once understood, the meaning of particular paffages in it will be less liable to doubtful interpretation. And though this method does not give an answer to every cavil and objection, which enthusiasm and error have brought forward; yet it furnishes the confidérate Christian with that standard of judgment, by which every doctrine belonging to the religious fyftem may be fo measured, as to enable him to build his conclufion upon it on the most rational foundation.

The grace of God to man in the Gospel revelation, teaches him to "deny ungodlinefs and wordly lufts, and to live foberly, righteously, and godly in this prefent world." Whatever man, therefore, has received the Gospel in the truth and spirit of it, muft manifeft its effects in his life and converfation; from whence the following axiom is deducible, that no found member of the church can be a bad member of fociety. A doctrine, then, which tends to weaken the obligation to repentance and newness of life; which fupports the finner with a falfe hope, or lulls him into a fatal fecurity; which proves deftructive of one great end of CHRIST's death unto fin, namely, the reformation of the finner; thereby counteracting one great object of the Gospel revelation;-cannot be a doctrine that cometh from GOD,

That the doctrine of abfolute decrees produces this effect is certain, from the conclufion too generally drawn from it; the profeffors of it for the most part depending for falvation through CHRIST upon the ftrength of a positive and irrevocable decree in their favour, antecedent to their birth, and not dependent on their actions; the too general consequence of which has been, that instead of adorning the doctrine of GOD their Saviour in all things, which Chriftians are called upon to do, many have been led to difgrace it"

The remark of ERASMUS, the ftrenuous and unanfwerable opposer of this doctrine, was this: "Of old (faid he) the Gospel made men better; but the newpretended gospel made them much worfe." And in another epiftle upon the fame fubject he wrote ftill more strongly. "This new gofpel (fays he) founded upon the doctrine of abfolute decrees, has produced a new generation of obftinate, impudent, hypocritical people, who are revilers, liars, deceivers; and who do not agree among themselves, and are very uneafy to others; who are feditious, furious, given to cavilling; and with whom I am fo much diffatisfied, that if I knew any town where none of them were, I would go thither, and choose to live in it."

This decifive judgment of ERASMUS upon the effects produced by the doctrine here alluded to, brings to my mind the anfwer made by an eminent preacher of it to fome brethren who were enquiring into the fuccefs of his ministry. "I have made (replied he) many profelytes, and have a very full congregation; but (continued the preacher) all the effect I have found is, that I have preached a congregation of Chriftians into a congregation of devils.”

I would not be understood as adopting all the harfh expreffions that have been at different times made ufe of upon this fubject; because, at any rate, the application of them does not belong to the wellmeaning among these mistaken people; but my object is to point out the general ill effect of the doctrine itself. And fo long as it tends to cherish an idea, that falvation through CHRIST is a thing independent of the perfonal condition of the party; the foregoing language made ufe of by ERASMUS, and the preacher, is not, fo far as thofe perfons are concerned, in whofe mind fuch an idea prevails, too strong for it. So long as it fhall be maintained to be found doctrine, that the true faints of God, as they are called, may commit horrible and crying fins, die without repentance, and yet be fure of falvation; we ministers are

called

upon by our office to fay, that fuch a doctrine is not of God; because it teareth up the very foundation of religion, induceth all manner of profaneness in the world, and is exprefsly contrary to the whole current of scripture.

One of the old independents of the last century faid exprefsly," Let any true faint of GOD be taken away in the very act of any known fin, before it is poffible for him to repent, I make no doubt or fcruple of it, but he shall as furely be faved, as if he had lived to have repented of it;" and he instances in DAVID, in cafe he had been taken away, before he had repented of his adultery and murder. That fome modern teachers of this doctrine are not behind hand with the old independent just mentioned, there is but too much reafon to fear,

The remark made, therefore, upon this fubject by an eminent bishop* of our church, is not so strictly confined to the wild fchifmatics of former days, as, for the credit of the present age, we could wish it was. "The fanatical fects (said he) that sprang up in abundance, amid the confufions of the last century, had fo corrupted the word of Gon by their impure gloffes on

*Bishop HURD. Sermons at Lincoln's-Inn.

the Gospel doctrine of grace, that the age became immoral on principle, and under the name of faints, engendered a hateful brood of profligate Antinomians, i. e. a fort of Chriftians, if they may be fo called, who turned the grace of GoD into licentioufnefs; and to magnify his goodness, very confcientiously tranfgreffed his laws. In a word, they taught that the elect were above ordinances, and might be faved without, nay in defiance of, the moral law."

Upon examining this doctrine clofely, the deformity of which is fo ftriking, that it is a matter of aftonishment how it has ever gained credit in the world, we shall find it to be lefs built upon the word of fcripture, than upon the vain conceit of man; which renders him a mere paffive being in the work of falvation, and means of grace in a great measure useless inftitutions.

The first imagination that poffeffes the mind of an ignorant man upon the fubject of the Divine decrees is, that in every thing relating to his falvation GOD muft work in him both to will and to do, and therefore he must wait GOD's time. This idea, though true in its proper fenfe, is carried by him to that extreme, that if he be called upon to attend his church, and put himself under the word; he will tell