can do good, as God's engines, without a will; and fo did Balaam's Afs: but we cannot chufe good, without a will. To make it ftill more plain by an illustration: we know the fun is the cause of light; and light, the only means by which we fee: but yet, the opening of the eye-lid, is a necessary condition; because if I fhut it, I am dark at noon; and if eye-lid is held open by force, my eye cannot chufe but fee, and therefore cannot chufe to fee.

my

Eutychus. Pray, Sir, not too faft. How will you reconcile this with A&ts iv. 27, 28, Herod, Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Ifrael were gathered together, for to do whatfoever God's hand and counfel determined before to be done?

Epenetus. I take this to mean no more than God determined not to hinder, what he forefaw men would do if they were not hindered. If God had determined their wills to act what they did, how could our Saviour have prayed for them, as finners, Father forgive them, &c. And as to the power of the will, I believe man hath a power to refift that grace, which was fufficient in itself, and defigned by God to work his converfion. But here I would not be mistaken: for in faying what I have said, I do not deny, that God may interpose his power, and irrefiftibly convert him; yet I find no cause of thinking, that God ever will thus convert one fingle perfon: and therefore I think it very unfafe, to teach men to depend upon this abfolute power, and fo let flip thofe gracious opportunities, which may be made ufe of. For I dare not say, "That fin is abfolutely willed by God Almighty: that God did voluntarily decree it: that God doth determine it shall be done that God doth tempt men to it," &c. which they pretend to ground on fuch texts as these: 1 Kings xxii. 23, 24, God faith to the lying Spirit, Go forth and prevail. Meanwhile, how muft we reconcile those texts, if taken in their literal fenfe, with those which God intended we fhould underftand literally? Such as, when God fweareth he hath no

pleasure

.4.

pleafure in the death of the wicked, Ezek. xxxiii. 11. nor is willing that any fhould perish; but that all should come to repentance, 2 Pet. iii. 9. and will have all men to be faved, 1 Tim. ii. 4 and tafted death for every man, Heb. ii. 9. and is the propitiation, not for our fins only, but also for the fins of the whole world, 1 John ii. 2. and commandeth all men every where to reCan there be any mental refervations in

pent, A&ts xvii. 30.

thefe words?

I

Eutychus. grant, the revealed will of God, hath offered falvation to all that will accept it; but I do not think God. intended they fhould accept it, becaufe he hath decreed the contrary; the revealed wil of God, being not properly his will. It indeed fheweth what ought to be performed by us: not that God hath, in his fecret will, decreed we either can, or fhall be enabled to perform the fame. So that, when God revealeth his unwillingness that men should fin, it is only a fign that men ought not to fin; not that they shall or can avoid it.

Epenetus. If it be as you fay, That God's revealed will, is, that all fhould repent; but his fecret will, that very few shall : the confequence is, that it is his will, that his will should not be done and that when Reprobates fay the Lord's Prayer, they only pray for their own damnation, included in these words, Thy will be done: which makes the will of God the fame with that of the Devils. Nay, if God did absolutely decree the end, which is damnation, and the means conducing to that end, which is final impenitency, it would be the Reprobate's duty; and fo ought to be his prayer that he might be damned: and endeavouring his falvation, would be a fin; because it were friving against God's abfolute will. If all men are to chufe, and to execute the will of God, and it is the will of God that the greatest part fhould be damned; it will be a duty in the greatest part of men, to go induftriously to hell; and to do good, will be vice, because it tends to carry men to heaven; and fo is the erofling of an abfolute decree. But who

dare

dare entertain fuch notions of the moft high God? who hath declared himself a God of mercy, forgiving iniquity, tranf grefion, and fin, fincerely defiring the happiness of all mankind; I mean their repentance, obedience, holiness and perfeverance in this life, and eternal, happiness in the world to come: that he hateth nothing that he hath made, nothing but fin, which he hath not made: that when he commands, he is fincerely willing to be obeyed, and therefore giveth a passive power to receive his grace, and by that, an active power to perform fuch obedience as he will mercifully accept. But, he forceth no man to be eternally happy, do he what he can to the contrary; any more than he forceth any man to be eternally miferable, do he what he can to be otherwife. So that such as are not faved, cannot say, they are not saved for want of means and a poffibility, for want of a ransom or a Saviour, or for want of God's willingness that they should be faved; but, for want of their willingness to do their duties, the conditions of the covenant; upon the performance or nonperformance of which, falvation either may, or may not be

had.

Eutychus. I do really grant, that the death of Chrift was fufficient to atone for the fins of ten thousand worlds; and I believe that Jefus is a Saviour of the Reprobates fufficiently, but not intentionally. I believe the leaft drop of Chrift's blood to be more valuable than the whole world: but yet I believe it was fhed for a few perfons only, who were elected from all eternity, and left the greater part of men, who were eternally paffed by, utterly incapable of being faved by his merits. For indeed, how can Chrift be faid to die for all, when all are not faved?

Epenetus. I am not a little startled at your opinion, which I think pernicious to the laft degree, contradicting both fcripture and reafon, even the cleareft fcriptures that can be named. For the scripture fets forth univerfal redemption in the plainest manner that the tongue of men and angels can exprefs.

1. By an univerfal collective, He is the Saviour of all men, 1 Tim. iv. 10. 2. By an univerfal diftributive, He tafled death for every man, Heb. ii. 9. 3. By an univerfal indefinite, not to a part; but, He is the Saviour of the world, John iv. 42. 4. By an universal express, he is the propitiation for the fins of the whole world, 1 John ii. 2. 5. By an univerfal affirmative, as in those just mentioned, and many more. 6. By an universal negative, he is not willing that any fhould perifh, 2 Pet. iii. 9. 7. By an univerfal command to ufe the means of falvation, and that universal to places, as well as perfons; not to all men in fome places, nor to fome men in all places, but he commandeth all men every where to repent, A&t. xvii. 30. From all which, I obferve, that an univerfal creation is not afferted to us, by fcripture, in fo great a variety of plain expreffions, as an univerfal redemption. But in your objection, you charge God with mental reservations, when he tells us he is not willing that any fhould perish, but on the contrary, that all Should come to repentance, 2 Pet. iii. 9. You fay, his decree from all eternity, is, that almost all the world should perish, and very few come to repentance. But if the Holy Ghoft fhall be affirmed not to intend what he fpeaketh, in thofe plain places of fcripture, where he faith, all men, and every man, the world, and the whole world, not only, but also, not willing that any, but willing that all, &c. how may a man believe him in all other places and affirmations, where his expreffions are not fo plain? How can a man learn any one duty, or refrain from any one fin, upon any motives of fcripture, if the moft plain paffages are fo liable to be eluded, and made to fpeak what was never intended? I will ask you one queftion; pray, when Chrift is faid to be the Saviour of the world; (and more emphatically) the Lamb of God, that taketh away the firs of the world; is it meant of the whole, or part only?

Eutychus. I believe, that it was in part only; he gave his life a ransom for many, Matt. xx. 28.

Epenetres

Epenetus. How flatly do you contradi&t the Apoftle, 1 John ii. 2, where, to the world, he addeth whole? And if whole, it must fignify the major part, both according to the maxim that the whole, is greater than a part; and because it is ever so used in Scripture. Now then, you must confess that the Reprobates are the major part, and by confequence, that Chrift is the Saviour only of the Reprobates; which abominable abfurdity you cannot escape, but by a confeffion of univerfal Redemption.

[To be continued.]

The LIFE of GREGORY LOPEZ.

CHAP. I.

His Birth and Employment, 'till he was twenty Years of Age.

REGORY LOPEZ, was born at Madrid; he seemed

GRE

to be one without Father, without Mother. For no one ever heard him mention his Family, or knew him write to his Relations, or enquire concerning them. This made many believe, that he was the son of fome perfons of great quality. What confirmed them in that opinion, was the manner of his behaviour, genteel, noble, and full of humble gravity; particularly when he had to do with men of rank and eminence. For they admired the freedom and firmnefs with which he fpoke to them, yet without violating the refpect which he

owed them.

2. One having preffed him to tell of what family he was, and what was the name of his father, he appeared fomewhat moved, and replied with a countenance full of gravity, quite extraordinary, "My country is Heaven, and my father is God." Father Juan. Ozorio, having asked, of what VOL. III. country

Hh