Answer, exprefs Himself so obfcurely? Why did He not divert his promifing Scholar from this fruitlefs Attempt; and put Him in the right, the practicable Way of obtaining Salvation?

Afp. This He did, with the finest Address, and in the most skilful Manner.-Had our LORD affirmed, "You are worldly; You are covetous; "your Riches are your GOD:" fuch a Charge would, in all Probability, have been as confidently denied, as it was plainly urged. Therefore He brings this fpecious Hypocrite to a Teft*, which could not be evaded, and which was fure to discover the Truth. A Teft, which laid open the palpable and enormous Defects of his fo much boasted Obedience. Which made it appear, that, instead of keeping all the Commandments, this vain Self-jufticiary had not obeyed the very first. But, amidst all his towering Imaginations of Himself, had been, and at that very Inftant was, a fordid groveling Idolater: who preferred his tranfitory Poffeffions on Earth, to an everlasting Inheritance in the Kingdom of Heaven.-Could any Expedient be more fuitable to the Cafe? Or better calculated to reduce Him, intoxicated as He was with Pride, to a fober humble Mind? To beat Him off from his falfe Foundation, the Righteousness which is of the Law; and lead Him to a Reliance on the promifed, the expected, the prefent MESSIAH?

It

*Matt. xix. 21. If Thou wilt be perfect, fell all that Thou haft, and give to the Poor. This Direction feems to be much of the fame Nature, with that other Part of our LORD's Reply, If Thou wilt enter into Life, keep the Commandments. Both were perfonal; both occafional; both adapted to particular Circumstances. The latter is. no more the stated evangelical Way to Heaven, than the former is the common indifpenfable Duty of all Chriftians,

It puts me in mind of my Friend Sagacio's Conduct. Which feems to have fome Conformity with our LORD's Procedure; and may, poffibly, tend to illuftrate its Propriety.-Vifiting one of his unlearned Neighbours, He found Him in Company with a certain talkative Stranger; who was haranguing, at an extravagant Rate, on the Wonders of Aftronomy.Sagacio foon perceived, that the chief Furniture of this extraordinary Adept, lay in a little Acquaintance with the technical Terms, and fomewhat more than a little Share of Affurance. How should He bring the self-plumed Sciolift to a little Modely of Sentiment, and Decorum of Converfation? He took leave to ask, "What the Word Aftronomy might fignify?" The Orator was ftruck dumb in a MoHe had never informed Himself, it seems, that Aftronomy related to the Order and Regulation of the Stars. This fingle Question taught our minute Philosopher, more effectually than twenty Lectures on the Subject. It taught Him his own Ignorance; and that He had the very Rudiments of his fo much admired Science ftill to learn.

ment.

Ther. What will You say to those famous Paffages in the Epistle of St. James? By Works a Man is juftified. Was not Abraham our Father justified by Works *? Can any Words be plainer in their Meaning? Or, can any Meaning be more directly oppofite to the whole Scope of your Argumentation?

Afp. This I would fay, Theron.-The Paffages You quote, when detached from the Context, may feem inconfiftent with the Declarations of another Apostle. As a Limb, when wrenched from its natural Situation, U 3 appears

* Jam. ii. 21, 24.

appears with an Air of Difproportion. Whereas, reduce the dislocated Part, and it will recover the Symmetry of its Shape; it will harmonize exactly with the animal System. Replace likewise these Affertions; confider them in Connection with the whole Paragraph; and they will be found, if not Unifons, yet perfect Concords, with the Strain of St. Paul's Teaching.

What is the Drift and Aim of St. James? To diftinguish a genuine from an infincere Faith. Ob-. ferve, how He states the Cafe. It is not, Though a Man have Faith; but Though a Man fay, He hath Faith. This is mentioned, as the Boaft of some hypocritical Profeffor. So that the Apostle is evidently dealing with a Pretender to the precious Gift. Accordingly He demands, with great Propriety and Spirit; Shew me thy Faith. Prove the Reality of thy Claim. Prove it to me, and to the Church; to thy Fellow-creatures, and Fellow-chriftians.. 'What Thou calleft thy Faith, if it be not produc-, tive of righteous Difpofitions and godly Works, We muft pronounce fpurious, worthlefs, dead.

Having detected the Counterfeit, He proceeds to defcribe the Sterling. The grand Characteristic of which is, A Frame of Mind and a Courfe of Action, correfponding with the Doctrine believed. By this Touchftone the Faith of our renowned Progenitor was tried; and, being tried, was "found unto Praise, "and Honour, and Glory." Was not Abraham our' Father juftified by Works, when He had offered Ifaac his Son upon the Altar?-Juftified! How? As to Acceptance with the Supreme JUDGE? No: this was effected long before Ifaac was offered, was born,

Jam. ii. 14.

born, or conceived in the Womb. But when the believing and juftified Patriarch, exercised that Heroic Act of Self-denial, Refignation, and Obedience; then He demonftrated Himself, to be a real unfeigned Believer; then his Juftification was evidenced, to all his Cotemporaries, and to all Generations. By this, and fuch other Works, his Faith was made perfect *;*' answered its proper End; appeared to be of the true, the triumphant, the fcriptural Kind; fince it overcame the World, overcame Self, and regarded GOD as All in All.

Upon the whole; St. Paul fpeaks concerning the Juftification of our Perfons; St. James concerning the Juftification of our Faith +.-St. Paul defcribes the Manner of being juftified, before the all-seeing GOD; St. James points out the Proof ‡ of a justi

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* ETλwon. In this Senfe, I fuppofe, We are to understand St. John's Aphorifm. He that doeth Righteousness, is righteous; is undoubtedly juftified; is righteous before GOD, the Searcher of Hearts. This his holy Life demonftrates, that He has indeed believed unto Righteousness. It juftifies his Profeffion of Faith, both from the Charge, and from the Sufpicion of Infincerity. 1 John iii. 7.

That the Expreffion ufed by St. James, fignifies this declarative Juftification, is plain from 1 Tim. iii. 16. Where the Apoftle, fpeaking of our LORD JESUS CHRIST, fays; dinar, He was juftified in or by the SPIRIT: that is, He was declared to be the true SON of GOD; manifefted on Earth, and recognized from Heaven, as the undoubted SAVIOUR of the World.

Avery little Reflection, I fhould imagine, muft convince every unprejudiced Reader; That St. James cannot poffibly be ftating the Method of Juftification, before the infinitely righteous GOD. Becaufe, He never fo much as mentions the Death of CHRIST-Who made bis Soul an Offering for Sin-to whom give all the Prophets avitnefs, that whefoever believeth in Him, fhall receive Re

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tified State, as it is visible to Men; Seeft Thou.The former proceeds from the immaculate Righteoufness of CHRIST, placed to our Account; the latter confifts in the Fruits of Righteousness, adorning our Life.-Rightly understood, therefore, these Paffages are not in the leaft contradictory to the Epiftles of St. Paul, or to the Scope of my Argumentation. But are a feasonable Caveat and a proper Preservative, against misunderstanding those, or perverting this.

Ther. I wish, you would read that concise, but judicious Abridgment of true Religion, comprised in the fifteenth Pfalm. The facred Penman, for his own and for the Information of all Mankind, asks; LORD, who shall dwell in thy Tabernacle, or who fhall rest upon thy holy Hill? To this most interesting Enquiry, the following Verfes are a full and fatisfactory Answer. The whole of which turns upon the Discharge of moral Duties; walking uprightly, and working Righteoufnefs. Without a Syllable, or a fingle Hint, concerning the very fuperior Excellence of Faith, or the extreme Neceffity of a vicarious Obedience.

Afp. I have often read, and I well remember, that inftructive Pfalm. And I beg leave to obferve, once for all, with relation to fuch Paffages of the Old Teftament; That they fuppofe the Perfons, whom they describe, to be convinced of their natural Corruption; to be humbled under a Sense of

their

miffion of Sins-and befides whom, there is no other Name given under Heaven, whereby We can be faved.-Could an Apoftle fo abfolutely forget his LORD; and in a Cafe, where every other infpired Writer acknowledges Him; nay, acknowledges Him to be ALL IN ALL?