pressed, and therefore must first be thought on and done. But if one of your brotherhood stop here, and make the objection, then you add, "It is knowledge, at least in all the necessary points thereof, absolutely necessary and essential parts, from among which you long since did cast out coming to God by Jesus Christ;" yea, you add, “that by (that which you call) the design of the gospel it may be presumed that whosoever considereth it with a design of being so-that is, of living up to human principles, and that desireth to be possessed again of the holiness he hath lost, for that is it for the proof of which you have written above three hundred pages-he must needs believe the gospel to have come from God, and also be enlightened in the true knowledge of at least the necessary points of it"-viz., all moral duties contained therein; which are never a one of them as such an essential of the gospel, but are such duties as are consequential to the belief thereof.

Wherefore (although you feign it) this honest temper, as you call it, will not help you, 1. To judge of the gospel without prejudice; nor, 2. To evidence it with satisfaction; nor, 3. Secure those in whom it is from error and delusion; no man being more brutish or heathenish, nor so void of satisfaction about it, nor more involved in error concerning it, than yourself, being truly what you charge upon others-1. Grossly ignorant; 2. Too highly opinionate; 3. Proud in affection; 4. Lignalish [bitter]; 5. A self-lover; 6. And for your blasphemy under the just judgment of God. "If our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost. In whom the God of this world hath blinded the minds of them that believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them," 2 Cor. iv. 3, 4.

I am come now to your last chapter, (p. 281,) which tells us wherein the essence and life of Christianity consist-viz., in a good state and habit of mind, in a holy frame and temper of soul.

ANSW. 1. They consist in a life of faith when I live in the belief of this, that Christ loved me, and gave himself for me. "The life that I now live in the flesh," saith Paul," it is by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me."

and holy works of the law, Rom. ix. 30-32. But you add,

"It is such a habit of mind, such a frame and temper of soul, as esteemeth God as the chiefest good, and preferreth him and his Son Jesus Christ before all the world, and that prizeth above all things an interest in the Divine perfections," &c.

ANSW.-God must needs be esteemed the chiefest good by all that have but, and are ruled by, the light of nature, because they see him by his works to be almighty, merciful, and eternal, (Rom. i. 20;) but this may be where the knowledge of the man, the Mediator, is not; therefore this, in this and in your sense, cannot be of the essence of Christianity, for that it is common to all the world. That estimation of God which is common to natural men cannot be of the essence of Christianity, because they want that knowledge of him that comes by Jesus Christ, and so are not capable to esteem of him under a Christian consideration.

But you say, " It is that good habit and temper of mind that preferreth God and his Son Jesus Christ before all the world."

ANSW. He that esteemeth God above all must needs, at least in his judgment, so prefer him; but whereas you add, "and his Son Jesus Christ," you put in those words but as a cloak, for yourself have not preferred his Son Jesus Christ, no, not before a moral law, no, not before your obedience to it, although but by human principles; yea, you have accounted the command of God, by which we are enjoined by him to come to God, a thing in itself but like Levitical ceremonies, or as baptism and the Lord's supper, a thing in itself indifferent, and, absolutely considered, neither good nor evil, pp. 7—9.

You add, "It is such a temper as prizeth above all things an interest in the Divine perfections, such as justice and righteousness, universal charity, goodness, mercy, patience, and all kind of purity."

ANSW.-Seeing by these expressions you only intend moral virtues, and those that are inherent in you, and originally operations of humanity, it is evident that you have but impiously and idolatrously attributed to your own goodness so high and blessed a title; for whatsoever is in your nature, and originally the dictates thereof, and whatsoever proficiency you make therein by human principles, and helps of natural endowments, these things are but of yourself, your own

goodness, mercy, patience, kindness, &c. Now to call these the Divine perfections, when they are only your own human virtues, bespeaks you, I say, fond, impious, and idolatrous, and shews you, in the midst of all your pretended design to glorify God, such an one who has set up your own goodness with him, yea, and given it the title of his blessed grace and favour.

That scripture you mention, Rom. xiv. 17, although by the word "righteousness" there is intended obedience to the moral law, yet to it by persons already justified by Christ's righteousness; hence they are said to do it in the joy and peace of the Holy Ghost, or by the joy and peace which they had by faith in Christ's righteousness,

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actions, can never be ignorant what it is to be truly Christians." Those that follow Jesus in his Spirit must first receive that Spirit from heaven, which Spirit is received, as I have often said, by applying, first, by faith, the merits of Christ to the soul for life and justification with God. The Spirit is not received by the works of the law, but by the hearing of faith; neither comes it in the ministry, or doctrine of morals, but in and by the ministry of faith; and the law is not of faith. Wherefore, seeing you have, in p. 223 of your book, forbidden sinners to come first to Jesus for justification with God, the spirit you talk of, however you call it the Spirit of Jesus, can be no other than the spirit of a man, which you also yourself, in pp. 7-9, call the purity of human nature, a principle of reason, the first principles of morals, or those that are originally dictates of human nature." Wherefore, by these words," in his Spirit" you do but blaspheme the Holy Ghost, and abuse your ignorant reader; calling now (quaker-like) the dictates of your humanity and your Socinian compliances therewith the Spirit of holy Jesus. I conclude, therefore, that the way of salvation, or the design of Christianity as prescribed by you, is none other than the errors of your own brain, the way of death, the sum and heart of papistical quakerism, and is quite denied by the Lord Jesus and by his blessed testament. And now go your ways, and imitate the Lord Jesus, and take the whole history of his life for your example, and walk in his steps, and be such as much as you can, yet without faith in his blood first, yea, and if you stand not just before God through the imputation of his righteousness, your imitating will be found no better than rebellion, because by that, instead of faith in his blood, you hope to obtain remission of sins, thrusting him thereby from his office and work, and setting your dunghill righteousness up in his stead.

I come now to your conclusion-First, in p. 298, you press men to betake themselves to find (that which you call) the design of Christianity accomplished in their hearts and lives.

ANSW. Seeing that the holiness that your erroneous book hath exalted is none other but that which we have lost; yea, and again, seeing you have set this in the head of and before the righteousness of Christ, I admonish my reader to tremble at the blasphemy of your book, and account the whole design therein to be none other but that of an enemy to the Son of God and salvation of the world. For that holiness, as I have shewed, is none other but a shadowish, Christless, graceless holiness; and your so exalt ing of it very blasphemy. You proceed, say ing, "Let us exercise ourselves unto real and substantial godliness, (still meaning your Adamitish holiness,) let us study the gospel, not to discourse or only to believe, but also, and above all things, to do well."

ANSW. Herein still you manifest either ignorance of, or malice against, the doctrine of faith; that doctrine, which above all doctrines is the quintessence of the New Testament, because therein (and not principally, as you feign, by doing well) is the righteousness of God revealed, and that from faith to faith; not from faith to

works, nor yet from works to faith. Besides, the gospel is preached in all nations for the obedience of faith, Rom. xvi. Neither works, the law, the dictates of humanity, nor the first principles of morals, knowing what to do with the righteousness of the gospel, which is a righteousness imputed by God, not wrought by us; a righteousness given, not earned ; a righteousness received by believing, not that which floweth from our obedience to laws; a righteousness which comes from God to us, not one that goeth from us to God. Besides, as I also have hinted before, the apostle and you are directly opposite. You cry, "Above all things, do well;" that is, work and do the law; but he, "Above all, take the shield of faith, wherewith are quenched all the fiery darts of the wicked," Eph. vi.

But you add, p. 300, "Let us do what lieth in us to convince our atheist that the religion of the blessed Jesus is no trick or device, and our wanton and loose Christians that it is no notional business, speculative science.

"Let

ANSW. This you cannot do by your moral natural principles of humanity; for even some of your brave philosophers, whose godliness you have so much applauded, were even then, in the midst of their and your virtues, atheistically ignorant of the religion of Jesus. And as to the loose Christian, Christ neither hath need of, nor will he bless your blasphemous opinions nor feigned godliness, but real ungodliness, to make them converts to his faith and grace; neither can it be expected it should, seeing you have not only dirty thoughts, but vilifying words and sayings of his person, work, and righteousness. You have set your works before his, (p. 223,) calling them substantial, indispensable, and real; but coming to God by him, a thing in itself indifferent, pp. 7-9. You go on, and say, us declare that we are not hearty reliers on Christ's righteousness by being imitators of it,” p. 300. You cannot leave off to contemn and blaspheme the Son of God. Do you not yet know that the righteousness of Christ on which the sinner ought to rely for life is such as consisted in his standing to, and doing of the law, without a mediator? and would you be doing this? What, know you not that an essential of the righteousness he accomplished for sinners when he was in the world is, "that he was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born without sin, did all things in the power of and union with his own eternal Godhead"? And are you able thus to imitate him? Again; the righteousness on which we ought to rely for life is that which hath in it the merit of blood? We are justified by his blood, through faith in his blood," Rom. v. i. Is this the righteousness you would imitate? Further, the righteousness on which poor sinners should rely is that for the sake of which God forgiveth the sins of him that resteth by faith thereupon. But would you be imitating of or accomplishing such a righteousness?

Your book, Sir, is begun in ignorance, managed with error, and ended in blasphemy.

"Now the God of glory, if it may stand with his glory, give you a sight of your sins against the Son of God, that you may, as Saul, lie trembling, and, being astonished, cry out, to be

justified with the righteousness of God, without the law, even that which is by faith of Jesus Christ, unto all and upon all them that believe." Many other gross absurdities, which I have omitted, in your whole book, may perhaps be more thoroughly gathered up when you shall have taken the opportunity to reply. In the meantime, I shall content myself with this"Behold the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sins of the world," John, i. 29.

"Even Jesus, who delivered us from the wrath to come," 1 Thess. i. 10.

"Who when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high," Heb. i. 3.

"Christ died for our sins," 1 Cor. xv. 1—3. "God hath made him to be sin for us," 2 Cor. v. 21.

"Christ was made a curse for us," Gal. iii. 13. "He bare our sins in his own body on the tree," 1 Pet. ii. 24.

That my reader may further perceive that Mr. Fowler, even by the chief of the Articles of the church of England is adjudged erroneous, and besides the very fundamentals of the doctrine of Jesus Christ, and that in those very principles that are in the main, I say, and that most immediately concern Christ, faith, and salvation, will be evident to them that compare his "Design of Christianity" with these articles hereunder recited

The Article concerning Free-will.

"The condition of man after the fall of Adam is such, that he cannot turn, and prepare himself, by his own natural strength and good works, to faith, and calling upon God: wherefore we have no power to do good works pleasant and acceptable to God, without the grace of God by Christ preventing us, that we may have a good will, and working with us when we have that good will."

The Article concerning Justification.

We are accounted righteous before God, only

for the merit of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ by faith, and not for our own works or deservings; wherefore, that we are justified by faith only is a most wholesome doctrine, and full of comfort," &c.

The Article of Works before Justification. "Works done before the grace of Christ, and the inspiration of his Spirit, are not pleasant to God, forasmuch as they spring not of faith in Jesus Christ-or deserve grace of congruity yea rather, for that they are not done as God hath

willed and commanded them to be done, we doubt not but they have the nature of sin."

These articles, because they respect the points in controversy betwixt Mr. Fowler and myself, and because they be also fundamental truths of the Christian religion, as I do heartily believe, let all men know that I quarrel not with him about things wherein I dissent from the church of England, but do contend for the truth contained even in these very articles of theirs, from which he hath so deeply revolted, that he clasheth with every one of them, as may further be shewn when he shall take heart to reply.

But to wind up this unpleasant scribble, I shall have done when I have further shewed how he joineth with papist and quaker against these wholesome and fundamental articles.

Mr Fowler's doctrine compared with Campian the Jesuit, upon that question, whether faith only justifieth. Saith Campian

1. Campian.-"We (papists) say, that as grace is put into us in justification, so also our righteousness is enlarged through good works, and is inherent in us; therefore it is not true that God doth justify by faith only."

Fowler, p. 221.-"Justifying faith is such a belief of the truth of the gospel as includeth a sincere resolution of obedience unto all its precepts, and that it justifieth as it doth so; in short, is it possible that faith in Christ's blood, for the forgiveness of sins, should be the only act which justifieth a sinner?" p. 22.

2. Campian." So that faith is urged, but not faith only; again, by faith is meant all Christianity, and the whole religion of Christians." entaileth the sinner to so high a privilege as that Fowler, p. 222.-"For surely the faith which with all the purposes of Christ's coming into the of justification must needs be such as complieth world, especially with his grand purpose as Lord, and that it is no less necessary that it should justify as it doth this."

3. Campian.-"Though works void of Christ are nothing, yet through grace they serve to justification.'

Fowler, pp. 225, 226.-" Of the imputation of Christ's righteousness this is the true explication -it consisteth in dealing with sincerely righteous persons as if they were perfectly so, for the sake and upon the account of Christ's righteousness; the grand intent of the gospel being to make us partakers of an inward real righteousness; and it being a secondary one that we should be accepted and rewarded as if we were completely righteous."

4. Campian.-" Speaking of faith, hope, and before them, but it doth not justify before they charity, he confesseth that faith in nature is

come."

Fowler, p. 223.-" What pretence can there be for thinking that faith is the condition or instrument of justification, as it complieth with only the precept of relying on Christ's merits for the obtaining of it, especially when it is no less manifest than the sun at noon-day that obedience to the other precepts, or works of love, must go before obedience to this."

5. Campian.—“I deny that faith only doth justify, for you have not in all the word of God that faith only doth justify."

Fowler, p. 225.-" And for my part, I must confess that I would not willingly be he that should undertake to encounter one of the champions of that foul cause, with the admission of this principle, that faith justifieth only as it apprehendeth (resteth or relieth on, p. 224) the merits and righteousness of Jesus Christ; I must certainly have great luck, or my adversary but little cunning, if I were not forced to repent me of such an engagement."

6. Campian. "Abraham being a just man, was made more just by a living faith."

Fowler, p. 283.-" He only is a true child of Abraham who in the purity of the heart obeyeth those substantial laws that are imposed by God upon him."

7. Campian." I say, that charity and good works are not excluded, (in the causes of our justification.)"

Fowler, p. 215.-" For we have shewn, not only that reformation from the practice, and purification of heart from the liking, of sin are as plainly as can be asserted in the gospel to be absolutely necessary to give men a right to the promises of it, but also that its great salvation doth even consist in it."

Mr. Fowler's doctrine compared with William Penn the quaker.

1. Penn's Sandy Foundation, p. 19.-"Life and salvation are to them that follow Christ the light in all his righteousness, which every man comes only to experience as he walks in a holy subjection to that measure of light and grace wherewith the fulness hath enlightened him.

Fowler, p. 8.-"That is, those which are of an indispensable and eternal obligation, which were first written in men's hearts, and originally dic tates of human nature."

2. Penn, p.32.-"I really confess that Jesus Christ fulfilled the Father's will, and offered up a most satisfactory sacrifice, but not to pay God, nor help him to save men."

Fowler, p. 85.-"Christ was set forth to be a propitiatory sacrifice for sin; I will not say that his Father (who is perfectly sui puris) might be put by this means into a capacity of forgiving it."

3. Penn, p. 16.-" God's remission is grounded on man's repentance, not that it is impossible for God to pardon without a plenary satisfaction."

Fowler, p. 84.-" There are many that do not question but that God could have pardoned sin without any other satisfaction than the repentance of the sinner," &c.

Fowler, pp. 14, 15.-"This blessing of making men holy was so much the design of Christ's coming, that he had his very name from it. Observe the words, He shall save his people from their sins,' not from the punishment of them, &c. And that is the primary sense of them which is most plainly expressed in them; that he shall save his people from the punishment of sin is a true sense too; but it is secondary, and implied only, as this latter is the neverfailing and necessary consequence of the former salvation."

5. Penn, p. 25.-"Since therefore there can be no admittance had without performing that righteous will, and doing those holy and perfect sayings, alas! to what value will an imputative righteousness amount?" &c.