the foregoing Confiderations, to fettle and ascertain the Nature of Faith and good Works.-I cannot indeed but be of Opinion that a little rational Attention to Scripture will enable us to form a true Notion of this important Matter, and rectify the Mistakes of the Well-meaning, as well as expose the Prefumptions of others concerning it. Now that "we are accounted righteous before God, only "for the Merit of our Lord and Saviour Jefus Chrift by Faith, and not for our own Works or Defervings, and confequently are justified by "Faith only," as the 11th Article of our Church expresses it, is no doubt the scriptural, and accordingly a most comfortable Doctrine. But notwithstanding this, Faith neither precludes good Works, nor detracts from the real Value of them. It does not preclude them, if St. James is permitted to be an Expofitor of St. Paul; (fee James ii. 14, &c.) fo far from it indeed, that if we will abide by our Church's Senfe of the Matter, good Works " spring " out neceffarily of a true and lively Faith, info"much that by them a lively Faith may be as

ac

evidently known, as a Tree difcerned by the «Fruit." (Art. 12.)-Nor again does it detract from the real Value of them; for " albeit that "good Works (to use the Words of the same "Article) which are the Fruits of Faith, and fol"low after Juftification, cannot put away our "Sins, and endure the Severity of God's Judg

"ment;

"ment; yet are they pleafing and acceptable to "God in Chrift." If good Works then are pleafing and acceptable to God in Chrift, they are fo upon account of their own real intrinfic Value; if not, why are not any Works, or even bad Works pleafing and acceptable to God in Chrift? Indeed,

they cannot endure the Severity of God's Judg"ment, that is, (to explain the latter Clause by "the former) they cannot put away our Sins;" or, in other Words, our good Works cannot atone for our bad ones. Merit propitiatory therefore is one Thing, and Merit natural, real, or recommendatory, another. Let us fee now how far all this is agreeable to the Doctrine of St. Paul.This great Apostle, in order to shew his Converts the extraordinary Grace or Privilege of the Evangelical Difpenfation beyond that of the Mofaic Law, infifts upon the Rigour of the latter, and the Impoffibility of our complying with the Terms of it. For, Curfed is every one that continueth not in all Things which are written in the Book of the Law to do them." (fee Galat. iii. 10.) And yet, the Scripture bath concluded all under Sin, (Ver. 22.) and all have finned, and come short of the Glory of God; (see Rom. iii. 23.) This Curse then is plainly denounced against imperfect, or defective Obedience; and therefore when we are told that a Man is not juftified by the Works of the Law, (Galat. ii. 16.) that by the Deeds of the Law there fhall no Flesh be

justified

juftified in God's Sight, (Rom. iii. 20.) that the Just fhall live by Faith, (Galat. iii. 11.) &c. &c. we are not to understand that there is any Defect in the Law itself, and confequently that a total and abfolute Conformity thereunto would not justify us, but that it is utterly impracticable for us to yield to it such total and absolute Conformity; and that under the legal Oeconomy there was no proper Atonement or Propitiation made for the Deficiency of our Obedience, nor by Confequence adequate to the Purpose of Juftification. For Juftification imports our being accepted by God as righteous or perfect. Now, though we cannot be accepted by God as perfect in Virtue of our own perfonal Merit, we may nevertheless in Virtue of Merit imputed to us. Herein then appears the unspeakable Advantage of the Chriftian Dispensation, notwithstanding the moral Law is still in full Force, and the fame Perfection of Obedience is required to it. For, Chrift hath redeemed us from the Curfe of the Law, being made a Curfe for us. (Galat. iii. 13.) This plain, but glorious Truth is the Foundation of all that Energy and Triumph with which our Apoftle fo frequently expreffes himself; (see the Epiftles to the Rom. and Galat. &c. &c.) but all this while though our Justification, or Right and Title to Salvation, be wholly grounded in Faith, and the confident Application of the all-fufficient Merits of our Redeemer to

ourfelves,

ourselves, yet neither our Faith, nor his Merits, render our own good Works or Obedience unneceffary or indifferent, or diminish their true and real, though infinitely inferior Value; but effectually and graciously supply the manifold Deficiencies and Imperfections of them.-How far the Merits of Chrift may be extended, and in what Latitude we may reasonably understand the Term, Faith, I fhall endeavour to inquire at large hereafter; and, in the mean time I apprehend, what has been here obferved may caution us first, against the falfe Zeal of fome who imagine they cannot enough extol the Benefits of the Gospel Covenant, and the inestimable Love of our Saviour without not only depreciating all human Works or Righteousness, but even demolishing the leaft Shadow of Pretenfion to it, and so in effect leaving the Distinction of Virtue and Vice purely ideal, and evacuating all the moral Precepts of Religion: And secondly, against the Arrogance and Impiety of others, who place the meritorious Caufe of Salvation in the Practice of moral Honesty, and our mere natural Efforts and Endeavours to do our Duty; (both which Extremes have been notoriously productive of most pernicious Confequences:) And thirdly, against the Folly and Prefumption of putting in a Claim to God's Favour by Virtue of any extraordinary Services, or what the Romanifts call Works of Supererogation.

What

-What has been here advanced I fhall have Occasion farther to illustrate by fome fubfequent Observations that will occur in the Course of this Inquiry.

SECT. II.

T is Time now to turn to the Libertine, who

exclaims in an oppofite Strain to the former against the very Perfection of that Law, by which he is commanded to regulate his Life and Actions. Accordingly he tells us, that the Morality fet forth in Holy Scripture, and inculcated by Divines, is ridiculously severe, and really impracticable; that it lays unneceffary and unnatural Restraints upon our Appetites and Paffions, which are and ever will be the great Springs of all human Actions; that it debars us of the moft exquifite Pleafures, and checks us in the most important Pursuits of Life; that it injoins Stupidity, Infenfibility, and Self-denial upon almoft all Occafions, and defrauds us of present Gratifications, and most natural Comforts and Advantages by refined Speculations, and ideal Profpects of spiritual Happiness hereafter; for he either believes there will be no future State, or at least that the Liberties he takes will be no Prejudice to his Intereft therein.-How far his Interest may be prejudiced by this Theory we fhall inquire by and by, and in the mean time let us take a little thefe Allegations into Confifideration,