faith muft now be noticed. Thofe | dience, as would in reality be dif. honorable for him to accept. Further: All their love, joy, comfort, obedience and religion, are entirely falfe, and abominable in the fight of God, and are expreffions of enmity of heart againft him, and his law, and the true gofpel of his grace. They love Chrift for breaking down God's law, and overthrowing its authority, and fupporting finners in rebellion and difobedience. Their joy arifes from their falfe notions of Chrift, and is of a selfish nature, and refpects their own final happiness, on principles better fuited to their carnal hearts, than fubmiffion to the perfect law of God. They praife God for confenting to give up or abate his law, and to come to better terms with them. Their comfort is, that now reftraints are taken off, the yoke of bondage to the perfect law of God broken, fincere defires and endeavors accepted, as the terms of juftification, and imperfections, or in other words, no fmall degree of wickedness and licentiousness tolerated. And their religion and obedience are all to who have this faith, have no fenfe of the infinite and immutable obligation of the moral law of God upon us, in all cases whatsoever, nor of the inexcufablenefs and evil nature of fin. They indeed believe that the law is not a good law, as it refpects fallen man, that it ties us up to impoffibilities, that God has given it up in favor of all who believe, and that we are not inexcufable for not rendering perfect obedience to it. Such believers have no fenfe of their depravity and obftinacy of heart, as the only thing which prevents their yielding finless obedience to the law. They excuse themselves in this, by thinking that it is in the nature of things impoffible that men, in our circumftances, could keep it, if they were ever fo much difpofed to do it. And hence their faith is built on falfe notions of the law of God, and of that fallen ftate from which Chrift came to redeem us. Hence they have no true ideas of the character and work of Chrift, nor of the nature and defign of his atonement. Their ideas of him are entirely false. Chrift came together of a felf-righteous and mermagnify that law, which they cenary nature, defigned to purthink he came to abate, to affert chafe juftification by their new and eftablish the obligations of law, as is an expreffion of a kind obedience to that law, from which of gratitude to God, for denying they fuppofe he came to give them himfelf, and coming to fuch terms a release. He came to condemn of accommodation. fin in the flesh, all that fin, which they think he winks at, as only the neceflary imperfections of Chriftians, he came to justify the father in all his claims, whom they fuppofe he came to pacify, and render more propitious to finners, and better difpofed towards our world, and he came principally to glorify God, while they think his main object was to fave finners, on the ground of fuch imperfect obe The confequences of this faith. alfo are in other refpects abominable. It is from its nature attended with spiritual pride and selfcomplacency, inftead of humility and felf-abhorence. Those who have it, under pretence of magnifying free grace, often affume a kind of familiarity with God, which betokens their want of reverence for him, and fometimes borders on profanenefs and blaf phemy. This faith leads them to look down on the habitual duties of religion, and an humble, laborious and conflicting life of holinefs, as low, and as being a flate of bondage, from which Chrift came to fet them free: And to confider those who practise these duties, as inferior in their attainments to themselves, legal, not evangelical. that is, under bonds, and not like themselves, brought into the glorious liberty of of what? of finning that grace may abound. Further, This faith is far from being the fubftance of thofe things, which the gofpel gives true believers reafon to hope for. It is not in any degree a conformity to God, to, his law, and to perfect holinefs. But it is oppofition to all these. The Chriftian is not warranted to expect that God will ever fhake the foundations of his government and kingdom, by reducing his law, or by faving finners on the terms of their imperfect, or their perfect obedience; nor does the true Chriftian wish for it: He exalts God: Self is not every thing with him. Nor is this faith the evidence of things not seen. There is nothing in this faith, which fits a man for the enjoyment of the true God, that can be pleafed with his law as it ftands, and with a government administered according to this law. But if it is in any fenfe, an evidence of things not feen, it is an evidence that those who have it, never can be fuited with God, and his law, and holinefs; but that, when they fhall come to find out what God is, they will hate him,-what Chrift, and the defign of his atonement are, they will be wholly difappointed in their expectations, and full of enmity against him, and confequently will be miferable for ever. This faith is indeed an evidence that thofe who have it, and are under the power of it, are children of wrath. There is ftill another falfe kind of faith, which is equally ruinous in its nature, which many mistake for true faith, and against which it is important that people should be warned. This faith excludes the entire depravity of the natural hearts of men, while in a state of probation, it fuppofes that there is fomething of a moral nature in them, which God approves; that men may cherish this, and it will increafe and become a confirmed ftate of holiness if cultivated. Those who have this faith, difbelieve that God, by an irrefiftable' power of his own, renews the heart; and think that he only fets motives before men, which excite their exertions, and by these they become holy. They difbelieve that ever God elected, and fixed on a certain number, whom he is determined to fave by his own efficiency, and to do infinitely more for them than for others. And fuppofe that it is owing, not to the fpecial diftinguishing agency of divine grace, but to their own care, attention and faithfulness, that fome become holy and interefted in the promises of the gospel, and even finlefs in this life, and others fin away their day of grace, and are finally loft. They believe that the perfeverance of the faints depends wholly on their own exertions, and that they may, and fometimes do fall finally from grace, and are forever ruined. This faith is defective, erroneous and of a pernicious tendency in the following things. Thofe who have it, have no idea of the ruined state through entire wickednefs of heart, from which Chrift came to fave his people, nor of any ftrong oppofition to divine truths. They have no idea of the dependence of men on the Holy Ghoft, to take them, fubdue their hearts by almighty power, fanctify and preferve them. They afcribe their own falvation from fin, very much to themfelves-to their own confideration, ferioufnefs and attendance on duties and ordinances, as the cause of their converfion. And they afcribe it to thefe, that any continue to the end, and are faved, while others are loft for want of these; instead of imputing it to the distinguishing grace of God, in electing, renewing and working effectually in his people, and keeping them by his power, thro' faith, unto falvation. This faith leads men to look to themselves, and not to God only, for regeneration, faith, fanctification, and all the graces which are connected with the promifes of falvation. It hides the glory of diftinguishing grace, fofters pride, and felf-dependence, and felf-complacency in those who have it, and produces a felf-exalting fpirit. Such are without an humble daily dependance on God for every thing, for holinefs and perfeverance. It leads men to believe that there is no effential change neceffary to falvation, but that the good feed in every heart, may without a fupernatural change, by their care, gradually ripen into perfect holinefs. It caufes men to hate and defpife the doctrines of grace, and entire dependence, and to look down on thofe who embrace these humiliating and felfdenying doctrines, as fanatics and enthufiafts. This faith rejects the efficient work of the Holy Ghoft, and the true way of falvation, and directs men to feek falvation, from whence it cannot come-to their own ex ertions, inftead of leading them to loathe themselves as utterly corrupt at heart, and to caft themfelves on free fovereign grace, and has nothing in it but what is confiftent with an unfanctified, proud fpirit. Inftead of mentioning the mod ern catholic faith, which teaches, that if men are fincere in their faith, and moral towards men, let their faith be chriftian, pagan or what it may, it will be accepted, inftead of enlarging on any other fpurious faith in particular, it may perhaps anfwer every purpose, to notice briefly the difference between gofpel faith, and all kinds of falfe faith. A true faith regards God's law as holy, fpiritual and of indifpenfible and immutable obligation,man as a finner by nature, entirely finful at heart,-Chrift as viewing and loathing the finner as fuch, and providing for his falvation, that he might glorify God, magnify the law, and promote the general good. The believer approves of all, and of being thus confidered and treated, and delights to have God, his law, and kingdom exalted. He wishes to be faved as a finner, vile and unworthy, and that God would use him to anfwer his own glorious purposes. He confiders God as the whole fource of man's falvation, electing, redeeming, renewing, fanctifying and faving his people of mere mercy. He fastens his whole dependence on God, pants after holiness, and perfect obedience. He confiders thefe exercifes, and the things which God has wro't in him, as the only evidence that he is entitled to the promifes. There is not an exercife of true faith, which can come from the carnal heart; all are the exercifes of the renewed | Saving repentance diftinguished from heart. legal repentance. MESSR'S. EDITORS, FROM under your candid and judicious inspection, many excellent pieces on doctrinal, experimental and practical religion, have appeared in the Evangelical Magazine. Thefe have given the different claffes of your nuexamine their own hearts and lives, merous readers, opportunity to whether they be in the faith and practice of the gofpel of Chrift. But all falfe faith gratifies the pride, felf-righteousness, or the impatience that the natural man has of restraints,-disapproves of the law, and of the true gofpel, of the terms of juftification, and of holiness. Such believers revolt at the idea of being saved for no confideration in themselves, of being regarded forever as unworthy, and faved for the purposes of glorifying God, and of general benevolence, are difpleafed with the ideas of entire dependence, and with the fpirituality and ob- portant, and men with wicked and with the spirituality and ob-hearts are extremely liable to deligation of the law. There is ceive themselves, it feems defirable, nothing in any falfe faith-not that fome of your correfpondents one exercife, but what is confift- fhould set these fubjects in different with an unholy heart. Some luft-either of the flesh or spirit fiftance. ent lights with a view to their af. is gratified by every act. But the faith of the gospel works by love, and purifies the heart. In the review of the preceding obfervations, the ferious mind will reflect on the pernicious-nature of every false faith, and on the importance of obtaining juft and correct ideas of the gospel faith, that he may diftinguish it from all falfe reprefentations of the gofpel; left by a wrong idea of faving faith, he fhould found his hopes upon the fand. The ferious Chriftian will carefully examine the nature and effects of his own faith, to fee whether he has not deceived himfelf with fome fatal delufions. Of the importance of this he is remit.ded by Chrift, faying, "Enter in at the frait gate; for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to deftruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Becaufe trait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it." EUPISTIS. But fince felf-examination is im By bringing up the far unregenerate men may go in counter part, and fhowing how being renewed by the fpirit of these things without their hearts God, perfons may have a double advantage to discover their own ftate and character. Impreffed with this idea I fend you the following thoughts on the distinction between faving and legal repentance, with liberty to publish, if you judge them admiffible. REPENTANCE is a holy exercise produced by the divine fpirit, and the subject views the law of God to be holy, just and good, both in its precepts and penalty. He loves it and fees it to be a tranfcript of God's moral perfections, mourns for all his violations of it, and is reconciled to the juftice of God, in threatening him with everlafting deftruction. He loathes and abhors himself, as a finner, forrows for his fin on account of its being committed against an infinitely holy God, and because of its own evil nature and 1803.] Saving Repentance diftinguished from legal Repentance. tendency. But mere legal penitents have only the feelings of fhame and difgrace, a remorfe of confcience and fears of the wrath of God. These are confequences of fin for which they forrow, the fhame and contempt, pain and mifery, which may follow to them. This is the general diftinction which the word of God makes between faving and legal repentance; but it requires an illuftration in two particulars. 1. In faving repentance, the fubjects loathe and abhor themfelves as finners: These were the feelings and language of Job, who felt himself vile, abborred himself, and repented in duft and alhes, of Ifaiah who confeffed himself to be 、 a man of unclean lips, and Daniel, whole comeliness was all turned into corruption in his own view. This repentance of thefe holy faints accords with that which God himself defcribes of the Jews, on their converfion to chriftianity and return to the land of Ifrael. "And there fhall ye remember your ways, and all your doings, wherein have been defiled, and ye ye fhall loathe your felves in your own fight for all your evils that ye have committed." But the unregeneBut the unregenerate in their legal repentance, have nothing of this genuine felf-abafement. They may have the feel ings of fhame and difgrace, and a remorfe of confcience; but these do not arife in them from a just view of the odious nature of fin. Perfons who have been guilty of certain crimes and public fcandals, on being detected, are often borne down, and unwilling to fhow their faces, under the difgrace and fhame, which they feel; when at the fame time, if their conduct were not known, they would have none of this peculiar forrow and depreffion of fpirit. But were VOL. IV. No. 4. 129 they truly penitent, and their fins ever fo much concealed from the view and knowledge of men, and known only to the heart fearching God, they would equally loathe and abhor themselves as finners. There is alfo a remorfe of con fcience in the unregenerate, which is altogether different in its nature from faving repentance. All men have natural confciences, which, when rightly informed, dictate what is right and what is wrong. Thefe, if not feared, may give them poignant remorfe on the commiffion of fin, and fill their their fouls with diftrefs and anguish. Confcience in most men, is in a great measure lulled to fleep; but fometimes God caufes it, as he did that of Judas, to a wake, and fpeak to them in moft tremendous accents.. The vile traitor proceeded refolutely until he had betrayed his Lord and mafter; but then confcience awoke in his breaft, and filled him with horror: He returned the reward of iniquity, confessed he had betrayed innocent blood; and when he faw that Chrift was condemned, he went away and hanged himself in awful defpair. This legal repentance which Judas had, attended with high remorfe of confcience, fome awakened finners often experience under deep con victions. God lets light into their minds, and wakens up confcience to do its office; and they are cut with the stings of remorfe as with a fword piercing through their very vitals. But thefe legal convictions which unregenerate men have in the prefent life, are nothing different in their nature, from thofe, which the wicked will experience to eternity. Confcience, with the remorfe which it produces, is fuppofed to be the worm, that will never die within K |