attain these objects any affinity with a bold and presumptuous confidence: it is a certainty perfectly compatible with the pious and lowly confession that whatever is good in him—whatever is virtuous in intention or upright in action-has been the fruit of divine grace "" preventing him that he might have a good will, and working with him when he had that good will,"-it is a certainty perfectly compatible with continued and uninterrupted dependence on the same grace, "with out which the frailty of man's nature cannot always stands upright:" but still it is a certainty, the natural result and the first reward of confirmed habits of virtue, which have by this time rendered inde. finitely small the probability of lapse into sin, and which have thus commenced on earth that change which is soon to be perfected in heaven, of the hope into the full fruition of blessedness.

0.

SCRIPTURE CRITICISM. To the Editor of the Remembrancer. Sir,

I WAS much pleased with the essay upon the seventh chapter of St. Paul's Epistle to the Romans (denominated Scripture Criticism) contained in the Christian Remembrancer for November, 1819, which supports, by the authority of that eminent divine, the late Bishop Bull, the sense most commonly put (previous to the time of St. Augustine) upon the latter end of that chapter, i. e. "that St. Paul is there speaking in the person of an unconverted Jew and not in his own person," (as contended by Calvinistical commentators.)

The author of the above essay has given a judicious and well arranged abstract of Bishop Bull's arguments on this point, together with answers to the several objections thereto, methodically dis

posed; and tells us that the names of J. Taylor, Hammond, Macknight, and Doddridge, will serve for a sufficient specimen of the authority by which the same opinion is upheld. Referring your readers to the above-mentioned very excellent essay, I take leave to adduce some of the observations and quotations given by that very learned expositor, Dr. Whitby, on the chapter in question; for I conceive that the old and commonly received opinion cannot be too widely diffused at a time when all sorts of new fangled doctrines are industriously spread by the opponents to our Church Establishment; and especially because it will appear that St. Augustine himself (however afterwards he perverted the plain sense of the Apostle) for a long time entertained the former sentiments; as will appear in its place after quoted.

Dr. Whitby, in a note upon the 25th verse of the chapter, says, "AUTOS εyw,” (the same man) "of whom he had before spoken, not I Paul, now writing this Epistle.

"It hath been a controversy since St. Austin's time, whether St. Paul here speaketh in his own person, or in the person of a regenerate man, or only in the person of a Jew conflicting with the motions of his lusts only by the assistance of the letter of the Law, without the aids and powerful assistance of the Holy Spirit; which is as great an instance of the force of prejudice, and the heat of opposition to pervert the plainest truths, as can haply be produced; for I think, nothing can be more evident and unquestionably true than this, that the Apostle doth not here speak of himself, or in the state he was then in; but (as the antient commentators do interpret him,) by himself he represents man in common, and saith not, as he might have done,

You that are under the law are carnal;' but representing what belonged to them in his own person,

of the saints is the purchase of Christ's righteousness, which is alike imputed to all true believers, and they have an equal share therein, and consequently they shall share equally in the future glory.

"I answer, the doctrine of the imputed righteousness of Christ, as it hath been too commonly taught and understood, hath been a fruitful mother of many pernicious and dangerous errors in divinity. In the objection, it is supposed, that the righteousness of Christ is so imputed to every believer, that it be comes formally his righteousness, and that upon the sole account thereof he hath a right to the future glory. And if this were true, if Christ's righteousness were thus our's, that righteousness, being the most perfect righteousness, nothing less could answer it than the highest reward in heaven; and so indeed it would necessarily follow, that the future glory of all the saints should be alike and equal. But the supposition hath no foundation in Scripture, yea, it is plainly false. And that it is so, if we had no other argument, the very doctrine we are now upon, were sufficient to evince. We have proved, by very plain texts of Scripture, that there will be a disparity of rewards in the life to come, according to the disparity of men's graces and good works in this life; and from hence we may safely conclude, that the doctrine of those who teach that the perfect righteousness of Christ is formally the righteousness of every believer, and that thereupon he hath a right to the highest re. ward in heaven, is certainly false. Nay, indeed, if that doctrine of theirs were true, a consequence would follow, which cannot be uttered without trembling, that every saint shall be equal to Christ in glory; Christ's righteousness being his, and so he having a right to whatsoever that righteousness deserved.

"But to answer more directly to

the objection; there is nothing more certain, than that the future glory of the saints is the purchase of Christ's righteousness. But how? By the meritorious obedience of Christ in his life and death, a covenant of grace, mercy, and life eternal was procured, ratified and established between God and the sinful sons of men; the condition of the covenant is faith working by love,' or a faith fruitful of good works. And there is also sufficient grace promised to all that shall heartily seek it, for the performance of that condition. It is from the covenant of infinite mercy in Christ Jesus alone, that our imperfect good works have any ordination to so excellent a reward as the future glory; and it is the mercy, the rich mercy, the royal bounty and liberality of God, expressed in the same covenant, that assigns to greater degrees of grace here, greater degrees of glory hereafter. This is the plain truth."

If, on the other hand, Mr. S. intends that Christian righteousness, which all in its several degrees, according to the proportion of their faith, and the use of God's grace, may attain unto; that righteousness springing out of a true and lively faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; which, albeit that it deserveth not heaven, yet through the perfect righteousness, and atoning blood of Christ, that effectual seal of the covenant of grace, shall obtain heaven; or, in the excellent words of St. Paul, "make us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light;" I think his words are liable to misconstruction, and I could wish he had expressed himself more fully. I can easily conceive how our righteousness, imperfect as it is, may be freely accepted for Christ's sake by Infinite Mercy; but not how it ever can be so perfect, as to bear "the piercing scrutiny of Omniscience." There is a passage given by Mr. Todd, out of the "Necessary Erudition of a Christian Man," under

the article of good works, which is much in point.

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"And these works be of two sorts: for some be such as men, truly justified, and so continuing, do work in charity, of a pure heart, and a good conscience, and an unfigned faith. Which works, although: they be of themselves unworthy, unperfect, and unsufficient; yet forasmuch as they be done in the faith of Christ, and by the virtue and merits of his passion, their imperfectness is supplied; the merciful goodness of God accepteth them, as an observation and fulfilling of his law; and they be the very service of God." Nay, the writer, whoever he was, (and there is good reason for supposing that it was Cranmer himself, the father of the English church), goes on to use this strong expression, "And be meritorious towards attain-, ing of everlasting life."

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We have not one word here about the imputed righteousness of Christ, in which the sinner is to be clothed; but we have of that righteousness of Christ, for the sake of which the imperfect righteousness of man, when done in faith, shall be accepted, and obtain for him everlasting life. Nay, in the very next paragraph, we have the case of the sinner, as supposed by Mr. Sumner, thus stated:.

fication, and so be made able and meet to walk in the very pure service of God with a clear conscience, and to bring forth the foresaid works of righteousness in Christ, which he cannot do afore he be justified. I am, &c.

"When a sinner, hearing or remembering the law of God, is moved by grace to be contrite and sorry for his offences; and beginneth to lament his estate, and to fall to prayer and other good deeds, seeking to avoid the indignation of God, and to be reconciled to his favour, these works but yet the man is ted

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Oct. 16, 1820.

W.

P. S. There is a note in the Family Bible, from Archbishop Sharp, on Phil. iii. 9. (referred to by Mr. Sumner), which is well worthy of consideration; though I could have wished to prevent all possibility of mistake, that the last sentence had ran thus. "And as it, (that is, this Christian righteousness), is his gift, so he will own it, and reward it, for the sake of the meritorious obedience of Christ in his life and death, at the last day."

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be is in means doth and if be hearty grace, he

In speaking of prayers addressed to the Son, as the second person in the Trinity, the writer enumerates the Te Deum as one of these; which opinion, he further remarks, is confirmed by tradition, and will be evident to any one reading the Greek or Latin. With respect to the particular tradition on this subject, it might be improper for me to offer any observation, as I candidly confess that I do not recollect to have met with it: but having referred to the Greek and Latin versions of the Te Deum, I must believe that your

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