Paul, it is true, speaks of our juftification in one refpect, and the Apostle James in another, as I have formerly observed to you: But each of them retain one invariable view of their subject, and continue the same idea of the justification about which they treat. There is not a word spoken by either of them, of a first and second, of an original and additional juftification. Indeed the Scriptures know nothing at all of this distinction. The children of God learn nothing of it from their own experience. And you must pardon me, Sir, if I must demand fome better foundation of my eternal hope, than the fubtile inventions of such men, who would eftablish and vindicate their principles by new and unscriptural doctrines of religion, which have no foundation at all, but their own teeming imagination. This is the common fource of all the errors which obtain among us. Men of learning and parts, fufficiently apprehensive of their own capacities, instead of an humble subjecting their reason to the wisdom of God in his word, are first for forming Schemes which appear to them most reasonable; these they take for principles; and then they must force some construction or other upon the most opposite texts of Scripture, and invent some arbitrary diftinctions, to obviate the difficulties that lie in their way. This is plainly the cafe before us. It does not look reasonable to the Papists, to the Socinians, to the Arminians, and to the Neonomians, that our obedience should be wholly excluded a part in our juftification. It is true, the Scripture does in multitudes of most plain and familiar expressions, in the most exprefs and strongest language, utterly exclude it. But there must be one unnatural conAruction or another forced upon these texts of Scripture to make them consistent with their

Scheme, which they take for a poftulatum, whatever

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is faid in the Scripture to the contrary. - When this refuge fails, the present distinction is coined, to fupport the finking cause. It were a fufficient answer to all these pretences, to say, The foolishness of God is wifer than men, and the weakness of God is Stronger than men. And he that Seemeth to be wife in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wife.

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But I have this further objection against the diftinction you mention, that it is not only a human device, without any appearance of Scripture-war- F rant; but it is utterly inconsistent with the Scrip- 6 ture-doctrine of juftification. - There is so much ascribed, in the Scripture, to what they call our first j justification, as leaves no possible room for a fecond. I have observed something of this to you, upon another occafion, in a former letter; and you must bear with me, if you here meet with fome repetition, in order to set the present cafe in a true and proper light. By virtue of the righteousness imputed to us, and received through faith, we have a free pardon of all our fins. Rom. iv. 5, 6, 7. Το him that worketh not, but believeth on him that juftifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. Even as David alfo defcribeth the blessedness of the man unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, Saying, Bleffed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose fins are covered. Bleffed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute fin. -By virtue of this juftification we are freed from the wrath of God, and actually reconciled to him. Rom. v. 9, 10. Much more then being justified by his blood, we shall be faved from wrath through him. For if when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son; much more being reconciled, we shall be faved by his life. - By this juftification we are made righteous in the fight of God. Rom.

Rom. v. 18, 19. By the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. For as by one man's disobedience many were made finners; So by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. By this justification we have the adoption of children. John i. 12. As many as received him, to them gave he power to become the fons of God; even to them that believe on his name. By this juftification we have the spirit of adoption, peace with God, and a joyful prospect of our eternal inheritance. - Rom. v. 1, 2. Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Chrift, --and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. By this justification we are sanctified, and receive needed supplies of grace. Heb. x. 10. By the which will we are fanctified, through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. Rom. v. 17. For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they

who receive abundance of grace, and of the gift of righteousness, shall reign in life, by one Jefus Chrift. By this justification, we are fecured of perfeverance in grace, against all charges, accusations, perfecutions, and malignant endeavours of hell and earth to the contrary. Rom. viii. 33. 35. Who Shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. Who Shall separate us from the love of Chrift? Shall tribulation, or distress, or perfe. cution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or fword? -And, in a word, by this justification we are entitled to, and shall finally be possessed of eternal glory. Rom. viii. 30. Whom he justified, them be also glorified.

And now, Sir, what is there left for your fecondary justification to do? We have God himself, pardon, peace, with all the benefits, comforts, and privileges of the children of God in this life, and eternal glory hereafter, bestowed upon us, or made over to us, in consequence of what you call the first juftification. justification. Your fecondary justification must therefore be a mere imaginary thing, an unaccountable fiction; which hath as little foundation in the nature of things, as it has in the word of God.

I may add to this, that our continuance in a justified state is by the same means by which we were first justified. It is true, believers (as well as others) are daily finning, in thought, word, and deed; and there may therefore appear some difficulty in conceiving how our once being justified by faith can secure to us a remiffion of future sins. It cannot be supposed that our fins are actually pardoned, before they are committed; or our guilt cancelled, before it was contracted. How then can one single juftification stand us in stead, through a future scene of fin and guilt, and entitle us to eternal glory, notwithstanding a repeated forfeiture of the divine favour, and notwithstanding our renewed deferts of God's wrath and difpleasure? This deferves some particular confideration. I shall therefore endeavour, in a few words, to solve this difficulty, before I proceed diftinctly to consider in what manner our juftification is continued.

Let it then be observed, that as the meritorious procuring cause of our justification, with all its benefits of grace here and glory hereafter, was at once completed; the body of Christ was offered once for all, and by his obedience unto death he brought in everlasting righteousness: So the believer, upon his first being actually interested in the redemption by Chrift, and receiving his righteousness through faith, is at once unalterably acquitted from condemnation, reinstated in the paternal favour of God, and fecured in such a continuing progress of grace and holiness, as will end in eternal glory. For by one offering Chrift hath perfected for ever them that are fanctified, Heb. x. 14. As our Lord Jesus Chrift by bearing

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our fins in his own body on the tree has finished tranfgreffion, made an end of fin, made reconciliation for iniquity, and brought in everlasting righteousness, Dan. ix. 24. So by faith that is in him we receive the forgiveness of fins, and an inheritance among them that are fanctified, Acts xxvi. 18. and are complete in him, Col. ii. 10. He therefore that believeth, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passsed from death to life, John v. 24. and is blessed with all spiritual bleffings in heavenly things in Chrift, Eph. i. 3.

But this, notwithstanding, though our juftification, as to the meritorious procuring cause of it, be at once perfected and completed, and by virtue of the immutability of God's counsel, the infinite merit of the righteousness imputed, the stability of the covenant of grace, and the faithfulness of the promises, the believer immutably remains a child of God, and an heir of eternal glory: He nevertheless, by reason of his daily fins and imperfections, stands in daily need of a renewed application of the benefits of Christ's redemption to his foul, and in daily need of pardon and justification.-But then it should be remembered, that this is not a secondary justification, distinct from the former, but the Same renewed and confirmed. If the believer fins, he hath an Advocate with the Father, to make continual intercession for him, for renewed pardon and grace, and for a continuance of his justified state. He ever liveth to make interceffion for them; who needeth not daily, as those high priests after the order of Aaron, to offer facrifice, first for his own fins, and then for the people's; for this he did once, when he offered up himself, Heb. vii. 25. 27.

These things being premised, the question now recurs, By what means are believers continued in a justified state? To which I answer as before, by the

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