We cannot, by our best works, merit pardon of sin, or eternal life, at the hand of God, by reason of the great disproportion that is between them and the glory to come, and the infinite distance that is between us and God, whom by them we can neither profit, nor satisfy for the debt of our former sins; but, when we have done all we can, we have done but our duty, and are unprofitable servants; and because, as they are good, they proceed from his Spirit; and, as they are wrought by us, they are defiled and mixed with so much weakness and imperfection, that they cannot endure the severity of God’s judgment.
Changes from Westminster Confession of Faith (1646), Paragraph 16.5
We cannot, by our best works, merit pardon of sin, or eternal life, at the hand of God, by reason of the great disproportion that is between them and the glory to come, and the infinite distance that is between us and God, whom by them we can neither profit, nor satisfy for the debt of our former sins; but, when we have done all we can, we have done but our duty, and are unprofitable servants; and because, as they are good, they proceed from his Spirit; and, as they are wrought by us, they are defiled and mixed with so much weakness and imperfection, that they cannot endure the severity of God’s judgment.
We cannot, by our best Works, merit pardon of sin, or eternall life at the hand of God, by reason of the great disproportion that is between them and the glory to come; and, the infinite distance that is between us and God, whom, by them, we can neither profit, nor satisfie for the debt of our former sins, but, when we have done all we can, we have done but our duty, and are unprofitable servants; and, because, as they are good, they proceed from his Spirit; and, as they are wrought by us, they are defiled, and mixed with so much weaknesse and imperfection, that they cannot endure the severity of Gods judgement.
Westminster Confession of Faith (American revision, 1788), Paragraph 16.5
We cannot, by our best works, merit pardon of sin, or eternal life, at the hand of God, by reason of the great disproportion that is between them and the glory to come, and the infinite distance that is between us and God, whom by them we can neither profit, nor satisfy for the debt of our former sins; but, when we have done all we can, we have done but our duty, and are unprofitable servants; and because, as they are good, they proceed from his Spirit; and, as they are wrought by us, they are defiled and mixed with so much weakness and imperfection, that they cannot endure the severity of God’s judgment.
Are Good Works onely such, as GOD hath commanded in his holy Word, and not such as without the warrant thereof, are devised by men, out of blind zeal, upon any pretence of good…
The fifth section re-states what has been already commented on under the third and fourth sections. The reasons are more particularly given why the good works of believers cannot…
