it acquaints us, that, after the flood, this command was delivered," be fruitful and multiply."

THE doctrine of election and reprobation afferts, that, while a small part of mankind was, from eternity, predeftinated to enjoy everlasting happiness in the heavenly world, the greater part by far was also predeftinated, by the fame gracious God, to fuffer everlasting torments in hell fire.

THAT any man, whose understanding is not entirely ruined, should believe this doctrine,

would

would be to me a matter of the greatest astonishment, if I were not yet more astonished to think, that it is believed by fome who do really venerate their Maker. If it doth not carry its own refutation along with it, it must be owned there is little hope of its being refuted. However, I would obferve two things in relation to it. First, that if

any one were about to utter the most

horrid blafphemy against the ever blessed God, he would be put to it to invent any thing worfe, in kind, than what is contained in this doctrine. Should he take the hint from it to af

firm, that God predeftinated all the creatures which he hath made, or in future will make, to fuffer everlafling torments: this would be only a greater degree of the fame kind of blafphemy. In the next place, I would take notice, that, when you fay, "al"though the great God hath, "prior to their existence, pre"deftinated and decreed the great"eft part of mankind to fuffer "everlasting torments in Hell, "he is, nevertheless, infinitely

good and gracious." I have good reafon to think, that your heart recoils, and flatly denies what you utter with

your tongue, tho'

you

you ftrive hard to believe it. I afk you, seriously, Sir, is not fuch the fact? And do not you impute it to the natural wickedness of your heart? I have no defire that you should answer me: but you will not do amifs, perhaps, in delivering your answer to him who made you, and made you what you are; that you might naturally shudder at this horrid tenet, as you naturally fhudder at the most atrocious and fhocking crimes.

THE doctrine of the fatiffaction is this; that Chrift died in the room and ftead of finners,

suffering a punishment equivalent to what was due to them, and thereby fatisfied the law and juftice of God. Now what do we understand by thefe 'words, punishment, law, juftice? Pain and punishment seem to be very different things. The brute animals fuffer, but are not punished: for then, only, is a being punished, when he suffers for fin charged upon him. Law, in the present cafe, I take to be an authoritative edict, prefcribing to, and enjoining upon its own Subjects right conduct, and denouncing a penalty against disobedience. Justice is the fame

as