mission, when several speeches were made on both sides, and the representers being removed, the commission appointed This committee

a new committee to consider the affair.

timely provided; we beg leave, with all humility and deference, to lay before this venerable Assembly, some (of the many) things, which in the said act are stumbling to us, and many others in this church.

And, First, It is surprising, and exceedingly grievous unto us, that by the said act, the following position is condemned; namely, "That as the law is the covenant of works, believers are altogether and wholly set free from it; set free, both from the commanding and condemning power of the covenant of works" We acknowledge and profess, we look upon our freedom, as believers in Christ, from the covenant of works, or the law as that covenant, to be the chief branch of that precious liberty, wherewith Christ hath made us free, and in which the eternal salvation of our souls is wrapt up. We know no commands of the covenant of works, but that command of perfect obedience, under the pain of the curse. And if the law, as to believers, be divested of its promise of life, and threatening of death, (which superadded to its commands made it a covenant of works,) as it really is, since they are not under it to be thereby justified or condemned, we cannot comprehend how it continues any longer to be a covenant of works to them, or such as to have a commanding power over them, that covenant-form of it being done away in Christ, with respect to believers. And to suppose that a man cannot be under the law as a rule of life, unless he be under the covenant of works, which the act above specified plainly imports, is contrary to our Confession of Faith, chap. xix. sect. 6. and Larger Catechism, question anent " the use of the moral law to the regenerate," which bear, "That although believers be not under the law as a covenant of works, yet it is of use to them as a rule of life, or as the rule of their obedience."

Secondly, Of the same dismal tendency we apprehend to be, the declaring of that distinction of the law as it is the law of works, and as it is the law of Christ, as the author applies it, pages 198, 199. to be altogether groundless. We find the author doth there apply this distinction, so as to shew that believers are not under the law, as it is the law of works, though under the law, as it is the law of Christ. And he tells us in express words, page 6. That the law of works is as much as to say, the covenant of works; the which covenant (saith he) the Lord made with all mankind, in Adam, before his fall. To what purpose, then, can this distinction thus applied be rejected, and declared altogether groundless, but to stake down believers under the covenant of works, as in the former head, and contrary to the great design of the gospel-contrivance, to direct them to an obedience upon which they may boast, since by the law of works boasting is not excluded? It were much to be desired, that another method had been taken to expose the Antinomian paradoxes, viz. "That a believer doth not commit sin,—the Lord can see no sin in a believer," and the like, than by condemning the distinction of the law above mentioned as applied by the author, to assert, in effect, that believers sin against the law,

left in the hands of its commission. On the day after the breaking up of that assembly, the twelve brethren who had subscribed the representation, were called before the com

* Having given in a former note the act of assembly, justice requires that we now give the representation and petition given in against it, which was as follows:-To the Right Reverend, &c. the Representation and Petition of us under-subscribing, Ministers of the Gospel,

Humbly Sheweth,

THAT whereas it is the unquestionable duty of all the members, ministers, and assemblies of this church, to endeavour in their several capacities the preser vation of the purity of doctrine contained in the holy scriptures, and in our Confession of Faith and Catechisms, agreeable thereunto, that the same may be faithfully submitted to succeeding generations: We find ourselves obliged in conscience, with all due deference, to lay some things relative to that and some matters which are grievous to us, before the venerable Assembly, whose province it is, in a special manner, to maintain the truths of the gospel, and to take care that every thing in the house of the God of heaven be moulded in a conformity to his will, and the pattern he hath shewed us in his holy word. We are fully persuaded, That although the grace of God which bringeth salvation, teacheth us, " that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;" yet there is such a propensity in the corrupt nature of man to licentiousness and profanity, that he is apt to turn the grace of our God into lasciviousness; whence have proceeded these monstrous opinions of some,-that the law is not a rule of life to believers, that holiness is not necessary to salvation, and the like; all which our hearts do abhor, as egregious blasphemy against our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, making him the minister of sin: And, therefore, we cannot but own it to be commendable zeal in the members, ministers, and Assemblies of this Church, to endeavour the stifling of such monstrous brats in the birth, whensoever they do really begin to appear.

But withal, on the other hand, we are no less persuaded, that in point of seeking righteousness and salvation, there is such a bias in the same corrupt nature towards the old way of the first covenant, that men seek the same naturally not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law: the which bias of the heart of man, in opposition to the gospel-doctrine, known only by a new revelation after the fall, being more subtile, and not so easily discerned as the other, which is opposite to the law, the knowledge of which was impressed cr man's mind in creation; there is an evident necessity of guarding equally, at least, against the latter as against the former, lest the purity of gospel-doctrine suffer, and man frustrate the grace of God, seeking righteousness by the law. And since we do apprehend, that the late General Assembly of this Church has not sufficiently adverted to the danger on that side, but that by their act, entitled, "Act concerning a book, entitled, the Marrow of Modern Divinity," dated at Edinburgh, May 20th, 1720, gospel truth has suffered, and it is likely will suffer more in the rising and succeeding generations, unless a remedy be

mission, when several speeches were made on both sides, and the representers being removed, the commission appointed a new committee to consider the affair. This committee

timely provided; we beg leave, with all humility and deference, to lay before this venerable Assembly, some (of the many) things, which in the said act are stumbling to us, and many others in this church.

And, First, It is surprising, and exceedingly grievous unto us, that by the said act, the following position is condemned; namely, " That as the law is the covenant of works, believers are altogether and wholly set free from it; set free, both from the commanding and condemning power of the covenant of works" We acknowledge and profess, we look upon our freedom, as believers in Christ, from the covenant of works, or the law as that covenant, to be the chief branch of that precious liberty, wherewith Christ hath made us free, and in which the eternal salvation of our souls is wrapt up. We know no commands of the covenant of works, but that command of perfect obedience, under the pain of the curse. And if the law, as to believers, be divested of its promise of life, and threatening of death, (which superadded to its commands made it a covenant of works,) as it really is, since they are not under it to be thereby justified or condemned, we cannot comprehend how it continues any longer to be a covenant of works to them, or such as to have a commanding power over them, that covenant-form of it being done away in Christ, with respect to believers. And to suppose that a man cannot be under the law as a rule of life, unless he be under the covenant of works, which the act above specified plainly imports, is contrary to our Confession of Faith, chap. xix. sect. 6. and Larger Catechism, question anent " the use of the moral law to the regenerate," which bear, "That although believers be not under the law as a covenant of works, yet it is of use to them as a rule of life, or as the rule of their obedience."

Secondly, Of the same dismal tendency we apprehend to be, the declaring of that distinction of the law as it is the law of works, and as it is the law of Christ, as the author applies it, pages 198, 199. to be altogether groundless. We find the author doth there apply this distinction, so as to shew that believers are not under the law, as it is the law of works, though under the law, as it is the law of Christ. And he tells us in express words, page 6. That the law of works is as much as to say, the covenant of works; the which covenant (saith he) the Lord made with all mankind, in Adam, before his fall. To what purpose, then, can this distinction thus applied be rejected, and declared altogether groundless, but to stake down believers under the covenant of works, as in the former head, and contrary to the great design of the gospel-contrivance, to direct them to an obedience upon which they may boast, since by the law of works boasting is not excluded? It were much to be desired, that another method had been taken to expose the Antinomian paradoxes, viz. "That a believer doth not commit sin,-the Lord can see no sin in a believer," and the like, than by condemning the distinction of the law above mentioned as applied by the author, to assert, in effect, that believers sin against the law,

August, they waited upon the committee three days, but were only once called upon. They were called before the commis sion once, at the same time, but it was only to tell them that

of speaking on that head is much altered from what some time was in use, yet we doubt not but the substance of the doctrine in that point is still the same, as will appear by comparing the above-mentioned Confession and Catechisms, with the three acts of Assembly, 1647 and 1648, receiving and approving the Westminster Confession and Catechisms; in which it is expressly declared, That the said Confessions and Catechisms are in nothing contrary to the received doctrine of this Church;' which they would not have said, if they had not thought, that receiving and resting in Christ for salvation did imply that assurance, whereby they ordinarily described before that time, and by which they understood, the fiducial act, or appropriating persuasion of faith; and not that assurance treated of in the Westminster Confession, which is a complex one, full and clear, containing not only the assurance included in the direct act of faith, but also that which ariseth from spiritual sensation, and rational argumentation; for which see Confess. chap. 18. § 2, 5. where it is said, "That the assurance of which they treat, is not only founded upon the divine truth of the promises of salvation, but also the inward evidences of these graces, unto which these promises are made, the testimony of the spirit of adoption witnessing with our spirits, that we are the children of God.———This infallible assurance (adds the Confession) doth not so belong to the essence of faith," &c. And, therefore, we are fully persuaded, that the late Assembly had done more acceptable services to God, to this and other reformed churches, had they discovered the real agreement between the more ancient and modern way of describing faith, than to condemn the former as erroneous; whereby a heavy charge is laid upon our reformers, this and other reformed churches, who generally have defined faith by assurance.

Fifthly, That the following passage is condemned, viz. The Father bath made a deed of gift and grant unto all mankind, that whosoever of them shall believe in his Son shall not perish,' is surprising to us: When in the condemned passage itself, extracted forth of the sacred records, we read that deed of gift and grant, by which we understand no more but the revelation of the divine will in the word, affording a warrant to offer Christ to all, and a warrant unto all to receive him. This treatment of the said passage, seems to encroach upon the warrants aforesaid, and also upon sovereign grace, which hath made this grant, not to devils, but unto men, in terms than which none can be imagined more extensive.

Waving the consideration of the expressions, judged by the Assembly exceeding harsh and offensive; since that which hath extorted this representation from us, is our concern for the truth, more than the manner of expressing it: Yet, seeing the interest of truth, and of that condemned book, are so much linked together, in this event, we cannot but represent briefly, the hard treatment we conceive this last to have also met with, when under the consideration of the late General Assembly; and such we apprehend to be,

an overture was prepared concerning their affair, to be laid before next assembly, and to warn them to attend the commission in November. In November the overture was con

1. The heavy charge of maintaining, That the believer is not under the law, as a rule of life, is inferred from the author's inserting the believers to be free from the law, as it is a covenant of works, as if the law could not be a rule of life, but as it is the covenant of works. One would rather think, that the foresaid assertion of the author, doth plainly import the believer to be under the law in some other sense; and justice as well as charity obliges us to conceive the said other sense to be, that of the law as a rule of life; for as much as, in express terms, he hath declared the ten commandments to be the rule of life to a believer, page 5.

2. The charge of maintaining holiness not to be necessary to salvation, is fixed upon the author's teaching the believer to plead the obedience of Christ, in answer to the law's demand of good works for obtaining salvation, of which before: And upon his proposing his own judgment very modestly, as to the propriety of expression, with respect to the relation between good works and eternal happiness, in these words, viz. "So that good works, as I conceive, may rather be called a believer's walking in the way of eternal happiness, than the way itself." But how that doctrine can bear that inference, that holiness is not necessary to salvation, or how it tends to slacken people's diligence in the study of holiness, we cannot comprehend: For we can never grant, That the believer's walking in the way of eternal happiness, is not necessary to salvation, and that only the way itself is so. And yet after all, the author doth not tenaciously insist on his own judgment aforesaid, as to the propriety of expression; but immediately adds, "But, however, this we may assuredly conclude, that the sum and substance, both of the way, and of walking in the way, consists in the receiving of Jesus Christ by faith, and in yielding obedience to his law."

3. Fear of punishment, and hope of reward, not allowed to be motives of a believer's obedience, is inferred from that, the author would not have believers to eschew evil and do good, for fear of hell, or hope of heaven; as if hell only, and none of the fearful tokens of God's anger against his own children in this life, were to be in any sort reckoned punishments; and heaven only, but none of the sweet tokens of his love bestowed upon them in the way of close walking with God, were to be reckoned rewards. We shall only add here, that for as much as it is evident to us from the author's words, page 183, relative to the hope of heaven above mentioned, that he understands by doing good for hope of heaven, the doing it for hope of obtaining it by our own works and doings, we heartily approve of his position above specified, in that

sense.

4. We cannot but account it hard, that whereas there are in the act, about 27 quotations out of the book, they are all condemned, without condescending upon the words or propositions which the Assembly aims at in the quoted passages: For verifying of which we refer to the act itself; yea, so far as we