Dr. Bellamys VINDICATION The Original Plan of tiie New-Englanc CHURCHES : AND, P. E P L Y i o the Rev'd Mr. Moses Mather NEW-SCHEME. A careful and {tnOi Examination of the External Covenant, and of the Principles by which it is fupported. A REPLY To the Rev. Mr. Mofcs Mather's Piece, cntituled, T/je Vifible Church in Cove- nant with God^ further illujlrated^ &c. AVINDICATION Of the Plan on which the Churches in New-England were originally formed. Interfpcrfcd with Remarks upon fome Things, advanced by Mr. Sandeman, on fome of the important Points in debate. ~By JOSEPH BELLAMY, D. D. «« I do not mention the adminiflration of facraments, upon this occa- " Aon ; bccaufe, tho* they have fo ncble and cfrc^dtual tendency ** to improve men's minds in piety, and ro promoie Chriflian cdi- *' fication j ye; i do not rcnacmber to have heard of any inffarce^ " in which they have been \\\tmtans o\ men's con'virfnni i wricti *• is the lefs to be wondered at, as ihcy arc appointed for a very " diff'ertnt end.'* Dr. Doddridge Serm. 9n regtneration. NEW -HAVEN; Printed by Thomas and Samusi. Greek, ^ -i-U CO NT E N T 'S. THE PREFACE, tah^ a view of the facra- mental controverfy , and of the new fcheme of religion which Mr, Mather buih advanced to J'upport the external covena?it. The introdudion explains words and things ^ and Jlates queflions to fix the point in debate^ ,viz. the ex- ternal co'denant, SECTION I. ^he natiQ-e of Mr. Ms external covenant asjlatedby bimfelf under the notion oj a conditional covenant. p. 17. .SECTION II. Mr, Ms external covenant reprefented by him ax unconditional^ examined in this view.of.it, p. 29. SECT 1,0 N III. 7he perfeBion of the divine law^ and total depravity^ inconfifient with the notion of an external covenant appointed by God J or the unregenerate^ as juchy to enter mtOy requiri?ig gracelefs qualifications, and nothing elfe^ as the conditions of its ble[jings, p. 41* SECT. CONTENTS, SECTION IV. ^ view of the exhortations and promifes of the go ff el : and the true reafon pointed out why the doings of • the unregenerate do not entitle to the bleffngs fro- SECTION V. Impenitent yf elf-righteous y chrijllefs fanners are under the curfe of the law of God. But this is inconff- tent with their being in co'uenant with God in good (landing in his fight by any works which they do^ ' ^'bilejuch. p. 73. SECTION VI. 7ie natuf-e of the enmity of the carnal mind again/i Gody and whether . it remains notwith/landing . the revelation of God's readinefs to be reconciled to men. p. 100. SECTION VII. Whether the gofpel calls j&llen men to be recoficiled t9 that char aBer of God againjl which they are at enmity, p. 126. SECTION VIII. How it was fofjible for Adam before the fall, t9 love that character of God which was exhibited to him in the laWy confiflently with -the hvc of his $wn happinefs, p. 140. , SECT. CONTENTS. S E C T I O N IX. ^ ^he ChriHian Creed, the Arminlan Creed, and Mf\ M*s Creed y remarks on each. p. 151. SECTION X. Mr» Ms fcheme inconfijlent with itjelf. p. 156; SECTION XL ^he extraordinary methods Mr. M, takes to fuppdrt his own fcheme, and t9 keep himfelf in countC" nance, p. 165. :/^ E R R AT A> Page. Line. *7 19 tlQt outA?.aFtcr ^f^. n : 10 from bottpm^, bloc out and. 24 9 f. Id. read r^w^. 36 16 for containing read continuing. 38 5 r. Ihould, ib. 45 r. refolution. 42 12 r. proceed. 45 3 f. b. margin, for likewifer, likenefs. 59 4 f. b. r. /»//)/(•. 63 2 f. b. in margin, for ;etf/ /.|iave" really a title to pardon and eternal lif.-, or we cannot be confident : nor then neither. For to fay, that gracelti^, , men have fome grace, is a contradidicn. And tofay^j.- tiiey have no grace, and yet may honciViy feal the cove- nant vUi. THE PREFACE. nant of grac^', is to deny the import of fealin*. For fealin? a csve.-mnt always dtmtes a prefent conjtnt of keari tc the covmant lealed. And, therefore, to leal a covenant which 1 rejedl with my whole heart, is a pradical falf- hood. But if I do not rtjsd it with my whole heart, I have a degree of true love to it. That is, I have a de- gree of true grace : and fo am in a pardoned and jufti- fvjd (late. But flill it rem.ains true, that thofe. who know they have no grace, cannot feal the covenant of grace with a good conicicnce, bccaufe it is a practical falfhood. Indeed, men may be fo far ^one in wickedncTs, as to allow themlclves in lying to God and man, but their conduft cannot be juftified, when, with the afTembled univerfe, they appear before the bar of God. For, as has been laid,y^^^//;;^ a covsnant always de'notes a prefent con- Jent of hsa-f't to the covenant feded. In this fenfe it has^ always been underftood by mankind in their covenants, between one another, in decds^ in honds^ &^c. Sealing de- notes a prefent confent of heart to the contents of the -written inftrument. And, therefore, no honeft man will feal the written infirument until in heart he coiifcnts to the contents of it. And lliould any man feal a wfitiea indrument, and at the fame time declare before eviden- ces, that ar prefent he did nor confent to it, it was not his free a£: and dce^^ the adl of fcaling v/ould in its own na- ture be of no fignificance. The whole tranfadion would be perfe^ trifling. — Mr. M. fays, p. 65. ' I am very ' fenfible, that the Chriitian church has always eileemed ^ feaiing ordinances, as feals of the covenant of grace.— ^ ' On God's part, they are feals to the truth of the whole ^ revealed ivill sf God. On our part, they arc feals bind- ' ing us, to pay a due regard to the %^'hcle revdatjin. And * arjcnrdingly, any breach of mord rule^ or go/pel precept, ' has been efteerned by the church, as a breach of cove- * nant in its members.' He, therefore, who is habi- tually, totally deftiture of that holinefs which the law of G')d requires/ and of that repentance toward God 2nd faith to'vv^rd our Lord Jcfus Chrift to which in the gof-^ T H L ^ " " - A C E IX. 1 «cl we are invited, and lives in a total negled of thac freligien which flows from the love, repentance and faith ; required in the law and gofpel : even he does not con- ^ fent to the covenant of grac-e in his heart, in the leaft de- gree, but lives habitually, totally and univerially, in the breach oi it, without ever complying wifh it in onefingle ad. —And can a man confcious to himfclf, that this is his charader, with a good confcience fcal this covenant ! Or can a Chriftian church allow of fuch hypocrify ! 3. The other point v»'hich I defigned to prove was this, that ther^ is no gracclcfs covenant between God and man exifting -, that is, no covenant in which God promifes religious privileges and fpiritual blciTings to gracelefs men, upon gracelefs conditions ; i. e. to gracelefs qua- lifications, which gracelefs men, Vv'hile fuch, may have : and that, therefore, baptifm and the Lord's fupper can- not be feals to fuch a covenant.— And Mr. M. in his preface fecms as if he intended to give up this point alfo : for he calls this gracelefs covenant ' a gracelefs phantom :' which is really to grant the whole that I contend for. For this . is the very point I meant to prove, viz. The non-cxifbence of fuch a covenant. For God's covenanc requires holinefs and nothing elfe. And it promises e- ternal life to thofe who comply with it. But its blef- fings are not promifed to gracelefs men, as fuch, nor to gracelefs qualifications. However, if we will read Mr. M's book through, w« (hall fee, tfiat he is fo far from giving up this covenant, as ' a gracelefs phantom,' that he has exerted himfelf to the utmofl to fave this ' gracelefs phantom' from non- exifcence. Becaufe, without it, he knows no way m which gracelefs men, as fuch, can be admitted into the vifible church of Chrifl. For he does not preccnd, that; they can make a profcfTion of godlinefs : yea, he is con- fident, that none may warrantably make a profefiion of godlinels unlefs they have the highcft degree of afTu- rance. p. 79. There mud, therefore, be a gracelefs covenant, tor gracelefs men> as fuch to profefs, which requires. X. r H E P R E F A C E. n q'jires nothing more, nothing higher, than gracelefs qualuications, as necffTiry conditions of its blefrin«/s, or gracelels msn, as fuch, cannot profefs a prefenc confenc to any covenant at all ; and (o cannot be admitted, as members of the vifible church, which he fays 'is in co- venant with God •, • or have a covenant right to cove- nant bleflings. For they who are deftitute of the qua- lifications neceflary to a covenant right to covenant blefTings, can have no covenant right to them. To fay» otherval'e, is an exprefs contrad.idion. The method, which, in my former piece, I took to prove the non-exiftencc of fuch a gracelefs covenant, as has been defcribed, was (i.) to turn the reader to the covenant with Abraham, the covenant at Sinai and in the Plains of Moab, and to the gofpel covenant, thai he might fee with his own eyes, that thefe were, each of them, holy covenants, which required a holy faith, a holy love, a holy repentance, a holy obedience ; and that thofe who have thele holy qualifications are entitled to eternal life. Nor is there any m.itter of faci in fcripture plainer than this. So that none of thefe, were that gracelefs covenant, for which Mr. M.. contends : which promifcs its blefTings to gracelefs men, as fuch. Nor has Mr. M. pointed our one unholy duty in that cove- nant with Abraham. Gen. 17. Nor one unholy duty in that covenant at Sinai, or in that covenant in the Plains of Moab, or ii^ the gcfpel covenant. Nor has he denied, that eternal life is promifed to every one who complies with God*s covenant, as exhibited in thefe va- rious ways, at thele feveral times. So that my argurnenC from the nature of the covenant, as it is to be found in the written inflrument, (lands unanfwered.---And let it be remembered, that this argument is conclufive, with- out determining the nature of holinefs, or faith, or re- pentance, or entering at all into the difpuies, which fub- fift between the Cahinijis^ Arminkns^ Neonomtans^dnti-No" mia^^i ^^' relative tonhe perfedion of the divine law, toul depravity, regeneration, &c. 6:c. For if it be prov«#i THE P R F F A C fi. Xu proved, that God's covenant, to which Gad's feals are annexed, promifes falvation to thofe who confent to it, and that there is a certain connexion between a real com- pliance with it and eternal life, then Mr. M's external covenant, to which he lays the feals are annexed, which does not promife ialvation to thofe who confent to ir, nor eflablifhes any certain connexion between a real com- pliance with it and eternal Life, is ell^ntially dif!.renC from God's covenant, and fo is ftriflly fpeaking, 'agrace- hfs phantom, '---But (2.) in order to prove the non-ex- iftcnceo^a/gracclefs covenant, I introduced the dixftrines of the perfe^iion cf the divi'as law and of tQta( depravity^ into the argument, as thus, fines the divine law requires ho- linefs afid nothing but holinefsj and fince the unregene- rate are totally dcfticure of the holinefs required, there is therefore no covenant exifting, between Gcd and man, with which the unrepenerste, while fuch, do comply^ in the leail degree. Upon wSich Mr, M. declares ' thac * he is become fenfible, that our different fentiments in ~* this particular ('terms of communion) is in a great * meafure, owing to our thinking differently, upon other * important points.' And fo he has offered to the pub- lic his own fchemc of reli<|^ion, which may be fummed up in thefc eight articles, 1 . ^hat felf-hve is ejjentid to moral agency. A nd, 2 . That tkii felf- love^ which is ejfential to mord agency i iSy by the divine law, required of us, as our duty, , 3. That this felf- love ^ which is effential to moral agency and cur required duty, is, in our pre] ent guilty fiat e, ahfolutely inconftflcnt with that love to God, which the law originally required of Adam before the Jail, and which is ft ill required in the moral law. 4. That curnatural total depravity crifes merely and only from its being thminconfiftent with this filf- love to Uve God. 5. That in thefe circurnfiances it is contrary t9 the law of God^ and fi a finful thing, for us to hve God, 6. That cur natural total depravity not being cf a crt- ml nature^ doth not diJquaUfy us for faling ordinances, Js if xli. THE PREFACE. it entirely ceafes to ht our duty fine e the fall to love that cha- raoler cj God which was exhibited in the hw to Adam. And more efpecially, 7. "that now fince the fall we are naturally inclined and difpofed, our total depravity notwithjlanding^ to love the new cbardHer of Gcd which is revealed in the gefpel^ fo that -we Jhall^ without fail^ love it asfoen as known^ without any new prifJcipU of grace. For thcfe things being true.ir will follow 8 ^hat unregenerate Si?7ners, who are awakened and ex- ternally reformed, mufi he confidered^ as being in the temper of their hearts^ as well affe^ed to the gofpeL did they hut know /V, as the regenerate \ and their religious defires and endeavours , as being of the fame nature and tendency. And therefore they may enter into covenant with Gcd and attend fealing ordinaU' ces, with as much propriety as the regenerate. This is the fum and fubftancc ot his fcheme. And in this fcheme of principles we may fcfe the fundamental grounds of his thinking di^erently from us, in the par- ticular point under confidcration. viz. The terms of Communion. The defign of the following fheets is, firft of all, to review Mr. M's external covenant, to fee if its true and real nature can be known. And then to (hew its incon- fiftance with the dodrines of the perfedion of the divine law, and of total depravity, as held forth in the public formulas approved by the Church of Scotland, and by the Churches in New- England. After which, the leading- fentiments of his fceme of religion fhall be cenfidered, his miftakes be pointed out, and the oppofite truths be briefly ftated and proved from the word God That the nature of ancient apoftolic Chriftianity may be afcertain- cd from the infallible oracles of truth. To the end, that the right road to Heaven may be kept open and plain, for the diredion of awakened finners, and for the con- fiimation and comfort of voun^ converts. (_i3 ) The INTRODUCTION. Several phrafa explained aJidquefiionsJlatscL IN order to prevent and cut cffall neeclefs difnutesi and that the reader may clearly undcrlland the fol- lowing flieets, the meaning ol Icvcral phraics rnall be explained. Particularly, 1. By a conditional CQvenanth meant, a covenant, which promifes its blelTings upon fume certain condiridn -, To that no one can claim a covenaht right to its blefiings, if dcfticute of the rtquifice qualifications. 2. By the covenant of "juorks is meant, that covenant, which promiles eternal life upon condition of perfed o- bedience, thro' the appointed time of tr;al, and threatens eternal death for one tranfgrffliun. 3. By the covenwt of grace is meanr, tkat covenant V/hich promifes pardon, juitification and eternal lite thro* Jcfus Chrifl: to all who repent and believe the golpcl ; i; c. to real faints and to no others. 4. By di gracelefs covenant \9> meant, a covenant Vv^hich promifes its blelTing, to gracelefs men, as fuch, on certain conditions, or qualifications, which are profefTcd- ly gracelels, and which may take place in graceicfsmen, while fuch. 5. By complying with a covenant is meant, doing that,' or having thofe qualifier ions, which, according to the tenor of the covenant, entitles to its biefiings. Thus, for inftance, Adam could not have been faid to have complied with the covenant of works which he was un- der, until he had perfcvered in perfeft obedience, ihro' the whole time of trial. For nothing fliort of this would have entitled him to a confirmed (Tare of holinefs and hippinefs, i. e. to'cternal life •, as all grant. And, thus, a finner cannot be faid to have complied with the cove- "^nt of grace, whatever legal terrors he has had, arid C whatever ( 14 ; whatever pains he has taken in religion, until by the firil aft of faving faith he is united to Jefus Chrift j for noching (hort of this entitles him to pardon, juftification and eternal life, according to the gofpei. As is writ- ten. Job, 3. 18, '^6. He that helievtth not is condemned al- ready^ and the wr^lh of God abidetb on him. Indeed Mr, M. fays, p. 29 'that no man, fhort of perfeflion, can • be properly laid to have complied with the gofpei.* But our Saviour declares, with great (olemnity. Job. 5. 14. Verily, verily I fay unto you, he that heareth my word^ ani bdieveth 6n him that fent me, hath everlafling life, and fhall n9t come into condemnation ; hut is puffed front death to life. So that, on the firfl ail of faving faith, a finner becomes entided to etehial ii^e. Gal. 3.26, 29. For^ ye are all the children of God hy faith in J ejus Chrift. And if ye he CbriU's then are ye Abraham" s Jeed, and heirs acco^din^* to the promife. Again, a man may be faid to have com-' plied with any fuppofcd gracelefs covenant, when he has^ the gracelefs qualifications, to which the biefTings of that covenant are promifcd, but not before. So that, if %. • fixed refolution to forfake all known fin, and pra^life • all known duty' is a requifitc qualification to the blef-^ fings of this covenant, then no man has a covenant right to theblefTinis of it, until he is' come to this fixed re--f folution ;' i. e. if there is an external covenant, ' diflindt ,' from the covenant of grace,' promifing to the vifiblc church all the ' external means of grace, and the ftriv- ' ings of God's holy fpirit, in order to render them cf- ' fedual for falvation,* by which the vifible church is ^^ conflituted : And if this ' fixed refolution' is abfolutely, - necciTary to church-memberfhip, and fo to a title to thefe , promifes, then no man has a title to thefe promiles, or^> is qualified to be admitted a member of the vifiblc , church, until he is, in fatl, ' come to this fixed refoluti- on :' but whenever he is ' come to this fixed refolution,* he ought to be confidered, as having complied with the external covenant ; and io, as having a covenant right to its bleiTings. Mr. M. fays, p. 64, that I have ' a I very ( 15 ) * very fingular notion about the nature of covenanting; * as if it required a prefetit compliance iiith every thing * required by the covenant into which they enter.'— This I never faid. — But indeed I dothirk, that it is a contradiftion in terms, to fay, that a CGVsnam promifes cer- tain blejjings to thoje, and to thofe only, vjbo'have certain qua- lifications -, and yet fome wko have net the required qualificati- ens have a covenant right to the hhjfings prcmifed. Nor am 1 ' fingular in this notion,' for ail mankind think fo too. However, ' that no man fhort of perfedion, can be pro- * perly faid to have complied with the gofpel,' is a very * fingular notion,' indeed \ and, in effed: makes the co- venant of works and the covenant of grace, precifely one and the fame thing. But to proceed, 6. By entering into covenant, and engaging to per- form the duties which the covenant requires, a maft binds himfelf to be doing the duties required by the co- venant, in the manner in which he engages to do them, as long as the covenant is in force. To fay otherwife, is to fay, that a man binds himfelf, and yet docs noc bind himfelf, which is an exprefs contradidion. Thus the Ifraclites at Mount Sinai, and in the Plains of Moab, bound themfelves and their pofterity to observe all the rites of the ceremonial law, fo long as that fhould be in force : But when the ceremonial law was abrogated, they were no longer bound to obferve ics rices. And thus, if Mr. M's external covenant^ docs in fad require religious duties to be done in a gracelefs manner, lo long as fin- ners remain gracelefs, and po longer \ then as loon as ever finners are converted, they arc free from the bonds of this covenant, as much as the Jews were from the ceremonial law, at the refurredion of Chrift : and fo are then at liberty to enter into the covenant of grace, and to engage to live hy faith on the Sen of God\, and to bf holy in all 'manner of converfation^ P^dfi^^ towards perfedion, the mark J for the prize of the high calling of God in Chnfi Jefus : but not till then. Agreeable to the Apoftle's reafoning in Rom* J. i, 2, 5. But if this external covenant, wiiich requires requires duties to be. done in a gracelefs manner, is, ia iad, binding for life ; if it is, in this fenfe, an everlafiing covemnt, as was the covenant Wich Abraham, Gen, 17. then, no man, who has entered into it, is SECt. iJ! Lord's table ; but on his fcheme, it is evident, that no one gracelefs man, whofe confciencc is awake, and who knows any thing confiderable about his own heart, can join with the church : becaufe there never was, nor will be any fuch finner, who can fay^ that he is as certain of thefe four things, as he is of a fadl uhich he has feen with his eyes, and of the truth of which he can make oath before the civil magiftrate. * But at prefent the only queftion is this, viz. What are* the quali6cations which are requifite to full communion in the vifible church, according to Mr. M'» external co- venant ? The covenant of works requires pcrfedion, as the condition of its blefTings : The covenant of grace re-v quires repentance toward God, and faith toward ourLord Jefus Chrifl:, as the condition of /7j blefTings : But what does Mr. M's external gracelefs covenant require, as the condition of its blefTings ? What qualifications arc re- quifite to bring a man into this covenant, and to give him a right to all the privileges and blefTings of it, in the fight of Gad ? If this qucflion cannot receive a fatisfac- tory anfwcr, on Mr. M's fcheme, then his fcheme can, never be pra^ifed upon. He gave no fatisfadlory anfwer to it, in his firfl book, as was fhewn in the Vlth fedion of my reply to it. He has now made another attempt to aniwcr * Mr. Mathcfi \h his PrefiCfi fays, ** I siti cot fo fond of my own •* judgment, or tenacious of my own pra£l»ce, but (hat 1 ftaod ready ta «* gi'vetbem both «^, when any one fhall do the friendly office of fitting «* light before me."— He himfelf, therefore, cannot r«k'rar tothetfutli of his fcheme i he has not •• that ceniin knowledge '* of it, ihar htf has " of a particular fafl, about which he is called ta give an evidence, in a civil coart." It is only his *• prevaflirg opinion." P. 79. And if his external covenant is a mere human device, his practice upon it is what God hath not required at his har-ds. He has no warrant to put Gcd's feals to a covenant devifed by man. And, according ta his fcheme, he cught not to aft in this affdir without abfoiute certainty. To be confiftent, he ought to a£l no more on his plan, until he is in- fallibly certain, that it is bis duty. For, to ufc his own a'goment, p. 79. " if it being a real duty is that which gives us a real right to ** a£t ', then it being a known duty is (hat which gives us a known «* right." And I may add. '« ibis is t fglf-evidcnt propofiuoB."-**" But more of jbis, in StS. -XI, I ' ^izcT. I. r *i ) ' anfwer this queftion iti his fecond book. Let us KStf hisanlvver, and confider it. He fays, p. 64. ' That pcrfecfblon is exprcfsly requir- ed in this external covenant.' — What ! — as a condition [of its blelfings ! as a neceflary qualification to full com- munion in the vifiblc church J which was the only point in hand.— If fo, then no nfiere man fince the fall mighc join with the vifible church. He fays, p. 64. ' This covenant requires the holy o- bediencc of a gracious date.' — What ! again, I fiy, as a condition of its blefTings / as a ncceflary qualification to full communion in the vifible church ! the only point ia hand. If fo, then no gracelefs man, asfuch, can be ad- mitted into the vifible church. He fays, p. 6§. ' This covenant requires the utmofi: j endeavours of the unregenerate.' — What ! — flill I repeat I it, as a condition of its blefTings ! as a necefTary qualifi-. cation to full communion in the vifible church ! the only point in hand. If fo, then no unregcnerate man, v;ho has not as yet ufed his utmoft endeavours, can, as fuch, be admitted into the vifible church, which will keep out every unregenerate man, bccaufe no fuch unre- generate man ever exifted. Again, having fpoken of the convii5lions, that the un- regcnerate may have, he fays, p. 6^. ' Under thefe con- * vi(5lions, he may come to a fixed refolution, to forfake * all known fin, and to pradiie all known duty ; fet * himlclf to feek an intereft in Chrid, and to feek needed * influences of divine grace. And he may confirm thefe * refolutions upon his own foul, by a folemn covenant * dedication of himfelf to God ; engaging by divine af- fidance to obey the whole will of God, one particular of which is to believe on the Lord Jefus Chrift. And I will add, that he may confirm this covenant betvvcea God and his own foul by gofpei fca's. Ic cannot be denied, that the natural pov/ers of our fouls do render us capable of fuch covenanting with God. And the only quedion is, whether God has required this of firt- D * ners. ( 22 ) SiCT. I;. « ncrs. This is the queftioti in difputc' Upon whlch^. the following obfcrvacions may be nna^e. I. Was this the covenant in Gen, ly ? Was Abraham * under convidlion ?* Had hccomctofuch unrcgeneratc • fixed refolutions ?* Did he bind himfelf in fome future time to believe ? No, juft the rcverfe. Abraham had been converted above twenty years before this tranfadli- on in Gen. 17. And had both believed, and obeyed, in a faving manner, thro' all this period. So that * the queftion in difpute' is not whether Abraham entered into this covenant in Gen. 17. for Mr. M. does not pretend he did. And therefore the covenant with Abraham, Ctn. 17. and this covenant of Mr. M*s are not the fame, but very different. His external covenant, therefore, is, as he declares, ' diftindl from the covenant of grace,' and ' of a different tenor,' and for ' 1 different purpofc.' For nothing was more remote from Abraham's mind, then to enter into covenant, and bind himfelf toacourfe of unrcgenerate duties, in order to obtain converting grace. ' Of this there is no difpute.' So that * this is NOT the queftion in difpute,' whether Mr. M's external covenant is the fame with that covenant into which A- braham perfonally entered, Gen. 17. Where then in all the Bible will Mr. M. find his external covenant, as a- bove defined ? For no fuch covenant was ever exhibited by the God of Ifrael. Befides, 2. It may be enquired, what does Mr. M. mean, by * engaging to obey the whole will of God ?' For, fi.) does he mean, that men, who know they have no grace, , when they join with the church, do covenant and pro- mife, that they will, from that time and forward, as long as they live, he perfeHly ht/Iy ? and fo, in fa£t:, * obey the whole will of God ?* But this is to promife to do, what they infallibly know they fliall not do ; which is a piece o\ fcandalous immorality. For fuch promifes are no better than wilful lies. And this therefore cannot be the thing he /means. Or, (2 J docs he mean, that finncr, under conviiflion, enters into covenant with God, that Sect. T. ( »3 ) ^ that he will, in Faft, repent and believe, the moniient he joins with the church, and from that time and forward, as long as he lives, perfcvcrc in a life of faith and heli- ncfs, prcfling forward toward perfcftion ? But this, a- gain, is not much better than wilful lying. For it is to promile, that which he has no fufficicnt reafon to cx- ped, that he fhall do, as he has no heart to do it, and no title to * the divine affiftance,' to give him a heart to do it. And, befides, if he expected to be converted fo foon, he might wait only one week longerj and fo be converted before the next fabbath ; and thus put an end to all controverfy about the affair. This, therefore, I fup- pofe, is what no awakened finner ever meant, when he joined with the church ; and what Mr. M. would noC have them to mean. And therefore (3. ) all that awaken- ed finners can mean, or that Mr. M. can be fuppofci to intend, that they fhould mean, when they * engage to obey the whole will of God' is no more, than thac they fhould ' endeavour* to do Ft ; as he exprefTcd him- felf in the firft book. P. 21. ' And I will allow, that * none but fuch as profefs the Chriflian religion, and * will endeavour to conform his pra(5lice to the rules of it, * ought to be admitted into the church.* And if this be his meaning, why did not Mr. M. anfwer thequeflions, which were put tohim, in my former piece, p. 51* ' But, pray, how much muft they endeavour ?* &c. &c. And, befides, if this is all. If all they mean is to bind thcmfelvei to unregenerate, unholy, gracelefs duties and endea- vours, then it will follow, that thefe gracelefs duties, tarf according to Mr. M. are the ' whole will of God.' 'For they engage ' to obey the whole will of God.* And, oa the prefent hyp©thefis, unregenerate duties are all they engage. And therefore thelc unregenerate duties are all that God requires of them. But will Mr. M. fay this ? No, by no means. For he exprefsly declares p. 27. ' nothing fhorc of pcrfedion may be looked upon as the whole of what is required.' ■ Whit, then does Mt. M, mean ? In his Preface^ he fay, * I have endeavoured both ( 24 ) Sect, !• both in this, and in my tormsr piece, * to fet my fenti-. mcnts in a plan and intelligible light.' We believe he has ' endeavoured ' to do it, but yet he has not done it. For no confident meaning can be put upon his words.But. 3. Perhaps it will be faid, that Mr. M. has with great plainefs exadly dated the requifre qualificationt for church-memberlliip, in thcfe words "a fixed rcfolution to forfake all known fin and pradile all known duty,'* if we only underftand his words in their plain, common, literal meaning. — But is this his meaning ? or will he Hand to it ? For (i.) the candidate for admiflion is to ^ome to a fixed relolution to forfake " all known fin.'* But enmity to God, impenitence and unbelief are** knowf^ fins," as all acknowledge, but grofs AntincmUm. (2.) And to pradifc " all known duty." But to repent and believe the gofpel, to love God and our neighbour, to lead lives of univerfai holinefs, are " know duties." For all who protcfs co believe the Bible to be the word of God do in facl acknowledge thefe to be duties indifpcnr fibly required of all the difciples of Chrifl ; yea, of all to whom the golpel comes -, grofs Antinomians excepted.. To be furc, our Saviour affirms, that no mm can he his, difcipk unJefs he dQth deny himjdf^ take up his crefs and jol- low him. And (3.) the canditate for admifiion into the vifible Church is to come to " a fixed refolution" to do all this v-to a refolution which is ' fixed' in oppofiiionto. ^cnc that is unfixed ; \o that his gGcdvefs Jhall not he like the morning cloud 0ind early dew^ 'which quickly paffeth away. Or like the (lony and thorny ground hearers in the parable. Mat. 13. All whofe religion came to nothing, becaulc their rcfolutions were not ' fixed.' Now will Mr. M. ftand to this, that none ought t© be admitted into the vi- fible church, but thofe, who are thus indeed and in truth * come to a fixed rcfolution to forfake all known fii^and pradifc all known duty ? ' And who are fo infallibly j certain, that they arc come to this ' fixed rcfolution/ tUat they could give oath to it, with the fame alTurancc as they could to any ii}.atterof hrant, which has * norefped to a gracious (late ol heart,* nor to any other qualification whatever, then I own, I have 'wholly mif- reprefented his fentiments' in my former piece. But then he ought as frankly to own, that he has in his former piece ' wholly mifreprefented' them alfo : and that he has carried on the fame mifreprefcntation in this fecond book, in which he fpeaks of bis exrernal covenant, not as a mere unconditional grant, but as a mutual covena&t b«twecn God and the vifible churci^, wkich is to be en- tered ^] Offered- into by us, ;and fealed on our part ; in order tb which fome qualificarions areabfolutely neceffiry on nur ff de, viz. That we " Come to a fixed refolution to for- fake all known fin, and pradife all known ducy."-- But Ifubmit it to the judgment of the judicious candid reader, whether the truth of the cafe is not this, thacMr. M. himfelf does not diftindtly'know what his external cove- 'nant is ; and however ingcn'ous he tt\ay be, yn it is be* yond his abilities to give a confident account of thid creature of his own imagination; For let his external covenant be conditional, or unconditional, it is merely a treatiire of his own imagination. For if it is condition- al, the conditions of it are merelyunholyJ gracelcfs du- ties ; and fo it is a gracelcfs covenant, which is a ' grace-* lefs phantom,' as was proved in my former piece. And if it 1^ unconditional, it wholly defiroys the vifible church; as it leaves no mark of diftinftion between the church ■and the world. And Pkiiip had no right to (ny, If thou helieveji witJ9 allihine hearty thcU^'mayefi ; fOr'^bWi^e^lor httc believe, he had an equal right to baptifnh: And fo baptifm rhuft ccafe to be anextei'nal badge of acHri'ftian. Let a Pagan Indian, rherely that he may be in the fafhi- <)n, deVhand baptifm for hinifelf and his children, and unqualified as he is, we have no rightxo refufe him ; for he has the fame right to baptifm as to hear bhe -gofpel .pireached. But that the covenant with Abraham w^g really the covenant of grace^ which Mr. M. owns is a conditional covenant,! have proved in my former piec^; But let us hear Mr. M. fpeak W himlclf; s'. :e X _ t' j'Vd N II. .:-' , ■ Mr. M*i external c'dvendnt^ rcprefented hy him efs'dn^hhcvndi'^ tignal covenant^ examined in this view of it; OUR author (ays, p. ^g^ 60, 61, 62. * Whoever ' reads that covenant w'ith Abraham, recorded * Gen. 17. with attention, muft unavoidably fee' N. B: E — ' That ( 3^ ) Sect. It* ^-L.< That a!tW the covenant ©f grace iS (et forth 'in it/ For he fays, p. ^y, ' the covenant of grace was contained * in every difpcnfation of God to mankind; each of them * contained promifes of eternal falvation te believers.'—* But to proceed.---* Yet, that covenant, as then made * with Abraham wax not (lri(flly the covenant oi grace/ I grant, that befides pardon, grace and glory, temporal good things were promifed in that covenant. And fd they arc under the gofpel. Mat. 6. 33. But God's fa- therly care of believers in the world is one of the blcf- fings ©f the covenant of grace, in the ftrideft fenlc* But this is not the thing. Mr. M. has refpedl to the rature of the promifc, which being unconditional \%\:\Q.Qn- jBftcnt with the covenant of grace, and therefore cannot be reconciled to it, the bleflinge of which are promifed only conditisnally^ if we hilieve ; but the blefTings of thi| covenant in Gen. 17. are promifed unconditionally, be^ lieve, 6r not hdiive. For thas Mr, M. fays, ' it has fome * peculiarities which are not reconcilable with it.f And this appears from that ' chief promif© contained in * the cevenant: And I will eftahli/h my covenant hetwaH^ * me^ and thei^ and thy feed after thee^ in their generations^ Uf * an everlafiing wvenant^ to he a God unt§ thee, and to tiy * feed after thee' But pray, why is not this 'chief pro- mifc reconcilable' with the covenant of grace ? This i| the rcaTon Mr. M. gives, becaufe ' this promifc is as full* * as cxprcfs, as abfolute and unconditional to his feed, as « it was to Abraham.' Nay, but the apoflle Paul, when preaching pure gofpel, faid to t^.e jailor. Believe §n tki^ Lord Jefus Chrijt^ and thou Ihatl hefaved, and thy houfe, A A. 16. JO. So that the promife was 2,^ full ^ and exprefs tor * his feed, a-s it was to the jailor himfelf.'— But Mr. M. will fay, that this promife to the jailor and his houfe was ionditional ; but the promife to Abraham and his feed was * abfolute and uncondirional.' And this being fo^ it no£ only is not the covenant of grace, but it cannot be ' re- conciled' with it. I believe Mr. M's external covenant is in its very nature lo inconRftcnt with the covenant of gracCj Sect. IL ( 31 ) grace, that it cannot be ^reGoncilcd* with If. But the whole Chriftian world, the Anabaptifts excepted, have till now thought, that the covenant with Abraham was the very covenant of grace itfelf. But it fecms, it is fo inconfiftent with it, in Mr. M's view of it, as ' not to be recenciUhle with it,' bccaufe the covenant of grace pro- mifcs the heavenly Canaan to us and to our feed, and that God will be a God to us and them conditionally, if we and they believe ; but thecevenant in Gen. 17. pro- mifed the earthly Canaan, and that God would be a God to Abraham and his feed 'unconditionally.' But Mr. M. goes on. • This difference between the tenor of the covenant of * grace anil the covenant with Abraham, could not cf- * cape the Dr's notice ; but being refolved to make out * his fckcnae, he puts in a lupplement into the covenant, * which has n«t the lealf countenance from the covenant * itlelf, or from any other place in the bible, p. 6^. Goi * fpedks to tbi pious parent in that ordinance {hapttfrn) faying^ < / willke a God to thee^ and to thy feed^ i. t, if they will * TAKE H£ED TO WALK IN MY WAYS. This laft COn- * ditiQnal claufe, is a mere arbitrary addition to the co- ^ venanc with Abraham, invented only for the fake of * making that reconcilable to the covenant of grace. — * But no fuch claufe is ever once reprefented as belong* * ing to the covenant of grace, or to the covenant with ^ Abraham.' To which we reply, that, The ajfemhiy of divines ^ in their larger cAtechifm-y fay, that * the covenant of grace was made with Chrift as the fe- * cond Adam, and in him with all the elefl, as his feed.* And yet in order to enjoy the bleffinga of this covenanc it was neceflary on Chrift's part, that he Jh$uld make his Jcul an offering for Jin, And on our part, that we fhouid become Chnft's feed by a true and living faith. If Chrift had n©t died» ©r if we do not believe in him, God had not been obliged by covenant to make him heir of all things^ or us to ht joint heirs with him. So the covenant of grace^ i^ a ftudow, was made with Abraham, who was a type of ( S2 ) Sect. 1L pr Ghfifl, and with ^all his feed. And yet in order to en- joy the bieflings of this covenant, it was neccffary that Abraham (hould renounce idolacry, and feperate himfeU from an idolatrous world, and zvalk before Godandbefer^ feuly in the fenfe in which good men arc faid in fcripture to htperfe^.Gtn. 6. 4. Job i. i. And that he (hould cemmand kis childre?; and his houfnold after him to follow his example : This was necefTary on Abraham's part. And it was necefTary that his feed (hould keep the ivay of the J^ord, to do jufiice and judgment ; that the Lord MIGH'^Jl^ hrin^ upon Abraham that which he hadfpoken. Gen. 18. 19.- If Abraham on the divine call had rcfufcd to leave Ur cf the Chalaccs^ and to take Jehovah for his God ; or had he atterwards returned to his native country and to his falfe gods, aodperfiiled in idolatry, he would not have been made the bdr of the holy land^ the type of the hea- venly inheritance, if his fi^d had filially refu fed to leave Egypt, and to give up the gods of Egypt, and tofollov/ the Lord to the Jioly land, God would not have been obliged by covenant to give them the enjoyment of it. Therefore, aitho' the covenaoc with Abraham, Gen. ij. was exprtlTcd in the form of an.abfolute and unconditi- onal promile, to him and to his feed •, yet it is manifeft that conditions were implied, both with relped to him, and to them./ And in this view of the Abrahamic covenant, as a con- ditional covenant, the divine condud -can bejuftified, \v( f-we;iring, concerning that generation whofe carcafes fell in the v;ildernefs, that they fhould never enter into his refi i becaufe they did not believe his word^ nor obey hisvoice^ as*' their father Abraham had done. So they could not enter becmufe of tinkdief Whereas had God been obliged, by: an ablolute, unconditional promife, to bring them intO:, the land of Canaan,' h.e had been,, what they were ready ta; charge him with, really guilty oi» breach of covenant. And in this view of the Abrahamic covenant, as a conditional covenant, the conducl of Mofes can be jufti-/ fed, in that fptech ot his to the two tribes and half tribe,: '4. Sect. If. ( "53 ) in Num. 32. 6---15. Wherein He exprefsly declares^ that if theyJJjould turn away jrom the Lord, as their fathers had done, whofc carcafes were fallen in the wildcrnefs, they would be deftroyed thcmfclves, and be the means ©f deftroying all the conj^regation. For if ye turn away from after him^ he will yet again leave them in the wiUernefSy andyefljalldeflrsyallthisfeople. Whereas had God beeri obliged, by an ahfolute, unconditional promife, to bring them into the holy land, and put them in adtual pofTef- fion of it, there eould have been no more danger of their deftrudien, than there is that the earth will be deftroyed by a fecond general deluge, notwithftanding God's co- venant with Noah, Gen. 8. 11, i2. See alfo Deut. 7. 12. And in this view of the Abrahamic c6Venant, as a conditional covenant, the divine condud: can.^&e juftified, , in the present rejeftion of the feed of Abraharrt, who haver been raft 0^1700 years, notwithftanding God had faid,- 1 will eflahlifh my covenant hetiveen me and thee, and thy feed after thee, for an EFERLAS1 ING covenant : For tccaufe of mhelief the^ were broken off. For there is ho ftanding in God*s church but by faith. As it is written, relative to the Gentile converts, who had been grafted into the good olive, and thou (lendefi byjaith. Rom. 11. 20. For God might confiftently rt-jc^ the k^d of Abraham, if they relufcd to walk in the fteps of Abraham, provided they were taken into covenant in this view. But if God had taken x\\tm for better , for worfe, without any provifo, and abfolutely and unconditionally engaged to be their God, in an evtrlafting covenant, fo far as I am abletodif- cern, he would have been obliged to keep them for his covenant people, notwithftanding their rejeding the Meftiah by unbelief. But as Mr. M. is fo confident, th?.t the Abrahamic covenant was ahfolute and unconditional, to him and to all ' his feed, and that all the blefTings comprifed in that chief promife of it, / will be a God to thee, and to thy feed, were made fure to them, without this ' conditional claufe, // tb^ will take h€cd to i^alk in m^ zvays^ which he • fay s, ' is a ' mer^ ( 34 ) Sect. II. < mere arbitrary addition to tke covenint with Abraham^ • invented only for the fake of making that reconcilable ^ with the covenant of grace.' Therefore it may not be amifs to (lop a few minutes, and take a view of fome of the confcqucnccs which will unavoidably follow from his notion of this covenant, and from his manner of rcafon- ing in fupport ef it. 1. If the covenant with Abraham is * unconditional/ and fo'not reconcilable* with the covenant of grace ; then the covenant of grace was not 'contained' in it ; un- kfs it ^contained' in it fomcthin^ not 'reconcilable* with itfelf : i. e. unlcfs two covenants were contained in that one covenant in their own nature fo in confident, as not to be 'reconcilable' to each other. The Abralumic covenant is ' abiolute and uaco.iUiLiuiia!,* and therefore it is not the covenant of grace, fay sMr. M. And he may as well fay, Therefore the ctve riant of gr^g is not implied in it at all, nor in any Icnfe whatever 'let forth' in it. For nothing is * contained,' or 'fct forth' in it, which is neither expreffed, nftr insplied. But the covenant of grace is neither ex- prefTcd, nor implied -, becaufe there is no condition ex- prefTed, nor implied. Thus Mr. M. has lecluded, and wholly fhut the covenant of grace out of the Abrahamic covenant. For to fliut out all conditions, is to Ihut eu( ail conditional covenants. But, ' > 2. If the covenant of grace was not implied in that covenant with Abraham in Gen. 17. becaufe that implieci no condition, but was abiolutc and unconditional to him ^nd to his kcd ; then for the fame rcafon the covenant of grace was not implied in the covenant with Abraham in Gen. i% and in Gen. 13. and in Gen. 15. For in each of thefe (which are all the) places, the promifes arc to Abraham and to his feed, and are delivered in the form of abfolute and unconditional promifes, cxadly^ prccifely after the fame tenor of the covenant in Gen. 17. Pray, reader, ftop here, take your bible, turn to the cited chapters, and lee with your own eyes* And when yous Jiave read thcfc chapters, then, 2, TuxA Stcr. It. ( 55 ) 3. Turn to the firft promiie made by God after tfcC fall. Gen. 3. defied of the wsman jhall bruile the firpentU kcad. And fee, and confider, that this alio was in the form of an 'abfolute, unconditional' promiTe, ^nd r«-» fpcdlcd their pofterity as much as it did AJ un and Eva, Therefore, by parity of reafon, Mr. M. mull by, that it was not the covenant of grace, nor 'reconcilable' to ir. Anve may be taken in 'without our confent,' evcniri adult, age. And to ule Mr. M's own words refpeding the Iffaclites at Mount Sinai, in application to the whole Chriftiaaworld,Papi{ls a^jdProteflants, Arians,Pelagiani^i Sdciniaris, Arminiins, Anrinomians, Drunkards, Adul^ tercfs, Thieves, Liars, &c. &c. p. 71. 'It is plain, God has proceeded to take us all into covenant,"by mere fil^ vereignty, even as in his covenant with Abraham he in- cluded his infant feed,' no more refpcdl being had to any qaalifi(Sation whatever, in the adult, than in infants' of eight days old. . And therefore, ^. All our churches in 'New-England are wrong, even every one of them, effentially wrong ; and Mr. M's a*- mong the reft, in obliging our people, even fuch as have been baptifed in infancy, to make a profeffion of their faith, and to give their confent to fome covenant, or o- i ther, requiring cither gracious, or gracelefs obedience : for Sect. 11: ( 37 ) for neither the one nor the other Is requifire to full c<^m- munion in tlie vKiblc church, becaufe that is founded ori • an unconditional covenant, which requires no quilifica- tions at all of the adult any more than of infants eighe' days old. And therefore, 10. As' oh this unconditional covenant no qualificari-. ons whatever are requifite to a compieac (landing in the vifiblc church -, fo, by neceffiry coniequence, nocrimr**,', how grofs foever, can conditutionally expofe any one to excommunication, or to be debarred from church privi- leges. For, if any crirnc whatever could rfgularly ex- pofe one to excommunication, then a freedom, at it-a^, from that crime, would be a qualification abiolutely ne- tefTarv in order to a compleat (landing in -the.vifible fchurch ; which would fuppofe, that the church v/as noC founded on a covjcnant abfolucely unconditional. If, therefore, we will come into Mr. M*s external co- venant, confidercd as an unconditional covenant, unlefs we are inconfiftent with ourfelvcs, we mu(t give in to all thcfe necefTary confequences -, arid fo excommunicate" even excommunication itfelf out of the Chriflian world, and fiingopen the doors of the church to all comers, how heretical and vicious foever they be. But on the other hand, if we confider the covcnanc with Abraham, in Gen. 17. as the covenant of grace, and' fo implying the conditions of that covenant, as St. Paul did, as was proved in my former piece, then not one dif- ficulty will lie in our way. That objeftion relative to infants, and that relative to the Sinai covenant, and t& the covenant in the plains of Moab were anfwered in my former piece, in fed. vii. and nothing new is offered by Mr. M. but what isdbviatedat firft fighr, only granting, a condition to be underftood in the covenant, in Gen. 17, tho' not expreffed. And we mud be obliged to grant this, with refpedl to every exhibition of tlie covenant of gj^icr^ from the beginning of the world to that day, ail "^nich were delivered in the form of^ablolute, unconditional promiifcs : orclle be driven to the dire necefTity of fa'y- F i.Dg,' Jng, that, from the beginning of the world, to that day* rto covenant of grace had ever been revealed. Thus we have finifhed, what is needful, on Mr. M^s external covenant, confidered, as an unconditional cove- riant. Sould any fay, that it is certain, that Mr. M. can- not intend, that his external covenant ihould be an un- conditional one. The reply is ready, viz. That it is cer- tain, that no man can tell, by what he has publifhed, what he does mean. But granting, he meant, as for my part, I underftood him to mean, when I wrote my anfwer to his firft book, that his external covenant ftiould be a conditional covenant ; then the conditions are gracious or gracekfi, U gracious, then no gracelefs man, as fuch, can be admitted into the vifible church, li gracelefs^ then his external covenant is 2. gracelefs covenant. This is its na- ture, and by this name it ought to be called, to the end^ its name may point out its nature, and diftinguilh it from every other covenant. Indeed, it muft be granted that every man has a right to give a name to his own child. And Mr. M. has givea a name to his covenant •, he has called it the external c9* venant : but perhaps on rcconfideration he may think, that there is no propriety in giving it this name. (i.J Be- caufc his covenant confifts not in externals only, but ajfo in internals.viz, in 'a fixed mfolution' to forlake all known fin, and pradife all known duty. For 'a fixed refoluti- or' is an internal thing, as much as faving grace, (a.) Becaufe this name does not at all diftinguifh it, from the covenant of works, or covenant of grace, which are, both efthem, external covenants, as much as is his covenant. But it is the defign of different names, to diftinguifh things of different natures. The covenant of works was ^n external covenant, as it was adminiflred to Adam^ ^peculiarly worded to fuit his circumftances.' p. 6y. There was no internal duty exprcfsly required. The only fin, exprefsly forbidden, was an external one, viz^ Of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, thoujhalt not eat: Eating is an external a6t \ and this was the only adion exprefsly" Sect. II. ( 39 ) cxprelsly mentioned in the covenant of works, as itwai adminiftercd to Adam. There is therefore much more propriety, in calling that, an external covenant, than, there is in calling Mr. M*s covenant by this name. And fo the covenant of grace, as it is adminiflered in the gof- pel, free from the fhadows, rites and ceremonies of the old difpcnfarion, is as external a covenant, as Mr. Ma- therms. For it requires, that we not only bdieve in our. hearts, but alfo coijfefs with our mouths j that we not only believe^ but alfo arc baptized^ and attend the Lord's fupper, doing this in rememhrancs of him. Yea, the gofpel requires of profefTors all external duties to God and man ; and particulai ly, every external duty relative to church order, with much greater plainnefs than did ttic old tcftament ; and even delcends fo low, ap to require church-members to 'joork with their hands. The name of an external cove- nant, therefore, is not at all adapted to diftinguifh Mr* M*s covenant from the covenant of works, or from the Ci-wenant of grace. And yet what he means is really and tflcntially different from both. For they both re- quire holinels and nothing clfr, as qualificacions to th^ enjoyment of the blelKngs promifcd in both. But this covenant requires no holinefs at all to qualify for the en- joyment of all its peculiar bleflings. It requires, to this end, nothing but graceltfs duties. The name, therefore, pf a gracclefs covenant is the moft natural, exprcfTivc and diftinguifhing name in the world. Mr. M. feemi to think, that it might do, to call it, by the name of ^ the externals of the covenant of grace.* But, I think, this name,^ by no means, will do. For the taith and obedience of the covenant of grace is a holy faith and obedience. la order therefore for any faith and obedience to be the ex- ternals of the covenant of grace., they mud be, prof eJJeMy and; ' \tQ appearance, a holy faith and obedience. But the faithi 'jiind obedience of Mr. M's covenant, requifitc to a title jto all its blelTings, are profefTedly fuch as agracelefs man, ■|n?iay have, which is profeff^dly agracelefs taith^and obc- iJicnco. For he affirms chat all unrcgcnerate fjnners ar© * total ly> ( 40 ) Sect. IL •totally depraved.' Again, Mr. M. altho- In his former bof k, hf hi 1 faid, p. 7. that ' after nay mod carefulln- ' quiry, I mud own mvfflf at a lufs in determiniiig what ' rhcv' (orotfftant divines in general) * mean^ by being * under the fxisrnal aJmiKiftraiien of I he covenant of grace :* yet now m his fjcond book» p. 61, he is even willing, if this would give content, to call his covenant, by the name o^ 'the excer >al adminiftration of the covenant of grace.' But this is a very improper name : tor when he takes a rrjan into the church, and adminifters the covenant, the covrnant which he adminiflers to the man, is not theco- veoant of grace, but profcfTedly ' a covenant diftindl irom the covenant of grace.' It ought, therefore, by i\o mt-ains to b^ cdiWrd ike external adminiJfraUGJt of the co-^ yenant of grace. However, it i3nay,with no fmall propriety be called, the external admm^^rati&n of agraceleft ccvenanU'' Objedion. The external covenant ought not to be cal- led a gracelefs covenant, becaufe it is defigned as a means' Qf the convcrfion of finners ; and tends in its own na- ture to prc^mote their converfion. Anfwer. The external covenant in its own nature doe$ not tend to promote the converfion ©t Tinners, but the contrary ; tor Tinners are never converted without con- yidtion of fin : for there can be no found converfion, with-- out true reprentance. And there can be no true repen- tance without true convidi.on of fin. But there can be no tirue conviclion of fin without a knowledge of the true rule of duty. And the law of God, which requires holi- nefs, and nothing but holinefs, is the only rule of duty, that God ever gave to man : by this, law is the knowledge efjin: T\\\^ law is the fcboolmafier^ which God has ap- pointed to bring us toChri/l, /Novj to fend us to fchool, to another (chcol mafter tij?B,^,t1iat which, God has ap- pointed, tends not to our converfion, but to our delufion. But Mr. M's external covenant is another fchool-mafter than that which God has appointed, efiTentially different from it, and in its uwn nature incgnfiftent with it. SECT. "1 Sect. III. C 41 ) SECTION, IIL Ithe perfeSlion of the divine law, and total depravity, inc^nfili" ent with the notion of an external covenant appointed by God for the unregemrate^ as [uch^ to enter into, requiring grace- lefe qualifications^ and nothing elfe^ as the conditions of its klejjings, A LAW, which Is a univerfal rule of life, to faints and to finncrs, extending to the whole of our mo- xA condudl:, at all times, which iorbids all fin, and requires us to be holy asGod is holy, is inconfiftent with any lav;, or rule, or covenant, v;hich requires any fin, in matter, or manner, at any time, of any man, faint or finner, on any pretence whatfocver. It, therefore, God has given fuch a holy law, as above, he cannot be the author of fuch an unholy covenant. For it is written, Jam. 3. ir. Detb a fountain fend forth, at the fame place, fjueet water and hitter? And again, it is written, Jam. i. 13 het no man fay, when he is tempted^ I am tempted of God : for God can- not be tempted with evil, neither temfteth he any man. But fer God to require fin, and bind his creatures by a mod folemn covenant to fin, and promlfe them peculiar blef- f^ngs if they will fin, in the manner his covenant requires, is tempting to fin, in a moft powerful manner, witli great and ftrdng temptations — But, 1. As to the perfetlion of the divine law, the affembly of divines at Weftminftcr fay, ' That the law is perteft, * and bindeth every one to a full conformity in the whole. * man unto the righteoulnefs thereof, and unto entire o- * bediencc for ever ; fo as to require the utmofl per- * fedlion of every duty, and to forbid the lead: degree o^ ' every fin.' Larger cat, in anfwer to Q^ 99, proved by Pfal. 19. 7. Jam 2. 10 Mat. 5. 21—48. 2. As to total depravity, they hy, 'The finfulnefs of * that eftate whereinto man fell, confifteth in the guilt of * Adam/s firft fin, the want of that righteoufnefs where- * in he was created, and the corruption of his nature ; I whereby he is utterly indifpofed, difabled, and made ! gppofitc . ( 4i ) Sect. III. ^ oppofite unto all that is fpiritually good : and wholly * inclined to all evil, and that continually ; which is ^ commonly called original fin, and from wkich do pro- ' ceed all adual tranfgreflions. Rom. 5. 12 — 19. Rom. * 3. 10— -19. Eph. 2. I, 2, 3. Rom. 5. 6. Rom. 8. 7. ' S,Gct\, 6. 5. Jam. i. 14, 15. Mat. 15. 19.' Anfw. to 0^25. As CQ the dcirjgs of the unregenerate^ they fay, ' W©rki * done by unrcgfnerate men, although for the matter of * them, they may be things whicl^i God commands, and * of good ufe both to themfeivcs and others ; yet becaufc * they proceedflrf not from a heart purified by faith, nor ^ are dene in aright manner according to the word, nor * to a right end the glory of God, they are therCf * fore finiul, and cannot pleafe God, or make a man ^ meet to receive grace from God. And yet their nc- * gled of them is more finful and difpleafing to God. * I Cor. 13 *. Ifa. I. 12.' &€. Conf. faith ^ chap. 16, To which agree the 39 Articles of the Church of England. * Works done U^fore the grace of Chrifl, and the infpi- * ration of his fpirit, are not pleafant to God, tec. — * Yea, rather, for that they ar^ not done as God hath ^ commanded and willed them to be done, we doubt no% « but that they have the nature of fin.* Article 13. To vhich alfo agrees Mr. Stoddard. ' If men do not ad from * gracious motives and for gracious ends, they do not * the thing that God commands •, there is n© obedience * to God in what they do ; they don't attend the will of * God.' 'Nature of anverfion^ p. 7. Yea, he adds, p. 9. * There is an efpo/ttion between faving grace and common < grace. If one be oppofite to the other, then they differ * fpecifically. Thofe difpofitions that have contrariety * one to the other, that are at war one with the other, « and would deftrgy one another, are not of the fame * kind : And truJy thefe are fo. Common graces are * lulls and do oppofe faving grace.' So again in his Safety^ (3d. t(^\t,) p. 106. * Man in his natural flate is an, I enmy to thii (thf goipel/ v:ay efjahatiotj. As man is " • 'K\ ' " '""' an Sect. IIL ( 43 J * an enemy to the law of God, fo to the gvfpel of Jefu^ * Chrift.' And in p. 146. ' All thofe religious iramca * and difpofitions that are in natural men, arc nothing * clle but the various (hapings of felf-love.* And again, p. 148, * Self-love is the very root of original fin.' And again, p. 162. ' Every unhumbled finner is ftriving a- * gainft the work of humiliation : They are oppofing of * it, cither by endeavours to fee up a rightcoufncls of their < awn ; fetking in that way to efcape condcmna:ion, in- « (lead of yielding to God they are flying to their ftrong * holds, Iheltering themfelvcs in their prayers, rcforma- « tions, defircs, &c. or clfe by wrangling, as a perfon * purfucd runs away till overtaken, and tlien he fights 3 * So the Tinner when he fees that he cannot favehimlelf, * is contending with God, objecling againfl: divine pro- * ceedings, thinks that God's dcalioors are very hard mea- * furc. Rom. 9. 19.' And p. 168. ' Their bcft works * are not only finful, but properly /«j.* Thus far Mr. Stoddard. And thus wc fee what the ' old divinity' is, as to tbg perfe^ion of the divine law, total depravity^ and works ions by unregenerate men. Yea, Mr. M. himlelf, in words, at lead, grants each of thefe points. For, (i.) as to the perfe^ien of the divine lawy he fcts himfelf to prove, p. 27. ' that the law is not * abated.' — 'And therefore nothing fhort of perfedion * may be locked upon as the whole of what is required.^ And (2.) 2LS to total depravity^ he repeatedly afferts it thro* fc(ft. 2 and 3, and particularly lays, p. 8. ' That Adam * did totally deprave his nature, by his firft fin, and whol" * ly k(l the moral image of God in which he was created.' And he fays, p. 18. ' Mankind at this day, antecedent to * their exercifing faith in Chrift, are ili much the fame * condition as Adam was, after he had finned.' — * The * unregenerate finner — is in the likcnefs of fallen Adam.' And he fpeaks of them, p. 52. as ', fuch whofe hearts * are in a date of enmity againlt God.* And {3) as to ;>//&(? doings of the unregenerate, he fays, p. 17. ' As love to ' • God is the leading principle of all acceptable obedience ; • fo ( 44 ) StcT. III. * fo, Adam having rendered himfelf incapable of loving * God, he was of courfe, incapable of yielding any truly * holy and acceptable obedience to the will ©f God.* ^And p. 5^. * Sinners under conviction — really aim — to * eftablifh their own righteoufncls which is of the law.* Which, no doubt, he will grant is a very wicked thing, being the great fin of the unbelieving Jews, for which, among other things, they were finally caft off by God. Rom. 9. 32. Now, therefore, 1. The queftion is not, whether all the holy commands of God's law, and holy exhortations of the gofpel, are given to the unregenerate, and binding on them ; fo as that they are wholly inexcufable, and altogether criminal^ in every negleft. This I afRrm to be the truth. And this Mr. M. grants. 2. The qucflion is nor, whether the unregenerate do, in any one inftancc, perform one a^ of holy obedience, i. e. of obedience, which has the lead degree of hclinefs in it. Mr. M. allows they do not ; for he afTerts, that they are 'totally depraved,' thro' fedt. 2 and 3. 3. The queftion is net. Whether the law is at all abat- ed, as to the unregenerate, fo as to ceafe requiring thcnni to perform every duty in a holy manner. For Mr. M.-* infifts upon it, that ' the law is not abated." p. 27. Yea, he ' afTerts, that whatever God commands to be done, he requires the * performance to be, not in a gracious, but in z perfeSf mamer .' p. 38. 4. The queftion is not whether a (inful manner of at- tending on the means, which God ufeth for the conver- ffon of Tinners, may not be lefs finful and lefs dangerous^ than a total neglect. This is granted. And therefore, 5. The queflion, and the only queftion is, whether a fintul manner is not finful P Or in other words, whether the finful manner itfclf, is required ^ and fo is ftriflly fpeaking, a duty. In this we differ. And accordingly Mr. M. confiders this, as a fundamental error, in my tor- fticr piece, p. 35. 'That God requires holinefs, and nothing but holinefs.' — The argument then ftands thus, ■ ■" ThcJ Sect. III. C 45 ) To require the unregenerare to perform c^uties In a finful manner, is to require them lo break God's law : But Mr. Vi's external covenant requires the unregenerare to perform duties in a finful manner : therefore Mr. M's ex ernal covenant requires men to break G kI's law. Thae covenant which requires men to breakGod's lavsr is not from God : Bjt th;s external covenant requires men to break G.)d's law : therefore it is not from God.^ There are but three ways to get rid of this argument, cither, (i) to deny the per'cd:ion of the divine law, or (z) to deny total depravity, or (3) to be inconfiftent. The church of Scotland^ and. the churches xnNiW- England^ in their pub! c formulas, not chooling to take cither of theie ways, were nccelTiMted to leave Mr. M's external covenant out of their fchcine of religion, and to afFirm • that facraments are holy figns and fealsof the covenant of grace.* But each of thele three ways, to get rid of this arjiument, and to cftablidi the external covenant, Mr- M. has taken. For, I. To this end, p. 35, he denies the perfcdion of the divine law, viz. * Tnat God requires hoiinefs, and no- thing but holinefs.'- And thar, • 1, III expref* contraiiidiofi to himfelf : Fssr, p. 34,' lie fays, ' I afT'rt, th^t whatever God commands co oe • done, he requires the performance of it to be, not in 3 • gracious, but in a perted n^anner.' Which is evident- ly to require ' holinefs and nothing but holincis.* For a perfect manner of performing every duty, pcrfcdiy ex- G eludes ♦ If God's law requires holinefs, and nothing ba^ holiaefs, ihea- J)oftlt*s words are ftridiv irye. Rom. 8. 7. The totally ocpravcd, ara 110/ fu'ja tt the taw 0/ God, neither iniiedcan be Bur 98 the external c ivenant is of a nature oppoGte to tbe law o^ G^d« and fuited to ths c»rBal mind, as it reqjires gracelefs, unholy, Unfui daties ; therefore! the totally depraved, as luch. may he jubjeSi to it. And b the carnal mind, which is totally opp lite to Gorf'i la^^^ may be in conformiry to (he ex'ernd covenant j and like^«wwe lays a foundation tor love,- And therefore the carnal mind naturally loveJ the cxtsrnal covs^iist?, A;id whfti we lovci we wifh to bs tru?* C ^6 ) Sect. TII;! eludes all fin. And if God requires this * pcrfcdl man- ner,' he does, by fo doing, forbid the contrary. Every jmperfedion, therefore, is forbidden. And accordingly, he fays, p. 28. That ' the imperfedions found in believ- ers are finful.' Surely then, the total depravity found in unbelievers, isfinfulalfo ; and yet he pleads, p. 33. That ifGod.conriftentwiththelawofperfeifion^ m^iy require the ^ imperfeui obedUnce of the hiliever^ he may alf9 require fuch do- ings, endeavours and ftrivings^ as take place in /inner r, while unregeneratey and entirely dejiitute of holinefs. Now, I readi- ly grant, that if God may confiftently require the imper- fedions of behevers, which are finful •, he may alfo re- quire the unregenerate to fcek and ftrive, in that finful manner, in which they do. For if he may confiftent- ]y require fin, in the one, he may in the other alfo. But Mr. M. tells me, that God forbids fin in both -, for he fays, 'I aflcrt, that whatever God commands to be done, • he requires the performance to be, not in a gracious, * but in 2l perfe^ manner * Which forbids the imperfefli- ons of the believer, and the total linfulnels of the 'total- ly depraved.' Inconfiflencies of this kind, good as his natural genius is, run thro' his book, whenever he has occafion to Ipaakon this fubje(fb : and he brings maay texts of fcripture to keep himfelf in countenance : as if it were pofllbic, that a book infpired by God, fhould contain fuch inconfiftencics. Whereas, could it be pro- ved, that the bible ever required any fin, or any adion to be done in a finful manner, it would be fuch an argu- ,ment, that it did not come from him, who is perfedly and unchangeably holy, and who does, and who cannot but hate fin, even all fin, at all times, and in all pcrfsns, ■with pcrfcd hatred, that I fliould not know how toan- fwer it. For it looks like the moft glaring contradidli- on in nature, that God fhould command, call, invite, urge, perfuade, and befecch us to do, what he perfedly hates. And to fay, that the true and living God, does fj^ot perfectly Jiatc all fin, at all times, is, as ail will grant, wickedly Sect. III. ( 47 ) wickedly to reproach the Holy Oneof Ifrael. Pfa. 50.21; Thou tbougbtejl I was altogether fuch a one as ihyfelf : but I will reprove tbee^ andfet thy fins in order before thee. The Pharifees took great pains in religion, they fafted twice in the week. And they thought they performed their duties, in the manner, in which, God required. All thefe things have I done from my youth up, Lo, thefe manj years do Iferve thee^ neither tranjgreffed I at any time thy cominandment. For if the law required them k) do duties in the manner in which they did, then, in doing as they did, they did their duty. So they were not finncrs, in their own view ; rather, they were righteous^ and needed no repentance. For they had nothing to repent of. For they had Horfakcn all known fin, and pradifed all known duty.' So that their confciences acquitted them. A: ivuching the right eoujnefs of the law^ I was bUmelefs, It was impolTible they fhcuid be brought to repentance, while they viewed things in this light. It was almeft; impoflible to beat them our of their fcheme. There- fore publicans and harlots flood a better chance for con- verfion than they did, as our Saviour declares. Mat. 21. 31, g2. * For altho' the ftrivings of an awakened fin- ner,with the kwot perfedlion in his view, may ' be ufcful to promote convi(^ion of fm ;' yet the flrivingsof a Tin- ner, with a law in view, which requires him to do as he does, inftead of being ' ufeful to promote conviction of fin,' tends to eftablifh him on his own righteoufnefs. For in doing, as he does, he does ' all known dury, ' and fo is blamelefs ; and lb is righteous^ and fo needs no re-, fentance^ no atonement, no pardon, no Chrifl:, no grace, and I ♦ * But this 11, 1 think a great niftakf,* faith a late writer, *t\ty • were not Pharifees tnai the(c words were fpoken lo, but Sid^uces.* Referring to Mat. zr . 31. Bat, it it plain, from ver. 45, that the Pharifees thought themlelves to be the men, aad that ttoey were not miftakeo. For, the Evangelift hu^K^ andiohtn the cbtef Pritfit and Fbariftti had htard his Parah/etf tbty (trcti'Vtd that bt jfakt it tbttui^ ^cadiiom vcr. 2S«»-^5, ( 4^ ) Sect. Itl and if righteournefs corns hy the law, then Chrift is dead /» 'vain. So this fcheme iffues at laft in infidelity. Our author fays, p. PjI. '' God has repeatedly com- manded finners to confider their ways,' — Very true, fo he has. But has Ged ever once commanded them to con- fider their ways, in an impenitent, felt -righteous, feif-juf- jtifying, Ghrift- rejecting manner ! In which manner fin- ners always do confider their ways, fo long as they remain under the reigning power of an impenitent, fclf- righteous, felf-juftifying, Chrift-rejefting fpirit : i. e. fo long as they remain unregenerate. For, in this fpirii unregtntracy con- fifts. But as foon as ever finners begin to confider their ways, in a penitent, ielf condemning, God-juftifying, ^hriH:- prizing manner, they really begin to comply with • the repeated com.mands, to confider their ways,' which God has given to finners. And ihefe finners are now rot unregenerate, but regenerate. Thus holy Davrd did. Pfal. 119. ^^. I thought upon my ways, and turned my J eet unto thy teliimonies. And thefe are they, Mat. 11. 12. Who take the kingdom of heaven hy force. For the great truths ot the golpcl vit-wed, as fuch finners view them, \i\\\ always be attended with anlwerable efr (fls. Mat. 13. 23. But he that received feed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and underjiandeth ity which alfo hear- etb fruit. Botjfcny and thorny ground hearers bring forth jio tiwt. While the vail is en the heart, tht gofpel pro- duces no fruit, but when the vail is taken away, then di- vine truths are feen in their glory, and then every an- Iwerable afFcdion is BEGOTTEN. 2Cor.3. 15.- — 18. But cvcrv unregenerate fi.nner is blind to the hol-y beauty of Chiift's holy rcli^^ion. For as Mr. Stoddard hys, 'as man is an enemy t© the law of God, fo to iht gojpel of Jdus Chrift.' Therefore; as St. PauJ favs, 2 Cor. 2. 14. ^he natural man receiveth not the things of the jp'irit of God ^v for they are foolilbnefs unte him •, neither can he know i^hem b cauje they are fpiritually difcerned. Therefore Chrift t»id Ntcodemus, Joh. 3. Except a mat} hi born again he cannot; Sect. III. C 49 ) CANNOT SEE the kmgdom of God : i. e. eannot underftand and embrace chriltianity. Thefe, then, arc the men, who take the kingdom of heaven hy force ^ and not they whom Mr. M. defcribes, as ' going about to eftablifh their own ri^ihteoufnefs which is of tbe law,' who, as he rightly oblcrvcs, ' never do accomplifli what they aim at.' Sec p. 54» 55- But is it not indeed furprizing, that Mr. M. fhoulj, (p. 52.) urge thofe words of the apoftle, as an exhortati- on to impenirenr, Ch rift rejecting ftrivings, fuch as are all the ftrivings ot impenitent, ChrifVlefs fmners, in 2 Cor. 5. 20. /Is tho" God did befeeth you by us^ we pray you in Chrift's dead, be ye reconciled to God ? For, the apoftle^s exhortation is, be ye reconciled to God: and his argument IS, God is nov/ ready thro* Chrift to be reconciled co you. Now, fuppofing this exhortaiion was given to the unre- generate, as Mr. M. would have it -, it they believed that God was ready to be reconciled thro' Chrift : i. e. if they believed the gofpel to be true, why (hould they not re- turn home to God immediately, as the prodigal Ton did to his father, as foon as ever he came to himfelf ? But Mr. M. would have them, inftead of returning to God now, in compliance with the apoftle's exhortation ; ra- ther put it off a while, and ftrivc ' to obtain thofe dif- *• coveries of God thro' Chrift, by which they would be * reconciled to God.' p. 53. Nay, but the apoftlehad juft made aH thofe 'difcovcries' to them, which are con- tained in the golpeJ on that fubjed. And adds. Behold now is the accepted time ! now is the day of faivation I And if they had no prejudice againft the truth, why ftioufd they not receive it, at ?iv^ hearing ? And it they believed him, what could hinder their immediate return to God, unlefs they were at heart utterly difinclincd to a recon- ciliation to him, let him be ever fo willing on his pare ? And if they were utterly difinclined to a reconciliation to God in their hearts, none of their ftrivings could be eon- fidered, as being ©f the nature ©f a compliance with that ( 5® ) Sect. IIL exhortation, he ye reconciled to God, But if they were fo prejudiced againft the truth, as not to receive it, when clearly held forth before them, by an infpired apoftle, how could they be faid t© ' drive to dilcovcc* it ? For a man does not ftrive to difcover, what he fliuts his eyes againft, when held up clearly before him. And fo long as this difinclination to God and the truth remains total in a finner, it is of the nature ot a total rejcdion of the divine exhortation, be ye reconciUd to Gcd, And as loon as. the leaft degree of love to God takes place in the h^-art, the finner can no longtT be confidered as unregenerarc, if the unregenerate arc ' totally depraved,' as Mr. M. fays they arc. ^ But Mr. M. fuppofes, p. 54. that Aft. 8. 9 will be to his purpofe. jlnd the people with one accord gave heed untQ thofe things which Philip fpake^ hearing and leeing thi miracles which he did. True, they did fo, and what was the confequencc ? Our blefTed Saviour, who knows all things, tells us, viz. That every one, who, with a good dnd honeji hearty heard the word, did underftand it, and bring forth fruit, while ftony and thorny ground hear- ers fell away. Luk. %. Now, the queftion is this, Wat it not the duty of erery one of them to have a good and honeft heart, and fo to hear with a good and honeft heart the firft time ? Yes, fays Mr. M. for 'I aflert, that what- * ever God commands to be done, he requires the per- ^ formance to be in a pcrfed: manner.' But what then are thefe texts to his purpofe, and a thoufand morefueh like ? For there are a thoufand in the bible, as much to Jais puropofc as thefe. 3. But the bottom of the bu fine f$ with Mr. M. is this, that altho' in words, he fays, that the unregenerate are ' totally depraved \ yet he does not feem rightly to «nderftand the fcripturc dO(5trine of total depravity, as held * See the l^aturt af ffiritual hlindntft confidercd. Bfay §n tht ««- l Sect. III. T £i 5 held forth in our confeflion of faith : but i%ally t9 fup- pofe, that unregcnerate (inners, are naturally inclined^ •while unregcnerate to love God, even God's true and real charadcr, as revealed in the gofpel -, fo that as foon as ever they * difcover ' what that character is, they will love it, tvtn without any new principle of grace^ tven. as naturally as Jacob loved Raehei the firft time he faw her. But as to that character of God, whichi is revealed in the Jaw, he fuppofes, that Tinners, never can, and never will love it : bscaufe, *to love it is the fame thing as to love their own mifery. * But as to the charadler of God, which is revealed in the gofpel, they uQtd no neiv principle of grace, in order to love it, any more than Jacob needed a nev/ principle, in order to love Rachel, p. 43--48. And this being fup- pofed, awakened Tinners may, from natural principles^ long and mod earneftly defire to 'difcover' this new character of God which is exhibited in the gofpel ; and fo feek after this * difcovery ' with proper, direft dc- (iresatcer it, for itfelf. And thefe defires he, thcretore, confidcrs, as being in nature, kind and tendency, the fame with what he calls the gracious deTireof thofe whuin he efleems regenerate. Thefe feekings and drivings he, 1. therefore fuppofes to be required, in the fame (ei.dr, and for the fame purpofe, as the feckings and drivings of I the true faint, p. 33, 34. Toedablilh thefe fcntimc-nrs, i is one chief defign of his book. And thus far, I fully agree with him, that there is no difference in kind, be- tween the religious exercifes of the unregcnerate, and the religious exercifes of his regenerate man. And irt this view, I wonder not at his zeal againd this funda- mental fentimetJt of a fpecific difference^ as clearly held forth in Prefident Edwards's treatife c&ncerning religious af- \feSiions. p. 36, 37, 38, 39, 40. For his regenerate I man has profefTedly no new principle of grace. And ac- cordingly he appears, in fad, to have no more grace than his unregcnerate man has. Far he is as great ait enemy ( 5^ ) StCT. ilL fencmy t© Goci's law, and to the holy nature of God, therein exhihiccd, as the unrcgenerate. p. 41, 42, 43. And the God he loves is profeiTcdiy oi a different charader, even of a character fo different, that the un- rcgenerate will naturally love it, as foon j^s they ' dif- cover* it, and its favourable afpcd; towards them, wilb^ eui any new principle of grace, p 43. 44 — 48. And this is the true reafon, ' ninety nine in a hundred ' of his regenerate men are fo at a lofs about their good eftate* that they cannot fee their way clear, to make a pro- IcfTion of Godlinefs. p. 79, 80. Which renders hii external covenant as nectffary for them, as for the unre^e* nerate ; for if the door is not opened wide enough, to take in the unregenerate, as fuch, his regenerate man cannot with a good confcience, come into the vifible church. For as Mr. Stoddard, in order to prove the dodrine of the Jpecific difference bet'uusen common and Javing grace, ng\\i\y obferves, in his Nature of (aving converfton, p. 8. 'If * the difference between faving grace and common, lay * in the degree, no man could judge that bis grace isfav^ * ing, * And thus he goes on to real'on, 'Mdii may know * tha: they have faving grace, i Joh 3 14. 2 Cor. 7,- * 10. But if the difference lay in the degree, how (hould * man go about to determine that their grace was favm * ing P che man may know that he has a greater de- * gree of confidence, forrow, and zeal than formerly * he had ; he may have realon to think that he goeihi * beyond fome other profeff)rs in thefe things *, but * upon what foundation can he determine that he hath * them in fuch a degree as to Iccure his falvauon »* * Where has God revealed what degree is faving, and what * is not faving? What warrant has any man to judge him- * felf in a fafe conditiop, if there be fcveral degrees of grace * that are not faving ? What rule can anv minifter lay / down to guide men in this matter ? Men muft npeds * be left in d, perpetual uncertainty^ and remain in the dark^ * ahut thdr eternal fiateJ Thus far Mr. Stoddard, But Sect, m <^ 53 ) of thtifq things rfvore , hereafter, when we come to Con- fider the new fcbeme of religidn, which Mr. M. has ad- vancedj in order to fuppurc his external covenant. S E C T I O N IV. Ifai. xtv. 19. Ifaidnotunto the feed of Jatolf^ feekye me in vain. Mat. vii. 7. ^, and it Jhsll be given you \ Seek, and $e Jhall find, A view of the exhortations^ and promifes of the gofpd : and the true reajon pointed ml wh the doings of the unri" generate do not entitle to the ble£iags promijed. OUR author, p. 34, fays, * If it (Tiould be aflced,' ' whether there are any promifes of falvation t(i * ttiefe endeavours oFthe unregenerate -, I readily arifwcr^ * there are none. The abfolute authority of God is ' not fuch a limited thing, that he can lay no com- * mands upon his creatures, without adding a promife * to the per(ormance: divine Sovereignty is not incum- * bered with fuch a tether.* Tht;le words have led nic CO take a view of the divine exhortations and promi- fes thro' the old and new-tcftament, 21 fevf of which niAy be tranlcribcd. ^- H Exhortations ( 54 ) Sect. IV. ExFiWRTAtlONS toSiNNIRS. Lev. 6. 2 — 6. If a foul Jin-'- hefiall refiore--he fhail bring his trefpafs- offering unto the Lord the Pried Jh all meike an atonement for him^ hiz. Lev. 2^. 40,41. If they fhall conjefs their iniq^uity-'-if then there uncircumcifid hearts b humbled^ ^ they then accfpt the funijhment of their iniquity 1 K. 8. 47,4s. If they fhall bethink themfehes^ and repent, (^ m^ke fupplication unto thee-- andfo return unto thee with all their heart- ■ and pray unto thee toward- -the hcUfe which I have ' built for thy name ; Promises annexed. Lev. 6. 7. And it /ball hi forgiven him. Lev. 26. 42. Then I wiltrd- member my covenant with Ja^ cob, and al^o my covenat with Ifaac^ and alfo my covenant with Abraham, will I remem- ber ; and I will remember the land, I King. 8 . 49 Then hear thou their praytr—in heaven thy dwelling place— and forgive thypeepky &c. Prov. 1. 23. my reproof : Turn you at Prov. 2. 3, 4. if thou erieft after knowledge, and lifted up thy voice for underftanding : if thoufeekeft her as Jilver, and fearched for her^ as for hid ireafures : Prov. 28. 13. PVhofo confef Jeth andforfaktth his fins^ them^ i. e. Prov. I. 23. Behold, / wili pour out my Spirit unto you, Prov. 2.5. Then fhalt thoU under Sajid the fear of the Lord \ and find the knowledge of God, Prov. 28.13, ^^^^^fi^^ mercy. IfaL Sect. IV. X 55 ) ExHQRTATlONStoSlNNERS. Ifai. SS' ^-^^^^ y^ ^^^ ^^^^' while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near. Ver. 7. Let the wicked for- fake his waj^ and the unrigh- teous man his thoughts, and let him return u?tto the Lordy Mat. 7. 7. 4/^— —^Seek-^ y Knock^r^ Mat. 7. 8. For every one t^at ojketh - - • • and he that feeketh^ ' and to him thatknocketh Luk. 18.14. He that hum- bleth himfelfy - - - Mar. 16. 16. He that le- l^eveth and is baptized^ A6t . 3 . 9 , Refent ^ be convert edi Promises annexed. Ifai. 45. 1^, Ifaidnot to tbi boufe of Jacob, feek ye me in. vain, Ifai. ^c,.' 7. And he will have mercy on him, and to cur God^ and be will ahujtdantly pardon. Mat. 7. 7. And it ffjsill he given you. Mat. 7. J, Andyefhall find. And it fhall be open- ed unto you. Mat. 7. 8. Recieveth. -"" findeth, it (Id all he opened, ■ Luk. i"^, 14. Shall be exaltei, Mark 1 6. 16. Shall be faved'^ A 6b. 3. 19. ^hat your Jim [may be blotted out. Thefe texts^are a true fpcclmen of the whole tenor of tfec facred writings on this fubjed, and Jet the candid rcadc? ( 5^ ) SfCT. IV, reader ftop, and look over them two, or three times, and coFiudtT; andthif)k for himfeU ; and the fe and fucl^ Jike 'Cma^ks will rife in his •mind of themfelves ; or, at, the leaft, the t;ruti> oi -;hem will appear pl^iiii, as fbon'W mentioned. ; ' • — ,\ ' 1. There are dircdlions given .to finners, in the holv fcripcures, in and by whichj a full anfwer is given ta that queftion,- what {hall we ds to hefaved ? and beyo^ij difputc, it is thdr duty and intertll to fellow Gpp'ai directions, immediately, and wip)out the ica;ft delay. ^ 2. 'There arc promifes ijnade to fjnncrSi •^yithpuc ^^-^ ceprion, entitling them to a|l the bltfilngs of the gofpel, upon dieiT co/T^jlyiRg vvitk God's diredlions. - - .*:,?,!. 3. Thele pron)iles are not of the narure of general encouragements, rcndcjing it hopeful, yet leaving it un- certain;, wh^chfr^ finners fhould obtain, if ihicy CiDJDD4.^Iy with the dircclions given tihcm by God : but they arc ^s plain, fqll. and expr.efs promifes, as any in the bible, and do eftsbjiih 3^ certain and univerfal cenneclion, thus, Whofo confejjeth and ferfaketh %i5 fim fliall have mercy. This, promifc extci[)ds univerfdUy tq;^)! who i-^«/^; ^^'^.^orf^ i * Q. If a fi^l tn^cr \% .given to that ^uefiion' hx' Gofl himff If, why do a^akeaed {iriners coofindc to' repeat it ? Why ^0 they ftill Uy^lVbat ^/all uji do to bt f&t'ed ? jif Qod has auiwcrcd.ihe qucftioB, Why .ire'Vhi'y-a^'^alo^ ? r-./>:.^ .-^v.: l:.'-.'. .v.. ..q\V;a?. A. God's enfwer d jcs not fuit (heir hearts, and fo they are deaf to J| - G/id iipciksj afi<^ rp]c«ki'»iain .cJ0p^|h,-i)a'' -iHey, ^o^ippt bc^rf God tii^i^Uia'r'', and your (ou\ Ihall //vr—Th'ey^have :fafsj'. but iK<;x arc nncircumciltd Pagan ears ; andlfo /'« Besrfng, t'hey htd't -vci; neithtr d* thty under/land. For evrry good\ and hontfi htart btan tht 'word, ii«- .4#r>f«n^V^^ 4*/ ^.^'^r'-^ >«?♦•! -'^^'^.*»"^ fii^af^tCs an«j bl^^^nefaMf wnoUv of a criminal nature. This, when ibefamrjnc <;^n)e, the pro- digal fon cried, Wh^t ihdll I do fl Thc"ng))t acfwer was phiii'atjrf «^>' to a good and horeR hearu |Bot he hated to g© home. For as >if,hi» Tie^rt.wis^opp^iite.^o .it /.Tft«rci«Te he f&^id, "^X'-tt'iU go iL»i join myfelf to « f i\^^«|i;o/ ti^iies witK God's dir^ftion$, is evident from the tefljmony of hini» who. cams from i;hc Faihcr's bpfom, and knev/ the mind of. God, and cafne into this world, to reveal it, unto us. For he fays, not 9n]y 4fi, ani it fljail le given yen •, buc he adds. For every one ibat fjketh^ receivitb. From whick we have as full cvidcnfe, as we h;ive that Jefus is the Son^of God, that there never w^s, and never will be one finwle inflancc among mankind, who, according to this direction, ever did ojk^ or,c.v;er will ajkj, for. the ,blefriDjg,$ 9^ }^\)P 8;t)lpel, and .^ail- of receiving ;, pQr every om thai ^/liet,(> remvetb. So. A^zia^. ^IJear 4tJji your ^cul 'frp all live \ JjO-p'k. unto, me, and he yej'a^fd'. all ye en^s, iof tls^ earth ; ^yhtir foever mfU kt him come, \.J^^ 'unto me^ ImUi^ no wije cafi^outy ice. &C. &c.\all prove th^ fame poinr. — Btrfisies .all, this^ and chat which confirms ^he point (lilt farthi^r, Is, that; dcftruitioi? ■ is threat.CQed. only to ^hpfe wj>a rt f g le jo hea rken„tb God 's di regions : Pro v. i . 2 4^ jj,,^ .; ^4 f^ fife. I bMve c^litd and ye refujed^ 1 have ftretchod cut my ha>j^,4f\^ ^KW^ regarcledX but ye hg^ve fat .aJ. nought, all my ccunjfifind^ fvculd none of .my reproof '.Taljo.wiU laugh' at your cfila;^Uy^~ But _oa«tiie;Oib,er ha;id, ,vcr- 2j. Turn a f my rsfrao^^ p^nd I wijlj^o^ iut my Ifirit i^ntt^ ysu.-^ — A^'^^ 4. .:T}jicfc pxomi^ ;4ff,fftabli& ja,iccr;taLn conncilipa P9t;W,c;e^^ the firft ac^i, ofj tomjjri.4ncc%yj.t;h. ciif-fe diredions^ 3Uid th.e!%ifings of tb^^o/p^i.. , Ij^^ejtrdi-w^'re ofic; ^^^gf compliance cakes place, linners wiHiCoiaUpjt^c'in.a poiy^^ of cooipiiance. As./or.e>(ampl,c. W.hea the .prodigal fon ,rec,u^.^ed home to.hiis father, he was -upon thc^irft a(5t, upon his firll return, received as a child, and.eiui,- ikd tq all the privileges of luch. But thermit is equalJy true, he never left his father's houfe and turned , prodigal again, as he had done before ; but ou the. contrary,. he ^Drought forth fruit meet. for repentance. And as he was jthus received ©p his firfl return, fo it is in all inflances. For 'wkofo ccnJe^Hh andfor/ciketb his fins (hali'havs mercy. And r 5S ) Sect. IV. And again, JJk, anditjhnllhigivcnyiu ; for every one that ajketh receivtth. If the firfl ad of compliance with thcfe dirc6lions fhould not entitle to the bleffings promired, by parity of reafon, the fecond aft of compliance might not entitle. And fo it might ^£me to pafs, that fome who comply with God's diredlions, might fail of the bleflings promifed', contrary to the plain" tenor of all the promifes. See Joh. 4. 14. and 5. 24. Mat. ro. 42. A61. 2. ^%. and 16. 31. Eph. 1. 13", 14. Phil. I. 6; . 5. Thefe promifes make it certain,'' that among all the unpardoned fmners in the world, whatever pains they have, any of the*m, raken in religFon, yet there is not one, who ever, in any one fihgle adl did comply with God's directions. For had they complied, they would have been pardoned. , For God liimfelf hss faid if: 'Let the wicked i or fake hii wa'^, aM the ithri^htecus ^nan his thou^hts^ and turn to the Lord, and he zvjf} have- mercy on him ; and t§. eur Gcdifcr he 'Ci)Ui abundantly pardon. And our bleflccj Saviour, in his feftiion on thc^ Mounr^ drredls us to pray for pardon. When ye fray ^ fay-. — —Forgive us cur debts, 'And then \ood df^chres, Jfi;'a?!4 it fhall be given you. And tfien to put his . meaning fdr ;e\^er beybnd dift^ate, he rdds. For eijcry one that aJJ^eth rccei'ceth," lie, therefore, whofe fins arc not pardoned, tievdr yef, in'- the whole cburfc of his life, did, (b, m.uch is once^, conFtft artd for- fake them, and afl^'God to fofgivc hiip, according tp divine dircdtioh': no not'once/ ' 'Tx^ difbelicvc this point, is, in cfFedl, to dlfbelieve thfeWhde pf divine revciation; For he that bclieyi^th n6t chfs, hath w^^jkafiJh,voillhegive him afcr- 'fent ? If ye then being evil, know how to give good gifts to xymr children, ho'^'f much more (hall your. Father who is in ■heaven^ give good things to them that afk him .?---'To them that afk him'--- be they who they will of all th?' humari race. For, the gofpel is by dii^inc order, to be preached to ^1/fry creature, An6 whofoever will let him come ; ,and he that' cometh fhallin no wife he call eut. — The war- rant to come to the throne of grace, is founded in th^c blood of the Son of God : for he has opened a wdy,ij}ta the holieft of all, hy Ins oivn blood. And the invitatit^n^ of the gofpel are given to all, without exception. Go .J ye into the high -ways ^ and as many as ye find, bid to the mar- 1 riage. Any finner, thcretore, on this fide hell, has a jgood warrant t© come to the throne of grace, to confeft his fins to God, and to afk forgivcnefs in the nam« of I Chrift. ( ei ) Sect. IV» Chrifl. And no finner, who hath done fo/in the manner in which G©d has direfted, ever went away from the thr«nc of grace unpardoned: but it has always happened to him, AS it did to the prodigal Ton, ivbtn he wms yet afar cff^ bis father faw hwiy a'ndhad csvipajion on hinit and ran^ and fell qh his neck^ and kijpd him. Of the truth ©f this, we have the fame evideoce, as we have, that Jcfiis is the MclTiah. For he hath faid, that every one that asketb^ re^ ceivetb. Therefore, 3. From what has been faid on this fubjed, we may learn, that thefe words of Mr. Stoddard^ before quoted, are ftri(fl:ly true. Spealcing ©f the lanregenerate fmner, he fays, ' they do not the thing that God commands : there is no obedience to God in what they do : they don't attend the will of God.' * For if they did attend God's direflions, and obey the divine exhortations, and esky sind/eeky and knocks as they arc commanded, they would obtain. The only reafon their prayers are not anfwered, the only reafon they asky and receive not, is, hecaufe they ask amifs, i. e. becaufe they afk not as God dircds them, but in a manner contrary to his diredlions. Sa * * Men In their nstural cocelltion are guilry cf a world of fin.-* * Their very religien is iniquity. Ifa. i. 5.— They pray for hoH- * nels, but oppofe ii. [oh. 5.52 Tbtf have not the io've of God in * thtm. They praiie God becaufe of his excelleocy, but they don't * believe him to be fuch an one ; it is a burden to them that they fuf- * pe£l it, ard they wifh he were not fuch an one. They wilh God * did not iee their hearts, and had not poiver to avenge him- * ie!f. There is nothing bat hypocrify in all they do. Theycon- ' ith their fing, and bewdil iheir iniquities, but th::y have no God- * ly forrow. They put op earoeft retjuefts for holinefs, but don't * fmccrely defire it. They ftrivc againft fin, af>d all the while ar« * cheriftiing of it. They have pangs of fifredion, but no love. * They have fome affeftion to faintt, bui hate real holinefs. They ' are zealous :=;gainft (ome fins, but hate none. They are driving * for falviiion, but refufc the offers of it. Sometimes God tries * them, by convincing them of the great danger of iheir damnation,' * and they (hew a dreedtul wicked, rebellious fpirit, that they are * feared to fee thcmfelves. There is agreat deal of the fpirit of ihf * devil in them.' Sioddatd's J^aturi of (enverfiin. p. 96, 97, 98. SicT. IV. ( ^3 ) So again, the enJy reafon they feek, and do not find, is» bccaufe they feck amifs. i. e. as Mr. M. exprefles if, ' aim ac what can never be accomplifhed, even to eftablifh their own righteoufnefs,* and will not fuhmit them/elves to the right eoujnefs $f Gcd. For Jba that coveretb bis Cms /hall not proffer ; hut whojo confejjitk and forfaketk ihem^ (hall have mercy, ^^ And, thcretore, 4. The true reafon and the only reafon, that the do- ings of the unrcgenerate do not entitle them to theblef- fings promifed in the g^fpel, is, bccaufc in all they do, there is no one afl of compliance with God's diredlions, - For if it is true, that vohajo confejfctb and forjaketh his fins. Jhall have mercy -, then it is equally true, that he, who hath not found nr.crcy, never did confefs and forfake his fins, according to the divine dirtdion. If it be true, thac every $ne that askelh, recei'yeth \ then it is equally true, that the unpardoned finner never did a(k pardsn at the hands of God, in the fenfe of the text. For t« fay, thac I have cenfejfed andforfaken myfms^ I have asked pardon in the name sf Chrift^ according to the divine direSlion \ yet I have found no mtrcy^ God hath not forgiven r,je^ 15, if wc may ufe the language of infpiracion, to make Gffdaliar^ Therefore, To fay, that the unregeneratc, in their endeavours,. da * Great paUs have been takeo to mifreprefent and blacken this poiit. It h«th been faid, that we affiimy that the uoregenerate are noi required xo fttk, or ftrvve^ or pray. Whereas, in trucn, we affirm*. That the unregenerate are required to feek^ and ftrive, and pray : But then^ we add, chat * they do not the thing that God comin«cds.*>-^ The qucrtioni therefore, is not, whether God requires the unregene- rate io feek, and firi'vi, and pray : £ut the only aueAion is, whether they • CIO ihc thing that G^d commarids.' This is the p^int in, difpute. St. Paul has declared for cur Gde of the quslUon, in &» ftrong terms as ever wc uftd, in Rom. 8. 7, 8. Tht carnal mind is net jubjeS to the lanv of God ^ neither indeed can bt.--^ And dare aa^f r Cjiriitian allow himrelf>/to hate, and to blacken a doctrine taught / by an inlpircd apoftle ? Or is the dodlrine fo odious to any, thai / they will not believe, that ^c did liH iMvh it, however ftron^ly his / words fxprefs ij f ( ^4 ) S^^Tv-lV^ do the things that God commands them to do, and that> yet there is no promile to their doings, is exprelsly ^Ot] contradi(5i: the word ef God. For he never /aid ig tbe^ houje §j Jaceh^ feek ye my face in 'vaiyi. — And, therefore. The queftion between Mr. M. and us is not, whc*» ther Gad has required the unregcncrate, to ask, andfeekts and knock, and Jirivc^ and Uhour, It is granted, that he, has. And it is afFirmcd, that G«d has promifed the bJefllngs of the gofpcl, to a compliance with thefe di-; redions, in God's fcnfe of them. But it is alfo proved j^^ from Mr. M*s own words, that the uil regenerate, * aSj fuch ' toufe Mr. Stoddard's wordi, ' do not attend the will of G©d : do not the thing that he commands ;* bc«. caufcas Mr. M. fays, ' There is no prcmitcoi falvati--, on to their endeaveurs,' Whereas God promi/es /alva*^, iion, to ihofi wkfi compk with his dire^ions. , Now, therefore, let Mr. M. either ukc fides with the- '^rw/W; good and honcft hearts, the firft time they come ? A. Yes, it is as really their duty to come and hear with good and honeft hearts the firfttimc, as it is at any fuc- ceeding time. For it is as really the duty of Pagans tp be well difpttfed toward the true God, who made them, and ready to hearken to his voice, as it is the duty of ajiy ot. the human kind. Rom, i. 20, 21, 28. Q, 5. But if they have aJl of themypapan hearts, fhall they come and hear with their pagan hearts, in a pagan manner, rather than not come an«i hear at all ? A. If they come with pagan hearts, in a pagan man- ner, they fin greatly. If they refufe to come, their fm is greater. If they come with pagan hearts, in a pagan manner, they are in great danger of turning a deaf ear to the gofpel, to their own deftru(5lion. But if they re- fufe to come «»^all, their perdition is certain. So then it is for their intercft to come with pagan hearts, in a pagan manner, rather than not to come at all. Rom. IX). 14. Q^ 4. Is the miiHonary authorized by the cemmiflioix of Chrift to baptize thefe Pagans, as well as preach the gofpel to them ? A. The commifTion of Chrift authorizes kim to preach to them, while Pagans ; but not to baptize them until, they become believers. Mark 16. 15, x6. CK 5. Suppefe two Indians, in otker refpe(^s equ-al, one has heard the gofpel twenty years, the other never heard of it, both die Pagans in heart, which will be mod miferable after death I A. He that hath heard the gofpel. For he that knows his mailer's will, and docs it not, Ihall be beaten with many ftripes. Luk. 12. 47, 48. Q^ 6. If f©, why is not a birth and education in the heathen world to be preferred ? A. In a land of gofpel light there is fomc hope of fal- yation from eternal mifery : In Pagan darknefs there i^ ( 66 ) Sect. TV. no hope at all. Luk. lo. lo, i r, 12. Ad. 4. 12. Eph. 2. II, 12. Q^ 7. Is there then greater probability of the conver- fion of fome Tinners than of others ? A. Acfftrding to the rule by which mankind judge of likelihood, viz. That like things have been went to take place in like circumflanccs, it is more likely that fome Tinners will be converted than others. Thus, more were converted am^ng the pofterity of Abraham, from his day to the day of Chrifi, than in any other nation in the world, thro' that period. So more were converted a- mong thole who attended the .miniftry of John bap tift, of Jefus Chrifi, and of his apoftles, than among thofe who never heard them. So there is more hope of the converfion of the children of godly parents, who are in a pious manner devoted to God in baptifnn, and who are brought up in the nurture and admonitien of iheLord ; than there is of the converfion of the children of ungodly parents, who are brought to baptiim merely to be in the fafhion, and who are brought up according to the courffr of this world, in the fervice of diveric lufts and pleafures, to lire in malice and tnvy, hateful and hating on« ano- ther. And lo it is more likely that they will be con- verted, who live under an orthodox, pious, faithful mi- nifter, and under the watch and care of a church, whofe members walk, with God, and the light of whefe holy examples fhines all around them ; than they, who live under an unfeund, ungodly, unfaithful minilhr, and ia the company of carnal and loofc profefTors, who join to hate and to blacken the true dodlrines of the gofpel, and. td ridicule a life of ftri(5l piety. And fo it is more likely that they, who are under deep and genuine legal convic- tion will be cofiverted, than they who are quite fecureia fin ; and more likely that awakened finners, who forfakc bad company, and every external vicious pradlice, and fpend much time in reading God's word, in hearing good preachijug, in meditation, in fecret prayer, and withal tcafefs their faults to thofe they have ill-ufcd, and make ■' " ' ' reditutioa. Sect. IV. ( ^^ ) reftitution to thofe they have injured. --More likely, I fay, that awakened firincrs will be converted, who take this courfe, altho' moved thereto merely by legal terrors, and fclf-righceous hope, being ftill dead in fm, contrary to God afid to all good in the inmoft ternper of their hearts. --More likely, I ray--than if they, with Cainy fled from the prefence ot the Lord, and ran to taverns, and to frolicks, and gave up themfelves to drinking and de- bauchery, on purpofe to (tifle their convidlons and drown the clamours ol their confeiences — ^^In a word, there ig no doubt, but that there is much more, even an hundred, or a thoufand times more likelihood, that fome finncrs will be converted than others. Yet ftill it remains true, as it is written. Mat. 19^ 30. But many that are firjl^^ali he laji \ and, the lajl^ffoall befirft. See alfo Luk. i^, 29, 30. Thus Cain was the cidctl child of Adam, but he was left, while Abel was caken. And thus the Jews were G«d's peculiar people, but they were caft off •, while the Gentiles were called. And thus JudaSy one of Chrift's own family, is loft \, while a perfecuting ^auU brought up among the Pharifees, is faved. That ns fufJj might glory in the prefence of God. i. Cor. 1. 26 — 31. Q^ 8. Is there really any hope at all, in the finner's cafe, chat he will be converted and faved, but what re- lults merely from the fovercign grace of God ? A. The fame lovereign grace, which palled by the fallen angels and provided a Redeemer for fallen man, even tlie Son of God to die in our ftead, muft as freely give us a Sanflifier, or we perifh. The fame fovcreign grace that appoints our lot in a land of light, that pre- vents us with the external means of grace, that begins the work of convi(5lion, that drives the reluctant finner to an external reformation an^i to a clofe attention to e- tcrnal things by legal terrors, even the fame fofvercign grace mcft carry on convit loving him with all our hearts. But if the blame is not wholly in us, it is partly in him. And if there is the lead blemilh in his charafler, or condudl, then he is not fo perfect as he might be ; he is not abfolutcly perfedt. That is, he is not God.— Therefore, 3. The denial of the divinity of the one only, true, and JivingGod, is the only foundation on which, confiftintly, fallen man can be juftified more ©r lefs, in not perfefbly conforming to the divine law. For, if it is granted, that the divine Charader was originally, abfolutely perfeftj, and that the whole of his condu(ft towards us from the beginning of the world has been jibfolutely prrfed too, then every thing in God, and belonging to God, con- fpircs t© render kim a perfedly amiable, and lovely Bc- iBg, and to oblige us to love him with all our hearts, and to render us criminal and without exeufcin the leaft negled, or defeat. Nor can theie be any cxcufe invent- ed but what muft ifTue in a denial of his divinity. For if the fault is not wholly in us, it is partly in him : and if partly in him, then he is not abfolutely perfe^ j i, c. he is not God. ---And to fiiy, thar^ by the fall, man cca- fcd to be a meral agent, is, by fair conftrudion, fubver- feve of the whole of divine revelation. For, 4. It is a didtaic of common fenfe, that we do not fiecd a furety to pay a debt for us, which we ourfelves Sect. V. { 75 ) do not owe. And, therefore, if the divine law was not bindfng on fa!!en man, antecedeRt to the confidcration bfChriftV undertaking to anfwer the demands of the law in our ftead, then there was no need that he fhould have undertaken to anlwer the demands of the law in •ur (Uad. For there was no need, that oiir iurety fhould pay a debt f«r us, that we ourlclves did not ©we, and never could have owed had he never undertaken in Cur bffhaff. An aionenaent might have been needed tor Adam's firft offence ; but if Adam and all his race, on theapoftafy, ceafed to be moral agents, ^(o ceafcd to be bound by the moral law to perpetual, perfedl obedience, as Mr. M. maintains ; (p. ^o) there was no need of an atonement for xht many offences, which have taken place fj nee the fall : for thefc many offences are not 7?«j ; fer where there is no law, there is no iranfgreffion. And Jin is not imputed, where there is no Uw, Anil thus, if we give up the law, we muft give up the gofpel too ; and, to be confidcRf, become infidels complete. But, 5. If God the creator, and moral governor of the world, was originally an abfolutely perfe(5t Being ; and if he deferved the fupreme love and the perfect obedience of his creature man before the fall, and if he deferves the fame fince'the fall ; and, if we, retaining our origi- nal natural faculties, by which, before the fall, man was a moral agent, remain the fame (lill ; then may we con- liftently believe the bible to be the word of God. F«r> on thelc hypothefes, the divine law may be vindicated, which, relative to fallen man, and that confidered as un- degenerate and Chrifticfs, fays, Curfed ii every' one that continueth not in all things written in the hook of the law tcf do them. And if this law was worthy of God, thca' it might be worthy of God to appoint his Son to be made d curje, to redeem us from the curfe sf the law. — But of this 1 have Ipokea particularly heretofore ; § aiid fo need nT enlarge. Thrreff-ire, We § U£af on tbt ISuture aua {jo.') of tOt Goipti. 6ttt. Hi. and IV. 1o which cffijr I am couHrained fo freq^iecily lo refer ihe readsr.ie ordef 19 avgid ic-publi(hiiJg fhings which 1 have alicad/ wriacn ift liiai book. C yG ) SrcT. .V. Wc proceed to explain and prove the propofui^a before laid down, viz. That impenitent^ [tlf -righteous ^ Chrijllefsjinners are under the curk of the law of Qod \ huk ihis is inconfijlcnt with their being i)^ covc/mnt with God^ in good (I (Finding in his fight. F§r as many as are of the works' of the law are under the curfe^ &c. And, 1. ^"j fin is meant, 'any want of confermiry unto, or tranfgrefTion of the law of God."---TKi$ definiti©i\ of (id, which is given by the ^ffemhly of Divines at fVelt- mn/lcr, is taken out of thofe two texcs, i John 3. 4. ^n is a tranjgreffion of the law. Gal. 3. i«. Curfed if^ every one^ that continueth not in all things^ &c. ,j 2. By the law \% meant, God's holy law, which r^j. quires holinefs and nothing but holine(s. For if the lavyt, of God required y?;^, iktnjin would be not only *a tranf* grefTion of, * but alfo ' a conformity unto ' the law of. God. An abfurdiry cfTential to Mr. M's fcheme. A9. abfurdity. his fcheme can no fooaer get rid of, than tbi\ Ethiopian can change hiifkin. ^ The holinefs required in the divine law is fummed up. in love. * Th« fum of the ten commandments is, thou- • fhalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, &c..' • and thy neighbour as thylelf. So we v/ere taught by our catechifm, when we were children. Nor am I able to exprefs my fentiments with more plainnefs and pre- cifion on the iubjecfl, than was done in my former piece. p. 25, 26. ' The law of Mofes, which was the rule of • duty in the covenant into which the Ifraelites enter- • ed, required nothing but holinefs. That covenant • which was externally exhibited, and externally cnter-t. • ed into, was fo far from being a gracclefs covenant, * • that it required nothing but true grace and real holi- • nefs ; nothing but love^ with all its various exercife$ • and fruits, in heart and life ; love to God and man \ of • this we are exprefsly afTurcd by One who came from ' God, and infallibly underftood the nature of that dif- • pcnfation. Mat. 22. 36-— 40. Majier^ which is the great • commandment of the law?^ Said a Fharifee to our Savi- S£CT. v;* ( n ) ' our referring to \\\t law of iMofes. Jrfus. faidtt^to htni^. ' thoti (halt love the Lord thy God with a'li'ky heart, ..: •. * ihi^ is the fir ft and great commandment j . and' the j.ccpJ ts * like unto it y thou (halt loxe thy neighbour as th\je J . 1 iius, * he had anfwered che Phiiniet'*s q idlion. Bj^ he * proceeded to add anothsr fciitiiTiehi, wku h ovcrtr.r w * the Pharilaic fchemc by the rooi? On tkfeiwo ccm- * mands hang aV. the la'u) and the proph:ts : tor it the la^ * obliged the Jew to periurm every dmy in a h ly man^" ' ner, out ot love ; and rrquirtd no (;ih. r kmd ot obe- * die nee but this ; W ali the law and 'tke prophets rung &Jt * thefe two commands \ fo th.it radically lovV'w'.^s, all ; »o * that this holy love -^.is'the fu'filing of ihe' la'':, 1^ ni* * 13. S, 10 •, I hen the Pharilets who wcr^ cuprely dci- ' titute of this, were eqully deflitute of that kind of ' religion required in theiVIuiaic law, and f^) theji; fchptpe * was ^orn upby f he roots. — h is not only a lundamei>taL' ' m.ixm in the icnpLurc fcherne^ of rifligittn,. 'th.ic' lovi * is the fttlfilling of the luw ^ but it,is' cxprer>ly .affirmed^ * that without love the higheft gifts, ^ A rthe greatef); ^ afttainmehcs, the nrioft e}< pen five deeds, and the mt'Sl ' cruel itifferings are nothing, arid >yill' profit- nothing.* ' The ap^oftle P?.ui car^ries the point fo Ur a^/to (ay, ' Tho' i fpea^ with the tongues of men and avgels^ hnd bavA * not charity I 1 am as founding brufs, or a- tiiikling cymbal r^ * a« deftitute ot true and real vinue. And tkq'I h.vve. ' thegkfidf-'prophefy^ and'underfiand all myCi^mes^and hav^, * all knowlHigt- •, aitd iho' Ihaye alljaith.fo that % could r^- * vi9ve mountains, and' have f-io charity, I am nothing. Ani •r to carry thtf point as high as it can pcfiihly bccarrie'dj * he adds ; 4nd tho* Ibeftou) all my goods to feed the poer^ * and tho\ . I give my hadj to he burned, and have not cbari' ' (y, it prcfiteth me nothing, '.For in his view charity, or * love was the lum total of all virtue — ^^Therefore, where * there is no love, there is no virtue : Not the lead vt; G d, atd fheufwie 1 ^m vO\ o- b igcd to love him, is to lay, chat thp a\orc d^p aved 1 am, the lefs lO b'l.meJfcin. Wr wr.o h s no te-art « at '-obof.(i: is ather a?d his mr,^ the, 18,00 this hypc-^h fi^, blaracl. is. Let i;^e parents be ever fo woiihy, if the child has no htati to 1 ve and honor them, he \t free. S V a «i;ftioncft raa-,, who has no heart to p»v his debts, is nee obliged ; an'd a covcrous ' igg^'d, m ho has no he-art to give to ihe poor, is cot U'ld. For, on this nypot^^efis, c4Jr iticlination is our role of du;y, ard not the la-jv o* God. Net what is right ar,*; fi", and, as foch, is required by Go^, the iole M 't.a ch o' {^«* unjverfe.is tnv <^a- fv ; bu' oni that which fuis my own hyca: . S ' Pharash Lid, lVh9 . it the h^d ? 1 Anoiv not tht £,5»-«/, n&r njAtt I chty hit voice. Pharaoh had fto prini iple of lore and cb-^^icnce, and fo he was rot obliged.^ $9 he icU.-^i!$ need mt a phyjidan, hut theftck. -, . And in every inftcince, in which mzn juftify them*, felrcs, they depend, lb far as ihfy have any dependance*' for acceptance inth^e fi^ht of God, not qn the atone-* mciit ot Chrill, but on their own innocence. Foj theiijf plea is, NOT guilty. Here they join ilTue ; and appeal » to the judgment kat of God. Luk. 18.9 — 13;; And,- therefore, ,;; . - . :J ^dj v If the divine law doth require rviankind to: he perfe^^i as our Father y uuhi&his in hdaveriy if perfe£^i\ nocwkhftan-dt* ing our fallen llaie^: if the law ol" God requires;.iper(eG-i tion of us, as much as it did of Adam ; if we arc tOt blarRe, and deferve eternal death, ior not continuing in ali\ things, as really as Adam did tor eating the torbiddca fruit -, and if on this hypothefrs, and in this view, Ci6n^r was made a curfe^^ to reAecrn /inner s from this cu^fe \ yet, if n we plead not quilty ; if we afHrm that we are not) bou-nd by this law, ; if we affirm chat in our fallen ftato it is not pofTible that we fliould be bound by it ; if wci join. iiTue op this point, and appeal to the judgment ofi God : if God brings us in guilty, at the great day, ic will be too late then, to /hit t our plea, Ic will betoo Jatci to Jay, that our dependance was on the atonement of- Chrilh For it may be reiorted, — ' If you were noCj • guilty, you needed n» atonement. But this was youri • plea, N >T GUILTY. And y©u appealed to the judg-j ' HKnt Icac ot G(^d, It is tgo lat« therefore n&w to pre-i * tend ittT. V. ( *^5 ) * tend y(*>u depended on the atonement. Your fir/l pfea • precludes this.*' They mud therefore have their trial, and ftand, or fall, for eternity, on their firft plea, of NOT GUILTY. — And therefore it will come ro pafs, that every impenitent, felf-righreous finner will be con- demned, unlefs they can make their firft pica good, at the bar of God. If the Judge will give up his law, they may be acquitted. But if he abides by what is written, viz. Js many as are of the works of the law are under the curfe •, as it is written^ curfed is every one^ thst conttnuetb not in all things written in the bock of the law to do them ; there will be no hope in their cafe, at that day. And, therefore, all who, eicher on the Jrminian, or on the Jn* iinomian^ or on any other plan, do, in heart, rejed the perted law of God, for their rule of life in this world,' will perifh for ever in the next. And ihus we lee, what is m.eant by an impenitent^ J elf ^ righteous, Chrijilefs /inner. Now in the propofinon it is faid, that ' impenitent, felf-righteous, Chnltlels Tinners are under the curfe of the law of God.' — Bur, 6. By the- curfe of the law i& meant, the curfe threat- ned in the law of Gnd ; even all the curfes written in God's book, comprifing ' all the miferies of this life, and death itfelf, and the pains of hell for ever.' 7. When it is faid, that they are under tliis curfe, ic is intended, that they are already condemned to all this by the law of God, and arc liable to have the curfe execut- ed, in its utmoft rigour, 1. e. to be flruck dead, and fent to hell, at any moment. They are reprieved, momenC by moment, by the lovereign pleafurc of their Judge. That Chriftlefs Tinners are thus under the tfurfe of the law, is evident not only from the tenor of the law itfelf, but alio from the whole courfe of the divine conduff. For, according to this rule, God hath dealt with Chrift- lefs Tinners, in all ages of the world. As to the trJferies of this life ^ he infiids them upon them, according to his Tovcreign pleafure. As to death itfelf, he inflidls it juft when he pleafes. And as fooa as the Chriftkfs Tinner i^ M d«;?:Q( ( S6 ) Sect. V. i^ead, in an inftant, he is in hell, and muft endure tbe fains of hell for ever. Therefore, from the tenor of the divini law, and of the divine condudl, it is evident, that God is at liberty, with refped: to them, to kill and damn, any Chriftlefs Tinner, at what moment he pleafes. And therefore he is not bound not to do fo. And therefore there is no covenant between God and the finncr exift- ing, obliging God to beftow any favour, on any one Chriftlefs finner, now in the world : but he may ftrikc dead and lend to hell, juftly and without breach of co- ■ vcnant^ any chriftlefs finRer who draws the breath of life. • Thus, in this fenfe, mfenitent^ felf-rigbieeus^ Chrijilejsjin^ Tiers are under tbt curje of the law, ' 8. And this is true of felf-righteous, Chriftlefs finncrs,' without exception, as the apoftle affirms, jis rftnny as are §f the work! of the law^ are under the curfe. Be they cir- ' cumcifed Jews, or baptized Gentiles ; or be they beth circumcifed and baptized too, as doubtlefs many were in the churches of Galatia^ to whom he was writing : Yet ricit^-cr their circumcifion, nor their baptifm, at all al- tered the cafe. For the circumcifed and the uncircum- eifed, the baptized, and the unbaptized, are all equally ' under the curie of the law, if of a felf-righteous charac- ter. For they rejtftChrift, and focan have no intereft in him ; as by divine conftitution none are intercfted in him, but thole who receive him. Joh. i. 12. and |. it. And, therefore, they muft ftand or fall by mere law. • But the law fays, Cur/ed is ivery ene that continuetb ntt in ' all things. The law doth not fay, ' curfed is every uncircumclfed Gemilc •,' nor doth the law fay, 'curfed is every unbap- tized Pagan :* but thus it is written, ' curfed is every •. one :' be he Jew, or Gentile ; be he Chriftian, or Pagan ; be he circumcifed, or baptized, or neither ; if he be felf-righteous, and Chriftlefs, he is curled. For thefe things alter not the cafe at all. Rom. 2, 25, 2%^ 29. For circumcifion verily frofiteth^ if thou keep the law ; hutiftboH be a kreaker of ths lawy thy cinnmci/ten is mat^" Sect. V: ( 87 ) nncircumcijion. For he is not a Jew, which is one outward- ly^ neither is that circumcijion, which is outward in the flejh : but he is n Jew which is one inwardly : and cinumcijien is that of the hearty in the fpirity and net in the Utter, whofe fraife is not of men, hut 0} God. Therefore baptized Tin- ners, if they arc ChriftUfs, are as much under the curfc of the law, as thofe who are unbaptized : and To, are as liable to ' all the miferics of this life, to death itfelf, and to the pains of hell forever.' And God is as much at li- berty toftrikedead and lend to hell, at any moment, fclf-righteous, Chnftlcfs Tinners, who are baptized, as thofe who are unbaptized. He is not bound by cove- nant to the one, any more than to the other. But, as to life, and to the outward means of falvation, and to the flrivings of the Spirit, he is at perftA liberty, to havi mercy §n whom he will have mercy. This is certain from the whole tenor of the divine conduft. For we all know, that baptized finners are as liable to f'ldden dj?ath as the unbaptized. And when they die, there is an end to all the outward means of falvation, and inward driv- ings of the Spirit, and nothing before them, but the pains of hell forever. So that there is no covenant be- tween God and them in the way, fhereis nothing of this kind to hinder -, but God is at perfect liberty to execute thecurfe of the law, on any Chriftlefs Tinner, at any mo- ment He pleafcs. For they are all in his hands, held up over hell by the thread of their lives, juftly condemned, at his lovcreign difpofal. And accordingly, he lets one drop into hell now, and another thin,]u^ as he pleafes, , from day to day, from hour to hour, continually. And , thi- hath been his conftant courfe of conduct in all ages pad. And thus every Chriftlefs Tinner is under the curfc of the law.— But here, it may be inquired, for whac } crime, or crimes, are they thus, by the law of God, fen-^ tenced t© eternal woe ^ To which, the anfwer is plain. For, 9. This curTe felf-righteous, chrifllcTs Tinners are Ten- t:ii.:cd unto by the divine isw, for %ot yielding a perfeft obedience ( S8 ) Sect. V. obedience to it, continually, every day. Curfed is every one chat continueth not in all things. So that the law of perfcdlion is binding on the unregenerate, chrirtlefs Tin- ner. And in the judgment of him, whofc judgment U alwiys according- to truth, they deferve eternal woe, for every inilance of drfcci:, in thought, v;ord, or deed; in matter or manner. And that whether they were from eternity elected to lalvation, or not ; and whether Chrift ^ied NTi:h an abfolute defign to fave them, or not ; and whether they enjoy the drivings of God's fpirir, or arc given up to their own hearts lufts : Yea, and whether they enjoy the benenc of a written revelation, or not. Rom. I. iQ — 21. For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven againjl all ungodlinejs^ and unrighteoufnefs of men. — So that even the heathen are wiihcut escufe \ becaufe lohen they knew God^ ox\\y by the light of nature, and tradition, th^y glorified him not as Ged^ neither were thankful. Rom. 3. 9. For we have before poved both Jews and Gentiles^ that they are all under Jin. Ver. 19. nat every mouth may he fiopped, and all the v>^orld may become guilty before God, for the curfc extends to every one, to every Chriftlefs finner of Adam's race. So that the divine law is bind- ing on ^al.en m.n, previous to the confideration of the grace of the golpel. And mankind are under fo great obligations to perfetl obedience, that in the judgment of him, who i: ovar all God hleffid fer ever, \.\iQ.y deferve eter- nal woe, for any one dcieCt, tor not continuing in ^//things. For fuch is the infinite dignity ot the Deity, llich his infinite worthi.neis of fu[)reme love and univerfal obedi- ence, in being what he is in himfclf, and our Creator, tbar, on thcfe original grounds, it i& infinitely criminal, not to love him wirh all our hearts, and obey him in c;- very thing. N'or doth our original apoftafy in Adam, or our prcfenc depravity, or our guilt and expofednefs to eternal deflruclion, exempt us from the divine law, as our rule of dwty, or from its curfe tor every tranfgref- fion. Nor is God obliged in juftice to grant us' any re-i lief: for this law, itfelt, is the rule of juHicc •, holyjufi mdgood, R'jm. 7. 12. ' . '^'^:^K Sect. V. ' ( S9 ) Thus ftands the matter in the facrcd writings. This divinity how ncjo foever it may appear to thofc who ne- ver before attended to it, was taught of old by Mofes, Deut. 27. And afterwards by the apoille Paul, Gal. 3. 10. Or rather the God of Ifrael is the true author o{ this fyftem. It was of old revealed, in the law of Mofes ; it was afterwards honoured with the higheft honours, on the crofs, by the blood of God's own Son. And it was confidered as fundamental in that fcheme of religion, w.hich the apoftles preached and wrote under divine infpiration. And to be an enemy to this law, is to be an enemy to God himfelt, who is its author, and whofe image it bears \ and t0 his Son, who died to do it honour. To fay, that this lawceafes tobe binding, is to fay, that God ceafes to beGod, or that we ceafe to be his creatures. For if God is God, and we are his creatures, we ought to glorify him as God, and pay the honour to him, thac creatures owe to their creator, unlefs he has done fpmc thing to forfeit our love and obedience, or we ceafe to be moral agents. But to lay, thac the fupreme Majefty of heaven and earth has hurt his chara<5lcr, by any part of his condudl, is to fay, that he is not an abfolutejy per- fect Being : which i? the fame, as to fay, that he is not God. Nor can we throw the blame off from ourfelves, by faying, that we ceafe to be moral agents, without cafting it on our Maker. For cither he is to blame for continuing this law in force, armed with its curfe ; or • we arc to blame for breaking this law, and deferve the threatned woe. And to fay, that it is not in force, is cxprefsly to contradid: divine revelation, which fays, Curfea is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do theuj. Bur, 10. For God in his holy law to require holincfs, and nothing but holinefs, of the Chriftlcfs Tinner, and curfe him for the lead defed, is inconfillent with requiring of him lorn* thing befidcs holinefs, viz Sin ; and promif- ( go ) Sect. V: jftg by covenant to blcfs him, with great felelTingi, ©n coniiition he performs the finful a(ftion required. For this is to blcfs, and to curfc, the fame man, at the fame time, for the fame a^ion. Thofe very altions of the Chriftlcfs fjnncr, who hath no rightcoufncfs, but his own, in which to appear before God, which, by the law he is underjuftly dcfervc and really cxpofe him to prcfcnt damnation, cannot, at the fame time, qualify him, in the fight of the lame God, (confideredas fcarcher of hearts) for-any blefiings whatever. For that which merits G®d*s eternal curfe, confidered in it felf, cannot, eonfidered ii it felf, qualify for God's blefTing : unlefstHat which is in itfclf infinitely odious in the fight of God, is a meet qualification for a 4:oken of the divine favour. Bcfides, he who is, by divine conflitution, at this prcfenl mo- ment, liable to be ftruckdead andfent to hell, without time to breath one breath more, for doing as he does; cannot by divine conflitution, be entitled to any one blefling, by thofe doings ; for this would imply two di- vine conftitutions, in their own nature inconfiflent, both ift force at the fame time, the one curfing, and the other blefiing, the fame finner, at the fame time, for the fame, adlion. Which is the fame thing, as to fuppofe a thing to be, and nof to be in the fame fenfc, at the fame time. Which is an exprefs contradidion. ObjiSiior.. If this rcafoning is juft, then GoiJ is at li- berty to kill and damn all the ungodly new at this prc- fcnt time, before the elcd are called in •, and fo btfore Chrift \\^% feen his fted^ and the travail of bis foul. And fo Ged was at liberty to have killed and damned every unrc- Derate finner in the congregation of Ifrael, while in Egypt; and fo the promife to Abraham, that at the end of 430 years his feed fhauld be brought out of Egypt, might have never been fulfilled. Or he might have killed and damned every unregencrate finner, in any peried afterwards, and the very anceftors of the Mcf- . fiah hirafclf might have becfi cut off, And fo^that great premifc SicT. V. ( 9» ) promife to Abraham, in thy fad fhall all the nathns 9J tU urth heblejfed^ might have never been accompli(hcd. Anfwer. Chrift Jsfus may have a covenant rigfit toy^^ his feed, and the travail §/ his foul ; and yet the feif-righte- •us (inner may be under the curfc of the law, in perfedt conliftcney. Both thefe are fcripture dodrincs, and both are perre(^ly harmonious. God may not be at liberty, with refpedl to Chrift Jefus, to kill and damn every un- regenerate finner now in the world ; becaufe ihis would be inconfiftent with his Dromife to him : But yec, with rcfped to unr«generatc fmhers themfelves, God is at li- berty ; becaufe God hath made no promife to unregc- nerate finncrs, as fuch, by which, they can, any one of them now on earth, claim a covenant right, to an exemp- tion from the curfe of the law, one fingle moment. Again, Abraham might have a covenant right Co a poderity^' in number like the ftars and like the fands, becaufe God promifcd this to him : And fo, on the fame ground, he might have a covenant right to the land of Canaan, and to all the blelFings comprifed in God's covenant with him ; and yet fuch of his poftcrity, as refufed to walk in his ftcps, and rejecled the covenant of grace, and remain- ed under the curfe of the law, might have, for their parts, no covenant ri^ht to any one blefTing ; but rather lie ex- pofed to all the curfcs written in God's book. And that, this was in fa6l the cafe, is plain from the whole t«nor of Lev. 26. Deut. 27. and ch. 2S. Now, if thcle things are true, then it will follow, I. That chriftlefs finners, as they have no covenant right to any good^ being by the curfe of the law already fcntenced to all evil •, (o all the good which they do re- ceive from God, before they are united to Chrift by faith, are, as to them, the fruits of the mere fovercign grace of God, which he is at liberty, with refped to them, to continue, or take away, at pleafure. Thus ic is, as to life and all the comforts of life. And thus it is, as t# all the ©utward means of falvation, and the inward ftrivisgi ( 9- ) S^^T. V5> ftfivings oFthc fpirlt. Every chrlfliefs finner, being un-- der the curie ot the divine law, God is at full liberty, . wick r^rpecl to them, to ftrike thcQi dead, and fend them to hell, at any moment -, and lo put an eternal end to all the go. d which they enjoy, and let in all evil upon them like a flood. See this fentiment illuftrated at large thro' the 20th chap. ofEzckicl. — And if this is true, then^ 2. The carnal, unregeneratc, chriftlels Ifraielites, un-,- der the Mofaic dilpenlation, being under thecurfeof their law, agreeable to Deut. 27. 26. and Gal. 3. 10. had, confidercd as fuch, no covenant right to one blef- . fing of the Abrahamic covenant, no, not fo much as to; draw a breath, or live one moment in the promiled land^ where all the peculiar bleflings of that difpenlation were to be enjoyed ; but God was at full and perfed liberty^- with refpecl to them, to (irike them dead and fend them to hell, at any moment ; and fo for ever feparate them from that good land, and from all the worldly good things, and religious advantages, which were there to be enjoyed. And on this hypothefis, and on this hypothe- fis alone, can the divine condu6l toward that people be vindicated. For in fad he always did ftrike dead and fend to hell impeaitent Tinners, under that difpenfatioPj at what time he pleafed, according to his own fovereign plealure, juft as he haih done ever fince. And that he had a right fo to do, by the conftitution which they were under, is evident from Lev. 26. Dcut. 27. and chap. 28. and Ezek. 20. And accordingly we may obfcrve, that, by the divine appointment, the whole congregation of Ifrael were o- bliged to acknowledge this, as foon as ever they entered into the holy land, in a moft public, folcmn and affed:- ing manner, laying, with united voices. Amen. Dtur. 27. 2 — 26. And as foon as they entered into the holy land, they did acknowledge it, according to the divine appointment. J^fh. 8. 30--35. So that, while in an impenitent, unpardoned ftate, they, by their own ac- knowlcdgementj v^ere under the curfe of their law, at ths Sect. V. ( 93 ) the fovereign mercy of their God. And thus the Mo- faic difpcniacion was fff old underftcod y but in later ages, the Pharifees, by their falle glofles, put another fenic up- on their whole law, juftitying thcmfelves^ & (upporting their claims q{ hsiving God f&r ibeir father^ whereby the nation were prepared to rejed the gofpel of Jrfus Chrift. Whereas, had they retained the ancient meaning of their law, like a fchool matter, it might have led them to Chrift. — — As this view ot things, if ac^recable to truth, will, without more ado, fettle the prell^nt controverfy j fo it is worthy of a particular confideratlon. 3 No unregenerate Chriftlcfs finner hath, as fuch, aay right, in entering into covenant, to promife and engage • to obey the whole will of God by divine afjijiunce.'* Be- caufe they have no title to *the divir.e afTifiance,' for any. one holy adl. — Indeed, it is their duty 'to obey the whole will ot God \ and they are juftly liable, in the judg- ment of him, whofc judgment is according to truth, to the curfe threatened, if they continue not in all things \ and that on the foot of mere law, which promifeth no afTift- ance at all, to any finner. And while Tinners rejedChrift and the grace of the gofpel, they have, by the divine con- ftrtucion, no title, to any inward afTiilance of the holy Spirit, at all, on the foot of the covenant of grace. For all thefromijes of God are in Chrifi Jefus^ yea^ and in hiin amen. 2 Cor. i. 20. But as to thofe who arc out of Chrift, they are w^kr the law ; andy?// ^atl? dominion ever them. Rom, 6. 14. This is their ftanding, and this is their true and realftate. They are bound to perfedo- bedience. They are confidered as moral agent«.' They are held to be without e^cufe'. Rom. 1. 21. Tliey (tand guilty^ before God. Rom. 3. 19. They reject the grace of the gofpel. Eternal death is threatened for every tranf- grefTion, by the divine law, Gfll. 3. 10. Andthegofpel doth not make void^ h\M ejiahlifh the la''\ Rom: 3. 31. As it is written, he that htlieveih not is condemned already^ and the wrath of God abidfith on hirri. Joh. 3. 18. 2^- And fo every impenitent, Chrift-rejeding (Inner lies at the N fovereign ( 94 ^ Sect. V* Wcreign mercy ®f God ; as it is written, Rotn. ii. 7. ^he elehisn hath obtained it, and the red were blinded. Death and damnation may iiil them with terror, and beget reformations, tears, vows and promifes ; and fo, in the language^of the apodle, they may bring forth fruit unto death. For death comino; into the view of their confciences, begets all the religious cxcrcifes of their hearts, and is the father of the children they bring forth. And phi*', according to St. Paul, is the (late ot all thofe who are married to the law. For /}n ft ill hath do- minion over tkem while under the Uw. Bat when once they are married unt0 Chrid, they become temples of the Hchf Gi'i?/^, and fo now they bring forth fruit unto God. God is the father of all the holy exercifes of their hearts, he •works in them to will fi^nd t» d^, and fo all chriflian graces are not only called, but in reality a:re, the fruits of the 5^/V//.— -Law', dea^h and hell will not beget one holy exercife in an unregenerare heart ; rather, they will irri- tate the corruption of the carnal mind. Kura. 7. 5, 1,9?. Hence the (inner, who, while ignorant of law, death and hell, hath a good heart, as he imagines •, when theftf come into view, his goodnefs is loft, hi.s heart grows worfe ; and fo far as he c\n difcern, he grows worfe and worle, 'till all kis hope of acceptance withGod, on the f©ot of law, languifhes and dies. So that thelaw^ which weii ordained unto lijt^ and by which life was ©riginaliy to be obtained, he finds /^ be unto death ; as it is written, Rom. 7. S, ^ Sin taking occqfion by the commandment ^ raged the more, wrought in me ah manner of concupifcence. For with' §ut the law-fm^ wa4 dead. For I was alive without the law 9nce^ and had a good opinion of myfelf : but when the commandment came^fm revived^ and I died. For it is not the defign of God, by legal conviction to make the heart better, or f® much as to excite one holy thought, or holy defire in the unregenerate finner ; but rather to give fuch light ce the eonfcience, as that all thofe thoughts and defires, which ufed to be accounted holy, may ap- ;Dear to have no holinefs in them, but to be of a nature Goncrary . SiCT. V. r 95 ) contrary thereunto : to the end, that the (Inner, who is, in fadt, dead in fin, and ac enmity againflGod, may come to know the truth ; and fo find himfelf condemned, loft and undone, by the very law, by which he fought and expededjifc. Thus, as by the covenant of works fin- ncrs have no title to any divine afiillance ; fo while un- regenerare God doth in tad never afilfi: them to one ho- Jy ad. Nor under genuine convidion do they feem to thcmlelves to grow better, but on the contrary to grow worfe and worfe, until they find thtmfclvcs perfedly dci^ titute o\ ev( ry good thought, and of every good defire, and in a (late ot mind, 'wholly oppofice to all good, and wholly ificlined to all evil,' in the language of our con- felTion of faith : or in the more accurate and cxpreflivc language of fcripture, until they find themfelve^ dead in fin, and at enmity againft God. i. e. until they fee them- felves to be, as in tad they are, and as in \i:i6i they always were, before r hey fa w it. --But to fee thcmfelves dead in fin, and enemies to God, and wholly inexcufabic and ai- tegether criminal in being fo, and on this foot juftly con- demned, is what, above all things, impenitent, lelf juf^i- tying Iinfiers are avcrfe unto. And, therefore, their hearts, inflead of concurring to promote this convidion, do refill the light, and twill: and turn every pofTible v/ay to evade it : and often even rife an^ fight againil it, with horrid, blasphemous thoughts. And it is leldom that a- wakened finners are brought to a thorough convidion.* More generally they kavc fome partial convidion, and. fome rh;)rt terrors, and then falfe humiliations, and then faife light and joy, which lads awhile, and then all their inward religion is at an end. Or elfe, without receiving any comfort, true or falfe, they gradually loofe their con* vidions, and go to (lep again, as fecurc as' ever. For fir ait is the gate^ and narrow /V the way^ that kads te lifi^ and tew tbtir be that find it. — But to return, If * * It is i»tf/ ^«ja^<& for men to fee that thfy c«n do nothing of • ihemfclves. Mewmaylay M^/, when they only find need o^ affidancc, * aad 001 of ine infujl^n o(e frinapU of grace into them.' St94taard'f Safefj. p. i8}. Edit. 3. ( g6 ) ■ Sect. V. If felf-righteous, chriftl&fs (inner?, whrle unde^ the curie of the law, have no title to divine aJTiftancc for an.y one holy a£l ; and if, as was before proved, the divine law requires holinefs and nothing but holinefs -, then they have no warrant to * enter into covenant to obey t the whole will of God ly divide ajjiilatju^—rh is true, the gofpel offers pardon to impenitent, Idf-righteous finnera, for not continuing in ail things written in the book of the law to do them ibut impenitent felf-righteous fm- Ders plead not guilty, in manner and form, as fet forth in the divine law : and fo rtjcd the pardon ofF«red.-»- And it is true, the gofpel offers the lancftifying influeBCCS of the holy I'piric to impenitent, felf-righteous Tinners, to " enable thrm to love that efearader of God, which is ex- hibited in his law, and which is honored on the crofs of Chrift, but they do not defire to love it, and therefore the afilflance offered is rr^t^tci. Now when they hav^ thus rejected the only affillance, which God ever offered, to obey the very law, which he hath given to be the rule of their lives, i"or -them, under thefe circumftances, ' to enter into cevcnant to obey the whole will of God by di- vine ajijlance^'' is a piece of hypocrify fuited to the cha- jafter ot none, but Ibcli, as are, in fad, ' totally deprav- ed'^^; and yet, at the fame time, near, or qmc totally Mind^ 'as to their true charad r and real ilate. •■ ■:.•:■■ i'. ; <. ; A woman, however poor and low in the wcirld before - rnarriagq^ and however inluflicient to be tru;(led by any of her r^ighbcur^ -, vet no fooner is Hie married to-a rich man, who lov^es her, and whom (lie takes dclight^to .obey and honor, but, with his approbation, (he may trade largely at any mtrchant's fliop, tor any thing Iheiaeeds, and may- warranrablyvprpmife, ' by the ^(Tiftance of her Ipiufband^*. to make good pay •, nor wjll the merchant, who knows her huPoand's riches, and his love to her, and his approbation of her condud, be backward to truft her. And thus it is with the poor banckrupt fin*- j Bee, who is in himfelf jwi ftt^cien: fcr cm good thought ^ aS. '■. in him there dwclkih no good tbwg^ as fooa as he is marri- | c4i $ECT. V. ( 97 ) "cdto Chrift Jefus, ;« whom all fuJnefs d'xeUeth^ and gf wh9fe fulnefs he receives, and grace fdr grace ^ he may now en er into covenant with God, and warrantably promife * by theaffiftanceof Chrifl Jefus,* to love God, and walk in all his ways with an upright heart. — But fhould a woman of an wherifh heart enter into covenant with a Sect.'vI.' ftrlvings of God^s holy Spirit, in order to render thena efF^^lual for falvation.' And agreeably hereunte, he has ifi this fecond book endeavoured to periuade us, that impenitenr, felf-righteous, Chriftlefs Tinners fp. 65, 66.) may warrantabjy ' while fuch, and as fuch, bind them- fdves, in covenant ' by divine afTiftance to obey the whole will of God.' Whether what has been offered in the foregoing fedlion, is fufficient to prove, that this cxrernal covenant is not from heaven, but of men, is fubmitted to the confideration of every judicious rea- der. — And we arc now at liberty more particularly' to ex? amine the new fcheme of religion, which he has advanc- ed in order to fupport his external covenant, which is tO, be the principle bufinefs oi moil of the following feftions,^ S E C T I O N VI. Kom. viii. 7. 8. The carmlmind is enmity a^ainft God: for it is net fubje^ to the law 0} God^ neither indeed can be. So then th^ that are in the flefh cannot fleaje God, Que ft, I. Are ix^, as fallen creatures^ at enmity againfi Goi^^^ merely as conceiving God to he our enemy ? Or, QiJeft. II. Are we enemies mly to falfe and mifiaken ideas ef God? Or, i Que ft. Ill, Is the carnal mind enmity again ft God*s true an J ^y. real charaiteVy and that nitwit hjianding the revelation which -^ t ''^^ God has made of his readimfs to he ^m^m k d to us^ if we re* , fent and return to him through Jcfus ChriH ? It fe, Qiieft. IV. What contrariety is there between the carnal' mind, and God's true and real character ? ACCORDING to our author, p 50. ' Adam, after- ' the fall, before the revelation of a Mediator,' was not bound by the divine law to love God. The divine law bound him to ' punifhmcnt ' for what was paft j but * its binding authority refpedted nQt his obe- dience* ciicnce,' for the tirac to come. For Adam by the fall ceafed to be a moral agent. For it now became incon-. {iftent with a prin^Ciple eff-ntial t© moral agency, to lovd God. For, p. 5. * a principle of felf-love is cflcntial to * us as moral 'agents.* Bur, p. 10. ' to delight in God * under thofe eircumilances was the fame thing as to de- * light in his own mifery.' Which 'is inconfiftent witll that Iclt-love which is cflential to moral agency. There- fore, p. 10. ' Adam by becoming guilty was totally de- prived.* B.-ing totally deprived oi his moral agency^ and wholly incapacitated tur moral condadt. His de- pravity, however, was not o\ a criminal nature. For, p. 12. * this inconfiltency of love cc>' God, with the natural, * principle of felf-love, was the true reafin, and the cnly'. * reafoH^ why Adam could not love God after the fall.* For, p. 44. ' could he have leen, after he had iinned» * that he had (till the fame, or as much ground of con- * fivknce toward God, as he had before— he would have * continued dill to cxcrcife the fame delight in the divine * prrfedlionp, as he had done before.* So that he was as well difpofcd to love God after the fall, as he was be- fore, had he been in as good exrernal circumflances* His different affections were entirely owing to his dif- ferent external circumftances. . For God was his friend before the fall. But now, p. 9. ' in every view, it muft * appear to him, that God could deal no otherwife witli *. him, but t© execute the curfe, unlcfs Fie fhould ajfl* * contrary to his own perfe(5tions.' And therefore a^ foon as God's readinefs to forgive fin was manifcftedg there was nothing in his heart to prevent his loving God. as much as ever. And fo it is with us. p. 44. * There. * is all the reafon why our hearts fhould return to the * love of God, and confidence in him thro' Chriff, as * why Adam fhould love God in hi^ J)riniitive flatCo * There is nothing in our fallen circumftan-es to pre- * vent it.' p. 47, 48. IVithout any mw principle of grace. For this being the true Ifate of things, p. 43. * regene- ration may be wrought by light,' For iis foon as wc. O beji^Vc ( ic^ ) Sect. VL believe Gsd's readinefs to be reconciled to us we fhal/ love him of courfe. — But before faith and regeneration, we arc in the fame Rate of total depravity that Adam was before the revelation of a Mediator, p. i8. ' Man- kind at this day, antecedent to their exercifing faith in Chrift, are in much the fame condition as Adam was, after he had finned.' Particularly, p. 20. ' wc are under the fame inability of lovinpr God that Adam was.' And therefore as it was not Adam's duty to love God after ^ the fall i. fo the unregenerate ar€ not bound in duty to love that character of G«)jd, which was exhibited in the moral law given to Adam -, for to .do fo, is the fame thing as to love their o^n mifery. Which to do is in- confiftent with moral agency, and ' contrary to the law of God,' which requires us to love ourfelves. p. 41, 42, ' 43. And the gofpcl does not require us to love thaC> character of God, which is exhibited in the moral law.' p. 43. * For the love of God which the gofpel tcacheth, * is love of that divine charaifler which is exhibited to us in a Mediator, and 710 elhtr.^ — But this chara is a tranlcript of Gjd's moral chara^er^ tei.hir indetd can he^^^which ' proves the contrariety to be lotal^ ar.d fixid. And at it the tree, fucb i^ tJ;e ' fruit ; (o tketit they that are in the fdh cannot pleafe God For G:d C£i%r.et he plea'ed nuitb ur enemy is a groundlefs fentlment, origi- pally injtcted into the hum.in mind by the devil, the {a- ther of lies, a<^ Mr. Sandewan fuppofes *, but for which, we fh^uld natUially love Gf)d, be perftdly pleafed with Ms characler, and from our childhood grow up truly friendly to him.' And if either of thcle bt true, then, 2. In order to our reconciliation to God, we need not to be born again, we need no chfinge of nature, we only t^eed to believe tliat God is become our friend : And f^ we may be reconciled to God by this belief. For it is an old maxim. Remove the emit, and the f.f[e5i will ceafe. And in this view the old Antinomian fcheme relative to total depravity and regeneration is confident. — This faith, therefore, is the firft a(5fc. And by this faith we arc regenerated : That is, a belief of God's love to us, rc- tniDves the grounds of our e'nmity to him, and |)cj;cts iove, repentance, and every chriftian grace. Mr. Sander/jan'^{c\{f:v[\c^ which is nothing elfe than the lature of comer/ton^ p, 19---24. See Rom. 7. 4. 2 Cor. 11.2. Eph. 5 29, 30. Joh. 16. 27.-- But can we be married to Chnfl: by an ad of fin ? But if juftifying faith is the ad of an un- regenerate heart, dead in fin, totally depraved, then it is an aSl of fin. For as is the tree, fuch is the fryii ; as is the fountain, fiich are the dreams \ as is the heart, luch are its ads.— — -Befidcs, If juftifying Uuh is the ad of an unregenerate llnner^ then it is the ad «f an impenitent finn«r» And then p:Jrdon ( io6 ; Sect. VI. I* pardon IS, in order oFnature, before repentance. And fo it is not Bece(rary,that we repent ©four fins, in order to our being forgiven. Which is contrary to the whole ten*r • of fcripture, and to the plaineft and mofl cxprefs decla- rations of Almighty God. Pray, reader, dop a minute, take Ji^our -bible, and turn to, and read, Lev. 26. 40, 41, 42. I Kin. 8. 47---50. Pfal. 32, 3, 4, 5. Prov. 28. 13. I^aJ- 55' 7- Jer. 4- 4- E^xk. 18. 30, 31, 32. Luk. 3. 3. and 5. 31, 32. and 15. 5. and 24. 47. Ad. 2. 37, 38. and 3. 19. and 5. 31. and 10. 21. And then lay your hand on your heart, and fay, ---Does God offer to pardon impenitent finners while fuch ? Did the Son of God die that pardon might be granted to impenitent finners, as fuA ? Or can God, confident with the gofpel, forgive the impenitent, while fuch, and as fuch, any more than if Chrift never had died ? If any dodrinc tends t© delude finners, it is this, that they may expe£l pardon without repentance. They have no heart to repent ; they wi(h to cfcape punllbmcnt ; they h«pe they fhall cfcape : if they can believe that they fliall cfcape, it will give them joy. This doftrine is fuited to give joy to an impenitent heart. But to teach impenitent finners, that they may cxpe.e father of lies ii^the author of the difco- very. But of this heretofore, in A blow at the root of the refined Antinomianifm of the prejent age. Rem. 3. Ifthe carnal mind is camiry againftGji'iJ true and real chara&r, as exhibited in the moral lav/, and as honoured ( I20 ) SiCT. VI, honoured with the hjgheft honors on the crofs ot Chrift, riOtwithftanding the iullell and plained declarations ct God's readinefs to be reconciled to us thro' Chrift, if we repent and return to God thro' him, then the cleareft polTible fpcculative idea of this charader, will not beget love, the grcateft pofTible degree of dodrinal knowledge will not render. God amiable in our eyes. / For it the true and real charader of God itfclf is odious to a carnal heart, the idea of that character will excite, not love, but diilike : If the true& real chara<5ler of Jefus was odious ta.; ihf^ heart of aPharifee^the idea of that character v;ould ex- cite, in thePharifces heart, not love, but diflike. So reafon teaches. And fo the fadt was, They have both Jeen and bateS : hsthmefl,ndmy Father. The longcrChrifl lived, the more he.; preached, the plainer he fpake, the more the Pharifees.^ hsted him. For his character was perfetlly oppofue ta theirs. But every impenitent, fc If- righteous finner hatht ^ the heart of a Fharifee. Therefore Chrift's words ta'- Nicodemus are equally true with refpecl to all mankind in their natural ftate. John 3 3. Except a man he horn ar ^aift, h^ cannot fee the kingdom of God. — For, Rem. 4. Spiritual lile is, aceording to fcripture, com- municated by God to the dead loul, to enable it to fee and ad in a fpiritual manner. For, according to fcrip- ture, we are dead in fin •, as perfedlly dead, as the body of Chrift was when it lay in the grave. And the fame pow- er which raifcd thar from the dead, doth, raife us troni. fpiritual death. Eph. i. 19 — 23. and 2. i— 10, And we know, that a dead corpfe muft be reftored to life, in order of natui^,^ belore it can fee or hear. So the fcrip- ture teaches us, that fpi ritual life is necelTary to enable us 10 fee and adl in a fpiritual manner. For thofe who arc ipiritually dead are Ipiritually blind. They c^nnoi difcern^ they cannot l'?!OW fpiritual i\-\m ( 122 ; Sect. VI. 4, i8. and Job. 8. 41. and 9. 32. --None therefore, but thofc to whom good and honeji hearts arc thus given, un- derjiand thi word^ and bring forth fruit. Ezek. 2^. 26, 27. Luk. 8. 12--- 15. But ihtk all with open face [the vail being taken cffj beholding as ina glafs the glory of theLordy are ch tinged into the Carrie image. 2 Cor. 3. 13— -iS. For the triiih bc-ir.g fpiritually undcrftood, i. e. fecn in its glory, is cordially believed. 2 Cor. 4. 2'"^- -^"^ ^he truth being ^t^n in its glory and believed produces every anlwerable effeft in heart and life. Joh. \y, 17. i Cor. 4. 15. I Pet. I. 3, 23. Jam. i. 18. Thus this matter is repr^lented in the facred writings. A mjre particular explanation of this fubjecl may be feen, Ejjay on the nature and glory of the go f pel ^ fed:. XII. The nature of thaty/)/- ritual life which is cominixiitated in regeneration, and how // opens the eyes to fee the beauty of God's moral charac- ter^ is explained with great accuracy, by that great phi- lofopher, and eminent divine, Prefidtnt Edwards^ in his Difjertaticn on the nature of true virtue^ p. 121, 122, 123, 124, 125. Qu eft ion IV. IVbat contrariety is there between the car- fial mindy and God's true and real chara^er ? Anlwer. Without entering largely into this queftion, on which a volume might be written, it will be lufficienc for the prefent purpole, only to fay, that the contrariety between the. carnal mind and God*s true and real cha- raifler, is the fame, as is the contrariety between fm and htlinefs. For the contrariety between God's nature and ours arifes merely from this, viz. that God's nature is holy, end our nature is fmful. ^' And that this is the truth, * But, (i) .^in is as contrary to holincfs, ns holireTs is to Co. And therefore, our finJul nature is as cootrary lo God's holy nature, as God's holy nature is to our iinful nature. Ar.d (2.) our contrariety to God is ti aniverfd as is our linfulcels. If wc are totally depra- ved, our contrsriccy to God is total. (3.) Contrariaty to the doc- trises and cuiies of fevcsitd religion, in which Gnd's^-moralchar^fter IS cxhibijed, is contrariety to Gocs's moral charadcr. Every objtftion sgain^ the dc<^trlr) SicT.Vi. God, but only and merely, fo far as man's nature is be- come fiaful. For as before fin took place in the human heart, there was no contrariety to God in human nature ; fo now there is no' one thing in human nature, that is contrary to God, but fin -, nor is there any root ,of bit- terncfs, but wickednefs. — But nothing, which is now, or which oiiginally was elTcntia! to moral agency, is of the nature of fin. For Adam was a moral agent, when he had no fin •, when he was in the image of God. Befides, if fomething efTcntial to moraK agency were finful, it would b- a fin to be a moral agent. There is therefort in the efTential properties of a moral agent no contrariety- to the divine nature. For there is nothing in the uni- verfe that is contrary to the holy nature ©f God, but fin^ And whatfoever is contrary to the holy nature of God> is 'fin. To fay, that there is fomething in us, which is oppofitc to the holy nature of God, which is not fin, but a duty ; is to fay, that oppofition to God himfelf, is not fin, but a duty. And if oppofition ro the holy nature of God, is not finful, there is no fin. For if it is no fin to be oppofite to the holinefs of God, there can be no fin* For if oppofition to the holy nature of God is lawful, bf fair conftrudion, God is legally dethroned, his law is va* cated, we are become gods, too big to be under any government. For if it be lawful for us t® oppofc Gcd, much more to oppofe all other beings. So that, to fay^ that oppofition to the holy nature of God is not finful, is, itfelf, perfed wickednefs. Yet, according t© Mr. M* chat felf-love, which, in us, is oppofite to the holinefs of the divine nature, and abfolutely inconfiftent with the lore of God, is not finful, but a duty. This is the mod fhocking fentiment in his book. It is, in eflfcd, to fay, that it is our duty to be at enmity againft God. Befides, Adam rebelled againft his Creator, while God was his friend ; prompted not by defpair,butin a belief of fatan's lies, Tejhall be as Gods^ ye llmll not furely die^ he took and eat, contrary to the exprefs prohibition of his Maker. And we his poflerity, for near fix thoufand years, have gone gone on in rebellion, while God ha$ ofTe'red ro he 6vt friend again. And his infpired prophets have been a- bufed, and his Son has been crucified, in this our worlds while fcnc to invite us to a reconciliation, and to (ffrr u9 a pardon. Thus (lands the fad, as recorded in the fa- crcd writings. And thus our contrariety to God began^ when fin began. Nor is there any thing in our nature contrary to the holy nature of God, but fin. And wc began to be finners, while God was our friend. And we have continued in our rebellion, thro* a long fuccefilort of ages, while God has been offering pardon all the time; Therefore, 1. Tnc carnal mind is as really contrary to the holy nature of God, as the holy nature of God is to the carnal mind. For fin is as contrary to holinefs, as holinefs is to fin. And yet God is willing to forgive us thro' Chrifl ; but wc are not willing to be reconciled to hdm. . And therefore, 2. The enmity of the carnal mind againfl: God is en- tirely of a criminal nature, and comprifes in it the fumt ©fall wickcdnefs. For as a conformity to God's holy- nature is the fum of all holinefs ; fo a contrariety to God's holy nature is the fum of all wickcdnels. To fay, that a contrariety to the holy nature of God is not finiul, is, in efFedl, to fay, that there is no fin on earth, or in hQ\]. And indeed Mr. M. gives a broad hint, p. 50. thac in hell there is no fin in all their enmity againfi the Deity. And if his fcheme is true, he muft be right in. this. Buc to ufc arguments to juftify ourfeives, in our enmity a- gaioft God, which will equally juftify the devil, is to carry the point as far as the devil himfeif can defirc ic fhoald be carried. Nor can any thing better pleafe the devil, than to find himfeif juflified, in his enmity againft God and his Son, by the profeffed friends of both. 3. If the enmity ol the carnal mind againft God is entirely criminal, and the fum of all wickednefs, then while wc juftify ourfeives in it, v/e are difquaiifted for fealing ordinances by ic, if any fin, as fuch, can difquaiify R ui. ( 126 ) Sect. VIL US. For to fay, that a fmill fin, perfiftcd in, difqualifiei for fealing ordinances, and yet the grcateft fin docs not j to iay, for inftancc, that dealing one (hilling from our neighbour, confidered merely as an injury done to him, without repentance, difqualifies for fealing ordinances, and that yet a (late and courfc of enmity againfl God, perfifted in, docs not, is i^ftrain atagnat^ and to /wallow M tamel, 4. But if it be really true, as Mr. M. fays, that ' to * love that charafter of God which is exhibited in the • moral law, is the fame thing as t© love our own mifery :' And if ' this i& the true rcafon, and the only reafon' we lio not love God ; then ©ur enmity againft God is not in the leafl degree criminal. And fo it doth not in the lead degree difqualify us for fealing ordinances. Efpc- cially, if we arc heartily difpefcd to love that eharader of God, which alone it is our duty to l©vc •, fo that, without fail, we fhall love it, as fooB as we knew it ; and that without any new principle of grace, — Thus the enemies of God arc taught, t© think themfclves blamelefs in their enmity againft God : And thus they arc emboldened to approach the table of the Lord. — But what communion can there be, between him, who loved the eharafter of God exhibited in the m^ral law, and became incarnate, and lived, and died to do it honor ; and fuch an Antino- man law- hating heart ! Prov. 29. 27. 2 Cor. 6. 14, 15. ~ SECTION VII. " 2 Cor. V. 20. JVe pray you in Cbriji^sftead^ he ys re con- eikd to God, Queftion. Both the gojpel call fallen man to he reconciled t$ that charaSler of Cod^ which fallen man^ as fuch^ is at en- mty againji ; that enmity. Yea, it is his duty. For Mr. M. lays, that it is ' contrary to the law of God' to love that cha- racter of the Deity, which is exhibited in the moral law. p. 40i 4f, 42. And therefore when Chrifl came to call finners to repentance^ he had no intention, that they fhould repent of their enmity againfl his Father's charadler, ex- hibited in that holy law, which he loved and obeyed in his life, and honoured in his death ; but was free and heartily willing they fhould goon in thtir enmity to it, to ail eternity. For Mr. M. fays, p. 43. * The love of • God which the gofpel teacheth,' is not love to the di- vine ' character exhibited in the law, but ' love of thac * divine character which is exhibited to us in a Media- * tor, and no other.' But if God the Father loves that charader of himfelf which is exhibited in his holy law, and if God the Son loves that characler, and if all the holy inhabitants of heaven arc like God and his Son, and love that ^harader too, then converts on Mr.M's fcheme, "" when Sect. VII. ' C ij? ) when they arrive to heaven, if they ever fhould arrive there, could not join with the church above, or make that pro^ felTion of love to God, which all the reft of the inhabi- tants do there ; but would need an external graccleft covenant in that world, in order to join in full commu- nion there, as rnuch as they do in this world here below, in order :o join in full cemmunian here. But it IS time now to attend to Mr. M's reafoning, and this is the funis and this is the whole force of his ar- gument, on the (Irength of which his whole fcheme ftands, and which he has repeated over and over again, Objedion. "To love that chara^er of God which is exhi- hited in his iaw, is the ftime thing as to love our own tnijery. But to love our own mifery is to take pleafure in pain ; which is a contradi^ion, and in its own nature impnffible. Contrary to the character of God^ and to the character of men ; con^ trary to the law and to the go/pel \ contran to nature and to grace, p. lo, j2. 4I>42» 43- Anfwer i. Our author lays, p. ii. * That the prima- ry reafon why God is to be loved, is the tranfcendenc excellency of the divine peife^lions.' ^ But* the tranfccndent excellency of the Divine Per- feiflions' is the fame ycflerday, te-day, and forever.—^ And therefore that character of God, which is exhibited ip the law, is as 'tranfcendently excellent' fince, as it was before the fall. And therefore this reafonoj love remains in FULL FORCE to US in OUT guilty ftate. Anf 2. * U -iIf a blemiih, then it is not an obje^ of love, as exhibited in the law, or in iKe gofpcl ; in the death of the criminal, or of hia (arety.^Btitif it is % blemifh,it is naore odious, as exhjjt^ited in the gofpel. Sect. VIII. ( H3 ) « be in nature no fuch fort of regeneration as to bring * the heart under fuch circumftanccs, to exercife \ruc f love to God.'« Therefore, if thefe things are true, 5. It was, in the nature of things impofllble, thac Adam before ihe fall, Ihould deliberately and underftand- ingly love that charader of God which was exhibited to him in the law he was under. For it implied ' love to his own mjfery'to love it one time as really as another, before his fall as well as afterwards. Thus when a wife and good father threatens to whip his child in cafr he commits fome particular crime, which he warns him again ft •, to love the character of that father exhibited in that threatning is as really contrary to lelf-love bsfore^ the crime is committed as it is afterwards. For it is pre- cifely the fame thing to love a charafler exhibited in s threatning, as it is to love the fame charader exhibited in the execution of that threatning. For the charader exhibited is precifely the fame. But to love the fame charader is the fame thing. And if it implies a 'total indifference to pleafurc and pain' to love this charader, at one time, it docs alfo equally at all times. For love to it, is always, at all times, and under all circumftances, precifely one and the fame thing. So that, if Mr. M's reafoning is juft, Adam came into exiftence with a fpiric of enmity to God in his heart. " Nor was it poflible irv the nature of things, that he Ihould ever have had it in his gofpsl, than in the law.»H-4. As a regard to a parent's horor renders the paent's difpofition to maiotain his honour, in (he governmect of bis houfe, a beauLy in the eyes of a child ; io a regard to tne honor/ of the Deity renders his difpofition, -to mainiain his honor, in ihs. government of his k\Dgdom,a beauty in the eyes of every regenerate ioul. But the holinefs and juftice of the divine nature arc difn^rcablb in the eyes of every one, who is under the govrrnment of luprcme felflove. For mere felf love has no rrgard ;or God —However. 5, A carnal heart, which is enmity againdU od's true and real charaf^er, from a mere felfifh fpirit may be greatly ple<«fed *>\ h the idea of an almighty reconciltd father and fritndy determined to make * him happy for evert and may cry out, ThiiGjd is tranlcendeniij txcetltnt and glorigus ; But God does no: fuHain this character, with relpe^t to auy impeni- tent finncr. It is true, many impenitent fir.nsrs have fuch «a discove- ry ,* bui the thing dilcovered is a lie, and tne father of lies is the. Buthpr or the difccvery. And jc; ;hcy fniiiak: ih!s lie, for gl^ry 9^ ^odinthe faaof JefitiQkfi^^, ( 144 ) Sect. YUh hh heart, to lovtf that chara£ler of God which was ex-' hibucd in ihe law which he was under. Nor is it pofli- lile, [hit we hJ3 potknty (hould ever be brought 'to h)vc it. ' Inhere can be \t\ nature no fuch for r ot fcgeneraii- on.' Therefore Acjam was not created in the image of God, nor are any of his pofterity recovered to the image of God by the regenerating^ fan6lifying influences of the Holy Spirit. And thus divine revelation is Tapped at the very foundation. Fs>r one of the firft fadls revealed, is, in its own nature abfolutely imjiofrible, viz. That Adam w^s created in the image of God. Becaufe, for Adam to love that charan- fiftent with that regard to our neighbour's well being, which we ought to excrcife. For it is an agreed point, that we ought is love our neighbeur as §urjelves. And it is as ' contrary to the law of God' to delight in our neigh- bour's mifery a«(in our own. So that, 7. Unlels a univerfal falvation of devils and damned takes place, it will eternally be * abfolutely inconfiftent** with that regard which we ough: to have: to our fclvcs and to our neighbours to love the Dcity^ And there- fore, if Mr IVi'i reafoning is jijft, all holy beings in the intelledual (yilem muft join in a general revolt, unlefs the Drity entirely lays afide his m^ral character, exhibi-' ted in the moral law •, and grants a general relcaie to all the damned. — And thu<;, S. The dodlrine of the eternity of hell torments mufl be given up, or God's moral charader is wholly ruined. For it is is bad a piece of condud in the Deity to damn my neighbour, as it is to damn myfclf. For my neigh- bour's welfare is worth as much as my own. And it is as * contrary to the law' to love my neighbour's mifery, as to love mj own mifery. It never was, therefore, if SiCT. VIII. ( H5 ) Mr. M's reafoning is jud, any part of God's moral cha- radler, to be difpofed to punifh fin with everUfiin^ funifb-^ tnsnt, as Jcfus taught, Mat. 25. 46. And fo Jcius was nor thcChrift. Or, tV^t the Socinians are right, asd we niuft join with them, and fay, thatGod never did think ;; (i) That he was God, i. e. an infinitely glorious and amiable being, infinitely worthy of the fuprcmc love and univerfal obedience of his rational creatures. Or, ^2) That fin was an infinite evil. Or (3) that fin did de- fcrve an infinite punifhment. Nor (4^ did he ever in- tend to punifh it with everlalling puni(hment. And (5^ if fin is not an infinite evil, an infinite atonement i;icver was needed, or made. And fo (6) our Saviour is not God. — And thus a denial of the divimty of God the Father, iffucs in the denial of the divinity of God the Son, And havings framed in our fancy a God to fuit our hearts, the Holy Ghod^ as a fandlifi'T, becomes needlefs. For we can love this God, without any new principle of grace. — And thus, if Mr. M's reafoning is juft, and if we will purfue it, in its neceflary confequences, we arc Svcinians^ of infidels : and the odds between Socinianifm and infideli* ty is not great. Thus the difRculty is Rated. And the anfwer to it is as follows. This mud be admitted, as a felf -evident maxim, that that regard to the welfare of our felves and of our neigh- bours, which is inconfiftent with the love of God's mo- ral chara(5ter, is of the nature of oppofition to G©d. Bat oppofition to the moral characler of God is not a duty, but a fin. That felf love, therefore, ' which is aja-r folutely inconfiftent with the love of God* is criminal. And therefore it was fo far from being ' cfi^ential to moral agency' in innocent Adarn, that it did not belong to, but WAS inconfiftent with his chara foul with it, in hazard { but preferves both to the Ini^ing and < compleating •/ hisgrasious dcligH.* Mr. Flavcl's Mttbsd of graeti Strm, 5. Sect. Vllh ( 149 ) difpofed tolQvethat chara(fter of him exhibited in his- law, in which his infinite dignity is aflerted, in the threat* cningofan infinite punifhment for fin. Even as feif-^ love is ' that principle' whereby a fallen creature is in- clined fo a fupreme regard to himfclf, and to his ow.a honor and incereft, feparate from, independant cf, and. unfuberdinare to God and his glory. Which. {eir-Jovc is, in kindj different from, that love of happinels which, is efTential to every holy being. The on? is. contrary, to the holinefs of the divine natyre^ and the fource of all our enmity againil the Deity. The other is in perffd har- mony with the divinenaturc and confident wicii the per- kit love of the holinefs and juftice of God^ as: exhibited' in his law, , . . ... , ,; Mr. M. fays, p. 48. * But If this fee true,' that there * mufl be a gracious principle implanted in the heart o£ * a finner, beftire he is capable of any gracious ads ;- Vthen for the fame reafon^ therem.uftbc.a.cbrrupc prin- * cipje implanted in the heart of a hojy creature (yf^^i * it)r inflauce) before, he is capable of any fjniul ads.'-^ 'l;he fcripture teaches us, that ^jOii mated man. in his cwn- mage, whereby he was prepared .to holy adts-and excr- cifes : but the fcripture does riot teach; us-, that Qod af-^ tcrwards created 7mn in the imag'e, df the d'evil, to render hhn capable of finful ads. And therefore ' if we would ac- quiefce in the plain fcripture account of thefe.thingSii we fhould readily allow,' that it was neediul in order to prepare Adaai for holy ads^ that he fhould be c^Y/z/tr/i in the image of God '^ yet it was not necefTary ' for the fame " reafon, that there fliculd be. a corrupt' principle imn planted^in-his heart, before he was Capable of any fin-* ful aft.'— For fin begins in that which is merjely ne- gative ; i. e. it begins in not loving God with all the hearty. in ceafing to exercife that regard to the Deity, wliich js his due. Or in not having luch a fenfe of his worthinefa of love and regard as ought to take place in the heart. But a fenfe of God's infinite worthinefs of fupreme love and perfed obedience may ceafe to ,fill and govern the whole feul, without a previous implantation of a qorrupo principle. I: did fo in Adam, For had he remaineci - ^ ( 150 } SicT. viir. under the entire goternment of fupreme love to God, he would not have eaten the torbidded fruit ; and as fu- preme iove to God ceafed, fupreme felf- love took place of Gourfe : but it never was in Adam's heart before. He now, tor the firft time, began to have a frame of heart amwerable to fatan's vvords, Ye fhall ht as Geds ; ye fi}aU not Jurely dig. And fo he took and eat. In confe- qucnre ot. which, this principle of fupreme fflf-Iove be- came a coRfirmird habit, and his whole heart was dif- poied to jufti^y himfelf in it. And thus Adam became totally depraved. Remark i. Holinefs, a$ it originally took pIaG« in human nature, had God for its author : and it was pro- \ duced by a creating power, in the image oj Ged cue ate 0' he him. So it is reftored by the fame power. Eph. 2. I o . fVe are kis workmmfhip created/;; Chrijl Je(us unto pfd works.-^l&QX. that which is God's gifr, Ezck. 36. 26. A new heart will 1 give you. Is alfo the fmncr's dutjr.^ Ezck. 18. 31. Make you a new heart. For total depra- vity and moral agency are confident : otherwife thqfc, words, Eph. 2. i. Deadinftn^ would be an cxprefs can-, tradition. — To fay, that the do^r'mc o^ created hfilinefs W abfurd, is t© fay that the bible is not the word of God s* for this is one ef the firft dodlrines taught in that book; In the image of God created he him. ' Rem. 2. As Ailam, while in the Image of God, view-^ cd the divine charadler exhibited in the moral law, in the . fame gloriovs point of light, in which Qod himfelf did^' in which view the image of God in Adam partly con- fiftcd, aBd which view he totally loft by the fall ; f» this view of the divine charadler is reftored, when the image of God is renewed in regencrarion. As it is writ- tcn» CoK 3. 10. ^he new man is renewed in knowledge y «/- ttr the image of him^ that created him : i. e. that view of divine things, which is like that view v/hich God hath of them, and which is the image of his knowledge^ and whieh was originally in man before the fall, and was loft by the' fall, is renewed^ is caufed to exift aiiew, by the fame pow- er by which it at firft exiftcd, when God created man in hii iwn image, 2 Cor. 4. 6. For God who commanded the- lighf Sect. IX. f i5« ) light to Jhine out ej darknefs^ (faying. Gen. i. 3. Let ihgrt he lights and there was light.) By the fame creating pow* er, hath fhined into 0ur hearts^ to give the li^ht ef the know^ ledge $f the glory cf God in the face of Jejui Chrift, Rem. 3. Habitually to view things as Gud docs, and to be afFeded, and a£t accordingly, (i. e. cumprifiog both habit and a^,) is the whole of that image of God, t» which faints are recovered by the power of the Holy Ghoft, imperfectly in this world, and perrcdly in the world to come. And this image ot ($od is the fame, in kind, with that which Adana lod. For the efil-ntial rec- titude of the divine nature is the original ftandard. The moral law is a tranfcript of this original. This law was written on Adam's heart. The mediatorial righteouf- nefs of Chrift is the lasv perfedlly fulfilled. So Chrift it the exprels image of his Father. And faints are thecx- prefs image of Chrift. And fo there is but one kind of true holinefs in the univerfe. And this is that, vvhick will lay the foundation for the perfect and etemal union, which will take place among all holy beings, in the kingdom of heaven. God on the throne, and -every creature there in his proper place, by univerfal eenfcnt, all of the fame fpirir. Rem. 4. The falfe kinds of holinefs, exhibited in all falfe fchemes of religion, differ, in kind, Irom the holi- nefs of heaven, which implies love to that charaifer ef God which is exhibited in the moral law, to which all unholy beings are in a ftate of total oppofuion. For gracelefs men, who are pacified merely in a belief that they are fafe, are, in any other view, or the lame temper toward the Deity with the damned. For fupreme lelf- love governs every apoftate crAture, who is totally dc- ftitute of true love, of difinterefted benevolence to tlic .moft high God, the Creator and L ord of heaven Scr^arth . " S~E C T r~0 N IX. Mat. xxvlii. i ^. ^ Baptizing them in the name of the Fathefy and of the Son, 4^d of the Holy Ghoft. %he Chridian creed \ the Amiman crted , Mr. MscreeJ. Rfmarkt §niach'. ^T^HAT which is commonly called The afoftlee crtiiy JL altho' not compiled by the apoftlcs, y Goc fjid miQ^l9vcd \hi nio The Armi^ian Creed I . Concerning God tht Father. T Believe that it woolc *■ have been ur.juft i? jod to have held man :lnd gficr the fsK' oGund by the morii! aw, wit\ioutac> abate nent Andthanhere- ore, feme relief was in jufticc, dee 10 a fal leo- world And there torq, the relief granted is not wholly of ^race j lor cught it be ac knowkdged 34 iuch b) 2. Concernirg Gjd_ tie Son T beViPve ihat Chrifi died to purchafe an a >atenncnt of this anjo(i liw i and to procure ■ J T Believe that the mo- ' ral charafttr ofGoj^ ! exhibited In the moral Uw is not to Bi an t)b> ] jtii ©f love ; and that it is not a duty, btit 9 fin, for U3 to leve it : j even contrary to thp ! law of God. Becaafe , ;o Icve it is the fame | (hiog as to love our owa ' mifery. However Go^ | nas given his Son toil fulfil this law, and to || indicate and raaintaitt| :he honor and dignity j )f his charader exhi-^V bited in it ; that fiDnert : .night be pardoned while at enmity againfki it. p. 28. 41. 42. 43. il 2. Concerning God -the Son. I believe that the char« , fder of God ex'ibitedj in the gofpel is «o acco-| inodajsd to the ftaie &j SiCT/IX. The Chrifiian Crted. fal chara^er of his Fa ther, exhibited in the tnot-A la\v, and live and died to do it ho bor ; that ihro'hira pf • toiteni believers migh .|)e iaved, confifteotl) with the divine juP.ice «nd to the glory of di yinc grace. Ar.din thi view Chrift cracified m the wifdom of Goa isc the power of God. 3. Concerning God th> Holy Ghoji. I believe th^t h\U: man is io difcfFcd^cd t the charaSsro* ihe Fa iher and the Son, th? no mears whatfotvc^ »re fufficient to recon file us Co God, withoH the regenerating influ ences of theHolyGhcll Sj that except we art born again we canno ( ^5^^ ) The Arminian CretJ, [ Mr. Mathtr*s €r^d, lalvacion for us en tcinper of our hearts, erms which we are a- that we fhall love it ai bleio comply with, by foon as knowB^wiihoat n!s aiSflince. any new principle of grace ; and even while we are at enmity ^gainft that character of God exhibited io the liW, p. 2:, 41 — 4.8. 3 . Concernirg God thi Holy Gboji, I believe that ellmec lave fufficientaffiaaiyce o coinply with the erms of fttlyatior,as it vould be unjuft 10 re^ i«ire more than we can o, without granting aeedful affiHance to en- able us to do it. And 5. 25. and 7. 12. Joh. 8. 42, 43. 'I^, 5. He who underftands and believes the Chriftian creed, and who is affedcd and ads accordingly, is a Chriftian, qualified for baptifm, and entituled to eternal Jife. Mat. 13.23. Mar. 16. 16. Joh. 1.7.3. 6. He who btlievel the fivft arcicle of the Chrlftian creed, with a living faich, has what Paul rrteans by re* pentance toward God, And he whifcelicves- the fccond article of the Chrifbiah creed, with'k Hving faith, has what. Paul means by faith toward our LordJefus'Chrrd. A belief of both which is implied in that faith by which a finner is juftified. Luk, 3. 3. and 5. 31, 32. and 18. S4. and 24. 47. Ad. 20. 21. Rom. 3. 19 — 26. And this faith is the firft grace, and the fum, feed 'and root of all Chriftian graces. Mat. 13. 23. And is peculiar to the? regenerate. Rom, 8. 7. i Joh. 5. i. i Cor. i. i8.an4 i. 14. Joh. I. 13. Lvik. 8. I'l — 15. And is eternal life begun in the foul. Joh. 17. 3. 7., The love of the truth is the life of faith ; or in other Words, love to the truth believed is of the efience of at Jiving faith, and that wherein it fpecifically differs from the faith of devils, or a dead faich.' Juh. 16. 27. 2 Thcf. 1. JO, II, 12. Jam. 1. 26. And therefore, 8. There is a univerfal, infeperable conncdion berweenr a living faith, and a holy life, ^which renders afiu ranee attainable by believers in comrflbn. Mar. 13. 23. JamJ 2. 17, 18. I Joh. 2. 3.) So that thbfe words are flriftly true, I Joh. 2. 4. He that jaith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments^ is a liar, and the triuhis not in him. But, 9. Tbe fait^ ofdtvils^ attended with a Wing profeffion^ is not that qualification for baptifm, which our.Saviourhad in view, in Mar. 16. 16. He that helievcth and is baptized Jhall be faved. 10. The gofpcl may be, and ought to be preached to all in common, even to every creature^ let their charadler be ever fo vicious, as a means of their convcrfion : but baptifm ( ^5^ ) Sect. Xj taptifm Is not tobe adminiftered to.adultsuntil they be-. l^cvc, and profefs their faith in -Chrift and obedience to. him. Fvlar. i6. 15, 16. Adl. 8. ^y. Rom. 10. 9,10. — For, -II; Th« adult perfon, in the adl of ofrenng himlelf to God in baptilm, pradlically declares, that he devotes him-^ fclf to God thro* Jcfus Chrift, and fo puis on Chrijl. Gal.. 3.26, 27. But a falfeand lyin^profefTion Is Condemned: by God in the old tcftamenc. Wal. 78. ^6^ ^y. Eccl. 5. 5. and by Jefus Chrift in the new. Luk. 6. 46. Mat.. 22, 12. Luk. 14. ^5—35- I Joh. 2. 4. Rev. 2. 2. 9; And is a means, not of falvation, but of dcdruflioni A6t. 5. 1 — II. .12. The adult perfon, who is unqualified to ©f!er" him- feU in baptifm, is equally unqualified to offer his infant child in baptilrh. For he, who is without a hearted devote himfelf to God, is equally without a heart, to devote his child to God. I J. Pride, in ambitious minds, may excite very ftrong inclinations to make a falfe protefTions but a well enligh- tened confcience nevef will dilate this, as matter of duty,. 14. It is the indifpenfable duty of every one, to whoni the gofpel comes, to become a real Chriftian without delay : and then without delay to make a public pro- fefTion of chriftianity : and then toartcnd the feals. But to feal the covenant of grace with our hands, while we rejedt it in our hearts, is to ad deceitfully with our Mal- Icer. And to invent a new covenant which God nevei: exhibited, and a new foheme of religion t® fupport itj which God never revealed, fuited (o ihe hearts of thofe, who rejedt the covenant of grace, and who are under the curfe of the covenant of works, is to find a refting place for the wicked. SECTION t: * Mr, Mather's fcheme of religion inconfident with itfel}. OUR author profefTes in his frtface not * to be fond of his own judgment \ but to ftand ' ready to give It up' when any one will do ' the friendly office of fettling hght before him.' And he defircs, that if there be any * materiai 3.ECT. X; C 157 ) * material midakes* In his feheme, they may be * pointcdi out' It is therefore to be heped, that he will not be ciif- plcafed, if in addition to the light already fet before him^ Ibme of the various inconfiftent fentiments of h;s Ichemc arc contrafted, whereby he may be farther afliikd to difcern, that his feheme mud be wrong fome where : for the truth is ever confident with icfelf. 1, In his firft book, he fays, p. 59. « A child dedica- * ted to God in baptifm is thereby brought into cove- * nant with God, and has a promiie left to it, of the * means of grace, and the drivings of God*s holy Spirit^ * in order to render them effectual for falvation.* Buc in his fecond book, he fays, p. 51. That they muft ' fub- mit to a fovereign God.* Buc if they have 'a coz-enani right to the drivings of the holy Spirit,* if they have ' a promifc,' then they do not lie at God*s fovereign mercy in the cafe ; but may plead the covenant and premtfe of God* 2. In his fird book, p. 8. he endeavours to prove thac the covenant with Abraham, Gen. 17. was not the cove- nant of grace, bccaufe * it might be broken.* Which implies, that it had fome condition, which if not fulfilled, fill the blcfTings of it would be forfeited. But in his ie- cond book, p. 60, 61, Gi. he endeavours to prove, thaC the covenant with Abraham, Gen. 17. was not tbe cove- nant of grace, becaiife it had no conditions, but all the blefTings of it were promifcd to Abraham asd his feed ' ablolutely and unconditionally ;' on which hypothefis this covenant ' could not be broken.* — Buc his two books arc not only inconfident with each other, but this lafl: book is inconfident with itfclf. And to the indanccs which have already been taken notice of in the preceed* ing (edions, fome few more may htre be pointed out. 3. That man mud be a moral agent, pofTeiTed of every qualification eflfential to maral agency, previous, and ia order to his being bound by God's law, is a fundamental point with Mr. M. p. 6, 50, &c. Thac man may be Dound by the moral law to be a moral agent, to have the qualifications eflential to moral agency, is with him another fundamental point, p, 6. But as thefc two fun-.-' ( i5« ) Stcf,iC; damental points m his fcheme are inconfiftent with each other, fo they cannot both be true. He fays, ' Self-love 13 effenti?! to moral agency ;' and yet this eflential qua- lification of a moral agent * is a duty required of us by God's law. But according to him the law cannot bind us unlefs we are already moral agents. Therefore it can- not bind us to be moral agents. For then a man need not be a moral agent, previous, and in order to his being bound by the moral law ; which yet he maintains. 4. He fays, p. 10. *That Adam, by becoming guilty was toUlly depraved,' and yet according to him Adam*s ijepravity was not toiah for he ftill continued to exercifc thai love t$ himfelf^ which the law of God requires, in a con- formity to which the image of God confilted in which he was created, p. 6. and p. 12. * Perhaps' he alfo conti- nued to exercile toward God ' the love of cfteem and be- nevolence.* 5. He fays, p. 6. That the divine hw requires us * to iovc God with all our hearts,' and that it alfo requires us ' to love ourfelves.' And he adds, that this ' felf-love is abfolutely inconfiftent with the love of God/ So that* according to him, the divine law requires of us in our guilty (late, two duties, in their ewn naturs, abfolutely in-^ con/tfient. And therefore he boldly afRrms, tkat it is • contrary to the law of God' for us v.^hile in our guilty flate to love God with all our hearts ; and yet he fays, p, 51. That Ged has ' given us his law to fliew us what out duty is.' And that we 2,xtjuftly condemned to eternal mifery for not obeying of it. And this law, he calls Va glorious law,' and the charader exhibited in it he calls * glorious ;' and even fuppofes that the Son of God be- came incarnate, lived and died to * honor this law,* and to ' vindicate and maintain the honor and dignity of the divine charader exhibited in it,' p. 22, 26, 27. 28. Whereas for God to give us a rule of duty, requiring things in their own nature abfolutely inconfiftent, on pain of eternal death, would be an infinite reproach to the Deity. And to give his Son to die to do honor to fuch a law would be iiKonfiftcnc with all his perfedions. And yet Sect. X. C ^59 ) yet he aflerts that the gofpel, which is fuppofed to reveal thisvfhocking fccne, is * glorious,' and even * more glo- rious than the law j' whereas if his fcheme is true, there is no glory in law, or gofpel ; unlcfs it be glorious to require inconfiftences on pain of eternal death ; and glo- rious to do the highcft honor, before the whole intellec- tual fyftem, to a law, in its own nature, contradidory. 5. He rcprefcnrs the divine law, as requiring things not only inconfiftent in their own nature with each o- ther ; but alf© inconfiftent with our moral agency. For he fays, p. 5. ' A principle of felf-Iove is eiTential to us as moral agents.' And yet he aflerts that this ' felf-lovc muft be totally excluded Irom any place,' in the heart of A guilty creature, if he lores God. p. 10. For ' Love to God and felf-love arc abfolutely inconfiftent.* And (o^ according to him, the moral law requires of us that love to God, which is inconfiftent with our being moral a- gents. p. 50. 53. And yet, according to him, if wc arc not moral agents, we cannot be bound by the moral law to any obedience at all. Therefore, 6. He is neceffitatcd to maintain, that man by the fdl ceafed to be a moral agent, and that it was no longer his duty to leve God, for the law did not bind him, *it$ binding authority refpedled not his obedience,' This was the ftate of Adam before the revelation of a Medi- ator, * becaufe it was inconfiftent with felf-love to exer- cife true love to God.' p. 50. And he aflerts, p. iJ^. That 'Mankind at this dav, antecedent to their exercif- * ing faith in Chrift, are in much the lame condition as * Adam was after he finned.' Particularly, he fays, p. zo. ' That they are under the fame ina^bility of loving God that Adam was,' viz.. It is 'abfolutely inconfift- ent with that felf-love which is efltntial to moral a^cn- cy.' And therefore the unregencrate are not moral a- gents, nor bound by the moral law to obedience. And where there is no law, there is no tranfgreffion. And there- fore Adam's total depravity, which took place after the firft fin, was not of a criminal nature : And the fame is. true af the unregeneratc now, who ' are under the f^mc iaaUiiitj ( i6o ) Sect. X,1| Inability of loving God thac Adam was.' And thcre^ fore total depravity does not difcjualify for tcaling or- dinancei. And yet in dircft contradi^ion to all this, he affirmj, that the unregenerate, while fuch, are moral agents, bound by the law to the fame perfed obedience, which was required ofAdam before the fall. p. 53. ' This I will rea- ^ dily grant, man is a moral agent, bound by the moral * law, to love God with all his heart •, and thereforcGod < may confiftently require this of him, and man is wholly * to blame for not loving.' For, p. 27. * nothing (hort ^ ©f prrfcdion may be looked upon as the whole of * what is required.' For he tdds, ' tofuppoie that God * has receded fr®m his original demand of perfeiflion, < made in the law,-r-implies that this law was not good,* which is ' evidently a refiediofl upon the divine Beings - * whofe law ic is,^ and ' a reproach upon Chrift, who ha^a * honoured that law.'- And accordingly he affirmf, p. 51. That * God has given his law to Ihew us what ou=r * duty is -,' and he adds, p. 5^. 'That by the law is the *■ knowledge of fin.* Which fuppofes, that 'the bind- * ing authority of the law does refpc^ our obedience,* ai, much as it did Adam': bcf®rc the fall. And that ihere* fore we are moral agents with refpcd to the law of per* fc(5lion, as really as he was. And thac therefore it is not inconfiftent, in any child of Adam, wi;h that felf-love, ■which is eifentiai to moral agency, to yield a pfer- fecl obedience to the moral law. And that therefore we are not at all depraved by nature. For this fuppoied inconfiftency, he lays, *is the true reafon, and the orJf reafon* of the depraviry of our nature. For had ic noc been for this inconfiftency, Adam would have continued to love God after the fall as he did before, p. 44. ' He * would have continued ftill to exercife the fame delight * in the divine perfedions, as he had done before.' And yet he had faid, p. 10. 'That Adam by becoming guilty was totally depraved.' And if he was totally depraved, and if total depravity and moral agency are confiQenr, if God ' inay confidently reqijiro; us to love God with Sect. X; ( i€i ) all our hearts/ and if we * are wholly to blame' for not loving ; then our total depravity is totally eriminaj. But to perfift obftinatcly in this crime, that is, to continue impewitcnt, and unreconciled to God, after all the means uled with us by God himfelf, difqualifics a man to be adlive in fealing God*s covenant, for the fame reafon, ; ,that obflinacy in any other crime docs. Or if he wiJl fay, ' To love God is the fame thing as to love mifery,' and fo our depravity is a calamity, but not a crime ; then he muft iay, that wc ceafc to be moral agents, and the law ceafes to bind us : which, to ufe his own words, '^ implies, that this law was not ^ood, which is evi- * dtntly a reflcdion upon the divine Being, whofe law it * is, and a reproach upon Chrift, who has honored that * law.' 7. Mr, M, is very zealous for a preparatory work^ and to have the unregeneraie finner 7?r/i;^. p. 47 — 54. But without any confidence with himfelf. For on his fcheme, what can the finnsr confiftcnly ftrive to do ? not to love that character of God which is exhibited in the law ; for this, according to him, is the fame thing as to 'love hifi ^ own milery,' which is ' contrary to the law,' and in its own nature impofTible, Not to love that charadter ofGod which is revealed in the gofpel ; for the uninlightened (inner is by him fuppofed not to know it ; p. 4j. And to love an unknown chara(?ler, implies a eoniradidion, and fo is abfolutely impofTible. What then would Mr, M. have the Tinner do, or drivj to do ? Let us at- tend to his own words, p. 51, 52. God ' has given us ' \\\% law, not only to fhew us what our duty is \ but * alio to let light before us, whereby we may obtain a * proper conviction of our guilt. By the law, is the knetV' * ledge of fin. He has repeatedly commanded them io^ ' conjidtr their ways ; and calls upon them to exercife ' their reafon. Cmne now and let us reafon together faith ' the Lord. ^ But if God h^^ given us his law to fhew us what our duty is^ and \f i>y the law is the knowledge offm^ and if we confider this, and if we exercife cur reafon on the fub- ^ jett, then we muft conclude, that it is, now, every day, th& ( i62 ) Sect, X; the duty oFall mankind tol©ve that chara(!ler of God which is exhibited in the moral law ; and that it is the duty of all to wh©m the gofpel comes, to love that cha- rader of God which is revealed in the gofpel ; and thac it is exceeding finful to live in the ntglcift of thcfc du- ties. But if a finner fhould thus begin to confider and exercife his reafon^ Mr. M. would foon (lop him, by laying, ^he uninlightened dd not know that chara^tr of God whick is i^ reveal^ tl^eg&fpely and fo cannot love it : and t$ love that character of God which is revealed in the law, is the fame thing as td love their own mifery^ which is contrary to the lamy and cHght not to he done. — What then l"hall the finner do ? or what fhali he drive to do ? Mr. M. fays, (p. 51.) that * Such a conviction of our guilt, and juft defcrt of fuf** ' fering thecorfe of the law, as (hall humble us, and * bring us to fubmit te a fovereign God, is necefTary to * fit and prepare eur hearts to clofe with Chrift.' But by what means fhall fuch conviflions be obtained ? How will you convince the (inner, that he deferves eternal damnation for not continuing in all things written in the ho$k of the law to dj them^ particularly, for negle£fi7jg to love God, while he (irmly believes, that ' the love of God and fclf'Iovc areabfolutcly inconfident?' and that, therefort, it is ' contrary to the law' which requires felf-love, to love God. The more the finner con/iders, and exercifes his rea^- fon, the more clearly will he fee the inconfiftence of thcfe things. — Or, will Mr. M. tell the finner, as in p. 53. to" drive 'to obtain thofe difcoveries of God thro' Chrid, by * which he will be reconciled to God V — But, why^ feeing on Mr. M's fcheme, the finner has no prejudices againd this chara6lerof God to combat & drive againd, but is naturally difpofed to love it, as foon as known ; why, if this be the cafe, (hould ui^x, the difcoveries^ already made in the bible, be immediately received and embrac- ed ? Did not Jacob love Rachel the fird time he (aw her ? or did he fpend two or three months, or as many years, afrer the fird fight of her p^rion, Jlriving Jor a dip c every of her beauty ? i. Mr, M. fays, p. 9, That to Adam after his fall \% mud S£CT. X. (1^3 ) muft appear * in every view, inconfiftent with the divine perfedions/ that he (hould efcape the curfe of the law. But in thefe circumftances, p. 10. ' To delight in God was the fame thing as to delight in his own mifcry ;' and [ therefore, he adds, ' That Adam, by becoming guilty, j w^s totally depraved.' Becaufe now ' the love of God land felt love wereabfolutely inconfiftent.' And he fays, p. 10. ' This was the true reafon, and the only rcafon, why Adam could not love God after the fall.* And \ therefore as loon as a door of hope was opened by the re- velation of a Medfator, Adam inftantly returned to the Jove of God. ' And there is nothing in our fallen cir- cumftances to prevent' our doing fo too. p. 44. And t\\2Lt without any new principle Qf grace, p. 48. But if thefe things are true, it will follow, (i) that as foon as any man believes, that there is forgivenefs with God for finners through Jefus Chrift, he will ceafe to be totally de- praved : becaufe now ' the true reafon and the only reafon, ' of his total depravity is removed : And, therefore, (i) every man who believes the gofpcl to be true is regenerate. And, therefore, (^y every man who knows, that he believes the gofpel to be true, does with equal certainty know that he is regenerate. Becaufe this belief and regeneration are infallibly connecfted, ac- cording to Mr. M. But, (4; according to him, ' none * but fueh as profefs theChriilian religion ought to be * admitted into the church.* And (5) according t© him, none ought to profefs, that they believe the gofpel to be true, unlefs they are infallibly certain, that they do be- lieve it to be true. F($r, fpeaking of the profefTion which is made when any join v/ith the church, he fays, p, 7^. * Suppofe a man brought into a civil court, as a wic- * nefs to a particular facfl •, and being Iworn, fhould pol- * fitiv'ely declare the thing to be fa6t: and after he comes * out of court, his neighbour fliould afk him, whether ' he had any certain knowledge of the fad:, about which * he had given his evidence : and he fhould fay, No^ I ' am not certain of it ; but I hope it i^ fo^ it is any prevailing * opinion ; a'jho' I tnujl conjcfs^ I have many doubts and fea^s^ ' whether C 1^4 ); Sect. S&i- « liohether there is any truth in it^ 6r mf. Would not al! • maRkind agree, to call fuch a one, a perjured pcrfon, * who had taken a falfe oath ?' No one, therefore, ac- cording to his Jcheme may profcfs, that he believes the gofpel to be true, unlefs he is infallibly certain of tht tadt, that he does believe it to be true. But if regc.-. ncration and this belief are infallibly connedtcd, then itbi|t-. profcflbr mufl: be infallibly certain of his regeneration^ and io not one foul, on Mr. M*s fchcmc, may, or canbc admitted into the church, as gracelefs. And thm Wf • fcheme overthrows icfclf. , / Nor is there any way to avo'd this, but for Mr. Mi C^ fay, A man may be infallibly certain ef the truth oj the gofpl^ and fo of God's readinefs to he reconciled io /inner s^ as therein- revealed ; and yet after all remain totally depraved^ and an enemy to God."-But to fay this, would be t® give up the fuRdamcntal principle on which his whole fcheme is built,: viz. that ' the true and the only reafoa' of total deprayi--' ty, is the apprehenfion, that it is ineonfiftent with the divine perfedions, to forgive fin. In which view 'ftlfr love and the love of God are ineonfiftent.' And if thiil is given up, his whole fcheme finks of courfe. For if this is not the true and only reafon of total depravity, he ii •wholly wrong from the foundation to the top ftone. Ani. if an apprehenfion, that it is ineonfiftent with the divine perfections to forgive fin, is the true and only reafen ©f total depravity, then a belief that God ©an confiftently forgive' fin, would at once regenerate us. F©r it is an old maxin^. Remove the caufe and the effe5i will ceafe. Every man, there* fore, according to Mr. M. who believes the golpel ro be true, is at once reconciled to God. Nor may any be received into the ch^arch, until they believe it to be true*- And fo no gracelcfs man, as fuch, can be admitted into* the church. Becaufe no infidel, as fuch, may be admit-' ted. And all but infidels are regenerate, if Mr. MV fcheme is true. And ^^en the fcheme of religion which* he has advanced, in order ro fupport the external cove-' nant, were it true, would eiicidually ©verthrow the grand point he had in view. j^ SEC W Sect. Xl. . (^ 165 ) SECTION iCT. The exiraordinnry msthods Mr. Maihef has taken to fupfori ' bis ichefftey and kap himjelf in countenance, HE ordinary mtthods of Tupporting rel'gious prin- ciples, by fcripture and reason, which Mr. M. ha« taken to fuj port his cxctrrnal covenant, we havr already att ndcd to. And I think Mr. M. is mu h ro be com- mended for coming out boldly, like an honell man, and giving the public fuch an hont-ft account ot his Ichemc ot religion, by which tie dtjfi^ncd to rupi>ort what he had advanced in his former pi^ce concerning the extjernal co- yenint. If every writer on thar fide of the quelVion would do the Tame, the controverfy would foon come to an end. Bat there are various other methods, which Mr. M, has taken to keep himfclf in countenance, and to ptr- fjade his readers that his fcheme is right, and that the plai is wrong on which the churches in New Eng'ajvd were formed, when this c«)untry was firH: fettled : andj particularly, that the fynod zt Say Brock were wrong^:ia ^hat, refolve, which they unanimouflf came into, viz^ * Thai none ought to he admitted as members^ in order to full tpwmunion in all the [fecial ordinances 9f the ^ojpel^ but fuck as — credibly frofefs a cordial fubjeciion to J ejus Cbrifi :* Va* rious other methods, I fay, of a different nature,, add which are not fo commendable. I. One extraordinary n^cthod he takes to keep him-, felf in countenance is toprerend, that I had 'whcally n)ir- reprefentcd bis fcntiments,' and given hi» fcheme .' the bad name of a gracelefs covenant,' and pointed ' all jmy arguments not againfl ' any thing that he had written/- nor fo much as ^effayed tp confute one^iingle argument* that he had offered. This pretence is very extraordinary. (.1) Becaufe if his covenant is not a gracelefs ccvenant^ it will not anfwer the end by him propofed. . For if it does not promifc its bleffings to gracelefs men, as fuch, upon gracelefs conditions ; then gracelefs men, as fuch, with' ©nly gracelefs qualifications, cannot enter into it. For he affirms, that none can confidently ptttfcfs a compl.i- Y anc<* ( 166 ) S^cT.XRi tnct with tks covenant of grace, without the moll Full and perfcdl afTurancc. p. 78. 79, So. ^2) Tfeis pretence IS very extraordinary, becaufe he had in his firft book, p. 58. declared his external covenant, in cxprefs terms, to be • diflin^t from the covenant of grace ;' ^nd in this fccond book fcts himlelfprofefTedly to prove the lame point over again, p. 60, 61, 62. But if his 'external covenant is ' diftinfl from the covenant of grace,' it is either the csvenant of worh^ or ^ gracelefs covenant^ or a covenant which requires n$ conditions at all : for no othtr fort of covenant can be thought of. But if Mr. M's ex- t^nal covenant is abfulute, and unconditional, then a Pagan, a Turk, or a Jew, as fuch, hath as good right to the Lord's-table, as to hear the gofpel preached. And if his external covenant is thefai^e with the covenant ©f works, then no mere man fince the fall is qualified to join with the church. And if his external covenant is the covenant of grace, then no gracelefs man, as fuch, is qualifi^'d to enter into it and feal it. It is, therefore, nay it muH be agractkfs covenant, or nothing at ail. (jj This pretence is very extraordinary, becaufe Mr. M. was fo pinched with what 1 had advanced againft his fcheme, I that ii« had no way to get rid of my arguments, but ro deny firft principles, and give up the do(flrines contain- ed in the public approved formulas ©f the church of Scotland^ and the churches in T^ew- England, and advance a new fcheme of religion never before pubiifhed in New- England, And why did not he point out at \t^^ one ftngli argument of his, which he judged to be unanfwered ? Or why did no: he mention enef.ngkinjiancsy wherein I had reprefentcd his covenant to be more gracelefs than it was ? Or what need was there, if I had faid nothing to the purpofe, to expofc himfeif and his caufe, by the publi- cation of fuch a fyftem of new nctionsy to make all the country ftare ? * 2. The * Mr. M. offered five argaments, in his fi' ft Book, p. 7 8, to fupport his exiercal covcRant. Theie five arguments the reader msy ficd ao- fwcred, in m/ iorcicr piece, p. 16, 1 7, 18, 65, 65,69. Atd if he will Sect. XT. ( 167 ; 2. The loud out- cry which he makes o^new divinity, mw divinity, is another of the extraordinary methods which he takes to keep himfclf in countenaaee. And it is very extraordinary in him, to raife this cry, on this occafion, in anfwer to me, and that when he himfelf was wrrcing ^ichan anfwer. (i) Becaufc I wasjufii(yingthe^/^y?^f?w ffead tf a particular reply, he fhould advance luch an inc^nUftenr^ abfurd, ih cicing fchcme of religion, in fupport of the external cove- paat, which inftead of fupporfiog, rstbor tends to fink it. For, fajr they, if the external covenant cannot be fupported without going into this fcheme of religion, we will give it up. — B«i I wonder not at Mr. M's conduit in all this. The external covenant cannot be fupp fton, 1762, in /In LJJayi on ths tioiure and glory of the gofpcly before rtlerred to, 3. Another txiraordinary meihod, which he takes to kt-ep hin:vklf in countenance, is toimpu'-cihc nioft ab; furd and odious. doCliines to tht^fc whom he cppofcs, which nrirKer they, nor any chr ftian wrirer ever bjcLev- cd to be true, Parricu'aily, That the enmity of the carnai ijiind agaiuli God conjiiis in difinttrejitd malice, %hat in re- generation new natural faculties nrc created in us. ^ bat thg unrf'gemrate^ biing uitbcut thefe new natural faculties^ let their hearts he ever fo good, are under j natural impfjfjbihty of bark- ening to the call of the gojpd, '^hat we muji be willing to he damned in order to be prepared fot^ChriJl. "That Cbriji has :;9 hand in our recj^ncihatioti to Cod, 'Yo be Ture, I was nc*^ ver acquaintea with any man, or any book, whtch hel4 thefe peints.— Should It be affirmed, concerning a v^r^^ p< or, and very hzy man, th^r all ho^ be is convinced in hit ionjcience, that it is his duty and inter efl to be indufirious i yet the mere he thinks of it^ the mere averje be feels to it i. Would thiii. amount to Taymg, that thi* lazy n^an has 4 difinterejledmahctagaiyijt indujlry. Or fhould ic be affirmf cd concerning thf: unre.yeneraic, that Goi bath not givei^ ihemeyes to fee ^ nor ear^ to bear ; would this amount to fay- ing, that they arc dcilitute of ey^s and ears, confidereik as narural taculciej, and fo can neither tec i or hear j and therefore are not at all to blame tor their Ipiiituat bliadnefs ard deatntfs — Or (hould a wife and good fa-^ ther, when his impudent, haughty child, about to b«. correfted for a crime, infulcntly fay, IVell^ father^ if you d9 i^hip rney IJh^ll never Uve you again as long as I live: Should 4 wifs and good lather (ly toluch a child, ' You defcrve * to he whiped, ncr will I ever furgive you until you will ^ own that it is good enough for you, an^ that it. is not t * hlemifh^ but a beauty in your father's character to be dif- * pofed to maintain good government in his houfe.* Would that amount to faying, that the child muH be wil^ ikg to ^s wkifed in order t$ frepsrc i?/m/fr n j^ardm /"—Or 1 Sect. XI. ( 1^9 ) if, by the regfnf rating irfluenccs of the holy Spirit^ communicated thro' Jrfus Ciirift, the only Mediator, as the tfuics oi his purchife, the hjlit>ers and jufticc ol the (divine nature are viewed as a beauty in the divine cha- rafter, by the true penitent, will it hence follow, ' That • there was no need of Chrift to die, or to be exalted, ^. that thri/ him, repentance and nmijfion of fins, might be * given unto us, confiftcntly wiih the divine law.' — It i* true, that there is no need ot Chiilt to m.;ke us amends for the injury done us in the divine Uw, and To to re- concile our angry minds to the Dcriry, and bring us to forgive our Maker. Such a Chrift would fuit the tafteol a carnal heart. But a true fcpitent , having a new fajie, al- ready grants thatGoJ and jjis law are u^holly righ^perfcft ia beauty, without a bigmilh, prior to the confidcration of the gift ofChrifl : s^nd tkis prepares him to fee the wif- d;>m and grace of God, in giving his Son to die upon lhe<:r(jrs,in the manner, and ior the purpofe, fet forth in the golpel. Rom. 3. 25. 1 Cor. i. 18. . 4. An thcr extraordinary m».nhod M . M. has taken, is to infinuate ihat the facra wental controveify turns on thefe ablurd dcjdrines. Whereas, in truth, he cannot produce an inftance of ai)y one writer, on our Cide of the qu-jllion, who ever believed th Je abfurd doclrines, muck lels ever built his arg'iments on them. Let him read Mr. Richard Baxter, Dr. fVatts, Dr. Gulfe, Dr. Doddrid^e^ Mr. Henry, Mr. l^lavel^ and lo k thro' the IFedminfter (onfe^ion of faith, and calechifms, a{)d read over Preliden: Edwards^ Mr. Gr^^»,and others in thefe parts of the worlal^j wno have wrote on the fubj.ifl, and he will not find & fylUblf to countenance him, in fuch an infinuacion. Nayv the chief oi the arguments u!ed, by writers on our fide of the queffion, are com 1j five, to prove that baptifm and the Lord's luppt-r are icals of the coveaant of grace, and ©f no other covenant, without entering into any dilputc ;iboL.t the pcrffCtii n of tV.e dvine law, total dcprarity.j regcneratiun, &c. &c. 7 he point is fo clear and plain., chat Cahim/lSy Aminians, NeonomianSy Arians^ tec, have J^^rccd in this, while ihey have differed in aJmeft every i - - - j^fting ( 170 ) Sect. XT thing elfe. If we may believe Dr. Increafe Mather^ it was, in his day, the 'common dodrine' of pretefiants in eppofjion to papifls, * that it is only a juftifying faith, which givcth right to baptifm before God,* how much fecver they difi^rred in other matters. And as to aH the orthodox, the celebrated Dr. Fan Ma/lricbi, in his treatifc on regeneration, fays, * As to the baptifm o\ adults, that, * if r/^;6//y adminiftf^red, doth, by the confent of alhbe *orrJb&dox, certainly prffuppofe regeneration as already * eff-dled '—But this leads me toohferre, 5. Another very extraordinary method Mr. M.. takes to keep himfelt in countenance, is by mifreprefenting that plan, unanimoufly agreed to by the fynod 2it Say br$ek, and on which the churches in New-England, in general, were formed, at the firft fettling of the country, which alone I was endeavouring to juftify, * as a very groundlefs and * unreafonable notion of the Anahaptifts, m which Dr. * Bel'amy- and a few others have joined with them.' ipi 66. And at the fame time claiming the Wejlminjler aj^ fembl}\ Mr. Sbtpard, Mr. Jonathan Dickinfon, and Mr, Peter Clarke as friends to his external cavenant. So that one would think, that fcarcc any are on obr fide of th6 queftioB, but xh^AnahaptiJls, Now this is very extraor-f dinary in Mr. M. (i) beeaufe in his former book, he fpeaks a very different language, well knowing how the matter really (lands, p. 59. * Shall I then prevail with * them, to lay afide all prejudice, all attachment to re* ceived maxims, 2i\\ veneration for great names* For he iiad before him the fentiments ot the proteftant world colle(fled, by the late learned Mr. Foxcr&ft, in an appen* i^/>; to prefident Edwards^ Inquiry, &c. And he wcU \intvi t\\2iX. received maxim? z^^ great names, flood in the •way of his newfcheme, (2) It is very extraordinary that he fhould fay, that h^ external covenant is inc-ludtd in the co* venant of grace, defcribed by the effemhly of divines at IVeJi-^ minfter, p. 61. When, as has been before fhewn, the doc- trines of the ferfe5licn of the divine law^ and of total de* pravity,zs, held by that ajfemhly, arc inconfiflent with th6 eh'ijfencs of his external covenant. And in their unftc to enjoy communion with him, fo are they un- ' *, worthy of the Lord's-table, and cannot without greac- ' finagainft Chrid, while they ^Continue fuch, partake of * thefe holy myfteries, or be admitted thereto.* — Where- as, the very protefrid dc-fign ot his external covenant is to open a door, thsit ungo^iy men^ as fuch, fhould be admit* ted to partake of the] e holy myfteries. And (3) it is equalJy extraordinary that he fhould pretend that Mr. Jonathan Dickinfon was a friend /* his external covenant, when in his Dialogue on the divine right of infant kiptif'n, he provcs> that the covenant with -Abraham Gen. ly. was the co- venant of grace itfclf, in oppofition to, the Anahaptijfs^ who, with Mr. M. maintain the covenant with Abra- ham Gen. 17. was not :he covenant .of grace. And having proved that covenant, to be the covenant of grace, then proceeds, on this hypothefis, to prove the divine right of infant haptifm. Dr. GilLw rote an anfwer to this piece^ of Mr. Dickinjon's, Mr.- Peter Clark wrote a reply to Dr. Gilly m which he fpcnds above a hundred pages in prov- ing the covenant in Gen. 17. to be ' a pure covenant o£ grace,' in anfwering Dr. ^/7/'s objedions, which are tha fame for fubftancc with Mr. M'sfve arguments in his fir ft book, p. 7, 8. and in cftablifhing infant b-iptifm on this foundation. And he exprcfsly afHrms, p. 20S. ' Ex^ * icept a man be born again he cannot enter into the kingdom of * God, And if without regeneration no man can enter * into the kingdom of God, then furely not into cove- ' nant with God.' But the unregenerace, as fuch, can^ enter into covenant with God, on the plan of Mr. M's external covenant. And yrt Mr. M. pretends that there is ' no material difference' between thefe authors and his fcheme. But (^) it is more extraordinary (lill, thacMr. M. fhould bring in Mr. Shepard, as a friend to his exter- nal csvenant, when the piece he refers to, p. 6r. is not wrot« orv Mr. M's fcheme, but ©n a Ichcme cfTcntiajly <;lif}crent. And when Mr. Shepard in his fermcns en the parage of the ten virgins has lo plainly declared his mind. Thefe ( 1^1 ) ilkGT. Xt Thefe are his vtty words. Attend to thfTn,re ho^y, then as K^rab U'x^^ * Thiy take tos much upon tbcm. If Chrill at his comingv ^' would fTiake neither cxim na itwi, nor fi^pdranon, noC •/only of 'pcg>plc baptized at Urge, bat of pruttrflr)rs, and * glorious profefTjrs of his truth and name ; il churches * were not fee to drfcern between harlots and virgins, * fooliih virgins and wife, as m jch as in them I'es, that fo * fome of the glory of Cnrill m ly be; fcen in his cburchcs * here, as well as at the 4 all day -, then the gate might^ * be opened wide, and f^Jiig off the hinges too for all' * comers ; and you might call the churches of Chrift^ * the inn and tavern of Chrift to receive all (Irangers, if * they will pay for what they call for, and bear fcot an^ * lot in the town, and not the houfe and temple of Chrifl * only to entertain his friends. But (beloved) the churclv * hath the keys of the kingdom of heaven ; and what ' they bind and loofc, following the example and rule of * Chrift, is bound and loo fed in heaven, and they jurfgc * in the room of Chrifl. i Cor. 5. 4, 5. 2 Cor. 2. li. * Whom the church calls out, and bids depart to fatan^ * Chrifl doth. Whom the church receives to it felf, * Chrift d«th. Wc fhould receive in non^ but fuch as * have vifiblc right to Chriff, and communion f>f faints. * None have a right to Chrift in his or iinances, but fuch ' as lha:ll have communion with Chrift at his coming t» * judge the w©rld. Hence if we could be fo eagle-eyed, * as ta difccrn thsm now that arc hypocites, we fhoulit * exclude them now, as -Chrift will, becaufc they have * no right. But that we cannot do, the Lord will there- *fort |£ect. XL ( 173 ) * fore do it for hh churches. But yet [et the chursfiei * learn from this, CO do what they can, for the Lord, * n^w.— The apoftle gives afad charge, Heb. 12. 15. * Loek diligently, kji 4 reot &f bit t erne fs grow up. The a- * poftle doth not fay, 'tis no matter what roots you fee * inChrift's garden ; only when they fpring up, & begin to * feed& inftdothers, then have acare of rhem-, but look * there be not a root there.— L<7p©ftle Paul. ---But decs Mr. M. believe this ^ No, by no means. What then decs he mean ? Why, he nicans to confute our fcheme, by an argument, built on a prin- ciple,' which he himfelf does not believe t» be true •, and» which, were it true, would overthrow his own fcheme. Obje^ion. But I know that I believe fuch and fuck doc- trines \ yea^ 1 c^n PwcAr I believe them, Anlwer. You can fwear, that you believe your own creed ; but can you fwear that your own creed is ©rtho- dox ? For not a «®n(ident belief, but real orthodoxy is, according Se«t. XI. ( i8i ) according to Mr. M. a requifitc qualification to chureh*?' menfibcrfhip. Therefore, according to him, you muft be certain, that yeur creed is orthodox ; even as certain ai yeu are of fads which you fee, and to the truth of wkich you can make oath before the civil magiftrare. Which is a degree of certainty equal to that which the apoftles had under infpiration. The ArianSi the SQcinians^ the Pelagians, the Papijis, &c. &c, can fwear that they believe their fchemes ; but docs this qualify them to be church- members ? Would Mr. M. receive them t# communion ? If lb, then it is no matter what fcheme of religion men believe, if they do but believe it confidently. And then orthodoxy is not a requifitc qualification for church-memberfhip, but rather bigotry ? Our author fays, p. 78, 79. * This affair ©f covcnant- • ing with God, Mofes ftiles, Deut. 29. 14. This cove- • nant and this §ath.' And ' will it do, to tell people, • that they may give a pofitive evidence, when they have • only a prevailing opinion about the fadl ?' — That is, will it do, to tell people, that they may enter into cove- nant with God, and bind themfclves under the folemnity «f an oath, as the Ifraelites did, ta keep covenant, (Deut. 26. 27. Thou haft avouched the Lord this day to he thyGod^ and to walk in h'ts ways^ and to keep hisjlatutes, and his com- mandjfients, and his judgments, and to hearken to his voice, ) when they have ©nly a prevailing opinion, that they have fuch an heart in them ? but have not a certain knowledge of it, as th»y have of fadls, which, under oath, they can pofitively declare to be true. Anfwer i. When men have not fuch a heart in them^ they are not qualified to enter into this covenant and thif oath. And, therefore, if unregeneracy confifts in being without fuch an heart, and in having an heart oppofue hereunto, agreabie to St. Paul's do entertains thoughts of making a prefefTion of his holy religion; Luk, 14. 25---35. And there went great multitudes 'xjith kim, and inftead ©t preflingthem t© an inconfiderate pro- feffion of his religion, as a means of their converfion, be turned and [aid unto tbem, if any man come to me^ by an o- pen, public profelfion, and kale not his father ^ and mother^ and wife, and children, and brethren, and fillers^ yea, and his fiwn life alfo, fo as to have an heart to give up all for my fake, he cannot he my difciple •, but will in time of trial, de- fert me* And whofoever doth not hear his crofs, andccme af^ ter me, with a h«art to fufFer every thing for my fake, cannot he my difciple ; but will, in time of trial, defcrt me. Therefore, confider what you do. For which of you, iir- tending to build a tower, pJteth 'not down fird, and count etb the coft, &:c. &c. So likewife, whofoever be he of you, that forfaketh not all that be hath, he cannot he my difciple. My difciples are the fait of the earth. Salt /V good, if it is fait ; hut if the fait have lofl its favour, wherewith fhall it hefea- foned. It is good for nothin.g. // is neither fit for the land^ not yet for the dunghill i hut men cafi it out, as good for no- thing. And what are fuch difciples good for, who will deferc me in time of trial. Attend t9 what I fay. Ho that hath ears to hear^ kt him he^r,. TtiE r ( 184 ) CoNCLusioir/ THE CONCLUSION. Mr. M. fpeakingof our lentiments of religion, as con- tained in prefident Edwards*^ Treatife soncerning religion? affe^ionSf which is, beyend doubt, one of the bed books that has been publilhed on experimental religion and vi- tal piety fince the days of infpiration, fays, p. 36. 'Thefc fentiments are lurprizingly fpread in the land, in the pre- fent day.* — Yes, and always will fpread amoag people in proportion as true religion revives and fpreads. Nor am I without hopes, that Mr. M. fhould he thore'ly look into the fcheme, and get a right underflanding ofil, -wuwld yet himfclf become a profelyte to it. And if he ihould become a profelyte to it, he would foon give up his external covenant, as being wholly inconfiftcnt with it. And it is quite certain, that when the divine promifcs, fcattered thro* the facrcd writings, relative to the glo- rious prevalence of trae Chriftianity, eomc to be accom- plifhed, that Mr. M's gracelefs covenant will became 2 ufelefs and an impraiS:icable thing. When nations Jhall he horn in a day •, when all the people [hall he righteouSy when the knowledge of the Lord (hall fill the earth as the wa- ter? iover the Cea \ people will not defire to make a grace- 3cfs profefTion. Nay, they can never be pcrfuaded to do it in that day. For then they will love Ckrifi more than father^ er mother^ or wife, or children, or hsufes, $r lands i ya, more than their own lives. And men wh6 really Jove their wives and children, are able ordinarily to fay, with truth and a good confciencc, that they do love them. Yea, it would be thought a fign, that men, generally, if not univerfally, hated their wives, in any kingdom, city» or town, fhould it be known, that ' ninety-nine in an hundred' of thera had fuch doubts, that with a good con- fciesce they could not fay, that they loved them. Mr. Stoddard^ in his Treat if e concerning the nature of converjtony fays, p. 79. 'We do not know of one Godly man in the fcripture, that was under darknefs about his fincerity/ And our ca^techifm fays, ' The benefits which in this life I do eiEher accompany or flow from juftificacion, adop- * ti©n« Conclusion.^ ( 1^5 ) * tion, and fan^iification, are ajfurance ef Goi^s lovel ' peace of €onfcicnce, joy in the Holy Ghoft, increafe of * grace, and pcrfeverence therein to the end.' — And when rtligion revives in its purity and glory, ?flurancc will become as common a thing among profefr^rs, as It was among the apoftolic cenverts, in the apoilolijc churches. — And even now, (hould a man and woiiian prefent themfelves before a clergyman, to enter into the marriage-covenant, and at the fame time declare, that they doubted their love to each other to fuch a de- gree, that with a good confcicncc they could not give their confcnt to the form of words in common ufe, be- caufe that woulcl imply a profeflion of mutual love, up judicious man would think them fit to be married. The application is ea(y. Nothing renders a gracelcfs covenant needful but the prevalence of gracclcfrbefs among our people. For did our people all of them hve Chriji more than father^ and m»' tber^wife and children, no man would defire to have the covenant of grace fet afide, and a gracelefs covenant fufa- ftitutcd in its room, in our churches. When, therefore, that day comes, in which fat an fh all he hounds who at prefent deceives the nations of the earthy that he may de- ceive them no more : When the great harveft oonaes, of which, what happened in the apoflolic age, was but the firfl fruits ; and the done cut out of the mountain without hunds becomes greats and fills the whole earth, and /^^ God ef heaven fet s up a kingdom, and all people, nations and languages ftrve him, and the kingdom and dominicn, and the greatnefs of the kingdom under the whole heaven is given to the people of the Jaints of the Mofi High, and all dominions fhall fervt him \ then, even then, true godlinefs will be univerfally profcfTed, and univerfally praflifed. Since therefore this gracelefs eot^enant will ere long be univerfally exploded, and rooted up, as fhali every plant u'hich eur heavenly Father hath not planted, why fhould not we all now unite to give it up, and to invite our people to become Chriftians indeed, to profefs and pradlife ac- cording ( 1 86 ) CoNCLi^sroiir; cording to the troe import of their baptifm ? It is as much their duty and as much their intereft to become Chriftians now, as it will be in any future period of their lives. They have from God no leave to delay. Thanks be to God ' that thefe fencimencs arefurprizingly fprcad- ing in this land, in the prcfent day.' — Nor ought it t© pafs unnoticed, that every attempt to prevent their fpreading has hitherto had the contrary cfFedt. For while thofe who oppofe them, how ingenious and learn- ed focver they be, are obliged to run into the groflcft abfurditics and incanfiflencies, in their own defence, as one error leads on to another, it naturally tends to open the eygs of all candid men, who attend to th« contro- verfy. And may we not hope, that fo candid and inge- nuous a writer as Mr. Mather is reprefented to be, * who * is not fond of his own judgment, or tenacious of his * own praflice, but ftands ready to give them both up, * when any one fhall do him the friendly office of fet- * ting light before him,' will upon a calm review of all that has been faid, become a friend to the geod old way of our forefathers, the firft fettlers of New- England^ and come into that plan on which the New-England churches were originally formed.-- Which, may God of his infi- siite mercy grant, thro' Jefus Chrift. .AMEN. 1