him.

The only question is, if indeed that is a queftion, whether fuch liberty can be fairly taken. But whether it can, or cannot, Dr. Taylor, after ftraining at a gnat on another occafion, has in this inftance swallowed a camel. He would not understand elect, called, faved, crea. ted, fons of God, &c. differently in the Old Teftament which related to a typical difpenfation, and in the New which relates to the difpenfation typified; because it would be a ftrange abufe of words, to exprefs by the fame phrafes, ideas not generically the fame. But he finds no difficulty in fuppofing, that two apostles of Chrift writing under the fame difpenfation, affix to the fame words ideas totally different, without giving the leaft hint of this, to prevent men from doing, what without fuch caution they unavoidably would do, I mean, understanding them as fpeaking of the same thing.

$4. Chriftians, according to Dr. Taylor, ch. vi. 100. are faid to be washed and fanctified, becaufe by the will of God, they are fet apart and appropriated in a special manner to his ho-1 nour, fervice and obedience, and furnished with extraordinary means and motives to holinefsHere permit me to enquire, If these expreffions have no higher an import, why did Chrift tell his difciples, John xiii. 10. "Ye are clean, "but not all?" Were they not all efpecially appropriated to his fervice, and furnished with extraordinary means and motives to holiness? Yet Chrift exprefly fays, ye are not all clean, because he knew there was a hypocrite among them; and it was not till Judas went out, and none fave true believers were present, that he fays,

G 3

fays, John xv. 3. "Now ye are clean, through the word which I have spoken unto you." It is faid, I Cor. vi. 9-11. "Know ye not "that the unrighteous fhall not inherit the king"dom of God? Be not deceived: neither for"nicators, nor idolators, nor adulterers, nor "effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with "mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor "drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners fhall "inherit the kingdom of God. And fuch were "fome of you, but ye are washed, but ye are "fanctified, but ye are juftified in the name "of the Lord Jefus, and by the fpirit of our "God." Does not the oppofition between the character in the 9th and 10th, and that in the 11th verfe ftrongly imply, that the washed and fanctified, were once the flaves of these shocking vices, but after they were washed and fanctified, did not, nay could not remain under that wretched thraldrom?

Again it is faid, Tit. iii. 3-5. "For we our"felves alfo were fometimes foolish and disobe"dient, deceived, ferving divers lufts and plea"fures, living in malice and envy, hateful and "hating one another. But after that the kind"nefs and love of God our Saviour towards "man appeared, not by works of righteouf"nefs, which we have done, but according to "his mercy he faved us, by the washing of re"generation and renewing of the Holy Ghoft." Is it not clear, from this paffage, that men by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghoft, are faved from the dominion of fin, and no more remain as before, foolish, difobedient, deceived, ferving diverfe lufts and pleasures?

$5. When church members are faid to be faved, this according to our author (Key, ch. vi. §78.) means no more than that they were refcued from idolatry, and brought into the light and privileges of the gospel.--I acknowledge, men are faved, when they come to the knowledge of the truth, 1 Tim. ii. 4. But it is, wher they come to fuch a knowledge of its certainty, beauty, and glory, as purifies the heart, and makes them partakers of a divine nature. The falvation of the Gentiles, Rom. xi. 11. means their converfion from fin to God. For Ifrael's being faved, Rom. xi. 26. is explained by ungodliness being turned away from them. A Jew might be faved from Ægypt.

But

Christ faves his people from their fins, Matth. i. 21. bleffes them in turning away every one of them from their iniquities, Acts iii. 26. and is the author of eternal falvation to all them that obey him, and to none elfe, Heb. v. 9. The gofpel falvation must therefore be far from the wicked, Pf. cxix. 155. I have fhewn more at large, in what fenfe Chrift is the Saviour of the world, and Chriftians partake of falvation in the following Differtation.

§ 6. Church members in general faid to be juftified by faith. According to Dr. Taylor, this implies no more than deliverance from the power of heathenish darkness, being admitted into the church and covenant of God, and that general pardon, which God granted to the heathen world upon their profeffed faith in Chrift: but by no means relates to, or fecures that fecond juftifica tion, or acquittance at the day of judgment, which we are told, is not by faith only, but the issue of a persevering obedience, Math. xii. 37.

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Jam.

Jam. ii. 24. The fubftance of his reasoning, in fupport of this notion, is, The Greek and Hebrew words, which we tranflate righteousness, when applied to God, frequently fignify, that goodness, mercy, favour, by which he faves from any enemy, danger, or evil and hence are used to fignify the deliverance itself, which the benignity of God thus vouchfafes. Conformably to this, to be juftified or made righteous, is to be fayed from any evil, or to obtain any bleffing, whether fpiritual or temporal. It is not therefore to be thought ftrange, if Paul fhould apply these terms, to the important affair of our deliverance from heathenish darkness, and admiffion into the church and covenant of God; and the rather, becaufe by that very word, the grant of covenant bleffings to Abraham is fignified, Gen. xv. 6; becaufe the admiffion of the Gentiles into the church, is expreffed in other terms full as ftrong, e. g. being faved, Rom. x. 1. xi. 26. I Theff. ii. 16; obtaining mercy, Rom. xi. 30. 1 Pet. ii. 10; and the purpose of receiving them into the church is termed election, Rom. ix. 11, 16. xi. 5, 6. Nor was Paul's pains in proving, that by faith only we are received into the church and covenant of God, unneceffary, as the Jews fo warmly inculcated, that circumcifion and obedience to the law were neceffary for that purpose, (Key, ch. 16, 17.)

As to the general pardon granted to the heathen world, upon their profeffed faith, there is not the leaft foundation for it in the Bible. God cannot justify and condemn the fame perfons. But he that believeth not, tho' he may profess to believe, is condemned already. There is now

no

no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jefus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the fpirit. But against every one who walketh after the flesh, whatever his profeffion be, a fentence of condemnation ftands in full force. I need not however fay much in opposition to this notion of juftification, as it is another notion of it ftill lower, deliverance from heathenifh darknefs and admiffion into the church and covenant of God, which our author chiefly labours to eftabligh.

To confider all the texts he has cited, in proof that righteous fignifies merciful and kind, and righteoufnefs mercy and benignity, would be tedious. In most of them, these words either denote juftice in its common acceptation; or a title to bleffings, whether temporal, or fpiritual or that, which founds a title to heavenly blef fings, even the fufferings and obedience of Chrift. In fome of them it means vindictive juftice, or the righteoufnefs of God, as pleading the just caufe of his people, and avenging them on their enemies. And this is the fenfe of it, Judg. v. 11. Pfal. ciii. 6. If. li. 27; lvi. 1; lix. 16. Indeed, in the four laft texts, the LXX. instead of δικαιοson have ελεημοσύνη or έλεος, as in other paffages of that translation, fixatosorn may mean kindness or mercy. But it is fufficient, that has no fuch fenfe in the Hebrew, except perhaps where it is. intimated; that extreme neceffity gives a juft claim to alms. On which account, Solomon fays, Prov. iii. 27. Withold not good 1711 from the Lords thereof, i. e. from thefe, whom God conftitutes by their neceffity the Lords of the withheld good.. The mistake of the LXX. might flow from this,