deavoured to throw an odium upon what he calls the popular doctrine concerning conviction of fin, regeneration, converfion, &c. it may not be improper to fubjoin another passage we meet with in the teatise above-mentioned, in which the learned Doctor gives his judgment concerning the oppofition made to some important truths taught by those eminent divines relating to conviction, converfion, and other parts of the Christian exercise; which some fashionable divines, in that age, ridiculed and reviled much in the same manner as the letter-writer has done the doctrine taught by the popular preachers with relation to the same subjects. And as they and he have been evidently animated by the same spirit of malignity, and disaffection to the power of godliness, in making such a vigorous opposition to some precious truths respecting the points aforementioned, what the Doctor justly affirms of them, is equally applicable to him; who in pride, arrogance, and a malicious oppofition to the true doctrine of the grace of God, equals, yea by many degrees exceeds his most renowned predecessors. Let us now hear the Doctor, who writes in the following manner.

"The doctrine concerning these things hath " been varioufly handled, distinguished, and ap"plied, by many learned divines and faithful mi"nisters of the gospel. Unto that light which "they received into them from the infallible word " of truth, they joined those experiences which they "had observed in their own hearts, and the con"sciences of others with whom they had to do, "which were suitable thereunto. And in the dif" pensation of this truth, according to the measure of the gift of the grace of Christ, which they severally received, they had an useful and fruitful ministry in the world, to the converting of many

८८

" unto

"unto God. But we have lived to see all these " things decried and rejected. And the way which " some have taken therein, is as strange and un"couth as the thing itself. For they go not about " once to disprove by Scripture or reason, what " hath been taught or delivered by any fober per"sons to this purpose; nor do they endeavour " themselves to declare from, or by the Scriptures, " what is the work of regeneration, what are the "causes and effects of it in opposition thereunto. "These and such like ways made use of by all that " have treated of spiritual things, from the founda" tion of Chriftianity, are despised and rejected. "But horrible and contemptuous reproaches are cast

upon the things themselves, in words heaped to"gether on purpose to expose them unto scorn, " among persons ignorant of the gospel and them"selves. - All conviction, sense of, and forrow " for fin; all fear of the curse and wrath due unto " fin, all troubles and distresses of mind, by reason " of these things, are foolish imaginations - en" thusiastic notions arifing from the disorders of " mens brains, and I know not what untoward " humours in their complexions and constitu"tions." Palemon calls them the "froth of hu" man pride and the idle process of a law-work*." "The same or the like account," says the Doctor, " is also given concerning all spiritual directions, or " joys and refreshments. And the whole doctrine " concerning these things is branded with novelty, " and hopes expressed of its sudden vanishing out " of the world. This contempt and scorn of the " gospel have we lived to fee, whereof it may be " other ages and places have not had experience. " For as all these things are plentifully taught by

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"some of the ancients in their expofitions of the Scriptures; - fo the doctrine concerning them " is in a great measure retained in the church of "Rome itself. Only some amongit ourselves are

weary of them; who being no way able to oppofe the principles and foundations whereon they are built, nor to difprove them by Scripture or " reason, betake themselves to these revilings and reproaches. And as if it were not enough for "them to proclaim their own ignorance and per"sonal unacquaintance with those things which infeparably accompany that conviction of fin, righteousness and judgment, which our Lord "Jesus Christ hath promised to send the Holy Spi"rit to work in all that should believe, they make "the reproaching of it in others a principal effect " of that religion which they profess. Neverthe

less the foundation of God ftandeth fure : God know"eth who are his *.""

That malignant oppofition to the truth which the Doctor here complains of, was then to be found chiefly with some high-flying prelatists and dignitaries of the church of England; but perhaps it would have not a little surprised him, had he lived to fee a spawn of error and malignity produced by Independency and Sectarianism in North Britain, more hideous and monstrous than any of the unscriptural notions advanced, in opposition to that doctrine which is according to godliness, by the Gentlemen above-mentioned.

Before I leave this head I shall only observe, that since, according to the letter-writer's hypothesis, unbelievers cannot be under any obligation to obey the divine law, and consequently cannot be juftly

* Discourse concerning the Holy Spirit. Book III.

c. ii. p. 196, 197.

punished punished for the breach of it; and he affirms in effect, that believers being still under the law as a covenant of works, are liable to condemnation and everlasting wrath for every fin they commit *; the latter must be acknowledged to be in a far more dangerous and miserable condition than the former. Any benefit they receive from the atonement, one would think, cannot be very great, if by it, and their faith in it, which distinguishes them from unbelievers, they are brought under the law, that others have nothing to do with; under an obligation to obey every precept of it under the pain of eternal damnation; while unbelievers are wholly dead to the obligation of it, and consequently incapable of contracting any guilt, or becoming liable to condemnation and the wrath of God, by any tranfgreffion of it. The apostle Paul afferts, that to be dead to the law, that is, to the curse and condemning power of it, as a covenant of works, is the peculiar privilege of true believers †; but if we may credit Palæmon, believers are as much alive to the law as ever they were before; yea by their very believing, instead of dying, they become alive to it, or liable to condemnation and the wrath of God for the least breach of it; while on the contrary unbelievers are dead to the commanding, and consequently to the condemning power of it. Is this the apoftolic gospel!

But we proceed to confider another extraordinary article of Palæmon's new creed, which is as follows.

* Letters, &c. p. 419. † Rom. vii. 1-4. Gal.

й. 19.

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ARTICLE IX.

THE gospel being only an bistorical account of fome plain facts relating to the death and refurrection of Jefus, includes no offers, or promises of the remission of fins, or eternal falvation through him, nor indeed any calls of grace directed to unbelieving finners of mankind.

T

H

REMARKS.

E word gospel in this proposition, is not to be understood in a large sense for the whole doctrine of Christ and his apostles contained in the New Testament; for if we take it in this sense, I doubt not but the letter-writer will allow, that all the promises, precepts and exhortations, as well as doctrines and histories that any way concern man's recovery and falvation from that state of fin and condemnation he is naturally in, or that obedience which as a believer in Christ every Christian is bound to perform to the glory of God, do belong to it. But the gospel here is to be taken, in a strict and proper sense, for that which is revealed and proposed as the immediate ground of faith to finners of mankind who hear the gospel, which Palæmon calls the revealed reason of hope, or who read the New Testament.

This he all along supposes to be nothing else but a well-attested account of a fupernatural fact, namely, the refurrection of Jesus. He plainly infinuates, that the history of this fact, and others connected with it, is all that is neceffary to be believed in order

to