general Tenour of Compliance with Duty, in Oppofition to the Tendency of an imperfect Nature biaffing to the other "Side."

Now in Answer to this; not to tire you and myself with the Doctrine of Merit and Demerit, as, that our best Actions are but what we ought to do, and consequently have no Merit; but our bad Actions, being what we ought not to do, deferve Vengeance; that, though we ought to be punished for not paying our Dues, it does not follow, that we have a Claim to a Reward for paying them; not to mention, that the Grace of God has a great Share in enabling us to live well: To pafs all this over, I beg Leave to observe, that you have mistaken the Point. I do not know that the Scripture afferts, or that any one affirms, that Eternal Punishment (I lay the Strefs upon Eternal) is the Punishment merely for our Faults, but for our Impenitency under them. You will not say, that because Impenitency incurs Eternal Damnation, therefore our Repentance, in all Cafes, entitles us to Eternal Salvation : Yet this you fhould make out, in order to prove a Satisfaction needless. This would be to affert, that because an obftinate, unrelenting Rebel deferves Capital Punishment, therefore his repenting Affociate, who has deserved all he has from the Bounty of his Prince, (but yet has been feduced through

through Weakness) fhould, after repeated Breaches of his Allegiance, be advanced to fome diftinguished Poft of Honour. Farther; I know not what you mean by the general Tenour of Compliance with our Duty, if you take all our Thoughts into the Account, and all our Sins of Omiffion.

I believe there are few or none, but who would rather die, than have their Poftfcenia Vita (what is done behind the Scenes within their own Breafts,) their vain wicked Thoughts, laid open and expofed to the View of the whole World. I do not know fo worthy a Gentleman as yourself, of your Age; fovery virtuous as well as ingenious; (Ispeak without Flattery) and yet, turn your Thoughts inwards, and tell me, whether you are conscious to yourself of such an exalted Worth, as might qualify you to dwell with God, and converse with Angels; though I have some in my Eye, who feem not intirely unqualified to be the worthy Affociates of evil Spirits.

I have declined entering into the Merits of this Cause, because the Subject of Repentance has, I think, been exhausted of late; and I have nothing to fay, but what you must have seen fet forth in a more forcible, and at the fame Time in a more agreeable Manner, than I can pretend to.

Your Preface, with which you usher in your Objections, feems to contain some

latent

395

latent Poison, though conveyed in an artful and agreeable Vehicle. I beg your Pardon if I mistake you: But by the Conclufion of it one would think, you were going to fet afide what you do clearly understand, viz. the Arguments from Miracles, Doctrines, Prophecies, (the main Contexture and Design of Christianity) on the Account of fomething which you cannot fully understand, viz. the Doctrine of the Satisfaction. " It is "impoffible," you fay, "that Christianity "fhould be true, if what relates to this "Point in the Scriptures," (N. B. thefe are your Words) "appears to be abfurd.”

To this I anfwer; that it is morally impoffible we fhould err in judging Chrif tianity to be true, fince the Proofs are fo numerous, ftrong and decifive; and lye Level to our Apprehenfions and Capacities: But we may very probably be mistaken in fancying That to be abfurd, which relates to the Effence and Nature of the Deity; a Mystery which even the Angels defire to look into; and where there is an infinite Disproportion between the Object and the Faculty. If there be any Criterion of Truth, if we are not neceffarily liable to be deceived in judging of Matters confeffedly within the Sphere of our Reason, we may safely conclude, that what has all the diftinctive Characters of Truth (all that any ancient Records and Matters of Fact can have)

cannot

cannot be a Forgery or an Imposture. But we can never be fure but that, in Matters of fo high and elevated a Nature, what appears to us to be contradictory to Reafon, may not be a Contradiction in itself, but only the Effect of human Ignorance. One Proof from a Matter of Fact weighs more with me to confirm a mysterious Doctrine, than all the ideal and metaphyfical Arguments (though dignified with the pompous Name of Demonftration) do to disprove it: Because I take myfelf to be a competent Judge of the Truth of Fact.

But there are, no Doubt, feveral intermediate Ideas, and more enlarged Views (neceffarily wanting to me) which yet ought to be taken into the Account to reconcile feeming Repugnances, and to make our Reasoning exact concerning myfterious Doctrines. This I take to be the Reason why the Divine Prefcience and our Free-will are irreconcileable; I should fay, appear to us to be irreconcileable; for, no Doubt, they are perfectly confiftent in themselves.

I beg your Pardon for trefpaffing upon your Patience with a long, tedious Letter; where you must expect many Repetitions and great Confufion of Thought.

In a

Situation where a Perfon meets with many Interruptions and Avocations, it is impoffible he should purfue one continued Chain

of

of Reasoning. I need not make any Apology for my Style. my Style. For, though this Letter, if it were to appear Abroad, ought to have been dreffed out to Advantage, yet

it may be permitted to wait upon a Friend in an Undress and Defhabillé of Thought. If I have faid any Thing that may contribute to fatisfy you, I fhall be glad of it. But if not, I had rather you fhould call in Question my Abilities to ferve you, than my hearty and fincere Inclination to fhew you how much I am, at all Times,

Your entirely-affectionate Friend,

From the School

at Richmond.

JER. SEED.