The gospel is in itself the greatest of bleffings, however fome men may abufe it, be punished for this abufe, fo the bleffing eventually proves to them a curfe. The gofpel has a direct and pow erful tendency to enlighten men, and lead them to repentance. The gofpel is the gofpel of falvation, it offers falvation to all men. And it is the only mean God fees fit to improve for the falvation of men; or without this men univerfally perifh. Therefore, however men may defpife it, this does not render it lefs good in itfelf; any more than defpifing heaven would alter or deftroy the real happinefs of heaven. While men defpife heaven, this is no heaven to them; but this does not alter the nature of heaven itself. So while men defpife the gofpel, it is no good news to them; but this does not alter the real and everlafting good the gofpel freely offers. Hence it is of the first importance to defire the fpread of the gospel through the world, and that it might be attended with the fanctifying power of the Holy Ghoft. For this every be nevolent mind will moft heartily pray; leaving the event to be decided by divine wifdom. At the fame time, while many def pife, and wonder, and perifh under the light of the gofpel, neither the Redeemer, nor the redeemed will eventually fuftain any lofs. Though Ifrael be not gathered, yet fhall I be glorious in the eyes of the LORD, and my God fhall be my ftrength.' Ifai. xlix. 5. I am, &c.

LETTER VI.

Dr. H's opinion that the Law and the Gospel are in direct oppofition to each other, examined, and compared to oth er things in his Book; alfo the abfurd and most shocking confequences of this opinion.

MY DEAR FRIEND,

THE of whole

HE voice of the whole law, and the voice of the gospel,' the Doctor fays, are exceedingly diftinct, and diametrically oppofite.'* He not only makes them oppofite as to their fubordinate effects, but oppofite in their natures.'+ Which is the fame as holding the attributes of Deity to be at war with

each other.

The moral law in itfelf confidered, dooms finners to eternal perdition, without the leaft provifion for pardon, and whether

they

they repent, or not. It goes upon the ground of friet juftice, infli&ting judgment without mercy. While the gofpel makes full provifion for finners to be pardoned. But this difference does not feem to exprefs a direct oppofition. It appears more eligible to fay, that the law and gofpel are in harmony; while the latter goes further than the former, gives life when the former cannot and for the following reasons. 1. There is nothing but perfection in the law. Its penalties or curfes are reafon able, and fuited to the publick good; as much fo as its require ments and promifes. The law is holy, and juft, and good. It is ellential to the fecurity of the happinefs of all holy dependent beings. Herein it harmonizes with the gofpel. 2. The law and gofpel exactly agree in difapproving of all fin, and in expofing the finfulness of fin. 3. The law and gofpel pronounce the fame fentence of condemnation on impenitent finners, as fuch. 4. They both agree in requiring perfect holinefs, or in requiring all men to love God with their whole mind and ftrength, and their neighbour as themfelves. 5. Though the law makes no provifion for the pardon of fin, yet it perfectly approves of the provifion made in the gofpel. 6. The law entirely agrees with the gofpel in the juftification and falvation of every believer. 7. The law and the gofpel mutually illuftrate the excellency and glory of each other; therefore they make a moft glorious har mony. 8. Each of them ferves to reveal the infinite love of God, and one as well as the other. It is allowed that the gof, pel, in conjunction with the law, reveals that fulness of divine love, which the law alone could not do.

The objector cannot fay that all this harmony is wholly by the death of Chrift; and without this, the law in every lenfe would have fpoken quite the oppofite, from what the law and gofpel now fpeak in harmony. For it is plain that Chrift died to magnify a law which was originally perfect throughout; else where is the exceeding glory of his death? Therefore, the original language of the law was the fame as it now is; though now it approves of what the gospel has done, which the law could not do.

How then could Dr. H. fay, that the voice of the whole law, and the voice of the gofpel, are exceedingly diftin&t, and diametrically oppofite? And he goes on to fay, they are even oppolite in their natures-as diftin&t in their natures as any two things in the univerfe. He ftrongly intimates that the attributes of Deity, juftice and mercy, were originally at war with each other; and that Chrift died to reconcile this jar or war in

* P. 42..

the

the divine mind, fo to effect the falvation of all men. Whereas it is certain that divine juftice is as holy as divine mercy, and a branch of the fame infinite love. Divine mercy goes further than divine juftice, in fhowing love to his enemies. But juftice perfectly approves of the means whereby love is fhown to his enemies, and perfectly approves of this love; even rejoices in it as much as mercy does, as foon as wisdom has found out the way. Befide, there is no glory in mercy only when juftice is maintained. So that divine juftice is, eternally and unalterably as amiable and glorious as divine mercy.-These things being premifed, we are prepared to make fome obfervations, which will bring the Doctor's fcheme into view.

But

I. He maintains that the curfe of the law is wholly done away in Chrift. As we have feen, The law,' fays he, fpeaks in righteoufnels; every where denounces what is just and equal 'towards man. It thunders aloud the true defert of man. it fpeaks not what fhall in fact take place on man,-any otherwife than in his furety." And that moft awful threatening to Judas, in Matt. xxvi. 24, he fays was only as one of the many awful denunciations we have of the voice of juftice, all filenc'ed and fatisfied in the great furety.'+ Again, he fays, 'God hath nothing, nothing at all, againft any finner, in the world, 'to effect his final condemnation ;-all he ever had against them, 'was fully fatisfied by their furety.' Thefe paffages, and oth ers we have seen, make it plain that the Doctor holds the curfe of the law to be wholly fet afide, both as to believers and unbelievers. All the evils of every kind threatened in the law, and fpoken to finners, to any finner in the world, point directly to Chrift, and are laid on him, filenced and fatisfied in him.' The Doctor alfo holds, as has been fhown, that all the forrow, pain, ' and punishment, spoken of in the gofpel, comes on Jefus Chrift, 'God-man. But, as to any mere man, the gofpel fays not one 'uncomfortable word.' This leads to the following things.

6

1. If all the evils threatened both in the law and the gospel come on Chrift, point directly to his fufferings and death, where is the oppofition between the law and the gofpel? Or how can they be wholly in oppofition to each other? They certainly agree, allowing the Doctor's statement, in one most important article.

2. The Doctor's idea of entire oppofition between law and gospel, muft intend one of these things: Either firft, the gospel meets the oppofition of the law, and overcomes it by fuperior force, and then fpeaks good to men, proportionate to its overbalancing

*P. 35

+ P. 280.

P. 61.

ancing power: Or fecondly, the gospel wholly filences the law, retains afterwards all its good to men, and fpeaks with its whole ftrength of goodness. But in either of thefe cafes, the curfe of the law is a mere empty name. Then where is the oppofition ? What can the gospel find in the law, to oppose, after all the curfes of the latter are filenced? And if juftice be that which ought to take place, but never will, how does it counteract the voice of fact, which Dr. H. calls the gofpel?

3. On this plan, what provifion do we find for the punishment of tranfgreffors? Even under a difpenfation of grace, we find nothing but a bare threatening; a threatened evil which is a mere empty found: And that for the vileft of tranfgreffors, fuch as trample under foot the blood of the Son of God, and do defpite to the Spirit of grace!

4. If God has nothing at all against any finner in the world, to effect his final condemnation; if all he ever had against them was fully fatisfied by their furety;' what propriety is there in calling on finners to repent, that they might efcape hell? Cer tainly, according to thefe words of the Doctor, there is no hell for the ungodly. God has nothing at all against them, all he ever had against them was wholly fatisfied or done away, by Chrift their furety. There is, therefore, no vengeance in flore, no everlafling fire, but all has been laid on Chrift, and in fuch man. ner as there is none left for wicked men. On this plan, how could Dr. H. call on finners to repent, that they might efcape everlafting fire?

Dr. H. would object and fay, all fin is even death, hell, and damnation, fo long as the foul continues impenitent.* But this is only a mere cavil; it is eternal damnation we are here speaking of, and which the Doctor warns finners againft.-Dr. H. would fay again, a man is always miferable in proportion to the degree of wickedness that governs him.'t Therefore, it is neceffary to turn from fin, as the only way to efcape mifery and damnation. But, to fay a man is always thus miferable, is to affert a felf evident falfehood. For, when he is thrown alive into a furnace of fire, is his mifery then increafed or decreased, juft as he may increase or decrease in wickednefs? The matter is too ferious to be cavilled with. It is of infinite concern for us to know, whether God has prepared eternal punishments for fuch as defpife his Son, or whether he has not. Dr. H. declares he has not, and in the frongeft terms. He repeats the words: God has nothing, nothing at all against any finner in the world. Whether they are penitent or impenitent, lie makes no difference; hell

is

is totally annihilated, as to all mankind. All God ever had against them, any of them, or all of them, is fully fatisfied in their furety. What words could be stronger?

6

Now, how could Dr. H. have the effrontery to warn finners to escape hell by repentance? He has interfperfed his book with fuch language as this: The wrath of God abideth on us, unless we are united to Chrift by regeneration and faving faith; and except we repent we shall all affuredly perith. By ' perifh,' and by the wrath of God,' he fays he here intends the fame as thofe do who are called orthodox,' and the fame as Calvin' intended by thefe words. Which was to perish everlastingly, or to abide that wrath which fixes the finally impenitent in endlefs death. The fact is, the Doctor chofe to keep up a falfe how, or an appearance of truth. Whereas, he ought to have told finners honeftly, that, on his plan, their fins did not expofe them, in the leaft, to future punishment; and whether they repented, or not..

6

5. If the voice of juftice is wholly filenced,' then the dif honour done to God is fully repaired. But that vengeance which cries after the honour of God is fully repaired, must be cruelty, or unjuft vengeance. And Dr. H. fays, The law demands perfection; curfes for want of it; and cries vengeance.'t He cry after it is here means divine vengeance. But how does this wholly filenced, and the honour of God completely restored ? To pafs this contradiction, for the prefent. The law curfes all 'human nature,' believers and unbelievers alike; and cries vengeance in heaven, as well as on earth. That this is his meaning, will hereafter appear. By thefe curfes, therefore, by this vengeance, if the Doctor intends any thing more than an unmeaning found, he must acknowledge the attributes of Deity to be oppofite in their natures, or at war with each other. That vengeance in God which cries against his mercy, which cries against his qwa honour, or cries after his honour is fully vindicated and fatisfied; and thus cries againft all men; must be only a difcordant oppofition to his mercy. It must be a vengeance in its nature unreasonable, unjust, or averfe to that which is good. And Dr. H. has faid that the law and the gofpel, which are expreffive of divine juftice and mercy, are even oppofite in their natures, as diftinct in their natures as any two things in the u'niverfe.' But that vengeance which cries after the honour of God is fully vindicated, must be oppofite in its nature, not only to divine mercy, but to divine juftice also; it must be cruelty.

*P. 172.

M

6

+ P. 43.

It