Letter. Should you fuppofe, that our Juftification is progreffive, and bears Proportion to our Sanctification, you must then allow, that we cannot be compleatly juftified, till we are compleatly fanctified, which we are not to expect in this Life.Should you fuppofe we shall be justified in our expiring Moments, juft as we are breathing our laft, even this will be before our Obedience is finished, or our Sanctification perfected: And therefore there can be no more Reafon affigned for it at that Period, either from Scripture or the Nature of Things, than there could have been perhaps a thousand Times before.-So that in whatever View we confider the Cafe, this Distinction, and the whole Scheme founded on it, is a mere Scene of Confufion, in the highest Degree repugnant both to Scripture and Reason. And now I'm ready to attend to your Reasoning in favour of these Principles. "I muft acknowledge (you fay) that we are ju"ftified upon Covenant Terms. Now a Covenant "must have Conditions, to be fulfilled by both "Parties; and confequently the Benefits of the "Covenant must depend upon the Performance of "thofe Conditions, and be fufpended when the "Conditions are violated. Whence 'tis neceffary "to fuppofe, that there are fome continuing Con"ditions required of us, in order to our com"pleat Juftification." There is no Need to debate with you the Propriety of the Word [Conditions] in this Cafe, becaufe it may be used in a found Sense: But I know nothing in the Nature of any Covenant, except a Covenant of Works, that makes fuch Conditions as you speak of, neceffary to it. Whereas, if you confider the Covenant of Grace in all the Exhibiti ons of it, it is a Covenant of Promife, as ftyled, Eph. Eph. ii. 12. Thence thofe who are interested in this Covenant are called the Children of the Promife. Rom. ix. 8. And the Heirs of the Promife. Heb. vi. 17.-Thus the Tenor of this Covenant, when made with Adam, was, that the Seed of the Woman Should bruise the Serpent's Head. Gen. iii. 15. And thus when made with Abraham, it confifted of a Promife, that in him all the Families of the Earth fhould be blessed. Gen. xii. 3. In neither of these Cafes was there any Condition added: It was barely a Declaration of Mercy to guilty Sinners. And yet the Apoftle exprefsly calls this a Covenant which was confirmed of God in Chrift; and fays, the Inheritance God gave to Abraham by Promife. Gal. iii. 17, 18.-And what is there that fhould make this inconfiftent with the Nature of a Covenant? Cannot you, Sir, covenant with a Beggar, to bestow upon him what Treasure you please, upon the only Condition of his thankful Acceptance? Cannot a Prince covenant with his Rebel fubjects, to pardon them and receive them into his Favour, upon the only Condition of their acknowledging his Sovereignty and accepting his Pardon? Would not this be truly and formally a Covenant, and a Covenant with ftrongest Obligations to the Performance, especially if confirmed by an Oath, as the glorious God has condefcended to confirm the Covenant of Grace? Heb. vi, 18. You further-argue, that "good Works and a "Life of fincere Obedience are abfolutely neceffary "to Salvation, without which no Man can see the "Lord, and therefore neceffary to our Juftificati66 on, which is but our Title to eternal Life. And a Right or Title to eternal Life is promised to "Obedience. Rev. xxii. 14. Bleffed are they that "do his Commandments, that they may have "Right to the Tree of Life, and enter in through A a "the "the Gates into the City.-Heaven is a Recom pence of Reward. And God has particularly "promifed to his People, that he will proportion "the Difpenfations of his Grace to the good or "evil Behaviour of his People, in the 18. and 33. "Chapters of Ezekiel." Do you indeed, Sir, fuppofe, that there is no Difference between Juftification and Sanctification? They are both, it is true, neceflary to Salvation; but are they both neceffary in the fame Refpects, in the fame Place and Order, and to the fame Ends? Are they both neceffary, as what equally intitle us to the continuing Favour of God, to Grace here, and Glory hereafter? Holinefs or new Obedience is neceffary as a Qualification disposing or fitting us for the Enjoyment of God, and Poffeffion of the heavenly Glory. But how will it follow from hence, that it is neceffary as the Condition of our Reconciliation to God, and of our being kept by his Power through Faith unto Salvation? How will it follow, that because we cannot be faved without Holinefs, that therefore we must be faved for it and upon the Account of it? It is neceffary to an Heir's Poffeffion of an Eltate given him by his Father's Will, that he live and enjoy his Reafon Yet it is not his Life and Reason, but his Father's Donation which gives him the Title. Even fo in the prefent Cafe, our Life and Activity are neceffary to our poffeffing the eternal Inheritance But it is the free Grace of God in Chrift which gives us the Title. By Grace are ye faved through Faith, and that not of yourselves: It is the Gift of God. Eph. ii. 8. As to the Scriptures cited by you, they are altogether impertinent to your Purpose. You should prove, if you woud confirm your Point in View, that we are justified by Works, and that our Works : give us the Title to Salvation. But all that you do prove by the cited Scripture, is, that good Works are neceffary to Salvation, which is a Truth equally allowed by both Parties in the prefent Controverfy, and a Confequence equally refulting from the Principles of both. The first Text indeed which you quote, does in the English Tranflation feem to look fomething in your Favour; but when read in the Original, all that Appearance is loft. I think it fhould thus be read, Bleed are they who do his Commandments, that they may have Power, Privilege, or Liberty (isola) for the Tree of Life.-And it is on all Hands granted, that none will ever have the Power, Privilege or Liberty, to enter the eternal Inheritance, but those who are fanctified. The whole Question is, From whence this Power is derived ; upon what Title this Liberty or privilege is founded? Whether only from the Righteoufnefs of Chrift imputed or from their fincere Conformity to the (pretended) new Law of Grace? To this the Text fays nothing at all; nor can any Argument be drawn from it, either on the one or the other Side of the Question. But Heaven is a Recompence of Reward. What then?-May not a Reward be given, not of Debt, but of mere Grace, without any Claim by perfonal Merit, without any Motive from Covenant-conditions performed, or any other Incentive at all, but the mere Goodness and Kindness of the Donor ? How then does this prove the Covenant-conditions you are pleading for? You may, Sir, if you please, without any previous Covenant, reward your Slave's Towardlinefs, with Freedom, and with a good Eftate, though this be what he can have no Claim to by his Obedience. His Perfon and Services being your Property, the Reward must flow A a 2 wholly wholly from your Kindness and Bounty.-And thus in the prefent Cafe, tho' eternal Life be a Reward, it is a Reward of mere Bounty and Goodness, it is the Gift of God thro' Jefus Christ our Lord. Rom. vi. 23. What you urge from the 18. and 33. Chapters of Ezekiel, is as little to your Purpofe. This will evidently appear, if you confider, that these Chap ters have a fpecial Reference to a temporal Salvation from the Calamities that Ifrael either felt or feared from the Chaldean War. They were Part of them already in Captivity; and the Remainder in dreadful Expectation of the fucceeding Carnage and Defolation which made a fwift Approach upon them. They on this Account complain of God's Difpenfations as unequal, and of their own Mifery as remedilefs. In anfwer to which Complaints God is pleafed by the Prophet to juftify his Difpenfati ons towards them; and to let them know, that his Dealings with them were according to their own Doings; that their Reformation would avert his Judgments; but their Apoftacy and Declenfion from his Service would both heighten his Difpleafure, and their Punishment.-That this was the Defign of the 18. Chapter, appears evident from the whole foregoing Context; where their dreadful Destruction by the Babylonians was exprefsly predicted and threatned; which gave Occafion to obviate their Objections against God's Dealings with them, and to give them a just View of the true Source and Caufe of their Mifery and Ruin. That this was alfo the Defign of the 33. Chapter, is most evident from the exprefs Words of the Context, as every one may fee, that will read from the 26. to the 29. Verle, where Sword, Famine, Peftilence, and utter Defo lation are exprefsly denounced, and declared to be the Evils referred to in this Difcourfe.-Now what juft Argument can be drawn from hence? Will it fol |