Speaking perverfe things, and turning the Grace of God into Wantonneß, who from fome mifunderfood Paffages of St Paul, us'd the Liberty, which he afferted for a Cloak of Maliciousness, made void that Faith, which he fo earnestly contended for, by oppofing it to the genuine Fruits that it fhould produce, and notwithstanding the clear obligation which the Gospel lays upon the Profeffors of it to all good Works, taught on the contrary, that it was a that it was a fpecial Difpenfation from the doing of any. And as thofe Opinions that gratify Mens Lufts are eafily Believ'd and greedily Swallow'd, efpecially if there can be found any plaufible covering for them under Scripture expreffions, this pernicious Doctrine has been propagated down thro' all Ages of the Church, even unto the Dregs of Time, into which we our felves are fallen. And the nothing can be plainer in the Gofpel, than that the whole defign of it was to Teach us, that denying Ungodlynefs and Worldly Lufts, we should live Soberly, and Righteously, and Godly in this prefent World, and that the very End of Chrift's giving himself for us, was, that he might Redeem us from all Iniquity, and Purify unto himfelf a People Zealous of good Works. We meet with thofe that inftead of Confcientiously paying thefe Debts, have the impudence to deny them, even by audaciously appealing

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ing to the great Book of accompts, and affirm that they are already discharg'd by attonement of Another for them, and are not therefore now any longer owing.

Now if it be fo difingenious an abuse (as we all know it is) of the kindness of Men, to misconftrue their Words spoken in our favour, and put fuch an Extravagant Sense on them as was never intended, what is it to deal fo with the Words of God? Inftead of Bleffing his Name for fo gracious a Promise, that for the Merit of his Son's perfect Obedience, he will accept of the Sincere, tho' Imperfect Obedience of Every one, that by Faith lays hold on him, to pretend that laying hold of Chrift by Faith, is all that he requires to the Juftification of a Sinner.

This was far from St Paul's intention, as by his Mind plainly declar'd in feveral Places of his Epiftles, particularly those but just now produc'd out of that to Titus, fufficiently appears. When therefore in his difcourfe concerning Juftification, he oppofes Faith to Works, Excluding the One that he may Establish the Other, by Works he either means the Ceremonial Works of the Law, or Works perform'd by the meer ftrength of Nature, unaffifted by Grace, for he cannot poffibly mean, Works following Faith, and done by Faith, Works proceeding from the Gift of God, and produc'd by

us

us when new Creatures in Chrift; for our Juftification or Condemnation in the Day of Judgment, will be according to our hav ing fulfill'd or neglected thofe Works, as he himself teaches us, 2 Cor. 5. 10, and our Saviour in the 25th Chapter of Mat. v. 35. more at large, and moft lively fets forth. In fhort, The Works of the Law, or barely Works he always excludes, but Good Works he ever Enjoins: For this is a remarkable difference that has been very well obferv'd in his Stile. Works, (that is, such as a Moral Heathen may produce, which tho never fo fpecious, yet being without Faith, can never please God, or the Works of the Law Ceremonial, which confider'd in themselves, have nothing of Goodness or Holiness in them,) are in St Paul's language quite different from the Works, which the Gospel prefcribes, which are in their Own Nature really and Intrinfecally Juft, Holy, and Profitable, and therefore peculiarly and defervedly come under the Name of Good Works. And these are so far from being oppofite to, that they are Naturally produc'd by, and neceffarily includ ed in, a Juftifying Faith: and accordingly of Thefe St James pronounces as a thing Notorious and Evident, Te fee that Man is Fuftify'd by Works, and not by Faith only. In which Affertion whatever feeming dif

ference

ference there may be in Sound, there is no real Contradiction in Senfe, to that of St Paul, That Man is Juftify'd by Faith only, and not by the Works of the Law; which will eafily be made appear to any One, that will confider the different Occafions of writing, and the different Sorts of Perfons, to which these two Apostles apply'd themfeves in their feveral Epiftles. St Paul against the Jews, who would have made the Mofaical Rites ftill obligatory to Chriftians, truly teaches and ftrongly preffes, that Faith in Christ, provided it bring forth the genuine and proper Fruit of Chriftian Faith, good Works, is fufficient to their Juftification, without the Works of the Law. St James. against Libertines, Hereticks, who went about to deftroy all the Morality of our Saviour's moft Holy Religion,by pretending, that Faith without good Works was fufficient to Salvation, as truly declares, and as zealously urges, that Faith, unless it do produce Good Works, can by no means juftify or fave. So that these two great Apoftles no more contradict each Other, than the Doctrine of Grace contradicts the Doctrine of Sanctification. Notwithstanding all this, there are thofe, whom the Spirit, that workes in the Children of Difobedience, infatuates to that degree, as to pronounce good Works not only unneceffary to Sal

vation,

vation, as fome, but even pernicious, as others, have dar'd to blafpheme. To affert, that a ftrong Affurance, a confident Re lying, and familiar Refting upon Christ, is all that is requir'd to Saintfhip here, and Salvation hereafter. Dividing Chrift's Offices, willingly enough they would use him as their Prieft, but care not to obey him as their King. Not confidering what St Peter, and the other Apoftles taught, Acts 5. 31. Him has God exalted to be a Prince, and a Saviour, a Prince, to give Laws to be fubmitted to by Obedience, as well as a Saviour, to procure Redemption to be embrac'd by Faith.

But these, it feems, that are more intimate with Chrift, are not ty'd to the Ob fervance of the Moral Law; for St Paul has in feveral Places told them, that the Faithfull are freed from the Law, are dead to the Law, are no longer under the Law, and fuch like Expreffions, which thefe unlearned and prefumptuous Wretches wreft, as they do other Scriptures, to their own Deftruction. Not rightly understanding, or not duly attending to this plain Diftinction, that will clear up all this Difficulty; namely, that the Law in Scripture, is fometimes confider'd as a Covenant, and fometimes as a Rule; when 'tis spoken of as abrogated, it is taken as a Covenant of Works, but when 'tis urg'd as

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