of Man's eternal Mifery thro' the Want of fuch Forgiveness as is declared to be an Offence against God in ourselves; for it proves to a Demonftration, that everlasting Death is no arbitrary Infliction of the God of Love upon Man for Sin, seeing that He has done all that could be done to prevent our Ruin, but that it is the natural and neceffary Confequence of Sin chofen, loved, and perfifted in, and of Grace and Salvation rejected. If the Reader is not fatisfied with this Author's Manner of treating these Subjects; as his Writings are abundantly fufficient for its Defence, I refer him in particular to his Treatife, intituled, The way to Divine Knowledge, in which he has obviated most of the material Objections that can be brought against it. Upon the whole, this Author's Works are excellently well calculated for Ufefulnefs to many different Sorts of Readers, and to promote Piety in all. His Serious Call and Chrif tian Perfection contain very affectionate Addreffes urged with the moft cogent Motives to this End, and are liable to no other Objection than what is natural for Perfons of too relaxed a Piety to offer. His Anfwer to the Plain Account, &c. is

a judicious Confu

Confutation of that grofs and fundamental Error which confifts in placing Religion more in the outward and visible Sign than in the inward and fpiritual Grace. His Appeal to Deifts, &c. proves with great Force of Reafon, that the Oeconomy of our Redemption by Jefus Chrift is no pofitive or arbitrary Inftitution, but a Display of infinite Love and Goodnefs according to the Laws and Conftitution of eternal Na-ture. His Anfwer to Dr. Trapp is a just Correction and Reprefentation of the Folly, Sin, and Danger of cautioning a careless World against being Righteous over much: And his fubfequent Writings do, according to their several Subjects, affert the Honour and Dignity of the Chriftian Religion as a Divine Nature and Life, against the dogmatical Dullness of the Sophift; the artificial Pedantry of the literal Sciolift; the malevolent Narrowness of the Bigot; and the infectious Ofcitancy of the Formulift. A Person of high Character and of a penetrating Judgment in Divine Things (whofe Name would give Authority to this Remark) in a Letter to a Friend, fpeaks of Mr. Law's Works as follows: "They are "certainly fome of the best things for well difpofed

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"difpofed Minds to read that I ever met "with They lead out from Babel and all "the Delufions of a Sectarian and Party "Spirit in Religion; and I find them the "only Books for the fenfible Deift. It must be owned, that in his latter Writings' there are fome things of an uncommon Texture which fuit not the Apprehenfion or Turn of every Reader: But then let it be remembered, that as one Part of his Bufinefs lay with the fubtile Deift, who, fheltering his Infidelity behind the Intrenchments of Philofophy, bids Defiance to Revealed Religion, it would have been inept to argue with fuch a one from Principles which he abfolutely denied, and therefore he found it beft to force his Lines, and to engage him upon his own Ground: And here he proves that to be no other than a deceitful Reafon and a falfe Philofophy that furnishes "Arguments for Infidelity; and fhews that Christianity receives Illuftration and Evidence from that true Philofophy which is the Light of God in the Soul, making manifeft Himfelf and his Works both in material and fpiritual, in temporal and eternal Nature, and which is profitable, as well to eftablish the Faith of the Believer

as

as to put to filence, the Ignorance of foolish Men. I fhall conclude thefe Remarks with the Author's own Words, in his Way to Divine Knowledge, p. 246,

"Let not the genuine, plain, fimple, "Chriftian, who is happy and, blessed in "the Simplicity of a Gofpel Faith, take "Offence at this Myftery, because he has cc no need of it; for it is God's Goodness to "the diftreffed State of the Church, fallen. "from the Life and Power of Gospel Faith, and groaning under the Slavery, "Darkness, and Perplexity of bewildered Reafon and Opinions.

"Neither let the Orthodox Divine, "who fticks clofe to the Phrases and Sen"timents of Antiquity, reject this Mystery

as heretical, because it opens a Ground "of Man and of the Divine Mysteries not "known or found in the primitive Writers: "For this is the very Reason why he "should thankfully receive it with open "Arms, as having and being that very "thing which the diftreffed, divided State ❝ of the Church now fo greatly wants, and yet did not want till it was fallen from its firft Simplicity of Faith: For whilst "Faith and Life defended the Mysteries "of

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"of Religion, the Ground and Philofophy "of it was not wanted: But when Ortho"doxy had given itself up to Reason, and "had nothing else for its Support but Reas fon and Argument from the Letter of Scripture, without the leaft Knowledge "of the firft Ground of Doctrines, then "it could only be defended as it is defend"ed in every Sect and Divifion of the Chrif "tian World."

And here we cannot fufficiently admire and adore the Divine Goodness in raifing up fuch Lights and Helps as are beft fuited to the Needs of his Church in every Age and Circumftance of it: Our own Obligations in this Particular call upon us for large Returns of religious Gratitude: We have feen Chriftianity not only defended with invincible Strength against its Enemies, but refcued from Errors of Ignorance, and a dead Formality no lefs dangerous than open Infidelity. We have our fkilful Workmen of different Denominations that need not be ashamed; fome demonftrating in a Method of Proof not to be gainsaid, that the facred Truths of our Religion have their fure Foundations in the Depths of a Divine Theofophy: Others by apt Analogy between