God's true and real character, is at bottom of Atheism. The fool saith in his heart, there is no God.

4. It was wise in God, even at the expense of the blood of his own Son, to assert and maintain the honour of a law, which is a transcript of his moral character, and which all his apostate creatures join to hate; because in this he does justice to himself, and to his government, while he shows mercy to sinners. But enmity against the divine law renders us blind to the wisdom, glory, and grace of the Gospel, and is the cause of unbelief. 1 Cor. i. 18. and ii. 14. Compared with Rom. viii. 7. and iii. 25. and vii. 12. John viii. 42, 43.

5. He who understands and believes the Christian creed, and who is affected and acts accordingly, is a Christian qualified for baptism, and entitled to eternal life. Mat. xiii. 23. Mark xvi. 16. John xvii. 3.

6. He who believes the first article' of the Christian creed, with a living faith, has what Paul means by repentance toward God. And he who believes the second article of the Christian creed, with a living faith, has what Paul means by faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. A belief of both which is implied in that faith by which a sinner is justified. Luke iii. 3. and v. 31, 32. and xviii. 14. and xxiv. 47. Acts xx. 21. Rom. iii. 19-26. And this faith is the first grace, and the sum, seed, and root of all Christian graces. Mat. xiii. 23. And is peculiar to the regenerate. Rom. viii. 7. 1 John v. 1. 1 Cor. i. 18. and ii. 14. John i. 13. Luke viii. 11-15. And is eternal life begun in the soul. John xvii. 3.

7. The love of the truth is the life of faith; or in other words, love to the truth believed is of the essence of a living faith, and that wherein it specifically differs from the faith of devils, or a dead faith. John xvi. 27. 2 Thes. ii. 10, 11, 12. Jam. ii. 26. And therefore,

8. There is a universal inseparable connexion between a living faith, and a holy life, (which renders assurance attainable by believers in common. Mat. xiii. 23. Jam. ii. 17, 18. 1 John ii. 8.) So that those words are strictly true, 1 John ii. 4. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a LIAB, and the truth is not in him. But,

9. The faith of devils, attended with a lying profession, is not that qualification for baptism which our Saviour had in view, in Mark, xvi. 16. He that believeth and is baptised shall be saved.

10. The Gospel may be, and ought to be, preached to all in common, even to every creature, let their character be ever so vicious, as a means of their conversion: but baptism is not to be administered to adults until they believe, and profess their faith in Christ, and obedience to him. Mark xvi, 15, 16. Acts viii. 37. Rom. x. 9, 10.-For,

11. The adult person, in the act of offering himself to God in baptism, practically declares, that he devotes himself to God through Jesus Christ, and so puts on Christ. Gal. iii. 26, 27. But a false and lying profession is condemned by God in the Old Testament. Psalm lxxviii. 36, 37. Eccl. v. 5. and by Jesus Christ in the new. Luke vi. 46. Mat. xxii. 12. Luke

xiv. 25-35. 1. John ii. 4.

Rev. ii. 2. 9. And is a means, not of salvation, but of destruction, Acts v. 1-11.

12. The adult person, who is unqualified to offer himself in baptism, is equally unqualified to offer his infant child in baptism. For he who is without a heart to devote himself to God, is equally without a heart to devote his child to God.

13. Pride, in ambitious minds, may excite very strong inclinations to make a false profession; but a well enlightened conscience never will dictate this, as matter of duty.

14, It is the indispensable duty of every one, to whom the Gospel comes, to become a real Christian without delay: and then without delay to make a public profession of Christianity and then to attend the seals. But to seal the covenant of grace with our hands, while we reject it in our hearts, is to act deceitfully with our Maker. And to invent a new covenant which God never exhibited, and a new scheme of religion to support it, which God never revealed, suited to the hearts of those who reject the covenant of grace, and who are under the curse of the covenant of works, is to find a resting place for the wicked.

SECTION X.

Mr. Mather's scheme of religion inconsistent with itself.

6

OUR author professes in his preface, not to be fond of his own judgment; but to stand ready to give it up,' when any one will do the friendly office of setting light before him.' And he desires that if there be any material mistakes' in his scheme, they may be pointed out.' It is therefore to be hoped, that he will not be displeased, if, in addition to the light already set before him, some of the various inconsistent sentiments of his scheme are contrasted, whereby he may be further assisted to discern, that his scheme must be wrong some where: for the truth is ever consistent with itself.

1. In his first book, he says, (p. 59.) 'A child dedicated to God in baptism is thereby brought into covenant with God, and has a promise left to it of the means of grace, and the strivings of God's holy Spirit, in order to render them effectual for salvation.' But in his second book, he says, (p. 51.) That they must submit to a sovereign God.' But if they have a covenant right to the strivings of the holy Spirit,' if they have a promise,' then they do not lie at God's sovereign mercy in the case; but may plead the covenant and promise of God.

2. In his first book, (p. 8.) he endeavours to prove that the covenant with Abraham, Gen. xvii. was not the covenant of grace, because it might be broken.' Which implies, that it had some condition, which, if not fulfilled, all the blessings of it would be forfeited. But in his second book, (p. 60, 61, 62.) he endeavours to prove, that the covenant with Abraham, Gen. xvii. was not the covenant of grace, because it had no conditions, but all the blessings of it were promised to Abaham and his seed absolutely and unconditionally;' on which hypothesis this covenant could not be broken'. But his two books are not only inconsistent with each other, but this last book is inconsistent with itself. And

to the instances which have already been taken notice of in the preceding sections, some few more may here be pointed out.

3. That man must be a moral agent, possessed of every qualification essential to moral agency, previous, and in order to his being bound by God's law, is a fundamental point with Mr. M. p. 6. 50, &c. That man may be bound by the moral law to be a moral agent, to have the qualifications essential to moral agency, is with him another fundamental point.

p. 6. But as these two fundamental points in his scheme are inconsistent with each other, so they cannot both be true. He says, 'Self-love is essential to moral agency;' and yet this essential qualification of a moral agent is a duty required of us by God's law.' But according to him, the law cannot bind us unless we are already moral agents. Therefore it cannot bind us to be moral agents. For then a man need not be a moral agent, previous, and in order to his being bound by the moral law; which yet he maintains.

4. He says, (p. 10.) 'That Adam, by becoming guilty, was totally depraved,' and yet according to him Adam's depravity was not total, for he still continued to exercise that love to himself, which the law of God requires, in a conformity to which the image of God consisted, in which he was created. p. 6. and p. 12. 'Perhaps' he also continued to exercise toward God the love of esteem and benevolence.'

5. He says, (p. 6.) That the divine law requires us to love God with all our hearts,' and that it also requires us to love ourselves.' And he adds, that this self-love is absolutely inconsistent with the love of God.' So that, according to him, the divine law requires of us in our guilty state, two duties, in their own nature absolutely inconsistent. And therefore he boldly affirms, that it is contrary to the law of God' for us, while in our guilty state, to love God with all our hearts; and yet he says, p. 51. that God has given us his law to show us what our duty is.' And that we are justly condemned to eternal misery for not obeying of it. And this law he calls 'a glorious law,' and the character exhibited in it be calls glorious;' and even supposes that the Son of God became incarnate, lived, and died to 'honour this law,' and to ' vindicate and maintain the honour and dignity of the divine cha

racter exhibited in it.' p. 22. 26, 27, 28. Whereas for God to give us a rule of duty, requiring things in their own naturé absolutely inconsistent, on pain of eternal death, would be an infinite reproach to the Deity. And to give his Son to die to do honour to such a law, would be inconsistent with all his perfections. And yet he asserts that the Gospel, which is supposed to reveal this shocking scene, is 'glorious,' and even more glorious than the law;' whereas, if his scheme is true, there is no glory in law, or Gospel; unless it be glorious to require inconsistencies on pain of eternal death; and glorious to do the highest honour, before the whole intellectual system, to a law in its own nature contradictory.

5. He represents the divine law, as requiring things not only inconsistent in their own nature with each other; but also inconsistent with our moral agency. For he says, p. 5.

A principle of self-love is essential to us moral agents.' And yet he asserts that this 'self-love must be totally excluded from any place' in the heart of a guilty creature, if he loves God. p. 10. For Love to God and self-love are absolutely inconsistent.' And so, according to him, the moral law requires of us that love to God, which is inconsistent with our being moral agents. p. 50. 53. And yet, according to him, if we are not moral agents, we cannot be bound by the moral law to any obedience at all. Therefore,

6. He is necessitated to maintain, that man by the fall ceased to be a moral agent, and that it was no longer his duty to love God, for the law did not bind him; its binding authority respected not his obedience.' This was the state of Adam before the revelation of a Mediator, because it was inconsistent with self-love to exercise true love to God.' p. 50. And he asserts, p. 18. that mankind at this day, antecedent to their exercising faith in Christ, are in much the same condition as Adam was after he sinned.' Particularly he says, p. 20. that they are under the same inability of loving God that Adam was,' viz. It is absolutely inconsistent with that self-love which is essential to moral agency.' And therefore the unregenerate are not moral agents, nor bound by the moral law to obedience. And where there is no law, there is no transgression. And therefore Adam's total

VOL. III.

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