the earth are bleffed, Gen. 22. 18.
Eph. 1. 3.) Inherit, polless by hereditary right, as the
adopted fons of God, who, because ye are sons, are
also beirs, Rom. 8. 17, the kingdom prepared for you
from the foundation of the world; ordained for you
from eternity, whole palace was fitted up, in the
beginning for that purpole, by the hands of God the

of the

ance.

creator.

Works LXVII. Mean while, in this respect too, there
will be will be room for mentioning good works, for theyt
al.edged,
shall be produced, ist. As proofs of faith, of the

grace and

union of believers with Christ, of their adoption, as vouchand of that holiness, without which none can see God,

ers of

faith and and of friendship with God, and brotherhood with

of seeking Christ. 2. As ligns of that facred hunger and tbirst, the kingwith which they desired happiness, and of that dom of strenuous endeavour, by which, not regarding the God. advantages of this life, and despising carnal pleafures, they had fought the, kingdom of heaven and its righteousness; and it is inconsistent with the perfection of the infinitely holy God, to disappoint this hunger and thirst, and seeking after his kingdom. zily. As effects of divine grace, to which, the And excommunication of divine glory will answer, in the moft hibiting wise proportion, when it shall come to crown his the proown gifts. For, the more abundant measure of portion of sanctification any one has obtained in this life, and

glory. the more he has gain'd by the talent entrusted to him, it is also credible, that the portion of glory will be the more exuberant, which the divine bounty hath appointed for him.. And in this sense, wé imagine; it is fo often fáid in fcripture, that every one shall be recompensed according to his works, not that there works are, on any account, the cause of any right they will have, to claim the reward; but as they are evidences of our adoption and of our seeking the chief good, and as they shew that proportion of grace, according to which the proportion of future glory will be difpenfed.

LXVIII. In this judgment therefore, there will Here also also be grace mixed with justicé. Justice, will appear

will be because none will be admitted to the poffeffion of

grace

mixed the kingdom of heaven, but he who can shew, by with undoubted evidences, that he is a partaker of Chrift justice. and his righteoufness. Gracë also will appear, because eternat happiness will be adjudged to him, who has done nothing to acquire a right to it; because works, stained with so many infirmities, as juftly make believers themselves blush, will then bę. celebrated with so great an encomium by the iz Vol. II.

K

judge:

And as

judge. And, indeed, the Apostle does in express
words, make mention of the mercy that will be
shewn on tbat day, 2 Tim. 1. 18, the Lord grant unto
bim, that he may find mercy of the Lord in that day. It
is certainly true, that by mercy is there understood
the reward of that mercy, which Oneħpborus had
fhewn to Paul: but this reward of our mercy is not
reckoned of debt, but of grace, Rom. 4. 4.
it is not merited on the part of him who receives it, so
neither is it due from him, who bestows it. For,
what doth God owe to man, but what he hath made
himself a debtor to man by his gracious promises ;
or rather was willing to owe to his own goodness and
truth, that man might expect from him a retribution
for his holinefs ? Which debo is not opposed to,
but supposes grace; it is to be derived from the
alone GRACIOUS WILL and truth of God the father,
who hath promised an unmerited reward to the labour of
obedience which is the duty of all, and will have this to
be only due on account of his promise. As become's
a reformed teacher, to speak, who returns to his found
mind.

910 Justice often de

LXIX. Whence it appears, that they don't speak

right, who affirm, that in the last justification mere truth. justice will take place, without any mixture of grace. It

is faid, indeed Heb. 6. 10, God is not unrighteous to forget your work &c. But that the reward of our works is of mere justice, without any mixture of grace, is language that sounds harth in reformed ears, and is diametrically repugnant to our catechism

Queft. 63. Ludovius de Dieu, on Luke" I. 2: 57 and on Luke 16. 19, and on Rom. 3: 4. has proved at large, that in the Hebrew, Syriac and Arabick lans

notes

+ Q How is it, that our good works merit nothing since God promises that he will give a reward, for them both in this life and the life to come: A. That reward is not given out of merit, but of grace.

guages,

guages, justice and truth denote one and the same notion, and generally are put one for the other. Thus 1973, justice, or righteousness, when affirmed of God, in many places denotes his truth. But also npk, truth, is transated by the septuagint, dizaicouri justice or righteousness Gen. 24. 49: Ifa. 38. 19. And Grævius has proved, that the same phraseology obtained among the ancient Greeks, in his Leationes Hesiod. And what is more suitable than by the mammon of unrighteousness, Luke 16. g, tó understand not the true riches, such as the spiritual and heavenly are, for v. il, the unrighteous mammon is opposed to the true riches. Is not that signification of the word clear from 1 John 1. 9, if we confess our fins, be is faithful and just to forgive us our fins : that is, faithful and true? For, who will say that God owes the pardon of fins in justice, without any mixture of grace, to him that confeffeth them? So also in the place just quoted; God is not inrighteous, that is, deceives not in his gracious promises, by which he has" adjudgeď a reward of grace, to our labours of love. The celebrated läc. Altingius gives us an excellent commentary on this place as follows: the obligation to the reward depends on the truth of the promiser, who is a debtor to bimself, that what he was once pleased, in the promise, to determine the consequence of the work and teward, might always please him in the performance: thus the just and righiedus God forgives the fins of the penitent, i Johin 1. 9, is the justifier of bim that believeth, Rom. 3. 26. And a little after: every confideration of merit therefore is at an end: but a debt remains, which justice will bave discharged in respect of what God has promised; who, on account of his truth, which is without repentance, or unchangeable, is debtor to himself to perform bis promises, Rom. 3. 3, 4. Deut. 7g. This is the justiCE MEANT IN THIS PLACE, and God is denied to be'unrighteous to forget good works; abo' ĦE, HAS DECREED AND PROMISED, OUT OF

MERS

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