of receiving Christ, but the benefit received by faith, that is the believer's righteoufaefs.

But you cannot understand how faith's being im puted to us for righteoufnefs, can intend that Chrift's righteoufnefs is imputed to us.'. Well then, let it be even fuppofed, that faith is here taken fubjectively; and that it was Abraham's faith itself, confidered as an act of his own, that was imputed to him. It may notwithstanding be fet in fuch a view, as will fecure the truth of the doctrine I am pleading for, if the text be confidered, as it is in the original. His faith was imputed UNTO righteoufnefs, that is, as he was reckoned, judg ed or esteemed of God to be a found believer, fo the faith which was imputed or reckoned to him, was unto righteoufnefs; was inftrumental to his attaining of righteoufnefs; was the means, that by the righteoufness of one the free gift came upon him, unto justification of life; or, in other words, was the means of his intereft in that righteousness of Chrift, by which he was juftified. In this fenfe, the imputation refpects his faith: and intends an approbation and acknowledgement of it as true and fincere, and effectual to its proper purposes. He was approved of God, as having a true and found faith, a faith effectual, as an applying means, unto righteousness, and thereby unto juftification: a faith, which interefted him in Chrift and his righteousnefs, and thereby entitled him unto acceptance with God, and eternal life. He was judged to be fuch a believer as to have a right, according to the terms of the covenant of grace, to have righteousness imputed to him, without works, as it is expreffed in ver. 6th. According to this view of the cafe, imputation is confidered in this context in both the fenfes, before explained. Abraham was reckoned or ef teemed a true believer: in consequence whereof, a justifying righteoufnefs was imputed to him, even the rightecufnels of God without the law.

I think, I have before fufficiently proved to you, that we are justified by the righteoufnefs of Chrift received by faith, and cannot be juftified by any perfonal inherent righteousness of our own. This has been illustrated from the nature of things, and confirmed by full and plain. fcripture teftimony: and this upon an impartial fearch

and enquiry, I think, would appear to you to be the whole fcope and defign of the gofpel of Chrift. I have now removed your great difficulty out of the way, and fhewn you how this doctrine fo plainly taught every where else, may be true in a full confiftency with thofe texts, which in your apprehenfion feemed to make against it. I would now propose 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 presence of the infinitely great and glorious God, and give yourself to meditation, on fuch fubjects particularly, as may tend to enlighten and esta. blifh you in the prefent truth. With this view folemnly contemplate God's infinite juftice, his infinite purity and holiness, his infinite abhorrence of fin and finners, especially as to be seen in the glass of Chrift's sufferings: alfo contemplate your own ftate and moral character, both by nature and practice. Contemplate the finful defects of the best works of righteousness 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 capable of; the formality and hypocrify, which has mixed with your devoutest prayers; the defultory thoughts and dead frames, which have accompanied you to the moft facred ordinances of God's houfe; the frequent violations of the most folemn refolutions and covenant obligations by which you have bound your foul to the Lord. And in a word, contemplate the greatnefs of your fins, 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 fight, 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 filence! Will you plead your perfonal obedience, and works of righte

oufnefs, that you have done? Alas, how will a vaft degree of fin and unrighteoufnefs cover and confound you! Will you plead your fincerity before God? But what will you do with that prevalent formality and hypocrify, which your own confcience will accufe and convince you of! Will not you be forced at laft to cry out with David. If thou, Lord, fhouldft mark iniquity, O Lord, who fhall ftand! and with Job, Behold, I am vile! What fball I anfwer thee? I will lay mine hand upon my mouth. Once have I fpoken: but I will not anfwer; yea twice, but I will proceed no further. Will not you then see your neceffity of a more perfect righteoufnefs, to plead before God, than any perfonal inherent righteoufnels of your own, to cover your dreadful finfulness and infinite defects; and to render you acceptable to God, notwithstanding all the challenges, which the juftice, the helinefs, and the law of God, together with your own confcience, have against you? Surely on due reflection, you must fee yourfelf in perifhing neceflity of Chrift, and his righteousness, to recommend you to the divine favour.

Dear Sir, Fintreat you to confider in feafon, what you must confider firft or laft: and let you and I be now solemnly 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,

Sir,

Yours, &c.

LETTER XIII. Wherein it is confidered, whe ther we are JUSTIFIED by faith and obedience to the GOSPEL, as a NEW LAW of GRACE.

I

SIR,

CAN with greater encouragement ufe my endea vours to remove your difficulties; and to fatisfy your defires, fince you do not throw difficulties either in your own way or in mine, out of any conceived prejudice, or from oftentation or wrangling difpofition: • but from a fincere defire of building your hope upon

the fure 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 prevail. ing confufions among us: but to give a triumphant progrefs to the truth; and to establish men in the faith delivered to the faints.

6

You have (you fay) been fo fenfibly affected by my laft; and are so fully convinced of the danger of miftaking your way, that you are the more folicitous to be fet right; and to have your remaining difficulties • removed : and therefore you intreat me to bear with you, while you propofe your ftrongest objection against the doctrine, I fuppofe to be of fo great importance. Your author (you fay) tells you, that our bleffed Saviour has purchased for us new and easier con⚫ditions of life; and inftead of the finless obedience 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 julli ⚫fication and acceptance with God. Whence it is a neceflary confequence, that our juftification, or title to eternal life, depends not upon Chrift's righteousness imputed to us: but upon our faith, including fincere ⚫ obedience to the gofpel, as the condition to which it is promifed, and that as our obedience is imperfect, fo our ftate of justification is imperfect alfo; and we fhall not be perfectly juftified, till our obedience be perfected.

That I may diftinctly confider this cafe, I fhall endeavour in the first place, to make fome proper inqui ries and reflections upon this scheme; and offer some objections against it; and then take notice of the arguments which you have brought to fupport it.

I would firft enquire, where you find any thing in fcripture of our Saviour's purchafing 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 often, of our blessed Saviour's giving himself a ransom for us; of his being a propitiation for our fins of his being the Lord our righteouynefs;

of his having brought in everlasting righteousness; of his being the end of the law for righteousness, unto every one that believeth; and of his being of God made unto us wifdom, and righteousness, and fanctification, and redemption; with many other like reprefentations of his procuring a juftifying righteousness for us. But of his purchafing this new law of grace, not one word is to be found in the fcriptures. May we not juftly fuppofe, that if this scheme were right, we should have it plainly represented to us in the oracles of God; and not be left to grope in the dark, and to find out by far-fetcht confequences, what is the foundation of our practice and hope? How vaft is the difference, between the one and the other fide of this question! On the one fide, we have (or at least we think we have) very numerous, plain, exprefs fcripture authorities, for our juftification by the righteoufnefs of Christ. On the other fide, there is a deep filence 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 justification, those easier terms of our faith and fincere obedience. This scheme therefore may be prefumed to be at leaft but of human invention.

I would further enquire, whether in the nature of things there can be any juftification at all, upon fuch conditions as you speak of? I have fhewn you, that juftification is always to be understood of our being efteemed, declared, manifefted, or pronounced righteous. Now then, if our evangelical obedience be imperfect, we are still unrighteous, by our remaining fin and difobedience against this (imaginary) new law of grace; and confequently God cannot judge and declare us righteous by virtue of our obedience. For his judgment is according to truth, as I obferved to you in my last 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 dilobedience will be greater than his obedience, under his highest improvements, as long as he lives. He knows nothing of himfelf, that does not know this to be fact. He must therefore ever be more unrighteous, than righteous, as long as he lives