very thing in question. Whereas the business of an argu ment is to prove, and not to suppose, or take for granted, the very thing which is to be proved.

If it be here said, it is with good reason that those who are ignorant or scandalous alone are supposed to be excepted in God's command, and obligations of the covenant; for the cov enant spoken of in the objection, is the external covenant, and this requires only external duties; which alone are what lie within the reach of man's natural power, and so in the reach of his legal power: God does not command or require what men have no natural power to perform, and which cannot be performed before something else, some antecedent duty, is performed, which antecedent duty is not in their natural power. I reply, Still things are but supposed, which should be proved, and which want confirmation.

(1.) It is supposed that those who have externally (i. e. by oral profession and promise) entered into God's covenant, are thereby obliged to no more than the external duties of that covenant: Which is not proved, and I humbly conceive, is certainly not the true state of the case. They who have externally entered into God's covenant, are by external profession and engagements entered into that one only covenant of grace, which the scripture informs us of; and therefore are obliged to fulfil the duties of that covenant, which are chiefly internal. The children of Israel, when they externally enter ed into covenant with God at Mount Sinai, promised to per form all the duties of the covenant, to obey all the ten commandments spoken by God in their hearing, and written in tables of stone, which were therefore called The Tables of the covenant; the sum of which ten commandments was, to LOVE the Lord their God with all their HEART, and with all their SOUL, and to LOVE their neighbor as themselves; which, principally at least, are internal duties. In particular, they promis ed not to covet; which is an internal duty. They promised to have no other God before the Lord; which implied that they would in their hearts regard no other being or object whatev. er above God, or in equality with him, but would give him their supreme respect.

(2.) It is supposed, that God does not require impossibilities of men, in this sense, that he does not require those things of them which are out of their natural power and particularly that he does not require them to be converted. But this is not proved; nor can I reconcile it with the tenor of the scripture revelation: And the chief advocates for the doctrine I oppose have themselves abundantly asserted the contrary. The ven erable author forementioned, as every body knows, that knew him, always taught, that God justly requires men to be con verted, to repent of their sins, and turn to the Lord, to close with Christ, and savingly to believe in him; and that in re fusing to accept of Christ and turn to God, they disobeyed the divine commands, and were guilty of the most heinous sin; and that their moral inability was no excuse.

(3.) It is supposed, that God does not command men to do those things which are not to be done till something else is done, that is not within the reach of men's natural ability. This also is not proved; nor do I see how it can be true, even according to the principles of those who insist on this ob jection. The forementioned memorable divine ever taught, that God commandeth natural men without delay to believe in Christ: And yet he always held, that it was impossible for them to believe till they had by a preceding act submitted to the sovereignty of God; which yet he held, men never could do of themselves, nor till humbled and bowed by powerful con victions of God's Spirit. Again, he taught, that God commandeth natural men to love him with all their heart: And yet he held, that this could not be till men had first believed in Christ; the exercise of love being a fruit of faith; and believing in Christ, he supposed not to be within the reach of man's natural ability. Further, he held, that God requireth of all men holy, spiritual, and acceptable obedience; and yet that such obedience is not within the reach of their natural ability; and not only so, but that there must first be love to God, before there could be new obedience, and that this love to God is not within the reach of men's natural ability: Nor yet only so, but that before this love there must be faith, which faith is not within the reach of man's natural power: And still

not only so, but that before faith there must be the knowledge of God, which knowledge is not in natural men's reach: And once more, not only so, but that even before the knowledge of God there must be a thorough humiliation, which humiliation men could not work in themselves by any natural power of their own. Now must it needs be thought, notwithstanding all these things, unreasonable to suppose, that God should command those whom he has nourished and brought up, to honor him by giving an open testimony of love to him; only because wicked men cannot testify love till they have love, and love is not in their natural power! And is it any good excuse in the sight of God, for one who is under the highest obligations to him, and yet refuses him suitable honor by openly testifying his love of him, to plead that he has no love to testify; but on the contrary, has an infinitely unreasonable hatred? God may most reasonably require a proper testimony and profession of love to him; and yet it may also be reasonable to suppose at the same time, he forbids men to lie; or to declare that they have love, when they have none: Because, though it be supposed, that God requires men to testify love to him, yet he requires them to do it in a right way, and in the true order, viz. first loving him, and then testifying their love.

(4.) I do not see how it can be true, that a man, as he is naturally, has not a legal power to be converted, accept of Christ, love God, &c. By a legal power to do a thing, is plainly meant such power as brings a person properly within the. reach of a legal obligation, or the obligation of a law or command to do that thing: But he that has such natural faculties, as render him a proper subject of moral government, and as speak it a fit and proper thing for him to love God, &c. and as give him a natural capacity herefor; such a one may properly be commanded, and put under the obligation of a lar to do things so reasonable; notwithstanding any native aversion and moral inability in him to do his duty, arising from the power of sin. This also, I must observe, was a known doctrine of Mr. Stoddard's and what he ever taught.

OBJECTION XIV.

EITHER unsanctified persons may lawfully come to the Lord's supper, or it is unlawful for them to carry themselves as saints; but it is not unlawful for them to carry themselves as saints.

ANSW. It is the duty of unconverted men, both to become saints, and to behave as saints. The scripture rule is, Make the tree good, that the fruit may be good. Mr. Stoddard himself never supposed, that the fruit of saints was to be expected from men, or could possibly be brought forth by them in truth, till they were saints.

And I see not how it is true, that unconverted men ought, in every respect, to do those external things which it is the duty of a godly man to do. It is the duty of a godly man, conscious of his having given his heart unto the Lord, to profess his love to God and his esteem of him above all, his unfeigned faith in Christ, &c. and in his closet devotions to thank God for these graces as the fruit of the Spirit in him : But it is not the duty of another that really has no faith, nor love to God, to do thus. Neither any more is it a natural man's duty to profess these things in the Lord's supper. Mr. Stoddard taught it to be the duty of converts on many occasions, to profess their faith and love and other graces before men by relating their experiences in conversation: But it would be great wickedness for such as know themselves to be not saints, thus to do: Because they would speak falsely, and utter lies in so doing. Now, for the like reason, it would be very sinful, for men to profess and seal their consent to the covenant of grace in the Lord's supper, when they know at the same time that they do not consent to it, nor have their hearts at all in the affair.

OBJECTION XV.

THIS scheme will keep out of the church some true saints; for there are some such who determine against themselves, and their prevailing judgment is, that they are not saints: And we had better let in several hypocrites, than exclude one true child of God.

ANSW. I think, it is much better to insist on some visibility to reason, of true saintship, in admitting members, even although this, through men's infirmity and darkness, and Satan'stemptations, be an occasion of some true saints' abstaining; than by express liberty given, to open the door to as many as please, of those who have no visibility of real saintship, and make no profession of it, nor pretension to it; and that because this method tends to the ruin and great reproach of the Christian church, and also to the ruin of the persons admitted.

1. It tends to the reproach and ruin of the Christian church. For by the rule which God hath given for admissions, if it be carefully attended (it is said) MORE unconverted, than converted persons will be admitted. It is then confessedly the way to have the greater part of the members of the Christian church ungodly men; yea, so much greater, that the godly shall be but few in comparison of the ungodly; agreeable to their interpretation of that saying of Christ, many are called but few are chosen. Now if this be an exact state of the case, it will demonstrably follow, on scripture principles, that the opening the door so wide has a direct tendency to bring things to that pass, that the far greater part of the members of Christian churches shall not be persons of so much as a serious conscientious character, but such as are without even moral sincerity, and do not make religion at all their business, neglecting and casting off secret prayer and other duties, and living a life of carnality and vanity, so far as they can, consistently with avoiding church censures ; which possibly may be sometimes to a great degree. Ungodly men may be morally