To fpeak of an imperfect or defective state of juftification, feems to be a moft egregious trifling in this awful concern. We either are juftified, or we are not; either God does pronounce us righteous, or he does not. Now, if he does, we are free from guilt, and fully accepted of him; but if he does not, we are under guilt, and a fentence of condemnation. There can be no medium, no middle state between that of juftification and that of condemnation. -However, were it even granted that we might be imperfectly juftified, in proportion to our con. formity to this fuppofed new law, we must at the beft live and die but imperfectly justified; and (as I before obferved) mult appear at the bar of Christ in the fame ftate in which we die; and confequently be but imperfectly justified for ever, without fome further remedy be provided beyond the grave. Thus, this doctrine of juftification upon the foot of perfonal obedience to a new law, is better adapted to a Popish purgatory than to the Proteftant profeffion and hope.

I would again inquire, whether it be poffible in the nature of things, that we may have any fincere obedience to this new law of grace, before we are juftified; and confequently whether it is poffible that we may be justified by fincere obedience, before we have any acting of gracious fincerity, or any true obedience at all?-Faith indeed does precede our juftification in order of nature, but not in time. There is no moment of time wherein a man is a true believer, and yet not juftified before God; and therefore, there cannot be a moment of time for faith to be operative, and bring forth the fruits of new obedience, prior to our juftification.--The righteoufnefs of God is by faith of Fefus Christ, unto all, and upon all them that believe, for there is no difference, Rom. iii. 22. This is the conftant lanU 2 guage

guage of the Scripture, We are justified by faith; and he that believeth is not condemned. Therefore as there can be no condemned, no unjustified believer, at any time whatfoever, nor any time at all for ei. ther legal or evangelical obedience, between the first act of faith and our paffing out of a state of condemnation into a state of justification, hence our fincere obedience must be the confequence, and therefore cannot be the condition of our juftification.

Befides, as there can be no fincere obedience antecedent to our intereft in Christ and union to him, it hence appears, that our fincere obedience must necelfarily be the confequence of our juftification, and therefore cannot be the condition of it.-I think, every body will allow that man to be in a justified ftate who is interested in Christ, and united to him. Now, our Lord himself affures us, that we cannot bring forth the fruits of new obedience, till we are united to him. John xv. 4, 5. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; fo no more can ye, except ye abide in me. He that abideth in me, and I in him, the fame bringeth forth much fruit; for without me ye can do nothing: Or, as it may be rendered, severed from me ye can bear none, can bring forth no fruit at all *. There cannot be a greater folecifm, than to speak of a fincerely obedient chriftless finner; and therefore there cannot be a greater inconfiftency, than for that to be the condition of our juftification, which is the fruit and effect of our interest in Christ, and fo the confequence of our juftified state.

Thefe, Sir, are fome of the many inconveniencies that attend this your scheme; which one would think should awaken your attention, and make you look well about you, before you venture your eter

* Compare the Original with John xx. 7. and Jam. iii. 12.

nal

nal interest upon fuch an unfcriptural and inconfiftent foundation.

I proceed now to offer fome other objections against the doctrine you propofe. And here one obvious exception againft this doctrine is, that it perverts the gospel of the grace of God, and makes it properly and ftrictly a covenant of works.The condition of the covenant of works was this: The man that doth these things, shall live by them, Rom. x. 5. And the condition of our juftification, ac cording to this new fcheme, is this: The man that doth these things (i. e. that performs fincere obedi ence to this new law of grace) shall live by them. Where then is the difference between the old covenant of works, and this new imaginary law of grace? What gave denomination to the covenant of works, was, that it required works or obedience. as the condition of it. And does not this pretended new law of grace require works or obedience as a covenant condition; and does it not therefore deferve the denomination of a covenant of works, as much as the other?-If we run a parallel between the first covenant and this imaginary new law of grace, they will be found in all things to agree, as a covenant of works. Thus the old covenant of works was a law with sanctions requiring obedience, as the matter of that righteousness by which man was to be juftified. And this imaginary new covenant is likewife ftyled a law of grace, which requires fincere obedience as the condition of our juftification. -Fuftification, according to the tenor of the old covenant of works, was of debt: And thus it is likewife according to the tenor of this pretended new law of grace. An obligation to give a reward for fervice performed, makes it a debt, upon the fervice being performed; and it can be claimed as fuch, whatever proportion there is between the reward,

U 3

and the fervice by which it becomes due.-The old covenant of works, when it exacted obedience, yet gave no new ftrength for the performance of it: And thus it is likewife in the prefent cafe. For unless we are united to Chrift, and interested in his righteoufnefs, we can have no fecurity of new fupplies of grace and ftrength as we need them. Whatever pretences to gracious affiftance the patrons of this new law of grace can make, they do not pretend, that God has by covenant secured to us fresh fupplies of grace for perfevering obedience. -According to the tenor of the old covenant of works, juftification was fufpended, forfeited and loft, upon the non-performance of the required obedience: And juft thus it is like wife according to the tenor of this pretended new law of grace. I must therefore again demand, wherein this new law does any way differ from a proper covenant of works?

If it be pretended, that the conditions of this new covenant are much easier than the conditions of the old covenant of works, which required perfect, and this but imperfect obedience, as the term of our acceptance with God: I anfwer, This fuppofal would nothing alter the general nature of the covenant. Works are works, obedience is obedience, whether perfect or imperfect. The condition of each covenant is works; and works come into the very formal nature of each, as they are covenants; and therefore how the one can be either more or less a covenant of works, than the other, I know not. Besides, it is a great mistake, to suppose that the conditions of this imaginary new law or covenant are eafter than the conditions of the old covenant of works. The cafe is much otherwife. He with whom the first covenant was made, had fufficient power and ability to fulfil all its conditions, and fully to come up to all its demands: But fallen crea

tures

tures are utterly incapable to perform fincere, though imperfect obedience; they have naturally no fincerity, no truth in the inward parts, no principle of new obedience; nor does this pretended covenant fupply them with any, as before obfer. ved. And therefore whatever pretences are made, that these conditions are easier, they are indeed rather harder to be complied with, than the conditions of the first covenant. It is more difficult for a man without legs to walk, than for a perfect vigorous lively man to run.

If it be further pretended, that this law of grace differs from the covenant of works, in that faith is, according to this scheme, made the principal condition of the new covenant; this is but an empty pretence. For faith is here confidered but as an act of obedience, and as being feminally or virtually all evangelical obedience, including the fame in the nature of it; fo that this faith is nothing else but a conftitutive part and active principle of the works required, and not diftinct from them in the office of justifying. And was not Adam as much obliged, by the covenant of works, to act faith in the conditional promife of life, and to fubject himself to the authority of the Legiflator, as we can be by this new law of grace-Let the case therefore be looked upon in any view, in every view; and this pretended new law, or covenant, of mild and favourable terms, will be found to be as truly a covenant of works, as the first covenant made with Adam. There will indeed appear fome circumftantial differences between that covenant and this. For inftance, That covenant was appointed and enjoined by God as a Sovereign; whereas this (as is pretended) was purchafed by the blood of Chrift, and is the law of a Mediator.-That covenant ad. mitted no renovation when violated; but this leaves

room