Chrift faves them from, is only a Medicine; it is preventing Phyfick, and one of the greatest of Benefits. It is ridiculous to talk of Perfons needing a Medicine, or a Phyfician to fave them from an excellent Medicine; or of a Remedy from a happy Remedy! If it be faid, though Death be a Benefit, yet it is so because Chrift changes it, and turns it into a Benefit, by procuring a Resurrection: I would here afk, What can be meant by turning or ebanging it into a Benefit, when it never was otherwise, nor could ever justly be otherwise? Infants could not at all be brought under Death as a Calamity; for they never deferved it. And it would be only an Abuse (be it far from us, to afcribe fuch a Thing to God) in any Being, to make the Offer to any poor Sufferers, of a Redeemer from fome Calamity, which he had brought upon them without the leaft Defert of it on their Part.

But it is plain, that Death or Mortality was not at firft brought on Mankind as a Bleffing, on the Foot of the Covenant of Grace through Chrift; and that Chrift and Grace do not bring Mankind under Death, but find them under it. 2 Cor. v, 14. We thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead. Luke xix. 10. The Son of Man is come to feek and to fave that which was loft. The Grace which appears in providing a Deliverer from any State, fuppofes the Subject to be in that State prior to that Grace and Deliverance; and not that fuch a State is first introduced by that Grace. In our Author's Scheme, there never could be any Sentence of Death or Condemnation, that requires a Saviour from it; because the very Sentence itfelf, according to the true Meaning of it, implies and makes fure all that Good, which is requisite Mto

A 24

to abolish and make void the feeming Evil to the innocent Subject. So that the Sentence itself is in Effect the Deliverer; and there is no Need of another Deliverer to deliver from that Sentence. Dr. T. infifts upon it, that " Nothing comes upon ❝us in Confequence of Adam's Sin, in any SENSE, "KIND, or DEGREE, inconfiftent with the "original Bleffing pronounced on, Adam at his "Creation; and Nothing but what is perfectly "confiftent with God's Bleffing, Love, and Good"nefs, declared to Adam as foon as he came out 66 of his Maker's Hands *." If the Cafe be do, it is certain there is no Evil or Calamity at all for Chrift to redeem us from; unless Things agreeable to the divine Goodness, Love, and Bleffing, are Things which we need Redemption from. 70. of Cmishi

f

IV. It will follow, on our Author's Principles; not only with Refpect to Infants, but even adult Perfons, that Redemption is needlefs, and Chrift is dead in vain. Not only is there no Need of Chrift's Redemption in order to Deliverance from any Confequences of Adam's Sin, but also in order to perfect Freedom from perfonal Sin, and all its evil Confequences. For God has made other fufficient Provifion for that, viz. a fufficient Rower and Ability, in all Mankind, to do all their Duty, and wholly to avoid Sin. Yea, this Author infifts upon it, that "when Men have not fufficient Power to do their Duty, they have no Duty "to do. We may fafely and affuredly conclude, (fays he) that Mankind in all Parts of the "World have SUFFICIENT Power to do the Duty which God requires of them; and that "he requires of them NO MORE than they "have SUFFICIENT Powers to do." And

66

66

*Page 88, 89. S.

† Page 111. 63, 64. S.

in

in another Place *, "God has given Powers EQUAL to the Duty which he expects." And The expreffes a. great Dislike at R. R's fuppofing, that our Propenfities to Evil, and Temptations, are too strong to be EFFECTUALLY and "CONSTANTLY refifted; or that we are unavoidably finful IN ADEGREE; that our Appe

tites and Paffions will be breaking out, notwith“standing our everlasting Watchfulness +." These Things fully imply, that Men have in their own natural Ability fufficient Means to avoid Sin, and to be perfectly free from it; and fo, from all the bad Confequences of it. And if the Means are fufficient, then there is no Need of more; and therefore there is no Need of Chrift's dying, in Order to it. What Dr. T. fays, in p. 72. S. fully implies, that it would be unjuft in God to give Manking Being in fuch Circumstances, as that they would be more likely to fin, fo as to be expofed to final Misery, than otherwife. Hence then, without Chrift and his Redemption, and without any Grace at all, MERE JUSTICE makes fufficient Provifion for our being free from Sin and Mifery, by our own Power,

तु

If all Mankind, in all Parts of the World, have fuch fufficient Power to do their whole Duty, without being finful in any Degree, then they have fufficient Power to obtain Righteoufnefs by the Law: And then, according to the Apostle Paul, Christ is dead in vain. Gal. ii. 21. If Righteoufnefs come by the Law, Chrift is dead in vain vome without the Article, by Law, or the Rule of right Action, as our Author explains the Phrafe. And according to the Senfe in which he explains this

very

*Page 67. S. + Page 68. S. Pref. to Par. on Rom. p. 143, 38.

very Place," It would have frustrated or ren"dered useless the Grace of God, if Chrift died "to accomplish what was or MIGHT have been "effected by Law itself, without his Death *.” So that it most clearly follows from his own Doctrine, that Chrift is dead in vain, and the Grace of God is ufelefs. The fame Apoftle fays, If there bad been a Law which COULD have given Life, verily Righteoufnefs fhould have been by the Law, Gal. iii. 21. i. e. (ftill according to Dr. T-r's own Senfe) if there was a Law, that Man, in his prefent State, had fufficient Power perfectly to fulfil. For Dr. T. fuppofes the Reason why the Law could not give Life, to be," not because it "was weak in itself, but through the Weakness "of our Flesh, and the Infirmity of the human "Nature in the prefent State +". But he fays, "We are under a mild Difpenfation of GRACE, "making Allowance for our Infirmities." By our Infirmities, we may upon good Grounds fuppofe he means that Infirmity of human Nature, which he gives as the Reafon why the Law cannot give Life. But what Grace is there in making that Allowance for our Infirmities, which Juftice itself (according to his Doctrine) most absolutely requires, as he fuppofes divine Juftice exactly proportions our Duty to our Ability adi pot

Again, If it be faid, that although Chrift's Redemption was not neceffary to preferve Men from beginning to fin, and getting into a Courfe of Sin, because they have fufficient Power in themselves to avoid it; yet it may be necessary to deliver Men, after they have by their own Folly brought themselves under the Dominion of evil Appetites and

Note on Rom. v. 20. p. 297. † Ibid.

+ Page

92. S.

and Paffions*. I answer, if it be fo, that Men need Deliverance from thofe Habits and Paffions, which are become too strong for them, yet that Deliverance, on our Author's Principles, would be no Salvation from Sin. For, the Exercife of Paffions which are too ftrong for us, and which we cannot overcome, is neceffary; And he strongly urges, that a neceffary Evil can be no moral Evil, It is true, it is the Effect of Evil, as it is the Effect of a bad Practice, while the Man remained at Liberty, and had Power to have avoided it. But then, according to Dr, T-r, that evil Caufe alone is Sin, and not fo, the neceffary Effect: For he fays exprefly, "The Caufe of every Effect is alone chargeable with the Effect it produceth, or which proceedeth from it +." And as to that Sin which was the Cause, the Man needed no Saviour from that, having had fufficient Power in himself to have avoided it. So that it follows, by our Author's Scheme, that none of Mankind, neither Infants nor adult Perfons, neither the more nor lefs vicious, neither Jews nor Gentiles, neither Heatbens nor Chriftians, ever did, or ever could ftand in any Need of a Saviour; and that, with refpect to all, the Truth is, Chrift is dead in vain.

If any should fay, Although all Mankind in all Ages have fufficient Ability to do their whole Duty, and fo may by their own Power enjoy perfect Freedom from Sin, yet God forefaw that they would fin, and that after they had finned, they would need Chrift's Death: I anfwer, it is -plain, by what the Apoftle fays in thofe Places which were juft now mentioned, Gal. . 21. and

111. 2 I.

See p. 228. and alfo what he fays of the helplefs State of the Heathen, in Paraph. and Notes on Rom. vii. and Beginping of Chap. viii. + Page 128.