have punished Adam's personal sin by a personal dam nation. Nor would he have suffered him to propagate his fallen race, unless the second Adam had extended the blessings of redemption so far as to save from eternal misery all who die in their infancy, and to put all who live long enough to act as moral agents, in a ca . pacity of avoiding hell by working out their own eternal salvation' in the day of their temporary salvation ;-a day this, which inconsistent Calvinists call "the day of grace." 6 Mr. Toplady, after decrying our doctrine of grace, as leading to gross iniquity, indirectly owns, that the conditionality of the promise of eternal salvation guards our gospel against the charge of Antinomianism,—a dreadful charge this, which falls so heavily on Calvinism. Conscious that he cannot defend his lawless, unconditional election to eternal life, and his wrathful, unconditional reprobation to eternal death, without taking the conditionality of eternal salvation out of the way, he attempts to do it by the following dilemma : ARGUMENT XXII. (Page 38.) "Is salvation due to a man that does not perform those conditions? If you say, Yes; you jump, hand over head, into what you yourself call Antinomianism.-If you say, that salvation is not due to a man, unless he do fulfil the conditions; it will follow, that man's own performances are meritorious of salvation, and bring God himself into debt." We answer, 1. To shew the tares of Calvinism, Mr. Toplady raises an artificial night by confounding the sparing salvation of the Father-the atoning salvation of the Son-the convincing, converting, and perfecting salvation of the Spirit. Yea, he confounds actual salvation from a thousand temporal evils-temporary salvation from death and hell-initial salvation from the guilt and power of sin-present salvation into the blessings of Christianity, Judaism, Heathenism-continued salvation into these blessings-eternal salvation from death and hell-and eternal salvation into glory and heaven-He confounds, I say, all these degrees of salvation, which is as absurd as if he confounded all degrees of life-the life of an embryo-of a sucking child-of a school-boy-of a youth-of a man-of a departed saint-aud of an angel. When he has thus shuffled his cards, and played the dangerous game of confusion, what wonder is it, if he wins it and makes his inattentive readers believe, that what can be affirmed with truth of salvation into heavenly glory, must be true also, when it is affirmed of salvation from everlasting burnings; and that because God does not owe Heaven and Angelical Honours to unborn Children, he may justly reprobate them to Hell and to Satanical, Remediless Wickedness as the way to it. 2. Distinguishing what Mr. Toplady confounds, we do not scruple to maintain, that, though God is not bound to give existence, much less heavenly glory, to any creature; yet all his creatures, who never personally offended him, have a right to expect at his hands salvation from everlasting fire, till they have deserved his Eternal and Absolute Reprobation by committing some personal and avoidable offence. Hence it is, that all mankind are born in a state of inferior salvation For they are all born out of eternal fire; and to be out of hell is a considerable degree of salvasion, unless we are suffered to live unavoidably to deserve everlasting burnings, which is the case of all Calvin's imaginary reprobates. 3. Mr. Toplady "throws out a barrel for the amusement of the whale, to keep him in play, and make him lose sight of the ship"-the fire-ship. For, in order to make us lose sight of Absolute Reprobation, Remediless Wickedness, and Everlasting Fire, which (if Calvinism be true) is the unavoidable lot of the greatest part of mankind even in their mother's womb; he throws out this ambiguous expression, "salvation due;" just as if there were no medium between "salvation due," and Calvinian reprobation due! Whereas it is evident, that there is the medium of non-creation, or that of destruction in a state of seminal existence! 4. The flaw of Mr. Toplady's argument will appear in its proper magnitude, if we look at it through the following illustration. A whole regiment is led to the left by the colonel, whom the general wanted to turn to the right. The colonel, who is personally in the fault, is pardoned; and five hundred of the soldiers, who, by the overbearing influence of their colonel's disobedience, were necessitated to move to the left, are appointed to be hanged for uot going to the right. The general sends to Geneva for a Tertullus, who vindicates the JUSTICE of the execution by the following speech: "Preferment is not due to obedient soldiers, much less to soldiers who have necessarily disobeyed orders ; and therefore your gracious general acts consistently with JUSTICE, in appointing these five hundred soldiers to be hanged, for, as there is no medium between not promoting soldiers, and hanging them, he might justly have hanged the whole regiment. He is not bound, by any law, to give any soldier a captain's commission; and therefore he is perfectly just, when he sends these military reprobates to the gallows." Some of the auditors clap Tertullus' argument: P. O. cries out, that it is "most masterly;" but a few of the soldiers are not quite convinced, and begin to question whether the holy service of the mild Saviour of the world, is not preferable to the Antinomian service of the Absolute Reprobater of countless myriads of unborn infants. 5. The other flaw of Mr. Toplady's dilemma consists in supposing, that gospel-worthiness is incompatible with the gospel: Whereas, all the doctrines of Justice, which make one half of the gospel, stand or fall with the doctrines of Evangelical Worthiness. We will shout it on the walls of mystic Geneva: They that follow Christ shall walk with him in white,' rather than they that follow antichrist; for they are [more] worthy. Watch and pray always, that you may be counted worthy to escape, and to stand rewardable before the Son of man.-Whatever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, &c., knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance.' For he will say, in the great day of retribution, Come, ye blessed, inherit the kingdom, &c.; for I was hungry, and ye gave me meat, &c.-Go, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, &c.; for I was hungry and ye gave me no meat,' &c.-The doctrine of pharisaic merit we abhor; but the doctrine of rewardable obedience we honour, defend, and extol. Believers, let not Mr. Toplady 'beguile you of your reward through voluntary humility. If ye live after the flesh ye shall die: But if ye, through the Spirit, mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.-Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For we shall all appear before the judgmentseat of Christ, that every one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether it be good or bad.' Look to yourselves, that ye lose not the things which ye have wrought.-So fight, that you may not be reprobated by remunerative justice. So run, that you may [judicially] obtain an incor ruptible crown.-Remember Lot's wife.-By patient continuance in well-doing seek for glory: And God, according to his gracious promises, will render you eternal life: For he is not' untrue, to break his evangelical promises, nor unrighteous, to forget your work that proceedeth from love.' Your persevering obedience shall be graciously rewarded by a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, shall give you at that day; and then great shall be your reward in heaven.' For Christ himself hath said, Be faithful unto death, and I will give thee the crown of life. My sheep follow me, and I will give unto them eternal life' in glory. For I am the author of eternal salvation to them that obey me.' What can be plainer than this gospel? Shall the absurd cries of Popery! Merit! &c., make us ashamed of Christ's disciples; of Christ's words, and of Christ himself? God forbid! Let the scriptures- let God be true,' though Mr. Toplady should be mistaken. ARGUMENT XXIII. (Page 38.)-" If he [God] be not obliged, in justice, to save mankind, then neither following illustration. A whole regiment is i In its proper magnitude, if we look at it thr left by the colonel, whom the general wante to the right. The colonel, who is personal who, by the overbearing influence to be hanged for not going to disobedience, are appointed t The general sends to Geneva for a Tertullus dicates the JUSTICE of the execution by the speech: "Preferment is not due to obediere much less to soldiers who have necessaril orders; and therefore your gracious gener sistently with JUSTICE, in appointing these dred soldiers to be hanged, for, as there is between not promoting soldiers, and hang have hanged the whole regi by any law, to give any sole and therefore he is perfe whether the hich make octrines |