Page images
PDF
EPUB

(4)

and fubdivided, under various modes and party names; and while they glory in men, and worldly diftinétions, they are betrayed into angry contentions; and often forget the most effential principles of chriftianity, efpecially that fundamental law of Chrift-that his difciples must love one another. We rarely fee brethren of the fame church fo firmly united as they ought to be in faith and charity, or fufficiently mindful of the great ends of chriftian fellowship. They are too negligent of mutual watchfulness and brotherly admonition, and too easily give way to fufpicions and fecret grudges, envy and ftrife, and thus the peace and order of the church is frequently disturbed, and evangelical difcipline gradually abates. gradually abates. And when profeffors are departing from the faith and obedience of the gofpel, not receiving the love of the truth, but having pleature in unrighteoufnefs, the Spirit of falsehood takes advantage of the times, dreffes up religion in new fhapes, deludes men with fables, and abfurdities, and infpires them with wrath and hatred under the cover of zeal for God: the confequence. of (which is, a more general apoftacy from the faith, and groffer corruption of morals.

[ocr errors]

WHATEVER Variety of caufes may have concurred to fink the churches into the prefent low ftate, all may be fum'd up in this one general caufe, viz.-That chriftians bave turned away their attention from the plain dodrines and precepts of the gospel, as they were at first preached, in their genuine fimplicity, by Jefus Chrift and his Apostles. Therefore they who defire to fee chriftianity, recovering it's primitive appearance and power, mutt with that profeffors may be reminded of the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and led more seriously and closely 10 attend to those do&trines of the gospel which conftitute the faith of all believers, and thole precepts of godlinefs which are the rules of their obedience. In order to this, every christian, in his proper fphere, may lend fome affiftance; and every method which hath a tendency to promote the knowlege and practice of primitive chriftianity, may be of fome advantage to the Church,

THIS

THIS is the defign of the following Summary; which claims no farther regard than as it may be fubfervient to this valuable purpofe. If Chrift and his Apoftles have delivered to us a compleat Syftem of divine truth, this fame Syftem ought to ftand as clear as poffible in every chri ftian's mind, that he may be firmly established in the belief of it. In order to this chriftians muft fee with their own eyes, view the fcriptures in their original fimplicity, obferve the mutual connexion of the doctrines revealed, attend especially to thofe which diftinguish the gospel from all other fchemes of religion, and believe only upon full conviction of the truth. He that hath collected no certain principles of religion from the holy fcriptures, must be fuppofed hitherto to have read them without understanding, and may properly be faid to believe nothing; and he who hath formed his notions of religion merely upon human writings, believes men, and not God. Yet chriftians need fome affiftance in gaining a clear and perfect view of the Gofpel; and this is the proper design and ufe of all preaching and writing upon the fcriptures. Therefore, (whatever may juftly be objected against human creeds and confeffions, when fet up as ftandards of faith in competition with the fcriptures) fo far as any compendium of religion only ferves to lead christians, especially fuch as are but babes in Chrift, to a better acquaintance with the oracles of God, it may be admitted upon an equal footing with all other human writings, and escape the feverity of fuch a cenfure.

THE Writer of these sheets defires no more: his aim is only to remind chriftians of what they have learned from the word of God, and lend fome affiftance to those who defire to fix their thoughts upon the most important inftructions of the Gofpel. His earneft with that all chriftians may confider their declenfions, and repent, and be more united in the acknowlegement of Chrift, the obedience of faith, and the hope of eternal life, by recollecting the main doctrines of the new Teftament, is all his apology for attempting fuch a general view of the chri

ftian

[ocr errors]

ftian religion. He is too fenfible of the obfcurity of his name, and how largely he fhares in human imperfections, to have the leaft thought of impofing his own views of the gofpel upon any, by dogmatical affertions. Yet, as he endeavors to speak as much as poffible in the very language of the Scriptures, and hath fincerely aim'd to reprefent every truth in the moft fimple manner, according to the divine Oracles, he cannot but entertain fome confidence, that he expreffes the fentiments of the generality of chriftians who have read the new Teftament with care, as well as his own. What he now offers to the public was indeed primarily intended for the particular benefit of his own flock; but his fatisfaction will be increafed if it may be more extenfively useful.

If any thing effential to chriftian faith and practice is omitted in this Summary, the Writer will accept it as a great kindness, if fome friendly hand will correct the inadvertence. But it will give him no concern to be charged with neglecting any thing which depends merely upon the authority of human fchemes, or the peculiarities of a party. On the contrary, it will, afford him no fmall fatisfaction to find he hath kept all doubtful questions and firifes of words out of view, and faid none other things than Chrift and his Apoftles have plainly delivered: nor will he be wholly dilappointed in his aim, if only fome of the weakest chriftians should be taught, by this brief account of chriftianity, what are the first principles of the Oracles of God.

[ocr errors][merged small]
[blocks in formation]

***HERE is one God and Father of Eph. 4. 6. - all, who is above all, and thro'

Tall, and in all, whofe name alone Exod. 6. 2,3. **-* is JEHOVAH, the Almighty and Pfal. 83. 18. * Everlasting God. He is the liv- Gen. 17. 1. ing and true God, and befides him there is Ifa. 44. 6. no other. He made Heaven and Earth, men 1 Cor. 8.5,6. and all creatures, and he preferveth them all. Neh. 9. 6. The heavens declare his glory to all mankind,

by fhewing them, from day to day, and from Pfal. 19. 1, night to night, the wonderful works of his 2, 3. hands for the invifible things of God from the creation of the world are prefented clearly Rom. 1. 20; to view, being notified to every attentive obferver by the things which are made, even his eternal power and Godhead. But God hath more perfectly revealed himself to man by his Pfal. 147. 19 Word, which affures us that He is, and that 20.

21.

He is a rewarder of them that diligently feek Heb. 11. 6. bim.

GOD

The fpiritual nature of God

Joh. 4. 24.

A&. 17. 23, --29. Pfal. 90. 2. and 1oz. 26,

27.

[ 8 ]

GOD is a Spirit, invifible, eternal, and infi

and

Heb. 12.9. nite; the Father of Spirits, in whom we live, move, and have our Being. He continueth the fame from everlafting to everlasting, and with him is no variablenefs or fhadow of turning. To him all perfection of nature and bleffecnefs must be afcribed; and we muft worship him in fpirit and in truth, as that glorious Being who giveth unto all, life, and breath, and all things.

Jam. 1. 17.

God is fuFreme Lord of all.

35.

Ifa. 40. 12—

17.

Job 33. 13.

Jer. 32. 27.

He alone, who at first created, upholds all things by the word of his power, and mainPfal.93 1-4 tains an univerfal government over all the 66.7° works of his hands as their fupreme Lord. Dan. 4. 34. He ruleth by his power forever, and doth ac-, cording to his Will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth, and is accountable to none of his creatures for any of his proceedings. With equal eafe he directs and governs the greatest things, and the leaft; Ifa. 40. 26. numbers and orders the hairs of our heads or Pfal. 147.4-9 the ftars of heaven;, takes care ofwonibus, or Matt. 6. 26- of the ravens, fparrows, and lilies of the field; 30.10.29, 30. and overrules the most minute events of the Ifa. 44.7. prefent time, and of all ages, yet to come. He is the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the 1 Tim. 1. 17. only wife God: the bleffed and only Poten5. 15, 16. tate, King of Kings, and Lord of Lords; who only hath immortality, effentially in himself, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath feen or can fee; to whom be honor and power everlasting. Amen.

The divine

Effence unli

mited.

GOD is every where prefent. His Being is, unlimited. The heaven of heavens cannot 1 Kings 8.27, contain him. He is a God at hand, and afar Ter. 23. 23, off; for he fills heaven and earth. He fur

rounds

« PreviousContinue »