of receiving Chrift, but the benefit received by faith, that is the believer's righteoufnefs.

But you cannot understand how faith's being im puted to us for righteoufnefs, can intend that Chrift's righteousness is imputed to us.' Well then, let it be even fuppofed, that faith is here taken subjectively; and that it was Abraham's faith itself, confidered as an act of his own, that was imputed to him. It may notwithftanding be fet in fuch a view, as will fecure the truth of the doctrine I am pleading for, if the text be confi dered, as it is in the original. His faith was imputed UNTO righteoufnefs, that is, as he was reckoned, judg ed or esteemed of God to be a found believer, fo the faith which was imputed or reckoned to him, was unto righteousness; was infirumental to his attaining of righ teousness; was the means, that by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon him, unto juftification of life; or, in other words, was the means of his interest in that righteoufness of Chrift, by which he was juftified. In this fenfe, the imputation respects his faith: and intends an approbation and acknowledgement of it as true and fincere, and effectual to its proper purposes. He was approved of God, as having a true and found faith, a faith effectual, as an applying means, unto righteoufnefs, and thereby unto juftification: a faith, which inte refted him in Chrift and his righteoufnefs, and thereby entitled him unto acceptance with God, and eternal life. He was judged to be fuch a believer as to have a right, according to the terms of the covenant of grace, to have righteoufnefs imputed to him, without works, as it is ex preffed in ver. 6th. According to this view of the cafe, imputation is confidered in this context in both the fenfes, before explained. Abraham was reckoned or ef teemed a true believer: in confequence whereof, a juf tifying righteousness was imputed to him, even the righ tecufnels of God without the law.

I think, I have before fufficiently proved to you, that we are juftified by the righteoufnefs of Chrift received by faith, and cannot be juftified by any perfonal inherent righteoufnefs of our own. This has been illuftrated from the nature of things, and confirmed by full and plain fcripture teftimony: and this upon an impartial fearch

and enquiry, I think, would appear to you to be the whole fcope and defign of the gospel of Chrift. I have now removed your great difficulty out of the way, and fhewn you how this doctrine fo plainly taught every where else, may be true in a full confiftency with thofe texts, which in your apprehenfion feemed to make against it. I would now propose one method more, to confirm you in the important truth under confideration: and that, if duly attended to, cannot fail.

Allow me, Sir, the freedom to advife you, that you place yourself in the presence of the infinitely great and glorious God, and give yourself to meditation, on fuch fubjects particularly, as may tend to enlighten and eftablifh you in the prefent truth. With this view folemnly contemplate God's infinite juftice, his infinite puritý and holiness, his infinite abhorrence of fin and finners, especially as to be seen in the glass of Chrift's fufferings: alfo contemplate your own ftate and moral character, both by nature and practice. Contemplate the finful defects of the befl works of righteoufnefs that ever you have done, the pollutions mingled with the best duties. that ever you performed. Contemplate the unbelief, which accompanied the higheft actings of faith you were capable of; the formality and hypocrify, which has mixed with your devouteft prayers; the defultory thoughts and dead frames, which have accompanied you to the moft facred ordinances of God's houfe; the frequent violations of the moft folemn refolutions and covenant obligations by which you have bound your foul to the Lord. And in a word, contemplate the greatness of your fins, their vaft number and dreadful aggravations with the nothingnefs of your beft performances and highest attainments in religion; how much you have done against God, and how little for him. And then confider, what plea you have to make before this infinitely great, this abfolutely juft, this perfectly pure and holy God, for juftification in his fight, and acceptance with him. Will you plead your acting of faith in him and his promises? Alas, how will your prevailing unbelief fly in your face, and put you to filence! Will you plead your perfonal obedience, and works of righte

oufnefs, that you have done? Alas, how will a vaft de. gree of fin and unrighteoufnefs cover and confound you! Will you plead your fincerity before God? But what will you do with that prevalent formality and hypocrify, which your own confcience will accufe and convince you of! Will not you be forced at lalt to cry out with David. If thou, Lord, shouldst mark iniquity, O Lord, who fball ftand! and with Job, Behold, I am vile ! What Shall I anfwer thee? I will lay mine hand upon my mouth. Once have I spoken: but I will not anfwer; yea twice, but I will proceed no further. Will not you then fee your neceffity of a more perfect righteoufnefs, to plead before God, than any perfonal inherent righteousness of your own, to cover your dreadful finfulness and infipite defects; and to render you acceptable to God, notwithstanding all the challenges, which the juftice, the holiness, and the law of God, together with your own confcience, have against you? Surely on due reflection, you must fee yourfelf in perifhing neceffity of Chrift, and his righteoufnefs, to recommend you to the divine favour.

Dear Sir, I intreat you to confider in season, what you must confider firft or laft: and let you and I be now folemnly careful to lay our foundation fure, that we may meet with comfort at the great trial, and receive the Euge of our Judge, in that awful and great day: which is the prayer of,

Sir,

Yours, &c.

LETTER XIII. Wherein it is confidered, whe ther we are JUSTIFIED by faith and obedience to the GOSPEL, as a New Law of GRACE.

I

SIR,

CAN with greater encouragement use my endea vours to remove your difficulties; and to fatisfy your defires, fince you do not throw difficulties either in your own way or in mine, out of any conceived prejudice, or from oftentation or wrangling difpofition: • but from a fincere defire of building your hope upon

the fure foundation laid in Zion.' Would all men act from views fo worthy of this great concern, it would be a likely means, not only to put an end to the prevail. ing confufions among us : but to give a triumphant progrefs to the truth; and to establish men in the faith delivered to the faints.

¢

You have (you fay) been fo fenfibly affected by my • last; and are so fully convinced of the danger of miftaking your way, that you are the more folicitous to be fet right; and to have your remaining difficulties removed; and therefore you intreat me to bear with you, while you propofe your ftrongest objection against the doctrine, I fuppofe to be of fo great importance. Your author (you fay) tells you, that our bleffed Saviour has purchased for us new and easier con⚫ditions of life; and instead of the finless obedience re'quired by the moral law, he has now given us a new 'law of grace, which only requires faith, with fincere ' obedience to the gospel, as the condition of our jusli. 'fication and acceptance with God. Whence it ea neceffary confequence, that our juftification, or title. to eternal life, depends not upon Chrift's righteousness 'imputed to us: but upon our faith, including fincere • obedience to the gospel, as the condition to which it is promised, and that as our obedience is imperfect, fo our ftate of juftification is imperfect alfo; and we fhall not be perfectly juftified, till our obedience be 'perfected.'

That I may diftinctly confider this cafe, I fhall endeavour in the first place, to make fome proper inquiries and reflections upon this scheme; and offer fome objections againft it; and then take notice of the argu ments which you have brought to fupport it.

I would first enquire, where you find any thing in fcripture of our Saviour's purchafing this new law of grace, whereby faith and fincere obedience are made the conditions of our juftification; perhaps your author is filent upon that head and for my part, I do not know that I have ever read any thing at all about it, in the word of God. We read often, of our blessed Saviour's giving himself a ranfom for us; of his being a propitia. tion for our fins of his being the Lord our righteounels :

of his having brought in everlasting righteousness; of his being the end of the law for righteousness, unto every one that believeth; and of his being of God made unto us wifdom, and righteousness, and fan&ification, and redemption; with many other like reprefentations of his procuring a juftifying righteousness for us. But of his purchafing this new law of grace, not one word is to be found in the fcriptures. May we not justly suppose, that if this fcheme were right, we fhould have it plainly reprefented to us in the oracles of God; and not be left to grope in the dark, and to find out by far-fetcht confequences, what is the foundation of our practice and hope? How vaft is the difference, between the one and the other fide of this question! On the one fide, we have (or at least we think we have) very numerous, plain, express fcripture authorities, for our juftification by the righteousness of Chrift. On the other fide, there is a deep filence throughout the whole word of God, about any purchase of a new law, fuch a law of favourable terms; and about thofe new conditions of our juftification, those easier terms of our faith and fincere obedience. This fcheme therefore may be prefumed to be at least but of human invention.

I would further enquire, whether in the nature of things there can be any juftification at all, upon fuch conditions as you speak of? I have fhewn you, that juftification is always to be under ftood of our being ef teemed, declared, manifefted, or pronounced righteous. Now then, if our evangelical obedience be imperfect, we are ftill unrighteous, by our remaining fin and difobedience against this (imaginary) new law of grace; and confequently God cannot judge and declare us righteous by virtue of our obedience. For his judgment is according to truth, as I obferved to you in my last letCertain it is, that no man upon earth is or can be perfectly fincere, perfectly believing, or perfectly obe. dient to the gofpel. His defects will be greater than his attainments, and his ditobedience will be greater than his obedience, under his higheft improvements, as long as he lives. He knows nothing of himself, that does not know this to be fact. He must therefore ever be more unrighteous, than righteous, as long as he lives:

:ter.