whole character of the reply; which tends to difparage those commandments, "the leaft of "which whofoever fhall break and fhall teach

men fo," is pronounced by Chrift himself to be" the leaft in the kingdom of heaven' which is calculated to perplex the mind, and deaden the exertions, of the devout enquirer after happiness; whilft it invefts a clear and merciful exhortation of Him, who is " the light and life of the world," with the illufive and mysterious obfcurity of an oracular refponse.

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Influenced in our judgment by fuch confiderations, and fanctioned withal in our interpretation by the authority of our pure and evangelical Church, we maintain the indispenfable neceffity of obedience to the moral law, as a condition of eternal falvation: and urging upon our hearers the obligation of their baptismal vow, whilft we call upon them on the one hand to believe all the articles of the Chriftian faith, we fail not to warn them on the other, that "if they will enter into life, "they must keep the commandments."

That the children of this world," indifferent to their everlafting welfare, should turn away from fuch "preachers of righteousness," might excite more concern, than astonish

* Matt. v. 19.

Johui. 4. viii. 12,

ment: but that "the children of light," that Chriftians, who profefs to be, and many of whom (we doubt not) really are, folicitous for the falvation of their fouls, fhould "forfake "the affembling of themselves together" to exhortations fuch as thefe; that they should condemn the preacher, as a fetter forth of strange doctrines; and reprobate his inftruc tions, as a departure from the Gospel of Chrift: a cafe like this would furely not be expected; and, unless on indisputable evidence, would fcarcely be admitted to exift.

To obviate however any charge of mifrepresentation, with respect to the conduct of our accufers; and at the fame time to prevent my own fentiments from being misunderstood; it appears defirable, that the cafe, which is to be propofed for our prefent confideration, fhould be ftated with greater precifion.

I suppose it, then, to be the practice of the generality of our national clergy, in discharge of their duty as preachers of the Gospel, to divide their attention between faith in the Christian doctrines, and the practice of Chriftian holiness, or good works: to impress them with equal earneftness upon their hearers: to defcribe them, as jointly and equally neceffary to the attainment of everlafting life: to reprefent them, not as meritorious caufes, (God forbid!) but as indifpenfable conditions of happi

nefs: in a word, to publish in their discourses, what the Church appoints them to pronounce in the Liturgy, "the abfolution and remiffion "of fins to all them, that truly repent and un

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feignedly believe Chrift's holy Gospel:" fo that as the venerable Latimer more largely expreffes the position of the Church, "whofoever " from the bottom of his heart is forry for his "fins, and ftudieth to leave them, and live uprightly, and believeth in our Saviour, confeffing that he came into this world to make "amends for our fins; this man or woman "fhall not perish, but have forgiveness of fins, " and fo obtain everlasting life." Offence is taken at our preaching, as an unfcriptural expofition of the terms of the Chriftian covenant: we are told that our juftification and falvation are to be wrought by faith alone, independently of good works; that faith is all in all; and that, by uniting with faith any other condition or qualification for happiness, we forfeit our title to the appellation of Minifters and Preachers of the Gospel.

The Calvinistic Founder of Methodism boldly demanded, "Who dares affert, that we are "not justified merely by an act of faith, with"out any regard to works, paft, prefent, or to

Latimer's Sermons, vol. i. p. 371.

"comef;" He condemns the affertion, that good works are a neceffary condition of our being juftified in the fight of God, as" a new

gofpel," which "he is fure is not what the "Apostles preached; and which is as contrary "to the doctrine of the Church of England, " and the whole tenour of the Gofpel, as light ❝is contrary to darknefs:" and for this caufe he reprobates "the generality of the Clergy "of the Church of England, as preachers of

a new gofpel, as blind guides;" and laments over a venerable Prelate of our Church, as no better than" a Roman Cardinal." His Arminian antagonist affirmed, that "the condi❝tion of our juftification is faith alone, and "not good works ";" that "the most destruc"tive of all thofe errors, which Rome, the "mother of abominations, hath brought forth, ❝ compared to which tranfubftantiation and a "hundred more are trifles light as air, is, that

we are justified by works, or (to exprefs the "thing a little more decently) by faith and "works." The charge continues to be maintained, not only by their followers, but by

f Whitefield, Third Journal, p. 2. Enthusiasm of Methodists and Papifts compared, part ii. p. 151.

* Works, vol. iv. p. 15, 16, 28.

h Wefley's Journal, No. IV. p. 17.

Ibid. No. III. p. 89.

fome even of our own brethren, more immediately in the bofom of the Church. One member of our Eftablishment cenfures thofe, "who look to a righteoufnefs of their own, "made up of terms, qualifications, conditions, "and fuch like trumpery, for acceptance with "God." Another condemns, as unscriptural, the notions of thofe, who "dare proudly and "arrogantly teach, that obedience to Jefus "is the condition of falvation;" and deprecates " zeal for holinefs," unless accompanied with his favourite notions of falvation, as "a "dreadful delufion'." A third vehemently protefts against all duties, all obligations, as neceffary to falvation; and pronounces, that "the fingle qualification, expected by Chrift "is, that a man believe the Gofpelm." And it is not without an air of fuperciliousness and contempt, that the advocate of that party in the Church, which affumes to itself the exclufive denomination of evangelical Minifters, notices" the doctrine of the most orthodox of "his opponents at their most orthodox moments; that is, that we are juftified by faith

* Pietas Oxonienfis, p. 73. 2d edit. by Sir Richard Hill. Dr. Nowell's Answer to ditto, p. 124.

1 Mafon's Spiritual Treasury, edited and recommended by the Rev. W. Romaine, p. 91. and 29.

Prop againft all Despair, p. 15. by Robert Hawker,

D.D.

F