"of prophecy being the testimony of Jefus. Both which "Scripture prophecies, of Chrift in the Old Testament, "and from him in the New, are of equal, if not greater "force to us in the present age, for the confirmation of "our faith, than the miracles themfelves recorded in the Scripture; we having now certain knowledge ourselves "of many of these events, and being no way able to fufpect, but that the prophecies were written long before." Cudworth's Intellectual Syftem of the Universe, p. 714.

P. 146. 1. 3. The perverse and determined infidel, &c.] In reasoning on the decrees of God, we are not to expect a folution of all difficulties. All that we have to confider is, whether they be confiftent with each other. Are his proceedings, as far as they are revealed, conformable with his promife? If we perceive a fucceffive chain of events tending to the fame purpose, we fee the progress of fulfilment. We have no right to demand the reasons of his procedure, because it is perfectly confonant to our idea of his attributes of perfect wisdom, and goodness, and power, to conceive that we are incompetent to understand them. We have no right to demand the reasons, because it is all free gift and grace on the part of God. We are to accept with humility. It is reasonable to suppose, that we cannot comprehend infinite wifdom. For can that which is infinite be commenfurate to ours? We must accept the gift as we fhould from the unlimited power of an earthly potentate. It is material for us to obferve, that the promised advantages go on progreffively towards completion; but to inquire into the reason of the bounty is only gratifying to an unprofitable curiofity. It might indeed amufe us, but it could not advance the fulfilment. Neither ought we to doubt of the confiftence of the great scheme of Providence, from the apparent disagreement of a few parts. This happens in all the works and

the ways of God Almighty. In the planetary fyftem, there are what we, from the imperfection of our apprehenfion, call anomalies. These are probably only anomalies to our finite apprehenfions. They may be a confiftent part of the whole grand scheme. Yet do these affect that whole? Is the uniformity of the planetary laws in general affected by these apparent deviations ? Pursue the inquiry throughout all the operations of divine fkill, and we shall find a few deviations in every part; in the conftitution of the human frame; in the conftitution of animals; yet these do not destroy the uniformity of the whole. We cannot account for fome of the Mofaic inftitutions; we cannot comprehend some of the declarations of our bleffed Lord. In the Scriptures there are fome things hard to be understood; but fhall weak men wrest these to their own destruction? Is the general harmony destroyed by these comparatively little deviations? Nature travaileth in pain for grace and pardon; for reconciliation. Pardon and grace are promifed, and the means of reconciliation are appointed. Shall we not accept them? Shall we refuse the bounty because the ground and motives of grace are not fully explained? Shall we resolve to perish everlastingly, because we are difputatious and doubtful? Shall the criminal refuse pardon, because he has not been fully made to understand all the motives, all the combination of fentiments, which awakened the compaffion of the Power, which gratuitously offers the pardon?

LECTURE VII.

P. 190. 1. 19. We next come to an article, &c.] « The

"reformers made it the chief fubject of their books and ૬૯ fermons, to perfuade people to believe in Chrift, and "not in the Church, and made great use of those places "in which it was faid, that Chriftians are juftified by "faith only though some explained this in such a man, "ner, that it gave their adverfaries advantages to charge "them, that they denied the neceffity of good works; "but they all taught, that though they were not necessary "to juftification, yet they were neceffary to falvation, "They differed alfo (from the Papists) in their notion of "good works: the church of Rome taught, that the hos "nour done to God in his images, or to the faints in "their fhrines and relics, or to the priests, were the best "fort of good works: whereas the reformers preffed jus "tice and mercy moft, and discovered the superstition of "the other. The opinion of the merit of good works "was alfo fo highly raised, that many thought they pur"chafed heaven by them. This the reformers did also "correct, and taught the people to depend merely upon "the death and interceffion of Chrift. Others moved "fubtler questions; as, whether obedience was an effential 66 part of faith, or only a confequent of it: this was a nicety scarce becoming divines, that built only on the 66 fimplicity of the Scriptures, and condemned the subtle"ties of the schools; and it was faid that men of ill lives " abused this doctrine, and thought, if they could but as

"fure themselves that Chrift died for them, they were "fafe enough. So now, when they settled the notion of " faith, they divided it into two forts: the one was a "persuasion of the truth of the Gospel, but the other "carried with it a fubmiffion to the will of God; and "both hope, love, and obedience, belonged to it; which 66 was the faith professed in baptifm, and so much extolled "by St. Paul. It was not to be fo understood, as if it σε were a certainty of our being predeftinated, which may "be only a presumption; fince all God's promises are "made to us on conditions; but it was an entire receiving "the whole Gospel according to our baptifmal vows. "Cranmer took great pains to state this matter right; ❝ and made a large collection of many places, all written "with his own hand, both out of ancient and modern << authors, concerning faith, justification, and the merit of "good works; and concluded with this: That our jus"tification was to be afcribed only to the merits of Chrift; "and that those who are justified must have charity as "well as faith, but that neither of these was the merito"rious cause of justification." Burnett's Abridgement, "A. D. 1540. There is much to the fame purpose in his Hiftory of the Reformation in the fame year. See the Bishop of Lincoln's Refutation of Calvinism, where this fubject is fully difcuffed.