it has any more moral efficacy to difpofe, incline, or engage, the foul, or its volitions and tendencies, when it firft operates, than the application of a dofe of phyfic, from an apothecary's fhop.

But, the grace and fpirit, the writer of this would daily pray for, on his own account, and thofe of his fellow finners, are fuch, as may incline the heart or foul, in its firft as well as in its after operations, to keep the commandments of God. This, however, is a benefit, no Quaker, who thinks with Mr. Barclay, can expect or ask for confiftently; and if you expect, reader, that the Apologift's faving grace or "light "within," fhould first rightly difpofe the heart and will of finners in general, to improve the means of falvation God has given them, you are much mistaken : He pretends not to fay, in the illustration we have confidered, that it has any fuch virtue, nay, actually fuppofes it has not.

The other reprefentation, P. 150. of "men lying "ftupified in a dark pit," leaves the perfon's choice or will, in the fame fituation the former does. All the kind offices of the mighty deliverer that are employed, either internally or externally, have no manner of effect, unless the inan wills or chufes, not to resist and to be paffive; for thus he writes, "if they resist "not" (this deliverer)" will fave them; only they may refift:" So that the whole hinges upon the temper, turn, or, to follow Mr. Phipps, the innocent inactivity, of the miferable perions mind.

σε

The Apologift calls the light or grace given to every man, "faving," "effectual," and "fufficient:" But does it fave any who do not fubmit to become paffive to it? No, he himfelf admits it does not: It is allowed to depend, for its fuccefs, on fomething without itfelt, and is, in fact, not faving to thofe who have not this prerequifite, and therefore, in this view, is improperly called "faving," with refpect to them.

The

The Gospel of Jefus is called " faving words," Acts xi. 14. or "the truth which faves," 1 Tim. ii, 4. "the incorruptible feed," 1 Pet. i. 23. "the word "of life," Phil. ii. 16. and " the word of falvation," Acts xiii. 26. And why? Because no man can have it within him, in its full import and evidence, without having hope before God, his will changed, and his temper and life fanctified thereby: but, a perfon may have a fufficient measure of Mr. Barclay's faving principle within, as he afferts, without finding it all fufficient and effectual, to give him good hope before God, to give a happy turn to his will, and thus to fanctify his whole temper and practice.

Yet the Apostle John fays, "He that faith, I know "him, and walketh not as he walked, is a liar, and "the truth is not in him." I John ii. 4. Doubtless he means here by "the truth," the Gospel, or that for which Chriftians love one another. In a true and proper fenfe, that then is "faving," which a man cannot have, without being faved thereby; but that which thousands may have, and yet not be faved by it, deferves not, according to the common ufe of language, with refpect to them, this epithet.

"

With equal impropriety, does he call it, "effectual or efficacious;" for a great number have it, and yet are never, in fact, pardoned, purified, and faved, by it. What is the effect propofed to be answered by' the light within?" Is it not falvation? But, it is allowed not to have this effect upon all, therefore it cannot be "effectual or efficacious" to all. With what justice then does Mr. Barclay object to those, who suppose Chrift's mediation was not effectual to all men? If it be an abfurdity, is not his fyftem chargeable with the fame? His Chrift within," upon his

*See P. 115. and numerous other places, under the Vth and Vilth propofition.

own principles, pretends not, in itself, when we come to examine it clofely, to be effectual to all, if to any.

66

"

The Apologift alfo dwells much upon the word "fufficient." The measure of his fuppofed faving light, is always déclared to be “fufficient;" but we afk" fufficient" for what? Not for the falvation of all men, nor for the falvation of any, but fome felect ones, fuch as "the Virgin Mary, and Apostle Paul, P. 151. to whom he acknowledges there was given Special grace," fo that they necessarily obtained falvation. For its fufficiency to mankind in general, depends intirely upon what we have proved to be a virtuous paffivenefs in the finner, or what Mr. Phipps must allow to be an "innocent inactivity," and, without this, never was, and never is, fufficient, for their fal-. vation. And if any thing deferves to be called the univerfal faving principle to the generality of mankind, or with emphafis, the fine qua non of falvation, I think it fhould be that, on which the whole affair turns or hinges And what is this, but the virtuous paffiveness, or at least, guiltless inactivity before mentioned?

Thus, I prefume, I have fhown, with clearness, that Mr. Barclay's "light within," or his favourite univerfal faving principle, has no influence over the difpofition, bent, or will, of man, in the first operations of the mind, and is, in no proper fenfe, either "effectual," "faving," or "fufficient," to every individual man.

CHAP.

CHA P. IX.

1. Some of Mr. Phipps's obfervations confidered, in order to fhew him that he neither understands the merits of the queftion between the Apologift and his opponent, nor has defended the Quakers fyftem or his own, against the charge of election and reprobation, which, we think, are infeparably connected with it. 2. It is clearly proved, that Mr. Barclay's notions unavoidably lead to rohat he calls the horrid doctrine of Reprobation, or

Preterition.

WE

E are, firft, to attend a little to fome of Mr. Phipps's obfervations, on the fubjects of "preterition,” “predestination," and "election." Upon these topicks, he writes like a person who is confident he is a perfect mafter of them, treating his opponent with the utmost contempt and infult. Declaiming, rather than reafoning, he fets forth his antagonist as afferting, "that the greatest part of man"kind inevitably and eternally perifh, without any

fault of theirs, to render it just or reafonable;" P. 88. but this remark unhappily discovers its own mifapprehenfion; it does not faithfully exprefs the fentiment of the letter-writer, for it is either a defigned or mistaken perverfion of his meaning.

Let us not, however, imitate him, in his loofe way of writing, but clofely examine fome of his own re prefentations and defcriptions, that it may be seen whether he himself can avoid the confequences charged upon Barclay's system.

Speaking of the rational fpirit in mankind, he fays, P. 92. "The guilt it contracts is through its own "act, in following the misleadings of its fenfitive 66 com

"companion, (the body) falling in with temptation, "and imbibing the evil influence of fallen and cor"rupt fpirits. By this means it receives fpiritual "pollution, and guilt in proportion to its advances "therein. Thus, by nature alone, all incur condem"nation, and are, in a fenfe, children of wrath, or "fubjected to divine juftice."

Next, let us turn our thoughts to another of his obfervations, in which he has indeed twifted his opponent's expreffions to a fenfe he had not in view, when he wrote them; but, for argument's fake, we will allow his interpretation to be his real meaning." What "our Author, therefore, would naturally infer, is an "unnatural inference; that the juft and all-righteous "Creator of all men, fhould cause the falvation of

any to depend upon the knowledge and reception of "that, which he had kept out of their power to re"ceive or know." P. 73. Let the reader alfo look to the following paffages, P. 159. "Is it just and ra❝tional then to conclude, that he did not, in equity, "vifit all, thofe who did not believe, as well as those "who did?" And at the top of the page, fpeaking upon the fame fubject, "how could God be just and "equal, in all his ways, if he did not" give all men a measure of faving, fufficient, and fupernatural, light. and grace?..

So then, according to these last paragraphs, mankind are, by nature, in fuch a state, that if God does not afford them fufficient means of falvation, he is un-, juft; furely then, there can be no grace in his giving them thefe, for, whatfoever he is bound in juftice and equity to beftow, cannot be grace: This is an observation which carries its own evidence with it.

Yet, we are at an intire los to know, how Mr. Phipps can reconcile this, to his declaration abovementioned, where he afferts," thus, by nature alone, "all incur condemnation, and are, in a sense, children

" of