day in which the Lord will judge the world in righteousness: We steadily assert, I say, that, with regard to these doctrines, the number of the peculiar elect might be greater or leas, without the least exertion of forcible grace, or of forcible wrath. For it might be greater if more wicked and slothful servants improved instead of burying their talent: and it might be less, if more good and faith ful servants grew faint in their minds, and drew back to perdition before they had fought their good fight out, kept the faith, and finished their course.

8. And lastly, we grant, that according to the election of distinguishing grace, which is the basis of the various dispensations of divine grace towards the children of men, Christ died to purchase more privileges for the Christian Church, than for the Jews, more for the Jews than for the Gentiles, and more for some Gentiles than for others: for it is undubitable that God, as a sovereign Benefactor may, without shadow of injustice, dispense his favours spiritual and temporal as he pleases; it being enough for the display of his goodness, and for the exciting of our gratitude, that the least of his heathen servants has received a talent, with means, capacities, and opportunities of improving it, even to everlasting happiness: 2. That God never desires to reap where he does not sow, nor to reap a hundred measures of spiritual wheat, where he only sows a handful of spiritual barley: And, 3. That the least degree of his improvable goodness is a seed, which nothing but our avoidable unfaithfulness hinders from bringing forth fruit to eternal life in glory.

By making these guarded concessions, if I mistake not, we rectify the mistakes of Arminius; we secure the doctrine of grace in all its branches, whilst Calvinism secures only the irresistible grace, by which infants and complete idiots are eternally saved; we turn the edge, and break the point of all the arguments by which the Canvinian doctrines of grace are defended; and tear in pieces the cloak with which the Antinomians cover their dangerous error.

Had Arminius, and all the ancient and modern Semi-pelagains, granted to their

opponents what we grant to ours, Calvinism would never have risen to its tremendous height. If you try to stop a gr at river, refusing it the liberty to flow in the deep channel which nature bas assigned it, you only make it foam, rise, rage, overflow its banks, and carry devastation far and near. The only way then to make judicious Calvinists allow us the impartial, remunerative election, and the general redemption which the gospel displays, is to allow them with a good grace, the partial, gratuitous election, and the particular redemption, which the scriptures strongly maintain also. See the Scales, Sect. xi. xii. xiii. For my part, I glory in going as near the Calvinists as I safely can. Zelotes is my brother as well as Honestus; and so long as I do not lose firm footing upon scripture-ground, I gladly stretch my right hand to him, and my left hand to his antagonist; endeavouring to help them both out of the opposite ditches, which bound the narrow way, where Truth frequently takes a solitary walk.

I conclude this introduction by thanking Mr. Hill for coming a little closer to the knot of the controversy in his fictitious Creed, than he has done in his Finishing Stroke; for by this means he has stirred me up to dig deeper into the scriptures,-those inexhausted mines of truth, which God has set before us. I would not intimate that I have dug out new gold: No: The oracles of God are not new; but I hope that I have separated a little dross from some of the richest pieces of golden ore, which the Arminians and the Calvinists have dug out of those mines; and I flatter myself that the judicious, and unprejudiced will confess, that some out of those pieces, which Calvinian and Arminian bigots have thrown away as lumps of dross or of arsernic, contain nevertheless truths more precious than thousands of gold and silver. Should these sheets in any degree remove the prejudices of professors and prepare them for a reconcilation upon the scriptural plan of the doctrines of Grace and Justice, or of the two Gospel-axioms, I I shall humbly rejoice and thankfully give God the glory. J. FLETCHER.

Madeley, Dec. 14th, 1774.

Article I.

"I BELIEVE that Jesus Christ died for the whole human race, and that he had no more love towards those who now are, or hereafter shall be in glory, than for those who now are, or hereafter shall be lifting up their eyes in torments; and that the one are no more indebted to his grace than the other."

THE GENUINE CREED: Being an Anti-Calvinian CONFESSION of FAITH, for those who believe that Christ tasted death for every man, and that some men by denying the Lord that bought them, bring upon themselves swift destruction.

Article I.

We believe that Jesus Christ died for the whole human race with an intention first, to procure absolutely and unconditionally a temporary redemption, or an initial salvation for all men universally: and secondly, to procure a particular redemption, or an eternal salvation conditionally for all men, but absolutely for all that die in their infancy, and for all the adult who obey him, and are faithful unto death.

We believe that, in consequence of the general and temporary redemption procured by Christ for all mankind, every man is unconditionally blessed with a day of grace, which the Scripture calls the accepted time and the day of salvation. During this day [under various dispensations of grace, and by virtue of various covenants made through Christ, David,-Moses,-Abraham,-Noah, -or Adam] God, for Christ's sake, affords all men proper means, abilities, and opportunities to work out their own salvation, or to make their calling and CONDITIONAL election to the ETERNAL blessings of their respective dispensations sure; and as many as do it, by keeping the free gift which is come unto all men, or by recovering through faithful obedito re-converting grace; or, in other terms, as many as know, and perseveringly improve the day of their visitation, are in onsequence of Christ's particular redemp.

ence

tion, entitled to an eternal redemption or salvation; that is, they are eternally redeemed from hell, and eternally saved into different degrees of heavenly glory, according to the different degrees of their faithfulness, and the various dispensations which they were under. While they that bury their talent, and know not [i.e. squander away] the day of their visitation, forfeit their initial salvation, and secure to themselves God's judicial reprobation, together with all its terrible conse◄ quences.

We believe moreover, that, although Christ tasted death for every man, yet according to his covenants of peculiarity or distinguishing grace, he formerly shewed more love to the Jews, than to the Gentiles, and now shews more favour to the Christians than to the Jews, and to some Christians than to others; bestowing more spiritual blessings upon the Protestants than upon the Papists, more tem- poral mercies upon the English than upon the Greenlanders, &c. We farther believe, that this special favour is not only national but also in some cases personal; thus it seems that God shewed more of it to Jacob than to Esau;-to Esau, than to Shechem; to David and Solomon, than to Jonathan and Mephibosheth; to St. Paul than to Apollos; and to Peter, James, and John, than to Judas, Bartholomew, and Matthias.-We likewise believe, that God [according to his prescience] has a regard for the souls, who [he forsees] will finally yield to his grace; and this regard he has not for those souls, who [he forsees] will finally harden themselves against his goodness. Thus with respect to divine fore-knowledge, we grant, that Christ had a respect for fallen Peter, which he had not for fallen Judas; for when they were both lying in the guilt of their crimes, he could not but prefer him, who had not yet sinned out his day of grace, to him who had;-him who had done the Spirit of Grace a partial, temporary despite, to him who had done that Spirit a total and final despite. And, in a word, him who would repent, to him who absolutely would not. However, this peculiar regard for some men, this lengthening or shortening a sinner's day of grace arbitrarily,

and this bestowing more talents, i. e. more temporal and spiritual blessings upon one man than upon another, according to sovereign prerogative, which God claims in his covenants of peculiarity.-This peculiar regard for some men, I say, never amounts to a grain of partiality in judgment; much less to a rape committed by over-bearing grace, or infrustrable wrath, upon the moral agency of two men (suppose Peter and Judas) to bring about in an unavoidable manner the final perseverance of the one, and the final apostacy of the other; for had the covetous traitor humbly repented when he could yet do it, he would have gone to heaven; and had the lying, perjured Apostle put off his repentance as obstinately as Judas did, he would have gone to the place of impenitent apostates : for, God having put life and death before, the sons of men; and having appointed eter. nal rewards for those who finally choose life, in the rectitude of their conduct, and eter. nal punishments for those who finally choose death in the error of their ways, he can no more finally turn the scale of their will, than he can deny-himself and turn the solemnity of the great day, into the pageantry of a pharisaic masquerade.

The end of the first Article of Mr. Hill's fictitious creed, is not less contrary to all our principles, than the middle part. For, according to all our doctrines of grace, persons who are in glory like Peter, are infinitely more indebted to Christ's grace, than persons who lift up their eyes in torments like Judas. This will appear if we consider the case of those two apostles. Although they were both equally indebted to Christ for his redeeming love, which put them in a state of initial salvation; and for his distinguishing favour, which raised them to apostolic honours; yet upon our scheme, Peter is infinitely more beholden to free grace than Judas; and I prove it thus: Christ, according to his remunerative election which draws after it a particular redemption, and eternal salvation : -Christ, I say, according to that remunerative election, has chosen Peter to the reward of a heavenly throne and a crown of glory. Now this election, in which Judas has no interest, springs from God's Free-grace, as well as from voluntary perseverance in the free obedience of faith. It was of Free-grace that God designed to give to all penitent, persevering believers, and of consequence to Peter, a crown of glory in his heavenly kingdom: for he might have given them only the conveniences of life in a cottage on earth :he might have dropped them into their original nothingness, after having blessed them with one single smile of his approbation :nay, he might have demanded their utmost obedience, without promising them the least reward. Therefore, Peter and all the saints in glory, are indebted to Christ, not only for their rewards of additional grace on earth,

Article II.

"I BELIEVE that divine Grace is indiscriminately given to all men; and that God foreseeing that by far the greater part of the world would reject this grace, doth nevertheless bestow it upon them, in order to heighten their torments, and to increase their damnation in hell."

THE GENUINE CREED.

Article II.

We do not believe that divine grace is indiscriminately given to all men. For, although we assert, that God gives to all at least one talent of true grace to profit with; yet we acknowledge, that he makes as real a difference between man and man, as between an angel and an archangel; giving to some men one talent, to others two talents, and to others five, according to the election of distinguishing grace maintained in the Scripture Scales, Sect. xii. But the least talent of grace is saving, if free-will does not bury it to the last.

And we believe, that, although God foresaw, that in some unhappy periods of the world's duration, the greater part of adults would reject his grace, he nevertheless bestows it in different measures upon all: but not (as Mr. Hill says)" in order to heighten the torments, and increase the damnation of any in hell." This is a horrid conceit, which we return to those who insinuate, that God gives common grace [that is, we apprehend, unsaving, graceless grace] to absolute reprobates, i. e. to men for whom, [upon Mr. Hill's scheme of absolute reprobation] there never was in God the least degree of mercy and saving goodness.-This shocking consequence, fixed upon us by Mr. Hill, is the genuine offspring of Calvinistic non-election, which supposes that God sends the gospel to myriads of men, from whom he absolutely keeps the power of believing it; tantalizing them with delusive offers of free-grace here, that he may, without possibity of escape, sink them

bereafter to the deepest hell;-the hell of the Capernaites.

According to the gospel, the reprobation that draws eternal damnation after it, springs from our own personal free-will doing a final despite to free-grace; and not from God's eternal free wrath. And if Mr. Hill asks, Why God gives a manifestation of the Spirit of grace to men, who [he forsees] will do it a final despite, as well as those who through that grace will work out their own salvation: We reply:

1. For the same reason which made him give celestial grace to the angels who became devils by squandering it away; paradisaical grace to our first parents;-expostulating Gentile grace to Cain;-Jewish, royal grace to Saul; and christian, apostolic grace to Judas. If Mr. Hill says, he does not understand what that reason is, we answer, By the same reason which induced the Master who corrected Mr. Hill for making a bad exercise at Westminster school, to give his pupil, pen, paper, ink, and proper instruction before he could reasonably call Mr. Hill to an account for his exercise. And by the same reason which would make all Shrop shire cry out against Mr. Hill as against a tyrannical master, suppose he horse-whipped his coachman and postillion for not driving him, if he had taken away from them boots, whips, spurs, harness, coach and horses; and if he had contrived himself the fall of their apartment, that they might put all their bones out of joint, when the floor gave way

under them.

2. If Mr. Hill is not satisfied with these illustrations, we will give him some direct answers. God gives a manifestation of his grace to those who make their reprobation sure, by finally resisting his gracious Spirit; First, Because he will shew himself as he is, gracious and merciful, true and long-suffering towards all, so long as the day of their visita tion lasts. Thus he bestows a talent of grace upon all his slothful servants who bury it to the last, because he will display his equity and goodness, although they will display their wickedness and sloth.-Secondly, BECAUSE he is determined, that if those servants will destroy themselves, their blood shall be upon their own heads, according to the wellknown Scriptures, O Israel, THOU hast destroyed THYSELF. I would, and YE WOULD NOT:-Thirdly, BECAUSE God will judge the world in righteousness, and display his distributive justice in rendering to all according to their works; deservedly clothing his finally unfaithful servants with shame; and making the faithful walk with him in white, because they are [evangelically] worthy. And, to sum up all in one,-BECAUSE the two Gospel axioms are firm as the pillars of heaven and hell; and God will display their truth before men and angels, and especially before phariQ 2

sees and antinomians. Now according to the first axiom, there is a Saviour, a measure of saving grace, and a day of initial salvation for all. And according to the second axiom, there is free will in all, and a day of judgment, with a final salvation or damnation for all, according to their good or bad works, that is, according to their free agency; the good works of the righteous being the product of their free, avoidable co-operation with God's grace; and the bad works of the wicked springing from their free, avoidable rebellion against that grace.

Hence it appears, that the 2nd Article of the Fictitious Creed contains indeed a "shocking, not to say blasphemous" consequence, but that this consequence is nothing but a sprig of Mr. Hill's supposed orthodoxy," absurdly grafted upon the supposed "heresy" which St. John and St. Paul maintain in these words: "He [Christ] was the true light, wich lighteth every man that cometh into the world.-The grace of God, which bringeth salvation, has appeared unto all men, teaching (not forcing) us to deny ungodliness, &c. and to live soberly," &c. (if we are obedient toʻits teachings.)

THE FICTITIOUS CREED.

Article III.

"I BELEIVE it depends WHOLLY on the will of the creature, whether he shall or shall not receive any benefit from divine Grace."

THE GENUINE CREED..

Article III,

All

We believe that the benefits of a temporary redemption, of a day of salvation, and of the free gift which came upon all men to the justification mentioned Rom. v. 18,-we believe, I say, these benefits far from "depending wholly on the will of the creature," as to the receiving of them, depend no more upon us than our sight, and the light of the sun. those blessings are at first as gratuitously, and irresistibly bestowed upon us, for Christ's sake, in our present manner of existence, as the divine image and favour were at first bestowed upon our first parents in Paradise: their paradisaical grace came immediately with this only difference; before the Fall from God our Creator; whereas since the Fall, our penitential grace comes immediately and irresistibly from God our Redeomer;

I say irresistibly, because God does not leave to our option whether we shall receive a talent of redeeming grace or no, any more than he left it to Adam's choice whether Adam should receive five talents of creative grace or no; although afterwards he gives us leave to bury or improve our talent of redeeming grace, as he gave leave to Adam to bury or improve his five talents of creative grace. Our doctrine of the general redemp. tion and free-agency of mankind, stands

therefore upon the same scriptural and ra tional ground, which bears up Mr. Hill's system of man's creation and moral-agency in paradise; it being impossible to make any objection against the personal loss of redeeming grace in Judas, that may not be retorted against the personal loss of creative graco in Adam or Satan.

But, with respect to all the temporal and eternal benefits, which God has promised by way of reward to his every good and faithful servant, we believe, that they depend upon the concurrence of two causes, the first of which is the free grace of God in Jesus Christ; and the second, the faithfulness of our assisted and rectified free-will; which faithfulness is graciously crowned by God's remunerative justice and evangelical veracity. And, instead of blushing at this doctrine, as if it were "shocking," we glory in it, as being perfectly rational, strictly scriptural, and equally distant from the two rocks against which Calvinian orthodoxy is dashed in pieces: I mean the twin doctrines of wanton free-grace, and eternal free-wrath, according to which God without any respect to the faith or unbelief, to the good or bad works of free-agents, absolutely ordained for some of them the robe of Christ's imputed righteousness, and the unavoidable reward of eternal life by the means of unavoidable faith: while he absolutely appointed for all the rest the robe of Adam's imputed unrighteousness, and the unavoidable punishment of eternal death by means of necessary, unavoidable unbelief.

THE FICTITIOUS CREED.

Article IV.

66 THOUGH the Scripture tells me, that the carnal mind is enmity against God, yet I be lieve that there is something in the heart of every natural man, that can nourish and cherish the grace of God; and that the sole reason why this grace is effectual in some and not in others, is entirely owing to themselves, and to their own faithfulness, and not to the distinguishing love and favour of God."

THE GENUINE CREED.

Article IV.

THOUGH the Scripture tells us, that the carnal mind is enmity against God, and that the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, yet we believe, that from the time God initially raised mankind from their Fall, and promised them the celestial Bruiser of the serpent's head, there is a GRACIOUS free-agency in the heart of every man who has not yet sinned away his day of salvation: And that, by means of this GRACIOUS free-agency, all men during the accepted time, can concur with, and work under the grace of God, according

to the dispensation they belong to.-Again, we believe that no child of Adam is a natural man in the calvinian sense of the word;[i. e. absolutely destitute of all saving grace,] except he who has actually sinned away his day of grace. And when we consider a man as absolutely graceless, or as a child of wrath in the highest sense of the word, we consider him in fallen Adam, BEFORE God began to raise mankind by the promise of the woman's Seed. Or we must consider that man in his own person AFTER he has done final despite to the Spirit of that grace, which has more or less clearly appeared to all men under various dispensations.

Mr. Hill greatly mistakes if he thinks that, according to our doctrine, God's " grace is effectual in some, and not in others;" for we believe that it is effectual in ALL, though in a different manner. It has its first and most desirable effect on them that "cherish it" through the above mentioned gracious free-agency. And it has its second and less desirable effect on those, who finally reject the gracious counsel of God towards them : for it reproves their sins; it galls their consciences; it renders them inexcusable; it vindicates God's mercy; it clears his justice; it shews that the Judge of all the earth does no wrong; and it begins in this world the just punishment which righteous venge ance will complete in the next.

The grace of God therefore, like the Gospel that testifies of it, is a two-edged sword: It is a savour of life to those who cherish it, and a savour of death to those who resist it. That some cherish it, by its assistance, work. righteousness to the last, and then receive the reward of the inheritance, is NOT "entirely owing to themselves and to their own faithfulness," as the fictitious Creed asserts: Nor is it "entirely owing to the love and favour of God." This happy event has two causes: the first is free grace, by the assistance of which, the faith and good works of the righteous are begun, continued, and ended: the second is free-will humbly working with free-grace: As appears by the numerous Scriptures balanced in the Scripture Scales. And that some on the other hand, resist the grace of God, and are personally given up to a reprobate mind that they might be damned, is not at all owing to God's free-wrath, as the scheme of Mr. Hill supposes: Nor is it entirely owing to the unfaithfulness and obstinacy of impenitent sinners. This unhappy event has also two causes. The first is man's free-will finally refusing to concur with Free-grace, in working out his own salvation: and the second is Just-wrath revenging the despite done to God's Free-grace by such a final refusal.

With respect to "the DISTINGUISHING love and favour" of God OUR JUDGE, and his DISTINGUISHED hatred and ill-will [which our eternal 'rewards and punishments