apathy, to enforce his attention to any internal admonition with which he may be inspired, (Appendix to part i.,) and, after conversion, matter to suggest to him topics of consolation, (part i. ch. 5,) when it remains for him only to persevere in order to obtain his heavenly inheritance.

I need scarcely admonish the reader that salvation is not of works, that obedience is not the meritorious cause of acceptance with God. Were it maintained, indeed, that any merit did attach to good works, that merit could not be pronounced our own. We might adapt the interrogatory of the apostle to ourselves-" What have we that we did not receive?" &c. (1 Cor. iv. 7.) Good works can alone be performed by the freedom of the will, and by the use of spiritual talents which God bestows. Both these efficients of obedience, and our ability to exercise them aright, being from God, to him, whatever is our goodness, must be given the praise and the glory. But-and these are all the points I argue-obedience is an inseparable ingredient in the true faith. It is the fruit and evidence of it. It is a condition of acceptance. It is pleasing to God through Christ. It is honouring and serving him. It does not, however, deserve the happiness of the blessed. It is infinitely disproportionate to such a retribution. We may, in consequence of it, with the

true faith, trust in Christ for the rewards of the believer, but it is only by virtue of the spontaneous promise of God's ineffable benevolence, that if we have been faithful over few things, he will make us rulers over many things. (Matt. xxv. 21, 23.) Our sufficiency also is not of ourselves. Eternal life, like justification, is thus the free gift of God. We are saved first and last by grace.

I omit any farther application of our doctrines to children, as they are dependent for instruction in religion upon their parents or tutors.

To assert that the criterions which I have suggested, of the actual acceptableness of the believer, are always in themselves completely satisfactory, would be, doubtless, to exceed the truth. The comparison of our external conduct and internal nature, with the rules and requisitions of Scripture, can never, I imagine, be so rigidly instituted as to exclude every degree of uncertainty, because the thorough character of the two objects of comparison, cannot be, probably, exactly ascertained. All that can be expected or desired is, that approximation to certainty which, while it requires continual aspirations and endeavours after higher attainments in holiness, encourages that exercise of faith which consists in a dependence on the divine attribute of mercy in Christ for salvation.

These effects the scheme attempted to be defined in these pages does, I trust, as far as my limits allow, abundantly secure. The man who may believe that he conforms to the course prescribed, cannot, I imagine, unless he is unhappily perplexed with unnecessary doubts fail to confide in God for "mercy," as St. Paul writes, "on that day." And one argument, which gives much confirmation to this view of the matter, is derived from the consideration, that it appears impossible from Scripture to show that more matured moral and pious excellence is required of man for the ends of his being.

That no lower proficiency in godliness will be available to salvation, I do not venture to affirm or to insinuate. I cannot but disapprove, for my part, the censures of those who pronounce the sentence of everlasting condemnation with unhesitating confidence on all who have not attained a certain degree or semblance of godliness. I am afraid that this reflection applies to a large proportion of a body of seceders from the church, for whom one can hardly have, on many accounts, too great affection and esteem-I mean the Methodists. They are too apt-many of the least instructed amongst them, certainly, if I may judge by my own experience to exclude all from salvation who do not depart this world, ripe, as

they think, for the sickle of the heavenly Husbandman. My knowledge of the Scriptures has informed me, that there is hope for various degrees of imperfection below such as I have described. Though I cannot but be convinced that it is desirable that man could be thoroughly furnished to all good thoughts, and words, and works; yet it is not in my power to deny that God's mercy is such that he will accept very inferior attainments. I can believe that the unlettered idolater may be saved from destruction, for aught I read in the same document of the divine will. And it is not for us to say, that he who makes ignorance one of the excuses for transgression, and who can perceive how much the errors of men may be attributable to their ignorance, and how little that ignorance to themselves, shall not concede such allowances as man would in his eruelty, his rigour, or his jealousy for the honour of God, refuse. All I have intended is to define that duty of man to his Creator and Saviour, which it ought to be the wish of every individual to pursue, and which is desirable to every intelligent disciple of Christianity. For though we need not despair of salvation for professing Christians less advanced in the pursuit of holiness; yet, no reasonable man can desire, for himself or for others, that they should give no hopes of their final acceptance, but of its possibility.

Nor can it be too strongly urged upon the unconverted, that if they are conscious of their duty to God, that there does appear a certainty of their actual condemnation. They must not trust that God's mercy is such, that they are in an accepted state. They must not say, "His mercy is great," and "he will be pacified for the multitude of my sins;" but remember that “ mercy and wrath" are with him, and as his mercy is great, so is his correction also.* They must learn to be sensible that God's mercy is chiefly manifested in offering salvation to man through his Son, which would be infinitely merciful on any terms. Neither must they be devoid of the most alarming fear, that they may sin so grievously as to become reprobate, not suffering themselves to be deceived by self-love, for God is no respecter of persons. His laws and decrees are made for all, though bearing in various ways on various descriptions of men. To the ignorant and unconverted, or unpersevering, not holding out a system of desperation-to the wilfully impenitent, thundering in a voice of terror-to the converted and persevering, whispering the accents of peace, and waking songs of joy.

We may here introduce another, and an ex* Ecclus. v. 6; xvi. 11, 12.