will be little revival of a Reformation till the doctrine of grace vent more freely under the conduct of the Spirit, giving such an appropriating faith, and persuasion of the free favour, love, and grace of God in Christ, as took place in our Reformers' days. Faith, whereever it is, will bring a man out from the commanding power of sin, as well as from under the condemning power of it; and, however a believer may lie in darkness, yet I conceive that soul is out of danger, who is made willing to receive Christ, both as a Saviour and a Lord, and so willing as to receive out of his hand poison to kill his lusts, as well as pardon to remove his guilt. The desire of pardon of sin, and the desire of purification of heart, bear proportion; none can truly take Christ as a Saviour for justification, but they will also truly take him as a Lord for sanctification. This we maintain, let calumny say what it will, as if our doctrine were an enemy to holiness.” * "It may be observed, with regret, that never was there less morality amongst persons of all ranks, than since so many ministers laid aside evangelical preaching, and made the inculcating moral duties their principal theme." +

From the giving love of Christ, and the receiving property of faith, Gal. ii. 20. he infers, "the darkness that obscures many gospel sermons, even among these who are otherwise evangelical; yet in this they are benighted, that they cannot take up any assurance in the nature of faith, distinct from the assurance of sense, which follows after faith; nor take up the assurance, application, and appropriation of faith grounded upon the word of God, which is the duty of all that hear the gospel, distinct from the assurance of sense, founded upon the work of God, which is the privilege of believers at times. How miserably do many confound the grounds of faith with the marks of faith; and so shut the door of faith many times against all that have not the evidences of faith, and through mistake of the gospel-method of salvation, sometimes make the marks and evidences of faith in them who have believed, to be so many lets and hindrances to the faith of them that have never believed; as if they ought not to believe the love and grace of God revealed in the word, unless they have these marks: Whereas, sinners are warranted to build upon the grounds of faith, that are without them in the word, though they can see no mark within them; for to build on these, though they had them, would be a building of sense, and not a building of faith." "Whether the generation can hear and bear this doctrine or not, it will be found true, (and woe to us if we know nothing of it,) that there is in saving faith as much assurance and persuasion of the promise of the gospel, as there is in conviction a particular assurance and persuasion of the threatening of the law; and as you are strangers to true conviction of sin and misery, if the Spirit of God, as a spirit of bondage, hath never given you a particular assurance of the law's threatening with application to yourselves, so as to see wrath denounced against you in particular; so you are strangers to true and saving faith, if the

* The Duty of Receiving Christ, and Walking in Him.

+ Self-conceited Professors Dissected.

Spirit of God, as a spirit of faith, hath never given you a particular assurance of some gospel-promise with application to yourself, so as to see mercy there, for sinners in particular. If it were not thus, the remedy would not be suited to the malady, and the plaster would not be so broad as the sore; the balm given by the gospel would not correspond to the wound given by the law: but so it is, that as in conviction, there is such a faith of the law, as gives the man particular persuasion of the malady he is under; so in conversion, there is such a faith of the gospel, as gives a man a particular persuasion of the remedy provided for him, otherwise there would be no relief.”— Sermon 78. "Some in our day, to avoid the necessary doctrine of particular persuasion of salvation through Christ, in the nature of faith, are like to turn the nature of faith into mere enthusiasm, as if it were a receiving of Christ, but not in a word of promise; whereas there is no receiving of Christ, or closing with the person of Christ, but as he is offered or exhibited to us in a word of grace. To receive and rest upon Christ for salvation, is not faith, if you take away the other branch of definition, as he is offered to us in the gospel. Take away the gospel-offer, or gospel-promise, and to receive and rest upon Christ without that, is mere fancy, mere delusion, mere enthusiasm. You may see your picture or image in a glass or mirror, but take away the glass, and you see no more of it: the gospel is the glass, wherein we see the glory of the Lord, and see Christ the image of the invisible God; but take away the gospel, or the promise, and you will see no more, except it be an image of your own brain; and to take him in his word, is to take him at his word, by giving a cordial assent to it, and so trusting in his word to you." "Many at this day discover their ignorance of God's method of converting souls, and sanctifying of sinners, by magnifying the maxims of morality, and supposing that the mere preaching of moral duty was enough to make them holy; but to reveal Christ for that end, and harp upon this theme, they cannot think is adapted for such a purpose; but my text, Gal. i. 16. and doctrine shew, that it is the revelation of Christ that works true sanctification: He revealed his Son in me, and then I conferred not with flesh and blood.' The knowledge of the law will not do it, but the internal knowledge of Christ will effectuate it. That a believer may, through unbelief, apprehend God's vindictive wrath, and fear to be thrown into hell, is plain from common experience; but that the fear of hell should be either a gospel-grace, or a believer's duty, is some of the new divinity of the day. How can the man that is actually justi fied and accepted in the Beloved, and so the actual object of God's everlasting and unchangeable love, ever fall under his vindictive wrath! and how can the believer that is obliged to believe his love, be ever obliged to serve from a fear of hell and vindictive wrath!" Vol. II. Sermon 21.

With his usual moderation, he further says: "Though some late writers, whether in prints or MSS. have stumbled into certain unguarded expressions, that seem to be quite cross to our received stand

* Sermon on the Mediator's Power.

ards, yet I charitably judge, that their stated sentiments in calm blood, are not such as their new and harsh expressions, vented in the warmth of their paper war, seem to impart; and much more I do entertain a charitable opinion concerning the rest of our communion, that have not been engaged in the heat of these disputes, occasioned by some occurrences. Meantime it does not mar my charity, that I fear the tendency of some new phrases, expressions, and positions, that have been spread abroad; such as, (1.) That sinners must leave their sins, in order to come to Christ; whereas it is certainly a safer way of speaking, to say that sinners must come to Christ. that he may sanctify them, and take away their sins; or rather, to use the words of our Confession, viz. that their duty, with respect to saving faith, lies in accepting, receiving, and resting upon Christ alone for justification, sanctification, and eternal life, by virtue of the covenant of grace. The former way, in contradistinction from this, tends to make people think their salvation depends partly on themselves. (2.) That gospel repentance is necessary as a condition, in order to our justification in the sight of God; whereas it is safer to stand by the words of our Confession, that repentance is not to be rested in, ́as any satisfaction for sin, or any cause of the pardon thereof, which is God's act of free grace in Christ, and yet is of such necessity to all sinners, that noné may expect pardon without it, no more than they can expect pardon without amendment, for only he that confesseth and forsaketh shall find mercy. And yet who will say that this amendment of life is a necessary condition in order to our justification? (3.) That unbelievers are not under the commanding power of the covenant of works; why, because they are not obliged to seek justification by their own works, as if the seeking justification that way were the precise form of that covenant; whereas Adam might have been justified by his works, though he had never sought justification that way. Our old way of speaking hath still been to this purpose, that all men are under a covenant of works entirely, as long as they remain out of Christ, and so out of the covenant of grace, and that they need his complete righteousness, both of doing and suffering, for their justification, and it is not meet we be driven out of the good old way by new quirks and sophisms. (4.) Another way of speaking that I find among the late altercations and debates is, that faith having its chief seat in the will, doubting is not contrary to faith; but I am not fond of confining faith to the will as its chief seat, but rather, with the judicious Owen, judge that it is seated in the under. standing as to its being and substance, and in the will and heart as to its effectual working, which makes it (under the conduct of the Spirit of faith) to be a cordial assent to the divine testimony concerning Christ, who can be no otherwise believingly received by us, but in a word, or as offered to us in the gospel; far less am I fond of making faith consistent with doubting in its nature, (though faith and doubting may both be in the same subject,) seeing Christ hath set them at odds, saying, O thou of little faith, wherefore dost thou doubt ?' where I see the believer may have doubts, yea, and be wholly overrun

with them, because he hath unbelief, and yet his faith and doubting differ, as faith and unbelief do."*

The doctrines of grace now condemned, he accounted truths of vast moment: So he says, "In all your mental debates, or verbal altercations about these things, seriously bethink yourself what is like to be your opinion when you come to die, and about to face the awful tribunal of a holy and just God; and in all such points of eternal moment, ever think that part the safest which doth least humour man's pride, and most exalt God's glory." These were also truths he knew from experience: This he details in the following words: "Jehovah's mercy makes us fear and love him; then they shall fear the Lord and his goodness,' says the prophet. If a man hath no faith of his goodness, no hope of his favour in Christ, where is his purity and holiness? Nay, it is he that hath this hope that purifies himself, as God is pure. I know not what experience you have, sirs; but some of us know, that when our souls are most comforted and enlarged with the faith of God's favour through Christ, and with the hope of his goodness, then we have most heart to the duties; and when, through unbelief, we have harsh thoughts of God as an angry judge, then we have no heart to duties and religious exercises. And I persuade myself this is the experience of the saints in all ages."† Say not, I am a sinner, and I must stay till I turn from sin, before I venture to meddle with a promise. Beware of ignorant misinterpretation of scripture texts, concerning turning to the Lord; for example, that text, Isa. lix. 20. The Redeemer shall come to them that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith the Lord.' I own, sirs, I have sometimes been kept in bondage by such scriptures as that, while misunderstood; and perhaps some mistake them the same way, saying, O there is no benefit to be expected from Christ, till I turn from my transgressions; and yet I can no more turn aright from sin, than I can turn the sun; and what shall I do? Indeed, sirs, if I were of their opinion, that make gospel-repentance, turning from sin, to be before faith, I could preach no relief to you in that case; but I know and believe otherwise from God's word; therefore I only desire you to remember to take that text, and such like, in the gospel-sense of it; see the gloss the Spirit of God gives it, Rom. xi. 26. There shall come out of Zion the deliverer, and shall turn ungodliness from Jacob,' &c. Why then, the meaning of the prophet's words is this, He will come and turn away ungodliness from them." ‡

These truths run through all his religious pieces, but are particularly illustrated in his Gospel Sonnets, and in his Sermons preached between 1720 and 1728. Many years after the agitation of this useful controversy, he says, he reckoned it a matter of thankfulness to God, that he was a representer and protester against the acts of Assembly 1720 and 1722, and that he had lived to see them judicially condemned by the Associate Presbytery, in their act with respect to the doctrine of grace.

Mr Erskine joined the Secession, the occasion of which was the Vol. IV. p. 198-9.

Preface to Sonnets.

+ Vol. II. p. 307.

following circumstance. The General Assembly summarily decreed, that the decisive power of electing ministers for the supply of vacant congregations, where an accepted presentation did not take place, is competent only to a conjoined meeting of heritors and elders, requiring no other qualification of these heritors, but that they be Protestants. The passing of this act occasioned deep concern to liberal and thinking minds in every corner of Scotland, and was peculiarly afflict. ing to several worthy ministers present in the Assembly, who bore a faithful and courageous testimony against it, as incompatible with the received principles of the Church of Scotland. Mr Ebenezer Erskine, minister at Stirling, brother to Mr Ralph, was one of those who distinguished himself by opposing with great spirit these measures in the Assembly 1732; and being at that time Moderator of the Synod of Perth and Stirling, he opened the Synod at Perth (Oct. 10.) with a sermon from Psalm cxviii. 22. "The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner." On this public occasion Mr Erskine used all that ministerial freedom and plainness of speech, which he apprehended became the place which he presently filled, against some of the prevalent courses of defection in the church, particularly against the act of the preceding Assembly, and the proceedings of judicatories in the settlement of ministers over reclaiming and dissenting congregations.

His zeal for supporting the constitution of the established Presbyterian Church of Scotland in its purity and vigour, was great; together with his warm remonstrances against the violent unscriptural measures carrying on by a party in the judicatories, exposed him so much to their resentment, that at the second diet of that Synod they entered a formal complaint against him, for uttering many offensive expressions in his discourse before the Synod; and though many eminent members of the Synod, in direct opposition to this charge, declared in open court, that they had heard Mr Erskine deliver nothing but sound, pertinent, and seasonable doctrine; yet his accusers still strenuously insisting on their general complaint, they at length obtained of the Synod an appointment of a committee to recollect the particulars in the sermon alleged to be offensive, and to lay them be. fore the Synod in writing at their next diet. This was accordingly done, and answers given to each of them by Mr Erskine. After three days warm reasoning on this affair, the Synod did, by the small majority of six voices, find Mr Erskine censurable for the expressions contained in the process, and which they alleged were emitted by him in his sermon at the opening of the said Synod, against which sentence he protested, and appealed to the next General Assembly.

When the Assembly met at Edinburgh in May 1733, they approved of the proceedings of the Synod of Perth and Stirling, and appointed Mr Erskine to be rebuked and admonished by the Moderator at their own bar, which was accordingly done; whereupon Mr Erskine pro- tested, that in regard the Assembly had found him censurable, and had tendered a rebuke and admonition to him, for things he conceived agreeable to the word of God and our approven standards, therefore he shall be at liberty to preach the same truths, and testify against