wholly of himself, in that he resisted the grace of God, and when he might have been saved, would not.

It takes away all ground of despair, in that it gives every man cause to hope for salvation, nor yet doth it feed any one in security, in that none know how soon their day may expire and therefore, it is a complete incitement and lively encouragement to every man, if he forsake evil and close with that which is good.

Lastly, it is really and in effect, though not in so many words, confirmed and established by all the preachers of the Christian religion, that ever were or now are, even by those who otherwise oppose this doctrine: in that they all, whatsoever place they come to, do preach to the people, and to every individual among them, that they may be saved, entreating them to believe in Christ, who hath died for them. So that what they deny in the general, they acknowledge of every particular; there being no man to whom they do not preach, in order to salvation, telling him Jesus Christ calls and wills him to believe and be saved: and that if he refuse he shall therefore be condemned, and his condemnation is of himself. Such is the power of truth, that it constrains its adversaries, even against their wills, to plead for it.

20. *We do not indeed by this day of visitation understand the whole time of a man's life; though in some it may be extended to the very hour of death: but such a season at least, as sufficiently clears God of every man's condemnation, which to some may be sooner, and to others la

ter, according as the Lord in his wisdom sees meet. So that many men may outlive this day, after which God suffers them to be hardened, as a just punishment of their wilful unbelief, and even raises them up as instruments of wrath, and makes them a scourge one against another. To men in this condition may be fitly applied those scriptures which are abused to prove, that God constrains man to sin. This is plainly expressed by the apostle, Rom. i. from v. 17. to the end; but especially v. 28. Even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them up to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient.' And that many outlive the day of their visitation, appears by Christ's weeping over Jerusalem, Luke xix. 42. saying, 'If thou hadst known in this thy day the things that belong unto thy peace! But now they are hid from thy eyes:' this plainly imports a time when they might have known them, which now was removed from them.

21. We come now more directly to show, "That God hath given to every man a day, or time of visitation, wherein it is possible for him to be saved." Now if we prove, that there is a time or day given, in which those might have been saved, who actually perish, the matter is done. (For none deny that those who are saved have a day of visitation.) And this appears by the complaints the Spirit of God, throughout the whole scripture, makes, even to those that did perish, challenging them for not accepting God's visitation and offered mercy. Thus the Lord expresses himself first of all to Cain, Gen. iv. 6, 7. And

the Lord said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth, and why is thy countenance fallen? If thou dost well, shalt thou not be accepted? If thou dost not well, sin lieth at the door.' This was said to Cain before he slew his brother. We see how God gave him warning; and offered, in the day of his visitation, acceptance if he did well. For those words, Shalt thou not be accepted?" must import, Thou shalt be accepted if thou dost well. So that if we may trust God, the fountain of all truth, there was a day in which it was possible, even for Cain to be accepted. The Lord himself also shews, that he gave a day of visitation to the old world, Gen. vi. 3. "And the Lord said, my Spirit shall not always strive with man manifestly implying, that his Spirit did strive with him for a season, which season expiring, God ceased to strive with him in order to his salvation. From this day of visitation which God hath given to man, it is, that he is said to wait to be gracious, Isa. xxx. 6. Num. xiv. 18. And to be long-suffering, Exod. xxxiv. 18. Psal. lxxxvi. 15. and Jer. xv. 15. where the prophet in his prayer, lays hold on the long. « fering of God; and in his expostulating w God, he shuts out the objection of our adver ries in the 18th verse, Why is my pain p petual, and my wound incurable, which refus to be healed? Wilt thou altogether be me as a liar, and as waters that fail?' Whereas, according to our adversaries' opinion, the pain of the most part of men is perpetual, and their wound altogether incurable. Yea, the offer of salvation unto them is as a lie and waters that fail, being never intend

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ed to be of any effect unto them. The apostle Peter says expressly, that this long-suffering of God waited in the days of Noah for those of the old world: answerable to Gen. vi. 3. And that none may object that this long-suffering or striv ing of the Lord was not in order to their salvation, the same apostle saith as expressly (2 Pet. iii. 15.) That the long-suffering of God is to be accounted salvation: and with this long-suffering a little before he couples that he is not willing any should perish. Where taking him for his own interpreter, as is most fit, he teaches, that those to whom the Lord is long-suffering (which he declared he was to the old world, and is now to all, not willing that any should perish) they are to account this long-suffering of God to them salvation. But how can they account it salvation, if there be not so much as a possibility of salva tion conveyed to them therein?

22. St. Peter, further refers to the writings of Paul, showing this to have been the universal doctrine. Where it is observable, he adds, 'In hich are some things hard to be understood, which hat are unlearned and unstable wrest to their

struction: intimating plainly these exons in Paul's epistles, as Rom. ix. &c. which some unlearned in spiritual things wrested, to contradict God's long-suffering towards

So as

, not willing that any of them should perish, but that all should come to the saving knowledge of his truth. Would to God many had taken more heed than they have to this advertisement!

23 That place of the apostle Paul which Pefer scems here more particularly to hint at, doth

much contribute also to clear the matter. Rom. ii. 4. Despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance, and long-suffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?' St. Paul speaks here to the unregenerate and wicked, who (in the following verse he saith) " treasure up wrath unto the day of wrath.' And to such he commends the riches of the forbearance and long-suffering of God,' shewing that its tending, is to lead them to repentance. But how could it have this tendency, to lead them to repentance? Or how could it be called riches of goodness to them, if there was not a time wherein they might repent by it, and come to be sharers of the riches thereof ?

24. The sum is this: if God plead with the wicked, from the possibility of their being accepted; if God's Spirit strive with them for a season, in order to save them who afterwards perish; if he wait to be gracious unto them; if he be long-suffering towards them; if during the time of this long-suffering God willeth them not to perish, but by the riches of his goodness and forbearance leadeth them to repentance; then there was a day of visitation, even to those who have perished, wherein they might have been saved.

25. Secondly, This appears from Isaiah v. 4. 'What could I have done more to my vineyard?' For in verse 2, he saith, He had fenced it and gathered out the stones thereof, and planted it with the choicest vines. And yet,' (saith ke) 'when I looked it should have brought forth grapes, it brought forth wild grapes.' Where

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