ftrained by the love of Jefus Christ; and they fhew that their fouls are nourished by the truths of the Gospel, by their fincere attachment to every moral duty. It will perhaps furprise your Lordships to hear it affirmed, that all fuch as have the good hope of forgiveness through the atonement of Jefus Chrift, are the most remarkable for ftrictnefs of converfation and purity of life; for suppose they do not obey God on purpose to be saved, they obey him from a more noble and more powerful principle, They do his will because he is gracious, merciful, and full of compaffion, because he has fent Jefus Christ to redeem them by his obedience unto the death.And if your Reverences please, they obey him because they love him. That idea which rules in the tenor of your printed Sermons concerning good works, overturns at once the whole fyftem of Christianity. You fuppofe an effect without a caufe, which is a thing impoffible;

and

and require finners to work for falva

tion, without confidering that averfion

they have against truth. I fhall fuppofe a cafe, which is no way impoffible, that His prefent Majefty fhould promise to make Momus a Bishop, upon condition that he should translate Sanchoniathon, or write a verfion of Homer a degree better than that of Mr. Pope,-when Momus could only read prayers, and did not understand a word either of the Phanician or Greek languages. When, an't please your Lordships, would Momus come to the enjoyment of his Bishoprick? This, you will perhaps fay, would be an unreasonable tafk, and at the first fo frightful, that no perfon in such a cafe would engage in it.--True, my Lords; but the gentleman might have minded his books when he was at school, and the thing would have been both poffible and probable. You must perceive, my Lords, that if Momus muft have a Bishoprick, he muft receive it speciali I 3 gratia ;

1

gratia; and not by works. There are feveral things in the law of God, which, if a finner must do on purpose to obtain forgiveness, or enjoy the Divine Favour, are as difficult for perfons under that character to perform, as for an unlearned man to tranflate Homer or Sanchoniathon. The very notion of requiring a thing that is impoffible, tends to create in the minds of the perfon of whom it is required an averfion against the task, and a disgust at the person who requires it. When you therefore tell your hearers or readers that they must do fomething to be juftified, and their own hearts inform them, that it is a task beyond their power, must not this very thought create an antipathy against that law which requires impoffibilities, and form in the minds of finners a stronger averfion against the truth.

It will be but poor nourishment for the fouls of men to inform them, that

they

they must perform what their own experience, and the Scriptures, havé told them it is not in their power to fulfil. The Apostles fed the flock of God in another manner; they taught finners and the Churches, that God was just when he juftified the ungodly; and that it was not for works of righteoufness which finners performed, but according to his mercy he faved them:-And yet, after they had inftructed men in those doctrines, we do not find that they became more deficient in morals than others, but rather became examples of good works, and true imitators of Jesus Christ. My Lords, there were, in thofe days, a fet of men who went about to establish their own righteousness; and what was the confequence? they did not attain to that righteousness which pleafed God. Instead of fubmitting to the Gofpel account of Righteoufnefs, they contrived a traditional scheme of their own, which excluded the true notion of Divine RighteI 4 oufnefs;

oufnefs; the confequence of all which was, they perverted the law of God, and fubftituted their own dogmas in the room of Divine appointments. Instead of feeding the flock with the truths of his own word, they imposed their vain traditions upon those who were under their jurifdictions, and curfed them foundly when they would not receive them. The idea of feeding the flock of God fuggefts an other fentiment to your Lordships; and it is that of feeding the hungry, and clothing the naked. Your large benefices afford you an opportunity of feeding a great number of hungry Chriftians. Twelve or fifteen thousand pounds will go a great way. By the affiftance of the Deans and Prebendaries, your Lordfhips might afford near 100,000 pounds per annum for the relief of the poor, and yet leave yourselves fufficient to support a Chriftian life. It would have a great effect upon the poor, and make them receive your advices with more readinefs.