therefore to this doctrine, you had need to produce good evidence for the proof of it. DIO. "Without controverfy, great is the mystery of godliness. God was manifefted in the flesh, justified in the spirit, feen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory." While he converfed here on earth, he confirmed his doctrine by a world of miracles; and after he was put to death, he arofe again from the dead the third day; and afcending into heaven, he fent down the Holy Ghoft" to inspire his apostles; who being fo instructed, foretold things to come, struck hypocrites dead with the word of their mouth, and by the fame power raifed up others from the dead; fuffered all the affronts and indignities a wicked world could inflict upon them, at the infligation of the malicious fpirit; and for no advantage in this world, but only upon the affured hopes of their mafter's promifes, that relate to another life, and the world to come. At last, having finished the course of their ministry, with an invincible patience and alacrity, they fealed their doctrine, and the teftimony which they held concerning the Saviour of the world, with their blood. Hereupon the great apoftle, who himself was offered upon the facrifice and fervice of this faith, cries out to us in these words, How fhall we efcape, if we neglect fo great falvation; which at the first began to be Spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him: God alfo bearing them witness, both with figns and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghoft, according to his own will.+ PAG. I must acknowledge that these arguments which you alledge (fuppofing your tradition for the matter of fact unquestionable) are highly credible: but if I affent to your gofpel and embrace the chriftian religion; will the faith that is begotten in me upon these motives, be a divine faith, and fufficient for my falvation? * 1 Tim. iii. 16. + Heb. ii. 3, 4. DIO. Dio. I am loth to deliver any thing to you for found doctrine without good warrant; and therefore I fhall fay nothing. to that part of your quære, whether a faith of this extraction may be called a divine faith or no: but our learned men ufually call fuch a faith an hiftorical faith, and diftinguish it from that faith which is faving. "To this purpose, I remember a great divine denying that it is God's purpose to give the reprobates faith:" he addeth, "Yet you will fay, God punisheth them for refufing to believe: I grant he doth ; for this refufal (faith he) is the free act of their wills; and by mere power of nature, they might abftain from this refufal, and have believed as well as Simon Magus did, as well as prophane perfons do, as many a hypocrite does, which is only fides acquifita; and it is well known, they believe many a vile legend." "But then he will fay, fuch a faith fhall never fave them: and I willingly confefs (faith he) it fhall not; for it never brings forth any love of the truth, any conformity thereto in their lives; yet are they never a whit the lefs inexcufable that refufe to believe."--Dr. Twifs, Confiderat. of the doctrine of the Synod of Dort and Arles, reduced to the practice. Page 47. PAG. What benefit will this hiftorical faith do me? If I cannot be faved by it, why fhould I embrace it ? Dio. By this you know the object of faith in general, what you are to believe of God and Chrift, and the Holy Ghoft; what Chrift hath done and will do for you; and what he commands you to do for him, and what you may expect from him; and all this you affent to by an historical faith. PAG. Will this faith do me no hurt or difadvantage, if I obtain not the other, which you call a faving faith? Dio. Yes, it will make you guilty of a greater condemnation: For it is better not to know the way of truth, than to turn from the the holy commandment delivered to you; and the laft ftate of fuch perfons is worse than the firft.* PAG. Are not this faving, and that hiftorical faith, always aflociated and linked together? For if not, then it were better, if one cannot have the saving faith, to be without the historical too, rather than have this alone to our greater condemnation. Dio. They are not always in conjunction: yet we must not neglect this, when God affords us the Revelation, and the means of it; for this makes way for the other, which cannot be had without it. PAG. Are all men then (to whom he is preached) bound to believe in Chrift the Redeemer ? DIO. Yes; for when he fent out his apoftles to preach the. gofpel, he gave them this commiffion; Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth, and is baptized, fhall be faved; but he that believeth not, fhall be damned. And again; The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hands. He that believeth on the Son, hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son, fhall not fee life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.‡ PAG. Did the Son of God die for all, and redeem all, that they should believe on him? Dio. No; but "it pleafed God to give unto Chrift his Son from all eternity, a people to be his feed, and to be by him in time redeemed, called, juftified, fanctified, and glorified; neither are any other redeemed by Chrift."-The declaration of the congregational churches at the Savoy. chap. viii. n. 1. with chap. iii. n. 6. PAG. How can God, in justice, oblige those to believe in Chrift as their Redeemer, for whom he died not, and therefore * Pet. ii. 20, 21, 22. + Mark xvi. 15, 16.- Do any of our divines deny that God commands all the church, all that hear the gofpel, to believe; whether elect or reprobates?-Dr. Twifs, ibid. John iii. 35, 36. were were not redeemed by him? Does he tie them to believe a lie ? Dio. All men that live under the difpenfation of the gofpel, are tied to believe in Chrift; but for several ends.* His people and feed are tied to believe, that by believing, they may be made partakers of the benefits of his death, and obtain falvation through him: the reft are tied to believe, that by not believing, they may be the more inexcufable, and liable to the greater condemnation. PAG. This is a strange kind of faith. But suppose these men, that are not of that feed you speak of, should believe in Chrift; what would the iffue of their faith be? For, though they should in that cafe believe in Chrift, they should not be rewarded, because they believe a lie; and yet they could not be justly condemned, because in so believing, they should obey God's command. DIO. You suppose a thing impossible to come to pass: for, thofe men you speak of, cannot favingly believe; grace fufficient and neceffary to the production of such a faith being denied them; and yet they shall be punished for not believing. [To be continued.] SER M MO Ο Ν LXIII. On PSALM 1xxiii. 20. Even like as a dream when one awaketh, fo fhalt thou make their 8. SUPPOSE image to vanish out of the city. [Concluded from page 232.] this to be the cafe with any of you, that are now present before God. It may be fo to-morrow: perhaps to-night: perhaps this night your foul may be required Hence the minifiers of Embden, call this command, in respect of the elet, Mandatum obedientiæ; but in refpect of the reprobate,Mandatum probationis.-De Gratiæ & Meriti Chrifti Univerfal. Quelt. A&t. Syn. Dort. page 122. part ii. of of you. The dream of life may end, and you may wake into broad eternity. See, there lies the poor inanimate carcafe, hortly to be fown in corruption and difhonour. But, where is the immortal, incorruptible fpirit? There it flands naked before the eyes of God! Mean time, what is become of all the affairs which you have been eagerly engaged in, under the fun! What profit have you reaped of all your labour, and care? Does your money follow you? No, you have left it behind you: the fame thing to you, as if it had vanished into air! Does your gay or rich apparel follow you? No: your body is clothed with duft and rottennefs. Your foul indeed is clothed with immortality. But O! What immortality! Is it an immortality of happiness and glory? Or of fhame and everlafting contempt? Where is the honour, the pomp of the rich and great? The applause that surrounded you? All gone: All are vanished away, like as a fhadow that departeth. "The play is over," faid Monfieur Moultray, when he faw the ball pierce the temples of his dying mafter.* And what cared the Courtier for this? No more than if it had been the conclufion of a Farce or Dance. But while the buffoon flept on and took his reft, it was not fo with the Monarch. Though he was not terrified with any thing on earth: he would be at the very gates of hell. Vain valour! In the very article of death, he grafped the hilt of his fword! But where was he the next moment, when the fword dropt out of his hand, and the foul out of his body? Then ended the fplendid dream of royalty, of glory, of destroying cities, and of conquering kingdoms! 9. How are the mighty fallen, and the weapons of war perished! What are the weapons that are fo terrible among us, to the inhabitants of eternity? How are the wife, the learned, the poet, the critic fallen, and their glory vanifhed away! How is the beauty fallen, the late idol of a gazing crowd? In how compleat a sense are the daughters of mufic brought low, and all the inftruments thereof forgotten? Are you not now convinced, * Charles XII. King of Sweden, at the Siege of Frederichshall. VOL. XIV. N n that |