ful, cutting down all oppofition, and fully efficacious to the conviction, converfion, fanctification, and consolation, of his people.

ANSW. Now we fee that Maria's bond, hand, creature, and fpiritual life, have nothing to do with cutting the finner off from his old ftock; for it is all done by the word of God, and not by faith created in us by the Spirit. In this laft quotation Maria's band has nothing to do, for thus run the words: "The Spirit makes this fword quick and powerful, "cutting down all oppofition, and fully efficacious." That is, the word is fully efficacious to the conviction, converfion, fanctification, and confolation, of his people. The fword that wounds, heals: convictions, fanctifications, and confolations, all come from the fame fword. The Holy Spirit handles the fword, but holiness and confolation come by the fword. Faith makes no application in this bufinefs.

QUOT, The fword of Scanderbeg the Great did wonders; but it was only when it was exercifed by the mighty arm of Scanderbeg.

ANSW. The fword that this book talks about does greater works than that of Scanderbeg; his fword was used to kill, but this fword brings fanctification and confolation. How does the Almighty blind, confound, confuse, and discover, these empty novices, by letting them expofe their confufion to

the

the church and the world; and yet holds them in fuch blindness, as to permit them to call their felfcontradictions, and palpable lies, " A confutation of "error, and unmafking of Antinomianifm !"

As for me, I do not know that any body can justly charge me with preaching to encourage fin, or say I have lived as an example of licentioufnefs, or been in any sense behind-hand in promoting and in fhewing a pattern of good works; if I have, let them testify against me.

QUOT. They that are overwhelmed with diftrefs, and fometimes conclude that they have no right to rejoice in the liberty of the gospel, that they are not the Lord's freemen, but still flaves to fin and Satan, ftill under the reigning power of fin; and, confequently, not partakers of Chrift's falvation. Now, left any of thefe, whofe hearts the Lord would not have made fad.

ANSW. If they are overwhelmed with diftrefs, and "flaves to fin and Satan," and "under the reign. ing power of fin," they have no more right to rejoice in the liberty of the gospel than Satan has, who is reserved in chains of darkness. The finner here defcribed is overcome by Satan; and of whom a man is overcome, of the fame is be brought into bondage: if he is, and binds himself to be a flave to fin and Satan, he is free from righteousness. His members are not yielded as inftruments of righteousness, nor is he, nor can he be, a fervant of righteoufnefs; he is holden with the cords of his fin, and Satan has the

mastery

mastery over him. In this quotation, a flave to fin and Satan is allowed to have " a right to rejoice in "the liberty of the gospel," a "finner overwhelm"ed with distress," and "under the dominion of fin, "yet the Lord would not have his heart made "fad." This is, I think, rank Antinomianism; for it is encouraging rafh prefumption, encouraging a flave to the devil to rejoice in the liberty of the gofpel.

QUOT. Now, left any of these should be made fad, by any thing contained in this treatise,

ANSW. There is no fear of any real fadness of heart enfuing upon the perufal of this treatife; for there is no more force, power, or edge, to this fword, than there is to an eider-down quilt; it is calculated for nothing else but to bolster up and to harden hypocrites in their hypocrify. As to God's people, no foul, that ever was enlightened and quickened by the Lord, would give it a fecond reading, nor even house-room, unless it be admitted into the water-clofet.

QUOT. I would wish to obferve, that wherever fin is bated, not only in its confequences and punishment, but in its nature and practice; where it is firuggled with, fought againft, prayed against, watched against, and groaned under, it hath no dominion.

ANSW. Is a finner's bating, Struggling, fighting, watching, and groaning, of any avail in fubduing the power

power of fin? Do the fcriptures ever multer fuck a band of pismires as these to deftroy the works of the devil? Here is no blood of atonement, no fhield of faith, no fin-fubduing and fuper-abounding grace. "Sin has no dominion," faith this book, because it is fought againft, watched againft, prayed againft, and groaned under. If groaned under, it must lie heavy upon the finner; and will, till God's ftrength be made perfect in his weakness, and all-fufficient grace be communicated to him. Satan reaps no small advantage from fuch books as these: he that esteems iron as straw, and brass as rotten wood, who drove the mad Gadarene from his chains, will never refuse the challenge of this fighting finner, nor ftart at his groans. If my reader will now observe, we shall find that this precious foul, whom " the Lord "would not have made fad," who has "a right to "rejoice in the liberty of the gospel," is in want of but one thing, and that is power.

QUOT. These things are quite incompatible with the reigning love and power of fin. It may fight hard; it may rage defperately, it may, for a time, play the tyrant; but, during this time, the foul, though a captive, is not a slave. The tyrant is detefted: and the foul wants nothing but power to throw off the iron yoke.

ANSW. If this fancied faint has no power, he has no faith; if deftitute of power, the kingdom of God is not fet up in his heart, for that stands not in word, but in power; and, if he is a captive to Sa

tan,

tan, he can have no right to rejoice in the liberty of the gospel. Gaptivity is as opposite to liberty as flavery; nor will any child of God be brought to believe that Satan will fhew fuch lenity to his captives as to let them ftand all the day idle. He that is a captive to the devil is a flave; he that is under the jurifdiction of that father will do the lufts of that father. This fancied faint is next fet down with Paul and Job; and the promise of the gospel is applied to him, though God has not made bare his

arm.

QUOT. It is evident, fuch an one has been taught by Christ, the great Prophet, a good degree of felf-knowledge: the understanding is enlightened to fee the exceeding finfulness of fin, and the fpirituality of the law of God; and therefore the man cries out, with Paul-I am carnal, fold under fin. And with Job, I am vile! It is also evident his will is renewed, and his affections in part fan&tified, for the evil he does he allows not, Ibid. Nay, he hates it.

ANSW. Here is a man renewed in his will, and his affections in part fanctified; and he is alfo taught of Christ, whose word to the heart is always attended with power, to make the dead live, and the prifoner go free. And yet this man has no power, for he cannot throw off the iron yoke.

QUOT. And could he be delivered from the very being of fin, and from the poffibility of finning, it would be the triumph of his heart, and the joy of his foul.

ANSW.