AN 1 
 
 b the CONGREGATION 
 
 AT THE 
 
 NEW ,CHAPEL, 
 
 D A G G E^R »LANEj 
 
 - 
 
 KING SfON-UPO N.HULL. 
 
 4 
 
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 111 which, is Vindicated, 
 
 ♦* 
 
 T H E D b C T R I N E 
 
 Of JuftifiGation 
 
 5 
 
 By S. BARN ARE), Minister of -the Gospel 
 
 ». . ■ 
 
 ;.y i 
 
 He: tljat is firi! in his own cWe feemeth jufl : but h 
 bour coyieth and fearcheth him, 
 
 ; neigh- 
 
 * Solomon, 
 
 H U 
 
 L: 
 
 
 PRINTED B Y • | FeRRASYj 
 
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 PERKINS LIBRARY 
 
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 BRITISH METHODISM 
 

 AN ADDRESS, &c, 
 
 Dearly beloved Brethren. 
 
 Grace be unto you and peace from God our Fa« 
 ther, and the Lord ye/us Chrijl. 
 
 IT gives me no fmall degree of pleafure, to 
 find that I have another opportunity of ad- 
 dreffing you in the defence of thofe truths 
 which I have preached to you, fince God in his 
 providence caft my lot among you. — I write net 
 now to maintain a^mere logical point, but to 
 vindicate the truth, as it is in Jefus ; which 
 ought not to be palliated in order to accommo- 
 date it to the vicious and corrupt inclinations 
 of any man; but faithfully and fully decked, 
 whatever be the event, for the foul that is born 
 of God, will not be fatisfied without the living 
 bread ; and the carnal mind will not be fatisfied, 
 fo long as one fpiritual truth remains. So that 
 either the children will cry becaufe their food 
 is taken away, or the enemies of Chrijl, will hifs 
 at the bread of life. 
 
 A few days ago a Sermon was put into my 
 hands, which the writer thereof calls Eternal 
 j unification unmafked, and as the fcope of it (I 
 find) tends to fubvert fome of the fundamental 
 truths of the gofpel, and perplex the minds of 
 the readers ; I therefore thought it my duty to 
 fortify your minds again ft thofe errors and ab^ 
 furdities which fo manifeftly abound therein. 
 
 The author you may obferve, begins his pre- 
 face with a great deal of buflle and noife about 
 
 A z *' ignorant 
 
^ JUSTIFICATION VINDICATED. 
 
 ignorance, pride, boajling, &c." fo that one is ai- 
 med led tx> think, that he is one of thofe windy, 
 vain, frothy, all-tongued, boajling, empty profejjors 
 which he makes mention of in his next page. 
 
 He then produces a great number of heavy 
 charges againft fame perfon or perfons, fuch as 
 
 " being ajfraid to come to the light their being 
 
 afhamed of their tenets heaping odiums upon the 
 
 jervants of Chrijl diffuading their credulous 
 
 @nd ignorant headers to keep from every faithful 
 piinijl^r, &c but as every difcerning perfon 
 who is acquainted with the author, will be able 
 to fee what all this rancour fprings from ; and 
 knowing that the truth wants nothing of this 
 J^ind tor ;ts fupport, I lh.il pafs it by and not 
 render railing for railing, Befide we may iup- 
 poie that he gave us the bejl which he was at 
 tha^ime in poffeffion of; and if a man give us 
 
 ie b 
 
 the Deft he has, we can defire no more ; then 
 fore let us look forwards for femething better. 
 
 The writer ia the firft page of his Sermon 
 informs us, that 'f Errors are p leaf ant dainties 
 on which ignorance delights to feed f and really 
 pne would imagine by his following pages, that 
 he fpeaks from his own experience, for he feems 
 to me to be in the pofTeflion of no fmall num- 
 ber of them, but as I wifh to be as brief as I 
 can | let us proceed now to page the Sth to the 
 article of Juff cation , which we need not be 
 ajfraid, nor yet aJJja?ned to do. 
 
 In the above-mentioned page we are told, 
 that " fujlif cation is not an holy and heavenly df- 
 pofition of mind wrought in the foul" — we grant it a 
 '*, ' It is not a work of the holy fpirit in our hearts, 
 this alfo is granted by us,--" but it is an ab~l tf 
 
 grace 
 
JUSTIFICATION VINDICATED. 5 
 
 grace towards a believing sinner;' that is 
 you know a saint ; for every real believer is a 
 fanctified perfon, fo that the object of j unifica- 
 tion you find is a Saint. 
 
 Now look at the bottom of his 14th page, and 
 there he tells you with Saint Paul, that God 
 jujlifies the ungodly; fo that thefe two put 
 together make up the author's ohjeSl of j unifi- 
 cation ; which is an ungodly saint ; alas 
 what a Monfter ! ! ! where fLall we find one ? 
 is there fuch an one in heaven ? no, for there 
 dwells nothing but righteoufnefs, or righteous 
 beings. Are there any fuch in hell, no, for no 
 fuch compound beings inhabit thofe dark re- 
 gions. Can fuch a being be found upon the 
 earth ? no, lor all that dwell upon the earth 
 are either Saints or ungodly Sinners ; that is they 
 cither poffefs the fpirit and grace of God in 
 their hearts, or they are fenfual having not the 
 Jpirit. Now as the author's object of justifica- 
 tion, viz. an ungodly saint, cannot be 
 found neither in Heaven, Earth, nor Hell, nor 
 any where elfe except in his own imagination $ 
 we muft conclude that he has given his Sermoa 
 a very wrong title ; for inftead of unmajking juf- 
 tification in any fenfe ; he has majked it in every 
 fenfe ; therefore we muft call it for the future 
 purification majked. Now had he left out the 
 word believing, and faid that j unification is an 
 act of God's grace towards a Jinner, we fhould 
 have agreed with him, as well as with Saint 
 Paul, who tells us that Godjuftines the ungod- 
 ly s in which flate he viewed his people in 
 <ddam before the choice was made* or it coul4 
 
 not 
 
6 JUSTIFICATION VINDICATED, 
 
 not have been to falvation, through fanctifica- 
 tion of the fpirit and belief of the truth. * 
 
 It is a pity his revifers if he had any, did 
 pot difcover the blunder and inform him better, 
 becaufe fuch things do hurt to the caufe which 
 he profeffes. to maintain. 
 
 In page the 9th he tells us, that " God's juf- 
 tified people are not only pardoned and delivered 
 from eternal torment ^ but they are bleffed with all 
 fpirit ual blejjings in heavenly places in Chriflf 
 which though a truth, it is not the meaning of 
 this text, for the paffage to which he alludes 
 reads thus ; Bleffed be the God and Father of 
 our Lord Jefus Chrifr, who hath bleffed us 
 with all fpiritual bleffings in heavenly places 
 in Chrift : and the apofile adds in the follow- 
 ing verfe, according as he hath chofen us in him 
 before the foundation of the world ; therefore 
 what Paul means to prove is, that all God's cho- 
 fen ones were bleffed with all fpiritual bleffings 
 in Chrift before the foundation of the world; 
 and as jujlification is one of thofe bleffings, 
 they muff be bleffed with that as early ; and 
 this is the obvious meaning of the paffage. 
 
 He mentions alio in the fame page, €( a compa- 
 rative juflif cation," and unfortunately produces 
 to prove it, the cafe of the Publican and Pha- 
 rifee. y Now you may obferve that in a compa- 
 rison between two things, we fay one is/?, and 
 the other is morefo. Thus forinftance in com- 
 paring wood with iron, we fay wood is hard, 
 but iron is harder ; but here you have to remem- 
 ber that both the wood and the iron exi/l. Now 
 we are told in the paffage under confederation, 
 
 * z Thef. ii. zi. f Luke xyiii, 14, 
 
 tha 
 
JUSTIFICATION VINDICATED, J 
 
 that the Publican went down to his own houfe 
 juflified, (viz. in his own confcience) rather 
 than, or and not the other. Now where in the 
 name of common fenfe the author can find his 
 comparifon, I cannot conceive; for feeing one was 
 juflified and the other not juflified, no compa- 
 nion can be made between them. 'Tis a pity 
 the author turned out his thoughts in fuch a 
 crude, indigefted flate. 
 
 But we muft haften now it feems to confi- 
 
 der " whether jujlijication be an eternity, or time 
 
 aff," which our author propofes in page ioth, to 
 
 f* try by the word of God" and to which we have 
 
 <no objection, being neither affraid, nor ajhamed* 
 
 He proceeds to inform us, " that the no- 
 tion of eternal ju/iification appears to him a moji 
 dangerous one" and propofes to " point out to us 
 its dreadful tendency r , to ruin the fouls of his fel- 
 low finners i and no doubt but he would in- 
 form us alfo, that the notion of eternal election 
 is full as dangerous, and has the fame tendency 
 to ruin their fouls as eternal juftification ; fince 
 they are both immanent adts of God, and this I 
 have reafon to believe, on reading his 15th page, 
 on which I fhall fhortly make fome remarks. 
 
 He then proceeds to inform us, that " in the 
 fcripture 9 we read of jujlif cation as fomething to 
 be done in future ; (which he tells us) would be a 
 fault , if juftification was from eternity " 
 
 Now in order to harmonize the fcriptures on 
 this fubjecT, you have to keep in mind, that 
 very neceffary diftindtion, between ouv jollifica- 
 tion, or freedom from condemnation before God > 
 and our juftification, or freedom from condem- 
 nation in our own confciences j the former is 
 
 through 
 
8 JUSTIFICATION VINDICATED^ 
 
 through the redemption that is in Chrift, * and 
 the latter is enjoyed by faith, by which alone, 
 we h ve peace with God. 
 
 Having made this remark, let us proceed now 
 to examine thofe fcriptures which he brings to' 
 prove, that " "Jujlificatibn is fomething to be done 
 in future,* one of which reads thus. Now it was 
 not written for his.(viz. Abraham's) fake alone, 
 that it was imputed to him; but for us alfo, to 
 whom it jhall be imputed if we believe, &c.-f- 
 from which paffage he Undoubtedly means to 
 fuggeft, that ChriiVs righteoufnefs is not impu- 
 ted to God's people till they believe. Now our 
 Lord ufes the very fame form of fpeech to his 
 difciples, as is ufed by the apoftle in the above- 
 mentioned paffage. Herein (fays Chrift) is my 
 Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit, fo Jhall 
 ye be my difciples, J now, as it is evident that 
 they were his difciples at this time, our Lord 
 could only mean/ that their bearing fruit would 
 make it manifeft. § So here alfo, in the paffage 
 quoted by the author of fujlijication mafked 9 
 when the apoftle fays, to whom it shall be 
 imputed, he only means ; that fuch as believe a k s 
 Abraham did, it is manifeft that they have the 
 fame righteoufnefs imputed to them as he had, 
 Befide the perfons among whom the apoftle in- 
 cludes himlelf, muft be fuppofed to be real be- 
 lievers, by which it was manifeft that thd 
 righteoufnefs of Chrift was imputed to them 
 already. Now, ifrighteoufnefs.be not imputed 
 till we believe, then it is not till then accepted 
 of the Father ; but if it be accepted of the Fa- 
 ther at all, it is accepted on the behalf of all 
 
 * Rom. iii. 34.. f Rom. iv. 23, 24.. X J°^ n xv « 8. § ^ e a ^° J°^ in x ' v - 2T * 
 
 his 
 
j tJSTIFIC AtlON VINDICATED. § 
 
 iiis people ; and if accepted, it mad be imputed, 
 and if imputed, all thofe to whom it is impu- 
 ted, muft be juftified before God. 
 
 But the import of the author's reafoning \§ 
 this; Chrift has wrought out a righteoufnefs, 
 which the Father has accepted in the behalf of 
 his people ; but he never imputes, or puts it to 
 their account till they believe ; than which rio^ 
 thing can be more falfe, for it cannot be ac- 
 cepted a moment on the behalf of his people, be-* 
 fore it is imputed to thofe people, on whofs 
 behalf it is accepted of the Father. 
 
 The next paflage of fcripture which he pro-* 
 duces to prove that " juftification is Jomething to 
 be done in future" is, where the apoftle addrefies 
 the Galatians faying, the fcripture forefeeing 
 that God would juftify the Heathen (viz. in. 
 their own confciences) through faith, preach- 
 ed before the gofpel unto Abraham, 6tc. * by 
 which we may learn, that the fame righteouf- 
 nefs which juftified Abraham before God, jus- 
 tifies his people among the Gentiles before 
 him. That this fame doctrine of Chrift's right- 
 eoufnefs imputed for juftification before God, 
 is preached alfo among the Gentiles : to whom 
 faith would be given to lay hold of and receive 
 this righteoufnefs, whereupon God would pro- 
 nounce the fentence of juftification in their con- 
 fciences f from whence follow peace and joy in 
 the holy Ghoft. And here my brethren, I 
 would wi(h you to remember, that whenever 
 faith is connected with juftification, it either 
 relates to Chrift and his righteoufnefs the ob- 
 ject of faith; or has refpect to juftification, in 
 
 * Gal. iii. 8. 
 
 B 
 
 
IO JUSTIFICATION VINDICATED, 
 
 the confcicnce of the believer, in which fenfe it 
 is that juftification is fpoken of as fomething to 
 be done in future. 
 
 He tells us likewife, " that the go/pel was 
 prer.ched many years before the Gentiles were juf- 
 tifiied.' Now if he mean before the Gentiles 
 were juftified in their own confciences, we 
 grant it, but if he mean before God, we deny 
 it ; for in that fenfe they were juftified as eledt,* 
 and not as believing /inner s or faints, -j- and 
 therefore mud: be juftified, or freed from con- 
 demnation before God from eternity • and for 
 my part I cannot fee how they that hold the 
 one, can deny the other. And as to the " gofpel 
 being preached from eternity ,' as I never heard 
 any but himfelf talk fo weakly; I mall fay no 
 more about it. 
 
 This author of fujlification mafked ; tells us 
 in page the nth, that <€ the Jcripfures never 
 
 fpeak cf me?i in a Jiate cf nature as being in a 
 
 jujlifiedjlate" to which I reply, that the fcrip- 
 ture fpeaks of men as Elect, while they are in a 
 Hate of nature ; J and as nothing can be laid to 
 their charge the fcripture mud fpeak of men in 
 a ftace of nature as being juftified before God; 
 becaufe our calling has no influence on our jujli- 
 
 fication before God, for Juftification is not a 
 work of the holy fpirit within us; though till 
 he does fo work, no man can know himfelf to 
 be in a juftified ftate. 
 
 He tells us moreover in the fame page, that 
 «' if they (viz. the Ephefians) had been jujlified 
 
 from eternity, they never could have been without 
 
 f R^m, ym. -3, f Rom, iv, 5. t Judc i. 
 
 Chrijl^ 
 
JUSTIFICATION VINDICATED. It 
 
 Chrift" poor man, it is a pity he did not give 
 this fentence a little more thought before he 
 wrote it ; becaufe then he might have been able 
 to have made a diftintftion between a man's be- 
 ing out 0/Ch rift arid without Chrift; for even 
 the eiedl themfelves while they are in a (late 
 of nature are without Chrift, that is Chrift does 
 not dwell in their hearts by faith : but there 
 never was a moment in which they were out cf 
 him, becaufe they were chofen in him before 
 the foundation of the world, and preferved in 
 him, and called. 
 
 He tells us alfo in the above mentioned page, 
 that " it is evident from God's word that unbe- 
 lievers are condemned.' Now we mould be at a 
 lofs to know, whether he means that unbe- 
 lievers are condemned before God, or in their 
 own conferences ; whether as confidered in A- 
 dam, or as confidered in Chrift ; had he not ex- 
 plained his meaning a little lower down, by 
 telling us, that " an unbeliever is condemned be- 
 fore qod." Poor dear man, he little thinks 
 what would follow as confequences if his doc-? 
 trine were true ; but it will become us how- 
 ever painful, to enquire into them. 
 
 " An unbeliever is condemned before God,' and 
 as he rightly obferves, iC the eletl of God were 
 unbelievers before they were brought to know the 
 truth as it is in Jefus" therefore the M^mutl 
 be condemned before God. 
 
 He then jumbles together a number of fcrip- 
 tures to amufe the readers, and tells them in 
 page 1 2th, that €€ while the elefl remain in unbe- 
 lief, they are condemned, (viz. before God as he 
 thinks,) for he that believeth not is condemned 
 
 B z already ; 
 
\% JUSTIFICATION VINDICATE!). 
 
 already; becaufe he hath not believed in the name 
 of the only begotten Son of God." * Now had 
 he faid that the elect as viewed in Adam are 
 condemned ; we fhould have agreed with him, 
 becaufe by the offence of one, (viz. Adam) judg- 
 ment came upon all men to condemnation. But 
 the eleSt muft be confidered in Chrijl, becaufe 
 chofen in him before the foundation of the 
 world, and therefore if the ele$ be condemned 
 before God, Chrijl muft be condemned before 
 him, becaufe he is the bead, and they the mem- 
 bers - y and if this do not border upon hlafphe- 
 tn%2 I know not what does. 
 
 Again this notion, that " the elect are con- 
 demned before God" overturns the doctrine of the 
 atonement, for if the elect be condemned before 
 God, their^yfo muft be charged before him, for 
 fin and condemnation are infeparable y and if 
 the fins of the elect ftand charged before God, 
 then God cannot be reconciled, and if God be 
 not reconciled, the author has no Go/pel to 
 preach j for can it be good news for a poor fin- 
 ner to be informed that notwithftanding (Thrill: 
 hath died for fin, yet that very fin for which 
 thrift died (lands charged before God, and the 
 perfons who committed it condemned before 
 him ? furely not, and yet this is the author's; 
 opinion if his words have any meaning : fo that 
 at the moft he can only reprefent in his preach- 
 ing, that God is reconcileable, and that he will 
 be quite reconciled upon our believing. I am 
 lorry to find him among fuch company, poor: 
 -man. 
 
 Again if this doctrine were true^ viz, that 
 
 * John iii, i8. 
 
 the 
 
JUSTIFICATION VINDICATED. 13 
 
 if the elect are condemned before God," it would 
 be no hard matter to prove that he and all to 
 whom he preaches, mull: go to Hell ; for if the 
 fins of God's people (land charged before him, 
 they mud remain charged, for if Chrift have not 
 put away iin from before God by the facrifice 
 of himfelf, he never will do it ; and it is in vain 
 for the author to fay that it is put away on our 
 believing, for though faith receives, yet it does 
 not make the atonement; and if iin be charged 
 before God before we believe, it muft remain 
 charged after we have believed for all what faith 
 can do for us. So that every foul, upon this plan 
 muft go to Hell, for who can go to Heaven 
 with his fins charged, and he condemned before 
 God ? 
 
 Now the paffage which he brings to prove 
 that f* while the elect remain in unbelief they are 
 condemned before God" reads thus, he that be- 
 lieveth not is condemned already, &c. and 
 fo he is as viewed in Adam, as he is alio in his 
 own, confcience, but not before God as confider- 
 ed in Chrijl -, for in that fenfe there is no con- 
 demnation to fuch. 
 
 He proceeds to inform us, that €C an unbe~ 
 liever cannot be in a ft ate of special favor 
 with God' that is if I underftand him right, 
 God has no particular regard for, or love to an 
 unbeliever. Now as he rightly obferves the 
 elect are unbelievers by nature, therefore the 
 import of his reafoning is, to fhow that God 
 has no fpecial love towards his elect till they be- 
 lieve. I would afk then, was4t no mark of 
 love or fpecial favor towards the elecl:, for God 
 
 to 
 
14 -JUSTIFICATION VINDICATED. 
 
 to give his Son to die for them ? was it no 
 mark of God's fpecial favor for him to fend his 
 fpirit into their hearts to quicken, regenerate 
 them ? &c. though perhaps the author thinks 
 that we believe firft, and then God gives us his 
 Son, and fends his fpirit into our hearts -> and 
 if fo, I wifh him all the comfort that fuch a 
 tenet can afford him. 
 
 But let us attend now to the text which the 
 author brings to prove, that " unbelievers can- 
 not be in a Jiate of fpecial favor with God" it 
 reads thus, he that believeth not mail be damn- 
 ed. * Now here you have to remark, brethren, 
 that our Lord cannot mean that he that believ- 
 eth not (now this moment) mail be damned, 
 becaufe many who are now in unbelief may 
 hereafter have faith given them, and they 
 brought to believe to the faving of their fouls. 
 It can only mean then, that he that lives and 
 dies in a ftate of unbelief, fhall be damned. And 
 this we acknowledge, which we may do, without 
 faying with the author of fuflifi cation mafked ; 
 that " the eleSl while unbelievers, cannot be in a { 
 fate of fpecial favor with God." Now had he 
 faid that the eled: while in a ftate of unbe- 
 lief are not known to be in a ftate of fpecial fa- 
 vor with God; we mould have agreed with him, 
 for although Gcd loves his people with an ever- 
 lading love, yet it cannot be known to them«* 
 felves nor others, till they are called by grace. 
 
 He then proceeds to clofe the 12th page by 
 
 telling us, that " the unbelief of Ifrael of old 
 
 forely grieved the Lord and made him angry, that 
 
 he [wore in his wroth that they fid ould not enter 
 
 into 
 
JUSTIFICATION VINDICATED. 15 
 
 into his reft>fo that we fee they could not enter in 
 becaufe of unbelief* Thus it appears from God's 
 own word, that no unbeliever can be in a jujlified 
 Jlate\ (page 13th) 
 
 Now the fcope of the author's reasoning is 
 as follows ; viz. becaufe Ifrael entered not in- 
 to the land of Canaan on account of their un- 
 belief, therefore the eledt while in a ftate of un- 
 belief cannot be juflified before God in the 
 righteoufnefs of Chrift. What reafoning ! ! 
 
 For although unbelief kept Ifrael out of the 
 land of Canaan, unbelief will never keep the 
 eledt out of Heaven. For faith is one of thofe 
 fpiritual bleffings, which is treafured up in 
 Chrift for them ; they are chofen to and through 
 it to falvation j and (all the fpiritual Ifrael) 
 fhall be faved in the Lord, with an everlafting 
 falvation. Befide the reft fpoken of in the a- 
 bove-mentioned paffage is not a type of Heaven, 
 .but of the fpiritual rejl of the faints which they 
 that believe enter into. So that this paffage is 
 nothing at all to his purpofe. He clofes the 
 paragraph by faying, *' therefore we mufl be juf* 
 tified when we believe and not before' Now if 
 he mean in our own consciences we grant it, 
 but if he mean before God we deny it; till he 
 can prove that the righteoufnefs of Chrift is 
 not accepted in the behalf of his people till 
 they believe. 
 
 We are now come to a very particular part of 
 the fubjecl, which you my brethren would do 
 well to attend to, we have prefented to our view 
 
 " An OBJECTION; 
 
 Nothing can be laid to the charge of God's eletf; 
 
 therefore 
 
1 6 JUSTIFICATION VINDICATED. 
 
 therefore they mufi have been jujiified from eternity $ 
 as they were elected from eternity. 
 
 ANSWER. 
 
 <c The apojile does not fay that nothing can be laid 
 to their charge becaufe they are eleEl ; but nothing 
 can belaid to their charge becaufe they (the elect) 
 are juftifiedf If this man had a good caufe in 
 hand he would make it appear a bad one -> for 
 he has now acknowledged in his anfwer all that 
 we, and the apoftle contend for, namely, that 
 they, the eleft are juftiiied before God. That 
 being the cafe the apoftle fays, who fhall lay any 
 thing to the charge of God's eledt ? it is God that 
 juftifies, (viz, the elec5t) who is he that con- 
 demneth ? * The anfwer is, the author of Juf- 
 tif cation majked does. But leaving him and the 
 apoftle to fettle this matter, could you have 
 thought when the writer firft fet off, that he 
 would fo foon have become a preacher of that 
 faith which he once deftroved ? but however fo 
 it is. 
 
 We proceed now to take notice of that fcrip- 
 ture which fpeaks of vocation, or calling be- 
 fore j unification, which our author feems to 
 think militates againft the notion of eternal 
 juftification. It is this ; whom he called, them he 
 alfo jujiified. -f- Now you have to remember, that 
 the order of words in fcripture does not always 
 exprefs the order of things, for even the order 
 of the perfons in the Trinity is not always kept 
 to, for fometimes the Son is placed before the 
 Father, and at other times the holy Spirit be- 
 fore them both ; which though it proves their 
 
 • Rom, viii. 33, 34,. f Rom. viii. 30, 
 
 equality, 
 
Jit STIFIC ATION VINDICATED^ if 
 
 ecjuality, yet does not deftroy the order among 
 them. So alfo with refpcft to vocation -, it isfome- 
 times placed before election, as where the apoftle 
 fays, make your calling and election fure. Again 5 
 they that are with the Lord are called, chofert 
 and faithful, *• But we cannot conclude frorri 
 thence, that they were called before they were 
 chofen, becaufe Paul tells us to the contrary. 
 But however, fuppofe we attend to the order 
 of the words, and fay whom he called, them he 
 alfo juftified $ there is then nothing unnatural iii 
 the paffage, for though a man is juftified be- 
 fore God as elecl, as Saint Paul fays, and as the 
 author has proved, yet he is not juftified or 
 freed from condemnation in his own confidence 
 till after he is called \ which without doubt is 
 what the apoftle means, if the order of the 
 Words milft be attended to. 
 
 He begins his 14th page with fomething a- 
 bout €€ a "nofe of wax " but as I never made 
 one, I can fay but little about it. And— 
 
 As to perfbns, " re/ling the fcriptures to their 
 own dejlruElion J I fhall only fay, that if any- 
 body ever did fo, it appears to me to be the 
 author of y unification mafked •• for he has lb 
 refted the fcriptures already, as to overturn the 
 atonement, and the doctrine of juftification, and 
 Without thefe, deftrudtion muft follow of courfe. 
 He next informs us in the above-mentioned 
 page, that " eternal juftification is not only con- 
 trary to thefcripture y but to reafon alfo,' and 
 tries to prove it thus : " before we were brought 
 into being, we could neither be juftified nor condemn- 
 
 * z Pet, i. to. Rev. xvii. 14 
 
 C cdi 
 
iS JUSTIFICATION VINDICATED. 
 
 ed, for nothing can be predicated, (or affirmed) of 
 that which is not/' fays our author. 
 
 Now here you may obferve, that he denies 
 upon this ground the doctrine of eternal elec- 
 tion ; for if nothing can be affirmed of that 
 which is not, or has no actual being, Paul did 
 very wrong to affirm that we were chofen in 
 Chrijt bejore the foundation of the world \ as he did 
 alfo when he faid, God hath from the beginning 
 chofen you tofalvation; for fays the author, 
 *' nothing can be predicated, or affirmed of that 
 which is not/' 
 
 But however as Paul has affirmed, that God's 
 people were chofen in Chrift before the founda- 
 tion of the world, and bleffed with all fpiritual 
 bJeffings as early ; and that nothing can be laid to 
 their charge tc becaufe they (the elett) arejujli- 
 fed/' then we need not be affraid to affirm the 
 fame things, of the fame people. 
 
 Now be it remembered, that although God's 
 elect have not an aclual being from eternity, 
 yet it was certain with God that they fhould have 
 one ; for known unto him are all his works 
 from the beginning, or from eternity. * Befide 
 it fhould be remembered alfo, that the eledt 
 have a reprefentative being in Chrift, even fuch 
 a being as makes them capable of being bleffed 
 in him with all fpiritual bleffings, and why not 
 capable of being juiHfied in him ? fince juftifi- 
 cation is not a work that is wrought in them, 
 but an adt*of grace towards them, as eled:ion is e 
 
 He next proceeds to inform us, that " as 
 jujlification is a law term, it fuppofes ijl. a law- 
 giver, 2d, a law, 3d. a court of judicature ; and 
 
 * A&s xv. jS, 
 
 tells 
 
JUSTIFICATION VINDICATED, I9 
 
 tells us, there could be no law-giver before the law 
 was given, nor could there be a law given, before 
 there was any p erf on to give it to ; neither can a 
 perfon be brought before a judge prior to his ex- 
 iflence" 
 
 Now, let it be remembered by you my bre- 
 thren; that Chrift was fet up as mediator of his 
 people from everlajling, from the beginning, or 
 ever the earth was ; even then his delights were 
 with the fons of men. * And a mediator im- 
 plies an offender , an offender implies an of- 
 fence, or fin; fin implies a law; and a law im- 
 plies a law-giver. So that God confidered His 
 people as loft creatures in Adam, before the 
 choice was made, or it could not have been to 
 falvation, but then God's choice of his people 
 was not to prevent their falling by fin ; but to 
 prevent their falling into He 11 on the account of 
 their tin. And as God chofe his people to fal- 
 vation ; falvation implies bondage, bondage im- 
 plies fin, fin implies a law and a tranfgreffbr, 
 and a law implies a law-giver. Thus, 
 
 " His bufy thoughts at firft. 
 
 On their falvation ran ; 
 E'er fin was born or Adam's dun:, 
 
 Was fafhioned to a man." Watts * 
 
 It is worth remarking alfo, that in the co- 
 venant of grace among the facred three before 
 all worlds, Chrift became a furety and pro- 
 mifed to come and do the will of God, on the 
 behalf of all his people ; he is therefore called 
 the furety of a better teflament, or covenant. \ 
 Now a furety implies a debtor, a debtor im- 
 
 f Proy. viii. a 3,-^-31. f Heb. vii. 22, 
 
 C 2 plie* 
 
2.0 Y USTIFIC ATION VINDICATED, 
 
 plies a debt, or fin ; fin implies a law, and a 
 law implies a law-giver. Therefore if the au- 
 thor wim to do any thing to purpofe, he muft 
 Firjl, overturn the doctrine of Election ; Se- 
 condly, prove that Chrift did not fuftain the of- 
 fice of mediator from everlafting ; and Thirdly, 
 that he in the covenant of grace did not {land 
 in the office capacity of a jurety for his peo- 
 ple," for without proving thefe, his reasoning 
 has no force. 
 
 He then goes on and tells us, that f € God 
 jufiifies none but finners, ungodly finners f but as 
 it is fome time fince in page 8th, he told us that 
 cc God jufiifieth a believing finnerf (or faint) 
 this will ferve as an apology for the contra- 
 diction. 
 
 In his 15th page he tells us, C( when if pleafes 
 the Lord to jufiify afmner, a believing finner , (or 
 faint) then he is brought from afiiate of death into 
 a fiat e of life,'" Now in his 8 th page he tells us, 
 that " jujlification is not a work of the holy jpirit 
 in our hearts" and yet when we are juftified 
 we are brought from death to life. It is a pity, 
 the author was- not better acquainted with the 
 difference between jujlijication and fanftification 
 before he wrote, for then he might have avoid- 
 ed this blunder,as well as many others. 
 
 But let us attend to the fcripture which he 
 brings to prove, that " when God jufiifies a be- 
 lieving jinner, (or faint) he is then brought from 
 death to life \ v It reads thus, verily, verily I fay 
 unto you, he who heareth my word, and believeth 
 on him that fent me, hath everlafting life ; and 
 fhall not come into condemnation, but is faffed, from 
 death to life. * Now this text informs us, that 
 
 * John y< 24. . every 
 
JUSTIFICATION VINDICATED. 2% 
 
 every real believer has fpiritual and eternal life; 
 and mail never come into condemnation (viz. 
 before God) but it does not fay a word of our 
 not being juftified before God in Chrift's righ- 
 teoufnefs till we believe ; nor of our being de- 
 livered from condemnation before God, upon 
 our believing, therefore the text is nothing to 
 his purpofe ; and yet he adds after quoting it, 
 ff you fee then, before we believe, we are condemn- 
 ed,' fo it feems that the writer thinks, that our 
 believing puts away condemnation from be- 
 fore God. But if he can fee that the eledt are con- 
 demned before God till they believe, he has 
 better eyes than I have, or than Paul had ; for 
 he declares that there is no condemnation to 
 them that are in Chrift, * and a man muPc 
 have good eyes indeed, to fee condemnation 
 where there is none. 
 
 He goes on however to inform us, that " tke 
 ever bleffed God did intend from all eternity to 
 juftify the eletJ. " — Wonderful difcovery !! but 
 however, if he mean in their own coniciences, 
 he is certainly right ; but if before God, he is 
 as certainly wrong ; for although the apoftie 
 fpeaks of being called according to his purpofe, 
 he no where fpeaks of being juftified before 
 God according to his purpofe, the one is an a<3: 
 of grace towards a finner, and the other a work 
 of grace in the finner. Therefore although 
 common fenfe would not fay that a man is juf- 
 lified in his own con/cience from eternity, yet 
 common fenfe needs not blulh when faying, a 
 man is juftified before God in Chrift's righte- 
 oufnefs. from eternity ; and fhould the author 
 
 * Kom. viii. x. 
 
%Z JUSTIFICATION VINDICATED^ 
 
 fay that Chart's righteoufnefs was not wrought 
 out till he came in the flefh, and therefore 
 could not be imputed - 3 afk him then in whofe 
 righteoufnefs it was, that the faints went to 
 Heaven before the coming of Chrift in the 
 flefh, and mould he return a judicious and 
 fcriptural anfwer, he will tell you, that juftice 
 acquitted all the elect, when in the covenant of 
 grace, Chrift their furety promifed to come and 
 do the will of God, for they could be detained 
 prifoners no longer, any more than a crediior 
 could detain a debtor after accepting his fure- 
 ty's bond. And as to <c God's people being glo- 
 rified from eternity" that for obvious reafons 
 cannot be, nor do I know any body except the 
 author of f unification majked who would talk 
 fuch nonfenfe, therefore as it is of his own 
 coining, we are willing he mould have it for 
 his own amufement. In the mean while let us 
 proceed to examine what follows. 
 
 " Every per fon who is juftified, enters into u- 
 nion with Chrift, for Chrifi dwells in their hearts 
 by faith \ but their could be no union before crea- 
 tion, the branch tnufi be made before it can be 
 grafted on that fruitful vine Chrifi Jefus, (for) 
 while we were unbelievers we were condemned, 
 and fo we could not be united to Chrifi. 1 
 
 Here we may obferve, that when we believe 
 we are juftified, and when we are juftified, we 
 enter into union with Chrift ; fo that if I un- 
 derftand him right, it muft be either faith or 
 juflif cation that unites us to Chrift ; but which 
 of the two it is, he has not told us. But as 
 being united to Chrift by jujlif cation founds 
 rather ftrange to the ear, perhaps the author 
 
 chufes 
 
JUSTIFICATION VINDICATED. 2 3 
 
 chufes to fay f we are united to Chrift by faith 5 
 or in other words, that faith grafts us into Chrijl. 
 But then as faith is a part of our fanStification* 
 it would found ftill as odd to the ear of a 
 thinking perfon, were we to tell him that a 
 man is justified before God by a branch of his 
 fanctiflcation. Again, as no fpiritual bleffing 
 can be received but out of Chrift's fulnefs, it 
 would be rather a puzzling job for the author, 
 to tell us how we come by faith at firft, with- 
 out a previous connexion with that fulnefs 
 from whence we muft receive it ; befide it is 
 worth remarking alfo, that faith is not a grace 
 of union, but of communion. 
 
 But we may obferve again, this idea of a time 
 union made by faith fuppofes a time when wc 
 were out of Chrift, or there could be no occafion 
 for grafting us in, and then inftead of the a- 
 poftle faying, he hath chofen us in Chri/i before the 
 foundation of the world, he mould have faid, he 
 hath chofen us out of Chrift, before the foun- 
 dation of the world, to be grafted into him in 
 time, for the author tells you, M the branch muft 
 be made before it can he grafted on that fruitful, 
 vine Chrijl Jefus." So he feems, poor man, to 
 have no idea of any thing but a time election 
 or union, therefore we find that his election and 
 juftification before God, bear the fame date. 
 
 But I muft tell you my brethren, for whofe 
 inftrudtion I am now writing, that the idea of 
 grafting into Chrijl in time, has not the leaft 
 foundation in the word of God ; and neither 
 the author, nor any other perfon can bring us 
 one pafTage of fcripture to prove a union to 
 Chrift by grafting. The word occurs no where 
 
 in 
 
2£ justification vindicated; 
 
 in the bible that I know of but in the nth of., 
 Romans, and whoever reads the 17th verfe 
 of that chapter; muft fee that the apoflle has 
 no fuch thing as grafting into Chrift in view, * 
 for it is grafting in among them which he there 
 fpeaks of ; fo that the whole fcheme of graft- 
 ing into Chrift by faith, is a mere fcJion ; and 
 without foundation in the word of God ; there- 
 fore reject it as erroneous. 
 
 But we may obferve again, the author in- 
 forms us alfo that " while we were unbelievers 
 we were condemned, and if fo, we could not be uni- 
 ted to Chrijl ;" which implies if we be united 
 to him, we are not condemned ; but juftified. 
 
 Now Paul tells us, that we were chofen in 
 Chrift before the foundation of the world $ and 
 Jude fays,- preferved in Chrift Jefus and called** 
 
 So that if we were chofen in him as above, 
 then w T e could not be out of him ; and if we 
 were preferved in him, we were not preferved 
 out of him y and if we were called in him, we 
 were not out of him when called. Therefore as 
 we were chofen in Chrift, preferved in Chrift, 
 and called in Chrift, then we muft be jujlifed 
 in Chrift , for as all that are out 0/" Chrift are 
 condemned before God, on account of their fins ; 
 all that are in Chrift muft be juftified before 
 God, from every charge that can be brought a- 
 gainft them ; for as out of him we cannot be 
 juftified, fo in him we cannot be condemned 
 before God. Thus it appears then according to 
 our author's own reafoning, as it does alfo from 
 the word of God ; that eternal eleBion and eter- 
 nal juji if cation muft ftand or fall together. 
 
 * Eph. i. 4, Jude i e 
 
 At 
 
JUSTIFICATION VINDICATED. 2jJ 
 
 I very well know what puzzles the author 
 and thofe of his ferttiments is, their not be- 
 ing able to account for a man's being juftified 
 and condemned at the fame time. But this dif- 
 ficulty my brethren will foon be removed by 
 confidering that all God's people have relation 
 to two heads, viz. Adam and Chrift, and while 
 they are condemried in the former, they are juf- 
 tified and compleat in the righteoufnefs of the 
 latter. Befide, a man may be juftified before God 
 in the righteoufnefs of Chrift, as are all the 
 Elefit ; and yet condemned in his own conscience 
 for want of knowing it. Therefore we conclude 
 that a man is juftified (majaifeftly and in his 
 own confeience) by faith. 
 
 At the bottom of the fame 15th page the 
 author fays, '* if the elect were juftified from eter- 
 nity, they never could fall nor be in a loft condition. 19 
 What ignorance ! whereas God's' chufing them 
 to falvation implies, that he viewed them in 
 that (late in Adam before the choice was made $ 
 and he did not chufe them in Chrift to pre- 
 vent their falling by firt ; but to prevent their 
 falling into Heller their fin, as before obferv- 
 ed, and therefore Chrift came to feek and ta 
 fave that which was loft, as were all his peo- 
 ple as viewed in Adam j and the coming of 
 Chrift in the flefti was to fulfil his covenant 
 engagements with his Father, on the behalf 
 of thofe his people. 
 
 He tells us in page 1 6 th, " if a man be juftified 
 before he believes as the Antinomians fay he is ; was 
 not that a true charge, nay but he deceiveth the 
 feopfcV 
 
 Now you have to obfervc, an Antinomian is 
 
 D ons 
 
JUSTIFICATION VINDICATED. 
 
 one who is againft the moral law, and fays he 
 has nothing to do with it ; but as I never have 
 met with fuch an one fince I have been in Hull, 
 and as my fermon on Reconciliation will inform 
 the reader that I am not of that number, I mall 
 fay no more about it ; but this I will venture 
 to fay, that though as conftdered in Adam we 
 were condemned and loft ; yet as conlidered in 
 Chrift, we were juftified before God, and that 
 too before we believed, though we were not 
 juftified in our own confeiences till after we 
 believed. Nor can the author of f unification 
 majked overturn this truth, unlefs he can prove 
 that we were not chofen in Chrift till after we 
 believed ; for if the head be juftified before God 9 
 fo muft the members ; and if the members be 
 condemned, fo muft the head. 
 
 He tells us towards the clofe of the above- 
 mentioned page, '* if men were juftified from eter- 
 nity, nothing could be laid to their charge ; if Jo, 
 where is the jujlice of God the Father, in caufing 
 the fword to awake againfl the ma?i that was his 
 fellow ? &c.' I anfwer becaufe Chrift in the 
 counfel of peace became a furety for his people, 
 took their debt upon himfelf, and promifed to 
 pay it ; to fulfil which promife, was the errand 
 upon which he came in the flefh. Therefore 
 if the author could but fee it juft of a creditor 
 to demand the debt of a furety y which he has 
 taken upon himfelf, when the time agreed 
 upon between them is expired ; he might fee 
 thejufticeof God, in punifhing his own Son, 
 for his people's fins. 
 
 Page 17th, he afks 6i what ufe can it be for 
 the fpirit to convince the Eklf -world of Jin if they 
 
 were- 
 
JUSTIFICATION VINDICATED. 27 
 
 were pardoned from eternity ? what need is there 
 for htm to apply that blood which clean fes us from 
 all Jin > when fin was done away from eternity f" 
 
 Now here we may obferve with our Lord, 
 that the whole need not a phyfician, but they 
 that zxzfick ; and till a man feels his difeafe, 
 he will prize neither the phyfician, nor yet 
 his medicine, and although it is a fcriptural 
 truth, that Chrift hath put away fin (before 
 God) by the facrifice of himfelf, * or he never 
 will put it away ; yet, it is the fpirit's work to 
 convince of fin and put away the guilt thereof 
 out of the confeience. And although it is a 
 glorious truth, that God doth not impute fin 
 to his people, having laid it all upon Chrift ;^ 
 yet, that does not fet afide the neceffity of the 
 fpirit's applying the blood of Chrift to purge 
 the confeience from dead works ; at which time 
 that which was before an evil confeience be- 
 comes a good one. It is a pity, the author can- 
 not make a proper diftindtion between Chrift's 
 putting away fin before God, and the fpirit's 
 putting away the guilt thereof out of the be- 
 liever's confeience. 
 
 But now let us proceed to the 19th page 
 where the author informs us, that <s he infers 
 that a man is juftified before God by faith ; but in 
 his own confeience and before men he is juftified 
 
 by works" 
 
 Let us examine this inference. €e A man is 
 
 juftified before God by Jaitb." Now if you afk 
 
 what the author calls faith, he tells you in page 
 
 22d, " it is the mojl immanent grace of the fpirit." 
 
 Therefore if his do&rine be true, we are 
 
 * Heb. ix, 26. f Rom. iv.-l. Kai. liii. 6. 
 
 D 2 juftincd 
 
JUSTIFICATION VINDICATED. 
 
 juftified before God, by a grace of the fpirit. 
 And yet he tells us in page 8th that C€ jujlifi- 
 cation is not a work of the holy fpirit in our 
 hearts \" 
 
 Here we may obferve my brethren, that he 
 has put faith as the matter of a finners juftifi- 
 cation before God \ inftead of the obedience of 
 Chri/l, or the redemption that is in him ; al- 
 though the apoftle tells us, that we are juftified 
 (viz. before God) freely by his grace, through 
 the redemption that is in Chrift Jefus , and 
 that by the obedience of one, {hall many be 
 made righteous. * And if this have not a ten- 
 dency to embarrafs the minds of his hearers and 
 to miflead them, I know not what has. 
 
 Now you may remember, that he has be- 
 fore faid, that the object ©f j unification is an 
 ungodly Saint, which is not to be found nei- 
 ther in Heaven, Earth nor Hell ; and here he 
 tells you, that a man is juftified before God by a 
 grace of the fpirit, fo that the fum of both is 
 this, an u ungodly saint is juftified before 
 God by a grace oj the fpirit.*' Alas what divi- 
 nity ! ! ! Ihave been told indeed, that fome o- 
 ther minifters in this Town have had a hand in 
 this publication ; but at prefent I entertain a 
 better opinion of their underftanding, than to 
 think that they would have fuffered fuch non? 
 fenfe to have paffed through their hands ; there- 
 fore let the author have all the honor of it. 
 
 But let us now proceed and examine the o- 
 ther part of this inference, which reads thus, 
 f* but in his own confeience and before men by 
 works." One would think that the author muft 
 
 * Rom. iii. &{-.; — v. 19. 
 
 have 
 
JUSTIFICATION VINDICATED. 2£ 
 
 have fome more perfect works than this per- 
 formance is, or he could never be juftified in his 
 own confcience by them. 
 
 But however, we may obferve here that good 
 tyorks are put in the place of faith, for had he 
 faid, we are juftified before God in the righte- 
 onfnefs of Chrift, (as he did in his 8th page) in 
 our own consciences by faith, and before men 
 by our works -> it would have been more con- 
 fident with the word of God. But as to good 
 works, although they who have believed, will 
 be careful to maintain them, as theapoftle fays;* 
 yet he does not add, that you may be juftified 
 in your consciences by them ; but thefe things 
 are good and profitable unto men, and whoever a- 
 bounds in them is freed from condemnation, or 
 juftified before men ; but as to peace of con- 
 fcience, that is enjoyed in a way of believing, 
 
 In his 2i ft page he tells us, that M if eternal 
 jujlification is not founded on fcripture nor reafon^ 
 it cannot be true" which implies that if it be 
 founded on both, then it muft be Frue. Now 
 Paul fejls us, that there is no condemnation to 
 them, which are in Chrift Jefus, -j- and as we 
 were chofen in Chrift before the foundation of 
 the world, J then we muft be juftified before 
 God as early.— Again as nothing can be laid to 
 the charge of God's elect, § then all God's elect 
 muft be juftified befqre him in Chrift's righte- 
 oufnefs, which rightjeoufnefs is called an ever- 
 lafting righteoufoefs -> a righteoufnefs ever- 
 laftingly accepted of God, on the behalf of his 
 people. / 
 
 Nor is this doctrine contrary to reafon, for as 
 
 f Tit, iii, S, f Rom, yiii, j, J Eph. i. 4. § Rom. rili. 33. || Dan. >jc. 24.. 
 
 Chrift 
 
3© JUSTIFICATION VINDICATED, 
 
 Chrift was fet up as Mediator from everlafting, 
 from the beginning, or ever the earth was -, * it 
 mufl be on the behalf of his people, who were 
 then viewed by him, as fallen creatures in A- 
 dam ; or they could not have been chofen in 
 Chrift to falvation. Befide, Chrift became a 
 Jurety in the covenant of grace, took his peo- 
 ple's debt on himfelf, and gave his Father a pro- 
 mife, or bond, faying, lo I come to do thy will 
 O God. And you know it is quite reafonable 
 for a creditor to acquit a debtor, after he has 
 accepted his furety's bond ; nay, the creditor 
 muft be unjuft not to do it. Therefore as the 
 doctrine of eternal justification before God is a- 
 greeable both to fcripture and reafon it muft: be 
 true, according to our author's own reafoning. 
 
 He tells us alfo in the fame page, that " to 
 drink in unfound doctrines is an awful Jign of re- 
 probation" Therefore it will not be amifs to 
 compare the author's ideas with the word of. 
 God. 
 
 Fir/l 9 As the idea of a time juflijication be- 
 fore God reprefents fin to be charged to, and God 
 angry with bis people -> it muft be an error — For 
 God was in Chrifl reconciling the world to himfelf \ 
 not imputing their trefpajes to them ; and hath 
 committed unto us (his minifters) the word of "re- 
 conciliation* 
 
 Secondly* As a time j unification before God fets 
 a fide the atonement, it muft be an error— For 
 he hath made peace (on God's part) by the blood 
 of his crofs, and by him we have received the atone- 
 ment. 
 
 Thirdly , As a time juflification before God re- 
 prefents Chrift and his members condemned be- 
 
 fore 
 
JUSTIFICATION VINDICATED. 31 
 
 fore him, this muft be an error ; becaufe they 
 are all acquitted by juftice, of which the refur- 
 redtion of Chrift from the dead is a manifeft 
 proof. 
 
 Fourthly, The fcripture informs us, we were 
 chofen in Chrift before the foundation of the 
 world, preferved in Chrift and called ; but this 
 man fays, we are grafted into Chrift on believing 
 though not a word of grafting into Chrift is 
 mentioned in all the Bible, therefore this muft 
 be an error. 
 
 Fifthly, Theapoftle fays, there is no condem- 
 nation to them which are in Chrift -, and that 
 nothing can be laid to the charge of God's elecl:, 
 as fuch.— But this man fays, " we are condemned 
 before God till we believe," and therefore fin muft 
 be charged, without which there could be no 
 condemnation ; which certainly is a very great 
 error. 
 
 Sixthly, The apoftle fays we are juftified 
 (viz. before God) through the redemption 
 which is in Chrift Jefus ; * but this man fays 
 " we are jujiified before God by faith" therefore 
 this muft be an error alfo. 
 
 Seventhly, The fcripture fays, God juftifies 
 the ungodly $— -but our author fays, " he juf- 
 tifies the believing finner," viz. the godly, for 
 no real believer can be without God, or ungod- 
 ly ; therefore this likewife muft be an error. 
 
 Eighthly, The apoftle fays, it is God that juf- 
 tifies, this man fays, " it is faith that juftifies \" 
 Ninthly, The word of God fays, Chrift hath 
 put away fin (before God) by the facrifice of 
 himfelf; this man reprefents that believing 
 
 * Rqjti-, Ui. 24.. 
 
 puts 
 
J2 J U S T I £ I C A Tiok VINDICATED. 
 
 puts it away ; for he tells us <( we are condemn* 
 ed before God till we believe " but this alfo muft 
 be an error. -^-Now if drinking in errors or un* 
 found doctrines be an awful fign of reproba* 
 tion, what can be more applicable to the au- 
 thor, than thou art the man. 
 
 As it would be wrong of us to caft away the. 
 precious with the vile, and to reject a little 
 truth, becaufe it ftands among a deal of error ; 
 
 I wifh to make a remark on a few words which 
 he has dropped in his 22d page concerning 
 faith ; by which I fuppofe he means the faith 
 of God's elect, it reads thus, "Jaith is the moji 
 immanent grace oj the fpirit." 
 
 Here my brethren you have to remember, 
 he is here fpeaking of the thing itfelf, and 
 not of an a5l which is performed by virtue of 
 that thing ; and herein he agrees with Bunyan, 
 Brown, Butterworth, Ma/on, Romaine, Gurnall, 
 &c. &c. who all of them call faith a grace of 
 the fpirit, and to me it appears plain from the 
 word of God, that the faith of God's elect 
 is a divine grace, and believing is the immedi- 
 ate effect thereof. 
 ~The pious and learned Doctor Gill calls it 
 
 II a working grace," * of which Chrift himfelf 
 is the author and finifher. 
 
 He tells us alfo, when fpeaking of the faith 
 of God's elect, • -j- that " this faith is fecured 
 and made fure to them by their election ; they 
 are chofen to, and through it to falvation, thefy 
 believe in confequence and by virtue of it." 
 And indeed, without this way of conceiving 
 of faith, I do not fee how we can account for 
 
 * Note on x Thef. i> 3» t Note on Tit. i. i. 
 
 0UT 
 
JUSTIFICATION VINDICATED. J 5 
 
 our Lord's words to Peter, * where he told 
 him, / have prayed jor thee that thy faith fall 
 ?iot. Now as a grace of the fpirit it did not fail, 
 though it did as to its acting. But if we con- 
 fider faith itfelf to be '•* an a£l of the mind giv- 
 ing credit to the divine teftimony f as is by fume 
 afferted •; then what follows but that Peter loft 
 his faith. For did he give credit to the divine 
 teftimony, that Jefus was the Chrijl the Son of 
 the living God> when he denied him with oaths 
 and curies ? furely not. 
 
 Should any fay, that Peter denied (Thrift 
 
 through fear ; I afk then, did Peter give credit 
 
 to the divine teftimony, which fays, he that lo<~ 
 
 feth his life for my fake 9 Jh all find it ? -f furely 
 
 he did not. 
 
 Should any fay he did it through Jhame, did 
 he then credit the divine teftimony which fays, 
 whofoever fhall be afhamed of me and of my 
 words, of him fhall the Son of man be afhamed, 
 when he fhall come in his own glory ? J furely 
 he did not. For if he had, he would fooner 
 have died for Chrift, than he would have de- 
 nied him. 
 
 From hence then we may obferve, that if the 
 effence of Peter's faith, were " an acl of the mind 
 giving credit to the divine tejlimony" then the 
 effence of Peter's faith failed, and Chrift prayed 
 in vain. But Chrift did not pray in vain, nor 
 did the effence of Peter's faith fail ; and there- 
 fore the effence of his faith was not an acl: of 
 the mind giving credit to the divine teftimo- 
 ny ; but a grace of the fpirit in his heart main- 
 tained by Chrift its author and finiiher. 
 
 * Luke xxjj, 32, f Matt, x, 39. % Lujce ix. 26. 
 
 E But 
 
34 JUSTIFICATION VINDICATED, 
 
 But perhaps fome may fay, that Peter did not 
 lofe the life of faith $ I reply the life of faith is 
 Chriji himfelf, befide our Lord did not fay, I 
 have prayed for thee that the life of faith fail 
 not, but that thy faith fail not 
 
 Others perhaps may fay, that Peter's faith 
 did not i&\\ finally 5 I reply, if Peter's faith fail- 
 ed but for an hour, he loft his fpiritual life in 
 that hour; for if Paul lived by the faith of 
 the Son of God,, Peter muft die for want of it, 
 but that could not be. 
 
 Having thus pointed out to you, what I 
 think to be erroneous, and what I believe is 
 truth ; I would wifli you to chufe the one, and 
 refufe the other ; and do not revile the author, 
 or treat him as an enemy, but pity and pray for 
 him as a miftaking man; that God may give 
 him to know the truth, to love the truth, to 
 embrace the truth, to preach the truth, to live 
 the truth, and to die in the enjoyment of it, 
 that he may be happy for ever and ever. 
 
 Now brethren, I commend you to God, and 
 to the word of his g race, which is able to 
 build you up, and to give you an inheritance 
 among all thern, who are fandtified. 
 
 I N J 
 
Juji publi/hed by the fame Author^ 
 
 THE SECOND EDITION, (PRICE SIXPENCE) 
 
 A- S E R M O N 
 
 On the Fruits and Effefts of God's Love 
 
 ALSO, (price sixpence) 
 
 A SERMON 
 On the do6lrine of Reconciliation, 
 
 ALSO, (price sixpence) 
 
 A S E R M O N 
 
 On the Faith of the Operation of God 
 
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 A CHARGE 
 
 
 Delivered at the Ordination of the 
 
 Rev. Mr, Feist. 
 
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 i