fchemes or fyftems of morality. It is, that any of these fyftems a man may underftand, 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 these affertions is true, the lives and characters of fome noted writers on the foundation of morality, have been, and are an undeniable 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 fmall influence that fpeculation 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 those 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 fatisfied that there can be no effectual inducement to embrace it, till there be fuch a difcovery and fenfe 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 so shamefully abound, will be no objection to this, if what I hinted above be recollected,† that there is a great difference between a nominal or cuftomary profeflion, and real belief. As to the few more zealous and eminent affertors of this doctrine, who fometimes greatly dif honor their profeffion, the answer is eafy. They are hypocrites, by whom indeed great "offences do come;" and the weak and unftable fall over the ftumbling block, and are tempted to doubt the reality of religion, by this difcovery of the falfhood of its profeffors. But fuch can never

VOL. I.

* Mr. Warburton.

L

↑ See page 81.

be fairly ranked among believers, whose garb and habit they only treacheroufly wore, for fome time, while they were in the interest of another mafter.* We may say of them as the apofile John fays, "They went out from us, "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 is not all; for the reception of the doctrine of imputed righteoufnefs is not merely to be confidered as

Perhaps fome may think the late accounts published of the Moravians an objection to the juftuels of this reprefentation. They are faid to be great affertors of the doctrine of imputed righteoufuefs; and yet there have not only appeared fome bad men amongst them, but they are univerfally charged as a fect with most impious and fcandalous practices. Perhaps candor and charity might have led us to fuppose, that most, or all thofe accufations, were calumnious, if they had been affirmed by none but avowed enemies to the doctrines which they espouse; as the firft 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 feems is otherwife here; for fome unfufpected accufers have appeared, whom none can imagine prejudiced against them for embracing the doctrine of imputed righteoufnels. I confefs myfelf to have fo little acquaintance with thofe 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 state of the cafe would enable us eafily to remove this. Perhaps, after all, the bad practices charged againft them, may be only the confequence of fome defigning perfons getting in among them, and a great plurality may be innocent, or, at leaft, 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, speak of hiding themselves in his wounds, &c. but I think their language is peculiar to themselves, and by no means the phrafeology either of Scripture, or of any other fect of Christians. Belides, as Count Zinzendorf, their leader, takes upon him to be a prophet, it is probable, they are juft a fet of deluded people, drawn away by his art, who may much more properly be faid to believe in him, than in Christ.

[A more perfect knowledge of the doctrines, character and labors of the Moravians, bas demmstrated, that, so far from furnishing any objection against the doctrine defended in this essay, they most powerfully illustrate and confirm it.]

† John ii. 19.

Note of the Editor.

the best 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 purpofe. If this be indeed the doctrine of Chrift, the scrip. ture-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 unto 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, whereby we must be faved."+ It is therefore in vain for any to expect an effectual change of life, but by an acquaintance with Chrift, and him crucified. 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 finful habits. We fee many examples of perfons of excellent understanding and knowledge in other matters, nay, who can reasory strongly and justly 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 seen above, that our own righteousness in its best state is wholly ineffectual for our acceptance with God, fo all who have any expectations of this kind from it plainly fhow, 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 fometimes, fome imperfect convictions; fuch as from a wearinefs and fatiety of finning may give a temporary preference to a life of religion, and raise a feeble and ineffectual wifh with Balaam, that they might "die the death of the righteous." They ought to be told

* John xiv. 6. † Acts iv. 12.

that no endeavors to be a little better than before, no abftinence from fome fins as a kind of atonement for others retained, no refolutions taken in their own ftrength, no righteousness of their own offered or trufted in as a matter of their juftification, will be accepted, or is worthy of being fo; that nothing will be truly effectual, till they fee their loft condition, and believe in Chrift, firft for pardon, and then for fanctification, "to the praife of the glory of "his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the be"loved." If they have any other plea, any other ground of hope and truft, it fhall undoubtedly fail them; they must remain under a sentence of just and legal condemnation, and fhall finally perifh; for he that believeth in "the Son hath everlasting life; but he that believeth not "the Son fhall not fee life, but the wrath of God abideth "on him, John iii. 36."†

* Eph. i. 6.

As

The application of these paffages of Scripture, to the particular principles above maintained, will, perhaps, be thought to include in it a very fevere and uncharitable condemnation of many Chriftians, who differ in judgment upon the point of juftification. And indeed I pretend no great friendship to the fentiments fo frequently expreffed of late, "That it is a small matter what a man believes, if his life be "good." The affertion night perhaps be allowed, if it did not con tain a foolish and unreafonable fuppolition, that a man may believe wrong, and yet lead as good a life as he that believes right; the contrary to which will always be expected by him who gives credit to the word of God, that his people are "fanctified through the truth.” to Socinians and Pelagians, who are the greateft oppofers of the truths above defended, I never did esteem them to be Chriftians at all; to the confequence, with regard to them, may be eafily admitted. But it will be thought hard to fay the fame thing of the Arminians. However, if the righteousness of Chrift is the only ground of our justification, and the reception of him in this character the true principle of fanctification, I do not fee how we can avoid concluding the danger of those who act upon any other plan. And yet I am perfuaded there have been, and are many good men among them: which may be accounted for in this manner, that their hearts are better than their understandings; and they are habitually under the government of prin ciples, which, through some millaken views, and groundless fears of their abufe, they speak of more fparingly, or rather feem to establish the contrary pofitions. The proof of this affertion I take from their own writings, particularly from the difference between their fermons

I am naturally led to conclude this fubject, by obferving, that the importance, efficacy and neceffity of the imputed righteoufnefs of Chrift, fhews how much it is the duty of all ministers of the gospel to make it the main and leading theme of their fermons. The preaching of the gospel is by the apostle Paul, in a very just and expreffive manner, ftiled preaching "the unfearchable riches "of Chrift." In him every prophecy, precept, promise and truth is centred. His character and work as a Saviour is held forth in a variety of lights in the facred oracles, and in every opening or view that is given us, fo to speak, of the difpenfations of Divine Providence and grace, he is the chief figure, or the termination of the profpect. If therefore we would know what esteem is due to our Redeemer in our hearts, and how high a place he ought to hold in our views of religion, let us obferve the regard paid to him by the facred writers. They derive almost all their motives to every moral duty, from what he hath done, and is ftill doing for us, and feem to delight even in the repetition of his name. I am perfuaded thofe who are accustomed to the devout and ferious perufal of the word of God will not reckon it "enthufiafm," when I fay, that these writers appear to be warmed and elevated above their ordinary measure, when they celebrate his falvation; and that both in the Old and New Testament, wherever we meet with any paffage fingularly lofty and fublime, there we may be fure that Chrift the Redeemer is the immediate theme.

Juftification by the free grace of God, through the redemption that is in Chrift Jefus, was the doctrine taught among Chriftians, in the earliest and pureft ages of the

and other difcourfes, and thofe forms of prayer which they have drawn up, and not only recoinmended to others, but left behind them as a witnefs of their own exercife in their closets. If they be fuppofed to feel the fentiments which they exprefs in their prayers, it can be easily be made appear that these fentiments can only be dictated by the doctrine of free grace. If what they fay of themselves be true in its natural and obvious meaning, and if they believe it, which charity obliges us to fuppofe, it must be altogether vain to lay the leaft ftrefs upon their own righteoufnefs for their acceptance with God.