made righteous. Rom. v. 19. By the Obedience of one fhall many be made righteous.-By this alone we are acquitted from Guilt, and freed from Condemnation. Rom. viii. 1. There is therefore now no Condemnation to them that are in Chrift Jefus — By this we are reconciled to God. 2 Cor. v. 18. For all Things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jefus Chrift.By this we have Peace with God, Accefs into his glorious Prefence, and joyful Hopes of eternal Glory. Rom. v. 1, 2. Therefore being juftified by Faith, we have Peace with God, through our Lord Jefus Chrift; by whom also we have Accefs into this Grace wherein we fland, and rejoice in Hope of the Glory of God.-By this we are Heirs of eternal Life. Rom. v. 21. That as Sin bath reigned unto Death, even fo might Grace reign through Righteoufn fs, unto eternal Life, by Jefus Chrift our Lord. The bleed Hope we are looking for, is therefore called the Hope of Righteousness. Gal. v. 5. I will only add, that if the Scriptures do exprefsly exclude all our own Righteoufnels, and all our own Works, from any Hand in our Justification, we alfo fhould renounce them all, and depend upon the Righteousness of Chrift only: For this fee it, iii. 5. Not by Works of Righteoufnefs which we have done, but according to his Mercy he faved us. Rom. iv. 5. To him that worketh not, but believeth on him that juftifieth the Ungodly, his Faith is counted for Righteoufnefs. Thefe Things are fo plainly and evidently the Scope and Design of the whole New Teftament, that all the artful Evafions of thofe, who would go about to efiablish their own Righteoufness, and rob Chrift of the Honor of their Juftification and Salvation, fhould be rejected with Abhorrence.--In fine, let me intreat you, Sir, always to remember, that both the Law and the Pro phets phets witness the Righteoufnefs of God, which is by Faith of Jefus Chrift, unto all, and upon all them that believe. Rom. iii. 21, 22. That Chrift is the End of the Law for Righteousness, to every one that believeth. Rom. x. 4 And that being justified by his Blood, we fhall be faved from Wrath through bim. Rom. v. 9. You'll pardon me, that I have fo long delayed your Expectations. I thought it neceffary, not only to clear the Way before me, that you may fee in what Senfe I oppofe the Antinomian Dreams and Moravian Dotages; but alfo to offer some Precautions, that you may not fall upon Scylla, while you avoid Charybdis, but fteer your Way fafe between the two Extremes. By all that I have now faid you may perceive, that the Question between us and the Moravians or Antinomians is not-whether Believers may have, and should feek to have a comfortable Perfuafion of their Interest in Christ? To doubt of this, would be at once to contradict the strongest Atteftations thereto in the Word of God, and the happy Experience of his Children.-Nor is it the Queftion, whether we are justified by any Attainments of our own? To fuppofe this, were to counteract the whole Defign of the Gofpel, and to bring the greatest Contempt upon the Redeemer's Merits and Righteoufnefs. But the Question is, whether a true faving Faith confifts in a Perfuafion of our perfonal actual Interest in Christ, and that he will bestow his eternal Salvation upon us in particular? Whether there may not be a strong Perfuafion of a justified State, without any true faving Faith, and a true faving Faith without this particular Perfuafion of a juftified State?—If this be fo; if Men may have this Perfuafion, while in a State of Guilt and Condemnation; and if God's own dear Children may be in Doubts and Darknefs with re fpect to their State, it neceffarily follows, that this Moravian and Antinomian Doctrine is a most dangerous Mistake and Delufion. This Matter therefore deferves to be particularly confidered. That Men may be ftrongly perfuaded of the Safety of their State, while remaining under Guilt and Condemnation, appears from fuchConfideration as these. - If this Perfuafion may be entertained by thofe who have never been emptied of their Self-fufficien cy, nor ever had any fenfible Discovery of their loft, impotent and helpless State, it certainly cannot be a true faving Faith in the Lord Jefus Chrift.That this may be, is evident from the Nature of Things. There can be no Reafon affigned, why fuch may not be capable to entertain a strong Opinion of their own good State, who have never difcovered how bad, how dangerous and miferable their State by Nature is. That this has been, is evident from Scripture. Laodicea thought herself rich and encreafed in Goods, and to have Need of nothing, when she was poor and miferable, and wretched and blind, and naked; and fuch there have always been, who think themselves fomething when they are nothing, and deceive themfelves. And that fuch have not a true Faith in Chrift, whatever Perfuafion they entertain, is evident, in that Men cannot come to Chrift for that which they do not feel the Want of; nor can they feel the Want of Deliverance from that loft and miferable State which they have never had a sensible Discovery of. The Whole need not the Physician.It is also evident, in that faving Faith is a Dependence upon Chrift alone for Salvation: For it is impoffible to depend upon Christ alone, and yet to depend partly upon ourselves for Salvation, as all fuch neceffarily do, that have never felt their own impotent and loft Condition. The Antinomians, I know, difclaim all 1 all Pretenfions to Self-dependence: But whence, I befeech them, are the towering Imaginations of the divine Favour, which fome of them entertain, while they have never been broken under the Sense of their Sin, and Mifery, never humbled nor lost, nor driven to Christ as a Refuge for guilty Sinners, but from an high Opinion of themfelves? Whence do they thank God, that they are not as other Men, but from fome imaginary Qualifications of their own? If they pretend to no other they may still build upon this, that they have a Ferfuafion Chrift will fave them; and so they make that Perfuafion their Righteoufnefs, and the Foundation of their Hope of Salvation. And this is ftill further evident, from the exprefs Declaration of our bleffed Saviour, that he came not to call the Righteous, but Sinners to Repentance. In as much therefore as fuch felf-righteous Perfons may have the strongeft Perfuafion of their own Juftification by Chrift, and yet have no Interest in him, whatever Perfuafion they entertain, fince he came not to call them, while fuch, to Repentance, it is moft evident, that this Perfuafion cannot be a faving Faith.-More over, If this Perfuafion may be entert.ined by those who are under the Power and Dominion of their Sins, it cannot be a faving Faith.That this may be, is too evident from our conftant Observation. -Who can be more tenaciously persuaded of their obtaining Salvation by Chrift, than many of our careless and fecure Sinners, who profess to know Chrift, but in Works deny him, and are to every good Work reprobate -That thefe cannot have a faving Faith is evident: For Faith purifies the Heart; and he that committeth Sin is of the Devil-Furthermore, If this Perfuafion may arise from Pride and Self-esteem, it cannot be a faving Faith.-I think, no Man will pretend, that the Productions of our own proud and haughty Self-esteem, will intereft us in the Favour of God, and give us a Claim to the Promises of the Gofpel.-And we have numerous Inftances of fuch in Scripture, who entertained this Perfuafion from their own haughty Opinion of themfelves. Such were Korah and his Company. All the Congregation are holy (fay they) every one of them. Such were they in the Prophet, who faid, Stand by thyfelf, come not near me, for I am holier than thou. Such was the Pharafee, who thanked God that he was not as other Men.And fuch were the Body of the Jewish Rulers in our Saviour'sTime We have one Father (fay they) even God.--And I wish we had not conftant Occafion to obferve, that there are at this Time too many fuch among our felves, who boast of this strong Perfuafion of their juftified State, and of their rapturous Joys, whose highest Attainment in Religion is, that they trust in themfelves, that they are righteous, and defpife o thers-Their falfe Apprehenfion of their own Attainments begets this Perfuafion of their good State; and this Perfuafion heightens their Apprehenfion of their great Attainments in Religion; and thus they go on in an unhappy Round of Pride and Self-exaltation. Now can any pretend, that a faving Faith confifts in Pride and fupercilious Vanity of Mind!-I may yet add, If fuch a Perfuafion may be a Diabolical Suggeftion and Hellish Delution, it cannot be a faving Faith. This Confequence cannot be difputed by any that allow a Difference between Light and Darkness, between CHRIST and Belial, between the Influences of the Spirit of God and the Delufions of the Devil. And I think it will be allowed R by |