ments; but if they offend in one point, they are guilty of all. This old way is so strait that not one, except Christ, ever entered by it. But our author has power to perform what the Lord commands, therefore he bids fair for the prize.

He will find three difficulties attending this way; the one is, the accusations of Moses against every transgressor; another is, the flaming sword of justice, that keeps the way of the tree of life; and the third is, the city gates, that will open to none that hold a lie in their hands, as Mr. Skinner holds many: "Open ye the gates, that the righteous nation, which keepeth the truth, may enter in." The elect, who make Christ all in all, find the sword sheathed in the Saviour. Moses has nothing to say against faith and he that has Christ formed in his heart, keeps the truth, and shall enter the gates. But we go on.

The general resurrection is a consequence of the resurrection of Christ; "For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive." To which I answer, The elect were chosen in Christ before the world was, consequently before they were formed in Adam; these are preserved in Christ Jesus, and called; they are justified in him; both Christ and they, the elect head and elect members, were both included in God's decree from everlasting. Hence it is said, "For both he that sanctifieth, and they that are sanctified, are all of one; for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren,” Heb. ii, 11. These were joined to the Lord

in the eternal decree, and are united in the everlasting covenant, and are of one spirit with the Lord by regeneration: "He that is joined to the Lord is one spirit:" and what God hath joined together let not Mr. Skinner put asunder. These put on Christ, walk in Christ, and die in the Lord, and shall be glorified together; they are called a seed that shall be accounted to the Lord for a generation: this is the generation that seeks the face of Jacob; an holy nation, a righteous nation, that keeps the truth, and shall enter the gates of heaven; these are all written in the book, and shall every one be delivered. There is a generation of Adam, that are in him, not in Christ; that are under the law, not under grace; children of the bond-woman, not of the free; servants, not sons; children of the flesh, not children of the promise: these are in the earthly head, and are earthly; others are in the heavenly head, and are heavenly: "The children of the flesh, these are not the children of God; but the children of the promise are counted for the seed." In Adam all die; for they are under the law, which is the ministration of death; those that are in Christ shall be made alive; nor can they die any more; for they are equal to the angels, and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection, Luke xx. 36. These are the heirs of the promise of life, which God, that cannot lie, gave them in Christ Jesus, before the world was. Our author is going to prove universal salvation from Peter.

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False teachers who privily bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord, that bought ⚫ them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction, 2 Pet. ii. 1.' To which I answer,The scriptures often speak of men, as men speak of themselves. The pharisees justified themselves before men; and Christ calls them righteous: "I came not to call the righteous." There is in our day a class of people who call themselves perfect, and God calls them a nation that are pure in their own eyes, though never washed from their filthiness, Prov. xxx. 12. Those that followed the Saviour for the loaves and the fishes, were called his disciples, but when Christ preached eternal election to them, and enforced eating his flesh, and drinking his blood, they were offended; then these disciples went back, and walked no more with him. Judas is called an apostle, because he was chosen to bear the bag, though he was a devil. Some call themselves lords, as has been proved; and as Mr. Skinner thinks he is, by the power he boasts of, able to perform what God requires, God has set him such a task as none but God can do, to make a new heart and a new spirit; which, if he be a Lord, or a Jehovah, God knows he can do it.

In the apostles' days it was common to say, "We are not our own, we are bought with a price;" Christ hath bought us with his own blood; we are redeemed with the precious blood of the Lamb of God. The false apostles adopted the language of the true ones; We are bought with a price; as

Balaam imitated the prophets of God, saying, "I cannot go beyond the word of the Lord my God." It is not very likely that these men should be redeemed from all evil, when they had nothing to prove it by, but the damnable heresies that they brought in; a damnable heresy is but a damnable reason of hope at best. However, they called themselves the purchase of Christ; and then God made it manifest that they were not of his family, by their going out from them, which, if they had been, they would no doubt have continued, says God. However, they went out, after all their boast of redemption; and, in their own language, Peter tells us, they denied the Lord that bought them, and brought upon themselves destruction, which the redeemed never can: Zion is redeemed with judgment, which was executed upon her Surety; and it shall never be executed upon her: her converts are redeemed with righteousness; and God is faithful and just to her, to forgive her her sins on the Surety's account, and to cleanse her from all unrighteousness, agreeable to the promise, "I will cleanse their blood that I have not cleansed:" "The ransomed of the Lord shall return :" the redeemed shall walk in the heavenly Jerusalem : Christ laid down his life for his sheep, they shall never perish, neither shall any pluck them out of his hands; neither free thoughts nor free will, the snares of death, nor the gates of hell shall ever prevail against them. To talk of souls being re

deemed from death, hell, and sin, by the blood of Christ, and ending in swift destruction, is a doctrine that none but a devil dictated, and none but a free-thinker would ever publish. Our author himself contradicts this in the 65th page, where he promises that Christ shall have all the praise 'for his present and eternal salvation.' If he who is but a free-thinker is saved with an eternal salvation, how come the redeemed of the Lord to end in swift destruction? But for my part I would as soon believe that the pope of Rome is intrusted with the keys of death and of hell, as I would believe that ever Mr. Skinner had the knowledge of salvation by the forgiveness of sins; for how can a surety pardon those that can pay their own way? Truth has said, that when they had nothing to pay with, he frankly forgave them all. our author is going to bring forth another mystery, contrary to his own salvation, for that he says is present and eternal.

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For though Christ is the author of initial salvation to all men, he is the author of eternal salvation only to them that obey him.' Our author has taken care to jostle himself out of initial salvation; his own salvation is present and eternal,' though he leads others in the bog where he would not venture himself. But what is initial salvation? A salvation not complete; a salvation not perfect; an introductory salvation; a salvation introduced by free thoughts; a salvation not completed by him