till Paulinus began again to speak. "I must dismiss these subjects at present," said I, "and retire. Your thoughts on the remaining points I hope to hear at a more convenient season.' Paulinus replied, "When you please, sir, I am at your service." "To-morrow evening I will wait upon you," said I. After he had expressed many kind wishes for my good, and I had asked his prayers, I retired to my closet; and, O my Aspasio, you may easily guess how I spent the night. For "the wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt."

DIALOGUE II.

TUESDAY EVENING, Dec. 12, 1758.

I RETURNED at the appointed time; and, after some agreeable conversation on general subjects, I introduced the second question. But Paulinus insisted I should tell my opinion first, which I did, in the very words of the best writers I had seen. Thus we began :

Paul. Pray tell me exactly what justifying faith is, in your opinion.

Ther. "It is a real persuasion, in my heart, that Jesus Christ is mine, and that I shall have life and salvation by him; that whatsoever Christ did for the redemption of mankind, he did it for me. Faith is a hearty assurance that our sins are freely forgiven us in Christ. Justifying faith hath, for the special object of it, forgiveness of sins. A man doth not believe that his sins are forgiven him already, before the act of believing; but that he shall have forgiveness of sins. In the very act of justification, he believes his sins are forgiven him, and so receives forgiveness.* Faith is a real persuasion that the blessed Jesus hath shed his blood for me, fulfilled all righteousness in my stead: that through his great atonement and glorious obedience he has purchased, even for my sinful soul, reconciliation with God, sanctifying grace, and all spiritual blessings." And the

* Marrow of Modern Divinity, with Notes, p. 158, 273.

N. B. Wendelinus is the author of the last-mentioned definition of faith, who is one of the authorities Mr. Hervey refers to. And as this definition seems to have been made with care, and to be very exact, so it is worthy of particular attention. My sins are not forgiven, but I believe they are forgiven, and so receive forgiveness; i. e. I knew it was not true, but I believed it to be true, and so it became true. Which exactly answers to the account Mr. Marshal gives of faith; of which more presently.

language of faith is this: "Pardon is mine, grace is mine, Christ and all his spiritual blessings are mine. God has freely loved me; Christ has graciously died for me; and the Holy Ghost will assuredly sanctify me in the belief, the appropriating belief, of these precious truths." This appropriating and taking home to myself the blessings of the gospel, is of the essence of faith. H. "It is not a persuasion that we have already received Christ and his salvation, or that we have been already brought into a state of grace, but only that God is pleased graciously to give Christ and his salvation unto us, to bring us into a state of grace." M. To sum up all in a word: Faith is a persuasion that I am one for whom Christ died, with a design to save; that God is reconciled to me, loves me, and will save me. And all this is believed by the direct act of faith, antecedent to any reflection. H.

Paul. O my Theron, be you not mistaken! Is not faith usually called coming to Christ, receiving Christ, trusting in Christ, believing in Christ, flying to Christ? etc.

Ther. It is. But this is an after-act, and is built upon the former. First, I believe that pardon, grace, Christ, and all his spiritual blessings, are mine; and then I trust I shall assuredly be saved by Christ. First, I believe that Christ died for me in particular, and that God is my God; and this encourages me to come to Christ and trust in him. If I did not know that Christ loves me, I should not dare to trust in him. Wherefore, in the first direct act of faith, I believe that God is "reconciled to me," that Christ has "rescued me from hell," and "established my title to all the blessings included in the promises." Just as my tenant believed me when once I sent him word "that I had cancelled his bond and forgiven his debt;" just as my servant believed me when I freely gave him a little farm ; and just as you believed the estate your own which was bequeathed to you in your late father's last will. You first believed your title good, and then took possession of it as your own. I am sensible this is not what is called the orthodox opinion; it is more "refined and exalted," and more exactly agreeable to the truth.

Paul. But, my dear Theron, how do you know that Christ, pardon, grace, and glory, are yours? What evidence have you for your belief. a belief on which you venture your precious

soul for a whole eternity?

Ther. The Holy Scripture clears up my title, and enables me to appropriate to myself, in particular, what is given, granted, and made over, in the written word, to sinners in general. To explain myself: it is written, "To us a Son is given." "The Lord hath laid on him the iniquities of us all." "Christ died

for our sins." "My Father giveth you the true bread from heaven." "This is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life." "Unto you is preached the forgiveness of sins." "I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions." And by faith I appropriate all this to myself. I believe that Christ is mine, given to me in particular; my sins in particular were laid on him; he died for my sins in particular; he is my bread; eternal life is mine; my sins are forgiven, my transgressions are blotted out. And so, according to Scripture, "I believe the love that God hath to me." "I believe I shall be saved." "I believe Christ loved me, and gave himself for me.' With Thomas I say, "My Lord, my God!" "I am persuaded in my heart that Jesus is my Lord, who bought me with his blood; that Jesus is my God, who will exert all his adorable perfections for my good. This is faith, according to the common acceptation of the word 'believe.' And this faith our Savior himself allows to be genuine. And if I should not thus believe, I should make God a liar."

Paul. How make God a liar, my dear Theron? Hath God said that Christ died with an absolute design to save all mankind? And hath God expressly declared that he will save them all? that you think yourself obliged in conscience, while out of Christ, to believe he died with an absolute design to save you, and that God will certainly save you; and that it would be no better than making God a liar, not to believe so?

Ther. No, no; God hath never said any such thing, expressly or icitly. Yea, God has plainly enough declared, that Christ died with an absolute design to save only the elect; and that in fact, no other ever will be saved. This we are all agreed in.*

Paul. Did you know then that you was one of the elect before you believed? That you thought yourself bound in conscience to believe that you should be saved, lest otherwise you should be guilty of so horrible a sin as to make God a liar?

Ther. No; by no means.

For no man can know his elec

tion till after faith and justification.

Paul. How then could you make God a liar? Is it any where declared in his written word, that your sins in particular are forgiven, and that you should be saved?

Ther. No; so far from it, that before I believed my sins were forgiven, they were in fact not forgiven; but I was under condemnation and wrath.

* Boston on the Two Covenants, p. 27, 34. N. B. He says, Isa. liii. 6, (a text Theron just now applied to himself,) respects only the elect. p. 30.

Paul. But surely here is some great mystery. You say, you believe that Christ died with a design to save only the elect, and that you did not know that you was elected; and yet you believed that Christ died with a design to save you. You say, your sins were not forgiven before you believed; and yet you believed they were forgiven. You seem, my friend, to be so far from any danger of making God a liar, by not believing, that rather you make him a liar by believing your sins are forgiven, when God says they are not. At least, to make the best of it, I do not see what evidence you have for your belief. Nay, how can such a faith as yours possibly be the result of evidence, and of a rational conviction? For the case does not seem to admit of any evidence. For how can there be any evidence to prove the truth of that which as yet is not true? Pray, unfold this riddle, like a right honest man, and tell me the secret of the whole affair.

Ther. This matter is honestly stated, and that with great exactness, in Mr. Marshal's Gospel Mystery; a book my Aspasio values next to the Bible. These are the very words of that celebrated author: "Let it be well observed, that the reason why we are to assure ourselves in our faith that God freely giveth Christ and his salvation to us in particular, is not because it is a truth before we believe it, but because it becometh a certain truth when we believe; and because it never will be true, except we do in some measure persuade and assure ourselves that it is so. We have no absolute promise or declaration in Scripture, that God certainly will or doth give Christ and his salvation to any one of us in particular; neither do we know it to be true already by Scripture, or sense, or reason, before we assure ourselves absolutely of it. Yea, we are without Christ's salvation at present, in a state of sin and misery, under the curse and wrath of God. Only we are bound, by the command of God, thus to assure ourselves; and the Scripture doth sufficiently warrant us that we shall not deceive ourselves in believing a lie; but according to our faith, so shall it be to us." "This is a strange kind of assurance, far different from other ordinary kinds; and, therefore, no wonder if it be found weak and imperfect, and difficult to be obtained, and assaulted with many doubtings. We are constrained to believe other things on the clear evidence we have that they are true, and would remain true, whether we believe them or no; so that we cannot deny our assent, without rebelling against the light of our senses, reason, or conscience. But here our assurance is not impressed on our thoughts by any evidence of the thing; but we must work it out in ourselves by the assistance of the Spirit of God;" laboring for it, as

my dear Aspasio explains the words, "incessantly and assiduously, until our Lord come." "What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them."*

Paul. I have on the table a paper containing twelve short queries, relative to the point in hand. If it is not disagreeable, I will read it to you.

Ther. If you please, sir; I should be glad to hear it.

Paul. It was wrote this very day, on reading that remarkable passage in Mr. Marshal you have just recited, and on a general view of the controversy, as stated by him and by your friend Aspasio, and as expecting to see you this evening.

* Reader, stop, and think a minute! What is it that we are thus to assure ourselves of, without any evidence from Scripture, or sense, or reason? That God so loved the world, as to give his only-begotten Son, that whosoever believed in him should not perish, but have everlasting life? No. For this is true before we believe it, and whether we believe it or not; and it is a truth plainly taught in Scripture. What then? "That God freely giveth Christ and his salvation to me in particular," according to Mr. Marshal. That "pardon is mine, grace is mine, Christ and all his spiritual blessings are mine," as Mr. Hervey expresses it. And now it is true enough, this is "not declared in Scripture; is not true before we believe it; and we must believe without any evidence from Scripture, sense, or reason." Thus the point is stated in a book Mr. Hervey approves of next to the Bible.

Objection. "No," says Mr. Gelatly, a great admirer of Mr. Hervey, "no such thing. We do not believe we have a saving interest in Christ, we only believe we have a common interest. A saving interest is not made over to us in the gospel grant; but a common interest is ours by a free deed of gift. Wherefore, I believe I have a common interest. I claim it, I demand it, I take possession of it as my own; and this is faith." (See Mr. Gelatly's Observations, etc., p. 76, 88.) Answer. You claim, you take possession! Of what? my friend. Of a common interest. This is yours, you say; this you claim, this you possess; and this is all. A common interest, and no more. You claim no more, and you can have no more on this foot, for you acknowledge your deed of gift conveys no more. But Messrs. Hervey and Marshal claim more. They take possession of a saving interest as their own, and therefore honestly confess they have no evidence from Scripture, sense, or reason; and if Mr. G. should venture to put in as high a claim I hope he will make as honest a concession.

Obj. "Yes," but "I believe that Christ is mine, and that I shall have life and salvation by him." (p. 103.)

Ans. "Salvation! But this is a saving interest, not made over in your deed of gift, as you own. The Bible nowhere declares, that you in particular 'shall have life and salvation." You believe now, "without any evidence from Scripture, sense, or reason," just as Mr. Marshal says. So I see your faith is the same as his; but he is frank and open-hearted, and tells the honest truth to the world.

Obj. But if a common interest in Christ, and salvation are mine, by the free and absolute grant of the gospel, this gives me a warrant, by faith, to claim and take possession of Christ and salvation as my own forever; that is, to believe that Christ is mine, and that I shall have life and salvation by him. (p. 88, 90.)

Ans. That is, if a common interest is mine, this gives me a warrant to believe a saving interest is mine. And so, according to Mr. Marshal, though a saving interest is not mine before I believe, yet if I believe it is mine, then it will be mine." But of this more presently.