who, their good Converfation confider'd, might hope to be exempted from it: So that in fhort from Profperity and Adversity in this World, we cannot infer an unerring Conclufion of our Favour or Disfavour with God. And even amongst the Jews, under the Difpenfation aforefaid, we find things otherwise understood by the most religious and virtuous amongst them, and that the Righteous oftentimes extremely fuffer'd; that they have had * trials of mockings and fourgings, yea moreover of bonds and imprifonments; that they were ftoned, fawn afunder, were tempted, were flain with the fword; that they wander'd about in sheep-fkins and goatsfkins, being deftitute, afflicted, tormented (of whom the world was not worthy): they wander'd in defarts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. And yet notwithstanding this they were still in God's ресиliar Favour, who had referv'd for them better things than this World could afford. So that the Riches and Honours of this World of themselves, as I faid, are no certain Marks of God's Favour, nor Poverty and Difgrace of themselves no certain Tokens of his Difpleasure. These things happen in common to the Righteous and the Wicked. Indeed, as to Communities, or Commonwealths and Kingdoms, it generally happens otherwise; and they are commonly profperous and flou

* Hebr. xi. 36, 37, 38,

rishing,

rishing, or the contrary, according to their Adherence to Virtue and Religion, or to Vice and Irreligion. But whatever the Profperity or Adverfity of private Perfons may be, they may, if they will, make a proper Ufe and Improvement of them with refpect to the World to come: If a profperous State be managed with Religion and Prudence; if Ambition is reftrain'd, and the World not made an Idol; if our Affections are not too much fixed upon our profperous Circumftances, to the Neglect of the things of Eternity; if we use our Riches as only lent us to do good with, by feeding the hungry, cloathing the naked, &c. we fhall thereby lay up for our felves a Treafure which will never fade; and thus our prefent temporal Bleffings fhall alfo turn to eternal ones. But again; if we be in a State of Adverfity, if God has not beftow'd on us thofe temporal Advantages which others enjoy, or by the common Accidents of all human Affairs, has taken away what we formerly were poffefs'd of; let us not however be unbecomingly dejected, but firmly believe that if we ufe our honeft Endeavours, practife Religion and Virtue, and preferve a good Confcience, God will affift and relieve us, raife us up Friends, and find out fuch Methods as we cannot foresee or expect. And of the Truth of all this both Scripture and Experience furnish us with many pregnant Inftances: For tho'

D4

God

God has fometimes fuffer'd the Righteous to. fall into great Troubles and Afflictions, yet upon their patient continuing in Well-doing they many times have been raised again, and fometimes too to a much higher Pitch of Prosperity; witness Jofeph in Egypt, and Job in the Land of Uz.

SECT. V.

Of Election and Reprobation.

PON the fecond Covenant, which God enter'd into with Mankind, he put it into every Man's Power that comes into the World, to make choice of Virtue, and by fo doing to render himself acceptable to God thro' Chrift our Redeemer. As to the Heathens, who have no Knowledge of Chrift and of the Covenant which God, thro' him, has made with us, though what is not reveal'd will not be requir'd, yet they muft account for their Actions according to the best Law they have, that is, the Law of Nature, and for the good Ufe or Abuse of that Freedom of Will which God has in common given them. 'Tis true, God will have a Regard to Juftice and Equity, and will doubtlefs make Allowances for invinci

ble

ble Ignorance, and the Prejudices of Education, which for want of Means and Opportunities could not be rectified: But ftill fo far as their Light reaches, and the Will is concern'd, they must be accountable. What will be requir'd therefore of the Heathen World, that have not had the Happiness of God's Will being reveal'd to them, is, that they should act according to the Law of Reafon and the Dictates of natural Confcience; and as their Acts of Free-will have been according to this Rule, or otherwise, they will be either condemn'd or acquitted at the Day of Judgment.

Thus God will approve himself a righteous Judge, and will at laft make it appear to Men and Angels, that all Kingdoms, Nations, and Languages fhall be judg'd according to Justice and Equity, and agreeably to their own Choices of Virtue or Vice. Then it will be clear, that the Ruin of the Wicked is of and from themselves; and that God had not doom'd his Creatures to a wretched State before their Creation, (as fome very unjustly endeavour to reprefent) but that he created them with the fame Powers to have made Religion and Virtue, and confequently Happiness, their Choice, and that their Wills had the fame Freedom, as those had who did really chufe them.

I am not infenfible that fome have alledg'd the Authority of the holy Scripture against

the

the Doctrine I have afferted, and feveral Texts have been urged by fome rigid People in Oppofition to it. I fhall apply my felf to fhew that thofe Texts of Scripture (which some through want of a right Understanding of 'em have wrested) do not affert what they alledge, viz. a perfonal Election and Reprobation from God's eternal Decrees; and particularly that the Ninth Chapter of St. Paul's Epiftle to the Romans does by no means prove it.

Now as such an Interpretation of a perfonal Election and Reprobation does reflect on the infinite Juftice and Goodness of God, is vaftly prejudicial to Religion and Virtue, is contrary to the main Design of them, and very repugnant to other Places of Scripture; I thall therefore endeavour to make it appear from this very Chapter, that the Apostle is herein maintaining a contrary Doctrine to what these rigid Men maintain.

In order to the right understanding of this Chapter, 'tis neceffary, in the first Place, to confider what was the Apostle's main Scope, Tendency, and Defign in it. Now in the beginning of it, we find him in a ftrong and violent Concern for his Brethren according to the Flesh, for whose Sake he cou'd have been content to have fuffer'd the moft fevere Punishments in the World, in order to bring them over to Chrift; for as dear as Life was to him, if he might hereby

obtain