is ready to fix limits and bounds to the immense God; whose wisdom is past finding out, and incomparably transcends all the imaginations of the thoughts of every creature, men and angels, fallen, unfallen, and restored.

"The great end of the coming of the Son of God, was to save mankind from the power of sin, the cause of eternal death and separation from God; and that sin being removed, with all its evil effects, which stood as a partition wall, man might again have present fellowship, in measure, with the Lord, and walk with Him in newness of life, and finally be crowned with unspeakable glory.

"God is Light, sin is darkness, and betwixt these two there can be no fellowship: but sin being pardoned, as declared, by faith in the blood of Christ, and the root thereof done away and destroyed, by the manifestation of his Holy Spirit, then men come to dwell in Christ, as He dwells in the Father; and so they have true knowledge of, and fellowship with the Father and the Son, and with one another in Him, who is Light, in whom there is no sin, nor darkness, nor shadow at all: but this knowledge and fellowship is greatly wanting among the professors of Christ, in this confused age of the world.

"As to that passage thou alludest to in an epistle of John, where it is said: 'If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the Truth is not in us. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and his Word is not in us.' The context proves, the

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contrary to thy intention: for in the seventh verse he saith, that if we walk in the Light, as He is in the Light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth US FROM ALL SIN.' And again: 'If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to CLEANSE US FROM ALL UNRIGHTEOUSNESS.'

"The Jews were a people who built much on the works of their law, thinking themselves blameless, in a strict performance of them; as Paul was, 'touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless." And it seems by the tenor of the apostle John's epistle, some such there were among the disciples, at that time, who were not come rightly to see that they were, or had been, sinners; and so could not see the true reason of the coming of Christ, to make them righteous and just, by his inward work; which could not be till they came to a real sight of their own sinful and degenerate state; and that all the works of their law, which they could work in that natural state, were but as an unclean thing. And that apostle, having laboured to convince them first, that they had sinned, and were sinners, notwithstanding their legal performances, how strictly or exactly soever observed, and though as to these they might be blameless; he then proceeds to preach perfect redemption and salvation by Jesus Christ; especially by his inward workings and teachings in their minds, figuratively termed "The Anointing."

"And what man ever more fully preached the

doctrine of perfection in this life, or spake of higher attainments here, than this apostle doth in that epistle; where he saith: 'Whosoever is born of God, doth not commit sin for his Seed,' that is, the Word of God, remaineth in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.' Again: 'I have written unto you, young men, because you are strong, and the Word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one." "

On another occasion, in the year 1705, an individual urged the following texts in support of the contrary opinion: "We know that the law is spiritual; but I am carnal, sold under sin: for that which I do, I allow not; for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I." Again: "If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the Truth is not in us."

Thomas Story in his reply, said: "The apostle, in that epistle to the Romans, was not speaking of the state which himself, or any of the apostles, were in at that time when he was writing it; but personating and representing the state of the Jews under the law, and of mankind in general under the fall of the first Adam, in whom all mankind were virtually included at the time of his transgression, before they came to the belief and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ, the second Adam, and Saviour of all: Fo in that epistle the apostle proves, that both Jew and gentiles were under sin; the gentiles by breaking the law written in their hearts, and the Jews by

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transgressing the law of God by Moses: so that the transgressing Jews and gentiles were all alike sinners in the sight of God, the Creator and Judge of the world; and more especially the Jews, as having had the knowledge of the Law of God, both inwardly and outwardly, and having transgressed both dispensations, by which their sins were aggravated; so that every mouth is stopped, and all the world become guilty before God: for God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that He might have mercy upon all. Again; the Scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them who believe.

"But are mankind still to remain in their sins, to to the end of their days, and inherit the kingdom of God at last? No surely! for if we live and die in our sins, whither Christ is gone we cannot come.' But though all have sinned and come short of the glory of God, yet are they justified freely by his grace, through the redemption which is by Jesus Christ, whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation, through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness, for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God:' and this redemption is not, by any means, consistent with sin, but contrary to it; for Christ came not to save us IN our sins, but FROM them; and sin being the cause both of defilement and condemnation, until that is taken away, there can be no redemption or salvation.”

The reader will find at pages 284 to 292, à discus

sion on this subject, treating on some other passages of Scripture which are not introduced here.

On one occasion, in New England, in the year 1699, the Author had a discussion with a priest, who adduced as a plea for sin term of life, 1 John i. 8.

The Author answered by similar arguments to those already adduced from his letter.

To this the priest replied: "That is true; we are to be made free from sin, but not in this life."

This answer induced the inquiry: "When, where, and how must it be effected, since no unclean thing can enter the kingdom.”

To which the priest replied: "We are driven to a necessity to confess, it is not done in heaven; and in this life it cannot be; therefore it must be at the very point of death, as the soul departeth from the body."

Thomas Story then said: "Show what distance there is between the utmost point of time and the beginning of eternity; for if done in the last point of time, it is done in this life; and if not till its entrance into eternity, then the unclean thing enters the kingdom; which is already granted cannot be. Where then is the freedom?"

The question being pressed, the priest then affirmed: "The soul is cleansed from siu in its way between earth and heaven; for there is a considerable space between."

To this it was replied: "This is such a little purgatory as I never heard of before. And if the soul