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Ay—but plague spots are a sign of the plague—and if the inclination in all to commit sin (till grace destroy it) be not a sign of the corruption of all, then our faith is vain, and our Bibles are a fable.

See Rom v. 12, &c. If Adam had not sinned—Adam had never died—but he did sin—and his death was two-fold— spiritual and natural.—His posterity are in the same situation— and why?—because they have not sinned?—or because they sinned actually before they were in being?—no—but because they sinned in him as their progenitor and representative; so that (like a family whose chief is attainted and condemned for high-treason) they are all equally subject to the consequences of his crime—a natural effect under his over-ruling wisdom, who giveth account of his works to none!

Vid. Rom. iii 23.

Viz. The despising others for God's sake.

The Deists, Arians, Socinians, Papists, and Dissenters: all of whom in their different ways have had a stroke at our poor Jerusalem!—and the bad lives of so many of her ministers, is the general handle with them all.

As for example, if a man in writing a dialogue, should so manage it, that his pupil (if himself were the instructor) should compliment him from beginning to end?—or, from a diffidence of his own inability and demerits, should suffer two or three poetical eulogiums to be printed (as it were on the very title page of his book) could one impute it to any thing, but the want of knowledge, resolution, or humility?

The very expression of a certain modern D.D.—How different was the judgment of this apostle from that of the famous author of the Epistle to the Hebrews. See Heb. xii. 24.

See James ii. 10.

Two things, among many others, the modern mystics do not care to part with any more than some other people.

I should be mighty glad to know what either good or wise end so uncomfortable an hypothesis can possibly answer: that, contrary to reason, scripture, and (so far as these are any evidence of it) to the experience of all who are now on the other side of time—a number of otherwise ingenious and good men have taken so much pains to demonstrate and recommend it.—I am sure with regard to the N. T.—there is one writer has most preposterously uttered himself—If this doctrine be true, viz. St. Paul Philip. i 24. where he desires to depart and to be with Christ —He should rather have petitioned to depart, that he might go to sleep with him—which is far better still—But the merit of being thought wiser than others—which is vanity, and the want of real, vital, and internal spiritual experience—which is no other than real and spiritual ignorance—is the fountain of these, and ten thousand other whimsies and extravagancies of men, whose minds are corrupted by vice, or obscured by the mists of vanity and self-importance.—One simple act of lively, holy faith dispels all these glooms, and clears up an infinity of difficulties, which without that, will always confound us!

Here was a fair occasion of entring full drive into the yet undecided controversy between the Calvinists and their opponents—but it is purposely avoided, as not only unnecessary but endless—and the parties on both sides referred to what is the best proof of their own sincerity and benevolence in either, viz. to the spirit of Christian amity and a Christian life.—And had this been the method pursued by only one of them, the controversy had long ago been at an end.—All pious fury at our antipodes in sentiment had been avoided, and a direful handle to the adversaries of Jesus Christ and his gospel had never been given; but they have stumbled (and it was right they should, for they sought an occasion of stumbling, and were glad of an opportunity to disobey and despise the Bible) but woe to the men thro' whom the offence has come!

As in the latter part of the fourth line in the first verse, the reader will observe the whole here is quite supposititious; so this line refers to such writings as have been published by this eminent person, or have come out under his immediate auspicies and inspection; in which, without the least imputation of flattery or falshood, one may venture to affirm, there are found such sentiments and expressions, as are not to be matched in all the writings of either the ancient or modern Theology; yet strange or unscriptural as they are, there are not wanting many who both admire and vindicate them— and that too in such a manner, as, considering they so warmly condemn things of far less moment and exception in every body else, is a most undeniable proof if of nothing worse—at least of the most devoted ignorance and bigotry to a peculiar sect, which have at last rendered themselves so universally contemptible and suspected.

The real expression was—“imputed nonsense.”—Let any man in his senses only read over attentively the fourth chapter of the Romans, and then see whether he receives any authority from St. Paul, to treat so tremendous and important a point in so profane and ludicrous a manner!

Whoever would see this most sublime and important doctrine most fully and emphatically elucidated—we refer him to the very valuable and ingenious author of Theron and Aspasio,—tho' at the same time, we must take the liberty of observing, that not only what is there his main scope, might have been proved and recommended in a far less compass, than in three large volumes; but that, had he been less strenuous in asserting some other controversial points—and especially had he omitted such an effluvia of redundant and romantic rhetoric, it had certainly been as great a proof of his superior judgment—as, had he been somewhat less severe upon (that miserable helpless part of mankind) the common beggars, (for whose wants, idleness, and other misbehaviour, the magistrates are to blame more than they) this had likewise been of his superior charity! for who could ever have imagined but from under his own hand,

I am well aware of the vulgar, senseless objection, both with respect to this and many other parts of this poem, beginning with a great round—“O—but you condemn all, “without making any distinction.”—O what an outcry about nothing! but I suppose you are one, for I think your speech betrayeth you—but had you either common sense, or common humanity, you would have considered, that, as no man but a murderer would ever do the one, so again, that no man, not a lunatic, would ever require the other, when he knows at the same time, that upon the principles of reason and benevolence, a proper distinction is necessarily implied, and so consequently here—tho' 'tis true—satyr, like the law, (which is itself only the satyr of a government, and now and then a satyr upon it too) always supposes every one guilty (especially if found in bad company) till a full and impartial trial has proved them otherwise; and therefore, where daily experience demonstrates the Generality culpable—to seem to include the whole is neither impropriety nor crime. —Who thinks it is, only let him live the exception, and his life is his patent for ever!