to the gospel, both feel and confefs themselves wholly indebted for forgiveness and acceptance, for their prefent holiness and their future happinefs, to the free, unmerited grace of God. How hard fuch a facrifice is, none can conceive who have not fome acquaintance with vital, experimental religion. Now, what is the moft natural inference from this? Is it not, that we have not the fmalleft reason to fufpect this doctrine to be a "cunningly devifed fable," but may reft affured, that it is "the wisdom and the power "of God for falvation, to every one that be❝lieveth *.

This leads me to obferve, That if the reafoning which the reader hath perufed upon this fubject be just and conclufive, there is one circumftance in which this "doctrine according to

godlinefs" effentially differs from all other schemes or systems of morality. It is, that any of thefe fyftems a man may understand, embrace and defend, without having his heart made better, or his morals fecured or improved by it at all; whereas it is impoffible, that any man can really, and from the heart, embrace the doctrine of Chrift's imputed righteousness, without being fanctified by it," dead to fin, and alive to God." That the first of thefe affertions is true, the lives. and characters of fome noted writers on the foundation of morality, have been, and are an undeRom. i. 16.

*

niable proof: fome of them do indeed exprefsly, yield it; and it is evidently yielded, by implication, in all the late writings, where there is fo frequent mention of the small influence that speculation has upon practice. On this is founded what a late acute and eminent writer juftly calls the mafter prejudice of this age, viz. "The "innocence of error." This may as well be expreffed by its counterpart, the unprofitableness or inefficacy of truth, which furely ought to be but a weak recommendation of what is called truth by thofe who hold fuch an opinion.

That the other affertion is juft, hath been the point undertaken to be made out in this effay :. and whoever will but confider how unacceptable this doctrine is to mankind in general, may be fa→ tisfied that there can be no effectual inducement to embrace it, till there be fuch a discovery and fense of the evil and danger of fin, as is utterly inconfiftent with a voluntary continuance in it. The apparent state of the vifible church, in which vice and wickedness fo fhamefully abound, will be no objection to this, if what I hinted above be recollected t, that there is a great difference between a nominal or customary profeffion, and real belief. As to the few more zealous and eminent affertors of this doctrine, who fometimes greatly difhonour their profeffion, the anfwer is eafy. They are hypocrites by whom in+ See page 64.

*Mr. Warburton.

deed great "offences do come;" and the weak and unstable fall over the stumbling-block, and are tempted to doubt the reality of religion, by this difcovery of the falfhood of its profeffors. But fuch can never be fairly ranked among believers, whose garb and habit they only treacherously wore, for fome time, while they were in the interest of another mafter *. We may fay of them as the apostle John fays, " They went out from us,

*Perhaps fome may think the late accounts published of the Moravians an objection to the juftness of this reprefentation. They are faid to be great affertors of the doctrine of imputed righteoufnefs; and yet there have not only appeared fome bad men among them, but they are univerfally charged as a fect with moft impious and fcandalous practices. Perhaps candour and charity might have led us to fuppofe, that moft, or all these accufations, were calumnious, if they had been affirmed by none but avowed enemies to the doctrines which they efpoufe; as the first Chriftians were charged by their enemies with eating human facrifices, when they met in private to celebrate the Lord's fupper. But the cafe it seems is otherwife here; for fome unfufpected accufers have appeared, whom none can imagine prejudiced against them for embracing the doctrine of imputed righteoufnefs. I confefs myself to have fo little acquaintance with those Hernhutters, as they are called, either as to their principles or practices, that I cannot very fully handle the fubject; but, if there is no other objection to what is affirmed above, no doubt an acquaintance with the true ftate of the cafe would enable us easily to remove this. Perhaps, after all, the bad practices charged against them, may be only the confequence of fome defigning perfons getting in among them, and a great plurality may be innocent, or, at least, comparatively fo. But however this be, it is not certain (at least to me) that they really embrace the fame doctrine with us: they do indeed talk much of the Lamb, fpeak of hiding themselves in his wounds, &c. but I think their language is peculiar to themfelves, and by no means the phrafeology either of Scripture, or of any other fect of Chriftians. Befides, as Count Zinzendorf, their leader, takes upon him to be a prophet, it is probable, they are just a fet of deluded people, drawn away by his art, who may much more properly be faid to believe in him, than in Christ.

" but

"but they were not of us; for if they had been "of us, they would no doubt have continued with "us, but they went out that they might be "made manifeft that they were not all of us *."

But this it not all; for the reception of the doctrine of imputed righteousness is not merely to be confidered as the beft means, comparatively, of producing, preferving and increafing our fanctification and purity, as fure and effectual, while others are precarious, but it is the only way, and all others are abfolutely infufficient for the purpose. If this be indeed the doctrine of Chrift, the fcripture-method of falvation, then it is not only true, but a fundamental truth. Of this we are frequently and folemnly affured in the word of God. I am the way (fays our Saviour) and "the truth, and the life; no man cometh un"to the Father but by me +." So fay the apoftles Peter and John, "Neither is there "falvation in any other: for there is none other << name under heaven, given among men, where"by we must be faved t." It is therefore in vain for any to expect an effectual change of life, but by an acquaintance with Chrift, and him crucicified. We have indeed the cleareft evidence from experience, that no human reafon, no argument whatever, drawn from worldly conveniency, is at all fufficient to contend with violent and * John ii. 19. † John xiv, 6. Acts iv. 12. VOL. I.

E

finful

finful habits. We fee many examples of perfons of excellent understanding and knowledge in other matters, nay, who can reafon ftrongly and juftly upon the bad confequences of vice in others, fometimes even in themselves, who will yet go on to ruin their name, family, fortune and health, while they are flaves to evil habits: nothing will change them but the grace of God.

And as we have feen above, that our own righteoufness in its beft ftate is wholly ineffectual for our acceptance with God, fo all who have any expectations of this kind from it plainly show, that they have fuch defective views of the extent and obligation of the divine law, as are inconfiftent with an unfeigned univerfal fubmiffion to it. This is a matter of the laft importance, and ought to be particularly recommended to the ferious confideration of fuch as may have, at fome times, fome imperfect convictions; fuch as from a weariness and fatiety of finning may give a temporary preference to a life of religion, and raife a feeble ineffectual wifh with Balaam, that they might "die the death of the righteous." They ought to be told that no endeavours to be a little better than before, no abftinence from fome fins as a kind of atonement for others re. tained, no resolutions taken in their own ftrength, no righteousness of their own offered or trusted in as the matter of their juftification, will be ac

cepted,