something sacred and devoted, so that what involves but an ordinary degree of criminality in others, in him partakes of the nature of sacrilege; what is a breach of trust in others, is in him the profanation of a temple. Let us watch and pray that nothing may be allowed a place in our hearts that is not suitable to the residence of the holy and blessed God. Finally, having such great and precious promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of the Lord","

LETTER XVIII.

On Justification by Faith.

HERE again, my dear friend, we enter controverted ground: and on such ground, indeed, you must expect to find me, nearly till we terminate our correspondence. This, however, does not arise from any obscurity in the subjects themselves, or from the vagueness of the terms in which they are revealed; but rather from the natural aversion of the unenlightened human mind to receive religious truth in the way God has been pleased to communicate it, and from that peculiarity of the Christian system which requires that "the lofty looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of men bowed down," in order that "the Lord alone may be exalted1."

It is the humiliating fact, that " all have sinned and come short of the glory of God," that renders the Christian Religion necessary. Or, in other words, it is because "by the works of the law no flesh living can be justified," that the new dispensation was requisite. If obedience be at all times our duty, in what way can present repentance release us, as some would argue, from the punishment of former transgressions? Can repentance annihilate what is past? Or can we do 44 Letter on the Work of the Spirit, by R. Hall, A. M.

1 Is. ii. 11.

2 See pp. 245, 276-280.

more, by present obedience, than acquit ourselves of present obligation? Or does the contrition we experience, added to the positive duties we discharge, constitute a surplusage of merit, which may be transferred to the reduction of our former demerit? "We may as well affirm," says a learned divine, "that our former obedience atones for our present sins, as that our present obedience makes amends for antecedent transgressions!" No man can discharge an old debt merely by taking care to incur no fresh ones: and, in like manner, since sin is a debt to Divine justice (which demands undeviating rectitude and holiness), when once incurred it would not be cancelled merely by abstaining from sin in future;-supposing it were possible (which I am not inclined to admit) that sin could be entirely avoided without the aid of that restraining and invigorating principle which is implanted in the heart of a sincere believer on his conversion. The question, then, to which not merely every philosophical inquirer, but every man who is interested about his eternal welfare, must be solicitous to receive a satisfactory answer is, "How shall God be just, and yet the justifier of the ungodly?" To this question the New Testament happily furnishes a most explicit reply. "For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly." And how were the ungodly to avail themselves of the benefit resulting from the death of Christ? The scriptural reply is, "by faith." "By him (Jesus) all who believe are justified from all things, from which they could not be justified by the law of Moses." "Being justified freely by his grace through

3 As the due consideration of that branch of the argument which fixes the guilt of sin upon every individual, however he may have escaped all the grosser vices, would draw me too far from my present purpose, I beg to refer to ch. 5 of that valuable work, Dr. Doddridge's "Rise and Progress of Religion," and to section 7 of the excellent Hooker's Discourse on Justification: and, for a striking proof of the practical necessity of the entire doctrine of the Trinity, to the first part of Bishop Beveridge's "Private Thoughts."

4 Rom. v. 6.

66

"He

the redemption that is in Christ Jesus." "Man is justified by faith, without the works of the law." saved us not by works of justification, but according to his mercy." By grace are ye saved through FAITH, not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not of works, lest any man should glory." "Wherefore, being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ"."

Such being the main tenour of the declarations in the New Testament, it is no wonder that the doctrine of justification by faith should in all ages have obtained a very general reception, or that infidels and others should in all ages have disputed it. "You tell sinners (says Celsus), not to examine, but to believe; and their faith will save them;" which is just the language that it might be expected an uncandid opponent would adopt. Our Reformers, whose views of most doctrinal points were remarkably clear and extensive, furnish us with abundant evidence, not of their opinions alone, but of those of much earlier writers, as to the subject before us.

"After this wise (say they) to be justified only by this true and lively faith in Christ, speak all the old and ancient authors, both Greeks and Latins; of whom we will specially rehearse three, Hilary, Basil, and Ambrose. St. Hilary saith these words plainly in the ninth canon upon Matthew; 'Faith only justifieth.' And St. Basil, a Greek author, writeth thus: This is a perfect and whole rejoicing in God, when a man advanceth not himself for his own righteousness, but acknowledgeth himself to lack true justice and righteousness, and to be justified by the only faith in Christ.'

'These be the very words of St. Basil; and St. Ambrose, a Latin author, hath these words: "This is the ordinance of God, that they which believe in Christ shall be saved without works, by faith only, freely re

5 Acts, xiii. 39. Rom. iii. 24, 28. Tit. iii. 5. Eph. ii. 8, 9. Gal. ii. 16. Rom. v. 1.

6 Orig. con. Cels. p. 8. Ed, 1658.

Bellamy's ed. p. 67.

ceiving the remission of their sins.' Consider diligently these words, without works, by faith only, freely we receive the remission of our sins.' What can be spoken more plainly than to say, that freely without works, by faith only we obtain remission of our sins? These, and other like sentences, that we be justified by faith only, freely, and without works, we read oft-times in the best and most ancient writers: as, beside Hilary, Basil, and Ambrose, before rehearsed, we read the same in Origen, St. Chrysostom, St. Cyprian, St. Augustine, Prosper, Oecumenius, Proclus, Bernardus, Anselm, and many other authors, Greek and Latin. Nevertheless, this sentence, that we be justified by faith only, is not so meant of them that the same justifying faith is alone in man, without true repentance, hope, charity, dread, and the fear of God, at any time and season. Nor when they say that we should be justified freely, do they mean that we should or might afterwards be idle, and that nothing should be required on our parts afterward: neither do they mean so to be justified without good works, that we should do no good works at all, like as shall be more expressed at large hereafter. But this saying, that we be justified by faith only, freely, and without works, is spoken to take away clearly all merit of our works, as being unable to deserve our justification at God's hands, and thereby most plainly to express the weakness of man and the goodness of God; the great infirmity of ourselves, and the might and power of God; the imperfection of our own works, and the most abundant grace of our Saviour Christ; and therefore wholly to ascribe the merit and deserving of our justification unto Christ only, and his most precious blood-shedding. This faith the holy Scripture teacheth us; this doctrine all ancient authors of Christ's church do approve; this doctrine advanceth and setteth forth the true glory of Christ, and beateth down the vain-glory of man; this, whosoever denieth, is not to be accounted for a Christian man, nor for a setter forth of Christ's glory; but for an adversary to

Christ and his Gospel, and for a setter forth of men's vain-glory.

"It hath been manifestly declared unto you, that no man can fulfil the law of God; and therefore by the law all men are condemned: whereupon it followeth necessarily, that some other things should be required for our salvation than the law; and that is, a true and lively faith in Christ, bringing forth good works, and a life according to God's commandments. You heard also the ancient authors' minds of this saying, ‘Faith in Christ only justifieth man,' so plainly declared, that you see that the very true meaning of this proposition or saying, We be justified by faith in Christ only,' is this: We put our faith in Christ, that we be justified by him only, that we be justified by God's free mercy, and the merits of our Saviour Christ only, and by no virtue or good works of our own that is in us, or that we can be able to have, or to do, for to deserve the same; Christ himself only being the cause meritorious thereof. Here you perceive many words to be used to avoid contention in words with them that delight to brawl about words, and also to show the true meaning to avoid evil-taking and misunderstanding; and yet peradventure all will not serve with them that be contentious; but contenders will ever forge matters of contention, even when they have no occasion thereto."

And thus, as it should seem, it happens that the adversaries of the doctrine of justification by faith, some from pure ignorance, others from a love of calumny, affirm that it is a doctrine which leads to licentiousness. "But it is a childish cavil," says good old Hooker, "wherewith in the matter of justification our adversaries do so greatly please themselves, exclaiming that we tread all Christian virtues under our feet, and require nothing but faith, because we teach that faith alone justifieth; whereas, by this speech we never 7 Homily on Salvation, pp. 20, 21, 23. Oxford ed. 1810. 8 Discourse on Justification.