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of good. They consider it as adapted to release them from a burden which they conceive themselves unable to sustain, without considering what follows death in the world to come.

But does not every man "believe that he shall die? and yet does he act accordingly?" (22.) To this I reply, Death is more an object of intuition than faith, If people did not see the death of their fellow-creatures, and had no other evidence that they must die but the testimony of God, they would be as apt to disbelieve that as they are other things. And even as it is, if they realized death, and what follows, it would have an effect upon their spirit and life very different from what it has.

Mr. B. produces a number of quotations, for the purpose of giving us a better definition of faith than that which he opposes. (26.)-But some of these were never designed by their authors as definitions, but rather as descriptions of faith, Those of them which represent it as "such a believing of the testimony of God in the sacred scriptures, as, in a way of trust and dependence, to resign up ourselves to Jesus Christ," do not in any wise contradict what I have advanced. On the contrary, I should be very willing to let the above stand as a definition of faith. Nor have I any objection to have it prefaced with its being "a grace of the Holy Spirit, &c." excepting this, that it does not appear to me at all necessa▾ ry to introduce the author or cause of any thing in a definition of that thing.

At the same time I would not wish to contend about words. I therefore acknowledge that it may be of use when discoursing about faith in certain connections, to speak of it in a more large or extensive meaning. That might be the case, for ought I know, with respect to some of Mr. B.'s authorities. But what if they had a mind to bring into their definitions the cause and the effects of faith; and if another, with a view to simplify the subject, define it merely by what it is in itself considered, without any design however of denying either cause or effect; does it follow that his definition must be defective?

Wherein does the definition of Coverdale, Ferrar, Hooper, Taylor, Philpot, Bradford, Crome, Sanders, Rogers, and Lawrence, differ from mine, except in this, that they mean to define not only the thing itself, but its cause and effects?" It is, say they, not only an opinion, but a certain persuasion, wrought by the Holy Ghost, which doth illuminate the mind, and supple the heart to submit itself unfeignedly to God." (27.) The thing itself they make to be neither more nor less than PERSUASION.

It never was my design to exclude the idea of trust or confidence in Christ. Whether that be of the essence of faith itself, or an effect which instantaneously follows, I always supposed them inseparable. It was before allowed, (p. 23.) “that it is in this large sense, including not only the belief of the truth, but the actual out-going of the soul towards Jesus Christ. in a way of dependence upon him, that faith in him is

generally to be taken in the New Testament;" and it was in this sense that I undertook to prove it incumbent on men in general.

Those with whom I contend will allow it to be the duty of every one where the gospel comes, to believe it. I knew this would be allowed, when I penned the former publication. My whole design in the first part was to reason with those who differ from me, upon their own principles. They allow it to be every one's duty to believe the gospel-I therein endeavoured to prove, that in allowing this, they allow that to be the duty of men which is of the essence of special faith. The arguments used in proof of this, have not, I think, been overthrown. I therefore earnestly intreat Mr. B. and those of his sentiments, to consider attentively the following questions: Can any person truly believe the gospel, and yet perish everlastingly? and can those scriptures, which were produced before in proof of the contrary,* be fairly explained upon such a supposition.

Mr. B. thinks I have mistaken the meaning of John iii. 36, and 1 John v. 20; where I suppose a believing on Christ, and a not believing Christ, are spoken of as opposites, in such a way as implies that there is no medium between them. Mr. B. thinks,. it seems, that they are not opposites. (24.) According to what he has said, the criterion of true. faith lies in the terms in or on; for he observes that

* 1 John v. 1. Mark xvi. 16. Rom. x. 9. Acts viii. 37. See these scriptures urged in my former treatise, p. 29, 30.

"it is not said, he that believeth not on the Son, &c. No, it is not for want of special faith he is condemned, but because he believes not what he says." (25.) To this I answer, First, The term on is used to express such a faith as is not connected with salvation, John xii. 42. Secondly, suppose it were otherwise, and the phrase believing on Christ were to be the criterion of special faith, this would make against Mr. B. rather than for him. For it is said of the unbelieving Jews, that "though he had done so many miracles before them, yet they believed not on him;"―(John xii. 37.) plainly intimating, that they had such evidence as ought to have induced them to believe on him. On the other hand, Christ says the Spirit shall reprove the world of sin because they believe not on me. And contrary to what Mr. B. asserts, men are expressly said to be "condemned, because they believe not on the name of the only begotten Son of God. John iii. 18.

Mr. B. before he concludes his fourth letter, throws in one argument against faith's being a duty. "C If, says he, this faith be the duty of man, and is required by the law, it is then undoubtedly a works and when the apostle says, " By grace ye are saved, through faith," we must consider him as joining grace and works together." (29.) To this it is replied, every thing required by the law, I should think, is not a work. That sacred standard of right and wrong requires a holy state of mind, as well as the exercises of it. But supposing it is a work, does, not Mr. B. maintain the same? But a few pages

back he quoted several definitions of faith from certain eminent divines, most of whom speak of it as a coming to Christ, a trusting in him for salvation. Now is not this a work, or exercise of the mind? And yet we are saved by grace notwithstanding; for God does not save us out of regard to faith as our act, but on the account of him in whom it termi

nates.

A poor invalid, who derives his subsistence wholly from the public, may be said with the greatest propriety to live not by his own works, but upon the generosity of others. This however does not imply that he is not active in his applications for relief; or that every such application may not in some sense be called a work. Yet it plainly appears he does not live upon his applications considered as acts or exercises, but upon what, through those means, he freely receives; and it would be contrary to the common use of language to say, that he lived partly by grace, and partly by works..

Before I conclude this section, it may not be amiss to drop a few additional thoughts concerning the defining of faith, which however have no immediate reference to Mr. B. but are merely added with a view, if it might be, to throw some farther light upon the subject.

1. Faith, in its most general sense, signifies a credit of some testimony, whether that testimony be true or false.

2. When we speak of the faith of the gospel, as a belief of the truth, it is not to be understood of all

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