“And thou shalt remember all the way which the LORD thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no.”—Deuteronomy 8:2 It is said,[1] that it is evident from this and other passages of Scripture, that the state of man in this world, is a state of trial or probation. It will be proper therefore to make the following inquiries: I. What this state of probation is, or what is meant by it. 1. This state of trial is not of men's graces, as faith, patience, etc., by afflictive dispensations of Providence; for men in general are not in such a state, since…

“O that there were such an heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children for ever!”—Deuteronomy 5:29. I. These vehement desires of God for the good of these people, are said to be irreconcilable with his decrees of election and reprobation; and supposing those decrees, they are represented[1] to be hypocritical: to which may be replied: 1. For God passionately to wish good things, even salvation itself, for some, and not for all, is no ways contrary, but perfectly agreeable to the doctrine of election. If any thing is said to the purpose, as militating against that doctrine, it ought to be said and proved, that God has…

“And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years.”—Genesis 6:3. It will be necessary, in order to understand the sense of this text, to inquire, I. Who is meant by the Spirit of God; and whether the Holy Ghost, the third Person in the Trinity, is designed or not. 1. Some of the Jewish writers[1] think, that the soul of man is intended; which is called not only the spirit of man, but also the Spirit of God; as in those words of Job, All the while my breath is in me, and the Spirit of God is in my nostrils.[2] Some of them[3] derive the…

“If thou dost well, shalt thou not be accepted?”—Genesis 4:7 I. It will be proper to inquire, whether a wicked, an unregenerate man, as was Cain, can perform good works. To which may be answered, 1. Adam had a power to do every good work the law required; which men, since the fall, have not. Men indeed, in an unregenerate state, might do many things which they do not; such as reading the Scriptures, attending on public worship, etc. No doubt but the persons in the parable, who were invited to the dinner, could have gone to it, had they had a will, as well as the one did to his farm, and the other to his merchandise. Men have an equal power, had they…

In the year 1735, the First Part of this work was published, in which are considered the several passages of Scripture made use of by Dr. Whitby and others in favour of the Universal Scheme, and against the Calvinistical Scheme, in which their arguments and objections are answered, and the several passages set in a just and proper light. These, and what are contained in the following part in favour of the Particular Scheme, are extracted from Sermons delivered in a Wednesday evening's lecture. Examination of 1. Genesis 4:7 2. Genesis 6:3 3. Deuteronomy 5:29 4. Deuteronomy 8:2 5. Deuteronomy 30:19 6. Deuteronomy 32:29 7. Psalm 81:13,14 8. Psalm 125:3 9. Psalm 145:9 10. Proverbs 1:22-30 11. Isaiah 1:16-17 12. Isaiah 1:18-20 13. Isaiah 5:4…

The Cause of God and TruthIn Four PartsWith a Vindication of Part IVFrom the Cavils, Calumnies and Defamations of Mr. Henry Heywood, &c.By John Gill, D.D.London, 1838 It should be known by the reader, that the following work was undertaken and begun about the year 1733 or 1734, at which time Dr. Whitby’s Discourse on the Five Points was reprinting, judged to be a masterpiece on the subject in the English tongue, and accounted an unanswerable one; and it was almost in the mouth of every one, as an objection to the Calvinists. Why do not ye answer Dr. Whitby? Induced hereby, I determined to give it another reading, and found myself inclined to answer it, and thought this was a very proper and seasonable…