able in God's sight for Christ's sake, that no charge lies against us, that all our past sins up to this hour are absolutely forgiven, and that no future judgment on them need be dreaded, the gospel has hardly done its work, but leaves us, as far as our satisfaction is concerned, under the bonds of the Law'. Now if this certainty of our present salvation be a part of our Christian privileges, evidently it can never be attained by works 2, because we can never know when we have done enough; whereas Faith is a principle which a person may easily satisfy himself that he has, which is naturally adapted to be its own evidence, and which moreover inspires its possessor with this peculiar comfort, that he has nothing more to do to secure his salvation, and need but to hold on as he is, looking at Christ's perfect work, and appropriating it to himself. Christ has fulfilled the Law for us; faith makes that fulfilment ours; and places us above the Law. In acting conformably with it, we are not performing a duty; we are merely stooping from that heavenly state in which Christ has placed us, and conde

Is [Christus] solus dominetur in justitia, securitate, lætitia, et vita, ut conscientia læta obdormiat in Christo, sine ullo sensu legis, peccati, et mortis.-Luther. in Gal. iv. 3. (f. 373.)

2

Equidem si ab operibus æstimandum sit qualiter affectus sit erga nos Dominus, id ne tenui quidem conjectura possemus assequi fateor; sed quum simplici et gratuitæ promissioni respondere fides debet, nullus ambigendi locus relinquitur.Calvin. Institut. iii. 2. n. 38.

scending to take part in things of this earth'. To allow we are under it, is (it is said) necessarily polluting our conscience with a sense of guilt; for since we all sin continually, while we subject ourselves to our conscience, we can as little enjoy the assurance of our salvation, as we can exercise implicit faith in the all-sufficiency of Christ's merits. Nor must it be hence inferred that the Christian is not in fact fruitful in good works, but that they

1 Dicimus autem supra quod lex in Christiano non debeat excedere limites suos, sed tantum habere dominium in carnem, quæ et ei subjecta sit et sub ea maneat; hoc ubi fit, consistit lex intra limites suos. Si vero vult occupare conscientiam, et hic dominari, vide ut tum sis bonus dialecticus, recte dividas, et legi non plus tribuas quam ei tribuendum est; sed dicas, Lex, tu vis ascendere in regnum conscientiæ, et ibi dominari, et eam arguere peccati, et gaudium cordis tollere, quod habeo ex fide in Christum, et me in desperationem adigere ut desperem et peream. Hoc præter officium tuum facis, consiste intra limites tuos, et exerce dominium in carnem. Conscientiam autem ne attingas mihi; sum enim baptizatus, et per Evangelium vocatus ad communionem justitiæ et vitæ æternæ, ad regnum Christi, in quo acquiescit conscientia mea, ubi nulla est lex, &c.... Hanc [justitiam Christi] cum intus habeo, descendo de cœlo, tanquam pluvia fœcundans terram, hoc est, prodeo foras in aliud regnum et facio bona opera quæcunque mihi occurrent, &c. . . . Quicunque certo novit Christum esse justitiam suam, is non solum ex animo et cum gaudio bene operatur in vocatione sua, sed subjicit se quoque per charitatem magistratibus, &c. ... quia scit Deum hoc velle et placere hanc obedientiam.—Luther. Argum. in Gal. (f. 274.) Perhaps it is a happy thing that all of Luther's followers are not "boni dialectici" enough to carry out his principles this length.

flow naturally from such a simple trust as has been described; nor that he is at liberty to violate the Law, but only that it is not a matter of conscience to him to keep it 1; nor that he will not labour to grow in grace, but only that he is not more acceptable to God if he does 2; nor that he will not be watchful against falling away, but only that he is sure (unless his faith is weak 3) that he has salvation at present.

And now perhaps enough has been said in explanation of a theology very common in this day, which differs from our own in these two main points among others;-in considering that Faith and not Baptism is the primary instrument of justification, and that the Faith which has this gift exercises it without the exercise or even presence of love.

1

1 Quamquam sic liber est [Christianus] ab omnibus operibus, debet tamen rursus se exinanire hac in libertate, formam servi accipere, in similitudinem hominum fieri, &c. Luther. de Lib. Christ. f. 9. (2.)

2

Episcopus sacer, templum consecrans, pueros confirmans, aut aliud quippiam officii sui faciens, non consecratur iis ipsis operibus in Episcopum, &c. . . ita Christianus per fidem suam consecratus bona facit opera, sed non per hæc magis sacer aut Christianus efficitur; hæc enim solius fidei est, &c.-Luther. de Lib. Christ. (f. 8.)

3

3 Si... adest conscientiæ pavor, signum est hanc justitiam ablatam, gratiam amissam esse à conspectu, et Christum obscuratum non videri.-Luther. Argum. in Gal. (f. 273.)

LECTURE II.

OBEDIENCE CONSIDERED AS THE FORMAL CAUSE OF JUSTIFICATION.

COL. ii. 16, 17.

"Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holy day or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days, which are a shadow of things to come, but the body is of Christ."

I HAVE hitherto been employed upon a view of justification which happens to be very extensively professed in our Church at this day, either systematically or not; and has great influence as a system from the numbers who hold it without system. I cannot for an instant believe that all these numbers would adhere to it, if they understood what it really means when brought out as distinct from other views on the subject, and made consistent with itself. They profess it, because it is what is put into their hands, and they graft it upon a temper of mind in many cases far higher and holier than it.

1

Now I come to consider the opposite scheme of doctrine, which is not unsound or dangerous in itself, but defective, truth, but not the whole truth; viz., that justification consists in "renewal of the Holy Ghost 1." In describing it then, I am describing not a perversion, but what Saints and Martyrs have in substance held in every age, though not apart from other truths which serve to repress those tendencies to error, which it, in common with every other separate portion of the Scripture creed, contains, not in itself, but when exclusively cherished by the human mind. But the Roman Church does profess it thus detached and isolated; it so holds it as to exclude other true doctrine; to use its technical language, it considers spiritual renewal to be the "unica formalis causa," the one and only true description of justification; and this is the cardinal and critical difference between it and those divines, whether of the Ancient Church or our own, who seem most nearly to agree with it.-Now, however, to

1 Tit. iii. 5. Hoc est justitia Dei, quam non solum docet per Legis præceptum, verum etiam dat per Spiritus donum. August. de Spir. et Lit. 56. Cum timore et tremore suam ipsorum salutem operentur; Deus est enim qui operatur in eis et velle et operari pro bona voluntate. Hoc est justitia Dei, hoc est quod Deus donat homini, cum justificat impium. Hanc Dei justitiam ignorantes superbi Judæi, &c. August. ad Honoratum, 53. 34. Ep. 140. legimus justificari in Christo qui credunt in eum propter occultam communicationem et inspirationem gratiæ spiritalis, qua quisque hæret Domino, unus spiritus est. August. de Peccat. Rem. i. 11.

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