dum; Acts x. 35. To which I fhall here retura Beza's remark upon that place: That among the Hebrews, the fear of God imported the whole of his worship; and becaufe without faith it is impoffible to plate God; it appears therefore, that Cornelius, to whom this refers,) though a Roman born, and now arofelyte of the gate, yet before his baptifm, or his particular knowledge of Jefus to be the true Meffis, he was one of thofe faithful, who believed in Chrift to come. I only add, that none being accepted but in the Beloved, we must therefore conclude, that he was called, and endued with the Spirit and faith of Chrift: and fo God approved of him, for that which, by his own grace, he had wrought in him. Yea, whofoever truly fear him, they do look upon him as propitious, and believe, that there is forgive

nefs with him,' Pfal. cxxx. 4 and therefore we may fuppofe, that he reveals his Son in them,' and gives them that faith, without which none can be pleafing in his fight, Heb. xi. 6.

But they that prefume they can do well enough without the Meffiah's help, now that he is come, if they were not too high to regard our Apostle, I fhould mind them of his wholefome admonition, Rom. xii. 3. I fay, through the grace given unte me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think foberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. But ftil he talks fo much of grace and faith, inftead of works and felf-righteoufmefs, that he is not like to be heard by them, who are all for their own things, and therefore fo much admire them, as better than any, because they are their own. Though herein they stand fo much in their

own

own light, as to withstand their juftification in God's fight for the righteoufnefs that indeed juftifies us, must be complete, and muft exclude boafling; and theirs has neither of thefe qualifications; therefore cannot avail to their juftification. No; this is to be had another way; the way which they feorn to take, A&ts xii. 39. For by the Son of God, all that be lieve are juftified from all things, from which they could not be juftified by the law of Mofes.'

And there is a greater obftacle fill in their way;

and that is,

3. The want of low thoughts and humble fenfe of their own unrighteoufnefs, and finful wretchedness.

They never yet well knew themselves, or elfe they would have better learned Chrift. They overlook, or elfe palliate, the grand apoftacy; and therefore they have fuch flight thoughts of their recovery. As much as they do own of the natural corruption, they rather make it the excufe of their fins, than any matter of their humiliation. Pelagians and Socinians, that make fo light of the fall of man, and the diftemper of our nature, do make as light of the help and remedy; and fancy that any quacking receipts, and home-fpun righteoufnefs, will do for fuch an inconfiderable ailment. And as for the righteoufnefs of Chrift imputed, (that fhadow of a dream,) they will fooner deride it, than ever defire it.

One of them, that pretends, in a late book, to cor rect all fuch extravagant errors with a high hand, well begins his account of Chriftianity, with the inquiry after Adam's fall. But I cannot think that he has given the world any good fatisfaction, as to our fad loffes in Adam, when he makes no more of all, but that we became mortal, and muft die, and ceafe

to be; and appeals to the common fenfe of men, that by death, is meant no more than the extinction of life, and not a living in mifery.

Now, if he perceive no worfe hurt by the fall, yet he fhould not be angry with those that do groan under more grievous effects, and feel the old aches and mischiefs, the wounds and bruises, and putrifying. fores all over to this very day; the darknefs to truth; the dulnefs to good; the pronenefs to evil; the liftleffness to healing; and even refiftance of a cure all which they cannot take to be any part of his work, who made all things very good; and therefore muft, lay the blame lower than at his door, and yet higher than the actual tranfgreffions of the particular perfons fo ill affected. For that they appear to be thus vitiated, even before habits by their actions can be countracted; yea, to be 'fhapen in ini quity, and conceived in fin," Pfal. li. 5. and to bring fuch a corrupt nature with them into the world, as makes them the children of wrath,' Eph. ii. 2. and fure God would not be fo offended at them, if they were but even as he made them, and there were no more to be objected against them, but that now they were become fubject to the calamity of mortality. Alas! we are told quite another thing, from more authentic writings; Rom. v. 19, That by one * man's difobedience, many were made (not only fufferers, but) finners; and ver. 18. that by the of fence of one man, judgment came upon all men to condemnation." And who that has well ftudied the holy fcriptures, can take this condemnation to, be no more than a temporal death? However the Right Reverend expounder's new and foft fenfe of God's wrath and damnation may as much oblige the Socin

ian

ian tribe, as his oppofition in other matters has diftreffed them; yet here I must beg leave to diffent from him and them. Though we know what is commonly meant by death in man's law, he must be a great ftranger to the law of God, that thinks no more to be meant by it there, where wicked men are threatened, that if they live after the flefl, they 'fhall die,' Rom. viii. 13. and afked, why they will die,' for want of turning? Ezek. xxxiii. 11. Why, let them live after the flesh or not, or though they do turn to the Lord, they shall be sure however to die the natural death of the body. Sin, whether finished, or unfinished, brings forth this death. There must be a further death meant therefore, James i 15. even that curfed fate, Gal. ii. 10. and that hell, which is made the portion of the wicked, Pfal. ix. 17. which muft intend a punifliment be yond the grave: for into this all ball be turned, though they live never fo godly, Pfal. lxxxix. 48.. What man is he that liveth, and fhall not fee death? but fome fhall awake to fhame, and everlasting contempt, Dan. xii. 2. And therefore, for all, our Sadducees hafte, when they die, there is not an end of them; nor does the immortal foul then prove mortal too, (at which their doctrine feems to drive;) but they will be heard of again in a life of mifery, which holy fcripture calls the fecond death,' Rev. xxi. 8. The lake which burns with fire and brimftone, is the fecond death. And they fhall be tormented day and night, for ever and ever,' chap. xx. 10. Such as are condemned by the Judge eternal, fhall go away into everlafting punishment,' Matt. xxv. 46. And our church is very exprefs, (Hom. of Nat. and Paff.) that "man, by the fall, is not only become mortal, but a lump of fin, a bond-flave to

"the

..

,

"the devil; are probate, cast away, and fire-brand of "hell; and, by the juft judgment of God, condem"ned to everlafting death." Our Lord jefus thenI did not come into the world, only to preferve men from non-entity, that they might not drop into nothing but to deliver us from the wrath to come, 1 Theff i. 10 This moft dreadful everlasting judg ment of God, is his wrath poured out upon the vef"fels of wrath fitted to deftruction, Rom. ix. 22. which, to fave us from, was an errand and archievement indeed worthy the bleffed Son of God to come into the world upon. And they that take no notice of this, unless to contradict and cavil againft it, if their law and their phyfic be no better than their faith and divinity, the word might not much be damnified, though they fhould fcorn any further to oblige it with their practice. We fee, the knowledge: of bodies, and worldly eftates does not prefently gave. a man infight into the things that depend upon divine revelation. No; there is an unguent, which all their philofophical skill in nature cannot difcover: and yet it helps even the illiterate to know all things pertaining to falvation, better, and more to the purpofe, than many rabbies and scholars, that fo much fcorn and defpife them; and that is the unction from the holy One,' 1 John ii. 20. a learning that makes them know themselves, and their woful need of a Saviour; and makes them cry to him, in the anguifh of their fouls, (as ready to fink and drop into hell,) Lord fave us, or 'we perith: we are 'undone for ever," if thou be not our ftrength and our Redeemer." When fo many that feem much above them, are ftill of the Laodicean temper, Rev. iii. 17. to fay, they are 'rich, and increafed with goods, and have need

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