- And repenting, that is, in re- road to pharifaifm, and nouncing our ins and infincere obedience. I pharifaic righteoufnefs; grant, that he who is and in improving the ta- humbly faithful in little lent of light, which fhows things, is faithful alfo in us our natural depravity, much; and that he, who daily imperfections, total flothfully negle&s little helpleffnefs, and conftant helps, will foon fall into need of an humble re- great fins But the procourse to, and dependance feffors of christianity canon divine grace. not be too frequently 2) Our faithfulness in told, that if they are not believing (even in hope first faithful in maintainagainst hope) God's re- ing true poverty of spirit, deeming love to finners deep felf-humiliation bein Chrift; in humbly ap-fore God, and high prehending, as returning thoughts of Chrift's blood prodigals, the gratuitous and righteoufnels; they forgiveness of fins thro'will foon flide into lasthe blood of the Lamb; in chearfully claiming, as impotent creatures, the help that is laid on the Saviour for us; and in conftantly coming at his word, to take of the water of life freely. And fo far as Zelotes recommends this evangelical difpofition of mind, without opening a back-door to antinomianifm, by covertly pleading for fin, and dealing about his imaginary decrees of forcible grace and fovereign wrath, he cannot be too highly commended. 1. If Zelotes will do juftice to the doctrine of perfeverance, dicean pharifaifm: and, Jehu-like, they will make more of their own partial, external, felfish faithfulnefs, than of divine grace, and the fpirit's power: A moft dangerous and common error this, into which the followers of Honeftus are very prone to run, and fo far as he leads them into it,or encourages them in it, he deferves to be highly blamed; and Zelotes, in this refpect, hath undoubtedly the advantage over him. 2. Would Honestus kindly meet Zelotes half way, he R 2 muft feverance, he muft fpeak | muft fpeak of free-grace, of the obedience of faith, that is, of genuine, fincere cbedience, as the oracles of God do. He must not blush to display the glorious rewards, with which God hath promifed to crown it. He muft boldly declare, that for want of it the wrath of God cometh upon the children of difobedience upon fallen be- | lievers, who have no inheritance in the kingdom of Chrift and of God. Eph. 5.-In a word, instead | of emafculating Sergeant if, ho valiantly guards the doctrine of perfeverance, he fhould fhow him all the efpect, that Chrift himfelf does in the gospel. V. To fum all up in 1. The infallible perfeverance of obedient believers, is a moft sweet and evangelical doctrine, which cannot be preffed with too much earnestness and conftancy upon fincere chriftians, for their comfort, encouragement, and establifhment. ** * * and of Chrift's obedience unto death as the fcriptures do. He muft glory in difplaying divine faithfulnefs, and placing it in the most confpicuous and engaging light. He must not be afhamed to point out the great rewards of the faith which inherits promifes, gives glory to God, and out of weakness makes us ftrong to take up our crofs, and to run the race of obedience. — In a word, he muft teach his willing hearers to depend every day more and more upon Christ; and to lay as much firefs upon his promifes, as they ever did upon his threatenings. two propofitions. 2. The infallible perfe verance of dijobedient believers, is a moit dangerous and unfcriptural doctrine, which cannot be preffed with too much affiduity and tenderness upon antinomian profeffors for their re-awakening and fanctification. To fee the truth of these propofitions, we need only throw with candor into the fcripture-fcales, the weights weights which Zelotes and Honeftus unmercifully throw at each other; taking particular care not to break, as they do, the golden beam of evangelical harmony, by means of which the oppofite fcales, and weights, exactly balance each other. 1. The Weights of FREE-GRACE thrown by Zelotes. 1. The Lord fhall EsTABLISH thee an HOLY people to himself, as he hath SWORN unto thee, Deut. xxviii. 9. 1. Know therefore the LORD thy God: he is God, the faithful God, who keepeth cOVENANT. Deut. vii. 9. 1. He hath made with me an EVERLASTING CO VENANT, ordered in all | 2. The Weights of FREE-WILL thrown by Honeftus. 2. Ir thou shalt KEEF the commandments of the Lord thy God, and WALK in HIS ways, Ibid. 2. But THEY &c. have tranfgreffed the COVENANT. THEY CONTINUED NOT in my COVE NANT, and I regarded them not. Hof,vi.7. Heb. viii. 9. 2. THEY have broken the EVERLASTING Covenant; therefore hath the curfe devoured the earth. If. xxiv. 5. —THEY kept not the COVENANT OF walk in his law, &c. fo a fire was kindled in Jacob, and anger alfo came up against Ifrael; BECAUSE they BELIEVED NOT in God, and TRUSTED NOT in HIS SALVATION, &c. The wrath of God came upon them, &c. and SMOTE DOWN the chofen of Ifrael. Pfalm lxxviii. 10, 21, 22, 31. [Hence it appears, that part of the everlasting covenant ordered in all things and SURE, is, that those who break it prefumptuoufly, and do not repent, as David did, before it is too late, fhall SURELY be fmitten down and deftroyed.] R 3 1 With 1. With him [the Father of lights] is NO variableness, neither fhadow of TURNING. James i. 17.-I am the Lord, I CHANGE NOT: I fill bear with finners during the day of their vifitation: therefore ye, fons of Jacob, are not confumed. Mal. iii. 6. [Obferve here, that, altho' God's effence, and the principles of his conduct toawards man, never change; yet, as He loves righteoufnefs, and hates iniquity; and as He is the Rewarder of the righteous, and the Punisher of the wicked; he muft fhew himself pleafed or displeafed, a Rewarder or a Punisher, as moral agents turn from fin to righteous nefs, or from righteousness to fin. Without this kind of change ad extra, he could not be holy and juft :-he could not be the Judge of all the earth :-he could not be Ged.] 2. The angel of his pre fence SAVED them in his LOVE and PITY he remembered them. BUT THEY rebelled, and vexed his holy fpirit; THEREFORE he WAS TURNED to be their ENEMY. If. Ixiii. 9, 10.-The Lord God of Ifrael faith: I said indeed, that thy house, and the house of thy father, fhould walk before me FOR EVER: BUT NOW, be it far from me; FOR, &c. they that defpife me shall be lightly efteemed. 1 Sam. ii. 30. РБ And the word of the Lord came to Jonah, faying, Preach unto Nineveh the preaching that I BID thee: - And Jonah cried and faid, Yet forty days, and Nineveh SHALL overthrown. So the people of Nineveh believed God, &c. For the king fat in ashes, and caused it to be proclaimed, &c. Cry mightily to God, yea let every one TURN from his evil way, &c. Who can tell if God will TURN and repent, that we perith not. And God faw their works, that they turned from their evil way And God repented of the evil, which нE HAD SAID, that he would do unto them, and he DID IT NOT. Jonah iii. i, &c. [From the preceding remarkable paffages it is evident, that, except in a few cafes, the promifes and threatenings of God, to long as the day of grace and trial lefts, are conditional; and that, even when they wear the most ABSOLUTE afpect, the condition is generally implied.] 1. The GIFTS and CALL 2. I GAVE her time to ING of God are without repent, and the repented | - not. Rev. ii.21.-Because REPENTANCE.Rom.xi.29. - [The apoftle evidently fpeaks thefe words of God's gifts to, and calling of the jewish nation. The Lord is fo far from repenting (PROPERLY fpeaking) of his having once called the Jews to the Mosaic covenant of peculiarity, that he is ready nationally to re-admit them to his peculiar favour, when they fhall nationally repent, embrace the gofpel of Chrift, and fo make their fincere calling to the christian covenant fure by believing. But does this prove that God forces repentance up-fices, of which they now on every Jew, and that fhow themselves abfolute when the Jews will nati- ly unworthy.] onally repent, God will abfolutely and irrefiftibly work out their falvation for them? If Zelotes thinks fo, I defire him to look into the fcale of Honeftus.] 2. If that, which ye have heard from the beginning fhall remain in you, John ii. 24. If ye continue in the faith, Col. i. 23 —If ye continue in his goodnefs, Rom. xi. 22.-If ye do thefe things, 2 Peter i. 10. If we hold faft the confidence firm unto the end, |