.■^r 
 
 
 
 
 Mm 
 
 <T5~ 
 
 
 
 jS 
 
 ' r- 
 
 
 
 «* 
 
 Q. 
 
 <U 
 
 -a 
 
 
 
 
 <s 
 
 
 1 
 
 
 *»* 
 
 ~ 
 
 
 
 
 £5T t"3 
 
 -e 
 
 
 
 
 .J? 
 
 a. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 O 
 
 
 
 
 
 5 
 
 
 
 
 S & 
 
 a> 
 
 c 
 
 _ 
 
 
 »s o 
 
 bfl 
 
 ; 
 
 
 (5 II 
 
 •< 
 
 3 
 
 ^ ! 
 
 
 <•> |Z5 
 
 E 
 
 „r 
 
 
 
 CO 
 
 .to 
 
 
 PM 
 
 w 
 
 ■^ 
 
 
 "U-* 
 
 S 
 
 ?3 
 
 
 & 
 
 5*> 
 
 
 
 -Q 
 
 ^ 
 
 
 & 
 
 ■o 
 
 <a 
 
 
 lr* 
 
 0) 
 
 •s; 
 
 
 **, 
 
 
 *$5 
 
 
 % 
 
 c 
 o 
 
 Ql 
 
 <3 
 
 Jo 
 
 
 
 
 
 ^ 
 
 , 
 
 ^£<c 
 
 \ 
 
 IA I 
 

 ' 
 
 \N c 
 
 / 
 
 
 J^. OTutn, c/- <m o-derrL- d&ufnv <xf- ■Var-tfrnce) 
 
Digitized by the Internet Archive 
 
 in 2011 with funding from 
 
 Princeton Theological Seminary Library 
 
 http://www.archive.org/details/remarksonmrthomaOOflem 
 
REMARKS 
 
 O N 
 
 Mr. THOMAS CHUBBY 
 
 VINDICATION 
 
 O F H I s 
 
 True Gospel of Jefus Chrift, 
 
 In the Order following : 
 
 Sect. I. Remarks on 
 his Proof of Elias's 
 Prayer being an angry 
 Prayer, from its fuit- 
 ablenefs to the Jewijb 
 Difpenfation -, which he 
 fays, feems at lean:, to 
 countenance per fecution. 
 
 Sect. II. On his Scheme 
 asdeftruclive of the Cre- 
 dit of the Sacred Wri- 
 ters. — His True Go/pel 
 but a Part of the True 
 
 Gofpel. The divine 
 
 Infpiration of the Sa 
 cred Writers fupported. 
 
 Sect. III. His Vindi- 
 cation of his Short Dif- 
 fer tation on Providence 
 confider'd. 
 
 Sect. IV. An Exami- 
 nation of his new Scheme 
 of Prayer; which 
 Scheme is fhewn to be 
 evidently form'd upon 
 his Plan of Providence, 
 and contradictory to 
 his Notion of Prayer 
 in his Trails, to which 
 he refers. 
 
 By C.-FLEMIN G. Author of the 
 
 Remarks on Mr. Thomas Chubb's Short Differ - 
 tation on Providence, and his True Gofpel of 
 Jefus Chrift ajferted. 
 
 LONDON: 
 Printed for D. Farmer, at the King's Arms in St. PauH 
 Church-Yard, and T. Cox, at the Lamb ur.der the Royal 
 Exchange, M DCC.XXXIX. (Price i ;. 6d) 
 
A 
 
 PREFACE 
 
 T O T H E 
 
 R E A 
 
 FIRM belief of the di- 
 vine authority of the fa- 
 cred writings, was the 
 principle on which Ifo rea- 
 dily engaged to remark on Mr. Chubb' s 
 True Gofpel of Jefus Chrift afferted, 
 a?id his Short Differtation on Provi- 
 dence. To oppofe and explode fach 
 
 A 2 
 
iv A Preface to the Reader. 
 
 a PerfuajtGn, feems to me to be the 
 dejign of this writer, both in that 
 Tradt, and i?i his Vindication of it. — 
 Whereas, to de?ty the infpiration of 
 the facred Writers, and to fuppofe 
 their Compofures to bear no CharaEter 
 fuperiGr to that of any prophane or 
 common Pen, is not 07tly a certain 
 way to render mens regard to them 
 profane, or common ; but to fubjefi 
 them to great contempt ! fince the 
 great points of do&rine peculiar to 
 them, can only be the matter of mere 
 revelation. Such as the incarnation 
 of the word, the public minifl ration, 
 the fufferings and death of "Jefus, be- 
 ing co?ifequent to the appoi?it7nent of the 
 Father : o?\ In other words ', the whole 
 undertaking of Chrifi here on earth, 
 
 being 
 
A Preface to the Reader, v 
 
 being in purfuance of his Father s 
 will — that that one ad of his obedi- 
 ence to death, fiould be the means of 
 ?nercy to mankind, and diffolve the 
 obligation to mortality. So that as 
 by one man all died, by one man all 
 fhall be made alive. That his refur- 
 reBion floould be the pledge and eamejl 
 of the refurre&ion of the whole hu- 
 mane family — alfo the do&rine of his 
 inter cejfion : — and that not only all fitch 
 who fear God, and work right eoufnefs, 
 fhall be accepted of him ; but the pious 
 Chriftian foall be favour d with the com- 
 pany of his Saviour, a?id the contemplation 
 of his glory, as part of his future re- 
 ward. Thefe, and fever al other things, 
 bei?tg great principles, which run thro* 
 thefe writings, would render the77i the 
 
 fvbjeSi 
 
vi A Preface to the Reader. 
 
 fubjeSi of contempt^ if not underjlood 
 as matters of Divine Revelation. 
 
 THE authority of thefe writings 
 fhould therefore be fupported, in order 
 to give them their due weight. And 
 fuch is the frailty of mankind, that 
 it Jlands in need of it : for al- 
 though authority cannot alter the na- 
 ture of Truths yet it can and does uni- 
 verfally add force to its influences. 
 No wife Law-giver, or well-govern d 
 Kingdom or State, ever excluded au- 
 thority. The a?ttient Greeks and Ro- 
 mans both e?tjoi?ted and prohibited, 
 under the fanSiion of the will of their 
 Gods! — and thofe implanted paffions 
 of hope a?td fear in humane nature, 
 feem to dema?td it. 
 
A Preface to the Reader, vii 
 
 I HAVE /aid, indeed^ fuch is the 
 frailty of mankind : but I much que- 
 fiion y whether the will of the Supreme 
 Beings confiderd as Juch, is not the 
 grand fecurity of the obedie?tce of the 
 moji exalted finite Spirit \ jince the more 
 clearly any creature difcems the per- 
 feSlions of the infinite mind, the more 
 jlrongly will he find himfelf excited 
 to execute his known purpofes. — 
 
 A S to Mr. Chubby doBrine of 
 Providence, and of Prayer, J have 
 now only room to fay^ that I think I 
 have made it appear ', that they are at- 
 tended^ very plainly^ with hurtful 
 confequences. 
 
 IF what I have now offer 'd, fhall 
 contribute any real fervice to the in- 
 
 terejl 
 
viii A Preface to the Reader. 
 
 terefi of Truths or the Redeemer 's 
 Kingdom among Men, my great end 
 will be anfwer d. 
 
 TO conclude : If my firft Remarks 
 
 may be allow d to have bee?i wrote with 
 any confiderable propriety ', every one 
 will fee , who reads Mr, Chubb' s Vin- 
 dication, that fome thing like thefe Se- 
 cond would be expe&ed. I fhall 
 
 make ?to other Apology. 
 
 O N 
 
I I ] 
 
 ■ ■ ■ I 
 
 O N 
 
 Mr. C H U B B's 
 
 PROOF 
 
 O F 
 
 ELIJS's PRAYER 
 
 BEING 
 
 An A N G R Y PRAYER, 
 
 FROM 
 
 Its fuitablenefs to the JewiJJ) difpenfation, 
 
 which he fays, feems, at leaft, to countenance 
 Perfecution. 
 
 SECT. I. 
 
 Of the nature of the Jewifh difpenfation, as 
 encouraging an angry , per f editing fpirit, 
 
 IN my Remarks on Mr. Tho. Chub b's late 
 performance about the Gofpel of Jefus Cbriji, 
 I profefledly undertook a canvaffing only of 
 the Yltb Sett, of hi? true Gofpel, for the reafon 
 following, viz. becaufe in mat Section, I apprehend- 
 ed, he had fufficiently fhook all foundation of cre- 
 
 B dit- 
 
2 On Mr. Chubby Pro of of 
 
 dit to the New Teft ament Writers, yea, even to his 
 own fcheme of the true Go/pel. For, if we can 
 fuppofe with him, that St. Matthew cou'd be fo 
 weak as to draw a conference without a premife to 
 fupport it — * Or, that the Evangelifis have given a 
 defer iption of the Mejfiah from their own private 
 opinions \ which private opinions may be looked 
 upon by us, with the utmoft neglect or contempt ; 
 if, with him, we can fuppofe the great apoftle Paul 
 giving a large account of the methods or Reafons 
 cf Providence with regard to the tenders of the 
 gofpel, merely as the Reveries of his own inventi- 
 on .or imagination j — if we can fuppofe that the 
 ajfoftle James could ftupidly imagine, that a mira- 
 culous interpofition of divine Power ; was the effect 
 of an angry, furious, revengeful prayer of a fiery 
 prophet. — Thefe things once taken for granted, 
 what ground of- credit is left for our faith in the 
 gofpel, as a Revelation from God ? Why may I 
 not conclude, that thefe writers or hijtorians were 
 no more than other men ? nay, that as they were 
 illiterate, ignorant, weak men •, why fhould I not 
 think them utterly incapable of fupporting the cre- 
 dit due to Evangelijh f that is, of men fuppofed 
 to be entrufted with imparting and handing down 
 matters of mere Revelation •, or in other Words, 
 the true Gofpel of Jefus Chrift. 
 
 * See his Short DiiTertation onProvid. Pag. 215, 216. 
 .e For 
 
EliasV Prayer being an angry Prayer. 3 
 
 For in/lance, there is fomething very inconfiftent 
 with fuch ideas, in the cafe of St. James, and a de- 
 mand to my firm afient : For, if he could ima- 
 gine that the (hutting up of the clouds for three years 
 and fix months, was the effect of Elias's Prayer, 
 as a man of a fiery refentful difpofition \ and could 
 urge fuch an inftance, as a proper argument for the 
 Prayer of Faith : it will certainly include in it, that 
 St. James muft have had mod rude fentiments of the 
 Deity ; as it fuppofes, God's working a Miracle 
 in gratification of an inhumane, diforder'd, irrafcible 
 addrefs. This he could not but know, muft be 
 contrary to the very constitution of the Jewi(hjlate y 
 as a Theocracy, which had receiv'd its Magna Char- 
 ta from God, who had exprefsly declared by Mofes t 
 that Vengeance and Recompence belonged to himfelf ; 
 Deut. xxxii. 35. And among the laws he gave that 
 people, this is one, viz. Thou /halt not avenge, 
 nor bear any Grudge againfi the Children of 
 thy People, but thouflialt love thy Neighbour as thy 
 felf y Lev. xix. 18. The Stranger that dwelleth 
 with you, /ball be unto you as one born among you y 
 and thou (halt love him as thy felf, for ye were 
 fir angers in the land of Egypt. / am the Lord 
 your God, ver. 34. Nay, mercy was to be exprefs'd 
 to their very Cattle or beads of burden, Exod, 
 xx. 10. xxiii. 5. Deut. xxv. 4. 
 
 B 2 Instead 
 
( On Mr. Chubb** Proof of 
 
 Instead of which Mr. Chubb fays, " that this 
 " infirmity and frailty of nature, which St. James, 
 " at leaft, fuppofeth Elias was fubjecl to, and in- 
 U fiuenced by, viz. a pious but warm, angry zeal, 
 " was fui table to that infirm or imp erf eft difpenfa- 
 ** tion of Judaifm, Elias lived under, and which 
 " that difpenfation feemed to incourage, or at kail 
 " to indulge.'" — Vind. p. 30. Nay more* than this, 
 he does not fcruple to affert " that religious Perfe- 
 " cut ion appears with a much better grace in a Jew, 
 " than in a Chrijlian ; as it is more fuitable to the 
 " Jewijh, than to the Chrijlian Difpenfation. For 
 " a Jew to perfecute men, on account of religion, 
 " is not greatly to be wondered at, becaufe Perfe- 
 " cution feems, at leaft, to be countenanced by his 
 " Religion." pag. 48. 
 
 I f by the Jewifh difpenfation Mr. Chubb would 
 be underftood to mean, any divine Precept belong- 
 ing to that difpenfation, I can find none that encou- 
 raged or indulged a warm, angry Zeal : nor do I 
 fee with what propriety fuch a Temper can be fuit- 
 ed to that difpenfation. The PafTages I have cited 
 
 are entirely againft it —If he mould refer us to 
 
 the Example of the great Law-giver of the Jews ; 
 we find, that his Meeknefs was the very difpofition 
 of mind, which occafioned his being fo highly fa- 
 vour'd of the God cf the Jews. It is faid of him, 
 1 that 
 
EHas'i Prayer being an angry Prayer. 5 
 
 that he was meek above all the men which wen 
 upon the face of the earth \ Numb. xii. 3. And 
 Jefus the Son of Sirach fays, that God brought out 
 of Jacob a merciful man, which found favour in the 
 fight of all flefh, even Mofes beloved of God, and 
 men, whofe memorial is bleffed — whom he fan&i- 
 fied in his faithfulnefs and meeknefs, and chofe him 
 out of all men ; Eccluf. xlv. 1 , and 4. — Nay, we 
 find, that for one inftance of this fiery Piety -f, this 
 warm, angry zeal in Mofes, he was denied an entrance 
 into Canaan, Pfal. cvi. 32, 33. They anger'd him 
 alfo at the waters of Jlrife, that it went ill with 
 Mofes for their fakes : Becaufe they provoked his 
 fpirit, fo that he /pake unadvifeably with his lips ; 
 Compare Numb. xx. 10. Deut. iii. 25, 26. 
 
 If we allow the Jewifh difpenfation to have been 
 from God , this infirmity and frailty of nature 
 could never be encouraged by it ; nor could religi- 
 ous perfecution appear with any good grace in a Jew ; 
 it being quite unfuitable to that difpenfation, as 
 well as to the Chriftian. The Jews were, it muft 
 be own'd, a wicked, obdurate people, and would 
 not bear reproof ; fo that they are chargeable with 
 having kiWd the prophets ; and with having indul- 
 ged 2l fpirit of perfecution j but then, this was fo far 
 from fitting with any good grace upon them, or be- 
 
 + A term Mr. Chuhl has been pleas'd to ufe, but altogether 
 unintelligible to me. See his Vindication, pag. 48. 
 
6 On Mr. Chubb'i Proof©/ 
 
 ing encouraged by their conftitution* that it is moft 
 evidently condemn'd by it. Oppreflion and Vio- 
 lence, yea, every degree of injuflice was ftrictly 
 forbid by their Law, but no way indulged by it. 
 
 That ftory of Eli ash calling for fire from hea- 
 ven on the two captains and their fifties, i Kings i. 
 10, 12. don't feem to ftrengthen this remark of 
 Mr. Chubb's ; altho' he would have it fo underftood, 
 Vind. p. 28. Nor that of the Prophets of Baal be- 
 ing fiain, mention'd, 1 Kings xviii. 40. See p. 29. 
 thefe inftances don't, I fay, feem to prove " that 
 " Elias's piety or religious zeal was of the warm, 
 angry kind which drew after it death and deftruRi- 
 on : " the very terms, if ufed in earneft, militate : 
 
 There certainly muft be the greatefl oppofition 
 
 between piety or religious zeal, and that warm and 
 angry emotion of mind which draws after it death 
 and dejlruclion. To clear Eli as from this charge 
 in the laft mention'd place, 1 Kings xviii. 40. I 
 need only refer my Reader to my Remarks on 
 Mr. Chubb, from p. 42, to 47. — As to that of the 
 Captains and their fifties being deftroy'd by his cal- 
 ling for fire from Heaven, 2 Kings i. if the hifto- 
 ry be attended to without prejudice ; we mail find 
 room enough to excufe the Prophet from any charge 
 of impious, malevolent warmth of Spirit. And altho' 
 Mr. Chubb thinks that there was no fault at all in 
 the two firft Captains and their fifties -, yet had 
 
 this 
 
Elias'j Prayer being an angry Prayer, y 
 
 this been the cafe, I would ask why the third Cap- 
 tain and his fifty efcaped with their lives, if the for- 
 mer were as innocent as they ? and if the reafon of 
 the deftruclion was only the Sin of Ahaziah ? It 
 does not appear that Ahaziah had at all relented 
 
 when he fent this third band It feems to me that 
 
 both Ahaziah and his firft Meflengers were defpi- 
 fers of Elias's God, and were refolved to vent their 
 rage on Elijah ; for altho* the firft band was re- 
 markably deftroy'd ; yet the fecond Captain and his 
 fifty alfo dared the prophet and his God, and refo- 
 lutely feconded the attempt. Both the Captains, in 
 all probability, were the votaries of Baalzebub the 
 god of Ekron, and tauntingly call Elijah man of God. 
 The firft tells him the King hath faid, come down. 
 Now had he believ'd him to be a true prophet of 
 God ; had he remember'd his calling for fire from 
 heaven to confume the facrifices, in the notable conteft 
 between Baal's prophets and he; the Captain 
 would not have ventur'd to place the authority of his 
 matter, before that of omnipotence ! but he was 
 plainly under the influence of Mr. C — 's pious, and 
 religious zeal, which was of die warm and fiery kind ; 
 thirfty for revenge on Elijah: and therefore he neg- 
 lects thefe proper confiderations, and haughtily fays, 
 thou man of God the King hath faid, come down.—— 
 
 Nor was the fecond Captain's enthufiafm, and 
 religious zeal abated any more than his Mailer's, 
 
 altho' 
 
8 On Mr. Chubb'* Proofo/ 
 
 altho* God had given teftimony to the million of his 
 prophet, and fo openly confirm'd the meffage he 
 had fent by him to the ftupid, idolatrous Ahaziab : 
 But he is more refolute, and in a pafiion, he fays, 
 O man of God, thus hath the King /aid, come down 
 qjj ickly. Elijah is reprefented as faying, if I 
 be a man of God, let fire come down from heaven, 
 and confume thee and thy fifty. This is put in the 
 form of a prayer, or an imprecation ; but, I think, 
 when we trace the feveral circumftances, we may 
 warrantably underftand him as anfwering in the pro- 
 phetic Character. Let fire come down, &c. that is, 
 fire will come down from heaven and deftroy thee 
 and thy fifty, if I am not deceiv'd in the revelation 
 made to me. If I be a man of God it will •, I know 
 it will ; for by the fame hand, that I receiv'd the 
 meffage which I deliver'd to Ahaziah, I have been 
 inform 'd, that fuch evidences fhall be given as tefti- 
 
 monials of my divine million Nor were thefe 
 
 two inftances of judgment inflicted on improper 
 fubjects, they were, mod probably, impious and 
 incorrigible bands ! but not fo the third Captain i 
 for, he went up with his fifty, and came and fell 
 on his knees, and ask'd his own life, and the life of 
 his fifty : f upon which we are told, that the Angel 
 of the Lord faid to Elijah, Go down with him, be 
 
 f Note, It does not appear by the fequel that Ahaziah fent the 
 third Captain with this Meffage j but the contrary,— for the 
 fentence we find confirm'd. 
 
 not 
 
Ellas'* Prayer being an angry Prayer. 9 
 
 not afraid of him : and he went down to Ahaziah, 
 
 and confirm'd his firft mefifage Obferve, the 
 
 Angel of the Lord is a companion for Elijah during 
 this time of his being guided by a fiery religious 
 zeal, and a piety of the angry kind ! This methinks 
 is ftrange ! The Angel of the Lord one would have 
 expected to have reproved fuch a malevolent difpo- 
 fition, had he perceiv'd it as plainly as Mr. Chubb 
 has done : But we don't fee any reafon to think he 
 did reprove Elijah^ or that, by the ftory, Elijah was 
 under the influence of this kind of deftructive z>- 
 rafcible paffion. For the Angel of the Lord, who 
 fent Elijah with the mefTage to the King of Sama- 
 riah's Meflfengers, had given him the information 
 that Ahaziah Jhould not recover : And to prove to 
 him that the mefTage was from God, he, molt pro- 
 bably, nay, I think we cannot but fuppofe, he 
 did certainly inform him of thefe confequences that 
 mould attend it, as what were to be the confirming 
 evidences of the truth of his prediction. 
 
 Had this deftruffive, mortal piety been encoura- 
 ged or indulg'd by the Jewi(h Difpenfation, our 
 Lord could not have rebuk'd his difciples when they 
 would have call'd for fire from heaven, Luk. ix. 
 
 53 by telling them, that they knew not what fpi- 
 
 rit they were of—-" for they might have replied, 
 that they did know ; for fuch kind of piety or re- 
 
 C ligicus 
 
io On Mr. Chubb'iPRooF of 
 
 ligious zeal had been indulged in Elias,-\ as a Jew : 
 and they, by defiring it, only conform'd to the fpirit 
 and genius of the Jewijh Difpenfation, to which 
 
 they belong'd But this being not the cafe, their 
 
 miftaking the ftory of Elias, prov'd that they knew 
 not what fpirit they were of. They faw not that 
 the teftimonies of (Thrift's divine million were diffe- 
 rent from thofe which were given of E lias's milli- 
 on. No judicial a<5ts were to take place upon the 
 lives of men, during his publick miniftry, as did 
 during Elias's prophefying. And yet, Elias him- 
 felf was not warranted from that Conflitution to en- 
 courage or allow an angry, deflructive zeal. This 
 fpirit has been contrary to the fpirit of God in all 
 ages ; and ever will be contrary to the fpirit and 
 genius of his faithful fervants. — This pious, this 
 religious zeal, which Mr. Chubb, mentions, is of the 
 Devil, who was a murderer from the beginning; 
 and could never look graceful under any Difpen- 
 fation. 
 
 But Mr. Chubb will have the word oixoioTetQve, 
 tranflated like paffions, ufed by St. James, chap. v. 
 ver. ly. to be connVd to the infirmities and frail- 
 ties of the mind, which he thinks, is determin*d by 
 the fubject St. James was treating of. His words 
 are, St. James, furely, mull intend fomething by 
 
 f See Mr. Chubb' s I'ir.dication, p. 26. 
 
 2 making 
 
Elias'i Prayer being an angry Prayer. 1 1 
 
 making the following remark, viz. " that Elias 
 " was a man fubjett to like infirmities and frailties 
 " of nature, as we are ; and the infirmities and 
 " frailties St. James particularly referred to, muft 
 " have been exemplified in the cafe he was go- 
 " ing to fpeak about, in order to render that 
 " remark pertinent, or to his purpofe. But the 
 " infirmities and frailties of the body, that is, the 
 " being fubject to mortality, or to the gout, or 
 " ftone, or the like, could not excite Elias to 
 " pray for a fore judgment upon Ifrael : where- 
 " as the infirmities and frailties of the mind, 
 " that is, being fubject to a warm, angry zeal, 
 " upon account of Religion ( which was very 
 " much the cafe of the Jews ) might •, and 
 " therefore, I think, that mull have been the 
 " cafe, f " 
 
 As Mr. Chubb has not thought fit to take any 
 particular notice of what I have offer'd on this Head 
 in my Remarks, I humbly refer my Reader to the 
 argument there flated, from pag. 38. to pag. 50. 
 and mall not repeat what I have there advanc'd. 
 And yet, it will be proper to take fome notice of 
 the fteddinefs of Mr. Chubb's fentiments — He has 
 cited feveral learned Authorities about the ufe of the 
 Greek word, tranflated like-pajfwns. " Grotius, he 
 
 f See Mr. Chubb's 'vindication, pag. 26. 
 
 C 2 " fays, 
 
'12 On Mr. Chubb' j Proof of 
 
 " fays, renders it, liable to death, and the evils of 
 
 " ///,?. Erafmus and Bud<eus render it, mortal ; 
 
 " jE/^j 'kw mortal, or endowed with the fame con- 
 " dition of mortality. — Dr. Hammond reads it, E- 
 €t lias was a man fubjetl to the fame officii on s and 
 " frailties : But then he means, frailties either of 
 " body or mind. Vorfiius and heigh render it, 
 
 " fubjecl to the like or the fame paffions or affe&i- 
 
 " ons. -Stevens renders it, one to whom there 
 
 " are like affections, or the fame, or like pertur- 
 
 " bations. Scapula, perturbations (he might have 
 
 " added) or affe&ions." Upon this, he fays, " feeing, 
 " then, the learned have fuch different readings np_ 
 <c on the aforemention'd Greek word, what mull 
 
 44 we do under this perplexity?"- pag. 23, 24. 
 
 Vindication. 
 
 This difficulty he has remov'd himfelf, in that 
 paffige before cited from his 16th pag. altho' I free- 
 ly own, I cannot fee any great variety in the read- 
 ings of thofe learned men he has quoted, i. e. fuffi- 
 ciently different to create any great difficulty about 
 rendering the word — But fuppofe he could imagine 
 any very different fenfe in thefe readings, let us fee 
 whether Mr. Chubb has reliev'd us, by the key he 
 has given. He fiys, " it muft refpect the infir- 
 " mities of the mind, and thefe infirmities muft 
 " have been exemplified in the cafe he was going to 
 " fpeak about, in order to render that remark 
 " pertinent, or to his purpofe. " Now the cafe 
 
 St. 
 
E lias' J Prayer being an angry Prayer. 1 3 
 
 St. James was exemplifying by this inftance, was 
 evidently the fitnefs of their exercifing the miracu- 
 lous prayer, by which the fick were healed : And 
 he pleads with them, in order to encourage the pray-- 
 er of Faith, the cafe of Eli as, who was a man fub- 
 ject to like-infirmities, or like-fufFerings,T who had 
 had miraculous impartments, as the effect of whofe 
 earneft prayer God Jhut up the heavens for three 
 years and fix months, in confirmation of his divine 
 miffion, and to bring the people to repentance; 
 and can you, q. d. difpute his readinefs to heal your 
 ficknefTes upon the prayer of faith ? If we mould 
 apply like-paffions to his bodily infirmities, it would 
 look much more confiftent with the character of 
 Elias, as a righteous man, to fuppofe an angry 
 prayer in him to be the effect of the gout or fione, 
 than the produce of a fettled, warm, religious zeal, 
 which was mortal and dejlruclive. — Some paroxifms 
 of exquifite pain, may, for a feafon, convulfe the 
 mind of an upright, pious, righteous man : but 
 this cannot be faid of the temper of mind Mr. Chubb 
 
 contends for. On the contrary, the fame word 
 
 tranflated like pafiions, AHs xiv. 15. Mr. Chubb 
 owns, " he fees no reafon fhould be applied to the 
 mind more than to the infirmities of the body. " \. 
 And I declare it, as my full perfuafion, that it can- 
 
 -j- "OfMotQ- fimilis, et &*$<§■ afFe&us, adtor. 14, 15. Vid. 
 Pa/or's Man. Nov. Tift* 
 4- Vind. pag. 25. 
 
 not 
 
14 On Mr. Chubb'* Proof of 
 
 not with any propriety be limited or dijlinklly ap- 
 plied at all, that is, either in the cafe of Elias, or of 
 the apoftles. Both St. Paul, and Barnabas, and St. 
 James, appear to have ufed the term more general- 
 ly, as defcribing the Jpecies. 
 
 In the mouth of the former, it is as if they had 
 faid, " O you men of Lyjlra, don't miftake us 
 *' for a diftincl: fort of beings from your felves : 
 " We are not Gods or Demons who have afiumed 
 " humane Ihape : but in our whole frame and con- 
 iC ftruelion of being, we are the fame with you ; 
 " men of like pafiions, that is, of the fame fielh and 
 " blood ; proper men." 
 
 St. James may likewife be underftood, as addref- 
 fing the Chriftians thus, " Attend to the inftance I 
 " give you of Elias, and let me affure you, that 
 " altho' he was remarkably remov'd from this 
 
 " world at his exit, in a chariot of fire and 
 
 ** altho' he was admitted to bear a part in the tranf- 
 " figuration of our Lord; yet he was but a man, 
 " his original was in common with yours ; a man 
 " of like-paflions, affections, and infirmities ! no- 
 " thing of the Angelic nature, but a real defcen- 
 " dant of Adam; and he prayed in his prayer," &c. 
 
 BuTto proceed, Mr. Chubb has not fhewn how 
 the fuppofition would not fix a like odium upon 
 
 St. 
 
Elias'i Tracer being an angry "Prayer. 15 
 
 St. James and the Chriftians, and of confequence, 
 be a plea in favour of the fame religious, angry- 
 zeal among Chriftians, which he has denied it to be 
 at all fuitable for. — It would, according to Mr. Chubb, 
 have been as if St. James had faid, " Elias was a man 
 " as we are, full of warm, angry, Jewifh zeal, which 
 " would be fatisfied with nothing fhort of death 
 " and deftruftion ! therefore, let not that fiery tern- 
 " -per in you, Chriftians, difcourage the prayer of 
 " faith -, for, tho* he was like you, he had great 
 " fuccefs, his angry prayer was effectual, and you 
 " need be in no doubt but you will fucceed alfo : 
 " be but furious in your addrefTes like him, and 
 
 " defpair not of fuccefs. " Thus muft we para- 
 
 phrafe St. James, according to Mr. Chubb. 
 
 After all this pains which Mr. Chubb has ta- 
 ken, he tells us, " That St. James's epiftle fhews 
 " him to have been a very worthy good man, fo far 
 " as a man is to be judged of by his writings, and 
 " one who had a much jufier and truer fenfe of 
 " that Gofpel which he was appointed to pub- 
 " lifh to the world, than his late advocates 
 " feem to have ; yet notwithstanding he may have 
 " been too credulous, with regard to Elias's 
 " prayer, which way foever he came by his infor- 
 <c mation. For, if, the afflicting the people of If- 
 " rael, in the manner referred to, had been fuita- 
 " ble and proper, then they would, no doubt have 
 
 " been 
 
16 On Mr. Chubb'* Proof of 
 
 " been thus afflicted, whether the Prophet had 
 " prayed, or not ; and if it had been improper, 
 " then, I think, I may venture to fay, that the 
 * c importunity of ten prophets or righteous men, 
 " would not have been fufficient to procure it; 
 " fo that the Prophet's Prayer had little to 
 " do in the affair, "-f 
 
 I am perfuaded, that there is no modeft man 
 whatfoever, who will envy Mr, Chubb the glory of 
 this paragraph. He has paid a Compliment to St. 
 James, and owns that fo far as he can judge by his 
 writings, he feems to have been a worthy and good 
 man ; and not only fo, but to have zjujler and truer 
 fenfe of that Gofpel he was appointed to publifh, 
 than his late advocates feem to have ! 
 If I may anfwer for his late advocates, we readily 
 give St. James the preference ; we defire to build 
 our faith on him, as belonging to that foundation of 
 which Chrift is the chief corner fione. We would 
 not be put in competition with him as to an e- 
 quality of knowledge in the Chriftian fcheme. — 
 Mr. Chubfrs greater fagacity and penetration could 
 only apologize for his finking the character of St. 
 James-, with his, yet notwithstanding, 
 he may have been too credulous, ivith regard 
 to Elias' s prayer, which way soever he came 
 by his information. 
 
 f Vind. pag. 31. 
 
 Mr. 
 
Elms'* Prayer being an angry Prayer, \j 
 
 Mr. Chubb underftands the affair of Elias's pray- 
 er far better than St. James ; and dare venture to 
 fay, " that fo far from the cafe being pertinent to 
 " St. James's argument, or the drought being the 
 tc effect of Elias's earneft prayer, that it would have 
 <c been whether he had pray'd or not, fo that the 
 " Prophet's prayer had little to do in the affair. " 
 So we find St. James firft Hands chargeable with not 
 forming right notions of God, as a juft, merciful, 
 and wile being, that would efteem an angry, cruel, 
 vengeful fpirit, as hateful, and its defires, as an a- 
 bomination : but on the contrary, as one who would 
 give audience to, and encourage fuch angry prayers. 
 He (lands chargeable, like wife, with not know- 
 ing, that the very fame benign fpirit that animated 
 and directed the Apofiles, fpake by the Prophets. 
 Nay, he ftands impeach'd as intirely ignorant of 
 the nature of prayer ! for had St. James feen, with 
 that clearnefs which Mr. Chubb does, the ftate of the 
 cafe ; he would then have known, " that if the af- 
 " flicting of the people of Ifrael, in the manner re- 
 " ferred to, had been fuitable and proper, then, 
 tc they would, no doubt, have been thus afflicted, 
 " whether the Prophet had pray'd, or not •, and if 
 " it had been improper, that the i.r.tcrtunily of ten 
 " Prophets, or righicou; men, would not have been 
 " fumcient to procure it. " St. James therefore, 
 feems to have underftocd nothing at all of the 
 
 D matter, 
 
18 On Mr. Chubb' j Proof of 
 
 matter, but has reafon'd very impertinently : for he, 
 inftead of bidding the Chriftians pray one for ano- 
 ther, that they might be healed : Or telling them, 
 that the prayer of faith flail fave the fick, and the 
 Lord flail raife him up : Or, that the effectual fer- 
 vent prayer of a righteous man availeth much ; and 
 then giving them an inftance in EliasV prayer : in- 
 ftead of this, he mould have told them, according 
 to Mr. Chubb, that if the healing of their fick was 
 fuitable and proper, then they would no doubt be 
 healed, whether they were pray'd for, or not ; and 
 if their healing was improper, then the prayers of 
 the elders of ten Churches, and their utmoft impor- 
 tunity would not be fufficient to procure fuch heal- 
 ing : fo that their prayers had little to do in the af- 
 fair. 
 
 Mr. Chubb adds, " that the hiftory rather repre- 
 " fents Elias as one appointed by God, to make 
 " known his will concerning the great drought that 
 " was to be brought upon the land, and the rain 
 *' that was to follow upon it, than one, who by 
 " his earned prayer had obtain'd this. " f 
 
 Taking this for granted, for argument's fake, 
 how will Mr. Chubb's reafonings hold in another 
 place, where he fays, " St. James furely mult intend 
 " fomething by making the following remark, viz. 
 
 f Vind. pag. 32. 
 
 " that 
 
 
Elias'j Prayer being an angry Prayer. 19 
 
 " that Elias was a man fubject to like infirmities 
 
 " and frailties of nature as we are. " which muft 
 
 " refpect the infirmities and frailties of the mind, 
 " that is, the being fubject to a warm, angry zeal 
 " upon account of religion might ; and therefore, 
 " I think, that mull have been the cafe. And 
 " then, I think the apoftle's words, and his reafon- 
 " * n g grounded upon them, may, and that not un- 
 " naturally, be paraphras'd in the following manner. 
 " The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man 
 " availeth much. An Example of this we have in 
 " the -prayer of Elias, who was not only one of our 
 " fpecies, and took part of the common nature 
 " with other men ; but alfo one in whom the infir- 
 " mities and frailties of humane nature were apt to, 
 " and did fometimes mew themfelves. And he, in 
 " the height of his pious, tho' warm, angry zeal 
 ' ' and refentment againft an idolatrous people, pray- 
 " ed earneftly for a fore judgment upon them, viz. 
 i ' that it might not rain -, and it rained not on the 
 " earth by the fpace of three years and fix months* 
 " And when he had thus brought the foremention'd 
 ft people into this great diflrefs, and was thereby 
 " mov'd with pity towards them, he pray y d again, 
 *■' and the heavens gave rain, and the earth brought 
 " forth her fruit. If then, Elias, when in the 
 " warm, angry fpirit and temper of ^a Jew, prayed 
 " earneftly, and was heard in that he prayed •, how 
 44 much more may every good and faithful difciple 
 
 D 2 of 
 
20 On Mr. Chubb** Proof of 
 
 " of Chrift, reafonably expect to have his earned 
 " prayers heard and anfwered, when he is fuppo- 
 " fed to pray, not in the warm, angry zeal of E- 
 " lias, or a Jew, but in the fpirlt and temper of 
 " his &W and companionate mafier ? This feems to 
 " be the apoftle's argument. " f And then Mr. 
 Chubb goes on to inftance in other cafes, and upon 
 other occafions, wherein Elias was influenced by 
 the like angry difpofition. 
 
 Here we muft either think that Mr. Chubb 
 is paraphrafihg St. James as having miftook the 
 whole defign of the flory of Elias : forafmuch, as 
 this drought was no way brought about by this 
 angry -prayer of his ; fitice it would have taken 
 place exactly in the fame manner it did, had he 
 never pray'd about it ; and fo his prayer will 
 ftand for nothing. — ——Or elfe, we muft fuppofe 
 Mr. Ckubb willing to be underflood as giving us a 
 true account of the flory of Elias in this his para- 
 phrafe ; and thereby fupporting his own hypothefis, 
 viz. " that, this pious, warm, angry 1 zeal apparent 
 " in Elias, was fuitable to that infirm or imperfeEl 
 " difpenfation of Judaifm which feem'd to encou- 
 " rage or at leaft to indulge it. " If we underfland 
 him in the former fenfe, viz. that St. James mi- 
 ftook. the whole ftory, then St. James will appear 
 unacquainted with the nature and defign of Prayer : 
 
 ■f Vind. pag. 26, 27. 
 
 1 and 
 
Elias'i Prayer being an angry Prayer. 2 1 
 
 and not only fo, but Mr. Chubb might have fpared 
 his remarks upon Elijah's calling for fire from 
 heaven on the two Captains and on their fifties : 
 fiiice if Elijah may be fuppofed to have known as 
 much of the matter as Mr. Chubb, he mud plain- 
 ly perceive that his praying or calling for fire, was 
 an idle infignificant thing, if he expected it to be 
 given as the effect of his prayer : for if it was// and 
 proper, then it would no doubt have come and de- 
 ftroy'd them, whether he pray'd for it or not ; but, 
 if improper, then it would not have come with all 
 his intreaties. Which will not fupport his angry 
 hypothefis. But if he fhould intend by his para- 
 phrafe to fupport this his hypotbejis, concerning 
 the angry dejlrutlive temper of the Prophet, being 
 fuitable to the Jewijh Difpenfation : Then upon his 
 own fcheme, St. James muit not be fuppofed to have 
 miftook the cafe : but muft be underftood as intro- 
 ducing this angry, fuccefsful prayer, as an encou- 
 raging inftance to the Chriftians exercife of the 
 
 prayer of faith. Which by the way, would lead 
 
 us to deny that that difpenfation cou'd be a divine 
 difpenfation ; the fpirit it indulg'd being the fpirit 
 of the Devil ; who was a malevolent Being, and a 
 murderer from the beginning ; when at the fame 
 time we plainly perceive, as I have already hinted, 
 both from its Laws and its Law-giver, that it ma- 
 nifeftly inculcates a fpirit of love and meeknefs : 
 nay, we find God himfelf their fovereign declaring 
 
 to 
 
 / 
 
22 On Mr. Chubb'j Proofs/ 
 
 to them, that he was the Lord, the Lord God 
 merciful and gracious, flow to anger, abundant in 
 
 goodnefs, and truth Thus we have not the kaji 
 
 foundation to fupport fuch an hypothecs as Mr. 
 Chubb's about the Jewifh Bifpenfation, but the very- 
 contrary.— — 
 
 Mr. Chubb feems not to have examin'd his Bible 
 with an unprejudic'd mind ; for, had he been impar- 
 tial, he could notfurely have charged the J ewiftDif- 
 penfation with encouraging a perfecuting, or angry 
 deftructive fpirit. — — Our Lord, one would think, 
 muft needs have known the genius of that Difpen- 
 fation full as well as Mr. Chubb, and he tells the 
 people in his famous fermon, Matth. vii. 12. That 
 for men to do to others, all things whatfoever they 
 would that others jhould do to them, was the Law 
 and the Prophets: that is, this golden maxim was 
 inculcated by the Law and the Prophets ; it was 
 the doclrine of both •, the great point in view ; the 
 fcope and end of them ; and included every focial 
 virtue. Nay, in chap. xxii. he tells the Lawyer, 
 that the firft, chief, principal commandment was, 
 to love the Lord our God with all the heart, and 
 foul, and mind; that is, with the utmoft intenfenefs. 
 And that the fecond like to it, is, thou [halt love 
 thy neighbour as thy felf \ and that on thefe two hang 
 all the Law and the Prophets. But the Law 
 and the Prophets feem to take in the whole of the 
 
El'ias' j Prayer being an angry Prayer. 23 
 
 Jewijh Difpenfation : and if fo, then the Law and 
 the Prophets could not fufpend on thefe two max- 
 ims or principles, and at the fame time encourage per- 
 fection ! it is impoflible — again, as the Apoftle to 
 the Romans has it, ch. xiii. 8. Owe no man any thing, 
 but to love one another : for he that loveth another 
 hath fulfilled the Law. So Gal. v. 14. For all the 
 (focial) Law is fulfilled in one word, even in this, 
 thou jhalt love thy neighbour as thy felf: this is the 
 fcope of the fecond Table, and ftrictly enjoin'd by 
 the Jewiflo Difpenfation. 
 
 I think the Jewijh cannot be denied to have 
 been a divine difpenfation, rf we will allow our Sa- 
 viour's authority to be conclufive ; he frequently 
 refers to it as fuch ; fee Luke xvi. 29, 31. — They 
 have Mofes and the Prophets ; let them hear them. 
 If they hear not Mofes and the Prophets, neither 
 will they be perfuaded tho' one rofe from the dead. 
 It perhaps may be objected, that this is only the 
 application of a Parable, and therefore not conclu- 
 five. 1 anfwer, altho' it is fo, yet nothing can 
 
 be more plain than the moral of the parable it felf 
 
 A rich uncharitable Jew is reprefented in a 
 
 (late of mifery ; and an afflicted, poor, and we muft 
 fuppofe, pious Jew is defcribed in Abraham's Bo- 
 fom , or a ftate of happinefs. The uncharitable 
 wretch is reprefented as pleading with Abraham to 
 fend a Meffenger from the dead to inform his bre- 
 thren 
 
24 On Mr. Ch ubb'-f Proofc/" 
 
 thren of the necefiity of a different temper and con- 
 duel;, if they would avoid like-mifery. Abraham 
 is made to anfwer, that Mofes and the Prophets 
 were a fufficient guide to them, if they would at- 
 tend to them : which is a plain teftimony againft 
 the charge of the Jewifh Difpenfation's either encou- 
 raging or indulging an angry, cruel, or a perfec- 
 ting fpirit. In like manner, we find our Lord gi- 
 ving his teftimony to the divine authority of Mofes, 
 Joh. v. 45, 46. — There is one that accufeth you, 
 even Moses, in whom ye trujl ; for had ye believed 
 Mofes, ye would have believed me : for he wrote of 
 me. — So St. Stephen declares, Atls vii. 35. that 
 God fent him, (that is Mofes) to be a ruler and a 
 deliverer, by the hands of the Angel which appear- 
 ed to him in the bufh. And, ver. 37. this is that 
 Mofes which faid unto the children of Ifrael, a Pro- 
 phet mall the Lord your God raife up unto you of 
 your brethren, like unto me ; him mail ye hear. 
 So that if the teftimony of our Lord and St. Stephen 
 be of any weight, Mofes had not only a divine milli- 
 on, but he prophefied of Chrift. In like manner, we 
 find Philip telling Nathaniel, that they had found 
 him of whom Mofes in the law, and the Prophets did 
 write, Jefus of Nazareth, the fon of Jofeph ; John i. 
 45. And St. Luke tells us, that after our Lord's 
 refurrection, he expounded to the two difciples go- 
 ing to Emaus, in all the fcriptures, the things con- 
 cerning himfelf •, and in doing fo, he began at Mo- 
 
Elias'i Prayer being an angry Prayer. 25 
 
 fes, and went through all the prophets, and ex- 
 pounded unto them in all the fcriptures, the things 
 concerning him/elf, Luke xxiv. 27. 
 
 This is therefore a doSlrine plainly taught by 
 our Lord, viz. that the fewifl) Writings tcfti'ned 
 concerning him : of confequence, mould we fuppofe 
 that the Evangeliji was miftaken, or that our Lord 
 was miftaken, and that this doctrine was only the 
 private opinion of the one, or the other, we may 
 with the fame reafon fuppofe that a private opinion 
 runs through the whole, and thereupon entirely re- 
 ject the hiftory as fpurious. 
 
 W e mud therefore take care how we interpret 
 any part of the Jevuifh Scriptures fo as to contradict 
 this moft evident truth, j It will not be found fuffi- 
 cient to difprove the truth of this remark, about 
 the fpirit of the Jewi/h Difpenfation, viz. that any 
 of the Prophets were commiflion'd by God to de- 
 liver his threatnings ; or even appear to be con- 
 cern'd in the execution of them : or, that the Chil- 
 dren of Ifrael were at times directed to deftroy 
 fuch and fuch People. Either Idolatry or other 
 great vices were the ground of fuch appointments ; 
 and they themfelves, their Priefls, and their Kings 
 when tranfgreffors, were notorious inftances of fuch 
 difpleafure in the great Governour of the World. 
 Jie did not fpare them when they revolted, but 
 
 E executed 
 
26 On Mr. Chubb j Proof of 
 
 executed Judgments upon them, and vifited them 
 with fore calamities. Such manifeft reafons are 
 there to expect, that an unbiafs'd, honeft, and care- 
 ful attention to the Jezvifh Hijlcry will convince us, 
 that no iuch angry fpirit, that draw'd after it death 
 and deftruction, was ever, either encouraged or in- 
 dulg'd under that difpenfation. I might go over 
 the feveral Narratives objected to, but this is un- 
 neceffary : the ingenious Mr. John Leland's Dh 
 Authority of the Old and New Tejiameut qjfertefi, a- 
 gainft the Moral Philofopher, is a fufrkient refuta- 
 tion of Mr. Chubb's hypothecs, and is likely to 
 Hand every attack that can be made againft it : for 
 great is Truth, divine in its nature and original^ 
 and it will, it cannot but prevail. 
 
 But left fome of my Readers may not have the 
 Jiappinefs of feeing either this defence ; or that of Mr. 
 Chapman's, on the fame fubject, I would take this op- 
 portunity of giving an hint or two — The difpofition of 
 the Canaan! tes, &c. is objected to, as a moft notori- 
 ous inftance, not only, of cruelty, but injufiice. Mr. 
 Chubb lays, " perfecution feems, at lead, to be count e- 
 " rnanccd by the Jewifli Religion j and that it is no 
 „" wonder a 7^ mould perfecute on account of Re- 
 vt iigion j becaufe the fettlement of his Anceftors in 
 * c Canaan, and the behaviour of many men of re- 
 iC nown among the Jews, feems to encourage it. " 
 '. pi'.g. 48. Now*we arc exprefsly told, that it v/as 
 1 for 
 
Ellas'* Prayer being an angry Prayer, 2*j 
 
 for the wickednefs of thefe people, the Canaaniies^ 
 that they were difpofTefTed and deftroy'd : fee Deut. 
 ix. 5. accordingly we find that the Children of Ifra- 
 el are prohibited from bowing down to their Gods, 
 or ferving them, or doing after their works — Their 
 idolatry and wickednefs was exceedingly great! 
 therefore God determin'd to fend his Angel before 
 the Ifraelites, to bring them in to the land of the 
 Ammorites and the Hittites, &c. and to cut them 
 off; Exod. xxiii. 23, 24. In like manner, the If- 
 raeliles are forbid to make any Covenant with them, 
 or with their gods. They fkall not dwell in thy land 
 (fays God) left they make thee fm againfi me : ver. 
 32, 33. The abominable vices of thefeven Na- 
 tions to be deftroy'd we have a detail cf, which runs 
 almoft throughout the xviii. chap, of Leiit. fee ver. 
 26, 27, 28^ 29. For all thefe abominations (that is, 
 aforementioned abominations) have the men cf the 
 land done, which were before you, and the land is 
 
 defiled Commit ye not therefore thefe abominations, 
 
 that the land fpue not you out alfo, when ye defile it, 
 as it fpued cut the nations that were before you, 
 for who fo ever fhall commit any of thefe abominations, 
 even the fouls that commit them, Jhall be cut off 
 from among their people. No wonder then that we 
 find, they are ftricrly enjoy n'd to confume all the 
 people which the Lord should deliver 
 to them, and that their eye fhould have no pi- 
 ty upon them\ according to Dsut. vii. 16. mice. 
 
 E 2 their 
 
2S On Mr. Chubb' j Proof of 
 
 their abominations had rendered them unworthy of 
 life, and abfolutely Unfit for humane fociety. This 
 furely, cannot be call'd a fiery piety and an angry per- 
 fecting zea], when the old inhabitants had forfeited 
 all claim to humane pity or companion by their abo- 
 minations ; and flood fentenc'd and devoted to de- 
 finition by the laws, not only of nature, but of civil 
 fociety. Nor were the Jews to expect more favour 
 themfelves, if they arriv'd to the fame degrees of 
 vice and impiety. We accordingly find, that upon the 
 Jfratlltes revolting, they were likewife deftroy'd with 
 remarkable deftruftions. This proceeding then was 
 entirely confiflent with God's rccloral government 
 of the World ; — yea, fuch was the wickednefs 
 of men, that no other but thefe judicial methods 
 feems likely to have preferv'd an acknowledgment 
 of his being and perfections in the mora] world, I 
 mean among men. He had once deftroy'd the hu- 
 mane Family, all but eight fouls, on account of 
 their univerfal corruption, or debafement of their 
 powers and faculties ! fo he had two cities by firs 
 from heaven ! was this perfecutionr — and he now 
 brings out an injur'd opprefs'd people from one or 
 the idolatrous nations with Jigns and wonders ; dis- 
 playing the greatnefs of his power, and the glories 
 of his mercy and companion for them : if fo be, 
 they will attend, hearken, and become obedient. 
 And altho' they were to be the Inflrumcnts of his 
 vengeance, yet this will no more fuppofe an angry 
 
 piety, 
 
EHas'j Tracer being an angry Prayer. 29 
 
 piety, or a perfecting fpirit encouraged in them j 
 than the fame fpirit is fuppos'd to be encourag'd by 
 the Laws of nature, which would refent and condemn 
 a man*s devoting his offspring to a brafenftatue, made 
 hot enough to torture and confume the child, as foon 
 as put into the arms of it ; which ftatue mould at the 
 fame time, be worfhipped by him as his God ! — — 
 this would appear by the light of nature as abhor- 
 rent, and monilroufly inhumane ! The law of nature 
 teaches us likewife, to abhor and detefl a man or 
 a woman's lying with a beaft -, as it introduces the 
 
 moil mocking and horrid confufion ! 1 fay, 
 
 with the fame propriety this abhorrence of iniqui- 
 ty may be filled an angry piety, &c if we have 
 
 a mind to cavil. 
 
 That the Jeivijh Difpenfation encouraged or in- 
 dulged a perfecuting fpirit, I have fhewn is contra- 
 ry to the Character their Sovereign and Lord gives 
 of himfelf, who was known by the name of the 
 Lord, the Lord God merciful and gracious : it was 
 contrary to the fpirit and temper of their great pro- 
 phet : it was contrary to their moil exprefs laws, 
 which forbid all hard heartednefs, oppreffion, or 
 cruelty, either as to their poor, their neighbours or 
 ft rangers I On the other hand, in the words of Mr. 
 Leland, * " thofe feveral precepts relating to foci- 
 [' ety mew fuch an equity, fuch a fpirit of tender- 
 
 * Pag. 127. of his Divine Authority, &c. 
 
 <c nefs 
 
3© On Mr. Chub b's P r o o f of 
 
 " nefs and humanity in the law of Mofes, as can 
 " fcarce be parallelled in any laws that were given 
 " to any other nation." 
 
 Th e i r chanty in lending to the poor, Deut. xxiv. 
 13. is diftinguifh'd by the name of right eoufnefs, 
 which word, fays Maimonides, does not merely fio-- 
 nify the giving to every man his own, but what 
 he dees out of pure love to virtue and goodnefs, is 
 properly call'd by that name, f So they were to 
 exprefs great humanity and tendernefs to ftrangers ; 
 Exod. xxiii. 9. Alfo thou Jhalt not opprefs a jlran- 
 ger : for ye know the heart, or foul, of a fir anger, 
 feeing ye iv ere fir angers in the land, of Egypt. The 
 remembrance of their own oppreffions, and their 
 deliverance from them , mould , and naturally 
 wou'd excite companion to ftrangers. " Nor were 
 " they ever warranted by their Law to inforce the 
 " obfervation of it by Fire and Sword, or to ufe 
 " any methods of violence in order to profelyte 
 " thofe of any other Nation to their Religion, or 
 " to perfecute them if they refus'd to conform to 
 Ci their peculiar Rites. There is not any one pre- 
 " cept in the whole Law to this purpofe. It is 
 " therefore, a very wrong account that he (that is. 
 iC the Moral Philofophcr) gives of the Jezvijh State 
 " or Religion of Mofes, when he reprefents it, as 
 ts founded in the principles of Pcrfecution, and as 
 
 ■f Lfwts's Antiq- Ileb. rep. vol. III. p. 183. 
 
 " abfo~ 
 
Ellas' J Prayer being an angry Prayer. 3 1 
 
 " abfolutely inconfiftent with Toleration, Indul- 
 " gence, and Liberty of Confcience, or the rights 
 
 " of private Judgment One great defign for 
 
 *' which that Polity was erected, was to eftablifh 
 " the worfhip of the one true God in oppofition 
 " to idolatry. This was not only the chief prin- 
 " ciple of their Religion* but the principal maxim 
 
 " of their ftate Their pofleffion of the land of 
 
 *' Canaan* and all the advantages and privileges 
 " promifed them, abfolutely depended by Covenant 
 " upon their perfevering in the worfhip of the true 
 " God. — Thofe therefore that v/ere guilty of Idola- 
 " try* v/ere to be regarded as Traitors and Enemies 
 " to their Country, Subverting their fundamental 
 " Conftitution, and that original Covenant on which 
 " their Prefervation as a Community depended. — 
 " In a ftate fo conftituted, it was far from being 
 " cruel or unjuft, or contrary to the liberties of 
 " mankind to punifh Idolaters with death. 'Twas 
 " no more fo in them, than it is in other Countries 
 " and States to punifh high Treafon, or a confpi- 
 
 " racy to fubvert the ftate, with death. Nor 
 
 " is there one precept in the whole law directing or 
 " encouraging them to extirpate Idolatry, and to 
 " deftroy Idolaters in other Countries, that is, be- 
 1 " yond the bounds of Pale/line." * — On the contra- 
 ry, " they enter*d into Leagues and Covenants of 
 " Friendfhip with Idolatrous Nations. " See f 
 
 * Le/awTs Divine Author, p. 129, 130, 131, 133. flb.p.i^;. 
 
 E L /. 
 
32 On Mr. Chubb'* P r o o f of 
 
 ELIJS's angry prayer, or his perfecuting 
 Ipirit, will not therefore, look with any manner of 
 grace ; forafmuch as fuch fiery Piety was entirely re- 
 pugnant to the difpenfation to which he, as a Jew, 
 belong'd.— • 
 
 I am of opinion, that wjioever reads my Re- 
 marks on his true Go/pel, will think Mr. Chubb 
 Was obliged to have given fome reafons why Elias 
 cannot be fuppos'd to have pray'd for the drought ; 
 and why we may not fuppofe it to have been a 
 companionate prayer, before he had with fo much 
 contradiction afTerted, that the Prophets prayer had 
 fo little to do in this affair. I fhall conclude this 
 fection by citing Mr. Chubb upon the place, in his 
 enquiry into the meaning of our Lord's words, Mark 
 ii. 5.— where he has introduced this paffage in St. 
 James about Elias, which he paraphrafes thus, ver. 1 6, 
 <c Confefs your faults one to another, and pray one for 
 "r another, that ye may be healed \ that is, that ye 
 " may be delivered from thofe afflictions which may 
 <c be laid upon you for thofe faults. The effectual fer- 
 <c vent Prayer of a righteous man availeth much; that 
 <c is, it availeth much toward the healing of thofe that 
 " aje afflicted as aforefaid. Ver. 1 7. Elias was a man . 
 " fubjett to like-pajfwns as we are, and he prayed ear- 
 " nejlly, &c. Ver. 18. And he prayed again, and the 
 ♦' heaven gave rain, &c. Here we fee what it was 
 
 " that 
 
 
Of the Credit of the Sacred Writers. 3 3 
 
 <e that Elias*s prayer was effectual for ; not the 
 " inflicting or removing of everlafting punifhment 
 *' in the world to come; but for the inflicting 
 " and removing of temporary punifhment here in 
 " this World. —f " 
 
 r^ S E C T. H. 
 
 \ Of the credit of the Sacred Writings. Mr. 
 N^Chubb's true Go/pel, but a part of the true 
 Go/pel. Some reafons offer d in fupport of 
 the Infpiration of the Sacred Hijhria?is. 
 
 MR. Chubb in his Vindication, p. 33, 34. 
 fays, " Truth is what I value and purfue, 
 " and error is what / am not interejied in ; and 
 " therefore I ought to efteem him a friend, who 
 " leads me to the former, and from the latter. 
 " And, whereas my opponents have not entered 
 " into the merits of this caufe , but only have 
 " attacked me in a part, in which, I fuppofe, 
 " they thought me to be weak and unguarded -, for 
 " this I do not think my felf greatly obliged to 
 " them ; neither, I think, is the world. Howe- 
 " ver, I fuppofe it was thought proper, that fome- 
 
 t See Mr. Chubb" s Several Enquiries, p. 215. 
 
 F " thing 
 
34 Of the Credit of the Sacred Writers, 
 
 " thing mould be faid, that fo my book might not 
 * c pafs without having fome thing offered againft it, 
 " which might be called an anfwer to it. Be- 
 " fides, if I am guilty of that great error of 
 " defetl I am charged with, then, I think, my 
 " opponents ought, in juftice to the fubjecl:, and 
 " to mankind, to have fupplied that defe.cl, by 
 " giving a full and compleat account of the matter. 
 c< They ought to have fhew'd what the Gofpel of 
 " Chrift is, in its full extent, that fo every one 
 " might know what they have to rely upon ; and 
 " not to have left the cafe, according to their ac- 
 " count of it, in the fame undetermined ft ate, in 
 *« which they found it. " 
 
 I shall not prefume to offer any defence of 
 Mr. Hallet, he needs no fuch aid as mine. I mall 
 confine my felf, as near as I can, to what I appre- 
 hend I am more immediately concern'd in. And I 
 cannot but think upon the molt unprejudic'd and 
 careful examination, thatMr.C£^£ has done no more 
 than trifled with the Remarks I have made on the 
 Vlth Setf. of his true Gofpel. He indeed does yet 
 infift upon thofe things as private opinions, which 
 he had before afferted to be fuch : and has charged 
 St. James with being too credulous with regard to 
 Elias's prayer : nay, he has afferted that Elias*s 
 prayer had little or nothing to do in the affair : 
 and has branded the Jewijh Difpenlation with en- 
 2 couraging 
 
Mr. Chubb' s true Gofpel but a part, &c. 3$ 
 
 cvuraging or at leaft indulging a fiery piety, an an- 
 gry, religious zeal ; but has offer'd nothing in proof, 
 fave only his own ipfe dixit s. He adds, that " There 
 " were many perfons (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and 
 <£ John among others) who took upon them volun- 
 " tarily to write and publifh the hijiory of 
 " Chrift's life and miniftry, they not having any 
 " special call to that work ; fo they like other 
 " Hijlorians, blended their own fentiments with 
 <c that Hijiory, and gave their judgments on feve- 
 " ral fails, which, as hijlorians, they were not 
 " concerned to do. " * 
 
 Grant Mr. Chubb this, and the Gofpel of 
 Chrijl will (land for nothing but a confus'd, blend- 
 ed, needlefs tale — a parcel of bufy fellows, with- 
 out any authority for what they did, fet about vo- 
 luntarily to write the Hiftory of Chrift, which they 
 had no jpecial call to ; and fo, blended whatever 
 they pleas'd with it ! Mr. Chubb may well call his 
 own Book the true Gofpel of Jefus Chrift ajjerted ; 
 and his Vindication, the true Gofpel of Jefus 
 Chrift vindicated ; for he has left himfelf as much 
 authority, and as great penetration as all of the Sa- 
 cred Hiftorians put together. In this, as far as 
 
 I am capable of judging, he has entirely given up 
 the whole of the Chriftian Rev elation. \ For it 
 
 * Vind. pag. 20, 21. 
 
 -f N. B. 1 don't charge Mr. Chubb with defigning this. 
 
 F 2 thefc 
 
36 Of the Credit of the Sacred Writers. 
 
 thefe Evangelifls wrote the hiftory on their own 
 heads, having no other Authority or call for what 
 they did, but their own whim and fancy, the whole 
 may be, and moft probably is, a mere humane 
 invention. And altho' Mr. Chubb's true Go/pel is 
 profefTed to be form'd on the Gofpel of thefe Wri- 
 ters ; we mud not be furpriz'd to find it as good, 
 nay, preferable to theirs ; forafmuch as he has de- 
 tected their errors and private opinions, and fepa- 
 rated them from the true Gofpel. His is a refine- 
 ment on their Gofpel, which needed great correction, 
 being fo much blended, and only done on their own 
 heads, when there was no need of their writing the 
 Gofpel at all ; for if there had been a necefiity for 
 fuch an Hiftory to be wrote , and to be wrote 
 with an exactnefs proportional to its importance, 
 then one wou'd have expected, that fome of the 
 writers would have had a fpecial call to compile the 
 Hiftory. We might reafonably be led to expect, 
 that fome one, at leaft, would have been under 
 fpecial and extraordinary afjijlances for this work, 
 fince the Hiftory, according to Mr. Chubb, would 
 be of the great eft confequmce to mankind : for he de- 
 clares p. 6%. of his true Gofpel ; that Chrift came not 
 to be miniflred unto, but to minijler, and to give his 
 life « Ransom for many: and that the great de- 
 fign, and end of his coming into the world, was to 
 save Mens Souls, p. i. This feems to be ve- 
 ry inconfiftent, viz. that the end and defgn of 
 
 Chrift's 
 
Mr. Chubb' j true Gofpel but a part, &c. 37 
 
 Chrift's coming into the world, of his whole pub- 
 lic miniftry, and of the giving of his life, fhould 
 be for the Life of the world, and for the Salva- 
 tion of fouls ; and yet, that the Hiftory of it 
 mould be a matter of mere indifference whether it 
 was wrote, or not ! and was only wrote juft accor- 
 ding to the dint of private fancy, and blended ac- 
 cordingly ! 'tis amazing ! I could, I profefs, as foon 
 believe that God never did fend his Son into the 
 world on any fuch errand, as to fuppofe that the 
 memoirs of fuch an important Event mould be left 
 indifferently to the humours of men, whether they 
 would collate and write the hiftory of this Advent 
 or not ; or that it mould be left to mere humane 
 judgment to compile ; or fuffer'd to be mix'd and 
 blended with any thing falfe and fpurious, according 
 to the credulity of the Writer. And Mr. Chubb 
 
 has given me no rcafon why I fhould not wholly 
 reject thefe Hiftories as fpurious, or at leaft, why I 
 fhould pay them fo much regard as I ought to pay 
 to his own true Gofpel. 
 
 I would here remark, that what I fuppofe ne- 
 ceffary to fupport the credit of thefe Writers, is, 
 that we are perfuaded that they were under the 
 guidance of the divine Spirit fo far in compiling 
 their HiJIories, as that they fhould introduce no fal- 
 fity ; be guilty of no contradictions ; fhould infert 
 nothing unworthy the Cljaracter of men thus guided 
 
 by 
 
38 Of the Credit of the Sacred Writers. 
 
 by the Spirit of God. And yet, I do not fuppofe, 
 
 that their introducing incidents which were matters 
 of mere indifference in themfelves, were ufelefs to 
 the Chriftians to whom they were firft publifhed. 
 So far from this, little incidents and occurrences 
 were of great ufe in their recollecting thofe facts to 
 which they refer'd ; and muft help the difciples in 
 giving their teftimoniah to the truth of them.-{- So 
 that with great propriety St. Luke could introduce 
 his Gofpel, with telling the excellent Tbeopbilus, 
 or the lover of God, " that forafmuch as many have 
 " taken in hand to fet forth in order a declaration 
 " of thofe things which are moft furely believed a- 
 " mong us, moft: certainly known, or fully mani- 
 " felled, as performed or done among us. Even 
 " as they, which from the beginning were eye- 
 * c witneffes, and minifters of the word, (or Logos) 
 " have delivered them to us. It seemed good * 
 " to me alfo, having had perfetl underftanding of 
 " all things, or, who have been a diligent follow- 
 " er of all from the very firft, to write to thee, in 
 *' order that thou mighteft know the certainty of 
 " thofe things, words or facts, wherein thou haft 
 " been inftructed (kat^x^) by word of mouth." 
 
 f See John ii. 22. When therefore he was rifen from the 
 dead, his difciples remembred that he had faid this unto them : 
 and they believed the Scripture. 
 
 * Comp. Afts-xx. 25, 28. the fame exprefiion is ufed. 
 
 Now 
 
Mr. ChubbV true Gofpel but apart, Sec. 39 
 
 Now whether we underftand by the moft excel* 
 cellent Tbeophilus any particular perfon greatly e- 
 fteem'd by St. Luke ; or, a lover of God, as the 
 word imports ♦, there is nothing in this Preface that 
 intimates to us, he was not under a divine direction. 
 He difcovers a fpirit and defign worthy of an £- 
 vangelifl. He feems poflefTed of a high and juft 
 fenfe of the importance of the fubject he was to treat 
 upon. He expreffes the certainty of the facts he was 
 <*oing to relate, by declaring them to be moft fure~ 
 ly believed, known, performed or done among them. 
 He declares the opportunity he had had of infor- 
 mation, was from thofe who from the beginning 
 were eye-witneffes, and miniflers of the word, or 
 of Chrift ; and that he had perfecl underftanding of 
 all things, or had been a diligent follower of all 
 from the very firft. No wonder then it feemed good 
 to him to write his hiflory : it could no longer be 
 a matter of indifference to a faithful fervant of Chrift, 
 whether he wrote it or not. When he confidered 
 himfelf as thus qualified, he muft fee that there was 
 zfpecial obligation upon him to write and publifh 
 the Hiftory of Chrift's life and miniftry, he being 
 well allured, that fuch a perfecl underftanding would 
 render him capable of writing a faithful narrative, 
 and that he was under no manner of danger of 
 " blending fuch fentiments, orof giving fuch judg- 
 " ment on facts, which, as an Hiftorian, he was 
 
 " not 
 
40 Of the Credit of the Sacred Writers. 
 
 " not concerned to do. ■ But on the contrary, he 
 found himfelf qualified to write fuch an Hiftory as 
 fhould be well adapted to convey knowledge, or 
 confirm the mind of the Chriftian in the belief of 
 thofe things, concerning which, he had been already 
 inftrucled by word of mouth, or oralTradition : which 
 written History, the Church, he knew, would 
 ftand in need of, as a moft certain and fafe way of 
 handing down the important contents thro' fucceed- 
 ing ages. Oral Tradition was too uncertain a ca- 
 nal to be depended upon : it therefore behoved 
 the wifdom of God, to hand down the Revelation 
 made by his Son in authentic writings ; which have 
 born the contefts of ages. And as is the nature of 
 truth, fo, thefe writings have lhone with a greater 
 luflre, the more they have been canvafs'd and exa- 
 min'd. 
 
 How Mr. Chuhb can exclude the death and re- 
 furreclion of Chrift, as not belonging to the Gofpel, 
 or good news, I cannot conceive ; fince he allows, 
 that he came to give his life a Ransom for many. 
 He tells us, " It is true St. Paul faith, Rom. iv. 
 " 25. that Chrift was delivered for our offences, 
 " and was raifed again for our juftification ; which, 
 " no doubt, is true, in the Apoftle's fenfe, as the 
 " death and refurreflion of Chrift were, fome way 
 " or other, fubfervient to anfwer the forementioned 
 " purpofe •, but that God could not pardon finners, 
 
 " without 
 
Mr. ChubbV true Gofpel hut apart, Sec. 41 
 
 " without the death and refurreftion of Chrift ; or, 
 f* that thefe were necejjary to anfwer that purpofe, 
 " is more eafily taken for granted, than pro- 
 " ved. f 
 
 Now if (Thrift's being delivered for our offences, 
 and raifed again for our juftification, be true in the 
 Apoftle's fenfe, as his death and refurreclion, did 
 fome way or other ferve thofe purpofes ; then eve- 
 ry one will fee, that we have a concern with the 
 death and refurreclion of Chrift, as what may pro- 
 perly be faid to belong to, or be a part of the true 
 Gofpel. Nor is it any thing to the purpofe to put 
 the Queftion he does, by way of objection, biz. 
 whether God could have pardon'd finners without 
 the death and refurreciion of Chrift ? To determine 
 about this, is to judge rajh judgment : 'tis to judge 
 without evidence, or beyond evidence : and we may 
 reft fatisfied with the fitnefs of this Event, if we 
 are once allured, that this is the method God has 
 
 took. Shou'd we attend to the Apoftle Paul, he 
 
 is found to be plain and exprefs on this fubjeel: : fee 
 the contraft he has put between mortality intro- 
 duced by the fin of Adam, and a refurreciion from 
 the dead by Chrift, Rom. v. 
 
 Mr. Chubb having gone thro', or paraphrafed, 
 the greateft part of the argument ; I mail only 
 
 f Vind, pag. 15, 
 
 G tranferibe 
 
42 Of the Credit of the Sacred Writers. 
 
 tranfcribe his comment on two of the verfes. Ver. 1 7. 
 " For if by one man's offence, Death reigned by one -, 
 " much more they which receive abundance of grace^ 
 " and of the gift of righteoufnefs, fhall reign in 
 «* life by one Jefus Chrijl : which is as much as if 
 " he had faid, for if by one offence of Adam, death 
 " patted upon all his pofterity ; much more mall 
 " they all to whom God hath fuper-abounded in 
 " grace, in giving his Son to death for them (even 
 " all mankind) be reflored to life again thro' him. 
 
 " Ver. 18. Therefore as by the offence of 
 ce one, judgment came upon all men to condemnation ; 
 " even fo by the righteoufnefs of one, the free gift 
 " came upon all men unto j unification of 'life: which 
 " is as much as if he had faid, therefore as by one 
 u offence^ even Adam's eating of the forbidden 
 " fruit, all men fell under the condemnation of 
 " death •, fo by one act of righteoufnefs or obedi- 
 " ence, viz. Chrift's obedience to death upon the 
 " Crofs, all men are reftoied to life again. " f 
 
 Thus evident is it, not only from St. Paul, 
 but from Mr. Chubb, that the death of Chrift was 
 fome way or other fubfervient to anfwer the purpofe 
 of our juftification : nay, that it is the very ap- 
 pointed way of removing the fentence of death to 
 which all mankind are fubject ; and of rciloring all 
 
 f His Enquiry concerning Si':, p. 57. 
 2 tO 
 
Mr. Chubb' J true Gofpel but a part, &c. 43 
 
 to life : therefore Mr. C butt's gofpel is not the true 
 Gofpel ; but a maimed account of the true Gofpel ; 
 forafmuch, as he has abfolutely excluded the facts 
 of Chrift's fufFering, dying, rifmg from the dead, 
 afcending into heaven , fc? c. and calls thefe hiftorical 
 Facts fuch as are not concern'd in die gofpel of Je- 
 fus Chrift, neither in the whole, nor in part, + — 
 So inconfiftent is Mr. Chubb, that his true Gofpel, 
 and the vindication of it, contain the moll exprefs 
 contradictions : for, if the faffs of Chrift's fufFering, 
 dying, riling from the dead, afcending into heaven, 
 &JV. are fuch facts in which the Gofpel of Chriji is 
 not concern'd, neither in the whole, nor in part : 
 then the death and refurreElion of Chrift could not 
 any way be fubfervient to the purpofes of deliver- 
 ing us from our offences ; and the afcertaining of 
 our juftification. But Mr. Chubb by owning that 
 Chrift gave his life a ranfom for many, and that 
 the end of his coming was to fave mens fouls : and 
 that his death and refurrection did fome way or o- 
 ther fubferve thofe purpofes, is a direct contradicti- 
 on to his faying, that thefe were hiftorical facts 
 which are not concern'd with the Gofpel of Chrift 
 either in whole, or in part — certainly, if any thing 
 belong'd*to good tidings, delivering from our of- 
 fences, and afcertaining our juftification, muft be- 
 long to them : and if the death and refurrection of 
 Chrift did fome way or other fubferve thefe purpo- 
 f True Gofpel, p. 43. 
 
 G 2 fes, 
 
44 Of the Credit of the Sacred Writers. 
 
 fes, then they muft belong to the true Gofpel of 
 Jefos Chrifl. 
 
 No p. need we be in any pain about his Quefti- 
 on, viz: whether God could have pardon'd finners 
 without the death and refurreftion of Chrift ? fince 
 he himfelf has exprefsly afTerted, that by the death 
 of Chrift finners are pardon'd, that is, the condem- 
 nation is remov'd, and by this one act of obedience 
 all men are reftored to life again. Now if this be 
 not allowed as good news ; then by excluding his 
 death, we exclude the grand article on which the 
 penitent can found his hopes of mercy, even that 
 which is the appointed -pledge and fecurity of his 
 juftification ; and of confequence, there is nothing 
 left in the Gofpel that can difcover the certainty 
 of a refurreclion to eternal life : fo that this fact be- 
 ing excluded the true Gofpel, Mr. Chubb can fup- 
 port no one of his three branches of the ; true Gofpel. 
 For, if the death of Chrift, according to St. Paul 
 and Mr. Chubb, be that one acl of right eoufnefs, by 
 which all men are reftored to life again; then, 
 i . Mens conforming their minds and lives to that 
 eternal and unalterable rule of action which is found- 
 ed in the reafon of things, would not entitle- them 
 to the happinefs of another world, without the death 
 cf Chrift • for the reafon, that all men are reftored 
 to life again by this one acl. Nor, 2. Would re- 
 pentance and reformation be any fuue ground of the 
 
 divine 
 
Mr. Chubb'; true Gofpel but a part, Sec. 45 
 
 divine mercy and forgivenefs, to men who had been 
 
 guilty of any wilful violations of this righteous law. 
 
 Forafmuch as St. Paul fays, Rom. v. 16. And not 
 
 as it was by one that finned, fo is the gift ; for the 
 
 judgment was by one, that is, one act of Difobedi- 
 
 ence, to condemnation ; but the free gift is of many 
 
 offences unto juftification : " which is as much as if 
 
 " he had faid, the Grace which God hath vouchfa- 
 
 " fed to mankind in Jefus Chrift, is more abundant 
 
 "than the fentence laid upon Adam, as appears 
 
 <c from this ( viz. ) the fentence of death which 
 
 <f patted upon Adam was for only one fingle offence; 
 
 " but the gift of a future refurrection, which God 
 
 <c hath given to mankind in and thro' Chrift Jefus, 
 
 " is vouchfafed to us, th@' we have been guilty, 
 
 " not only of one, but of many offences : " -f" which 
 
 compared with what went before, will fhew, that 
 
 Repentance and Reformation could have been no 
 
 fure ground of the divine mercy and forgivenefs to 
 
 finners, without that appointed pledge and fecurity, 
 
 the death of Chrift -, which event difcovers the free 
 
 gift to be of many offences to juftification. Nor, 
 
 3 . Can that part of the Gofpel be fupported of 
 
 Chnft's having allured men that God has appointed 
 
 a day in which he will judge the world in righte- 
 
 cufnefs, and will acquit or condemn, reward or pu- 
 
 nijli; For St. Paul -adds, (from whom Mr. Chubb 
 
 feems to have taken this part of his Gofpel) that 
 
 •j- Enquiry concerning fin, p. 56. 
 
 of 
 
46 Of the Credit of the S/icred Writers. 
 
 of this, he hath given affurance, or offered faith, 
 (that is, this as an object of faith) unto all men, in 
 that he hath raifed him, that is, Chrift, from the 
 dead. So that according to St. Paul, if men be 
 doubtful about the Refurrection of Chrift, they can 
 have no affurance of fuch a day of retribution : for 
 if they could, then St. Paul's reafoning is fallacious* 
 viz. whereof he has given affurance unto all men, 
 in that he hath raifed him from the dead, Acls 
 xvii. 31. But it is his ufual way of reafoning. 
 Accordingly we find him telling the Corinthian^ 
 1 epifl. chap xv. that if Chrift be not rifen, their 
 preaching was vain, their faith vain, and they yet 
 in their fins: no refurrection to life, had he aot 
 rifen ; and, confequently, a day could not be ap- 
 pointed to acquit and reward. 
 
 I presume I have fairly proved Mr. C. juftly 
 chargeable with being guilty of that great error of 
 defeft ; and have thus far, in juftke to him, to the 
 fubject, and to mankind, fupplied it. But left 
 Mr. C. mould think I have not given a full and 
 compleat account of the matter, I fhall add, that 
 I think, if we would have any thing efteem'd as 
 true Gofpel, and as fuch, fit to be relied upon y we 
 inuii fupport the Credit of the Hiftorians. We 
 inuft not imagine that Chrift's public miniftry, his 
 doctrine, life, death, refurrection, &c. in all which 
 'he faving of mens fouls is concerned, fhould not 
 
 only 
 
Mr. Chubb'* true Gofpel but a part, &c. 47 
 
 only be well underftood by his immediate difciples 
 and followers ; but, in order to the end being an- 
 fwered in after-ages, this important defign of divine 
 mercy would certainly be tranfmitted in undoubted 
 records, unmingled with credulous ftories, or ufe- 
 Iefs, trifling reflections. For, if we may fuppofe 
 with Mr. Chubb, " That to believe in, and to fub- 
 " mit to be governed by the Laws of Chrift, is 
 " what, and what alone conftitutes a Chriftian; 
 " and that it is this which contrails the relation be- 
 " twixt Chrift and his people — that Chrift ftands to 
 " his people in the relation of a Governour, as he 
 " was appointed and fent of God to declare to men 
 " what that rule of aStion is, which they are to 
 <{ govern their tempers and behaviours by, and which 
 
 " will render them -pleafing to their Maker." * 
 
 And if we add, that he came to give his life a ran- 
 fom, as Mr. C. owns he did ; we muft fuppofe, that 
 this Governour and Saviour of men, muft have took 
 proper care to have his hiftory faithfully wrote, 
 and convey'd down to his followers through all fuc- 
 ceeding ages hitherto ; and that his being inverted 
 with all power, will render him capable of doing it 
 to the end of the world. We muft be perfuaded 
 what are, and what are not the Laws of Chrift, in 
 order to our believing in, and fubmitting to them : 
 which we cannot do, if we are uncertain about the 
 
 * True Gofpel, p. 4, 5. 
 
 capacity, 
 
48 Of the Credit of the Sacred Writers. 
 
 capacity, attention, or integrity of his H i s t o r i a n s . 
 We muft be perfuaded, that he actually capacitated 
 fome to perform the part of Evangelijls, as well as 
 others, that of Apoftles, and Prophets. —This done, 
 we muft confider the Evangelifts as having drawn 
 up the life of Chrifi with a conftant and fteady re-, 
 gard to truth : and underftand the Apoftles as ap- 
 plying every part of the true Gofpel in a manner 
 fuited to the ftate of thofe perfons and churches to 
 which they wrote ; giving a farther explanation of 
 the facts of our Lord's fufferings, death, and refur- 
 reclion, &c. by virtue of that fpirit of wifdom- and 
 knowledge, which he plentifully endowed them with. 
 So that the true Gofpel, being accommodated to the 
 variety of cafes the Epifiles refer to, thofe epiftles 
 have an happy effect in directing the Chriftian in 
 his enquiries concerning thepurpofes of divine mercy 
 through Chrift Jefus. And the careful Chriftian 
 will be in no danger of miftaking St. Paul*s having 
 left his cloak at Troas, or his parchments, for any 
 efTential part of the true Gofpel. Nor will he be 
 offended at his declaring, that Alexander the copper- 
 fmith had done him much evil, the Lord reward him 
 ■ according to his works. To underftand this as an 
 imprecation, the honeft man will fee inconfiftent with 
 the Spirit of the Gofpel, and of St. Paul : therefore 
 he'll conclude, that it muft have another meaning ; 
 he can, and he may as eafily underftand this as a 
 prediction, as Mr. Chubb can the prayer of Elias 
 
 to 
 
Mr. Chubb'* true Gofpel but a part \ &c. 49 
 
 to be one. And mould he not readily underftand 
 
 it, he'll not be fhock*d at an expreffion of this na- 
 ture ; as being perfuaded that it is not any part of 
 the true Gofpel. The Chrifrian will be able to fee 
 with great clearnefs what has a reference to inform 
 his judgment, and regulate his temper and conduct % 
 and that whatever has fuch a tendency, muft be 
 receiv'd by him as the mind of Chrift his Matter. 
 He'll find himfelf under peculiar obligations, from 
 the "precepts of morality being carried to the utmoit 
 perfpicuity and perfection, by the doctrine of Chrift, 
 and by his Example: and he'll be very thankful 
 for that finifh'd pattern of refignation and obedience, 
 which his mafter has fet before him. He will fee 
 the evidence of the divine Miffion of his Lord, and 
 look upon his whole undertaking as the effect of 
 divine love. And from the teftimony which his 
 death gave of the propitious nature of God, he will 
 look upon himfelf as juftified ; and upon the refur- 
 rection of his Saviour he will ground his hopes of 
 the mercy of God to eternal life. Nor will he part 
 with any one of the Books, call'd, the four Gofpels : 
 foralmuch as he finds, that divine zuifdom has com- 
 paflionately confulted the frailty of human nature, 
 by their harmony adding weight to the genuinenefi 
 of the record. No, nor with the epijiles ; fmce the 
 Apcfiles have given fuch plain directions in what 
 manner, and with what views to apply and accom- 
 modate the various parts of the true Gofpel, amidft 
 
 H various 
 
50 Of the Credit of the Sacred Writers. 
 
 various occurrences of duty, temptation, or diffi- 
 culty. He will receive that, as belonging to the 
 true Go/pel of Jefus Chrifi, which appears to be the 
 doctrine of his Kingdom ; explanatory Of any of 
 his tranfactions, or of the great end for which he 
 took rlelh and" tabernacled among men •, whether it 
 be from the Pen of St. Matthew, or of St. Paul, or 
 St. Peter, — He is perfuaded that Chrift did not 
 write any hiftory of himfelf ; and that therefore St. 
 Paul could with as great Propriety call the DocJrine 
 cf mercy preached by him to the Gentiles, his Gofpel^ 
 meaning the Gofpel of Chrift •, as St. Mark could 
 begin his hiftory with faying, the beginning of the 
 Gofpel, &c. forafmuch as the Gentiles were to hear 
 the Gofpel from St. Paul's mouth, Ails xv. 7. which 
 Gofpel he exprefsly declares to be the Gofpel cf Chrift. 
 So that what St. Paul taught as the Gofpel of Chrift, 
 was in reality the Gofpel of Chrift, notwithftanding 
 that part which the Apoftle explain'd, had not been fo 
 explicitly taught by our Saviour, during his Stay on 
 earth. St. Paul had his commiffion from an afcended 
 Jefus by the will of God the Father: See Gal. i. 1. 
 com j). 2 Cor .\. 1 . The Gofpel of Chrift cannot therefore 
 with any propriety be connn'd to what he exprefsly 
 taught on earth, or to what is related of him in the 
 four Evangeiifts, but muft take in the Apoftles, 
 and their farther openings or difcoveries ot the na- 
 rurc and dtfign of his Kingdom, through the ie- 
 vcr.il Kpiftlcs. To proceed, 
 
 I 
 
Mr. Chubb' s true Gofpel but a part, &c. 5 1 
 
 I cannot think, that there are any fuch things 
 blended in the writings of the Evangelifts and A poftles, 
 as any way tend to darken important truths. Indeed 
 . -re. form our fentiments of thefe writings by the 
 nes, opinions and fyfiems of other Writers, 
 we may foon not only find things unworthy of a 
 divine revelation, but even an infinitude of palpable 
 contradictions. But then, altho' the diftant mock- 
 rivulets are polluted, the genuine fountain is yet 
 pure and healthful. — And notwithstanding Mr'.^'s 
 charging it with many defeffs, I think he has not 
 offer'd any one reaibn to fupport his charge •, altho' 
 he calls this late pamphlet of his, a Vindication of 
 his true Gofpel: except he would have us take that as 
 one, p. 2 1. where he fays (fpeaking of the Mendings 
 and private opinions) " thus St. Matthew remarks, 
 " upon ChrifFs healing all that were fick, that this 
 " was done, that it might be fulfilled, which was 
 " fpoken by Efaias the prophet, faying, Himfclf 
 " took our infirmities, and bare ourjickneffes, Matth. 
 " viii. 17. Here we fee, that St. Matthew brings 
 " down that famous prophecy in the liii d of Ifaia.b, 
 " and reprefents it as a prediction of Chrift's healing 
 " bodily difeafes •, whereas great multitudes of Chri- 
 V ftians ' have understood this prophecy in a very 
 u different, and much higher fenfe.' 8 This is glo- 
 rious reafoning! becaufe great multitudes of Cbri- 
 (iians have understood this prophecy in a very diffe- 
 rent, and much higher fenfe; therefore, this cannot 
 H 2 bq 
 
52 Of the Credit of the Sacred Writers. 
 
 be a true fenfe, but muft be called the private opi- 
 nion of St. Matthew ! "What does Mr. C. mean ? 
 Does he think any man of common capacities will 
 take this for reaionjng ! ■ ■ cc But he does not 
 
 " know what elfe to call it, that would be more 
 " proper." Poor Gentleman ! Let me tell him, 
 there have been great multitudes of Chriftians, who 
 have imagined that Chrift came only to die for a 
 certain number, a little flock, a few, abfolutely de- 
 ftin'd to falvation from all eternity : and therefore 
 for Christ to lay, that God fo loved the world, 
 that he gave his only begotten Son, that who •.•::)' 
 believe th on him /hall not per if j,, but have everlajliitg 
 life \ and for Peter and Paul, to declare that God 
 is no refpeEler of perfons ; muft be only understood 
 to, be the private opinions of Chrift and of his Apo- 
 itles, for this very reafon, viz. becaufe great tmd- 
 titudss of Chriftians have underftood the defign of 
 his death in a different and much lower fenfe. — — 
 
 But Mr. C. goes on, " It does not appear that 
 - c St. Matthew was divinely conjiituted a judge of 
 -' the fenfe of fcripture-prophecy, and therefore we 
 " can have no ground to prefume that he was di- 
 " vinely qualified for fuch a work ; fo he might, 
 Ci for any thing we know, or can mew, to the con- 
 " trary, be liable to err, with refpect to it. How- 
 ^ c ever, whether St. Matthew did err, or not, with 
 ' • relpecl to the point in hand, is of no confequence 
 
 " to 
 
Mr. Chubb' j true Gofpel but a part, &c. 53 
 
 M to us, feeing that pint is no part of that good 
 
 " news, which Chrift was, in a particular and fpe- 
 
 " cial manner fent of God to acquaint the world 
 
 " with •, nor is our future fafety any way concern'd 
 
 u j n j t » 
 
 I think I may venture to fay, that it does rot 
 appear, but that St. Matthew was divinely qualified 
 to be a judge of Scripture prophecy ; and that fo far 
 as his hiftory had any concern with it, he properly 
 and juftly applied it : fo that it is but vain and pre- 
 fumptuous to fuppofe he err'd with regard to pro- 
 phecy. To fuppofe he erred in this point, will 
 render him a Writer of fufpicious credit in other 
 
 points. So that if our future fafety has any de- 
 
 pendance on the truth of Chrijl's Gofpel, it is of 
 confequence to us whether St. Matthew did err, or 
 not. — I add, the unprejudiced Chrifnan will plain- 
 ly difcern ; that if the Apoftle Paul when writing 
 upon a fubject concerning which he had no com- 
 mandment from the Lord, yet, cou*d give his judg- 
 ment, as one, that had obtained mercy of the Lord 
 to be faithful ■ he mult then conclude, that the Hi- 
 ftorians concern'd in compiling the Narratives of the 
 perfon, doclrines, afticns and death of the Saviour 
 of the world, undoubtedly received Commandment 
 from the Lord ; and likewife did certainly obtain 
 like mercy to be faithful,— « 
 
 flow 
 
54 Of the Credit of the Sacred Writers, 
 
 How unintelligible mud St. Paul be, if he him- 
 felf was not under the guidance of a divine Infpira- 
 tion in writing thofe Epiftles which he fent to the 
 churches ? I Cor. vii. 6. But I /peak ibis by per mi f- 
 Jtotiy not of commandment. — ver. 10. / command \ 
 yet not I, but the Lord — ver. 1 2 . But to the reft 
 [peak I, not the Lord — ver. 25. / have no command- 
 went of the Lord , yet I give my judgment as one 
 that hath obtained mercy of the Lord to be faithful. 
 Why thefe exceptions ? and from what ? — Nor did 
 he only reprefent himfelf as under the immediate 
 guidance of the Spirit of God, but he was perfuaded 
 that the Jewifh Scriptures were wrote by the fame 
 Infpiration, 2 Tim. iii. 1 6. — 'Tis no manner of ob- 
 jection to the conclufivenefs of that text on the fide 
 of the divine Infpiration of the Scriptures, to fay, 
 that the former part of the verfe has fome ambigui- 
 ty in the Greek •, fo that fome would have it read, 
 All fcripture given by infpiration of God, is profit a- 
 'hie, &c. and from hence they would infer, that any 
 writings whatfoever, which have what is profitable 
 For doctrine, &c. is therefore, with the lame pro- 
 priety, to be efteem'd given by the Infpiration of, 
 God. It capnot be fo underftood : for, the parti- 
 cle, v£ta , all, is not a note of univerfility •, but de- 
 notes an integer. It can only fignify all that fort of 
 fcripture which is given by infpiration of Gcd is pro- 
 fitable, &?f. or as the learned Poole expreflfes it; it in- 
 tends 
 
Mr. Chubb' j true Gofpel but apart, &c. £$ 
 
 tends thus much, that as God does nothing in vain, 
 fn neither does be infpire men, but to render them 
 capable of giving uiflrutlion^ or of teaching others ',-f* 
 &c. Nay, the context will confine it to thofe wri- 
 tings called the holy fcriptures, which Timothy had 
 known from a child. Thofe fcriptures taught him 
 by his Mother and Grandmother who were Jews\ 
 of which writings the apofile fays, that they were 
 able to make Timothy wife unto falvation, thro* 
 faith which is in Chrift Jefus. — i" add, Dr. Ham- 
 mond feems to have given the words the moll natu- 
 ral and juft conftruction ; which is this, All Scrip- 
 ture (that is receiv'd into the Canon of the Jewifh 
 Church) being infpired by God, is alfo profitable, &c. 
 •teoardtr©-, x) apikt^Q- — It was therefore all of thofe 
 writings which the apoftle diftinguifh'd by the name 
 of holy fcriptures, that Timothy had known from 
 a child, of which he affirms them profitable for 
 Doclrine, &c. So St. Peter gives his teftimony to 
 the writings of his beloved brother Paul, as being 
 penn'd according to the wifdom given to him\ 
 2 Pet. iii. 15. 
 
 • Nor is it to be otherwife fuppos'd, than that the 
 writings of the Old Teftament were infpired of God, 
 fince they contain the methods of his Government and 
 Rule in the world thro' the feveral ages of it. And 
 as they difplay his perfections in the various difpen- 
 
 f Synop. Crit. in loco, 
 
 fations 
 
56 Of the Credit of the Sacred Writers. 
 
 fations of his Providence, it was hence meet that 
 they mould be compofed under a divine guidance. 
 Befides, there is the greateft probability, that a 
 beautiful chain of kind defign and purpofe actually 
 runs thro* the whole ; and (lands compleat and ac- 
 complifh'd in the laji Difpenfation introduc'd bv 
 the Mefliah : for the apofile tells the Hebrews, that 
 all they who, in the fever al ages of the world, had 
 obtained a good report thro* faith, received not the 
 promife, God having provided, or forefeen, fome 
 better thing for us, that they without us Jhould not 
 be made perfect ; Heb. xi. 39, 40. We cannot then 
 with any propriety imagine, that the accomplifh- 
 ment of the great fcheme of mercy by Jefus Chrift, 
 mould be the fubject of lefs care or attention — On 
 the other hand, we may fafely conclude, that our 
 faith in the New Tejlament writings, is not in the wif- 
 dom of men, but in the power of God ; forafmuch as 
 thefe writings, as well as the fpeech and preaching of 
 the apoftles and evangelifts, was not with enticing 
 words of man's wifdom, but in demonftration of 
 the Spirit and of power 1 1 Cor. ii. 4, 5. 
 
 A n argument for the Infpiration of the Evan- 
 gelifts might be drawn from the confideration of 
 thofe numberlefs figns and wonders which Jefus 
 wrought during his publick miniftry ; which were 
 fo many, that Si. John fuppofes a particular account 
 of them would have been too voluminous for the 
 
 world 
 
Mr. Chubb'j true Gofpel but a part, &c. $y- 
 
 world to have received and attended to ; John xxi. 
 
 25. compared with xx. 30. Does there not then 
 
 appear a neceffity that the writers fhould be under 
 a divine guidance in order to their felecling what 
 was moft properly adapted to evidence to the 
 world, that J e fits is the Sen of Gcd ? fo that by 
 mens believing on him, they might have life thro' 
 his name, according to John xx. 31. Nor mould 
 we think Infpiration needlefs to men employed in 
 fo important an affair, if we were of opinion with 
 the Roman Orator who could fay, that no man 
 hath ever been truly great without the afiiftance of 
 
 a DIVINE AFFLATUS.f 
 
 Once more, to fuppofe. the great defign of this 
 Revelation not to be convey'd to us in its purity and 
 genuine light, would be to fuppofe the end not equal 
 to the undertaking : for the obfeurity of the light of 
 nature, occafioned by humane depravity, made this 
 Revelation fo highly fit and expedient : we cannot 
 therefore fuppofe that this revival of its laws, and 
 enforcement of its precepts, on the foot of mercy, 
 fhou'd be fufFered to be corrupted and darken'd in 
 the conveyance. This would be to fruftrate the great 
 defign of the inco.rna. be Word ; and to reduce 
 
 men who have the Scriptures to thofe prior incon- 
 veniences and difedvantages, viz. fuch as were an- 
 tecedent to t| .relation: yea, it would fuppofe 
 
 f Nemo igitur vir magnus line all - 1 dfvino unquara 
 
 fuit. Cic. de Nat. Deor. lib. II. 
 
 I the 
 
5 8 Of the Credit of the S 'acred Writers. 
 
 the benefits of the million of the Son of God confi- 
 ned to the three years of his public miniftrations ; 
 and only to that fpot of the world Pakjline ! a 
 thing as incredible, as it is unworthy the divine 
 wifdom and his extenfive defigns of favour to the 
 children of men. 
 
 T o fuppofe the Sacred Writers infpired, is, fo 
 Far from being contrary to reafon, that had their 
 feveral Books been propofed to the world as their 
 own unaffifted Compofures, they would juftly 
 have been rejected by the fober thinking part of 
 mankind : forafmuch as the divinity of their fubjecl 
 required the afliftance of the divine Spirit : it be- 
 ing an allow'd maxim, that no man knoweth the 
 things cf a man, fave the fpirit of man which is 
 in him : even fo, the things of God knoweth no man, 
 but the Spirit of God. Reafon fuggefts this, as a truth, 
 without confidering it as the faying of the apoftle. -f 
 
 N o r is this any way inconfiftent with the make 
 cf man, or with his relation to and dependence on 
 the infinite mind. The lame Infpiration of the Al- 
 mighty that imparts underflanding to man, in the 
 ordinary proceedings of his providence, can, no 
 
 •\ Note, I might have drawn an argument from the purity of 
 their language, who were fome of them illiterate men, till the 
 gift of tongues : and among other authors, I fhould have referr'd 
 my Reader to Mr. A. B lackwell's Sacred Clafficks defended ' % 
 in order to have fhewn, that the writings of the New Teilament 
 contain the utmoit beauties of the Greek, language ; which, to 
 me, is a poof of their inspiration. ■-■ 
 
 j doubt, 
 
Mr. Chubb'* true Gofpel but apart, &c. 59 
 
 doubt, impart extraordinary degrees of wifdom and 
 knowledge : and will do fo, when any of his own 
 purpofes and defigns are proper to be made known 
 for the direction and benefit of mankind. The 
 need of a Revelation has appeared under every djf- 
 penfation : or rather, in every age of the world ; not 
 from the infufficiency of the light of nature, as being 
 in it felf more dim in any fucceeding age than at firft; 
 but from the introduction of vice and prejudice, 
 which indifpofe the humane faculties for a right per^ 
 ception of, and attention to its laws and precepts. 
 
 The pains Mr. Chubb has took in his Vindica-> 
 ti$n to expofe a cenforious perfecuting fpirit, I have 
 no concern with ; forafmuch as I have given him no 
 occafion to complain, by any indecencies in my re- 
 
 marks upon his true Gospel. If he has that 
 
 fteady regard to truth, wfiy is he fo folicitous about 
 what men think of him ? — I defire not to fit in the 
 feat of Judgment, or to cenfure the fincerity of any 
 man. Only this liberty I am allow'd to take, that 
 where I apprehend the caufe cf truth, and Chrifti- 
 anity Hands more expos'd to neglect, or are wea- 
 ken'd in their obligations by the Writings of any 
 Author whatfoever, I have then a right to cenfure* 
 oppofe, and detect, as far as I am capable, what I 
 think too prefumptuous and dangerous. 
 
 I shall trouble my reader with no move undo 
 this fection, but proceed. 
 
 I Z SEC s\ 
 
6o Of Mr. Chubb* j Differ tat ion on Providence, 
 
 SECT. III. 
 
 'To fake notice of Mr. Chubb'.* Vindication of 
 his Short Dijjertation on Providence j 
 wherein a particular Providence is farther 
 
 explained. 
 
 1\ /^ R. Chubb declares he has not, in his DifTer- 
 XV JL tatiqn on Providence, laid the foundation 
 of his fcheme of providence on the New Teftament, 
 as I have reprefented him to have done. — For which 
 miflaken charge, I freely and piblickly ask his 
 
 PIe, in his fjcrt Difert at ion, p. 209, 210. fays 
 exprefsly, " That God; upon fome extraordinary 
 " occafions, fo anfwer fome great and good ends, 
 " fhould immediately interpofe to bring about fuch 
 vents as are fiecefTary to anfwer thofe purpofes, 
 " which events would not have been brought about 
 " in the courfe of his general providence, is a fup- 
 " pofition that does not appear unreafonable to me ; 
 " and therefore I have no objection to it." But 
 when I had mentioned the Reiclution as an extra- 
 ordinary occafion for an immediate interpofal, and 
 had traced fome of the extraordinary circumftances 
 of it, he charge's me with only frcfuming. 
 . the other hand, he only fays, that we have no" 
 
 jn(l 
 
^particular ycovi&znzz farther explahid. 61 
 
 juft and folid grounds for fuch prefumption, fince 
 the event might have been brought about, and for 
 any thing we know, was brought about in the ccurfe 
 of God's general providence. Now Mr. Chubb ought 
 to have fhewn how his prefumption is better fupport- 
 ed than mine ; and likewife, how we may diftingtfifh 
 bfetweeri thofe extraordinary occafions in which God 
 may immediately interpofe to bring about fuch events 
 as may anfwer great and good ends, which would 
 not have been brought about in the courfe of his 
 general providence ; and this event of the Rt ::- 
 luticn : for, if it can be proved, that it was an ex- 
 ■:ary cccafcn, and an event attended with 
 iny peculiar circumftances of much hazard and 
 g if •, if it will be allow'd that great and good 
 ends were brought about by it : iLen I think, upon 
 his own conceffions, he Hands obliged to give us 
 fome criteria that may determine us rather to range 
 it under the head of his original flan and fettle thjbhl r 
 than under thofe of his immediate hit erf of ah. The 
 burning of the Town of Blandford, cannot without 
 fome difficulty be rang'd under the head of immediate 
 hiterpofah, upon Mr. C's fcheme ; becaufe, he fup- 
 pofes them to bring about fome great and good end j 
 and he thinks it hard to fuppofe, that the f articular 
 and fpecial interfejition of the Deity was concerned 
 in bringing that great defolation upon them. I add, 
 the latter is not a proper illuftration of the former, 
 fince moral agency was concerned in the former, and 
 
 the, 
 
&z OjMr. Chubb'* Di/fertationon Providence. 
 
 the confequence of fo great importance as that of 
 Liberty or Slavery! the apparent fate of 
 three Kingdoms being determined on one fide or the 
 other, as the Prince of Orange fucceeded, or 
 not. And altho' the like varying and ftiifting of 
 the winds might poflibly attend the burning of Bland- 
 ford, that attended the fleet of the Prince of Orange, 
 yet Mr. G. has given no reafon to fuppofe that flich 
 various fhiftings and changings of the wind was not 
 under the immediate direction of God.- — And as to 
 Blandford — I know of no Philofopher but what is 
 baffled in his enquiry into the origin of the winds, 
 and the laws by which they are govern'd. It may 
 be yet faid of the wind, that it hloweth where it 
 lifteth.— Such a notion had the Ancients concerning 
 the wind, that we find the Greeks ufed the fame 
 word for fpirit, which they did for wind. And 
 I think it was not with great impropriety, fince its 
 nature and directions feems not to be accounted for 
 on thofe mechanical Laws which other Phenomena 
 in nature are. Neither do I think that we are under 
 any obligation to determine that the People of Bland- 
 ford were greater finners than thofe of London, or 
 any other place, altho' we mould fuppofe the fhift- 
 ing of the winds was under the immediate direction 
 of God. We certainly are not; and yet there might 
 be ends to be anfwered by it altogether worthy the 
 divine propofal, tho* to us unknown in their imme- 
 diate connection. And I fhould much rather fup- 
 pofe 
 
^particular providence farther explained. 6$ 
 
 pofe even the burning of the Town of Blandford as 
 an inftance of particular providence, as well as that 
 of 'the Revolution, than imagine, that either the one, 
 or the other, belong'd to the original fcheme, and 
 fettlement of things : and as fuch, would have took 
 place accordingly, without any immediate interpofals. 
 
 I a m of opinion with the great Dr. S. Clarke *, 
 u that what God does always, fome men childilhly 
 " think 'tis not he does it at all ; yet nothing can 
 <c be more reafonable to fay, than that God, upon 
 " whofe good pleafure all the laws and powers of 
 " nature perpetually depend, does, at leaft, in fbme 
 * c great events, determine the influences of natural 
 " caufes to produce fuch or fuch particular effects. 
 M Thus much we fee God has put even in the power 
 <c of men, that by skilful and artificial application 
 " of caufes, they can in many inftances determine 
 " the natural powers of things to produce fuch ef- 
 " feels, as they would not naturally have produced 
 " without that guidance and direction of art : and 
 " nothing can be more abfurd, than to imagine 
 * 4 that God does lefs in the Government of the 
 " world, than even fome of the meaneft of his 
 " creatures are able to do. When therefore we fee 
 * c natural caufes confpire flrangely, and by a long 
 w feries to produce fome remarkable event ; we 
 
 * Serm. Vol. VI. p. 377, 378. 
 
 " have 
 
64 O/Mr.ChubWsDiffertation on Providence. 
 
 ci have all the reafon in the world, to believe that 
 " thing brought about, by the peculiar direction of 
 M providence ; and to behave our felves according- 
 *f ly in our Prayers or Thankfgivings to God. 
 "■ Thus we have all poflible reafon to believe that 
 '■ the wifdom of Providence govern'd the fprings 
 " of the firft caufes of the winds and weather, and 
 " of numberlefs other circumftances' of things, on 
 " which depended the fuccefs of the Prince of 0- 
 " range's enterprize ; in confequence of the fuccefs 
 <{ of which, we now enjoy our Religion and Li- 
 " berty, the happy effects of that feafonable and 
 *' important Revolution, which cannot, without the 
 " greateft ingratitude, but be acknowledged with 
 " all thankfulnefs, to have been the immediate 
 *' work and fingular blejfing of Providence. " 
 
 No r can I forbear inferting a pafTage I have fome- 
 where met with of Apuleius's^- Poftremo quod eft in 
 triremi gub urnat or, in curru rector, precentor in cho- 
 ris, Lex, inurbe, Dux in exercitu ; hoc eft in mun- 
 do Deus. Which may be thus render'd — "finally, 
 " what a Pilot is in a fhip j or what he is that 
 44 holds the reins and drives the chariot ; or he that 
 *f beats time and leads in the Confort ; or as the 
 " Law is to a city, or the General in an army, 
 " this is what God is, in, cr to the world." 
 
 The; 
 
A particular providence farther explain* d. 65 
 
 An univerfal fenfe and apprehenfion of God's 
 particular providence, or his conftant immediate con- 
 cern with humane affairs, has been evident, even 
 among the idolatrous and pagan nations: witnefs 
 their hares or houfehold Gods, their Gods of the 
 highways, feas, fcfr. In like manner, the particu- 
 lar Genius's that their Philofophers fuppos'd con- 
 ftantly attendant on each individual perfon, as Guar- 
 dians and Protectors under the direction of a Su- 
 preme : thefe things, by the univerfal confent of 
 men, fuppofe a particular providence *, unlefs we 
 can imagine this fort of innate principle being pla- 
 ced as an ignis fatuaf, or falfe light, to miflead the 
 whole humane Family. 
 
 There does not appear to me any poffible way 
 of avoiding a fort of fatality in the doctrine of Pro- 
 vidence, if we fuppofe an original fettlement of 
 things which has provided for all events, fo as that 
 they mall certainly and invariably take place : all 
 along forbidding any fpecial or particular Interpo- 
 fals. For, altho' God is fuppos'd to be at the head 
 of this original fettlement, yet it makes his Govern- 
 ment confin'd : and feems to enervate every argu- 
 ment of hope and truft. Nay, it defcribes every 
 of his immediate alls of power and divine energy as 
 neceffitated -, and of confequence, introduces an I- 
 dea of the kind Father of the univerfe, as the God 
 
 K of 
 
66 Of Mr. Chubb' sT)tjfertation on Providence. 
 
 of Fate or neceffity, but not of Providence : thofe 
 eftablifh'd laws of creation and providence being of 
 equal date, and both confin'd to that original Con- 
 flitution. — On the contrary^ the conftant immedi- 
 ate acts of power and divine energy are not only 
 reqnifite to the well being and Government of the 
 moral world •, but innumerable inftances of fpecial 
 aid appearing necefiary from the make of man, and 
 the circumftances of his prefent frailty, it feems 
 highly congruous to the known character of the 
 Deity, that he mould frequently interpofe. And 
 I think, if we will allow of the various Revelations 
 which he has made of himfelf to man, thro* the feve- 
 ral ages of the world, he certainly has in innumerable 
 fpecial cafes, in an efpecial manner interpos'd. There 
 is an inftance IVIr. Chubb has mention'd in his En- 
 quiries^ which I fhall have occafion hereafter to take 
 notice of, which if allow'd, is a plain proof of the 
 fpecial Interpolate of providence •, and that is, the 
 cafe of wicked Ahab, i Kings xxi. 29. where, upon 
 his humbling himfelf, the judgment threatned was 
 averted. So was Elias's prayer effectual for the in- 
 flicting and removing temporal punifhments. * Ma- 
 ny more inftances might be mention 'd from the 
 facred Writings •, inftances which by no means feem 
 to belong to the original fetliement, but mud be 
 ranged under the head of particular interpofals. 
 
 * Chubb\ Enq. p. 215. 
 
 2 Let 
 
A particular providence farther explained. 6y 
 
 Let us not then attribute fuch events to the pro- 
 duel: of natural caufes, or as the effects of the courfg 
 of nature, but rather with the aforementioned ex- 
 cellent Writer fay, that " What men carelefs and 
 " ignorant of the truth, ufualJy and vulgarly flile 
 " Natural Caufes, are indeed nothing but mere in- 
 " animate Injlruments in the hands of God ; and 
 " the conrfe of nature, as 'tis commonly called, 
 " is in the truth and reality of things, a mere 
 " empty name, any otherwife than as fignifying, by 
 " an abftract way of fpeaking, the regularity of 
 " his operations who made and governs all things. 
 " 'Tis he alone therefore, who gives us richly all 
 " things to enjoy ; even all thofe things, which, in 
 Cc a vulgar and carelefs way of fpeaking, we ufu- 
 " ally afcribe to natural and inanimate caufes ; 
 <i which very fame caufes, whenfoever he pleafes, 
 w he can make to be the inftruments of our Pu- 
 " nijhment as well as of our Support. He can make 
 " the heavens to be brafs, and the earth iron : He 
 " can fcorch with drought, or drown with moifture, 
 " or blafi with unwholfome winds, in order to de- 
 " ftroy with Famine , and make a fruitful land 
 " barren for the wickednefs of them that dwell there- 
 " in : Or, without removing the Bleffmgs them- 
 " felves of nature, he can at any time withdraw 
 u the benefit and the ejfeft of them. For man fi- 
 " veth not by bread alone, but by every word that 
 
 K 2 " proeeeielh 
 
68 OfMr.ChuWsDiffertationon Providence. 
 
 " proceedeth out of the mouth of God ; that is, by 
 « his blefllng upon the Inftruments of nature. " f 
 
 Mr. Chubb fays, "that God, at the creation, 
 " put the natural world under the direction of cer- 
 if tain laws ; and that ever fince, he has caufed it 
 " to be paflively fubject to thofe laws : but then, 
 «' the divine energy r , or thofe immediate acls of God's 
 «* power, by which the fyftem of nature is kept 
 " together and continually upheld and preferv'd, is a 
 " part of God's general providence. " * This I free- 
 ly grant is in a fenfe true with regard to the natu- 
 ral world \ but it does not from hence appear, that 
 that divine energy, and thofe immediate acls of God's 
 power may not be fuppos'd under fpecial directions 
 of goodnefs , in order to ferve extraordinary oc- 
 cafions in the moral world. For in/lance, to have 
 directed the winds in aid and affiftance to a grand 
 event, fo, as not to have diflurbed, in the leaft, 
 the general laws of the natural world. This feems 
 to have been the cafe at the Revolution : and 
 I think, may be fafely concluded as fuch, from the 
 fcheme of Mr. Chubb. But if he wants a criterion 
 of the immediate fpecial interpofal, to diftinguifh it 
 from the original fettlcment, or from its paflive fub- 
 jection to creation Laws : I fhould be ready to ask 
 him to give me the criteria of the manner of thofe 
 
 f See Dr. S. Clarke % Serm. vol. X. p. 18, 19. 
 
 * V;nd. pag. 50. 
 
 imme- 
 
^particular providence farther explain d. 69 
 
 immediate ails of God's power, or how the divine 
 energy is exerted conftantly, which he owns, is 
 fo, upon the natural world \ the which was at the 
 creation put under a paflive fubjection to certain 
 laws ? — Or, how we may fuppofe thefe immediate 
 acls and the divine energy otherwife, than neceffarily 
 *afcertain y d by that original fettlement? 
 
 But fuppofing this fcheme of Mr. Chubb's to be 
 a juft defcription of God's providence over the na- 
 tural world •, and that this is ever pajfively fubjecl 
 to thofe Laws which give it direction ; yet as even 
 this natural world requires a conftant divine energy, 
 and continued immediate abls of God's power for its 
 prefervation and fupport; it will follow, that the 
 moral world not being -pajfively fubjecl to thofe laws 
 which were originally given for its direction, muft 
 fuppofe its Reclor and Lord making particular and 
 fpecial interpofals in the natural, in order to the 
 well-being and fafety of the moral world : otherwife, 
 the prefervation and fupport of the natural world, 
 is under a more fafe direction than the moral ; which 
 is not with me a fuppofeable cafe. Bejide, thofe 
 laws in the natural world, and the dejign of the paf- 
 five material creation, appear, to me, to be intended 
 to fubferve the welfare and happinefs of the moral* -. 
 and if fo, that its various Phenomena fhould appear 
 
 * ——Omnia, quae fint in hoc mundo, quibus utantur ho- 
 lmes hominum caufa facia efle parata. Cic. de Nat. Deor. lib. ii. 
 1 ■ now 
 
70 Of Mr. Chubb'* Differ tat ion on Providence. 
 
 now and then, or upon more extraordinary occafions, 
 under the controul and particular direction of the 
 Lord of all, that is, for the benefit of the moral 
 creation, is a matter I cannot have any doubt 
 concerning. 
 
 But Mr. C. is afraid of our degrading God'» 
 workmanlhip, or of our fuppofing it imperfect, by 
 the fcheme of a particular providence, and fpecial 
 interpofals : he thinks it to be a fort of patching 
 and mending. See his Dijfertation on Providence.—' 
 Whereas, not only the natural world conftantly de- 
 pends on his divine energy and immediate acls of 
 power ; but the moral creation continually lives, 
 and moves, and has its being in God. And fo far 
 is this dependance on the Creator from being a proof 
 of the imperfection of his work, that to be denied 
 this divine energy, and thefe immediate acls of power, 
 would be the total ruin and dcflruclion of it. -—All 
 being is derived, except that of the firfl caufe ; 
 therefore all fuch being mull be dependent, and can- 
 not but be fo. And whereas the moral creation is 
 not pafiively fubject to the laws of its direction ; 
 the influences of divine power, or its divine energy, 
 cannot be pafiively fubject, or invariably directed, 
 by any original plan in its interpofals.: but may, 
 and moft probably does fometimes, ye3, frequently, 
 in a fpecial manner interpofe. 
 
^particular providence farther explairid, yi 
 
 It may be obje&ed againft this fcheme of a par- 
 ticular and fpeaal providence, that it conveys a 
 difagreeable Idea of God, as if he was concerned 
 with, or regarded every trifling action or occur- 
 rence in his creation : and that this is too low a fen- 
 
 timent of the ever-biefTed God. It is true, this 
 
 notion was fuitable to the Epicurean fyftem of hap- 
 pinefs ; who placed it in a kind of indolence, and 
 fenfual enjoyment. And therefore they reprefented 
 the Gods, as unconcerned about the affairs of men : 
 folacing themfehes in their gardens of pleafure. 
 But this is a moft debating fentiment of the Deity ; 
 and fuppofes that abfolutely perfect Being capable of 
 happinefs; or of adding to the perfection of his 
 own Being, by a kind of fenfitive enjoyment of 
 fomething without him ; and," that operation and 
 influence imply a fort of fatigue in the Deity. 
 Whereas, he is always and neceflarily active ; nor 
 can the ceffation of his influences or operations im- 
 ply any greater enjoyment of himfelf, than when 
 their energy are moft extenfive. Conftant operation 
 or difplay of perfection, is, perhaps, an infeparable 
 Idea of the firft caufe. Tho' could we conceive of 
 his exifting without any odier Being, we muft fup- 
 pofe his bleffednefs compleat; for the reafon, that 
 all perfection is infeparable from the Idea of God. — 
 It has been on the above principles that fome wife 
 men have called Prefervation, or Providence, a 
 continued Creation : there being no lefs energy re- 
 quired 
 
j 2 OfMr.OhuWsDiffertation on Providence. 
 
 quired to preferve, than to create: befide the certainty, 
 that conftant active influences of goodnefs correfpond 
 with the Idea of God : confequently, to fuppofe [■pe- 
 dal interpofals, on fpecial occafions, to anfwer great 
 and good ends among his moral creatures, as incon- 
 fiftent with the activity of his nature or perfections, 
 is indefenfible. 
 
 But Mr. Chubb returns to Matth. vi. 28. and 
 thinks, that by Chrift's faying — Shall he not much 
 more cloath you, O ye of little faith ? is not to be 
 underftood as intending its being done by a parti- 
 cular providence : for it does not appear to him, 
 " that any one of Chrift's difciples, either in, or 
 " fince his time, has been cloath'd by a particular 
 " providence, that is, by a particular and fpecial 
 ce interpofition of the Deity, but only by the ge- 
 " neral providence of God ; or, at leaft, no fuch 
 " inftance has come to his knowledge." — He adds, 
 " We have had no miraculous cloathing, that I 
 " have ever heard of ; and as for any other way of 
 " cloathing mankind, it will anfwer no purpofe to 
 " my opponent, becaufe every other way comes 
 " properly under the denomination of God's ge- 
 " neral providence*' 
 
 Mr. Chubb has took the greateft care not to take 
 notice of any difficulty with which he is prefled : fo 
 that I cannot forbear charging him with very unfair 
 
 practice 
 
A particular providence farther explained. 73 
 
 practice in his vindication. He has pafs'd; over and 
 evaded what juftly demanded an Anfwer before he 
 could, with any decency, call his reply a Vindi- 
 cation. He obliges me therefore here to repeat my 
 Queftion, viz. How could the difciples apply the 
 much more to themfelves, without taking in a par- 
 ticular providence ? They knew that the brute ani- 
 mals, and the tribes of vegetables, were, upon his 
 fcheme, as much the fubjects of a general providence 
 as themfelves. Nay, Mr. Chubb fays, " that God 
 " feeds the fowls of the air, and clothes the grafs cf 
 " the field no way, but by his general providence ; 
 " by which general providence he alfo takes care 
 " of men." Now, how the much more could take 
 place, when the cloathing for the grafs was as cer- 
 tain, and in the fame manner taken care of, as the 
 cloathing for the difciple, I cannot underftand. — 
 But Mr. Chubb fays, every, way of cloathing but 
 the miraculous way, comes properly under the de- 
 nomination of God's general providence. This is 
 another of his ipfe dixit s, for he has cfFer'd nothing 
 in proof of there being no fpecial interpofals, or that 
 there are not any influences different from thofe to 
 which the natural world is pajfively fubject, and 
 miraculous interpofitions ; fo that his affirmation 
 will not be taken as conclufive. The nature of our 
 Lord's argument plainly fuppofes the difciple might 
 depend upon fpecial interpofals ; yet Mr. Chubb 
 won't own that any have ever been miraculovMj 
 
 L ' cloathed : 
 
74 OfMr.Chubb'sDifertation on Providence, 
 cloathed: but furely our Lord may be depended 
 upon, as giving proper direction ; therefore there 
 mull have been fpecial interpofals. 
 
 Mr. Chubb thinks, that to fuppofe Chrift, 
 by telling his difciples that they mould be much 
 more the care of providence than the grafs of the 
 field, or the fowls of the air, that he meant much 
 more, " is injuring, or not doing juftice to Chrift 
 " our common mafter, nor fervice to his caufe, but 
 " the contrary ; becaufe the putting fuch a fenfe 
 «* upon Chrift's words as is contradicted by univer- 
 «' fal experience and fact, as it is not the truth of 
 " the cafe ; fo it gives too much countenance to un- 
 " believers, and is paving the way to infidelity, "f 
 —This muft be his meaning, fince it is not fuf- 
 ficient for him to tell us, " that it was only to 
 " bar his difciples from anxious and unneceffary 
 16 thought and concern for the things of this world ; 
 *« God (hewing a greater concern for the welfare of 
 " man in the courfe of his general providence, 
 " than for the grafs of the field, as he has provided 
 " the latter for the Hike of, and as a means to the 
 " former. " * I think this will afford no relief to 
 Mr. Chubb, nor at all fupport any other fenfe than 
 what I have given it. For, if the difciple was to 
 confider the grafs of the field, as provided for his 
 fake, and as the means of his fupport \ then his anxi- 
 
 t Vind. pag. 54. * Pag. 56. 
 
 2 ety 
 
A particular providence farther explain' d. j$ 
 
 ety will not be abated, by fuppofing, that God 
 does or will abate his providential care about that, 
 in comparifon of him •> inafmuch as his own wel- 
 fare and fupport depends on that his caring for the 
 grafs of the field, it being provided for his fake, 
 as the eftablimed means of his fupport. This could 
 not lefien, but rather encreafe the difciple's anxiety 
 if he could fuppofe himfelf as only to be provided 
 for in the courfe of a general providence ; and yet at 
 the fame time, there mould be lefs expreffions of the 
 divine care about thefe means of his fupport.— To 
 know what our Lord meant by much more, would 
 have occafioned the greatefl anxiety, and perplexity 
 of thought to the Chriftian ; for, upon the fcheme of 
 Mr. Chubb he muft have underitood him as faying, 
 that God at the creation put the natural world under 
 the direction of certain laws ; and that ever Jin ce he 
 has caufed it to be paffively fubjetl to thofe laws. *f* 
 And as to man, God is difpofed to do for him, 
 whatever is proper for him to do, and will do it 
 whether he be pious or virtuous or not. \. Man, 
 therefore, is as paffively fubject as the grafs of the 
 field is, and his fate as inevitable as an invariable ori- 
 ginal decree and appointment could make it. So 
 far from any ground of anxious care, that no care 
 at all is requifite •> forafmuch as whatever was pro- 
 per for God to do for him, antecedent to a prudent 
 care, he was difpofed to do, and would do, whe- 
 
 t Vind. pag. 50. 4 P a g- 67. 
 
 L 2 thcr 
 
76 Of Mr.ChubW sT>ifertatwi on Providence. 
 
 ther the difciple took any care or not. This is Mr. 
 Cbubb's own principle with regard to prayer (which 
 he, at the fame time, allows to be the proper means 
 of our virtue). and. mud be allow 'd every whit as 
 good reafoning in the cafe before us. What could 
 a difciple do with the much more ? the cloathing of 
 the grafs being afcertain'd by certain laws to which 
 the natural world is ever pailively fubjecl: j and the 
 cloathing of the difciple fecured by a like fatality, he 
 being. equally .fubjecl to an. original unchangeable 
 dircclun. — 
 
 1 • i 
 JVlr. Ckufk might have fpared himfelf about mi- 
 raculous do^ihtng^ — -I have no where alferted that 
 the-v were miracu'loufly cloathed. ; And I now con- 
 tend, for a diftinct kind of interpofition from the mi- 
 raculous, as the fubject of the common Chriftian's 
 faith and hope. If I can, I will exprefs my felf fo as 
 to be underftood. by Mr. Chubb — what I mean, is, 
 that there , are frequent influences' of the divine 
 En e .rg y , (?r.iMMED,iAT.EAcTsc/ God's power 
 aiding, the moral creature in the right exercife of 
 his capacities ;. fo that the given, influences da no way 
 oppofe or offer violence to the freedom of the agent, 
 but affijl in : the fame direction in which the creature 
 is in, either by adding flrength, or removing part of 
 the difficulty. ; fo providing for. the welfare or fafe- 
 ty. of the fubjecl : and this, without offering the leafi 
 violation to general laws. Whereas, a 'miraculous 
 
 inter- 
 
A particular providence farther explain d. 77 
 
 inter pofition, I apprehend, does not co-operate with 
 general Laws, but operates without them, or con- 
 trary to them. Our Lord, therefore, by the much 
 more, mofl probably defign'd to excite in the dif- 
 ciple a proper and fuitable difpofition of faith or 
 truft, that thereby he might be render'd a fuitable 
 and proper object of God's special care and 
 love. 
 
 But contrary to this, Mr. Chubb makes a fup- 
 pofition, by which he would illuilrate what he means 
 by a particular providence. " Suppofe a Comet in 
 " its return from the fun were to crofs the atmof- 
 " phere of our earth, and God, by an immediate 
 " interpofition of his power, fhould turn it out of 
 " its natural courfe to prevent the terrible deftruc- 
 " tion that otherwife would be the effect of it, this 
 " would be a particular and fpecial providence of 
 " God. " -f-— which is an event, not to be fup- 
 pos'd ever capable of taking place, upon Mr. Chubb's 
 fcheme, forafmuch as God at the creation put the 
 natural world under the direction of certain laws j 
 and that, ever fine e, he has caufed it to be pajjive- 
 ly fubjeel to thofe laws. So that there has not yet 
 been, nor ever Jikely to be any acl of particular 
 and fpecial providence •, finee, it would deftroy this 
 original fettlement or paflive fubjeclion. 
 
 •f- Short difiertat. on provid. p, 208. 
 
 And 
 
78 OfMr.QhuWsDiJfertation on Providence. 
 
 And yet Mr. Chubb declares " that for a man 
 s to approve himfelf to God in well doing, by put- 
 ' ting on fuch a temper of mind, and fuch a be- 
 ' haviour as will render him the fuitable and pro- 
 ' per object of divine favour ; and adds to this, 
 * his own induflry tov/ards the fupport and conti- 
 4 nuance of his being ; than as God knows the 
 ' wants and necefllties he is liable to, fo he has, 
 i and will, in the courfe of his providence, make 
 
 a plentiful provifwn for their fupply •, and this 
 
 has generally been the cafe. " f 
 
 This having been generally, but not always the 
 cafe, furely, could not have been the product of 
 nature's ftrict adherence to thofe laws to which fhe 
 is paflively fubjected — I would here afk, what he 
 means by God's having made, and will in the courfe 
 of his providence make a plentiful provifwn for fuch 
 a ones fupply, if there be no particular providence ? 
 Or with what propriety he could fay this, if the 
 fame plentiful provifwn would have been made, 
 whether he had cultivated a right temper, or ufed 
 his endeavours, or not ?— 
 
 The much more will be in no danger of being 
 understood by any man of common capacity and 
 any degree of integrity, to fignify, that all prudent 
 
 f Short diflertat. on provid. pag. 223. 
 
 care 
 
^particular providence farther explain 'd. 79 
 
 care and endeavour after the means of prefent fup- 
 port is hereby difcourag'd or relaxed among Chriftians 
 in common. The feeking jfr/? the Kingdom of God, 
 &c. fuppofes a fubordinate regard to prefent enjoy- 
 ments, and an endeavour to provide things honejl in the 
 fight of all men : but in the extraordinary demands 
 of providence, as in the cafe of the apoftles, where 
 they were prohibited the ufe of common means of 
 fupport, they were exhorted to depend on extra- 
 ordinary aid. That there was fomething ■peculiar 
 and fpecial in the condition and circumftances of 
 Chrifl's difciples, which required the peculiar and 
 fpecial aids of divine providence, I have fhewn in 
 my remarks. — They were not to provide food or 
 raiment necefTary for their journeyings, nor to pre- 
 meditate what they mould fpeak, but to rely on 
 fpecial Interpofals. I might fupport this doctrine 
 more largely from the facred writings, but 'tis to 
 little purpofe attempting to confirm a doctrine from 
 fcripture, when Mr. Chubb can with a puff deftroy 
 its authority, either by ranging it under a defeff of 
 memory ; or pronouncing it a confeauence drawn 
 without a premife \ or by giving it the running 
 Title of private opinion, or too great credulity of 
 the Writer. Therefore, I ihall add no more under 
 this head, but proceed to confider his fcbeme of 
 frayer ■, where I Ihall have a farther opportunity 
 of offering reafons in proof of a particular provi- 
 dence. 
 
 SECT. 
 
80 Of Mr. Chubb'j new fcheme of prayer. 
 
 SECT. IV. 
 
 Mr. Chubb'j new fcheme of prayer examirtd> 
 andfoewn to be formd on his fcheme of Pro- 
 
 1)1 dene e. 
 
 R. Chubb fays, " What prayer is, and what 
 are the ends intended to be anfwered by it, 
 " he has already {hewn, in a difcourfe on that fub- 
 " je<5t *, to which his Reader is referred ; and in 
 " which, he tells us, that his Reader will plainly 
 " fee, that all prayer is not a farce and a mockery, 
 " upon his principles, as his opponent imagines it 
 " to be. Tho*, by the way, he thinks, all argu- 
 " ments drawn from confequences are juftly excluded 
 " out of the cafe. For, if what he has advanced 
 " be erroneous, let that be fhewn, and the work is 
 " done, he is confuted •, but, if what he has orTer'd 
 " be the truth, then no confequences, whether 
 " imaginary or real, can pofilbly make it other- 
 " wifef." 
 
 I own, my drawing a confequence, which ap- 
 pears to me as naturally flowing from a principle 
 advanced by Mr. Chubb, does not therefore prove 
 his principle abfolutely falfe. I may miftake in 
 
 * See my Collection of Tra&s. 
 f Vindication, p. 57. 
 
 drawing 
 
Of Mr. Chubb'i new fc heme of Prayer. 8 1 
 
 drawing the confequence. And altho' I apprehend 
 there is an infeparable connection, yet, through the 
 fallibility of my underftanding, it may be otherwile. 
 But then, if the confequence which I have drawn 
 from a principle of Mr. Chubb's, has, at lead, the 
 appearance of a connection -, Mr. C ought to have 
 fhewn the want of connexion, if he would have fup- 
 ported his argument. (The way of drawing confe- 
 quences from given principles, Mr. Chubb is nc 
 perfect ftranger to, in his own writings.) Nov 
 altho' Mr. Chubb has not condeicended to do this \ 
 yet I am glad to find that he is willing to refer hi 
 reader to his own Trafls, in fupport of his notion or. 
 Prayer. And as Mr. Chubb has done this, I doubt 
 not but he'll be fo honeft as to be decided by his 
 own Authority. 
 
 I agree with Mr. Chubb in his Vindication, 
 concerning the defign of Prayer in general, " that 
 <c it is not intended to dffeSi and influence the Deity 
 (that is, fo as to inform him, or alter his nature) 
 " but the Petitioner only *." " That Prayer has 
 " a tendency to affect and influence our f elves, by 
 " difpofing us, thereby, more and more to a con- 
 *' formity o mind and life to the divine pattern, 
 " and the divine will f." — " That by frequent ufe 
 " of it, we are rendred capable, not only of ■pre- 
 
 * Find. p. 68. f Page 71. 
 
 M " ftrving 
 
$2 Of Mr. Chubb 's new fcheme of Prayer. 
 
 " ferving our felves in that good ftate in which we 
 " are, but, alfo, of being carried on to a nearer 
 " and ftricter conformity of mind and life to the 
 " divine mind, and the divine will ; and, there- 
 " fore, we fhould be frequent in fuch exercifes *." 
 
 But then I differ with him in fuppofing, that 
 God is fo difpofed, as that he will do what is proper 
 for him to do, whether we addrefs for it, or not ; 
 or, that this will generally be the cafe f . For, if 
 Mr. Chubb means by God's doing what is proper 
 to be done by him, whether we addrefs him or not; 
 that his conduct will be the very fame towards us, 
 in both cafes ; and that our greater conformity of 
 mind and life to the divine pattern and will muff, be 
 equally treated by him, as without any fuch confor- 
 mity ; I think I may conclude him miftaken. — 
 
 That this is Mr. Chubb's molt obvious fenfe of 
 Prayer, will be demonftrably plain, if it be con- 
 fider'd, that this is the very reafon he gives || why 
 St. James may have been too creduhus with regard 
 fo Elias's Prayer, which way foever he came by 
 his information, viz. " For if the afflicting of the 
 " people of Ifrael, in the manner referred to, had 
 *' been fuitable and proper, then they would, no 
 u doubt, have been thus afflicted, whether the pro- 
 •' phet had prayed, or not; and if it had been im- 
 
 * rind. p. ~z. 1 P. 71. U P. 31. 
 
 " proper, 
 
Of Mr. Chubb'* new Jcheme of Prayer. 83 
 
 " proper, then, I think, I may venture to fay, 
 " that the importunity of ten prophets, or righ- 
 " teous men, would not have been fufficient to pro- 
 ** cure it : fo that the Prophet's prayer had little 
 " to do in the affair." 
 
 This fully evinces Mr. C — 's fche'me of prayer, 
 in his Vindication, to be a farce and a mockery, and 
 cannot be fupported either by him, or any other. 
 Contrary to which fcheme, the nature of prayer will 
 appear capable of fupport ; for, it may be prov'd, 
 that prayer has, and does alter the flate of the crea- 
 ture •, and if fo, then prayer producing fuch effects, 
 will make that treatment proper for him in the 
 courfe of God's providential government, which 
 would not have been proper for him, had he re- 
 ftrain'd Prayer, that is, continued negligent of his 
 God, and of himfelf. For akho f ' Prayer don't alter 
 the Perfections of Deity, or introduce any emotions 
 in him unworthy of his perfections •, yet, for the 
 fake of its altering the flate and condition of the 
 creature, the juft and holy Being will treat the al- 
 ter'd Creature in a manner different to what he 
 would have done before fuch alteration : and this 
 will be proper for him to do, as a wife and juft 
 R.ector, or Governour of the world. 
 
 And Mr. Chubb entirely agrees with me in this, 
 
 in, his Enquiry concerning Prayer^ p. 203. He fays, 
 
 M 2 " God's. 
 
S4 Of Mr. Chubb' * new fc heme of Prayer. 
 
 " God's end in requiring this Duty, is wholly and 
 " folely the good and benefit of his creatures (eiz.j 
 " that it may be a means to work in the Petitioner 
 c * a fuitable frame and temper of mind, and to dif- 
 " pofe him to a fuitable practice and converfition, 
 " and fo render him a fuitable and proper objecl of 
 Ci God's special care and love" 
 
 Mr. Chubb's fcheme of Prayer in his Vindication, 
 from p. 58, to 68. feems to me to exclude all ex- 
 ercife of truft or confidence in God's power or mercy 
 for any particular or fpecial aids, tho' in temptation 
 or diftrefs; man knowing, or fuppos'd by him to 
 know, that God was in himfelf difpofed to do what- 
 ever was proper for him to do, antecedent to his ad- 
 drefs, and that he would do it, whether he had ad- 
 drfjjed him, or not *. 
 
 But, contrary to this, Mr. Chubb has defcribed 
 an Objecl of prayer in the largeft fenfe, thus •, " Every 
 *? being is the proper objecl: of prayer, which hears 
 " our petitions, and is poiTeffed with ability to 
 u help us, and inverted with a right of exercifing 
 41 that ability -, and that hath a will or difpofition 
 '< to help us, or may be wrought upon by our 
 
 r; prayers to have fuch a difpofition -f. n Again; 
 
 »' The fenfe of our Petitions to God ought to be, 
 
 ^ yind. p. 67. -\ Several Enquiries, p. icp, 19 j, 192. 
 
 « that 
 
Of Mr. Chubb'i new fcheme of Prayer. %$ 
 
 " that we defire him so to dispose of things 
 " in the courfe of his Providence, as that by our 
 *« honeft endeavours we may obtain the good things 
 " we want and pray for *." Again, " That the 
 u . molt proper, prime, and unexceptionable object 
 " of Prayer for all things, is the fupreme God, 
 " even the God and Father of our Lord Jefus 
 «* Chrift ; he being one in whom all the qualinca- 
 " tions of a proper objecl take place, in the higheft 
 " degree. For as he is the original Fountain of 
 " our Being, and of all the Bleffings and Mercies 
 " we either do or can enjoy ; and as he perfectly 
 " hears all our prayers, and knows all our wants 
 " and defires ; fo he hath in himfelf an underived 
 " ability, and an Almighty never-failing power to 
 " help us ; and hath an abfolute underived right, 
 " with the ftrongeft difpofition to exercife that abi- 
 " lity for our good, if we are the proper objetls of 
 
 " his kindnefs. And when we put up our Prayers 
 
 " to him, duly qualified, we have the moft rational 
 " ground to hope for fuccefs "f." 
 
 Hence it will certainly follow, that altho* we 
 muft allow, that God was in himfelf difpofed to do 
 whatever was proper for him to do, antecedent to 
 our addrefs ; yet upon the alteration made in our 
 felves, by fuch acts of homage, that will be proper 
 
 f Enqu. p. 195: if Page 199, 
 
 for 
 
86 Of Mr. Chubb' s new fcheme of Prayer. 
 
 For him to do, which would not have been proper, 
 }>ad we not addreflfed him. So that whenever we 
 put up our prayers duly qualified, in that due quali- 
 fication there muft be always included a firm per- 
 fuafion of the Object we pray to, not only being 
 able, but alfo willing to help us in every time of 
 our need ♦, and that Prayer rendering us the proper 
 objetls of his kindnefs, we fhall have the moft ra- 
 tional ground to hope for fuccefs. And forafmuch 
 as a duly qualified prayer works in the Petitioner 
 a fuitable frame and temper of mind, and difpofes 
 him to a fuitable praclice and converfation, and fo 
 renders him a fuitable objetl of God's special care 
 and love -, fo the upright Petitioner will not neglect 
 the right ufe of any of his capacities, and in the ufe 
 of them may expect fpecial affifiances, that is, where 
 his ftrength is iniufRcient, or his wijdom defective ; 
 inafmuch, as he knows himfelf hereby become a 
 fuitable object of God's special care and love. 
 
 We cannot petition the Divine Being for relief 
 under any want or diftrefs, unlefs we fnppofe him 
 the proper Object of fuch petition ; and he cannot 
 be fo, if we have no ground of hope that he will in- 
 terpofe for us. Let me here add a paffage from an 
 ingenious Divine : — " To fet this matter in a diflfe- 
 cs rent light, I would farther obferve, fays he, that- 
 " among men there is a certain Temper and Difpo- 
 \* Jit ion of mind, which a wife Gt'vtr expccls in- fuch 
 
 " as 
 
Of Mr. Chubb'* new fcheme of Prayer, 87 
 
 " as he favours ; and that without a regard thereto, 
 " Bounty and Beneficence would be iveaknefs and im- 
 " prudence. Will a v/ife man be as kind to the 
 " carelefs, the perverfe and the ungrateful, as to 
 " the fupplicant, the modeft, the humble and the 
 " grateful ? 'Till the eternal, unalterable relations 
 " of things ceafe, God can't be fuppofed to love 
 " the impious and difobedient, as well as the pious, 
 " the penitent, the virtuous, and the fupplicant *.'* 
 
 Th e r e is then no change fuppofed in God, but 
 in the Supplicant ; altho' at the fame time his blef- 
 fing with my food, his forgivenefs of my fins, his 
 delivering me from evil, be confider'd as the in- 
 ftances of his fpecial care and love. I fhould not 
 have been a fui table and proper objeft of thefe, had 
 not I, by my Prayers to the fupreme Being, been 
 wrought up to a fuitable frame and temper of mind 
 for fuch inftances of fpecial favour. So that it can 
 with no propriety be faid, that antecedent to my 
 acts of piety and devotion, by which this temper 
 was wrought in me, it was proper for God to give 
 me my daily bread as an object of his fpecial care 
 and love ; or to forgive me my fins, without my 
 thus becoming a Supplicant ; or to deliver me from 
 
 evil, without thus imploring his aid. Eut on the 
 
 contrary, when by my addreffes to him I am more 
 
 f Mr. G. Bensok's Litter on Prayer, p. 20. 
 
 and 
 
88 Of Mr. Chubb'* new fcheme of Prayer. 
 
 and more transform'd into his likenefs in the temper 
 and difpoJiticH of my foul, and my life and conver- 
 fation accordingly regulated ; I can then come with 
 boldnefs to his Throne ! I can approach him as a 
 Father ! I can view all his Perfections as my fecu- 
 rity and refuge under whatever calamity! I can 
 firmly rely on thofe his Promifcs, on which he has 
 caufed me to hope. 
 
 Nor does the propriety of exercifing a truji and 
 hope in God in our prayers, only ftand fupported 
 on the reafon and fltnefs of things, the perfect na- 
 ture, the conftant active preferving influences of the 
 Reffor of the world, and the imperfection and de- 
 fect of humane ftrength and wifdom ; but it is like- 
 wife confirmed by the Example of our Lord's 
 praying for himfelf, and the fuccefs of his Prayers. 
 *' He prayed to his Father more earnejlly, (with 
 " fubmiffion to his will) that he might efcape that 
 *' which was the ground of his fear : Father ^ if it 
 te be poffible, let this cup pafs from me. And as he 
 <c thus prayed with ftrong crying and tears, to him 
 *' that was able to fave him from death ; fo St. Paul 
 " faith, Heb. v. 7. that he was heard, in that he 
 tc feared; that is, his Father gave him ftrength 
 " fufficient for his trial ; for he had an angel fent 
 " from heaven to ftrengthen and comfort him -f." 
 
 f Chubb's Enq. p. 186. 
 
 i As 
 
Of Mr, Chubb'i new jc heme of Prayer. 89 
 
 As Mr. Chubb has referr'd all along in fupport 
 of his Vindication to the Authority of his own 
 Tracts, he muft allow me the fame leave. And 
 here I take it for granted, that the words of St. Paul 
 fu'pported by the Comment of Mr. Chubb, may be 
 relied upon as good Authority, on which an argu- 
 ment may be fafely built. I fhall therefore venture 
 to draw from hence fome Conclufions. As, 
 
 ift. Here is an inftance of the fuccefs of earneft 
 prayer ; he, that is Chrift, prayed more earneftly, 
 and was heard in that he feared •, that is, his Fa- 
 ther gave him ftrength fufHcient for his tryal. The 
 temper of mind with which he prayed, is plainly 
 affign'd as the reafon of that fpecial aid. Had he 
 known that the Father was difpofed to do, and 
 would do the fame thing, whether he prayed or 
 not •, why did he pray more earneftly ? and with 
 what propriety could either St. Paul fay that he was 
 heard in that he feared ? or Mr. Chubb, that be- 
 caufe of this, his Father gave him ftrength fufH- 
 cient for his tryal, that is, on account of the effect 
 his fear had upon his mind ? 
 
 2 . Hence we may collect the certainty of the 
 doctrine of a fpecial or ■particular providence. For, 
 if Chrift is to be look'd upon as- an Exemplar and 
 Pattern to Chriftians ; his being relieved under 
 
 N great 
 
oo Of Mr. Chubb'* newfcheme of Prayer. 
 
 great concern and agony of mind, will be a proper 
 ground of confidence to all his followers to expect 
 that under their preffing wants and afflictions, if they 
 pray earnejlly, they fhall likewife receive fufficient 
 flrength for their Tryal. But St. Paul defcribes the 
 Chriitian as laying afide every weight, and the fin 
 that eafily befets him, and as running the race with 
 patience that is fet before him, or marked out for 
 him, looking to Jefus the Author, or beginner, and 
 finijher of his faith -, that is, regarding him as an Ex- 
 emplar: and therefore, he may expect fpecial aids. 
 
 3. Hence we may be inform'd of one way 
 in which the kind Father of mankind imparts aid 
 under extraordinary conflicts, viz. by his heavenly 
 meffmgers. Accordingly, the fame apoftle tells us y 
 Heb. i. 14. that they are all miniftring fpirits fent 
 forth to minifler for them who mall be heirs of 
 falvation : thefe, by the influences they receive from 
 the divine Spirit, impart flrength and comfort to 
 the children of men. So that altho > the Law could 
 boaft of being given by the miniftration of an Angel 
 or Angels ; we that are come to the heavenly Je- 
 rufalem, "or enjoy the Chriftian doctrine, are alfo 
 come to an innumerable company of /ingels, who are 
 all under the direction of the afcended Jefus ; an- 
 gels, principalities and powers being made fubject 
 to him ! even to him who is inverted with all power, 
 that he might be head over all things to his Church 
 
 —when 
 
Of Mr. Chubb'* new J c heme of Prayer. 9 1 
 
 when he afcended on high he led captivity 
 captive, and gave gifts to men. — The defign of 
 whofe being made like unto his brethren, was, St, 
 Paul tells us, that he might be a merciful and faith- 
 ful high prieft in things by, or through God 
 
 for in that he himfelf hath lufFered, being tempted, 
 he is able to fuccour them that are tempted. Now 
 if this be allow'd to be a truth, then we may plain- 
 ly perceive that particular and fpecial aids may be 
 rationally prayed and hoped for. Elfe why did his 
 fuffering being tempted, enable him to fuccour them 
 that were tempted ? Thefe to be fuccour'd, mull 
 intend his difciples whilft in this ftate, as it is the 
 only ft ate of tryal and temptation -, and concerning 
 whom, he pray'd, not that his Father would take 
 them out of the world, but that he would keep them 
 from the evil of it : but if our Lord knew that there 
 was no fuch thing to be expected as particular aids y 
 
 why does he fo pathetically pray for them ? - 
 
 he knew there was, from his own experience. 
 
 4. Hence I think my felf furnifhed with an 
 anfwer to Mr. Chubb^s demand, p. 34. of his Vin~ 
 die at ion, namely, what it izas that the Comfor- 
 ter did farther reveal concerning the Gof- 
 pel of Chrift ? And thefe which follow, are feme of 
 the things which he farther revealed — The defign of 
 thofe facts which enter into the Hiftory of Chrifl's 
 life, his fufferings, and death, his refurrection, and 
 
 >{ 2 afcenfjon 
 
92 OflMr. Chubb' j new fcheme of Prayer. 
 
 afcenfion The nature and defign of his Kingdonv 
 
 explaih'd by them in a fuller manner — thofe refe- 
 rences which he made to his being inverted with all 
 poiver — his being the appointed judge— yea, the 
 Epijiles do further explain the divine original of our 
 Lord ; and prove that St. John's account of him 
 muft not be reckon'd his private opinion ; they tell 
 us, that Chriji humbled himfelf by taking flefh, 
 and appearing in the form of a Servant. That tho' 
 he was rich, yet for our fakes he became poor — That 
 he was the firft-born of every creature : for by him 
 were all things created that are in the heavens, and 
 in earth, vifible and invifble, &c. that all things 
 were created by him, and for him. That he is be- 
 fore all thiiigs, and that by him all things confift *, 
 and thus does the great apoflle moft plainly refer to 
 the divine original of the Logos or Word of the 
 Father ; and hereby proves, that St. John's intro- 
 duction to his Gofpel, is not the private opinion of 
 St. John : at leaft, it will prove, that St. John is 
 not fingular in that his opinion. To proceed, 
 
 Mr. Chubb thinks " that fince the fall of Anti- 
 " chrift has been the fubjecl of the repeated, fervent 
 " prayers of a multitude of Chriftians for ages, and 
 " have not been fufficient to influence the Deity 
 " fo as to prevail upon him to do, what otherwife 
 " he would not do. It cannot then be expected 
 " that the importunity of an individual, for the ob- 
 
 " taining 
 
Of Mr. Chubb'* new fcheme of Prayer. 93 
 
 " taining that which is of much lefs concern, mould 
 " fo affect and influence God, as to prevail upon 
 " him to do, what otherwife he would not have 
 " done, antecedent to fuch addrefs. " f 
 
 Here very unhappily for Mr. Chubb, the con- 
 clufion which he draws from his premife is falfe : his 
 own teftimony, as well as the teftimony of man- 
 kind, and the reafon of things prove it falfe. Men, 
 individuals, have by their prayers been fo influen- 
 ced in their temper and conduct, as that that has 
 been fit for God to do for them confequent of fuch 
 addrefTes, which was not fit for him to have done 
 antecedent to them. So that Mr. Chubb has only 
 brought a difficulty againft himfelf, if it be a dif- 
 ficulty. But with his leave, I would obferve, that 
 as he has no determinate Idea about what Antichrift ; 
 and only fays, there is a great oppofition made to the 
 Kingdom and Government of Chrijl : It will lie on 
 him to prove, that this oppofition would not have 
 been greater than it now is, had it not been for 
 numberlefs, pious, rational addrefTes about the fall 
 of Antichrift. Or he would do well to fhew, that 
 the feat of Antichrift is not chiefly among the 
 ProfefTors of Chriftianity, and that the rational, 
 pious addrefTes of Chriflians has not narrow'd its 
 feat, and curb'd its fpread in the Chriftian world, 
 
 f Vind. pag. 69, 7Q, 
 
 Every 
 
94 Of Mr. Chubb' s new fcheme of Prayer. 
 
 Every one that has put up this prayer with under- 
 /landing, has intended by it, that the fpirit, temper 
 and behaviour of profefling Chriftians, might be 
 more confiftent with the pure doctrines, fpirit, and 
 example of Chiftianity ; the contrary of which has 
 prejudic'd the fpread of the Gofpel, and obftru&ed 
 its reception in the world. And as to external 
 oppofition, till it can be proved that this has not 
 been lefs detrimental to the Chrijiian world, on ac- 
 count of the repeated, fervent prayers of a multitude 
 of Chriftians ; the major of Mr. Chubb's proportion 
 will not be capable of fupport. Befides, I never 
 heard that the judicious Chriftian meant any more 
 by this, than by .putting up that Petition, thy will 
 be done on earth as it is in heaven j and yet the Pe- 
 tition has been put up by thoufands for above 1 700 
 years. — Nor did he ever fix the time, in his prayers. 
 
 But Mr. Chubb fays, that an individual by his 
 importunity cannot expect fo to affect or influence 
 God, as to prevail with him to do, what other- 
 xvife he would not have done, antecedent to fuch 
 addrefs. And yet he declares, u he defigns not this 
 <c to draw men off from prayer, or to encourage 
 *' careleflhefs or indifferency in the ufe of it ; but 
 il on the contrary, to draw men off from a ground- 
 " lefs reliance upon it, as that which is greatly ef- 
 " ficacious, and has a prevailing influence upon 
 ^ God 3 whereas prayer in general, is intended to 
 
Of Mr. Chubb' J new fcheme of Prayer, 9$ 
 
 " affebl and influence the Petitioner only. He alfo 
 ** intends by it, to engage men fo to pray, as that 
 " the true ends of prayer may be anfwered upon 
 " them, by leading them in the ufe of it, to have a 
 " juft and worthy fenfe of the Deity imprefled up- 
 *' on their minds, and diligently to labour them/elves 
 " after what they petition for, of their Maker. 
 " As to God, he is difpofed, and therefore will do 
 " what is proper for him to do, whether we ad- 
 " drefs for it or not ; or, at leaft, this will gene- 
 •■" rally be the cafe. " f 
 
 Wh a t he means by prayer in general, being 
 intended to affect and influence the petitioner only : 
 or by God's being fo difpofed as to do what is pro- 
 per whether we addrefs or not ; or, at leaft, that this 
 is generally the cafe ; I fay, what he means by this, 
 fliort of giving up his whole argument againft fpe- 
 cial Interpofals, I know not — He feems in this no- 
 table paragraph, to be apprehenfive, that his fcheme 
 of Prayer would weaken men's attention, and intro- 
 duce careleflhefs and indifferency about it ; and it 
 was, no doubt, highly proper he mould caution 
 againft it, and declare he did not mean it, altho* it 
 would be the moft natural product of his fcheme. 
 For, how will men have a juft and worthy fenfe 
 of the Deity impreffed upon their minds, which 
 
 f Vind. pag. 70, 71. 
 
 mould 
 
g6 Of Mr. Chubb' s new fcheme of Prayer. 
 
 mould excite them to pray to him for help and af- 
 fiftance, when they are well allured they fhall have 
 no help or afllftance from him ? they are only to 
 be led by fuch prayer to labour them/elves after 
 what they petition for, of their maker ? If they 
 therefore , are determin'd before hand to apply ' 
 with the utmoft diligence and care for the things 
 they want, to what purpofe fhould they pray ? the 
 end of prayer is anfwered. And they may be well 
 affured, that if they ufe diligence, care, and induftry, 
 the confequence of things will be the very fame whe- 
 ther they pray, or not. Nay, forgive me, they muft 
 be affured, that forafmuch as Prayer will take up 
 fome of their time, which time they might employ 
 in labouring after what they petition for, they will 
 determine prayer to be not only ufelefs but prejudici- 
 al to them. And will reft themfelves well iatisfied, 
 with this perfuafion, that God is difpos'd, and there- 
 fore will do, what is proper for him to do, whether ihey 
 addrefs him, or not ! — This is, furely, theeffence ofFa- 
 talifm. But without giving it any more names, I would 
 modeftly ask, whether there be not many wants to 
 which we are daily liable, which our utmoft diligence 
 and induftry cannot iupply ? for inftance, would our 
 food nourifh us, without the bleffing of God with it ? 
 would our phyfick reflore and heal, by its own mo- 
 ment or force ? would our. towns or our cities be 
 fecured by our watchmen, if the Lord did not keep 
 them ? would our ownperfon.% children and families 
 
 dwell 
 
Of Mr. Chubb'* nets Jcheme of Prayer, gf 
 
 dwell in fafety, from the terrour by night, or thofe 
 evils that walk in darknefs, if he that neither (lum- 
 bers nor fleeps did not keep us ? We can have no 
 fatisfaction from an evening prayer for divine pro- 
 teftion in our ileeping hours, if we once conclude 
 that Prayer is only to affecl and influent e our felves 
 to labour diligently for thole things we petition for 
 of our Maker : forafmuch, as I know of no op-' 
 portunity we have during our Ileeping hours, of 
 ufing any capacity in our defence and fafety. Me- 
 thinks, every time fleep clofes our eyes, we are 
 moft evidently put intirely into the hands of pro- 
 vidence, and have a naked and abfolute dependence 
 on the watchful eye of heaven. We cannot then, 
 with fo much fenfe of fafety, lie down without 
 afking the divine protection, and committing our 
 felves to it ; as we can when we have done it. But 
 this we might do, when once perfuaded that if it 
 was proper we mould reft in fafety and peace, we 
 mould do fo, whether we fo committed our felves, 
 or not : and if it was not proper, the moft devout 
 refignation would be of no manner of fervice to us. 
 And whereas we are only to be influenced by the 
 prayer to a diligent endeavour after what we pray 
 for, it would be ridiculous for us to afk protection 
 and prefervation when we were entering upon a ftate 
 of inattention and reft. — - 
 
 O Before 
 
98 Of Mr. Chubb'; newfcheme of Prayer. 
 
 Before Mr. Chubb had confln'd the nature and 
 end of Prayer, as he has done in his comment upon 
 the Lord's prayer, methinks he fhould have prov'd 
 the propriety of confining that petition, lead us not 
 into temptation, but deliver us from evil, to moral 
 evil *, as he has done, without making the leaft cere- 
 mony about it. -j- I fay, I think he ought to have 
 told us how we might put up this Petition for our 
 not being led into infenfible natural evils or dan- 
 gers, and that he would deliver us from fuch, with- 
 out meaning any more, than that we determined 
 to guard againft unforefeen dangers, and when dis- 
 abled by any calamitous circumftance, we would 
 endeavour to extricate our felves out of it — Lead 
 us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, ac- 
 cording to Mr. Chubb, intends no more than this, 
 M O God, we know thou tempteft no man to fin, 
 " neither can be tempted thy felf; and when any 
 " man is tempted of evil, it muft be left to his 
 " choice, whether he will maintain his innocency, or 
 " not. So that when we invoke thee not to lead us in- 
 " to temptation, but to deliver us from evil, it ison- 
 " ]y an idle compliment we pay thee, for we mean 
 it nothing at all by it, we know thou haft no con- 
 '* cern at all in the affair, it belongs only to our 
 " felves. 
 
 f Vind. pag. 66. 
 
Of Mr. Chubb'* new fc heme of Prayer. 99 
 
 I should likevvife have thought it proper for 
 Mr. Chubb to have fhewn, that what is analogous to 
 pity and companion in men, and which enters into 
 the excellency of the humane character, may not be 
 fuppos'd in the firft caufe, confidently with perfecti- 
 on of nature. If we may fafely take our fentiments 
 of prayer from Jefus the Son of God, we fhall find 
 feveral ftrong intimations that pity and companion 
 may be excited in the Deity by earneft prayer. 
 That parable of the unjuft Judge^ mentioned, Luke 
 xviii. 1 — 8. appears to teach a doctrine fomewhat 
 like this ; and is plainly adapted to infpire men with 
 this Sentiment. So likewife, the natural tendcrnefs 
 and companion excited in a Father, by the petiti- 
 ons of his Son, is mention'd by our Lord, as but 
 faint reprefentations of the Divine companion. Mat. 
 vii. 7 — 12. — His own agony, his prayers and fup- 
 plications, with ftrong crying and tears, plainly fup- 
 pofe, that he was poffefTed of a firm perfuafion, 
 that his Father might be influenced by fuch addrefs : 
 and the fuccefs of it, that is to fay, his being heard 
 in that he fear -ed, is a proof of the thing fuppofed ; 
 Luke xxii. 43, 44. compared with Heb. v. 7. 
 
 I fre£ly own with Mr. Chubby that to lup- 
 pofe, that God will, at any time, act improperly ', 
 by way of return to his creatures, for their having 
 complimented him with their petitions, is too grofs 
 
 O 2 and 
 
loo Of Mr. Cfeubb'i new jcheme of Prayer. 
 
 and abfurd to be admitted *. But then we muft 
 allow, that a Prayer which is influential on our felves, 
 is a proper motive to difpofe him to do what he 
 would not have done, as what was not proper for 
 him to do, antecedent to fuch AddrefTes. 
 
 It is worthy our obfervation, that Mr. Chuuu 
 has took a deal of pains to fhew how an angry 
 prayer in Elias, which brought dcjiruclion . along 
 with it, was fuitable to fhe Jewijh Difpenfation -, 
 and makes this to be the fentiment not only of St. 
 James, but alfo of our Lord f, in that notable cafe 
 qf two of hir. difciples defiring fire from heaven, as 
 Elias did ; which he rebuked, by telling them, that 
 they knew r.ot what fpirit they were of: which, fays 
 MY. Chubb, c j is the fame as to fay, that tho* fuch 
 " a kind of piety or religious zeal had been in- 
 '■'*■ dulged in Elias, or a Jew, yet it was not to be 
 
 " encouraged in a Chriftian." And after all, he 
 
 makes this to be only the private opinion of our Sa- 
 viour, when he tells us, " that if the afflicting of 
 " the people in the manner referred to had been 
 '* proper, then they would, no doubt, have been 
 " thus afflicted, whether the prophet had prayed, 
 ' or not •, and if it had been improper, then, he 
 v thinks, he may venture to fay, that the- impor- 
 •'■ ti-nity of ten prophets, or righteous men, would 
 
 * ViRCU j , • 
 
 f P. 27, 29. 
 
 not 
 
Of Mr. Chubb'j new fcheme of Prayer, i o i 
 
 " not have been fufficient to procure it : fo that the 
 " prophet's prayer had little to do in the affair.'* 
 Which is as much as to fay, that fuch a kind of 
 piety, and religious zeal, had not been indulg'd in 
 Ettas •, altho* our Lord told the difciples that -it 
 
 had. Can any thing appear more plain, than that 
 
 Mr. Chubb has been guilty of thefe contradictions 
 merely to fupport a favourite fcheme ? No reafon- 
 able thinking man, who has form'd any juft no- 
 tions of God, can fuppofe, that either the number, 
 the length, or the matter of our Prayers, tho' deli- 
 ver'd with great emotions of Zeal and Affection, 
 can alter the determinations of Providence, or ren- 
 der us more the objects of God's fpecial love and 
 favour, unlefs they be fincere, and form the temper, 
 or regulate the Practice. But mould a man be once 
 perfuaded that the ends of prayer anfwer'd upon him 
 would not render him a more proper object of God's 
 fpecial love and. care, and, of confequence, make 
 that fit for God to do for him, which would not 
 have been fit, antecedent to fuch addrefs ; he would 
 want the grand motive to prayer : and notwithstand- 
 ing he might poflibJy be convinced it was his duty 
 to praife God, as to the original fettlement ; yet as 
 to praying to him, or fupplicating his aid and 
 mercy, he mutt be perfuaded would be to no pur- 
 pofe, fmce he could have no ground of hope that 
 the original fettlement of things would admit of any 
 alteration in the divine proceeding : fo that inftead 
 
 of 
 
102 Of Mr. Chubb'* new fcheme of Prayer. 
 
 of his hope and trull being excited, by means of 
 which his greater love to God, and delight in him 
 would be produced, he would want that elTential 
 part of devotion by which his piety and virtue would 
 be encreas'd. The kind parent of mankind has 
 evidently recommended an application to him, and 
 acts of affiance and dependance on him, by making 
 himfelf known to fuch, as the God that heareth, by 
 his anfwering, prayers. He has made it the intereft 
 of his Creatures to unbofom themfelves before him, 
 and has always made good his word of promife, 
 that he will be found of them that feek him ! and the 
 tcftimony of good men in all ages proves, that they 
 who put their truft in him Jhall never be afoamed. 
 There is, what the facred writings call, a fort of 
 fettowfhip or communion to be had with the Father 
 in our addreffes : nor can this be ftiled Enthufw.fm 
 by any man who has experienced the pleafure which 
 arifes from an intimate and clofe acquaintance and 
 friendfhip with his fellow-creature. All friendlhip, 
 that is humane, is only to be fupported upon mutual 
 and reciprocal expreffions of it : and if light and 
 knowledge, comfort and aid, is experienced to be 
 communicated reciprocally between humane minds, 
 it cannot be fuppofed but there may be an open ac- 
 cefs to the Father of Spirits -, and altho* the impart- 
 ments are not mutual or reciprocal, as they are be- 
 tween two created minds, yet the finite Spirit muit 
 be allow'd to receive great advantage by cultivating 
 
 an 
 
Of Mr. Ch ubb's new fckeme of Prayer. 103 
 
 an intimacy with the infinite mind •, and may expect, 
 that the more it is form'd into a refemblance of the 
 all-perfect Being, the more its interefts, fafety and 
 welfare is fecured. I faid before, all humane 
 
 Friendfhips appear to be fupported upon mutual and 
 reciprocal expreffions of them. Self-love, or a de- 
 fire of good, being a governing principle implanted 
 in humane nature •, it will therefore follow, that a 
 perfuafion of God*s readinefs to employ his perfecti- 
 ons, or active powers in our favour, is a neceffary 
 and rational motive to our endeavours after an ac- 
 quaintance with him. The apprehenfion of his in- 
 herent-excellencies, or an original Eftablifhment, as 
 I faid above, may be, and no doubt would be 
 efleemed a ground of admiration and reverence -, but 
 nothing fhort of a perfuafion of his natural 'perfections 
 being actually employed for the impartment of all 
 needful aid and fupport, comfort and bappinefs of the 
 creature, can be a foundation of fear and hope, con- 
 fidence and truft. This confideration added to that 
 of his poffefnng al] pcjfible perfection, muft render 
 him the object of our fupreme affection, love, and 
 delight. 
 
 The mod wicked and profligate of mankind, 
 that make a jeft of praying to the Almighty, cannot 
 help giving their teftimony to the fitnefs and impor- 
 tance of fuch religious actions, when at any time 
 they are in diftrefs, and apprehend themfelves out of 
 
 the 
 
K>4 Of Mr. Chubb' s ??ewfc heme of Prayer, 
 
 the reach of humane affiftance : more particularly, 
 when they think themfelves leaving this world, and 
 entering upon an unfeen, and to them an entirely 
 unknown State of exiftence. They can then, with 
 great earneftnefs, pray, Lord, have mercy upon us ! — 
 But were they firmly perfuaded that God was always 
 difpofed to do what was fit, antecedent to fuch ad- 
 drefs, and that he would do it, whether they ad- 
 drefs'd, or not; even thefe unhappy wretches would 
 think it a piece of mockery, and would refute to 
 invoke him, or in other words, incenfe him, by 
 fuch an empty, unmeaning Compliment. 
 
 Should we- now underftand Mr. Chubb as di- 
 recting the Petitioner to poflefs hirnfelf of this Ccn- 
 timent, viz. " that God was in hirnfelf difpofed to 
 " do whatever was proper for him to do. ante- 
 " cedent to his addrefs, and that he would do it, 
 " whether he addreffed him or not ;f a man under 
 a firm perfuafion of this, would readily conclude, 
 that his petitions would be as vain, as they were ufe- 
 leis. How could he implore aid in diftrefs, if he 
 was perfuaded, that whether he did petition or not, 
 what was proper for God to do for him, antecedent 
 to this addrefs, would be done for him whether he 
 prayed or not? So that any fuch aid he wanted, 
 which was not proper then, altho' he prayed ever fo 
 earneftly, and was ever fo much alter'd for the better 
 in his own temper and difpofition, fuch aid itill 
 
 would 
 
Of Mr. Chubb'i newjcheme of Prayer. 105 
 
 would continue to be improper ; and therefore it 
 would be to no purpofe, that he fhould either pray, 
 or pray earnejlly for fuch aid. Which fentiment, 
 I apprehend to be repugnant to the fenfe of all men, 
 that have ever in earneft offered their petitions to 
 the Deity.— The Apoftle to the Hebrews exprefs- 
 ly declares of prayer, or coming to God, that if it 
 be an acceptable addrefs, the fupplicant mujl believe 
 that he is, and that he is the rewarder cf them that 
 diligently feek him. So that altho' we are not to 
 think our prayers will alter the nature of God, yet 
 we may, yea, we muft believe that if we diligently 
 feek him, his conduct towards us will be directed and 
 influenced by fuch feeking. And that by fuch asking, 
 we/hall receive ; by fuch feeking, we Jhall find j and 
 by fuch knocking, it (hall be open'd to us ; which 
 receiving, and finding, and opening, v/ould not 
 have been the proper vouchfafements of the Deity, 
 had we not thus attended to prayer, that is, afk'd, 
 and fought, and knock'd. 
 
 Neither will this authorize us to expect tha^ 
 every Blefling we thus ask, and feek for fhall be 
 granted. No j this we refer to the direction of infinite 
 wifdom and goodnefs, being well affured that fuch a 
 believing Prayer will be heard and anfwered in fuch 
 a manner as may bell fuit our welfare. For as 
 " Petitions for mercy teach us our own weak and 
 " dependent ftate, and humble us, fo they fhouid 
 
 p *' maks 
 
io6 Of Mr. Chubb'* newfcheme of Prayer. 
 
 " make us look for help from above-f". — But then, 
 
 " we are not to look on this, as a date of Retribution, 
 
 * c and therefore, many things that might gratify 
 
 " us, are at prefent with-held, as unfit for us *". — 
 
 G o d is addreffed by the Pfalmijl as the God that 
 bearetb prayer, Pfal. Ixv. 2. O thou that hear eft 
 prayer , unto thee Jhall all flefh come. And this he 
 grounds upon the experience he had had of the parti- 
 cular inftances of divine providence, in which, an- 
 fwers were given to prayer ; Pfal. xviii. 6. xxx. 2, 
 8, n.xxxi. 22. xxxiv. 6. Yea, he refers to the 
 fuccefs of Prayer as experiene'd by former genera- 
 tions, Pfal. xxii. 4, 5. Our Fathers cried unto thee, 
 and were delivered — And in this Mr. Chubb ac- 
 quiefces ; nay, he feems to have carried die matter 
 fomewhat farther in his Enquiry, for he, under his 
 firft head of acceptable prayer, obfen e , " that the 
 " ground or reafon of God's appravMg or difap- 
 " proving of any action, is the ftate and condition 
 " of the action it felf, and not the ftate and con- 
 " dition of the peifon that performs it, antecedent 
 *' to that performance — he inftances in David, 
 tc a man after God's own heart, who did evil in the 
 " fight of the Lord, in the cafe of Uriah the Hit- 
 c< tite ; all his goodnefs did not change the nature 
 w of his bad ads, nor yet change God's difpofition 
 
 f jvlr. G. Bin/on^ Letter on Prayer, p. 27. * lb. p. 28. 
 
 " to 
 
Of Mr. Chubb'; new fcbeme of Prayer. 1 07 
 
 « to difapprove them. They were as bad, and 
 cc God difapproved them as much, in David, as 
 " in any other man. So on the other fide, if 
 " a bad man performs a good action ; as the ftate 
 " of the perfon does not change the nature of that 
 " action, fo neither does it, nor can it change 
 " God's difpofition to approve that action ; becaufe 
 " God always approves, that which is the proper 
 " object: of his approbation, as all good actions 
 " are, let them be performed by good or bad men. 
 " Thus Ahab was a very bad man, a man that fold 
 " himfelf to work wickednefs in the fight of the 
 " Lord —and yet when he humbled himfelf be- 
 " fore the Lord at the divine Threat, all his wicked- 
 " nefs did not make that action bad, neither did it 
 " change God's difpofition to approve it ; for as 
 " the action was good in it felf, fo God approved 
 " it even in wicked Ahab, and averted the evil 
 " threatned for his fake, 1 Kings xxi. 29. -j- 
 
 Here Mr. Chubb has very explicitely (hewn, 
 that the act of prayer it felf, without including an 
 habit of right difpofition, may alter the conduct of 
 the Deity towards us, and not imply any change 
 at all in God's difpofition, or in the univerfal recti- 
 tude of his nature : and of confequence, that be- 
 comes proper for God to do, which was not pro- 
 
 •f Chubb' $ Enq. p. 2 06. 
 
 P 2 per 
 
io8 Of Mr. Chubb' j new fcheme of Prayer. 
 
 per antecedent to fuch addrefs -, and therefore, would 
 not have took place, had not fuch addreffes been 
 made to him. 
 
 I cannot imagine why Mr. Chubb has chofe to 
 exprefs himfelf fo extravagantly concerning prayer 
 in his Vindication, unlefs it was that he difcern'd it 
 bell tallied with, and was fomewhat neceffary to the 
 fupport of his Scheme of Providence. But if he will 
 admit his own explication of the nature and defign 
 of prayer, as good authority, he muft fee, a ne- 
 ceffity of admitting fpecial interpofals, and that the 
 moral world is governed by a particular providence, 
 which admits of frequent interpofals. For if atls 
 themfelves alter the direction of things towards men, 
 in the methods of the divine government •, and the 
 alteration of the divine treatment depends upon the 
 alteration of men's conduct ; then we cannot ima- 
 gine, thefe interpofals to be afcertain'd upon an ori- 
 ginal plan, inafmuch as they are under fuch contin- 
 gent directions. 
 
 I shall only juft add under this head, that 
 Prayer, the fervent prayer of a righteous man, is 
 not only available for a man's k\f, by rendering 
 him a more fuitable and proper object of God's fpe- 
 cial. care and love ; but fuch Prayer has always been, 
 and is yet available for others. A man cannot pray 
 earneitiy for another, but he muft feel the ardour 
 
 of 
 
Of Mr. Chubb* j new fc heme of Prayer. 109 
 
 of a divine companion feafoning his prayer ; in which 
 temper he bears an high refemblance of his Maker : 
 and of confequence, we may expect that the great 
 refpect the Deity has to fuch a temper, will render 
 it fit he mould honour and encourage it, by regarding 
 and anfwering fuch intercefiions. He has always 
 done fo ; and no wonder he has, for the wife man 
 tells us, that the prayer of the upright is his de- 
 light. So that upon the whole, altho' we mufl 
 think of God as always difpofed to do whatever is 
 proper for him to do ; yet we muft not think that 
 the fame thing was proper for him to do, antecedent 
 to our addrefting him, as was proper after we had 
 addrefled him ; or that he would do it, whether we 
 addreffed him or not. — No; fo far from this, we 
 muft look upon Prayer as an appointed means of 
 our fafety and happinefs : that it is neceiTary to the 
 forming in us right tempers and difpofitions, and Co 
 qualifying us for being the objects of God's fpea'al 
 care and love ! and, that an humble reliance, and 
 fteady truft in him for aid and protection, is neceiTary 
 to the rendering our prayers acceptable to him; and 
 that without such Faith, it is impojfible to pleafe 
 God. 
 
 In the run of this argument, I have notaflerted, 
 that in the method of divine providence, there is a 
 conftant anfwer in kind, given to the pious Peti- 
 tioner; nor that men muft expect miracles to be 
 
 wrought 
 
no Of Mr, Chubb' s new fcheme of Prayer. 
 
 wrought for them, in order for their relief under 
 
 their necefftties and diftreffes. Miracles feem 
 
 to have been of a nature too fublime and facred to 
 be wrought on any account fhort of an attejiation to 
 a perfon's divine mifiion, who had a mejfage or 
 revelation to deliver immediately from God: or, 
 to vindicate the fingular piety of men, who have 
 aflerted the divine rights againfl idolatry *. But 
 
 the 
 
 * If I thought Mr. Chubb would allow the Old Tejlameni 
 Hiftory, as good Authority, I might largely point out the in- 
 ftances of fpecial Interpofals, evidently diftinguifhable from mi- 
 raculous ones. But not being certain of this, I Oiall only refer 
 my Reader to one fuch diftindtion, viz. The feeding the T ^elites 
 -with Manna from heaven for forty years : in which time their 
 condition and circumftances render'd them incapable of any other 
 than a miraculous fupport. Which muft be eiteein'd miraculous 
 for, which way foever we fuppofe it convey'd, tne food was not 
 only fimular in its form, but was fuited to the diftindt tafte and 
 relifh of every one of them. — And to preferve their truft in God, 
 and prevent their anxiety about the morrow, none of it would 
 keep longer than the day it was gather'd ; except that on the 
 fixth day, which difcover'd a fpecial interpofal, to mark out, 
 and provide for their weekly reft. This way of fupporting the 
 Jfraelites, was evidently miraculous ; and appears defign'd to 
 confirm their faith in the one true and living God, that thus re- 
 markably cared for them. 
 
 And as to an inftance of particular providence, which dif- 
 covers it felf, as plainly diftinguifhed from the miraculous, 
 I apprehend that may be taken for one, mentioned Lev. xxv. 
 concerning the Sabbatical Tear, m which the land was to have 
 reft : in order to which God declares, ver. z I . that he ivould 
 
 command 
 
Of Mr. Chubb* J new fcheme of Prayer. 1 1 1 
 
 the aid and relief of the humble fupplicant, in all 
 fuch cafes where his given capacities would not have 
 been fufficient, is a view of Providence very con- 
 fiftent with his being a fuitable and proper object of 
 God's fpecial care and love. 
 
 That this is the cafe, is apparent from Mr. 
 Chubb's own words : for in giving us a detail of 
 mens ends in practifing this Duty of Prayer, his 
 fourth is this j viz. " That they may obtain the 
 " things prayed for. This is fuppofed (fays he) in 
 " the very performance : for to addrefs God for the 
 " obtaining of a thing, and yet not to propofe the 
 " obtaining of that thing as the end of that ad- 
 " drefs, is abfurd f ." 
 
 Nevertheless, Mr. Chubb's account of pray- 
 er is entirely the reverfe of this in his Vindication, 
 as may be feen in that foremention'd pafTage of his 
 about Elias's prayer, " That if the afflicting of the 
 " people of Jfrael, in the manner referred to, had 
 " been fuitable and proper, then they would, no 
 
 command a blejfmg upon the land in the Jixth year, fo that it Jhould 
 
 bring forth fruit for three years. In the former cafe, there 
 
 appears fomething quite above, and independent on any laws of 
 nature ; in the latter, the laws of nature, by which the earth 
 brought forth her fruit, are aided by a divine fpecial energy, 
 and made to produce threefold what it would have done, in a 
 fajjive fubjeaion to an original fettlement. 
 f Enquiry ; pag, 205, 
 
 I " doubt 
 
U2 Of Mr, Chubb'; newfcheme of Prayer. 
 
 " doubt have been thus afflicted, whether the Pro- 
 " phet had prayed, or not ; and if it had been 
 " improper, then, I think, I may venture to fay, 
 " that the importunity of ten prophets, or righteous 
 " men, would not have been fufficient to procure 
 " it ; fo that the prophet's prayer had little do to in 
 
 " the affair. " And that in our addreffes to the 
 
 Ahiiighty " we muft fuppofe him difpos'd in him- 
 " felf to do, whatever was proper for him to do, 
 " antecedent to our addrefs, and that he would do it, 
 " whether we addreffed him, or not." — Which are 
 oppofite and contradictory accounts of prayer: the 
 one, propofes the obtaining of a thing for which we 
 addrefs God as the end of that addrefs : the other, 
 declares that Prayer has no manner of tendency to 
 procure any aid or benefit pray'd for •, but whatever 
 would be done by Almighty God as proper for him 
 to do antecedent to the addrefs, would he done equal- 
 ly whether we addreffed for it, or not! — Whether 
 Mr. Chubb will now own that all prayer is a farce 
 and a mockery upon his principles, or not, I can- 
 not tell But if what I have offered be fuffici- 
 ent to prove that what he has advanced in his Vin- 
 dication, is erroneous, then, in his own words, 
 ■f the work is done, and he is confuted.- — I fhall 
 leave it with my Reader to judge, whether this be 
 the cafe or not. 
 
 t M»iuity t pag. 57. 
 
 FINIS, 
 

 
 t