CONFERiNCE I. 427 so feeble, that they su!Ter them to be quickly overpowered and extinguished, by the temptations that stand around them within . and without. PITH. I owe mygreat obligations to you, Sophronius, for so happy a reoollection of my scattered thoughts, and so beauti- ful a dispositionof them, as gives three, perspicuity, and ele- gance to my argument, Sorn. Sir, I have done nothingbut my duty in summing, up the evidence, before Ipronouncethesentence. Had there been any thing in Logisto's part of the conference which had needed such a rehearsal and new disposition, lie might be assured, I should not have failed either in my diligence or readiness to assist or set forth his argument to as good advantage. But, compli- ments apart : Thus, gentlemen, having briefly recapitulated the debate between you, all that I shall say, by way of an arbitrator in the present dispute, shall be contained in a few following pro- positions : Perhaps 1 shall not be able to place them in so just and regular a form : But I can trust your candour Conversa- tion does not require such exactness: And 1 would particularly bespeak Logisto's pardon, before I mention the two first of them, because they suppose the truth of christianity, and the bible, which he seems to doubt of at present. But he shall find that I naine them only to introduce the rest, and that I shall make no manner of use of these two propositions against his present argu- pent, or in favour of Pithander. I proceed therefore : I. I am persuaded, that God never did or will forgive the sins of any man upon earth, whether Jew, heathen or Christian, nor receive any of our sinful race into his favour, but upon the account ofwhat Jesus Christ his Son, the Mediator, has done and suffered, for the atonement or expiation of sin; and the recovery of man to thefavour of God : So that if heathens are saved, I think it is owing-to the merit of Christ, and his death. There is salvation in no other, nor is there any other name whereby men may be saved. If any of those who never heard of Christ might be saved without the influence of his atonement and mediation, why might not they that have heard of him be saved without it also.? Thus there would be no need of him to become a Me- diator, or to make atonement for the sins-of the one or the other ; and thus Christ would have livedand died to very little purpose. IL With most sincere esteem and love, and shall I add, with tender compassion to Logisto, I ask leave to declare my be- lief of the constitutionof the, gospel, with all the solemn threat- enings that are annexed to it, which I would call my second pro- position ; viz. He that lives where the gospel of Christ is pub- lished, with its proper and necessary evidences, and yet refuses all his life-tinge to believe and receive it, cannot be saved; but lies under that sent«nce of condemnation which is frequently denounced
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