I had no sooner read this passage, than I acquired such an insight into the strictness and spirituality of the divine law, and the perfection which a just and holy God, according to that law, cannot but require in all the services of his reasonable creatures; that I clearly perceived my very best duties, on which my main dependence had hitherto been placed, to be mere specious sins; and my whole life appeared to be one continued series of transgression. I now understood the apostle's meaning, when he affirms, that "by the works of the law shall no flesh "be justified in the sight of God." All my difficulties in this matter vanished; all my distinctions, and reasonings, about the meaning of the words law and justification, with all my borrowed criticisms upon them, failed me at once. I could no longer be thus amused; for I was convinced, beyond the possibility of a doubt, that all men were so notoriously transgressors of every law of God, that no one could possibly be justified in his sight, by his obedience to any of the divine commandments. I was sensible that, if God should call me into judgment before him, according to the strictness of his perfect law, for the best duty I ever performed, and for nothing else, I must be condemned as a transgressor; for, when weighed in these exact balances, it would be "found wanting." Thus I was effectually convined that, if ever I were saved, it must be in some way of unmerited mercy and grace, though I did not clearly understand in what way till long after. Immediately, therefore, I took for my text Gal. iii. 22: "But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise, by faith "of Jesus Christ, might be given to them that

"believe" and preached from it according to Hooker's doctrine; expressing as strongly as I could, the defilements of our best actions, and our need of mercy in every thing we do; in order the more evidently to shew that "salvation is of grace, "through faith; not of works, lest any man should boast."

6

I had not, however, as yet attained to a knowledge of the foulness of that fountain, whence all these polluted streams flow forth so plentifully into our lives and conversation.-Neither was I then able to receive the following nervous passage concerning justification: (§6.) the righteousness 'wherein we must be found, if we will be justified, ' is not our own; therefore we cannot be justified 'by any inherent quality. Christ hath merited righteousness for as many as are found in him. 'In him God findeth us, if we be faithful: for by 'faith we are incorporated into Christ. Then, ' although in ourselves we be altogether sinful and ' unrighteous, yet, even the man which is impious ' in himself, full of iniquity, full of sin; him, being ' found in Christ through faith, and having his sin ' remitted through repentance, him God beholdeth ' with a gracious eye, putteth away his sin by not imputing it; taketh quite away the punishment 'due thereunto by pardoning it; and accepteth him in Jesus Christ as perfectly righteous, as if ' he had fulfilled all that was commanded him in 'the law. Shall I say, more perfectly righteous ' than if himself had fulfilled the whole law? I

must take heed what I say; but the apostle saith, "God made Him to be sin for us who knew no sin, 'that we might be made the righteousness of God in

'him. Such we are in the sight of God the Fa'ther, as is the very son of God himself. Let it be ' counted folly, or frenzy, or fury, whatsoever, it 'is our comfort, and our wisdom; we care for no 'knowledge in the world but this, that man hath sinned, and God hath suffered; that God hath 'made himself the Son of man, and that men are 'made the righteousness of God.'*

He afterwards, (§ 31.) thus defends his doctrine against the objections of the Papists: (for at that time none but the Papists openly objected to it :) It is a childish cavil wherewith, in the matter of 'justification, our adversaries do so greatly please 'themselves, exclaiming that we tread all Chris'tian virtues under our feet, and require nothing ' in Christians but faith; because we teach that 'faith alone justifieth. Whereas, by this speech we 'never meant to exclude either hope, or charity, 'from being always joined, as inseparable mates ' with faith in the man that is justified; or works 'from being added as necessary duties, required at the hands of every justified man: but to 'shew that faith is the only hand which putteth

on Christ unto justification; and Christ the 'only garment, which, being so put on, cover'eth the shame of our defiled natures, hideth 'the imperfections of our works, preserveth us 'blameless in the sight of God; before whom, otherwise, the weakness of our faith were cause 'sufficient to make us culpable; yea, to shut us from the kingdom of heaven, where nothing that is not absolute can enter.

* See Note at the end.-J. S.

Had I at this time met with such passages in the writings of the Dissenters, or in any of those modern publications, which under the brand of methodistical, are condemned without reading, or perused with invincible prejudice, I should not have thought them worth regard; but should have rejected them as wild enthusiasm. But I knew that Hooker was deemed perfectly orthodox, and a standard writer, by the prelates of the church, in his own days. I learned from his dispute with Mr. Travers, that he was put upon his defence, for making concessions in this matter to the church of Rome, which the zealous protestants did not think warrantable; and that he was judged by the more rigid too lax in his doctrine, by none too rigid. I had never heard it insinuated that he was tinctured with enthusiasm; and the solidity of his judgment, and the acuteness of his reasoning faculties, need no voucher to the attentive reader. His opinion, therefore, carried great weight with it; made me suspect the truth of my former sentiments; and put me upon serious inquiries and deep meditation on this subject, accompanied with earnest prayers for the teaching and direction of the Lord in this important point. The result was, that, after many objections and doubts, and much examination of the word of God, in a few months I began to accede to Hooker's sentiments. And at the present my opinion in this respect, as far as I know, coincides with these passages of this eminent author, and is supported and vindicated by the same arguments. He therefore, who would prove our doctrine of justification by faith alone to

be an error, will do well to answer in the first place these quotations from Hooker.

Indeed, as far as I can understand him, there is scarcely any doctrine which, with no inconsiderable offence, I now preach, that is not as evidently contained in his writings as in my sermons. Witness

particularly his Sermon of the certainty and perpetuity of Faith in the Elect; in which the doctrine of the final perseverance of true believers is expressly taught, and scripturally maintained: and he closes it with this noble triumph of full assurance, as resulting from that comfortable doctrine in the hearts of confirmed and experienced Christians: I know in whom I have believed: I am not 'ignorant whose precious blood hath been shed for

me: I have a Shepherd full of kindness, full of 'care, and full of power: unto him I commit my'self. His own finger hath engraven this sentence ' in the tables of my heart: Satan hath desired to 'winnow thee as wheat, but I have prayed that thy faith fail not. Therefore, the assurance of my hope I will labour to keep as a jewel, unto the end, and by labour, through the gracious media❝tion of his prayer, I shall keep it.' With such words in my mouth, and such assurance in my heart, I wish to live, and hope to die.

The insertion of these quotations from this old author will, I hope, need no apology. Many have not his works, and these extracts are worthy of their perusal others, from these specimens, may be prevailed with to read what perhaps hath hitherto been an unnoticed book in their studies. Especially I recommend to those, who admire him as