it. But there must be one unnatural conftruction, or another, forced upon these texts of fcripture, to make them confiftent with their scheme; which they take for a poftulatum, whatever is faid in the fcripture to the contrary. When this refuge fails, the prefent diftinction is coined, to support the finking caufe. It were a fufficient answer to all these pretences to fay, The foolish nefs of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is ftronger than men. And he that feemeth to be wife in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wife.

But I have this further objection against the diftinc tion you mention, that it is not only a human device, without any appearance of feripture warrant; but it is ut terly inconfiftent with the fcripture doctrine of juftifica tion. There is fo much afcribed, in the fcripture, to what they call our firft juftification, as leaves no poffible room for a fecond. I have obferved fomething of this to you, upon another occafion, in a former letter; and you must bear with me, if you here meet with fome repetition, in order to fet the prefent cafe in a true and proper light. By virtue of the righteousness imputed to us and received through faith, we have a free pardon of all our fins, Rom. iv. 5, 6, 7. To him that work eth not, but believeth on him that juftifieth the ungod ly, his faith is counted for righteousness. Even as David alfo defcribeth the bleffedness of the man unto whom God imputeth righteoufnefs without works, faying, Bleffed are they whofe iniquities are forgiven; and whofe fins are covered. Bleffed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute fin.' By virtue of this juftification we are freed from the wrath of God, and actually reconciled to him, Rom. v. 9, 10. Much "more then being juftified by his blood, we fhall be fav⚫ed from wrath through him. For if when we were 'enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son much more being reconciled, we shall be 'faved by his life.' By this juftification we are made righteous in the fight of God, Rom. v. 18, 19. By the righteousness of one, the free gift came upon all men unto juftification of life. For as by one man's disobedience, many were made finners; fo by the obedience of one, fhall many be made righteous. By this juftification, we have

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the adoption of children, John i. 12. As many as received him, to them gave he power to become the fons of God; even to them that believe on his name. By this juftification, we have the spirit of adoption, peace with God, and a joyful profpect of our eternal inheritance, Rom. v. 1, 2. Therefore being juftified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jefus Christ. And rejoice in hope of the glory of God.' By this juftification, we are fanctified, and receive needful fup. plies of grace, Heb. x. 10. By the which will we are fanctified, through the offering of the body of Jesus ⚫ Christ once for all,' Rom. v. 17. For if by one man's ⚫ offence, death reigned by one; much more they who receive abundance of grace, and of the gift of righte ousness, shall reign in life, by one Jefus Chrift. By this juftification, we are fecured of perfeverance in grace, against all charges, accufations, perfecutions, and malignant endeavours of hell and earth to the contrary, Rom. viii. 33, 35. Who fhail lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that juftifieth. Who fhall feparate us from the love of Chrift? Shall tribulation, or distress, or perfecution, or famine, or nakednefs, or peril, or fword?? And in a word, by this juftification, we are intitled to, and fhall finally be poffeffed of eternal glory, Rom. viii. 30. Whom he justified, them be alfo glorified.

And now, Sir, what is there left for your fecondary juftification to do? We have God himself, pardon, peace, with all the benefits, comforts and privileges of the children of God in this life, and eternal glory hereafter, bestowed upon us, or made over to us, in confequence of what you call the first justification. Your fecondary juftification must therefore be a mere imaginary thing, an unaccountable fiction; which hath as little foundation in the nature of things, as it has in the word of God.

I may add to this, that our continuance in a juflified ftate is by the fame means, by which we were first justified. It is true, believers (as well as others) are daily finning, in thought, word, and deed: and there may therefore appear fome difficulty in conceiving, how our ence being juftified by faith, can fecure to us a remif

fion of future fins. It cannot be fuppofed, that our fins are actually pardoned, before they are committed; or our guilt cancelled, before it was contracted. How then can one fingle justification stand us in flead, through a future scene of fin and guilt, and intitle us to eternal glory, notwithstanding a repeated forfeiture of the divine favour, and notwithstanding our renewed deferts of God's wrath and difpleafure? This deferves fome particular confideration. I fhall therefore endeavour, in a few words, to folve this difficulty, before I proceed diftinctly to confider in what manner our juftification is continued.

Let it then be observed, that as the meritorious procuring caufe of our justification, with all its benefits of grace here and glory hereafter, was at once compleated; the body of Chrift was offered once for all, and by his obedience unto death, he brought in everlasting righteoufnefs: So the believer, upon his firft being actually interested in the redemption by Chrift, and receiving his righteousness, through faith, is at once unalterably acquitted from condemnation, reinftated in the pater nal favour of God, and fecured in fuch a continuing progrefs of grace and holiness, as will end in eternal glory. For by one offering, Chrift hath perfected for ever them that are fandlified, Heb. x. 14. As our Lord Jefus Christ by bearing our fins in his own body to the tree, has finished tranfgreffion, made an end of fin, made reconciliation for iniquity, and brought in everlasting righteousness, Dan. ix. 24. So by faith that is in him, we receive the forgiveness of fins, and an inheritance among them that are fanctified, Acts xxvi. 18. and are compleat in him, Col. ii. 10. He therefore that believeth, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death to life, John v. 24. and is bleffed with all spiritual bleffings, in heavenly things in Chrift, Eph. i. 3.

But this notwithstanding, though our justification, as to the meritorious procuring caufe of it, be at once perfected and compleated; and by virtue of the immutability of God's counfel, the infinite merit of the righte oufnefs imputed, the stability of the covenant of grace, and the faithfulness of the promifes, the believer immutably remains a child of God, and an heir of eternal glory:

he nevertheless, by reafon of his daily fins and imperfections, ftands in daily need of a renewed application of the benefits of Chrift's redemption to his foul, and in daily need of pardon and juftification. But then it fhould be remembered, that this is not a fecondary juftification, diftinct from the former; but the fame renewed and confirmed. If the believer fins, he hath an advocate with the Father, to make continual interceffion for him, for renewed pardon and grace, and for a continuance of his juftified state. He ever liveth to make interceffion for them: who needeth not daily, as thofe high priests, after the order of Aaron, to offer facrifice for his own fins, and then for the people's; for this he did once, when he offered up himself, Heb. vii. 25.27.

These things being premised, the question now re. curs, By what means are believers continued in a justi-. fied ftate? To which I anfwer as before, by the fame means by which they were at firft brought into it. The righteoufnefs of God is revealed from faith to faith, Rom. i. 17. that is, as a noted commentator expounds these words, the beginning, the continuance, and the confummation of our juftification, is by faith. Now the just shall live by faith, Heb. x. 38. Not only are the ungodly juftified by faith; but the juft, or thofe that are in a juftified state, shall live by faith, fhall obtain new fupplies of pardoning and fanctifying grace through faith. And thence the life which the believer lives in the flesh, is faid to be by the faith of the Son of God, Gal. ii. 20.

Let any serious Chriftian confider, what refuge he can betake himself to, in order to quiet the accufations of his confcience for fin committed; and to obtain renewed pardon of his frequent tranfgreffions and conftant imperfections. Dare he venture into the prefence of God, and challenge pardon on account of his own fincere obedience? Will he plead before the eternal Majefty, the milder terms of this (imaginary) new law of grace, and tell the Almighty, this eafy condition was purchased for him by the blood of Chrift, that his own works fhould juftify him; that he fincerely defires and endeavours to obey God, and therefore pleads the benefit of that new covenant of works: and intreats pardon

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and acceptance, for his fincere obedience, according to the tenour of it? If this be an article of our creed, why fhould it not be likewife an article of our devotion? But yet, I think, the patrons of this fcheme cannot be fo hardy, as to plead it before the throne of God. And I may venture to say, that every sensible humble Christian will ufe a quite contrary argument in prayer for pardon and acceptance with God. Such a man will find no plea to make at the throne of grace, but the infinite merits of the glorious Redeemer, with the boundless riches of God's free mercy in Chrift. He can find no other fource of continuing peace and hope, but an humble trust and confidence in the merit and righteousness of Christ. He durft not plead his own attainments before God, nor truft in them, as jufily recommending and intitling him to his favour: but repairs by faith immediately to the righteousness of Chrift alone, for renewed pardon and acceptance. Thus you fee, that as the fcriptures propose a way very different from that of our own obedience, for the continuance of our justification, fo the children of God have a quite contrary refuge for peace and pardon; and it would even shock a Christian ear, to hear any devotions exactly adjusted and proportioned to these principles. It is therefore evident, that all pretences of this kind fhould be rejected, by thofe who would not be finally ashamed of their hope.

That we may have a further view of the abfurdity of this diftinction, let us confider a little how this scheme will hang together; and fee whether it will not neceffarily destroy itself.

The patrons of this distinction do so much honour to the fcriptures, which every where attribute our juftification to faith, as to allow, that our first justification is by. faith alone. But what are we to understand by that faith, by which this firft juftification is obtained. The Papifts tell us, that it is an infufion of a new principle of grace and charity. The Socinians and Arminians (at leaft fome of them) teach, that it is the To credere, or an affent to the gospel revelation, which juftifies as it is an act of our own, and an instance of obedience to the divine command. Some of our more modern refiners upon this fcheme chufe to define this faith, by which