ART. fion to his Apoftles, to go and teach all nations, they went XVII. preaching the Gofpel to the Gentiles. This was a ftumbling-block to the Jews, and it was the chief fubject of controverfy betwixt them and the Apoftles at the time when the Epiftles were writ: fo it was neceffary for them to clear this very fully, and to come often over it. But there was no need of amufing people in the beginnings of Christianity, and in that firft infancy of it, with high and unfearchable fpeculations concerning the decrees of God: therefore they obferve, that the Apoftles fhew how that Abraham at first, Ifaac and Jacob afterwards, were chofen by a difcriminating favour, that they and their pofterity fhould be in covenant with God and upon that occafion the Apostle goes on to fhew, that God had always defigned to call in the Gentiles, though that was not executed but by their ministry.

Exod. vii.

22.

Exod. viii.

With this key one will find a plain coherent fenfe in all St. Paul's difcourfes on this fubject, without afferting antecedent and fpecial decrees as to particular perfons. Things that happen under a permiffive and directing Providence, may be alfo in a largenefs of expreffion atcribed to the will and counfel of God; for a permiffive and directing will is really a will, though it be not antecedent nor caufal. The hardening Pharaoh's heart may be afcribed to God, though it is faid that his heart hardened it15, 19, 32. Self; because he took occafion, from the ftops God put in thofe plagues that he fent upon him and his people, to encourage himself, when he faw there was a new reípite granted him and he who was a cruel and bloody prince, deeply engaged in idolatry and magic, had deferved fuch judgments for his other fins; fo that he may be well confidered as actually under his final condemnation, only under a reprieve, not fwallowed up in the first plagues, but preserved in them, and raifed up out of them, to be a lasting monument of the juftice of God against fuch hardened Rom. ix. impenitency. Whom be will be bardeneth, must be ftill reftrained to fuch perfons as that tyrant was.

18.

:

It is endless to enter into the difcuffion of all the paffages cited from the Scripture to this purpofe; this key ferving, as they think it does, to open moft of them. It is plain these words of our Saviour concerning those John xvii. uhom the Father had given him, are only to be meant of a difpenfation of Providence, and not of a decree; fince he adds, And I bave loft none of them, except the fon of perdition: for it cannot be faid, that he was in the decree, and yet was loft. And in the fame period in which God is Phil. ii. 13. laid to work in us both to will and to do, we are required to

12.

work

XVII.

A&ts xiii.

work out our own falvation with fear and trembling. The word ART. rendered, ordained to eternal life, does alfo fignify, fitted or predifpofed to eternal life. That queftion, Who made thee to differ? feems to refer to thofe gifts which in different de. Phil. ii. 12. grees and measures were poured out on the firft Chrif- 48. tians; in which men were only paffive, and discriminated i Cor. iv. 7. from one another by the freedom of thofe gifts, without any thing previous in them to difpofe them to them.

Chrift is faid to be the propitiation for the fins of the 1 Joh. ii. 2. whole world; and the wicked are faid to deny the Lord 2 Pet. ii. 1. that bought them; and his death, as to its extent to all men, is fet in oppofition to the fin of Adam; fo that as by Rom. v. 18. the offence of one, judgment came upon all men to condemnation; fo by the righteousness of one, the free gift came upon all men to juflification of life. The all of the one fide muft be of the fame extent with the all of the other: fo fince all are concerned in Adam's fin, all must be likewise concerned in the death of Chrift. This they urge farther, with this argument, that all men are obliged to believe in the death of Chrift, but no man can be obliged to believe a lie; therefore it follows that he must have died for all. Nor can it be thought that grace is fo efficacious of itself, as to determine us; otherwife why are we required not to grieve God's Spirit? Why is it faid, Ye do Acts vii. gr. always refift the Holy Ghost; as your fathers did, fo do ye. How often would I have gathered you under my wings, but Mat. xxiii. ye would not? What more could I bave done in my vineyard, that has not been done in it? These seem to be plain intimations of a power in us, by which we not only can, but often do refift the motions of grace.

37.

Ifa. v. 4.

Ezek.

If the determining efficacy of grace is not acknowledged, it will be yet much harder to believe that we are efficaciously determined to fin. This feems to be not only contrary to the purity and holinefs of God, but is fo manifeftly contrary to the whole ftrain of the Scriptures, that charges fin upon men, that in fo copious a fubject it is not neceffary to bring proofs. O Ifrael, thou haft de- Hof, xiii.g. froyed thyself; but in me is thy help: and, Ye will not come Joh. v. 40. unto me, that ye may have life: why will you die, O bouse of xxx. 11. Ifrael? And as for that nicety of faying, that the evil of fin confifts in a negation, which is not a pofitive being, fo that though God fhould determine men to the action that is finful, yet he is not concerned in the fin of it: they think it is too metaphyfical, to put the honour of God and his attributes upon fuch a fubtilty: for in fins against moral laws, there feems to be an antecedent immorality in the action itself, which is infeparable from it. But

Q3

suppose

xxxiii.

XVII.

ART. fuppofe that fin confifted in a negative, yet that privation does immediately and neceffarily refult out of the action, without any other thing whatfoever intervening: fo that if God does infallibly determine a finner to commit the action to which that guilt belongs, though that should be a fin only by reafon of a privation that is dependent upon it, then it does not appear but that he is really the author of fin; fince if he is the author of the finful action, on which the fin depends as a fhadow upon its fubftance, he must be esteemed, fay they, the author of fin.

Heb, vi.

24.

And though it may be faid, that fin being a violation of God's law, he himfelf, who is not bound by his law, cannot be guilty of fin; yet an action that is immoral is fo effentially oppofite to infinite perfection, that God cannot be capable of it, as being a contradiction to his own nature. Nor is it to be fuppofed that he can damn men for that, which is the neceflary refult of an action to which he himfelf determined them.

As for perfeverance, the many promifes made in the Rev. ii. and Scriptures to them that overcome, that continue stedfast and faithful to the death, seem to infinuate, that a man may fall from a good ftate. Thofe famous words in the fixth of the Hebrews do plainly intimate, that fuch men may fo fall away, that it may be impoffible to renew them again by reHeb. x. 38. pentance. And in that Epiftle where it is faid, The juft fball live by faith; it is added, but if he draw back, (any man is not in the original,) my foul fhall have no pleasure in Ezek. xviii. bim. And it is pofitively faid by the Prophet, When the righteous turneth away from his righteousness, and committet b iniquity, all his righteousness that he hath done fhall not be mentioned; in bis fin that be bath finned fhall be die. Thefe fuppofitions, with a great many more of the fame ftrain that may be brought out of other places, do give us all poffible reafon to believe that a good man may fall from a good ftate, as well as that a wicked man may turn from a bad one. In conclufion, the end of all things, the final judgment at the laft day, which fhall be pronounced according to what men have done, whether good or evil, and their being to be rewarded and punished according to it, seems fo effectually to affert a freedom in our wills, that they think this alone might ferve to prove the whole cause.

So far I have fet forth the force of the argument on the fide of the Remonftrants. As for the Socinians, they make their plea out of what is faid by the one and by the other fide. They agree with the Remonftrants in all that they fay againft abfolute decrees, and in urging all thofe confequences that do arife out of them: and they

do

XVII.

do alfo agree with the Calvinifts in all that they urge ART. against the poffibility of a certain prefcience of future contingents: fo that it will not be neceffary to fet forth their plea more specially, nor needs more be faid in oppofition to it, than what was already faid as part of the Remonftrants' plea. Therefore, without dwelling any longer on that, I come now to make fome reflections upon the whole matter.

It is at firft view apparent, that there is a great deal of weight in what has been faid of both fides: fo much, that It is no wonder if education, the conftant attending more to the difficulties of the one fide than of the other, and a temper fome way proportioned to it, does fix men very fteadily to either the one or the other perfuafion. Both fides have their difficulties, fo it will be natural to choose that fide where the difficulties are leaft felt: but it is plain there is no reason for either of them to defpife the other, fince the arguments of both are far from being contempti

ble.

It is farther to be obferved, that both fides feem to be chiefly concerned to affert the honour of God, and of his attributes. Both agree in this, that whatever is fixed as the primary idea of God, all other things must be explained fo as to be confiftent with that. Contradictions are never to be admitted; but things may be justly believed, against which objections may be formed that cannot be eafily answered.

The one fide think, that we muft begin with the idea of infinite perfection, of independency, and abfolute fovereignty and if in the fequel difficulties occur which cannot be cleared, that ought not to fhake us from this primary idea of God.

Others think, that we cannot frame fuch clear notions of independency, fovereignty, and infinite perfection, as we can do of juftice, truth, holinefs, goodnefs, and mercy: and fince the Scripture propofes God to us most frequently under thofe ideas, they think that we ought to fix on thefe as the primary ideas of God, and then reduce all other things to them.

Thus both fides feem zealous for God and his glory; both lay down general maxims that can hardly be difputed; and both argue juftly from their first principles. Thefe are great grounds for mutual charity and forbearance in thefe matters.

It is certain, that one who has long interwoven his thoughts of infinite perfection, with the notions of abfolute and unchangeable decrees, of carrying on every thing

XVII.

ART. by a pofitive will, of doing every thing for his own glory, cannot apprehend decrees depending on a forefeen freewill, a grace fubject to it, a merit of Chrift's death that is loft, and a man's being at one time loved, and yet finally hated of God, without horror. Thefe things feem to carry in them an appearance of feeblenefs, of dependence, and of changeablenets.

On the other hand, a man that has accuftomed himself to think often on the infinite goodnefs and mercy, the long-fuffering, patience, and flownefs to anger, that appears in God; he cannot let the thought of abfolute reprobation, or of determining men to fin, or of not giving them the grace neceflary to keep them from fin and damnation, enter into his mind, without the fame horror that another feels in the reverfe of all this.

So that the fource of both opinions being the different ideas that they have of God, and both thefe ideas being true; men only mistaking in the extent of them, and in the confequences drawn from them; here are the clearest grounds imaginable for a mutual forbearance, for not judging men imperiously, nor cenfuring them feverely upon either fide. And thofe who have at different times of their lives been of both opinions, and who upon the evidence of reafon, as it has appeared to them, have changed their perfuafions, can fpeak more affirmatively here; for they know, that in great fincerity of heart they have thought both ways.

Each opinion has fome practical advantages of its fide. A Calvinift is taught, by his opinions, to think meanly of himself, and to afcribe the honour of all to God; which lays in him a deep foundation for humility: he is alfo much inclined to fecret prayer, and to a fixed dependence on God; which naturally both brings his mind to a good ftate, and fixes it in it: and fo though perhaps he cannot give a coherent account of the grounds of his watchfulnefs and care of himself; yet that temper arifes out of his humility, and his earneftnefs in prayer. A Remonftrant, on the other hand, is engaged to awaken and improve his faculties, to fill his mind with good notions, to raise them in himfelf by frequent reflection, and by a conftant attention to his own actions: he fees caufe to reproach himself for his fins, and to fet about his duty to purpofe: being aflured that it is through his own fault if he mifcarries: he has no dreadful terrors upon his mind; nor is he tempted to an undue fecurity, or to fwell up in (perhaps) an imaginary conceit of his being unalterably in the favour of God.

Both