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them habitually yields to the other, when they come in competition. Into this all other marks and figns of religion refolve themselves at laft; and from the evidence they give of the prevalence of the love of God in the heart, they derive all their worth and value. Every holy dif pofition must be examined, not by its abfolute, but its comparative ftrength; and the true knowledge of our state arifes from the conclufioh and refult of the whole.

There were, in the last age, many and great debates among men of piety and learning, whether fpecial and common grace differ effentially in their nature, or if they differ only in degree. What I have juft now faid may, perhaps, be thought by the intelligent reader, to imply my embracing the laft of thefe opinions. My judg ment of this queftion is the fame I have formed of many others, that it is unneceffary, or even hurtful. It has perhaps, if examined to the bottom, no diftinct meaning at all; but if it has any meaning, I am afraid it is a queftion which it is impoffible for us to refolve. That it may be made plain to perfons of common understanding, the queftion is, whether it is most proper to fay, that a wicked man, or an unrenewed perfon, let his behaviour be ever fo unexceptionable,

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or

or his experiences ever so comfortable, can have no true love to God; no, not in the leaftdegree: or whether we ought not rather to say, his love to God is less than his love to the creature. I confefs, I think it is beft to say, in the words of the Holy Ghoft, that he loveth the creature more than "the Creator" that "he loveth the praife " of man more than the praise of God;" and for this reason, he hath no "true" love, either to God or man.

In the preceding part of this treatise, I have affirmed, with fufficient clearness, that there must be an effential change in order to falvation; and that, till this be wrought, the perfon is in fin, and can do nothing but fin. The reason of this is very plain; that the fupreme and governing motive of all his actions is wrong, and therefore every one of them must be so, upon the whole. I fuppofe, if they were to explain themfelves fully, this is chiefly meant by those who infift that there is an effential difference between fpecial and common grace. And in this view, no doubt, it is not only certainly true, but a truth of very great importance. It appears, however, on the other hand, equally certain and undeniable, that when we obferve good difpofitions and good actions in one character, and See the fame appearances in another, we have no way by which we can discover the difference,

but

but by their perfeverance, and their comparative effects. Neither, indeed, has the perfon himself any other rule by which they can be judged. For which reason, I would be very willing to affirm both fides of the above queftion; to fay that an unregenerate perfon has no true love to God or his neighbour, and at the fame time, that this is only because no love but that which is fupreme and prevalent is true, or will be accepted as fincere.

Unless we take up the matter in this light, we are in danger of doing great hurt on both hands. On the one hand, it is ready to alarm. the pious, humble, and timorous foul, if we fay, that special grace differs effentially from common grace, and that there must be fomething quite different in its kind, as to every gracious difpofition, than what ever refided in hypocrites. Alas! will the fearful perfon fay, I have seen some who have gone great lengths, who have been well esteemed, and well received among all ferious people; and yet have made fhipwreck of the faith, dishonoured their profeffion, and opened the mouths of adverfaries to blafpheme. They had all the appearance of as much love to God, as much delight in his ferviee, as much zeal for his glory, as much ftrictnefs, and as much usefulness of converfation; nay, more than I

can

can pretend to.

What then am I to think of

this? Must all my gracious difpofitions be effentially different from theirs? And how is this difference to be made appear? To all fuch I would fay, thofe unhappy perfons, by their conduct, and that alone, plainly discover, that they have either been wholly impoftors and deceivers of the world, or that they have loved fome object of carnal affection; fome luft, of one kind or another, more than they loved God. The ftrength of their affections in one way, has been over-balanced by the dominion of corruption in another. And that corruption which has been long difguifed or reftrained, at laft breaks out with fo much the greater violence, and the greater noife.

Again, on the other hand, by affirming that there is a difference in kind between fpecial and common grace; and that a hypocrite or unrenewed person cannot have the least measure of the fame fort of love to God or man with a child of God, we are apt to make fome flaves to fin, upon examining themfelves judge amifs in their own favour. They cannot help thinking that they have a real unfeigned affection for that which is good in many respects; as indeed they have, when it doth not stand in competition with their reigning or darling luft. To give an ex

ample

ample of this; it is frequently made a mark of true religion, to love the people of God, and indeed, it is one of the beft, and when taken in -the fenfe I have mentioned above, as a fupreme and prevalent love, it is an infallible fign. It hath no less warrant than the word of God: "We know that we have paffed from death unto life, because we love the brethren: he that loveth not his brother, abideth in death," But I dare fay, there are many who live in fin, and are strangers to the power of godliness, who, upon the most impartial examination of themfelves, would conclude, that they did love the • people of God.

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Perhaps fome will fay, they may love good men, but they love them for other qualities, and cannot love them because of their piety. Experience tells us the contrary. They may efteem them, love them, fpeak well of them, and do them service because of their piety. Nay, I have known (though that is more rare) fome very loofe livers, who feemed to have nothing good about them, but an efteem of pious perfons, and a defire to espouse their caufe, which they continued to do in all ordinary cafes. But fhould thefe fervants of God prefume to reprove them fharply, or hinder them in the enjoyment of their darling luft, their love would foon turn to 1 John iii. 14.

hatred.

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