oaths of allegiance, contrived in words of indeterminate signification, to the end that men who are in their hearts enemies to. king George, and friends to the Pretender, may use them and speak true? And certainly mankind, those of them that have common sense, never in any affairs of life look on such professions worth a rush. Would Mr. Williams himself, if tried, in any affair wherein his temporal interest is concerned, trust such professions as these? If any man that he has dealings with, should profess to him that he had pawned for him, in a certain place, an hundred pounds, evidently, yea, professedly using the expression as an ambiguous one, so that there is no understanding by it, what is pawned there, whether an hundred pound in money, or an hundred weight of stones: If he should inquire of the man what he meant, and he should reply, you have no business to search my heart, or to go to turn my heart inside out; you are obliged in charity to understand my words in the most favorable sense; would Mr. Williams in this case stick to his own received rule? Would he regard such a profession, or run the venture of one sixpence upon it? Would he not rather look on such a man as affronting him, and treating him as though he would make a fool of him? And would not he know, that every body else would think him a fool, if he should suffer himself to be gulled by such professions, in things which concern his own private interest? And yet it seems, this is the way in which he thinks he ought to conduct himself as a minister of Christ, and one entrusted by him in affairs wherein his honor and the interests of his kingdom are concerned.

And now I desire it may be judged by such as are possessed of human understanding, and are not disabled by prejudice from exercising it, whether this notion of Mr. Williams's of making a solemn profession of gospel holiness in words of indiscriminate meaning be not too adsurd to be received by the reason God has given mankind. This peculiar notion of his is apparently the life and soul of his scheme; the main pillar of his temple, on which the whole weight of the building rests, which if it be broken, the whole falls to the ground. For if this notion of his be disapproved, then, inasmuch as it is

agreed, that true godliness must be professed it will follow,. that it must be professed in words properly signifying the thing by a determinate meaning, which therefore no ungodly men can use, and speak true; and that therefore men must have true godliness in order to a right in the sight of God to make such profession, and to receive the privileges depending thereon: Which implies and infers all those principles of mine which Mr. Williams opposes in his book, and confutes all that he says in opposition to them.

SECTION V.

Shewing that Mr. Williams, in supposing that unsanctified Men may profess such things, as he allows must be professed, and yet speak true, is inconsistent with Mr. Stoddard, and with himself.

MR. WILLIAMS denies, that in order to men's being admitted to sacraments, they need make any peculiar profession,distinguished from what an unregenerate man may make, p. 44, 50, 6, 9, 10, 45, 46 and 53, or that they need to profess 66 any thing but what an unregenerate man may say, and speak true," p. 47. And that they need make no profession but what is "compatible with an unregenerate state, p. 8. And yet the reader has seen what things he says all must profess in order to come to sacraments. One thing he says they must profess, is "a real conviction of the heart, of the divine truth of God's word; that they do sincerely and with all their hearts believe the gospel." And these things he says, are agreeable to the opinion of Mr. Stoddard. and the doctrine he taught, p. 32 and 36. Let us compare these things with the doctrine Mr. Stoddard taught. Mr. Stoddard taught, that natural men do not "believe the gospel." Ben. of the Gosp. 29. That they do not properly believe the word of God,"

Guide to Christ, p. 26. That "they do not believe the testi mony of God, do not lay weight on the word of God; that they do not believe the report of the gospel." Safety of Ap. Edit. 2. p. 229. That they do "not receive God's testimony, nor lay weight on it." (Ibid p. 99, that " There is no man, how great soever his profession, how large soever his knowledge that continues in a natural condition, who thoroughly believes that truth ;" i. e. that men may be saved by Christ's righteousness. Ibid. p. 4 and 5. That "common illumination does not convince men of the truth of the gospel." Benef. of the Gosh. p. 148, 149. How then could it be the doctrine

Mr. Stoddard taught, that natural men may really and with all their hearts believe and be convinced of the truth of the gospel?

And Mr. Williams himself in his sermons on Christ a King and Witness, p. 144, 115, says, "man since the fall is naturally ignorant of divine truth, and an enemy to it, and full of prejudices against the truth" And says, further, Ibid. p. 114. The renewing of the Holy Ghost makes an universal change of the heart and life....He knows the doctrine contained in the bible in a new manner....Before he had a view of the truth as a doubtful uncertain thing; he received it as a thing which was probably true ;—and perhaps for the most part it appeared something likely to answer the end proposed. But now the gospel appears to him divinely true and real, &c." But how do these things consist with men's being before conversion, sincerely and with all their hearts convinced of the divine truth of the gospel? Can that be, and yet men view it as a doubtful, uncertain thing, it not yet appearing to them divinely true and real?

Again, Mr. Williams supposes, that some unsanctified men may speak true, and profess" an hearty consent to the terms of the covenant of grace, a compliance with the call of the gospel, submission to the proposals. of it, satisfaction with that device for our salvation that is revealed in the gospel, and with the offer which God makes of himself to be our God in Christ Jesus, a fervent desire of Christ and the benefits of the Covenant of grace, and an earnest purpose and resolution to

seek salvation on the terms of it, (p. 11) and a falling in with the terms of salvation proposed in the gospel, with a renouncing of all other ways (which he speaks of as agreeable to Mr. Stoddard's opinion, p. 32.) Quite contrary to the current doctrine of Calvinistic divines; contrary to the opinion of Mr. Guthrie, whom he cites as a witness in his favor, (Pref. p. 4) who insists on satisfaction with that device for our salvation which is revealed in the gospel, and with the offer which God makes of himself to be our God in Christ, as the peculiar nature of saving faith. And contrary to the principles of Mr. Perkins (another author he quotes as his voucher) delivered in these very words, which Mr. Williams cites in the present point, (p. 11)" That a desire of the favor and mercy of God in Christ, and the means to attain that favor, is a special grace of God, and hath the promise of blessedness ....That wicked men cannot sincerely desire these means of eternal life, faith, repentance, mortification, reconciliation, &c." And exceeding contrary to the constant doctrine of Mr. Stoddard, (though he says it was his opinion) who ever insisted, that all unconverted sinners under the gospel are so far from heartily consenting to the covenant of grace, and complying with the call of the gospel, and falling in with the terms of salvation proposed in it, renouncing all other ways, as Mr. Williams supposes, that they are wilful rejectors of Christ, despisers of the gospel, and obstinate refusers of offered mercy. So he says, "the man that has but common grace....sets himself against the way of salvation which God prescribes." Nat. of Sav. Conv. p. 10. In awakened sinners, it is not merely from weakness, but from pride and sturdiness of spirit, that they do not come to Christ." Safety of Ap. p. 229. And in other places he says, that it is " from the hardness and stubbornness of natural men's hearts," that they do not comply with the gospel: That" there is a mighty opposition in their hearts to believe in Christ," because it is "cross to their haughty spirit That they are enemies to this way of salvation: That they are dreadfully averse to come to Christ." See Book of 3 Sermons, p. 84. Guide to Christ, p. 55. Safety of Ap. p. 106, and 194.

And this scheme of our author is in a no less glaring man ner contrary to the doctrine of Mr. Williams himself, in his sermon on Isa. xlv. 11. (p. 25, 26, 27. Speaking to those "whose natures remain unrenewed and unsanctified. See his words, p. 25, he says p. 27. "You are opposing all the means of your own deliverance and salvation. The offers of grace, the allurements and invitations of the great Saviour of the world, have all been ineffectual to persuade you to accept of deliverance from a slavery you are willingly held in. Nay, you strive against the liberty of the sons of God, and labor to find out all manner of difficulties and hindrances in the way of it. If you pray for it, you do not desire it should yet come, but would stay a while longer,” And are these the persons who can truly profess, that they comply with the call of the gospel, and submit to the proposals of it, and are satisfied with the device for our salvation, and with the offers of the gospel, and consent to the terms of the covenant of grace with all their hearts, renouncing all other ways ?....It is not much more easy to make these things consist with what he says in his answer to Mr. Croswell, (p. 26.) he there says, "there is not a son nor daughter of Adam excluded from salvation, who will accept Christ upon God's offer, and take him in his person and offices, and whole work of redemption, to be their Saviour, and they find themselves willing to accept of Christ as so offered to them, and PLEASED WITH THAT DEVICE for their salvation, and heartily choosing him to be to them and in them, wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption." See also to the same purpose, Ibid. p. 32, 33, and 94.

Mr. Williams, though he holds, that it is lawful for some unsanctified men to come to sacraments, yet supposes it not to be lawful for those that are lukewarm in religion to come. P. 35. So that according to his scheme, some unsanctified professors are above lukewarmness; that is to say, their hearts within them are truly hot or fervent with Christian zeal, and they such as Christ will never spue out of his mouth; in a great inconsistence with the scripture. He suggests, that it is an injury done to the cause of truth, in me, to repre