certainly all of grace, from the beginning to the end. It was the grace of GOD that provided falvation for fallen man; and nothing but the grace of God can prepare man for that falvation. So that if that grace and love, which before all worlds provided a recovery to the loft favour of GOD through the medium of a Redeemer, do not also work in man that change of nature neceffary to qualify him for it," he must for ever remain at a distance from CHRIST, and a ftranger to all hope of happiness by him." The grace of GOD, therefore, is not more manifeft in the original provifion of falvation, than in the fubfequent qualification of the party for it. Hence the grace of GOD in CHRIST is, when taken in this sense, the Christian's all in all. Prefuming, that it is not required that I should speak more decidedly on this fubject, I pafs on.

I am obliged to you, Sir, for introducing the name of Mr. WILBERFORCE; as it gives me an opportunity of faying, what otherwise it is poffible that gentleman may not know, (as I have been given to understand he has not read my book;) that I gave him full credit for holding all the effential truths of Christianity, and was willing to flatter myself, that the difference between us was more in appearance

than in reality. The mention that was made of him, and of what he has written, in my book, was in a ftile, that ought not, I conceive, to have given difpleasure to that gentleman's warmeft admirers; nor was it to be fuppofed, from Mr. WILBERFORCE'S manner of expreffing himself in fome parts of his work, that it would be unwelcome to him. The object in view was to fubmit to that gentleman's confideration, whether certain paffages in his work, by being expreffed in too unguarded a manner, might not lead to dangerous conclufions. Your comment upon your friend's performance, and fuller expofition of its principles, have qualified me to form a more correct judgment of it than I had done before. His creed and yours, as far as they are to be ascertained from what each has written, feem to be the fame; at least in those points in which you have feen fit publicly to object to mine. Upon this fuppofition, what is faid to you upon the present fubject may be confidered as being likewise said to him; and all I have to hope on this occafion is, that nothing which may fall from me, in my further profecution of this anfwer, will tend to put us at a further distance from each other, but rather to draw us nearer together;

for the agreement of religious men, if I may place myself in that number, ought to be mutually defirable.

So much, indeed, has already been written upon this subject at different times, that nothing remains to be faid upon it, that can place it in a clearer light than that in which it now ftands, in the judgment of all informed, impartial, and unprejudiced Chriftians. It fhall, therefore, be my endeavour to compress what may be neceffary to bring forward, in answer to your letter, into the shortest compass.

When speaking of faith, Mr. WILBERFORCE always means, you fay, "that it is the first radical grace of the Holy Spirit, which takes place in the heart of a finner, and which brings with it pardon, reconciliation, and repentance; and never can exist, without producing the evangelical fruits of holinefs." Page 45.

If faith be taken for that honeft vital principle, for which, in the Chriftian fenfe, it ought to be taken; it muft, of course, produce those fruits which are here defcribed; it would not be true faith, if it did not. By faith, therefore, is here meant faith in the concrete; in other words, faith with all the neceffary ingredients of which it must be composed to characterife its genuine quality. But as men are always

deceiving and being deceived, we must accommodate our language to their condition. Hypocrites are ever making pretenfions to principles which they do not pofsess. Such, you need not be informed, has been the cafe with respect to the doctrine of faith. For which reafon, a certain difcrimination has been found neceffary in the use of this word; in order to prevent nominal Christians from making a mere reliance on the promises of GOD through CHRIST (which may, in fome fenfe, be called faith) ufurp the place of that evangelical principle, which can alone be effectual to falvation. The herefy that has grown out of this fubject, was one of the first that disturbed the Christian church. It is fo congenial to the deceitful heart of man, that it will ever continue to disturb it more or lefs. ST. AUGUSTINE has told us, that the epistles of ST. JAMES, ST. PETER, ST. JOHN, and ST. JUde, were written chiefly with the view to guard the faithful against its pernicious influence. "Contra eam maximè dirigunt_intentionem, ut vehementer astruant, fidem fine operibus nihil prodeffe." AUG. de Fid. et Op. cap. 14.

fet

So long, then, as vain pretenfions are liable to be up by many who call themselves Christians, it is the duty of the watchmen of Ifrael to counteract

"From

them; by making fuch Chriftians understand the difference between faith and faith; between that faith which qualifies for admiffion into the Gofpel covenant, and that faith by which Chriftians, in order to entitle them to the rewards of it, are expected to live, and by which their character is rendered complete. "The juft fhall live by faith:" that is, fuch a faith as grows from ftep to ftep, till the whole righteoufnefs of GOD be fulfilled in it. faith to faith, (faith the Apostle) which ST. AUGUSTINE thus expounds; from faith believing to faith obeying; from imperfect faith to faith made perfect by the animation of charity; that he who is juftified by his admiffion into the covenant of grace by baptifin, may be juftified still at the day of final retribution. For as there are feveral degrees and parts of justification, so there are several degrees of faith anfwerable to it; that in all fenfes it may be true, that "by faith we are justified," and "by faith we live," and "by faith we are faved." For if we proceed from faith to faith, from believing to obeying; from faith in the understanding to faith in the will; from faith barely affenting to the revelations of God, to faith obeying the commandments of GOD; from the body of faith to the foul of faith, that is, to