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and rofe again the third day; is afcended into heaven, and fits at the right hand of God; and will come a fecond time, to judge the world in righteousness; and that by his obedience, fufferings and death, he is become the Saviour of finners, and that none can be faved but by him. Now let it be obferved, that this revelation is general, and not particular, and does not neceffarily oblige perfons to whom it comes, to believe that Chrift is their Redeemer and Saviour, and that he died for them particularly; though the Spirit of God may, and does blefs it to many, for the begetting a special faving faith; and it may, and does, lay a general foundation for fpecial and appropriating acts of that grace; yet it only requires an hiftorical faith, or bare affent to the truth of the faid propofitions. Now fuch a faith is not faving; men may have this, and yet be damned; yea, the Devils themselves have it. It follows, that men may be obliged to believe, and yet not to the faving of their fouls, or that Chrift died for them. Befides, this revelation is not made to all men; and therefore all men, fuch as Indians, and others, are not obliged to believe in Chrift, nor even to give a bare affent to the truth of the abovetaid things, much lefs to believe that Chrift died for them; and indeed, How hall they believe in bim of whom they have not heard? and how shall

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they hear without a preacher ? And perhaps all are not obliged to believe, who live in a land where this revelation does come; as thofe who have not their natural reafon and hearing, or the due and proper ufe and exercife of the fame; fuch as infants, ideots, madmen, and those who are entirely deaf; only fuch to whom this revelation is made, and are capable of hearing and understanding it, are obliged to faith in Chrift by it; as were the Jews of old, who were condemn'd for their unbelief; not because they did not believe that Chrift died for them, to which they were not obliged; but because they did not believe him to be God, the Son of God, the true Meffiah, and Saviour of finners. The internal revelation of the gospel, and of Chrift through it, is by the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him; whereby a foul is made fenfible of its loft ftate and condition, and of its need of a Saviour, is made acquainted with Chrift, as the alone Saviour, both able and willing to fave to the uttermoft, all that come to God by him; whence it is encouraged to venture on him, rely upon him, and believe in him, to the faving of its foul: Now fuch an one ought to believe, and none but such an one, that Chrift died for it. This faith all men have not; 'tis the

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faith of God's elect, the gift of God, the operation of his Spirit, and the produce of almighty power.

Now, according to the revelation is the faith men are obliged to, and what is produced by it: If the revelation is external, or the gofpel comes in word only, the faith men are obliged to is only an hiftorical one; nor can any other follow upon it; and that Chrift died for every individual man, is no part of the revelation. If the revelation is internal, a fpecial fpiritual appropriating faith is the refult of it; but then this revelation is not made to all men, nor are God's elect themselves, before converfion, bound to believe that Chrift died for them; and when they are converted, to believe that Chrift died for them, is not the first act of faving faith; 'tis the plerophory, the full affurance of faith, to fay, He bath loved me, and hath given himself for me. Hence,

III. Since there is not a revelation of the gofpel made to all men, and all men are not bound to believe in Chrift, much lefs to believe that Chrift died for them; it follows, that no fuch abfurdity can attend the denial of univerfal redemption, that fome men are bound to believe a lye: Nor will it be the condemnation of the Heathens, that they

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* Gal. ii. 10.

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the work, will, and command of God, that they fhould believe on him, in this fenfe, whom be bad fent. This was what Chrift often called for from them, declaring, that if they believed not that he was the Meffiah, they should die in their fins; and this was what the Spirit of God reproved the world of the Jews for, by bringing down the wrath of God in temporal ruin and deftruction upon their perfons, nation, city and temple. Since then this text, with multitudes of others, which speak of believing in Chrift, only regards the people of the Jews, and defigns only a bare affent to him as the Meffiah, which would have preserved that people and nation from temporal ruin; it does not follow, that all men are bound favingly to believe in Chrift, and that he died for them, and confequently can be of no fervice to the doctrine of universal redemption.

NUM B.

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