archs, the books of the old teftament, the facraments, pricfts, prophets, temple, fabbaths, facrifices, and other means of grace belonging to the Jewish conomy. (5.) The life of the feeble Chriftian or difciple of John, who is baptized with water unto repentance for the remiffion of fins, and believing in the Lamb of God immediately pointed out to him enjoys the bleffings of the primitive Chriftians before the day of Pentecoft. And (6.) The ftill more abundant life, the life of the adult or perfect Chriftian, imparted to him when the love of God, or power from on high, is plentifully fhed abroad in his believing foul, on the day that Chrift baptizes him with the Holy Ghoft and with fire, to fandlify him wholly and feal him unto the day of redemption.

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III. When you have overlooked all the degrees of fpiritual death and life, what wonder is it that fhould confound all the degrees of acceptance and divine favor, with which God bleffes the children of men. Fermit ine honored Sir to bring alfo this article of the Chriftian faith out of the Calvinian tower of Babel, where it has too long been detained.

(1.) I have already proved, that, in confequence of the love of benevolence and pity, with which God loved the world, and through the propitiation which Chrift made for the fins of the whole world, the free gift of an accepted time and a day of falvation came upon all men. In this fenfe they are all accepted, and fent to work in the vineyard of their refpective difpenfations. This degree of acceptance, with the feed of light, life and power that accompanies it, is certainly p:evious to any work; and in virtue of it infants and compleat idiots go to heaven, for of fuch is the kingdom of God. As they are not capable of burying or improving their talent of inferior acceptance, they are admitted with it to an inferior degree of glory..

(2.) While many abandoned Heathens, and thofe who follow their abominable ways bury their talent to the laft, and lofe it together with the degree of acceptance, they once enjoyed in or through the Be

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loved; fome, by improving it, are accepted in an higher manner, and like Cornelius receive tokens of increafing favor. The love of pity and benevo lence which God bore them, is now mixed with fome love of complacence and delight.

(3.) Faithful Jews, or those who are under their difpenfation, improving a fuperior number of talents, are accepted in a fuperior manner, and as a token of it they are made rulers over five cities, they partake of greater grace here, and greater glory hereafter.

(4.) John the Baptift and his difciples, I mean, Chriftians who have not yet been baptized with the Holy Ghoft, and with fire, are yet more highly accepted; for John, and the fouls who live up to the height of his difpenfation, are great in the fight and favor of the Lord. They exceed all thofe who attain only to the perfection of inferior œconomies.

(5.) But those Chriftians, who live in the kingdom of God, which was opened to believers on the day of pentecoft, whofe heart burns with his love, and flames with his glory, are accepted in a still higher degree; for our Lord informs us, that great as John himself was, the leaft in the kingdom of God is greater than he, and as a token of fuperior acceptance he fhall be made ruler over ten cities: he shall enter more deeply into the joy and glory of his Lord.

Altho' concurrence with grace given, is neceffary in order to these four laft degrees of acceptance, none enjoys them but in and thro' the beloved; for as his blood is the meritorious fpring of all our pardons, fo his Spirit is the inexhauftible fountain of all our graces. Nor are we lefs indebted to him for power to be workers together with God in the great business of our falvation, than for all the other wonders of his unmerited goodness and redeeming love.

Let no body fay that the doctrine of these degrees of acceptance is founded upon metaphyfical diftinctions, and exceeds the capacity of fimple Chriftians; for a child ten years old understands that he may be

accepted

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accepted to run a race, before he is accepted to re ceive the prize; and that a man may be accepted as a day-labourer, and not as a fervant; be as a steward, and not as a child, as a friend and not as a fpoufe. All thefe degrees of acceptance are very diftinct, and the confufion of them evidently belongs to the Calvinian Babel.

IV. As we have confidered three of the walls of your tower; it will not be amifs to caft a look upon the fourth, which is the utterly confounding of the four degrees that make up a glorified faint's eternal juftification. (1.) That which paffes upon all infants univerfally, and is thus described by Ŝt. Paul, As by the offence of one judgment came upon ALL men to condemnation; even fo by the righteoufnefs of one, the free gift came upon ALL men, unto prefent juftification from original fin, and future juftification of life upon their repenting, and believing in the light, during the day of their vifitation. In confequence of this degree of juftification we may, without impeaching the veracity of God, fay to every creature, God fo loved the world, that he gave his only begotten fon, to reconcile them unto himfelf, not imputing to them original fin unto eternal death, and blotting out their perfonal tranfgreffions in the moment they believe with the heart unto righteoufnefs.

(2.) The juftification confequent upon fuch believing, is thus defcribed by St. Paul. This bleffing of faith imputed for righteoufnefs fhall be ours, if we believe on him that was raifed from the dead for our jnftification. We have believed in Jefus Chrift; that we might le JUSTIFIED by the faith of Chrift, and not by the works of the law. Therefore being JUSTIFIED by faith we have peace with God thro' our Lord Jefus Chrift, &c.

(3.) The juftification confequent upon bringing forth the fruit of a lively faith in the truths that belong to our difpenfation; this juftification is thus mentioned by St. James. Rahab the harlot was juftified by works. Abraham our father was juftified by works.

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-Ye fee then how by works a man is juftified and not by faith only.

And (4.) final juftification thus afferted by our Lord and St. Paul. In the day of judgment by thy words fhalt thou be juftified, and by thy words fhalt thou be condemned. Circumcifion and uncircumcifion avail nothing, but the keeping of the commandments, for the doers of the law fhall be juflified.t

All these degrees of juftification are equally merited by Chrift. We do nothing in order to the firft, because it finds us in a ftate of total death. Towards the fecond we believe by the power freely given us in the fft, and by the additional help of Chrift's word and the Spirit's agency. We work by faith in order to the third. And we continue believing in Chrift and working together with God, as we have opportunity, in order to the fourth.

The preaching diftinctly thefe four degrees of a glorified faint's cternal juftification is attended with peculiar advantages. The firft juftification engages the finner's attention, encourages his hope, and draws his heart by love. -The fecond wounds the felf-righteous Pharifee, who works without believ ing, while it binds up the heart of the returning publican, who has no plea but God be merciful to me a finner.The third detects the hypocrify and blafts the vain hopes of all Antinomians, who instead of fshewing their faith by their works, deny in works the Lord

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+ Thefe four degrees of a glorified faint's eternal juftification are mentioned in the preceding Checks, tho' not fo diftinctly as they are here. If treating of our prefent juftification by faith, and of justification by works in the day of judgment, I have called them our

firft and fecond juftification," it was not to exclude the other two, but to attack gradually reigning prejudice, and accommodate myfelf to the language of my honored opponent, who called juftifi cution in the day of judgment a fecond juftification. I should have been more exact at firft; but I was fo intent in demonftrating the thing, that I did not think then of contending for the most proper name. Nor did I fee then of what importance it is, to drag the monster error out of the den of confufion in which he hides himself.

that bought them, and put him to an open flame. - And while the fourth makes even a Felix tremble, it caufes believers to pass the time of their fojourning here in humble fear and chearful watchfulness.

Tho' all thefe degrees of juftification meet in glorified faints, we offer violence to fcripture if we think with Dr. Crifp that they are infeparable. For all the wicked who quench the convincing Spirit, and are finally given up to a reprobate mind, fall from the firft, as well as Pharaoh. All who receive the feed among thorns, all who do not forgive their fellow fervants, all who begin in the fpirit and end in the flesh; and all who draw back and become fons or daughters of perdition, by falling from the third, lofe the fecond, as Hymeneus, Philetus, and Demas. And none partake of the fourth but those who bear fruit unto perfection according to one or another of the divine difpenfations; fome producing thirty-feld like Heathens, fome fixty-fold like Jews, and fome an hundred fold like Chriftians.

From the whole it appears that altho' we can abfolutely do nothing towards our first justification, yet to fay that neither faith nor works are required in order to the other three, is one of the boldest, most unfcriptural, and moft dangerous affertions in the world; which fets afide the best half of the fcriptures, and lets grofs Antinomianism, come in fulltide upon the church.

Having thus taken a view of the confufion in which Calvin and Crifp have laid the foundation of their schemes, I return to the arguments by which you support their mistakes.

I. "If you fuppofe, do you fay, that there are any "conditional works before juftification, thefe works "muft either be the works of one who is in a state " of nature, or in a state of grace, either condemn"ed by the law or abfolved by the gospel."..

A new fophifm this! No works are previous to juftification from original fin, and to the quickning light

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