swering, "All this I believe," the priest was commanded to instruct and comfort him in the following words :-"Go to, therefore, as long as thy soul remaineth in thee, place thy whole confidence in his death only, have confidence in no other thing, commit thyself wholly to his death, with this alone cover thyself wholly, intermingle thyself wholly in this death, wrap thy whole self in this death: and if thy Lord God will judge thee, say, Lord, I appose (put) the death of our Lord Jesus Christ betwixt me and thy judgment, and no otherwise do I contend with thee. And if he say unto thee, that thou art a sinner, say, Lord, I put the death of our Lord Jesus Christ betwixt thee and my sins. If he say unto thee, Thou hast deserved damnation; say, Lord, I set the death of our Lord Jesus Christ betwixt thee and my bad merits, and I offer his merit instead of the merits which I ought to have, but yet have not. If he say, that he is angry with thee, say, Lord, I interpose the death of our Lord Jesus Christ betwixt me and thine anger."*

The church of England, in accordance with holy Scripture, maintains, that justification before God is "by faith." The following declarations of sacred Scripture are decisive on this point—“. Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law,

* "Via Tuta, Via Devia," by Sir Humphrey Lynde, p. 61, 62; a work of singular merit, and which deserves to be extensively known and read by all who desire further information on the Romish controversy.

but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law." (Gal. ii. 16.) Therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace with God, through our Lord Jesus Christ." (Rom. v. 1.) "By grace are ye saved, through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not of works, lest any man should boast." (Eph. ii. 8, 9.) "Therefore we conclude, that a man is justified by faith, without works of law, xwpis Epywv vóμov." (Rom. iii. 28.) The church of Rome is opposed to the doctrine of Scripture on this point; in the following canon of the Trent Council she declares-" If any one shall say, that justifying faith is nothing else than a trust in the divine mercy, remitting sin for Christ's sake, or that it is faith alone by which we are justified→→→ let him be accursed." The church of Rome, therefore, attributes justification to the use of the sacraments, (ex opere operató,) to works of obedience, and to those other Christian graces which constitute the real Christian, to all which, as well as faith, they attribute merit as entitling to the favour of God and eternal life; in this way, confounding sanctification with justification, they repudiate the Scripture doctrine of justification by faith alone, and charge Protestants who hold it as trampling upon all Christian virtues and all moral obligations.

It is, then, of great importance to inquire in

what sense we are said to be justified by faith, and what is intended by the faith which justifies. By the faith which justifies is not intended merely simple belief, or the assent of the understanding to the facts and doctrines of Christianity: there may be this, in the absence of that " believing in the heart to righteousness," on which St. Paul insists as essential to salvation. (Rom. x. 9, 10.) True faith, to which the Scriptures attribute justification and everlasting salvation, is thus explained in the language of the Reformers in the homilies of the church of England :

"We put our faith in Christ, that we be justified by him only: that we be justified by God's free mercy, and the merits of our Saviour Christ only; and by no virtue or good work of our own in us, or that we can be able to have or do, for to deserve the same, Christ himself only being the meritorious cause thereof." *

"The only mean and instrument of salvation required of our parts is faith that is to say, a true trust and confidence in the mercies of God; whereby we persuade ourselves, that God both hath and will forgive our sins; that he hath accepted us again into his favour; that he hath released us from the bonds of damnation, and received us again into the number of his elect people, not for our merits or deserts, but only and solely for the

*Hom. iii. 3.

merits of Christ's death and passion-this faith is required at our hands." *

The faith that justifies, by which we become interested in the merits of Christ, is trust in the Saviour; it is connected with a feeling of worthlessness and insufficiency in ourselves, leading us on the one hand to renounce all trust in any righteousness of our own, and on the other, to place our whole dependance on what Christ has done and suffered for our salvation. The following observations of Tindal, the martyr, are beauti. ful and important, as illustrating the doctrine of justification by faith as held by the church of England.

"Mark, therefore, the way towards justifying or forgiveness of sin, is the law. God causeth the

writeth it in our

law to be preached unto us, and hearts, and maketh us by good reasons feel that the law is good, and ought to be kept, and that they which keep it not are worthy to be damned. And on the other side, I feel that there is no power in

* Hom. xxv. 2. Dr. Gregory, in his Life of Dr. Good, says, “In the New Testament the words Tiotic and iσteûw, are never used to express belief in any fact, that is not fitted to excite confidence in God or in Christ. Out of one hundred and thirty instances of their occurrence, there is only one that is at all doubtful. This is momentous, as it serves to prove that faith goes far beyond mere assent or belief, and confirms, as Dr. Watts remarks, the constant sentiment of our Protestant divines in their opposition to the Papists, that, fides est fiducia.'

6

me to keep the law; whereupon it would shortly follow that I should despair, if I were not shortly holpen. But, God which hath begun to cure me, and hath laid that corrosive unto my sores, goeth forth in his cure, and setteth his Son Jesus before me, and all his passions and death, and saith to me, This is my dear Son, and he hath prayed for thee, and hath suffered all this for thee, and for his sake I will forgive thee all that thou hast done against this good law, and I will heal thy flesh, and teach thee to keep this law, if thou wilt learn. And I will bear with thee, and take all aworth that thou doest, till thou canst do better. And in the mean season, notwithstanding thy weakness, I will yet love thee no less than I do the angels in heaven, so thou wilt be diligent to learn. And I will assist thee, keep thee, and defend thee, and be thy shield, and care for thee.

"And the heart here beginneth to mollify and wax soft, and to receive health, and believeth the mercy of God, and in believing is saved from the fear of everlasting death, and made sure of everlasting life; and then, being overcome with this kindness, beginneth to love again, and to submit herself unto the laws of God, to learn them, and to walk in them.

"Note now the order: first, God giveth me light to see the goodness and righteousness of the law, and mine own sin and unrighteousness. Out of which knowledge springeth repentance. Now