in their condemnation, nor esteem and value the door of mercy that is opened by the blood of Chrift.

I fhail conclude this discourse on the first general head with fome remarks; and in the next difcourfe proceed to the confideration of the meritorious cause of God's reconciliation to men.

Rem. I. This difcourfe fhews us that we must be bro't to fubmit to and approve God's righteousness in our condemnation. God is wholly clear in this matter. Yea, let God be true, and every man a liar. O Sirs, God hath faid, That every mouth shall be stopped, and all the world become guilty before him. We must own, fooner or later, that we, and we only are, and have been to blame, and that God deferves our love, fear, reverence, and fervice as much as ever he did; and will continue for ever to deserve them, even tho' he should difplay the glories of his righteousness in our everlafting death: I hope none will understand me as afferting, that we must be willing to be damned, in order to be faved; which I esteem a most abfurd and inconfiftent notion. (Yet I firmly believe, that no man ever was or will be reconciled to God, and love his character from the heart, [without] he is brought to approve, and willingly fubmit to that righteousness of God which is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteoufnefs of men; and according to which he will render indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish, to every one who obeys unrighteoufnefs, and doth evil. They who do not approve of God's conduct herein, can never be friends with him. It is therefore of the last importance that we should submit to the righteousness of God, which implies more in it then a bare owning that God is righteous, and will take vengeance on the wicked; this is a truth which the worst of men, yea devils, will acknowlege at laft; but a true gofpel fubmiffion to this righteoufnefs, implies an approbation of and love to it, fo as to delight in God on this account, as well

as

as for his infinite grace, love, and mercy to those who are faved.)

Without being brought to this, we fhall never approve the death and fufferings of Chrift. For if the righteousness of God is not glorious and amiable in the punishment of the wicked, how can it be fo in the punishment inflicted on his own dear fon? The gofpel will be ftript of all its glory, if the righteoulness of God is fullied; because its immediate defign is to manifest and honour this glorious perfection, and thereby open a way for the honourable and most glorious exercife of God's love and infinite mercy in the falvation of helplefs guilty finners. But this mercy will be defpifed and undervalued, till we have just views of his righteousness, and submit to it. If then we fail in this, all our religion is vain; and how great foever our feeming love to God may be, we fhall foon find that the God we have loved, is not the true God. Such a disappointment as this, when it will be too late to remedy the mistake, will be inconceivably dreadful. May the Lord bring us all to fubmit to his righteoufnefs, that we may duly prize and value his grace and

mercy

* Mr. H. D. p. 55, 56. represents me as afferting in these words, that fubmiffion to the righteoufnefs of God, preceeds regeneration, and says I " carry the matter too far." But I can affure the reader, I intended no fuch thing.— The little word till is all he can found this affertion upon. Had I ufed the word without inftead of it, he could have found no room for his remark. I am here fpeaking not of regeneration, but of actual reconciliation, which can't take place while there is enmity in full exercife against the righteousness of God in punishing the wicked, or till, or rather without a love and approbation of this righteousness. This then is not, as he would reprefent, inconfiftent with what I fav, p. 12. viz. It is impoffible for a foul, while under the power of corruption, fo to fubmit to the punishment of his crimes, as heartily to approve the law and judge that condemns him': for in the first cafe I fuppofe the foul renewed and enmity flin; but in the last I fuppofe enmity to remain in its full ftrength and exercise.

mercy which reigns through righteousness unto eternal life by Jefus Christ!

Rem. II. The enmity of men's hearts against God is a deep-rooted principle. It does not arife from miftaken notions or conceptions of him; nor barely or chiefly from fear of punishment; but from an innate vitiofity of heart, which is the confequence of the fall. The nature of man, and the nature of God, are not only different, but oppofite to each other; which is the reason why they have different and oppofite ends in view which neceffarily engage them in oppofite conduct. Jehovah aims at and purfues one end; but man keeps his eye fixed, and his heart engaged to fomething directly oppofite. The Most High fets up himself and his own glory as the highest and last end of all his conduct; for this he created all things, and for this he upholds and preferves them; his own glory, which is his felicity, is as dear to him as his exiftence; and as he is the best and most worthy of all beings, fo it is perfectly right and fit he should value his own glory, bleffedness, and felicity, in proportion to its worth; that is, above all his creatures put together, because he is more excellent than them all and God acts according to this rule of perfect righteousness, and therefore fets himself at the head of all things, and claims the homage and love of all his creatures as his just and unalienable due. But man has another end in view, viz. bis happiness and glory as his chief object.

All men love what they conceive to be happiness; but not one of the fallen race accounts the enjoyment of God true felicity till renewed by divine grace. Their hearts are fo contrary to all his perfections,that nothing can give them greater pain, and render them more miferable than a fight and apprehension of them as they are found in him; therefore they say unto God depart from us, for we defire not the knowledge of thy ways: Might they enjoy a sensual heaven, a Mahometan paradife,they would be well enough pleased; but the heaven,

where

where God is the foul of beffedness, and where his perfections fhine with dazzling glory and brightness, they perfectly abhor. This would be a hell to them, and render them very miferable. Any happiness without God would fuit them, but they cannot endure his prefence, nor bear the fight of his holiness, which is his glory. This is the caufe of the hatred which wicked men have to the truth and ways of God, and to those who bear his image. The more resemblance any persons bear to the divine perfections, the more they are conformed to Jefus Chrift, the more are they treated like their glorious bead by those who hate God and his way.

This

To confute this fentiment Mr. H. D. p. 17, quotes 1 P. iii. 13. Who is he that will harm you, if ye be followers of that which is good? Hence he infers" that moral good is not "hateful to men, but rather approved and countenanced "as good in their efteem." But had Mr. H. given us the words which immediately follow, viz. But if ye fuffer for righteoufnefs fake, happy are ye, it would have fpoiled his inference from the text. The continuators of Mr. Pool on this text fay, "q.d. If ye be diligent in doing good to others, none will have the heart to do you hurt." And if by this the Apoftle means the practife of goodness and kindness to all about them, as feems evident from the context, in which he recommends focial duties, then the text is nothing to Mr. H's purpose. For it is very pleafing to a carnal heart to have others love and be kind to him; and none ever did or will hate benevolent Chriftians merely for this; but for the teftimony they bear for God and against the wickedness of men. So I have teftified that the hearts and lives of men are evil, and Mr. H. has called on the churches to bear witnefs against me: But I humbly rejoice in the bleffing of Chrift pronounced on thofe who are perfecuted for righteousness fake. But what will Mr. H. do with these texts ?-Ye do always refift the holy Ghoft; as your fathers did, fo do ye. Which of the prophets have not your fathers perfecuted? A&ts vii. 51, 52. If ye were of the world the world would love its own, but because ye are not of the world, but I have chofen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. Joh. xv. 19. If they have called the master

of

This is truly a deplorable state. Man is not only exposed to punishment for his fin, but is averfe to, and at enmity with happiness. He is in purfuit of a false happiness, but fees none in God at all.

Rem.

of the boule Belzebub, much more will they thofe of bis housebold. Mat. x. 25. The friendship of the world is enmity with God. James iv. 4. I came not to fend peace, but divifion and a fword. Luk. xii. 51. Mat. x. 34. Not as Cain who was of that wicked one, and flew his brother: and wherefore feus be him? Because his own works were evil and his brother's righteous, 1 Joh. Hi 12I could fill pages with quotations from fcripture, in direct oppofition to Mr. H's opinion. However he fays, if this is the cafe, we ought

to fee this averfion to all that is-chrift-like univerfally ***expreffed in the life and actions of all unregenerate men. But this does not follow; for (1.) men are often under reftraints, and can't always act out their enmity. So it was with the Jews: They longed to put Chrift to death: and why did they not? Becaufe at one time they feared the people; at another, his hour was not fully come. (2.) Moft men form their notions of what they call Chrift-like by the religion moft in fafhion; and when this fuits the corrup tions of the carnal heart, (as it too often does) no wonder they do not oppose it. This was the cafe of the Jews in Chrift's time: They had framed a religion to fuit their pride, and thought they were ferving God, while they only ferved the Devil. And while they were zealous for his worthip, to which they gave the name of the true worship of God, it was as difficult to perfuade them that they hated God, and were the children of Satan, as it is to perfuade Mr. H that carnal men naturally hate moral good, and perhaps for the fame reafon: And therefore when Chrift told them that they were the children of the Devil, they in return told him, that he had a Devil, John viii. 44, 48. pretty much as Mr. H. has ferved me for faying man has turned Devil, D. p. 49. But when Chrift ftripped religion of thofe things which fed their pride, and condemned them in proportion to their zeal for a falfe religion, they hated the true religion and Chrift too in earnest. And this would be the cafe now, did minifters and profeffors fhine as lights of truth and holinefs in the world, which would, fo condemn the wicked as either to fubdue them to the truth by the blefling of God, or excite perfecution in - one way or other. D