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before the day of pentecoft, to believe and acknowledge, that Jefus is the Meffiah, tho' not fpiritually come, is a greater. But to be a fpiritual CHRISTIAN, to have Chrift, the exalted God-man revealed in us from heaven, and to be fealed with the Holy Spirit of promife unto the day of the redemption of this vile body, is the laft and most 'perfect difpenfation of grace. He that is feeble

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here, fhall be as David, and he that is ftrong. &c. 'fhall be, &c. as the angel of the Lord, &c. For it may be observed, that every difpenfation admits of a growth therein; and moreover, that each of them is in fome fort and degree experienced by a fpiritual Chriftian, &c.

My fecond witnefs is the Rev. Mr. J. Wefley, who even in his first fermon on Salvation by faith, preached near forty years ago, clearly diftinguishes Chriftian faith properly fo called, or faith in Chrift glorified, not only from the faith of an Heathen, but alfo from the faith of initial Chriftianity, i. e. "the faith which the apostles had while our Lord was upon earth."

And first, fays he, it' [the faith that faves us inte the great falvation defcribed in the fecond part of the fermon] is not barely the faith of an Heathen. Now God requires of an Heathen to believe, That God is, that he is a rewarder of them that diligently feek him &c. by glorifying him as God, &c. and by a careful practice of moral virtue, &c. A Greek or Roman therefore, yea, a Scythian or Indian, was ' without excufe, if he did not believe thus much; the being and attributes of God, a future ftate of reward and punishment, &c. For this is barely the faith of a Heathen.'-Soon after he adds, And herein does it' [this faith in Chrift glorified] differ from that faith, which the apoftles themselves had while our Lord was upon earth, that it acknowledges the neceffity and merit of his death, and the 6 power of his refurrection.'

The doctrine of Christian perfection is entirely founded

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founded on the privileges of the Chriftian difpenfation in its fulness: privileges thefe, which far exceed thofe of the Jewish economy, and the baptifm of John. Accordingly Mr. Wefley in his fermon on Chriftian perfection makes the following juft and fcriptural diftinction between thofe difpenfations. It may be granted, (1) That David in the general courfe of his life, was one of the holiest men among the Jews. And, (2) That the holiest men among the Jews did fometimes commit fin. But if you would hence infer, that all Christians do, and must ' commit fin, as long as they live: this confequence we utterly deny. It will never follow from those premiffes. Those who argue thus, feem never to ⚫ have confidered that declaration of our Lord, Mat. xi. 11, Verily I fay unto you, among them that are born of women, there hath not rifen a greater than • John the Baptift. Notwithstanding, he that is leaft in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. I fear indeed, there are fome, who have imagined the kingdom of heaven here to mean the kingdom of glory 'As if the Son of God had just discovered to us, that 'the leaft glorified faint in heaven is greater than any man upon earth! To mention this is fufficient6 ly to refute it. There can therefore no doubt 'be made, but the kingdom of heaven here (as in the following verfe, where it is faid to be taken by force) or the kingdom of God, as St. Luke expreffes it, is 'that kingdom of God on earth, whereunto all true 'believers in Chrift, all real Chriftians, belong. In these words then our Lord declares two things. (1) That before his coming in the flesh, among all the children of men, there had not been one great'er than John the Baptift: whence it evidently follows, that neither Abraham, David, nor any Jew was greater than John. (2) That he who is leaft in the kingdom of God (in that kingdom, 'which he came to fet up on earth, and which the 'violent now began to take by force) is greater than he. Not a greater prophet (as fome have interpreted the

• word)

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word) for this is palpably falfe in fact: But greater in the grace of God, and the knowledge of our 'Lord Jefus Chrift. Therefore we cannot measure the privileges of real Christians by thofe formerly 'given to the Jews. Their miniftration (or difpenfation) we allow was glorious; but ours exceeds in glory. So that whofoever would bring down the • Chriftian difpenfation to the Jewish standard, &c. doth greatly err, neither knowing the fcriptures, nor the power of God.'-From these excellent quotations therefore, it appears, that you do me an honour altogether undeserved, if you fuppofe, that I first set forth the doctrine of the difpenfations.

OBJ. VII. "I cannot help thinking, that the "doctrine of a faith proper to all thofe difpenfations " is above the capacity of plain Chriftians, and fhould never be mentioned, left it should puzzle, instead "of edifying the church."

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If your fears are well-grounded, even the apostle's creed is above the capacity of plain Chriftians: for that creed, the fimpleft of all thofe, which the primitive church has handed down to us, evidently diftinguishes three degrees of faith: (1) Faith in God the Father Almighty, who made heaven and earth, which is the faith of the Heathens: (2) Faith in the Mefliah, or in Jefus Chrift his only begotten Son our Lord; which is the faith of pious Jews, of John's difciples, and of imperfect Chriftians, who, like the apoftles before the day of pentecoft, are yet ftrangers to the + great outpouring of the fpirit: And

(3) Faith

+ I beg the reader would not mistake me. When I say that pious Jews, and our Lord's disciples before the day of Pentecoft, were frangers to the great outpowering of the Spirit, I do not mean that they were ftrangers to his directing, fanctifying, and enlivening influences, according to their difpenfation. For Da vid had prayed, Take not thy Holy Spirit from me: John the Baptift had been vifited by his exhilarating power, even in his mother's

(8) Faith in the Holy Ghoft-Faith in the operation of God, by which Chriflians believe according to the working of God's Almighty power, and are filled with righteoufnefs, peace, and joy in THUS believing.

That the diftinction of the three degrees of faving faith omitted in the Athanafian creed, but expreffed in the Apostles creed, and in the Nicene creed→→→→ That this diftinction, I say, is neither chimerical nor enthufiaftical, may be proved by a variety of arguments, two or three of which, I hope, will not intrude too long upon the reader's patience,

(1) The first is taken from the doctrine expressly

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laid womb: Our Lord had breathed upon his difciples, faying, Receive ye the Holy Ghoft; and had imparted him to them as a Spirit of grace and fupplication to help them to wait in faith and unceafing prayer, till they were endued with power from on high: Befides, they hadcalled him LORD in truth; and no man can do this, but by the Spirit of faith, which helps our unbelief and infirmities under all the divine difpenfations. Nevertheless they were not fully baptized. The Comforter, that vifited them, did not properly dwell in them. Altho' they had already wrought miracles by his power, the Promife of the Father was not yet fulfilled to them. They had not yet been made perfect in one, by the affimilating operation of the heavenly fire. They would have been puzzled by fuch queftions as thefe: Have ye received the Holy Ghoft fince ye believed? Acts xix. 2.-Is he fallen upon you? Acts x. 44.-Is the love of God fhed abroad in your heart by the Holy Ghost given unto you? Rom. v. 5. Is the fountain fpringing up into everlasting life opened in your breaft? John iv. 14. After that ye believed, were ye fealed with that Holy Spirit of promife? Eph. i. 13.-That Spirit, which forms thofe rivers of living water, that flow out of the belly, the inmoft foul of believers? -That Spirit which was not given before Chrift was glorified? John vii. 39.-That Comforter, which it is more expedient for us to receive, than even to have Chrift's bodily prefence and conftant inAructions? John xvi. 7-If these, and the like questions would have perplexed the apoftles before Chrift had opened his fpiritual baptifm, and fet up his kingdom with power in their hearts; we ought not to be furprized, that profeffors, who know only the baptifm of John, fhould ingenuously confefs, they never heard. there was an Holy Ghoft (to be received) fince they believed, Acts xix. 2. Nor fhould we wonder if devout Jews, and eafy Laodiceans did even mock and fay, you would have us to be filled with NEW wine; but we are rich and increased with goods, and have need of nothing. The water of our old cifterns is preferable to the new wine of your enthufiaftic doctrine, and our baptismal ponds to your baptismal flames.

laid down in the New Teftament. To what I have faid on this head, I add here what Chrift said to his difciples, Ye believe in GOD, believe alfo in ME. Here the most prejudiced, may fee, that faith in the FATHER is clearly contradiftinguished from faith in the SON. As for faith in the HOLY GHOST, fee in what manner our bleffed Lord fowed the feed of it in the hearts of his difciples. When the Comforter is come, whom I will fend unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, he fhall teftify of me.-It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away the Comforter will not come unto you: but if I depart I will fend him unto you.-Behold Ifend THE PROMISE OF MY FATHER upon you but tarry ye in the city of Jerufalem, until ye be endued with power from on high. Nor was this great promife made to the apoftles alone; for, In the laft day, that great day of the feaft, Jefus ftood and cried, faying, If ANY MAN [not if an apoftle] thirft, let him come to me and drink. He that believeth on me, as the fcripture hath faid, out of his belly fhall flow rivers of living water. But this he fpake of the Spirit, which they that believe on him fhould receive for the Holy Ghoft was not yet, [given; his difpenfation, which is the higheft of all, was not yet opened] becaufe that Jefus was not yet glorified. And the opening of this difpenfation in our hearts requires on our part, not only faith in Chrift, but a peculiar faith in the promife of the Father; a promife this, which has the Holy Ghoft for its great object.

(2) My fecond argument is taken from the experiences of thofe, who, by the Holy Ghoft, were made partakers of Chrift glorified, either on the day of Pentecoft, or after it; and could feelingly confefs Chrift dying for us, and Chrift living in us, the hope of glory. Acts ii. 5, we read of devout men out of every nation under heaven, who were come to worship at Jerufalem. But how could they have been devout men, if they had not believed in GOD? What could have brought them from the ends of the earth to keep a feaft to the Lord, if they had been mere

atheists?