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SCRIPTURE.

BY

PHILIP N. SHUTTLEWORTH, D.D.,

WARDEN OF NEW COLLEGE, OXFORD,

AND RECTOR OF FOXLEY, WILTS.

Si reputamus quàm lubricus sit humanæ mentis lapsus in Dei oblivionem; quanta in omne
genus erroris proclivitas; quanta ad confingendas identidem novas et fictitias religiones libido ;
perspicere licebit, quàm necessaria fuerit talis cœlestis doctrinæ consignatio; ne vel oblivione
deperiret, vel errore evanesceret, vel audaciâ hominum corrumperetur.

Calvini Institutio, lib. i. cap. 6.

FIRST AMERICAN FROM THE THIRD LONDON EDITION.

PHILADELPHIA:

HOOKER & AGNEW.

-

1841.

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L. R. BAILEY, PRINTER, 26 NORTH FIFTH STREET.

1078-A

ADVERTISEMENT

TO THE

THIRD LONDON EDITION.

THE object of the Author in publishing the first Edition of the following short tract a twelvemonth ago, was that of recording his personal protest against a system of doctrines recently attempted to be revived after the lapse of more than a century, and which have ever appeared to him to be founded upon mistaken views of the general tenor and character of Scripture. Officially connected as he has been for many years with the university of Oxford, he had for some time waited with no small anxiety, in the hope that some of its more qualified and influential members would come forward for the purpose of disclaiming what in public opinion had been considered as preeminently constituting the Oxford school of theology. Finding himself in great measure disappointed in this expectation, he put forth the present publication with the intention now stated, namely, that of presenting rather a brief summary of his own views, than a complete discussion in all its details of an intricate and much agitated question. His work having obtained a larger circulation than he had originally anticipated, a new impression of it is now laid before the public, with such additional matter and illustrations as appeared necessary for rendering the main argument more com

plete. It is, however, with no small gratification that he perceives that in the course of the present year the controversy has fallen into far abler hands than his own. The important point under discussion, is now fairly at issue before the public; and from the learning and ability which have been brought to bear upon it from various quarters, he cannot feel any apprehension with respect to the final issue of the controversy. The strictly evangelical view, as it is called, of the Christian covenant, is so much more in accordance with the crying wants of our spiritual nature, and so much more consistent with the language of the New Testament, than the system of theology which has been recently revived in opposition to it, that the respective schemes would seem to require only to be plainly stated, in order to establish the superior claims of the former. The question involved in the discussion is, in fact, no less than that of the first foundation upon which all our hopes of salvation are to be built :-Whether we are to consider works as leading to justification, or justification as necessarily leading to good works; whether holiness is the efficient cause of faith, or faith that of holiness? The first Reformers of our Church believed and taught the latter doctrine; and, however (whether induced by feelings of ascetic devotion, or relying upon presumed intellectual strength and extensive learning) men may be tempted for the moment to deviate from the ancient and familiar paths, to this conclusion will the rallying good sense and spiritual aspirations of mankind, in their sober and unprejudiced moments, most assuredly return. It is asserted, upon what appears to be good authority, that the pious, eloquent, and learned Alexander Knox strongly felt and acknowledged in his last moments the unsatisfactory nature of those theological views which he has so ably defended in his writings, and his final

preference of the doctrine of divine Grace as inculcated by the earlier Protestants. It is natural that so highly a gifted and so well disposed a mind should come to such a conclusion. Human nature in its distress, and under a deep sense of its spiritual wants, soon begins to feel that nothing short of the plenary mercy promised to the repentant soul through faith can fully meet the emergency. In the buoyancy of health, and the excitement of intellectual controversy, we may think otherwise; but in the hour of need, our self-reliance necessarily gives place to thoughts more consistent with our perfectly helpless and dependent position.

As a conclusion to these few remarks, let the Author here express his sincere hope and belief, that not a word will be found in the following pages inconsistent with the feelings of Christian charity, or incompatible with his real respect for the undoubted good intentions of the party to whose views he is opposed. That they have adopted distorted views of many portions of God's revealed will, he does not hesitate in stating as his decided conviction. And under this impression he has felt it his duty to enter his protest against a system of doctrine opposed, as he conceives, to sound evangelical orthodoxy. But in justice to them he feels himself also bound to state, that in many respects he conceives them to have done good service to the cause of religion, by the opposition which they have made to the laxity of modern unchristian speculation, and the increased attention which they have excited in the public mind with respect to the polity and discipline of the primitive Church.

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