that trod the wine-press alone, and finished it upon the cross; a salvation not perfect, till the co-working family of free-thinkers have performed their part? Or does he mean it is a salvation that stands mumping at the gates of free will, to be received or rejected just as the free-thinker pleaseth? and that it is an eternal salvation only to him that puts forth his omnipotent power to complete the same, and bring it in? Surely this salvation has nothing to do with God's elect: the heirs of promise, the seed of Israel, "shall be saved in the Lord with an everlasting salvation; ye shall not be ashamed nor confounded, world without end." The elect shall obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory, 2 Tim. ii. 10. The elect are not appointed unto wrath, but to obtain salvation by Jesus Christ, 1 Thess. v. 9. The heirs of promise are appointed unto this: "But we are bound to give thanks always to God, for you, brethren, beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation, through sanctification of the Spirit, and belief of the truth." If the elect are ordained and appointed to it, they shall therefore obey the gospel; the grace of God shall enable them, "by whom we have received grace for obedience to the faith, among all nations for his name," Rom. i. 5. The elect of God are not left to refuse or chuse as they please; God deals not with them as with the bond-woman and her children; "As soon as they hear of me they shall obey me," says the Saviour. "Thy people

shall be willing in the day of thy power," says the Father. " "Bring them in; compel them to come in," says the Saviour. "These I must bring," says the shepherd; “There shall be one fold and one shepherd; all that the Father giveth me shall come to me." "I will put my fear within them, they shall not depart from me." The salvation that Christ wrought out, and is the author of, is an eternal salvation, and the elect shall obtain it with eternal glory, and none else; the others, like our author, can save themselves from this untoward generation; they can do what God requires; an initial salvation is all they want; but the poor helpless elect of God are better provided for. Our author goes on.

'It appears therefore, that the sufferings of 'Christ were something by way of satisfaction, rather than the payment of the proper debt; for ' otherwise pardon of sin, of which there is such ample proof in the gospel, would be superseded. 'Let it be considered, that the sufferings of Christ and those of the sinner who is punished for his ' own sins differ materially; Christ never felt the 'stings of a guilty conscience, nor the horrors of despair, which undoubtedly will be a capital part ' of the torments of hell; it is therefore inferred that Christ did not pay the proper debt for any 'man.' Is not this uttering vain knowledge, and filling the belly with the east wind? Is not this reasoning with unprofitable talk, and with speeches wherewith a man can do no good? We are informed

that the sufferings of Christ were something by

way of satisfaction rather than the payment of 'the proper debt.' How these children of the flesh are obliged to obscure the severity and sovereignty of God, and to pare the edge of the law and diminish the sufferings of Christ, in order to make way for free-thoughts and free-will to act. How a God, who is strictly just and an infinite creditor, against whom the sins of men are committed, whose wickedness is great, and whose iniquities are infinite, Job xxii. 5; how such a creditor could be satisfied, and a debtor in infinite arrears be honourably discharged, without the satisfaction of full payment, is a mystery to me, but which Mr. Skinner unfolds thus: It is something by way of 'satisfaction rather than a payment of the proper 'debt.' The surety compounded with the creditor; the infinite demands of law and justice were compromised with the surety; God the creditor did not exact the full payment, nor did the surety pay the total sum: it was something by way of satis'faction, not a proper payment of the debt.' He that strikes hands and becomes surety for debts, must pay if he loses his bed from under him, Prov. xxii. 26, 27, as our surety did when he said, "The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the son of man hath not where to lay his head." "He that is surety for a stranger shall smart for it," which the Saviour did in his body, in his soul, in his reputation, and in his mystical members: there was no compounding in this matter; his

threefold petition in the garden put up through the weakness of human nature could not remove the cup; he that is imprisoned in hell for his own debt shall not come out thence till he has paid the very last mite, Luke xii. 59; and he that becomes surety shall pay no less; heaven and earth shall pass away before one jot or tittle of the law shall fail of its demands, whether it fall on the debtor or on the surety. 66 Think not that I am come to destroy the law or the prophets; I am not come to destroy but to fulfil:" but how an imperfect satisfaction can be called a fulfilling I know not; "till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law till all be fulfilled," Matt. v. 17, 18. No compounding, no compromising here; God spared not his own son, Rom. viii. 32; the Lord laid upon him the iniquities of us all; he was oppressed and he was afflicted; the debt was exacted, and he made restitution, Isa. liii. 6, 7. God spared not his Son, the total sum was exacted and paid. The surety complains and says, "They that hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of mine head; they that would destroy me being mine enemies, wrongfully are mighty; then I restored that which I took not away."

This blasphemous free-thinker tells us that, 'Christ never felt the stings of a guilty conscience ' nor the horrors of despair, which are the capital 'torments of hell.' To which I answer, Christ never died for serpents nor vipers, who cannot escape the damnation of hell; nor did he die for

me.

the goats, who shall go into everlasting punishment. Christ never laid down his life for any that are or ever will be damned. "And I will feed the flock of slaughter, even you, O poor of the flock. Three shepherds also I cut off in one month, and my soul loathed them, and their soul also abhorred Then said I, I will not feed you; that that dieth let it die, and that that is to be cut off let it be cut off, and let the rest eat every one the flesh of another." Will any one say that these were redeemed? "So the poor of the flock that waited upon me knew that this was the word of the Lord," Zech. xi. 7—11. Christ laid down his life for the sheep which the Father gave him; for these he died; for these he prayed; these as a prophet shall all be taught of him; these as a king he will govern; and to these the Father gives the kingdom, and to none else. Christ died not for the world, he prayed not for the world, he is not the prophet of the world, nor is his kingdom of this world. For the elect and only them he became surety; these shall never perish, though all others will; they have everlasting life, and shall never die; Christ and God the Father are stronger than all, and none shall ever pluck them out of their hands, nor shall the gates of destruction or gates of hell ever prevail or unfold to receive one of them. The wicked are a ransom for the righteous, and transgressors for the upright, Prov. xxi. 18; but the elect shall never be a ransom for any, much less a prey for the devil.