It is a Term not confined to any Dictionary Interpretation, but admits of a Variety of Definitions according to the various Sentiments of the Perfons who use it, from the most profeffed Preachers of Chrift, down to the Monthly Reviewers, who esteem no better of any that concern themselves with the Name of Jefus, farther than what becomes a decent Complaifance to the Profeffion of their Country. Thefe Gentlemen can read the Bible as well as thefe Volumes" without the leaft intellectual Improvement" in the Doctrine of Chrift; and can alfo give a folid Reafon for it, viz. that they have no Tafte for this Kind of Reading; it is very difagreeable to them. They judge " that one virtuous Defign promoted, one good Action done, or "bad Habit fubdued, is worth more than all fuch trifling Confiderations" as the Death and Refurrection of Fefus. The Scripture Language concerning Salvation only by Chrift must be Antinomianifm in their Efteem. They expect to be faved in doing well; and

66

one

the

one, it will justify me and my Conduct: If it be a wrong one, it will prove that you blame you know "not what; and have more Reason to inform yourself ❝than to cenfure others.

"This difconcerted him ftill more. Upon which "Theodorus proceeded : Salvation by CHRIST means, "not only a Deliverance from the Guilt, but also from the Power of Sin. He gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all Iniquity; redeem us from our vain Converfation, as well as deliver us from the "Wrath to come. Go now, Philocles, and tell the "World, that by teaching these Doctrines, I promote "the Caufe of Licentioufnefs. And you will be just

66

66

as rational, just as candid, juft as true, as if you "fhould affirm, that the Firemen, by playing the En gine, and pouring in Water, burnt your House to the "Ground, and laid your Furniture in Ashes." Note Vol. ii. Dial. x. P. 55

the Scripture affures them that if they do well they fhall be accepted. Our Saviour declares, he never came to interrupt fuch People in their good Intentions; but to fave the Loft, and Worthless, fuch as ought to perish, according to every Rule of Equity; and the real Gospel of our Lord Jefus Chrift will ever prove Foolishness, a Stone of Stumbling, and Rock of Offence, to any but thefe fort of People.

Any one who has read the Letters on Theron and Afpafio, or ever feen Mr. Hervey's Sentiments of that Author, will eafily perceive that a Reply to that Performance was abfolutely neceffary, or elfe, as he obferves in one of his Letters," what is not confuted by Argu"ment, is confirmed by Silence." It was also neceffary, if poffible, that this Defence should be by himself, or by his Approbation, "and alfo that the Public Should be afcertained of this, that fo it may be confidered as a proper and neceffary Supplement to his Volumes. As thefe Particulars can be fo plainly discovered by the Letters prefixed, it is well that Mr. Hervey was fo pen in his Declarations.

As to our Debate with Mr. Sandeman it seems to flands as follows:

The turning Point from Defpair to good Hope, he obferves, is the Hinge of the Controversy; and this Point is with Mr.Sandeman the finished Work of Christ, as it is fully fufficient to vindicate the Divine Juftice in faving the moft Guilty. All the Hope he has by this, is reprefented, by the Hope a Man has from hearing of the plentiful Importation of Corn in the Time of Famine; while it yet remains a Hazard, whether he shall ever obtain any: And his Expectation to obtain, is by labouring in painful Defire and Fear till crowned with Enjoyment.

Afpafio's turning Point is the finished Work of Chrift, revealed in the gracious Declarations of the Gof

pel,

pel, not only as fupporting the Divine Justice in faving the moft Guilty, but aljo as the fufficient Object of the Sinner's immediate Truft and Confidence, agreeable to the repeated Divine Aljurances that fuch fhall not be confounded or difappointed. And the Works and Labour of Love Afpafio pleads for, are Works of Love to God thus manifeed and trufted in.

Afpafio's former Opponents have objected to this immediate Truft of a Sinner upon Chrift alone for everlafting Life, by pleading for what they have conceived to be previously neceffary, under the Names of Faith, Repentance, Sanctification begun, &c.

Mr. Sandeman has undertook to prove, that all true Sanctification, Converfion, Faith, &c. fprings folely from the Truth of Christ's Sufficiency for the most Guilty, without any Addition whatever, as the central Point of divine Revelation, and that all other Religion is not any Part of Christianity; not any Part of that Doctrine which came from Heaven; but only the vain Efforts of the natural Man to lower the divine Character of the infinitely righteous and just God, and quiet his guilty Confcience with a Righteoufness infufficient, or, in other Words, a Righteousness stained with Sin; and that the Names of Converfion, Faith, Sanctifica tion, applied to this Kind of Religion, is only fitted to deceive; and fuppofing our Appropriation or Truft to be a Denial of this Sufficiency of Chrift alone, he oppofes that alfo. This then is what we are concerned to defend.

To this Purpose I have endeavoured to fhew that in trufting to the fufficient Righteousness of Chrift alone for everlasting Life, we keep clear of the Charge of denying the fufficient Righteousness, and of adding or mixing another Righteousness with it. We may rather afk, How does it appear that any Man believes it to be fufficient, when he dare not truft his Soul upon it, but waits in painful Defire and Fear, to discover him

Jelf.

Jelf pofleft of the diftinguishing Qualities of a Believer? And as he carefully feparates what he believes, from all Foundation of Hope or Confidence therein for everlasting Life, he appears to us involved in the Abfurdity, of hoping for eternal Life by Christ, because he discovers himself without any Foundation of Hope, either in himfelf, or in the Gospel he believes.

He may fay, "he trufts to be faved by what Chrift "has done, if faved at all;" but that very if fignifies that he does not trust upon what Chrift has done, but is waiting to difcover fomething elfe as a more proper Ground of his Confidence. And what is that something elfe, but the Difference he discovers betwixt himself and other Sinners? So that after all our Flourishes against Self-Dependance and Pharifaic Doctrine, if we are not upon our Guard, we shall be at laft fettled on no

other Foundation.

Mr. Sandeman, in endeavouring to prove that his View of the Gospel " "quiets the guilty Confcience of a "Man as foon as he knows it," acknowledges with us that the Gospel is defigned for that End, but fails in bis Attempt to make out that the guilty Confcience of that Man is quieted who discovers no Foundation in what he believes to trust in Chrift's Righteousness for everlafting Life. He fuppofes that the Uneafness and Dread of Confcience arifes only from the appearing Impoffibility of a just God being a Saviour; from whence he infers that the Revelation of a Righteousness removing this feeming Impoffibility brings the Reft and Peace the Scripture fpeaks of; without revealing any Ground for Trust and Confidence in that Righteousness. But this Suppofition is not true; few or none are. troubled with fuch Apprehenfions, nor does the Scripture addrefs Men as tho' they were. It is felf-evident that the Caufe of our Dread is an Apprehenfion of our Want of a Righteousness acceptable to the Divine Purity;

Purity; and what relieves must be our having fuch a Righteoufnefs either in ourselves or by God's free Gift. This Mr. Sn himself feems to acknowledge, when he talks of "labouring in painful Defire and Fear" as the Effect of his crampt View of the Gospel. For why is this the Effect? but because what He believes does not afford the proper Satisfaction.

Mr. Sandeman's Jealousy is, leaft we by pleading thus for a Sinner's Truft and Confidence on Chrift, fhould lead Man into a Self-Dependance on his doing Something to relieve himself from his dreadful Circumftances, inftead of being fupported only by what Chrift has already done. But how eafy is it to perceive that no Man is or can be fupported by what Chrift has already done, but he that difcovers it the Object of his Truft and Confidence for everlasting Life; and that fo to depend on Christ, and what he has done, is the very Oppofite of all Self-Dependance, and inconfiftent with our depending on our doing any Thing either prefent or future.

It is true, a Man that is at intire Uncertainty without any Dependance whatever, is as clear of Self-Dependance, as he is of Dependance on what Chrift has done. So a Man that neither eats nor drinks, is as much out of Danger of dying with Gluttony and Excefs, as he is of being poisoned with unwholfome Food. But how long can a Man live thus! And how long can a Man fupport without having fome Dependance or other. for his Soul? It is as natural for the Mind of Man to depend on fomething against the Fears of Hereafter, as it is for his Body to gravitate or fink till it meets with a proper Support. Hence we find that those who depend not on the Truth, depend on fome Falsehood or other which they fuppofe to be true; and when a Man is beat of from one falle Dipendance, he is finking to DeIpair till he finds another, or is relieved by the real

Truth.