reckoned or esteemed a true Believer; in Confequence whereof, a juftifying Righteoufnefs was imputed to him, even the Righteousness of God without the Law.

I think, I have before fufficiently proved to you, that we are juftified by the Righteousness of Chrift received by Faith, and cannot be justified by any perfonal inherent Righteoufnefs of our own.

This has been illuftrated from the Nature of Things, and confirmed by full and plain Scripture Teftimony; and this upon an impartial Search and Enquiry, I think, would appear to you to be the whole Scope and Design of the Gospel of Chrift.-I have now removed your great Difficulty out of the Way, and fhewn you how this Doctrine, fo plainly taught every where elfe, may be true in a full Confiftence with thofe Texts which in your Apprehenfion feemed to make against it.I would now propofe one Method more, to confirm you in the important Truth under Confideration; and that, if duly attended to, cannot fail.

Allow me, Sir, the Freedom to advise you, that you place yourself in the Prefence of the infinitely great and glorious God, and give yourself to Meditation on fuch Subjects particularly as may tend to enlighten and cftablish you in the prefent Truth. With this View folemnly contemplate God's infinite Juftice, his infinite Purity and Holiness, his infinite Abhorrence of Sin and Sinners, especially as to be feen in the Glafs of Chrift's Sufferings: Alfo contemplate your own State and moral Character, both by Nature and Practice; contemplate the finful Defects of the best Works of Righteoulnefs that ever you have done, the Pollutions mingled with the best Duties that ever you performed. Contemplate the Unbelief which accompanied the highest Actings of Faith you were ever capable of;

U 2

the

the Formality and Hypocrify which has mixed with your devouteft Prayers; the defultory Thoughts and dead Frames which have accompanied you to the most facred Ordinances of God's House; the frequent Violations of the most folemn Refolutions and Covenant-Obligations by which you have bound your Soul to the Lord: And, in a Word, contemplate the Greatness of your Sins, their vaft Number and dreadful Aggravations; with the Nothingnefs of your best Performances and highest Attainments in Religion; how much you have done against God, and how little for him.--And then confider, what Plea you have to make before this infinitely great, this abfolutely juft, this perfectly pure and holy God, for Juftification in his Sight, and Acceptance with him.-Will you plead your Acting of Faith in him and his Promises? Alas, how will your prevailing Unbelief fly in your Face, and put you to Silence!-Will you plead your perfonal Obedience and Works of Righteousness that you have done? Alas, how will a vaft Degree of Sin and Unrighteoufnefs cover and confound you! -Will you plead your Sincerity before God? But what will you do with that prevalent Formality and Hypocrify which your own Confcience will accuse and convince you of?-Will you not be forced at laft to cry out with David,-If thou, Lord, fhouldft mark Iniquity, O Lord, who fhall stand? and with Job,-Behold, I am vile! What shall I answer thee? 1 will lay mine Hand upon my Mouth. Once have I spoken, but I will not answer; yea twice, but I will proceed no further.-Will not you then fee your Neceffity of a more perfect Righteoufnefs, to plead before God, than any perfonal inherent Righteousness of your own, to cover your dreadful Sinfulness and infinite Defects; and to render you acceptable to God, notwithstanding all the Challenges

lenges which the Juftice, the Holinefs, and the Law of God, together with your own Conscience, have against you? Surely on due Reflection, you muft fee yourself in perifhing Neceflity of Chrift and his Righteoufnels, to recommend you to the divine Favour.

Dear Sir, I intreat you to confider in Seafon, what you muft confider first or laft: And let you and I be now folemnly careful to lay our Foundation fure, that we may meet with Comfort at the great Trial, and receive the Euge of our Judge, in that awful and great Day: Which is the Prayer of,

LETTER XIII. Wherein it is confidered, whether we are justified by Faith and Obedience to the Gospel, as a new Law of Grace.

SIR,

I CAN with greater Encouragement ufe my Endeavours to remove your Difficulties, and to fatisfy your Defires; fince" you do not throw Dif"ficulties either in your own Way or in mine, out of any conceived Prejudice, or from Oftentation

or

wrangling Difpofition; but from a fincere De"fire of building your Hope upon the sure Foundation laid in Zion." Would all Men act from Views fo worthy of this great Concern, it would be a likely Means, not only to put an end to the prevailing Confufions among us, but to give a triumphant Progress to the Truth; and to establish Men in the Faith delivered to the Saints.

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"You have (you fay) been fenfibly affected by my laft; and are fo fully convinced of the Danger of mistaking your Way, that you are the more follicitous to be fet right, and to have your "remaining Difficulties removed; and therefore you intreat me to bear with you, while you pro"pofe your ftrongest Objection against the Doc"trine I fuppofe to be of fo great Importance. "Your Author (you fay) tells you, that our blef"fed Saviour has purchafed for us new and easier "Conditions of Life; and instead of the finless O

bedience required by the moral Law, he has now "given us a new Law of Grace, which only requires

Faith, with fincere Obedience to the Gofpel, as "the Condition of our Juftification and Accep"tance with God.-Whence it is a neceffary Con"fequence, that our Juftification, or Title to e"ternal Life, depends not upon Chrift's Righte"oufnefs imputed to us; but upon our Faith, in"cluding fincere Obedience to the Gospel, as the "Condition to which it is promised; and that as our Obedience is imperfect, fö our State of Juf"tification is imperfect also; and we fhall not be perfectly juftified, till our Obedience be perfect" ed."

That I may diftinctly confider this Cafe, I fhall endeavour in the first Place, to make fome proper Inquiries and Reflexions upon this Scheme; and offer fome Objections against it, and then take Notice of the Arguments which you have brought to fupport it.

I would first enquire, where you find any Thing in Scripture of our Saviour's purchasing this new Law of Grace, whereby Faith and fincere Obedience are made the Conditions of our Juftification.-Perhaps your Author is filent upon that Head; and for my Part, I do not know that I have ever read any Thing at all about it in the Word of God.

We

read

read often of our bleffed Saviour's giving himself a Ranfom for us; of his being a Propitiation for our Sins; of his being the Lord our Righteousness; of his having brought in everlafting Righteousness; of his being the End of the Law for Righteousness, unto eve ry one that believeth; and of his being of God made unto us Wisdom and Righteoufnefs, and Sanctifica tion and Redemption; with many other like Reprefentations of his procuring a juftifying Righteouf. nefs for us. But of his purchasing this new Law of Grace, not one Word is to be found in the Scriptures. May we not justly fuppofe, that if this Scheme were right, we should have it plainly reprefented to us in the Oracles of God, and not be left to grope in the Dark, and to find out by farfetch'dConfequences, what is the Foundation of our Practice and Hope?-How vaft is the Difference between the one and the other Side of this Question! On the one side we have (or at least we think we have) very numerous, plain, exprefs Scripture Authorities, for our Juftification by the Righteousness of Chrift. On the other Side, there is a deep Silence throughout the whole Word of God, about any Purchase of a new Law, fuch a Law of favourable Terms, and about those new Conditions of our Juftification, those easier Terms, our Faith and fincere Obedience.—This Scheme therefore may be prefumed to be at beft but of human Invention.

I would further inquire, whether in the Nature of Things there can be any Juftification at all, upon fuch Conditions as you fpeak of?--I have fhewn you, that Juftification is always to be understood of our being efteem'd, declared, manifested, or pronounced Righteous. Now then, if our evangelical Obedience be imperfect, we are still unrighteous, by our remaining Sin and Difobedience against this imaginary new Law of Grace; and confequently God cannot judge and declare us righteous by Virtue of

Our