liever's cafe. And in respect to the honour of God, the direct object of this scheme of juftification is to declare and demonftrate it. "God," the Apostle fays exprefsly, "hath fet forth Jefus Chrift to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness, that he might be just and the juftifier of him which believeth in Jefus a."

In this light it is unquestionably confidered by our church. To omit all other evidence, the greatest part of the first homily on falvation is occupied in fhowing it. "Our heavenly Father," the here fays, "prepared for us Chrift's body and blood, whereby our ranfom might be fully paid, the law fulfilled, and his justice fully fatisfied.” One of three things which the fays go together in our justification is, "upon Chrift's part juftice, that is, the fatiffaction of God's juftice." "The great wifdom of God in this myftery of our redemption, . . . with his endiess mercy joined his moft upright and equal justice." "He provided a ransom for us, that was, the moft precious body and blood of his own most dear and best beloved Son Jefus Chrift, who befides this ranfom, fulfilled the law for us perfectly. And fo the juftice of God and his mercy did embrace together, and fulfilled the mystery of our redemption. And of this juftice and mercy of God knit together," the adds, "fpeaketh St. Paul in the third Chapter to the Romans";" which the proceeds to quote, and to interpret precifely as we have done.

If, then, in this method of acquitting finful men before God, there is neither any impeachment of the honour of the judge, nor any remaining fufpicion attached to their own characters, they are doubtlefs honourably acquitted.

And thus we fee, how perfectly the fentiments of that eminent Chriftian and respectable Divine whom Mr. Ludlam contemptuously ftyles " Jofeph Milner," are in unifon with those of the church; and how perfectly Mr. L's. differ from

her.Inftead therefore of expreffing this unmerited contempt, might not Mr. L. more properly have been inquiring, with what confcience he fubfcribes, "ex animo," to ⚫ doctrines which he believes unintelligible and impoffible?

3. But what is the Faith of which we hear fo much, in this matter of our juftification? And in what fenfe are we juftified by faith? And who adheres to the established doctrine on thefe points?

What we mean by this faith is well expreffed in the definition given of it in the homily on falvation. "The right and true Chriftian faith," it is here affirmed, after a recital of the chief hiftory respecting our Saviour," is, not only to believe that holy fcripture, and all the forefaid articles of our faith are true, but also to have a fure trust and confidence in God's merciful promifes to be faved from everlasting damnation by Chrift: whereof doth follow a loving heart to obey his commandments." It is a cordial belief of God's testimony, and a reliance on his promises. But the grand scope of thefe, revelation throughout, are, the "record which God hath given of his Son," and the promise of " the gift of eternal life in him." Juftifying faith, therefore, especially implies, a receiving with interest and approbation, "the witnefs of God which he hath testified of his Son," and a fure truft and confidence in God" for falvation through Chrift Jefus.

This faith, we maintain, is as distinct from love, good works, and obedience in general, as a tree is from its fruit; but, that it is infeparably connected with thefe graces, and always productive of them.——And, the way in which it juftifies, is, not as poffeffing any merit, but " as the only ordained mean and inftrument by which we thus receive, apprehend," and "apply to ourselves the fruits and merits of Chrift's death;" or, as Bishop Horfley expreffes it,

(c) Page 18. Paffion, p. 272.

(d) I John, v. 9—11.

(e) Hom. on

"because it is the first principle of that communion between the believer's foul and the divine Spirit, on which the whole of our fpiritual life depends f."

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Very different are the notions of our opponents respecting faith. Mr. Clapham does not feem to confider the belief of any particular creed effential to the forming of a good man, and obtaining the approbation of our Judge. He talks of a feafon "when every good man, of whatever perjuasion, thall have praife of God." Mr. Polwhele is "well affured," that "be our perfuafions what they may,... if we do our duty to the beft of our knowledge and abilities, we shall be finally accepted at the throne of mercy"." Dr. Hey fays, the "faith only," by which we are faid to be juftified," in our article, means, an honest principle1.” Man," he fays in another place, "is juftified on being admitted into the Chriftian fociety, and... he must have that fidelity which every plain man has on entering into every fociety;"" the difpofition of an honeft man entering into any contract, or bufinefs *." Mr. Ludlam expreffes much fcorn at the refpectable author of the " Scripture characters," for talking of "a spiritual union with Christ',' as formed by faith; and " of communion between Jefus and our own fouls"." Thefe phrafes he deems perfectly unintelligible, and the doctrine implied in them perfectly unfcriptural."Surely," he fays, "the fcriptures fay nothing of any union, either fpiritual or fenfible, with Chrift *." "I do not find any mention of this communion

(f) Charge, 1792, p. 28. (h) Letter, p. 88.

(1) Four Effays, p. 49

(g) Sermon at Boro. p. 9. (k) Ibid. p. 270.

(i) Vol. iii. p. 278.
(m) Ibid. p. 46

(z) Archbishop Tillotson would teach Mr. L. that the 15th Chap. of St. John fays fomething of this kind. "Our Saviour," his Grace obferves," compares his myftical body, that is his Church, to a vine,

N

with Jefus in fcripture." And "what," he asks with an air of great confidence, "are we to understand by the communion of one intelligent being with another intelligent being?"

It is common to reprefent Chriftian faith as ftrictly implying no more than an affent to the truth of Christianity; or as Mr. Benfon expreffes it," an allowance that Jefus is the Meffiah;" or, according to Mr. Daubeny, fuch a faith as St. James mentions. "St. James has always appeared to me," Mr. D. fays, " to speak, not of a man who merely fays that he has faith, and has it not; but of one who actually poffeffes faith, but a faith unavailable to falvation, in confequence of its being unaccompanied by its correfpondent effects." This then is fupposed to be the faith that is required, and all that is fuppofed wanting is works. When

which his Father, whom he compares to a husbandman, hath planted. To reprefent to us the Union that is betwixt Chrift and all true Chriftians, and the influence of grace and spiritual life, which all that are united to him do derive and receive from him, he fets it forth to us by the refemblance of a vine and branches. As there is a natural vital union between the vine and the branches, so there is a spiritual union between Chrift and true Chriftians; and this union is the cause of our fruitfulness in the works of obedience and a good life. There are some indeed that feem to be grafted into Chrift by an outward profeffion of Chriftianity, who yet derive no influence from him, so as to bring forth fruit, because they are not vitally united to him."- -Sermons, Vol. iii. p, 307; and quoted by Jonathan Edwards.

(n) Four Effays, p. 46–52.

The judicious Hooker will inform him, that "Communion with Chrift confifis in the participation of Chrift's Spirit, which Cypriam in that respect well termeth Germaniffimam Societatem, the highest and trueft Society that can be between man and him, who is both God and Man in one." Ecclef. Pol. B. v. § 56. And hither we refer Mr. L. for a full illuftration and vindication of our doctrine.

(0) Sermon ii. p. 30; see alfo Fellowes' Anti-Calv. p. 18; and Haggitt's Sermon, p. 13, (p) Guide, p. 301.

therefore we are faid to be juftified by faith, and by faith only, thefe divines fay, that in this cafe, faith fignifies "obedience to the whole religion of Chrift, including both belief and practice :" or, as they at other times exprefs it," the complex of all Christianity:" or, in Mr. Daubeny's language," faith in the concrete;" "faith as comprehenfive of all Chriftian duties "." And this faith justifies, they fay, not as it unites us to Chrift, or is the inftrument through which we apply his merits to ourselves, or as it complies with "the precept of relying on Christ's merit for juftification ▾;" but as it thus "implies true holiness in the nature of it," as it includes "the other evangelical graces" as conftituent parts of it; or, "as like love and repentance it is a fundamental caufe of obedience." "It faves us no' otherwife," Dr. Burn in his Sermons for the Clergy fully teaches, "than by being a spring and principle of our obedience." The word "inftrument," they fay is very improper and obfcure," " and a nicety which Cranmer was not concerned in "."

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Thefe opinions are all obviously very difcordant from the notions of faith stated above, and recognized as ours3. And, as in this statement, we adopted as our basis the very language of the Church, it is already pretty obvious where the deviation from her on this point exifts. But let us ascertain the matter a little more fully.

It is then certainly as clear as language can make it, in the above definition, that the means more by juftifying faith than what fo generally paffes for faith, a mere affent

(q) See Bishop Pretyman's Elements, Vol. ii. p. 264.

(r) Bishop Burnet on Art. 11. p. 123, 124, (s) Appendix, p. 162. (t) Guide, p. 291. (v) See Bishop Watson's Tracts, Vol. vi. (x) Vol. i. p. 11–13.

p. 391, 392,

(w) Ibid.

(y) Bishop Burnet's Hift. of Reforma. Vol. i. p. 288 (a) p. 188.

(z) p. 188.