myfelf, that they will not have appeared irrelevant but that they may be confidered to fupply an important collateral evidence in fupport of the truth; by fhowing, that the fancied diftinction, which this great Apoftle is fo often represented to make between Chrif tian faith, and Chriftian works, to the great difparagement of the latter, does in reality not exift in his writings; but is founded on a mifconception of his argument, and a confequent mifrepresentation of his doctrines. Such a mifrepresentation was probably of very early date, and gave occafion to "the falfe and pef❝tilent conceits of fome perfons, who, miftaking St. Paul's expreffions and doctrine, perverted them to the maintenance of Soli"fidian, Eunomian, and Antinomian princi

ples, greatly prejudicial to good practice. And it appears to have been a fenfe of its fallacy and danger, which, in the judgment of Auftin and of many of the ancients, prompted the reft of the Apostles to be more affiduous and earneft in the recommendation of Chriftian holiness'; and more especially induced

Barrow's Works, vol. ii. p. 57.

Illud etiam notatu haud indignum eft, quod veterum multi (eofque inter Auguftinus) cenfent, epiftolam Jacobi, et Johannis primam, et Judæ, et eam quæ Petri fecunda dicitur, fcriptas adverfus eos, qui Paulinas Epiftolas prave interpretantes, fidem dicebant fine bonis operibus

St. James to infift fo ftrongly on the neceffity of a lively operative faith; to contend that "by works a man is justified, and not by faith "only";" to reprefent "faith as made per"fect by works;" and to affert, and to reite rate his affertion, not without an appearance of contempt for the " vanity" of the opinions he was correcting, "that faith, if it hath not "works, is dead, being alone"."

Having thus endeavoured to clear our way by removing, what appear to me, certain erroneous and unfcriptural notions, by which it was obstructed, I am at liberty to take a more general furvey of the fubject; and to prove from an enlarged view of the facred writings, that good works are a condition, indifpenfahly neceffary for thofe, who would derive any ule timate benefit from their participation in the Gofpel covenant, and be finally justified in the fight of God. I fay "finally juftified;" for, inafmuch as the juftification noticed by St. Paul, which we have confidered to be (as the learned Barrow reprefents the Apostle's doe trine)" the immediate confequent or fpecial "adjunct of baptifm"," avowedly takes effect

ad falutem fufficere. See Bifhop Bull's Harmonia Apoft. Diff. II. cap. v. fect. 2. and Bishop Horne's Sixteen Ser mons, p. 65.

↑ Ibid. 22.

in this world; and as our Saviour no lefs indifputably speaks of our juftification" in the "day of judgment," we hold ourselves warranted in diftinguishing, with Cranmer and his brethren in the reformation', between our first and our final juftification; and in maintaining with the homily, after Chryfoftom, that juftification or falvation once had, may be "loft again':" notwithstanding the fupercilious rejection of the doctrine by our opponents as a Popish and a Socinian notion," " of the very effence of Popery," " the offspring of pride oppofing the word of truth "." For we are not to be deterred from our adherence to what we esteem the truth of Scripture, by the ftratagem, rather ingenious than creditable, of an invidious appellation; conceiving it to have been pioufly and wifely anfwered by a Sovereign of our own, " To fay that an

46

66

66

argument is naught, because the Papifts "make use of it, or that a thing is good, be"cause it is practifed by fome of the reform"ed churches, does not carry any conviction

Y Matt. xii. 37.

edit.

See the Neceffary Doctrine, &c. as above.

See Homily on Good Works, part i. page 40. Oxford

Overton, p. 179, 209. Sir Richard Hill's Reformation Truth restored, pref. p. xiii. Venn's Duty of Man, pref.

at all with it in my mind; nor will it ever, "until you can demonftrate, either that the "latter are infallible, or that the former main❝tain no truths at all." The fact appears to be correctly stated by the remark of a zealous oppofer of Antinomianifm; and the remark deferves the serious attention of thofe, who think to difparage our caufe by fuch invidious and "railing accufations;" that "in our well❝ meant zeal against Popery we have been driven to an extreme, and have not done "good works justice ."

With these notions of juftification, which I truft I neither value myfelf, nor wish to be adopted by others, farther than as they corref pond with the representations of Scripture, I cannot enter into the objection of a very refpectable and temperate advocate, in the prefent day, of juftification by faith alone; who, allowing the expreffion of conditions of falvation, "when ufed in reference to the final re❝fult of religion," fteadily excepts against the notion of "conditions of juftification." As the subject presents itself to my mind, furveyed through the medium of holy writ, there is a falvation, as well as a juftification, which we

• Charles the Firft. See Brandt's Hiftory of the Refor mation in the Low Countries, Dedication, p. 11. • Fletcher's First Check to Antinomianism, p. 72. See Zeal without Innovation, p. 84.

regard as "a perfectly gratuitous act of God," conferred on us by faith alone; faith, not dif tinguished from good works, but in the fenfe, wherein it has now been explained: there is also a juftification, as well as a falvation, no lefs referred" to the final refult of religion," and no lefs depending on certain conditions. In other words I would be understood to say, that we shall not be juftified in the fight of God at the last day, without the concurrence of Christian works, co-operating with Christian faith.

It would however be a waste of your time, and an infult upon your patience, were I to fet myself formally and fully to demonstrate, what is delivered with fuch plainnefs, and at the fame time with fuch variety of expreffions throughout the New Teftament, that as "with"out faith it is impoffible to please God," fo alfo “without holiness no man shall fee the "Lord"—that if, in the language of King Edward's Catechifm, "faith, or rather truft " alone, doth lay hand upon, understand, and "perceive our righteous making to be given us "of God freely, that is to fay, by no "deferts of our own, but by the free grace of "the Almighty Father";" in the language of

f Heb. xi. 6.

Ibid. xii. 14.

• Enchiridion Theologicum, vol. i. p. 43. k...