GOD'S GOODNESS VINDICATED. 593 of using certain means, in order to their own recovery and salva- tion, and to believe that they are not commanded to do this in vain ; so that God's own providence, by a course of such mercies, which cannot stand with the executionofthe unremedied, violated lawof innocency, together with his obliging all men to repentance, and to the use of a certain course of means, in order to their.sal- vation, is a promulgation of a law of grace, according to the first edition, and distinguisheth man from unredeemed devils. And they that say that all the infidel world have all this mer- cy, duty, means, and hope, without any redemption or satisfac- tion of Christ as the procuring cause, are in the way to say next, ' That the church's mercies too might have been given with- out Christ.' (9.) " Ofa truth, God is no respecter of persons, but in every nation he that feareth God and worketh righteousness is accepted with him ; " Acts x. 34, 35. For " God will render to every man according to his deeds; to them who, by patient continuance in well doing, seek for glory, and honor, and incorrupt- ibility, eternal life ; " Rom. ii. 6, 7. " Glory, honor, andpeace, to every man that workethgood, to the Jew first, and also to the Greek ; " ver. 10. " For there is no respect of persons with God;" ver. 11. "For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves, which show the work of the lawwritten in their hearts, their consciences also bearing wit- atess, and their thoughts the meanwhile accusing or else excusing one another;" ver. 14, 15. And they shall be judged according to that law, which they were under, natural or mosaical, " even by Jesus Christ ; "'ver. 12. 16. And it is the work of the Spirit promised to believers, to write the law of God in their hearts. (10.) Though a special promise was made to Abraham, as an eminent believer, and the Jewish nation were the peculiar people of God, advanced to greater privileges than any others in the world ; yet were they not the whole kingdom of God the Redeem- er, nor the only people that were in a covenant of grace, or in a state of salvation. For Shem was alive after Abraham's death, who was not like to be less than a king, and to have a kingdom and a people governed according to his fidelity. And Melchisedec was a king ofrighteousness and peace, not like to be Shem by the situation of his country. And a righteous king would govern in righteousness. Job and his friends are evidences of the same. truth. And we have no proofor probability that all Abraham's seed by Ishmael, and Esau, and Keturah, were apostates, for they continued circumcision. And what all the rest of the world was, we,know not, save that, in general, most grew idolatrous, and the VOL. II. 75
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