1

of the church of Rome, of which the doctrine of
merit constituted one of the groffeft kind. The
church of England in her doctrine, therefore, has
drawn the plain line of diftinction between works -
and works. The works of the mere moral man fhe
unequivocally condemns, as totally unavailable to
falvation, and having the nature of fin in the eyes
of God, because they are done without God, are
not performed upon a Chriftian principle, and
fpring not of faith in JESUS CHRIST. Whilft the
good works of the Chriftian, though performed upon
a right principle, fhe confiders not meritorious in
themselves, on account of their imperfections; but
neceffary to be performed, because they are pleasant
and acceptable to GOD, through the merits of an
atoning SAVIOUR.

It being my design not to enter further into your fifth letter, than as it relates to my general subject, many pages have been paffed over, in which your ideas either are not correctly expreffed, or in my judgment are liable to exception. Indeed it is my wifh to avoid the unpleasant task of analyfing language, which I conceive to have been haftily written; it being far more fatisfactory to me to find out fentiments in which we agree, than to examine those in

TI

which we appear to differ. If I know myself, I can with truth fay with HOOKER, that " I have no joy in striving, I have not been nuzzled or trained up in it. I would to GOD that the purport of CHRIST's prayer for his difciples-that they might remain undivided-might be realised throughout Chriftendom." With this fentiment strongly impreffed on my mind, I feel a fatisfaction, after having travelled over many pages in which we appear to differ, to find one page (140) in which I perfectly concur with you; "that this is a critical juncture, in which the clergy should do every thing in their power to stop that foaming torrent of irreligion, profaneness, and contempt of all order, good government, and fubordination, which has for fome time been coming in upon us like a flood; and I am certain they cannot do this more effectually than by diligently exerting themselves in the restoration of thofe pure principles, by which the Reformation was happily effected among us.

You will give me leave only, as one of the clergy, to remind you, Sir, of what, it is prefumed, has been proved in a former letter, that the doctrine of abfolute unconditional election and juftification of certain individuals, independent of the conduct of the party,

was not the doctrine of the Reformation; and at the fame time to fuggeft to your ferious confideration, whether fuch a doctrine, with the confequences which have more or lefs been drawn at all times from it, is fo well calculated to produce the defired effect, as that which the church of England teaches; when fhe gives her members to understand, that repentance, faith, and obedience, through Divine grace, are the terms or conditions upon which they may look for falvation unto CHRIST; who "being made perfect became (the Apostle tells us) the author of eternal falvation unto all them that obey him." Heb. v. 9.

Having, I perfuade myself, replied to every part of your letter which relates to the general fubject before me, what applies perfonally to myself in it may be paffed over unnoticed, as not affecting the main argument, with which alone the reader is concerned. Taking leave therefore to remind you, that "He that judgeth me is the LORD,"

I have the honour to be,

&c. &c.

LETTER VI.

none.

SIR,

Never enter upon a fresh letter, without lamenting the disagreeable neceffity of undertaking the defence of a book, which, if read in the fame spirit with which it was written, would, I flatter myself, require When a man's conduct is viewed through a wrong medium, it rarely happens that the judgment formed of him is correct. A prejudiced judgment, like a jaundiced eye, gives a false colour to the object before it, at the fame time, perhaps, that the judging party is himself perfectly infenfible of the effect.

An author, more especially should he be a minister of CHRIST, and writing in these days of licentious opinion upon church matters, ought not however to be disappointed, should not every reader give him that credit, to which, from the fincerity of his intention, he is entitled.

you

I have been led into the foregoing train of thought by the observation of the heavy sentence which have made me pass upon those Chriftians who separate from the church. Still it affords me no inconfiderable fatisfaction to think, that the book which you fuppofe to contain that sentence has been read by many men of understanding and judgment, with whose opinion any author might be flattered, to whom such an idea has never presented itself. Unless, therefore, the uncharitable idea can be fairly drawn from my words, taken in a plain and unperverted sense, I have a right to plead that rule of candour under which you shelter yourself, according to which all conclufions drawn for an author which he does not acknowledge, are not to be answered for by him, but by the party who draws them.

Had you been difpofed to give the author of "The Guide to the Church" credit for that charity towards his brethren who differ from him in religious matters which he feels, more paffages are to be found in his book to justify fuch a conclufion in his favour, than are to be found to fupport the one you have thought proper to draw from him. Give me leave, Sir, to point out a few fuch paffages, which, in an apparent