word, and work, fprings from faith and love; and if faith and love fpring from God; is it not evident, that he is the first caufe of our genuine righteoufnefs, as. well as of our existence?

(3) When God "fays, Afk and you fhall have, does he not show himself, the original of all that we want for body and foul, for time and eternity? And if God. owes us nothing—if the help that is done upon earth, the Lord originally does it himself, is it not the height of ingratitude and pride to restrain from God, and arrogate to ourselves, the glory due to him and his infinite perfections?

(4) We are commanded in every thing to give thanks; but if grace is not the fource of all the good. we do, or receive; does it not follow, that, in fome things the original glory belongs to us, and therefore we deserve thanks before God himfelf? And is not this the horrid fin of Anti-chrift, who fitteth as God in the temple of God, and there receives divine honours as if he were God?

(5) Does not reafon dictate, that God will not give his glory to another, and that even the MAN, who. is his fellow, must pay him homage? Is it not the Almighty's incommunicable glory to be the firft caufe of all good, agreeably to thofe words of our Lord, There is none good (i. e. felf-good, and truly felf-righteous) but God, from whom goodnefs and righteoufnefs flow, as light and heat do from the fun? How dangerous then, how dreadful is the error of the felf-righteous, who are above ftooping to divine goodnefs, and giv ing it its due! If robbing a church of its ornaments is facrilege, how facrilegious is the pride of a pharifee, who, by claiming original goodnefs, robs Cd's grace of its indifputable honours, and God himfelf of his incommunicable glory!

(6) To fhow chriftians how ridiculous and fatanic is the pride of the felf-righteous, I need only remind them that Chrift himself-Chrifl the righteous (as the Son of David) declined all self-righteousness. Did he not call his works, The works that I do in my Father's name, or by my Father's grace? And did he not, as it were, annihilate himfelf, when he faid, Why calleft thou me good without any reference to the Godhead, of which I am the living temple?—I can do nothing of myself. Ifpeak not of myself, but the Father that dwelleth in me, HE DOES the works. Learn of me to be LOWLY IN HEART? What real chriftian can read fuch fcrip. tures without learning to difclaim all felf-righteoufnefsand to abhor pharifaic dotages? If Honeftus is a reason- able chriftian, I need fay no more to reconcile him to Free-grace.

I know not which of the two extremes is the most abominable, that of the pharifee, who, by flighting Free-grace, will not allow God to be the firft caufe of all our good works; or that of the Antinomian, who, by exploding Free-will, indirectly reprefents the Parent of good as the firft cause of all our wickedness. This laft error is that of Zelotes, to whom I recommend the following arguments.

(1) All rationals (as fuch) are neceffarily endued with Free-will, otherwife reafon and confcience would be powers as abfurdly bestowed upon them, as persua- fivenefs upon a carp, and a taste for mufic upon an oyfter. What are reafon and confcience but powers, by which we diftinguifh right from wrong, that we may chufe the one and refufe the other? And how do they reflect upon God's wifdom, who suppose, that he gave and fored to man thefe powers, without giving him a capacity to use them! And what can this capacity be, it is not Free-will? As furely then as wings and legs prove, that eagles have a power to

#y, and hares to run; whether they fly, or run, towards the sportsman's dectructive weapon, or from it : fo furely do eafon and confcience demonftrate, that men are endued with liberty, i. e. have a power to chufe, whether they make a right or a wrong choice. Again,

(2) What is a human foul? You juftly anfwer, It is a thinking, willing, accountable thing: and I reply, from the very nature of our foul then, it is evident, that we are, and ever shall be, Free-willing creatures. For the moment fouls have loft their power of thinking and willing freely, they are no longer accountable: moral laws are as improper for them as for raging billows. None but fools would attempt to rule delirious perfons and madmen by penal laws. The reafon is plain people ftark mad, thinking freely no longer, are no longer fee-willers: and being no more freewillers, they are no more confidered as moral agents. So certain then as man is a reasonable, accountable creature, he is endued with Free-will: for all ration-. als under God are accountable, and all accountable be ings have more or lefs power over themselves and their actions. He (the Lord himself made man from the beginning, and left him in the hand of his counfel: if thou wilt, to keep the commandments, and to perform acceptable faithfulness. He hath fet fire and water before thee: fretch forth thy hand unto whether thou wilt. Before man is life and death, and whether him liketh fhall be given him. Eccl. xv 14, &c. The tempter therefore. may allure, but cannot force us to do evil; and God himself fo wifely invites, and fo gently draws us to obedience, as not to turn the fcale for us in an irrehftible manner.

(3) O the abfurdity of fuppofing, that God has appointed a day, in which he will judge the world in righteoufnef, if the world is not capable of making a right wrong choice; and if Chrift, Adam, or the Devil

and

abfo.

abfolutely turn the fcale of our morals for us! O the blot fixed upon God's wifdem, when he is reprefented as rewarding men with heavenly thrones, for having done the good, which they could no more avoid doing, than rivers can prevent their flowing! O the difhonour done to his juice, when he is reprefented as fentencing men to everlasting burnings, for committing fin as netearily as a leaden ball tends to the centre!

*

(4) If Free grace does all in believers without Freewill why does David fay, the Lord is my HELPER? Why does our church play after the Pfalmift, Make bafe to HELP me? Why does St. Paul declare, that The Spirit ufelf HELPETH our infirmities? Why did he not fay, I can do abfolutely nothing, inftead of faying, I can do all things, through the Lord who frengtheneth me? And when Chrift had faid, Without me ye can do nothing, why did he not correct himself, and declare, that We Can Do nothing WITH him, and that HE ALONE muft do all? Nay, why does St. Paul apply to himfelf and others, when THEY WORK WITH God, the very fame word that St. Mark applies to God, when WORKS WITH men? We are, ouYEрYO, WORKERS WITH God, 1 Cor. iii. 9. The Lord, σUVEPYENTOS, WORKING TOGETHER WITH them. Mark xvi. 20.

HE

TOGETHER

(5) Do not all the promifes, the performance of which is fufpended upon fome term to be performed by us through divine affistance, prove the concurrence

* The word in the original has a peculiar force: [uvavape. βανεται] It expreffes at once how God's Spirit does his part (ovy) with us, and [avi] OVER AGAINST US; like two perfons that take up a burden together and carry it, the one at one end, and the other at the other end; or like a minifter and a congregation, who join in prayer by alternately taking up the refponfes of the Church.

of

of Free-grace with Free-will? When God fays, Seek, and you fhall find.---Forgive, and you shall be forgiven.--Come unto me, and I will give you reft.---Return to me and I will return to you, &c. When God, I fay, fpeaks this language, who does not fee Free-grace courting and alluring Free-will? Free-grace fays, Seek ye my face, and Free-will anfwers, Thy face, Lord will I feek. On the other hand, unbelievers know, that fo long as their Free-will refuses to fubmit to the terms fixed by Free-grace, the promise mifcarries, and God himfelf declares, Ye shall know my breach of promife, Numb. xiv. 34.

(6.) As the promifes, which Free-grace makes to fubmiffive Free-will, prove the doctrine of the gospelaxioms; fo do the threatnings, which anxious Freegrace denounces, left it should be rejected by Freewill take alfo two or three examples.-I will caft them that commit adultery with her, into great tribulation, EXCEPT they repent of their deeds.-EXCEPT ye repent, ye fball all likewife perifb.-He that believeth not fall be damned. If we fin wilfully (i. c. obftinately, and to the last moment of our day of grace) after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth (for us) &c. a fiery indignation, which fhall devour the adverfaries, -&c. Who does not fee here, that Free-grace provoked by inflexible Free-will, can, and will act the part of inflexible juftice?

(7) There is not one reproof, encomium, ór exhortation, in the Old and New Teftament, that does not fupport the capital doctrines of free-grace, or free-will. When Chrift fays with a frown: How is it that you hove no faith? O perverfe generation, How long fhall I Suffer you?- generation of vipers, BRING FORTH FRUIT meet for repentance.-Have ye your heart YET hardened-When he fmiles and fays, Well done good and faithful fervant :-When he marvels, and cries out, Great is thy faith :-Or when he gives fuch gracious exhortations,