the lively actings of love to God in Chrift. But how can there be the comfort of love, when at the best we are in an awful fufpence, whether God be our friend or our enemy?-What grounds of horror (inftead of the pleafing exercise of love) muft we conftantly experience, while we are afraid we have an infinite enemy to deal with? What trangers, in this cafe, muft we be to joy, which flows from a refreshing view, that this God is our God, and will be our guide even to death, and our portion for ever? How unacquainted must we be with the fublime pleasures of communion with God, while we approach his prefence under fuch an uncertain profpect of his favour, and under grounds for prevailing fear of an eternal feparation from him?-And what aggravates the cafe is, that this not only now is, but muft continue to be our dark and difconfolate circumftance, as long as we live, if we remain under the governing influence of these principles I am impleading.

I may add to this, that a cheerful progrefs in all gfpel-holiness is neceffary to our true comfort and happiness, while we are here in this vale of tears. In keeping of God's commands there is great reward. This is our rejoicing, the teftimony of our confciences, that in fimplicity and godly fincerity, not by fleshly wifdom, but by the grace of God, we have had our converfation in the world.-But I have fhewn you alrea dy, that this fcheme I am oppofing affords no prin. ciple of new obedience, allows no foundation for a comfortable progrefs in the divine life Here is no certainty of forgiveness to be obtained; and therefore no delightful incentive to the mortification of our lufts and corruptions.-Upon this plan we are in perpetual danger of the curfe of the law, on account of our defects; and there is therefore no room for that pleasure, which would otherwise be found in

running

running the way of God's commands.Here can be no affured confidence in the divine affiftance or acceptance,.no abfolute affiance in the riches of God's free grace in Chrift; and therefore nothing to melt the heart and confcience into love and fubjection; nothing to inflame our affections and fill us with gratitude to God for bleffing us with all Spiritual bleffings in heavenly things in Chrift Jefus; nothing to excite us to live to the praife of the glory of his grace wherein he hath made us accepted in the Beloved. -The principles of the fcheme you propofe are flavish; and the obedience must be of the fame kind with the principles from whence it flows. And confequently we must be utter strangers to that love, delight, and fatisfaction, which children might find in the fervice of their heavenly Father, fo long as our obedience is thus excited from fear and constraint; or at best only from such uncertain hopes, as wholly depend upon our own righteoufnefs, as the condition of acceptance with God.-Bleffed be God, the gospel teaches us a more pleasant and delightful religion, the fervice of love, and the obedience of faith, which is truly its own reward.

And now, Sir, fuffer me fomething freely to expoftulate with you on this fubject. Do not you know, that the doctrine which you and your Author plead for, is (substantially) the fame with the Popish doctrine upon the head of remiffion of fins and acceptance with God; and that this very doctrine was one of the greateft occafions of our glorious reformation from Popery? Read, Sir, the many elaborate treatises written by our first Reformers, and you will find this doctrine fet in its proper light. You will find all your Author's cavils, fhifts, and eva. fions, juftly expofed; all his arguments diftinctly anfwered; and the dangerous error ftript of all that plaufible drefs with which it now again makes its

Y.3

appearance.

appearance. You will find that the doctrine of juftification was esteemed by all our excellent Reformers, as well as by Luther, Articulus ftantis vel cadentis Ecclefia, the article by which the Church muft either ftand or fall.-And fhall we again build up those things which that glorious army of martyrs deftroyed? Shall we again revive Popery in one of its moft confiderable branches?-Is not this to open the door to other Popish delufions and practical errors, as penances, pilgrimages, a monaftic life, ce. libacy, and other aufterities, to fupply the defects of our fincere obedience, and patch up a righteoufnefs of our own to juftify us? I wish there were not too much occafion given for this apprehenfion by fome in the prefent times, who would fain be reputed Proteftants *.-You will perhaps think me too fevere in this difcourfe, but fearch into the caufe, as I have done, and you will find it otherwife.

And why muft this Hydra be digged out of its grave, and revived? What advantage can be hoped for by this fcheme? Were this doctrine true, will not fincere obedience, done from a principle of fpiritual life and holiness, and a dependence upon Chrift alone, to do all in us, and for us, and to recommend us to the divine favour, be accepted of God, as well as if it had been done in our own ftrength, and with a view to establish our own righte cufnefs? Will Christ reject us at laft, for doing too much honour to his infinite merit, and to the rich and free grace of God in him?-What if you should find your reasoning falfe and deceitful, when it comes to the great trial? Dare you venture your eternity upon it, that in this cafe you cannot be deceived?—If the reformation in general, and the

moft

*See, for inftance, Mr Law's Chriftian Perfection, and Serious Call. Books that would be defervedly cfteemed and prized, were it not for this, Popish taint.

moft excellent men for learning, fagacity and piety, that the reformed churches could ever boast of, fhould be found on the fide of truth at the day of judgment, in determining that we cannot be jufti fied on the foot of a moderated covenant of works, or the eafy terms you plead for; what will become of all thofe who have built their eternal hope on that foundation; not only notionally, I mean, but practically?

But I have outgone my intended limits, and fhall therefore only add, (after my hearty prayers that your hope may be built upon a fure foundation)— I am, with great refpect,

LETTER XIV.

Sir, your, &c.

Wherein the Notion

of a first Justification by Faith, and a secondary Juftification by fincere Obedience, is difcuffed and confuted.

SIR,

OU muft conclude I have spent my time but idly, if I fhould yet be "unacquainted with "your Author's meaning, and not fully understand "in what fenfe he fuppofes our fincere obedience "to be the condition of our juftification.”—It is fcarcely poffible that he fhould, with any appearance of plausibility, offer any thing new in defence of these principles, or that has not been often advanced, and often refuted, long before either you or I were born. And in particular, what you no propofe, is but the old Popish doctrine new vampt, which has been repeatedly anfwered by all our old Protelant writers.

You

You tell me," your Author acknowledges, that "our first juftification is by faith alone; that is, "God accepts us as being meet probationers for "falvation, upon our hearty affent to the truth of "the gofpel, and our being heartily willing to take "Chrift's yoke upon us, and obey him: And this "is the juftification of which the Apostle Paul "fpeaks, that it is by faith without the works of the "law. But our fecondary juftification, or continued "title to the favour of God, is by our works, or by "a courfe of fincere obedience to the gofpel. Of "this the Apoftle James fpeaks, when he tells us, "that a man is juftified by works, and not by faith “ only.”

Sir, you cannot be infenfible, that this plea is utterly inconfiftent with the evasions before offered. We are therefore now to hear no more of your former distinctions, that the Apostle Paul refers to legal, and not evangelical works, when he excludes all works from having any part in our juftification. We are to hear no more of the Apostle's referring to the ceremonial law, when he opposes the law to grace, and tells us, that if righteousness come by the law, then Chrift is dead in vain.-You now acknowledge, that the juftification of which the Apoftle Paul fpeaks is by faith alone.-All other pleas for the fcheme which I oppose must confequently be given up; and it must be put upon this fingle iffue. I fhall now therefore proceed to confider, whether this foundation will bear the weight which you are putting upon it.

It is worthy of confideration, that there is nothing of this new distinction of a first and a fecondary juftification to be found in the Scriptures. I look upon it as an arbitrary diftinction, coined to ferve a purpose, and to help out a tottering fcheme, which could no other way be fupported.The Apoftle

Paul,