revealed account of a future judgment, are comprehended in this one act of faith, that he "fhould believe in the name of JESUS CHRIST;" we cannot be surprised, that perfons who have formed no adequate conception of the Christian scheme of falvation, confidered not only as providing a redemption from the immediate confequences of the fall, but also means for the restoration of the fallen creature, to that fpi- . ritual state which can alone qualify him for a fpiritual inheritance; should, by taking part of the Gospel for the whole of it, fall fhort of the perfection to which it was designed to lead.*

*The following is a fpecimen of the doctrine propagated by one of those felf-conftituted itinerant teachers, who, to the misfortune of this country, the abuse of toleration, "that glory and disgrace of Proteftantifm," as it was called by a late learned Bishop,t is now pouring forth upon us; the channel from whence I received it leaving me no room to doubt of its authenticity. "The regular Clergy know nothing of Chriftianity; their whole preaching is, work, work. They do not know, you cannot work. You must wait your call-and for your comfort I tell you, it is never too late. If on your fick-bed you can call out on the name of JESUS, or groan JESUS, or even whisper JESUS with your last breath, you are safe." How far fuch a mode of preaching (and I have reason to think it to be by no means an uncommon one) is calculated to promote the two great ends of religion, the honour of GOD, and the welfare of mankind, the reader will judge. Grieved am I to think, that the lower order of people in this country, who, generally speaking, are well difpofed to religion, fhould be liable to be thus deluded.

+ Bishop Lowт's Sermon before the Society for promoting the Gospel. 1771.

Faith in the all-fufficient merits of a crucified Redeemer, muft, by all who receive the Gofpel, be admitted as the Chriftian's only hope; it being his only title to falvation. Through the door of faith, the Christian disciple is admitted into the church; as a member of the church, he is entitled to all the benefits of the Christian difpenfation. Thefe benefits are, redemption from a state of certain condemnation, and a restoration to a state of poffible or conditional falvation; together with a gracious provifion of affistance to make that falvation fure. But whether this ftate of poffible or conditional falvation through CHRIST may become a state of actual falvation to the believing party, muft depend upon the ufe made of the means: vouchfafed for that purpose. For although faith is the leading condition of falvation, and the foundation of all Chriftian graces and virtues, upon the Gofpel axiom, "that without CHRIST we can do nothing," yet to represent faith as conftituting the completion of the Christian character, upon the idea that it neceffarily comprehends under it the performance of all Christian duties, is what the fcripture, I conceive, no where warrants, and what experience continually. contradicts. A writer, who has lately favoured the world with his thoughts on this fubject, and with

whom every Christian must wish to join in opinion, has told us," that true faith is in fcripture regarded as the radical principle of holiness." Thus far every one who understands the Gospel must agree with him. But when we are told by this same writer,* that where the root exifts, the proper fruit will be brought forth, we feel ourselves called upon to deny the conclufion; because it may lead to confequences fatal to the cause it is defigned to ferve. Nor does the proof brought from ST. JAMES, in fupport of it, strike me in the light in which it is placed on this occafion. ST. JAMES has always appeared to me to fpeak, not of a man who merely fays that he has faith, and has it not; but of one who actually poffeffes faith, but a faith unavailable to falvation, in confequence of its being unaccompanied by its correfpondent effects. The reader, by turning to the chapter referred to, (JAMES ii.) and reading from the 14th verfe to the end of it, will be qualified to judge for himself.

Christian fruit, it is allowed, can grow only on the Chriftian tree. But it does not follow, (as it has been above observed) that where the root of this tree exifts, there the fruits of it will necessarily be brought forth. These are by no means conver

* WILBERFORCE's Practical View, p. 122.

tible propofitions. To represent them as fuch, is to say in other words, that principles and practice always go together; whereas the fact is, through the deçeitfulness of the human heart, they are too often at variance with each other. And the general language of fcripture agrees with this pofition; in which faith and works, the tree and its fruits, are fo clearly distinguished from each other, that no man who confiders that the Bible, as containing a Divine revelation, must be uniform and confiftent in all its parts, can, it fhould be fuppofed, be at a lofs for his conclufion.

It is true, faith is often reprefented in fcripture as the completion of the Chriftian plan of falvation. And fo, when taken in its full and finished state, as made perfect by works, according to ST. JAMES'S description, it certainly is. But we are now guarding against a mistake, to which an unqualified use of this term often leads.

When our SAVIOUR laid the foundation of his religion, he annexed falvation to faith; because faith in him was the basis of that plan of falvation which he came to publish to the world. When ST. PAUL told the Jews that they must be faved by faith, and not by the works of the law; and that the Gospel alone contained the power of God unto falvation

unto every one that believeth; his object was to oppose the new difpenfation, whose basis was faith in CHRIST crucified, to that old one which CHRIST came to take away; becaufe, in confequence of the fall, man was no longer in a condition to be faved by it. Upon the Jew renouncing all dependence upon his own righteousness, and profeffing his faith in CHRIST crucified, as the author and finisher of his falvation, he was admitted into the privileges of the Gospel covenant. But in this cafe his faith was, as ST. IGNATIUS calls it, "the beginning or the principle of his Christian life." It gave him admiffion into the Chriftian church. Now had ST. PAUL thought, that where this principle was once esta blished, it would of course draw after it all thofe graces and virtues neceffary to render it effectual to falvation; in other words, had he thought that the faith, which gave admiffion into the church, would of course make the party a perfect member of it, he . would not have furnished his disciples with that complete fyftem of moral duties which is to be found in his writings. If he had thought that faith included under it Christian practice, his direction to TITUS, that the conftant fubject of his preaching fhould be, that those who believed in GoD (thofe