to all men, I utterly deny; nay, I deny they are made to any; no, not to God's elect; grace and falvation are provided for them in the everlasting covenant, procured for them by Christ, published and revealed in the gospel, and applied by the Spirit; much less are they made to others; wherefore this doctrine is not chargeable with infincerity on that account. Let the patrons of univerfal offers defend themfelves from this objection; I have nothing to do with it; till it is proved there are fuch univerfal offers, then Dr Watts's reasoning on that head, will require fome attention; but not till then.

7thly, It is faid that the doctrines of election and reprobation least of all agree with the fcriptural account of the love and goodness of God. The doctrine of election furely can never difagree with the love and goodness of God; fince his choosing men to falvation is the fruit and effect of his everlasting love and free grace; the reason why any are chofen is, because they are beloved of God; election pre-fuppofes love; this the apostle points out clearly to us, when he says, we are bound to give thanks always to God for you brethren, beloved of the Lord; because God bath from the beginning chofen you to falvation, 2 Theff. ii. 13. And the goodness of God greatly appears in confequence of this decree in the redemption of the chofen ones by Chrift, in the regeneration. and fanctification of them by the Spirit, and in bringing them at last to eternal glory and happiness according to his original defign. But it may be, it is the doctrine of reprobation only, though both are put together by our author, that so ill agrees with the love and goodness of God. It is not inconfiftent with his providential goodnefs; in which fenfe the Lord is good to all, and bis tender mercies are over all his works; and notwithstanding this decree, all men have a large share of this goodness of God; and though they may abuse this goodness, which will be an aggravation of their condemnation; this is their own fin and fault, and not to be charged on the decree of God, as this writer. falfly does; who says, that God, according to us, gives men this world's goods on purpose to enhance their damnation; and every one of their comforts is, by an eternal decree of God, to cost them a thousand pangs. in hell; whereas the abuse of mercies given, which will enhance their damnation, flows not from the decree, but from their own wickedness. The special mercy and goodness of God is denied to fuch indeed, which is at his fovereign will to give to whom he pleases; who will have mercy on whom he will have mercy : the act of election is an act of God's love, and flows from it; reprobation indeed flows from his hatred, which is an appointment to wrath; but then it

Predestination, &c. p. 35.

is

is from his hatred of fin, which is no ways contrary to his being a God of love and goodness: befides there is a much greater display, of the love, grace, mercy, and goodness of God in choofing fome men to falvation and infallibly fecuring it unto them, and bringing them fafely to the enjoyment of it, than in the contrary scheme; according to which not one man is abfolutely chofen to falvation, falvation is not infured to any one fingle perfon; it is left to the precarious and fickle will of man; and it is poffible, according to that scheme, that not one man may be faved; nay, it is impoffible that any one man should be faved by the power of his own free-will. Let it be judged then, which fcheme is moft merciful and kind to men, and most worthy of the God of love and goodness. Upon the whole, the doctrine of reprobation, though fet in fo ill a light, and reprefented in fuch an odious manner, is a defenfible doctrine when stated and cleared; nor are we afraid to own and maintain it. This cloven foot does not affright us; fo Mr Wesley calls ", as he thinks, beautifully, but most blafphemously, an act of the divine will; nor is this a milftone that hangs about the neck of our hypothefis, as he no doubt very elegantly expresses it; but let me tell him, it will be his distinguishing mercy, if it is not a milftone about his own neck." From hence he wanders to free-will and irresistible grace; fometimes he is for free-will, fometimes for free-grace; fometimes for refiftible, and sometimes for irresistible grace. When he can agree with himself, he will appear in a better light, and may be more worthy of notice. What he fays of free-will on the one fide and reprobation on the other, as agreeing or disagreeing with the perfections of God, may be reduced to one or other of the above objections, where they have had their anfwer.

It is fcarcely worth my while to obferve what he fays of the covenant of grace; which he owns he has no understanding of; and I believe him, as that God the Father made a covenant with his Son before the world began, wherein the Son agreed to fuffer fuch and fuch things; and the Father to give him fuch and fuch fouls for a recompence, in confequence of which thefe must be faved." And then he afks where it is written? And in what part of fcripture this covenant is to be found? Now not to inform or inftruct Mr Wesley, but for the fake of such who are willing to be informed and inftructed, read Pfal. xl. 6-8. Ifa. xlix. 1-6. and chap. liii. 10-12. Pfal. lxxxix. 3, 4, 28-36. in which will appear plain traces and footsteps of a covenant, or agreement, of a ftipulation and reftipulation, between the Father and the Son; in which the Father proposes a work to his Son, and calls him to it, even the redemption

* Ibid. p. 52.

i Ibid. p. 77.

Predeftination, &c. p. 11.

redemption of his people; to which the Son agrees, and fays, Lo I come to do thy will, O my God! and for a recompence of his being an offering for fin, and pouring out his foul unto death; it is promifed he should fee his feed and prolong his days, and have a portion divided him with the great, and a fpoil with the ftrong. And that there was fuch a covenant fubfifting before the world began is clear; for could there be a Mediator fet up from everlasting, as there was, and a promise of life before the world began made to Chrift and put into his hand, and all spiritual bleffings provided, and all grace given to his people in him, before the foundation of the world, and yet no covenant in being? See Prov. viii. 23. Tit. i. 2. 2 Tim. i. 1, 9. Epb. i. 3. The covenant of circumcifion made with Abraham, and that made with the Ifraelites on mount Sinai, are no inftances of the covenant of grace; but are covenants that are waxen old, and vanifhed away; and do not concern us who are not under the law, but under grace: but however these covenants were conditional, to them that were under them; the covenant of grace is abfolute and unconditional to us, being made with Chrift our head, who has fulfilled all the conditions of it.

in

But I proceed now to vindicate what I have written on the subject of the faints Final Perfeverance, from the exceptions made unto it. Mr Wefley fays', "this is so pleasing an opinion, so agreeable to flesh and blood, fo fuitable to "whatever of nature remains in those who have tafted the grace of God, that "I fee nothing but the mighty power of God, which can restrain any who "hear it from clofing with it." Strange! that the doctrine of perfeverance grace and holiness, for no other perfeverance do we plead for, fhould be fo pleafing and agreeable to corrupt nature; befides fuch who have tafted the grace of God, as they have a principle of grace in them, cannot eafily give into a doctrine which manifeftly gratifies corrupt nature, but would oppofe and reject it; furely it must come with very great evidence, that nothing but the power of God can restrain from clofing with it; and which they clofe with, not to indulge their corruptions, but to encourage their faith and hope, and to promote holiness of heart and life; to which they are induced both by arguments, from experience, and from fcripture; the former, it seems, weigh but little with thofe who believe the poffibility of falling; and the latter are not plain and cogent. There are fome Scriptures, it is faid, are against perseverance, and determine the other way; the arguments from them have been confidered in a former treatise; to which Mr Wesley has made fome exceptions, and to which I fhall now make a reply.

The

Predestination, &c. p. 57.

The first text produced against the perfeverance of the faints, is Ezek. xviii. 24. When the righteous man turnethaway from his righteousness, &c. This paffage, and the whole context, I have obferved wholly and folely regard the houfe of Ifrael, and is impertinently produced. Mr Wesley calls upon me to prove this. What proof would he have? Let him read the chapter, and he will fee it with his own eyes; the house of Ifrael is mentioned by name, and that only; the addreffes are only made to them; the expoftulations and reasonings are only with them; and the exhortations are unto them; the difpute is between God and them, the charge against God is brought by them; and the anfwer to it is returned to them. Let Mr Wesley difprove this if he can; it lies upon him to point out any other perfon or perfons than the house of Ifrael, to whom any paffage in the chapter is directed. The righteousness of the righteous man, spoken of in it, I have affirmed to be his own righteousness, and not the righteousness of faith; nor is there the leaft hint of the fanctifying grace of the Spirit in the account of it. To difprove this, Mr Wesley refers to ver. 31. Caft away from you all your transgressions—make you a new heart, &c. Monstrous! This is a moft evident proof that the Jews had no true righteoufnefs; that notwithstanding their pretenfions to it, they had not cast away their tranfgreffions, and were without any inward principle of grace or holiness. I further obferve, that what is faid of the righteous man, admitting him truly righteous, is only a fuppofition. This Mr Wesley flatly denies. But if he reads over the chapter to which he directs, he will find the facts supposed and not afferted, ver. 5. If a man be just, &c. ver. 10. If he beget a fon-that doth not any of thefe duties, &c. ver. 14. If he beget a fon that feeth all his father's fins, &c. and in the paffage under confideration, ver. 24. When the righteous man turneth away from his righteousness; that is, if he should; and fo it is rendered in the Vulgate Latin verfion, and by Pagnine, and is the sense of our own translation; for a supposition is as well expreffed by when, an adverb of time, as by the conjunction if: For instance; when Mr Wefley writes more to the purpose, he will deferve more attention; that is, if he fhould. Whereas I explained the death in ver. 26. of one and the fame death, a temporal death for fin; it is no unusual thing for one and the fame thing to be expreffed by different words; and which may be the cafe here, without any force upon the text, or making it speak nonfenfe; for which I have given a reason that is not taken notice of: and that this death is a temporal, and not an eternal one, is clear, because it was now upon them, and of which they complained, and from whence they might be delivered by repentance and reformation; and which, I fay again, VOL. III.

Nn

cannot

cannot be faid of eternal death, when a person is once under it. Upon the whole, as this chapter relates not to eternal falvation or damnation, the passage from it is an infufficient proof of the apoftacy of real faints.

The fecond text of fcripture brought in favour of the said doctrine, is 1 Tim. i. 19. Holding faith and a good confcience, which some having put away, concerning faith, have made shipwreck: In which I have obferved, that it does not appear, that these men referred to, whofe names are mentioned in the next verfe, ever had their hearts purified by faith; but were ungodly men, and so no instances of the apoftacy of true believers. To this no reply is made. I further observe, that putting away a good confcience, does not neceffarily fuppofe they had it, but rather that they had it not; which I fupport by the use of the fame word in As xiii. 46. where the Jews are faid to put the word of God from them. This inftance Mr Wesley says makes full against me, it being undeniable they had the word of God till they put it away. But this I must deny; they never had it, they never received it, never gave their affent to it, or embraced it, but contradicted and blafphemed it; and fo is an instance of the use of the word to my purpose. It is owned by him that men may have a good conscience in some fenfe, without true faith; but fuch is not that the apoftle speaks of, because he exhorts Timothy to hold it: Be it fo; yet it does not appear that these men had fuch a conscience that arifes from a heart purified by faith; putting it away, we fee, does not prove it; and, befides, it deferves confideration, that it is not faid they made fhipwreck of a good confcience, which it does not appear they ever had, but of faith which they once profeffed, even the doctrine of faith but that faith means only the doctrine of faith, wants better proof, he says. What proof would he have? I have fhewn that the phrase is never used but of the doctrine of faith, and have pointed to the places where it is so used; nay have pointed out the particular doctrine of faith they made shipwreck of. It lies upon him to difprove this. From the whole it appears, that this also is an insufficient proof of the apostacy of real faints. The third text of Scripture infifted on as a proof of the above doctrine, is Rom. xi. 17—24. concerning the breaking off of the branches, and cutting off those that are grafted into the olive-tree; which olive-tree I understand not of the invisible church, but of the outward gofpel-church-state, or the visible gospel-church. This Mr Wesley fays I affirm, and he proves the contrary. But though I affirm, yet not without a reason for it; a reason which he takes no notice of, nor makes any reply to: and how does he prove the contrary, that it is the invifible church? Why, because it confifts of holy

believers