God, and the express declarations of Scripture, as well as entirely destructive of all religion. For our reason must inform us, that as God is a Being infinitely wise and just, as well as infinitely good and merciful, he must be absolutely free from all those partial affections and arbitrary preferences, which are so common amongst frail mortals. He cannot therefore bestow the greatest of his favours, or inflict his severest vengeance, without any regard to the merits and qualifications of those, who are the objects of them. Far be it from the Judge of all the earth to do after this manner! Far be it from the Almighty to be such a respecter of persons! Nay, he hath expressly declared in his holy word, and most solemnly pro

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tested, that he hath no pleasure in the "death of the wicked, but rather that he "should turn and live;"" that he is not

willing that any should perish, but would "have all men to be saved." Which would be strange declarations indeed, if he had, from all eternity, precluded the far greater part of mankind from all possibility of salvation, In this case, all the

expostulations with sinners, all the invitations to repentance, all the exhortations. to piety and holiness, which are addressed to all men without distinction, would be only so many insulting taunts and cruel mockings to those, who were from the beginning excluded from all the means of grace, and the hopes of glory. And where, again, would be the end or use of God's appointing a day in which he will judge the world, if every man's doom was unchangeably fixed and decreed from the foundation of the world?

"

This doctrine is, moreover, subversive of all piety and religion. For, supposing it to be true, would it not be natural for every man thus to reason with himself:

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My sentence is already past; and if "I am in the number of God's favourites, "the elect, my salvation is secure, with

out my concerning myself about it; “but, if I am set down in the black list "of the reprobates, the accursed of their "Maker, my damnation is unavoidable, " and all that I can do will signify nothing towards preventing it." And thus,

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accord

according to the strength or weakness of mens' imaginations, according as they happen to be of a warm and lively, or of a cold and melancholy complexion, they would either fall under a fatal presumption, or sink under the blackest despair: the one, by too rashly presuming, that they cannot fail of their salvation; the other, by as rashly concluding, that it is impossible for them to attain it. But the true Scripture doctrine in this point stands clear of all objections, and is entirely worthy of the Divine Majesty. It tells us, that God from all eternity decreed, not that this or that particular person should necessarily be saved, of necessarily be damned, but that whoever complied with the terms of salvation offered by Christ, should be saved; and that whoever did not comply with them should be damned. That on those, who by patient continuance in well-doing, seek for glory, and honour, and immortality, he will bestow eternal life'; but on those who do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, he will inflict indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish.

We

We may therefore rest assured of this as an undoubted truth, that eternal salvation is attainable by, all men, without distinction, by all who, will comply with the reasonable terms on which it is of fered to them; for otherwise God is not the Saviour of all men, and Christ is dead in vain.

"What, must I do to be saved," is therefore a question which not only may, but must be asked by all, who have any regard for themselves and their greatest interest; in comparison with which, all other views and schemes are mere trifles, and very nothings.

2dly, Let us enquire, how a full and satisfactory answer to the question here proposed may be obtained by every man, living.

Now, if you apply yourself to one sort of Christians, they will bid you abjure your present faith, and become, what they call, a good Catholic: for there is no salvation, say they, out of the Church of

Rome.

Rome: Be you, therefore, ever so sincere in your profession; be you possessed of every virtue under Heaven; yet, if you continue in your heresy (for so call they the way, after which we worship the God of our fathers), without doubt you will perish everlastingly. Amazing rashness and intolerable uncharitableness in that Church, in thus pronouncing the sentence of damnation, not only upon all Christians now in the world besides themselves, but upon all the primitive Church, and upon their own Church also, for the best part of a 'thousand years! With how much greater Teason might we, Protestants, retort this charge upon the Papists for their gross idolatries, and their many principles and practises, so directly contrary to the express words of Scripture! This uncharitable spirit in the church of Rome is certainly one of the strongest prejudices ́against it, if not a clear proof of its being a corrupt and Antichristian Church: Indeed, I know not what most to admire, the confidence-I had almost said, the impudence of those, who can maintain such an assertion; or the weakness of

those,