will to his creatures, and if pofitive duties are confidered as means that lead men to the love and practice of moral duties, which render them the proper objects of this grace, then this is a point which I have already confidered.

Or, if by God's grace, be meant God's awakening in us by his immediate interpofition, fuitable reflections, in order to lead us on to proper affections and actions; then, I fay, that this is what pofitive duties themfelves were intended to produce in us, without a divine interpofition; and therefore fuch a divine interpofition is needlefs, fuppofing pofitive duties are performed as they ought to be. And if they are not performed as they ought, then we have no reason to fuppofe that God will fupply our idleness and inattention, by his immediate interpofition. That is, we have no reafon to expect, that when we only formally comply with God's pofitive laws without attending to, and pursuing the end to which they are directed, he will then fupply our carelessnefs and negligence by awakening in us, thro' his immediate interpofition, fuch reflections as the practice of those positive duties were intended to lead us into. I fay, that there is nothing in reason, nor yet in divine revelation, to ground fuch a prefumption upon.

Or, if by God's grace be meant not God's awakening in us proper reflections, as afore

in us,

us.

any

faid, but fomething farther, viz. his acting and upon us, fo as to affift and help us in the performance of our duty, which affistance is procured to us in and by the performance of pofitive duties; then, I fay, that thofe means, viz. the practice of pofitive duties work upon God, and not upon And hereby, I think, he cannot in propriety of speech, be faid to affift us in the performance of our duty; for if he does what we could do, but would not, then he may be faid to do our duty for us, but not to affift us in the doing it; tho' this is indeed an abfurdity, because the duty of one, in the present cafe, cannot be done by the perfon of another. Or, if God does what we would do, but cannot, then he does not affift us in the performance of our duty, feeing it is abfurd to fuppofe, that any thing can be our duty which is above our ability to perform. And in this cafe, I think, we are not made better by God's acting in us, and upon us, becaufe, as far as God is concerned in this matter, fo far we are paffive, and confequently are not made better by it, feeing one perfon is not better, in a moral fense, by what is done by the person of another. Befides, this is a groundless prefumption, feeing God has not informed us, that he will act in us, and upon us, in confequence of our performing pofitive duties.

But, if by God's grace attending the use of pofitive duties, be meant any unintelligi

ble

ble propofition, which, I fear, is generally the cafe; then indeed no fatisfactory anfwer can poffibly be given; becaufe, in truth, there is nothing to be replied to. And therefore all thofe perfons, who talk of God's grace attending the use of pofitive duties, ought, in common juftice, to explain those terms, and fhew precifely what they intend by them; and then, I doubt not, but a proper anfwer may be returned to what is urged above, with respect to the grace of God attending pofitive duties; and that it may be fhewn, that moral duties are greatly preferable to them, in all refpects whatever.

If it should be faid, that pofitive duties are not to be confidered as means to an end, in the chriftian inftitution, but are themfelves chriftian perfection, or approaches to it (to those who rightly use them) because hereby chriftians have divine communications with the Deity, they experience the power of divine love upon their fouls; and they, in the use of thefe, are carried out in returns of love to God, and joy in him; and this is a foretaft of the happiness and perfection of our natures, and which moral duties are but preparative to:

I answer; that when pofitive duties lead men to reflect ferioufly upon the moral perfections of the Deity, and from thence to an imitation and love of God; then indeed thofe pofitive duties become really valuable;

but

but then there valuablenefs is no other than that of means, which arife wholly from the end they become fubfervient to, which end confifts in the practice of moral duties, viz. in an imitation of the moral perfections of the Deity, and in loving the moft lovely and amiable. of all beings. So that pofitive duties, in the prefent cafe, are fo far from being the happiness, and the perfection of our nature, that, on the contrary, they are only means which lead to thefe as their end. And if pofitive duties do not thus lead men on in a rational way, to an imitation and love of God, as aforefaid; but only ferve to excite in them warm and enthusiastic raptures, and extravagant flights of fancy, and the like, and which weak minds are too too apt to efteem the workings of God upon their fouls; then these are not chriftian perfection, but are rather christian distraction, and are far from giving any true value to pofitive duties, as I have already obferved.

Upon the whole, I think, I have fhewn, that when moral and pofitive duties come in competition, with relpect to their excellency, &c. then moral duties are greatly preferable to pofitive duties; or rather the difference is to great betwixt them, that they fcarcely admit of a comparifon in thofe refpects. And in this, I think, I have the opinion of many of the writers of the Old and New Teftament. In the Old Testament, K

when

when pofitive duties are confidered as ineffectual for obtaining the end to which they were directed, and men lived in the breach of moral duties, whilft in the use of them, then they are confidered as vile and abominable in God's fight. And here it is to be obferved, that the complaint againft the Jews was not for that thofe pofitive duties were not done in obedience to a divine command; neither is there any thing in the history to ground fuch a fuppofition upon; but the complaint was, that their hands were full of blood, and the like, whilft in the ufe of them. So that it was their using these to no good purpose, and their relying upon them as the ground of their acceptance with God, whilft they lived in the breach of moral duties, that rendered thefe pofitive duties unacceptable and difpleafing to him that appointed them. And,

In the New Teftament, when positive dutics are put in competition with that rectitude of mind and life which the gospel recommends; or in other words, with the practice of moral duties; then they are confidered as carnal ordinances, as weak and beggarly elements, and the like.

If it fhould be faid, that thefe leffening characters are applied only to thofe pofitive duties which the law of Mofes appointed, and not to thofe appointed to Chriftians under the gofpel: I anfwer; that all pofitive duties, as juch, are of like kind, and ferve a like pur

pofe