Should we then, in order to avoid a ftrife of words, and for the fake of brotherly love, and Chriftian peace and unity, be willing to concede, that faith alone, thus carefully explained and understood, is neceffary to our juftification; the faying of Hilary admonishes us, as it heretofore admonished our reformers, that "the name of peace is beautiful, and the opi"nion of unity is fair, but that is the true and "only peace of the Church, which is Chrift's :" and the exprefs declarations of Chrift himself, illuftrated by the correfponding doctrine of every one of his Apoftles, would operate to keep us ftedfaft in the faith, which,” we be lieve," was once delivered to the faints"."

Such, then, being the notions, which the Scriptures give us, of the conditions of everlafting happiness, I fee not how we can refrain from impreffing upon our hearers, that Christian works are jointly and equally necef fary with Christian faith to the attainment of eternal life; from enforcing on them the precepts, as earneftly as we fet before them the doctrines of the Gofpel; and from re

See Ridley's Life of Bishop Ridley, p. 495. Speciofum quidem nomen eft pacis, et pulchra eft opinio unitatis; fed quis ambigat, eam folam ecclefiæ et evangeliorum unitatem pacemque effe, quæ Chrifti eft. Hilar, cont. Auxentium. ed. Benedict. Op. tom, ii. p. 594.

* Jude, ver. 3.

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minding them with unremitted affiduity, that it will not be fufficient that they believe in, unless they also obey, "our great God and "Saviour Jefus Chrift, who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniqui"ty, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works." If indeed we are fo far forgetful of the diftinctive features of our holy religion, as to fuffer a regard to moral duties to divert us from inculcating and explaining with fufficient frequency the doctrines of the Chriftian faith; or if the practical duties, which we recommend, are drawn from the fources of heathen philosophy; if when Paul has furnished us with a text we fuffer" Epictetus, Plato, or Tully to preach;" if our discourses are mere moral effays on the beauty and fitness of virtue; or if we reprefent holiness of life as a meritorious cause of falvation, or recommend it on higher grounds than as a neceffary condition, whereby the blood of Chrift becomes ultimately effectual for our redemption: I readily admit, nay, I cordially concur with our accufers in contending, that we desert the station which we have undertaken to maintain, and are guilty of apoftafy from the Gofpel. But if, on the contrary, as I hope and truft is more agreeable to Cowper's Talk.

Tit. ii, 13, 14.

the truth, the morality, which we preach, is Christian morality; if it is established upon Chriftian principles, and enforced by Chriftian motives, and clothed withal in Chriftian, humility; if we derive, not our texts alone, but our fubject matter, from the revealed word of God, calling upon men, and perfuading them by the terrors and mercies of the Lord, to be lieve in God and to keep his commandments, to do unto all men, as they would men fhould do unto them, and to keep themselves unfpotted from the world; at the fame time never forgetting, that we are addreffing the " un

profitable fervants" of a crucified Redeemer, "God manifeft in the flesh," whofe Holy Spirit is always neceffary to enlighten, and ftrengthen, and fupport us; and whose meritorious blood is always neceffary to make atonement for our numerous deficiencies, and to reconcile us to the Father:wherein confifts our guilt or our error, that we are accufed of not preaching the Gofpel? or why are we charged with apoftafy from our profeffion, because we do that, which the example of the Apoftles of Chrift, nay, of Chrift himself, warrants us, and calls upon us, and makes it our bounden duty to do?When the Apostles went forth by the commandment of their Lord, to "preach the Gospel to every crea"ture" when Paul was commiffioned by a

special revelation to "turn men from darkness "unto light, and from the power of Satan "unto God, that they might receive forgive"nefs of fins, and inheritance among them "which are fanctified by faith that is in "Chrift";" how did they difcharge their dif tinguished office? Anxious that it might ever be in their power to take their hearers" to re"cord, that they were pure from the blood of "all men, and had not fhunned to declare "unto them all the counfel of God"," whether in their fpeeches or their epistles; whether to the felf-righteous Jew, or the idolatrous Heathen; whether to the Roman magiftrate, or the Athenian philofopher; whether to indivídual converts, or to affemblies of the faithful, or to the whole univerfal Church of Chrift, they were indefatigable in urging the practice of Chriftian holiness blended with the profeffion of the Chriftian faith. Or, to place ourfelves, if poffible, on ftill higher ground, what are the points, on which our bleffed Lord hath fet us the example of infifting in his difcourfes in general, and, in particular, what are the topics of his parables and of his fermon in the mount? Is not the latter exclufively occupied in the recommendation of practical righteoufnefs? Are not the former, with the exception

Acts. xxvi. 18,

• Acts xx. 26, 27.

of thofe, which illuftrate the dealings of Almighty God towards the Jews, one and all directed to the fame end?-We need not then be alarmed at the charge, that we are not preachers of the Gospel, in a particular wherein our practice has the fanction of fuch authority nor need we be deterred by an injurious afperfion from treading steadfastly in the path, wherein Chrift and his Apostles have gone before; or from repeating again and again, as the effence of his preaching, and of that of his Apoftles, "Not every one that faith unto me, "Lord, Lord, fhall enter into the kingdom of "heaven; but HE THAT DOETH THE WILL OF MY FATHER, WHICH IS IN HEAVEN."

Now "unto Him that loved us, and wash❝ed us from our fins in his own blood, and "hath made us kings and priests unto God "and his Father; to Him," in the unity of the Father and the eternal Spirit, "be glory " and dominion for ever and ever. Amen."