More reasons for the Christian religion and no reason against it, or, A second…

And our very learned Dr. Twice doth argue that God could have saved the world without a Redeemer if he had pleased, because he saved the faithful under the old Testament without any existent Mediator (except God himself) or any existent sacrifice or merit or intercession of him, and because he saveth Infants without faith. But for the first I take it to be at best too great temerity or audacity to dispute ⟨p. 94⟩whether God could have done things better or otherwise, which he has done so well: (of which I have said more in my Premonition before my Treatise, called the unreasonableness of Infidelity. (Though I know that Wallaeus, and many other learned Protestants say the same.) And as for Infants they are not saved without the Sacrifice, and grace of the Redeemer, though they know him not; nor are they in the Covenant without the faith of their Parents or Owners, which is as their own. And if the Spirit of the Prophets be called the Spirit of Christ, 1 Pet. 1. 11. And the reproach of Moses was the reproach of Christ Heb. 11. 26. We may much more conclude of the ordinary Believers before his coming, that Christs Interest and his Spirits operations and help, extended much further than mens understanding of him, his undertaking and his future work. No doubt but the eternal [Greek or Hebrew] that had undertaken mans Redemption, and thereupon was our Lord Redeemer, gave even to Socrates, Plato, Cicero, Seneca, Antonine, Epictetus, Plutarch, &c. What light and mercy they had, though they ⟨p. 95⟩understood not well from whom or upon what grounds they had them.

And our very learned Dr. Twisse doth argue that God could have saved the world without a Redeemer if he had pleased, because he saved the faithful under the old Testament without any existent Mediator (except God himself) or any existent sacrifice or merit or intercssion of him, and because he saveth Infants without faith. But for the first I take it to be at best too great temerity or audacity to dispute ⟨p. 94⟩whether God could have done things better or otherwise, which he has done so well: (of which I have said more in my Premonition before my Treatise, called the unreasonableness of Infidelity. (Though I know that Wallaeus, and many other learned Protestants say the same.) And as for Infants they are not saved without the Sacrifice, and grace of the Redeemer, though they know him not; nor are they in the Covenant without the faith of their Parents or Owners, which is as their own. And if the Spirit of the Prorphets be called the Spirt of Chrict,