to mention them. All of any consequence which relates to me, I think falls under three heads :

First, That I believe Justification by Faith alone.

Secondly, That I believe Sinless Perfection: and,

Thirdly, That I believe in Inconsistencies. Of each of these, I will speak as plainly as I can.

2. First, That I believe Justification by Faith alone. This 1 allow for I am firmly persuaded, "That every man of the offspring of Adam is very far gone from original righteousness, and is, of his own nature, inclined to evil:" That this corruption of our nature, in every person born into the world, deserves God's wrath and damnation that therefore if ever we receive the remission of our sins, and are accounted righteous before God, it must be only for the merits of Christ by faith, and not for our own works or deservings of any kind. Nay, I am persuaded, that all works done before justification, have in them the nature of sin; and that, consequently, till he is justified, a man has no power to do any work, which is pleasing and acceptable to God.

3. To express my meaning a little more at large.

I believe, Three things must go together in our justification: upon God's part, his great mercy and grace; upon Christ's part, the satisfaction of God's justice, by the offering his body, and shedding his blood, and fulfilling the law of God perfectly; and upon our part, true and living faith in the merits of Jesus Christ. So that in our justification there is not only God's mercy and grace, but his justice also. And so the grace of God does not shut out the rightcousness of God in our justification, but only shuts out the righteousness of man; that is, the righteousness of our works.

4. And therefore St. Paul requires nothing on the part of man, but only a true and living faith. Yet this faith does not shut out repentance, hope, and love, which are joined with faith in every man that is justified. But it shuts them out from the office of justifying. So that although they are all present together in him that is justified, yet they justify not altogether.

5. Neither does faith shut out good works, necessarily to be done afterwards. But we may not do them to this intent, To be justified by doing them. Our Justification comes freely, of the mere mercy of God. For whereas all the world was not able to pay any part towards their ransom, it pleased him, without any of our deserving, to prepare for us Christ's body and blood, whereby our ransom might be paid, his law fulfilled, and his justice satisfied. Christ therefore is now the righteousness of all them that truly believe in him. He for them paid the ransom by his death. He for them fulfilled the law in his life. So that now in Him, and by Him, every Believer may be called a fulfiller of the law.

6. But let it be observed, the true sense of those words, "We are justified by faith in Christ only," is not, that this our own act, To believe in Christ, or this our faith which is within us, justifies us (for that were, to account ourselves to be justified by some act or virtue

that is within us :) but that although we have faith, hope, and love within us, and do ever so many good works, yet we must renounce the merit of all, of faith, hope, love, and all other virtues and good works, which we either have done, shall do, or can do, as far too weak to deserve our justification: for which therefore we must trust only in God's mercy, and the merits of Christ. For it is he alone that taketh away our sins. To Him alone are we to go for this; forsaking all our virtues, good words, thoughts, and works, and putting our trust in Christ only.

7. In strictness, therefore, neither our faith nor our works justify us, i. e. deserve the remission of our sins. But God himself justifies us, of his own mercy, through the merits of his Son only. Nevertheless, because by faith we embrace the promise of God's mercy, and of the remission of our sins, therefore the Scripture says, That faith does justify, yea, faith without works. And it is all one to say, faith without works, and faith alone justifies us, therefore the ancient Fathers from time to time speak thus: faith alone justifies us. And because we receive faith through the only merits of Christ, and not through the merit of any virtue we have, or work we do: therefore in that respect we renounce, as it were, again, faith, works, and all other virtues. For our corruption through Original Sin is so great, that all our faith, charity, words, and works, cannot merit or deserve any part of our justification for us. And therefore we thus speak, humbling ourselves before God, and giving Christ all the glory of our justification.

8. But it should also be observed, What that faith is, whereby we are justified. Now that faith which brings not forth good works, is not a living faith, but a dead and devilish one. For even the devils believe, "That Christ was born of a Virgin, that he wrought all kind of miracles, declaring himself to be very God, that for our sakes He died and rose again, and ascended into heaven, and at the end of the world shall come again, to judge the quick and the dead." This the devils believe, and so they believe all that is written in the Old and New Testament. And yet still, for all this faith, they are but devils. They remain still in their damnable estate, lacking the true Christian faith.

9. The true Christian faith is, not only to believe the Holy Scriptures and the articles of our faith are true, but also to have a sure trust and confidence to be saved from everlasting damnation by Christ, whereof doth follow a loving heart, to obey his commandments. And this faith neither any devil hath, nor any wicked man. No ungodly man hath or can have this sure trust and confidence in God, that by the merits of Christ his sins are forgiven, and he reconciled to the favour of God.

10. This is what I believe (and have believed for some years) concerning Justification by faith alone. I have chosen to express it in the words of a little treatise published several years ago, as being the most authentic proof, both of my past and present sentiments. If I err herein, let those who are better informed calmly point out

my error to me and I trust I shall not shut my eyes against the light, from whatsoever side it comes.

11. The second thing laid to my charge is, That I believe sinless Perfection. I will simply declare what I do believe concerning this also, and leave unprejudiced men to judge.

12. My last and most deliberate thoughts on this head were published a few years since, in these words:

1. "Perhaps the general prejudice against Christian Perfection may chiefly arise from the misapprehension of the nature of it. We willingly allow, and continually declare, there is no such perfection in this life, as implies either a dispensation from doing good, and attending all the ordinances of God; or a freedom from ignorance, mistake, temptation, and a thousand infirmities necessarily connected with flesh and blood.

2. "First, We not only allow, but earnestly contend, (as for the faith once delivered to the saints,) that there is no such perfection in this life, as implies any dispensation from attending all the ordinances of God, or from doing good unto all men, while we have time, though especially unto the household of faith. And whosoever they are, who have taught otherwise, we are convinced are not taught of God. We dare not receive them, neither bid them God speed, lest we be partakers of their evil deeds. We believe that not only the babes in Christ, who have newly found redemption in his blood, but those also, who are grown up unto perfect men, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ, are indispensably obliged, (and that they are obliged thereto, is their glory and crown of rejoicing) as oft as they have opportunity, to eat bread and drink wine, in remembrance of him; to search the Scriptures; by fasting (as well as temperance) to keep their bodies under, and bring them into subjection; and, above all, to pour out their souls in prayer, both secretly, and in the great congregation.

3. "We secondly believe, and therefore speak, and that unto all men, and with much assurance, that there is no such perfection in this life, as implies an entire deliverance, either from ignorance or mistake, in things not essential to salvation, or salvation from manifold temptations, or from numberless infirmities, wherewith the corruptible body more or less presses down the soul. This is the same thing which we have spoken from the beginning: if any teach otherwise, they are not of us. We cannot find any ground in Scripture to suppose, that any inhabitant of a house of clay is wholly exempt either from bodily infirmities, or from ignorance of many things; or to imagine any mere man is incapable of mistake, or of falling into. divers temptations: no: the disciple is not above his Master, nor the servant above his Lord. It is enough, that every one, who is perfect, shall be as his Master.

4. "But what then, it may be asked, do you mean by one that is perfect, or one that is as his Master?" We mean, one in whom is the mind which was in Christ, and who so walketh, as he also walked; a man that bath clean hands and a pure heart; or that is cleansed

from all filthiness of flesh and spirit; one in whom there is no occasion of stumbling, and who accordingly doth not commit sin. To declare this a little more particularly we understand by that scriptural expression, a perfect man, one in whom God hath fulfilled. his faithful word," From all your filthiness, and from all your idols will I cleanse you. I will also save you from all your uncleannesses." We understand thereby one whom God hath sanctified throughout, even in body, soul, and spirit; one who walketh in the light, as he is in the light, and in whom is no darkness at all; the blood of Jesus Christ, his Son, having cleansed him from all sin."

5. "This man can now testify to all mankind, I am crucified with Christ; nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me. He is holy, as God who hath called him is holy, both in heart, and in all manner of conversation. He loveth the Lord his God with all his heart, and serveth him with all his strength. He loveth his neighbour (every man) as himself; yea, as Christ loved us; them in particular, that despitefully use him and persecute him, because they know not the Son, neither the Father. Indeed his soul is all love, filled with bowels of mercies, kindness, meekness, gentleness, long-suffering. And his life agreeth thereto, full of the work of faith, the patience of hope, the labour of love. And whatsoever he doth, either in word or deed,' he doth it all in the name, in the love and power of the Lord Jesus. In a word, he doth the will of God on earth, as it is done in heaven.

6. "This it is to be a perfect man, to be sanctified throughout, created anew in Christ Jesus: even to have a heart so all-flaming with the love of God, (to use Archbishop Usher's words) as continually to offer up every thought, word, and work, as a spiritual sacrifice, acceptable unto God through Christ. In every thought of our hearts, in every work of our hands, to show forth his praise, who hath called us out of darkness into his marvellous light. O that both we, and all who seek the Lord Jesus in sincerity, may thus be made perfect in one!"

13. If there be any thing unscriptural in these words, any thing wild or extravagant, any thing contrary to the analogy of faith, or the experience of adult Christians, let them smite me friendly and reprove me; let them impart to me of the clearer light God has given them. How knowest thou, O man, but thou mayest gain thy brother? But he may at length come to the knowledge of the truth? And thy labour of love, shown forth with meekness of wisdom, may not be in vain ?

14. There remains yet another charge against me. That I believe Inconsistencies: that my tenets, particularly concerning justification, are contradictory to themselves: that Mr. Wesley, "since his return from Germany, has improved in the spirit of inconsistency. For then he published two treatises of Dr. Barnes's the Calvinist, or Dominican rather, who suffered in 1541;" [Let us spare the ashes of the dead. Were I such a Dominican as he was, I should rejoice too to die in the flames !] "the first on 'Justification by faith only,'

the other on 'The sinfulness of man's natural will, and his utter inability to do works acceptable to God, until he be justified.' Which principles, if added to his former tenets" (nay, they need not be added to them, for they are the very same) "will give the whole a new vein of inconsistency, and make the contradictions more gross and glaring than before."

15. It will be necessary to speak more largely on this head, than on either of the preceding. And in order to speak as distinctly as I can, I propose taking the paragraphs one by one, as they lie before me.

16. [1.] It is asserted that Mr. Law's system was the "creed of the Methodists." But it is not proved. I had been eight years at Oxford, before I read any of Mr. Law's writings: and when I did, . I was so far from making them my creed, that I had objections to almost every page. But all this time my manner was, to spend several hours a day, in reading the Scripture in the original tongues. And hence my system (so termed) was wholly drawn according to the light I then had.

17. It was in my passage to Georgia, I met with those Moravian teachers, who would have taught me the way of God more perfectly. But I understood them not. Neither on my arrival there, did they infuse any particularities into me, either about justification, or any thing else. For I came back with the same notions I went. And this I have explicitly acknowledged in my second journal, where some of my words are these: "When Peter Bohler, as soon as I came to London, affirmed of true faith in Christ, (which is but one) that it had these two fruits inseparably attending it, "dominion over sin, and constant peace from a sense of forgiveness:" I was quite amazed, and looked upon it as a new gospel. If this were so, it was clear I had no faith. But I was not willing to be convinced of this therefore I disputed with all my might, and laboured to prove that faith might be where these were not; especially where that sense of forgiveness was not: for all the Scriptures relating to this, I had been long since taught to construe away, and to call all presbyterians who spoke otherwise. Besides, I well saw, no one could (in the nature of things) have such a sense of forgiveness, and not feel it. But I felt it not. If then there was no faith without this, all my pretensions to faith dropped at once.

18. [2.] Yet it was not Peter Bohler who convinced me that conversion (I mean justification) was an instantaneous work. On the contrary, when I was convinced of the nature and fruits of justifying faith, still "I could not comprehend what he spoke of an instantaneous work." I could not understand how this faith should be given in a moment: how a man could at once be thus turned from darkness to light, from sin and misery to righteousness and joy in the Holy Ghost. I searched the Scriptures again, touching this very thing, particularly the Acts of the Apostles. But to my utter astonishment, I found scarce any instances there of other than instantaneous conversions: scarce any other so slow as that of Saint Paul,