\

►

206

su-red name of the most high God, to confirm the lies of sinful men ? I know swearing, in a just matter and right manner, may be as lawful under the New as under the Old Testament ; for thus I rind St. Paul saying, " As God is true," and " I call God for a record upon my soul," wherein is con- tained the very nature of an oath, which is the call- ing God for a record and a witness to the truth of what we speak; but when it is to maintain falsehood, which is to an ill purpose, or lightly and vain, which is to no purpose at all, it is a sin of the highest ag- gravation, that ought, with the greatest detestation and abhorrence, to be shunned and avoided. God saith, by Moses, " Thou shalt not swear by my name falsely, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God : I am the Lord." And, " Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain ; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain." But, further, God says by Christ, " Swear not at all, neither by heaven, for it is God's throne; nor by the earth, for it is his foostool," &c. So that not only by God, and by Jesus, are oaths, but swearing by any of God's creatures, is, in a manner, to swear by God himself. I swear by the heavens : can the heavens hear, or witness what I say ? No : it is 'the glorious Majesty that rules there, that I call upon to witness the truth of the words I speak, and the sinfulness of my heart for swearing to them. Do I swear by my faith ? But how is that ? Can faith testify what I say ? No : it is only he that wrought this faith in my heart can witness the truth of my words. And if I swear by the gifts of God, I do in effect swear by God himself ; other-

207

wise I ascribe that to the creature which is only compatible to the glorious Creator, even the know- ledge of the thoughts of my heart, how secret soever they be.

But, again, there is more in the third command- ment than the devil would persuade the world there is ; for, when God commands me " not to take his name in vain," it is more than if he had commanded me not only to swear by it : for I cannot persuade myself, but that every time I speak of God, when I do not think of him, I take his name in vain ; and, therefore, I ought to endeavour to avoid even the mentioning of God, as well as swearing by him, un- less upon urgent occasions, and with reverence and respect becoming his Majesty : for, questionless, " O Lord," and " O God," may be spoken as vainly as, " By Lord," and By God;" and, there- fore, I ought never to speak such words, without thinking really in my heart what I speak openly with my mouth, lest my name be written amongst those that " take the name of God in vain." But further still, I am resolved not only to avoid downright swearing, but likewise the very appearance of it ; so that what doth but look like an oath shall be as odious to me as what looks like nothing else.

3Y- 3

I THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY, f | Princeton, N. J. f

ft. «.»

BR 120 .B49 1836 Beveridge, William, 1637-

1708. Private thoughts on religion

3Y^ 3

THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY, f Princeton, N. J. §

BR 120 .B49 1836 Beveridge, William, 1637-

1708. Private thoughts on religion

, I , X

.U-OW.

m

PRIVATE THOUGHTS

ON

RELIGION,

AND

A CHRISTIAN LIFE.

IN TWO PARTS.

BY

WILLIAM BEVERIDGE, D.D.,

LATE LORD BISHOP OF ST. ASAPH.

WITH

AN INTRODUCTORY ESSAY,

EY

THOMAS CHALMERS, D.D., LL.D., & F.R.S.E.,

PHOFESSOR OF THEOLOGY IN THE UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH, AND CORRESPONDING MEMBER OF THE ROYAL INSTITUTE OF FRANCE.

GLASGOW:

PRINTED FOP, WILLIAM COLLINS;

■:.i\ i R & BOYD, W. VVHYTE & CO. VV. OL1PHANT & SON, EDINBURGH,

W. F. HAKEMAN, AND WM. CUURY, JUN. & CO. DUBLIN;

v\ HITTAKER & HAMILTON, ADAMS, & CO. AND

SIMPKIN & MARSHALL, LONDON.

M.DCCC.XXXVI.

*» n

IBE^M ■■:S!EEID)<S'IS9

J5GO\W\

PRIVATE THOUGHTS

RELIGION, CHRISTIAN LIFE

,M BEVERIDGE, D.I

W. t. WAKEMAN, AND WM. CUURTt, ^<-.>. ^v ^w. DD] ,

« HITTAKEB & HAMILTON, ADAMS, & CO. AND SIMPKIN & MARSHALL, LONDON.

M.BCCL'.XXXVI.

Printed by W. Collins Ul isgow.

PROPERTY INTRODUCTORY ESSAY.

There is a passage in the New Testament, where the Law is made to stand to the sinner in the rela- tion of a first husband ; and on this relation being dissolved, which it is at the moment when the sinner becomes a believer, then Christ stands to him in the relation of a second husband ; under which new relation, he brings forth fruit unto God, or, to use the expression of the Apostle, " lives unto God." There is another passage from which we can gather, what indeed is abundantly manifest from the whole of Scripture, that to live unto God is in every way tantamount to living unto Christ — it being there represented as the general habit of believers, " to live no longer unto themselves, but unto him who died for them and rose again." So that though there be no single quotation, where the two phrases are brought together, still it is a sound, because truly a scriptural, representation of the state of a believer, that he is dead unto the Law, and alive unto Christ.

Now we arc sensible, that these, and similar phrases, have been understood in two meanings,

\\

igfa not opposite, are at least wholly dis-

other; that is, cither as expressive

• . or the personal character of a

•- judicial state, we mean that

. which he is put by the judgment or

f a law. If the law, for example, condemn

B are judicially, by that law, in a state of

iiiation. This may he viewed distinctly from

our p haracter. Now the first meaning of

-. or that by which they are expressive of

• . would be more accurately rendered,

banging each of the phrases, into "dead

•• alive by Christ." Whereas

dead at i the law,*' and "alive unto

. without any change, accurately to

ond meaning, or that which is descrip-

fthe p< i -<>nal character of those to whom it is

applied. There is no liberty used with the Bible,

affirm, that whether the one or other of

[lings be indeed the meaning in any par-

• , the doctrine involved in each is true and

me— that, in the first instance, every

! by the law, and alive by Christ; and

I instance, he is dead unto the

. .ud alive unto Christ, — or, in other words, that

i the former truth has been realized,

liter truth shall he realized also.

■ and indeed ev. ry man is dead

This ifl naturally the judicial state of

ill* immandments, and made

llty of their violation. We have all

It demanded not any given

■ bat a whole obedience and

V1L

tins we have all come short of. We have at least incurred the sentence ; and if the execution of it has not yet been fully inflicted, it is at least in sure reserve for those on whom it is to fall. They are like malefactors in custody. Their doom is awaiting them. They are not yet dead in reality, but they are dead in law. They have the dread prospect of the reality before them ; and, if they have nought but the law to deal with, they may well tremble or be in despair, as the prisoners of a hopeless con- demnation.

The greater part of men are at ease, even amid the urgencies of a state so alarming. That they have broken the law of God gives them no concern; and their life passes as carelessly along, as if the future reckoning, and future vengeance, were all a fable. So cheap do they hold the high jurisprudence of Heaven, that they are scarcely conscious of having offended against it ; or if ever visited with the suspi- cion that their obedience is not up to the lofty stan- dard of God's commandments, they compound the matter in another way, and bring down the com- mandments of God to the lowly standard of their own obedience. God hath revealed himself to the world, under the impressive character of a God who is not to be mocked — yet would they inflict upon him most degrading mockery, by robbing every proclamation of his against the transgressors of the law of all effect and all significancy. If there be any dignity in Heaven's throne, or any truth, and power, and force of character in him who sittetli thereon, his ordinations must stand fast, and his penalties, by which their authority is guarded, must

VI

which, though not opposite, arc at least wholly dis- tinct from each other; that is, either as expressive of the judicial state, or the personal character of a believer. By one's judicial state, we mean that state into which he is put by the judgment or sentence of a law. If the law, for example, condemn us, we are judicially, by that law, in a state of condemnation. This may be viewed distinctly from our personal character. Now the first meaning of the phrases, or that by which they are expressive of a judicial state, would be more accurately rendered, by slightly changing each of the phrases, into "dead by the law," and " alive by Christ." Whereas the " being dead unto the law," and " alive unto Christ," serve, without any change, accurately to express the second meaning, or that which is descrip- tive of the personal character of those to whom it is applied. There is no liberty used with the Bible, when we affirm, that whether the one or other of these meanings be indeed the meaning in any par- ticular case, the doctrine involved in each is true and scriptural doctrine — that, in the first instance, every believer is dead by the law, and alive by Christ; and that, in the second instance, he is dead unto the law, and alive unto Christ, — or, in other words, that in whomsoever the former truth has been realized, the latter truth shall be realized also.

iy believer, and indeed every man is dead by the law. This is naturally the judicial state of all. The law issued its commandments, and made death the penalty of their violation. We have all incurred that penalty. It demanded not any given friction of obedience, hut a whole obedience — and

Vll

this we have all come short of. We have at least incurred the sentence ; and if the execution of it has not yet been fully inflicted, it is at least in sure reserve for those on whom it is to fall. They are like malefactors in custody. Their doom is awaiting them. They are not yet dead in reality, but they are dead in law. They have the dread prospect of the reality before them ; and, if they have nought but the law to deal with, they may well tremble or be in despair, as the prisoners of a hopeless con- demnation.

The greater part of men are at ease, even amid the urgencies of a state so alarming. That they have broken the law of God gives them no concern; and their life passes as carelessly along, as if the future reckoning, and future vengeance, were all a fable. So cheap do they hold the high jurisprudence of Heaven, that they are scarcely conscious of having offended against it ; or if ever visited with the suspi- cion that their obedience is not up to the lofty stan- dard of God's commandments, they compound the matter in another way, and bring down the com- mandments of God to the lowly standard of their own obedience. God hath revealed himself to the world, under the impressive character of a God who is not to be mocked — yet would they inflict upon him most degrading mockery, by robbing every proclamation of his against the transgressors of the law of all effect and all significancy. If there be any dignity in Heaven's throne, or any truth, and power, and force of character in him who sittetli thereon, his ordinations must stand fast, and his penalties, by which their authority is guarded, mint

Vlll

fulfilment. The government of the Supreme would be despoiled of all its majesty, if mercy were

It hand to obliterate the guilt of our rebellion against it. The carnal heart of man may be proof

il these demonstrations of guilt and of danger :

. totwithstanding, it is true that we have incurred

the debt, and come under the denunciations of a law,

whereof it has been said, that heaven and earth

away ere one jot or one tittle of it shall

fail.

This is the appalling condition of humanity,

seldom it may be adverted to, and however

slightly it may be felt, in the listlcssness of nature.

To the great mojority of men, all secure and uncon-

• hey are, it gives no disturbance. They are

uch hurried with the manifold relations in which they stand to the things and the interests that are around them, that they overlook their great relation • i God the lawgiver, and to that law, all whose mandates have a force and a sanction that cannot In- recalled. They are asleep to the awful realities <>i their state. They have trampled upon an autho- rity which must he vindicated. They have incurred a threatening which must be discharged. They

insulted a throne whose dignity must be as-

! —and cast contempt on a government, which shall rise in its might and its majesty from the de- gradation which they have tried to inflict upon it. The high attributes of the Divinity are against them. His Justice demands a satisfaction. His Holiness cannot hut manifest the force of its recoil

moral evil. I lis word stands committed to death and the destruction of sinners— and a

IX

nature so immutable as his, never can recede from those great principles which mark the character of his administration. The greater part of men escape from all this terror, while they live in mere insensi- bility; and some there are, who, because less enor- mous transgressors than their fellows, can lull their every apprehension, and be at ease. But the law will admit of no compromise. It will treat with no degree or modification of evil. They have broken some of the things contained in the book of God's law, and by the law they are dead.

The most exempt, perhaps, from all disquietude on the score of that death to which the law has condemned them, are they who, decorous in all the proprieties, and honourable in all the equities, and alive, by the tenderness of a softened, sympathetic nature, to all the kindnesses of life, stand the freest from all those visible delinquencies by which the law is most notoriously and most disgracefully violated. They lie not — they steal not — they defraud not. They are ever prompt in humanity, and most punc- tual in justice. They acquit themselves of every relative duty to the satisfaction of those who are the objects of it; and exemplary in all the moralities of our social state, they sustain upon earth a high and honourable reputation. Nevertheless it is pos- sible, nay it is frequent, that a man may be signa- lized by all these graces of character, and yet be devoid of godliness. The first and greatest com- mandment, which is the love of God, may be the object, not of his occasional, but of his constant and habitual disobedience. In reference to this part of the law, he may have not merely fallen into many a 3

X

linfiil acts, but more desperate still, he may be in a continual Btate of sinfulness. Instead of offending me times by the deeds of his hand, he may [ending him at all times, by that settled and invariable bent which there is in the desires of his That bent may he wholly towards the . and wholly away from him who made the world. He may have a thousand constitutional virtues: to use a familiar expression, he may have many good points or properties of character, and yet Dot be in all his thoughts. His Father in :i may have as little reason to be pleased with liim, as an earthly father with that child, in whose history there may he a number of conformities with wi will, but in whose heart there is an obvious Bullenness, or, at least, an utter disregard and indif- ference towards him. " Give me thy heart," says . and " love him with all thy heart," says the law of God. It is by viewing the law, in all its ht, that we are made to feel how deep the con- demnation is into which the law has placed us. Our may look fair in the eye of society,

while it is manifest, to the eye of our own conscience, that <>ur affections are altogether set on time, and mi the < nature, and altogether turned from the Those virtues, which give us a flourish- UpOIl earth, are not enough to transplant i. The law which said, "Do these things and live," finds its very first doing, or demand, tisfied, and bars our entrance into heaven. It , not perhaps of many specific sins; but, !!v decisive of our fortune through cter-

o

i an unremitting course or

XI

current of* sinfulness ; and so, dead by the law, the gate of life is shut against us.

The counter-part to this awful truth, that by the law the sinner is dead, is, that by Christ the believer is made alive. We may understand, in word and in letter, how this can be, even though we our- selves have had no part in the process. We may have the knowledge, though perhaps not the faith in it; and just as a spectator might look intelligently to a pro- cess in which he does not personally share, so might we have the literal apprehension of that way by which the sinner, who by the law is judicially dead, might by Christ become judicially alive. But aware of it though we be, it cannot be too often re- iterated ; and may the Spirit give a power and a demonstration to this important truth, when we say again how it is that the transgressor is made free. The sentence then is not annulled, it is only transferred. It is lifted up from his head, because laid on the head of another, who rather than that man should die, did himself bear the burden of it. For this purpose did he bow himself down unto the sacrifice, and submitted to that deep, that mysterious endurance, under which he had to sustain the weight of a world's atonement. The vials of the Lawgiver's wrath were exhausted upon him. The law was magnified and made honourable in him. In him the work of vengeance was completed, and every attribute of the Godhead that man had insulted by his dis- obedience, did, on the cross of Christ, obtain its ample reparation. There, and under a weight of suffering which nought but the strength of the Di- vinity could uphold, the sacredncss of the Divinity

Xll

'..fully manifested ; when, like a rainbow after

torm, the mercy of heaven arose out of the dark and warring elements, and has ever since shone upon our world, like a beauteous halo that now

- and irradiates all the other perfections of the Godhead. And the sight of it is as free to all, as i> the sun in the firmament. The elements of light . and the other common bounties of nature, arc not more designed for the use of each and all of the human species, than is the widely sounding call

I -ook unto me all ye ends of the earth, and be ye saved." And whosoever he be that looks, and looks believingly, shall live. He is lightened of the burden of his guilt so soon as he puts faith in the Saviour. That great peace-offering for the sins of the world, becomes a peace-offering unto him. He

ingea conditions with his surety. His guilt is put to Christ's account, and Christ's righteousness is put to his account. He obtains his full discharge from the sentence that was against him ; and whereas \r, the law he was dead, he hath made his escape from this judgment, and now by Christ is alive.* W e wish that we could give the adequate im-

ion of that perfect welcome and good-will,

with all men are invited to the mercy-seat. I nder the economy of the law there was a curse

unced upon every one who continued not in all

rda that wire written in its book to do them ;

•d the question is, how ran any who has trans-

'' o much as one of these precepts, make his

'

1 " statement of this doctrine, we refer

h. and 9th Articles of Bishop Beve ww" «P by himself in the following Treatise.

Xlll

escape from this felt denunciation ? Many there arc who, to bring this about, would still keep up the old economy of the law, though in such a re- duced and mutilated way, as might permit of an outlet to all but the most enormous of criminals. But the gospel provides this outlet in another way, more direct, and distinct, and consistent, by taking down the old economy, and setting up a new eco- nomy altogether. Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law being made a curse for us; and while by this expedient the honours of the com- mandment have been fully vindicated — by this ex- pedient, also, the mercy of God, as if released from the impediment which held it, now goes forth re- joicingly, and in all its amplitude, to the farthest limits of a guilty world. There is not one so sunk in iniquity, that God, in Christ, does not beseech to enter forthwith into reconciliation. There is not one man under sentence of death by the law, to whom eternal life is not offered, and offered freely, as the gift of God through Jesus Christ our Lord. The sceptre of forgiveness is held out even to the chief of sinners; and away of access has been opened, by which one and all of them are invited to draw nigh. Heaven would have shrunk, so etherial and so sensitive is its holiness — it would have shrunk, in (juick and immediate recoil, from the approaches of the guilty; but the way by which they now come is a consecrated way, consecrated by the blood of an everlasting covenant; and alonu which all of us are beckoned to move, by every call, and every signal of encouragement. We arc dead by the law, but it is a death from which we are bidden, by the voice of

XIV

the gospel, to come forth. And he that belie veth in, « though he were dead, yet shall he live." This is the truth implied in the expression, that B Christian is dead by the law, and alive by Christ. We shall now consider the truth implied in the other expression, that a Christian is dead unto the law, and alive unto Christ. The former expression is Scant of the judicial state of a believer. The hitter is significant of his personal character. We >rhaps hotter understand the phrase of being k- dead unto the law," when we think of such analo- gous phrases, as, the being dead unto sin ; or dead unto the world ; or dead to the fascinations of plea- sure ; or dead to the sensibilities of the heart ; or dead to tin- urgencies of temptation. It expresses character, for it expresses man's insensibility, or the property that he has of being unmoved by certain objects that are addressed to him, but which either irably or painfully affect the feelings of other men. He who can look unsoftened and unimpressed • mi a scene of wretchedness, or of cruel suffering, is .had to compassion. He who pities, and is in ten- , is alive to it. He who can look without delight on the glories of a landscape, is dead to the charms of nature's scenerv. He who can be told, without emotion, of some noble deeds of generosity '■r honour, is dead to the higher beauties of the mind, to the charms of moral grace, or of moral

A m in is (had unto that, which, when present to him as an object of thought, is nevertheless not an object of feeling; and more especially when that which is lovely i> placed within his view, and no

love is awakened by it. It will therefore require some explanation, that we might apprehend aright the phrase of the apostle — " dead to the law." He cannot mean to say of himself, that he is dead to the beauties of that holiness which it contains — that he is dead to the worth of those virtues which lie en o raven either on the first or second division of its

o

tablet of jurisprudence — that he sees nought to ad- mire in the godliness that is set forth in the one, or the humanity that is set forth in the other — that he is utterly devoid of aught like a taste, or an in- clination within him, which can at all respond to that picture of moral excellence which the law puts before him ; and so yielding no homage of desire towards it, he may have as good as renounced it in his doings. This surely is not the interpretation which can be put upon it ; for the apostle elsewhere says of himself that he delighted in the law ; and he eulogises it as holy, and just, and good. Holy men of old loved the law, and it was their medita- tion all the day long — and the lyre of the Psalmist is re-echoed by the longings of every Christian heart, when he says, " O how I love thy law ;" and " blessed is the man that delightcth greatly in its command- ments."

There must be something else then, in and about the law, to which a believer is dead, than either the Tightness of its precepts, or the moral and spi- ritual beauty of its perfections, when these are rea- lized upon the character. Every true believer is most thoroughly alive both to the one and the other — and the question remains, What is it of the law to which he has become dead J. Perhaps this ques-

XIV

the gospel, to come forth. And he that believeth in, " though he were dead, yet shall he live." This is the truth implied in the expression, that ■ Christian is dead by the law, and alive by Christ. ihall now consider the truth implied in the other expression, that a Christian is dead unto the law, live unto Christ. rrhe former expression is ..ant of the judicial state of a believer. The latter is significant of his personal character. We >rhaps better understand the phrase of being d unto the law," when we think of such analo- gous phrases, as, the being dead unto sin ; or dead unto the world ; or dead to the fascinations of plea- sure ; or dead to the sensibilities of the heart; or dead to the urgencies of temptation. It expresses character, for it expresses man's insensibility, or the property that he has of being unmoved by certain objects that are addressed to him, but which either pleasurably or painfully affect the feelings of other men. He who can look unsoftcned and unimpressed of wretchedness, or of cruel suffering, is to compassion. He who pities, and is in ten- • ;^ alive to it. He who can look without I on the glories of a landscape, is dead to the •harms of nature's scenery. He who can be told, without emotion, of some noble deeds of generosity or honour, is dead to the higher beauties of the mind, to the charms of moral grace, or of moral

■' unto that, which, when present to

:" object of thought, is nevertheless not an

"'' feeling; and more especially when that

which is lovely is placed within his view, and no

XV

love is awakened by it. It will therefore require some explanation, that we might apprehend aright the phrase of the apostle — " dead to the law." He cannot mean to say of himself, that he is dead to the beauties of that holiness which it contains — that lie is dead to the worth of those virtues which lie engraven either on the first or second division of its tablet of jurisprudence — that he sees nought to ad- mire in the godliness that is set forth in the one, or the humanity that is set forth in the other — that lie is utterly devoid of aught like a taste, or an in- clination within him, which can at all respond to that picture of moral excellence which the law puts before him ; and so yielding no homage of desire towards it, he may have as good as renounced it in his doings. This surely is not the interpretation which can be put upon it. ; for the apostle elsewhere says of himself that he delighted in the law ; and he eulogises it as holy, and just, and good. Holy men of old loved the law, and it was their medita- tion all the day long — and the lyre of the Psalmist is re-echoed by the longings of every Christian heart, when he says, " O how I love thy law ;" and " blessed is the man that delighteth greatly in its command- ments."

There must be something else then, in and about the law, to which a believer is dead, than either the Tightness of its precepts, or the moral and spi- ritual beauty of its perfections, when these are rea- lized upon the character. Every true believer is most thoroughly alive both to the one and the other — and the question remains, What is it of the law to which he has become dead? Perhaps this ques-

XVI

answered by the apostle's own state- ment, that we are dead in Christ, or that we have partakers in his death — not that we partake with him in its sufferings, for this he endured alone, hut we partake with him in its immunities, now that sufferings arc over. The heliever stands now in the same relation to the law, that the man does, who haa already sustained the execution of its sen- tence upon his person. It has no further claim upon him. lie needs to fear no more, for he has to suffer no more. Its threatenings have all been discharged — not upon himself, it is true, but upon another tor his sake, and by whom they have for Keen averted from his own soul. He may now as little, and feel as little, of the law's severity, in the dead body of the executed criminal: and it is in this sense that the believer is dead unto the law — not dead to the worth and the loveliness "* i; dments, but altogether dead to the

: of is condemnation — not unmoved by the and the rightnesa of its moralities, but wholly onmoi iU8e now wholly placed beyond the

of its menaces — not dead to its voice, when it to the way of peace and pleasantness, but now conclusively ^\u\ to it. voice as a relentless judge, 01 its countenance as a Bert e and determined avenger, M that the believel may at once walk before God without iVar, and yet walk before him in rightcous- and in holine

Ihr older authors, w1,msC writings are so much " hly fraught than those of our own days with

■ ' deep and well-exercised intellect, on •nous questions of theology, tell us of the law

XV11

being now set aside as a covenant, while it remains with ns as a rule of life. This single change of economy teaches us, to what of the law it is that we are dead, and to what of it we are still alive. We are dead to all those jealousies which are apt to arise about the terms and the punctualities of a bargain. There is no longer the lifting up of a bond, upon the one side, and this re-acted to by the spirit of bondage, upon the other. There are a dread and a distrust, and the feeling of a divided interest, be- tween two parties, when it is the business of the one to look after the due performance of certain cove- nanted articles, and of the other, by his square and regular performance of these, just to do as much as that he may escape the denounced penalty, or as that he may earn the stipulated reward. " I call you no longer servants, but sons," did our Saviour say to his disciples; and this, perhaps, goes most effectually to distinguish between the obedience which is under the old, and that which is under the new economy. We do the very same things under both, but in a wholly different spirit. As sons, we do them from the feeling of love. As servants, we do them by the force of law. It is the spontaneous taste of the one. It is the servile task of the other. The meat and drink of the servant lie in the hire which is given for the doinij of his master's will. The meat and drink of the son lie in the very doing of that will. He does not feel it to be a service, hut the very solace and satisfaction of his own reno- vated spirit. It is well to apprehend this distinction ; for it, in truth, is that which marks, most precisely, the evangelical from the legal obedience. To all

XV111

i lings, which have been termed the feelings, or the tears of legality, the believer under the eco- Nfew Testament is altogether dead. He is Dot exempted from service, but it is service in the newness of the spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter — not gone about in the style of a hireling, who looks merely to his reward, and is satisfied if he can but fulfil the literalities of that contract by which the reward is secured to him. We see how at once, by tingle change, a new character is given to his obedience — how, when dead to the law, which tells him to do this and live, he looks away from all those narrow suspicions, and all those besetting fears, where- a mercenary service is encompassed — and how when alive to the gospel, which first gives him life, and then bids him do, he instantly ascends upon a higher walk of obedience, being now urged onward • iste t.»r the virtues of the law, and not by the «)t its violations — and instead of looking for distinct reward alter the keeping of the com- ments, which in truth argues nothing spontane- I in the character at all, feeling even now, that in the keeping of the commandments there is a ard. W ith this explanation of what it is to be dead unto the law, we may fully understand what it is to ( i. As to he dead unto any object,

'••nit that .sensibility which the object is fitted to awaken then to be alive unto any object, is just

to have the sensibility. One of our poets designates

l nsibility to be one who is feelingly

1 ach fine impulse. It is thus that we are

alive to the call of distress— alive to the charms of a

XIX

landscape — alive to the obligations of honour — alive to the charms of gratitude or friendship. It marks an attribute of the personal character, because it marks its degree of sensibility to any such objects as are presented to it : and we may easily consider what the result will be when Christ is the object, and when he to whom this object is addressed is alive unto Christ. Let us only conceive him to cast an intelligent look upon the Saviour, to com- pute aright the mighty surrender which he had to make, when he had to surrender the glory of heaven, for a death equivalent in its soreness to the eternity of accursed millions in hell — let us think of the ten- derness to our world which urged him forth upon the errand to seek and to save it, and the strength of that unquenchable love which so bore him up amid the pains and the perils of his great undertak- ing— let us but look on the fearful agonies, and listen to the cries, that, in the hour and power of darkness, were extorted from him, who had the energy of the Godhead to sustain him, and who, from the garden to the cross, had to travel through a mystery of suffering, that sinners might go free — let us but connect this terror, and these shrinkings, of the incarnate Godhead, with the peace of our own unburdened consciences, as we draw near unto the mercy-seat, and plead our full acquittal from that vengeance which has already been discbarged, from that penalty which has been already borne — let us bring together in thought, even as they stand to- gether in reality, the love of Christ and our own dear-bought liberty, and that to him all the immuni- ties of our present grace, and all the brightest visions

XX

ii future immortality are owing. To be awake unto all this with the eye of the understanding, and to be alive unto all this with the susceptibilities of the heart, is just to be in that practical state which we now endeavour to set forth — and under which it is, that every true Christian gives up the devoted-

of his whole life, as an offering of gratitude to him who hath redeemed it — and feeling that " he is Dot hia own, but bought with a price, lives no longer to himself, but to the Saviour who died for him and who rose again."

But it is the unceasing aim of gratitude to gratify

ject : and the question comes to be. What precise direction will this affection, now stirring and alive in our hearts towards Christ, impress upon our history. This will resolve itself into the other question, of how is it that Christ is most gratified? what is it that In- chiefly wills of us, or that we can do, which bis desires are most set upon? For the resolution of this inquiry, the Scriptures of truth give us abun- timonies. I lis will is our sanctification. '1 he great and ultimate object for which he put forth his hand upon us was to make us holy. He

himself up for us, that we might give ovrselves up unto the guidance of that word, and the gracious

tion ol* that Spirit, whereby he purifies unto

If a peculiar people, and makes them zealous "I works. He has now risen to the throne of

ppointed Mediatorship j and the voice that he

edtohis first disciples, still issues therefrom

to the disciples of all ages—" If ye love me, keep

>mmajidments;"and, " Ye arc my friends, if ye ''" u- ' command you." Now the com,

XXL

mandments of Christ to whom we are alive, are just the individual commandments of that law to which we arc dead. The things to which we were before driven by the terrors of authority, are the very things to which we are now drawn by the ties of gratitude. God in bis love to righteousness framed all the virtues which compose it into the ar- ticles of a covenant that we bad violated, but which now in Christ is settled and set by. And God in bis still unabated love to righteousness, yet wills to impress all the virtues of it upon our person. What before he inscribed on the records of a written com- mandment, he would now infuse within the reposi- tories of a believer's breast — and those precepts which, under the old economy, were the ground of a condemnation that is now taken away, compose, under the new economy, a rule of life, the obliga- tion of which rcmaineth with us for ever.

Though the law be now taken away from the eye of the believer, yet Christ stands in its place, and these very virtues which were exacted by the one, are still taught and exemplified by the other.* He is the image and representation of his Father, and loni? ere the moralities of absolute and everlasting rectitude were impressed on a tablet of jurisprudence, they had their place and their living delineation in the character of the Godhead. The laws and threaten- ings of the tablet are now expunged and taken away from the sight of the believer, but the character re- mains in full view, and now more impressively bodied

* We igain refer tin- reach r t<> that Section, in the Second Part of this Work, winch treat9 of " The Imitation of Christ," lor an

admirable illustration ol our preceding argument.

xxu

than ever, because now a sensible representa- tion has been given of it in the person of Jesus Christ. And to be alive unto Christ, is to be alive I i the beauties of this representation. There is implied by it than gratitude for his love. It Further implies the admiration of his loveliness. With both together we superadd to the obedience precepts, the imitation of his example; and it is in the busy prosecution of them, that every true disciple abounds in the fruits of righteousness, and 10 lives unto God. The matter of the command- ment is the same that it ever was. The motive only is changed. Then we wrought for the favour of : or rather, under the despair of having fallen short, we wrought for the purpose of some possible (Scape, or to mitigate the vengeance that we found awaiting us. Now we work in the secure tnd conscious possession of this favour, and rejoice in the will and the ways of him who rejoices over od. It has ceased to be the service int. It has come to be the service of willingni is. It is a thank-offering, and more than if is our now voluntary deference to that law pta we love, and love the more, that we aoi been placed beyond the reach of its pen- It is to the latter only that we arc dead, for to the former we are most thoroughly alive; and, I of the servilities of a forced obedience, we rendei unto Cod the spontaneous homage of a an, the love and loyalty of a friend, thus thai i veT) true disciple, while dead unto • living unto God. We can imagine the he written on a tablet, and suspended between

XXlll

us and God ; him pointing both to its precepts and its penalties, and we become conscious of our utter deficiency from the one, and tremblingly alive to a dread of the other. It is well that this be felt b) the sinner, till he is prevailed upon to flee from the coming wrath which is thus denounced upon him by the law, and to flee for refuge to the hope set before him in the gospel. Thus it is, in the language of Paul to the Colossians, that the hand-writing of ordinances that was against us, is blotted out, and taken out of the way; and the believer is now dead to the terror of all those penalties, to which afore- time he had been most powerfully alive. The penalties are now taken out of sight, but the pre- cepts are not taken out of sight. It is true that the frightful inscription, which stood as a barrier or an interdict between him and God, is now removed ; and the consequence is, that he is now brought nigh unto God, whose character has undergone no change, but who bears the same unaltered love to all the moralities of righteousness as before. And so those identical virtues which, under the law, are addressed unto men as the precepts of an authoritative code, and have been resisted by all, arc still addressed unto men as the persuasions of a now reconciled friend, and which every believer in Jesus Christ finds to be irresistible. They stood then associated with the frown, and the compulsion, and the curse, and all the other accompaniments of a ministry of condem- nation, to which by this time he is dead. They stand now associated with the kindness, and the af- fectionate urgency, and the sympathy of manifested example, and the native beauties of holiness, to all

X X 1 V

bich he is now most thoroughly, and most feel- ingly alive. The expression of a wish from God : the new dispensation, has a greater moral ascendancy over the believer's heart, than even a landment had under the old. In a word, the spirit of bondage has fled away, and in its place has the spirit of adoption, in the power of which he lives unto God, and abounds in all the fruits, and all the performances of willing obedience.

We may now understand how it is that a change in the judicial state brings about a change in the private character; how it is, that he who is dead by the law, when he is made alive by Christ, becomes • had unto the law and alive unto Christ. When we receive the truth that is in Jesus, we are justified : for then we are justified by faith. And to under- the way in which this truth makes us holy; ar, how is it that we are sanctified by faith, we have only to consider the believer as dead unto the law, in the sense wherein we have already explained it, . because he now believes that Christ hath re- d him from its condemnation and its curse. It is because of the connection between his faith and • He is no longer alive to the terror of threatenings which are by the law, now that its threatenings to have been all of them • Hew no longer under the dread of its ■ now tha< the vengeance is absorbed. <> longer afraid of a reckoning for the debts ;i',i.';' that b« had incurred, seeing that

h« been reckoned with as his surety— Hear- ts of his disobedience, and giving him "ard of his own perfect rUt-

XXV

eousness. It is just because he has been made ju- dicially alive by Christ, that he is now dead to all the alarm of that judicial condemnation under which he aforetime lay. The one comes simply and im- mediately out of faith in the other; and is the same sort of moral phenomenon with that of a man ceasing to have the apprehension of a danger that impended over him, on the moment of being made to perceive that the danger has passed away.

But the believer is not only dead unto the law, but alive unto Christ. This is because of the con- nection between his faith and his gratitude. It is by Christ's work that we are released from the pains of a violated law ; but yet, it is his will that we do the precepts of it; and in his person too there is the highest exemplification of its graces and virtues. When we believe in his work, we become alive to a sense of cordial and willing obligation ; and when we understand what his will is, we become alive to the moralities of that very law, to whose menaces wc are altogether dead. It is at that transition by which we are released from its penalties, that we be- come rivetted to the admiration of its perfections, and the devoted followers of its truth and justice, and humanity and holiness. Every man who has been made alive by Christ, must be alive to him; so as to live no longer to himself, but to live unto Christ who died for him, and who rose again. There is nought in the gospel which exempts us from obe- dience, but every thing in it and about it which ex- cites us to obedience — to obedience in a better spirit than wc could possibly have under the law — to obedience, if we may so speak, in a higher style B 37

XXVI

-not the obedience that is extorted by terror or by power, but the obedience to which we are urged te and by gratitude. And amid all the dark- of human controversy and explanation, one [s clcar — even the apostolical test of our truly Christ, that we keep his commandments. But, while we insist on this as the true test of discipleship, we are no less strenuous in insisting on I faith, convinced as we are of the intimate connectiou which subsists between a sound faith and i sound practice. Without the former we have the highest authority for stating, that it is impos- sible to please God ; though the latter we hold to be no less necessary as the indispensable pre- paration for heaven, since without holiness no man God; and therefore would we labour to every inquirer acquainted with the founda- tion of a Christian's hope, as well as the rule of a Christian's practice. And, for this purpose, instead EFering any further exposition of our own on two most important topics, we would recom- . to his perusal the two following Treatises of B ■ *' Thoughts on Religion," and

•• On a Christian Life," where he will find an ad- le conjunction of the great doctrines of Chris- .. with those grains and accomplishments of ( hristian character, which form the necessary quences of a genuine faith in these and from which are derived the only mo- fsufficienl ind potency, for establishing

ithority of Christian morality in the heart, and it in the life. In hi this learned and pious pre-

XXV11

late gives an enumeration of the articles of his faith, with a clearness and precision which indicate that he had a distinct and scriptural view of the dispensation of grace, in all its relations and dependencies; while the " Resolutions" formed thereupon, deduced as they are from the articles of his faith, and deriving from them their whole force and urgency of motive, are admirahly fitted for regulating the affections and conduct of the aspiring candidate for heaven. And we apprehend, that it is from the want of such dis- tinct and well-defined rules for the government of their thoughts, and actions, and general intercourse in the world, which this pious hishop deemed so necessary for the regulation of his own heart and life, that many professing Christians, not otherwise defective in a sound orthodoxy, do nevertheless ex- hibit much that is defective and inconsistent in their Christian profession. In this so important a branch of Christian duty, and so conducive to the consistency and comfort of the Christian life, the example of this excellent prelate is highly worthy of imitation ; and when entered into, in an humble dependence on the strength and sufficiency of Him in whose grace alone he can be strong, the Christian disciple will find it conducive to his personal sanctification and growth in the divine life.

The second Treatise contains a no less excellent and valuable exposition of several important topics, which are intimately connected witli the formation and successful prosecution of the Christian life. His observations on the Christian education of children, are entitled to the serious regard of those parents who are in earnest to biing up their children

XXV1I1

in the nurture and admonition of the Lord; and, in the subsequent topics, which form the concluding portion of his work, there is a close and forcible ap- plication of truth to the conscience, addressed with all the power and solemn earnestness of a man, who felt as well as understood the truths he was expound- Bishop Bcveridgc was an eminent and success- ful minister of the gospel of Christ, and was a dis- tinguished ornament of that church of which he was a dignitary; and we cannot give a better portraiture of this truly good and pious man, both as a private Christian and as a public functionary, than by tran- scribing the following character of him, as drawn by his biographer.

" This great and good Bishop had very early addicted himself to piety and a religious course of life, of which his Private Thoughts upon Religion will be a Lasting evidence. They were written in linger years; and he must a considerable time before this, have devoted himself to such practices, otherwise he could never have drawn up so judicious and a declaration of his faith, nor have formed such excellent resolutions so agreeable to the Chris- tian lile in all its parts. These things show him to quainted with the life and power of religion iid that even from a child he knew the Holy Scriptures, And as his piety was early, so it ■ nail i nl and conspicuous, in all the parts md stations of his life. As he had formed such • he made suitable improvements then,: and they, at length, grew up into such • that all his actions savoured of nothing piety and religion. His holy example was a

XXIX

very great ornament to our church ; and he honoured his profession and function by zealously discharging all the duties thereof. How remarkable was his piety towards God ! What an awful sense of the divine Majesty did he always express ! How did he delight in his worship and service, and frequent his house of prayer ! How great was his charity to men ; how earnestly was he concerned for their welfare, as his pathetic addresses to them in his dis- courses plainly discover ! How did the Christian spirit run through all his actions, and what a won- derful pattern was he of primitive purity, holiness, and devotion ! As he was remarkable for his great piety and zeal for religion, so he was highly to be esteemed for his learning, which he wholly applied to promote the interest of his great Master. He was one of extensive and almost universal reading: he was well skilled in the oriental lano-ua^cs, and the Jewish learning, as may appear from many of his sermons ; and, indeed, he was furnished to a very eminent degree with all useful knowledge. He was very much to be admired for his readiness in the Scriptures ; he had made it his business to acquaint himself thoroughly with those sacred oracles, whereby he was furnished unto all good works: he was able to produce suitable passages from them on all occa- sions, and was very happy in explaining them to others. Thus he improved his time and his abilities in serving God, and doing good, till he arrived at a good old age, when it pleased his great Master to give him rest from his labours, and to assign him a place in those mansions of bliss, where he had always laid up his treasure, and to which his heart

XXX

had been all along devoted through the whole course of his life and actions. He was so highly esteemed g all learned and good men, that when he was . one of the chief of his order deservedly said of him, ' There goes one of the greatest, and one of the bc^t men, that ever England bred.' "

T. C.

'.n DREWS, March, 1828.

CONTENTS.

PART FIRST.

THOUGHTS ON RELIGION.

Page

Preface, 39

Thoughts on Religion, i!)

Article I. I believe there is one God, the Being of all

beings, 51

Art. II. I believe that whatsoever the most high God would have me to believe or do, in order to his glory, and my happiness, he hath revealed to me in his holy

Scriptnres, 58

Art. III. I believe that as there is one God, so this one

God is three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, 8G Art. IV. I helieve that I was conceived in sin and brought forth in iniquity; and that, ever since, I have been con- tinually conceiving mischief and bringing forth vanity, 89 Art. V. I believe the Son of God became the Son of man,

that I, the son of man, might become the son of God, 91 Art. VI. I believe that Christ lived to God, and died for

sin, that I might die to sin, and live with God, . 98

.//•/. VII. I believe that Christ rose from the grave, that 1 might rise from sin, and that he is ascended into hea- ven, (hat I might come unto him, . . . .101 Art. VIII. I believe that my person is only justified by the merit of Christ imputed to me; and that my nature is only sanctified by the Spirit of Christ implanted in me. In I

wxii CONTENTS.

Page

Art. IX. I believe God entered into a double covenant with man, the covenant of works made with the first, and the

i made in the second Adam, . .119

Art. X. I believe that as God entered into a covenant of with us, so bath he signed this covenant to us by a double Beal, baptism and the Lord's supper, . . 129

Art. XI. I believe that, after a short separation, my soul and body shall be united together again, in order to appear before the judgment-seat of Christ, and be finally sentenced according to my deserts, ...... 140

A> i. XII. I believe there are two other worlds besides this 1 live m — i world of misery for unrepenting sinners, and a world of glory for believing saints, .... 150

RESOLUTIONS

FORMED UPON THE FOREGOING ARTICLES.

. I. I am resolved, by the grace of God, to walk by rule, and therefore think it necessary to resolve upon

to walk by, . . . . . . .159

II. I am resolved, by the grace of God, to make the divine word the rule of all the rules I propose to myself, 160

.III. I am resolved, that as I am not able to think or

any thing that is good without the influence of the

divil 0 I will not pretend to merit any favour

from God upon account of anything I do for his glory

and service, 162

rVEB8ATTON IN GENERAL, . . . 161-

I. I am resolved, by the grace of God, to make (In ist the pattern of my life here, that so Christ may be tin portion * • t my soul hereafter, .... 165

HI am resolved, by the grace of God, to walk by I, nth, and not by light, on earth, that so 1 may live by

and not by faith, in heaven, .... 166

III. I am resolved, by the grace of God, always to be

i, on Uod as always looking upon me, . 196

75

CONTENTS. XXXlll

Page Concerning my Thoughts, ...... 170

Resol. I. I am resolved, by the grace of God, to watch as much over the inward motions of my heart as the outward actions of my life, 172

Resol. II. I am resolved, by the grace of God, to stop every thought at its first entering into my heart, and to examine it, whence it comes, and whither it tends, . . . 173

licsol. III. I am resolved, by the grace of God, to be as fearful to let in vain as careful to keep out sinful thoughts,

Resol. IV. I am resolved, by the grace of God, to be always exercising my thoughts upon good objects, that the devil may not exercise them upon bad, .... 17?

Resol. V. I am resolved, by the grace of God, so to marshal my thoughts, that they may not justle out one another, nor any of them prejudice the business I am about, 179

Concerning my Affections ,181

Resol. I. I am resolved; by the grace of God, always to make my affections subservient to the dictates of my under- standing, that my reason may not follow but guide my affections, .... ... 183

Resol. II. I am resolved, by the grace of God, to love God as the best of goods, and to hate sin as the worst of evils, ......... 185

Resol. HI. I am resolved, by the assistance of divine grace, to make God the principal object of my joy, and sin the principal object of my grief and sorrow; so as to grieve for sin more than suffering, and for suffering only for sin's sake, 189

Resol. IV. I am resolved, by the grace of God, to desire spiritual mercies more than temporal ; and temporal mer- cies only in reference to spiritual, . . . L91

Resol. V. I am resolved, by the grace of God, to hope for nothing so much as the promises, and to fear nothing so much as the threatenings of God, .... 193

Resol. VI. I am resolved, by the grace of God, to arm my- self with that spiritual courage and magnanimity, as to 13 3

CONTENTS.

Page I through all duties and difficulties wliatsover, for the incement of God's glory and my own happiness, 197

VII. I am resolved, by the grace of God, so to be not to Bin, and therefore to be angry at nothing but Bin 1"

mng my Words, 202

. I. I am resolved, by the grace of God, never to speak much, lest I often speak too much, and not to speak at

r than to no purpose, .... 203

II. I am resolved, by the grace of God, not only to (I the wickedness of swearing falsely, but likewise the

very appearance of swearing at all, . . . 205

III. I am resolved, by the grace of God, always to mal :ue and heart go together, so as never to

tk with the one what I do not think in the other, 208

I V. I am resolved by the grace of God, to speak of other men's sins only before their faces, and of their vir- tue- < nly behind their backs, .... 210

V. I am resolved, by the grace of God, always to tly to my superiors, humbly to my inferiors,

• ivilly to all, ••..... 212

. ION8, 214

I I am resolved, by the grace of God, to do every

'•'in.' in ob • the will of God, . . . 215

1 1. I -in. resolved, by the .mace of God, to do every

' ith prudence and discretion, as well as with zeal

and ... 21 fi

111 Ived, by the grace of God, never to set

or my heart, about any thing but what

-I i" itself and will be esteemed so

219

by the grace of God, to do all i God, . 229

'■ by the grace of God, to mingle such ' '•'ll' my business, as to further my business

CONTENTS. XXXV

Page Concerning my Relations, 2'il

Eesol. I. I am resolved, by the grace of God, to honour and obey the king or prince, whom God is pleased to set over me, as well as to expect that he should safeguard and pro- tect me, whom God is pleased to set under him, , 228

Resol. II. I am resolved, by the same divine grace, to be as constant in loving my wife as cautious in choosing her, 231

Iiesol. III. I am resolved, by the grace of God, to do my endeavour to give to God whatsoever children he shall be pleased to give to me, that as they are mine by nature they may be his by grace, 235

Resol. IV. I am resolved, by the grace of God, to do my duty to my servants, as well as expect they should do theirs to me, ....... 238

Iiesol. V. I am resolved, by the grace of God, to feed the flock that God shall set me over with wholesome food, neither starving them by idleness, poisoning them with error, nor putting them up with impertinence, . . 240

Iiesol. VI. I am resolved, by the grace of God, to be as faith- ful and constant to my friend, as I would have my friend to be faithful and constant to me. .... 245

Concerning my Talents, 217

Resol. I. I am resolved, if possible, to redeem my past time, by using a double diligence for the future, to employ and improve all the gifts and endowments botli of body and mind, to the glory and service of my great Creator, . 219

Resol. II. I am resolved, by the divine grace, to employ my riches, the outward blessings of providence, to the same end ; and to observe such a due medium in the dispensing of them as to avoid prodigality on the one hand and cove- tousness on the other, ......

Resol. III. I am resolved, by the grace of God, to improve the authority God gives me over others, to the suppression of vice, and the encouragement of virtue; and so for the exaltation of God's name on earth, and their souls in heaven, 254

CONTENTS.

Page

IV. I am resolved, by the grace of God, to improve the affections God stirs up in others towards me, to the itimng up their affections towards God, . . . 256

V. 1 am resolved, hy the grace of God, to improve

.1 thought to the producing of good affections in : i, and as good actions with respect to God, . 269 , VI. 1 am resolved, hy the grace of God, to improve iv affliction God lays upon me, as an earnest or token of his affection towards me, ..... 261

PART SECOND.

THOUGHTS OX A CHRISTIAN LIFE.

Pre On

On On

On

On On

On

ducation of a Christian, the knowledge of God, the Mystery of the Trinity, y Riches, Section I. Worldly Riches, Section II. : nial,

to niter in at the Strait Gate itation of Christ, . . and Election, ppearance of Christ, the Sun of Righteousnes

267 273 294 320 349 369 391 415 438 462 .301

PART FIRST.

PRIVATE THOUGHTS

ON

RELIGION.

PREFACE.

After so great a name as that of Bishop Beveridgc in the title, it were as superfluous to attempt any further recommendation of these papers, as it would be impossible to effect it. If any thing can add to the esteem they must every where meet with, upon the account of so great an author, it must be a serious perusal and application of them.

Those that read them with the same spirit of candour with which this great man always read the works of others, and with the same spirit of piety with which he wrote his own, will undoubtedly dis- cover in them such a lively idea of the great genius of the author, and so sensibly experience the good influence of them upon their minds, as will more effectually engage their approbation, than the highest encomiums from another hand.

The great misfortune is, that those who have most need to be instructed and reformed have no true taste or relish for books of this nature : their eves are dazzled with the glittering appearand- of the objects of sense, and their hearts enslaved to the works of darkness: so that the beams of divine

40

light arc but troublesome and offensive to them: point of faith is a contradiction to their prin- ciples, and every precept enjoined a reproach to their morals. And therefore, in order to stave off those self-condemning thoughts, that naturally arise from the serious perusal of such sort of treatises, they scoff at, and despise them, as dull and insipid — not worth the consideration of men of more refined puts and deeper penetration, who are too wise to be guided by the rule of God's word, and too obstinate to be persuded to walk in any other path but that which the devil has chalked out for them, the path which leads to destruction.

But these men would do well to consider, before they arc wholly under the power of darkness, that this is not really owing to any flaws or defects in Mich perform an ces, but to their own reprobate minds and depraved judgments, which tarnish the beauty, cast a mist before the truth, frustrate the influence, and pervert the design of them ; like a vitiated palate, which nauseates the most delicious taste; or a foul or disordered stomach, that turns the most wholesome food into poison and corruption. So that tiny must first divest themselves of their lust and their prejudice and partiality, before they can \pe.t to reap any benefit or advantage by this, Of any other discourses, that tend to the promoting i 1 piety and religion.

tag thus opened the way to the reading of

t!n book, it may not be improper, in order to set it

true light, and do justice to the author of it,

lomething more particularly concerning both;

and to advertise the reader that the following sheets

41

were written by the Bishop in his younger years, upon his first entrance into holy orders. And though they may not, perhaps, be so perfect and correct as if he himself had lived to give the finish- ing stroke to them, and fit them for the press with his own hand ; yet, as the roughness of a jewel does not lessen the worth and value of it, when the bright- ness of its natural lustre, even under that disadvan- tage, outshines that of others, which arc polished and refined by art ; so it is to be hoped the candid and judicious reader will, in this well-designed piece, however unfinished, discover such singular beauties and graces, as few others, even at the highest pitch of their attainments, and with the utmost care and diligence, are able to come up to.

As to the author's design in writing these papers, it is sufficiently set forth in the title of them. He considered that truth of doctrine and innocency of life were both absolutely necessary to the due ex- ercise of the sacred function into which he had the honour and happiness to be admitted. He knew the power of example to prevail even beyond that of precept, and was very solicitous, with the blessed apostle, to " make his own calling and election sure, lest that by any means, when he had preached to others, he himself should be a cast-away." To the end, therefore, that he might both save himself and them that heard him, that both by his life and doc- trine he might set forth the glory of God, and set forward the salvation of men, he drew up these Articles to settle his principles in point of faith, and formed these Resolutions upon them, to regulate his actions with regard to practice.

42

What great tilings might not the church promise herself from a foundation so well laid, — from princi-

settled with so much learning and judgment, and resolutions formed upon such strict rules of piety and religion ! What glorious expectations in an age of that degeneracy of faith and manners, wherein he lived, might not be justly raised from hence, for the future reformation of both !

And, indeed, this excellent person did even more than satisfy all these extraordinary hopes which the early and ample specimens he gave of his virtue and knowledge had made the world conceive of him. Ii>r. having taken this prudent and effectual care to ground and determine his own faith and practice, and being ever mindful of the injunction laid upon him when he was ordained priest, " To consider the en I of his ministry towards the children of God — towards the spouse and body of Christ, he never

' his labour, care, and diligence, until he had

done all that in him lay (as our holy church does

most admirably express the duty of that order) to

biin- all Mich as were committed to his charge unto

thai agreement in the faith and knowledge of God,

11 °

and to that ripeness and perfectness of age in Christ,

that there should be no place left amonff them for

1 ■'">■ -l" in religion, or for viciousness in life."

While his care of souls was chiefly confined to

the bounds of a single parish, with what labour and

' ■■'' did he apply himself to the discharge of his

''>'> "' ^e ... ral puts and offices of it ! how

;,'l and instructive was he in his discourses

,";1" ^e pulpit! how warm and affectionate in his

private exhortations ! how orthodox in his doctrine !

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how regular and uniform in the public worship of the church ! In a word, so zealous was he, and heavenly- minded, in all the spiritual exercises of his parochial function, and his labours were so remarkably crowned with blessing and success, that as he himself was justly styled the great reviver and restorer of pri- mitive piety, so his parish was deservedly proposed as the best model and pattern for the rest of its neighbours to copy after.

Nor was the Archdeacon, or the Bishop, less vigilant than the Parish-priest: his care and diligence increased as his power in the church was enlarged: and as he had before discharged the duty of a faith- ful pastor over his single fold, so when his authority was extended to larger districts, he still pursued the same pious and laborious methods of advancing the honour and interest of religion, by watching over both clergy and laity, and giving them all necessary direction and assistance for the effectual performance of their respective duties.

Accordingly, he was no sooner advanced to the episcopal chair, but, in a most pathetic and obliging letter to the clergy of his diocese, he recommended to them, " the duty of catechising and instructing the people committed to their charge in the principles of the Christian religion, to the end that they might know what they were to believe, and do, in order to salvation ;" and told them, " He thought it necessary to begin with that, without which, whatever else he or they should do, would turn to little or no account, as to the main end of the ministry." And, to enable them to do this the more effectually, he sent them a plain and easy exposition upon the church catechism ;

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of which I need say nothing more, and can say no- thin q greater, than that it was drawn up by himself, in a method which, in the opinion of so great a judge, seemed of all others the most proper to instruct the people.

Thus endeavouring to make himself and others every day wiser and better, labouring to establish sound principles, and settle good manners wherever he came, as it was the foundation which this holy man laid in these Articles and Resolutions ; so we Bee it was the great work of his life to build upon it, as might easily be made appear, from a faithful and particular relation of the several stages and passages of his ministry, the bare enumeration of which would swell this preface into a book. That fair portrait will, I hope, be drawn by some abler pen.

In the meantime, there is yet another instance of his great concern and unwearied endeavours for the establishing of sound doctrine, which I must not omit to mention, because it is a work of so much affinity with these Articles, and what the reader may, with great advantage, have recourse to for further satisfaction upon these general heads of divinity, which he has here given us only in abridgment — it i bis learned Imposition of the Thirty-nine Articles, which is promised, in a short time, to be committed '" ,nr press, and which is the more earnestly de- lired and expected, as being a performance which ,ll(' church at this time so much wants, and which he, beyond others, was in such an extraordinary manner qualified for.

Such discourses as these— the one giving a true !l1"" of the doctrine of our church, the other

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endeavouring to establish it by an orthodox faith, and an unspotted life — were never more seasonable than in this age, when the very beiug of the church is called in question, under a pretence of maintaining her rights, and the principles of Christianity are no longer secretly undermined, but openly attacked, — when books are published against all revealed reli- gion, and Deism insults and triumphs bare-faced, without restraint, without reproach. In a word, when we are arrived to that dissoluteness of manners as well as principles, that persons of the highest quality and station are addressed in print, as patrons of Libertinism: and that which has, in all ages, been called and esteemed the greatest wisdom, is scoffed at by false wit ; and Christianity, under the notion of enthusiasm, exposed to the contempt of the meanest capacities, and hooted out of the world by the very dregs of the people.

In so general an inundation of profaneness, and licentiousness, Providence seemed indeed to have raised up this great and good man to stand in the gap, and stem the tide against it: but where the torrent is so impetuous, and the forces that should unite in striving to divert it so weak and pusillani- mous, there is more danger the very opposers should be borne down the stream, than there are hopes of making good the opposition. But however the doc- trine and discipline of our church may be represented, exploded, and despised, and our holy religion become only a name, which is almost every were spoken against, this good Bishop will nevertheless have the honour, as he already enjoys the reward, not only of bearing testimony against the growing evil, but of

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having done all that he could (and who could do more than he !) to restrian and subdue it.

It may, perhaps, be thought a bad omen to our church to have lost so able a champion, when she seems to stand so much in need of him. But blessed be God, we have not altogether lost him ; he has left behind him, in these excellent papers, (to say nothing of his sermons, and other incompara- ble writings) such clear reasoning, and convincing arguments, for the grounding of our principles, and such useful rules and directions for the government of our conversation, that we may yet hope for a happy reformation in both, if we are not wanting to ourselves in the use and application of them.

Would the clergy — the younger sort especially — take this method, upon their first admission into holy orders, (and it ought to be no hard matter to persuade them to it, since it is the very end and design of their ministry,) it could not fail, by the blessing of God, of producing very admirable eilbcts. Their principles, thus prudently settled, would stand the shock even of a fiery trial; and their resolutions, thus maturely formed, would undauntedly bear up against the most powerful temptation.

This, if any thing, would raise the dignity of the priesthood to its first institution — silence all the loud clamours, as well as malicious whispers, that, like echoes, arc redoubled and reverberated upon them — and gain them such an interest and reputation ; the people, and such an honour and authority

the discharge of their function, that from rever- encing the person, and commending the pattern, they would insensibly proceed to the imitation of it,

amo

in

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till, by degrees, the flock too, as well as the shepherd, would become wise to salvation — would devoutly " sanctify the Lord God in their hearts," and not only so, but be " ready always to give an answer to every one that should ask them a reason of the hope that is in them."

And were both clergy and laity thus rightly principled, and firmly resolved, the enemies of our Zion would have both less encouragement to attack, and less power to hurt us; our national church might then despise all the wicked attempts and designs that are daily made and formed against her, and assume to herself that comfortable promise and assurance, that our Saviour himself has given, that even the gates of hell shall never prevail against her.

.Ml that I have further to say, is only to apologize for having said so much upon a subject that so little needs it, and to close the whole with my hearty prayers to the throne of grace, that this pious and excellent book may meet with that desired effect and success which the author aimed at in the composing of it, and may be as useful to others as it was to himself.

THOUGHTS ON RELIGION.

When, in my serious thoughts, and more retired meditations, I am got into the closet of my heart, and there hegin to look within myself, and consider what I am, I presently find myself to be a reasonable creature: for was I not so, it would be impossible for me thus to reason and reflect. But, am I a reasonable creature ? Why then, I am sure, within this veil of flesh there dwells a soul, and that of a higher nature, than either plants or brutes are en- dued with ; for they have souls indeed, but yet they know it not, and that because their souls, or material forms, as the philosophers term them, are not any thing really and essentially distinct from the very matter of their bodies ; which being not capable of a reflective act, though they are, they know it not and though they act, they know it not; it being im- possible for them to look within themselves, or to reflect upon their own existence or actions. But it is not so with me : I not only know I have a soul, but that I have such a soul, which can consider of itself, and deliberate of every particular action that C 37

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issues from it. Nay, I can consider, that I am now considering of my own actions, and can reflect upon myself reflecting ; insomuch, that had I nothing else to do, I could spin out one reflection upon another, to infinity.

And, indeed, was there never another argument in the world to convince me of the spiritual nature of my soul, this alone would be sufficient to wrest the belief and confession of it from me : for what below a spirit can thus reflect upon itself? or what below a spirit can put forth itself into such actions, as I find I can exercise myself in ? My soul can, in a moment, mount from earth to heaven, fly from pole to pole, and view all the courses and motions of the celestial bodies, the sun, moon, and stars; and then the next moment returning to myself again, I can consider where I have been, what glorious ob- jects have been presented to my view ; and wonder at the nimbleness and activity of my soul, that can run over so many millions of miles, and finish so great a work in so small a space of time. And are such like acts as these, the effects of drossy earth, or im- penetrable matter? Can any thing below a spirit raise itself so much beyond the reach of material actions ?

15ut stay a little; what is this soul of mine that I un now Bpeaking of, that it is so nimble in its ac- tions, and so spiritual in its nature? Why, it is that which actuates and informs the several organs

o

and members of my body, and enables me not only to perform the natural actions of life and sense; but likewise to understand, consult, argue, and conclude; to will and nil], hope and despair, desire and ab-

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hor, joy and grieve, love and hate; to be angry now, and again appeased. It is that by which at this very time, my head is inditing, my hand is writing, and my heart resolving, what to believe, and how to practise. In a word, my soul is myself; and there- fore when I speak of my soul, I speak of no other person but myself.

Not as if I totally excluded this earthly sub- stance of my body from being a part of myself: I know it is. But I think it most proper and reason- able to denominate myself from my better part : for alas ! take away my soul, and my body falls, of course, into its primitive corruption, and moulders into the dust, from whence it was first taken. " All flesh is grass," saith the prophet, " and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field." And this is no metaphorical expression, but a real truth ; for what is that which I feed upon, but merely grass digested into corn, flesh, and the like; which by a second digestion, is transfused and converted into the substance of my body ? And thence it is, that my body is but like the grass, of flower or the field, fading, transient, and momentary, to-day flourishing in all its glory, to-morrow cut down, dried up, and withered. But now, how far is this beneath the spi- ritual and incorruptible nature of my immortal soul, which subsists of itself, and can never be dissolved, being not compounded of an earthly or elementary matter, as the body is, but is a pure spiritual sub- stance infused into me by God, to whom, after a short abode in the body, it is to return, and to live and continue for ever, either in a state of happiness or misery, in another life. c 2

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But must it so indeed? How much then does it concern me, seriously to bethink myself, where I had best to lead this everlasting life, in the heavenly mansions of eternal glory, or else in the dreadful dungeon of infernal misery? But betwixt these, (as there is no medium, so) there is no comparison ; and therefore, I shall not put it to the question, which place to choose to live in ; but, without giving the other that honour to stand in competition with it, I this morning, with the leave of the most high God, do choose the land of Canaan, the kingdom of heaven, to be the lot of mine inheritance, the only seat of bliss and glory for my soul to rest and dwell in, to all eternity.

But heaven, they say, is a place hard to come at, vea, the King of that glorious place hath told me, that " strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, that leads to eternal life, and that there be but few that find it." Vea, and that " many shall seek to enter in, and shall not be able." What therefore must I do .J Why, I must cither resolve to make it my whole business to get to heaven, or else I must never hope or expect to come thither. Without any fur- ther dispute, therefore, about it — I resolve, at this time, in the presence of almighty God, that from tins day forward, I will make it my whole business here upon earth, to look after my happiness in hea- rer and to walk circumspectly in those blessed paths, that (iod hath appointed all to walk in, that ever expect to come to him.

Now, though there be but one way, and that a narrow one too, that leads to heaven; yet there are two things requisite, to all those that walk in it; and

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they are faith and obedience, to believe and to live aright. So that it as much behoves me, to have my faith rightly confirmed in the fundamentals of reli- gion, as to have my obedience exactly conformed to the laws of God. And these two duties are so in- separably united, that the former cannot well be supposed without the latter; for I cannot obey what God hath commanded me, unless I first believe what he hath taught me. And they are both equally difficult, as they are necessary: indeed, of the two, I think it is harder to lay the sure foundation of faith, than to build the superstructure of obedience upon it ; for it seems next to impossible, for one that believes every truth, not to obey every com- mand that is written in the word of God. But it is not so easy a thing as it is commonly thought, to believe the word of God, and to be firmly established in the necessary points of religion; especially in these wicked times wherein we live; in which there are so many pernicious errors and damnable heresies crept into the articles of some men's faith, as do not only shock the foundation of the church of Christ, but strike at the root of all religion. The first thing, therefore, that by the grace of God, I am resolved to do, in reference to my everlasting state, is to see my faith, that it be both rightly placed and firmly fixed ; that I may not be as a " wave tossed to and fro with every wind of doc- trine, by the cunning craftiness of those that lie in wait to deceive ;" but that I may be thoroughly set- tled in my faith and judgment concerning those things, the knowledge of, and assent unto which, is absolutely necessary to my future happiness. Let.

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therefore, what times soever come upon me ; let what temptations soever be thrown before me ; I am re- solved, by the grace of God, steadfastly to believe as followeth.

ARTICLE I.

/ believe there is One God, the Being of all things.

The other articles of my faith I think to be true, because they are so; this is true, because I think it so : for if there was no God, and so this article not true, I could not be, and so not think it true. But in that I think, I am sure I am ; and in that I am, I am sure there is a God ; for if there was no God, how came I to be ? How came I hither ? Who gave me my being ? Myself? That could not be ; for before I had a being, I was nothing ; and there- fore, could do nothing, much less make myself a be- ing. Did my parents give me my being ? Alas ! they knew not that I should be, before I was; and, therefore, certainly, could not give me my being, when I was not.

As to my soul, (which I call myself,) it is plain, they could not give me that, because it is a being of a spiritual nature, quite distinct from matter, (as my own experience tells me,) and, therefore, could not he the product of any natural or material agent: for, that a bodily substance should give being to a spiritual one, implies a contradiction. And if it could neither make itself, nor take its rise from any cart lily or secondary cause, I may certainly conclude, from my own reason, as well as from divine revela-

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tion, that it must be infused by God, though I am not able to determine, either when or how it was done.

As to my body ; indeed, I must own it was de- rived from my parents, who were immediately con- cerned in bringing the materials of it together : but, then, who made up these coarse materials into the form or figure of a body ? Was this the effect of natural generation ? But how came my parents by this generative power ? Did they derive it, by suc- cession, from our first parents in paradise ? Be it so. But whence came they ? Did they spring out of the earth ? No: what then ? Were they made by chance ? This could not be ; for as chance sel- dom or never produces any one effect that is regular and uniform, so it cannot be supposed, that a being of such admirable beauty, symmetry, and proportion, and such a nice contexture of parts as the body of a man is, should ever be jumbled together by a for- tuitous concourse of atoms, which nothing but the chimeras of Epicurus could ever reduce into a regu- lar form and composition.

And the like may be said of all other created be- ings in the world. For there is no natural cause can give being to any thing, unless it has that be- ing it gives in itself; for it is a received maxim in philosophy, that nothing can give what it has not. And so, however the bodies of men, or brutes, or plants, may now, in the ordinary course of nature, be produced by generation, yet there must needs be some one supreme almighty Being in the world, that has the being of all other beings in itself; who first created these several species ; and endued them

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with this generative power to propagate their kind. And this supreme Being is that which we call God.

Hence it is, that there is not a leaf — no, not a line, in this great book of the creation, wherein we may not clearly read the existence and perfections of the great and glorious Creator, and that even by the glimmering light of nature. For who is it that be- decked yonder stately canopy of heaven with those glittering spangles, the stars? Who is it that com- mands the sun to run his course and the moon to ride her circuit so constantly about the world ? Who is it that formed me so curiously in my mother's womb? Who is it that gives my stomach power to digest such variety of meats into chyle, and my heart or liver to turn them all to blood ; and thence to send each particle to its proper place, and all to keep up this crazy carcase? Doubtless these, and such like things, however ordinary or natural they may appear to us at present, are in themselves very great and wonderful effects, that must, at first, be produced by some infinitely powerful and superna- tural agent, the high and mighty God, who is not only the chiefest of beings, but the Being of all be- ings whatsoever.

I say the Being of all beings, because whatsoever excellency or perfection is in any other thing, is emi- nently, yea, infinitely comprehended in him; so that be is not only the creature's perfection in the con- crete, but in the abstract too; he is not only all-wise, ill-good, all-mighty, &c, but he is all-wisdom, all- goodness, all-might, all-mercy, all-justice, all-glory, &c. And as he is the ocean and abyss of all these perfection* in bimself; so is he the fountain of them

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all to ns. Insomuch that we have nothing, not so much as the least moment of life, but what is com- municated to us from this ever-living God. And not only what we, poor sinful worms are, or have, but even whatsoever those nobler creatures the an- gels have, it is but a beam darted from the sun, it is but a stream flowing from this overflowing fountain. Lift up thine eyes, therefore, O my soul, and fix them a little upon this glorious object ! How glo- rious, how transcendcntly glorious, must he needs be, who is the Being of all beings, the perfection of all perfections, the very glory of all glories, the eternal God ! He is the glory of love and goodness, who is good, and doth good continually unto me, though I be evil, and do evil continually against him. He is the glory of wisdom and knowledge, unto whom all the secret thoughts, the inward mo- lions and retirements of my soul, are exactly known and manifest. Never did a thought lurk so secretly in my heart, but that his all-seeing eye could espy it out: even at this time he knows what I am now thinking of, and what I am doing, as well as mvself. And indeed, well may he know what I think, and speak, and do, when I can neither think nor speak, nor do any thing, unless himself be pleased to give me strength to do it. He is the <j;lory of might and power, who did but speak the word, and there pre- sently went out that commanding power from him, by which this stately fabric of the world was formed and fashioned. And as he created all things by the word of his power, so I believe he preserves and governs all things by the power of the same word: yea, so great is his power and sovereignty, c3

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that he can as easily throw my soul from my body into hell, or nothing, as I can throw this book out of my hand to the ground ; nay, he need not throw me into nothing ; but, as if I should let go my hold, the book would presently fall ; so, should God but take away his supporting hand from under me, I should, of myself, immediately fall down to nothing. This, therefore, is that God, whom I believe to be the Being of all beings ; and so the Creator, preserver, governor, and disposer, of all things in the world.

ARTICLE II.

/ believe, that whatsoever the most high God would have me to believe or do, in order to his glory, and my happiness, he hath revealed to me in his holy Scrijrtures.

Upon the same account that I believe there is a God, I believe likewise, that this God is to be wor- shipped ; the same light that discovers the one, dis- covering the other too. And therefore it is, that as there is no nation or people in the world, but acknowledge some deity ; so there is none but wor- ship that deity which they acknowledge ; yea, though it he but a stick or a stone, yet if they fancy any thing of divinity in it, they presently perform wor- Bhip and homage to it. Nay, that God is to be worshipped, is a truth more generally acknowledged, than that there is a God. No nation, I confess, - v, i denied the latter, but no particular person ever denied the former: so that the very persons, who, through diabolical delusions, and their own prevalent

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corruptions, have suspected the existence of a deity, could not but acknowledge that he was to be wor- shipped, if he did exist; worship being that which is contained in the very notion of a Deity ; which is, that he is the Being of all beings, upon whom all other things or beings do depend, and unto whom they are beholden both for their essence and sub- sistence. And if there be such a Being, that is the spring and fountain of all other beings, it is neces- sary that all others should reverence and worship him, without whom they could not subsist. And therefore it is, that men are generally more super- stitious in their worshipping than they ought to be, rather than deny that worship to him which they oiifrht to give.

That, therefore, there is a God, and that this God is to be worshipped, I do not doubt, but the great question is, who is this God whom I ought to worship ? And, what is that worship which I ought to perform unto him ? The former I have resolved upon in the foregoing article, as the light of reason and my natural conscience suggested to me ; the latter I am resolved to search out in this, namely, Which of all the several kinds of worship that men perform to the Deity, and the several religions that men profess in the world, I had best make choice of to profess and adhere to. The general inclinations which arc naturally implanted in my soul to some religion, it is impossible for me to shift off"; but there being such a multiplicity of religions in the world, I desire now seriously to consider with my- self, which of them all to restrain these my general inclinations to.

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And the reason of this my inquiry is not, that I am in the least dissatisfied with that religion I have already embraced, but because it is natural for all men to have an overbearing opinion and esteem for that particular religion they are born and bred up in. That, therefore, I may not seem biassed by the pre- judice of education, I am resolved to prove and ex- amine them all, that I may see and hold fast to that which is best. For though I do not, in the least, question, but that I shall, upon inquiry, find the Christian religion to be the only true religion in the world, yet I cannot say it is, unless I find it, upon good grounds, to be so indeed ; for, to profess my- self a Christian, and believe that Christians are only in the right, because my forefathers were so, is no more than the heathens and Mahometans have to say for themselves.

Indeed, there was never any religion so barbarous and diabolical, but it was preferred before all other religions whatsoever, by them that did profess it ; otherwise they would not have professed it. The Indians that worship the devil, would think it as strange doctrine to say that Christ was to be feared more than the devil; as such as believe in Christ think it is, to say the devil is to be preferred before Christ. So do the Mahometans call all that believe not in Mahomet, as well as Christians call those that believe not in Christ, infidels. And why, say they, may not you be mistaken, as well as we ? Especially, when there is at least, six to one against your Christian religion ; all of which think they serve God aright, and expect happiness thereby as well as you. So that to be a Christian, only upon

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the grounds of birth or education, is all one, as if I was a Turk or a heathen ; for if I had been born amongst them, I should have had the same reason for their religion, as now I have for my own ; the premises are the same, though the conclusion be ever so different. It is still upon the same grounds that I profess religion, though it be another religion which I profess upon these grounds ; so that I can see but very little difference betwixt being a Turk by profession, and a Christian only by education ; which commonly is the means and occasion, but ought by no means to be the ground of any religion. And hence it is, that in my looking out for the truest religion, being conscious to myself how great an ascendant Christianity hath over me, beyond the rest, as beinsr that religion whereinto I was born and baptized, that which the supreme authority has enjoined, and my parents educated me in, that which every one I meet withal highly approves of, that which I myself have, by a long-continued profession, made almost natural to me ; I am resolved to be more jealous and suspicious of this religion than of the rest, and be sure not to entertain it any longer without being convinced, by solid and substantial arguments, of the truth and certainty of it.

That, therefore I may make diligent and impar- tial inquiry into all religions, and so be sure to find out the best, I shall for a time, look upon myself as one not at all interested in any particular religion whatsoever, much less in the Christian religion ; but only as one who desires, in general, to serve and obey him that made me, in a right manner, and thereby to be made partaker of that happiness my

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nature is capable of. In order to this, it will be necessary to propose to myself some certain marks or characters, whereby I may be able to judge and make choice of the religion I intend to embrace : and they are, in general, these two, namely,

First, That is the best religion, wherein God is worshipped and served most like himself, that is, most suitably and conformably to his nature and will. And,

Secondly, Since all men naturally desire, and aspire after happiness, and our greatest happiness consists in the fruition of God, that is certainly the best religion, which gives me the best and most comfortable assurances of being happy with God to all eternity.

To embrace a religion without these marks, would be worse than to have no religion at all ; for better it is to perform no worship to God, than such as is displeasing to him ; to do him no service, than such as will be ineffectual to make me happy, and not only frustrate my expectations of bliss, but make me for ever miserable.

The religion, then, that I am to look after, must be such a one, wherein I may be sure to please God, and to be made happy with him; and, by conse- quence, .such a one, wherein all the cause of his dis- pleasure and my misery may be removed ; and that is sin. For sin being infinitely opposite to him, as he is a Being of infinite purity and holiness, must certainly set me at the greatest distance from him, and render me most odious in his sight ; and whoso- ever docs so, must make me as miserable as misery can make me. For as our holiness consisteth in

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likeness, so doth our happiness in nearness to God : and if it be our happiness to be near unto him, it must certainly be our misery to be at a distance from him. In enjoying him we enjoy all things, he be- ing and having all things in himself; and so in not enjoying him, we are not only deprived of all that we can enjoy, but made liable to the punishments that are the consequence of it.

That there is no such thing in nature, as virtue and vice, as good and evil, as grace and sin, is what I can by no means persuade myself to, for my con- science tells me, that there is : and not only mine, but every one that ever yet lived upon the face of the earth; all people of whatever nation or lan- guage, still acknowledge sin to be sin, and that the displeasing the deity, which they worship, is indeed an evil that ought to be carefully avoided. And, therefore, the very heathens did not only up- braid others with it, but likewise often checked themselves for it ; and all men naturally desire to seem, though not to be, holy. But let others say what they will, I, for my own part, cannot but see sin in myself, by the very light of nature. For, my reason tells me, that if God be God, he must be just and perfect ; and if I be not so too, I am not like him ; and, therefore, must needs displease him ; it being impossible any thing should please him but what is like unto him. And this deformity to the will and nature of God is that which we call sin, or which the word sin, in its proper notion, brings into my mind.

And being thus conscious to myself, that 1 have sinned against my Maker, I may reasonably con-

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dude, that as he is omniscient, and, by consequence, a witness of these my offences, so must he likewise be just in the punishment of them ; for it cannot stand with his justice, to put up with such offences, without laying suitable punishments upon the of- fender. And these punishments must be infinite and eternal ; for wherein doth the nature of divine justice consist, but in giving to sin its just punishments, as well as to virtue its due rewards ? Now that the punishment of sin in this world, is not so much as it deserves, nor, by consequence, as much, as in justice, ought to be laid upon it, to me it is clear, in that every sin being committed against an infinite God, deserves infinite punishment; whereas all the pun- ishments we suffer in this world cannot be any more than finite, the world itself being no more than finite, that we suffer them in.

Upon these grounds, therefore, it is, that I am fully satisfied in my conscience, that I am a sinner ; that it cannot stand with the justice, nor the exist- ence of God that made me, to pardon my sins, with- out satisfaction made to his divine justice for them ; and yet, that unless they be pardoned, it is impos- sible for me to be happy here, or hereafter. And therefore must I look after some religion, wherein I may be sure my sins may be thus pardoned, and my soul made happy, wherein I may please God, and God nay bless me. Which, that I may be the better able to discover, I shall take a brief survey of all the religions I ever heard of, or believe to be in the world.

Now, though there be as many kinds of religions as nations; yen, almost as particular persons in the world; yet may they all be reduced to these four;

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the Pagan, Mahometan, Jewish, and Christian reli- gions.

As to the first, it is indeed of a very large extent, and comprehends under it all such as neither ac- knowledge Mahomet to be a prophet, nor expect a promised Messiah, nor believe in a crucified Jesus : and, since it is the majority of numbers that usually carries the vogue, let me sec whether the pagan re- ligion, being farther extended, and more generally professed than any, or indeed all the rest, be not the true religion, wherein God is most rightly wor- shipped, and I may be the most certainly saved. And here, when I take a view of this religion, as it is dispersed through several parts of Asia, Africa, and America, I find them very devout in worshipping their deities, such as they are, and they have great numbers of them : some worship the sun, others the moon and stars, others the earth, and other elements, serpents, trees, and the like. And others again pay homage and adoration to images and statues, in the fashion of men and women, hogs, horses, and other shapes; and some to the devil himself, as in Pegu, &C.

But now, to go no farther, this seems to me, at fust sight to be a very strange and absurd sort of religion ; or rather, it is quite the reverse of it. For the true notion we have of religion, is the worship- ping the true God, in a true manner; and this is the worshipping false gods in a fa'se manner. For, I cannot entertain any other notion of God, than as one supreme almighty Being, who made and governs nil things, and who, as he is a Spirit, ought to be worshipped in a spiritual manner. And, therefore,

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as the very supposing more deities than one implies a contradiction ; so the paying divine homage in a gross, carnal manner, to material and corporeal be- ings, which are either the work of men's hands, or at best, but creatures like ourselves, which can neither hear nor understand what we say to them, much less give us what we desire of them, is not religion, but idolatry and superstition, or rather madness and delusion. So that this religion, I see, if I should embrace it, would be so far from making me happy, that the more zealous I should be for it, the more miserable I should be by it. For he that made these things cannot but be very angry at me, if I should give that worship to them, which is only due to himself; and so the way whereby I expect my sins should be pardoned, they would be more increased; it being a sin against the very light of nature, to prefer any thing before God, or to wor- ship any thing in his stead; therefore, leaving these to their superstitious idolatries, and diabolical delu- sions, I must go and seek for the true religion some- where else.

The next religion that hath the most suffrages and votes on its side, is the Mahometan religion, so called from one Mahomet an Arabian, who, about a thousand years ago, by the assistance of one Sergius a Xestorian monk, compiled a book in the Arabian tongue, which he called Alcoran, which he made the rule of his followers' faith and manners, pretending that it was sent from heaven to him, by the hand of the angel Gabriel.

This book I have perused, and must confess, find many tilings in it agreeable to right reason : as that

07

there is but one God, gracious and merciful, the Lord of the whole universe; that this God we are to resign ourselves wholly to ; that all that obey him shall be certainly rewarded, and all that disobey him, as certainly punished ; and the like. But yet, I dare not venture my soul upon it, nor become one of the professors of it ; because, as there are many things consonant, so there are many things dissonant to the natural light that is implanted in me; as, that God should swear by figs and olives, by mount Sinai, as this book makes him to do, in the chapter of the figs : that Solomon should have an army composed of men, and devils, and birds ; and that he should discourse with a bird, which acquainted him with the affairs of the queen of Sheba, and the like.

As to the argument whereby he would persuade us, that this book was sent from God, namely, that there are no contradictions in it, I take to be very false and frivolous. For besides that there are many books compiled by men, which have no con- tradictions in them, it is certain, there are a great many plain contradictions in this book, which over- throw his suppositions. Thus, in the chapter of the table, he saith, that " all that believe in God, and the resurrection of the dead, and have done good works, shall be saved ;" but, in the chapter of gratification, he saith, " all that do not believe in the Alcoran shall be destroyed :" and so in the chapter of Hod. In like manner, he tells us again, in the chapter of the table, that the books of the Old and New Testaments were sent from God, and at the same time, supposes that the Alcoran was sent from him too; which to me, seems impossible.

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For, my reason tells me that God, who is truth and wisdom itself, cannot be guilty of falsehood and con- tradiction. And if these books contradict one another, as it is evident they do in many instances, it is plain, God could not be the author of both ; and by consequence, if the Scripture be true, the Alcoran must of necessity be false. To instance but in one particular, the Alcoran says, in the chap- ter of women, " God hath no son :" in the scripture, Matt. iii. 17, God said of Jesus, " This is my be- loved Son, in whom I am well pleased ; and Heb. iv. 14. it expressly calls that Jesus, " the Son of God ;" and so in many other things. Now it is impossible, that both these should be true, or, by consequence, that that should be true which says both are so.

But if this were granted, there is still another objection against this religion ; and that is, that the rewards therein promised will not avail to make me bappy, though I should be partaker of them. For all the promises made to us in this paradise, are but mere sensible pleasures; or that we shall have all manner of herbs, and fruits, and drinks, and women with exceeding great and black eyes, as in the chapter of the merciful and judgment, and elsewhere; and such pleasures as these, though they may, indeed, affect my body, yet they cannot be the happiness of my soul. Indeed, I know not how this book should promise any higher happiness than that of the body, because it shows no means of attaining to it ; it shows no May, how my sins may be pardoned, and so my soul made happy. It saith, I confess, that God is gracious and merciful, and therefore will pardon sin ; M he is also just and righteous, and therefore must

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punish it. And how these two can stand together, is not manifested in the Alcoran; and therefore I dare not trust my soul with it.

Thus, upon diligent search, have I found the two religions, that are most generally professed, to have little or nothing of religion in them. I shall therefore, in the next place, take a view of that reli- gion which hath the fewest followers, and that is the Jewish. A religion, not established by any human laws, nor, indeed, generally professed in any nation, but only by a company of despicable people, scattered up and down the world, which as the prophet expresses it, " are become a proverb of reproach, and a by-word among all nations whither they are driven." The principles of this religion are contained in a book written in the Hebrew tongue, which they call the Torah, or law composed of several precepts, promises, and threatening ; together with histories of things past, and prophecies of things to come : this book, they say, was written by men inspired by God himself; and therefore they avouch it not to be of human invention, but merely of divine institution.

This book also I have diligently read and ex- amined into, and must ingenuously confess, that at the very first glance, mcthought I read divinity in it, and could not but conclude, from the majesty of its style, the purity of its precepts, the harmony of its parts, the certainty of its promises, and the ex- cellency of its rewards, that it could be derived from no other author but God himself. It is here only that I find my Maker worshipped under the proper notion of a deity, as he is Jehovah, and that is the

right manner, for we are here commanded " to love and serve him with all our hearts, with all our souls, our might and mind," which is indeed, the perfection of all true worship whatsoever. And as God is here worshipped aright, so is the happiness which is here entailed upon this true worship, the highest that it is possible a creature should be made capable of, being nothing less than the enjoyment of him we worship, so as to have him to be a God to us, and ourselves to be a people to him.

But that which I look upon, still, as the surest character of the true religion, is its holding forth the way, how, I being a sinner, can be invested with this happiness, or how God can show his justice, in punishing sin itself, and yet be so merciful, as to pardon and remit it to me, and so receive me to his favour; which the religions I viewed before did not so much as pretend to, nor offer at all at. And this is what this book of the law does likewise discover to me, by showing that God almighty would not visit our sins upon ourselves but upon another per- son ; that he would appoint and ordain one to be our sponsor or mediator; who, by his infinite merit, should bear and atone for our iniquities, and to show his love and mercy, in justifying and acquitting us from our sins, at the same time that he manifests his justice, in inflicting the punishment of them upon this person in our stead. A method so deep and mysterious, that if God himself had not revealed it, I am confident no mortal man could ever have dis- covered or thought of it.

Neither arc there any doubts and scruples con- cerning this great mystery, but what this book does

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clearly answer and resolve ; as will appear more plainly from a distinct consideration of the several objections that are urged against it.

As, 1. That it does not seem agreeable either to reason or Scripture, that one man should bear the sins of another ; because every man has enough to do to bear his own burden; and since sin is committed against an infinite God, and therefore deserves in- finite punishment, how can any finite creature bear this infinite punishment ? especially, it being due to so many thousands of people as there are in the world !

But this book sufficiently unties this knot for me, by showing me, that it is not a mere man, but God himself, that would bear these my sins; even he whose name is, Jehovah Tsidkenu, " The Lord our righteousness," where the essential name of the most high God, which cannot possibly be given to any, but to him, who is the Being of all beings, is here given to him, who should thus bear my sins, and justify my person ; whence David also callcth him Lord. Isaiah calleth him, " the mighty God." Yea, and the Lord of hosts himself, with his own mouth, calls him " his fellow."

Object. 2. But my reason tells me, God is a pure act, and, therefore, how can he suffer any punish- ments? or, suppose he could, how can one nature satisfy for the offences of another? It was man that stood guilty; and how can it stand with the justice of God, not to punish man for the sins he is guilty of?

To resolve this doubt, this holy book assures me, that this God should become man, expressly telling

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me that as his name is " Wonderful, Counsellor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace," so he should be born a child, and given as a son. And, therefore, at the same time that the Lord of hosts calls him his fellow, he calls him a man too, " Against the man that is my fellow, saith the Lord of hosts."

Object 3. But if he be born as other men are, he must needs be a sinner, as other men be ; for such as are born by natural generation, must neces- sarily be born also in natural corruption.

To remove this obstacle, this holy book tells me, that " a virgin shall conceive and bear this Son, and his name shall be Emmanuel." And so being be- gotten, but not by a sinful man, himself shall be a man, but not a sinful man : and so being God and man, he is every way fit to mediate betwixt God and man ; to reconcile God to me, and me to God, that my sins may be pardoned, God's wrath appeased, and so my soul made happy in the enjoyment of him.

But there is one thing more yet, that keeps me from settling upon this religion ; and that is, the ex- piration of the time in which this book promiseth this person should come into the world; for it is expressly said, that " seventy weeks are determined upon thy people, and upon the city, to finish the transgressions, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision, and the prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy." From which anointing he is, in the next verse, called Messiah, the Anointed, (under which name he is, from hence, expected by the Jews,) and the begin-

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ning of these seventy weeks is expressly said to be " at the going forth of the commandment to build and restore Jerusalem." Now if we understand these seventy weeks in the largest sense for seventy weeks, or sabbaths of years, as it is expressed, Lev. xxv. 8. the time of the Messiah's coming must have been but 490 years after the commandment for the building of the city ; whereas whether we understand it of the decree and command that Cyrus made, 2 Chron. xxxvi. 22, 23. Ezra i. 1, 2, 3. or that which Darius made, Ezra vi. or that Artaxerxes made, chap. vii. I say, whichsoever of these decrees we understand this prophecy of, it is evident that it is above 2000 years since they were all made ; and therefore, the time of this person's coming hath been expired above 1600 years at least.

So likewise doth this book of the law, as they call it, assure us, that " the sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a Lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come," where the Jews themselves, Jonathan and Onkelos, expound the word Shiloh by Messiah ; and so doth the Jerusalem Targum too. Now it is plain that there hath been neither sceptre nor lawgiver in Judah, nor any political government at all among the Jews, for above 1600 years; which plainly shows either their prophecies and expectations of a Messiah are false, or that he came into the world so many ages since, as were here prefixed.

So likewise it was expressly foretold in this book, that " the glory of the second temple should be greater than the glory of the former." Now the Jews themselves acknowledge, that there were five of the principal things which were in the first, wanting D 37

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in the second temple, namely, 1. The ark with the mercy-seat and cherubim. 2. The Shechinah, or divine presence. 3. The holy prophetical Spirit. 4. The Urim and Thummim. 5. The heavenly fire. And from the want of these five things, they say, the words " I will be glorified," Hag. i. 8. wants an he at the end, which in numeration denotes five. Yea, and when the very foundation of the second temple was laid, the old men that had seen the first, wept to see how far short it was likely to come of the former, Ezra iii. 12. To make up therefore the glory of the second temple, to be greater than the glory of the first, notwithstanding the want of so many glorious things, they must, of necessity, understand it of the coming of the Mes- siah into it, who, ver. 8. is called " The Desire of all nations." Whereas the Jews themselves cannot but confess that this temple hath been demolished above 1 600 years ; and therefore, it is impossible for the Messiah to come into it, and for its glory to be greater than the glory of the first temple ; and, by consequence, for the word which they profess to be- lieve in to be true.

Indeed, the time of the Messiah's coming was so expressly set down in these and the like places, that Elias, one of their great rabbies, gathered from hence that the world should last 6000 years, 2000 without the law, 2000 under the law, and 2000 under the Messiah, Sanh. c. II. which computation of the Messiah's coming after 4000 years, from the begin- ning of the world, comes near the time of the sceptre's departing from Judah, and the end of Daniel's . eventy weeks. Which shows, that this rabbi was

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fully convinced, that it was about that time that the Messiah should come. And therefore it was, like- wise, that above 1G00 years ago, the Jews did so generally expect his coming ; and that so many did pretend to be the person, as Baz-Cozbah, who about that time, vaunting himself to be the man, almost the whole nation unanimously concurred in following him, insomuch, that, as the Jews report, there were no less than 400,000, or as others, 500,000 men slain by Adrian the emperor, in the city Bitter, all fighting in defence of this pretended Messiah. There were likewise many others that fancied them- selves to be the man, and were esteemed by some, till manifestly convinced of their error, as we may read in some of their books. And unto this day many of them hold that he is already come, but that, by reason of their sins, he is not yet revealed unto them.

Hence it is, that my natural reason draws me into this dilemma, that either that book which the Jews receive as the word of God is indeed not so ; or else that they do not rightly apply it : and so, that either their religion is a false religion, or else their profession of it a false profession : and there- fore, I must go hence and seek me some other reli- gion to fix my soul upon. Not as if my reason told me, that all the prophecies which I have men- tioned here, were false in themselves, but only that they appear so to this sort of professors ; for, for my own part, I cannot shake off my faith in this law. which they profess to believe in ; especially now I have so seriously perused it, and so deliberately weighed and considered of it. Neither can I believe d 2

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that ever any Mahometan or Indian, that did, with out prejudice, set himself to read it through, and t< examine every particular, by the light of unbiasse< reason, could say, it was ever hatched in a humai brain ; but that it is indeed of a heavenly stamp am divine authority. And, therefore, though I an forced by the strength of reason to shake hands wit] this religion, yet the same reason will not suffer m to lay aside that law, which they do profess, bu only their profession of it. So that whatsoever re ligion I settle upon, my natural conscience still com mands me to stick close to this book of the Jewis law, and to receive and entertain it as the word c the glorious Jehovah, the Being of all beings.

Well, there is but one religion more generall professed in the world, that I am to search into which, if, upon good grounds, I cannot fix upon, shall be the most miserable of all creatures; an that is the Christian religion, so named from Jesi Christ, whose doctrine, life, and death, is recorde by four several persons, in a book which they ca the Gospel. And this book appears to mej to b of undoubted authority, as to the truth and certaint of those things that are therein recorded. For, they had been false, both the persons that wrol them, and He of whom they wrote, had so mar malicious enemies, ready, upon all occasions, to a< cuse them, that they had long ago been condemns for lies and forgeries. But now, these writings ha> been extant for above 1600 years, and never so muc as suspected ; but even, by the worst of enemies, a knowledged to be a true relation of what passed i the world about that time : my reason will not perm

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me to be their first accuser, but enjoins me to receive them, under that notion, in which they have been brought down to me through so many generations, without any interruption whatsoever. For this general reception on all hands, is a sufficient ground for me to build my faith upon, as to the truth of the relation, though not a sufficient ground to believe every thing contained in the book to be the word of God himself; for, in this particular, it is not the testimony of others that I am to build upon, but its own ; I may read its verity in man's testimony, but its divinity only in its own doctrines.

This book, therefore, I have also diligently perused, and find it expressly asserts, that Jesus Christ, whose life and death it records, was indeed that person, who was long promised by God, and expected by the Jews ; and, that all the prophecies under the old law, concerning that Messiah, God- man, were actually fulfilled in this person : which if, upon diligent search, I can find to be true, I shall presently subscribe, both with hand and heart, to this religion. It is a comfort to me that it acknow- ledgeth the Jewish law to be sent from God ; for, truly, if it did not, my conscience would scarcely permit me to give any credit to it, being so fully convinced that that book is indeed of a hio-hcr ex-

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tract than human invention, and of greater authority than human institution. And therefore it is that I cannot, I dare not believe, but that every particular prophecy contained in it, either is, or shall be, cer- tainly fulfilled, according to every circumstance of time and place mentioned therein; and by conse- quence, that this prophecy, in particular, concerning

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the Messiah's coming, is already past; the time wherein it was foretold he should come heing so long ago expired. So that I do not now doubt whether the Messiah be come or no, but whether this Jesus Christ, whom this book of the gospel speaks of, was indeed the person. And this I shall best find out by comparing the Christian's gospel with the Jewish law ; or the histories of Christ under the one, with the prophecies of the Messiah under the other ; still concluding, that if whatsoever was foretold concerning the Messiah, was fulfilled in this Jesus Christ, then he was indeed the Messiah that was to come into the world. And, to make this comparison the more exact, I shall run through the several circumstances that attended his birth, life, death, resurrection, and ascension, and show how punctually the prophecies were fulfilled in every particular.

And first, for the birth of the Messiah, the law saith, he was to be born of the seed of Abraham, Gen. xxii. 18. and David, 2 Sam. vii. 17. and of the stem of Jesse, Isa. xi. 1. from whence he is fre- quently called by the Jews, Bar-David, the son of David. The gospel saith, Jesus Christ was the son of David, the son of Abraham, Matt. i. 1. The law, that he was to be born of a virgin, Isa. vii. 14. The gospel, that Mary, a virgin, brought forth this Jesus, Matt. i. 18. Luke i. 17, 31 — 35. chap. ii. 5, 6, 7. The law, that he was to be born at Beth- lehem Ephratah, Mic. v. 2. The gospel, that this Jesus was born there, Matt. ii. 1. Luke iv. 5. 6.

The law says, that he was to be brought out of Egypt, Hos. xi. 1. The gospel, that Jesus was

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called thence. Matt. ii. 19, 20. The law saith, that one should go before the Messiah, Mai. iii. 5. and should cry in the wilderness, Isa. xl. 3. The gospel, that John Baptist did so before Christ, Matt. iii. 1, 2. Marki. 2, 3. The law, that the Messiah should preach the doctrine of salvation in Galilee, who sitting before in darkness should see great light, Isa. ix. 1, 2. The gospel, that Jesus did so, Matt, iv. 12 — 23. The law, that, in the Messiah's days, the eyes of the blind should be opened, and the ears of the deaf should be unstopped, and the lame leap, and the tongue of the dumb sing, Isa. xxxv. 5, 6. The gospel, that it was so in the days of Jesus Christ, Matt. iv. 23. chap. xi. 5. But for all these wonders and miracles, the law saith, they should hear but not understand, and see, yet not perceive, Isa. vi. 9. And the gospel, that seeing they did not see, and hearing they did not hear, neither did they understand, Matt. xiii. 13. Mark iv. 12. The law, that he should be despised and rejected of men, a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief, Isa. liii. 3. The gospel, that Jesus Christ had no where to lay his head, Matt. viii. 20. . His soul was ex- ceeding sorrowful even unto death, Matt. xxvi. 38. yea, he was in an agony, and his sweat was as drops of blood, Luke xxii. 24<. so well was he acquainted with grief. The law says, that he should ride into Jerusalem upon an ass, and upon a colt, the foal of an ass, Zech. ix. 9. And the gospel, that Jesus Christ, as he was going to Jerusalem, having found as ass, sat thereon, John xii. 14. Matt. xxi. 6. At which time, the law saith, the people should cry, Hosannah, blessed is he that cometh in the name of

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the Lord, Psal. cxviii. 26. The gospel, that the multitude did so to Christ, Matt. xxi. 9. The law, that one of his own familiar friends, in whom he trusted, which did eat of his bread, should lift up his heel against him, Psal. xli. 9. The gospel, that Judas, who was one of Christ's disciple|s, and so ate of his bread, did betray him into the hands of the Jews, Matt. xxvi. 47. Luke xxii. 46. The law, that he should be prized at, and sold for thirty pieces of silver, with which should be bought the potter's field, Zech. xi. 12, 13. The gospel, that they covenanted with Judas to betray Jesus for thirty pieces of silver, Matt. xxvi. 15. with which they afterwards bought the potter's field, chap, xxvii. 7. The law, that he should be numbered amongst transgressors, Isa. liii. 12. The gospel, that Jesus was crucified betwixt .two thieves, Mark xv. 27. Matt, xxvii. 38. The law, that he should be wounded and bruised, Isa. liii. 5. The gospel, that they scourged Jesus, Matt, xxvii. 20. and smote him, Mark xv. 19. The law saith, they should pierce his hands and feet, Psal. xxii. 16. Zech. xii. 10. The gospel, that they crucified Jesus, Matt, xxvii. 35. Luke xxiii. which was a death, wherein they used to pierce the hands and feet of those that were put to death, and nailed them to the cross. IJut though they should pierce his flesh, yet the law saith, that they should not break his bones, no not one of them, Exod. xii. 46. Numb. xi. 12. Psal. xxxiv. 20. The gospel, that they brake not the legs of Christ, John xix. 33 — 36. The law, that they who should see him, should laugh him to scorn, shoot out their lips, and shake their heads, saying,

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He trusted in the Lord that he would deliver him ; let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him, Psal. xxii. 8. The gospel, that the scribes and elders did so to Christ, Matt, xxvii. 42, 43. The law saith, they should give him gall for meat, and vinegar to drink, Psal. lxix. 31. And the gospel, that they gave Christ vinegar to drink mingled with gall, Matt, xxvii. 34—48. The law, that they should part his garments amongst them, and cast lots upon his vesture, Psal. xxii. 19. The gospel, that they parted Jesus' garments, casting lots, Matt. xxvii. 34. John xix. 23. Mark xv. 24.

And as for the time of this Jesus' coming into the world, it is certain, that this Jesus came before the second temple was demolished ; for it is said, that he went into it, Luke xix. 45 ; yea, himself taught daily in it, ver. 47, by which means the glory of the second temple was greater than the glory of the first, according to the prophecy, Hag. ii. 9. And as for Jacob's prophecy, that the sceptre should not depart from Judah, nor the lawgiver, till Shiloh, or the Messiah, came, Gen. xlix. 10. it is certain that it did not depart from Judah, till Herod, by the senate of Rome, was made king of Judea, in whose days this Jesus was born, Matt. ii. 1. Luke i. 5. And so did Daniel's seventy weeks, or 490 years, exactly reach unto, and were determined in, the days ot this Jesus, as might easily be demonstrated. So that all the old prophecies, concerning the time of the Messiah's coming, are perfectly fulfilled in this Jesus of Nazareth.

But further, the law saith that though the Mes- siah should be crucified, yet God will not leave his d 3

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soul in hell, nor suffer his Holy One to see corrup- tion, Psal. xvi. 10. and that when God should make his soul an offering for sin, he should see his seed, and prolong his days, Isa. liii. 10. which plainly implies, that though the Messiah should die, yet he should rise again, and that within few days too, otherwise he would have seen corruption. Now the gospel saith, that this Jesus rose from the dead, Matt, xxviii. 6. Luke xxiv. 6. and that he was seen of several after his resurrection, as of Mary Mag- dalene, Matt, xxviii. 9. of the eleven disciples, ver. 16,

17, 18. Mark xvi. 14. of the two that were going to Emmaus, Luke xxiv. 13, 14, 15. of Peter, ver. 34. and of the disciples that were gathered together, the door being shut, John xx. 19. And, to be sure it was himself and not an apparition, Thomas, one of the twelve, thrust his hands into his side and found it flesh and blood indeed, as before, John xx. 27. And he ate before them, Luke xx. 43. which it is impossible for a spirit to do ; yea, he was seen of above five hundred at one time, 1 Cor. xv. 6. and of Paul himself, ver. 8. Neither did he lie so long as to see corruption, for he was buried but the day before the sabbath, Mark xv. 42. and rose the day after, chap. xv. 1.

Lastly, He was not only to rise again, but the law saith, he was to ascend on high, to lead cap- tivity captive, and to give gifts to men, Psal. Ixviii.

18. Now this cannot but be an undoubted char- acter of the Messiah, not only to rise from the dead, but to ascend up to heaven, and thence to dispense his gifts among the children of men ; and that Jesus did so, is likewise evident from the gospel ; for after

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lie had spoken with them, he was received up into heaven, and there sat at the right hand of God, Mark xvi. 19. Luke xxiv. 51. And he gave such gifts to men, as that his disciples, of a sudden, were enabled to speak all manner of languages, Acts ii. S. to work many signs and wonders, chap. v. 12. to heal all manner of diseases, ver. 15, 16. yea, with a word speaking, to cure a man lame from his mother's womb, chap. iii. 6, 7.

Thus the gospel seems to me to be a perfect transcript of the law, and the histories of Jesus nothing else but the prophecies of Christ turned into a history. And, when to this I join the con- sideration of the piety of the life which this man led, the purity of the doctrines which he taught, and the miraculousness of the works he wrought, I can- not but be further confirmed in the truth of what is here related. For the miracles which he wrought, as the healing of the sick with a word of his mouth, raising the dead, feeding so many thousands with five loaves, and the like, were so powerful, and con- vincing, that his very enemies, that would not be- lieve him to be the Messiah, could scarce deny him to be a God, Joseph. Antiq. 1. xviii. c. 4. And it is to this day, a tenet amongst some of them, that the miracles which Jesus did, were not the delusions and jugglcments of the devil, but real miracles, wrought, as they say, by the virtue of the name of God, Jehovah, which he had gotten out of the temple. By which it is plain, they acknowledged God to be the author of them, which I cannot see how lie should be, unless they were agreeable to his will, and for the glory of his name.

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Neither was the doctrine of the gospel only esta- blished at the first, but likewise propagated by mi- racles afterwards, as it was necessary it should be ; for if it had been propagated without miracles, itself had been the greatest miracle of all. It was, no doubt, a great miracle, that a doctrine so much con- trary to flesh and blood, should be propagated by any means whatsoever ; but a far greater, that it should be propagated by a company of simple and illiterate men, who had neither power to force, nor eloquence to persuade men to the embracing of it. For who would have thought that such persons as these were, should ever make any of the Jews — who expected a king for their Messiah to advanca them to temporal dignities — believe that that Jesus, whom themselves scourged and crucified at Jerusa- lem, was the person ? Or, that they should be able to propagate the gospel amongst the Gentiles also, who neither believed in the true God, nor expected any thing of a Messiah to come and redeem them ? But this they did, and brought over not only many persons, but whole nations and countries to the pro- fession of the gospel ; propagating this most holy doctrine among the most barbarous and sinful people in the world, in spite of all the opposition that the world, the flesh, and the devil, could make against it. Now can any man, that exerciseth his reason, think they did all this purely by their own strength ? No sure, none of these wonderful effects could ever have been produced by any thing less than the wis- dom, and power, and faithfulness of their Lord and master, whose service they were engaged in, and who promised to be with them " to the end of the

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world." Questionless, it was nothing else but the Spirit of the most high God, that went along with them, and accompanied the word they preached : otherwise, it never could have made such deep im- pression upon the hearts of them that heard it, as not only to command their attention, but to hinder them from resisting, when they strove and endea- voured to do it, the power and authority by which the disciples spake.

And now, methinks, I begin to perceive this Di- vine Spirit is come upon me too, and seems, by its powerful influence, to be working up my heart into a thorough persuasion, that it is Christ, and Christ alone, I am to cast my soul upon ; that it is he alone that is the way to life, and his word alone, the word of life, which, " whosoever believes, and is baptized into, shall be saved, and he that believeth not shall be damned." Away, then, with your Pagan idola- tries, your Mahometan superstitions, and Jewish ceremonies ; it is the Christian religion alone that I am resolved to live and die in, because it is this alone in which I am taught to worship God aright, to ob- tain the pardon and remission of my sins, and to be made eternally happy. And, since all its doctrines and precepts are contained in the holy Scriptures, it is necessary that I shall assent unto them, as a standing revelation of God's will, and an eternal treasure of divine knowledge ; whereby all that sin- cerely believe in Christ, may be sufficiently in- structed, as well as thoroughly furnished, unto every good word and work.

Without any more ado, therefore, I believe, and am verily persuaded, that all the books of the ancient

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law, with all those that have been received into the canon of the Scripture by the church of God, since the coming of Christ, which we call the New Tes- tament ; I say, that all these books, from the begin- ning of Genesis to the end of the Revelations, are indeed the word of the eternal God, dictated by his own Spirit, unto such as himself was pleased to em- ploy in the writing of them ; and that they contain in them a perfect and complete rule of faith and manners ; upon the due observance of which, I can- not fail of worshipping and serving God in such a manner as will be acceptable to him here, and of enjoying hereafter " those exceeding great and pre- cious promises" that he has reserved in heaven for such as do so.

Unto these books, therefore of the law and gospel, I am resolved by his grace that wrote them, to con- form all the ensuing articles of my faith, and all the actions and resolutions of my life. Insomuch, that whatsoever I find it hath pleased his Sacred Majesty herein to insert, I believe it is my duty to believe ; and whatsoever he hath been pleased to command me, I believe it is my duty to perform.

ARTICLE III.

/ believe that as there is one God, so this one God is three Persons, — Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

This, I confess, is a mystery which I cannot possibly conceive, yet it is a truth which I can easily believe ; yea, therefore it is so true, that I can easily believe it, because it is so high, that I cannot pos-

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sibly conceive it ; for it is impossible any thing should be true of the infinite Creator, which can be fully expressed to the capacities of a finite creature ; and, for this reason, I ever did, and ever shall, look upon those apprehensions of God to be the truest, where- by we apprehend him to be the most incomprehensi- ble ; and that to be the most true of God, which seems most impossible unto us.

Upon this ground, therefore, it is, that the mys- teries of the gospel, which I am less able to conceive, 1 think myself the more obliged to believe; especially this mystery of mysteries, the Trinity in Unity, and Unity in Trinity, which I am so far from being able to comprehend, or indeed to apprehend, that I can- not set myself seriously to think of it, or to screw up my thoughts a little concerning it, but I imme- diately lose myself, as in a trance or ecstacy : that God the Father should be one perfect God of him- self, God the Son one perfect God of himself, and God the Holy Ghost one perfect God of himself: and yet that these three should be but one perfect God of himself; so that one should be perfectly three, and three perfectly one ; that the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost should be three, and yet but one ; but one and yet three ! O heart-amazing, thought- devouring, inconceivable mystery ! Who cannot believe it to be true of the glorious Deity ? Cer- tainly, none but such as are able to apprehend it, which I am sure I cannot, and believe no other creature can. And, because no creature can possi- bly conceive how it should be so, I therefore believe it really to be so, namely, that the Being of all beings is but one in essence, yet three in substance ; but

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one nature, yet three persons ; and that those three persons in that one nature, though absolutely dis- tinct from one another, are yet but the same God. And I believe these three persons, in this one na- ture, are indeed to one another as they are expressed to be to us, that the one is really a Father to the other, that the other is really a Son to him, the third the product of both : and yet that there is neither first, second, nor third amongst them, either in time or nature. So that he that begat was not at all before him that was begotten, nor he that proceeded from them both, any whit after either of them. And therefore, that God is not termed Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, as if the divine na- ture of the one should beget the divine nature of the second; or the divine nature of the first and se- cond should issue forth the divine nature of the third ; (for then there would be three divine natures, and so three Gods, essentially distinct from one an- other; by this means also, only the Father would be truly God, because he only would be essentially of and from himself, and the other two from him :) but what I think myself obliged to believe, is, that it was not the divine nature, but the divine person of the Father, which did, from eternity, beget the di- vine person of the Son; and from the divine persons of the Father and of the Son, did, from eternity, proceed the divine person of the Holy Ghost : and so one not being before the other, in time or nature, as they are from eternity, three perfectly distinct persons, so they are but one co-essential God. But dive not, O my soul, too deep into this bottomless ocean, this abyss of mysteries ! It is the holy of

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holies, presume not to enter into it ; but let this suf- fice thee, that he, who knows best himself, hath avouched it to himself, and therefore thou oughtest to believe it, see Matt, xxviii. 19. " Go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost." And again, 1 John v. 7. " There are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost, and these three are one."

ARTICLE IV.

/ believe that I teas conceived in sin, and brought forth in iniquity ; and that, ever since, I have been continually conceiving mischief, and bringing forth vanity.

This article of my faith, I must of necessity be- lieve, whether I will or not ; for if I could not be- lieve it to be true, I should therefore have the more cause to believe it to be so ; because, unless my heart was naturally very sinful and corrupt, it would be impossible for me not to believe that which I have so much cause continually to bewail ; or, if I do not bewail it, I have still the more cause to believe it; and, therefore, am so much the more persuaded ot it, by how much the less I find myself affected with it. For, certainly, I must be a hard-hearted wretch indeed, steeped in sin, and fraught with corruption to the highest, if I know myself so oft to have in- censed the wrath of the most high God against me, as I do, and yet not be sensible of my natural cor- ruption, nor acknowledge myself to be, by nature.

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a child of wrath, as well as others. For, I verily believe that the want of such a due sense of myself, argues as much original corruption, as murder and whoredom do actual pollution. And I shall ever suspect those to be most under the power of that corruption, that labour most by arguments to divest it of its power.

And, therefore, for my own part, I am resolved, by the grace of God, never to go about to confute that by wilful arguments, which I find so true by woful experience. If there be not a bitter root in my heart, whence proceeds so much bitter fruit in my life and conversation ? Alas ! I can neither set my hand nor heart about any thing, but I still show myself to be the sinful offspring of sinful parents, by being the sinful parent of a sinful offspring. Nay, I do not only betray the inbred venom of my heart, by poisoning my common actions, but even my most religious performances also, with sin. I cannot pray, but I sin ; nay, I cannot hear, or preach a sermon, but I sin ; I cannot give an alms, or re- ceive the sacrament, but I sin ; nay, I cannot so much as confess my sins, but my very confessions are still aggravations of them ; my repentance needs to be repented of, my tears want washing, and the very washing of my tears need still to be washed over again with the blood of my Redeemer. Thus, not only the worst of my sins, but even the best of my duties, speak me a child of Adam ; insomuch, that whensoever I reflect upon my past actions, me- thinks I cannot but look upon my whole life, from the time of my conception to this very moment, to be but as one continued act of sin.

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And whence can such a continued stream of cor- ruption flow, but from the corrupt cistern of my heart ? And whence can that corrupt cistern of my heart be filled, but from the corrupt fountain of my nature ? Cease, therefore, O my soul, to gain- say the power of original sin within thee, and labour now to subdue it under thee. But, why do I speak of my subduing this sin myself? Surely this would be both an argument for it, and an addition to it. " It is to thee, O my God, who art both the Searcher and Cleanser of hearts, that I desire to make my moan ! It is to thee I cry out in the bit- terness of my soul, ' O wretched man that I am ! who shall deliver me from the body of this death ?' Who shall ? Oh ! who can do it but thyself ? Arise thou, therefore, O my God, and show thyself as infinitely merciful in the pardoning, as thou art infinitely powerful in the purging away of my sins."

ARTICLE V.

/ believe the Son of God became the Son of man, that 7, the son of man, might become the son of God.

Oh ! how comfortably does this raise me from the lowest abasement of sin and misery, which I have before acknowledged to be my natural state, to the highest exaltation of happiness and glory, in a spi- ritual one ! This is that great article of faith, by which all the benefits of our Saviour's death and passion are made over to me in the new covenant, and by which, if I perform the conditions therein

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required, I shall not only be retrieved from the bon- dage and corruption that are inherent in me, as a child of wrath, but be justified and accepted as the son of God, and be made a joint heir with Christ. This is a point of the greatest moment and concern, which, by the grace and assistance of him of whom I speak, and in whom I thus believe, I shall there- fore be the more exact and particular in the search- er and examining into.

Now, when I say, and believe, that God became man, I do not so understand it, as if the divine na- ture took upon it a human person, but that a divine person took upon him the human nature, that is, it was not the divine nature, in general, without respect to the persons, but one of the persons in the divine nature, which took flesh upon him, and yet to speak precisely, it was not the divine person abstracted or distinct from the divine nature, but it was the divine nature in that person which thus took upon it the human. And this was not the first or third, but the second person only in the sacred Trinity, that thus assumed our nature; and, considering the mys- terious order and economy of the divine persons, it seems to be necessary that it should.

For, first, the Father could not have become this Son of man, because then, he that had begotten from eternity should have been begotten in time ; by which means, as he was the Father to the Son, so would the Son also have been the Father unto him ; and so the order betwixt the Father and Son destroyed.

Nor, secondly, could the Holy Ghost have taken our nature upon him, because the bond of personal

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union betwixt the divine and human nature is from the Spirit, (and thence it is, that every one that is> partaker of Christ's person, is partaker of his Spirit also,) which could not be if the Spirit itself had been the person assuming. For, I cannot conceive, how the same person could unite itself, by itself, to the assumed nature ; and therefore we read, that in the virgin's conception of our Saviour, it was neither the Father nor the Son himself, but the Spirit of the Most High which did overshadow her.

And, further, if the Holy Ghost had been my Redeemer, who should have been my Sanctifier ? If he had died personally for me, who should have ap- plied his death effectually to me ? That I could not do it myself, is, beyond contradiction, evident ; and that either the Father, or the Son, should do it, is not agreeable to the nature or order of the divine operations ; they, as I believe, never acting any thing ad extra, personally, but by the Spirit proceeding from them both. And therefore it is that Christ, to comfort his disciples after his death, promised) them in his lifetime, that he would send them the Com- forter, " which is the Spirit of truth." He doth not say he will come again personally, but mystically to them, by his Spirit.

But now that the Spirit, whose office it is to apply the merit and mediation of God-man to me, could not have done it, if himself had been that God-man, seems to me as clear and manifest as the other; for, if he had done it, he should cither have done it by the Father, by the Son, or by himself. He could not do it by the Father, nor the Son, because he does nothing bv them, but all things from them.

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The Father acts in the Son by the Spirit, the Son from the Father by the Spirit ; the Spirit from the Father and the Son. And therefore it likewise follows, that as the Spirit could not unite itself before, so neither can it apply itself here, to the human nature : for, to assume the human nature into the divine, and to apply the divine nature to the human, are two distinct offices; and, therefore, to be performed by two distinct persons. The first could have been done only by one that was really man, as well as God ; the other, only by one that was merely God, and not man.

And that must needs be so : for, otherwise, God should act upon man by man, by the person man, as well as God; and, by consequence, all the dispensa- tions of his grace towards us, would have been stopped in the frailty of the human, though perfect nature. So that it would have availed me nothing, if the Spirit had taken my nature upon him; because, though he had assumed the human, I could not thence have participated in the divine nature ; nay, therefore, I could not have participated of this, be- cause he had assumed that by which alone I could be brought into this capacity ; and so by this means I should be farther off than I was before.

And lastly, as, if the Father had become man, there would have been two Fathers; so if the Spirit had become man, there would have been two Sons, the second person begotten from eternity, and the third person begotten in time. But now, by the Son's taking our nature upon him, these and far greater difficulties are avoided, which we might easily perceive, could we sufficiently dive into the

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eptli of that wisdom of the Father, in sending his >on, rather than his Spirit, or coming himself in his wn person. However to us it cannot hut seem lost equitable, (if reason may hold the balance,) that e, who is the middle person between the Father nd the Spirit, should become the Mediator betwixt jod and man : and that he, who is the Son of God [i the glorious Trinity, should become the Son of lan in his gracious mystery.

But, on the other side, as it was not the divine ature, but a divine person that did assume, so ieither was it a human person, but the human nature hat was assumed ; for otherwise, if he had assumed he person of any one man in the world, his death iad been beneficial to none but him whose person le thus assumed and represented. Whereas, now hat he has assumed the nature of man in general, 11 that partake of that nature, are capable of par- aking of the benefit he purchased for us, by dying ti our stead. And thus under each Adam, as the epresentation was universal, so were the effects lesigned to be ; " For as in Adam all died, even so n Christ shall all be made alive."

Again, when I say, the Son of God became the Son of man, I do not mean, as if, by this, he should ease to be what he was before, the Son of God, or he did not leave his Godhead to take upon him he manhood ; but I believe he took the manhood nto his Godhead ; he did not put off the one, to put m the other, but be put one upon the other : ieither do I believe that the human nature, when ssumed into the divine, ceased to be human; but as he divine person so assumed the human nature, as

still to remain a divine person, so the human nature was so assumed into a divine person, as still to remain a human nature : God, therefore, so became man, as to be both perfectly God, and perfectly man, united together in one person.

I say, in one person ; for if he should be God and man in distinct persons, this would avail me no more, than if he should be God only, and not man, or man only, and not God ; because the merit and value both of his active and passive obedience is grounded merely upon the union of the two natures in one and the same person. He therefore, by his life and death merited so much for us, because the same person, that so lived and died, was God as well as man ; and every action that he did, and every passion that he suffered, was done and suffered by him that was God, as well as man. And hence it is, that Christ, of all the persons in the world, is so fit, yea, only fit, to be my Redeemer, Mediator, and Surety ; because he alone is both God and man in one person. If he was not man, he could not un- dertake that office ; if he was not God, he could not perform it : if he was not man, he could not be capable of being bound for me ; if he was not God, he would not be able to pay my debt. It was man by whom the covenant was broken ; and, therefore, man must have suitable punishment laid upon him : it was God with whom it was broken; and, therefore, ( rod must have sufficient satisfaction made unto him : and, as for that satisfaction, it was man that had offended, and therefore man alone could make it suitable ; it was God that was offended, and there- fore God alone could make it sufficient.

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The sum of all this is — man can suffer, but lie cannot satisfy; God can satisfy, but lie cannot suffer; but Christ, being both God and man, can both suffer and satisfy too ; and so is perfectly fit both to suffer for man, and to make satisfaction unto God, to re- concile God to man, and man to God. And thus, Christ having assumed my nature into his person, and so satisfied divine justice for my sins, I am re- ceived into grace and favour again with the most high God.

Upon this principle, I believe, that I, by nature the son of man, am made by grace the son of God, as really as Christ, by nature the Son of God, was made by office the Son of man : and so, though in myself, " I may say to corruption, thou art my mother," yet in Christ, I may say to God, " Abba, Father." Neither do I believe this to be a meta- phorical expression, namely, because he doth that for me, which a father doth for his child, even pro- vide for me whilst young, and give me my portion when come to age; but I believe, that in the same propriety of speech that my earthly father was called the father of my natural self, is God the father of my spiritual self: for, why was my earthly father called my father, but because that I, as to my natural being, was born of what proceeded from him, namely, his seed ? Why so, as to my spiritual being, am I born of what proceeds from God, his Spirit: and as I was not born of the very substance of my natural parents, but only of what came from them ; so neither is my spiritual self begotten again, quickened and constituted of the very substance of my heavenly Father, God, but of the Spirit and spiritual infhi- E 37

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ences proceeding from him. Thus therefore it is, that I believe that Christ, the Son of God, became the Son of man ; and thus it is that I believe myself, the son of man, to be made thereby the son of God. " I believe, O my God and Father — do thou help mine unbelief, and every day more and more increase my faith, till itself shall be done away, and turned into the most perfect vision and fruition of thine own glorious Godhead !"

ARTICLE VI.

I believe that Christ lived to God, and died for sin, that I might die to sin, and live with God.

And thus, by faith, I follow my Saviour from the womb to the tomb, from his incarnation to his death and passion, believing all that he did or suf- fered, to be for my sake : for Christ did not only take my nature upon him, but he suffered and obey- ed; he underwent miseries, and undertook duties lor me ; so that not only his passive, but likewise his active obedience unto God, in that nature, was still for me. Not as if I believed, his duty as man was not God's debt, by the law of creation : yes ; I believe that he owed that obedience unto God, that if he had committed but one sin, and that of the lightest tincture, in all his life-time, he would have been so far from being able to satisfy for my sins, that he could not have satisfied for his own. " For such an High Priest became us, who is holy, harmless, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens ; who needed not daily, as those

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high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people's." 80 that if he had not had these qualifications in their absolute perfec- tion, he could not have been our High Priest, nor by consequence, have made atonement for, nor expiated any sins whatsoever. But now, though both as man, and as God-man or Mediator too, it behoved him to be thus faithful and spotless ; yet, as being God, co-equal and co-essential with the Father, it was not out of duty, but merely upon our account, that he thus subjected his neck to the yoke of his own law ; himself, as God, being the legislator or lawgiver, and so no more under it than the Father himself.

And hereupon it is, that I verily believe, that whatsoever Christ either did or suffered in the flesh, was meritorious; not that his life was righteous towards God, only that his death might be meri- torious for us (which I believe, otherwise it could not have been) but that his life was equally meri- torious as righteous. So that I believe my person is as really accepted, as perfectly righteous, by the righteousness of his life imputed to me, as my sins are pardoned by God, for the bitterness of the death he suffered for them ; his righteousness being as really by faith imputed to me, as my sins were laid upon him : as those are set upon his, so is that set upon my score; and so every thing he did in his life, as well as every thing he suffered in his death, is mine: by the latter God looks upon me as per- fectly innocent, and therefore not to be thrown down to hell; by the former he looks upon me as perfectly righteous, and therefore to be brought up to heaven. e 2

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And, as for his death, I believe it was not only as much, but infinitely more, satisfactory to divine justice, than though I should have died to eternity. For, by that means, justice is actually and perfectly satisfied already, which it could never have been, by my suffering for my sins myself; for if justice by that means could ever be satisfied — if it could ever say, " It is enough ;" it could not stand with the same justice, now satisfied, still to inflict punishment, nor by consequence, could the damned justly scorch in the flames of God's wrath for ever. Neither did the death of my Saviour reach only to the con- demning, but likewise to the commanding power of sin ; it did not only pluck out its sting, but likewise deprive it of its strength ; so that he did not only merit by his death, that I should never die for sin, but likewise that I should die to it. Neither did he only merit by his life, that I should be accounted righteous in him before God ; but likewise that I should be made righteous in myself by God. Yea, I believe that Christ by his death hath so fully dis- charged the debt I owe to God, that now, for the remission of my sins, and the accepting of my person (if I perform the condition he requires in his cove- nant) I may not only appeal to the throne of grace, but likewise to the judgment-seat of God; I may not only cry, Mercy, mercy, O gracious Father; but, Justice, justice, my righteous God ; I may not only say, Lord, be gracious and merciful, but, be just and faithful, to acquit me from that debt, and cancel that bond which my Surety hath paid for me, and which thou hast promised to accept of; being " not only gracious and merciful, but just and faith-

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ful, to forgive me my sins, and to cleanse me from all unrighteousness."

ARTICLE VII.

I believe that Christ rose from the grave, that I might rise from sin, and that he is ascended into heaven that I may come unto him.

As Christ came from heaven to earth, so I believe he went from earth to heaven, and all for the accom- plishment of my salvation ; that after he had lived a most holy life, he died a most cruel death ; that he was apprehended, arraigned, accused, and condemned, by such as could not pronounce the sentence against him ; (did not himself, at the same time, vouchsafe them breath to do it?) that he came into the world to take away the sins of it, to bring sinners to the joys of life, and was himself by those very sinners brought into the pangs of death. But yet, as it was not in the power of death long to detain the Lord of life; so, though the worms had power to send him to the grave, yet I believe they had not power or time to feed upon him there ; for " he rose again from the dead the third day :" he lay three days, that I might believe he was not alive, but dead; he rose the third day, that I might believe he is not dead, but lives ; he decended down to hell, that he might make full satisfaction to God's justice for my Sins ; but he is now ascended up into heaven, that he might make intercession to God's mercy for my soul; thither I believe he is gone, and there 1 believe he is, not as a private person, but as the

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head and Saviour of his church. And under this capacity, as I believe that Christ is there for me, so I am there in him : " For where the head is, there must the members be also ;" that is, I am as really there in him, my representative now, as I shall be in my proper person hereafter; and he is as really preparing my mansion for me there, as I am preparing myself for that mansion here. Nay, I believe, that he is not only preparing a mansion for me in heaven, but that himself is likewise pre- paring me for this mansion, upon earth, continually sending down and issuing forth from himself fresh supplies and influences of his grace and Spirit; and all to qualify me for his service, and " make me meet to be partaker of his inheritance with the saints in

light."

Which inheritance, I believe, he doth so much desire his Father to bestow upon me, as he claims it for me ; himself having purchased it with the price of his own blood. And as he hath purchased the inheritance itself, so likewise the way unto it for me; and, therefore, sues out for the pardon of those sins, and subduing those corruptions which would make me unworthy of it ; and for the conveyance of those graces to me, whereby I may walk directly to it ; not only saying to his Father, concerning me, as Paul said to Philemon, concerning Onesimus, " If this thy servant oweth thee any thing, set it upon my account ; I will repay it." But what is this thy servant oweth thee, see, it is set upon my score al- ready, and I have paid it ; what punishments he is indebted to thee, for all the offences he hath com- mitted against thee, behold I have borne them al-

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ready ; see how I have been " wounded for his trans- gressions, and bruised for his iniquities ; the chas- tisement of his peace was upon me ; with my stripes therefore let him be healed." And thus, as he once shed his blood for me amongst men, he now pleads it for me before God; and that not only for the washing out the guilt of my transgressions, but likewise for the washing away the filth of my cor- ruptions ; himself having purchased the donation of the Spirit from the Father, he there claims the com- munication of it unto me.

And that he hath thus undertaken to plead my cause for me, I have it under his own hand and seal ; himself by his Spirit assuring me, that if I sin, " I have an advocate with the Father, even Jesus Christ the righteous." So that I believe, he is not so much my solicitor at the mercy-seat, as my ad- vocate at the judgment-seat of God, there pleading my right and title to the crown of glory, and to every step of the way that I must go through the kingdom of grace unto it. In a word, I believe, that Christ, upon promise and engagement to pay such a price for it in time, did purchase this inheri- tance for me from eternity ; whereupon I was even then immediately chosen and elected unto it, and had, by this means, a place in heaven before I had any being upon earth ; and when the time appointed, by covenant, was come, I believe, Christ, according to his promise, paid the purchase-money, even laid down his life for me ; and then forthwith went up and took possession of this my kingdom, not for himself, but for me as my proxy and representative : so that whilst I am in my infancy, under age, I am

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in possession, though I have not as yet the enjoy- ment of this my inheritance ; but this is reserved for me till I come to age. And howsoever, though I do not enjoy the whole as yet, my Father allows me as much of it as he sees convenient, so much grace, and so much comfort, as he thinks best ; which are as a pledge of what he has laid up for me in his kino-dom which is above.

ARTICLE VIII.

I believe, that my person is only justified by the merit of Christ imputed to me ; and that my nature is only sanctified by the Spiint of Christ implanted in me.

And thus I do not only believe Christ to be my Saviour, but I believe only Christ to be my Saviour. It was he alone that trod the wine-press of his Fa- ther's wrath, filled with the sour and bitter grapes of my sins. It was he that carried on the great work of my salvation, being himself both the author and the finisher of it. I say, it was he, and he alone ; for what person or persons in the world could do it, besides himself! the angels could not if they would, the devils would not if they could; and as for my fellow-creatures, I may as well satisfy for their sins, as they for mine ; and how little able even the best of us are to do either, that is, to atone either for our own transgressions, or those of others, every man's experience will sufficiently inform him. For how should we, poor worms of the earth, ever hope, by our slime and mortar (if I may so speak)

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of our own natural abilities, to raise up a tower, " whose top may reach to heaven ?" Can we ex- pect, by the strength of our own hands, to take hea- ven by violence ? or by the price of our own works to purchase eternal glory ? It is a matter of admira- tion to me, how any one, that pretends to the use of his reason, can imagine, that he should be accepted before God for what comes from himself. For how is it possible that I should be justified by good works, when I can do no good works at all before I be first justified? My works cannot be accepted as good, until my person be so ; nor can my person be ac- cepted by God, till first ingrafted into Christ : before which ingrafting into the true vine, it is impossible I should bring forth good fruit ; for the " plowing of the wicked is sin," says Solomon, yea, " the sa- crifices of the wicked are an abomination to the Lord." And, if both the civil and spiritual actions of the wicked be sin, which of all their actions shall have the honour to justify them before God ? I know not how it is with others, but, for my own part, I do not remember, neither do I believe, that I ever prayed in all my life time with that reverence, or heard with that attention, or received the sacra- ment with that faith, or did any other work whatso- ever, with that pure heart and single eye, as I ought to have done. Insomuch, that I look upon all my " righteousness as filthy rags;" and it is in the robes only of the righteousness of the Son of God, that I dare appear before the Majesty of heaven. Nay, suppose I could at length attain to that perfec- tion, as to do good works, exactly conformable to the will of God, yet must they have better eyes than e 3

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J, that can see how my obedience in one kind, can satisfy for my disobedience in another; or how that which God commands me, should merit any thing from him.

No, I believe there is no person can merit any thing from God, but he that can do more than is required of him ; which it is impossible any creature should do. For, in that it is a creature, it con- tinually depends upon God, and therefore is bound to do every thing it can, by any means possible, do for him ; especially, considering, that the crea- ture's dependence upon God is such, that it is be- holden to him even for every action that issues from it; without whom, as it is impossible any thing should be, so likewise that any thing should act, especially what is good. So that to say, a man of himself can merit any thing from God, is as much as to say, that he can merit by that which of him- self he doth not do ; or that one person can merit by that which another performs, which is a plain contradiction. For in that it merits, it is necessarily implied, that itself acts that by which it is said to merit; but in that it doth not depend upon itself, but on another in what it acts, it is as necessarily im- plied, that itself doth not do that by which it is said to merit.

Upon this account, I shall never be induced to believe that any creature, by any thing it doth, or can do, can merit, or deserve any thing at the hand of God, till it can be proved, that a creature can merit by that which God doth ; or, that God can be bound to bestow any thing upon us, for that which himself alone is pleased to work in us, and by us ;

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which, in plain terms, would be as much as to say, that because God had been pleased to do one good turn for us, he is therefore bound to do more; and, because God hath enabled us to do our duty, he should therefore be bound to give us glory.

It is not, therefore, in the power of any person in the world to merit any thing from God, but such a one who is absolutely co-essential with him, and so depends not upon him, either for his existence or actions. And, as there is no person can merit any thing from God, unless he be essentially the same with him; so likewise, unless he be personally dis- tinct from him : forasmuch as, though a person may be said to merit for himself, yet he cannot be said, without a gross solecism, to merit any thing from himself. So that he that is not as perfectly another person from God, as really as the same in nature with him, can never be said to merit any thing at his hands.

But, further, God the Father could not properly be said to do it in his own person, because, being (according to our conception) the party offended, should he have undertaken this work for me, he, in his own person, must have undertaken to make satis- faction to his own person, for the offences committed against himself; which if he should have done, his mercy might have been much exalted, but his jus- tice could not have been satisfied by it. For jus- tice requires, either that the party offending should be punished for these offences, or, at least, some fit person in his stead, which the Father himself cannot be said to be, in that he was the party offended, to whom the satisfaction was to be made : and it is

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absurd to suppose, that the same person should be capable of making satisfaction both by and to himself at the same time.

It remains, therefore, that there were only two persons in the holy Trinity, who could possibly be invested with this capacity, the Son and the Spirit. As to the latter, though he be indeed the same in nature with the Father, and a distinct person from him, and so far in a capacity to make satisfaction to him ; yet not being capable both of assuming the human nature into the divine, and also uniting and applying the divine nature to the human, (as I have showed before in the fifth article,) he was not in a capacity of making satisfaction for man ; none being fit to take that office upon him, but he that, of him- self, was perfectly God, and likewise capable of be- coming perfectly man, by uniting both natures in the same person ; which the Holy Ghost could not do, because he was the person by whom, and therefore could not be the person also in whom, this union of the two natures was to be perfected. And yet it was by this means, and this method only, that any per- son could have been completely capacitated to have borne the punishment of our sins : he that was only man could not do it, because the sin was committed against God ; and he that was only God could not do it, because the sin was committed by man.

From all which, as I may fairly infer, so I hope, 1 may safely fix my faith in this article, namely, That there was only one person in the whole world that could do this great work for me, of justifying my person before God, and so glorifying my soul with him ; and that was the Son of God, the second per-

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son in the glorious Trinity, begotten of the sub- stance of the Father from all eternity ; whom I ap- prehend and believe to have brought about the great work of my justification before God, after this or the like manner :

He being, in and of himself, perfectly co-equal, co-essential, and co-eternal with the Father, was in no sort bound to do more than the Father himself did ; and so whatsoever he should do, which the Fa- ther did not, might justly be accounted as a work of supererogation ; which, without any violation of di- vine justice, might be set upon the account of some other persons, even of such whom he pleased to do it for. And hereupon, out of mercy and compassion to fallen man, he covenants with his Father, that, if it pleased his Majesty to accept it, he would take upon him the suffering of those punishments which were due from him to man, and the performance of those duties which were due from man to him: so that whatsoever he should thus humble himself to do or suffer, should wholly be upon the account of man, himself not being any ways bound to do or suffer more in time, than he had from eternity.

This motion, the Father, out of the riches of his grace and mercy, was pleased to consent unto : and hereupon, the Son, assuming our nature into his Deity, becomes subject and obedient both to the moral and ceremonial laws of his Father, and, at last, to death itself, even the death of the cross. In the one he paid an active, in the other, a passive, obedi- ence ; and so did not only fulfil the will of his Father, in obeying what he had commanded, but satisfied his justice in suffering the punishment due to us for

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the transgressing of it. His active obedience, as it was infinitely pure and perfect, did, without doubt, infinitely transcend all the obedience of the sons of men, even of Adam, too, in his primitive state. For the obedience of Adam, make the best of it, was but the obedience of a finite creature ; whereas the obe- dience of Christ was the obedience of one that was infinite God, as well as man. By which means, the laws of God had higher obedience performed to them, than themselves in their primitive institution re- quired; for being made only to finite creatures, they could command no more than the obedience of finite creatures ; whereas the obedience of Christ was the obedience of one who was the infinite Creator, as well as a finite creature.

Now, this obedience being more than Christ was bound to, and only performed upon the account of those whose nature he had assumed, as we, by faith, lay hold upon it, so God, through grace, imputes it to us, as if it had been performed by us in our own persons. And hence it is, that as, in one place, Christ is said to be " made sin for us," so, in an- other place, he is said to be " made our righteous- ness." And in the forecited place, as he is said to be made sin for us, so we are said to be made righ- teousness in him : but what righteousness ? Our own ? No, " the righteousness of God," radically his, but imputatively ours : and this is the only way, whereby we are said to be made the righteousness of God, even by the righteousness of Christ being made ours, by which we are accounted and reputed as righ- teous before God.

These things considered, I very much wonder,

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how any man can presume to exclude the active obe- dience of Christ from our justification before God, as if what Christ did in the flesh was only of duty, not at all of merit ; or, as if it was for himself, and not for us. Especially, when I consider, that suffer- ing the penalty is not what the law primarily requir- eth ; for the law of God requires perfect obedience, the penalty being only threatened to (not properly required of) the breakers of it. For, let a man suffer the penalty of the law in ever so high a man- ner, he is not therefore accounted obedient to it ; his punishment doth not speak his innocence, but rather his transgression of the law.

Hence it is, that I cannot look upon Christ as having made full satisfaction to God's justice for me, unless he had performed the obedience I owe to God's laws, as well as borne the punishment that is due to my sins : for though he should have borne my sins, I cannot see how that could denominate me righteous, or obedient to the law, so as to entitle me to eternal life, according to the tenor of the old law, H Do this and live." Which old covenant is not disannulled or abrogated by the covenant of grace, but rather established, especially as to the obedience it requires from us, in order to the life it promiseth ; otherwise the laws of God would be mutable, and so come short of the laws of the very Medes and Persians, which alter not. Obedience, therefore, is as strictly required under the New, as it was under the Old Testament, but with this difference : their obedience in our own persons was required as abso- lutely necessary; here, obedience in our Surety is accepted as completely sufficient.

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But now, if we have no such obedience in our Surety, as we cannot have, if he did not live, as well as die, for us; let any one tell me what title he hath, or can have, to eternal life ? I suppose he will tell me, he hath none in himself, because he hath not performed perfect obedience to the law. And I tell him, he hath none in Christ, unless Christ performed that obedience for him, which none can say he did, that doth not believe his active, as well as passive obedience, to be wholly upon our account.

And now I speak of Christ's being our Surety, as the apostle calls him, Heb. vii. 22 : methinks this gives much light to the truth in hand; for what is a surety, but one that undertakes to pay whatsoever he, whose surety he is, is bound to pay, in case the debtor proves nonsolvent, or unable to pay it himself? And thus is Christ, under the notion of a surety, bound to pay whatever we owe to God, because we ourselves are not able to pay it in our own persons.

Now, there are two things that we owe to God, which this our Surety is bound to pay for us, namely, First, and principally, obedience to his laws, as he is our Creator and Governor; and, secondly, by con- sequence, the punishment that is annexed to the breach of these laws, of which we are guilty. Now, though Christ should pay the latter part of our debt for us, by bearing the punishment that is due unto us ; yet, if he did not pay the former and principal part of it too, that is, perform the obedience which we owe to God, he would not fully have performed the office of suretyship, which he undertook for us ;

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and so would be but a half-mediator, or half-saviour, which aro such words as I dare scarce pronounce, for fear of blasphemy.

So that, though it is the death of Christ by which I believe my sins are pardoned ; yet it is the life of Christ, by which I believe my person is accepted. His passion God accounts as suffered by me, and therefore I shall not die for sin : his obedience God accounts as performed by me, and therefore I shall live with him. Not as if I believed, that Christ so performed obedience for me, that I should be dis- charged from my duty to him : but only that I should not be condemned by God, in not discharging my duty to him in so strict a manner as is required. I believe that the active obedience of Christ will stand me in no stead, unless I endeavour after sin- cere obedience in my own person ; his active, as well as his passive obedience, being imputed unto none, but only to such as apply it to themselves by faith ; which faith in Christ will certainly put such as are possessed of it upon obedience unto God. This, therefore, is the righteousness, and the manner of that justification, whereby I hope to stand before the judgment-seat of God; even by God's imputing my sins to Christ, and Christ's righteousness to me; looking upon me as one not to be punished for my sins, because Christ, hath suffered, but to be received into the joys of glory, because Christ hath performed obedience for me, and does, by faith, through grace, impute it to me.

And thus it is into the merit of Christ that I resolve the whole work of my salvation; and this, not only, as to that which is wrought without me,

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for the justification of my person, but likewise as to what is wrought within me for the sanctification of my nature. As I cannot have a sin pardoned with- out Christ, so neither can I have a sin subdued without him ; neither the fire of God's wrath can be quenched, nor yet the filth of my sins washed away, but by the blood of Christ.

So that I wonder as much at the doctrine that some men have advanced concerning free-will, as I do at that which others have broached in favour of good works; and it is a mystery to me, how any that ever had experience of God's method in work- ing out sin, and planting grace in our hearts, should think they can do it by themselves, or any thing in order to it. Not that I do in the least question, but that every man may be saved that will; for this, I believe, is a real truth, but I do not believe that any man of himself can will to be saved. Where- soever God enables a soul effectually to will salva- tion, he will certainly give salvation to that soul ; but I believe, it is as impossible for my soul to will salvation of itself, as to enjoy salvation without God.

And this my faith is not grounded upon a roving fancy, but the most solid reasons ; forasmuch as, of ourselves, we are not able, in our understandings, to discern the evil from the good, much less then are we able, in our wills, to prefer the good before the evil ; the will never settling upon any thing, but what the judgment discovers to it. But now, that my natural judgment is unable to apprehend and represent to my will the true and only good under its proper notion, my own too sad experience would sufficiently persuade me, though I had neither scrip-

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ture nor reason for it. And yet the scripture also is so clear in this point, that I could not have denied it, though I should never have had any experience of it; the most High expressly telling me that the " natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him ; neither can he know them, because they are spiritually dis- cerned." Neither can he know them, that is, there is an absolute impossibility in it, that any one re- maining in his natural principles, without the assist- ance of God, should apprehend or conceive the excellency of spiritual objects. So that a man may as soon read the letter of the scripture without eyes, as understand the mysteries of the gospel without iirace. And this is not at all to be wondered at; especially, if we consider the vast and infinite dis- proportion betwixt the object and the faculty; the object to be apprehended being nothing less than the best of beings, God ; and the faculty whereby we apprehend it, nothing more than the power of a finite creature polluted with the worst of evils, sin.

So that I believe it a thousand times easier for a worm, a fly, or any other despicable insect whatso- ever, to understand the affairs of men, than for the best of men in a natural state to apprehend the things of God. No; there is none can know God, nor, by consequence, any thing that is really good, but only so far as they are partakers of the divine nature : we must, in some measure, be like to God, before we can have any true conceptions of him, or be really delighted with him; we must have a spiri- tual sight, before we can behold spiritual things, which every natural man being destitute of, he can

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see no comeliness in Christ, why he should be desired, nor any amiableness in religion, why it should be embraced.

And hence it is, that I believe, the first work that God puts forth upon the soul in order to its conversion, is, to raise up a spiritual light within it, to clear up its apprehensions about spiritual matters, so as to enable the soul to look upon God as the chiefest good, and the enjoyment of him as the greatest bliss; whereby the soul may clearly discern between good and evil, and evidently perceive, that nothing is good but so far as it is like to God, and nothing evil but so far as it resembles sin.

But this is not all the work that God hath to do upon a sinful soul, to bring it to himself; for though I must confess that in natural things, the will always follows the ultimate dictates of the understanding, so as to choose and embrace what the understanding represents to it, under the comely dress of good and amiable, and to refuse and abhor whatever, under the same representation, appears to be evil and dan- gerous; I say, though I must confess it is so in natural, yet I believe it is not so in spiritual matters. For, though the understanding may have ever such clear apprehensions of spiritual good, yet the will is not at all affected with it without the joint opera- tions of the grace of God upon us ; all of us too sadly experiencing what St. Paul long ago bewailed in himself, that " what we do we allow not," that though our judgments condemn what we do, yet we cannot choose but do it ; though our understandings clearly discover to us the excellence of grace and glory, yet our wills, overpowered with their own cor-

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ruptions, are strangely hurried into sin and misery* I must confess, it is a truth which I should scarcely have ever believed, if I had not such daily experience of it : but alas ! there is scarce an hour in the day, but I may go about lamenting, with Medea in Seneca, "though I see what is good, yea, and judge it to be the better, yet I very often choose the worse."

And the reason of it is, because, as by our fall from God, the whole soul was desperately corrupted ; so it is not the rectifying of one faculty, which can make the whole straight ; but as the whole was changed from holiness to sin, so must the whole be changed again from sin to holiness, before it can be inserted into a state of grace, or so much as an act of grace be exerted by it.

Now, therefore, the understanding and will being two distinct faculties, or, at least two distinct acts in the soul, it is impossible for the understanding to be so enlightened, as to prefer the good before the evil, and yet for the will to remain so corrupt, as to choose the evil before the good. And hence it is, that where God intends to work over a soul to himself, he doth not only pass an enlightening act upon the understanding and its apprehensions, but likewise a sanctifying act upon the will and its affections, that when the soul perceives the glory of God, and the beauty of holiness, it may presently close with, and entertain it with the choicest of its affections. And without God's thus drawing it, the understanding could never allure the soul to good.

And therefore it is, that for all the clear disco- veries which the understanding may make to itself

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concerning the glories of the invisible world, yet God assures us, it is himself alone that affects the soul with them, by inclining its will to them : for it is God " which worketh in us both to will and to do of his good pleasure." So that, though God offer heaven to all that will accept of it, in the holy scrip- tures ; yet none can accept of it, but such whom himself stirs up by his Holy Spirit to endeavour after it. And thus we find it was in Israel's return from Babylon to Jerusalem, though king Cyrus made a proclamation, that whosoever would might go up to worship at the holy city, yet there was none that accepted of the offer, " but those whose spirit God had raised to go up." So here, though God doth, as it were, proclaim to all the world, that whosoever will come to Christ shall certainly be saved, yet it doth not follow, that all shall receive salvation from him, because it is certain all will not come; or rather, none can will to come unless God enable him.

I am sure, to say none shall be saved, but those that will of themselves, would be sad news for me, whose will is naturally so backward to every thing that is good. But this is my comfort, I am as cer- tain my salvation is of God, as I am certain it can- not be of myself. It is Christ who vouchsafed to die for me, who hath likewise promised to live within me : it is he that will work all my work, both for me and in me too. In a word, it is to him I am beholden, not only for my spiritual blessings and enjoyments, but even for my temporal ones too, which, in and through his name, I daily put up my petitions for. So that I have not so much as a morsel of bread, in mercy, from God, but only upon

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the account of Christ ; not a drop of drink, but what flows to me in his blood. It is he that is the very blessing of all my blessings, without whom my very mercies would prove but curses, and my prosperity would but work my ruin.

" Whither, therefore, should I go, my dear and blessed Saviour, but unto thee? ' Thou hast the words of eternal life.' And how shall I come, but by thee ? Thou hast the treasures of all grace. O Thou, that hast wrought out my salvation for me, be pleased likewise to work this salvation in me ; give me, I beseech thee, such a measure of thy grace, as to believe in thee here upon earth ; and then give me such degrees of glory, as fully to enjoy thee for ever in heaven."

ARTICLE IX.

/ believe God entered into a double covenant with man, the covenant of works made with the first, and the covenant of grace made in the second Adam.

That the most high God should take a piece of earth, work it up into the frame and fashion of a man, and " breathe into his nostrils the breath of life," and then should enter into a covenant with it, and should say, " Do this and live," when man was bound to do it, whether he could live by it or no, was without doubt a great and amazing act of love and condescension ; but that, when this covenant was unhappily broken by the first, God should instantly vouchsafe to renew it in the second Adam, and that

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too upon better terms and more easy conditions than the former, was yet a more surprising mercy ; for the same day that Adam ate the forbidden fruit did God make him this promise, That " the seed of the woman should bruise the serpent's head." And this promise he afterwards explained and confirmed by the mouth of his prophet, Jeremiah, saying — " This is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel, after those days ; I will put my law into their inward parts, and write it in their hearts ; and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people." And again by St. Paul, under the New Testament, almost in the self-same words, Heb. viii. 10.

A covenant so gracious and condescending, that it seems to be made up of nothing else but promises. The first was, properly speaking, a covenant of works, requiring on man's part a perfect and unsinning obe- dience, without any extraordinary grace or assistance from God to enable him to perform it : but here, in the second, God undertakes both for himself and for man too, having digested the conditions to be performed by us into promises, to be fulfilled by himself — namely, that he will not only pardon our sins, if we do repent, but that he will give us repent- ance, that so we may deserve his pardon ; that he will not only give us life, if we come to Christ, but even draw us to Christ, that so he may give us life ; and so not only make us happy, if we will be holy, but make us holy, that so we may be happy ; lor the covenant is, not that he will be our God, if wc will be his people, but he will be our God, and we shall be his people. But still, all this is in and

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through Christ, the Surety and Mediator of tbi.s covenant, in whom all the " promises are yea and amen," so that Christ may be looked upon, not only as a surety, but as a party in this covenant of grace, being not only bound to God, but likewise cove- nanting with him for us. As God-man, he is a surety for us ; but as a man, he must needs be a party with us, even our head in the covenant of grace, as Adam was in the covenant of works.

What, therefore, though I can do nothing in this covenant of myself, yet this is my comfort, that He hath undertaken for me who can do all things. And therefore it is called a covenant of grace, and not of works, because in it there is no work required from me, but what by grace I shall be enabled to perform.

And as for the tenor in which this covenant runs, or the habendum, and grant which each party cove- nants for, it is express in these words — " 1 will be your God, and you shall be my people;" God cove- nants with us, that we shall be his people, we cove- nant with God, that he shall be our God. And what can God stipulate more to us, or we stipulate more to him, than this ? What doth not God pro- mise to us, when he promises to be our God ? and what doth he not require from us, when he requires us to be his people?

First, He doth not say, I will be your hope, your help, your light, your life, your sun, your shield, and your exceeding great reward ; but 1 will be your God, which is ten thousand times more than possibly can be couched under any other