suasion touching the Philippians was of this nature, appears by the verse following that which is alleged. But I say, God doth as well carry on as begin the work of grace in man's heart, in such a way as doth not evacuate but establish the necessity of man's duty; and, therefore, he backs that his confidence, with a vehement exhortation, "As ye have always obeyed, work out your own salvation with fear and with trembling; for it is God, that worketh in you to will and to do, of his good pleasure." (Phil. ii, 12, 13.) And we may observe in the Epistle to the Angel of the Church of Philadelphia, where God makes a promise to preserve him in a time of trial then at hand; though that promise was something of the nature of at reward, being made to him upon a consideration of his former fidelity, yet he subjoins an obligation of duty: "Thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name: Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world to try them that dwell upon the earth.” (Rev. iii, 8, 10.) But to shew that his own care and constancy was requisite in order to the accomplishment of that promise, he adds, “Behold, I come quickly; hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown." (Verse 11.) Notwithstanding God's promise, if we grow careless, we may forfeit our reward and incur damnation, as is clearly threatened in Ezek. xviii, 24: "But when the righteous turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and doth according to all the abominations that the wicked man doth; shall he live? All his righteousness that he hath done, shall not be mentioned: in his trespass that he hath trespassed, and in his sin that he hath sinned, in them shall he die."

INDEFECTIBLE.-How can this consist with God's covenant and promise?, "I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from them to do them good; but I will put my fear in their hearts that they shall not depart from me." (Jer. xxxii, 40.)

DR. DUBIUS.-That God doth not engage himself in that place to confer upon his people an irresistible power of grace, infallibly to effect the gift of perseverance in them, will be manifest, if we consider that the covenant, there mentioned, concerned the people of the Jews, and contained the favour that God would vouchsafe to do them presently upon their return

from the Babylonish Captivity, as appears clearly in the foregoing and following verses; and yet, through their fault and want of compliance, this did not take effect, their renewed defection crossed God's promise, and the event happened far otherwise. For if you consider that people soon after their return from that captivity, they grew worse and worse, as appears from Nehemiah, the last [chapter]: And if you will refer the fulfilling of the promise till after the exhibition of the Messias, though that is against the scope of the words, yet then they grew worst of all. "They resisted the Holy Ghost, (Acts vii, 5,) and rejected the counsel of God against themselves; (Luke vii, 30.) and judged themselves unworthy eternal life,” blaspheming and persecuting the Author, means, and ministry of it; (Acts xiii, 45, 46, 50.) and so were "cut off for their wilful unbelief." (Rom. ix, 32.) In the covenant therefore we are to consider two things: (1.) A promise on God's part; and (2.) A stipulation of duty on their part who are concerned in the promise. The promise on God's part is, "I will be their God, and I will not (that is, of myself, or without provocation,) turn away from them to do them good; but I will put my fear in their hearts." But to what end is all this? Why, "that they may be my people, and fear me, as my people, and not depart from me," as is expressed in the 39th and 40th verses of that chapter.-This then being a voluntary duty which God requires, we must not imagine it to be intimated as the infallible effect or event of his promise, but as the end why he makes that promise to them, and the engagement which it puts upon them. But if they will not choose to have "the fear of God before their eyes," and to excite that grace which he puts into their hearts, but "out of an evil heart of unbelief, depart from the living God," they by this their prevarication and apostacy becoming Non populus, "ceasing to be his people," he ceaseth likewise to be their God. Thus the Spirit of God by Azariah hath resolved it to Asa and all Judah and Benjamin : "The Lord is with you, while ye be with him; and if ye seek him, he will be found of you: But if ye forsake him, he will forsake you :" (2 Chron. xv, 2.) "Yea, and cast you off for ever,"-as David addeth to his son Solomon. (1 Chron. xxviii, 9.) So that there is a kind of reciprocal engagement betwixt God and man, and something is to be performed by either party in order to salvation. Now it so happens many times, that ALL which is promised to be

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done on God's part, is effectually done in regard of the sufficiency of it, and yet NOTHING done that is required to be done on man's part, in respect to the event. Hence it is, that sometimes God is said to have done all, viz. all his part. "I have purged thee, but thou wast not purged;" (Ezek. xxiv, 13.) and, "for my part, what could have been done more?" (Isai. v, 4.) Sometimes again, he is said to have done nothing: “To whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?,” (Isai. liii,1,) that is, in respect of the effect, or the event: For God was not wanting in sending his Prophets to make the revelation. So, (Deut.xxix,4,) "The Lord hath not given you an heart to perceive, and eyes to see, and ears to hear, unto this day." Not that God was wanting in affording necessary means and assistance hereunto: For then Moses should rather have upbraided God's illiberality, than the people's obstinacy; which he had no reason to do, God having wrought so many signs and miracles of mercy for them, and of justice upon their enemies, as many times gained credit and acknowledgment among the Egyptians, and other nations as they passed along, and captivated the understanding, and subdued the will and affections of Joshua and Caleb. But God is said, "not to have given them hearts," &c., in regard of the event; because, though he had administered abundant means to that purpose, yet through their wilful obduration he could not prevail so far with them. They had frustrated the effect, as it is said of our Saviour's countrymen in respect of his ministry;+ and therefore Moses must not be thought to excuse them, by laying their blindness and stubbornness at God's door,—but to upbraid them, that they had made their hearts so impenetrable hitherto to all those gracious and powerful dispensations, that by them, though sufficient, God had not effected such an advertency as might have begotten a willingness thoroughly to confide in him and obey in him. This was the end, which

God seriously intended and aimed at.

INDEFECTIBLE. This is inconsistent with that of the Apostle, "The gifts and calling of God are without repentance." (Rom. xi, 29.)

Dr. DUBIUS.-Sir, It will be a very hard matter, to draw an argument from that scripture to infer your conclusion. "The gifts and calling of God are without repentance," Ergo, What?

* See 2 Tim. ii, 13.

+ Matt. xiii, 58.

Ibid. verse 6.

"The regenerate cannot fall from grace, and their interest in God's favour ?" Which is a plain non sequitur, “It does not follow." For of whom speaketh the Apostle that? Doth he not speak it of the Israelites? And yet he tells you, but ten verses before, "that they were broken off for their unbelief."All that can be concluded from those words will amount but to this, that God is so faithful and tenacious of his promise, (wherewith he had gratified their fathers,) that, (as it is in verse 23,) "if they abide not still in unbelief," he is no less willing and ready than "able to graft them into the covenant again." And upon this occasion, my brethren, give me leave to acquaint you with a few more of my doubts and scruples, in order to my better satisfaction and settlement in these points. For I hope you will not mistake me, as if I were peremptory in my assertions; for I speak only tentative, to try whether I can draw out of you any better arguments or answers to objections, than I have hitherto met with in those that have handled these controversies. I tell you then, that the text last quoted, with some other passages in the Ninth, Tenth, and Eleventh Chapters of that Epistle to the Romans, have begotten a great doubt in me, Whether the Apostle in his discourse (chap. ix,) treateth at all of that absolute and peremptory decree of reprobation, whereby men are irrevocably excluded from salvation and all the necessary means that lead to it. Let me give you the reasons of my doubting.

PRETERITION.-I am afraid we shall not have time now to examine them; yet, seeing you are so desirous, let us have them briefly, that we may be the better prepared to deliver our opinion about them at our next meeting.

Dr. DUBIUS. Then take them thus. I suppose it will be granted, that the Apostle in those chapters applies his discourse more especially to the case of the Jews, yet haply so as to conclude all others in their example. If so, then, that he speaks not of their absolute and peremptory reprobation, is very probable, not only from his way of arguing, but also from his passionate sorrow, hearty prayer, and earnest exhortations to them.

1. Let us reflect upon the Apostle's sorrow, and his option upon it; "I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart. For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ, for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh."(ix, 2, 3.)—What is the ground of this heaviness and his vole upon it? If it were, "that God, by an absolute decree of reprobation and out of his

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sole beneplaciture, had excluded them from the grace aud power of believing unto righteousness and salvation," (as some interpret it,) then, where was the piety of the great Apostle exprest in this sorrow? Where was his prudence in this option? For if such were the decree of God, and the Apostle knew it, and was about to demonstrate it to be such, he must grant it to be most wise and most just, and much conducing to the illustration of God's glory; and then it were impiety in any man to repine and grieve at it,-much more in him, who was therefore called a vessel of election," because he was designed and called so eminently to be instrumental to the glory of the Divine dispensations. And if he knew such a Divine decree, to be immutably fixed to all eternity, it was against prudence to interpose such a wish for the avoidance of it. If the common opinion be true, "that, in respect of the manifestation of the Divine glory, it is better and more eligible to be miserable than not to be at all;" and if it be "out of an erroneous and inordinate judgment, that the very damned in hell-torments judge otherwise," as some great school-men maintain, then certainly we must set an ill character upon the Apostle's sorrow and option, if we make that [to be the cause and ground of it [which is] alleged in this supposition. And it will not excuse, to say, "This vote past the Apostle in the hurry of his passions," or, "that it was but a sudden sally of his affections, in their eager pursuit after the salvation of his nation:" For all the circumstances of the discourse, and that solemn preface wherewith it is ushered in, do manifestly argue that it was uttered considerately and with great deliberation." I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost." (ix, 1.) And it is a sufficient indication of his calm and composed mind, that he did commit this option to writing and transmit it in an Epistle to the Churches.

2. To this let us add his prayer, "Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved." (x, 1.) What Israel he means, is expressed in the third verse: "They who being ignorant of God's righteousness, went about to establish their own righteousness, and did not submit themselves to the righteousness of God." How can this prayer or option of the Apostle consist with his knowledge or belief of their absolute and peremptory reprobation? For his prayer, according to that opinion, must be after this manner: "Lord, I know by Divine revelation,