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faith, which faith is not within the reach of man's natural power: And ftill not only fo, but that before faith there must be the knowledge of God, which knowledge is not in natural mens reach: And once more, not only fc, but that even before the knowledge of God there must be a thorough humiliation, which humiliation men could not work in themselves by any natural power of their own. Now, mult it needs be thought, notwithstanding all thefe things, unreasonable to fuppofe, that God should command thofe whom he has nourished and brought up, to honour him by giving an open teftimony of love to him; only becaufe wicked men cannot testify love till they have love, and love is not in their natural power! And is it any good excufe in the fight of God, for one who is under the highest obligations to him, and yet refufes him fuitable honour by openly teftifying his love of him, to plead that he has no love to teftify; but on the contrary, has an infinitely unreasonable hatred? God may moit reasonably require a proper teftimony and profeffion of love to him; and yet it may alfo be reasonable to fuppofe, at the fame time, he forbids men to lie; or to de clare that they have love, when they have none: Becaufe, though it be fuppofed, that God requires men to teftify love to him, yet he requires them to do it in a right way, and in the true order, viz. first loving him, and then teflifying their love.

(4.) I do not fee how it can be true, that a man, as he is naturally, has not a legal power to be converted, accept of Christ, love God, &c. By a legal power to do a thing, is plainly meant fuch power as brings a perfon properly within the reach of a legal obligation, or the obligation of a law or command to do that thing: But he that has fuch natural faculties, as render him a proper fubject of moral government, and as speak it a fit and proper thing for him to love God, &c. and as give him a natural capacity herefore; fuch a one may properly be commanded, and put under the obligation of a law to do things fo reafonable; notwithstanding any native averfion and moral inability in him to do his duty, arifing

from the power of fin.

This alfo, I must observe, was a known doctrine of Mr. Stoddard's, and what he ever

taught.

EITHER

OBJECTION XIV.

ITHER unfanctified perfons may lawfully come to the Lord's fupper, or it is unlawful for them to carry themfelves as faints; but it is not unlawful for them to carry themfelves as faints.

ANSW. It is the duty of unconverted men both to become faints, and to behave as faints. The Scripture rule is, Make the tree good, that the fruit may be good. Mr. Stoddard himself never fuppofed, that the fruit of faints was to be expected from men, or could poffibly be brought forth by them in truth, till they were faints.

And I fee not how it is true, that unconverted men ought, in every respect, to do those external things, which it is the duty of a godly man to do. It is the duty of a godly man, confcious of his having given his heart unto the Lord, to profefs his love to God and his efteem of him above all, his unfeigned faith in Chrift, &c. and in his clofet-devotions to thank God for these graces as the fruit of the Spirit in him: But it is not the duty of another that really has no faith, nor love to God, to do thus. Neither any more is it a natural man's duty to profess these things in the Lord's fupper.—Mr. Stoddard taught it to be the duty of converts, on many occafions, to profefs their faith and love and other graces before men, by relating their experiences in converfation: But it would be great wickednefs, for fuch as know themfeles to be not faints, thus to do: Because they would fpeak falfely, and utter lies in fo doing. Now, for the like reafon, it would be very finful, for men to profefs and feal their confent to the covenant of grace in the Lord's Supper, when they know at the fame time that they do not confent to it, nor have their hearts at all in the affair.

OBJECTION XV.

THIS scheme will keep out of the church fome true faints; for there are fome fuch who determine against themselves, and their prevailing judgment is, that they are not faints: And we had better let in feveral hypocrites, than exclude one true child of God.

ANSW. I think, it is much better to infift on fome vifibility to reafon, of true faintfhip, in admitting members, even although this through mens infirmity and darkness, and Satan's temptations, be an occafion of fome true faints abftaining; than by exprefs liberty given, to open the door to as many as pleafe, of those who have no vifibility of real faintship, and make no profeffion of it, nor pretenfion to it; and that because this method tends to the ruin and great reproach of the Christian church, and also to the ruin of the perfons admitted.

1. It tends to the reproach and ruin of the Chriftian church. For by the rule which God hath given for admiffions, if it be carefully attended (it is faid), MORE unconverted, than converted perfons, will be admitted. It is then confeffedly the way to have the greater part of the members of the Chriftian church ungodly men; yea, fo much greater, that the godly fhall be but few in comparison of the ungodly; agreeable to their interpretation of that faying of Chrift, many are called, but few are chofen. Now, if this be an exact state of the cafe, it will demonftrably follow, on Scripture principles, that the opening the door fo wide has a direct tendency to bring things to that pass, that the far greater part of the members of Christian churches shall not be perfons of so much as a ferious confcientious character, but fuch as are without even moral fincerity, and do not make religion at all their businefs, neglecting and cafting off fecret prayer and other duties, and living a life of carnality

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and vanity, fo far as they can, confiftently with avoiding church-cenfures; which poffibly may be fometimes to a great degree. Ungodly men may be morally fober, ferious, and confcientious, and may have what is called moral fincerity, for a while; may have these things in a confiderable measure, when they first come into the church: But if their hearts are not changed, there is no probability at all of these things continuing long. The Scripture has told us, that this their goodness is apt ́ to vanish like the morning-cloud and early dew. How can it be expected but that the religion should in a little time wither away, which has no root? How can it be expected, that the lamp fhould burn long, without oil in the veel to feed it? If luft be unmortified, and left in reigning power in the heart, it will fooner or later prevail; and at length sweep away common grace and moral fincerity, however excited and maintained for a while by conviction and temporary affections. It will happen to them according to the true proverb, The dog is returned to his vomit; and the fwine that was washed, to his walloving in the mire. It is faid of the hypocrite, Will he delight himself in the Almighty? Will he always call upon God? And thus our churches will be likely to be fuch congregations as the Pfalmift faid he hated, and would not fit with. Pfal. xxvi. 4, 5. “I have not fat with "vain perfons, nor will I go in with diffemblers; I "have hated the congregation of evil-doers, nor will I "fit with the wicked." This will be the way to have the Lord's table ordinarily furnished with fuch guests as allow themselves to live in known fin, and fo fuch as meet together from time to time only to crucify Christ afresh, instead of commemorating his crucifixion with the repentance, faith, gratitude, and love of friends. And this is the way to have the governing part of the church fuch as are not even confcientious men, and are carelefs about the honour and interest of religion. And the direct tendency of that is, in procefs of time, to introduce a prevailing negligence in difcipline, and careleffnefs in feeking minifters of a pious and worthy cha

racter. And the next step will be the church's being filled with perfons openly vicious in manners, or elfe fcandaloufly erroneous in opinions: It is well if this be not already the cafe in fact with fome churches that have long profeffed and practifed on the principles I oppofe. And if thefe principles fhould be profeffed and proceeded on by Chriftian churches every where, the natural tendency of it would be, to have the greater part of what is called the church of Chrift, through the world, made up of vicious and erroneous perfons. And how greatly would this be to the reproach of the Chriftian church, and of the holy name and religion of Jefus Chrift in the fight of all nations * ?

And now is it not better, to have a few real living Chriftians kept back through darkness and fcruples, than to open a door for the letting in fuch universal ruin as this? To illuftrate it by a familiar comparifon; Is it not better, when England is at war with France, to keep out of the British realm a few loyal Englifhmen, than to give leave for as many treacherous Frenchmen to come in as please?

2. This way tends to the eternal ruin of the parties admitted: For it lets in fuch, yea, it perfuades fuch to come in, as know themselves to be impenitent and unbelieving, in a dreadful manner to take God's name in vain; in vain to worship him, and abufe facred things, by folemnly performing those external acts and rites in the name of God, which are inftituted for declarative figns and profeffions of repentance toward God, faith in Chrift, and love to him, at the fame time that they know themfelves deftitute of thofe things which they profess to

* And this by the way answers another objection, which fome have made, viz. That the way I plead for, tends to keep the church of Chrift small, and hinder the growth of it. Whereas, I think, the contrary tends to keep it fmall, as it is the wickednefs of its members, that above all things in the world prejudices mankind against it; and is the chief ftumbling-block, that hinders the propagation of Christianity, and fo the growth of the Chriftian church. But holiness would cause the light of the church to shine fo as to induce others to refort to it.

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