Of Terfvérance: . holy) you feem, I. Todeny an evident truth, viz. that the habituai Loveof God was not extirpated by thole Sins : Can you think that ha- bitually ( though theall was hindred ) Noah, Lot, David, Peter, did not then love God and Holinefsbetter thanfinful Pleafures ? And the Paps confers, thatSin is not mortal ( that is, an evidenceof fpiritual death ) till it conquer the habit of the love of God. 2. You feem to take your offence at the MercyofGod himfelf, be- caufe he will not difownmen for fuch a particular fin, contrary to their general will and life. As if you provoked him to deal hardlier alto with your felt, left he deal tooeafily or mercifullywith others. 3. But they are in theft refolved that no manhath true Grace, that loveth not GodandHolinefsabove the World and finful Pleafure : And they andyouare agreed in this : And in the hypothefis, if youcan make thembelieve that any of there loft that predominant habitual love, they would grant that they fell from Paving Grace. So that thus far you agree. 4. And as for Solomon's cafe, it is too hard for us all : Somethink that he had butcommon Grace, till that Repentance which he publifhed its Ecclef. And that fo much might producehis Proverbs, which fay they were but fpoken by him, andwritten long after by others ( as fome by Hezekiah's men). Others think that he did but tolerate his Wives Ido- latry, and that he aggravated hisown fenfuality in hyperbolical words, and fo that his fin did ftand with true Grace: Others think that he fell into aRate of damnation (inwhich had he died he had been damned ) but yet neither totally ( from all feminal Grace) nor finally; and that others maydo the like. Ina word, the cafe is too hard for us : But our comfort liethnot in being furewhat condition solomonwas in,either firft or laft. Andalto, asMeans and Grace are greater under the Gofpel than they were to Solomon, and Life and Immortality more brought to light, fo morefpirituality and heavenlinefs is now requiredpf usthanwas then of them. As long as Quilthath fullier defcribed to us the title-condi- tionsof Salvation, we have better means to judgeof our ftates, than thedeciding of there Difficulties about Solomonwould be. A. "This is true, but nothing to thepurpofe : we prove by Solomon that " aman mayfallfromGrace. B. How will you prove it againft them that think Solomonhad but common Grace, till he wroteEcclefiafies, or repentedof his Fall ? A. " He was apen-man of the Scripture (the Proverbs) before; And " he was beloved ofGod, andexcelledall others in Wifdom. B. r. Whether he wrote, or only fpake the Proverbs, you prove not? a. You cannot prove that writing part ofthe Scripture, is a more cer- tain fgn of a Saint , thanfpeal¿,ing part of it. And Salaam fpake part, ofit ( what yob's Friends were, I knownot.) And if manyWorkers of Iniquity did by the Spirit prophetic and cart out Devils, in Chrift's Name, how prove you that they may notwrite part of the Scriptures ? ( To pats by that, Pilate, Feflin, Claudius, Lyftas, andother fuch, wrote part of it.) And an ungodly Preacher may now fpeak and write ex- cellent things. 3. His Wifdom which hebegged, andis magnified for, isdefcribed objet ively to be. political, phyfical and ethical; but how far fpiritual the Text loth not fpeak. 4. Godmight bePaid to love him,' as Chrift did that man that was not far from the Kingdomof God : complacencially, according to the good that was in him; And benevolent- ly, as hepurpofed his future Sanftificationand Salvation. I write not this.as my own Opinion, but to tell you that you cannot prove fo much as you think youcan, Thé 205
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