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felf. Much lefs can any holy foul be willing to be an eternal finner, an everlasting enemy to God, which is the grand, effential thing in that hell the limitarians plead for '*

The Doctor here feeks to find a cover, by falfely afferting that his opponents hold hell to be nothing but perfection of fin, that they alfo hold that a man must be willing to be an everlasting enemy to God, before he can be faved, which is contrary to the law of God. Yet his meaning is that the law of God cries out against the endlefs damnation of finners; or it is plain he would here crowd this idea into the minds of his readers. He fays, the law of nature is as really and truly the law of God, as his written word. Thefe natural and inevitable feelings, which are common to all rational creatures, whether holy or finful, 'whether angels or men, or of whatever rank or defcription, are indeed the law of God." But who does not know that impen. itent finners, univerfally, wifh they might not be eternally damn. ed, whether they ever repent in this life or not? To make it cer tain this will not be their awful doom, it is natural for them to defire that all men might efcape eternal damnation. But thefe inevitable feelings, the laws of nature, even the defires of finners, Dr. H. calls the law of God, and a pure law too; and thefe inevitable feelings cry out against endless damnation. Therefore his argument is, the law of God cries out against the endless damnation of finners, and whether they eyer repent, or not. Heoften has recourfe to this argument from his own experience, and on the principle that his own foul is formed on the general, the univerfal plan of human nature.'t Again, he fays, You, my: reader, know, in your own foul, that you fincerely and cordially Jove your neighbour, and daily give him every poffible proof of it.' He goes on here to extol the love we have towards our neighbours; then afks the queftion, What this love is when compared to the wonderful love, mercy and pity the redeemer daily shows toward every child of Adam ?-He directly adds, After all this, for us to fay, that it is his will and difpofition to damn most of mankind in perfon, to all eternity, appears to me ⚫ not honourable to the true character of Chrift, or agreeable to 'his word.' This love, as the Doctor calls it, toward our own falvation, and the falvation of our neighbours, whether we are 'holy or finful,' he had before afferted to be the principle implanted in us by the author of nature, it being the law of God itfelf. Therefore if we feel a defire to escape hell, that our neigh. bours alfo fhould efcape, God feels a de fire infinitely greater, and will certainly fulfil that defire. This is a capital argument among univerfalifts.

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univerfalifts. But finners, the moft abandoned efpecially, with with their whole hearts, as the only chance they have while they perfevere in fin, that all men might be faved. This Dr. H. calls the law of God, which cries for the falvation of all men, and cries against the eternal perdition of finners. Now view the Doctor in his own drefs. These inevitable feelings of nature, or the law of God, he fays, cries out aganft the endless mifery of man, with all the authority of the divine Being himself. A. gain, he fays, The law every where denounces the infinite and everlasting wrath of God, and endless mifery to man, in case of the leaft failure. The law knows nothing of mercy or of miti gation. The law demands perfection; curses for want of it; ⚫ and cries vengeance.' Thus has Dr. H. fet the divine law, or what he calls the divine law, at an eternal war with itself.

To fet up our own feelings for the rule of judgment, is to fubvert all rule and order, whether civil or facred. The murderer, for inflance, has his inevitable feelings, at the bar of civil juftice; crying out against the law that condemns him. To follow Dr. H's rule, this murderer must accordingly be acquitted. Dr. H. would have, as we have feen, civil rulers enact good laws, in ter rible oppofition to all wickednefs.' But why fo? This pure law, which is indeed the law of God, in every man's breast, muft fupercede all human laws. So when the prophets, or Chrift and the apoftles come with a revealed law, it must first be tried by this fandard within, or pure law of nature.

There is one thing every man carries in his own breaft. Which muft give him a fore conflict, before he can be reconciled to Dr. H's fcheme. Confcience fpeaks & will be heard. Confcience wit neffes that God is a jealous God,and will by no means clear the guilty, or finally impenitent.

At length, my dear Friend, we have had a view of Dr. H's loofe and contradictory notions of law and gospel: that is, as to his principal articles. For, to defcend to particulars would lead to a train of endlefs contradictions. We thall therefore content ourfelves with the following fummary of what we have seen in this, and the last preceding Leter.-The law and the gospel not only stand in direct oppofition to each other, as to their outward operation, but in their own natures are they in jarring oppofition-The curfe of the law is fully fatisfied in Chrift; ftill the law cries vengeance; and cries against the honour of God, and the happiness of the univerfe-The gofpel, the voice of fact, fpeaks nothing but good to men; ftill it is a fact, Judas and all the wicked, while in this life, fuffer hell itfelf-The voice of the whole + P. 43.

P. 42.

whole law, and the voice of the gofpel are exceedingly distinct, and diametrically oppofite; but they perfectly agree in this, the Jalvation of all men-The gofpel is all grace, unfearchable riches of grace, from God to man, and the only way of falvation for loft men; but all men are juftified, and faved on the covenant of works-The curfe of the law, and every evil threatened to men, and all that men deferve, is inflicted on Chrift; men fuffer, however, the full defert of their fin, as fast as they become guiltyThe law cries out against eternal perdition, and pleads for the falvation of all; but this law every where denounces the infinite wrath of God, and endless mifery to man.-Thefe glaring contradictions lie at the bottom of the Doctor's fcheme. If this 'distinction of law and gofpel is without foundation,' he says, 'my whole argument falls to the ground. So does the whole of 'divine revelation. Two principles, directly oppofite to each other, cannot both be true. And a scheme built entirely with contradictions must fall to the ground. But we see what value Dr. H. puts upon revelation, when he will as readily renounce it wholly, as he will give up thofe arguments which will forever be jarring and warring together.

LETTER VIII.

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I am, &c.

Dr. H's fentiment that believers have only negative virtue, compared to the character he takes to himself.

MY DEAR FRIEND,

O pave the way for all to go to heaven, univerfalifts often reduce believers much upon a level with unbelieveres. But would affume to themselves an eminent share of chriftian virtue; profeffing to abound in love for the happiness of their fellow-men. Accordingly, Dr. H. fays, Whatever difference there may 'be between the grace given to one and another, in this life, the character, temper and ways of all the human race agree in ma ny things more than they differ. Bring all the human race together, and their diffimilitude will be very small, in comparison to their general agreement. A prefent believer hath, indeed, 'fomething, which a prefent unbeliever hath not; and God 'knows what a little fomething it is.'t By the grace given to 'one and another, in this life,' the Doctor means that fome degree of grace is given to all men. All men,' he fays, are much the • better

better for Chrift, and on account of the influence he has on "their hearts.' This we have feen in Letter IV. The little Something of difference between believers aud infidels, he therefore gives off with an air of contempt. God knows what a little fomething it is!'

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Dr. H. fays again, When we fpeak of the good heart of believers, and of their good and holy lives; and when we find thefe epithets in fcripture, they are never to be underflood in frit propriety of Speech, but only in a comparative fenfei. e. lefs wicked, in the exercifes of their hearts, as to the real matter of thefe exercifes, than unbelievers are, or than they themfelves were, in a flate of unregeneracy. It is the fame with re'gard to their good and holy lives: i. e. they are much lefs wicked, as to the matter of their condu&t, than once they were, or than unbelievers ordinarily are. But it is certain, that, in propriety and ftri&ness of speech, no pofitive goodness belongs to any human character on earth.'* Thus the Doctor blends both characters together, making no difference except in degrees of wickedness. The fame may be faid when we compare finners together, one is more wicked, and another lefs wicked; but both having nothing but oppofition of heart to holinefs. So that the difference lies wholly in the degrees of this oppofition. Dr. H.: fometimes holds to total depravity, then again denies it, and pretends that all have fome fhare of grace or virtue, as we have juft feen. But his object in the above paffages is to make believers and unbelievers both one, excepting degrees of wickedness. The fame as when we compare one unbeliever with another, neither of them having the leaft pofitive goodness,' though one has not fo great ftrength of wickednefs as the other. This Dr. H. further confirms, as in these words: All may be in heaven together in God's own time, with as great a diftinction of reward there, as of character here.'t Allowing this of all mankind, as he here intends, and it is not poffible there fhould be a difference as to these two characters, only as one may be lefs wicked than the other. All the goodnefs therefore, that Dr. H. afcribes to the believer, is only comparative or negative; the believer, in his fenfe, is not quite fo bad as the unbeliever. This little fomething alfo that makes them differ, he confiders as a little contemptible thing.

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But the doctor will not allow fuch believers as hold to endless punishment. to be lefs wicked than unbelievers. He labours to make his opponents more wicked than the whole race of heathen and infidels. He first claffes them with the apoftate Jews, then

with

with Judas, then with the proudest of pharifees. And their good diftinctions of outward privileges, and means of grace, even of grace itself, only tend, he fays, to ftimulate them in pride, and to enclose themfelves in palaces of diftinction and honour;' and to look with fovereign contempt upon all the world befide. This the Doctor fays of all his opponents, making no exception, as was fhown in Letter V. and because they fo oppofe universal fal

vation.

Now fee the contraft. Speaking of himself, in the introduction of his book, the Doctor fays, Being much disposed to a ftudious life, and always delighting greatly in books, he spent much of his time in reading and enquiring, in the early periods ' of life. Amidst all the vanities and follies of youth, yet acquainting his heart with wifdom, even while he too much laid hold on folly. Being alfo much favored, by a kind providence, 'with regard to the best means of inftruction, and a pious exam'ple from his parents in his early days, and afterwards with a more public education; the difpofition of his heart inclined him, ⚫ in great preference to all other employments, to the study of divinity, and to become a preacher of the gofpel.* The Doctor has chofen fome of the most decided words to denote true feat and love of God.- Acquainting his heart with wisdom.' Solomon ufes the words in the fame manner, Eccl. ii. 3. and in another place says, The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom.' Therefore, amidst all the follies of youth, withwhich he was furrounded, Dr. H. fays he gave himself up to fear and love God. And being much difpofed to a ftudious life, and always delighting greatly in books; and being under the beft means of inftruction, and a pious example from his parents in his early days, he applied his heart to know, and to "fearch, and to feek out wisdom.' In his early days, it would feem, he imitated if not exceeded, Solomon in his old age. This 'difpofition of his heart inclined him, in great preference to all 'other employments, to the ftudy of divinity, and to become a 'preacher of the gofpel.' His mind was very ftrongly inclined, in great preference, and from the pureft motives, to the most important, as well as felf-denying work, in the redeemer's kinge dom. Is not this fomething more than being lefs wicked?

Though he fays, while'in early life, He too much laid hold onfolly,' yet he impliedly profeffes to have overcome, foon after, all the follies of youth, and all the vanities of human nature; and to have given himself up wholly to his God. Thus he folemnly declares: I am quite fatisfied with what God has faid in its plainest meaning; + Prov. 9. 10. + Prov. 7. 25.

* P. 5.