manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets, even the righteousness of God by faith of Jesus Christ unto all, and upon all them that believe; for there is no difference; for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God; being justified freely by his grace, through the redemption that is in Jesus Christ; whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness (eiç évdeğıv tñç dixαiosúng dulov) for a demonstration of his own benignity in the remission of sins that are past—or had been committed before their conversion-through the forbearance of God; to declare, I say, at this time, his own righteousness, (or for a demonstration of his own benignity,) that he might be just, and the justifier of him who believeth in Jesus. Where is boasting then? It is excluded? By what law? Of works? Nay; but by the law of faith. Therefore we conclude, that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law. Is he the God of the Jews only? Is he not also of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also; seeing it is one God which shall justify the circumcision by faith, and the uncircumcision through faith."* Again addressing the same community, he says "That is the word of the faith-rns TidlEWSwhich we preach; that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth

* Rom. iii. 21-31. See Schleusner on the words dizaiów, ἔνδεξις, and πάρεσις.

unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made to salvation. For the Scripture saith, "Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed -shall not be disappointed.* For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek; for the same Lord is rich unto all them that call upon him."†

A sincere profession of faith, therefore, in Jesus as the Son of God and Saviour of the world, and especially in his resurrection from the dead, was the sole condition of what is called the first justification, to both adult Jews and adult Gentiles applying to be admitted into the church of Christ. No works, however morally good, done in their unconverted state, contributed, in the smallest degree, to their justification; and no other repentance for their past sins, however great, was required, than a serious resolution to forsake them for ever, to induce God to remit or pass them over. ‡ Accordingly, when the Ethiopian eunuch said “ See, here is water, what doth hinder me to be baptized?" Philip the deacon, who, from the prophecy of Isaiah, which the eunuch was reading, had just instructed him in the doctrine of redemption, replied

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"If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest; and on the eunuch's answering and saying, -I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, they went both down into the water, when Philip baptized the eunuch." In the language of St Paul,

* See Schleusner on the word xalaιoxúvw.

+ Romans, x. 8-13.

See the margin of our version of Romans, iii, 25.
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as universally understood in the primitive church, the eunuch was now justified; and supposing his faith in Christ to have been unfeigned, as we cannot doubt but it was, he would unquestionably, had he died immediately on his coming up out of the water, have been admitted into the society “ of angels and the spirits of just men made perfect," to which blessedness his works done before his justification could have contributed nothing. Hence it is that the church of England so positively declares, that" it is certain by God's word that children who are baptized, dying before they commit actual sin, are undoubtedly saved;" not meaning thereby that children unbaptized, dying before they commit actual sin, shall not be saved, but leaving them to the uncovenanted mercy of God, because in His word there is no direct promise about them.

The justification received at baptism, may, however, be forfeited or lost by the baptized person not performing the conditions on which it was bestowed on him, and may again be recovered, so that he may finally be justified at the tribunal of Christ; but how all this may be done will furnish matter for another letter.

LETTER XVI.

ON REGENERATION.

IN my last Letter, I treated particularly of what has been called the first justification, and of the terms on which adult converts were, by the first preachers of the Gospel, admitted to the benefits of that justification; and I concluded, by promising to show you how those benefits may be forfeited and lost. Before this can be done, however, there is another doctrine-termed regeneration, which must be thoroughly understood; for justification and regeneration are so incorporated with each other, that they ought never to be separated; and I would not have thought of treating of the one but in conjunction with the other, had not the church prescribed three articles on justification, in none of which regeneration is so much as mentioned.

As the word regeneration is indisputably metaphorical, to ascertain what is meant by it, we must trace it from its origin, which we are most likely to find in the Old Testament, and in the writings

as universally understood in the primitive church, the eunuch was now justified; and supposing his faith in Christ to have been unfeigned, as we cannot doubt but it was, he would unquestionably, had he died immediately on his coming up out of the water, have been admitted into the society " of angels and the spirits of just men made perfect," to which blessedness his works done before his justification could have contributed nothing. Hence it is that the church of England so positively declares, that “it is certain by God's word that children who are baptized, dying before they commit actual sin, are undoubtedly saved;" not meaning thereby that children unbaptized, dying before they commit actual sin, shall not be saved, but leaving them to the uncovenanted mercy of God, because in His word there is no direct promise about them.

The justification received at baptism, may, however, be forfeited or lost by the baptized person not performing the conditions on which it was bestowed on him, and may again be recovered, so that he may finally be justified at the tribunal of Christ; but how all this may be done will furnish matter for another letter.