It ought, therefore, to be a primary object with every Christian, that the grace of God be not bestowed upon him in vain. Such is the manner in which the Gospel was preached by the Apostles: in the same manner it was preached by our reformers; and in no other manner can it be preached, to become effectual to salvation. "For the grace of God, that bringeth salvation, hath appeared to all men; teaching us, that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world." On this condition, the Christian may with confidence look " for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God, and our Saviour Jesus Christ; who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works."*

3

On which account I conceive, that the preaching of the Christian ministry must be, in this sense, that mingle mangle of law and Gospel, grace and works, of which the Apostles have given a striking specimen in their writings: and he who attempts to preach the law unconnected with the Gospel, or the grace of the Gospel independent of obedience to the moral law, does equal injustice to the gracious, and at the same time righteous, plan of salvation by Jesus Christ; and frustrates the design of it, by placing himself under a dispensation essentially different from it. To understand properly the language of St. Paul and that of our reformers, two circumstances are necessary to be taken into our account. St. Paul, when writing against Titus ii. 11, et seq.

works, did not mean the good works of a Christian, living in a state of grace; but the works of the law, considered by the Judaising believer, as jointly necessary with the Gospel to justification; or, as they were considered by the unbelieving Jew, as sufficient alone to justification without the Gos pel. Our reformers, when they laid the platform of our present Church establishment, were principally solicitous to guard against the errors of the Church of Rome, of which the doctrine of merit constituted one of the grossest kind. The Church of England in her doctrine, therefore, has drawn the plain line of distinction between works and works. The works of the mere moral man she unequivocally condemns, as totally unavailable to salvation, and having the nature of sin in the eyes of God, because they are done without God, are not performed upon a Christian principle, and spring not of faith in Jesus Christ. Whilst the good works of the Christian, though performed upon a right principle, she considers not meritorious in themselves, on account of their imperfections; but necessary to be performed, because they are pleasant and acceptable to God, through the merits of an atoning Saviour.

It being my design not to enter further into your fifth letter, than as it relates to my general subject, many pages have been passed over, in which your ideas either are not correctly expressed, or, in my judgment, are liable to exception. Indeed, it is my wish to avoid the unpleasant task of analysing language, which I conceive to have been hastily written; it being far more satisfactory to me to

to find out sentiments in which we agree, than to examine those in which we appear to differ. If I know myself, I can with truth say, with Hooker, that "I have no joy in striving, I have not been nuzzled or trained up in it. I would to God that the purport of Christ's prayer for his disciplesthat they might remain undivided-might be realized throughout Christendom." With this sentiment strongly impressed on my mind, I feel a satisfaction, after having travelled over many pages in which we appear to differ, to find one page (140) in which I perfectly concur with you; "that this is a critical juncture, in which the clergy should do every thing in their power to stop that foaming torrent of irreligion, profaneness, and contempt of all order, good government, and subordination, which has for some time been coming in upon us like a flood; and I am certain they cannot do this more effectually than by diligently exerting themselves in the restoration of those pure principles, by which the Reformation was happily effected among us."

You will give me leave only, as one of the clergy, to remind you, Sir, of what, it is presumed, has been proved in a former letter; that the doctrine of absolute unconditional election and justification of certain individuals, independent of the conduct of the party, was not the doctrine of the Reformation; and at the same time to suggest to your serious consideration, whether such a doctrine, with the consequences which have more or less been drawn at all times from it, is so well calculated to produce the desired effect, as that which the Church of England

teaches; when she gives her members to understand, that repentance, faith, and obedience, through Divine grace, are the terms or conditions upon which they may look for salvation unto Christ; who, "being made perfect, became (the Apostle tells us) the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him.”*

Having, I persuade myself, replied to every part of your letter which relates to the general subject before me, what applies personally to myself in it may be passed over unnoticed, as not affecting the main argument, with which alone the reader is concerned. Taking leave, therefore, to remind you, that " He that judgeth me is the Lord,"+

separate from the Church. Still it affords me no inconsiderable satisfaction to think, that the book which you suppose to contain that sentence, has been read by many men of understanding and judg ment, with whose opinion any author might be flattered, to whom such an idea has never presented itself. Unless, therefore, the uncharitable idea can be fairly drawn from my words, taken in a plain and unperverted sense, I have a right to plead that rule of candour under which you shelter yourself; according to which, all conclusions drawn for an author which he does not acknowledge, are not to be answered for by him, but by the party who draws them.

Had you been disposed to give the author of "The Guide to the Church" credit for that charity towards his brethren who differ from him in religious matters, which he feels; more passages are to be found in his book to justify such a conclusion in his favour, than are to be found to support the one you have thought proper to draw from him. Give me leave, Sir, to point out a few such passages, which, in an apparent hasty zeal for the cause you espouse, seem to have escaped your observation.

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In page 342, you find me speaking thus strongly, and I presume you will allow charitably, upon subject of Separation from the Church. minister of the Church, however, who constantly prays against schism, should in consequence it his duty to prevent Christians, as far as may be, from falling into so dangerous a sin; and whilst he remembers of what spirit a Christian ought to

think