conscious that this twofold conclusion wounds, in the tenderest part, several of my dear, mistaken brethren in the ministry, whom, on various accounts, I highly honour in the Lord. Nevertheless, I am obliged in conscience to publish it, lest any of my readers, or any of those whom they may warn, should be misled into Antinomianism, through the mistakes of those popular preachers: for the interests of truth, the honour of Christ's holy religion, and the welfare of precious souls are, and ought to be to me, and to every Christian, far dearer that the credit of some good, injudicious men, who inadvertently undermine the cause of godliness; thinking to do God service by stretching forth a Solifidian hand to uphold the ark of Gospel truth. Thus much for the reasons which have engaged me to call this essay The Last Check to Antinomianism. If the reader desire to know why I call it also A Polemical Essay, he is informed, that Richard Hill, Esq., (at the end of a pamphlet entitled, "Three Letters written to the Rev. J. Fletcher, Vicar of Madeley,") has published "A Creed for Arminians and Perfectionists." The ten first articles of this creed, which respect the Arminians, I have already answered in The Fictitious and Genuine Creed; and the following sheets contain my reply to the last article, which entirely refers to the perfectionists. That gentleman introduces the whole of his fictitious creed by these lines:-"The following confession of faith, however shocking, not to say blasphemous, it may appear to the humble Christian, must inevitably be adopted, if not in express words, yet in substance, by every Arminian and perfectionist whatsoever; though the last article of it chiefly concerns such as are ordained ministers of the Church of England." The last article, which is the Creed I answer here, runs thus :— "Though I have solemnly subscribed to the thirty-nine articles of the Church of England, and have affirmed that I believe them from my heart, yet I think our reformers were profoundly ignorant of true Christianity, when they declared, in the ninth article, that the infection of nature does remain in them which are regenerate; and in the fifteenth that all we the rest (Christ only excepted) although baptized and born again in Christ, yet offend in many things, and if we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.' This I totally deny, because it cuts up, root and branch, my favourite doctrine of perfection and therefore let Peter, Paul, James, and John, say what they will, and let the reformers and martyrs join their syren song, their eyes were at best but half opened, (for want of a little Foundry eye salve,) therefore I cannot look upon them as adult believers in Jesus Christ. : "J. F. "J. W. "W. S." These initial letters probably stand for John Fletcher, John Wesley, and Walter Sellon. As Mr. Hill seems to level his witty creed at me first, I shall first make my observations upon it. The van, without the main body and the rear, may perhaps make a proper stand against that gentleman's mistake: a dangerous mistake this, which is inseparably connected with the doctrine of a purgatory little better than that of the Papists; it being evident that if we cannot be purged from the remains of sin in this life, we must be purged from them in death, or after death; or we must be banished from God's presence; for reason and Scripture jointly depose that "nothing unholy or unclean shall enter into the heavenly Jerusalem." If we understand by purgatory, the manner in which souls, still polluted with the remains of sin, are, or may be purged from these remains, that they may see a holy God, and dwell with him for ever; the question, Which is the true purgatory? is by no means frivolous: for it is the grand inquiry, How shall I be eternally saved? proposed in different expressions. There are four opinions concerning purgatory, or the purgation of souls from the remains of sin. The wildest is that of the heathens, who supposed "that the souls, who depart this life with some moral filth cleaving to them, are purified by being hanged out to sharp, cutting winds; by being plunged into a deep, impetuous whirlpool; or being thrown into a refining fire in some Tartarean region;" witness these lines of Virgil: Alice panduntur inanes Suspenso ad ventos: aliis sub gurgite vasto The second opinion is that of the Romanists, who teach that such souls are completely sanctified by the virtue of Christ's blood, and the sharp operation of a penal, temporary fire in the suburbs of hell. The third opinion is that of the Calvinists, who think that the stroke of death must absolutely be joined with Christ's blood and Spirit, and with our faith, to cleanse the thoughts of our hearts, and to kill the inbred man of sin. The last sentiment is that of the Church of England, which teaches that there is no other purgatory but "Christ's blood,"-" steadfast, perfect faith;" and "the inspiration of God's Holy Spirit, cleansing the thoughts of our hearts, that we may perfectly love him, and worthily magnify his holy name." "The only purgatory, wherein we must trust to be saved," says she, "is the death and blood of Christ, which, if we apprehend with a true and steadfast faith, [called soon after a perfect faith,'] it purgeth and cleanseth us from all our sins. Christ,' says St. John, hath cleansed us from all sin.' The blood of The blood of Christ,' says St. Paul, hath purged our consciences from dead works to serve the living God,' &c. This then is the purgatory wherein all Christian men put their trust and confidence." (Homily on Prayer, part iii.). Nor is this doctrine of purgatory peculiar to the Church of England; for the unprejudiced Puritans themselves maintained it in the last century. Mr. R. Alleine, in his excellent treatise on Godly Fear, printed in London, 1674, says, page 161, "The Lord Christ is sometimes resembled to a refining fire, &c. He is a refiner's fire, and he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver.' He shall purify, he shall save his people from their sins,' yet so as by fire. God has his purgatory as well as his hell; though not according to that popish dream, a purgatory after this life." And I beg leave to add, though not according to that Calvinian dream, a purgatory when we leave this life,―a pur. gatory in the article of death. The Scriptural doctrine of purgatory is vindicated, and the newfangled doctrine of a death purgatory is exploded in the following pages: wherein I endeavour both to defend "the glorious liberty of the children of God," and to attack the false liberty of those "who, while they promise liberty to others in Christ, are themselves [doctrinally at least] the servants of corruption;" pleading hard for the indwelling of sin in our hearts so long as we live; and thinking it almost "blasphemous" to assert that Christ's blood, fully applied by the Spirit, through a steadfast faith, can radically "cleanse us from all sin," without the least assistance from the arrows or sweats of death. Reader, I plead for the most precious liberty in the world, heart liberty; for liberty from the most galling of all yokes, the yoke of heart corruption. Let not thy prejudices turn a deaf ear to the important plea. If thou candidly, believingly, and practically receive "the truth as it is in Jesus, it shall make thee free, and thou shalt be free indeed." Then, instead of shouting, "Indwelling sin and death purgatory," thou wilt fulfil the law of liberty; shouting, "Christ and Christian liberty for ever!" In the meantime, when thou makest intercession for thy well wishers, remember the author of this essay, and pray that he may plead on his knees against the remains of sin, far more earnestly than he does in these sheets against Mr. Hill's mistakes. THE LAST CHECK TO ANTINOMIANISM. SECTION I. The best way of opposing the doctrines of Christian imperfection and a death purgatory, is to place the doctrine of Christian perfection in a proper light-Christian perfection is the maturity of a believer's grace under the Gospel of Christ-It is absurd to suppose that this perfection is sinless, if it be measured by our Creator's law of paradisiacal innocence and obedience-Established believers fulfil our Redeemer's evangelical law of liberty-While they fulfil it, they do not transgress it, that is, (evangelically speaking,) they do not sin. Most of the controversies, which arise between men who fear God, spring from the hurry with which some of them find fault with what they have not yet examined, and speak evil of what they do not understand. Why does Mr. Hill, at the head of the Calvinists, attack the doctrine of Christian perfection which we contend for? Is it because he and they are sworn enemies to righteousness, and zealous protectors of iniquity? Not at all. The grand reason, next to their Calvinian prejudice, is their inattention to the question, and to the arguments by which our sentiments are supported.. Notwithstanding the manner in which that gentleman has treated me and my friends in his controversial heats, I still entertain so good an opinion of him as to think that if he understood our doctrine, he would no more pour contempt upon it, than upon the oracles of God.. I shall, therefore, endeavour to rectify his ideas of the glorious Christian liberty which we press after. If producing light is the best method of opposing darkness, setting the doctrine of Christian perfection in a proper point of view will be the best means of opposing the doctrines of Christian imperfection, and of a death purgatory. Begin we then by taking a view of our Jerusalem and her perfection: and when we shall have "marked her bulwarks," and cleared the ground between her towers and Mr. Hill's battery, we shall march up to it, and see whether his arguments have the solidity of brass, or only the showy appearance of wooden artillery, painted and mounted like brazen ordnance. CHRISTIAN PERFECTION! Why should the harmless phrase offend us? Perfection! Why should that lovely word frighten us? Is it not common and plain? Did not Cicero speak intelligibly when he called accomplished philosophers PERFECTOs philosophos, and an EXCELLENT orator PERFECTUM oratorem? Did Ovid expose his reputation when he said that "Chiron* perfected Achilles in music," or "taught him to play on the lute to perfection?" And does Mr. Hill think it wrong to observe that fruit grown to maturity is in its perfection? We, whom that gen * Phillyrides puerum cithara perfecit Achillem. |