to society, and most pleasing to the natural sentiments of man; that is to say, religion. He would break down this barrier against evil, he would rob us of this consolation of humanity; and in such a service he follows but his nature and his office, when he vilifies and calumniates all who set themselves to oppose his impious projects. But the end of the Commandment is charity.

These are the various modes of answering which are to be avoided, lest the advocate of religion become like the impious caviller whom he addresses himself to confute.

IV. But then, lest the fool should be wise in his own conceit, we are, at the same time, bid, to give him an answer. But how can this be done, in the manner here directed, namely, according to his folly, and yet the answerer not become like unto him, but, on the contrary, be able to produce the effect here intimated? The cure of the fool's vain conceit of his superior wisdom, is a difficulty indeed; a difficulty worthy the advocate of truth to undertake and which a master of his subject may hope to overcome, in contriving to 'confute the fool on his own false principles, by shewing that they lead to a conclusion very opposite to those free consequences he has laboured to deduce from them. And if any thing will allay the fool's vain conceit of himself, it must be the sense of such a dishonour. For what can be more shameful than to have his own principles shewn to be destructive of his own conclusions? What more mortifying, than to have those principles, in whose invention he so much gloried, or in whose use he so much confided, fairly turned, by all the rules of good logic, to his own confusion? Nor is "the partisan of falsehood more humbled than the cause

of

of truth advanced, by thus answering a fool according to his folly. For that victory where the adversary is thus made to contribute to his own overthrow is, in common estimation, always held to be most compleat: that system being naturally deemed contemptible, whose most plausible support draws after it the ruin of what it was raised to uphold.

And thus, as the wise man directs, is this forward fool to be treated; whether it be by silence or confutation.

V. That, in general, his folly is to be repressed, according to the dictates of true wisdom, the nature of the thing sufficiently informs us: there was no need of a particular direction to inforce the expediency and necessity of such a conduct. But then, besides, it may sometimes happen, that the interests of truth require his being answered even according to his folly: and, as our duty here is very liable to abuse, it was expedient to obviate the danger. This, we may observe, the sacred writer hath done; and with much art and elegance of address.

It may indeed be said, Why this practised obliquity in defence of truth? Is not the purity of her nature rather defiled, than her real interests advanced by this indirection? And does not wisdom seem to tell us, that it becomes her dignity to repress folly by those arms only which wisdom herself hath edged and tempered; that truth, by the information of her own light, points out the straight road to her abode; and forbids us to riggle into her sacred presence through by-paths, and the cloudy medium of falsehood?

But they who talk thus do not sufficiently reflect on the condition of our weak and purblind nature, which can ill bear the bright and unshaded light of truth. On

which account, it is so contrived, in the beautiful order of things, that folly, by thus administering to her own defeat, should bring us back again into the ways of wisdom, from which she hath seduced us.

The REDEEMER of mankind, in condescension to the infirmities of those he came to save, hath taken this very advantage of that established order: for, more effectually to silence those fools who questioned his mission and his office, he answers them according to their folly; that is, he demonstrates to them, on their own erroneous ideas of the nature and end of the LAW (formed on rabbinical traditions and the reveries of Greek philosophers), he demonstrates to them, I say, the truth and reasonableness of the GOSPEL. The pure and unabated splendor of truth, ushered in by wisdom, would have only added to their judicial blindness for to bear it undazzled, they had need of the presence of that SPIRIT OF TRUTH, which was not yet come, but only promised to be sent. Indeed, when this sacred guide was come, and while he continued in an extraordinary manner, to enlighten the understandings of the faithful, there was no occasion for this inforced ministry of folly, to contribute to her own destruction. And therefore the first propagators of the Gospel proceeded more directly to the establishment of the truth, and on the solid principles of wisdom only. Yet now again, in the ordinary communications of GRACE, this direction of the wise man will be as useful as ever, to the interests of virtue and religion, ANSWER AL FOOL ACCORDING TO HIS FOLLY, LEST HE BE WISE IN HIS OWN CONCEIT.

...

THE

DOCTRINE OF GRACE;

OR,

THE OFFICE AND OPERATIONS OF THE
HOLY SPIRIT.

BOOK I.

CHAP. I. '

HE Blessed JESUS came into the world ON THE

THE

PART OF GOD, to declare pardon and salvation to the forfeited posterity of Adam. He testified the truth of his Mission by amazing miracles, and sealed man's Redemption, in his Blood, by the more amazing sacrifice. of himself upon the cross.

But as the REDEMPTION, so procured, could only operate on each individual, under certain conditions of FAITH and OBEDIENCE, very repugnant to our corrupt nature, the blessed Redeemer, on leaving the world, promised to his followers his intercession with the Father, to send amongst them another divine PerSON ON THE PART OF MAN, namely the HOLY GHOST, called the Spirit of Truth, and the Comforter; who, agreeably to the import of these attributes, should cooperate with man in establishing his FAITH, and in perfecting his OBEDIENCE; or, in other words, should sanctify him to Redemption.

[Book I. This is a succinct account of the economy of Grace; entirely consonant to our most approved conceptions. of the Divine nature and of the human condition. For if man was to be reinstated in a FREE-GIFT, which had been justly forfeited, we cannot but confess, that as, on the one hand, the restoration might be made on what conditions best pleased the giver; so, on the other, that God would graciously provide that it should not be made in vain.

An atonement, therefore, for the offended Majesty of the FATHER, was first to be procured; and this was the work of the SON: and then, a remedy was to be provided for that helpless condition of man, which hindered the atonement from producing its effect; and this was the office of the HOLY GHOST: so that both were joint-workers in the great business of reconciling God to man.

What at present I propose to consider is, the Office and Operations of the Holy Spirit, as they are delivered to us in sacred Scripture.

His office in general is, as hath been observed, to establish our faith, and to perfect our obedience, both of which he doth by ENLIGHTENING THE UNDERSTANDING, and by RECTIFYING THE WILL. All this is necessarily collected from the words of Jesus, which contain this important PROMISE. I will pray the Father (says he) and he shall give you another COMFORTER, that he may abide with you for ever; even the SPIRIT OF TRUTH-He dwelleth with you, and shall be in you-which is the HOLY GHOST, whom the Father shall send in my name. He shall TEACH YOU ALL THINGS*.

By teaching us all things under the joint characters of the Spirit of Truth and of the Comforter, we are * John xiv. 16, & seq.

necessarily