of the world, are not Matthew Fulsome, Sarah Forward, or William Fanciful; but True Penitent, Obedient Believer, Good Servant, or Faithfulunto-death. And lastly, that it is as absurd to make the metaphor of the book of life go upon all four, as to suppose that all David's hairs shall be glorified, and his tears literally bottled up in heaven, it is said, “The very hairs of your head are numbered."—" All my members were written in thy book."-" Put thou my tears into thy bottle: are they not written in thy book?"

If Zelotes and Honestus condescend to weigh the preceding observatious, their prejudices will I hope, gradually subside; and while the one sends back to Geneva the false, intoxicating election, recommended by Calvin, the other will bring us over from Ephesus, the true, comfortable election, maintained by St. Paul. That, in the mean time, we may all be thankful for our evangelical calling, improve our gospel-privileges, make our scriptural election sure, and as the Apostle writes to the Ephesians, "walk worthy of the vocation wherewith we are called," is the ardent wish of my soul, which I cannot express in words more proper than those, whick I have just used in receiving a child into the congregation of Christ's flock, and incorporating him into God's Holy Church." Heavenly Father, we give thee humble thanks, that thou hast vouchsafed to call us" [and of consequence to choose us first] "to the knowledge of thy grace and faith in thee. Increase this knowledge, and confirm this faith in us evermore:-That we may receive the fulness of thy grace,—live the rest of our life according to this beginning, continue Christ's faithful soldiers to our lives' end, and ever remain in the number of God's faithful and elect children, through Jesus Christ our Lord." Office of Baptism.

This truly Christian prayer shall conclude this section, and the first part of the Scripture-Scales. Zelotes and Honestus have at this time, given one another as much time as they can well stand under. In a few days their strength will be recovered; they will meet again to fight it out, cach from his Scale; and when they shall have spent all their ammunition, they will, I hope, shake hands and be friends: but if they are obstinate, and will still justle, instead of embracing each other; we will charge the peace. When we are for a scriptural peace, if they still prepare themselves for battle, we will bind them with all the cords we can borrow from reason, revelation, and experience. And if then, they will not be quiet and agree, by a new kind of metamorphose we will change them into scales; we will tie them to the solid beam of truth, and expose them in booksellers' shops, where they shall hang in logical chains, an eye-sore to bigots, a terror to doctrinal clippers, who openly diminish the coin of the church, a comfort to those who are persecuted for truth and righteousness' sake, an encouragement to those who, like their Master, equally hate the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, and that of the Pharisees,— a new CHECK to those, who spoil all by over-doing, and a contrivance useful, I hope to novices, and to unwary professors, who, through an excess of simplicity, or for want of scales, frequently take of Masters in Israel a bare half-shekel for the full shekel of the Sanctuary.

ZELOTES AND HONESTUS RECONCILED:

OR,

AN EQUAL CHECK

то

PHARISÀISM AND ANTINOMIANISM CONTINUED:

BEING

THE FIRST PART

OF THE

SCRIPTURE-SCALES

TO WEIGH THE GOLD of GOSPEL-TRUTH-TO BALANCE A MULTITUDE OP OPPOSITE SCRIPTURES ;-TO PROVE THE GOSPEL-MARRIAGE OF FREE-GRACE AND FREE-WILL AND RESTORE PRIMITIVE HARMONY TO THE GOSPEL OF THE DAY.

WITH A PREFACE,

Containing some Strictures upon the THREE LETTERS of RICHARD HILL, Esq. which have been lately published.

BY A LOVER OF THE WHOLE TRUTH AS IT IS IN JESUS.

"How is the most fine gold changed !-Take heed that ye be not deceived: For many shall come in my name, saying, 'I am Christ'-doctrinal-' 1 am Christ' moralBut To the law, and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them,' [or at least because] their Wine is mixed with water, and their silver is,' [partly] 'become dross ""

BIBLE

PREFACE.

BEING fully persuaded that Christianity suffers greatly by the opposite mistakes of the mere solifidians, and of mere moralists; we embrace the truths and reject the errors, which are maintained by those contrary parties. For, by equally admitting the doctrines of grace, and the doctrines of justice;-by equally contending for faith and for morality, we adopt what is truly excellent in each system; we reconcile Zelotes and Honestus; we bear our testimony against their contentious partiality; and, to the best of our knowledge, we maintain the whole truth as it is in Jesus. If we are mistaken, we shall be thankful to those who will set us right. Plain scriptures, close arguments, and speedy expostulations, are the weapons we choose. We humbly hope, that the unprejudiced reader will find no other in these pages: and to engage our opponents to use such only, we present to them the following petition.

For candour's sake;-for truth's sake ;-for peace's sake;-for the Reader's sake;—and above all, for the sake of CHRIST, and the honour of Christianity; whoever ye are, that shall next enter the lists against us, do not wire-draw the controversy by uncharitably attacking our persons, and absurdly judging our spirits, instead of weighing our arguments, and considering the Scriptures which we produce. Do not pass over fifty solid reasons, and a hundred plain passages, to cavil about non-essentials, and to lay the stress of your answer upon mistakes which do not affect the strength of the cause, and which we are ready to correct, as soon as they shall be pointed out,

Keep close to the question: do not divert the reader's mind, by starting from the point in hand upon the most frivolous occasions; nor raise dust to obscure what is to be cleared up. An example will illustrate my meaning. Mr. Sellon, in vindicating the Church of England from the charge of Calvinism, observes, that her catechism is quite anti-Calvinistic, and that we ought to judge of her doctrine by her own catechism, and not by Ponet's Calvinian catechism, which poor young King Edward was prevailed upon to recommend some time after the establishment of our church. Mr. Toplady in his Historic Proof, instead of considering the question, which is, whether it is not fitter to gather the doctrine of our own church from her own anti-Calvinian catechism, than from Ponet's Calvinian catechism; Mr. Toplady, I say, in his answer to Mr. Sellon, fastens upon the phrase of poor young king Edward, and works it to such a degree, that he raises from it clouds of shining dust, and pillars of black smoke: filling, if I remember right, a whole section with the praises of King Edward, and with reflections upon Mr. Sellon and in his bright cloud of praise, and dark cloud of dispraise, the question is entirely lost, that I doubt if one in a hundred of his readers has the least idea of it, after reading two or three of the many pages, which he has written on this head. By such means as this, it is, that he has made a ten or twelve shilling book, in which the church of England is condemned to wear the badge of the church of Geneva, And

:

the Calvinists conclude, Mr. Toplady has proved, that she is bound to wear it; for they have paid dear for the Proof.

That very gentleman, if fame is to be credited, has some thoughts of attacking the Checks. If he favours me with just remarks upon my mistakes, (for I have probably made more than one; though I hope none of a capital nature) he shall have my sincere thanks; but if he involves the question in clouds of personal reflections, and of idle digressions; he will only give me an opportunity of initiating the public more and more into the mysteries of Logica Genevensis. I therefore entreat him, if he thinks me worthy of his notice, to remember that the capital questions-the questions on which the fall of the Calvinian, or of the anti-Calvinian doctrines of grace turn, are not, Whether I am a fool or a knave: and whether I have made some mistakes in attacking Antinomianism: but, whether those mistakes affect the truth of the anti-Solifidian aud anti-Pharisaic gospel, which we defend :-Whether the two gospel-axioms are not equally true: -Whether our second Scale is not as scriptural as the first :-Whether the doctrines of justice and obedience are not as important in their places, as the doctrines of grace and mercy:-Whether the plans of reconciliation laid down in Section xvii. and the marriage of free-grace and free-will, described in Section xxiv. are not truly evangelical:-Whether God can judge the world in righteousness and wisdom, if man is not a free, unnecessitated agent :-Whether the justification of obedient believers by the works of faith, is not as scriptural as the justification of sinners by faith itself:-Whether the eternal salvation of adults is not of remunerative justice, as well as of free-grace :-Whether that salvation does not seconda rily depend on the evangelical, derived worthiness of obedient, persevering believers; as it primarily depends on the original and proper merits of our atoning and interceding Redeemer :-Whether man is in a state of proba. tion or if you please, Whether the Calvinian doctrines of finished salvation and finished damnation are true :-Whether there is not a day of initial salvation for all mankind, according to various dispensations of divine grace :-Whether Christ did not taste death for every man, and purchase a day of initial redemption and salvation for all sinners, and a day of eternal redemption and salvation for all persevering believers :-Whether all the sins of rea! apostates; or foully-fallen believers, shall so work for their good, that none of them shall ever be damned for any crime he shall commit:Whether they shall all sing louder in heaven for their greatest falls on earth;-Whether our absolute personal reprobation from eternal life, is of God's free-wrath, through the decreed, necessary sin of Adam; or of God's just wrath through our own obstinate avoidable perseverance in sin :Whether our doctrines of non-necessitating grace, and of just wrath, do not exalt all the divine perfections: and, Whether the Calvinian doctrines of necessitating grace and free-wrath, do not pour contempt upon all the attributes of God, his Sovereignty not excepted.

These are the important questions, which I have principally debated with the Rev. Mr. Shirley, Richard Hill, Esq. the Rev. Mr. Hill, the Rev. Mr. Berridge, and the Rev. Mr. Toplady. Some less essential collateral questions I have touched upon, such as, Whether Judas was an absolutely graceless hypocrite, when our Lord raised him to apostolic honours :-Whether some of the most judicious Calvinists have not, at times, done justice to the doctrine of free-will and co-operation*, &c. These and the

*The Rev. Mr. Whitfield in his answer to the Bishop of London's pastoral letter, says, "That prayer is not the single work of the Spirit, without any co-operation of our own, I readily confess.-Whoever affirmed, that there was no co-operation of our own minds, together with the impulse of the Spirit of God?"-Now, that many rest short of salvation merely by not co-operating with the Spirit's impulse, is evident, if we may credit