In fine, the Chriftian here defcribed, is one who with his mind does himself ferve the law of God. He has had God's law put into his mind, and he ferves God with his fpirit. His whole man, all that can be called himfelf, is engaged in a life of Gofpel obedience. What can they therefore have to do with the peace and comfort, which is here offered to Chriftians indeed, who are grofly defective, partial, and unfteady in their obedience; whofe minds are wavering and whofe hearts are divided between the fervice of God and their idols? A double minded man is unftable in all his ways; and let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. James i. 7, 8.

Now, to conclude this long letter, I will only further obferve, that you may here find, in a fummary and concife reprefentation, the true characters of the children of God; as well as matter of conviction to those who cannot, and of confolation to thofe who can, apply these marks to themselves. If upon an impartial examination you can justify your claim to the characters here given, let no man rob you of the comfort and hope thereby fet before you. But if you cannot find fuch marks in yourfelf, never reft till you obtain these evidences of a converted state.

That the Lord may comfort your heart, and stablish you in every good word and work, to do his will, is the prayer of,

Sir,

Your, &c.

LETTER XI. Wherein the MORAVIAN and ANTINOMIAN Doctrine of JUSTIFICATION, in fome of its peculiar Points, is confidered and refuted.

SIR,

IT

Tis true, that I do agree with the Antinomians and Moravians in this, that The righteoufnefs of our Lord Jefus Chrift is the alone matter of our juftifica ⚫tion before God.' But I am notwithstanding very far from agreeing with them, in the whole of their doctrine

on that important article of a finner's juftification by faith in Chrift. The perfon, you have converfed with,. has impofed upon you, in pretending, that they and we are of the fame fentiments with refpect to the doctrine of juftification.' In compliance with your demands, I fhall therefore endeavour to fhew you, What is the difference between them and thofe of our profession, in this great point; and what are the reasons of our differing from them.' I prefume, you do not expect from me a particular detection of all the Moravian and Antinomian errors: this would require a larger volume, than I have leifure to write, or you would have patience to read. I fhall therefore limit myself to the fubject, which you have propofed.

There are thefe two things efpecially in the doctrine of our juftification by faith, which are to be condemned, as most dangerous errors in the fects you fpeak of. The firft is, their notion of the nature of a faving faith. The fecond is, the part which they aflign to faith in our juftification. It is neceffary in order to fet the affair in a proper light, that I be fomething particular upon each of these.

&

The first thing then to be confidered, is their notion of the nature of a faving faith. This they fuppofe to confift in a joyful perfuafion of our intereft in Chrift, and of our title to his purchased falvation. And accordingly Count Zinzendorf in his discourses on the redemption of man, p. 120, frequently gives us this view of a faving faith. Believe then (fays he) that Jefus has a• toned and payed a ranfor for you all; and that you 6 may experience it this s very moment; and know that ye have been healed by his wounds and by his ftripes.' And the Antinomians in general agree with him in this, that faving faith confifts in a comfortable perfuafion of our perfonal intereft in the Lord Jefus Chrift. But then on the contrary, you may perceive by what I have written to you on this fubject, that I do not fuppofe this perfuafion to enter into the definition of a faving faith; nor to be any part of it. It is what a true believer may want; and an unbelieving and impenitent finner may entertain in an high degree.

This is an affair of vaft confequence, and therefore de

N

mands a more diftinct and particular confideration, than I can now have opportunity for. I fhall however ́attempt to fet it in as plain and familiar a light as I can. In order to this, it will be proper (previous to my reasoning against this wild opinion) to premise these observations.

1. That believers may have good fatisfaction of their fafe eftate, and full perfuafion of their intereft in Chrift, from their experience of a work of grace in their hearts; and from the fruits of faith, in their affections and con⚫ veríations. It is just reasoning, from the nature of the fruit, to the quality of the tree that bears it. If therefore a man finds in himself an habitual, predominant defire after the Lord Jefus Chrift, as the portion of his foul; if he feels his fins to be the burthen of his foul, what he hates without reserve, what he ftrives, watches and prays againft, and never willingly and deliberately indulges; if he delights himself in the Lord, in near approaches to him, and communion with him in his ordinances; if he knows it to be the bent and difpofition of his foul, to approve himself to God in a life of fpiritual mindedness, and in all holy conversation, and godliness, in self-denial, in piety towards God, in righteoufnefs, and charity towards men: though he may yet groan under many difallowed imperfections, he nevertheless may be, and ought to be perfuaded of his intereft in Chrift; and give the praise and glory of these divine influences upon his foul, to the bleffed author of them. This is the ordinary and ftanding evidence to the children of God, of the fafety of their fate. By this they have a comfortable and joyful persuasion, that he who has begun a good work in them, will perform it to the day of Chrift. By this the children of God are manifeft, both to themselves and others. In this fenfe then, I do not deny to believers a perfuafion, or manifeftation of their own good estate. This perfuafion is what they thould by no means contentedly rest short of. It is greatly needful, not only to their comfort and hope, but to their ferving God with the difpofitions becoming children, with enlargement of foul, and with chearfulness and delight. But then you must remember, that this perfuafion is not faith; but arifes from the fruits and effects of faith upon the foul, and is what may (fome,

times at leaft) be wanting in the best of the children of God. I muft ftill further obferve,

2. That God is fometimes pleased in a more special manner, to bed abroad his love in the hearts of believers, by his holy Spirit, with fuch superior light and evidence, that their gracious fincerity, fo confequently their interest in Christ, and their title to the eternal inheritance, can at fuch times be no ways doubtful and questionable to them. The Spirit of God witneffeth with their Spirits, that they are his children. And they are fealed with the holy Spirit of promife. In this cafe, as in the other before mentioned, their comfortable perfuafion of their in-. terest in Christ arises from an evident discovery of the exercife of the graces of his bleffed Spirit. Herein this joyful perfuafion in both cafes agrees, that it is reasonable and well grounded. The Spirit of God never perfuades the foul to believe a truth without its proper evidence: nor caufes the believer to rejoice without rational grounds and motives. But then this latter perfuafion differs from that before mentioned, in thefe following refpects. It is produced in the soul with an incomparably ftronger and clearer light. In the other cafe, fatisfaction is obtained by a series of reasoning, reflection, and felf examination; distinctly considering the fcripture-rule, and comparing it with the ftate, circumftances, and fettled habit of the foul. Whereas, in this cafe, the foul has fo clear a view and consciousness of its present exercise of faith in Christ, and love to God, that all clouds are dispersed, all mifts and darkness vanish; and there is no room left for doubts and mifgiving thoughts; but the foul fees itself safe in the hands of Chrift; and can reft there with the greatest alacrity and pleasure. Moreover, as this perfuafion which I am now fpeaking of, makes its way into the foul with much greater light, fo it has a much quicker and more fudden production. The foul is not exercifed in this cafe, for months and years together, with difficult enquiries into its own state: but at once, before it is aware, overcomes all its fears, by feeling the poffeffion and influence of the graces and confolations of the Spirit of God. I may yet add, that this perfuafion is accompanied with fuch unfpeakable joy, as those (even believers themselves) cannot have any

idea of, who have not thus tafted that the Lord is gra cious. The divine light fhines into the foul with a tranf porting and ravishing energy, till it is as it were loft in a joyful aftonishment. By this the world vanishes out of fight, and death itfelf lofes its terrors; by this the martyrs have been enabled to fing in the flames, and moft joyfully to triumph over all that is moft frightful and diftreffing to nature. To which I may also add, that this joyful perfuafion, of which I now speak, has a transforming efficacy on the foul who is the happy fubject of it. It purifies the heart, and promotes conformity to God: It humbles the foul to nothing in its own eyes; brings it down to an abfolute fubjection to the will of God; and excites in the moft vigorous ex. ercife of the graces of the Spirit, and the duties of Chriftianity, effects, which at leaft are not fo fenfibly produced, and in fuch a degree, by the fatisfaction which the foul obtains of its own good ftate, in the method first mentioned. I have infifted the longer upon these heads, to obviate all mifapprehenfions of what I have yɛt to offer and to the fame purpofe I must add once more,

3. That we have no other claim to acceptance with God, but by the righteoufnefs of Chrift imputed to us and received by faith: and therefore that we can have no just persuasion of our being in favour with God, but from our intereft in and dependance upon his righteoufnefs, as the matter of our juflification. It is only on account of what Chrift has done and fuffered for us, that we are juftified before God and entitled to eternal fal· vation. It is only by faith, that we are interested in this righteousness. And it is only by the evidence of our having a true unfeigned faith, that we can fafely enjoy the fatisfaction and comfort of a juftified state. That we cannot be juflified before God by our own fincere obedience, either to the law of nature or to any imagi nary law of grace, or even by faith itself, as it is an act of obedience, or any other way whatfoever, but by the imputation of the righteoufnefs of Chrift to us, and on the account of what he did and fuffered for us, will appear from the following confideration."

This appears evidently true, in that nothing can be the matter of our juftification before God, but what is a