resolute protestants, that these kingdoms opened their eyes, and saw thousands of images and errors fall before the ark of evangelical truth.

From what I have advanced in my "Second Check," it appears, if I am not mistaken, that we stand now as much in need of a reformation from antinomianism, as our ancestors did of a reformation from popery; and I am not without hope, that the extraordinary attack which has lately been made upon Mr. Wesley's anti-Crispian propositions, and the manner in which they are defended, will open the and check the rapid progress of so eyes of many, enchanting and pernicious an evil. This hope inspires me with fresh courage; and, turning from the honourable and reverend Mr. Shirley, I presume to face (I trust, in the spirit of love and meekness) my new respectable opponent.

I thank you, sir, for doing Mr. Wesley the justice in your first letter, to acknowledge, that "man's faithfulness is an expression which may be used in a sober, gospel sense of the words." It is just in such a sense we use it; nor have you advanced any proof to the contrary.

We never supposed that "the faithfulness of God, and the stability of the covenant of grace, are affected by the unfaithfulness of man." For, we do not take the young

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man whom Jesus loved" to be God. His unfaithfulness in "the mammon of unrighteousness" did not, therefore, impair, in the least degree, the divine faithfulness. And we are persuaded our Lord keeps his covenant when he spews a lukewarm, unfaithful Laodicean out of his mouth, as well as when he says to the "good and faithful servant, Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord." For the same covenant of grace which says, "He that believeth shall be saved; "He that abideth in me, bringeth forth much fruit;" says also, "He that believeth not shall be damned; Every branch in me that beareth not fruit is cast forth and burned."

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Thanks be to divine grace, we make our boast of God's faithfulness as well as you, though we take care not to charge him, even indirectly, with our own unfaithfulness. But from the words which you quote, "My covenant shall stand fast with his seed," &c., we see no more reason to

conclude that the obstinately unfaithful seed of Christ, such as Hymeneus, Philetus, and those who to the last tread "under foot the blood of the covenant wherewith they were sanctified," shall not be cast off; than to assert that many individuals of David's royal family, such as Absalom and Amnon, were not cut off on account of their flagrant and obstinate wickedness.

We beseech you, therefore, for the sake of a thousand careless antinomians, to remember that the apostle says to every believer, "Thou standest by faith; behold, therefore, the goodness of God towards thee, if thou continue in his goodness; otherwise thou also shalt be cut off." We entreat you to consider, that even those who admire the point of your epigram, "Whenever we say one thing, we mean quite another," will not be pleased if you apply it to St. Paul, as you have done to Mr. Wesley. And when we see God's covenant with David grossly abused by antinomians, we beg leave to put them in mind of God's covenant with the house of Eli: "Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, I chose thy father out of all the tribes of Israel, to be my priest;" but thou art unfaithful, "thou honourest thy sons above me. I said indeed that thy house, and the house of thy father, should walk before me for ever; but now be it far from me; for them that honour me I will honour, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed. Behold, the days come, that I will cut off thine arm, and the arm of thy father's house; and I will raise me up a faithful priest, that shall do according to that which is in my heart." 1 Sam. ii.

Your second letter respects "working for life." You make the best of a bad subject; and, really, some of your arguments are so plausible, that I do not wonder so many good men should commence Calvinists, rather than be at the trouble of detecting their fallacy. I am sorry, dear sir, I cannot do it without dwelling upon Calvinism. My design was to oppose antinomianism alone; but the vigorous stand which you make for it upon Calvinian ground, obliges me to encounter you there, or to give up the truth which I am called to defend. I have long dreaded the alternative of displeasing my friends, or wounding my

conscience; but I must yield to the injunctions of the latter, and appeal to the candour of the former. If impetuous rivers of Geneva Calvinism have so long been permitted to flow through England, and even deluge Scotland; have not I some reason to hope, that a rivulet of Geneva anti-Calvinism will be suffered to glide through some of Great Britain's plains, especially if its little murmur harnonizes with the clearest dictates of reason, and loudest declarations of scripture?

Before I weigh your arguments against "working for life," permit me to point out the capital mistake upon which they turn. You suppose that free preventing grace does not visit all men, and that all those in whom it has not yet prevailed are as totally dead to the things of God, as a dead body is to the things of this life; and, from this unscriptural supposition, you very reasonably conclude, that we can no more turn to God, than corpses can turn themselves in their graves; no more "work for life," than putrid carcases can help themselves to a resurrection.

This main pillar of your doctrine will appear to you built upon the sand, if you read the scripture in the light of that "mercy which is over all God's works." There you will discover the various dispensations of the everlasting gospel; your contracted views of divine love will open into the most extensive prospects; and your exulting soul will range through the boundless fields of that grace which is both richly free in all, and abundantly free for all.

Let us rejoice with reverence while we read such scriptures as these: "The Son of man is come to save that which is lost," and to call sinners to repentance: "This is a true saying, and worthy of all acceptation," worthy of all men to be received, "that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners: "To this end he both died and rose again, that he might be the Lord of the dead and living: "He came not to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved," and that “at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, and every tongue confess that he is Lord."

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"Bound every heart, and every bosom burn," while we meditate on these ravishing declarations. "God so loved

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the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have everlasting life: "He was made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law," that is, all mankind; unless it can be proved that some men never came under the curse of the law: He is the Friend of sinners, the Physician of the sick, and the Saviour of the world: "He died, the just for the unjust:" "He is the propitiation, not for our sins only, but for the sins of the whole world: "One died for all, because all were dead: "As in Adam all die, even so in Christ," during the day of their visitation, all are blessed with quickening grace, and, therefore, in the last day, "all shall be made alive," to give an account of their blessing or talent: "He is the Saviour of all men, especially of them that believe ;" and the news of his birth are "tidings of great joy to all people: "As by the offence of one judgment came upon all men, even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon men;" for "Christ, by the grace of God, tasted death for every man : He is "the Lamb of God, who taketh away the sin of the world;" therefore, "God commandeth all men every where to repent," to look unto him, and be saved.

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Do we not take choice jewels from Christ's crown, when we explain away these bright testimonies given to his free grace? "It pleased the Father by him to reconcile all things to himself:""The kindness and pity of God our Saviour towards man has appeared: "I will draw all men unto me:" "I came not to judge the world, but to save the world:" "He came into the world to save sinners," the chief not excepted: "God was in him, reconciling the world unto himself." Hence, he says to the most obstinate of his opposers, "These things have I spoken unto you that ye might be saved : and spoken unto them, they had not had sin” in rejecting me, "but now they have no cloak for their sin," no excuse for their unbelief.

"If I had not come

Once, indeed, when the apostles were on the brink of the most dreadful trial, their compassionate Master said, "I pray for them, I pray not for the world." As if he

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had said, "Their immediate danger makes me pray as if there were but these eleven men in the world; 'holy Father, keep them!'" But having given them this seasonable testimony of a just preference, he adds, " Neither pray I for these alone, but for them who shall believe;" and he prays they may be the world, "that the world may believe, and may know that thou hast sent me.”

If our Lord's not praying, for a moment, on a particular occasion, for the world, implies that the world is absolutely reprobated, we should be glad of an answer to the two following queries: 1. Why did he pray the next day for Pilate and Herod, Annas and Caiaphas, the priests and pharisees, the Jewish mob and Roman soldiers; in a word, for the countless multitude of his revilers and murderers? Were they all elect? or was this ejaculation no prayer, "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do?" 2. Why did he commission St. Paul to say,"I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, and intercessions be made for all men; for this is acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour, who will have all men to be saved, and come to the knowledge of the truth: for there is one God, and one Mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; who gave himself a ransom for all?"

Without losing time in proving, that none but artful and designing men use the word "all" to mean the "less number;" and that "all," in some of the above-mentioned passages, must absolutely mean "all mankind," as being directly opposed to "all" that are "condemned" and "die in Adam ;" and without stopping to expose the new Calvinian creation of "a whole world of elect;" upon the preceding scriptures I raise the following doctrine of free grace: If "Christ tasted death for every man," there is, undoubtedly, a gospel for every man, even for those who perish by rejecting it.

St. Paul says, that "God shall judge the secrets of men, according to his gospel." St. Peter asks, "What shall be the end of those who obey not the gospel of God?" And the apostle answers, "Christ, revealed in flaming fire, will take vengeance on them who obey not the gospel ;" that is,