sions therein stated, that a man after he has faith may commit sin; how far the latter principle, that sins at the instant they are committed, are remitted, can be supported by reason, it must be difficult to shew; by Scripture, it is conceived, it most certainly cannot.

With respect to those who hold that works as well as faith are necessary to effect justification, upon the principle that man can at any time during life commit sin, or fall from grace, must have his subsequent sins after he has been once justified, as repeatedly remitted as often as he commits them; consequently he may have many justifications, because upon every fresh sin committed, he is out of the pale of justification, till he has done works to effect a new remission, and as it is not scriptural, we must conclude it is not reasonable, that God should be sitting in judgment continually, because "it is God that justifieth "."

We will now see how the matter stands with respect to those who hold that works are necessary to manifest or evidence faith at the last, or day of judgment, as that must be the time they mean works are to have effect, and not on earth; those who hold this principle must, and cannot do otherwise than hold, that without

b Rom. viii. 33.

works their faith cannot be manifested, and therefore must be dead, and can have no effect, of course their justification cannot take place at the time of believing, and how can it take place till it is manifested by works? and it is not to be manifested by works till the day of judgment; then, and then only, according to their own principles, is faith to be manifested by works; consequently their justification cannot take place till the day of judgment. On the other hand, if justification takes place upon doing a good work, it will be doubtful what work is necessary; and if such a work is done, may it not be said man is justified by works only?

Another difficulty which occurs from the opi nion that justification takes place in this life is, how the person who is justified can continue in that state, and what is necessary to be done? Some have erroneously believed or held that good works are necessary for this purpose: it may be asked, where in Scripture is it to be found so stated, or from what part is it to be concluded that good works are to have such an effect? The facts which are stated, where good works have had an effect in justification, such as Abraham, when he sojourned in a strange land, and readily obeyed the command of the Lord to offer his son Isaac as a sacrifice, were acts done, which shewed his obedience, and not only

proved, but co-operated with his faith to effect his justification: it is not said that either of these acts of obedience, or any other act done by Abraham, were to continue his justification; no, they were to perfect his faith as expressly stated by St. James.

The tenet of two justifications, one in this life, and the other at the day of judgment, has generally the same difficulties and objections to it that justification in this life has with the addition of the following: that two justifications are not mentioned, or even alluded to in Scripture, and consequently there can be no certainty as to the different parts or purposes each are to consist of, such as one man may hold, that remission of sins is annexed to the first justification, and another that it is a part of the second or final justification.

The case of Simon Magus shews that justification does not take place either at baptism or believing; he was baptized and believed, but Peter told him his heart was not right in the sight of God, of course he was not justified, yet he was baptized and had faith.

All the foregoing difficulties, with many others, which must occur, by holding the tenet that justification takes place in this life, are

Acts viii. 21.

removed, as well as innumerable inconsistencies and contradictions in Scripture reconciled by merely fixing the time when justification actually takes place to the day of judgment.

Those who hold justification takes place in this life must wholly forget or overlook what is stated and taught in Scripture relative to a day of judgment. When we consider the purposes, &c. of a day of judgment, it will appear the two tenets cannot exist together; no means or words can be found to reconcile them, either from the authority of Scripture or reason. It cannot be believed, that those who imbibe this principle can consider all the statements in Scripture respecting a day of judgment are nothing more than a mere flourish of words or high hyperbole, and as such are to have no attention paid them, but to be wholly rejected from their system of theology! But if, on the contrary, the statements in Scripture are to be received as an authority, it may be reasonably asserted, that as sure as a day of judgment will take place, it is also as certain, from the same authority, that man at that day is to be tried and judged, and the sentence of justification or condemnation then passed upon him. This objection, were there no others, seems quite insurmountable, upon every principle of reason as well as Scripture, to the tenet of justification taking place in this life.

CHAPTER V.

AN ENQUIRY INTO THE REMISSION OF SINS.

ACCORDING to our definition of justification there must be pardon or remission of sins whenever man is justified; to shew this definition is well founded, writers giving a definition of justification have generally agreed, that such is the effect of justification, and very few have at any time, it is believed, denied this sense or construction of the word; we may, therefore, assume it to be correct: consequently remission of sins is an essential part of justification, and as such it becomes desirable to enquire and examine how, by whom, and upon what occasions, sins have heretofore been remitted, and at the same time, it will also be most important to learn from what cause, through what means, and when, according to Scripture, the sins of men generally are, or are to be remitted: this must be deemed a material part of the argument upon the question now under discussion, whether justification takes place in this life or at the day of judgment.