tacy and declenfion from his fervice, would both heighten his displeasure, and their punishment. That this was the defign of the 18th chaper, appears evident from the whole foregoing context; where their dreadful deftruction by the Babylonians was exprefly predicted and threatened; which gave occafion to obviate their objec tions against God's dealings with them, and give them a jult view of the true fource and cause of their misery and ruin. That this was alfo the defign of the 33d chapter, is most evident from the exprefs words of the context, as every one may fee, that will read from the 26th to the 29th verfe, where fword, famine, peftilence, and utter defolation are exprefly denounced, and declared, to be the evils referred to in this discourse. Now what juft argument can be drawn from hence? Will it follow, because God proportions his providential dispensations to the external conduct of his profeffing covenant people, that therefore we are juftified by works; or that our eternal falvation is the immediate fruit of our own obedience? Will it follow, that because Ahab's threatned temporal deftruction was prevented by his external reformation, that therefore he was justified and eternally faved upon the account of it? No, it is plain that all arguments to the prefent purpose, from these chapters, are altogether impertinent. And the pleas commonly taken from hence against perfeverance in grace, because the righteous are reprefented as turning from their righteousness, are nothing at all to the purpofe, for which they are used.

But after all, were it even fuppofed, that these chapters referred to God's difpenfations toward men in relation to their eternal ftate. How would they confirm the principles you are pleading for? They would indeed Thew us, that there is a neceffary connection between a life of obedience and our falvation, and between a life of difobedience and our perdition, which is a truth allowed on both sides of the prefent queftion. But as to the me ritorious, procuring, and intitling cause of our falvation, or the foundation of our title to eternal life, there is nothing spoken in these chapters. If you would find these things explained by the prophet Ezekiel, read the 36th chapter of his prophecy, where the doctrine which you

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oppofe, is ftrongly afferted, and particularly illuftrated. You will there find it is God that takes away the heart of flone from his people, and gives them a heart of flesh: that causes them to walk in his ftatutes, and keep his judgments and do them; and that it is not for their fakes that he does this, but for his own name's fake and that when this is done for them, they will have caufe to be afbamed and confounded for their own ways and to loath themselves in their own fight, for their iniquities and abominations. You will there find, that though God will be inquired of by the houfe of Ifrael to do this for them; yet this is not the condition of their acceptance, he will beftow his fpecial grace for his own name's fake, and not for their fakes. Now you will acknowledge, that the other chapters must be taken in the fame view with this; and then though it will apear, that he who repenteth and continueth in obedience to the end, and none but he fhall obtain falvation at laft: yet that this repentance and new obedience flows from God's fovereign grace; and is the fruit of a justified state. The fame thing may be obferved concerning any other texts of fcripture, which you can poffibly cite to the like purpose.. And I muft here obferve to you, it is a fure evidence of the weakness of that caufe, that can be no better defended. There are multitudes of plain and pofitive texts of fcripture, which ascribe our juftification to faith, and to the righteousness of Chrift alone; as I have had occafion to fhew you already. These must be interpreted away at any rate because they do not agree with this fcheme, which muft by all means be fupported. But then, what evidence have we from scripture for this doctrine, which is so strenuously contended for? None but this, that holinefs and new obedience are neceffary to falvation which is juft fo.much (and no more) to the purpose, as if you should attempt to prove your point from the first veifein Genefis..

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You proceed to argue, that, Repentance for fin, which includes new obedience in the nature of it, is not only made abfolutely neceffary to falvation, but has the promife of pardon annexed to it: and is there'fore plainly propofed in fcripture as the condition of our justification.

This is but a repetition of the former argument, in other words. The question before us is not, what is not neceffary to our falvation: but what is the condition of our juftification? It is not the queftion, whe ther pardon and falvation be neceffarily connected to repentance and new obedience: but what it is that gives us a title to falvation: and whence it is, that this repen. tance and new obedience flows, by which we are qualified to partake of faving benefits. The fcriptures affure us, that this is the righteoufnefs of Chrift received by faith; and what you now offer, is no ways inconsistent with the many declarations of this kind, throughout the whole word of God. If it were granted, that whatever are the requifites in them that shall be faved, and whatever qualifications have the promise of pardon and falvation annexed to them, are the conditions of our juf. tification, it would then follow that perfeverance is a condition of our juftification; and confequently all difpute about being justified in this prefent life is at an end, as I have obferved before. For the benefit is fufpended, till the condition on which it depends, is accomplished. Befides, I think, all men allow, that if repentance be the fruit and confequence of our juftification, it cannot be the condition of it. There can be nothing more prepof terous, than to fuppofe an effect to be a condition of the cause producing it. And the fcriptures affure us that repentance is the fruit and confequence of our jus tification. Thus is it particularly reprefented to us. Ezek. xxxvi. 26. 28. 31. A new heart alfo will I give you; and a new spirit will I put within you: and ye fball be my people and I will be your God. Then fball ye remember your own evil ways, and your doings which were not good and fhall loath your felves in your own fight, for your iniquities and for your abominations. Thus likewife, Zech. xii. 10. And I will pour out upon the houfe of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerufalem, the spirit of grace and of fupplications; and they fball look upon me whom they have have pierced; and they fball mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only fon, and fhall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitternefs for his firft-born. In which texts you fee, there is firft a new heart and a new fpirit; they are first in a justified state, they are God's

people, and he is their God; they are firft renewed, and have a spirit of grace and fupplication; they have firft the exercise of faith; they look upon him whom they have pierced: and then follows their repentance, as an immediate and neceffary confequence of their regenerate juftified state. This truth is most evident, not only from the scripture representation of this matter; but alfo from the nature of a true and fincere repentance. We muft be united to Chrift, and have a principle of life, before we can perform vital actions. We must have the difpofitions of our fouls renewed, before we can hate fin, and heartily mourn after a deliverance from what is naturally pleasant and delightful to us. We must first have faith in Chrift's blood, before we can repair to it for cleanling from pollution and guilt. We muft firft have a principle of love to holiness, before we can live a life of new obedience. The legal terrors, refolutions, and endeavours, which precede our juftification, are very far fhort of a true repentance; and therefore can have no promife of pardon or falvation made to them. It is therefore evident, that though an evangelical repentance does immediately fucceed (and in its beginnings is even contemporary with) a true juftifying faith: yet it is in order of nature an effect and fruit of it; and confequently cannot be the condition of our justification.

And now I proceed to the confideration of your laft argument, for the vindication of thefe principles. It feems (you fay) that our obedience must be the con⚫dition of our juftification, because the process of the finai judgment will be put upon that iffue; and every man will be judged in that awful day according to his • works.'

To which I answer, that I can fee no manner of confequence in this reafoning, because God of his infinite grace and bounty will be pleafed to reward the obedience of believers at the eternal judgment, that therefore our obedience is the condition of our present juftification.. You yourself, Sir, have been fo good to the young gentleman, your fifter's son, as to take him out of prison, to pay his debts, to adopt him into your family, to call him by your own name, and to treat him as your own child: and I am told, that you intend to reward his dutifulness

to you, by giving him the preference to your daughters, and by making him the heir of your folid eftate. If it fhould be fo, would it from thence appear, that his dutiful behaviour was the condition of your taking him out of prison, and adopting him into your family? No, Sir, you know that this was an act of mere compaffion and kindness. Apply this to the cafe before us; and you will fee the fate of your argument. You are besides to confider, that it is no where faid in fcripture, that we are at the last day to be rewarded for good works, but according to them. The reward which believers fhall receive, will be a reward of mere grace and will of God's infinite goodness be proportioned to, but not merited by their obedience. Let it also be confidered, in our juftification in this life, Chrift is confidered in the fpecial character of our Redeemer, our propitiation, and High Prieft; and accordingly applies the benefits of his redemption to our fouls, that we may be accepted in him: but in the great day of accounts, he will appear in the special character of our Judge, publickly owning and rewarding thofe graces, which he has enabled us to exercife, and that obedience which he has excited and ftrengthened us to perform. In our justification here, he is glorifying the riches of his redeeming mercy and love in the day of judgment, he will glorify his rectoral holiness and equity, as well as his infinite bounty: and let the intelligent world fee, that the Judge of all the earth will do right. Here he juftifies the ungodly, by acquitting them from guilt, and imputing righteoufnefs without works: there, he will reward the godly, by crowning their piety and holinefs with eternal life. Here, our juftification is the foundation and fountain of our new obedience; as I have before fhewn you : there, we are to receive the reward of our obedience, already performed and finifhed. In our juftification here Chrift acts from the motives only of his fovereign grace and love in the final fentence, he will proceed according to the rules of diftributive remunerative justice, in adjusting and proportioning rewards. So that from the nature of things it is agreeable, that we fhould here be juftified by faith only: but there judged according to our works.