LETTER II.

TO RICHARD HILL, ESQ.

HONOURED AND DEAR SIR,

AN assertion of yours seems to me of greater moment, than the quotation from Bishop Cowper, which I answered in my last. You maintain that "the doctrine of a twofold justification is not to be found in any part of the liturgy of our church." Page 11.

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I. Not to mention again the latter part of St. Athanasius's creed; permit me, sir, to ask you, if, on the thirteenth and fourteenth Sundays after Trinity, you never considered what is implied in these and the like petitions ?—“ Grant that we may so faithfully serve thee in this life, that we fail not finally to attain th heavenly promises, through the merits of Jesus Christ." "Make us to love that which thou dost command, that we may obtain that which thou dost promise." Again, on St. Peter's day: "Make all pastors diligently to preach thy holy word, and the people obediently to follow the same, that they may receive the crown of everlasting glory, through Jesus Christ." And on the third Sunday in Advent: "Grant that thy ministers may so prepare thy way, by turning the hearts of the disobedient, that at thy second coming to judge the world, we may be found an acceptable people in thy sight."

St. James's justification by works, consequent upon justification by faith, is described in the service for AshWednesday: "If from henceforth we walk in his ways; if we follow him in lowliness, patience, and charity, and be ordered by the governance of his Holy Spirit, seeking always his glory, and serving him duly with thanksgiving." Then comes the description of our final justification, which is but a solemn and public confirmation of St. James's justification by works: "This if we do, Christ will deliver us from the curse of the law, and from the extreme malediction which shall light upon them that shall be set on the left hand; and he will set us on his

right hand, and give us the gracious benediction of his Father, commanding us to take possession of his glorious kingdom."-Commination.

I flatter myself, honoured sir, that you will not set these quotations aside, by just saying what you do on another occasion: "As to the quotation you have brought from Mr. Henry in defence of this doctrine, for any good it does your cause, it might as well have been urged in defence of extreme unction." I hope you will not object, that the words, "second justification by works," are not in our liturgy; for if the thing is evidently there, what can a candid inquirer after truth require more? Should you have recourse to such an argument, you will permit me to ask you what you would say to those who assert, that the doctrine of the Trinity is not found in the scripture, because the word Trinity" is not read there? And the same answers which you would give to such opponents, I now beforehand return to yourself.

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II. As final justification by the evidence of works is clearly asserted in our liturgy, so it is indirectly maintained in our articles. You know, honoured sir, that the eleventh treats of justification by faith at our conversion ; and you yourself very justly observe, page 11, "That our reformers seemed to have had an eye to the words of our Lord, The tree is known,' that is, is evidenced, by its fruit,' when they drew up our twelfth article, which asserts, that a lively faith may be as evidently known by good works, as a tree discerned by its fruit." This, honoured sir, is the very basis of Mr. Wesley's "rotten' doctrine, the very foundation on which St. James builds his pure and undefiled religion. This being granted, it necessarily follows, to the overthrow of your favourite scheme, that a living, justifying faith may degenerate into a dead, condemning faith, as surely as David's faith, once productive of the fruits of righteousness, degenerated into a faith productive of adultery and murder.

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You are aware of the advantage that the twelfth article gives us over you; therefore, to obviate it, you insinuate in your five letters, that David's faith, when he committed adultery, was the same as when he danced before the

ark. It was justifying faith still, only "in a winter season." This argument, which will pass for a demonstration in Geneva, will appear an evasion in England, if our readers consider, that it is founded merely upon the Calvinian custom of forcing rational comparisons to go upon all-four like brutes, and then driving them far beyond the intention of those by whom they were first produced. We know that a tree on the banks of the Severn may be good in winter, though it bear no good fruit; because no trees bear among us any fruit, good or bad, in January. But this cannot be the case either of believers or unbelievers: they bear fruit all the year round; unless you can prove that, like men in an apoplectic fit, they neither think, speak, nor act" in a winter season." Again :

Believers who commit adultery and murder are not gooa trees even in a negative sense; for they positively bear fruit of the most poisonous nature. How then can either their faith or persons be evidenced a good tree by such bad fruit, such detestable evidence? While you put your logic to the rack for an answer, I shall take the liberty to encounter you a moment with your own weapons; and, making the degraded comparison of our twelfth article walk upon all-four against you, I promise you, that if you can show me an apple-tree which bears poisonous crabs in summer, much more one that bears them "in a winter season," I will turn antinomian, and believe that an impenitent murderer has justifying faith, and is complete in Christ's righteousness.

III. Having thus, I hope, rescued our twelfth article from the violence which your scheme offers to its holy meaning, I presume to ask, Why do you not mention the homilies, when you say, that the doctrine of a twofold justification is not found in any part of the offices and liturgy of our church? Is it because you never consulted them upon the subject of our controversy? To save you the trouble of turning them over, and undeceive those who are frighted from the pure doctrine of their own church by the late cries of, "Arminianism!" "Pelagianism!" and, "Popery!" I shall present you with the

following extract from our homilies, which will show you they are not less opposite to antinomianism than our liturgy and articles :

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"The first coming unto God is through faith, whereby we are justified before God. And, lest any man should be deceived, it is diligently to be noted, that there is one faith, which in scripture is called 'á dead faith,' which bringeth forth no good works, but is idle, barren, and unfruitful. And this faith, by the holy apostle St. James, is compared to the faith of devils. And such faith have the wicked, naughty Christian people, 'who,' as St. Paul saith, 'confess God with their mouths, but deny him in their deeds.' Forasmuch as 'faith without works is dead,' it is not now faith, as a dead man is not a man. The true, lively Christian faith liveth and stirreth inwardly in the heart. It is not without the love of God and our neighbour, nor without the desire to hear God's word, and follow the same, in eschewing evil, and doing gladly all good works. Of this faith, this is first to be noted, that it does not lie dead in the heart, but is lively and fruitful in bringing forth good works. As the light cannot be hid, so a true faith cannot be kept secret, but shows itself by good works: and as the living body of a man ever exerciseth such things as belong to a living body, so the soul that has a lively faith in it will be doing always some good work, which shall declare that it is living. For he is like a tree set by the water side, his leaf will be green, and he will not cease to bring forth his fruit."-Homily of Faith, part 1. Here is no antinomian salvo; no "winter state" allowed of, to bring forth the dire fruits of adultery and murder.

"There is one work in which are all good works, that is, 'faith which worketh by charity.' If you have it, you have the ground of all good works: for wisdom, temperance, and justice are all referred unto this faith: without it we have not virtues, but only their names and shadows. Many have no fruit of their works, because faith, the chief work, lacketh. Our faith in Christ must go before, and after be nourished by good works. The thief did believe only, and the most merciful God justified

him. If he had lived, and not regarded the works of faith, (N.B.,) he should have lost his salvation again.” -Homily on Good Works, part 1.

"The third thing to be declared unto you is, what manner of works they are which spring out of true faith, and lead faithful men to everlasting life. This cannot be known so well, as by our Saviour himself, who, being asked of a certain great man this question, 'What works shall I do to come to everlasting life?' answered him, 'If thou wilt come to everlasting life, keep the commandments :-Thou shalt not kill: thou shalt not commit adultery,' &c. By which words Christ declared, that the laws of God are the very way which leads to everlasting life. So that this is to be taken for a most true lesson, taught by Christ's own mouth, that the works of the moral commandments of God are the very true works of faith, which lead to the blessed life to come. But the blindness and malice of men hath ever been ready to fall from God and his law; and to invent a new way to salvation by works of their own device. Therefore Christ said, You leave the commandments of God, to keep your own traditions.' You must have an assured faith in God, love him, and dread to offend him evermore: then for his sake love all men, friends and foes, because they are his creation and image, and redeemed by Christ, as ye are. Kill not commit no manner of adultery, in will nor in deed, &c. Thus, in keeping the commandments of God, [wherein standeth his pure honour, and which, wrought in faith, he hath ordained to be the right road and path-way to heaven,] you shall not fail to come to everlasting life."-Homily on Good Works, part 3.

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Whereas, God hath showed to all that truly believe his gospel, his face of mercy, in Jesus Christ, which does so enlighten their hearts that, if they behold it as they ought, they are transformed to his image, and made partakers of the heavenly light, and of his Holy Spirit: so, if they after do neglect the same, and order not their life according to his example and doctrine, he will take away from them his kingdom, because they bring not forth the fruit thereof. And if this will not serve, but still we