Neceffity, that the Dishonour done to God by our Sins be repaired, and the penal Demands of his broken Law be fulfilled; that our Guilt may be removed from us, and God be just, in justifying the Ungodly. How elfe would the Judge of all the Earth do right, in declaring the Sinner righteous, while he remains under the Pollution and Guilt, both of original and actual Sin? As far then as our Obedience, confidered in itself, can answer those Ends, fo far it may conduce to our Juftification before God, and no farther.-If we can anfwer the Demands of the Juftice and Law of God for our paft Sins; if we can pay ten thousand Talents with less than nothing; and if by committing new Sin (as we always do in the best of our imperfect Obedience) we can fatisfy for our former Sin and Guilt, and fo discharge the old Score; then may our Obedience be confidered as the Condition of our Juftification beforeGod.--Whereas, if neither our legal nor our evangelical Obedience can do any Thing at all toward this; but (as coming from a finful Nature, and mixed with finful Imperfection) will add to the Debt, and increase the Weight of our Guilt, then it is certain, that that cannot be the Matter of a Sinner's Juftification, nor the Condition of our Acceptance with God.-Whence we may conclude with the Apoftle, that Chrift Jefus is fet forth to be a Propitiation, thro' Faith in his Blood, that his Righteousness may be declared, for the Remiffion of our Sins, in order that God may be juft, and the Juftifier of him which believeth in Jefus. Rom. iii. 25, 26.

Here can therefore be no Room at all for that Pretence, that the Obedience of Christ has purchased for us a difpenfing Act of Grace; that our fincere Obedience shall on this Account be accepted, inftead of the perfect Obedience demanded by the Law of Nature; and that we are accordingly jufti

fied by our evangelical Obedience, our Faith and Repentance, and our fincere Endeavours after a Conformity to the Will of God: For by whatever Price these Terms of our Juftification be procured for us, that Obedience, immediately by which (according to that Notion) we are juftified, is our own Righteousness; and therefore cannot intitle us to any Juftification before God, mentioned in Scrip

ture.

Not to that respected by the Law; for that is only propofed on Condition of perfect Obedience. Not to that refpected by the Gospel; for that is the Juftification of the Ungodly, by a not imputing their Iniquity, but imputing to them Righteousness without Works. (Rom. iv.) Whereas, according to this Imagination, it must be by a Vindication of our own Sincerity, and in virtue of our own evangelical Righteoufnefs, which must therefore be proportioned to the Demands of Juftice, or leave us open to the Curfes of the Law.How much fafer therefore would it be (with the Apostle) to disclaim all our own Righteousness, that we may be vested with that Righteousness which is through the Faith of Chrift, the Righteoufnefs which is of God by Faith! Phil. iii. 9.

Besides, how can our fincere Obedience justify us, when we can have no gracious Sincerity, and therefore no true Obedience, until the Moment in which we are actually justified?—I think all must allow, that he who is united to Chrift by Faith, is at the fame time juftified in the Sight of God: For we are accepted in the Beloved: There is no Condemnation to them which are in Chrift Jefus.-And it is most certain, that we can have no gracious Sincerity, before we are united to Chrift by Faith unfeigned. As the Branch cannot bear Fruit of itfelf, except it abide in the Vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. He that abideth in me, and Iin

him,

bim, bringeth forth much Fruit: For without me ye can do nothing. Joh. xiv. 4, 5.- From whence it is evident, that no Man can excercise gracious Sincerity in performing any good Works, until he be in a juftified State; and confequently fincere Obedience, either to the Law or Gospel, cannot be the Condition of our Juftification before God.-The first Excercise of saving Faith unites us to Christ; and is the immediate Foundation both of our Justification and of our fincere Obedience.-There is not a Moment of Time paffes between the first A& of true Faith and our Juftification; and confequently not a Moment of Time for the Practice of fincere Obedience, before we are united to Christ, and thereby juftified in the Sight of God.

Now it is impoffible, that our fincere Obedience should be both the Condition and the Confequence of our Juftification.

I might add to this, that if the Scriptures afcribe all the fpiritual Benefits we are Partakers of, either in this World, or that to come, to the Righteouf nefs of CHRIST only, then our Obedience, either to the Law or Gospel, can have no Hand in our Juftification before God. If all faving Mercy flow to us from that Fountain only, there can none flow to us from any other. And it appears plainly the whole Design and Tenour of the Gofpel, to illustrate this bleffed Truth to us. Though I cannot now enlarge upon this Head, I will just mention a few Instances to exemplify it. It is from Chrift's Righteousness alone that we receive the complete Forgivenefs of our Sins. Rom. iv. 6, 7, 8. Even as David also defcribeth the Blessedness of the Man, unto whom God imputeth Righteoufnefs WITHOUT WORKS, faying, Bleed are they whofe Iniquities are forgiven, whofe Sins are covered. Blessed is the Man to whom the Lord will not impute Sin. By this alone we are

made

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 Fefus.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 ftand, 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 Righteoufnefs, unto eternal Life, by Jefus Christ our Lord.The blessed Hope we are looking for, is therefore called the Hope of Righteoufnefs. Gal. v. 5.

I will only add, that if the Scriptures do exprefsly exclude all our own Righteoufnefs, and all our own Works, from any Hand in our Juftification, we alfo fhould renounce them all, and depend upon the Righteoufnefs of Chrift only: For this fee Tit. 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 Righteousness. These Things are fo plainly and evidently the Scope and Defign of the whole New Teftament, that all the artful Evafions of thofe, who would go about to establish their own Righte oufness, and rob Chrift of the Honour 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 Prophets

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 bis Blood, we shall be Javed from Wrath through him. 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 Sense I oppofe the Antinomian Dreams and Moravian Dotages; but alfo to offer fome 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 fhould feek to have a comfortable Perfuafion of their Interest in Chrift? 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 Design of the Gospel, 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 personal actual Interest in Christ, and that he will bestow his eternal Salvation upon us in particular? Whether there may not be a ftrong Perfuafion of a juftified 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