Five Letters, 1st Edit. p. 33, 34, 27. "I most firmly believe, that the grand cause of so much lifeless profession, is owing to the sheep of Christ being fed in the barren pastures, and muddled waters of a legalised gospel. The doctrines of grace are not to be kept out of sight, for fear men of corrupt minds should abuse them. I will no more be so fearful to trust God with his own truths, as to starve his children and my own soul: I will make an open confession of my faith."

"1. I believe in God the Father Almighty, who from all eternity, unconditionally predestinated me to life, and absolutely chose me to eternal salvation. Whom he once loved, he will love for ever; I am therefore persuaded, (p. 28, 31,) that as he did not set his love on me at first for any thing in me, so that love, which is not at all dependent upon any thing in me, can never vary on account of my miscarriages; and for this reason, when I miscarry, suppose by adultery or murder, God ever considers me as one with his own Son, who has fulfilled all righteousness for me. And as he is always well pleased' with him, so with me, who am absolutely bone of his bone, and flesh of his flesh.' (p. 26, 31.) There are no lengths, then, I may not run, nor any depths I may not fall into, without displeasing him; as I see in David, who, notwithstanding his repeated backslidings, did not lose the character of the man after God's own heart. may murder with him, worship Ashtaroth with Solomon, deny Christ with Peter, rob with Onesimus, and commit incest with the Corinthian, without forfeiting either the divine favour, or the kingdom of glory. 'Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect?' to the charge of a believer? to my charge? For,

"2. (P. 26, 27, 32.) I believe in Jesus Christ, that 'by one offering has for ever perfected' me, who am 'sanctified' in all my sins :-In him I am complete in all my iniquities. What is all sin before his atoning blood? Either he has fulfilled the whole law, and borue the curse, or he has not. If he has not, no soul

I

can be saved: If he has, then all debts and claims against his people and me, be they more (suppose a thousand adulteries, and so many murders) or be they less, (suppose only one robbery,) be they small or be they great, be they before or be they after my conversion, are for ever and for ever cancelled. I set up no more mountainous distinctions of sin, especially sins after conversion. Whether I am dejected with Elijah under the juniper tree, or worshipping Milcom with Solomon; whether I mistake the voice of the Lord for that of his priest, as Samuel, or defile my neighbour's bed as David; I am equally accepted in the Beloved. For in Christ I am chosen, loved, called, and uncondi tionally preserved to the end.—All trespasses are forgiven me.—I am justified from all things,-I already have everlasting life. Nay, I am now (virtually) set down in heavenly places with Christ; and as soon shall Satan pluck his crown from his head, as his purchase from his hand."

P. 27, 28. "Yes, I avow it in the face of all the world; no falls or backslidings can ever bring me again under condemnation; for Christ hath made me free from the law of sin and death. Should I out-sin Manasses himself, I should not be a less pleasant child; because God always views me in Christ, and in him I am without spot or wrinkle, or any such thing. Black in myself, I am still comely through the comeliness put upon me: And therefore he who is of purer eyes than to behold iniquity,' can, in the midst of all adulteries, murders, and incests, address me with, Thou art all fair, my love, my undefiled; there is no spot in thee!'

And,

3. I believe in the Holy Ghost, the Spirit of grace, against whom I can never sin, (p. 26,) whose light and love I can never quench, to whom I can never do despite, and who in his good time will irresistibly and infallibly (Review, p. 38) work in me to will and to do. In the mean time, I am perfectly secure; for I can never perish, my salvation being already finished in the full extent of the expression." Review, p. 63, &c.

"Once, indeed, I supposed, that the wrath of God came,' at least for enormous crimes,' upon the children of disobedience;' and I thought it would come upon me, if I committed adultery and murder: But now I discover my mistake, and believe (p. 28 and 25) it is a capital error to confound me and my actions. While my murders, &c. certainly displease God, my person stands always absolved, always complete, always pleasant in the everlasting righteousness of the Redeemer. I repeat it, (2d edit. p. 37,) it is a most pernicious error of the schoolmen, to distinguish sins according to the fact, and not according to the person. He that believeth hath as great sin as the unbeliever: Nay, his sins, (p. 32,) for the matter of them, are perhaps more heinous and scandalous than those of the unbeliever; but although he daily sinneth, perhaps as David and the Corinthian, by adultery, murder, and incest, he continueth godly.

"Before I was acquainted with the truth, I imagined that sin would dishonour God, and injure me: But since the preachers of finished salvation have opened my eyes, I see how greatly I was mistaken. And now I believe that God will over-rule my sin, (whether it be adultery, murder, or incest,) for his glory and my good.

"(1.) For his glory. (P. 36, 30, 31, 32.) God often permits his own dearest children to commit adultery, murder, and incest, to bring about his purposes. He has always the same thing in view, namely, his own glory and my salvation, together with that of the other elect. This Adam was accomplishing when he put the whole world under the curse ;-Onesimus when he robbed Philemon his master ;-Judah when he committed incest with Tamar ;-and David when he committed adultery with Bathsheba-How has many a poor, faithless soul even blessed God for Peter's denial-As for the incestuous Corinthian, the tenderness shewn him after his crime, has raised many out of the mire, and caused them to recover their first love.

"(2.) For my good. (P. 32.) God has promised to make all things work for good to me;' and if all things, then my very sins and corruptions are included in the royal promise. Should I be asked, What particular good, sin will do me in time and in eternity? I answer: A grievous fall [suppose into adultery, mur. der, or incest] shall serve to make me know my place, to drive me nearer to Christ, to make me more dependent upon his strength, to keep me more watchful, to cause me to sympathise with the fallen, and to make me sing louder to the praise of free, sovereign, restoring grace, throughout all the ages of eternity. Thus, although I highly blame (p. 33) those who roundly say, 'Let us sin that grace may abound,' I do not legalise the gospel, but openly declare, (p. 27,) that if I commit adultery, murder, or incest, before or after my conversion, grace shall irresistibly and infallibly abound over these, and all my other sins, be they small or be they great, be they more or be they less. My foulest falls will only drive me nearer to Christ, and make me sing (p. 32) his praises louder than if I had not fallen. Thus [to say nothing of the sweetness and profit which may now arise from sin] adultery, incest, and murder, shall, upon the whole, make me holier upon earth, and merrier in heaven."

I need not tell you, honoured Sir, that I am indebted to you for all the doctrines, and most of the expressions of this dangerous confession of faith. If any one doubt of it, let him compare this creed and your Letters together. Some clauses and sentences I have added, not to "misrepresent and blacken," but to introduce, connect, and illustrate your sentiments. You speak, indeed, in the third person, and I in the first, but this alters not the doctrine. Besides, if the privileges of a lean believer belong to me, as well as to David; I do not see why I should be debarred from the fat pastures you recommend, (p. 34,) which, I fear, are so very rich, that if the leanest sheep of Christ do but range, and take their fill in them, they will, in a few days, wax wanton against him, butt at the sheep

which do not bleat to their satisfaction, attack the under shepherds, and grow so excessively fat as to outkick Jeshurun himself.

XVII. Some half-hearted Calvinists, who are ashamed of their principles, and desirous to conceal their Diana's deformity, will probably blame you for having uncovered the less frightful of her feet, and shewn it naked to the wondering world. But to the apology which you have already made about it, I hope I may, without impertinence, add one or two remarks.

1. Whoever believes either the doctrine of unconditional election, or that of righteousness absolutely imputed to apostatising believers, or that of the infallible perseverance of all who were saints yesterday, and today commit adultery, murder, or incest; and, in a word, whoever believes the doctrine of finished salvation, implicitly receives two-thirds of the Antinomian creed which you have helped me to. And those who have so strong a faith, and so large a conscience, as to swallow so much, (together with the doctrine of finished damnation, eternal wrath flaming against myriads of unborn creatures, and everlasting fire prepared for millions of passive, sensible machines, which have only fulfilled God's secret, and irresistible will,) might, one would think, receive the whole creed, without any difficulty. For why should those who can swallow five or six camels as a glib morsel, strain at three or four gnats, as if they were going to be quite choked. Again,

2. If Calvinism is true, you are certainly, honoured Sir, the honest and consistent Calvinist, so far as consistency is compatible with the most inconsistent of all schemes. Permit me to produce one instance, which, I hope, will abate the prejudices, which some unsettled Calvinists have conceived against you, for speaking quite out, with respect to the excellent effects of sin in believers.

If man is not a free agent, (and undoubtedly he is not, if from all eternity he has been bound by ten thousand chains of irresistible and absolute decrees,) it fol