1

I had not, however, as yet attained to a knowledge of the foulness of that fountain, whence all these polluted streams flow forth so plentifully into our lives and conversation.-Neither was I then able to receive the following nervous passage concerning justification (Hooker, page 495): The righteousness wherein we must be found, if we will be justified, is not our own; therefore we cannot be justified by any inherent quality. Christ hath merited righteousness for as many as are found in him. In him God findeth us, if we be faithful: for by faith we are incorporated into Christ. Then, although in ourselves we be altogether sinful and unrighteous, yet, even the man which is impious in himself, full of iniquity, full of sin; him, being found in Christ through faith, and having his sin remitted through repentance, him God upholdeth with a gracious eye, putteth away his sin by not im'puting it; taketh quite away the punishment due thereunto by pardoning it; and accepteth him ' in Jesus Christ as perfectly righteous, as if he ' had fulfilled all that was commanded him in the ' law. Shall I say, more perfectly righteous than ' if himself had fulfilled the whole law? I must 'take heed what I say; but the apostle saith, 'God made Him to be sin, for us, who knew no "sin, that we might be made the righteousness of "God in him." "Such we are in the sight of God 'the Father, as is the very Son of God himself,

་

'Let it be counted folly, or frenzy, or fury, whatsoever, it is our comfort, and our wisdom; we 'care for no knowledge in the world but this, 'that man hath sinned, and God hath suffered; that God hath made himself the Son of man, and 'that men are made the righteousness of God." Equally determinate and expressive are these words (page 500): As for such as hold with the Church of Rome, that we cannot be saved by Christ alone without works, they do, not only by a circle of consequence, but directly, deny the foundation of faith; they hold it not, no not so much as by a thread.' If the judicious Hooker's judgment may in this important concern be depended upon, (and I suppose it will not easily be proved erroneous,) I fear the foundation of faith is held by only a small part of that Church, which has honoured her champion with this distinction.

Page 508 and 509, he thus defends his doctrine against the objections of the Papists, (for at that time none but the Papists openly objected to it.) 'It is a childish cavil wherewith, in the matter of justification, our adversaries do so greatly please themselves, exclaiming that we tread all christian virtues under our feet, and require nothing of christians but faith; because we teach that faith alone justifieth. Whereas, by this speech, we never meant to exclude either hope, or charity, from being always joined, as insepa

'rable mates with faith in the man that is justified; or works from being added as necessary duties required at the hands of every justified man: but to shew that faith is the only hand 'which putteth on Christ unto justification; and Christ the only garment, which, being so put on, covereth the shame of our defiled natures, hideth the imperfections of our works, preserveth us blameless in the sight of God; before whom, otherwise, the weakness of our faith were cause sufficient to make us culpable; yea, 'to shut us from the kingdom of heaven, where nothing that is not absolute can enter.'

Had I at this time met with such passages in the writings of the Dissenters, or in any of those modern publications, which, under the brand of methodistical, are condemned without reading, or perused with invincible prejudice, I should not have thought them worth regard, but should have rejected them as wild enthusiasm. But I knew that Hooker was deemed perfectly orthodox, and a standard-writer, by the prelates of the church in his own days. I learned from his dispute with Mr. Travers, that he was put upon his defence, for making concessions in this matter to the Church of Rome, which the zealous Protestants did not think warrantable; and that he was judged by the more rigid too lax in his doctrine, by none too rigid. I had never heard it insinuated that he was tinctured with enthusiasm; and the

solidity of his judgment, and the acuteness of his reasoning faculties, need no voucher to the attentive reader. His opinion therefore carried great weight with it; made me suspect the truth of my former sentiments; and put me upon serious enquiries and deep meditation upon this subject, accompanied with earnest prayers for the teaching and direction of the Lord in this important point. The result was, that after many objections and doubts, and much examination of the word of God, in a few months I began to accede to Mr. Hooker's sentiments. And at the present my opinion in this respect, as far as I know, coincides with these passages of this eminent author, and is supported and vindicated by the same arguments: he, therefore, who would prove our doctrine of justification by faith alone to be an error, will do well to answer in the first place these quotations from Mr. Hooker.

Indeed, as far as I can understand him, there is scarcely any doctrine which, with no inconsiderable offence, I now preach, that is not as evidently contained in his writings as in my sermons. Witness particularly his Sermon of the certain

ty and perpetuity of faith in the elect;' in which the doctrine of the final perseverance of true believers, is expressly taught and scripturally maintained: and he closes it with this noble triumph of full assurance, as resulting from that comfortable doctrine in the hearts of confirmed

and experienced christians; "I know in whom I "have believed;"I am not ignorant whose preci

ous blood has been shed for me; I have a Shepherd full of kindness, full of care, and full of power: unto him I commit myself. His own 'finger hath engraven this sentence in the tables ' of my heart. "Satan hath desired to winnow "thee as wheat, but I have prayed that thy faith fail not." Therefore, the assurance of my

hope I will labour to keep as a jewel unto the

end, and by labour,, through the gracious media'tion of his prayer, I shall keep it.' (Page 532) With such words in my mouth, and such assur ance in my heart, I wish to live, and hope to die.

The insertion of these quotations from this old author will, I hope, need no apology. Many have not his works, and these extracts are worthy of their perusal: others, from these specimens, may be prevailed with to read what perhaps hath hitherto been an unnoticed book in their studies. Especially I recommend it to those, who admire him. as the champion of the external order and discipline of the church, and who willingly allow him the honour of being distinguished by the epithet Judicious, that they would attentively read and impartially consider his doctrine. This would put an effectual stop to those declamations that, either ignorantly or maliciously, are made against the very doctrines as novel inventions, which have just now been explained and defended in