no difference. For-God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all. Rom. 3: 22, and 11: 32. Farthermore,

Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows; yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we, like sheep, have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way ; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. Isa. 53: 4, 5, 6.---Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness by whose stripes ye were healed. 1 Pet. 2. 24.

That the little children, without respect of person, are heirs of the kingdom of heaven, through the atonement and promise of Jesus Christ, read:---And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, and said, Verily I say unto you, except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Matth. 18: 2, 3.---Then were there brought unto him little children, that he should put his hands on them, and pray: and the disciples rebuked them. But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me; for of such is the kingdom of heaven. And he laid his hands on them, and departed thence. 19: 13, 14, 15.

That the righteous God will not punish the young children for their parents' or Adam's trespasses and sins, but in righteousness will recompense every one according to his deeds, read :---Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine : the soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him. Ezek. 18: 4, 20.---The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, neither shall the children be put to death for the fathers: every man shall be put to death for his own sin. Deut. 24: 16.----In those days they shall say no more, The fathers have eaten a sour grape, and the childrens' teeth are set on edge. But every one shall die for his own iniquity: every man that eateth the sour grape, his teeth shall be set on edge. Jer. 31: 29, 30.

Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead. Acts 17: 31. ---God judgeth the righteous, and God is angry with the wicked every day. Ps. 7: 11.---Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord the righteous Judge shall give me at that day: and not to me only,

but unto all them also that love his appearance. 2.Tim. 4: 8.

But he that believeth not shall be damned. Mark 16: 16.---Tribulation and anguish upon every soul of man that doeth evil. Rom. 2:9.

ARTICLE NINTH.

OF THE FREE WILL, OR ABILITY OF MAN, BOTH BEFORE AND AFTER THE FALL; AND OF GOD'S SAVING GRACE.

Of the free will or ability of man, both before and after the fall, and of God's saving grace, we believe and acknowledge, That in the beginning God created Adam and his wife in his own image and after his likeness, and, above all other creatures, endowed them with divine virtue, with knowledge, speech, understanding and a free will, or ability; so that they might know and acknowledge, love, fear, obediently serve and adore him; or, on the contrary, that they might, with their own free will, be disobedient to him, transgress his commands, and forsake him. This is clearly seen in Adam's first sin; for Adam and his wife transgressed the. commandment of God, being deceived by the craft and subtlety of the devil, who came to them in the form of a serpent, and persuaded them to eat of the forbidden fruit, contrary to the will of God: and as they were created with a free will and mutable, they, according to their own free will and inclination, took of the fruit

and did eat; not from any compulsion or fore-ordination of God, but in direct opposition to his will and commandment.

Now when Adam and his wife, through their own sin and transgression, were fallen under the wrath and disgrace of God, and became sinful and mortal, they were, notwithstanding, pardoned by their Maker, in so far that they were not wholly deprived of their former endowments, as wisdom, knowledge, speech, free will, and the ability and power of exercising the same; which is manifest, in that they willingly received and embraced the promise of life which their gracious God made unto them, in the seed of the woman, and therein freely obeyed the voice of the Lord. Moreover, in the Lord God's placing to the east of the garden of Eden, cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever: which it appears Adam might have done through the exercise of his free will, had he not been prevented.

And this free will and power of Adam's, with other endowments conferred on him by his beneficent Creator, is propagated and extended to all his descendants, whereby they are able to do and accomplish many things; and are not as dead and inactive inatter, such as blocks and stones, but on the contrary, they are active and efficacious, able to choose what is good and to re

ject what is evil. They can seek God for health and support of their sick and frail bodies; and also by the grace of God and the moving of the Spirit, whereby the sons of men live and are moved to seek the healing grace of God, (which is, through the Gospel, offered to all mankind, and through which is laid before them life and death;) they may open the door of their heart, and receive the free grace of God to the healing of their wounded souls; or, they may resist the moving of the Spirit, and reject and despise the offered mercy and grace to their eternal destruction. For as God made man with eyes and with ears, therewith to see and to hear, so also has God, through grace, given to man a free will and power, to do good and to eschew evil.

But all the sons of men, in so far as we consider them estranged from the grace of God, are of themselves unfit and insufficient even to think that which is good, much less are they able to do it but it is God, who by the Spirit of grace worketh in them both to will and to do; moves, draws, elects and adopts them to his children, and thus they are brought to partake of saving grace. Therefore, every true Christian will ascribe to God alone the glory, honour and praise, for his unmerited grace in Christ Jesus, whereby he was brought to believe in him, and to seek the salvation of his immortal soul.

Farthermore, we believe that this saving grace of God is not limited and confined to a