of grace, and about Juftification without the works of the law) which they that are unlearned (or rather paus, unteachable) and unstable, wreft &c. unto their own deftruction: ye therefore, beloved, feeing ye know thefe things before, (being thus fairly warned) beware left YE ALSO, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own fleef finess: but grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord Jefus Chrift: which is the best method not to fall from grace-the only way to inherit the bleffing, with which God will crown the faithfulness and genuine perfeverance of the faints.

I read the heart of Zelotes: and feeing the objection he is going to ftart, 1 oppofe to it this quotation from Baxter. "To fay that then their faith (which works by faithful love) does more than Chrift did, or God's grace, is a putrid cavil. Their faith, &c. is no efficient caufe at all of their pardon, or juftification: it is but a neceffary, receptive qualification; he that fhuts the window caufeth darkness: but it is fottifh to say, that he who opens it, does more than the fun to caufe light, which he caufeth not at all; but removeth the impediment of reception; and faith itfelf is God's gift:"--as all other talents are, whether we improve

them or not.

I fhould lofe time, and offer an infult to the reader's understanding, were I to comment upon the preceding fcriptures; fo great is their perfpicuity and number. But I hope, I fhall not infult his candor by propofing to him the following queries. (1) Can Zelotes and Honeftus be judicious Proteftants, I mean confiftent defenders of Bible-religion, if the one throws away the weights of the fecond fcale, whilft the other overlooks thofe of the first?—(2) Is it not evident, that according to the fcriptures, the perfeverance of the faints has two caufes: the firfl, free-grace and divine faithfulnefs; and the fecond, free-will and human faithfulness:

produced,

produced, excited, affifted, and nourished, but not ngceffitated by free-grace (3) With refpect to the capital doctrine of perfeverance alfo, does not the truth lie exactly between the extremes, into which Zelotes and Honeftus perpetually run?—And laftly: is it not clear, that if Candidus will hold the truth as it is in Jefus, he must ftand upon the line of moderation, call back Zelotes from the Eaft, Honeftus from the Weft and make them cordially embrace each other under the fcripture meredian. There the kind Father falls upon the neck of the returning prodigal, and the heavenly Bridegroom meets the wife virgins-There Freegrace mercifully embraces Free-will, while Free-will humbly toops at the foot-ftool of Free-grace: there the fun goes down no more by day, nor the moon by night :' that is, the two gofpel-axioms, which are the great doctrinal lights of the church, without eclipfing each other, fhine in perpetual conjunction, and yet in continual oppofition: there, their conjugal, myfterious, powerful influence gladdens the New Jerufalem, fertilizes the garden of the Lord, promotes the fpiritual vegetation of all the trees of righteoufnefs which line the river of God, and gives a divine relish to the fruits of the Spirit which they conftantly bear. There, as often as Free-grace fmiles upon Free-will it fays, Be faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life: and as often as Free-will fees that crown glitter at the end of the race, it fhouts, Grace! Free grace! unto it; a great part of our faithfulness confifting in afcribing to Grace all the honour, that becomes the first caufe of all good-the original of all visible and invifible excellence.

Perfeverance mult clofe our race, if ever we receive the prize; let then the fcriptural account of it clofe my fcales. But before I lay them by, I must throw in two more grains of fcriptural truth; left the reader. hould think, that I have not made good weight. If I thought

I thought Zelotes is a grofs Antinomian; and Honef.. tus an immoral Moralift; and that they maliciously tear the oracles of God in pieces; I would make them full weight by the two, following fcriptures:

2. I teftify, &c. that if any man fhall take away from the words of the book of this prophefy (much more if he takes away from the words of every book in the Old and New Teflament) God fhall take his part out of the

book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book, Rev. xxii. 18, 19.

But, confidering Zelotes and Honeftus as two good men, who fincerely fear and ferve God in their way; and being perfuaded that an injudicious fear of.a gofpel-axiom, and not a wilful averfion to the truth, makes them caft a veil over one half of the body of Bible-divinity; I dare not admit the thought, that thofe fevere fcriptures are adapted to their cafe. fhall therefore only afk, whether they cannot find a fuitable reproof in the following texts.

1. I am against the prophets, faith the Lord, that teal my word con tained No 2.) every one from his neighbour, Jer. xxiii. 30.

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2. Ye have made the word of God (contained No. 1.) of none effect by your tradition, Matt. xv. 6. (Equally difmembering Chriflianity, ye fill help the adverfaries of the gofpel, to put in practice their pernicious maxim, DIVIDE AND CONQUER. And who requires this at your hands? Who will give you thanks for fuch fervices as these?

SECTION

SECTION XVII.

A fcriptural Plan of Reconciliation between Zelotes and Honeftus; being a DOUBLE DECLARATION to guard equally the two gospel-axioms, or the doctrines of FREF-GRACE and FREE-OBE DIENCE. Bifhop Beveridge faw the need of guarding them both. Gospel-minifters ought equally to defend them.-An anfwer to Zelotes's objections against the declaration which guards the doctrine of free-obedience.-An important diftinction between a PRIMARY trust in SECOND caufes and means.—Some obfervations upon the importance of the fecond gofpel-axiom.—Which extreme appeared greater to Mr. Baxter, that of Zelotes, or that of Honeftus.-The Author's Thoughts upon the delicate fubject.

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HAVE hitherto pointed out the oppofite errors of Zelotes and Honeftus, and fhown that they confilt in fo maintaining one part of the truth as to reject the other; in fo holding out the glory of one of the gofpel-axioms as to eclipfe the other. I now prefent the reader with what appears to me a fair, fcriptural, and guarded plan of reconciliation between themselves, and between all good men, who difagree about the doctrines of faith and works--of Free grace and Obedience. The declaration which the Rev. Mr. S y defired the Rev. Mr. Wy to fign at the Bristol-Conference, gives me the idea of this plan: nay, the first part of it is nothing but that declaration itfelf, guarded and ftrengthened by fome additions in brackets.

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IT IS PROPOSED: