Here is my creed about faith and works: and the creed of all proteftant divines and churches (quakers and myftics excepted) that ever I read or heard of. It is undifguiled by pompous, flowery declamation; and not darkened with any illustrations which tend to mislead the honeft inquirer after truth. But how to reconcile it with the creed you have given us p. 211. I find not.

"We believe (Jay you) that for the alone fake "of Chrift's atoning blood and perfonal righteousness, our perfonal faith working by obedient love, is imputed to us for righteoufnefs [B]. And we affert, "that this living faith working by obedient love, "together with the privileges annexed to it, fuch as

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pardon through and acceptance in the beloved, "makes up the robe of righteousness washed in the "blood of the Lamb, in which true believers now "walk humbly with their God, and will one day "triumphantly enter into the glory of their Lord."

I fhall make no remarks on this strange incoherent jumble, this linfey-woolfy, mingle-mangle,(to ufe bishop Latimer's expreffion,) for fure I am that to every good proteftant reader it carries with it its own refutation.

But you have brought two quotations one from doctor Owen and one from Anthony Burgefs, in proof of a fecond juftification by works at the day of judgment. As to the latter, it only defcribes the character of a real Christian, and might as well have been brought to fhew that you had difcovered the longitude, as to prove a fecond juftification by works.With regard to the former, it is most clear that the author only meant that every man fhould be declaratively juftified by his own perfonal obedience, which obedience or righteoufnefs, when brought forth in faith, and upon gofpel principles, may certainly be called an evangelical righteoufnefs; by which, fays the doctor, we shall be DECLARED RIGHTEOUS in the laft day. But he drops not the leaft intimation of any fresh act of juftification which is then to pass

[*B] I am forry upon this occafion, once more to defire the reader to turn to the faith of Mr. Ignorance in the Pilgrim's Progrefs. upon

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tipon a believer's perfon, or that there is the leaft degree of merit in that obedience which he fo juftly urges as neceffary for all that are in Chrift Jefus. On the contrary, he boldly gives his opinion against this dangerous herefy of the Romish church, as is moft clear from the following words which I have taken from the very treatife on juftification you havé quoted [C]; and they may be seen in the Scotch edit. p. 230, 231. chap. 5. entitled "THE DISTINCTION OF A FIRST AND SECOND JUSTIFICATION EXAMINED, &C. "Thofe of the Roman church (fays the doctor) do ground their whole doctrine of juftification, upon "the diftinction of a double juftification, which they call the first and the fecond. The first juftification they fay, is the infufion or the coMMUNICATION + unto us of an inherent principle, or habit of grace charity. Hereby they fay, original fin is extinguifhed, and all habits of fin are expelled. This "juftification they fay, is by faith, the obedience "and fatisfaction of Chrift being the only merito"rious cause thereof. Only they difpute many things about preparations for it, and difpofitions "unto it, &c.

or

[C] Inever dare trust to Mr. Wesley or Mr. Fletcher in any quotations they make from other authors; and therefore not having Dr. Owen on Juftification in my poffeffion, I borrowed it of a friend, and upon turning to the place refered to, I found the following fentences (which fully explain the doctor's meaning) ftruck out of the middle of what Mr. Fletcher has cited from that excellent piece.

Words prudently expunged by the Rev. John Fletcher.

Hereby (i. e. by perfonal obedience) that faith whereby we are juftified, is evidenced, proved, manifefted, in the fight of God and man.”

More words expunged by Mr. Fletcher out of the short quotation he has taken from Dr. Owen on Juftification.

"Not how a finner guilty of death and obnoxious unto the curfe, fhall be pardoned, acquitted and juftified, WHICH IS BY THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF CHRIST ALONE IMPUTED UNTO HIM."

[D] How to a tittle is this the language of Mr. Fletcher. Log. Gen. p. 193. and if the reader will please to pay a clofe attention to the whole paffage as I have tranferibed it verbatim from Dr. Owen, he will fee how to the moft minute point Mr. Fletcher and Mr. Wesley harmonize with the papists against the protestants.

"How

"However the council (of Trent) warily avoided "the name of merit with refpect unto their first juftification."

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And this according to them is that juftification "whereof the apostle Paul treats in his epiftles, "from the procurement whereof he excludes all the "works of the law. The fecond juftification is an "effect or confequent thereof. And the proper "formal cause thereof is good works, proceeding "from the principle of grace and love, &c. &c. &c. Again, This is the way that most of them take "to falve the feeming repugnancy between the apoftle "Paul and James. Paul, they fay, treats of the first juftification only, whence he excludes all works, "for it is by faith in the manner before described. "But James treats of the second juftification, which "is by good works. SO BELLARMINE, lib. ii, cap. 16. and lib. iv. cap. 18. And it is the express determination of those at Trent, Seff. vi. cap. 10. [E] This diftinction was coined for no "end, but TO BRING IN CONFUSION UPON THE WHOLE DOCTRINE OF THE GOSPEL. Juftification, "through the free grace of God, by faith in the "blood of Chrift, is evacuated by it. Sanctification "is turned into juftification, and corrupted by making "the fruits of it meritorious. The whole nature of " evangelical juftification, confifting in the gratui"tous pardon of fin, and THE IMPUTATION OF "RIGHTEOUSNESS, as the apoftle exprefsly affirms, "and the declaration of a believing finner to be righteous thereon, as the word alone fignifies, is "utterly defeated by it.

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"Howbeit, others have embraced this diftinction "alfo, though not abfolutely in their fenfe. So do "the SOCINIANS.[F] Yea, it must be allowed in

[E] See, Sir, what company you are again found in? Even in cordial harmony with the greatest champion the Romish church ever had, and with that anathematizing fynod, which curfed all the protestants to hell.

[F] Behold, Sir, once more, what companions you have in your notion of a two-fold juftification.

"fome

"fome fenfe, by all that hold our inherent righteouf"nefs to be the caufe of, or to have any influence "unto our juftification before God. For they do "allow of a juftification, which in order of nature "is antecedent unto works truly gracious and evan64 gelical. But, confequential unto fuch works, "there is a juftification differing at least in degree, "if not in nature and kind upon the difference of "its formal caufe which is our new obedience from "the former. But they (the papifts) moftly fay, "it is only the continuation of our juftification, and "the increase of it as to degrees, that they intend by it. And if they be allowed to turn fanctification "into juftification, and to make a progress therein, "or an increase thereof, either in the root or fruit to "be a new justification, THEY MAY MAKE "TWENTY JUSTIFICATIONS AS WELL AS "TWO FOR OUGHT I KNOW, &c. Yea, they may BE JUSTIFIED ANEW EVERY DAY. "I fhall therefore fhew that this diftinction is both "unfcriptural and irrational, p. 234."

Once more, "That which gives countenance unto "the fiction and artifice of this diftinction, (of a first "and fecond juftification) and a great many more,

is a diflike of the doctrine of the grace of God, "and juftification from thence by faith in the blood " of Chrift, which fome endeavour hereby to fend "out of the way upon a pretended fleeveless errand, "whilft they drefs up their own righteoufnefs in its robes, and exalt it into the room and dignity "thereof, Owen on Juft. p. 241."

I might now go on to fhew by how many arguments this great divine proves our one compleat juftification by faith only in the righteousness of Chrift, but this would neceffarily carry me on much beyond my intended brevity; I'muft, therefore, be, content with recommending the book itself to the perufal of my readers, and (for the prefent) conclude my quotations from it with the following affertion, which doctor Owen gives us, p. 281. of that very

treatise

treatise you refer to. "There are two grand parties by whom the doctrine of juftification by the im"putation of the righteousness of Chrift, is opposed, "namely the papifts and the focinians."

And now, Sir, I fancy you have by this time had enough from doctor Owen's treatise on Juftification to wish you had never attempted to prefs him into Mr. Wesley's service, or rather into your own, for I am perfuaded Mr. Wesley (if he himself may be credited) never dreamed of more juftifications than one, till you first thought proper that he should believe in two, and afterwards in four. And indeed you yourself seem to intimate as much, when by way of vindicating him, you give us to understand, p. 158. that till within THESE TWO YEARS poor old Mordecai was purblind in that most effential of all doctrines how a finner could appear before the bar of God. The following are your own words. "Three years ago "Mr. Weiley wanted clearer light to diftinguish "between the juftification of a finner by faith, "and the juftification of a believer by works; "but two years ago, God gave him this clearer

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light."-What then is become of thousands of Mr. Wefley's followers who died before this clearer light came? It is certain they must be either faved, or loft. If you fay they are undoubtedly faved, then it is certain that the doctrine which faved them must have been the doctrine of truth; and if fo, why do you write against it? If you fay they are all loft; then by your own confeffion Mr. Wesley instead of being the greatest minifter in the world, muft have been (what he himself calls the body of the mystics collectively) a deceiver and an antichrift. And I know not how you will reconcile this matter, but by faying that all those fouls who died in connection with Mr. John before his clear light came, are neither in heaven nor in hell, but are now in purgatory.

Having fully vindicated doctor Owen from the charge you have brought against him of holding two juftifications, as you tell us you have only given one in

ftance