XXI. SUPPOSE THINGS. This topick is principally useful in controverfy. (4) For example. When you are speaking of the merit of good works, you may take tween the fear of rewarding ingratitude, and punishing fidelity. This image is molt certainly infinitely beneath God, however, it is that image, which he hath chofen to employ. What shall I do to thee Ephraim? Ephraim, Judah, why do ye rend my heart alternately by your vices and virtues? Why do ye not fuffer me either wholly to give myself to you, or wholly to detach my affections from you? why do ye not let me give a free courfe either to my juftice or love? Either let me glorify my felf by your return, or by your ruin? Your devotions tie my hands, your crimes inflame my wrath. Shall I deftroy a people, who have recourfe to my clemency? Shall I preferve a people, who violate my laws? What shall I do to thee Ephraim? What shall I do to thee Judah? for thy goodnefs is as a morning-cloud, and like the early dew it goeth arway." Saur. fr. tom. ii. fur les devotions paligires. (4) Suppofitions are principally useful in controversy. Nothing elucidates a subject this more than this manner of difcuffing it: but then the fuppofitions must not be fanciful; but well grounded. I will give examples of both. A certain writer published in 1664 a pamphlet entitled The Quakers unmasked, and applied to the people fo called, 1 Sam. xiv. 15. thus tranflated, And there was trembling, or QUAKING in the hoft, in the field, and among the people: the garrifons and the spoylers, they alfo trembled, and the earth QUAKED; So it was a very great trembling, or QUAKING. Now, how could thefe words operate against the English people, called quakers, unlefs we suppose that the Philiftine army in the text were religious quakers, and that the English protef tants fo nick-named were, like the philistine quakers, doomed to be deftroyed by any Saul, or Jonathan, who fhould take it into his head to kill them? This furious writer affirmed, that the English quakers were the pawne of Remish frogs, Jefuites, and Francifcan fisers. this way of fuppofition, and fay, Let us fuppofe, that Jefus Chrift and his apostles held the doctrines of the church of Rome, and that they believed, men merited eternal life by their good works: let us fuppofe, that they intended to teach us this doctrine in the gofpels and epiftles, tell me, I beseech you, if upon this fuppofition (which is precifely what our adverfaries pretend.) they ought to have ' affirmed what they have. Tell me, pray, do you believe yourself well and fufficiently inftructed in the doctrine of the merit of good works, when you are told, when you have done all thefe things, fryers. No, replied John Audland, one of the injured friends, " we came to Bristol from the north, we were born in Westmoreland, and have never been out of England." O, rejoined their oppofer, "your coming out of the north is a fhrewd argument of your badness. The Latin proverb faith, Omne malum ab Aquilone, and the English adagy is, All evil comes from the north, and the fcripture informs us Jer. i. 14. Out of the north an evil fhall break forth iv. 6. I will bring evil out of the north-vi. 1. Evil appeareth out of the north22. Behold a people cometh from the north-country.' As all our writer's reafoning on thefe paffages fuppofes the prophet fpeaking of the north of England, Audland very properly, as he expreffes it, "unmafked him, detected him, and took him with a LYB in his mouth." Suak. unmask'd by Will. Prynne of Swainfwick; efq. Gen. iii. 15. The feed of the woman ball bruife thy head, and thou [the serpent] halt bruife his heel. "If we fuppofe our firft parents to understand thefe words litetally; and that God meant them fo to be understood, this paffage muft appear abfolutely ridiculous. Do but imagine that you fee God coming to judge the offenders; Adam and Eve before him in the utmost distress; that you hear God inflicting pains, and forrows, and mifery, and death upon the first of human race; and that in the midft of all this fcene of woe and great calamity, you hear God foretelling with great folemnity a very trivial accident that fhould fometimes happen in the world: that ferpents would be apt to bite men things, we are unprofitable fervants? (5) Again, when the example of a miferable publican is propofed to you, who prays, God be merciful to me a Jinner, who fmites his breaft, and dares not lift his eyes to heaven; when he is placed in oppofition to a pharifee, glorying in his works; and when you are informed, the first went down to his houfe juftified rather than the other-when you are told, if it be by grace, it is no more of works, otherwife grace is no more grace; if it be by works, it is no more grace, otherwife work is no more work; when you are told, you are faved by grace through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of Godwhen you are affured, you are juftified freely by grace, through the redemption, that is in Chrift Jefus, not of works left any man fhould boaft-when you hear, that to him that worketh not, but believeth on men by the heels, and that men would be apt to revenge themselves by ftriking them on the head. In the name of God what has this trifle to do with the lofs of mankind, with the corruption of the natural and moral world, and the ruin of all the glory and happiness of the creation? Great comfort it was to Adam, doubtless, after telling him, that his days fhall be fhort and full of mifery, and his end without hope, to let him know, that he fhould now and then knock a fnake on the head, but not even that without paying dear for his poor victory, for the fnake fhould often bite him by the heel. Adam, furely, could not unVOL. II. bim, derftand this prophecy in this fenfe, though fome of his fons have fo understood it; a plain indication how much more fome men are concerned to maintain a literal interpretation of fcripture, than they are to make it fpeak common fenfe." Dean Sherlock's ufe and intent of prophecy. Difc. 3. This excellent writer abounds with elucidating fuppofitions in the difcourfes and differtations above quoted, and the whole book exemplifies the rule laid down by Monf. Claude, in a very juft and beautiful manner. (5) When ye have done all, fay, We are unprofitable fervants. Cum feceretis omnia, fi feceret ; nemo enim Ee ad him, that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteoufnefs-when you are taught to believe, the wages of fin is death: but the gift of God is eternal life (6)-tell me, I once more intreat you, ad perfectionem pervenire in hac vita poffit; conditionaliter autem loquitur Chriftus, f poffibile effet omnia quæ debuiftis, feciffe, tamen vos fervos inutiles, vel nihil promereri agnofcere debetis. Servi inutiles fumus. Non abfolute, fed comparatione facta ad fervos, qui peculiaria præfcripta non tantum exfequuntur: fed noctu diuque fumma alacritate, et cum fuo incommodo, negotiis herilibus attendunt; non enim femel, aut etiam fæpius officio perfuncti, ceffare debemus, fed continuo in bono pergere, quamdiu in hac vita agimus: a Deo hoc accepimus quod habemus, et fumus, et poffumus, nec ulla fuppetat fuperbiendi, aut gloriandi materia. Luke xvii. 10. (6) Doctrine of merit. Some divines have fo little opinion of merit in a plan of redemption, that they think, the incarnation and merit of Chrift was arbitrary, and not effentially neceffary in the nature of things. This was the notion S. Bafil had of redemption, and he has feveral followers. "Poterat quidem fine etiam incarnatione falutem conferre: fed voluit ut natura, &c." S. Bafil. Seleuc. can Ep. Orat. in S. Deiparam, apud Combef. tom. xi. Others think their own merit neceffary to recommend them to God. "True, Lord! fays Patricius, I am a finner, ΑΛΛ' ευγνωμονω τον δεσπότην. Very well, replies the Lord, a great reward is laid up in heaven for your good works." This is precisely the notion of many moderns. They weigh down vice with virtue, and make a balance in their own favour. De mirac. dominic. imaginis in puteo Mag. Ecclef. apud Combef. tom. i. Some imagine, the merits of others neceffary. Hence the doctrine of fupererogation, relicks, &c. &c. We are not to suppose, however, that all in the Greek and Roman church depend on the merits of others. "Dig I cannot, to beg I am ashamed. Life is fhort. Dig now, for, if you would in the next world, you cannot: nor can you beg. The merits of one cannot profit another. No fleepy virgin's lamp can be fupplied from the oil of another." S. Afterii Amafia Epifc. quia. TePS KO". aixias. apud Combef. tom. i. THIS The can you perfuade yourself, that Jefus Chrift and his apostles, by all thefe means, intended to teach you, that man acquires juftification, and a right to eternal life by the merit of his works? (7) The fame might be fhewn of the Roman divines: but the reformed churches alone profefs and really practife the fcripture plan. They perform good works-deny the merit of them in regard to God-and depending on the merit of Chrift conciliate that with the free mercy of God. The Pharifee ftood and prayed thus with himfelf, προς εαυτόν pro nas' sausov vel apud fe, i. e. totus in fe ipfum verfus fibi tantum intentus, et nihil nifi fe ipfum fpectans. Prayed gov nomine generalius accepto; comprehenditur id omne quo Deum compellamus; hic autem id genus quod doxologia dicitur denotari videtur. I pay tithes of all I poffefs. Non illa tantum ex quibus vulgus ad literam legis folvere folet, ut poma et fruges terræ: fed et ea quæ controverfi funt juris, putà minora olera, ova, lac, &c. potius commodis meis aliquid detrahens, quam traditiones patrum minimo tranfgrederer. Non hic a Deo remiffionem petit peccatorum; non virtutum augmentum, quafi harum culmen affecutus effet, nec majore Dei gratia opus habuiffet. You Be merciful to me a finner. Senfus hujus precationis ex toto Pfalmo li. defumptus; verba quidem hic funt pauca, tum luctu, tum verecundia vocem reprimente. Juftified. Sc. in fenfu forenfi, a peccatis abfolutis, vel magis acceptus, &c. &c. Luke xviii. 13. If it be of works it is no more of grace, otherwife grace is no more grace. Non habet rationem gratiæ, fed mercedis potius; meritum enim et gratia fe mutuo deftruunt. elegans antanaclafis. Rom. vi. 6. The wages of fin. Debita merces via vox origine latina, proprie dicitur pifcis aus; deinde per fynecdochen fpeciei quodvis edulium quod pani additur; poftea per synecdochen catechrefticam ftipendium militare, quod apud veteres partim frumento, partim pecunia conftabat; et per metaphoram mercedis loco miferiam et pænam defignat. Rom. vi. 23. (7) Make doctrinal fuppoftions. Bishop Maffillon's fermon on Christ's divinity is formed upon this plan, "the glory and fpirit of the miniftry of Jefus Chrift, both prove his divinity. If Jesus Chrift were only a mere man, Eez 1. Tha |