gent Searcher of the Truth, who loves and values his Bible, and reads it Night and Day, with Prayer that he may learn the Mind and Will of his Maker there, should fall into the Sentiments of Agrippa concerning the Death of Christ? Do you pronounce it an utter Impoffibility that a Man fhould be convinced of Sin, fhould be humble and penitent before God, fhould return to his Maker in all the Ways of known Duty, and yet should mistake the true Sense of fuch Scriptures as speak of this Atonement? SureIy, I think, there are two or three Perfons of my Acquaintance, whofe Souls are very fincere in their Searches of Divine Truth, in order to practife all the known Will of God, and yet they have not hitherto been perfuaded to believe that Christ was a proper Propitiation for the Sins of Men by his Death in your Senfe Is all their Repentance, all their Love to God, all their Holinefs and fincere Defires to please him, all their Truft in Jefus Christ as a Mediator with the Father, and their Submission to him as a King, is it all made void by their Ignorance of this one Doctrine, (viz ) his A-toning Sacrifice in the fcriptural Sense of it?

I defire alfo to put in one Word here con-cerning those who have all these Characters of fincere Christians, and yet doubt of the effectual and irresistible Influences of the Spirit of God in our Day, turning the Heart of G 3. Sinners

Sect. V. Sinners to God, and with an Almighty Power changing the Bent of their Souls to Holinefs. May not the bleffed Spirit bestow this Favour on any of those who know not this Doctrine? Is fuch an Ignorance an eternal Bar against his enlightening and converting Operations? Can they be enlighten'd in this Truth without his Influences? Will he for ever deny thefe Bleffings to those honeft Souls who happen to mistake the Extent of his Influences, and limit them only to the primitive Times? I might repeat almoft all the former Queftions with regard to this Doctrine alfo, and ask if Ferventio would judge and condemn all fuch Perfons, and leave them no Hope.

I wish Ferventio would anfwer fuch Queries as thefe: I beg you would take them, Sir, into your further Confideration when

you

are alone and retired. In the mean time I would appeal to Charistes here prefent, whether there is not a great deal to be faid on the negative Side of this Question, concerning the Neceffity of believing these Doctrines in order to the Salvation of Men.

And I, fays Ferventio, will appeal to Charistes too, tho' I believe, by what I have heard of him, that his Charity is fometimes ftretch'd to a Length beyond my Reach: But before he pronounces his Opinion, I beg leave to make these two or three Remarks on Cavenor's Questions.

The

The First is, that he has not fo much as attempted to refute my Arguments for the Neceffity of this Doctrine, except only in mollifying the Senfe which I have given of two Scriptures: So that almoft every thing: I have said stands in its full Force, tho' he has been making Queries on the contrary Side: And

Secondly, I beg Chariftes to observe that the greatest Part of Cavenor's Defence may be applied to Deifts and Infidels, as well as to Agrippa, with a little Change of the Words.

And my laft Remark is this, that Cavenor fuppofes a Man may be truly Pious and Religious, in the Practice of Faith, Re-pentance and Holiness, who renounces this great and important Doctrine of the Gofpel" of which we have been treating; but this is what I cannot well affent to: And befides, I think there is a great deal of difference between the mere Ignorance of these Doc-trines in a Person who has no Advantages for Knowledge, and the renouncing them when they are fet in fo plain a Light as to appear to be the exprefs Language and Dictates of Chrift and his Apoftles. And now I intreat you, Chariftes, and I join with Cavenor to beg this favour of you, that you would tell us your Sentiments on this Subject.

SECT. VI.

The Doctrines affirmed, and their Neceffity limited and adjusted.

C

HARISTES was very unwilling to become an Umpire in fuch an awful and difficult Debate; yet being much importun'd, he did at laft prevail upon himself, and began to explain himself in the following

Manner.

With regard to the Arguments used by Paulinus in Vindication of thefe Doctrines, I think, when put all together, they carry fuch Weight and Force with them, that I do not see how any reasonable Perfon, who reads the New Teftament, can well refift them, except he lies under the powerful and prevailing Influence of fome culpable Prejudice. I must acknowledge alfo the Reasonablenefs of Ferventio's Zeal in a Matter of fo great Importance in Chriftianity. As these Doctrines are fo evidently a Part of that Faith which was once delivered to the Saints, I do not wonder to fee Ferventio contend so earnestly for them. 'Tis proper to have their Importance fet before the Mind in a folemn and awful Light; and most of the Arguments he has used seem to carry fuch a Degree of Evidence in them, as ought to

awaken

7

awaken the Spirits of thofe who are fearching after Divine Knowledge, to take heed left they drop any neceffary Part of the great Salvation. I am of Ferventio's Opinion, that our Charity muft not be boundless: " It must have its proper Limits according to Scripture: Yet, I fear, he has exprefs'd himself with a little too much Severity and too little Charity in fome Parts of his Difcourse on this Subject:

And I fear then, faid Paulinus, I'fhall fall' under Cenfure upon the fame account. Per-haps my Zeal for thefe great and bleffed! Doctrines of the Gospel may have given too much Sharpness to fome of my Expreffions, while I was purfùing a Courfe of Argument: But you will forgive me, Charistes, fince: you know that I have two Sons here in Lon-· don, in the midst of these Errors and dangerous Opinions. The young Fellows don't want a natural Genius, and I thank God,. they have fomething of a ferious Turn towards Religion too; but they love to keep polite Company, and if Agrippa's Creed grow much in fashion, I fear they will be tainted with it, and lose a great deal of that Christianity which I taught them in their younger Years. "Twas that tender Concern: for the Welfare of their Souls which dwells always with me, that might help perhaps to give an Edge and Accent to fome of my Sentences, and I feel it inclines me fome