holily; keep God's commandments out of love to Him who by his death on the cross justified thee, freed thee from sin and punishment, and made thee an heir of eternal life, and capable of performing righteous works. First make the tree good, says Christ, then will the fruit be good. But I do not deny that temporal punishments and chastisements may still be sent by God; for he says, 'As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten.'

"A Christian ought to live Christianly and piously, and obey God's commands with the utmost diligence; but never imagine that he can thereby become righteous and holy before God. We are indebted for true holiness and righteousness, not to our own doing, and suffering, but to the work and sufferings of Christ.

"I would not wish to be in heaven, if every one could merit it by his good works, and we did not all find admittance there by grace. For then, each one would be comparing his own doing and suffering with that of others, and there would be pride, envy, contention, and jealousy in heaven, as there is on earth. But if Christ alone has merited heaven for all, and all who enter heaven are indebted to grace, we may hope for peace and rest.

"True and living faith is not to be learned from one's mother, or schoolmaster, or minister, nor in seminaries or universities; but only in the school of the Holy Spirit, after much prayer, conflict, and humiliation of all kinds.

Still, useful institutions for instruction are not on that account to be rejected, but to be highly esteemed.

"All sacraments received without faith (by adults) are of little or no use. 'If thou believest with all thy heart, thou mayest,' said Philip to the eunuch, (Acts viii. 37.)

"Every Christian needs daily repentance, since he daily sins, not indeed by committing gross sins, but by falling short of that cheerful and perfect obedience which the spirit of the law requires.

"The law, it is true, does not justify, but it is, and ever will be, a sacred rule-the standard of our lives and of our filial obedience. It is also a clear mirror, which exhibits to us our sinful defilement. Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, but not from obedience to it. It is binding on a man as long as he lives.

"The language in James ii. 24, does not contradict that in the Epistle to the Romans. The former speaks of justification before men, the latter of justification before God. God alone can read our hearts; and as nothing is more deceitful than a mere confession of the lips, our justification must be evidenced by its fruits. Abraham was justified before God without the works of the law; but he was also to be acknowledged as just by men."

CHAPTER IX.

Michael-Salvation by works, or salvation by faith.

THE ministry of Boos, conducted on the principles that have been exhibited in the preceding chapter, was successful in "turning many from darkness to light." He has recorded several interesting cases, of which the following may serve as examples.

A man named Michael had enjoyed for a long time a high reputation for piety, but suffered great anguish from the dread of the judgment of God. He had recourse to every possible means for quieting his conscience. He had made many pilgrimages, and more than thirty general confessions. Every year he gave to the poor two barrels of cyder, two measures of corn, and half a pig. He paid for preaching sermons, and adopted and educated destitute illegitimate children. All this was done for the purpose of obtaining forgiveness from God, and peace of mind. But Michael was much tried in his circumstances. His swine died or were stolen, and his crops were mildewed ;

so that he had nothing left for himself and his adopted children, or for the poor. Michael knew not what to think. "How is this?" he exclaimed; "I give God the tithe of all he gives me, in alms to the poor; and yet he now takes all from me!" Sorely perplexed, he went to his minister, and stated the case. "It seems to me," he said, "as if either God has taken no pleasure in my good works, or that my works are not good. It is just as if I were Cain, with whose sacrifice God was not pleased.

Boos. How so?

Michael. Why, I have been so unfortunate. What I should otherwise have given to the poor, has been stolen, or destroyed by the rot and mildew, so that I have nothing either for others, or for myself.

Boos could hardly forbear smiling, but Michael's sorrowful looks moved his pity, and he replied: "Michael, the good works you did were, no doubt, in themselves good and praiseworthy; but if you did them in order to merit a righteousness available before God, or to get to heaven, so that you expected to be justified and saved for your good works, and not purely of God's grace, through faith in Christ, it is no wonder that your good works have been stolen, or consumed by rot and mildew."

At these words Michael looked perplexed, and said, "Then are we not to merit heaven by our good works?"

Boos. No; these great blessings, the pardon

of sin, grace, and eternal life, we obtain by faith in Jesus Christ, purely and solely of grace. Christ has merited these things for us by his obedience unto the death of the cross. He who believes this by the Holy Spirit, obtains and enjoys them. He who does not believe, obtains them not, even though, like yourself, he may give bacon, cyder, and corn, annually to the poor. Only think, Michael, how can any one purchase such great things, as the forgiveness of sins, heaven, and eternal life, with a pig, a barrel of cyder, and half a bushel of corn? In that case, only people of property could get to heaven, and poor creatures, who are not worth a farthing, must remain outside.

Michael. But are good works of no use?

Boos. They are of some use; if done in faith, and with the grace of God, they prepare us * (as in the case of the centurion Cornelius) for obtaining forgiveness and justification, and the true knowledge of Christ. For this favour is granted us freely from grace alone, through faith in Christ, and in order that all the glory may redound to God and Christ, and not to us. For if Abraham, or if Michael, were justified by works, they, and not God, would have the glory. (Romans iv. 2.)

Michael was still more astonished at this; he understood not what was said. These sayings were to him full of mystery, indeed suspicious.

*There is some obscurity in this statement of Boos. Good works, acceptable to God, are properly the fruits of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.