dreds of years after the day in which they first sinned, since the express word of threatening consigned them over to death immediately, In the day thou eatest thereof thou shalt die; Gen. ii. 17. It is true, such a reprieve as this was necessary in order to the peopling of the world, and the propagation of mankind in their successive generations; for had Adam and Eve died in the day when they sinned, the human nature would have been at an end, and have perished from this earth for ever: But it is most probably owing to the scheme of mercy, and the new cove nant built upon the merit of Christ, that Adam and Eve were not destroyed that very day, and that God permitted a race of men to cover the face of the earth. So that every son and daughter of Adam, who is born into this world, is some proof that the extensive merit of the death of Christ reaches to them for some purposes.

II. It is owing to the superabundant merit of the obedience and sufferings of Christ, that the earth is appointed still and ordered to produce such a variety of supports and comforts for mankind in their successive generations, and that all the vegetable and animal powers on this earth, are not universally blasted by the curse All the blessings of nature and providence that spring up from the earth, that descend from the heavens, that are brought forth or dispersed by the sun and the moon and the clouds, that are enjoyed and tasted by the sons and daughters of men in this world, are probably derived from this fountain of the blood of Christ; and in this sense perhaps, he may be said to taste death for every man. And let it be observed, that these blessings reach to whole nations where we have but little reason to believe God has any chosen favourites, any of his own beloved children, any that are actually regenerated, adopted and sanctified to himself by special grace. Yet methinks every thing round about us seems to speak, that God has not utterly and absolutely abandoned all mankind to certain and necessary guilt and misery, besides the few whom he has chosen and secured to be certain subjects of his Son's kingdom: Every divine monument and instance of bounty and blessing round about us, seems to teach ́us that God is upon terms of grace and reconciliation with all the rebel race of his creature man.

III. That mankind have the common faculties of nature continued to them, is to be ascribed to the undertaking of Christ : That they have the use of their senses and their limbs in any measures of health, case, vigour, and activity; for these were all forfeited by sin, and included in the word death. All this is owing probably to Christ. And that they have any exercise of reason, that they have any measures of wisdom or prudence amongst them in the conduct of their affairs, may be ascribed also to the same spring, and perhaps this was designed in that

text; John i. 4, 9. wherein we are told that the word was the light, and the life of men, and he was that light that lighteth every man who cometh into this world.

IV. That there are any sparks of natural virtue, any remains of benevolence, goodness or compassion towards one another in the hearts of men, is probably the fruit of the mediation of Christ: That there are any social virtues among them, that there is any conscience of probity, equity and justice, that mankind relieves and helps one another, that there is any such thing as government among men, and that all the sons and daughters of Adam, in all nations, are not mere savages, are not like wolves and bears to each other; and in short, that this earth is not a mere wilderness, or a hell of mischief and misery, is owing to restraining grace, and the redundant merit of the sufferings and death of Christ; or at least it may probably be so, nor can we give a better account of it.

That all mankind have had a gospel revealed to them, or a covenant of grace proposed to their acceptance at first, in and by Adam their father, and conveyed by way of tradition to his pos terity; surely this must be acknowledged to proceed from the generous undertaking of Christ. I speak here concerning those who are not elected, as well as those who are; for it has been designedly manifested to those who refuse, as well as those who accept. It seems to me to be owing to the overflowing merit of Christ, that all mankind are not buried in the same gross and brutal ignorance of God, and of themselves, as the darkest and vilest corners of the world are. It is owing probably to this spring, that all mankind ever had pardon, grace and salvation proposed to them in the first promise made to Adam, in the cove mant made to Noah, and in the gospel or hope of salvation, which he, who was a preacher of righteousness, doubtless communicated to his posterity, that is, to all the world.

It is owing to the same grace and purchase of Christ, that ever this promise should be again repeated to Abraham, and in some sense to all the nations of the earth by him; for in him all the nations of the earth are blessed; Gen. xxii. 18. It is an effect of the merit of Christ, that ever there should be so many further discoveries of grace to the Jewish nation, even to the profane as well as to the pious among them, and that not only by Moses and the prophets, but by Christ himself; and that ever this gospel should be published to the nations of the world, in the brightest edition of it, by the apostles of Christ, and the glad tidings of salvation proclaimed to the heathens, who sat in thick darkness, and lay under the shadow of death, and even to those among them who never accepted it. It is owing to this redundancy of merit in his death, that so many whole nations are called to repent, and to trust in the mercy of a God through a Saviour:

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even the non-elect, as well as those that are elected And that to this day, the gospel should be continued to the nations who have so many years and ages abused it; that the ministry of the word should call whole kingdoms to be reconciled to God by a Mediator, to trust in the merit of Christ, to receive Jesus, as their Saviour and their Lord, to accept of pardon of sin and eternal happiness, upon the terms which the gospel reveals.

VI. It is probably owing to the same undertaking of Christ, and the overflowing value of his righteousness and death, that there are so many means of grace and divine assistances, both outward and inward, afforded to whole nations where the gospel comes; that even those who are not elected, have so many awakening providences, so many peculiar opportunities of mercy, so many excellent sermons preached to them, so many suitable words spoken both from the law and the gospel, as it were to their own souls. It is surely from this mediation of Christ, that they have their consciences at any time impressed with divine things, and excited to reprove them for sin, and to seek after. salvation; that they have so many conmon workings of the Holy Spirit, and his blessed influences upon their hearts, to make them bethink themselves about their eternal concernments, to give them some knowledge of Christ the Saviour, and to stir them up to the duties of faith and repentance, and new obedience and that they are not only exhorted outwardly by the word, but inwardly by some common and general operations of the Holy Spirit, to receive this salvation. Could all these blessings be really bestowed upon sinful men by the faithful and merciful God, if the original, and eternal, and only design of them were merely to render them so much the more heinously criminal, and the more extremely miserable, without any possibility of hope or recovery ever included in these blessings, or intimated by them?

VII. In the last place, it is owing to the most redundant merit of Christ our Lord, that such a conditional pardon and salvation, or such conditional propositions of peace as the gospel expresses, were ever provided for them who were not elected; these are set forth in such general proposals and offers as we read in the bible: Whosoever believeth shall be saved: Whosoever will, let him come and take the water of life freely: Ho, every one that thirsteth, &c. Look unto me and be saved, all ye ends of the earth, &c. If there were no such biessing provided for them, so much as in a conditional manner, surely it could never be really and actually, and expressly offered to them. Surely the righteous, the gracious, and the holy God does not tantalize his perishing and miserable creatures, nor send his gospel and his ministers to offer them a mere nullity instead of a benefit ? Christ does not call them in his gospel to receive an empty nothing, when his words propose to them a solid blessing. He

does not invite them to trust in a Saviour for something which this Saviour was never entrusted with to be bestowed upon them, even if they did repent: or to hope in him for a verbal salvation which has nothing real in it, that is, for a mere word or name without a meaning, or a promise without a blessing in it. But because this is a question of great importance, I shall treat it more distinctly.

QUEST. XIII.-How far has the glorious Undertaking of our Lord Jesus Christ provided any Ilope of Salvation for those who were not eternally chosen, and given into the Hands of Christ, to be redeemed and saved?

The enquiry here is not, whether any of them who are not originally chosen of God, shall be finally saved. The event though it be known to God, yet it is left to be determined by their own choice, or refusal of this salvation. God himself has put no effectual and insurmountable bar, or rather no bar at all, in their way, to prevent their acceptance of his grace. His chusing other persons who were fellow-sinners, to make them certain partakers of this grace, is no hinderance to those who were not chosen, from accepting the same. It is my opinion that there is such a thing as a general sufficiency of pardon, grace, and happiness, provided for all mankind by Jesus Christ: And it is left to their own natural powers, under common helps, to accept or refuse it. That there is such a conditional salvation, and such real offers of eternal life procured by the overflowing merit of Christ, I think may be proved by these following considerations:

I. It is very hard to vindicate the sincerity of the blessed God, or his Son, in their universal offers of grace and salvation to men, and their sending ministers with such messages and invitations to accept of mercy, if there be not such a conditional pardon and salvation provided for them. It is granted that the ministers who are sent to preach this gospel, and offer this grace of salvation to the non-elect, may be very sincere in their ministry, for they know not whom God has chosen, and for whom he has provided this special grace; and therefore they offer it to all persons, according to their general commission; Mark xvi. 15. Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature, &c. But how can God, or Christ, be sincere in sending their ministers with this commission, to offer this grace to all men, if they know that God has never provided such grace or salvation for any but the elect, no, not so much as conditionally?

It is hard to suppose that the great God, who is truth itself, and sincere and faithful in all his dealings, should call upon dying

men to trust in a Saviour for eternal life, when this Saviour has not eternal life entrusted with him to give them, if they do repent: It is hard to conceive how the great Governor of the world can be sincere in inviting and requiring sinners who are on the brink of hell, to cast themselves upon an empty word of invitation, a mere shadow and appearance of support, if there be nothing real to bear them up from those decps of destruction, nothing but mere words and empty invitations. Can we think that the righteous and holy God would encourage his ministers to call them to lean and rest the weight of their immortal concerns and happiness upon a gospel, a covenant of grace, a Mediator, and his merit and righteousness, &c. all which are a mere nothing with regard to them, a heap of empty names, an unsupporting void which cannot uphold them? When our blessed Redeemer charges the Jews with aggravated guilt for refusing his grace, can we suppose he had no such grace in his hand to offer them? Or when he, as it were, consigns them over to death, because, says he, ye will not come unto me that ye may have life; John v. 40. can we suppose he has no eternal life, not so much as a conditional grant of it in his hands for them?

By the way I cannot but take notice here, that in order to avoid these hard and absurd consequences of the calls of grace and offers of salvation where none is really provided, some persons chuse rather roundly to assert, there are no calls of grace, no offers of pardon or salvation at all in the word of God, to any but the elect: And I think of the two it is the more defensible or consistent doctrine, though it seems to run counter to a great many plain scriptures in the Old Testament and the New; for there are many texts wherein pardon and salvation are proposed to all sinners whatsoever, without any regard whether they are chosen of God or no: And it is the design and voice of the whole current of scripture, to call sinners to repentance by promises of mercy, and to enforce that which Isaiah speaks, chapter Iv. 6, 7. Seek ye the Lord while he may be found: Call ye upon him while he is near: Let the wicked forsuke his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. And what our Lord himself pronounces in his personal ministry has the same design, when he calls to all the sinners in Galilee, repent and believe the gospel, for I come not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance; Mark ii. 17. And St. Peter and St. Paul, his two chief messengers or apostles, call all the crucifiers of Christ in general, and the heathen nations, to repent and be converted, that their sins might be blotted out; and to believe in the name of the Lord Jesus, that they may be saved; Acts iii. 19. and xiii. 38. and xvii. 30. He commands all men every where to repent; Rom, x. 11, 13. while our Savi