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persons, and if all the promises (made in him) belong to those few only, unless I could find some mention of my name amongst them, or could receive some revelation from heaven to that effect, how can I with any certainty or assurance build my faith upon it, that I am one of them?

TAKE-O'-TRUST.-We are bound to think, every one is of the number of the Elect, till it appears to the contrary.

TIL. TENT. This is but singing the old note over again. This is still your judgment of charity; which, though it suppresseth all suspicion in you towards me, yet can it not cure those fears and jealousies which I have (but with too great reason) conceived of myself. As for your appearances to the contrary, I cannot understand them, much less set any value upon them: For "by such outward things," the Synod is ready to tell us, 66 we can never perceive any thing of what belongs to the state of Election or Reprobation." I am beholding to you, that, waving the severity of your reason, you will make use of a charitable supposition to flatter me into an opinion that I am one of that "little flock" for which Christ died. But there is nothing can secure and comfort me, but a full and certain persuasion that I am one of them; which you will never be able to work in me, denying that Christ died for all, unless you can find some particular and undeniable evidence of my interest in him.

INDEFECTIBLE. You should reflect upon your former experience of God's gracious work in you.. That Spirit of adoption sent out into the hearts of God's Elect "to bear witness to their spirits," though he may become silent, and not speak peace to them in such an audible language of comfort as is always apprehended by them, yet "abides with them for ever." Spiritual enjoyments are different from these outward and carnal ones: We may lose their taste and relish, as to sensible refreshment; but not their real presence, as influencing to salvation.

TIL. TENT.-Some comfortable apprehensions might be awakened and kindled in those bosoms that have been warmed with such sweet and heavenly experiences, if they were not all overcast and darkened again by other black and dismal clouds, which the observation of some of your greatest Divines have spread over them. For Mr: Calvin himself saith, "The heart of man hath so many starting-holes and secret corners of vanity and lying, and is clothed with so many colours of guileful

hypocrisy, that it oftentimes deceiveth itself. And, besides, experience sheweth, that the Reprobates are sometimes moved with the same feelings that the Elect are, so that in their own judgment they nothing differ from the Elect."* (Instit. l. 3, chap. ii, sec. 10, 11.) But the truth is, though I have lived a good moral life hitherto, and in a way of duty have had a comfortable dependence upon the mercy of God in Christ Jesus, yet, I am now afraid, I have had none of those extraordinary suavities and refreshments of God's Spirit, and consequently have no assurance of the presence of that Comforter who, it is promised, shall "abide with us for ever."

KNOWLITTLE.-You are to consider, that all the Elect are not called at the same hour.

TIL. TENT.-I should not stand upon the hour; I could be content, that God may take his own time to call me, if you could, in order to my present comfort, insure me that I shall be called, though it be but at the hour of death. But this is that, for [which] I am afraid you have no grounds.

TAKE-O'-TRUST.-You may be confident, that Christ is dead for you, and that you have an interest in him, so you can believe it.

TIL. TENT.-I would desire to ask but these two questions: (1) Whether this comfort be applicable to all and every sick and afflicted persons?-And (2) Whether it be grounded upon the truth? For if it be not to be applied unto ALL, I may be amongst the excepted persons, and so am not concerned in it; or, if it be not grounded upon THE TRUTH, you offer me a delusion instead of comfort.

TAKE-O'-TRUST.-It is applicable unto all and every one, and grounded upon the unquestionable truth of the Holy Gospel.

TIL. TENT.-If it be applicable to all and every one, as you affirm, and grounded upon the truth, (that is, as I conceive, a truth antecedent to their believing,) then it follows undeniably, that CHRIST DIED FOR ALL in general and for every one in special,-else how can the comfort of this doctrine be so applied to them, as you would have it?-But if your meaning be, that it will become true to me or to any other person "that Christ died for us," by that act of faith which you would have me or any such other person give unto your speeches,-then

See Heb. vi, 4, 5,

you run into a manifest absurdity, maintaining, "that the object of faith, or the thing proposed to be believed, doth receive its TRUTH from the act of the believer, and depend upon his consent;" whose faith and approbation can no more make true that which in itself is false, than make false by his unbelief that which in itself is true. Well may the infidel deprive himself of the fruit of Christ's death; but he cannot bring to pass, by his unbelief, that Christ hath not suffered it as a proof of his love to mankind. On the other side, the believer may receive benefit from the death of Christ; but his act of faith doth not effect, but necessarily suppose that death as suffered for him, before it can be exercised about it or lay hold upon it. Nay, my believing is so far from procuring Christ's death for me, that, on the contrary, our great Divines do maintain, quod nemo unquam fidem habeat, nisi morte et meritis Christi curatam, "that I cannot have faith, unless it be procured for me by the merits and death of Christ." And because I cannot find this faith in me, I may conclude, He hath not procured it for me, and consequently that He hath not died for me, neither: And this, you know, is the ground of all my trouble.

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DR. DUBIUS.-Sir, I wish you to take heed of that "evil heart of unbelief," as the Apostle calls it; (Heb. iii.) and to that end remember the words of our Saviour, "He that believeth on the Son, hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son, shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him." (John iii, 36.)

TIL. TENT.-Sir, instead of lending me a clue to guide me out of that maze of difficulties into which the prodigious divinity of the Synod hath led me, you entangle me much more in it. For whereas the Apostle saith, that "God sends strong delusions to such as will not receive the love of the truth, that they may be saved," (2 Thes. ii,) you, governing your discourse by those principles, would first persuade men to believe a false proposition, when you exhort every man to believe that Christ died for him, which is false according to that doctrine; and then, having believed this falsehood, they are punished by the spirit of error to believe a lie! I beseech you, which way would you have me turn myself, to get out of these perplexities?; having instructed me to believe a doctrine, that turns my obedience into punishment, and makes my following the truth (according to that calculation) the sure way to aggravate my damnation.

For if the Synod saith true, and Christ be not dead for them that believe not in him, how do they deserve to be punished for not believing that which is false? And those that do obey the commandment and believe in his death, (though but for a time,) why suffer they the punishment due only to the refractory and incredulous, which is to believe a lie?

KNOWLITTLE.-Sir, you must not think to beguile us with your "vain philosophy." We are too well established in these saving truths, to be perverted by such sophistry.

TIL.-If you have no better cordials for afflicted consciences, nor firmer props to support the necessity of your ministry, than what the doctrines of the Synod will afford you, I am afraid the most vulgar capacities will find logic enough to conclude, from the premises, that your office is altogether useless and impertinent. Laying aside therefore the person of the Infidel, Carnal, Tepid, and Afflicted, whose parts I have hitherto acted, to make a practical trial of the efficacy of your ministry upon them, according to the tenor and consequence of those doctrines, I beseech you sadly to reflect upon what hath already passed betwixt us; and consider further what a vertiginous spirit presided in that Synod, that led those Divines (maugre all the reason to the contrary,) to deny some things which the scripture expressly doth affirm, and to affirm other things which the Scripture doth as expressly deny.-They deny the universality of the merits of Christ's death, which the Scripture abundantly proclaimeth; and yet they do exhort and enjoin all men, upon peril of damnation, to believe in him, as if the Author of all truth did not only allow, but also command, some men to believe falsehood. They exhort and command every one to believe "that he is elected to salvation," (though indeed he be a very reprobate,) and "that he cannot lose faith and grace once received," which the Scripture in express terms denieth. And as the denial of Christ's universal redemption takes away all the solid ground of comfort, so the asserting of the Saints' indefectibility overthrows the necessity of exhortation, with the usefulness of promises and threatenings to enforce it. For who will value such admonitions, when he is instructed to believe, that he can never be so far wanting to the grace of God, nor harden his heart, nor fall from his standing, so far as

Harden not your hearts, take heed lest ye fall, receive not the grace of God in vain.

to endanger his salvation? And who will deny himself (upon the assault of a gallant temptation especially,) the present satisfaction of his lusts and passions, for the reversion of a kingdom, who is persuaded "there are several decrees past in heaven as well to necessitate, as secure him in the succedaneous enjoyment of them both?" And who will be frighted from the pleasures of sin with the threatened danger of damnation, (unless a fit of Melancholy transports him into that folly,) which, he believes, it is no more possible to happen to him, than for God to lie, or his immutable decrees to be rescinded? In brief, when we consider the consequences of that doctrine, "that the absolute decrees of heaven do not only over-rule, but also predetermine every individual action of mankind," (so that it is impossible for the endeavours and wit of man to make any one of them happen at any other time or after any other manner than they do,) may we not (as far as that doctrine can warrant us,) conclude, that it is God's only fault that so many men prove infidels and profane, lukewarm and desperate?, because it is He that doth withhold that grace which is absolutely necessary to work an effectual alteration and change in them. And [may we not] resolve, that it were therefore fit, that all preachers (forbearing to importune the weak creature to attempt any of those mere impossibilities to which he hath, at most, but a passive power,) should direct their admonitions to God alone, that he would perform, what is his own work only, in the hearts of men, that is, to convert, correct, provoke, and comfort them, by such an invincible arm of efficiency as cannot be resisted ?

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The benefit of the word preached being thus totally evacuated by these doctrines, we shall find no more use or comfort in the sacraments, but so far forth as we can observe the very same ministers, in the very administration of them, to overthrow their own unhappy doctrine. For to every one [whom they baptize, they apply the promises of the covenant of grace, contrary to their own tenet,-which is, "that they belong nothing at all to the Reprobates." Likewise the Lord's Supper is given to all, with the assurance, Christ died for all them that receive it, -though their own tenet is, "that he no way died for them who receive it unworthily and to their condemnation;" whose number is not small among our Reformed congregations, even by their own confession.-What more? The very exercises of

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