"afcribed too little; because, if I had afcribed << more, it would have been too much, as being more than it has a title to, or than the fcriptures afcribe to it. For, tho' faith is fpoken of there with great applause, yet, "this was not on the account of any intrinfick "worth or value in the thing itself, but of "that virtue and goodness, which it was highly "fubfervient to. The Bible, when it speaks of, "and confiders faith abftractedly from that in"fluence, which it fometimes has upon mens actions, pronounces it perfect emptiness, or nothing. Thus St. Paul faith of himself, 1 Cor. xiii. 2. Tho' I have all faith, so that I "could remove mountains, and have no charity, "I I am nothing. And here, I think, it may "justly be prefumed that the faith of St. Paul was truly orthodox, and fufficiently ftrong, as εσ being founded upon clear and convincing evidence; and yet, St. Paul declares, that "his strong, orthodox faith, when confidered abstractedly, was nothing; that is, it would not be of any service to him, with respect to the obtaining God's favour." Again, "If it fhould be faid, that faith has the promife of falvation annexed to it in the gofpel, and that infidelity is declared damna"ble: To this I anfwer, that faith, or the "want of it, is not to be understood in a phi

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lofophical, but in a moral fenfe; that is, men will not be faved, or damned, for their giving,

* See my Collection of Tracts, pages 416, 417, 418.

giving, or with-holding, their affent to this "propofition, viz. that the gofpel of Chrift " is a divine revelation; but they will be faved,

or damned, as the end and purpose of that

gofpel is, or is not, anfwered upon them. It "is the fame, as if our Lord had faid, tho' "men by their fin and wickedness have expofed themselves to the just displeasure of Almighty God; yet he now, by my minif try, makes this kind and gracious offer to "them, viz. that if they will repent, and bring "forth fruits meet for repentance, then he will

pardon their fins, and receive them to favour; but, on the other fide, if they will, notwithstanding this kind offer, ftill go on " in their wickedness, then God will execute "his highest displeasure upon them. He that believeth, that is, he who accepts of this gra"cious offer, and answers the end and purpose of it, by turning from the evil of his

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ways, and by bringing forth the fruits of "newness of life, he fhall be faved; but he "that believeth not, that is, he who unwor"thily rejects this kind offer, by an obftinate "continuance in his folly, he shall be damned.

This, I fay, is the fenfe of the aforefaid de"claration; as is abundantly evident, not only " from the nature of the fubject, but also from "the tenor of the New Teftament. If I was in a house with a company of men, " and was abfolutely certain that the house "would fall to the ground in an hour's time, "and confequently, that every foul present

" would

"would inevitably perifh, except they fled "out of it before that fall; and if I gave "them timely warning of their danger; in "this cafe, it would not be their faith, or "their infidelity, with regard to this warn"ing, but their going out, or their con

tinuing in this houfe, which would be the "cause of their fafety, or deftruction. So, in "like manner, man, by his fin and wicked"nefs, has expofed himself to God's difplea

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fure, and Chrift is fent to apprize him of "his danger, and to fhew him the only, and "the certain way of escaping from it, viz. by repentance, and reformation of his evil ways; now, if he fo far hearkens to this meffage, as to repent and amend, he will "be faved, whether he is fatisfied of the divinity of this meffage, or not; but, if he goes on in his wickedness, he will be damned, tho' he believes its divinity ever fo ftrongly. So that in this cafe, it is not mens infidelity, ftrictly speaking, but their obftinate continuance in their fins, which is "the ground and cause of their damnation. "Befides, if the fore-mentioned terms were "to be understood in a philofophical fenfe, "then the propofition, to which they relate, "would be plainly repugnant to the nature "of things; because it is morally impoffible, " for God to be pleafed or displeased with any

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agent, for barely giving or with-holding "his affent to this, or any other propofition; "this affent being the effect of judgment, and

"not of choice; man being fo far paffive, in "the prefent cafe, as that if he attends to the fubject, he cannot think and judge of it "otherwife than he does *.

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"

As to love to Chrift, I obferve, that love to a benefactor, especially to him who, under God, is the greatest benefactor to mankind, is a duty that refults from, and is founded in, the nature of things; and, confequently, comes within the first article, of what I call the fum and fubftance of the gofpel of Christ.

As to the death and refurrection of Christ, I obferve, that Chrift foretold both, as he did that Judas would betray him, and that the Scribes and Pharifees would confpire against him, that they would deliver him up to the Gentiles, to be mocked and fcourged by them; but then, Chrift's foretelling thefe does not conftitute them, nor either of them, to be parts of that good news, which he was, in a particular and fpecial manner, fent of God to acquaint the world with. It is true, St. Paul faith, Rom. iv. 25. that Christ was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our juftification; which, no doubt, is true, in the Apostle's fenfe, as the death and refurrection of Chrift were, fome way or other, fubfervent to answer the fore-mentioned purpofe; but that God could not pardon finners, without the death and reJurrection of Christ, or that these were necefary to answer that purpose, is more easily taken

See my Collection of Tracts, page 290.

for

for granted than proved. And here my examiner puts upon me a quotation from Dr. Clarke, whofe name (on account of his learning, and his other great and valuable abilities) I doubt not, will be held in great veneration, as long as the remembrance of him fhall remain upon the earth. But then, Dr. Clarke was a man, and, as fuch, was liable to err, as well as other men; and therefore, I hope, it will not be expected that I fhould fubmit my judgment, not only without, but against reafon, (as in the prefent cafe) to Dr. Clarke's authority; and if any fuch thing be expected, I must beg leave to be excufed. Whether God could, or could not, pardon finners, without giving to the world fome vifible mark or token of his diflike of fin, is a queftion that, at present, I am not difpofed to enter into; but this I fay, that God's fuffering the Jews and Romans to be guilty of the greatest wickedness, in the crucifixion and death of his Son, or his laying the moft heavy affliction upon an innocent perfon, under the confideration of punishment, and then making that a reafon to himself, to let the guilty go free, which is fuppofed to be the cafe; I fay, that neither of these were visible marks and tokens of God's diflike of fin. I would here further obferve, that our Lord faith, Luke avii. 3. Take heed to yourselves; if thy brother trefpafs against thee, rebuke him and if he repent, forgive him. These, I think, are not mere arbitrary precepts, grounded only on the will or commandment of Christ, but

;

are