cause, that can be no better defended. There are multitudes of plain and pofitive texts of Scripture, which ascribe our juftification to faith, and to the righteoufnefs of Christ alone, as I have had occafion to fhew you already. These must be interpreted away at any rate; because they do not agree with this scheme, which muft by all means be fupported. -But then, what evidence have we from Scripture for this doctrine, which is fo ftrenuously contended for? None but this, that holiness and new obedience are neceffary to falvation; which is juft fo much (and no more) to the purpofe, as if you should at tempt to prove your point from the firft verfe in Genefis.

You proceed to argue, that "repentance for fin, "which includes new obedience in the nature of it, "is not only made abfolutely neceffary to falvation, "but has the promise of pardon annexed to it; and "is therefore plainly proposed in Scripture, as the "condition of our juftification."

This is but a repetition of the former argument in other words. The queftion before us is not, What is neceffary to our falvation; but what is the condition of our juftification? It is not the queftion, whether pardon and falvation be neceffarily connected to repentance and new obedience; but what it is that gives us a title to this pardon and salvation; and whence it is that this repentance and new obedience flows, by which we are qualified to partake of faving benefits.-The Scriptures affure us, that this is the righteousness of Chrift received by faith; and what you now offer is nowife inconfiftent with the many declarations of this kind, throughout the whole word of God.-If it were granted, that whatever are the requifites in them that fhall be faved, and whatever qualifications have the promise of pardon and falvation annexed to them, are the conditions

conditions of our juftification, it would then follow that perfeverance is a condition of our justification; and confequently all dispute about being juftified in this prefent life is at an end, as I have obferved before. For the benefit is fufpended, till the condition on which it depends is accomplished. Besides, I think, all men muft allow, that if repentance be the fruit and confequence of our juftification, it cannot, be the condition of it. There can be nothing more prepofterous, than to fuppofe an effect to be a condition of the cause producing it. And the Scriptures affure us, that repentance is the fruit and confequence of our juftification. Thus is it particularly reprefented to us, Ezek. xxxvi. 26. 28. 31. A new heart alfo will I give you; and a new Spirit will I put within you -And ye shall be my people; and I will be your God.-Then fhall ye remember your own evil ways, and your doings that were not good; and fhall loathe yourselves in your own fight, for your iniquities and for your abominations. Thus likewife, Zech. xii. 10. And I will pour out upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerufalem, the fpirit of grace and of fupplications; and they hall look upon me whom they have pierced; and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only fon, and fhall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firft-born.—In which texts you fee there is firft a new heart and a new spirit; they are first in a justified state, they are God's people, and he is their God; they are first renewed, and have a spirit of grace and fupplication; they have first the exercife of faith, they look upon him whom they have pierced; and then follows their repentance, as an immediate and neceffary confequence of their regenerate justified state. This truth is moft evident, not only from the Scripture-reprefentation of this matter, but also from the nature of a true and fincere repentance.We must be united to Chrift, and have a principle

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only of his fovereign grace and love: In the final fentence, he will proceed according to the rules of diftributive remunerative juftice, in adjusting and proportioning rewards.-So that, from the nature of things, it is agreeable that we should here be juftified by faith only; but there judged according to our works.

And now, Sir, will you indulge me the fame freedom which you have hitherto borne with; and allow me to be your faithful monitor in an instance or two?

I would first put you in mind, that it is of much greater confequence to your highest interests, to make it evident to yourself, that you are indeed juftified in the fight of God, than to exercise your mind with this arbitrary distinction of a first and feeond justification. If you are indeed interested in Chrift by faith; if you do indeed experience a change of heart and life in confequence of your faith in him, and make a progress in the divine life, in the mortification of your corruptions, in love to God and your neighbour, and in heavenly-mindednefs and fpirituality, you will not be examined at the bar of your Judge about your acquaintance with thefe modern distinctions; or, whether those qualifications which will then be gloriously rewarded, are the fruits of the firft, or the conditions of a fecondary juftification.

I would again intreat you to confider, that the life of a Chriftian is a life of faith in the Son of God. We are not only justified by faith, but we are faved by faith; and the just must live by faith. Whatever becomes of this debate, you may be therefore certain, that you can be no longer fafe, than while you are humbly committing your foul to Chrift as to the Author of your eternal falvation, depending upon him as the Lord your Righteoufnefs; and ex

pecting

pecting all fupplies of grace from his fulness.— And believe me, Sir, a lively exercife of faith in Christ will afford you more prefent comfort, will much more quicken you in devotion and true holiness; and more ftrengthen and establifh you in every good work, in your progrefs to the heavenly kingdom, than all your studies in these fruitless doctrines about a first and fecondary juftification.

I will take leave to add once more, that the way to heaven is certainly a way of holiness; and with out holiness you can never fee God. It therefore concerns you to look to the fountain of holiness for all fupplies of grace, to watch over your heart and life, to endeavour and pray for a holy conformity to the whole will of God; and amidft, and after all, to bring your great defects to the blood of Chrift for pardon; and continually implore the divine influences, that the work of grace may be carried on in your foul with power, till you arrive without spot and blameless, before the throne of your Sovereign and righteous Judge.

That you may thus be directed fafe, amidst all the fnares and delufions in your way, is the prayer Sir, Your, &c.

of,

LETTER XV. Wherein the Apostle JAMES'S Doctrine of Juftification by Works, in his fecond Chapter, is distinctly reviewed, and fet in its genuine Light, by a Comparison with the Apoftle PAUL'S Doctrine of Juftification by Faith.

SIR,

Yo

OU" acknowledge, that, if it were not for "one difficulty in your way, you should think "the evidence offered against the doctrine you have " propofed,

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"propofed, must be conclufive: But you do not "know how to give into a scheme that is not only "exprefly contradicted, but particularly refuted, "in the word of God.-The Apostle Paul, you "fay, does indeed feem to fpeak in favour of my "principles; but he ought to be interpreted by the "Apostle James, who exprefsly rejects my inter"pretation of St Paul's difcourfes on the subject "before us. What appearance therefore foever "there may be, in favour of my principles, in "St Paul's Epiftles, thefe muft not be understood "in direct contradiction to the express declarations "of another infpired writer.-You therefore defire "me to fhew, how it is poffible to reconcile my "fcheme with the doctrine of St James, in the fe"cond chapter of his Epiftle, from the 14th verfe "to the end."

If this be all your remaining difficulty, I hope it will not prove an hard matter to give you full fatiffaction, that the doctrine of the Apostle James, in the place referred to, is nowife inconfiftent with the doctrine of our juftification by faith, fo plainly and fully taught by the Apoftle Paul in all his Epiftles; and therefore, that our juftification by work's (in the fenfe that I oppose it) has no foundation at all in the whole word of God.

That this may be fet in a proper light, there are two or three things neceffary to be premised, and diftinctly confidered, previous to a direct and immediate view of the confiftency and concurrence of these two Apoftles, in the doctrine of a finner's juftification by faith, notwithstanding their feeming dif agreement and repugnancy.

It fhould first be premised, that these two Apofiles must be understood in fuch a fenfe as will make them confiftent. We must take this for a principle, that whatever becomes of our fchemes, on one fule or

the