thou sayest from the Gospel, if they make every witness of mine talse, and all my assertions false, they must make my Gospel false; and this, I tell thee, is done by thousands, while on the other hand there are many that profess my Gospel to be true, and yet deny the truth it contains. Now let men answer ME, why I wept over Jerusalem, and said I would have gathered them together, as a hen gathereth her brood under her wings, but they would not? why did I say, I came that they might have life; but they would not come unto ME that they might have life? Now I tell thee, as much as the Arians err from the truth of my Gospel, on the one hand, to make ME, and my disciples, the author of lies; just so do the Calvinists make my Bible the same; therefore I worked in thy heart to differ in thy opinion from the opinions of men; and now I bid thee search the Scriptures-and where are the men who can answer for their belief on the one hand, any more than the Arians on the other?"

After I had searched-the Scriptures I found them full of the threatenings of the Lord against his own people; and the invitation of the Lord, to have them torn unto him that they might live. Now mark the words of the Lord, what he saith concerning the children of Israel-Oh, that there was such a heart in them as I could wish! As I live, saith the Lord," I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather in them that repent and turn: turn ye, turn ye; for why will ye die, O house of Israel! saith the Lord all day long have I stretched out my hand to a disobedient and gainsaying people: the ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master's crib; but Israel do not know, my people do not consider. Now mark Jeremiah xxii. 5, the threatenings of the Lord if they would not hear. Let them mark Isaiah lv. 6-Seek ye the Lord, while he may be found; call ye upon him, while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his ways and return unto the Lord and he will haye mercy upon him. For my thoughts are not

THE ERRORS OF THE CALVINISTS EXPOSED. 469

your thoughts; neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord; for as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways; and my thoughts than your thoughts.

THE ANSWER OF THE SPIRIT.

"Now I shall answer thee from these words: and enquire of mankind what they make of ME, and my Bible? Should I invite men to turn unto ME, and promise them mercy if they did return, if my decrees had been fixed they should not return? How then could my anger and indignation be kindled against a people, that had done the things I ordained them for? Remember what I told thee concerning Pharaoh; and know for what ends I have said, the wicked was prolonged: to shew my judgments, that the living may lay it to heart; but if my ways had been like the ways of men, and my thoughts like the thoughts of men, that say the sinners are ordained so by ME, to what use is my shewing judgments in this world, that the living might lay it to heart? O, vain and simple men! do you judge your God another such as yourselves? I tell thee, the Arians no more wrest my Gospel, and make all my apostles false witnesses, than the Calvinists wrest my Bible. What do they make of ME and my prophets, any more than the Arians make of my Gospel, who make the witnesses all false, and make ME another such as them, by saying I was not the Son of God? And yet they allow ME to be a just man, which they can by no means prove in the way they have fixed the Gospel. And now I ask them how they will prove ME a just God by the way they have fixed my Bible? If they bring the whole together, as thou hast brought the particulars of the Gospel, they must see the perfect likeness. One parable I shall put for man, and let him answer for himself: Does a father condemn his children because he places them to different trades, if they behave alike in their trades, every one as their father hath placed them? But if the father should take his children as soon as the were born, and de

termine to put one part from him, never to see or know them; and bring up the other part in his own house; who can blame the children that they do not regard their father alike, when he hath refused one part to have any knowledge who is their father, or to shew any love unto them? Should he threaten them with judgments because they did not love him, like the children that had a knowledge of him? In this thou sayest the father must be cruel and I answer thee, perfectly so; and to that likeness have men compared ME; that I have refused them any knowledge of ME, every influence of my Spirit, every call of grace; and yet they say I have punished mankind, that they would not receive what I would never give! How then can I wait to be gracious? How can my Bible be true? How could I say, turn unto ME, and I will turn unto you, if I have made men so that they could not turn unto ME? I have already told thee, and I now tell thee again, their doctrine came from the influence of the devil, to lead one part in presumption, the other in despair! But thou sayest in thy heart, many good men are filled with that doctrine and I now tell thee, there are many. good men full of errors, as well as the wicked; or how should I have pronounced in my Bible that the wisdom of the wise men should perish, and the understanding of the prudent men should be hid, to prove that man was dead to knowledge as I pronounced him? Therefore I tell thee all these evils are amongst mankind; know it is written, the righteous man falleth seven times a day, and know what I said in my Gospel, when they had done all, they were but unprofitable servants: and NO MAN SHOULD GLORY AND BOAST IN MY PRESENCE. But I know the pondering of thy heart-Is man lost for his wrong judgment? I tell thee, no, if his heart be good; for they do not discern what they do'; and no more discern what they make of my Bible, or what they make of their Creator, than the Arians discern what they make of ME and my Gospel. And this is

SCRIPTURE PROOFS AGAINST THE CALVINISTS. 471

permitted to fulfil the Scriptures, that there is no knowledge in men before I come to redeem them from the Fall; for as nien are pronounced dead, the end will prove them dead to them dead to knowledge. Mark Isaiah lvii. 14-Take up the stumbling block out of the way of my people: But where is the man who can take the stumbling block out of the way of my people? Have I not said, it is I the LORD, the HOLY ONE, that dwelleth on high, do revive the spirit of the humble and the heart of the contrite ones? For I will not contend for ever; neither will I be always wroth. Then know, all men, it is I the Lord that must take the stumbling block out of the way of my people,which it is impossible for man to do. Now let men read Chap. lviii. and weigh it through, then they will see unto whom the light shall break forth as the morning. Chap. lxv. 2-I have spread out my hands all the day unto a rebellious people: Have I then spread out my hands to a people that I had made and determined should be rebellious against ME? Should I spend my strength for nought, to go contrary to my own decrees? Did I say it by Pharaoh, that I had stretched out my hand to him to invite him? Did I not say on the contrary, that his life was prolonged to shew my judgments? for this was the meaning of my words *; then why will men say I mean to mock them, by inviting them? Know what I said of Esau, I hated him; but thou knowest the reason why I said this of Esau, and why I raised up Pharaoh; but had this been my mind of all men, I would have said it of all men; but know I have not said it of all men; but through my Bible I have invited, I have threatened; then why are men partial in the law? Hath not one God created you? have ye not all one Father? then why do you deal treacherously one against another? Ye are departed out of the way; ye have caused many to stumble at the law: here I tell thee, thousands and tens of thousands have been caused to stumble by such law and by such doctrine.

* See Exodus ix. 16.

Now let men read my Bible through,
And answer my demand,
Why any judgments I did shew,

If that their words must stand?
Then surely all, both great and small,
Have done my perfect will;
I ask how any men can fall

For words beyond their skill?
I tell you plain, ye sons of men,
You bring before men's view
That I've elected what I've not,
The end will prove it true.
The reprobate I've told his fate,
And judge it from the first;
But where's the man that now can stand
To prove my Bible's plac'd

This way for man? They don't discern
How I have threaten'd through,
And how my PROMISES do stand,
That sinners they may know,
If they do turn, in sorrow mourn,
Their sins I shall forgive;
This way my Bible all doth stand-
My Promise is to save

All that will flee and turn to ME-
And see my Gospel here,
What joy in heaven I said should be
When sinners did appear
To seek the Lord with one accord;
But if the whole was fixt,

I ask what joy it could afford?
The prodigal is next

That must appear, I tell you here,

To shew the state of man,

How much the Father's heart doth yearn

When sinners do return;

If they could not (discern their lot)

Then I must wrong appear

For to invite, and not to slight
Returning sinners here.

But wrong, I say, I'll shew the way
That I said I am wrong,

If sinners could not turn to ME,
To bid them e'er to come;
Some types appear, I tell you here,
That I've plac'd for the end,

Which I do see make thousands err;

And now 'tis my intend

My Bible clear to make it here,

And so explain the whole;

For men throughout, I see, do err

And make some thousands fall.

"Tis known to thee, in misery

That many go that way;