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imply it, but not pofitively declare | it; but we must compare fcripture with fcripture, and not take paffages unconnected; if we do, direct contradictions may be found. But one paffage that you have quoted is pofitive, and that is taken without connection. The

whole connection is thus, "Chriít is become of no effect unto you, whofoever of you are juftified by the law, ye are fallen from grace"; fo that no one is reprefented as fallen from grace, except thofe who are justified by the law; and the apoftle fays, by the deeds of the law no flesh fhall be juftified, and that there is falvation in no other name but Jefus Chrift: But his meaning evidently was, that they had fallen from the plan of grace, to wit, juftification by Christ, and depended on the works of the law for juftification; fuch put away faith in Chrift, and make fhipwreck of it, and go about to establish their own righteoufnefs, which is like filthy rags; which was the cafe of many nominal Christians in the apoftle's day. I do by no means deny, that many receive the word with joy who have no root or true grace in them, who finally draw back unto perdition. But it is evident from what the apoftle fays, when speaking on the fubject, that real Chriftians never draw back; he fays, when addreffing them who were of God's elect," But we are not of them that draw back unto perdition, but of them that believe to the faving of the foul." When God has fixed an event, he has fixed the means to bring it about; and it is God's ufual method to enjoin the fulfilment of the means neceffary in order to accomplish his purpose. Chrift informed his true difciples that they fhould fit on thrones in his kingdom of

glory, and that their names were written in heaven, fo they were fure of falvation; and then enjoined perfeverance in every good work, which was neceffary to bring them there.-The angel of the Lord ftood by Paul at the time of his fhipwreck, and pofitively told him, that not one life in the ship should be loft; but when fome were about to go out of the fhip into the boat, Paul faid, 66 except thefe abide in the fhip they cannot be faved." So if a righteous man fhould forsake his righteoufnefs, and fin wilfully, there would remain no more facrifice for fin. "For it is impoffible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heav enly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghoft, and have tafted of the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come,-if they should fall away, to renew them again to repentance." And it no more follows that the righteous do forfake their righteoufness, because the confequence is pointed out, if they fhould, than that an angel from heaven will be accursed for preaching a new doctrine, as the consequence is pointed out, if he should. The apoftle fays, if an angel from heaven preach any other doctrine, let him be accurfed.-As I find paffages of feripture directly in favor of final perfeverance, and none abfolutely against it, I am bound to believe it a scripture doctrine.

James. I wish you would quote thofe paffages.

John. It is evident from fcripture, that Chrift has a church which he has purchafed with his own precious blood; and it is his own property, and no being has right or power to take it from him, and nothing shall separate it

or diftrefs, or perfecution, or famine, or nakednefs, or peril, or fword-neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalitica, nor powers, nor things prefent, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, or any other creature." Chrift fays, "all that the Father giveth me fhall come to me." Again: "Ye have not chofen me, but I have chofen and ordained you, that ye fhould go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit Should remain." "My fheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me, and I give unto them eternal life; and they fhall never perish, neither fhall any pluck them out of my hand." The apoftle faith, "being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it, until the day of Jefus Chrift." God fays to his children, "I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from them to do them good, but I will put my fear in their hearts, that they fhall not depart from me. And I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear me forever." Here God promifes to fulfil on his part, and then engages that his children fhall not fail on theirs. I might proceed, in producing more paffages of fcripture directly to the point, but enough have already been adduced to fatisfy every one who hath eyes to fee, or ears to hear.

from his love; neither tribulation, | ftimulating doctrine, for he would feel that his perfonal intereft was fecure, and that would fatisfy him. But one whose religion confifts in fupreme love to God, and fincere benevolence, has no evidence of being a true child of God, only in finding a conftant habit of forgetting the things that are behind, and reaching forth towards those that are before, and in preffing forward towards the mark of the prize of his high calling of God in Chrift Jefus. To fuch an one, I conceive it one of the moft ftimulating doctrines of the gospel. I fuppofe that God's pofitively telling Hezekiah that he had added to his days fifteen years, was the most perfuafive argument pof fible to induce him to use the means prefcribed for his recovery.-The Lord told Paul that he must bear witness of him at Rome; fo that he was certain of being preserved until he arrived there: Yet when he knew that certain Jews had bound themfelves under an oath to kill him, he took every means poffible to preferve his life, fo that he might preach at Rome also. But had Hezekiah and Paul poffeffed a fpirit of tempting the Lord, one might have faid, he had God's pofitive word he should be healed, and there was no neceffity of ufing any means, for his recovery was certain; and he might go on farther, and refufe his daily food, as he had the infallible promife of God that he fhould live fifteen years; and the other might have faid, he would take no care to fave his life on his journey, as he was fure of visiting Rome. But this cavil is by no means a new one. Satan told our Saviour if he was the Son of God to caft himself down from the pinnacle of the temple; infinuating that there was no neceffity of taking prudent

James. If the doctrine that faints will infallibly perfevere is true, will it not have a tendency to relax Chriftians, in the performance of every good word and work?

John. To every one whofe religion confifts in felfifhnefs, I acknowledge it would not be a very

care of himself, for it was impof- | it where you will, even if it is in fible he fhould be hurt; for he had the promise of God that he would give his angels charge concerning him, that in their hands they fhould bear him up, &c. And Chrift's anfwer to Satan may apply to all who infinuate fuch prefumption; "Again it is written, thou fhalt not tempt the Lord thy God."

James. What is the manner of the fpecial operation of the spirit? John. It is like the wind; we fee its effect, and feel its influence; "The wind bloweth where it lifteth, and thou heareft the found thereof, but canft not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth; fo is every one that is born of the fpirit."

James. If the fpirit moves in a fovereign manner, how is it poffible for us to obtain its influence when we wish?

John. "Afk and it fhall be given you, feek and ye fhall find, knock and it fhall be opened unto you; for every one that asketh receiveth, and he that feeketh findeth, and to him that knocketh it Shall be opened." And God's

fovereign promife fatisfies every one that has confidence in his veracity.

Fames. How fhall I determine whether I am a fabject of special grace, or not?

John. If by felf examination you find that you delight in the divine perfections, and love God fupremely for what he is in himfelf, and that you love his law which pronounces curfe on the leaft tranfgreffion; that yourejoice in being in his hands as clay is in the potter's; that you rejoice in his reigning an uncontroled fovereign, and that the government of all worlds is with him; that you difrelifh fin in every form, and it is your greatest enemy, let you fee |

yourfelf; that you delight in prayer to God, in a public, private and focial manner, and are conftant in the duty every day; that you efteem Chrift's children as the precious ones of the earth, and feek them as your conftant companions; and that you rejoice in the glorious plan of falvation by Jefus Chrift, and efteem him the chiefeft among ten thousand, and the one altogether lovely, and depend on him alone for juftification; that you delight in his law after the inward man, and walk in humble obedience, and finally glory in the crofs of our Lord Jefus Chrift; if you can say fincerely that you poffefs in fome degree thefe exercifes, then I can fay unto you, bleffed art thou-for flesh and blood have not revealed this unto you.

James. Well John, we have continued our converfation much longer than I first contemplated, and my mind is fo full I want a little time to digeft it; if you please we will at prefent drop the fubject, and at fome future period refume it.

John. I am perfectly agreed; and may we humbly befeech him with whom is the refidue of the

fpirit, to pour it out upon us, and turn us from nature's darkness into the marvellous light of the gofpel-fo that we may behold the beauty of the divine character in his works of providence and grace, and join in hearts with all holy beings in heaven and on earth, in the celebration of his praife, love and goodness.-Farewell.

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the Spirit: for the letter killeth, but the fpirit giveth life."-It is important to obferve, that the law and the gofpel harmonize, as to their requirements and threaten.

tious fteps, left he should derogate from the purity and importance of the law. The following obfervations, on this fubject, are thought to accord with the holy fcriptures; and are humbly_fub-ings. The law requires holiness,

mitted to the editors of the Evangelical Magazine, with a defire, that if they are deemed worthy of being made public, God might thereby be glorified.

and fo does the gofpel. The law
views the finner as poffeffing a moft
odious character, and fo does the
gofpel. The law fays the difo-
bedient deferve to be punifhed
with everlafting deftruction; the
gofpel fays the fame. As holi
nefs and fin are refpected, the law
and the gospel perfectly harmo
nize. But the latter is the moft
glorious; because, while it rep
refents the finner to be every way
as vile, and as helpless as the law
does, it exhibits life to him. It
presents a remedy, which is equal
to the deplorable ftate of the fin-
ner. In this, the law, tho' infi-
nitely pure, and infinitely wor
thy of our love, altogether fails.
It knows no mercy, it admits of
no forgiveness. Truly the law
has glory, but its glory is out-
fhone by the gospel. As the fal-
vation of finners is respected, the
law is faid to be weak. The
apoftle speaks of it in this light,
—“For what the law could not
do, in that it was weak thro' the
flesh, God fending his own Son, in
the likeness of finful flesb :
: That
the righteoufness of the law might
be fulfilled in us, who walk not af
ter the flesh, but after the Spirit."
While, therefore, we see the gof-

1. The law killeth, but the gofpel giveth life.-To the finner the law is death. It exhibits no indulgence, no mercy to tranfgreffors. The language of the law is this- Curfed is every one, that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them."-To the whole human race the law would prove to be the miniftration of death, were it not for the gofpel. The truth of this is realized, when the holy God fastens the arrows of conviction on the confcience of the guilty finner. He is then ready to adopt the words of the apoftle Paul, when he was relating his own experiences" But fin taking occafion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupifcence. For without the law fin was dead. For I was alive without the law ence but when the commandment came, fin revived, and I died. And the commandment, which was ordained to life, I found to be unto death." Here we fee an effential difference between the law and the gofpel, as fallen men are ref-pel harmonizing with the law, in pected. The law declares the fin- its views of fin and holiness, we ner to be undone; and the gofpel are taught that it poffeffes ftrength, views him in the fame condition, where the law is nothing but but it proclaims life to him, thro' weakness-that it poffeffes infithe Lord Jefus Chrift. There- nite riches, where the law has not fore, fpeaking of the inftitution a single favor to bestow—yea, that of the Christian ministry, the it freely offers eternal life, where apoftle fays, "Who alfo bath the law has nothing to present made us able minifters of the New but eternal death. Between the Teflament, not of the letter, but of law and the gofpel, therefore, is

there not fome difference? Is not | aftonish all holy beings. In the

the glory of the latter far greater than that of the former? Well might the apoftle fay," If the miniftration of condemnation beglory, much more doth the miniftration of righteoufnefs exceed in glory. For even that which was made glorious, had no glory in this refpect, by reafon of the glory that excelleth."

death of Chrift, the law was magnified and made honorable far more than it was when given to Mofes on Mount Sinai. Had it not been for the gofpel, for the coming and work of the Lord Jefus Chrift, we never should have known, as we now have opportunity to know, how infinitely ftrong is God's attachment to the law, and how determined he is to appear to the universe as a being of juftice. God has now given the greateft poffible proof of his juftice, because he has not spared his own Son.

3. Without the gospel mercy could never have been revealed. Mercy is that attribute of the divine nature which manifefts itself in beftowing favors on the ill-deferving and miferable. The law gives no intimation that God poffeffes fuch an attribute, or that tranfgreffors may have the least ground to hope for the divine favour. It is acknowledged, that in the fecond commandment of the decalogue, we find the fol

2. The gospel brings out the juftice of God more clearly than the law. Juftice is an effential attribute of God, a bright and glorious perfection of his nature. If God were not juft, his creatures could have no confidence in his government. It is important, that this perfection of divine nature should be difplayed before intelligent creatures, that they may fee the glory of God. The gofpel, in a peculiar manner, makes this difplay. In this refpect, it furpaffes the law as much as the light of the fun exceeds that of the ftars. The law declares God's hatred of fin; but the gofpel has brought this hatred out to view far more clearly. Angels and men, by the light which the gof-lowing claufe-Shewing mercy unto pel affords, have been made to fee, thousands of them that love me and that God is determined to main- keep my commandments. But, this tain a righteous government, and copy of the divine law was given that he will be known as a fin-ha- to a people, who had before been ting God. The gofpel fhows us, made acquainted with the promifes that God is infinitely attached to of the gospel; and the claufe, rethe law, and that he never will ferred to, undoubtedly alludes to give up one jot or tittle of it. In the gofpel. There is alfo a clause what way could there have been in the fifth commandment, which fo ftriking proof of this given, as was introduced with particular in the death of Chrift on the cross? reference to the ftate of that peoThat angels and men might fee ple, as journeying to the land of him difplay his hatred of fin, and Canaan. The claufe is this: That might have unquestionable proof thy days may be long upon the land his being a God of inflexible juf- which the Lord thy God giveth thee. tice, he spared not his own Son. Here is an intimation of God's He gave him up to die a fhameful mercy and patience; but it was death on the crofs. In this great given to a people, who had previ event, the juftice of God hone ous knowledge that with God with peculiar luftre, even fo as to there is forgivenefs. It was whol

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