by justification, and then answer the following questions:

Did not the prodigal son come to himself, repent, and return to his father, before he received the kiss of peace? Did not the woman that was a sinner forsake her wicked course of life, before our Lord said to her, Go in peace, thy sins are forgiven thee?

Again, was not the woman of Samaria convinced of sin, yea of all that ever she did, before our Lord revealed himself to her, to enable her to believe unto justification? Did not Zaccheus evidence his fear of God, yea and work righteousness by hearty offers of restitution, before Christ testified that he was the son of Abraham? Did not St. Paul express his fear of God, and readiness to work righteousness, when he cried out, Lord what wouldest thou have me to do? Yea, did he not produce fruits meet for repentance, by praying three days and three nights, before Ananias was sent to direct him how to wash away his sins? Did not the Eunuch and Cornelius fear God? Did not David himself, whom the apostle mentions as a grand instance of justification without the merit of works, fear God from his youth? And when he had wrought folly in Israel, was he not humbled for his sin, before he was washed from it? Did he not confess his crime and say, I have sinned; before Nathan said, The Lord hath put away thy sin? Does not St. Paul himself, carry Mr. W.'s heresy so far as to say, "Whosoever among you feareth God, to you is the word of this salvation sent? Acts xiii. 26. Must we so understand Rom. iv. 5. as to make him contradict point blank his own declarations, his own experience, and the account of all the above-mentioned conversions? Certainly not. Those words "God justifies the ungodly, and him that worketh not, but believeth in Jesus," when candidly explained, agree perfectly with Mr. W.'s doctrine.

1.

By the ungodly, the apostle does not mean the wicked that does not forsake his way: but the man, who before he believed to justification, was ungodly and still remains ungodly in the eye of the law of works, need ing daily forgiveness by grace, even after he is made godly in a gospel sense. 2. By him that worketh not, St. Paul does not mean a lazy indolent wretch, who without any reluctance follows the stream of his corrupt nature; but a penitent, who, whatever works he does, has no dependence upon them, esteems them as nothing, yea, as dung and dross in comparison of the excellency of Christ: and in short, one who does no work to merit or purchase his justification, but comes to receive that invaluable blessing as a free gift. 3. That this is the meaning of the apostle is evident from his adding, that he that worketh not, yet believeth. For if he took the word worketh not, in an absolute sense, he could never make it agree with beliveing, which, is certainly a work, yea, a Work of our noblest part; for "with the

heart man believeth to righteousness." Add to this, Sir, that justifying faith, as I observed before, never comes without her forerunner, conviction, nor conviction of sin without suitable tempers or inward works. There is nothing, says Dr. Owen, that I will more firmly adhere to in this whole doctrine, than the necessity of convictions previous totrue believing;-as also displacency, sorrow, fear, a desire of deliverance, with other necessary effects of true convictions. St. Paul therefore is consistent with himself and Mr. W. with St. Paul.

Again, if God justifies sinners merely as ungodly, and people that work not, why should he not justify all sinners? For they are all ungodly, and there is none of them, that does good, no not one? Why did not the pharisee, for example, go to his house justified as well as the Publican? You will probably answer, that he was not convinced of sin. Why, Sir, this is just what Mr. W. maintains: express yourself in St. Peter's words, he did not fear God ;-or in those of John the Baptist, he did not bring forth fruit meet for repentance.

Should some ask, what works meet for repentance did the woman caught in adultery do, before our Lord justified her? I would ask in my turn, how do they know the Lord justified her? Do they conclude it from those words, "Neither do I condemn thee?" Does not the context show that as the Pharisees had not condemned her to be stoned, according to the Mosaic law, neither would our Lord take upon himself to pass sentence upon her, according to his declaration on another occasion, "I am not sent to condemn the world, but that the world through me might be saved?" This by no means implies, that the world is justified in St. Paul's sense, Rom. v. 1. But suppo sing she was justified, how do you know that our Lord's words, writing, looks, and grace, had not brought her to godly shame and sorrow, that is, to the fear of God, and the working of internal righteousness, before he gave her the peace that passeth all understanding?

After all, Mr. W. says, with modesty and wisdom, "It is a doubt whether God makes any exception at all:" and it lies upon you, to shew there is in these words any thing contrary to the humility of the true christian; and orthodox of the sound divine: but please to remember, that if you judge of orthodoxy according to the works of Dr. Crisp, we will take the liberty to appeal to the word of God.

But you make perhaps Mr. W's heresy in this proposition, consist in his refusing to take the word of persons convinced of sin, when they say they never feared God nor worked righteousness. "For we know, says he, how all that are convinced of sin, undervalue themselves in every respect."

Had Mr. W. imagined, that some christian friends, (O my God save me from such

friendship!) would leave no stone unturned to procure a copy of his Minutes, in order to find some occasion against him, he would probably have worded this with more circumspection. But he wrote for real friends, and he knew such would at once enter into his meaning, which is that " Persons deeply convinced of sin are apt, very apt, to form a wrong judgment both of their state and performances, and to think the worst of themselves in every respect, that is, both with regard to what divine grace does in them, and by them."

And this is so obvious a truth, that he must be a novice indeed in Christian experience, who doubts of it for a moment; and a great lover of disputing, who will make a man an offender for so true an assertion. Do not we daily see, some, in whom the arrows of conviction stick fast, who think they are as much past recovery as Satan himself? Do not we hear others complain, "they grow worse and worse," when they only discover more and more how bad they are by nature? And are there not some who bind upon themselves heavy burdens of their own making, and when they cannot bear them, are tormented in their conscience with imaginary guilt: while others are ready to go distracted through groundless fears of having committed the sin against the Holy Ghost? In a word, do we not see hundreds, who when they have reason to hope well of themselves, think there is no hope for them? In all these respects do they not act like Jonah in the fishes' belly, and say, "I am cast out of thy sight?" And have they not need to encour. age themselves in their God, and say, art thou cast down, () my soul?"

"Why

But let your conscience speak, Sir, on this matter. When some deep mourners have complained to you, of their misery, danger, and desperate state, did you never drop a word of comfort to this effect, "You undervalue yourselves, you write too bitter things against yourselves, your case is not so bad as your unbelieving fears represent it: God's thoughts are not as your thoughts: many like the foolish virgins think themselves sure of heaven, when they stand on the brink of hell; and many think they are just dropping into it, who are not far from the kingdom of God ?"

Yea, and as it is with real seekers, so it is with real believers. Did not they undervalue, yea degrade themselves, by the remains of their unbelief; or which is the, same, did they live up to their dignity, and every where consider themselves as bers of Christ, children of God, and inheritors of the kingdom of heaven," what manner of persons, yea what angels, would they be, in all holy conversation!

"mem

Sometimes their light shines with peculiar lustre like Moses' face, and they know it not. Thousands see their good works and glorify their Father who is in heaven, but the matter is hid from them; they complain, perhaps,

that they are the most unprofitable of all his children. Let me instance in one particular; St. Paul, Mr. Whitfield, and thousands of the brightest stars of the christian church, have called themselves both the chief of sinners, and the least of all saints. Now, as in a chain, there is but one link that can be called the first, or the last; so, in the very nature of things, there can be but one man in the immense file of Christ's soldiers, that is actually the chief of sinners and the least of all saints: if a thousand believers therefore say those two appellations belong to themselves, it is evident that at least 999 undervalue themselves. For my part, I cannot but think they suit me ten thousand times better than they did St. Paul: I must therefore insolently think myself a less sinner and a greater saint than him; or of necessity believe that he, and all that are partakers of the same convincing grace, undervalue themselves in every respect.

One more article remains, and if it does not contain the dreadful heresy, which hitherto we have looked for in vain, the Minutes are from first to last Scripturally orthodox, and you have given Churchmen and Dissenters a false alarm.

Almost

VIII. "Does not talking of a justified and sanctified state, tend to mislead men? naturally leading them to trust in what was done in one moment? Whereas we are every hour and every moment plea-ing, or displeasing to God, according to our works? According to the whole of our inward tempers and outward behaviour."

To do this proposition justice, and prevent misunderstandings, I must premise some observations.

1. Mr. W. is not against persons talking of justification and sanctification in a Scriptural sense for when he knows the tree by the fruits, he says himself to his flocks, as St. Paul did to the Corinthians, some of you are sanctified and justified. Nor does he deny that God justifies a penitent sinner in a mɔment, and that in a moment he can manifest himself unto his believing people as he does not to the world, and give them an inheritance among them that are sanctified, through faith in Jesus. His objection respects only the idea entertained by some, and countenanced by others, that when God forgives us our sins, he introduces us into a state where we are unalterably fixed in his blessed favour, and for ever stamped with his holy image: so that it matters no longer whether the tree is barren or not, whether it produces good or bad fruit; it was set at such a time, and therefore it must be a tree of righteousness still. A conclusion directly contrary to the words of our Lord and his beloved disciple: "By their fruit ye shall know them." Every branch in me that beareth not fruit [much more that beareth evil fruit] my Father taketh away."

2. Permit me, Sir, to observe also, that

offended, which is blasphemy to speak." Yet again, “It is thought that elect persons are in a damnable estate, in the time they walk in excess of riot; let me speak freely to you, that the Lord has no more to lay to the charge of an elect person, yet in the height of iniquity, and in the excess of riot, and committing all the abominations that can be committed."-" There is no time but such a person is a child of God." 6. In short, Sir, you must be of the sentiment of the widest Antinomian I ever knew, who because he had once a bright manifestation of pardon, not only concludes he is safe, though he lives in sin, but asserts, God would no more be displeased with him for whoring and stealing, than for praying and receiving the sacrament. Again. It is an important truth, that we may please God for a time, and yet afterwards displease him. St. Paul mentions those who by putting away a good conscience, concerning faith have made shipreck, and therefore please God no longer, seeing that without faith it is impossible to please him.

Of this the Israelites are a remarkable instance. They did all drink of that spiritual rock that followed them, and that rock was Christ. Yet with many of them God was not well pleased:" then comes the proof of the divine pleasure; for they were overthrown in the wilderness: Now, adds the Apostle, "these things happened unto them for examples, and they are written for our admonition, that we should not lust after evil things, and tempt Christ, as they did." Therefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest, after their example, he fall into wilful sin, the divine displeasure, and utter destruc

tion.

Our Lord teaches the same doctrine both by parables, and positive assertions. He gives us the histiroy of a man to whom his Lord and King compassionately forgave a debt of ten thousand talents: this ungrateful wretch by not forgiving his fellow-servant who owed him an hundred pence, forfeited his own pardon, and drew upon himself the king's heaviest displeasure, "for he was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due to him;" and to the eternal overthrow of Dr. Crisp's fashionable tenets, our Lord adds, "So likewise shall my Father do unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses." Agreeably to this he assured his disciples that his Father "pruneth every branch in him that beareth fruit, and taketh away every one that beareth not fruit;" and to shew how far this displeasure may proceed, he observes, that such a barren branch is cast forth, is withered, gather ed, cast into the fire and burned.

Here, Sir, I might add all those Scriptures that testify the possibility of falling away from the divine favour: I might bring the alarming instances of those apostates, who

once tasted the good word of God, and the power of the world to come, and afterwards fell from their stedfastness, lost their reward, became enemies to God by wicked works, hated the light which once they rejoiced in, because it reproved their evil deeds; trod under foot the Son of God, forgat they were washed from their old sins, and counted the blood of Christ, wherewith they were sanctified, an unholy thing. But I refer you, Sir, to the two John Goodwins of the age, the Rev. Mr. Wesley, and the Rev. Mr. Sellon, who have so cut down and stripped the Crispian orthodoxy, that some people think it actually lies without either root, bark, or branches, exposed to the view of those who have courage enough to see and think for themselves.

Should all they have advanced, to shew that we are every hour and every moment pleasing or displeasing to God, according to our internal and external works, have no weight with you; let me conclude by producing the testimony of two respectable divines, against whom you will not enter a protest.

The one is the Rector of Loughrea. You tell us, Sir, in your Sermons, page 88, that the acceptance of Cornelius "was not absolutely final and decisive," and you add, "So long as we continue in the flesh, we are doubtless in a probationary state. Even after Cornelius had been endued with the Holy Ghost, had he willfully done despite to the Spirit of grace, he might have (not only displeased God which is all Mr. W. asserts in this proposition, but) fallen as deep into perdition as ever Judas did."

I knew one Sir, who was burned as a dreadful heretic, that did not go farther in this heresy than you do. And that is good bishop Latimer; who not only affirmed, that "Christ shed as much blood for Judas as he did for Peter," but roundly asserted, "We may one time he in the book and another out, as it appeareth by David, who was written in the book of life; but when he sinned (which by the bye we may do every moment) he at the same time was out of the favour of God, until he had repented; out of Christ, who is the book in which all believers are written." Lat. Serm. on the 3rd Sunday after Epih.

Thus, Sir, have I looked out for the heresy the dreadful heresy of Mr. W.'s Minutes, by bringing all the propositions they contain to the touch-stone of Scripture and common sense but instead of finding it, I have found the very marrow of the gospel of Christ, so far as it is opposed to Dr. Crisp's Antinomian Gospel; which at this time would overflow our little Sion, if God did not sit above the water floods, and say to the proudest billows of error, hitherto shall ye come and no farther. I have shewed that the Minutes contain nothing but what is truly Scriptural, and nothing but what the best Calvinist divines have themselves directly or indirec.ly