the Lord's Supper, &c. These are only excluded from the office or instrumentality of justifying a sinner or ungodly man, and in making him a righteous one. Neither does the justification of a sinner by faith only, shut out the justice of God in requiring good works necessarily afterwards to be done. For it is by faith alone that good works can be performed, as it is by faith in Jesus Christ that we are made new creatures, and are qualified for doing good works, or any works that are pleasing to God: "Ye are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which he has before ordained that we should walk in them." Without faith it is impossible to please God. Through faith we receive the promise of the Spirit; and by faith God works in us, to will and to do according to his own good pleaFaith is the fruitful and efficient principle of all good works. Every true believer is inclined to do good works, and finds his happiness in it, and feels himself bound to do them (if he cherishes the spirit of the gospel) all the days of his life; while he attributes his justification to the free favor of God in Christ Jesus, "in whom he has redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace." Eph. i. 5-7; Col. i. 13; Heb. ix. 12; Peter i. 18, 19.

sure.

The doctrine of justification by faith alone, so far from being any arrest to the practical influence of it, is felt by every true believer to give all its spirit and scope to the new obedience of the gospel. Under the sacred and constraining influence of that faith, which works by love, and purifies the heart, the question is not, How much must I do to escape punishment, or to obtain salvation? but what can I render to the Lord for all his benefits and goodness? In all ages those who have practically received the doctrine of justification by faith without works, have been more distinguished than any others in denying themselves of all ungodliness and worldly lusts, and being zealous of good works. This was pre-eminently the case with Abraham and Paul, and is the case now with those who do and suffer most for the advancement of the Redeemer's kingdom, and the salvation of souls.

Abraham believed in God, and his faith was counted to him for righteousness without works; and being thus made a righteous man by faith, he was justified, as such, by works, and not by faith only. This doctrine the Apostle James illustrates. He says that Abraham was justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar. He then adds, "Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was his faith made perfect; and the scripture was fulfilled, which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed to him for righteousness?" Now these words, "it was imputed to him for righteousness," were spoken many years before Abraham was called to sacrifice Isaac, and some time before Isaac was born. For proof of this, compare Gen. xv. 6, with Gẹn. xxii. 9, 12. James therefore did not intend to contradict Moses and Paul, who asserted that Abraham believed God, and his faith was counted to him for righteousness; but meant that the true believer proves his faith to be a living one, and

his profession to be sincere, by the fruits of holy obedience, and is thus justified before men on earth, and will be judged before an assembled universe by his works, when Christ shall justify the world,

James, when he speaks of justification by works, does not use the term justification in the sense of forgiveness of sins, as Paul does when he says that a man is justified by faith without works. At the last judgment, when men shall be justified by their works, we have no account of the remission of sin there. Justification will be declarative and remunerative; the righteous will be declared by their works to be righteous, and receive a crown of life. There will be the works which faith wrought, and the scripture will be fulfilled, or rather illustrated and confirmed, in the same way it was in the case of Abraham, by the works of faith in the case of every sincere believer; while the hypocrites, such as James described them, who pretended that they had faith, but which was alone and dead, will be manifested and declared to be hypocrites, by their want of the works of faith, and by their wicked works. The same will be the case with the professedly wicked portion of mankind; they will be judged by their works.

The previous state of those who are said to be justified by faith without works, and those who are justified by works and not by faith only, is different. The previous state of the former is described as being without strength, ungodly, enemies, and sinners; Rom. iv. 5; 8-10. The previous state of the latter is a state of deliverance from guilt and ungodliness; and they are saints and the children of God, those who love God and keep his commandments.

v.

I desire to address one more number to you, which will be on "Christian Union and Gospel Reformation."

In publishing my first number, the Christian Messenger has made several typographical errors, particularly in the extract from brother Stuart's letter, and one in a scripture quotation, which I desire you to correct when you print it. The Editors of the Messenger divided my first number; you will oblige me by printing it all together in one number of the Harbinger.

I am your brother in Christ,

March 14, 1832.

JAMES FISIIBACK.

P. S. I ought to have observed that the transaction between God and the soul, and that one upon which God suspends the remission of sin, and the reception of the sinner into his favor as a justified perand bestows his divine influences upon him, passes in the soul itself, and consists in the cordial faith or belief in Jesus Christ, or in the hearty reception of him, and reliance upon him, as the Son of God and Saviour of sinners, as he is exhibited in the gospel.

son,

The external acts of this faith, and which are consequences of it, are whatever the believer says or does, according to the word of God, as a rule of conduct and duty, whether it relates to the ordinances of the gospel, or to acts of self-denial, good works or worship, or to his living soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world. J. F.

VOL.III.

41+

Brother Fishback,

REPLY.

DEAR SIR-WITH the general contents of your letter before me, I am well pleased. Concerning "the assurance of remission," you assert that "not when he was baptized, but when he first sincerely be lieved, has the sinner obtained the assurance of remission." This is the only point in your letter which now merits my attention, and the capital point at issue between us. On this you have not shed a single ray in your last series of letters. It is a dark point, and you ought, if light you have to bestow, to shed it forth on this point.

You rely upon such expressions as "by him all that believe shall obtain remission of sins." But so do we; only with this difference, that we take the whole expression, in all its appendages; such as by him, or by his name. Faith with us is always the principle; for example: if a sinner confess the Lord and be baptized for the remission of his sins, he receives pardon by faith in the testimony of God; or if a christian confess any sin, and ask for pardon, he receives pardon only through his faith in the promise of God. So that he is always justified by faith, stands by faith, and walks by faith. Most assuredly you can understand this. Why not, then, come to the point at issuethe naked and precise point? It is this: Is the assurance of remission obtained when a sinner first sincerely believes, before he obeys, and without obedience, by faith alone; or when he is baptized, believing the testimony of God? We assert the latter, and you the former. We have positive testimony, you have none. Our testimony has been often laid before you; your reasonings, only on such expressions as those marked above, are your dependence.

The

Come, now, and let us reason together upon your reasonings. assurance of pardon: this is your expression, and it is mine-let us now keep it before our minds. This assurance of pardon is mental, as well as faith; is it not? and it must rest, according to your theory, upon the assurance of faith. In other words, the sinner must not only believe, but be assured that he does believe, before he can be assured that he is pardoned. Now, do you not see that you render assurance of pardon impossible to any sinner, unless you argue that a person can be assured that he does believe without a single act of faith, or without a pulsation of life. You argue that a man is to feel assured that he is alive before he feels one pulsation of his heart, or before his heart moves, lest he should confound his life with its movements. How can a man be conscious of life before he lives or moves? When you can explain this mystery, you can explain all mysteries, and demonstrate how a person can be assured that he does believe before the obedience of faith. We argue that obedience is just as necessary to prove the sincerity of faith, (I say sincerity, for this is your own term) to the believer himself, as it is to society. Can you demonstrate that any person can feel assured that he believes any proposition prior to, or independent of, the workings, movements, or actings of the truth of said proposition!! This will be a new chapter in metaphysics. Stuart of Edinburgh, in his day, could not soar so high nor dive so deep in mentals, as to afford such a demonstration.

The

man who can say in the presence of reason, logic, and philosophy, to say nothing of religion, that he is assured that he believes any truth, without feeling the impulses of that truth, is prepared to say that he was assured of life before he felt the air, the earth, the water, or the fire.

Now concede, as I know you must, and I have so much faith in your candor as to say that I know you will-I say, concede that a man cannot be assured that he believes any truth prior to the impulses of that truth upon his moral nature, upon his understanding, will and affections, then the question is, Are not the effects, workings, and actings of the truth believed, the grounds of his certainty or assurance that he does believe? Another question, if you please: And are the inward feelings-call them what you please-as clear, and firm, and safe a ground of assurance, as those moral actions which require the whole man to move; are they, indeed, in any great matter, ever placed as the foundation of confidence?

By this we know that we have passed away from death to life: because we love the brethren. And how do we know we love the brethren, but by the fruits of that love! The man who can feel assured that he loves the brethren, without the acts of brotherly kindness, without the fruits of that love in overt acts, is more of an angel or spirit than I am, or in this mortal state can ever hope to be. And he that can be assured that he believes, before obedience to the truth believed, has attained to a purer air and a clearer sky in mental science than I have ever yet enjoyed. Now remember that you make the assurance of faith prior to the assurance of pardon: so do we. But see the difference:-you make faith itself the assurance of itself, while I demand its movements, its impulses, its acts; or, its obedience, if you please. Your theory, then, of the assurance of pardon resting upon the assurance of faith, and the assurance of faith resting upon itself, is the old theory of the earth resting upon the back of a tortoise, and the tortoise resting upon itself.

But, say you, how do I make faith the assurance of itself? I answer, By alleging that a man has the assurance of pardon when first he sincerely believes, and in assuming that he can be assured that he does believe prior to any act of obedience to the truth believed. And here I beg your attention while I state that by an act of obedience to the truth believed, we mean any assimilation of the mind to the truth believed; such as loving, hating, fearing, hoping, rejoicing, in correspondence with the truth believed. The first emotion of joy, or sorrow, on hearing a report, is an act of the mind in accordance with the meaning or truth of the report, and is a proof to the subject of it that he believes the report. Now if you allow that a person's assurance that he believes depends upon no fruit or act of faith, you make faith the faith or assurance of itself: and if you do not, then you make the fruit or act of faith the ground of assurance that we do believe; and consequently you make the consequences, fruits, or obedience of faith, the assurance of pardon! You will please read this again, and ponder it well; and then make an effort to demonstrate

how a nan can have any assurance of pardon on the ground of his faith alone, or on faith without obedience: then you will find and feel the dilemma in which your theory terminates, and the utter impossibility of any person having the assurance of pardon, or the assurance that he sincerely believes, but by obedience.

Then returns the question, Whether are the wisdom, goodness, and grace of God, more apparent in appointing penitents to be baptized for the remission of their sins, and christians overtaken in any fault to confess and pray for remission, than in telling them merely to believe for pardon, or love, fear, or hope for pardon-in appointing an institution for remission which calls for the understanding, will, affections-body, soul and spirit-to act in one mighty concert, never to be forgotten?

Be assured, my dear sir, that obedience is as necessary to prove sincerity in the court of our own understanding, as in the court of public opinion; and without the sincerity of faith, you will not allow the assurance of pardon. Could Abraham have been assured that he sincerely believed the promise of God made to him, if he had not went out of Ur of Chaldea, and crossed the Euphrates, at the command of God? Or when commanded to offer up the Child of Promise, could he have known that he was obedient short of all that transpired on Mount Moriah? The Father of all believers could have had no assurance of his acceptance, if that assurance depended upon the sincerity of his faith, unless there was some test ordained by which he could prove to himself that he sincerely believed. Many idly talk about their faith, and think they have a good stock of it until they set about walking by faith; then they begin to discover that they cannot stand, much less walk by it.

But still it is true that all blessings are received by faith; for if God's promises are not believed, neither pardon nor any spiritual blessing can follow any act of obedience to any command. And when men "sanctify their souls by obeying the truth," the sanctifying influence or power is in the truth believed, and consequently in the grace revealed in that truth; for the saving truth is the grace of God reported to the ear, apprehended by the understanding, and received into the heart,

I am glad that you hit upon the proper phrase in this last communication; for the question is not, Who can be pardoned without bap tism? but, Who can have the assurance of pardon, without this institution for remission? You have, in effect, conceded the point in issue, by alleging that sincerity of faith, or a certainty that a person believes, is necessary to the assurance of pardon: and I trust that by this time you are equally assured that no man can be assured that he does believe, unless his faith works the things which the Lord has commanded; that, in one word, faith alone, or faith itself, can never prove its own existence-consequently, no assurance of pardon without the obedience of faith.

Your obedient servant, for the Truth's sake,

EDITOR.