that we should speak wickedly for God, and talk deceitfully for him. If there be any person here, that never found this doctrine of grace have any other tendency than to lead them to licentiousness, I will pledge my life he is not a believer, but a person ignorant of the mystery of the gospel. But what say you, believer? cannot your experience bear witness for God and his gracious covenant, that however vile and unholy you find yourself to be, yet when the new-covenant cord of free grace is wrapt about your heart, does it draw you to the love of sin, or to the love of holiness? The more lively faith you have of Christ being your treasure, your righteousness, your covenant, your all for debt and duty both, do you not find holiness the more lovely to you, and his love constraining you the more to delight in his service? Let the word of God, and the experience of the saints in agreeableness thereto, decide matters of this sort. But, O poor believer! do not fall out with Christ, though even many of his friends should differ with one another; be not stumbled in a day of reproaches and offences. Blessed are they who shall not be offended in Christ."

Mr. Erskine, along with his colleague Mr. Wardlaw, joined those worthy ministers who gave in a representation in favour of some truths condemned in Act 5, General Assembly, 1720. As appears by his writings, he was a strenuous and zealous advocate for these gospeltruths. He suffered the same obloquy and severe usuage from the church-courts, as his other brethern embarked in the same cause did. Under this he says: "Let us not be deterred from gospel principles by the invidious name of a sect; it is better to be under the reproach of men for following Christ, than to be under the curse of God for forsaking him." "O who would be ashamed of the reproach of Christ? If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy, happy are ye, for the Spirit of God and of glory resteth on you. Who would be ashamed

of his truth, though called to bear witness thereunto over the belly of cruel calumny, and bitter opposition from earth or hell." "Now-a days (17263) the gospel is brought under much disparagement, under much suspicion, and if it were some new dangerous scheme of doctrine,

Christ the People's Covenant.

(2) World's Verdict of Christ and his Followers.

(3) The legal scheme of doctrine, had now spread its pernicious influence in many places in Scotland, particularly among ministers: this as usual paved the way for exhibiting a charge of Antinomianism against all those ministers who most accu rately preached the doctrines of grace, especially those who taught the absolute freeness of the covenant of grace, and the unlimited grant that God had made of Christ, and salvation with him, to mankind-sinners as such. Mr. Erskine and his associates were enemies to all previous legal qualifications, to be performed by the sinner, in order to fit and qualify us for coming to, and closing with Christ; at the same time, these first-rate divines constantly urged conformity to the law as a rule, and assiduously inculcated the practice of holiness in all its extent.

as the Athenians said of Paul, Acts xvii. 19. Yea, it was said of Christ, What new doctrine is this? Such is the natural bias towards the law as a covenant, and so natively does a church and people. fall into it, even after and under a profession of sound principles, that when evangelical doctrine comes to be revived in any measure, it is still branded with novelty.

991

Mr Erskine was particularly arraigned before the Synod of Fife, for his concern in the Marrow doctrine. This their act bears in the following words :—

CUPAR, Sept. 28, 1721.

"Whereas the Synod of Fife had, by their act at Cupar, 28th of September, 1710, enjoined all the ministers in their bounds to observe the form of sound words; and the General Assembly in the year 1720, in their fifth act anent the Marrow of Modern Divinity, did strictly prohibit and discharge all the ministers in this church, either by preaching, writing, or printing, to recommend the said book, or in discourse to say anything in favour of it; but, on the contrary, did thereby enjoin and require them to exhort and warn the people in whose hand the book is, or may come, not to read or use the same. Yet, it being represented to the committee for overtures of the Synod, that some brethren within the bounds of this Synod had contravened the same, as―― and and also Mr. Ralph Erskine of Dunfermline, at a late solemnity, by his advancing tenets and expressions in favour of some doctrines in the Marrow, censured in the said act. The committee, when most of the members of the Synod were present, having heard the said brethern upon the particulars, Mr. Ralph Erskine answered, that he had always paid a dutiful respect to the authority of the judicatories of the church, particularly to that of the General Assembly, and in testimony hereof, had never publicly recommended the Marrow since the act of Assembly 1720, notwithstanding that his mind concerning that act is known. Neither was he resolved to vent himself publicly concerning those truths which he reckons condemned by that act, so long as that affair is in dependence, had he not been obliged thereto, by hearing that he and his brethern subscribers were reproached and misrepresented on that account, as if they had been Antinomians, new schemers, and the like; and that he had at public occasions preached some doctrines which are in terminis in the Marrow; such as, that a believer is not under the law as a covenant of works; that he is neither under the commanding nor condemning power of the law as a covenant.2 Besides that, he had not meddled with any other doctrines of the Marrow, except such as are contained in the representation given unto the Assembly with his subscription, which he hath never seen ground to retract.

"The Synod, upon report of said committee, did, and hereby do, declare their high dissatisfaction with such practices, and strictly enjoin the said brethren, and all the ministers within this Synod, punctually to observe the foresaid Act of Synod and Assembly; with certification, the contraveners shall be censurable by their respective presbyteries and this Synod, according to the demerit of their offences."

The Synod of Fife also, in the bounds of which Mr Erskine lived, in resentment against the Marrow-men, made an act for a new subscrip(1) Sermon 55. (2) See these excellent Sermons, Vol. II.

tion of the Confession of Faith, in agreeableness to the act of Assembly condemning the Marrow, in order to bring all their members to an unanimous submission. This Mr. Erskine refused, declaring at the same time his readiness to renew his subscription to the Westminster Confession and Catechisms, in the sense of the compilers, and as received by the Church of Scotland in 1647, but by no means as they were by the Synod interpreted, in agreeableness to the Act of Assembly 1721, in which so many precious truths were condemned and injured. This was refused. Afterwards, with the allowance of the presbytery of Dunfermline, he subscribed the Confession in the following form :

“I Mr. Ralph Erskine, minister at Dunfermline, do subscribe the above written Confession of Faith, as the confession of my faith, according to the above-written formula, conform to the Acts of the General Assembly allenarly-Dunfermline, March 20th, 1729.

"RALPH ERSKINE."

"In the same form," says Mr. Erskine, "did Mr. James Hogg in Carnock, and Mr. Wardlaw my colleague, sign the foresaid formula. The word allenarly imported our subscribing not in conformity to an act of the Synod of Fyfe at that time requiring a new subscription."

This controversy Mr. Erskine thought eminently important; he offers his judgment about it, and the truths controverted, in several parts of his works. We select a few; "Whereas our fathers transmitted to us, their posterity, precious truths and pure Confessions of Faith, worthy of the name of Reformers; how are we like to transmit to our posterity a world of trash and lumber, instead of precious treasure; while, among other things, old Reformation principles and doctrines are like to be carried down to succeeding generations after us under the lash of wildness, new schemes and Antinomian cants." "If we would go back to our Reformers, we would see a gospel-spirit amongst them, but now the gospel-scheme is come under reproach, as if it were a new scheme; and some preach against it, write against it, reason against it, as if it were Antinomianism, and a going off from the law. Why? what is the matter? a legal spirit reigns in the world," "The law is to be preached indeed, but only in subserviency to the gospel. The sinner must hear what the law hath to charge upon him, that so, when he takes with the charge, he may haste to flee to the discharge that is presented in the gospel-promise, or to Christ, as the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth. None can lawfully preach the law as a covenant, unless they preach Christ as the end of it; nay, nor can any preach the law as a rule, unless they preach (2) Law Death.

(1) Sermon on the Best Bond.

Christ as the beginning of it. I mean, Christ for our righteousness, is the end of the law as a covenant, and Christ for our strength, is the spring of our obedience to the law as a rule. Think it not strange we harp so much upon this string, especially in a day wherein the gospel is brought under so much contempt, reproach, and suspicion, as if it were a door of licentiousness."'' "Now-a-days we are become so far ashamed of the gospel of Christ, that as all imaginable methods have been taken to disparage the preaching of it, so some, that have but a faint inclination to preach it, are discouraged from meddling too much with this theme, and others betake themselves to a legal strain; or, if they preach grace, it is in such a hampered way, and with so many cautions and circumlocutions, as if there were great danger in preaching free grace, but no danger in preaching the law. Is there need of caution in preaching Christ, and no caution to be used in preaching Moses? I am not against suitable cantion on all hands; but it is to be feared there will be little revival of a Reformation, till the doctrine of grace vent more freely under the conduct of the Spirit, giving such an appropriating faith, and persuasion of the free favour, love, and grace of God in Christ, as took place in our Reformers' days. Faith, whereever it is, will bring a man out from the commanding power of sin, as well as from under the condemning power of it; and, however a believer may lie in darkness, yet I conceive that soul is out of danger, who is made willing to receive Christ, both as a Saviour and a Lord, and so willing as to receive out of his hand poison to kill his lusts, as well as pardon to remove his guilt. The desire of pardon of sin, and the desire of purification of heart, bear proportion; none can truly take Christ as a Saviour for justification, but they will also truly take him as a Lord for sanctification. This we maintain, let calumny say what it will, as if our doctrine were an enemy to holiness." "It may be observed with regret, that never was there less morality amongst persons of all ranks, than since so many ministers laid aside evangelical preaching, and made the inculcating moral duties their principal theme."

From the giving love of Christ, and the receiving property of faith, Gal. ii. 20, he infers, "the darkness that obscures many gospel sermons, even among these who are otherwise evangelical; yet in this they are benighted, that they cannot take up any assurance in the nature of faith, distinct from the assurance of sense, which follows after faith; nor take up the assurance, application, and appropriation of faith.

(1) The Pregnant Promise.

(2) The Duty of receiving Christ, and walking in Him. (3) Self-conceited Professors Dissected.

B

grounded upon the word of God, which is the duty of all that hear the gospel, distinct from the assurance of sense; founded upon the work of God, which is the privilege of believers at times. How miserably do many confound the grounds of faith with the marks of faith; and so shut the door of faith many times against all that have not the evidences of faith, and through mistake of the gospel method of salvation, sometimes make their marks and evidences of faith in them who have believed, to be so many lets and hindrances to the faith of them that have never believed; as if they ought not to believe the love and grace of God revealed in the word, unless they have these marks: Whereas, sinners are warranted to build upon the grounds of faith, that are without them in the word, though they can see no mark within them for to build on these, though they had them, would be a building of sense, and not a building of faith." "Whether the generation can hear and bear this doctrine or not, it will be found true, (and woe to us if we know nothing of it,) that there is in saving faith as much assurance and persuasion of the promise of the gospel, as there is in conviction a particular assurance and persuasion of the threatening of the law; but as you are strangers to true conviction of sin and misery, if the Spirit of God, as a spirit of bondage, hath never given you a particular assurance of the law's threatening with application to yourselves, so as to see wrath denounced against you in particular; so you are strangers to true and saving faith, if the Spirit of God, as a spirit of faith, hath never given you a particular assurance of some gospel-promise with application to yourself, so as to see mercy there, for sinners in particular. If it were not thus, the remedy would not be suited to the malady, and the plaster would not be so broad as the sore; the balm given by the gospel would not correspond to the wound given by the law; but so it is, that as in conviction there is such a faith of the law, as gives the man particular persuasion of the malady he is under; so in conversion there is such a faith of the gospel, as gives a man a particular persuasion of the remedy provided for him, otherwise there would be no relief." "Some in our day, to avoid the necessary doctrine of particular persuasion of salvation through Christ, in the nature of faith, are like to turn the nature of faith into mere enthusiasm, as if it were a receiving of Christ, but not in a word of promise; whereas there is no receiving of Christ, or closing with the person of Christ, but as he is offered or exhibited to us in a word of grace. receive and rest upon Christ for salvation, is not faith, if you take away the other branch of definition, as he is offered to us in the gospel. Take away the gospel-offer, or gospel-promise, and to receive and rest upon Christ

To