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forgiving, which is most favourable to the Sinner: How admirably alfo Human Nature is confulted in its lapsed, peccant Condition, its Repentance and Devotion effectually relieved and comforted in its guilty Fears, and every Thing reftor'd, better'd, and exalted by that wonderous Difpenfation. Confequently, if fo entirely fuitable to the Nature of God, and Man, it muft of Course be so to the Reason, and moral Fitness of Things.

1. ONE Reason he particularly gives in against the received Doctrine and current Senfe of Scripture is, because Merit and Demerit can't be com municated; and confequently there can be no fuch thing as redundant Merit, imputed Righteouf nefs, vicarious Obedience, or meritorious Cause of Man's Redemption. However common and agreeable to the Ufage of Human Governments, is the Communication both of Merit, and Demerit, with refpect to the Heads of Families, who have deferved well or ill of the Publick and its fupreme Governor; and how much foever the Communication of the latter may be called in Question, as impeaching the Juftice of God, and narrowing and pinching upon his Goodness; ftill as his Goodness rejoices over his Justice, and loves to impart its compaffionate Regards to our Race, as far as can confift with the Honour of his Laws, and the Dignity of his Government, why should that glorious Attribute, on which we fo much depend, be ftinted of its holy and wife Overtures, or be debar'd and block'd up by our Author from its reviving Communications that way, to the unfpeakable Damage and Difcomfort of the World? Is he poffeffed with any Melancholy

that

that difpofes him to revile and difparage the Divine Grace, and envy the Good of Mankind? For the Thing is unconteftably certain, felt and confefs'd by the Experience of all Men, the Heathens themselves, that we do not, cannot, with all our Care in our prefent lapfed State, exactly and fully perform the Law of Righteoufnefs written on our Hearts and if it is no lefs certain, That that Law, and the Honour of God exact that Obedience from us, and upon the Failure fubject us to Condemnation. Had there never been fo much as one partaking of Human Nature, to perform this adequate Obedience, and fulfil all Righteoufnefs, then that Law muft neceffarily be broken by every Body, and at all times, and not one Son of Man found to perform and do that compleat Righteoufnefs, which he is confcious is his bounden Duty; and God must stand by and fee himself difhonoured and difobeyed univerfally, and his holy Law contaminated and trod under Foot by every Perfon upon Earth without Exception. But this horrid Imputation upon the Holiness of the Divine Governor is faved and prevented, if one mighty to fave interpofes in our Nature, defcends upon our Earth, and undertakes the obliging Tafk of performing, not what Man is capable of performing in common Human Sincerity, balanc'd, as it must always be, with the Frailty of Human Condition, and the violent Strength of Temptation occafionally befetting it; but what the Agent very well knows in his Confcience, he cannot discharge with all his Care, and with all his Sincerity added to that, in that Circumftance too well known to be denied, is it not a Divine and Heroick Kindness in the Son of God, to offer his own perfect Obedience in our Stead; and no lefs gracious in God

the Father to accept it, in Commiferation of the unfortunate State of the Defcendants of the first Adam?

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THERE is therefore a Neceffity of admitting vicarious Obedience, imputed Righteoufnefs, Communication of Merit, meritorious Caufe; which may be done with all Honour and Justice, and without any Injury to any Party concerned, Governor or governed, in order to balance, explain, and moderate the Neceffity of an ade quate unfinning Obedience due from Man; of which, through Misfortune, not perfonally his own Mifmanagement, he does not, cannot acquit himfelf of, alone. It must confequently be as agreeable to moral Truth and Rectitude, that there fhould be redundant Merit * for fupplying that way, what Man is incompetent for, as that tas it fhould ever be fo, for God to require fuch Obedience, or, in the Courfe of Divine Providence, that it fhould become impracticable for Man to conform to it. How reafonable then in Divine Goodnefs and Mercy, and upon that Account, credible to Belief is it, That the fecond Adam fhould much more exceed in Advantages and adventitious Favours to the Human Race, than the firft had it in his Power to incommode or poftpone us with respect to the Favour of his, and our Maker.

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2. ANOTHER Reafon why he is fo much fet against the common Opinion of Propitiation, and Atonement is, because, as he imagines, it Supporting Iniquity with Grace +," or as he elfewhere in more Places than one 1, expreffes

is

Page 9. 3

+ Page. 170.

+ Page 146.

himself,

himself, becaufe fuch a Doctrine is "a ftrong "Hold for Sin and Satan." But this is a grofs Mistake of his own, if not a wilful perverting of the Faith. Is it not very ftrange, that the ftrong Expreffions of St. Paul in this, and the foregoing Article, fhould not be able to fet him to rights, especially fince he fhews fo much deference to him, in particular, as to esteem him "a better Cafuift and Expounder of the Doc"trines of Chrift, and of the true Nature, "Genius, and Design of Christianity, than all

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the reft put together *?" Yet it is notorious, that he puts the God forbid upon any fuch fubverfive Inference, or Suppofition of that Kind. If any Chriftians flatter themselves with the Hopes of Salvation upon easier Terms than they ought, or indeed upon any Terms fhort of the End and Defign of Chriftianity, teaching them to deny Ungodliness and worldly Lufts, and live foberly, righteously, and godly in this prefent World, they are certainly mistaken and mifinform'd. For the Chriftian Repentance and Pardon is no man-. ner of Encouragement to Sin; nothing can be plainer than that Pardon is declared, and Satiffaction made for repented Sins, and no other, (though he infinuates the contrary †) and that fupposes time for perfecting the begun Repentance. He allows the " good Effect of Repen

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tance, is to leffen the Number of Mens Sins, " and encrease the Weight and Value of their "good Actions in the Day of Account +' Now what is the Ufe of Faith in our Lord Jefus Christ, but to haften and perfect our Repentance towards God? With refpect to Repentance, (I) might add alfo Prayers, both of them being the:

Page 331.: it. Page 149,

Page 275.

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natural Religion of the Means for performing the Law of Nature, the Religion of the End) he fays" all Revelation must fuppofe Reason, and "be founded in it, and cannot make any thing

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fit, and reasonable, that was not fo before *" Now the Chriftian Revelation fuppofes this Duty fit and reasonable, the very Voice and Law of God, Nature, and Reafon, yet in Commiferation, that it was dead and perifh'd out of the World, the Revelation of Jefus Chrift prefents itself to the World lying in Wickedness, in Aid of that Duty, for the better quickening and enlivning it, not to connive at any Sin, but to for fake every kind univerfally, with all hafte and hatred, if the Knowledge, or rather fome Af furance of God's Readiness to forgive after infinite Provocations from Man, is neceffary to his Repentance, and if God's Method of affuring the World of that, by the Death of Chrift, has a moral Tendency and an influential Power, not only for railing up Repentance from the Dead, but for animating it with Vigour, and pufhing that Vigour on to Production of goodly. Fruits mete for it, it must be confeffed that the Knowledge of Jefus Chrift füffering and dying for penitent Sinners, is the greatest Service that can be done to Repentance, as well as the most ineftimable Bleffing to that part of Mankind, to whom it is revealed. It cannot therefore be an indifferent thing to this Duty, nor to Man, whether Christ had fuffered or not, as this Author fuppofest feeing it is in itself, in the proper and grateful Reflections made thereupon, efficacious in promoting the fame. Not necef fary in order to enable God, as he falfly argues,

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