ON THE DOCTRINE OF JUSTIFICATION. 419 exhibit the doctrine of justification in his personal ministry, as it was afterwards done by that of his apostles, vet every miracle that he wrought in which his healing power was displayed on the bodies of men, and in which faith as an instrument was required in the way of duty, though it be also the work of the Holy Ghost, is an obvious emblen of his true character, and teaches men to apply to him, ungolly as they are, and without strength, as their righteousness and entire salvation, by faith, and not by the works of the law. But there are very direct proofs of the same thing in the course of his personal ministry. Let the woman who was a sinner explain to us her sinful malady, her application to Jesus, and the spiritual relief she obtained . The paralytic, to whom he said, "Son, be of good cheer, thy sins be forgiven thee ‡," will join with us, in pointing out the supreme glory of his character as the justifier of the ungodly; and the penitent thief on the cross will raise his voice as loud as any one, in any age, in attesting the same thing. It was necessary that the evidences of our Lord's mission should be largely and distinctly unfolded. The three first gospels perform this office very copiously; and the fourth, while it adds to this evidence, illustrates more largely the doctrine of justification throughout. But after the descent of the Holy Ghost, this blessed doctrine was unfolded in all its glory. What are the sermons of the apostles recorded in the Acts, but so many declarations, that through Jesus Christ alone guilty men are to be justified from all their sins; and they are therefore pressed to believe in his name, that they may have eternal life; and are threatened with everlasting rain if they do not. Then indeed the gospel shone in its meridian; a simple and child-like dependence of heart on the Lord Jesus Christ, wrought by the Spirit, was found to be the master-grace of Christianity, attended, as it always is and must be, with a deep sense of entire unworthiness, and was found in the hand of the same Spirit, of sufficient energy to produce an universal alteration of sentiment and character, and to turn men from the love of sin to the love of God and their neighbour. In the epistles of St. Paul, particularly, the doctrine itself is accurately stated, pathetically enforced, and defended against all objections; its necessity and importance are divinely described; holiness of heart and life are spun, as it were, out of its bowels ; and the glory of God in Christ, both illustrating his own character in blessing miserable mortals, and in recovering them to his own image and favour, is seen to be involved in this article of justification. A deep and general apostacy is indeed distinctly foretold, both in the writings of St. Paul and St. John; but in what does it consist? Is it not in men's no longer holding the head; losing their simple dependence on Jesus? They know not what XIV. + Luke vii. latter end. ‡ Matt. ix. 2. || Col. ii. 19. 3 M Antichrist means, who describe him as consisting in any thing else. Persecution and a variety of superstitions form his less prominent features. His capital evil is, that he adulterates the doctrine before us. This precious doctrine soon lost something of its lustre in the primitive church. It early became necessary, because of the abuses of the hypocrites, to state the evidences of real regeneration, and to distinguish between a dead and a living faith. How easy is it in doing this (yet it must be done) to let slip the doetrine of justification itself, and make what are only evidences become conditions of salvation! Happy were it for the Christian world, had no other method been used but the simple and nervous one of the Scriptures, and which seems to have been the peculiar business of St. James and St. John to illustrate. The former refers to good works, the latter to love, as the evidence of a converted state. They mean the same thing; only the former dwells on the external acts resulting from a gracious disposition; the latter on the disposition itself. But philosophical refinements, and pharisaical superstitions, were gradually invented, and the proud nature of man was employed in perverting evangelical truth. The epistle of Clement is indeed one of the most precious monuments of ecclesiastical antiquity. There is in it one particularly strong and pointed testimony to the doctrine of justification; and though the writer's design leads him chiefly to insist on good practice, be never enervates any truth in his manner of recommending good works, nor clouds it with any thing of that systematic stiffness which, in latter times, has much hurt its simplicity and beauty. Cyprian, though evidently full of the love of Christ, seems not, however, to explain this doctrine with so much clearness as were to be wished. In a letter to Demetrius, indeed, an heathen persecutor, I observe, he speaks of it with so great strength as to provoke the zeal of one of his editors to soften and pervert his meaning. But though between the days of Cyprian and Augustine there were many precious believers; yet it is evident that self-righteous superstition was gradually prevailing; and the precious doctrine before us grew faint and obscure. A cloud of disputes involved the church; in which this all-important article was kept out of view. The controversies, for instance, concern ing the time of observing Easter, and the re-baptizing of heretics, what had they to do with real Christianity? As much as the dispute between the emperor and the Dutch concerning the navigation of the Scheldt. Even the Arian controversy, which so long engaged the attention of the Christian world, was made too much a subject of nice and metaphysical speculation; nor did those who had truth on their side, seem to connect their views of the Trinity so much with the doctrine of justifica tion as they might have done, and which, if they had done, they ON THE DOCTRINE OF JUSTIFICATION. 451 had more effectually overturned the opposite opinions, than by all their subtle disquisitions. In the fifth century a controversy, however, arose of extreme importance. Pelagius denied the natural depravity of man, and insisted on his inherent powers of rectitude. Then it was that God stirred up the spirit of Augustine to defend the Scripturedoctrine of original sin, and the sanctifying grace of God. I say, the sanctifying grace of God; for the controversy was not, "How shall a sinner be justified before God?" but, "How shall man become holy?" "Augustine, with victorious energy of Scripture argument, demonstrated, that man was totally fallen; that even his seeming virtues are only so many splendid sins; and that it was the efficacious grace of God in Christ alone, which, by the Spirit's operation, could renew him throughout, and make him a new creature. Thus the doctrine of sanctification was clearly and ably explained by this great and good man; and in connection with this, the electing grace of God, and the justest views of the character both of God and man, and all the excellencies of Christ Jesus as our Mediator, were distinctly unfolded. This may be called a blessed season of revival in the church. The attentive reader will see that the article of justification must be involved in Augustine's divinity; and doubtless it savingly flourished in his heart, and in the hearts of many of his followers: yet the doctrine itself, in its accurate nature, seems not to have been understood by this holy man. He perpetually understands St. Paul's term, to justify, of inherent righteousness, as if it meant what is commonly expressed by the term of sanctification; still he knew what faith in the Redeemer meant; and those parts of Scripture which speak of forgiveness of sins, he understands, he feels, he loves but St. Paul's writings concerning justification he understands not sufficiently, because the precise idea of imputed righteousness entered not formally into his divinity. I have given, if I mistake not, the outlines of Augustine's views in religion. Mosheim is pleased to represent him as a contradictory writer. I suspect he did not understand him. In truth, if his real sentiments be understood, he will appear, upon his own plan, to be one of the most consistent writers in the world and if we make allowances for his mistake in the point so often mentioned, which yet he implicitly, though not explicitly, understands,-few writers, I think, in any age, may be read with more profit :--his confessions in particular: it is only to be regretted that they are so little known to scholars. The English readers may see a good account of them in Dr. Owen's Treatise on the Holy Spirit. But what a rare mystery must the article of justification be, which eluded the penetration of Augustine! Such, however, as he was, the little religion which, during the thick night of Popery, remained in the world, was preserved, through the medium of his writings, in monasteries and the libraries of devout persons, and in this clouded state the church continued about a thousand years. For sometime, however, before Luther's vigorous attempts were made to recover the truth, the Waldenses, Wickliffe, the Hussites, the ancient Moravian church, recovered a large portion of evangelical truth. Many precious saints were doubtless among all these. But so far as I can judge from an ancient Waldensian catechism, even that excellent people had not a full knowledge of the doctrine of justification. It was reserved to Luther fully and roundly to teach mankind, according to St. Paul, "That a man is justified by faith, and not by the deeds of the law." But this man had a plenitude of light into the subject; and none but those who know, like him, the plague of their own hearts, and the subtle efforts of a selfrighteous nature and tempting devil, can conceive the divine glory and sweetness of this doctrine. This then is the jewel of the Reformation. To us ministers it is transmitted; on resis, as instruments, to hand it down to posterity. We know how soon it was ina manner lost again after so glorious a revival. Grotius on the continent, and Tillotson in our island, with their numerous followers, corrupted it with all their might. After the Restoration, men were no longer taught, in the church of England, to pu' their whole trust in Christ for salvation Faith, it seems, was too weak an instrument; and the cross of Christ was not a sufficient engine of holiness. Reason and morality were taught to offer their services; and they did so to some purpose, till we were well nigh deluged with profaneness and immorality! In the mean time the clergy divided themselves between the Whigs and the Tories, and equally lost all savour of godliness in their fury of poitical parties. Blessed be God, for forty years last past, there has been a glorious revival of this master truth. The pride of refined reasoning and the love of the world, seem, from present. symptoms, to be its chief internal opponents. Matter of serious advice, however, may be collected from this historical detail for the use of all ministers of the gospel, May I be permitted to exhibit it in a few reflections! [To be continued.] ANSWER TO A QUERY. THAT there are seasons when a deviation from the appointed mode of worship in the New Testament*, is both equally justifi able and appropriate, is obvious from genuine experience and the sacred Scriptures. In support of this remark we allege the authority of the venerable Owen, whose praise is in all our churches. * Eph. ii. 18. ANSWER TO A QUERY. 453 The few remarks with which he concludes the ninth chapter of his XPIETOAOTIA are, we think, pertinent to our present subject, and will afford a luminous and satisfactory answer to your querist. The circumstances under which he considers an exclusive address to our Lord justifiable and appropriate, are as follow: 1. Times of great distress in conscience, through temptations and desertions, are seasons which require application to Christ by especial invocation. Persons in such conditions, when their souls, as the Psalmist speaks, are "overwhelmed in them," are continually solicitous about compassion and deliverance. Some relief, some refreshment, they often find in pity and compassion, from those who either have been in the same condition themselves, or by Scripture-light, do know the terror of the Lord in these things. In such circumstances they greatly value every sincere endeavour for relief, either by counsel or prayer. In this condition, the Lord Christ in the gospel, is proposed as full of tender compassion as he who alone is able to relieve them. "In that he himseif hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted *." Hence, they are drawn, constrained, and encouraged to make applications to him by prayer, that he would deal with them according to his compassion and power. This is a season which renders the discharge of this duty necessary, and when distinct actings of faith on Christ become the great means of support and relief. The temptation and distress of the apostle Paul are strikingly illustrative of this remark," He had a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to buffet him." Both expressions declare the deep sense he had of his temptation, and the perplexity with which it was accompanied. For this cause he besought the Lord thrice that it might depart from him :" he applied himself unto frequent and solemn prayer for its renoval; and it was the Lord (that is, the Lord Jesus Christ) unto whom he made his application." 2. Times of "gracions discoveries," either of the glory of Christ in himself or of his love to us, are seasons that call for this duty. The glory of Christ in his person and offices is always the same; so also is the revelation of it in the sacred volume: but our perceptions and apprehension of it experience considerable variations: sometimes a remarkable sense of it is attained under the dispensation of the word, in which Christ, on the one hand, is evidently set forth crucified before us; and on the other, he is gloriously exalted: sometimes it is so in prayer, in meditation, in contemplation on him. As an ability was given unto the bodily sight of Stephen, to see upon the opening of the heavens, *Heb. ii. 13. 4. 15. 5. 6. + 2 Cor. xii. 7. On the whole of this passage see some excellent remarks in Letters addressed to the Rev. T. Belsham by J. P. Smith, Let. 6. | See verse 9. |