I anfwer, that though there is no middle way between law and gofpel, "no third covenant (to use your own expreffion quoted in the poftfcript) made

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up of grace and works mixed," yet be pleased to remember that the whole caufe of Phaeton's downfal, was that he would needs take the reins into his own impotent hands, and by foaring too high, and driving on too furioufly, he fet the world on fire, (though not by a comet's tail,) and brought upon himself fwift deftruction.

Wishing you fincere repentance for all you have afferted against the truths of the gospel; and for the fevere, rafh and uncharitable spirit (which under words fmoother than oil, and the profeffion of much candor) you have fhewn against so many faithful minifters and fervants of Chrift, I remain,

I

POST SCRIP T.

WILL not conceal from you, Rev. Sir, that I have in my poffeffion a manufcript fermon, which you preached in your own parifh church in the year 1764, copies of which were, by your permiffion, given about to several of your friends, and I among others obtained the favor of one. The text is taken from Rom. xi. 5, 6. Even fo then, at this prefent time also, there is a remnant according to the election of grace; and if it be by grace, then it is no more of work, &c.

As to the performance itself it does you much credit, and plainly fhews that you were once zealously attached to the doctrines of the church of England; upon this account, and because I really look upon it to be the best confutation of Mr. Wefley's minutes, and of all the four Checks written in vindication of them, I once thought to publifh it, in which intention I had actually proceeded fo far as to put it into the printer's hand, without adding a jot or diminishing a tittle, and a a very confiderable part of it, was really compofed for the prefs; but, upon a more mature confideration, doubting whether I acted fairly and uprightly in doing this without your permiffion, I went in perfon to the printer, and stopped the publication of the difcourfe, which however I now earnestly intreat you to fend abroad into the world, or elie to fuffer me to do it for you, and in the mean while, I hope you will not be difpleafed at my tranfcribing, with the greatest exactnefs and fidelity, a few paragraphs from the manufcript, in

hopes

1

hopes that as you have now tafted both the old and the new wine, you will upon taking a fresh fip of the former, be brought to fay the old is better; and permit me to remind you, that when you delivered the fermon in question, you informed the congregation, that "God being your helper, you were de"termined to preach the doctrine therein contained "till your tongue fhould cleave to the roof of your "mouth." And I am perfuaded that had any man then told you, that within the fpace of a few years, you would write any thing fo flatly oppofite thereto as what you have vented in your four Checks, as you call them, you would have been ready to anfwer with Hazael, "Is thy fervant a dog that he "fhould do this thing."

P. 4. In the manufcript now before me, you give the following clear account of the two covenants.

"Here confifts the great difference between the "first and fecond covenant. Under the first, an "abfolute unfinning univerfal obedience in our own

perfons is required, and fuch obedience we can "never perform.- -Under the fecond, this obe"dience in our furety Chrift Jefus (when we are "united to him by a faith of the operation of God)

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IS ACCEPTED INSTEAD OF OUR own [S]. Again, "The second covenant then, or the gospel, is a dif

penfation of free grace and mercy to poor, loft, "helpless finners, who feeing and feeling themfelves "condemned by the law, and utterly unable to ob"tain juftification upon the terms of the firft co

venant, come to Jefus Chrift to feek that righteouf"nefs in him, which they have not in themselves; "for the Son of God being both God and man in one perfon, and by the invaluable facrifice of himfelf

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[S] How irreconcileable is this pofition of Mr. Fletcher, with that of Mr. Wesley in his letter to Mr. Hervey, where he (Mr. Wefley) affirms, "That to fay the obedience of our furety is accepted instead of our own, is neither a fafe nor a fcriptural way of speaking."

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"upon the crofs, having fuffered the punishment "due to all our breaches of the law, and by his most holy life anfwered all the demands of the first covenant, God can now be just and the juftifier of "them that believe in Jefus, Rom. iii. 26.”

P. 6. The author of this excellent fermon tells us, that God does not fave thofe "who lead a good life in order to get pardon; and p. 19. he adds, 66 a be"liever does not walk in good works TO GET ETERNAL LIFE; but to keep up and increase the vigor "of his faith, by which he HATH eternal life [T].” P. 7. "We can do no good works before we are "in a state of falvation."

Again, "A believer is firft faved, and then he "does good works [U].” "Works done before "juftification, before faith alone has put us into a state "of falvation, not only do not fit us to receive grace, but have in themselves the nature of fin; "and confequently deferve death, the wages of fin, "fo far from deferving grace and glory [X]."

P. 8. We have the following found words. "Having thus fhewn you how felf-righteous una"wakened finners dream of falvation, either by the

covenant of works, or by a third imaginary covenant, in which they jumble together two incom

[T] How plainly does this affertion contradict that of the minutes, that a believer is to work for life, and "in order to "find favor!"

[U] How oppofite is this to that pofition of the minutes. "We have received it as a maxim, that a man is to do nothing "in order to juftification. Nothing can be more falfe." Again, the whole doctrine of the minutes and of the four Checks, particularly of the firft, which Mr. Fletcher calls the Vindication, is flatly contradicted by the following found words, which I have extracted and tranflated from his little French tract on regeneration, p. 35. "Sanctification cannot begin till after juftifica"tion.". "Common fenfe fhews that God cannot communicate "his nature and the graces of his spirit to a man, whose fins he "has not pardoned."

[X] How agrees this with, we are rewarded fecundum merita óperum, as our works DESERVE?

"patible

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patible things, works and grace, merits and mercy, "and having proved by plain unanfwerable paffages, "that the gospel and our church fhew us falvation "cannot be attained, but under the fecond covenant, that is to say by faith only and not by works; "I beg leave to recapitulate the whole in three "articles; they contain the fum of the gofpel, and "of the doctrines, I HAVE CONSTANTLY PREACHED AMONG YOU, and AM DETERMINED TO PREACH (God being my helper) TILL MY TONGUE CLEAVE TO THE ROOF OF MY MOUTH; and hereby I give a public challenge to any man living to find a flaw "in either of them, by the word of God, or the "articles of our church [Y].

Ibid. "As there is no falvation to be had but in "Chrift by faith, through the covenant of grace, fo "there is no mixing these two covenants without "renouncing the gofpel. He that ftands with one "foot upon the covenant of works, and the other "foot upon the covenant of grace, is in the most "imminent danger of eternal ruin."

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P. 9. "Woe then to those who teach finners the "double way, the pharafaic way, the popish way "of falvation, PARTLY BY MAN'S MERITS, and PARTLY BY THE MERITS OF JESUS CHRIST. If we, or an angel from heaven, fays St. Paul, preach any other gofpel to you than that we have preached; namely, "that we are faved by grace through faith, and that "not of ourselves, not of works, but it is the gift "of God, let him be accurfed. He really denies his 66 Saviour, and tears the feamless robe of Chrift's righteoufnefs, who goes to patch it up with the rags of his own righteoufnefs; he takes away all "the efficacy of Chrift's blood, who pretends to

[Y] Who would have thought that the Vicar of Madely would fo foon have accepted this challenge given by Mr. Fletcher ?

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