intelligible language. It says to fallen man, believe rightly, and obey conscientiously; and through the merits of a crucified Saviour thou shalt enter into life. In the comprehensive language of the Apostle, it teaches him to "deny ungodliness and worldly lusts, and to live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works."* The doctrine of salvation, then, is not a scheme of natural philosophy; it is not a system of civil policy; nor is it the art of fine speaking and rhetorical discourse. But it teaches men of every rank the duties of their respective stations; what they are to believe, and what to do, in order to their being saved. At the same time it furnishes directions and assistances for the resisting and overcoming the temptations with which they are assailed, together with the best and most powerful arguments for the promotion of that holiness, which constitutes the indispensable preparative to eternal happiness.

If we will receive this doctrine as it has been revealed, we certainly shall be saved by it. But if we will make a doctrine for ourselves, different from that which Christ has taught, it matters not on which side the error lies, whether by reposing a false confidence on the one hand, or possessing an evil heart of unbelief on the other; in either case

* Titus ii. 12, et seq.

we make void the scheme of salvation that has been projected, and our miscarriage must be inevitable. Now the persons to whom I immediately allude, have always appeared to me to confound, rather than to explain, the Christian doctrine; by representing faith as comprehensive of all Christian duties. Where faith is, there, they tell you, will be repentance, obedience, and holiness of life; in short every thing that tends to the completion of the Christian character. Certainly where true faith is, (understanding thereby true lively faith) so long as it continues in that state, it must be possessed of all the properties belonging to it. But this is a description of what Christian faith ought to be, when in its perfect state, accompanied with its correspondent effects; not what faith, abstractedly considered, really is. As such, though it possibly may do no harm, whilst confined in the minds of those persons, who through Divine grace feel themselves disposed to that life of holiness, to which Christian faith was designed to lead; yet it will do, and has done much injury to the Christian cause, when considered in connection with that erroneous and dangerous conclusion, which ignorant and unsanctified men have at all times been ready to draw from it.

To say that faith, by which we understand a firm belief in Christ, as the whole and sole cause of salvation, will secure to man the possession of all those graces and virtues necessary to adorn his Christian

* Vide Vindiciæ, c. vii. p. 345, relative to the omission of the word "true," which stood before "faith," in the preceding passage.

profession, is, in other words, to say, that when the foundation is well laid, it will of itself raise the superstructure; or, to make use of another scripture allusion, where the root of the tree is, planted in Christ, Christian fruit will be the consequent produce of the branches. But in this case facts are, alas! often against us.*.

"No corrupt tree bringeth forth good fruit."ti Man, in his present state, is that corrupt tree of nature, from which no spiritual fruit is to be ex¬ pected. But it does not from hence follow, that when this corrupt tree is moved into God's nursery, (if we may be allowed the expression) and has its root planted in Christian soil, that it will of course bring forth good fruit; for this must depend upon circumstances, necessary to be taken into the account. The situation of a tree may be improved, without any material change being produced in its actual condition. It is not sufficient, therefore, that this tree of nature (to carry on our allusion) be moved out of a barren and unfruitful soil; it must more, over be regularly pruned and trained, and the wild and luxuriant branches must be carefully and constantly cut back, that proper nourishment may be carried to the bearing wood; should not this process be regularly pursued, in spite of the soil in

* "It must be obvious, that the position laid down în the foregoing passage is, that professional faith and perfect faith did not mean the same thing; and that the firm belief in Christ, which conveys to the professing party his original interest in the merits of Christ, did not of itself produce those future corresponding effects, required to make his calling and election sure."-Vindicia, c. vii. p. 350.

+ Matt. vii. 18.

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Similar to this is the conclusion which our Saviour has led us to draw upon this subject, where he represents himself under the emblem of the vine, and his Father under that of the Thusbandman. 'Every branch in me," says Christ, that beareth not fruit, the husbandman taketh_away."*/ By which we understand, that being in Christ, ie. having faith in Christ as a Saviour, and bearing Christian fruit, do not always mean the same thing. Care consequently, should be taken, that these two different meanings be not confounded. Faith in Christ is allowed to be, if we may so say, the grand germinating principle of the whole spiritual creation. The branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine." But though the branch does abide in the vine, should no sap from the root be conveyed into it, it will still be unfruitful.

In this particular address, therefore, to his Apostles, our Saviour may be understood as telling his disciples at large, that they must not only abide in him, but that his spirit must also abide in them, if they would become what Christianity was designed to make them, purified persons, " zealous of good works."+ Without the spirit of Christ, it is certain, we are none of his. The shadow, in this case, will not be taken for the substance. As members of his Church, we may, in some sense, be said to be in Christ; but being dead, not living members of it, we are those unfruitful branches of the vine, which the husbandman taketh away.‡

John xv. 1, 2, 4. Titus ii. 14. Vindiciæ, c. iii. p. 222.

It is readily allowed, that many of those spiritual persons who occasionally separate from the Church, see the subject in the light in which it is here placed; although the gratitude which they feel towards that Saviour, who has wrought the great work of salvation, accompanied with a desire to guard against any self-sufficient claims on the part of man, upon the ground of his own performances, induces them at times to give that partial account of the Gospel plan of salvation, which experience has proved to be unfavourable to the promotion of its general purpose. I say partial account of the Gospel plan of salvation, because the whole truth, as it is in Jesus Christ, is not fairly brought forward.

When speaking, for instance, of the fundamentals of Christianity, they often neglect to pay due regard to those other parts which are necessary to the perfection of the Christian scheme. They describe Christianity as 66 a scheme for justifying the ungodly;" "for reconciling us to God when enemies;"" and the fruits of holiness as the

Provided Christians are disposed to understand one another, this subject, it is presumed, need not to furnish occasion for dispute; because it will probably be found that the same thing is meant, although the mode of expression may be different. The "fruits of holiness" are both the effects and the cause of justification, though in different senses. They are the effects of our justification in baptism; by which sacrament the grace of the Holy Spirit, “from whom all holy desires, all good counsels, and all just works, do proceed," was originally conferred on the party; whilst, in another sense, the fruits of holiness are not, in the strict sense of the word, the cause, but the condition, or, as Bishop Bull's term is, the "causa seie qua