from the forbidden tree. Under the Gospel dispensation, “eternal life,” now become " the gift of God through Jesus Christ,"* is suspended on conditions suited to man's fallen nature. Still, as in the the former case, man's claim is but a claim of grace, founded on the promise of Him who said, that he that "believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."+ The performance of which promise is to be secured to man on those conditions which have been annexed to it; for the fulfilment of which, under the Gospel covenant, the assistance of the Holy Spirit hath been expressly vouchsafed. If, in the foregoing attempt to distinguish between the paradisiacal and Gospel dispensation; in other words, between that dispensation under which Adam was originally placed, and that under which man has been placed subsequent to the fall; my language is obnoxious to the charge of being a mingle mangle of law and Gospel, grace and works, I submit quietly to it; from a conviction that it is not in my power to write with more precision on this subject. a question of such magnitude, it is my earnest wish that, if possible, my meaning should not be mistaken.

On

You, and your friend Mr. Wilberforce, (for now I understand that you both speak the same language) seem perfectly agreed in decrying good works. It is not meant that such is the object you really have in view, but that your language, for want of its being sufficiently marked, is calculated to lead the reader to such conclusion. Far be it +John iii, 16.

*Rom. vi. 23.

t

from me, Sir, not to give both Mr. W. and yourself full credit for your zeal on this occasion; at the same time I say, I trust without offence, that to me it appears to be injudicious; because, as the subject strikes me, it has led to a partial representation of the Gospel plan of salvation. You both speak the truth, but, as I conceive, not the whole truth; thereby promoting that deception, which has at all times more or less prevailed among Christian professors. When placing the Gospel in opposition to the law, (which by the bye never should be done, because such opposition is calculated to lead into error) you describe it thus: "That man is to believe and be saved; and that obedience to the moral law has nothing to do with his pardon and acceptance with God." Mr. Wilberforce, after making mention of that tremendous day, when according to the declaration of our Saviour, " He shall judge every man according to his works,"* concludes with the following strange application, "Vain wisdom all, and false philosophy;" and with the view of fixing in the reader's mind the idea meant to be conveyed by it, he refers him to a part of scripture, where our Saviour, speaking upon a very different subject, says, “This is the work of God, that ye believe in Him whom he hath sent."

If the reader will take the trouble to turn to his Bible, he will find that our Saviour upon this occasion, in addressing himself to the multitude that followed him for the loaves and fishes, took advantage of their eagerness for the gratification of the cravings of the body, to remind them of the provision necessary to be made for the wants of the * Matt. xvi. 27; and Rev. xx. 13.

soul.Labour not (says he) for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of Man shall give unto you. Then said they unto him, what shall we do that we might work the works of God? (that we may so work as to have the said meat of which you are speaking.) Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe in Him whom he hath sent."* This is the work required of you by God, that ye believe in me as the promised Messiah, whom the Father hath sent to guide you in such things as relate to your spiritual welfare.

Now, to place this passage as it were in opposition to a plain declaration of our Saviour's, delivered upon a different occasion, respecting the final judg ment of the world, appears to be not so much to explain scripture, as to confuse and misrepresent it.

God requires, as an essential condition of salvation, that we believe in him whom he hath sent.", Our Saviour declares, that every man shall be judged according to his works. These two passages are certainly not at variance, and therefore ought not to be brought to oppose each other. By the first we are informed, that we must believe in Christ to be saved. By the second we are given to understand, that by the fruits of the spirit, manifested in a holy and religious life, man's everlasting condition will be determined.

The other passage which Mr. Wilberforce has brought forward, with a view of destroying what he calls the flimsy webb, which he would give the

* John vi. 27, &c, † Matt. xvi. 27; and Rev. xx. 13.

world to understand the clergy in general are em ployed in weaving, (but which does by no means contain a fair representation of the manner in which the Gospel is generally preached in the Church) is taken from an epistle of St. John, where the Apostle says, "This is his commandment, that we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ."*

By turning to the Bible you find that this quotation from the Apostle is a partial one, and contains only half the information which was designed to be conveyed on the occasion. The whole passage runs thus: "this is his commandment, that we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment." Here then we have two commandments delivered by the same authority; one relative to faith in Christ, the other enjoining the love of our neighbour, which is elsewhere called the fulfilling of the law. Mr. Wilberforce, by his manner of quoting the Apostle, gives his reader to understand, that to believe is the great New Testament command of God. It is so; but the fallacy lies here, that it is not the only commandment to which the Christian is required to pay attention. And if the Christian reads the Gospel as Mr. Wilberforce quotes it upon this occasion, he will probably be a Christian by halves, instead of being that perfect character which the Apostle designed he should be, by recommending a faith which worketh by love. And that the first of these commandments respecting faith in Christ does not necessarily comprehend

1 John iii. 23.

the last, respecting man's fulfilment of the moral law, we may conclude, from the Apostle's thinking it necessary to make a separate mention of them both.

Give me leave to ask, why should pains be taken by persons having the honour of God and salvation of man at heart, (as you and Mr. Wilberforce certainly have) to misrepresent the Gospel, by making it speak a language which it does not acknowledge? We should not be afraid of a doctrine that is in itself true, because it has been abused; but endeavour so to state it, that it may not be liable to future abuse. The danger is not in the doctrine itself, but in the corruption of it. Let it be restored to its scripture standard, and it will be both wholesome and good. Instead, therefore, of keeping the doctrine of good works out of sight, lest a dangerous conclusion should be drawn from it, as Mr. Wilberforce in this instance appears to do; and instead of saying, as you do, that "obedience to the moral law has nothing to do with a sinner's pardon and acceptance with God," let us fairly bring the doctrine forward; and, by placing works in their proper scale, strip them of the possibility of doing injury to the Christian cause, and render them instrumental to its promotion; and this can effectually be done by giving our readers fully to understand what kind of dependence is to be placed on them.

By the grace of God, under the new covenant, Christians (in the language of our Church for the fifteenth Sunday after Trinity) pray "that they may be led to things profitable to their salvation."