our Obedience. For his Judgment is according to Truth, as I observed to you in my laft Letter.Certain it is, that no Man upon Earth is, or can be perfectly fincere, perfectly believing, or perfectly obedient to the Gospel. His Defects will be greater than his Attainments; and his Difobedience will be greater than his Obedience, under his highest Improvements, as long as lives. He knows nothing of himself that does not know this to be Fact. He must therefore ever be more unrighteous than righteous as long as he lives; and accordingly He that can make no wrong Judgment of Things will judge and esteem him to be as he is; fo that the Man muft live and die unjustified, and appear at the Bar of Chrift in the fame State.

To fpeak of an imperfect or defective State of Juftification, feems to be a moft egregious Trifling in this awful Concern. We either are juftified, or we are not; either God does pronounce us righteous, or he does not. Now, if he does, we are free from Guilt, and fully accepted of him; but if he does not, we are under Guilt, and a Sentence of Condemnation. There can be no Medium, no middle State between that of Juftification and that of Condemnation.

However,were it even granted that we might be imperfectly justified, in Proportion to our Conformity to this fuppofed new Law, we must at the beft live and die but imperfectly juftified; and (as I before obferved) muft appear at the Bar of Chrift in the fame State in which we die; and confequently be but imperfectly justified for ever, without fome further Remedy be provided beyond the Grave. Thus, this Doctrine of Justification upon the Foot of perfonal Obedience to a new Law, is better adapted to a Popish Purgatory than to the Proteftant Profeffion and Hope.

I would

I would again enquire, whether it be poffible in the Nature of Things, that we may have any fincere Obedience to this new Law of Grace, before we are juftified; and confequently whether it is poffible that we may be juftified by fincere Obedience, before we have any Acting of gracious Sincerity, or any true Obedience at all?-Faith indeed does precede our Juftification in Order of Nature, but not in Time. There is no Moment of Time wherein a Man is a true Believer, and yet not juftified before God; and therefore, there cannot be a Moment of Time for Faith to be operative, and bring forth the Fruits of new Obedience, prior to our juftification.The Rightooufnefs of God is by Faith of Jefus Chrift, unto all, and upon all them that believe, for there is no Difference. Rom. iii. 22. This is the conftant Language of the Scripture, We are justified by Faith; and be that believeth is not condemned. Therefore as there can be no condemned, no unjuftified Believer, at any Time whatfoever, nor any Time at all for either legal or evangelical Obedience, between the firft Act of Faith and our paffing out of a State of Condemnation into a State of Juftification, hence our fincere Obedience must be the Confequence, and therefore cannot be the Condition of our Juftification.

Befides, as there can be no fincere Obedience antecedent to our Intereft in Chrift and Union to him, it hence appears, that our fincere Obedience muft neceffarily be the Confequence of our Juftification, and therefore cannot be the Condition of it.--I think, every Body will allow that Man to be in a juftified State who is interested in Chrift, and united to him. Now, our Lord himself affures us, that we cannot bring forth the Fruits of new Obedience, till we are united to him. Joh. xv. 4, 5. Abide in me, and I in you.

As the Branch cannot bear Fruit of itself, except it abide in the Vine; fo no more can ye, ex

cept

cept ye abide in me. He that abideth in me, and I in him, the fame bringeth forth much Fruit; for without me ye can do nothing: Or, as it may be render'd, Severed from me ye can bear none, can bring forth no Fruit all f. There cannot be a greater Solecifm, than to speak of a fincerely obedient christlefs Sinner; and therefore there cannot be a greater Inconfiftency, than for that to be the Condition of our Juftification, which is the Fruit and Effect of our Intereft in Chrift, and fo the Confequence of our juftified State.

Thefe, Sir, are fome of the many Inconveniencies that attend this your Scheme; which one would think should awaken your Attention, and make you look well about you, before you venture your eternal Intereft upon fuch an unfcriptural and inconfiftent Foundation.

I proceed now to offer fome other Objections against the Doctrine you propofe. And here one obvious Exception against this Doctrine is, that it perverts the Gospel of the Grace of God, and makes it properly and ftrictly a Covenant of Works.--The Condition of the Covenant of Works was this: The Man that doth thefe Things, fhall live by them, Rom. x. 5. And the Condition of our Juftification, according to this new Scheme, is this: The Man that doth thefe Things (i. e. that performs fincere Obedience to this new Law of Grace) hall live by them. Where then is the Difference between the old Covenant of Works, and this new imaginary Law of Grace? What gave Denomination to the Covenant of Works, was, that it required Works or Obedience as the Condition of it. And does not this pretended new Law of Grace require Works or Obedience as a Covenant Condition;

and

Compare the Original with Joh. xx. 7. and Jam, iii, 12.

and does is not therefore deferve the Denomination of a Covenant of Works, as much as the other? --If we run a Parallel between the first Covenant and this imaginary new Law of Grace, they will be found in all Things to agree, as a Covenant of Works. Thus the old Covenant of Works was a Law with Sanctions requiring Obedience, as the Matter of that Righteousness by which Man was to be justified. And this imaginary new Covenant is likewife ftiled a Law of Grace, which requires fincere Obedience as the Condition of our Justification. Juftification, according to the Tenor of the old Covenant of Works, was of Debt: And thus it is likewise according to the Tenor of this pretended new Law of Grace. An Obligation to give a Reward for Service performed, makes it a Debt, upon the Service being performed; and it can be claimed as fuch, whatever Proportion there is between the Reward, and the Service by which it becomes due. The old Covenant of Works, when it exacted Obedience, yet gave no new Strength for the Performance of it: And thus it is likewife in the prefent Cafe. For unlefs we are united to Christ, and interested in his Righteoufnefs, we can have no Security of new Supplies of Grace and Strength as we need them. Whatever Pretences

to gracious Affistance the Patrons of this new Law of Grace can make, they do not pretend, that God has by Covenant fecured to us fresh Supplies of Grace for perfevering Obedience.-According to the Tenor of the old Covenant of Works, Juftification was fufpended, forfeited and loft, upon the Non-performance of the required Obedience: And just thus it is likewife according to the Tenor of this pretended new Law of Grace.—I must therefore again demand, wherein this new Law does any Way differ from a proper Covenant of Works?

If

If it be pretended, that the Conditions of this new Covenant are much easier than the Conditions of the old Covenant of Works, which required perfect, and this but imperfect Obedience, as the Term of our Acceptance with God: I answer, This Suppofal would nothing alter the general Nature of the Covenant. Works are Works, Obedience is Obedience, whether perfect or imperfect. The Condition of each Covenant is Works; and Works come into the very formal Nature of each, as they are Covenants; and therefore how the one can be either more or less a Covenant of Works, than the other, I know not. Besides, it is a great Miftake, to fuppofe that the Conditions of this imaginary new Law or Covenant are easier than the Conditions of the old Covenant of Works. The Cafe is much otherwife. He with whom the first Covenant was made, had fufficient Power and Ability to fulfil all its Conditions, and fully to come up to all its Demands: But fallen Creatures are utterly incapable to perform fincere, though imperfect Obedience; they have naturally no Sincerity, no Truth in the inward Parts, no Principle of new Obedience; nor does this pretended Covenant fupply them with any, as before obferved. And therefore whatever Pretences are made, that thefe Conditions are eafier, they are indeed rather harder to be complied with, than the Conditions of the firft Covenant. It is more difficult for a Man without Legs to walk, than for a perfect vigorous lively Man to run.

If it be further pretended, that this Law of Grace differs from the Covenant of Works, in that Faith is, according to thisScheme, made the principal Condition of the new Covenant; this is but an empty Fretence. For Faith is here confidered but as an Act of Obedience, and as being feminally or virtually

all