the day of judgment? By teaching them, if they are final ly miferable in their rebellion, and "deftruction be their end," as the fcripture conftantly teacheth, that God fhould have withheld their exiftence? And let them be ever so vile and abominable in their treatment of their Creator and Saviour, if, after their obftinate rejection of life and falvation in this world, he doth not create new worlds and tranfimutation states, and ufe effectual measures for the recovery of all the rebellious, that dishonours will be reflected upon the adorable Creator and Saviour? Certainly we find no fuch doctrines taught, no fuch infinuations given out, nor any fuch " piety and benevolence" exemplified by Mofes and the prophets, by our Saviour and his apostles, or any faint of God, on fcripture record, which are our standard to judge.by. Doth it not favour more of the fpirit of Cain, of the murmuring Ifraelites, and of the wicked of the earth, than of the true faints of God? And can fuch piety and benevolence be genuine in its direction, operation and fruit? Such zeal is prepofterously abfurd. And that rebuke, immediately from God, merits our attention, and should pur and keep us upon guard: "fhall he that contendeth with the Almighty inftruct him? he that reproveth God, let him anfwer it." Job 40. 2. This was effectual with holy Job. In a word, let it be noted, it is not here and there a detached article of the chriftian faith that must be renounced, but we must give up the doctrine of the cross---the conftitution of nature--and the revealed conftitution of God, to embrace this new creed; as will hereafter appear. Surely no good chriftians, who love not their lives to the death for the word of God and teftimony of Jefus, can do this. The people of this land, in this enlightened age, are certainly better inftructed than to do it; unless heads of families and gofpel minifters are far more to blame than I believe them to be, in not duly educating and teaching them. It is plain therefore, we cannot poffibly go over to them. What fhall be done to compromise the matter, to settle the controverfy, and bring us to unity in the faith?

In the room of their propofed reform, I would propose a subftitute, which may be agreed upon by all, without facrificing

any

any truth or dictate of reason or revelation. It is this. Let us renounce the following rules of fophiftry and falfe argumen tation, viz. all attempt to correct the doctrine of revelation, by our prejudicate or invented notions of reason: for the fcrip ture is given to correct these, and not to be corrected by them. "The world by wifdom knew not God." God himself hath taught us in his word the true knowledge of his perfections, councils and works: in this inftruction let us reft and abide. Let us lay afide all attempt to correct the faith of infpired writers, by affixing a more glorious meaning to their declarations" than they understood and intended. Likewife, all argu ing from the perfections of God, againft fcripture declarations, and the revealed conftitution of God; and in that way deducing conclufions against the tenor of revelation. Also, the affixing a univerfal fenfe to general terms, without regarding the neceffary limitation the fubject requires. Falfe rules of conftruction, by fearching for a hidden and more glorious sense, inftead of, and to the fubverfion of the obvious fenfe :---with falfe keys to unlock the meaning of fcripture texts and paffages, which will not agree with the context, with the scope and main fubject of the writer, nor with the tenor of revelation, which are the fure rule of a genuine conftruction :---facts mif tated and argued upon, on the ground of fuch miftatement :--arguings from parity of cafes, where there is no parity to fupport the defigned conclufion :---may-be's and poffibilities affumed as datas, and argued upon as realities ---falfe, illgrounded criticisms, to put off an invented fense instead of the true meaning of fcripture:---invented evasions instead of folid arguments :---and above all, ambiguous words, rendered more ambiguous by falfe criticisms, and then taken up and argued from in the wrong fenfe, without due attention to their connected relation to the context---to important fcripture diftinctions---to the connexion of scripture doctrines one with another and to the true nature of the fubject itself. And withall, words of an important, fixed, decifive meaning, fuch as reconciliation, juftification, and falvation itself, rendered ambiguous, to serve an hypothefis. It is, indeed, high time fuch

rules of fophiftry and falfe argumentation were univerfally re nounced, although the fupport of the doctrine we implead, wholly depends upon them. Thefe falfe rules, duly noticed, will give the reader an opportunity of judging upon the merits of this difpute, and of the force of what is here written and submitted to his judgment. I am clear in it, when these false maxims and modes of arguing are once difcarded, it will fuperfede the pretended need of a reform; and the articles in dispute between us, may stand, with all reason and safety, as they were embraced in the days of inspiration, and have been, by the christian church, ever fince.

I am no enemy to the universalists, although they may account me one, becaufe, with all freedom, I tell them the truth. So far from it, I fincerely wish their welfare; and have a personal refpect for fome who too much countenance this doctrine. But the error itself, I view as of great magnitude and most ruinous confequence; and have not fpared, as occafion offered, to expofe it in the folly, abfurdity and wickedness of it; to point the reader's indignation against it, as ought to be done. Perhaps more freedom is ufed, than otherwife might be thought requifite, on account of the affuming airs of thefe writers, which may fuffer fome little check without detriment to the cause of truth, or the good of mankind.* A free, determined manner of writing, becomes the cause of important truth: and it is natu

ral

* These affuming airs can scarcely escape the notice of any difcerning reader. They affume to themselves fuch a fuperiority, as to look down upon the chriftian world, who differ from them, as far inferior in mental difcernment and improvement, and in chriftian benevolence. This appears in their treatment of the conftructions of common annotators and christian divines with fovereign contempt, and in more direct ways. Mr. Whifton fuggefts, that only weak enthufiafts and divines, bigoted to topical orthodoxy, and deficient in real fagacity and true judgment, could freely preach the common doctrine. Mr. White, in his charity, ftiles them miftical Jews." Mr. Relly, in his civility, ftiles his opponents barking curs." Another inferior author, fpeaks of them as having the vail on their hearts, and blinded by the God of this world. A more polite writer, who reveres the piety of our forefathers, yet exhibits them as a fet of idolatars, portraying the God they worship" deftitute of truth and fincerity," which cannot be the true God. And the humble," pious" Dr.

ral to us when we represent what we firmly believe, and have no fear about us, but of caution not to give juft offence, and of concern left we fhould fail to do justice to the subject by not ftrongly evincing the truths of God we are engaged to fupport. The minds of fome in this degenerate age, are unhappily unhinged from principle, and need to be fixed: and in many, the fprings of mental and moral feelings feem greatly run down ;

or

Dr. Hartly affects a fuperiority over "the facred writers themselves," to give us a more full meaning of their glorious declarations" than their con tracted minds understood. And this benevolent writer, in his candour judges that the chriftian world, proteftant as well as papal, that differ from him in thefe points, receive, for fçripture truths, as grofs abfurdities and palpably wrong and dishonourable ideas of God, as infidels in the dark ages and places of paganism, p. 862, 3. These affuming, cenfùring, contemning airs, are apt to make undue impreffions upon weak minds; for which reafon they are noticed, Timid answers would rather faften than remove the ill impreffions. Whether these "airs" be defigned as a weapon of policy, like British proclamations, to force us by their terror to fubmiffion or filence, or are owing to the evil spirit of the error itself, I prefume not to determine. Those well acquainted with the learned world know, there is no rational ground for it. Give these ingenious, learned, but fanciful authors their full due, they have in the learned world many fuperiors for univerfal literature, deep penetration, theological and critical skill, &c. who were in the common fentiment in difpute. Bishop Sherlock, Dr. Clark, and Dr. Tayler, are applauded by this author; and scores and hundreds might be added to the lift. These writers are merciful, perhaps, without defign, amidst their feverity: for they have left us, joined in one faith, in the beft of company, with the patriarchs and prophets, our Saviour and his apoftles, and all the faints of God, jewish and christian, in the days of infpiration; it being conceded, in their note p, 253, "that the infpired writers did not understand the full meaning of their glorious declarations:" that is, they did not understand the doctrine and scheme of thefe men. This is in effect giving up the point in difpute. The con teft is plainly between the infpired teachers and writers, and thefe men ; and no confiftent revelationist can doubt in fuch a conteft, whofe plan and doctrine will be approved and whofe will be condemned in the great day. That all wisdom and goodness is not the prerogative peculiar of these men, one may infer from the character they give of their body. If we credit the teftimony they give one of another, we must believe in the excellent Mr. White, the pious Dr, Hartly, and the honest Mr. Whiston but the rear of this little army is not fo refpectable as the front; for we are told a very confiderable number of divines, at this day, do not believe in the eternity of hell torments, though they may not disclose their minds to the vulgar, but for political reafons, fuffer it to pafs among them

or fuch palpable errors and abfurdities, as now pafs in the worldy could not be endured. It feems requifite to touch and wind up these springs to their proper tone of fenfibility, that truth, and error may be quickly difcerned, and in fuch force as the one may be readily received and the other rejected. Add to this, it is very pernicious to the credit and ufe of divine reve lation, to render the language of fcripture "fceptical and uns certain." It directly tends to fcepticifm, and to defeat the practical defign of revelation. For fhould we efcape the dreadful gulph of fcepticism, yet, if your principles hang loofe by in the wavering mind, as the cloaths upon the body, they cannot be fo realizingly believed as to effect the grand practis cal intention. Wherefore, I have endeavoured to give the fenfe of fcripture upon fuch plain principles of reafon and fcrip ture, as that truth fhould carrry it's own evidence with it to faften it and to exhibit truth and error in fuch plainnefs and force, as feems fitted to induce a belief of the truth and imprefs the influence of it. Might I happily fucceed, to fix any that are fceptical, fettle the wavering, confirm the believer, fuccour the endangered, and throw out any thoughts that any of our opponents may improve upon for their conviction and recove ry from what I am fully perfuaded to be very dangerous error, I fhould account it among the choiceft bleffings of my life.

It is common for errorifts, and our opponents in particular, to deal much in the most difficult parts of fcripture: here are their ftrong holds---the current doctrine of revelation is directly against them. But in thefe, and all others confidered, I am fatisfied I have given the genuine fenfe intended in the facred texts. If it prove fatisfactory, it will give me pleasure: if it fails

that they do believe it." p. 354. One would imagine thefe political ones, who for their bread pass through the world under a masked faith, are no better than they fhould be ;---that fuch evil fuggeftions thrown out upon the chriftian miniftry, is rather unfriendly to the facred order ;---and their magnifying their little band, by fuch numbers of hidden difciples, can add no great strength or glory to their caufe. A prophet of their own, announces, that modern prudence is the false wisdom condemned by our Saviour; and that the vulgar arts of concealment are equally unworthy the scholar, the divine, and the chriftian." See divine glory brought to view. p. 19.