it to the next, as the scholar of the preceeding and the master of the following. There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard. If they were words, the inftruction would ceafe with their found! but now what the heavens declare, they do it always, and in the fame manner. If fpeeches, and fentences deduced with much fubtlety from their reasons and causes, they would labour under obscurity: if their voice was heard, it would ftun us with its noise. But now the heavens inftruct both constantly, clearly and fweetly. For, tho' their voice is not heard, yet they have a voice, no lefs ftrongly adapted to ftrike the mind, than the found of a trumpet, or of thunder; feeing they exhibit, to the eyes of all the magnificence of their creator, fo clearly as to efcape the obfervation of none, but the wilfully blind. Or poffibly this may be the meaning: There is no fpeech nor language, where their voice is not beard. Tho' people differ in languages, and the greek understands not the barbarian: yet the heavens have a common language adapted to the inftruction of all a like: and nothing but a culpable careleffness can hinder the most diftant people from improving by the inftruction, as it were, of one teacher. Their line is gone out through all the earth. The inftruction of the heavens resembles that of school masters, who teach children their letters, namely, by drawing their ftrokes before them. Thus the heavens draw lines, or strokes, with their rays, and as it were letters of the alphabet, from which combined and variously joined together an entire volume of wifdom is formed. This is the fignification of p, as Ifa. 28. 10, line upon line: from which the Greek poyyes which the apostle uses, Rom.10. 18, does not differ much, denoting not only a found, but also a letter of the alphabet, as Plutarch in fabia notes,as Scapula has obferved in his lexicon. Nor is it neceffary we fay, that the text is here corrupted, or that

.

the

the feptuagint read their voice. And this line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. All mankind, whether in a habitable or defart country, are taught by this master. There is no corner of the world, where the figures of the heavens, as fo many arguments of the divine perfections, are not to be feen. And this is the reafon, why I have juft now proposed the reasonings of thofe (if you except the quotation from Agapetus, a deacon of the church of Conftantinople) who had no other master but na

ture.

XIII. But tho' the invitation, which nature gives Nature's to feek God, be sufficient to render them without invitation excufe, who don't comply with it, Rom. 1. 20; yet to falvait is not fufficient, even objectively, for falvation. ficient. For, it does not afford that lively hope, which maketh not ashamed; for this is only revealed by the gofpel; whence the Gentiles are faid to have been without hope, in the world, Eph. 2. 12. It does not fhew the true way to the enjoyment of God, which is no other than faith in Chrift. It does not fufficiently inftruct us about the manner, in which we ought to worship and please God, and do what is acceptable to him. In fhort, this call by nature never did, nor is it even poffible, that it ever can, bring any to the faving knowledge of God; the gospel alone is the power of God unto falvation, to every one that believeth Rom. 1. 16.

and mo

XIV. We cannot agree with thole, whether Objected they be ancients, a lift of whom Cafaubon, Exercit. toby fome I. ad Apparat. Annal. Baronii, and after him Voffius, ancients Hiftor. Pelag. Lib. 3. P. 3. Thef. 11, have drawn derns. up; or whether they be moderns, who maintain, that good men, among the Gentiles, were brought to falvation by this call of nature, without the knowledge of Chrift. And we think, fome of our brethren afcribe too much to nature, who tell us; That men, if not wilfully blind, could, by what is known of God, VOL. II. have

D

have attained to fome knowledge of the divine mercy, by which they might obtain falvation, in a manner perhaps unknown to us; tho' deftitute of the diftinct knowledge of Jome mysteries, which they could no way difcover of themselves, Amyraldus, Specim. Animad in Exerc. de Gratia Univ. P. 2. p. 133. For we are perfuaded, there is no falvation without Chrift, Acts 4 12: no communion of adult perfons with Chrift, but by faith in him, Eph. 3. 17: no faith in Chrift, with out the knowledge of him, John 17. 3; no knowledge, but by the preaching of the Gospel, Rom. 10. 14: no preaching of the Gospel in the works of nature. For, it is that myfiery, which was kept, fecret fince the world began, Rom. 16. 25.

Yet that XV. To what purpose then, you will fay, is this calling by call by the light of nature? Not to speak of the without being without excufe, juft now metioned, which,

nature not

its use.

indeed, may be the end of him who calls, tho' not of the call itfelf: that calling ferves to pave the way for a further, a more perfect and a more explicite call by the Gospel, and as a prelude of a fuller inftruction. For, as grace fuppofes nature, and makes it perfect; fo the truths, revealed in the Gospel, are built on thofe made known by the light of nature. When a perfon under that glimmering light has difcovered, that there is a God, that happiness confits in his communion with him and in comparifon of him all things are nothing, and that he is the rewarder of those, who seek him; and that, if he is fought in proper way and manner, he is not fought in vain, he has now a foundation laid, on which to build the gofpel, which declares what that God is, in what manner he becomes propitious to men in Christ, how he is to be fought, and in what method he will certainly be found. And thus that knowledge, he learns from nature, being fanctified by the Spirit, better prepares the mind for embracing thofe truths which, tho' they furpafs, are yet fo far from deftroying, that they perfect nature. And it is very

1

expedient for believers, who live under the Gospel, to have always the book of nature before their eyes : which furnishes them with useful instructions, and lashes the confcience with continual reproaches, unlefs they love, worship and celebrate the Deity, who is every where prefent. Which the Heathens themfelves, as Epictetus and others, have reprefented. in their own way.

XVI. We must therefore add the other call by Especially the word of God, fupernaturally revealed, either im if accom mediately from God's own mouth, as was formerly the revealpanied by done to the Patriarchs, Prophets, Apoftles and others; ed word, or mediately by the minifters of God, whether they both of the preached it by word of mouth, or configned it to writ law, ng. Thus Paul fays, Rom. 10. 14, bow fhall they believe in him, of whom they have not heard? And how fhall they bear without a preacher ? And here indeed both parts of the word are to be made use of; thus the law convincing man of fin, Rom. 3. 20, awakens him to a fenfe of his mifery, drives the finner out of himself, ftirs him up to defire deliverance, and makes him figh, in this manner, O wretched man that I am, who fhall deliver me from the body of this death! Rom. 7. 24. Therefore the law ought certainly to be preached, in its full vigour and force, that knowing the terrour of the Lord, we may perfuade nien, 2 Cor. 5. 11. But yet And of the the principal part is performed by the Gofpel, which Gospel. revealing Chrift, and the fulness of all grace and falvation in him, allures, by its endearing fweetness, awakened and concerned finners to communion with God. Nothing more powerfully finks into the inmost foul, than that most alluring invitation of Jefus, come unto me all ye that labour, and are heavy laden, and I will give you reft, Mat. 11. 28. Let him that is athirst come, and whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely, Rev. 22. 17. This word is the power of God unto falvatiou, to every one that believeth, Rom. 1. 16. If the law only was preached, it would, by its horrours, harden fouls, driven to defpair, into a hatred

ed to the

of God, as a fevere avenger of fin. But by adding the Gospel, which makes a bright hope of grace to fhine, even on the most abandoned and wretched finner, if, difpleafed with himself, he heartily defires it obftinate hearts come to relent, and to be melted down into a love of God, and of his Chrift. And therefore, nothing ought to be more fweet and dear to us than the moit delightful word of the Gofpel, in which are brooks of honey and butter.* Job. 20. 17.

Sufficient XVII. This word of grace was published in the ly declar- world from the very first fin of man, tho' variously elect from difpenfed, Heb. 1. 1. But in fuch a manner, as to be the time fufficient for the inftruction of the Elect to falvation, of the very in all ages, according to that measure of grace and first fin. knowledge, which the providence of God distributed

in each period of time. When the revelation was more fparing and obfcure, God being fatisfied with a lefs measure of knowledge, did, by the fecret power of his Spirit, unite the elect to Chrift, and kept them united by an almoft invifible band, which yet no force, could break afunder. But when he had more brightly discovered himself, he called for a more exact knowledge and faith. And as he clearly teaches his people, how they ought to walk, and to please God, fo he also requires them to abound more and more. 1 Theff. 4. 1.

Not only -XVIII. We do not agree with thofe, who think, revealed that, by the unwritten word of God, those only to the Pro- were called to falvation through faith in Chrift, who phets, but were eminent for the fpirit of prophefy, but the rest of the church was fo rude and ignorant, that they all other were brought to an unknown Chrift, by the help of godly per the law of nature alone, without the fpirit of faith.

also by

them to

fons.

*The author's quotation of If. 52.7. feems to be a mistake of the prefs, and therefore I have given this to which he appears to have referred.

For,