coming direct from God upon us, but as coming to us through ourselves, through our sanctified wills and doings; as wrought out for us by the power of God actively employed within us."

Texts which speak of our receiving a reward for our obedience, enforce the same conclusion still more strongly. For what is the reward of a religious action, but God's favour, accorded to us in consequence of good things wrought in us by the Holy Spirit?

Lastly, a number of passages may be referred to, which have a peculiar cogency, as flowing spontaneously, as it would seem, from the inspired speakers and writers, and so showing the genius of the evangelical system. As when our Lord says, "Rather give alms of such things as ye have; and behold all things are clean unto you." "Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness." "This do," that is, the Commandments, "and thou shalt live. "Fear God, and keep His commandments, for this is the all in all of man." "Not the hearers of the Law are just before God, but the doers of the Law shall be justified." "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." "Blessed are they that do His commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life 1." " By works a man is justified, and

1

Luke xi. 41; xvi. 9; x. 27; Eccles. xii. 13; Rom. ii. 13; 1 John i. 7; Rev. xxii; James ii. 24; Matt. xxv. 31, &c.

not by faith only." And, above all, perhaps our Lord's declaration that the "righteousness" wherein we must stand at the last day, is not His own imputed obedience, but our good works.

Such is the doctrine concerning our justification, which has the testimony of the whole Christian Church in its favour, and which, I suppose, all sober minds would admit at once, except from some notion that it contradicts our Articles. What our Articles add in it, and in what respect it is defective, and how it may be unscripturally used, shall be considered hereafter; here I will but say this, that at any rate it is what the rival doctrine is not, a real doctrine, and contains an intelligible, tangible, practical view which one can take and use. That the scheme of salvation should be one of names and understandings; that we should be but said to be just, said to have a righteousness, said to please God, said to earn a reward, said to be saved by works; that the great disease of our nature should remain unstaunched; that Adam's old sinfulness should so pervade the regenerate that they can do nothing good and acceptable, even when it is sprinkled with Christ's blood,-all this would of course be matter of faith, if Scripture declared it; but when merely propounded fifteen centuries after Christ came, it has no claims upon us, and might be rejected, even if it were not so alien, as it is, to the genius of the Evangelical Covenant. That Covenant is a substance; in the words of the text, "the body is of Christ ;"

Judaism was the time of shadows; it was Judaism which contained but the profession, the appearance of great things, exciting hopes which it could not gratify, and seeming to promise when it did but enforce the need. When then divines, however great, " who seem to be pillars," come to me with their visionary system, an unreal righteousness and a real corruption, I answer, that the Law is past, and that I will not be brought into bondage by shadows. "Shadows of religion," (to use an expression of one of our own great Bishops',) these things fitly may be called; like the Jewish new-moons and sabbaths which the Judaizers were so loth to part with. Reputed justification was the gift of the Law; but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. Away then with this modern, this private, this arbitrary, this tyrannical system, which promising liberty conspires against it; which abolishes Sacraments to introduce barren and dead ordinances; and for the real participation of Christ, and justification through his Spirit, would, at the very 'marriage feast, feed us on shells and husks, who hunger and thirst after righteousness. It is a new gospel, unless three hundred years stands for eighteen hundred; and if one must at this day be seduced from the faith, let them look out for a more specious error, a more alluring sophism, a more angelic tempter than this. It is surely too bold an attempt to take from our hearts the power, the fulness, the mysterious pre

sence of Christ's most holy death and resurrection, and to soothe us for our loss with the name of having it.

Dismissing, however, a train of thought, which scarcely belongs to the present Lecture, I conclude by summing up the opposite characteristics of the two systems of doctrine, which have been under review, and of which Luther and St. Austin are the respective expounders.

The main point in dispute is this; whether or not the Moral Law can be fulfilled or satisfied by the regenerate. Augustine says, that whereas we are by nature condemned by the Law, the Spirit enables us to perform it unto our justification; Luther, that whereas we are condemned by it, Christ has Himself performed it unto our justification;-Augustine, that our righteousness is active; Luther, that it is passive';-Augustine, that it is inherent; Luther, that it is imputed only ;-Augustine, that it consists in a change of heart; Luther, in a change of state. Luther maintains that God's commandments are impossible to man2; Augustine adds, impossible without

In Galat. Argum.

2 Etsi igitur offenduntur viri politici, cum Lex Dei dicitur impossibilis, tamen id dictum verum est de hac corrupta natura... Ideo donat nobis Spiritum sanctum ut in trita infirmitate tamen inchoetur Lex. Melanchth. Loci. Theol. de Lib. Arb. Gerhard explains St. Austin's statements about grace enabling us to fulfil the Law, by understanding "grace," to mean forgiveness; or that we fulfil the Law by God's mercy not imputing to us our non-fulfilment. Gerh. de Lege Dei, § 196.

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His grace';-Luther, that the gospel consists of promises only2; Augustine, that it is also a Law;— Luther, that our highest wisdom is, not to know the Law; Augustine says instead, to know and keep it; -Luther says, that the Law and Christ cannot dwell together in the heart; Augustine says, that the Law is Christ ;-Luther denies, and Augustine maintains that obedience is a matter of conscience": Luther says, that a man is made a Christian not by working but by hearing; Augustine excludes those works only which are done before grace given;Luther, that our best deeds are sins'; Augustine, that they are really pleasing to God. Luther says, that faith is taken instead of righteousness; Augustine, in earnest of righteousness;-Luther, that faith is all in all, as being a substitute for the Law; Augustine, as being its commencement ;-Luther says, that faith,

1 Eo quippe ipso quo firmissime creditur,' Deum justum et bonum impossibilia non potuisse præcipere,' hinc admonemur, et in facilibus quid agamus et in difficilibus quid petamus. Omnia quippe fiunt facilia caritati, &c. De Nat. et Grat. 83. 2 Luther in Gal. iii. 11; f. 272. (2.) f. 274. f. 407. Bull. Harm. i. 3. § 3. In Gal. Argum. 4 In Gal. v. 4. Discat igitur pius Legem et Christum duo contraria esse, prorsus incompatibilia. In iv. 3.

5

3

Debemus extra conscientiam facere ex ea [Lege] Deum ; in conscientia vero est vere diabolus. Quia in minima tentatione non potest erigere et consolari conscientiam, &c...Nullo modo sinamus eam dominari in conscientia. Luther in Gal. iv. 3. 6 In Gal. iii. 2.

7 He seems to have meant that they had sin in them; but his words are, Opus bonum optime factum est mortale peccatum secundum judicium Dei.-Gerhard de Bon. Op. § 38.