motive is ever pleasing to Him, so they faithfully set before us how the self-same deed becomes sinful in His sight when performed with the view of obtaining His favour or establishing our own right

eousness.

Hence we see that harmless, and even praiseworthy, though in themselves they may be, good works not arising from the grace of God through sanctification of His Spirit, not only will not be accepted by Him, but are regarded by Him as positively sinful, insomuch as they are not offered in His appointed way. It is the old principle, “To obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams," which our Church here impresses

on us.

The Church of Rome, on the contrary, speaking by the Council of Trent, says, "If any one shall say that all works which are done before justification, on whatsoever account they may be done, are truly sins and deserve the hatred of God, or that the more vehemently a man tries to dispose himself for grace the more grievously he sins, let him be Anathema." Calvin answered to this canonical decree, "Let them anathematise the Apostle, who declares that without faith it is impossible to please God (Heb. xi. 6). Let them anathematise Christ and Paul, who declare that all unbelievers are dead, and are raised from death by the Gospel."

We have it on the authority of that Word which the Church of Rome professes to believe

that "no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed." If, therefore, the Church anathematises all those who teach the doctrine it is undeniable He taught, what becomes of her claim to divine authority for all her words and works?

Our Article further shows that by these works which we are considering we cannot obtain the favour of God, so that He for the sake of those will consider us worthy to receive His grace, nor yet can we by these means so prepare and discipline our hearts-as was asserted by the monastic scholars that it will be consistent and fit that the Holy Spirit should be given to help us carry on, what can in reality be performed by Himself alone; and it is evident He cannot work in our hearts unless He be admitted there by faith, on our justification. He, and He alone, can and will do. all, without any aid on our part but the concurrence of the will.

If the Holy Spirit do not in all things direct and rule our hearts, we are not able to please God in thought, word, or deed. Of His only gift it cometh, but that is no excuse for those who have it not; for He who is truth has promised to "give the Holy Spirit to them that ask Him."

ARTICLE XIV." Of Works of Supererogation."

The derivation of the word Supererogation is interesting. The technical term for "bringing in a bill" in the Roman Comitia, was "rogare," (to ask). If the decree were for granting money from the Treasury, the word used was "erogare."

erogare." Thus supererogare meant to pay over and above the grant demanded. The word is used in the Vulgate and Rhemish version, "quodcunque supererogaveris," "whatever thou shalt supererogate." "* The Rhemish comment says, "it is manifest there are such works;" as has been remarked, "it ought rather to have said, it is manifest there is such a word."

This heresy, though held by the Church of Rome, was not an invention of hers, but was extant in St. Paul's time, and which our Church unites with him in condemning, for such works can never be of faith.

In his Epistle to the Colossians St. Paul says, evidently alluding to an existing heresy, "Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen; . . . which things have indeed a show of wisdom in willworship and humility, and neglecting of the body, not in any honour to the satisfying of the flesh." Notwithstanding the Apostolic warning, the

*Luke x. 35.

Church of Rome upholds and teaches this doctrine, and we whilst in communion with her were forced to accept it in common with other errors, till at the Reformation they as works of darkness were cast away that we might walk in the light of Gospel truth.

The Apostle shows that by these voluntary works we shall be beguiled of the reward which attends those of faith. We can offer to God nothing that we can with impunity keep back. We cannot-striving by a multiplicity of outward works and service to show how much we are will

ing to repay Him-be serving Him with that worship "in spirit and in truth" which He requires of us; doing in everything His will, and that from the heart. The servant is not above his Master; if our Saviour Himself had to say, "Not my will, but thine be done," less than a complete consecration of ourselves with all we do, will not be accepted from us.

Man is ever prone to fall into that error, so acceptable to his pride, that he has something which he can render to God over and above what He has a right reasonably to demand. This is "arrogancy and impiety." Arrogancy in that he asserts that he can give the Lord quite as much as He is entitled to for all the benefits He has done to man; "Lo; there thou hast that is thine." Impiety; because it is declared that by these works we are giving to God what it is in our power to withhold, but which

we generously choose to bestow. All this is entirely contrary to the only spirit in which we may acceptably serve the Lord. "All things come of thee, and of thine own have we given thee." Justification was His free gift; "ye are not your own, ye are bought with a price." If He has bought us we are His, if His, then surely He has a right to all we have and are; it will be little enough at the most where all is owing, part cannot be over pay. Sanctification is no less His gift; and every good work or word the fruit of His Spirit.

"What reward shall I give unto the Lord for all the benefits that He hath done unto me? I will receive the cup of salvation, and call upon the Name of the Lord." The Psalmist, the man after God's own heart, knew the only way to render to the Lord is to receive yet more at His hand. According to the spiritual gifts we take from Him, so will our service ever be. "Freely ye have received, freely give." And if we do not "receive " of these things, be sure it is because we do not ask."*

It will be for us to say at the last day with a deep sense of our shortcomings; "We are unprofitable servants. We have done that which was our duty to do." Not, we have done all our duty required us to do, Christ would not have told us to say that, for it will not be true of the best of us; but we have but done that which was our duty, this is what the words mean. All we may do in