them upon any ground, I prove by fufficient teftimo nies from the Fathers and the Reformers, that the most eminent divines in the primitive church and our own, have paffed the ftraits which I point out; efpecially when they weigh'd the heavy anchor of preju dice, had a good gale of divine wisdom, and iteer'd by the chriftian mariner's compass (the word of God) more than by the falfe lights hung out by party-men,

If I have in any degree fucceeded in the execution of this reconciling plan, I hope that my well-meant ata tempt will provoke abler pens to exert themfelves; and will excite more respectable divines to strike hea vier blows, and to repeat them, till they have given the finishing ftroke to divifions, which harden the world against christianity, which have torn the bofom of the church for above twelve hundred years, and which have hurt or destroyed myriads of her injudici ous children; driving fome into pharifaic obedience; others into antinomian immorality, and not a few into open infidelity or fierce uncharitableness.

If a tradefman is allowed to recommend his goods, when he does it in a manner confiftent with modesty and truth, shall I be accused of self-conceit if I make fome commendatory remarks upon the following pa pers?-I venture to do it in the fear of God. And

(1) They are plain. I deal in plain Reason and plain Scripture; and when the depth of my fubject obliges me to produce arguments that require close attention, I endeavour fo to manage them, that they do not rise above the reach of mechanics, nor fink beneath the attention of divines.

(2) I have been charged with widening the breaches, which the demon of bigotry has made among religi ous people; but, if I have done it, I take the Searcher of hearts to witnefs, that it has been with fuch a defign, as made our Lord bring fire upon earth-the fire of truth, to burn the ftubble of error, and to rekindle the flame of love. However, have I in years pait made a wound rafhly (of which I am not yet confcious) in this book I bind it up, and bring the heat

ing, though [to proud or relaxed flesh] painful balfam. This book is entirely written upon a pacific plan: If I fometimes give the contending parties a keen reproof in obedience to the apoftolic precept, Rebuke them Sharply, it is only to make them afhamed of their contentious bigotry, that I may bring them to reason the fooner. And if prejudiced readers will infer from thence, that I am a bad man, and that my pen distils gall, I forgive their hafty conclufion : I once more fend them back to the good men of old, who have reproved far lefs errors with far greater feverity than I allow myfelf in: And I afk, if perfons impatient of controul, do not always put wrong conftructions upon the just reproofs, which they are determined to difregard?

(3) I hope that notwithstanding the outcry raised againit my former Checks, they have been of fome fervice to fuch readers as are not steeled against argument and fcripture; but I flatter my felf that, through God's bleffing, this tract will be more ufeful: I prefer it [at leaft] far above the others, because it has far more of God's word, far lefs of mine; the fcriptures having fo large a place in the following fheets, that you will find whole Sections filled with balanced paffages, to which, for brevity's fake, I have added nothing but a few illuftrations in brackets [].

(4) My method, fo far as I know, is new. I have feen several concordances, made of fcripture words, but have not yet met with one of fcripture doctrines upon the delicate fubjects handled in this book. And I Hatter myself, that, as whatever throws light upon the bible, has always met with approbation from true Proteftants, you will not defpife this attempt to make the feeming contradictions of that precious book vanish away; by demonftrating, that they are only wife oppofitions, not lefs important in the world of grace, than the diftinction of man and wife is in the world of nature.

(5) I hope that you will fee in the following pages, many paffages placed in fuch a light, as to have their force heightened, and their obfcurity removed by the

oppofition

oppofition of the fcriptures with which they are ba
lanced; the paffages which belong to the doctrine of
free-grace, illuftrating those which belong to the doc-
trine of free-will, (and vice verfâ,) juft as the lights
and fhades of a picture help to fet off each other. I
therefore earnestly intreat all my readers, especially
those who read much and think little, to take time,
and not to proceed to a new pair of fcriptures, 'till
they have found out the balance of the laft pair
which they have reviewed. If they deny me this re-
queft, my trouble will be loft with refpect to them;
and, thro' their hurry, my fcales will degenerate into
a dull collection of paffages; the very life and fpirit
of my performance confifting in the harmonious op
pofition of the fcriptures, which prove my capital doc-
trine, that is, the gofpel-marriage of free-grace and
free-will. And that the reader may find out with ease
in every couple of texts, the hands by which they are
joined, and fee (if I may carry the allegory fo far) the
ring, by which their marriage is afcertained, and their
gender known, I have generally put in DIFFERENT.
CHARACTERS the words on which the oppofition or con-
nection of the paired texts chiefly depends; hoping to
help the reader's mind by giving his eyes a filent call,
and by meeting his attention half way. If he exerts
his
powers, and

Si callida verbum
Reddiderit junctura novum*:

he will, thro' God's grace, profit by his labour and mine. But, I repeat it, he must find out the delicate connection, and harmonious oppofition of the paired fcriptures which I produce, or my fcales will be of as little fervice to him, as a pair of scale-bottoms without a beam would be to a banker, who wants to weigh a thoufand guineas.

(6) As I make my appeal to true Proteftants, I lay a particular ftrefs upon the Scriptures. And there I find a doctrine, which for a long fucceffion of ages has.

* If a delicate connection renders the word new to him.

been

been partly buried in the rubbish of Popery and Cal. vinism: I mean the doctrine of the various difpenfations of divine grace towards the children of men; or of the various talents of faving grace, which the Father of lights gives to Heathens, fews and Christians. To the obfcurity in which this doctrine has been kept, we may chiefly impute the felf-electing narrowness, and the wide-reprobating partiality of the Romish and Calvinian Churches. I make a constant use of this important doctrine. It is it chiefly, which diftinguishes this tract from most polemical writings upon the fame fubject. It is my key and my fword. With it I open the mysteries of election and reprobation; and with it I attempt to cut the Gordian (fhould I not fay? the Calvinian and Pelagian) knot. How far I have fucceeded, is yours to decide.

If these general obfervations, O ye true Protestants, make you caft a favourable look upon my scales; and if after a close trial you find that they contain the reconciling truth, and the one compleat gospel of Christ, rent by Zelotes and Honeftus to make the two partial gofpels of the day; let me intreat you to fhow what you are, by boldly standing up for reason and scripture, that is, for true proteftantifm. Equally enter your protest against the antinomian innovations of Zelotes, and the pharifaic mistakes of Honeftus. These two champions have indeed their thousands, and tens of thoufands at their feet: and they may unite their adverse forces to oppose you, as Jews and Gentiles did to oppofe the Prince of peace. But, refift them with the armour of righteousness on the right hand and on the left, and you will in time make them friends to each other and to yourselves: I fay in time, because when peaceful men rush between fierce combatants in order to part them, they at firft get nothing but blows: the confufion for a time increases; and idle fpectators, who have not love and courage enough to rush into the danger, and to ftop the mifchief, fay that the peace. makers only add fewel to the fire of difcord. Thus are the couragious fons of peace hated of all men but b

of

of true Proteftants, for treading in the fteps of the divine Reconciler, whom the two rivals Herod and Pilate agreed to fet at nought-whom Jews and Gentiles concurred to crucify, inveterate enemies as they were to each other. He died, the loving reconciler-he died! but by his death be few the enmity-broke down the middle wall of partition of twain made one new man; fo making peace between Herod and Pilate, between Jews and Gentiles: And fo will you, honoured brethren, between Zelotes and Honeftus, between the Calvinists and the Pelagians, between the Solifidiaus and the Moralists; if you lovingly and fteadily try to reconcile them. You may indeed be numbered among tranfgreffers for attempting it. Your reputation may even die between that of the fool and of the knave that of the enthufiaft and of the felon : But be not afraid: truth and the crucified are on your fide. Godwill raise you fecret friends. A Jofeph, a Nicodemus will take down the band writing that is against you :-~ A Mary and a Solome will embaim your name; and if it is buried in oblivion and reproach, yet it will rife again the third day.

-

If God is for you, fear not then what man can fay of you, or even do to you. Smile at antinomian preterition: Triumph in pharifaic reprobation: And when you are reviled for truth's fake, like blunt, refolute, loving Stephen, kneel down, and pray that the fin of your miftaken oppofers may not be laid to their charge. O for the Proteftant-spirit which animated confeffors of old, carried martyrs finging to the ftake, and there helped them to clap their hands in the flames kindled by the implacable abettors of error! ✪ for a Shadrach's refolution! The rich, glittering image towers towards heaven, and vies with the meridian fun. Nebuchadnezzar, the monarch of the kings of the earth, points at the burning fiery furnace. The princes, governos, captains, judges, counsellors, sheriffs, and rulers of provinces in all their dazzling magnificence, increate the glory of his terror. The found of the cornet, flute, harp, fackbut, pfaltery, dulcimer,

and