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

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men fo," is pronounced by Christ himself to be" the least in the kingdom of heaven;" which is calculated to perplex the mind, and deaden the exertions, of the devout inquirer after happiness; whilst it invests 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 response.

Influenced in our judgment by such 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 Christian faith, we fail not to warn them on the other, that "if they will enter into life, they must keep the commandments.”

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That "the children of this world," indifferent to their everlasting welfare, fhould turn away from fuch" preachers of righteousness," might excite more concern, than aftonish

..

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 themfelves together" to exhortations fuch as thefe; that they fhould condemn the preacher, as a fetter forth of ftrange doctrines; and reprobate his inftructions, as a departure from the gospel of Chrift: a cafe like this would furely not be expected; and, unless on indifputable evidence, would fcarcely be admitted to exist.

To obviate however any charge of mifrepresentation, with refpect to the conduct of our accufers; and at the fame time to prevent my own sentiments from being misunderstood; it appears defirable, that the cafe, which is to be proposed for our prefent confideration, fhould be stated 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 earnestness upon their hearers: to describe them, as jointly and equally neceffary to the attainment of everlasting life: to reprefent them, not as meritorious caufes, (God forbid!) but as indispensable conditions of happi

nefs in a word, to publish in their discourses, what the Church appo .ts them to pronounce in the Liturgy," the absolution and remiffion "of fins to all them, that truly repent and un

feignedly believe Chrift's holy Gospel :" fo that as the venerable Latimer more largely expreffes the pofition of the Church, "whofoever "from the bottom of his heart is forry for his fins, and studieth 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 "shall not perish, but have forgiveness of fins, " and so obtain everlasting life." Offence is taken at our preaching, as an unfcriptural expofition of the terms of the Christian covenant: we are told that our justification 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, present, or to

"come?" He condemns the affertion, that good works are a neceffary condition of our being justified in the fight of God, as “ a new"Gofpel," which "he is fure is not what the Apoftles preached; and which is as contra

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ry to the doctrine of the Church of England, and the whole tenour of the Gofpel, as light is contrary to darkness:" and for this cause he reprobates" the generality of the Clergy of the Church of England, as preachers of

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a new Gospel, 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 justification is faith alone, and "not good works";" that "the most deftruc"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

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Enthusiasm of Me

f Whitefield, Third Journal, p. 2. thodists and Papifts compared, part ii. p. 151.

g Works, vol. iv. 15, 16, 28.

h Wesley's Journal, No. 4. p. 17.

i Ibid. No. 3. p. 89.

fome even of our own brethren, more immediately in the bofom of the Church. One member of our establishment cenfures those, "who look to a righteousness of their own, "made up of terms, qualifications, conditions, " and fuch like trumpery, for acceptance with "God"." Another condemns, as unfcriptural, the notions of thofe, who " dare proudly " and arrogantly teach, that obedience to Je"fus is the condition of falvation;" and deprecates" zeal for holiness," unless accompanied with his favourite notions of falvation, as "a dreadful delufion'." A third vehemently protefts against all duties, all obligations, as necessary to salvation; and pronounces, that "the fingle qualification, expected by Christ,

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is, that a man believe the Gospel ". 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 Ministers, notices" the doctrine of the moft orthodox of "his opponents at their most orthodox mo"ments; that is, that we are justified by faith

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

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

m Prop against all Despair, p. 15. by Robert Hawker, D.D.