72  IMPLICIT  FAITH

I  will  not  therefore  now  dwell  on  it,  but  will
just  explain,  in  the  fourth  and  last  place,  how  our
rule,  of  judging  doctrines  by  their  tendency,  may
be  exactly  applied  to  the  detection  of  such  errors,
as  were  typified,  in  Jewish  times,  by  neglect  of
the  Sabbath — such  as  lead  men  to  depreciate  the
privileges  of  the  visible  Church.
Let  us,  for  example,  suppose  a  considerate  un
biassed  man,  acting  steadily  by  this  rule,  to  have
the  following  statement,  for  the  first  time,  presented
to  his  mind :  that  although  the  offers  of  grace  by
the  Gospel  are  addressed  to  all  Christians,  they
are  to  be  understood  with  limitation  to  those  only,
who  are  especial  objects  of  His  favour — who  con
stituting  a  certain  number,  foreseen  and  decreed
by  the  Almighty,  shall  be  saved,  as  it  were  in  spite
of  themselves,  out  of  an  evil  world :  while  to  the
rest,  for  all  the  declarations  of  the  Church,  and
the  language  of  Scripture,  no  mercy  was  ever
intended,  no  grace  ever  given.  Lay  this  before
a  sincere,  sober-minded  person,  who  never  heard
of  it  before,  and  see  if  he  will  not  answer,  This
must  be  wrong,  for  it  takes  away  the  use  of  good
works.
