doctrine of the absolute Necessity and Passiveness of all our willings and motions, they do not inadvertently confound matter and spirit, and make way for Hobbes's Materialism, as well as for his scheme of Necessity.

7. The moment the doctrine of Necessity is overthrowu, Manicheism, Spinosism, Hobbism, and the spreading religion of Mr. Voltaire, are left without foundation; as well as that part of Calvin's system which we object against. And we beseech Mr. Toplady, and the contenders for Calvinian decrees, to consider, that, if we oppose their doctrine, it is not from any prejudice against their persons, much less against God's free grace; but from the same motive which would make us bear our testimony against Manes, Spinosa, Hobbes, and Voltaire, if they would impose their errors upon us as "doctrines of grace." Mr. Wesley and I are ready to testify upon oath, that we humbly submit to God's sovereignty, and joyfully glory in the freeness of gospel-grace, which has mercifully distinguished us from countless myriads of our fellow-creatures, by gratuitously bestowing upon us numberless favours, of a spiritual and temporal nature, which he has thought proper absolutely to withhold from our fellow-creatures. To meet the Calvinists on their own ground, we go so far as to allow, there is a partial, gratuitous Election and Reprobation. By this Election, Christians are admitted to the enjoyment of privileges far superior to those of the Jews: And, according to this Reprobation, myriads of Heathens are absolutely cut off from all the prerogatives which accompany God's covenants of peculiar grace. In a word, we grant to the Calvinists every thing they contend for, except the doctrine of Absolute Necessity: Nay, we even grant the necessary unavoidable salvation of all that die in their infancy. And our love to peace would make us go farther to meet Mr. Toplady, if we could do it without giving up the Justice, Mercy, Truth, and Wisdom of God, together with the truth of the scriptures, the equity of God's paradisaical and mediatorial laws, the propriets the day of judgment, aud the reasonableness

sentences of absolution and condemnation, which the righteous Judge will then pronounce. We hope, therefore, that the prejudices of our Calvinian brethren will subside, and that, instead of accounting us inveterate enemies to Truth, they will do us the justice to say, that we have done our best to hinder them from inadvertently betraying some of the greatest truths of Christianity into the hands of the Manichees, Materialists, Infidels, and Antinomiaus of the age. May the Lord hasten the happy day, in which we shall no more waste our time in attacking or defending the truths of our holy religion; but bestow every moment in the sweetest exercises of divine and brotherly love! In the mean time, if we must contend for the faith once delivered to the saints, let us do it with a plainness, that may effectually detect error; and with a mildness, that may soften our most violent opponents. Lest I should transgress against this rule, I beg leave once more to observe, that, though I have made it appear that Mr. Toplady's Scheme of Necessity is inseparably connected with the most horrid errors of Manicheism, Materialism, and Hobbism, yet I am far from accusing him of wilfully countenancing any of those errors. I am persuaded he does it undesignedly.. The badness of his cause obliges him to collect, from all quarters, every shadow of argument to support his favourite opinion. And I make no doubt, but, when he shall candidly review our controversy, it will be his grief to find, that, in his hurry, he has contended for a scheme, which gives up Christianity into the hands of her greatest enemies, and has poured floods of undeserved contempt upon Mr. Wesley, who is one of her best defenders.

AN

ANSWER

TO THE

REV. MR. TOPLADY'S

"VINDICATION OF THE DECREES,"

&c.

BY THE AUTHOR OF THE CHECKS.

"The [absolute] predestination of some to LIFE, &c." cannot be maintained without admitting the [absolute] reprobation of some others to DEATH, &c.; and all who have subscribed the said article [the Seventeenth, in a Calvinian sense] are bound in honour, conscience, and law to defend [Calvinian, absolute] reprobation, were it only to keep the Seventeenth article [taken in a Calvinian sense] upon its legs."-The Rev. Mr. TOPLADY's Historic Proof of Calvinism, p. 574.

INTRODUCTION.

WHEN the Author of Pietas Oxoniensis took his temporary leave of me, in his Finishing Stroke, he recommended to the public the book which I am going to answer. His recommendation runs thus: "Whosoever will consult the Rev. Mr. Toplady's last publication, entitled, More Work for Mr. J. Wesley, [or, a Vindi · cation of the Decrees, &c.,] will there find a full answer to all those cavils which Papists, Socinians, Pelagians, Arminians, and Perfectionists, bring against those doctrines commonly called CALVINIST, as if they tended to promote licentiousness, or to make God cruel, unjust, and unmerciful, and will see every one of their objections retorted upon themselves in a most masterly manner." Fin. Stroke. page 33.-Soon after Mr. Hill had thus extolled Mr. Toplady's performance, I was informed that many of the Calvinists said, that it was an unanswerable defence of their doctrines. This raised in me a desire to judge for myself; and when I had sent for, and read this admired book, I was so far from being of Mr. Hill's sentiment, that I promised my readers to demonstrate, from that very book, the inconclusiveness of the strongest arguments by which Calvinism is supported. Mr. Hill, by unexpectedly entering the lists again, caused me to delay the fulfilling of my promise. But having now completed my answer to his fictitious creed, I hasten to complete also my Logica Genevensis. Did I write a book entitled Charitas Genev ensis, I might easily shew, from Mr.Toplady's performance, that "The Doctrines of Grace" (so called) are closely connected with "The doctrines of free wrath." But if that gentleman, in his controversial heat, has f what he owed to Mr. Wesley and to himse