falvation, partly by man's [antichriftian] merits [according to the firft covenant,] and partly by the [proper] merits of Jefus Chrift [according to the fecond.] If we, or an angel from heaven, fays St. Paul, preach any other goffel unto you, than that which we have preached, amely, that we are Javed [i. e. pardoned, abfolved, and fanctified] by grace, thro' faith [which worketh by love and that not of ourselves, [not without an atoning prieft and the Spirit helping our infirmities] not [by the covenant] of works: it is the [gofpel-]gift of God-let him be accurfed, Gal. i. 8.]

He really denies his Saviour, and tears the feamless robe of Chrift's righteoufnefs, who patches it with the rags of his own [anti-evangelical, faithlefs] righteoufnefs, [Or, to speak without metaphor, he denies our Lord's meritorious fulfilling of the law of innocence, he defpifes the Saviour's compleat obfervance of the Adamic law of works, who being forgetful of his aggravated guilt, and regardless of his palpable impotence, refufes to fubmit to the law of faith, and to embrace the covenant of grace with an ardor becoming a poor, self-condemned, loft, and undone finner. Nay, I go farther ftill:] he takes away [or obftructs] all the efficacy of Christ's atoning blood, who pretends to mend it by adding thereto the filthy drops of his own [anti-evangelical, pharifaic] goodnefs, [in order to make a more complete fatisfaction to divine juftice.]

It is mere blafphemy against divine mercy, fays our Church, and great derogation to the blood-fhedding of our Saviour, to Juppose that our works can DESERVE, or PURCHASE to us remiffion of fins, and confequently fal vation. No it is bestowed on BELIEVERS of the free grace and mercy of God, by the mediation of the blood of

his

merits; many have difcovered and attacked felf-righteousness in its moft deceitful appearances. Many have lived and died in the most profound humility. I would no more be a bitter proteftant, damning all the papifts in a lump; than a bitter papift, anathematizing all Poteftants without exception,

his fon Jefus Chrift, without merit or deferving on their part, [altho' not without the evangelical worthinefs, which their faith derives from that dear Redeemer.] Hom. on Fafting.

To conclude: By the covenant of works man has all the glory of his own falvation. Faith [in a Redeemer] is made of no effect; Chrift is entirely fet afide, and works are placed in the Mediator's throne.

According to the imaginary, mixt covenant of falvation by our own good works [fo called, or to speak with propriety, by our own faithlefs, hypocritical works] mended, [as we think,] with [fome unfcriptural notions and expreffions about] Chrift's merits; man has the FIRST fhare of the glory; Christ has only man's leavings; [the Redeemer is allowed to be the laft but not the firft; the omega but not the alpha: The two covenants are confounded ;] works and faith [or rather, faithlefs works and faith, graceless works and grace] contrary to my text, and indeed to common fenfe, come in together for a part of the honour [as if they were the primary meritorious caufe of our falvation whereas the good works of faith themselves are at beft only the fecondary, evidencing cause of our final falvation. 4].

G

Reader charge

But

(21) † Should a prejudiced Reader charge me with having mixed the two covenants in my Checks in oppofition to the doctrine of this difcourfe; Should he fay, that I have taught the double way of works and faith i. e. of faithless works and faith, I protest against the groundlefs affertion, and appeal to all my candid Readers, whether I have not conftantly pointed out the one gofpel-way to heaven, the good old way of FAITH, which WORKETH by love. An unfeigned faith in Chrift, according to the light of our difpenfation, a faith fhewn by evangelical works, is the fcriptural condition of the covenant of grace, which I have all along infifted upon whereas anti-evangelical works, Helped out by a feigned faith, are the imaginary condition of the mixt, fantastic covenant, against which I fo juftly bore my teftimony eleven years ago, and againt which I bear now, fully defigning fo to do, "God being my helper, till my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth."

As fome perfons thro" the force of prejudice, and others thro' some natural defect in their understanding, cannot fee any difference be tween the way of faith working by obedient love, which I point out in the

Checks;

ཏ་

But by the gospel all is fet in a most beautiful order, and exquifite harmony. The merits and fufferings of Chrift, the Redeemer of the world, are the only meritorious, [or as fays our Church, “original] caufe" of our falvation. The glory is entirely afcribed to him; and he alone fits upon the throne as a Saviour; while proud man has his mouth ftopped, cr opens it only in the duft to extol redeeming love. Faith, whofe office it is continually to borrow the me

rits

Checks; and the way of works helped out by feigned faith, which I decry in this difcourfe; I fhall, by a plain illuftration, endeavour to show them the amazing difference. A good king pities two condemned malefactors juft turned off; and, at the prince's requeft, not only gets them cut down from the gallows, but after reftoring them by proper affiftance to a degree of ftrength, he fets them up in a genteel business, which they are to carry on under the conftant direction of the prince. One of them, who is a publican, deeply confcious of his crimes, and wondering at the prince's condefcention, does with docility and diligence whatsoever he is commanded, frequently complaining that he does fo little, and expreffing the greatest thankfulness, not only for his life, but for the health, light, tools, and skill he works with. The other, who is a pharifee, forgets that he has been reprieved from the gallows. He is full of felf-importance and ingratitude : he wonders at the publican for making fo much ado about the king's mercy and the prince's favour. He pertly tells you that he does his duty; and that, if he has been guilty of fome faults, he thanks God, they were not of a capital nature. He perpetually boafts of his diligence, and though he does nothing, or only spoils his work by doing it entirely against the prince's directions, he fays, that he is determined to maintain himself by his own industry, and that, if he does not find it posfible to get his living without help, he will condefcend to accept fome affiftance from the prince to make both ends meet; but it fhall be as Jittle as he can help, for he does not love to be under an obligation to any body, no not to the king himself.-Now, who does not fee, that, while the king gracionfly rewards the humble diligence of the penitent publican, he may juftly punish the proud pharifee for his wretched, hypocritical obedience? and that, when Mr. Welley and I have fometimes contended for the works of the publican, and fometimes decried thofe of the pharifee, we have only done the work of evangelifts, and declared with the prophets and apoftles of old, that God refifteth the proud, and giveth grace to the bumble: and that he will give grace and glory, and no good thing fhall be withhold from them that live a godly life? If this is an error, I afk, Wherein does it differ from that frequent and awful declaration of our Lord, Whosoever shall exalt binfelf shall be abafed; and be that shall humble kimself, shall be exalted?

rits of Chrift, and to receive the quickening power of his fpirit: Faith, I fay, is the only inftrumental caufe of our free falvation [in the day of converfion.] It receives Chrift and falvation, as the hand of a beggar receives an alms. And as for good works [properly fo called], fo far are they from being left out of the gofpel-plan, that they have a MOST EMINENT place in it: They are the DECLARATIVE CAUSE of our free juftification [both in the day of trial and in the day of judgment :] A conftant, uniform course of all forts of good works, with an holy and heavenlyminded converfation, being the only evidence of a lively and faving faith, [when it has time to fhow itfelf by external works.]

Thus, [to fum up all in one fentence,] Chrift alone [properly] merits, faith alone [properly] apprehends, and good works alone [properly] evidence falvation: Yea they are the fruit of falvation [begun ;] for [all works meet for repentance fpring from the free juftification and initial falvation, in which we are put in our infancy; and] the love of God fhed abroad in an [eftablifhed believer's heart by the Holy Ghoft given unto him, is falvation itself; this love being the tree on which all [the external] good works [of perfect chriftians] grow, and making our gracious heaven below, as it will make our glorious heaven above.

(22) † The word Caufe, left out by my opponent in his quotation of this part of my old fermon, evidently fhows, that even formerly I did not fo far lean to antinomianifm, as not to affert the abfolute neceffity of good works, in order to the eternal falvation of adults. For, if works are the fecondary caufe of our final juftification, they can no more be difpenfed with in the great day, than faith in the day of converfion, an effect neceffarily fuppofing its caufe. If therefore I calf the juftification of adults free, it is not to exclude faith and works, its inftrumental caufes in the day of converfion and judgment; but to intimate, that all along we are primarily juftified by Christ's merits, and that we never have one fingle grain of original worthiness.

THIRD PART.

[Since I give good works, as I have juft obferved, a moft eminent place in the gospel-plan, even the place of the evidences that will, under Chrift, CAUSE OUR eternal falvation] I [may well] proceed to fhow the injustice or unreasonableness of those, who accufe me to preach against good works. For, "he exclaims against good works - he runs down good works," is an objection [which is ftill at times] urged against my miniftry.

[Altho' I confefs with forrow, that fome years ago, when I had more zeal than prudence, I dropped among you fome unguarded expreffions, and did not always clearly diftinguish between the "good works,” fo called, of unhumbled pharifees; and the genuineobedience of penitent believers; yet I fhould wrong the truth, and undervalue my character as your minifter, if I did not obferve, that, as profeffed antinomi, ans have always loathed the doctrine of a believer's juftification by works; fo the pharifaical world has always abhorred the doctrine of a sinner's juftification by faith. Hence it is that] the above-mentioned afperfion, with abundance of cruel mockings, and pitiful falfe reports, have been in all ages the lot of all thofe, who have [fteadily] preached the gospel of Chrift, that is, the glad news of free falvation thro' [obedient] faith in his blood.

I

We preach Christ crucified, fays St. Paul, to the Jews. a fumbling block, and to the Greeks foolishness; but to them that believe, Chrift the power and wisdom of God, Cor. i. 23. It is plain from this, and feveral other paffages in the epiftles, that the primitive chriftians fuffered much reproach on this account. St. Peter exhorts them thus: Have your converfation, honest among the gentiles, that whereas they speak against you as evil doers, they may at last glorify God by your good works ; for it is his will, that with wel: doing ye put to filence the ignorance of foolish men, and make them ashamed that fally accufe your good conversation in Chrift. 1. Peter, ii. 12, 15.

St.