xi. 29; "the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal," 1 Cor. xii. 7; which Spirit "the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him." "I testify to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law." God shall justify the circumcision through faith. "For every man shall bear his own burden." "We preach, that we may present every man perfect in Jesus Christ," Col. i. 28. "Ye shall be slain all of you; as a bowing wall shall ye be, and as a tottering fence." Free Thoughts will make a strange jumble of these universal expressions; but if he draws God's line between the children of God and the children of the devil, they will appear very consistent; they are all right to them that have understanding, there is nothing froward or perverse in them. Our author goes on.

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God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance; for which purpose he commands all men every where to repent; and since he does not require impossibilities, and then punish for non-performance, every man might repent, and consequently be saved; ⚫ for Christ by the grace of God tasted death for every man.' This is the doctrine of free-willers, these are free-agents and free-thinkers: these are them that justify themselves before men; these are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight; these are of those who asked the Saviour "Are we blind also?" these are the sons to whom the Lord said, "Go work to-day in myvineyard; who

This is the but was ne

answered, I go, Sir, but went not."
nation that is pure in their own eyes,
ver washed from their filthiness. These are the
men that say, We are lords, we will come no more
unto God, Jer. ii. 31; "our lips are our own, who
is Lord over us?" And such, with respect to Christ,
are unanimous in their declaration; for as a sove-
reign, and as the Christ of God, they will not have
him to reign over them, Luke xix. 14.

To such pure, self-sufficient, confidential, and consequential men as these, who call themselves lords, contend for human power, and freedom of will, who think God is just such a one as themselves, who can produce their own cause, and bring forth their strong reasons against the King of Jacob, he deals with in a conditional way, according to the abilities they boast of. If they are, as they say, lords, or Jehovahs, nothing can be impossible to them; hence God sets them a task agreeable to their boasted omnipotence, "Cease to do evil, learn to do well;" there is the command. "Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots ? then may ye also do good that are accustomed to do evil;" this is the lot of them that trust in falsehood.

Men that say, we are lords, who pretend to deity, God sets them a task equal to that divine power they boast of: "Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, Repent and turn yourselves from all your transgressions, so iniquity shall not be your ruin. Cast

away

from you all your transgressions whereby you have transgressed, and make you a new heart and a new spirit; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?" These men are commanded to believe also; which is no hard task, if they be lords according to their own declaration. Mr. Skinner tells us, that God does not require impossibilities; according to his assertions he has power to cease to do evil, to learn to do well, to turn himself to God, to repent, to create a new heart, and a new spirit, and to believe in Jesus; if he can do this, make a new heart and a new spirit, I say he is God; and if he had done this for me, I would have fallen down and worshipped him; for I know the preparation of man's heart and the answer of the tongue is from Jehovah, Prov. xvi. 1; and if Mr. Skinner can make a new heart and a new spirit, he is God. However, the elect that are partakers of the Holy Ghost, they say the way of man is not in himself; it is not in him that walketh to direct his steps; turn thou me and I shall be turned; that repentance is God's grant; "Unto the Gentiles hath God granted repentance unto life;" that it is Christ's gift, who is exalted to be a Prince and a Saviour, to give repentance unto Israel and forgiveness of sins; that a new heart and a new spirit are God's gift and God's work; that faith is the gift of God; that to believe in Jesus Christ is a work that requires an exceeding great and mighty power; that ye may know "what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the

working of his mighty power." And our author, who supposes that he has ability to do whatsoever God commands, appears to me to be an entire stranger to a new heart, a new spirit, real repentance, a turn to God, and to the faith of God's elect, to this day; if he were not, he could not have sworn and subscribed to doctrines that his soul hates. What can be expected from a man that can publish his own perjury, swear and lie to the Holy Ghost contrary to his thoughts, and then send the wicked thoughts of his heart into the world to contradict his confession, oath, and handwriting? Our author goes on.

The command to preach the gospel to every 'creature supposes that Christ died for all, or there can be no gospel for all; and if so, it impeaches 'the sincerity of Christ in commanding it to be 'preached to all, and the ministers preach an un'truth to the reprobate.' I answer, the gospel is to be preached to every creature, with this promise, that he that believeth shall be saved; and they that were ordained to eternal life believed, and ever will believe, and none else; and if the preachers do preach an untruth in declaring the gospel to the reprobate, it is in obedience to their Lord's will, who by his servants invited many to the supper, though they were not worthy, and commanded them to say, Peace be to this house, though peace was to return to them again if the peace was not there. Our author adds, Who can justify his [that is, the Saviour's]

son of

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conduct, who sends a minister to preach a guspel, so called, to myriads of men for whom it

was never intended, and then punishes them ' most severely for having heard it? that is, for having done their duty.' If men, like our author, can perform what God requires, as he declares God does not require impossibilities, that is, he requires nothing but what man, fallen man, can perform; for he says, there is not a damned soul in hell but what if he had done well, as he might have done, had been a glorified saint in heaven,' p. 36. then an ineffectual call is quite enough; for I think, when men talk at this rate, and call themselves lords, it is sufficient to send them an invitation, and so expose their free-agency to contempt for choosing their farms, yokes of oxen, and wives, before the gospel feast. If men can perform what God requires, a command or an invitation is sufficient; God does nothing in vain ; and if men, with power to perform, refuse the invitation, and slight the banquet and the Lord of the household, I think it is an act of unparalleled kindness in the Master to send his servants into. the streets and lanes of the city, to compel those that cannot help themselves. The Lord tells us when we make a feast not to call the rich, but the poor; and he does the same; he orders his ser‐ vants to bring in the poor, the maimed, the halt, and the blind, Luke xiv. 21. The promise of God is not to be made of none effect by freethinkers nor by work-mongers.