Portland gazette and Maine advertiser., 1810-08-06
MONDAY, AUGUST 6, 1910


number. This were melancholy consid-
Grafton indeed, If it were true bat there
is no ground, either from reason or scrip
turc, to entertain any such thought of God.
Our destruction is of ourselves and no
man shall be ruined by any decree OF God,
who does not rum himself by his own fault.
Iillotsoh's Sermons, col. p. PSI. limo
Men cannot easily have biacker thought
of God, than to imagine that he hath, from
all eternity, carried on secret design to
circumyent the greatest part Of men into
plot against heaven, that by this unworthy
practice he may raise a revenue of glory to
his justice. There is no generous and good
man but would spit IN that MANS face that
should charge him with such design and
if they who are but very drops OF goodness
in comparison of God, the infinite ocean Of
goodness, would take It for such reproach,
shall we attribute that TO the best Being in
the world, which we would detest and a.
dominate in ourselves vol. 8. b. 81. limo.
God is infinitely better than the best of
men and yet none can possibly think that
man good man, VINO should absolutely re-
solve to dlsinherit and destroy his children,
without the foresight and consideration OF
any fault to be committed by them. We
may talk of the goodness OF God, but it is
not All easy matter TO devise 10 say any thing
worse than this of the devil. Pol. p. 226.
limo. See also, o. 10.
"WHITBY: 10 say God seriously in
yites, exhorts, and requires all men TO
work out their salvation, and yet by his de-
cree of Reproduction hath rendered that g.
vent to the most of them impossible; that he
u
not perish, and yet by his decree or secret
will hath rendered that event to most OF
them TO whom he speeketh in mis- word i'm
possible, is 10 make the gospel of Christ a
| mockery. Witty on the Five Poims, D. rs
The election mentioned in the holy scrip
lures IS not that of particular persons, but
only OF churches and nations, D. So The
yer y learned and candid DIR. JortIn gives
| this Just character of the excellent treatise
here quoted. 'Whitby published some
tracts on election, Reproduction, and origin
al sin, and IN these treatises he confuted
CALvINIsM even TO a demonstration.
| DIR. .forti.'s Six Dissertations, q. 113
"Dr. GLAZE Some nave from these
| passages ate mpged to deduce the doctrine
OF absolute Predestinauicn that because
| the DEGREES and purposes OF God are un-
4, ci.angeable, therefore mems salvation OF
condemnation does sot Al all depend OH a
| ny works IN their own power, And indeed
| were there any such decree, it could NOT
| be denied but it would be Interchangeable /;
and consequently That all religion were
van. But tie truth Is, that the scripture
mentions no such decree At AL and there
| tore men need not be concerned about the
unchangeableness of that which has no be.
ing. Or. Carries Sermons, col. 1. b. 90, "a,
LIMO. And from hence BY the way it is
evident demnstrabiy, that there is not,
there cannot be any such thing as absolute
and uncondIrionate Reproduction. For this
being matter wholly contradictory to all
our notions of goodness, &c. Ibid. q. 200
/ The 9th chapter of the Epistle TO The ko-
mans, which has sometimes perplexed the
minds OF welI-meaning persons, was by all
| Christians in the first ages without difficult
! ty, and is now again by all rational men,
| who attend to the scope of the Apostles
| argument, more than to the schemes OF
mems own inyenting, clearly understood to
be written, not concerning Gods choosing
| some particular persons, rejecting others
| from eternal salvation, but concerning his
| rejecting the nation of the Jews, and recei-
wing in the Gentiles to be partakers Of the
benefits of the gospel: and the elect there
| spoken Of are the whole Christian church,
| whereof all nevertheless do not attain unto
salvation and the reprobate there men.
toned are the whole nation Of the unbele-
/ wing Jews, whereof all nevertheless were
not finally cast Off and when Gods fore
determination OF particular persons is spo-
ken of, it is not a fore. appointment to eter-
nal happiness or misery, but always to some
temporal office or advantage only. Yoi 10.
| D. 216. limo. To be continued,