plication of it's felf-moving power upon the tongue, to direct it to the publication of truth, or a lie, or the anfwering any good or bad purpose, as it pleafes. And, fuppofe God fhould, by an immediate act of his power, add to the human constitution any new endowment of mind, or any new members to the body, fuch as a pair of wings, by which a man would be enabled to fly; if he is at liberty to use this new power well or ill, then, all the good or evil, that is produced by it, ought to be placed, not to God's, but to the agent's account, who directed that power to answer the purpose it was made to serve; this new power, when added to the constitution, being as much, and as truly, a man's felf, as thofe powers are, of which his constitution was antecedently compounded. How extravagant must it therefore be, for men, out of an affectation of humility and lowlinefs of mind, to place all the evil they do to their own account, and all the good they do to the account of God; whereas, God is equally concerned in the production of evil, as in the production of good; and man is equally concerned in the production of good, as in the production of evil; and, therefore, both ought to be equally afcribed to one, or

the

the other. That is, if all the good a man does ought to be afcribed to God, then all the evil a man does ought to be ascribed to God also; because God is equally concerned in the production of both; and if all the evil a man does, ought to be ascribed to himself, then all the good he does, ought to be ascribed to himself also; because he is equally concerned in the production of both. This appears to me to be a fair, a just, and true representation of the cafe. And,

HERE, perhaps, it may not be amifs to take notice of what is fometimes urged in favour of the doctrine of Special grace, or rather of what is urged against the doctrine of self-sufficiency, which feems to stand in competition with it; namely, first, That it must be great pride and arrogance, in man, to confider himself as an independent, felf-fufficient creature, as one who can, of himself, do many good actions; whereas man, especially fince the fall, is most corrupt, impotent, and weak, who cannot, of himself, so much as think a good thought, much lefs bring forth any thing that is good, without the special aid of his Maker. This objection, if it may be called an objection, is fully obviated in what I have obferved above; tho', indeed, what

- what is urged is a mere invective, as if it was pride and arrogance in a man to think justly and truly of the work of God, of his own frame and conftitution, &c. which is the prefent cafe. God has fo far made man an independent, felf-fufficient creature, as to furnish him with parts and abilities for action, and has left him quite free to use the parts and powers, of which his conftitution is compounded, well, or ill; and to call a just and proper sense of this, pride and arrogance, is most intolerable; not but it is a cafe too common for men to fupply the want of argument with invectives. Secondly, It has been urged, that the fcriptures, and more particularly the New Teftament, reprefent mankind to be weak and impotent, as aforefaid; and those fcriptures require men to think thus of themselves, and to pray to God to give them ftrength and power to do their duty, which, without fome fpecial divine aid, men, of themselves, are not able to perform. Anfwer: All doctrines and counfels that militate against truth, cannot themselves be founded in truth; and, therefore, are not to be admitted, whether they come from Paul, Mofes, or any other perfon who may have affumed a prophetick or divine character. And,

K

And, as every man muft of neceffity have power fufficient to perform every duty, and anfwer every obligation that lies upon him, because otherwise he could not poffibly have been under such obligation; so, consequently, if there are any doctrines or counfels, held forth to us in the fcriptures, that are incompatible with this truth, then, they cannot poffibly be founded in truth, and, therefore, ought to be rejected. Thirdly, It has been urged, that the doctrines of man's impotency, as aforefaid, and of special grace, have been univerfally maintained by men of all religions, and in all parts of the world, excepting, perhaps, a few philofophers and deifts, whofe pride and vanity led them to think all our fpecies to be either fools, or knaves, but themselves; and, as univerfal opinion is on the fide of the doctrines referred to, fo this is a prefumptive argument of their truth; because, were men univerfally to err in points of importance,it would be of very bad confequence; but this is not the cafe; in points of importance men univerfally agree. Answer: If there have been any fuch men who have thought all others to be either fools, or knaves, that have profeffed to differ in their sentiments from them; then, they muft, at least, have

been

upon

been egregious fools that thought fo., And, if the above charge of pride and vanity, upon philofophers and deifts, be only grounded their diffenting from univerfal opinion, then, the above charge is a mere invective. What the bad confequences are which follow universal error, I am not apprized of; nor am I fully fatisfied, that in all points of importance men are univerfally agreed. As to the doctrines of man's impotency and fpecial grace, that these have had universal opinion to back them, is much to be queftioned; because in other points there are many that do not publickly oppofe popular opinions, and yet, are far from going into the belief of them; and that may, perhaps, have been the cafe of the doctrines under confideration. But, supposing the doctrines referred to have had univerfal opinion on their fide; yet, furely, that cannot be a proper ground to determine any man's judgment in their favour. Univerfal opinion must have fome reason, that has been universally admitted as it's proper bafis, else it is a mere phantom; to take up an opinion, without fome reafon to ground it upon, is like building without a foundation. Whereever, therefore, univerfal opinion obtains, the queftion will be, What is that opinion groundK 2

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