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under the imputation of digging up founda tions, and greatly unfettling the minds of

men.

to aver, as St. Paul does, that the ends of government were then effectually answered, I fear, was greatly ftraining the point. Nevertheless, this does not affect St. Paul's main argument, which is taken, not from the right use and application of power, but from it's origin and foundation. But then, St. Paul fhewed himfelf to be as bold an adventurer, with regard to the ground of his argument, as in what he offered as an additional strength to it. For, whether we regard government in general, or the particular government that then fubfifted at Rome, or whether we regard the forms of government, or the perfons who adminifter it ; in all or any of thofe views, it cannot be faid, with propriety and truth, that they are the ordinance, and by the appointment, of God, so as to be a proper foundation for what St. Paul builds upon it; becaufe, ftrictly speaking, they are the ordinance, and by the appointment, of men, and of men only. And as the propofition St. Paul grounded his argument upon, viz. that government, and governors, are the ordinance, and the minifters, of God, was not true, whether applied to his own time, or any other; whether to the government at Rome, or to government in general; therefore, it cannot be a proper premise to the conclusions he draws from it; and confequently, St. Paul's authority, or declaration, in the prefent cafe, cannot be a proper evidence to prove the truth of, or support, the doctrine it is brought to vouch for. St. Paul's bold, adventuring genius was most fully exemplified, in his extirpation of Judaifm. After the Apoftles and companions of Chrift had been perfonally inftructed, by their mafter, in the things that pertained to his kingdom, and after they had been filled with the holy Ghoft, (as on the day of Pentecoft) they, then, went forth to preach the gofpel; and they all fet out upon principle, (there not being one diffenter) viz. that Chriftianity was a supplement to Judaism, and was to be grafted upon it; in confequence of which, all the preachers of, and converts to, Christianity, were zealous of, and

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men.

But what foundations have I dug up? Or what minds have I unfettled? Perhaps,

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paid a strict regard to, Mofes's law: and thus it continued, 'till after St. Paul's converfion. And, furely, I think, it must be allowed, that if the abolition of Judaism was, originally, intended to be a part of that scheme of providence, that was to be executed by the miniftry of Jefus Chrift; then it may fairly be prefumed, that Jefus Christ would have fully inftructed his Difciples in this momentous affair, both in the exercife of his miniftry, before his death, upon his refurrection, when he informed them of the things that appertained to his kingdom, and by the miniftry of the holy Ghoft, after his afcenfion, as on the day of Pentecoft, by which they were to be led into all neceffary truth, according to Chrift's promife; whereas nothing of this took place, but rather the contrary; and therefore this affords a kind of prefumptive evidence, or proof, that no fuch thing was intended. Upon St. Paul's becoming a Chriftian, as one extreme fometimes produces it's oppofite, a rigid diffenter makes a violent high-church-man; fo St. Paul, from a moft ftrict adherer to Mofes's law, took upon him the total extirpation of it. And as St. Paul could not otherwife get clear of that law of ceremonies, fo he turned them all into figures, types, and shadows, a thing that does not appear to have been ever heard of before, or even thought of, by Jefus Chrift, or any of his difciples and followers. For Chrift made fome changes, as to the moral and judicial parts of Moses's law, and which, I apprehend, are confidered to be improvements of it; yet he left the ceremonial parts of it in their full force, requiring obedience to be paid to the most minute parts of it, such as the tything of mint, annifs and cummin; and, notwithstanding this, St. Paul boldly pufhed at the extirpation of them. And tho St. Paul had no authority, nor no fort of evidence, that appears, for what he did, nor did he pretend to any, but his own reasoning upon the cafe, and what a lively and strong imagination could furnish him with; yet he profecuted his defign,with fuch ardent zeal, application, and diligence,

at last, these words will be found to have no meaning; because it may be a difficult. task to fhew how they can, with any propriety, be applied to me. As to those who are interested in popular and received opinions; they, in general, are out of all danger; as they carry about them the loadftone of felf-intereft, which fo ftrongly attracts their attention and application, as effectually fecures them from being unsettled by any thing I can fay, or do. As to the bigotted, the fuperftitious, and the enthusiaftical, which probably make up much the greater part of our fpecies; these are either not fettled at all, or else are so settled as to be unmoveable; because all these are quite out of the reach of argument, and, therefore, can be neither fettled, nor unfettled, by it. And as to the more intelligent part of our fpecies, who are not interested in popular opinions, or who will not be governed by fuch intereft, thefe, furely, cannot fuftain any injury by my Differtations; because as I have treated, with plainnefs and freedom, the points therein difcuffed; so, of

course,

diligence, and by the strength of his fuperior learning and abilities, as that, probably, he got over moft of the apoftleg to his fide, and in process of time carried his point.

course, I must have ministered to their plea fure, whether they perceive me to have truth on my fide, or not. The questions, therefore, will return. What foundations have I dug up? Who are unfettled by my Differtations? Or, who has fuftained any injury thereby? Indeed, it has been complained, that I deny a Providence, because I do not admit that God has any hand in the plots and intrigues, in the roguery and wickedness, that take place in the world, nor yet in those waftings and defolations, that have been brought upon mankind thereby; for if God has no hand in the means, then he has no hand in the end produced by them. James i. 13, 14. Let no man fay, when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, (or to do evil) neither tempteth he any man. But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away, of his own luft, and enticed. My thus vindicating God's providence, from those imputations, may be called a denying it; but then, as this is an old complaint, fo it can anfwer no other purpose, now, than to heighten and enlarge the cry. What my fentiments are, touching Providence, I have fhewn, long ago, in my Differtation on that fubject, to which I refer my reader. F

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