P. 190. "The whole world of believers" is an. expreffion which never occurs in fcripture: nor has it any countenance there: the world, in the infpired writings, being conftantly taken either in an universal or in a bad sense: either for the whole of mankind, or for that part of them who know not God.

P. 191. "In the Lord fhall all the house of Ifrael be justified." It ought unquestionably to be rende red," By or through the Lord" this argument, therefore, proves nothing. "Ye are complete in him." The words, literally rendered, are, Ye are filled with him. And the whole, paffage, as any unpre judifed reader may observe, relates to fanctification, not juftification.

P. 192. "They are accepted for. Christ's fake: this is juftification through imputed righteousness." That remains to be proved. Many allow the former, who cannot allow the latter.

Ibid. Ther. Ifee no occafion for such nice di ftinctions and metaphyfical fubtilties.

Afp. You oblige us to make ufe of them, by confounding these very different ideas, that is, Christ's active and paffive righteoufnefs."

༑་ ་

Iranfwer, We do not confound thefe: but neither do we feparate them. Nor have we any authority from fcripture, for, either thinking or speaking of the one feparate from the other. And this whole. debate on one of them feparate from the other, is, a mere metaphyfical fubtilty.

P. 193. The righteousness which juftifies us, is already wrought out."—A crude, unfcriptural expreffion; "It was fet on foot, carried on, compleated." O vain philofophy! the plain truth is, Chrift lived, and tafted death for every inan. And through the merits of his life and death, every believer is justified.

P: 195, "Whoever perverts so glorious a doctrine,

fhews he never believed." Not fo. They who turn back as a dog to the vomit, had once efcaped the pollutions of the world by the knowledge of Chrift.

P. 195. "The goodness of God leadeth to repentance." This is unquestionably true.

But the nice, metaphyfical doctrine of imputed righteousness, leads not to repentance, but to licentioufness.

P. 196. "The believer cannot but add to his faith, works of righteousness." During his first love, this is often true. But it is not true afterwards, as we know and feel by melancholy experience.

P. 198. "We no longer obey, in order to lay the foundation for our final acceptance." No: that foundation is already laid in the merits of Christ. Yet we obey, in order to our final acceptance thro' his merits. And in this fenfe, by obeying, we lay a good foundation that we may attain eternal life.

Ibid. "We establish the law: we provide for its honour, by the perfect obedience of Chrift." Can you poffibly think St. Paul meant this? That fuch a thought ever entered into his mind? The plain meaning is, We establish both the true fenfe, and the effectual practice of it: we provide for its being both understood and practifed in its full extent.

P. 199. "On thofe who reject the atonement, juft severity." Was it ever poffible for them not to reject it? If not, how is it juft, to caft them into a lake of fire, for not doing what it was impoffible they should do? Would it be just (make it your own cafe) to caft you into hell, for not touching heaven with your hand?

P. 202. 203. "Juftification is complete the first moment we believe, and is incapable of augmentation." Not fo: there may be as many degrees in the fa vour, as in the image of God.

P. 239. 240. "St. Paul often mentions a righteoufnefs imputed:" (not a righteousness; never once; but fimply righteousness.) What can this be, but the

xi righteousness of Chrift?" He tells you himself, Rom, iv. 6. To him that believeth on him that juftifieth the ungodly, faith is imputed for righteousness. "Why is Chrift ftiled Jehovah our Righteousness? Because we are both justified and fanctified through him.

P. 140. "My death, the cause of their forgiveness; my righteousness, the ground of their acceptance." How does this agree with p. 68. "To afcribe pardon to Chrift's paffive, eternal life to his active righteousness, is fanciful rather than judicious?" P. 244. “He commends fuch kinds of beneficence only, as were exercised to a disciple as fuch." Is not this a flip of the pen? Will not our Lord then commend, and reward eternally, all kinds of beneficence, provided they flowed from a principleof loving faith? Yea, that which was exercised to a Samaritan, a Jew, a Turk, or an Heathen? Even thefe I would not term " tranfient bubbles," though they do not procure our juftification.

P. 246. "How muft our righteousness exceed that of the Scribes and Pharifees? Not only in being fincere, but in poffeffing a complete righteousness, even that of Chrift." Did our Lord mean this? Nothing lefs. He specifies, in the following parts of his Sermon, the very instances wherein the righteousness of a Chriftian exceeds that of the Scribes and Pharifees.

P. 248. "He brings this fpecious hypocrite to the teft." How does it appear that he was an hypocrite? Our Lord gives not the least intimation of it. Surely he loved him, not for his hypocrify, but his fincerity!

Yet he loved the world, and therefore, could not keep any of the commandments in their spiritual meaning. And the keeping of thefe is undoubtedly the way to, though not the cause of, eternal life.

P. 250. "By works his faith was made perfect: appeared to be true." No: the natural fenfe of the

word is, By the grace fuperadded while he wrought thofe works, his faith was literally made perfect.

P. 250. "He that doth righteousness is righteous"manifefts the truth of his converfation." Nay; the plain meaning is, he alone is truly righteous, whose faith worketh by love.

Ibid. "St. James fpeaks of the juftification of our faith." Not unless you mean, by that odd expreffion, our faith being made perfect for fo the apoftle explains his own meaning. Perhaps the word juftified is once used by St. Paul for manifefted. But that does not prove, it is to be fo understood here.

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P. 253. "Whofo doth these things fhall never fall into total apoftafy." How pleafing is this to flesh and blood! But David fays no fuch thing. His meaning is, Whofo doth these things to the end, shall never fall into hell.

The feventh dialogue is full of important truths. Yet fome expreffions in it I can't commend.

P. 269. "One thing thou lackest, the imputed righteousness of Christ." You cannot think, this is the meaning of the text. Certainly the one thing our LORD meant was, the love of GOD. This was the thing he lacked.

P. 276. Is the obedience of Chrift infufficient to accomplish our juftification?" Rather I would ask, Is the death of Chrift infufficient to purchase it?

P. 281. The faints in glory afcribe the whole of * their falvation to the blood of the Lamb.” So do I: and yet I believe he obtained for all a poffibility of falvation."

3

Ibid. "The terms of acceptance for fallen man were a full fatisfaction to the divine justice, and a complete conformity to the divine law." This you take for granted; but I cannot allow.

The terms of acceptance for fallen man are repentance and faith. Repent ye, and believe the gospel.

P. 282. "There are but two methods whereby

any can be justified, either by a perfect obedience to the law, or because Chrift hath kept the law in our ftead." You should fay, or by faith in Chrift." I then anfwer, This is true. And fallen man is jufti. fied, not by perfect obedience, but by faith. What Chrift has done is the foundation of our justification, not the terms or condition of it.

In the eighth dialogue likewife there are many great truths, and yet fome things liable to excep

tion.

P. 312. "David GOD himself dignifies with the moft exalted of all characters." Far, very far from it. We have more exalted characters than David's, both in the Old Teftament and the New. Such are thofe of Samuel, Daniel, yea, and Job, in the former; of St. Paul and St. John in the latter.

"But GoD stiles him a man after his own heart.” This is the text which has caused many to mistake: for want of confidering, first, That this is faid of David in a particular respect, not with regard to his whole character: Secondly, The time, at which it was spoken. When was David a man after God's own heart? When GOD found him following the ewes. great with young, when he took him from the Sheepfolds, Pfal. Ixxviii. 71. It was in the 2d or 3d year of Saul's reign, that Samuel said to him, The LORD bath fought him a man after his own heart, and hath commanded him to be captain over his people, 1 Sam. xiii. 14. But was he a man after GOD's own heart all his life? or in all particulars? So far from it, that we have few more exceptionable characters, among all the men of GoD recorded in fcripture.

P. 321 "There is not a juft man upon earth that finneth not." Solomon might truly fay fo, before Chrift came. And St. John might, after he came, fay as truly, Whosoever is born of GOD finneth not. "But in many things we offend all." That St. James does not speak this of himself, or of reai Chriftians, B.