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tue and Holiness, infinitely more worthy to be efteemed, loved, honoured, admired, commended, extoll'd and praised, than any Creature; and He who is thus every where reprefented in Scripture; I fay, this Being, according to this Notion of Dr. Whitby, and other Arminians, has no Virtue at all; Virtue, when afcribed to Him, is but an empty Name; and he is deferving of no Commendation or Praise; because he is under Neceffity. He can't avoid being holy and good as he is; therefore no Thanks to him for it. It feems, the Holiness, Juftice, Faithfulness, &c. of the Most High, must not be accounted to be of the Nature of that which is virtuous and praife-worthy. They will not deny, that these Things in God are good; but then we must understand them, that they are no more virtuous, or of the Nature of any Thing commendable, than the Good that is in any other Being that is not a moral Agent; as the Brightness of the Sun, and the Fertility of the Earth are good, but not virtuous, because these Properties are neceffary to thefe Bodies, and not the Fruit of Self-determining Power.

There needs no other Confutation of this Notion of God's not being virtuous or praise-worthy, to Chriftians acquainted with the Bible, but only stating and particularly reprefenting of it. To bring Texts of Scripture, wherein God is represented as in every Respect, in the highest Manner virtuous, and fupremely Praise-worthy, would be endless, and is altogether needless to such as have been brought up under the Light of the Gospel.

It were to be wished, that Dr. Whitby, and other Divines of the fame Sort, had explain'd themfelves, when they afferted, that That which is

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neceffary, is not deferving of Praife; at the fame Time that they have own'd God's Perfection to be neceffary, and fo in Effect represented God as not deferving Praise. Certainly, if their Words have any Meaning at all, by Praife, they muft mean the Exercise or Testimony of fome Sort of Esteem, Refpect, or honourable Regard. And will they then fay, that Men are worthy of that Efteem, Refpect, and Honour for their Virtue, fmall and imperfect as it is, which yet God is not worthy of, for his infinite Righteousness, Holiness, and Goodness? If so, it must be because of fome Sort of peculiar Excellency in the virtuous Man, which is his Prerogative, wherein he really has the Preference; fome Dignity, that is entirely diftinguish'd from any Excellency, Amiableness, or Honourableness in God; not in Imperfection and Dependance, but in Pre-eminence; which therefore he don't receive from God, nor is God the Fountain or Pattern of it; nor can God, in that Refpect, fland in Competition with him, as the Object of Honour and Regard; but Man may claim a peculiar Efteem, Commendation and Glory, that God can have no Pretenfion to. Yea, God has no Right, by virtue of his neceffary Holiness, to intermeddle with that grateful Respect and Praife, due to the virtuous Man, who chufes Virtue, in the Exercife of a Freedom ad utrumque; any more than a precious Stone, which can't avoid being hard and beautiful.

And if it be fo, let it be explained what that peculiar Respect is, that is due to the virtuous Man, which differs in Nature and Kind, in fome Way of Pré-eminence, from all that is due to God. What is the Name or Defcription of that peculiar Affection? Is it Efteem, Love, Admiration, Honour, Praife,

Praise, or Gratitude? The Scripture every where represents God as the highest Object of all these : there we read of the Soul's magnifying the Lord, of loving Him with all the Heart, with all the Soul, with all the Mind, and with all the Strength; admiring him, and his righteous Acts, or greatly regarding them, as marvellous and wonderful; bonouring, glorifying, exalting, extolling, bleffing, thanking, and praifing Him; giving unto Him all the Glory of the Good which is done or received, rather than unto Men; that no, Flesh should glory in his Prefence, but that He fhould be regarded as the Being to whom all Glory is due. What then is that Refpect? What Paffion, Affection, or Exercise is it, that Arminians call Praife, diverse from all these Things, which Men are worthy of for their Virtue, and which God is not worthy of, in any Degree?

If that Neceffity which attends God's moral Perfections and Actions, be as inconfiftent with a being worthy of Praife, as a Neceffity of Coaction; as is plainly implied in or inferred from Dr. Whitby's Difcourfe; then why should we thank God for his Goodnefs, any more than if He were forced to be good, or any more than we should thank one of our Fellow-Creatures who did us good, not freely, and of good Will, or from any Kindnefs of Heart, but from mere Compul fion, or extrinsical Neceffity? Arminians fuppofe, that God is neceffarily a good and gracious Being: for this they make the Ground of fome of their main Arguments againft many Doctrines maintained by Calvinists; They fay, these are certainly falfe, and it is impoffible they fhould be true, because they are not confiftent with the Goodness of God. This fuppofes, that it is impossible but that God fhould be good for if it be poffible that

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He fhould be otherwife, then that Impoffibility: of the Truth of thefe Doctrines ceafes, according to their own Argument.

That Virtue in God is not, in the most proper Senfe, rewardable, is not for Want of Merit in his moral Perfections and Actions, fufficient to deferve Rewards from his Creatures; but because He is infinitely above all Capacity of receiving any Reward or Benefit from the Creature: He is already infinitely and unchangeably happy, and we can't be profitable unto Him. But till he is worthy of our fupreme Benevolence for his Virtue; and would be worthy of our Beneficence, which is the Fruit and Expreffion of Benevolence, if our Goodness could extend to Him. If God deferves to be thanked and praised for his Goodnefs, He would for the fame Reason, deserve that we should also requite his Kindness, if that were poffible. What shall I render to the Lord for all his Benefits? is the natural Language of Thankfulnefs and fo far as in us lies, it is our Duty to recompenfe God's Goodnefs, and render again according to Benefits received. And that we might have Opportunity for fo natural an Expreffion of our Gratitude to God, as Beneficence, notwithftanding his being infinitely above our Reach; He has appointed others to be his Receivers, and to ftand in his Stead, as the Objects of our Bene ficence; fuch are especially our indigent Bre thren.

SECTION

SECTION II.

The Acts of the Will of the human Soul of JESUS CHRIST neceffarily holy, yet truly virtuous, praife-worthy, rewardable, &c.

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Have already confidered how Dr. Whitby infifts upon it, that a Freedom, not only from Coaction, but Neceffity, is requifite either to Virtue or Vice, Praife or Difpraife, Reward or Punishment. He alfo infifts on the fame Freedom as abfolutely requifite to a Perfon's being the Subject of a Law, of Precepts or Prohibitions; in the Book before mentioned; p. 301, 314, 328, 339, 340, 341, 342, 347, 361, 373, 410. And of Promifes and Threatenings; p. 298, 301, 305, 311, 339, 340, 363. And as requifite to a State of Trial; P. 297, &c.

Now therefore, with an Eye to these Things, I would inquire into the moral Conduct and Practice of our Lord Jefus Chrift, which he exhibited in his human Nature here, in his State of Humiliation. And First, I would fhew, that his holy Behaviour was neceffary; or that it was impoffible it should be otherwife, than that He should behave himself holily, and that he should be perfectly holy in each individual Act of his Life. And Secondly, that his holy Behaviour was properly of the Nature of Virtue, and was worthy of Praife; and that He was the Subject of Law, Precepts or Commands, Promises and Rewards; and that he was in a State of Trial.

I. It was impoffible, that the Acts of the Will of the human Soul of Chrift fhould, in any Inftance,

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