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'sanctified by the Holy Ghost?' If not, how can it be supposed that they are here called the elect people of God?-Thus also we pray, ' Have mercy

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on all Jews, Turks, infidels, and heretics; and 'take away from them all ignorance, hardness of ' heart, and contempt of thy word; and so fetch 'them home, blessed Lord, to thy flock, that they

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may be saved among the remnant of the true 'Israelites.' This remnant of the true Israel'ites' is the elect people of God' among professed Christians; even "a remnant according "to the election of grace." Again, Grant that 'this child may receive the fulness of thy grace, ' and ever remain in the number of thy faithful ' and elect children.'2 Here elect is joined with 'fulness of grace;' with being 'faithful,' or believing; and with being the children of God.' And surely more is meant than continuance in the outward profession of Christianity.

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The nature of the primitive churches, and the totally different state of things at present, especially as to national churches, or nations called Christian, has been repeatedly noticed: and surely no one, after serious consideration, can think that the apostles, if now living on earth, would address the whole body of nominal Christians, belonging even to our established church, as "saints; as "holy brethren;" as "chosen in Christ, that they "should be holy, and without blame before him "in love;" as "holy and beloved!" Much less then would he address the aggregate multitude belonging to the Greek church, or the church of Rome, in this language. Yet the argument

'Third Col. for Good Friday.

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equally includes all who are called Christians, however idolatrous, superstitious, heretical, wicked, or profligate. The word description of persons' is ambiguous. If it mean any thing except character, the proposition may be maintained; but both promises and threatenings are made to men, as bearing certain characters, and not independently of those characters. The condition' of the law is perfect obedience; and, "Cursed is every one, that continueth not in all things "written in the book of the law, to do them." The gospel requires "faith which worketh by "love;" faith accompanied by repentance, and manifested by habitual unreserved obedience. These things form the character, or the de'scription' of men, to whom the promises are made; which promises certainly and infallibly ensure salvation to those who are interested in them. But, as "the wicked may turn from his "wickedness," and escape the threatened punishment, which yet will be certainly and infallibly inflicted on those who die in their sins; so, on the other hand, the question, the sole question is, whether they who repent, believe in Christ, love God and man, and are partakers of the Spirit of sanctification, do ever turn finally from their righteousness, and come short of the blessings which are secured to those who love God.

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All the hope and salvation of the Israelites were derived, properly speaking, from the gospel; of which their ceremonies were types, or prefigurative sacraments: and the holy moral law is "established" by the gospel, and is as obligatory on Christians as it ever was on Israelites. The

national covenant with Israel, indeed, is not made with Christians as a collective body; and the Mosaic dispensation is changed for the Christian : but true religion is, for substance, the same as it was from the first promise of a Saviour; and the case of nations professing Christianity very much resembles that of Israel as a nation. But "the "true Israel" always was "a remnant according "to to the election of grace."

'The very idea of covenant is inconsistent with 'the Calvinistic system. Covenant implies con'ditions; absolute decrees reject all conditions. 'A covenant says, You shall have such or such a ' reward, if you act in the manner stipulated; ab'solute decrees say, that it is irreversibly deter'mined by the arbitrary will of God, that you 'shall or shall not be saved, without any respect 'to your conduct.' 2

The "covenant" made with Noah and his posterity, that God would no more destroy mankind with a deluge, could not imply any conditions: if it did, what were those conditions?3 Yet God has expressly said, that the covenant made with the true church is " like the waters of Noah "unto him.” "This is as the waters of Noah "unto me; for, as I have sworn that the waters " of Noah shall no more go over the earth, so "have I sworn that I would not be wroth with "thee, nor rebuke thee. For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed, but my kind"ness shall not depart from thee, neither shall

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'Book I. chap. i. sect. 3. Case of approved characters before Christ. Note, Ref. 226. 'Gen. ix. 9-17.

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equally includes all who are called Christians, however idolatrous, superstitious, heretical, wicked, or profligate. The word description of persons' is ambiguous. If it mean any thing except character, the proposition may be maintained; but both promises and threatenings are made to men, as bearing certain characters, and not independently of those characters. The condition' of the law is perfect obedience; and, "Cursed is every one, that continueth not in all things "written in the book of the law, to do them." The gospel requires "faith which worketh by "love;" faith accompanied by repentance, and manifested by habitual unreserved obedience. These things form the character, or the de'scription' of men, to whom the promises are made; which promises certainly and infallibly ensure salvation to those who are interested in them. But, as "the wicked may turn from his "wickedness," and escape the threatened punishment, which yet will be certainly and infallibly inflicted on those who die in their sins; so, on the other hand, the question, the sole question is, whether they who repent, believe in Christ, love God and man, and are partakers of the Spirit of sanctification, do ever turn finally from their righteousness, and come short of the blessings which are secured to those who love God.

All the hope and salvation of the Israelites were derived, properly speaking, from the gospel; of which their ceremonies were types, or prefigurative sacraments: and the holy moral law is "established" by the gospel, and is as obligatory on Christians as it ever was on Israelites. The

national covenant with Israel, indeed, is not made with Christians as a collective body; and the Mosaic dispensation is changed for the Christian: but true religion is, for substance, the same as it was from the first promise of a Saviour; and the case of nations professing Christianity very much resembles that of Israel as a nation. But "the "true Israel" always was "a remnant according "to the election of grace."

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'The very idea of covenant is inconsistent with 'the Calvinistic system. Covenant implies, con'ditions; absolute decrees reject all conditions. 'A covenant says, You shall have such or such a ' reward, if you act in the manner stipulated; ab'solute decrees say, that it is irreversibly deter'mined by the arbitrary will of God, that you 'shall or shall not be saved, without any respect 'to your conduct.' 2

The "covenant" made with Noah and his posterity, that God would no more destroy mankind with a deluge, could not imply any conditions : if it did, what were those conditions?3 Yet God has expressly said, that the covenant made with the true church is "like the waters of Noah "unto him." "This is as the waters of Noah "unto me; for, as I have sworn that the waters "of Noah shall no more go over the earth, so "have I sworn that I would not be wroth with "thee, nor rebuke thee. For the mountains shall

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depart, and the hills be removed, but my kind"ness shall not depart from thee, neither shall

1 Book I. chap. i. sect. 3. Case of approved characters before Christ. Note, Ref. 226. 'Gen. ix. 9-17.

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