In fine, if we may receive the Lord Jefus Chrift upon the Terms of the Gofpel, without a joyful Perfuafion of our own good State, we may have a faving Faith without it. This Confequence cannot be oppofed, because receiving the Lord Jefus Chrif is the Gofpel-defcription of a faving Faith.And that we may thus receive the Lord Jefus Christ, without this joyful Perfuafion of our own Intereft in him, may be evidenced by a Variety of Argu

ments.

This is evident from the Nature of Things, in that the A must neceffarily precede the Evidence of it; and confequently our firft receiving the Lord Jefus Chrift muft neceffarily precede our Knowledge or grounded Perfuafion of it; or elfe we muft be perfuaded of a Non-entity, of what is falfe in Fact, and just as different from a saving Faith as any other Falfhood whatsoever.

This is likeways evident, that our receiving the Lord Jefus Chrift, and our Perfuafion of an Intereft in him, are two very different Acts of the Mind, which noways imply each other.It is one Act of the Mind, heartily to confent to the Gospel-offer; and another Act of the Mind, quite different and distinct, to entertain a joyful Perfuafion, that this Confent flows from gracious Sincerity. The former may, and often does exift without the latter; and therefore Christ may be received by Faith, without the Perfuafion of an Interest in him.

This is alfo evident, in that a true Faith may confift with a great deal of remaining Unbelief-He may fincerely receive Chrift by Faith, who has Occafion to make that Exclamation, Lord help my Unbelief! This may therefore fo much darken the Mind, as to make the Believer uncapable of decerning, and being fully perfuaded of the Sincerity of his Faith; and confequently true Faith may exist

without

without this Perfuafion; and a Man may have received the Lord Jefus Chrift, who is in great Doubts and Darkness about it.

This is moreover evident, in that fuch an one may truly receive the Lord Jefus Christ upon his own Terms, who has no clear Idea of the Nature of juftifying Faith. He may have a believing Heart, who has but a weak and cloudy Head. He may defpair of all Help in himself, most earnestly defire an Interest in Chrift, be heartily willing to comply with the Gospel-offer, resolved to have Chrift upon any Terms, and may trust in Chrift alone for Salvation, who, notwithstanding, may have but very confufed Apprehenfions of the Nature of these Exercifes of Soul, and of the Gospel-promifes made to those who have attained them; and confequently may receive Chrift by Faith, without this Perfuafion of an Interest in him.-I may add once more,

This is alfo evident, in that all who receive the Lord Jefus Chrift, have the Power or Privilege to become the Sons of God, whether they are perfuaded of their Interest in Christ or not. But all who are perfuaded of their own good Estate have not that Power or Privilege; for many of these are prefumptuous Sinners. Whence it follows, that to receive the Lord Jefus Chrift by Faith is one Thing, and to be perfuaded of our Interest in him is another Thing, quite diftinct in its Nature and Confequences.

The second Thing which I mentioned, as a most dangerous Error in the Moravians and Antinomians, is the Part they affign to Faith in our Justifi cation.

The most of the Antinomians fuppofe, that our Juftification, confidered as a Freedom from Guilt or Condemnation, and a Title to the Favour of God, was from Eternity. All of them fuppose, at least

we were thus juftified from the Time of Chrifl's Death, before we had any actual Existence.-Tho' the most of the Antinomians limit this Juftification to the Elect only, the Moravians herein differ from their other Antinomian Brethren; and fuppofe, that all the World of Mankind, without Difference, were actually juftified, when Chrift pronounced thefe Words upon the Crofs, It is finished. Accordingly Count Zinzendorf, in the forecited Book, tells us, "On the Crofs he made a Confeffion for all the World, when he faid, Father forgive them; and when he cried out, It is finished, he gave Abfolution to all wicked Rebels. †-Whence it appears, that according to them, Faith in Chrift has no Part at all in our Juftification, confidering this as a judicial Sentence of our Judge. This Juftification was not only precedent to ourFaith, but to our very Exiftence: And according to the Moravian Divinity, Multitudes are thus juftified, who never had, nor ever will have any true Faith in Jefus Chrift.According to the Doctrine of all the Antinomians, the Elect are all justified before Faith, as already has been obferved.

When these therefore fpeak of Juftification by Faith, they mean no more than that Faith gives us the comfortable Evidence of that State of Peace and Favour with God, which we were in before; or that it enables our Confciences now to pronounce the fame Sentence concerning our State, which our Judge had pronounced before we were born.

I'm fure I need no Arguments to convince you, that thefe Principles are diametrically contrary to the Sentiments fet before you in fome of my former Letters. All that is therefore needful to give you a Surfeit of thefe Antinomian and Moravian Tenets, is only to give you a very brief View of the

† Difcourfes on the Redemption of Man, p. 31.

Scripture

Scripture-doctrine, with respect to our Fuftification before God; and then fet before you fome of the dreadful Confequences that muft neceffarily follow from the wild and extravagant Scheme I am oppofing.

The Scriptures every where fhew us, that we are juftified through Faith; that Chrifl's Righteousness is received by Faith; and that Righte.ufness shall be imputed to us, if we believe.

But no where do they make Mention of our Juftification as prior to our believing in Chrift. Thus we are taught, that the Righteoufnels of God is by Faith of Jefus Christ, unto all, and upon all them that believe; that God hath fet forth Chrift to be a Iropitiation through Faith in his Blood, to declare his Righteousness for the Remiffion of Sins, Rom. iii. 22. 25. Now then can it poffibly be true, that we are juftified in the Sight of God before we believe in Christ, and yet interested in the Righteousness of God by the Faith of Jefus Chrift? Can it be true, that Chrift is our Propitiation, and declares his Righteoufnefs for the Remiffion of our Sins, through Faith in his Blood ; and yet that his Propitiation. and his Righteoufnefs for the Remiflion of our Sins are applied to us before and without any Faith in his Blood?-The Scriptures teach us, that the Righteousness, of God is revealed from Faith to Faith, Rom. i. 17. and that there is one God who fhall justify the Circumcifion by Faith, and Uncircumcifion through Faith, Rom. iii. 30. Can there be a greater Inconfiftency and Contradiction imagined, than is between the following Propofitions, viz. That the Beginning, the Continuance, and the Accomplishment of our actual Intereft in the Righteoufnefs of Chrift for our Juftification, is by Faith, or that both the Circumcifion and the Uncircumcifion (that is, all Men without Difference) are juftified by and through

Faith; and yet, that the Righteousness of Christ was actually imputed to us, and we accepted as righteous in the Sight of God, not only before we did believe, but before it was poffible for us to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ?—The Scriptures teach us, that a Man is juftified by Faith, without the Deeds of the Law, Rom. iii. 28. that God imputeth Righteousness without Works, Rom. iv. 6. that we are juftified by the Faith of Jefus Chrift, Gal. ii. 6. that we are juftified by his Grace, Titus iii. 7. that we are faved by Grace through Faith, Eph. ii. 8. that Righteousness is imputed to all that believe, Rom. iv. II. and that we must be found in Christ, not having our own Righteousness, which is of the Law, but that which is through the Faith of Chrift, the Righteousness which is of God by Faith, Phil. iii. 9.But I fhould weary your Patience, fhould I go on to enumerate Quotations of this Kind. This is the conftant Language of the Word of God.-Thefe wild Notions of the Antinomians are therefore as repugnant to the whole Tenor of the Scriptures, as they are to Reason and common Senfe.

I am aware, that they have an Evasion at Hand, by which they pretend to folve this Difficulty; and that is, that our Juftification by Faith means no more, than the Manifeftation of our Juftification to our own Confciences, or an inward Perfuafion and Satisfaction of our justified State.-But this is too trifling to deserve any feriousConfideration.-Is not Faith, according to them, a Perfuafion of our juftified State? And are Faith and Juftification the fame Thing? Are we justified by Faith, and yet are we to confider Faith as our Juftification itfelf? If Faith be a Persuasion of our Interest in Christ, and our actual Salvation by him; and if Juftification likewife be a Perfuafion of our Intereft