tures and the apoftolic doctrine, affirm, that it can never be attained without the supernatural influence and operation of the Holy Spirit upon their minds and hearts. Palemon, on the contrary, afferts with great confidence, that no such thing is necessary. -Whether he or they, therefore, thew the greatest disaffection to the doctrine of the true grace of God preached by the apostles, I prefume, may easily be determined.

From some hints in the letter-writer's performance there is reason to think, he was sufficiently apprized, that the eminent divines he so bitterly inveighs against, understood their own doctrine in the sense now explained; but, then, he will tell us, that their interpretation of that doctrine is built upon this false supposition, that every man's pride is not equal to his worth, or that men may have experience of a good work wrought in them, and yet be wholly denied to it, in the matter of juftification before God; which he infinuates is simply impossible*.

ex

writer shews a peculiar spite, and others who teach the same scriptural doctrine with them, concerning imputed righteousness and imparted grace, merit that character, I am forry there should be so much reason to exclude from that number several modern teachers; who, by leading their hearers to build too much upon inward feelings, impressions, impulses, and a Chrift within them, have, I am afraid, gone to an extreme, on the one hand, almost as dangerous as that which Palamon has run into, on the other; and thus given too much ground for those accufations which he has brought, not only against them, but also against many eminent and judicious divines who have been enabled to keep the middle path, which the Scripture directs to, and were peculiarly careful to avoid both the extremes above-mentioned.

Perhaps we may have occasion to confider our author's leading maxim, that every man's pride is equal to his worth, more fully afterwards; here we shall only observe, that if it must be owned to be impoffible for men to be poffefled of any good qualifications, or have any gracious work wrought in them, and yet be entirely denied to it, in the matter of justification; then certainly the apostle Paul gives us a very false account of his own experience, and exercise; who, after Christ had been formed in him, and, by the grace of God bestowed on him, he had been enabled faithfully to discharge his duty as a minifter and apostle of Christ, yea to labour more abundantly than all the other apostles; and was fufficiently conscious of all this, afcribing it to the grace of God, which made him to differ, and by which he was what he was, and did what he did; tells us, that doubtless he counted all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus; and that he might be found in him, not having his own righteousness which was of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith. For I think it will not be refused, that these words import his having wholly renounced all confidence in any inherent righteousness; in any good that ever was done by him, or wrought in him; as being no part of his justifying righteoufness before God; and that he did fo after he was fo far conscious of both, as to acknowledge, that the grace of God bestowed on him was not in vain †. Yet if Palæmon's doctrine be true, the apoftle, unmindful of his favourite maxim, that every man's pride is equal to his worth, did only impose upon himself and the rest of mankind, by fuch a declaration.

* Philip. iii. 8, 9. † Cor. xv. 10.

FurFurther; this notion of the letter-writer does

also give the lie to our blessed Lord himself, who plainly intimates, that it is not impossible for men to do much good, to be faithful, diligent and constant in doing their duty, and yet account themselves unprofitable fervants *; which, whatever it may include more, can certainly import no less, than that after they have done all in the manner aforesaid, they may, and must acknowledge, that it cannot be in the least available for their justifica tion before God; or that they have no reason to boast of it, as making them deserving objects of faving grace. Yet doubtless every fuch perfon will have good reason to say with the apostle, by the grace of God I am what I am; or, if I may use an expreffion found in a fermon † delivered by that eminent and truly evangelical preacher Mr. Ralph Erskine, to say thankfully what the Pharisee faid boastingly, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men; have not been left to perish in a state of • fin and misery, or to perfift in abusing my time • and talents to thy dishonour, and the destruction • of my own foul, as many are, and do; but have by thy grace been enabled, with some degree of fingleness and fincerity, to dedicate myself, and all my services, to thy honour, and aim at universal • obedience to thy commands; though still I have great reason to acknowledge, that I am an un⚫ profitable servant, and that if thou shouldest lay • judgment to the line, and equity to the plummet, every thing that ever I did, instead of being available for justifying me, would be enough • to condemn me.'

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* Luke xvii. 10. † On Pfal. ci. 1. intitled, The Militant's Song.

Such

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Such a form of thanksgiving the letter-writer would, no doubt, with a sneer, call Pharifaifm to the life; but, with his leave, so far as I can conceive, it would import neither more or less, than what is contained in the faying of the apoftle above-mentioned By the grace of God I am what I am*. The fame apostle elsewhere plainly intimates, that though all men are equally corrupt, and destitute of every good qualification by nature, the grace of God makes all true believers to differ from other men; and is there any reafon why they should not, in a way of thankful praise, bear testimony to the reality and efficacy of that grace that has thus made them to differ, and whereby God hath saved them, and called them with a holy calling; called them out of darkness into his marvellous light †? Are not they expressly commanded so to do? Yet if, in obedience to the call of God, they essay, and are enabled thus to praise the Lord for his diftinguishing goodness - Palamon will tell us they only act the part of the proud Pharifee, gratify a kind of religious pride, and glory over the rest of mankind, as being better, and more high in favour with God than they.

If our Lord tells us, that he who breaketh one of the least of the divine commands, and teaches men fo, shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven ||; what shall we think of Palemon, who teaches downright rebellion against the Lord; and, which is yet more daring and dreadful, reproaches and blafphemes the whole work of his Holy Spirit in the regeneration, converfion, and factification of believers? As his lies and blafphemies, in refe

* 1 Cor. xv. 10, † 1 Cor. iv. 7. 2 Tim. i. 9. ‡ Pfal. cvii. 1, 2. 1 Peter ii. 9. || Matt. v. 19.

rence to this matter, may remind one of the awful reproof the apofstle Peter gave to Ananias, for a crime that appears to have been of a far less impious nature; on this occafion, I can hardly forbear adopting the words of that apoftle to him, as being with a little variation too applicable in the present cafe; Why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie against the Holy Ghost *?

Before I conclude what reflections have occurred on this head, I shall only take occasion to observe, that if it can be said, that Palemon, whose letters appear to be only a collection of fome of the most incoherent, wild, extravagant and selfcontradictory imaginations, that are any where to be met with, has any leading sentiment, it is the following; namely, that the divine righteousness, or the work finished by Christ upon the cross, is so all-fufficient for the justification and falvation of the most guilty, as to supersede all necessity of any inward and supernatural work of the divine Spirit upon the minds and hearts of men, in order to convince them of their fin and misery by nature; to discover the absolute neceffity, perfection and excellency of the righteousness of Chrift, and determine and enable them to believe the report of the gospel concerning it, that they may enjoy the benefit and comfort of it; or to implant in their fouls a principle of grace, holiness and new obedience, that they may be fitted for the service of God here, and the poffeffion of glory hereafter.

Wherefore I cannot but wonder, that a certain judicious writer †, who hath succinctly, and, I am