to behold iniquity,' can, in the midst of all adulteries, murders, and incests, address me with, Thou art all fair, my love, my undefiled, there is no spot in thee!' And,

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"3. I believe in the Holy Ghost, the Spirit of grace, against whom I can never sin," page 26; "whose light and love I can never quench, to whom I can never do despite, and who, in his good time, will irresistibly and infallibly," Review, page 38, "work in me to will and to do. In the mean time, I am perfectly secure; for I can never perish, my salvation being already finished in the full extent of the expression." Review, pages 63, &c. Once, indeed, I supposed, that the wrath of God came,' at least, for enormous crimes, upon the children of disobedience;' and I thought it would come upon me, if I committed adultery and murder; but now I discover my mistake, and believe," pages 28, 25, "it is a capital error, to confound me and my actions. While my murders, &c., certainly displease God, my person stands always absolved, always complete, always pleasant in the everlasting righteousness of the Redeemer. I repeat it," second edition, page 37, "it is a most pernicious error of the schoolmen, to distinguish sins according to the fact, and not according to the person. He that believeth hath as great sin as the unbeliever; nay, his sins," page 32, "for the matter of them, are perhaps more heinous and scandalous than those of the unbeliever; but, although he daily sinneth, perhaps as David and the Corinthian, by adultery, murder, and incest, he continueth godly.

"Before I was acquainted with the truth, I imagined, that sin would dishonour God, and injure me; but, since the preachers of finished salvation' have opened my eyes, I see how greatly I was mistaken. And now

I believe, that God will overrule my sin, [whether it be adultery, murder, or incest,] for his glory, and my good.

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"1. For his glory." Pages 26, 30-32. "God often permits his own dearest children to commit adultery, robbery, murder, and incest, to bring about his purposes.

He has always the same thing in view, namely, his own glory and my salvation, together with that of the other elect. This Adam was accomplishing when he put the whole world under the curse; Onesimus, when he robbed Philemon, his master; Judah, when he committed incest with Tamar; and David, when he committed adultery with Bathsheba. How has many a poor, faithless soul even blessed God for Peter's denial! As for the incestuous Corinthian, the tenderness shown him after his crime has raised many out of the mire, and caused them to recover their first love.

2. "For my good," Page 32. "God has promised to make 'all things work for good' to me; and if all things, then my very sins and corruptions are included in the royal promise. Should I be asked, what particular good sin will do me in time and in eternity; I answer: A grievous fall [suppose into adultery, murder, or incest] shall serve to make me know my place, to drive me nearer to Christ, to make me more dependent upon his strength, to keep me more watchful, to cause me to sympathize with the fallen, and to make me sing louder to the praise of free, sovereign, restoring grace, throughout all the ages of eternity. Thus although I highly blame," page 33, "those who roundly say, 'Let us sin that grace may abound,' I do not legalize the gospel, but openly declare," page 27, "that if I commit adultery, murder, or incest, before or after my conversion, grace shall irresistibly and infallibly abound over these, and all my other sins, be they small or be they great, be they more or be they less. My foulest falls will only drive me nearer to Christ, and make me sing," page 32, "his praises louder than if I had not fallen. Thus [to say nothing of the sweetness and profit which may now arise from sin] adultery, incest, and murder shall, upon the whole, make me holier upon earth, and merrier in heaven."

I need not tell you, honoured sir, that I am indebted to you for all the doctrines, and most of the expressions, of this dangerous confession of faith. If any one doubts of it, let him compare this creed and your letters together. Some clauses and sentences I have added, not to mis

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represent and blacken," but to introduce, connect, and illustrate, your sentiments. You speak, indeed, in the third person, and I in the first; but this alters not the doctrine. Besides, if the privileges of a lean believer belong to me, as well as to David; I do not see why I should be debarred from the fat pastures you recommend, page 34, which, I fear, are so very rich, that if the leanest sheep of Christ do but range and take their fill in them, they will in a few days wax wanton against him, butt at the sheep which do not bleat to their satisfaction, attack the under-shepherds, and grow so excessively fat as to outkick Jeshurun himself.

XVII. Some half-hearted Calvinists, who are ashamed of their principles, and desirous to conceal their Diana's deformity, will probably blame you, sir, for having uncovered the less frightful of her feet, and shown it naked to the wondering world. But to the apology which you have already made about it, I hope I may, without impertinence, add one or two remarks.

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1. Whoever believes either the doctrine of unconditional election, or that of righteousness absolutely imputed to apostatizing believers, or that of the "infallible perseverance of" all who were saints" yesterday, and to-day commit adultery, murder, or incest; and, in a word, whoever believes the doctrine of "finished salvation,” implicitly receives two-thirds of the antinomian creed which you have helped me to. And those who have so strong a faith, and so large a conscience, as to swallow so much, (together with the doctrine of "finished damnation," "eternal wrath," flaming against myriads of unborn creatures, and everlasting fire prepared for millions of passive, sensible machines, which have only fulfilled God's secret and irresistible will,) might, one would think, receive the whole creed without any difficulty. For why should those who can swallow five or six camels as a glib morsel, strain at three or four gnats, as if they were going to be quite choked? Again :

2. If Calvinism is true, you are certainly, honoured sir, the honest and consistent Calvinist, so far as consistency is compatible with the most inconsistent of all schemes.

Permit me to produce one instance, which I hope will abate the prejudices that some unsettled Calvinists have conceived against you, for speaking quite out with respect to the excellent effects of sin in believers.

If a man is not a free agent, (and undoubtedly he is not, if from all eternity he has been bound by ten thousand chains of irresistible and absolute decrees,) it follows, that he is but a curious machine, superior to a brute, as a brute is superior to a watch, and a watch to a wheel-barrow. Upon Calvin's principles, this wonderful machine is as much guided by God's invisible hand, or rather by his absolute decrees, as a puppet by the unseen wire, which causes its seemingly spontaneous motions. This being the case, it is evident, that God is as much the author of our actions, good or bad, as a showman is the author of the motions of his puppets, whether they turn to the right or to the left. Now, as God is infinitely wise, and supremely good, he will set his machines upon doing nothing but what, upon the whole, is wisest and best. Hence it appears, that if the doctrine of absolute decrees, which is the fundamental principle of Calvinism, is true, whatever sin we commit, we only fulfil the absolute will of God, and do that which, upon the whole, is wisest and best; and that you have not unadvisedly pleaded for Baal, but rationally spoken for God, when you have told us, what great advantages result from the commission of the greatest crimes. In doing this strange work, then, you have acted only as a consistent predestinarian; and though some thoughtless Calvinists may, yet none that are judicious will, blame you, for having spoken agreeably to the leading principle of the "doctrines of grace."

I have observed, that speculative antinomianism, or barefaced Calvinism, stalks along upon the doctrine of "finished salvation" and "finished damnation," which we may consider as the two feet of your great Diana; and that the preceding creed, which is drawn up for an elect, uncovers only her handsome foot, "finished salvation." To do my subject justice, I should now make an open show of her cloven foot, by giving the world the creed of a reprobate, according to the dreadful doctrine of "finished damnation."

But as I flatter myself, that my readers are already as tired of Calvinism as myself, I think it is needless to raise their detestation of it, by drawing before their eyes a long chain of blasphemous positions, capable of making the hair of their heads stand up with horror. I shall therefore, with all wise Calvinists, draw a veil over the hideous sight, and conclude by assuring you, few people more heartily wish you delivered from speculative antinomianism, and possessed of "salvation" truly "finished" in glory, than,

Honoured and dear sir,

Your affectionate and obedient servant, in the bonds of what you call the "legalized gospel,"

J. FLETCHER.

LETTER VIII.

TO RICHARD HILL, ESQ.

HONOURED AND DEAR SIR,

HAVING endeavoured in my last to convince you out of your own mouth, that undisguised Calvinism and speculative antinomianism exactly coincide; before I turn from you to face your brother, I beg leave to vindicate "good works" from an aspersion, which zealous Calvinists perpetually cast upon them: for as practical antinomianism destroys the fruits of righteousness, as a wild boar does the fruit of the vine; so speculative antinomianism besprinkles them with filth, as an unclean bird does the produce of our orchards.

Hence it is, that you charge me, Review, page 69, with "vile slander," for insinuating, that "our free-grace preachers do not "raise the superstructure in good works." Page 41, as if you wanted to demonstrate the truth of my "vile slander," you say, "Though we render the words xaλa εрya, 'good works,' yet the exact translation is ' ornamental works;' and truly, when brought to the strictness of the law, they do not deserve the name of 'good.' But, however grating the expressions may sound, to those

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