MEMORIAL 
 
 REV. DAVID THOM, 
 
 THEOLOGICAL POINTS OF HIS CASE. 
 
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MEMORIAL 
 
 SUBMITTED BY 
 THe Rev. DAVID THOM, 
 TO THE 
 PRESBYTERY OF GLASGOW, 
 
 Tn the Cause between Jonn M’Cuxtocn, and others, and himself. 
 
 THE Memorialist considers the following exposition of his 
 sentiments due both to the Presbytery and to himself. To the~ 
 Presbytery—as the only clue that can enable them to find their 
 way through a labyrinth of conflicting and irreconcileable testi- 
 monies ; and to himself—as he conceives himself best qualified to 
 state what his own views in regard to doctrinal matters are. He 
 did not see, indeed, that it would be doing himself justice, to 
 leave the Presbytery to gather his sentiments from the mis- 
 representations or absurd statements of interested or ignorant 
 witnesses. At the same time, considering that Divinity was a 
 field of immense extent, and that the discussions to which every . 
 department of it might give rise were almost interminable, he 
 found it necessary to reduce his exposition to as concise a form as 
 possible. Nothing struck him as being so well adapted for this 
 purpose, as delivering his sentiments upon each article charged, 
 in the shape of a series of propositions, or theses, founded upon 
 generally acknowledged maxims, growing out of each other, and 
 having a direct reference to the proof taken in his case, adducing 
 occasionally, as seemed to be necessary, the grounds upon which 
 these propositions rested, and the evidence, Scriptural or other- 
 wise, by which they appeared to him to be supported. The time 
 which he has had for accomplishing this has been so exceedingly 
 
s 
 
 4 
 
 limited,—perhaps more so than may be imagined,—that he hopes 
 the Reverend Presbytery will kindly overlook, and excuse, any 
 inaccuracies that may have escaped him—any irrelevant matter 
 that he may have introduced—and any repetitions with which he 
 may appear to be chargeable. 
 
 I. Means of Grace. 
 
 Prov. Ist. Without the Means of Grace, that is to say, with- 
 out hearing the Gospel preached, or reading the Scriptures, or 
 having the Truth as it is in Jesus brought before the mind in 
 some other way, there can be no salvation. Mark xvi. 15, 16. 
 Acts iv. 12. Rom. x. 14—17. Con. of Faith, chap. x. see. 4. 
 chap. xiv. sec. 1. Short. Cat. ques. 29, 30, 85. Larg. Cat. 
 ques. 60. 
 
 2d. It is not by the use of these Means of Grace, but by the 
 atonement of Christ, revealed in and applied * by them, that the 
 sinner is saved. Scriptures passim. Con. of Faith, chap. xvi. 
 sec. 5. 
 
 8d. Due care therefore must be had, that the Means of Grace be 
 not allowed to usurp the place due to the Object of Grace. 
 
 4th. All the commands of God are obligatory upon his 
 creatures. It is surely unnecessary to set about proving a propo- 
 sition so self-evident as this—the obligation of which we speak 
 arising from, and being founded upon, the relation which the 
 Creator and his creatures bear to each other. 
 
 5th. The commands to trust, pray, read the Scriptures, and, 
 in one word, to obey God, being addressed to men as God’s 
 creatures, are therefore obligatory upon them. 
 
 6th. It is the duty of a Christian minister, to enforce upon all 
 his hearers compliance with all God’s commandments. 
 
 7th. Guilt is incurred by disobedience to any of, or all God’s 
 
 - commandments. Short. Cat. ques. 84. 
 
 _ 8th. It is clear that the character of God can only become 
 known, in consequence of a revelation of it by himself. ° 
 
 9th. Although certain parts of the character of God, such as his 
 eternal power and Godhead, are revealed in the works of nature 
 and otherwise, the only full, entire, and satisfactory revelation of 
 the divine character, is contained in the Holy Scriptures. 
 
 10th. The sum and substance of the Scriptures is, to reveal and 
 bear testimony to Christ. Rev. xix. 10. 
 
 11th. One grand reason of this is, that in the person, mission, 
 
 * Instrumentally, it being the work of the Spirit to apply it ef&ciently. 
 
5 
 
 work, and atonement of Christ, it was the purpose of God to give 
 a full and clear display of his character; and therefore, in Christ 
 and in his work, all the attributes and perfections of God, which 
 he will ever condescend to reveal to his creatures, being combined 
 and displayed, to become acquainted with the person, mission, 
 work, and atonement of Christ, is to obtain the fullest acquaint- 
 ance with the divine character that ever can be got. 
 
 12th. If God has commanded men to believe in his character, 
 as revealed in Scripture in general, and in the person, &c. of 
 Christ, in whom that character is displayed in. particular, this 
 command is, of course, like every other, obligatory upon them. 
 
 13th. God has issued such a command; surely it is unneces- 
 sary to offer the slightest proof of this. 
 
 14th. It is evident, that as the divine character can only be 
 known, in consequence of having been revealed,—and as the only 
 true and full revelation of the divine character is contained in 
 Scripture,—therefore, he who is ignorant of, or has not believed 
 in, the divine character as therein revealed, must be entertaining 
 false and erroneous notions concerning it. 
 
 15th. Still farther: whatever worship a person thus ignorant 
 and unbelieving may present, or by whatever acts of obedience he 
 may be distinguished, it is evident that they cannot be presented 
 to, nor performed for the sake of, the God of Revelation, with whom, 
 by the terms of the supposition, he is unacquainted ; but must be 
 presented to, and performed for the sake of, a creature or idol of 
 his own imagination. 
 
 16th. Upon the supposition of God having pledged himself only 
 to accept of worship presented to, and of obedience performed for 
 the sake of himself, it follows, that the services of a person thus 
 ignorant and unbelieving, cannot find acceptance with him. This 
 is quite agreeable to the standards of the Church of Scotland, by 
 which we are taught, that nothing done by men, so long as they 
 continue unregenerate, is, or can be, well pleasing in the sight of 
 God. Con. of Faith, chap. ix. sec. 3. chap. x. sec. 2. chap. xvi. 
 sec. 7.* It may be farther remarked, that the standards always 
 mean by unregenerate men, those who have not believed on the 
 name of the Son of God, or, in other words, those who have not 
 credited the revelation which God has given of himself. 
 
 17th. The knowledge of, and belief in the divine character, 
 being thus, as appears, indispensable to all acceptable worship 
 and obedience, it was necessary that God, in order to qualify his 
 creatures for worshipping and obeying him, should first of all reveal 
 to them his character, and command them to believe in it. 
 
 . See also the Thirteenth Article of the Church of England. 
 
6 
 
 18th. This was necessary, evidently for this additional reason 
 also, that if it constituted a part of the character of God, to accept 
 of worship and obedience presented to, and performed for the sake 
 of himself, of course, he to whom this part of the divine character 
 was not revealed, and by whom it was not believed in, wanted 
 every inducement and encouragement to perform such worship 
 and obedience. Heb. xi. 6. , 
 
 19th. Thus does it appear to have been necessary, that God 
 should reveal his character to men, and command them to believe 
 in it, not necessarily antecedent to, or separate from, other com- 
 mands, but, at all events, along with them, and as the only means 
 of enabling them to be obeyed. 
 
 20th. To express myself perhaps a little more plainly ; it seems 
 to follow necessarily from all the preceding statements, that in all 
 divine commands—excepting, of course, that to believe—a revela- 
 tion of the divine character, and a command to believe in it, is, if 
 not formally expressed, at least implied, and that all God’s com- 
 mandments, therefore, come home to his creatures attended with 
 a sufficient intimation from whom they proceed, and on what 
 grounds, consequently, they are obligatory upon them. 
 
 2ist. Perhaps still more plainly; every command of God, 
 either more or less directly includes in it, and is accompanied by, 
 a revelation of his character, in which the sinner is commanded 
 to believe, and by believing which alone, he comes to know the 
 right which God has to demand obedience, and is furnished with 
 suitable motives for the performance of it. 
 
 22d. Whatever God reveals as his character, must be believed in. 
 
 23d. Supposing God to follow up an obscurer révelation of 
 himself, with one fuller and more distinct, accompanying each 
 with a command to believe in it, we are equally bound to believe 
 both ; nor will our having believed in the former, set us free in 
 the slightest degree from our obligation to believe also in he 
 latter, so soon as made known to us. 
 
 24th. All preceding revelations of the divine character are now 
 merged in, and superseded by the Gospel, and therefore a declara- 
 tion of the Gospel, or of the way of salvation through Christ 
 Jesus, and of the command of God to believe in it, does now, 
 either less or more, directly accompany every other divine com- 
 mand, and it is only by believing in it, that other divine commands 
 can be obeyed. . 
 
 25th. To bring the whole matter then to a poiit, ministers 
 ought to enforce obedience to all God’s commands upon un- 
 believers, as well as upon those who have believed the Gospel : 
 but itis to be remembered, that these commands cannot be obeyed 
 by the former class, so long as they continue unbelievers, and 
 
7 
 
 therefore, when the commands are issued and enforced, such 
 persons are to be carefully instructed in the revealed character of 
 God, whose commands they are, and are likewise to be informed, 
 that belief in this is the only way in which they can obey, and in 
 which their obedience can be acceptable to God. 
 
 26th. To be more particular; although ministers are bound to 
 enforce prayer, reading the Scriptures, attendance upon ordi- 
 ' nances, &c. on all their auditors, whether believers or unbelievers, 
 these duties cannot be enforced on the latter class, on the sup- 
 position of its being possible for them to perform them in their 
 character of unbelievers ; nor.can ministers exhort unbelievers to 
 lay aside their sins before believing in Christ, as this would, 
 according to the principles already laid down, be exhorting them 
 to perform an impossibility, besides contradicting the nature of 
 the Gospel, the salvation of which is unconditional, in which God 
 is represented as justifying, not the godly, but the ungodly, as 
 calling, not the righteous, but sinners to repentance, and which 
 does not expect to find men good, but makes them so. 
 
 . 27th. To believe in God as he is revealed in Scripture, being 
 thus a divine command, by disobedience to it, as well as by dis- 
 obedience to other divine commands, guilt is incurred. . 
 
 28th. Greater guilt is incurred by unbelief, than by all other 
 crimes, John iii. 19, and elsewhere, and therefore at the great day, 
 a sentence of a more awful kind shall be pronounced upon those 
 who have been chargeable with it, than upon others. 
 
 29th. The greater heinousness of unbelief, does not appear to 
 consist in any thing peculiar to it, as a command of God, ail his 
 commands being equally obligatory upon his creatures, but, Ist, 
 In its being a more direct affront put upon, and a more direct 
 insult offered to, the’ sovereign majesty, and infinite veracity of 
 God, 1 Johnv.10; 2dly, In its utter disabling him who is guilty 
 of it, from the performance of all other duties ; and 3dly, In the 
 base ingratitude to God, and utter recklessness of our own ever- 
 lasting well-being, which it manifests. 
 
 Having laid down these positions, I would just simply observe, 
 that they all appear to me founded on Scripture, and on the 
 standards of the church. In proof of this let the following passages 
 of both be consulted: Deut. xviii. 19. Psalm ii. 12. Matt. xvii. 
 5. Mark xvi. 16. Johniii. 16—18, 36. John vi. 29. 1 John 
 ili. 23. Acts ili. 22. Acts xvi. 31. Acts xxii. 14—16. Rom. 
 iv. 4,5. Rom. ix. 30, ad finem. Con. of Faith, chap. xvi. sec. 
 2, 3, 6, 7.—-chap. xi. sec. 1, 2.—chap. iii. see. 6.—chap. vii. sec. 
 3.—chap. viii. sec. 8.—chap. x. sec. 1. Short. Cat. ques. 85. 
 where, as well as in all the rest, faith is represented as the first 
 
 grace. 
 
Il. Faith. 
 
 SincE the period of the blessed Reformation, one of the most 
 interesting controversies that has occupied the attention of divines, 
 and of the church of Christ, has been, whether trust in God, 
 springing from, and founded upon, the knowledge of our own 
 personal interest in his salvation, is, or is not, of the essence of 
 justifying faith. 
 
 On this, subject the learned and judicious OWEN has the fol- 
 lowing remarks, in his well known and highly esteemed work on 
 Justification: ‘‘ Whether this trust or confidence, shall be 
 esteemed of the essence of faith, or as that which on the first fruit, 
 and working of it, we are found in the exercise of, we need not 
 particularly determine, I place it, therefore, as that which belongs 
 unto justifying faith, and is inseparable from it. For if all we 
 have spoken before concerning faith, may be comprised under the 
 notion of a firm assent and persuasion, yet it cannot be so, if any 
 such assent be conceivable exclusive of this trust.’ London Edit. 
 1816, page 88. 
 
 Of the same sentiments with this celebrated author, appear to 
 have been the Westminster divines, to whose united labours we 
 owe our Confession of Faith, and Catechisms. They perceived 
 clearly, from the revealed character of God, the constitution of the 
 human mind, and the experience of all those who had become 
 acquainted with the saving truth, that it was impossible to separate 
 trust or confidence from the faith of the Gospel. Hence it is, that 
 into all their definitions or descriptions of saving faith, trust, or 
 resting upon, is introduced as a part. But the same accuracy of 
 views, and extent of theological knowledge, enabled them to per- 
 ceive, that as God no where in his word declares, that such and 
 such an individual shall be saved,—and as faith, in a diwine testi- 
 mony, can have respect merely to what 2s testified,—of course, 
 assurance of personal salvation, or trust in God, on the ground of 
 our own particular interest in the blessings promised, cannot have 
 place in the direct act of faith, or in that process of mind by which 
 we credit the divine testimony. On this ground it was, that 
 while they admitted assurance of personal interest to flow from 
 justification, and even admitted trust on that account into their 
 definitions of saving faith, as inseparable from it, they rejected it 
 from being of the essence of faith. bated 
 
 Thus it is that I am satisfied with, and desire no other account 
 of faith, than what is given in the Assembly’s Shorter Catechism— 
 “* Faith in Jesus Christ is a saving grace, whereby we receive 
 and rest upon him alone for salvation, as he is offered to us in the 
 
9 
 
 Gospel.’’ In this description or definition, we have five things. 
 Ist, That faith is a grace, or production of the Holy Spirit. 2d, 
 That it is connected with salvation. 3d, That it receives, that is, 
 according to John i. 12. from which the figurative language is 
 taken, believes on Jesus Christ. 4th, That it produces trust or 
 confidence in him, as our own personal Saviour, this trust or 
 confidence not being of the essence of faith, according to chapter 
 18th of the Confession, and yet accompanying or flowing from it, 
 according to question 34th of the Shorter Catechism. And 5thly, 
 The ground or warrant of our believing, viz. the divine record, in 
 which Christ is set forth, offered, or presented to all who believe 
 on his name. 
 
 Such are the views which I entertain upon this subject, and 
 these, I now proceed, at somewhat more length, to open up, and 
 develope. Authors of acknowledged authority will be referred to, 
 in proof of my positions. 
 
 Ist. All faith or belief is in itself simply the assent of the 
 understanding, to truth made known upon testimony, see Dr. 
 ERSKINE’S Theological Dissertations, No. 3. Prof. CAMPBELL 
 of Aberdeen, Preliminary Dissertations, pages 169 and 170, 
 Aberdeen Edition, 1803. 
 
 2d. The only two kinds of testimony of which we can form 
 any conception, are, the testimony of men, and the testimony of 
 God, each of which, when understood, will produce an assent or 
 acquiescence, suitable to its nature. OWEN, in his werk on 
 Justification, says, ‘ All faith is an assent upon testimony, and 
 divine faith is an assent upon a divine testimony,’’ page 60, wt 
 supra. Prof. HALYBURTON’sS Reason of Faith. See also a 
 very interesting paragraph in the works of RiccaLtroun of Hob- 
 kirk, volume 2d, page 188, Edition 1772, beginning ‘‘ when one 
 has said,” &e. 
 
 3d. It is evident, that in the case of divine testimony, if the 
 character of the Testifier, as a being incapable of practising de- 
 ception, or of being deceived himself, be revealed and understood,— 
 and if his testimony be accompanied with sufficient evidence that 
 it comes from him,—whenever the testimony is understood, an 
 unhesitating and unwavering assent, or, in other words, a com- 
 plete and absolute certainty, or assurance, of the truth of what is 
 testified, will be the result. 
 
 4th. It is equally evident, that human beings, labouring under 
 the possibility of being deceived themselves, or of intending to 
 deceive others, in what they testify, belief in what comes to us 
 upon their authority can never amount to absolute certainty, or 
 assurance, but must always admit of degrees. 
 
 5th. The impression produced upon our minds by any testimony 
 B- 
 
10 
 
 or report, is always in proportion to our conviction, Ist, of its 
 truth, and 2dly, of the interest which we have in it. 
 
 6th. That report, of the falsehood of which we are satisfied, or 
 . in which we are no way whatever concerned, will produce upon 
 our minds no impression at all; whereas it is absolutely impossible, 
 from the constitution of the human mind, that we should not be 
 impressed or affected, either in a greater or less degree, by a 
 report, which we are satisfied is, or may be true, and in which we 
 are somehow or other interested. 
 
 . 7th. If that which is revealed upon divine authority, besides 
 being necessarily true, particularly concern us, it must, when 
 believed, from the very constitution of the human mind, produce 
 upon us a deep and powerful impression. 
 
 8th. It follows from all this, as a corollary, that if the glad 
 tidings of salvation by Christ Jesus be believed, a certain im- 
 pression upon the mind will necessarily be made, and certain 
 other effects will necessarily be produced; and on the other hand, 
 where these are a wanting, the Gospel is not believed. 
 
 9th. It does not follow from all this, that is to say, from cer- 
 tain effects being necessarily connected with believing the Gospel, 
 that faith, in the Scriptura] sense of the term, is any thing more 
 than the assent of the understanding ‘to truth, revealed upon 
 divine testimony, no more than it follows from effects in other 
 cases always accompanying their respeetive causes, that causes 
 and effects are one and the same thing. 
 
 10th. It is to be observed, that in Revelation, words are 
 employed exactly in the same sense, in which they are employed 
 among men, in their ordinary intercourse with each other, and, 
 therefore, the difficulty of comprehending divine things lies, 
 not in the terms in which they are spoken of, but in the things 
 themselves. 
 
 11th. The reason for which belief in human testimony admits 
 of degrees, viz. the fallibility and deceitfulness of man, is the 
 reason for which we frequently meet with the conflicting and 
 opposite testimonies of men, with regard to the same subject, and 
 is also the reason for which, what was believed by us at one time 
 upon human testimony, may afterwards come to be disbelieved by 
 us upon contrary, and what is conceived by us to be stronger, 
 human testimony. 
 
 12th. What has once stood true to the mind, upon divine 
 testimony, can never afterwards come to be disbelieved by us, 
 because, Ist, God cannot contradict himself, and 2dly, No human 
 authority is of any avail against the authority of God; and, 
 therefore, if any man who once professed to believe in Revelation, 
 should afterwards profess to disbelieve it, it merely proves, that 
 
Gi 
 
 he had never received it upon. the testimony and authority of 
 God, the Testifier, and that if he ever yielded his assent to 
 it, or to any part of it, or fancied that he had done so, it was upon 
 some inferior authority. 
 
 13th. If we believe, it must be in consequence of having heard, 
 and recognized, the voice of God, speaking directly to us in the 
 Scriptures—that is to say, our sole and simple reason for believing 
 any thing upon divine authority, must be a Thus saith the Lord— 
 or our regarding God himself, as the only competent witness to 
 his own existence and truth; otherwise, our faith must, after all, 
 rest merely upon the authority of the creature, and our obedience 
 be directed towards a being inferior to God himself. See Con- 
 fession of Faith, chap. i. sec. 4, &c. 
 
 14th. This implies that God must have some peculiar and 
 direct way of making himself known to us, or, in other words, 
 that an evidence must accompany and prove the truth of his word, 
 totally distinct from all that evidence of intuition, reasoning, and 
 sense, by which we yield our assent to truth proposed to us upon 
 human authority. If this be not supposed and admitted, it resolves 
 our faith in God’s word into human authority after all, because 
 it makes us to perceive its truth, upon evidence common to it 
 with mere human writings and propositions, an effort to which 
 mere natural characters are fully competent ; and which, if allowed 
 to be all that is requisite, does away with the necessity of the 
 influences of the Holy Spirit altogether. See this subject treated, 
 in his usual masterly manner, by Halyburton, in his ‘‘ Reason 
 of Faith.”’ 
 
 15th. To bring the truth, as it is in Jesus, before the mind, 
 with the peculiar evidence just spoken of, and thereby to seal it 
 upon the heart and conscience, is the peculiar office and work of 
 the Holy Spirit in conversion. 
 
 16th. I would not have it supposed from this, that the Holy 
 Spirit merely places the truth, with its own peculiar evidence, 
 before the mind, and leaves the mind itself to perform the task of 
 believing ; no—for this would be to make salvation, after all, not 
 of grace, but of works. On the contrary, the same Spirit who 
 places the truth before the mind, als# opens the eyes of the 
 understanding to perceive it, and thereby, and then, commences 
 that new creation, which is to the believer the earnest of ever- 
 lasting glory. In the whole process of believing, the mind is 
 perfectly passive, (Con. of Faith, chap. x. sec. 2.) and thus is 
 verified that scriptural declaration, “‘ that Faith is the gift of 
 God.” Eph. ii. 8. 
 
 17th. The moment the saving truth has been believed, the mind 
 remains no longer passive ; but active exertion, and all the fruits 
 
12 
 
 and effects of spiritual life, are immediately brought forth and 
 ’ displayed. ; 
 
 18th. This faith is so necessarily connected with salvation, that 
 none who have thus believed can come short of the heavenly 
 glory. See the chapters of the Confession of Faith, upon saving 
 faith, and on the perseverance of the saints. 
 
 19th. When the saving truth, attended with that peculiar 
 evidence whieh makes manifest both its author and itself, is 
 present to the mind ; or, in other words, when it is believed, the 
 mind must be conscious that it is so present, or so believed. To 
 deny this, would be to maintain, that it is possible for the mind to 
 be unconscious of its own operations. 
 
 20th. As part of the divine record, or testimony concerning 
 Christ, is, that he who believeth shall be saved, it therefore fol- 
 lows, that the man, who, according to the preceding proposition, 
 is satisfied of his believing, must also be satisfied of his salvation, 
 or of his personal interest in Christ. 
 
 2ist. This explains the way in which “assurance of God’s 
 love,’’ and “‘ peace of conscience,” are, according to the terms of 
 the 34th question of the Shorter Catechism, made to flow from, 
 or accompany justification, &c.; and also explains: the way in 
 which trust, which is the result of assurance of God’s love, 
 although declared not to be essential to the direct act of believing, 
 is nevertheless made to enter into, and form a part of, the defi- 
 nitions of saving faith. , the 
 
 22d. Assurance of God’s love, and trust in him as the con- 
 sequence thereof, being thus intimately and necessarily connected 
 with believmg, or rather with the truth believed ; that is to say, 
 being in themselves principles incapable of subsisting indepen- 
 dently of the saving truth ; it follows, that if the saving truth be 
 not for the time present to the mind, or, in other words, be not 
 remembered, it is impossible that assurance of God’s love ean, 
 while the truth is so absent, exist or be maintained. 
 
 23d. It would be absurd to expect from those who are in a state 
 of insanity, from those who have not been accustomed to accuracy 
 of thought or reasoning, or from those, who, to a certain degree, 
 labour under erroneous Wiews of the subject, even although they 
 may believe the Gospel, a very distinct account of their experience 
 in regard to the article of assurance of God's love. 
 
 24th. By perceiving that assurance of God’s love, and trust 
 founded thereon, although necessarily connected with, and flowing 
 from, are yet not of the essence of faith, or, in other words, do 
 not constitute part of the record which the unregenerate sinner is 
 commanded in the first place to believe, the framers of our 
 standards have proved themselves to have been well acquainted 
 
13 
 
 with the doctrine of scripture in general, and of Romans viii. 15, 
 16. and of 1 John vy. 10. in particular, upon the subject. It 
 being, not in consequence of an unwarranted and enthusiastic 
 idea, that we are the children of God, but in consequence of our 
 own spirits, or consciousness, testifying to us that we believe the 
 divine record, and this, accompanied by the peculiar witnessing of 
 the Holy Spirit, in and by the divine record, to our consciences, 
 that we are satisfied or assured of our being the children of God. 
 
 25th. This assurance of God’s love being implanted by the 
 Spirit of God, must, in itself, be a purifying and a sanctifying 
 principle ; and, therefore, any pretenders to this assurance, in 
 whose hearts, and over whose lives, it is not exerting a purifying 
 ‘influence, are deceiving themselves, are yet ignorant of the gospel, 
 and have, as yet, neither part nor lot in the great salvation. In 
 order, however, to guard against, what to natural men may 
 appear to be the licentious tendency of the doctrine of assurance, 
 we are not permitted to diminish its certainty, or to render it con-- 
 ditional. A conditional assurance, it must be obvious to every 
 man of common sense, is a contradiction in terms—is no assur- 
 ance at all. If assurance’ be a doctrine of the word of God, which 
 our standards assert it to be, it must be of a purifying nature, all 
 God’s words being pure ; and therefore it follows, however 
 paradoxical the proposition may appear, that men fall into sin, not 
 because they have too much, but because they have too little 
 assurance, or rather, to speak more plainly, because they have no 
 assurance, that is to say, no faith at all. Assurance is good for 
 every thing, or it is good for nothing ; if the latter, let it be dis- 
 carded at once ; but let us not attempt to improve it, by making 
 it what it is not, or expose our ignorance of ordinary language, 
 and our want of common sense, by making certainty and uncer- 
 tainty, assurance and want of assurance, to mean one and the 
 same thing. Upon this subject of assurance, some admirable 
 remarks will be found in Archbishop Leighton on Peter, | 
 particularly on the Ist chapter, Admirably, likewise, says the 
 Con. of Faith, chap. 18. sec. 2: ‘‘ This certainty is not a bare 
 conjectural, and probable persuasion, grounded upon a fallible 
 hope, but an infallible assurance of faith, founded upon the 
 divine truth of the promises of salvation,’’ &c. 
 
 26th. As faith or belief is that principle of mind which has 
 respect to a testimony as true, and hope to some good thing yet in 
 prospect, it therefore obviously follows, that there is a distinction 
 between the principles of divine faith and divine hope. ‘The one 
 regards God’s testimony as certainly, infallibly, or assuredly true ; 
 the other looks forward with certainty to the enjoyment of the 
 blessings promised in the testimony. A man’s consciousness that 
 
14 
 
 he believes the gospel, or his assurance of God’s love to himself, 
 and consequent trust in him,—which we have shown necessarily 
 accompanies faith,—is not, as some have absurdly maintained, the 
 assurance of hope, there being no futwrity in the case—but, on 
 the contrary, a present blessing enjoyed—it, or rather the testi- 
 mony believed, is, however, the foundation upon which the 
 assurance of hope rests. 
 
 27th. The sum of what has been said upon this subject of faith 
 then is, that faith, in a divine testimony, is assurance, that is to 
 say, is a certainty in the mind of the divine testimony being true ; 
 this assurance is accompanied with an assurance of God’s love 
 to us in particular, and consequent trust in him; and upon these 
 graces are founded, and from them are derived, all the other graces 
 of Christianity. 
 
 I would beg leave to close what I have to say upon the subject 
 of faith, by remarking, that, when it is considered that Protestant 
 Divines have, since the era of the Reformation, been disputing 
 whether trust or confidence in God, springing from a sense of his 
 love to us in particular, enters into the essence of saving faith ;— 
 and when, even in our own Church, in the case of the Marrow 
 controversy, and at other times, men distinguished for their piety, 
 learning, and theological attainments, have been found ranging 
 themselves on both sides of the question, and appealing to our 
 standards, as well as to the scriptures, in proof of the correctness 
 of their respective opinions ;—I say, when this is considered, I 
 account it extremely hard, that it should have been deemed by the 
 Presbytery a sufficient ground of accusation against me, that I 
 had taken either the one side of the question or the other. "What 
 though I should have declared it as my opinion, that assurance of 
 God’s love does enter into the essence of saving faith? Who, in 
 that case, could have proved me to be wrong? What would have 
 been made of those definitions of saving faith in our present 
 standards, into which trust, founded upon the knowledge of per- 
 sonal interest, is made to enter as a constituent part? What of 
 the reiterated protests of this Church, against ‘‘ the general and 
 doubtsome faith of the papists ?”? What of the doctrine con- 
 tained in the Confession of faith, 1560? Of the opinions of those 
 worthies by whom our church was founded? Of the language of 
 Craig’s Catechism, sanctioned by the Church, especially question 
 and answer 22d, where faith is declared to be ‘‘a sure persuasion 
 that Christ is the only Saviour of the world, but our’s in special, 
 who believe in him??? What of the sentiments of the immortal 
 Luther, and of many others of that glorious band of Brothers, by 
 whom the Reformation was introduced? But I have done. 
 Whatever may be thought or said upon the subject, one thing is 
 
15 
 
 clear, that he who can separate assurance of God’s love to us in 
 particular, from saving faith, may call himself a Protestant if he 
 pleases’; but, assuredly, he cherishes in his bosom one of the 
 worst features, and one of the most demoralizing principles of 
 Popery. It is impossible that a Protestant tribunal can condemn 
 me; but if, contrary to my expectations, I am doomed to suffer, 
 this consolation, at least, I shall have, that the condemnation will 
 attach not to me singly, but to some of the brightest names that 
 have adorned the Church of God. 
 
 es 
 
 Ill. Repentance. 
 
 AurHouGH the entertaining of erroneous views, in regard te 
 this subject, does not constitute one of the charges against me, 
 and although, consequently, the Presbytery are not entitled to 
 pronounce any judgment on this point ; yet, that my defence may 
 not be incomplete, and that all misrepresentations may, in so far 
 as I can, be removed, I subjoin a few explanatory propositions on 
 this subject likewise. Before proceeding to do so, however, I 
 would just take notice, that in the course of the two years I have 
 been among them, my congregation have had three distinct ser- 
 mons on this very topic of Repentance, besides numerous occasional 
 references to it. ‘The texts were, Acts ii. 37, Acts xx. 21, and 
 Luke xxiv. 47. And the occasions were, Sabbath, July 26th, 
 1823,—by the way, I see that I continued the same subject on the 
 two following Sabbaths,—Sabbath, April 18th, 1824, and Sabbath, 
 July 10th, 1825. 
 
 Ist. The literal acceptation of Meravue, the Greek word 
 commonly used for repentance in the New Testament, is simply, 
 change of mind, or, change of views. Dr. CAMPBELL, in his 
 invaluable preliminary Dissertations, considers, that there is 
 contained in the word, the additional idea of the change being 
 lasting, and that it thus stands distinguished from Merapsaue, the 
 other Greek word translated repentance. To this, I can have no 
 objection. 
 
 2d. This radical meaning, change of mind, necessarily im- 
 plying, and accompanied by, a corresponding change of conduct, 
 runs through all the acceptations in which the word for repen- 
 tance is taken, and all the passages in which it occurs in the 
 New Testament. 
 
 .8d. Belief and change of mind, or faith and repentance, are in 
 all cases inseparably connected together. That is to say—when 
 I come to know and believe concerning any person or object, that 
 of which I was previously ignorant, and did not believe concerning 
 
16 
 
 that person or object, of course my mind, views, or opinions, in 
 regard to that person or object, are changed ; and if this change 
 of views be on a subject in which I am particularly interested, of 
 course a change of conduct also, in so far at least as that subject 
 is concerned, will be the result. Take the following familiar 
 example of what I mean. Suppose me,—whether upon sufficient 
 grounds, or the reverse, ‘it matters not to my argument,—suppose 
 me to regard a man as my enemy, in that case, I act towards him 
 as such ; but suppose me to discover, or (which is the same 
 thing,) to fancy I have discovered him to be my friend, this new 
 belief is accompanied necessarily with, or perhaps, more simply, 
 really is, a changed view of his character, and implies a change 
 also in my behaviour towards him. Thus inseparably are faith 
 and repentance united. 
 
 4th. The belief of the Gospel is productive of, or, more simply, 
 rather is, the greatest revolution, the greatest change of views, 
 which the human mind can undergo. An entire change of views 
 in regard to the character of God, “the foundation of hope, and the 
 nature and principles of obedience, is its immediate and necessary 
 result. The believer now perceiving sin, in the cross of Christ, 
 to be exceeding sinful, and yet at the same time, through the 
 same medium, apprehending the mercy of God in Christ, is led 
 to entertain very different views of sin from what he did ‘before, 
 is filled with grief, loathing, and self-abhorrence, on account of 
 his previous transgressions, and with a determination, in the 
 strength of divine grace,»to be found walking thereafter in the 
 paths of new obedience. In this way he repents, that is to say, 
 his views of divine truth, and of his own character and conduct, 
 are entirely changed ; and this change of views is just as insepa- 
 rable from the faith of the Gospel, and a renewed pease as 
 light and heat are from the rays of the sun. ay 
 
 5th. This change of views and of conduct, or this re ; 
 is the work of the Holy Spirit, and is necessarily icimmietiGash with 
 salvation. igs 
 
 6th. This repentance, or this change of views, can only take 
 place once; but besides this great repentance, or this great change 
 of views and conduct, which takes place when the Gospel is for 
 the first time believ ed, the believer is. in a subordinate sense re 
 penting continually, whilst upon earth. He is always, in eon- 
 sequence of additional light from divine truth shining in : 
 his mind, discovering the erroneous nature of sentiments and the 
 inconsistency of practices which for a time he held, and in which 
 for a time he indulged ; and in so far as he turns from these, to 
 correcter ‘sentiments and practices, as soon as their error and 
 inconsistency are discovered, he may be said, in so far, to repent. 
 
17 
 
 Every change he makes from worse to better, is a species of 
 repentance. It is indeed the nature of divine truth, when dis- 
 covered, always to leave the individual who discovers it uneasy, 
 until it has been allowed to produce its genuine influence upon 
 his heart, life, and conduct. 
 
 IV. The Two Natures. 
 
 Upon this subject, although in itself a most copious one, it is not 
 my intention greatly to enlarge. I expect to be able to imbody ina 
 few propositions, all that is necessary for an explanation of my 
 views in regard toit. ‘Those who are desirous to obtain additional 
 information on the subject, may, besides consulting the West- 
 minster Confession of Faith, peruse the 13th Article of the 
 Confession of Faith of the Scottish National Church, A.D. 1560, 
 entitled, ‘‘ Of the cause of good works,’”’ and the ninth Article of - 
 the Church of England, entitled, ‘‘ Of original, or birth sin.” 
 Besides these, my views will, in a great measure, be found ex- 
 pressed in the very learned and judicious work of Mr. FRAZER 
 of Allness, on “ Sanctification,’’ and likewise in the works of the 
 ingenious RiccaLroun of Hobkirk, especially in his ‘‘ Treatise 
 on the general plan of Revelation,’’ and his essay entitled ‘‘ The 
 Christian Life,’ &c. See particularly the paragraph, page 59, 
 beginning, ‘*‘ What I chuse first,’’ &c.—the paragraph, page 124, 
 beginning, ‘‘ There was one thing our Lord was most remarkable 
 in,’ &c.—the following one, pages 125 and 126, beginning, 
 “« What our blessed pattern,’ &c.—that at page 1382, beginning, 
 *« By what we were just now,’’ &c.—page 147, ‘‘ But had the 
 promise,’’ &c.—page 172, ‘‘ And as he was thus the great,’’ &c.— 
 page 176, to the end of the chapter,—paragraph, page 194, ad finem, 
 —the Christian Life, page 216,—but especially page 220, which I 
 quote at full length, (the edition quoted is 1772.) ‘‘ In that 
 intermediate station wherein the Spirit of God abides in the 
 Christian, while yet he continues in the flesh, the body he derived 
 from Adam, we have the two very different lives derived from 
 the first and second man, subsisting in some sort together in the 
 same person. The soul of man, once dead to God and the spiri- 
 tual and eternal world, buried in sense, and enslaved to all sensual 
 and worldly lusts, cravings, and appetites, now restored to its 
 proper life by Jesus Christ, becomes capable of its proper busi- 
 ness, to live as a spirit should do; while yet Adam’s life remains 
 in these bodies, and all the base and low appetites and passions 
 helonging to it, never to be rooted out, until these corruptible 
 
 c 
 
18 
 
 bodies put on incorruption, and mortality be swallowed up of 
 life. 'Thus then the case stands—by our first birth as children of 
 Adam, we are born into this world, and good for nothing else ; 
 by the Spirit restored in the new birth, we are brought into the 
 spiritual world, and become the children of God by Jesus Christ ; 
 but our relation to the first Adam, and our connexions with this 
 his world, are never broken, until these bodies return to the dust 
 from which they were originally taken; and when these shall be 
 raised up, and not till then, the mystery of God will be finished, 
 in their perfect union with, and conformity to, their glorious Head. 
 But just so far as any man comes to be united and alive to Christ, 
 just so far is he disjoined from, and dead to Adam.”’ Let the 
 following paragraphs, also, be carefully perused. 
 
 I now proceed to state my views on the subject of the two 
 natures, in a series of propositions. 
 
 Ist. Adam and Christ are the respective Heads of. two distinet 
 posterities : the former of the whole human race, the latter of his 
 church, or of such of the human race as are saved by him. | 
 
 2d. As there is a natural generation or birth, by which the 
 whole human race are brought into the world : so there is a spiri- 
 tual regeneration or new birth, by which the heirs of salvation, or 
 the purchase of Christ’s blood, are brought out of the world, and 
 become members of his family. 
 
 3d. As it is agreeable to the established constitution of things, 
 that in generation, the being producing communicates his nature 
 to the being produced, so Adam communicates his nature to his 
 posterity, and Christ his nature to his posterity, 1 Cor. xv. 48, 
 ‘* As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy ; and as is 
 the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly.’’ 
 
 Ath. The nature of Adam having been by the fall thoroughly 
 depraved, nothing of course but a depraved nature can be the lot 
 of his descendants ; and, on the other hand, the nature of Christ 
 being pure, holy, and heavenly, therefore purity, holiness, &c. and 
 nothing else, are derived by his descendants from him, J ohn iii. 6, 
 “ That which is born of the flesh is flesh ; and that which is born 
 of the Spirit is spirit. 
 
 oth. It may first be proper to state again, distinetly vl 
 explicitly, that the pure, holy, and heavenly nature of Christ is 
 first communicated from him to his people when they believe, 
 and by believing on his name, see John i. 13, James i. 18, 1 Pet. 
 ‘i. 3, 23, &c. 
 
 6th. ‘Adam, as the head of his natural posterity, having been 
 ‘possessed of nothing superior to a mere natural and animal life, 
 however perfect for a time that life was, it was utterly impossible 
 that a spiritual life could flow from him to them, 1 Cor. xv. 45. 
 
19 
 
 ** And so it is written, the first man Adam was made a — 
 -soul,’’ &c.—see also verse 48, already quoted. 
 
 7th. If in the bestowing of ‘natural life upon Adam at first, ret 
 likewise in the bestowing of it upon each of his posterity, God put 
 forth, and still continues to put forth, an act of creating power, 
 much more is creating energy displayed in conferring spiritual 
 life, which is of a nature totally distinct from, and infinitely 
 superior to, the other. The latter part of this proposition is 
 founded upon the self-evident principle, that to bestow life or 
 existence, of whatever kind, is an act of creation, and is therefore 
 the prerogative of God alone. 
 
 8th. All this is strictly agreeable to the language of Revelation, 
 which uniformly represents the life that Christ conveys to his 
 people or posterity, by faith, as a new creation; hence such 
 phrases as 2 Cor. v. 17, “ If: any man be in Christ, he is a new 
 creature,’’ &c. and that believers are ‘‘ created in Christ Jesus 
 anew,’’ &c. 
 
 9th. To create, is to bestow existence, or to give being to that 
 which formerly wanted it; to improve, is merely to make use or 
 and better, materials already existing. 
 
 10th. It follows from this, that when God speaks of creating a 
 believer anew, he speaks of bestowing upon him an existence of 
 which he was previously destitute, and that those persons who 
 talk or conceive of a believer’s being merely improved, when he 
 is regenerated, utterly mistake the nature of the subject, and con-. 
 tradict the divine testimony. 
 
 11th. It is not meant by all this, that the I, or person who 
 existed before conversion, was a person different from the | who 
 now exist after conversion, but simply, that the I, or person who’ 
 was once created naturally, has been the subject of a second or 
 spiritual creation. It is the I, or individual who was created 
 naturally, who is now created spiritually, and not a person for 
 the first time, when spiritually created, brought into existence. 
 A new existence is created, not a new individual. 
 
 12th. Sin and holiness, being principles as diametrically op- 
 posed to each other as light and darkness, truth and falsehood, 
 can no more mingle with, or be reconciled to each other, than 
 these can, and, therefore, as the believer inherits a completely sin- 
 ful nature from Adam, and a completely holy nature from Christ, 
 it follows, that these two natures can never be reconciled to, or 
 mixed with each other. 
 
 13th. The existence of two such natures in the believer must; 
 one would suppose, be productive of a continual opposition or 
 warfare between them, a supposition which turns out to be mat- 
 ter of fact, if we consult the whole tenor of Scripture, and 
 
20 
 
 especially such passages as these, Gal. v. 17, the 7th of the 
 Romans passim, &c. 
 
 14th. In all warfare, the parties engaged do not aim at the 
 improvement, but at the subjugation, if not the destruction of 
 each other. This is exemplified in the soul of the believer, 
 where each nature is continually aiming at, and can only be satis- 
 fied with, the complete conquest and destruction of the nature 
 opposed to it. 
 
 15th. In this warfare, the I, that is the individual who believes, 
 in whatever his individuality may be supposed to consist, or in 
 other words, the new nature, has, and continues to have, the 
 ascendancy, "C6 it being impossible that sin should ever have the 
 dominion over him,’ &c. 
 
 16th. This ascendancy he continues to maintain, im conse~ 
 quence of the blood of Christ, sprinkled upon the pierre wit 
 faith, continuing to free him from a sense of guilt. 
 
 17th. The spirit of faith in the blood of Christ, ponstesieds by 
 the believer, is also a spirit of holiness. 
 
 18th. The new nature in the believer carries on the wishine 
 against the old, or he evinces himself to be possessed of the spirit 
 of holiness, by ‘erucifying the flesh with all its affections and lusts, 
 and by opposing sin in every shape, ‘and of every kind. He mor- 
 tifies his members which are upon the earth, and he is filled with 
 grief that he cannot do so more effectually. 
 
 19th. The flesh, or old nature, carries on the warfare against 
 the spirit, or new nature, by rebelling continually against its 
 motions, inclinations, and desires, and by craving incessantly the 
 indulgence of its own depraved appetites and passions. 
 
 20th. The depravity of'man has its chief.residence in the body, 
 but attaches to all that we derive from the first Adam. 
 
 21st. The old and new natures are, in Scripture, denominated 
 the old man and the new man. 
 
 22d. The nature of the old man is the same in the believer as 
 in the unbeliever, but, from the non-indulgence of its evil ae 
 and passions, its ‘strength i is diminished. 
 
 23d. Sin in the believer is more hateful to God than in the 
 unbeliever, but it is not imputed to the former, so as to bring him 
 under condemnation, its curse having been borne and taken away, 
 pte stead, by his blessed surety and substitute, the Lord Jesus 
 
 rist. 
 
 24th. Sin, although in the believer, and proceeding from him, 
 does not, in any respect, spring from, nor is it to be imputed to, 
 the new nature dwelling in him. So far from this being the case, 
 the new nature strives and struggles against it, and is exceedingly 
 annoyed and distressed when the believer in any case gives way to 
 
21 
 
 it, Rom. vii. 17,.‘ It is no more I that do it, but sin that Sicielt 
 in me.’ 
 
 25th. It seems to follow from all this, and: is consistent with 
 Scripture, that whatever the. believer derives from the first Adam 
 is under condemnation, and that only what he derives from the 
 second Adam is the object of divine approbation and acceptance, 
 Rom, viii. 10, ‘‘ If Christ be in you, the body is dead, because of 
 sin, but the spirit is life, because of righteousness.”’ 
 
 26th. The old man, or old nature, being thus under condemna- 
 tion, shall yet be destroyed. 
 
 27th. 1 beg again to state distinctly, that it is not to be inferred 
 from all this, that I maintain the existence of two distinct 
 souls in the believer. On the contrary, the soul, or that wherein 
 the individuality of the person consists, is one and the same, 
 but operated upon, and operating, by means of two distinct ‘sets 
 of principles. 
 
 28th. Every person, before, or unless, he believes the Gospel, 
 wanting that divine nature or principle which is conferred and 
 implanted only by faith, of course possesses only the depraved 
 nature which he derived from the first Adam. 
 
 " : V. The Perseverance of the Saints. 
 
 1st. It being one of the parts of the definition of ‘ Faith in 
 Jesus Christ, > that it is saving, that is to say, connected with 
 salvation, of course, he whe is possessed of it cannot come short 
 of the heavenly glory. 
 
 2d. It is farther implied, that, whatever the individual possessed 
 of this faith may do, he shall persevere to the end.. If this is 
 denied, the terms of the supposition are destroyed, and the faith is 
 no longer saving faith. 
 
 gd. There is a faith, which is not saving, and of which; 
 although the individual be possessed, he is, after all, a hypocrite, 
 and. shall, if he continues devoid of a higher principle, come short 
 of heaven. Of this faith, however, we are not now speaking, the 
 faith in question being saving faith. 
 
 4th. Man, as he is born into.the world, is a thoroughly de- 
 praved creature. See Con. of Faith, chap. vi. sec. 2,3, 4. Jer. 
 xvii. 9. Rom. iii. 10. et sequen. ; 
 
 5th. The belief of the gospel, and the hope with which itis 
 accompanied, are purifying and sanctifying principles. Acts xv. 
 9. 1 John iii. 3. , . 
 
 6th. These two principles, viz. thorough depravity, and faith 
 
22 
 
 purifying the heart, subsist together in the believer whilst he i is 
 upon earth. ! 
 
 7th. The belief of the truth, or the new nature thereby’ tia. 
 planted, has the ascendancy in the believer, controlling, subduing, 
 and crucifying the old nature. Besides, the believer can never 
 again be brought under the reigning power of sin. 
 “8th. The old nature in the believer, is continually stirring 
 and struggling to regain the ascendancy which it once i ocr 
 Rom. vii. 15, 18, 19, 21, 23, Gal. v. 17. 
 
 9th. The belief of the truth, as it is in Jesus, is a purifying 
 and overcoming principle, but this truth, like every other, can 
 only operate when present, and in so far as present, to the mind ; 
 and therefore, if at any time absent from the mind, that is to.say,, 
 if entirely or partially forgotten, the believer may “fall into sin, or 
 be overtaken by it. we 
 
 10th. No man who understands the constitution of the human 
 mind, and especially those features of it, viz. its inability to attend 
 to more than one object or subject at a time, and the possibility of 
 truths, which appear to it the best established, being for a time 
 absent from the memory, will venture to deny, that even the 
 truth as it is in Jesus may at certain times be forgotten by the 
 believer. 
 
 llth. That very grievous sins may, when the truth is forgotten, 
 be fallen into by believers, is proved by the sins of Noah, 
 Abraham, Lot, David, Solomon, &e. under the Old Testament, 
 and of Peter, under the New 5 besides the gross misconduct of the 
 Corinthian believers, in regard to the Lord’s Supper, &e. 
 
 12th. The crimes of believers are left upon record, not as 
 encouragements to repeat them, but as warnings to the church of 
 God in every succeeding age, 1 Cor. x. 11, ‘‘ All these things 
 happened unto them for ensamples, and they are written for our 
 admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.” ‘That 
 is to say, they are intended to remind us, that we have the same 
 thoroughly depraved nature that they had, and that consequently, 
 unless we are on our guard, we are liable to fall into the same 
 sins that they did. It may be farther observed, that this thorough 
 depravity of the believer, and this tendency of his, when off his 
 guard, to fall into sins, even very gross sins, is the foundation of 
 all the warnings and exhortations of our Lord and “ ~— 
 contained in the New Testament. 
 
 13th. The criminality of the believer, when he falls into sin, 
 implying the absence of the object of faith from his mind, implies 
 also the absence of assurance of God’s love. No believer is 
 assured of his interest in Christ while he is committing sin, no 
 more than he is then living under the purifying influence of the 
 
23 
 
 gospel. But let his mind again be, by the Spirit of God, 
 directed to the object of faith, along with renewed trust in Jesus, 
 there return assurance of his free and unmerited love, deep con- 
 trition for past misconduct, and all the other fruits and effects of 
 “ faith unfeigned.”’ . 
 
 14th. The belief of the gospel being in itself a purifying 
 principle, it follows, that no sin whatever can be traced to it, and, 
 therefore, all misconduct on the part of the believer must be traced 
 to some other source. The two grand causes of it appear to be— 
 1st, Imperfect views of the gospel, and 2dly, These imperfectly 
 kept before the mind ; whereas, growth in grace, or increasing 
 consistency, stability, and purity in heart, life, and conduct, is 
 chiefly occasioned by, and chiefly consists in, these two things, 
 Ist, Growth in the knowledge of Christ Jesus, or of the gospel, 
 and 2dly, A more habitual looking to Jesus, that is to say, the 
 truth being more constantly present to the mind. 
 
 15th. Evil as all sin is in itself, offensive as it is to God, dis- 
 honouring as it is to his cause, and injurious as it is to our own 
 souls, it nevertheless happens, that the sins, shortcomings, and 
 inconsistencies of God’s people are, like every thing else, over- 
 ruled by him for good. They furnish them with deeper and more 
 practical views of their own thorough depravity, and instruct them 
 in the necessity of employing greater caution and circumspection 
 in time to come. 
 
 16th. Although it certainly savours of repetition, yet that I 
 may not run any risk of being misunderstood, I remark, that the 
 principles which I have just laid down, explain the reason of the 
 numerous cautions and exhortations addressed to believers in 
 Scripture, such as ‘‘ Watch and pray, that ye enter not into 
 temptation.”’ ‘‘ Be not high minded, but fear.’”’ ‘‘ Let him that 
 thinketh he standeth, take heed lest he fall.’ All these exhorta- 
 tions implying, and being founded upon, the thorough depravity 
 of our nature, and the necessity of viligance and circumspection, 
 if we would conduct ourselves aright. 
 
 17th.. The neglect, on the part of believers, of such cautions 
 and exhortations as those just quoted and referred to, is the 
 cause of their daily and hourly transgressions, and, consequently, 
 of those numerous and oftentimes severe fatherly chastisements, 
 with which they are, according to Scripture and the standards of 
 the Church,* visited ; but, upon the supposition of faith being 
 saving, cannot be the cause of God casting them off for ever. 
 18th. All that has been stated under this head, tends to show 
 
 * See Confession of Faith, chap. v. sec. 5, chap. ix. sec. 4, chap. xi. sec. 5, chap. 
 XVii. sec. 3. : ; 
 
24 
 
 how it is that the people of God persevere to the end and are 
 saved. It is not because they do not sin at all, it is not because 
 they do not sometimes fall into very grievous sins, it is not on 
 account of their own free will; but this perseverance of their’s 
 depends ‘‘ upon the immutability of the decree of election, flowing 
 from the free and unchangeable love of God the Father, upon the 
 efficacy of the merit and intercession of Jesus Christ, the abiding 
 of the Spirit and of the seed of God within them, and the nature 
 of the covenant of grace, from all which ariseth also the cer- 
 tainty and infallibility thereof.’ Confession of Faith, chapter 
 Kvil. sec. 2. di: rd 
 
 : 
 
 VI. The Evidence of Faith. we 
 
 Ist. The knowledge or faith of the Gospel, is the principle 
 of divine and page life in the soul, John xvii. 3, 1 John 
 vy. 20. 
 
 2d. All kinds of life are made manifest, or are proved, by ‘the 
 effects, motions, or actions, that flow from them. Indeed we have 
 no notion of life at all, but as the unseen and hidden source of 
 certain effects. ‘The existence of spiritual life, therefore, can only 
 be ascertained from its effects. 
 
 3d. The primary effect of life, and the grand evidence to. any. 
 being of its possessing it, is, 7ts consciousness of possessing it ; 
 if this be denied, the certainty of all knowledge, and the founda- 
 tions of all reasoning, are overturned and destroyed. 
 
 4th. It is not denied that the actions which I perform, seek the 
 natural functions which I discharge, are, in a certain sense, 
 proofs to me that I am alive. But still, who is’ the. being that 
 takes these proofs into consideration? Is it not I, that is to say, 
 a being conscious of existence previous to my setting about doing 
 so, and who, consequently, know my existence independently of 
 them? Indeed, were any person to take it into his head to inquire 
 at even the most illiterate peasant, ‘“‘How it is that he knows 
 himself to be alive ? and were he to hint to him, that even auto- 
 mata might be brought to perform the same actions that he does,’’ 
 would not the peasant immediately, as the dictate of common 
 sense, refer to his own consciousness of existence, as a first 
 principle, and return some such answer as this, ‘ | am conscious 
 of being alive, 1 know that I am so; and if you are not satisfied 
 with this, I have no better answer to give you.” 
 
 Sth. Thus does it appear, that the consciousness of existence 
 is a first principle, or instinct, with the importance of which, in 
 repelling puzzling and metaphysical questions, the most illiterate 
 
25 
 
 peasant is as well acquainted as the acutest philosopher. Two 
 remarks may be added: Ist, Although consciousness of existence 
 is a proof, of the most incontrovertible kind, to a man’s own mind, 
 it is not a proof that he can communicate to others: and 2dly, 
 There is this obvious difference between the nature of the evidence 
 of his own existence, which a man himself possesses, and that 
 which he can communicate to others, that whereas he himself has 
 a proof, which brings home absolute certainty or assurance to his 
 own mind, he can only communicate proofs to others, which, 
 however strong, and however nearly approaching to certainty, 
 must always come short of it. However unlikely it is, that any 
 should be found ascribing natural life to that which wants it, or 
 denying natural life to that which is possessed of it, still the thing 
 is possible ; a fact which proves, that the conclusions drawn from 
 external appearances must always be less firm, and less to be 
 relied upon, than those which have consciousness for their basis. 
 
 6th. Perhaps the whole of last paragraph may be more briefly 
 and intelligibly expressed, as follows :—The evidence to others, 
 that I am possessed of natural life, is somewhat different from 
 that which I have myself. Others, however accurately they may 
 judge, can only do so from external appearances ; in me, however, 
 there exists a consciousness, or instinctive persuasion, of exist- 
 ence, antecedent, and affording to myself a proof superior to all 
 external appearances whatever. This is evinced by my referring 
 to it as an ultimate or incontrovertible principle, although it is a 
 proof that I can afford to nobody besides myself. 
 
 7th. The whole of these observations are applicable to spiritual 
 life, with this exception, that as there are fewer possessed of it, 
 so there are fewer qualified to judge who those are that possess if. 
 The existence of spiritual life in others I can only judge of by 
 external appearances, or by the effects it produces, Matt. vii. 20, 
 ‘¢ By their fruits ye shall know them.”’ 
 
 8th. That I am bringing forth the fruits, and exhibiting the 
 effects of faith, or of the divine life, are likewise to myself proofs 
 that I possess it. First, negatively: Were I not bringing forth 
 the fruits of faith, I could not be a Christian, no more than if I 
 were not breathing and discharging the other functions of natural 
 life, I could be naturally alive. This may afford a very simple 
 test to hypocritical professors, by which to try and ascertain their 
 own characters. Have they peace of conscience? have they joy 
 in the Holy Ghost? and so on.' Secondly, positively: Ist. The 
 possession of any, or all of the fruits of faith, shows me that I 
 believe, e.g. ‘“‘ We know that we have passed from death unto 
 life, because we love the brethren.”” 1 John iii. 14. 2d. These 
 fruits afford likewise the measure of our growth in grace. To 
 
 D 
 
26 
 
 state the matter briefly—the existence of love to God in my bosom, 
 the exhibition of love to the saints, and the bringing forth of the 
 other fruits of the Spirit, are proofs to me that I ama child of God. 
 
 9th. ‘This is all true, and all very well. But should any man 
 take it into his head to inquire, “‘ How it is that I know my love 
 to God, and to his saints, to be genuine, and how I come to know 
 that it is the fruits of the Spirit I am bringing forth ?—were he 
 to remind me, that many hypocrites and self-deceivers are abroad 
 in the world ; that the former can externally imitate the actions of 
 believers so well, as to deceive even the people of God ; and that 
 men of the latter description may suppose that to be the love of 
 God in their souls, which is in reality an inferior and much more 
 ignoble principle ;’,—I say, were these questions put, and these 
 things suggested to my mind, it would be necessary for me to look 
 somewhat deeper, and to investigate the matter somewhat farther. 
 It would not do to set about reasoning in a circle, as is very 
 customary in cases of this kind, ““ How do you know that you 
 love God?” ‘‘ By keeping his commandments.” ‘ Allowing, 
 argumenti causa, that it is God’s commandments that you keep, 
 how do you know that you keep them from a proper motive?” A 
 thousand chances to one, but the answer to this last question is, 
 ‘Because I love God;’’ thus leaving us not one step more 
 advanced than when we set out at first. The business of the 
 believer, in the event of such questions as we have now and 
 previously supposed being put to him, is to find out some general 
 and incontrovertible first principle, which may ascertain to him 
 the genuineness of the apparently spiritual dispositions which he 
 cherishes, and of the fruits springing from them; in other words, his 
 business is to find out that simple principle, which at once, and 
 indubitably, ascertains to him his spiritual life. If such a prin- 
 ciple be sought for, it can only be found im the belief of the 
 gospel, or in that consciousness of spiritual existence, that 
 witnessing of God’s Spirit with the believer’s spirit, with which 
 the belief of the gospel is always'accompanied ;* that is to say, 
 as there is a natural consciousness of natural life, so there is also 
 a spiritual consciousness of spiritual life, equally, if not’ more 
 infallible than the other, although, like it, evidence only to’ the 
 believer himself, and incapable of being communicated by him to 
 others. In one word, that peculiar evidence which attends the 
 revelation of mercy contained in the scriptures, at once shows the 
 believer from whom it comes, ascertains him of its truth, and 
 satisfies him that he is a child of God. See HALYBURTON on the 
 reason of faith. 
 
 ‘* See the second quotation from Riccaltoun, in the Appendix. 
 
27 
 
 10th. In the same way as natural existence is found in none, 
 without certain effects resulting from it, so neither is spiritual 
 existence, without certain effects resulting from it likewise ; and 
 in the same way as no man is conscious of his natural existence, 
 without being at the same time conscious of performing actions, 
 which either do, or might, make that existence apparent to others, 
 so neither is the believer conscious of spiritual existence, without 
 being at the same time conscious of exhibiting certain external 
 proofs of that existence, which are calculated to make it manifest 
 to the spiritually enlightened. 
 11th. Wherever the truth is believed, there the Spirit of Christ 
 dwells, and wherever the Spirit dwells, there the fruits of the 
 Spirit are brought forth, and wherever either the Spirit, or the 
 fruits of the Spirit, are a wanting, there the man is no believer. 
 12th. The propriety of the views which I have stated, with 
 regard to the evidence of faith, may be farther evinced in the 
 following way. It is admitted by all Protestant divines of evan- 
 elical sentiments, especially by the disciples of the Marrow 
 School, that trust, springing from a sense of God’s love to us 
 in particular, either is of the essence of, or, at all events, is 
 necessarily and inseparably connected with, saving faith ; that is 
 to say, that the knowledge of our personal interest in the atone- 
 ment, is necessarily connected with the direct act of believing. 
 This being admitted, let us suppose a man dubious as to whether 
 or not he has believed the Gospel ; what, according to this view 
 of matters, is the simplest and speediest way of settling the 
 question ? why, evidently a direct act of believing, that is to say, 
 having his mind directed towards, and believing in the atonement; 
 and, supposing his distressing fears again to return, the repetition 
 of the same thing must, according to the views just stated, again 
 settle the matter. The simple import of the directions frequently 
 given, by the divines whose sentiments we are now speaking of, 
 to persons perplexed with a sense of guilt, is, instead of puzzling 
 yourselves with questioning as to whether you have believed 
 formerly or not, believe now, and the point is determined. If this, 
 which is contended for by all divines who hold appropriation to be 
 in saving faith, be not the principle which I have stated in the 9th 
 proposition, under this head,—viz. that the consciousness of 
 believing, and thereby of personal interest, which attends saving 
 faith in the atonement, is the ultimate evidence of faith,—I 
 certainly must confess myself ignorant of the meaning of words. 
 13th. I would like again to repeat it strongly, that although it 
 is from the object believed in, and the divine consciousness which 
 attends our believing, that assurance of personal interest in Christ 
 is derived, and although this constitutes the ultimate evidence of 
 
28 
 
 faith, yet this assurance is never unaccompanied with the produc- 
 tion of the fruits of the Spirit, and wherever these fruits are a 
 wanting, the assurance is spurious, or pretended. 
 
 14th. Hence we see, why love to God, and the keeping of his 
 commandments, are proofs of genuine Christianity—no man, it 
 appears, can be conscious of his Christianity, without being at 
 the same time conscious that he is possessed of these proofs ; 
 and yet, hence we see the propriety of bearing in mind, that when. 
 the question comes to be, as to the genuineness of these apparent 
 proofs, they cannot be made, without a manifest absurdity, to 
 prove themselves, but must have their genuineness ascertained, 
 by tracing them to the principle from which they flow. . 
 
 15th. All that I have now stated, throws light upon such texts 
 of Scripture as the following :—‘“‘ To be carnally minded is death ; 
 but to be spiritually minded is life and peace,’? Rom. viii. 6. 
 ‘* If ye live after the flesh, ye shall die,” &c. ‘ Be not deceived, 
 God is not mocked, for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he 
 also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh,” &c. Gal. vi. 7, 8. 
 They alone, in whom a certain character is formed, and who are 
 distinguished for bringing forth certain fruits, shall reach the 
 heavenly glory; but such persons have their characters formed, 
 and their fruits produced, in consequence of possessing a principle 
 of spiritual life, which is antecedent to the formation of these 
 characters, and the production of these fruits, and from which, 
 ‘ both character and fruits natively and naturally spring.—See the 
 first article in the Christian Instructor for July last, as exactly 
 expressing my sentiments on the evidence of faith. Many admir- 
 able remarks on this subject are contained in the answers of 
 Messrs. Boston, Hoae, &c. to the questions proposed to them 
 by the Commission of the General Assembly, 1721. 
 
 Want of time prevents me from enlarging on the other charges 
 brought against me; perhaps, however, the principles already 
 laid down, may suffice for the illustration of my views in regard 
 to the points omitted. The fifth charge I have met, in my printed 
 remarks, by referring to the second of Dr. ERSKINE’S Theological 
 Dissertations—this reference I repeat. The Epistles, I do not 
 say, are addressed to the elect, but to those who believe, that is, 
 to all who have believed, all who do believe, and all who yet shall 
 believe. There is undoubtedly a sense in which they are addressed 
 to all to whose ears they come. As a revelation of God’s will, 
 the belief of their contents, and obedience to their precepts, are 
 
29 
 
 obligatory upon every human being. But through the unbelief of 
 the great bulk of the human race, the Scriptures in general, and 
 the Epistles in particular, are to them rendered quite unavailing, 
 as it is only by believing the Gospel that they can perceive these 
 Scriptures to be addressed to them, and can become conscious of 
 their obligatory nature. 
 
 A similar remark almost applies to the 6th charge. The calls, 
 invitations, and commands of the Gospel are addressed to all to 
 whose ears they come, and it is at their peril they reject them. 
 
 The groundwork of the 7th charge, will be found most satis- 
 factorily, and in a way agreeable to my own statements, explained 
 in Mr. GRAy’s testimony, page 88, in his observations on Matt. 
 x. 34. 
 
 The 8th charge is altogether erroneous. So far from inculcating 
 that no preparation was necessary, previous to appearing at the 
 Lord’s table, I enforced such preparation, and pointed out the 
 dangerous consequences that would follow from neglecting it. 
 
 As to the 9th and last charge, I add nothing to what is con- 
 tained in my printed statement. 
 
 Such is the nature of the case submitted to the Reverend 
 Presbytery. It is hoped that the members, enlightened by the 
 word, and guided by the Spirit of God, will be led to pronounce 
 such a decision, as shall be most for his glory, and best fitted to 
 promote the interests of his church. 
 
 D. THOM. 
 
 LivERPOOL, 
 9th September, 1825. 
 
30 
 
 APPENDIX. 
 
 From Riccaltoun’s Works, alluded to in my remarks on Faith, 
 proposition 2d. Vol. ii. page 188. 
 
 “When one has said that the faith, or believing, so much 
 spoken of in the Record, and which bears such weight in the 
 Christian life, is the very same which is so well known in common 
 life, he has said all that can be said for clearing the nature of it. 
 The meanest peasant knows better what it is to believe, than the 
 most learned philosopher can define it. It can be known only by 
 experience. It is an inward sense, which none can know any 
 thing of but they who feel it; and never was any man at a loss 
 to know when he believed, and when not, unless he had been 
 somehow carried out of the plain natural road, and made to 
 imagine that fuith is something he knows not what, nor how it 
 is to be performed.”’ 
 
 Equally admirable are the following remarks, from page 189 of 
 the same volume. ‘ 
 
 <¢ And therefore it must be observed, that the facts recorded 
 there are not matters of pure speculation, for the improvement of 
 our minds, but benefactions and promises, which demand suitable 
 acknowledgments for the benefits already received, and depend- 
 ance on the promiser’s faithfulness for what is farther promised. 
 This is well known among men, by the terms of trusting or 
 depending on another’s word. And to talk of believing a promise 
 which does not imply this, is really talking contradictions ; and 
 to say we believe the promise perfectly, when we entertain any 
 doubt or wavering about the performance of it, is very little 
 better. Just so much full assurance as there is of the truth 
 and fuithfulness of the promise, so much assured confidence will 
 there be in God ; and so much as there is of this confidence, so 
 much faith, and no more. So that there can hardly be a grosser 
 mistake than what many indulge themselves in, that their want of 
 assurance is their unhappiness, but not their sin. Just so much 
 of doubting as there is mixed with faith, so much is:there of 
 unbelief, and in proportion to that, so much there is of suspicion 
 and jealousy that God may be a liar, or, at least, that his faith- 
 fulness may fail, which is nearly allied to it.”’ j 
 
 Let these admirably clear and distinct sentiments be compared 
 with Mr. GRAy’s evidence, particularly at the bottom of page 91, 
 and top of page 92, of the Proof. 
 
ADVERTISEMENT 
 TO THE SECOND EDITION. 
 
 . —_——_ 
 
 It was originally my intention’ to have made some alterations 
 upon the foregoing Memorial. The hurry with which it was 
 drawn up, and printed,—the manuscript having been actually 
 sent off to Glasgow, for publication, without being revised,— 
 seemed imperatively to demand this. But as my principal object 
 in re-publishing the piece, was to make an appeal to the public 
 as to the justice of the sentence pronounced by the Presbytery, 
 it struck me, that however requisite alterations might be, I could 
 not, in fairness to that body, allow myself to make them. The 
 Memorial, therefore, goes forth to the world with all its disadvan- 
 tages on its head. 
 
 To this note I have subjoined the sentence of the Presbytery, 
 and have only to add, that the Memorial was in the hands of 
 each of the Members eight days before that sentence was pro- 
 
 nounced. 
 D. THOM. 
 
 Liverpool, 13th October, 1825. 
 
 SENTENCE OF THE PRESBYTERY. 
 
 “The Presbytery having deliberated on the case of the Rev. Davip 
 Tuom at great length, and given their opinion thereon, Find, with the 
 deepest concern, that.Mr. THom has, during his ministry at Liverpool, in 
 his discourses from the pulpit, asserted, maintained, and inculeated several 
 gross errors, which strike at the vitals of religion, are contrary to, and 
 inconsistent with, the Word of God, The Confession of Faith, and Cate- 
 chisms of this National Church, as said errors are set forth in the Petition 
 of Joun M’Cuttocu and others, and referred by parties to the decision 
 of this Presbytery. Thatthe Petitioners have proved each article of charge 
 in their petition; and that Mr. THom has failed in his exculpation: + 
 
32 
 
 Wherefore the Presbytery, after full and mature consideration of the whole 
 of this very important reference, did, and hereby do, find and declare, that 
 Mr. Tuom has contravened his solemn engagements as a licensed Proba- 
 tioner, and ordained Minister of the Church of Scotland, failed to perform 
 his part of the stipulations in the Bond to him by the Trustees of the 
 Scotch, or St. Andrew’s Church, Rodney-street, Liverpool, of date 18th 
 April, 1823, on the faith of which he was ordained by this Presbytery to 
 be their Minister, and forfeited the provisions and stipulatioifs made by 
 said Bond in his favour. The Presbytery therefore did, and hereby do, 
 declare the said Mr. Davip THom to be deprived of the Ministry of said 
 Church from this date.” 
 
 Liverpool :—Printed for C. Gray, Bookseller, Paradise-street ; 
 by D. Marples, 69, Cireus-street.