and on

ANSW. Thousands in defpair, and

the verge;

of hell, would be glad of this, who never knew the grace of God, and who never will be faved, For, if a man be delivered from the being of fin, he can have no inducement or motion to it; and, if from the poffibility of it, he is in no danger, confequently, in no fear. The faint's obedience is the reverse of all this; he obeys God against the inclinations of felf and the enticements of fin.

Quor. If this is the habitual frame of thy mind, GENTLE READER, thou art one of those happy ones to whom the promise declares, Sin fhall not have dominion over you, for you are not under the law, but under grace.

ANSW. There is one great difficulty which must devolve upon these authors; and that is, to make this GENTLE READER, who is a captive to fin and Satan, though not a flave; who, though renewed and fanctified, is yet deftitute of power to throw off the iron yoke-I fay, it is difficult to make fuch a prifoner believe that he is one of thofe happy ones (upon a level with Paul and Job) to whom the promife declares, that fin fhall not have dominion over him, because he is not under the law, but under grace-I fay, to make a man believe that he has "a right to rejoice in gofpel liberty," when holden with the cords of his fins; and that "fin has no "dominion over him while a captive to it," and that he is "not under the law," though he has "no power to throw off the iron yoke;" and that he is

4

under

under grace, though no falvation from fin has ever been applied to him: this, I fay, must be difficult work for faith. Maria told Mr. George King that this book contains Mr. Ryland's fentiments; and, if fo, I will be bold to affirm that such a faith never was hatched any where, either in heaven or earth, but at Enfield.

QUOT. Thou art not under the law, for Chrift hath redeemed thee from it: it is dead to thee as a covenant of works; and thou art dead to it, that thou mayeft be married to another husband.

ANSW. The Antinomianifm which this book has all along reprobated; yea, the very doctrine that I hold, and for the preaching of which I am represented in this book as black as Satan himself; yea, the whole of it, is advanced in this laft quotation, only we differ with refpect to application. Maria applies it to them only to whom falvation from fin has never been given; who are deftitute of power, under the iron yoke, and in a state of captivity to fin. Whereas I apply it to none but those who are born again of the Spirit; who are purged from guilt and dead works, delivered from the reign of fin, and made free by the Spirit; who are no more fervants, but fons; and not fons of the bondwoman, but of the free. Thus we agree in doctrine, and only differ in application. This captive,

in

in his iron yoke, is farther comforted by many applications.

QUOT. And he is the God of grace: he giveth grace and glory. The Father hath bleffed thee with all fpiritual bleffings in Chrift.

ANSW. This is another difficult branch of faith that is, for this gentle reader to believe that he is bleffed with all spiritual bleffings, while he is curfed with the iron yoke of bondage, in captivity to fin, and deftitute of the power of divine grace. For my part, I should not wonder if God were to give fuch authors up to the buffetings of Satan; to be stripped even of their rationality for fuch ignorant meddling, base handling, and falfely applying, the gospel, and the promises of it.

QUOT. Nothing is so great an enemy to hea t-holiness as unbelief.

ANSW. The greatest enemy to holiness throughout this book has all along been the Antinomian, for not bringing the believer under the law as his only rule of life. He that holds not this point is, according to this book, the vileft finner, and even a child of the devil. And this Antinomian, after all, is unbelief. He is the adversary, and the greatest enemy to heart-holiness; and I think, as our opponents have caught unbelief, they ought to let Huntington go his way. If they charge unH belief

belief with all the crimes, then are the children free,

Quor. Nothing is fo great an enemy to heart-holinefs as unbelief: Satan hates it, but he cannot rob us of it; but unbelief robs us of it, or rather, prevents our receiving it. FAITH WORKS IT IN THE SOUL.

ANSW.

The heart-holinefs of a faint confifts in his foul being the feat, and his body the temple, of the Holy Ghoft; as God hath faid-I will dwell in them, and walk in them. Unbelief, we are informed, can "rob us of this;

unbelief can prevent our

"receiving this but faith works it in the foul.” Unbelief, therefore, must be more than almighty; and faith, inftead of being a work, a fruit, or a grace, of the Spirit, is the worker of the Spirit in us, for he works holiness in the foul, Bleffed be Almighty God, who hath opened my blind eyes to fee, and breathed eternal life into my fenfelefs foul to feel, the operations of his Spirit, and the dominion of his grace; and to fee through the dark and iniquitous designs of fuch authors, and fuch arch deceptions, as these. To speak without lightness, and without prejudice, I have read this book till my hair has moved upon my head, and my flesh upon my bones-to fee perfons, fo deftitute of the common ideas of a work of grace, make fuch havock with facred matters, and publish fuch confufion to the church and the world!

QUOT

QUOT. This is the will of God, even your fanctifi cation. Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit.

ANSW. But how can a man be holy who is a captive to fin, and deftitute of power? And how can he be fruitful who never was made partaker of the fruits? All the applications in this 64th page are made to the gentle reader, who is under the iron yoke of bondage, and has no power to throw it off.

QUOT. Should these pages fall into the hands of a profeffor of religion, who can hear of Christ, and talk much about Chrift, and the riches of his grace, and the wonders of his falvation; and yet is careless and indifferent whether he, as an individual, is made partaker of the riches of that grace, and the wonders of that falvation, by the power of the Spirit of God, &c. &c.

ANSW. If thefe pages fhould fall into the hands of fuch a profeffor, he will not condemn this book, nor will this book condemn him; for there is no more "rich grace," and "wondrous falvation," in this book, nor described by the authors of it, than fuch a profeffor has got in him. The one is a drum, nothing but empti

3

the other a tinkling cymbal, and nefs in either. Befides, where is the difference between the graceless profeffor laft defcribed, and the gentle reader to whom the bleffings were applied? The former is a captive to fin, the latter deftitute of grace; the former, no power to caft off the iron