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TO ALL CANDID

CALVINISTS in the Church of England.

Honored and dear Brethren,

A

Student from Geneva, who has had the honor of being admitted a Minifter of your Church,. takes the liberty of dedicating to you thefe Strictures on Geneva-logic, which were written both for the better information of your candid judgment, and to obtain tolerable terms of peace from his worthy Opponents.

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Some, who mistake blunt truth for fneering infolence, and mild ironies for bitter farcafms, will probably diffuade you from looking into this fourth Check to Antinomianifm. They will tell you, that Logica-Genevenfis is a very bad book," full of calumny, forgeries vite feanders, acrimonious fneers, and horrid mifreprefentations.", But candor, which condemns no one before he is heard, which weighs both fides of the question in an impartial balance, will foon convince you that if every irony proceeds from pleen and acrimony of fpirit, there is as much of both in thefe four words of my honored Opponent, Pietas, Oxonienfis, and. Goliah flain, as in all the four Checks: and that I have not exceeded the apoftolic direction of my motto, Rebuke them fharply, or rather aroloμas,, cuttingly, but let brotherly love continue.

*

• The ironical titles of two books written by my Oppo-nent, to expose the proceedings of the University of Oxford refpecting the expulfion of fix Students belonging to Edmund

Hall.

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I do not deny that fome points of doctrine, which many hold in great veneration, excite pity or laughter in my Checks. But how can I help it? If a painter, who knows not how to flatter, draws to the life an object exceffively ridiculous in itfelf, muft it not appear exceffively ridiculous in his picture? Is it right to exclaim against his pencil as malicious, and his colours as unfair, because he impartially ufes them according to the rules of his art? And can any unprejudiced perfon expect that he fhould draw the picture of the night, without ufing any black

hades at all?

If the charge of "bitterness" does not entirely fet you against this book, they will try to frighten you from reading it, by protefting, that I throw down the foundation of Christianity, and help Mr. Wesley to place works and merit on the Rẻdeemer's throne. To this dreadful charge I answer, (1) That I had rather my right hand should lose its cunning to all eternity, than use it a moment to detract from the Saviour's real glory, to whom I am more indebted than any other man in the world; 2) That the frongest pleas I produce for holiness and good works are quotations from the Homilies of our own. Church, as well as from the Puritan divines; whom I cite preferably to others, because they held what you are taught to call the doctrines of grace (3) That what I have faid of those doctrines recommends itself, to every unprejudiced perfon's reafon and confcience: (4) That my capital arguments in favour of practical Chriftianity, are founded upon our fecond juftification by the evidence of works in the great day; a doctrine, which my Opponent himfelf cannot help affenting to: (5) That from first. to laft, when the meritorious caufe of our justification is confidered, we fet works afide; praying God not to enter into judgment with us, or weigh our merits, but to pardon our offences for Chrift's fake; and gladly afcribing the whole of our falvation to his alone merits, as much as Calvin

or

or Dr. Crifp does: (6) That when the word: meriting, deferving, or WORTHY, which our Lord himself uses again and again, it is applied to good works or good men, we mean abfolutely nothing but rewardable, or qualified for the reception of a gracious reward. And (7 that even this improper merit or rewardableness of good works, is entirely derived from Chrift's proper merit, who works. what is good in us; and from the gracious promife of God, who has freely engaged himfelf to recompenfe the fruits of righteoufnefs, which his own grace enables us to produce.

I hope; honored brethren, that these hints will fo far break the waves of prejudice which beat against your candor, as to prevail upon you not to reject this little means of information. If you. condefcend to perufe it, I truft it will minifter to your edification, by enlarging your views of Chrift's prophetic and kingly office; by heightening your ideas of that practical religion, which the Scriptures perpetually enforce; by leffening. your regard for fome well meant mistakes, on which good men have too haftily put the ftamp: of orthodoxy; and by giving, you a more favourable opinion of the fentiments of your remonftrant brethren, who would rejoice to live at peace with you in the kingdom of grace, and walk in love with you to the kingdom of glory. But, whether you confent to give them the right hand of fellowship or not, nobody, I think, can. be more glad to offer it you, than he, who with undiffembled refpe&t, remains,

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ONTENT S.

LETTER

I.

TO RICHARD HILL, Efq;

Introduction. The doctrine of juftification by works. in the last day is truly fcriptural.-It is effentially different from juftification by faith in the day of converfion. Mr. Hill fully grants, and yet warmly ppofes fuch a juftification.

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TO RICHARD HILL, Efq;

Juftification by the evidence of works, and St. James's undefiled religion, are established upon the authority of the liturgy, articles, and homilies of the Church of England.

LETTER III.

TO RICHARD HILL, Efq;

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The fober Puritan Divines directly or indirectly maintain the doctrine of juftification by works in the great day, which Dr. Owen himfelf, and num-bers of other Calvinist Minifters, do not fcruple calling an evangelical justification by our own perfonal obedience..

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TO RICHARD HILL, Efq;

Flavel, and many other Puritan authors, were offended at Dr. Crifp's doctrine. An important extract from Flavel's Treatife upon Antinomianifm. LETTER

V.

TO RICHARD HILL, Efq;

Mr. Wefley's Minutes, and St. James's pure religion, are eftablished on Mr. Hill's important conceffion, that we shall be juftified by the evidence of works in that great day.".

LET

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