it, and makes way for a fresh supply: when it does not, the fpirit is grieved; and if this want of co-operation is perfifted in to the end of the day of falvation, the fin unto death is committed, the fpirit is quenched in his faving operation, the apoftate dies the fecond death, and his corrupt foul is caft into the bottomless pit, as a putrid corpfe into the noisome grave.

Again, if faith has the advantage over works by giving them birth, works have the advantage over faith by perfecting it. Seeft thou, fays St. James, fpeaking of the Father of the faithful, how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect? And if St. Paul affirms, that works without faith are dead, St. James maintains, that faith without works is dead alfo.

Once more, Chrift is always the primary, original, properly-meritorious cause of our juftification and falvation. To difpute it is to renounce the faith, and to plead for Antichrift. And yet, to deny, that, under this primary caufe, there are fecondary, fubordinate, inftrumental caufes of our juftification, and confequently of our falvation, is to fet the bible afide, and fly in the face of judicious Calvinists, who cannot help maintaining it, both from the pulpit and from the prefs. Now, if in the day of our converfion faith is the fecondary, fubordinate caufe of our ac ceptance as penitent finners; in the day of judgment works, even the works of faith, will be the fecondary fubordinate cause of our acceptance as perfevering faints. Let us therefore equally decry dead faith and dead works, equally recommend living faith and its important fruits,

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Hitherto I have endeavoured to check the rapid progress of fpeculative Antinomianifm, that perpetually decries works, and centers in the following paragraph, which prefents without difguife the doc trine of the abfolute, unconditional perfeverance of adulterous believers, and incestuous, faints.

Saving faith being immortal, cannot only fubfift without the help of good works; but no aggravated

crimes

crimes can give it a finishing stroke. A believer may in cool blood murder a man, after having feduced his wife, without expofing himself to the leaft real danger of forfeiting either his heavenly inheritance, or the divine favour: because his faluation, which is finifhed in the full extent of the word, without any of his good works, cannot poffibly be frustrated by any of his evil ones.

It will not be improper now to attempt a check to Pharifaifm, which perpetually opposes faith, and whose destructive errors collected in one pofition may run thus:-If people perform external acts of worfhip towards God, and of charity towards their neighbour; their principles are good enough: and should they be faulty, thefe good works will make ample amends for that deficiency.- -Upon this common plan of doctrine, if the filthy fepulchre is but whitewashed, and the noisome grave adorned with a flowery turf, it little matters what is within, though it be a dead man's bones, a dead heart fwelled with pride, or all manner of corruption.

It is hard to fay, who do Chriftianity most differvice, the Solifidians, who affert that works are nothing before God; or the Pharifees, who maintain that certain religious ceremonies, and external duties of morality are the very foul of religion. O thou, true believer, bearthy teftimony against both their errors; and equally contend for the tree and the fruit, the faith of St. Paul and the works of St. James; remembring that if ever the gates of hell prevail against thee, it will be by making thee over-value faith and defpife good works, or over rate works and flight precious faith.

The world, I grant, is full of Gallios, eafy or busy men, who feldom trouble themselves about faith or works, law or gofpel. Their latitudinarian principles perfectly agree with their loose conduct : and if their volatile minds are fixed, it is only by a fteady adherence to fuch commandments as thefe: "Be not righteous over much:-Get and spend :-Marry or

be

be given in marriage :-Eat and drink :-Lie down to fleep and rife up to play :-Care neither for heaven nor hell:-Mind all of earth but the awful spot allotted thee for a grave: &c." However, while they punctually observe this decalogue, their confcience is fometimes awakened to a fenfe of guilt, commonly called uneafiness, or low spirits: and if they cannot shake it off by new scenes of diffipation, new plunges into fenfual gratifications, new schemes of hurrying business; if a religious concern faftens upon their breasts, the tempter deludes them, by making his falfe coin pass for the gold tried in the fire. If his dupes will have faith, he makes them take with that of the Antinomians. If they are for works, he recommends to them those of the felf-righteous. And if some seem cut out to be brands in the church; fiery, perfecuting zealots; though they have not as much faith as Simon Magus, or as many works as the conceited Pharifee; yet they may have as much zeal for the church as he who fet out from Jerufalem for Damafcus in purfuit of heretics. They may fometimes pursue thofe, who diffent from them, even unto ftrange cities.

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Has not the world always fwarmed with those devotees, who, blindly following after faith without loving obedience, or after obedience without loving faith, have made havock of the church, and driven myriads of worldly men to a fettled contempt of godlinefs: while a few, by equally standing up for true faith and univerfal obedience, have kept up the honour of religion in the world? Take a general view of the church, and you will fee this obfervation confirmed by a variety of black, bright, and mixt characters.

The first man born of a woman, is a striking picture of perverted mankind. He is at once a fullen Pharifee, and a grofs Antinomian: he facrifices to God, and murders his brother. Abel, the illuftrious type of converted finners, truly believers, and acceptably facrifices. Faith and works thine in h's

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life with equal luftre ; and in his death we see what good men may expect from the impious church and the pious world. Protomartyr for the doctrine of this check, he falls the first victim to pharifaical pride and Antinomian fury. The fons of God mix with the daughters of men, learn their works, and make Shipwreck of the faith. Enoch nevertheless truly believes in God, and humbly walks with him: Faith and works equally adorn his character. The world is foon full of misbelief, and the earth of violence. Noah however believes and works; he credits God's word, and builds the ark. This WORK condemns the world, and he becomes heir of the righteoufnefs which is by FAITH.

Confider Abraham; see how he believes and works! God fpeaks, and he leaves his house, his friends, and native country. His faith works by love: he exposes his life to recover his neighbour's property, he readily gives up to Lot his right of choice to prevent a quarrel; he earnestly intercedes for Sodom, he charitably hopes the beft of its wicked inhabitants, he gladly entertains ftrangers, humbly washes their feet, diligently inftructs his houfhold, and fubmiffively offers up Ifaac his favourite fon, the child of his old age, the hope of his family, his own heir, and that of God's promife: by thefe works his faith is made perfect, and he deferves to be called the Father of the faithful.

Mofes treads in his fteps: he believes, quits Pharaoh's court, and fuffers affliction with the people of God. Under his conduct the Ifraelites believe, obey, and cross the red fea with an high hand; but foon after they murmur, rebel, and provoke divine vengeance. Thus the deftruction, which they had avoided in Gofhen through obedient faith, they meet in the wilderness through the works of unbelief. Nature is up in arms to punish their backflidings. The peftilence, the fword, earthquakes, fiery ferpents, and fire from heaven, combine to deftroy the ungrateful, Antinomian apoftates.

In the days of Joshua, that eminent type of Chrift, faith and works are happily reconciled; and whilft they walk hand in hand, Ifrael is invincible, the greatest difficulties are furmounted, and the land of promife is conquered, divided and enjoyed.

Under the next judges, faith and works feldom meet; but as often as they do, a deliverance is wrought in Ifrael. Working believers carry all before them: They can do all things through the Lord ftrengthning them: but if they fuffer the Antinomian Delilah to cut off their locks, you may apply to them the awful words of David (fpoken to migiftrates, who forfake the way of righteoufnefs :) I have faid, Ye are Gods, and all of you are children of the Moft High; but ye fhall die like men, and fall like one of the princes; like Zimri or Corah, Dathan or Abiram.

The character of Samuel, the last of the judges, is perfect. From the cradle to the grave he believes and works; he ferves God and his generation. His fons, like those of Eli, halt in practice, and their faith is an abomination to God and man. David believes, works, and kills the blafpheming Philiftine. He flides into Antinomian faith, wantonly feduces a married woman, and perfidiously kills an honest man. Solomon follows him in the narrow path of working faith, and in the broad way of fpeculative and practical Antinomianifm. The works of the fon correfpond with thofe of the father. Happy for him, if the repentance of the idolatrous king, equalled that of his adulterous parent!

In the days of Elijah, the gates of hell feemed to have prevailed against the church. Queen Jezebel had cut off the prophets of the Lord, and appointed 400 chaplains to king Ahab, who fhared the dainties of the royal table, and therefore found it easy to demonftrate, that pleading for Baal was orthodoxy, and perfecuting honest Naboth as a blafphemer of God and the king, was an inftance of true loyalty. But even then all were not loft: Seven thousand men fhewed their faith by their works; they firmly believed

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