The cause of the misunderstandings of pious proteflants The contrary mistakes of Zelotes and Honeftus, who are invited to try their doctrines by the Scripture Scales:-The manner of ufing them, and the need of them in our days.

IRST and fecond Caufes, leading and fubor

dinate Motives, may perfectly 'agree together. The hinder wheels of a chariot need not be taken off, because they are not the fore-wheels. It would be abfurd to pull down the left wing of a palace, merely because it is opposed to the right. And a man makes himself ridiculous, who deftroys one of his fcales because it accidentally outweighs the other. For both fcales may recover their equilibrium, and answer the beft of purposes.

Such, if I miftake not, is the neceffary distinction, and fuch the nice union, that fubfift between those two oppofite, and yet harmonizing; exploded, and yet capital doctrines of the gofpel, which we call Freegrace and Free-will. To demonftrate that their due conjunction in our hearts, forms the fpiritual marriage of faith, and gives birth to all good works; I have ventured upon the conftruction of the Scales, which the reader will find in thefe pages. If their compo fition is human, their materials are divine; for they confift of plain feriptures, chiefly placed under two heads of doctrine, which, for their juftnefs and im

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portance, may be called the WEIGHTS OF THE SANCTUARY. (1) Our falvation is of God. (2) Our damnation is of ourselves. The firft of these propofitions is infeparably connected with the doctrine of Free-grace; nor can the second stand, but upon the doctrine of Freeswill; two doctrines these, which the moralifts and the folifidians have hitherto thought incompatible; and about which fome of them have contended with the utmoft acrimony of temper and language.

Even men of piety have rafhly entered the lifts, fome against Free-grace, others against Free-will ;* warmly oppofing what they should have mutually defended. The cause of their misunderstanding is very fingular. They are good men upon the whole, therefore they can never oppofe truth as truth: and, as they are not deftitute of charity, they cannot quarrel merely for quarreling's fake. Whence then fprings their continual conteft? Is it not from grofs partiality, exceffive jealoufy, wilful inattention, and glaring prejudice? They will not look gofpel-truth. full in the face: They are determined to stand on either fide of her, and by that means, feldom fee above the half of her beauty.

But all the protestants are not so partial: for, while the Solifidians gaze upon the fide-face of Christianity on the right hand, and the Moralifts on the left; her unprejudiced lovers, humbly fitting at her feet, and beholding her in full, admire the exquifite proportion of all her features; an advantage this, which the oppofite rivals can never have in their prefent, unfavourable pofition. Therefore, whilst a mere moralift confiders as "enthufiaftic rant," the doctrine of free-grace extolled by the folifidians; and whilst a bound-willer brands as 66 dreadful herefy," the doctrine of free-will efpoufed by the moralifts; an unprejudiced chriftian equally embraces the pretended "enthufiafm" of the one, and the imaginary herefy," of the other; being perfuaded, that the different fentiments of those partial contenders for free-grace and free-will, are only the oppofite truths, which form the complete beauty of genuine proteftantifm.

This

This contrary mistake of the moralifts, and of the folifidians, is attended with the most fatal confequen. ces; for, as they receive only one part of the truth, they think to do God fervice by attacking the other part, which they rafhly take for a dangerous error: and, fo far as the influence of their contrary mifconception reaches, the whole truth is deftroyed.. Primitive christianity, in their bufy hands, feems to be in as much danger of loling her capital doctrines, as the elderly man in the fable was of lofing his hair between his two wives: One was young, and could not bear his partly-filvered locks; the other, who was old, wanted him to be altogether as grey as herfelf. Both accordingly fell to work; and in a little time the young wife had fo plucked out his white hairs, and the old woman his black ones, that he remained abfolutely bald.

Will you fee their ridiculous conduct exemplified in the religious world? Confider Honeftus, the fedate moralist; and Zelotes, the warm folifidian. Honeftus, who values the ten commandments far above the three creeds, feldom dwells upon Chrift's redeeming love and atoning blood. Out of the church he rarely mentions the infpiration of God's fpirit, or the comforts of the Holy Ghoft; and it is well if he does not think, that our addreffes to the Mediator are remains of papistical idolatry. He piques himself much upon his honefty; and hoping that his free-will, best endeavours, and good works, are almoft fufficient to fave him, he leaves the doctrine of a finner's justification by faith to Zelotes and St. Paul.-Zelotes flies to the other extreme. His creed is all; and, fo far as decency permits, he infinuates, that believers may break the first and fecond commandment with Solomon, the third with Peter, the fifth with Abfalom, the fixth and feventh with David, the eighth with Onefimus, and the two last with Ananias and Sapphira; in short, that they may go any length in fin, without endangering in the leaft their title to a crown of glory. He thinks that the contrary doctrine is rank popery. Some of

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his favourite topics are: (1) God's unconditional election of fome to finished falvation; an election this, which neceffarily includes God's unconditional appointment of the rest of mankind to finished damnation :(2) An unchangeable fondness of God, and a partial atonement of Chrift, for a comparatively small number of the children of men; a fondnefs and an atones ment these, which include also an unchangeable wrath against, and an absolute reprobation of all the world befides-And (3) a zealous decrying of free will and fincere obedience, under the fpecious pretence of exalting Chrift and free grace. As for the juftification of a BELIEVER by works, and not by faith only, he leaves it to Honeftus, Bellarmine, and St. James.

If the fum of Chrift's religion is, Cordially believe, and Sincerely obey; and if Honeftus makes almost nothing of /aving faith, while Zelotes makes next to nothing of fincere obedience, is it not evident that between them both genuine Proteftantifm is almost destroyed? If I may compare Christianity to the woman, that St. John faw in one of his vifions; how barbaroufly is the used by those two partial lovers? Both pretend to have the greateft regard for her: Both have publicly efpoufed her: Both perhaps equally recommend her from the pulpit: but alas both, tho' without any bad defign, use her with the greatest unkindness; for, while Honefus divests her of her peculiar doctrines and myfteries, Zelotes robs her of her peculiar precepts and fanctions: Thus the one [if I may carry the allegory fo far] puts out her right; and the other, her left eye: the one ftabs her in the right fide; and the other, in the left: And this they do upon a fuppofition, that as foon as all their dreadful operations shall be performed, Christianity will shine in the perfection of her native beauty.

While the heavenly woman mutilated, by thofe partial lovers, lies thus bleeding and deformed in the midst of fpiritual Egypt, Lorenzo cafts his eyes upon her; and starting back at the fight, he wifely proteits, that he cannot embrace fo deformed a religion: and

it is well, if, in this critical moment, a painted Jezebel, who courts his affections, does not enfnare his unwary foul. She calls herfelf Natural Religion, but her right name is Scepticism in infancy, Infidelity in youth, Fatalifm in ripe years, and Abaddon in old age: Guilty, thrice guilty will Honeftus and Zelotes prove, if they continue to drive the hesitating youth into the arms of that fyren, by continuing to render Chriftianity monitrous in his eyes!

O mistaken men of God, before you have caused Lorenzo's ruin, be perfuaded to review your doctrine; nor refufe to weigh it in the balance of the fanctuary. If fine gold lofes nothing in the fierceft fire, what can your fentiments lofe in my fcripture-fcales? Let cheats dread to have their weights tried by the royal standard; but do not you start from the trial. I acknowledge your bonefty before hand. If your weights fhould prove falfe, your reputation is fafe. My readers will do you justice; they will perceive, that, far from having had any intention to deceive others, you yourfelves have been the dupes of your own prejudice; thus will your miftakes be found out to your profit, and not to your

shame.

The error of Honeftus and that of Zelotes being of. pofite, fo must be their method of ufing the ScriptureLcales. Honeftus, who inclines to the neglect of Christ, and to the contempt of Free-grace, muft weigh himself against the fcriptures which follow N°I, and batter down pharifaic dotages; That is, he must read those fcriptures over with attention; afking his confcience, if he honestly infilts upon them as the primary truths of chriftianity; and if he may not rank with modern pharifees, fo far as he oppofes or defpifes thofe fcriptures. On the other hand, Zelotes, who leans to the difregard of fincere obedience, good works, and, freewill, muft weigh himself against N° 11, under whigh he will find the fcriptures, that oppofe the antinomian delufion; confefling that, fo far as he fets them afide, ke clips away the fecondary truths of the gofpel, mangles

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bible.