thus: "[Beloved, I am jealous of you with an holy jealousy," 1 Cor. xi. 2, 3- Left after the sweet wooing of you in Christ's " name, that ye might be espoused unto him; I fay, I am jea"lous, and fear, lest as the ferpent beguiled Eve, through his " fubtility, namely, bewitching her to a presumptuous, licenti

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ous adventuring on God's gentleness, while the tasted the for" bidden fruit; to your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in him, namely, by presuming too much upon " him and adventuring to continue in fin, in hope that grace may abound. For the preventing of which dangerous mifcarriage, which hath been the dangerous lot of many thousands, " I thought good to step in with this text, which I am perfuaded " will prove a seasonable warning to some at leaft."] And this pious caution of the author herein, lest he should be misun derstood, gives us some grounds to believe, that he intended them not in the more exceptionable sense. 'Tis best, if an unwary reader receive hurt that he receives his healing also from the fame hand. And whereas a paper was printed upon this occafion, foon after the publication of the doctor's works, we willingly adopt so much of it as is requifite to our present pur pole; which is to this effect :

• Some who subscribed this certificate, faw only the paper it• self, to which subscription was defired; never having perused • the works of Dr. Crifp. The certificate only concerned the • fon, not the father; and certified only concerning the fon, • That they who should fubfcribe it, believed him in this to deal truly; that he was not a Falsarius; that he would not say that was his father's, which was not fo; a paper fo fober, • so modest, was (taken by itself) scarce refusable by a friend. 'The fon's preface, some that subscribed this certificate faw not, nor had any notice, or the least imagination of its con* tents; otherwise, the part of a friend had certainly been done, • as well in advising against much of the preface, as in fub• fcribing the certificate.

• For the works of this reverend person themselves, as it no • way concerned the subscribing this certificate, to know what • they were; so from the opinion that went of the author, among many good men, that he was a learned, pious, good man, it was supposed they were likely to have in them many • good and useful things; to which it was only needful to think them bis, not to think them perfect.

'We may, in some respect, judge of books as of men; i. reckon, that though divers very valuable men have had res markable failings, yet that, upon the whole, 'tis better they ' have lived, and been known in the world, than that they • should not have lived, or have lived obfcure.

'The truth is (which we have often considered) that though ' the great doctrines of the Christian religion do make a most co'herent, comely scheme, which every one should labour to ' comprehend and digest in his mind; yet when the gospel first ' becomes effectual for the changing mens hearts, it is by God's * blessing this or that passage which drops: The most discern ' not the feries and connection of truths at first, and too little • afterwards.

• Upon that view of Dr. Crisp's writings we have had fince ' the publication, we find there are many things said in them, ' with that good savour, quickness, and spirit, as to be very apt ' to make good impressions upon men's hearts; and do judge, ' that being greatly affected with the grace of God to sinners himself, his fermons did thereupon run much in that strain. * All our minds are little and incomprehenfive; we cannot re'ceive the weight and impression of all necessary things at once, * but with some inequality; so that when the seal goes deeper ' in some part, it is shallower in fome others.

• If some parts of Dr. Crifp's works be more liable to excep'tion, the danger of hurt thereby seems, in some measure, ob'viated in some other: As when he says, Pag. 46. Vol. I. • Sanctification of life, is an inseparable companion with the jufti'fication of a person by the free grace of Christ. And Vol. IV. 'p. 93. That in respect of the rules of righteousness, or the matter ' of obedience, we are under the law ftill; or else we are lawless, to 'live every man as Jeems good in his own eyes, which I know no 'true Christian does so much as think.

' In like manner, whereas, in Vol. II. Serm. 15. and perhaps * elsewhere. the doctor seems to be against evidencing our justificati'on and union to Christ, by our fanctification and new obedience; we have the truth of God in this matter plainly delivered by him, Vol. IV. p. 36. when he teacheth, that our obedience is a com'fortable evidence of our being in Chrift ; and on that, as well as 'en many accounts, necessary.

'The difference between him, and other good men, seems to 'lie not fo much in the things which the one or other of them believe, as about their order and reference to one another; 'where, it is true, there may be very material difference: But we reckon, that notwithstanding what is more controverfible ' in these writings, there are much more material things, wherein they cannot but agree, and would have come much nearer * each other, even in these things, if they did take some words or terms which come into use on the one or the other hand, ' in the fame sense; but when one uses a word in one fenfe, ano⚫ther uses the same word (or understands it, being used) in quite another fenfe, here seems a vast disagreement, which proves, at length, to be verbal only, and really none at all: • As let by condition, be meant a deserving cause, (in which cafe • it is well known civilians are not wont to take it) and the one • side would never use it, concerning any good act that can be • done by us, or good habit that is wrought in us, in order to • our present acceptance with God, or final salvation. Let be • meant by it somewhat, that, by the constitution of the gospel• covenant, and in the nature of the thing, is requisite to our present and eternal well-being, without the least notion of defert, but utmost abhorrence of any such notion in this cafe; ' and the other fide would as little refuse it. But what need is there for contending at all about a law-term, about the pro*per or present use whereof, there is so little agreement be'tween them it seems best to serve, and them it offends. Let it 'go, and they will well enough understand one another. Again, • let juftification be taken for that which is complete, entire, ' and full, as it results at last from all its causes and concurrents; 'and, on the one hand, it would never be denied, that Christ's * righteousness justifies us at the bar of God in the day of judgment, as the only deserving cause; or affirmed, that our faith, repentance, fincerity, do justify us there, as any cause at all. • Let justification be meant only of being justified in this or * that particular respect; as for instance, against this particular accufation, of never having been a believer: And the honeft * mistaken prefacer would never have said, O horrid! upon its • being said, Chrift's righteousness doth not justify us in this 'cafe: For he very well knows, Chriß's righteousness will juf

tify no man that never was a believer. But that which must ' immediately justify him against this particular accufation, must 'be proving, that he did sincerely believe; which shews his • interest in Christ's righteousness, which then is the only de• serving cause of his full and entire justification.

'There is an expression in Vol. 1. p. 46. That falvation is ' not the end of any good work we do, which is like that of ano'ther; we are to act from life, not for life. Neither of which ' are to be rigidly taken, as it is likely they were never meant in the strict sense. For the former, this reverend author gives * us himself the handle for a gentle interpretation, in what he presently fubjoins; where he makes the end of our good works to be the manifestation of our obedience and fubjection; the fetting forth the praise of the glory of the grace of God; which feem' to imply, that he meant the foregoing negation in a comparas 'tive, not in an absolute sense; understanding the glory of God to be more principal; and so, that by end, he meant the very ' ultimate end: So for the other, it is likely it was meant, that ' we should not act or work for life only, without aiming and endeavouring that we might come to work from life also.

• For it is not with any tolerable charity supposable, that one would deliberately say the one or the other of these in the rigid sense of the words; or that he would not, upon confideration, • presently unsay it, being calmly reasoned with. For it were, in effect, to abandon human nature, and to fin against a very • fundamental law of our creation, not to intend our own felicity: it were to make our first and most deeply fundamental duty, in one great essential branch of it, our fin, viz. To take 'the Lord for our God: For to take him for our God most effentially, includes our taking him for our fupreme good; which we all know is included in the notion of the last end; it were * to make it unlawful to strive against all fin, and particularly against sinful aversion from God; wherein lies the very death ' of the foul, or the sum of its misery; or to strive after perfect 'conformity to God in holiness, and the full fruition of him; * wherein its final blessedness doth principally confift.

It were to teach us to violate the great precepts of the gofpel; Repent that your fins may be blotted out-Strive to enter ' in at the ftrait gate. - Work out your own falvation with fear and 'trembling: To obliterate the patterns and precedents set be'fore us in the gospel. We have believed in Jesus Christ, that ' we might be justified. I bear down my body, lest I should be a 'caft-away. That thou mayest fave thyself, and them that hear

thee.

'It were to suppose us bound to do more for the falvation ' of others, than our own falvation. We are required to save ' others with fear, plucking them out of the fire. Nay, we were not (by this rule strictly understood) so much as to pray for our own falvation; (which is a doing of somewhat) when no doubt, we are to pray for the fuccess of the gospel, to this purpose, on behalf of other men.

It were to make all the threatenings of eternal death, and promises of eternal life, we find in the gospel of our bleffed Lord, uselefs; as motives to shun the one, and obtain the other: for they can be motives no way, but as the escaping

• of the former, and the attainment of the other, have, with ⚫ us, the place and confideration of an end.

• It makes what is mentioned in the scripture, as the charac• ter and commendation of the most eminent faints, a fault; as • of Abraham, Ifaac, and Jacob, &c. That they fought the better • and heavenly country; and declared, plainly, that they did fo; • which necessarily implies their making it their end.

• But let none be so harsh as to think of any good man, that • he intended any thing of all this; if every passage that falls • from us be stretched and tortured with the utmost severity, • we shall find little to do besides accusing others, and defend⚫ing ourselves, as long as we live.'

A fpirit of meekness and love will do more to our common peace, than all the disputations in the world.

Upon the whole, we are so well assured of the peaceful, healing temper of the present author of these treatises, that we are perfuaded he designed such a course of managing the controversies wherein he hath concerned himself, as to prevent, on the one hand, injury to the memory of the dead; and, on the other, any hurt or danger to the living.

Nor do we say thus much of him, as if he fought, or did need any letters of recommendation from us; but as counting this teftimony to truth, and this expression of respect to him, a debt; to the spontaneous payment whereof, nothing more was requifite, besides such a fair occafion as the providence of God hath now laid before us, inviting us hereunto.

CENSURE not this treatise of errors, as an error in my prudentials, in sending it forth at such an improper time as this. I should never spontaneously have awakened fleeping controverfies, after God's severe caftigation of his people for them, and in the most proper and hopeful season for their redintegration.

And beside what I have formerly said, I think fit here to add,