but he speaks here from himself, and all that he fpeaks from himself was not truth, -There is as much ground to be confident of the pardon of fin to a believer, as foon as he committed it, as to believe it after he has performed all the • humiliation in the world: A believer may be ⚫ affured of pardon as foon as he commits any fin, even adultery and murder.-There is not one fit of fadness in a believer but he is out of the way of Chrift.-God does no longer ftand difpleafed though a believer do fin often.-There is no fin that ever believers commit, that can poffibly do ⚫ them any hurt. Therefore, as their fins cannot hurt them, fo there is no caufe of fear in their fins • committed.-Sins are but feare-crows and bugbears to fright ignorant children, but men of understanding fee they are counterfeit things.་ Sin is dead, and there is no more terror in it than • in a dead lion.-If we tell believers except they ⚫ walk thus and thus holily, and do these and these good works, God will be angry with them, we abuse the scriptures, undo what Chrift has done, injure believers, and tell God lies to his face.→ • All our righteousness is filthy, full of menftruofity, the highest kind of filthinefs-even what is the fpirit's, must be involved within that which · is a man's own, under the general notion of dung. God has done every thing in Chrift, and taken away all things that can difturb our peace ; but man will be mincing the truth, and tell you ⚫ that if you keep close to God, and refrain from fin, God will love you.-Chrift does all his work for him as well as in him that believes.-If perfons are not united to Chrift, and do not partake ⚫ of justification before they do believe, there will be bringing to life again the covenant of works; you muft of neceffity prefs upon yourselves these terms, "I must do, that I may have life in Chrift: I must "believe." Now if there be believing first, then there is doing before living.-To what purpose

do

do we tell men of wrath and damnation? We ' had as good hold our tongues.' &c. &c.

I do obferve, fays my judicious Calvinist author, the pretence for thefe opinions is, that they exalt Chrift and free grace. Under this 'fhadow Antinomianifm fet up in Germany. This was the great cry in England above fifty years fince. The Synod of New England expofe this as one of the fpeeches of them whom they call Antinomians: Here is a great ftir about graces ⚫ and looking to hearts; but give me Ghrift: I feek not for graces, but for Chrift: I seek not for pros mifes, but for Chrift: I feek not for fanctification, but for Chrift: Tell me not of meditation and duties, but tell me of Christ. Dr. Crifp very often bears upon this point, as if all he faid was to advance Chrift and Grace.'

You will perhaps fay that our gofpel-minifters are far more guarded than the good Doctor. But I would ask whether all his fcheme is not collected, and made to center in the one fashionable expreffion of FINISHED SALVATION Which seems to be Our Shibboleth.

If the Salvation of the elect was finished upon the crofs, then was their juftification finished, their fanctification finished, their glorification finished: for juftification, fanctification, and glorification finished, are but the various parts of our finished falvation. If our juftification is finished, there is no need of believing in order to be juftified. If our fanctification is finished, there is no need of mortifying one fin, praying for one grace, taking up one cross, parting with either right eye or right hand, in order to perfect holiness. Again,

Suppose our falvation is finished, it follows Christ has done all, and we are to do nothing. Obedience and good works are no more neceffary in order to it, than cutting and carrying ftones are neceffary to the compleating of Westminster bridge. We are as perfect in Chrift, as compleatly blameless and holy in the midst of all our fins, as ever we

fhall

fhall be in glory. In a word, if falvation is finished, well ordered in all things and fure, our fins cannot take any thing from it, nor our righteousness have any thing to do with it. The little flock of the elect fhall be faved, nay are fully faved now, do what they pleafe; and the multitudes of the reprobates fhall be damned, do what they can. Give me only the fmooth ring of finished falvation, and without offering the lealt violence to common fense, I fhall neceffarily draw every link of Dr. Crifp's antinomian chain.

I have often wondered, how fo many excellent men can be fo fond of an expreffion which is the ftalkinghorfe of every wild ranter. Is it fcriptural? Which of the Prophets or Apoftles ever used it on earth ? Do even the Spirits of just men made perfect afcribe finished falvation to the Lamb? If they did, would not their uncollected duft, and the fouls crying under the altar, prove their praises premature? Will falvation be finished till the laft enemy, death, is fully overcome by the general refurrection? Again,

Is the expreffion of finished Salvation confiftent with the analogy of faith? Does it not fuperfede our Lord's interceffion at the right hand of God? Whether he intercedes for the reprobate or the elect, acts he not a moft unwife part? Is not he giving himself a needless trouble, whether he intercedes for the juftification of those whom he has himfelf reprobated, or for the falvation of those whofe falvation is finished? Is it right to offer an infult to our High-Priest upon his mediatorial throne, under pretence of honouring him on the crofs? And may not I fay with judicious Baxter, See what this overdoing tends to! See what contempt it pours upon Him who is the Brightness of bis Father's glory!

If that favourite expreffion is neither fcriptural, nor agreeable to the analogy of faith, is it at least rational? I doubt it is not. Finished falvation implies both a deliverance from bodily and fpiritual evils, and a being made fully partaker of heavenly

glory

glory, in body and in foul. But waving the confide ration of glory and heaven, and taking the word falvation in its negative and lower fenfe, I ask: Can it be faid with any propriety that bodily falvation is finished, while innumerable pains and diseases furround us, to drag us to the grave, and deliver us to putrefaction? And is Spiritual salvation finished? Is the body of fin deftroyed? Do not those very Minifters who preach finished falvation with one breath, tell us with the next, "there is no deliverance (that is, no finished falvation) from fin in this life?"

And what end does that expreffion answer? I know of none but that of spreading Dr. Crifp's doctrine, and making thousands of deluded fouls talk as if the tower of their falvation was finished, when they have not fo much as counted the coft; or when they have juft laid the foundation.

Therefore, with all due deference to my Brethren and Fathers who preach finished falvation, I ask, 'Would it not be better to drop that doctrine, with all the other dangerous refinements of the honest Doctor, and preach a finifhed atonement, a present forvereign remedy, compleatly prepared to heal all our fpiritual infirmities, affuage all our miferies, and fit us for finished falvation in glory? Would not this be as well at leaft, as to help our patients to compofe themselves to fleep upon the pillow of Antinomianifm; by making them believe the preparation of the remedy, and a compleat cure are all one; fo that now they have abfolutely nothing to do in order to faving health, and (as the Apostles concluded about Lazarus) if they fleep they fhall do well? And thould we not, even in fpeaking of Redemption, imitate the judicious Calvinifts of the laft century, who carefully diftinguifhed between redemption by the price of Jefus's blood, and redemption by the power of his Spirit. former, faid they, was finifhed upon the cross, but the latter is not fo much as begun in thou-`

"The

fands;

fands; even in all that are unborn or unconverted?

V.

To speak the melancholy truth, how few individuals are free from practical Antinomianism ? Setting afide their attendance on the miniftry of the word, where is the material difference between feveral of our genteel believers and other people? Do not we fee the fumptuous furniture in their apartments, and fashionable elegance in their drefs? What fums of money do they frequently lay out in coftly fuperfluities to adorn their perfons, houfes and gardens ?

Wife heathens, by the help of a little philofophy, faw the impropriety of having any ufelefs, brittle veffels about them: they broke them on purpofe, that they might be confiftent with the profeffion they made of feeking wisdom. But we, who profefs to have found Chrift the wisdom of God, purchase fuch veffels and toys at an high rate, and inftead of hiding them for fhame, as Rachel did her Teraphim for fear, we write our motto over againft the candlestick upon the plaster of the wall, and any man that fears the God of Daniel may, upon studying the Chinese characters, make out ANTI

NOMIANISM.

Our Lord, whofe garment does not appear to have been cut in the height of the fashion as it was made without feam, informs us that they who wear Soft clothing, and fplendid apparel, are in king's houses. But had he lived in our days, he might have found them in God's houfes; in our fashionable churches or chapels. There you may find people profeffing to believe the Bible, who fo conform to this prefent world as to wear gold, pearls and precious

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