immortality; that I feel the love of God shed abroad in my heart, being crucified to the world, and the world crucified to me. My rejoicing is this, the testimony of my conscience, that in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, I have my conversation in the world.

Go and find, if you can, a more solid joy, a more blissful comfort, on this side heaven. But this comfort is not shaken, be that opinion true or false; whether the saints in general can or cannot fall.

If you take up with any comfort short of this, you lean on the staff of a broken reed, which not only will not bear your weight, but will enter into your hand and pierce you.

25. Seventhly. Those who live by faith, may yet fall from God, and perish everlastingly.

For thus saith the same inspired writer, "The just shall live by faith; but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him," Heb. x, 38. "The just," the justified person, "shall live by faith," even now shall he live the life which is hid with Christ in God; and if he endure unto the end, he shall live with God for ever. "But if any man draw back,” saith the Lord, "my soul shall have no pleasure in him ;" that is, I will utterly cast him off; and accordingly the drawing back here spoken of is termed, in the verse immediately following, " drawing back to perdition." "But the person supposed to draw back, is not the same with him that is said to live by faith."

I answer, (1.) Who is it then? Can any man draw back from faith who never came to it? But,

(2.) Had the text been fairly translated, there had been no pretence for this objection. For the original runs thus: O dixaios ex Tisews (noclas και σαν υποκειληται. Πιο δίκαιος, “ the just man that lives by faith” (so the expression necessarily implies, there being no other nominative of the verb) "draws back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him."

"But the Apostle adds: We are not of them who draw back unto perdition."" And what will you infer from thence? This is so far from contradicting what has been observed before, that it manifestly confirms it. It is a farther proof that there are those "who draw back unto perdition," although the Apostle was not of that number. Therefore those who live by faith may yet fall from God and perish everlastingly.

23. "But does not God say to every one that lives by faith, I will never leave thee nor forsake thee?"

The whole sentence runs thus : "Let your conversation be without covetousness, and be content with such things as ye have; for he hath said, I will never leave thee nor forsake thee." True; provided “your conversation be without covetousness," and ye "be content with such things as ye have." Then you may "boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me."

Do you not see, (1.) That this promise, as here recited, relates wholly to temporal things? (2.) That, even thus taken, it is not absolute but conditional? And, (3.) That the condition is expressly mentioned in the very same sentence?

27. Eighthly. Those who are sanctified by the blood of the covenant may so fall from God as to perish everlastingly.

For thus again saith the Apostle: "If we sin wilfully, after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sin; but a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries. He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses. Of how much sorer punishment shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing!" Hebrews x, 26-29.

It is undeniably plain, (1.) That the person mentioned here, was once sanctified by the blood of the covenant. (2.) That he afterward, by known, wilful sin, trod under foot the Son of God. And, (3.) That he hereby incurred a sorer punishment than death, namely, death everlasting. Therefore, those who are sanctified by the blood of the covenant may yet so fall as to perish everlastingly.

28. "What! Can the blood of Christ burn in hell? Or can the purchase of the blood of Christ go thither?"

I answer, (1.) The blood of Christ cannot burn in hell, no more than it can be spilled on the earth. The heavens must contain both his flesh and blood until the restitution of all things.

But,

(2.) If the oracles of God are true, one who was purchased by the blood of Christ may go thither. For he that was sanctified by the blood of Christ was purchased by the blood of Christ. But one who was

sanctified by the blood of Christ may nevertheless go to hell; may fall under that fiery indignation which shall for ever devour the adversaries.

29. "Can a child of God then go to hell? Or can a man be a child of God to-day, and a child of the devil to-morrow? If God is our Father once, is he not our Father always?"

I answer, (1.) A child of God, that is, a true believer, (for he that believeth is born of God,) while he continues a true believer, cannot go to hell. But, (2.) If a believer make shipwreck of the faith, he is no longer a child of God. And then he may go to hell, yea, and certainly will, if he continues in unbelief. (3.) If a believer may make shipwreck of the faith, then a man that believes now may be an unbeliever some time hence; yea, very possibly, to-morrow; but, if so, he who is a child of God to-day, may be a child of the devil to-morrow. For, (4.) God is the Father of them that believe, so long as they believe. But the devil is the father of them that believe not, whether they did once believe or no.

30. The sum of all is this: If the Scriptures are true, those who are holy or righteous in the judgment of God himself; those who are endued with the faith that purifies the heart, that produces a good conscience; those who are grafted into the good olive tree, the spiritual, invisible church; those who are branches of the true vine, of whom Christ says, "I am the vine, ye are the branches;" those who so effectually know Christ, as by that knowledge to have escaped the pollutions of the world; those who see the light of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ, and who have been made partakers of the Holy Ghost, of the witness and of the fruits of the Spirit; those who live by faith in the Son of God; those who are sanctified by the blood of the covenant, may nevertheless so fall from God as to perish everlastingly.

Therefore, let him that standeth take heed lest he fall.

A SUFFICIENT ANSWER

ΤΟ

LETTERS TO THE AUTHOR OF THERON AND ASPASIO." "

IN A LETTER TO THE AUTHOR.

BRISTOL, November 1, 1757. SIR,-It is not very material who you are. If Mr. Glass is still alive I suppose you are he. If not, you are at least one of his humble admirers, and probably not very old: so your youth may in some measure plead your excuse for such a peculiar pertness, insolence, and self sufficiency, with such an utter contempt of all mankind, as no other writer of the present age has shown.

As you use no ceremony toward any man, so neither shall I use any toward you, but bluntly propose a few objections to your late performance, which stare a man in the face as soon as he looks in it.

I object, First, that you are a gross, wilful slanderer. For, 1. You say of Mr. Hervey, "He shuts up our access to the Divine righteousness, by holding forth a preliminary human one as necessary to our enjoying the benefit of it." (p. 4.)

Again : "You set men to work to do something, in order to make their peace with God." (p. 9.) This is an absolute slander, founded on that poor pretence, that he supposes those who repent and believe, and none but those, to "enjoy the benefit of Christ's righteousness." And has he not the warrant of Christ himself for so doing," Repent ye, and believe the Gospel?" If this is "teaching man to acquire a righteousness of his own," the charge falls on our Lord himself.

You say, 2. "As to that strange something which you call faith, after all you have told us about it, we are at as great a loss to tell distinctly what it is, as when you began.” (Ib.)

This is another slander. You are at no loss (as will presently appear) to tell what Mr. Hervey incans by faith. Whether it be right or wrong, his account of it is as clear and distinct as any that ever was given.

You say, 3. "The popular preachers" (so you term Archbishop Tillotson, Dr. Lucas, Crisp, Doddridge, Watts, Gill; Mr. Guthrie, Boston, Erskine, Willison; Mr. Flavel, Marshal; Mr. Griffith, Jones, Hervey, Romaine, Whitefield, Wesley) "never tell us what they mean by faith, but by some laboured circumlocutions." (p. 282.)

This is a third palpable slander, as your own words prove: "They say, Faith is a real persuasion that Christ hath died for me." (p. 5.) Are you not here told what they mean by faith; and that without any circumlocution at all?

You confute your own slander still farther, by adding three more : 4. " They make a pious resolve the ground of our acceptance with God." (p. 360.) No, never. Not one of the writers you have named ever did, or does so now. 5. "The faith they talk of, is only a timid resolve, joined with a fond conjecture." Or, 6. "It is a fond presumptuous wish, greatly embarrassed with doubts and difficulties." (p. 404.)

Slander all over. We make the righteousness and blood of Christ the only ground of our acceptance with God. And the faith we talk of

is neither more nor less than a divine conviction, that Christ loved me and gave himself for me.

You say, 7. "All who preach this doctrine are of the world, and speak of the world; therefore the world heareth them." (p. 14.) "Therefore they will always be attended by the body of the people." (p. 37.)

A sad mistake this, in point of fact. For whether they are of the world or no, it is certain the world, the generality of men, (good or bad,) doth not and never did hear them. At this day those who hear them are an exceeding small number, in comparison of those who do not. And if the body of the people in any place do attend some of them, how do they attend? Just as they would a mad dog; with sticks and stones, and whatever comes to hand.

And this you yourself account for extremely well. Sed oportet Palæmonem esse memorem. [But Palærnon ought to remember.] "What a figure would a small number of ministers make in the Church either of England or Scotland, who should agree to maintain the plain, obvious sense of their own public standards of doctrine; and insist upon an adherence to that sense, as a term of holding communion with them in the sacred institutions! Their situation in the national Church would be very uncomfortable, as well as extremely ridiculous. For many enemies would soon be awakened against them, to distress and misrepresent them in various respects." (p. 465.)

This much as a specimen of your veracity. I object, Secondly, that you know not what faith is. You talk about it, and about it, and labour and sweat, and at last come to a most lame and impotent conclusion. You say, "That Christ died for me, is a point not easily settled, a point which the Scripture no where ascertains:" (the very thought, and nearly the words, of Cardinal Bellarmine, in his dispute with our forefathers :) "so far from it, that it affirms the final perdition of many who have great confidence of their interest in Christ;" (this only proves, that many fancy they have what they have not; which I suppose nobody will deny ;) "yea, and declares, that wide is the gate, and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction." (p. 14.) It is so; but this is nothing to the point, the nature of true faith.

"Nature," these men say, "begins the work;" (I know none of them who say so ;)" and then grace helps out the efforts of nature, and persuades a man, though he be not mentioned in Scripture, either by name or surname, that Christ died for him." (p. 33.) "So the Spirit whispers something to the heart of a sinner, beside what he publicly speaks in the Scriptures. But will any lover of the Scriptures allow the possibility of this, that the Spirit should ever speak a syllable to any man, beside what he publicly speaks there?" (p. 35.) You will presently allow something wonderfully like it. And you suppose yourself to be a "lover of the Scriptures.” '

"Some of the Martyrs were assured of being the friends of Christ.” (p. 393.) How? Which way? Neither their name nor surname was mentioned in Scripture! Why, "the Holy Ghost assured their hearts and the hearts of the first Christians, that their joy was not the joy of the hypocrite, but the beginning of eternal life. Thus their joy was made full, and their love perfected by the highest enjoyments it was here capable of. Every believer finds a refreshment to his mind, far superior to all the comforts of this life. They stand in God's presence, and

have their joy made full in beholding the light of his countenance." (p. 402.)

Allow, this, and we will never dispute, whether the Spirit does or does not" whisper any thing to their hearts." It is enough, that they have "the Spirit of adoption, crying in their hearts, Abba, Father;" and that this "Spirit witnesseth with their spirits that they are the children of God."

"The chief time of this agency of the Spirit is, while the preachers are declaiming. And the people are in continual expectation of the season of power in hearing them." (p. 38.)

Yea, and reason good, if, as you affirm, "hearing is the only mean whereby God gives faith." (p. 391.) But we do not affirm so much. We only maintain, that "faith" generally "cometh by hearing."

But you go on: "They who partake of Christ's joy, receive the highest evidence that he is the Christ. Thus then faith is greatly confirmed by a kind of presence of its object. Their love is joyfully inflamed, and they obtain the assurance of hope, by having in themselves an experimental foretaste of their eternal enjoyment." (p. 415.)

Why then, what are we disputing about, seeing you are now so kind as to allow, not only the possibility, but the real existence, of all that we contend for?

"O, but this is not faith. Faith is quite another thing." What is it? Let us hear your account of it.

"The essence of true faith is the eternal God." (p. 288.)

"What is faith? It is the blood of Christ." (p. 330.)

Stark, staring nonsense! Sir, you can talk sense, if you please. Why should you palm upon your readers such stuff as this?

Very little better than this is your third definition: "The truth which a man believes is his faith." (p. 301.) No, it is not; no more than the light which a man sees is his sight. You must therefore guess again. "To believe this fact, Christ rose from the dead, is faith." (p. 169.) "Ask a man, Is the Gospel true or not? If he holds it to be true, this is faith." (p. 296.) But is this saving faith? "Yes. Every one that believes the Gospel history shall be saved." (p. 333.)

This is flat and plain. And, if it is but truc, every devil in hell will be saved. For it is absolutely certain, every one of these believes this fact, -Christ rose from the dead. It is certain, every one of these believes the Gospel history. Therefore this is not saving faith: Neither will every one be saved who believes this fact,-Christ rose from the dead. It follows, that, whatever others do, you know not what faith is.

I object, Thirdly, 1. That you yourself "shut up our access to the Divine righteousness." 2. That you vehemently contradict yourself, and do the very thing which you charge upon others.

1. You yourself shut up our access to the Divine righteousness by destroying that repentance which Christ has made the way to it. "Ask men,” you say, "have they sinned or not? If they know they have, this is conviction. And this is preparation enough for mercy." Soft casuistry indeed! He that receives this saying, is never likely either to "repent" or "believe the Gospel." And if he do not, he can have no access to the righteousness of Christ.

Yet you strangely affirm," A careless sinner is in full as hopeful a