from those to whom it is offered, is, in fact, to require them to use their rational faculties in a fit manner, and to exercise care and impartiality in judging of an affair which is of the greatest importance to themselves, and to the world. Wherefore, seeing the proofs by which the gospel is shewed to be of divine original, are sufficient to convince those who examine them impartially; for any one to reject the gospel as not of divine original, is certainly an evidence that his heart is so corrupted that he is incapable of salvation: whereas, to receive it, is a proof that he possesseth a rectitude of disposition which fits him for heaven. So our Lord hath declared, John iii. 20. Every one who doth evil, hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. 21. But he who doth truth, cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest that they are wrought in God. The belief of the gospel being thus a proof that men are capable of justification, and the rejection of it disqualifying them for receiving that blessing, to require faith in the gospel as the condition of the salvation of those to whom it is proposed, and to make the disbelief of it the cause of their condemnation, are both of them proper; consequently no fault can be found, either with our Lord's promise, or with his threatening, Mark xvi. 15. Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. 16. He who believeth, and is baptized, shall be saved; but he who believeth not, shall be condemned.

2. The gospel is much to be commended for making faith the condition or means of men's justification, because it is the highest exercise of piety, and the only true principle from which, in every dispensation of religion, good works must proceed. This praise is due to faith, not because by piety and good works men merit justification, but because by these jointly, they became capable of pardon and eternal life. Wherefore, in speaking of men's justification, to separate good works from faith, and to make the latter consist wholly in the belief of doctrines, without connecting it with good works, is to err from the truth: As is plain from the many passages of scripture, in which good works are enjoined as necessary to salvation, and bad works are forbidden as bringing condemnation on those who continue in them. To begin with the highest authority; our Lord hath said, Matth. vii. 21. Not every one who saith to me, Lord, Lord, that is, who acknowledgeth me for his master, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven: but he who doth the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord,

have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name have done many wonderful works? 23. And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: Depart from me ye who work iniquity. Matth. xxv. 34. Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35. For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat, &c. 41. Then shall he say also to them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels. 42. For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat, &c. See also Matth. xiii. 41, 42, 43.-In like manner, the apostle Peter, Acts iii. 19. Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out. 2 Pet. i. 5. Add to your faith courage, &c. 10. For doing these things ye shall never at any time fall. 11. And thus there shall be richly ministred to you, an entrance into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. And especially Paul, the great defender of justification by faith without works of law, Rom. ii. 5. The righteous judgment of God, who will render to every man according to his works, ver. 13. Not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified. Rom. viii. 13. If ye live according to the flesh, ye shall die: but if, through the Spirit, ye put to death the deeds of the body, ye shall live. 1 Cor. vi. 9. Do ye not know that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived, neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, &c. Gal. v. 6. In Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but faith strongly working by love. Tit. ii. 11. The grace of God which bringeth salvation, hath shone forth to all men, 12. Teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously and godly in this present world, 13. Expecting the blessed hope, namely, the appearing of the glory of the great God, and our Saviour Jesus Christ, 14. Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify to himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. Heb. xii. 14. Pursue peace with all men, and holiness, without which no one shall see the Lord.-So also James ii. 14. Though a man say, he hath faith, and have not works, will faith save him?-And John, 1 Epistle, iii. 7. Little children, let no one deceive you: He who doth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous.

After these declarations from Christ and his apostles, can any one doubt, that the faith which saves, is necessarily connected with good works; and that it is made the condition or means of

our justification for any other reason, but because it is the vital principle of true holiness, whereby men are rendered capable of eternal life.

3. By establishing faith as the condition of men's justification, the gospel teacheth us, that at the judgment, God will principally regard the disposition of men's minds, without severely searching into their actions. For, in particular instances, these may have been imperfect, and even faulty, through the greater. corruption of nature which some have to struggle against, or the greater temptations to which others have been exposed, or the peculiar disadvantages under which a third sort have laboured, while their general conduct hath been right. Besides, in most cases, the bad actions of those who have a sincere desire to please God, having through invincible ignorance, been performed under the notion, perhaps, of service done to God; or if performed. contrary to knowledge and conscience, having been speedily repented of by the believer, God will graciously forgive them for the sake of Christ, and will accept of their faith, or general disposition to please him, which led them to an habitual course of virtuous, though not sinless conduct, as if it were a perfect righteousness; and will reward them from pure favour, on account of the meritorious obedience of Christ.

4. By making faith the condition of our justification, the gospel teaches, that however good any action may be, as to the matter of it, if it does not proceed from faith, that is, from an habitual regard to the will of God, and from a sincere desire to please him, in the hope of obtaining those rewards, which the lights of nature and of revelation encourage pious men to expect from his goodness, (Heb. xi. 6.) it is neither a moral nor a religious action. It is the mere effect of natural disposition, or perhaps of something worse; for instance, a desire of the praise of men, or a regard to one's own present interest; and therefore it will avail nothing to one's acceptance with God.

5. Lastly, The gospel, which hath made faith working by love, the condition on which God will justify men in the way of favour, is attended with this advantage, that while it establisheth good works on the firmest foundation, and giveth them all the weight and importance in the Christian scheme which really belong to them, it beats down men's pride, by making them sensible of the imperfection of their virtue. And thus taking away from sinners all pretensions to merit, it constrains them humbly to receive the great blessings of justification and salvation, as

free gifts from God through Jesus Christ, and lays a foundation for their gratitude to God, and love to Christ, throughout the endless ages of eternity.

SECTION V.

Of the Time when Believers are justified.

Many of the inextricable opinions with which theologians have perplexed themselves, in pretending to reconcile the doctrine of the apostles Paul and James on the article of justification, originate from the notion, that believers are justified in the present life. And I acknowledge, that what Moses hath written concerning the justification of Abraham, according to its obvious meaning in modern language, seems to imply, that he was justified at the time he believed in the Lord. I acknowledge also, that what Paul hath written concerning the justification of believers, seems in like manner to imply, that they are justified in the present life. Nevertheless, I hope to make it evident, that neither Moses nor Paul meant to teach any such doctrine.

1. To shew this, my first argument shall be taken from the nature of justification. To be justified, in the scripture sense of the word, is to be acquitted from the charge of having broken the law of God, either by omitting the duties which it enjoins, or by committing the sins which it forbids; consequently, it means to be freed by the sentence of God, from the punishment which they incur who break his law. Accordingly the Westminster Assembly in their Shorter Catechism, have rightly defined justification, "An act of God's free grace, wherein he "pardoneth all our sins, and accepteth us as righteous in his "sight." But as the whole of a man's life is a state of probation, the sentence of acquittal, in which justification consisteth, must proceed upon an examination of all the deeds men have done in the body, during the whole course of their trial. Wherefore, if the sentence of acquittal is passed immediately on a man's first faith, which is the opinion of Estius, Whitby, Locke, Taylor, and others, on the one hand, and of the Antinomians, and. of some Calvinists, on the other, we must either hold, with the first mentioned learned men, that the acquittal respects only the sins committed by the believer prior to that first act of faith; or with the last mentioned persons, that it comprehends not only

the believer's past sins, but all those also, which he may happen to commit afterwards, till his death.

The first of these opinions, namely, that justification consists in the pardon of the sins committed previous to believing, labours under this inconveniency, that by connecting the pardon of past sins with men's first faith in the gospel, we are led to think, that some may be justified and pardoned with respect to all their past sins, on whom no change of dispositions hath passed, nor will pass; as was the case with Simon Magus, and many others in the first age, who were baptised and made an outward profession of faith in the gospel. The same is the case likewise with many in every age, who speculatively believe the gospel to be a revelation from God, and yet are not influenced thereby either in their temper or actions. I ask, Will wicked persons, who die impenitent, not be punished for the sins they committed previous to their first faith in the gospel? To resolve the matter into the sovereign pleasure of God, will not account for his pardoning such persons: because if at any time God forgives the sins which men have committed, while they continue in these sins, he acts contrary to his perfections, and to his character as the righteous Judge of the world.-Besides, if the future punishment of sin is to arise in part, from the existence of evil dispositions in the mind of the sinner, those who live and die in their sins, must be miserable in proportion to the number and strength of the evil habits which they carry with them into the other world; these not being diminished in the least by their supposed first pardon. Wherefore, that sinners are pardoned in any period of their life without repentance, and that the sins which have been thus pardoned, will neither be punished in a future state, nor be the instrument of the sinner's punishment who dieth in his sins, being opinions which stand in opposition to the declared laws of God's government, and to the established course of things, they ought not to be adopted on a few expres sions in scripture, which easily admit of a different interpretation. But to induce us to embrace such opinions, the plainest and most unambiguous assertions ought to be produced from the inspired writings, in confirmation of them.-To all these considerations we may add, that if the speculative belief and outward profession of the gospel is sufficient, without repentance, to procure for sinners the pardon of all the sins they have committed previous to their believing the gospel, Why may not the same kind of faith continued in, procure for sinners without