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which we mean the fin and fall of Adam, and of all mankind in him; and this author may make what use he pleases of it.

3. An O yes is cried, and all men are defired to attend "; to what? to this; "Writers on your fide have not the courage and honefty plainly to deny that "that men are in a state of trial, though a confequence of their principles; yet "now and then they craftily infinuate this article of their dark and hideous "fcheme." That the faints whilft in this life, are in a ftate of trial, that is of their graces by afflictions, temptations, &c. is readily owned; but then all mankind are not in fuch a ftate, only converted perfons, who only have grace to be tried; but if by a state of trial is meant, as I fuppofe it is, that men are upon probation of their good or ill behaviour towards God, according to which their ftate will be fixed as to happiness or mifery, that being as yet unfixed, so that whilft this life lafts it is uncertain whether they will be faved or loft: if this, I fay is meant, I have had courage and honefty, as this man calls it, plainly to deny it years ago, and have publifhed my arguments and reafons against it, which this writer, if he pleases, may try if he can answer.

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4. This writer thinks that the drawings of God are neceffary to converfion; but that these are only by moral fuafion, and not by any powerful influence of divine grace, and fo not irresistible. He owns irrefiftible evidence, illuminations and convictions; but such as may be refifted, and ftifled, and come to nothing how then are they irrefiftible? to use his own words, "If they may "be refifted, then they are not irrefiftible." We own, indeed, that the grace of God may be refifted, but not fo as to be ftifled, and come to nothing, to be overcome, and entirely fruftrated. The inftances given of God's grace being fruftrated, and of refifting internal operations, are not at all to the purpose; fince the paffages alledged, Hof. vii. 1. Luke xiii. 34. and xix. 42. Aɛts xxviii. 24—27. regard not special grace, and internal operations, but external, temporal things, or the outward miniftry of the word. It has been urged', that if no man can come to Chrift unless irresistible grace draw him, then there can be no fault in not turning to him. To which it has been answered, that "to live in fin, is "blame-worthy; and though man, by finning, has involved himself in a state "out of which he cannot extricate himself, yet is he not the lefs culpable on "that score, for living in it:" which answer stands good, for any thing this man has replied to it; fince men are involved in this state not merely by another's, but by their own fin, and their continuance in it is of their own freewill. The argument from the offer of help has been fet afide already, by denying there is any. The inftance of a man's drinking himself into a fever, and VOL. II.

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• Answer, p. 42, 43.

P Dialogue, part II. p. 87. * Part II. P. 88.

continuing in it, notwithstanding commands of recovery, and offers of remedy, is ftupidly impertinent; fince not continuing in a fever, the confequence of his drinking, but in the fin itself, of which such an habit may be acquired he cannot break, can only have any fhew of agreement with the cafe before us. We readily allow, that no internal operations are employed, as to thousands who hear the gospel. But then, fays this writer", fuch cannot believe and obey, and therefore cannot be justly punished for not believing and obeying. I reply, that such indeed cannot believe with the faith which is of the operation of God, nor perform new and fpiritual obedience, to which the Spirit of God is neceffary, and for which he is promised in the covenant, and therefore will never be punished for not believing and obeying, in this fenfe: but then, without internal operations, or fpecial grace, fuch as are favoured with an external revelation, are capable of believing the outward report of the gospel, and of yielding obedience to it; that is, of attending on the miniftry of the word, and performing the external parts of religion; and in failure of these, may be justly punished for their unbelief and difobedience. I take no notice of our scheme being called by this man Antichriftian and Diabolical; I am now pretty well used to fuch language, and indeed expect no other from men of modern charity.

V. The doctrine of juftification, by the imputed righteousness of Christ, comes next under confideration. And,

1. Some paffages of fcripture, as Ifai. Ixiv. 6. Phil. iii. 9 įwhich represent the infufficiency of man's righteoufnefs to juftify him before God, are brought under examination. As to Ifai. Ixiv. 6. our author feems to be at a lofs whether he should follow the interpretation of Grotius, or Henry". However, that the prophet speaks of a hypocritical people, he thinks is a clear point, for this wife reafon; because it is faid, at the end of the verse, we all do fade as a leaf, and our iniquities like the wind have taken us away: whereas hypocrites are not fo free to own their declenfions and tranfgreffions, and to confefs the impurity of their hearts, and the imperfection of their obedience; they generally make the least of their fins, and the most they can of their righteousness: So that these words are a reason against, and not for, his fenfe of the paffage. St Paul, in Phil. iii. 8, 9. he fays, only renounced his ceremonial, not his moral righteoufnefs. But it is not the righteoufnefs of the ceremonial, but of the moral law, which the apostle continually oppofes to the righteousness of faith; fee Romans iii. 20-22. and iv. 13. and ix. 30, 31. and x. 5, 6. And when we say, that he renounced this righteoufnefs, he knows very well our meaning is, not that he renounced doing it, or objected to the performance of it; but that he difclaimed all dependence upon it for juftification before God; and, in respect

■ Part II. p. 89

Ibid. p. 91.

to

to that, defired only to be found in Chrift: which is not to represent the apoftle falsly and abfurdly, but perfectly agreeable with himself, and his principles.

2. This man has no other notion of imputation, but of accounting that to a man which is done by himself, and not what may be done, or contracted by another; contrary to the apostle's fentiments, Romans iv. 6, 11, 23, 24. Philem. ver. 18. He argues against the imputation of Chrift's righteousness in this manner *; if no one single act of the righteoufnefs of Chrift is imputed to us, then the whole of it is not. Very right; for how indeed fhould the whole be imputed, if no one part of it is? But what are the particular acts of Chrift's righteousness? His Incarnation, Baptism, Poverty, Fafting, his Victory over Satan, Preaching, Miracles, his Confeffion before Pilate, Obedience to death, giving a Commiffion to his apostles, his Interceffion, and governing and judging the World. All false. Not thefe, but the feveral acts of his obedience to the moral law, are the righteousness of Christ, by which men are made righteous, and by which they can only be made fo, by the imputation of it to them; the ground of which imputation is Chrift's being their head, furety, and reprefentative; fo that the righteousness of the law being fulfilled by him, in their room and stead, it is all one as if it was fulfilled by them, and is faid indeed to be fulfilled in them : which does not exempt them from service to God, or obedience to his law, but lays them under greater obligation in point of gratitude to an obfervance of it, though not in order to juftification by it.

3. It is ftill infifted on, that there is no text of scripture to be found, proving the imputation of the righteousness of Chrift. As for Romans iv. 3. he stands to it, that it must be understood of Abraham's faithful obedience, or obeying faith, and not the object of it; which, he fays ', was the promise of God that he should have a son, that was imputed to him for righteousness. Now whatever may be faid for the imputation of Abraham's act of faith to himself for righteousness, nothing can be faid in favour of the imputation of the act of faith, that he should have a fon, to us, for righteousness, if we believe on him that raised up Jefus our Lord from the dead; where the apoftle clearly afferts that that it, which was imputed to Abraham for righteousness, is also imputed to all them that believe. To which this man makes no reply. Nor does he take any notice of Romans iv. 6. 1 Cor. i. 30. 2 Cor. v. 21. which were produced as proofs of the imputation of Chrift's righteousness to his people. He allows that we are made righteous by the obedience of Chrift, in the fame fense we are made finners by the difobedience of Adam; and fince he owns before, that we are made righteous by the obedience of Chrift, in a forenfic fenfe, it must be by the imputation of it to us.

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4. This author having suggested that the doctrine of imputed righteousness was a poisonous one, and tended to licentioufnefs; the contrary was proved from Romans iii. 31. Titus ii. 11, 12. and iii. 7, 8. which he has paffed in filence; and instead of offering any thing in fupport of his former fuggestion, he runs to the doctrine of Reprobation, of God's feeing no fin in his elect, and of irrefiftible grace; to which he adds a teftimony of Bishop Burnet's, concerning fome perfons in King Edward the V1th's time, who made an ill use of the doctrine of predeftination. This is no new thing with this writer; nothing is more common with him, than to jumble doctrines together; never was fuch a lumbering, immethodical piece of work published to the world. It would be easy to exculpate the above doctrines, as well as this of juftification, from the charge of licentioufnefs; and I have done it already, to which I refer the reader. I go on to consider,

VI. The doctrine of the faints perfeverance. Under which article,

b

1. Some paffages of fcripture, made use of in favour of this doctrine, are reprefented as a fandy foundation to build it upon. It feems that Job xvii. 9. is not a promise of God, but only the fentiment of Job. Be it fo: Since it is a good one, and God has teftified of him that he spoke the thing that was right, it should be abode by. Moreover, fince Job fpake under divine inspiration, why should not thefe words be esteemed a promife of God by the mouth of Job? The good work, mentioned in Phil. i. 6. which the apostle was confidently perfuaded, not barely hoped, would be performed until the day of Christ, he intimates, was either planting the church at Philippi, or an inclination to liberality; he does not know which. What fhould induce him to propofe the latter fenfe, I cannot imagine; fince there is not the leaft hint, in the text or context, of the liberality of these perfons: And as for the former, that can never be intended; fince planting of a church was a good work external and vifible among them, and not a good work begun in them, in their hearts, and that in each of them fingly and separately, as this was; for the apostle fays, even as it is meet for me to think this of you all. The everlasting righteousness, faid to be brought in by Chrift, Dan. ix. 24. is suggested to be a covenant, whofe terms of acceptance are unalterable. But the covenant of grace never goes by this name; and was it fo called, it must be with respect to the everlasting righteousness of Chrift, which always continues a justifying one to those interested in it; and therefore they fhall never enter into condemnation, or finally and totally perish. Befides, the covenant confirmed by Christ, is spoken of ver. 26.

as

In a Sermon, called, The Doctrine of Grace cleared from the Charge of Licentioufnefs; and in another, intitled, The Law eftab ifhed by the Gospel. b Part II. p. 101, 102.

as diftinct from this righteousness. Once more: If the juftification and glorification of converted Gentiles are infeparably connected together, Rom. viii. 30. then those who are truly converted, and are juftified by the righteousness of Chrift, fhall certainly be faved; and which is a doctrine to be defended, without establishing the principle of fatality, or ftoical enthusiasm. The prophetic texts in Ifai. liv. 10. and lix. 21. Jer. xxxii. 38-40. Hof. ii. 19. in favour of the faints final perfeverance, are left untouched, and are not meddled with by this writer.

2. Such paffages of fcripture as feem to militate against the perfeverance of the faints, are brought upon the carpet; particularly, we are charged with giving an abfurd and contradictory turn to Ezek. xviii. 24-26. in fuppofing that the prophet, by a righteous man's turning from his righteousness, means a hypocrite's turning from his hypocrify, from his feigned righteousness. But this is to give a perverse turn to our words and sense; for we fay not, that the prophet means an hypocrite turning from a counterfeit and hypocritical righteoufnefs to a real one, but a man's turning from an external moral righteousness to an open, shameful course of finning: All mere outward righteousness is not hypocrify, as the cafe of Paul before conversion fhews, Acts xxiii. 1. Phil. iii. 6. which a man may have, deftitute of the true grace of God, and may turn from into open fin; and is no inftance of the apostacy of a real faint, or a truly just man; which this man is not faid to be, in the paffage referred to; and is elfewhere described as one that trusts to his own righteousness, and committeth iniquity a. The text in Heb. vi. 4-6. is only transcribed at large, and the reader left to judge of the meaning of it. The spiritual meat and drink, 1 Cor. x. 3—5. the Ifraelites partook of in the wilderness, were the typical manna, and the water out of the rock; which they might do, and not partake of the spiritual bleffings of grace fignified by them: though, no doubt, many of them did; for the temporal calamities that befel them in the wilderness, are no proofs that they perished eternally. See Pfalm xcix. 8. To perfevere in grace and holiness, is a bleffing of grace bestowed upon truly converted perfons; to make use of means of enjoying this blessing, is a duty, such as to be strong in the Lord, to watch in prayer, &c. Ephes. vi. 10, 19. and which the apostle Paul himself made ufe of: Though, when he fays, Left I myself fhould be a caft-away, the word aμ, which he uses, does not fignify a reprobate, or one rejected of God, but one rejected and disapproved of by men; his concern was not left he should fall from the divine favour, or come fhort of happiness, of both which he was fully perfuaded, Rom. viii. 38, 39. 2 Tim. i. 12. which perfuafion was not built upon his own refolution and watchfulness, but upon the nature of God's love,

and.

Part II. p. 102, 103.

d. Ezek. xxxiii. 13.

e 1 Cor. ix. 27..

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