m 
 
 ^_ 
 
^ PEINCEHON, N. J. '^^ 
 
 Presented by Mr. Samuel Agnew of Philadelphia, Pa. 
 
 Agneiv Coll. 07i Baptism, No, 
 
 3CC 
 
 4 
 
^< 
 
 ^'a^ 
 
 SERMONS 
 
 On feveral 
 
 Important Subjects 
 
 O F 
 
 Religion and Morality. 
 
 To Which are added 
 
 TWO TRACTS: 
 
 I. A Summary View of the Dodrine of 
 
 Justification, 
 
 II. An Enqjjiry concerning the Anti- 
 quity of the Practice of Infant-Com- 
 munion, as founded on the Notion of it's 
 strict Necessity. 
 
 In T w o N o L u M E s. 
 
 By Daniel Waterland, D. D. 
 
 Late Arch-Deacon o{ Middle fix. Master of 
 Magdalen- College in Cambridge, &c. and Chap- 
 lain in Ordinary to His Majesty. 
 
 PubliJIjd from His Original MSS. 
 
 With A Preface, 
 
 By Joseph Clarke, M. A. 
 
 Fellow of Magdalen- College in Cambridge. 
 
 Vol, IL 
 
 LONDON: Printed for W. Innys, at the 
 Wefl--End of St. Paul's ; and R. Ma nby, at 
 the Princess Arms on Ludgate-HilL M dccxlii. 
 
THE - ^ 
 
 CONTENTS 
 
 s 
 
 V O L. 11. 
 
 SERMON I. 
 
 T. Pa U l'^ Wiil:i, 'AvSejitcx. sTvai diro tS 
 Xp<ry> explained and illuftrated. 
 
 R o M. ix. 3. 
 
 -—I could wijh that My S'elf were accurfed from 
 Christ, for my Brethren^ my Kinfmen ac- 
 cording to the Flefi, P. i. 
 
 „ SERMON 11. 
 
 A Sinlefs Perfedion and Security of Salvation, 
 no Prerogative of a Regenerate State. 
 
 I Jo H N iii. 9, 10. 
 
 JVhofoe'ver is born of God, doth not commit Sin^ 
 for his Seed remaineth in Hi?n ; and He can-- 
 not fin, becaufe He is born of God. In This 
 the Children of God are ma?iifeft, and the 
 Children of the Devil : PFhoJbever doeth Jiot 
 Right eoiijhefs, is not of God, neither He that 
 loveth not his Brother, P. 1 9. 
 
 a 2 SERMON 
 
iv The CONTENTS. 
 
 SERMON III. 
 
 The Scripture-Dodtrine of theUnprofitablenefs 
 of Man's beft Performances, an Argument 
 againft Spiritual Pride ; yet no Excufe for 
 Slacknefs in good Works and Chriflian Obe- 
 dience. 
 
 Lu,K E xvii. 10. 
 
 So Ukewife Te, when Te Jhall have done all thofe 
 Thi?igs which are commanded Tbtij Jay, We 
 are unprofitable Servants : V/e have done That 
 which was our Duty to do. -P- 39• 
 
 S E R M O N IV. 
 
 The Care required in Chufing our Religious 
 Principles, and the Steddinefs in retaining 
 them when fo chofen, flated and cleared. 
 
 I Th E SS. V. 21. 
 
 Prove all Things : Hold fafi That which is good. 
 
 P. 59. 
 SERMON V. 
 
 The precife Nature and Force of Christ's 
 Argument founded on Exod. iii. 6. againfl 
 the Sadducees. 
 
 Luke XX. 37, 3". 
 
 Now^ that the Dead are raifed^ even Moses 
 jhewed at the BuJ]:>, when He calleth the Lord, 
 the God of Abr AH AM, a^id the God of Is A AC y 
 a?id the God 0/' Jacob : For, He is not a God 
 of the Deady but of the Living j for All live 
 to Him, P. 8 i^. 
 
 SERMON 
 
The CONTENTS. v 
 
 SERMON VI. 
 
 A good Life the fureft Title to a good Con- 
 fcience. 
 
 I John iii. 21, 22. 
 
 Beloved, if our Heart condemn Us not, then have 
 We Conjidence towards God : And whatfoever 
 We ajk. We receive of Him, becaufe We keep 
 his Commandments, afid do thofe "Things which 
 are pleafng in his Sight, P. 103. 
 
 SERMON VII. 
 
 The Nature and Manner in which the Holy 
 Spirit may be fuppofed to operate upon 
 Us : And the Marks and Tokens of fuch 
 Operation. 
 
 Rom. viii. 14. 
 As many as are led by the Spirit of God, They 
 are the Sons of God. P. 123. 
 
 SERMON VIII. 
 
 The Springs and Motives of falfe Pretences to 
 the Holy Spirit ; with the Rules and 
 Marks of trying and deteding them. 
 
 I J o H N iv. I . 
 
 Beloved, believe not every Spirit, but try the Spi- 
 rits whether They are of God, P. 141. 
 
 S E R M O N IX. 
 
 The precife Nature of the Blafphemy againfl 
 the Holy Ghost. 
 
 Matth. 
 I 
 
vi The CONTENTS. 
 
 Matth. xii. 31, 32. 
 
 Wherefore I Jay unto Tou, all Manner of Sin 
 and Blafphemy fiall be forgiven unto Men : 
 But the Blafphemy again ft the Holy Ghost 
 Jhall not be forgiven unto Men. 
 
 And Whofoever Jpeaketh a Word againfl the Son 
 OF Man, it f mil be forgiven Him : But 
 Whofoever fpeaketh a^airfl if/?^ Holy Ghost, 
 it fiall not be forgiven Him, neither in this 
 Worldy neither in the World to come, P. 1 63. 
 
 SERMON X. 
 
 The Cafe of Deceivers, and Deceived, conii- 
 dered. 
 
 Eph ES. iv. 14. 
 
 Hhat We henceforth be no more Children, tofj'ed 
 to and fro, and carried about ivith every Wind 
 of DoBrine, by the Slight of Men, and cun- 
 ning Craftinefs, 'whereby T^hey lie in Wait to 
 deceive. P. 185. 
 
 SERMON XL 
 
 The Cafe of St. Paul, in perfecuting the 
 Church. 
 
 Acts ix. 4, 5. 
 
 And He fell to the 'Earth, and heard a Voice, 
 faying unto Him ; Saul, Saul, ivhy pcrfe- 
 cutcft Thou Me ^ 
 
 And He faid. Who art Thou, Lord ? And the 
 Lord f aid, I am Jesus ivhD?n Tkou perfe- 
 cuteft : It is hard for Thee to kick againft the 
 Tricks, P. 205. 
 
 SERMON 
 
The CONTENTS. vii 
 
 SERMON XII. 
 
 Chr ist's Sacrifice of Himfelf explained 5 and 
 Man's Duty to offer Spiritual Sacrifice in- 
 ferred, and recommended. 
 
 EpHEs. V. ij 2. 
 
 Be Te therefore Followers of God, as dear Chil^ 
 
 dren ; and walk in Love, as Ch r i s t alfo hath 
 
 loved Us, and hath given Himfelf for Us, an 
 
 Offering and a Sacrifice to God for a Jweet- 
 
 Jmelling Savour, P. 225. 
 
 SERMON XIII. 
 
 The Hiftory and Charader of Balaam. 
 
 Numb. xxii. 10, 11, 12. 
 
 And'^A'LAAyi faidunto God, Balak the Son 
 of Zip FOR, King of Moab, hath fent unto 
 Me faying, 
 
 'Behold, there is a People come out of Egypt, which 
 covereth the Face of the Earth : Cotne now, 
 ciirfe Me 'Them ; peradve?iture I fhall be able 
 to overcome Them,, and drive Them out. 
 
 And God f aid unto Balaam, Thou Jhalt not 
 go with Them, Thou fid alt not curfe the People : 
 For They are blefjed. P. 245. 
 
 5 E R M O N XIV. 
 
 The Appearance of Samuel, to Saul at 
 En-dor. 
 
 I Sam. 
 
vj'u The CONTENTS. 
 
 I Sam. xxviii. 15, 16,. 
 
 And Samuel /aid to Saul, Why hafl Thou 
 difquieted Me, to bring Me up f And Saul 
 anjhvered, I am fore difirejjed ; and the Phi- 
 lijiines make War agaiiiji Me, and God is 
 departed from Me, a?id anjwereth Me no more, 
 neither by Prophets, nor by Dreams : Therefore 
 I have called Thee, that Thou may eft make known 
 unto Me what I fhall do. 
 Then f aid Samuel, wherefore then do ft Thou 
 ^ afk of Me, feeing the Lord is departed from 
 Thee, and is become thine Enemy f P. 267. 
 
 ^' 
 I.- A Summary View of the Dodrine of JUS- 
 TIFICATION. 
 
 II. An Enquiry concerning the Antiquity 
 of the Practice of INFANT-COM- 
 MUNION, as founded on the Notion of 
 its STRICT NECESSITY. 
 
 SERMON 
 
S E R M O N^'-^;^^:^. 
 
 St. Paul's Wifh, 'Avd^ixa ^Tvai d-Ko 7§^oy,^ • 
 Xpi^S, explained and illuftrattedvo. '^z^"' 
 
 ^^ ^/r. 
 
 RoM. IX. 3, 
 
 "^/.. 
 
 ^^Tf^^y 
 
 *— I could wijh that My Self were ac- 
 curfed from CHRisT^y^^r my Brethren^ 
 myKinfmzn according to the Flejh* 
 
 H E Occafion, and general 
 Meaning of thefe Words of 
 the Apoftle, are obvious e- 
 nough : For St. Paul hav- 
 ing, in the foregoing Chap- 
 ters, taught fome Dod:rines 
 which He knew would be extremely grating 
 and offenfive to the Jews^ thought it the more 
 necefTary to profefs how warm an Affedion He 
 had for Them all the while, in order to con- 
 VoL.II, A vince 
 
2 St. PaulV PFiJh explahted. 
 
 vince Them, that his telling Them unwelcome 
 Truths, proceeded not from any Averfion or 
 Refentment He bore towards Them, but from 
 the Love and Tendernefs He had for Them, as 
 well as from a juft Regard to the Honour of 
 Almighty God. In the Words therefore of 
 the Text, He cxprefles his lincere and great 
 Affetflion for Them, declaring how much He 
 was concerned at the Spirit of Slumber fallen 
 upon Them, and how contentedly He could 
 fuffer any Thing (that could be reafonable for 
 Him to fuffer) if He might but be any Way 
 inflrumental in refcuing Them from the fad 
 Circumftances They were in, and might pro- 
 cure for Them Pardon and Salvation. I could 
 wijh that My Self were acciirjcd from Christ 
 for ?jiy Brethren, &c„ Ve ry a ffe dion ate Words, 
 ftrong and pathetick, the Langiiage, doubtlefs, 
 of a moil: generous Love, and a moft exalted 
 Charity. But while We acknowledge the 
 W^armth and Ardency of his Affeiftion, take 
 We care to underftand it in fuch a Senfe, that 
 it may be rational too 5 that it may be worthy 
 of a wife and a great Pvlan, yea of a great A- 
 poflle, and Him condudted in what He wrote, 
 by the Holy Spirit of God. What then could 
 He mean by williing Himfelf accurfcd from 
 Ch r 1ST ? Is this a Sober or a Chriflian Wifli, as 
 a it 
 
4?/. Paul'j Wijh explained, 3 
 
 it founds at firft hearing, and as exprefs'd in 
 thefe broad Terms ? Some Divines of the 
 myftick Way, have thought it reafonable for 
 a Man to fubmit HImfelf even to evei:lafting 
 Mifery, to ferve the Ends of God's Glory, 
 and the general Good of Mankind : But the 
 Thought is fhocking, and the Thing imprac- 
 ticable : No Man can do it ; neither is it ra- 
 tional, or piouSj either to fuppofe, that God 
 could admit of fo abfurd a Thing, or be plcas'd 
 with a Wifh fo wild and extravagant* The 
 more judicious Divines therefore, being fenfi- 
 ble of this, while they have underftood St. 
 Paul's Words of the Curfe ever lofting^ yet have 
 had recourfe to Figure in the other Parts, and 
 call'd it, upon the whole, a ftrong Hyperboli- 
 cal Expreffion, fuch as ought not to be rigour- 
 oufly interpreted up to the Letter. 
 
 But ftill there may be a third Way thought 
 on, better than Either of the Former; which 
 is to examine ftridly into the Original Greek, 
 whether it may not juflly bear a milder and 
 lefs exceptionable Rendring. It is obfervable, 
 that the Words, 'AvoS-^^a iTvcti^ which We ren- 
 der by accurfed, often fignify no more than 
 being devoted to temporal Death, or beinp^ made a 
 Sacrifice o^: And theV/ordsayroT^Xp«ry,which 
 We render yri?;« Christ, may fignify ^^r 
 
 Vol. II. A 2 Christ, 
 
4 Sl Pavls Wijh explained, 
 
 Christ, that is, 2.ix.tx\S\t Example of Christ. 
 Let the whole Sentence then run thus ; I could 
 be content^ nay I (hould rejoyce, to be made a 
 Sacrifice My Self^ after Christ (or as Christ 
 has been before vat) for my Brethren^ my Kinfme?i 
 accordtjig to the Flejh. The Greek Words [octto 
 TV XpiT^] will fignify <7/?^r Christ, as well as 
 the like Phrafe [aVo 'mpoyovuv,'] elfewhere ufed 
 by St. Paul, lignifies after my Forefather Sy or 
 as my Forefathers have before Me. / thank 
 my God whom Ifervefrom my Forefathers^, or 
 as my Forefathers have done before Me. So 
 then, the true^ and the literal Senfe of the A- 
 poftle in the Text is neither more nor lefs than 
 This, that He wifh'd to be devoted even to 
 Deaths for the eternal Salvation of his Brethren 
 th^yewSy in like Manner as Christ, his High 
 Leader, had been devoted before Him. For as 
 He taught his Doftrine^ fo He was delirous 
 alfo to follow the Example of his Sufferings, 
 as far as He might be capable of fo doing. 
 
 The Rendring of the Text being thus cor^ 
 re6led, and the Senfe cleared, what I have 
 more to fay upon it, may be eafy and plain. 
 In the Text, as now conftrued. Two Things 
 are offered to our ferious and devout Medita- 
 tion. 
 
 h 
 
 * i Tim. i. J. 
 
S^.Tav ls Wifl} explained. i^. 
 
 I. The exceeding great Love of Christ, In 
 fubmitting Himfelf to Death, to be made 
 a Sacrifice for the Salvation of Mankind. 
 
 II. The good Apoftle's ardent Zeal and 
 Defire, to die in like Manner, after 
 Christ's Example, for the Salvation of 
 his Brethren. Of thefe two Articles I 
 fliall diftindly treat in their Order. 
 
 I. 
 
 Let us duly weigh and conlider the ex- 
 ceeding great Love of our Saviour Christ, 
 fhewn in fubmitting Himfelf to Death, to be 
 made a Sacrifice, for the Salvation of Man- 
 kind. The Height and Depth of his Love 
 towards Mankind will befl appear from a Con- 
 fideration of the Circumftances of that fo ge- 
 nerous, and fo adorable an Adl of Loving- 
 kindnefs. Conlider Who it was that did it, 
 l^baf He did, for Wbom, and for what Ends, 
 All thefe Circumftances have their Weight, 
 and very much enhance the Value of the Thing 
 done, as well as heighten the Obligation, 
 
 I. The Per/on who fubmitted to fuffer for 
 us, was a very great and extraordinary Perfon 5 
 not a meer Man, not an Angel, or an Arch- 
 angel, but infinitely higher {]:ill,even the Eter- 
 nal Son of God 5 Who took Flefh upon Him, 
 that He might be capable of fuffering, bleed- 
 A 3 ing. 
 
Q St. "Pau ls l^ijh explained^ 
 
 ing, and dying for Us. Here lies the particu^ 
 lar Strefs and Emphafis of the Thing, accor- 
 ding to the Scripture- Account of it j that God 
 fent fo great, fo dear, and fo divine a Perfon 
 to die for us. For God Jo loved the Worlds that 
 he gave his only -begotten Son ^. In 'This was ma- 
 nifefied the hove of God towards Us, becanfe, that 
 Godjent his Qnly-hegotten Son into the Worlds &c.^ 
 The Majefty and Greatnefs of the Perfon fent, 
 heightens the Favour, and indears it to Us ; as 
 it is the greater Condefcenfion in Him, and 
 does the greater Honour to Us. St. Paul 
 exprelTes the v^^hole Thing in very jftrong and 
 lively Terms, thus : Who beiiig in the Form of 
 God, thought it not Robbery to be equal with God-, 
 but, neverthelefs, made Himfelfof no Reputation, 
 and took upon Him the Form of a Servant, and fo 
 one. See v/hat an Emphafis is here laid upon 
 the Dignity of the Perfon doing it. He was 
 one that had the Form, the Majcfly of God, 
 and had a Right to be revered, honoured, and 
 adored as God ; and yet He fubmitted to ber 
 come a Seryant, by taking upon Him the Na- 
 ture of Man, and in that Nature He died. 
 Wonderful Condefcenfion, and moft difmter- 
 efted Love, fuch as no inferior Perfon could 
 have fhown towards Us ! Had the higheft An- 
 gel 
 
 * John iji. 1 6. ** i John iv, 9. ^ Phil. il. 6, 7. 
 
-5V. P A u l'^ Wijh explained. 7 
 
 gel or Archangel, had the brighteft Cherub or 
 Seraph done it, the Kindnefs had been No- 
 thing in Comparifon j becaufe They are All 
 Creatures of God, infinitely fliort of the Dig- 
 nity of the Son of God : And however great 
 They are, They are yet capable of being made 
 greater, and of receiving frefli Honour and 
 Dignity as a Reward for Well-doing ; fp that 
 Their ferving Us, would have been at the fame 
 Time fervingThemfelves. But the Eternal Son 
 of God was fo High and fo Divine in Himfelf, 
 that He was above being promoted higher : 
 He could have no Intereft of his Own to ferve, 
 no Ambition of his Own to gratify, in What 
 He did : It was all done purely for Our Be- 
 nefit ; was perfectly free and generous, fuch as 
 No Creature whatever could have fhown to- 
 wards Us. In a word, his Kindnpfs excelled 
 all that ever was done by created Beings, as 
 much as the Dignity of his Perfon excelled 
 Theirs ; and that is. infinitely. 
 
 2. -Next, let us confider What He did, as 
 well as Who did it, to give Us the more lively 
 and afifeding Idea of his Love towards Us. He 
 made Himfelf of no Reputation^ fays the Apoflle, 
 took upon him the Form of a Servant, and was 
 made in the Likenefs of Men : That is to fay, He 
 veil'd his Glories, He drew a Curtain (as it 
 A 4 were) 
 
$ St. PaulV Wifi explained. 
 
 were) over his high and adorable Godhead, 
 c^ondefcending to take Part v/ith frail Morta- 
 lity, and to converfe with Dull: and Afhes, 
 But This was not all ; For the Apoflle goes 
 on ; Being found in Fafoion as a Man^ He hum- 
 bled Himfelf, yet farther, and became obedient to 
 Death^ to the moft painful and ignominious 
 Death, even the Death of the Crofs^, This was 
 defcending, as it were, from the highefl Pin- 
 nacle of Glory, to the loweft Circumflances 
 of Difgrace, For Crucifixion was a Punifh- 
 ment inflidled by the Romans upon Slaves only 
 and Fugitives, and was look'd upon as the 
 moft fhameful of all their Ways of difpatch- 
 ing Criminals. Befides which, It is to be con^, 
 fidered^ that, according to the Maxim of the 
 Jewip Law, He that is hanged is accurfed oj 
 God^^ which is the Text that St. Paul refers 
 to, where He rays,CH r i st hath redeemedUsfrom 
 the Curfe of the Law^ bei'ng made a Curfe for Us ', 
 For it is written, Ciirfed is Every One that hang- 
 eth en a Tree ^. He was made a Curje for Us, in 
 the fame Scnfe as He was made Sin for Us^^ 
 and as St. Pe T E R expref]es it, bare our Sins in his 
 own Body on the Tree^. That is to fay. He flood 
 in the Place of Sinners, and was contented to 
 
 fuffer 
 
 « Phi] li. 7, ?. «* 2 Cor. V. 21. 
 
 ^ Dei.t. xxi 25. ' 3 Pet. ii. 24. 
 
 c Gal. iii. 15. 
 
St. VhVhs Wijh explained. g 
 
 fuffer in their Stead, and to be treated in fuch 
 Manner as They ought to have been treated, 
 or as their Sins had deferved. This was an 
 Inftance of exceeding great Love and Condef- 
 cenfion, fubmitting to appear as a Criminal, 
 and to take upon Him all the Shame, and O- 
 dium, and Ignominy that belong to Sinners, 
 the' He had no Sins of his Own. He was con- 
 tent to be accurfedy in a certain Senfe, that is, 
 to be devoted to Death, and to bear the Puni£h- 
 jnent of Sin, which Sin had the Curfe of God 
 attending it ; a Curfe, which Ch r i s t alone was 
 able to take off. The Sins of the whole World 
 were laid upon Him : He bare them, and took 
 them upon Himfelf, fuffering and dying for 
 them ; fo great was his Condefcenfion, fo won^ 
 derful his Love towards Mankind. And this 
 reminds Us, 
 
 3. Of another Circumftance in this Affair, 
 the Perfons for Whom He died ; not for the 
 Well-deferving, or Innocent, but iox Sinners, 
 and Sinners againft Himfelf. St. Paul takes 
 particular Notice of this Circumftance alfo, 
 making Ufe of it as a proper Confideration for 
 the magnifying and illuftrating the Love of 
 Christ. Scarcely for a righteous (or j uft) Man 
 will One die : yet peradventure for a good Man 
 SQnie 'wqidd even dare to die : But God commend-. 
 
 J etb 
 
10 Si. Pav ls Wijh explained. 
 
 eth his hove towards Us, in that While IVe ivere 
 yet Sinners, Christ died for Us a. As much as 
 to fay, that It is a very rare Thing, that Any 
 One fhould die for the fake of an honefi:, or 
 }ufl Man J and not very common to do it, 
 even for a kind and moft obhging Friend : But 
 to be content to die for Thofe Who were nei- 
 ther kind, nor juji, but the contrary ; to die 
 for Sinners and Rebels, This is a Height of Ge- 
 nerofity beyond the common Meafures, is 
 without Precedent, and above allComparifon. 
 Such was theLove of Ch R i st towardsMankind, 
 Who had deferved no fuch Favour at his Hands, 
 having rebelled againft Him, and aclcd in Op- 
 pofition to Him/ Greater Love hath No Man than 
 This, that a Man lay down his Life for his Friend^, 
 But our Lord's Love was vaftly greater, that 
 He laid down his Life even for his Enefmes» 
 — When We were Enemies, We were reconciled to 
 God by the Death of his Son ^. Thefiififufferedfor 
 theUnjuft, asSt.Ps t e R obferves^^; which is fuch 
 an Inftance of generous Love, as no Hiftory 
 can parallel, nor any human Thought or Ima- 
 gination reach up to. 
 
 4. But there is a further Confideration,v>'hich 
 enhances the Value of it, and ftill more abun- 
 dantly endears it to Us -, which is, the End and 
 
 Def.gn 
 
 •Rom. V. 7,8. ''John XV. 13. «Rcm. v. to. <* i Tet.iii. 18. 
 
iSV. P A u l'^ Wijh explained, i i 
 
 Defign of it, and the happy Confequences 
 which it is directed to, and aims at. It is not 
 barely to refcue Mankind from Punifhment, 
 and from eternal Mifery, but It is to exalt 
 Them to the highefl and moft defirable Privi- 
 leges J and to confer upon Them everlafting 
 Life, Glory, and Happinefs. In This was ma^ 
 nifefted the Love of God towards Us, becaufe that 
 God fent his only begotten ^on into the World, that 
 We might live through Him \ But in another 
 Place, St. John is yet more exprellive and em- 
 phatical, in thefe Words : God fo loved the 
 World, that He gave his only begottsn Son, that 
 Whojoever helieveth in Him, Jhould not perijh, but 
 have everlafting Life^. So then every Way, and 
 in every Light, the Love of Christ towards 
 Us is very apparent, and is beyond all Parallel. 
 The eternal Son of God, equal with God, 
 vouchfafed to humble Himfelf, to fufFer, bleed 
 and die, for Sinners, in Order to purchafe for 
 Them, not Pardon only, but Rewards, great 
 and everlafting Rewards in the highefl Hea- 
 vens. Having thus endeavoured, however im- 
 perfedly, to fet forth the exceeding great Love 
 of Christ in dying for Us, Inowpafs on to 
 the Second Article contained alfo in the Text j 
 
 n. 
 
 " I John iv. 9, ^ John iii, 16. 
 
12 aSV. P A u Ls Wtjh explained^ 
 
 II. 
 
 The good Apoftle's ardent Zeal, and De- 
 iirc, to die in like Manner, and after Christ's 
 Example, for the Salvation of his Brethren. 
 I could wiJJo that My Self were accurfed from (or, 
 after) Christ ; that is, as Christ was before 
 yi^^for my Brethren^ &c. We are not to fuppofe, 
 that the Apoftle had a Thought of coming up, 
 in any perfecft Meafure, to the great Example 
 fet by our BlefTed Lord : But He was wiUing 
 and defirous to copy after Him, in fuch Mea- 
 fure and Degree as He was capable of, and to 
 follow his Pattern as far as He was able, by an 
 humble and awful Imitation of Him. He 
 very well knew, that one great Ufe among 
 others, of our Lord's Sufferings, w^as, to in- 
 ftruv5l and ftir us up to follow the Example. 
 This is the Ufe which St. Paul points to,where 
 He fays. Let this Mind be in You, which was aU 
 /S /« Christ Jesus ; TVho being iii the Form of 
 Gody and fo on =*. St. John, the beloved Difci- 
 ple, is very exprefs and particular,in fetting forth 
 the Love of Christ, as an Example and Pat- 
 tern for our Imitation. Hereby perceive We the 
 Love ofGodJjecaiife He laid down his Life for Us: 
 j^fid We (in Conformity) ought to lay down Our 
 X^ivesfor the Brethren *>. Obferve, It is not here 
 faid, for Enemies^ for FerfecutorSj but for the 
 
 Brethre?2, 
 
 * Phi! ii. 5, 6. * 1 John iii. J 6, 
 
St, P A u hs Wijh explained, 1 3 
 
 Brethren. I know not whether St. Paul's Ex- 
 ample, in the Text, did not go beyond What 
 St. John here mentions as the bounden Duty of 
 Every common Chriftian. It (hould feem by 
 the emphatical Manner of Expreffion, which 
 St. Paul made Ufe of, that He himfelf thought 
 it no ordinary Degree of Affection, no com^ 
 mon Proteftation, Icouldwifi that My Selfis^re 
 accurfed^ and fo on. And indeed the ver^ 
 Nature of the Thing fhews, that it was not. 
 For the Perfons for whofe fake He was fo very 
 willing to die the Death, were not his particular 
 Friends, no nor fo much as Chriftian Brethren: 
 His Brethren They had been, and They werp 
 now harden'd and obftinate 'Jeisoi, Whom 
 He had deferted, and Whom God had aban- 
 doned, and Who were St.PAUL's bittereft Ene- 
 mies, and as great Enemies to the Gofpel j yet 
 fuch was his Affection even for Them, fucli 
 his friendly Difpofition towards Them, tliat 
 He could have been content, yea glad, to have 
 been 7nade a Curfe^ that is, to have yi/^r^^ any 
 the moft painful and ignominious Deaths to 
 do Them Service ; to avert their Mifery, and 
 to promote their true Happinefs. This was 
 noble and generous, as well as charitable ; 
 was an Inftance of Heroick Love, much re- 
 fembling our Bleffed Saviour's^ being almofl 
 
 above 
 
14 St, Paul'j TFiJh explained, 
 
 above human, and coming as near to diving, 
 asFlefli and Blood was capable of doing . There 
 is one more Inftance of like Kind in holy Scri- 
 pture, and but one, that belonged to meer 
 Man : It was of a very great Prophet, Law- 
 giver, and Saint ; I mean Moses, the meekeft 
 Man then upon Earth. When the Ifraelites 
 had grievoully affronted Him, and offended 
 God as much, by making the Golden Calf, 
 yet then (as it were forgiving and forgetting 
 all their Rudenefs towards Him) He begged to 
 be Himfelf blotted out of the Book of Life, 
 rather than the People fhould fuffer Extremi- 
 ties. T^et now, if thou wilt (fays He in his 
 Prayer to God), forgive their Sin y or if not^ 
 blot Me, I pray Thee, out of thy Book which Thou 
 hajl written *. Blotting out of God's Book is 
 of the fame Importance with blotting out one's 
 Name from under Heaven^, Which is an Ex* 
 preffion fignifying temporal Death and De^ 
 flrudion. Accordingly, Moses defired to die, 
 or to be deftroyed Himfelf, from off the Land 
 of the Living, rather than live to fee his Na- 
 tion perifh, his People fuffer, however juftly 
 They had deferved it. Thatlnffance of Mo- 
 ses, though very like This of St. Paul, yet 
 does not fully come up to it ; becaufe Moses 
 
 was 
 
 * Exod. xxxii. 32. . "^ Deut. IX. 14. 
 
<5V. P A u hs Wijh explained, 1 5 
 
 was more nearly related to the Ifraelifes of that 
 Time, and had a clofer Intereft and Concern 
 with Them, than St.PAUL could have with the 
 Jews of his Time, whofe Religion and Party 
 He had left for the Chriftian Church. How- 
 ever, both thofe Inftances are very admirable, 
 and come the nearefl to the Divine Pattern fet 
 by our Lord, of any We fhall meet with. The 
 Ule which We are to make of all thefe In- 
 ilances, or Examples, is to learn to put on 
 Tendernefs and Compaflion towards All Men ; 
 and even towards Thofe Who are not of our 
 Society, Profeffion, Religion, or Party 5 thofe 
 who have no Refped; for Us, or are even pre- 
 judiced againfl: Us. There is a Degree of Pity 
 and Regard due even to very ill Men, to Un- 
 godly, and Sinners : Not to be fliown by ca- 
 reffing Them, and fmiling upon Them, but by 
 earneft and ardent Endeavours to reclaim Them. 
 It is afflid:ing to a good Man to obferve how 
 Sinners run headlong on to their own Ruin : 
 And though it may be faid, that They deferve 
 the lefs Pity becaufe it is their own Fault, and 
 They choofe to do fo ; yet there is fomething 
 really pitiable in that Depravity of Will, and 
 Blindnefs of Heart, which drives Them on to 
 make fuch ill Choices. There is not a more 
 forlorn and miferable Wretch under Heaven, 
 
 than 
 
1 6 &. P A u LS JViJh explained^ 
 
 than an over-grown Sinner, become mad, de*^ 
 fperate, and incurable in his Sins. For, though 
 fuch Perfons regard neither God nor Man, nor 
 Jiave any Mercy or Tenderncfs for Friend ot 
 Brother, but would go any Lengths in Mif- 
 chief, and fet the World on Fire (if it lay in 
 their Power); yet We very well know, all the 
 while, that They are weak and impotent, are 
 under Bridle and Reftraint, and muft wait for 
 God*s Leave before They can do any Things 
 The utmoft They can do, is only to afflidl and 
 torment good Men for a Time here, while 
 They Themfelves lie expofed to eternal Venge- 
 ance, to Torments everlafting hereafter. This 
 Confideration may fometimes move a good 
 Man's Pity and tender Compaffion, as was 
 St. Paul's Cafe in the Text, while He lament- 
 ed over the hardened Jews^ his Adverfaries 
 and Perfecutors, and would have wiflied even 
 Himfelf to die a thoufand Deaths for Them, 
 fo He might but reform and fave Them. This 
 affed:ionate Temper of Mind, this benevolent 
 Difpofition towards All Men, is What the Text 
 recommends to Us in tv/o Examples, One of 
 our Bleffed Lord himfelf, and the Other of 
 our Lord's Apoflle. Learn We from Both to 
 be kind, friendly, and compaffionate One to- 
 wards Another, and to have a true Value and 
 
 Concern 
 
S^. PaulV ^ijb explained. 17 
 
 Concern both for the Bodies and the Souls of 
 Men. We {hall find Matter enough for our 
 Exercife and Improvement in this heavenly 
 Difpofition, and fhall have Occafions, more 
 than One would wifli, to excite Us to it j for 
 Sin and Wickednefs abound daily. Evil Men 
 and Seducers wax worfe and worfe, deceiving and 
 being deceived^. But let it be Our Care, in the 
 firft Place, to continue ftedfaft in the Things 
 that We have learned, knov^^ing of Whom We 
 have learned them : And in the next Place, to 
 do our beft to convince, and reclaim Sinners 
 from their evil Ways, to fave their Souls frorri 
 Death, and thereby to bring Glory to Almigh^ 
 ty God, and to make Joy in Heayen over Ev?» 
 ry §inner fo repenting. 
 
 >? Tim. iii. 13, 
 
 V91.. II. & SERMON 
 
SERMON II. 
 
 A Sinlefs PerfeSiion and Security of Sal- 
 vation^ no Prerogative of a Regene-^ 
 rate State, 
 
 I John iii. 9, 10. 
 
 Whofoever is born of God^ doth not co?n- 
 mitSin^for his Seed re?naineth in Him-:, 
 and He cannot Jin^ hecaufeHe is born of 
 God, In this the Children of God ar& 
 manifefl^ and the Children of the De- 
 vil: Whofoever doeth not Righteoufnefsy 
 is not of God^ neither He that loveth 
 not his Brother* 
 
 O R the right underflanding of 
 thefe Words, it will be proper 
 to note fomething of the Occa- 
 fion and De%n of them, io far 
 as may be probably learned from 
 Church-Hiftory. The Apoftle had faid but 
 
 Vol. II, 
 
 B 2 
 
 two 
 
^o Sinlefs PerfeSiion no Prerogative 
 
 two Verfes before, Little Children, let no Man 
 deceive you : He that doth Righteoujhefs is righ- 
 teous, even as He [that is, Chr ist] is righteous. 
 It feems, there were fome at that Time of 
 Day, who prefumed to think Themfelves righ- 
 teous^ and borh of God, without the Fra6lice of 
 Holinefs j and They had endeavoured to feduce 
 Others into that ftrange and abfurd, or rather 
 wicked, Perfwaiion. Therefore faid the Apo- 
 ftle, to his own Converts, or Followers, Lit- 
 tle Children, let no Man deceive you , that is to 
 fay, by fair Speeches, plaulible Inliriuations, or 
 falfe Colourings. Thofe Deceivers^ probably, 
 were fome Difciples of Simon Magus: 
 For That Impoftor had taught, that Men are 
 faved by Grace only, without any Regard to 
 good Works *. As if Gofpel-Righteoufnefs were no 
 neceflary Condition for the enjoying Gofpel-Pri^ 
 vileges ; or as if Men might be born of God^ 
 and become Heirs of Salvation, independent 
 of Chriftian Holinefs, though Scripture is ex- 
 prefs, that without Holinefs no Man pall fee the 
 Lord ^. In Oppofition to fuch dangerous Prin- 
 ciples, the good Apoflle afferts, and ftrongly 
 inculcates, theNecelTity of 2. pure Hearty and 
 hifrf to denominate any Perfon good, and to 
 
 entitle 
 
 ' Irsn. 1. I, c. 20, 7heodarit. Haret. Fab. 1. I. C. 1. Graht 
 Annot, ad BuIL Harm. Apoft. p. 13, 33. Exam. cen. p. 5. 
 •* Het, xii. J 4. 
 
of a Regenerate State* 21 
 
 entitle Him to the Privileges of Chriflian Son- 
 fhip. Whofoever is born of God, doth not com- 
 mit Sin : And a little after, Whofoever doeth 
 not Right eoufnefs, is not of God, He fixes the 
 Point both Ways, to inforce it the more ftrono-- 
 ly : If a Perfon is of God, He will of courfe 
 abllain from the Pradice of Sin : Or, if He 
 does not, befides, prsidiife Righteoufnefs, perform- 
 ing his bounden Duty, He is not of God, but is 
 a Child of the Devil. Words fo full, and fo 
 exprefs, as to bear no Difpute, nor to admit 
 of Evafion. In difcourfing farther, I fliall en- 
 deavour to flate and clear the Particulars here 
 following : 
 
 I. To fhew, negatively, what the Text does 
 not mean, 
 
 II. To fhew, pofitively, what its true 2^\^full 
 Meaning is. 
 
 III. To point Qut the Pra^ical Ufc and Im- 
 provement of the whole, 
 
 I. 
 I fhall endeavQur to fhew, negatively, what 
 the Text dqes not mean, in Order to prevent 
 Scruples, and to obviate Mifconflrudlions. 
 
 I. The Text mofl undoubtedly concerns 
 Grown Perfons, and does not directly concern 
 Infants. Infants are not capable of doing Righ- 
 teoufpefs, though capable of being born of God 
 
 B ^ in 
 
22 Sinlefs PerfeEiion no Prerogative 
 
 in Baptifm : They preferve that regenerate 
 3tate, once entered into, 'till They become 
 guilty of aBual^ and grievous Sin. Of This 
 thepc can be no Difpute : They 21^ jujiified at 
 the fame Time that They are regenerated^ and 
 are therefore righteous in God's fight ; and ac- 
 cordingly They are iiiterpretatively included in 
 St. John's Rule, though not fpeci ally confider- 
 ed by Him. The Gain-Sayers, whom He op-r 
 pofed, pretended that even Grown Perfons, not 
 praftifmg Righteoufnefs, but living under the 
 Dominion of Sin, v^ere in a State of Salvation 
 notwithftanding. That was the Dodlrine which 
 the Apoftle here laboured to correct : Infants 
 were no Way concerned in it, and fo there was 
 no need to make an Exception for Their Cafe. 
 2. I muft further obferve, that the Text 
 does not mean to exclude any Perfons from 
 Salvation, who are really "Penitent^ or whofe 
 Hearts are really chaftged, or renewed^ and on- 
 ly want Time to bring forth the Fruit of good 
 Works; Such, for inllance, as the Penitent 
 Thief upon the Crofs. Indeed, Good Works 
 are juftly interpreted to mean either inward, or 
 outward Works. There are the //7ic'^r^ Works 
 of fincere Faith, humble Contrition, Detefia-^ 
 tion of Sin, T^ruji in the divine Mercy, firm 
 Reliance on the Merits of Christ, together 
 
 with 
 
of a Regenerate State, 23 
 
 with cordial Refolutions of a thorough Amend- 
 ment : Works of this Kind tranfadted within^ 
 if fuch a Perfon fhould be fuddenly taken ofF, 
 will be interpreted as Works of Righteoufnefs^ 
 by God who knows the Heart. Therefore This 
 alfo is a Cafe which falls within the Equity, 
 or even the Letter of the Apoftle's Rule, 'O 
 Tloiaiv tZm) AiKociooa-DvLujj He that doeth Right eouf- 
 nefs, or He that makes Righteoufnefs, be it 
 outwardly or inwardly^ He is righteous. The 
 Falfe Teachers, Whom the Apoftle here oppo- 
 fed, required neither oz//'K;^r^ nor inward Righ- 
 teoufnefs, but promifed Salvation to their de- 
 luded Hearers, without Regard to Either, in- 
 dependent of Both alike. Therefore St. John's 
 Rule may reafonably be underftood with a ta- 
 cite Exception to the Cafe of inward Righte- 
 oufnefs, which had Nothing to do with the 
 main Queftion then in Hand : For, the Que- 
 llion was not about dying Penitents, but about 
 Perfons living in Impenitency, and under the 
 Dominion of Sin. 
 
 3. I muil: add, thirdly, that the Text does 
 not mean to exclude All that are in any De- 
 gree Sinners^ from a State of Salvation ; for in 
 fome Senfe All Men are Sinners ; and the fame 
 Apoftle, in the fame Epiftle, fays. If We fay 
 that We have no Sin, We deceive Our Selves y and 
 
 B 4 the 
 
24 ^inlefs P^rfeElion no Prerogative 
 
 the Truth is not in Us ^ . And if We fay ^t hat We havf 
 notjinned^^ make Christy hiar^ and his Word 
 is tiot in Us b. St. John does not fay, that God's 
 Children have no Sin, but that They do not coin- 
 tnit Sin. The Phrafes are fomewhat alike ^ 
 but they arp no^ the fame ; neither do they 
 bear the fame Signification, but widely differ- 
 ent, To have no Sin means to be altogether 
 ^inlefs, from firfl: to lait -, which No mere Man 
 ever was, or will be : But not to commit Sin^ 
 or not to make Sin, not to be a Sin-Maker, m 
 this Place means only, the forbearing to fin 
 with an high Hand, or abflaining from the 
 grievous and prefumptuous Kind of Sins. The 
 Children of God, as fach, are not altogether 
 Sinlejs; but if They have formerly fmned in any 
 grievous Manner, They are truly Penitent, and 
 They do fp no more ; and the Sins which They 
 remain yet fubjedt to, are Sins of Infirmity^ 
 fuch as All are in fome Degree Hable to, and 
 fi-ich as are not imputed under a Covenant of 
 Grace. This Difl:in(5tion of Sins, into Sins qf 
 Prefumption, s.nd S'msof Iff rmity, (otherwife 
 called Sins of Daily Incurfion) is an old Diflintli- 
 pn in the Church, and is abundantly warrant- 
 ed by many Scripture-Texts, which I need not 
 here mention. It is fufficjent to have obferv- 
 
 * I John i. 8. b J jojin \ ,p^ 
 
ej a Regenerate State* 2 j 
 
 ed, that the Apoflle is here to be explained by 
 that Diftindion ; for it is certain and mani- 
 feft, that He did not mean to teach that the 
 Children of God, as fuch, are, or can be, al- 
 together without Sin, like as our BlefTed Lord 
 Himfelf was. There is No mere Man that Jin" 
 neth not ». There is not a perfedly juji Man 
 upon Earth, that doeth good, a?idjinneth not\ 
 For, in many Things We offend All^, Which is 
 chiefly to be underflood of our many OmiJJions 
 and Failures of Duty, through unavoidable Ig-^ 
 norance, or Infirmity, either forgetting and 
 overlooking fome Articles of Duty, or not 
 performing them w^ith all that Care and Ex- 
 adnefs which might have been ufed by Us. 
 Jut I proceed. 
 
 jr. 
 
 Having obferved to you, negatively, what 
 the Dodrine of the Text does not mean, I am 
 next to fhew, pofitively, what it does mean. The 
 true and full Meaning is. That the Children of 
 God, confidered as Such, do, by the Affiflancc 
 of God's Grace pr.efent with Them, lead a good 
 Life, difcharging every Duty incumbent upon 
 Them, with a confcientious Care to the utmofi 
 of their Ability, and abftaining from prefmnp- 
 tuous and damning Tranfgreffions, Such were 
 Zacharias and Elisabeth, of Whom It 
 
 is 
 
 * I Kings viii, 46, 2 Chron» *>Ecclef. vji. 20. 
 yi. 36. ' « janies iii. z. 
 
26 Sinlefs PerfeSiion no Prerogative 
 
 is recorded by St. Luke, that They were Both 
 righteous before God^ walking in all the Command- 
 ments and Ordinajices of the Lord^ blamelefs^. 
 That is to fay, They lived in fo holy, and fo 
 exemplary a Manner, as to be both acceptable 
 to Gody and approved of Men, in St. Paul's 
 Phrafe, on another Occaliont' ^ or having always 
 a Cofifcience void of offence toward God and toward 
 Men =. Thefe are fuch as our Lord fpeaks of, 
 under the Name oi jiift Perfons, needing no Re- 
 pentance^-, and righteous Perfons, whom He 
 came not to call to Repentance^, that is, to an 
 entire Change, but to Improvement and Increafe 
 m Godlinefs : Not but that Repentance belongs 
 to All Men, in the fame Senfe as All Men are 
 dinners : But as Repentance, in a flrivfler Senfe, 
 means an entire Change of Heart and Life to- 
 wards God 5 if a Man's Heart was before fet 
 right. He will not want to be fo changed in 
 the main, but to be carried on in the fame 
 good Way He was in, to higher Perfedion. 
 Now, to return to theWords of the Text : The 
 Apoftle here fuppofes that the Children of God 
 are righteous, jiifl, and blamelefs in fuch a Senfe 
 as I have mention'd, walking in the Ways of 
 God, confcientiouOy keeping God's Holy Will 
 
 and 
 
 * Luke i. 6. ^ Liike xv. 7. 
 
 *» Rom. xiv. 18. « Luke V. 32, 
 
 <=Ad:sxxIv. 16. 
 
of a Regenerate State* 27 
 
 ^nd Commandments, and not living under the 
 Dominion of Sin, or the Power of evil Habits^ 
 In this Senfe, He declares that They do not 
 commit Sin, fubjoining this Reafon, that God's 
 Seed remaineth in Them, therefore They do not 
 fm. And He further adds, which is yet a 
 itronger Expreffion, that They cannot Jin, be- 
 caufe They are born of God. How cannot f 
 May not Regenerate Perfons fall into Sin, or 
 fall from Grace, yea and fall finally ? Yes, cer- 
 tainly They may : All the Scripture-Exhorta- 
 tions to Perfeverance or Stedfaftnefs manifefl- 
 ly fuppofe it -, and fome Scripture-Texts di- 
 rectly teach \t; and even St. Paul, That Chofen 
 Yt^^X, did as good as intimate, that He might 
 Himfelf be in Danger of falling off, when He 
 faid ; I keep under my Body, and bring it into 
 Subjediion -, lefi that by any means, when I have 
 preached to Others, I My Self Jloould be a Caft^ 
 away a. How then muft We underfland that 
 the Regenerate cannot fin, cannot fall away ? 
 We may beft underfland the Words in a qua- 
 lified Senfe, not fo as to mean that They abfo- 
 lutely cannot, but^ that They cannot without 
 great Force and Violence to their regenerate Na- 
 ture, to their renewed Frame and Difpofition 
 of Mind, and to that Principle of Grace with- 
 in 
 
 3 I Cor. ix. 27, 
 
2S Sifik/s Perfe&ion no Prerogative 
 
 m Them, which powerfully reflrains Them 
 from it. So We commonly fay ol 2i good-?2atured 
 Man, that He cannot do an hard Thing ; or of 
 a urell-bred Man, that He cannot do an ungen-^ 
 tcel thing : It would be a Force upon his A^^- 
 tnre^ and a ContradiBion to the Principle upon 
 which He commonly a5ts and condudfs Himfelf. 
 In like Manner, but in a higher Degree, a true 
 Child of God^ or a /incere Difciple of Christ, 
 cannot allow Himfelf mfinful Cotirjes : His cwn 
 Heart will reproach Him warmly if He does ; 
 and the Frinciple of Grace within Him will 
 'warKi him back very ftrongly, only not irre^ 
 
 Jifiahly : For, the Holy Spirit of God does not 
 fo move or over-rule our Wills, as to render 
 us mere Machines. Such a qualified Senfe of 
 the Words, can and cannot^ is very common in 
 ordinary Dif^ourfe, and in all Writings, and 
 particularly in the Sacred Writings. I fhali 
 take Notice but of one remarkable Inftance, 
 namely of Joseph, when tempted to commit 
 Sin : How can /, fays He, do this great Wickec^ 
 fiefs J and fin againft God'? thereby intimating, 
 
 • that He could not do it : He had more Senfe^ 
 He had more Grace, than to do a vile Thing, 
 He had God before his Eyes : He had a pre- 
 vailing Principle of Religion within ; He had 
 
 an 
 
 « pen. xxxix. 9. 
 
x)f a Regenerate StaU. 29 
 
 an honefl and an upright Heart 5 and while 
 He had. He could not ac!! wickedly. In fhort, a 
 good Man may by degrees grow carelefs and neg- 
 ligentjfecure and thoughtlefs, and fo his Confci- 
 ence may be laid afleep ; the Holy Spirit 
 may thereupon defert Him, and Satan may 
 enter in : But as foon as this comes to be the 
 Cafe, He is no longer the good Man He was^ 
 no longer a Child of God, in St. John's Senfe of 
 the Name. Therefore the Apoftle's Meaning 
 in the Text is no more than This, That a good 
 Man, as fiich, cannot do a wicked Thing - He 
 muft firft lofe That Principle of Goodnefs,That 
 Seed of God fown in his Heart ; He muft lofe 
 it, I fay, by fome very blameable Negligence 
 of his own, before he can confent to fin with 
 a high Hand againfl; God« God has no where 
 promifed, that his Spirit ihall abide with any 
 Man, any longer than while he watches and 
 •prays. Therefore our Lord fays, Watch and 
 pray, that ye enter not into Temptation ^ : And 
 again ; What I fay unto Tou, I fay unto J.II, 
 ivatch^. But here, perhaps, Some may be 
 bold to objedl or argue : How can a Child of 
 God, Who, as Such, is the Temple of the Holy 
 Spirit, how can He grow carelefs, or negligent^ 
 Will not That Same Spirit, dwelling in Him, 
 
 keep 
 
 * Matt. xxvi. 41. ^ Mark x'm. 37, 
 
30 Sinlejs PerfeBion no Prerogative 
 
 keep Him awake and attentive, exciting, in-^ 
 ftrudting, and affifting Him both to watch and 
 to pray F For, is it not faid. That the Spirit 
 helpeth our Infirmities ? Are We not told. That 
 We know not what We fiould pray for^ as We 
 ought, unlefs the Spirit it felf affift us in it ^ ? 
 It is fo faid, and all that is faid is ftridly true : 
 But it is no where faid, that the Spirit does 
 every Taking, and We Nothing at all j for then 
 the A(^ would not be in any Senfe Ours, or 
 however not Ours in fuch a Senfe as to render 
 it Virtue in Us, or to make Us capable of what 
 is properly called Reward. The Spirit does 
 excite. He does not compel : He infl:ru«fts and 
 afTifls, He inclines and moves j but by foft 
 Calls and gentle Whifpers, fuch as may be re- 
 fifted, and often are refifted -, otherwife, how 
 come We to hear o^ grieving the Holy Spirit of 
 God^, and of quenching the Spirit ^F And if 
 the Spirit were to do all, and Man himfelf No- 
 thing, how comes it that St. Paul exhorts Ti- 
 mothy to fiir up the Gift of God which is inHim^ ? 
 An Eloquent Father of the Ancient Church 
 illuftrates the whole Cafe by an apt and familiar 
 Comparifon : "As Fire mufi: have Fewel laid on, 
 *' from Time to Time, that it may have Some- 
 " thing to work upon, and may not go out ; fo 
 
 *' the 
 
 ' Rom. vlii. 26. ^ 1 ThefT. v. ig. 
 
 ^ Eph. iv. 30. * 2 Tira. i. 6. 
 
of a Regenerate State, 31 
 
 " the Grace of God muft find Submiffion and 
 " Compliance, Alacrity and Readinefs of Mind 
 " on our Part, for it to thrive upon, and to 
 " keep up the Holy Flame of the Spirit." To 
 fum up this Matter in few Words : This is 
 certain, that in th.^ Works of Grace ^ the Holy 
 Spirit bears a principal Part, and Man a fub- 
 ordinate one, and Both concur to the fame good 
 Ad: ; fo that while the Adt is Ours^ the Glory 
 of it is entirely Gods, But it is not for Us, to 
 determine precifely the exa(ft Boundaries of the 
 Divine Operations, fo as to be able to fay, fo 
 much and no more is the Spirifs Share in the 
 Adl, and fo much Ours. It is fufficient, that 
 all our good Works are fome Way or other, 
 in fbme Proportion or other, the Refult of 
 Grace and of Free-will together : And if Any 
 Man falls from That Grace, and fo falls into 
 Sin 5 the true Account of it is, that while the 
 Spirit does all that divine Wifdom faw proper 
 in that Cafe, the Man was wanting with Refped; 
 to His Part, refufing to be led, or taking no 
 Care to watch and pray with that Fervour and 
 Diligence, which was reafonably expeded of 
 Him. Thus the Children of God may, by their 
 own Sloth and Supinenefs^ ceafe to be fuch, for 
 the Time being, 'till they repent and recover ; 
 or for ever, if They repent not at all : But in 
 
 the 
 
^2 Sinlefs PerfeSlion no Prerogative 
 
 the mean while, SiJohn's Do(5lrine ftands firm 
 and unfhaken -, that God's Children, as fuch^ 
 or fo abiding^ do not commit Sins of a grievous 
 Kind : It is. a Contradidlion to the very Prin- 
 ciple which They are fuppoled to be governed 
 by, to fay that They do. They may lofe That 
 Principle, and thereupon lofe their Sonlhip al- 
 fo : But while They keep it alive and awake. 
 They can no more ad: againft it, than a Man. 
 can adt in any other Cafe againft his prevailing 
 or predominant Principle, whatfoever it be. If 
 You could fuppofe Him to a€t againft it, It 
 could not then be called, in That Inftance, his 
 prevailing or ruling Principle : For, if it were, 
 it muft have prevailed and rukd^ 
 
 III. 
 
 Having now done with my firft two 
 Heads, intended to ftate and clear St. John*s 
 Do(flrine in the Text, It remains now only, to 
 point out the PraBical TJJe and hnprovement of 
 it, in fome few pertinent Confiderations built 
 upon it. 
 
 From hence We may competently perceive, 
 upon what Terms we ftand with Almighty 
 God, and what Title We have to be upon the 
 Lift of his domeftick Servants, his real and 
 faithful Children. True Faith and Obedience 
 ?.re the Tenure by which We muft hold j and 
 
 there 
 
x)f a Rege?2£raie State. 33 
 
 therfi is no other Ground whereon We can 
 fafely ftand. Many Expedients have been 
 thought on whereby to lliift off Diity^ and to 
 fecure, if it were poflible, the Reward. The 
 Prize of our High-caUing is great, noble, and 
 infinitely defirable : But the Burden of Duty, 
 the Reftraints of Obedience, are found to bear 
 hard upon Flefh and Blood i And how have 
 Mens V/its been at Work, now for 1700 
 Years together, to find out fome one Expe- 
 dient or other, for the reconciling a bad Life 
 with true Peace of Mind, and with Exped:a- 
 tions of Heaven ! It would be tedious, per- 
 haps impoffible, to recount the feveral Ways 
 that have been made ufe of for that Purpofe. 
 I fhall content My Self with naming one or 
 two, fuch as whole SeSls have taken into, paf- 
 fing by innumerable others which private Per- 
 fons have contrived for Themfelves. A naked 
 Faith was an old Device : It is particularly 
 confuted by St. James ; and more need not be 
 faid of it. Some have pleafed Themfelves v/ith 
 the Thoughts of being among the Elecf, and 
 thereupon y^TZ/r^ of Salvation : But their Mif- 
 fortune is, that They can never be certain of 
 Their being in the Number of the Elecf, in 
 their Senfe of the Word, but by living a 
 Vol, II. C good 
 
34 Sinlefs PerfeBion no Prerogative , 
 
 good Life J and perfeveri?ig in it ^ all their Ddj^. 
 St. Paul underftood perfedly how this Matter 
 is ; and He fays, IVe are mads Partakers ofChriJtj 
 if We hold the Beginning of our Confidence fted- 
 faft unto the End^. If We hold f aft the Confi- 
 dence and the Kejoicing of the Hope firm unto the 
 End^. Some perhaps may prefume to fay. 
 We can hold faft oar Cojifidence, our ilrong 
 AJjurance of our own Salvation to the End. 
 But St. Paul did not mean ^W?^ Confidence, 
 or groimdlefs AlTurance, but a rational and 
 well-grounded Hope, built upon the Merits of 
 Christ, and the Confcioufnefs of living an 
 Holy Life. Therefore in another Chapter, 
 lower dov^n. He varies his Phrafe, and fays. 
 We defire that E^oery Otie of Tou do few the 
 fame Diligence to the full Afjurance of Hope 
 unto the Ejid : 'That Te be not fiothfd^ but Fol- 
 lowers of The?n, JVho through Faith and Patience 
 inherit the Promijh ^. Confidence will not an- 
 fwer, without Something very folid and fub- 
 flantial to build fuch Confidence upon. 
 
 Many have flattered Themfelves, that They 
 have had the re-veaUng Evidence of the Spirit^ 
 the Voice oi the spirit of Go^ bearing inward 
 Teflimony to their Spirits : For, St. Paul 
 
 fav3 
 
 ^ Heb. iii. 1 4. ^ Keb. iii. 6. <= Heb. vi. 11,1::. 
 
of a Regenerate State. 35 
 
 fays, T^he Spirit it felf beareth Witnefs with Our 
 Spirit, that We are the Children of God ^. But 
 St. Paul alfo fays, in the fame Chapter, that 
 there is no Condemnation to T^hem — Who walk 
 after the Spirit, and Who are led by the Spirit 
 of God^. So that, at length, \}i\\%TeJlimony of 
 the Spirit refolves entirely into the Certainty 
 We have of our bringing forth the Fruits of 
 the Spirit. Strong Afurance will fignify lit- 
 tle J for That may be groundlefs : Fulnefs of 
 yoy will avail as little, becaufe it may be a 
 Fal/e Joy, or a Golden Dream. Befides that, 
 when St. Paul told the Phi lippia?2s, that it was 
 God that worked in 'Them both to will and to do, 
 of his good Pleafure, He did not therefore bid 
 Them be <:o^^(f?zif of their Salvation, or full of 
 Afjurance on that Score : But He bad Them 
 work out their own Salvation with Fear and 
 Trembling^. As much as if He had faid, God 
 is your Helper, therefore do not defpond: But 
 then again, becaufe God is your Helper, and 
 works v/ith You, therefore behave as becomes 
 You, before the tremendous Majefty, with 
 humble Reverence, with anxious Care and 
 Dread, with the utmoft Diligence and ready 
 Compliance, lefl:, if You fhould work under 
 Vol. II. C 2 fuch 
 
 a Rcm.viii, i6, ^ Rom. vili. t, 14, c Philip, ii. 12, 13- 
 
36 Sinlefs PerfeBio7t no Prerogative, 
 
 fuch a Guide, in a negligent and carelefs Man- 
 ner, altogether unworthy of fo Divine a Ma- 
 fter, He fliould at length defert You, and leave 
 You to go on by Your Selves. 
 
 Indeed, Di vine Wifdom knows HumanFrame 
 too well, to give Any of Us infallible Affuran-^ 
 ces of our Reward, before We have done 
 our Wark j left thofe very AfTurances fhould 
 make Us fecure and negligent, and render Us 
 altogether uncapabk of being received into 
 thofe pure and bright Manfions Above. God 
 has told Us plainly, upon w^hat Terms He will 
 accept Us, through the Merits of Christ; 
 and He leaves Us to difcover the reft, as far 
 as We reafonably and honeftly may, by com- 
 paring Our Own Lives with thofe Gofpel- 
 Terms. This is all, and This is fufficient for 
 a State of Probation: Only, the farther to 
 check vain Prefumption, whatever />r^^?z/ Ad- 
 vances We may have made, We are ftill left 
 in the Dark as to our future Behaviour, and 
 All depends upon our perfeveri?jg unto the 
 End. St. Paul, as I before hinted, above 
 Twenty Years after his Converfion, ftill fpake 
 fo humbly of Himfelf, as almoft to fear, left 
 He might become a Caft-away. Five Years af- 
 ter That, He began to difcover fome Degrees 
 
 of 
 
€f a Regefterate State. 37 
 
 of AJjurance^ but ftill fuppofing Himfelf not 
 very far from his End. At the very laft, which 
 was Five Years later, when He h.2i6. fought his 
 good Fight J kept the Faith, 2ind JiniJJjed his Coiirfe, 
 and was preparing to die a Martyr, Then, and 
 not 'till Then, He thought it became Him 
 (and He had the Revelation of God to war- 
 rant Him) to exprefs the ilrongeft AiTurances 
 of his High Reward in Heaven. Let Chri- 
 ftians of a much lower Clafs, learn from thence, 
 to think and fpeak modeftly of their own Cafe- 
 If They wait for their full and compleat 
 A[jurance, 'till They are on the other Side the 
 Grave 5 They will, probably, be l\iQ fur er to 
 find it there, for their fpeaking and thinking 
 fo humbly and modeflly of Themfelves here. 
 Comfortable Hopes, along with a Life fuita- 
 ble, are fufficient Encouragernent for a good 
 Chriftian to proceed with : More than That 
 might be hurtful to Us, as rather obftruding^ 
 than furthering the great Work of Salvation : 
 Not but that God may fometimes, in Cafes 
 extraordinary, fill pious Minds, efpecially if 
 very near their Departure, and when fuch In- 
 dulgence can do no Harm, with joyous Rap- 
 tures, and fuper-abundant Aflurances : But I 
 fpeak of what may ordinarily be expe(5ted in 
 
 C 3 our 
 
38 Stnlefs PerfeSiion 7to Prerogative^ &c, 
 
 our Chriftian Warflire. To conclude — As 
 our Acceptance hereafter depends entirely up- 
 on our careful and confcientious Condud: here ; 
 io let Every Man take Care to walk warily and 
 circumfpecSly, and to rife in Aflurance in 
 Proportion to his fo doing, growing in Grace, 
 and increafing in all virtuous and godly Liv- 
 ing, and fo at length making his Calling and 
 Eled:ion fure. 
 
 S E R M O N 
 
N III. 
 
 The Scripture-Do^lrine of the Unprofi- 
 tablenefs of Man's befl Performances^ 
 an Argument againft Spiritual Pride , 
 jtt no Excufe for Slachiefs in good 
 Works and Chriftian Obedience. 
 
 Luke xvir. lo. 
 
 So likewife Ye^ when Ye poall have done 
 all thofe "Things which are commanded 
 You^ fajy We are tmprojitable Ser- 
 vaiits : We have done That which was 
 our Duty to do, 
 
 H E S E Words are the Conclu- 
 iion of a Parable, a Kind oi Mo- 
 ral fubjoined to it, to fignify the 
 Ufe and Application of it. Our 
 BlefTed Lord had put the Cafe 
 of a labouring Servant coming Home from the 
 C 4 Field, 
 
40 The DefeBs of Majts Service, an 
 
 Field, to wait upon his Mailer at the Table, 
 performing that additional Service after his o- 
 ther Labours of the Day ; providing a Sapper 
 for his Mafter, in the iirfl Place, and attend- 
 ing Him patiently all the Time,and after That, 
 content to provide for Himfelf After our 
 Lord had thus reprefented the Cafe, He makes 
 his Reflexions upon it, in thefe Words : Doth 
 He (that is, the Mafter) thank that Servant, 
 hecaiife He did the 'Things that were com?nanded 
 him ? I trow not : I fuppofe not. So likewije 
 Te^ with regard to your Heavenly Mafter, when 
 Te jhall have done all thofe things, %vhich are com- 
 manded you^ it will become, it will behove You 
 to fay ; TVe are unprofitable Servants ; We have 
 Only done That which it was our bounden Duty 
 to do. Therefore We deferve no Thanks from 
 Him, nor have any flrid: Claim to a Keward 
 from Him : But it is fuflicient if our Service 
 is but accepted; for to have negleded it where 
 it was due, would have deferved Stripes. This 
 I take to be the general Senfe and Purport of 
 the Text : And the main Defign of it was, to 
 curb and keep down '^Spiritual Pride and SelJ- 
 apjiimings^ with refped: to God, and to teach 
 Men Modefty and true Humility, Prefume not 
 to article ftridly with Him, or to make any 
 proud Demands upon Him. Bocfi not before 
 
 Him 
 
Argument againfl Spiritual Pride, 4 1 
 
 Him of any, even your befi Services, and rec- 
 kon not at all upon your own Defervings. Do 
 as He has commanded You to do, to the ut- 
 moft of your Power, affifted by his Spirit 
 (For, without That, you are not fit to be cal- 
 led his Servants at all, but rather to be dif- 
 carded as none of his) : But after You have 
 done all, and all reafonably well, ftill remem- 
 ber how infignificant You are in Comparifon, 
 and how high God is 5 and therefore make no 
 unbecoming Clai7ns upon Him, becaufe of your 
 Services (poor enough at the beft) ; but chufe 
 rather to refer all to his Favour and Goodnefs, 
 than to your own Defer'vings, In difcourfing 
 farther, I fhall endeavour, 
 
 I. To explain What the Phrafe or Title of 
 unprofitable Servants here ftridly means. 
 
 II. To fhew how much it concerns fuch 
 Servants, to make their Humble Acknow- 
 ledgments before God, of the Worthlefnefi 
 of all their Services. 
 
 III. To obferve, that fuch Achiowledgments 
 muft not however be made an Excufe or 
 Colour for any culpable Shchiefs in our 
 boimden Duties, or for pleading any 'Ex- 
 ^mption or Difcharge from ufing all poffi- 
 ■ ' • ^ ■ ble 
 
4^ 7^^ DefeSis of Mans Service^ an 
 
 ble Tiiligence in our Chrillian Calling, to 
 perform all that is commanded Us. 
 
 I. 
 
 I propofe to explain What the Phrafe or 
 Title of tinprofitabk Servafits here ftrid:ly means. 
 There is the more Need of explaining it, be- 
 caufe it is ufed but twice befides in the New 
 Teflament, and in a Senfe Avhich perhaps will 
 not fo conveniently fuit the Place which We are 
 now upon. We firft find it in St. Matthew, 
 where our Lord fays, after delivering the Pa- 
 rable of the Talents, Caji the unprofitable Ser- 
 'vanf into outer Darknefs 5 there ft:all be weeping 
 and gnajhing of Teeth ^. Here, iinprojitable Ser- 
 va?2t means the fame with a wicked or profligate 
 Servant 5 which is too hard a Senfe for our 
 Lord to have intended in the prefent Text, 
 where He applies it to his own true and fin- 
 cere Difciples. In the Epiille to the Ro?nans, 
 in a Quotation there taken from the fourteenth 
 PJalm^ we read, They are all gone out of the 
 Wa)\ They are together become unprofitable j thej^e 
 is None doth good, no not One ^. This appears to 
 be a Defcription of very ill Men, of aban- 
 doned Libertines : Accordingly, in the Pfalm 
 it felf, in the Old Tranfiation, the Stile runs, 
 They are corrupt and become abominable j and ac- 
 cording 
 
 ' Matt. x'xv. -,o. ^ Rom. iii. 12. 
 
Argume?it againjl Spiritual Pride, 43 
 
 cording to the New Tranflation, T^hey are all 
 gone afide^ 'They are all together become filthy^. 
 The Words, abominable and filthy^ are there 
 made to anfwer what in Romans is rendred 
 unprofitable. And That, again, is too hard a 
 Senfe to put upon the Word unprofitable in the 
 Text We are now upon : Therefore We muft 
 look out for fome fofter and milder Conftruc* 
 tion, in this iingle Place, to make the Con- 
 text anfwer. 
 
 It may be confider'd, that No Man can, by 
 any Services of His, be profitable to God^ Who 
 is All-fiifiicient ^ and is above needing any Bene- 
 fit, or receiving any real Advantage b. But 
 then it may be faid that neither Man, nor 
 Angel, nor Archangel, nor any Creature 
 whatever can indeed \>q profitable to God : And 
 what great Matter were it for lapfed Men to 
 profefs Themfelves unprofitable Servants in fuch 
 a Senfe only, as All the Company of Heaven 
 mufl for ever profefs the fame ? This appears 
 to be a Senfe as much too high for the Phrafe 
 in the Text, as the Other was too hard and 
 fevere. Let Us therefore pitch upon fome 
 middle Meaning, fuch as may neither be too 
 degrading for a finccre Chriftian to own, nor 
 yet too high or exalted for Man in a fallen 
 
 State. 
 
 ' ?^4xiv. 3. '° Jobxxii. z, 3. xxxv. 7. Pfal. xvi. 2. 
 
44- 2"/5^ DcfcSfs of Ma7is Service^ an 
 
 Stuite.. Kad our Firll Parents preferved their 
 Iiitiii€£cnce entire to the lafl, yet They would 
 .lh;£^:e been but tmprojitabk Servants after all, as 
 feiinging no Profit to God. Lapfed Men are 
 ti^i'Qfitrd'le m a more difparaging Senfe than 
 'XHiat^ being All of them Sinners. Some may 
 i^amk ibat the Text it felf explains the Mean- 
 iog; of tlie Title, by the Words, Whe?i 2^c Jlmll 
 llr£^^^ ionc all Thofe Things^ 'which are commanded 
 llii ^ and again. We have dene That ivhich ii:as 
 ©fir 'Ditty to do. But what Man is there that 
 Ik^tb net '■: or, what Man ever perform'd 
 (Cerist only excepted) all that his Duty 
 jT^aiued CI Him ? The Text neither fays, 
 I30k- fuppofes^ that Any Man has, or ever will, 
 (di^ all that is commanded Him. It fuppofes 
 fosalj, tl:at in feme particular Cafes Men may, 
 sffiid v/ill, do all that is required of Them in 
 ^h^£ Ciifes- or Inflances, like as the Servant in 
 llie FaraMe is fuppofed to have done in pro- 
 viding his Mafter a Supper, and then waiting 
 ispon Kim 'till the Supper was ended. Thus 
 SBay good ?vlen punctually' perform all that 
 W21S required of Them in fome particular Af- 
 £iars-, while They fail in other Matters, more 
 or leC^, through human Frailties. Had our 
 Firll Parents, through the Grace of the Spirit 
 (for They could not without) continued tip- 
 
 rights 
 
Argume77t agawjl Sphktial Prklc, 
 
 right. They could not indeed have profited the 
 Divine Majefly, nor have claimed a Reuj:;ard ■.■^ 
 ")/ Debt : But This They could have den-umd- 
 ed (becaufe it would but have beee doing 
 Them Juftice) to be pronounced /;z;/0^^?i/ ; anil 
 They might have claim'd Impunity^ becaufe ai 
 righteous 'Judge cannot condemn the Guilt'kp^ 
 Now, lapfed Man cannot demand even fo fc,, 
 being that He is guilty, and therefore liable iS2» 
 Blame, liable alfo to Penalty : So that, upcxm 
 the Whole, when Any, even the Beft of fallem 
 Men, profefs Themfelves to be imprcfitMMs 
 Servants of God, They may reafonably Ihe 
 fuppofed to mean, that They are Creaiimss 
 Who can make no beneiicial Returns., no prs-^ 
 per Requitals to their Creator j that They ane 
 Creatures of a /^^zs; Order, comparatively^ Iia- 
 man, mortal Creatures, ¥/ho can neither "wIS^ 
 nor do, any Thing without the Aids of Divai^e 
 Grace j and further, that They are alfo -Shi- 
 ners, Who, inftead of -meriting a Rewcii-d^ 'or 
 claiming it as a Debt, cannot fo much as claiii^ 
 Impunity, or Glory in God's Sight, but omii 
 be content to fue to Him in the humble pE-U~- 
 tionary Form for Reward, for Grace, and eveii^ 
 for hnpunity, referring all to God's Mercy ani 
 Goodnefs, and That alfo piirchajed for Them by 
 the alone Merits of Ch r i s t Test ?, 
 
46 The DefeEis of Mans Service^ an 
 
 ir. 
 
 I proceed now, Secondly^ to confider how 
 much it concerns, and how fitly it becomes, 
 fuch unprofitable Servants to make their hum- 
 ble Acknowledgments before God, of the 
 Worthlejnefs of all Their Services 3 worthlefs^ 
 I mean, with refpedl to God^ not otherwife :• 
 For, they are not worthlefs with refpecfl to 
 Angels^ or to other Men ; more efpecially not 
 to our ow?i Souls^ but That, by the Way, only 
 to prevent Miflakes. 
 
 Now, to underftand the more clearly, how 
 much it concerns Us, and how indifpenfably 
 necefTary it is to make fuch Humble Acknow- 
 ledgments J We are to confider the infinite 
 Holinefs and Purity of that tremendous De- 
 ity with Whom We have to do ; that He is of 
 purer Eyes than to behold Evil, or to look fa- 
 vourably upo?i Iniquity ^ ; that his Angels He 
 hath charged with Folly ^ -, and that even the 
 Me averts are not clean in his Sight c. What is 
 Man then, that He fimdd be clean ? and He 
 Who is born of a Wornan^ that Hefmddbe righte- 
 ous^ ? Now, tho' God's Goodnefs difpofes 
 Him always to be as merciful to Sinners, as 
 
 the 
 
 ^ Habbak. i. 13. d j^^^ ^^^ ^^ , jr-^^^^ ^j-j^ 
 
 ^Jobiv. 18. 46. Prov.xx. 9. Ecclef.vii.2c. 
 
 * 'Xv. 15. XXV. 5. I Joh. i. 8. 
 
Argument againjl spiritual Pride. 4,7 
 
 the Reafons of Government, or the Nature 
 of Things permits, yet the Honour and Dig- 
 nity of his unfpotted Holinefs and Purity 
 muft be kept up, in the Sight both of Men 
 and Angels. Therefore when God was fo kind 
 to his own People of Ifrael^ He took parti- 
 . cular Care to have it often inculcated, that it 
 .was not for their Right eoiifnefs that He fo 
 highly favoured Them % but upon other Ac- 
 counts ; and particularly, for his own Name's 
 SakeK 
 
 One Thing We know, that if our Firft 
 Parents had remainedy^;?/^, God could, con- 
 fiflently with the Honour of his Purity, have 
 admitted Them, as righteous in Themfelves, 
 to Life Eternal. But fince the Fall, the Rule 
 has been (according to the Divine Counfels, 
 founded on unerring Truth) that ATo Man liv- 
 ing is in Himfelf righteous^ nor can be received 
 as righteous^ but in and through the Merits of a 
 Divine Mediator, his only S>cn^ and our on- 
 ly Redeemer, Christ Jesus our Lord. So • 
 fiands the Cafe : And God will have it ac- 
 knowledged by the Beft of Us, for the Honour 
 of his high Name, that We are, as to Our 
 Selves, improfitable Servants, and Sinners^ and 
 can no otherwife be jiijlified in his Sight, or 
 
 permitted 
 2 Deut. Ix. 6j ^ Ifa. xliii, 25, xlviii. 9. Ezek. xx, 9, 14, 22, 44. 
 
48 "The DefeSis of Mans Service^ an 
 
 permitted to appear before Him, but in the 
 Luftre which We borrow from his beloved 
 So?i, in Whom only He is well pleafed. With 
 this Key, You may very eafily underftand 
 all that St. Paul meant (in two of his 
 Epiftles efpecially, viz. to the Romans^ and 
 Qalatians) by infifting fo ftrongly upon 'Jufii- 
 fication by Fmth. There were at that Time 
 Pagans y in great Numbers, Who valued Them- 
 felves much upon their Exalted Virtues (for 
 fo their Pride perfwaded Them) and upon their 
 good 77ioral Lives j conceiving that They had 
 no Need of Chri st, and fo They would not 
 embrace the Gofpel. There were alfo Mul- 
 titudes oijeivs [Pharijees efpecially) Who were 
 even prouder in that Point than the Pagans^ 
 ftrongiy conceited of their fpiritual Improve- 
 ments and Privileges, as if They had known 
 no SiUy nor had any Need of Pardon, Againft 
 both thofe Kinds of Men the Apoftle dif- 
 puted with great Strength and Clearnefs, in 
 Order to beat down their Vanity, and to con- 
 vince Them of the abfolute Necelllty of look- 
 ing out for fome better Right eoitfriefs than their 
 cwn, the Righteoujnefs that reds in the jneri- 
 toriotis Atonement made by Christ Jesus. 
 That was to be received by Faith j that is to 
 fay, by a fubmiffive and humble Acknow- 
 ledgment 
 
Argument againfi Spiritual Pride, 49 
 
 ledgment of their Own Unprofitablenefs , and In- 
 /ujjiciency as to Salvation^ and by re poling their 
 Whole Triifl and Confidence in the Gofpel- 
 Covenant oi Grace ^ in What Christ had 
 done and fufFered for Them. This is The 
 yiiftification by Faith ^ in the Stile of that great 
 Apoftle. For Faith in this Cafe, is a Vir- 
 tual Acknowledgment of our own Sinfulnefs, and 
 of God's zinjpotted Purity -, and wdthal, a kind 
 of Silent Prayer fent up to the Divine Ma- 
 jefty, befeeching Him to admit Us, not for 
 any Pretenjions of our own^ not for our own 
 Services (which at the beft are too weak and 
 imperfe5} to fl:and before Him, or abide His 
 flrid: Scrutiny) hxxt for the Sake oi Christ 
 Jesus o?ily, and out of His own Free Grace 
 and Mercy towards Us. Such Acknowledgment 
 beine made on our Part, and fuch Obedience 
 alfo performed as is required by that Covenant 
 of Grace ^ which We reft our Selves upon^ then 
 may the Divine Majefty, without any Im- 
 peachment of his Holinefs, admit Us into Fa- 
 vour,' and own Us for his Servants. For, 
 then it cannot be faid, that He receives Sin- 
 ners as Sinners^ but He receives Them as 
 wajlded 'SSid purified in the Blood of the Lamb : 
 Yea, as perfectly righteous -, not in T^hemfehes^ 
 but in Christ the righteous 3 who by His 
 Vol. II. D All- 
 
50 l*he DefeSis of Mans Service^ an 
 
 All-prevailing Atonement hath merited This for 
 All fincere and penitent Offenders, that They 
 fhall be treated as if Th.QyvfQVQ perfeBly Righ- 
 teous, and fhall be recompenfed accordingly. 
 Abraham, of ancient Time, to whom 
 the Gofpel was preached a, and who before- 
 hand y^i^; Christ's Day, and was glad ^ j He 
 vi2i'&juftified by That Kind of Faith : And fo 
 was David, and the ancient Patriarchs and 
 Prophets j and after Them, the Apoftles, and 
 all good Chriftians. This is a fober Truth, 
 which ought deeply to be imprinted in every 
 ones Mind, in Oppofition to all proud Claims : 
 And fo much the rather, becaufe there are at 
 this Day, even under This Gofpel-Sunfliine, 
 Some that pretend to Merit, and Works of 
 Siiper-errog'atioji j as if They were not Sinners, 
 or needed no Pardon ; Some that prefume to 
 think and fay, that God is obliged in Ju- 
 ftice, or in Goodnefs, to accept of Them, 
 without any Amendment, or, however, with- 
 out Atonement j Some that Afcribe fo much to 
 Free-Will^ as to exclude the Need, or Ufe of 
 Divine Grace ; Some conceive fo Highly of 
 ISlatural Religion, and of Virtues merely Mo- 
 ral, as to defpife that Righteoujhefs which the 
 Gofpel teaches : And fome likewife there are, 
 
 who 
 
 a Gal. iii. 8. ^ John viii. 56. 
 
Argument againjl Spiritual Pride. 5 1 
 
 who fear not to boafl even of Sinlefs PerfeBi- 
 Oft, and who, for that Reafon, forbear to 
 pray for Forgivenefs of God. Now, St. 
 Paul's Dodrine concerning yujiification by 
 Faithj is a ftanding Evidence againft all fuch 
 proud Boajiers^ confuting their big Pretenfi- 
 ons, and beating down their alTuming Claims. 
 It is fatal Overfight, for a Man not to con- 
 fider well beforehand, what to reft His Salva- 
 tion upon, or what chiefly to truft to, before 
 the High Tribunal. Come We before God^ 
 in the Way of humble Petition, or in the Way 
 oijiridi Claim f Stand We upon our own Righ- 
 teoufnej's, or upon the Merits of Christ? 
 Seek We to be judged by the Letter of the 
 Law, or by indulgent Favour, and a Covenant 
 of Grace ? In a Word, Stand We upon our 
 perfeB Innocence, or upon the tender Mercy of 
 the Judge ? St. Paul has diredled Us how to 
 move in this Cafe, how to form Our Plea, and 
 what Courfe to take : Move by Faith and 
 Trujl in the Merits of ChristJesus : Drop 
 your Plea of Works, becaufe there is a Flaw 
 in it, and there is no abiding by it -, for Wc 
 have All finned, more or lefs, and God is of 
 purer Eyes than to accept of any Thing in 
 that Way, {hono£ Perfe^ion. But if you fue 
 to the Throne of Grace by Faith in Chri st's 
 Vol. II. D 2 Bloody 
 
5 2 The DefeEis of Mmis Service^ an 
 
 Blood, that is the fame Thing with dropping 
 all Plea from your own Defervings, and glo- 
 rying in Nothing, fave only in the Crojs of our 
 Lord Jesus Christ ^ That is the Method, 
 the only tme Method, whereby to efcape 
 Punifhment, and to arrive at Heaven and Hap- 
 pinefs. Make your humble Achiowledgjnents 
 of the Need You have of a Saviour, and reft 
 your Salvation upon ITim j and then the Di- 
 vine Majefty can, with a Salvo to His ftrid: 
 Juftice and Holinefs, have Mercy upon You 
 while it is by his Interell, and upon his Ac- 
 count, not upon j'c^z^r Own. So much for that 
 Article. 
 
 III. 
 
 I proceed now. Thirdly and Lailily, to ob- 
 ferve, that fuch humble Acknowledgments 
 as I have been here mentioning, muft not how- 
 ever be fo underiiood as to afford any Excufe 
 or Colour for Slacknefs in our boimden Duties j 
 or for pleading any Exemption or Dijcharge 
 from true chrifiian Obedience : For, what if 
 St. Paul directs Us to apply to God by Faith ^ 
 Doth tiot the fame St. Paul tell us, that it 
 muft be a Faith which worketh by Love ^ ? And 
 what if He advifes Us not to infifl upon our 
 
 Works 
 
 a Gal. vi. 14. '' Gal. v. 6. 
 
Argument againjl Spiritual Pride, 53 
 
 Works as perfe5i, nor to iland upon That Plea, 
 in Oppoiition to a better j yet does He not al- 
 fo tell Us, that We are created in Christ 
 Jesus unto good Works "^^ and that the End of 
 the Commandment is Charity^? It is right, and 
 our bounden Duty, to renounce all Claims, 
 and JiriSl Demafids, while We ftand before 
 God, and to throw Our felves entirely upon a 
 Covenant of Grace : But ftill that v^vy Covetiant 
 of Grace has feveral Referves and Exceptions ia 
 it, to exclude all impenitejit Offenders, and car- 
 ries its ov/n Conditions along with it j which 
 are many, but are all fumm'd in thefe Two, 
 an humble well-grounded Faith ^ and 2i fai' 
 cere, though imperfedt. Obedience. 
 
 There were fome foolifh Perfons in the Days 
 of the Apoftles, who having heard, very pro- 
 bably, of St. Paul's Do6trine of Jujlification 
 by Faith^ and by Grace^ laid hold of it as an 
 Handle, or Colour for throv/ing off Good Works, 
 and Chriftian Obedience. Any Handle will 
 ferve, Vv^here either the Judgment is exceed- 
 ing weak, or corrupt Inclination exceeding 
 firong : Other wife, one might jufily wonder, 
 how fo wild a Thought could have poffeffed 
 any Man that fliould call Himfelf a Chrifli- 
 an. However, St. James took Care, in few, 
 D 3 but 
 
 a Ephef, ii. 10. '^ I Tim. i. 5. 
 
54 The DefeBs of Man s Service^ an 
 
 but very expreffive Words, to obviate Thofe 
 Lioofe Frinciples^ thereby to prevent the Decep- 
 tion of the ignorant and undifcerning ^. St. 
 Paul had before determined the general and 
 previous Qaefiion, about the right Method of 
 applying to God, and the Plea that would be 
 fafeft to ftand upon, giving it on the Side of 
 humble Faithy againft all proud Clai?ns from 
 our own Performances : And now St. James 
 determines a fecond ^ejiion^ about the true 
 2iXid ftdl Import oi \S\2.X. Plea oi Faithy evidently 
 demonstrating that That very Plea of Faith 
 is fo far from excluding Chrijiian Obedience^ 
 that it neceffarily takes it in, and cannot be un- 
 derflood without it. For, Faith without Obe- 
 dience is but a dead Faith, or in EfFed:, no 
 Faith at all. Abraham's Faith was a live- 
 ly and working Faith, exerting it felf, as Op- 
 portunities offered, in all Kinds of Virtues and 
 Graces, in every good Word and IFork. Such 
 muft every Man's Faith be, if He hopes to 
 ht juflijiedhy it here, ovfavedhy it hereafter. 
 Perhaps, what I have hinted of the twofe- 
 veral ^ejlions, decided by the two Apojiles, 
 may be made a little plainer, by an eafy and 
 familiar Example. Im^agine a Criminal going 
 to be tried for his Life. It is propofed to Him, 
 
 in 
 
 3 James ii. 1 4.— —26. 
 
Argument againjl Spiritual Pride, c C 
 
 in that Cafe, whether to ftand upon JiriS^ 
 Law, and his own perfeB Innocence^ or to 
 plead fome A5i of Grace, fome A5i of Indem^ 
 nity. He dehberates upon it, as the firfl Que- 
 ftion, and at length comes into the Plea of 
 Gr-ace, as his fafeft Plea : This is doing What 
 St. Paul advifed in another Cafe. 
 
 After That, another Queftion comes on, ve- 
 ry diftind: from the former; 'uiz. What are 
 the Conditiom of That very AB of Grace which 
 the Criminal had fubmitted to, and refolved 
 to abide by ? This the Lawyer's determine 
 upon the Trial, and upon That depends the 
 Final Ijj'ue of the Caufe. In like Manner, af- 
 ter St. Paul's Decidon of the previous Quefti- 
 on about Pleading the Adl of Grace, St. James 
 comes in to fhev/ v/hat Conditions that Ad: con- 
 tains. 
 
 Nov/, the praBical Conclufion from all that 
 has been here faid, is, to guard the more care- 
 fully againft t^'djo very dangerous Extremes, 
 which Some or Other have, in all Ages, unhap- 
 pily fallen into, and to keep the jniddle Pathy 
 the plain and even Road, where You may be 
 fafe, not turning afide, either to the Right 
 Hand, or to the Left a. 
 
 D 4 If 
 
 a Prov. iv. 27. 
 
56 The DefeSs of Mans Service^ an 
 
 If you come before God, full of Your Own 
 Selves, reckoning upon your owfi Defervings, 
 trufting in Your Own Holmefs, or Righteouf- 
 nefs, and not humbling Your Selves as Sin- 
 ners, and unprofitable Servants, or not relling 
 your Salvation upon the rich Mercy of God, 
 and the all-prevailing Atonement made by the 
 Blood of Chrift, then You are proud, knowing 
 Nothing, or Nothing conllderable ; having no 
 right Knowledge either of your own Frail- 
 ties, Failings and Omiffions, or of God's all- 
 fearching Eye, and his tremendous Juftice, 
 were He once to be extreme to mark what- 
 ever has been done amifs, and to exad: it of Us. 
 
 If, on the other Hand, (coniidering how 
 mean and worthlefs, in the Sight of God, 
 even Our beft Services are, and that all Our 
 Hope and Comfort lie folely in his Mercy and 
 Chrifi's Merits) You fhould thereupon negled; 
 to cleanfe your Hands, and purify your Hearts 
 (as far as by God's Grace You may) or fliould 
 ^^o^ fiack and carelefs in Christian Duties, faints 
 ing by the Way, and not perfevering to the 
 End, but prefuming upon God's Mercy to fave 
 You, though You live and die in your Sins ; 
 then You run into the other Extreme, not lefs 
 pernicious than the former. 
 
 What 
 
Argument againjl Spiritual Pride. ^7 
 
 What then is the Way to take into, and 
 purfue, fo as not to mifcarry here, or there? 
 The Way is to afpire to Righteoufnefs and true 
 HolinefSj with all Your Might, and not to be 
 proud of it, when You have done. Think it 
 worthkfs in the Sight of God, and infinitely 
 below his Acceptance^ were it not for the Me- 
 ritsofC-RRisT : But flill remember, that it is 
 as much worth to Tou as Heaven is worth, be- 
 caufe without fuch Holinefs, no Man fiall fee 
 the Lord ^ 
 
 To conclude : Be as ambitious of leading a 
 good Life, as if You were fure even to 77ierit by 
 it : At the fame Time be as humble before 
 God, as the Great St. Paul was, Who befides 
 keeping the Faith, after He had done per- 
 haps more in the Way of Good Works than 
 any mere Man had done before Him, yet 
 fumm'd up his own Life and Charad:er in a 
 very few, and very humbling Words, that He 
 was Nothing b. He remembred that God was 
 All ', in whom We live and move, and have our 
 Being^. 
 
 a Heb. xii. 14. t. 2 Cor, xii. 11. c Afts xvii. 28. 
 
 SERMON 
 
SERMON IV. 
 
 The Care required in chujing our Reli- 
 gious Principles, and the Steddinefs in 
 retaining them when fb duottn^ Jlated 
 and clear d. 
 
 I Thess. v. 21. 
 
 Frove all Things : Holdfaji That which 
 is good, 
 
 H E Text contains two very- 
 weighty and important Precepts, 
 which have a near Relation to 
 each other ; and which may 
 well deferve both to be rightly 
 imderftood, and carefully retain'd by All. 
 
 The firft is, to prove, try, or examine all 
 Things (propofed as of any Confequence to our 
 Belief and Pradice) that fo We may difcern 
 
 what 
 
6o T^e Duty required in chujing^ 
 
 what is really good : The next is, to clofe in 
 with it heartily as foon as found, and firmly 
 to adhere to it. The Defign of which Precepts 
 is to caution us againfl two pernicious Extremes, 
 which many unthinking Perfons are prone to 
 run into : One is the taking Opinions upon Truji 
 from Others, without ever examining or con- 
 fidering What, or Why ; the Other is, being 
 too unjettkd and irrejolute even after Exami- 
 nation, not being able, after a wife Choice, to 
 fix and abide by it. It is hard to fay which of 
 the two Extremes is the moft unreafonable ; 
 whether the being too credulous m receding any 
 Thing, or every Thing without Diftin5iim ; or 
 the not receiving and retaining What upon due 
 Examination well deferves it. Credulity on one 
 Hand, or Unjleadinefs on the other, are equally 
 dangerous : Both contributing to multiply Mif- 
 takes, and to confound all Diflind:ion of True 
 and Falje, GW and Evil. The Way to prevent 
 both is, firfl:, to examine into any Opinion or 
 Dod:rine propounded to us, in order to direct 
 or regulate our Choice-, and then, after We have 
 made a wije Choice, to hold to it refolutely and 
 unalterably, in Order to reap the full Bene- 
 fits of it. We mufl indeed be cautious in the 
 Choice of our Principles, as in the Choice of 
 our Friends, not admitting them as fuch 'till 
 
 they 
 
and retaining^ our Religion. 6i 
 
 they have been well appraised : But when They 
 have been once well chojen^ We muft be con- 
 jlant to them, and never lightly part with 
 them. My Defign then is, in my following 
 Difcourfe, to recommend two Things to our 
 more efpecial Notice 5 
 
 I. Care and Difcretion in chujtng, Prove 
 
 all Things j and, 
 
 II. Firmnefs and Steddinefs in retaining,---^ 
 Holdfaji That which is good, 
 
 I. 
 
 To begin with the frfi, namely, the Pre- 
 cept to prove all Things. Here it will be pro- 
 per to confider the Perfons to whom This Pre- 
 cept belongs 3 The Rule whereby they are to 
 proceed ; and the ^lalijications necefTary to a 
 right Performance thereof. 
 
 I. The Perfons. And here I muft remark, 
 that the Precept is not given to the Guides and 
 Pafiors only (though They may indeed be con- 
 ceived principally concerned in it) but to Chrijli- 
 am at large. It is to the Church of the Theja- 
 lonians^ and fo to every Churchy and not to the 
 Pajlors only, that the Advice is diredted : It is 
 to as Many as are obliged to holdfaji That which 
 is goody therefore mofl certainly to All; both 
 3 ^i^rgy 
 
62 The Duty required in chujing^ 
 
 Clergy and People ; only in fuch Proportion and 
 Degree, as their feveral Stations, Capacities, 
 Abilities, or Opportunities, refpecftively, may 
 permit. To This agree Thofe other Precepts 
 of like Kind, recommended in holy Scripture, 
 to Chriftians at large j To try the Spirits whe- 
 ther they are of God^. To examine 'Tbemfehes 
 whether they be in the Faith ^ and to prove their 
 Own Selves ^. To be ready to .give a Reajon of 
 the Hope that is in Them c, and the like. Ac- 
 cordingly the Bereans are commended for their 
 ingenuous Freedom, in examining before They 
 gave their AiTent even to the Apojlle's Dodirine : 
 Searching the Scriptures, whether Thofe Things 
 were fo ^» Vain therefore are the Pretences of 
 the Romif) Bigots^ for confining the Precept to 
 the Clergy only, excluding the Laity without 
 Diftinction from the Duty, or Privilege of 
 examining and judging for Themfelves. It is 
 the Right and Duty of All Perfons, to believe 
 no farther than They have Reafons^ and to 
 look Themfelves (as far as They are able) into 
 the Strength and Force of thofe Reafons, be- 
 fore They give their AiTent j or however 
 before They fix and abide by it. Neither is 
 This peculiar to Us as Chriftians j but it con- 
 cerns Us as Men. It is one of the Natural 
 
 Rights 
 
 *iJohniv. I. •* 2Cor. xili. 5. ci Pet. Hi. 15. ^ A<Sls xvii. il . 
 
and retaining^ our Religion, 63 
 
 Rights of Mankind, founded in the very Na- 
 ture of Things, and neceflarily refulting from 
 their being made rational Creatures. No Man 
 can be bound to follow Others blindly, who 
 has Faculties given Him to difcern between 
 True and Fdlfe, between Good and Evil. His 
 own Judgment and Confcience, and not An- 
 other s, is the immediate Guide of his Faith, and 
 Prad:ice -, which He mufi; give Account of 
 at the great Day. It is therefore his Duty, 
 and his Bulinefs to inform Himfelf, as care- 
 fully as He can : And then, and there only, 
 to truft to Other Mens Eyes, where He can- 
 not fee clearly with his onion. And even in 
 thefe Cafes, He is ilill to judge for Himfelf, as 
 reafonably as He can. Who or What Perfons 
 are to be taken for his Guides, or InJiriiBors, 
 upon the beft and moft impartial Judgment He 
 is able to make of their Authority, Integrity, 
 or Abilities. We are None of Us able to ex- 
 amine particularly into the whole Compafs and 
 Extent of Things : , Something there muft be 
 of implicite Faith in Other Men's Labours. 
 There are very few Perfons but Who miijl, or 
 Who will take fome Things upon Truft; 
 wanting either Ability or Leifure to run thro* 
 all the Parts of Enquiry, and to fearch every 
 Thing to the Bottom. But fo far as Any Man 
 
 3 ^s 
 
64 7^^ Duty required in chujing^ 
 
 is qualified^ and furnifh'd with Leijure and Op^ 
 portimity for it, fo far He ought to fearch for 
 Himjelf : And as to the reft. He is ftill to 
 judge, as He will anfwer it at the Great Day, 
 whofe Report J or whofe 'Judgment^ He may 
 moft fafely rely on, in Matters beyond his 
 Reach or Capacity. Very able Divines will, 
 in many Things, rely upon the Report or 
 Judgment of profefs'd Lingiiijis^ Criticks^ or 
 Grammarians : The Towiger and le/s-funiijlf d 
 Divines will very much confide in the older 
 and more Learned : The Common People will, in 
 many Things, truft to their immediate and 
 proper Guides : And, perhaps, the very Illite- 
 rate and Ignorant will much rely upon the 
 Judgment of Any (be They Clergy or Laity) 
 Whom They take to be wifer and more knowi7ig 
 than Themfelvcs 5 or of whofe Integrity or 
 Friendjhip towards Them They have no Rea- 
 fon to doubt. We fee then, that in the very 
 Nature of the Thing, a great Deal mull:, and 
 will be taken upon Triijl from Others -, and 
 That more or lefs, according to the great Va- 
 riety there is of Mens Abilities, Opportunities, 
 Qualifications, and CirCiimfiances : So that the 
 Precept, to prove all Thi72gs, comes at length 
 to This J to examine into all Things, dire^ly, 
 fo far as We can do it ; and where we cannot, 
 
 there 
 
a?jd retahitngy our Religio?2, 65 
 
 there to examine whofe Learnings whofe Inte- 
 grity y and whofe "Judgment may be moft fafely 
 triijied for the reft : For the Purpofe. — The 
 Bulk of common Chrijiians muft in a great Mea- 
 fure depend upon the Integrity and Ability of 
 Others y as to the Authority and Divinity of the 
 Sacred Canon, the Vncorruptnefs of the Copies, 
 the Faith fulnefs of the T^ranjlation, and the 
 ConJtruBion of fome of the more dijicult Texts. 
 Thefe Things fuppofed, They may Them- 
 felves competently judge, from Scripture it 
 feif, of the moft Important or Fundamental 
 Points of Faith or Pradice. In plain and com- 
 mon Cafes, Ordinary Capacities may examine 
 and judge for Themfelves : And They ought 
 to do fo, for the Reafons before hinted. They 
 may judge for Themfelves what Religion They 
 ought to be of, and what Church to unite with, 
 and what DcBrines of that Church They are to 
 receive, or not to receive • only paying this 
 reafonable and juft Deference to the united 
 Senfe and Verdidl of Synods or Councils, as 
 not to oppofe it, hov^ever not publickly, before 
 it be underjlood j nor to fet up their own pri^ 
 'Date Opinion againft the publick Senfe of the 
 Church, before They have carefully examin'd 
 the Cafe, and have well confidered the Strength 
 and Force of thofe Reafons upon which ihcpub- 
 VoL.II. E ' lick 
 
66 The Duty required in chu/ing^ 
 
 lick DeciJio?is were founded. Under thefe Re- 
 JlriBions and Limitations, a Liberty of private 
 'Judgment (hould be dllow'd to All, as being the 
 common and undoubted Right of all, whether 
 conlider'd as Chrijiians, or as Men, I come now, 
 2. To confider the Rule by which They 
 are to proceed in the Exercife of this Right or 
 Duty, of proving all Things. The moft Ge?te~ 
 ral and Comprehenfive Rule, in which all o- 
 ther Rules center and terminate, is the Rule of 
 right Reafon. Whatever, upon the beft and 
 laft Enquiry, appears to be ?noJl reafonabky That 
 We are to receive, and embrace : And What 
 appears otherwije. We are to rejed:. This is a 
 Rule fo certain, and fo indifputable (when 
 rightly underftood) that it is fuppofed in all 
 Debates, and feems to be equally allow'd on 
 , all Hands, whether by arguing for, or againft 
 it. For What do Men mean by argiditg at all 
 either Way, but to make Reafon Umpire in 
 the Queftion, and, taci-tely at leaft, to ac- 
 knowledge, that the Left Reafons ought ever to^ 
 prevail in it. There are indeed two Kinds of 
 jMen, who feem to differ from Us in this Ar- 
 ticle : One advifes to refign up our Reafon to 
 the Didates of a pretended infallible Chair;, 
 tlie Other would obtrude their own Dreams 
 upon us for divine Oracles ; refolving all into 
 
 I know 
 
wtd 7'etaining^ our Religion, 67 
 
 I know not what fecret Dicflates or Impulfcs of 
 the Spirit. But the wild Inconliilency of 
 fuch Pretences is alone fafficient to deftroy 
 them : For, either They mufl give us Kea- 
 Jbns for What They pretend, and then They 
 plainly fuppofe the very Thing which Thev 
 deny, making every Man a Judge for Himfelf 
 of the Force and Strength of thofe Reafons % 
 and how far He ma)\ or may not refign Him- 
 felf up to them : Or, if They give no Rcajbns^ 
 nor pretend any, there cannot be a furer To- 
 ken of the Weaknefs of their Plea, and of their 
 betraying the very Caufe which They are la- 
 bouring to defend. They are ufed to plead 
 that Human Reafon is weak^ blind^ and fallible ; 
 liable to {\ind.^^ Mijlakes -^ a very dangerous Guide 
 in Matters of Religion ; fruitful of Herefies^ 
 Schifms, and what not. Be it fo : Yet how 
 know They but that, in TLrh very Argument 
 whereby They would perfwade Us to lay a fide 
 Reafon^ Reafon may be as blind ^ weak^ and 
 treacherous^ as in any other ? If, therefore, 
 there be any Force in their Argument, it mufl 
 neceifarily deftroy it {t\i y proving the quite 
 contrary to What it pretends, or proving No- 
 thing. Let Reafon be fuppofed ever fo blind 
 and fallible -, yet, blind as it is, We mufl be 
 content to fubmit to it, or to fomething blind- 
 Vol. II. E 2 er -, 
 
68 The Duty required in chuji72gj 
 
 er ; namely, to Humour, or Fancy , or Pa/^ 
 Jion, or the Prejudices of Education. But after 
 all, there is no fuch Danger as fome pretend 
 from the Ufe of Reajbn in Matters of Religi- 
 on, but very much rather in the Difufe of it. 
 It is no Part of Religion to lay afide the Ufe 
 of our Reafon : For, beiides the Inconfiflency 
 of it with a rational Nature, to pretend to 
 unmake the Man, in order to make the Cirri- 
 ftian ; there is this farther Abfurdity in it, 
 that to difcard Reafon in fuch a Senfe, is to 
 difcard Faith too, which is ultimately built up- 
 on Reafon : For We ought always to have a 
 Reafon for What We believe : And without 
 This, it would not be true Faith, but Pre- 
 ftmption rather, or blind Credulity. Faith is it 
 felf an AB of Reafon, as really and truly as any 
 other Ajj'ent founded upon Natural Principles, 
 For Example, We believe fuch a DodrrinCj 
 becaufe We find it in the Scriptures ; We be- 
 lieve the Scriptures, becaufe They fpeak the 
 Mind and Will o^ God -, We believe They do 
 fo, becaufe They have been proved to carry 
 with them all polTible Marks, outv/ard and 
 inward, of a Divijie Authority, which a wife 
 and good God would never fuffer to be fet to 
 2.r\y Impoflu?-e, to lead Mankind into "an ^V/T^'/- 
 table Error ; So that if God be true and juft, 
 
 that 
 
a72d retaining^ our Religion. 69 
 
 that is, if there be a God, our Faith is well 
 grounded. And, now, why ifhould not an Af- 
 fent, thw^ foimded upon the iNature and Reafon 
 of things, be look'd upon as an A6i of Reafon^ 
 as well as any Demonjiration drav/n from un- 
 doubted Axioms, or firft Principles ? Is there 
 then no Difference^ may Some aflc, between 
 Faith and Science ? Yes, certainly there is ; but 
 Thev do not fo differ, as if One were the 
 Work of Reafon^ and the Other tiot : Both are 
 the Work of Rea/on, only with This Difference, 
 that in Matters of Science ^ our Affent is found- 
 ed on intrinfcli Evidence, or the Nature of the 
 T^hifig affented to ; while in Matters of Faith, 
 our Affent is founded on extrinfick Evidence, 
 the Authority of the Revealer. It may be alk'd 
 then. Are the Articles of Faith as certain ^ and, 
 as demonftrable, as Matters of. Science ? I an- 
 fwer, that thus far. Whatever God re'veals is 
 triie^ is as clear and felf-coident a Principle as 
 2iny Maxi?n in Science-, and Whatever "has a 
 necefary Connexion v/ith that Frinciple^ or is 
 deducible from it, is ffridly and properly de^ 
 7nonflrable. But whether "We have that Cer- 
 tainty, that fuch a Proportion is revealed^ and 
 that We iinderjiand it rightly (Both which mufl: 
 be fuppofed in our Affent to it) is more difpu- 
 table j and therefore it is, that Matters of Faith 
 E 3 generally 
 
^Sfi 
 
 70 77je Duty required in chiipngy 
 
 generally fliU fl:iort of Scient'ificalDemonflration, 
 But ftill our Aflent, in either Cafe, is wrought 
 out by Reafon 5 by dcmonjirative Reafons, where 
 the Cafe is demonjlrabk t, by probable ones, where 
 probable j and in Both^ our Jffent is an AB of 
 Reafon. If it be faid farther, that Faith is 
 built upon Teftimony, and therefore not upon 
 Reafon ; it is to be obferved, that T^eftimony^ 
 barely confider'd as fuch, is not the Ground of 
 Faith ^ but rather the Means of con'-oeying it : 
 For the Reafons why We think the Tefifier 
 could not, or would not deeei've Us, Thefe are 
 what We properly build our Faith upon : So 
 that an Aflent, founded upon Teflimony^ is as 
 properly the Refalt of Reafon^ if it has any 
 jufl: Ground at all, as any other AflTent what- 
 foever. From This Account it may appear, 
 how little Service can be done to Faith^ by 
 crying down Reafon, rightly underflood. For, 
 whatever tends to weaken the Evidence of 
 Reafon, mufl: fo far tend to weaken Faith too, 
 which is built upon it : And as it mufl necef- 
 farily lead to Seepticifn, in Natural Truths-, fo 
 mull it alfo lead to Infidelity, in Religion. Rea- 
 fon and Faith therefore are by no Means oppo- 
 fite, but are afjlflant to^ and perfe^ive of Each 
 Other. It is the Strength and Glory of the 
 befl Religion, to have always the bef Reafons to 
 
 g9 
 
 i 
 
and retaining^ our Religion, 71 
 
 go along with it. Never Any Man revolted 
 from the true Faith ^ but He revolted as much 
 from right Reafon, ^nd abandon'd Both at the 
 fame Time. He certainly either laid down 
 falfe Principles ^ or foxm' 6. falfe Conchifioin from 
 true Ones, and was in Reality as weak a Rea- 
 finer as He was a Chrijlian. True Religion 
 loves to be examined by the niceft Reafon^ can 
 abide the T^rial^ and invites All Perfons to lay 
 aiide Prejudice, Pride, Lujis, Pajfwns, and vile 
 Affe6lions, and to put the Matter upon a fair 
 Hearing at the Bar of unbiafsd and impartial 
 Reafin, And This, give me leave to fay, ever 
 has been, and will be the Glory and Triumph 
 of our excellent Religion, that Her Adverfa- 
 ries, with all their vain Pretences to Reafin, 
 have betrayed the greateft Want of it, and 
 have never been able either to anfwer her Ar- 
 guments, or to defend their own. Let Reafon 
 then be our Rule for proving all Thifigs j and 
 let That be received as fnoji Credible, which 
 ftands upon the firongeft and clearefi Reafons. 
 
 The Ufe, and Application of This Rule, is 
 of wide Compafs and vaft Extent, in Matters 
 of Religion 3 and is either Ge?ieral or Special. 
 
 Firfi, General, in diredling Us how to find 
 
 out, among the many Pretenders, ivhich is 
 
 the true and right Religign 3, whether Pagan, 
 
 E 4 Jewip^^ 
 
7 2 ^he Duty required in chujing^ 
 
 yewiJJj, M.aho?nefan^ox: Chrijlian ', or, fuppofing 
 the Chrifiian to be (as it undoubtedly is) the 
 befi: of the Four, then, among feveral SeBs 
 and Parties of Chriftians, which of them is 
 preferable : Whether the Greek Church or the 
 Roman, whether of England or Geneva, whe- 
 ther of Luther or of Calvin, and fo on. Here 
 our Reajbn has a large Field to move in, in 
 Order to dired: and guide Us, what Religion 
 to be of, or what Church to join Our Selves to. 
 Secondly, The Ufe of Reafon is more Speci- 
 al, in ftating and clearing the particular Do- 
 Brines of Chriftianity. Chriftians of all Sorts, 
 however divided in Opinions, yet plead the 
 fame Scriptures commonly in Defence of them ; 
 Each abounding in their own Senfe, and refo- 
 iutely adhering to their own ConJiruB ion, or I?2- 
 tcrpretation. And what can give Us any Light, 
 or what can lead Us to the 'Truth among the 
 contending Parties, but the laying together 
 and confidering, with all Sincerity and Im- 
 partiality, the Reajhns offered here, or there, 
 refpedively ? This muft: be the Way to dif- 
 cover What is at length really Scriptural, and 
 What not : And thus it is that We may be 
 able to diftinguifli the vain Fancies and Com- 
 ments of Men, from the true Mind and Will 
 of God. Here the OfSce of Reafon is various 
 
 and 
 
and retaining^ our Religion, 73 
 
 and manifold, according as Scripture y or the 
 Matters it treats of, are fjiore or lefs clear and 
 politive. 
 
 In fome Points, Scripture is very plai?i and 
 clear, and the Reafon of the Thing too : As 
 in the moral Dodrines of Chriflianity. In fuch 
 a Cafe, Reafon proceeds upon double Evidencey 
 extrinfick and intrinfick^ either of which might 
 il:and iingle, and be a futiicient Proof of the 
 Thing. But Both together make it the more 
 indijputable ; and our AfTent refts faft and firm 
 upon a twofold Foundation. 
 
 Sometimes Scripture is very clear and exprefs^ 
 but the Reafon of the 'Thing dark and ohfcure ; 
 as in the venerable Myft cries of our Faith, Here 
 Reafo?i proceeds only upon extrinfick Evidence, 
 the Authority of the Revealer^ and the Proofs 
 brought to fliew that This is revealed, and 
 This the Senfe of it : Not pretending to fay 
 hoWj or why Thofe Things are, but that they 
 really are^ becaufe God has declared them. 
 
 In other Points, Scripture may be ohfcure 
 or flent^ but the Reafon of the Thing (taking 
 in What Scripture haselfewhere plainly affert- 
 ed) very clear and manifeft^ as in the Cafe of 
 Infant -Baptifm. The Ufe of Reafon in This, 
 and other the like Cafes, is to fliew What by 
 Analogy y or Confequence^ tho' not direBly, Scrip- 
 ture 
 
74 ^^ Duf-y required in chufitg^ 
 
 ture either allows, commands, or condemns. 
 There is yet a fourth Cafe where neither Scrip-- 
 ture nor the Kcafon of the Thing are clear ; 
 Both together affording only dark Hints of 
 What is, or is not : As in the Cafe of Hea- 
 thens ^ or unbaptizcd Infaiits ; V^\\7it their Portiofi 
 ihall be in a JVorld to come. In thefe, and the 
 like Cafi's, there is Ground only for a probable 
 Affent. It is, however, the Bufuiefs of Kea- 
 fon to lay Things carefully together, to make 
 the beil of its Materials, and to lean to the 
 jhfer^ or more chart table Side, without being 
 too pojltive, or dogmatical in Either. Thus 
 We fee how the Office of Rcafon runs through 
 all the Parts of Religion, and is very fervice- 
 able to it j directing Us how to form our Judg- 
 ment, and fix our Faith, and next enabling 
 Us to defend it. Thus are We to prove and 
 examine all Things, fo far as our Abilities^ Lei- 
 Jure J or other Circumflances, permit : But We 
 mufl remove, as much as poffible, every Im- 
 pediment which may obftruv^t the free Exercije 
 of our Reafon j fuch as Love of Novelty , or a 
 fuperjiitious Veneration for Antiquity ; either 
 too great Deference to Authority on one Hand, 
 or too little on the other ; either an over-ivean- 
 ijig Regard to this or. that Church, Secft, or 
 Party ^ or a fupcrcilious, Contempt of, and in.- 
 
 vcnom'4 
 
and retaining^ our Religio7i. j 5 
 
 venom'd Hatred againft Any. We are to re- 
 move all fuch Obftacles to free and mgenuous 
 Enquiry, and, at the fame Time, to take in 
 all necejjary Helps for the due Improvement and 
 Advancement of our Underflandings. Whsn^ 
 by the careful Obfervance of thofe good and 
 wholfom Rules, We have done our Parts in 
 proving all Thiiigs ; then are We to remember 
 alfo the other Precept of the Text, which is, 
 
 II. 
 
 Tp holdfafi 'That which is good. 
 
 After due Care in examining, naturally fol- 
 low Wifdom in chujing, and Firmfiefs in refaip- 
 ing 5 without which all We have before done 
 becomes vain and fruitlefs. To be alwaysy^^^?:- 
 ing without finding the Thing we want 3 To 
 be e'ver karnifig^ and never able to come to the 
 Knowledge of the Truth-, To be, like Children, 
 tojjed to and fro, and carried about with every 
 Wind of Dodirine, is but a mean and a difpa- 
 raging Charadler, neither becoming a Chrifti- 
 an nor a Man. Care and Caution are proper 
 in the Entrance to the Work of Faith : But 
 Refolution and Steddinefs muft help it on, and 
 carry it up to Perfection. It is the diflinguidi- 
 ing Mark and Property, the Pride and Glory 
 9f every wife and good Man, not to be foon 
 
 f:akeii 
 
j6 The Duty required in chufing^ 
 
 Jhaken in Mind-, but to h^ Jiedfafi and immov- 
 able, after He has once well deliberated, and 
 
 made a wife Choice. Bat here it may be 
 
 aflc'd, Muft We then unalterably rejbhe, after 
 We have once fettled ovii Opinions, and, as We 
 are verily perfwaded, upon good ReaJ'ons, ne- 
 ver to recede the leaft Tittle from Them ? Mail 
 We turn the deaf Ear to all Reafons or Ar- 
 guments offer'd to convince us of a prefumed 
 Miftake, or to convert us from it ? There is 
 no Man of fo folid and corred a Judgment but 
 He may fometimes err : Few^ fo careful in 
 their -Enquiries, but Who, at fome Time or 
 other, may take a Thing for Demonftration, 
 which hath little or no Ground j or reiecft Ano- 
 ther Thing as falfe, which may prove a cer- 
 tain Truth. And then it is notorious that 
 Mens Judgments commonly ripen wilh their 
 Years j and They may often fee Reafon to ?-e- 
 traB fome Things which, upon the beii Rea- 
 fon They before had. They might think it ne- 
 ceiTary to receive. It would be hard to pre- 
 clude a Man, at any Age of his Life,, from 
 growing wifer ; which feems to be the Cafe, 
 if He is never to permit any Matter of his 
 Faith to be brought in Que u ion before Him, 
 or to hear what may be fairly^ offered againfl 
 it. WPiat then muft be done in This Cafe ? 
 
 or 
 
and retaining^ our Religion, yy 
 
 or how far are we to carry our Rejblution, and 
 Stedfh/lnefs , in What We have once made the 
 Subjed: of our Belief? To This I anfwer, that 
 there is certainly ^]ui\. Medium, a golden Mean, 
 to be obferved by every wife and good Man, 
 whether in his religious, or fecular Concerns. 
 It is no Reproach to any Man's Conjiancy, fome- 
 times to alter his ytidgrae?it, or 'vary his Mea- 
 JlireSj in Matters of Civil Prudence. And fo 
 neither is it any Reproach upon Chriftian Sted- 
 faflnefs, fometimes to correct ouv former Judg" 
 merits, or to alter them for the better. But 
 then, as in fecular Affairs to be ever unjieddy 
 and ifrefolute, is a certain Mark of a very weak 
 Man J fo in 7rligious alfo, is it a certain Token 
 of a very weak, or very dijjolute Chriftian. And 
 as in civil Matters, wife Men generally have 
 fixed upon fome certain Maxims, fome prime 
 and leading Principles of Acftion, which They 
 will never alter, nor fo much as call in ^eftion 
 all their Lives after 5 So alfo in our religious 
 Concernments, every wife and good ChrilHan 
 will fix upon fome plain 'SivA fimdamental Ar- 
 ticles of Faith, which He will never after 
 recede from, nor fo much as think Himfelf ob- 
 liged to hear debated and canvas'd a fecond 
 Time. There are fome Things fo clear and 
 evident upon the firft Examining, that it will 
 
 3 ' ^o^ 
 
yS Tl^e Duty required in chujing^ 
 
 not be neceflary to give them a new Hearing : | 
 
 All pretended Objections againft them, may j 
 
 be reafonably rejedled in the Lump, as not | 
 
 worth the Notice, nor deferving a wife Man's | 
 
 Care, after He is oncQ fully eiilighten'd with a j 
 
 char Fcrception of the contrary Truth. For I 
 
 Example : After a Man has been but tolerably ; 
 inflruded in the Grounds of the Chriftian Re- 
 ligion ^ which carries fo much Force and Evi~ \ 
 dence in it, it will not be neceflary to allow • 
 Paganifm^ fudaifm^ o^ Mahomet anifm, fo much \ 
 as a Hearings except it be for the fake of i 
 Others only. Who may want to have Thofe 
 Pretences expofed or confuted. The like may 
 be faid of Atheifts or Deijh : The Proofs of a I 
 God^ and of the Chriftian Revelation, are fo 
 full J clear y and frong, that after a Man has I 
 once feeninto them, He need not ftay to de- ; 
 liberate, or wait 'till He has examined the I 
 contrary Pretences ; well knowing beforehand, i 
 that They can have no real Weight or Solidi- ^ 
 ty in Them. As to other Cafes, This Pro- , 
 cedure is juflifiable more or lefs, in Proporti- | 
 on to the greater or fmallcr Evidence upon 
 which any Doctrine is founded. And fome ' 
 Allowance mult be made for fuch Doctrines as ' 
 have been often and fully debated by wife, great, j 
 and good Men, and conftantly determind the : 
 
 fame i 
 
and retaining^ our Religion. 79 
 
 fame Way. There is a flrong Prefumption in 
 their Favour, that they are moil certainly 
 true, or at leafl that there neither is, nor can 
 be any fufficient Reafon for reje<3;ing them as 
 
 falfe 3 and that therefore They may very 
 fafely, and juftly, be received as true, without 
 more particular Examination ; unlefs there 
 /hould be fome Appearance of 7iew Lights and 
 
 , additional Evidence, fuch as our Predeceilbrs 
 had been Strangers to. In a Word then, there 
 may be Cafes fo plain and clear, either in Faith 
 or Morality^ that it may be fufficient to exa- 
 mine the Proofs upon which They ftand, with- 
 out attending to the OhjeBiom on the other 
 Side, which may be known beforehand to be 
 Nothing elfe but Ca'vil^ and TriPing. And 
 in thefe Cafes, it may be our Duty to holdfafl 
 T^hat ivbich is good., without fo much as giving 
 the leafl Ear to any contrary Pretences. But 
 then, as there are many other Cafes of a more 
 doubtful Nature, our Obligations to hold faf 
 What we have once received, mufl admit of 
 this ReJiriBion of Limitation, that we be ne- 
 verthelefs ready and willing to fubmit the 
 Caufe to Debate^ and to give it a new Hear- 
 ing, In fuch. a Cafe our Ears mufl be always 
 open to Reafon when offer'd in due Manner 
 and Form, with Sobriety ^ and in the Fear of 
 
 God ; 
 
8o The Duty required i?t chujing^ 
 
 God : And there We are to take Care to fuf- 
 fer Our Selves to be influenced by Reajb?is, and 
 Reafons only: Not by Humour, or Caprice, or 
 jP/V^'/<??/^ of Temper J like Some Who, for the 
 fake of one prejjing Difficulty, will give up 
 What was founded on many plain, and co?i- 
 *uincing Reafons : Not by Vanity or Self-conceit j 
 like Some Who are delirous of giving up old 
 Truths, only becaufe They have prevailed, to 
 become the Leaders of a SeB, and the Heads 
 of a Party : Not by Ambition, Avarice, or 
 vile AffeBions ; like Many, Who mske Ship- 
 wreck of their Faith, to ferve a prefent Turn, 
 or to gratify their Lufls and Paflions : Not by 
 Fear, or by Complaifance ; like Thofe Who 
 have no Frinciples of their own, but are blind- 
 ly led, or overawed by Others ; Who can flit 
 from Church to Church, from Party to Par- 
 ty, as They are directed ; prepared to be of 
 This, or That , or of All Religions 5 and 
 to be fincere and conflant in None. In a 
 Word, Nothing hwlReafons, and ^^i?^ Reafons, 
 will ever move an honeft and a wife Man to 
 change his Belief, or Perfwafion. And then 
 indeed to change is the truefb Confiancy -, as the 
 parting ivith an Error, is, in reality, the hold- 
 ing fafi That ivhich is good. Only This We 
 may fay, that after a Man has once deliberate- 
 
and retaining^ our Religion, 8i 
 
 ly made his Choice, and formed hisPerfuafion, 
 He ought then to lean to that Side, with fome 
 Degree of Aflurance and Confidence, and not 
 to be apt to take up Scruples, or to entertain 
 Sufpicions of it. Perfedt Indifference may be 
 the proper Temper of Mind to begin with, and 
 to continue in, during the Time of the BiXa- 
 mination ; but no longer : Afterwards, it will 
 be no Fault, but a Commendation rather, to 
 lean to one Side more than to another 3 and to 
 exped: very clear 2<.ndJirong Reafons, before We 
 are prevailed with to recede from it. As I be- 
 fore inftanced in the Choice of Friends -, great 
 Caution, Diffdence, Sufpicion, and Dijiruji, are 
 very proper and neceffary in the Choice : But 
 when the Choice has been made, it would be 
 very unreafonable to h^Jiill full of Scruple and 
 Doubt, or not to confide with great Aflurance 
 in Thofe whom we hadyj cautioujly and deli- 
 berately chofen. It would be great Injuftice 
 towards Them to be iWWprone lofufpeB Them, 
 or not to be partial in fome Meafure, in their 
 Favour, requiring very full and clear Reafons 
 againft Them, before We entertain any Doubts 
 of Them. 
 
 Such is the Cafe alfo In relation to Matters 
 of Vaith, or Principles of Meligion once deli- 
 ' Vol. II. F berately 
 
8 2 Hoe Duty required in chujing^ 
 
 berately receiv'd. They ought, from that 
 Time forwards, to be allowed all favourable 
 Prefumption, and Equity of Conftrudtion : 
 And now all the Jealoufy, Diffidence, and 
 Diftruft is to be thrown upon the other Side, 
 'till very plain and cogent Reafons can be 
 brought to overturn, or over-rule That which 
 we have efpoufed. 
 
 This appears to be the true and right Me^^ 
 thod of avoiding Both the Extremes j that of 
 implicite and uncautious Credulity on one Hand, 
 or of Ficklenefs and defultorious Levity on the 
 other. 
 
 Now to apply very briefly What hath been 
 here faid, to our own particular Cafe and Cir- 
 cumflances. As many of us as are here prefent 
 may be prefumed to hiivc fixed cur Choice^ Firji^ 
 of the Chrijiian Religion^ in Oppofition to Pa^ 
 gan^ yewijl.\ or Mahometan : And, Secondly^ 
 of a Reformed Religion, in Oppofition to Po- 
 pifi Novelty and Superflition : And, Thirdly^ of 
 the Religion of the Church of England, in Op- 
 pofition to all other SeSls, Parties, or De?io- 
 jninations of reformed Chriflians. They who 
 have examined into rhefe three Things, know 
 them to be good: And They who have not, 
 ought to examine fa far as they are able, that 
 
 They 
 
and retatnmg^ our Religion, ^-^ 
 
 They alfo inay know : And then Nothing re- 
 
 , mains but to holi^ Themfqfl^ and to make fult- 
 
 able Improvements of them in our Lives and 
 
 Converfations. Let us, then, hold f aft the Fro- 
 
 fejfton of our Faith without wavering (for He is 
 
 faithful that promifed) : jind let Us conftder One 
 
 ,/inoiher to provoke unto Love ^ and to good Works'", 
 
 » Heb. X. 23, 24. 
 
 Vol. IL 
 
 F 2 
 
 SERMON 
 
SERMON V. 
 
 Th&precife Nature and Force of Chr i s rs 
 Argument, founded on Exod, iii. 6. 
 againft the Sadducees, 
 
 Luke xx. 37, 38, 
 
 NoWy that the Dead are raifed, even 
 M.0 s, z s Jhewed at the Bujh^ when He 
 calleth the Lord^ The God of Abra- 
 H A M, and the God of Isaac, and the 
 God of Jacob: For^ He is not a God 
 of the Dead^ hut of the Living : For 
 All live to Him^, 
 
 H E S E Words are the conclud- 
 ing Part of oar Lord's Reply 
 to the Sadducees, a libertine 
 Scvftof the Jews, Who, (like 
 the Epicureans before, and 
 other Infidels fince) for the fake only of in- 
 
 F 3 dulging 
 
 * Conf, Mitt, xxii. 31. Mark xii, 26, 
 
86 Christ'j Argwnent agamjl 
 
 dulging their Lufts, and to remove the Dread 
 of an After-reckoning, thought proper to re- 
 jed the BeHef of a ReJurre5lio?i, and a Life to 
 come. But yet, to fave Appearances, and to 
 keep up an outward Shew of Religion among 
 their Countrymen, They profefs'd a great Re- 
 gard to the fame common Scriptures, as the 
 Oracles of God, and fought out Colours from 
 thofe very Scriptures, whereby to countenance, 
 or feemingly to authorize, their wanton and 
 wicked Opinions. They came to our BlefTed 
 Lord, and propounded a captious Queftion to 
 Him, grounded upon Moses'j Law, artfully 
 infmuating, as if Moses Himfelf muft have 
 been in their Sentiments j For, He had or- 
 der'd that feveral Brothers in Succeffion (hould 
 take the fame furviving Wife : A Law which 
 feem'd to preclude any future Refurre(f^ion ; 
 fince, upon That Suppoiition, there could be 
 no adjufting the contradi(5lory Claims. Whofe 
 Wife^ faid They, is fie in the Refurj-eBion ^ 
 Our BlelTed Lord, in Reply, corrected their 
 fond Millake in judging of a Life to come by 
 the Life that now is, when Circumilances^ 
 would be widely different. In this World,, 
 where Mankind go off and die daily, there is. 
 a Neceffity of a conftant and regular Succeffi- 
 on to fupply the Decays of Mortality : But 
 
 ia 
 
the Sadducees, 87 
 
 in a World to come, where None die any- 
 more, the Reafon then ceafes, inafmuch as 
 there will be no Occafion for any further Sup- 
 plies. Our BlefTed Lord, by thus diftinguifhing 
 upon the Cafe, defeated the Objediion : But 
 to Ihew farther, how ill the Sadducees had 
 contrived, in appealing to Moses as a Favour- 
 er of their Sentiments, He reminds Them of 
 a famous PafTage in MosEs'i Lav/, which was 
 diretflly contrary to their Principles, being in- 
 deed a full and clear Proof of a RefurreSiion^ 
 and future State. Now^ that the Dead are 
 raifed^ (or {hall be raifed) e'oen yio'^^% fiewed 
 at the Bufi, when He calleth the Lord^ The God 
 of Abraham, ajid the God of Isaac, a?td the 
 God 0/* Jacob : For, He is not a God of the 
 Dead, but of the Living ; For all live to Him, 
 In difcourfing upon which Words, I propofe 
 more particularly to coniider, 
 
 I. What the difiinguijlnng Principles of the 
 ancient Sadducees really were. 
 
 II. Why our Lord chofe to confront Them 
 with a Text out of Moses'j Writings,- 
 rather than with any other out of the 
 Old Teilament. 
 
 III. 
 
88 Christ'^ Argument againji 
 
 III. Wherein precifely the Force of our 
 Lord's Argument^ built upon that Text, 
 confifts. 
 
 I. 
 
 As to the Jirji Article ; The diftingulfliing 
 Principles of theSA i>i>u c e e s are briefly fumm'd 
 up by St. Luke in the twenty-third of the 
 A(fls, Thus : The S A d d u c e e s fay^ that there is 
 710 KefurreBion^ neither Angel nor Spirit 3 but the 
 Pharisees confefs Both^. From whence We 
 may obferve, that the Sadducees did not 
 only rejed the ReJiirreBion of the Body, but 
 They denied a Future State ; They did not al- 
 low that the Soul furvived the Body : They 
 looked upon the Do(^rines of a Refurre6iion 
 and Future State to be fo nearly allied, or fo 
 clofely conneded with each other, that they 
 might reafonably be conceived to ftand or fall 
 together : Wherefore They denied Both j as, 
 on the other Hand, the Pharisees admitted 
 Both. For if the Saul furvived th^ Body, it 
 was very natural to fuppofe, that fome time or 
 -other the Body would be again raijed up, and 
 re-united, to make a whole Man : But if the 
 Soul died with the Body, it was obvious to in- 
 fer, there \YOu\dhc no Refurre^ion -, fmce That 
 
 would 
 
 * Ads xxiii. S. 
 
the Sadducees* Z^ 
 
 would amount, in fuch a Cafe, to a new Cre^ 
 ation, rather than a RefurreBion properly fa 
 called, and the Parties fo raifed would not be 
 the fame Perfons as before. This obfervable 
 Connexion of the two feveral Do6lrines feems to 
 have made the Sadducees Atny Both ; And 
 the Confideration thereof will be of Ufe to 
 Us in explaining the Force of our Lord's Ar- 
 gument ; as will be feen in the Sequel. 
 
 There is one noted Difficulty in St. Luke *s 
 Account of the Sadducees, relating to their 
 Denial of the Exiftence of Angels. Other 
 Accounts of Jewifh Writers are lilent on that 
 Head ; and it might feem very needlefs for the 
 Sadducees to clog their Caufe with it, lince 
 it Was fujicient for their Purpofe, to rejedt on- 
 ly the feparate Subjijience of Human Souk -, and 
 it is odd that They (hould run fo flatly counter 
 to the Hiftory of the Old Teftament (which 
 is full of What concerns Angels) v/hen They 
 had really no great Neceffity for it, nor Temp- 
 tation to it, fo far as appears. But, perhaps. 
 They thought it the ihorteft and fureil Way, 
 to reject the whole Dodirine of Spirits^ or, at 
 leaft, of created Spirits, and fo to fettle in 
 Matenalifnij after the Example of fome Pagan 
 Philofophers ; and therefore they at once dif- 
 carded both Angels ^nd Jeparate Souls : And 
 
go Christ'^ Argu7nent againji 
 
 as to the Old Teflament {landing diredly a- 
 gainft Them, with refpedt to Angels ; there are 
 fo many various Ways of playing upon Words, 
 efpecially in dead Writings, that Men, refo- 
 lute to maintain a Point (whatever it be) can 
 never be at a Lofs for Evasions. This appears 
 to be a fair Account of the whole Cafe, if it 
 be certain that St. Luke is to be underftood 
 of their denying Angels^ properly fo called. 
 Neverthelefs, I apprehend, there may be fome 
 Reafon to queftion whether He might not ufe 
 the Word in a particular Senfe^ fo as to meari 
 no more by it than a Human Soul, It is cer- 
 tain, that the Pagan IVriters, before his Time, 
 had been ufed to give the Name of Angeh to 
 good Souls departed', and, that the Jews alfo 
 fometimes did the fame, may appear from 
 the Writings of Philo the Je-w, who lived in 
 that Age. Poffibly, St. Luke, knowing that 
 the Word Angel had been fo ufed, might mean 
 only to fay, that the Sadducees rejected the 
 Dodtrine of the RefurreBion^ and the other 
 Dotf^rine of feparate Souls ^ whether called An- 
 gels^ as by Some, or Spirits only, as by Others* 
 There is another Place in this Book of the 
 A^s, where the Word A?tgel feems to have 
 been ufed in the like improper Senfe > when 
 Some, fpeaking of Peter confidently report- 
 ed 
 
the Sadducees. gs 
 
 ed to be at the Door, and the Thing was 
 thought impoffible, faid, It is his Angela ; as 
 much as to fay, It is his Ghofi : For they had 
 Reafon to beUeve, that He had been executed 
 by that Time. I am aware, that Interpreters 
 give quite another Glofs to that Paflage : But 
 'tis obvious to obferve withal, how much They 
 are perplex'd with it, and how difficult it is to 
 make tolerable Senfe of the Place in their 
 Way, or in any Way, excepting fuch as I have 
 mention'd. 
 
 However, I would be underftood to offer 
 this other Interpretation, as ConjeSture only, 
 and as tending to clear up fome noted Diffi- 
 culties in St. Luke'j Account of the Saddu- 
 c E E s, in the eafiefl Manner j while We do not 
 want a Solution of them, if This fl:iould not 
 fatisfy J for I have my felf given one before : 
 But if this fecond Solution,, which I have here 
 offered, appears preferable to the other ; We 
 may then acquit the 8 ad d u c e e s of the Charge 
 of difcarding Angels^ properly fo called, and 
 condemn Them only as rejeding a Refurre. 
 
 Ti- 
 
 I- 
 
 o?2^ and a Future State. This Account will 
 appear the better, when it is conddered tha.t 
 St. Luke fays, the Pharisees admitted 5(5/Z'. 
 Both what ? There had been Th7-ee Things 
 
 mention 'dj 
 
 « - J 
 
92 C ti R I s t'^ Argument againfi 
 
 mcntion'd, if Angel makes a diJiinB Article : 
 But if Angel there means no more than an Hu- 
 man Soul, then the Articles are reduced to 
 *Two only, and fo it was very proper to fay. 
 Both ; namely, both the RefurreSlion, and the 
 feparate State of the Soul, 
 
 However That be, (for I would not dwell 
 long upon a By-point) This is certain, that 
 the Captious Queftion put to our Lord, and 
 his Anfwer to it, concerned only the Cafe of 
 Mankind, and had Nothing to do with Angels, 
 The Point in Difpute was only This : Whether 
 Men fhould Ihe again after Death, and live in 
 the Body ; which tho' feemingly Two Points, 
 yet in effed: amounted but to One, as I before 
 obferved. 
 
 II. 
 
 I proceed now. Secondly, to inquire, why 
 our BlefTed Lord chofe to confront the S ad- 
 duce es with aTextoutof MosEs'j Writings, 
 rather than out ©f any other Part of the Old 
 Teftament. For it is thought, that there are 
 feveral other Texts there, plainer and more ex- 
 prefs to the Purpofe, than That which our 
 Lord has cited, as perhaps there are ; for I 
 need not difpute that Point, or run out into 
 Gomparifons. 
 
 2 Some 
 
the Sadducees. to^ 
 
 Some have given it in for a Reafon of our 
 Lord's Choice 5 that Moses V Books were the 
 only ones which the Sadducees received as 
 Canonical Scripture. But the Fad is difputable 
 at leafl, if not certainly falfe. Others fay, 
 that our Lord chofe to confute Them out of the 
 Book of the Law, as being of prime Value, 
 and of greateft Authority : And That indeed 
 is a Confideration which is not without its 
 Weight. But yet I humbly conceive, that We 
 have no Occalion to look far for Reafons, when 
 the Text it felf, with what goes along with it, 
 fufficiently accounts for the whole Thing. The 
 Sadducees had formed their ObjeBiofi upon 
 t]\Q Books of Moses, claiming Moses as a Vou- 
 cher on their Side. In fuch a Cafe, it was 
 extremely proper, and pertinent (if it could be 
 done) to confute the Men from Moses Him- 
 felf : It was vindicating Moses'^ Writings, at 
 the fame Time that it was doing Juftice to an 
 important Truth : And fo it was anfwering 
 two very coniiderable Ends, Both at once. 
 Our BlefTed Lord therefore applied Himfelf 
 entirely to the clearing up Moses'j Sentiments 
 in that Article, and He effeded it two Ways : 
 Firft by obferving,that what the Sadducees 
 had cited from Him, did not prove what They 
 wiih'd fors and, Secondly, by fhewing that 
 
 what 
 
94 C H R I s t'^ Argument againjl 
 
 what He had taught elfewhere^ fully and clear- 
 ly difproved it. Our Lord perhaps might have 
 found either in the Pfalms^ or in the Prophets ^ 
 many other as clear, or clearer Texts to prove 
 a ReJurreBton^ or Future State : But all of them 
 together would not fo well have fuited his Pur- 
 pofe, as one Text out of Moses; becaufe They 
 would not have been fo well fitted to turn off 
 the Edge of the ObjeBion here brought. They 
 might have ferved to ballance it, or over-rule 
 it, and to break its Force ; but the Way which 
 our Lord took, difabled it at once, and threw 
 it quite out, that it fhould rife up no more. 
 So then, if We confider Him merely as main- 
 talning a Pofition^ He might perhaps have cho- 
 fen fome clearer or flronger Texts 5 but if We 
 confider Him in Capacity of Re/pondefit, and 
 as defeating a fubtle and plaufible Objedion, 
 there could not have been a more effectual 
 Way of doing it : And He very well knew, 
 that fometimes the hitting off an Objedlion in 
 a neat, clear, and flrong Manner, has more 
 Weight with the Generality, than the pour- 
 ing in many Demonflrations on the other Side, 
 Accordingly we find, by the Event, how well 
 the Thing anfwered. TheSADDUCEES were 
 effedlually put to Silence : So fenfible were 
 They of the Force of what He had faid. The 
 
 2 Scribes, 
 
the Sadducees. 5^ 
 
 Scribes, They highly applauded it, and com- 
 plimented Him upon it, Mafier^ Thou hafi 
 ijuell faid^. And even the Common People 
 readily underilood the Strength of his Reafon- 
 ing, and mightily admired it, and afTented to 
 it: For, St. Matthew tells us, th^tt wben 
 the Multitude heard it, They were qftonijldd at 
 his DoBrine, on that Head b. 
 
 III. 
 
 Come We therefore. Thirdly^ to confider 
 the Force of our Lord's Argument, which was 
 then fo clearly apprehended, at iirft Hearing, 
 by Learned and Unlearned, by Friends and 
 Adverfaries, and admired by All. We may 
 judge from thence, that it requires no long 
 Train of Thought to comprehend it, no in- 
 tenfe Application to be Mafter of it, if We 
 happen to take it right. But It may be Rea- 
 fon fufficient for rejeBing any Interpretation, 
 if It appears laboured and fubtle, and not well 
 accommodated to ordinary Capacities. Let 
 us fee then : The Words which th^ Argu- 
 ment is grounded upon, occur in the Sixth 
 Verfe of the Third Chapter of Exodus. I am 
 the God of Abraham, and the God of Is aac, 
 
 find the God of Jacob. • I am, not, I was : 
 
 God 
 
 ^.^ , * l^uke XX, 39, ''Matt. xxii. 33. 
 
g& ChristV Argument againjl 
 
 God was then God of thofe three Patriarchs, 
 the Lateft of which had been ^^^^ above 170 
 Years ; flill He continued to be their God. 
 What could That mean ? Is He a God of 
 lifelefs Clay, of moulder'd Carcafes, of Duft 
 and Rottennefs ? No fure : Belides, with what 
 Propriety of Speech, could the Afhes of the 
 Ground be yet called Abraham, or Isaac, 
 or Jacob ? Thofe Names are the Names of 
 Ferfons, not oi fenjelefi Earth, and Per fori al- 
 ways goes where the Intelligence goes ; There- 
 fore AbrahaMjIsaac, and Jacob were ftill 
 livi?2g and intelligent, fomewhere or other, 
 when God declared, He was flill their God -, 
 that is to fay, They were alive as to then- 
 better Part, their Souls j He is not a God of the 
 Dead, but of the Living : Therefore the Soul 
 furvives the Body : Therefore the Sadducees, 
 who denied the feparate Subfifience of Souls or 
 Spirits, were confuted at once, and That by a 
 very clear and plain Text, produced eyen fron:i 
 the Books of Moses. 
 
 But It will here be al\*d, How does This 
 prove The RefurreBion of the Body, which was 
 the Point in Queflion ? I anfwer, That was 
 not the o?7ly Point, nor the main Point, though 
 it follows This other, as I fhall {hew prefent- 
 iy : But We may obfcrve, in the mean while, 
 
 that 
 
tie Sadducees. 97 
 
 that if The Argument really reach'd no farther 
 than what I have mention'd^ yet it was a very 
 confiderable Point gain'd, and the reft was not 
 worth difputing ^ or, however, the Sadducees 
 would not difputc it. What They were afraid 
 of, was a future Accoufit : Now, whether it 
 be, that Men fhall give an Account in the Body, 
 or without the Body^ it would come much to 
 the fame ; for ftill there would be an Account 
 to be given, and there would remain the like 
 dreadful Apprehenfion of a Judgment to come. 
 Here lay the main Strefs of the Difpute ; and 
 therefore when our Lord had undeniably prov- 
 ed a Future State, He had gone to the very 
 Root of the Sadducean Principles -, and if They 
 once yielded thus far. They might readily 
 grant the reft. Our Blefted Lord knew the 
 Men thoroughly, and took the ftiorteft Way 
 of confuting them, by ftriking at the very 
 Heart of their Herefy. If He proved no 
 more than the Soul'sjhb/ifting after Death, He 
 proved enough to make the reft needlefs : For, 
 as the Principles of the Sadducees hung all 
 in a Chain, the breaking but one Link ren- 
 dered the whole unferviceable. Admit but of 
 a Future State, and then their fond Hopes were 
 defeated, and their guilty Fears alarm'd 3 and 
 Vol. IL G it 
 
9^ Chris tV Argument agaiitfl 
 
 it was all to no Purpofe for Them to contend 
 any farther upon that Head. This our Lord,, 
 being a Difcerner of the Thoughts, perfedly 
 knew ; and fo by aiming his Darts aright. He 
 at once filenc'd the Men, and quaflied the Dif- 
 pute. Such was his conftant Way in all his 
 Conteils with his captious Adverfaries : He in- 
 ftantly perceived where the whole Strefs of the 
 Caufe lay, and there pointed his Replies with 
 inimitable Force. But to proceed : 
 
 Though the Argument made Ufe of by our 
 Lord, proved no more, direBly^ than What I 
 have faid (and even That was enough) yet it 
 might be eafy to proceed upon it, 'till it would 
 at length coiiclude in the DocTtrine of a Refur^ 
 reBion, to make all compleat. For, if it be 
 confidered, that Death was the Timijhment of 
 Sin, and that Every Perfon, remaining under 
 that Sentence, and under the Dominion of 
 Death, flill carries about Him the Badges of 
 t\it Jirji T^ranjgrefjiony and the Marks of Di- 
 vine Difpleafure ; I fay, the Cafe being fo, 
 it cannot reafonably be fuppofed that the Souh 
 of good Men, whom God has own'd for his^ 
 fliall for ei^er remain in that inglorious State ; 
 but will fome Time or other be rejlored to 
 their Jirji Honours, or to What They were firft 
 
 or- 
 
the Sadducees. gi) 
 
 ordain'd to in Paradife, before ^'in entred. 
 Wherefore, fince God is pleafed to acknow- 
 ledge Himfelf flill God of Ab r ah am, Is a a c, 
 and Jacob j it is highly reafonable toprefume, 
 that He will in due time reftore Them to their 
 criginal Privileges, removing from Them the 
 Chains of Death, by re-uniting Soul and Bo- 
 dy together in a happy and glorious Refur^ 
 reBion. Thus, the fame Thread of Argu- 
 ment, which our Lord began with, and which 
 dire5llj proves the Immortality of the Soul, does 
 alfo in Conclulion lead us on, by juft and 
 clear Confcquences, to the ReJurreSfion of the 
 Body. 
 
 It m.ay perhaps be objeded, that the Argu*- 
 ment thus explained, proves only th^Lt good Souls 
 fliall furvive, and receive their Bodies new 
 raifed ; not that the wicked fhall ; and There- 
 fore The Sadducees were not intirely confuted. 
 But, fince the ??iain Principle of the Saddu- 
 cees was, that NG?:e at all do fo furvive j They 
 are abundantly confuted by proving that Some^ 
 at leafl, do ; and every Man's common Senfe 
 will eafiiy fupply the reft : For if good Men 
 fubfift after Death, and are to be amply re- 
 warded for their Obedience ; Who can make 
 any Queftion, but that the ^wicked alfo fhall 
 Vol. II. G 2 fub- 
 
I oo C H R I s t'j Argument againjl 
 
 fubfifl, to receive the Reward of their Difohe- 
 dience ? Thofe two Points have fo natural a Re^ 
 - lation and Congruity together, that They imply, 
 or infer each other ^ and the proving Either , is 
 in effedl proving Both, That the S adduce es 
 well knew j and therefore in order to avoid 
 One, They faw no other Way but to rejed: 
 Both : Therefore, when our BlelTed Lord had 
 f(^, plainly eflablifhed one, He might be under- 
 flood, by certain Inference and Implication, 
 to have eftabliflied the other alfo» 
 
 I have but one Thing more to obferve upon 
 the Text ; namely, that Some Perfons have 
 prefumed to argue from the Words, For all 
 live to Him, that Souls do not adually live in 
 a feparate State, but only, that dead Men fliall 
 be recalled to Life, and that for ihs prefent 
 they live only in God's Decree, and in a meta- 
 phorical Sen(e : But This is a forced Conftrudi- 
 on of very plain Words, without Reafon,, or 
 Foundation for it. To live to God, is a Phrafe 
 which is to be underflood in Oppofition to 
 living in the Flejlo, or living unto this World : 
 And it is of the fame Import with What We 
 rneet with in Ecckjiajles, where it is faid, The 
 Spirit fiall return unto God who gave it a ; or 
 
 with 
 « Ecd. xii. r* 
 
the Sadducees* tdx 
 
 with That of the Book of Wifdom T:he 
 
 Souls of the Righteous are in the Hands of Go d^. 
 This is what is meant by living to God: They 
 are under his Eye, and within his Protedlion, 
 in the invifible World, after having taken their 
 Farewel of This : In fhort, when They have 
 done with the Life that now is, They yet re- 
 main, and are ahve unto God, enjoying his 
 Frefence, and rejoycing in his Favour and Pro* 
 tedion. 
 
 The Sum then of what has been faid is. 
 That the Soulo£ Man is of a Subilance difl:in(5t 
 from the Body -, that it fubffls in a feparate 
 State, after the animal 'Diffolution, and never 
 dies ', and laftly, that All Men fhall one 
 Day rife again with their Bodies^ and ihall give 
 Account for their own Works. The praBical 
 TJfe of thefe Principles is obvious ; that lince 
 a future Judgment is certain and inevitable, and 
 that diibelieving it (with the Sadducees of old, 
 or with Others fince) can do a Man no Ser- 
 vice, except it be to fwell the fad Account ; 
 and fince .there is no poffible Way of fencing 
 againft it, but by taking all due Care to be 
 provided for it ; fince thefe Things are fo. The 
 befl, and indeed the only Expedient v/e have 
 to trufl to, is to lead a good Life ^ to endeavour 
 G 3 after 
 
 » V/ifd. iii. I. ' 
 
io2 Christ'^ Argument^ &;c, 
 
 after univerfal Righteoufnefs, both of Faith 
 and Manners : So may We be able (in and 
 through the all-prevailing Merits of Christ) 
 to abide the tremendous Judgment, and be re- 
 ceived with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, 
 into thofe blefled Maniions which God has 
 prepared for as Many as fmcerely love Him^j 
 and keep his Commandments. 
 
 SERMON 
 
SERMON VI. 
 
 A good Life the fureft Title to 2igood 
 Confcience, 
 
 I JoH N ill 2I5 22. 
 
 Beloved^ if our Heart condemn Us noty 
 then have We Confidence towards God : 
 And whatfoever We asky We receive of 
 Him^ becaufe We keep his Command- 
 7nentSy and do thofe Things that are 
 pleafing in his Sight, 
 
 iHESE Words will lead Me to 
 treat of the Nature and Quali- 
 ty of a good Confcience^ and the 
 Comforts of it. The Apoftle 
 had been before fpeaking of af- 
 furing our Hearts before God by the ftrongeft 
 Evidences poffible, by a true and unfeigned 
 Love of the Brethren. Hereby, fays He, JVe 
 
 G 4 know. 
 
104 A good Life the fur eft Title 
 
 knoWy that We are of the Truth -, and fiall of* 
 jure our Hearts, that is, pacify our Confcien- 
 ces, before Him. Then He adds, for if our 
 own Hearts condemn Us, God will much more 
 condemn Us : inafmuch as God is greater than 
 our Hearts, his Knowledge is of greater Ex- 
 tent than Ours, He knoweth all Things. But 
 if our Hearts condemn Us not, after clofe and 
 impartial Examination of our Condudt, then 
 have JVe, with good Reafon, Confidence towards 
 X^od', not doubting but that He will freely 
 ^v2intWhatfoever We may properly ajk of Him, 
 fo long as We keep his Commandments^ doing 
 thofe Thi?2gs that are pleafing in his Sight. Such 
 appears to be the Tour or Turn of the ApoHle's 
 Sentiments, collected from the Text and Con- 
 text. In difcourfing farther, it may be proper, 
 
 I. To ftatg the Nature and ^lality of a fure 
 Confcience^ or clear Confciencey or What 
 We commonly call a good Confidence, 
 
 II. To fet forth the Advantage and Comfort 
 of it. 
 
 I. 
 
 The "Nature of Oifiure or clear Confidence ought 
 to be firft juMy ftated, left We fhould millake 
 Shadow for Subftance, Appearances for Rea- 
 lities, Prefumption and vain Confidence, for 
 
 Truth 
 
to a good Confcicnce. 105 
 
 Truth and Sobernefs. The Apoftle points out 
 the general Nature of a good Confcience by this 
 Mark 3 that our Hearts condemn us not^ and that 
 We know that We are of the Truth ; know it 
 by fome certain Rule, namely by This, that 
 Ws keep God's Commandments, doing That which 
 is f leafing in his Sight. Here is a Rule given 
 whereby We may firft meafure our ConduB ; 
 And if our Conduct be found, upon a juft Ex- 
 amination, to fquare with 'That Rule^ then our 
 Cofifciences are clear, and We may look up with 
 a becoming Confidence to God. This is a 
 Matter of great Weight, and of the laft Im- 
 portance : And yet there is no where more 
 Room for Self- Flattery, and Self-Deceit. It 
 is extremely natural for a Perfon to bring in a 
 Verdidl in Favour of Himfelf, when He has 
 made no Examination at all, or a very fuper- 
 ficial one, or however not fo ftricl and fevere 
 a Scrutiny as an Aifair of fuch Delicacy, and 
 withal of fuch Moment, deferves. A Man 
 will often call it ad:ing according to his Con^ 
 Jcience, when He adls according to his prefent 
 Perjwafion, without ever examining how He 
 came by that Perfwaiion ; whether through 
 wrong Education, Cuflom, or Example; or 
 whether from fome fecret Luft, Pride, or Pre- 
 judice, rather than from the Rule of God's 
 
 written 
 
3[C6 ^'good Life thefurejl Title 
 
 written Word, or from a Principle of right 
 Reafon. This cannot be juftly called keeping 
 2, good Confcience : For, We ought not take up 
 falfe Ferjwafiom at all Adventures, and then to 
 mi.ke thofe PerfwaJjo?is our Rule of Life, in- 
 ftead of that Rule which God hath given us 
 to walk by. 
 
 It may perhaps be faid, that St.PAUL Him- 
 felf has warranted that Way of fpeaking : For, 
 though He had once very wrongfully and 
 grievouily, under rafj ^wA falfc Perlkvafio??^ per- 
 fecuted the Church of God, yet He fcrupled 
 not to fay, upon a certain Occaiion, afterwards. 
 Men and Brethren, I have Irccd in all good Con- 
 fcience before God, until this Day^. But as 
 there is no Necciiity of conftniing the Words 
 in that large Senfe ; fo there are good Reafons 
 to perfvvade us, that St. Paul had no fuch 
 Meaning. How frequently does He charge 
 Himfelf, in his Epiilles, as having been a ve- 
 ry gi-ievous Sinner, yt?L chief of Sinners^, on 
 Account of his having once perfecuted the 
 Church of God ? How then could He mo- 
 del^ ly pretend, or with Truth fay, that He 
 had lived in all good Confcience, all his Life, to 
 that Day ? At other Times, whenever the fame 
 Apoflle fpeaks of his having a good Confcience, 
 
 He 
 
to a good Confcience. 107 
 
 He conftantly underflood it with a View on- 
 ly to What He had done as a Chrijiia?2, in his 
 converted State. Herein, fays He, do I ex- 
 ercife my felf^ to have always a Confcience void of 
 Offence towa?'d God, and toward Men ». This 
 was faid in the Way of Anfwer to the falfe 
 Accufations of the fews, hke as the former, 
 and occurs in the Chapter next following: And 
 the Words plainly relate only to his Chrijiian 
 Converfation 5 not to his former fewifj one. 
 He had lived in all good Confcience, with re- 
 fpedt to v/hat the fews had accufed Him of: 
 For, neither againfl the Law of the Jews, nei- 
 thcr againfi the Temple, neither yet agaiifl Cje^ 
 SAR, had He offended any thing at all^, from 
 the Time of his Converlion to Chrift. So, 
 St. Paul's Phrafe of a good Confcience, did not 
 mean merely the living up to one's Perfwaff 
 on, of whatever Kind it were, but living up 
 to ^juf and well-groundedFevfwaiion, of What 
 is confonant to the PFill of God. If a Perfon 
 ^ds merely according to his prefent ill-ground- 
 ed Perfwalion, which He never ferioufly and 
 impartially examin'd into, He cannot be pro- 
 perly faid to maintain a good Confcience ; becaufe 
 if Pie has any Self- Reflection at all, his Confci- 
 ence mufl: fmite Him, and his own Heart con- 
 demn 
 
 » A£ls xxiv. 1 6. ^ Adls xxv. 8.' 
 
lo8 A gooi. lAk the fureft Title 
 
 demn Him, for not taking more Care to in- 
 form Himfelf better. Every Perfon is in Duty- 
 bound to prove all Things, fo far as, humanly 
 fpeaking, in his Circumflances, He may ; in 
 Order both to admit and to hGldfaJl that ivJoich 
 is good^. It is deceiving Our Selves to imagine 
 that We have a gmd Confcience, when We have 
 ufed no reafonable Care in examining whether 
 it be a right Confcience, a 'well-grouiided Per- 
 fwafion that we proceed upon, or not. 
 
 There is another common Method of Belf- 
 deceit y when a Perfon, Who well enough im- 
 derjiands the Rule He is to go by, yet forgets 
 to apply it to his own particular Cafe, and fo 
 fpeaks Peace to Himfelf, all the while that He 
 tranfgrefles it. It is irkfome and painful to 
 make Home Reflexions : And it is a much ea- 
 fier Way, to take it for granted, that We have 
 done nothing amifs, than to be critical, and 
 prying into our own Bofoms. King Saul 
 could fay confidently, even after the Prophet 
 Samuel had reproved Him, that He had o- 
 heyed the Voice of the Lord, and had gone the Way 
 which the Lord Jhit Him ^. He had done it 
 indeed in Part ; And, under a Kind of Con- 
 fufion of Thought (natural or artificial) He was 
 difpofed to pals that Fart off, for the Whole, 
 
 till 
 
 a : Their. V. 21. '^ j Sam. xv. 20. 
 
io a good Confcience. 109 
 
 till his Miftake was prefTed fo clofe upon Him, 
 that there was no Room for Evafion. A much, 
 better Man than He (I mean David) after 
 two very grievous Tranfgreffions, appeared to 
 be under the like Infeniibility, and the like 
 Self- Confidence (either blinded by the Height 
 of his Station, or the Strength of his Paffions) 
 till the Prophet Nathan, by an affeding 
 Parable, fhew'd Him his Miftake, and then 
 charged the Matter home to Him, by faying, 
 T^hou art the Man a. There is a Kind of Faf- 
 cinatian in Self- Flattery, for the Time, which 
 makes a Man blind to his own Failings, and 
 prompts Him to fpeak Peace to Himfelf, when 
 He has no Foundation for it, but a fond Pre- 
 fumption, or an overweening Vanity. 
 
 But the Way to \i2NQ,folid and abiding SatiJ^ 
 faction, is iirft to examine Our Selves, ilridtly 
 and impartially, by the Rule of God's Csm- 
 majidments ; in Order to fee clearly how far We 
 have come up to it, or how far, and in what 
 Inilances we have tranfgreffed it, or come 
 fhort of it. If, after a ftricl Scrutiny, We can 
 pronounce aifuredly, that our Heart is right, 
 and our Ways good (due Allowances only made 
 for Sins of daily Incuriion, or human Infir- 
 mities) We may then prefume to think, that 
 
 Wc 
 
 * 2 Sam, ,xiL 7,, 
 
110 A good Life the fur eft 'Titk 
 
 We have a clear Conj'ctence in the main, and fucli 
 as may embolden Us to look up with a good 
 Degree of Confidence towards God, as One 
 that will mercifully accept of our Prayers here^ 
 and of our Souls and Bodies hereafter. 
 
 I am aware of a Difficulty which may arife 
 from fome Words of St. Paul, which at fir ft 
 hearing may appear to clafli with the Dodrine 
 of the Text, as I have been expounding it. St^ 
 Paul fays, I judge not mine Own Self: For 1 
 know nothing by 7?iyfelf: Tet dm Inot hereby jujli^ 
 Jied: But He that judge th me, is the Lord. 
 therefore judge Nothing before the T^ime, until the 
 Jjord come &c^. Do not thefe Words found, 
 as if no certain Judgment could, or ought to 
 be made by any Man of his own fpiritual State 
 to Godwards ? And if fo, What becomes of 
 the Comfort of a good Conjcience ? Or how can 
 We have that Confidence towards God, which 
 the Text fpeaks of? In Anfwer to the feeming 
 Difficulty, I may obferve, frji, that it is cer- 
 tain St. Paul could not mean to detract from 
 the joyous Comfort of a good Co?t/cief2ce, fince 
 He more than once declared expreilly, that it 
 was What He Himfelf enjoy'd, and He was 
 fully affured of it : Befides that No Man ever 
 exprefled a more fatisfadory Affiirance of his 
 
 own 
 
 ^ I Cor. iv. 3, 4, 5, 
 
io a good Confclence. 1 1 1 
 
 ownfiialjii/iificatioji than He once did, in thefe 
 Words : / have fought a good Fight ^ 1 havejinijhed 
 7ny CourJt\ I have kept the Faith : Henceforth there 
 is laid lip for me a Crown of Right eoufiefs^ which 
 the Lordy the righteous fudge ^ fhall give me at 
 that Day '\ So far St. Paul : How then could 
 He iiij^ judge nothing before the Time ^ until the 
 Lord co?}ie, if That were his Meaning, that a 
 Man might not judge of his own fpiritual State 
 beforehand, nor fpeak Peace to Himfelf upon 
 the Strength of a clear Co?ifcie?2ce ? Thofe two 
 Suppofitions are evidently contradidory to each 
 other, and can never fland together. Where- 
 fore We muil of Neceffity look out for fome 
 other Meaning of What St. Paul fays, con- 
 cerning the Impropriety of judging any Thing 
 of our felves before the final Day of Judgment* 
 He was there fpeaking of the fulfilling the 
 Work of the Mi?nfry with the utmofl Exad:- 
 nefs ; and He would have No Man prefume 
 to judge beforehand that He had io fulfilled it* 
 For, tho' He fliould be able to efpy Nothing in 
 Himfelf wherein he had been to blame, had 
 no Sin to charge Himfelf with on that Head 5 
 yet That would not fuffice to clear Him per- 
 fectly, that is, to ji'Jiify Him in the flridieft 
 Senfe, becaufe God might fee Faults^ eithet 'of 
 
 Omijjion 
 
 - ^ 2 Tim. iv. 7, 8. ' • 
 
 2 
 
tm A good Life thefureft Title 
 
 OmiJJion or Chmmijfion^ which the Man HimfelJ 
 might not be aware of: Therefore, fays thfe 
 Apoftle, judge Nothing as to your faithful ful- 
 flling your Duty in every Point, before the Time: 
 Prefume not fo far : God only can judge whether 
 you have been altogether free from Blame in 
 that Article. So the Meaning of the Apoftle, 
 in that Place, was only to check vain Prefump- 
 tioTZy and to prevent proud Boajiing : And it 
 comes almoft to the fame with what St. James 
 fays. In many Things we offend All ^: And what 
 St. John fays. If we fay that we have no Sin^ 
 we deceive ourfelves^ &c ^ : Or to what the Pfal- 
 mifi intimates by faying. Who can underfiand 
 his Errors^ Clean/e Thou me from my fecret 
 Faults^. Now, the Dodrine of a good Con" 
 fcience, or of an humble Ajjurance of our being 
 in a State of Grace y is very confiftent with this 
 ether Dodrine, that the very Beft of Men are 
 Sinners in God's Sight, and may in fundry In- 
 fiances be found worthy of Blame, more than 
 They Themfelves had been ever aware of. The 
 Gofpel-Remedy for thofe fecret Sins, thofe 
 which have Neither efcaped our Notice, or have 
 flipped out of Memory, is 2l geiicral Repentance^ 
 together with fuch Kind of Prayers as the PfaU 
 mifi put up to the Throne of Grace, when He 
 
 faid, 
 
 * Jam. iii. 2. '' i John i. 8. « Pfal. xix. I2, 
 
io a Good Confcience. 113 
 
 fald, Cleanfe Thou me from my fecret Faults^ 
 Such Kind of Bin^ of Ignorance or of Infirmity 
 are no Bar to true Feace of Mind, or to the 
 Comforts of a good Co7ifcience, or to a modeji 
 Affurance of our being in a State of Grace and 
 Favour 3 provided only, that, upon a ferious 
 Examination of our ovi^n Hearts and Lives, 
 We do find that We indulge no known Habits 
 of Sin; but ufe our careful Endeavours, by 
 the Help of God's Grace, to difcharge our 
 bounden Duty in that Station of Life w here- 
 unto God has called Us. So then, this Place 
 of St. Paul, rightly underflood, interferes 
 not at all with the Dodrine of the Text as 
 before explain'd. And I may further hint, 
 that there were feme Minifters of the Gofpel 
 of that Time, Who were too much puffed up, 
 and affedied to be thought more confiderahle than 
 St. Paul Himfelf -, and it was chiefly with a 
 View to thofe Men that St. Paul here fpake 
 fo exceeding modeflly of Himfef, in Order to 
 teach I'Jwn Modefty in fuch a Way, as mJght 
 give Them lead Offence : Wherefore He fays 
 in Verfe the 6 th of the fame Chapter, l^hefe 
 Things, Brethren, I have in a Figure transfer-- 
 red to my Self and ^oApollos, for your Sakes : 
 That Te might learn in Us, not to think of Men 
 above That which is written, that No C72e of Toil 
 Vol.il H be 
 
^ vf. Jo*^*^^ /t^t-t^Aj !L^6T*oCcr^'7j^xctT;cu,cs 
 
 \ 
 
 '114 ^ Good Life t^e furefi Title 
 
 be puffed up for One aga'infl Another. He. was 
 fenfible that Some of the Church of Corinth 
 magnified Themfelves too much, and were 
 too much magnified by Others, in the Way 
 of Emulation : But it was a very tender Point 
 to fpeak plaixily of, or even to touch upon, for 
 Fear of widening the Breach, and heighten- 
 ing the Divifions : Therefore He chofe that 
 foftefl V/ay of Rebuke, not naming the Per- 
 , fons Who were moil: to blame, but naming; 
 ; Himfelf in ^leir Stead ; and defcribing in his 
 own Perfon, as a Minifler of Ch R i st, how 
 himihly and how modejily Every One ought to 
 think of Himfelf^ and behave in his Station. 
 
 But I return to the Bufinefs of a good Con- 
 fcience^ from which I have a little digrefied, 
 for the clearer reconciling of the feveral Texts, 
 and for the removing Scruples. No Doubt 
 but a ferious.confiderate Man may know when 
 He behaves as He ought to do, and may reap 
 the Comfort of it : And though We are None 
 of Us without Sin, of one Kind or other, but 
 in many Things we offend All ^ yea more than We 
 know of (but God knows) yet a good Life is 
 eafily diftinguidi'd from the Life of the Ungod- 
 ly^ and a State of Grace from a State cf Sin : 
 And fo there is Room enough left for the Joy 
 of a good Confclence^ where Men live as becom- 
 
 eth 
 
to a Good Conscience; i i 5 
 
 eth the Gofpel of Cn^i^T , perfeBing HoU72efs^ 
 to fuch a Degree as Man can be perfed:, in the 
 Fear of God. 
 
 II. 
 
 Having thus flated the Nature, and clear'd 
 the Meaning of a good Confcience, I now pro- 
 ceed to difcourfe of the Comforts of it. Thefe 
 are pointed out, in very expreffive Words, by 
 the Apoflle in the Text : If our Flearts con- 
 demn us not, then have We Confidence towards 
 Godi, and whatfoever we ajk, we receive of Him. 
 What greater Comfort can there be, than co?!-- 
 fcious Virtue, drawing after it the Favour, the 
 Countenance, the Friefidpip of God, in Whom 
 all Happinefs centers^ and upon Whom all 
 'Things entirely depend F If God be with Us, 
 who can be againfl Us ? What Friends can 
 We want, while in Him We have Ail that 
 are truly valuable ? Or what Bleffings can We 
 defire, but what He is both v/illing, and able 
 -to (how'r down upon Us, only leaving it to 
 Him to judge what is fafeil: and moil conve- 
 nient for Us. Whatfoever a good Man afis in 
 Faith, if it be for his Soul's Health, That He 
 is fare to receive-, as the Apoflle in the Text 
 informs Us. V/iil He afk Temporal Bleffings ? 
 He may, but with Referve and Caution ; not 
 forgetting to add thefe or the like Words- : 
 
 Vol. IL H 2 Tet 
 
1 1 6 A Good Life the furefi "Title 
 
 Tet not my IVill, but Thine be done. Will He 
 afk rather (as fure He will) Spiritual Blef- 
 iings, as Pardon and Grace, Holinefs here, 
 Happinefs hereafter ? Thofe He may afk ear- 
 neftly, abfolutely, freely, and without Re- 
 ferve -, and is fure to be heard in doing it, fo 
 long as He keeps God's Commandments. 
 There is no Pleafure in Life comparable to 
 That which arifes in a good Man's Breaft, 
 from the Senfe of his keeping up 2i friendly In- 
 tercourfe, ;a Kind of familiar Acquaintance 
 with God. I do not mean an irreverent, a 
 Kind oi fancy Familiarity, fuch as hath been 
 feen in fome fawning Hypocrites, or wild Eti- 
 thufafs ; and which is as different from the 
 true filial Reverence, as the afledied Cringings, 
 or naufeous Freedoms of a Parafte, are from 
 the open, decent, humble Deportment of a 
 refpeBfiil Admirer. The Text expreffes a good 
 Man's Comfort, by his having Confde?ice to^ 
 wards God : And in the next Chapter, the 
 fame Apoflle fays : Herein is our Love made 
 perfeB, that We may have Boldnefs in the Day 
 of Judgment, or againft the Day of Judgment : 
 Becauje as He is, fo are We in this World : That 
 is to fay, We are in the fame Intere/ls with 
 Him, are his Retainers, and Domeflicks of his 
 Family and Houjliold. The Apoflle adds ; 
 
 There 
 
to a Good Confcience. 117 
 
 ^here is no Fear in hove 5 but perfeB Love caji- 
 eth out Fear : Becaufe Fear hath T^ormenf^. 
 
 I have cited thefe other Texts for the clear- 
 er apprehending of what the Confidence towards 
 God means. To make it ftill plainer, I may 
 add, that, like as a dutiful and obedient Child, 
 confcious of a Parent's Love, and of the reci- 
 procal AiFedion there is between Them, ap- 
 proacheth not with fearful Looks or down-caft 
 Dread, but comes with Smiles in his Counte- 
 nance, and Joy in every Gefture ; fo a truly 
 good Man appears in God's Prefence, under a 
 joyous Senfe of the divine Love towards Flim, 
 and has none of thofe dreadful Apprehenfions 
 which guilty Men have, or ought to have, as 
 often as They come before Him. An awful 
 "Dijiance there ought indeed to be between the 
 Creature and his Creator : But where an Uni-. 
 on of Wills and AfFedions has made Us as it 
 were One with Christ, Who is effentially 
 One with God^ then that awful Tiiftance brings 
 no Torment with it, but rather fills the Mind 
 with inexprefjible 'Joy and Admiration. 
 
 Tho' St. John has faid, that perfect Love 
 cafleth out Fear 3 yet St. Paul has. faid. Work 
 out your own Salvation with Fear and Trembling^, 
 How fhall we reconcile the feeming Differ- 
 
 H 3 ence ^ 
 
 » I John Iv, 17, 18. )» Philip, ii. i %, 
 
i 1 8 A Good Life thefurejl Ttth 
 
 ence ? It may be reconciled thus : St. John 
 by Fear meant a tormenting Fear ; for He ob- 
 ferved, that Fear, fuch as He fpake of, hath 
 torment in it : Bat St. Paul underftood by 
 Fear, that Kind of Filial Fear temper'd with 
 Love, which has no fuch T^orment in it. St. 
 Paul, in the fame Place where He fpeaks of 
 working out our Salvation with Fear and Trem- 
 bling, immediately adds : For, it is God who 
 worketh in you, both to will and to do of his good 
 Fleafure^. Obferve, how comfortable a Reajon 
 He afilgns for Fear and Tremblijig, fufhcient, 
 One would think, to remove all melancholy 
 Fears, Doubts, or Dijpdejtce : And fo it is. 
 But Who can think of the immediate Pre- 
 fence of the Tremendous Deity, without fome 
 Trembling Awe and Concern upon his Mind .'* 
 Whenever God has been pleafed to lignify his 
 Approach by 'vifible Symbols and Jhij%le Appear- 
 ances to frail Mortals, They have inilantly 
 been filled with Dread and Horrour. The 
 Prophet Da-niel upon fuch Occafions, funk 
 dpwn into a Trance b j and even the, Apoftle 
 Jo H N fell down as dead for a Seafon <^. So 
 dreadful are the Approaches of the Divine 
 Majeily, tho' coming in Love, when made in 
 ^ fenfible Way, in fome dazling and glorious 
 
 Form. 
 
 ? Philip, ii. 13. ^ Dan. viii. 1 7, 1 8. — -x. 9. ' Kevel. i. 1 7. 
 
to a Good Confcience, no 
 
 Form. But when God comes to Us to make 
 his Abode ninth us^^ and to work ivithin us 
 (which He certainly does, becaiife He has fo 
 promifed) we feel no fenfible Emotions : Be- 
 caufe neither the Senfes nor the Imagination 
 is flruck by any outward Appearances, but all 
 is invifibly 2ind Jpiritiially performed 5 and there 
 is Nothing but abJiraB T'hought, and Chriflian 
 Recollection that can give us any Notion of 
 the Divine Prefence, in fuch his filent and 
 unfeen Approaches. However, a lively Faith 
 in it, and an undoubted Experience of it, may 
 be fuflicient to affeft a devout Mind with a 
 Kind of trembling Awe of the Divine Maje- 
 fty conceived to be prefent, anH working in 
 Us : And that Confideration may beft account 
 for St. Pau l's Meaning, where He fays : 
 JVork out your own Salvatmi with Fear and 
 Trembling : For, it is God that worketh in Tou, 
 and fo on. — There is Nothing in This Mat- 
 ter which takes off from the tranfporting Plea- 
 fure of a clear and good Confcience, grounded 
 upon the ftable Supf)ort of a well-Jpent Life, 
 the only fure Anchor to reft upon, and That 
 no otherwife than as it finally refts in the all- 
 fufEcient Merits ofCHRisxjEsus, which 
 ^ione can fupply the Defers of our own Righ-. 
 H 4 teoifnefi^ 
 
 B Joh. xiv. 23. , 
 
 \ 
 
1 20 A Good Life thefurejl Tith 
 
 teoufnefs^ or render even our befl Services ac- 
 cepted. 
 
 But the greater the Comfort of a good Con- 
 fcience is, the more folicitous ought We to be, 
 that We proceed upon fure Grounds, in the 
 Judgment v/hichWe make of our Own Selves ; 
 and that We millake not Prefumption, or Self- 
 Admiration, for true Peace of Mind. Many 
 Marks might be mention'd, v^hereby to dif- 
 tinguidi One from the Otljer : But It may 
 fuffice to point out 0?2e which is the fore/i of 
 any ; namely, Growth m Goodnefs, Growth 
 in Grace. The Progrefs of the Chriftian Life 
 is gradual j and our higheil; Attainments here 
 are a ftill growi?2g Perfection. Examine your 
 Title to the Comforts of a good Con fcience by 
 this Rule j and you fhall find It will not de- 
 ceive You. If We are daily improving in Wif- 
 dom and Virtue, gaining Ground of our Vice^ 
 or FaJJiom more and more ; If We iind Our 
 Selves more patient under Adverfity, and lefs 
 puffed up in the Day of Profperity ; If We 
 perceive, that We can bear Affronts, or Inju- 
 ries with more Calmnefs and Unconcerned- 
 nefs, and are more difpofed than formerly to 
 forget, and forgive -, If We have greater Com- 
 mand over our Appetites, and can take De- 
 light in Temperance, Sobernefs, and Challity 5 
 
 I V^, 
 
to a Good Confcience. 121 
 
 If, inflead of doing Wrong to Any Man, We 
 find Our Selves more and more inclined to 
 Kindnefs, Friendlinefs, and Charity ; If, in- 
 ftead of hanging back, with Refped: to Reli- 
 gious Duties, We find our Relifh for them 
 heighten'd, our Devotions raifed, and our Ar- 
 dors more inflamed 5 If our Attachments to 
 the World grow weaker and weaker, and our 
 Afpirations towards Heaven every Day ftrong- 
 er and ftronger, the nearer We iapproach to 
 the End of our Race ; I fay. If We'find Mat- 
 ters thus to ftand (upon the ftrideft Enquiry 
 We can make into our Hearts and Lives) then 
 may We, upon fure Grounds, judge favour- 
 ably of our prefent State and Circumftances, 
 and may humbly prefume that God is in Us 
 of a Truth, and that We are, by the Grace 
 of God, thro' the Merits of Chri st Jesus^ 
 in the High Road to Salvation. 
 
 SERMON 
 
SERMON VIL 
 
 The Nature and Manner in which the 
 Holy Spirit may be fuppofed to ope- 
 rate upon Us : And the Marks and 
 Tokens of fuch Operation, 
 
 Rom, viii. 14, 
 
 As many as are led by the Spirit of Gody 
 They are the Sons of God, 
 
 U R prefent High Fejflival a, 
 which is of ancient Standing in 
 the Church of Christ, is pe- 
 culiarly dedicated to the Ho- 
 nour of the Holy Spirit J a Di- 
 vine Perfon, Partner with the Father^ and the 
 Son, in the one eternal, all-glorious Godhead, 
 Divine Wifdom has vouchfafed herein to ap- 
 prize Us of the Relation We bear to each 
 JPerfon, and the Dependence We have upon 
 
 Them 
 
 ^ Whitfunday, 
 
1 24 The Natute and Tokens 
 
 Them All, that We alfo (among other Crea- 
 tures) may pay our dutiful Homage, and A- 
 doration accordingly. 
 
 All the Perfons of the Godhead are repre- 
 fented, in Sacred Writ, ^s jointly concurring m 
 our Creation and Prefevoation^ and jointly con- 
 tributing, in myfterious Order, to our Redemp- 
 tion and final Salvation : But the prefent 
 Occafion obliges Me to confine My Self chief- 
 ly to What concerns the Third Per/on^ his 
 Prefence with Us, and his kind Offices towards 
 
 Us. 
 
 He is fet forth, in the New Tellament, as 
 our Comforter abiding a?nong us a, and as dwell- 
 wg in us ^ : And that, not with refpecfl to our 
 Souls only, but even our Bodies alfo, thefe Ta- 
 bernacles of Clay : For they likewife have 
 the Honour to be confidered, as the facred 
 Temple wherein He is pleased to refide ^, 
 They are thereby JanBiJied, for the prefent, 
 and fealed alfo, for the Time to come : Sealed 
 tinto the Day of their Redemption ^ 5 that is to 
 fay, marked out, and infured for a happy and 
 joyful Refurre6lion to Life eternal. For^ as 
 Many as are led by the Spirit of God, They are 
 the Sons oj God j and therefore (as foon after 
 
 follows 
 
 ' John xvi. 7. — xiv. 16. * 1 Cor.vi. 19. 
 
 ?^ I Cor. iii. 16, ^ Ep^- '^'' 3^« 
 
ef the Spirit's Operation. 12^ 
 
 ibllows in the fame Chapter) if Children^ then 
 
 Heirs, and yoyjit-Heirs with Ch r i s t that 
 
 We may be glorified together ^, In difcourfing 
 farther, it will be proper to iliew, 
 
 I. TFhaf it is to be Jed by the Spirit -, or What 
 it is that the Holy Spirit does for the fur- 
 thering our Salvation. 
 
 II. How, and in what Manner He may bft 
 fuppbfed to a6i, or operate. 
 
 III. By what Marks or 'tokens it may be 
 feen, that He does operate upon Us^ and 
 that We are led by Him. 
 
 IV. What is the TJfe and Improvement whic^ 
 We are concern'd to make of the Whole. 
 
 I. 
 
 As to the firft Particular, which relates to 
 the Spirifs leading Us in our Way to Salva- 
 tion, it is obfervable, that our BlefTed Lord, 
 taking his folemn Leave of his Difciples, a 
 little before his Paffion, confign'd Them, as 
 it were, over to the Care and Guidance of the 
 Holy Ghoft, the Comforter, Who would guide 
 'Them into all "Truth ^, and would abide with 
 Them, and with the Church after Them, for 
 ever^. He repeated the fame Promife to 
 
 Them, 
 
 f Rom. viii. 17. •» Johnxvi. 13. « rxiv. 16. 
 
t26 Tie Nature and Tokens 
 
 Them, a little before his Afcenfion into Heit^ 
 ven, as appears from the Hiftory oi ABs i. 5. 8. 
 This, however, is not to be fo under flood, 
 as if the Holy Ghoft were now our Jole Con- 
 duder, exclujive of the Other Tico Divine Per- 
 fons : For our BlefTed Lord, in the very fame 
 Place where He promifes to fend the Com- 
 forter to a5ide with Us for ever, promifes ai- 
 fo, that the Father and Himfelf (hdW make the 
 like Abode with good Chriftians. If any Man 
 love Me, fays He, My Father 'will love Him, 
 a7id We will come unto Him^ and make our Abode 
 with Him ^. Elfewhere He promifes to his 
 Difciples, his own Jpiritual Prefence, to con- 
 tinue with Them, as long as the Church, or 
 the World fliould laft. Lo, I am with Ton 
 alway, even unto the Fnd of the World. Amen ^. 
 From all which it is plain, that God the Fa- 
 ther, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghofi, 
 are equally prejent to good Men, in all Ages 
 of the Church ; and that when our Lord 
 fpake of his departing^ and leaving the World, 
 He meant it barely of his bodily Abfence : 
 And becaufe, from the Time of his Afcenfion, 
 He was to be prefent, only in a fpiritual and 
 invifible Way, as a Spirit, and together with 
 the Holy Spirit ; therefore He confider'd his 
 Church from thence-forwards, as being peculi- 
 arly 
 
 ' Jolin xiv, 23. •* Matth. xxviii. 20, 
 
cf the Spirit's Operation^ 127 
 
 arly under the Guidance of the Holy Ghojl j 
 though ftriftly fpeaking, it is under the fpiri- 
 tual Guidance of All the 'Three Perjbns. Hence 
 it is, that (uch. fpirittml Guidance (which often 
 goes under the Name of Grace, in the New 
 Teflament) is fometimes afcribed to the Fa- 
 ther, fometimes to the So?i, and fometimes to 
 the Holy Ghoji, as it is the c6?nmon Work of All ; 
 and may be indifferently, and promifcuoufly, 
 attributed to Any of Them iingly, or to All 
 of Them together. So We find Mention 
 made, more than once, of the Grace of our 
 Lord Jesus Christ; and of the Grace of 
 God, meaning God the Father : And yet 
 the Holy Ghost is emphatically and emi- 
 nently ftyled The Spirit of Grace, as being, 
 fome Way or other, more immediately concer- 
 ned in the Work of Grace, and thereby uni- 
 ting true Believers both with the Father and 
 the Son. 
 
 Now, for the clearer Conception of What 
 Grace means, in this emphatical Senfe, and of 
 What the Holy Spirit does in the JFork of 
 Grace, upon the Minds of the Faithful ; We 
 may diftinftly confider it under its feveral 
 Views, or Divifions. 
 
 I. There is a Kind of illuminating, or en- 
 light ejiing Grace given, as often as the Holy 
 
 Spirit 
 • 2 
 
128 755^ Nature and Tokens 
 
 Spirit conveys and infiilh good T^houghts^ wholes 
 Jome Counfeh, or falutary InfiruBions ; opening 
 the Underjlanding to receive and embrace them. 
 To This Head belongs what the Pfalmijl fays : 
 Open thou mine Eyes, that I fjiay behold wondrous 
 'Things out of thy Law ^. And in the New Tef- 
 t anient it is recorded, that The Lord opened 
 the Heart o/Lydi a, that She attended unto The 
 Things which were fpoken of Paul b. It is the 
 Spirit that gives us true Light, and likevi^ife 
 gives it Reception. 
 
 2. There is alfo a kind oi fanBifying Grace y 
 when the Holy Spirit of God reBifies the Hearty 
 inclines the JVilly and meliorates the Ajfediions : 
 For, it is God that worketh in Us both to will 
 end to do, of his good Plea fur e ^ j as St. Paul 
 teftifies. This fafiBifying Grace is commonly 
 diftinguifh'd into three Parts or Branches, 
 called prc'-oenting, ajjijling, perfeBing -, being 
 coniidered, firfi, as laying the early Seeds of 
 that fpiritual Life ; next, as contributing to its 
 Growth and Progrefs 3 and lafly, as adding the 
 
 finijlnng Hand to it. 
 
 3 . There is one pecidiar Work of the Spirit, 
 which, tho' it n:av be reduced to One or O- 
 ther of the three Pleads of preventing, nfjifting, 
 ^x pcrfediing Grace (as before mentioned) may 
 
 yet 
 
 » Pfal. cxix. iS. »• Aas wl. 14. <^ Tliirip. xi. 13. 
 
of the Spirit's Operation. 129 
 
 yet deferve {orcit Jpecial Notice here : And 
 That is, The Grace of true Devotioji, attended 
 with deep CompimSiion of Heart. St. Paul 
 fpeaks of it in the Epiflle to the Romans^ in 
 thefe Words : The Spirit aljb helpeth our Infir^- 
 mities -, for We know not What We jloould pray 
 for as We ought : But the Spirit it felf maketh 
 Inter cefjiofi for Us, with Groanings which cannot 
 be uttered^. That is to fay. The Holy Spirit 
 of God, working within, fometimes ftrikes 
 the Mind of good Men with fuch Ardency of 
 Devotion, and fuch vehement Compund:ions, 
 that their Hearts are too fall to utter What 
 They think 5 and fo, for the prefent. They 
 are not able to vent the pious Breathings of 
 their Souls in any other Way, than That of 
 Sighs and Groans. The Holy Spirit is the /;/;- 
 pidfvoe Caufe of all fuch religious Ardors^ fuch 
 ftrong Convulfions of godly Remorfe^ or godly 
 Affeclion j it is the Work of God upon the hum- 
 ble Minds. 
 
 Thefe few Hints may fuffice to give You 
 fome general Idea of the Work of Grace, or of 
 What the Holy Spirit does for the furthering 
 the fpiritual Life here, in order to our Salva- 
 tion hereafter. 
 
 Vol. II. I The 
 
 :Rom. viii. 26, 
 
130 Jhe Nature and Tokens 
 
 II. 
 
 The next Enquiry is, how^ or in isohat Man- 
 net\ He may be conceived to operate, and to 
 effed:uate what He does ? 
 
 In this Enquiry We ought to proceed with" 
 all becoming Modefty and Reverence ; fince 
 We are not able perfe<!^iy to unfold the myjie- 
 rioiis Workings of the tremendous Deity upon 
 the Spirit of Man. But, one Thing We are 
 certain of, in the general, that Whatever is 
 ordinarily done of this Kind, is done in a gen- 
 tie, moral^ injinuating Way, and not by mecha- 
 nical, irrejifiible Impulfes, fuch as would take 
 away Human Liberty, or reduce Men to a fort 
 of intelligent Clockwork, or reafoning Machines : 
 For, upon that Suppofition, every good Work, 
 Word, or Thought would be fo entirely Gods, 
 that no Vart of it would be Ours -, and fo all 
 our Virtue would be mere Force upon Us (and 
 therefore no Virtue of Ours at all) and there 
 would be no Room left for the numberlefs 
 Exhortations to Well-doing, which Scripture 
 fo much abounds with, not- for any proper Ti- 
 tle to future Rewa7^ds. It is manifeft therefore 
 that the Operations of God's Holy Spirit upon 
 Us, only prepare Us for Godlinefs, or i7icite 
 Us and enable Us thereto ; the reft mufl come 
 
 frorp 
 
tf the Spirit's Operation. 131 
 
 from Our f elves. Accordingly, Scripture al- 
 ways fuppofes, that, notwithftanding any the 
 ftrongeft Interpofitiom of Grace ^ Men are flill 
 left capable of rejijiing the Holy Spirit a, and, 
 Gi'iemng the Holy Spirit ^^ and even quenching 
 the Holy Spirit. For, the Holy Spirit moves 
 and inclines only, and does not compel : He 
 kaJs and conduBs as Many as will be led and 
 conda(fted by Him ; but does not fo forcibly 
 attra<£t Them, as to over-rule all ilubborn 
 Refijlance^ or reludant Perverfenefs. God has 
 provided no Remedy for malicious Wickednefs^ 
 apd proud Objiinacy : But in fuch Cafes, the 
 Holy Spirit commonly retires and withdraws, 
 leaving the Incorrigible and Incurable toThem-^ 
 felves, arJ to their own certain Deflrudlion. 
 
 If We may prefume to be a little more par-- 
 ticular upon fo awful a Subje5f, it feems that 
 the Holy Spirit of God works upon the Minds 
 of Men by proper Applications to their Rea- 
 Jon and Confcience^ to their Hop)es and Fears ; 
 fuggefting to Them What is right and good^ 
 and layi?ig before Them^ in a flrong Light, the 
 Happinefs which they may attain to by Obe^ 
 diefice, and the Mifery confequent upon Difo- 
 bedience. And I may add, that one very con- 
 fiderable Article of Divine Wifdom and Good- 
 
 VoL. II. I 2 nefs 
 
 « Aas vii. 51, ,** Ephef. iv. 30, 
 
132 T^a Nature and Tokens 
 
 nefs lies in the providential ordering all Hu- 
 man Affairs in llich a Manner, as may moft 
 fitly ferve the Purpofes of Grace-, not prefer- 
 ving good Men altogether from Temptatiom 
 (for, How then fhould They improve in Vir- 
 tue, without the Exercife proper for it ?) but 
 {o rejiraining, limiting^ and governing the 
 Temptations, that they fliall not prefs harder, 
 or continue longer, than may befl anfwer the 
 End and Defign of God's permitting them. 
 Let This fuffice, in the general, with refpedt 
 to the ordinary Methods of Grace, and the Man- 
 ner of the Spirifs operatitig. It confifls part- 
 ly, in the outward T)ire5iion of all fublunary 
 Jlffairs, and partly in inward and gentle Ap- 
 pli cations to the Minds of Men, fuited to the 
 Times, Seafons, and Circumflances before pro- 
 vided. 
 
 There have been Inflances of other Me- 
 thods of Grace, which may be called extraor- 
 dinary -, as was once i^txi in the miraculous 
 Converfion of 3000 Perfons at once j and a- 
 gain more particularly, in the miraculous Con- 
 verfion of St. Paul. Of fuch Cafes it is ob- 
 fervable, that, tho' the outward Means were 
 miracidous, and certainly effediual with all who 
 were fitly difpofed -, yet even there, the inward 
 Grace ^zs, not abfolutely /rr^/^/t% Paul 
 
 was 
 
of the Spirit's Operation. 13^ 
 
 was a religious well-difpofed Man before his 
 miraculous ConverJio?2, and only wanted 72ew 
 Light and a better DireBiofi, The outward 
 Cally in that Cafe, was iniraculous : But the 
 'inward Grace which went with it, was no O- 
 ther than What might have been rejijied^ and 
 woidd have been refifted, had it fallen upon a 
 perverfe temper, and a Jiubborn Heart. St. 
 Paul Himfelf intimates as much, where, 
 fpeaking of Himfelf, He fays : Whereupon^ O 
 Ki72g Agrippa, I was not difobedient unto the 
 Heavenly Vijion ^. He might have been difobe- 
 dient -, but He chofe to obe)\ being, in the 
 main, a Perfon of good natural Probity^ and 
 not under the Dominion of any malicious Wic-^ 
 kednefs, or Jiubborn PaJ/ions, We do not find 
 that any Miracles could convert the hardned 
 PharifeeSy or Sadducees, or Simon Maqus : 
 And tho' Elymas the Sorcerer, was ??iiracU' 
 hujly ftruck blind, yet it had no Saving Effect 
 upon his Heart. There is a certain Degree of 
 Obflinacy, which the Grace of God extends iiot 
 to, or attempts not to conquer. My Spirit 
 fhall not always flrive with Man, faid God, 
 with refpedt to the old World b. They were 
 <yone too far, to be curable by the ordinary 
 Methods of Grace : And an All-wife God 
 
 I 3 woul4 
 
134 ^^ Nature and Tokens 
 
 would not fend Them an irrefijlible Grace 
 (which had been improper) to convert Them ; 
 but He fent a Flood to defiroy Them : So in 
 the Cafe of Sodom and Gomorrhah^ He attemp- 
 ted not, by any ordinary or extraordinary Grace ^ 
 to reclaim Them ; but rain'd down Fire and 
 Brimjlone from Heaven, to confume Them, 
 The Reafon of all which is, that Men, con- 
 fide red as Free-agents^ mufi: be reformed by 
 the gentler Meafures^ or none : If They will 
 not be led by the Holy Spirit of God, They 
 fhall not be driven -, becaufe then their Virti{£ 
 would have Nothing of Choice in it, and con- 
 fequently would be no Virtue at all, in any 
 proper Senfe of the Word, nor meet for a Ke- 
 ward. — So much for my feco^id general Head* 
 I proceed now, thirdly^ 
 
 III. 
 
 To enquire, by ivhat Marks or Tokens We 
 may difcern when the Holy Spirit operates 
 upon Us, and when We are led or conduced by 
 Jiim. 
 
 The Marks or Tokens of the Spirit's operating 
 appear chiefly, either in Chech of Confcience dif- 
 fuading us from Evil,^ or in godly Motions in- 
 citing us to What is right and good. For, 
 tho' what paiTes within us of that Kind is not 
 
 difiingiiijl:" 
 
of the Spirit's Operation. 13^ 
 
 dijiinguljhable ^ by the Manner of it, from the 
 natural Workings of our own Minds j yet jR^- 
 'uelation^ in Conjundlion with our enhghtened 
 Reafon, does abundantly affure Us, that every 
 good l^houghtj Coujijel, and Defire comcth from 
 alcove, and is the Work oi fuper-natural Grace 
 upon the Hearts 
 
 But before We draw fuch Conclulion, with 
 refpeft to any particular Thought which pafTes 
 within, fpecial Care fhould be taken, that we 
 proceed upon fure Grounds in the forming our 
 Judgment of it : Otherwife, We may be apt 
 to afcribe the Rovings of Fancy ^ or mere Dreams 
 of our own, to the Holy Spirit of Qod. 
 
 Some very good Men, but of a melancholy 
 Caft, have been obferved to make it a Rule to 
 Themfelves, in Cafes of Perplexity, to lean to 
 that Sidfe wherein They find moil Eafe to their 
 own Minds ; concluding, that the Reace which 
 They experience, is it felf a Symptom of Divine 
 DireBion. The Rule is a good general Rule ; 
 becaufe, in moft Cafes, a Man*s own Mind is 
 his beft Cafiiift^ in judging of right and wrong, 
 of good and evil. But yet fometimes it hap- 
 pens, that a Perfon may be under the Influ- 
 ence of unperceived Prejudices, or PaJJions^ 
 which warp Him to a Side, and lay a Bias 
 upon Hiiji : And therefore there is no fafe and 
 I 4 certain 
 
136 72^ Nature <5;;^(/ Tokens 
 
 certain Rule to go by, in fuch Cafes, but a 
 flriifl Examination into the Nature and ^lality 
 of the Adion : And if, upon cool Reflexion, 
 We find that What We are inwardly diffuaded 
 from, is really m/, or What We are inwardly 
 fromfted to^ is really good^ then may W^fafe^ 
 ly and juftly afcribe Jiich Motions to The Holy 
 Spirit of God. 
 
 As to our judging of our wJoole Co?idu6l, and 
 whether, or how far, We are therein moved 
 or conducted by the Holy Spirit, We have a 
 fafe Rule to go by ; namely, the Rule of God's 
 Coiumandmeiits. Whofoever is born of God, doth 
 7iot commit Sin ^ -, that is, doth not allow Him- 
 fclf in any known Jinful Habit or Pradlice. He 
 that keepeth GodV Commandmejifs (as St. John 
 obferves) dwelleth in God, and God in Him ^, 
 St. Paul alfo to the fame Purpofe fays; that, 
 if We li-ve in the Spirit, We Ihall walk in the 
 Spirit c : And becaufe fuch Walking is beft 
 feen by the Fruits, He enumerates the Fruits 
 of the Spirit, in the fame Place : The Fruit 
 of the Spirit (fays He) is Loije, Joy, Peace, 
 Long-fuffering, Gentlenefs, Goodnefs, Faith, Meek- 
 ncfs, 'Tempera?ice^. In fhort, the only fure 
 Marks and Tokens of our being condiiSled by 
 the Spirit of God, are a ferious and fledfaft Be- 
 lief 
 
 « ijohniil. 9. cGal.v. 25. 
 •* iii- 24^ "* V. 22, 23, 
 
of the Spirit's Operation. 137 
 
 lief of what the fame Spirit hath taught Us, 
 and a confcientious Obedience to all the Laws 
 of the Gofpel, 
 
 IV. 
 
 I pafs on to the Fourth and lafl Particular, 
 namely. The Vfe and Improvement to be made 
 of the Whole. 
 
 I. One great Vfe is, to be ever mindful of the 
 World of Spirits whereunto We belong ; and 
 particularly of that Blejf'ed Spirit, Who prefides 
 over Us, and whofe Temple We are, while We 
 behave as becomes Us. We are ufed to look 
 upon Our Selves as the very lowef Order of in- 
 telligent Beings, and perhaps very juftly : But 
 yet I know not what other Order of Creatures 
 there is which can boaft of higher Privileges 
 than We 5 while God the Father, Son, and 
 Holy Gho/l vouchfafe to 7?2ake their Abode with 
 Us, and to accept even of our earthly Bodies 
 (while clean and undefiled) as their common 
 Temple to dwell in. 
 
 This Coniideration, by the Way, may ferve 
 to fliew Us the Folly of All Thofe, Who have 
 thought it below the Divine Majefty to take 
 upon Him Flejld and Blood, and have made That 
 their Pretext for difpu ting theDm/^Z/yof our 
 Blejjed Saviour, For, if it is not below the Ma- 
 jefty even of God the Father, to abide, in fome 
 
 Senfe, 
 
138 7he Nature and Tokens 
 
 Senfe, 'with Flejh and Blood', How can it be 
 thought betieath the Dignity of God the Son, to 
 take our Nature upon Hi?n ? Befides, true Ef- 
 fential Majefly can fufFer no Detriment, can 
 never be impaired by any gracious Condefcenfi- 
 ons : But the greater the Divine Condejcenfion 
 is, the brighter is the Glory : Therefore All 
 the Three Perfo?is of the eternal Godhead have 
 condejcended to dwell, in godlike Manner, even 
 with mortal Man. Should not This Confider- 
 ation move Us to fet the lefs Value upon 
 Things bebiv, and to elevate our AfFedlions to 
 Things above f 
 
 2. Another life to be made of the prefent 
 Meditation, is, to be ever mindful of putting 
 up our devout Prayers to the Throne of Grace, 
 that the Spirit of God may alway dwell with 
 Us, and never depart from Us : But then, to 
 make our Prayers the more effeBual, We 
 fliould take Care to avoid all fuch evil PraBi- 
 ^^es as may offend, or grieve the Holy Spirit of 
 God, and move Him to defert Us, or to grow 
 eilranged from Us. 
 
 3. Thirdly, and laflly, lince the Benefit of 
 all depends, at length, upon our own willing 
 Compliance J and hearty Endeavours, let Us make 
 it our cojifiant Refolution to attend the Motions, 
 and to obey the Suggeflions of God's Holy Spirit ; 
 
 and 
 
of the Spirit's Operation. 139 
 
 and fo to nvcrk out our own Sahation, with Fear 
 and T^rembling ^ While God works in Us, and 
 for Us, We muft alfo work for Oiirfelves^ or 
 elfe his Grace is fent in vain. Therefore, tho* 
 the Pjdhniji prays to God, to create in Him a 
 clean Hearty and a new Spirit^ ; yet elfe where 
 God Himfelf, fpeaking to his People, fays, 
 Cafi away from Tou all your Tranfgrejtons, make 
 Tou a new Heart, and a new Spirit c. So then 
 a good Heart and a good Life are God's Work^ 
 and they are our Work alfo : They are a Mix- 
 ture, or Compound oiBoth. God will never fail 
 to perform his Part, provided only that We 
 are not wanting in Ours. X^i^ We therefore 
 iirfl:, the appointed Means of Grace (appointed 
 by God) fuch as Hearing, Reading, Prayings 
 and receiving the Holy Communion ; for Thefe 
 are the ordinary Injirumenfs of Grace, the Con- 
 duits or Channels, in and by which God conveys 
 it. Take We Care to comply with, and obey 
 the Grace of God once received, and to bring 
 forth the Fruits of it in our Lives and Con- 
 verfations. 
 
 a Philip, xi. 12. ^ Pfal. li. lO. « Ezek. xviii. 30, 31, 
 
 SERMON 
 
^^=^?i^^^^ 
 
 SERMON VIII. 
 
 The Springs and Motives o£ falfe Pre-- 
 fences to the Holy Spirit ^ with the 
 Rules and Marks of tryiitg and de- 
 teding them. 
 
 I John iv. i. 
 
 Beloved.^ believe not every Spirit^ hut try 
 the Spirits whether they are of God, 
 
 U R prefent Feftival ^ is the Me- 
 morial of the awfal coming of 
 God's Holy Spi?it upon the A- 
 poftles, purfuant to our Lord's 
 Promife -, and is particularly de- 
 dicated to the Honour of that Divine Perfon, 
 the Third Perjbiz of the adorable Godhead. 
 Him We ought to honour in every Way that 
 either Sacred Writ, or our ov/n enlighten'd 
 
 Reafoii 
 
 2 Whltfunday, 
 
1425 l^oe Trial of Spirits. 
 
 Reafon hath pointed out to Us : More parti- 
 cularly, in guarding with utmoft Care, againft 
 all Ahiifes of that High Name ; againft imput- 
 ing any fond Fancies^ or Follies, or Frenlies 
 to the Bleffed Spirit of God. Simon Ma- 
 gus, difturbed in Head and corrupt in Heart, 
 was ambitious of the 'Thing, for the Sake 
 chiefly of the Name -, affeding to give it out, 
 that Himfelf was fome Great One ^ ; or fome 
 great Power of God^, And when He could 
 jnot obtain it, being altogether unworthy of it. 
 He endeavoured (as We learn from Church- 
 Hiftory) to make up with Fi5lion and Oftenta- 
 tiouy what was wanting in FaB ; pretending 
 that at fome Times He had been the great O- 
 racle or Reprefentative of God the Father to 
 the Samaritans y and at other Times of the Son 
 to the 'Jews, and again of the Holy Ghojl to the 
 Gentiles, So induftrious was He to magnify 
 Himfelf under fair Pretences, thereby hoping 
 to draw the World after Him j as He did fome 
 Part of it, gaining Profelytes among the Ig- 
 norant, Credulous, and Undifcernins. This 
 Kind of Traffick for Fame was conilantly car- 
 ried on by Some or Other, under fome Shape 
 or other, during the firft Ages of the Church j 
 and it has been continued in various Ways and 
 
 in 
 
 • Aftsviii. 9, ^ Aasviii, 10, 18,' 19. 
 
 / 
 
jHje Trial of Spirits. 1 43 
 
 in different Forms, thro' all fucceediog Ages, 
 down to this Day. It is one of the moft re- 
 fined Artifices of Satan's Policy : And God 
 has permitted it for the Trial of his Faithful 
 Servants ; that They may be proved and ex- 
 ercifed every Way, and may learn to be as 
 much upon their Guard againft any Surprize 
 of their Underjiandings, as againfi: any Seduc- 
 tion of their Wills. It is fufficient, that both 
 the New T^ejlament and Old have given flrong, 
 repeated Warnings againfl: every Temptation 
 of that Kind ; and have not only commanded 
 Us to ftand upon our Guard, in fuch Cafes, 
 but have alfo laid dov^n Marks and Rules^ 
 whereby to difcover, and whereby to repel 
 every Wile of Satan, and every the fubtil- 
 efl: Engine amongft all his Devices. 
 
 As to this Particular, there are many Cau- 
 tions againft it inferted up and down in the 
 Sacred Writings : And I have here made 
 Choice of one which appears to be as ex- 
 prefiive and affeding as any, deliver'd by St. 
 John, the latefi Apojik : Beloved, Believe Jiot 
 E'tJery Spirit, but try the Spirits whether 'They 
 are of God, and fo on. Which Words very 
 plainly pointed at the falfe Pretenders to the 
 Spirit, appearing in thofe early Days : Men 
 that vainly boafted of Their being filled with 
 
 # the 
 
 2 
 
 I 
 
144- ^ke Trial of Spirits. 
 
 the Holy Ghoji^ inftrud:ed extraordinarily from 
 above, illuminated from on high, and com- 
 miffion'd to teach and gather Converts, in Op- 
 polition to the truly authorized and regular Mi^ 
 nijlers. The Apoftle does not exhort Us al- 
 together to negleB or pafs by every vain Pre- 
 tender (for then hov^ Ihall We know whether 
 They are vain, or not ?) but He hids \is fufpend 
 our Faith, and withold our Affent from Them 5 
 and, in the mean while, to try and examine 
 what their boafled Pretences amount to. In 
 difcourfmg further, my Delign is : 
 
 I. To enquire fomewhat particularly, into 
 the Springs or Motives from v^^hich thofe 
 falfe Fretences to the Spirit generally pro- 
 ceed. .-_ 
 
 II. To confider, by what Rides or Marks 
 any Pretences of that Kind may be triedy 
 and difcovered to be falfe and vain, 
 
 III. To obferve, how much it concerns every 
 pious and confiderate Chriftian to make 
 the Trials and to be upon his Guard in 
 fuch Cafes. 
 
 I. 
 I am firfi to enquire, from what Springs or 
 Motives the falfe Fretences to the Spirit gene- 
 I ♦ rally 
 
The Trial of Spirits. 145 
 
 rally proceed. I have before hinted that Vai?i- 
 Glo?')\ or a Thirft after Fa??ie, is often the i?io- 
 img Spring, the moft prevailing Motive. But 
 to go a little deeper ^ Self-love, of fome Kind 
 or other, is the general Foundation, the Root 
 of all. Many and various are the lllufions of 
 Self-love 'y and they often prevail, not only with 
 Hypocrites, and Men of double Hearts, but 
 even v^^ith well-meaning Perfons of honeft 
 Minds, but of weak or diftemper'd Heads. 
 Were None but ill-defigning Men to make 
 falfe Pretences to the Spirit, The Temptation 
 would be but coarfly laid, and would be lefs 
 apt to deceive. The Finenefs of Satan's 
 Policy chiefly lies, in making ufe even of pious, 
 honeft, well-meaning, but unwary Perfons to 
 work v/ith. God may pity and pardon the 
 Men fo made ufe of for the Trial of Others, 
 if their Ignorance was unconquerable, or their 
 Infirmities unavoidable: If Theywere naturally 
 half-witted, or half-diflradted, God may make 
 Them merciful Allowances : But He will make 
 no Allowances for Perfons of better Senfe, or 
 Wronger Faculties, if They fuffer Themifelves 
 to be milled by fuch infatuated Inllruments. 
 A warm Zeal for Religion may often go along 
 with Want of Knowledge^ or found Difcretion : 
 And Nothing is more common, than for un- 
 Vol. II. K thinking 
 
1 46 The Trial of Spirits. 
 
 thinking Men to mifreckon their own Talents, 
 and to take falfe Meafures very ignorantly of 
 Themfelves. Self-love is natural to all Men, 
 and is the abiding Pulfe of every One's Heart ; 
 Which, if it be not carefully watch'd and 
 guarded, will fometimes grievoully impofe even 
 upon Wife and Shrewd Men 5 but much more 
 upon the Carelefs and Undifcerning. Who 
 does not wijh to be One of the Favourites of 
 Heaven, and to be extraordinarily illuniinated, 
 or conduEied by God's Holy Spirit f Let but a 
 fond Self-Lover dwell often and long upon this 
 deluding Thought, and He will be apt by 
 Degrees, efpecially if otherwife full of Conceit^ 
 to fancy Himfelf 70 illuminated, and^ conduB^ 
 cdy as He dejires to be : And then every warm 
 Sally of Lnagijiation, or every imifiial Emotion 
 in his Breaft (coming perhaps from the Tempter^ 
 or from Mi^ own fond Dreams) will immediately 
 be conflrued as a godly Feelings and an infallible 
 Mark of fome Divine Impidfe, fome fecret 
 Conta5i of God's Holy Spirit. When the plea- 
 iing Delufion is once indulged thus far, the 
 Man begins prefently to fancy Himfelf a Kind 
 of Saint upon Earth, or perhaps an Apofile : 
 Or, if the Diftemper runs higher (as we have 
 known feveral Inftances) He may conceive 
 Himfelf greater than any Prophet of the Old 
 ** W Tcjlame?tty 
 
*The Trial of spirits, j^y 
 
 ^efiament, or Apofile of the New : All Self II- 
 hifion, and little fhort of down-right Frenzy! 
 
 It is not to be doubted but that Perfons of this 
 unhappy Complexion muft have fome Colours^ 
 fome Appearances^ whereby to deceive their 
 own Hearts. The Colours commonly are fome 
 great corporal Morfijications and Aiijierities^ 
 long Watchings^ long Fajlings^ and perhaps im- 
 menfe Fains taken in uncommanded Services, fuch 
 as God has not required at their Hands. Their 
 fubmitting to fuch painful Services^ They look 
 upon as infallible Proofs of their own Sincerity^ 
 and of fome marvellous Grace of God : Where- 
 in again, They often deceive their own Hearts, 
 and are not aware of the fecret Workings and 
 fond Deluiions of their own Self- Love : For, 
 after all, there is not half fo much Self-De- 
 7iial lliewn in thofe voluntary Avfierities^ ac- 
 companied with Fride and Oftentation^ as there 
 is in a lefs-pretending Con dud:, fquared by the 
 Rule of God s Commandments. 
 
 If Perfons, fuppofe, in a green Age^ by the 
 Prad:ice of thofe Aiflerities^ can once come to 
 think T^hemfehes wifer^ and greater, and every 
 way more confiderable as Teachers, than the 
 oldeji and wifefi and beflfludied Divines ; what 
 a Compendious Method is thereby laid of arri- 
 ving fuddenly to deep Learning without Study, 
 
 Vol. II. ^.2 2^ 
 
1 4^ 7he Trial of Spirits. 
 
 and to profound Wifdom without the Pain of 
 Thought ! And who would not wifli, at fo 
 cheap and eafy a Rate, and in fo fhort a Time, 
 to come at the Top of their Profeflion ? Efpe- 
 cially if neither their natural Talents, nor ac^ 
 quired Furniture , could afford Them any rea- 
 fonable Profpe6t of ever becoming confiderable 
 at all in the common and ordinary Methods. A 
 forivard Ambition^ joined with as much Sloth, 
 and Impatience, may eafily prompt a Man to 
 flatter Himfelf in fuch a Way : And certain- 
 ly the Self- Denial which He exercifes in fome 
 religious Aii/ierities, is not worth the mention- 
 ing, in comparifon to the prodigious Self-In- 
 dulgence which, upon the whole, is manifeflly 
 feen in it. It is compounding for Fame, Re- 
 putation, and Authority, by a few fliort vo- 
 luntary Tenances, and by making very familiar 
 with the Holy Spirit of God j at the fame time 
 faving all the Wearinefs of the Flefli felt in 
 hard Studies, all the irkfome Labour of Lan- 
 guages, Hifory, and Critical Enguiries, which 
 are ordinarily requilite to form a judicious In- 
 terpreter of God's Word, and a faithful Guide 
 of Souls. While Others are content to wait 
 for Wifdom 'till an advanced Age, "and to go 
 on, the mean while, in the flow Methods of 
 Liibour and Induflry which God has appoint- 
 ed; 
 
 •!*. 
 
y& Trial of Spirits, \ ^g 
 
 cd ; Thefe Pretenders to the Sph^it affect to be 
 'Wife at o?ice, and wife in a moji eminent Degree-^ 
 wife by hifpiration. Who fees not, that La-, 
 zinefs, and Love of Eafe, and Self-Flattery, and 
 Eagernefs for an early Pre-eminence, may na- 
 turally tempt weak Men to fuch Self-Deluiions ? 
 I do not fay that They themfelves are com- 
 monly aware of the fecret Springs by which 
 They are fo moved, not being ufed to cool Re- 
 ]fled:ion, or fober Thought. There are no 
 Charms more delufive than the Charms of Self- 
 Love 5 and the fimpler Men are, the lefs do 
 they perceive them, and the more liable are 
 They to be mifled by them. Even Children 
 often difcover a great deal of Cunning which 
 their Self-Love teaches Them, and which They 
 never refle(ft upon 3 neither do They fo much 
 as perceive by what Springs They are acftuated ; 
 tho' a judicious Stander-by will eafily look 
 through it, and as eafily account for it : Such 
 may be, fuch probably is the Cafe with every 
 well-meaning falfe Pretender to the Spirit. As 
 to fubtile and defgning Hypocrites, I meddle not 
 with their Cafe: The iinefl Hypocrify mayfoon 
 be difcovered, and fo is the lefs apt to deceive 
 much, or long : But the well-jneanijig Pretend- 
 ers to the Spirit, who through a fecret Self-^ 
 Flattery, and a Caft of Melancholy, firil de- 
 
 K 3 . ceive 
 
150 'The Trial of Spirits, 
 
 ceive The fnf elves, are, of all Men, the befl: fit- 
 ted to deceive Other Perfons. Their artlefs 
 Simplicity^ together with their hearty and af- 
 JeBionate Frofejjions^ are very apt to win upon 
 the beft-natured and beft-difpofed Chriftians, 
 which the Tempter knows full well ; and He 
 never exercifes a deeper Policy, or gains a great- 
 er Triumph, than when He can thus decoy 
 Some of the moil religious of God's Servants, 
 deluding Them in a pious way, and, as it were, 
 foiling Them with their own Weapons. But 
 let every confiderate Chriflian, in fuch Cafes, 
 call to mind the good Advice of the Text 5 
 firfc, to try and examine the Spirits pretended, 
 whether they are of God. We are not com- 
 manded to examine, whether the Pretenders 
 are Sincere Men, or Hypocrites : That may 
 often be doubtful, and it may be hard to pafs any 
 certain Judgment upon the Cafe : Befides, that 
 it does not fo much concern Us. For, cur Fault 
 will not be the lejs, whether We are milled by 
 a defigning Hypocrite, or a blind Zealot, or a ra- 
 inng Enthuftaji. Care mufl be taken, not to be 
 miffed by Any ; neither by the cunning Craf ti- 
 ne j's of One, nor by the Simplcnejs of Another, 
 nor by the Madnefs of a Third. But we muft 
 try and examine the Frctences of Each, and 
 
 2;uard 
 
The Trial of Spirits, 151 
 
 guard equally againft All. I proceed therefore 
 to vix^ ficond Head of Difcourfe, namely, 
 
 II. 
 
 To confider by what Rules or Marks any 
 Pretences of that kind may be tried, and de^ 
 te5ied to be falfe and vain. 
 
 I. Boajiing and Oftenfation are a flat Contra- 
 diSlion to the vtvy fuppofal of the ordinary Graces 
 boafted of ; becaufe Humility and Modejly are 
 the very chief Graces, upon which all the reft 
 hang. If a Man thinks Himfelf endowed with 
 the Graces of the Spirit, let Him fliew it in 
 his meek Deportment, and by his good Works : 
 But let Him not trumpet the Fame of it through 
 the World, left his n^ery doing it lliould be 
 taken for a Demonfiration that He has not the 
 Spirit of God 5 but that fome Spirit of Delu- 
 fion has crept in, in his Stead. For, as a Man, 
 by boajiing of his good Breeding, does, in that 
 very Ad or Inflance, prove Himfelf ill-bred h 
 and, in boajiing of his Wifdom, fhews his Want 
 of it i fo a Man, who prefumes to boaft of the 
 Grace of the Spirit^ betrays his Want of Grace 
 in that ''cery Injlance. Our BlefTed Lord re- 
 buked the Pharifees ^ov founding a Trumpet be- 
 fore Them in the Synagogues,and in the Streets, 
 that They might have Glory of Men^-whcnThty 
 
 K 4 4y 
 
1^2 The Trial of Spirits 
 
 did their Alms ^ : But What would He have 
 iaid to Men, who fhould be noifng it ahroady 
 how full They are, not of one Virtue only, but 
 of all Virtues y and of all Graces ? For That 
 muft be meant by htingjhll of the Spirit, if it 
 means any Thing. This Way oi J'oimdi?2g the 
 "Trumpet before Them, to draw the Eyes and 
 Attention of the World after Them (without 
 Miracles to prove their Miffion) is much more 
 indecent, and immodeft, than what the Pha- 
 rij'ees did ; befides the additional Trofanejiefs of 
 making a very irreverent Ufe of the tremendous 
 Name of God's Holy Spirit, To be fliort. You 
 may depend upon it, that a Religion fo 7ioiJy, 
 (o pompous, fo theatricaL as what I have men- 
 tion'd, is very little a-kin to the hufnhle, and 
 fuodeji, and unpretending Religion of Christ. 
 2. Another fure Mark of a falfe Spirit, is 
 'Dljohedience to Rule and Order, Contempt of law- 
 ful Authority, and efpecially any intruding into 
 What does not belong to Them, or the attempt- 
 ing to draw off the People of God from that 
 regidar and Jianding Minijlry which God has 
 ordained, to follow Teachers fet up by their 
 own Authority, that is, by no Authority at all. 
 Such irregular Pradtices come not of the Holy 
 Spirit. God is not the Author of Confafon^ but 
 
 of 
 
 ^ Mi*tth. vi. 2, 
 
'The Trial of Spirits. 153 
 
 of Peace ; as in all Churches of the Sai?its a. St. 
 Peter's Rule is: Submit your felves to every Or- 
 dinance of Ma?i^ (that is, lawful Or: dLm-Sinct) for 
 the Lord's Sake^. Indeed, the Apoftles h2.djpe- 
 cial Commiffion from God to oppofe Human Or- 
 dinances^ and to difiurb the "Religions then pre- 
 vailing, which \NQ^Qfalfe Religions : But They 
 had the Power of working Miracles^ which 
 were their Credentials to authorize Them in it, 
 and their Heavenly Warrants for What They 
 did : Otherwife, their Methods of proceeding 
 would have been both unwarranted and vain. 
 When our pious Reformers, about 200 years 
 ago, went about the rejloring Religion to its 
 ancient Purity, They did it in a regular and 
 orderly Way, under the Dire^iion and Counte- 
 nance of the riding Powers, and with a due 
 Regard to fuch a regular Miniflry as Christ 
 had appointed in his Church. Thofe excellent 
 Men were indeed full of the Spirit, which 
 appear' d in their wife Counfels and exemplary 
 Co?idu5i, and was vilible, in a Manner, to ail 
 good Men ; unlefs We may except Them- 
 felves, whofe great Humility and Modefly would 
 fcarce permit Them to fee Thofe ihining Graces 
 of their own, which could not be hid from 
 the obferving World. Under fuch a regular 
 
 and 
 
 * t Cor. xiv. 33. ^1 ?et. ii. 13. 
 
154 ?^^ Irial of Spirits* 
 
 and authorized Minijiry, fo jullly fettled, cur 
 Church (God be thanked ) has fubfi fled and 
 flourifh'd, and does to this Day : And They 
 who any way prefume to difiurb that co?nely 
 Order, or to throw any Contempt upon it, only 
 to draw Difciples to ^hemfelveSj cannot be led 
 by the Spirit in Jiich Attempts 3 except it be a 
 Spirit of Dehifion, altogether oppofite to the 
 Holy Spirit of God. 
 
 What, the' They pretend to be Minijiers of 
 Righteoujnefs, and afFed: to outvie Others in 
 fome StriBiieffcs of their own (loofe all the 
 while in the main T^hings, which are of the 
 laft Importance to Peace, Order, and Unity) 
 is there any thing flrange in fuch Condudl ? 
 There were Chriftian Teachers in the firll 
 Age, who vied even with St. Paul, and af- 
 fed:ed to fet up a JiriBer and purer Religion 
 than He could pretend to, in Order to bring 
 Him under Contempt. But what faid He of 
 Them, writing by the Spiiit of God f He faid 
 thus : Such are falfe Apofles, deceitfid Work- 
 ers, tranforming T^hemjehes into the Apoflles of 
 Christ. And no Marvel -, for Satan Him- 
 felf is [fome times] transformed into an Angel 
 of Light, therefore it is ?jo great Tlmtg if 
 his [Satan'^] Minifiers alfo be transformed as 
 the Minifcrs of Righteoujnefs 5 i^chofe End Jhall 
 
 be 
 
7^^ "Trial of Spirits. 155 
 
 be according to their Works a. What avail mag- 
 nificent Words, and fmooth Speeches ? Per- 
 haps {onitfalfe Pretenders may labour earneftly 
 to convert Men from Gluttony and Drunkeniiefs, 
 from Curfmg and Sweari?ig^ from Fornication 
 and Adultery^ or the like. Well : What is 
 there of this Kind, which is not done by the 
 regular Minijiry^ and done alfo in a more regu- 
 lar^ and much more edifying Way ? But if, 
 v^^hile fuch Pretenders endeavour to draw Men 
 of[ from fome Vices, They lead Them into others 
 as bad, or ivorfe, namely into Fa^ion and 
 Schijm, into Sidi??gs and Parties, into a Co?i- 
 tempt of Pule, Order, and Authority, and into 
 a SeceJJion from thtiY proper Pajiors, their much 
 more knowing and more faithful Guides (befides 
 turning the Minds of the People off unto Fa- 
 bles and Reveries, inflead of wholefom truths, 
 and encouraging Them in the Wantonnefs of 
 itching Ears) -, I fay, if fuch Pretenders be- 
 have in this Way, it will be manifeil to all 
 Men Who have their Senfes exercifed, that 
 They have not the Spirit of God to dired; Them 
 in What They do. 
 
 3. Another fure Mark of 2. falfe Spirit, is 
 the laying down deceitful Pules or Tokens 
 i^jhereby to judge, whether, or when a ^hwhas 
 
 the 
 
 3 2 Cor. xi. 13, 14, 15. 
 
1 5 6 T*he > Trial of Spirits* 
 
 the Spirit of God. There have been Many,.* 
 both in former and later Times, who have laid 
 great Strefs upon I knov^ not vv^hat JmfMe E- 
 motio?is, or violent Impulfcs, corning upon Them 
 at Time&, which They boldly and raihly im- 
 pute to the Holy Spirit ; prefuming alfo to 
 date their Ccnverfio?i or 77ew Birth (as They call 
 it) from fuch fanciful Imprefhons. There is 
 Bot one Syllable in Sacred Writ, to counte- 
 nance the Notion q{ Jiich Impulfes : It is all 
 mere FiSlim, Invention^ Prefumption^ and ex- 
 ceeding dangerous in its IfTue or Tendency. 
 For, by That hlird Rule, a Man may very 
 cafily miftake the Siiggcflions of Satan, for 
 Divine Lnpulfes : Therefore, if They do in- 
 deed feel any E?notiofis extraordinary, the firft 
 and moft iniportant Enquir}/ is, whether thofe 
 Ejuotiom are not really Satan's lllufions, ra- 
 ther than Divine Impreffims ; or whether they 
 are not rather Marks oi Poijejjion, than of hi- 
 Jpiration f Confidence is no Argument in a dark 
 Affair : But it is the rrand Deceiver's Artifice 
 to hoodwink forward Men in a blind Rrejump- 
 tiony and to blow Them up into an Ajjiirance be- 
 yond their Evidence. 
 
 There is but one certain Rule whereby to 
 know when We are led by the Spirit ; and That 
 kj the Rule of God's Commandments, When 
 
 We 
 
T^e Trial of Spirits. i^y 
 
 We fo think, and fo do, as the Spii^if of God 
 has dired;ed in God's Holy JVo^^d^ then^ and 
 the?2 onlj^ are We fure that We are led by the 
 Spirit^ Qx born of the Spirit . St. John has faid 
 all in a very few Words : Whojoe^-cer is born 
 of Gody doth 7mt commit Sin ^ ; that is, doth not 
 allow Himfelf in any kitown finful Pradices. 
 T'her€ is the Mark, and the only true Mark of 
 Rege?2eration, and of the fpi?'ifiial Life.. Let 
 every Man examine Himfelf by this Rule : 
 And v^hen They can, upon Jiire Grounds, 
 fpeak Pe^ce to their own Confciences, then 
 let Them attribute the Glory of it to God's 
 Holy Spirit, for That is right : But let Them 
 not blaze it out to the World, however certain 
 They are of it ; for That will be feeking Ho- 
 nour of Men, and endeavouring to flmre vvith 
 the Holy Spirit in that Glory which belongs 
 to Him only ; and it will be forfeiting the Fa^ 
 "cmir of that ''jery Spirit whereof They fo 
 proudly boafl. The Spirit has not given us leave 
 to boaft of his Favours for our ov/n Glory, or 
 Fame j much lefs to do it for the Sake of Fre~ 
 eminence, or to make Others look lefs in Com- 
 parifon. Such AfFedlation of F re-eminence 
 Cometh not from above, but is a fad Token, 
 yea, and 2i fatal Sywptcinoi an earthly, and a 
 fenfual Spirit, 
 
 lam 
 
 ' I John iii. 9. V. x3. 
 
158 The Trial of Spirits • 
 
 . I am aware, that th.^ falfe Pretenders to the 
 Spirit have often laid hold on that Text of 
 St. John, warping it unnaturally, fo as to draw 
 it to favour their own fond Dehifions. They 
 iirft take for granted, that They are born of 
 God (which is their fond Prefumption) and 
 then They conclude that They are without Sin. 
 This is vilely perverting and abuling the Text : 
 For They ought frji to know, that their Wayi 
 are right, and then to draw their Concliifion ; 
 and not vainly to prefume firfl that They have 
 the Spirit, and then from thence to conclude that 
 their Ways are right. But fuch has often been 
 the Self-delulive Method of vain Preteiiders : 
 And They have fometimes carried it fo far as 
 to argue, that fince They are Saints, and born 
 of God (that is, in their own fond Imaginati- 
 on) They cannot be guilty o^Sin ; but let Them 
 do What They pleafe, the Spirit is to warrant 
 2^\{}LfanBify all ; for God fees no Sin in his Saints, 
 This is turning the Tables much in the fame 
 Way as the 'Romanifis have often done with 
 refpecft to their pretended Infallibility. Give 
 them a thoufand plain Proofs that They have 
 erred, and do err ; and They will anfwer all by 
 telling youj that They cannot err. In like 
 Manner, tell fome falfe Pretenders to the Spi- 
 rit, tliat They are guilty of fuch and fuch ma- 
 
 nifefi; 
 
T^e Trial of Spirit, 159 
 
 nifeft ImqmtieSy and prove it upon Them by 
 plain Evide?2ce of Facf, They will perfift in it, 
 that They cannot Jm^ becaufe (which is their 
 Vanity) They are, in their own Conceit, born 
 cf Gody and led by the Spirit. How dangerous 
 a Principle This is, how produdive of all Un- 
 godlinefs, and of the moil fliocking Impieties, 
 was too fadly feen in the kjl Century ^ and ftands 
 upon Record in the Hiflories of thofe diilrac^ 
 ted Times. But enough hath been faid of the 
 Kiiles or Marks whereby to try and deteSl every 
 falfe Pretender to the Spirit, 
 
 III. 
 
 And now, for an Application of the whole j,- 
 give Me leave briefly to fuggeflj how much 
 it concerns Us to be upon our Guard in fuch 
 Cafes. 
 
 Religion, like all other weighty Concern- 
 ments, is beft carried on in the calm, regularjj 
 and fedate Way ; and therefore great Care 
 fhould be taken, to keep up the old and well- 
 tried Methods, rather than to change them for 
 new Devices, which will never anfwer. If 
 Sinners will not hften to the Spirit of God 
 fpeaking by the Scriptures, and by a regular 
 Miniftry, They will not liften to the fame 
 Spirit fuppofed (but vainly foppofed) to fpeak 
 
 in 
 % 
 
1 60 "the Trial of Spirits, 
 
 in the undigejicd^ incoherent^ extemporary Ef^ 
 fufions of raw Teachers. It is eafy for warm 
 Zealots of diftemper'd Minds to throw Re- 
 fle6:ions upon the wifer and more confiderate 
 Guides, Who come not up to Their Degrees of 
 unnatural Heat and Ferment : But a fmall 
 Knowledge of Mankind will fuffice to fhew, 
 that They Who will not be converted by the 
 cool, calm, rational Methods, will never be 
 wrought upon, as to any good and lafting Ef- 
 fedl, by Eagernefs and Paffion. If Sinners, 
 wedded to their darling Vices, will not be re^ 
 gtdarly reajbned into a Change of Life, We 
 mufl not become as rr>ad in one Way as They 
 are in another, in Hopes to recover Them to 
 their Senfes : For That, inflead of reclaim- 
 ing would but harden Them fo much the 
 more. The World indeed, generally, is bad 
 enough, always was, and always will be : But 
 ftill We mufl not take upon Us to ufe any 
 afeBed and iinjufiijiahle Methods in order to 
 mend it ; Which in reahty would not mend 
 it, but make it worfe. We muft bring 
 Men to God, in God's ownWa\\ if We hope 
 to compafs it at ^all. The making ufe of 
 wrong Means for the Sake of a good End^ is 
 Nothing eife but doi?ig Evil that Good may 
 come 5 which is a dangerous and deteftable 
 
 Pradtice, 
 
T'he Trial of spirits, i6i 
 
 Pradicea. I fay then, that when the Minif- 
 ters of Christ have done all that is prudent 
 and proper, and the EfFed: does not anfwer. 
 They muft not run wild Lengths, in order to 
 gain their Point : For, God will fay to fuch 
 Perfons, if You could not prevail by Methods 
 of My Appointment ^ How could you hope to 
 do it by weak Devices of Tour Own ? You 
 have run wide, and far, to make Profelytes : 
 But Who fent you ? or Who required it at 
 your Hands ? — There is as much Mifchief in 
 over-doing, as in under-doing : Both are e- 
 qually Tranfgreffions of the Divine Laws, and 
 Deviations from the Ride of Right. Are They 
 eager and impatient to bring Sinners to a fober 
 Life ? It is v/ell They are, and We commend 
 Them for it : But there is one Thing of ilill 
 greater Importance to Them, which ought to 
 be attended to in the firjl Place, which is, to 
 reft content with God's appointed Methods of 
 reforming the World, and to proceed no far- 
 ther than He has given Leave ^ to make ufe 
 ol found fudgment and Difcretion in an Affair 
 of that high Concernment 5 and to fubmit to 
 ftop where God requires it, as well as to run 
 on where He has fent : Othervvife, Religion 
 will not be promoted, but greatly obftruded 
 Vol. II. L and 
 
 * Rop. iil. 8. 
 
1 62 The Trial of Spirits. 
 
 and expofed : And the World will not be 
 made wifer or better but ten times wilder 
 than before. 
 
 Thefe Things I have here laid before You 
 in as plain Words, and in as ftrong a Light, 
 as I could. 
 
 May That Divine Spirit^ whereof I have 
 been fpeaking, dwell richly in Us, in all Wif- 
 dom, and in all Virtues and Graces ; particular- 
 ly, in Soundnefs of Mind^ and in Humility of 
 Heart, and in Purify of Life and Manners. 
 Such are the Fruits, fuch the Marks of the 
 Spirifs Prefnce with Us, and of his Love to- 
 w^ards Us : Which, that We may evermore 
 plentifully enjoy, here and hereafter, God of 
 his Mercy grant, through our Lord and Savi- 
 ou r J E s u s Christ. Amen. 
 
 SERMON 
 
SERMON IX. 
 
 The precife Nature of the Blafphemy 
 agaiitjl the Holy Ghojl, 
 
 Matt. xii. 31, 32. 
 
 Wherefore I fay unto youy all AIa?mer of 
 Sin and Blafphe77ty fhall be forgiven 
 tmto Men : But the Blafphe77iy againfl 
 the Holy Ghost JJjall 7wt be for^ 
 giveri unto Men, 
 
 And Whofoever fpeaheth a Word againft 
 the So N OF Man, it fjjall be forgi- 
 ven Hi772 : But Whofoever fpeaheth 
 againfl //6^ Holy Ghost, it fijall 
 not be forgiven Hi77ty 7ieither in this 
 Worlds neither iit the World to co7ne. 
 
 i@H E S E Words will lead Me to 
 M^^^^ treat of the Blajphemy againji the 
 
 1^ Holy Gliofti a Matter which 
 has been much talk'd of,, and 
 >e^%S^ not always rightly underftood : 
 For which Reafon, I the rather chufe to dif- 
 courfe upon it. 
 
 Vol. IJL L 2 It 
 
1 64 The Nature of the Blafphemy 
 
 It will be convenient, in the firji Place , to 
 obferve How, and upon what Occajion^ the 
 Words of the Text were brought in. We have 
 an Account in this Chapter, of our Lord's 
 healing a blind and dumb Man Who had been 
 pofTefTed by a Devil. The Scribes and Phari- 
 fees Who came from 'Jerufalem^ and obferved 
 what was done, very malicioufly attributed 
 that great Miracle,which our Lord had wrought 
 by the Spi-rit of God, to the Affiftance of the 
 Devil. This Fellow, faid They (fpeaking in 
 Contempt of Him) doth not cajl out Devils j but 
 ^Beelzebub, the Priiice of the Devils *. 
 Our BlefTed Lord, well knowing the Spite and 
 Venom of that execrable Calumny, takes Them 
 up roundly for it ; firft, confuting their Ca- 
 vils, and next, rebuking their Lifolence, in 
 very plain and ilrong Terms. He puts Them 
 in mind how abfurd and contradictory to 
 common Senfe it muft be, to imagine that 
 the Devils fliould be no wifer than to differ and 
 difagree among Themfelves, in a Matter rela- 
 ting to their common Intereft, which would 
 be deftroying their own Kingdom. If Sa^ 
 TAN cajl out Satan, — how fiall then his 
 Kingdom ft and^'^ — After This, He retorts 
 their own Calumny upon Them, in order to 
 
 mani- 
 
 » Matt. xii. 24> ^ ^'er. 26. 
 
agal^ tie Holy GhoR. 165 
 
 manlfeft their grievous Partiality and Self-Con- 
 demnation. If I by Beelzebub cafi out 
 Devils^ by Whom do your Children ( your own 
 Friends, the Exorcijls) cafi them out " ? If 
 They caft out Devils by the help of God, cal- 
 ling on the God of Abraham; vv^hy am I, 
 who do the fame Things, and greater, in the 
 Name of the fame God, charged with doing 
 them by the help of the Devils He goes on 
 to a third Conlideration drawn from the Na- 
 ture of his Dodrine, and from the whole Te- 
 nour of his Life and Condu(ft, as being direct- 
 ly oppoUte to the Devil's Interefts, and plain- 
 ly Ihewing, that He was fo far from being a 
 Confederate with Beelzebub, that He 
 was his mofl avowed and formidable Enemy ; 
 binding that ftrong Prince in Chains, rifling his 
 Houfe, and fpoiling his Goods. Thefe Things,, 
 being plain and undeniable, what unaccounta- 
 ble Malice mufl it be in the Pharifees, and how 
 grievous their Sin, to impute the Miracles 
 wrought by a Divine Power ^ to the Prince of 
 the Devils ? Our BlefTed Lord therefore clofes 
 • his Reply with this fmart and treniendous 
 Rebuke : Wherefore I fay unto, yoii^ that all 
 Manner of Sin and Blafphemy Jhall be forgiven 
 unto Men : But the Blafphemy agahifi the Holy 
 
 L3 Ghof.^ 
 
 a Matt. xii. 27, 
 
1 66 ^Vne Nature of the Blafphemy 
 
 Ghcji^ flail not be forgiven., neither in this 
 
 Worlds neither in the World to come. 
 
 The Phrafes and Idio}?7s of Speech (here 
 made life of) may require fome Explanation, 
 before We come to the Matter contained in 
 thcrn. Ail Manner of Sin and Blajphemy jhall 
 be forgiven. The Words are not to be taken 
 ahfoluteh^ as if all Kinds of Slanders and Ca- 
 lumnies fliouldbe forgiven ; (for many, with- 
 out Que (lion, while unrepented of, never will 
 be forgiven) but they are to be underftood 
 comparatively ., as amounting to This ; that all 
 other unrirJiteous blamins; or cenfurino-, ei- 
 ther of Things or of Perfons, {ki2S\. fooner and 
 more eajily be forgiven, than the blaming and 
 ilandering the Holy Spirit of God, that is, God 
 Hhnfclf. To revile Angels^ or Men., is tole- 
 rable, and pardonable in Comparifon : But to 
 ilrike higher Hill, and to revile even GodHim- 
 felfy is an unpardonable Impiety. Whofoever 
 fpeaketh a Word againjl the Son of Man., (againft 
 C K R 1ST confidered meerly as a Man) calling 
 Him, for In fiance, a Deceiver, a Glutton , a 
 V/ine-bibher., and the like j T^hat, tho' a grievous 
 Sin in it felf, yet being flight in Comparifon, 
 may the more eafily be forgiven : But whofo- 
 ever fpeaketh againjl the Holy Ghost, 
 it fl: all not be fo eafily forgiven^ neither in this 
 
 JVorld, 
 
againjl the Holy Ghoft. 167 
 
 Worlds nor in the World to come. In difcourfine 
 farther, my Defign is, 
 
 J. To examine what the Shij or Bhjphemy 
 againji the Holy Ghoji means, and wherein 
 precijely it confifts : Where, by the Way, 
 I fl^iall take Notice alfo of fome erroneous 
 Accounts of it. 
 
 II, I fhall confider the heinous Nature and 
 Aggravations of it, together with the 
 Penalty attending it, or confequent upon 
 it. 
 
 III. I fhall enquire whether any Sins com- 
 mitted at this Day are thtfame thing with, 
 it, or which come the nearefi to it. 
 
 I. 
 
 I am to examine What the Sin, or Blafphe-r 
 my againji the Holy Ghojl means, and wherein 
 precijely it conjijls. 
 
 I faid Sin or Blafphemy againil the Holy 
 Ghojl, becaufe Some call it the Sin agaijijl the 
 Holy Ghoft, tho' Scripture it felf never calls it 
 any Thing elfe but Blafphemy -, which is worth 
 the obferving. For from thence We may be 
 aflured, that This Sin (\yhatever it be) ought 
 to be reckon'd among the Sins of Speech, among 
 La.. the 
 
1 6 8 T^De Nature of the Blafphemy 
 
 the Offences of the 'Tongue, All the Sins which 
 Men commit are reducible to three Heads, as 
 being either in Thought^ in Word., or in Deed : 
 Now, the Blafphemy againft the Holy Ghofi 
 can properly be referred to the Second only of 
 the three now mentioned j it lies in Words^ is 
 committed by Speaking., and particularly by 
 Evil-Jpeaking j by reviling and defaming the 
 Holy Spirit of God. In the Text, it is called 
 Jpeaking againjl the Holy Ghofi. And by St, 
 Mark, it appears that the Sin confifted in 
 ■ fomething which the Pharifies [aid : For it 
 is there remark'd as the Sum and Subftance of 
 the Guilt They were chargeable with, that 
 They faid of Jesus, that He hath an unclean 
 Spirit^. And it is farther obfervable, that 
 our BleiTed Lord, in the Clofe of his Difcourfe 
 upon that Occalion, pronounces thus : Every 
 idle W^ord that Men fiall Jpeak, They fiall give 
 Accoimt thereof in the Day of judgment t>. Idle 
 Words here mean malicious, or impious Expref- 
 fions ; alluding ftill to the main Subjed of his 
 Difcourfe, the fpiteful and opprobrious Words 
 which the Pharifees had impioufly thrown out 
 againft the Spirit of God. To be fliort then, 
 the Sin, or Blafphemy againfi the Holy Ghofi, was 
 the belying, fiandering, or reviling the Divine 
 
 Spirit 
 
 » Mark iii. 30. ^ Matth. xii. 36, 
 
agamji the Holy Ghoft. 169 
 
 Spirit by which our Lord wrought his Mira- 
 cles, afcribing them to the Devil, 
 
 There may be, and there have been feveral 
 Offences committed againji the Holy Ghqfl, which 
 yet do not amount to the Blajphemy againji 
 Him fpecified in the Text. There is fuch a 
 Thing as grieving the Holy Spirit », and quench- 
 ing the Spirit b, when Men refufe to hearken 
 to his Counfels, to follow his Motions, or to 
 obey his Calls : But Hhis is not blafpheming 
 Him. There is alfo what St. Stephen calls 
 refijiing the Holy Ghojl c, which is oppoling Him 
 with an high Hand, and rebelling againft Him, 
 and is a very heinous Sin ; and yet neither is 
 I'hat the fame with blafpheming and flandering 
 Him, which is what thofe Pharisees were 
 guilty of. Ananias andSAPPHiR a grievoully 
 affronted the Holy Ghoji in telling Him a 
 Lie, either prefuming upon his Ignorance as 
 not knowing it, or upon his Patience as if He , 
 fhould have connived at it : But yet, Thai 
 was not fo bad as What the PhariJ'ees did in" 
 afcribing his Works to the Devil. The ?72aU''r 
 cious telling a Lie o/'Him, to defame znA Jla?z- 
 der Him, was a more heinous Offence than the 
 teUing a Lie to Him, under a v/eak and fool- 
 illi Perfuafion. There is alfo another V/ay of 
 
 affroiiting 
 
 » Eph. iv. 30. '' I Theff. v. 1 9. « Afls vii. 5 1. 
 
1 70 The Nature of the Blafphemy 
 
 a£ronting the Holy Ghost, by vilifying bis 
 Operations-^ which yet cpmes not up to the Sin 
 of the Text. Upon the Day of Pentecoft, 
 when the Difciples, full of the Holy Ghojiy 
 began to Jpeak ^ucith other Tojignes, as the Spi- 
 rit gave them Utterance, there v/ere Some land- 
 ing by, who mocking faid, thefe Me??, are full 
 of new Wine % vilifying the Operations of the 
 Spirit^ as the Effects of Dru?ikennefs : But the 
 Men who laid it, faid it Tpcrhd-ps wanto?2ly or 
 ignoranth\ rather than fpitefidly or malicioiifly. ' 
 They might not know that the Difciples real- 
 ly fpake with other Tongues j but being un- 
 acquainted Themfelves with the Languages 
 then fpoken, They took them all to be Jar- 
 gon, fuch as Men might utter under fdme 
 Diforder of Mind, occafion'd either by Wine, 
 or by Frenzy : And fo They accounted (as 
 They thought) for the Thing in a natural 
 Way, not fufpeifting any Thing fupernatural 
 in it. But the Pharifces who are charged with 
 being guil ty of /^/^/J)Zj^;;//;?g- the Holy Ghojl, They 
 very well knew that What They had feen 
 done, could not be accounted for in a natural 
 Way J and yet fuch was their Spleen and Rage 
 againft the Gofpel, that tliey chofe rather to 
 impute the Miracles of our Lord to the Devi!, 
 
 than 
 ' Aas ii. I \: 
 
againjl the Holy Ghoft. 171 
 
 than to acknowledge the Divine Hand^ which 
 was fo vifible in them, that They Themfelves 
 could not but fee it, had They been at all 
 difpofed to it. 
 
 I may here alfo mention Simon Magus, 
 as a Perfon who very highly affronted the Ho^ 
 Ghoft ^ when He offered Money for the purcha- 
 fing his Miraculous Gifts. But neither was 
 That any fuch diredt Blafphemy againfl; the 
 Holy Ghojl, as What the Text mentions : For 
 He had fome ReJpeB and Veneratioji for the 
 Miracles He faw wrought, and for the Author 
 of them ; and was very far from imputing 
 them to the Affiftance of the DeviL 
 
 The ^lajphemy againfl the Holy Ghojl was 
 fomething worfe flill than any Thing I have 
 yet mention'd : It was defamiiig the Holy 
 Spirit of God, and God Him/elf, under the 
 execrable Name of Beelzebub ; it was re- 
 viling, and That knowingly and defperately, the 
 Divine Works, as Diabolical Operations. In 
 This, as I conceive, and in This preci/ely, con- 
 iifled that Blafphemy which fhall never be for- 
 given, the Sin againfl the Holy Ghofl. 
 
 Neverthelefs it muft be own'd, that many 
 wife and good Men, both Ancient and Mo- 
 dern, have been of different Sentiments in 
 this Article. 
 
 3 Some, 
 
172 T^he Nature of the Blalphemy 
 
 Some, with St. Austin, maintaining that 
 all Sins 2S^ pardonable Midori "Repentance^ have re- 
 folved the Blajphemy of the Holy Ghoji^ unpar^ 
 donahle Sin, \nio final Hardnefs and Impenitency : 
 But final Impenitency is one Thing, and Blafi- 
 fhemy is another : And fi?ial Impenitency is an 
 Error in a Man's wJoole Co?idiiB ; whereas the 
 Bla/phemy of the Text is one particular Crime ^ 
 and committed by reviling Words, as obferved 
 above. So th?it final Impeniteficy is not the Sin 
 here fi2;nined : and for the fame Reafons We 
 may conclude, that a total and final Apofiajy, 
 which Some take to be the Sin againfi the 
 Holy Gho/l, is very different from it, tho' it 
 is certainly unpardonable as much, or perhaps 
 more than the other. 
 
 Some, with O r i g e n and the N o v a- 
 T I A N s of old, have imagined that Sins com- 
 mitted after Baptifm^ are Sins againft the Holy 
 Ghofi : But there is the fame Obje(flion, be- 
 fides many more, againfi this Opinion, as a- 
 gainft the two Former, and it has very long 
 and very defervedly been exploded by all fober 
 Divines. 
 
 Some fay, that every jnalicious refifting^ or 
 oppofmg the Gofp el-Truths, when Sufficiently 
 propounded, is the Sin againfi the Holy Ghofi : 
 But Infidelity is one Thing, and Blajphemy ano- 
 ther: 
 
againjl the Holy Ghoft. 1^3 
 
 ther : and the Sin which the Text cenfares, 
 confifts more in remling^ than in rejifiing^ as 
 before obferved : So that neither is This Ac- 
 count at all fatisfacftory. 
 
 There is one more remaining flill, which 
 has been efteem'd as highly plauiible, and 
 which has met with feveral very conliderable 
 Abettors. It is, that the holding out objiinafely 
 againjl the lafi Difpenfation, the Dijpenfation of 
 ^Q Spirit, commencing after Christ's Afcen" 
 
 Jion, was the Sin againil the Holy Ghost. 
 They who maintain this Opinion, are obliged 
 alfo to maintain, that the Scribes and Fhari^ 
 
 fees, who attributed our Lord's Miracles to the 
 Devil, V7QVQ not then, ^.ndtherein guilty oitho 
 Sin againjl the Holy Ghojl, They plead, that 
 thofe blajpheming Pharijess were not yet ex- 
 cepted out of the general Pardon offered to as 
 Many as would repent and believe 5 but that our 
 Lord Himfelf /T^^'^y^r their Forgivenefs upon 
 the Crofs, which fliews that They were yet 
 capable of Pardon, They further add, that the 
 Holy Ghojl was not yet given 'till our Lord aj- 
 cended, and therefore could not, properly fpeak- 
 ing, be blajphe?ned before that Time : and that 
 the Blajpheming and reiifling Him then, being 
 holding out againft the very greatef!: Miracles, 
 the ftrongefc Proofs, and the laji Kemedies, 
 I This 
 
1 74 Tide Nature of the Blafphemy 
 
 This of Courfe mufi: be the fjioft/mfuHnd. pro- 
 voking Ohjiinacy that could be, and on that Ac^ 
 count is pronounced unpardonable. 
 
 Thefe Reafons are Ipecious : But then here 
 is no Account given how it comes to pafs, that 
 neither in the Acls of the Apojiks^ nor in any 
 of the Epijiles^ is there a Word faid by way 
 of Reproof, or of Caution again ft Blafphe- 
 'rning the Holy GhoJI ; and that it fhouid never 
 have been mentioned, but by our Lord Him- 
 felf at a Time when no body was capable of 
 committing it : And yet, by all the Circum- 
 ftances of our Lord's Difcourfe at that Time, 
 one would be very apt to conclude, that thofe 
 blafpheming Pbari/ees were then verily guilty 
 of the Bhj'phcmy againfi the Holy Ghoft. Nay 
 it feems further, that St. M a R k's Comment 
 upon the Cafe, may be alone fufficient to de- 
 cide the Doubt. For after reciting our Lord's 
 dreadful Sentence againfi Such as fliould blaf- 
 pheme againft the Holy Ghoft ^ He immediately 
 adds, becaufe They faid^ He bath an unclean Spi- 
 rit^. What is This but declaring in fo many 
 Words, that the reviling the Holy Spirit^ as 
 an unclean Spirit, was the Blajphemy our Lord 
 fpakeof, and was then co/?wiitted by thok blaf- 
 pheming Pbari/ees ^ 
 
 As 
 
 ' Mark iii. CO, 
 
agai?2fi the Holy Ghoft. 175 
 
 As to what is objecfted, that thofe very Pha- 
 rifees were yet capable of Pardon^ becaufe our 
 Lord upon the Crofs prayed for their Forgive- 
 7iefs 5 It may as reafonably be faid, on the o- 
 ther hand, that Thofe alfo who rejefted the 
 laji DiJpe?2jdtion of the Holy Ghost were 
 capable of Pardon ; for St. S t e p h e n prayed 
 for the Forgpvenefs of Thofe who ftoned Him, 
 tho' He had before told Them , that They had 
 refijied the Holy Ghofi a. This Objed:ion there- 
 fore returns upon the Objectors^ and equally 
 affeds either T^heir Interpretation of the Sin 
 againfl: the Holy Ghojiy or Ours. Belides, the 
 Objedlion goes upon the Suppofltion that the 
 Blafphemy againfl the Holy Ghoft is ahfoliitely un- 
 pardonable, which indeed the Text does feem 
 to fay : But yet good Criticks have obferved, 
 that according to the Hebrew Idiom^ the Words 
 may, or rather muft bear a fofter Conftruc- 
 tion ; importing only, that of all Kinds of 
 Slander and Calumny, Slandering the Holy 
 Ghofi is moft daring and iinpious j and that any 
 other Calumnies w'^fooner meet with Pardon 
 than T^hat will. But fuppofing the Sin to be 
 cibfohitely unpardonable, then it mull be faid, 
 that our Lord's praying for the Forgivenefs of 
 his Enemies upon the Crofs, is to be under- 
 
 flood 
 
 * Adsvii. 51. 
 
176 Ude Nature of the Blalphemy 
 
 flood only of his praying for the yews in gene^ 
 ral, and not of his praying for thofe Perfons in 
 particular Who had been guilty of the unpar- 
 donable Sin. 
 
 As to the other Objedion, that the "Holy Ghoji 
 could not be blafphemed at that Time, becaufe 
 He was not yet given j it is of very httle Weight. 
 Our Blefled Lord mofl undoubtedly had the 
 Holy Spirit always refJing in Him without Li- 
 mitation or Meafure ^ : And He Himfelf pro- 
 feffes, that it was by the Spirit of God that He 
 caft out Devils b ; So that the Blafpheming that 
 Divine Power by which He wrought his Mi- 
 racles, was plainly blafpheming the Holy Spirit, 
 It is true that the Holy Ghoji was not yet given 
 in full Meafure to our Lord's Difciples, but to 
 our Lord Himfelf He moll: certainly was ; and 
 therefore the Objection, in this cafe, is flight, 
 and comes not up to the Point. 
 
 Upon the Whole then, I conclude as be- 
 fore, that the Blafphemy agaifift the H o l y 
 Ghost was the imputing our Lords Miracles 
 to the Devil y and that I'hat dreadful Sin was 
 committed by Thof very Men who fo reviled, 
 flandered, and traduced that Divine Power by 
 which He wrought Them. 
 
 II. The 
 
 - Johr, iii. ^4, * Matt xii. 28. 
 
againjl the Holy Ghofto x 77 
 
 II. 
 
 The Heinoufnefs of that Sin, which was the 
 Second Particular I propofed to go upon, may 
 be competently underftood from What hath 
 been already faid, and will not need many 
 Words more. 
 
 It was a mofl wicked and impudent Lie and 
 Slander upon the Holy Spirit^ and was flying, 
 as it were, in the Face of God. One would 
 think, when God Himfelf interpofes, giving 
 the divine Signal in plain uncontefted Mira- 
 cles, that it might become All Men to be mute, 
 and to lay alide their otherwife unconquerable 
 Rancour and Prejudice : But the Pharifees were 
 fo refolute and fo outragious in reviling every 
 Thing that gave any Countenance to Christ 
 and his Gofpel, that They would not fpare 
 even God Himfelf, but call'd Him Beelze- 
 bub, fpitefully defaming his moH divine Works, 
 as being Nothing elfe but Diabolical Impojiures, 
 They faw the Miracles of our BleiTed Lord, 
 and were very feniible that they were real and 
 true Miracles : They knew alfo that they 
 were wrought in direSi Oppojition to the Devil 
 and his Kingdom, having all the fair Appear- 
 ances poffible of being Z)mW; Nor would They 
 Vol. IL M have 
 
■il 
 
 178 7^^ Nature of the Blafphemy 
 
 have fcrupled to have received them as divi?te, 
 had They been wrought by any One elfe, ex- 
 cepting Christ or his Difciples : But fuch 
 was their invenom'd Hatred and Inveteracy a- 
 gainft Him and His, that, at all Adventures, 
 contrary to all Candor or Equity, and in Con- 
 tradiction to Reafon and common Senfe, They 
 refolved to fay however, fcarce to belie've (for 
 They hardly could be fo ilupid) that He was 
 in League with the Devil j and that all his mighty 
 Works, which He wrought in the Name of Go^, 
 were the Works only of Beelzebub the 
 
 a/ 
 
 Prince of the Devils. There could not be a 
 more infolent Slander, or a more provoking 
 Outrage againft the Divine Majejiy, than This 
 was. All other Calumnies, againft Men, or 
 againfl Angels, come fliort of This ; for it was 
 calumniating Go^ Hz>;z/f//, the tremendous and 
 moil adorable Deity; and was done very ma- 
 iicioiijly, and defignedly to hinder and obilrudl, 
 as much as poffible, the iirft planting of the 
 Gofpel, to the univerfalHurt and Detriment of 
 Mankind : In a Word,it was facrificingthe Ho- 
 nour of Almighty God, and both the prefent 
 and future Happinefs of Men, to their own pri- 
 vate Humours and Party-PafTions 3 being refol- 
 yed to take up with any wretched Cavil,any im- 
 probable 
 
againjl the Floly Ghoft. i yg 
 
 probable and felf-contradidory Lies and Slan- 
 ders againft God, rather than permit the honefl 
 and well-meaning People to believe in Christ 
 Jesus upon the brighteil: Evidence of his Mi- 
 racles. 
 
 Such was the heinous Nature, and the tran- 
 fcendent Guilt of blalpheming againft the Holy 
 Ghoji, in That Inftance : And therefore it is, 
 that our Bleffed Lord took fo particular Care, 
 firft, to confute the Calumny^ and next, to pafs a 
 moft righteous^ but dreadful Cenfure upon the Sin 
 contained in it. The divine Vengeance Should 
 purfue a Crime of that deep Die, both in this 
 World, and in the World to come. The Of- 
 fenders in that Kind, being unreclaimable 
 and incurable, fliould, by the juft Judgment of 
 God, be feal'd up to everlailing Deflrudicn; 
 like Pharoah, or like Judas, like Sodom, 
 or like Gomorrka, ripe for Perdition, and 
 fit to be delivered over to eternal Ruin. 
 
 Having thus largely conlidered What the 
 Blafphemy againft the Holy Ghoft means, and how 
 heinous a Si?T it was , it remains nov/ only, 
 
 in. 
 
 To enquire whether any Si?is committed at 
 
 this Day, are the Jame Thing with it j or which 
 
 Vol. IL M 2 of 
 
1 80 T^h Nature of the Blafphemy 
 
 of them come the nearejl to it. Of This very 
 briefly, having no Room to inlarge. 
 
 I * Firfi^ for the Sake of the over-tender and 
 fcrupulous Confciences, I would obferve, that 
 rovmg^2.vidi v^hich fome call blajphemous Thoughts^ 
 which rife up accidentally^ and as accidentally 
 go off again, are Nothing a-kin to the Sin 
 which I have been fpeaking of j which con- 
 fifted in premeditated Lies and Slanders againft 
 God, form'd with Defign to obftruft or darken 
 the Evidences of the true Religion, and to pre- 
 vent Others from looking into them, or being 
 convinced by them. None hvxi profejs d Atheijis, 
 or Injideh, can be guilty of fuch Spite and Ma- 
 lice againft the GojpeUSalvation, No One, while 
 He believes the Chrijiian Religion, ^n&jerioiijly 
 profeffes Himfelf a Member ofCu r i s t ' j Church , 
 can be guilty of the Blajphe7?iy againpi the Holy 
 Ghojl. 
 
 2. I obferve, Secondly, that even the Atheijis 
 or Ififidels of thefe Times, can fearce come up 
 to the fame Degree of Guilt with the Phari/ees 
 of old } becaufe They have not feen the Miracles 
 of Christ with their own Eyes. It is fome 
 Mitigation of their Sin, and it makes their In- 
 fidelity the more excufable, that They have 
 not altogether iojlrong and glaring Evidences 
 
 of 
 
agamjl the Holy Ghoft. 1 8 1 
 
 of the Truth of Chrlftianity, as Thofe had 
 Who hved in th^Jlrft Ages, and faw the tvoii^ 
 derfid Works of God. Rational and Hijiorical 
 Evidence may be as convincing as the other, 
 when didy confidered : But, as it ftrikes not upon 
 the Senfes, it does not awaken the Attention, 
 and alarm every Paffion of the Soul, in fuch 
 a Degree as the other does. For which Rea- 
 fon, the Unbelievers of our Times, tho'aban- 
 don'd and profligate Men, are not altogether 
 fo blameable in the Oppofition They make to 
 Chriftianity, as the Unbelievers of old Time 
 were. They may indeed, at this Day, attri- 
 kite the Miracles of Christ and his Apojiles 
 (Which They read of in credible Hiftory) to 
 the Devil, as the Pharifees of old did -, and 
 This will be blafpheming the Holy Ghojl : But it 
 will not be exaSily the fame Sin -, not the fame 
 in Degree (tho' in Kind the fame) becaufe Cir-f 
 cumftances are different -, and upon the Circuni- 
 Jiances depend the heightening Aggravations. 
 
 Neverthelefs, It mufl: be faid, that the ob- 
 Jlinate rejeBing the Miracles of our Lord and of 
 his Difciples (which have been (of idly attefied) 
 and much more the ridiculing and bantering 
 them, and the endeavouring to run them down 
 by Lies and Slander (as the Way of Some is) 
 M 3 This 
 
1 8 2 The Nature of the Blafphemy 
 
 This is a i^ej-y high and heinous Crime ^ as well as 
 horrid Bhfphemy > efpecially if committed in a 
 Chriflian Country, and in a knowing Age, and 
 where Men have all defirable Opportunities of 
 learning the Truth, as well as the ftrongeft 
 Motives ofiered for fubmitting to it. Scoffers 
 of this Kind come very little fliort of the Pha~ 
 rifees of ancient Time, either in Spleen and Ma- 
 lice, or in Perverfenefs and Hardnefs of Heart, 
 or in an impious and defperate Defiance to God 
 and Christ, and to the Holy Spirit of Both. 
 From fach Blafphemers turn away, and have 
 Nothing;; to do with the Tents of thefe wicked 
 Men, lefb ye be confumed in their Iniquities. 
 Look upon Them as Veilels of divine Wrath, 
 Sons of Perdition, prepared for Vengeance, 
 which will either fuddenly overtake Them in 
 this World, or Vv^ill fall the heavier upon Them 
 in a Vv'orld to come. The Chriflian Religion 
 lias been fo abundantly proved and fettled by 
 great Variety of Evidences^ beyond reafonahk 
 Exception^ that all Gain-fayers are now left 
 %nthout Excufe. It has had the concurrent Tejii- 
 mony of Christ and his Apoflles^ and Both 
 eflabliffi'd by many and great Miracles^ un- 
 parallei'd, and iincontroWd : And were there 
 Nothing elfe, its pre"jaili?2g and triumphing fo 
 
 muchj 
 
agatnjl the Holy Ghoft. 183 
 
 much, fo early, and fo long, over Jezvifi Su- 
 perjiition and Pagan Idolatry^ is it felf a Mira- 
 cle as great as any, and manifellly fliews that 
 the' Finger of God was in it, and that an Al- 
 mighty Power went along with it. What re.- 
 mains then, but that We learn from all, to fet 
 2.jiift Prize and Value upon This our moft ho- 
 ly Profeffion j evermore defending and main- 
 taining it againft .all Oppofers, and adorn- 
 ing the fame, as it becomes Us to do, with 
 fuitable Lives and Converfations. 
 
 .M4 SERMON 
 
1 
 
SERMON X. 
 
 The Cafe of Deceivers^ and Deceived^ 
 Confidered. 
 
 Ephes. iv. 14. 
 
 V^at We henceforth he no more Children^ 
 tojfedto andfro^ and carried about with 
 every Wind of DoEirine^ by the Slight of 
 Men^ and cunning Craftinefsj whereby 
 "They lie in wait to deceive. 
 
 ERE are tiioo Sorts of Perfons 
 mark'd out by tht'ApoJik in the 
 Text, the Deceivers and the De- 
 ceived -j the Onc^fubtle and craf- 
 ty^ and full of intrigue ; the O- 
 ther, eafy and credulous^ and unfufpeBing ; the 
 One, fuppofedto have all the Wilinejs of the Ser- 
 pent, without the Innocency of the Dove ; the 
 Other, all the Tamenefs a^d Simplicity of the 
 
 Dovc^ 
 
J 86 The Cafe of X^tztwtx^^ 
 
 Dove J v/ithout the Serpent's Wifdom. Both are 
 blameable, tho' in different Refpecis, and not in 
 tho. fame Degree ', One, ior abujing 2Si^ 7mfem-- 
 ploying their 'Talents^ and the Other, for not em- 
 ploying them at all to difcern between true and 
 falfe, between Good and Evil. Both are ac- 
 countable toGod as Dehnqucnts I One, for high 
 Contempt^ and the Otlier, for great Supinentj's 
 and Negledf. The World has never been with- 
 out both thefe Kinds of Men, fince Men have 
 multiplied upon the Earth, and Sin and Folly 
 have taken Place among Them. The Church 
 of Christ, from the Beginning ^nd ,doW:a- 
 wards^ has fuffered much by Both* Merefies: 
 and 5'<:'i'//;;Hhavedi/lurbed its Peace and broken 
 its Union ; while crafty ^nA i?2trigniny M.t'n have 
 begnn the Quarrel, aird.'K'^^-^ credidom Men have 
 run blindly into it. It was the Defign of our 
 BleiTed Lord ^^when He firfl founded his Churchy 
 to prevent, as much as poffible, all Confufion 
 and Difcord, and to provide for its then pre- 
 fent, and future Peace. 
 
 With this View, as the Apoffle here in this 
 Chapter obferves. He inflitutcd -^ Miitifry, and 
 appointed proper Offiiiers to inftrudt his People^ 
 ^nd to lead Them in the Way everlafling. He 
 gave Some^ Apoflks ; and Some^ Prophets ; and 
 ^Qme^ Evangeli/ls-^ a??d SomCy Paftors and Teach- 
 
fliW Deceived, conjtdered. 187 
 
 trs ; for the perfe6lmg of the Sm?2fs, for the 
 Work of the Minifry, for the edfying of the 
 Body of Chr 1ST ; //// We All come in the Unity 
 of Faithy and of the Knowledge of the Son of 
 God, unto a perfeB Man^ Sec ^, Such was 
 the Provifion made at the^/j/? planting of the 
 Church, to preferve its Unity, to bind and ce- 
 ment it together by the Miniftry and good 
 Offices of Apofilesy Prophets, Broangelijh, Paf- 
 tors, and Teachers, The iirfl: three Offices 
 lailed for a Time only, and ceafed by Degrees, 
 as there was lefs and lefs Occafion for Them ; 
 but Faftors and Teachers, as They will be al- 
 ways needful, fo will They be continued always 
 in conflant Succeffion till the End of the 
 World. As there is no New Church to form, 
 after the Foundation laid by C h r i s t and his 
 Apofles J nor any New DoSfrines to be publiJUd 
 beyond what They have taught 3 fo there is 
 no Need of Officers extraordinary , fuch as were 
 Apofles, Prophets, and Fvangelifts, after a Church 
 has been once raifed^ and a Rule fix'd and 
 fettled for all Times to come : It is fufficient 
 then to have a fanding Minifiry, in Succeffion, 
 to preach and publifli that Fide, and fo to 
 keep up in all After-ages What was once de-. 
 livered to the Saints. 
 
 s Eph. iv. 1I3 \z, i3-» 
 
1 88 The Cafe of Deceivers, 
 
 . But, as neither the Apoftles Themfelves, nor 
 "Prophets^ nor our Lord's own Prefence with 
 Mankind, was then fufRcient to hinder evil- 
 minded Alen from Jbwi?tg Divijions^ or imfiable 
 Men from running in with them ; fo neither is 
 it to be expelled that the ordinary Minijiers^ 
 in after Ages, can with all their Endeavours 
 prevent the like Irregularities, fuppoiing Them 
 ever fo fincere and intent upon it. 
 
 But it is further to be confider'd, that They 
 Themfelves are but v/eak and frail Men, and 
 They have no fuch infallible Ajjifiances^ or T>i- 
 vine Infpirations , as the Apojlles had, nor are 
 They Proof againft fuch Temptations as are 
 common to Men ; fo that it is not impoffible 
 even for Them to fall from their own Sted- 
 faflnefs, and to defert their Rule j and fo in 
 EtFecfl, to become Deceivers and Seducers, in- 
 ftead of being proper InJlriiBors of the Church 
 of Christ. And whenever fuch Cafes as 
 thefe happen, it is a dangerous Snare to commen 
 Cbrijlians, Who will be mofl at a Lofs what 
 Courfe to fteer, when the very Guides Them- 
 felves differ, and draw contrary Ways. This 
 however is a Cafe which may be fuppofed, 
 and which has often appeared in FatSt. Divine 
 WiHiom has not thought proper to provide any 
 infallible Remedy againfl it, but leaves it for 
 
 a Ti'ial 
 
and Deceived, conjldet^ed, 1 89 
 
 a Trial of Mens Ingenuity and Sincerity in 
 fuch Ihftances 5 that it may be feen what Care 
 and Pains honeft Men will take to inform 
 Themfelves right in any doubtful Circumstan- 
 ces, and that They who are approved may be 
 
 made manifeft. In difcouriing farther, my 
 
 Defign is, 
 
 I. To confider the Cafe of Decehers^ or 
 Seducers, Who, in their Jlight and cun- 
 7iing CraftinefSj lie i?i wait to deceive. 
 
 II. To conlider the Cafe of the Deceived^ 
 Who in their great Simplicity^ or Credu- 
 lity, are apt to be toffed to and fro 'mitk 
 every Wind of DoBri?ie. 
 
 III. I fhall fuggeft fome Advices proper to 
 prevent our falling in with Either -, con- 
 cluding with fome hntf Application of the 
 whole, fuitable to ovsprefent Circumftances, 
 
 L 
 
 Firft, I propofe to confider the Cafe of De- 
 ceivers, or Seducers, Such as, by their flight, 
 and cunning Craftinefs, lie in wait to deceive. 
 
 And here it will be proper to enquire, upon 
 what Motives, or with what Views, Men are 
 led thus to beguile, and mif-guide Others, 
 
 The 
 
The particular Motives in fuch Cafes may be 
 many ; but they are all reducible to thefe three 
 Heads, Pride, Ava?Hce, Voluptuoufnefs ; that is 
 to fay, Love of Honour^ or Frofit, or Pleafiire. 
 I. To begin with th^firji. There is often- 
 times a great Deal of Pride and Vanity in 
 flarting odd Notions, and broaching 7iew Doc- 
 trines. It is pretending to be wifer than the 
 Reft of the World, and is thought to be ar^ 
 Ar9;ument of uncommon Sagacity. Upon this 
 Foot, Some are perpetually in Queft of ?iew 
 Difcoveries, Nothing pleafes Them, if They 
 have not the Honour of inventing it, or of 
 reviving it in Their Times. It is Objedlion 
 enough again il: common Truths, that they are 
 common, and in Every Body's Hands. There 
 is no Glory to be gain'd by traverfing this beat- 
 en Road; it is but low and dull Employment : 
 But if they can open a ?icw Way, and ftrike 
 out a nciv Track which No Man has difcovered ; 
 there is the Triumph, and the Exultation. 
 When once a Man has thus far given a loofe 
 to his Vanity, and thinks Himfelf fignificant 
 enough to be Head of a SeB -, then He begins, 
 hrfl, to lijhifper cut his choice Difcoveries to a 
 few Admirers and Confidents, Who will be fure 
 to fatter Him in it 5 and next, to tell aloud to 
 all tl-ie World, how great a Secret He had 
 
 found 
 
/?;a3^ Deceived, conjldered, igi 
 
 found out ^ with the inefiimahk Value of it. And 
 now at length comes in the Ufe oi flight and 
 cunning Craftinefs, and all imaginable Artifices j 
 firfl, to find out proper Agents to commeiid and 
 fry z^^ the Conceit ; next, to Jpread it in the moft 
 artful Manner among the flmple and /^^ y^ 
 peSiing ; and after that, to form Interefls, and 
 make Parties j and fo, if polTible, to have a 
 publick San5iio7i fet to it, or a Majority at leaft 
 contending for it. This frequently is the End 
 and Aim of Novellijls and Seducers, They are 
 fir ft J fond of their own Conceit s^ which is their 
 Fride and Vanity , and next, impatient to make 
 Profelytes, and to draw the World after Them, 
 becaufe every Convert gaind is a Complime?2t tQ 
 their Judgment, and the greater the Nw fibers 
 are, the greater their Glory, Love of Fame 
 and Glory is a very ftrong Paffion, and ope» 
 rates marvelloufly in Perfons of a warm Com- 
 plexion. Even St. John the Apoflle, with all 
 his Gifts and heavenly Endowments, was 
 flighted by Diotrephes, who fet upagainft: 
 Him. I wrote unto the Church, favs that Di- 
 vine Man, but Diotrephes, TVho loveth to 
 have the Pree?nine?ice among Them, receiveth Us 
 not^. Diotrephes was a Chriflian, and 
 probably a Chriflian Priefl too, and thought 
 
 Himfelf 
 
 ^ 3 John i. 9. 
 
192 "The Cafe ^ Deceivers^ 
 
 Himfelf confiderable enough to form a Sedi^ 
 and to head a Paj'ty in the Churchy even againft 
 St. Jo H N. He loved to have the Freeminence : 
 Ambition, it feems, was his Motive : And as 
 He wanted not Jlighty or cimning Craftinefs, 
 whereby He could impofe upon the Weak and 
 Ignorant, and mif-lead Them with every Wind 
 of Doctrine 3 He was able, in a good Meafure^ 
 to maintain his Ground, and to keep Himfelf 
 in Countenance, tho' in diredl Oppofition to 
 the greateft Man in the Churchy the only then 
 fiirviving A'poflk, Having feen how Pride and 
 Ambition prompt and incite Many to become 
 Deceivers, or falfe Teachers, 
 
 2. Next let Us obferve how Avarice, or 
 Love of Profit, may fometimes do the fame 
 Thing. There is a Gain to be made, in fome 
 ]un<5tures, by perverting the 'Truth, and decei- 
 vi?jg the Populace. IVIen who are not worthy 
 to teach in the Chu7xh, or who have been fet 
 aiide for their Infiifficiency or Immorality, may 
 bring up ne%v DoBrines, and draw Difciples 
 after Them, for the Sake of ProteBion and 
 Maintenance, ox iov filthy Lucre. With Such, 
 the vending of falfe DoBrine is a Trade, and 
 Preaching a Merchandize. They muft of 
 Gourfe contrive to teach what will be mofl for 
 their Intenf, not fo much confidering what is 
 
 I true 
 
<7W Deceived 3 conjtdercd, 193 
 
 .;rue and rights as what is moft palatable and 
 pleajing^ and will bring Them in ?;2^ Profit. 
 Men of this Stamp are the meaneji and i;//i:y? 
 of Men : Yet Such there were even in the A- 
 pofloUcal Times : For St. Paul thus complains, 
 in his Epiftle to Titus ; T'loet^e are Many un- 
 ruly and vain 'Talkers and Deceivers, efpecially 
 They of the Circumcijion j whofe Mouths muji hi 
 Jiopped, Who pervert whole Houfes, teaching Things 
 which They ought not, for filthy Lucre's Sake a. 
 They invented and propagated palatable Doc- 
 trines, pleafing Errors, fuch as took with the 
 Vicious, and brought in Gain to the Teachers, 
 Thofe falfe Teachers were fewijh Chrifians, 
 and taught, among other Things, that IJrai- 
 lites. All in general, were ficure of their Por- 
 tion in the Life to come ; a Doctrine as pleafing 
 to Many, as it was pernicious to Their Souls. 
 Another DodrinewhichThey taught, as falfe as 
 the other, was the Necejfity of Circumcifion to 
 Gentiles 5 and This They did, only to humour 
 2iViA flatter the Jews, for Their own Inter eft, lefl 
 They fldould fuffer Perfecution of the fews, for 
 the Crofs of Christ ^. Of like Sort were the 
 TSlicolaitans , or Balaamites, Whoin St. Peter, 
 St. JuDE, and St. John fpeak of, as running 
 greedily after the Error of Balaam for Re- 
 Vol. II. N ward^ 
 
 a Tit. i. 10, u. _^Galat.vi, I2j 
 
194 ^^ C^fi 9f Deceivers, 
 
 ward^. They taught feveral Dod:rines, falfe 
 and fcandahus^ but agreeable enough to Flejh 
 and Blood; and fuch as, upon that Account, 
 brought Them in both Honour and Frofit^ a- 
 mong the Libertines of the Age, among the 
 Diffolute and Profane. Thus has Avarice been 
 the Mother of Herefies^ and has brought in 
 many Deceivers into the Church of C h r i s t : 
 But They have contrived generally to give 
 fome plaujible Turn and Colour to Their Inven- 
 tions^ through Their Sleight ^ ajid cminingCrafti- 
 7iefs, in Order to deceive the Hearts of the Sim- 
 pky and to beguile unwary and unjlable Souls, 
 
 3. One Motive more I mention'd, namely, 
 Voluptuoujhefs, or Love of Pleafure, As religi- 
 cus Rejlrai7its fet not eafy upon Flefi and Blood, 
 but bear hard upon corrupt Nature ; fo Men of 
 corrupt Minds vv^ill be ever labouring to ijivent, 
 and publijh fmooth 2^x16. fofteni/ig Doctrines, fuch 
 as may either qualify the StriBnefs of the 
 Gofpel-Ruky or fap the Belief of a future Rec- 
 koning. Many ancient Heretic ks had fuch 
 Views as thefe in the frji broaching of Their 
 Herefies : But I fliall look no lower than the 
 Scripture Accounts j that it may appear from 
 thence, that neither any Refpeft even to liv- 
 ing Apojiks^ nor any Regard to the Atteftati- 
 
 on? 
 
 ' Judc if. 2 Pet. ii, 15. Revel, ii. 14, 
 
ij;;^^ Deceived, confidered, iqiJ 
 
 ons of the brighteft Miracles^ can fufficiently 
 d^ter Thofe who are difpofed to fet up for 
 Heads of a SeB, and to difperfe and propagate 
 their own crude Conceptions, Hymeneus, and 
 I^HiLETUs, and Alexander the Copper- 
 Smith, were Men of this perverfe Stamp, and 
 gave great Diflurbance to the Holy Apofile 
 St. Paul'\ They pretended that the Rejiir- 
 reBion was already paji, overthroiving the Faith 
 of Some ^. They explain d away the Scripture- 
 Docirine of a real KefiirreBion to quite another 
 Senfe, and gave out Their ownfalfe GhJJ'es for 
 Scripture Truths y as is the Manner of Deceiv- 
 ers. Their Defgn was, to take off the Awe 
 and Thread of a future fudgment, and thereby 
 to open a Door to all Licentioufnefs of Life, 
 and Diffolutenefs of Manners. St. Paul 
 therefore reprimanded Them fharply, as be-^ 
 came his high Office j and, by his Apoftolical 
 Authority, He delivered The?n over unto Satan , 
 that They might take Warning for the future, 
 and learn not to blajpheme c. Thefe Inilances 
 are fufficient to fliew how Deceivers arife, and 
 with what Views They endeavour to 7nake Co?2- 
 verts to their refpedlive Perfualions, all cen- 
 tring in the Love of Honour, or Riches, or 
 Pleafjire ; or more briefly, in the Love of the 
 Vol. II. N2 World: 
 
 ^ I Tim. i. 20. 2 Tim.ii. 17. ^ z Tim. ii. 1 8. 
 — iv. 14. c I Tim. i. 20. 
 
196 I'he Cafe of Deceivers, 
 
 World : For, when Men defert either the triie^ 
 Faith, or foimd Morals, Wq may fay of Them, 
 as St. Paul faid of Demas ; — Demas hath 
 forfaken Me, having loved this prefent World ». 
 But having done with the Deceivers, I come 
 now fecondly, 
 
 II. 
 
 To confider the Cafe of the Deceived, Who 
 fufFer Themfelves to be tojj'ed to and fro with 
 every Wind of DoBrine, 
 
 They are fuppofed to be ignoranfly, and in 
 a Manner blindly, led on by Others ; Other wife. 
 They would be rather Confederates and Confi- 
 dents in managing the Deceit, and fo would be 
 more Deceivers than Deceived. Now, as to 
 Thofe who are fo ignorantly impofed upon. 
 They are more or lefs to blame, according as 
 Their Ignorance is more or lefs blameable : And 
 That again will be tnore or lefs blameable, ac- 
 cording as it is more or lefs offeBed, or wilfid. 
 
 There are, I think, three Cafes which will 
 take in All Sorts of Men who fufFer Them- 
 felves to be deceived in Things of this Kind. 
 
 The frfl is, of Thofe who have no Opportu- 
 nity, no moral Pqffibility of informing Themfelves 
 better. The fecond is, Of Thofe who 7night 
 inform Themfelves better, but do not. The 
 
 third^ 
 % zTim.Iy, 10, 
 
^;/^ Deceived, conjidered. 197 
 
 thirds Of Thofe who might alfo be better in- 
 formed, but will 720t. Of which in their Order. 
 
 1. As to the Jirji Sort, lince They are fup- 
 pofed to lie under invincible Ignorance and In- 
 capacity, Their Cafe is pitiable. Perhaps it 
 may be the Cafe of a poor Servant under an 
 overhearing Majler, Whom He is taught to 
 reverence in all Things, and to take his Word 
 for a Law. Or it may be the Cafe of a raw 
 and ignorant Touth while under a bad Father : 
 Or of any plain labourijig Man in the Way of 
 low Life, Who can neither read nor examine 
 for Himfelf, but muft take every Thing upon 
 Truji from the Hand of fuch fuperior Per/on^ 
 or Perfons as He chances to be lifted under. 
 Thel^, and the like Cafes, I refer to Jimpk, 
 i!t?2affe5led Ignorance : And fo far as Their Igno- 
 rance, or Infirmity is really unconquerable ; fo 
 far are They blamelefs, or not accountable. If 
 They be like Children tojfed to and fro with every 
 Wind of DoStrine ; yet, if They are really Chil- 
 dren in JJnderfanding, and are overborfj by Others 
 in fuch a Way as is morally irrefftible, confi- 
 dering Their Circumftances ; then it feems to be 
 ThoAr Misfortune to be fo impofed upon, rather 
 than Their Faidt, and fo is not imputable, 
 
 2, A fecoitd Cafe is, of Thofe who may 
 inform Themfelves better, but negJeSi to 
 
 N 3 do 
 
198 The Cafe of Deceivers, 
 
 do it. I fiippofe it to be merely NegleB ill 
 Them, not Dejign. Perhaps They have httle 
 or no Leijure for Enquiries : They are taken 
 up with v/orldly Cares and Bufinefs : They 
 have a very great Efteem and Vakie for the 
 Man who fo mijleads Them, and They know 
 no better, but fvvallow every Thing He fays, 
 without confidering j or They are not aware 
 of any /// Confequences of the Dodtiine, fee or 
 fufped: no Harm in it. This, I think, is a 
 true Defcription of the JJnthmking and Carelefs, 
 who take up their Opinions by Chance^ and 671^ 
 quire no farther. They are much to blame in 
 this Affkir j becaufe God has given Them the 
 Faculty of Reafony which ought not to be thus 
 left to he dorriia72t and ujelefs. Men who can 
 be fliarp enough in Jeciilar Affairs to prevent 
 being impofed upon, may and ought to have 
 feme Guard upon Thcinrelves with refped: alfo 
 to thciv fpiritiial Concernments. It is not enough 
 to fay. They have Something elfe to mind^ or that 
 They do not think of it : Such Negligence betrays 
 a Culpable Carelefnefs as to the one Taking ?2eedful^ 
 and a great Contempt of God and Religion. We 
 ought to think it as much our Concern \w fpiri' 
 tual Things, not to have Errors, ^ndfalfe Doc- 
 trines put upon Usy as We do in Things temporal, 
 not to be impofed upon by falfe Weights inftead 
 
 of 
 
mdDccQivcdy conjidered, igg 
 
 of true^ or falfe Money inflead of Sterling. So 
 much for Thofe Who are merely carelefi in a 
 Matter of this high Concernment. 
 
 3. There is yet a third Sort of Men, worfe 
 than the former, who fufFer Themfelves to be 
 deceived, and might know better, but will not : 
 That is to fay. Their Ignorance is affeBcd and 
 wilful : They love Darknefs rather than Light, 
 becaufe their Deeds are evil. Thefe are Such as 
 readily run in with every Wind of DoBrine 
 which hits their Tajie, and chimes in with 
 their favourite Inclinations. They admit the 
 Dodtrine, becaufe They like it ; and They ea- 
 lily believe if true, becaufe They would have 
 it fo. It is with this Kind of Men that De- 
 ceivers prevail moft, and make Their Harvefi. 
 Falfe Teachers commonly obferve and ftudy 
 the feveral Weaknefjes and corrupt Difpoftions 
 of Thofe whom They apply to ; and fo, by 
 flattering Their Faffons, and humouring Their 
 Follies, They lead Them about where They 
 pleafe, and make a Property of Them. The 
 Perfons fo deceived, firft deceive Themfelves, be» 
 ing led away and enticed as much by their 
 own Lufs, as by the Tempter's Subtilty. They 
 are very near as deep in Guilt, as the Deceive-- 
 ers Themfelves are, becaufe the fame corrupt 
 Principles are common to Both 3 only there is 
 N 4 this 
 
200 7 he Cafe of Deceivers, 
 
 this Difference, that One fpreads the falfe 
 Dodrine, the Other gladly receives it, and by 
 receiving encourages it, and fo is pajjively in- 
 jlriimental m /educing Others, and is but 07ie 
 Remove from the more aBive Reducer. Having 
 thus confider'd the feyeral Cafes both of De- 
 ceivers and Deceived; it remains now only, in 
 the third and lafl: Place, 
 
 III. 
 
 To fubjoin fome Advices proper to prevent 
 our falling in with Either. 
 
 The bejl Prefervative, in this Cafe, is an 
 honeji and good Heart, well-difpofed towards 
 Truth and Godlinefs, having no By -Ends to 
 ferve, no favourite Ltiji or Pajfion to indulge. 
 If Any Man is but willing to know and do 
 God's Commandments ; He will eafily difcern^ 
 in moll: Cafes, whether a Doctrine be of God, 
 or whether it be of Men, The Evidences of 
 the true Religion^ and of its inain DoBrines, 
 are fo bright and firong, when carefully atten- 
 ded to, that common Senjc and Reafon are fuffici- 
 ent to lead us, when there is no Bias to mifead 
 Us. If We intend well, 2.n6. fmcerely aim at 
 Truth, and have no Inclination to turn from it, 
 either to the right or left, We fhall not ?jiifs 
 of it ; at leafl:, not in any Points of Weight 
 or Concernment . Retain but this honeji, an 4 
 
 upright 
 
^;/^ Deceived, conjidered. 201 
 
 upright DiJpof:tio?i of Heart, and then, as You 
 can have no IncHnatlon to deceive Others, fo 
 neither will you be liable to be grojfly, or dan- 
 geroiijly deceived your Selves. Many particular 
 Cautions might be given, which I have no 
 Room to mention : But He who has once 
 well learnt the general Rule before mentioned, 
 ^ will need no other, or will Himfelf find out, 
 as Occafion offers, all the refl. 
 
 And now to apply very briefly What hath 
 been here faid, to ouj: particular Cafe and C/r- 
 cimifances. — We live in an Age of Deceivers, 
 and fo did the Apoftles Themfelves : And if 
 T^heir Authority, even among Their own Dif- 
 ciples, was not fiiffxient to keep out falfe Doc- 
 trines and dangerous 3 fo neither will any more 
 dijputable Authority be able to do it now. It 
 is our Happinefs however, that both the Truth, 
 and the whole Truth, purged from every grofs 
 Error or Superflition, is here publickly pro- 
 fefs'd and taught, and every One that runs 
 may read it. What has been calmly, wifelv, 
 and deliberately fettled by excellent Men, 
 Martyrs here, and now Saints with God, let 
 None lightly depart from, left They juflly 
 fall under the Cenfure of the Text, of being 
 Uke Children toffed to and fro with every Wijid 
 of DoBrine, by the Sleight of Men, and cunning 
 
 Qraftinefs 
 
202 The Cafe of Deceivers, 
 
 Craftinefs whereby they lie in wait to deceive. 
 Such Deceivers We are to expedl, and Such 
 We have had lately, more perhaps than ever. 
 For feveral Years laft pafl, rude and bold 
 Attacks have been making againfi: the impor- 
 tant DoBrines of Chriflianity, and againft all 
 Revealed Religion : And This is what They 
 are ftill carrying on with exquifite Subtilty and 
 Craftinefs many Ways, and with a great deal 
 of fruitlefs Pains and Labour. For, I may 
 hatfe leave to fuppofe, that No Man can in 
 this Cafe be deceived^ who has not firft a De~ 
 Jire to be Jo, and is not the Dupe and Bubble to his 
 6W7t Liifis and Vices. Attempts have been made 
 to perfuade Us, that private Vices are publick 
 Benefits : Who fees not that Their Lufts diSiate 
 v.'hat Their Pens write, and that the very Cor- 
 ruption of the Heart is come up into the Head? 
 Others prefume to tell Us, that Man is no 
 Fj^ee Agent, and has no Liberty of Will -, from 
 whence it would immediately folloW;,that there 
 is no Virtue nor Vice, no future Reckoning. Such 
 Dogmatizers as Thefe, only betray Their 
 own guilty Fears, and, if there be any fuch 
 Thing, have prejudged Themfelves before- 
 hand to everlafting Damnation. Others, 
 Upily, have run riot upon the Miracles of our 
 Blcfjcd Lord, and have thrown out more Blaf- 
 I phemies 
 
 1 
 
and Dccdvcdj conjidered, 203 
 
 phemies in a few Months Time, than hath ever 
 been known in any Chriftian Country, in a 
 Courfe of Ages. Can any ferious Perfon be 
 deceived by thefe Things, which are frightful 
 and hideous enough, almofl to chill his Blood, 
 or to make it run backward in his Veins ? 
 
 It would be affronting a Chrijiiajz Audience^ 
 to exhort Them not to be carried about with 
 any fuch Wind of Dodlrines as have been 
 taught by thefe Blafphemers, . The cimning 
 Serpent J in thefe Inftances, feems to have gone 
 beyond Himfelf, and to have forgot hisrwo?2ted 
 Subtilty. The Impofition is too grofs^ and the 
 Language too coarfe to fetch in Converts. All 
 it can do, is, to make Thofe ^worje who were 
 always bad, to render Them perhaps ten times 
 more the Children of Hell, than They were 
 before. 
 
 As to Men of any good Senfe or Sobriety, I 
 prefume, fuch Attempts will only fill Them 
 with Horrour and Aftonifhment, and flir up 
 Their pious Zeal for God and Religion, May 
 all Attacks upon our mofl Holy Faith, or 
 againfl; any Branch of it, have no other Ef- 
 fed; : And may our BlefTed Lord God, v/ho 
 alone can bring Good out of Evil, diredl and 
 over-rule all Things for the Good of his Churchy 
 thro' Jesus Christ our Lord. . Amen. 
 
 S E R M O N 
 
SERMON XI. 
 
 The Cafe of St. Paul, in perfecuttng 
 the Church. 
 
 A c T s IX. 4, 5. 
 
 And He fell to the Rarth^ and heard a 
 Voke^ faying unto Him ; Saul^ Sauly 
 why perfecuteji Thou Me P 
 
 And He faidy Who art Thou^ Lord? 
 And the Lord faidy I am yefus whom 
 Thou perfecuteji : It is hard for Thee 
 to kick againfl the Pricks. 
 
 HE Feftival of St. Paul's Ojw- 
 'uerjion is of great Note, and of 
 long Standing in the Churchy 
 not much iliort of a Thoufand 
 Years. The Memorial of that 
 happy, miraculous Converlion, may fuggell 
 to Us many pious ^nd ufeful Refledions j for 
 
 which 
 
2o6 l^e Cafe of St, Paul, 
 
 which Reafon I chufe, conformably to our 
 Church-Offices, to entertain You, this Day, 
 upon That Subjeft. Saul was once a grie^ 
 vous Fcrfecutor of the Church of God : But, 
 by the Divine Bleiling, He at length changed 
 his Principles, changing alfo his yewijh Name 
 Saul into the Roman Favl, and became a 
 Chief Jfojile. None of the Afojlles had fo 
 confiderable a Haftd in converting Men to the 
 Chriftian Faith, as this St. Pau l had. He 
 laboured more abundantly than They All, He 
 had for his Province tlie whole Gentile Worlds 
 being therefore called the Apofile of the Gen- 
 tiles. And as his Sermons, while living, drew 
 many Thoufands, or even Thoufands of 
 Thoufands after Him, to profefs the Faith of 
 Christ ; fo the Writings which He left be- 
 hind Him, making up a great Part of the Ca- 
 riori-di the New Tejlafnent^ have been of ad- 
 mirable Ufe to .feed and fupport the Chrijiia?i 
 Church ever lince. Of this Great Man, and 
 Bleiied Saint, I am now going to treat. The 
 Hiftory of his Converfion is particularly rela- 
 ted in this Chapter by St. Luke, and by St. 
 Paul Himfelf once and again in Chapters 
 the xxiidj and xxvit^ of this Book of the 
 A5fs. Such particular Care has been taken 
 by Divine Providence, that an Event fo me- 
 morable 
 
in perfecuting the Church. 207 
 
 morable fhould be tranfmitted down to Pofle- 
 rity with Marks of Honour and Advantage. o-ijg^^ 
 
 It was about two Years after our Lord was ^, dr>^ t 
 gone to Heaven, that this fo famed Converiion 
 was wrought. Saul, for a Year or tv^o be- 
 fore, had behaved as blind Zealots are ufed to 
 do, with great Warmth and Fury. He was 
 then in the Heat of his Youth, about 30 Years 
 old, very honeft and fincere in his Way, and 
 exceedingly zealous for the Law of his God. 
 As He had been bred up a Jew^ and of the 
 jiricieji SeB among Them, a Hebrew of the 
 Hebrews by Defcent^ and by Farty a Fharifee ; 
 He thought it became Him to maintain the 
 Religion of his Country, and the Faith of his 
 Anceftors, with all imaginable Vigour againfl 
 All Oppofers. The Prejudices of Education 
 were fo ftrong^ and his natural Temper withal 
 fo eager and impetuous, that He ftaid not to 
 examine into the Merits of the Ch?'iftian Caufe^ 
 into the Truth or Credibility of the then new, 
 and juft commencing Religion : But as He very 
 well knew that his own Religion wsis from God, 
 He too haftily concluded that This other, now 
 pretending to rival it, could not be divine alfo. 
 Under this fal/e Ferfuafion, He laboured to 
 dejiroy it, believing it his Duty fo to do, and 
 that the Honour of God required it at his Hands. 
 
 Fired 
 
2o8 The Cafe of St Paul, 
 
 Fired with the Thought, He entred a Kind 
 of Volunteer into the Service, went of his 
 own accord to the Magijirates to take out his 
 Warrants for perfecuting the poor Chrijiians. 
 He had Commijjion given Him to break open 
 their Houfes, to feize and apprehend Chriftian 
 Men or Women, and to hale them by Force 
 to Prifon, in Order to have flill greater Seve- 
 rities exercifed upon Them. While He was 
 thus driving on with unbridled Zeal, He dif- 
 trelTed the Chrijiians all about yerujalem^ and 
 purfued them even to Jlrange Cities. One of 
 thofe Jlrange Cities^ about i6o Miles from 
 yerufalem, was Damafciis ^ and thither was He 
 marching with all Hafte, to fearch for Chrijii- 
 ans^ that He might bring Them away bound 
 in Chains, to be tried and executed at 'Jern- 
 falem : But while He Was yet upon the Road 
 •near to Damafius^ it pleafed the BlefTed Jesus 
 to look mercifully down from Heaven, and 
 to take Pity both upon the Church and Him. 
 He calls to Him, through a Gleam of Light, 
 brighter than the Sun at Mid-day ; Saul, 
 Saul, why perfecuteft Thou Me ? To which, 
 Saul, trembling and pale, replied, Who art 
 Thou Lord'^ The Voice again anfwered, I am 
 Jesus whom Thou perfecuteft ; // is hard for Thee 
 to kick againjl the Pricks. Hard for Thee to 
 
 contend 
 
in per/ecuting the Church. 209 
 
 contend with Me thy Maker and Governor^ who 
 can crufli Thee at Pleafure. All Thy At- 
 tempts againfl Me are like kicking againfl the 
 Spikes : They will not hurt Me, but they 
 will prove fiital to T^hee, if perfiiled in. Saul, 
 after this fo friendly and heavenly Warning, 
 inflantly fubmitted -, and from that Time for- 
 wards put off the Perjecutor, to become a 
 Convert, and an Apojile of Christ. This is 
 a fhort Account of the Fad:, which the Text 
 relates to : And now I proceed to make the 
 proper Reflections, and Obfervations upon it, 
 
 I. Confider .We Saul as a Ferfeciitor, and 
 the Guilt He contracted in being Juch, 
 
 II. Confider We the Alleviation of his Guilt, 
 on the Account whereof He found Mercy. 
 
 III. Obferve We the exceeding great Good- 
 nefs of our BlelTed Lord, both to Him 
 and to the Church, in this Aifair. 
 
 IV. Confider We the proper Ufe, or Appli- 
 cation to be made of the Whole, 
 
 L 
 
 Confider We Saul as a Perfecutor, and the 
 Guilt He contracted in bei?2g fuch, 
 
 "Vol. II. Co' - However 
 
210 TheCafe of St^Vh-ULy 
 
 However ho7ieJi and Jincere He had been in 
 doing it, however fully perfuaded in his own 
 Mind that He was ferving God in it, yet He 
 never refledled upon it afterwards but with 
 Shame and Regret^ with a penitential Sorrow 
 and Remorfe for it. / 'uerily thought with my 
 felf fays He in one Place, that 1 ought to do 
 many Things contrary to the Name of ]-E.siiS of 
 Nazareth \ He did it, it feems, in a full 
 Perfua/ion^ with an upright Co7jfcience, and in 
 the Integrity of his Heart : Notwithflanding 
 which, He elfe where ranks Himfelf among 
 Sinners, on that very Account. 
 
 By our Tranflation it fhould feem He was 
 Chief of Sinners ; becaufe it is there faid. Of 
 whom I am Chiefs : But I conceive, mu -^pooro? 
 s'l fjii ' Eyoj (hould I'athQr be rendred, of whom I 
 amfrf, meaning not that He was either the 
 Chief or the Firjl of Sinners, ahjhlutely, but 
 the Firft or Chief of thofe Sinners whom 
 Christ, in a remarkable Manner, h-xAJljewji 
 Mercy to j as it follows in the next Verfe : 
 Howbeit, for this Caiife I obtained Mercy ^ 'iva \v 
 Ifjioi liT^oorw, that in Me Firil Jesus Christ 
 7?iight fiew forth all Long-Suffering, 6cc. 
 
 But to proceed. In another Place, humbling 
 Himfelf for his Sin in this Particular, He fays^ 
 
 latf^ 
 
 f Ads xxvl. g. ^ I Tim. i. 1 5, 
 
hi perfecuting the Church, 211 
 
 I am the Leafi of the Apoftks, that am not meet 
 to be called an j^pojile, hecaufe I perfecuted the 
 Church of God^, He takes Shame to Himfelf, 
 and confefTes his Guiltmefs, in that He had 
 perfeciited the Church of God. For, tho' He had 
 CommiJJion from the Magiflrates, and might 
 perhaps have been jiijlified in profecuting Thofe 
 who fhould difiurb the Peace for the Sake of an 
 Impojiure^ or for any falfe Religio?2 ; yet, 720 
 Cojmnijfion could juftfy, or wholly exciife any 
 Man in perfecuting the Truth, in perfecuting 
 the Church of God. No Concerns of te?nporal 
 Peace are of any Moment in fuch a Cafe : But 
 both They who commiffion, and They who a6i 
 under it, are ahke guilty, in oppoling the Will 
 of Heaven, in fighting againft God. No Per- 
 fuafion of Mind, no Sincerity of Heart can 
 altogether juflify in fuch Cafes ; becaufe God 
 never does fend out any Religion, but He 
 gives alfo fujfcieiit Crede?2tials with it ; which, 
 \i calmly confidered, and carefully attended to, in 
 fuch a Manner as All Men ought to do in a 
 Matter of that High Concernment, vv^ill be found 
 to be abundantly full and fatisfaBory. Sau l 
 was too eager and hajiy, to confider well the 
 Cafe. Prepoffeffion had blinded Him, and He 
 jfufFered his Paffions to run before his Reafon, 
 Vol, II. O 2 He 
 
 f J Cor. XV. 9, 
 
212 T^e Cafe of St, Paul, 
 
 He took It too eafily for granted, that T^ruth 
 was on his Side, without fo much as allowing 
 the other Side 2ifair Hearing, This was "wrong 
 Judgment, and a wry great Fault in a Perfon 
 of his good Senfe and great Abilities of Mind. 
 It was the greater, becaufe it was a Caufe of 
 Blood, and the Lives of many Thoufands might 
 be concern'd in it. It is exceeding ^;2/z// and 
 dangerous to miftake in fuch a Cafe : For, if the 
 ftippofed Offence of Thofe W^ om He fo perfe- 
 cutes be not proved, and the Crime clear, it is 
 77iurdering Men, inftead of doing Jufbice. St. 
 Paul, afterwards, did not forget to make 
 Mention of this High Aggravation of his 
 Fault ; For thus He fpeaks : When the Blood 
 of thy Martyr Stephen ivas fed, I alfo was 
 Jlajjding.by, and confenting unto his Death, and 
 kept the Raiment of Them that few Him a. It 
 is very true, that, by th&JewiJJj Law, Blafphe- 
 mers and Falfe Prophets, and Such as attempted 
 to f educe the People from the true Religion, were 
 to be put to Death : And accordingly the Pro- 
 phet Elijah, and King Jehu, made no 
 Scruple of fhedding the Blood of the Priejis 
 and Worjldippers of Baal, as was proper and 
 neceffary to do : But then thofe Priejis, and 
 thofe Worfippers were really Impofors^ Sedu-^ 
 
 ■ cers^ 
 
 • A2ls xxji*. 20, 
 
in perfecuting the Church, 21 i 
 
 cers, and grofs Idolaters, and deferved to fuffer. 
 The Chri/iians-v^trQ quite contrary : Their G?;^ 
 was jujiy their Religion true, their Commi£ion 
 divine j which the Perfecutors Themfelves 
 might eafily have perceived, had They but 
 duly attended either to the Nature of the Doc-' 
 trine, or to the Miracles wrought in Confirma- 
 tion of it, or to Their own Prophecies^ which, 
 long before had made way for it, and given 
 Teftimony to it. 
 
 Upon the Whole then, Saul, confidered as 
 a F erf e cuter of the Church of God, cannot be 
 acquitted of Prejudice, Partiality, and precipi" 
 tate fudgment, in a Caufe which demanded 
 cool Deliberation, and the moil fcrupulous Care^ 
 Caution, and Sedatenefs. Proceed We next, 
 
 IL 
 
 To confider What may be pleaded to fof ten 
 and alleviate hk Guilt in it, on Account of which 
 He found Mercy. 
 
 He Himfelf has intimated how the Cafe 
 ftood with Him 5 obferving, that, tho' He had 
 been fome time a Blafphemer, and a Perfecuter^ 
 and Injurious ; yet He obtained Mercy, becaufe 
 He did it ignorantly in JJnbelief^, He did not 
 hnqw that the Chriftian Religion ^zs>from God, 
 O 3 ' and 
 
 \ 1 T^m.i. i3i 
 
2i4 215^ Cq/e of aSV. Paul, ^ 
 
 and that the Jewi/h was to ceafe and give way 
 to it. He had no Sufpicion, no Thought of 
 any fuch Thing : He meant and intended vjd[\, 
 while He was doing amifi : This is his Excufe, 
 It may be faid in Anfwer, that He might 
 have known better, if He had been pleafed to 
 examine — Very true. He 77iight -, and therefore 
 He is blameahle : ^But ftill his Heart was honej} 
 and good, and therefore his Mi/lake was pitia- 
 ble^ and pardonable. His Ignorance was not al- 
 together affeBed and ivilfuly but had a great 
 Mixture of natural 'Temper and Human Frail- 
 ty^ to alleviate and qualify it. The Jews who 
 crucified our Saviour, did it thrd Ignorance"^ : 
 And therefore our BlelTed Lord, praying for 
 Them upon the Crofs, fays. Father forgive 
 ^Them, for They know not what They do ^, And 
 yet it mufl be obferved, that Their Ignorance 
 was much more affeSied zndi culpable^ than St. 
 Paul's was ; as proceeding from a much more 
 corrupt Heart. Envy, Pride, Malice, and 
 other vile AffeSlions had blinded Their Eyes, 
 and corrupted Their Underfcandings : Whereas 
 St. Paul's Ignorance feems to have been ow- 
 ing chiefly, or folely, to the almoil infuperable 
 Prejudices of Education , and the yiatural Warmth 
 and Vivacity of his Spirit. He had Zeal with- 
 out 
 
 ACis 
 
 '/• 
 
 ^ Lakexxiii. 340 
 
in perfecutlng the Church 215 
 
 cut Knowledge^ more Heat than Light : But it 
 was a Zeal for God^ and not for any of the 
 Ho?20itrs^ or Riches, or Tleafures of this World. 
 His Miflakes proceeded from no evil Frinciple^ 
 no Jinijter Aims, ov corrupt Views -, but from an 
 over eager Defire oi promoting, as He believed, 
 the Hotioiir and Glory, of God, in the Way 
 which He had been bred up to, and which He 
 had never yet prefumed to call in Queftioru 
 He had lived in all good Confcience before God ^ ; 
 2Lftri6i Obferver of th.& fewifh Law, ^nd, true 
 to his Frofejjion and Principles : But a new 
 Cafe, a new Hurn of "Religion came which He 
 had not ftfpeBed, and which He was too hajiy 
 to allow Himfelf Time to confider. All This 
 was confiflent with a very honeji and goodMindy 
 fincerely zealous for the Honour of God, but 
 mifguided by an erroneous Confcience. Our 
 BlelTed Lord, well knowing the Integrity of 
 his Heart, was pleafed to overlook his Failings^ 
 and to receive Him into his own more imme- 
 diate Service. He approved his upright Zeal^ 
 which wanted Nothing but clearer Light, and 
 a better Diredfion, He indulges Him the Fa- 
 vour of an heavenly ViHon, condefcends to 
 fpeak to Him from above, and finds Him as 
 willing and ready, upon Corre^iion^ to embrace 
 O 4 §nd 
 
 ' Adsxxiii. I, 
 
2i6 The Cafe of St.V kVi-Lj 
 
 and propagate the Chriflian Religion, as He 
 had before been to perfecnte and dejiroy if. 
 Which brings me to confider in the third 
 
 Place^ 
 
 III. 
 
 The exceeding great Goodnefs of our Blef- 
 fed Lord, both to St. Paul and to the Churchy 
 in this Affair. 
 
 How kind, and how gracious were the 
 Words which our Lord fpake : Saul, Saul, 
 ivhy pcrfecutcfi Thou Me ? intimating the Love 
 and Tendernefs He had for all his true Follow- 
 ers; infomuch that He looked upon any Inju- 
 ries committed againft Them, to be as fo ma- 
 ny Injuries done to Hlm/elf. Next, He gave 
 the good Man a feafonable, and a very affecting 
 Caution. I am Jesus, who?ji Thou perfeciiteji : 
 I am Jesus, the Saviour of the World (fo the 
 Name fignifies) it is hard for Thee to contend 
 v/ith One fo much mightier than Thou art : 
 Stop thy Career, and retreat in Time. Thefe 
 were moving Arguments, and pierced to the 
 very Soul. But to make the Impreffion flill 
 ftronger. He was pleafed to furround Him 
 with dazling Light, and to ftrike Him quite 
 blind for a Time. He had the better Oppor- 
 tunity of retiring inwards^ to confider the more 
 clofely, and to recolle^fl. Thefe outward Means ^ 
 
 together 
 
in perfecutlng the Church, 217 
 
 together with inward Grace^ had their full Ef- 
 fed:, and made Saul become a very obedient 
 and humble Convert to the Faith o/' Christ. 
 Thus the Man was marvelloufly refcued from 
 the Jaws of Death and Hell, in order to be- 
 come a great and glorious Saint in Heaven. 
 Such was our Lord's Kindnefs to Him in par- 
 ticular. 
 
 But, What is ftill more confiderable, was 
 the exceeding Goodnefs therein fhewn to the 
 Church in general. It was not only taking off 
 a very furious and dangerous Enemy -, but it was 
 making of Him One of the kindeil and beft 
 of Friends. There was No Man better quali- 
 Jied to ferve the Churchy both by preaching and 
 writing, than St. Paul. He had great ;2^/z^- 
 ral Abilities, improved by a liberal and polite 
 Education 5 to which alfo were fuper-added 
 many extraordinary fupernatural Gifts ■: And 
 one Advantage more He had above the Refi 
 of the Apofiles ; that He could tell both Jews 
 and Pagans, whom He went to convert, that 
 He had been once as vehemently prejudiced a- 
 gainfi: Chrijiia?iity , as I'hey could be j that He 
 had been mad enough even to perfecute it ; 
 that He knew the utjnoji They could have to 
 cbjeB to it, for He had been one of the Objec- 
 tors Himfelfj and upon as good R^afons as Any 
 
2i8 The Cafe of St. V AM hy 
 
 Man elfe could be : And yet, after all. He 
 had met with full ConviBion of the Folly of 
 his former Courfe, and of the neceffary Obli- 
 gation which Every Man lay under, to fubmit 
 their Prejudices to the Law of Ch r i s t . When 
 Any leading, or confiderable Man of a SecS: 
 changes Sides^ and there is no vilible Interefty 
 no worldly ProfpeBs which could invite Him to 
 it. His Example carries very confiderable Force 
 and Weight with it. It is reafonably prefu- 
 med in fuch a Cafe, that Nothing lefs than 
 Detnonflration, or fome Divine Impulfe, could 
 work ConviBioTi upon a Perfon io flrongly pre^ 
 fojjefedy and prejudiced another Way. On this 
 Account, St. Paul's preaching up Christ 
 among Jews and Gentiles^ was more affec- 
 ting and forcible than 'That of St. Peter, or 
 St. John, or Any Other of the Apoflles. They 
 had been Friends to Christ's Religion from 
 the Beginmngy and might perhaps be fufpedied 
 of fome partial Fondnejs towards it : But Pau l 
 had been a prcfefjed Adverfary to it, and very 
 bitter againft it ; fo that Nothing but a flrong 
 Convidion of its Truth and Certainty could 
 have made Him efpoufe it. It is from this very . 
 Man, once an avowed and declared Enemy to 
 Chriftianity, that We have, at this Day, 14 
 Epijiks written in Defence and Confirmation of 
 
 it. 
 
in ferfecuting the Church, 219 
 
 it. He was the Chofe7i Vejj'el^ the principal In- 
 ftrument which God made Ufe of, for con- 
 verting and reforming the World -, becaufe He, 
 of All Men, having been 07ice an Enemy ^ and 
 now become a Friendj was the mofl likely to per* 
 fuade. What Advantage that fingle Circum- 
 flance gave St. Paul in his Preaching, maybe 
 learn'd from What is faid in the 21ft verfe of 
 this ixth Chapter of the Ads. All that heard 
 HhUy were amazed and faid , Is not 'This He that 
 defiroyed Them which called on This Name in y^- 
 rufalejn &c. And St. Paul Himfelf takes no- 
 tice of it, in thefe Words : They had heard that 
 He which perfecntedUs in Times paji^ now preach^ 
 eth the Faith , which once He defiroyed^ and They 
 glorified God in Me ». 
 
 IV. 
 
 It remains now only to conlider the proper 
 Ufe, and Application to be made of the Whole. 
 
 I. And firft, let Us learn from the Inftance 
 of St. Paul, how much it concerns Every Man 
 to take Care, that He judges right in all Mat- 
 ters of high Confequence efpecially, and that 
 his Confcience be duly informed. Let No Man 
 truft to a meer Perfiafion of Mind, Tvhich may 
 be owing only to PrepoJJ'eJfion and Prejudice -y but 
 let Him well and wifely examine upon what 
 
 ' Foundation 
 
 2 Gal. i. 23, 24. 
 
2 20 7he Cafe of St, Pa UL, 
 
 Foundation his prefent yudgment is grounded. 
 Infinite Mifchiefs may arife from an erroneous 
 Confcience, and a mifguided Zeal. It is not fuffi- 
 cient to jnean and intoid well^ in fuch Cafes : But 
 it is further neceflary to take all reafonable Care 
 to be rightly and fidly i^tformed, that fo We 
 may know certainly what we do, and may be 
 able to juflify it upon true 2inAjbund Principles, 
 ignorance of the Rule will not exciife a Man in 
 ad:lng againf. it , becaufe He ought to know the 
 Rule He is to aft by ; which He may do, if 
 He will be at the Pains to attend and look into 
 it. Yet it muil be acknowledged, on the other 
 Hand, that many merciful Allowances will be 
 made for Men of fincere Virtue and Probity y 
 Who have been mifled only by the almoft in- 
 fuperable Prejudices of Education, and whofe 
 Miftakes have been owing more to Natural In- 
 fir?mty and Human Frailty, than to any evil Dif 
 pofition oi 2. corrupt Heart. St. Paul found 
 Mercy, on this Account chiefly : And fo may 
 Other mifguided Zealots who have the fafne 
 Probity of Mind which St. Paul, even before 
 his Converfion, had. 
 
 2. From the fame Inftance of St. Paul, learn 
 W^e a ready Suhmijfwn and Obedience to Truth 
 and Godlinefs, when fitfficiently propounded to 
 Us, Lay We afide all i?iveterate Prejudices, 
 
 and 
 
in perfecuting the Church, 221 
 
 and ftubborn Reludances, as foon as ever We 
 have Light ejioiigh to fee that We have been in 
 an Error, and that We ought to retra5i. There 
 is a great Deal of Pride and Obftinacy in fome 
 Tempers, which renders Them proof againft 
 Convi(ftion. They are averfe to own They have 
 ever been in the wrong, left it be a Reflection 
 upon Their Judgment, and lefTen Their Efteem 
 in the World. This is Folly and Vanity. 
 There is no real Difcredit, but Honour rather, 
 in g?^owing ivifer : And it is much more credit- 
 able to correB our Follies or MiAakes, than to 
 perjijl in them. How relign'd and tractable 
 was the good Apostle of this Day! how ready- 
 both to own, and to retradf his former Errors 
 and Mfcondiici ! how fincerely penitent for them^^ 
 and zealous to a?nend them ! He valued not 
 the Imputation of Levity or Inconflancy : To 
 change for the better , fliewed the truefi Conftancy 
 of a well-difpofed Mind. He regarded not the 
 Flouts or Reproaches of his Party, Whom He 
 had deferted for Christ. Let Them call 
 Him a Deferter, a Renegade, an Apoftate, or 
 What They pleafed : He knew that He had 
 weighty and unanfwerable "Reafons for leaving 
 Them, and that •T/'fc}' ought alfo to follow, under 
 Pain and Peril of being Themfelves deferted 
 and abandoned by God, Such was St. Paul's 
 I wife 
 
222 The Cafe of St.V Av h^ 
 
 wife and willing Compliance with what was 
 right and juft, as foon as apprized of it j which 
 fhew'd a large Soul, and a generous Probity of 
 Mind, and is an admirable Pattern for Others 
 to copy after. 
 
 3. Thirdly, and laflly. Learn We from the 
 whole Tranfadion, which We this Day com- 
 memorate, the Truth and Certainty of our Lord's 
 RefurreBion and Afcenjion into Heaven, his 
 Power and Majefly there as Lord of all, and 
 his exceeding Goodnefs in looking down from 
 thence to take Care of his Church here below ; 
 and how dangerous a Thing it will be, and how 
 fatal to the Undertakers, to perfift in any At- 
 tempts againfl Him. It will be hard for Them 
 to kick againji the Pricks, What Account then 
 ihall Thofe Men have to give, Who itill op- 
 pofe^ and, as much as in Them lies, perfecute 
 the Religion of Christ ? I fpeak not now of 
 yews. Pagans, or Maho?netans, Who may have 
 the Prejudices of Education to plead, as St.PAUL 
 had, to alleviate Their Sin in doing it : But I 
 fpeak of Such as have been baptized 2.nd bred tip 
 in this very Religion, and have revolted from it, 
 and labour, if it were poflible, to deftroy it. 
 Their Conduct is plainly monjlrous, and Their 
 Crime unpardonable. They have no Colour for 
 it, no Temptation to it, more than what fprings 
 
 from 
 
in perfecuting the Church, 223 
 
 from a wicked and corrupt Heart, Either the 
 Pride of Singularity, or the Spirit of Contra- 
 didion, or Malice towards the Profellion of 
 this Religion, or the Averfion they have to 
 Rule and Reftraint, or, in a Word, Their Jirong 
 Attachment toTheir Lujis and /^/V^i,makesTheni 
 wild and outragious, and fo of Courfe drives 
 Them upon any defperate Lengths. The Time 
 will come, when the Lord Jesus, Whom 
 ^hey perj'eciite, will take fad Vengeance upon 
 Them in Flames of Fire. In the mean while, 
 let Every ferious Chriftian deteft and abomi- 
 nate fuch flagrant Inftances of Impiety : And 
 let Us however make this good Ufe of Them, 
 as they are Occaiions offered, to flir Us up 
 and to awaken Us to a more fervent Zeal for 
 our moft Holy Profellion, endeavouring alfo 
 to adorn the Same with a Converfation fuitable 
 'to the Go/pel o/Curut^ 
 
 SERMON 
 
SERMON XII. 
 
 C H R I s t's Sacrifice of Him/elf explain- 
 ed ; and Mans Duty to offer fpiri- 
 iual Sacrifice inferred, and recom- 
 mended. 
 
 Ephes. v. I, 2. 
 Be Ye therefore Followers of God^ as dear 
 Children ; artd walk in Love^ as 
 Christ alfo hath loved Us, and hath 
 given Himfelf for Us, an Offering 
 and a Sacrifice to God for a fweet- 
 fmelling Savmr, 
 
 H E S E Words carry in them 
 an inftrudive LeiTon concern- 
 ing CnRiST*s Death and Paf- 
 fion^ together with a praBical 
 Conclufwn drawn from it, to 
 fhew the Ufe and Improvement which We 
 ought to m^ake of it. As Chilis t hath loved 
 Vol. II. P Us. 
 
226 CuKisT^s Sacrifice 
 
 Us, and gave Himfelf a Sacrifice to God upon 
 the Crofs for Us (a fure Pledge and Token of 
 his Kindnefs towards Us) fo ought We to give 
 np our fehes to God in all holy Obedience, but 
 more particularly in the Offices o^ Love towards 
 our Brethren, as fuch Offices are the moft ac- 
 ceptable Sacrifices that We can offer to. God 
 moft High. The general Meaning and Intend- 
 ment of the Text being thus briefly opened, 
 I may now proceed to a particular Confideration 
 of the two 7?tain Branches of it ; namely, our 
 Lord's unexampled Sacrifice made in his Death, 
 for the Honour of God and the Good of Men -, 
 and Our own Sacrifice of Our Selves in the 
 whole Courfe of our Lives, which ought to 
 bear fome Analogy to our Lord's, and to be, 
 as it were, a Copy drawn from it, as an hum- 
 ble Imitation of it. 
 
 I. 
 
 I begin with our Lord's Sacrifice, That Great 
 Sacrifice which was from all Eternity forelaid 
 in the High Counfels of Heaven ; which was 
 intimated to Mankind as foon as there was 
 Need for it (that is, immediately after the 
 Fall) which, probably, gave Birth and Rife to 
 ell Other Sacrifices whatfoever, whether in the 
 ycwijh or Gentile World j but which undoubt- 
 I edly 
 
of Himfelf explained. 227 
 
 edly was as the Pattern in the Mount to all 
 the Sacrifices of the Old Teftament (Mofalcal^ 
 or Patriarchal) all which pointed to it, refted 
 upon it, and centred in it. No fooner had 
 Man forfeited the Favour of God by commit- 
 ting Sin, but there appeared a NeceiTity of a 
 Sacrifice for Sin, to re-inflate Him. Divine 
 Wifdom appointed it, and called for it : From 
 whence We may certainly infer, that Reafons 
 of Juflice, or (which comes to the fame) the 
 unerring Rules of Divine Government required 
 it. God would not, or in Reafon could not, 
 be appeafed without it : But with it He might, 
 and He has declared that He would. He ac- 
 cepts of our Lord's Sacrifice as a grateful O- 
 dour, a fweet-jrnelling Savour delightful to 
 Him, as recoiwiling his Jufiice and Goodnefs 
 together, fecuring the Honour of his Laws, 
 and at the fatT.e time providing for the Felicity 
 of Man. 
 
 The firft Time We meet with the Phrafe 
 oi fweet-fmelling Savour , oifweet Savour (which 
 comes to the fame) is in the viii*^^ Chapter 
 QtiGenefis, v. 21, where Noah having offer- 
 ed Burnt-offerings, the Lord is faid to have 
 fmelled a jhjoeet Savour, or a Savour of Rejf, 
 When God fpeaks to Men, He accommodates 
 his Expreffions to the Language of Men, in 
 
 Vol. II. P 2 Order 
 
228 Cn'SLi^r's Sacrifice 
 
 Order to be underflood by Them. He con- 
 defcends to make Ufe of Their low PhrafeS, 
 to exprefs high and fublime Truths in the 
 moft af^eding and fenfible Way. The Figure, 
 or SimiUtude here made ufe of, is very eaiily 
 underllood : For, as Perfumes are grate- 
 ful to Man's Senfe, fo are virtuous and godly 
 Ads or Exercifes grateful to the Divine Mind, 
 Our Lord's Obedience unto Death, even the 
 Death of the Crofs, was eminently a godly 
 Service, the mofi: exalted In fiance of true P/- 
 ety and Charity that ever was, or ever could 
 be performed. It was more than All Men, or 
 All Angels, more than the whole Creation in 
 a Body together could have done towards the 
 pacifying of God, and reconciling of Man ; 
 and therefore it was as the richefi 'Perfume^ 
 having a moft delightful Fragrancy^ fuch as 
 None other can come up to, inafmuch as 
 that therein God is well pleafed. 
 
 To make This appear the more diftindly. 
 We may confider, Tirji, the Pr i est : Second- 
 ly, the Sacrifice : Thirdly, the Al t a r : 
 And laftly, the Divine Law -giver to 
 Whom the OJering was made, and by Whom 
 It was, and is accepted. 
 
 I. A Priest, properly fpeaking, is a Per- 
 fon taken from amoftg Men, authorized by God 
 
 to 
 
of Himfelf explained. 229 
 
 to be an Advocate for Them at the Court of 
 Heaven^. As a Prophet or an Apoftle pro- 
 perly is an Amhajj'ador from God to treat with 
 Men ; fo a Frieft is an Agent or Sollicitor, in 
 behalf <f Men^ to treat with God. Our Lord 
 was both a Prophet and Priejl, in different 
 Views : But here We are to confider Him in 
 his Sacerdotal Capacity only -, in which Capa- 
 city He made his Offering and Sacrifice for 
 Sins. He is a Priefi of an Higher Order than 
 the Order of Aaron, the Orderof Melchi- 
 zedeck, whofe Priefthood was Royal : For 
 He was King oi Salem, which, in myfiical 
 Coij/iruBiony is King of Peace. Melchize- 
 DECK, undoubtedly was a mortal Man ; yet, 
 to make Him the fitter Type of Christ, He 
 is introduced as a Priefi ^ and no Notice taken 
 either of his Birth or his Deceafe ; as if, like 
 Christ, He had had no Begi?2ning of Days, 
 nor were to have Ejtd of Life. He was in- 
 troduced 2&Blefiing Abraham, the Father of 
 the Faithful, to intimate that C hr i st's Priefi- 
 hood was to extend to All the Faithful^ in all 
 paft, prefent, and future Ages ; and not to be 
 confined, like Aaron's to X^^Jews, only, 
 commencing with their Oeconomy, expiring 
 ^jth it. And it is farther obfervable, that 
 P 3 Mei.. 
 
230 Christ's Sacrifice 
 
 Melchizedeck, as introduced in Ge?iefis, 
 brought no Typical Offerings or Sacriiices, as 
 Aavlou v/as wont to do : He prefented No- 
 thing to God but Himjelf, and his pious and 
 be?icvole72t Offices -, in which He- was fo far a 
 Type of Christ (tho' very imperfedlly) ss 
 Christ alfo offered Himfelf and his ali-fuf- 
 £cient Services, adive and paflive, unto God. 
 Melchizedeck further exercifed his High 
 Priefthood, in Bkjjtng the Father of the Faith- 
 ful^ and feeding Him with Bread and Wine ; 
 correfpondently to Which, Our Lord^ as High 
 Friefi^ Blejj'es all the Faithful with all fpiritual 
 Bleflings a, and feed^ Them with the Bread of 
 Heaven, the Wine of Angels, with his own 
 Body and Blood. — But my Bufinefs at prefent 
 is, not with the Bleffings confcquent upon our 
 Lord's Sacrifice, but w^ith th^ Sacr if ce it J'eJf 
 of which the Text fpcaks. 
 
 2. The Text mentions both Offering, 
 and Sacrifice : Our Lord was Both. He 
 hath given Himfelf for Us an Offerings and a 
 Sacrifice, The Word Offering is of fomewhat 
 larger Meaning than the Word Sacrifice : For, 
 every Sacrifice is an Offering to God, but every 
 Offering to God is not a Sacrifice. However, 
 the Word Offerings in this Place, does not 
 
 mean 
 
 3 Eph. i. 3. 
 
of Himfelf explained. 431 
 
 mean Offering as different from Sacrifice^ but as 
 Sacrifice taken in a larger Senfe, and different 
 from Sacrifice in 2ifiriBer Acceptation. There 
 were under the Old Teftament Offerings of 
 Fifie Flour, otherwife called Meal-Offerings, or 
 Bread-Offerings ; and there were Animal Sacri- 
 fices of Sheep, Goats, Bullocks. The MeaU 
 Offerings are here alluded to under the Name 
 of Offering, and the Animal Sacrifices under the 
 Name of Sacrifice. They were Both of them 
 Gifts to God, Both of them Sacrifices in a juft 
 and proper Senfe, as Sacrifice means a Prefent 
 made to God : And They were Both of them 
 I'ypes or Figures of what Christ was to give 
 to God in the Sacrifice of Himfelf. He is the 
 Bread of HeaveUy correfponding to the Jewifh 
 Bread-Offering : He is the Lam^ of God, cor- 
 refponding to all the Aiimal-Sacrifices, To 
 Him all thofe Material and "Typical Services 
 pointed, by Him they were fulfilled, and in 
 Him they expired. He was both the Beginning 
 and the Fnd of all thofe Ordinances : He ef- 
 tabliih'd them at the firft, to give Notice of his 
 coming ; and by his coming He removed 
 them, and took them away, when He took 
 away our Sins^ nailing them to his Crofs ^. 
 
 P 4 The 
 
 a Coloff. ii. 14., 
 
232 Christ's Sacrifice 
 
 The Text lays, Christ gave Himfelf ; 
 That Word Himjclf\ may want feme Expla- 
 nation. His Jerjbniz conllituted of two Na- 
 tuf eiy the D'^'it:-'^ and Human : He is in Him- 
 felf both God and Man, The P7'ieji who 
 made the Sacriik:e, is the whole Perfon : The 
 Sacrifice^ That Self in part only ; for the Di- 
 vhie Nature could not jiiffer^ nor be made a 
 Sacrifice ; only It mighty and did give Value 
 ^nd Dignity to the Hu?nan Nature^ which 
 alofie was, in Stri(5tnefs, The Sacrifice. Giving 
 Himfielf therefore, muft be underiiood to 
 mean, giving Himfelf in Part. For as a Mar- 
 tyr^ who gives his Body only (not his Sotd) to 
 be burned, is rightly faid to give Himfelf to 
 the Flames, becaufe He gives what is Fart of 
 Himfielfiy fo alfo our Bkjjed Lord^ in facrificing 
 his Human Nature, a Part oi Himfelf\ is rightly 
 faid to have facrificed Himfielfi. This Sacrifice 
 is variouily exprellcd in Holy Scripture : For, 
 lometimes it is called giving his Body^ fonie- 
 times his Bloody fometimes his Soul^ fometimes 
 bis Life for Us : Ail which Expreflions amount 
 to the fame Thing, namely, that He died for 
 Us, died in our Stead, a willing Sacrifice for 
 the Sins of the whole World. And yet None 
 of thofe Expreffions, however well they are 
 adapted to the cuftomary Forms of Speech, 
 
 ftre^ 
 
 I 
 
 I 
 
of Himfelf explained. 233 
 
 are, in Stridnefs of Propriety, to be compared 
 with St. Paul's Saying, that He was obedient 
 wito Death ^. For, in Truth of Notion and 
 precife Accuracy of Expreffion, It was his 
 Obedience ad;ive and paffive, which was pro- 
 perly the Sacrifice^ the acceptable Offering unto 
 God. God is a Spirit^ and the Jpiritual Ser- 
 vices are properly his Delight. PerfeSl Inno- 
 cence^ and confummate Virtue^ both in doing and 
 Sufferings were, in Stridnefs of Speech, not 
 only the Flower and Perfeiftion, but the very 
 Form and Effence of our Lord's Sacrifice. There 
 was found in That unfathomable Myflery of 
 Divine Love, in our Lord's dying for us ; 
 there was found, I fay, not only fpotlefs Ho- 
 Hnefs and Purity, but a moft upright Heart, 
 and the moft devout AfFedions, breathing 
 Nothing but the mofl: ardent Affedlions and 
 Services for the Glory of God^ and the Salva- 
 tion of Men ; for the general Happinefs, if I 
 may fo fpeak, of the whole Rational Syftem. 
 Thofe Benevolent Services taken together, and 
 Ail recommended by ths- fiiper-eminent Dignity 
 of the Perfon fo doing, -^nd. {o fiffering, were 
 the Sacrifice of fweet Odour ^ the fpiritual Per- 
 . fume, acceptable to Him who alone could 
 judge perfedly of the infinite Worth and Merit 
 of it. -^ So much for the Sacrifice, 
 
 3. The 
 
 a Phn. ii. 8. 
 
234 Christ's Sacrifice 
 
 3 . The T^hird Thing to be confidered is the 
 Altar. Prieft Sacrifice and Altar have 
 commonly been thought Relatives, fuppofed 
 to infer, and imply each other : Tho' That is 
 not lln<ftly and univerfally true ; as might be 
 fliewn at large, were This the Place for it, or 
 were ir at all proper to enter here into Niceties 
 of That Kind. 
 
 In This Cafe however. Divines both An- 
 cient and Modern have thought of an Altar y 
 as well as of a Friejl, and of a Sacrifice : And 
 from the Tbird Century at leaft, down to This 
 Time, The Crofs whereon our Lord fuifered, 
 has been o^enerally efteemed, and called the 
 Altar. For, as the "Jewifi Sacrifices were 
 lifted up upon the Altar erected for that pur- 
 pofe, fo v/as the Son of Man lifted up by the 
 Crofs^. And as the Altar among the yeiis 
 was ufed to bear or fuftain the Sacrifice^ fo the 
 Altar of the Crojs bore or fujlained our Lord's 
 Humanity, while Himfelf bare our Sins in his 
 own Body on the Tree b. 
 
 Thus far the Rejhnhlance and Analogy be- 
 tween the Levitical Altar and the Altar of the 
 Crofs, feem to hold very aptly j and to Thefe 
 two Circumftances of the Comparifon, there 
 might be others added of inferior Note. Ne- 
 
 verthelefs^ 
 
 a John Hi. 14, xil 32. ^ i Pet. ii. z\. 
 
of Him/elf explained. 235 
 
 verthelefs, Similitudes fliould not be ftrain'd 
 too far : Becaufe, tho' they may hit in feve- 
 ral Circumftances, yet will They not be found 
 to anfwer in All. 
 
 One Circumftance of an Altar is, that it 
 fanBiJies the Gift, or Sacrifice offered upon 
 it a. This Circumflance cannot properly be 
 applied to the Altar of the Crofs, 2.^ faiiBifybig 
 the Great Sacrifice, Wherefore Some very 
 Judicious Divines have here thought oi Another 
 Altar, befides the Crofs, a fpititual Altar ; 
 namely, the Eternal Spirit, the Divine Nature 
 of our Lord, which in this Cafe J'anBified 
 the Human, It is faid in the Epiftle to the* 
 Hebrews t>, that Christ thro the eternal Spirit 
 offered Himfelf without Spot to God. In This 
 View Christ was the Brief , his Human 
 Nature the Sacrifice, and his Divine Nature 
 the Altar which fanBifed the Sacrifice, which 
 fupported it under all Sufferings, and under the 
 Weight of the World's Iniquities laid upon it, 
 and finally added infinite Value and Dignity 
 to it. So then, the Crofs might be the Altar 
 in fome Refpeds, and our Lord's own Eter-- 
 nal Spirit might be the Altar in others. 
 
 But after all. It muft be owned that Scrips 
 tiire is not clear either for This Kind of Altar ^ 
 
 or 
 
 a Matt xxiii. 19. ^ Heb.ix, 14.. 
 
236 Christ's Sacrifice 
 
 or That, The Doctrine of the Sacrifice is 
 plainly Scripture-Doctrine : But the Doctrine 
 of the j4ltar ftands only upon Scriptiire-Co?i- 
 feqiiences^ drawn by Interpreters, and not per- 
 haps with fuch Evidence as niufl extort the 
 AfTent of every reafonable Man. What need 
 is there of a proper Altar to every proper Sa^ 
 crifice ? The Notion of a Sacrifice, which 
 means a Gift to God, is independent of the 
 Notion of an Altar to prefent it upon. It was 
 accidental to the Jewijb Sacrifices that they 
 required Altars, becaufe they were generally 
 to be confumed by Fire, in whole or in part^ 
 and therefore wanted 2. Fire-IIeartb for that 
 Purpofe : And it is far from certain that all 
 proper Sacrifices were ofFer'd upon Altars, An 
 Altar feems to be no more necejjary to e-very 
 Sacrifice, than a Cafie, or a Patine, or a Fix 
 is to every Gifit or Prejent which any Perfon 
 may bring to Another. It is a Circumfiance 
 perhaps of Decency, not of the Subfiance of 
 the Prefent. A Gift is not the lefs a Gift for 
 being prefented naked and fimple, without 
 the Formalities of a Cafe to inclofe it, or of 
 a Plate to offer it upon. In a word then^ the 
 • Sacrifice of C h r i st is an undoubted Scripture- 
 Truth : But as to a proper Altar for That S.v- 
 tiifice, it is a more difputable Point j about 
 
 which 
 
of Himfelf explained. 237 
 
 which very wife and good Men may be al- 
 lowed to think very differently, or to judge 
 as They fee Caufe. 
 
 4. The Fourth Article to be confidered is 
 the fupreme Law-giver, to Whom the Sa- 
 crifice of the Crofs was made, and by Whom 
 it was gracioufly accepted. Qod the Father, 
 without Difpute, as Firji Per/on in the God- 
 head, is Law-giver in chiefs and to Him our 
 BlefTed Lord paid the Price of our Redempti- 
 on, the Sacrifce of Himfelf. 
 
 If it be alk'd, what Need there was of any 
 Sacrifice to a Perfon fo benign, and fo merci- 
 fully difpofed to pardon All repenting Sinners ; 
 I fay, if this were afk'd, it might be fuffici- 
 ent to reply that We knov/ the FaB : God 
 did require a Sacrifice y and fucb a Sacrifice ; 
 and He knows what Need there was for it. 
 However, without pretending to fathom the 
 Divine Counfels, or to underhand all the Rea^ 
 fons of State J by which an All- wife Governor 
 proceeds, We may prefume to obferve that 
 Two Special Articles, the Glory of God -s^vA the 
 Felicity of Man have been admirably ferved by 
 This myfterious Difpenfation. 
 
 It is for the Glory of God, that He is feen 
 not to connive at Offences, nor to be too in- 
 dulgent towards Sin, while He requires a ija^ 
 2 luable 
 
238 Christ's Sacrifice 
 
 luahle Satisfacfion for Offences committed. His 
 yujlice, his Holinefs and unfpotted Purity are 
 hereby glorified before Men and Angels, and 
 the Honour of his Laws fupported in the Face 
 of the whole World. 
 
 On the other Hand, Man's eternal Felicit'i 
 appears to be beft fecured by the fame Means, 
 becaufe hereby Provifion is made to keep Him 
 the more Humble and modeft to all Eternity. 
 Tride is reafonably fuppofed to have been the 
 Sin of Lucifer^ which Heaven it felf, and even 
 the Pre fence of God did not keep Him from. 
 The more exalted his Privileges were, the 
 greater was his Danger, and the furer his 
 Dov/nfall. God has taken Care that Man- 
 kind fhall have lefs Occafion to affume^ or to 
 grow High-minded. Their Salvation fhall ftand 
 entirely in the Merits of Another Perjbn^ not 
 at all in their Ckvn : And as often as They 
 hope to be accepted in God's Sight, it mufl: not 
 be with Robes of their own cleanling (full of 
 Spots and Stains at the befl) but with Robes 
 tnade ichitc in the Blood of the Lamb \ This 
 may be to Them for ever a conftant Leflbn of 
 Humility^ Which is the Mother of all Virtue, 
 and a fare Foundation of all Happinefs, fecu- 
 ring Them from the Temptation which even 
 
 ^ngels 
 
 a Revel, vii. 14. 
 
cf Hmfelf explained. 239 
 
 Angeh before lay under, and which at length 
 turn'd Them out of Heaven, fince referred 
 in everlajiing Chains under Darhiefs^ imto the 
 'Judgment of the Great Day ''. 
 
 Seeing then that the Glory of God, and the 
 Felicity of Man, appear to have been thus moft 
 €ffed:ually provided for by the Sacrifice of 
 C H R I s T 3 no Wonder if That Sacrifice has 
 a very fweet-fmellifjg Savour^ or is received as 
 the moft delightful Perfume by Him whofe 
 Goodnefs is infinite, and whofe Mercies bound- 
 lefs ; and, Who having no Interefls of his Own 
 to ferve, takes Pleafure in every Thing where- 
 by his Creatures may be made to come near 
 Him, and be rendred happy in the Enjoyment 
 of Him. 
 
 Having thus run thro' the do5lrinal Part of 
 the Text, I come next to the praEiical Con- 
 elufion drawn from it, drawn by the Apoflle 
 in the Text it felf. 
 
 n. 
 
 Be ye therefore Followers of God as dear Chil- 
 dren [of God] and walk in Love, that is, in 
 Love of the Brethren, If our BleiTed Lord 
 condefcended to make a Sacrifice of Himfelf to 
 God for the general Good of Mankind j We 
 
 ought 
 
 * Jude 6» 
 
240 Christ's Sacrifice 
 
 ought likewife to make the like Tender of 
 eur Selves^ our Hearts Wills and Affe6lionS, 
 and all our Services, to the fame God, and 
 on the fame Account, namely, for the gene- 
 ral Good of All our Brethren. Such a Tender 
 as I now fpeak of, is That Sacrifice which the 
 Gojpel every where points out to Us, and which 
 God expedls of Us ; to facrifice the Old Man, 
 with the Affe5iio?is and Lujis, and to put on 
 the New Man, devoting Our Selves wholly to 
 the Glory of God, and the Happinefs of our 
 Fellow-Creatures. In This refpecSt, all Chrijii- 
 iins are reprefented in the New Teftament as 
 making one Holy Prie/ihood (faving to God's 
 commiffion'd Officers Their peculiar Preliden- 
 cy in it) to offer up fpiritual Sacrifices accept- 
 able to God by Jesus Christ ». Thofe fpi^ 
 ritual Sacrifices are reducible to two Heads, to 
 the two great Commandments, the Love of 
 God, and the Love of our Neighbour. To the 
 Firfi Head belongs the Sacrifice of Prayer, 
 which is the Gofpel Incenfe ^ -, as alfo the 
 Sacrifice of Praije, which St. Paul exhorts 
 us to offer up continually ^. To the Second Head 
 belongs the Sacrifice ol Alms-deeds, and of all 
 other friendly Offices towards One Another. 
 To do good and to commwiicate, forget not ; for 
 
 with 
 
 a I Pet.ii. 5. ^ Re%'el.T. 8. viii. 3, 4, « Heb.xlii. 15. 
 
of Himfelf explained. 241 
 
 moith fuch Sacrifices God is well pleafed^. There 
 are other fpiritiial Sacrifices recommended in 
 the New Teftament, which are expreffive of 
 the Lo've of God and of Man, Both in One : 
 As the Sacrifice of an humble and contrite 
 Heart ^, and the prefenting our Bodies a Li- 
 ving Sacrifice holy, acceptable unto God^. We 
 cannot do greater Honour to our Lord's Sacri" 
 Jice, than by thus copying after it in the beft 
 Manner We are able ; and following it (tho* 
 at an infinite Diftance) in our own religious 
 Offerings and Sacrifices, fuch as I have been 
 mentioning. Be We thus Followers of God, as 
 dear Children of God, and true Difciples of 
 Christ. 
 
 But more particularly, as often as We come 
 to commemorate our Lord's High Sacrifice at 
 his Holy Table, be We mindful to make a 
 lender of our Selves to Him, as He made a Ten-^ 
 der of Himfelf to God. While We plead the 
 Merits of That Sacrifice in our Offices here be- 
 low (which He alfo pleads in his Interceflions 
 on our behalf above) let us throw in our own 
 fecondary Sacrifices to it ; not to heighten the 
 Value of it, which already is infinite, but to 
 render our Selves capable of the Benefits of it. 
 As there is Merit fufficient on His Part, fo 
 
 Vol. IL Q_ there 
 
 f Heb. xiii. 16. ^ Pfal. li. 17. < Rom. xii. \, 
 
242 Christ's Sacrifice 
 
 there mufl be competent Salifications on 
 Ours : While Christ, by the vifible Signs of 
 Bread and IFiiie^ conveys to Us the Fruits of 
 his natural Body and Blood ; fo ought We, by 
 the fame Signs, to prefent to Him the myfiical 
 Body^ whereof We are a Part. By the L^i;/- 
 tical LaWy there was to be a Meat-Offering 
 and a Drink-Offering thrown upon the Lamb 
 in the daily Service, and Both together were 
 reputed but as One and the fame Sacrifice, The 
 Lamb, without Queftion, fignified Christ 
 and his Sacrifice : And why fliould not thofe 
 fecondary Oblations thrown upon the Lamb^ 
 be fuppofed to fignify or prefigure the feconda^ 
 ry Sacrifices, or Services of Chrifiians, thrown, as 
 it were, upon C h r i s t's Sacrifice, to ftrengthen 
 our Claim to it, and to fix our Intereft in it ? 
 Therefore, while our Lord's Sacrifice is repre- 
 fented and pleaded before God on Our Be- 
 half, in the Holy Qjuimunion ; take We Care 
 to fend up our devout Prayers and Praifies, our 
 Humble Minds and Contrite Hearts, our ^mfi- 
 deeds, and our Forgivenefi'es of All who have 
 offended Us, our holy Refolutions and Pious 
 Vov:s ; and in a Word, Our Selves, our Souls 
 ^nd Bodies, to be a reafonable, holy^ and lively 
 Sccrifiice unto God. So may the Sacrifice of 
 Christ commemorated ^ and our own Sacrifices 
 
 therewith 
 
of Himfelf explained. 243 
 
 therewith prefenfed^ be confidered as 0?te Sa- 
 crifice of the Head and Members, in Union 
 together : And io may the united Offering be 
 received above ^ as an Offering and a Sacrifice to 
 God of a fweet-fjnelling Savour -, acceptable un- 
 to Him, thro' Jesus Christ our Lord : 
 To Whom, with the Father and the Holy 
 Ghoft, be all Honour, and Glory henceforth 
 for evermore. Amen, 
 
 Vol. II. 
 
 Q_2 
 
 SERMON 
 
SERMON XIII. 
 
 The Hiftory and Character of Balaam. 
 
 Numb. xxii. lo, ii, 12. 
 
 And Balaam /aid unto God^ Balak the 
 Son of Zippor^ King of Moaby hath 
 
 fent u?2to Me faying^ 
 
 Behold^ there is a People come out of E- 
 gfpt'i which cover eth the Face of the 
 Earth : Come ?tow^ curfe Me Them \ 
 per adventure I fhall he able to over- 
 come iChem^ and drive T'hem out. 
 
 And God J aid unto Balaajn^ Thou fhalt 
 not go with Them-, Thou floalt not curfe, 
 the People : For They are blejjed. 
 
 ^&W^^^^ H E Story of Balaam fills up 
 fM:^^^^^^ three whole Chapters in this 
 ^ >^1 r [^0, Book of Numbers ; and it is fre- 
 §|'y':^S5^6§ quently referred to in feveral 
 ESte^^ other Places, both of the Old 
 and New Teflament. Seeing then that It makes 
 
 0^3 ^^ 
 
246 I'h Htjlory and CharaEier 
 
 fo confiderable a Figure in the Sacred Hijiory^ 
 (though It comes in but occafionally) I have 
 thought it may well deferve a diftincft Con- 
 fideration ; and do therefore chufe it for the 
 Subjecft of our prefent Meditations. 
 
 The Ifraelites, in their PalTage through the 
 Wildernefs, were to march through the Land 
 of the Moabites, a People defcended of Lot, 
 and over Whom Balak was King at that 
 Time. The Moabites, Anwionites^ and Midian- 
 ites, near Neighbours, were All alarmed at the 
 March of the IJraelites, and were afraid of 
 Them ; knowing what great Things God had 
 fo lately done for Them ; and that neither 
 Si HON King of the Amorites^ norOo the King 
 of Bafan had been able to ftand before Them. 
 The IJraelites had entirely routed and ruin'd 
 Thofe two potent Princes, taking Pofleffion 
 of Their Lands : And They had done it with 
 fuch Difpatch, and in fo furprizing a Manner, 
 that the Nations round about had Reafon to 
 fufpedl that there was Something very extra- 
 ordinary and Jiipematiiral in it. It feems to 
 liave been owing to fome fiich Apprehen/iojt 
 lus This, that None of Them durft oppofe the 
 Hebrews, without endeavourins: firft to ens-aze 
 Heaven on Their Side, which They hoped to 
 do by the help of Inchantments. 
 
 There 
 
(t/^ Balaam. 247 
 
 There was a Famous Magician^ or Praphefy 
 of that Time, whofe Name was Balaam, 
 mightily celebrated through all the Eaft : Him 
 They refolved to court with high Promifes, 
 and, if poffible, to bribe Him over to Their In- 
 terefts in this Exigency. The Notion They 
 had of Him was, that He was fo Divine a Man, 
 fo highly favoured by Heaven, that He could 
 turn the Faie-of War which Way He pleafed, 
 b}/ his BenediSfions and Imprecations : For thus 
 faid Balak in his MeiTage to Him: / wot 
 that He Whom Thou blejjeji^ is blejj'ed-, and He 
 Whom Thou curfejl^ is curfed^. The Midianites, 
 and Moabites were Both, of Them full of the 
 fame Perfualion, as We learn from this Chap- 
 ter : And We find from other Places of Scrip- 
 ture b, that the Ammonites join'd with Them 
 in the Defign of fending to Balaam. Dif- 
 patches were order'd to Him, deiiring Him to 
 come and take a Survey of the Camp of Ifrael, 
 and to curfe Them in folemn Form, in Order 
 to their Deftrucflion. 
 
 It may look a little ftrange, that They fliould 
 trull: fo little to their own Gods at Home, and 
 fliould fend as far as Mejbpotamia for a Prophet 
 toaliiflThem. Certainly, Balaam's Repu- 
 tation muft have run very high 3 or there mufl 
 0^4 have 
 
 * Numb. xxii. 6. "^ Deut. xxlii. 3, 4. 
 
248 ^hc Hiftory and CharaBer 
 
 have been fome very peculiar Reafon for that 
 uncommon Method of proceeding. Perhaps 
 They imagined, that the Gods of Their own 
 Country were not able to defend Them againft 
 the God of TJrael; having fo lately feen what 
 the Ifraelites had done to the Amorites Their 
 Neighbours : Or They might fancy that Ba- 
 laam had an Intereft with all Kinds of Gods, 
 and might ingage Them All to come in to Their 
 Afliftance : Or rather, I incline to think that 
 They knew Balaam to be a Prophet of the 
 fame God which the Ifraelites worfhipp'd j and 
 that therefore by His Means They hoped to 
 draw oft the God of Ifrael (Whom They were 
 fo much afraid of ) from affiiling the Ifraelites^ 
 and to incline Him to favour the Moabites, 
 and Thofe who were join'd with Them. 
 
 The Learned are not perfedly agreed as to 
 Bala am' J Charadler^ whether to call Him a 
 Magician J or a Prophet : But it is very evident 
 that He was well acquainted with the Name 
 of the Godof Ijraely and that He applied Him-' 
 felf to Hiniy and to Him only in that Affair. 
 For, when the Elders of Moab and Midian 
 came firfl: to Him, He delired Them to lodge 
 with Him that Night, promifing Them to 
 bring Them Word in the Morning, what The 
 lj)rd[\\\^x is, what Jehovah the God of Ifrael) 
 
 iliould 
 
^Balaam. 249 
 
 iliouldfay toHim,in Relation to Their Errand'': 
 Which accordingly He did -, and the AnJ'wer 
 He brought was What Jehovah the God of 
 Ifrael had really put into his Mouth. This 
 Circumftance plainly fhews that He had been 
 ufed toconfult the 'True Godm former Times : 
 For otherwife. He could never have pretended 
 now to promife before hand to briiig an Anfwer 
 from Him, or to know for certain that it was His* 
 There is no Abfurdity in fuppoling that God 
 might have fome Prophets (abroad in the Hea~ 
 then World) who were not of Ifrael, Job 
 was undoubtedly fuch an One : And why might 
 not Balaam be Another? It is. the more 
 likely, becaufe, from the Time of Abraham,, 
 God had fpread the Knowledge of Himfelf 
 about the idolatrous World : And all Aera- 
 ham'j P^m/y were oi-iginally circumcifed,and 
 became Worfhippers of the true God; tho'^ 
 in Procefs of Time, They revolted^ and fell into 
 Idolatry. The Moabites and Ammonites^ Whom 
 We are now fpeaking of, were of difiinSi Con- 
 iideration from the Reft of the Heathen Worlds 
 being the Defce72da?2ts of righteous Lot, Who 
 was of the fame Religio?i with Abraham,. 
 The Midiaiiites too, of Whom moil probably 
 Balaam was, were the Poflerity of Abra- 
 ham, 
 
 a Numb. xxii. 8» 
 
250 The Hijlory and CharaEier 
 
 HAM, by Keturah ; and Who therefore 
 certainly had, for fome Time, the Knowledge 
 of the true Go^amongfl Them ; Which makes 
 it the more probable that God might plant 
 fome Prophets amongft Them in thofe early 
 Days, to preferve That true Religion and JVor^ 
 jJnp Which They had received from their Pro* 
 genitors. 
 
 Upon the Whole then, I take the Liberty 
 to conclude, that Balaam was really a Pro- 
 phet ; and fo He is called by St. P e t e r ». 
 And as He had an Intereft and Correfpondence 
 with the true God, fo the Meaning of the 
 Moahites really w^as, that He fliould come and 
 endeavour to draw off the God of Ifrael from 
 affifting the Hebrews. He did make the At- 
 tempt (being hired and bribed fo to do) and 
 without Eitecl. Accordingly it is obferved in 
 Deuteronomy, that the Lord would not hearken un- 
 to Bal A AM b. And God Himfelf fays by the 
 Mouth of Joshua to the fame Ptirpofe, Ba- 
 la k J cut cmd called Balaam the Son o/' B e o r 
 to curfe you, hut I would not hearken unto Ba- 
 laam, therefore He blejjed you Jlilh. Thefe 
 Confiderations fhew that Balaam had ad- 
 drefs'd Himfelf to the God of Ifrael, in Hopes 
 to have his Licenfe and Authority for curfing 
 
 the 
 
 a 2 Pet. ii. 16. " Deut. xxiii. 5. ^ Jolh. xxiv. 10. 
 
^Balaam. 251 
 
 the Ifraelites. From whence We may reafon- 
 ably infer, that Balaam had been his Pro- 
 phet fome Time before, and that, in Confidence 
 of fuch his high Relation to God, He prefumed 
 to confult Him once and again upon That Oc- 
 cafion. Having thus far cleared our Way, 
 We may now proceed, 
 
 I. To conlider more diflindily the Hijiory of 
 Balaam, as laid down in Scripture. 
 
 II. To make fome Refledions upon it. 
 
 I. 
 
 The iirft Mention which we have of this 
 Man is in this Chapter of the Book of Num- 
 bers. The Occaiion of his being concerned with 
 the Children of Ijrael has been already inti- 
 mated. Next, let Us obferve How he be- 
 haved Himfelf upon That Occaiion, What the 
 Effedt was, and what became of Him in the 
 End. 
 
 To do Him Juftice, He behaved Himfelf 
 extremely well when the Meffage was firfl 
 brought Him from King Balak. He con- 
 fulted God upon the Matter laid before Him, 
 made a faithful Keport of the Krrand which 
 the Embafladors came upon, received God's 
 
 Anfwer 
 
252 The Htjlory and CharaEier 
 
 Anfwer, and fubmitted to it j acquainting the 
 MdTengers that God would not give Him leave to 
 curfe 'That People -, no, nor fo much as to go 
 along with the Embafjadors, Thus far He car- 
 ried Himfelf well and wifely^ Hke an Honejiy 
 Fions, Upright Man. But afterwards came 
 Other MefTengers, more in Number, and 
 greater in Dignity than the Former : And 
 They prefs*d Him vehemently to comply with 
 Balak's Requefl; promilihg Him rich Pre- 
 fents, and honourable Prefermefits, in a Word, 
 any Thing, or every Thing which Hfe could afk 
 or defire. To This again He made Anfwer, 
 that, ?/ Bal A K would give Him his Houfefull of 
 Silver and Gold, yet He cotdd not go beyond the 
 Word of the Lord his God"". This was well faid, 
 and was the plain Truth. And here by the 
 Way obferve, that Balaam, in thefe Words, 
 profe(jes his Attachment to the Lord Jehovah, 
 as his God : Which is a farther Confirmation 
 of What I before hinted, that He was really 
 a Prophet of the true God, 
 
 But to proceed : After This, whether pre- 
 vail'd upon by Importunity, or foften'd too 
 much by the Charms of Honour and Riches 
 (which dazled his Eyes) the good Man began 
 to llagger 5 and He yielded fo far as to con- 
 
 fult 
 
 * Numb. xxil. 18. 
 
of Balaam. 253 
 
 fult God again upon the fame Thing, tho' He 
 had before had an abfolute^ and peremptory De- 
 nial : This was hisjirjl falfe Step ; for it was 
 tempting God, and making too free with the Di- 
 *uine Majefty, forgetting both his Duty and 
 Diftance. God then gave the Man Leave to 
 go with the Princes-, but in fuch a Manner, 
 as might have made Him fenfible that it haci 
 been better if He had not ajk'd it ; and that his 
 going would be to no Purpofe, iince He fliould 
 ilill be rejirain d ivoxn curjing the People ; v/hich 
 was What He went for, and was the fole End 
 and pefign of the Princes who came to call 
 Him. Balaam however, having already fet 
 his Heart too much upon the Bribes, readily 
 accepted of the Concejjion made Him ; and that 
 very Morning He fet out on his Journey with 
 the Princes of Moab. God was angry with 
 Him for being fo forward in this Matter, 
 Which He might more wifely have declined^ 
 tho 'Leave was given Him : And belides, Ba- 
 LAAM conceived Hopes that He might at 
 Length have Permifjion to curfe the Children of 
 Ifrael: Otherwife It was a wild Undertaking 
 to pretend to go at all. God feeing the Tem- 
 per of the Man, and What He had in his 
 Heart, fent an Angel to flop Him in the Way, 
 and to deter Him eife^ftually from his Purpofe,, 
 
254 T^^ Hijlory and CharaSier 
 
 He loved the Wages of Unrighteoujhefs^ as St. Pe- 
 te r obferves, and was rebuked for his Ini- 
 quity ; the dumb Afs fpeaking with Maris Voice ^ 
 forbad the Madnefs of the Prophet ^. The Hif- 
 tory of that Prodigy is related at large in the 
 Book of Numbers^ and is a Matter well known. 
 
 Some have been of Opinion (with Mai- 
 MON I D E s the famous few) that the whole Story 
 of Balaam and the Afs was a Vifon only^ or 
 a Dream ^ and Iran failed meerly in Idea. But 
 there is Nothing in the Text of Moses to 
 countenance fuch a Perfuafion j nor are the 
 ReafonSj fuggefled for this Opinion, of weight 
 fufficient to perfuade Us to lay afide the plain 
 literal Conftrudiion, 
 
 It is with better Colour that Others, admit- 
 ting the literal Co?tftru5tion^h^\Q further thought 
 that the whole Affair v^o.^ fymbolical^ and might 
 admit of a myfiical^ as well as a literal Interpre- 
 tation J tho' This alfo is no more than Conjec- 
 ture. But They who take this Way, fuppofe 
 that the Bead vv^hich the Prophet rode upon, 
 might be an Emblem of Balaam fpurr'd on 
 by Balak his Mailer. The Afs faw the 
 Danger by the Way, and made fome Efforts 
 to avoid it, while the Rider was perfedly blind: 
 And in like Manner the Prophet had feen that 
 God was agaifif the Defign^ and He mdide fome 
 
 Efforts, 
 
 ' 2 Pet. ii. 1 6. 
 
 ^ 
 
of Balaam, 2^15 
 
 Efforts to turn afide from it ; but was flill ve- 
 hemently prefs'd on, and pufli'd forwards by 
 K. Balak. I forbear to mention other re- 
 fembling Circumftances, which have afforded 
 Reafon for fuppofmg that the Whole was em- 
 blematkal^ and intended for Balaam's In- 
 ftrudion, that He might fee his Folly and 
 retreat in Time. 
 
 But He went on -, and God permitted Him 
 now to proceed (according to his own Devices) 
 to reap the Fruits of his Ambition .-and Ava- 
 rice ; only taking care all the Time, that He 
 fhould not drop the leail: Curje upon the IfraeU 
 ites ; but fhould fpeak as directed by God 
 Himfelf, ^nd deliver Nothing but Blejjings. 
 The Prophet accordingly, after feveral fruitlefs 
 ElTays to prevail with God to let Him curfe 
 the People, was flill conftantly with-held from 
 doing it ; and inftead of ciirfmg Them, He al- 
 together blejjed^htm three times 5 and at length 
 concluded, prophefying of the Do%vnfaU of the 
 Moabites, and foretelling many and prodigious 
 Succejjes of the People of IJraeL Thus was 
 King Balak's Defign utterly fruflrated: And 
 inftead of rewarding the Prophet^ He was bit- 
 terly incensd againfl Him. And now Ba- 
 laam, being reduced to thefe Straits, began 
 to perceive how foolifh an Errand He had come 
 
556 T'he Hiftojy and CharaBer 
 
 upon, and how little He had galn'd by the Ex- 
 pedition. However, h-^v'm^ fail' d in 0?7e Way, 
 He hoped now to make Balak fome Amends 
 in another : And, as God had now given the 
 Man up to his own mad Counfels, He next en- 
 ter'd into as wicked and impious a Defign as 
 could well be imagined. He advifed the Mo- 
 abites to think of fome Means of drawing the 
 Ifraelites into fome heinous Offence againft Their 
 God--, affuring Them, that there was no poffi- 
 ble Way of getting an Advantage over Ifrael, 
 unlefsThey could be firfl drawn into Sin, that 
 fo a Breach might be made between Cod and 
 Them. Tiiis was a Kind of Machiavilian Po- 
 licy, fh-.ewd and deep laid, but curfed and 
 diabolical, h had not the EfFed which Ba- 
 laam aim'd at in it (God fo far defeating his 
 Counfels) but the Event was, the feducing 
 great Numbers of Ifraelites into Whoredom firft, 
 and then into Idolatry-, and It ended in the De- 
 flrudior. of 24000 cf God's People. 
 
 This Wickednefs of Balaam is particular- 
 ly taken Notice of by St, John, in the Revela- 
 tions J Who, fpeaking to the Church of Perga- 
 miis in the Name of Christ, fays: I ha^ue a 
 few things againft Thee, becaufe Thou hafi there 
 'Them that hold the DoSlrine ^Balaam, Who 
 taught Bal AK /(? caft a Stumblitig-block before the 
 
 Children 
 
of Balaam* 257 
 
 Children of Ifrael, to eat Tubings ficnficed imto 
 Idols ^ and to commit Fornication'' . St. Peter 
 alfo alludes to the Same Thing 3 fpeaking of 
 Some Perfons, Who^ as He fays, h.-2id forjaken 
 the right TVa)\ and were gone ajiray^ following 
 the IVay of Balaam the Son of Bocor, who 
 loved the Wages of XJnrighteoufneJs ^. St.PETER 
 calls Him Son of Bosor : In the Old Tefla- 
 ment He is called Son ofBEOR: BuIBeor 
 and Bosor are Both the fame Na?ne in the 
 Original^ only differejjtly pronounced : And per- 
 haps This may be one Inftance among others 
 wherein St. Peter followed a Galilean Pro- 
 nunciation : But That by the Way only. I 
 fliould take Notice, that St. Jude alfo alludes 
 to the fame Thing with What St. Peter and 
 St. John refer to; rebuking fome Perfons for 
 running greedily after the Error of Balaam 
 for Reward^. The Perfons there pointed tOj 
 were a wretched Sed: of Falfe Teachers which 
 ftarted up in the very Infancy of the Chriflian 
 Church. They held it lawful to follow car- 
 7ial Lufis, to commit Fornication, Adultery, 
 Inceft, and other Impurities. This palatable 
 Doctrine fuited the corrupt Tafte of the Fo- 
 kptiioiiSj and brought the Teachers in much 
 Applaufe, and many a fair Prefnt from their. 
 Vol. II. R carnal 
 
 « Rev, ii. 14. '-"' 2 Pet. ii. 15, * Jude ver i :, 
 
258 'The Hijlory and CharaBer 
 
 carnal Hearers. And now, becaufe Their Doc- 
 trine was very like Balaam's, and the prin- 
 cipal Motive to it in the Teachers was Avarice, 
 and a D^fire oi jlattering dind. pleafiig Others in 
 Their Lufts ; therefore Thofe Teachers were 
 compared to Balaam, and Their Dodtrine to 
 His. Their Hebrew Name alfo was Balaamites^ 
 as their Greek "Name was Nicolaitans ; Both 
 which lignify the fame Thing, viz. Lords, or 
 Leaders of the People. And thus the Name 
 of Balaam revived, as it were, in the firft 
 Ages of the Go/pel, but mucli to his Difio- 
 nour, to make his Memory the more odious 
 and deteftable to latefl Pofterity. But I re- 
 turn to the Hiflory where I left off. 
 
 After Balaam, by his curfed Counfels, 
 had led Ifrael into a Snare, and God had ta- 
 ken fevere Vengeance of his own People for 
 being fo weakly mifled ; He then gave Orders 
 to Mofes and the Ifraelites to march againfl the 
 Midianites, and fmite Them, in' Revenge for 
 the Wiles which, by the Advice of Balaam, 
 They had pradifed, and thereby beguiled If- 
 rael. Accordingly, They went out, and made 
 a dreadful Slaughter of the Midianites, de- 
 ftroying Their Country, and dividing the Spoil. 
 And here it was that Balaam at length 
 reap'd the Wages of his Iniquity, being llaln 
 I amone 
 
of Balaam. 259 
 
 among the Reft with the Edge of the Sword *. 
 Such was the End of that unhappy Man ; once 
 a Prophet^ and, as it feems, highly in Favour 
 with Ahiiighty God j but beguiled with the 
 Charms of Ambition and Covetoufnefs, fall- 
 ing off by little and little (as God withdrew 
 his Grace, which He had made an ill Ufe of) 
 till at length He came up to the higheft Pitch 
 of Wickednefs , becoming a Seducer ^ 2nd /et- 
 ting Him f elf at the Headoi the Rebellion agairf: 
 God, doing infinite Mifchief by his Diabolical 
 Counfels 5 and inftrudiing Princes in fuch Arts 
 of curfed Policy, as ought to render his Name 
 infamous to all Pofterity. 
 
 I fhould farther obferve, that, for a (land- 
 ing Memorial of God's Refentment for What 
 had been done by the Ammonites and Mo- 
 ahites againft his People of Ifracl t, He 7nade 
 mi Order that No Ammoiute or Moabite fhould 
 be permitted to enter into the Congregation of 
 the Lord, till after the tenth Generation, becaufe 
 of What They had done in the Matter c/' Ba- 
 laam. The Words of the Law are 5 An 
 Amw^onite or Moabite fall not enter i?ito the 
 Congregation of the Lord, even to the tenth Ge- 
 neration. Becaufe They met Tou not with 
 
 Bread and Water in the Way,, when Tou came 
 
 Vol. 11. R 2 forth 
 
 2 Numb. xxxi. 8. Jofh. xiii. 22» 
 
25o Hoe Hijiory and CharaBer 
 
 forth cut of Egypt ; a?id hecauje T^hey lured a- 
 gainft Thee Balaam the Son o/' Beor, of Pe- 
 thor of Mcfopotamta^ to curfe Thee ^. The 
 Meaning of which Law is, that, tho' an Am- 
 pjonite, or a Moabife, fliould become a Convert 
 to the fe-wif:) Religion, and conforrii to T'heir 
 Ijaw and Ceremonies in every Refpe6t, and be- 
 come a compleat Member of the fewifo Church ; 
 yet He fluoiild not have the Privileges of Mar^ 
 rying with an Ifraelite, but iliould be debarred 
 from it, lie and his Poflerity for ten Genera- 
 tiojis ; Which is interpreted, in Nehemiah, 
 to mean for ever ^. Such was the Mark fet 
 upon the Ammonites and Moabites for Their 
 Offence in That Inftance : And Balaam's 
 I?jfamy was perpetuated by the fame Law, 
 being exprefly mention'd in it as the Man who 
 
 had been hired to cur/e God's People. But 
 
 enough hath been faid of the Hijiory of Ba- 
 laam , pafs We on now, 
 
 IL 
 
 To make fome Refledions upon it ; as it 
 may indeed afford Us plentiful Matter for it. 
 
 I . In the firft place obferve, that there is 
 no Time of Man's Life wherein He may not 
 be tempted, or may not be in Danger oi fall- 
 
 * Deut. xxiii. 3, 4. *» Neh. xiii. 1. 
 
 tng 
 
of Balaam. 261 
 
 ing off'iwm. God and Gcodnefs ; "Which fl^.oiild 
 be an Argument to Us for conjlant Care and 
 Watchfuhiefs over Our Selves. Even T^hofe 
 Whom God hath favoured in a very particular 
 Manner^ and ^vith Heavenly Gifts 'and Graces^ 
 are no more fccure than Others^ if They take 
 not proportionable Care. I fay Nothing of 
 Solomon, or Others who might here be m.en-' 
 tion'd : Balaam is the Inftance now before 
 Us, a Prophet of the ?72oJi High God, and pro- 
 bably advanced in 7^ears^ fince his Fame had 
 fpread wide and far. His Sitanddng w^as not fo 
 firm^ but that an iinloolid for^ and a powerful 
 Temptation {hook his Stedfaftnefs, and brought 
 Him down from the Heights He had attain'd 
 in Gods Favour, to a mofl forlorn and wretched 
 Condition. 
 
 2. Obferve farther, how dangerous a Thing 
 it is, fo much as to attend, or lijlen to tlie 
 Charms of Wealth and Honour : For a Gift will 
 fometimes Mi?2d the JVif, and a B'ribe \ni\\ be- 
 quile their Hearts. Balaam look'd too much 
 upon xhQ golden Prefents, and was too fenfibly 
 ftruck with the Soimd of Honour and Prefer-^ 
 ments ; Which made Him the lefs corifider upon 
 how flippery Ground He ftood, and how dan- 
 gerous an Affair That was to concern Himfelf 
 in. Put it even in the bell Light, and ima- 
 
 R 3 gine. 
 
262 The Hijlory and CharaBer 
 
 gine that He 'might have had God's Leave to 
 do what Balak delired : Yet, would a wife 
 and a good Man have been forivard to Jet God 
 to Sale, and to make a Tf^ade of the Favours 
 fent liim from above ? El i sii a would not fuf- 
 fer fo much as his Servant to take a Gift of a 
 great Man whom He had cured of a Leprofy : 
 So imbecDming a 'Thing did He think it to fell 
 and make Merchandize oi fpiritual Privileges, 
 Had Balaam been oi that Temper, He would 
 never have been mifed in the (liameful Manner 
 He was, but v/ould have held fall his Integrity 
 to the End. 
 
 3. Obferve thirdly, that when God fees Men 
 leaning too far to ambitious or covetous 'Defuses, 
 and not wife enough to take fuch gentle Hints 
 cs might be fufficient to call Them back ; He 
 then leaves Them to purfueThdr own Hearts 
 Lulls, and lets Them follov/ Their own Ima- 
 ginations. When He at firil proJoibited Ba- 
 laam- from curfng the People, and from goi?2g 
 mth the Mefjeiigers, That was Indication fiffi- 
 'ciejjt. -A wife Man, after'T/3j/, v/ould have 
 ■abjolutely reft fed to treat or parley with any 
 EmbafTadors whatever upon the fame Errand. 
 But Balaam had y^if his Heart upon the 
 Bribes, and was become warm and earer in 
 the Bufinefs. So God permitted the fooliili 
 
 Man 
 
(?/* Balaam. 263 
 
 Man to go on as his Inclinations led, and to 
 run his utmofl; Lengths of Folly and Madnefs. 
 Since He would not retreat in Time, nor know- 
 when He had done enough (tho' God had gi- 
 ven ¥iin\Jiifficie?it Intimatiom) He was at length 
 permitted to proceed in his own Way, and to 
 his own Deftrucftion. 
 
 4. Obferve next, how fooliHi a Part a Man 
 ads, and how He expofes Himfelf to Contempt 
 and Scorn, as well as Danger, when He takes 
 upon Him to follow his own Way and Hu- 
 mour, and will not have God for his Guide. 
 It was a weak Thing in Balaam to aflv God 
 a fecond Ttjne^ after God had abundantly iig- 
 nified his Pleafure : And It was fcill weaker, 
 after He had received a fecond Anfwer difcou- 
 raging Him from any Thought of curling the 
 People, for Him to go on with the Princes of 
 Moab^ and to offer Himfelf to Bal ak, when 
 He could do Him no Service. But, to fhew 
 fome sood Inclination towards fervinp; Ba- 
 lak. He refolved to make very free with 
 Almighty God 3 tho' He had carried his irre- 
 verent Familiarity too far before. He was 
 now come to Balak, and Something he muft 
 do J tho' as to the main Ti'hing, v/hich v/as air- 
 fmg the People, He knew very well that Go4 
 had tied tip his Month. Hovyxver, He, m.akes 
 
 R 4. Bail a i^ 
 
^64 The Hijlory and Cha^'acier 
 
 Balak prepare Altars znd Sacrifices^ and He 
 would thereby try again and again, What God 
 would fay to Him. A dan9;erous Thinc^ thus 
 to tempt, and trifle with the eternal God ! 
 Well : The Effed was, that, much againfc his 
 Inclination, He was made to Blefs the People 
 whom He came to Curfe ; Which highly of- 
 fended Balak, and made the Prophet ridi- 
 culous in the Eyes of All there prefent. Yet 
 This was not fufPicient, but the foolifli Man 
 goes on to tempt God again ^ and with the fame 
 Succefs ; till Balak was perfectly inraged a- 
 gainft the Prophet, and God let them Both fee, 
 that His Will ihould prevail, and not Theirs. 
 
 5. Obferve farther, that, when once flub- 
 born and wilful Men have run fuch Lengths 
 in Oppofition to the JVill of Heave?! ; God then 
 gives Them up "to a reprobate Mind, and lets 
 Them fall from one Degree of Wickednefs to 
 another. So it was in Balaam. He had 
 been provoking God, Time after Time, by the 
 foolilli, irreverent, and conceited Part He had 
 been ading : And now God left Plim to do a 
 crreat deal worfe : to be CounfcIIor to Balak 
 in as wicked Policy as Flcll it felf ccjld invent j 
 to J'educe the Jfraelites into Fornication, and into 
 the abominable Lev/dneffes which went along 
 with the Fcajls and Retellings made in Honour 
 
 2 of 
 
of Bajlaam. 265 
 
 ofBAAL-PEOR, A Man who could give fuch 
 Coiinfel as That, muft have firfl fl^aken off all 
 Ho?20iir, RefpeBj or Keverence for the Living 
 God ; Which indeed appears to have been. 
 Balaam's Cafe in the End. 
 
 6. One Thing more We may obferve from 
 his Hiftory, which is This -, that the Spii'it of 
 God may fometimes voiichfafe to come upon a 
 "■eery ^wicked Man (fo far as concerns the extra- 
 ordinary Gifts) without reforming or influencing 
 the fame Man as to his Life and Morals, in the 
 way of ordinary Operation. Thefe two Things 
 are very diflinci, and may often be feparate ; 
 as in Balaam at That Time, and in Judas 
 afterwards. Balaam had undoubtedly the 
 Gift of Prophecy, even while He was doijig 
 amifs, and tempting Almighty God. For the 
 Spirit of God came upon Him a, and made ufe 
 of his Organs in the delivering feveral remar- 
 kable Pi'ophccies fulfilied in their Seafon : As 
 the rifingStrejigth, and growing Greatnefs of the 
 Ifraelites : The Fall of Moab, and of Edom^ 
 v/hich was to be effe(5led in the Time of King 
 David : The Deflrucfion of Amalek^ which 
 came to pafs fomewhat fooner, in K. Saul's 
 Time : The Overthrow alfo of the Kenites by 
 the Hand of the Ajjyriam : And, What is m.ore 
 
 than 
 
 ' Numb. xxiv. 2. 
 
266 The Hijlory a72d CharaSter^ &c, 
 
 than all, the Overthrow of the Ajjyrian Conque- 
 rors T^hemjehes by the Hands of the Chittim, 
 that is, of the Macedonians -, which was exe- 
 cuted under the Condud: of Alexander the 
 Great. Thefe were great and vaUiable Pro- 
 phecies, and m oft of them, befides their more 
 immediate Referejice^ had a further View to the 
 coming o/' Christ : And hence it is that this 
 Hiftory of Balaam deferved the more efpe- 
 cial Notice, and is made to fill up fo many 
 Chapters in Moses. But when We find fuch 
 confiderable Prophecies delivered by the Mouth 
 of an ungodly Man j give God the Glory, and 
 let the Sham.e reft where it ought. The Pro- 
 phecies are oi Jlanding Uje in the Church ; but 
 the Prophet will be no Gainer by them : Our 
 Lord Himfelf has fully interpreted this Cafe, 
 in the Words following — Many will fay to Me 
 in that Day^ Lord^ Lordy Have we not prophe- 
 fod in thy Name f ajjd in thy Name caji out 
 Devils ? and in thy Name done many wo?iderful 
 Works ? A?2d then will I profefs unto Them, I 
 never knew Ton ; depart from Me Te that work 
 Iniquity ^, 
 
 , » Matt yii, 22, 23. 
 
 SERMON 
 
S E R M 
 
 The Appearance of S a m u e l^ to Saul 
 at E?2-dor, 
 
 I Sam. xxviii. 15, 16. 
 
 ^nd Samuel /aid to Satd^ Why hajl 'Thoii 
 dif quieted Me^ to bring Me up f And 
 Saul anjweredj I am fore dijlrejjed\ for 
 the Philijli7ies make War againjl Me^ 
 and God is departed from Me^ a?2d ait- 
 fwerethMe no more^ neither by Prophets^ 
 ?ior by Dreams : Therefore I have called 
 Thee^ that Thou may eft malie hiow7t U7i- 
 to Me What I Jhall do. 
 
 Then f aid Sa^nuel^where fore then do f Thou 
 
 ask of Me^ feeing the Lord is departed 
 
 fro7n Thee^ and is become thine E.7te7ny ? 
 
 HIS Chapter contains a mo/l 
 
 ft^^'^ remarkable Pafl:i2;e of ilicredSto 
 S^l T I'Mil ry: Melancholy indeed it is, but 
 ^Mfe'^3^ entertaining withal ; and, when 
 J^^ coniidered in all its Views, highly 
 
 inftrudive. KIdg; Saul 
 
 is here introduced^ 
 lipt 
 
268 T^he Appearance of Sauve l, 
 
 jiot in his Glory and Splendor, as when firit 
 called to the Throne of I/racI, but in his De- 
 cline of Life, and his mofl deplorable Circum- 
 fiances, which his many and grievous Tranf- 
 greffions had brought Him into. Vengeance, 
 which had long hovered and waited, now ad- 
 vanced with large and quick Strides, and his 
 Fate drew on a-pace. He perceived it, and 
 was very fenfibly affected with it. One can- 
 not exprefs, nor indeed conceive, the Pains 
 and Agonies He muft then have felt in his 
 Mind. He had abandoned God for fome 
 Time, and He was now fadly fenfible that God 
 had abandon'd Flim : Yet He had a great De- 
 lire to confult Him once again,, and to obtain 
 a kind Anfwer from Him in his Day of Diftrefs, 
 He put on the outward Garb of a Devotee, 
 while liis Heart was fall hard as ever, and his 
 Mind not changed. His prefent Fears, rather 
 than any Thing of true Penitence, rouzcd Him 
 up, and made Him have Recourfe to God ; pre- 
 pared at the fame Time, if God (l^iOuld not an- 
 fwer, to make his next Refort to a Sorcerejs^ 
 and by Her to come at Samuel's Ghofb. 
 
 But firft He applies to God. The PbiliJ- 
 twcs bore hard upon Him at that Time with a 
 formidable Army, and fo near to Him that 
 there was but a Valley between Them and 
 
 flim ', 
 
to Saul at En-dor. 269 
 
 Him ; whereupon He was greatly diflrefs'd. 
 In fuch prelTing Exigency, He attempted every 
 Method He could think of (by Dream, or by 
 Z7/7;;z, or by Prophejy) to obtain fome inftruc- 
 tive Anfwer from God : But God would not 
 hear Him, nor take the leaft Notice of Him, 
 knowing Him ftili to be the fame wicked Man 
 as before J afflicted indeed, but not more hum- 
 ble 5 forrowful, but not penitent, nor at all 
 changed in the inward Man. 
 
 Saul, thus finding Himfelf repulfed and 
 rejeifted, like a diftracfted Man refolved to 
 ftruggle with his Fate to the utmoft, and to 
 run any Lengths of Madnefs. Tho' God had 
 deferted Him, yet He was weak enough to 
 imagine that Samuel however (that is, the 
 Ghcji of S AMU E L ; for He had been, dead about 
 four Years before) might be prevailed upon to 
 iiften to Him, and to return Flim a kind An- 
 fwer. But in Order to come at Samuel, He 
 repairs to a Sorcej^efs, a Woman of En-dor, 
 ikill'd in Magick Art, and fam'd for conjuring 
 up Ghojls (as the World believed) by her So?-- 
 ceries, or 'Enchantments, It is not material here 
 to enquire into the Myfleries of that Art, or 
 whether it ever hath, or can perform fo much 
 as it pretends to. It is fufficient that Fame 
 fo reported oi^kat Woman ^ and Saul believed 
 
 its 
 
270 l^he Appearance of S auv el^ 
 
 it J and the Woman^ tnifting to her Art, un- 
 dertook the Thing : But God Himlelf, as it 
 feems, interpofed, and both conduded and 
 governed the whole Tranfadion. There hath 
 been great Variety of Sentiments among the 
 Learned, and very different Accounts have been 
 given, of this famed Adventure. 
 
 I. I will therefore endeavour to fettle what 
 I take to have been the 'Truth of the Cafe. And, 
 
 II. Proceed to tYi^ praBical Ufe and Appli- 
 cation of it. 
 
 I. 
 
 V Some have thought that there was Nothing 
 more in it than Trick and Legerdemain^ where- 
 by a cunning Woman impofed upon SaulV 
 Credulity -, making Him believe that Ihe faw 
 an Apparidon, when flie really faw None j at 
 the fame Time contriving that a Voice (liould 
 be heard fpeaking unto Saul in fuch Manner, 
 and in fuch V/ords, as are related in that Chap- 
 ter. 
 
 But this Opinion is highly improbable. For, 
 if the Woman had the fole conducing of That 
 Affair, intending only to impofe upon Saul, 
 fhe would mod undoubtedly have contrived to 
 make the pretended Samuel'^ Anfjoer as 
 
 agree- 
 
ioSkxJh at En-dor. 271 
 
 agreeable, 2ind plea/i?2g to the Khjg 2iS poffible, r.nd 
 That for her Owfi Sake efpecially ; for Fear of 
 offending Saul, and to J'ave her own Life, as 
 well as to procure from Him the larger Gra- 
 tuity. She would never have told Him (flie 
 durfl not have told Him) that He Hi mfe If (hould 
 he fiortly Jlainy and bis So?2s with. Him, and 
 that the Ho/i of Ifrael fhould be delivered into 
 the hand of the Philijiines ; as we read Verfe the 
 19th. Indeed, the whole Turn of Samuel'^ 
 Speech, in this Chapter, is too rough and ungrate- 
 ful, too g?'ave 2iV\dJblemn, I may add alfo, too 
 full of Truth and Reality, to h^ve been owing 
 only to her Contrivance, or Bjvenfion. 
 
 For It muft be obferved farther, that What 
 was here fpoken as from Samuel, was really 
 prophetick^2ind\\'^s^\\n€t\i'A\y fulfilled a few Days 
 after. Here were Things foretold, which nei- 
 ther the JVo?nan Her felf, nor even her Familiar 
 Spirit could certainly h'^vtforefeen. None bat 
 God Himjelf could have revealed the Secret. And 
 how unhkely is it that God fliould make ufe 
 of this Sorcerefs as a Frophetefs, and fliould give 
 Her the Ho?iour of revealing his Counfels ; at 
 the fame time concurring with Her in the I?n- 
 pofition put upon Saul, making Him believe 
 that Samuel appeared aiid talk'd, when there 
 was no Samuel there. - 
 
 For 
 
272 The Appearance of Samvel^ 
 
 For thefe Reafons, we may prefume to think 
 and judge, that the Matter here related was 
 not all a meer juggle or Contrivance of an art- 
 ful Woman, but Somethhjg more. There was 
 inofi: certainly an Apparition in the Cafe, ei- 
 ther of Samuel'^ Ghoji^ or of Some Other 
 Spmt perjb?2aling Samuel. And here again 
 Criticks are much divided. Which to chufe. 
 Upon confidering this Matter very carefully, 
 with the Reafons offered on both Sides, I in- 
 cline to think that Samuel really appeared^ 
 that is, Samuel'^ Ghoji ; not hy zny Power 
 of Inchantment ^ but by God's DireBion and Ap- 
 pointment^ for a Rebuke to Saul, and in the 
 Way of Funifiment to Him for His great Fre- 
 fumption in doing What He did. For the Mef- 
 fage, thus brought Him, was exceeding rough 
 and fevere j greatly added to the Load of his 
 Misfortunes, and enhanced the Weight of his 
 Troubles. The Reafons for this Interpretation 
 are as follow. 
 
 I . This Method of proceeding is very conform- 
 able to What God had been pleafed to do be- 
 fore, in other Cafes of like Nature. As, when 
 King Balak had Recourfe to Sorceries and 
 Divinations, in Hopes to procure fome Relif^ 
 or fair Projnifes at leafl: from them, GodHlm- 
 f elf inter pofed^ and fo over-ruled Balaam, and 
 
 all 
 
 % 
 
It? Saul ^/En-dor. 273 
 
 all his Dmnatio?2S, that K. Balak could ob- 
 tain no favour able Anfwer from them, but 
 quite the Reverfe ^. 
 
 In like Manner, when King Ahaziah had 
 fent to confult Baalzebub, the Demon of 
 Ekrcn, to know whether He fliould recover 
 of the Sicknefs He then lay under, hoping, no 
 doubt, to obtain a Favourable Anfwer there, 
 as probably He might have done ; God Him- 
 felf took care to anticipate the Anfwer by Eli- 
 jah the Prophet, who aflured the MelTengers, 
 meeting Them by the Way, that Their Mafter 
 Ahaziah (hould not recover , but (houldfurely 
 die ^. 
 
 Thus probably was it in the Cafe of Saul 2 
 When He was in Hopes of a kind Anfwer from 
 Samuel, and, it is hkely, would have had 
 a very favourable one from fome pretended 
 Samuel j fome Demon in his Shape, if the 
 wretched Woman could have raifed fuch a 
 One by her Sorceries 5 God was pleafed to dif- 
 appoint both the Sorcerefs and Him, by fend- 
 ing the true Samuel with a true 3.nd faiths 
 ful MeiTage, and quite contrary to what the 
 Woman or Saul had exped:ed ; Which fo 
 confounded and diforder'd Him, that He in- 
 
 Vpl. II. S ftantly 
 
 * NttBib. xxiii. '' 2 Kings i. 
 
274 '^^^ /Appearance of Sam u^Ly 
 
 flantly fell down into a Swoon, and could no 
 longer bear up againil the bitter Agonies of his 
 Mind. 
 
 2. This Interpretation is plain ^ndnatural, and 
 leaft forced of any, agreeing well with the 
 Words of the Text, The Story is here told 
 in fuch a Way as One would expeEt tojijid, upon 
 the Suppojition it really was S amu el. It is faid, 
 that the Woman faw Samuel, fhe cried 
 out, &c ^. And that Saul perceived that it was 
 Samuel''. How could He perceive it, if it 
 was not fo ? Or why is it faid, that He 
 perceived \ty rather than that He imagined, or 
 fuppofed fo? In the Sequel of the Narrative, 
 it is added, Samuel faid unto Saul^; and 
 again. Then faid Samu e l ^ ^ which would not 
 be true, if it were only 2. perfojiated Samuel, 
 a Familiar in S am u e lV Shape : And It is 
 ftrange that the Text fhould thus word it, if 
 Samuel were not really there. It is 2,% plainly 
 faid here, that Samu e l appeared and talked ^ ; 
 as it is elfe where faid that Moses and Eli as 
 appeared and talk'd with our BlefTed Saviour^. 
 So that if we confider the Letter of the Text, 
 and the moft obvious and natural Conflrudlion of 
 
 it 
 
 ' I Sam. xxviii. 1 2. •* — ver. 16. 
 
 ^ — ver, 14. « — ver. iz, 14, 15,16. 
 
 •^ —ver. 15, f Matt, xvii, 3. 
 
to Saul <3!/ En-dor. 275 
 
 it (which We fhould not depart from, v/ithout 
 the greateO: Neceffity) We fhall be obliged to 
 confefs, that the Apparition was really Samu- 
 el, and No Other. 
 
 3 . T^his Conflrudiion is very ancient^ the mojl 
 ancient of any -, and feems indeed to have been 
 \h^ general Perfuajhn of tho. J ewifi Church, long 
 before the Corning of Christ. 
 \ The Author of the Book of Ecckjiajikzis 
 lived about 300 Years before Christ, within 
 100 Years, orlefs, of the laft Prophet M ala- 
 ck i. He was a confiderable Man in his Time, 
 and as likely to know the true Senfe of Scrip- 
 ture, and to give the general Sentiments of the 
 yewijh Church, as Any Man of that Age, 
 What He thought of this Matter which We 
 are now upon, may be there feen, v/here, 
 fpeaking of S am u e l , He fays thus : After his 
 i)eath He prophefied, and fiewed the King his 
 "End, and lift up his Voice from the Earth in Pro- 
 phecy, to blot out the Wickednefs of the People ^. 
 Thi& Author plainly enough fuppofed, that it 
 was Samuel Himfe If vjho appeared in Perfon, 
 and prophelied to King Saul. 
 
 The Greek Tranflators of the Old Tefta- 
 ment, who lived not long after that Time, 
 
 Vol. II. S 2 were 
 
 * Ecclef. xlvi, 20. 
 
2y6 Th Appearance ^Samuel, 
 
 were in the fame Perfuafion j as appears by an 
 additional Note which They inferted in the 
 xth Chapter of the firjl Book of Chronicles^ 
 where They fay, that Samuel the Prophet 
 gave the Anfwer to King Saul, when He en- 
 quired of the Sorcerefs a. 
 
 In the fame Sentiments was Josephus the 
 yewijh Hijlorian, who lived in the Apoilles 
 Times ; and thus thought Many of the earlieji 
 Chrijiian Fathers. So that This ConfiniBion of 
 the Text is certainly very a?icient, and for a 
 long Time pafs'd current : Nor do I fee any 
 fufficient Reafon why it fhould be rejected. 
 But becaufe later Criticks have fome flight 
 Things to objedt, which have been thought 
 material ; I (liall briefly confider What thofe 
 ObjeEiions are which have moved Them to de- 
 part from the Letter^ and from the ancient 
 ConJlriiBion, 
 
 I. They objecfl, that the Text fpeaks of 
 bringing z/j?> S am u e l as it were out of the Ground -, 
 whereas, if it had been Samuel, He Ihould ra- 
 ther h.2iVQco?nedow?tfrom Heaven.— ^^-itTlm Ob- 
 jedion is no more againft the Suppolition of it's 
 being Samu e L'iGy6o/?,thanagainil the fuppoling 
 it to be a?iy other Spirit whatever ; For We have 
 Reafon to believe, that even Evil Spirits have 
 
 not 
 
 .' I Chron, x. 15, 
 
to Saul at En-dor* 277 
 
 not their Dwelling under Ground^ but in the 
 Air rather ; and the Denjtl therefore is ftiled, 
 in the New Teftament,T^^ Prince of the Power 
 of the Air^. Bat the true Reafon why Sa- 
 muel is reprefented as being brought up^ is, 
 becaufe his Body was under Grotrnd^ to which 
 his Soul was fliil conceived to bear a Relation ; 
 and it was upon this chiefly, that the popular 
 prevailing Notion of all Separate Souls being in 
 the Heart of the Earth, was founded : Which 
 popular Notion^ as it obtained among the Jews, 
 and is often alluded to in the hanguage of Scrip-- 
 ture, adapting it felf to vulgar Capacities, it is 
 no Wonder that the Relation of this Appari^ 
 tion of Sa-MUEl fhould be accommodated there- 
 to : So that Nothing can be concluded, in this 
 Cafe, merely from the Mamter in which Sa- 
 muel is faid to come up. 
 
 2. But it is further objecSted, that the Appa^ 
 rition here in the Perfon of Samuel, com^ 
 plains to Saul, of being difquieted or diflurbed 
 by Him : And It is thought not likely, that 
 the Reji of God's Saints fhould be liable to be 
 dijiur bed hy ]kchant?ne?2ts, or any Power of Witch- 
 es, or Devils. — Very true ; neither the Sorcerefs 
 nor all the Powers of Hell could have given any 
 
 S 3 Diflurbance 
 
 » Eph, ii. 2, 
 
278 The Appearance of Sauvel, 
 
 Dijiurba72ce to his peaceful Ghoft : But God 
 Almighty, with whom the Spirits of juft Men 
 made perfeB dwell, 7nighf pleaj'e to fend Sa- 
 muel upon that Occafion, to deliver the Mejjage 
 from Hi??i : And as Saul's Prefumption and 
 Raflmefs was the Occafion of the whole Thing, 
 He deferved a Reproof for What He had done : 
 And what can One better call it, than dif- 
 qiiieti?ig, and difturhi7ig the Repofe of Samuel, 
 and bringi?ig Him out from his Reft, which 
 Saul is faid to have done, becaufe He occafimied 
 the doing it ? Neverthelefs, Samuel, to be 
 fure, thought it no Trouble to come upon God's 
 Errand, and to execute the Divine Commands ; 
 tho' it was proper to rebuke Saul for /»?j Part 
 in it, and to fpeak of that Affair after a ?2atii- 
 ral JVay, and in Conformity to co^mnon Appr^- 
 henfons. 
 
 3. But It is further obiedled, that It is hard 
 to give a Reafon why God, Who had refufed 
 to anfwer Saul either by Dreams, or by IJ- 
 rim, or by Prophets, fhould at length vouch- 
 fafe to anfimr Him in fuch a Way as This, and 
 by the Mediation of a wicked Sorcerefs.—^ But 
 as to this Matter, if the Faci be true. It is not 
 necefary ' for Us to afign the Reafon for God's 
 T)ifpenfatio7is : Be That as it will. It is very 
 
 certain 
 
to Savl a;f En-don 279 
 
 certain that God £d interpofe and condud: 
 that whole Affair, as I before remark'd ; other- 
 wife there could not have been fo plain and 
 {o true a TrediBicn of Things to come. But 
 it may be eafy to account for God's anfwering 
 Saul in tJois Way^ as it was expojing and af- 
 JliBing Him more feverely than in any other ^ 
 after He had richly deferved it : And God 
 might hereby fhew his prevailing Power even 
 over Inchantments and Charmers ; that, when 
 vain Men attempt even to go to Hell for Coiin- 
 fely He will 7Jjeef T^hem and bar^e Them even 
 there. 
 
 4. But it is ftill further objeded, that the 
 Predi^iofis of the Apparition, under the Name 
 of Samuel, were not true, and therefore 
 could not be Samuel's.— -This Objedionis to 
 the Purpofe, and v/ould be decijive, if it were 
 juji : But the Thi?jgs foretold were exa6ily ve- 
 rified, and the Event anfwered to the Prophecy 
 in every Particular : Only It is obferved, that 
 the Things came not to pafs till four or five 
 Days after, whereas the PrediBion feems to li~ 
 mit the Time to the next Day j for It fays, 
 To Morrow, fialt Thou and thy Sons be with Me\ 
 But then again it mull be acknowledged, and 
 
 S 4 is 
 
 =-Ver. 19. 
 
2 8o The Appearance of SamueLj 
 
 is acknowledged by the Beji Critich, that the 
 Word which we render in Enghih, To Morrow, 
 may as well be rendred, Very fiortly, which it 
 really fignifies in this Place, 
 
 5. Well, but is it not faid, To Morrow Jhak 
 Tkou and thy Sons be with Me^ Was Saul 
 then, fo wicked a Man, to go after Death to 
 the fame Blejjed Place with righteous Samu- 
 el ? — No, nor is it likely upon the other 
 Suppolition, that io ^WaSon as Jonathan 
 Ihould fare no better in another State, than 
 fo bad a Father : But, in Truth, the Text 
 determines Nothing at all of the State of Ei.-^ 
 ther after Death. All that is meant by the 
 Words, Thou fialt be with Me, is. Thou fhalt 
 die^ Thou flialt be as I am, that is, dead^ and 
 in the Regions of Separate Sprits ; and fo it 
 proved. 
 
 I have now run thro' the moft confiderable 
 Objeftions which have been pleaded againft 
 interpreting the Words, of Samuel Him/el/l 
 that is, of Samuel's Ghofi, as I interpret 
 Them : But none of thofe Objections feem to 
 be of Weight fufiicient to perfuade Us to 
 depart from the Letter, and the moj} ancient 
 Conilrudtion. I conclude therefore, as before, 
 that it was Samue^, Himjclf Who appeared 
 
 and 
 
to Savl aiEti'dot: 281 
 
 md prophefied -, not called up by that wretched 
 Woman y or her Demo?2s, but fent thither by God 
 to rebuke Saul'j Madnefs, in a moft affefting 
 and mortifying Way ; and to deter all Others 
 from ever applying to Witches or Demo?is for 
 ^ijiancej when refufed Comfort from God. 
 
 II. 
 
 Having thus fettled the Sacred Story, I 
 fhall now proceed to the P radical life znd. 
 Application of it. For indeed I would not 
 have fet fo light either by your Time or my 
 own, as to have chofen a Subjed: of mere Cu- 
 riofity, to entertain the Ear only, without im- 
 proving the Heart. But I take this Part of 
 Scripture-Hiftory to be highly inJiruBive and 
 edifying ; and therefore well deferving our 
 clofe and ferious Meditations. 
 
 I. Firji^ obferve how carelefs and unthink-- 
 ing. Men are apt to be in their Pro/perity, and 
 till the Hour of Dijlrefs comes. Saul was 
 a Man of as much Coldnefs and Indifference 
 in Religion, as Any Man could be ; fwayed, 
 for the moft Part, by his own Plumour and 
 Vanity. He never thought of conjulting God, 
 or aiking Directions, all the Time He was 
 perfeciiting righteous David from City to City, 
 
 hunting 
 
J 
 
 282 7he Appearance of Samuel, 
 
 hunting Him thro' every Quarter of the King- 
 dom, and driving Him out into a ilranee 
 Land. He never thought of confulting God, 
 when He barbaroufly undertook to murder 
 Jowjcore and five of the Lord's Priejis, inno- 
 cent Men, and who had deferved no 111 at his 
 Hands, But now at lafl, when He perceived 
 bis own Life to be in Danger, as if ^hat alone 
 were precious in God's Sight, or ^hat alone 
 worthy of the Divine Care and Notice j then 
 He began to apply to God, and prete?2ded a Re- 
 fpe£t and Reverence for Him, tho' all the while 
 his Heart was far from Him. Danger and 
 Diflrefs will fometimes frighten and difmay a 
 hardned Sinner, and "That is all : For, It is 
 not any relenting Sorrow for his Sins which 
 troubles Him, but the Senfe of What He ap- 
 prehends of the Pain and the DefiruBlon jufi 
 falling upon Him, 
 
 2. Obferve, Secondly, that in fuch Cafes, ge- 
 nerally, God very juflly turns away his Ear, 
 and will vouchjafe no Anfwer in the ordittary 
 Way, to fuch grievous Offenders. Of Such as 
 Thefe it is that God fays, in the Proverbs^ 
 They fhall call upon Me, but I will not anfwer ; 
 "They fhall feek Me early, but T'hey pall not find 
 J4c^, And good Reafon why j Becaufe He 
 
 had 
 
 a Prov.io 28. 
 
io Saul ^/En-dor, 283 
 
 had before called, and They refufed ; He had 
 jiretched out his Hand, and No Man regarded > 
 They had Jet at Nought all his Coimfel^ and 
 would no7ie o/'his Reproofs. There is a certain 
 Degree of Forbearance and Long-fuiFering, be- 
 yond Which even the Divi?ie Goodnefs will 7iot 
 extend. Provocations may proceed to fuch a 
 Height, as to leave no Room for farther Mer- 
 cy. Tatience long-abujed will at laft give Place 
 to Vengeance. God will then withdraw his 
 Grace, and lock up his Favours, deferting 
 the impenitent hardned Wretch, and aban- 
 doning Him to the wild Purfuit of his own 
 Inventions, This is a Matter of dreadful Con- 
 lideration to all inveterate, impenitent Offen- 
 ders : And yet it fliould not be a Difcourage- 
 ment to Any Man againft repenting ; Becaufe 
 the very Difpofition^ or Inclination to Repen- 
 tance is a hopeful Sympto??2, and is a promiiing 
 Argument in his Favour, that his Day of Grace 
 is 7iot pajlj and that it is not yet too late to. 
 return. 
 
 3. Obferve further ^ from the Hiflory be- 
 fore laid down, how miferable, how melan- 
 choly a Thing it is, for a Man to have fnnd 
 to fuch a Degree as to be entirely abandoned by 
 Qod^ and to have the beji Friend in the World 
 
 keconie. 
 
 a Prov. i. 24, 25, 
 
284 The Appearance of Samv el, 
 
 become his Enemy, There is no Condition fo 
 difconfolate, fo deplorable as That is : Let Him 
 fit down to invent and contrive ever fo long j 
 there is no Expedient that can help Him, no 
 Contrivance but what will turn againft Him, 
 and will mcreafe his Mifery, inftead of j-elie- 
 'ving it. What could unhappy Saul do in 
 his preffing Difficulties ! God would not affift 
 Him, and no One elfe could. He might think 
 of his Court-Flatterers, or of his ablefl: Coun- 
 fellors, and of his Troops and Armies : But 
 Nothing in this World could give Him Com- 
 fort, or afford Flim Relief. I'hen He thought 
 of dead Samuel, whom He had often defpi- 
 fed and flighted while alroe : And, to fhew 
 how a finking Man will lay hold on every 
 Twig, He was foollfli enough to imagine, that' 
 He might Jieal a Favour from God's Servant 
 Samuel, when He could not obtain one from 
 God HimJ'elf. He made the Experiment, and 
 in a very odd Way, as you have heard ; and 
 how at length it ended, I have defcribed at 
 large. Let this fad Example convince Every 
 Man who attends to it, how impofTible, hom 
 impraSficahk it is, to lay any Scheme of Happi- 
 nefs which fiall at all anfwer, without firfl ta- 
 king Care to makt God his Friend : Without 
 
 This, 
 
io Saul at En-dor. 285 
 
 This, all our Toils and Endeavours come to 
 Nothing : It is but building in the Air, or 
 labouring for the Wind. What can a Man 
 do, when God becomes his Enemy, or but ceafes 
 to be his Friend! Can He hide Himfelf from 
 His Prefence ! Can He run beyond the Reach 
 of His Power ! If He could climb up into 
 Heaven, God is there 5 and if He goes down 
 into Hell, even there alfo will his Hand find 
 Him, and his Vengeance purfue Him. Search 
 the whole Univerfe for a Moment's Pro- 
 tection , and it is all to no Purpofe : For all is 
 in God's Hands ; to Him all Creatures bow, 
 and every Element fubmits to his Will and 
 Pleafure. The Sum then is, that the only Way 
 to HappinefSj is, to Jirike up an Inter ejl^ a League 
 of Amity with God, and never to fwerve from 
 it, for any Temptation, any Allurement what- 
 foever. Make but Hifn your Friend, and in 
 Him you have All; as on the other hand, by 
 lofing Him, you are fure to lofe every Thing 
 that is 'Valuable together with Him. 
 
 The pradical Conclulion from the Whole 
 is, that We learn to fet a true Value upon 
 God's Favour and Friendihip, and that We 
 ufe our utmoft Endeavours both to procure 
 and to preferve it ; And, as Nothing will do 
 
 it 
 
286 The Appearance of Sahuel^ 
 
 it but a good and holy Life, and That cer- 
 tainly will ', We may from hence infer the 
 abfolute, indifpenfable Neceffity of making 
 Religion our firfl and principal Care, as it is 
 our laft and our greateft Concern. So much 
 for the U/e and jipplicatio?i of this famous 
 Part of Sacred Hiftory. 
 
 4. There is a {lighter, incidental Ufe, which 
 might have been taken Notice of by the Way, 
 which yet I pafs'd over, and ihall here but 
 juft mention ; and That is, the Argument to 
 be drawn from this Inilance, to prove that 
 Souls exiji feparate from the Body after Death ; 
 and do not only exijl^ but are awake and ac^ 
 the, and have their intellectual Powers in 
 Perfection. But as That may be abundantly 
 proved from other Places of Scripture lefs li- 
 able to Difpute, We need not infifl much 
 upon This. Indeed I cannot fay that there 
 is, in the whole Scripture, any plain and un- 
 exceptionable Inftance of a departed Soul's ap^ 
 pearing and talking upon Earth, if This be 
 not One: Moses once, and Elias came 
 down and talk'd with our BlefTed Saviour j 
 but whether in the Body, or out of the Bo- 
 dy, We cannot tell, God knoweth : How- 
 ever, the Que ft ion, as to Separate Souls exiJl-* 
 
 ing 
 
to Saul at En-don 287 
 
 ing and aEting after Deaths does by no Means 
 depend upon any Examples of Apparitions^ 
 but is fufficiently proved by many and clear 
 'Tejiimonies of Sacred JVrit, as might be fliewn 
 at large, were this the proper Place for it : 
 But I defign'd only a fhdrt Hint of this Mat- 
 ter, that I might not feem entirely to have 
 pafs'd it over thro' Forgetfulnefs, or Hafte. 
 
 And now I fhould befeech You, after this 
 ihort Interruption, to let your Thoughts re- 
 turn to the principal Thing of all ; namely, 
 the Neceffity of looking after, and procuring 
 God's Friendlhip by a good and holy Life : 
 Which, that we may all ferioully think of, 
 and with good EfFed:, God of his Mercy 
 grant^ thro' Jesus Christ our Lord ! 
 
A 
 
 SummaryVie 
 
 O F T H E 
 
 D O C T R I N E 
 
 O F 
 
 Vol. IL T 
 
O F T H E 
 
 O C T R I N E, e^'f. 
 
 H E Doctrinal Points of Re- 
 
 have been lately brought 
 upon the Carpet ; and I 
 have, upon another Occa- 
 fion, taken the Liberty to 
 throw in fome few Thoughts upon them. 
 Now, the Subjeil of yujiijication being nearly 
 allied to the Former, and feeming alfo to 
 want fome farther illuflrating, by Way of 
 Appendage or Supplement to the Points be- 
 fore-mention'd j My prefent Defign is to give 
 you a Jummary View of it, by confidering, 
 
 Vol. II. 
 
 T 2 
 
 I. What 
 
4 A fummary View of the 
 
 I. What the Name imports. 
 
 II. V/hat the T^hing contains. 
 
 III. How it ftands diftingiiified from Reno^ 
 vation and Rege?jeration. 
 
 IV. What are the concurring Caufes on God's 
 Part, and on Majis, to produce it, and 
 to preferve it. 
 
 V. What are the common Extremes which 
 Many have been apt to run into on this 
 Head, and how they may be avoided. 
 
 I. 
 
 The Firji Article is the Name, which ought 
 to be de/i?2ed before the Thing-, and, in Order 
 thereto, muft be firil diJiingiiiJlS d. 
 
 There appears to be fufficient Ground in 
 Scripture for diilinguifliing 'Jujlijication into 
 aBive and pajjive : For, as the Name Regene- 
 ration, when denoting an j45i or Grant of 
 God^ bears an aSfive Senfe, and when deno- 
 ting a Privilege received by Us, bears a pajjive 
 Senfe ; fuch alfo is the Cafe with Refpedt to 
 the Name 'Jujlijication. It means either God'% 
 Grant, for it is God that jujiifies ^ -, or it means 
 
 Our 
 
 ' Rom. iji. 25, 26, 30. iv. ^. yJii- 33- Ga^- "i- 8. Tit. iii. 7. 
 Rom.iv. 25. V. 18. iV. B. In the two laft Texts, the Word for 
 'Jujlijication is L.\KO(!yjij\,%, which bears an aSliiie Senfe. 
 
DoBrim of Juftification. 5 
 
 Our Privilege^ Endowment^ Fojj'ejjion holden of 
 God bj as We are faid to be jiijiified by Him. 
 yiijlijication always fuppofes two Parties, One 
 to give, and Another to receive j whether 
 without any A£i at all on the Receptive Side, as 
 in the Cafe of Infants, or whether acco^npanied 
 with receptive A5is, as in the Cafe of Adults , 
 who may be properly faid to accept and ajje?it 
 to, as well as to receive or enjoy. God, the 
 fupreme Law-giver may be confidered either 
 as a Redlor and Governour contra^ing with Man, 
 and laying down the Therms of his Covenafit -, 
 or as a 'Judge, giving Sentence according to the 
 Terms laid down. Correfpondently, Man may 
 be confidered either as accepting the Terms 
 upon his entring into Covenant ; or as pleadiiig 
 them afterwards at the Bar of Juftice, at the 
 Divine Tribunal. There is no more Diifer- 
 ence between thofe two feveral Views of the 
 fame Thing, than there is between the ifj'uiiig 
 cut a general Grant for the Benefit of All Per- 
 fons Who fhall duly and properly accept it ; 
 and the aBual conferring the Benefit of that 
 Grant upon the Perfons fo accepting : But 
 Some have chofen o?ie View for the eafier and 
 T 3 apter 
 
 ** LiKaaaa-vv/i, which may as well be rendred juftification as 
 Righteoufr.efs, appears to mean our Right eoufnefs^ which We hold 
 of Go/s Grace by Faith in Chrift Jefus, in the following Texts j 
 Rom. i. 17. iii. 5, 21, 22. ix. 30, 31. x. 3. .1 Cor. i. 30. 
 2 Cor. V. 21. Philip, iii, 9, 2 Pet.i. i. Matt, vi, 33, 
 
6 A fummary View of the 
 
 apter explaining ( as They conceived ) the 
 Nature of ytijiification -, and Some have pre- 
 ferred the other ^ for the hke Reafons c. The 
 general Way has been to underfland ytiftifica- 
 tiori as a Kind of Law-Term, expreffing 2i ju- 
 dicial Tranfadlion. Frotcjlants of every De- 
 nomination have fet Themfelves to defend \\.^ : 
 And even Romanijfs alfo. Many of 1*hem, 
 have readily fubmitted to it^. So that the 
 Word ytiftijicatiofi, in this View, and in the 
 a&i've Senfe, will fignify God's pronouncing 'S^ 
 Perfon juji and his accepting Him as fuch f ; 
 while, in ihtpajlve Senfe, it will fignify Mail's 
 being fo declared^ and thereupon accepted into 
 
 new 
 
 '^ " It is indeed to be granted, that Jujiification importetli, 
 *' not making of a Man righteous, but declaring Him and ac- 
 *' counting Him righteous, treating Him, and dealing with Him 
 *' as righteous : All This is true ; and yet I will not grant that 
 " it is fo properly underftood to be the Aft of God as fitting 
 *' upon the Throne of Judgment (whether according to Mercy, 
 " or Juftice) as the Aft of God contraSling with Man for ever- 
 *' lading Life, upon Condition of fubmitting to the Covenant of 
 ** Grace, and the Terms of it." Thomdike, Epil. 5- ii- P- 40- 
 Conf. Pufendorf. jus fecial, divin. p. 144, 166, 172, 319, 349, 
 
 353- . 
 
 ** Bifhop y^«^;-ftu/s Serm. p. 76. ivV/^, p. 291. Bilhop .Ss//, 
 p 411, &c. Frid. Spanham. Fil. Tom. iii. p. 276. Vitrmga, 
 Obfervat. Sacr. Lib. iv. c. x. %. vi, &c. Tom. i. p. 346. Btui- 
 deus. Inftit. Theol. p. 95 1 . Dtylingiiis. Obf. Sacr. Tom. iii. 561. 
 
 * ^'id. GuL Forbes, Confid. Modeft. p. 9S. edit. 2. 
 
 ^ Juftificatio evangelica qua? Deum Aiiitorem refpicit, definiri 
 poteft, Ai^ioDei <\M7i poenitentem abfolvit, propter Mfr/V-a Chri iii 
 •viva Fide accepta & applicata. Fogg. Theolog. Speculat. Sche- 
 
DoBrlne of Juftification, 7 
 
 new Privileges, and his enjoying the Benefits 
 thereof g. So much for the Name, 
 
 11. 
 
 I am next to confider What the Thing grant- 
 ed and received, really is, or What it contains^ 
 
 Here We are to obferve, not barely What 
 the Word it felf ftridtly and grammatically^- 
 nijies, but what it Jiands for, and mufl {land 
 for as made ufe of in this particular Cafe, or 
 in fuch and fuch Circumftances. The Evange- 
 lical Notion of it muft be govern'd by Evan- 
 gelical Principles : It is a complex Notionwhich 
 takes in more Ideas than the Name .would ne- 
 ceffarily fignify in different Cirdumjla7ices. 
 
 I. RemiJJion of Sins is'mofh certainly one 
 confiderable Fart, or Ingredient of Evangelical 
 fuftification : Not that the Name, abllradiedly 
 confidered, imports it, but the Nature of the 
 Thing, in this Cafe, requires it. Had our Firfl 
 Parents preferved their Innocence entire. They 
 would have been thtrtu^on jii/iified as inherently 
 and perfeBly juji, needing no Pardon : But 
 Men in a lapfed State, being All of Them more 
 or lefs Sinners, cannot be accepted as Perfons 
 T 4 who 
 
 2 Si coniideretur (Juftificatio) cum llefpe£iu ad Conditionem 
 Jufiificati, eft Mutatio flatus, quern Relipifcens obtinet erga 
 Deum, unde ceffante reatu, propter Merita Chrifti minja Fide 
 applicata, non eft Condemnationi obnoxius. Fogg, Theol. Spe- 
 ed, p. 427, 428. 
 
S A fummary View of the 
 
 who have had no Sin, but as Perfons dlfcharged 
 from it. I need not here fay, how, or upon 
 what Account 5 becaufe That will be confider- 
 ed hereafter in its proper Place : But in the 
 mean Time it is felf-evident, that the 'Jujli- 
 jication of a Sinner muft include RemiJJion of 
 Sin. I may add, that fueh Kemijjion of Sin 
 properly fignifies a Difcharge from the Penalty 
 due to it J not from the Blame it carries with 
 it 3 except it be in fuch a Senfe as Zacha- 
 RiAS and Elisabeth were pronounced 
 blamelefs ^ j for fo all good Chrijiians, living up 
 to the Gofpel-Terms, and perfevering to the 
 End, will be pronounced blamelefs at the laft 
 Day : And fo are They efteem'd of here, in 
 the mean Seafon, by God who fearches the 
 Hearts ^ 
 
 2. But, befides RemiJJion of Sin , a Right and 
 Title to Life eternal, but founded only upon 
 Promife^, is included in the Gofpel-Notion of 
 Jiiflification : Not that the bare Force of the 
 f^ord requires it (for a Man might be properly 
 
 faid 
 
 " Luke i. 6. 
 
 ' Vid. Grai>. in annotatis ad BuIII Op. p. 414- Edit. ult. 
 
 ^' Debitor enim faftus eft [Deus] non aliquid a Nobis accipi- 
 endo, fed quod Ei placuit promittendo. Aliter enim dicimus 
 Homini deles Mihi quia dcdi Tibi ; & aliter dicimus, debes Mihi 
 
 quia promiJtJTi Mihi. ■ lilo ergo Modo poflumus exigere domi- 
 
 num noftrum, ut dicamus, redde quod promiftjli, quia fecimus 
 quod jujjijii : Et hoc Tu fecijli, quia Laborantes juvifti. Augu- 
 jlin. Serm. clviii. de verbis Apoft. Rom. viii. p. 762. Tom. v. 
 Edit. Bened. 
 
DoSlrine of Juftification, 9 
 
 faid to be jujlified^ Who is acquitted from Pe- 
 nalt)\ tho' not intitled to a 'Reward) but Wc 
 know what the Scriptii?'e-Pro?nife5 are 5 and 
 that a Dijcharge from Pefialty hath thereby a 
 fure T^'//^ /(? Reivards conneded with it ; 
 Therefore Evangelical 'Jujlification compre- 
 hends according to the full Notion of it, not 
 only a liitle to Pardon^ but a 'Title to Sahatio?2 
 alfo, a Title to Both for the Time being I 
 
 3. To Thefe fome learned Divines have 
 added the SanBification of the Holy Spirit ^^ 
 as a third Ingredient, to compleat the Nature 
 or Notion of Jujiif cation : But that Perfuali- 
 on is fcarce tenable, unlefs We firfl qualify it 
 with proper L>iflin6iions, If by SanBification 
 We underftand Re?20vation of the i7i'ward'Wi2in^ 
 'That has no Place in the Jujiification of J;^- 
 fants ; befides that even ^ Adults it is rather 
 a Salification for the Privilege, than the Prt' 
 milege itfelf : But if by SanBification of the 
 Spirit be meant only the Baptifmal UnBion, or 
 that Sealing of the »S//>z> «, which goes along 
 with all njalid, and of courfe with all fiving 
 Baptifm ° j That indeed muft neceflarity be 
 fuppofed in all Baptifmal fufiification^ as a 
 
 Part 
 
 ^ VId. Bull. exam, cenfur. ad Animadv. in. p. 537, 538. 
 
 ^ Vid. G«/. For^^j, Corrild. Modeft. p. 118, ^V, 
 
 '^ See Bingham XL 1,6. 
 
 ^ See Regeneration Jiated, Sec. p. 28, 29. 
 
lO A fummary View of the 
 
 Part of it, or an Ingredient in it -, inafmuch 
 as yujiificatiori cannot be conceived without 
 fome Work of the Spirit in conferring a Title 
 to Salvation. In This Senfe, Every Perfon 
 jufiifisd is ipfo FaBo fealed and confecrated by 
 the Spirit of God. But the Truth of this 
 Matter will more fully appear under another 
 Head in the Sequel. 
 
 III. 
 
 Having thus briefly coniidered what 'Jufii^ 
 
 Jication is, and what it cojifai?is j I proceed to 
 
 obferve how it is diJlinguiflS d from Renovation 
 
 and Regeneration, to Both which it is indeed 
 
 very nearly allied. 
 
 I. By Renovation I underfland the inward 
 renewing of the Heart and Mind "^ ; the fame 
 that commonly goes under the Name of in- 
 ward SanBijication of the Spirit, This is ne- 
 ceiTarily pre-fuppofed, in fome Meafure or 
 Degree, with refpeft to Adults, in their 'Jujliji- 
 cation j becaufe without Holinefs noMan jlmll fee 
 the Lord^, no Man fliall be entitled to Salvati- 
 on ; that is to fay, no Man jujiijied. But tho* 
 This Confideration fufficiently proves that 
 San5lijication aad yujlijication are near allied -y 
 yet it does not prove that they are the fame 
 Thing, or that one is properly Part of the 
 
 other. 
 
 P See IRegeneration Jlateci, See. p, 1 7, Sec, 
 ^ liebr. xii. 14. . 
 
DoEirim of Juffificatlon. if 
 
 other. An ejjentml Salification for any 0/1 
 fice^ Foft^ Dignity^ or Privilege, muft be fup- 
 pofed to go alo??g with that Ojice, Pofi, &c. 
 But ilill the Notio?is are very difiifiB, while 
 the 'Things themfelves are in Fad: conneSied of 
 Courfe. So ftands the Cafe between SanBif.- 
 cation and Jujlification : The One is a Capacity 
 for fuch a Grant ; the Other is the ^'^ry Grant 
 it Self : The One is an infufed and inherent 
 ^ality, God's Work within us ; the other an 
 outward Privilege J or extrin/ick Relation^ God's 
 gracious Ad: towards us. in £hort, SaftSlif.ca- 
 tion denotes the Frame of Mi?jd, the holy Dif- 
 poiition ; while fuftification denotes the State 
 which a Man is in with Refpect to God, his 
 Di/charge from Guilt and Penalty, his Chrifl.ian 
 MemberJInp, his heavenly Citizenfip, his Gofpel- 
 Rights, PleaSj and Privileges. 
 
 Again : SanBificatio7i is commonly under- 
 flood of the Mind, or Sotil only 5 while JuJ^ 
 tification is of the whole Man. The Title 
 which the Body hath to a future RefurrcSiion 
 or Redemption, is included in the very Notion 
 of a jujlified Man. 
 
 It may be further noted, tkat fifiification 
 may he fuppofed,^ where San^lification (according 
 to the full Notion thereof) is ?iof -, as in the 
 Cafe of Infants newly baptized : They are 
 
 indeed 
 
12 A fummary View of the 
 
 indeed thereby Jandiijied in a certain Serife y 
 but not in the Senfe of a proper Renewal of 
 Mind and Heart, Thefe Confiderations fuffi- 
 ciently mark out the Difference between 'Jujii" 
 Jication and SanBijication. 
 
 2. I am next to obferve, how yujiijication 
 differs from Regeneration. They differ but 
 little as to the ?7jain Tubings \ fince the Grants 
 made, and the BleJJings conferred, are much the 
 fame in Both : But ftill there is fome Differ- 
 ence, and that both notional and real. 
 
 So far as the main Tubings are xht fame^ 
 They are however exprefs'd under different 
 Figures : For in Regeneration, God is confider- 
 ed as a Fatber begetting us into a new Life of 
 Light, Bleflings, and Privileges : But in Jujii^ 
 Jication^ He is coniidered either as a Proprietor 
 making over the f^m^ Grants, or as a 'Judge 
 giving favourable Sentence from the Throne 
 of Mercy. 
 
 Another Difference is, that Regeneration, in 
 the ftri(ft Senfe, exprefles no more than the 
 iirfi Admittance and Entrance into fuch and 
 fuch Rights and Privileges ; and therefore 
 comes but ojict^ : But yujiijication is a Thing 
 continued ^ during the whole Spiritual Life : 
 
 One 
 
 "^ Vid. Gill Tories, p. 261. BtdU Op. p. 437. And compare 
 my 'RevU'VJ of the Doiirbu of the Eucharijly p. 325, 330, 345, 
 
DoElrim of Juftification. 13 
 
 One is giving and receiving Life 5 The Other 
 is giving and receiving Growth and Increafe, 
 
 A third Difference is, that Regefieration^ im 
 the ftrifter Senfe s of that Name, may admit 
 of the Diftindion of Salutary, and not Saluta^ 
 ry : Whereas yujiification admits not of that 
 Diftindion at all, being faliitary in the '■oery 
 Notion of it, as it imports a Right and ^itle to 
 Salvation, for the Time being, on the Go/pel- 
 'Terms, 
 
 A fourth Difference is, that Regeneration ^ 
 once given and received, can never be totally 
 loji, any more than Baptifm, nor ever want to 
 be reiterated, in the whole Thing t : But 'Jufii- 
 Jication may be granted and accepted, and take 
 Place for a Time, and yet may ceafe after- 
 wards, both totally and Jinally ". Thefe feve- 
 
 ral 
 
 ® Of the ftriBer and /arj-^r Senfe of the Word Regeneration^ 
 fee Regeneration ftated^ p. i8, 19, 27, 30. 
 
 St. ^a/?/« followed the ftriBer Senfe when He faid : Simon 
 ille Magus natus erat ex Aqua & Spiritu, Tom. ix. p. 169, 
 
 In another Place, He followed the larger Senfe, which takes 
 in Renovation to compleat the Notion of Regeneration confider- 
 ed as falutary. 
 
 Qui natus eft ex Deo habet Caritatem — videat ii habeat Cari- 
 
 tatem, & tunc dicat, natus fum ex Deo. Habeat Caritatem ; 
 
 aliter non fe dicat natum ex Deo. Auguftin. Tom. iii. Part ii. 
 
 P-859- 
 
 Hence it appears, that, as the Word Faith fometimes fignifies 
 fimply Faith, and fometimes fwving Faith, fo the Word Rege- 
 neration admits of the like twofold Meaning. 
 
 ' See Regeneration ftated. Sec. p. 9, 12, 16, 17, 26, 30. 
 
 " See Article XVI'". And Homily on good Works, p. 49. 
 Compare Bulli Op. p. 668. Auguftan Conf. c. xi. Tru?nan. 
 
 Great 
 
1 4 A fummary View of the 
 
 ral Articles of Differende fufficiently fhew that 
 the Names are not tantamount, but that they 
 iland for Things different 5 fnnilar in Jbme Re- 
 fpects only, not in all, 
 
 IV. 
 
 Having confidered what yujiification is, and 
 how diJlingiiiJlS d, I may now pafs on to enquire 
 into its conjlituent Caufes, principal and lefs prin- 
 cipal, efficient and injirumental^ divifje and hu" 
 man, and the hke : For there ^vq feveral Cau- 
 Jes,, more or lefs contributing to the Jiiftifica- 
 pon of a Perfon j that is, to the making Him 
 .a Jure "Title to Sahaiion for the Time being. 
 
 1. God the Father is here to be confidered 
 as Principal, as He is the Head and Fountain 
 of all. Of That there can be no Queftion, 
 and therefore I need not fay more of it : The 
 divi?2e Phila7tthropy is of prime Cojylderation m 
 the whole Thing. 
 
 2. In the next Place, God the Son is here to 
 be confidered as the procuring and meritorious 
 
 Caiife 
 
 ■Great Propit. p-i^"^, 17S. i%v//??. Hiflor. Quinquartic. Part i. 
 p. 17, 28, 33, 86. Partiii. p. 31, &c. 
 
 The Senfe of our Church on this Head, is manifeft from this 
 /xngie Conlideration ; that She looks upon it as certain hy God's 
 . Word, tliat all C/.n/dren baptixed are fo far jufiified, inaftnuch 
 as if They die before adual Sir., They are undoubtedly faved. 
 Now it cannot be doubted but that many Who have been bapti- 
 zed in Infaficy, may, and do fall afterwards, both totally and 
 finally : .Therefore our Church muft of Confcqucnce allow and 
 (v.ppofe, that Fer/ons once jujUfiui may totally zxAfnally perifli. 
 
 Si. 
 
DoBrim of Juftification. 1 5 
 
 Caufe of Mans Juftification, both by his active 
 and /"^^w Obedience w. This, though it may- 
 be difputed by fuch as will difpute any Thing, 
 or every Thing, yet feems to be generally ad- 
 mitted among the fober Divines of all the great 
 Divifions of Chriftians. 
 
 3. In the third Place, God the Holy Ghoft is 
 here to be confidered as the immediate^ efficient 
 Caufe : For Proof of w^hich. We need go no 
 farther than our Lord's own Words, that, ex- 
 cept one 6e born of Water and of the Spirit^ He 
 cannot enter into the Kingdom of God ^ ; which 
 is as much as to fay. He cannot have a Hitle 
 to Salvation, c^innotht juftified. Neither need 
 we here put in the Reflridion, ordinarily fo 
 far as the Spirit is concern'd : His immediate 
 Agency muft be fuppofed, in all Cafes ^ and upon 
 every Siippofition. 
 
 4. After the three Divine Perfons, princi- 
 pally concurring and co-operating in Man's 
 fiiftification. We may next pafs on to th&Jub- 
 ordinate Inftruments : And here come in the 
 Miniftry, the Word, and the Sacraments 7; but 
 
 more 
 
 ^^ See Gul. Tories Confider. Modeft. p. 67, &c. Thorndike 
 Epil. Book ii. p. 254, &c. Pufendorf. Jus Fecial, p. 1 87. 
 
 ^ John iii. 5. comp. i Cor, vi. 1 1. xii. 13. Tit. iii. 5, 6, 7. 
 
 y Sacramenta funt Media ciFerentia & exhibentia ex Parte Dei; 
 Fides Medium recipiens & apprehendens ex Parte nojira. Ger- 
 hard. Loc. Ccmm. Part IV. p. 309. 
 
 Tantuin dicimus, ^uemadmodum Fj^s eft cjuafx Manus nojira, 
 
 <iua 
 
1 6 A fmnmary View of the 
 
 more particularly the Sacrament of Baptifm 5 
 which perhaps may here deferve a large and 
 diJimSf Confideration, as it has been too often 
 emittedy or but/>^r/z^^<^^r//>^mention'd, in Trea- 
 tifes written upon the Subjed; of yujlification. 
 If We look either into the New Tejiament^ 
 or into the ancimt Father s.^ We fliall there find 
 that the Sacrament of Baptifm , conlidered as a 
 Federal Rite or T^ranfaBion between God and 
 Man, is either declared or fuppofed the ordi- 
 nary, neceflary, outward Ltfirunmit in God's 
 Hands of Man's yujiification : I fay, an In- 
 ilrument in God's Hands, becaufe it is certain, 
 that in that facred Rite, God Himf elf bears a 
 Part ^j as Man alfo bears His -, and that in both 
 Sacraments (as our Church teaches) God em» 
 braces Us^ and offer eth Himf elf to be embraced 
 by Us^. According to the natural Order of 
 Precedency y the authorized MiJiiftry is firfl in 
 Confideration^; the ^«?r^ next j \S\t\\ hearings 
 -2.v\.^ believing with a penitent Heart, and lively 
 Faith ; after That, Baptifm, and therein the 
 firft folemn and certain Reception of ynjiifica' 
 
 tioUy 
 
 <jtta Nos qujBriraus & accipimas ; Sic Verhtttn Sc Sacratmnta efle 
 quafi Manus Dei, quibus Is nobis ofFert & confert quod Fide a 
 . nobis petitur & accipitur. VoJJius de Sacram. Vi & EiBc. Op. 
 Tom. vi. p. 252. 
 
 ' See Hevienv of the DoSIrineof the Eiichartji, p. 1 6, ^7, &c» 
 ^ Homily on the Common Prayer and Sacroiiients, p J70, 
 *• Rom. X. 13, 14, 15. Tit i. 3. 
 
DoBrine of juftification, 1 7 
 
 tkn, which is afterwards continued by the fame 
 lively Faith^ and the Ufe of the Word, and of 
 the other Sacrament, 
 
 Now, as to Baptifm, and its being, ordina- 
 rily, the neceffary outward Mean or Injiriiment 
 of Jujiijicatiojiy the imtnediate and proximate 
 Form and Rite of Conveyance ; That will be ea- 
 iily made appear from many clear Texts of the 
 New Tejl anient , as alfo from the concurring 
 Verdid: of Antiquity, the befl Interpreter of 
 the facred Writings, 
 
 Firji. The 'Texts I fhall here take in their 
 Order. He that believeth, and is baptized^ Jhall 
 be favedh but He that beJieveth not, fiall be dara^ 
 ned^. Here the Word faved amounts to the 
 fame Thing in the main^#th jujiified^ being 
 oppofed to condemned ^tm^ it i^farther obfer- 
 vable, that the ^d'/^j^^^ft^jaiuft be under- 
 flood of a lively ^^^^^H^HTlg^^' dhne is not 
 faid to fave, or /V^^^PWt wti the Addition 
 of Baptifm, c^fftb and with ihe^li of Baptijin : 
 For, whateY*fome may please to teach of 
 Faith only ^^$ufiijying, the exclujive Term, moil 
 certainly, is not to be underftood in Oppoli- 
 tion, either to the Work of the Father, or of 
 the Son, or of the Holy Ghojl -, or to the {land- 
 ing Means of Conveyance which They have 
 
 Vol. II. U chofen. 
 
 « Markxvi. i6^ 
 
j[8 A fummary Vkw of the 
 
 chofen. The warmeft Contenders for Faith 
 alone^ are content to admit that the exclufive 
 Term, albney is oppofed only to every Thing 
 elfe on Mans Fart in jujitfying^ not to any 
 Thing on God's Tart : Now, I have already 
 noted that Baptifm is an Jnjlriment in God\ 
 Hand, who bears his "Part in it j and therefore 
 Baptifm^ in this View, relates to God's Fart in 
 jujiifyingi and not to Mans, It is not indeed 
 faid in the Text juft cited, that He who is not 
 baptized fliall be damned, as it is faid of Him, 
 who believeth not. God referves to Himfelf a 
 Liberty of difpenjing in that Cafe. At the fame 
 time. He has made no Fromife, or Covenant to 
 jiijiify Any One without tl:e Ufe of Baptifm : 
 So that ftill Baptifm mufl s^'^ look'd upon as the 
 ordinary ftanding In^fijmm- nt of 'Juftification on 
 God's Fart j and W?lia^ no certain Warrant 
 for declaring any one lufijicd iiidcpendently 
 of it. ^^^^ ' 
 
 The next refharkablc 1 >x: is, except one be 
 born of Water and of the Spirit, He cannot en- 
 ter into the Kingdom of God^c. .. , be King- 
 dom of God^. Where We may obferve, that 
 born again in the 2.^ Verfe, is interpreted of 
 Baptifm, (Sign and ^Thing fgnified) in the 5^^ . 
 and the emphatical Word, cannot, is twice 
 
 made 
 
 * John iii. 3, 5. See Regtneratmjlated, Sec, p. 3. 
 
DoFirim of Juftification 1 9 
 
 made Ufe of in That Cafe. What Room then 
 is there left for pretending any dired: and po- 
 fitive Fromife from God ^ojiiftijy Any Man be-^ 
 fore J or without that ordinary Mean "^ Say that 
 Faith is our hifiniment for receiving Jufcifica- 
 tion, which is faying enough j flill Baptifm 
 mud be God's Injlrument^ ordinarily, for ap- 
 plying or conferring it, in Virtue of what our 
 Lord Himfelf, in that Place, has twice fo- 
 lemnly declared. But I pais on. 
 
 In the Second of the ABsy We read thefe 
 Words of St. Peter to the Jews of That 
 Time : Repent and be baptized E'very One of 
 Tou in the Name of Jesus Christ, for the 
 Remifion of Sins, and Tefiall receive the Gift of 
 the Holy Ghost ^ Now, it is to be noted, 
 that true Repentance in fuch Cafe prefuppojes 
 fome Degrees of prep^a^TV Grace and lively. 
 Faith i, and yet jBj/>r'//l%'as to intervene too^ 
 in Order to" Remi[foK that is, in Order to Juf 
 tif cation, and tht Gilt, of the in-dwelling of the 
 Holy Spirit of God. 
 
 So again in the Cafe of St. Paul, at his 
 Converfion to Chriftianity ; He had been a 
 true Believer from the Time when He faid. 
 Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do^? But He 
 was not yet jufified: His Sins remained in 
 
 Vol. II. U 2 Charge 
 
 « Aasii. 38. [ Aasix. 9. 
 
20 A fummary Fiew of the 
 
 Charge for three Days 2\ leaft longer : For, it 
 was fo long before Ananias came to Him, 
 and faid, Anfe and be baptized, and wajh away 
 thy Sins, calling on the Name of the Lord%, 
 Baptifm was at length his grand Abjolution, his 
 Pate?it of Pardon, his Injirnrnent of yitflifica- 
 tion granted Him from Above : neither was 
 He juftijled till He received That Divine Seal, 
 in as much as his Sins were upon Him //// that 
 n)ery Time, 
 
 Pafs We on to the Epiftle to the "Romans^ 
 where St. Paul fays^ know ye not, that fo many 
 of lis as were baptized into Jesus Christ, were 
 baptized into his Death, (that is, into a Parti- 
 cipation of the Death and Merits of Christ, 
 thro' which alfo We die unto Sin) Therefore 
 We are buried with Him by Baptifm into Death ^ .• 
 In Baptifm is the f^ijj||formal folemn Death 
 unto Siny in ih^ plen^ Kemifjion of it 5 which 
 comes to the fame as to fay, that there alfo 
 commences our Jujiif cation en#i^: All before 
 was but preparatory to it, as Cc^eption is to the 
 Birth K 
 
 The 
 
 s A6ls xxii. 16. 
 
 ^ Rom. vi. 3, 4. See Wolfim in Loc. 
 
 * Fiunt ergo Inchoatioms quacdam Fidei, Concepi'milhia nmlles : 
 Non tamen folum concipi^ fed etiam nafci Opus eft, ut ad Vitam 
 perveniatur sternam. 
 
 Augujlin. de Diverf. Qusell. ad Simplic. L.I. p. 89. Tom. VI. 
 
DoEirim of Juftification. 21 
 
 The fame St. Paul fays ; By one Spirit are 
 We All baptized into one Body ^. Now, if We /„ 
 
 are firfl: incorporated into the myjiical Body of ^ 
 Christ hy Baptifm, it is manifeft that We * 
 
 are there alfo firfl jujlijied : For, no Man 
 ftridly belongs to Christ till He is incorpo^ 
 rated', neither is Any Oxi^ jujlijied before He is 
 incorporated, and made a Member of Christ, 
 a Citizen of Heaven. 
 
 St. Paul alfo faysj Te are All the Children 
 of God by Faith in Christ Jesus: For, as 
 Many of You as have been baptized into Ch r ist, 
 have put on Ch r i s t ^. Words very obfervable, 
 as plainly intimating, that ordinarily a Perfon 
 is not made a Child of God by Faith, till that 
 Faith is exerted in, and perfeSfedhy, Baptifm . — ■ 
 Faith in Adults, is the Hand v^^hereby They re- 
 ceive the Privilege of Adoption and fiiflification', 
 while the Sacrament is the Hand whereby God 
 difpenfes it. 
 
 God is the Donour ', and He can difpenfe 
 the Grace to Some without Faith, as to Infants -, 
 and to Others without Baptifm, as to Martyrs 
 principally, and to Catechumens prevented by 
 Extremities : But llill the ordinary Rule is, 
 firfl to difpenfe it upon a true and lively Faith, 
 U 3 fealed 
 
 fe I Cor. xli. 13. See my Re^vu'vj, &c. p. 367, &c. 
 * Gal. iii. 26, z/t 
 
21 A ftimmary View of the 
 
 fealed with the Stipidatio?2s mutually pafs'd In 
 Baptifm. 
 
 So again. We read In the Epiftle to the 
 Ephejians, as follows : Christ alfo loved the 
 Churchy mid gave Himfelf for it-, that He might 
 
 JanBify and cleaiife it with the wajking of Water ^ 
 by the Word^ j That is, by the Words ufed in 
 the Form of Baptifm, as St. Chrysostom in- 
 terprets ". If then Baptifn is the ordinary In- 
 
 Jlnanenf wht\:QhY Christ cleajifes the Mem- 
 bers of his Church} by thtjdme He mufi: be 
 fuppofed to jujiify Them ; as clearfmg and juf- 
 tifying are Words of like Import, in* this Cafe, 
 meaning ih^fame with Rcmiffion of Sins ^ which 
 is one great Part of fiiflfcation. 
 
 St. Paul elfewhere fpeaks of his new Con- 
 verts, as putting off the Body of the Sins of the 
 Flefi by Qhriflian Circumcifion, that is, Baptifm, 
 buried with Christ in Baptfm, and r if en with 
 Him thro' the Faith of the Operation of God, — 
 having all their TrefpaJJ'es forgiven Them^. 
 IWhat is This but faying, that They werejuf 
 
 tified, 
 
 ^ Ephef. V. 25, 26. Significatur heic omnino Baptifmus, verbo 
 junftus, tanquam Injirumentum Purificationis. Woljius in Loc. 
 Compare Pear/on on the Creed, Art. X. p. 368. 
 
 "^ Chryfojlom in Loc. Tom. XI. p, 145. item Damafcen. in Loc. 
 Op. Tom II. p. 190. 
 
 ** Colqf.n. II, 12, 13. See JVo/Jiuf m Loc. Wa//. Hift. of 
 Infant. Bapt. Part I. c. ii. Defence, p. 269, &C. Blackball 
 Sacr. Clailicks, Tom. II. p. 189. 
 
DoEtrim of Juftification. 23 
 
 tified^ inftrumentally, by Baptifm ? The fame 
 Thing is, at the fame Time, faid to be brought 
 about by Faith ^ (which is indeed the Inftru- 
 ment of Reception on Man's Part, as Baptifm is 
 of Conveyance, on God's Part) but ftill That 
 very Faith is fuppofed to be exerted in, and 
 compleated by, Baptifm^ before it jufiijies^ fo 
 far as it dotsjujiify. 
 
 I proceed to a noted Text in the Epiftle to 
 Titus : Not by Works of Righteoufnefs, which 
 we have done, but according to his Mercy Hefaved 
 lis by the wafting of Regeneration, and renewing 
 of the Holy Ghoft — ^ that being jiiflified by his 
 Grace, we foould be made Heirs according to the 
 Hope of eternal Life q. It is manifeft, by com- 
 paring the three Verfes together, that Baptifm 
 is here made the Mean thro' which, or the In- 
 firument by which,theHi?/y«S/'/r/V of God work- 
 eth Regeneration, Renovation, and fifiification j 
 and that "Juftification, the lafl named, is, in 
 Order of Nature (tho' not in Order of Hime) 
 the laft of the Three, as the Refult of the two 
 former, in the fame Work of Grace, in the 
 U 4 fame 
 
 P A»« rij? 'RrirEw? t^; wEfyeia? t5 Qss. Ea infertur Efficacia 8c 
 Virtus Dei, quae Fidem in Coloffenfibus procrearit, fimilis illi, 
 qua Chriftum excitavit ex mortuis. Wolf, in Loc. 
 
 ^ Tit. iii. 5, 6, 7. Compare Regeneration fiated, upon thig 
 Text. De Baptiimo ha:c accipienda effe Patres crediderunt : — ?? 
 Nee aliter Interpretes recentiores tantura non Omnes. WoJfti^ 
 ad Loc. ' . 
 
24 A fummary View of tho. 
 
 fame Federal Solemnity. It may be noted 
 by the Way, that Baptifm^ in this Text, is 
 not confidered as a IFork of Man^ but as an 
 Injirnment^ Rite, or Federal '[CranfaBion be- 
 tween God and Man» 
 
 In the Epiftle to the Hebrews, we read thus: 
 And having an High-Priejl over the Houfe of 
 God, let lis draw near with a true Heart, infidl 
 Ajjurance of Faith, having our Hearts fprinkled 
 from an evil Confcience, and our Bodies wafied 
 with pure Water : Let us holdfajl the FrofefiGn 
 cf our Faith \ &c. In thefe few Words are 
 pointed out the meritorious CauJ'e o£,our fujiifi- 
 cation, exprefs'd by the ^r ink ling, viz. with the 
 Blood of Christ, in Ailufion to the Blood of 
 the ancient Sacrifices ; the injlrumental Mean of 
 Conveyance, Baptifm, exprefs'd by the wafiing 
 of our Bodies J and the itiflrumental Mean of 
 Reception, exprefs'd by the Word Faith. The 
 Merits of Christ, applied in Baptifm by the 
 Spirit, and received by a lively Faith, com- 
 pleat our Jufiification, for the Time being. I 
 know not whether the Apoflle\ here laying fo 
 much ftrefs upon our Bodies being wajhed with 
 pure Wafer, might not, among feveral other 
 iimilar Confiderations drawn from the New 
 ^ejiament^ lead the early Fathers into a 
 
 Thought 
 
 y Heb. X. z\, 22, 23, 
 
DoEirine of Juftification. 25 
 
 Thought which They had, and which has not 
 been fo commonly obferved 5 namely, that the 
 Application of Water in Baptifm fecured as it 
 were, or fealed the Body to an happy Refurrec-- 
 tion : while the Spirit more immediately fe- 
 cured the Soul ; and fo the whole Man was un- 
 derftood to be fpiritually cleanfed^ and accepted 
 of God, in and by Baptifm s. They had alfo 
 the like Thought with refped: to the Elements 
 of the other Sacrament, as appointed by God 
 for infiiring the Body to an happy RejurreBion 
 along with the Soul ^ Whether that ancient 
 Rationale of the two Sacraments be not, at leaft, 
 as good as any modern Ones, I leave to be con- 
 lidered, and pafs on. 
 
 St. 
 
 ' The Thought is thus exprefs'd by an eminent father of the 
 feco7id Century : 
 
 Corpora enim noftra per Lavacrum illam quae eft ad Incorrup- 
 tionem Unitatem acceperunt ; Anima autem per SpMtum : Unde 
 & utraque neceffaria, cum utraque proficiunt ad Vitam Dei, ^c. 
 Irenaus L. I. c. xvii. p. 208. Edit. Bened. Compare 
 
 Tertullian de Baptifmo, c. iv. p. 225. De Anima, C. xl. p. 294, 
 
 Cyrill Hierofol. Catech, III. p. 41. 
 
 Nazianze7i Orat. XL. p. 641. 
 
 Hilariiis Pi£t. in Matt. p. 660. Edit. Bened. 
 
 Nyjfenus Orat. de Bapt. Chrifti, p. 369% 
 
 Cyrill A\tx. in Joann. L. II. p. 147. 
 
 Ammonius in Catena in Joann. p. 89. 
 
 Damafcen, de Fid. Orthodoxa, L. IV. c. ix. p. 260. 
 
 * Iren^us, L. IV. c. xviii. p. 251. L. V. c. ii. p. 293, 294. 
 
 Tertullian de Refurr. Carnis, c. viii. p. 330. 
 
 Cyrill Hierofol. Myftag. IV. p. 321. 
 
 Pa/chajtus de Corp. Si Sangu. Domini, c. xix. p. i^oz. 
 
25 A fummary View of the 
 
 St. Peter fays, Baptifm doth alfo nowfave 
 ns; not the putting away of the Filth of the Flejhy 
 but 'The Anfwer [Stipulation] of a good Confci- 
 €7ice towards God^ by the RefurreBion of fefus 
 Chrift «. — What I have hereupon to obferve is, 
 that Baptifm faves : That is, it gives a juft 
 Title to Salvation -, which is the fame as to fay, 
 that it conveys fujlification. But then it muft 
 be underflood not of the outward Wajhing, but 
 of the inwardy lively Faith, Jlipidated in it, and 
 l>y it. Baptifm concurs with Faith, and Faith 
 with Baptifm, and the Holy Spirit with Both ; 
 and fo the Merits of Christ are favingly ap- 
 plied. Faith alone will not ordinarily ferve in 
 this Cafe ; but it muft be a contraSlijig Faith 
 on Mans Fart, contracting in Form, corre- 
 fponding to the Federal Promifes and Engage- 
 ments on God's Fart : Therefore Tertul- 
 LI AN rightly ftiles Baptifm O^^;^^//^? Fidei^^ 
 Tejiatio Fidei, Sponfo Salutis ^, Fidei PaBio y, 
 and the like. But I fhall fay more on the 
 Head oi Faith in a diflinft Article below. 
 
 There is yet another very obfervable Text, 
 which might have come in, in its Place 5 But 
 
 I chofe 
 
 * I Pet. iii. 21. See my Re'vie-iv, c. xi. p. 434, 435. 
 
 * TertuUian de Pcenit. c. vi. p. 125. Conf. de Refurr. Carn» 
 C.xlviii. p. 355". 
 
 ^ TertuUian de Bapt. c. vi. p. 226. 
 y TertuUian dc Pudicit, c. ix. p. 562, 
 
DoEirine of Juftification. 27 
 
 I chofe to referve it to the laft, for the wind- 
 ing up this Summary View of the Scripture-Doc^ 
 trine on this Head. It runs thus : Such were 
 Some of Ton : But Te were wafied (viz. in Bap^ 
 tifm) but Te were fanBified ^ but Te were jujiijied 
 in the Name of the Lordjefus^ and by the Spirit 
 of our God^, I think it better to render it 
 werey or have been, than are, as befl fuiting 
 with the Original, and with the, were, jufl go- 
 ing before ; But the Senfe is much the fame 
 either Way. Here are three co?icurrent Caufes of. 
 yujlif cation (together with SanBification) men- 
 tion'd together : Viz. The meritorious Caufe, 
 the Lord fefus ; the efficient and operating 
 Caufe, The Spirit of our God; and the injiru- 
 mental'R.itQofCo?2veya?2ce, Baptifm. Fromthefe 
 feveral PafTages of the New Heftament laid to- 
 gether, it fufficiently appears, not only that 
 Baptifm is the ordinary Inflrument in God's 
 Hands for conferring jujiification-, but alfo, 
 that ordinarily there is no Jujiification conferred 
 either before it, or without it. Such Grace as 
 precedes Baptifm, amounts not ordinarily to 
 Juftification, flridly fo called ^ : Such as fol- 
 lows 
 
 * 1 Cor. vi. 1 1. See Woljim in Lcc. Bull. Op. Lat. p. 411, 
 422. 
 
 » Vid. Auguftin. de diverf. Q^ad SImplic. L. I. p. 89. T> VL 
 item Epift. CXCIV. p. 720. Tom. II. 
 
 And compare Regeneration JlatedjSiQ. p. 13. 
 
28 A fummary View of th 
 
 lows it, owes it's force, in a great Meafure, to 
 the ftanding Virtue of Baptijm once given ^, 
 
 Secondly. To confirm what has been here 
 proved from Scripture^ or rather to iliew the 
 more plainly that we are not miflaken in fo 
 interpreting, I may next briefly add the ^con- 
 curring VerdiSl of the Antienfs, bearing Tefli- 
 mony to the fame Doftrine, down from 
 St. Barnabas of the firft Age, about the 
 Year jo, to the End of the IV^^ Century^ or 
 later. 
 
 Barnabas declares that Baptiftn procures 
 Remijjion of Sins ^ : Therefore it procures fujii- 
 Jication. He declares farther, that Men de- 
 fcend into the Water full of Sins and Pollutions: 
 Therefore, by his Account, They are not juf- 
 tified^ ordinarily, before Baptifm. Some Mo- 
 derns have imagined the Ai2tie7its built their 
 firi5i Notions of the Vfe and NeceJJity of Bap- 
 tifm, upon too rigorous a Conftrudion of 
 John iii. 5. But it is certain, that They had 
 thofe ftrid: Notions before St. John'^ Go/pel 
 was written ; and that Barnabas, in parti- 
 cular, pleaded Texts out of the 0/^ Teflament 
 
 for 
 
 ^ Vid. Augujiin de Nupt. k Conc-jpifc. L. I. p. 298. Tom. X. 
 Compare my Re-vie-M, Sec p. 328, 329. 
 
 •^ To BccT^icTfix TO (pBfiov £K aipiciv diA,xf]iu:v. Barnab. Epift. C. xi. 
 p. 3". ijfAErj /»£v xoilsi^ocmi^iv £1? TO v^uf ysfjCovlii; d^uflim >^ ^VTTtt, xj 
 »ya<oamiAeii xapffo-^ofsi^fj x. t. ?,. Ibid. p. 38. 
 
Do&rine of Juftification. 29 
 
 for the fame Doctrine, and that later Fa- 
 thers had feveral other Texts to produce, be- 
 iides John iii. 5. fuch as I have cited : But I 
 proceed. 
 
 Her MAS, of the fame Century, affirms, 
 that a Chriftian's Life is and JJoall be faved by 
 Water^'y which amounts to the fame with 
 what We have before feen in St, Peter, and 
 admits of like Interpretation. His elfewhere 
 declaring Remijjion of Sins to belong to Bap- 
 fifm c, imports as much as faying that Juftifi- 
 cation hangs upon it. In another Place, He 
 expreffes his Senfe of the Necejfity of Baptifm 
 to Salvation (confequently, to Jtiftification) flill 
 more poiitively — " Before Any One receives 
 *' the Name of the Son of God, He is liable 
 " to Death : But when He receives that Seal^ 
 *' He is delivered from Death, and is affign'd 
 ** to Life. Now, That Seal is Water, into 
 " which Perfons go down liable to Death, but 
 " come out of it affign'd to LifeV Here it 
 
 is 
 
 ^ Quoniam Vita veftra per Aquam falva fa£la eft & fiet : fun- 
 data eft enim Verbo Omnipotentis & honorifici Nominis. Herm. 
 L. I. Vif. III. §. 3. p. 798. Ed. Fabric. Compare WalPs Hift. 
 cf Inf. Bapt, Part I. c. i. p. 2. 
 
 *= In Aquam defcendimus, & accipimus Remiffionem Peccato-t 
 rum noftrorum. Herm. Mandat. IV. §.3. p. 854. 
 
 *" Antequam enim accipiat Homo Nomen Filii Dei, Mo7-ti defti- 
 natus eft : At ubi accipit illud Sigillum, liberatur a Morte, Sc tradi- 
 tur Vita. XUud autem Sigillum Jqua eft, in qusm defcendunt Ho- 
 mines 
 
30 A fummary View of the 
 
 is plain, that Baptifm is prefuppofed to "Jiiftifi- 
 cation^ which is made the EffeSi and Confeqiient 
 of it. I defend not Hermas'^ Inference or 
 l^etrofpeB, with Refpect to the ancient Pa- 
 triarchs. Baptifm is the Gofpel-Infirumenf 
 of yuftification : But ofber Symbols ^ and other 
 Injirumefits ferved the fajjte Purpofe under the 
 preceding Difpenfations ^. 
 
 Justin, of the next Age, undertaking to 
 defcribe the Order and Method of training up, 
 and admitting new Converts to Chriflianity, 
 particularly obferves, that They who are per- 
 fuaded, and ^«? believe Thofe Things to be true 
 which are taught Them, and do undertake to 
 live accordingly, are directed to fail and pray 
 for the Forgivenefs of their former Sins ; and 
 are afterwards brought where there is Water ^ 
 and fo They are regenerated^ being wajhed with 
 Water, in the Name of the three Divine Per- 
 fons ; (the Neceffity of which is apparent from 
 John iii. 3, 4, 5. and Isaiah i. 16, 20.) and 
 then They receive Remiliion of Sins in Water j 
 but provided that They truly repent Them of 
 their Sins h. The Order here fpecified runs 
 
 thus ; 
 
 mines Mortt alligati, afcendunt vero Vlt^ afllgnati. TJerm. Sim. 
 IX. §. 16. p. ioc8. Compare JValL Part. I. c. i. p. z, 3, 4, 5. 
 And Bingha?n XI. 4, 6. p. 203, 204, 
 
 s Yid. Ji(gtff}in.V.r\c\\iv'A. p. 241. Tom. VI. 
 
 ^ Juflin Mart. Apol. I. p. 88, 89, 90. Edit. Lond. Compare 
 Wail. Inf. Bapt. Part. I. c. ii. p. 12, 13. ad Edit. 
 
DoBrine of Juftirication. %t 
 
 thus; Faith, Repentance, Baptifm, Dedication 
 to God, Renovation in Christ, Remiffion of 
 Sins, which is Jujiijication. The two fiiil pre- 
 ceded Baptifm ; The Three laft accompa?2ied it, 
 as th^ Fruits 2.ndiEffe5ts of it, ht\n2, fubfequent 
 in Order of G7Zf/2?%, if not in Order of Time, 
 Preparatory Grace, we know, muft be kfore 
 all; But Justin had no Occafion there to he 
 particular on That Head. 
 
 Iren^us, 30 or 40 Years later in the fame 
 Century, teaches, that every Son of Adam 
 needs the Laver of Regeneration^ to relieve Him 
 from the TranfgreJJion with v/hich He is born \ 
 that is, to fave Him, as He elfe where explains^^. 
 
 Clemens, of the fame Time, fpeaking of 
 Baptifm, fays ; " Being baptized we are ilh- 
 ** minated, being illuminated WQ IlVQ m2idiQ Sons, 
 *' being made aSo;zj we are /^r/^^^*^, htmg per- 
 
 *-^ fe6ied viQ are immortalized. This Work 
 
 *' is varioufly denominated; Grace, and Illu^ 
 ** mination, 2.ndiPerfe5lion, and Laver: Laver, 
 " by which we wipe off Sins; Grace, by 
 
 " which 
 
 * Quonlam In ilia Plafmatlone, quae fecundam Jdam fuit, in 
 TranfgreJ/ione faftus Homo indigebat Lwvacro Regenerationis ; 
 poftquam linivit Lutum fuper Oculos ejus, dixit ei, 'vade in Si- 
 loam ^ ^ la'vare ; fimul & Plafmationem, & earn quse eft per La- 
 vacrum Regenerationem reftituens ei. /r^«. L. V. c.xv. p. 312. 
 Edit. Bened. 
 
 ^ Omnes enim venit per femetipfum fahare : Omnes, inquam, 
 qyiperEup rena/cuntur inDenm, Infantes, & Parvulos, & Paeros, 
 jfe Juvenes, & Seniores. Iren. L. II. c. xxii. p. 147. 
 
32? A fummary View of the 
 
 *' which The Penalties due to Sins are remit- 
 *' ted; Illumination^ by which That Holy and 
 ** Salutary Light is view'd, that is, by which 
 *' we gaze on the Divine Being I" Baptif?n is 
 here fuppofed to be the hijirument of Illumina- 
 tion^ RemiJJion, Adoption, PerfeBion, Salvation: 
 Under which, jointly conlidered, mufb be com- 
 prehended all that concerns Jujlijication, thff 
 the Name it felf is not ufed. 
 
 Tertullian calls Baptifm " The happy 
 " Sacrament of Water, whereby We are 
 " wafhed from the Si?ts of our former Blind- 
 ** nefs, and recovered to eternal Life ™.'* He 
 adds that We are born in Water, and are no 
 other wife T^z'U^^ than by the abiding in it, or 
 by the Ufe of it in Baptifm^, He anfwers 
 the Objedlion drawn from the Sufficiency of 
 
 Faith 
 
 * BaTrlj^ojXEvof, <pu'v\,^o\i.i%a,' ^wTf^ojXSfOJ, vjo^oiafAsSa' vioTroia/XEi-ot, 
 
 icyov TtfTo, ^ccfiiO-fAa, xj (puTKrf/i^o!. )^ T£?le»ov, x^Tiylpov* Xslpov |xev, ^l a 
 T«? ujAcupiieiq ccTroffVjrhiA.iba.' ^KfiC(A,cc 01, u rcc iTTi Ton; CC^JiK^lYI^CCaw 
 iTTtlt/xta dvBiTcti' ^uricrfAa, ^e, ^l a to ayiov sXEfyo <pfc? To culi^fiov Ivott- 
 Isvelai, TUTiTiv ^l a to ^b7ov o^vu7r8[Mv. Clemens. Alex. Piedag. L. I. 
 c. vi. p. 113. Edit. Oxon. Conf. Naziaiizen. de Bapt. Orat. XL. 
 p. 638. 
 
 "' Felix Sacramentum Aquas noftr:e,qua abluti deliftis priftinae 
 csecitatis, in Vitam aeternam liberamur. tertullian de Bapt, 
 c. i. p. 224. 
 
 " In Aqua nafcimur : nee aliter quam in Aqua permanendo 
 Salvl fumus. Ibid, praefcribitur Nemini fine Baptifmo competere 
 Zaliitem, ex ilk maxime Pronuntiatione Domini, qui ait mfina- 
 tus ex Aqua, &C. Ibid, c. xii. p. 228. QQxA.de Anima, c. xl. 
 p, 294. 
 
bcSirine of juftincatiori. 3 '^ 
 
 Faith alone ^ as in the Inflance of Abraham. 
 The Sum of his Solution is, that what was not 
 tto^xx^A formerly ^ is required ;'zc'ze; ; That The 
 Gojpel has made a 72e'w Law, a new Rttle for it^ 
 and has tied Us up to fuch Form. He refers 
 to Matt, xxviii. 19. and to John iii. 5. and 
 to the Inflanie of St. Paul, recorded in the 
 A5ls J who, tho' He had before Faith fuffici- 
 ent, yet was ftridtly required to add Baptijm to 
 it°. From hence it is plain, that Tertul- 
 LI AN underllood Baptijm to be the ordinary 
 and indifpenfable Mean or Infirument of yujii^ 
 fication ; infomuch that He thought even a Lay-^ 
 jnan guilty of dejiroying a Soul, if He fliould 
 refufe to give a Perfon Baptijm in a cafe of Ex- 
 tremity, no Clergy being prefent '^. Neverthe- 
 lefs, the fame Tertullian indulged fome 
 Particularities as to the Point of delaying Bap- 
 tifm in fome Cafes 3 and has been thought not 
 V o L . II. X very 
 
 *> Hie ergo fceleftiffimi illi provocant Quasftionqs : Adeo di- 
 cunt, Baptilmus non eft neccjfarius, quibus Fides fafis eft ; nam 
 . & Ahrahatn nullius Aquae nifi Fidei facramento Deo placuit. Sed 
 in omnibus pojiej-iora concludunt, Sc fequentia antecedentibus pre- 
 valent. Fuerit Salus retro per Fidem nudum, ante Domini Paf- 
 fionem & Refurreflionem. At ubi Fides auBa eft^ credendi in 
 Nativitatem, Paffionem, & Refurredlionem ejus, addita eft Am- 
 pliatio Sacramento, Oblignatio Baptifmi, Vejiimejitian quodam- 
 modo Fidei, quae retro erat 7iuda, nee poteft [effe] jam {\xvq fua 
 Leo-e. Lex enim tinguendi impofita eft, & Forma prajfcripta. 
 TertuU. de Bapt. e. xiii. p. 229. 
 
 P Reus erit perditi Hombiis, fi fuperfederit prseftare quod libere 
 potuit, c. xvii. p. 231. 
 
34 A fum^nary View of the 
 
 very conjijlent with Himfelf in That Article'^ 
 efpecially where He makes it an Argument 
 for fuch Delay ^ that Faith entire is fecure of 
 Salvation 1. But He hereby only qualified his 
 former DoBrifie, fo as to except fome very rare 
 and extraordinary Cafes, where Delays might 
 be made, not out of Contempt^ but Revere?ice 
 towards the Sacrament: Otherwife the ordir- 
 nary Rule was to ftand inviolable \ As to the 
 excepted Cafes, they would be rare indeed,, 
 fince Baptifm might be had upon very fliort 
 Warning s in any Extremity almofl according 
 to his Principles, if fo much as a Laic could, 
 but be found to confer it. But I return to the 
 Point in Hand. 
 
 Cyprian, more cautious in the Point of 
 Delays than his Mafler Tertullian, gives 
 this Reafon why the Baptifm of Infants fhould 
 not be deferr'd (in Danger of Death) to the 
 eighth Day j that it is our duty, fo far as in Us 
 . lies, to take Care, that nd Soul be defirofd ^ 
 
 It 
 
 ^ Si qui Pondus intcHigant Baptifmi, magis timebunt Confecu'- 
 t'lonem quam Dilationem : Fides integra fecura eft de Salute, c.xviii. 
 p. 232. 
 
 ^ See Wall. Hift. of Inf. Bapt. Part. I. civ. p. 23. 
 
 Biiig/jarnXI. 4. 10, p. 212. 
 
 ^ Caeterumomnis dies Domini eft, omnis Hora, omne Tempus 
 habile Eaptifmo, c. xix. p. 232. 
 
 ' Univerfi judicavimus, nulli Homini nato Mifericordiam Dei 
 & Gratiam denegandam : Nam cum Dominus in Evangelic fuo 
 dicat, Filiiis Homini s von njenit animas Homintan perdere, fed fal- 
 'vare ; quantum in nobis eft, fi fieri poteft, nulla Anima perdenda 
 ril. Cjj)/iitft Epiit LIX. Ad Ffduin, p. 98. Edit. Bened. 
 
 1 
 
DoEirine of Juftlfication. 35 
 
 It is plain from hence, that He thought there 
 was, ordinarily, no Jujiijication previous to Bap- 
 tifm, the appointed Channel of Conveyance^ the 
 Fountain Head of the Spiritual Life : For fuch 
 was Cyprian's Opinion of it, as appears thro* 
 all his Writings ". Not only fo, but He ex- 
 preilly mentions yujilfication as one of the 
 Graces conferr'd in it ^. 
 
 I pafs on to the next Century 3 where We 
 find the elder Cyril declaring, that a Perfon 
 comes to BaptiJ?n beariiig His Sins, dead i?i Sins 
 (therefore not yet Ji^/lijied) but that He comes 
 owl qui ckned in Right eonjnefs ^ ; which is the 
 fame as to fay, jiifiijied. . . . 
 
 Basil, of the fame Century, exprefTes 
 Himfelf fully to our Purpofe, in thefe Words : 
 '' Whence are We Christians ? ^y Faith y, 
 ** will Every One fay. But after what man- 
 " ner are Vsftfa'ued? By being regenerated thvo' 
 *' the Grace which is conferr'd in Baptifm. — 
 " For, if Baptifm is to Me the Beginning of 
 
 Vol. II. X 2 '' Life, 
 
 «» Cypriaji Epift. I. p. 2. Epift. XXIII. p. 32. Ep. LXXII. 
 p. 128. Epift. LXXIV. p. 140. Epift. LXXVI. p. 155, 157. 
 De Habit. Virgin, p. 180. Tcjlimon. L. III. c. XXV. p. 314. De 
 Orat. Domin. p. 206. 
 
 ^*' Quomodo T Silts jujiiftc are & fanBificare baptizatos pofTuntj 
 qui Hoftes Sacerdotum, Isc. Epift. LXXVI. p. 155- 
 
 ^ K.oc^.sfxo fAEV ynfi si; to voaip (pofruv Taj; cx.iJ.xfllai' dXK n t?; %«•" 
 p(Io; i.7t'iK7\'fi(7iq aCp^ayiffaca, ftjv ^/v^-ziVf a avyyjo^iH "homlv vtto ra 
 ^C('o£p8 >c.cclcx.7ro^r,\isn OfCiX.rjylo<;. vexfoq h a^ccfl'ixtq x.x\aZoie, a.vcx,Qoi,\Mk.% 
 ^wo9roi»}Sj<; h ^mcitua-vi'h. Cyril Hierofol. Catech. III. p-45' 
 Edit. Bened. Conf. Catechef. xvii. p. 282, 
 
36' A fummary View of the 
 
 *' Life, and That Rege?teratio?i-Day is i\\t firfi 
 " of Days ; then it is manifeft That Voice is 
 *^ of all the moft precious which is founded 
 " forth upon the Grace of Adoption y." Bap- 
 tifm is here fuppofed to be, as it were, t\iQ Jirji 
 Delivery of God's Grajit of Adoption^ and con- 
 fequently of yujiification^ which is much the 
 fame Thing. Faith goes before, as the Hand 
 ftretchi'd out, ready to receive : But it cannot 
 be received before it is given : Neither is it or- 
 dinarily firft given but in Baptijm -, nor conti- 
 nued afterwards but in Virtue of it,, due ^ali^ 
 Jications fuppofed all the while. In another 
 Chapter The fame Father fays, " iv7///6and 
 ** Baptijm are two Means of Salvation, near 
 *' akin to each^ other, and infeparable. For,. 
 ** Faith i^ perfect edhy Baptifm, and Baptifm is 
 " grounded in Faith, and Both are compleated by 
 " the fame [divine] Names'"." 
 
 Hilar I us Diaconus, fome Years before 
 Basil, taught the fame Dodtrine 5 interpret- 
 ing St. Paul's Quotation from the Psal- 
 mist 
 
 i '*' T)5 ^dfiti Tni vio.^scrtaf E^dCwixQi^cra. Bajil. de spirit. Sandl. 
 ex. p. 21, 22. Edit. Beucd. 
 
 ^ nij"»? ^E x^ pd'TrlicriAOif o'JO r^oiroi T/;c cuj\y)^\<x,:, ffvif/pviX:; aX^»)^o^f , ^ 
 SVa-TviijTaj oio. r»;; cjirst'^, xctt dta T<iiV ;cvr*i' orj/AaTJ-.i ■ iXXTc^x 'SjT^Ti- 
 
 fniuxi. BafU. ibid. c. ,\ii. p. 23. 
 
DoSirlm of JuftificaUon. 37 
 
 -MIST (which the Apoftle applies to the Pur- 
 Y^o(qo? J lift ijic at io?2, Rom. iv. 6, 7, 8,) of What 
 is done in Baptifm, of the yiifiification conferred 
 in that holy Solet?mity ^: From whence it is evi- 
 dent, that He underflood Baptijht to be the ordi- 
 ?2ary Jianding Mean^ or Injirument of Conveyance, 
 I {Imll fhut up this Detail of Fathers with 
 the Words of St. Austin ; who, undertaking 
 to explain the four Things mention'd by the 
 Apoftle (Rom. viii. 30.) pf^edeftinate^ called ^ 
 jitftifiedy and glorified^ fays of the Thirds thus : 
 " Behold, Perfons are baptized^ all their Sins 
 " are forgiven, They are jujiified from their 
 ** Sinsb." He repeats the fame Doftrine foon 
 after in Words flill more exprefs c. It would 
 be endlefs to quote Paffages from the fame 
 X 3 Father 
 
 2 Propheta autem Tempus felix ppsaVldens in Salvatoris Ad- 
 , ventu, beatos nuncupat, quibus fine Lahore vel aliquo Opere^rr 
 La-vacrum remittantur, & teguntur, & non imputantur Peccata. 
 Apoftolus tamen propter Plenitudinem Temporum, & quia plus 
 Gratiss in Apojlolis eft quam fuit in Prophetis, majora proteftatur 
 qure ex Dono Baptiftiiatis confequimur ; Quia non folum Remif- 
 fionem Peccatorum accipere nos, fed jiijiifica-ri & Filios Dei fieri 
 prcfitetur, ut Beatitudo h^c perfe6lam habeat & Securitatem & 
 Gloriam. Hz/ar.Diac.'m Rom. iv. 8. inter Op. Ambrof. Tom. IT. 
 
 ^ Ecce enim baptisati funt Homines, omnia illis Peccata di- 
 
 . jnilTa funt, jiifiificati funt a Peccatis. Augufiin. Serm. CLVIII. 
 
 De Verb. Apoftol. Rom. viii. 762. Tom. V. 
 
 .***,^ ^ Unufquifque veftrum jam ipfa Jufiificatione conftitutus, ac- 
 
 Mpta fcilicet Remiffione Peccatorum per Laniacrum Regencratio- 
 
 mf\ accepto Spiritu Sandio, proiiciens de Die in Diem, csfc. A;i- 
 
 gujlin. ib. p. 763. Conf. Ghryfojiom'm. Rom. viii. 30. Horn. xv. 
 
 ;p. 595. Tom. I/C. Ed. Bened. Damafcen. in eund. Loc. Op, 
 
 Tpm. II. p. 33. 
 
38 A fummary View of the 
 
 Father to prove that, in his Account, there 
 
 IS no ytijlijication, ordinarily, before^ or ivitb- 
 out Baptiftn. It was a fix'd Principle with 
 Him, that 'Jiijiijication ordinarily commenced 
 with Baptifm^ and not otherwife. 
 
 From hence ( as I may note by the Way ) 
 W^; may eafily underftand what St. Austin 
 meant by his Jamed Maxim, which Many have 
 often perverted to a very wrong Senfe; namely, 
 that good JVorks follow after yujiif cation^ and 
 do not precede it^. In Reality, He meant no 
 more than that Men muft be incorporated in 
 Christ, muftbe Chrijlians, and good Chrifli- 
 ans (for Such only are jujiified) before They 
 could pradife Chrijilan Works, or Right eoifnefs, 
 flricftly fo called « : Yox fuch Works ofily have an 
 eminent Right and Title to the Name of good 
 Works '-, as they only 2.xq faint ary within the Co- 
 'venant, and have a Qlaim upon Promife. Works 
 before Jiifiification, that is, before Salutary 
 
 Baptifniy 
 
 *J Sclat fe quifque per Fidem pofTe juftificari, etiamfi Lepis Opera 
 non prascefTerint : Seqincntur enhn jiiftijicatwn non p7-eecedunt jujii- 
 jicandiim. AuguJIin. cle Fid. & Oper c. xiv. p. '77. Tom. VI. 
 Juftificationem Opera non prxcedunt. Augvjlin. de Spirit. & 
 Litera, c.xxvi. 109. Tom. X. Bona Opera {libfequuntur Gra- 
 tiam, non praecedunt - — Op. Imperf. contr. JuUan.'L,. I. c. cxli. 
 p. 956. Tom. X. Conf. Tom. IL p. 717, 720, & Tom. VI. p.8g. 
 
 p Mandata ejuG fanfta & bona fibi tribuebnnt ; quse xxtpojjit 
 Homo facere, Deus operatur in Homine per Fidem |efu Chrifti 
 qui Finis eft ad juftitta?n omni Crcdenti : Id eft, cui per Spiritum 
 incorporatus, faftafque Memhrum ejus poteft quifque, illo Incre- 
 jnentum intrinfecus dante, operarijufiitimn. Augnfiin. de Spirit^ 
 & Lit. c. xxix. p. 115. Conf. c. xxxiv. p. 119. Tom. VL 
 
IDoBrme vf Ju{ti^ca.tiQn, 39 
 
 Bapfiftn, are not, in his Account f, witJmi the 
 Promife ; but are excluded rather, according to 
 the W/;z^r)' Rule laid down in John iii. 5, and 
 diverfe other Texts before cited. But I return. 
 
 Enough hath been faid to fliew, that Bap^ 
 tijhi is, by divine Appointment, the ordinary • 
 Injirument for conveying the Grace of 'Juftiji- 
 cation. Scripture and Antiquity are clear in this 
 Matter : And fo likewife are our Church'Forms-y 
 particularly our Baptifmal ^ Offices, Catechifniy 
 and Confirmation. 
 
 I am aware that fon\e. eminent Moderns ^ 
 have prefumed to teach, that ili^firft Juftifi- 
 cation in Adults, is antecedent to Baptifm, and 
 that Baptifm rather feals and confirms it, than 
 conveys it : But I fee no fufficient Ground for 
 That Do(5trine, either in Scripture^ or Ariti^ 
 qiiity^ or in tht publick Offices of our Churchy 
 .but much the contrary : And it feems, that 
 |he Miilakejn this Matter firft arofe, either 
 from the confounding the firft preparatory Re- ^ 
 newings of the Grace of the .Spirit, with the 
 Grace of Jifiification ; or from a miiinter- 
 preting of St. Paul's .Dodirine relating to 
 jifiifying Faith ^ as. if the Apoftle in mentioning 
 
 'X 4 one 
 
 ^ Vid. Auguflin. de diverf. Quseft. ad Simplic. L. I. p. 89. 
 Tom. VI. Item, de Spirit. &. Lit, c. xxxiv. p. 119. Tom. YL 
 
 g Puhl. Bap. of Inf. And Private Bapt. And Bapt. of 
 7hofe of riper Years. 
 ^ Bucer. Script. Anglican, p- 730. 
 
 ; 
 
4© A fummary View of the 
 
 me Inftrument of Juflification, had thereby 
 excluded every Inftrument befides^ which He 
 does not. It might as well be pleaded (as I 
 before hinted) that the iVpoftle had thereby 
 excluded the Work of the Father^ or Son^ or 
 Bpirit from the Office of Jujiijication 5 as that 
 He excluded the vifible Means^ Rites^ or Sa- 
 craments ^ in and by which They jointly operate. 
 St. Paul's Phrafes, or exclufive Terms inferno 
 fuch Thing 5 neither is his Faith oppofed to 
 Baptifm^ but it takes it in, ordinarily, and is 
 ■nQiih^Yjahitary, nor lively Faith, till plighted 
 in That Ordinance \ 
 
 5. From the Inftrument of Conveyance on 
 God's Part, We may next proceed to the In- 
 ftrum.ent of Reception on Ma7is ; which I take 
 to be Faith^ ps I have more than once inti- 
 mated, and muft now explain. 
 
 I am fenfibie that fome very eminent Men^ 
 have exprefs'd a Difiike of the Phrafe of the 
 
 Injiru-. 
 
 * This Article was maintained, againft Cartn.vri^ht, By Whitr 
 gift firll:, and afterwards by Booker. (See Hooker, B. V. N". 6o. 
 p. 276.) Field, after Both, vindicates the Protejianhon that Head, 
 againft the Reproaches of their Popijh Adveriaries, as follows: 
 
 " Staphton laith, that a Threefold Fraud of the Proteflants, 
 *' touching RemifTion of Sins, is to be avoided : Firft, in that 
 *' They make our Juftijication to confift in the _/«/(? Remiffion of 
 *' Sins by Faith, that the 5acra?netits confer nothing to our Jufti- 
 ^-'^ jication. Bat This is untrue ; for They teach no fuch Thing j 
 ■' bat that Baptifm and Repentance are neceffarily required in 
 ^' Them that are to be_;5>/? juftified. Field on the Church, B. III. 
 «* Append, p 298." 
 
 5' liarnmoud, Catech. Op. VoL I. p. 56, ?V/- 
 
DoSirine of Juftification. 41 
 
 Iiifirumentality of 'Faith -, and have alfo juflly 
 rejecfted the l^hing, according to the fal/e No- 
 tion which Some had conceived of it. It 
 cannot with any tolerable Senfe or Propriety 
 be look'd upon as an Inflrument oi Co?2veya?2ce 
 in the Hand of the efficient or principal Caufe : 
 Bat it may juftly and properly be look'd upon 
 as the Inftrument of Reception in the Hand of 
 the Recipient. It is not the Mean by which 
 the Grace is wrought^ effeBed^ or conferrd : 
 But it may be, and is, the Mean by which it 
 is accepted^ or received^ : or, to exprefs it a 
 little differently, it is not the Inftrument of 
 Juftification in the aBive Senfe of the Word \ 
 but it is in the paffi've Senfe of it. 
 
 It cannot be for Nothing that St. Paul fo 
 often, and fo emphatically fpeaks of Man's be- 
 ing juftified by Faith "^, or through Faith in 
 
 Christ's 
 
 '■Illhtfon, Pofth. Serm. Vol. II. p. 480, 486. 
 
 Bull Op. Latin, p. 41^*, 512, 555, 655, 657, 658. 
 
 Truman, great Propit. p. 194, 195. 
 
 ' Quod per Fidem, tanquani Organum, Gratiam juftification is 
 
 acclpi vel apprehend! dicunt Proteftantes, nse illi Ro7nanenfes 
 
 nimium morofi CenCores funt, quibus ifta loquendi Forma impro- 
 batur ; prasfertim propter Verbum apprehendendi : Eodem enim 
 Modo loquuntur etiam multi dodliffimi Romanenfes. Pererius in 
 
 Rom. V. 2. Maldonat. injoh.vi. 29. videatur & EJilus in 
 
 Rom. iii. 28. Claudius Efpencisus in i Tim. vi. 12. ubi horum 
 jiovorum Criticorum Temeritatem redle caftigat. 
 
 GuL Forbes, confid. Modeft. p. 24. Conf. p. 38, edit, nova, 
 A. D. 1704. 
 
 "iRom. i. 17. iii. 22,28, 30. v. 2. ix. 32. Gal.ii. 16. iii. 8, 
 II, 14, 2?, 24, 26. V, 5. Phil. iii. g. 
 
42 A fiimmary View of the 
 
 Christ's Blood "; and that He particularly 
 notes it of Abraham, that He belie'ved, and 
 that his Faith was counted to Him for 'Jufiifi- 
 cation ° ; when He might as eafily have faid, 
 had He fo meant, that Man is juftified by 
 Faith and Works ^ or that Abraham, to whom 
 the GoJ'pel was preached"^, was juftified by Gof- 
 pel-Faith and Obedience. Befides, it is certain, 
 and is on all Hands allowed, that, tho' St. 
 Paul did not dired:ly and exprefly oppofe 
 Faith to evajigelical Works, yet He compre- 
 hended the Works of the moral Law under 
 thofe Works which He excluded from the 
 Office of jnftifytng, in his Senfe of "J^difying^ 
 in thofe PalTages : And farther, He ufed fuch 
 Arguments as appear to extend to all Kinds of 
 Works: For, Abraham's Works were really 
 e"cangelical Works, and yet they were exclii- 
 ded. Add to This, that if ytijlijication could 
 come even by evangelical Works, without tak- 
 ing in Faith in the meritorious Sufferings and 
 Satisfad:ion of a Mediator ; then might we 
 have whereof to glory ^, as needing no Pardon; 
 and then might it be juftly faid, that Christ 
 died in vain'. I mufl further own, that it is 
 
 of 
 
 " Rom. iii. 25. Gal. ii. 20. Phil. iii. 10. 
 ■° Rom. iv. 3. Gal. iii. 6. 
 P Gal. iii. 8. 
 . -^ See Rom.iy. 2. 
 ^ See Gal. ii. 21. . 
 
DoBrine of Juftification. 43 
 
 of great Weight with Me, that fo early and 
 fo confiderable ^Writer as Clemens of Rome ^ 
 an Apoftolical Man, fhould fo interpret the 
 Doiflrine of jujiifyi7tg Faith^ as to oppofe it 
 plainly even to evangelicalWox^is however ex- 
 alted. It runs thus : " They (the ancient 
 " Patriarchs) were All therefore greatly 
 *' glorified and magnified; not for their own 
 *' Sake, or for their own Works, or for the 
 *' Rigbteoiifnefs which They Themfelves 
 " wrought, but thro' His good Pleafure. 
 *' And we alfo being called thro' His good 
 '* Pleafure in Christ Jesus, are not jujii- 
 '■^ jied by Our Selves, neither by our own 
 *' Wifdom, or Knowledge, or P/V/y, or the 
 *' Works which We have done in Holinefs of 
 .*' Heart, but by That Faith by which Al- 
 ** mighty God jujiified All from the Begin- 
 ■^ ning'." Here it is obfervable, that the 
 Word Faith does not fland for the whole 
 Syll:em of Chriftianity, or for Chrijiian Belief 
 at large, but for fome particular fef-denying 
 Principle by which good Men, even under 
 the patriarchal and legal Difpenfations, laid 
 
 hold 
 
 lacviuv ^tx«.ia|M,ES«, bSl oicc irr,q riiA.iTsfa.i; (jj(p\a.c, ri Quncrtojq, r) ivcrt- 
 fcEiaj, i) i'fyuv u» x.cilsifycx.accfiSci Iv ocioT*?]* Kafoiu^' ccT^oc, oia. T'/j; 
 •ETirswj, ^i' -15? 'accvloci; Ts; cctt' uluv®^ o -crctvIoxpaTwp ©so? ehzsciua-iv. 
 Clem, Rom. Ep. i. C. 32. 
 
44 A fummary Vim of tit 
 
 hold on the Mercy and Promifes of God, re- 
 ferring all, not to Themfehes ex their oivn De- 
 fervings, but to DiviJie Goodnefe, in and thro" 
 a Mediator. It is true, Clemens elfewhere, 
 and St. Paul almoft every where, infifts up- 
 on true Holifiejs of Hearty and Obedience of 
 .Life^ as indifpenfable Conditions of Salvation, 
 or Jujiification ; and of That, One would 
 think there could be no Queflion among Men 
 of any Judgment or Probity : But the Quef- 
 tion about Conditions is very diftind: from the 
 other Queftion about Injirumejits -, and there- 
 fore both Parts may be true, viz, that Faith 
 .and Obedience are equally Conditions^ and equally 
 indifpenjable where Opportunities permit ; and 
 yet Faith over and above is emphatically the 
 Injirument both of receiving and holding Jufti- 
 iication, or a Title to Salvation ^ 
 
 To explain this Matter more diftindlv, let 
 it be remembred, that God may be confider- 
 
 ed 
 
 ^ A learned Foreigner ilhiftrates this Matter by the Cafe of 
 Marriage, as every good Perfon is conceived to be married to 
 
 vChrift, and to become one Flefh with Him. Ephef. v. 31, 32. 
 Now there are many ^.alifications. Condition!, Capacities re- 
 quifite to a i,'«//V Marriage : Butftill Confent, oxContraft, with 
 due Solemnities, is what formally makes the matrimonial Bond, 
 and what gives it its Sanation. Refpeft, Obedience, Love, do 
 not properly effeft it ; but Confent does. So Faith binds the Con- 
 trad, confummates the Marriage-Covenant witli Chrift, while 
 the reft are confider'd as S^ualijications, or Conditio ■:$ of the Stipu- 
 lation, not as the formal Stipulation it felf. Vid. U''eJfcJ:i'Di&}:- 
 
 ■ tat Acadeni, p. 1 47, isc. 281. 
 
DoSirine. o/* Juftiffcation. 45^ 
 
 cd (as I before noted) either as a Party, cw- 
 traBing with Man, on very gracious Terms'^;. 
 or as a Judge to pronounce judgment upon Him.- 
 Man's firfi: coming into Covenant (fuppo- 
 fmg Him adult) is by afjenting to it, and ac- 
 eepting of it, to have and to hold it 017 fdch 
 Kind of T'ejjure as God propofes : Tliat is to 
 fay, upon a felf-denyi?7g Tenure, conlidering 
 Himfelf as a guilty Man, ftanding in Need o^ 
 Pardon, and of borrowed Merits, and at length 
 refting upon Mercy ^^. So here, the previous 
 Queflion is, whether a Perfon fliall confent to 
 hold a Privilege upon this Jiibmiffive Kind of 
 Tenure, or not ? Such AJI'ent or Confent, if He 
 comes into it, is the very T^hing which %t^ 
 
 Paul 
 
 " Neque enlm Hoc Foedus Naturam Habet Emptiom's, Vendl- 
 tionis, aut Locationis, ConduSlionJs, aut alicujus Contvaftus isma- 
 minati, do ut facias, facto iit facias, ubi eorum qua; invicem 
 praeftantur aqualitas requiritur : Sed habet aliquam convenien- 
 riam cum contra6lu feudali, ubi una Pars ex Gratia Quid in al- 
 terum confert, quag autem altera viciffim praeftat, non RetriJmti' 
 onis fed tantum Recognitionis Vim habent, grati, lidelis, ac devotJt 
 Animi Teftem. Fifcndorf Jus Fecial. Divin. §. 54. p. 191. 
 Conf. §.51. p. 172. 
 
 ^^ Summa hue redit, quod is [Chriftus] Peccata Generis Hu- 
 xnani, in fe fufcepit, eaque expiavit, ac pro iifdem juftitis Divinat. 
 fatisfecit, eo cum EIFectu ut Qui in ipfum c-redunt, feu in ejuldem 
 Merita Sc SatisfaStioKe omnem faam Fidticiam reponant, ejus i?i- 
 tuitu Gratiam Dei quaerunt, Peccatorum Remiffionem, folidam. 
 & coram Tribunali divino fubfiftentem _7///////i2OT, cum aliis Be- 
 aieficiis qus cum Deo reconciliatcs comitantur, & demum Viiatn 
 ^/fr7i«jw confeqjjantur, Pufendorf, ibid. §.48. p. j66.- 
 
4-6 A fummary View of the 
 
 Paul and St. Clemens call F^zV/'^ ; And 
 This previous and general Queftion, is the 
 Queflion which Both of Them determine a- 
 gainfl any proud Claimants Who would hold 
 by a more felf-admiring Tenure. 
 
 Or, if We next confider God as fitting in 
 Judgment, and Man before the Tribunal, go- 
 ing to plead his Caufe ; here the Queflion is, 
 what Kind of Flea fliall a Man refolve to trufl 
 his Salvation upon ? Shall He fland upon his 
 Innocence, and reft upon Jiri5i Law j or fliall 
 He plead guilty, and reft in an AB of Grace .^ 
 If He chufes the Former, He is proud, and 
 fure to be caji : If He chufes the Latter, He 
 i^fafe fo far, in throwing Himfelf upon an 
 A5i of Grace, "Now, This Queftion alfo, which 
 St. Paul has decided, is previous to the Quef- 
 tion, what Condi tio??s even the A(5t of Grace it 
 felf finally infifts upon? A Queflion which 
 St. James in particular, and the ^^;/£'r^/ Te- 
 nour of the whole Scripture has abundantly 
 fatisfied ; and which could never have been 
 made a ^lejiion by any confiderate, or impar- 
 tial 
 
 5* Quia Foeius ac Divina Beneficia per eandem [Fidem] ac- 
 cepta77tur ; cam invitis & reluftantibus ilia impingere nolit Deus-, 
 neque id citra Extinftionem il/i5r«/;V«/M fieri poffit. Ibid. §.51. 
 p. 172. Ex Parte Kominum ordinavit Medium ■Kn'rflix.ov, feu per 
 quod iilud acceptatur, Fidem ; quam etiam Hominibus offert, {ei. 
 morali, non pbyfico aut mechanico Modo. Ibid §-78. P-3i9. 
 Conf. §. 85. p. 349. 
 
DoEirine of Juftification. 47 
 
 tial Christian. But of that I may fay more 
 under another Article. What I am at prefent 
 concern'd with, is to obferve, that Faith is 
 emphatically the Injirument by v/hieh an Aduk 
 accepts the Covenant of Grace, conjhiting to 
 hold by that Khid of 'Te?2iire, to be jiifiijied ia 
 that Way, and to reft in that kind of Fka-i 
 putting his Salvation on that only Ifluc. 
 
 It appears to be a juft Obfervation, which 
 Dr. Whitby makes (Pref. to the Epift. t® 
 Galat, p. 300) that Abraham had Faith 
 [Hebr.xi. 8.) before what was fard of his 
 Jujiijication in Gen.XY.%6 S and afterwards 
 more abundantly, when' He offer'd up his 
 Son Isaac 5 but yet neither of thofe Inftances 
 was pitch'd upon by the Apoftle, as fit for his 
 Purpofe, becaufe in Both Obedience was join'd 
 with Faith : Whereas here was a pure A5i ef 
 Faith without Works, and oi^Mv^ AB of Faith 
 it is faid, it was imputed to Him for Rightecif- 
 nefi. 
 
 The Sum is, none of our Works are good 
 enough to ftand by The?njehes before Him, 
 who is oi purer Eyes than to behold Iniquity. ^ 
 Christ only is pure enough for it at fir ft 1 
 Hand, and They that are Christ's at fecond I 
 Hand, in and thro' Him. Now, becaufe it-'. 
 is by Faith that We thus interpofe, as it were, 
 
 Christ 
 
48 A fummary View of the 
 
 Christ between God and C7>, in Order to gain 
 Acceptance by Him j therefore Faith is em- 
 phatically the Infirmnent whereby we receive 
 the Grant of Jujlijication. Obedience is equally 
 a Condition J or Salification^ but not an Inftru- 
 mcfity not being that Adi of the Mind v/hereby 
 we look up to God and Christ, and whereby 
 we embrace the Promifes. 
 
 Faith^ by St. Paul's Account of it, is The 
 Siibflance of 'Things hoped for, as making the 
 Things fiibfifi, as it were, with certain EfFecft, 
 in the Mind. It is the Evidence of Things not 
 feen y, being, as it were, the Eye of the Mind, 
 looking to the Blood of Christ, and thereby 
 inwardly warming the Affecftions to a firm Re- 
 liance upon it, and Acquiefcence in it 2. But 
 This is to be underflood of ^finn and vigorous 
 Faith, and at the fame time njDcll grounded, — ^ 
 Faith is faid to embrace (falute, welcome) the 
 Things promifed of God a, as Things prefent to 
 View, or near at Hand. There is no other 
 Faculty, Virtue, Ad:, or Exercife of the Mind, 
 which fo properly does it, as Faith does: 
 Therefore Faith particularly is reprefented as 
 That by which the Gentile Converts laid hold 
 
 on 
 
 y Hebr. xi. 1. ^ Rom. iii, 2j. ' Hebr.xj. 13, 14, 
 
DoBrine of Juftification. 49 
 
 tn Juftitication b^ and brought it home to 
 Themfelves. And as Faith is faid to have 
 healed Several c, in a 5(?^/7^ Senfe 5 fo may it 
 be alfo faid to heal Men in a Spiritual Way, 
 that is, to jujiijy, being immediately injirii- 
 mental in the Receptiofi of That Grace, more 
 than any other Virtues are. For as, when 
 Perfons were healed by looking on the Brazen 
 'Serpent ^^ their Eyes were particularly inflrU' 
 mental to their Cure^ more than the whole Body % 
 fo Faith, the Eye of the Mind, is particularly 
 injlrumental in this Affair, more than the niohole 
 Body of Graces, with which it is accompanied : 
 Not for any fuper-eminent Excellency oi Faith 
 above every other Virtue (for Charity is great- 
 er e) but for its particular Aptnefs^ in the very 
 Nature of it, to make Things difiant become 
 near, and to admit them into clofe Embraces* 
 The Homilies of our Church defcribe and li- 
 mit the Dodirine thus : * * Faith doth not {hut 
 " OMt Repentance, Hope, Love, Dread, and the 
 * ' Fear of God to h^ joined with Faith in every 
 *' Man that isjiiftijied', but it fhutteth them 
 Vol. II. Y *' out 
 
 ^ Rom. ix. 30, 31, 32= 
 
 <= Matt. ix. 22. Luke vii. 50. viil. 48. xvli. 19. xviil. 42. 
 Mark V. 34. X. 52. 
 
 •^ Numb. xxi. 8, 9. Comp. Ifa. xlv. 22. Joh. iii. 14. Conf. 
 Gul. Forbes, Confid. Modefc. p. 28, 29. Crabein Notis ad Bulli 
 Harmon, p. 450, 451.. 
 
 * I Cor. xiii. 13, 
 
so A fummary View of the 
 
 " out from the Office of juftifying f j" that is 
 to fay, from the Office of accepting or receiving 
 it : For, as to the Office oijuflifying in the ac- 
 tree Senfe, T^hat belongs to God only^ as the 
 fame Homily elfewhere declares s. The Doc- 
 trine is there further explain 'd thus : " Becaufe 
 *' Faith doth diredly fend us to Christ for 
 *' Remiffion of our Sins ^ and that by Faith given 
 " us of God we embrace the Promife of God's 
 " Mercy, and of the Remiffion of our Sins 
 ** (which Thing none other of our Virtues or 
 ** Works properly doth) therefore the Scripture 
 ** ufeth to fay, that Faith without Works doth 
 ^^ jujiify^: Not that This is to be underftood 
 
 of 
 
 ^Homily of Salvation, Parti, p. 22. 
 
 8 Homily of Salvation, Part II. p. 25, 26. and Part III. p. z8. 
 Among the /rt/<?r Homilies, fee oji the FaJJioHy p. 452, 454. And 
 concerning the Sacrament, Part I. p. 472, 574. Conf. Noiveili 
 Catech. p. 41. Gul. Forbes, Confid Modeft. p. 23, 24, 38, 
 Hooker, Difc. on Juftific. p. 509. TyrJal j^^, 187, 225, 330, 
 ^31. Field, 299,323. Conf. Auguftan, Art. XX. p. 18, 19. 
 Spanheim, Tom. 111. p. 141, 159, 761, 834. Le Blanc, p. 126, 
 267. 
 
 * Homily of Salvation, Part III. p. 28. 
 N. B. In the z%^^ Article of our Church, we are taught, that 
 THE Mean njjhereby the Body of Chrifl is received and 
 eaten in the Supper, is Faith. Comp. ye-welf?, Defence,^f, 
 p. 234. And my Re'vieav, p. 141, 142, 195, 212, 241, 244, 
 539. No One can doubt but that Charity is as necefTarily 
 requir'd to a ivorthy Reception of the Eucharift, or to a real 
 Reception of the Body and the Graces thereon depending, as 
 Fuitb can be : They are Both of them equally Conditions : 
 But Faith particularly is the Mean, or Infirument ; which 
 Charity in this Cr.fe is not. Charity is excluded here fronx 
 terving as a l.l^an, from the Office of being an Injirument^ 
 
 and 
 
Do&rine of Juftificatlon. 5 1 
 
 of a Man's being confident of his owJi Elec- 
 tion, his own Jultification, or his ow?i Salva- 
 tion in particular (which is quite another Quef- 
 tion, and to be determin*d by other Rules) but 
 of his confiding folely upon the Covenant of Grace 
 in Chr 1ST (not upon his own Defervings) with 
 full Affurance that fo, andyo onl)\ He is fafe 
 as long as He behaves accordingly. 
 
 The Covenant of Grace has Conditions annex'd 
 to it, which I am next to confider. 
 
 6. The Conditions of fufiification are of great 
 Weight ; for, without Them, no Infiruments 
 can avail. Thofe Conditions are Faith and Obe- 
 dience -, as St. James hath particularly main- 
 tain'di. St. Paul had before determin'd the 
 general and previous Queftion, as to the Tenure 
 whereby We are to hold, or the Plea by which 
 We ought to abide ; namely, by Grace, in 
 Oppolition to Claijns : And when fome Libera 
 tines had perverted (as is probable) St. Paul's 
 Dodtrine very widely and ftrangely, and made 
 an ill Ufe of it 5 then St. James fhewed that 
 That very Faith ^ which was to reft in a Co- 
 
 Vol. II. y 2 venant 
 
 and no body takes Offence at it : Why fliould they therefore 
 in the other Sacrament, the Sacrament of t]xefirjl Juflifica- 
 tion, when the Cafes are parallel ? Our Church is conftajit 
 and uniform in Both ', and fo are the ancient Churches like- 
 wife, upon Reafons grounded in the very Nature of Faith, as 
 an A(3: or Hzhit /^ecrfica/Zy different from Charity. 
 » Jam. ii. 14,— —26, 
 
52 A fummary View of the | 
 
 venant of Grace, fuppofed a Conformity to the 
 *Terms of it ; otherwife it would be found but 
 a Dead Faith, no Chrijiian Faith at all : For, 
 a Cordial Belief of the divine Promifes, and a 
 Cordial Acquiefcence in God's Covenant, implies 
 and includes a Cordial Submijjion to the Terms and 
 Conditions of it ; otherwife, it is Nothing but 
 empty Cereinony. 
 
 Upon the Whole, The perfe«fl: Agreement 
 between St. Paul and St. James, in the Ar- 
 ticle of fujiif cation, appears very clear, and 
 certain. St. Paul declares, that, in Order 
 to come at Jiijiifcation, it is neceffary to ftand 
 upon Grace, not upon Merit -, which St.jAMES 
 does not de?iy, but confirms rather in what He 
 fays of the perfeB haw of Liberty, Jam. u 
 25. ii. 12. St. Paul makes Faith the Infiru- 
 ment of receiving That Grace j which St. J am e s- 
 does not difpute, but approves by what He fays 
 of Abraham, (ii. 23.) only He maintains alfo^, 
 .that, in the conditionate Senfe, f 11 jlifi cation di^- 
 pends equally upon Faith and good Works ; 
 which St. Paul alfo teaches and inculcates in 
 Effed, or in other Words, thro' all his Writ- 
 tings. If St. Paul had had precifely they^?;^^ 
 ^efiion before Him which St. James happen'd 
 to have. He would have decided jufh as St. 
 James did ; And if St. James liad had pre- 
 
 precifely 
 
DoBrine of Juftification. 5 3 
 
 cifely the fmne ^/ejiion before Him which 
 St. Paul had, He would havedetermin'djuft 
 as St. Paul did. Their Principles were exadtly 
 the Jame, but the ^lejiio-ns were diver fe^ and 
 They had different Adverfaries to deal with, 
 and oppofite Extremes to encounter, which is 
 a common Cafe. 
 
 It maybe noted, thatThat F^//^ which I here 
 call a Condition, is of much wider Compafs than 
 Th-a.t particular Kind of Faith which is precifely 
 the Injirument of 'Jujiijication. For, Faith ^ as 
 a Condition^ means the whole Complex of Chrif- 
 tian Belief as exprefs'd in the Creeds ; while 
 Faith, as an Injlriitnent, means only the laying 
 hold on Grace, and refting in Chr i st'j Merits, 
 in Oppofition to our own Dejervi?igs : Tho' 
 This alfo, if it is a vital 2Lnd operative Principle 
 {and if it is not, it is nothing worth) mufl of 
 courfe prefuppofe, carry wdth it, and draw after 
 it an hearty Submijjion to, and Obfervance of, 
 all the neceffary Conditions of that Covenant of 
 Grace, wherein We repofe our whole Truft 
 and Confidence. So that St. Paul might well 
 fay, F^o We then make void the Law (the Moral 
 Law) thro' Faith? God forbid: Tea we eftablijlo 
 the Law ^. We exempt no Man from religious 
 Duties j which are Duties ftill, tho' they do 
 Y 3 not 
 
 fe Rom. iii. 31. See mrris Prad, Difc. Vol. III. Difc. 3. 
 
54 A fummary View of the 
 
 not merits nor are pradticable to fuch a Degree 
 as to be above the Need of Far don : They are 
 necefTary Conditions, in their Meafure, of Jt(/' 
 tijication j tho' not j'ufficient in themfelves to 
 jujiif)\ nov perfe5i enough to ftand before God, 
 or to abide Trial : Therefore Ch R i st' j Merits 
 muft be taken in tofupply their Defeds j and 
 fo our refting in ChristV Attonement^ by an 
 humble, felf-denying Faith ^ is our laft Refort, 
 our Anchor of Salvation both fure and fledfaft, 
 after we have otherv^ife done our utmoft to- 
 wards the fulfilling of God's Sacred Lav^s, to- 
 wards the performing all the Conditiom re- 
 quired J. 
 
 ThsX good Works, mtcrnal 2iT\6. external, are 
 
 according as Opportunities offer, and Circiim^ 
 
 fiances permit, Conditions properly fo called, is 
 
 clear from the whole Tenour of Scripture, as 
 
 hath been often and abundantly proved by our 
 
 own 
 
 * Coram Deo Nihil valet quam THhis ejus chariffimus, Jefus 
 Chriilus : Ad ilium ubicunque eft, refpicit ; in illo complacuit : 
 Hie tot us fandlus & purus eft coram illo. Filius autem non per 
 Opera, fed per fidem in corde abrque cmni Opere, apprehenditur. 
 Charltas & Opera nee funt nee efle pofTunt Filius Dei, z-xxtjicjii- 
 tia quae coram Deo pur a Sc fanfta fit, ut eft Filius. Itaque per 
 fe non confiftunt coram Deo ut jiijlitia pura, qualis eft Filius. 
 Quod verojufia Sc fanila vocentur, ex Gratia fit, non &x jure : 
 Neque ilia ajqvie refpicit Deus ut Filium, fed tantum propter Fili- 
 jm ea tolerat, & fert illorum Impuritatem : imo coronat ea & 
 Praemiis afficit, fed id omne propter Filium, qui in Corde habitat; 
 "^^x Fidtm. i(V//if>-. in Seckendorf. Lib. III. p. 357. A. 0.1541, 
 
DoBrtne of Juftification. 55 
 
 own Divines i", and is admitted by the mofl 
 judicious among ihtforeig?! Reformed^, 
 
 Yet Some have been very fcrupulous as to 
 this innocent Name, even while They allow 
 the abjolute NeceJJity of good Worh^ as indif- 
 penfable ^lalifications for future Bleffednefs. 
 Why not Conditions therefore, as well as Sa- 
 lifications^ Perhaps, Becaufe That Name might 
 appear to ftrike at abjolute Predeftination, or 
 unconditional Eleftion ; and there may lie the 
 Scruple : Otherwife, the Diiference appears to 
 lie rather in Words than in Things. 
 
 Some will have them called not Conditions, 
 but Fruits or Confequents of Juftification. If 
 they mean, by "Jufiification^ the fame as the 
 Grace of the Holy Spirit, and th^firfi: Grace 
 of Faith fpringing from it 3 they fay true ° : 
 Y 4 and 
 
 ^ Bull. Op. Latin, p. 412, 414, 415, 430, 4J4, 514, 516, 
 544, 583, 645, ^68. Edit. uk. 
 
 Stillino:fleet'sWfirks, Vol. III. p. 367, 380, 393, 398. TrV- 
 Jotfon Pofth. Serm. Vol. II. p. 484, 487. 
 
 " i^<7^«j de Bonis Operibus, Thef. x. p. 370. Op. Tom. VI. 
 Prid. Spanhem. fil. Op. Tom. III. p. 141, 159. 
 
 Conf. Gul. Forbes, Confid. Modeft. p. 195, i^c. 
 
 ° Nemo computet bona Opera ante Fidem ; ubi Fides non 
 erat, bonum Opus non erat : Bonum enim Opus Intentio facit, 
 intentionem F/W^/ dirigit. ^«g-«/?/«. in Pfal.xxxi. p. 172. Tom. IV. 
 
 Crede in Eum qui juftificat Impium, ut poffint & bona opera 
 tua effe opera bona : Nam nee bona ilia appellaverira, quamdiu 
 non de Radice bona procedunt. Ibid. p. 1 74. 
 
 N. B. St. Auftin is not conftant in his Notion of good Works, 
 but He ufes the Phrafe in a twofold Senfe, larger ox firiSler. 
 Sometimes He means by good Works, Works flowing from 
 
 Grace 
 
56 A fummary View of the 
 
 and tlien there is nothing more in it than an 
 improper Ufe of the Word yujlijication, except- 
 ing that from Ahufe of Words very frequently 
 arifes fome Corruption of T)o5lrine. 
 
 If They mean only, that outward Adts of 
 Righteoufnefs are Fruits of inward Habits or 
 Difpofitions j That alfo is undoubtedly true : 
 But That is no Reafon why internal Ad:s, Vir- 
 tues, Graces (good Works of the Mi?id) fliould 
 not be called Conditions of the Frimary Juftifi- 
 cation ; or why the outward Ads fliould not 
 be jaflly thought Conditions of preferving it. 
 
 But if They mean that Jiijlification is ordi- 
 narily given to Adults^ without any preparative 
 or previous Conditions of Faith and Kepentance^ 
 That indeed is very iiew Do(5lrine and danger* 
 cus^ and opens a wide Door to carnal Security^ 
 and to all JJngodlineJs, But enough of This 
 Matter. 
 
 The Sum of vi^hat has been offered under 
 the prefent Head is. That we are ju/iijied by 
 God the Father^ confider'd as Principal^ and 
 f,rjl Mover ; and by God the ^011^ as meritorious 
 purchafer ^ and by God the Holy-Ghoji^ as im- 
 mediate 
 
 Grace and Faith whether before or after Baptiim ; as He 
 
 does here : And fcnictimes He n^ier^ns Works Itriftly chriftian^ 
 fubfequenttothe Jncorpor/ztioiz in Eaptifm, that is, Yubfequent 
 to jufiificatim. The Want of obfen-ing this his twofold Ufe 
 cf tile Phrafc, has led fonie iinca,utious Readers into MiiUkcs. 
 
DoSirlne of Juftification. 5 7 
 
 mediate Ffficient ; and by Baptifm, as the or- 
 dinary Injlrument of Co7iveyance 5 and by Faith 
 of fuch a Kind, as the ordinary Injlrument of 
 Receptioji 5 and lajily, by Faith and Flolinefs, as 
 the neceflary 9>ualijications and Conditions in 
 Adults J both for the firll receivings and for the 
 perpetual preferving it i'. Such, and fo many 
 
 are 
 
 P The Order of Jufiificatlon is thus exprsffed in K. Ed-ivard^s 
 Catechifm, written by Peynet, A. D. 15^3, countenanced by 
 the other Bifhops and Clergy, and pablifh'd by the King's Au- 
 thority. 
 
 " I. The firft and prhicipal, and moft proper Caufe of our 
 *' "Jujitfication and Salvation, is the Goodnefs and Love of God, 
 " whereby He chofe us before the World. 
 
 " 2. After That, God granteth us to be called by the preach- 
 " ing of the Gofpel of Jefus Chrifi ; when the pirit of the 
 " Lord is poured upon us : By whofe Guiding and Governance 
 " we be led to fettle our Tru/ in God, and hpe for the Perfor- 
 " mance of his Promife. 
 
 " 3. With this Choice is joined, as Companion, the mortifying 
 " of the Old Man, that is, of our Affe<flions and Lulls. 
 
 " 4. From the fame Spirit alfo cometh our Sati3iJicatio?r, the 
 " Lo've of God and of our Neighbour ; Juilice and Uprightnefs 
 " of Life. 
 
 " 5. Filially, to fay all in Sum, whatever is in us, or may be 
 *' done of us, honeft, pare, true, and good ; That altogether 
 *' fpringeth out of this pleafant Rock. The Gcodnefs, Love,. 
 " Choice, and unchangeable Purpofe of God, He is the Caufe ; 
 " the reft are the Fruits and Effeiis. 
 
 " 6. Yet are alfo the Choice and Spirit of God and Chriji 
 " Himfelf Caufes conjoined and coupled with each other : wliicli 
 " may be reckon'd am.ongft the principal Caufes of Salvation^ 
 
 " 7. As oft therefore as we ufe to fay, tiiat we are made 
 " righteous and fanned by Faith oiily, it is meant thereby, thjit 
 " Faith, or rather Trufi alone doth lay hard upon *, underftanil, 
 " and perceive our righteous-making to be given us of God^'v^^- 
 " ly ; That is to fay, by no Defcrts of our own, bat by,:he 
 *' Free Grace of the Almighty Father. 
 
 " 8, More- 
 * For hold. 
 
58 A fummarj View of the: 
 
 are the concurring Caufes, operating, in their 
 Order and Degree, towards M2in's Jirjl, or 
 fnal J iijiif cation. It would be altogether wrong 
 to fcparate them, or to fet them one againfi an- 
 other^ or to advance any onCy or more^ to the 
 Exclujion of the rejl. 
 
 I may obferve further, for the preventing 
 any Miftake or Mifconception, that I might 
 have coniider'd Baptifm as an external Ifijiru^ 
 ment of Reception.^ in the Hand of Man^ as 
 Man bears a Part in that Sacrament ; and fo 
 there v/ould be two Inftruments of Reception^ 
 external and internal, Baptifm and Faith : 
 And if any one chufes fo to flate the Cafe, I 
 fliall not obje(5l to it. But having mention'd 
 Baptifm before, as the Injirument of Conveyance 
 on God\ Part, which is moft confiderable, I 
 thought it of lefs Moment to bring it up again 
 
 under 
 
 " 8. Moreover Frt///9 doth ingender in us Z.5--y^ of our Neigh- 
 ** hour, and fuch Works as God is pleafed withal : For, if it be 
 -•' a li^jely and true Faith, quickned by the Holy Ghoft, She is 
 *' the Mother of all good faying and doing. By This fhort 
 " Tale, it is evident by what Means we attain to be righteous. 
 ** For, not by the Worthlnefi of our own Defervings were we 
 " heretofore fZ^o/i";/, or long agoy2zi;f</, but by the o;;/>' M<?rf v of 
 *< God, and pure Grace of Chrift our Lord ; whereby we were 
 '* in Him made to do thofe good Works that God had appoint- 
 *' ed for us to walk in. And iS^Htvci good Works c:^VlX\o\.defer've 
 ♦* to make us righteous before God, yet do they fo clea've unto 
 " Faith, that neither Faith can be found nvitbout them, nor 
 ** good Works be any where found ivithout Faith." Fol. 68. in 
 H'eylin Qninouartic. Contr. p. 105. 
 
DoSlrine of Juftification. 59 
 
 under a different View, becaufe That would 
 be underftood of Courfe. 
 
 I cannot difmifs this Head without throw- 
 ing in a Word or two of the wife Provifions 
 made by our Church, in bringing Children to 
 Bciptijm, thkt They may be both regenerated d^ndi 
 juftified from the firft. It is right and fafe for 
 the Children Themfelves : And not only fo ; 
 but the very doing it is further of Ufe to pre- 
 vent, or remove the Perplexities raifed by con- 
 tentious Men on the Subjed: of juftification. 
 
 Some will tell you that good Works are not , 
 Conditions of Juftification : It is certainly true 
 in the Cafe of Infants (which is the common 
 Cafe with us) for neither JVorks^ nor Faith, are 
 Cofiditions required of Tbem : They 2iXQJufiified 
 without either, by they^r^ Mercy of God, thro' 
 the alone Merits of Christ. 
 
 Some will plead, that Man is utterly imabk 
 to dsi good Works before He vh juftified and re^ 
 generated : They fhould rather fay, before He 
 receives Grace ; for That is the real , and the 
 full Truth. But what Occafion or Need is 
 there, for difturbing common Chriftians at all 
 with Points of this Nature now ? Are we not 
 All of Us, or nearly All, (Ten thoufand to 
 One) baptized in Infancy ; and therefore rege- 
 nerated ^nd jufiified o£ Courfty and thereby pre- 
 pared 
 
6o id fummary View of the 
 
 pared for good Works, as foon as capable of 
 them by our Years ? Good Works muft, in this 
 Cafe at leafl (which is our C2.{e)foi/ow after 
 'Juftification and Regeneration^ if they are at 
 all : And therefore how impertinent and frivo- 
 lous is it, if not hurtful rather, to amufe the 
 Ignorant with fuch Notions, which, in our 
 Circumftances, may much better be fpared ? 
 Our Church has fo well provided for that Cafe, 
 by Infant Baptifm^ that We need not fo much 
 as enquire whether good Works precede, or 
 follow J unification in the Cafe of Adults, fince 
 it is not our Cafe. V/e are very fure that, in 
 cur Circumftances, good Works do not precede, 
 hut follow Juftification, becaufe they come after 
 Baptifm, if they come at all. The Truth, and 
 the whole Truth of this Matter feems to lie 
 in the followins; Particulars. 
 
 1. Infants are jufiified in Baptifm, without 
 either Jv?//Z', ov Works ; and, iiThty grow up 
 in Faith and Obedience, the Privilege is conti- 
 nued to Them : If not, it is taken away from 
 Them, till They repent. 
 
 2. Adults, comm'g fitly p7'epared, are imme- 
 diately jufiified in Baptifm, by Faith, without 
 any outward Works, Without d. good Life, while 
 They have not 'Time for it ; But if a good Life 
 does not enliie afterwards, when Time and Op- 
 portunities 
 
DoBrlm of Juftification. 6i 
 
 port lint ties are give jz ; Th^j forfeit the Privilege 
 received, till They repent. 
 
 3. Adults, coming to Baptifm in Hypocrify 
 or Itnpe?iite?2cy (like Simon Magus) are not 
 jiiftifed, v^hatever their Faith be ; becaufe 
 They want the necejjary and ejjential Salifica- 
 tions, or Conditions : But, if They after v^ards 
 turn to God w^ith true Faith and Repentajice , 
 then They enter into a jiiftified State, and fo 
 continue all along, unlefs They relapfi. 
 
 4. Neither Faith nor Works are required in 
 Infants : Both Faith and inward Works (a 
 Change of Heart) are required in All Adults : 
 Faith and Works (inward and outward) are in- 
 difpenfably required in all Adults ^\\o furvive 
 their Baptifm, in Proportion to their Opportuni- 
 ties, Capacities, 01 Abilities, But enough of This. 
 
 V. 
 Having hitherto endeavour'd to explain 
 the Nature, and to fet forth the Caifes and In-^ 
 firuments of 'Juftification, in as clear a Manner 
 as I could ; I proceed nov/, lafily, to point out 
 fome Extremes, v^hich Many have been found 
 to run into, on the right Hand, or on the left : 
 So hard a Thing is it to obferve a middle 
 Courfe, and to purfue the fafe and even Road, 
 Thofe Rxtr ernes or Deviations are many, but 
 are reducible to Vno 5 one of which, for di- 
 
 ^"ilinttion 
 
62 A fummary View of the 
 
 ftindlion fake, I may call the Froud Extrefne^ 
 as difdaining to accept the Grace of God^ or the 
 Merits of Christ ; the other may be called 
 the Libertine Extreme^ as abufing the Dodtrines 
 of Grace and Satisfa5iion^ to ferve the Ends of 
 JJcentioujhefs, 
 
 1 . I Ihall begin with the Proud Extreme, 
 The Pagans^ formerly, were fo proud of their 
 good Morals, that They conceived They had no 
 Need of Christ, either to make Them bet- 
 ter, or to fecure the Divine Acceptance j and 
 therefore They would not fo much as liflen to 
 the Terms of Chrifiianity '\, 
 
 The Pharifaical Jews were as proud, of 
 prouder, in their Way, claiming, as it were, 
 yifiification as a Debt r, rather than a Favour, as 
 if They had no need of Grace, or were too 
 exalted to accept of Pardon. This high Con- 
 ceit of Themfelves and their own Perfedlions, 
 made Them averfe to Christ, and kept 
 
 Them 
 
 9 Muhi enim gloriantur de Operihus, & invenis multos Paga- 
 ttos propterea nolle fieri Chriftianos, quia quafi fufRciunt fibi de 
 iona Vita fua. Bene 'vinjere Opus eft, ait : Quid mihi prnscep- 
 turus eft Chriilus ? Ut bene vivam ? jam bene vivo : Quid Mihi 
 necefTarius eft Chriftus ? Nullum Homicidium, nullum Furtum, 
 ftullam Rapinam facie, Res alienas non concitpifco, rmWo Jdulterio 
 contarainor : Nam inveniatur aliquid in Vita mea quod reprehen-^ 
 datuiy & Qui reprehenderit, faciat Chriftianum. JugujVcn. in 
 Pfalxxx. Enarr. ii. p. 171. Tom. IV. 
 
 ' Rom. iv. 4. xi. 6. Compare Truman. Great Propitiation, 
 p. 184, 30DV 
 
DoSirine of Juftification. 63 
 
 Them from fubmitting to the Gofpel-Way of 
 yiijiijication, or Salvation, 
 
 The Pelagians, of the fifth Century, by 
 over-magnifying Free-will and natural AbiH- 
 ties, at the fame Time depreciating, or flight- 
 ing Divine Grace , unwarily fell into the Proud 
 Extreme.', tho' not fo grievoufly as the Jews 
 and Pagans had done before. St. Austin, 
 however, very juilly made Ufeof the fameWay 
 of Reafoning againfl Them, which St. Paul 
 had made Ufe of againft Jews and Pagans-, 
 becaufe the fame geiieral Reafons concluded 
 equally againfl AUk 
 
 The Schoolmen of later Days, and the Roman- 
 ijls flill later, one by fetting up a Kind of 
 Merit of Congruity ^ as to Works preceding 
 Juflification, and the other by maintaining a 
 
 Merit 
 
 • Hoc poflumus dicere quod de Lege diclt Apoftolus, fi per 
 
 Naturam Juftitia, ergo Chrijius gratis moftuxs eji. Qui fuis 
 
 Merit is Praemia tamquam debit a expedlant, nee ipfa Merita Dei 
 Gratiee tribuunt, fed <viribus proprias voluntatis, ficut didlum ell 
 de carnali Ifrael, perfequentes Legem Jujiitidc, in Legem "Jujlities 
 nonper'veniunt. Square? ^lia non ex Fide, fed tamquam ex Qper- 
 ibus. Rom. ix. 31, 32. Ipfa eft enim Juftitia ex Fide, quam 
 
 Gentes apprehenderunt, de quibus diftum eft. Rom. ix. 50. -► 
 
 Ipfa eft Juftitia ex Fide, qua credimus nos jujiijicari, hoc eft, 
 jufios Jieri, Gratia Dei per Jefum Chriftum Dominum noftrum— - 
 Quae ex Deo Juftitia in Fide, in Fide utique eft, qua credimus 
 nobis Juftitiam Di<vinitus dari, non a Nobis, in Nobis, 7ioJiris 
 Viribus fieri. Auguftin. Paulino Epift. CLXXXVI. p. 664, 666. 
 Tom. II. 
 
 ^ Againft Merit of Congruity, See the Xlir^ Article of our 
 •Church, 
 
64 A fummary View of the 
 
 Merit of Condignity " with rerpe(5t to Works 
 following, and by admitting Works of Super- 
 erogation'''^^ have apparently run too far into 
 the Proud Extreme 5 only differently modified, 
 or under a Form^ fomewhat different from 
 That of the felf-affuming Claimants of older 
 Times. Wherefore the Firft Reformers, find- 
 ing that the fame general Reafons, which 
 St. Paul had made Ufe of in another Cafe, 
 might be juftly applicable in this Cafe alfo ; 
 They laid hold of them, and urged them with 
 irrefiftible Force, againfl all Kinds of human 
 Merit, or pretended iWm/, however difguis'd, 
 or however fet oif with Art, or Subtilty. Thus 
 came the Do(flrine of Juflification by Faith 
 alone x, that is to fay, by the alone Merits and 
 Crofs 0/ Christ (as Biiliop Jewel interprets 
 ity) to be a diilinguiihing Principle of the 
 Reformation. 
 
 The Socinians, by rejeding Christ'j Sa^ 
 tisfaciiony and of Courfe {landing upon their 
 01VH Works as available to Salvation, independe7it 
 of it, have only chofen another Way of com- 
 mitting the fame Fault, and of running into 
 
 the Proud Extreme. 
 
 The 
 
 » Co?iclL Trident, SefT. VI. Can. 32. Bellarmin. de Tuftificat. 
 L. V. c. 17. 
 
 * Againft which, See the XlV'h Article of our Church. 
 
 • See the Xl^^ Article of our Church. 
 y Je^vel, Dti. of Apology, p. 66. 
 
DoBrim of Juftificatlon. 65 
 
 The Beijls, who boafl of Their Morality z, 
 in Oppofition to Gofpel-Faith and Gofpel-Obe- 
 dience^ are> in this Refped:, fo nearly allied to 
 the Pagan Philofophers Who lived in Chriftian 
 Times, that They may be faid to fall under 
 the fame Predicament with Them ; excepting 
 only the additional Aggravation of Their Apof- 
 tafy from the Faith whereunto They had been 
 baptized. 
 
 Thofe Enthufiajis, Who fear not to boafl 
 even of a fmkfs PerfeBion in this Life 5 They^ 
 (whatever Their Pretences are) are remarkably 
 peccant in the Proud Extreme^ even to a De- 
 gree of ikf^^^z^, and ftand condemned by many 
 exprefs Paflages both of Old Teftament and 
 New. 
 
 Lajily, If there be any amongfl Us, as pro- 
 bably there may, who, tho' knowing Them- 
 felves to be Sin?2erSj yet think that the good 
 Works of Alms, or other the like bounden Du- 
 ties, WiWfatisfy for their Sins; and who there- 
 
 VoL. II. Z upon 
 
 * Their main Principle is thus exprefs'd in a Latin Diftich. 
 
 Haud crucient Animum quae circa Religionem 
 Vexantur Lites ; Sit modo Vita proba. 
 Baro. Herbert. See my Difcourfe on Fundamentals, P- 57, 58, 59, 
 
 Near akin to Thefe, are Such as magnify moral Virtues, Pagan 
 Virtues, as acceptable in themfelves, and needing no Atonement, 
 nor Sacrament, to recommend them to the Divine Acceptance. 
 See The Nature, Obligation, and Efficacy of the Chrifii an Sacra- 
 ments, p. 56, 57, 65. And Sup^kment, p. 40, 41, isV. 52,53, 54, 
 
66 A fummary View of the 
 
 upon conceive that God would do Them Wrongs 
 if He fhould nbt, for Their ^oo^ Deeds, pardon 
 Their evil Deeds j Such alfo may be faid to err 
 in the Frond Extreme, not confidering that all 
 Their good Deeds are only fo msiwy Jtrici Dues, 
 and that the paying off a Debt in Part entitles 
 no Man to a Dijcharge for the Remainder. God, 
 for Christ's Sake », may give a Difcharge for 
 the whole, to every penitent Offender, after His 
 fincerely performing fome Fart of His Duty : 
 Bat a Man's ovt^n good Works, be they ever fo 
 many, or fo great, cannot in themfehes be 
 
 pleaded 
 
 * Non patilur enim jnjiuin Dei Judicium, ut jujium cenfeat 
 Aliquem qui Jujiitiam non habeat : Non habet vero Jujiitiam 
 Jillam Peccator nifi in Chrijio, & per myfticam arftifllmamque illam 
 UnioTiem cum Chrillo. Jerefn. xx.i\i. 6. — z Cor. v. 21. i Cor. 
 i. 30. Qusque idco tantopere inculcatur in N. T. ubi Fideles 
 fexcentis in Locis dicuntur effe in Chrijio. Et celebratur pariter 
 in V. T. in P/al.xlv. Ca?itico Canticorum toto. i/27. liv. 5. 
 Hof. ii. 18, 19. Quia fcilicet in ca eft 'FmxdiZmtnXMmJuJii/icationis 
 Pecxatoris coram Deo. Vinculum vero hujus Unionis przecipuum, 
 abfque quo Uaio h^fc nullatenus confiftit, eft Fides aftualis in 
 Chriftum, moriturum olim, nunc mortuum, inAduItis; ve\ Sfi- 
 rifui Fiiiei in Infantibus eledlis. Weffdiiis, Difrert.Academ.p.148. 
 Tum tandem jujlifuari Peccatorem coram Deo fola Fide, qua 
 dextram dat Sponib ac Sponfori, ejufque dextram tenet, & qua 
 fola connuhium flahile cum ipfo contrahens, Jujiitia 'vicaria ejus 
 
 imputatur illi nifua, & Jus accipit ad omnia ejus Bona. Bona 
 
 Opera portea imponuntur juftificatae (Regina;) ut in quibusnon eft 
 Can/a regnandi, fed /''m tantum ad Regnum Glorias. Omnes 
 ergo externe t'ocati (quibus Rex Meflias Sponfor Foederis, cum 
 yicjlitia vicaria, omniquc Gratia ejus quotidie offertur in Evan- 
 jfelio, Quibufque ipfe dextram fuajn co7tjugalem blande porrigit) 
 ii'metipfosdiligenter & ferio examinare debent, num huic Regince^ 
 Jcu Ecchfia' verie, ut ejus Membra genuiaa, accenferi queant. 
 fbuL p. 281. 
 
DoBrine of JuG:i{icsition» 67 
 
 pleaded by Way of proper Jtonement for His 
 Sins. 
 
 Having thus briefly enumerated the moll, or 
 the moft common Miftakes or Mi/carriages in 
 the Matter oi'Jujiificatm^^ on the aJJumingSidiQf 
 derogating from the Honour of God's free 
 Grace ^ and from the Merits of Chr ist, which 
 are the valuable Conjideration upon which, or 
 for the fake of which only, God jufiijies as 
 Many as Hedoes juftify ; I fliall now proceed 
 to obferve fomething of the common Miftakes 
 in the other Extreme^ which concerns the ne- 
 ceflary, eflential Conditions^ or Salifications re- 
 quired in every Adult whom God (hall accept. 
 
 2. It is a dangerous and fatal Extreme fo to 
 magnify, or to pretend to magnify Grace, or 
 Faith, as thereby to exclude, fink, or any Way 
 lejfen the Neceftity of true and fmcere, and (fo 
 fer as Human Infirmities permit) univerfal Obe- 
 dience b. There is the greater Need of the ut- 
 
 Vol. II. Z 2 moft 
 
 ^ Sigfia Fidel juftiflcantls-funt i . Totum velle Chriftum fuum 
 effe, non tantum \xX. Sacer^otem, fed etiam ut Regem. z. Solum 
 velle Chriftum, cum Abnegatione Jujiitiie propria, omniumque 
 SanS}onim, quae nulla eft. 3. Gaudere in Fide, & animofa in ad- 
 verfis Fid'ucia ftare ad Dextram Regis, eique adhserere, etiam 
 dum ducit per Ignes & Aquas. 4. Abrogate Voluntatem propriam 
 quandoque natiiralem, femper pranjam ac pcwerfam, & Regis 
 njoluntati arcanse & revelata; fe patienter ac prompte fubmittere. 
 Si Hornm nihil in femetipfis deprehendant, hoc ipfo Momento, 
 abfque uUa dilatione, Fidef.?:cera Fcedus corijugale contrahant, 
 
 l^i Si vero h(M^um aliquid in fe ipfis inveniant Gratias im- 
 
 jaofiale* agaat.x-^ Stent ^^Qui in Fids animofi^ &c. p- ^Si, sSz, 
 
68 A fummary View of the 
 
 moft Caution and Circumfpedtion in this Par- 
 ticular, becaufe corrupt Nature is very prone 
 to liften to, and to fall in with any appearing 
 Arguments, any Pretexts, Colours, Handles 
 for Relaxation of Duty^ and for reconciling Their 
 Hopes and Their Liijis together. St. Pa u l was 
 aware, that Some of ill Minds might be apt to 
 pervert His found DocStrine of Jujiification by 
 Faith ^ to the Purpofes of Licentioiifnefs ; But 
 Truth was not to be fupprefs'd for Fear Some 
 fliould abufe it (For what is there which Some 
 or Other may not make an ill Ufeof ?) Neither 
 would it have been right to let one Extreme go 
 uncorreBed^ only for the preventing the pofli- 
 ble, or even probable Danger from weak, or 
 evil-minded Men, Who might take the Handle 
 to run into another. St. Paul therefore was 
 content fo to corre6t an Errour on the right 
 Hand, as, at the fame Time, to guard againfl 
 a greater on the left c. 
 
 Notwithftanding all his Guards^ Some there 
 were (as He fuppofed there would be) who even 
 in the Apojlolical Age did pervert the Dodlrine 
 of Grace, to ferve the Ends of Licentioiifnefs : 
 And Some or Other, probably, have done the 
 like, defignedly or undefignedly, in every Age 
 
 fince. 
 
 * See Rom. iii. 51. vi. i^ ^c. 
 
DoSirine of Juftification. 69 
 
 Unce. St. Paul had taught, that none of our 
 Works are pure, or ferfeSi enough to abide the 
 Divine Scrutiny, or to claim Juftification as a 
 Debt^, or a Matter oi Right % which is un- 
 doubtedly true : But Libertines changed that 
 true and Jound Propofition into this very unfound 
 one ; thzt good Works are not fo much as ne- 
 celTary Cojiditions or Salifications for Jufiifica- 
 tion. St. Paul had alfo taught, xki2X Faith, 
 or an humble 'Reliance upon the Grace of God 
 thro' the Merits of Christ, in Oppofition to 
 Self-'boajting «, or ftanding upon the PerfeBion 
 of our own Performances, was our only fafe 
 Plea before God, our ovAy Jure Way to htjuf- 
 tified, after doing the beft We could for per- 
 forming our bounden Duties : This true and 
 important Propofition Some turn'd into quite 
 another, contradictory to the whole Tenour of 
 the Gojpel':, Viz. That Faith alone, a dead 
 Faith, feparate from evangelical Obedience, is 
 the only Condition of Salvation. Againft fuch 
 Dogmatizers, and againft fuch loofe Principles 
 St. James engaged, reproving and confuting 
 the Men and their Errors in few, but very 
 ftrongWordsf. St. Peter alfo and St. John, 
 
 ^ Rom. iv. 4. xl. 6. 
 
 « Rom. iii. 27. I Cor. 1,29, 31. Efhef. ii. 9, Rom.iv. ^^ 
 ^ James ii. 1 4—26, 
 
70 A fummary View of the. 
 
 tho' more obfcurely, combated the fame Er- 
 rour g. 
 
 That Some or Other, in after-Ages, were 
 very prone to run into the Extreme of Licen- 
 tiotifnefs^ taking an Handle from the Dodlrine 
 of Grace 5 as Others were apt to run into the 
 Proud Extreme^ from the Dodlrine of the Value 
 and NeceJJity of a good Life ; may be judged 
 from what a Father of the V^h Century fays 
 in Oppolition to Both ^. 
 
 It is certain that the Jhttinomian and Soliji-' 
 dian Doctrines, as taught by Some in later 
 Times, have deviated into a Wild ExtremCy 
 and have done infinite Mifchief to praCiical 
 Chrifiianity, I have not Room to enumerate, 
 much lefs to confute, the many erroneous and 
 dangerous Tenets which have come from That 
 Quarter : Neither would I be forward to ex- 
 pofe them again to publick View, They have 
 
 been 
 
 s 2 Ytt. i. 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. I John iii. 7, 8, 9, 10. 
 
 '^ Si fc Homo juftificaverit, & dAjuftitiafua praefumferit, cadiit 
 Si confiderans & cogitans Infirmitatem fuam, & praefumens de 
 Mifericordia Dei, neglexerit Vitam fuam mundare a Peccatis fuis, 
 & le omni Gurgite Flagitiorum demerferit, & ipfe cadit. Prae- 
 fumtio de Jufxitia quafi dextera eft : Cogitatio de Impunitate Pec- 
 catoram, quafi Jinijlra cft. Audiamus Vocem Dei dicentem 
 Nobis, lie dec litis s in dexter am aut Jinijiram, Prov. iv. 27. Ne 
 prajfumas ad Regnum de Jujiitia tua : Ne praefumas ad peccan- 
 dum de Mifericordia Dei. Ab utroque Te revocat Prasceptum di- 
 vinum, & ab ilia Ahiiudine, k ab ifta Profunditate : lUuc fi af- 
 cenderis, prascipitaberis ; hac fi lapfus fueris, demergerisj//«^a^/j{?. 
 in Pfal. xxxi. p. 1 7 1 . Tom. IV, 
 
DoSirine of Juftification. 71 
 
 been often co7ifidered^ and often confuted. Let 
 them rather be buried in Oblivion, and never 
 rife up again to bring Reproach upon the Chri^ 
 fiian Name. But take We due Care fo to main- 
 tain the Doflrine of Faith, as not to exclude 
 the Neceffity oi good Works. -, and fo to maintain 
 good Works, as not to exclude the NeceJJtty of 
 Ch r I s t'j Atonement, or the Free Grace of God, 
 Take We Care to perform all evangelical Du- 
 ties to the utmoft of our Power, aided by 
 God's Spirit j and when we have fo done, fay,, 
 that we are unprofitable Servants, having no 
 ftridt Claim to a Reward, but yet looking for 
 one, and accepting it as a Favour, not chal- 
 lenging it as due in any Right of our own -, due 
 only upon^r^^ Promife, and that Promife made 
 not in Confideration of any Deferts of ours, but 
 in and thro' the alone Merits, adlive and paf- 
 five, of Ch R I s T J E s u s our Lord. 
 
 Z 4 .AM 
 
A N 
 
 E N QUI R Y 
 
 Concerning the 
 
 ANTICLUITY 
 
 O F T H E 
 
 PRACTICE 
 
 O F 
 
 Infant-Communion, 
 
 As founded on the Notion of its 
 Strict Necessity. 
 
AN 
 
 ENQUIRY, &c, 
 
 HE Ankle of Infant'Co?nmU' 
 nion, tho' not much thought 
 of amongft us (as we have 
 not had much Occafion) is 
 a Part of the general Subjedt 
 of the Euchanjl, and may 
 deferve fome Conlideration at this Time ; if it 
 be only for the Sake of cleariag up a Point of 
 Dodtrine in fome Degree, and for the obviat- 
 ing fuch Scruples as have been raifed about it. 
 Some have cenfured it, as A7icie?it Practice 
 built upon erroneous Principles, aggravating eve- 
 ry Circumftance after an invidious Manner, in 
 Order to raife a general Prejudice againft the 
 Ancients », as of flight Authority. 
 
 Others 
 
 * Dallaus de Ufu Patrum, L. I. c. viii. p. 175. L. II. c. iv. 
 p. 293. De Cult. Relig. L. V. c. 3, 4, 20. 
 Clericusy Animadv. in Op. Auguftini, p. 521, 
 Whitby^ Stri^ura Patrum, p. 212, &c. 
 
76 An Enquiry concerning 
 
 Others have laid hold on the fame Topick, 
 for finking the Credit of the Fathers with re- 
 fpe(5t to one particular Point ^ namely. That of 
 I?2fa?it-Baptijm : For, lay They, if the An- 
 cients were fo widely miftaken in regard to In- 
 fant -Commimion 'y what great flrefs can be laid, 
 either upon Their Judgmefit, or Their Prac- 
 tice ^ in the Article of Infant -Baptifin^'^ 
 
 Others, laflly (tho' very Few in thefe Parts 
 of the World) have declared their Approbation 
 o^ Infafit-Commimion^znA have ferioufly pleaded' 
 for a Revival of it. Dr. Bedell, of the lafl 
 Century (Bifliop of Kilmore in Ireland) feems 
 to have been in thofe Sentiments ^ : And now 
 lately, a pretty large ElTay has been publifh'd, 
 on Purpofe to recommend The Ancient Prac- 
 tice {zs it is fuppofed) of Infant -Communion^, 
 
 Thefe Things conlidered. The Queftion ap- 
 pears to be worth the looking into: And fo my 
 prefent Defign is to offer fome Thoughts upon 
 it, in Order to fet that Matter, fo far as I may, 
 in a *]uft Light, for the removing Scruples, or 
 for the redifying Mifconceptions. 
 
 It feems to be a Miftake to imagine, that' 
 Infant -Communio7i (if we underftand it of inere" 
 
 Infants) 
 
 t> See Dr. Wall HiA. of Inf. Bapt. Part 11. c. 9. § 17.V6l.II. 
 
 p. 44". Ed. 3. 
 
 •^ Bifliop Bedell, in Ufi)er\ Letters/, N® 163. p. 44^, 445. 
 
 ** An Eilay in Favour of the ancient Praftice of giving the £3-. 
 char'ifi to (Children. By Ja7nes Peirce of E;vofi, A, D. 1 728, 
 
Infant-Communion. 77 
 
 Infants) was xht Ancient Pradlice of the Church. 
 There is no Appearance of any Thing of that 
 Kind before the Middk of the Third Century, 
 the Time of Cyprian j and That in the 
 African Churches only : And all that can be 
 proved from Cyprian, is, that Children (Boys 
 and Girls, not mere Infants) were then and 
 there brought to Communion. Neither is there 
 any clear Proof, that They were brought thi- 
 ther under a Notion of any firiSi Neceffity : 
 For it might be done upon fuch prudential 
 Reafons as move Us to bring Children to Church 
 at this Day, training Them up in the Way 
 that They ihould go ; or, if it was founded 
 upon ftronger Reafons, they might be fuch 
 as refolved only into the then prefent 'Expedi- 
 ency^ or into a fuper-abundant Caution ; as I 
 fhall endeavour to make out more at large in 
 the Sequel. 
 
 From the Middle of the Third Century ^ down 
 to the Beginning of the Fifths we hear little 
 or Nothing of the Pradlice, We muft take a 
 large Stride, from St. Cyprian, down as low 
 as to St. Austin, before We come at any 
 Thing which does but look that Way. In 
 St. Austin's Works, from the Time of the 
 Pelagian Controverfy (which began about 
 A. D. 410.) there are fome PaiTages which have 
 
 been 
 t 
 
78 An Enquiry concerning 
 
 been thought unconteftable Evidences of th6 
 FraElke of Infant-Commiinlon in His Time, as 
 likewile of its being founded upon a Notion 
 of ilridl Necejjity^ as taught in John the vi^^. 
 
 I. 
 
 St. Austin hath been fuppofed to main- 
 tain, that Infant-Communion is as necejjaryX.o Life 
 Eternal, as Infant-Baptifm j and that baptized 
 Infants have as much Need of the Eucharijiy 
 as the imbaptized have of the other Sacrament; 
 Both Sacraments being alike necejjary to the Sal- 
 vation of all Perfons. 
 
 But St. Austin hath never direBly and in 
 'Terms faid, that Baptized Infants cannot htfaved 
 without the Eucharifl : It is no exprejs Doc- 
 trine of That great Man, but a Confequence 
 only, drawn from his Words ; and not by any 
 confiderable Writers of His Time^ or near it (fo 
 far as appears) but by Some who came long after 
 Him, and in ContradiSlion to Thofe who lived 
 in the Ages next to Him. Whether the G?«/^- 
 quence, fo drawn and fix'd upon Him in later 
 Ages, be really y^^/ ; and whether His Mean- 
 ing was truly fuch as hath been pretended, is 
 now the Point of Enquiry : And I fl:iall pro- 
 ceed to examine into it with fome Care. 
 
 Firji. 
 
Infant-Communion. 79 
 
 IFirft. — If St. Austin's other moil avowed, 
 and often repeated Principles are a {landing Co?t' 
 tradiBio?i to the fuppofed Necejity of Infant- 
 Communion ; That will afford a flrong Prefump- 
 tion againft what He has been charged with, 
 and fuch as cannot, or in Reafon ought not, 
 to be over- ruled, but by Something flronger. 
 This being premifed, as a fafe general Ground 
 to reft upon, and abide by, I now go on to 
 the Enquiry. 
 
 St. Austin's Dodrine of the compleat Suf- 
 ficiency of Baptifm to the Salvation of Infants, 
 is fo fully exprefs'd many Ways, and fo fre- 
 quently inculcated in his Works; that it is 
 fcarce conceivable, how He could imagine The 
 Euchariji to be necefjary over' and above ; un- 
 lefs we could fuppofe Him the moft inconiift- 
 ent, felf-deftroying Writer in the World. To 
 come to Particulars. 
 
 I . In the firft Place, His conjlant, Jianding 
 
 DoBrine is, that Baptifm confers perfe5l Remif- 
 
 fion of all Sin e : Which was alfo the known 
 
 Dodlrine of the whole Church before His Time, 
 
 and after ^. Now, as Salvation muft of Courfe 
 
 follow 
 
 e Qui regenerantur in Chrifto, Remiffionem accipiunt prorfus 
 omnium Peccatorum. Augujiin. de Nupt. & Concupifcent. L. I. 
 c.xxvL p. 294. Tom. X. Ed. Bened. Conf. p. 299, 423,424,458, 
 540. Tom. X. 
 
 *' See my Renjiew, &c. c. x. p. 35:5, &c. 
 
 And Bingh^w, B. XL c, i J 2.— B, XIX. c. i, § 2. 
 
 I 
 
8o An Enquiry concerning 
 
 follow upon perfeB Remiffion fo long as it 
 abides (and abide it muft in Infants Baptized^ 
 'till guilty of aBiial Sin) with what Senfe or 
 Confiftency could St. Austin teach, that In- 
 fants once baptized could have any prefent 
 Need of the Eucharijiy to bring Them into 
 a State of Salvation f 
 
 2. Another ftanding Prijiciple with St. Au- 
 stin, was, ih^t Baptifm, fingly, gives a pre- 
 fent, certain Title to Life eternal ^. How then 
 could the fameF^^/Z'^r confiftently fay or mean, 
 that They could not htfaved without the Eu- 
 chariji ^ ? 
 
 3 . It was likewife an avowed Principle with 
 St. Austin, and the whole Church, that In- 
 fants, by their Baptifm, were conftituted H- 
 deles^ were of the Number of the Faithful ^ ; 
 
 which 
 
 s Simul Juftitiae, Vit/sque atern^e Secundi Hominis Sociati 
 renafcuntur in Baptifrrto, Augujiin. de Peccat. Merit. L. I. c. xvi. 
 p. 12. Abfit ut Caufam Pawulorum fic relinquamus, ut effe 
 Nobis dicamus incertuniy utrum in Chrifto regenerati, fi morian- 
 tur parvuli, tranfeant in aeternam Salutem. De Don. Perfeverant, 
 c. xii. p. 837. Tom. X. Conf. p. 273, 274, 279, 291, 292, 318, 
 328, 449, 450, 482, 536,680, 686, 899, 902, 1023, 1074, 
 Tom. X. item p. 942. Tom. V. & 1 190, T. V. 
 
 Quicunque negat Parvulos per Baptij'mim Chrifti a Perditions 
 liberari, & Salutem Tperci^ere fempifernam, Anathema fit. Con- 
 cil. Carthag. in Jugitjiin. Epilt. CLXXV. p. 620, Tom. II. 
 Conf. p. 266, 268, 511, 585. 
 
 h Conf. Wall's Hill, of Infant-Baptifm, Part I. c. xv, § 5, 
 Vol. I. p. 202. 
 
 ' Parvulum, etfi nondum Fides ilia, quas in Credentium Volun- 
 tate confiRic^ j;tm tamen ipfms Fidel Sacramentum Fidelem fAck. 
 
 '—Fidelis 
 
Infant-Communioni 81 
 
 which was as High and Honourable a Name as 
 could be given to ^^//^/ Communicants, to true 
 andsood Chriftians. IF therefore Infants were 
 already, by Their Baptifin j'mtitultd to the Name 
 and Privileges of Communicants,^ for the Time 
 being, They could not want' the oiit'ward Sa- 
 crament of the EiichariJijtQ makeThem more fo. 
 
 4. Another noted Fiinciple of St. Austin 
 was, that The Grace of a Mediator was the 
 one Thing necejjary to the Salvation of Infants, 
 and that fuch Grace was given Them, in and 
 by Baptifm^: Therefore again, by His Ac- 
 counts, the partaking of the outward Sacramerit 
 of the Fjuchariji could not be necejjary to the 
 Salvation of baptized Infants. 
 
 5. It was St. Austin's fettled Ferfuajion^ 
 that Baptized Infants could never afterwards 
 jforfeit th.Q falutary Grace once given at the Font, 
 till They fhould become guilty of aBual Sins % 
 
 Vol. IL A a From 
 
 - — Fidelis vocatur, non Rem ipfa Mente annuendo, fed ipiius Rei 
 Sacramentum percipiendo. Auguflin. AdBonifac. Ep. XCVIII. 
 (alias XXIII.) p. 268. 
 
 Ubi ergo Parvulos ponimus baptizafos, nifi inter Fideles, ficut 
 unlverfee ubique Ecclefite clamat AuAoritas ? Auguftin. De Peccat.- 
 Merit. L.I. c. xxxiii. p. 35. Conf. c. xxv. p. 20. Item Serm. 
 CCXCiV. p. I ng, 1 190, 1 192. T. V. 
 
 '^ /id. Auguftin. Epift. CLXVI. p. 585, 591, 592. De Peccat. 
 Merit. Lib. I. c. xxii, xxv. 
 
 ^ Refpondeo, tantam illius Sacraiiienti, Hoc eft, Baptifmi Sa- 
 iutaris, effe Virtutem in fkntla Compage Corporis Chrifti, utj 
 femel generatus per Aliorum Carnalem Voluptatem, cum femel 
 ¥egeneratui fuerit per Aliorum Spii;itualem Voluntatem, deinceps 
 
 non 
 
8 2 An Enquiry concerning 
 
 From whence it plainly follows, that They 
 could not forfeit it by Their not receiving the 
 Eucharift during Their Non-Age. 
 
 6. St. Austin further teaches, that Infants, 
 by Their Baptifm^ are made the Temple of the 
 Holy Spirit, and thereby y<?^/^^, ^ndm/iiredto 
 everiafting Salvation ^. How could This be, 
 if Baptijm ftill wanted to be rendred falutary by 
 the Other Sacrament,by the outward Eucharift? 
 
 J. Elfe where He exprefHy maintains, that 
 Spiritual Regeneration (by which He means 
 Baptifm of Water, and of the Spirit) is alone 
 fufficient to deUver an Infant from the Power 
 cfDarknefs, and to tranflate Him into the King* 
 dom of Chrift j and to fecure Him, if He dies 
 in that State, againft all Manner of Pains or 
 Perils in a World to come ". Could He con- 
 
 fiilently 
 
 non pofTit Vinculo aliense Iniquitatis obftnngi,cui nulla ful Volun- 
 
 tate confentit. Semel percepta?n Parvulus Gratiam non amittit 
 
 nifi propria Impietate, ^f . Epift. XCVIII. (alias XXIII.) p.263, 
 264. 
 
 "' Dicimus ergo, in haptizatis Parvulis, quamvis id nefciant, 
 habitarz Spiritnm Sanflum, Ep. CLXXXVII. C. viii. p. 686. 
 Templum Dei futurus es, cum Boptifinum acccperis. De Fid. & 
 Op. c xii. p. 175. Tom. VI. 
 
 " Tanta eft Dei Miferciordia^— Ut etiam prima Hominis 
 .^tas, id eft, hifantia, fi Sacramenta Mediatoris acceperit, etiamii 
 hanc in eis Vitam finiat, tranflata fcilicet a Potejiate Tenebrarum 
 in Regnum Chrijii, non folum Poenis non praeparetuD aeternis, fed 
 ne ulla quidem poft Mortem purgatoria Tormenta patiatur. Suf- 
 iicit e.mm fola fpiritualis Regeneratioy ne poft Mortem obfit quod 
 Carnalis Generatio cum Morte contraxit. De Ci'vit. Dei, L. XXI. 
 c, xvi. p, 636, Tom. VIII. Conf. De Peccat. Merit. L. I. c. xix. 
 
 N.E. 
 
Infant- Communiohi Sj 
 
 liftently fay This, had He thought that Both Sa- 
 craments were as iiecejjary^ as Baptifm alone ? 
 
 8. Another Pri?2ciple of St. Austin's, con- 
 fonant with Thofe before mention'd, is, that 
 Baptifm makes an Infant a Member of Chriji : 
 not merely a Member of the outward Churchy 
 but a vital or living Member o^Chrift's Body ». 
 
 9. Another noted T)o5irine of St. Austin, 
 near akin to the former, is, that the Sacrament 
 bf Baptifm amounts to a compleat Ingraffmenf^ 
 or Bicorporation in Chrifl, and that fuch Incor^ 
 poration or Ingraffment is a principal "End and 
 L^f of Baptifm^ being a necefjary QuaUfication 
 for, or Introdudion to Eternal Life : Which 
 He collects from our Lord's Docflrine laid down 
 in 'John vi.^ From all which we may reafon- 
 
 Vol. II. A a 2 ably 
 
 . 'N.B. Tho He fays S'acramentdi in the plural, He means only 
 Baptifm ; as is plain by what follows. It is very common with 
 the Fathers to exprefs -s-fiyigie Sacrament in i\iut plural'Wzy ; a^ 
 IS well known to the Learned, with the Reaforis of it. Daille 
 has often noted it 5 and has manifeiled the fame by greatVariety 
 of Evidences, in his Book De Confirmatione. 
 
 ° Nee <vin;'er emu's y nifi per Spiritualem Connexionem Memhrd 
 hujus eflemus : Ideo Nobis Opus fuit nafci, & renafci, Epift. 
 CLXXXVII. p. 688. Membrum Chrifti futuruses, cumacceperis 
 Baptif7}ium. De Fid. & Op. c. xii. p. $75. Tom. VI. Omnes qui 
 
 renafcunt'df, Membra ipfius iiunt. Si vis afcendere, efto inCor- 
 
 poi-e Chrifti : Si vis afcendere, efto Membrum Ghrifti, Serm, 
 CCXCIV. p. ii88. Tom. V. 
 
 P Nihil agitur aliud cum Parvuli baptizantur, nifi ut incorpo' 
 rentur Eccleli^e, id eft, Chrifti Co7-pori Membrifque focientur^ — • 
 Nonne Veritas fine uUa Ambiguitate proclamat, non folum in 
 Regnitm Dei non baptizatos Parvulos intrare non poffe, fed nee 
 Vitam aternMn poffe habere, praeter Chrifti Corpus., cui ut incor- 
 porentur, Sacramento Baptifmatis imbuwntur ? Juguftin, De Pes- 
 cat. Merit, L. III. c. iv. p. 74, 75, 
 
§4 An E.nquiry concerning 
 
 ably draw the following Inferences : i . Thatj 
 lince Baptifm amounts to a compleat Incorpora- 
 tion^ for the Time being, it could not want the 
 Other Sacrament to make it more fo. 2. That, 
 fince Baptijmal Incorporation is a Pledge of 
 eternal Life by it felf, it could not need the 
 Eucharijl to make itfahitary. 3. That, fince 
 St. Austin drew This Dodrine chiefly from 
 yohn vi, He mull have under flood the Incor- 
 poration there fpoken of, as a Privilege common 
 to Both Sacraments. But of That Particular 
 I fhall fay more in its proper Place. 
 
 10. But further, The fame Father dot^ not 
 only fuppofe that a baptized Infant has Part in 
 the Body of Chrijl 5 but that He is, by his Bap- 
 tifm, dipped^ as it were, in t\\& Blood of Chrijl : 
 For He teaches that Baptifm^ or the Baptifmal 
 Watery is red (fo He figuratively expreffes it) 
 with the Blood of Chrijl, as confecrated in it, 
 or by it^. Other Fathers of the Church ex- 
 prefsthe fame Thing in flill plainer and flronger 
 Terms : And it was the prevailing Docftrine of 
 Antiquity , that all the fpiritual Graces of the 
 Fucharifl were conveyed in Baptifm^ as well as 
 in the Eucharijl ; and that as Many as were 
 duly baptized, were, in EfFed, thereby made 
 
 Partakers 
 
 ^ Signlficabat Mare ruhrum Baptifmum Chrifti. Unde riibet 
 Baptifmus Chrifti, nifi Chrilli Sanguine confecratus ? In Joann. 
 Trad. XI. p. 377. Tom. III. Conf. p. 942. Tom. V. 
 
Infant-Communion. 8 5 
 
 Partakers of the Body and Blood of Chrifl ^" : 
 Such being the high Notions of the Sufficiency 
 of Baptijm, univerfally prevaiHng in thofe 
 Times, what Room could there then be for 
 the Dod:rine of the ftridt NeceJJity of Infant » 
 Communion ? 
 
 II. Another DoElrine of St. Austin, is, 
 that All Thofe, who are really Members of 
 Chrijij true and livijtg Members, do, ipfo Fa5fo^ 
 in Virtue of fuch their Memberfoip^ continually 
 eat his Flejld, and drink his Blood K Hence it 
 follows, that Infants baptized^ having thereby 
 been made true and living Members of Chrifl:, 
 and having never yet forfeited Their Privilege 
 by any aciiial Sin, mufl of Courfe be fuppofed, 
 in Virtue of That Their ikf^;/z/^^r/Zji^,continually 
 to eat Chrift'j Flejhy and to drink his Bloody in 
 fuch a Senfe as St. Austin there fpeaks of j 
 and therefore could not be by Him fuppofed 
 to lie under any NeceJJity of having That by 
 A a 3 Two 
 
 r The Teftlmonies are co Hefted into one View by Albert Inus 
 Do Eucharift. p. 448, 564. And by Bingham, XI. 10, 4. XV. 
 
 4> 7- 
 
 s Qui ergo eft in ejus Corporis Unitate, id eft, in Chriftianorum 
 
 compage Memhrorum (cujus Corporis Sacr amentum Fideles, com- 
 
 municantes de Aitari, fumere confueverunt) Ipfe vere dicendus 
 
 eft mandiicare Corpus Chrifti, & bihere Sanguinem Chrifti. De 
 
 Civit. Dei. L. XXI. p. 646. iV. B. St. Auftin allows this to be 
 
 true, provided fuch Memberjhip has not been forfeited by fome 
 
 •voluntary Tranfgreffions j and therefore He muft be prefumed to 
 
 allow the Faft with Regard to baptized Infants not yet capable qf 
 
 aStiial Sin. 
 
$6 An Enquiry concerning 
 
 ^wo Sacraments, which was effecfbually fup- 
 plied by One. 
 
 12. I mufl further take Notice of Another 
 Principk of St. Austin's, which may appear 
 fomewhat refined and uncommon j but was a 
 favourite Notion, and what He much dwelt 
 upon : It was This; that Bdptifm makes a Per- 
 fon to be that very Thing which is myflically re- 
 prefented and participated in the Euchariji t. He 
 grounds the Notion on St. Paul's Words: 
 We being Many are one Breads and one Body, Sec. 
 Therefore Chriftians are Themfelves the Body 
 fignified, or reprefented by the Bread of the 
 Euchariji: Therefore every true Chriftian 
 makes ^Part of what That Bread fignifies, and 
 of what the Communicants partake of. Whe- 
 ther the Notion be ftriilly jufl, is not now the 
 Queftion : It was St. Austin's Notion, and 
 That is fufFicient for our prefent Purpofe. For, 
 
 if 
 
 * Si bene accepiftis, Vos ejlls quod accepiflis : Apoftolus enim 
 
 dicit, unus Panis :miim Corpus Multi fumus. \os ante, jejunil 
 
 Humiliatione, & exorcifmi Sacramento, quaii molehamini : Ac- 
 ceffit Baptifmus, & Aqua quafi confperfi eflis, at ad Formam Panis 
 
 yeniretis. Accedit Spiritus SarMus, poft Aquam Ignis, & ef- 
 
 ficimini Panis, quod eft Corpus Chrifti Serm. CCXXVII. p. 973. 
 Tom. V. Conf. Serm. CCXXIX. p. 976. 
 
 Ad Aquam veniftis & confperfi eftis, & Unum fadi eftis : Ac- 
 cedente Fer'uore Spiritus SantSi co^i eftis, & Panis Dominicus 
 fafti eftis. Ecce quod accepiftis. Serm. CCXXIX. p. 976. Conf. 
 Serm. CCLXXII. p. 1103. Tom. V. Contr. Fauft. L. XII. 
 c. viii. N. B. The lofmg this Notion, has been the chief Occa- 
 sion of miffing St. Jujiini true Senfe: The reviving it will make. 
 every Thing clear. 
 
Infant-Communion. 8 7 
 
 if Baptized Infants, being of the Number of 
 the Faithful^ and fo making a Tart of Chrift's 
 Body the Church, were, in Confequence, a 
 Part alfo of the Bodiy Jj.g7iified and participated 
 in the Eucharijiy They could not need the out- 
 ward Eucharift to bind Them cloj'er to the Body 
 of Chrift, or to make Them Partakers of it. 
 This Argument is well urged by Fulgen- 
 Tius^j to the very fame Purpofe for which I 
 now urge it j namely, to fliew that Baptifnty 
 during Infancy, was in St. Austin's Account, 
 equivalent to Both Sacraments ; and in fuch 
 Cafe, either virtually fupplied, or fully fuper- 
 feded the external Euchariji, I have now enu- 
 merated 1 2 feveral Articles of DoBrine, All 
 maintained by St. Austin, and All feeming to 
 contradiB (dire(5tly or indirecftly) the fuppofed 
 Necejjity of Infant -Communion, Wherefore, it 
 appears not reafonable to conceive, that He 
 really efpoufed any fuch Necejjity^ in Contra- 
 diBion to his owfi Jia?idif2g Principles : Much 
 lefs probable is it, that He fliould go on in it, 
 Time after Time, for near 20 Years together, 
 never fufpe(fling any I?2CO?i/ifle?2cy in it (fo far as 
 appears) never charged by his Adverfaries, the 
 Pelagians y with it. Such is our Argument a 
 priori y that St. Austin ^o^^/^^zi?/' teach, could 
 A 3. j^ not 
 
 « fulgent, ad Ferrand. p. 226., 
 
88 An 'Enquiry concernmg 
 
 not intenil to teach the ftrid: Neceffity of Infant-. 
 Communion : He could not do it with'any Senfe 
 or Cmjijiency j becaufe He conjlantly maintainedy 
 many Ways, the compleat Siifficiency of Bap- 
 tifni to the Salvation of all Infants^ during fuch 
 their Infant- State. 
 
 Secondly — But, be fides what has been thus 
 urged a priori^ to fhew that He coidd not teach 
 fuch Neceffity ; there are yet other Confidera- 
 tions a pofieriori^ to be taken in, which may 
 perfuade us that He did not. 
 
 I . He did not ordinarily interpret 'John vi^^ 
 of the outward Sacrament of the Eucharift, but 
 of the inward Grace iignified by it, or exhibited 
 in it. There is this very obfervable Difference 
 between John iii. 5. and John vi. i.^. that the 
 former Text teaches the Neceffity both of the 
 outward Sacrament, and of the inward Grace ; 
 while the latter teaches only the Neceffity of 
 the inward Grace, abftradled from the outward 
 Signs. Had the Eucharif been as plainly 
 pointed out in John the vi^^, as Baptifm is in 
 John the iii^. Both muft have been allowed to 
 be equally neceffary : But it is worth obferving, 
 that the former teaches the Neceffity of fpiri- 
 tual Regeneration and Incorporation, as con- 
 fined to one particular Form, ox outwardlw^xW'- 
 ment 5 the latter teaches the fame NeceJJity of 
 I fpiritual 
 
Infant-Communion. 8 9 
 
 fpiritual Incorporation, at large ^ not mention- 
 ing any particular Form, not reftraining the 
 Privilege or Benefit to the Euchariji only. 
 
 St. Austin feems to have been well av\^are 
 of This Diftindlion, by His fo frequently in- 
 terpreting John vi, not diredly of the outward 
 Eucharift, but of the inward Graces only, fig- 
 nified by it. Sometimes He interprets the 
 Feeding, there mention'd, to mean only The 
 partaking of the Body of Chrift, or of being /;z- 
 corporated'm Chvi^i'^'^ : Sometimes, He makes 
 it the fame with abiding, or dwelBig in Chrift x, 
 or with being Members of Chrift y, or with 
 being the Temple of Chrift ^ : All which Pri- 
 vileges He look'd upon as coinmon to Both Sa- 
 craments, and not confined to the Euchariji 
 
 only J 
 
 ^ Nijl manducaverint Homines Carnem ejus : Hoc eft, Partici' 
 pes fadli fuerint C«-/>om ejus. De Peccat. Merit. L. III. civ. Vis 
 
 ergo vivere de Spiritu Chrifti ? In Corpore efto Chrifti. Acce- 
 
 dat, credat, incorporetur, ut^vivificetur. In Joann. Tra6l. XXVI. 
 p. 499. Tom. III. Conf, De Civit. Dei L. XXI. c. xxv. p. 646. 
 
 ^ Manducare illam Efcam, & ilium bibere Potum, eft in Chrifto 
 manere, 8c Ilium manentem in Se habere. In Johann. Traft. II. 
 501. Conf. 504. 
 
 Re vera Chrifti Corpus manducare, & ejus Sanguinem bibere ; 
 hoc eft, zM Chrijio manere, at in lUo maneat & Chriftus. De 
 Cimt. Dei. L. XXI. c. xxv. p. 647. 
 
 y Ut fimus in ejus Corpore, fub ipfo Capite in Membris. In 
 Johan. Tradl. XXVII. p. 502. Manemus autem in Illo, cum 
 fumus Membra ejus, p. 504. Nee Ifti ergo dicendi funt mandu- 
 care Corpus Chrifti, quoniam nee in Membris computandi iunt 
 Chrifti. De Ci'vit. Dei, L. XXI. c. xxv. p. 646. 
 
 ^ Manet autem Ipfe in Nobis, cum fumus Templum ejus. In 
 Johan. Tradl. XXVII. p. 504. Signum quia manducat & bibit. 
 Hoc eft, fi manet & manetur, Ix habitat $c inhabiHtur , ib. 502, 
 
90 An Enquiry concerning 
 
 only J as may fufficiently appear from what I 
 have before noted in Relation to the Sufficiency 
 of Baptijm, as taught by the fame Father. 
 Therefore, by His Accounts, Infants muft have 
 been fuppofed to enjoy, in and by Virtue of Their 
 Baptijm, all that John the vi''* diredly fpeaks 
 of as neceffary to Life ; and therefore This Fa- 
 ther did not fo interpret that Chapter as to make 
 it favour the fuppofed Necejfity of InfanUCom^ 
 munion. 
 
 Sometimes He interprets The Meat men- 
 tion'd in St. John, of an Alliance^ or Union with 
 Chrifta^ and fometimesof the Grace fent from 
 above ''j which, by His Accounts, is common to 
 Baptifm with the Eucharift : And therefore 
 again, baptized Infants, as fuch, muft have 
 been by Him fuppofed to feed fpiritually upon 
 Chrift, in fuch a Senfe as our Lord there fpeaks 
 of, and could not want the outward Eucharift 
 to make Them Partakers of the fpiritual Ban- 
 quet: Wherefore St. Austin fcruples not to 
 fay, thatv/hile a Perfon is regenerated^ or bojm 
 again (meaning in Baptifm) He feeds upon 
 Chrift, isfeajied, is fatiated^ with that Hea- 
 venly Food : Such plainly is His Meaning. 
 
 2. To 
 
 ^ Hunc Cibum & Potum Socletafem vult intelligi Corporis & 
 Membrorum fuorum. Injohan. Tradt. XXVII. p 502. 
 
 ^ Nemo autem irtiplet Legem, niH quam adjuverit Gratia ; 
 id eftjPanis qui de Coslo defcendit. In Johan. Tradl.XX VI. p.494. 
 
 "= Qui credit, OTflw^aca/ ; invifibiliter y2zj-/7/<2/«r, quia invifibili- 
 ter renafcitur : Infans natus eft nevus intus eft. Ubi novellatur, ibi 
 Jatiatur, In Johan. Trad. XXVI. p. 494. 
 
Infant-Communion. 9 1 
 
 2. To confirm This farther, it may be noted, 
 that St. Austin makes xhQ putting on of Chriji 
 (which is done in Baptijm) to be tantamount 
 in Senfe, and equivalent in Virtue or Efficacy 
 for the obtaining eteimal Life, with ^h^ feeding 
 upon Him ^: Indeed, all that He meant to 
 prove againfl the Pelagians^ by quoting Johnvi^ 
 was only This 3 that Infants muft have Chriji, 
 muft have Part in Chriji^ in Order to eternal 
 Life ; and could not h^Javed, could not have 
 Lifey in or by their natural , unregenerate Stated, 
 as the Pelagians pretended. He had no Occa- 
 iion to fay, or to conceive, baptized Infants 
 could not be faved without the Eiicharifl ; 
 neither does He once fay it : But What He was 
 concerned to prove, was,that imbaptized\vS.2SiXs,y 
 
 ordinarily. 
 
 <1 Non autem habere Parvulos Vitam, nifi habeant Chrijlum, 
 quern procul dubio habere non poflunt, nifi induerint Eum eo 
 modo quo Scriptuin eft ; ^otquot hi Chrifio bapti%ati efiis, Chrif- 
 tum induiftis : Non ergo habere Vitam, nifi habeant Chrijium, Jo- 
 hannes Evangelifta teftatur dicens, ^i habet Filium, habet Vi- 
 tam : ^i non habet Filium Fitarn non habet. Contr. Julian L.VI. 
 c. xxvii- p. 677. 
 
 * Quid enim apertius tot tantifque Teftimoniis Divinorum EIo- 
 quiorum, quibus dilucidiflime apparet, nee p-a:ter Chrijii Societa- 
 tefn ad Vitam Salutemque seternam pofle quemquam Hominem 
 
 pervenire. Nonne Veritas fine ulla Ambiguitate proclamat, 
 
 non folum in Regnum Dei, non bapti%atos Parvulos intrare non 
 pofle, fed nee Vitam aternam poffe habere prjeter Chrijii Corpus^ 
 cui ut incorporentur, Sacramento Baptifmatis imbuuntur. De 
 feccat. Merit. L. III. c. iv. p. 74, 75. 
 
92 An Enquiry C07Kerntng 
 
 ordinarily, could not come at Life eternaU : 
 And He proves it by this Medium -, that In- 
 fants could have no Life without partaking of 
 Chrift, v/hom They could not partake of with- 
 out being incorporate in Chrift, and That by 
 Baptifm. That fuch Incorporation y once made 
 in Baptifm, wants to be compleated, improved^ 
 or renewed, by the Eiicharifl during Infancy, 
 He no where teaches : But in a Multitude of 
 Places (as hath been fhewn) He either direftly 
 or indirecftly teaches, that, during the State of 
 mere Infancy, it does not : Becaufe Baptifm alone, 
 for the Time being, is ftifficient to all Intents 
 and Purpofes, and is, in effeft, feeding upon 
 the Body and Blood of Chrift. 
 
 3. To confirm this ftiil farther. We may note, 
 that St. Austin entertained fohigh an Opini- 
 on of the Virtue and Efficacy of Baptifm to SaU 
 'uation, from the Beginning to the End of the 
 fpiritual Life ; that He look'd upon all other r^- 
 ligiGUs Offices as deriving, in a great Meafure, 
 their Ufe and Force from it. He fuppofes not 
 only the firfi Remiifion at the Font, but all 
 
 Remiffion 
 
 ^ Hoc Teilimonium adhlbltura eft Evangelicum, ne Parvuli 
 non-baptizati vitam polle habere credantur. Epijl. ad Paulin. 
 186. N° 28. p. 673. 
 
 Si autem cedunt Domino Apoftolorum, qui dicit non habituros 
 Vitojn in femetipfis, nifi manducaverint Carnem Filii Hominis 
 & hiherint Sanguincm (quod nifi baptizati non uticfue poffunt) 
 nempe aliquan^io i'atebuntur Parvulos nQn-bapti%atosN'\izxii habere 
 non pofle. Ibid JS'^ 2^J. p. 673. 
 
Infant- Communion. 93 
 
 Remiflion upon Prayer or Repe?2tance afterwards, 
 to look back to Baptifm, and to ftand in it, or 
 to be as Nothing without it ^. Even Fjucbarij- 
 tical Remiflion, and Eucharijiical Graces, by 
 the fame Principle, can be only Baptijmal Re- 
 miflion and Baptijmal Graces continued, or 
 reiterated. He calls the Lord's Prayer a quo- 
 tidian Baptifm h, while He confidered it as an 
 Inftrument of Pardon, and as offered up in 
 and with the Kucharifi '"■ ; which amounts to 
 calling the Eucharift it felf a kind of quotidian 
 Baptifm. Now, if St. Austin believed, that 
 Baptifm had its federal EffeB during the whole 
 fpiritual Life, and that it operated in all otloer 
 religious Offices^ or Services, deriving, as it 
 were, its owji Virtue and Efficacy upon them ; 
 it is obvious to conceive how, in His Account, 
 
 an 
 
 g Auguftin. De Nupt. & Concupifc. L. I. p. 298. 
 
 Hejychius well exprelTes his Senfe in few Words : Virtus pr^- 
 cedentis Baptifmatis operatur & i?i ea qu^e pojiea ad a fuerit Pce- 
 nitentia. In Levit. L. II. p. ii8. Compare my Review, i^c. 
 p. 329. 
 
 ^ Remiffio Peccatorum non eft in fola Ablutione facri Baptifm- 
 atis, fed etiam in Oratione Dommica quotidiana. In ilia in- 
 
 venietis quafi quotidiaftum Baptifmum veftrum. Serm . CCXIII. 
 c. viii. Conf De Fid. i^ Op. c. xxvi. p. 191. Enchirid. c. Lxxi. 
 p. 223. De Symbol, ad Catech. c. vii. p. 5:5. Tom. VI. 
 
 * Conftituit Deus in Ecclefia, Tempore, Mifericordia; proro- 
 gands, ^otldianam Medicmam, ut dicamus dimitte nobis dcbita 
 noftra, &:c. ut his Verbis lota facie, ad Alt are accedamus, & his 
 Verbis lota facie, Corpore Chrifti & Sanguine communicamus. 
 Serm. De Scriptur. p. 96. Tom. VI. Conf p. X6q. Eucharift 
 . called quotidi.uia Madicina. Epift. LIV. (alias CXVIII) p. 125. 
 
54 -^ Enquiry concerning 
 
 an Infant already baptized, and having hitherto 
 done Nothing to forfeit the Graces or Benefits 
 of it, might be jullly faid to partake even of 
 the Lord's TCable^ as partaking of That Sacra- 
 ment, which virtually carried in it all the Life 
 and Spirit of the Other 5 and which was origin- 
 ally , primarily, eminently^ All that the Other is 
 in 2ifecondaryy^2^j , or in Confequence of Baptifm. 
 4. I jQiall only add farther (to iliew that 
 St. Austin had no Notion of anv fuch ftriA 
 Necejjity of the Eucharifl to All Perfons bapti- 
 sed, as He had of the Neceffity of Baptifm to 
 the TJnbaptized) that, when a Cafe was put to 
 Him, concerning the Salvation of the Thief 
 upon the Crofs k, as dying unbaptized. He ap- 
 peared to be very much perplexed with itj 
 and not willing to admit the Fa<fl ; conceiving 
 that, probably, the Thief had received Bap- 
 tifm, or however that the negative could not 
 be proved. He efteem'd that Solution to be 
 the fafeft, to evade the whole Difficulty. All 
 the while, tho' He was well aware, or might 
 certainly know, that the fame T^hief died 
 without ever receiving the Holy Communion ; 
 yet He was in no Pain about it, fo far as ap« 
 pears, nor look'd upon it, as any Difficulty at 
 
 alls 
 
 ^ Auguftin. dc Orig. Anima?, Lib, I, c ix. p. 343. Lib.IIIo 
 C. ix. p. 379. 
 
Infant-Communion. 9 5 
 
 all : A plain Sign, that He had no fuch Opi- 
 nion of the ftrid: Neceffity of the Eiicharijl to 
 Salvation, as He had of the NeceJJtiy of Bap- 
 tifm. 
 
 Having thus endeavoured to fliew, many- 
 Ways, that St. Austin confiftently could not^ 
 yea and that He did not teach the Neceffity of 
 Infant-Com??iunion y what hinders that We may 
 not now fafely and juftly rejedl the contrary 
 Suppofition, as a vulgar Errour^ or as an inju^ 
 rious Charge upon a very great and good Man, 
 One of the ablefl Divines of his Time ? It 
 will be pleaded, notwithftanding, that the 
 fame Father has, in feveral Places of his Works, 
 laid dov/n this Principle ; that Infants, with- 
 out Baptifm, and without partaking of the 
 Lord's Body and Blood"^, or without partaking 
 of the Lord's T^able n^, cannot enter into Life • 
 
 And 
 
 * Beatae Memoriae Innocent ius Papa, fine Baptifmo Chrifti, & 
 line Participatione Corporis I5' Sanguinis Chrifii vitam non ha- 
 bere Parvulos, dixit. Aiiguflin. ad Bonifac. contr. 2 Epift. Pelag. 
 L. II. c. iv. p. 436. Tom. X. 
 
 Si ergo, ut tot & tanta Teftimonia concinunt, nee Salus, nee 
 Vita asterna line Baptifmo, & Corpore & Sanguine Domini cui- 
 quam iperanda eft, fruftra fine his promittitur Parvulis. De Pec- 
 cator. Merit. L. I. c. xxiv. p. 20. 
 
 Nullus qui fe meminit Catholicse Fidei Chriftianum, negat aut 
 dubitat, Parvulos non accepta Gratia Regenerationis in Chrilto, 
 fme Cibo Carnis ejus & Sanguitiis PotUy non habere in fe Vitam, 
 AdPaulin. Epift. 186. (alias io6.) p. 673. 
 
 "^ Ecclefise Chrifti infitum tenent praeter Baptifmum & Parti- 
 cipationem Menftg Dominicts, non folum ad Regnum Dei, fed nec 
 ad Salutem & Vitam ^ternam poffe ^em^uam Hominejn perve- 
 
 2 nire. 
 
96 Alt "Enquiry concerning 
 
 And further. He has fometimes interpreted ^ 
 as it feems, 'John vi. 53. diredly of the Lord's 
 Table ". But, is it any where expreffly or di* 
 recflly faid, that baptized Infants cannot have 
 hife without the Euchariji? No : not once, in 
 all This Father's Writings. And yet, if That 
 were really his Meaning, it is very llrange and 
 unaccountable that He fliould never once de- 
 clare it in plain or broad Terms. Why did 
 He never argue againft the Pelagians (as the 
 Objection fuppofes He Ihould) in fome fuch 
 Form as This, viz. That it is fo far from being 
 true, that unbaptized Infants can have Life 5 
 that even Infants baptized can have noLife with^ 
 out the Euchariji over and above Their Baptijm f 
 This would have been arguing a Fortiori, and 
 in a very clear and afFedting Way ; fuch as 
 could not have efcaped fo acute a Wit, had 
 That been really His Meaning, or fuch His Prin- 
 ciple : But He has ?2ever done it; which alone 
 
 is 
 
 nire. De Peccator. Merit. L. I. c. xxiv. p. 19. Infantes funt, fed 
 Men/a ejus pat-ticipes fTunt,ut habeant in feVitam, -Sfrw.CLXXIV. 
 p. 834. Tom. V. But compare p. 973 • 
 
 Cur mmijlratur Sanguis (qui de fimilitudine Peccati in Remif- 
 fionem fulus ell Peccatorum ) quern bibat parnjiilus ut habere 
 poffit Vitam, fi de nullius Peccati Origine venit in Mortem. Opus 
 imperfeS. contr. "Julian. L. II. c. xxx. p. 967. 
 
 " Dominum audiamus, inquam, non quidem Hoc de Sacra- 
 mento la'vacri dicentem, fed de Sacramento Men fee fu(S, quo 
 Nemo rite nifi baptizatus accedit : Niji manduca^jeritis, &c. non 
 babebiiis Vitam in Fobis. Quid ultra quaerimus ? De Feccator< 
 Merit. L. I. C. XX. p. 15. 
 
Infant-Communion, 9 7 
 
 is a good prefumptive Argument, that He 
 never meant it. But in Order to give a juft So- 
 lution of the objecfled Difficuhies arifingfrom 
 fome few PalTages, feemingly repugnant to the 
 whole Tenour of His fianding DoSirines ; We 
 ought to attend carefully to His other moft 
 avowed Tenets, and to His cuftomary Train of 
 Ideas. Infants cannot be faved without Bap- 
 tifm, and without partaking of the Body and 
 Blood oi Chrift. Right : They cannot be faved 
 without the outward wafhing, and the inward 
 Grace fuperadded : They cannot be faved 
 without Baptifm, and what Baptifm conftantly 
 carries with it °, where no Bar or Obftacle in- 
 terferes ; as there is none in that cafe. But 
 what is it which Baptifm carries with it f St, 
 AusT IN has before told us : Infants are thereby 
 cleanfed from all Defilement, purged from all 
 Sin, for the Time being : They are become 
 regenerate by the Holy Spirit, are of the Num- 
 ber of the Faithful, are the Children of God, 
 Vol. II. Bb have 
 
 ° Chryfo/lom's Account of Baptifm, comprized in a beautiful 
 Climax, may be worth the Inferting, to be compared with St. 
 
 " You are herein made not only Free but Holy ; not only Ho- 
 " ly, but juji likewife ; not barely juft, but Children alfo ; not 
 " Children only, but Heirs ; nor merely Heirs, but Brethren 
 " of Chrift ; nor Brethren oiily, but Co-heirs ; nor Co-heirs on- 
 *• ly, but Members alfo ; nor Members only, but his Temple ; nor 
 " Temple only, but Organs of the Holy Spirit." Chryfoji. Ho- 
 mil ad Neophyt. 
 
 Vid, If all. Inf. B. Part I. c. xiv. §.3 
 
98 An Enquiry concerning 
 
 have Vart in Chrifl, and His Pajjion^ and the 
 Jahitary Influences of it ; are the Temple of the 
 Holy Ghofl:, and of Chrift, are Members of 
 Chrifl's Bod)\ are incorporate with Him, abiding 
 m Him, inhabited by Him : They have put on 
 Chrift, have been dipfd in His Bloody feajied 
 ixnd fatiated with it j yea, They are Partakers 
 of His Bod)\ and are The-mfehes a Part of what 
 is fignijied^ and of what is participated in the 
 Euchariji. What can They want more, du- 
 ring Their Infant-State, to make Them Par- 
 fakers of Chrift's Body ^nd- Blood, or Partakers 
 of the Lord's Table ? It may be faid perhaps^ 
 They are not adftially, not literally. Communi- 
 cants : They have not eaten the euchariflical 
 Bread, nor drank the confecrated Wine : Very 
 true : But yet They are Partakers of the Spi^ 
 ritual Feajl, and have a Part in the myjiical 
 Banquet ; and therefore are, in Effe^, and in 
 juft Conjlru5iion of Gofpel-Law, Companions at 
 the Lord's Table. They are Fideles, that is^ 
 Communicants, in juft Account (being neither 
 Catechumens, nor Penitents) and therefore wV- 
 tiially, or interpr-etatively , Partalcers of the Al- 
 tar P. They have all their Chriftian Privileges 
 
 entire, 
 
 P Tya'ille Himfelf allows that the Ancients, in fome Cafes, 
 conceived a 'virtual Confirmation, to amount to the fame with 
 fiSliial. By Parity of Reafon, a njirtunl Communion mull have 
 been look'd upon as tantamount to real. His Words r/e, 
 
Ihfant-Commtinion, 59 
 
 etitirCj have never forfeited any of them. If 
 indeed, They had any new Sins to anfvv^er for ; 
 or if They had abfented from the Communion 
 through any Contempt^ or wilful NeglcB ; They 
 might then be thought to have impaired Thtit 
 iirft PrivilegeSj or in fome Degree to have re^ 
 nounced them : But fuch is not Their Cafe* 
 Baptifm made Them Cofj2menfales at once, as 
 AdmiJJion into 2. Corporation makes a Manyr^<? 
 of that Corporation j and of all xhz^Franchifes 
 of it, 'till forfeited by culpable Negled:. There* 
 fore baptized Infants, during Their Minority^ 
 are Communicants in Right ^ as true Oorifiians^ 
 Vol. II. B b 2 and 
 
 juftt auterti, eodenique Senfu SanSli, item Fideles apnd Vete- 
 res dicebantur Chriftiani, qui otnni Ecclefije commumons frueban- 
 tur, adeoque, quod fummum erat, EuchariftiEe Participes ad Men- 
 fam Domini accumbebant : Qui partim Catechumenis, partim 
 Pcenitentibus opponebantur, ex quibus jus ifiius communhnis lUi 
 quidem nondum erant adepti. Hi vero crimipe uio amifcrant.-— 
 
 . Apparet Patres (Eliherifanbs) Eum qui in Fide qua 
 
 vinftus erat, fed Jtne Manus hnpofitlone decefferat, eodstn Nurnero 
 ac Nomine cen/eri quo fuiflet fi Vivus Manus Impofitionem acce- 
 piflet. Dallaus de Confirmat. p.162. Conf. De Cult.Relig. p. 267. 
 
 He had faid before : 
 
 Non invitus concefferim Eliberitani Concilii Temporibus &■ 
 tequentibus obtinuifie, ut nifi Qui Manus Impofitionem accepif- 
 fent, NuUi ad £z/fi><2r//?/^;» admitterentur. P. 161. 
 
 Thefe Things laid together, it appears by the Confeffion even 
 of Daille Himfelf, that thofe Ancient Fathers underftood Infants 
 Baptized to be in Church-Account Jufii, Bancli, Fideles, or in 
 one Word Communicants, tho' They lived not to partake either 
 of the Eucharijl, or the Chrifm. There were but three Orders 
 in all ; Communicants, Catechutnens^ Penitents : Now it is plain 
 that Infants baptized were neither Catechumens, nor Penitents ; 
 therefore They muft have been Communicants in Church -Account : 
 ftot literally^ but •virtually, or interprctatively fuch. 
 
loo A71 Enquiry concerning 
 
 and as Denizens of the City of God-, and They 
 are ahb Communicants in EffeSf, and in real 
 Enjoyment, as really partaking of the Chrijlian 
 Banquet. 
 
 It may ftill be objedled, that St. Austin 
 has never explained His Meaning in the Way 
 which I have here done. I allow that He has 
 not diredly done it : But He has, here and 
 there, dropp'd Intimations more than fufficient 
 to enable Us to do it for Him, and to warrant 
 Us in the doing it. He had no Occafion Him- 
 felf to clear up the Difficulty in fuch a Way, 
 fince no One had objeded it to Him. Pro- 
 bably it was no Difficulty at all in thofe 
 Days, while the ^^zaVw/' Principles of the Church 
 were better underftood, than they have been 
 in later Times. However, it is allowable to 
 make Ufe of any reafonable Suppofition, by 
 which fo eminent an Author may turn out 
 corjijlejit with Himfelf, and may ftand clear of 
 the invidious Charge of Self-CoJitradidiion in a 
 momentous Article. It is no more than do- 
 ing Juflice to His great and admired Name, 
 and to the Church of God in His Time, as 
 well as to an important Do6lrine of practical 
 Chriftianity. 
 
 I had almoft forgot to take Notice, how, 
 and why St. Austin was led to make Ufe of 
 
 Jobt 
 
Infant-Communion. i o i 
 
 ^ohn the vi^^. 53. (which He fuppofed to 
 concern chiefly the Sacrament of the Rucharifi) 
 in Order to prove the NeceJJity of Baptifm to 
 Life eternaL He would have had no Occafion 
 for that Text at all, had it not been for the refi- 
 ned Subtilties of the Felagians in evading other 
 Texts. yA iii. 5. was exprefs, that without 
 Baptifm no One could enter into the Kingdom 
 of God; and That might have fufficed with 
 fair or reafonable Difputants : But the Fela- 
 gians eluded it, by contriving an odd Diflinc- 
 tion between God's Kingdom ^ and Life etei-nal; 
 pretending that unbaptized Infants, tho' They 
 could not enter into the Kingdom of God, pro- 
 perly fo called, yet might however be admit- 
 ted to a State of Life and Blifs in a World to 
 comeq. Now, St. Austin, obferving fuch 
 Their perverfe Subtilty, had Recourfe to yohn 
 vi. 53. in order to defeat and fruftrate it. For 
 there, when our Lord again fpeaks of an In- 
 corporation in Chrift, as renewed in the Kucha- 
 B b 3 r^, 
 
 ^ Habent quo confugiant, atque ubi delitefcant, quia non ait 
 Dominus, Si quis non renatus fuerit ex Aqua & Spiritu, non ha- 
 bebit Vitam, Sed, ait, non intrabit in Regfium Dei : Nam fi illud 
 dixiflet, nuUa hinc Dubitatio poffit oboriri. Auferatur ergo Du- 
 
 bitatio Dominum audiamus, inquam, non quidem Hoc 
 
 de Sacramento Lavacri dicentem, fed de Sacramento Men/>e J'u/s 
 quo Nemo rite nifi Baptizatus accedit : Kijt mandiicaveritis^ Sec, 
 Juguftin. de Peccat. Merit. L. I. c. xx. p. 15. Conf. Serm, 
 CCt.QlV. p. U83. Tom. V. De Origin. Animaej L, III, c. xiiu 
 p 382. Tom, X. 
 
10 2 An Enquiry concerning 
 
 rift^ the Style runs, that without That you 
 have ?to Life i?i you : Therefore it is plain, that 
 any Perfon v/ho has ?20 Part in Chriji^ who 
 has Nothing but His natural State to truft to, 
 is not only fl'^ut out from the Kingdom of God, 
 but alfo from eternal Life, Neither could it 
 be of Moment to urge, that what our Lord 
 has here faid in John vi. related more imme- 
 diately to the Sacrament of the Eucharift, than 
 to the other Sacrament of Baptifm^ upon which 
 the Debate turn'd : For, the Eucharifical In- 
 corporation depends entirely upon the Bapttfmal 
 one ; owes all its Force and Virtue to it, and 
 is but the fa^ne Thing renewed (and re?iewed 
 it cannot be, if it never commenced) : There- 
 fore Baptifm, the initiating Sacrament, the 
 Foundation of our Union with Chrift, and the 
 very Soul and Spirit of All the Graces of the 
 Eucharift, muft be. neceJJ'ary to Life ; which 
 was the Thing to be proved. Such appears 
 to be the Turn and Procefs of St. Austin's 
 Keafoning on this Head '' ; And being fo un- 
 
 derflood, 
 
 * Dilucldiffinie apparet nee prater Chrtjii Socktatem ad Vltam 
 
 Salutemque sternam poffe quemquam Hominum pervenire ■ 
 
 Ivlihil agitur aliud, cum Parvuli baptizantur, nifi ut tncorporentur 
 Ecclefire, id eft, Chrifti Corpori Membrifque focientur — nunquid 
 
 & illud arpbiguum ell, nifi qids renatus fuerit, &c. nunquid 
 
 & illud, quia taji 7nanduca<vert7it Homines Carnem ejus. Hoc eft, 
 Partlcipes fadi fuerint Corporis ejus, non habebunt Vitam ? His 
 
 atqu? ejufmodi alijs, qu?e nunc preetereO;, Teltimoniis,-- » 
 
 nonnq 
 
Infant-Communion. 103 
 
 derftood, it proves what He intended to prove, 
 and no more. It proves the Neceffity of 
 Baptijm to Life ; becaufe the Incorporation iu 
 Chrift, upon which hife depends, cannot fo 
 much as commence without it. It does not 
 prove the hke Neceffity of the Eiichariji -, be- 
 caufe the Incorporation required fubfifls before 
 it, and without it, and, while not impaired, 
 does not want to be renewed^ or refrejh'd by it ; 
 Befides, that while a Perfon, by Virtue of One 
 Sacrament, is as compleatly Parrtaker of Chrifi 
 and the Holy Spirit ^ as He could be, in His 
 Circumftances, by Both ; He is fuppofed, in 
 true and juft Conftrudion, to have Both Sa- 
 craments in One. 
 
 To be fhort, St. Austin did not cite yohn, 
 vi. in Order to prove that Infants muft lite- 
 rally partake of the Eucharift ; but to prove 
 that They muft really have that Incorporation 
 which is common to Both Sacraments, and 
 which, w:hen once given in Baptifm, and not 
 B b 4 impaired 
 
 nonne Veritas fine uUa Ambiguitate proclamat, non folum in Reg- 
 num Dei non baptizatos Parvulos intrare non poffe, fed nee Vi- 
 tam zeternam poffe habere prater Chrijii Corpus, cui ut incorpo- 
 rentur, Sacramento Baptifmatis imbuuntur ? De Peccat. Merit. 
 L. III. c. 4. N. B. He here refolves the Salvation or eternal 
 Life oi Baptized Infants into Their -Inc^oration (not into Their 
 participating of the Euchariji) even when He quotes yohn vi. 
 among other Texts, to prove it;: And He, in the fame Breathj 
 fully and exprefly maintains, that Infants, in and by Baptifm, 
 iingly, obtain that Incorporation to which eternal Life is annex' d,' 
 
104 An Enquiry concernmg 
 
 impaired by any fubfequent Sins, makes Them, 
 to all real and falutary Purpofes, as much Far- 
 takers of the Lord's Table, and of all the Be- 
 ?icfits of it, as the participating of the outward 
 Eucharifl could do. Literally They have not 
 Faith 'y and yet They are of the Number of 
 the Faithful : Literally They exert no Repen- 
 tance ', and yet They are confidered as RepeJit- 
 ing^. Even fo, and for the like Reafon, tho* 
 literally They are not Communicants ; yet They 
 are confidered as Such, and really are fo in full 
 Virtue y and beneficial EffeBs. This Principle 
 St. Austin bare in Mind, and conflantlyyi^/>- 
 fofedj where He did not diredllyT^^ it. 
 
 II. 
 
 Having thus far cleared, as I conceive, 
 St. Austin, the principal Man, there w^ill be 
 the lefs Need of faying any Thing of Thofe 
 Who follovired Him in the fame Argument j 
 becaufe They are All of Them to be inter- 
 preted by the fame Rule, and mufl ftand or 
 fall with Him. But becaufe Pope Inno- 
 cent I, Marius Mercator, Faustus 
 Reiensis, Pope Gelasius I, and parti- 
 cularly Fulgentius, All within lefs than 
 
 fourfcore 
 
 ' Vid. Ai'.gujlin, de Peccator. Merit, L. I. c. xix. 
 
Infant-Communion. 1 05 
 
 fourfcore Years of St. Austin, have dropp'd 
 fome Things to the hke Purpofe, and may be 
 of fome Ufe for farther Illuftration, or Con- 
 firmation of the fame Thing j I fliall now pro- 
 ceed to confider Them alfo, and in the fame 
 Order as I have named Them. 
 
 Pope Innocent I, in the Year 417 (five 
 Years after St. Austin's iirft engaging the 
 Pelagians in fuch Manner as has been men- 
 tion'd) gives His Thoughts upon this Article, 
 in a Letter fent to the Council of Milevis then 
 iitting upon the Queftion. He, I fay, in that 
 Letter, after quoting yobi vi. 53. to prove 
 that Lifants can have no Life without Baptifm^ 
 proceeds thus : " They Who maintain that 
 *' Infants have Life without Regeneration^ 
 ** feem to Me to be difpofed to make void 
 " even Baptifm it felf, by Their afferting that 
 ** fuch Infants have That, which it is believ- 
 ** ed They cannot have conferred upon Them 
 ** any other Way than by Baptifm. If there- 
 " fore their Meaning is, that the Want of 
 " Regeneration is no Difadvantage, They muft 
 *' of Confequence fay, that the Sacred Waters 
 ** of Regeneration are of no Advantage ^" We 
 
 may 
 
 * Illud vcFo quod eos veftra Fraternitas afferit prsEdicare, Par- 
 vulos aeternae Vitas PraEmiis fine Baptifmati* Gratia poffe donari, 
 perfatuum eft : Niji enim manducanjerlnt Carnem Filii Homtnis, 
 
1 06 An Knquiry concerning 
 
 may obferve from this Paragraph, that the Life 
 fpoken. of in yohn vi. ( whatever Sacrament 
 may there be referred, or alluded to) is ex- 
 preily declared to be conferred in or by Baptifm. 
 Suppofe it to be given in the Eucbarijl j yet it 
 is frft given in Baptifm, yea and in the Eu- 
 charift by virtue of Baptifm : The Argument 
 turns upon that very Suppofition : From 
 whence it is manifefl:, that our Author con- 
 ceived the EucJoariJiical Incorporation to be 
 Nothing more than the Baptifmal one continu- 
 ed, or renewed: Confequently, if the Baptif- 
 mal one remained entire, and unimpaired (as in 
 Infants it mufl) there could be no Need of the 
 Euchariji to Them 5 becaufe TIiqiy Baptifm hi- 
 therto fuperfeded it, or rather, virtually and 
 eminently contain'd it. 
 
 For, as Baptifm a!o?2e was both Faitb and 
 Repe?itance to fuch Infants, according to the 
 Principles of that Ao;e " • fo was it likewife 
 the Eiicharift to Them, for the fame Reafon, 
 and m the fame Way of favourable and natu- 
 ral Conitrudion. 
 
 As 
 
 l5f llberint S/ztiguInem ejus, non habehunt Vltam in SernetJpf.s. 
 Qui autem Hanc [i. e. Fitani] eis fine Regeneratione defendunt, 
 videntur mihi ipium Baptifmum velle callare, cum prasdicant Hos 
 habere quod in Eos creditur non niji Baptifmate conferenclum. Si 
 «rgo nihil vclunt of-'cere non renafci, faceantur necefle ell nee 
 Regenerationis Sacra Fluenta prodeffe. Innocent. EpiH. apud Au- 
 giijihu 
 
 » yA.Au^jJl'in. de Peccat. Merit. L, I. c. 19^.27. 
 
Infant-Communion. 107 
 
 As Austin and Innocent Both hit upon 
 the fame Thought, and held a Correfpondence 
 with each Other ; it has been made a Quefti- 
 on, Which of Them jirft fuggefted it, or 
 Which gave the firft Hint : But perhaps Both 
 might have borrovv^ed it from St. Cyprian, 
 Who had made ufe of the fame 150 Years 
 before w. C y p r i a n at that Time was a warCj 
 that yohn vi. did not fo properly teach the 
 Neceffity of the outward Eiicharifl^ as the 
 Neceffity of that inward Incorporation with 
 Chrifl, lignified and exhibited in the Eucha- 
 rift : Which, being begun in Baptifm^ looked 
 back to it, and refolved into it, and flill refted 
 in it, as in its proper Seat : Therefore, what- 
 ever is faid in yohn vi. of the Neceffity of hav- 
 ing Part in Chrift, in order to ILife^ does, at 
 the fame Time, proclaim the abfolute Necejjity 
 of having it in the Jirft Infiance^ ^iyz, in Bap^ 
 tifm, without which there can be no fecond. 
 Wherefore Bede (Who was a knowing Di~ 
 vine) underflands yohn vi. ^j, of what is 
 commota to Both Sacraments '^, 
 
 Our 
 
 ^ Ad Regnum Dei nifi baptizatus & renatus fuerh, pervenire 
 non poffe. In Evangelic cata Johannem : Nijt quls renatus /a- 
 erit, &c. nlji ederitis Carnem Filii Hominis £ff biberith Zanguinem 
 ejus, non habebitis Vitam in njobis, Cipriani TeiliWQ3. Lj. l\h 
 e, XXV, p. 314. 
 
ic8 An Enquiry concerning 
 
 Our next Author to Innocent, is Mari- 
 us Mercator, Contemporary with Him, 
 and join'd in the fame common Caufe againfl; 
 the Fclagians, He Ipeaks highly of the Gra- 
 ces and Privileges of Baptijin^ as amounting 
 to SahatioTty Redemption ^ and Kemvation. Af- 
 terwardsj quoting yohn\\. 53. which. He ap- 
 pears to underfland as belonging, or allud- 
 ing, to the Eiichanji^ He takes notice, that 
 without Bciptijm, no One zifes that Other Sa- 
 crament, iior is Partaker of it y : Where He 
 feems to dilHnguifh between iifitig that Sacra- 
 ment, and partaking of it. Moft certainly, 
 no One comes to the Eucharijt 'till He has been 
 baptized^ neither does He favingly partake of 
 it (diredly or indirediy, literally or interpre- 
 tativeiy) without being firfl: regenerate by Bap- 
 tijtn : Therefore, v/ithout all Controverfy, 
 and beyond all Pretence or Evafion, an zm- 
 baptized InfarA partakes not of that Sacrament 
 in any Senfc, nor feeds upon the Body or Blood 
 
 of 
 
 y Videamus Baptifma ipfum, cujus Virtutis fit, quotve & quan- 
 tas habeat Vires, & effeftuum caul'as. Dicit de illo P aulas Apoflo- 
 lus : Shsi Nos rede?nit, fal-vos fecit per Lavacrum Regenerationis 
 iff Rcfio^atiojus. Ergo, & balus, & Redemptio, & Renovatio 
 eft. NuUane ergo Posna erit 7ion-bapti%atis Parviilis, non habere 
 
 Salute7n, Redemptionem, Reno'vationem ? ■ Non viandiica-re 
 
 Carnem Domini, Sc bihefe Sanguinem ejus ? De quo Sacramento 
 Vox Salvatoris eft, niji tna7iduco.-ue7-itts, &c. Quod certe, fine 
 ulia Tergiverfatione, fine Baptifmo NuUus vfurpat, nee fit illiiii 
 Particcps Sacramenti. Mcrcat. Subnctat. c. viii. p- 53. 
 
. Infant-Communion. 109 
 
 of Chrift. Thus far was fuppofed clear and 
 unqueftionable ; and it was fufficient to fikncc 
 the Pelagians, with whom the Author was 
 concern'd, and fo He proceeded no farther. 
 But had the Qiieftion been put, whether a 
 BaJ)ti zed Inhnt, as Such, might be look'd upon 
 as a Partaker of the Etichariji, virtually or in 
 EffeB, being Partaker of Salvation and Re- 
 demption in Chrift ; The Author has left Room 
 enough for refolving the Queftion in the Af^ 
 jirmative 5 yea He has, by Intimation and Im- 
 plication, fo refolved it. NeJloriuSy in the 
 fame Mercator, does it more plainly and 
 dired-ly : For He aflerts, that the Body and 
 Blood of Chrift, do, by Baptifm (N. B.) loofe 
 the penal Sentences, which ftand in Force 
 againft All the Unregenerate z. What is This, 
 but faying that Infants, in and by Baptifm, are 
 Partakers of Chrifl's Body and Blood, and io, 
 in effed:, are Commiinicajits without literal^ 
 receiving the outward Comnrnmow ? 
 
 The Hypogizofiicon, which has fometime^ 
 been afcribed to St. Austin, is now believed 
 by the bed Criticks, to belong to our Mer- 
 cator. There we are told, that Infants, 
 
 born 
 
 ^ • Auferet enim fecum Unufquifque (Catechumeni's) poe- 
 
 nales Sententias adverfum Naturam prolatas. Non enim fadtus eft 
 Particeps Corporis ejus & Sanguinis, qui per Baptifmum has Sen- 
 tentias folvit, ^c. Mar. Mer. p. 77. 
 
no An Enquiry concerning 
 
 born under Defilementj are cleanfed, in Bdp^ 
 tijm^ by the Blood of Chrifta ♦. Confequently^ 
 They are Partakers of the Blood of Chriji, in 
 and by Baptlfm, The fame Author, after 
 quoting Jobn vi. 53. to prove, againft the Pe- 
 lagians^ that Infants could not be fanjed with- 
 out Baptijht^ afk^i How They could have the 
 Zjifc of the Kingdora of Hca'ue?!^ without being 
 born again of, Water and of the Spirit^ being 
 miih^x fed with the Flcfj of Chrifi^ nor made 
 to drink of His Blood fl:ed for Rcmijfion ofSins^ F 
 Had He intended This of their literally par- 
 taking of Both SacramentSj, He muft have 
 denied the Sifjiciency of Baptijm alone to Be^ 
 mtfjlon 5 which v^ould be flatly contradictory 
 to his exprefs Doctrine in the Paffage before 
 cited, and other Places alfo of the fame Trea- 
 tife<^ : Therefore He mud mean, that Baptijm 
 'alone fupplies all the Ufes of the other Sacra- 
 ment, making the Perfon, for the Time be- 
 
 . ing, 
 
 ^ Hoc Cceno Peccati, quo narcuntur Squalidi, ut in Regnuni 
 tcelorum ingrediantur immaculati, immaculato, f>er Baptifmum^ 
 Sanguine Chrifti mundantul*. Hypognojl. L. V. c. ii. p. 37. Au- 
 gufi'm. Opp. Tom. X. 
 
 ^ Quomodo igitur ^^itam Regni Ccelorum promittitis Parvulis 
 Hon renatis ex Aqua & Spiritu Sanfto, non abatis Came, neque 
 fotatis Ba7igtave Chrijli, qui fufus eft in Remiffionem Peccato- 
 rum ? Ibid. Lib. V. c. v. p. 40. 
 
 ^ Omnino in RemiJ]io7ie?n Peccatonan baptizantur & Parvuli : 
 Alioquin non habebunt in Regno Ccelorum Vitam. Dimittitur 
 enim eis Regeneratione Spiritali quod traxerunt; ut fepe dixi, eJt 
 Jda?!i. generalione carnali. C. viii. p. 42. 
 
infant-Communion. txi 
 
 ing, a Partaker of the Body and of the Bkod 
 of Chrift : And indeed. He ahiiofl fays it in 
 Terms, when He fays of fuch Infants, that 
 They are baptized in the Blood of Chrifl^^, and 
 at the fame Time calls Baptijm their Drink, 
 
 Faustus Reiensis, fuppofed to be the 
 Author that goes under the Name of Euse- 
 Eius Em I SEN us, argues againfl: the Pelagians 
 from Johizvi. 53. much after the fame V/ay, 
 and is to be interpreted by the fame Rules e. 
 As I have Nothing very particular to obferve 
 from Him, it may fuffice juft to have men- 
 tion'd Him in his Turn. He fiourifli'd about 
 A.D. 472. 
 
 Pope Gelasius fiouridi'd in the Clofe of 
 the fame Century, about A.D. 492. He re- 
 inforces the fame Argument for the Neceflity 
 of Infant-Baptifm ^ drawn from 'John vi. 53, 
 infifting upon it, that Infants cannot have Life 
 without eating Chrift's Plef^ and drinking His 
 
 Blood ; 
 
 •* Attende Ediftui ejus : "Non Opus eft faiiis Medicus, fed male 
 habentibus. Et a4veri'us eum falfum de Parvulis dicere conticefce, 
 qui Eis Pot urn, non fanis, fed aegrotantibus Baptifmu?n in f-uo San- 
 guine procuravit. Ihid. c. viii. p. 42. 
 
 * Nifi manducaveritis, ^c. Quod TeRimonium contra Pe- 
 lagii Elafphemias evidentiffimum atque validifTimum eft, qui af- 
 ferere arrepta Impietate prsfumit, non prapter Vitam, fed prop- 
 ter Regvum Ccelorum Baptifmum Parvulis conferendum. Sub his 
 enim Dei Verbis, quibus Evangelifta pronuntiat, non habebitis 
 Vitam in vobis, aperte intelligenda eft omnis Anima raunere Bap- 
 tifmi vacua, non lolum Gloria carere, fed Vita. Fauft. Regienf. ia 
 Pafch. Hom. V. p. 267. 
 
112 An Enquiry concerning 
 
 Blood', nor fo eat and drink^ unlefs baptized. 
 He may be underftood of (piritiial FeediJig^ 
 abftra(fled from the Eucharifi, For He does 
 not fay, that They muft (o eat and drink in 
 the Euchariji : But He afferts, that Infants 
 obtain Life by Their Baptifm, and that They 
 are tranflated to God's right Hand by Sacred 
 Regeneration f . This is too much for Him to 
 have faid, had He thought that the a6fual life 
 of Both Sacraments had been as necejj'ary as 
 One : But if the Pi^ime Sacrament, in fuch a 
 Cafe, was thought to be Equivalent to Both^ 
 or eminently to contain Both^ then all is ra- 
 tional and right. 
 
 We may now come down to Fulgenti- 
 us, at the Head of the next Century. He 
 indeed was the firft Man who fpake clearly, 
 fully, and diftindlly to the Point now in Hand, 
 having a particular Occafion for fo doing. The 
 
 Difficulty 
 
 ^ Quia propria non habent uUa Peccata, conftat eis fcia prorfus 
 Or'iginalia relaxari. Itaque omnibus, eciam foils, remiffis, Vi- 
 
 tam per Baptifmurn confequuntur aeternani, y c. Unde & 
 
 JDominus ait (quod utique nifi haptizatis convenit) ^t non man- 
 duca=verit. Sec. De f^tfa autem sterna Hoc diclum Nullus ad- 
 dubitat, quoniam Multi non m'&.-!A-^Ci.xiX.t%hoc5acramentu7n Vitam 
 habere videantur przefcntem. Nihil eft ergo quod dicant quod 
 V071 renati Infantes tantunimodo in Regnum Ccclorum ire non va- 
 leant : — • dum fine Baptiimate Corpus Sc Sanguinem Chrifti nee 
 cdere valeant, nee potare, fnie autem hoc Vitam in femetipfis 
 habere non pollint. — <- Baptizatos fmant ad dextram falutarem 
 facra Regeneratiove travsferri. Gelaf. apud Harduin, ConciK 
 'J"om. II. p. 890. 
 
Infant-Communion. 113 
 
 Difficulty had not been ftarted before : Or 
 there had appeared no Difficulty in it, among 
 Such as underftood the prevailing Principles of 
 former Times. However, in Fulgentius*^ 
 Days, Ferrandus, One of his Deacons, had 
 propofeda Scruple to Fulgent i us, about the 
 NeceJJity or VJe of the Euchariji to Thofe v^ho 
 had been baptized j deliring to know whether, 
 if Any died immediately after Baptijm, and 
 before They could receive the Euchariji, They 
 incurred^;?)' Damage, or none -, and if any, how 
 much, or what^, 
 
 FuLGENTius, without the leafl: Scruple 
 or Helitation, immediately folved his Doubt, 
 by telling Him, that from the Moment any 
 Perfon was baptized. He was ipJbfaSio a Com- 
 municant, a Far taker of the Bread of the 
 Eucharift, as He was a Member of the Body 
 fiornified in it, and as He was Himfelf a Bart 
 of That very Body, and of That very Sacrifice 
 there offered ; meaning the collective Body of 
 true Chrifiiam, This He declares to be the 
 Do<3:rine of the Holy Fathers before Him,which 
 They had believed and taught as an unquefiion- 
 
 Vol. II. Cc able 
 
 * Petlmus ut veloci Refpoafione Nos inftruas, utrum noceat, 
 quantum ?ioceat, an omnino nihil noceat, fi Quis baptizatus in No- 
 mine Sandae Trinitatis, facro Cibo Potuque fraudetur. Ferrand. 
 ad Fulgent, p. 215. 
 
114 '^ 'Enquiry concerning 
 
 able Verity **. He goes on to confirm the fame 
 from a whole Sermon of St.AusxiN Himfelf ». 
 From hence We may clearly perceive how- 
 to reconcile the more obfcure Paflages of St. 
 Austin, or oih^x Fathers, fo as to make Their 
 fianding DoElrtne of the Sufficiency of Baptifm 
 perfedly confiftent with what They have been 
 thought to teach of the NeceJJity of Infant-Com- 
 rnimion. They did not mean (as indeed They 
 did never fay) that baptised Infants muft pre- 
 fently be admitted to the Lord's Table, or 
 muft receive the confecrated Breads or Wine : 
 All They really meant was, that unbaptized In- 
 fants muft have Baptifm^ muft have Regenera- 
 tion, in Order to incorporate Them into Chrift's 
 Body, and to make Them truly Partakers of 
 His Flejh and Blood. Being once fo regenerate^ 
 andyo incorporate. They were Commu7iica?its of 
 Courfe, in Conftru^ion of Gofpel-law, and in 
 
 Church- 
 
 ^ Tunc incipit Unufquifque Particeps efie lUius unius Panisy 
 quando cceperit Memhriim efic illius unius Corporis, quod in iin- 
 gulis Membris, quando in Baptifmo Capiti Chrifto fubjungitur, 
 tunc jam Deo njiva Hojiia veraciter immolatur. lUo enim Na- 
 ti'vitatis Munere fie fit Sacrijicium ficut fit & Templum. Qui ergo 
 Memhruni Corporis Chrifti fit, quomodo non accipit quod Ipfe fit, 
 quando utique illius fit verum Corporis Membrum, cujus Corporis 
 eft in Sacrificio Sacramentum ? Hoc ergo fit Ille Regeiieratione 
 Sandli Baptifmatis, quod eft de Sacrificio fiimpturus Altaris. Quod 
 etiam Sanftos Patres indnbitanter credidiffe i^ docuijje cognofci- 
 Jnus. Beatus etiam Aiigujiinus de hac Re Sermonem fecit ad- 
 jnodum luculentum, I3 c. Fulgent, ad Ferrajid. p. 226. 
 
 * Vid. Aiigufibu Serm. CCLXXII. p. U03. Tom. V. Edit. 
 Bened. Conf. Serm. CCXXVIL p. 973. & Serm. CCXXIX. 
 P-977' 
 
Infant-Communion, 1 1 j 
 
 t^hurch- Account y as much as if They had lite-* 
 rally received the Holy -Communion, 
 
 FuLGENTius therefore concludes His Epif- 
 tie with thefe excellent Words : *' No One 
 " ought to entertain any the leaft Doubt, but 
 ** that Every One of the Faithful is then made 
 " a Partaker of the Lord's Body and Bloody 
 " when He is made a Member of Chriil's Body 
 *' in Baptifm, Neither can He be thought no 
 " Sharer in the [Sacramental] Bread and Cup^ 
 " tho' He fhould depart this Life before He 
 ** eats of that Bread, or drinks of that Cup j 
 " provided only that He retains his Union with 
 *' Chrift's Body : For, He is not without a 
 *' Partnerjhip in that Sacrament, or without 
 *' the Benefit of it, fo long as He is Himfelf 
 *' That 'very 'Thing which The Sacrament im^ 
 ^' ports^,'' 
 
 This Refolution of Fulgentius may be 
 fufficient to end all Difpute on this Head j con- 
 iidering how clear ^ and how peremptory it is, 
 and given in the Name of the Holy Father be- 
 
 V o L. IL G c 2 fore 
 
 * Nee Cuiquam eflealiquatenusambigencium tunc Unumquem- 
 que Fidelium Corporis Sanguinifque Dominici Parficipefn fieri 
 quando in Baptifmate Membrum Corporis Chrifti efficitur : Nee 
 alienari ab illo Panis Calicifve Conforiio, etiamfi antequam Pa- 
 nem ilium comedat, & Calicem bibat, de hoc fseculo, in unitate 
 Corporis Chrifti conftitutus, abfcedat* Sacramenti quippe illius 
 Participation &s Beneficio non privatur, quando Ipfe Hoc quod 
 jlludSacranientuin_/%«//ff«^, invenitur. Fulgent. ibid= p.zzjjZzS, 
 
1 1 6 An "Enquiry concerning 
 
 fore Him ; confidering likewife, how knowing, 
 and how eminent a Perfonage He was, how 
 near to St. Austin's Days, and how great an 
 Admirer of Him and His Writings ; an African^ 
 alfo, and the Mouthy as it were, of all the 
 African Churches in His Time. 
 
 I am aware that Endeavours have been ufed 
 to elude the Force of His Teflimony ^ But 
 the Pretences are flight and trivial, moftly 
 built upon Mifconception and Mifreprefen- 
 tation "^, as every difcerning Reader will per- 
 ceive upon the flighted Examination : And 
 therefore I fhall fpare my felf the Trouble of 
 confuting, or reciting Them ". 
 
 III. 
 
 ^ Whzthy, Striftur. Patr. p. 214. 
 
 Bingham^ xv. 4, 7. 
 
 ^ It is ftrangely miftaking Him, to fay He refolved the Cafe 
 into the Necejftty of it, or unavoidable Impediment (fuch as in 
 which the Ancients judged favourably of the want, evenof Bap- 
 tifm it felf) when He fo plainly refolves it into quite another 
 Principle, viz. That Infants baptised, are by Their Baptifm Com- 
 municants \njuji Conjlrunioii, and real EfFeft, as therein partak- 
 ing of Chrijly of His Body and Blood, yea and of His Table. 
 
 " Bede''s Conftruftion o^John vi. 53. may give fome Light to 
 Tulgentius. Nemo abfque hujus [Sacramenti] Confortio, Vitcc 
 Confors poffit effe perennis : Niji enim manduca-veritis. See. Bed. in 
 Gene/. L. III. in Gen. xiv. 18, ig, 20. No one can ha've Part 
 in eternal Life, without ha^jing Part in That Sacrament. So 
 far is certain. But then it is to be confidered, that every /w^^- 
 //zi-i/ Perfon, who has not forfeited, nor impaired His Baptilm^ 
 continually has Part in, or partakes of the Lord's Table : He is 
 a Communicant in Right, and in real Effefl, without any Thing 
 more. He is a Gueji of that Table, in the fame Senfe aa He is 
 a Citizen of Heaven. 
 
Infant-Communion. 117 
 
 HI. 
 
 I have now purfued this Matter down from 
 the Beginning of the Fifth Century, to the Be- 
 ginning of the Sixth : So it refted, as I ap- 
 prehend, till the Da?'k Ages came on j till the 
 Clofe of the Eighth Cejitury^ or the Opening 
 of the Ninth, Then began fome Variation in 
 This Matter; when the ancient Principles 
 might eafiiy be forgotten, or elfe be mifun- 
 derftood. From That Time, we may date 
 the^r/? Rife of the Dod:rine of the StriB Ne- 
 cefjity of Itifa?it -Communion, About the Year 
 794, there are fome Appearances of fuch a 
 Notion's beginning to prevail " : But in the 
 Century next following, it made great Ad- 
 vances J when it came to be a Rule, that a 
 Trefhyter fhould have the Eucharift always 
 ready, to give to Infants, either as foon as 
 baptized, or when In Danger of Death "^ ; and 
 that if a Bifliop were not prefent to confirm a 
 Child immediately upon Baptifn, The offici- 
 
 C c 3 ating 
 
 * Vid. CaroU M. Capit, prolix, de non adorand. Imagirb. 
 L. II. c. xxvii. A. D. 757. 
 
 P Semper Euchariftiam Prefbyter habeat paratam ut quando 
 Quis infirmatus fuerit, aut Parvulus jegrotaverit, ftatim Eum com- 
 municet, ne fine viatico moriatur. Walt. Aurelian. c. vii. p. 461. 
 Harduin. Concil. Tom. V. Conf. Reghio. L. I. c. Ixix. p. 57. 
 I-von. Decret. Part. II. c. xx. Burchard. L. V. c. x. Vid. etiam 
 Martens De Antiq. Eccl. Rit. Tom. I. p. 160, 162. Tom. III. 
 p. 548. Ba/uz. Not. ad Reoinon. p- 551. Bingham, XV, 4, 7. 
 
i 1 8 An 'Enquiry concerning 
 
 ating Priefl fhould not wait, but fhould di- 
 redly give Him the Communion ^. Thefe, and 
 the hke Rules, were plain Indications of fuch 
 a Notion's prevailing in the hatin Churches of 
 thofe Times. And One may draw a good pre- 
 fumptlve Argument from thence, that no 
 fuch Principle had obtain'd in the earlier Ages, 
 becaufe no fuch Rules, were then thought on, 
 fo far as appears '. One may obferve, by the 
 Reafons given in the 9th Century, and after, 
 for Infant-Communion^ that the Advocates for 
 it were far gone off from the antient Princi- 
 ples of the Church, and particularly from 
 Thofe of St. Austin. For Inflance, Jesse, 
 Billiop oi Amiens^ about A. D, 814^ inlifls 
 upon Communion, that the Infant may be- 
 come a Member ofChrifi^: And Rabanus 
 Mauhus, a. P, 847. requires the fame, that 
 
 the 
 
 ^ Poflea veftiatur Infans VefUmentis fuis. Si vero Epifcopus 
 adeft, ftatim confirmari Eum oportet Chrifmate, & poftea com- 
 municare r Et fi Epifcopus deeft, eommuuicetur a Prefbytero. Pfeud. 
 Jlcuin- Offic. de Sabbat. Pafch. p. 259. Conf, Martene, Tom. I. 
 p. 192, 191;, 197. 
 
 ^ So far from it, that the Anticnts made no Provifion for the Bu~ 
 tharlji (like as for Baptifm) in extreme Cafes ; never allowed any 
 Deacon, much lefs a Laic^ to adrainifter. They fufFered Many to 
 die without Confirmation, in Country Villages, and fo of Courf^ 
 without the Eucharifi (to which Confirmation ought to be fre-- 
 «vious) apprehending no Danger to the Salvation of Infants by 
 thofe Negleds. Vid. Hlercn. Dialog, contr, Lucifer. Q. iv. Conf. 
 ConciL Eliberit. Can. LXXVIL 
 
 » Ut Chrifti Membrum ^^t poiTit. Jeffe Amhiamnf, ^piid Ba,Iu^ 
 inNot, adRegin. p. 552. 
 
Infant-Communion. 119 
 
 the Child may thereby become the Temple of 
 God ^ : Both which EfFeds were fufficiently 
 provided for by Baptif?n alone, according to 
 St. Austin, and All the antient Fathers. No 
 wonder therefore, if a wrong PraBice came 
 in, when once Men had forgotten the o/<^and 
 right Principles. How long, or how far the 
 Do6lrine of the NeceJJity of InfanUCommunion 
 prevailed in the Weji, does not certainly ap- 
 pear «. Archbifhop Lanfranc, of the XI^^ 
 Century, A. D. loy^i difownedii, declaring it 
 no Dodlrine of the Englijhj or foreign Churches: 
 And He fcrupled not to argue againft it from 
 Scripture, and Reafon, and likew^ife from St. 
 Austin's Principles ^. 
 
 The Greeks had not yet come into the No- 
 tion of the Strict Neceffity of Infant-Comtnu- 
 niou', if we may judge by the Ruleof Chris t- 
 ODULUS, Patriarch oi Alexandria in the XI^^ 
 Century, A. D. 1 048 y which was, that, or-* 
 dinarily. Communion fhould be adminiftred 
 to Infants along with Baptifm ; but that, iri 
 Cafes of Extremity, Baptifm only fliould be 
 C q 4 given J, 
 
 * Ut Deum habere mereatur in fe Habitatorem. Rohan. Maur. 
 De Inllit. Cleric, c. 28. 
 
 ^ It is thought to have continued in fome Churches to th©. 
 XII«»^ or XIIF.i? Century. See Bingham XV. 4, 7. Qaho^r- ^}^i 
 tiial.Ecclef. Tom. I. p. 306. 
 
 J. hanfranc, Epift. ad Donat. p. 56.1. 
 
I20 An Enquiry concerning 
 
 given, without the Euchariji x .♦ From which 
 we may reafonably infer, that The Greeks of 
 That Time did not think (whatever Others 
 may have thought fince) that Baptifm and the 
 Euchariji were of equal Neceffity : For, had 
 They fo conceived, They would have con^ 
 trived, fome Way or other, to adminifter Both 
 together to every dying Infant. The more mo* 
 dern Greeks of the XIV^** Century, and down* 
 wards, have pleaded warmly for Infant-Com-- 
 munioiiy and the Necejity of it, in their Dif- 
 putes with the Latins y j grounding their Doc- 
 trine upon John vi. 53. rigoroufly interpreted ; 
 And yet They know very well how to explain 
 That Text to a "virtual, not literal Commu^ 
 nion, as often as They have a Mind to prove 
 from the fame Text, that Saints departed were 
 Communicants of the Altar^. I fliall fay No- 
 thing of the prefent Practice of the Greek or 
 Oriental Churches ; becaufe it would lead me 
 too far, to do it diHindtly j and a confufed ge- 
 neral 
 
 * Qgando Infantt Baptlfmus adminiftratur, jejunus erit, ISc. 
 Iieque abfque Communione licet Baptifmum adminillrare. Ha;c 
 autem intelligenda funtjuxta alios Canones multos, nempe fi 
 Periculum mortis non urgeat : Tunc enim, non modo licet, fed 
 prscipitur adminiftrare Baptifmum abfque Euchariftia. Renaudot. 
 Hiftor. Patriarch. Alex. p. 423. 
 
 y Vid. Jrcudius, p. 45 — ;o, 324. 
 
 * Vid. Nicol. Cabafilas Expofit. LiturgiaD. c. xlii. p. 253. in 
 Biblioth. Patr. Tom. 11. Ed, Parif. And compare Arcuim. 
 
Infant-Communion. 1 2 r 
 
 neral Account would be of no Ufe. Enough 
 has been laid to fliew, that the NeceJJity of /;z- 
 fant'Commiinion has not the Countenance of y^z» 
 tiquity : The Reft is of fmail Momentj in com^ 
 parifon. 
 
 IV, 
 
 I Intend not, however, by any Thing which 
 I have here faid, to deny that the Antients ad- 
 mitted Perfons much younger to Communion, 
 than is now commonly done in thefe Weftern 
 Parts of the V/orld. All I infift upon is, that 
 They gave not the Communion to mere Infants, 
 but to Children^ perhaps 5, 6, 7, or 10 Years 
 old ; and That under a Notion of prudent CaU' 
 tion, rather than oi JlriSi Necejity^ fo far as 
 appears. 
 
 Cyprian (about A. D. 250) fpeaks of a 
 young Girl's receiving the Etichariji ^ : But 
 learned Men^ obferve, that She might be^ or 
 probably was, 4 or 5 Years old : Others dif- 
 pute the Probability, thinking flie was not fo 
 old, but a mere Infant c ; Whatever the Cafe 
 was, it was z Jingle Injiance, fo far as appears, 
 and of Qfie particular Churchy the Church of 
 
 Carthage j 
 
 ^ Cyprtan De Lapfls, p. 132. 
 
 ^ Wall. Kift. of Inf. Bapt. Part II. c. ix. n. 15. Zorn'ius 
 Dpufc. Sacr. Tom. I. p. 735. 
 
 «= Bsine. Effay on Infant-'Communion, p. 38, ^f. 
 
T 2 2 An Enquiry concerning 
 
 Carthage ; and it is not faid upon what Princi-^ 
 pie fuch Practice was founded. 
 
 The Conjlitutions y called Apofiolical^ twice 
 make mention of C/?/M-^/z, as receiving the Com- 
 munion d. They were Children^ T^aiS'icc, not mere 
 Infants, not vriTrioi. They might be 7 or 10 years 
 old, or older : From whence an Argument may 
 be drawn, that the Infants did not communi- 
 cate ; fnice They are not fo much as named in 
 this particular Recital. 
 
 Timothy, Bifhop of Alexandria y in his 
 Canonical Anfwers^ about A.D. 380, puts the 
 Cafe of a Lad oi feven years old, a Catechumen^ 
 being prefent at the Oblation^ and eating of it 
 thro' Ignorance ; and He determines, that fuch 
 Lad, fo receiving, fliould immediately be bapr 
 tized^. One may reafonably from thence con* 
 jediure, that feven Years of Age was then 
 thought an Age proper for receiving. For how 
 could fuch a Lad ileal in and receive, if other 
 Lads of His Size or Years did not then come 
 to the Lord's Table ? One may farther perhaps 
 infer, that That was the loweji Age then and 
 there approved of for the Communion : For 
 otherwife, why fhould He fo particularly have 
 mention'd That Age, or why fhould He not 
 have made the fame Rule for Lads of 4, 5^ or 
 
 6 Years 
 
 ^ Cot-Jlit. JpoJlol.'L.Ylll. c. xii. p. 403. c. xiii. p. 409, 
 * Timotk. Alexandr. apud Harduin, Goncil. 
 
Infant-Communion. 123 
 
 6 Years old, had Any come to Communion fo 
 young in That Church ? 
 
 Pope Leo (about A. D. 440) fpeaks of com- 
 municating Infants : But by His Account of 
 Them, They were old enough to make Their 
 Refponfes, to fay Ame?2, if not more ^. 
 
 DioNYsiusfo called (probably P^/r/^j Fidlo s, 
 who lived about A. D. 480) is fuppofed to 
 fpeak of the Communion as given to Children^ t 
 But, an attentive Reader will fee Reafon to 
 believe, that the whole PafTage is to be under- 
 ftood of Baptifm only ^. 
 
 Gennadi us Massiliensis mentions 
 Childre?i as admitted to Communion^ after re- 
 turning from Heretical Aflemblies to the 
 Church : And He would have Others anfwer 
 for Them with Refpecft to Their Faith. He lays 
 down the fame Rule for Adults in that Cafe, 
 if flow of Underftanding i. So that the Par^ 
 vuli^ the Children^ of whom He fpeaks, might 
 be 7, or 10 Years old, if not more : For Boys 
 at That Age might not be capable of giving 
 any rational, fatisfacftory Account of their Faith, 
 in difputed Articles. 
 
 Gregory 
 
 ' Leo. Epift. 49. p. ? 18, Tom. I. Edit. Quenell. 
 S Vi4- tequien. Differtat. Damafcen. p. 43, 
 
 * Dionyjtajier. Ecclef. Hierarch. c. vii. nil. p. 417. 
 
 * Conf. Pfeudo-juftin. Qaceition. ad. Orth.odoX. 375j 376, 
 And Vafquez. Tom. III. p. 337, 
 
 j Qemmus Ma^S^il Dogmat, c. kxU' ; 
 
1 24 An Enquiry concerning 
 
 Gregory o^ Tours (about A. D. 573) tells us 
 a Story of an Infant-yew who happen'd to re- 
 ceive the Eiicharifl among the Chrijiian Chil- 
 dren, Communicants ^ The Story perhaps is 
 fabulous : But His Manner of telling it is an 
 Argument of the PraSiice of His own Time. 
 However, That Child which He fpeaks of was 
 fuppofed to be old enough to make a Report 
 of what had been done, and therefore was not 
 a mere Infant. 
 
 The XI^li Council of Toledo (A. D. 673) has 
 been fometimes cited in Favour of the Pradice 
 of Infant-Communion -, where, in Mitigation of 
 a former Canon (which had laid the Cenfure 
 of Excommunication upon Thofe who did not 
 eat and drink the Elements, when admini- 
 flred) They provided a Salvo or Exception for 
 Perfons under Sicknefs, or under a State of In- 
 fancy : But I leave it to the Learned to con- 
 Uder whether the Words may not rather be 
 underflood of u4dult Perfons, who might hap- 
 pen to h^ fpeechkfs thro' fome Difeafe, and fo 
 not able to give Account of Themfelves, during 
 That Exigency : For, it would be ftrange to 
 imagine, or fufpedt that any mere Infants fliou'd 
 be excommunicated. 
 
 BepEj 
 
 ^ Gffgor. Turon. p. 732. Ed. Bened, 
 iV/V^;/&. L. XVII. c, XXV. 
 
Infant-Communion. 125 
 
 Bede, in the Year 734, fipe^ks o£ Boys and 
 Girls coming to Communion, and both ap- 
 proves and advifes it ' : But He fays not a 
 word of mere Infants: Which yet He could 
 not well have omitted on That Occafion, had 
 it been the Pradice of His Time, or had He 
 entertain'd any Notion of the ^nO: NeceJJity of 
 Infant- Communion, 
 
 The Gregorian Sacramentary does indeed 
 fpeak very plainly of Infant-Communion ^ : And 
 fo llkewife does the Or do Romanus " : But Both 
 thofe Offices, confidered as interpolated^ and 
 according to the State they now appear in, 
 may reafonably be judged to bear Date no ear- 
 lier than the Decline of the VIIF^ Century^ or 
 Beginning of the IX^h, if fo early °. By That 
 Time, it is granted Infant ^Communion had crept 
 in, and under a Perfuafion of its Necejity^ 
 founded upon John vi, taken together with 
 fome Paifages of the Antierits mifunderflood. 
 
 The 
 
 • Beda Epift. ad Ecgbert. p. 311. Edit. Cant 
 
 ^ Pontifex redit in Sacrarium, expeftans ut cum veftiti fuerint 
 Infantes, confirmet Eos, Qui etiam non prohibentur la£iari ante 
 Sacram Communionem. Gregor, Sacram. L. I. c. xx. 
 ■ ° lUud autem de Parvulis providendum eft, ut poftquam bapti- 
 zati fuerint, nullum Cibum accipiant, nee la£lentur antequam 
 communicent Sacramenta Corporis Chrifti. Ordo. Rom. I. p 28. 
 in Mabillon. Muf. Ital. Tom. II. Conf. Martene de Antiq. Eccl. 
 Kit. Tom. I. p. 177, 179, 180, 181, 198. 
 
 ** See Dodn-vell, of Incenfing, n. 55. p, 218. 
 
 Dcillicus, De Confirmat. p, 377. 
 
 0»^/3, Tom.I. p. 18 1 8. 
 
126 An Enquiry concerning 
 
 The Sum is, that the early Ages did give thd 
 CommuiiiQn, not to mere Infants^ but to Child- 
 ren of ten years old, or perhaps y^^u^-^ j fcarcely 
 to Any younger ; unlefs we may except the 
 iingle Inftance reported by Cyprian. I men- 
 tion ^Ten years old), becaufe That was the Age 
 pitch'd upon as the moll Hkely for Children, 
 ordinarily, to become guilty of aciual Sin, or 
 for Sin to be imputed?, I mention y^-u^-w ; be- 
 caufe fome Children (of better Education, or 
 riper Capacity) might even at that Age be 
 thought capable of Sin : Or That Age might 
 be pitch'd upon for the greater Caution and 
 Security : Such feems to have been the Rule 
 formerly in the Church of Alexandria ; as I 
 have before hinted, and of fome Latins in later 
 Times q : And fuch is the Rule of the Muf' 
 covites at This Day ■■ j derived, very probably^ 
 from ancie?2t Tradition. For, tho' the Ancients 
 conftantly maintain'd the Sufficie?tcy of Baptifm 
 to the Salvation of Infants j yet They extended 
 it not beyond the Time of Their Infancy^ or 
 Non-age 5 conceiving it to hold certainly while 
 fuch Children fliould be incapable of aBual 
 
 Sin, 
 
 * Vid. Timoth. Jlex. Canonic. Refponf. 
 
 Conf. Martene, De Antiq. Eccl. Rit. Tom. I, p. 43 1. 
 
 ^ Vid. Martene, Anecdot. Tom. IV. p. 712, 1082. 
 
 Apoftol. Conft. L. VII. c. xxv. p. 374. 
 
 "" Han-ish Voyages, Vol. II. p. 182, 238. 
 
 Bnre'wood, p. 167. 
 
Infant-Communion. 127 
 
 Sin, or grievous Sin, and no longer s : So that 
 as foon as a Child fhould arrive to the Age at- 
 which Sins are imputable. They might think 
 the ufe of the other Sacrament necejjary^ or at 
 leaft expedient 2ind.fafe, The Dodlrine of our 
 Church is 5 that it is certain by God's Word, 
 that Children which are baptized, dying before 
 'They commit aSiual Sin, are undoubtedly J aved^ : 
 In which Words the undoubted Sufficiency of 
 Baptifm is extended no farther, than to the 
 Time of committing aSiual Sin. The Suffi- 
 ciency of Baptifm, while it excludes the Ne- 
 cejity of Infant-Communion, is no Argument by 
 it felf againft a more early Communion than 
 is now in Pracftice amongil us : So that the 
 Antients were very confiftent in not admitting 
 Infant-Communion properly fo called, but withal 
 admitting Children of 6, 7, or 10 Years of Age 
 to the Lord's Table. 
 
 However, 
 
 6 See St. Auftin above, p. 8, lo. 
 
 The fame Principle obtain'd down to the IX"* Century, as 
 appears from Strabo, De Reb. Eccl. c. vi. 
 
 * Kubrick at the End of the Office of Publick Baptifm of In- 
 fants. N. B. This Kubrick in King Ed-ward's Firft Book ran 
 thus: And that no Man Jhall think, that any Detriment Jhall come 
 to Children by differ7-ing of Their Confirmation, He fnall hionu for 
 Truth, that it is certain by God's Word, that Children being bap- 
 tized (if They depart out of this Life in Their Infancy) are un- 
 doubtedly faved. In King Edward's Second Book, it ran thus : 
 It is certain by God's Word, that Children being baptized ha^e all 
 Things neceffary for Their Salvation, and be undoubtedly fa-ved. 
 At the Reftoration it was altered to what it now is, amounting to 
 the fame in Senfe with what it firft was. . . 
 
128 An Enquiry comer jiing 
 
 However, it is certain that They did not, 
 could not proceed upon 'John vi, in fuch Their 
 practice : For, had They founded it upon 
 Verfe 53*^, rigoroufly interpreted, They muffc 
 have given the Communion even to mere In- 
 fants^ as the Greeks of late Times have done ^. 
 Tht Ancients feem to have founded Their Prac- 
 tice upon prudential Reafons, or general Rea- 
 fons of Edification, purfuant to Chriftian Prin- 
 ciples. They biew that Children were fafe in 
 Their Baptijin, while guilty of no aBiial Sins : 
 They knew not fo certainly whether They were 
 feciire after committing ^/Vw, without 'Repen- 
 tance and the Eucha?-ijl befides : They chofe 
 what They thought was fafejl and bcft : Upon 
 that Principle, probably (for I have no clear 
 and certain Authorities for it) They gave the 
 Communion to Children^ at fuch an Age as I 
 have before mention'd. 
 
 V. 
 
 Now, if it fliould be afk*d, whether We 
 at this Day may not be obliged to do the fame ^ 
 I take leave to anfwer as follows. 
 
 I. Scripture 
 
 * Nic. Cahajilas of the XIV''' Century, Sifneon Thejfalonlcenjis 
 ©f the XV*, and Others of the XVP*' are cited in Jrcudius de 
 Concord. Eccl. p. 45, ^r . 324, i^c. Compare G^^rzV/ 6' /W/«" 
 in Leo Allatius, p. 1667. 
 
 Smith's Account of the Greek Church, p. 161, 
 
 Siinonh Crit. Hiil. p. 5, 6, 13. 
 
 Co^el, p. i86. 
 
Infant-Communion. 129 
 
 1. Scripture hath not precifely determined, 
 at what Jge a Perfon fliould firfl be admitted 
 to Communion. 2. There is no Example of 
 admitting young Children to it, till the Time 
 of Cyprian, the Middle of the T^hird Cen- 
 tury : And it might be much later, before 
 the Prad:ice became general. 3. If the 
 Pra(Stice was founded (as probably it was) 
 upon This Principle ; that as foon as Baptifm 
 became impaired^ the Ufe of the Eucharifi 
 ought to come in as fiihjidiary, or fupple- 
 mental to it ; it was a Principle of Weight, 
 but not certain enough to create any ftriSi 
 Obligation : For, iince Baptijm hath its federal 
 Effe(5l all along ; who can prefunie to fay, 
 that the Baptifm preceding,, and the Repen- 
 tance yi//^y?^z^^;z^, may not hQ fiifficient for Re- 
 mijjion, till fuch Time as Children grow up to 
 riper Age, fo as to be better qualified for Self-^ 
 Examination^ and for difcerning the Lord's 
 Body in the Holy Communion ? 4. Since the 
 Queftion feems to turn chiefly upon the Ex- 
 pediency of the Thing, and Iince Expediency is 
 known to vary with Times and Circumftan- 
 ces i it feems to be moflly left to the Wijdom 
 and Integrity of Church- Governors, to deter- 
 mine, in every Church, what fhall be judged. 
 
 Vol. II. D d iipon 
 
130 An Enquiry concerning 
 
 upon the whole, moil for the Honour of God, 
 and the Interefts of true Rehgion, and the 
 Good of Souls. Much may be pleaded, on 
 the Foot of 'Expediency, for the ancient Prac- 
 tice w-. Much alfo may be pleaded, on the 
 fame Foot of 'Expediency, for the Modern U- 
 fage X. A Multitude of Circumftances mufl 
 be taken into Account, in Order to form a 
 clear Judgment upon the whole : And there- 
 fore, as I before hinted, it feems to be a Mat- 
 ter properly lodged with the Church- Gove r- 
 norsi whofe Diredions therein are the fafeft 
 Rule for private Chrillians to be guided by, 
 and to fubmit to without Heiitation or Scru- 
 ple. The Antients exprefs'd Their Reverence 
 for the Sacrament in a Way fuitable, perhaps,' 
 to Their Circumllances : The Moderns may 
 exprefs no lefs Reverence for the fame Sacrament 
 in a Way fomewhat different, as Circumflan- 
 ces are alfo different. It is fufiicient to have 
 Hiewn, that the Antients did not pradife In- 
 fant- Communion^ 
 
 ^^ See Bifhop Taylors Worthy Communicant, Ch. iii. §. 2. 
 p, 142, b'r. 
 
 P^/Vf^'s Effay, Part IV. p. 171, ^c, 
 ^ See Eifliop Taylor, ibid, p, 147. 
 ^KzV^r. Thefaur. Tom. II. p. 1139. 
 Bingham, XV. 4. 7. 
 Arcud'ius, de Concord. Eccl. p. 44. 
 Tovjer/on on the Sacraments, p. 282. 
 
Infant-Communion. 131 
 
 f ant-Communion, properly fo called, at all j nor 
 give the Communion to Childfrn under a No- 
 tion of fuch ftricfl Necejfity as hath been pre- 
 tended. They had Thtw prude?2tial Reafons 
 for Their Prattice in Their Times 3 and We 
 alfo have the like prudential Reafons for a dif- 
 ferent Prad:ice in Ours. 
 
 VI. 
 
 Before I take Leave of the Subjed:, it may 
 not be improper to take fome Notice of the 
 Condud: of the Rommiijis with relation to the 
 Charge made againfl the Antients j as likewife 
 of the Condudt of the Protefants in relation 
 to the fame Charge : Becaufe, as 1 conceive. 
 Neither of Them have been fo careful to do 
 the Antients Juflice in This Article, as might 
 have been expelled, or dedred. 
 
 The Romanijls, for the Sake of Two great 
 Popes, Innocent and Gelasius, and for 
 the Honour of the T^rent -Council, are obliged, 
 in a Manner, to acquit the Antiejits of teach- 
 ing the Necejjity of Infant -Communion : And 
 therefore feveral very learned Writers/ amongfl: 
 
 Vol. II. Dd 2 Them 
 
 y Arcudius de Sacram. Euchar. L. iii. c. xlv. p. 344, ^V. 
 Bona de Reb. Liturg. L. ii. c. xix. p. 7 1 1. 
 I'loris Vindic. Auguflin. civ. p. 71. item p. 167. 
 
 Natalis 
 
132 An 'Enquiry concerning 
 
 Them have particularly laboured in This Ar- 
 ticle, to take off the injurious Imputation. 
 Neverthelefs, They appear but faint or lame 
 Advocates in This Caufe ; not maintaining it 
 to Advantage, or not upon right Principles j 
 becaufe They are perplex'd with Another 
 Caufe, wherein They think it concerns Them 
 to extol the EuchariJ} very highly, derogating 
 as much from the Other S(ic?'-af7tent. They 
 cannot bear to be told, that Baptifm carries in 
 it all the Spiritual Graces and Privileges which 
 the Euchariji can be fuppofed to do ; or that 
 it is as properly a Sacrifice as the Euchariji is j 
 or that it makes a Perfon Partaker of the 
 Body and Blood of Chrift, for the Time being, 
 as much as the Euchariji does. Thefe are all 
 true and found Principles ; and upon Thefe 
 Principles, the Antients maintain'd the Sujici- 
 ency of Baptifm^ in Oppoiition to any fuppofed 
 Necejjity of Infant -Com nnmi on : But as the pre- 
 fent Roma?ii/is cannot go fo far, without 
 rifquing the Credit of TranJubJia7itiation, which 
 They are flrangely fond of j They cannot 
 
 make 
 
 Natalis Mxand. Tom. III. Sec. ii. Differt. XVI. p. 549. item 
 Tom. V. p. ! 29. 
 
 The BenediSline Editors of St. Jitjiln, Tom. X. 
 
 7heol. Lo'vatziettf. Aaguftin. Opp. Tom. VII. p. 189. in An- 
 not. 
 
 fafquez. in 3 Thorn. Difp. 214. c. iv. S. 35, 36. 
 
Infant-Communion. 133 
 
 make fo clear, or open, or full Defence of the 
 Fathers in This Article, as might be wiih'd. 
 Maldonatez, for His Part, was content to 
 give Them up in This Point, for the Sake of 
 eftablifliing His own Conftrud:ion of John vi. 
 And a late zealous Defender of 'Tranfubjianti- 
 ation, finding that the high Notions of the 
 Efficacy oi Baptijm flood in His Way, has been 
 pleafed to inlinuate, that what the Antients 
 have fo frequently inculcated in Favour of One 
 Sacrament, was to be under flood of Both Sa- 
 craments in Conjundion^ ; and thus He hoped 
 to get clear of the plain and full Teftimonies 
 pleaded by the learned and judicious Alber- 
 TiNUsb. This new Turn may indeed ferve 
 the Romifi Canfe, in One Branch of Contro- 
 verfy j but it is betraying it in Another, where- 
 in the Credit of Pope Innocent, and of Pope 
 Gelasius, and of the Decrees of the Tre?it- 
 Coimcil appear nearly concerned : For, unlefs 
 the Fathers really taught the Szifficie?2cy of 
 Baptijm alone, to fuch Purpofes as have been 
 mention'd, there is no effectual Way of clear- 
 ing the Fathers from the Charge of maintain- 
 ing the NeceJJity of Infant -Cortununion 5 tho* 
 
 the 
 
 2 Maldonat. in Johan. vi. 53. p. i486, 1487, 1438. 
 
 ^ Touttai Differtat. prfev. in Cyrill. Hierof. p. 192, 206, 208, 
 
 ^ Jlbertin. de Eucharift. 
 
134 -^^ Enquiry concerning 
 
 the Trent-Coimcil h2ith. affirm'd that They iland 
 clear of it. 
 
 As to ProteJia?2fs, I cannot fay that They 
 have condu(fled always unexceptionably in This 
 Article : For tho', in the Controverfy about 
 the Eiicharifi^ They have conftantly pleaded 
 the Authority of the Antients^ as to making 
 ■ Baptif77i equivalent to the Eucbariji in all Re- 
 fpecfls, or in fome Refpecfts more confiderable, 
 which is fo far right j yet, for the Sake of 
 overthrowing Papal Infallibility, They have 
 fometimes been too willing to give up Inno- 
 cent and Gelasius, (and with Them St. 
 Austin alfo, and oihtv Antie?Jts^) with re- 
 fpedl to the NeceJJity of Infant-Communion : 
 Which, in EfFed:, feems to be pulling down 
 with one Hand, what They build with the 
 other. Either let the Antients be allowed to 
 fpeak fully up to the Suficiency of Baptifn-y 
 and then They add much Weight to the pj'-o- 
 teftant Caufe in the Controverfy about the 
 Eiichariji : Or, if They were weak enough 
 to aflert the NeceJJity of Infant -Communion ; let 
 Them not be called in to prove that Baptifn 
 
 amounted 
 
 « So Dr. Wall. Hift. of Inf. Bapt. Part II. c. 9. 
 
 And Bingham XV. 4, 7. But ^homelike thought morejuftly 
 of the Fathers in I'his Article, Epilog, p. 176. De jur. finiend, 
 Controv. p. 285. 
 
Infant-Communion. 
 
 135 
 
 amounted to Spiritual SacriJicCy or that it was 
 the fame Thing, in EfFedt, with Feedij2g upon 
 the Body and Blood of Chrift. There is no 
 maintaining both Parts, no reconciling both 
 Ends of a Contradidiion. 0?2e of the Pofiti- 
 ons, as they confront each other, muft be 
 given up : And I am willing to hope, enough 
 hath been faid to determine impartial Judges, 
 which to give up, and which to retain. 
 
 FINIS. 
 
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