"Properly speaking, (I fay) the juftification of man is the gracious act of Gop alone, through JESUS CHRIST." In order to guard against the deception of nominal profeffors, I have represented faith with its proper accompaniments, not as the meritorious cause of falvation, but the condition upon which it is fufpended. The Bishop, as a preservative from the contagion of the Anti-nomian folly, recommends the Harmonia Apoftolica of Bishop BULL, from whence two or three decided paffages were brought forward in my book, for the purpose of proving, what it was the profeffed object of that treatise to prove, the conditionality of man's falvation through CHRIST. Perfectly agreed as we are, I am at fome loss to ac count for the different opinions you entertain of the Bishop of Rochester and myself, relative to this fubject. If want of ability on my part has prevented my expreffing myself fo forcibly and fo fatisfactorily as the learned Bishop has done, I flatter myself it will be found, that, with proper attention on the part of the reader, however different our language, our ideas are the fame. But this mode of conditional falva tion, which certainly has been revealed in the bible, "reverses (you think) the whole Gofpel plan of redemption for man, as a guilty, unworthy, helpless

finner; and makes none partakers of it, who do not bring with them faith, repentance, and good works, through the operation of the Holy Ghoft." Permit me to ask, would you have any partakers of falvation, who do not bring these Christian qualifications with them? Affuredly not; you will readily answer. But then the bringing these qualifications, as conditions upon which men are to be made partakers of falvation, is, in your idea, to reverse the free plan of Gospel falvation through CHRIST. It is neither more or less than to fay, in your words, " Bring with you your price of terms, qualifications, and conditions, and call them what you please, and then GOD will certainly give you juftification gratis."

Respect for the writer fometimes obliges me to give an answer to remarks and obfervations, which appear on no other account to require an answer. I proceed therefore to afk, do not the words price and condition convey two diftinct ideas? By paying down the price of a commodity, a claim of right to that commodity is acquired, for which I am indebted to no one; it is my own, I have bought it with a price. If a favour, to which there is no title, but what is derived from the free good-will of a benefactor, fhould be offered to me, upon my com.

pliance with certain conditions, the fulfilment of those conditions gives me a claim of grace; a claim not founded upon the merit of my performance, but upon the promise that has been received. Is the favour lefs freely granted on the part of my benefactor, because I have complied with the conditions upon which he engaged to grant it? Many of the subjects of the King in Ireland have lately been in rebellion. As rebels, their lives are forfeited to the ftate. The King, in mercy to his deluded people, has published an Act of Grace, by which a free pardon is offered to all who will lay down their arms and return to their allegiance. Do thefe conditions, on which the pardon of rebels is in this cafe fufpended, alter the nature of that pardon, confidered as an act of free grace on the part of the King? Again, Sir, a rich householder provides a fumptuous banquet, of which the poor of all defcriptions are invited to partake, "without money and without price." All that is required is, to prevent the table being difgraced by a filthy and beggarly appearance, and to preferve an uniformity among the guests, that they come clothed in garments provided by the founder of the feast for the purpofe; these garments entitle them to a feat at the table. Should any prefume to ap

pear without the garments fo required and graciously provided, they certainly would not be admitted as guefts. Is the entertainment which has been thus provided for the poor less an act of free grace on the part of the provider, because the partaking of it has been fufpended upon a certain condition?These allufions are in conformity with the fcripture, and require, it is prefumed, no application.

Being defirous of trefpaffing as little upon your time as poffible, I was in hopes that nothing remained in your fecond letter, to which any reply was yet neceffary. But as the conclufion drawn in your 56th page is founded in error, it may not be proper to pass it over unnoticed; efpecially, as by the logical form in which your arguments are clothed, they seem to carry the appearance of found reafoning. "Now, Sir, (you fay, addreffing yourself to me)" into what a difficulty have you brought yourself? You fubfcribe to this excellent article, which affirms, that works done before juftification have in them the nature of fin, and are not acceptable to GOD; and yet you fay that works are neceffary, as conditions to juftification."

Not aware of having brought myself into any difficulty upon this occafion, I rather think it will be

found, that you, Sir, have concluded too hastily, without having paid proper attention to the article in question, taken in connection with its preceding one. The thirteenth article fays, that "works done before the grace of CHRIST, and the inspiration of the Spirit, are not pleasant to God; forafmuch as they proceed not of faith in CHRIST." If now we look back upon the article immediately preceding, we fhall fee, that "good works, which are the fruits of faith, and follow after justification, are pleafing and acceptable to GoD in CHRIST, as they spring out neceffarily of a true and lively faith." Here is an effential difference between works and works: between the works of an unconverted Heathen, and thofe of the baptized Chriftian; between works performed before the grace of CHRIST, and works performed in confequence of that grace.

The first are not pleasant to GOD, because they poffefs not the property which make Christian good works pleafing, they do not proceed of faith in JESUS CHRIST; therefore they cannot qualify for juftification. The latter are pleafing and acceptable to God for the very oppofite reason; and therefore are required to be performed as conditions to juftification. All the difficulty in this cafe appears to