solid arguments and plain scriptures, make no more impression upon bigotry, than the charmer's voice does upon the deaf adder; and by that means, I hope, I depend less upon the powers of reason, the letter of the scripture, and the candour of professors, than I formerly did. As a believer, I have been brought to see and feel, that the power of the Spirit of truth, which teaches men, to be of one heart, and of one mind, and makes them think and speak the same, is at a very low ebb in the religious world; and that the prayer which I ought continually to offer is, O Lord, baptize Christians with the Spirit of truth and the fire of love.. Thy kingdom come! Bring thy church out of the wilderness of error and sin, into the kingdom of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. As a member of the church of England, I have learned not to be pleased with our holy Mother for giving us floods of pure morality to wash away the few remaining Calvinian freckles still perceptible upon her face. As a Christian, I hope I have learned in some degree to exercise that charity, which teaches us boldly to oppose a dangerous error without ceasing to honour and love its abettors, so far as they resemble our Lord; and enables us to use an irony with St. Paul and Jesus Christ, not as an enemy uses a dagger, but as a surgeon uses a lancet or a caustic and lastly, as a writer I have learned to feel the truth of Solomon's observation, "Of making many books there is no end, and much study is a weariness of the flesh: let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep his commandments; for this is the whole duty of man,'" and the sum of the anti-solifidian truth, which I endeavour to vindicate.

I do not say that I have learned any of these lessons as I should have done; but I hope I have learned so much of them as to say, that in these respects my controversial toil has not been altogether in vain in the Lord. And now, Reader, let me intreat thee to pray, that if I am spared to vindicate more fully what appears to us the scriptural doctrine of grace, I may be so helped by the Father of lights and the God of love, as to speak the pure truth in perfect love, and never more drop a needlessly-severe expression. Some such have escaped me before I was aware. In endeavouring to render my stile nervous, I have sometimes inadvertently rendered it provoking. Instead of saying that the doctrines of grace, (so called) represented God as "absolutely graceless," towards myriads of" reprobated culprits." I would now say, that, upon the principles of my opponents, God appears" devoid of grace" towards those whom he has absolutely "reprobated" from all eternity. The thought is the same, I grant; but the expressions are less grating and more decent. This propriety of language I labour after as well as after more meekness of wisdom. The Lord help me and my antagonists to keep our garments clean! Controvertists ought to be clothed with an ardent flaming love for truth, and a candid humble regard for their neighbour. May no root or prejudice stain that flaming love! no malice rend our seamless garments! And, if they are ever rolled in blood, may it be only in the blood of our common enemies, destructive error, and the man of sin!

THE

FIRST PART

OF

AN EQUAL CHECK

TO

PHARISAISM

AND

ANTINOMIANISM:

CONTAINING

I.

AN HISTORICAL ESSAY ON THE DANGER OF PARTING FAITH AND WORKS.

SALVATION BY THE COVENANT OF GRACE; A DISCOURSE PREACHED IN THE PARISH CHURCH OF MADELEY, APRIL 18, AND MAY 9, 1773.

III.

A SCRIPTURAL ESSAY ON THE REWARDABLENESS OF WORKS, ACCORDING TO THE COVENANT OF GRACE.

IV.

AN ESSAY ON TRUTH; OR, A RATIONAL VINDICATION OF THE DOCTRINE OP SALVATION BY FAITH.

The armour of righteousness on the right-hand, and on the left.

2 Cor. vi. 7.

PREFACE.

I. THE first piece of this Check was designed for a Preface to the Discourse that follows it; but as it swelled far beyond my intention, I present it to the reader under the name of An historical Essay; which makes way for the tracts that follow.

II. With respect to the Discourse, I must mention what engages me to publish it. In 1771, I saw the propositions called the Minutes, Their author invited me to "review the whole affair." I did so; and soon found, that I had "leaned too much towards Calvinism," which, after a mature consideration, appeared to me exactly to coincide with speculative Antinomianisin; and the same year, in my Second Check, I publicly acknowledged my error in these words:

"But whence springs this almost general Antinomianism of our congregations? Shall I conceal the sore because it festers in my own breast? Shall I be partial? No: in the name of him, who is no respecter of persons, I will confess MY sin, and that of many of my brethren, &c.-Is not the Antinomianism of hearers fomented by that of preachers? Does it not become us to take the greatest part of the blame upon ourselves, according to the old adage, "Like priest, like people?" Is it surprising that some of us should have an Antinomian audience? Do we not make or keep it so? When did we preach such a practical sermon, as that of our Lord on the mount? Or write such close letters, as the epistles of St. John?"

When I had thus openly confessed, that I was involved in the guilt of many of my brethren, and that I had so leaned towards speculative, as not to have made a proper stand against practical Antinomianism; who could have thought, that one of my most formidable opponents would have attempted to screen his mistake, behind such passages of a manuscript sermon, which I preached twelve years ago; and of which, by some means or other, he has got a copy?

I am very far however from recanting that old discourse. I still think, the doctrine it contains excellent in the main, and very proper to be enforced [though in a more guarded manner] in a congregation of hearers violently prejudiced against the first gospel axiom. Therefore, out of regard for the grand, leading truth of Christianity, and in compliance with Mr. Hill's earnest intreaty, [Fin. Stroke, page 45.] I send my sermon into the world, upon the following reasonable conditions: 1. That I shall be allowed to publish it, as I preached it a year ago in my church; namely, with additions in brackets, to make it at once a fuller Check to Pharisaism, and a finishing Check to Antinomianism: 2. That the largest addition shall be in favour of free grace. 3. That no body shall accuse me of forgery, for thus adding my present light to that which I had formerly; and for thus bringing out of my little treasure of experience "things new and old:" 4. That the press shall not groan with the charge of disingenuity, if I throw into notes some unguarded expressions, which I formerly used without scruple, aud which my more enlightened conscience does not suffer me to use

at present: 5. That my opponent's call to print my sermon, will procure me the pardon of the public, for presenting them with a plain, blunt discourse, composed for an audience chiefly made up of colliers and rustics and lastly, that as I understand English a little better than I did twelve years ago, I shall be permitted to rectify a few French idioms, which I find in my old manuscript; and to connect my thoughts a little more like an Englishman, where I can do it without the least misrepresentation of the sense.

If those conditions appear unreasonable to those, who will have heaven itself without any condition, I abolish the distinction between my old sermon, and the additions that guard or strengthen it; and referring the reader to the title page, I publish my discourse on Rom. xi. 5, 6. as a guarded sermon, delivered in my church on Sunday, April the 18th, &c. 1773, exactly eleven years after I preached upon the same text a sermon useful upon the whole, but in some places unguarded, and deficient with respect to the variety of arguments and motives, by which the capital doctrines of "free grace and gospel obedience" ought to be enforced.

III. With regard to the SCRIPTURAL ESSAY upon the rewardableness, or evangelical worthiness of works, I shall just observe, that it attacks the grand mistake of the Solifidians, countenanced by three or four words of my old sermon. I pour a flood of scriptures upon it; and after receiving the fire of my objector, I return it in a variety of scriptural and rational answers, about the solidity of which the public must decide.

IV. The ESSAY ON TRUTH will, I hope, reconcile judicious moralists to the doctrine of salvation by faith, and considerate Solifidians to the doctrine of salvation by the works of faith; reason and scripture concurring to show the constant dependence of works upon faith; and the wonderful agreement of the doctrine of present salvation by TRUE faith, with the doctrine of eternal salvation by GOOD works.

I hope, that I do not dissent, in my observations upon faith, either from our church, or approved gospel-ministers. In their highest definitions of that grace, they consider it only according to the fulness of the Christian dispensation; but my subject has obliged me to consider it also according to the dispensations of John the Baptist, Moses, and Noah. Believers, under these inferior dispensations, have not always assurance; nor is the assurance they sometimes have so bright as that of adult Christians, Matt. xi. 11. But undoubtedly, assurance is inseparably connected with the faith of the Christian dispensation, which was not fully opened till Christ opened his glorious baptism on the day of Pentecost, and till his spiritual kingdom was set up with power in the hearts of his people. No body therefore can truly believe, according to this dispensation, without being immediately conscious both of the forgiveness of sins, and of peace and joy in the Holy Ghost. This is a most important truth derided indeed by fallen churchmen, and denied by Laodicean dissenters; but of late years gloriously revived by Mr. Wesley and the ministers connected with him :-A truth this, which cannot be too strongly, and yet too warily insisted upon in our lukewarm and speculative age and as I would not obscure it for the world, I particularly intreat the reader to mind the last erratum; without omit ting the last but one, which guards the doctrine of initial salvation by absolute free grace.

I do not desire to provoke my able opponents; but I must own, I should be glad to reap the benefit of my Checks, either by finding an increase of religious sobriety and mutual forbearance among those, who make a peculiar profession of faith in Christ; or by seeing my mistakes [if I am mistaken] brought to light that I might no longer recommend