The Sum of the Query, and Proofs fent with it, is this t Whether Sin might be ordain'd for and Wisdom, 1. God's Honour, by the manifeftation of Juftice, The Querift having taken the Affirmative, the Society, with more Piety as well as Reafon, take the Negative: the quite contrary following from the other, to what the Querift would needs perfuade : As, firft, It deftroys God's Wisdom, true Wisdom confifting in chufing right and juft Means to attain a good End; but Sin is a bad Means, • forbidden by himself to Man for the beft of Ends, and the Perfection of the Creature confifts in imitation of his Maker: So that the making God the Ordainer and Caufe of Sin, is to make him guilty, and Man innocent; which could never conduce to the Manifeftation of his Wifdom, but the contrary. Again, it deftroys his Juftice; for Juftice, in respect of Punishment, always fuppofes a Subject capable of Rewards and Punishments; and farther fuppofes a Law, by which it muft judge and diftribute 'em: . . . none of which can be if Sin God fave a very few only (as fome would have it) and pu nifh all the reft of Mankind for what they could not a void? nay, what he has 'forc'd them to commit ? • Then Where's his Holinefs and Hate of Sin, if he himself ordains and caufes it? As to the fecond Branch of this Query, Man's Happinefs, &c. 'tis as falfe as the other, if taken all together: That he had never died without Sin, is granted; but it follows not, that if he had not died, he had not been glorify'd, fince like Enoch he might have been tranflated to Glory. . be abfolutely ordain'd andence on a free Agent, it an. unavoidable, and yet punifh'd fwers all thofe ends of the with eternal Torments, fince Querift's Ordination, viz. the all agree that abfolute Ne-manifeftation of His Wif when penitent, and punishing him when finally impenitent. Befides, this Pofition of the Neceffity of Sin, takes away all Sin, and confequently makes the Suppofition it felf, of God's ordaining Sin, rediculous and, impoffible. Again, If Sin were neceffary, 'tis clear (from what has been faid) there could be no eternal Punishment; but 'tis evident from the Word of God, that there is eternal Punishment, therefore, &c. To this the Querift fending fome Objections, not Anfwers; the fame Member of the Society has deliver'd and confuted them in this Supplement, with that evident and convincing Demonftration, that nothing in Nature can be more fine. The whole Difpute is too long to be here inferted, and too good to be cramp'd into an imperfect Abridgment; for the Soul of the Argument fpreads it felf thro' every Line, and is all in all, and all in every part fo that it would do the Author of that incomparable Piece, whom I honour, a great deal of Injuftice, by giv-. ing fo ill a Reprefentation of his Performance. And I am fenfible I shall fcarce merit Pardon of him for what I have attempted in this kind above: therefore I muft defire the Reader not to make a Judgment of the force of this Author's Arguments, by what I have produc'd; fince I only aim'd to give fuch a View of. them, as might invite thofe who should chance to fee this rough Draught, to confult the Original, where they will find them in their Life and Perfection. And I am pretty confident, that what I have inferted contains fo much of its Primitive Beauty, as to provoke an ingenious Curiofity to purfue the End I propos'd; But farther to inflame his Defire, I fhall give some of those profound and invincible Reafons that Difcourfe I laft mention'd contains. Some Men are of Opinion, that there is no Science worth fludying, or at least fatisfactory, but the Mathematicks; becaufe they carry fuch a vifible Demonftration along with them in all their Parts, that the Mind refts fatisfy'd in the Truth and Certainty of the Operation it has imploy'd it felf about. I will agree with them, that there is no greater more reasonable Inducements to read or ftudy than Evidence, and high probability of arriving at Truth, elfe we wander in the Dark, and spend our time in the purfuit of Shadows: and therefore I muft recommend this Difpute to the peruíal of every one that loves to converfe with Demonftration in Argument, fince there is nothing in the Mathematical Arts fo felf-evident as this (out of many). -If Neceffity excufes eternal Punishments (for that is the Aim of the Proponent's Arguments) what did Chrift die for? What Justice did he fatisfie? What Benefits did he obtain? Not the preferving us from eternal Death! For the Querift fays, There's no fuch * thing, Neceffity takes it away. Not faving us from temporal Death, for that we all fuffer: Not from other temporal Punishment, for he owns the Good have them rather more than others. Is he a Saviour, to fave us from nothing? It can't be from our Sins, because they are neceffitated; nor from the Devil, because God has deliver'd us up to him, that he may compel us to Sin; not to bring us to Heaven, fince, according to him, all must go thither, nay, Judas, and all; nay, there's no other place for them to go to, and therefore they can't miss it. And how, I would fain know, does this manifeft God's Wisdom in the Death of his Son, when at this rate it undeniably follows, that he died for nothing at all? Tho' this be enough to fhew, that what I have faid is not without juft Cause, yet I can't but add another from the fame Difcourfe, it containing fo much of Wit, as well as Solidity and Reason. -If I conclude (fays the Querift) Man's ways to be not of himfelf, whereby I deny Free-will, I can then the more easily forgive, nay, love the worst of my Enemies: But (replies the incomparable Author) he might as well talk of a couple of Clocks, loving and forgiving 6 one another; they are all ⚫ wound up, and muft neceffarily ftrike on without any • Choice of their own; they · can neither hate nor love, according to his Notion, but ፡ are determin'd or neceffitated to do either. Does not the Doctrine of Free-will (perfifts the Querift) Set Men together by the Ears? Nay, Perfecution it felt has a share in it, by perfuading us, that Mens ways are in themfelves, which makes it the more difficult to pardon them. This is fo ridiculous an Argument, especially for him to advance, that holds the neceffity of all our Actions, that the Author with a great deal of Juftice preffes it close to him, in the moft fenfible part of Men of his Principle, I mean, his temporal Interest. -Why there's no help for't;(replies this Author) fo the World will still believe, and many a poor Pick-pocket must suffer for't; whofe Hand Fate huff'd into his Neighbor's Purse, and Neck in the Noofe, before he was aware of it; nay, fo neceffarily, fo irreftibly, that it is the higheft Folly in the World for him to feek to avoid it. However, would the Querift himfelf but live up to this noble Principle,he would undoubtedly have all the Shop-lifts in Town his Cuftomers when at home, and all the Gentlemen of the Road his Attendants when abroad: for he could not in Confcience profecute them, and have them hang'd for robbing him, which they could no more avoid, than he being robb'd. But it feems, he's yet to learn, that there is Charity even in Justice, and that the Divine Being himself,as one of the Father's fays, is as merciful in building a Hell as in framing a Heaven.. *For that is the neceffary Confequence of the Qucrift's precedent Arguments; es is clra from what is faid in this Supplement about it. Here as Here I cannot omit the Millennium, Vol. I. p. 282. tho' I can fay no more of it, but that it was done by the fame Hand; and by confequence, the Spirit and Life, which abounds in this I have touch'd upon, will be found in that Question: and this I can affure the Reader, be will find no fmall Pleafure in the Perufal of it, there is fuch a clearness of Thought and Expreffion, as well Greatness of Learning and Reafon; for he proves it from many places of Scripture, as well as the Teftimony of the moft antient of the Fathers, that is, of the first and fecond Century, as Papias, J. Matyr,Po-. lycarp, Clemens, and afterward irenaus, Lactantius, Tertullian, Methodius, and ftill lower, St. Cyprian, Nepos, Apollinarius. Not that the words of all thefe Fa-. thers are quoted, which would take up a whole Volume, as the Author observes; but he affirms them to be of the fame Opinion as Justin Martyr and Methodius, whofe words he inferts. I would also recommend thofe that are curious in Controverfial Divinity, to perufe what another Member of this Society has perform'd againft the Anabaptifts; proving Infant Baptifm by the holy Scriptures, and primitive Practice of the Church, beyond the weak and ridiculous Efforts of his adverfaries to answer. For a confirmation of what I here avow, confult the Oracle, Vol. I. p. 310 306. and what is faid on that Subject in this Supplement, where you'll find confirm'd what I haye faid, that this Society is compos'd of Men of fuch general Learning, that each could finish the mighty Task alone; for this Controverfy was carry'd on by the fame who firft began this Noble Defign: and this I hope will prevent the Enemies of this Society from charging me with Flattery, when I fhew fuch weighty Grounds for what I fay. Tho' this be an Age that delights not much in Accounts of this nature, relating to Religion, yet I muft fo far trefpafs upon the Wits, as to add a word or two on their practical Divinity; for there is not a greater Vein of Piety runs thro' all their Writings than in all their Actions, and their Endeavors to render other Mens Actions of the like Perfection: And this will appear from thofe Anfwers which endeavord with Reason and Argument to fecond the Commands of the Government, in the feveral admirable Papers which treat of the prefent defigned Reformation; where, not only the Reasonableness of bringing fuch a Reformation about is clear'd, but allo Methods propos'd, for the better effecting it: tho' I believe neither they, nor indeed the Government, did ever imagine to bring it to that Perfection, that it fhould affect all Degrees, Sects, and Principles, for that is a moral Impoffibility. Yet they had reafon to think it would have that Awe upon moft, that the Pious would not meet with fuch freD3 quent quent and open Objects of Debauchery and Profaneness; and that is as much Comfort to a good Man as to a Man of Senfe, to have a Fool filenc'd by Authority, who elfe would be continually prating. I know feveral have objected, that putting the Laws in execution againft Debauchery would but increase the number of Hypocrites. But I fhall not fear to aniwer, that Hypocrify it felf is better than Scandal; that being but a private and particular I, this general; that by borrowing the Face and outward form of Virtue, by confequence makes fome A tonement for its private Ills, by giving a (feeming at least) good Example; whereas Scan dal familiarizes Vice to every one, and makes all Appearances of Virque ridiculous. What can be more conducive to the general Practice of Virtue than an able Affiftance to thofe Sinners who have a defire to be converted, but are with-held by the Tyranny of an habitual Sin which per haps, as it is the greatett Obftacle to most of our pious Intentions, and the most difficult to overcome, fo it bears down the good Refolutions of molt Men. Any one that has ever read St. Auftin's Confeffions, will eafily perceive (if he be fo happy to be free from perfonal Experience) how a Habit clogs the Soul, and pinions its wings, that it may not fly toward its Divine Creator, by the help of long abdicated Virtue. Oh how often did it tug and pull back St. Auflin, with a thousand worldly Confiderations! How did it lay open all its gitded Baits, and ftruggle for a long time with the powerful Grace which God fent to his Affiftance! But as there is no corporeal Disease (if we believe fome learned Men) for which Nature has not provided a Cure; fo much lefs is there any spiritual Malady, for which God has not provided an abundant Remedy, which our fpiritual Phyficians (at lealt thole that value their Duty, and know the Obligation of their Character) apply to us, as our feveral Diftempers require. This the Athenian Society have done moft admirably well in this difficult point of Habits: First, in dif. covering what a Habit is; and next, that it may be overcome; and laftly, the best Methods to do it: For the first two I refer the Reader to Vol. I.p.385. and fhall here only hint upon fome of the Heads of the laft; as An Habit always has its contrary, and may be broke by the fe of those Methods which confitute its Contrary or by removing the Occafions by which it is in creas'd and continu'd. As for example; A Fire is extinguish'd by Water, or by not fupplying it with Fuel; for Drunkennefs, Whoring, or Uncleannefs, c. the Cure is by • pracifing the conflitutive parts of Temperance and Chaflity; or elfe by flying Occafions in thefe Cafes, the Parthian Difcipline is beft, Overcome by flying. Other Remedies are prefcrib'd in the fame place, as communica |