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THEOLOGICAL TRACTS. 
 
THEOLOGICAL TRACTS, 
 
 SELECTED AND ORIGINAL, 
 
 BY JOHN'^ROWN, D.D. 
 
 PROFESSOR OF EXEGETICAL THEOLOGY TO THE UNITED PRESBTTERIAN CHURCH, 
 
 AKD SENIOR PASTOR OF THE UNITED PRESBYTERIAN CONGREGATION, 
 
 BROUGHTON PLAGE, EDINBURGH. 
 
 VOL. III. 
 
 A. FULLARTON & CO.: 
 
 44 SOUTH BRIDGE, EDINBURGH; AND 106 NEWGATE 
 STREET, LONDON. 
 
 1854. 
 
Eni.MiuuGii: 
 
 FL-LCARTON AND MACNAB, PKINTERS, I.EITH WALK. 
 
PREFATORY NOTE TO VOL. III. 
 
 This volume will be found, it is hoped, at least equally 
 deserving as its two precursors of a kind reception from 
 those for whose advantage it is primarily intended. 
 The tracts are more numerous, and not less varied and 
 important in their subjects, than those in the volumes for- 
 merly published. Six of them are original, and though 
 not prepared for publication by the authors, are every way 
 worthy of their high reputation. The reprint of Andrew 
 Marvell's acute and witty Tract in defence of Howe, — a 
 tract which though not inferior to any thing its distin- 
 guished author has written, has never been included in any 
 collection of his works, and which, as only one copy of it 
 is known to exist, was in great danger of being lost, — 
 gives a peculiar value to the volume. 
 
 Errata. 
 
 Vol. i. page 237, second line, /or 1788 read 1778. 
 
 241, last line,/o?' Bishops read Bishop. 
 Vol. ii. page 5, eighth line from foot,/o?' Home read Hurd. 
 
 143, eighth line, for hearkening read hankering. 
 170, eighth line from foot, /or inconsistent read 
 consistent. 
 
CONTENTS OF VOL. III. 
 
 Page 
 I. 
 
 THE RECOXCILEABLENESS OF GOD'S PRESCIENCE OF THE SINS OF 
 MEN, WITH THE WISDOM AND SINCERITY OF HIS COUNSELS, EX- 
 HORTATIONS, AND WHATSOEVER MEANS HE USES TO PREVENT 
 THEM. IN A LETTER TO THE HON. ROBERT BOYLE, ESQ., TO 
 WHICH IS ADDED A POSTSCRIPT IN DEFENCE OF THE SAID LETTER, 1 
 
 BY THE REV. JOHN HOWE, M.A. 
 
 II. 
 
 REMARKS UPON A LATE DISINGENUOUS DISCOURSE, WRIT BY ONE 
 T. D., UNDER THE PRETENCE " DE CAUSA DEI," AND OF ANSWER- 
 ING MR. JOHN HOWE'S LETTER AND POSTSCRIPT OP GOD'S PRE- 
 SCIENCE, &C., ...... 75 
 
 BY ANDREW IIAKVEIX. 
 
 III. 
 
 ON THE AEIAN HYPOTHESIS RESPECTING THE PERSON OF CHRIST, 139 
 
 BY ROBEKT BALMER, D.D. 
 
 IV. 
 
 ON THE STRENGTH OP THE EVIDENCES FOR THE DIVINITY OF CHRIST, 157 
 BY ROBERT BALMEK, D.D. 
 
 ON THE PERSONALITY OP THE HOLY SPIRIT, . . 169 
 
 BY ROBEKT BALMEK, D D. 
 
 VI. 
 
 ON THE DIVINITY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, . . • 185 
 
 BY ROBEKT BALMEK, D.D. 
 
VIII CONTENTS. 
 
 Page 
 VII. 
 
 REMARKS ON THE DOCTRINE OF THE DIVINE DECREES, . 205 
 
 BY KOBEUT BAIMER, D.I). 
 
 VIII. 
 
 ON THE GLOKY OF GOD AS THE GREAT END OF MORAL ACTION, 219 
 
 BY JOHN MAETIN, D.D. 
 
 IX. 
 
 BRIEF THOUGHTS: I. CONCERNING THE GOSPEL, AND THE HIN- 
 DRANCES TO BELIEVE IT. II. CONCERNING THE WAY IN WHICH 
 
 THE GOSPEL BELIEVED GIVES PEACE AND HOPE. III. CONCERN- 
 ING THE WAY IN AVHICH A BELIEVER COMES AT TRUE SATI.'iFAC- 
 TION ABOUT HIS STATE TOWARDS GOD, . . . 243 
 BY THE REV. SAMUEL PIKE. 
 
 X. 
 
 THE LEADING DOCTRINES OF THE GOSPEL STATED AND DEFENDED. 283 
 BY JOHN SNODGKASS, D.D. 
 
 XI. 
 
 THE PROGRESS OP THE CHRISTIAN RELIGION, . . 334 
 
 BY THOMAS HARDY, D.D. 
 
 XII. 
 
 OBSERVATIONS ON THE CONDUCT AND CHARACTER OF J UDAS ISCARIOT, 371 
 BY THE REV. JOHN BONAE. 
 
 XIII. 
 
 ON THE PERFECTION AND USEFULNESS OP THE DIVINE LAW, 399 
 
 BY JOHN SHALLEY, D.D. 
 
THE RECONCILEABLENESS 
 
 OF 
 
 GOD'S PEESCIENCE OF THE SINS OF MEN, 
 
 WISDOM AND SINCERITY OF HIS COUNSELS, EXHORTATIONS, AND 
 WHATSOEVER MEANS HE USES TO PREVENT THEM. 
 
 IN A LETTER 
 
 TO THE HON. ROBERT BOYLE, Esq., 
 
 TO WHICH IS ADDED 
 
 A POSTSCRIPT IN DEFENCE OF THE SAID LETTER. 
 
 REV. JOHN HOWE, M.A. 
 
PREFATORY NOTICE. 
 
 John Howe, one of England's first Theologians, was bom May 17, 
 1630, at Loughborough, Leicestershire, of which place his father 
 was minister. Being ejected from his living for Puritanism, the 
 elder Howe sought a refuge in Ireland; but was soon, in conse- 
 quence of the breaking out of the rebellion, obliged to return to his 
 native countiy. His son was, at seventeen years of age, admitted as 
 a sizer into Christ's College, Cambridge, where he became acquainted 
 with Cudworth and More, with the latter of whom he formed an 
 intimate friendship. He remained at Cambridge till 1648, when 
 he took his degree of B,A. : after which he repaired to the Sister 
 university and took the same degree there January 18, 1649. He 
 obtained a fellowship in Magdalene College, and at the early age 
 of twenty-two took the degree of M.A. He joined a small church 
 under the pastoral care of Ur, Goodwin, the President of his Col- 
 lege, and was soon after presbyterially ordained at Winwick, Mr. 
 Herle, who succeeded Dr. Twisse in the chair of the Westminster 
 Assembly, presiding on the occasion. About the year 1650 he 
 settled as a minister at Great Torrington, in Devon, where he 
 laboured most assiduously in all the departments of a Christian 
 pastor's work. Li the close of 1656 or the beginning of 1657, being 
 occasionally in London, he attended divine serA'ice in the chapel of 
 Whitehall. His appearance attracted Cromwell's attention. At 
 the close of the service a message was sent Howe, informing him 
 that the Protector wished to sjieak with him. The conversation 
 led to a request to preach at Whitehall chapel next Lord's day. 
 The request was respectfully declined, but Cromwell would take 
 no denial, and the result was that, not without reluctance, Howe 
 was induced to accept the proffered office of the Protector's domes- 
 tic chaplain, and removed his family from Torrington to Whitehall. 
 He retained this situation till the deposition of Richard Cromwell 
 from the Protectorship, when he gladly returned to his beloved 
 
V PREFATORY NOTICE. 
 
 people at Torrington, from whom he had been reluctantly sepa- 
 rated. Immediately after the restoration an attempt was made to 
 ruin him by a charge of having uttered seditious and even treason- 
 able matter from the pulpit. After a double trial, the judge found 
 " that the charge was wholly founded on a mistake," and cleared 
 him. It was not long, however, when in consequence of the act 
 of Unifonnity, he, along with more than two thousand of his 
 brethren, was deprived of his living on Bartholomew's day, August 
 24, 1662. But though Howe was an ejected minister he could not 
 consent to be a silenced one — but availed himself of every opportu- 
 nity of preaching in private houses those truths which he was 
 no longer pejmitted to proclaim in public. In consequence of 
 this he was soon brought into trouble. For several years he con- 
 tinued to lead the life of a fugitive and a wanderer. To add to his 
 scanty means of subsistence probably he in 1668 published "The 
 lilessedness of the Righteous" a practical treatise which has few 
 equals — perhaps no superior. It met with the success it desei"vcd, 
 and likely led to his being invited to become domestic chaplain to 
 Lord Massarene of Antrim Castle, Ireland — an offer which he 
 gratefully embraced. He left England for that county early in 
 1G71, and remained in Lord Massarene's family about five years, 
 which probably were the happiest in his life. In 1675 he was in- 
 vited to take charge of a Presbyterian congregation in London, 
 which after mature delibei-ation he resolved to accept. Soon after 
 his removal to London he published the first part of his great work, 
 " The Living Temple," and in 1677 he gave to the world the inge- 
 nious and elaborate tract which holds the first place in this volume, 
 " The reconcileableness of God's Prescience of the Sins of Men, 
 with the wisdom and sincerity of his counsels, exhortations, and 
 whatsoever other means he uses to prevent them" In 1680 he 
 published his admirable " Letter out of the Country to a person of 
 quality in the City, who took off"ence at the late sermon of Dr. 
 Stillingflcet, Dean of St. Paul's, before the Lord Mayor." In 1682 
 he contributed to the continuation of Poole's Annotations — a short 
 commentary on the three Epistles of John, and in 1683 was pub- 
 lished his justly celebrated discourse on " Union among Protes- 
 tants." It was during this year too that he wrote anonymously 
 his exquisite letter of condolence and consolation to Rachel Lady 
 Russell, on the death of her husband, w!:o died a martyr to the 
 
PREFATORY NOTICE. V 
 
 cause of liberty. In 1685 when the persecutions of the Noncon- 
 formists had reached their height, and the prospect of being per- 
 mitted to prosecute his ministry most gloomy, he gladly accepted 
 the invitation of Philip Lord Wharton to accompany him in his 
 travels on the continent. In company with that nobleman he 
 visited some of the most celebrated cities in Europe, and enjoyed 
 literary intercourse with learned men of all parties. As there was 
 no inducement for him to return home, after having spent a year 
 in travel he settled at Utrecht and took a large house for the ac- 
 commodation of English residents. While there he took part with 
 some other Nonconformist ministers, who like himself had pre- 
 ferred exile in Holland to pei'secution at home, in performing the 
 offices of public worship in the English church in that city, and 
 assisted in their studies some young Englishmen attending the 
 university and preparing for the ministr)^. Here he made the ac- 
 quaintance of Dr. Burnet, afterwards Bishop of Salisbuiy, and had 
 several interviews witli the illustrious William Prince of Orange, 
 afterwards King of England, who " ever after," says Calamy, 
 " maintained a great respect for him." In 1687 when King James, 
 for obvious reasons, abandoned every principle of his past policy, 
 and published his " Declaration for Liberty of Conscience," Howe's 
 congregation earnestly entreated him to avail himself of the decla- 
 ration and resume his labours among them; and with this invita- 
 tion he immediately complied. When the Prince of Orange in 
 1688 had amved at St. James's Palace, Howe, at the head of a 
 deputation of Nonconformist ministers, presented a congratulatory 
 address. In 1689 he published "The case of the Protestant Dis- 
 senters represented and argued," and on the passing of the act of 
 toleration on the 24th May in that )'ear, he gave to the world his 
 admirable " Humble requests both to Conformists and Dissenters 
 touching their temper and behaviour to each other upon the lately 
 passed indulgence." He took an active part in endeavouring to 
 unite the Presbyterians and Congregationalists in 1691, and was 
 also involved in the controversies occasioned by the republication 
 of Dr. Crisp's sermons. This occasioned the publication of his 
 sublime discourses entitled " Carnality of Religious Contention," 
 which certainly do, as his colleague Mr. Spademan says, " breathe 
 a heavenly charity and concern for the Christian interest." The 
 discussion of the Trinitarian question by Wallis, Sherlock, South, 
 
VI PREFATORY NOTICE. 
 
 and Cudworth, led to the publication of his "Calm and Sober In- 
 quiry," followed by a "Postscript," in 1694. In 1697 he published 
 his sublime discourse on " The Redeemer's dominion over the 
 invisible world," with a consolatory letter, inferior only to that 
 addressed to Lady Russell, to Sir Charles and Lady Hoghton, on 
 the loss of their son, whose untimely death had occasioned it. In 
 1701-2 he took a part in the controversy with respect to "occa- 
 sional conformity," and advocated with gi'eat power, and in a 
 beautiful spirit, " True Christian Communion." In the last of 
 those years he completed " The Living Temple," publishing the 
 second part and republishing the first part. Towards the close of 
 1 704 plain indications were given that the time was at hand when 
 this great and good man must die. The earthly house of his 
 tabernacle was very gently and gradually taken down. A few 
 weeks before his death he sent to the press his discourse " On 
 Patience in expectation of future blessedness," a virtue, alas, which 
 few find it difficult to practise. Richard Cromwell visited him on 
 his deathbed, and the " faithful chronicler," Calamy, tells us that 
 " there was a great deal of serious discourse between them; tears 
 were freely shed on both sides, and the parting was veiy solemn." 
 He told his wife that " though he loved her as well as it was fit 
 for one creature to love another; yet if it were put to his choice 
 whether to die that moment— or to live for seven years to come, he 
 would choose to die that moment." On his son, a physician, 
 lancing his gangrened leg without apprising him of his intention, 
 he asked what he was doing, adding, " I am not afraid of dying, 
 but I am afraid of pain." His dying declaration was — " I expect 
 salvation, not as a profitable servant, but as a pardoned sinner." 
 He expired without a struggle on April 2d, 1705, having nearly 
 finished his seventy-fifth year. Besides the works mentioned in 
 this notice, Howe published a number of sermons, chiefly funeral, 
 some of which are of transcendent excellence. Since his death 
 many of his sermons have been published— in a state very different 
 from thai in which he would have given them to the world, but 
 almost all of them distinctly marked by the hand of a master. 
 The best account of Howe, and it would be difficult to oven-ate its 
 merits, is " The Life and Character of John Howe, M.A., with an 
 analysis of his writings, by Henry Rogers," 1836. 
 
TO THE HOiX. ROBERT BOYLE. 
 
 Sir, 
 
 The veneration I have long had for your name, could 
 not permit me to apprehend less obligation than that of a law, 
 in your recommendmg to me this subject. For within the 
 whole compass of intellectual employment and affairs, none but 
 who are so unhappy as not at aU to know you, would dispute 
 your right to prescribe, and give law. And taking a nearer 
 view of the province you have assigned me, I must esteem it 
 alike both disingenuous and undutiful, wholly to have refused 
 it. For the less you could think it possible to me to perform 
 in it, the more I might perceive of kindness allaying the autho- 
 rity of the imposition; and have the apprehension the more 
 obvious to me that you rather designed in it mine own advan- 
 tage, than that you reckoned the cause could receive any, by 
 my undertaking it. 
 
 The doubt, I well know, was mentioned by you as other 
 men's, and not your o^\^l•, whose clear mind, and diligent in- 
 quiry, leave you little liable to be encumbered with greater 
 difficulties. Wherefore that I so soon advert from you, and no 
 more allow these papers to express any regard unto you, till 
 the shutting of the discourse, is only a seeming disrespect or 
 indecorum, put in the stead of a real one. For after you have 
 given them the comitenance, as to let it be understood that you 
 gave the first rise and occasion to the business and design of 
 them; I had little reason to slur that stamp put upon them, by 
 adding to their (enough other) faults, that of making them 
 guilty of so great a misdemeanour and impertinency, as to con- 
 tinue a discourse of this length, to one that hath so little leisure 
 or occasion to attend to any thing that can be said by them. 
 
GOD'S PRESCIENCE OF THE SINS OF MEK 
 
 Sect. I. What there is of difficulty in this matter I cannot 
 pretend to set down in those most apt expressions wherein 
 it was represented to me, and must therefore endeavour to 
 supply a bad memory out of a worse invention. So much 
 appears very obvious, that ascribing to the ever blessed 
 God, among the other attributes which we take to belong 
 to an every way perfect Being, a knowledge so perfect as 
 shall admit of no possible accession or increase, and con- 
 sequently the prescience of all future events, as whereof we 
 doubt him not to have the distinct knowledge when they 
 shall have actually come to pass ; since many of those events 
 are the sinful actions or omissions of men, which he earnestly 
 counsels and warns them against; this matter of doubt can- 
 not but arise hereupon, viz., " How it can stand with the 
 wisdom and sincerity which our own thoughts do by the 
 earliest anticipation challenge to that ever happy Being, to 
 use these (or any other means) with a visible design to pre- 
 vent that, which in the mean time appears to that all-seeing 
 eye sure to come to pass." So that, by this representation 
 of the case, there seem to be committed together, — either, 
 first, God's wisdom with this part of his knowledge, for we 
 judge it not to consist with the wisdom of a man, to design 
 and pursue an end, which he foreknows he shall never at- 
 tain : or secondly, the same foreknowledge with his sincerity 
 and uprightness, that he seems intent upon an end, whicli 
 indeed he intends not. The matter then comes shortly to 
 this sum. Either the holy God seriously intends the pre- 
 vention of such foreseen sinful actions and omissions, or he 
 
10 THE riECOXCILEABLENESS 
 
 doth not intend it. If he do, his wisdom seems liable to be 
 impleaded, as above. If he do not, his uprightness and truth. 
 My purpose is not, in treating of this affair, to move a 
 dispute concerning tlie fitness of the words prescience or 
 foreknowledge, or to trouble this discourse with notions I 
 understand not, of the indivisibility and unsuccessiveness of 
 eternal duration, whence it would be collected there can be 
 no such thing as first or second, fore or after, knowledge in 
 that duration ; but be contented to speak as I can under- 
 stand, and be understood — that is, to call that foreknow- 
 ledge which is the knowledge of somewhat that as yet is 
 not, but that shall sometime come to pass : for it were a 
 mere piece of legerdemain, only to amuse inquirers whom 
 one would pretend to satisfy ; or to fly to a cloud for refuge 
 from the force of an argument, and avoid an occurring 
 difficulty by the present reliefless shift of involving oneself 
 in greater. Nor shall I design to myself so large a field as 
 a tractate concerning the Divine prescience, so as to be 
 obliged to discourse particularly whatsoever may be thought 
 to belong to that theological topic; but confine the dis- 
 course to my enjoined subject, and offer only such consider- 
 ations as may some way tend to expedite or alleviate the 
 present difficulty. 
 
 Sect. II. It were one of the greatest injuries to religion,' 
 a subversion indeed of its very foundations, and than by 
 doing which, wo could not more highly gratify atheistical 
 minds, instead, and under pretence of ascribing perfec- 
 tions to the nature of God, to ascribe to it inconsistencies, 
 or to give a self-repugnant notion of that adorable Being, 
 the parts whereof should justle and not accord with one 
 another. And yet equal eare is to be taken lest, while we 
 endeavour to frame a consistent notion of God, we reject 
 from it anything that is truly a perfection, and so give a 
 maimed one ; whereby we should undo our own design, 
 and by our over-much caution to make our conception of 
 him agree Avith itself, make it disagree to him : for to .fti 
 absolutely perfect Being, no other can agree than that, 
 which not only is not made up of contradictions ; but which 
 also comprehends in it all real perfections either explicitly. 
 
OF god's prescience, &c. 11 
 
 or whicli leaves room for all, by not positively excluding 
 any of them : which to do, and afterwards to assign that as 
 the proper notion of God, were itself the greatest contra- 
 diction. We need, therefore, to be very wary, lest we pro- 
 nounce too hastily concerning- any thing which, to our most 
 sedate thoughts, appears simply a perfection in itself, that 
 it carries with it a repugnancy to somewhat else necessary 
 to be ascribed to him. 
 
 We are first to suspect (as there is greatest cause) and 
 inquire whether the ail be not wholly in our own minds; 
 which in this and such like cases, we certainly shall, upon 
 due reflection, find labouring under the natural defect of 
 that incomprehensive narrowness that is, in some degree, 
 unavoidably followed with confusion and indistinctness of 
 thoughts; and may perhaps find cause to accuse them of 
 the more culpable evils, both of slothfulness, that withholds 
 them from doing what they can, and self-conceit, by which 
 they imagine to themselves an ability of doing what they 
 cannot. It cannot be unobserved by them that have made 
 themselves any part of their own study, that it is very inci- 
 dent to our minds, to grasp at more than they can compass ; 
 and then, through their own scantiness, (like the little hand 
 of a child,) to throw away one thing that hath pleased lis, 
 to make room for another, because we cannot comprehend 
 both together. It is not strange, that our so straitly limited 
 understandings should not be able to lodge commodiously 
 the immense perfections of a deity; so as to allow them 
 liberty to spread themselves in our thoughts in their entire 
 proportions. And because we cannot, we complain, when 
 we feel ourselves a little pinched that the things will not 
 consist; when the matter is, that we have unduly crowded 
 and huddled them up together, in our incomprehensive 
 minds, that have not distinctly conceived them. 
 
 And though this consideration should not be used for the 
 protection of an usurped liberty of fastening upon God, ar- 
 bitrarily and at random, what we please; (as indeed what 
 so gross absurdity might not any one give shelter to by 
 such a misapplication of it?) we ought yet to think it sea- 
 sonably applied, when we find ourselves urged with diflScul- 
 ties on one hand and the other; and apprehend it hard, 
 
12 THE RECONCILEABLENESS 
 
 with clearness and satisfaction, to ascribe to God, what we 
 also find it not easy not to ascribe. Nor would it be less 
 unfit to apply it for the patronage of that slothfulness 
 wherein our discouraged minds are sometimes too prone to 
 indulge themselves. To which purpose I remember some- 
 what very apposite in Minucius Felix, that many, through the 
 mere tediousness of finding out the truth, do rather, by a mean 
 succumbency, yield to the first specious show of any opinion 
 whatsoever, than be at the trouble, by a pertinacious dili- 
 gence, of applying themselves to a thorough search. Though 
 the comprehension of our minds be not infinite, it might be 
 extended much further than usually it is, if we would allow 
 ourselves with patient diligence to consider things at leisure, 
 and so as gradually to stretch and enlarge our own under- 
 standings. Many things have carried the appearance of 
 contradiction and inconsistency to the first view of our 
 straitened minds, which afterwards we have, upon repeated 
 consideration and endeavour, found room for, and been able 
 to make fairly accord, and lodge together. 
 
 Especially we should take heed lest it be excluded by 
 over-much conceitedness, and a self-arrogating pride, that 
 disdains to be thought not able to see through every thing, 
 by the first and slightest glance of a haughty eye ; and per- 
 emptorily determines that to be unintelligible, that an arro- 
 gant, uninstructed mind hath only not humility enough to 
 acknowledge difficult to be understood. Whence it is too 
 possible some may be over-prone to detract from God what 
 really belongs to him, lest any thing should seem detracted 
 from themselves, and impute imperfection to him rather 
 than confess their own ; and may be so over-ascribing to 
 themselves, as to reckon it a disparagement not to be en- 
 dured, to seem a little puzzled for the present, to be put to 
 pause, and draw breath awhile, and look into the matter 
 again and again ; which if their liumility and patience would 
 enable them to do, it is not likely that the Author of our 
 faculties would be unassisting to them, in those our inqui- 
 ries which concern our duty towards himself. For thougli 
 in matters of mere speculation, we may be encountered with 
 difficulties, whereof perhajjs no mortal can ever be able to 
 find out the solution, (which is no great prejudice, and may 
 
OF god's prescience, &;C. 13 
 
 be gainful and instructive to us,) yet as to what concerns 
 the object of our religion, it is to be hoped we are not left 
 in inextricable entanglements; nor should think we are till 
 we have made our utmost trial; the design being not to 
 gratify our curiosity, but to relieve ourselves of uncomfort- 
 able doubtfulness in the matter of our worship, and (in a 
 dutiful zeal towards the blessed object thereof) to vindicate 
 it against the cavils of ill-minded men. 
 
 Sect. III. But if the unsuccessfulness of often repeated 
 endeavours make us despair of being able, with so full sat- 
 isfaction, to reconcile some things which we have thought 
 were to be attributed to God ; it will be some relief to us, 
 if we find the things about which the doubt lies, are not of 
 the same order, nor such as with equal evidence and neces- 
 sity are to be affirmed of him. And when we make a com- 
 parison, we may find ourselves at a certainty concerning 
 those his attributes which most commonly, and at tlie first 
 view, approve themselves to every man's understanding. 
 Among which we little hesitate, (as we are most concerned 
 not to do,) about those which carry with them the import 
 of moral goodness ; and which render the object of our reli- 
 gion, at once, both most venerable and lovely : for none do 
 more naturally obtain for common notions concerning him ; 
 so as even to prevent ratiocination or argument, with whom- 
 soever the apprehension of his existence hath place. 
 
 Every man's mind, it being once acknowledged that there 
 is a God, refuses to conceive otherwise of him, than that he 
 is holy, just, merciful, true, &c., and rejects with abhorrence 
 the notion of an impure, unrighteous, cruel, deceitful Deity. 
 As for those that, by a long train of our own more uncer- 
 tain and lubricous reasonings, we endeavour to deduce, if 
 we find ourselves constrained any where to admit a diffi- 
 dence, it were rather to be placed here. For it is at first 
 sight evident, since God is most certainly willing to be 
 known of them that are sincerely willing to know him, that 
 what is a natural impression, stamped by his own hand on 
 every man's mind, hath more of absolute certainty, than 
 what depends on metaphysical subtlety ; whereof so very 
 few are capable, and whereby diverse pretenders thereto, 
 
14 THE RECONCILEABLENESS 
 
 do SO frequently (and perhaps very dangerously) ensnare 
 themselves. And it is of far greater importance, such a 
 notion of God be entertained, as whereby he may be ren- 
 dered amiable, and an inviting object of love, (the very life 
 and soul of all religion,) than such as shall be the result, 
 and entertainment, only of scholastic wit. 
 
 Yet also, since it is very manifest that man has now be- 
 come a degenerate creature, and in an apostacy from God, 
 he is very little to be trusted with the framing his own idea 
 of him ; being certainly most unapt to allow any thing a 
 place in it, that would have an unfavourable aspect upon 
 his vicious inclinations and his guilty state. And the con- 
 tagion of man's sinfulness having spread itself as far as he 
 hath propagated his own nature, so as no notion in his 
 mind can be more common than the perversion and distem- 
 per of his mind itself; the possibility and danger is very 
 obvious, of mistaking a dictate of depraved nature for an 
 authentic common notion. And though these are not im- 
 possible to be distinguished, and in some cases very easy, 
 as when men find it imposed unavoidably upon them, to 
 apprehend and acknowledge some things which they are 
 very unwilling should be true, (in which case their senti- 
 ments have the same right to be believed as the testimony 
 of an enemy on the opposite party's behalf,) we have yet no 
 reason to neglect any other means, whereby we may be 
 more certainly directed how to conceive of God, or what 
 we are to attribute to him, and what not. 
 
 Sect. IV. Nor can we be at a greater certainty, than in 
 admitting such things to belong to the blessed God, as he 
 plainly affirms of himself; or any way, by his word, evi- 
 dently discovers to belong to him. For as none knows the 
 things of man, but the spirit of a man that is in him, so the 
 things of God are known to none but the Spirit of God.* 
 Taking therefore his own word for our measure in the pre- 
 sent case, (which I will suppose the reader not to think it 
 unreasonable to appeal to ; and what is here said, is intended 
 only for those that have that estimate of the writings wont 
 
 * 1 Cor. ii. 11. 
 
OF god's prescience, &c. 15 
 
 to go under that name,) what it says of him (much more 
 what it proves) will no doubt be admitted for certain truth : 
 though, if it say such things as, to us, seem not so mani- 
 festly to agree with one another, our endeavour must be the 
 more earnest and solicitous (as also it ought to be the more 
 modest) to discuss, and remove the iva.vTio(pot,vi; or whatsoever 
 semblance of disagreement. And whosoever concern them- 
 selves to peruse that venerable book, will find every where, 
 on the one hand, proclaimed and magnified in it, (what our 
 own minds cannot but have been prepossessed of,) the most 
 exquisite wisdom of God, whereby he forms and contrives 
 the methods of all his dispensations, and disposes them in 
 the aptest subserviency to his own great and most impor- 
 tant ends ; that " all his ways are judgment," * and that he 
 " worketh all things according to the counsel of his will :" t 
 in sum, that all wisdom is appropriated to him, that he is 
 celebrated in the style of " God, only wise." % Nor are we 
 therefore to think it strange, if, many times, we are not able 
 to trace him out, or understand the reason of every thing he 
 thinks fit to do ; for the paths of the more perfect wisdom, 
 must therefore be expected to be the more abtruse, and re- 
 moter from common apprehension. 
 
 How often do we find ourselves so far outgone bv wise 
 and designing men, as that we are sometimes constrained 
 to confess and admire their great prudence and conduct 
 (when they have efiected their purposes) in those manage- 
 ments, which we have before beheld, either with silent ig- 
 norance, or perhaps, not without censure. How much less 
 should the wisest of men regret it, to find all their conjec- 
 tures exceeded by the infinite wisdom ; in the contempla- 
 tion whereof, we find the great apostle (notwithstanding the 
 vast capacity of his divinely enlightened understanding) 
 exclaiming in a transport, " O the depth !"§ And when 
 our eyes tell us, from so manifest stupendous effects, how 
 far we are exceeded by him in power, it were reasonable to 
 expect that he should surpass us proportionably in the con- 
 trivances of his wisdom also. And whereas the conjunction 
 
 * Dent, xxxii. 4. t Epli. i. 11. 
 
 X Rom. xvi. ult. § Kom. xi. 33. 
 
16 THE RECONCILEABLENESS 
 
 is rare, among men, of deep political wisdom, -with integrity 
 and strict righteousness ; this proceeds from the imperfec- 
 tion and insufficiency of the former in great part, that they 
 know not how to compass their designs, unless often, by 
 supplying their want of wisdom, out of the spoil and viola- 
 tion of their justice and honesty. Otlierwise, these are 
 things not altogether so out of credit in the world, but that 
 men would rather accomplish their purposes by fair and 
 unexceptionable means, if they could tell how ; only the 
 respect and deference they have for them is less, than what 
 they bear to their own interests and ends. 
 
 But besides the natural, inflexible rectitude of the divine 
 will, we are secured, from his all-sufficiency, that we shall 
 never be fraudulently imposed upon by any of his declara- 
 tions unto the children of men. For there is nothing to be 
 gained by it : and we cannot conceive what inducement 
 he should have, to make use of any so mean and pitiful 
 shifts for the governing of his creatures, whom he sponta- 
 neously raised out of nothing, and hath so perfectly within 
 his power. Unless we should be so most intolerably injuri- 
 ous to him, as to imagine a w-orse thing of him than we 
 would of the worst of men, that he loved falsehood for its 
 own sake ; and that against his so constantly professed de- 
 testation of it, the declared repugnancy of it to his nature, 
 and the even tenour of his word, (every where agreeing 
 with itself herein,) so often describing him by that property, 
 " God that cannot lie," and with the same positiveness, avow- 
 ing his own uprightness, and requiring it, expressing his 
 great love to it, and the high delight he takes to find it in 
 his intelligent creatures. The righteous God loveth right- 
 eousness, and with his countenance doth he behold the up- 
 i-ight.* Nor is his testimony the less to be regarded for 
 that it is laudator}^ and of himself. For we are to consider 
 the prerogative of him that testifies, and that if he were 
 not avToV/ffToj he were not God. Besides that his giving 
 us this or any representation of himself (to whom it were 
 enough to enjoy his own perfections) is a vouchsafement, 
 and done of mere grace and favour to us, that we may by 
 
 * Psalm xi. 17. 
 
OF god's prescience, &c. 17 
 
 it be induced to place with satisfaction our unsuspicious 
 trust and confidence in him ; as also, that he says in all 
 this, no other thing of himself, than what our own minds, 
 considering him as God, must acknowledge most worthy of 
 him, and agreeing to him with the most apparent necessity. 
 This part, therefore, of the idea of God hath so firm a 
 foundation, both in the natural complexion of our own 
 minds, and the report which his word makes of him, that 
 on this hand we are hemmed in as by a wall of adamant ; 
 and cannot have the thought of defending his prescience, 
 by entrenching upon his wisdom and truth, without oftering 
 the highest violence both to him and ourselves. 
 
 Sect. Y. On the other hand, also, as it cannot but seem 
 to us a higher perfection to know all things at once, than 
 gradually to arrive at the knowledge of one thing after 
 another ; and so proceed from the ignorance of some things 
 to the knowledge of them ; and that nothing is more cer- 
 tain, than that all possible perfection must agree to God ; 
 so we find his own word asserting to him that most perfect 
 knowledge which seems to exclude the possibility of in- 
 crease ; or that anything should succeed into his knowledge. 
 For how plainly is it afiirmed of him that he knows all 
 things. And even concerning such future things as about 
 which our present inquiry is conversant, the afiirmation is 
 express and positive : " I am God, and there is none like 
 me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient 
 times the things that are not yet done."* Nor is the afllirma- 
 tion naked and unfortified. For in the same sacred re- 
 cords we have the same thing both affirmed and proved ; 
 inasmuch as we find, in a great part thereof, are contained 
 things foretold by most express prophecy, unto which the 
 events recorded in other parts (and many of them in other 
 unquestioned writings besides) have so punctually corre- 
 sponded, as to leave no place for doubt or cavil. Instances 
 are so plain and well known that they need not be men- 
 tioned. And surely what was so expressly foretold could 
 not but have been foreknown. It seems then an attempt 
 
 * Isa. xlvi. 9, 10, with chap. xli. 22, 23. 
 B 
 
18 TUE RECOXCILEABLENESS 
 
 also equally hopeless and unrelieving, as it were adventurous 
 and bold, to offer at the protection /)f his wisdom and sin- 
 cerity, by assaulting his prescience or certain foreknowledge 
 of whatsoever shall come to pass. And that their defence 
 is not to be attempted this way, will further most evidently 
 appear from hence, that it is not impossible to assign parti- 
 cular instances of some or other most confessedly wicked 
 actions ; against which God had directed those ordinary 
 means of counselling and dehorting men, and which yet it 
 is most certain he did foreknow they would do. As, 
 though it was so punctually determined even to a day,* and 
 was (though not so punctually!) foretold unto Abraham, 
 how long, from that time, his seed should be strangers in 
 a land that was not theirs; yet how frequent are the coun- 
 sels and warnings sent to Pharaoh to dismiss them sooner ; 
 yea, how often are Moses and Aaron directed to claim their 
 liberty, and exhort Pharaoh to let them go, and at the same 
 time told he should not hearken to them. J Nor indeed is 
 it more seldom said that the Lord hardened Pharaoh's 
 heart, lest he should. Though it may be a doubt whether 
 those passages be truly translated; for the gentler meaning 
 of the Hebrew idiom being well known, it would seem more 
 agreeable to the text, to have expressed only the intended 
 sense, tlian to have strained a word to the very utmost of 
 its literal import, and manifestly beyond what was intended. 
 After the like manner is the propliet Ezekiel sent to the re- 
 volted Israelites, and directed to speak to them with God's 
 own words, the sum and pui'port whereof was to warn and 
 dehort them from their wicked ways, lest they should die ; 
 when as yet it is plainly told him, " but the house of Israel 
 will not hearken to tliee, for they will not hearken to me."§ 
 Unto which same purpose it is more pertinent than necessary 
 to be added, that our Saviour's own plain assertions that he 
 was the Son of God, the many miracles by which he con- 
 firmed it, and his frequent exhortations to the Jews to believe 
 in him thereupon, had a manifest tendency to make him be 
 known and believed to be so, and consequently to prevent 
 
 * Exod. xi. 41. f Gen. xv. 3. 
 
 J Exod. iv. &c. § Ezck. iii. 7. 
 
or god's prescience, &,c. 19 
 
 that most horrid act of his crucifixion ; for it is said, and the 
 matter speaks itself, that " if they had known, they woidd not 
 have crucified the Lord of glory:"* notwithstanding that it 
 was a thing *' which God's hand and counsel had determined 
 before to be done." f That is, foreseeing wicked hands would 
 be prompted and ready for this tragic enterprise, his sove- 
 reign power and wise counsel concurred with his foreknow- 
 ledge so only, and not with less latitude, to define or deter- 
 mine the bounds and limits of that malignity, than to let it 
 proceed unto this execution ; and to deliver him up (not by 
 any formal resignation or surrender, as we well know, but 
 permitting him) thereunto. Though the same phrase of de- 
 livering him hath, elsewhere, another notion, of assigning or 
 appointing him to be a propitiation for the sins of men, by 
 dying ; which was done by mutual agreement between both 
 the parties, him that was to propitiate and him who was to be 
 propitiated. In which respect our Saviour is also said to have 
 given himself for the same purpose ; | which purpose it was de- 
 termined not to hinder prepared hands to execute in this way. 
 Now if it did appear but in one single instance only, that 
 the blessed God did foreknow and dehort from the same act, 
 it will be plainly consequent, that his warnings and dehorta- 
 tions from wicked actions in the general, can with no pre- 
 tence be alleged as a proof against his universal prescience. 
 For if the argument he dehorted from the doing such an 
 action, therefore he did not foreknow it, would be able to 
 conclude any thing, it must be of suflScient force to conclude 
 universally; which it cannot do, if but a single instance can 
 be given, wherein it is apparent he did both dehort and fore- 
 know. It can only pretend to raise the doubt which we 
 have in hand to discuss, how fitly, and with what wisdom 
 and sincerity, he can be understood to interpose his counsels 
 and monitions in such a case. 
 
 Sect. YI. Wherefore nothing remains but to consider 
 how these may be reconciled, and made appear to be no way 
 inconsistent with one another. Nor are we to apprehend 
 herein so great a difficulty, as it were to reconcile his irre- 
 
 * 1 Cor. ii. 8. f Acts iv. 28. t Tit. ii. 14. 
 
20 THE RECONCILEABLENESS 
 
 sistible predeterniinative concurrence to all actions of the 
 creature, even those that are in themselves most malignantly 
 wicked, with the wisdom and righteousness of his laws against 
 them, and severest punishments of them according to those 
 laws. Which sentiments must, I conceive, to any impartial 
 understanding, leave it no way sufficiently ex])licable, how 
 the influence and concurrence, the holy God hath to the 
 worst of actions, is to be distinguished from that which he 
 afibrds to the best ; wherein such inherently evil actions are 
 less to be imputed to him who forbids them, than to the 
 malicious tempter who prompts to them, or the actor that 
 does them ; or wherein not a great deal more ; and leave it 
 undeniable, that the matter of all his laws, in reference to all 
 such actions that ever have been done in the world, was a 
 simple and most natural impossibility. Nothing being more 
 apparently so, than either not to do an action whereto the 
 agent is determined by an infinite power ; or to separate the 
 malignity thereof from an intrinsically evil action ; and that 
 this natural impossibility of not sinning was the ineluctable 
 fate of his (at first) innocent creatures : who also (as the case 
 is to be conceived of with the angels that kept not their first 
 station) must be understood irreversibly condemned to the 
 suti'ering of eternal punishment, for the doing of what it was 
 (upon these terms) so absolutely impossible to them to avoid. 
 
 Sect. VII. This too hard province the present design 
 pretends not to intermeddle in, as being neither apprehended 
 manageable, for those briefly mentioned considerations, and 
 many mo-re that are wont to be insisted on in this argument: 
 nor indeed at all necessary. For though many considera- 
 tions have been, with great subtlety, alleged and urged to 
 this purpose, by former and some modern writers, (which it 
 is beside the design of these papers severally to discuss,) 
 these two whicli seem the most importunate and enforcing, 
 will, I conceive, be found of little force; and then the less 
 strength which is in others will be nothing formidable: viz. (1.) 
 that it necessarily belongs to the original and fountain Being, 
 to be the first cause of whatsoever being ; and consequently 
 that what there is of positive being in any the most wicked 
 action, must principally owe itself to the determinative pro- 
 
OF god's prescience, &c. 21 
 
 ductive influence of tliis first and sovereign cause; otherwise 
 it would seem there were some being that were neither 
 primum nor a primo. And again, (which we are more con- 
 cerned to consider, because it more concerns our present 
 subject,) (2.) that it were otherwise impossible God should 
 foreknow the sinful actions of men, (many whereof, as hath 
 been observed, he hath foretold,) if their futurition were a 
 mere contingency, and depended on the uncertain will of 
 the subordinate agent, not determined by the supreme. 
 
 But neither of these seem able to infer the dismal con- 
 clusion of Grod's concurring by a determinative influence 
 unto wicked actions. Not the former ; for it may Avell 
 be thought sufliciently to salve the rights and privileges 
 of the first cause, to assert that no action can be done 
 but by a power derived from it ; which in reference to for- 
 bidden actions, intelligent creatures may use or not use as 
 they please, without over- asserting, that they must be irre- 
 sistibly determined also, even to the worst of actions done 
 by them. Besides that it seems infinitely to detract from 
 the perfection of the ever-blessed God, to aflfirm he was not 
 able to make a creature, of such a nature, as, being continu- 
 ally sustained by him, and supplied with power every mo- 
 ment suitable to its nature, should be capable of acting unless 
 whatsoever he thus enables, he determine (that is, for it can 
 mean no less thing, impel) it to do also. And except it were 
 aflirmed impossible to God to have made such a creature, 
 (that is, that it implied a contradiction, which certainly can 
 never be proved,) there is no imaginable pretence why it 
 should not be admitted he hath done it ; rather than so 
 fatally expose the wisdom, goodness, and righteousness of 
 God, by supposing him to have made laws for his reasonable 
 creatures, impossible, through his own irresistible counter- 
 action, to be observed ; and afterwards to express himself 
 displeased, and adjudge his creatures to eternal punishments, 
 for not observing them. 
 
 I am not altogether ignorant what attempts have been 
 made to prove it impossible, nor again, what hath been done 
 to manifest the vanity of those attempts. But I must con- 
 fess a greater disposition to wonder, that ever such a thing 
 should be disputed, than dispute so plain a case ; and tliat 
 
22 THE RECONCILEABLENESS 
 
 a matter whereupon all moral government depends, both 
 human and divine, should not have been determined at the 
 first sia^lit. It is not hard for a good wit to have somewhat 
 to say for any thing; but to dispute against the common 
 sense of mankind, we know beforehand, is but to trifle : as 
 the essay to prove the impossibility of local motion. The 
 notion of the goodness and righteousness of God, methinks, 
 should stick so close to our minds, and create such a sense in 
 our souls, as should be infinitely dearer to us than all our 
 senses and powers ; and that we should rather choose to 
 have our sight, hearing, and motive-power, or what not be- 
 sides disputed, or even torn away from us, than ever sufter 
 ourselves to be disputed into a belief that the holy and good 
 God should irresistibly determine the wills of men to, and 
 punish, the same thing. Nor is it dilficult to urge more 
 puzzling sophisms against the former, than for this latter. 
 But the efforts of a sophistical wit against sense, and more 
 against the sense of our souls, and most of all against the 
 entire sum and substance of all morality and religion, at 
 once, are but like the attempt to batter a wall of brass with 
 straws and feathers. Nor is the assault, on this part, more 
 feeble and impotent, than the defence is wont to be of the 
 other. For I would appeal to the quick refined sense of any 
 sober and pious mind, after serious, inward consultation with 
 itself; being closely urged with the horror of so black a con- 
 ception of God, that he should be supposed irresistibly to 
 determine the will of a man to the hatred of his own most 
 blessed self, and then to exact severest punishments for the 
 oflence done; what relief it would now be to it, to be only 
 taught to reply, that man is under the law, and God above 
 it — a defence that doubles the force of the assault. What ! 
 that God should make a law, and necessitate the violation of 
 it! and yet also punish that violation ! And this be thought 
 a suilicicnt salvo, that himself is not subject to any law ! 
 Will a (|uick-scented, tender s|)irit, wounded by so unsufi'er- 
 able indignity offered to the holy God, be any whit eased or 
 relieved, by the thin so])histry of only a collusive ambiguity 
 in the word law ? which sometimes signifies the declared 
 pleasure of a ruler to a subject ; in which sense any eye can 
 see God can be under no law, having no superior ; but not 
 
OF god's prescience, &c. 23 
 
 seldom, also, an habitual fixed principle and rule of acting 
 after one steady tenor : in which sense how manifest is it, 
 that the perfect rectitude of God's own holy gracious nature 
 is an eternal law to him, infinitely more stable and immuta- 
 ble than the ordinances of day and night ! Or what relief is 
 there in that dream of the supposed possibility of God's 
 making a reasonable creature with an innocent aversion to 
 himself ? For what can be supposed more repugnant, or what 
 more impertinent ? If innocent, how were it punishable ? 
 A law already made in the case, how can it be innocent ? 
 
 But whatsoever strength there may be in arguments and 
 replies, to and fro, in this matter ; that which hath too ap- 
 parently had greatest actual efficacy, with many, hath been 
 the authority and name of this or that man of reputation, 
 and the force of that art of imputing a doctrine, already 
 under a prejudicial doom, to some or other ill-reputed former 
 writer. I profess not to be skilled in the use of that sort of 
 weapons. And what reputation ought to be of so great 
 value with us, as that of God and religion ? Though if one 
 would take that invidious course, it were easy to evince, that 
 such a predeterminate influx to the production of all whatso- 
 ever actions, is the dearly espoused notion of one, of as de- 
 servedly an ill character, as ever had the name of a Christian 
 writer:* and whether he would not take that name for a 
 dishonour to him, I pretend not to know. But let us take 
 this sober account of the present case, that in this temporary 
 state of trial, the efficacious grace of God is necessary to 
 actions sincerely good and holy ; which therefore all ought 
 \uidespairingly to seek and pray for ; but that in reference 
 to other actions, he doth only supply men with such a power, 
 as whereby they are enabled, either to act, or, in many in- 
 stances, (and especially when they attempt any thing that is 
 evil,) to suspend their own action. And surely it carries so 
 unexceptionable a face and aspect with it, that no man that 
 is himself sober, will think the worst name, of whosoever 
 shall have said the same thing, were a prejudice to it ; or 
 should more oblige him to reject it, than we would think 
 ourselves obliged to throw away gold, or diamonds, because 
 
 * Hobbes. 
 
24 THE RECONCILEABLENESS 
 
 an impure hand hath touched them ; or to deny Christ, be- 
 cause the devils confessed him. Though also, if any should 
 impute the so stating of this matter to any author, that hath 
 been wont to go under an ill name and character, in the 
 Christian church ; there were a great oversight committed ; 
 to say no harder thing of it. For the writers whose names 
 would be supposed a prejudice, have neither said the same 
 thing, nor with the same design. They would have this in- 
 determination of the power afforded to the creature, to be so 
 universal as to extend equally to evil actions and to good ; 
 and have asserted it with a manifest design to exclude effica- 
 cious grace, in reference to the best actions. Whereas this 
 account would make it not of so large extent : (as it were 
 very unreasonable any should:) for though it may well be 
 supposed extendible to many actions, besides those that are 
 intrinsically evil, or to any that are not spiritually good, yet 
 nothing enforces (nor can it be admitted) that it should 
 actually and always extend so far. For Avho can doubt but 
 God can overrule the inclinations and actions of his creature, 
 when he pleases; and, as shall best consist with his wisdom, 
 and the purity of his nature, either lay on or take oft' his de- 
 termining hand. Nor is it here asserted with any other de- 
 sign, than to exempt the blessed God, as far as is possible, 
 from a participation in the evil actions of his creatures ; in 
 the meantime entitling him most entirely to those that are 
 sincerely good: though it must be left imputable to men 
 themselves (it being through their own great default) if they 
 have not the grace which might eft'ectually enable them to 
 do such also. And as for the latter : this supposed inde- 
 termination of the human will, in reference, especially, to 
 wicked actions, is far from being capable of inferring, that 
 God cannot therefore foreknow them ; or any thing more, 
 than that we are left ignorant of the way, how" he foreknows 
 them. And how small is the inconvenience of acknowledg- 
 ing that, yea, and how manifest the absurdity of not acknow- 
 ledging the like, in many cases! since nothing is more cer- 
 tain, than that God doth many things besides, whereof the 
 manner how he does them, wo can neither explicate nor un- 
 derstand! For neither is it difficult to assign instances more 
 than enough of actions done by ourselves of the manner 
 
OF god's prescience, «&;c. 25 
 
 whereof we can give no distinct account, as those of vision, 
 intellection, with sundry others. 
 
 Some have been at great pains, we well know, to explain the 
 manner of God's foreknowledge of these futurities, otherwise 
 than by laying the foundation thereof in his supposed effica- 
 cious will or decree of them. They that can satisfy themselves 
 with what Thomas [Aquinas] and Scotus have attempted, 
 and the followers of them both — that can understand what 
 it is, with the one, for all things to be eternally present to 
 the Divine intellect in esse reali, and not understand by it, 
 the world to have been eternal ; or, what with the other, 
 that they be all present only in esse representativo, and not 
 understand by it, barely that they are all known, and no 
 more, (which seems like the explication of the word invasion 
 by invasion,) let them enjoy their own satisfaction. For my 
 own part, I can more easily be satisfied to be ignorant of the 
 modus or medium of his knowledge, while I am sure of the 
 thing; and I know not why any sober-minded man might 
 not be so too; while we must all be content to be ignorant 
 of the manner, yea, and nature too, of a thousand things be- 
 sides, when that such things there are, we have no doubt ; 
 and when there are few things, about which we can, with 
 less disadvantage, suffer our being ignorant, or with less dis- 
 reputation profess to be so. It cannot therefore be so af- 
 frightful a thing, to suppose God's foreknowledge of the 
 most contingent future actions, well to consist with our 
 ignorance how he foreknows them, as that we should think 
 it necessary to overturn and mingle heaven and earth, rather 
 than admit it. 
 
 Sect. YIII. Wlierefore waving that unfeasible, unneces- 
 sary, and unenjoined task, of defending God's predetermina- 
 tive concourse unto sinful actions ; our encounter must only 
 be of the more superable difficulty, to reconcile his prescience 
 of them with his provisions against them, i. e. how fitly the 
 wise and holy God can have interposed his precautions and 
 dissuasions, in their own nature, aptly tending to withhold 
 and divert men from those evil actions, which he yet foresees 
 they will do. And it is, in the first place, evident, there can 
 be no pretence to allege that there is any such repugnancy 
 
I'b THE RECONCILEABLENESS 
 
 in the matter, as shall amount to a contradiction, so much as 
 virtual, or which the things signified, on the one part and 
 the other, can. be understood any way to import. That indeed 
 there should be a direct and explicit contradiction between 
 foreknowing and dehorting, we may, at first sight, perceive 
 the terms cannot admit ; for there is nothing enunciated 
 (affirmed or denied) in either. But let the sense of both be 
 resolved into propositions, capable of being confronted to 
 one another, and all that can be made of the former mUI 
 only come to this, " You will do such a thing," and of the 
 latter, no more but this, "You ought not to do it:" these 
 are at as great distance, as can be imagined, from grating 
 upon, or jarring with, one another. And wherein is the in- 
 decorum of it, that both these effata should proceed from the 
 same mouth, viz., of a governor, or one that hath authority 
 over others. 
 
 We will, for discourse sake, suppose a prince endowed 
 •with the gift or spirit of prophecy. This most will acknow- 
 ledge a groat perfection, added to whatsoever other his ac- 
 complishments. And suppose we this his prophetic abihty 
 so large, as to extend to most events that shall fall out 
 within his dominions. Is it hereby become unfit for him to 
 govern his. subjects by laws, or any way admonish them of 
 their duty? Hath this perfection so much diminished him 
 as to depose him from his government? It is not, indeed, to 
 be dissembled, that it were a difficulty to determine, whether 
 such foresight were, for himself, better or worse. Bound- 
 less knowledge seems only in a fit conjunction with as un- 
 bounded power. But it is altogether unimaginable that it 
 should destroy his relation to his subjects: as wdiat of it 
 were left, if it should despoil him of his legislative power, 
 and capacity of governing according to laws made by it? 
 And to bring back the matter to the supreme Ruler: let it 
 for the present be supposed only, that the blessed God hath, 
 belonging to his nature, the universal prescience Avhereof we 
 are discoursing ; we will, surely, upon that supposition, ac- 
 knowledge it to belong to him as a perfection. And were 
 it reasonable to affirm that by a perfection he is disabled for 
 government; or were it a good consequence, ' He foreknows 
 all things, he is therefore unfit to govern the world?' 
 
OF god's prescience, &.C. 27 
 
 Sect. IX. And, that vre may consider tlie matter more 
 narrowly, would the supposition of such foreknowledge in 
 God, make that cease to be man's duty which had otherwise 
 been so, and take away the diflerences of good and evil ? 
 Would it nullify the obligation of God's law, and make man's 
 own inclination his only rule? or, if it be said, because it is 
 foreknown man will do such a thing, therefore he may, 
 where is the connexion? For what influence can foreknovv- 
 ledge have, to alter or affect any way, either the nature of 
 the thing foreknown, or the temper of the person that shall 
 do it ; any more than the present knowledge of the same 
 thing, now in doing? which knowledge none would deny to 
 God; and which, when it occurs to a man, is no more under- 
 stood to make an evil action innocent, than the action makes 
 the eye guilty, of him that beholds it only and detests it at 
 once. Surely what is, in its own nature, whether good or 
 evil, can never not be so, be it foreknown or not foreknown. 
 
 But if what was otherwise man's duty, be still his duty, 
 what can make it unfit that it be declared, and made known 
 to him to be so? and how is that otherwise to be done, than 
 by these disputed means ? yea (for this is the case) what can 
 make it less fit, than it would be that God should cease to 
 rule over the world ; and quit the right of his government to 
 his revolted creatures, upon no other reason than only that 
 he foresees they have a mind to invade it ? It may now 
 perhaps be said, all this reasoning tends indeed to establish 
 the contrary assertion, that notwithstanding God do fore- 
 know man's sin, it is however necessary he forewarn him of 
 it — but it answers not the objected difficulty, viz., how rea- 
 sonably any such means are used for an unattainable end ; 
 as it is manifest, the end, man's obedience, cannot be attained 
 when it is foreknown he will not obey. 
 
 Sect. X. It may here, before we proceed further, not be 
 unseasonable to consider, (a matter, as is known, wont to be 
 much vexed in the schools,) how God may be said to act for 
 any end at all. And it appears very certain, that he who is 
 so every way absolutely perfect and happy, cannot be thought 
 to intend and pursue an end, after the same manner as we 
 are wont to do. We beins: conscious to ourselves of indi- 
 
28 THE RECOXCILEABLENESS 
 
 gency, or, at the best, of obligation to the author of our 
 beings, are wont to design tliis or that end for the reheving 
 of ourselves, or the approving ourselves to him. And, our 
 satisfaction depending upon the attainment of it, we solicit- 
 ously deliberate about the fittest means to attain it ; and are 
 tossed with various passions of desire, and hope, and fear, 
 and joy, and grief, according as the end is apprehended more 
 or less excellent, or likely to be attained ; varying often our 
 course upon new emergencies, as this or that may probably 
 promote or hinder the success of our pursuit. In short, we 
 pursue ends, as being both impatient of disappointment, and 
 uncertain of their attainment. 
 
 The blessed God, being indigent of nothing, nor under 
 obligation to any one, cannot be supposed to j^ropound an 
 end to himself as that whereupon his satisfaction depends, 
 which were inconsistent with his already complete felicity, 
 and would argue him but potentially happy ; but acting 
 always from an immense self-sufficient fulness of life, and of 
 all perfections, doth ever satisfy himself in himself, and take 
 highest complacency in the perfect goodness, congruity, and 
 rectitude of his own most holy will and way. And again, as 
 he doth not seek a yet unattained satisfaction, in any end he 
 can be supjwsed to propound to himself; so nor can he be 
 thought to deliberate, as we are wont to do, concerning the 
 means of effecting any. For deliberation would imply 
 doubtfulness and uncertainty, which his absolute perfection 
 cannot admit, nor doth need ; the whole frame and compass 
 of things intended by#iim, in their distinct references and 
 tendencies, being, at once, present to his all-comprehending 
 view ; so that there can be no place for any intermediate 
 knowledge with him, or for any new resolves thereupon. 
 " Known to the Lord are all his works from the beginning of 
 the world."* 
 
 Sect. XI. This being premised; it is now further to be 
 considered, that howsoever one end oftentimes is not attained, 
 unto which the publicly extant declarations of the divine will 
 have a visible aptitude, viz. the obedient compliance of men 
 
 ♦ Acts xv. 18. 
 
OF god's prescience, &c. 29 
 
 with them ; another more noble end was, however, attahi- 
 able, not unbecoming the designment of the divine wisdom, 
 and which it was every way most worthy of God to be more 
 principally intent upon. It is fit the mention of this be pre- 
 faced with an obvious remark; — that the misapprehension of 
 the state of things between God and man doth, in great part, 
 owe itself to our aptness to compare unduly the divine 
 government with that of secular rulers ; and our expectation 
 to find them in all things agreeing with each other. Whereas 
 there cannot but be a vast difference between the constitu- 
 tion and end of God's government over his creatures, and 
 more especially mankind, and that of man over his fellow- 
 creatures of the same kind. The government of secular 
 human rulers can never be, in the constitution of it, altogether 
 absolute, nor ought, in the design of it, primarily to intend 
 the personal advantage of the ruler himself, who as much 
 depends upon his subjects, and hath (at least) as great need 
 of them, as they can be understood to have of him. But as 
 to the blessed God the matter is apparent, and hath its own 
 triumphant evidence, that since he is the original and root of 
 all being, that all things are mere dependencies upon his 
 absolute pleasure, and entirely of him, and by him, all ought 
 to be to him, that he alone might have the glory.* 
 
 Wherefore, it must be asserted, and cannot fail of obtain- 
 ing to be acknowledged, by every impartial and sober con- 
 siderer of things, that there is a much more noble and im- 
 portant end, that all God's public edicts and declarations to 
 men, (the instruments of his government over them,) do 
 more principally aim at, than their advantage, viz. the dignity 
 and decorum of his government itself; and that he may be 
 found in every thing to have done as became him, and was 
 most worthy of himself. And what could be more so, than 
 that he should testify the aversion of his own pure and holy 
 nature, to whatsoever was unholy and impure, his love of 
 righteousness and complacency to be imitated herein, toge- 
 ther with his steady, gracious propension to receive all them 
 into the communion of his own felicity or blessedness (for 
 the Redeemer's sake) who should herein comply with him ? 
 
 * Rom. ii. 
 
30 THE RECONCILEABLENESS 
 
 Nor are we to understand that he herein so designs the 
 reputation of his government, as men are often wont to do 
 things out of design for their interest in that kind, that are, 
 otherwise, against their overruled inclination. But we are 
 to account these his declarations (although they are acts of 
 an intelligent agent, and the products of wisdom and coun- 
 sel, yet also) the spontaneous emanations of his own holy and 
 gracious nature, such as wherein he most fully agrees, and 
 consents with himself. And is it now to be expected, that 
 because he foresees men will be wicked, and do what shall 
 be unworthy of them, he must therefore lay aside his nature, 
 and omit to do what shall be worthy of himself ? 
 
 Sect. XII. And hereupon it may be expected, the more 
 ingenuous and candid will allow themselves to think the 
 matter tolerably clear, in reference to the former part of the 
 proposed difficulty ; i. e. will apprehend this way of dealing 
 with men not imprudent, or inconsistent with the divine 
 wisdom, since, though one end, in a great part, fail, yet an- 
 other, more valuable, is attained. But yet, as to the latter 
 part, the difficulty may still urge, viz. how it can stand with 
 sincerity ; whereas that end also which fails, seems to have 
 been most directly intended, that the blessed God should 
 seem so earnestly intent upon it : since it is hardly conceiv- 
 able, that the same thing should be, at once, seriously in- 
 tended as an end, and yet, at the same time, give the eye, 
 which seems to design it, no other prospect than of a tiling 
 never to be brought to pass. 
 
 Wherefore we are next to consider, that we may proceed 
 gradually, and not omit to say what is in itself considerable ; 
 though it is not all (which cannot be said at once) that is to 
 be said; — that tlie public declarations of the divine will, 
 touching man's duty, do attain that very end, his obedient 
 compliance therewith, in great part, and as to many (although 
 it be foreknown tliey will prove inetieetual with the most) 
 are the no less successful, tlian the apt means of attaining it. 
 Nor, certainly, if it were foreknown the world would be so 
 divided, as that some woidd obey, and others not obey, was 
 it therefore the fittest course, that these two sorts should, by 
 some extraordinary act of providence, be carefully severed 
 
OF god's prescience, &c. 31 
 
 from each other ; and those be dealt withal apart from the 
 rest. But rather, that the divine edicts should be of a uni- 
 versal tenor, and be directed to all as they are ; the matter 
 of them being of universal concernment, and equally suitable 
 to the common case of all men. 
 
 Sect. XIII. Neither yet was it necessary, that effectual 
 care should be taken, they should actually reach all, and be 
 applied to every individual person. Since it is apparently 
 to be resolved into the wickedness of the world that they do 
 not so, and that there is not a universal diffusion of the gos- 
 pel into every part. For it being evident to any one's 
 reflection, that men are in a state of apostacy and defection 
 from their Maker and common Lord, and therefore subject 
 to his displeasure ; whereas the merciful God hath done his 
 own part, and so much beyond what was to be expected from 
 him ; issued out his proclamations of peace and pardon, upon 
 so easy and indulgent terms, as are expressed in his gospel ; 
 if, hereupon, men also did their part, behaved themselves 
 suitably to the exigency of their case, and as did become 
 reasonable creatures, fallen inider the displeasure of their 
 Maker, (whereof their common condition affords so innu- 
 merable, so pregnant proofs,) the gospel, wheresoever it 
 should arrive, would have been entertained with so great a 
 transport of joy, and so ready and universal acceptance, as 
 very soon to have made a great noise in the world ; and 
 being found to be of a universal tenor and concernment, 
 and that what it says to one nation, it equally says the same 
 to every one ; it could not but be, that messengers would 
 interchangeably have run from nation to nation ; some to 
 communicate, others to inquire after, those strange tidings of 
 great joy unto all people, lately sent from heaven, concern- 
 ing the Emmanuel, God with us — God, again upon his re- 
 turn to man, and now in Christ reconciling the world to 
 himself And thus how easily, and even naturally, would 
 the gospel soon have spread itself through the world ! espe- 
 cially the merciful God having so provided, that there should 
 be an office constituted, and set up ; a sort of men, whose 
 Avhole business it should be, to propagate and publish those 
 happy tidings. But that men shoidd so indulge their sensual. 
 
32 THE RECONCILEABLENESS 
 
 terrene, inclination, as not at all to use their understandings 
 and considering power, about other matters than only what 
 are within the sight of their eye, when by so easy and quick 
 a turn of thoughts they miglit feel and find out who made 
 them, and was the original of their life and being, and that 
 things are not right and as they should be, between him and 
 them ; and so by what is within the compass of natural revela- 
 tion, bo prepared for what is supernatural : — and not that only, 
 but that to that stupidity, by wliich they are unapt to inquire 
 after and receive, they should add that obstinate malignity by 
 which they are apt to reject and oppose the merciful discoveries 
 and overtures of their offended, reconcileable Creator andLord, 
 — how manifestly doth this devolve the whole business of the 
 little, slow ])rogress of the gospel in the world, upon themselves 
 only ! As suppose we a prince of the greatest clemency, benig- 
 nity, and goodness, from whom a whole country of his subjects 
 have made a most causeless defection ; hereupon to send the 
 whole body of the rebels a gracious proclamation of free par- 
 don upon tlieir return to their allegiance and duty ; and it 
 only from hence comes to pass, that every individual person 
 of them distinctly understands not wliat the message from 
 their prince did import; because, they that heard it would 
 not, many of them, allow themselves to consider and regard 
 it ; and others of tliem, with despiteful violence, fell upon 
 the heralds, barbarously butchering some of them, and igno- 
 miniously repulsing the rest : who would not say, that prince 
 had fully done liis part, and acquitted himself answerably to 
 the best character, though he should send to the rebels no 
 further overtures ? Much more, if through a long tract of 
 time, he continue the same amicable endeavours for their re- 
 ducement, notwithstanding the constant experience of some 
 ill success ; who would not cast the whole business of the 
 continued ill understanding, between him and the revolters, 
 upon themselves ? and reckon it imjiossible any should be 
 ignorant of his kind and benign inclinations and intentions, 
 if an implacable enmity, and disall'ection to him and his gov- 
 ernment, were not their common temper ? 
 
 Though so infinitely do the mercies of God exceed those 
 of the most merciful prince on earth, as well as his knowledge 
 and power ; that wheresoever there are any exempt cases, we 
 
OF god's prescience, &c. 33 
 
 must conceive him equally able and inclined to consider 
 them distinctly. And so vastly different may we well sup- 
 pose the degrees of happiness and misery to be, in the other 
 world ; as that there may be latitude enough, of punishing 
 and rewarding men, proportionably to the degrees of light 
 they have had, and the more or less malignity, or propension 
 to reconciliation, was found with them thereupon. 
 
 Sect. XIV. Nor again was it at all incongruous, or unbo- 
 coming, that the blessed God, this being the common tem|:)er 
 and disposition of all men, to reject his gracious tenders, 
 should provide, by some extraordinary means, that they 
 might not be finally rejected by all. For what can be moi-e 
 appropriate to sovereignty (even where it is infinitely less 
 absolute) than arbitrarily to design the objects of special 
 favour ? Who blames a prince, for placing special marks of 
 his royal bounty, or clemency, here and there as he thinks 
 fit ? or that he hath some peculiar favourites, with whom he 
 familiarly converses, whom he hath won, by some or other 
 not common inducements, and assured their loyal aftection ; 
 though there be thousands of persons in his dominions be- 
 sides, of as good parts, dispositions, and deserts as they 't It 
 belongs to sovereignty, only so to be favourable to some, as, 
 in the mean time, to be just towards all. Yea, and it must 
 be acknowledged, such are the dispensations of the holy God 
 towards the whole community of mankind, as import not 
 only strict righteousness, but great clemency and mercy also. 
 Though they might easily understand themselves to be oft'en- 
 ders, and liable to the severities of his justice, they are spared 
 by his patience, sustained by his bounty, protected by his 
 power ; their lives and properties are fenced by his own laws. 
 And whereas they are become very dangerous enemies to 
 one another ; and each one his own greatest enemy ; it is 
 provided by those laws, even for the worst of men, that none 
 shall injure them, that all love them and seek their good. 
 He interposes his authority on their behalf ; and if any wrong 
 them, he takes it for an afiVont done to himself. By the 
 same laws they are directed to industry, frugality, sobriety, 
 temperance, to exercise a government over themselves, to 
 bridle and subdue their own exorbitant lusts and passions ; 
 
 c 
 
34 THE RECONCILEABLENESS 
 
 their more immediate tormentors, and the sources of all the 
 calamities and miseries which befall them in this world. By 
 all which evidences of his great care, and concern for their 
 welfare, they might understand him to have favourable pro- 
 pensions towards them, and that though they have offended 
 him, he is not their implacable enemy ; and might, by his 
 goodness, be led to repentance. 
 
 Yea, and moreover, he hath sent them a Redeemer, his 
 own Son, an incarnate Deity, Avho came down into this 
 world, full of grace and truth, upon the most merciful errand. 
 And they have some of them been in transports, when they 
 have but fancied such a descent, for the doing them only 
 some lighter good turn ; as upon the cure of the cripple, 
 " Tlie gods," said they, " are come down in the likeness of 
 men!"* He being filled with the glorious fulness of the 
 Godhead, hath been a voluntary sacrifice for the sins of men ; 
 and if they would believe and obey him, they would find 
 that sacrifice is accepted, and available for them. And thougli 
 they are disabled to do so only by tlieir own wicked inclina- 
 tion, even against that also they hsxxo no cause to despair of 
 being relieved, if tliey would (which they might) admit the 
 tliouglits of their impotency, and the exigency of their case, 
 and did seriously implore Divine help. 
 
 Sect. XV. Now with whom these methods succeed well, 
 there is no suspicion of insincerity. Let us see what pre- 
 tence there can be for it, with the rest. It is to be consid- 
 ered, timt, as to tl)em lie doth not apply himself to every, or 
 to any, person immediately, and severally, after some such 
 tenor of speech as this, " I know thee to be a profligate hope- 
 less wretch, and thou wilt fhially disregard whatsoever 1 say 
 to thee, and consequently perish and become miserable ; but 
 however (though 1 foresee most certainly thou wilt not, 
 yet) I entreat thee to hear, and obe}', and live." Indeed, 
 sending a propliet to a ])romiscuous people, he foretells liim 
 of such ill success.! But it is not told him he should suc- 
 ceed so ill universally, and it is implied, he should not.| 
 
 But the course the great God takes, is only to apj»ly him- 
 
 * Acts xiv. n. t Ezek. iii. 7. t '^'^^'- '^1- 
 
OF god's presciexce, &c. 35 
 
 self to these (as hath been said) in common with the rest. 
 For if it be said he also applies himself to them by the pri- 
 vate dictates of his Spirit ; he doth not, by it, make formed 
 speeches to men. But as to those its common motions, 
 whereby it applies itself unto them, doth only solicit, in a 
 stated manner of operation, in and by their own reason and 
 consciences, (as he concurs wdth our inferior faculties, and 
 with the inferior creatures suitable to their natures and ca- 
 ]>aeities :) speaking no other than their own language, as they 
 are instructed out of his word, or by other means ; Avhich he 
 usually continues to do, till by their resistancies, they have 
 sealed up their own consciences, and consequently (according 
 to its more ordinary fixed course, and laws of access and re- 
 cess) shut out the Holy Spirit both at once. Nor is it more 
 to be expected he should universally alter that course, than 
 that he should alter the courses of the sun, moon, and stars, 
 and innovate upon universal nature. So that what is en- 
 deavoured for the reducement of such as finally refuse to re- 
 turn, by particular applications to this or that person, and 
 beyond what is contained in the public declarations of his 
 written word, is substituted by ministers and inferior agents, 
 that know no more of the event than they do themselves. 
 And that this was the fittest way of dealing with reasonable 
 creatures, who, that will use his own reason, sees not ? 
 
 Sect. XVI. That our disquisition may be here a little 
 more strict, we shall inquire both, — What may be supposed 
 possible to be alleged out of God's word, in reference to them 
 that persist in wickedness till they finally perish, which it can 
 be thought not consistent with sincerity, to have inserted 
 upon the supposed foresight of so dismal an issue ; and — 
 What more convenient course we can think of, which sincerity, 
 (as we apprehend) would have required. 
 
 As to the former. It may, perhaps, be alleged, that he 
 professes to will the salvation of all men* — not to desire the 
 death of him that diethf — yea, and professes himself grieved 
 that any perish. | Now these things, compared with his 
 public declarations and tenders, directed, in a universal tenoi-, 
 
 * 1 Tim. ii. 4. f Ezek. xviii. 32. | Ps. Ixxxi. 12, 13. 
 
36 THE RECONCILEABLENESS 
 
 to all men, carry that appearance and show with them, as if 
 he would have it believed, his end were to save all. Where- 
 with his foresight of the perdition of so many seems ill to 
 agree. For how can that end be seriously intended which it 
 is foreseen will not be brought about ? And how can it be 
 thought to consist with sincerity, that there should be an ap- 
 pearance of his having such an end, unto which a serious real 
 intention of it doth not correspond ? Wherefore we shall 
 here examine, what appearance such expressions as those 
 above recited, can, by just interpretation, be understood 
 to amount unto ; and then show, tliat there is really with 
 the blessed God what doth truly and fully correspond to 
 that appearance ; and very agreeably too, with the hypothe- 
 sis of his foreseeing how things will finally issue, with very 
 many. 
 
 And first, that we may understand the true import of the 
 expressions which we have mentioned, and others of like 
 sound and meaning, we are to consider, that though being 
 taken severally and apart, they are not capable of a sense pre- 
 judicial to the cause, the defence whereof we have luider- 
 taken ; which we shall afterwards more distinctly evince ; yet, 
 it were very injurious, to go about to afiix a sense unto a 
 single expression, witliout weighing the general design of the 
 writings, whereof it is a part. It were quite to frustrate 
 the use of words, when a matter is to be represented, that 
 is copious, and consists of many parts and branches, which 
 cannot be comprehended in one or a few sentences ; if we 
 will pretend to estimate and make a judgment of the speaker's 
 full meaning, by this or that single ])assagc only, because we 
 have not jutience or leisure to hear the rest ; or perhaps have 
 a greater disposition to cavil at his words, than luiderstand his 
 meaning. If a course resembling this should be taken, in 
 interpreting the edicts or laws of jn-inccs and states, (suppose 
 it wore a proclamation of pardon to delinquent subjects,) and 
 only this or that favourable clause be fastened upon, without 
 regard to the inserted provisos and conditions ; the (con- 
 cerned) interpreters might do a slight, temporary, and easily 
 remediable wrong to the prince, but are in danger more 
 fatally to wrong themselves. 
 
 Tiie edicts of the groat God, that are publicly extant to 
 
OF god's prescience, &;c. 37 
 
 mankind, (the universal publication whereof they partly vvitli- 
 stand, and whicli they too commonly deprave, and perversely 
 misinterpret, where they do obtain,) carry no such appear- 
 ance with them, as if he had ever proposed it to himself, for 
 his end, to save all men or any man, let them do what they 
 please, or how destructive a course soever they take and shall 
 finally persist in. If that were supposed his design, his so 
 seemingly serious counsels and exhortations were as ludi- 
 crous as they could be tliouglit, if it were as peremptorily de- 
 termined all should perish. For what God will, by almighty 
 power, immediately work, without the subordinate concur- 
 rence of any second cause, must be necessarily ; and it is 
 equally vain, solicitously to endeavour the engaging of sub- 
 ordinate agents, to do that which without them is absolutely 
 necessary, as it were to endeavour that, by them, which is 
 absolutely impossible. 
 
 Sect. XVII. That whicli his declarations to men do amount 
 unto, is, in sum, thus much, — that, whereas they have, by 
 their defection and revolt from him, made themselves liable 
 to his justice, and very great consequent miseries ; he is will- 
 ing to pardon, save, and restore them to a blessed state, upon 
 such terms as shall be agreeable (the recompence due to his 
 injured law being otherwise provided for, at no expense of 
 theirs) to the nature of that blessedness they are to enjoy, 
 the purity of his own nature, and the order and dignity of 
 his government. That is, that they seriously re|)ent and turn 
 to him, love him as the Lord their God, with all their heart 
 and soul, and might and mind ; and one another as them- 
 selves ; (being to make together one happy community, in 
 the participation of the same blessedness ;) commit themselves 
 by entire trust, subjection, and devotedness to their great 
 and merciful Hedeemor, according to the measure of light 
 wherewith he shall have been revealed and made known to 
 them ; submit to the motions and dictates of his blessed 
 Spirit, whereby the impression of his own holy image is to 
 be renewed in them, and a divine nature imparted to them ; 
 and carefully attend to his word as the means, the impressive 
 instrument or seal, by which, understood and considered, that 
 impression shall be made, and the very seeds out of which 
 
38 THE RECONCILEABLENESS 
 
 that holy nature, and the entire frame of the new creature, 
 shall result and spring up in them ; so as to make them apt 
 unto the obedience that is expected from them, and capable 
 of the blessedness they are to expect ; tliat if they neglect to 
 attend to these external discoveries, and refuse the ordinary 
 aids and assistances of his good Spirit, and offer violence to 
 their own consciences, they are not to expect he should over- 
 power them, by a strong hand, and save them against the 
 continuing disinclination of their own Avills. Nor (whatso- 
 ever extraordinary acts he may do upon some, to make them 
 willing) is there any universal promise in his word, or other 
 encouragement upon which any may reasonably promise them- 
 selves tliat, in the neglect and disuse of all ordinary means, 
 such power shall be used with them, as shall finally overcome 
 their averse, disaffected hearts. 
 
 Sect. XVIII. It is true, that he frequently uses much im- 
 portunity with men, and enforces his laws with that earnest- 
 ness, as if it Avere his own great interest to have them obeyed; 
 wherein, having to do with men, he doth like a man solicit- 
 ously intent upon an end which he cannot be satisfied till he 
 attain. Yet withal, he hath interspersed, every where, in his 
 word, so frequent. Godlike expressions of liis own greatness, 
 all-sufficiency, and independency upon liis creatures, as that 
 if we attend to these his public declarations, and manifests 
 of hin)self, entirely, so as to compare one thing with an- 
 other, we shall find tlie matter not at all dissembled ; but 
 might collect this to be the state of things between him 
 and us, that ho makes no overtures to us as thinking us con- 
 siderable, or as if any thing were to accrue to him from 
 us ; but that, as he takes pleasure in the diffusion of his 
 own goodness, so it is our interest to behave ourselves 
 suitably thereunto, and, according as we comply witli it, 
 and continue in it or do not, so we may expect the de- 
 lectable communications of it, or taste, otherwise, liis just 
 severity. That, thereiure, when lie exliorts, obtests, entreats, 
 beseeches that we would obey and live ; speaks as if lie were 
 grieved at our disobedience, and what is like to ensue us 
 therefrom ; these are merciful condescensions, and the efforts 
 of that goodness, which chooseth the fittest ways of moving 
 
OF god's PRESCIEXCE, &.C. 39 
 
 us, rather than that he is moved himself, by any such passions 
 as we are wont to feel in ourselves, when we are pursuing 
 our own designs ; and that he vouehsafeth to speak in such 
 a way as is less suitable to himself, that it may be more 
 suitable to us, and might teach us, while he so far com- 
 plies with us, how becoming it is that we answerably 
 bend ourselves to a compliance with him. He speaks, 
 sometimes, as if he did suffer somewhat human, as an apt 
 means (and which to many proves effectual) to bring us 
 to enjoy, at length, what is truly divine. We may, if we 
 consider, and lay things together, understand these to be 
 gracious insinuations ; wherel^y, as he hath not left the matter 
 liable to be so misunderstood, as if he w-ere really affected with 
 solicitvide, or any perturbation concerning us, (which he hath 
 sufficiently given us to understand his blessed nature cannot 
 admit of,) so nor can they be thought to be disguises of him- 
 self, or misrepresentations, that have nothing in him corre- 
 sponding to them- For they really signify the obedience and 
 blessedness of those his creatures that are capable thereof, to 
 be more pleasing and agreeable to his nature and will, than 
 that they should disobey and perish; (which is the utmost 
 that can be understood meant by those words, " God will have 
 all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth ; ") 
 but withal, that he so apprehends the indignity done to his 
 government, by their disobedience, that if they obey not 
 (as tlie indulgent constitution and temper of his law and 
 government now are, in and by the Redeemer) they must 
 perish ; and that he hath also such respect to the congruity 
 and order of things, as that it shall not be the ordinary 
 method of his government over reasonable creatures, to over- 
 power them into that obedience, by which it may come to 
 pass that they perish not. All which may be collected from 
 those his own plain words, in that other recited text, and 
 many besides of like import, when, with so^wful solemnity, 
 he professes, that as he lives he takes no pleasure in the 
 death of sinners, but that they may tiirn and live ; and adds, 
 " Turn ye, turn ye; why will you die?"* That is, that their 
 repentance, and consequent welfare, would be more grateful 
 
 * Ezek. xxxiii. 11. 
 
40 THE RECOXCILEABLENESS 
 
 to him than their perdition, upon their persevering in destruc- 
 tive ways; but yet, that if they were not moved to repent, by 
 these his pleadings and expostulations used with them, they 
 should die, and were therefore concerned to attend and 
 liearken to such his reasonings and warnings, as tlie apt means to 
 work their good ; not expecting he should take extraordinary 
 courses with them, in order to it: and that the real respect he 
 had thereunto, should never induce him to use any indeco- 
 rous course to bring it about ; but that he had a more principal 
 respect to the rules of justice, and the order of his govern- 
 ment, than to their concernments : and that he, notwithstand- 
 ing, expresses himself aggrieved that any finally ])erish. If we 
 consider and recollect, what notices lie hath furnished our 
 minds with, of the perfections of a Deity, and Avhat he hath 
 remonstrated to us of his own nature, so plainly in his word ; 
 we cannot understand more by it, than the calm dispassion- 
 ate resentment and dislike, which most perfect purity and 
 goodness have, of the sinfulness and miserable ruin of his 
 own creatures. 
 
 In all which, we have a most unexceptionable idea of God, 
 and may behold the comely conjuncture of his large good- 
 ness, strict righteousness, and most accurate wisdom all to- 
 gether: as we are also concerned, in making our estimate of 
 his ways, to consider them; and not to take our measure of 
 what is suitable to God, by considering liim according to one 
 single attribute only, but as they all are united, in his most 
 perfect being; and in that blessed harmony, as not to infer 
 with liim a difficulty what to do, or what not. Which some- 
 times falls out with men, where there is an imperfect resem- 
 blance of those divine excellencies, not so exactly contem- 
 percd together. As it was with that Spartan prince and 
 general in Plutarch, when finding a necessity to march his 
 army, and taking notice of one, for whom he had a peculiar 
 kindness, that th<bugh extreme weakness was not possibly to 
 be removed, he looked back upon him, expressing liis sense 
 of that exigency, in those emphatical words, how hard a mat- 
 ter is it at once sJ^ssh x.»i (ppoviiv, " to exercise pity and be 
 wise!" God's own word misrepresents him not, but gives a 
 true account of him, if we allow ourselves to confer it with 
 itself, one i>art of it with another. Nor doth any part of it, 
 
OF god's prescience, &c. 41 
 
 taken alone, import him so to liave willed the happiness of 
 men, for any end of his, that he resolved he would, by what- 
 soever means, certainly effect it ; as we are wont, many times, 
 with such eagerness to pursue ends upon which we are in- 
 tent, as not to consider of right or wrong, fit or unfit, in our 
 pursuit of them, and so let the cost of our means not seldom 
 eat up our end. Nor did that belong to him, or was his 
 part as our most benign, wise, and righteous Governor, to 
 provide that we should certainly not transgress, or not suffer 
 prejudice thereby ; but that we should not do so, through 
 his omission of any thing, which it became him to do to pre- 
 vent it. 
 
 Sect. XIX. It may therefore be of some use further to 
 take notice, that a very diverse consideration must be had, 
 of the ends which shall be effected by God's own action only, 
 and of those which are to be brought about (in concurrence 
 and subordination to his own) by the intervenient action of 
 his creatures ; especially (which is more to our purpose) 
 such of them as are intelligent, and capable of being governed 
 by laws. As to the former sort of these ends, we may be 
 confident they were all most absolutely intended, and can 
 never fail of being accomplished. For the latter, it cannot 
 be universally said so. For these being not entirely his ends, 
 but partly his, and partly prescribed by him, to his reason- 
 able creatures, to be theirs; we are to conceive he always, 
 most absolutely, intends to do wliat he righteously esteems 
 congruous should be his own part, — which he extends and 
 limits as seems good unto him, — and sometimes, of his own 
 good pleasure, assumes to himself the doing of so much, as 
 shall ascertain the end ; effectually procuring, that his creature 
 shall do his part also. That is, he not only enacts his laws, 
 and adds exhortations, warnings, promises, to enforce it, but 
 also emits that effectual influence, whereby the inferior wheels 
 shall be put into motion, the powers and faculties of his 
 governed creature excited and assisted, and (by a spirit in 
 the wheels) made as the chariots of a Avilling people. At 
 other times, and in other instances, he doth less, and meet- 
 ing with resistance, sooner retires; follows not his external 
 edicts and declarations, with so potent and determinative an 
 
42 THE RECOXCILEABLENESS 
 
 influence, but that the creature, through his own great de- 
 fault, may omit to do his part, and so that end be not 
 effected. 
 
 That the course of his economy towards men on earth is, 
 de facto, ordered with this diversity, seems out of question. 
 Manifest experience shows it. Some do sensibly perceive 
 that motive influence, which others do not. The same per- 
 sons, at some times, find not that, which at other times they 
 do. His own word plainly asserts it: " He works in us to 
 will and to do, of his own good pleasure." Where he will, 
 l)e, in this respect, shows mercy ; where he will, he hardeneth, 
 or doth not prevent but that men be hardened. And indeed, 
 we should be constrained to rase out a great part of the 
 sacred volume, if we should not adniit it to be so. And as 
 the equity and fitness of his making such difference (when it 
 appears he doth make it) cannot without profaneness be 
 doubted, so it is evident, from what was before said, they 
 are far removed from the reach and confines of any reason- 
 able doubt; since he forsakes none, but being first forsaken. 
 Nor have men any ])retence to complain of subdolous dealing, 
 or that they are surprisingly disappointed, and lurched of 
 such help as they might have expected; inasmuch as this is 
 so plainly extant in God's open manifests to the world, that 
 he uses a certain arbitrariness, es]>ccially in the more exubei'- 
 ant dispensation of his grace ; and is inserted to that purpose, 
 that tliey may bo cautioned not to neglect lower assistances; 
 and warned, because he works to will and to do of his own 
 pleasure, therefore to work out their own salvation Avith fear 
 and treuibling.* Whereupon, elsewhere, after the most per- 
 suasive alluring invitations : " Turn ye at my reproof: I will 
 pour out my Spirit to you, I will make known my words to 
 you," it is presently subjoined : " Because I called and ye re- 
 fused; I stretched out my hand, and no man regarded; but 
 ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my 
 reproof; I also will laugh at your calamity ; I will mock 
 when your fear cometli." t 
 
 From all which it is plainly to bo understood, that the 
 general strain and drift of God's external revelation of his 
 
 * Phil. ii. 12, 13. t I'ro^'- i-24— 20. 
 
OP god's prescience, &c. 43 
 
 mind to man, in his word, and the aspect of even those 
 passages that can, with most colour, be thought to signify any- 
 thing further, do amount to nothing more than this, that he 
 doth so far really will the salvation of all, as not to omit the 
 doing that which may effect it, if they be not neglectful of 
 themselves ; but not so as to effect it by that extraordinary 
 exertion of power, which he thinks fit to employ upon some 
 others. 
 
 Nor is it reasonably to be doubted, (such a will being all 
 that can be pretended to be the visible meaning of the pas- 
 sages before noted,) whether there be such a Avill in God 
 or no : and so somewhat really corresponding, (the next thing 
 promised to be discoursed) to the aspect and appearance here- 
 of, which is offered to our view. For what should be the 
 reason of the doubt ? He, wlio best understands his own 
 nature, having said of himself what imports no less ; why 
 should we make a difficulty to believe him ? Nor indeed can 
 any notices we have of the perfections of the divine nature 
 be less liable to doubt, than what we have of his unchangeable 
 veracity ; whence, as it is impossible to him to lie, it must be 
 necessary, that he be really Avilling of what he hath repre- 
 sented himself so to be. I must here profess my dislike 
 of the terms of that common distinction, the voluntas bene- 
 placitl, et signi, in this present case : under which, such as 
 coined, and those that have much used it, have only rather, I 
 doubt not, concealed a good meaning, than expressed by it 
 an ill one. It seems, I confess, by its more obvious aspect, 
 too much to countenance the ignominious slander, which pro- 
 fane and atheistical dispositions would fasten upon God, and 
 the course of his procedure towards men ; and which it is 
 the design of these papers to evince of as much absurdity and 
 folly, as it is guilty of impiety and wickedness ; as though he 
 only intended to seem willing of what he really Avas not ; 
 that there was an appearance to which nothing did suhesse. 
 And then why is the latter called voluntas ? unless the mean- 
 ing be, he did only will the sign ; which is false and impious ; 
 and if it were true, did he not will it with the will of good 
 pleasure ? And then the members of the distinction are con- 
 founded ; or, as if the evil actions of men were more truly 
 the objects of his good pleasure, than their forbearance of 
 
44 THE RECONCILEABLENESS 
 
 them. And of these faults the appHcation of tlie distuiction 
 of God's secret will, and revealed, unto this case, though it 
 be useful in many, is as guilty. 
 
 Sect. XX. The truth is, (unto which we must esteem 
 ourselves obliged to adhere, both by our assent and defence,) 
 that Grod doth really and complacentially will (and therefore 
 doth with most unexceptionable sincerity declare himself to 
 will) tliat to be done and enjoyed by many men, Avhich he 
 doth not, universally, will to make them do, or irresistibly pro- 
 cure that they shall enjoy. Which is no harder assertion, 
 than that the impure will of degenerate, sinful man, is oppo- 
 site to the holy Avill of God ; and the malignity of man's will 
 to the benignity of his — no harder than that there is sin and 
 misery in the world, which how can we conceive otherwise, 
 than as a repugnancy to the good and acceptable will of 
 God ? Methinks it should not be difficult to us to acknow- 
 ledge, til at God dotli truly, and with complacency, will wliatso- 
 ever is the holy, righteous matter of his own laws. And if it 
 should be with any a difficulty, I would only make this sup- 
 position, what if all the world were yet in innocency, yield- 
 ing entire universal obedience to all the now extant laws of 
 God, which have not reference to man as now fallen, (as 
 those of repentance, faith in a Mediator, &c.) would it now 
 be a doubt with any, whether God did truly and really will, 
 and were pleased with, the holiness and righteousness which 
 were every where to be found in the world ? Surely we 
 would not, in this case, imagine the creature's will more pure 
 and holy than the divine ; or that he were displeased with 
 men for their being righteous and holy. Now again, sup- 
 pose the world revolted, Avhat then is that holy will of God 
 changed ? will we not say it remains the same holy law still, 
 and stands the same rule of rigltteousness and duty that it 
 was ? Doth the change of his rebel creatures infer any with 
 him ? or do only tlie declarations of his former will remain to 
 be their rule, and keep tliem still obliged, his will itself being 
 become another from what it was ? Surely he might as 
 easily have changed his laws. 
 
 And if we say his Avill is changed, how should we know it 
 to be so ? If we know it not, surely such a thing should not 
 
OF god's prescience, &c. 45 
 
 be said or thought. If we knew it, how should those yet ex- 
 tant laws and declarations continue to oblige, against the 
 lawgiver's known will ? And then the easy expedient to 
 nullify the obligation of a law, that were thought too re- 
 strictive, were to disobey it. And men might, by sinning 
 once, license themselves to do the same thing (though then 
 we could not call it sinning) always ; and so the creature's 
 should be the supreme and ruling will ; nor had it been a 
 false suggestion, but a real truth, that man, by becoming a 
 sinner, might make himself a God. Or, if it shall be thought 
 tit to say, that the divine Avill would not, in that supposed 
 case, be said to be changed ; but only, that now the event 
 makes it appear not to have been what we thought it was ; 
 that were to impute both impurity and dissimulation to the 
 holy, blessed God, as his fixed attributes, and what we thought 
 unfit, and should abhor, to imagine might have place with 
 him one moment, to affix to him for perpetuity. 
 
 Sect. XXI. And whereas it may be thought to follow 
 hence, that hereby we ascribe to God a liableness to frustra- 
 tion and disappointment ; that is without pretence : the 
 resolve of the divine will, in this matter, being not concern- 
 ing the event what man shall do, but concerning his duty 
 what he should, and concerning the connexion between his 
 duty and his happiness ; which we say he doth not onl}^ 
 seem to will, but wills it really and truly. Nor would his 
 prescience of the event, which we all this while assert, let frus- 
 tration be so much as possible to him ; especially, it being at 
 once foreseen, that his will, being crossed in this, would be 
 fulfilled in so important a thing, as the preserving the de- 
 corum of his own government, which had been most a])- 
 parently blemished, beyond what could consist with the 
 perfections of the Deity, if either his will concerning men's 
 duty, or the declarations of that will, had not been substan- 
 tially the same that they are. We are, therefore, in assign- 
 ing the object of this or that act of the divine will, to do it 
 entirely, and to take the whole object together, without 
 dividing it, as if the will of God did wholly terminate upon 
 what indeed is but a part (and especially if that be but a less 
 considerable part) of the thing willed. In the present case, 
 
46 THE RECONCILEABLENESS 
 
 we are not to conoeive that God only wills either man's tluty 
 or felicity, or that herein his will doth solely and ultimately 
 terminate. But, in the whole, the determination of God's 
 will is, that man shall be duly governed, that is, congruously 
 both to himself and him; that such and such things, most 
 congruous to both, shall be man's duty, by his doing whereof, 
 the dignity and honour of God's own government might be 
 preserved, which was the thing principally to be designed, 
 and in tlie first place; and, as what was secondary thereto, 
 that hereby man's felicity should be provided for. There- 
 fore it being foreseen a violation would be done to the sacred 
 rights of the divine government, by man's disobedience, it is 
 resolved, they shall be repaired and maintained by other 
 means. So that the divine will hath its effect, as to what 
 was its more noble and principal design ; the other part fail- 
 ing only by his default, whose is the loss. 
 
 And if yet it should be insisted, that in asserting God to 
 will what by his laws he hath made become man's duty, even 
 where it is not done, we shall herein ascribe to him, at least, 
 an ineffectual and an imperfect will, as which doth not bring 
 to pass the thing willed; it is answered, that imperfection 
 were with no pretence imputable to the divine will, merely 
 for its not effecting every thing, whereto it may have a real 
 pro]iension. But it would be more liable to tliat imputation, 
 if it should effect any thing, which it were less fit for him to 
 effect, than not to effect it. The absolute perfection of his 
 will stands in the proportion, which every act of it bears, to 
 the importance of the things about which it is conversant : 
 even as with men, the perfection of any act of will is to be 
 estimated, not by the mere peremptory sturdiness of it, but 
 by its proportion to tlie goodness of the thing willed. Upon 
 which account, a mere velleity (as many love to speak) when 
 the degree of goodness in the object claims no more, hath 
 inieonceivably greater ])erfection in it, than the most obstinate 
 volition. And since the event forbids us to admit that God 
 did ever will the obedience and felicity of all, with such a 
 will as should be cfi'ective thereof; if yet his plain word shall 
 be acknowledged the measure of our belief, in this matter, 
 which so plainly asserts him some way to will the salvation 
 of all men, it is strange if, hereupon, we shall not admit 
 
OP god's prescience, &c. 47 
 
 rather of a will not-effective of the thing willed, than none 
 at all. 
 
 The will of God is sufficiently to be vindicated from all 
 imperfection, if we have sufficient reason for all the propen- 
 sions and determinations of it, whether from the value of the 
 things willed, or from his own sovereignty w^ho wills them. 
 In the present case, we need not doubt to affirm, that the 
 obedience and felicity of all men is of that value, as where- 
 unto a propeusion of will, by only simple complacency, is 
 proportionable. Yet, that his not procuring, as to all, (by 
 such courses as he more extraordinarily takes with some,) 
 that they shall, in event, obey and be happy, is upon so much 
 more valuable reasons (as there will be further occasion to 
 show ere long) as that, not to do it, with the higher com- 
 placency of a determinative wall, was more eligible. And since 
 the public declarations of his good will, towards all men, im- 
 port no more than the former, and do plainly import so much ; 
 their correspondency to the matter declared is sufficiently 
 apparent. And so is the congruity of both with his presci- 
 ence of the event. For though, when God urges and incites 
 men, by exhortations, promises, and threats, to the doing of 
 their own part, (which it is most agreeable to his holy, graci- 
 ous nature to do,) he foresee many will not be moved there- 
 by ; but persist in wilful neglect and rebellions till they per- 
 ish ; he, at the same time, sees that they might do otherwise, 
 and that, if they would comply with his methods, things 
 would otherwise issue with them: his prescience no way im- 
 posing upon them a necessity to transgress. For they do it 
 not because lie foreknew it, but he only foreknew it because 
 they would do so. And hence he had, as it was necessary 
 he should have, not only this for the object of his foreknow- 
 ledge, that they would do amiss and perish; but the whole 
 case in its circumstances, that they would do so, not througli 
 his omission, but their own. And there had been no place 
 left for this state of the case, if the public edicts and mani- 
 fests had not gone forth, in this tenor, as they have. So 
 that the consideration of his prescience being taken in, gives 
 us only, in the whole, this state of the case, that he foresaw 
 men would not take that course which he truly declared him- 
 self willing they should (and was graciously ready to assist 
 
48 THE RECONCILEABLENESS 
 
 them in it) in order to their own well-being. Whence all 
 complaint of insincere dealing is left without pretence. 
 
 Sect. XXII. Nor (as we also undertook to show) could 
 any course (within our prospect) have been taken, that was 
 fit, in itself, and more agreeable to sincerity. There are 
 only these two ways to be thought on besides; either, that 
 God should wholly have forborne to make overtures to men 
 in common ; or, that he should efficaciously have overpowered 
 all into a compliance with them. And there is little doubt, 
 but upon sober consideration, both of these will be judged 
 altogether unfit. The former, inasmuch as it had been most 
 disagreeable — to the exact measures of liis government, to let 
 a race of sinful creatures persist, through many successive 
 ages, in apostacy and rebellion, when the characters of that 
 law, first written in man's heart, were in so great a measure 
 outworn, and become illegible, without renewing the impres- 
 sion in another way, and re-asserting his right and authority, 
 as their ruler and Lord: — to the holiness of his nature, not to 
 send into the world such a declaration of his will, as might 
 be a standing testimony against the impurity wliereinto it 
 was lapsed ; — to the goodness of it, not to make known upon 
 what terms, and for whose sake, he v\-as rceoncileable ; and — 
 to the truth of the thing, since he really had such kind propen- 
 sions towards men in common, not make them known : — that it 
 had, itself, been more liable to the charge of insincerity, to have 
 concealed from men what was real truth, and of so much 
 concernment to them. And he did, in revealing them, but 
 act his own nature ; the goodness whereof is no more lessened, 
 by men's refusal of its offers, than his truth can be made of 
 none effect by their disbelief of its assertions: besides the 
 great use such an extant revelation of the way of recovery 
 was to be of, to those that should obediently comply with it, 
 oven after they should be won so to do. 
 
 Srct. XXIII. And the latter wo may also apprehend very 
 unfit too; though, because that is less obvious, it requires to 
 be more largely insisted on. For it would seem that if wo 
 do not eftect any thing which we have a real will unto, it 
 must proceed from impotency, and that we cannot do it^ 
 
OF god's presciknck, &c. 49 
 
 which, who would say of the great God ? Herein, therefore, 
 we shall proceed by steps, and gradually offer the things 
 that follow to consideration. 
 
 As, that it were indeed most repugnant to the notion of a 
 deity, to suppose any thing, which includes in it no contra- 
 diction impossible to God, considered according to that single 
 attribute of power only. But yet we must add, that this 
 Avere a very unequal way of estimating what God can do, 
 that is, to consider him as a mere being of power. For the 
 notion of God so conceived, were very inadequate to him, 
 which taken entirely, imports the comprehension of all per- 
 fections. So that they are two very distant questions,— 
 What the power of God alone could do ? and — What God 
 can do ? And whereas to the former the answer would be, 
 
 whatsoever is not in itself repugnant to be done ; to the 
 
 latter, it must only be, — whatsoever it becomes or is agree- 
 able to a being every way perfect to do. And so it is to be 
 attributed to the excellency of his nature, if, amongst all 
 things not simply impossible, there be any which it may be 
 truly said he cannot do. Or, it proceeds not from the im- 
 perfection of his power, but from the concurrence of all other 
 perfections in him. Hence his own w^ord plainly affirms of 
 him that he cannot lie. And by common consent it will be 
 acknowledged, that he cannot do any unjust act whatsoever. 
 To this I doubt not we may with as common suffrage 
 (when the matter is considered) subjoin, that his wisdom 
 doth as much limit the exercise of his power, as his righte- 
 ousness or his truth doth ; and that it may, with as much 
 confidence and clearness, be said and understood, that he 
 cannot do an unwise or imprudent act as an unjust. Fur- 
 ther, that as his righteousness corresponds to the justice of 
 things, to be done or not done, so doth his wisdom to the 
 congruity or fitness. So that he cannot do what it is unfit 
 for him to do, because he is wise ; and because he is most 
 perfectly and infinitely wise, therefore nothing that is less 
 fit. But whatsoever is fittest, when a comparison is made 
 between doing this or that, or between doing and not doing, 
 that the perfection of his nature renders necessary to hmi, 
 and the opposite part impossible. Again, that this measure 
 must be understood to have a very large and most general 
 
 D 
 
50 THE RECOXCILEABLEXESS 
 
 extent unto all the aftairs of his government, the ohject it 
 concerns being so very large. We, in our observation, may 
 take notice, that fewer questions can occur concerning what 
 is right or wrong, than what is fit or unfit. And whereas 
 any man may in a moment be honest, if he have a mind to 
 it ; very few (and that by long experience) can ever attain 
 to be wise. The things about which justice is conversant 
 being reducible to certain rules, but Avisdom supposes very 
 general knowledge of things scarce capable of such reduction. 
 It is, besides, the primary requisite, in any one that bears 
 rule over others : and must therefore most eminently influ- 
 ence all the managements of the Supreme Ruler. 
 
 Sect. XXIV. It is moreover to bo considered, that innu- 
 merable congruities lie open to the Infinite Wisdom, whicli 
 are never obvious to our view or thought : as, to a well-stud- 
 ied scholar, thousands of coherent notions, which an illiterate 
 person never thought of; to a practised courtier, or well- 
 educated gentleman, many decencies and indecencies, in tlie 
 matter of civil bcliaviour and conversation, which an unbred 
 rustic knows nothing of ; and to an experienced statesman, 
 tliose importancies, which never occur to the thouglits of him 
 wlio daily follows the plough. What government is there 
 that hath not its arcana, profound mysteries and reasons of 
 state, that a vulgar wit cannot dive into ? And from whence, 
 the account to be given, why this or that is done or not 
 done, is not, always, that it would have been unjust it should 
 be otherwise, but it had been imprudent. And many things 
 are, hereupon, judged necessary not from the exigency of 
 justice, but reason of state. Whereupon men of modest and 
 sober minds, that have had exi)erience of the wisdom of their 
 governors and their hajijty conduct, through a considerable 
 tract of time ; when they see things done by them, the lead- 
 ing reasons whereof they do not understand, and the cfi'ect 
 and success comes not yet in view, suspend their censure, 
 while as yet all seems to them obscure, and wrapt up in 
 clouds and darkness ; yea tliough the course that is taken 
 have, to their apprehension, an ill aspect ; accounting it be- 
 comes them not, to make a judgment of things so far above 
 their reach, and confiding iu tlie tried wisdom of their rulers, 
 
OF god's prescience, &;c. 51 
 
 Avlio, they believe, see reasons for what they do, into which 
 they find tliemselves unable to penetrate. With how much 
 more submiss and humble veneration ought the methods of 
 the Divine government to be beheld and adored, upon the 
 certain assurance we have, that all things therein are man- 
 aged by that wisdom, Avhich could never in any thing mis- 
 take its way ! Whereas, there was never any continued ad- 
 ministration of human government so accurate and exact, but 
 that after some tract of time, some or other errors might be 
 reflected on therein. 
 
 Again, it may further be said, without presuming beyond 
 due bounds, that though infinite congruities must be sup- 
 posed to lie open to the divine understanding, ^^•hich are 
 concealed from ours, yet that these two things in the general 
 are very manifestly congruous to any sober attentive mind, 
 that directly concern, or may be applied to the case under 
 our present consideration, viz. That the course of God's gov- 
 ernment over the world, be, for the most part, steady and 
 uniform, not interrupted by very frequent, extraordinary, 
 and anomalous actions ; and again. That he use a royal lib- 
 erty, of stepping out of his usual course, sometimes, as he 
 sees meet. It cannot but appear to such as attend, liighly 
 incongruous, should we affirm the antithesis to either of 
 these ; or lay down counterpositions to them, and sup])ose 
 the course of the Divine government to be managed agree- 
 ably thereunto. 
 
 Sect. XXV. For, as to the former ; what confusion would 
 it make in the world, if there sliould be perpetual innovations 
 upon nature — continual or exceeding frequent impeditions, 
 and restraints of second causes. In the sphere of nature, 
 the virtues and proper qualities of things, being never cer- 
 tain, could never be understood or known. In that of policy, 
 no measures, so much as probable, could ever be taken. 
 How much better is it, in both, that second causes ordinarily 
 follow tlieir inclinations ! And why is it not to be thought 
 congruous, that, in some degree, things should be proportion- 
 ally so, in tlie sphere of grace ? whefeto, by and b}^ we shall 
 speak more directly. We pray, when our friends are sick, 
 for their recovery. What can be the sober meaning and de- 
 
52 THE RECONCILEABLENESS 
 
 sign of such prayers ? Not that God would work a miracle 
 for their restitution, (for then we might as well pray for their 
 revival after death,) but, that God would be pleased so to co- 
 operate, in the still and silent way of nature, with second 
 causes, and so bless means, that they may be recovered, if he 
 see good : otherwise that they and we may be prepared to 
 undergo his pleasure. And agreeable hereto ought to be 
 the intent of our prayers, in reference to the public affairs, 
 and better posture of the world. And we may take notice, 
 the Divine wisdom lays a very great stress upon this matter, 
 the preserving of the common order of things ; and cannot 
 but observe a certain inflexibleness of Providence herein ; 
 and that it is very little apt to divert from its wonted course. 
 At which weak minds are apt to take oftence : to wonder, 
 that against so many prayers and tears God will let a good 
 man die, or one whom they love ; or that a miracle is not 
 wrought to prevent their own being wronged at any time ; 
 or, that the earth doth not open and swallow uj) the person 
 that hath done them wrong : are apt to call for fire from 
 heaven, upon them that are otherwise minded, and do other- 
 wise than they would have them. But a judicious person 
 would consider, if it be so highly reasonable that my desires 
 should be complied with so extraordinarily, then why not all 
 men's ? And then were the world filled with prodigies and 
 confusion. The inconveniences would soon be to all equally 
 discernible and intolerable ; (as the heathen poet takes notice, 
 should Jupiter's ear be over-easy ;) yea, and the impossibility 
 were obvious of gratifying all, because of their many counter- 
 desires. 
 
 And for the other ; it were no less incongruous, if the 
 Supreme Power should so tie its own hands, and be so 
 astricted to rules and methods, as never to do any thing 
 extraordinary, upon never so important occasion. How ill 
 could the world have wanted sucli an effort of omnipotency, 
 as the restriction upon the flames from destroying Sliadrach, 
 Meshach, and Abednego ! or the miracles wrought in our 
 Saviour's and tlie next following days ! Such tilings are 
 never done, but when the all-comprehending wisdom sees it 
 most congruous ; and that the cause will over-recompense 
 the deflection from the common course. If no such thing 
 
OF god's prescience, &;c. 53 
 
 did ever fall out, what a temptation were it to mankind, to 
 introduce into their belief an unintelligent fate instead of a 
 Deity! Besides that the convincing testimony were wanting, 
 which we see is so necessary for the confirmation of any par- 
 ticular revelation from Grod, which comes not within the com- 
 pass of nature's discovery, (upon which account also, it is as 
 apparently necessary such extraordinary works should not 
 be over-frequent, for then they become ordinary, and useless 
 to that special end,) so that here the exertions both of the 
 ordinate and absolute power of God (as some distinguish) 
 have their so ap])ropriate, and so visibly apt and congruous, 
 .uses, that they are discernible to a very ordinary understand- 
 ing, how much more to the infinite wisdom of God! 
 
 Sect. XXVI. Now hereupon we say further, there is the 
 like congruity, upon as valuable (though not altogether the 
 same) reasons that, in the affairs of grace, there be somewhat 
 correspondent; that, ordinarily, it be sought and expected, 
 in the use of ordinary means; and that, sometimes, its so- 
 vereignty show itself in preventing exertions, and in working 
 so heroically, as none have, beforehand, in the neglect of its 
 ordinary methods, any reason to expect. And we may fitly 
 add, that where sovereignty is pleased thus to have its exer- 
 cise and demonstrate itself, it is sufficient that there be a 
 general congruity, that it do so sometimes, as an antecedent 
 reason to the doing of some such extraordinary things; but 
 that there should be a particular, leading congruity or ante- 
 cedent reason, to invite those extraordinary operations of 
 grace to one person more than another, is not necessary. 
 But it is most congruous, that, herein, it be most arbitrary ; 
 most agreeable to the supremacy of God; to the state of sin- 
 ful man, who hath infinitely disobliged him, and can deserve 
 nothing from him ; yea, and even to the nature of the thing. 
 For, where there is a parity, in any objects of our own choice, 
 there can be no leading reason to this, rather than that. 
 The most prudent man, that is wont to guide himself by 
 never so exquisite wisdom, in his daily actions, where there 
 is a perfect indifferency between doing this thing or that, is 
 not liable to censure, that he is not able to give a reason why 
 he did that, not the other : wisdom hath no exercise in that case. 
 
54 THE RECONCILEABLEXESS 
 
 But that the blessed God doth ordinarily proceed in these 
 aftairs by a steady rule, and sometimes show his liberty of 
 departing from it, is to be resolved into his infinite wisdom, 
 it being, in itself, most fit he should do both the one and the 
 other; and therefore to him most necessary. Whereu])on, 
 the great apostle, St. Paul, discoursing upon this subject, 
 doth not resolve the matter into strict justice, nor absolute 
 sovereignty; (both which have their place too, in his pro- 
 ceedings with men, as the sacred writings do abundantly 
 testify:) but we find him in a transport, in the contempla- 
 tion of the Divine wisdom, that herein so eminently shines 
 forth : " the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and 
 knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, 
 and his ways past finding out!"* 
 
 Sect. XXVII. To sum up all, we conclude it obvious to 
 the apprehension of such as consider, that it was more con- 
 gruous the general course of God's government over man 
 should be by moral instruments. And howsoever it were 
 very unreasonable to imagine, that God cannot in any case 
 extraordinarily oversway the inclinations, and determine the 
 will of such a creature, in a way agreeable enough to its 
 nature, (though we particularly know not, as we are not 
 concerned to know, or curiously to inquire in what way,) and 
 highly reasonable to admit that in many cases he doth; it is 
 notwithstanding manifest, to any sober reason, that it were 
 Very incongruous, this should be the ordinary course of his 
 conduct towards mankind, or the same persons at all times. 
 That is, that a whole order of intelligent creatures should be 
 moved only by inward impulses; that God's precepts, promises, 
 and comminations, whereof their nature is capable, should 
 be all made impei'tineneies, through his constant overpower- 
 ing those that sliould neglect them ; that the f;xculties, where- 
 by men are capable of moral government, should be rendered, 
 to this purpose, useless and vain; and that they should be 
 tempted to expect to bo constantly managed as mere ma- 
 chines, that know not their own use. 
 
 * Rom. xi. 33. See to the same purpose, cli. xvi. 25, 26, 27; and 
 liph. i. 5, 6, 7, with the 8th. 
 
OF god's rRESCIESCE, &,c. 55 
 
 Nor it is loss apprehensible, how incongruous it were also, 
 on the other hand, to suppose that the exterior frame of 
 God's government should be totally unaccompanied with an 
 internal vital energy; or exclude the inward motions, oper- 
 ations, and influences, whereof such a creature is also fitly 
 capable ; or tliat God should have barred out himself from all 
 inward access to the spirits of men, or commerce with them : 
 that the supreme, universal, paternal mind (as a heathen called 
 it) should have no way for eflicacious communications to his 
 own oftspring when he pleases ; that so (unsuitably to sove- 
 reignty) he should have no objects of special favour, or no 
 peculiar ways of expressing it. It is manifestly congruous 
 that the Divine government over man, should be (as it is) 
 mixed or composed of an external frame of laws, with their 
 proper sanctions and enforcements, and an internal effusion 
 of power and vital influence, correspondent to the several 
 parts of that frame ; and which might animate the whole, 
 and use it, as instrumental, to the begetting of correspondent 
 impressions on men's spirits : — that this power be put forth, 
 not like that of a natural agent, ad ultimum, (which if we 
 would suppose the Divine power to be, new worlds must be 
 springing up every moment,) but gradually, and with an apt 
 contemperation to the subject, upon which it is designed ; to 
 have its operations and withal arbitrarily, as is becoming the 
 great Agent from whom it proceeds, and to whom it therefore 
 belongs to measure its exertions, as seems meet unto him :— - 
 that it be constantly put forth (though most gratuitously, 
 .especially the disobligation of the apostacy being considered) 
 upon all to that degree, as that they be enabled to do much 
 good, to which they are not impelled by it : — that it be ever 
 ready (since it is the power of grace) to go forth in a further 
 degree than it had yet done, wheresoever any former issues 
 of it have been duly complied with. Though it be so little 
 supposable that man should hereby have obliged God there- 
 to, that he hath not any way obliged himself, otherwise, than 
 that he hath implied a readiness to impart unto man what 
 shall be necessary to enable him to obey, so fiir as, upon the 
 apostacy, is requisite to his relief; if he seriously endeavour 
 to do his own part, by the power he already hath received ; 
 agreeably to the common saying, homini facienti quod in se 
 
56 THE RECONCILEABLENESS 
 
 est, &c. That, according to tlie royal liberty wherewith it 
 ■works, it go forth, as to some, with that efficacy, as notwith- 
 standing wliatever resistance yet to overcome, and make them 
 captives to the authority and love of Christ. 
 
 Sect. XXVIII. The universal, continued rectitude of all 
 intelligent creatures had, we may be sure, been willed with 
 a i)eremptory, efficacious will if it had been best. That is, 
 if it liad not been less congruous than to keep them some 
 time (under the expectation of future confirmation and re- 
 ward) upon trial of their fidelity, and in a state wherein it 
 might not be impossible to them to make a defection. And 
 so it had easily been prevented, that ever there should have 
 been an apostacy from God, or any sin in the world. Nor 
 was it either less easy by a mighty irresistible hand, uni- 
 versally to expel sin, than prevent it ; or more necessary or 
 more to be expected from him. But if God's taking no such 
 course, tended to render his government over tlie world more 
 august and awful for the present, and tlie result and final 
 issue of all things more glorious at lengtli, and were conse- 
 quently more congruous ; that could not be so willed, as to 
 be eft'ectually procured by him. For whatsoever obligation 
 strict justice hath upon ns, that congruity cannot but have 
 upon him. And whereas it would be concluded, that what- 
 soever any one truly wills, they would effect if they could, 
 we admit it for true, and to be applied in the present case; but 
 add, that as we rightly esteem that impossible to us which we 
 cannot justly do, so is that to him, not only which he cannot 
 do justly, but which, upon the whole matter, he cannot do 
 most wisely also ; that is, whicli his infinite wisdom doth not 
 dictate is most congruous and fit to be done. 
 
 Things cohere and are held together, in the course of 
 his dispensation, by congruities as by adamantine bands, and 
 cannot be otherwise. Tiiat is, comparing and taking things 
 together, especially the most important. For otherwise, to 
 have been nicely curious about every miiuite thing, singly 
 considered, that it might not possibly liave been better, (as 
 in the frame of this or that individual animal or the like,) had 
 been needlessly to interrupt the course of nature, and there- 
 fore, itself, to him an incongruity ; and doth, in them that 
 
OF god's prescience, &c. 57 
 
 expect it, import more of a trifling disposition than of true 
 ■wisdom. But to him Avhose being is most absolutely perfect, 
 to do that which, all things considered, would be simply best, 
 i. e, most becoming him, most honourable and Godlike, is 
 absolutely necessary ; and consequently, it is to be attributed 
 to his infinite perfection, that unto him, to do otherwise is 
 absolutely impossible. And if we yet see not all these con- 
 gruities which to him are more than a law, it is enough that 
 they are obvious to his own eye, who is the only competent 
 judge. Yet moreover, it is finally to be considered, that the 
 methods of the Divine government are, besides his, to be ex- 
 posed to the view and judgment of other intellects than our 
 own, and we expect they shall to our own, in another state. 
 What conception thereof is already received and formed in 
 our minds, is but an embryo, no less imperfect than our pre- 
 sent state is. 
 
 It were very unreasonable to expect, since this world shall 
 continue but a little while, that all God's managements and 
 ways of procedure, in ordering the great aftairs of it, should 
 be attempered and fitted to the judgment that shall be made 
 of them in this temporary state, that will so soon be over, and 
 to the present apprehension and capacity of our now so 
 muddied and distempered minds. A vast and stable eternity 
 remains, wherein the whole celestial chorus shall entertain 
 themselves with the grateful contemplation and applause of 
 his dee]) counsels. Such things as now seem perplex and 
 intricate to us, will appear most irreprehensibly fair and 
 comely to angelical minds ; and to our own, when we shall 
 be vouchsafed a place amongst that happy community. What 
 discovery God afibrds of his own glorious excellencies and 
 perfections, is principally intended to recommend him in that 
 state wherein he, and all his ways and works, are to be be- 
 held with everlasting and most complacential approbation. 
 Therefore, though now we should covet the clearest and most 
 satisfying account of things that can be had, we are yet to 
 exercise patience, and not precipitate our judgment of them 
 before the time : as knowing our present conceptions will 
 differ more from what they will be hereafter, than those of a 
 child from the maturer thoughts of the wisest man ; and that 
 
58 THE RECONCILEABLENESS, &C. 
 
 many of our conceits, which we thought wise, we shall then 
 see cause to put away as childish things. 
 
 The disoi'dor, Sir, of this heap ratlier tlian frame of thouglits 
 and discourse, as it cannot be thought more unsuitable to the 
 subject tlian suitable to the author ; and the less displease, by 
 how much it could less be expected to be otherwise, from 
 him, even in the best circumstances ; so it may lay some 
 claim to your easier pardon, as having been mostly huddled 
 up in the intervals of a trouljlesome, long journey ; wherein 
 he was rather willing to take what opportunity the inconve- 
 niences and hurry of it could allow him, than neglect any, of 
 using the earliest endeavour to approve himself, as he is your 
 great admirer. 
 
 Most honoured Sir, 
 
 Your most obedient humble servant, 
 
 II. W. 
 
A POSTSCRIPT TO THE LETTER 
 
 RECONCILEABLENESS OF GOD'S PRESCIENCE, &c. 
 
 FiNDiXG that this discourse of the " Reconcileableness of 
 God's Prescience of the Sins of Men, with the wisdom and 
 sincerity of his counsels, exhortations, &c." hath been misun- 
 derstood and misrepresented; I think it requisite to say some- 
 what briefly in reference thereto. I wrote it upon tlie motion 
 of that honourable gentleman to whom it is inscribed; who 
 apprehended somewhat of that kind might be of use to render 
 our religion less exceptionable to some persons of an inquii'ing 
 disposition, that might perhaps be too sceptical and pendu- 
 lous, if not prejudiced. Having finished it, I thought it best 
 the author's name should pass under some disguise, supposing 
 it might so better serve its end : for knowing my name could 
 not give the cause an advantage, I was not willing it should 
 be in a possibility of making it incur any disadvantage. And 
 therefore, as I have observed some in such cases, to make use 
 only of the two last letters, I imitated some other, in the 
 choice of the penultimate. But perceiving that discourse now 
 to fall under animadversion, I reckon it becoming to be no 
 longer concealed. It was unavoidable to me, if I would, upon 
 reasonable terms, apply myself to the consideration of the 
 matter I had undertaken, of showing the consistency of God's 
 prescience of the sins of men, with the preventive methods 
 we find him to have used against them, to express somewhat 
 of my sense of (what I well knew to have been asserted by 
 divers school-men) God's predeterminative concurrence to 
 
60 
 
 A POSTSCRIPT 
 
 the sins of men also. For it had been (any one ma}- see) 
 very idle and ludicrous trifling, to oiFer at reconciling those 
 methods with God's prescience, and have waved that mani- 
 festly greater difficulty, of reconciling them with his prede- 
 terminative concourse, if I had thought there had been such 
 a thing; and were a like case, as if a chirurgeon, undertaking 
 a wounded person, should apj^ly himself, with a great deal of 
 diligence and address, to the cure of a finger slightly 
 scratched, and totally neglect a wound feared to be mortal 
 in his breast. 
 
 And whereas I reckoned God's prescience of all whatso- 
 ever futurities, and consequently of the sins of men, most 
 certain and demonstrable, (though it was not the business of 
 this discourse to demonstrate it, but supposing it, to show its 
 reconcileableness with what it seemed not so well to agree 
 with,) if I had believed his predoterminative concurrence to 
 the sins of men to be as certain: perfect despair of being 
 able to say any thing to purpose in this case, had made me 
 resolve to say nothing in either. For to show how it might 
 stand with the wisdom and sincerity of the blessed God, to 
 counsel men not to sin, to profess his hatred and detestation 
 of it, to remonstrate to men the great danger they should 
 incur by it; with so great appearance of seriousness to ex- 
 hort, warn, expostulate with them concerning it; express his 
 great displeasure and grief for their sinning, and consequent 
 miseries; and yet all the while act them on thereto, by a 
 secret, but mighty and irresistible, influence, — seemed to me 
 an utterly hopeless and inqiossible undertaking; — the other, 
 without this, (supposing, as to this, the case to have been as 
 some have thought it,) a very vain one. But being well as- 
 sured, that what seemed the greater difliculty, and to carry 
 most of terror and affright in the face of it, was only a 
 chimera, I reckoned the other very superable ; and therefore 
 directed my discourse thither, according to the first design 
 of it, which was in ett'ect but to justify God's making such 
 a creature as man, and governing him agreeably to his 
 nature. 
 
 Now judging it requisite, that ho who should read that 
 discourse concerning this designed subject with any advan- 
 tage, should have the same thoughts of the other, which was 
 
TO THE LETTER, &C. 61 
 
 waved, that I had; I apprehended it necessary to communi- 
 cate those thoughts concerning that, as I did. Not operosely, 
 and as my business, but only on the bye, and as was fit in 
 reference to a thing that was to be waved, and not insisted 
 on. Now I perceive that some persons, wlio had formerly 
 entertained that strange opinion of God's predeterminative 
 concurrence to the wickedest actions, and not purged their 
 minds of it, have been oftended with that letter, for not express- 
 ing more respect unto it; and yet offered nothing themselves, 
 (which to me seems exceeding strange,) for the solving of that 
 great difficulty and encumbrance, which it infers upon our re- 
 ligion. Nor do I much wonder, that this opinion of predeter- 
 minative concourse to sinful actions, should have some stiff 
 adherents among ourselves. For having been entertained by 
 certain Dominicans, that were apprehended in some things to 
 approach nearer us than others of the Eoman church, it came 
 to receive favour and countenance from some of our own, of 
 considerable note for piety and learning, whose name and 
 authority cannot but be expected to have much influence on 
 the minds of many. But I somewhat wonder, that they who 
 have had no kindness for this letter, upon the account of its 
 dissent from them, in this particular, should not allow it com- 
 mon justice. For, because it hath not said every thing they 
 would have had it say, and that would have been grateful to 
 themselves, they impute to it the having said what it said 
 not, and what they apprehended would be most ungrateful 
 to all pious and sober men. The sura is, they give out con- 
 cerning it, that it denies the providence of God about sin, 
 which all good men ought to abhor from; and insinuate that 
 it falls in Avith the sentiments of Durandus, which they know 
 many think not well of. 
 
 All that I intend to do, for the present, upon this occasion, 
 .shall be to show wherein the letter is misrepresented, and 
 charged with what it hath not in it; to remark what is said 
 against that supposed sense of it, and give the true sense of 
 what it says touching this matter, with a further account of 
 the author's mind herein than it was thought fit to insert into 
 so transient and occasional a discourse as that part of the letter 
 was; whereby it may be seen, Avherein he agrees with those 
 of that opposite persuasion, and what the very point of dif- 
 
62 A POSTSCRIPT 
 
 ference is. Furtlior than this, I yet intend not to go, till I 
 see further need. There have two discourses come to my 
 view that ha%'e referred to that letter. The one in manu- 
 script only; Avhich, because it is uncertain to me whether 
 the reputed author of it will own it or no, and because it 
 says little or nothing by way of argument, against the true 
 sense of the letter, I shall take no further present notice of. 
 The other is printed, and otfers at somewhat of argument, 
 which therefore I shall more attentively consider. It doth 
 this letter an honour, whereof its author never had the least 
 ambition or ex])ectation, to insert the mention of it into the 
 close of a verj^ learned, elaborate work;* with which it might, 
 yet, easily be imagined, its simplicity, and remoteness from 
 any pretence to learning would so ill agree, that a quarrel 
 could not but ensue. It is from one, who liaving spent a 
 great part of his time in ti'avelling tlu'ough some regions of 
 literature, and been peaceable, as for as I have understood, 
 in his travels, it might have been hoped would have let this 
 jmmphlet alone; when, for what I can observe, lie finds no 
 fault with it but what he makes, and is fain to accuse it of 
 what is no where to be found in it, lest it should be innocent. 
 It is an unaccountable pleasure which men of some hu- 
 mours take, in depraving what is done by others, when there 
 is nothing attempted that doth interfere with them; nothing 
 that can, righteously, be understood -to cross any good end, 
 which they more openly ])retend to, nor the more concealed 
 end (if they have any such) of their own glory. Common 
 edification seems less designed, when every thing must be 
 thrown down which is not built by their own hands, or by 
 their own line and measure. I plead nothing of merit in 
 this little essay; only I say for it, that I know not what it 
 can be guilty of towards this learned man, that can ])ave 
 occasioned this assault u])on it by his pen. By how much 
 the less it keeps his road, the more I might have thought 
 it out of the way of his notice. I am sure it meant him no 
 harm, nor had any design to pilfer from him any part of his 
 collections. But he says, he may not let it pass. Then 
 there is no remedy. But I wonder what he should mean by 
 
 * Court of the Gentiles, part ii. page 522. 
 
TO THE LETTER, &C. 63 
 
 " he may not." It must either mean, that he thouglit it un- 
 hiwful to let it pass, or that he had a mighty strong and 
 irresistible inclination to squabble a little with it. The 
 former cannot be imagined. For then, for tlie same reason, 
 he would have attempted sundry others of former and later 
 days, that have said much to the purpose, which this letter 
 doth but touch obiter, and on the bye, in its way to another 
 design. But those were giants, whom it Avas not so safe to 
 meddle with: therefore he could very wisely let them pass, 
 though they have wounded his beloved cause, beyond all 
 that it is in the power of his (or any) art to cure. Whence 
 it is consequent, that the whole business must be resolved 
 into the latter. And this inclination cannot but owe itself 
 to some peculiar aspect and reference he had to the author ; 
 whom, though he was in incognito, yet (as I have been in- 
 formed) he professes to have discoursed with upon the sauie 
 subject many times. And so, therefore, he miglit once more, 
 before this public rencounter, if he had thought lit, and nature 
 could have been repelled awhile. 
 
 It is true, he hath found me not facile to entertain his 
 sentiments in this matter. And, indeed, I have deeply 
 dreaded the portentous imaginations which I found had more 
 lightly tinctured his mind, as to this thing, concerning the 
 blessed God ; than which, upon deliberation, I do believe, no 
 human wit can ever devise worse ; and as I have often frcelv 
 told divers of my friends, and it is very likely, among theiiii, 
 himself. Though I do not suspect the contagion to have in- 
 fected his vitals ; by a privilege, vouchsafed to some, that 
 they may possibly drink some deadly thing that shall not hurt 
 them. But why must an impatiency of this dissent break out 
 into so vindictive an hostility ? I will not say I expected more 
 friendly dealing ; for as I do well know it was very jjossible 
 such a public contest might have been managed with that 
 candour and fairness, as not at all to entrench upon Iriendsiiip ; 
 so, as it is, I need not own so much weakness, as upon many 
 years' experience, not to be able to distinguish and under- 
 stand, there are some tempers less capable of tlie ingenuities 
 that belong to that pleasant relation. But it was onl}^ a 
 charitable error, of which I repent not, that I expected a more 
 ri^'hteous dealing:. 
 
64 A POSTSCRIPT 
 
 He pretends to give my sense in other words, and then 
 gravely falls to combating his own man of straw, which he 
 will have represent me ; and so I am to be tortured in effigy. 
 It can never be proved, that it implies a contradiction for 
 God. to make a creature which should be capable of acting 
 without immediate concourse. This he puts in a different 
 character, as if I had said so much. And why might not my 
 own words be allowed to speak my own sense, but that his 
 understanding and eyes must then have conspired to tell him, 
 that the sense would have been quite another ? It is a pre- 
 determinative concurrence to all actions, even those that are 
 most malignantly wicked, and again, God's concurring by a 
 determinative influence unto wicked actions, which is the 
 only thing I speak of; as what I cannot reconcile with the 
 wisdom and sincerity of his councils and exhortations against 
 such actions. And if he had designed to serve any common 
 good end, in this undertaking of his, why did he not attempt 
 to reconcile them himself? But the wisdom and sincerity of 
 God are thouglit fit (as it would seem) to be sacrificed to the 
 reputation of his more peculiarly admired schoolmen. If 
 there be such a universal determination by an irresistible 
 divine influence, to all even the wickedest actions, (which 
 God forbid !) methinks such a difficulty should not be so 
 easily passed over. And surely the reconciling such a de- 
 terminative influence with the Divine wisdom and sincerity, 
 had been a performance worth all his learned labours be- 
 sides, and of greater service to the Christian name and 
 honour. 
 
 But it seems the denying concurrence by such predeter- 
 mining influence, is the denying of all immediate concurrence. 
 And i am sent to the Thomists, Scotists, Jesuits, and Suarez 
 more especially to be taught otherwise ; as if all these were 
 for detejmiinative concourse ; which is very pleasant, when 
 the very heads of the two first-mentioned sects were against 
 it, as we shall see further anon ; the third generally, and 
 Suarez particularly, whom he names, have so industriously 
 and strongly opposed it. Yea, and because I assent not to 
 the doctrine of predeterminative concourse, I am represented 
 (which was the last spite that was to be done me) as a 
 favourer of the hypothesis of Durandus. And he might as 
 
TO THE LETTER, &C. 65 
 
 truly have said of Henry Nicholas, but not so prudently, be- 
 cause he knows whose opinions have a nearer alliance to 
 that family. Now I heartily wish I had a ground for so 
 much charity towards him, as to suppose him ignorant that 
 immediate concourse, and determinative, are not wont to be 
 used by the schoolmen, in this controversy, as terms of the 
 same signification. If he do himself think them to be all 
 one, what warrant is that to him to give the same for my 
 sense ; when it is so well known they are not commonly so 
 taken, and that determinative concourse is so voluminously 
 written against, where immediate is expressly asserted ? Let 
 him but soberly tell me, what his design was, to dash out the 
 word determining from what he recites of that letter, and put 
 in immediate, which he knows is not to be found in any of 
 the places he refers to in it. Or what was the spring of that 
 confidence that made him intimate the Scotists, Thomists, the 
 Jesuits, and particularly Suarez, to be against what is said in 
 the letter, in this thing ? If he could procure all the books 
 in the world to be burnt, besides those in his own library, he 
 would yet have a hard task to make it be believed in the next 
 age, that all these were for God's efficacious determination of 
 the wills of men unto wicked actions. 
 
 I need not, after all this, concern myself as to what he says 
 about the no medium between the extremes of his disjunc- 
 tive proposition. Either the human will must depend upon 
 the Divine independent will of God, &c., (as he phrases it in 
 the excess of his caution, lest any should think the will of 
 God was not a divine will,) or God must depend on the human 
 will, &c. ; unless he can show that the human will cannot be 
 said to depend on the divine, as being enabled by it, except 
 it be also determined and impelled by it to every wicked 
 action. A created being that was entirely from God, witli 
 all the powers and faculties which belong it ; that hath its 
 continual subsistence in him, and all those powers continued 
 and maintained by his influence every moment ; that hath 
 those powers made habile, and apt for whatsoever its most 
 natural motions and operations, by a suitable influence when- 
 soever it moves or operates ; can this creature be said not to 
 depend, as to all its motions and operations, unless it be also 
 
 £ 
 
66 A POSTSCRIPT 
 
 unavoidably impelled to do every thing to which it is thus 
 sufficiently enabled ? 
 
 I again say, was it impossible to God to make such a crea- 
 ture that can, in this case, act or not act ? It is here oddly 
 enough said, tliat the author gives no demonstration hereof. 
 Of what ? Why, that it can never be proved (as the refer- 
 ence to the foregoing word shows) that it implies a contra- 
 diction, &c. It seems, it was expected that author should 
 have proved by demonstration, that it can never be jn'oved 
 that it implies a contradiction for Grod to make a creature, 
 Avhich should be capable of acting (as he feigns him to have 
 said) without immediate concourse. By what rule of reason- 
 ing was he obliged to do so ? But if the proving there is 
 such a creature, as in the case before expressed, can act with- 
 out determinative concourse, will serve turn to prove that it 
 cannot be proved it implies a contradiction there should be 
 such a one, I may think the thing was done ; and may think 
 it sufficiently proved, that there is such a creature ; if it ap- 
 pear (whereof there is too much proof) that there are such 
 actions done by creatures, as for the reasons that were before 
 alleged, it could not stand with the nature of God to deter- 
 mine them unto. And was notliing said tending to prove 
 this, that it could not consist with the nature of God to de- 
 termine men unto all the wicked actions they commit ? It 
 seems unless it were put into mood and figure, it is no proof. 
 Nor was it the design of those papers to insist upon that sub- 
 ject ; but there are things suggested in transitu, as such a 
 discourse could admit, that, whether they are demonstrative 
 or no, would j)uzzle a considering person : — that God should 
 have as much iniluencc and concurrence to the worst actions 
 as to the best; as much or more than the sinner or the 
 tempter ; that the matter of his laws to Adam, and his pos- 
 terity, should be a natural impossibility : and I now add, the 
 irreconcileableness of that determination, with God's wisdom 
 and sincerity, &c. These I shall reckon demonstrations, till 
 I see them well answered. 
 
 However, if mine were a bad ojunion, why was it not as 
 confutable without the mention of Durandus ? But that was, 
 witli him, an odious name ; and fit, therefore, to impress the 
 brand which he desired I should wear for his sake. This is 
 
TO THE LETTER, &C. 67 
 
 a likely way to clear the truth ! Yet if it serve not one 
 design, it will another, he thinks, upon which he was more 
 intent. Are all for Durandus's way that are against a pre- 
 determinative influence to wicked actions ? I could tell him 
 who have shown more strength in arguing against Durandus 
 than I find in all his arguments, who have yet written, too, 
 against determinative concourse to such actions, more than 
 ever he will be able to answer, or any man. The truth is, 
 wlien I wrote that letter, I had never seen Durandus ; nor 
 indeed did I consult any book for the writing of it, (as I had 
 not opportunity, if I had been so inclined,) except, upon some 
 occasions, the Bible : not apprehending it necessary to num- 
 ber votes, and consider how many men's thoughts were one 
 way, and how many the other, before I would adventure 
 to think any of my own. But I have this day, upon the 
 view of his animadversions, taken a view of Durandus too : 
 and really cannot yet guess what should tempt him to parallel 
 my conceptions with Durandus's, but that betook his for some- 
 what an ill-favoured name. Durandus flatly, in several places, 
 denies Grod's immediate concourse to the actions of the crea- 
 tures ; * which I never said nor thought ; but do really be- 
 lieve his immediate concourse to all actions of his creatures, 
 both immediatione virtutis and sicppositi, (that I may more 
 comply with his scholastic humour, in the use of such terms, 
 than gratify my own,) yet not determinative unto wicked 
 actions. 
 
 Again, Durandus denies immediate concourse, universally 
 and upon such a ground as whereupon the denial must equally 
 extend to good actions as to bad ; viz., that it is impossible 
 the same numerical action should be from two or more agents 
 immediately and perfectly, except the same numerical virtue 
 should be in each ; but he says the same numerical virtue 
 cannot be in God and in the creature, &c.f Whereas he well 
 knows the concourse or influence (for I here aftect not the 
 curiosity to distinguish these two terms, as some do) Avhich I 
 deny not to be immediate to any actions, I only deny to be 
 determinative as to those which are wicked. Yea, and the 
 authors he quotes,^ Aquinas and Scotus, though every body 
 
 * L. ii. Disc. 1. Q. 5. D. 37. Q. 1. f Disc. 1, 2, 5, ut supra. 
 I Sect. xi. 
 
68 A POSTSCRIPT 
 
 may know they are against what was the notion of Durandus, 
 yet are as much against himself, if he will directly oppose 
 that letter, and assort determinative concourse to wicked 
 actions. They held immediate concourse, not determinative. 
 The former, though he supposes divine help in reference to 
 the elections of the human will, yet asserts the elections 
 themselves to be in man's own power, and only says that in 
 the executions of those elections, men can be hindered ; that 
 (whatsoever influence he asserts of the first cause) men still, 
 habent se indifferenter ad hem vel male eligendum* The 
 other, though he also excludes not the immediate efiicacy of 
 God in reference to the actions of men, yet is so far from 
 making it determinative, that the reason he gives why, in evil 
 actions, man sins and God does not, is that the one of those 
 causes posset rectitudinem dare actui quam tenetur dare: et 
 tamen non dat. Alia autem, licet non teneatur earn dare: 
 tamen quantum est ex se daret, si voluntas creata co-opera- 
 retur;'\ in the very place which himself refers to: wherein 
 they differ from this author toto coelo, and from me, in that 
 they make not determinative influence necessary in reference 
 to good actions, which I expressly do. 
 
 Thus far it may be seen what pretence or colour he had to 
 make my opinion the same with Durandus's, or his own the 
 same with that of Thomas and Scotus. But if he knew in 
 what esteem I have the schoolmen, he would hardly believe 
 me likely to step one foot out of my way, cither to gain the 
 reputation of any of tlieir names, or avoid the disreputation. 
 He, notwithstanding, supposed his own reputation to be so 
 good (and I know no reason why he might not suppose so) 
 as to make it be believed I was any thing he pleased to call 
 me, by such as had not opportunity to be otherwise informed. 
 And thus I would take leave of him, and permit him to use 
 his own reflections upon his usage of me, at his own leisure; 
 but that civility bids me (since he is pleased to bo at the 
 pains of catechising me) first to give some answer to the 
 questions wherein he thus expostulates with me. 
 
 Q. 1. Wliether there be any action of man on earth so 
 good, which hath not some mixture of sin in it ? And if God 
 
 * 1 Q. 83. t L- iii- Disc. 27. Q. 2. 
 
TO THE LETTER, &;C. 69 
 
 concur to the substrate matter of it as good, must he not 
 necessarily concur to the substrate matter as sinful? For is 
 not the substrate matter of the act, both as good and sinful, 
 the same ? 
 
 A. 1. It seems, then, that God doth concur to the matter 
 of an action as sinful. Which is honestly acknowledged, 
 since by his principles it cannot be denied; though most of 
 his way mince the business, and say the concurrence is only 
 to the action which is sinful, not as sinful. 
 
 2. This I am to consider as an argument for God's predeter- 
 minative concurrence to wicked actions ; and thus it must be 
 conceived, that if God concur by determinative influence to 
 the imperfectly good actions of faith, repentance, love to 
 himself, prayer; therefore to the acts of enmity against him- 
 self, cursing, idolatry, blasphemy, &c. And is it not a 
 mighty consequence? If to actions that are good quoad sub- 
 stantiam, therefore to such as are in the substance of them 
 evil? We ourselves can, in a remoter kind, concur to the 
 actions of others : because you may afford, yourself, your 
 leading concurrence to actions imperfectly good, therefore 
 may you to them that are downright evil? because to 
 prayer, therefore to cursing and swearing? and then ruin 
 men for the actions you induced them to? You will say, 
 God may rather, but sure he can much less do so than 
 you. How could you be serious in the proposal of this 
 question ? 
 
 We are at a loss how it should consist with the divine 
 wisdom, justice, goodness, and truth, to design the punish- 
 ing man, yet innocent, with everlasting torments, for actions 
 which God, himself, would irresistibly move him to ; whereas 
 his making a covenant with Adam in reference to himself 
 and his posterity, implied there Avas a possibility it might be 
 kept ; at least that he would not make the keeping of it, 
 by his own positive influence, impossible. And you say, if 
 he might concur to the substrate matter of an action as good, 
 which tends to man's salvation and blessedness, ho must 
 necessarily concur (and that by an irresistible determinative 
 influence, else you say nothing to me) to the substrate 
 matter of all their evil actions, as evil, which tend to 
 their ruin and misery, brought upon them by the ac- 
 
70 A POSTSCRIPT 
 
 tions which God makes them do. I suppose St. Luke, vi. 
 9, with Hos. xiii. 9, show a difference. If you therefore ask 
 me, why I should not admit tliis consequence? I say it needs 
 no other answer, than tliat I take wisdom, righteousness, 
 goodness, and truth, to belong more to the idea of God, than 
 their contraries. 
 
 Q. 2. Is there any action so sinful that hath not some 
 natural good as the substrate matter thereof? 
 
 A. True. And what shall be inferred ? That therefore 
 God must, by a determinative influence, produce every such 
 action whatsoever reason there be against it? You might 
 better argue thence the necessity of his producing every hour, 
 a new world ; in which there would be a great deal more of 
 positive entity, and natural goodness. Certainly, the natural 
 goodness that is in the entity of an action, is no such invita- 
 tion to the holy God, by determinative influence to produce 
 it, as that he should ofter violence to his own nature, and 
 stain the justice and honour of his government, by making it 
 be done, and then punish it being done. 
 
 Q. 3. Do we not cut off the most illustrious part of divine 
 providence in governing the lower world, &.e. ? 
 
 A. What ? by denying that it is the stated way of God's 
 government, to urge men, irresistibly, to all that wickedness 
 for which he will afterwards punish them with everlasting 
 torments ? I should least of all ever have expected such a 
 question to this purpose, and am ashamed further to answer 
 it. Only name any act of providence I hereby deny, if you 
 can. In the next place, that my sense may appear in my 
 own words ; and that I may show how far I am of the same 
 mind with those that apprehend me at so vast a distance from 
 them, and where, if they go further, our parting point must 
 be ; I shall set down the particulars of my agreement with 
 them, and do it in no other heads than they might have col- 
 lected, if they had pleased, out of that letter. As, 
 
 1. That God exerciseth a universal providence about all 
 his creatures, both in sustaining and governing them. 
 
 2. That, more particularly, he exerciseth such a providence 
 about man. 
 
 3. That this providence about man extends to all the 
 actions of all men. 
 
TO THE LETTER, &C. 71 
 
 4. That it consists not alone in beholding the actions of 
 men, as if he were a mere spectator of them only, but is 
 jjositively active about them. 
 
 5. That this active providence of Grod about all the actions 
 of men consists not merely in giving them the natural powers, 
 whereby they can work of themselves, but in a real influence 
 upon those powers. 
 
 6. That this influence is in reference to holy and spiritual 
 actions (whereto since the apostacy the nature of man is be- 
 come viciously disinclined) necessary to be efficaciously de- 
 terminative ; such as shall overcome that disinclination, and 
 reduce those powers into act. 
 
 7. That the ordinary, appointed way for the communica- 
 tion of this determinative influence, is by our intervening con- 
 sideration of the inducements which God represents to us in 
 his word, viz., the precepts, promises, and comminations, 
 which are the moral instruments of his government. No 
 doubt he may (as is intimated in the letter) extraordinarily 
 act men in some rarer cases, by inward impulse, without the 
 help of such external means, as he did prophets or inspired 
 persons ; and when he hath done so, we were not to think he 
 treated them unagreeably to their natures, or so as their 
 natures could not, without violence, admit. But it hath been 
 the care and designraent of the divine wisdom, so to order 
 the way of dispensation towards the several sorts of creatures, 
 as not only not, ordinarily, to impose upon them what they 
 could not conveniently be patient of; but so as that their 
 powers and faculties might be put upon the exercises where- 
 of they were capable, and to provide that neither their pas- 
 sive capacity should be overcharged, nor their active be 
 unemployed. And whereas the reasonable nature of man 
 renders him not only susceptible of unexpected internal im- 
 pressions, but also capable of being governed by laws, which 
 require the use of his own endeavour to understand and obey 
 them ; and whereas we also find such laws are actually made 
 for him, and propounded to him with their proper enforce- 
 ments ; if it should be the fixed course of God's government 
 over him, only to guide him by inward impulses, this (as is 
 said in that letter) would render those law§ and their sanc- 
 tions impertinencies ; his faculties, whereby he is capable of 
 
72 ■ A POSTSCRIPT 
 
 moral government so far, and to tliis purpose, useless and 
 vain : and would be an occasion, which the depraved nature 
 of men would be very apt to abuse into a temptation to them, 
 never to bend their powers to the endeavour of doing any 
 thing that were of a holy and spiritual tendency, (from which 
 their aversion would be always prompting them to devise ex- 
 cuses,) more than a mere machine would apply itself to the 
 uses which it was made for, and doth not understand. 
 
 Therefore lest any should be so unreasonable, as to ex- 
 pect God should only surprise them, while they resolutely sit 
 still and sleep ; he hath, in his infinite wisdom, withheld from 
 them the occasion hereof, and left them destitute of any en- 
 couragement (whatsoever his extraordinary dealings may have 
 been with some) to expect his influences, in the neglect of 
 his ordinary methods, as is discoursed already and at large 
 in the letter; and which is the plain sense of that 
 admonition ; Phil. ii. 12, 13. Yea, and though there be 
 never so many instances of merciful surprisals, preventive of 
 all our own consideration and care, yet those are still to be 
 accounted the ordinary methods which are so de jure, which 
 would actually be so if men did their duty, and which God 
 hath obliged us to observe and attend unto as such. 
 
 8. That in reference to all other actions which are not sin- 
 ful, though there be not a sinful disinclination to them, yet 
 because there may be a sluggishness and ineptitude to some 
 purposes God intends to serve by them, this influence is 
 also always determinative thereunto, whensoever to the im- 
 mense wisdom of God shall seem meet, and conducing to his 
 own great and holy ends. 
 
 9. That, in reference to sinful actions, by tliis influence 
 God doth not only sustain men who do them, and continue to 
 tiiem their natural faculties and powers, whereby they are 
 done ; but also, as the first mover, so far excite and actuate 
 those powers, as that they are apt and habile for any con- 
 generous action, to which they have a natural designation, 
 and whereto they are not sinfully disinclined. 
 
 10. That, if men do then employ them to the doing of any 
 sinful action ; by that same influence, lie doth, as to him 
 seems meet, limit, moderate, and, against the inclination and 
 design of the sinful agent, overrule and dispose it to good. 
 
TO THE LETTER, &C. 73 
 
 But now if, besides all this, they will also assert, that God 
 doth, by an efficacious influence, move and determine men to 
 wicked actions ; this is that which I most resolvedly deny. 
 That is, in this 1 shall differ with them, that I do not sup- 
 pose God to have, by internal influence, as far a hand in the 
 worst and wickedest actions, as in the best. I assert more 
 to be necessary to actions to which men are wickedly disin- 
 clined ; but that less will suffice for their doing of actions to 
 which they have inclination more than enough. I reckon it 
 sufficient to the production of this latter sort of actions, that 
 their powers be actually habile, and apt for any such action, 
 in the general, as is connatural to them ; supposing there be 
 iiO*^ ^ peccant aversion, as there is to all those actions that 
 ^ii-e holy and spiritual ; which aversion a more potent (even 
 a determinative) influence is necessary to overcome. I ex- 
 plain myself by instance : — 
 
 A man hath from God the powers belonging to his nature, 
 by which he is capable of loving or hating an apprehended 
 good or evil. These powers being, by a present divine in- 
 fluence, rendered habile and apt for action, he can now love 
 a good name, health, ease, life ; and hate disgrace, sickness, 
 pain, death ; but he doth also by these powers, thus habili- 
 tated for action, love wickedness and hate God ; I say, now, 
 that to those former acts God should over and besides de- 
 termine him, is not absolutely and always necessary ; and to 
 the latter is impossible. But that to hate wickedness univer- 
 sally, and as such, and to love God, the depravedness of his 
 nature, by the apostacy, hath made the determinative influ- 
 ence of efficacious grace necessary. Which, therefore, he 
 hath indispensable obligation (nor is destitute of encourage- 
 ment) earnestly to implore and pray for. My meaning is now 
 plain to such as have a mind to understand it. 
 
 Having thus given an account wherein I agree with them, 
 and wherein, if they please, I must differ ; it may perhaps be 
 expected I should add further reasons of that difference on 
 my part : but I shall for the present forbear to do it. I 
 know it may be alleged that some very pious as well as 
 learned men have been of their opinion ; and I seriously be- 
 lieve it. But that signifies nothing to the goodness of the 
 opinion ; nor doth the badness of it extinguish my charity 
 
74 A POSTSCRIPT TO THE LETTER, &C. 
 
 nor reverence towards the men. For I consider, that as 
 many hold the most important truths, and whicli most direct- 
 ly tend to impress the image of God upon their souls, that 
 yet are never stam)>ed with any such impression thereby ; so, 
 it is not impossible some may have held very dangerous 
 opinions, with a notional judgment, the pernicious influence 
 whereof hath never distilled upon their hearts. Neither 
 shall I be willing, without necessity, to detect other men's 
 infirmities : yet if I find myself any way obliged further to 
 intermeddle in this matter, I reckon the time I have to spend 
 in this world can never be spent to better purpose, than in 
 discovering the fearful consequences of that rejected opinion, 
 the vanity of the subterfuges whereby its assertors think to 
 hide the malignity of it, and the inefficacy of the arguments 
 brought for it ; especially those two which the letter takes 
 notice of. For, as so ill-coloured an opinion ought never to 
 be admitted without the most apparent necessity, so do I 
 think it most apparent there is no necessity it should be ad- 
 mitted upon those grounds, or any other ; and doubt not but 
 that both the governing providence of God, in reference to 
 all events whatsoever, and his most certain knowledge of 
 them all, may be defended, against all opposers, without it. 
 But I had rather my preparations to these purposes should 
 be buried in dust and silence, than I should ever see the 
 occasion which should carry the signification with it of their 
 being at all needful. And I shall take it for a just and most 
 deplorable occasion, if I shall find any to assert against me 
 the contradictory to this proposition : — That God doth not 
 by an cflficacious influence, universally move and determine 
 men to all their actions ; even those that are most wicked : — 
 which is the only true and plain meaning of what was said, 
 about this business, in the before -mentioned letter. 
 
KEMAPiKS 
 
 UPON A 
 
 LATE DISINGENUOUS DISCOUESE, 
 
 WRIT BY ONE T. D. 
 
 THE PRETENCE "DE CAUSA DEI," AND OF ANSWERING 
 
 MR. JOHN HOWE'S LETTER AND POSTSCRIPT 
 
 OF GOD'S PRESCIENCE, ETC. 
 
 BY ANDREW MARVELL. 
 
PREFATORY NOTICE. 
 
 Andrew Marvell, the friend of Milton, an incomiptible patriot, 
 in most venal times, and perhaps the wittiest prose writer in the 
 English language, was the son of a learned and pious Puritan min- 
 ister of the same name, master of the Grammar school, and lecturer 
 of Trinity church, in Kingston-upon-Hull. He was horn in 1620, 
 sent to Cambridge at the expense of the corporation of his native 
 city in 1635, and entered student of Trinity college. When at the 
 university, an attempt was made to convert him to Popery, the 
 ultimate result of which seems to have been a deepening his im- 
 pressions of the falsehood and mischievousness of that system. In 
 1640 he was deprived of his father, who lost his life in rather re- 
 markable circumstances, on crossing the Humber. For a number 
 of years he seems to have been engaged in travelling over the Con- 
 tinent of Europe. In 1653, he was engaged by Cromwell to super- 
 intend the education at Eton of his nephew, — a young gentleman 
 of the name of Button; and in 1657 he became assistant to Milton 
 in the office of Latin secretary, which he held till the restoration. 
 In 1660 he was chosen one of the representatives of the borough of 
 Hull in the House of Commons, in which situation he was so ac- 
 ceptable and useful to his constituents that he continued to occupy 
 it as long as he lived. Besides the poems attributed to him, some 
 of which are of high merit, he published a variety of tracts in prose, 
 all of them occasional. His most celebrated work is, " The Re- 
 hearsal Transposed," written in opposition to the infamous Samuel 
 Parker, afterwards Bishop of Norwich. This little book, in two 
 parts, with a profusion of witty sarcasm, contains much solid argu0 
 ment and eloquent writing, and may justly be reckoned one of the 
 ablest exposures of the maxims of religious tyranny. It extorted 
 high praise even from Swift, no friend to its principles. He died 
 
78 PREFATORY NOTICE. 
 
 • 
 
 in 1G78, and the corporation of Hull, in gratitude for his long and 
 faithful services, voted a sum of money to defray his funeral ex- 
 penses, and erect a monument to his memory in the church of St. 
 Giles-in-the-fields, London. 
 
 The following is a list of his prose publications so far as they 
 can be ascertained, for most of them were published anonymously. 
 " The Rehearsal Ti-ansposed, or Animadversions upon a late book 
 intituled, A Preface, shev^ing what grounds there are of fears and 
 jealousies of Popery. London. Piinted by A. B., for the assigns 
 of John Calvin and Theodore Beza, at the sign of the King's In- 
 dulgence, on the south side of the Lake Lemane. 1672." "The 
 Rehearsal Transposed. The second part : Occasioned by two let- 
 ters, answered by Andrew Marvell. London. 1673." "Mr. 
 Smirke, or the Divine in Mode, being certain Annotations upon the 
 Animadversions on " the naked trath," together with a short histori- 
 cal essay concerning general councils, creeds, and impositions in 
 matters of religion, by Andreas Rivetus, Junior. Anag. Res Nuda 
 Veritas. Printed A.D. 1676." "A Seasonable Question and an 
 Useful Answer, by Andrew Marvell. Printed in the year 1676." 
 " An Account of the growth of Poperj' and Arbitrary Government 
 in England, by Andrew Mai-vell. Printed at Amsterdam in the 
 year 1677." "A Seasonable Argument to persuade all the grand 
 juries of England to petition for a new parliament, by Andrew 
 Marvell. Amsterdam. Printed in the year 1677." The complet- 
 est edition of Marvell's works is that by Captain Edward Thomp- 
 son, in 3 vols. 4to ; and the best account of his life is that written 
 by Hartley Coleridge. 
 
 The Tract that follows has never been included in any edition 
 of Marvell's works, though its merits well entitle it to such a place, 
 and its authenticity is indisputable. In Maiwcll's day it was un- 
 hesitatingly ascribed to him. Calaray, speaking of the tract to 
 which it is a reply, saj'S, " Mr. Danson wrote against this tract, 
 but I know not that Mr. IIowc took any notice of him ; though 
 the ingenious Andrew Marvell, Esq., made a very witty and en- 
 tertaining reply to him." " The point, however," as Mr. Rogers 
 in his life of Howe well observes, " would be sufficiently clear, even 
 if this testimony were wanting. The internal evidence alone 
 would decide it. None who are in the .slightest degree acquainted 
 with Audi"ew Marvell's peculiar vein of humour can mistake any 
 
PREFATORY NOTICE. 7& 
 
 half-dozen pages as the composition of any other author." Mr. 
 Howe's admirable tract, which occupies the first place in this vol- 
 ume, was attacked from' various quarters. The learned but by no 
 means judicious Gale inserted some animadversions on it in the 
 last part of his " Court of the Gentiles." To these Howe replied 
 in a Postscript to his treatise. His other two assailants were non- 
 conformist ministers, both of whom attached only their initials to 
 their performances; — the one John Troughton, and the other 
 Thomas Danson, an intimate friend and fellow - collegiate of 
 Howe's. The full title of Danson's work is "De Causa Dei; or 
 a Vindication of the Common Doctrine of Protestant Divines con- 
 cerning Predetermination, viz. The Interest of God, as the first 
 cause in all the actions as such of rational creatures, from the in- 
 vidious consequences -with which it is burdened by Mr. John Howe, 
 in a late Letter and Postscript of God's Prescience, by T. D. 1 678." 
 — The following Tract is intrinsically valuable, but it has the addi- 
 tional recommendation of rareness in an uncommon degi-ee. As 
 the only copy known to be in existence belongs to Dr. Williams' 
 Library, Red Cross Street, London, it seems highly desirable that 
 it should be placed beyond the hazard of being entirely lost. 
 
EEMAEKS 
 
 UPON A 
 
 LATE DISmGENUOUS DISCOURSE, ETC. 
 
 Op all vocations to which men addict themselves, or are dedi- 
 cated, I have always esteemed that of the ministry to be the 
 most noble and happy employment ; as being more peculiarly 
 directed to those two great ends, the advancement of Grod's 
 glory, and the promoting of man's salvation. It hatli seemed 
 to me. as if they who have chosen, and are set apart for that 
 work, did, by the continual opportunity of conversing with 
 their Maker, enjoy a state like that of Paradise ; and in this 
 superior, that they are not also, as Adam, put in " to dress 
 and keep a garden ;" but are, or ought to be, exempt from 
 the necessity of all worldly avocations. Yet, upon nearer 
 consideration, they likewise appear to partake of the common 
 infelicities of human condition. For, although they do not, 
 as others, eat their bread in the sweat of their brows (which 
 some divines account to be, though in' the pulpit, indecent), 
 yet the study of their brain is more than equivalent ; and 
 even the theological ground is so far under the curse, that 
 no field runs out more in thorns and thistles, or requires 
 more pains to disencumber it. Such 1 understand to be 
 those peevish questions which have overgrown Christianity ; 
 wherewith men's minds are not only rent and entangled, but 
 from whence they can no more hope for any wholesome 
 nourishment, than to "gather grapes from thorns, or figs 
 from thistles." And, if I may so far pursue the allegory, 
 this curse upon divinity, as that upon the earth, seems to 
 
 F 
 
82 REMARKS UPON A LATE 
 
 have proceeded also from tasting that forbidden fruit, of the 
 " tree of knowledge of good and evil." For, in general, 
 many divines, out 'of a vain aiFectation of learning, have been 
 tempted into inquiries too curious, after those things which 
 the wisdom of God hath left impervious to human under- 
 standing, further than they are revealed. And hence, instead 
 of those allowed and obvious truths of faith, repentance, and 
 the new creature, (yet these too have their proper weeds 
 that pester them,) there have sprung up endless disputes 
 concerning the unsearchable things of God, and which are 
 agitated by men, for the most part, with such virulence and 
 intricacy, as manifest the subtilty and malice of the serpent 
 that hath seduced them. But, more particularly, that very 
 knowledge of good and evil, the disquisition of the causes 
 from w^hence, and in what manner they are derived, hath 
 been so grateful to the controversial female appetite, that 
 even the divines have taken of it as " a fruit to be desired to 
 make them wise," and given to their ])eople, and they have 
 both eaten, at the peril of God's displeasure and their own 
 happiness. Whereas, that second chapter of Genesis contains 
 the plain history of good and evil, and (not to mention so 
 many attestations to it of the Old and New Testaments) 
 what other comment needs there, for what belongs to good, 
 than that, James i. 17, that it is from God only, " that every 
 good giving, and every perfect gift descendeth ?" And, as to 
 evil, that also of St. James is sufficient conviction, ch. i. 13, 
 14, " Let no man say, when he is tempted, I was tempted of 
 God ; God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he 
 any man ; but every man is tempted, when he is drawn aside 
 bv his own lusts and enticed." Or that of the same apostle, 
 ch. iv. 1, "From whence come wars and fightings among 
 vou?" (and even that logomachia, I fear, with which this 
 question is vexed,) " Come they not hence ? even from your 
 lusts that fight in your members." And there is no examin- 
 iuo- Christian but must find both these truths evidently wit- 
 nessed by his own conscience. 
 
 Nevertheless, the thcologants of former and later times, 
 not content Avith what is held forth in Scripture, have at- 
 temi)ted to clamber and palm up higher, by the philosophy 
 of that school where each of them hath first practised, and 
 
DISINGENUOUS DISCOURSE, &C. 83 
 
 have drawn God's prescience and predetermination upon this 
 occasion, into debate ; arguing upon such points as no man, 
 unless he were prior and precedent to the First Cause, can 
 have the understanding to comprehend and judge of: and 
 most of them do but say and unsay ; and while in words 
 they all deny God to be the author of sin, yet in effect, and 
 by the manner of their reasoning, they affirm it ; I therefore, 
 being both apprehensive of the danger in such arguments, 
 and more particularly conscious of mine own weakness, shall 
 not presume to interpose my opinion in the differences about 
 this matter, further than to say, — That if men by this fancied 
 " opening of their eyes," have attained to see more clearly, 
 and acknowledge the wickedness of their own actions, it re- 
 sembles the modesty of our first parents, discerning their 
 " nakedness :" but, if men shall also assert a predeterminative 
 concourse of God to our evil, it seems to have too much of 
 original perverseness, and of that fallen shortness of reason, 
 whereby they would have found a nudity in the Creator, and. 
 did implicitly reject their fault upon him, for the " serpent 
 that he had ipade," and the " woman that he had given.'' 
 
 But if any man there be that can reconcile this contro- 
 versy, and so many more that arise out of it ; (for all the 
 most important doctrines of Christianity serve on the one 
 side, and all the fiercest questions of religion on the other, 
 depending for truth and falsehood upon the success of this 
 engagement,) if he can extinguish all those ill consequences, 
 dull distinctions, and inconsistent notions, which have been 
 levied in this quarrel, and reduce each party within the due 
 limits of Scripture and saving knowledge ; such a person 
 indeed deserves all commendation. And such an one I 
 thought I had met with, nor yet see reason, notwithstanding 
 all the late attempts upon him, to alter my opinion ; in a 
 book entitled, " The Reconcileableness of God's Prescience 
 of the sins of Men, with the Wisdom and Sincerity of his 
 Counsels, Exhortations, and whatsoever other means He 
 uses to prevent them ; in a Letter to the Honourable Eobert 
 Boyle, Esquire;" and in a "Postscript to the late Letter 
 of the Reconcileableness of God's Prescience, &c., by John 
 Howe, the Author of that Letter." 
 
 Yet there was one passage in the close of his " Letter," p. 
 
84 REMARKS UPON A LATE 
 
 58, which seemed, as I thought, to lie open to censure ; 
 where he asked pardon, as " having huddled it up ruostly in 
 the intervals of a troublesome long journey." It seemed a 
 piece too well elaborate to have been perfected amidst the 
 hurry of the road, the noise of inns, and the nausea of the 
 packet-boat. And how could he hope, after saying this, in so 
 captious an age as we live, to escape some reflexion ? but that 
 at least men would inquire Avhether he went by stage-coach, 
 or on horseback ; both which are professed enemies to medi- 
 tation and judgment ? (for it is probable he had not that 
 ancient accommodation of horse-litters, wherein, without any 
 impediment to their thoughts, men travelled with all the 
 privacy and equipage of a closet,) whether he had not lost 
 his way or fallen among thieves, and how he found himself 
 after his journey ? Avith all the questions that men are sub- 
 ject to at their arrival home, and which even when asked in 
 civility, yet are troublesome. He might, had it not been for 
 the jogging, have remembered how unfortunate most writers 
 have been in such excuses, and what advantage ill-natured 
 men have taken to misinterpret them. So he that apologised 
 for using a foreign tongue was told, that no man had pro- 
 hibited him his native language in his own country. Others, 
 alleging that they had at the same time a fit of the stone, 
 gout, or other distemper, have been taxed, as lying under 
 no obligation of publishing their infirmities, but who might, 
 however, have cured themselves of that of writing. And he 
 that pretended to treat at once of a serious, while he was 
 amused with " a more comfortable importance," was adver- 
 tised, that he ought therefore to have so long abstained either 
 from the one or the other.* But, in earnest, this confession 
 of Mr. Howe's is so far from any such arrogance, that it 
 rather argues his modesty. For, if some can even in riding 
 name all the contrary motions, till they have by memory 
 played out a game at chcs8 (which was first invented as an 
 emblem oi predetermination), why should it be more difiicult, 
 or less allowable, to one of Mr. Howe's abilities, in the in- 
 terruptions of travel, to give a mate also to that question ? 
 The worst therefore that can be said of him, in allusion cither 
 
 * A reference to " the Rehearsal Transposed." 
 
DISINGENUOUS DISCOURSE, &C. 85 
 
 to his " Letter " or his journey, is — " at poteraf tiitior esse 
 donii." Yet seeing this was tlie greatest fault that I re- 
 marked in reading him over, I would not pass it by without 
 
 • notice, lest I might have cause to suspect myself of a partial- 
 ity, which I desire not that others should exercise in mine 
 own particular. 
 
 But for the rest, whereas the things considerable in all dis- 
 courses are tlie subject, the end, the reasoning, the method, and 
 the style; I must profess, thaf as far as I understand, I have 
 met with few manual treatises, that do in all these respects 
 equal it. For the subject, it appears in the title ; than which 
 
 • there was none of greater dignity to be handled, or of greater 
 use, if rightly explained and comprehended. And no less is 
 that of predetermination, which he only treats of collaterally ; 
 and upon which therefore, in hope to find him less prepared, 
 he hath been attacked, as in the flank, with most vigour. 
 His end was most commendable, being to make the paths 
 straight, and remove those stumbling-blocks which the 
 asperity of others had laid in the way to heaven; to rectify 
 men's apprehensions concerning God, and leave them with- 
 out pretence for negligence in their duties, or despair of per- 
 formance; much less for despite against the Creator. His 
 arguing then is plain and solid, for exadence, rather than dis- 
 pute; nor does he either throw the dust of antique distinc- 
 tions in the eyes of his readers, to blind them; or yet raise 
 the spectres of ancient authors, or conjure their venerable 
 names, to frighten men out of their senses and under- 
 standing; but declares against all the prejudice or advantage 
 by such proceeding, as unlawful charms, and prohibited wea- 
 pons in the controversy. His method thereafter is direct and 
 coherent, his style perspicuous and elegant : so that it is, in 
 short, a manly discourse, resembling much, and expressing 
 the human perfection ; in the harmony of language, the sym- 
 metry of parts, the strength of reason, the excellency of its 
 end, which is so serious, that it is no defect in the similitude 
 with man, that the Letter contains nothing in it suitable to 
 the property of laughter. 
 
 All which put together, and although it does, and must 
 everywhere partake also of human imperfection, it might 
 have been hoped capable of that civility which men, and 
 
86 REMARKS UPON A LATE 
 
 especially learned men, but most of all divines, do usually, or 
 should allow, to one another. That it should not be made ri- 
 diculous, being writ in so good earnest; nor assaulted, being 
 so inoffensive; much less that it should be defaced, mutilated, " 
 stabbed in so many places, and the author through it, which 
 is even in writing a kind of felony. Yet this hath been its 
 misfortune in a rencounter with an immodest and hectoring 
 discourse, pretending to the title, " De Causa Dei : or a Vin- 
 dication of the Common Doctr^ie of Protestant Divines con- 
 cerning Predetermination, viz. The Interest of God, as the 
 First Cause, in all the Actions, as such, of Rational Creatures, 
 from the Invidious Consequences with which it is burthened, 
 by Mr. John Howe, in a late Letter and Postscript of God's 
 Prescience; by T. D.'' By which first letters, seeing it ap- 
 pears that he desires to pass incognito, I will so far observe 
 good manners, as to interpret them only " The Discourse," 
 heartily wishing that there were some way of finding it 
 guilty, without reflecting upon the author; which I shall 
 accordingly endeavour, that I may both preserve his, what- 
 soever, former reputation, and leave him a door open to in- 
 genuity for the future. But The Discourse justifies itself as 
 if it had been typified by Paul's withstanding Peter to his face, 
 when he came to Antioch, (so easy is it to patronise human 
 passions under pretence of the cause of God, and apostolical 
 example) T. D. p. 23. whereas it rather resembles in the 
 bravery, though not in the occasion, that exploit of Peter's, 
 Matt. xxvi. 51, 52, for which our Saviour, though done in 
 his defence, rebuked him; adding, "They that take the 
 sword, shall perish by the sword:" and the taking the pen 
 hath seldom better success, if handled in the same manner. 
 I therefore, having had the leisure to read it over, and thereby 
 the opportunity of a second caution, how the unruly quill is 
 to be managed, have thought that I could not at present 
 render a better account of that time to myself or others, tlian 
 by publishing these remarks; that, as Mr. Howe's Letter 
 may serve for a pattern of what is to be imitated, so The 
 Discourse may remain as a mark (the best use it can be put 
 to) of what ought to be avoided in all writing of contro- 
 versies, especially by divines, in those that concern religion. 
 The nature of this matter would admit of no better method, 
 
DISINGENUOUS DISCOURSE, &C. 87 
 
 than that the errors observable should be distinguished under 
 several heads, to each of which the particular instances are 
 referred. The first article that I prefer against The Dis- 
 course, is; 
 
 Its trifling and cavilling about ivords, ivhen they affect not the cause. 
 
 First instance. Mr. Howe, on purpose to prevent any 
 such idle practice, had, in the last page of his Postscript, 
 plainly summed up the constant sense both of that and his 
 Letter which he would abide by : " That God doth not by 
 an efficacious influence universally move and determine men 
 to all their actions, even those actions which are most wicked." 
 Here was the subject ready stated, against which, if any 
 thing. The Discourse ought to have directly applied. But 
 instead of that T. D. p. 1. it saith, " Mr. Howe gives us 
 his sense in various terms, and such as seem repugnant to 
 each other. One while that which he denies, is a precleter- 
 minative concurrence, and predeterminative concourse; another 
 while, it is predetermining influence, and a determinative in- 
 fluence, and efficacious influence." This is the same in T. D. 
 as if its " concurrent wherry-men," p. 27, after they had 
 taken in their fare, should be long pulling off their doublets, 
 and then carry a man to another stairs than they were di- 
 rected. The one shows that they had but little heart to their 
 labour; the other, that they know not the river, unless per- 
 haps they have a design, if they can find a place convenient, 
 to rifle the passenger. For Mr. Howe had expressly pitched 
 upon that one term of efficacious influence. But as for those 
 other repeated by The Discourse, they were such as Mr. 
 Howe found in the controversy, not of his own making, nor 
 therefore is he accountable for them: but, however, it was 
 his ingenuity to mention them ; and having done so, to bind 
 himself to a point, to one word of the most certain signification, 
 as a place where any adversary might always be sure to speak 
 with him. Yet it, to find out matter for discourse, and to 
 show its great reading, tells us, as if that were the business, 
 what Strangius saith, and what Dr. Twisse, concerning pre- 
 determination and concourse; and again what Strangius, of 
 
88 REMARKS UPON A LATE 
 
 tlie difFereuce between concourse and influence, p. 2. and 
 saith that, " as for those two phrases, predeterminative con- 
 currence, and predeterminative concourse, they are in effect 
 contradictio in adjecto." And so let them be, upon condi- 
 tion that not Mr. Howe, (as The Discourse would have it) 
 but the first inventor may be bound to answer for it. For 
 the truth is, the brothers of dispute do usually so handle 
 their matter, and refine so far, till they want at last either 
 words to express their meaning, or meaning to express in 
 words. And so it hath fared with these imaginers of the 
 predeterminative concourse or concurrence. It is very well 
 that this scene of debate lies in Oxford (or London), for, upon 
 these terms, it would be impossible at Newmarket, where 
 Prce and Con run their heats, to decide any match without 
 sending for a judge to the next university; and it is less 
 difficult for Pro and Con, or for Con and Non-con, to set 
 their horses together. Yet suppose, as The Discourse af- 
 firms, that thia predeterminative concourse, or concurrence had 
 been words of Mr. Howe's own choosing ; whereas he on the 
 conti'ary rejects them for that of efficacious influence, the im- 
 propriety however therein had not been greater, than of that 
 phrase -which T. D. p. 25. uses, and hath right to, shmdta- 
 neous concourse, which is, if I mistake not, as much as to say, 
 conconcourse. 
 
 The same (if greater be the same) "trifling and cavil- 
 ling about words that affect not the cause," it is to say, T. D. 
 p. 2. " As for that latter phrase, influence, which Mr. Howe 
 makes equipollent with the former concourse in these words. 
 Post. p. 67. ' I here affect not the curiosity to distinguish these 
 two terms, as some do;' I had rather he should hear Stran- 
 gius again than me, blaming his not aftecting ' that curiosity 
 of distinction,' and then it cites Strangius de Vol. Dei, lib. i. 
 c. 2. p. 59., assigning the difference between them. This is 
 a trivial litigation about words, where the thing intended is 
 sufficiently understood (or rather is intelligible), and, whether 
 it be said influence or concourse makes no more to the busi- 
 ness, than the impropriety objected to predetermining or 
 previous concourse, which any indifi'erent reader can see to 
 have been spoken generally, of a priority of the supposed in- 
 fluence on God's part, not in time, but in nature and cau- 
 
DISINGENUOUS DISCOURSE, &;C. 89 
 
 sality. Strangius, indeed, writing a large treatise concerning 
 that subject, distinguished all the terms more accurately: but 
 Mr. Howe, it being there done to his hand, and writing on 
 the by only two or three pages, had not the space or the oc- 
 casion to enlarge upon them. And it is an infirmity which 
 Mr. Howe, I observe, is much subject to, that he seldom useth 
 any notional terms or distinctions, where he can make men 
 comprehend him better without them ; and at that indeed he 
 liath a singular faculty. His very saying that he " affected 
 not, there, the curiosity to distinguish those two terms, as 
 some do," shows it ; but withal, that he was not ignorant of 
 them, and that he also could distinguish when he saw reason, 
 and in time and place convenient. The Discourse might with 
 more cause have accused him of ambiguity, and raised scruples 
 about his curiosity ; for that is taken in many several sig- 
 nifications. As for example, sometimes it is used for a com- 
 mendable exquisiteness in things considerable, and worth the 
 labour. Otherwhiles it is described, " Quoties plus diligentia; 
 quam oportebat impendiraus rebus, vel nostris, vel alienis. 
 Nostris, quum minima quajque disquirimus et nuUius frugis : 
 alienis, quum de rebus ca^terorum occultioribus non satis cum 
 pudore perscrutamur aut interrogamus." So not Strangius, 
 nor Doctor Twisse, but Cicero. Which that I may do equal 
 right to The Discourse in translating Latin, is to say, " That 
 is called curiosity, when men use an impertinent diligence in 
 things relating to themselves or others : to themselves, when 
 they are busy about every trifle, and what is of no moment : 
 to others, when they exercise a scrutiny, or ask questions be- 
 yond modesty, concerning their private aftairs." And I had 
 rather it should hear Cicero again, " than me blaming" it for 
 this latter sort of curiosity : " Eeperiam multos, vel innumer- 
 abiles potius, non tam curiosos, nee tam molestos quam vos 
 estis." That is, ' I could find many or rather innumerable 
 men, neither so troublesome nor so curious as you are.' And 
 Quintilian explains it further : " Est etiam quae parergia vo- 
 catur, supervacua, ut sic dixerim, operositas : ut a diligente 
 curiosus, et a religione superstitio distat," that is, ' There is 
 also that which is called parergia, a superfluous and laborious 
 nicety ; as a curious man difters from a diligent, or super- 
 stition from religion.' But besides all this, curiosus signifies 
 
90 REMARKS UPON A LATE 
 
 an informer : in which sense, I suppose, both Mr. Howe and 
 T, D. would be loath to accept it. Yet perhaps I may gratify 
 them in the authority or quotation. Suet. Aug. c. 27. "Nam 
 et pinarmm equitem Romanum, quam concionante se ad- 
 missa turba paganorum, apud milites, subscribere qusedam 
 animadvertisset, curiosum et speculatorem ratus, coram con- 
 fodi imperavit." Which text, if a little helped in the trans- 
 lating, might serve them to notable purpose : ' but however 
 so it is, that taking the knight to be a spy and an informer, 
 he caused him forthwith to be slain in his presence.' And 
 lastly in the code, Tit. de Curiosis et Stationariis : curiosus is 
 a postmaster, if Mr. Howe be disposed at any time to take 
 another " long troublesome journey," and do not " disaftect 
 also that curiosity." It had been much more to the purpose 
 to have learned these several acceptations of curiosity, than 
 to have exercised it in the worst sense, in such needless 
 disquisitions, when a question stated in other terms was in 
 expectation every minute to be disputed. 
 
 But to say that in those words, " I here affect not the 
 curiosity to distinguish these two terras of concourse or in- 
 fiuence, as some do," was to make the latter phrase " influence 
 equipollent with the former concourse," is gratis, or rather 
 ingratius dictum, and ought not to have been but upon con- 
 sultation first with Mr. Howe, to have had his concurrence ; 
 no nor then neither. For should Mr. Howe be never so 
 much of opinion, as he seems otherwise, that they are equi- 
 pollent, yet it can never be true that these words do infer it. 
 As suppose that I should say, ' I aftect not here the curiosity 
 to distinguish betwixt the candour and the acuteness of Tlie 
 Discourse in this particular,' do I therefore think them equi- 
 pollent, or that one of them hatli not the stronger ingredi- 
 ence ? though indeed there is little of either. 
 
 Another (for this hath been too pregnant to say a second) 
 instance to the same head is where The Discourse, p. 26. tells 
 us ; " It is an unaccountable inadvertency, (for to salve his 
 honour, so I will call it, rather than a slip of judgment,) to 
 produce cursing and swearing for instances of actions down- 
 right, or for the substance of them evil," &c. This indeed 
 is curiosity in the highest degree of perfection, if (for I must 
 be aware too of such exactness) there be degrees of perfec- 
 
DISINGENUOUS DISCOURSE, &C. 91 
 
 tion. And a heavy charge it is, which I know not whence it 
 could light upon Mr, Howe, but that the curious are likewise 
 given for the most part to be censorious, where they have no 
 reason. For Mr. Howe, Post. pp. 68, 69, examining an 
 argument used by some for God's predeterminative concur- 
 rence to wicked actions, because there are no actions of man 
 on earth so good, which have not some mixture of sin in 
 them, &c. saith, " This argument must be thus conceived : 
 that if God concur by determinative influence to the imper- 
 fectly good actions of faith, repentance, love to himself, prayer ; 
 therefore to the acts of enmity against himself, cursing, idola- 
 try, blasphemy, &c. And is it not a mighty consequence, if 
 to actions that are good quoad substantiam, therefore to such 
 as are in the substance of them evil? We ourselves can in a 
 remoter kind concur to the actions of others. Because you 
 may afford yourself your leading concurrence to actions 
 imperfectly good, therefore may you to them that are down- 
 right evil? because to prayer, therefore to cursing and swear- 
 ing? and then ruin men for the actions you induced them to? 
 You will say, God may rather, but sure he can much less do 
 so than you. How could you be serious in the proposal of 
 this question ? " For this argument had been proposed by 
 way of question, and I have on purpose set down Mr. Howe's 
 answer at length, that it might be evident, without further 
 brangling, how little, I mean how no, cause there was for this 
 animadversion upon him, speaking expressly of such cursing 
 and swearing only as is evil quoad substantiam. For cer- 
 tainly those " acts of enmity against God himself," which Mr. 
 Howe there enumerates, cursing, and then idolatry, blasphemy, 
 &c. are, and were so understood by him, and by all but such 
 as take care to the contrary, as much evil in themselves as 
 that adultery which The Discourse itself owns to be so, p. 72. 
 " because no end or circumstance can make it good." So 
 that this ado is made for Mr. Howe's not saying profane 
 cursing and swearing : indeed a very heinous and notorious 
 omission ; even as it would be for a man, so often as he uses 
 the words and or the, not to distinguish or tell his reader, that 
 he intends and in an exegetical sense, or the in an emphatical; 
 or whether in their ordinary capacity. How " unaccount- 
 able soever this inadventency" were in Mr. Howe, it is well 
 
92 REMARKS UPON A LATE 
 
 The Discourse did not call our Saviour to account, Matt. v. 
 34, for forbidding swearing in general terms, nor St. James, 
 V. 12, for the same as to swearing, or ch. iii. 9, 10, because 
 the same apostle does not there descant upon cursing moi'e 
 distinctly, and add profane to its character. But had The 
 Discourse done so, it would have been obvious to every man, 
 that the pen deserved the same brand which is set upon the 
 tongue in that chapter. I wonder how in this lyncean per- 
 spicacity it oversaw a more remarkable error of Mr. Howe's 
 about " actions in their substance evil ; " where in the same 
 page, 69, he writes qoad* substantiam, which could not be Mr. 
 Howe's inadvertency; for in that paragraph he also spells 
 conseqence and qestion in the like manner, and therefore 
 must by the same consequence as that of cursing and swear- 
 ing, have been a slip of his judgment. But, had it continued 
 to be so unmercifully accurate, Mr. Howe might perhaps 
 have told it its own; where p. 27. it mentions that "evil act 
 of Adam's eating a tree" (for I see we ai'e all mortal), which 
 is a phrase of very hard digestion. Other proofs of this head 
 I reserve till further occasion, two or three instances upon 
 each, being like so many witnesses sufficient for its conviction. 
 The second article follows. 
 
 Its iynorance and confusion about the matter that is in controversy. 
 
 First instance. The Discourse, p. 3. saith: "The ambi- 
 guity of Mr. Howe's phrases removed, and the sense of them 
 being brought to a certainty, I assert the contradictory to his 
 ])roposition : the term efficacious suiting well enough, if Mr. 
 Howe intend by it an infallibility of the event, or the certain 
 production of those actions which God hath an influence 
 upon." Now, for the better understanding of this, it is fit 
 to observe that Mr. Howe's proposition is this: " God doth not 
 by an efficacious influence universally move and determine men 
 to all their actions, even those actions that are most wicked." 
 They that assert the contradictory, must therefore affirm that 
 
 * It was not uncommon .aljout the time tliis tract was written to 
 write q instead of qa. Gataker does so uniformly. — 'Ed. 
 
DISINGENUOUS DISCOURSE, &C. 93 
 
 God does : and much good may it do them. But The Dis- 
 course, in the words before cited, capitulates that Mr. Howe 
 should by efficacious intend infallihility, &c. It might almost 
 as well have said transubstantiation, which we shall meet 
 with, p. 35. hereafter. 
 
 Now it is indeed fit that a respondent should gratify his 
 opponent as far as may consist with civility and safety. But 
 here arises a case of conscience; whether a man may give 
 another leave, that desires it, to speak nonsense. I say no. 
 For nonsense and idle words are of the same notion. But if 
 he be one that I have no power over, and whom I can by no 
 amicable means hinder from speaking nonsense, I, after having 
 used all good endeavours, am excused. But here the case is 
 stronger, where one shall not only take the liberty himself, 
 but oblige me too to speak nonsense. To this I say, that to 
 the best of my understanding, I never will, nor ought to do 
 it in respect to any man. Yet no less a favour, or favours, 
 doth The Discourse demand of Mr, Howe, in requiring that 
 the term efficacious may be expounded by infallihility, that is, 
 in effect, the most potent influence by no influence; for what 
 influence hath infallibility upon the actions of another, or 
 upon anything ? And this, if it should yet obtain it of Mi". 
 Howe, yet would consist as ill with his own following words, 
 or certain production; wherein he more than implies that in- 
 fallibility and certain production are all one : whereas a man 
 may certainly and infallibly know what he never produces, 
 and some too, we see, produce what they never understand. 
 But if The Discourse shall still opiniatre in this matter, let 
 it, to try how well it suits, strike efficaciotis, for experiment, 
 out of the question, and insert instead of it infallibility and 
 certain production, and then see if there be any sense in it 
 or grammar. 
 
 Second instance. The Discourse, p. 9. pretends to give 
 a definition of predetermination. Predetermination, it 
 saith, " is thus defined ; A transient action of God, which 
 excites every creature to act." Now it is generally known, 
 that the two most perfect creatures in all logic, are a demon- 
 stration and a definition. How good The Discourse is at the 
 first shall afterwards be demonstrated. But as to a definition, 
 it always consists, as being a dialectic animal, of a body, 
 
94 REMARKS UPON A LATE 
 
 which is the genus, and a difference, wliich is the soul of the 
 thing defined; but this will in neither of these appear to be 
 perfect or rational. For the genus here is action, and yet a 
 ie'w lines below it saith, that " predetermination is to be con- 
 ceived of per modum principii, under the notion of a principle, 
 or cause of the creatures acting, but concourse only per 
 modum actionis." Predetermination was but even before 
 under the genus of action, and now of cause ; so that The 
 Discourse hath been very liberal indeed of body to the defini- 
 tion, having given it two rather than fail, though commonly 
 we account such births to be errors of nature and monstrous. 
 Had The Discourse interposed some pages, it might have only 
 argued a default of memory ; but this inconsistence at one 
 sight, and before its pen could be taken off, shows that de- 
 fect not to have been, as with some persons, recompensed in 
 judgment. And then for the difference that is assigned in 
 this definition, it happens here, as usually where there is most 
 body, that there is least soul. For there is nothing else left 
 to be the difterence, but, " whereby God excites every crea- 
 ture to act." If this be all. The Discourse might indeed very 
 well say, p. 7. that Mr. Howe wouljj " be forced to grant pre- 
 determination ;" for how could he possibly avoid it, when the 
 antagonist defines it in Mr. Howe's own words ? who saith, 
 Postscript, p. 72. " In reference to sinful actions ; by this in- 
 fluence God doth not only sustain men who do them, and 
 continue to them their natural faculties and powers whereby 
 they are done ; but also, as the first mover, so far excites and 
 actuates those powers, as that they are apt and habile for any 
 congenerous action, to which tliey have a natural designation, 
 and whereto they are not sinfully disinclined." Whereby 
 " God excites the creature to act," saith The Discourse ; 
 whereby " God excites and actuates those powers to," &c., 
 saith Mr. Howe very fully here, and in aU other ])laces to the 
 same sense ; so that if Tlie Discourse either understood Mr. 
 Howe or itself, either its own definition, or the common ques- 
 tion, what place was there left for arguing, unless to debate 
 for debate's sake ? Usually when both parties say the same 
 thing, there is an end of the discourse, but however of the 
 dispute : there is, as iar as I see, no doubt to be made but 
 Mr. Howe, as he hath, will grant this predetermination even 
 
DISINGENUOUS DISCOURSE, &C. 95 
 
 without " being forced,'' but yet upon condition, and it is but 
 reasonable that The Discourse will retract its own foregoing 
 words, p. 5. " This act of God is called predetermination, be- 
 cause it limits the creature to this action rather than to that." 
 This indeed will serve The Discourse for argument either of 
 discourse or dispute with itself, being definition in eftect 
 against definition to prevent monstrosity, supplying herebv 
 two souls to the two bodies. But till it be better agreed 
 with it, and can come to a clearer understanding with itself, 
 no third person needs or can be interested in the contest 
 further than as a spectator of some strange sight for his money, 
 like the double child from Sussex. 
 
 Third instance. The Discourse cites Mr. Howe, Post- 
 script, p. 71. for having there said concerning " God's ex- 
 citing man to act " those foregoing words that I come last 
 from mentioning. But those words are not p. 71, but 72., 
 and the mistake in the citation is probably an error only of 
 the printer's. Though indeed in that p. 71. Mr. Howe with 
 much perspicuity declares the same sense and opinion which 
 he gives in other expressions, p. 72. For p. 71. he saith, "It 
 hath been the care and designment of the divine wisdom so 
 to order the way of dispensation towards the several sorts of 
 creatures, as not only not, ordinarily, to impose upon them 
 what they could not be patient of, but so as that their powers 
 and faculties might be put upon the exercises whereof they 
 were capable, and to provide that neither their passive ca- 
 pacity should be overcharged, nor their active be unem- 
 ployed." But the words repeated and excepted against are 
 to be found in his p. 72, and upon them it is that The Dis- 
 course fixes this unreasonable and ill interpretation and cen- 
 sure ; " If by exciting and actuating the powers he means 
 that God reduces them to act, he hath taken a large jump from 
 Durandus to Twisse:" and so goes on to prove that ill- 
 favoured and worse conceived suggestion. It ought suflS- 
 ciently to have prevented this usage that Mr. Howe's Letter, 
 p. 23. hath said, "That which hath too apparently had 
 greatest actual efiicacy with many in asserting predetermi- 
 nation, hath been the authority of this or that man of reputa- 
 tion, and the force of that art of imputing a doctrine already 
 under a prejudicial doom to some or other ill-reputed former 
 
96 REMARKS UPON A LATE 
 
 writer, I profess not to be skilled in the use of that sort of 
 weapons." And therefore, not being himself the aggressor, 
 but challenged and defied by another, he ought to have had 
 the choice of them. What signifies Durandus here, but to 
 call a man ill names instead of coming to the point ? and 
 what Dr. Twisse, but to wear mail, or bring a second when 
 Mr. Howe comes naked and single ? It is not what this or 
 that man, but what truth saith, that is to be regarded ; what 
 liberty soever The Discourse here takes to the contrary. It 
 can by no means be made true, that Mr. Howe by these 
 words, " God as the first mover so far excites and actuates 
 those powers, as that they are apt and habile for any congen- 
 erous action," professes himself of Dr. Twisse's opinion, no 
 more than that he is of Durandus's after having thus declared 
 his own as clearly as it is possible for any man's meaning 
 to be minuted or explained. For Durandus holds only a 
 mere conservation of the faculty, Dr. Twisse a predetermi- 
 nation. But Mr. Howe, to avoid Durandus on the one hand, 
 saith, " that in reference to sinful actions (for of these is the 
 question) God doth not only sustain men who do them, and 
 continue to them their natural faculties and powers," (which 
 was all Durandus pretended to,) " but also so far excites and 
 actuates those powers, as that they are apt and habile for 
 any congenerous action," &c., whereas, if he would have spoke 
 with Dr. Twisse, he must have said, ' but also excites and 
 actuates those powers determinately to this or that action,' 
 which would have differed the whole breadth of heaven from 
 Mr. Howe's hypothesis. And certainly such an actual influ- 
 ence as Mr. Howe describes, added to the natural faculty, is, 
 if men look near, very distinguishable from mere conservation 
 of that faculty on the one, and predetermination on the other 
 side. For a faculty conserved, as a faculty in actu primo, 
 (as men call it,) includes no such liability and present promp- 
 titude in itself to action, as Mr. Howe proposes ; since then 
 it could never suffer a privation of it but what were irre- 
 coverable. Whereas common experience shows faculties may 
 be sometimes unapt for action, and may be supposed always 
 so, if every moment Avhen thc}' act they be not rendered apt 
 by a superadded influence, which may habilitate them for 
 action without determining them to this or that. So that all 
 
DISINGENUOUS DISCOURSE, &C. 97 
 
 the confusion herein objected to Mr. Howe, is to be referred 
 to that head upon which I have charged it ; and the great 
 jump is no more than what brain-sick passengers, being 
 carried alongst by the wind and sea, in the heaving of 
 their vessel imagine of the trees and steeples. For he is still 
 in the same place, but no man knows whither away The 
 Discourse may be driven, or what port it is bound to, and 
 whether it do not sail without steerage, compass, or anchor. 
 
 A fourth instance of its ignorance and confusion about 
 the matter in controversy, is its varying, and that so often 
 and so materially, the terms of the question. First of all it 
 told us that it asserted the contradictory of Mr. Howe's pro- 
 position ; which must be therefore by undertaking to prove 
 (as was said formerly) " That God doth by efficacious influ- 
 ence universally move and determine men to all their actions, 
 even those actions that are most wicked/' T. D. p. .3. Yet 
 immediately after having joined issue upon this, it hath a 
 second device, p. 4, and " better likes Strangius his state 
 of the question, viz. whether God does determine or pre- 
 determine all creatures to all and each of their actions." 
 And then, thirdly, p. o, it tells us more fully what the ques- 
 tion is, and how its predetermination is to be understood, 
 explaining it thus (though not fully enough), viz., " an act 
 of God's by which he limits the creature to this action rather 
 tlian to that." Such an act The Discourse hath granted at 
 last, and it were to be reasonably expected, that, after having 
 transformed the question thus oft to its own understanding 
 and convenience, this contradictory at least to Mr. Howe's 
 proposal should be adhered to as far as it goes, and main- 
 tained : for otherwise what occasion was there, or what em- 
 ployment is there left for this spirit of contradiction ? unless 
 to rattle through the air, make vain apparitions, or in a calm 
 day on a sudden to stir up a tempest. But if this be 
 The Discourse's anti-proposition, I that intermeddle not as 
 an opinionist either way, but endeavour only to comprehend 
 as far as I can its meaning, shall for that purpose put a case 
 in its own tenns. 
 
 Suppose a man to meet with some afflicting calamity which 
 tends to provoke, among other his passions, that of aversion 
 or hatred. He considers this or that man mav have contri- 
 
98 REMARKS UPON A LATE 
 
 butod to his calamity : he considers also that God may have 
 had a hand in bringing it u}3on him : he considers, perhaps, 
 (and is yet undetermined, till God at least determine him,) 
 whether to put forth one act of hatred toward this man or 
 another, toward that man or another, toward God, or whether 
 only to hate the evil itself that afflicts him. (For it cannot 
 be that he should hate this man with the same act of hatred 
 with which he hates another man, nor can he hate God by 
 the same act whereby he hates either of them, or tlie afflict- 
 ing evil that hath befallen him.) At last he is limited to 
 this I'ather than another action, and apprehending with that 
 profane person, 2 Kings vi. 33, " Behold this evil is from the 
 Lord, what shall I wait for the Lord any longer?" he pours 
 out his hatred against God himself. The question now is, 
 who limits him to this action rather than to another ? Shall 
 Ave say it is God ? The Discourse, holding the affirmative, 
 must say it is God. This is indeed a dreadful representation 
 of the case, but a true one. 
 
 Nor is it therefore to be wondered, the question being so 
 frightful, that The Discourse starts and runs away from it so 
 often ; and after all this, p. 9. would forget that " predeter- 
 mination is an act by which God limits the creature to this 
 action rather than that," and undertakes to define it, exclu- 
 sively to those words, (for the definition includes the whole 
 nature of the thing defined) no more but " a transient action 
 of God whicli excites every creature to act." And yet, 
 fourthly, considering that the cause required no less ; after 
 taking breath, and comforting its spirits. The Discourse re- 
 turns again in part to the question, telling us in the bottom 
 of the same page, 9, " Tliat it is in ])lain words whether God 
 does move men to all their natural actions, and so to one 
 rather than another." And thus now we have a fourth state 
 of the question, but yet very difierent from the first ; the 
 affirmative of which was undertaken to be defended. In 
 short, the main controversy is about determining; but tliis 
 fourth question does not so much as mention it either in 
 word or in sense. For the determining in Mr. Howe's pro- 
 position imports and is so ex]iressed, not only a moving men, 
 l)ut an efficacious moving them. (There are many motions 
 which may be ineft'ectual.) Nor only a moving them to this 
 
DISINGENUOUS DISCOURSE, &;C, 99 
 
 action rather than to that, but also to do this wicked action 
 (for of such is the controversy) rather than forbear it. What 
 kind of practice is this ? It is a worse thing to adulterate 
 truth than money. The terms of the question are the stand- 
 ard. But at this rate no man can know what is meum or 
 tuicm, which is his own hypothesis, and which his adversary's, 
 while what he issued in current sense and weight is returned 
 him clipped or counterfeit. But the observation of this 
 manner of dealing hath put me upon another thought much 
 differing, and which at first perhaps may seem something 
 extravagant. 
 
 The camel is a beast admirably shaped for burthen, but so 
 lumpish withal, that nothing can be more inept for feats of 
 activity. Yet men have therefore invented how to make it 
 dance, that, by how much unnatural, the spectacle might 
 appear more absurd and ridiculous. Its keeper leads it upon 
 a pavement so thoroughly warmed, that the creature, not 
 able to escape nor abide it, shifts first one foot, and then 
 another to relieve itself, and would, if possible, tread the air 
 on all four, the ground being too hot for it to stand upon. 
 He in the meantime traverses and trips about it at a cooler 
 distance, striking some volunteer notes on his Egyptian kit, 
 like a French dancing-master. But, knowing that his scholar 
 is both in too much pain, and too dull to learn his measures, 
 he therefore upon frequent observation accords a tune to its 
 figure and footing, which comes to the same account. So 
 that, after daily repeating the lesson in private, they seem 
 both at last to be agreed upon a new Arabic saraband. 
 Having thus far succeeded, he tries next whether what he 
 taught by torture be not confirmed by custom, and if a cool 
 hearth may not have the like etfect. The camel no sooner 
 hears his fiddle, but, as if its ears burned with the music, 
 and its memory were in its feet, the animal bestirs forthwith 
 its long legs, and, with many an antic motion, and ill-favoured 
 coupe, gratifies the master's patience and expectation. When 
 he finds, upon constant experiment, that it never fails him, 
 he thenceforward makes it public, and, having compounded 
 with the master of the revels, shows it, with great satisfac- 
 tion to the vulgar, every Bartholomew fair in Grand Cairo. 
 I would not too much vex the similitude, but was run upon 
 
100 REMARKS UPOX A LATE 
 
 tins by a resemblance it hath ■nith some, who, not being 
 framed at all for controversy, and finding the question too 
 hot for them, do, by their flinching and shuffling from it, 
 represent a disputation, till it is grown habitual to them, and 
 they change ground as often, and have the same ajiprehen- 
 sion of the sound of an argument, as the camel of an instru- 
 ment. 
 
 And yet The Discourse hath a fifth loose foot to clap on 
 at need, as if four had not sufficed to prevaricate with, p. 11. 
 where it exercises its uncouth nimbleness in syllogizing : but 
 never was anything more ridiculously awkward. Mr. Howe 
 had. Letter, p. 20, mentioned an argument used by those 
 who hold the affirmative of predetermination ; " That it ne- 
 cessarily belongs to the original and fountain Being to be 
 the first cause of whatsoever being ; and consequently that 
 what there is of positive being in any the most wicked action, 
 must principally owe itself to the determinative productive 
 influence of this first and sovereign cause ; otherwise it would 
 seem that there were some being that were neither prinmm 
 nor a primo." This was as plainly and as distinctly laid out 
 as possible, but must forsooth be cast into a logical figure, 
 where the officiousness argues the fraud, as of those who 
 make false plate embezzling part of the metal, and yet make 
 the owner pay moreover for the fashion. This is The Dis- 
 course's syllogism : " All positive beings are eft'ccts of the 
 first cause. All sinful actions" (for, it adds, "this is our 
 limitation,") " are positive beings ; ergo, All sinful actions, as 
 actions, are eftects of the first cause." So that here, by a 
 syllogistical legerdemain, that term so essential in their argu- 
 ment, as cited by Mr. Howe, the " determinative productive 
 influence of the first and sovereign cause,'' is cleanly con- 
 veyed away out of sight ; the proposition undertaken to be 
 maintained, that " God doth by an efficacious influence uni- 
 versally move and determine men to all their actions, even 
 those actions that arc most wicked ;" or, as it lately varied, 
 " limits men to this action rather than to that," is turned out 
 of doors by its own foster-father, the keeping of it being 
 grown it seems too chargeable ; and all now that is infen-ed 
 is only that " all sinful actions, as actions, are etl'ects of the 
 first cause." And what is that to the purpose? If Mr. 
 
DISINGENUOUS DISCOURSE, &C. 101 
 
 Howe must neither be allowed the use of his own weapons, 
 nor upon the ground which tb.ey both were agreed on, it ap- 
 pears that his challenger, notwithstanding all its bravades, 
 had no design, or but little disposition to meet him. The 
 whole of this may in a just sense be granted without preju- 
 dice to Mr. Howe's cause. For it matters not that they are 
 effects, unless it be also said and proved that they are '' effects 
 produced by God's determinative influence." Yet how much 
 powder is spent without doing the last execution! First a 
 categorical, then an hypothetical syllogism fired at him, then 
 forces him to distinguish, which is among disputants next to 
 crying quarter, but will not give it him; runs him through 
 with three replies to his distinction, and leaves him dead 
 upon the place. While the proposition is all this while un- 
 touched, Mr. Howe is out of gunshot, and his adversary (if 
 one that only skirmishes with himself, deserves to be called 
 so) is afraid to take aim, and starts merely at the report of 
 his own musket. Thus hath The Discourse five several times 
 altered the property of the question; which is my fourth in- 
 stance of its ignorance and confusion about the matter in 
 controversy; unless it ought to be interpreted as an argu- 
 ment rather of a strong brain, after so many times, and sud- 
 denly turning round, not to have fallen down senseless. 
 
 A fifth instance to the same head, Mr. Howe, Letter, p. 
 21. had said, " It seems infinitely to detract from the per- 
 fection of the ever-blessed God, to affirm that he was not 
 able to make a creature of such a nature, as, being continu- 
 ally sustained by him, and supplied with power every mo- 
 ment suitable to its nature, should be capable of acting, un- 
 less what he thus enables he determine (that is, for it can 
 mean no less thing, impel) it to do also." To this The Dis- 
 course replies, p. 15. "If we should take liberty of judging 
 things by their appearance at first sight, without giving our- 
 selves the trouble of a strict disquisition" (take whether you 
 will, the liberty or the trouble, only talk not so magisterially) 
 " we might easily be seduced into an imagination that it does 
 no less infinitely detract from the divine perfection to affirm ; 
 that God was not able to make a creature of such a nature, 
 as that it might continually sustain itself, without a supply 
 of power every moment from God. For that opinion seems 
 
102 REMARKS UPON A LATE 
 
 to tie God to a sliorter tedder " (how trivial and irreverently 
 spoken !) " than an ingenious artificer who can raise an edifice 
 that shall last many years without any need of his help for 
 I'eparations." Compare now these two together, and mark 
 what this reasoning of The Discourse amounts to. Mr. 
 Howe conceives (else it were very hard) that a creature may 
 act, being enabled by a continual supply of power from God 
 every moment. Therefore quoth it, a creature may be, with- 
 out being sustained or supplied from God any moment. But 
 this perhaps was only to show how ingenious its first appre- 
 hensions, and how candid are its first inclinations; and 
 whether it were " easily seduced " itself, or had a mind to 
 seduce others, it likes this conceit so well that it cannot yet 
 let it go, but subjoins immediately ; " And this I the rather 
 take notice of, because I find it the sentiment of the most 
 acute Suarez," &c. But, whereas others find their second 
 tlioughts to be the more judicious, its judging thus at first 
 sight seems more accurate than its second seeming: They, ih. 
 " who deny God's immediate operation in every action of the 
 creature, (which Mr. Howe seems to do in his answer now 
 under discussion) will doubtless be compelled to deny that 
 the creature does depend immediately upon the actual infiu- 
 ence of God." So it quotes the most acute Suarez, Met. 
 Disp. 20. This is a most exemplary and primitive charity, 
 whereby The Discourse hath sold all its own acuteness to 
 give it to the poor Suarez; so that it hath reduced itself to 
 that desperate and utmost dulness, as herein to say, " They 
 who deny what Mr. Howe seems by this answer to do," that 
 is as much as to say. They who suppose with Mr. Howe 
 that a creature may act being enabled by God every moment, 
 Avithout being impelled, (which he above, and always mo- 
 destly asserts,) will doubtless be " com]x41ed to deny " that 
 tlie creature depends immediately upon the actual influence 
 of God, which is tantamount in sense, which useth to be the 
 meaning, as to say, it seems to be denied that the creature 
 does depend, because it is affirmed to depend. Ought not 
 bills to be put up for men afiected with so peculiar a dis- 
 temper? I cannot in the whole Common Prayer find any 
 that is proper for this occasion. 
 
 Another instance (for they do so multiply on me in read- 
 
DISINGENUOUS DISCOURSE, &C. 103 
 
 ing, that I forget to number them, and yet they are so signal 
 in their kind, that they are not to be omitted) is p. 96. and 
 onwards ; the vain attempt to reconcile God's predetermining 
 by efficacious influence to wicked actions with his wisdom 
 and sincerity by the same mediums that wei'e used by Mr. 
 Howe to reconcile his prescience of them; yet this is un- 
 dertaken to be done from p. 96. for several pages forward, 
 and with the same confidence which is always necessary to 
 such as promise impossibilities. But it is in the meantime an 
 high contempt of all other men, and presumption of one's 
 own understanding that can embolden to such an argument. 
 Who is there, unless Adam gave him his name, but sees the 
 difference between having an influence upon men's wicked 
 actions, and having no influence, which prescience, as such, 
 cannot signify him to have that foreknows? But neverthe- 
 less Mr. Howe hath expressly enough asserted, and explained 
 the influence God hath on all human actions. 
 
 For further instance, see what The Discourse saith, p. 61. 
 and so along, struggling to bring the immediate concourse, 
 which Mr. Howe speaks of and avows, under the same pre- 
 judice with predetermination, which he disclaims and argues 
 against: for all that idle endeavour might have been saved 
 and prevented by a small supplement of understanding or 
 memory. For Mr. Howe always distinguishes (and so might 
 any ordinary capacity for him, should he have trusted either 
 that or men's common ingenuity) between concurring, though 
 never so immediately, by an influence which doth but enable 
 to an action, and by that which doth determine to it, or im- 
 pel. If any man do but carry this about with him, as Mr. 
 Howe does through his whole troublesome journey, it is a 
 certain remedy against all galling, at least by this argu- 
 mentation. 
 
 One thing I could not but remark here, p. 61. of The 
 Discourse in passing, how jovial it is and bucksome, which 
 is just the humour of tyrants, bloodily cruel, and yet at the 
 same time full of dissoluteness and laughter : " I will pause 
 a little, with the reader's leave, and try my skill what answer 
 I can excogitate for Mr. Howe, which will not be a common 
 friend to us both " (pleasant) " as we have been hitherto one 
 to another, and I hope shall remain notwithstanding this 
 
104 REMARKS UPON A LATE 
 
 public contest." Dear Damon, doubtless. But I perceive 
 not that Mr. Howe hath yet had any contest with you, nor, if 
 I can persuade him, is he likely to have for the future, but 
 will avoid you for several reasons. Is this your friendship'/ 
 what then, and how terrible is your malice? The ancient 
 contests of friendship, and which made some pairs so illus- 
 trious, were which of them should die for tlie other, not which 
 should cut the other's throat. The utmost that I have ob- 
 served upon such public contests, or that I think a man is 
 bound to in Christianity, hath been to pardon such a friend, 
 and bid him do his office. Here is to be seen or played T. 
 D. indeed, or " Amity a la Mode." But go on. " This dis- 
 tinction is an open friend to us, and to which therefore upon 
 all fit occasions we pay our respects." This is pretty, and 
 most softly said, as if it were by the Great Mogul lying 
 upon a silken bed, and leaning upon cushions. And besides, 
 it is a new invention, being the first time this that ever I 
 heard of a man that contracted friendship with a distinction ; 
 but most wise men, (and so I think should Mr. Howe,) have 
 been used to distinguish with wliom they contract it. To 
 ])roceed, speaking of determination and concurrence, these 
 are the words : " But that it waits a fitter time to speak out 
 her mind, she could say that she conceives not how she can 
 compel the will," &c. (Of this compelling the will, I shall 
 have occasion also to speak out my mind hereafter.) What 
 use was to be made of a she in this i>lace, I cannot well 
 imagine. At last The Discourse grows perfectly wanton : 
 " If immediate concurrence thinks herself disobliged to satisfy 
 an inquisitive curiosity as to the modus or manner how she 
 joins with the creature in an action to which sin does neces- 
 sarily adhere," &c. What would a man think of this? A 
 female! An immediate concurrence! What sport were here 
 prepared for that which is by our moderns called wit, but is 
 no more than the luxuriant sterility of land, nor broken up 
 or manured ! In the meantime, if The Discourse be really at 
 so much ease, as it would seem by this way of talking, it is 
 but a security of understanding, like that of conscience 
 wherewith guilty persons confirm and deceive themselves for 
 the present. 
 
 I shall now come to the last instance of this article. 
 
DISINGENUOUS DISCOURSE, &C. 105 
 
 Not that I want abundance of more, or might not produce 
 the whole book in evidence, but because it were time that I 
 came to some period: and lest The Discourse should tliink 
 I avoided its main strength, I shall there examine it where it 
 pretends to no less than demonstration. For never was there 
 thing so dreadfully accoutred and armed cap-a-pie in logic, 
 categorical and hypothetical syllogisms, majors, minors, en- 
 thymems, antecedents, consequents, distinctions, definitions, 
 and now at last demomtration, to pin the basket: terms that 
 good Mr. HoAve as a mere novice is presumed to be un- 
 acquainted with, and so far from being able to endure the 
 rattling of The Discourse's armour, that as those Eoman 
 legions once bragged, even the sweaty smell of its armpits 
 ■would be sufficient to rout him. But some creatures are as 
 safe by their weakness, as others by their strength, from be- 
 ing meddled with by a considerable adversary. I that can- 
 not boast of any extraordinary faculty for disputation, nor 
 yet confess myself void of common understanding, am there- 
 fore the most proper perhaps to try the force of this demon- 
 stration ; and whether The Discourse be not therein as feeble, 
 as it was lately short in definition. It, p. 25. quotes Mr. 
 Howe, Postsc. p. 67. that he does " really believe God's im- 
 mediate concourse to all actions of his creatvires both imme- 
 diatione virtutis et suppositi, yet not determinative to wicked 
 actions;" then The Discourse proceeds: "We shall adven- 
 ture a demonstration that it implies a contradiction for God 
 to make a creature that can act without predetermination, 
 i. e. applying it to action, and to one rather than to another 
 action. And it is this. That such a creature would be but 
 ens secundarium, a second being, not causa secunda, a second 
 cause, or, (which is all one) God should be but ens primum, 
 not causa prima, the first being, not the first cause," which 
 it proves thus: "1. If God does concur only by simidta- 
 neous " (an elegant term of The Discourse's own production) 
 " concourse, and not hy predetermination, or previous motion, 
 then God cannot be the cause of the actions of the creatures, 
 as they proceed from' them: but the consequent is absurd, 
 and it presumes Mr. Howe will not own it." What Mr. 
 Howe may do, being thus hard put to it, I will not under- 
 take: but surely there was never anything affirmed with less 
 
106 REMARKS UPON A LATE 
 
 truth or sense than The Discourse here doth, that " God 
 should be the cause of the actions of the creatures, as those 
 actions proceed from them," One would think the creatures 
 themselves should be the causes of the actions as they " pro- 
 ceed from them;" (for how otherwise are they causes at all 
 of those actions ?) and Grod the cause of those actions as they 
 " proceed from him." Now hoAV they proceed from him, 
 Mr. Howe hath sufficiently shown his own conception of it, 
 viz. " as they are done by a sufficient influence, which God 
 immediately afi^brds to enable the creature to do them, not 
 to determine it thereto." And is not God to be entitled a 
 causa prima as well as ens primum, in reference to what is 
 done by his influence in the way before expressed? Whereas, 
 if God be the cause of the actions of the creatures, as those 
 actions proceed from them, the action must be done by his 
 influence alone, and then he should not be catisa prima, be- 
 cause then there were no ca^isa secunda. But this was only 
 sure The Discourse's demon-, and the next that follows its 
 -stration. 
 
 Mr. Howe had, as before cited, Postsc. p. 67. avowed 
 God's immediate concourse to all actions of his creatures, 
 both immediatione virtutis et suppositi. Upon which con- 
 cession of his it argues thus, (with this prelusory vaunt, p. 
 26. " He is twice killed that is killed with his own wea- 
 pon," so that no less than sudden death is to be expected in 
 the case,) " If there be an immediate concourse, then there 
 is a predetermination or putting the creature upon action 
 before it acts: or else the creature is the first mover of itself 
 to action." This is so unimaginably dull an argument, that 
 really it requires a proportionable dulness in the reader, or 
 an extraordinary acuteness to comprehend it, and how it 
 should bo deduced from Mr. Howe's concession of immediate 
 concourse. For the argument so put receives not the least 
 strength, not any, from that concession of Mr. Howe's, but 
 rather from his non-concession, and that he hath not yielded 
 enough, and as much as The Discourse would have him, 
 whicli pretends that immediate concourse alone is not suffi- 
 cient to exclude the creature from being the first mover of 
 its own actions. For, whether immediate concourse be 
 granted, or not granted, the case is all one as to this argu- 
 
DISINGENUOUS DISCOURSE, &C. ]07 
 
 ment while so much is not granted whereby " an account 
 may be given how God and the creature join in one indi- 
 vidual action rather than another," as The Discourse would 
 have it, p. 27. if Mr. Howe could have been persuaded to be 
 thus demonstrated out of his reason. 
 
 The illustration of Jts " plausible consequence," as it is 
 called, p. 27. may perhaps be noted, and shall hereafter in 
 its due place, but the demonstration carries the bell away, 
 and I must yet follow its tinkling. And thus it goes on, pp. 
 27, 28. " An account how the particular actions of any ra- 
 tional creature's will come to be determined, upon the exclusion 
 of predetermination, I know none can be given." And how 
 is thus proved? for sure to affirm it is not demonstration. 
 Why thus: "Not by chance:" (unless this saying so be an 
 instance that it may in some cases) nobody dreamed of any 
 such thing ; but this was put in, I suppose, only for more 
 harmony, and to run division, A good sleight it is, by proving 
 first a thing which no man denies, to make it more credible 
 that the argument upon the subject in controversy will be as 
 cogent. For the question is upon its second member, " Not 
 by the creature's self-determining power," and here The 
 Discourse's main strength comes upon trial. "For that, as 
 such, is indeterminate as to the acts to which we conceive it 
 must be some way or other determined." Admirably good ! 
 So it is indeed till the creature, as Mr. Howe conceives, have 
 determined itself; and so it will be too if God be to deter- 
 mine it, indeterminate till he have determined it. But if the 
 creature do determine itself (which if it never do, how does 
 The Discourse call it " a self-determining power ? ") then I 
 hope it is not indeterminate. So that the whole stress of the 
 cause which was to prove that the creature (" so influenced 
 and actuated by God immediately for any congenerous action,'"' 
 as Mr. Howe hath expressed it) cannot determine itself, is 
 left in the lurch, and no demonstration hath been given 
 hitherto, but of that confusion and ignoi'ance with which I 
 have charged The Discourse in this article, about the matter 
 in controversy. 
 
 i But it argues further, pp. 28, 29. and with the same de- 
 monstration, from a second concession (it were methinks more 
 ingenuous, to call it a declaration or assertion) of Mr. 
 
108 KEMAUKS UPON A LATE 
 
 Howe's of God's immediate concourse and predetermination 
 to the production of good actions, and the necessity thereof, 
 pretends to infer the necessity of God's immediate concourse 
 and predetermination likewise to all (that is, even to the 
 most wicked) actions. But tins, beside the ridiculousness, is 
 so odious an undertaking, that any pigus man, should he be 
 superior in the contention, would repent of his victory. I 
 sliall here waive it; but if The Discourse pride itself herein, 
 I give it the joy as it deserveth. 
 
 This demonstration I had assigned as the last instance of 
 this head; but I think I may be dispensed with to add an- 
 other, it being an act of charity. For there are yet behind 
 six articles more, some of them of a more criminal and hein- 
 ous nature than those two that hitherto I have insisted upon. 
 
 1. Its falsifications and fictions of what Mr. Howe hath 
 not said. 
 
 2. Its injurious perverting of what he hath said. 
 
 3. Its odious insinuations concerning what there is no 
 colour to object against. 
 
 4. Its insolent boasting and self-applause upon no occasion. 
 
 5. Its gross absurdities, inconsistencies, self-contradictions, 
 and unsafe expressions. 
 
 0. The wrath and virulence of its spirit. — And oftentimes 
 it chances that one and the same instance is applicable, and 
 may be reduced to several of these heads. But therefore, as 
 oft as I can impute any thing which might receive an higher 
 accusation to its ignorance, confusion or dulness (which it is 
 left in any man's self-determining power to remedy) I rather 
 choose to state it upon this more innocent account. And 
 that hatli been the cause which hath swelled this head be- 
 yond equality : my intention being to be briefer on those that 
 follow. I say therefore, that it is out of charity that I here 
 attribute its inditi'erence between the modus of God's pre- 
 science, and God's supposed predetermination to wicked 
 actions to its stupidity rather than any other article, or make 
 a new one for it on purpose. Tlie thing is thus. 
 
 Mr. Howe (Letter, pp. 24, 25.) had, taldng notice of an 
 argument which some use from God's prescience for his pre- 
 determination, said, among other things, very piously, 
 " This supposed indetermination of the human will, in re- 
 
■DISINGENUOUS DISCOURSE, &C. 109 
 
 ference especially to wicked actions, is far from being culpa- 
 ble of inferring that God cannot therefore foreknow them," 
 &c. And after, upon consideration what others had endea- 
 voured towards explaining or perplexing this matter, modestly 
 adds, " For my own part, I can more easily be satisfied to be 
 ignorant of the modus or medium of his knowledge, while I 
 am sure of tlie thing, &;c. It cannot therefore be so aftright- 
 ful a thing to suppose God's foreknowledge of the most con- 
 tingent future actions, well to consist with our ignorance 
 how he foreknows them, as that we should think it necessary 
 to overturn and mingle heaven and earth rather than admit 
 it." But The Discourse, pp. 32, j^3. signifies, and then by 
 quoting some of these words would confirm it, tliat we need 
 not be more solicitous, and are no more concerned to satisfy 
 ourselves of the modus of predetermination to sinful actions, 
 so as to separate them from the sinfulness of them, (for to 
 Jiold the conclusion is with it demonstration,) than about the 
 modus of God's prescience of them. Which must argue 
 (whatever else) a palpable shortness of discourse to think there 
 is no odds betwixt a thing so plainly revealed in the word of 
 God as his prescience is, and so agreeable to all rational ap- 
 prehension, and a notion so altogether unrevealed as this 
 universal predetermination yet appears, and so contrary, if 
 not to the whole scope and design of divine revelation, yet 
 to all common understanding and genuine sense of right rea- 
 son. But whensoever there shall be so clear proof made that 
 there is such a thing as The Discourse's predetermination, 
 as may soon be brought of prescience, when it shall be as 
 duly stated among the divine attributes, then, and not till 
 then, ought men to practise the same devout resignation of 
 tlieir reasoning about it, as Mr. Howe hath laudably done in 
 that of prescience : but in the meantime it may be handled 
 not as causa Dei, 'but causa hominis, it is lawful to plead 
 against it, and not to pay men's belief, but to aftbrd their 
 charity to its abettors. 
 
 There was one called Antipheron, whose name therefore 
 seems rather to have been given liim by the people from a 
 natural defect they observed in him than by his godfathers: 
 he had a peculiar shortness of sight, but which turned him 
 to account, and saved him the expense of sending to Mala- 
 
110 REMARKS UPON A LATE 
 
 mocco or Lambeth to the glasshouse. He needed not so 
 much as contemplate himself in Polyphemus' mirror, the 
 water. He carried his looking-glass always with him; the 
 next air supplied all, and served him not only to breathe, but 
 to see his face in, without any danger of staining or breaking 
 it. A great convenience thus to be able every minute to blow 
 himself a new looking-glass. But how happy were it, if, 
 what the sliortness of his sight, the dulness of men's minds 
 could ha\e the same effect, to object to them continually their 
 own image, and make it unnecessary for others to represent 
 them. Then might The Discourse also have excused me 
 from this labour, and upoi^reflexion with itself, have discerned 
 its own unfitness and ignorance to manage this or any other 
 controversy. 
 
 For Avant of such an immediate inspection on its own de- 
 fects, its natural undistinctness seems to perceive faults in 
 others, and, to find a mote in their eye, neglects the beam in 
 its own. It overlooks so gross a practice as in its p. 47. to 
 translate out of Strangius into English Doctor Twisse's argu- 
 mentation about the same prescience of God of future con- 
 tingencies, undertaking still to demonstrate, p. 46. (that is 
 the w^ord) that this foreknowledge depends upon the divine 
 decree, while in the meantime it never gives us, though the 
 book was in its hand, Strangius his full and articulate answer 
 to it in the same place, lest any man should know of it ; but, 
 to conceal its own disability for any reply to it, cliallenges 
 Mr. Howe to answer Dr. Twisse's irrefragable argument over 
 again. But, p. 16., in Mr. Howe it can find two "unpardon- 
 able faults in a man of learning and ingenuity." 
 
 First, anticipation ; for, he having, Letter, p. 21. said, 
 " unless he determine (that is to say, for it can mean no less 
 thing impel,") that is the word accused, " the creature to do 
 it : " this is made so heinous, that I thought at first it had 
 been the anticipation of the revenue, but, when all comes to 
 all, I see it is nothing but the explaining a word of less ob- 
 vious import by another more obvious : and nothing is more 
 usual in The Discourse itself, and among men of learning. 
 And The Discourse itself adds here in the same minute " im- 
 pelling, i. e. compelling (for that is Mr. Howe's sense of the 
 term, as will appear ere long,)" which is methinks as early, 
 
DISINGENUOUS DISCOUKSE, &C. Ill 
 
 and a more perverse anticipation than Mr. Howe is unpar- 
 donable for, by how much it does by these last words own 
 that impel, unless it signify compel, is allowable, but affirms 
 that in Mr. Howe's sense it is compel, as will appear ere long, 
 which is moreover false, and therefore I will be so subtle as 
 to take out my pardon in time for calling this anticipation ; 
 for indeed that Avhieh neither is, nor ever can appear, ere 
 long or short (as for Mr. Howe to mean compel) cannot be 
 anticipated. 
 
 But the second unpardonable fault of Mr. Howe's is his 
 " immodest begging the question :" and wherein ? "I may 
 well call it so," (quoth The Discourse,) " because he knows 
 we neither can nor will grant his argument without ruining 
 our hypothesis." This is all the proof assigned of his beg- 
 ging the question. I do indeed confess that Mr. Howe 
 was much to blame in urging an argument to the ruin of 
 their precious hypothesis ; but I think it falls not under that 
 predicament of begging, though this does of robbing the 
 question : and however his crime is more excusable, because, 
 in common probability, Mr. Howe, having wrote his Letter 
 and Postscript before The Discourse replied to him, might 
 be ignorant that it was its dear hypothesis. For my part I 
 take the very first title of the book, " De Causa Dei," to be 
 more notoriously guilty both of anticipation and begging the 
 question, than that Mr. Howe could have anything upon 
 either account herein justly imputed or objected to him. 
 
 The third article, of which I shall catalogue some, it being 
 endless to enumerate all the instances. 
 
 Its many strange falsifications and fictions of what Mr. Howe hath not 
 said, and then discoursing of them as if they were said. 
 
 As for a first instance. In its Epistle, p. 10. Mr. Howe is 
 accused of having " denied God's immediate concurrence to 
 all actions," because, Letter, p. 21. he says, (not as The Dis- 
 course cites it, " it sufficiently salves," but) " it may well be 
 thought sufficiently to salve the rights (and privileges, omitted) 
 of the first cause, that no action can be done but by a power 
 derived from it, which, in reference to forbidden actions, in- 
 telligent creatures may use or not use as they please." Is 
 
112 REMARKS UPON A LATE 
 
 anything said liere that implies any denial of immediate con- 
 currence ? Why may not that power derived be immediate 
 to the action ? Is anything said to the contrary, or which 
 accords not well with what is pretended to be said ex oppo- 
 sito ? But to make this accusation good it conceals another 
 passage in the very same paragraph : " Besides that it seems 
 infinitely to detract from the perfection of the ever blessed 
 God, to affirm he was not able to make a creature of such a 
 nature, as, being continually sustained by him, and supplied 
 with power every moment suitable to its nature, should be 
 incapable of acting, unless whatsoever he thus enables he de- 
 termine it to do also." So that the charge is founded merely 
 on Mr. Howe's not having used the express word immediate 
 concurrence in that sentence, and in concealing disingenuously 
 what he had expressed, and what fully includes immediate 
 concurrence in the sense that he afterwards asserts and ex- 
 plains it, Postscr. p. 67. to be both immediatione virtutis, and 
 suppositi to " all actions, though not determinative to wicked 
 actions." Although it would be something ridiculous to say, 
 that The Discourse read one part of this with its eyes shut, 
 and the other part with its eyes open ; yet it is more fiilse 
 that Mr. Howe did there, or anywhere else, deny God's im- 
 mediate concurrence ; and it is the best excuse of which this 
 (otherwise forgery) is capable. 
 
 Second instance. It feigns in the same p. 10. that jNIr. 
 Howe hath, Postscr. p. 71. "affirmed predetermination to all 
 actions." It were strange if he should, but it is pretended to be 
 proved by these his words : " The active providence of God 
 about all the actions of men, consists not merely in giving 
 them the natural powers whereby they can work of them- 
 selves, but in a real influence upon those powers." This is 
 (to speak the most softly, and indeed more softly than the 
 tiling will admit) an unkind interpretation, after what Mr. 
 Howe hath been quoted to say in my former instance : but 
 especially, if The Discourse can or would be pleased to con- 
 sider (after its invidious and deceitful generality in citing 
 Letter, from p. 21 et seq. and the Postscript, without assign- 
 ing one word) that Mr. Howe's asserting here of God's real 
 influence upon men's natural powers does not at all imj)ly 
 that predetermination, which he there all along opposes. 
 
DISINGENUOUS DISCOURSE, &C. 113 
 
 For can there be no influence but such as is deteriuining ? 
 He hath shown there both may be and is. How often is 
 there such influence by the operation of common grace as 
 (loth not determine ? 
 
 Third instance. In the same p. 10. because Mr. Howe 
 liath, Letter, p. 20. said, " Some actions of the creatures are 
 in themselves most malignantly wicked," and Letter, p. 24. 
 " intrinsically evil : " therefore it, falsely enough, reproaches 
 him to have by these words " denied that 41II actions have in 
 them a natural goodness." Whereas Mr. Howe here speaks 
 of actions as they are morally evil or wicked, that is, as 
 specified by direction to an inidue object. Is not such a 
 specifying direction intrinsical ? Is not the specification of 
 everything intrinsical to it ? And so are not such actions 
 truly said to be evil in themselves which so specified can by 
 no circumstances be made good ? But Postscr. p. 69 (which 
 is produced to argue him of inconsistence) he owns that 
 " there is not any action so sinful, but hath some natural 
 good as the substrate matter thereof," abstractly and physi- 
 cally considered, and yet so they can never be produced by 
 God nor man, but concreted with their individuating circum- 
 stances ; nor doth the affirming the one infer the denial of 
 the other. If it did, The Discourse itself hath done the same 
 thing, p. 72. " Thus some actions are said to be in themselves 
 evil, when they are evil in regard of their object, &e. Thus 
 the hatred of God and adultery are in themselves evil," &c. 
 But I suppose it would judge it hard dealing to say that it 
 denies (though it be an hard saying to affirm) that natural 
 good which is the substrate matter thereof, and which always 
 at a dead lift it hath recourse to. 
 
 Fourth instance. From Mr. Howe's having, Letter, p. 20. 
 said, '•' Nothing is more apparently a simple and most strictly 
 natural impossibility, than not to do an action whereto the 
 agent is determined by an infinite power;" it, Epist. p. 11, 
 hath the ridiculous grossness to charge Mr. Howe with there 
 aflHrming that predetermination forces the will ; as if nothing 
 could make a thing naturally impossible to a man but force. 
 He cannot make a new sun ; but what force hinders him ? 
 This is indeed force, or rather fraud ; for otherwise it is im- 
 possible to deduce it. But whether of them be used against 
 
 11 
 
114: REMARKS UPON A LATE 
 
 a chosen adversary, makes it seems no scruple in a conscience 
 diverted with disputation. 
 
 Another instance. It calumniates Mr. Howe, p. 87. to 
 have "asserted the positivity of sin," and there calls it, "the 
 foundation of his hypothesis," proceeding with great pains 
 to disprove it, " borrows one argument," to load him with, 
 " from the most learned Dr. Barlow, the now renowned 
 bishop of Lincoln," urges the minor, then the major, and 
 draws up a whole process, as if it were in the spiritual court, 
 against him, and T. D, were become his chancellor. There 
 is none in England, nor especially Mr. Howe, as I imagine, 
 but would reverence the authority of that excellent person 
 in all points of learning or controversy. But The Discourse 
 is too bold to make use of his power without his commission, 
 in a case where Mr. Howe hath not said one word to affirm 
 such positivity. 
 
 A further instance. With the same truth, that is, false- 
 hood, it feigns, and that often, that Mr. Howe, by God's 
 having irresistible influence upon the will, means " God's 
 forcing of the will unto the most wicked actions." As for 
 example, p. 39. from Mr. Howe's, p. 24. " Irresistibly, that 
 is in his sense forcibly." Whereas Mr. Howe there objects 
 to his adversaries, their holding such an irresistible determi- 
 nation of the will, but forcing of it nowhere. Yet at what 
 expense of learning, and with how much loss of ink and in- 
 genuity does The Discourse argue that the will cannot be 
 forced ! which Mr. Howe, having denied that irresistible in- 
 Muence, must of necessity disown for its further absurdity, 
 had he thought his adversaries guilty of it. But ho appears 
 to have been far fioui imagining it of them, nor could any 
 but The Discourse have imputed it to him as his sense, that 
 God does by force whatsoever he does irresistibly. What 
 law of reason is there, or how can The Discourse justify such 
 a falsification but by custom ? 
 
 If that shall be a sufficient plea, it will never want in- 
 stances further to warrant the practice. As in this following 
 (forgery I may not call it, having to do with such exactness, 
 but) rasure. Mr. Howe, having been upon the argument of 
 the will of God concerning those that perish, had, Letter, p. 
 45. said, " The resolve of the divine will in this matter, was 
 
DISINGENUOUS DISCOURSE, &C. 115 
 
 not concerning the event," what he shall do, (i. e. abstractly 
 and singly, as these next following words show) " but con- 
 cerning his duty what he should, and concerning the con- 
 nexion between his duty and his happiness." Hereupon 
 what does mean The Discourse? p. 116. It refers to those 
 words of his, p. 45. and recites a further passage of his 
 Letter, to argue them of repugnancy these to the former, 
 but to that purpose conceals Mr. Howe's last clause, " but 
 concerning his duty what he should, and concerning the 
 connexion between his duty and his happiness," which being 
 taken in, as it ought, there could have been no pretence of 
 inconsistency. And it adds, that Mr. Howe's answer. Letter, 
 p. 46. " that ' imperfection is no way imputable to the divine 
 will merely for not effecting everything whereto it may have 
 a real propension,' is no answer to the objection : " upon this 
 strange pretence, that " a real propension of will is no will," 
 as if it were a thing impossible that propension should be 
 either habitual or actual. 
 
 So also for continual instance. The Discourse, pp. 118. 
 119, feigns a question to have been proposed by Mr. Howe, 
 " Whether it be fitting for God efficaciously to overpower all 
 men into a compliance with the overtures he makes to thcni 
 in common : " and then it creates also an answer for him : 
 " It is not fit for God to overpower men without making any 
 overtures to them at all;" and, to make a song of three })arts, 
 judicially decides: "the answer is not fitted to the question." 
 I must confess that upon some former experiments I doubted 
 of the rectitude of its judgment, but I was not wary enough 
 to suspect a falsehood, which must be so notorious, as that 
 there should be no such question or answer. But in good 
 truth none there is that I can find of Mr. Howe's mark: the 
 question nowhere in terms, but the answer neither in terms 
 nor sense, nor anything like it. So that The Discourse is 
 not to be allowed in any court either as a competent judge 
 or a legal witness, but may deserve to be tried for this as a 
 criminal before any logic-tribunal. Nor needs there any 
 other evidence against it for conviction, than those very 
 words of Mr. Howe, that it there hath cited : " Grace 
 sometimes shows itself in preventing exertions, and in work- 
 ing so heroically as none have beforehand [in the neglect of 
 
116 REMARKS UPON A LATE 
 
 its ordinary method] any reason to expect," Letter, p. 53. 
 Now look back upon the supposititious answer, " to whom 
 God makes no overtures at all : " then compare Mr. Howe's 
 words, " in the neglect of its ordinary methods ; " and now 
 let any man judge of the honesty of such an adversary. 
 For how can they be said to neglect Grod's ordinary methods 
 to whom he makes no overtures at all? Nor is the second 
 scheme of its question and answer which immediately follows 
 any whit better, but guilty of as perfect forgery as the first, 
 and so ill contrived, that it neither agrees with the former, 
 nor with the book, though pretending to be a true copy. 
 
 And an instance it is of the same fraud to feign, pp. 119, 
 120. that Mr. Howe in his Letter hath, abstractly from the 
 more fit course that God hath taken, " determined the unfit- 
 ness of God's giving grace and salvation to all men." 
 
 All that Mr. Howe hath said therein amounts only to 
 assert the course which is not taken to be less fit, and that 
 God doth, from the perfect rectitude of his own nature, take 
 tliat course which was to bo taken most wisely, and do that 
 which was most congruous and fit to be done, Letter, p. 5Q. 
 What can better become us than to judge so of the ways that 
 God hath pitched upon, and -wherein w^e have God's own 
 choice to precede and be a guide to our judgment? 
 
 I shall conclude this article with its quotation, p. 44. out 
 of Dr. Manton's Comment on James i. 13. p. 101. as if that 
 learned divine had aftirmed the disputed predetermination by 
 those words. " Many who grant prescience, deny preordi- 
 nation," (\i>;. quoth The Discourse, the decree whereof pre- 
 <letermination is the execution, so 1 understand him,) " lost 
 they should make God the author of sin;" and ti forsooth 
 understands him so, but I hope without any obligation to 
 better and sincerer judgments. For what one word is there 
 here that can imply that preordination to be executed by the 
 way of predetermination ? It is no wonder if Mr. Howe bo 
 not secure while yet living, when those that are at rest can- 
 not escape so notorious a practice. This is the same as to 
 cut ofi" a dead man's hand to subscribe with it to a forgery. 
 There needed no less, it seems, than Dr. Manton's good 
 name, which is like a precious ointment, to give a better 
 odour to those putrid suggestions and expressions of " Pro- 
 
DISINGENUOUS DISCOURSE, &C. 117 
 
 testaiitism gi'own of late weary of itself," &c., bestowed on 
 Mr. Howe on this occasion. And yet (lor it made me 
 curious) there are witnesses above exception that also Dr. 
 Manton consented with Mr. Howe in this point, and ex- 
 pressed a great sense of the danger of the contrary opinion. 
 And whensoever The Discourse signifies its doubt of it, I 
 will undertake to make out their evidence. 
 
 The fourth article that naturally succeeds the former 
 falsifications. 
 
 Its vain but 7nost injurious oMempts to pervert ivhat Mr. Howe hath said. 
 
 As for a first instance, where, p. 4o. it represents Mr. 
 Howe's words, Letter, p. 19. to imply " an affirmation of a 
 foreknowledge of Christ's death antecedent to God's decree 
 concerning it." The words are these, which it ushers in 
 with (" Let us hear, if our patience can bear this exercise, 
 whether Mr. Howe's gloss upon Acts iv. 28. doth not corrupt 
 the text : ' If they had known, they would not have crucified 
 the Lord of glory.' ") That is, " God foreseeing wicked 
 hands would be prompt and ready for this tragic enterprize, 
 his sovereign power, and wise counsel concurred with his 
 foreknowledge, so only and not with less latitude, to define 
 or determine the bounds and limits of that malignity than to 
 let it proceed unto this execution." What common sense or 
 ordinary ingenuity could have found less in these words than 
 that Mr. Howe doth therein at least profess the foreknow- 
 ledge and the decree to have been simul et semel, which is 
 far from affirming the foreknowledge to be antecedent? 
 But Mr. Howe had, moreover, immediately before these 
 words cited, said, " It was a thing which God's hand and 
 counsel had determined before to be done." But this The 
 Discourse conceals, lest itself should be detected of such a 
 wilful perversion, and the better to make Dr. Twisse's cen- 
 sure (which otherwise had been nothing to the business) take 
 place upon Mr. Howe, p. 46. " Those Jesuitical dictates of 
 the foreseen determination of the human will before God's 
 decree, are not the dictates of divines disputing but dream- 
 ing." There was not any colour in Mr. Howe's words for 
 
118 
 
 REMARKS UPON A LATE 
 
 any such imputation ; though I doubt not that Mr. Howe 
 believes God's decree in this case to be but suitable to that 
 agency which he everywliere supposes him to have in things 
 of that nature. 
 
 A second instance of the same dealing is upon Mr. Howe's 
 assertion, Postscript, p. 67. of God's immediate concourse to 
 all actions of his creatures. For, p. 55. thence it pretends 
 that it follows, and that Mr. Howe implies that " God affords 
 nien a leading concurrence to actions downright evil." And 
 yet Mr. Howe had but (Postsc. p. G7) explained and limited 
 that concession, saying, " The concourse or influence, which 
 I deny not to be immediate to any actions, I only deny to 
 be determinative as to those which are wicked." Agreeably 
 to what he saith also, Postsc. p. 72. ]kit that limitation 
 The Discourse takes not any notice of, pretending not to 
 understand a difterence between inducing men to actions 
 which God will reward, and to those for which he will ruin 
 them. And upon this presumption it falls into the usual fit 
 of boasting vaingloriously over Mr. Howe. For where per- 
 version may go for ingenuity, insolence may also pass for 
 reason. 
 
 I cannot but observe also how in pursuit of this subject, 
 because Mr. Howe, Postsc. p. 70. cited Luke vi. 9. with 
 Hosea xiii. 9. to show the difference, and how much more 
 agreeable it was to the nature of God to induce men by de- 
 terminative influence to imperfectly good actions which yet 
 lead to salvation and blessedness, than to such as are down- 
 right evil, and tend to their ruin; it hereupon, p. 5S. frames 
 a chain of syllogistical argumentations, all of its own devis- 
 ing, which yet it hath the face to father upon Mr. Howe. I 
 call it the rather a chain, because I remember to have read 
 of one who had so singular a faculty of linking one lie artifi- 
 cially upon another, that they called him at Rome by a new 
 nickname Catena: and the dexterity of The Discourse, in 
 almost as sinister a quality, might pretend to the same deno- 
 mination. The Samoides wear guts about their necks, but 
 swallow them at last down their throats ; the same natural 
 links serving them first for ornament, and then for nutriment: 
 and were Tlie Discourse obliged to eat its own words, and 
 feed upon its own chain of syllogisms, it were a diet, though 
 
DISINGENUOUS DISCOURSE, &C. 119 
 
 slender and unclean, yet fit enough for a barbarian. There is 
 nothing can be more savage and inhuman, than to personate 
 Mr. Howe here arguing, " If it be unlawful for man to de- 
 stroy life, then it is unlawful to Grod." And then, as if it 
 were a formed dispute, and wherein Mr. Howe maintained 
 the affirmative, it denies the antecedent, the consequent, 
 and the connexion of its own (not, as is pretended, Mr. 
 Howe's) enthyraeme, and laboriously proceeds to disprove 
 the whole argument through the several members. Let but 
 any man have recourse to that place of the Postsc. p. 70, and 
 consider whether there bo any colour thence to suppose that 
 Mr. Howe intended there, or gave any occasion for such 
 arguing; and whether all the blasphemies or heresies that 
 ever were invented, might not be imputed to him with as 
 much reason. I find myself so concerned hereat (not in be- 
 half of Mr. Howe, but of all common morality among man- 
 kind) that I think fit to repress myself, and rather leave the 
 crime to any reader's, or to The Discourse's own censure ; for, 
 notwithstanding this and all its other errors, I conceive it yet 
 to have some intervals both of understanding and conscience. 
 But a most indecent thing it was for it to trifle in a mat- 
 ter so serious, and it had been far more becoming to have 
 given a clear account of its own belief in this point, than to 
 have forged arguments for others, create shadows for itself 
 to sport with, and to act in one personage the cause, the 
 judge, the witness, the plaintiff, and the defendant. After 
 all those to and fros, up and downs of so many tedious 
 pages that it obliges us to, if we wall go along with it through 
 this particular, might I not in recompense crave leave to be 
 solemnly and soberly answered upon two or three questions 
 arising upon this debate for my own better information ? 
 First, whether it do not conscientiously believe that God 
 doth punish men for doing actions which in such and such 
 circumstances he hath forbidden them to do ? Next, whether 
 it be not manifest that according to its opinion God must 
 determine men to those actions in those circumstances, that 
 is in the same circumstances wherein they are done ? And 
 lastly, whether that determining influence can be withstood? 
 If it once affirm all these, as I see no tolerable evasion en- 
 deavoured but that it holds them all pro confesso, how can it 
 
120 REMARKS UPON A LATE 
 
 with all its logic and metaphysics extricate itself from main- 
 taining that absurdity that (lod ruins men for what he hath 
 induced them to, that is not simply to destroy life (as it 
 vainly strives to shift off the business), but to destroy it upon 
 such terms ? And then how frivolous will all those answers, 
 p. 55. and so forward appear to Mr. Howe's argument 
 mentioned on a former occasion, Posts, p. 69. " We our- 
 selves can in a remoter kind concur to the actions of others : 
 yet it doth not follow that because we may aflbrd our 
 leading concurrence to actions imperfectly good, that 
 therefore we may afford them to those that are down- 
 right evil ; because to prayer, therefore to cursing and 
 swearing, and then ruin men for the actions we have induced 
 them to : you will say, God may rather, but sure he can 
 much less do so than you." Now The Discourse calls this 
 (and would blame it upon that account, as comparing God 
 and the creature) Mr. Howe's argument a pari; but it is, 
 methinks, a fortiori, and therefore more reverent. If a well- 
 natured man would not do so, it is much more disagreeable 
 to God's nature. 
 
 In all those things Mr. Howe (and it is that makes me 
 like him the better) declares his own sense plainly, however, 
 while the other never speaks out, unless to give ill words, 
 and seems to search not for the truth, but merely for con- 
 tention. 
 
 The last evidence of this article shall be where it, p. 111. 
 takes occasion to say, Mr. Howe, p. 43. " professes his dis- 
 like of the common distinction of voluntas beneplaciti et signi, 
 in this present case" [viz. to explain how God wills the sal- 
 vation of all, and yet only of some] " under which such as 
 coined, and those that have much used it, have onh' rather 
 (I doubt not) concealed a good meaning, than expressed an 
 ill one." Thus far it quotes Mr. Howe, but there stops and 
 saith, " the rest is not worth the trouble of transcribing ;" 
 but I therefore suspect the more that it is worth it, and out 
 of some cunning fetch omitted, and shall tlie rather take 
 that trouble upon me. " It seems, I confess, by its more 
 obvious aspect, too much to countenance that ignominious 
 slander, which profane and atheistical dispositions would 
 fasten upon God and the course of his procedure toward 
 
DISINGENUOUS DISCOURSE, &C. 121 
 
 men, &c., as though he only intended to seem willing of 
 what he really was not ; that there was an appearance to 
 which nothing did subesse. And then why is the latter 
 called voluntas, unless the meaning be, he did only will the 
 sign, which is false and impious," &c. But upon the former 
 quotation out of Mr. Howe, wherein he only excepts against 
 the distinction " in the present case," and signifies that a 
 good meaning was intended by it ; The Discourse, p. 116. 
 represents him as meaning the same thing with Dr. Twisse, 
 (who also notes the impropriety of the latter member volun- 
 tas signi, as improperly called a will, and only signifying 
 man's duty,) and "blaming himself yet in blaming him:" 
 when Mr. Howe had in plain words approved the meaning 
 of the distinction. The gentlest imagination a man can 
 frame to himself hereof, is that its own brain was perverted 
 before Mr. Howe's intention. 
 The fifth article is : 
 
 Its odious wsinuations concerning what it hath no colour to object or 
 except against. 
 
 Of this I shall give three instances in one paragi'aph. T. 
 D., pp. 103, 104, where it pretends first to be " at a strange 
 loss for an antecedent to a relative in Mr. Howe's Letter, p. 
 31, 'Neither yet was it necessary that effectual care should 
 be taken they should actually reach all, and be applied to 
 every individual person.'" The loss is indeed a strange one, 
 and I condole it. For it hath herein suffered great damage 
 of eyesight, understanding, memory, and ingenuit}^, very 
 sensible disasters, and with great difficulty to be repaired. 
 Mr. Howe's immediate words in the foregoing period were, 
 " that the divine edicts should be of an universal tenor as 
 they are, the matter of them being of universal concernment, 
 and equally suitable to the common case of all men." Now^ 
 add to these words as it follows in that place, " neither yet 
 was it necessary they should actually reach all," and then 
 say whether any man else would not have seen that the they 
 here was relative to the divine edicts : beside that the whole 
 tract of the foregoing argument leads and refers continually to 
 
122 REMARKS UPON A LATE 
 
 them. But then, when after a long loss it hath, casting about 
 even to Postsc. pp. 70 and 71, " out of love to Mr. Howe's 
 person and the truth," hit it at last to be the divine edicts 
 " of which possibly Mr. Howe meant it," yet then it suggests 
 from those words of his " neither yet was it necessary," (that 
 is, to the purpose Mr. Howe was speaking of, the vindicating 
 of God's wisdom and sincerity, as any sober reader will 
 easily see) as if they were thought not at all necessary. If 
 this be candour, what is blackness ? It is as much as to say, 
 that, unless it be necessary for the vindication of God's wis- 
 dom and sincerity to provide that every man should have a 
 Bible and read it, it is no way necessary for man's salvation. 
 
 The second instance in the same paragraph is to quote 
 Mr. Howe's Letter, p. 31, "And thus how easily, and even 
 naturally, (by messengers running from nation to nation, 
 some to communicate, others to inquire after the tidings of 
 the gospel,) would the gospel soon have spread itself through 
 the world ;" and hereupon to suggest as if Mr. Howe thought 
 " the seeds of the gospel were in men by nature." Unless 
 understanding and wilful ignorance be the same thing, no 
 man could have avoided the sense of the word naturally 
 here, to be, easily, and of course. But if that term had 
 been intended in the strict sense (though the mollifying of 
 it by that particle, even, shows it was not), how could the 
 inquiry after a thing new, and said to be of common con- 
 cernment, but be natural, although the thing itself were not ? 
 
 And the third is : whereas Mr. Howe had. Letter, pp. 38, 
 34, enumerated many instances of God's clemency and 
 bounty to men in general, and added that, "they might by 
 these understand God to have favourable propensions towards 
 them ; and that though they have offended him, he is not 
 their im])lacable enemy, and might by his goodness be led to 
 repentance," that hereupon The Discourse, p. 104, having 
 nothing to allege against any particular of what is tliere said, 
 brings in Mr. John Goodwin to have writ somewhat of the 
 like import in his " Pagan's Debt and Dowry," and the like 
 quotations of it afterwards from Mr. Hoard, which is all for 
 spite, but nothing to the purpose. Could it have laid down 
 an antithesis to anything that Mr. Howe had said, it is pro- 
 bable it would have gone that way to work, and not have 
 
DISINGENUOUS DISCOURSE, &C. 123 
 
 used this pagan invention of baiting Mr. Howe in the skins 
 of others ; or daubing him over with pitch to serve for 
 torch-light, and put out the light of the gospel. But it is 
 more probable it would have proceeded both ways ; for its 
 zeal for the truth seems not greater than its animosity against 
 Mr. Howe, whencesoever it arises. But it durst not adven- 
 ture to say that Mr. Howe hath made Mr. John Goodwin's 
 ill use of this notion. Had there been any such thing, The 
 Discourse seems not in humour to have passed it over, and 
 that calamitous figure of meliora spero, hoping the best of 
 him, but suggesting the worst, would have been changed to a 
 plain accusation. If it would have dealt fairly, hei^e was the 
 proper place to have spoken out, and have told us distinctly 
 its own opinion in so weighty a matter. Does it know what 
 God (though most unobliged) might do to furnish such witli 
 what might be sufficient, if they seriously desired such mercy 
 at his hands ? Will it think itself bound to tear Rom. ii. 4. 
 out of its Bible, because John Goodwin hath cited it ? Or, 
 will it adventure to be the heathens' compurgator at the day 
 of judgment, that they have no more considered the tendency 
 of the divine goodness ? 
 
 These indeed would have been worthy achievements, and 
 proper to one of so great enterprize ; but to throw upon Mr. 
 Howe an undeserved obloquy of other men's names in this 
 manner, how base a thing was it ? considering besides how 
 its own name (though hitherto studiously concealed) might, 
 in the vicissitude of human affairs, serve men hereafter for a 
 more infamous quotation. 
 
 I shall add no more than p. 108, its citing Mr. Howe's 
 Letter, p. 37, 38, " That which God's declarations do amount 
 to is, &c., that, if they which finally perish, neglect to attend 
 to those external discoveries of the word, &c., they are not 
 to expect he should overpower them by a strong hand, and 
 save them against the continual disinclination of their own 
 wills ;" upon which it saith, " I am not able to make sense of 
 the last words, for I understand not what overcoming by a 
 strong hand (in a sinner's case) God can make use of that 
 leaves the will under disinclination to salvation." What 
 reason or occasion do Mr. Howe's words give for making 
 this puzzle ? Could it not understand that some men are so 
 
124 REMARKS UPON A LATE 
 
 unreasonable as to expect salvation, Avhile yet at the same 
 time they are disaffected to the means of it? And that 
 some, because they dislike the ordinary means, please them- 
 selves with a hope that God will at last east use some extra- 
 ordinary, to overcome that disaffection ? 
 The sixth article. 
 
 Its 7Uost unseemly and insolent boastings and self- applauses upon no 
 occasion. 
 
 Yet therefore the more frequent, as his " killing Mr. 
 Howe Avith his own weapon," p. 26, in its argument about 
 Mr. Howe's two concessions, the vanity whereof as to the 
 first I have before noted : and now as to what it brags of 
 against the second as a " triumphant evidence," I shall no 
 less show its impertinency. The argument is its own, p. 30, 
 " If it be the indeterraination of the powers to individual 
 actions that makes an excitation of them, to one rather than 
 to another, necessary." Stay here: it takes this for granted, 
 and as it is in itself destitute of strength, so it leaves it very 
 unkindly without any proof or assistance to shift as well as 
 it can. Whereas it knows that it is said on the opposite part, 
 " That it is not indetermination merely (which the self-de- 
 termining power of the will can remove) but aversion to 
 good actions (which gracious habits do lessen, but not re- 
 move) that makes God's holy determining influence neces- 
 sary." Now let it go on, " and the ))ossibility of action con- 
 tained in the jiower that makes the reducing of that possibil- 
 ity to action no less necessary to good actions." If there be 
 any sense in this, it is very recondite, and would require a 
 spirit tiiat can discover hidden treasure. Can possibility of 
 action make action necessary? It must be as false as it is 
 true, that an argument can be drawn from jjower to act, 
 atHrmativel)'. Indeed, should it have said, where there is 
 only a possibility of action, that possibility must be reduced 
 to action, before there can be any action, it were true, but 
 then it is one of these things that are nimis vera, and whicii 
 it is ridiculous to put into any proposition, much more 
 where it is to no purpose, as here it is manifestly to none ; 
 
DISINGENUOUS DISCOURSE, &C. 125 
 
 for we are still left as uncertain, as if no such thing had been 
 said, what it is that must reduce that possibility to action. 
 But that it should be added, " no less necessary to good 
 actions," is beyond the power of witchcraft to understand 
 what it should mean here. Doth it pretend to be discours- 
 ing with any one that thought determination to good actions 
 less necessary? I thought its present part was to oppose 
 one that said it was more necessary. And yet this most in- 
 significant scheme of discourse is shut up with a quod erat 
 demonstrandum, and with the phantastry of claiming to it 
 evidence equal to what the apostle's words carry, Kom. xi. 
 36. For it was to those words that Mr. Howe's Letter, ]). 
 29, gave those " lofty epithets " of " triumphant evidence " 
 which The Discourse cavils at, and borrows, with no mind to 
 restore them, to adorn the street pageantry of this pitiful 
 argument. 
 
 Another instance may be its jovial rant, p. 37. " What is 
 now become of Mr. Howe's thin sophistry, and collusive am- 
 biguity?" &c. It is necessary to read upon this occasion 
 from its p. 32. 1. 12. at least to p. 37. 1. 14. for it is too 
 long to insert here such a parcel of stuti" but there you may 
 have it. Its business here is to defend the predeterminers' 
 oj)inion against the charge of God's necessitating men to sin, 
 and of attempting to alleviate it by God's being above law, 
 but inan under it. Let me conjure any reader by the most 
 potent charms of persuasion, by all that is ridiculous in its 
 whole book, or in mine, but to peruse at leisure how miser- 
 ably those points are there along managed. It owns at first 
 that it is " an hard province to answer to all the objections," 
 then softens it, as fire mollifies clay, and at last, after having 
 confessed and begged, comes oft* with that glorious exaltation 
 over Mr. Howe's thin sophistry. It were needless to exem- 
 plify all the like passages, where it arrogates commendation 
 to itself beyond what any friend, and vilifies Mr. Howe 
 below what any other enemy, would oft'er at both equally un- 
 derserved. 
 
 The seventh article. 
 
126 REMARKS UPON A LATE 
 
 Its very gross ahsiirdities, self-contradictions, and inconsistencies, to which 
 may be added diverse unsafe expressions, not a little reflecting on God 
 and religion. 
 
 As first, p. 18. it discourses concerning tlie security of 
 good angels by God's determining influence, which no man 
 that I know will quarrel for, and by which I doubt not it 
 supposes their immutability, but, p. 20. speaking of man, it 
 saith, that " God made him mutable (and how could he do 
 otherwise, unless he should have made him a God?)" What 
 then? doth it conceive that the good angels are gods? 
 Suchlike was its absurdity, p. 27. of the necessity of prede- 
 termination, because God's immediate concourse could not 
 determine Adam's will. Than which, what can be more 
 notorious? the controversy being, whether God doth deter- 
 mine men to wicked actions, but its argument to this effect, 
 that, if God do not determine men to such wicked actions 
 by concourse, he doth it, as elsewhere it calls it, by pre- 
 course. Whereas, it should have known the thing denied by 
 Mr. Howe to be, that God doth by efficacious influence 
 determine to them at all. And so its argumentation there 
 signifies only that if God do not determine to them, he doth 
 determine to them. 
 
 A third instance is whore, p. 40. Mr. Howe having, 
 Letter, pp. 9, 24. said that the " argument from the pre- 
 tended impossibility of God's foreknowing sinful actions, if 
 he did not determine the agent to them, will not infer, that 
 if he determine not to them, he cannot foreknow them, but 
 only that we are left ignorant of the way." It collects 
 thence, p. 41. (and " thinks Mr. Howe hath much overshot 
 himself) that ho universally denies our knowledge of the 
 way how God foretells future contingencies." Whereas Mr. 
 Howe, Letter, p. 20. stated their argument in express words, 
 " that it were otherwise impossible God should foreknow the 
 sinful actions of men," and here, 47. only saith, " the argu- 
 ment infers so mudi and no more," as to " wicked actions," 
 yet it makes this an universal denial as to all actions. 
 Hereby it is easy to judge, which of the two is the better 
 archer, or came nearer the mark ; which shot home, and 
 which over. 
 
DISINGENUOUS DISCOURSE, &C. 127 
 
 That for a fourth is what you please to call it, p. 70. but 
 a pretty innocent thing of the like nature. " Irresistible 
 imports," it saith, " a relation of the action of the agent to 
 some resistance," which is pleasant, by how much impossible 
 to imagine how that which cannot be resisted imports that 
 which is resisted. 
 
 But this, p. 76. is a most refined absurdity, while in the 
 same place it taunts Mr. Howe for " gratifying his own un- 
 scholastic humour. Something is said to be impossible re- 
 spectively, as if a man will fly that he should have wings." 
 But this among duller men hath hitherto been thought an 
 instance of what is quite contrary, to wit, of hypothetical 
 necessity. And if it should find itself hereafter obliged to 
 fly from its adversary, I suppose that it would think a pair 
 of wings to be pertinent and highly convenient, if not 
 necessary. 
 
 I have before upon occasion, and in passing, noted how he 
 undertakes to prove that there are no actions of free agents 
 evil in themselves, when nevertheless it had, p. 72. affirmed 
 the hatred of God and adultery to be in themselves evil. 
 
 Such is that too elsewhere touched, p. 63. where it cites 
 Mr. Howe, Postsc. p. 69, intimating that some actions are 
 evil quoad substantiam, that is, morally evil or wicked ; and 
 it would have it to be a contradiction to own that any such 
 have natural good in them. How wisely ! As if it were 
 not possible for the same action to be morally evil, and 
 naturally good. Or did it never hear of the substance of an 
 act in the moral sense ? And doth not a forbidden action use 
 to be called evil in the substance of it? When, if the action 
 be not forbidden, but commanded, and only the undue man- 
 ner or end forbidden, as in its own instance of almsgiving for 
 vainglory, it is said to be good, quoad substantiam ? It is 
 to be wondered that it summoned not here its logic to prove 
 that an action hath no substance ; but that would have 
 spoiled its learned note that follows, where Mr. Howe, 
 Postscript, p. 69. to the question, " Is there any action so 
 sinful, that hath not some natural good as the substrate 
 matter thereof? " answers, " True, and what, shall it there- 
 fore be inferred, that God must by a determinative influence 
 produce every such action, whatsoever reason there be 
 
128 REMARKS UPON A LATE 
 
 against it? One might better argue thence the necessity of 
 his producing every hour a new world, in which there would 
 be a great deal more of positive entity, and natural good- 
 ness." It hereupon undertakes, p. 65. to prove that there is 
 " as much entity and natural goodness in a sinful action, as 
 there would be in myriads of worlds, should God create 
 every hour a new world;" and saith, that "to deny this 
 were unworthy a philosopher : " and its proof is, " If s\ih- 
 stantia non recipit magis et minus, or if ens et honum sit con- 
 vcrtibile, then an action hath as much entity as a world." 
 
 But how much doth it reflect upon God and that religious 
 sense which we ought to cherish of him, p. 27. when it makes 
 God to have determined innocent Adam's will to the choice 
 of eating the fruit that was forbidden him ? This seemed 
 so horrid at first, that itself startles a little at it, interposing 
 in a pai-enthesis, " (suppose before the prohibition passed 
 upon it,)" and yet, because its cause required no less, and 
 appetite gathers with eating, it takes courage afterward to 
 assert God's predetermination of Adam's will to the act of 
 eating, which was not till after the prohibition : and to 
 '• illustrate " (as it pretends) so black a thing, it parallels 
 God's moving him to that act rather than to auotlier, '* with 
 a writing-master's directing his scholar's hand." If the 
 cause be not to be defended upon better terms than so, wliat 
 Christian but would rather wish he had never known writ- 
 ing-master, than to subscribe such an opinion; and that God 
 should make an innocent creature in this manner to do a 
 forbidden act, for which so dreadful a vengeance was to 
 ensue upon him aTid his posterity? 
 
 No less pregnant witli impious absurdity is it to assert, 
 pp. 29, 30. the eipial necessity of predetermining influence 
 to wicked actions as to good ; and that dangerous insinua- 
 tion, p. I'J. that God's promises convey no right to them to 
 whom they are made. For, " it is a ruled case," it says, " in 
 the schoofs, that God cannot projierly be said a debtor to his 
 creatures;" and then adds of its own, " no, not when he 
 hath passed a promise to them," and jiursues this so tar as 
 to say, " If he should (to suppose an impossibility)" which, 
 oonsiderin"- what follows, hatl been therefore better omitted, 
 " break his word, he would be but menda.r, non injusttis, 
 
DISINGENUOUS DISCOURSE, &C. 129 
 
 and puts it too in English, " a liar, not unjust." What dis- 
 pensation have some men to speak at this rate, or what dan- 
 gerous points do they run themselves upon, and their readers ! 
 I remember there is a picture before that " Ruler of the case" 
 his book with this addition, "bene scripsisti de me Dive 
 Thoma." But let God be true and just to his word, and 
 every man (that saith otherwise) a liar. 
 
 For the last I shall only transcribe a few lines of its idle 
 harangue, p. 35. in which I know not whether the malice 
 against Mr, Howe, or irreverence towards our Saviour do 
 predominate through the whole absurdity. " We might also 
 observe upon his rhetorical amplifications of his argument, 
 that he seems to be no ill-wilier to transubstantiation : for if 
 the natural notions of God's goodness should be infinitely 
 dearer to us than our senses, I see not why the notion of 
 God's sincerity that he means as he speaks, should not chal- 
 lenge a *iare in our endearments, and so why hoc est corpus 
 meum, should not assure us that the bread is transubstanti- 
 ated, though our senses, &c., join in a common testimony 
 against it." Viciously and wantonly said, as if God, where- 
 soever he speaks in a figure, were guilty of insincerity. 
 
 The eighth and last article against The Discourse shall be 
 
 The virulence of its spirit. 
 
 Whereof one instance may suffice, p. 122. where, closing 
 the book, it saith, " that Mr. Howe's doctrine opens a wide 
 door for atheism, and reckons him, bi/ strong implication, 
 among those who acknowledge God in words, but deny him 
 in deed : " whereas, what is it that Mr. Howe hath denied, 
 but " that God doth determine men by efficacious influence to 
 those very actions which he forbids, and for Avhich he will 
 punish them ? " 
 
 But I spare my hand. The Discourse all along boiling 
 over, foaming, frothing, and casting forth the like expres- 
 sions, which I refrain to enumerate, that I may not incur the 
 fate of him that stirs the Indians' poison-pot, who when he 
 falls down dead with the steam and stench, they then throw 
 the doors open, and dip their arrows. 
 
130 REMARKS UPON A LATE 
 
 I should now therefore liave concluded, were there not 
 something yet in its Prefatory Epistle so sordid, that I re- 
 served it for behind, as the most proper place it could be 
 applied to. Nor shall I therein only have marshalled it 
 according to its dignity, but do hope moreover, as the head 
 of the viper is a specific against its venom, so to find out a 
 remedy against the book in the preface ; wherein it shows so 
 peculiar a malice and despite to Mr, Howe, and insinuates 
 the same to the reader, as requires a particular preservative. 
 And, had I not already been at the pains of the foregoing 
 remarks, here was, I see, a more compendious occasion, but 
 sufiicient to have administered mo the same observations. 
 For all the other faults that I have objected against the bulk 
 of The Discourse might as easily have been discovered in its 
 ])reface, as a good physiognomist can by the moles in the 
 face assign all those that are upon any other part of the 
 body. But among them all its superlative dulness is here 
 especially the more manifest (as usually happens in such 
 cases) by how much it endeavours most at acuteness and 
 elegancy ; so palpable, that even itself could not be wholly 
 insensible of it; but pp. 3, 4. feelingly confesses both in 
 Latin and English, that in reading Mr. Howe's Letter and 
 Postscript, " obstupuit steteruntque comce;" and a double 
 " astonishment" under which it laboured. This doubtless 
 it was, like the disatiections derived from the head to the 
 nerves, which propagated that horrid stupidity that I have 
 already noted through its whole treatise. But that quality 
 is here so exalted, (nature, it seems, having given it that 
 torpor for a defence,) that in touching it thus lightly, I per- 
 ceive a numbness to strike up through my pen into my facul- 
 ties, and shall therefore point at some pai'ticulars, rather than 
 adventure to handle them. 
 
 Mr. Howe had in passing, Postscrii)t, p. Go. glanced upon 
 an improper redundance of words used by a former adver- 
 sary, "The divine independent Avill of God;" as he might 
 with good reason take notice of it, being as much sense as 
 to have said the human dependent will of man. But here- 
 upon The Discourse, ]). 9. having for revenge turned over 
 his whole Letter and Postscrii>t to find out the like absurdi- 
 ties, highly gratulates itself in three instances, but all of 
 
DISINGENUOUS DISCOURSE, &C. 131 
 
 them curtailed from the coherence to make for the purpose. 
 One, Letter, p. 23. " In which sense how manifest it is that 
 the perfect" (all this omitted) "rectitude of God's own holy 
 gracious nature" ("is an eternal law to him" omitted). 
 The second, Letter, p. 28. " God satisfies himself in himself, 
 and takes highest complacency in the perfect goodness, con- 
 gruity, and " (all this omitted) " rectitude of his own most 
 holy will and way;" and for these Mr. Howe is arraigned 
 upon a crime, by a Greek word of law called pleonasm. 
 The third is "actions malignantly wicked" (which The Dis- 
 course saith is the same as " wickedly wicked"). Postscript, 
 pp. 65. and 69. as it quotes, but is in Letter, 20 ; and here, 
 it leaves out also the word most, which would have spoiled 
 the exception taken against it ; for what Mr. Howe there 
 saith is, "even those actions that are in themselves most 
 malignantly wicked." Are there not some actions, some 
 men, more malignantly wicked than others? Or will The 
 Discourse apply its old end of Latin here — " aliquando 
 bonus dormitat Homerus" to "Paulus," Eom. vii. 13. "sin, 
 exceedingly sinful?" It was time, therefore, in all reason to 
 conclude this exercise with saying, "But these are childish 
 criminations, unfit to be bandied from hand to hand by sober 
 persons;" owning itself ai once to have been guilty herein of 
 an intemperate, inept, and unmanly kind of procedure. 
 
 Neither can I pass by unregarded that new invention of 
 rearing up pillars to men's infamy ; but which have sometimes, 
 and may now also, turned to the disgrace of the architect. 
 It cuts out, pp. 10, 11. several lines here and there, out of 
 the whole Letter and Postscript, to post them up in columns, 
 and Mr. Howe upon them as a common notorious self-con- 
 tradicter; whereas, if any man will take the pains to restore 
 those sentences to their first situation and coherence, (as I 
 have formerly done,) there will not be found the least incon- 
 sistency in them. But if this practice be allowable, there is 
 not any chapter in the Bible out of which it may not with 
 the same integrity extract either blasphemy or nonsense ; 
 though I am far from suspecting The Discourse of such an 
 undertaking. For indeed it assigns the true reason, (and 
 fit to be inscribed over the portico,) " non est ingenii mei 
 hosce nodos dissolvere," and as faithfully translates it: I 
 
132 REMARKS UPON A LATE 
 
 " have not the wit to untie these knots," which is now the 
 third public confession of its stupidity in the Preface. Yet 
 will I not do it the affront to ascribe it either to its modesty, 
 ingenuity, or self-conviction ; for it intended them doubtless 
 all to the contrary. Only the same dulness, that first occa- 
 sioned its errors and mistakes, did likewise lead it to these 
 ominous expressions, and like those that discern not the back 
 from the edge, to wound itself in cutting at the adversary. 
 
 Its dulness, therefore, or as it is expressed, p. 8. " the 
 consciousness of its own disabilities," being so oft attested 
 under its own hand, and to which, if necessary, it might 
 have another thousand witnesses, I shall not further pall my 
 reader on this subject, but return rather from this digression 
 to my first design of obviating that in the Preface, which 
 hath all the marks upon it of malice, except the wit where- 
 with that vice is more usually accompanied. Of that the 
 very title is an argument. " De Causa Dei, or a Yindica- 
 tion of the Common Doctrine of Protestant Divines concern- 
 ing Predetermination, &e., from the Invidious Consequences 
 with which it is burthened by Mr. John Howe, in a late 
 Letter and Postscript of God's Prescience. By T. D." 
 Who would have thought that T. D. should have become the 
 defender of the faith, or that the cause of God were so for- 
 lorn, as to be reduced to the necessity of such a champion. 
 It seems much rather to be the fallacy of " non causa pro 
 causa," and usurped only the better to prepossess against Mr. 
 Howe such readers as would be amused by the frontispiece. 
 The cause of God! Turn, I beseech you, its whole book 
 over, and show me anything of that decorum with which that 
 should have been managed. What is there to be found of 
 tliat gravity, humility, meekness, piety or charity requisite to 
 so glorious a pretence? (graces wherewith God usually assists 
 those that undertake his quarrel, and with which Mr. Howe 
 on all occasions appears to be abundantly supplied). But a 
 perpetual eructation there is of human passions, a vain osten- 
 tation of mistaken learning, and a causeless picking of con- 
 troversy. 
 
 To that title, under which Mr. Howe is so injuriously pro- 
 scribed, succeeds forsooth an Epistle Dedicatory, " To the 
 Reverend Mr. John Howe, Author of the late Letter and 
 
DISIN'&ENUOUS DISCOURSE, &C. 133 
 
 Postscript of God's Prescience." An additional civility and 
 compellation invented by The Discourse only for greater 
 mockery. And a many fine words it bestows upon him at 
 first, to miscall him presently with the more emphasis, praises 
 the author, and then the book ; but no otherwise than, as a 
 person to be degraded is brought forth in pubHc attired in 
 all his formalities, to be stripped of them again with further 
 ignominy. 
 
 Nay, even Mr. Boyle himself cannot wholly escape its 
 commendation ; which I do not object as if anything could 
 be well said of him that is not due to his merit. But there 
 are a kind of sorcerers that praise where they intend to do 
 most mischief. And the occasion, the place, the manner, 
 the person that gives the commendation make always a dif- 
 ference, and cause a great alteration in that matter. Nor is 
 it less here. For, Mr. Howe having taken the pen on this 
 subject, as The Discourse also observes, upon that honour- 
 able gentleman's command, the ofiicious mentioning of Mr. 
 Boyle, p. 1. seems as if it had a mind too to try his mettle; 
 or at least would reproacli him for having employed one so 
 unfit for the service, and that was to be so shamefully (or 
 rather shamelessly) treated for his performance. 
 
 But the sum of all its mahce, whereby it endeavours to 
 outlaw Mr. Howe, not only from Mr. Boyle's patronage, but 
 from all Protestant protection, is to represent him under a 
 Popisli vizard. As, p. 2. " Old Popish arguments dressed 
 up a-la-mode" " An averment of the old Popish calumny." 
 " An aflidavit of a pontifical accusation." " Tramphng "(p. 
 4.) on the venerable dust, which was sometimes animated bv 
 truly heroic souls, and bore the names of Zuinglius, Calvin, 
 Beza, Penkins, Pemble, Twisse, Davenant, Ames," &c. Then, 
 p. 12. still objects to him the opinion of Durandus, though 
 Mr. Howe had in his Postscript so fully vindicated himself 
 agamst it, that his first accuser hath let it fall out of perfect 
 mgenuity : draws " a parallel between his and the Papists' 
 arguments against predetermination:" and, p. 13, erects 
 another pair of columns to that purpose, betwixt which Mr. 
 Howe is to look out as through a pillory. After this, p. 14. 
 saith, " the point under debate between it and Mr. Howe, is 
 a stated controversy between the Papists and Protestants." 
 
134 REMARKS UPON A LATE 
 
 " Gives itself a little pleasure mixed with disdain," that be- 
 cause there was no smith to be found throughout all the 
 land of Israel, he Avas fain to go down to the Philistines to 
 sharpen his axe and his mattock, 1 Sam. xiii. 19, 20. " Imi- 
 tates Bradwardine's piety, therefore entitling its book de 
 Causa Dei, the cause of God being that which it designs to 
 secure from the impetuous assaults of its adversaries, among 
 which it is heartily sorry Mr. Howe should be numbered as 
 to this instance." This kind of proceeding does argue 
 rather the strength of malice, than of the cause. For 
 although we live under a rational jealousy always of Popery, 
 yet whatsoever is said by any author of that persuasion, is 
 not forthwith therefore to be clamorously rejected. Have 
 not there constantly been among them, men fit to be owned 
 for holy life, good sense, great learning? And in many 
 points we agree with them, and shall in all, whensoever our 
 eyes shall be shut, or theirs shall be opened. The Discourse 
 had indeed done something to the purpose, could it have 
 shown the doctrine of predetermination to be one of those 
 discriminating causes upon which we have made a separation 
 from that church, that it is an article of faith in which our 
 creeds differ, and that it were a fit test to be imposed upon 
 tliem in order to their more speedy conviction. 
 
 Which last, if it can bring about for them, so that they may 
 be acquitted upon renouncing this docti'ine imputed to them, 
 (instead of the transubstantiation, which Mr. Howe, too, 
 escaped so narrowly,) I presume they would, notwithstanding 
 all tlie popery, take it for an high obligation. For, indeed, 
 whereas The Discourse affirms this of predetermination to be 
 " a stated controversy betwixt tlie Papists and the Protes- 
 tants ;" the Papists against the Protestants for it; there is 
 not through its whole book, a more notorious falsehood. For 
 this debate arose first among the Papists, some of them being 
 of one, others of the contrary opinion ; so that the con- 
 troversy was stated betwixt tliemselves. But that which is 
 now T. D.'s was first tXxc Dominican doctrine, and I wonder 
 therefore the less if it continue herein the Dominican spirit : 
 since, and from that original, the same argument hath indeed 
 been also diffused among the Protestants, and they likewise 
 have differed about it with one another ; but it was never 
 
DISmOENUOUS DISCOURSE, &c. 135 
 
 taken, in holding it either way, to be the Protestant charac- 
 ter. The predeterminative concourse is not to be found in 
 any Confession of the several Keformed churches ; but this 
 matter hath been left entire to every man's best judgment, 
 and one party is as much Papist in it as the others. " What 
 two men of equal capacity can argue against predetermina- 
 tion, but they must have the same apprehensions in some 
 measure, in matters so obvious ? and it ought not to be im- 
 proved to either's prejudice, no more than for two to speak 
 the same words in discoursing of one subject. Charron, whose 
 wisdom, p. 1 ; Bradwardine, whose piety, p. 14 ; and espe- 
 cially Caesar Borgia, whose chalk, p. 15, "T. D. makes use of, 
 were none of the best Protestants : and yet I am far from 
 taxing it therefore of Popery, " or giving myself a little plea- 
 sure mixed with disdain," that it was fain to go down to them 
 to sharpen its hoe or its mattock. Let it rather solace itself 
 in that lordly posture of mind ; nor will I envy it, especially, 
 seeing to take that satisfaction in a thing which it makes so 
 criminous, is the only joy of which I think the evil spirits are 
 capable. 
 
 And as to its saying, p. 2. " that Mr. Howe avers the old 
 popish calumny, that by the Protestant doctrine God is made 
 the author of sin;" and, p. 4. "that he tramples upon the 
 venerable dust, &c. of Zuinglius, Calvin, Beza, Perkins, 
 Pemble, Davenant, Twisse, Ames, &c. ; " it proceeds from the 
 same malice, and may therefore receive the same answer. 
 For I have shown, first, that this predetermination is not the 
 stated doctrine of Protestants, nor hath there yet any General 
 Council of them been held, where T. D. hath presided ; but 
 if there should at any time hereafter, it is so unhappy and 
 singular in expressing its sense in this matter, that I much 
 fear lest the pluraUty of votes should affix the dangerous 
 Greek name to its religion. And as to those worthies whom 
 it cites by rote, it draws them indeed within the reach of 
 both old and new calumny, by pretending they were of its 
 opinion ; whereas one may safely aftirm at adventure, that 
 they were all of them too well enlightened to have ever 
 thought or spoken after its manner. What it may have ex- 
 torted from them by necromancy, I know not ; but they had 
 not the happiness to have read its " De Causa Dei " in their 
 
136 REMARKS UPON A LATE 
 
 lifetime : nor do I think that death corrupts men's minds as 
 their bodies. Of these, whom The Discourse enumerates, Calvin 
 and Beza have been reproached and charged by Bellarmine and 
 other Eomanists, as making God the author of sin : but yet 
 there is not to be found in all their works an assertion of God's 
 determinative concurrence. How far some of the rest of 
 them have taken scope on this subject, I have no obligation 
 here more than The Discourse, to particularize ; neither did 
 Mr. Howe name any man, as being the fairer way by much, 
 arguing only against the opinion. But seeing T. D. hath 
 made bold with Bishop Davenant, I will ask no better, for 
 that truly venerable dust which it hath stirred will fly in T. 
 D.'s eyes, if I be not mistaken. " Dissert, de Predestinatione 
 et Eeprobatione," it is thus, " Deus, agens ex decreto prae- 
 destinationis, operatur hcec priora (scil. fidem, sanctitatem, 
 perseverantiam) per influxum gratiw efficacis, at ex decreto re- 
 probationis nihil agit quo deterior efficiatur reprobatus ;" that 
 is, for it is well worth the translating, " God, acting accord- 
 ing to his decree of predestination, works these things in the 
 first place (viz. faith, holiness and perseverance) by the influ- 
 ence of efticacious grace ; but, according to his decree of 
 reprobation he acts nothing by wliich the reprobate should 
 be made worse." Methinks, as T. D. AviU have the bishop to 
 be of its, so, in all reason, it should be also of the bishop's 
 opinion ; and if it intends no more, as Mr. Howe no less than 
 is here said, I cannot see why there might not be an end of 
 The Discourse, and of this controversy. 
 
 But however, I hope that I may have done a good work, 
 if, upon sight of these unexpected I'emarks, Mr. Howe, though 
 fitted doubtless for a much better and fuller reply, would de- 
 liberate before he makes this adversary so considerable as to 
 blot paper on its occasion. Let it, in the meantime, vendi- 
 tate all its street adages, its odd ends of Latin, its broken 
 shreds of poets, and its musty lumber of schoolmen. Let it 
 enjoy the ingenuity of having unprovoked fallen upon a per- 
 son, " whose parts it acknowledged," for whom it " had such 
 an aftection," with whom it " had so many years academical 
 society," and so " long friendship : " but whom it now " must 
 number among God's adversaries." Let it value itself upon 
 these things; for all these considerations do heighten the 
 
DISINGENUOUS DISCOURSE, &C. 137 
 
 price of an assassinate. But may Mr. Howe still continue 
 his sobriety, simplicit}', and equality of temper ; glorifying 
 God rather in the exercise of practical Christian virtues, than 
 affecting the honour of a speculative question. But if he had 
 a mind to be vindictive, there is no way to despite the ad- 
 versary more sensibly, than, as clamorous women, by giving 
 them no answer. Till men grow into a better humour, and 
 learn to treat of Divinity more civilly, they are unfit for 
 conversation. 
 
 Another, I see, who is now his third aggressor, hath al- 
 ready assaulted him, though less barbarously, in " A Letter 
 to a Friend," &c. Yet even he introduces his book with Job 
 xiii. 7. " Wilt thou speak wickedly for God, and talk deceit- 
 fully for him ?" What shall Mr. Howe do in this case ? Is 
 the Bible therefore to be turned into a libel? and shall he 
 " search the Scriptures" to find out a text equally cutting? 
 He need not go far, were he of that mind, to retaliate. How 
 easy were the parallel betwixt Job's three friends (to whom 
 those words were spoken) and three such comfortable gentle- 
 men! And why may not Mr. Howe nick them as well out 
 of Job xii. 3, 4. " But I have understanding as well as you ; 
 I am not inferior to you : yea, who knoweth not such things 
 as these ? I am as one mocked of his neighbour, who calleth 
 upon God and he answereth him: the just upright man is 
 laughed to scorn." Or, if he would be yet severer, the same, 
 ch. xiii. 4, 5. will hit them home: "But ye are forgers of 
 lies; ye are all physicians of no value. that you would 
 altogether hold your peace, and it should be your wisdom." 
 And then at last to determine the whole dispute, he might 
 conclude with Job xiii. 7. " The Lord said to Eliphaz the 
 Temanite, My wrath is kindled against thee, and against thy 
 two friends ; for ye have not spoken of me the thing that is 
 right as my servant Job hath." After all which, what 
 more seasonable, in order to reconciliation, than the verse 
 following? " Go to my servant Job, and offer up for your- 
 selves a burnt-oftering, and my servant Job shall pray 
 for you; for him will I accept: lest I deal with you 
 after your folly, in that you have not spoken of me the 
 thing that is right, as my servant Job hath." But the word 
 of God is not so to be turned into the reproach of man, 
 
138 REMARKS UPON A LATE, &C. 
 
 though the allusion may seem never so happy; nor have I 
 iAstaneed thus far otherwise than to show the frivolousness, 
 though too visual, of that practice. 
 
 But therefore I would advise Mr. Howe, though not to 
 that excusable sullenness and silence, with which some have 
 chastised the world for having used them unworthily ; nor to 
 that tacit contempt of his adversaries, in which he were 
 hither to justifiable; yet, that, having made a laudable attempt, 
 of which several good men are it seems not capable, he would, 
 for peace' sake, either wholly surcease this contest, or forbear 
 at least till they have all done. For it is more easy to deal 
 with them all than single; and, were they once embodied, 
 come to a consistence among themselves, or had agreed who 
 should speak for them, they had right to his answer. But 
 until then, Mr. Howe is no more obliged in whatsoever is 
 called honour, reason, or conscience, than if every hair of T. 
 D.'s that stands on end, should demand particular satisfaction. 
 It is the same for a divine, as he, to turn common disputant, 
 as for an architect to saw timber, or cleave logs; which, 
 though he may sometimes do for health or exercise, yet to 
 be constant at it, were to debase and neglect his vocation. 
 Mr. Howe hath work enough cut out of a nobler nature, in 
 his "Living Temple,"* in which, like that of Solomon, there 
 is " neither hammer, nor axe, nor any tool of iron to be 
 heard," 1 Kings vi. 8, nothing that can offend, all to edify. 
 And this I heartily Avish that he may accomplish : but there- 
 fore, as he hath not hitherto sought, so that he would avoid 
 all contention ; lest, as David, for having been a man of blood, 
 was forbid to build the temple, 1 Cliron. xxii. 8. so he, as be- 
 ing a man of controversy. 
 
 As for myself, I expect in this litigious age, that some or 
 other will sue me for having trespassed thus tar on theological 
 ground: but I have this for ray plea, that I stepped over on 
 no other reason than (which any man legally may do) to 
 hinder one divine from offering violence to another. And, if 
 I should be molested on that account, I doubt not but some 
 of the Protestant clergy wull be ready therefore to give me 
 the like assistance. 
 
 * Only the first volume of " The Living Temple " was then pnh- 
 lishod. — Eu. 
 
ON 
 
 THE ARIAN HYPOTHESIS 
 
 RESPECTING THE PERSOI^ OF CHRIST. 
 
 BY ROBERT BALMER, D.D. 
 
 PROFESSOR OF SYSTEMATIC THEOLOGY TO THE UNITED 
 SECESSION CHURCH. 
 
PREFATORY NOTICE. 
 
 Robert Baljier, the author of the five following dissertations, was 
 horn, of parents distinguished for their intelligence, piety and 
 worth, on the 22d Novemher 1787, in the parish of Eckford, Rox- 
 burghshire. He received his elementary education at a school in 
 the parish of Crailing, and finished his preparations for the univer- 
 sity at the grammar-school of Kelso. He entered the university 
 of Edinburgh at the commencement of the session 1802-3, and 
 studied there during four sessions before he sought admission to 
 the divinity hall. In the autumn of the year 1806, after undergo- 
 ing an examination by the Associate Presbyteiy of Selkirk, he was 
 admitted to the study of divinity under the venerable Dr. Geoi'ge 
 Lawson, professor of this branch of learning appointed by the As- 
 sociate Synod, and completed the usual course of five annual ses- 
 sions. Eager to avail himself of all means of improvement, he 
 entered the divinity hall in the university of Edinburgh, and went 
 through the course of study required for receiving license in the 
 Established Church. During liis academical course he supported 
 himself by teaching. On finishing his preparatory studies, he 
 carefully reviewed the grounds on which the ecclesiastical body 
 with which he was connected had separated from the Established 
 Church, and being satisfied that they were valid, offered himself 
 as a candidate for license to the Associate Presbytery of Edinburgh 
 in the close of 1811, and on the 4th August 1812 was by them 
 licensed to preach the gospel. In the course of a few months he 
 received calls to four several congi-egations, and the Associate 
 Synod, at its meeting, September 1813, in confonnity to his own 
 judgment, appointed him to the congregation of Golden square, 
 Berwick-on-Tweed. His ordination took place on the 23d March 
 181-4. From the commencement of his ministry lie was most ex- 
 
142 PREFATORY NOTICE. 
 
 eiuplaiy in the discliarge of all his sacred functions, and took an 
 active part in all the gi'eat enterprises of Christian benevolence 
 which give so peculiar a character to our age. In September 1820, 
 he, being moderator of the Associate Synod, in conjunction witli 
 the distinguished Dr. John Jamieson who was moderator of the 
 General Associate Synod, presided at the auspicious union of the 
 two large bodies of Presbyterian Seceders, commonly called Burgh- 
 ers and Antiburghers. In the year 1826 he entered into the mar- 
 riage state with Miss Jane Scott of Aberdeen, by wliich his com- 
 fort and usefulness were greatly increased. In April 1834 he was 
 chosen by the United Associate Synod to fill the chair of systematic 
 theology which had become vacant by the death of the Rev. Dr. 
 Dick, so well known by his Lectures on Divinity arid other able 
 works. In the spring of 1840 the university of St. Andrews conferred 
 on him the honorary degree of doctor of divinity. In consequence of 
 some remarks in a recommendatory preface which he prefixed to a 
 reprint of a portion of Polhill's Treatise on the Divine Will, some 
 of his brethren suspected him of entertaining views inconsistent 
 with those embodied in the standard books of the Secession church, 
 — the Westminster Assembly's Confession and Catechisms ; and 
 he and his senior colleague in the professorate, who had identified 
 himself with him by declaring entire satisfaction with his views, 
 were called to state their opinions on the topics in question before 
 the Synod, October 1843. They did so — and the result was a 
 finding that " scriptural harmony prevailed among the brethren." 
 An unsuccessful attempt was made to disturb this finding at the 
 meeting of Synod May 1844. These movements made a painful 
 imprcssicm on Dr. Balmer's sensitive mind, and in the opinion of 
 liis medical friends originated, or at any rate aggravated, the 
 disease wliich brought liim to what his friends could not help 
 thinking an untimely grave. For a few weeks he had been in 
 rather declining health, but on Thursday, June 26, 1844, alarming 
 symptoms manifested themselves, and after a short season of great 
 ))odily affliction but perfect mental peace, he expired on the morn- 
 ing of Monday, July 1st. The statement on his tombstone is no 
 exaggerated account of him. — " A man of high endowments, at- 
 tainments, and worth; a sincere devout Christian; an accurate and 
 elegant scliolar; a learned and sound divine; an instructive and 
 impressive preacher; a faithful and affectionate pastor; an able 
 
PREFATORY NOTICE. 143 
 
 and skilful tutor; an enlightened and ardent friend of liberty, 
 oi'der, and peace in the church and in the state ; firm yet liberal in 
 his principles ; kind and generous in his dispositions ; bland yet 
 dignified in his demeanour ; and in the discharge of all the duties" 
 of ecclesiastical, civil, social and domestic life, most conscientious." 
 Dr. Balmer's publications during his lifetime Avere but few. The 
 following is a correct list of them. A sermon on the resurrection in 
 the volume of " Sermons by ministers of the Associate Synod." Ad- 
 dress at the induction of the Rev. Eobert Redpath. Delineation of 
 the character of the Rev. Henry Belfrage, D.D., as an author, in 
 his " Memoirs," by Drs. M'Kerrow and Macfarlane. Two Intro- 
 ductory Essays to republished Tracts by Howe and Polhill. A 
 Discourse on the Reasons for the Early Removal of the righteous 
 by death, on the death of Mrs. Margaret Fisher Brown. Sermons 
 occasioned by the death of the Rev. David Paterson of Alnwick. 
 Statement on Doctrinal points made before the United Associate 
 Synod ; and Essay on the Scriptural basis of Union among Chris- 
 tians. Besides these he published a number of articles in various 
 periodical publications. After his death two volumes, one of them 
 occupied with academical lectures, and the other with pulpit dis- 
 courses, were published, in compliance with a strong and exten- 
 sively expressed wish for some such memorial. They are every 
 way worthy of the author, and are preceded by a biographical 
 memoir from the pen of Dr. Henderson of Galashiels, which gives 
 an accurate as well as a pleasing portrait, a striking but not over- 
 charged likeness of his departed friend. It is owing to the kind- 
 ness of my esteemed fnend Mrs. Balmer, that I am enabled to pre- 
 sent my readers with the five following valuable Tracts. They 
 form five of his Academical Lectures, and are no more than a fair 
 specimen of the manner in which he was accustomed to treat theo- 
 logical questions. If this series proceed, I hope to be able to 
 gratify the wish which I am sure must be excited to see more of 
 such precious remains. 
 
ON THE APJAN HYPOTHESIS 
 RESPECTING THE PERSON OF CHRIST. 
 
 Whether we consider the inherent plausibility of the Arian 
 hypothesis of the person of Christ, or the respectability of 
 niany of its supporters, it seems entitled to more attention 
 than it receives in the present age. I propose therefore to 
 occupy this lecture with some remarks on that system. The 
 lecture will be partly historical, and partly didactic or argu- 
 mentative. I shall first, in a few sentences, give a brief 
 account of the peculiar principles of the system ; I shall next 
 give a short history of it ; and finally, I shall make some 
 strictures upon it, adverting to the arguments Avhich seem to 
 support it, and stating the decisive objections to which it is 
 liable. 
 
 The system takes its name from Arius, a divine who flour- 
 ished about the beginning of the fourth century. It holds 
 a middle place between Socinianism on the one hand, and 
 the catholic or orthodox doctrine on the other. According 
 to Arius, Jesus Christ is not a divine person in the proper 
 sense of the term, and did not exist from eternity. He is, 
 however, far superior not only to men but to the highest 
 angels, and was created by God long before the commence- 
 ment of time or the production of any other creature. It 
 was farther maintained by Arius that that superangelic beino- 
 was employed by God as an instrument, or subordinate 
 agent, in the creation of the universe ; and that the universe 
 was placed under his administration. As Arius denied the 
 proper divinity, so he denied also the real humanity of Christ ; 
 asserting that his body was animated and actuated not by a 
 
 R 
 
146 ON THE ARIAN HYPOTHESIS 
 
 human soul but by the Logos or superangeUc being. It is 
 only of this part of the system which relates to the person 
 of Christ, that we are at present called to speak ; it is, 
 however, but right to add, that Arius and his followers 
 maintained that Christ did not die as a sacrifice or propitia- 
 tion for sin in the proper sense of the terms, but that for 
 the reward of his obedience and suft'erings he is exalted to 
 be the Saviour and Judge of men, and empowered to dis- 
 pense the blessings of salvation. 
 
 In consequence of the disputes occasioned by the promul- 
 gation of those opinions, it was found necessary to assemble 
 a general council. This council, which met at Nice in 325, 
 condemned the opinions of Arius, and ordered his writings 
 to be burnt. He himself was banished by the command of 
 the emperor ; but after five years was recalled. Having de- 
 livered a confession of his faith, expressed in terms less 
 ofiensive, to the church at Alexandria, whose bishop, the 
 celebrated Athanasius, had been the most zealous of his op- 
 ponents, was enjoined to receive him to the communion ; 
 but, as if by a special interference of Providence, Arius 
 himself suddenly expired on the evening prior to the day 
 on which he Avas to have been admitted to that privilege. 
 
 After his death, the opinions which he had been the first, 
 if not to promulgate, at least to reduce to shape and order, 
 continued long to agitate the church. They were embraced 
 by bishops and emperors ; his followers, if not more ninner- 
 ous, were often more powerful than those who professed the 
 orthodox doctrine ; and according to the testimony of some 
 authors, (article Arius, ' Encyclopaedia Britannica,' *) it was 
 not till nearly 300 years after the death of its founder that 
 the sect finally disappeared. 
 
 When the liuman mind awoke from the sleep of ages at 
 
 * I suspect there must be some mistake iu tins statement, as Dr. 
 Hill asserts in liis Lectures, vol. ii. p. 11, that " before the end of the 
 fourth centur)"- the opinion of Arius was extirpated in the greater 
 part of the Eoman empire, and appears to have been so much for- 
 gotten that all the divines who write upon that subject after this 
 period till the Reformation, are almost wholly employed, not in ex- 
 plaining or combating the Arian system, but in proposing different 
 niodiflcations of the orthodox doctrine." 
 
RESPECTING THE PERSON OF CHRIST. 147 
 
 the era of the Reformation, and when men began again to 
 speculate freely on religion, and on other subjects, the Arian 
 heresy Avas soon revived. It is thought by some that a pre- 
 dilection for it was cherished by the learned and celebrated 
 Erasmus, the friend and correspondent of Luther, and by 
 the not less learned and celebrated Grotius. 
 
 In our own country this doctrine has been held by several 
 individuals distinguished for talents and learning ; — some of 
 whom have rendered most important services to the interests 
 of Christianity. Among these may be mentioned Dr. Leland, 
 Dr. Balguy, the author of various tracts theological and 
 moral, and Dr. Henry Taylor, the author of the book 
 entitled " Ben Mordecai's Apology for embracing Chris- 
 tianity," probably the most elaborate and imposing defence 
 of Arianism that has ever been published. There is reason 
 to apprehend that in addition to these writers, all of them 
 connected with the established churches of England or 
 Ireland, a considerable number of the English and Irish 
 clergy of inferior note, have held substantially the same 
 sentiments. 
 
 Soon after the Revolution in 1G88, the Arian hypothesis 
 respecting the person of Christ was adopted by James Peirce, 
 an eminent dissenting minister at Exeter, and the author of 
 a commentary on the Epistle to the Hebrews, and on sev- 
 eral others of Paul's Epistles, — a commentary distinguished 
 by great ability and ingenuity, and well worth consulting, 
 though constructed, like the commentaries of Locke and 
 Whitby and Macknight, on low and secular principles. 
 Through his influence, and that of his friend Hallet, who 
 continued his commentary, Arianism became for a time the 
 distinguishing tenet of that class of the English dissenters 
 who adopted the Presbyterian form of church government. 
 
 It is not unworthy of notice, that within the last sixty or 
 seventy years the Arian congregation which used to assemble 
 at the Old Jewry in London, has possessed three ministers, 
 all of them men of uncommon talents and learning. I refer 
 to Dr. Price, Mr. Joseph Fawcett, and Dr. Abraham Rees. 
 The first of these is the author of a judicious though dry and 
 tedious work entitled " A Review of the Principal Questions 
 and DifHculties in Morals;" of a volume of Sermons, intended 
 
148 ox THE ARIAN HYPOTHESIS 
 
 chiefly to expound and defend the Arian scheme, and of a 
 volume of Theological Dissertations, one of which at least, 
 that on Providence, deserves to be carefully perused by every 
 student of divinity. The second is the author of two singu- 
 larly eloquent and beautiful volumes of Sermons, chiefly 
 on moral subjects, or on subjects of natural religion. Dr. 
 Abraham Rees was the learned and laborious editor of the 
 Encyclopedia which bears his name, and the author of two 
 volumes of Sermons, which contain more Christian doctrine 
 and more unction than the sermons of Blair and of many 
 others whose professed creed was more orthodox. 
 
 " Facilis descensus averni." Heretics, as well as " evil 
 men and seducers," generally " wax worse and worse, de- 
 ceiving and being deceived." Of this assertion the history 
 of Arianism among the English dissenters furnishes a most 
 instructive exemplification. Eminent as were some of the 
 first abettors of the system, not only for talents and learn- 
 ing, but for their private virtues, and their diligent study of 
 the Scriptures, and even for devotional feeling of a certain 
 kind, their successors have almost universally plunged into 
 the gulf of Socinianism. It is understood, accordingly, that 
 now there are not more than two or three Arian ministers, 
 (it is uncertain if there are so many,) among the English 
 dissenters. But though they have changed tlieir doctrinal 
 sentiments, they have retained their form of church govern- 
 ment ; and hence it happens that, in tlio southern part of the 
 island, Presbyterians, and Sociuians or Unitarians, are re- 
 garded as equivalent designations. 
 
 Perhaps it will be thought strange that in enumerating 
 the more distinguished abettors of Arianism no notice has yet 
 been taken of certain individuals still more illustrious, who 
 have been suspected of a leaning towards that system, and 
 who on that account have been recently claimed by Unita- 
 rians. I refer more particularly to Milton and Locke, to Sir 
 Isaac Newton and Dr. Samuel (Markc. Those individuals 
 seem to hold an intermediate place between Arians and 
 Trinitarians. It is their ojiiniou that the Son of God 
 derived his existence from the Fatlier, and was in some 
 respects inferior to the Father, and tluis they deny his 
 proper divinity. They yet admit that he existed from 
 
RESPECTING THE PERSON OF CHRIST. 149 
 
 eternity, and ascribe to him almiglity power and unlimited 
 knowledge, and other divine perfections. Their views are 
 chargeable with a degree of crudeness and confusion and 
 inconsistency, which may well excite our astonishment. 
 At the same time, when we recollect that during the seven- 
 teenth century even those divines who asserted most strenu- 
 ously the divinity of the Son were accustomed to speak of 
 the Father as the fountain of deity, " origo et fons deitatis," * 
 it seems but reasonable to admit that the sentiments of the 
 eminent individuals just mentioned approximated nearer to 
 the orthodox than the Arian hypothesis. On another most 
 important subject those individuals differed essentially from 
 the Arians ; for some, if not all of them, admitted the car- 
 dinal doctrine of the atonement ; nor would it be easy to 
 refer to more rational and scriptural statements of this doc- 
 trine than those contained in Milton's Paradise Lost, and in 
 the Sermons of Dr. Clarke. 
 
 That the individuals who held those sentiments should be 
 claimed by Socinians as belonging to their party, can be 
 regarded only as a piece of gross disingenuity and shameless 
 effrontery. Even between Arians and Socinians, the dis- 
 tance is wide ; but between those who admit that Jesus 
 Christ possessed some if not all divine perfections, and is en- 
 titled to religious homage, and those who assert that he was 
 a mere man, and that to worship him is idolatry ; between 
 those who assert that he died as a sacrifice for the sins of 
 men, and those who deny that doctrine, the distance is 
 almost immeasurable. Between the two " there is a great 
 gulf fixed." Granting that the individuals referred to do 
 not ascribe to the Son of Grod every divine attribute, that 
 they maintained his inferiority to the Father, and that 
 their notions are incongruous and inconsistent, still it is but 
 fair to class them either by themselves, or with those between 
 
 * The doctrine of what is called " the communication of the divine 
 essence from the Father to the Son," though now generally aban- 
 doned, has been held by recent as well as former assertors of the 
 divhaity of Christ. It was held by the late Mr. Hall of Bristol; and 
 when the obvious objection was stated, that on this supposition the 
 Son was not self-existent, he replied, I believe him to be eternally 
 and necessarily existent, but not self-existent. 
 
150 ON THE ARIAN HYPOTHESIS 
 
 whose opinions and their own there is the nearest affinity. 
 For the credit of not a few, both Arians and Semiarians, it 
 may be added, that as they have differed widely from Socin- 
 ians in their doctrinal sentiments, so there has often snb- 
 sisted between the two an important practical distinction. 
 While the more distinguished of recent Socinians or Unita- 
 rians have treated the word of Grod with virtual contempt, 
 torturing its plainest and most momentous declarations, and 
 have impiously asserted that they would not receive certain 
 doctrines even on its authority ; tlie latter, if we except their 
 treatment of its statements on some subjects, certainly of 
 primary importance, have often evinced for it no little respect, 
 and have studied it with no little assiduity. 
 
 Having thus given a general view of tlie Arian hypothesis 
 respecting the person of Christ, and having given also a few 
 historical sketches relative to the more distinguished of its 
 supporters, I proceed now to offer some strictures upon it. 
 And I remark, first, that it is an hypothesis not altogether 
 destitute of plausibility. The doctrine of the Trinity, of three 
 persons and one God, is a doctrine which is not only mys- 
 terious and difficult, but which seems to involve a contra- 
 diction. The idea of a person and tliat of a being is said to 
 be perfectly equivalent, absolutely identical ; and then to 
 affirm that God is one being but three persons, is to assert 
 what is not only above reason, but what at least seems 
 repugnant to it. Now with this difficulty, a difficulty 
 obviously of vast magnitude, Arianism is not encumbered. 
 According to it there is, in the strict and proper sense, only 
 one being, one person, who has existed from eternity, who 
 possesses infinite perfections ; that being, or person, is the 
 Father ; to him the Son, in common with all other created 
 intelligences, is indebted for his existence and for all his 
 high and wondrous endowments. 
 
 If, when internally considered, the Arian hypothesis ap- 
 pears exempt from diiHculties which attend the orthodox 
 doctrine, and thus seems to reconmiend itself to reason as 
 a scheme consistent and intelligible, it may seem also, at 
 least in a superficial view, to derive countenance from the 
 language of Scripture. However easy it may be to demon- 
 strate tliat the doctrine of the true and proper deity of the 
 
RESPECTING THE PERSON OP CHRIST. 151 
 
 Son of God is the doctrine of Scripture, it cannot be denied 
 that the general strain of its language represents him as 
 subordinate to the Father. Perhaps, therefore, it is not 
 wonderful that in the minds of some hasty and inattentive 
 readers the impression is produced that personally as well as 
 officially he is inferior to the first 2>erson of the godhead. 
 While the general current of Scripture phraseology may not 
 unnaturally convey an idea of that sort to a careless reader, 
 it must be observed further that there are many particular 
 expressions and declarations in Scripture which seem to 
 refer not to his office but his nature ; which represent, or 
 seem to represent him as deriving his existence from the 
 Father ; and in that sens^ as Ave have seen, they have been 
 understood even by decided Trinitarians. But if he is 
 indebted to the Father for his existence, the conclusion 
 follows naturally, if not inevitably, that he did not exist 
 from eternity, and consequently that he cannot be really 
 and truly God. 
 
 It may therefore be conceded that in one view the Arian 
 hypothesis of the person of Christ is not devoid of plausibility. 
 But that concession is all that either justice or charity can 
 claim ; for it is only in a partial and superficial view that 
 Ai'ianism appears a specious system. If it is exempted from 
 some diificulties which beset the orthodox or Calvinistic 
 doctrine, it is, in its turn, encompassed by difficulties which 
 are not only far more formidable, but which are absolutely 
 insurmountable ; and whicli will compel every candid and 
 careful inquirer to reject it without hesitation. In proof 
 of this assertion I shall endeavour to show first that it is an 
 unscriptural, and next that it is an irrational system. 
 
 First, Arianism is an unscriptural system. It is so, be- 
 cause it is utterly repugnant to the whole body of the Scrip- 
 ture testimony respecting the divine dignity of the person of 
 Christ. To ofter at present anything like a summary of 
 that testimony, or to attempt any formal proof of the true 
 deity of Christ is neither proper nor practicable. It may be 
 sufficient to observe that that fundamental doctrine is estab- 
 lished by declarations which occur in every part of Scripture, 
 declarations so numerous as to be almost incalculable, — so 
 explicit and peremptory that they need no commentary or 
 
152 ON THE ARIAN HYPOTHESIS 
 
 criticism to make them teach that doctrine, nor can they be 
 brought not to teach it without extreme violence. Not only 
 is Jesus Christ frequently called God, but the term is applied 
 to him conjoined with such epithets as demonstrate that it is 
 applied to him in the highest and most proper sense. He 
 is spoken of as " the mighty God," " the great God," " the 
 true God," and as " God over all, blessed for ever." He is 
 described as possessed of divine attributes, eternal pre-exist- 
 enee, almighty power, omnipresence and omniscience. He 
 is represented as the Creator and Preserver, as the Ruler 
 and Judge of tlie universe ; and he is associated with the 
 Father in receiving the worship and obedience of all ranks 
 and orders of created intelligences. How then is it possible 
 to doubt that he is ti'uly God ? And how do Arians attempt 
 to set aside this accumulation of evidence ? They do so by 
 having recourse to criticisms and interpretations, almost all 
 of which are unnatural and unsatisfactory, many of which 
 seem uncandid and disingenuous, and not a few of which 
 are ridiculous and absurd. They tell us, for example, that 
 he is called God in an inferior sense ; but can he be a 
 subordinate deity who is described as the true, the mighty, 
 the great God, and to whom is often applied the incommuni- 
 cable name, Jehovah? They toll us that it was only as an 
 instrument, or subordinate agent, that he was employed in 
 the creation of the universe ; that he created nothing in the 
 strict sense of the term ; that he did not give being to mat- 
 ter, but merely changed the form, and arranged the order of 
 materials previously existing. But if so, with Avhat pro- 
 priety is it asserted that " all things were made by him," 
 that "without him was nothing made that is made?" Or is 
 the creation of matter more difKcult than the creation or 
 production of sj)irits, of substances endowed with lar nobler 
 powers and properties than material objects ? and is it not 
 said expressly, that " by him were all things created, that 
 are in heaven, and that are on earth, visible and invisible, 
 whether they be thrones, &c. ; and for liim, and by him all 
 things consist ? " Can the creation and sustentation of all 
 things bo described in language more plain and emphatic ? 
 Admit then that creation was a work delegated to Christ, it 
 would not have been delegated to him unless he had hem 
 
KESPECTING THE PERSON OF CHRIST. 153 
 
 fully competent to it ; that is, unless he had possessed infinite 
 power, and wisdom, and all other divine perfections. 
 
 But what shall we say in explanation of the undeniable 
 fact that in Scripture the Son is generally represented as 
 sustaining an inferior character, and as acting in subordina- 
 tion to the 'Father? We say that that is precisely what is 
 to be expected ; for while he is personally equal, he is offi- 
 cially inferior to the Father ; and in the economy of redemp- 
 tion, and perhaps too in other operations, he acted as the 
 Father's delegate and servant. 
 
 It must be allowed, however, that those passages which 
 represent, or which seem at least to represent, him as deriving 
 his existence from the Father, present a greater difficulty. 
 Without entering into a particular examination of those pas- 
 sages, it may be remarked respecting them generally, that 
 some of them probably refer to his official character and re- 
 lations, some of them to the production of his human nature, 
 and others to his resurrection from the dead. And it may 
 be remarked that those of them which do refer to the mode 
 of his existence as a divine person, and to his eternal relations 
 to the Father, are usually employed in such a sense that instead 
 of denying they imply his divinity. The common appellation, 
 Son of God,* for instance, is thus interpreted by the sacred 
 writers themselves ; and even if those passages were more 
 numerous and more difficult than they are, it would be con- 
 trary to the maxims of criticism and of common sense to 
 interpret them in a way at all inconsistent with those other 
 passages, incalculably more numerous, Avhich either unequi- 
 vocally assert, or necessarily involve the doctrine of his true 
 and proper deity. 
 
 It thus appears that the Arian hypothesis is unscriptural, 
 as being opposed to that host of Scripture testimonies which 
 teach that Jesus Christ is a divine person, — a person pos- 
 sessed of all divine perfections and prerogatives and glories. 
 It might be shown that it is an unscriptural hypothesis, as it 
 is opposed also to those passages which teach his true and 
 perfect humanity. That he had a human body is a fact 
 of which almost every page of the evangelical history affijrds 
 incontestable evidence; and if any man who professes to re- 
 cognise the authority of the New Testament, doubts that 
 
154 ON THE ARIAN HYPOTHESIS 
 
 fact, he may well be abandoned as the hopeless victim of an 
 insane chimera. 
 
 That he had a human soul as well as a human body, if not 
 a fact as plain and incontestable, is yet a fact which does not 
 admit of reasonable dispute. On any other supposition the 
 inspired writers would have been guilty of a palpable false- 
 hood in calling him man, and the Son of man, for a human 
 soul is as necessary a constituent in human nature as a human 
 body. When it is said of Christ that " He grew in wisdom as 
 well as in stature," that " His soul was exceedingly sorrow- 
 ful," that He " commended his spirit into the hands of his 
 Father," must not the expressions refer to a human soul, not 
 an angelic or superangelic principle of whose nature and 
 properties we are utterly ignorant ? And is not he described 
 as evincing the mental faculties and aftections, as well as the 
 corporeal qualities of a man; as not only subject to hunger 
 and thirst, and weariness, and pain, but as experiencing 
 emotions of satisfaction and displeasure, of hope and fear, of 
 joy and grief; as tenderly sympathising with his friends, and 
 entering into their multifarious sentiments and feelings? 
 He possessed then a perfect human nature. But if so, 
 Arianism must be a false and unscriptural system ; for ac- 
 cording to it he had a true body but not a human soul ; the 
 place of the latter being supplied by that superangelic prin- 
 ciple produced before the creation of the visible universe. 
 According to Arianism, therefore, those passages and expres- 
 sions which the whole world, with the exception of an incon- 
 siderable sect, have regarded as teaching unequivocally,. the 
 true and perfect humanity of Christ, teach virtually a gross 
 and mischievous delusion. 
 
 Secondly, As Arianism is an unscriptural, so, in spite of all 
 that its abettors allege to the contrary, it might be shown that 
 it is also an irrational system. Is it not irrational to assert 
 that the universe was created by a finite and created being, 
 since reason and revelation concur in teaching us to regard 
 creation as a work to which omnipotence only is competent, 
 — a work i)eculiarly characteristic of God? Is it not irra- 
 tional to assert that a creature is competent to govern and 
 judge the world; and to rely on a finite arm for protection 
 amid all dangers, for deliverance from all evils, and for the 
 
RESPECTING THE PERSON OF CHRIST. 155 
 
 bestowal of all the blessings that are needed either for the 
 body or the soul, for time or eternity ? And finally, is it not 
 irrational as well as impious to render religious worship to 
 any created intelligence, however glorious and exalted? 
 
 Such are some of tlie absurdities necessarily involved in 
 the Arian hypothesis of the person of Christ; absurdities 
 which its advocates labour to explain away, and wliieh it is 
 therefore charitable to believe they do not discern in all 
 their magnitude ; absurdities which ingenuity may somewhat 
 soften or disguise, but which can never be annihilated or 
 extinguished. 
 
 Perhaps it is proper to add, that though it might be illi- 
 beral and unjust to charge all the advocates of Ai'ianism with 
 an utter disregard of candour, or with a wilful rejection of 
 evidence, many of them, like the person after whose name 
 they are called, evinced a degree of disingenuity which merits 
 the strongest reprehension. While rejecting in their true 
 meaning the cardinal doctrines of the divinity and atonement 
 of the Saviour of men, they have studiously employed the 
 most elevated expressions when speaking of the dignity of 
 his person and the efficacy of his death, as if to convey the 
 impression that they admitted both those doctrines. Of a 
 similar disingenuity some distinguished Socinians are guilty : 
 and perhaps none to a greater extent than one living writer 
 who makes great pretensions to honesty and fairness, Dr. 
 Channing of Boston. 
 
 As the practical improvement of the preceding review, let 
 us learn to hold fast our faith and our profession. Let us 
 not imagine for a moment that we can cherish sentiments of 
 reverence too deep, or gratitude too ardent for him who was 
 " in the form of God, and thought it not robbery to be equal 
 Avith God, bvit emptied himself, and took on him the form of 
 a servant, and was made in the likeness of men; and being 
 found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself and became 
 obedient unto death, even the death of the cross." " He is 
 thy Lord, and worship thou him." 
 
0^ THE STRENGTH 
 
 EYIDENCES EOR THE DIVINITY OE CHEIST. 
 
 BY ROBERT BALMER, D.D. 
 
 PROFESSOR OF SYSTEMATIC THEOLOGY TO THE UNITED 
 SECESSION CHURCH. 
 
ON THE STRENGTH 
 
 EVIDENCES FOR THE DIVINITY OF CHRIST. 
 
 The object of the present discourse is not to adduce any- 
 new arguments for this cardinal doctrine, but to take a very 
 brief review of the arguments usually adduced, and to show 
 that these are not merely sufficient, but that they are char- 
 acterised by great multijjlicity and variety, and by great 
 force and splendour. 
 
 To accomplish this task successfully it is necessary to 
 begin with a statement of some preliminary remarks which 
 must be kept steadily in view in the whole course of the 
 discussion. It may be observed then, that just views respect- 
 ing the true and exclusive object of religious worship lie 
 evidently at the foundation of religion. This is a position 
 which will be almost universally conceded, and which is too 
 obvious to admit of dispute. One of the chief ends for 
 which the Jews of old were separated from the rest of man- 
 kind was to preserve in the world the knowledge of the one 
 living and true God ; and to distinguish him from all false 
 divinities, was one of the leading designs of the Old Tes- 
 tament scriptures. 
 
 Such then being the importance of correct views of the 
 proper object of religious worship, it was to be expected that 
 no expression would be employed in Scripture likely to mislead 
 men on a point so momentous. While, on the one hand, it 
 was to be anticipated that if Jesus Christ were truly God, 
 the doctrine would be stated frequently and unequivocally, 
 it was to be anticipated on the other that if he was not God, 
 not a single expression would be used which had the appear- 
 
160 ON THE STRENGTH OF THE 
 
 ance of ascribing to him divine perfections and prerogatives, 
 or which was calculated to encourage the worship of him, 
 and thus to seduce into the awful crime of idolatry. Keep- 
 ing in view these momentous and incontestable principles, 
 let us proceed to review shortly the proofs usually adduced 
 to establish the doctrine of his true and proper deity. 
 
 The first proof, or class of proofs, is that deducible from 
 the divine names which are given him. If he were not God, 
 it is obviously highly improbable that he should be called 
 God ; or if called God, it was to be expected that the name 
 would be applied to him in such a way as to indicate unequi- 
 vocally, that it was applied to him, as to angels and magis- 
 trates, only in an improper or inferior acceptation. Not 
 only, however, is it often given to him; it is given to him in 
 conjunction Avith epithets which prove that it is applied to 
 him in the highest and most proper sense. He is called not 
 only God and Lord, but " the mighty God," " the true God," 
 " the great God," and " God over all, blessed for ever." 
 The incommunicable name, Jehovah, is also given him, be- 
 sides other appellations characteristic of divinity. He is 
 spoken of as " Alpha and Omega, the first and the last, the 
 beginning and the ending, tlie Almighty, he who is, who 
 was, and who is to come." 
 
 If, on the supposition that Jesus Christ is not God, it 
 be improbable that he should be called God, and that other 
 divine names should be applied to him, it is evidently still 
 more improbable, that the Scripture should not only apply 
 to him sucli names, but ascribe to him also divine properties 
 and perfections. This, however, it unquestionably does ; 
 and this it does, not in one instance, or in a few, but in 
 many instances. He is represented as having existed from 
 eternity ; for it is said of him that " he was before all things," 
 and that " he was in the beginning with God." He said of 
 himself, "before Abraham was, I am;" and he calls himself 
 " the first and the last, the beginning and the ending." Im- 
 mensity or omnipresence is another divine attribute which is 
 ascribed to him, or claimed by him. "No man liath as- 
 cended up to heaven but he that came down from heaven, 
 even the Son of man which is in heaven. " Wherever two 
 or tin-ee are gathered in my name, tliere am I in the midst 
 
EVIDENCES FOR THE DIVIXITi' OF CHRIST. 161 
 
 of them." " Lo, I am with you alway, even to the end of 
 the world." With the attribute of omnipresence is intimately 
 associated that of omniscience ; and this attribute also is 
 ascribed to him, or claimed by him, in language not less ex- 
 press. " No man,'' or no one " knoweth the Son, but the 
 Father ; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Sou ; 
 and he to whom the Son will reveal him." " Lord, thou 
 knowest all things, thou knowest that I love thee." " All 
 the churches shall know that I am he who searcheth the 
 reins and hearts ; and I will give unto every one of you ac- 
 cording to his works." Perhaps there is no divine perfection 
 that appears to us more characteristic of Deity, or that is 
 better fitted to overawe our minds, than omnipotence or 
 almighty power ; but that perfection too is plainly ascribed 
 to Jesus Christ. He is " the mighty Grod ; " " the first and 
 the last, the Almighty." " We look for the Saviour from 
 heaven, the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall change our vile 
 body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, 
 according to the working (or the mighty energy) whereby 
 he is able even to subdue all things unto himself." I shall 
 only add that immutability is another divine attribute as- 
 cribed to him ; for of him it is said, " He is the same yester- 
 day, to-day, and for ever:" and to him it is said, "Thou, 
 Lord, in the beginning, hast laid the foundation of the earth ; 
 the heavens are the works of thine hands. They shall perish, 
 but thou remainest ; and they all shall wax old as doth a 
 garment ; and as a vesture" shalt thou fold them up, and they 
 sliall be changed ; but thou art the same, and thy years shall 
 not fail." 
 
 Thus then it appears that the Scripture ascribes to Jesus 
 Christ the attributes of eternity, or unbeginning existence ; 
 of immensity, or omnipresence ; of omniscience, omnipotence, 
 and immutability. But he who possesses these attributes, 
 must be possessed of all divine attributes whatever, and con- 
 sequently must be truly and properly Grod. 
 
 Incredible as it must seem that divine names and divine 
 perfections should be ascribed to Jesus Christ, if he.'was not 
 a divine person ; diflicult, or rather impossible, as _ it is to 
 give any satisfactory explanation of the Scripture statements 
 and expressions already quoted, these are not the only ditii- 
 
 L 
 
162 ON THE STREXGTH OF THE 
 
 oulties which those who deny the Saviour's divinity have to 
 encounter. There are other proofs of that doctrine which 
 are perfectly conclusive, and which impart an immense ac- 
 cession of force to the preceding evidences. I go on, there- 
 fore, to remark, that divine works, works which God only 
 can accomplish, are frequently ascribed to Jesus Christ. 
 
 As there is no perfection that appears to us more character- 
 istic of Deity than almighty power, so there is no work that 
 appears more characteristic of him, more evidently beyond the 
 range of human might, than creation — the production of the 
 universe out of nothing. Eeason intimates that this is a 
 work to which nothing short of infinite power was adequate; 
 and revelation specifies that work as one which distinguishes 
 the living and true Grod from all false divinities, and all 
 created beings. " I am Jehovah, that maketh all things ; 
 that stretched forth the heavens alone, that spreadeth abroad 
 the earth by myself," But of that most stupendous work, 
 Jesus Christ is frequently asserted in Scripture to be the 
 author, and that in terms as strong and emphatic as human 
 language can furnish. " All things were made by him, and 
 without him was not any thing made that was made." " He 
 Avas in the world, and the world was made by him." "By 
 him are all things created, that are in heaven, and that are 
 in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or 
 <lominions, or principalities, or powers ; all things were cre- 
 ated by him, and for him." And again, " Thou, Lord, in 
 the beginning hast laid the foiuidations of the earth, and the 
 heavens are the work of thy hands." 
 
 Tlie preservation and government of the universe, though 
 tliat may not strike our imaginations so forcibly, and though 
 that may not awaken such profound emotions of amazement 
 and awe, approve themselves to our reason as works compe- 
 tent only to the omnipotent Creator. But these works also 
 are expressly attributed to him who for our salvation became 
 obedient to the death of the cross. "By him all things 
 consist." "He upholdeth all things by the word of his 
 power." "Jesus Christ is Lord of all." "All things are 
 put under his feet." 
 
 With the ]>reservation and government of the world may 
 hot unnaturally be associated the resurrection of the dead, 
 
EVIDENCES FOR THE DIVINITY OF CHRIST. 163 
 
 and the final judgment. To reanimate the dead is a work 
 not inferior to the original communication of life ; and ac- 
 cordingly that is specified as the exclusive prerogative of the 
 Almighty. " See now that I, even I, am he ; I kill, and I 
 make alive ; I wound, and I heal ; neither is there any that 
 can deliver out of my hand." " God quickeneth the dead, 
 and calleth the things that be not as though they were." 
 The judgment of the world is also a work which not only by 
 right pertains exclusively to God, but to which none else 
 than God is adequate. To pass a righteous sentence on any 
 one man, every moral ingredient in every one of his thoughts, 
 and words, and actions must be taken into account. Keflect 
 then for a moment on the incalculable multiplicity of thoughts, 
 and feelings, and volitions, which pass through the mind of 
 even one individual, of the words uttered, and the deeds 
 perpetrated by him in the course of an ordinary life, — think 
 of the innumerable multitude of human beings which have 
 already lived, or w^hich shall live on earth, all of whom must 
 be judged at the last day ; and you will feel an overwhelm- 
 ing conviction that to pass a just sentence on one man, and 
 much more on all men, requires the possession of boundless 
 knowledge, of infinite wisdom, and infallible rectitude. But 
 both in the resurrection of the dead, and in the administra- 
 tion of the final judgment, Jesus Christ is the grand and im- 
 mediate agent. " I am," says he, " the resurrection and the 
 life." " As the Father raiseth up the dead and quickeneth 
 them, even so the Son quickeneth whom he will." " The 
 Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment to 
 the Son, that all men should honour the Son even as they 
 honour the Father." 
 
 In speaking of the divine works ascribed to Jesus Christ, 
 I might have mentioned that the miracles which he wrought 
 in the days of his flesh were many of them wrought in such 
 a way as indicated that they were wrought not by a com- 
 municated but by an inherent power ; and I might have 
 mentioned that in his name his apostles wrought miracles 
 after his departure from the world. But it would be inex- 
 pedient to enlarge ; and therefore I shall dismiss this topic 
 by remarking that Jesus Christ claims it as his high pre- 
 rogative to perform the same divine works as the almighty 
 
164 ON THE STRENGTH OF THE 
 
 Father, and to perform them in the same divine or godlike 
 manner. "My Father worketh hitherto, and I Avork." 
 " The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the 
 Fath.er do ; for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth 
 the Son likewise,'' that is, in the same manner as the Father 
 doeth them. 
 
 To advert to the other proofs usually adduced to establish 
 the doctrine of the supreme divinity of Christ may seem a 
 work of supererogation ; for if that doctrine be false, not 
 only must the expressions and statements already quoted 
 appear utterly inexplicable, but the book which contains 
 them must appear a fable, and a fable not " cunningly de- 
 vised," but clumsily contrived. It may serve, however, yet 
 farther to display the abundance and variety, and the force 
 and splendour of the evidence for the great doctrine in 
 question, to remind you that not only are divine names, and 
 attributes, and works, ascribed to Christ, but that divine 
 worship is asserted to be due to him, and was actually ren- 
 dered to him by men acting under an infallible guidance. 
 It is in or into his name as well as into that of the Father 
 that his disciples are baptized ; in the apostolic benediction, 
 the grace of the Son as well as the love of the Father is im- 
 plored ; in the primitive age. Christians were distinguished 
 by the appellation of " those who called on the name of the 
 Lord Jesus ; " it is a divine appointment that all men should 
 " iionour the Son even as they honour the Father;" "all 
 the angcis of God " are commanded " to worship the First 
 Begotten;" and with him who sits on the celestial throne 
 are associated the Lamb in receiving the praises of tlie celes- 
 tial hosts. 
 
 The preceding are the principal proofs for the divinity of 
 Christ ; but there are various auxiliary considerations which 
 are not unworthy of attention. Such are the representations 
 given of the unspeakable love of God in the mission of 
 Christ, and of the love of Christ in interposing for our sal- 
 vation ; the representation given of the dominion and glory 
 to which he is now elevated ; and such too are the expres- 
 sions of devout and adoring gratitude and transport with 
 wliich his character and achievements are so often mentioned 
 in Scripture. To these particulars, however, and to some 
 
EVIDENCES FOn THE DIVINITY OF CHRIST. 165 
 
 collateral particulars, it is sufficient barely to refer. Here, 
 then, let us pause and mark some of the conclusions and in- 
 ferences to which we have been conducted. 
 
 In calculating the amount of the evidence for the doc- 
 trine of the supreme divinity of Jesus Christ, it is but 
 candid to admit that if the doctrine be true we might confi- 
 dently anticipate that it would be supported by clear and 
 abundant evidence. It is a doctrine possessed of such in- 
 trinsic grandeur and importance, so contrary in appearance 
 to the divine unity, — so intimately connected with the dear- 
 est hopes and most momentous interests of mankind, that it 
 would liave been unreasonable to require an assent to it in 
 doubtful statements, or in precarious presumptions. On the 
 other hand, if this doctrine be false, it is obviously most mis- 
 chievous ; and therefore it is to be expected not less confi- 
 dently that not the slightest countenance would be given it. 
 To countenance it in any degree must have had a natural 
 tendency to load men to the perpetration of sins the most 
 appalling, and to involve them in calamities the most disas- 
 trous. It would have encouraged them to transfer to a 
 creature that homage which is due exclusively to the Creator ; 
 in other words, it would have encouraged them to be guilty 
 of idolatry, and thus it would have entailed on them the 
 vengeance of him who is a jealous Grod, and who has said 
 not only that " he will not give his praise to graven images," 
 but that " he will not give his glory to another." It would 
 naturally have led to other deplorable consequences ; for it 
 would have encouraged men to expect from a finite and 
 created being those inestimable and imperishable blessings 
 which God only could bestow ; and thus their hopes for 
 eternity, instead of issuing in immortal happiness, would 
 have terminated in the blackness of endless darkness. 
 
 We make then no unwarrantable assumption, Avhen we 
 take it for granted that if Jesus Christ had not been truly 
 God, the slightest countenance would not have been given 
 to any such idea in the Holy Scriptures. We may safely 
 assume that it is highly improbable that a book, one princi- 
 pal object of which is to banish polytheism from the world, 
 and to impart correct notions respecting the true object of 
 religious worship, would not have contained a single declara- 
 
166 
 
 ON THE STRENGTH OF THE 
 
 tion sanctioning a doctrine so mischievous; that it is still 
 more improbable that it should contain more than one such 
 declaration ; that it should contain many such declarations, 
 is not only utterly improbable, but absolutely incredible. 
 How then stands the fact ? The divinity of Christ is sup- 
 ported, not by a single dubious text in Scriptui'e, but by 
 texts ])lain and explicit, and almost beyond number ; not by 
 one proof, or class of proofs, but by proofs of almost all pos- 
 sible or conceivable kinds. We may, therefore, not unfitly 
 apply to it the remark which has been made respecting the 
 kindred doctrine of the atonement. " It is so often asserted 
 in the clearest terms ; it is intermingled so closely with all 
 the statements of tiuth and inculcations of duty throughout 
 the Holy Scriptures, that to endeavour to exclude it from 
 revelation is as hopeless an attempt as to separate colour 
 from the rainbow, or extension from matter." 
 
 In the preceding syllabus of the proofs for the Saviour's 
 divinity, I have purjjosely abstained from all critical remarks 
 on the texts which I have had occasion to allude to or to 
 quote. Tins abstinence, so far from impairing, ought to 
 deepen and strengthen the conviction produced by the pre- 
 ceding statement. It is a fact which is universally admitted, 
 and which is altogether un(]uestionable, that our English 
 version of the Bible, taken as a whole, is characterised by 
 extraordinary excellence, that it is eminently faithful and 
 accurate. Suppose, then, for the sake of argument, that two 
 or three of the texts which bear on the doctrine of the 
 Saviour's divinity, might be more correctly rendered, is it 
 credible that the great bulk, or that any large proportion of 
 them, could have been utterly misapprehended by our trans- 
 lators? The thing is absolutely incredible. Suppose far- 
 ther, for the sake of argument, a few of those texts to be 
 somewhat ambiguous, to admit of a difterent sense, neither 
 can this be alleged of any considerable number. To an 
 unlearned reader, or a reader not versed in the mysteries of 
 criticism, texts almost innumerable seem to assert the divinity 
 of Christ, as plainly and ex])licitly as human language can 
 assert any doctrine. And if such a reader were to try to 
 expunge the doctrine from these texts, what would be the 
 result of the experiment ? Let him task his ingenuity to 
 
EVIDENCES FOR THE DIVINITY OF CHRIST. 167 
 
 the utmost, and still he would find himself completely baffled ; 
 nor could he form any adequate idea beforehand of the artifices 
 and evasions to which recourse has been had to comi)el tliese 
 texts to give forth a different sound. What then is tlie con- 
 clusion which this fact irresistibly suggests ? It is this, that 
 the Saviour's divinity is not only a Scriptural doctrine, but 
 that it is emblazoned in the pages of revelation in characters 
 so conspicuous that the most dimsighted can discern them. 
 Or to vary the figure, it is interwoven so closely with the 
 language of Scripture that it cannot be severed from that 
 language without destroying its entire texture and substance; 
 and they who attempt to expunge it from the declarations 
 in which it is embodied, wrest these declarations, as they 
 *' wrest the other scriptures, to their own destruction." 
 
ON THE 
 
 TEESONALITY OE THE HOLY SPIRIT. 
 
 BY ROBERT BALMER, D.D. 
 
 PROFESSOR OF SYSTEMATIC THEOLOGY TO THE UNITED 
 SECESSION CHURCH. 
 
ox THE PERSOMLITY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. 
 
 The personality of Jesus Christ is a doctrine so obvious and 
 incontestable that it is admitted by all who admit the divine 
 authority of the New Testament, by Arians and Sociniaus 
 as well as by Trinitarians and Calvinists. In stating the 
 proofs for his divinity, it was therefore unnecessary to adduce 
 separate evidence to establish his personality. A diiferent 
 course must be pursued in discussing the arguments for the 
 divinity of the Holy Spirit. Those who deny his divinity, 
 deny also his personality ; and assert generally that by the 
 Spirit is to be understood merely an attribute, or influence, 
 or operation. And hence it is necessary to prove first that 
 he is a person, and next that he is a divine person. 
 
 If " no man can say that Jesus is the Lord but by the 
 Holy Ghost," — if no man can profess that truth, with proper 
 views and feelings, without the teaching of the Spirit, not less 
 necessary must be his teaching to enable us to believe and de- 
 clare his own character and dignity. While it is proper then, 
 in the investigation of all religious topics, to invoke his illumi- 
 nating influences, it must be peculiarly proper to do this when 
 entering on the consideration of those questions which relate 
 more immediately to himself, to his personality, his divinity, 
 his offices and operations. Let each of us, then, with be- 
 coming humility and devotion, adopt the language of the 
 greatest of our poets. 
 
 '■ And chiefly Thou, O Spirit, that dost prefer 
 Before all temples the upright heart and pure, 
 Instruct me, for thou knowest. 
 
 What in me is dark 
 
 Illumine, what is low raise and support." 
 
172 ON THE PERSONALITY 
 
 Before entering on the doctrinal discussion of the question 
 relative to the personality of the Holy Ghost, I shall make a 
 few historical statements for the purpose of showing you the 
 opinions of some eminent individuals by whom the doctrine 
 has been doubted or denied. 
 
 It is remarked by Dr. Wardlaw, in his valuable " Dis- 
 coiu'ses on the Socinian Controversy," that he supposes it 
 will readily be admitted, " that if there be a plurality of 
 persons at all in the one Godhead, that plurality is a Trinky. 
 For," he adds, " although the views of the doctrine of the 
 Trinity, held by those who have attempted to explain it, 
 have been various ; yet Trinity and Unity, (taking tlie latter 
 term in the sense affixed to it by Antitrinitarians,) are pro- 
 perly the only [two ?] hypotheses on the subject. All who 
 believe the doctrine of a plurality to be taught in the Scrij)- 
 tures, believe that plurality to consist of the Father, the 
 Son, and the Holy Spirit. None have believed in more, — 
 none in fewer." 
 
 Accurate and extensive as is Dr. Wardlaw's information 
 on the point connected with the Socinian controversy, the 
 statements just quoted must be taken with some exceptions. 
 In his work on the Holy Spirit, Dr. Owen refers to certain 
 individuals belonging to the sect of the Quakers, whom he 
 does not accuse of denying the divinity of Christ, but who 
 joined Avith Sgcinians in denying the personality of the Holy 
 Ghost. It is the opinion of Dr. Samuel Clarke that " the 
 Holy Spirit of God does not in Scripture generally signify a 
 mere power or operation of the Father, but more usually a 
 real person ; that that person is not self-existent, but derives 
 his being from the Father by the Son ; that as he is subor- 
 dinate to the Father, so he is also in Scripture represented 
 as subordinate to the Son, both by nature, and by the will 
 of the Father, excepting only that he is described as being 
 the conductor and guide of our Lord during his state of 
 humiliation upon eartli." Such are the principal propositions 
 laid down by that writer in what he calls " the Scripture 
 Doctrine of the Trinity." For the most part, however, 
 those authors which have rejected the deity have denied also 
 the personality of the Spirit ; maintaining that that ajipella- 
 tion refers either to the Father, or to a divine influence or 
 
OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. 173 
 
 attribute. It may be mentioned, as a fact somewhat curious, 
 and which has been scarcely if at all noticed, that Dr. Yountx, 
 the author of the " Night Thoughts," seems not to have 
 made up his mind conclusively on this subject ; for in one 
 passage of that popular poem, he expresses his hesitation 
 whether to address the Spirit as the same person as the 
 Father, or as a delegated and inferior agent. 
 
 " thou, bless'd Spirit ! ivhether the supreme, 
 Great. antemundane Father! in whose breast 
 Embryo creation, unborn being, dwelt, 
 And all its various revolutions roU'd 
 Present, though future, prior to themselves ; 
 Whose breath can blow it into nought again, 
 Or from bis throne some delegated power, 
 Wlio, studious of our peace, dost tuni the thought 
 From vain and vile to solid and sublime !" 
 
 Utterly improbable as is the hypothesis that there are only 
 two persons in the godhead, it was held for a time by \i 
 writer lately deceased, who, in most of theological questions, 
 may well be regarded as " himself a host." The late Mr. Hall 
 of Bristol, somewhere confesses tliat for a certain portion of his 
 life he was a dualist, ' a believer in the doctrine of a duality 
 of persons in the godhead;' and in the Memoir of him bv 
 Dr. Gregory, we meet with the following curious and instruc- 
 tive statements. "Early in the year 1799, a severe fever, 
 which brought him, in his own apprehension, and that of his 
 friends, to the brink of the grave, gave him an opportunity 
 of experiencing the support yielded by the doctrines of the 
 cross ' in the near views of death and judgment.' He ' never 
 before felt his mind so calm and happy.' Tlie impression 
 was not only salutary, but abiding ; and it again prompted 
 him to the investigation of one or two points, with regard to 
 which he had long felt himself floating in uncertainty. Al- 
 though he had for some years steadily and earnestly enforced 
 the necessity of divine influence in the transformation oi 
 character, and of perseverance in a course of consistent, holy 
 obedience, yet he spoke of it as ' the influence of the Spirit 
 of God,' and never in express terms, as ' the influence of the 
 Holy Spirit.' The reason was, that though he fully believed 
 the necessity of spiritual agency in conmiencing and coutinu- 
 
174 ON THE PERSONALITY 
 
 ing the spiritual life, he doubted the doctrine of the distinct 
 personality of the Holy Spirit. But about this time he was 
 struck with the ftict, that whenever in private prayer he was 
 in the most deeply devotional frame, ' most overwhelmed 
 with the sense that he was nothing, and God was all in 
 all,' he always felt himself inclined to adopt a trinitarian 
 doxology. This circumstance, occurring frequently, and 
 more frequently meditated upon in a tone of honest and 
 anxious inquiry, issued at length in a persuasion that the 
 Holy Spirit is really and truly God, and not an emanation. 
 It was not, however, until 1800, that he publicly included 
 the personality of the Holy Spirit, in his statements of the 
 doctrine of spiritual influence." 
 
 To a student of divinity, the information contained in the 
 preceding extract is valuable, as affording a specimen of the 
 doubts and errors by which minds the most vigorous, even 
 though in some measure under the control of piety, may yet 
 be perplexed ; and as illustrating the necessity of a devo- 
 tional spirit, and of a realizing sense of "the powers of the 
 world to come," in order to the successful investigation of 
 religious truth. It shows also that, evident and incontesta- 
 ble as seems the doctrine of the personality of the Holy 
 Spirit, it is a doctrine, a statement of the proofs of Avhich 
 ought not to be regarded as a labour altogether superfluous 
 or impertinent. 
 
 In entering on this task, it is not necessary to attempt to 
 give a formal or logical definition of the word person. It is 
 more simple and intelligible than the terms subsistence, or 
 mode of subsistence, by which it has been sometimes explained. 
 A person is that of which personal properties may be predi- 
 cated ; and conveys in general the idea of an intelligent and 
 voluntary agent. 
 
 Before adducing any direct proofs it will perhaps be 
 more advantageous, if not as logical, to advert to objections 
 usually urged against it. These being removed, the way 
 will be cleared for bringing home to the mind the positive 
 evidence in its native strength and force. The objections 
 are all reducible to one ; for it is the great aim of those who 
 deny the doctrine of the personality of the Spirit, to show 
 tliat the texts which assert or imply it are to be understood 
 
OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. 17o 
 
 figuratively, and that they refer not to a person but an attribute 
 or influence. In corroboration of this supposition it is urg-ed 
 that attributes and qualities are often personified ; and why 
 then, it is demanded, may we not interpret the language of 
 Scripture respecting the Holy Spirit on that principle, and 
 understand it of the divine power or influence ? That attri- 
 butes and qualities, that inanimate objects and moral relations, 
 and intellectual abstractions are often personified, both in 
 the Holy Scriptures and in other writings, admits of no 
 doubt. Thus it is said, " Wisdom crieth without ; she utter- 
 eth her voice in the streets ; she crieth in the chief place of 
 concourse ; in the opening of the gates ; in the city she utter- 
 eth her words." Thus it is said of charity, " That it sufter- 
 eth long, and is kind ; that it envieth not ; vaunteth not 
 itself ; is not puffed up." By the same figure, righteousness, 
 sin, death, the grave, famine and pestilence, and other inani- 
 mate objects, are exhibited as possessed of life, and will, and 
 active power. But these personifications are employed 
 chiefly in those books or passages of Scripture which are 
 poetical, or elevated at least considerably above the level of 
 ordinary prose ; taking into view the whole of Scripture, it 
 will be found that the figurative use of such terms is far less 
 frequent than the literal or the proper ; where such terms 
 are used figuratively, the meaning is generally so very obvious 
 that no intelligent or attentive reader is in danger of misap- 
 prehending it. It is not only, however, in those books or 
 passages which are poetical or oratorical, that the Spirit is 
 represented as a person ; he is thus represented also in pas- 
 sages which are historical and doctrinal ; and in promises, 
 laws, and exhortations, Avhere plainness and precision are 
 altogether indispensable. It is to be observed, also, that it 
 is not in a few insulated or dubious texts that personal acts 
 and properties are ascribed to the Spirit ; the doctrine of his 
 personality pervades the whole system of Scripture language 
 respecting him ; and that language has so little the aspect of 
 being figurative, that not one reader in a hundred, if left 
 merely to the guidance of his own judgment, would ever 
 suspect that it is not to be taken in its strict and proper 
 acceptation. 
 
 But are there not many instances in which the expressions, 
 
17G ON THE PERSONALITY 
 
 " the Spirit," and " the Holy Spirit," are employed to denote 
 divine gifts and influences ? In what other sense can the 
 terms be understood, when it is said, that the Spirit is " shed 
 forth," and "poured out;" and that believers are "baptized 
 with the Spirit," " anointed with the Spirit," " sealed by the 
 ^Spirit ;" that they have the Spirit of God dwelling in them ; 
 and that they " live in the Spirit," and " walk in the Spirit ?" 
 Admitting, it may be answered, that in those expressions the 
 term Sjjirit refers directly or chiefly to his gifts and influ- 
 ences, they are no more inconsistent with his personality 
 than similar expressions respecting tlie Father and the Son 
 are inconsistent with their personality ; or than similar ex- 
 pressions respecting human beings imply that they are not 
 intelligent and voluntary agents. Often is God represented 
 as " dwelling " in the saints ; an expression evidently refer- 
 ring not to his essence or person, but to his influences and 
 operations. In like manner, believers are described as 
 "putting on Christ," as having Christ "formed in them," 
 and " dwelling in their hearts," as " walking " in him, and as 
 " rooted " and " built up " in him ; expi-essions which are 
 manifestly metaphorical, and which refer to his character, or 
 influence, or doctrine. Thus, too, it has been remarked, we 
 often say of a son that he has in him much of his father ; 
 meaning merely that he has a striking resemblance to his 
 father in his character and dispositions. In none of those 
 instances, is the language employed intended to suggest a 
 doubt, nor is it ever understood as suggesting a doubt of the 
 personality of the agent spoken of. Equally consistent with 
 the personality of the Spirit must be the expressions in which 
 the S])irit is put for his gifts and influences ; provided the 
 doctrine of his personality can bo established by a sufliciency 
 of appropriate evidence. To the statement of that evidence 
 I shall now proceed. I remark then, 
 
 First, That personal pronouns and appellations implying 
 personality, are applied to him. The word nrvix/^at. in Greek, 
 like the word spirit in English, is neuter ; but tlio Holy 
 Spirit is frequently spoken of in the masculine gender, as a 
 living and intelligent agent. " The Comforter, the Holy 
 Ghost, which the Father will send in my name, he shall 
 teach you all things." "When he, the Spirit of truth is 
 
OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. 177 
 
 come, he will guide you into all truth," or rather, all the 
 truth ; "for he shall not speak of himself." '^ He shall glorify 
 me, for he shall take of mine, and shall show it unto you." 
 The idea of personality seems to be necessarily implied also 
 in the appellation " Comforter," or, as some would render it, 
 monitor, or advocate ; for, in contradistinction to Jesus 
 Christ, the Spirit is represented* as another Comforter, who 
 was to supply the place of the Saviour. The same idea, if 
 not necessarily implied in the term spirit, is naturally sug- 
 gested by it ; for though that term refers primarily to an 
 inanimate substance denoting wind or breath, and though it 
 is occasionally emploj'ed to signify an energy or influence, it 
 is often applied also to the human soul and to other created 
 spirits. And, therefore, when used with the definite article 
 prefixed to it, and in reference to the Comforter whom the 
 Saviour was to send, it seems but reasonable to understand 
 it in its highest acceptation, as denoting an intelligent mind, 
 or designing agent. Accordingly, it is asserted by Bishop 
 Middleton, in his learned and elaborate treatise on the Greek 
 article, that when the expression wiv,u» oiyiov is used with 
 the article, it refers invariably to the person of the Spirit, or 
 to the Spirit viewed as a person ; and that when used with- 
 out the article, it refers generally, if not invariably, to his 
 gifts and influences. Tlie reason, as he observes, would 
 seem to be, that there being only one such person, the ex- 
 pression, when employed in reference to the Spirit personally 
 considered, cannot be employed indefinitely, but may be thus 
 employed in refei'ence to his gifts and operations, because of 
 them tliere is a vast variety. 
 
 Secondly, Attributes and actions cliaracteristic of person- 
 ality, are ascribed to the Spirit. These attributes and actions 
 are so manifold and diversified, that to give a complete enu- 
 meration of them, would be a difficult, if not a tedious 
 undertaking. It may be sufficient to mention that the 
 Spirit is described as possessed of understanding, and wUl, 
 and active power; as "coming" and "teaching," as "testi- 
 fying" and "convincing," as "speaking" and "hearing," as 
 " commanding " and " forbidding," as " making intercession," 
 and as " knowing " and " searching the deep things of God." 
 These are a specimen of the qualities and operations predi- 
 
 M 
 
178 ON THE PERSONALITY 
 
 cated in Scripture of the Holy Spirit ; and they are evidently 
 the qualities and operations of a person ; " requiring," as Dr. 
 Paley expresses it, when treating of the personality of the 
 Deity, " requiring a centre in which perceptions unite, and 
 from which volitions flow." And here it may be remarked 
 further that the Spirit is represented as possessed of the pas- 
 sive as well as the active attributes of personality ; as sus- 
 ceptible of those emotions and affections which can be felt 
 by a person, not by an influence, or by an object devoid of 
 life and sensation. " They vexed his Holy Spirit." " Grieve 
 not the Holy Spirit of God." 
 
 Thirdly, The Spirit is represented as the object of such 
 affections and actions on the part of others as betoken per- 
 sonality. He is described as " tried and tempted," as " re- 
 belled against" and "resisted ;" as "blasphemed," as "spoken 
 against," and as "lied unto." AH, or almost all these 
 actions, viewed as the actions of intelligent agents, can ter- 
 minate only in an intelligent agent ; on a substance endowed 
 with consciousness and intelligence, and capable of volition, 
 emotion, and action. 
 
 Such are the attributes and ojierations ascribed to the 
 Spirit. On a certain occasion it is said respecting the Sa- 
 viour, in reply to a most malignant insinuation advanced by 
 his enemies : " These are not the words of a devil ; can a 
 devil open the eyes of the blind ? " May we not accommodate 
 this language to the Spirit, and say : These are not the 
 qualities and actions of an attribute. Can an attribute 
 speak and hear, judge and know and will, convince and tes- 
 tify, forbid and command ? Can an attribute be grieved 
 and provoked and sinned against ; lied unto and blasphemed ? 
 
 The preceding arguments are perfectly sufficient to establish 
 the point to be proved. I go on, however, to remark, that 
 the personality of the Spirit is decisively proved. Fourthly, 
 By the manner in which he is associated in Scripture with the 
 other persons of the godhead. He is often represented as 
 conjoined with the Father or the Son, or with both, in their 
 operations and honours ; and the inference is therefore irre- 
 sistible, that if they are persons he also is a person. As an 
 unequivocal example of this conjunction, the form of baptism 
 prescribed by Christ, and the apostolic benediction, will 
 
OP THE HOLY SPIRIT. 179 
 
 naturally suggest themselves to you all. To these examples 
 you may add the account given of the appearance of the 
 Spirit at the Saviour's baptism. Another example, still 
 more decisive, is supplied by the passage mentioning the sin 
 of blasphemy against the Spirit. "Whosoever speaketh a 
 word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him ; but 
 ■whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be 
 forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to 
 come." It seems scarcely possible to read this solemn and 
 alarming declaration, and riot to be convinced that the Holy 
 Grhost is as truly a person as the Son of man, and a person 
 not inferior to the Son of man in rank and dignity. An 
 additional instance in which the Spirit is associated as a per- 
 son with the Father and the Son, may be found in the account 
 given in the first epistle to the Corinthians, of those miraculous 
 gifts and operations by which the gospel was signalised and 
 attested at its first promulgation. " Now there are diversities 
 of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are differences of ad- 
 ministrations, but the same Lord. And there are diversities 
 of operations, but it is the same God who worketh all in all." 
 Somewhat similar, though perhaps not equally explicit, is the 
 view given in the epistle to the Hebrews, of the respective 
 agencies of each of the divine persons in reference to the 
 introduction of the gospel. " How shall we escape, if we 
 neglect so great salvation ; which at the first began to be 
 spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them 
 that heard him ; God also bearing them witness, both with 
 signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the 
 Holy Ghost, according to his own will.'' 
 
 Passages might have been produced from the Old Testa- 
 ment exhibiting traces of a similar phraseology, passages 
 which imply not merely that there is a plurality of persons 
 in the godhead, but that the Spirit is one of those persons, 
 — an agent possessed of the same divine attributes and pre- 
 rogatives as the Father and the Son, or as Jehovah and the 
 Messiah ; and associating him in their honours and operations. 
 Thus, for instance, it is said, " And now the Lord God, and 
 his Spirit hath sent me." And again, says the Messiah, 
 " The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me ; because the Lord 
 hath anointed me." But, as M^as to be expected, tlie testi- 
 
180 ON THE PERSONALITY 
 
 mony of the Old Testament on this subject is less clear and 
 precise, as well as less copious than that of the New ; and as 
 the evidence already adduced is abundantly sufficient, it 
 would perhaps be impolitic to run the risk of impairing or 
 obstructing the impression which it can scarcely fail to pro- 
 duce by insisting on proofs which are less satisfactory. 
 
 In the passages noAv quoted from the New Testament, 
 and in many others that might have been quoted, the Spirit 
 is distinguished both from the Son, and from the Father ; 
 and the inference is therefore unavoidable that he is neither 
 the Son nor the Father. But in the greater number, if not 
 in all of those passages, the Spirit is associated with the Son 
 and the Father, as sustaining an equal share in their honours 
 and operations ; and therefore, like each of them, he must 
 be a person, and a person the same in nature, and co-ordinate 
 in rank and dignity. 
 
 To the preceding arguments I shall add a few miscella- 
 neous expressions and passages in which the Spirit is distin- 
 guished both from the other persons of the godhead, and for 
 divine gifts and influences ; and which serve therefore to estab- 
 lish the doctrine of his personality. When the appellation, 
 " Spirit of God," refers to a person, that person, it has been 
 alleged, is just God himself; or if not the Father, the 
 Son. Without going so far as to assert that the appellation 
 Spirit is never used in reference to either of these divine 
 persons, let me apply the general canon just stated to the 
 descriptions gi\'en of the Spirit in the Saviour's valedictory 
 discourse. The Spirit or Comforter there promised, is most 
 explicitly represented as a person. Now of that person it is 
 said that the " Father would send liim in the name of the 
 Son ;" and that the " Son would send him from the Father." 
 But the person sent must be distinct from the person or per- 
 sons who send him. The Comforter, tlien, cannot be either 
 the Father or the Son. It is farther said of him : " He shall 
 not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that 
 shall he speak ;" language utterly inapplicable to the Father; 
 for whatsoever the Father does he does of himself, not as the 
 messenger or servant of anotlier. Nor can the Spirit be 
 identified with the Son, for it is immediately added, "He 
 shall glorify me ; for he shall take of mine, and show it unto 
 
OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. 181 
 
 you." The Son was to "go away;" but the Spirit was 
 " another Comforter, who was to remain with the disciples 
 for ever." 
 
 Again, attempts have been made, as we have seen, to con- 
 found the Spirit with his gifts ; and to prove that the Spirit 
 of God, if not put for God himself, must mean divine gifts 
 or operations. Let us try this hypothesis by a few of the 
 passages which mention spiritual gifts; and we shall soon 
 perceive that it is utterly untenable. In 1st Corinthians 12th 
 chapter, we have the amplest account any where given of 
 the miraculous gifts and powers by which the gospel at first 
 was accredited and signalized. In the very commencement, 
 however, of that account, the Spirit is distinguished both 
 from the Father and the Son on the one hand, and from his 
 own powers and operations on the other. " There are diver- 
 sities of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are differ- 
 ences of administrations, but the same Lord. And there are 
 diversities of operations or works, but it is the same God 
 who Avorketh all in all." Nor are these remarkable expres- 
 sions the only ones in this chapter, in which the Spirit is dis- 
 tinguished both from the other divine persons, and from his 
 own gifts and operations. " No man spealdng by the Spirit 
 of God calleth Jesus accursed; and no man can say that 
 Jesus is the Lord but by the Holy Spirit." And again; 
 " all these worketh that one and the self-same Spirit, divid- 
 ing to every man severally as he will." In the first of these 
 texts the Spirit is distinguished from the other divine persons ; 
 and in the second he is distinguished from the gifts which 
 he imparts, and from the operations which he performs. The 
 same distinction is elsewhere made, made in a way so con- 
 spicuous that the most inattentive reader can scarcely fail to 
 remark it. " The great salvation began to be spoken by the 
 Lord," by the second person of the godhead ; " God himself," 
 that is obviously the Father, " bearing him witness both with 
 signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the 
 Holy Ghost," — those gifts of wisdom, and knowledge, and 
 faith, and healing, and prophecy, and interpretation, of which 
 the Spirit is the immediate dispenser. 
 
 It would not be difficult to add to these proofs and illus- 
 trations ; but to do so would be to " multiply words without 
 
182 ON THE PERSONALITY 
 
 cause." A sufficient number of texts has already been pro- 
 duced, which if understood in their natural and obvious 
 acceptation, teach unequivocally the doctrine which it is pro- 
 posed to establish ; and before that doctrine can be expunged 
 from them, principles of interpretation must be adopted re- 
 pugnant not only to the ordinary laws of criticism, but to the 
 dictates of common sense. I shall therefore close the discus- 
 sion with the following quotation from Dr. Owen's Treatise 
 on the Holy Spirit ; a quotation which presents a striking 
 exposure of the ineptitude of the evasions resorted to for the 
 purpose of escaping from the arguments for the personality 
 of the Spirit, and which are characterized by a greater por- 
 tion of force and pertinency than generally distinguish the 
 reasonings and illustrations of that author. 
 
 " If," says he, " a sober, wise, and honest man should come 
 and tell you, that in such a country where he hath been, 
 there is one who is the governor of it, that doth well dis- 
 charge his office ; that he hearcth causes, discerneth right, 
 distributes justice, relieves the poor, comforts them that are 
 in distress ; supposing you give him that credit which honesty, 
 wisdom, and sobriety would deserve, do you not believe that 
 he intended a righteous, wise, diligent, intelligent person, 
 discharging the office of a governor ? What else could any 
 man living imagine ? But now, suppose that another lua- 
 known person, or as far as he was known, justly suspected 
 of deceit and forgery, should come to you, and tell you, that 
 all which the other informed you, and acquainted you Avithal, 
 was indeed true ; but that the words which he spake have 
 quite another intention. For, it was not a man, or any per- 
 son, that he intended, but it was the sun or the wind that 
 he meant by all which he spake of him. For whereas the 
 sun, by his benign influences, doth make a country fruitful 
 and temperate, suited to the relief and comfort of all that 
 dwell therein, and disposcth the minds of the inhabitants 
 unto mutual kindness and benignity ; he described those 
 things figuratively unto you, under the notion of a righteous 
 governor, and those actions, although he never gave you the 
 least intimation of any such intention. Must you not now 
 believe, either that the first person, whom you know to be a 
 wise, sober, and honest man, was a notorious tritler, and do- 
 
OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. 183 
 
 signed your ruin if you were to order any of your occasions 
 according to his report ; or that your latter informer, whom 
 you have just reason to suspect of falsehood and deceit in 
 other things, hath endeavoured to abuse both him and you ; 
 to render his veracity suspected, and to spoil all your designs 
 grounded thereon. One of these you must certainly con- 
 clude upon. And it is no otherwise in this case. The 
 Scripture informs us that the Holy Ghost rules in and over 
 the church of God, appointing overseers of it under him ; 
 that he discerns and judgeth all things ; that he comforteth 
 them that are faint, strengtheneth them that are weak, is 
 grieved with them, and provoked by them who sin ; and 
 that in all these, and in other things of the like nature innu- 
 merable, he worketh, ordereth, and disposeth all according 
 to the counsel of his wUl. Hereupon it directeth us so to 
 order our conversation towards [the Spirit of?] God, that 
 we do not grieve him nor displease him, telling us thereon, 
 what great thing he will do for us, on which we may lay the 
 stress of our obedience and salvation. Can any man possi- 
 bly that gives credit to the testimony thus jiroposed in the 
 Scripture, conceive any otherwise of that Spirit, but as of an 
 holy, wise, intelligent person '? Now, whilst we are under 
 the power of those apprehensions, there come unto us some 
 men, Socinians or Quakers, whom we have just cause, on 
 many other accounts, to suspect at least of deceit and false- 
 hood, and confidently tell us that what the Scripture speaks 
 concerning the Holy Spirit is indeed true ; but that in 
 and by all the expressions which it useth concerning him, 
 it intendeth no such person as it seems to do, but an acci- 
 dent, a quality, an eftect, an influence of the power of God, 
 which figuratively doth all these things mentioned ; namely, 
 that hath a will figuratively, and understanding figurativel}", 
 discerneth and judgeth figuratively, is sinned against figura- 
 tively, and so of all that is said of him. Can any man, that 
 is not forsaken of all natural reason as well as spiritual light, 
 choose now to determine that either the Scripture designed 
 to draw him into errors and mistakes about the principal 
 concernments of his soul, and so to ruin him eternally ; or 
 that those persons who would impose such a sense upon it, 
 are indeed corrupt seducers, that seek to overthrow his faith 
 and comforts ? Such will they at last appear to be." 
 
ON THE 
 
 DIYINITY OF THE HOLY SPIKIT, 
 
 BY ROBERT BALMER, D.D. 
 
 PROFESSOR OF SYSTEMATIC THEOLOGY TO THE UNITED 
 SECESSION CHURCH. 
 
ON THE DIVINITY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. 
 
 Having stated, at considerable length, the proofs for the 
 personality of the Holy Spirit, I proceed now to establish 
 the doctrine of his divinity. In entering on this topic, can- 
 dour requires us to allow that the evidence for the divinity 
 of the Spirit is by no means so ample as that which we pos- 
 sess for the divinity of the Son of God ; but candour suggests 
 also that the divinity of the former may be received on infe- 
 rior evidence. The grand difficulty in the way of admitting 
 the divinity of either of these persons is found in the fact of 
 the divine unity, in the seemingly contradictory nature of 
 the doctrine. But if once we admit the deity of the Son, 
 that difficulty is surmounted ; we admit a plurality of persons 
 in the godhead, and we can with equal facility admit that 
 that plurality may comprehend three as two. 
 
 Though the proofs for the divinity of the third person of 
 the godhead are not so numerous and explicit as those for 
 the divinity of the second, it is not to be inferred from this 
 that they are defective or inadequate. On the contrary, 
 even when viewed by themselves they ought to command 
 our unreserved assent ; and they appear still more satisfactory 
 when taken in connexion with the other. In stating them I 
 shall follow nearly the same order as that observed in dis- 
 cussing the doctrine of the Saviour's divinity. 
 
 1. I remark then, first, that divine names are often applied 
 to the Holy Spirit. He is called God ; and no hint is given 
 that that name is applied to him in an improper or inferior 
 acceptation. In proof of this position, I appeal first to a 
 passage which has frequently been appealed to for this pur- 
 pose ; Acts V. 3, 4, where Peter says to Ananias, " Why 
 
188 • ON THK DIVINITY 
 
 hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost ? 
 
 thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God." The Holy 
 Ghost is here evidently represented as a person, and as the 
 author of the supernatural influence imparted to the apostles. 
 He is represented also as a divine person : for it is asserted 
 that to lie to him was to lie to God. But, it may be said, 
 supposing the Spirit to have been a subordinate deity em- 
 ployed as a messenger by the supreme Potentate, might not 
 Ananias in lying to him be said to lie to God, on the same 
 principle in which an insult offered to an ambassador is consid- 
 ered as directed against his sovereign, or in which the Saviour 
 said to his apostles: "He that receiveth you, receiveth me; 
 and he that receiveth me, receiveth him that sent me ?" 
 This view of Peter's language would have possessed some 
 plausibility if we had had any evidence for the existence of 
 such a subordinate deity, or if the Spirit had nowhere else 
 been represented as God. But of subordinate deities the 
 Scripture knows nothing ; and we can produce at least a 
 hundred other passages in which the Spirit is represented as 
 a divine person. And to all this it may be added that if the 
 Holy Ghost had not been God, the proper expression for 
 Peter to employ in order to point out to Ananias the magni- 
 tude of his guilt, would have been, Thou hast lied not unto 
 the Holy Gliost, but unto God. Such language, however, 
 strikes us as utterly unnatural, as repugnant to the whole 
 current of Scripture phraseology. On the whole, then, the 
 common view of Peter's expressions approves itself as the 
 just one ; and the natural and necessary conclusion seems to 
 be that the names God and the Holy Ghost are used of 
 one and the same person, and that that person is really and 
 truly divine. 
 
 An instance of a parallel nature occurs in 1 Cor. iii. 16 : 
 " Krfow ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the 
 Spirit of God dwelleth in you?" as compared with chap. vi. 
 19, "What! know ye not that your body is the temple of 
 the Holy Ghost, which ye have of God?" Here also the 
 Spirit is called God, at least virtually and by implication, if 
 not formally and explicitly. In allusion to the temple at 
 Jerusalem, believers are called the temple of God ; they are 
 so called because the Holy Spirit dwells in them. But if the 
 
OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. 189 
 
 Holy Spirit were a creature, could it be said with truth that 
 they were the temple of the living God ? Would not the 
 language, on this supposition, be most improper and most 
 dangerous, as naturally tending to mislead, on a subject of 
 fundamental importance ? But farther. Christians are called 
 also the temple of the Holy Ghost. And does Christianity 
 acknowledge any one who is not truly God, as the proprietor 
 and inhabitant of the temple of the human person ; and con- 
 sequently as the proper object of human worship. If it does, 
 it must itself be a modification of polytheism, one of those 
 systems which it is its professed object to exterminate from 
 the world. 
 
 The incommunicable name, Jehovah, is usually, and per- 
 haps justly, regarded as still more certainly characteristic of 
 Deity than even the appellation God. But that name, also, 
 is more than once applied to the Holy Ghost. As a speci- 
 men I may refer to Isaiah vi. 8 — 10, " I heard the voice 
 of the Lord," or of Jehovah, " saying. Whom shall I send, 
 and who will go for us ? Then said I, Here am I ; send me. 
 And he said. Go, and tell this people. Hear ye indeed, and 
 understand not ; and see ye indeed, but perceive not. Make 
 the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy," &;c. 
 At first view, it might seem that this passage refers most 
 naturally to God the Father ; and yet in the New Testament 
 it is apphed both to the Son and the Spirit. It is applied 
 to the Son ; for it is quoted in John xii. 40 ; and then it is 
 added, ver. 41, " These things said Esaias, when he saw his 
 glory, and spake of him." It is applied to the Spirit ; where 
 says Paul in Acts xxviii. 25 — 27, " Well spake the Holy 
 Ghost by Esaias the prophet unto your fathers, saying. Go 
 unto this people, and say, Hearing ye shall hear, and shall 
 not understand," &c. How are we to account for these dif- 
 ferent and seemingly inconsistent applications of the same 
 passage? The only satisfactory explanation appears to be 
 this, that the name Jehovah, as used by the evangelical pro- 
 phet, is applicable to the Father, the Son, and the Holy 
 Ghost ; and that the commission given to him proceeded 
 from each of them ; an explanation rendered the more pro- 
 bable, that the plural as well as the singular number is em- 
 ployed respecting the author of the commission, — " Whom 
 
190 ON THE DIVINITY 
 
 shall /send, and wlio will go for tis?" But if this explana- 
 tion be the correct one, (and no other seems either admissible 
 or conceivable,) the Son, and the Spirit, as well as the 
 Father, must be each truly Grod ; and, as such, must be en- 
 titled to that great and dreadful name, which expresses self- 
 existence and infinite perfection. 
 
 2. I proceed next to the proof of the divinity of the Spirit 
 found in the perfections ascribed to him ; a proof of which it 
 may be remarked, as of the preceding, that if not so strong 
 and clear as some would have anticipated, it is yet such as 
 may serve considerably to strengthen our faith. If the scrip- 
 ture does not ascribe to him in express terras all, it ascribes 
 to him several divine perfections in language most plain and 
 imequivocal ; and the ascription to him of any one divine 
 attribute proves that he is possessed of every other, and con- 
 sequently that he is truly Grod. 
 
 As a specimen of the passages referred to I appeal first to 
 the sublime and beautiful description in Psalm cxxxix. 
 " Whither shall I go from thy Spirit ? or whither shall I flee 
 from thy presence ? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art 
 there ; if I make my bed in hell, behold thou art there. If I 
 take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost part 
 of the sea, even there shall thy hand lead me." On this pas- 
 sage I would observe that if we liad not known the Holy 
 Spirit to be a person, we should not unnaturally have sup- 
 posed that the Spirit of God, like the presence of God, re- 
 ferred either to God himself, or to the divine inunensity ; but 
 since the distinct personality of the Spirit is abundantly 
 established by other evidence, it is surely not unreasonable to 
 luiderseand the expression of him ; and thus understood, it 
 proves incontestably liis omnipresence and immensity. The 
 doctrine of the omnipresence of the Spirit seems also to be 
 necessarily implied in the texts referred to under the pre- 
 ceding particular, in which believers are described as " tem- 
 ples of the Holy Ghost ; " and in those texts too in which he 
 is represented as dwelling with all genuine Christians, and as 
 compensating the loss of the Saviour's sensible presence. It 
 is true indeed that to be present in every region of the earth 
 is not exactly the same thing as to be present in every part 
 of the universe. But the earth, insignificant as it seems amid 
 
OP THE HOLY SPIRIT. 191 
 
 the immensity of the universe, is yet so extensive that all who 
 allow^ the Spirit of God to be present in every part of the 
 former, will admit most readily that he is present in every 
 part of the latter ; just as it will be admitted that the power 
 which was competent to the production of the globe and its 
 inhabitants, is adequate to the production of the whole as- 
 semblage of created things. 
 
 Nearly allied to the attribute of immensity or omnipre- 
 sence is the attribute of omniscience ; and that is an attribute 
 ascribed to the Spirit in language most express and emphatic. 
 " But, as it is written, eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither 
 have entered into the heart or mind of man the things which 
 God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath 
 revealed them unto us by his Spirit ; for the Spirit searcheth 
 all things, yea the deep things of God. For what man know- 
 eth the things of a man save the spirit of man which is in 
 him ? Even so the things of God knoweth no man but the 
 Spirit of God," 1 Cor. ii. 9 — 11. In these verses, even as 
 they stand in our translation, the attribute of infinite know- 
 ledge is plainly ascribed to the Spirit ; for it is asserted that 
 he "searches all things, yea the deep things of God ;" and 
 that he knows the things of God, just as the spirit of a man 
 is conscious of its own thoughts and purposes. It is often 
 asserted in Scripture that the counsels and ways of God 
 are unsearchable : but the Spirit of God searches and knows 
 them all. 
 
 Strong as are the expressions employed in our version of 
 this remarkable passage, some of the expressions in the origi- 
 nal are stronger still. The term rendered " the things," in 
 the phrases " the things of a man," and " the things of God," 
 is the Greek article in the plural, tu, without a substantive ; 
 and the substantive to be supplied is that which is used in the 
 preceding verse, rd (ii.6n, not " the things," but the depths 
 or deep things. In like manner, the word in the original 
 which is rendered " no man " is ovlsi;, no one, that is, no 
 created being. The whole sentence ought therefore to be thus 
 translated ; " For what man knoweth the depths of a man, 
 save the spirit of man which is in him? Even so the 
 depths of God knoweth no one but the Spirit of God." Must 
 not that person then be absolutely omniscient whose know- 
 
192 ON THE DIVINITY 
 
 ledge of the profoundest mysteries, of the most complex plans, 
 of the divine understanding, of the divine nature of the most 
 secret purposes of the clivine will, is so complete and so ac- 
 curate that one of the fittest similitudes by which to illustrate 
 it is the consciousness which the human spirit possesses of its 
 own thoughts and purposes. 
 
 It were irrelevant to object, as some have done, to the ar- 
 gument founded on this passage, that as the spirit of a man 
 is just the man himself, so the Spirit of God must just be God 
 himself. The objection is irrelevant and futile for this rea- 
 son, that it has already been demonstrated that the Spirit is a 
 person distinct both from the Father and the Son ; and for 
 this additional reason, that in the immediate context the Spirit 
 is expressly spoken of as a distinct person. " Now we have 
 received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of 
 or from God," r6 'zviv^v, v/. tw Qsov ; that is, the Spirit which 
 the Father was to send agreeably to the promise and in A'irtue 
 of the intercession of the Son. 
 
 It might have been remarked that there are other texts 
 which seem evidently to recognise the omniscience of the 
 Spirit. Such is the passage in Isaiah xl. 13j 14 : " Who 
 hath directed the Spirit of the Lord, or, being his counsellor, 
 hath tauglit him? With whom took he counsel, and who 
 instructed him, and taught him in tlie path of judgment, 
 and taught him knowledge, and showed to him the way of 
 understanding?" 
 
 I shall conclude this particular by adverting briefiy to a few 
 texts and expressions which seem to ascribe to the Spirit some 
 other divine perfections besides those already specified, which 
 furnish their fragments of evidence, if not complete and con- 
 clusive proofs, for the doctrine under consideration. The 
 exi)ression in Hebrews ix, 14, " Wlio through the eternal 
 Spirit ottered himself without spot," &c., has often been ap- 
 jilied to the Holy Ghost, and adduced as an argument to 
 prove his eternity. The argument, however, is exceedingly 
 problematical ; for it is more natural to understand the term 
 Spirit in this passage in the sense in which it is unquestion- 
 ably employed in some other passages in the New Testament, 
 as referring to the divine nature of the Saviour. But it may 
 be observed that when the Holy Ghost is called " the good 
 
OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, 193 
 
 Spirit," and still more when he is called, as he is often pre- 
 eminently and emphatically called, "the Holy Spirit," both 
 these epithets seem to be employed in that absolute and un- 
 limited sense in which the former is used by the Saviour 
 when he said, " There is none good but one, that is God." 
 
 Perhaps there is none of the divine attributes which is 
 better fitted to impress the human mind with astonishment 
 and awe, or which seems more certainly characteristic of 
 divinity, than almighty power. If this attribute is not as- 
 cribed to the Spirit in express terms, it is necessarily implied 
 in the works and operations ascribed to him ; and to the 
 consideration of these let us now proceed. 
 
 3. Here we may remark first, that his agency is represented 
 as concerned in the stupendous work of creation. " The 
 Spirit of God," says Moses, "moved on the face of the 
 waters." " By his Spirit," says Job, " he hath garnished 
 the heavens." " The Spirit of God hath made me," says 
 Elihu, " the breath of the Almighty hath given me life." 
 And, says the Psalmist, " By the word of the Lord were the 
 heavens made, and all the host of them by the breath," or 
 spirit, "of his mouth." On these statements, as on some 
 formerly quoted, it may be remarked that, in the absence of 
 all other evidence, it would have been diflScult to prove that 
 the Spirit mentioned in them is not to be understood of 
 some influence or instrument, but that knowing from other 
 evidence that the Spirit is a person, it seems evidently natural 
 and reasonable to apply them to him. 
 
 In proof of the divinity of the Spirit it may next be men- 
 tioned that he was the grand agent in one of the most won- 
 derful of all the divine works, namely in the production of 
 the human nature of the Saviour. " The Holy Ghost shall 
 come upon thee ; and the power of the Highest shall over- 
 shadow thee ; therefore, also, that holy thing which shall be 
 born of thee shall be called the Son of God." In this re- 
 markable text, the incarnation of Christ, a work which is 
 elsewhere attributed both to the Father and the Son, is not 
 only attributed to the Holy Ghost, but the Holy Ghost is 
 called, or seems to be called, " the Power of the Highest," as 
 if to intimate that all the resources of omnipotence were 
 deposited with him. 
 
194 ox THE DIVINITY 
 
 To the agency of the Spirit also we are taught to trace 
 the eminent endowments which adorned the Saviour's human 
 soul, and the miracles which he wrought during his personal 
 ministry. " The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the 
 spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel 
 and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the 
 Lord." (Isaiah xi. 2.) "But if I cast out devils by the 
 Spirit of God, then the Idngdom of God is come unto you." 
 (Matt. xii. 28.) The Spirit, too, is frequently represented as 
 the proper agent in the miracles wrought by the apostles after 
 the ascension of their Master ; and as the author of all those 
 miraculous gifts, so splendid and varied, imparted to them, 
 and to many of their converts. " I will not dare," says Paul, 
 "to speak of any of those things which Christ hath not 
 wrought by me, to make the Gentiles obedient, by word and 
 deed, through mighty signs and wonders, hy the power of 
 the Spirit of God." (Rom. xv. 18, 19.) " AU these worketh 
 that one and the self-same Spirit, dividing to every man 
 severally as he will." (1 Cor. xii. 11.) Each of the gifts 
 and operations referred to in these passages, bespeaks a con- 
 trol over the faculties of the human mind, or the laAvs of the 
 material world, not inferior to that which is implied in the 
 creation of those faculties, and the enactment of those laws ; 
 and each of them, therefore, betokens divinity. Accordingly, 
 in the text last quoted, sovereign will and omnipotent power 
 are ascribed to the Spirit almost in express terms : " All 
 these worketh that one and the self-same Spirit." 
 
 A work of a kindred character to those last mentioned, 
 is the supernatural revelation of the divine will, or the illu- 
 mination of those inspired men who were honoured to pro- 
 mulgate to others the counsels of the Almighty. This was 
 evidently a work demanding a jierfect and infallible know- 
 ledge of the divine mind ; demanding, in other words, the 
 possession of omniscience. But it is the Spirit who illumined 
 the understandings, and guided tlie pens and the tongues both 
 of prophets and apostles. " The Spirit of the Lord spake by 
 me, and his word Avas on my tongue." (2 Sam. xxii. 2.) 
 "Men and brethren, this Scripture must needs have been 
 fulfilled, which the Holy Ghost by the mouth of David spake 
 before concerning Judas." (Acts i. 16.) " Searching what, 
 
OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. 195 
 
 or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ which was in 
 them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings 
 of Christ, and the glory which should follow." (1 Peter 
 i. 11.) "For the prophecy came not in old time by the will 
 of man ; but holy men of Grod spake as they were moved by 
 the Holy Ghost." (2 Pet. i. 21.) "Which things," says an 
 apostle, in the name of his brethren and fellow-labourers, 
 " which things also we speak, not in the words which man's 
 wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth." (1 
 Cor. ii. 13.) From these quotations it appears that we must 
 trace to the inspiring afilatus of the Spirit not only the his- 
 tories and doctrines and precepts of the New Testament, but 
 the whole body of prophecy and of religious instruction con- 
 tained in the Old, and comprehending much which the human 
 authors have not attributed to him ; the history not formally, 
 or in express terms. Hence the common formula in quoting 
 from the Old Testament, " The Holy Ghost saith ; " and 
 hence it is said even of those messages in the New which 
 proceeded from the mouth of Christ himself: "He that hath 
 an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches." 
 To him also we are taught to trace all the multitudinous 
 ordinances and arrangements of the Mosaic economy ; and 
 we are farther taught that however imperfectly those ordinan- 
 ces and arrangements were anciently understood, and how- 
 ever frivolous and obscure they appear to us, there is in each 
 of them a hidden meaning and design not unworthy of their 
 divine author. " The Holy Ghost thus signifying, that the 
 way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest, while 
 as the first tabernacle was yet standing." 
 
 The renovation of the human soul after the divine image 
 is a work which, if less splendid and striking, is not less 
 difficult or important than the communication of miraculous 
 gifts or of preternatural knowledge. It implies not merely 
 a poweiF to influence its opinions and volitions, a power which 
 is possessed by other created spirits both good and bad, but 
 a power to etFect a radical change in its moral frame and 
 constitution, and to wield a resistless control over all its 
 faculties and aft'ections. It would seem, then, to be a work 
 which, not less than the creation and arrangement of the 
 material universe, requires almighty power, and unlimited 
 
196 ON THE DIVINITY 
 
 knowledge, and unerring -wisdom. If none else than an 
 omnipotent agent could have said with efteet, " Let there be 
 light," or reduced the material chaos to an orderly and beau- 
 teous world, or produced animal life in its humblest forms, 
 none else surely can command spiritual light to dawn on the 
 darkness of the human soul, or rectify and purify its turbu- 
 lent and. depraved principles, or infuse into it that spiritual 
 life which will run parallel with eternity, and capacitate it 
 for sharing in the felicity of the uncreated Fountain of being 
 and bliss. Eeason itself seems thus to intimate that 
 
 " The transformation of apostate man 
 From fool to wise, from earthly to divine, 
 Is work for him that made him." 
 
 On this point, however, the testimony of revelation is clear 
 and unambiguous. To convey an idea of the magnitude and 
 importance of the change implied in the moral I'cnovation of 
 the soul, the Scripture not only represents it as a resurrec- 
 tion from the dead, as a second birth, and a new creation, — 
 works to which omnipotence only is commensurate, but it 
 intimates expressly that it is an eflect the production of 
 which demands a divine agent. *' Now he who hath wrought 
 us for the self-same thing is God, Avho also hath given unto 
 us the earnest of the Spirit." He who hath produced in us 
 that temper of mind must bo divine ; the quality of the work 
 betokens the character of its author. " We are his work- 
 manship, created in Christ Jesus unto good woi-ks." It is, 
 in fact, to divine influence that we are instructed to trace all 
 that is spiritually good in man, " all holy desires, all good 
 counsels, and all just works." " A man can receive nothing, 
 except it be given him from above.'' " Without me ye can 
 do nothing." " Every good gift and every perfect gift is 
 from above." 
 
 While the moral renovation of the soul is often ascribed to 
 God the Father as the originator of the stupendous scheme 
 of grace and redemption, the Spirit is represented at the 
 same time as the proximate agent not only in the primary 
 infusion of spiritual life, but in all the subsequent changes 
 and processes comprehended in the progressive purification 
 and in the complete and final sanctification of the believer. 
 
OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. 197 
 
 Is it said that they who receive the Saviour are "born 
 not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will 
 of man, but of God," and " that of his own will the Father 
 of light begat us with the word of truth ? " it is said also 
 that they are " born of the Spirit," that they " are saved 
 by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy 
 Ghost." Is it said that God works in believers " both to 
 wiU and to do?" it is intimated also that the Spirit 
 "helps their infirmities, making intercession for us with 
 groanings which cannot be uttered," and that all the vir- 
 tues which they possess or exemplify are " fruits of the 
 Spirit." Is it said that they are " kept by the power of God 
 through faith unto salvation ? " it is said also that they are 
 " sealed by the Holy Spirit of God, unto the day of redemp- 
 tion." It thus appears that all those gracious operations 
 which are comprehended in the application of the Christian 
 salvation, and which are often ascribed to the Father, and 
 mentioned as characteristic of divinity, are ascribed to the 
 immediate agency of the Spirit ; and we are thus taught to 
 regard the Spii'it as a person possessed of sovereign will, of 
 almighty power, of unlimited knowledge, of unerring wisdom, 
 of boundless goodness, of manifold grace, and consequeiitly 
 of all other divine perfections and glories. 
 
 The resurrection of the body is not in itself a work greater 
 or more difficult than the renovation or regeneration of the 
 soul. But it is a work better adapted to strike and astonish 
 creatures like us, who are not only composed of matter as 
 well as of spirit, but who are so mvich under the influence of 
 the material part of their nature ; it is a work which, like the 
 other, is competent only to Omnipotence ; for reason as well 
 as revelation intimates that he only who gave life at first is 
 able to restore it, and that it is the exclusive prerogative of 
 God to " quicken the dead, and call the things which be not 
 as though they were." Hence this work is mentioned as a 
 proof that the Son is equal in power to the Father. " For 
 as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them ; 
 even so the Son quickeneth whom he will." But in this 
 stupendous operation also the Spirit is the immediate and 
 efficient agent. " If the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus 
 from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from 
 
198 ' ON THE DIVINITY 
 
 the dead, shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit 
 that dwelleth in you." (Rom. viii. 11.) 
 
 Such, then, are the works and operations ascribed in Scrip- 
 ture to the Holy Spirit. They are numerous and diversified ; 
 they evidently presuppose the possession of divine perfections; 
 and the argument which they furnish for his divinity is pecu- 
 liarly powerful, scarcely less powerful than the parallel argu- 
 ment for the divinity of Christ founded in the works ascribed 
 to him. It seems scarcely possible to conceive of any plau- 
 sible objection that can be urged against this argument, 
 unless it should be alleged that those works and operations 
 were delegated to the Spirit as a subordinate agent. Even 
 this objection, however, is manifestly futile ; for some of the 
 works that have been specified the Spirit is said expressly to 
 perform " as he will," that is, of his own sovereign pleasure, 
 and the same may therefore be presumed of them all. And 
 in addition to this, the answer made to a similar objection to 
 the argument founded in the works attributed to the Saviour, 
 would be here equally applicable ; namely, that admitting 
 those works to be delegated to the Spirit by One sustaining 
 in some respects a higher character or office, works which it 
 requires omnipotence and other divine perfections to achieve, 
 can be delegated only to a person who possesses omnipotence 
 and all other divine perfections. 
 
 4. It now only remains to advert for a moment to the 
 honours rendered to the Spirit. To prove that religious 
 worship is given him it is not necessary to appeal to more 
 than two passages of Scripture frequently appealed to in 
 discussions on this question, — the form of baptism prescribed 
 by the Saviour, and the apostolic benediction. " Go ye and 
 teach all nations, baptizing them in the name," or into the 
 name, " of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost." 
 " The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, 
 and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. 
 Amen." On these passages it Avould be superfluous to offer 
 a lengthened commentary. No great perspicacity is requi- 
 site to see that they each furnish a decisive warrant for ren- 
 dering divine honours to the Spirit ; and no little ingenuity, 
 or rather, no little disingenuity, would be requisite to impose 
 on them an opposite construction. In the one the Spirit is 
 
OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. 199 
 
 invoked as the author and dispenser of spiritual blessings ; 
 in the other he is acknowledged as the author of an impor- 
 tant Christian institute, to whose service in this institute, 
 Christians are solemnly consecrated ; and in each of them he 
 occupies the same elevated place as the Father and the Son. 
 
 Decisive as are these examples, they are not the only ones 
 to which we may appeal. In Revelation i. 4, 5. we meet 
 with the following remarkable invocation, " Grace be unto 
 you, and peace, from him who is, and who was, and who is to 
 come, and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne, 
 and from Jesus Christ who is the faithful witness, and the 
 first begotten from the dead, and the Prince of the kings of 
 the earth." The expression " seven spirits," or the " seven 
 spirits of God," as they are elsewhere called, is certainly 
 somewhat anomalous. But it cannot refer to created spirits, 
 either human or angelical, for those seven spirits are men- 
 tioned between the Father and the Son, and invoked along 
 with them for the most valuable spiritual blessings. To 
 whom then can the expression refer but to the Holy Ghost 
 himself? Nor wuU it appear unnatural that the Holy Ghost 
 should be represented as " seven spirits," if we consider that 
 the expression is used in allusion to the " seven churches," 
 and the " seven golden candlesticks," and if we consider 
 farther that among the Jews seven was the number denoting 
 perfection, and consequently that the Holy Ghost may be 
 represented as " seven spirits," to express the plenitude and 
 perfection of his gifts and graces. Allowing then that it 
 might have been illogical and unsafe to conclude, merely 
 from this passage, that divine Avorship is due to the Spirit, it 
 is both logical and safe to regard it as furnishing a subsidiary 
 evidence of no small force. 
 
 On this particular I shall just add, that when it is asserted 
 that to calumniate the Holy Ghost involves a guilt still more 
 aggravated than to calumniate the Son of man, and when, 
 farther, believers are represented as temples of which the 
 Holy Ghost is the proprietor and the inhabitant, in each case 
 it is assumed that he is a person entitled to the highest re- 
 ligious homage. 
 
 Having now stated fully the arguments for the personality 
 and divinity of the Holy Spirit, I shall take leave of the sub- 
 
200 ON THE DIVINITY 
 
 jecfc by adverting to the import of that appellation and to the 
 relation in which the Spirit stands to the other persons of the 
 Godhead. The Greek word irvivy.!*,, is rendered indiscrimin- 
 ately by the terms Ghost and Spirit ; terms wdiich have 
 exactly the same meaning, the one being of Saxon and the 
 other of Latin origin, and each in its primary acceptation 
 denoting breath, wind, or air in motion. Such too seems to 
 be the primary import of the Hebrew word rendered Spirit 
 in the Old Testament. The term is next applied to the 
 human soul, probably because it is supposed to bear some 
 affinity or resemblance to air, as a subtle and invisible sub- 
 stance. As applied to the third person of the Godhead, the 
 word Spirit could not be intended to intimate that he is 
 more spiritual in his essence than the Father or the Son, for 
 spirituality or immateriality is the property of each of the 
 divine persons. What then is its exact import? and what are 
 the reasons of its application? It is the general if not the 
 universal opinion not only of ordinary Christians but of theo- 
 logical writers, who admit the doctrine of the Trinity, that 
 the term is applied to Him partly if not principally on ac- 
 count of the relation in which he stands to the first and 
 second persons of the Godhead ; and that it implies that he 
 proceeds from the Father if not also from the Son, in a 
 manner somewhat analogous to that in which the breath of 
 a man proceeds from his mouth. " As the vital breath of a 
 man," says Dr. Owen, " has a continual emanation from him, 
 and yet is never separated utterly from his person, or for- 
 saketh him; so doth ilia Spirit of the Father and the Son 
 proceed from them by a continual divine emanation, still 
 abiding one with them." " To God," says Dr. Barrow, " the 
 name Spirit is attributed to signify his most simple nature, 
 and his most powerful energy; but the other substances of this 
 kind it seemeth also assigned to imply the manner of their 
 origin, because God doth by a kind of spiration produce 
 tliem, for wliicli cause, likewise, at least in part, we may 
 suppose that the Holy Scripture doth more signally and in a 
 peculiar manner assign that name to one Being, that most 
 excellent Being which is called the Spirit of God ; (that is, of 
 God the Father, which by reason of his priority of nature is 
 often called God, in a personal signification.)" 
 
OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. 201 
 
 Common as is the opinion expressed in those quotations, it 
 may be doubted whether it is Avell founded, or at least, 
 whether it has not been too hastily admitted. The term 
 Spirit difiers from the word Son in this, that in its etymo- 
 logical import, it is not expressive of a personal I'elation, that 
 is, it does not convey the idea of relation to any other per- 
 son or being. Still farther, to assert that either the Son or 
 the Spirit derives his essence from the Father, is to assert a 
 proposition, which to our faculties seems altogether irrecon- 
 cilable with their absolute eternity and their self-existence, 
 and consequently with their true and proper deity. On the 
 whole, then, it seems not improbable that the name Spirit as 
 applied to the third person of the Godhead, is not intended 
 to refer to his relation either to the Father or the Son, but 
 to express the spirituality of his essence, the mode of his 
 communication, and the nature of his operations. While it 
 may intimate that, like the other persons of the Trinity, he is 
 an immaterial and intelligent agent, a pure spirit, it may in- 
 timate also that like the human breath, he is in the economy 
 of the divine operations sent or breathed forth from the 
 Father and the Son ; and that like the wind, he moves and 
 agitates material substances, quickens, refreshes, and invigo- 
 rates the souls of men. And might it not be in allusion not 
 to the mode of his existence, but to his mission and oper- 
 ations, that the Saviour breathed on his apostles, and said to 
 them, " Receive ye the Holy Ghost ? " 
 
 The third person of the Godhead is often spoken of not 
 simply as " the Spirit," but as " the Spirit of God," " the Spirit 
 of the Father," and " the Spirit of Christ;" expressions which 
 many think are meant to refer to his personal or essential re- 
 lations to the Father and the Son. That they are not intended 
 to suggest any such idea it would be unwarrantable to affirm 
 peremptorily ; but the remarks already made render it at least 
 probable that they refer merely to his office, describing him 
 as the delegate or messenger of the other divine persons. 
 
 With regard to the epithet " Holy, " which is so often 
 applied to the Spirit, it can scarcely be necessary to observe 
 that it cannot be intended to describe him as holy in con- 
 tradistinction to the Father and the Son. Each of the 
 divine persons is possessed of infinite purity; and in that 
 
202 ON THE DIVINITY 
 
 which is infinite there can be no degrees. While the epithet 
 may remind us of wliat he is in himself, and may imply that 
 he is pre-eminently holy as compared with the holiest even of 
 celestial spirits, it must be applied to him chiefly on account 
 of his office and work as the author of all the moral purity 
 possessed by created spirits, and particularly as the grand and 
 proximate agent in the renovation and sanctification of men. 
 
 It may be added, that while the Scripture reveals to us most 
 distinctly the doctrine of the Trinity, of three persons in one 
 Godhead, a doctrine which necessarily implies that these per- 
 sons are connected by relations most intimate and inseparable, 
 it is not to be regretted that it is so sparing in its information 
 respecting those relations. The truth is, that the subject of the 
 reciprocal relations of the persons of the Godhead is one far 
 above the reach of our faculties; and except in so far as it seems 
 necessary to a proper apprehension of the scheme of redemp- 
 tion, it may be regarded as a matter of speculation rather than 
 of practical utility. Instead then of complaining of want of 
 information, let us mark the divine wisdom in what is withheld 
 as well as in what is communicated. Let us be thankful that 
 not only are the existence and the divinity of the Father, the 
 Son, and the Spirit fully and explicitly declared to us, but that 
 abundant information is also communicated with regard to the 
 parts which they respectively sustain, and the operations which 
 they perform in that stupendous scheme of grace, which it is 
 the grand design of divine revelation to disclose. Let us then, 
 without scruple or reserve, render divine homage to each of 
 those divine persons ; let us cherish for each of them the 
 warmest sentiment of gratitude ; and let us accept with 
 promptitude and cordiality the inestimable blessings tendered 
 to us as the result, whether of their combined or their separate 
 operation. 
 
 This discussion may be appropriately concluded with the 
 prayer with which Witsius commences his dissertation on the 
 Holy Ghost, in his valuable work on the Creed. The prayer 
 is ascribed to Cyprian ; and is distinguished by the beauty and 
 propriety of its sentiments, though the style is far too florid for 
 the language of devotion. " Come, Holy Spirit, and descend 
 from heaven upon us, who are looking up for thy benign in- 
 fluence. Sanctify the temple of our body, and consecrate it 
 
OF THS HOLY SPIRIT. 203 
 
 for an habitation to thyself; gladden by thy presence the 
 souls that are longing for thee. Prepare a suitable abode for 
 thyself; adorn thy chamber and surround the place of thy 
 rest with a sweet variety of virtues. Strew thy pavements 
 with fair colours ; let thy residence be beautified with spark- 
 "ling carbuncles and splendid jewels ; and let the perfumes of all 
 thy graces diffuse their savour within. Avert from it what- 
 ever is corrupt, whatever tends to waste or to defile ; render 
 thus our joy stable and permanent ; and let thy new creation 
 be confirmed for ever in unfading beauty." 
 
REMRKS ON THE 
 DOCTEINE OF TBE DIVINE DECREES. 
 
 BY ROBERT BALMER, D.D. 
 
 PROFESSOR OF SYSTEMATIC THEOLOGY TO THE UNITED 
 SECESSION CHURCH. 
 
REMARKS ON THE 
 DOCTRINE OF THE DIVINE DECREES. 
 
 In referring to the doctrine of the divine decrees, Dr. Ward- 
 law has expressed it as his opinion that the proper place for 
 the discussion of it is not at the commencement, but at the 
 conclusion of a system of divinity. It is somewhat remarkable 
 that this is the arrangement adopted by Calvin ; for in his 
 " Institutes," one of the most valuable of human systems, he 
 does not introduce the subject of predestination till after he 
 has given a full account of the great scheme of redemption. 
 And it is not less remarkable that in this, the example of 
 Calvin has not been followed by almost any subsequent 
 author, not excepting even those writers who have followed 
 him most closely both in his general arrangement, and in his 
 peculiar views and sentiments. 
 
 Like many other matters of arrangement, this under con- 
 sideration is one only of subordinate importance. Without 
 a gross violation of the principles of method, the subject may 
 be introduced and discussed either towards the beginning, 
 or towards the close of a theological system. If we introduce 
 it towards the beginning, we adopt what seems the most 
 natural, if not the most logical arrangement. We follow the 
 order of time ; and we follow what may be called also the 
 order of nature ; commencing with the purpose or plan, and 
 proceeding to the words in which that purpose is embodied, 
 and that plan evolved. On the other hand, to reserve this 
 subject till towards the close, has doubtless its peculiar ad- 
 vantages, and can hardly be regarded as illogical or unnatural; 
 
208 REMARKS ON THE 
 
 for after an account of the divine dispensations in providence 
 and grace, it seems abundantly rational and natural to remark 
 that all those dispensations have been predetermined ; and 
 then to consider the information suggested by reason, or 
 delivered in Scripture, relative to the divine purposes and 
 determinations. 
 
 This method is the more proper that our knowledge of the 
 nature and properties of the divine decrees must be derived 
 not so much from the direct information communicated 
 respecting them, as from the actual development of them in 
 the divine proceedings. As I do not intend to enter at great 
 length into the subject, I do not think it requisite to deviate 
 from the arrangement of our Shorter Catechism and our 
 Confession of Faith ; and shall therefore take the present 
 opportunity of submitting to you such remarks as seem to 
 me of greatest importance. 
 
 You must all be aware that, with the exception perhaps of 
 the kindred question of liberty and necessity, there is scarcely 
 any subject Avithin the range either of theology or philosophy 
 that has given occasion to more abstruse and difficult discus- 
 sion. Judging from the success which has attended the 
 eftbrts of those who have addressed themselves to the eluci- 
 dation of it, it might seem presumptuous and chimerical to 
 indulge the hope of placing it in a clear and satisfactory 
 light. The most vigorous human intellects have been ap- 
 plied to it, and have attempted in vain to disentangle it from 
 its difficulties ; and perhaps it is only in accordance wuth 
 truth that our great poet has represented it as attracting and 
 perplexing the faculties even of angelic intelligences. 
 
 " Others apart sat on a hill rctir"cl ' 
 In thought more elevate, and reason'd high 
 or providence, foreknowledge, will and fate, 
 
 ■ Fix'd fate, free will, foreknowledge absolute, 
 And found no end, in wand'ring mazes lost." 
 
 To entangle ourselves in the mazes of such a subject would 
 not be conducive to " the use of edifying." I have no such in- 
 tention ; and my principal object will therefore be, not to state 
 at length the common arguments for the Calvinistic doctrines 
 of predestination and election, but to make a few strictures 
 
DOCTRINE OF THE DIVINE DECREES. 209 
 
 on some of these arguments, and to specify certain modifica- 
 tions with which I am disposed to receive those doctrines, at 
 least as taught by Calvin himself, more particularly those 
 which relate to the decree of sinful actions or moral evil. 
 The observations which I have to make will perhaps be some- 
 what desultory ; but I trust that they will be perfectly intel- 
 ligible, and not altogether unimportant. 
 
 When employed in reference to men, the terms counsels, 
 purposes, plans, and decrees convey difterent shades of mean- 
 ing ; but they imply substantially, if not identically, the same 
 thing when employed in reference to God. If God be the 
 governor of the universe, all creatures, all objects, and all 
 events must be under his control. If he is possessed of in- 
 finite perfection, and, more especially, if he is eternal, om- 
 niscient, and unerring, he must act according to a plan ; that 
 plan must have been formed from eternity, and it must com- 
 prehend whatever exists, and whatever occurs in time. Hence 
 it is common to speak of all things whatever as decreed or 
 ordained by God. " The decrees of God," says our Shorter 
 Catechism, " are his eternal purpose, according to the counsel 
 of his will, Avhereby, for his own glory, he hath foreordained 
 whatsoever comes to pass." Strong and unrestricted as is 
 this language, it seems evidently to be countenanced by the 
 language of inspiration. " Of him, and through him, and to 
 him are all things." (Eom. xi. 36.) 
 
 While no intelligent theist can reasonably doubt that the 
 plans and decrees of God extend in some form to all things 
 without exception, and while in some sense it may be said 
 that he has predetermined or foreordained whatsoever comes 
 to pass, a little consideration may convince us that he has 
 not ordained all things in exactly the same sense, and it may 
 serve to throw some light on this dark subject, to point out 
 the difference in the mode in which difterent objects may be 
 said to be ordained or decreed. It may be remarked then, 
 that a decree seems necessary to presuppose an emotion of 
 complacency in the thing decreed, a wish that it take place as 
 in some account desirable ; and that, in the strict and most 
 proper sense of the term, an agent can be said to decree or 
 purpose only those things which are to be done by himself, 
 not the things which are done by another. In this strict or 
 
 o 
 
210 REMARKS ON THE 
 
 absolute sense tlie Almighty may be said to have ordained and 
 decreed all the changes and all the phenomena which take place 
 in the material universe ; for of all of them his agency is the pro- 
 per cause; they are all produced either immediately or remotely 
 by his operation. In this strict and proper sense it may be 
 asserted also that he has ordained the salvation, or rather what 
 he himself does in eftecting the salvation, of some of the human 
 race ; that he hath ordained the punishment which he will in- 
 flict on the disobedient and the unbelieving ; for by the very 
 terms of the proposition the things specified are the result of 
 his own energy. This department of the divine decrees 
 seems to be attended with no difficulty whatever. Men who 
 are ignorant, and feeble, and dependent creatures, can form 
 plans and intentions respecting their future conduct : how 
 much more must that be possible to him who is omniscient 
 and omnipotent, independent and infinite. 
 
 A second class of objects or events generally specified as 
 comprehended in the divine decree, consists of the good ac- 
 tions of men ; those actions which are produced through the 
 invigorating influence of the Holy Spirit, and which are implied 
 in the repentance, the faith, and the new obedience of be- 
 lievers. These good actions are evidently not decreed or or- 
 dained in exactly the same sense as the actions of Grod him- 
 self. Not tliat the result is less certain, or that it is not 
 anticipated with complacency and desire ; but that being of 
 a mixed and compound nature, the eft'ect partly of divine and 
 partly of human agency, it seems obviously improper to as- 
 sert that Grod appoints or decrees it in the same way in which 
 he decrees his own acts, or in which he decrees eft'ects flow- 
 ing solely from his own acts. With regard, however, to the 
 pious purposes and holy actions of the saints, there seems to 
 be no particular difficulty in conceiving how they should be 
 the objects of a divine determination or appointment. Lim- 
 ited as are the knowledge and the power of men, there are 
 yet innumerable instances in which they plan or purpose re- 
 sults dependent in part on tlie volitions and actions of their 
 fellow-creatures, and they plan or purpose those results with 
 unlimited confidence, as matters almost of absolute certainty. 
 Surely then it need not be thought incredible, that He who is 
 the maker and ruler of the universe, and who has " the hearts 
 
DOCTRINE OF THE DIVINE DECREES. 211 
 
 of all men in his hand," may be able to plan such results with 
 infallible certainty, and without infringing on the free agency 
 and moral responsibility of his creatures. 
 
 We come now to a third class of actions usually regarded 
 as being also embraced in the divine decree ; and with re- 
 gard to which the doctrine of the divine decrees is beset with 
 great if not with inextricable perplexities. I need hardly say 
 that I refer to the sinful actions of men and of other intelli- 
 gent and accountable agents. Into this branch of the subject 
 it will be proper to enter somewhat more fully. 
 
 It was the doctrine of Calvin, and of some of the most 
 eminent divines at the era of the Reformation, that those 
 actions are decreed or appointed by God in the same sense as 
 his own actions, or as those good works performed by men 
 under the quickening energy of the divine Spirit. Some of 
 those divines make little or no distinction between the manner 
 in which good and that in which sinful actions are predeter- 
 mined, and hence they have been seduced into the adoption 
 of language most paradoxical and alarming, if not profane and 
 shocking. It may not be agreeable, but it will not be unin- 
 structive or unprofitable, to produce some specimens of that 
 objectionable language. "God," says Calvin, "not only 
 foresaw but disposed the fall and ruin of man." "The 
 wicked perish not by God's permission only, but by his will 
 and appointment. " " The decree of God is the ground of the 
 untoward disposition of the wicked to the means of grace." 
 And again he says — " It is not consistent to transfer the pre- 
 paration for destruction to any other than the secret counsel 
 of God. " " The cause of men's hearts being hardened is the 
 secret counsel of God." "Necessity of sinning excuseth not 
 the sinner. " Such is the language of Calvin. Scarcely less 
 strong is that of Luther. " God does not will such and such 
 things, " says the German reformer, "because they are in them- 
 selves right, and he is bound to will them ; but they are equi- 
 table, or right, because he wills them. " " This mightily offends 
 our rational nature that God should of his own mere unbiased 
 will first harden men and then condemn them. " " God has no 
 motive for what he wills, " says Bucer, " but his will itself, ipsa 
 voluntas." Soon after the publication of Howe's admirable 
 treatise on the " Reconcileableness of God's Prescience of the 
 
212 REMARKS ON THE 
 
 sins of men with the wisdom and sincerity of his counsels, ex- 
 hortations, and whatever means he uses to prevent them," there 
 appeared some strictures upon it by Gale, in a learned and ela- 
 borate work entitled the '•' Court of the Gentiles. " One of the 
 principal positions which seems to have been asserted by 
 Gale in opposition to Howe, and asserted as the doctrine of 
 the most orthodox divines is this — " That God concurs by a 
 determinative influence to all the actions of his creatures, 
 even the most wicked." And from Howe's judicious and 
 temperate reply it would appear that because he refused to 
 admit this position he was accused of denying the doctrine 
 of God's universal providence. 
 
 Such is a sample of the phraseology employed by some of 
 the most illustrious of the Refoi-mers, and by many of their 
 immediate successors. Let us next take an example or two 
 from some more recent authors. " God intended sin," says 
 Toplady, " that he might magnify his glory, and spiritual 
 men see no absurdity in all this." In one sense this state- 
 ment may be perfectly correct ; but what he adds, if true, is 
 certainly not very intelligible. " God," he says, " is the 
 author of sinful actions as actions, but not as sinful actions. 
 Sin is a privation or negative eftect, and therefore can have 
 no positive or eflScient cause." " The decree of God," says 
 the pious Mr. Boston, " is not the cause of the fall of man ; 
 and yet the fall of man would not have taken place if God 
 had not decreed it." 
 
 To the preceding quotations, others perhaps still more 
 apposite might be added without much difficulty ; those are 
 adduced simply as a specimen ; and for this purpose they 
 seem amply sufficient. In oft'ering a few remarks on them, 
 I would begin by observing, what candour requires to be 
 carefully borne in mind, that in the works of most of the 
 authors referred to, statements of an opposite complexion 
 frequently occur, statements tending to modify considerably, 
 if not wholly to neutralize, those obnoxious declarations. I 
 remark next, that while some of those declarations may be 
 somewhat ambiguous, and may perhaps admit of a meaning 
 perfectly unexceptionable, there are others which, taken 
 according to their natural and obvious import, necessarily 
 involve the idea that God himself is the author of sin. Not 
 
DOCTRINE OF THE DIVINE DECREES. 213 
 
 only is he represented as decreeing sinful actions, but as 
 willing or desiring them, and as exerting a positive influence 
 in producing them. What less is implied in the assertions 
 of Calvin that " the decree of Grod is the ground of the 
 untoward disposition of the wicked to the means of grace;" 
 and that " the cause of men's hearts being hardened is the 
 secret counsel of God." 
 
 How far such language is sanctioned or countenanced by 
 Scripture I shall afterwards inquire. In the meantime I 
 must remark that, however profound may be the veneration 
 justly due to the memory of such men as Luther and Calvin, 
 and however great may be the tenderness or indulgence 
 with which their mistakes ought to be treated, yet to shrink 
 from censuring such language as that just quoted, — far from 
 indicating sentiments of enlightened gratitude and respect, 
 — would evince a spirit of tame and cowardly deference to 
 human authority. To represent God as in any respect the 
 author of sin, or as contemplating it with any thing like 
 satisfaction or complacency, is to subvert completely the 
 foundations of religion ; to render it impossible to regard 
 him with sentiments either of veneration or love. " Far be 
 it from God that he should do wickedness ; and from the 
 Almighty that he should commit iniquity. He is of purer 
 eyes than to behold evil, and cannot look upon iniquity." 
 Such are his own declarations ; and " let God be true, but 
 every man a liar." If then we are resolutely determined to 
 " ascribe righteousness to our Maker," and if we are thor- 
 oughly persuaded that " God cannot be tempted with evil, 
 neither tempteth he any man," we will surely shrink with 
 horror from the assertions that " the decree of God is the 
 ground of the untoward disposition of the wicked to the 
 means of grace ;" that " God of his own mere unbiased will, 
 first hardens men, and then condemns them ;" and that "he 
 concurs by a determinative influence even to the wicked 
 actions of his creatures." If, from an idolatrous respect for 
 names or parties, we scruple to reprobate those expressions, 
 we have not imbibed the spirit of the noble maxim of the 
 heathen poet : 
 
 " Nullius addictus jurari in verba magistri." 
 
214 REMARKS ON THE 
 
 A maxim, it may be added, still more emphatically incul- 
 cated in the language of inspiration : " Call no man master 
 on earth, or father ; for one is your Father, which is in heaven. 
 Neither be ye called master ; for one is your Master (or 
 teacher), even Christ." 
 
 To return from these practical remarks to the subject of 
 more immediate discussion, I may observe that in the works 
 of subsequent writers there is a gradual but most perceptible 
 shrinking or recession from the dogmatic and unwarrantable 
 language of Luther and Calvin, and others of the reformers, 
 on the subject of the divine decrees ; and that it is interest- 
 ing as well as instructive to trace that recession. With the 
 exception, indeed, of Vaughan, of Leicester, and a few others 
 who have embraced the principles of Antinomianism, no re- 
 cent author of any repute, at least as far as I am aware, has 
 ventured to maintain the positions of Luther and Calvin 
 without considerable modifications, or to affirm in express 
 terms that God exerts any direct or positive influence in the 
 production of the sinful actions of men. The doctrine which 
 is now generally received among divines of the Calvinistic 
 school is to this purport ; that while sinful as well as good 
 actions are decreed or foreordained of God, they are not 
 decreed in the same sense ; the latter being the objects of an 
 effective, the former only of a permissive decree. Such is 
 the form in which the doctrine is stated by Mr. Brown of 
 Haddington, in his System of Divinity, by Dr. Dick in his 
 Lectures, and by almost all the recent expounders and de- 
 fenders of Calvinism. This view of the subject seems to me 
 substantially correct ; but as the language employed to re- 
 present it is not perhaps altogether unexceptionable, it may 
 be proper to offer a remark or two on the phrase, permissive 
 decree. What, I would ask, what precisely is meant by such 
 a decree ? The expression, according to its proper import, 
 would seem to refer to an event which the author of the 
 decree foresees will happen, which he could prevent if he 
 pleased, but which he resolves to permit. But if so, the 
 permissive decree of an event does not differ essentially from, 
 the foreknowledge of it ; or rather, with the foreknowledge 
 of it, it conjoins an additional element, namely, the deter- 
 mination to allow it. If there be something more than this 
 
DOCTRINE OF THE DIVINE DECREES. 215 
 
 in a permissive decree, no advocate of the theory, as far as I 
 know, has ever given an intelligible description of what that 
 something is. Assuming, then, the definition now given to 
 be correct, a permissive decree, in strictness of language, is 
 not a decree at all ; for the decree ordains not the event which 
 is to take place, but something quite distinct from it, namely, 
 the conduct which a spectator and agent foreseeing it, deter- 
 mines to pursue ; and its essence consists not in a resolution 
 to produce the event, a resolution obviously superfluous, but 
 in a resolution not to interfere to prevent it ; and conse- 
 quently it is a resolution not to act but to abstain from acting. 
 
 Perhaps it is proper to mention that the divine decree rela- 
 tive to sinful actions is regarded by many theologians as at 
 once permissive and efficacious. " It is permissive," it has 
 been said, " with respect to the sinfulness of the action as a 
 moral evil ; and efficacious, with respect to the matter of it 
 as a natural act." This distinction, if not utterly incompre- 
 hensible, is at least not very intelligible ; and is any thing 
 but satisfactory. It may have a semblance of plausibility, or 
 a foundation in truth, in reference to external and corporeal 
 actions ; but it is altogether inapplicable to the interior and 
 invisible acts of the soul ; and properly speaking, it is of the 
 latter, not of the former, that moral good and evil are the 
 attributes. The will, or the deliberate purpose to perpetrate 
 a deed of wickedness is itself a sinful act ; an act out of 
 which it is as impossible to separate the idea of criminality 
 as to conceive of matter apart from extension. It is there- 
 fore utterly inconceivable how such an act could be eflSca- 
 ciously ordained or decreed without the ordination of its 
 criminality ; and hence it follows either that God exerts an 
 efficacious influence in the production of sin, or that the 
 decree relative to sinful actions is not efficacious, but merely 
 permissive, that is, as has already been shown, it is not a de- 
 cree in the strict and proper sense of the term. 
 
 It may be allowed, however, that the determination to 
 permit a sinful action may, in a lax and popular sense of the 
 term, be called a decree. It is a decree, not as implying 
 any complacency in the sinful action, or any causal influence 
 in producing it, but as implying an act of the divine mind 
 willing it, at least in one sense of the term. The existence 
 
216 REMARKS ON THE 
 
 of such an act flows necessarily from the fact that he who 
 foresees the action could prevent it if he pleased ; as he can- 
 not be indifferent to it, he may be regarded as willing it, — 
 willing it, however, not for its own sake, but for its accom- 
 paniments or results. 
 
 It can hardly be necessary to add that as the divine decree 
 relative to sinful actions comprehends a determination to 
 jjermit them, it must of course comprehend a determination 
 to uphold the agent in the possession of all those natural 
 powers and faculties without which such actions could not 
 be performed. It may be regarded as comprehending fur- 
 ther a determination to control him in the exercise of his 
 powers, to restrain his sinful volitions and actions within 
 certain limits ; and a purpose to overrule even the most cri- 
 minal of his actions, and to render them subservient to wise 
 and holy and beneficent ends. 
 
 Such seem to me the principal ideas implied in the divine 
 purpose respecting sinful actions ; and such consequently is 
 the only sense in which, I apprehend, it can be asserted with 
 propriety that sinful actions are decreed by God, I am not 
 aware that this sense has been accurately and satisfactorily 
 pointed out by any writer ; but as was formerly noticed, 
 later authors of the Calvinistic school are visibly dissatisfied 
 with the strong and unguarded phraseology of their prede- 
 cessors. In proof of this, I quote the following sentences 
 from Professor Stuart. " It seems to me," says he, " that I 
 perceive in nearly all who are sober-minded and judicious 
 men, a radical mistake in their conceptions respecting pre- 
 destination. They transfer to the analogies of the material 
 world ; and then they seem to feel, that it is but another 
 name tor fate or destiny. They conceive of a decretum abso- ^ 
 latum as involved in it, which, as they view it, is neither 
 more nor less than a decree without any reason, a mere arbi- 
 trary decision. With such views, they reject the doctrine of 
 predestination; and rightly, for it does indeed involve all 
 this."* While Mr. Stuart, in commenting on Romans viii. 
 and ix., has made several valuable observations, both critical 
 and theological, on the subject of predestination, it is yet 
 
 * Stuart on Romans, page 379. 
 
DOCTRINE OF THE DIVINE DECREES. 217 
 
 singular that he has not stated, at least in a precise and satis- 
 factory manner, what is his own idea of a divine decree. 
 But it can hardly be dovibted that he has run into an ex- 
 treme the opposite of that which he condemns, identifying 
 substantially the decree or purpose of God with mere fore- 
 knowledge. " God," says he, " must have always perfectly 
 known every thing that will take place. If he knew it with 
 certainty, (and if he did not, then he did not know it at all ;) 
 then is it uncertain whether it will take place ? And if it is 
 certain, then how does this differ from what is said to be 
 decreed ? The name decree,'" he adds, " seems to have car- 
 ried along with it a kind of terror to many minds ; but, as 
 far as I can see, it implies neither more nor less than divine 
 jmrjyose or divine tcill" Had Mr. Stuart forgotten that he 
 had just represented decree as identical with certain fore- 
 knowledge ; and was he not aware that there may be the 
 knowledge of an object where there is no purpose or will 
 respecting it ? 
 
ON THE GLORY OF GOD, 
 AS THE GEEAT END OE MOEAL ACTION. 
 
 BY JOHN MARTIN, D.D., 
 
 LATE MINISTER OF KIRKCALDY. 
 
PREFATORY NOTICE. 
 
 John Martin was bom at Balmaghie in the stewartry of Kirkcud- 
 briglit, on the 16th of November, 1769. His father, the Rev. Samuel 
 Martin, at that time minister of that parish, was in 1775 translated 
 to Monimail in Fifeshire, where he laboured for more than half a 
 century, a pattern of simple piety and ministerial faithfulness. 
 Mr. Martin received his tuition at home under the superintendence 
 of his father till the period of his entering college. In the year 
 1782 he was enrolled as a student in the university of St. Andrews. 
 After an attendance of four years there, he commenced the study 
 of divinity in the university of Edinburgh. Having finished his 
 university curriculum with honour, and passed with entire satis- 
 faction through the usual system of examinations, he was licensed 
 to preach by the presbytery of Cupar-Fife, on October 16th, 1792, 
 and a few months afterwards was ordained minister of Strathmiglo 
 in the same county. After foui-teen years of devoted pastoral labour 
 tliere, Mr. Martin, in consequence of the removal of Dr. Fleming 
 to Edinburgh, was removed to a wider sphere of usefulness in the 
 pastoral charge of the parish of Kirkcaldy, where he laboured with 
 indefatigable assiduity during the remainder of his life. The de- 
 gi-ee of Doctor of Divinity was conferred on him by the university 
 of St. Andrews, in consequence of a unanimous request from his 
 co-presbyters. Dr. Martin took an active part in prom.oting the 
 Bible and Missionary cause, and with a liberality not at that time 
 common in the Established church, opened his pulpit for pleading 
 their claims to ministers of whatever denomination, of whose reli- 
 gious chai-acter he had assurance. Dr. Martin had his full share of 
 "the chastisement of which all the children are partakers" — and 
 bore it with exemplaiy meekness and fortitude. As a theologian and 
 preacher Dr. Martin occupied a high place. He had few equals, 
 
222 PREFATORY NOTICE. 
 
 fewer superiors in his own or in any church. His death, which 
 was occasioned by his being thrown from a carriage, took place on 
 the 1st of September, 1837, and occasioned the deepest regret 
 throughout tlie wide sphere of his connexions. In the year after 
 his death a volume of his " Remains, consisting of Sermons, Essays, 
 and Letters," was given to the world — to which was prefixed a 
 well-written memoir, to which we are chiefly indebted for the 
 information contained in this notice. This volume, though pos- 
 thumous, is one of the most valuable contributions which Scot- 
 land has received in theology in our times, and its author takes 
 his place along with Binning, Halibui'ton, Maclaurin, Wither- 
 spoon, and Erskine. It is understood that there remain unpublished 
 a number of compositions not inferior to those contained in the 
 " Remains." It will be a subject of just regret if they should be 
 lost to the world. By the kindness of the family I have been en- 
 abled to enrich this collection of tracts with the following disser- 
 tation " On the glory of God as the great end of moral action," 
 which was written for and read before a society of ministers, for 
 whom also the essays contained in the " Remains " were originallj'- 
 designed. The whole of these essays, and especially that entitled 
 " Observations on the nature of Faith," are worthy of attentive per- 
 usal by all, especially by ministers and students of theology. 
 
ON THE GLORY OF GOD, 
 AS THE GREAT END OF MORAL ACTION. 
 
 On a regard to tlie glory of God, as the best and most power- 
 ful motive to pastoral fidelity and diligence, I have reason 
 to believe that a very useful and impressive essay was read to 
 this meeting before I had the happiness to be a member of it. 
 The light in which I now propose to consider this sacred 
 theme is more general : but at the same time, may, I hope, 
 be found not without its use, both in relation to our own 
 moral improvement, and to the important duties of our 
 peculiar station. What I propose is an attempt to ascertain 
 in what particular view, the glory of God is, and ought to be 
 considered, when it is proposed as the end or motive of moral 
 action. 
 
 When anything is considered in an aspect so important and 
 serious as this, it must be of great consequence that we should 
 have a clear and definite view of what is meant, and of the 
 manner in which we ought to be afl'ected by it ; otherwise it 
 can have no precise or useful influence over us, can lead to 
 no certain or permanent results. Now, though the bulk of 
 professing Christians have learned to speak of the glory of 
 God, as that which ought to be the chief end of their actions, 
 yet I am afraid it is rather by rote than reason, and that few 
 of them have any distinct idea of what is meant by the glory 
 of God, when the term is so used, or of the manner in which 
 his glory may be either hindered or promoted by their actions. 
 Nay, from the manner in which we sometimes hear the glory 
 of God mentioned in this view, even by Christian instructors, 
 
224 ON THE GLORY OF GOD, 
 
 one might be tempted to think that they had never formed any 
 clear or consistent notions concerning it. They appear to 
 resort to it as a known and apjiroved common-pLace, capable 
 of very general application, and which may conveniently sup- 
 ply the place of something more appropriate, but perhaps not so 
 easily come at. Yet while it has afforded some well sounding 
 sentences, and presented to the minds of the hearers an object 
 to which all bow as sacred, the speakers themselves seemed not 
 to understand clearly whereof they affirmed, or to discern the 
 relation which it bore to the subject with which they connected 
 it ; at least from their statement, no distinct perception of tliat 
 relation could be formed. This is attended with two evils. 
 While the statement is thus indistinct, and the relation is thus 
 left obscure or imperceptible, no useful impression can be 
 made, and no sense of obligation excited, by even so momen- 
 tous a consideration. And from this again, there is reason 
 to dread that professors, being accustomed in such instances, 
 to hear the glory of God spoken of in a manner that pre- 
 vents their perceiving their obligation to pursue it, may be 
 ready equally to overlook that obligation in other cases, and 
 to regard the mention of that glory as only words of course, 
 as a kind of theological slang, serving to fill up the time, or 
 round a sentence, but not meriting much attention in hearing, 
 or entitled to much deference in practice. And to this, per- 
 haps, may, in part, be traced that apathy and indifference 
 with which many can hear this most solemn and important 
 consideration urged. It has appeared to me, therefore, that 
 it would be of use to myself, at least, and to those whose 
 spiritual welfare is likely to bo, in any measure, affected by 
 my instructions, to endeavour to bring the vague and general 
 ideas, with which many apjiear satisfied on tliis topic, to some- 
 thing definite and precise. 
 
 If we attend, indeed, to what is, in the strict and proper 
 sense of the words, " the glory of God," we must acknowledge 
 that it is something which is altogether independent of us, 
 and which therefore cannot be proposed as the end of our 
 actions ; for that, which we can neither hinder nor advance, 
 it were evidently absui'd to speak of as an end or motive to 
 our actions. But nothing can be more certain than that this 
 is the case, with respect to the glory of God, strictly and ab- 
 
AS THE GREAT END OF MORAL ACTION. 225 
 
 solutely considered. For what is that glory ? and whence 
 does it arise ? It results from the exercise, and consists in 
 the display of the excellences of his own nature. But that 
 exercise and display, no creature, nor all creatures combined, 
 can either prevent or promote. They cannot restrain the exer- 
 tion of his perfections. They cannot render them more or less 
 excellent than they are. Though all inferior intelligences 
 should be so blinded as not to perceive tlieir exercise, so per- 
 verse as not to admire their display, his glory would remain in 
 itself tlie same, its intrinsic excellence undiminished, its real 
 lustre unimpaired. It would still remain the proper object of 
 delightful contemplation to himself ; as it is, indeed, the only 
 object capable of aftbrding him full exercise to his powers 
 whether of contemplation or of pleasure, the only object fully 
 worthy of them. Tlie brightness of the sun is not tarnished 
 though he that is blind cannot, and though those that ob- 
 stinately shut their eyes will not, behold it. Hence some 
 persons, whose minds have got just so far beyond the range of 
 ideas possessed by the common mass of mankind, as to per- 
 ceive this distinctly, think themselves entitled to sneer at 
 every one who asserts tliat the glory of God ought to be the 
 chief end of human action, as an ignorant and pitiful enthu- 
 siast. But they forget that, thougli, for the reason just stated, 
 the divine glory, in tlie strictest and highest sense, is, with- 
 out doubt, wholly independent of the intentions or actions 
 of creatures ; yet if the Deity has been pleased to enter into 
 certain particular relations to them, it is nothing inconsistent 
 with what has been said of his glory absolutely considered, 
 to affirm that in these particular relations, it n)ay be pro- 
 moted or impaired. His glory, as the Father of those who 
 have received the Spirit of adoption, is advanced by the 
 dutifulness, is hindered by the disobedience of his children. 
 His glory, as a Saviour, is necessarily connected with the 
 salvation of his people. Whatever obstructs their salvation 
 obstructs, in that respect, his glory. And could their salva- 
 tion be altogether prevented, his glory as their Saviour would 
 become an impossibility. Some, too, whose knowledge and 
 abilities certainly far exceed those of the sciolists just alluded 
 to, have loudly objected to the doctrine which affirms the 
 glory of God to be the object which he requires us to propose 
 
 p 
 
226 ON THE GLORY OF GOD, 
 
 in all our actions, and the great end which he pursues in 
 his own, that it represents him as a vain-glorious being, 
 childishly eager for adulation and applause, and influenced 
 in his conduct to his creatures, by a passion which we uni- 
 versally condemn in one another as ignoble, as unworthy of 
 an enlarged and virtuous mind. " Beware," says Voltaire, 
 in a speech which, with aftected zeal for the true honour of 
 the Deity, he puts into the mouth of a sage, who is held up 
 as a paragon of wisdom and virtue ; — " Beware of describing 
 the Almighty as a being that is greedy of praise, and jealous 
 of his honour ; as if, like earthly despots, he dreaded a rival ; 
 or felt the wretched want of applause, to which vanity makes 
 weak mortals subject." The object at which this covert 
 sarcasm points, is but too palpable ; and the saying has such 
 a semblance of truth and reason, that minds, which have not 
 thought accurately, and felt seriously upon the subject, may 
 be apt to receive from it a deep and dangerous prejudice 
 against the doctrine now in view. And sometimes, 1 must 
 acknowledge, I have been hurt at the manner in which per- 
 sons, who no doubt mean well, sjieak of the sovereignty of 
 God, and of his concern for his own glory. They talk, as if 
 he exercised his sovereignty only in disappointing the expec- 
 tations, and thwarting the designs of his creatures, however 
 fit or reasonable ; as if he vindicated and displayed his glory 
 chiefly bv ])urposely acting in a manner mysterious and in- 
 comprehensible, contrary to all the wislies, hopes, and con- 
 clusions, which the best and most enlightened minds may 
 have formed. 
 
 Such language no doubt asserts both the existence and^he 
 exercise of divine sovereignty : but it gives the idea of the 
 sovereio'ntVj not of pure wisdom and beneficent goodness, but 
 of that of' caprice, and cruelty, of the unworthy wilfulness, 
 which alike refuses to be guided by any reason in its actings, 
 and to assign any reason for them. Those who use such 
 huvnage, speak as if God inflicted disappointment, merely to 
 dis]>lay his power ; as if it were one of the chief objects of 
 his government, merely to perplex and confound his creatures. 
 But such persons preposterously form their rule from the ex- 
 ceptions, instead of the general case. They forget that, if 
 the wishes of creatures were truly good, and their conclusions 
 
AS THE GREAT END OF MORAL ACTION. 227 
 
 wise and just, it would be the glory of God, not to frustrate, 
 but to fulfil them: that in the great majority of cases, the 
 expectations of rational and dutiful minds are realised : that 
 if in any instance it is not so, this is only because there is 
 some important reason for it, which they have not access to 
 know, or which perhaps, though it were laid before them, 
 they could not comprehend ; yet which, did they know and 
 understand it, would command their unqualified assent. The 
 crude ideas, and unguarded language of such persons, give 
 too much countenance to those distorted representations of 
 scriptural doctrine, to which we have alluded. There is the 
 more cause, then, that we should endeavour to rescue that 
 doctrine from the misrepresentations alike of those who wit- 
 tingly and of those who unwittingly mistake and misstate it : 
 the more obligation, to show not only that it is a doctrine 
 according to reason, but that of all the doctrines which have 
 been proposed on the subject of our present inquiry, it is 
 the most reasonable. 
 
 If we attend, then, merely to the general question, What 
 is the end that God's rational creatures should chiefly follow 
 in their actions? that, I apprehend, will be best answered, if 
 we can ascertain what is the chief end for which he has 
 created and governs the world. For it will be conceded by 
 every one, who acknowledges the perfect moral wisdom of 
 Jehovah, that whatever he lias been pleased to make his end, in 
 the formation and preservation of all things, ought to be the 
 end proposed and kept in view, by reasonable beings, in every 
 particular case in which they are concerned. Now if there be 
 any criterion by which we may ascertain what is his chief end 
 in creating and maintaining all things, it seems to me to be 
 found in this, What is the end which all things, beings, and 
 events, of whatever description or character, shall certainly 
 and infallibly promote ? We can easily conceive, and we 
 know it to be true in fact, that there is a great variety of 
 particular ends, which the same objects may promote: and of 
 these we can easily perceive some to be more important, some 
 to be more subordinate ; nay some to be incompatible with 
 others, and to change in their incompatibilities with changing 
 circumstances. But it can be no imputation on the perfec- 
 tion of power and wisdom in the Maker and Euler of the 
 
228 ON THE GLOKY OP GOD, 
 
 world, that inferior should give way to superior ends, that 
 incompatibilities should not exist together ; in short, that 
 every subordinate end for which any being has been formed, 
 should fail in its turn, if weightier considerations so require. 
 But it were a direct denial either of his wisdom in arranging 
 the schemes of his Providence, or of his power in carrying 
 them into effect, to suppose that tlie one great and final end, 
 which all things were intended to promote, should, in any 
 instance, be defeated. 
 
 What, then, is the end, which all things must, and do in- 
 fallibly promote? It has been said, and it may by some be 
 supposed to be the good of sentient and intelligent beings. 
 But that this is not the case Avith respect to many individuals, 
 or even with respect to numerous and important classes of 
 the creatures of God, every hour's experience irrefragably 
 proves : for, in instances exceeding all computation, we find 
 that end, in so far as regards those classes and individuals, 
 not only defeated, but reversed. If again it shall be said 
 tiiat the chief end of the creation and government of the 
 universe, is the greatest good of the whole, tliough not the 
 particular good of particular classes or individuals of crea- 
 tures, this perhaps may be the case ; at least it is less 
 easy to be disproved. But with respect to tliis, it may for 
 one thing, be affirmed that it is the same, or nearly the same, 
 with the glory of God : for let it be assumed that his glory 
 is the chief end of creation ; then in what must that glory 
 consist, by what shall it appear? By what, but the excellence 
 of the grand results of all his works and dispensations, in 
 other words, the greatest possible degree of good. Yet that 
 the happiness of the creature, simply considered, is not that 
 end, the lamentable facts Avhich we hourly see, and which 
 have been already noticed, prove. Nay, did we attend 
 merely to the inference which tlie analogy of these facts would 
 lead us to form, we might be apt to question whether even 
 the supposed greatest good of creation in general, be at all 
 comprehended in the cliief end, for which all things are made. 
 In every other case, we reason from particulars to generals. 
 And if, in this case, we must admit that, throughout so vast 
 a variety of particular instances, the good of the creature is 
 not the final end of the Almighty's operations, it may seem 
 
AS THE GREAT END OF MORAL ACTION. 229 
 
 that we have cause at least to doubt whether it be his chief 
 object in the whole. 
 
 But for another thing, though it should be conceded or 
 proved that the greatest good of the universe on the whole 
 is the chief object of its Creator and Governor, it must be 
 granted that this is an end, of the relation between which 
 and his particular operations, we are altogether unqualified 
 to judge, or even to attain a perception. We can see, in 
 specific instances, the tendency of causes and events, to con- 
 sequences good or evil. But the good of the whole, and the 
 relation of all particular circumstances and acts to that, form 
 a theme too vast for human, probably too vast for finite 
 comprehension. It is, therefore, an end, to which it were 
 evidently vain to pretend that we can adapt our own actions. 
 For how the universal good oan be affected or unaffected, 
 promoted or obstructed, by the volitions and pursuits of 
 parts so minute as we are, who among us will presume to 
 decide ? But unless we can clearly see how our actions will 
 influence the attainment of this object, it were absurd to re- 
 quire that we should propose it as our end, and that our 
 conduct should be regulated by a supreme regard to it. It 
 appears, tlien, that the happiness of creatures, simply con- 
 sidered, is most assuredly not the chief end for which God 
 has made and governs all things ; and that it is not even the 
 greatest good of the whole, in any manner which we are 
 capable of apprehending, or to which we can pretend to 
 adapt our actions. But if we apply the test which has been 
 already specified, — if we inquire what is the end which crea- 
 tures and events, of whatever description, shall certainly pro- 
 mote, it is palpably and evidently, the glory of God. We 
 can, at least, easily conceive, if not clearly discern, the relation 
 between that end, and every particular fact that occurs under 
 the divine administration. For if the glory of God result 
 from the exercise, and consist in the display of the perfec- 
 tions of his nature, we can easily conceive how every being 
 and every event may afford occasion for the exercise and dis- 
 play of one or other of these : and if he superintend and 
 direct all things, we must be convinced that this takes place 
 in even the minutest incident ; in short, that this end must 
 and shall be attained, whatever be the actions, or conditions 
 
230 ox THE GLORY OF GOD, 
 
 of his creatures. For not to dwell on the obvious fact, that 
 the existence and preservation of the universe afford continual 
 exercise to what are called the natural attributes of God, 
 and present us with a continual display of them, let us re- 
 mark what is more immediately interesting to us as moral 
 and intelligent agents, that there is occasion, in every event, 
 for the exercise of his moral perfections too, and that these 
 shall be displayed and glorified, whatever be the character 
 and conduct, by which we, or other accountable creatures, 
 may be distinguished. Are they innocent ? His justice 
 and holiness shall be exhibited in their protection from evil, 
 and in the divine complacency of which they shall be the 
 objects. Are they eminently and actively virtuous ? These 
 attributes shall be glorified in the greatness of their reward. 
 In fine, do they continue in a fit moral state for receiving and 
 enjoying the eftects of his goodness? That goodness shall 
 be displayed in pouring out upon them tlie abundance of its 
 riches. Are they impure ? His holiness shall be manifested 
 in the detestation with which they are regarded. Are they 
 actually guilty? His rectitude shall appear in the exact 
 severity of their punishment. While thanks bo to his name, 
 we can add that he may take occasion, even from their guilt, 
 to glorify his mercy in pardoning and sparing them ; and 
 tlien to magnify his love, in crowning them witli everlasting 
 joy and honour ; occasion also, to exhibit more illustriously 
 the natural attribute of wisdom, in rendering the exercise of 
 mercy consistent with that of holiness and rigliteousness ; the 
 natural attribute of power, in accomplishing all the purposes 
 essential to their salvation. Indeed, to afford occasion for 
 the exercise, and opportunity for the display of the perfec- 
 tions of God, is an end, wliich all beings serve, whether ra- 
 tional or irrational, animate or inanimate. Between rational 
 agents and all other beings, however, there is this important 
 diftcrence, tliat, wliile the former, like others, must and do 
 promote God's glory, they are capable of discerning and 
 judging of that end, capable of proposing it to themselves as 
 the object for which they act. 
 
 But it may be objected, have we not admitted and asserted 
 that that end is altogether independent of us ? Nay, does 
 not the illustration, which has just been exhibited, prove that 
 
AS THE GREAT END OF MORAL ACTION. 231 
 
 God shall be glorified, let us will and act how we may ? 
 And it may be asked, does it not then follow that, if we are 
 to act merely from a regard to his glory, we may as well do 
 wickedly, to give occasion for the display of his justice, in 
 our punislunent, as believe and repent and obey with a view to 
 that of his mercy in our salvation? And most true, the glory 
 of God, absolutely considered, is wholly independent of us. 
 Its certainty and unchangeableness is secured by the un- 
 changeableness of his nature. But if, from tlie unchange- 
 able characteristics of that nature, he choose to be glorified 
 in one way rather than in another, in one attribute of 
 his nature rather than another, it is the privilege of rational 
 beings to discern this, and their duty to act for the attain- 
 ment of it. If, then, as the declarations of Scripture and 
 the dispensations of Providence unite to prove, he desires 
 to be glorified rather in tlie holiness and happiness of moral 
 agents in general, in the repentance and salvation of mankind 
 in particular, than in their sin and misery, — rather in his ex- 
 uberant goodness and saving mercy, than in his avenging 
 justice, it is our duty, as it is our interest, habitually to keep 
 in view this great and beneficent end, to co-operate with 
 God, and to be subservient to him with our every power and 
 faculty, in endeavouring to promote it in ourselves and others. 
 
 Here then is one distinct and intelligible view, in which 
 the glory of God may be furthered or obstructed by men 
 or other intellectual agents: a view, therefore, in which the 
 prosecution of his glory may be urged as a sacred duty. 
 Whatever tends to render moral agents morally impure and 
 therefore obnoxious to misery, tends to hinder (not indeed 
 the glory of God in general, but) the glory of his goodness 
 and his love in preserving and prolonging their felicity. 
 Whatever serves to prevent the faith, and repentance, and 
 improvement of human sinners, prevents, in the same pro- 
 portion, the glory of his grace in their redemption. And, 
 on the contrary, whatever confirms and heightens the excel- 
 lence of moral agents in general, the faitli and renovation of 
 human agents in particular, tends to further the glory, that 
 is, to attbrd occasion to the display of that goodness and that 
 grace. 
 
 Were this, however, the only view in which the glory ol 
 
232 ON THE GLORY OF GOD, ' 
 
 God is to be considered as the end of his actions, and the 
 proper end of ours, it might be demanded what advantage 
 do we obtain by speaking of this glory as a distinct end of 
 moral conduct, nay as something more excellent and ob- 
 ligatory than any regard to creatures ? Wliy not propose at 
 once the virtue and the happiness of the creature, as the end 
 for which we ought to act ? We may answer, that even in 
 this view, it will be advantageous to make the glory of God 
 our supreme end ; because as the attributes and excellences 
 of his nature are always the same, their proper glory must be 
 so too. To act, then, from a regard to it may be expected 
 to secure a steadiness and consistency of practice, which no 
 other principle can so well support : to preserve us from those 
 mistakes and errors, to which narrow and temporary views 
 would make us liable, did we look only to what might appear 
 conducive, in particular circumstances, even to the moral im- 
 provement of creatures ; and still more, did we attend merely 
 to what might seem subservient to their happiness. To all 
 which it may be added, that the awful majesty of the divine 
 attributes, if suitably contemplated, must command a rever- 
 ence, and secure, over our minds and conduct, an influence 
 which no meaner objects can maintain. 
 
 But there is still another, a nobler and more enlarged view, 
 in which the glory of God is to be regarded as the end of 
 moral action. Beings endowed with reason, and capable of 
 moral action, are capable of discerning, and, in a degree cor- 
 responding to the vigour and purity of their powers, of ap- 
 preciating the excellences of the divine character. But no 
 being possessed of a rational and moral nature, unless its 
 principles be utterly perverted, Avill deny that, in precise pro- 
 portion to the moral excellence of any agent or quality, 
 that quality or agent ought to be esteemed ; and not only 
 esteemed, but honoured ; that is, in other words, the esteem 
 which it excites should be suitably expressed ; for honour 
 ])aid is just the expression of esteem. The moral excellences 
 of the divine nature, then, being infinitely and absolutely 
 perfect, are entitled to j^erfect and unlimited esteem. So to 
 act, therefore, as to exhibit this esteem is the duty of all 
 God's reasonable oftspring. And their obligation in this re- 
 spect, is heightened to the greatest possible degree, when we 
 
AS THE GREAT END OF MORAL ACTIOX. 233 
 
 reflect that the connection of his moral attributes with his 
 natural perfections, renders the former of infinite importance 
 to liis creatures. He is not only a being of perfect holiness, 
 justice, goodness, and truth, and as such, entitled in the ab- 
 stract, independently of any particular effects of these attri- 
 butes, in relation to us, to the highest esteem and honour ; 
 but a being of perfect holiness, justice, goodness, and truth, 
 united with, and supported by omnipotence, omniscience, and 
 omnipresence. And the latter qualities render the former 
 infinitely important and interesting to all his rational crea- 
 tures, because they insure the efficacious exertion of them, 
 in the administration of every part of his government, and 
 convince us that, on the being in whom they are found, we 
 and the whole intellectual universe depend. 
 
 This unlimited esteem, of which the divine perfections are 
 the proper objects, and the suitable expression of it in our 
 conduct, will be found to imply the imitation of these exalted 
 qualities, and a cheerful compliance with whatever we dis- 
 cern to be the will of God, For the very sentiment of 
 esteem naturally prompts to the imitation of that which has 
 excited it. We would be what we admire. We would share 
 in the honour which we find ourselves constrained to pay to 
 it. We feel that it ought to be copied in our hearts and 
 lives. Imitation is, indeed, the just and natural test of the 
 strength and sincerity of esteem. And what we term God's 
 will, considered as a rule of action, is the expression of his 
 perfections united in taking counsel, and in forming deter- 
 minations worthy of each, and of all of them. Whoever, 
 therefore, has a suitable esteem for the perfections, will re- 
 gard with the profoundest reverence the will of God, in which 
 they all address him. 
 
 On what, then, do we insist, when we insist on a supreme 
 regard to the glory of God ? On nothing but what is un- 
 questionably most reasonable, that the highest excellence 
 should have the highest esteem, and that this esteem should be 
 exhibited by corresponding expressions. Indeed, it is evident 
 that, wherever there exists the esteem which we owe to the 
 divine perfections, these expressions will appear. I say the 
 esteem which we owe, not the esteem which is adequate to 
 these perfections. For, to esteem them adequately, we must 
 
234 ON THE GLORY OF GOD, 
 
 comprehend them fully ; and this what finite being can ? 
 The esteem which we owe, then, is the highest which we are 
 capable of forming. For if, even after our most exalted ef- 
 forts, we still come short, he, who does not his utmost, palpably 
 fails in his duty. We do not justice, therefore, to the divine 
 perfections, but Avhen we regard them with the highest 
 esteem that we can possibly conceive, our esteem far tran- 
 scending that which we pay to any otlicr object. Now that, 
 surely, which is the object of a sentiment so powerful, that 
 whicli holds in our minds a station so exalted, must exercise 
 over us the mightiest influence. In this view, a regard to the 
 glory of God consists in a due, that is, the highest possible 
 esteem of his excellences ; and to glorify him is to exhibit 
 this esteem. 
 
 Farther, thus to exhibit our regard to the divine excel- 
 lences, is not only the natural and obligatory result of a due 
 estimation of them, but is of much importance that others 
 may be taught and excited to think and to do likewise. We 
 all know how readily an unseen being may be forgotten. 
 Perhaps, it may be for the advantage of even the purest in- 
 telligent creatures to be from time to time reminded of what 
 they owe to the glory of God. But there seem to be few 
 means more likely to promote this end, than the exemplifi- 
 cation of that sentiment in the character and conduct of others. 
 Reasonable agents will more easily perceive, and more 
 strongly feel their own obligations, when they see them felt 
 and acted on by their fellows. And if this influence may 
 be useful to even sinless beings, how important must it be in 
 the case of those, in whose minds there is a principle prone 
 to withdraw from God, and to say to him, "Depart from us, 
 for we desire not the knowledge of thy ways." 
 
 It appears, then, that the doctrine of Christianity respect- 
 ing the glory of God. resolves itself into this most just and 
 reasonable principle. That the highest excellence should be 
 regarded with the highest esteem ; and that to this most just 
 and reasonable sentiment our actions should correspond. — Nor 
 will a mere regard to moral excellence conceived of in the 
 abstract, which some might ])roi)ose to substitute for the 
 divine glory, be ever equivalent to regard to that excellence 
 considered as existing absolutely perfect, in the character, and 
 
AS THE GREAT END OF MORAL ACTION. 235 
 
 exercised in the government of him, in whom " we live, and 
 move, and have our being ; " from whom all our happiness is 
 derived ; and on whom we and all things continually depend. 
 We know that virtue, even as imperfectly exhibited in a few 
 instances by men, commands more attention, and more 
 powerfully awakens our feelings, than in the most brilliant 
 and perfect delineation in the abstract. How powerful then 
 must be its influence, if justly contemplated as ever living 
 and ever acting, in the ever living and all moving God ! 
 In short, when we bid men act for the glory of God, we only 
 bid them act in such a manner as to manifest a just, a supreme 
 esteem for the excellences of his nature, a just, an unlimited 
 confidence in them. Now, if at this principle, the infidel will 
 still presume to sneer, he must begin with denying the exist- 
 ence of a God ; or, if he admit this, then to support his 
 scorn, he must deny either the perfection of the moral 
 qualities of the divine character, or the obligation of moral 
 and intelligent creatures to esteem them, and to imitate them 
 in practice. 
 
 But though this, perhaps, be the most just and exalted view, 
 in which a regard to the divine glory ought to influence our 
 actions, it is perhaps also a view too abstracted and refined, to 
 be easily apprehended by many minds ; too general, perhaps, 
 to be within their ability to apply in every case. It may be 
 useful, therefore, to set that glory, and a concern for it, in a 
 light more special still, a light in which it may without difli- 
 culty be apprehended and applied by all. And I do believe 
 that, in most instances, when Christian instructors urge men 
 to act for the glory of God, there really is a more special 
 view, in which they aim to recommend it ; though that per- 
 haps may not always be distinctly perceived even by them- 
 selves. At least to this conclusion I have been led, by ana- 
 lysing my own thoughts on such occasions, and endeavouring 
 to ascertain the object to which they ultimately tended. 
 And it is, That due honour he paid to God, as the moral 
 Governor of the world. In this character of the Deity, all 
 those relations in which we stand to him, that are most im- 
 portant to our personal welfare and happiness, are found. 
 Redemption itself is but a part of his moral government. 
 And as, in every case where the authority of a governor is 
 
236 ON THE GLORY OF GOD, 
 
 necessary, it is of importance that those over whom he rules, 
 should act to him with the respect which becomes his office, 
 it must be in the last degree important, that the great Gov- 
 ernor of the universe should be duly honoured by all his 
 subjects. And it will be found that the whole moral obliga- 
 tions of men and other rational creatures, whether in acting, 
 or in enjoying, or in suftering, are resolvable into this : that 
 every intelligent being is moral or immoral, his actions good 
 or bad, according as he feels and manifests a fit respect for 
 the supreme Governor, or the contrary. 
 
 The reverence due to a governor is founded, in a groat 
 measure, and in the first instance, on the importance of his 
 office. But it depends also on the excellence of the laws 
 which it is the object of his office to maintain and execute, 
 and on that of his own character, as affording one of the 
 chief securities for the proper execution of his office, from 
 the due administration of the laws. And in exact propor- 
 tion as those laws and that character rise in excellence they 
 are entitled to higher respect. In the case, then, of the 
 complete and unmingled excellence of Jehovah's laws, of the 
 consummate and unsullied perfection of his character, respect 
 is duo in the highest possible degree. In this case, there 
 exist none of those partial exceptions from prevailing excel- 
 lence, which sometimes make the best systems of human law 
 tlie topics of easy ridicule, even to persons incapable of ap- 
 preciating their general worth ; and Avhich too often reduce, 
 to the level of feeble and ordinary mortals, the characters of 
 the mightiest chiefs and most illustrious sages. 
 
 Now, in this point of view, it is evident that every act of 
 every moral agent docs, in the most direct manner, cither 
 hinder or promote the glory of God. Every such act either 
 accords with, or is contrary to that honour, which is due to 
 him as the Moral Governor, whose law is the supreme rule 
 of moral conduct. It is an expression either of fealty or 
 rebellion, of reverence or contempt. 
 
 It is no doubt true that, even in this limited view, the 
 glory of God shall be fi)ially and illustriously established, 
 whatever complexion the cliaracter of creatures may assume. 
 But the direct and immediate effect of every sin is to detract 
 from it ; of every act of duty and of self-denial to support it. 
 
AS THE GREAT END OF MORAL ACTION. 237 
 
 Every sin is an indication that we do not properly regard it ; 
 a declaration that we make light of the authority of his law. 
 It tends to confirm in ourselves, to excite and to strengthen 
 in others, the neglect in principle, and the violation in prac- 
 tice of all those obligations, by which we are bound to him 
 as his creatures and his subjects. And if we reflect how far 
 the practical neglect or contempt of divine authority that is 
 displayed in every criminal action, goes (farther perhaps 
 than may be generally apprehended) to encourage by exam- 
 ple a similar spirit, we must feel that a regard, alike to (xod 
 and to man, calls on us to act, and to bid our brethren act, 
 for the glory of God. 
 
 It is in the point of view which has now been brought 
 forward, that Grod himself appears to demand of us a regard 
 to his glory. " A son honoureth his father, and a servant 
 his master. If I, then, be a Father, where is mine honour ? 
 and if I be a Master, where is my fear ? saith the Lord of 
 Hosts." And a due regard to the absolute property, and 
 sovereign authority over all things, belonging to Jehovah, as 
 the Lord of the universe, contrasted with the vain preten- 
 sions of idols, is that which the apostle inculcates in the 
 comprehensive precept, " whether ye eat or drink, or what- 
 soever ye do, do all to the glory of God." 
 
 At the principle thus explained, Ave may again assert that 
 no infidel can scoft', unless he set out with impugning either 
 the existence or the moral government of the Supreme ruler ; 
 or will be so hardy as to acknowledge these, and yet main- 
 tain that there are better laws than the laws of God, to be 
 the rules of our practice ; an authority more sacred to require 
 our subjection, and characters better entitled to them than 
 that of the Deity, to be the objects of our veneration. If he 
 admit the government of God, the wisdom and perfections 
 of the divine nature, and of the principles of the divine ad- 
 ministration, he may dispute with us what, in a particular 
 instance, really is the Creator's will ; he may cavil at the 
 authenticity of what we assert to be a revelation of it ; but 
 he cannot object to our recommending a regard to the glory 
 of God, in other words, a concern that God may be duly 
 honoured, as matter of universal and perpetual obligation. 
 For, in truth, this is nothing more than to require that the 
 
238 ON THE GLORY OF GOD, 
 
 highest authority should command the most unreserved sub- 
 mission, that the most perfect hiws should receive the most 
 implicit obedience, and that the most excellent character 
 should be regarded with the most consunmiate veneration. 
 And when we thus demand what is morally good, as a tribute 
 to the divine glory, we have the advantage of placing it in 
 that light, in which its obligations must appear most sacred, 
 and will be most commanding. 
 
 We may hence discern the reasonableness of those repre- 
 sentations, in which God is spoken of as jealous for his own 
 glory, and as regarding the infringement of what is due to 
 it, with severe displeasure. Tiiese but expressively declare, 
 in the language of men, Avhat must eternally be, that the 
 Mind, whose unchangeable attributes are perfect truth and 
 reason, is concerned that reason and truth should prevail 
 over falseh.ood and folly ; that the latter should never sup- 
 plant the former ; and that the moral disorder and misery, 
 which such a perversion of the just course of things would 
 cause, may be prevented. To suppose the Deity iudilt'erent 
 to such objects, were to impeach his character, and to deny 
 his perfections. The man who is inditl'erent to them, is a 
 very wretch. 
 
 Hence, too, then, we have an answer to all the cavils, 
 Avhicli describe the sacred writers, and those who co]iy their 
 example, as attributing to God a mean and unworthy passion, 
 when they speak of him as concerned for his own glory, — as 
 requiring in his creatures a supreme regard to it, — as pun- 
 ishing with inflexible strictness, the neglect or contempt of 
 it, — as encouraging and protecting those who are devoted 
 to it. From tlie nature of things, from his own nature, he 
 must will that that, which is I'eally best, should be most 
 (esteemed by all reasonable beings ; that what is most entitled 
 to deference and respect, should be most honoured and 
 obeyed. Tlie man who is greedy of praise, may be a con- 
 temptible and unworthy creature, because he Insists on re- 
 ceiving what human nature can seldom merit in any great 
 degree ; and what probably, it may be evident, that lie, in 
 particular, never has deserved at all. The mortal who is 
 ambitious of power, and otiended because others do not sub- 
 mit to his authority, may be entitled to nothing but censure 
 
AS THE GREAT END OF MORAL ACTION. 239 
 
 and opposition ; because he displays an overbearing self-will, 
 and would subject to a very fallible, perhaps a pernicious di- 
 rection, the sentiments and conduct of his fellow-creatures. 
 But to condemn the language Avhich speaks of the Deity as 
 prescribing his own praise, and requiring homage to his own 
 majesty, is to assert that he ought to be willing that intelli- 
 gent beings, formed after his own image, should contemplate 
 the displays of consummate excellence, without any feeling 
 of admiration ; that he ought to be indifferent whether their 
 obedience and esteem be given to what is false, imperfect, 
 and vicious, or to what is true, and just, and pure. 
 
 Thus also, shall w'e be able clearly to convict of sin, of a 
 disregard at once to reason and to duty, all who are regard- 
 less of the glory of God ; to prove that, while they act a 
 part so unreasonable and unjust, they must be the objects of 
 the divine displeasure ; that they need a powerful atonement 
 to do away the past guilt of this master sin, from which so 
 many others take their rise ; and grace and repentance for 
 the time to come. 
 
 Thus too, we may, by the clearest and most forcible rea- 
 sons, impress on those who profess to fear and serve God, 
 their obligation to do all things to his glory, — to have an eye 
 to it in whatever they propose, — and even in suffering, to 
 maintain such a spirit and demeanour, tliat nothing may 
 escape them, inconsistent with the honour which is due to his 
 character and government. Here, in short, is a distinct and 
 easily intelligible view, in which we may inculcate on our own 
 minds, and on the minds of others, a supreme regard to the 
 divine glory, as eternally and universally binding. And to 
 a believer in revelation what is conducive to this, is never far 
 to seek or hard to find. He has but to turn to the law of 
 his God, and it is there. He beholds it in " all things what- 
 soever Jesus hath commanded him." For these he regards 
 as the authentic statutes of the supreme moral Governor ; and 
 he knows that he yields, or that he denies to Him the honour 
 which is due, according as he violates or obeys them. And 
 to the Christian, the obligation to glorify God, wdiich, from 
 the preceding statements, may be proved to be equally in- 
 cumbent on all reasonable beings, comes powerfully enforced 
 by what he ow^es to redeeming love, and the need, the 
 
240 ON THE GLORY OF GOD, 
 
 astonishing displays of the character of the Deity, afforded by 
 the economy of our salvation. 
 
 This consideration too must make him feel how much en- 
 hanced in him is tlie sin of indifference to his Maker's honour ; 
 how much cause he has to lament his forgetfulness of it ; how 
 much to pray for the teaching of the Holy Spirit, to make 
 his understanding perceive all that he owes to it, for the abid- 
 ing influence of that divine agent, that his heart may never 
 lose the impression of his obligations. 
 
 We may remark also, that the subject, which we have been 
 considering, may be employed to afford additional illustration 
 of some important topics, to which our attention has lately 
 been directed, on occasions of the same kind ; and may give 
 farther confirmation to others. The utter neglect of the 
 glory of God by the mass of mankind, and the frequent in- 
 attention to it on the part even of those who are renewed in 
 the spirit of their minds, are deplorable instances and proofs 
 of the exceeding sinfulness of sin. In the universal proneness 
 of the human race to forget God, and to let his glory pass 
 unnoticed, we may see one of the strongest evidences and 
 most degrading effects of our original and universal corrup- 
 tion. And these same considerations exhibit the importance 
 of setting the Lord always before us ; that by preserving the 
 impressions of his continual presence with us, we may habitu- 
 ally bear in mind our obligations to seek his glory. 
 
 It may not be aside from the purpose of these observations, 
 to observe farther, that even should we sujipose the good of 
 the creature, rather tlian the glory of the Creator, to be the 
 end which moral agents ought chiefly to have in view ; yet, 
 to make the glory of God, in the manner above described, 
 our immediate object, is tlie most certain, is the only Avay in 
 which men can rationally propose to accomplish the other. 
 We have seen that the good of the universe at large is a 
 theme of which we can be no proi)er judges. And even 
 Avhen we descend to the good of the creature in particular 
 instances, we shall find that, if wo attend solely to this, we 
 shall be liable to uncertainty in almost every step which we 
 take to promote it, to error probably in most. For confessedly 
 we know little of what is truly good' either for ourselves or 
 otlicrs. But if we believe that (jlod has issued certain laws 
 
AS THE GREAT END OF MORAL ACTION. 241 
 
 for^ our government as his rational creatures, and that, to 
 maintain this government, he exercises over us a reetoral and 
 judicial authority, we have cause to infer that the surest and 
 most successful mean to advance our own good, the good of 
 those immediately connected with us, and the good of the 
 vast intellectual whole, so far as it can be promoted by the 
 actions or volitions of parts so insignificant as we, is to obey 
 implicitly those laws, and to yield to that authority unlimited 
 reverence and subjection. For as we have the repeated de- 
 clarations of his word, that all his laws are for the profit and 
 the happiness of the individuals who practise them, the bene- 
 volence of his nature, combined with his wisdom, aflfords the 
 best reason to conclude that, in the structure of his laws, and 
 the conduct of his government, he has attended to general, as 
 well as to particular good ; and has given to his creatures the 
 most infalhble directions how both, so far as dependent on 
 them, may be secured. 
 
 In fine. Fathers and Brethren, let us ever remember that 
 the mighty object, of which I have presumed, though so in- 
 adequately, to treat, is peculiarly the object of our vocation. 
 That men may be recovered to a state in which they shall 
 possess capacity and encouragement to glorify God, "in the 
 manner which we have endeavoured to illustrate, and to ex- 
 cite them, in doing and in suflfering, to keep that end steadily 
 in view, is the purpose to which our labours should be zeal- 
 ously and unremittingly directed. If we lose sight of this, 
 we are as men who shoot without an aim ; who act without 
 an end, or not from the end which it is their business to pursue. 
 On the other hand, while we make this our object, we may 
 indeed fail, perhaps we may err, we shall certainly come short, 
 in the means which we adopt to promote it : but we shall, at 
 least, have the satisfaction of knowing that we are right as to 
 our end. And the more steadily we are enabled to follow 
 it, we have ground to hope that we shall be the more 
 successfully directed to the fittest means : both as a supreme 
 regard to this great end will sharpen our discernment to 
 mark, and quicken our promptitude to seize, the means most ' 
 likely to attain it ; and as it may be humbly expected that 
 He from whom we are exhorted to ask wisdom, will afford 
 the guidance of his Spirit, to direct to the best means, and to 
 
 Q 
 
242 ON THE GLORY OF GOD, fcc. 
 
 the best use of them, tlie minds of those Avho habitually and 
 dutifully hold in view the supreme end of their calling and 
 endowments. And may God indeed enable us, and all who 
 are called to serve him in the gospel of his Son, to live, to 
 pray, and to preach for this end ; that " he, in all things, may 
 be glorified, through Jesus Christ." Amen. 
 
BEIEF THOUGHTS 
 
 I.— CONCERNING THE GOSPEL, AND THE HINDRANCES 
 TO BELIEVE IT. 
 
 II.— CONCERNING THE WAY IN WHICH THE GOSPEL 
 BELIEVED GIVES PEACE AND HOPE. 
 
 III.— CONCERNING THE WAY IN WHICH A BELIEVER 
 
 COMES AT TRUE SATISFACTION ABOUT HIS 
 
 STATE TOWARDS GOD. 
 
 BY THE REV. SAMUEL PIKE, 
 
PREFATORY NOTICE. 
 
 Samuel Pike, the author of the following Tract, was born about the 
 year 171 7 at Ramsey, in Wiltshire. In his early life, in the obscurity 
 of a country village, he acquired the elements of literary and theo- 
 logical knowledge, and discovered that enlightened piety and that 
 love of truth, which characterised him through life. At a suitable 
 age he entered the academy in London for preparatory study for 
 the ministry. The learned John Eames, F.R.S., was his scientific 
 tutor; and Mr. John Hubbard directed his theological studies. 
 After completing his academical course, he became pastor of a 
 congregation at Henley on the Thames, where he remained for a 
 few years. In 1747 he was called to London, to succeed Mr. John 
 Hill, whose " Sermons " are still highly esteemed, as minister of 
 the Independent church meeting in Three Cranes, Thames Street, 
 and was soon after chosen (then a high honour) one of the preach- 
 ers of the Merchants' Lecture, Pinner's Hall. He also, for some 
 time, in conjunction with Mr. Samuel Hayward, conducted a course 
 of Casuistical Lectures on the Lord's day evenings, which was 
 afterwards published under the title of " Cases of Conscience," and 
 has passed through a number of editions. Some time after his 
 settlement in London he opened an academy, in which he instructed 
 a number of young men in the languages, in natural philosophy, 
 and in theology. In 1753 he published a work entitled " Philoso- 
 pliia Sacra; or, The Principles of Natural Philosophy, extracted 
 from Divine Revelation." The work discovered learning and in- 
 genuity, but being based on a false principle, has, like the other 
 illustrations and defences of Hutchinsonianism, fallen into not un- 
 merited neglect. In the year 1755, he published, under the title, 
 " A Form of Sound Words," an excellent analysis and explication 
 of the Westminster Assembly's Shorter Catechism. The- " Let- 
 
246 PREFATORY NOTICE. 
 
 ters on Theron and Aspasio," by Sandeman, first published in 1757, 
 attracted Mr. Pike's attention, and his study of these subjects led 
 him to modify considerably his views respecting the nature of 
 faith, and the manner in which it answers the purposes assigned 
 to it in the plan of salvation. This change of opinion led, through 
 a course of unpleasant controversy, to the termination of his min- 
 isterial relation with the church in Three Cranes' Court, in the 
 year 1765. Soon after he joined the Sandemanian or Glassite 
 church in Bull and Mouth street, who called him to the office of 
 the eldership among them ; he afterwards removed to a congrega- 
 tion in that connexion in Trowbridge, in his native county, where 
 he laboured with much acceptance, till the infirmities of a prema- 
 ture old age came on him ; and after a short confinement he died 
 in the spring of 1773, at the age of 56 years. Calumnious re- 
 ports were circulated as to his having contracted intemperate 
 habits, and it was said he died under a cloud ; but his biographer, 
 Walter Wilson, Esq., no way prejudiced in his favour by attach- 
 ment to his peculiar views, states that "he can assure his readers 
 that such reports were utterly without foundation; and that he 
 with great satisfaction takes the opportunity of publicly contra- 
 dicting a report so calamitous to the reputation of an injured indi- 
 vidual, and so unfavourable to the interests of religion."* In the 
 prospect of dissolution, the principles unfolded in the following 
 tract supported his heart. He was calm, I'csigned, and happy in 
 the faith of the truth, and the hope of eternal life, and instead of 
 his sun setting under a cloud it shone brilliant to the last. 
 
 The Tract that follows is composed of extracts from Mr. Pike's 
 writings. The first part of it is to be found in his " Dispassionate 
 Narrative of the Rise, Progress, and Issue of the Late Schism in 
 the church under the pastoral care of Samuel Pike." London. 
 1760. Pages 93 — 106. The tenth section does not appear in 
 any former reprint. The second part is taken from his " Free 
 Grace indeed ! " London. 1760. Pages 29 — 37. This part also 
 does not appear in any former edition of the " Brief Thoughts." 
 The third part is extracted from the same pamphlet, pages 62 — 78. 
 In the year 1790, the late Charles Stuart, of Dunearn, Esq., M.D., 
 the son-in-law of Dr. John Erskine, the friend of Andrew Fuller, 
 
 * History and Antiquities of Dissenting: Chnrclies, vol. ii. page 97. 
 
PREFATORY NOTICE. 247 
 
 a man who united in a remarkable degree, to use Dr. M'Crie's 
 words in reference to him, " the honourable feelings of the gentle- 
 man, the refined and liberal thinking of the scholar, and the un- 
 affected and humble piety of the Christian," published without the 
 author's name, the Tract, with the exceptions noted, under the 
 title of " Brief Thoughts." It was adopted by the Edinburgh So- 
 ciety for publishing Religious Tracts, founded in 1793, and foi-ms 
 the fourteenth of their series. It was also received into the series 
 of the London Eeligious Tract Society, and published in two tracts. 
 No. 294, 295, with the separate titles of, " Hindrances to believe 
 the Gospel," and " Rest in Christ." To the very neat edition of 
 the Tract published in 48vo, at Kelso, 1851, the editor, the Eev. 
 Horace Bonar, has appended as a third part, an excellent letter of 
 the late Henry David Inglis, advocate, " On holding fast the be- 
 ginning of our Confidence." 
 
 This Tract has been very highly estimated both by theologians 
 and by Christians,— the former admiring its lucidity and compre- 
 hensiveness as a statement of doctrine ; the latter delighting in it 
 as " the sincere milk of the word," most wholesome spiritual food. 
 There is an interesting incident in reference to it recorded in Dr. 
 Hanna's Life of Dr. Chalmers. Soon after the publication of 
 "The Farewell Address to the Parishioners of Kilmany," Dr. 
 Stuart and the author met in the streets of Edinburgh, and got 
 into a very animated conversion on religious subjects, particularly 
 the nature of faith and its functions in the saving economy. Dr. 
 Stuart was not quite satisfied with some of his friend's modes of 
 expression on these subjects, and the long conversation did not 
 seem to have removed the dissatisfaction. At last, just as they 
 were about to part. Dr. Chalmers said, " If you wish to see my 
 views clearly and distinctly stated, you will find them in a tract 
 entitled ' Brief Thoughts.' " " Why," said Dr. Stuart, " that tract 
 was published by me." Dr. Chalmers used to describe the whole 
 scene very graphically, and adduce it as an instance of hoAv men 
 may think they differ, while really they agree.* It is very justly 
 stated by the latest editor of the tract that " its great value is that 
 it states the Gospel with such point and plainness, that in the 
 simple statement of it mistakes are either prevented or corrected." 
 
 * Life of Dr. Chalmers, vol. i. page 370. 
 
248 PREFATORY NOTICE. 
 
 It is inserted in this Collection, not for its rareness but for its in- 
 trinsic excellence, and because appearing generally under the 
 humble guise of a religious tract, it may fail to attract from stu- 
 dents of divinity the attention it deserves, as a well-thought and 
 clearly expressed illustration of some of the most important and 
 difBcult questions in Christian theology, both theoretical and prac- 
 tical. In conclusion, I repeat the declaration I have made else- 
 where: "I consider these 'Brief Thoughts' as among the most 
 precious of mere human compositions, containing a singularly clear 
 scriptural statement of those principles which lie at the foundation 
 of those just views of the Christian method of salvation which are. 
 under divine influence, the great source both of holiness and com- 
 fort." 
 
BRIEF THOUGHTS: 
 
 I. CONCERNING THE GOSPEL, AND THE HINDRANCES 
 TO BELIEVE IT. 
 
 1. The word gospel properly signifies good news, or glad 
 tidings, and may be used to denote good news of any kind ; 
 but the gospel, eminently so called, is a message sent, or 
 brought to us from heaven of good things. The substance 
 of it is, to declare to the fallen, condemned sinners of the 
 human race, that Jesus is the Christ, who came into the 
 world to save the chief of sinners : that God hath given us 
 eternal life, and that this life is in his Son ; that God was 
 in Christ reconciling the world to himself, &c. All these 
 things taken together in their blessed and extensive import, 
 as centring in one point, are the gospel. And these things 
 are told us openly and freely, that we might believe that 
 Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God ; and that believing, we 
 might have life through his name, or in what is declared con- 
 cerning him as the Saviour. This gospel was preached to 
 Adam, in the first promise ; to Abraham, in its being told 
 him, that in his seed all the nations of the earth should be 
 blessed ; to Israel typically, in the whole system of sacri- 
 fices ; prophetically, in the psalms, and in all the prophets ; 
 and it is now exhibited to us, historically and doctiiually, in 
 the New Testament, in the relation it gives us of the birth, 
 life, death, resurrection, and glorification of our Lord Jesus, 
 and the account it gives us of the true and glorious design 
 of all these things. Were we to sum up the whole, we shall 
 find it to be, as to its general subject, a declaration of free 
 . and full salvation in Jesus Christ, addressed to lost, helpless, 
 
2.50 CONCERNING TUB GOSPEL, 
 
 and condemned sinners. The redemption obtained by Jesus 
 Christ, is presented to our view as quite necessary for our 
 salvation, as quite suitable to our condition, as quite free 
 for our encouragement, and as quite full or complete for our 
 supply. 
 
 2. This representation is so great and glorious, and con- 
 tains such joyful particulars, that one would imagine, it could 
 not fail of affording at once the most enlivening light, the 
 most satisfying hope, the most solid joy, and spiritual strength 
 and life to our souls. Such is certainly its nature, such is 
 plainly its tendency, and such is its real influence and effect, 
 wherever its meaning, its evidence, and its importance, are 
 understood and received. This we are certain never will be, 
 without the divine teaching or influence of the Spirit of truth 
 and grace. 
 
 However, hereby the most interesting message, and the 
 most gladdening tidings are brought us. This message some 
 neglect, others misunderstand ; some despise, and others 
 dispute it ; while many understand it so elefectively, that it 
 conveys no more pleasure or satisfaction to their minds than 
 if tliey had never heard it, or did not at all understand it. 
 So that many persons sit under the sound of it, who are very 
 little, if at all, enlivened, encouraged, or attracted thereby. 
 Tliis proceeds from some remaining difficulties or objections, 
 which still possess their minds, and obstruct the joy, satis- 
 faction, hope, and love, that would otherwise arise in their 
 minds upon the belief of it. For it is evident, that when 
 this was preached of old, they who heard and understood 
 it were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord. Acts 
 xiii. 48. 
 
 3. Let us therefore search a little into this matter, and 
 attend to the objections and difficulties which rise in the 
 mind ; whereby it comes to pass, tliat many receive no com- 
 fort and advantage to their souls by the declaration of it : 
 so that it proves in reality no gospel to them. For we must 
 necessarily take it for granted, that it is in itself a message 
 of great joy ; otherwise it would not have received the name 
 it bears. 
 
 It is evident, then, that to many these glad tidings do not 
 convey any pleasure, because they do not appear suited to 
 
AND THE HINDRANCES TO BELIEVE IT. 251 
 
 their wants and desires. It is to them a thing quite foreign 
 from their thoughts and wishes; and so they despise or 
 neglect it. One says in his heart, " If you could bring me 
 tidings of some worldly honours to be freely conferred, or of 
 some large sums of money to be freely given, this would re- 
 joice my heart. Or if you could tell me where and how I 
 might enjoy such and such sensual pleasures, this would be 
 very acceptable." 
 
 The language spoken by the hearts of others is to this 
 effect : " If you could assure me any way, that I could live 
 and indulge myself in sin, &c., with liopes of impunity, Avith- 
 out fear of death or hell, this would be very good news to 
 me." But it is evident, in both these cases, the sentiments 
 of the heart are directly contrary to the truth of God. For 
 the former account the world their chief portion, and the 
 latter esteem sin their greatest good. They do not perceive, 
 they do not really believe, the suitableness and importance of 
 the salvation in Jesus Christ to their souls ; and therefore it 
 does not wear the aspect of good news in their view. 
 
 To others, the proclamation of salvation only in Christ is 
 not good news ; because they do not see it to be quite ne- 
 cessary for them. They do not think their case to be really 
 so bad, as a full and free salvation intimates. They do not 
 apprehend themselves quite lost, undone, and helpless ; but 
 think they can, they must, and ought to do something to- 
 wards their own recovery to the favour of God. 
 
 As the free gospel opposes all such self-sufficient desires and 
 
 endeavours, it is therefore rather disgusting and offensive. 
 
 Such as these do not know either themselves, or the law, or 
 the true God. 
 
 4. But after all, there is another great reason why the 
 glad tidings of the blessed gospel do not convey any real 
 satisfaction ; and that is, because the proper freeness of divine 
 grace revealed is not discerned nor credited. The languao-e 
 of many persons is this : " I do not deny or question the pe°r- 
 fection of Christ's work, and the freeness of his redemption : 
 I have heard these things, and am persuaded of them, and 
 yet still I feel myself lost, and miserable, and helpless, and 
 do not find that all this conveys any pleasure or satisfaction to 
 my mind ; for I have still many objections against myself, 
 
252 CONCERNING THE GOSPEL, 
 
 and many doubts and difficulties in my mind in relation to 
 my salvation." — What these are, or may be, we shall soon at- 
 tend to. — But do you indeed believe the proper freedom of 
 divine grace ? How comes it to pass then, that you are not 
 encouraged by, and delighted with it, when it is certain it 
 must be so in any similar case ? 
 
 If a person in great want be told of a free supply ; or a 
 person in debt, ready to be arrested, be told of a free, able, 
 and willing surety ; could this fail of giving him pleasure, 
 hope, and satisfaction, on his hearing and believing it? 
 And if it did not, would not every by-stander judge, that 
 there must be some mistake or doubt in his mind about it ? 
 — There must therefore be some defect or mistake in our ap- 
 prehension, if we have not some satisfying hope produced in 
 our minds, from the free gospel, of full salvation in Jesus 
 Christ, for an helpless, undone sinner. 
 
 5. Let me then represent, as clearly as I can, what must 
 be, or may be, the mistake or doubt in the minds of many. 
 
 " The gospel affords not relief to my mind (says one), be- 
 cause my sin and guilt have been greater than many, than 
 most, or than anj^ others. Mine iniquities have increased 
 over my head, and my transgressions mount up to the very 
 heavens. Look where I will, I can find no relief; whether I 
 look backward, iuAvard, forward, or upward, all is dark and 
 dreadful. My case is so peculiar, my sins are so aggravated, 
 &c. I cannot apprehend that divine grace should reach 
 directly to such a one as me." I answer, Are any guilty 
 sinners excluded out of the proclamation of grace ? If they 
 were, the gospel would cease to be glad tidings, not only to 
 you, but to every one else : for we have all sinned, and come 
 short of the glory of God ; and if God should mark iniquities, 
 none could stand. You think that the gospel may be joyful 
 tidings to others, but not to you. But why so ? You say. 
 Because they are not so bad as I am, and have been. This 
 is the same as to say. That because others are in some re- 
 spects better than you, therefore they have more reason and 
 better ground, to hope in Christ than you have. But who- 
 ever thinks thus, it is evident, does not apprehend the grace 
 of God in Christ to be properly and directly free ; and he 
 imagines, that ho must be somewhat better than he is, before 
 
AND THE HINDRAKCES TO BELIEVE IT. 253 
 
 he may hope in Christ. But we are directly told, That 
 Christ came into the world to save the chief of sinners ; and 
 that this faithful saying is worthy of all acceptation ; and 
 consequently, worthy of your acceptation, whoever you be, or 
 whatsoever you have been. You «rre right if you think your- 
 self the chief of sinners ; but you wrong the grace and gospel 
 of Christ, if you think or say. That you are not as welcome 
 as any sinner upon the face of this earth to the redemption 
 by Jesus Christ. In truth, such despondent and apparently 
 humble confessions, if examined to the bottom, will be found, 
 when they obstruct our hope, to be no more than the con- 
 viction and the regret that we want materials for erecting 
 an altar to our pride ; that we are destitute of a justifying 
 righteousness, which we are anxiously labouring after ; they 
 are but the painful lamentation arising out of the disappoint- 
 ed desire of attaining life, as it were, by the works of the 
 law ; and they consist Avell, if we look into them seriously, 
 with the notion, that there is a great deal of good in our 
 hearts, in oiu- motives, if not in our actions, though there be 
 somewhat lacking, at the same time, to give us perfect confi- 
 dence before God. 
 
 6. Another may be saying in his thoughts, "But after all 
 that the gospel reveals, it is no comforting or satisfying news 
 to me ; because I remember, that Christ did not purchase this 
 redemption for all mankind ; neither has God purposed it for 
 all ; and therefore, though I know that those who shall be 
 saved, are saved by grace quite free and sovereign, yet I can 
 be no way comforted by this, because I have no marks or 
 evidences in my favour, to prove that I am of the number of 
 the elected and redeemed. I can therefore only entertain a 
 general possibility, that I may be saved as well as another ; 
 but this is far from being sufficient to afford peace to my soul 
 and conscience." I readily reply, It is a real and important 
 truth, that election and redemption are thus particular and 
 sovereign, not universal nor conditional. But remember, 
 though the redemption by Christ is not universal in its in- 
 tent-ion, yet it is so in its proclamation to be believed for sal- 
 vation. John iii. 14 — 19. Read over these verses, and you 
 may see, that here is good news, here are glad tidings in- 
 deed, presented to gain the confidence of poor helpless sin- 
 
254 CONCERNING THE GOSPEL, 
 
 ners. This free grace requires no previous marks or evi- 
 dences of our own particular election or redemption, in order 
 to afford immediate relief to the mind, in 'believing it to be 
 thus open and free. It is true, God by his word requires us 
 to believe the doctrines of particular election and redemption, 
 in order to give us a view of the sovereignty of his grace, 
 and to prevent us from thinking it to be any way conditional 
 or suspended upon any actings of ours. But yet it does by 
 no means require us to believe our own particular election or 
 redemption, in order to our hope God-ward. It presents 
 the redemption of Jesus Christ directly before us as full and 
 free ; and wheresoever this takes proper effect upon the mind, 
 conscience, and conduct, this is the proper and sure evidence 
 of our own election. For our election of God is known 
 by the gospel coming with power, &c. 1 Thess. i. 4. 5. 
 Say not then. Who shall ascend into heaven, to see whether 
 our names are in the book of life ? But look into the gos- 
 pel, and see whether thy name, as a sinner, be not there ; 
 and whether the grace therein revealed, is not free for thee, 
 and for any. 
 
 7. Another's thought may be working this way : " But, 
 alas ! after all you can say, or I can find in the word, about 
 the freedom of divine grace, it gives me no satisfaction ; for 
 I know that the work of the Holy Spirit is necessary to bring 
 the soul and Christ together ; and because I do not find his 
 influence upon my heart, I am therefore greatly perplexed, 
 and at as great a loss almost as if there was no such gospel 
 preached to me." 
 
 I answer. It is very certain and undoubted, that the 
 Spirit's work is necessary, sovereign, and eftectual. But 
 what then ? Must we feel or be conscious of any work of 
 the Spirit upon our hearts, before we believe the testimony 
 of free grace to the satisfaction of our consciences. If so, 
 this would utterly overturn the open freedom of the grace 
 of God ; and the work of the Spirit would bo so explained 
 and conceived, as to stand in opposition to the word of the 
 gospel. In my view, there is scarcely a clearer proof of the 
 necessity of the Spirit's work to show us the true grace of 
 God, than the continual propensity appearing in us, thus to 
 pervert it or mistake it, and to aim at placing even the con- 
 
AND THE HINDRANCES TO BELIEVE IT. 255 
 
 sciousness of the Spirit's work between a free Christ and 
 our souls. The Spirit's work is to show us the things of 
 Christ, and to make us know the grace of God in the truth 
 Bead the account given of his work and office, in John xvi. 
 7—11, and 1 Cor. ii. 9—19, where it is most fully explained • 
 and there you will see, that his work does by no means stand 
 m opposition to the freedom of gospel-grace : but, on the 
 contrary, it is a confirmation of it ; for he sets his seal to it 
 when he brings this free grace to our minds, and so gives us 
 peace and satisfiiction from it. 
 
 8. The mind of another person may be perplexed in this 
 way : " I can receive no satisfaction to my soul from the 
 gospel-report, because the Scripture says, 'Unless a man be 
 born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.' Now I know 
 not whether I am regenerated or no; I cannot find to mv 
 satisfaction that I have any principle of grace in my heart'; 
 and therefore I can have no true pleasure or peace, unless I 
 can some way or other be assured of this." In this manner 
 many souls bring in abundance of objections against them- 
 selves, and make the glad tidings of salvation in Christ of none 
 effect to them ; because they conceive, that a consciousness of 
 their own regeneration is previously necessary to peace and 
 hope God-ward. ' 
 
 But remember, such is the freeness of grace, that an as- 
 surance of our being regenerated, is no way previously neces- 
 sary to our resting our souls upon free forgiveness proclaimed 
 in the gospel. Suppose then you do not know your own 
 regeneration should this hinder you, should this discouraoe 
 you, from believing free forgiveness, and so enjoyino- a con- 
 scious interest therein by faith ? Remember likewise, that 
 so far as the thought of these defects discourages you, so fur 
 they intimate, that you are seeking your encouragement 
 some way m and from yourselves. But behold, all this 
 which you imagine you must be conscious of, to be^et and 
 maintain hope towards God; all this, I sav, is the effect 
 ot the faith of the gospel upon the mind ; for we are re- 
 generated by the word of truth. James i. 18. It is there- 
 fore a sense and sight of this free-grace-truth which lies at 
 the bottom of all the true change made in our thoughts, af- 
 fections, and conduct. 
 
256 CONCERNING THE GOSPEL, 
 
 9. But some may farther say, "Faith is necessary to 
 salvation ; now I cannot find any faith in me ; I cannot ex- 
 ert the act of trusting aright. I am not able. I have not 
 strength to believe." I reply. If by this complaint you 
 mean, that you cannot believe divine grace to be so free, 
 that you may directly rest your soul upon it ; that you are not 
 persuaded of the free ability of Christ to save to the utter- 
 most ; then I am called upon to offer evidence for it from 
 the divine word, and to prove it from thence to your con- 
 viction, on purpose that you may be persuaded of it, and 
 satisfied by it. 
 
 But if you still say, " I have no doubt about that ; only I 
 can receive no comfort from it, for want of having, and dis- 
 cerning faith, and its exercises and actings in my soul." 
 Then it is evident, you are now conceiving faith, and its act- 
 ings, in such a light as to be a sort of objection to the open, 
 direct freeness of divine grace ; and so instead of believing 
 it, you do in fact object to it. Whereas, if you did really 
 believe it in its proper view, you would not make your want 
 of anything in yourself (call it faith, or by any other name) 
 an objection ; but would directly have hope and relief from 
 what you believe concerning the grace of Grod in Christ ; and 
 being thus encouraged and relieved, you would then know 
 experimentally, what it is to hope, trust, love, &c., which you 
 strive at otherwise in vain. 
 
 10. But to conclude. Some may still say, " I cannot, I dare 
 not rest satisfied in the general hope of tlie gospel : Because 
 it does not, it cannot of itself (let me believe it ever so clearly 
 and firmly) assure me of my own particular interest in Christ, 
 or that I sliall be saved by him. The gospel is only a general 
 open proclamation ; it does not say directly to any one, you 
 are elected, redeemed, regenerated, or in a state of salvation." 
 This is indeed a very great entanglement to many minds ; and 
 it is often so impressed, as to render the gospel in all its glory 
 and freedom, of but little use to relieve or support the soul. 
 It appears very defective and insufticient under such appre- 
 liensions, and hereby many are so distressed, that they are 
 driven to esteem the gospel insuflicient, and to aim to intro- 
 duce or seek after something more than what is tlierein ex- 
 liibited, to raise, support, encourage, and strengthen the 
 
AND THE HINDRANCES TO BELIEVE IT. 257 
 
 soul. But I apprehend this arises from one or other of these 
 causes. 
 
 Either (1.) a defective view of the proper freedom of divine 
 grace ; or else (2.) a desire after and an eagerness for such 
 an assurance of salvation, as is neither necessary for us, nor 
 would be useful to us. 
 
 As to the First, What though the gospel proclamation is 
 open, general and unrestrained, why may it not exhibit a free 
 welcome, and afford an immediate ground of hope and en- 
 couragement, to any sinner as such ? 
 
 If many persons are bidden to a feast, and have all the 
 same welcome, is there a necessity for any of those to have 
 a more special right than the others, to make their way clear? 
 If then in the present case we take God at his word without 
 doubting or disputing ; we shall see enough in the free wel- 
 come to remove our discouragements, to satisfy our minds, 
 and to give us peace and hope ; without wanting or search- 
 ing for a better warrant or a clearer right than we have in 
 common as sinners, through the free gospel. The openness 
 and unlimitedness of it to sinners as such directly, is so far 
 from being an objection, that it is the very reason why hope 
 and peace is received immediately from it. Were it not so, 
 any particular person may well doubt whether remission and 
 salvation are proclaimed freely to him. But in a full clear 
 view of this freedom, any helpless sinner may say in his heart, 
 " The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want;" just in the 
 same sense, as a poor object that is clearly persuaded of a 
 free welcome to a well furnished table of a friend may say. 
 That person is my friend, therefore I shall never be starved. 
 
 And as to the other difficulty, it is of this nature. Per- 
 sons desire to have such an assurance of salvation, as is no 
 way needful at first for our hope God-ward. Were we to be 
 directly assured of our own special interest, particular elec- 
 tion and certain salvation, this would open a door for pre- 
 sumption, and an Antinomian abuse of the grace of God : 
 which the gospel abhors. 
 
 There is enough in the mere free gospel, to prevent all tor- 
 menting discouragement and anxiety, and to lay a foundation, 
 for the most cordial love and most cheerful and ready obedi- 
 ence towards God in Christ. And upon this principle all 
 
 R 
 
258 CONCERNING THE GOSPEL, 
 
 the exhortations to trust, love, and obedience proceed ; and 
 indeed without it, there could be nothing of any of these 
 things truly in our hearts or lives. As to our own particular 
 or special interest, there can be no true satisfaction about it, 
 but in trusting, loving, and obeying upon the footing of the 
 free gospel. Thus there is a security against any abuse, if it 
 be rightly understood : for a person cannot gratify himself 
 in any thing contrary to the rules of the word, without say- 
 ing in his heart, that something besides a free Christ is his 
 hope and portion. Whereas, on the other hand, while we 
 proceed upon gospel principles in our aftections and practice, 
 we shall not be destitute of the witness and seal of the Spirit 
 to our adoption. 
 
 The intention of all that has been said, is only to show 
 that the proper, immediate, unconditional freedom of divine 
 grace, is that which stands foremost in the gospel declaration ; 
 and that it is this wliich constitutes it properly gospel, to 
 poor, perishing, helpless, condemned sinners of mankind. 
 
 There is nothing previous to this freedom of grace, nothing 
 seen, felt, heard, or understood, that can aftbrd any degree 
 of true belief to the distressed soul, or guilty conscience. 
 While this mere grace is so rich, full, and free, that it is suf- 
 ficient in the hands of the divine Spirit to give immediate and 
 proper relief. Wheresoever this is properly understood and 
 really credited, in its evidence and importance, it is such good 
 news that it conveys peace and rest to the mind before God, 
 and so it is verified, " We which have believed do enter into 
 rest," Heb. iv. 3. And this comfortable satisfaction is such 
 as becomes the sjiring of all gospel love, patience, repentance, 
 and obedience, in a continued belief and view of this free 
 love proclaimed in the blessed gospel. 
 
 Neither are those true and important doctrines of dis- 
 tinguishing grace, any way opposite to, denied by, or incon- 
 sistent with this free gosj)el hope. For it is this free grace 
 gospel believed, or whicli is the same, it is the grace of God 
 in Christ known and believed which pacifies the conscience, 
 comforts the heart, strengthens the soul, purifies the aftec- 
 tions, and attracts to love and obedience. 
 
 Those who are thus pacified, comforted, &c., are true be- 
 lievers, who live by the faith of the Son of God, in a con- 
 
AND THE HINDRANCES TO BELIEVE IT. 259 
 
 tinued dependence upon and regard to Christ as their light, 
 life, joy, strength, and portion. These shall certainly perse- 
 vere, for God has by his Spirit, through the word, put his 
 fear and shed abroad his love in their hearts, that they might 
 not depart from him. 
 
 Blessed are they that know the joyful sound ; they shall 
 walk in the light of God's countenance ; for the more they 
 know of it, and enjoy the holy satisfaction flowing from it ; 
 the more they appear to be under the real influence of the 
 blessed Spirit of truth and grace ; the more evident both to 
 themselves and others, is their election, their particular re- 
 demption, their real regeneration and eftectual calling. For 
 God hath chosen his people to salvation through sanctification 
 of the Spirit, and belief of the truth, whereunto they are 
 called, by the gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our 
 Lord Jesus Christ, 2 Thess. ii. 13, 14. 
 
 And may the Lord the Spirit make every one of us 
 know more and more the excellency and glory of this free 
 grace, and remove those clouds that frequently interpose be- 
 tween the Sun of Righteousness and our souls ; that we may 
 be filled with all joy and peace in believing, and so may 
 abound in hope and in true holiness, through the power of 
 the Holv Ghost. Amen. 
 
BRIEF THOUGHTS: 
 
 ir. CONCERNING THE WAY IN WHICH THE GOSPEL 
 BELIEVED GIVES PEACE AND HOPE. 
 
 There is a certain central truth, which runs through the 
 VAhle from the beginning to the end, and which we may be 
 tempted to overlook or not to discern in its proper importance 
 and beauty, amidst a firm belief of all the distinguishing 
 doctrines of Calvinism, as they are usually stated ; and I 
 think of no better form of expressing it at present, than this, 
 ' Jesus Christ in all his grace and fulness, is declared in the 
 gospel for this very purpose, to appear as the only, the im- 
 mediate and the sure foundation of a lost sinner's hope, as 
 sucli.' Without multiplying words at present to expatiate 
 upon, to explain and prove, this principle, I woukl ratlier illus- 
 trate it by setting forth some of the proper effects tliereof 
 upon the mind and heart. This truth, I say, when clearly 
 understood and believed upon divine evidence, does immedi- 
 ately silence the objections and remove the discouragement 
 of the convinced sinner. Nay, the very belief of this truth, 
 evidently contains in it a conviction of the sinner's helpless 
 and hopeless condition in himself ; for otherwise, Christ would 
 not appear as his only foundation of hope. And when the 
 soul beholds Christ as his immediate and sure foundation, he 
 cannot but have some peace of conscience, and some encour- 
 aging sense of the divine free favour ; such as draws otf the 
 Iieart (in proportion to the efficacy of the truth upon the 
 mind) from self, sense, and sin, and produces a love to God 
 in Christ, and so becomes a princii)Ie of all gospel obedience. 
 So necessary is this trutli, that unless it be properly under- 
 
CONCERNING THE WAT IN WHICH THE GOSPEL, &C. 261 
 
 stood and cordially believed, all the other doctrines of the 
 word can have very little efficacy upon the mind ; yea, no 
 evangelical effect at all. But if this truth be received, or 
 introduced into the conscience, all the other doctrines of the 
 word will be found not only consistent with it, but connected 
 with it, illustrated by it and subservient to it. This central 
 doctrine is what is more emphatically called the Truth or the 
 Gospel ; and stands distinguished from the other truths of the 
 word in several passages of sacred writ. For instance, is the 
 doctrine of particular election a gospel truth ? We are said to 
 be "chosen to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and 
 belief of the truth." Is the doctrine of regeneration a divine 
 truth ? We are said to be " begotten, through " the gospel, or 
 with " the word of truth." As to adoption, it is said, " we are all 
 the children of God, by faith in Christ Jesus." As to sanctifi- 
 cation, it is said, we are " sanctified through the truth :" and 
 as to perseverance, it is plain, we are " kept by the power of 
 God, through faith unto salvation ;" and so as to spiritual 
 consolation, it is evident, we are "filled with all joy and peace 
 in believing." This central truth is the principal and proper 
 matter of faith, and Christ or God in Christ appearing in it, 
 is the proper and only object of faith. In beholding and be- 
 lieving the absolute necessity, entire perfection and the im- 
 mediate unconditional freeness of God's grace in Christ, we 
 have our self-righteous confidence opposed and suppressed, 
 and have the discouragements of our souls in measure re- 
 moved. In this truth we have Christ and all his salvation 
 brought near, exceedingly, immediately near to our souls 
 and to our case ; so that nothing appears to stand between 
 him and us, however unworthy, guilty, polluted and miser- 
 able we have been ; and therefore as soon as ever it is rightly 
 perceived, and actually believed, we " being justified by faith, 
 have peace with God, through our Lord Jesus Christ, and 
 rejoice in hope of the glory of God." 
 
 It is evident I am not here pleading for what is commonly 
 called a bare historical faith, wherein a person looks upon 
 himself as a sort of a bystander with respect to the matter of 
 his faith ; for wdiosoever does not see that the gospel report 
 points directly at him and at his own case, cannot be said to 
 apprehend the truth in its proper light. It is indeed certain, 
 
262 CONCERNING TUB WAY IN WHICH THE GOSPEL 
 
 that almost every other doctrine may be perceived in a kind 
 of speculative or historical manner ; a person may believe 
 and contemplate the doctrines of particular election and re- 
 demption as a bystander, because he does not see his own 
 immediate personal concern in it. The same may be said 
 of the doctrines of efficacious grace and of the saints' perse- 
 verance. If a person does not see that what the gospel says 
 of Christ and salvation by him is entirely necessary for 
 him, exactly suited to his case, and free for his use, he is still 
 kept at some distance ; apprehending the doctrines of grace 
 to be little more than a general declaration of what God 
 intends to do or has done upon or for some sinners, with- 
 out seeing any personal concern of his own in the matter. 
 
 I am very sensible that the doctrines of the Bible are often 
 conceived in such a light as to become a sort of objection 
 against the open freeness of the hope held forth in the gospel: 
 for we are very ready to say in our mind, that since God 
 does not tell us who in particular were elected and redeemed, 
 or who shall be wrought upon eftectually, &c., therefore a 
 person must be sensible of some visible or real change passed 
 upon him for the better, before he may or can venture to 
 receive any degree of satisfying hope in Christ Jesus revealed 
 in the gospel. But if we can recollect that ])artieular elec- 
 tion and redemption, and that the operations of the Spirit 
 are intended to bring sinners to know and embrace this hope 
 of the gospel ; it will then appear that all these doctrines 
 are rather a confirmation of, than an objection against, this 
 blessed hope. For the conscientious belief of this gospel 
 truth, is above and contrary to our natures ; as it draws us 
 oft" from all that which we are naturally attached to and 
 fond of. We are always inclined to oppose, mistake, despise 
 or suspect this hope ; and are very ready to xinderstand the 
 ffospel, in such a light as leaves some room for self-depend- 
 ence, self-indulgence, or for entertaining some delusive hopes. 
 For these reasons, together witli otiiers, there is an entire 
 necessity for tlie divine agency of the Holy Spirit, to intro- 
 duce it into our consciences and maintain it in our hearts. 
 I might here further observe, that tliis truth makes the gos- 
 pel-hope appear so free and humbling, that we naturally 
 scorn it, as it sets us all upon a level before God : that it 
 
BELIEVED GIVES PEACE AND HOPE. 263 
 
 appears to lis to be very defective, narrow, weak and foolish, 
 because it does not give us directly such a full satisfaction 
 concerning our own special interest, as should leave us in a 
 kind of state of safety somewhat independent upon God in 
 Christ believed on : that it is offensive to our corrupted 
 nature, because it obliges us to live so near to and so con- 
 stantly dependent upon an infinitely holy and sovereign God. 
 In a word, our natural wish and desire is, to have something 
 in ourselves to be a groimd and reason of peace and hope 
 towards God ; and therefore we are fond of leaning upon 
 and desirous to prop up some such kind of hope ; while we 
 are averse to and suspicious of that sure foundation which 
 God has laid in Zion, because it is something distinct from 
 the consideration of any thing in ourselves. All these 
 things, with many more, concur to render it necessary for a 
 divine almighty agency to be employed in writing this truth 
 upon our hearts. But when this supernatural truth is made 
 by the Spirit to take possession of our souls, it draws us oti' 
 from our natural wish and desire, from self-dependence and 
 self-indulgence, and leads us to look to and live upon God 
 in Christ as our only and entire hope and portion, as our 
 free refuge and sanctuary. Hereupon there begin to appear 
 some evidences of our particular election and redemption. 
 The immortal seed of the word is sown in the heart, a new 
 principle introduced, a new spring of aftections and actions 
 is given ; whereby the soul is rendered" capable of holding 
 communion with God, and aims from this hope and love after 
 conformity to Christ. And as such things as these appear 
 and advance in the affections and conduct, the evidences of 
 a special interest in Christ are discovered. Not that this 
 person's hope, pleasure and satisfaction arises only or chiefly 
 from these evidences of interest ; but from the glory, perfec- 
 tion and freeness of divine grace appearing in a revealed 
 Christ. For it is this which he has all along in his eye, for 
 his hope and dependence, while he advances forward in 
 bringing forth such fruits of faith as show him to be a disci- 
 ple of Christ. In proportion then as the believer is favoured 
 with this satisfaction from the freeness of divine grace re- 
 vealed, the fruits of it appear ; and in that proportion his 
 evidences are brightened : but as these things decline, his 
 evidences of interest disappear. 
 
264 CONCERNING THE WAT IN WHICH THE GOSPEL 
 
 I am very sensible after all that has been said, that the 
 turning, pinching point lies in this question : * Is it possible 
 for that truth, which has a uniform aspect towards all 
 sinners as such, and which is as true concerning those that 
 perish as those that are saved, to give any solid satisfaction, 
 or to aftbrd solid hope to any individual?' 
 
 An answer to this question in the affirmative, may readily be 
 accounted very enthusiastical ; and the laying any stress upon 
 such a truth for satisfying peace and hope, may be thought 
 both unaccountable and dangerous ; as if tliere could not be 
 sufficient in it, to bear the weight tliat is laid upon it. But 
 let not our reason at once boldly judge it to be impossible ! 
 Who knows what the wisdom of God can contrive and de- 
 clare ? And I hope to make it appear both from fact, from 
 doctrine and from experience, that this is the very case with 
 respect to the important doctrine before us. Unless there 
 be a truth in this, the gospel cannot be accounted glad tid- 
 ings of great joy to all people : the joy of the primitive 
 Christians upon their first apprehending and believing the 
 gospel, will appear to be without a proper foundation. And 
 unless there be some solid joy and peace to be had from the 
 pure gospel believed, we could never be able to perform any 
 duties, or exercise any graces in an evangelical way, until 
 we could arrive at some assurance of our own personal inter- 
 est ; but how any such assurance can be had, before evan- 
 gelical duties are performed, or gospel experiences felt, is 
 not conceivable. 
 
 But after all, it will still be inquired, Is it possible for a 
 person to receive any solid satisfaction from a doctrine that 
 is as true concerning those that perish, as those that are 
 saved ? I answer, wo need not look fiir for proper simili- 
 tudes to illustrate this matter by. If two persons are under 
 the same disease, and both of them are told of the same free 
 remedy ; he that upon the relation believes the remedy to 
 be effi:;ctual and free, is immediately comforted in his mind 
 with hopes of a cure, and accordingly applies ; while he that 
 suspects cither the efficacy or frceness of it, receives no 
 relief to his mind about it, and perhaps perishes under the 
 disease; though the remedy was as eliectual in its nature, 
 and as free in itself, with respect to his case as to the other's. 
 
BELIEVED GIVES PEACE AND HOPE. 265 
 
 I might add a variety of similar comparisons, borrowed both 
 from nature and scripture, to exemplify or familiarize this 
 subject : such as a testimony concerning a free gift to be 
 received ; a free prop to lean upon, &c. Now in such cases 
 as these, it is certain, that if a person's mind be not in some 
 measure relieved, pacified and encouraged by such a report, 
 he does not really believe it, however he may profess it ; but 
 entertains some objections or scruples in his mind about it, 
 unless he be supposed to be absolutely stupid and uncon- 
 cerned about his own disease, want, or danger ; in which 
 case it is plain, he is not apprized of the necessity of such a 
 relief for himself. Now when a person receives his hop© 
 and peace from such a free open testimony, he is not relieved 
 by the thought of any difference between him and another, 
 to whom it is as free and suitable as to himself; neither does 
 he apprehend himself to have a better right or a clearer in- 
 terest than another : but his satisfaction arises from the 
 truth reported, which he apprehends and believes, though 
 another does not. Now to bring this over to spiritual con- 
 cerns. The free grace truth of the gospel afibrds hope and 
 encouragement, and becomes the foundation of all those act- 
 ings of the believing soul, commonly called acts of faith, but 
 may be more properly called actings of love (for faith always 
 operates by love) such as trusting, coming, embracing, and 
 the like : for no person will come to Christ or trust in God, 
 or embrace the promises, unless he has first a love in his soul 
 to God in du-ist, arising from a view and belief of his free 
 grace. Neither are these actings of the mind to be consid- 
 ered as any arduous or difticult attempt in order to obtain 
 peace and hope towards God ; for they naturally arise and 
 flow from the encouraging and soul-pacifying truth believed. 
 They are merely motions or thoughts of the mind, generated 
 and excited by the gracious truth believed. For in such 
 spiritual cases we must cast aside all the external acts of the 
 body, by which they are represented and expressed, and 
 built upon. While this truth is clear in a person's mind, he 
 can and does rest upon it, or rather upon God in (/hrist re- 
 vealed therein ; and so it becomes his continual support and 
 refreshment, yea, and his continual motive to love and obe- 
 dience. This is living by the faith of the Son of God. And 
 
266 CONCERNING THE WAT IN WHICH THE GOSPEL 
 
 in proportion as a person is quickened, enlivened, animated 
 and supported liereby ; in that proportion he is conscious of 
 his connection with Christ, and vital union to him : because 
 he now knows and feels in his own heart, that he has his 
 strength and comfort directly and immediately from Christ 
 revealed. Thus God gives his people a sense of his love, an 
 enjoyment of his favour, and a proof, seal, or evidence of 
 their own interest in him. If a person loses sight of the 
 truth, or is turned from it in any degree ; he so far can 
 have no true rest, and is in danger of seeking rest from some 
 other quarter, or settling his hopes upon some false founda- 
 tion. Thus he loses the true enjoyment of God's favour, 
 and can never be recovered to it, but by being driven off 
 from every other attempt, and having this truth afresh re- 
 vived upon his mind, by some means or other. And among 
 the various methods which the Spirit may use to recover a 
 backslider, an eminent one is : to bring to remembrance past 
 experiences of the efficacy of the gospel ; not that his com- 
 fort may arise from those experiences, but from that free and 
 perfect grace that lay at the foundation of them. The be- 
 lief of this truth, together with its genuine influence upon 
 the heart and conduct, is that which distinguishes believers 
 from unbelievers. And whatever physical influences of the 
 Spirit may be supposed in the matter of regeneration and 
 .sanctification, separate from the truth believed ; these can 
 liave no apparent share in pacifying the conscience and com- 
 forting tlie heart, as they are in their own nature utterly 
 invisible, and so cannot become a matter of Christian expe- 
 rience. Neither must any thing previous to or distinct from 
 the thought of a free and perfect Saviour bo here admitted, 
 for giving ease to the conscience ; if it be, the peace result- 
 ing from thence is delusive, and derogatory to the all-suffi- 
 ciency of Clu'ist's work. 
 
 I would farther observe, that upon this plan, true holiness 
 and true consolation keep pace with each other ; until we 
 come to such a situation, as to be beyond all hazard of losing 
 tliis holy enjoyment in any degree, which cannot be till we 
 come to glory. Thus likewise the believer is kept in a state 
 of constant immediate dependence upon God ; so that while 
 he is guarded against any abuses on the one hand, lest a 
 
BELIEVED GIVES PEACE AND HOPE. 267 
 
 promise being left of entering into God's rest, he should 
 seem to come short of it ; he has on the other hand sufficient 
 encouragement and pleasure in the way of gospel holiness ; 
 being attracted and enlivened by the continual hope of the 
 free gospel. The believer has at no time ground to say, 
 "My mountain stands strong, and I shall never be moved;" 
 but he has at all times reason to say, " The Lord is our re- 
 fuge and strength, a very present help in trouble ;" and he 
 actually does say it in his heart, as long as he is favoured 
 with the sight of the necessity, sufficiency and freeness of 
 divine grace in Christ for himself. 
 
 The believer's peace and joy then, rises and sinks just in 
 proportion as he perceives the evidence of this gospel truth, 
 as pointing to himself as well as to any other ; accordingly, 
 he cannot tread in any forbidden path for peace and comfort 
 with this truth in his eye, without being struck with the 
 solemn reflection, that he is now departing from the true 
 God, undervaluing the hope of the gospel, and despising that 
 love which is as jealous as it is attractive. The room that is 
 left for this solemn reflection, is that which keeps us in a 
 state and sense of absolute, constant, immediate dependence 
 upon God in Christ. This is indeed what we very much 
 want, and aim to be set free from in some degree and in 
 some way or another. But the gospel in its purity will not 
 permit it. Let it not here be thought, that this manner of 
 stating things produces a slavish fear of divine wrath ; for "he 
 is not afraid of evil tidings whose heart is fixed trusting in 
 the Lord." So that his fear only serves to keep or drive 
 him from every false way and dangerous refuge, and to fix 
 his heart and hope upon God in Christ, as his only hope and 
 portion. 
 
BRIEF THOUGHTS: 
 
 III. CONCERNING THE WAY IN WHICH A BELIEVER 
 COMES AT TRUE SATISFACTION ABOUT HIS STATE 
 TOWARDS GOD. 
 
 1. No question has ever been stated of greater consequence 
 to our peace and comfort than this — We Ivnow that we must 
 all appear before the judgment-seat of Christ. As soon as 
 the king of terrors has given the mortal stroke, our souls 
 must launch into an unknown eternity, and enter on a state 
 of everlasting happiness or misery. Our own consciences 
 sometimes place us beforehand in the presence of God, the 
 Judge of all. And a time will speedily come, when we 
 shall approach to the very borders of eternity. If conscience 
 be now awake, the question presses upon the mind with the 
 greatest importunity, " How can I be satisfied as to the con- 
 cerns of my immortal soul ?" — If Christians in general were 
 but thus brought solemnly to realize these important matters, 
 they would presently apprehend in their very hearts, that 
 nothing less than a foundation entii'ely safe, and a hope ab- 
 solutely sure, would serve their ])urpose. 
 
 2. But where is that to be found which is sufficient to 
 support the soul and conscience in the agonies of death, and 
 the prospect of an unchangeable condition ? Where is that 
 which will give satisfying relief to the conscience and a clear 
 confidence before God ? All will immediately say. In Jesus 
 Christ alone. But doth this answer still leave room for such 
 questions as these ? " How shall I come at Christ ? or how 
 shall I be assured of my interest in him ? What shall, or 
 what must I do to obtain it ? or what must I experience or 
 
CONCERNING A BELIEVER's SATISFACTION, &C. 269 
 
 practise in order to gain this satisfaction?" Here come in 
 abundance of perplexing queries, and a scene of important 
 difficulties not easy to be solved. So that professors are 
 almost as much at a loss about their everlasting state, as if 
 they had heard nothing of Christ, and his work for sinners. 
 
 To obtain satisfaction in this, we set about examining our 
 own hearts and ways, our past conduct, or past experiences, 
 in hopes of finding something there, which may be the means 
 of allaying our fears, and easing our consciences. We look 
 with eagerness and solicitude into every corner of our hearts, 
 to see whether in the midst of all the bad we find there, we 
 cannot find something good wrought in us, or something 
 truly gracious in our experiences, that may be a proper sat- 
 isfying proof of our special interest. Perhaps we discern 
 some probable evidences in our favour : we think we have 
 felt some distinguishing experiences ; and thus obtain ease 
 and relief. But what if it should appear after all, that these 
 evidences are attended with uncertainty ? What if there be 
 some reason to suspect that they may be delusive ? How 
 then can the mind be eased, or the conscience pacified upon 
 this plan ? — While we are thus anxiously employed, seeking 
 rest to our souls, Ave are under a strong bias to think the 
 best, and make the best, of what we find and feel. How 
 then can we know, but that under the influence of such a 
 propensity, we may actually put a cheat upon ourselves, 
 through a fond desire to apprehend that our state is at bot- 
 tom safe and good? And what if our deceitful hearts 
 should succeed, in this case, in bringing us into a delusion ? 
 Where are we then ? — Perhaps these thoughts, at first view, 
 seem to take away all use for marks and signs. But they 
 do not, as we shall soon see. However that be, no one, I 
 think, can deny or evade the force of them, how searching 
 or discouraging soever they may seem. But there are some 
 further thoughts equally alarming, which must not be omitted. 
 Have not many made a shining profession, and, in their own 
 and others' apprehension, been favoured with the most dis- 
 tinguishing experiences who yet have turned out hypocrites 
 and apostates ? Have not many talked high things about 
 the witness, seal, and earnest of the Spirit, as enjoyed by 
 themselves, who yet have been in the event found liars? 
 
270 co^'CBRNING A believer's 
 
 Again, are there not counterfeit graces, comforts, and expe- 
 riences ? Can these things be denied ? Upon this plan for 
 obtaining peace, we must therefore distinguish very nicely, 
 before we can be supposed to arrive at any degree of cer- 
 tainty, by discriminating what is genuine from what is coun- 
 terfeit ; and after all, most probably the matter must remain 
 in doubtful, sad suspense. How then can we have any solid 
 peace ? Again, perhaps we are in such circumstances as to 
 the distress of our souls, or as to approaching death, that a 
 speedy answer must be given, or the soul sinks under its 
 load, and runs almost into desperation. Many inexpressible 
 struggles are produced in the soul, perhaps when there is 
 neither time nor capacity to examine the matter sufficiently. 
 And yet in the midst of these unhappy circumstances, if a 
 person discerns the infinite importance of his soul, he sees 
 that nothing short of that certainty upon which he may im- 
 mediately rest, will afford him satisfaction. 
 
 3. But does the divine word leave us in such a perplexity 
 as this ? If it does, where is our hope, our rest, our con- 
 fidence ? 
 
 Must not Christianity be, upon this plan, a very uncom- 
 fortable religion ; a very uncertain scheme for hope and 
 peace toward Grod? And docs it not, in this way, 
 actually leave us, yea, and oblige us, to take the chief of 
 our hope and comfort directly from what we may be sup- 
 posed to have felt or done ? Behold, in the midst of all 
 these inextricable perplexities, the gospel proclaims the Lord 
 Jesus Christ, and all his salvation, open and free for the sure 
 relief and hojie of the distressed and guilty soul. If this be 
 discerned in its beauty and importance, how necessary, how 
 valuable, encouraging, and attracting, must the hope of the 
 gospel a])pear ! Now while every thing else proves uncer- 
 tain, this is certain ; when every other refuge and support 
 fails, this appears sufiiciontly firm and Iree : it is found a 
 safe retreat, a sure foundation, a sufficient stay ; detached 
 from every other thought and consideration. 
 
 But perha])s your anxious minds will here object, " How 
 can I be satisfied without an assurance of my own special 
 interest in Christ ; the general declaration of the gospel can- 
 not afford me this, because it bears an equal aspect to all 
 
SATISFACTION ABOUT HIS STATE. 271 
 
 sinners as such ?'' But I would ask again, What kind of 
 assurance do you want ? Do you want to be so certified of 
 your everlasting welfare, as to be set at rest from all sort of 
 fear ? Do you w-ant to be able to say, " My mountain stands 
 strong, and I shall never be moved V Do you want such 
 assurance as shall allow you to think yourself safe, in any 
 other way than that of constant, immediate, absolute depen- 
 dence upon God in Christ for all you desire and expect, and 
 so trusting, loving, and obeying him accordingly ? This the 
 word of God gives no one, because it does not assert directly 
 concerning any individual now living, that he shall certainly 
 be saved : neither can you obtain it by any positive certainty 
 arising from duties or experiences, since the heart is always 
 deceitful. But see here in the gospel such a certainty aftbrded, 
 as brings the soul into a state of immediate dependence u])on 
 God, and cleaving to him alone ; assuring us, that in resting 
 on him we are safe, and nowhere else : that while we in our 
 hearts esteem God in Christ as our only hope and portion, 
 our everlasting interests are secure : not merely in the pur- 
 pose of God, and according to the everlasting covenant, but 
 likewise according to the open promise of the gospel. Yea, 
 we are assured, that in knowing and obeying the gospel, the 
 Spirit witnesses with our spirit, that we may enjoy everlast- 
 ing consolation, and good hope through grace. 
 
 4. The Scriptures most comfortably declare the gospel to 
 be of such a nature, that " whosoever believes it sliall be 
 saved ;" while they aver, with equal solemnity, that " he who 
 believeth not shall be danmed." So that our greatest concern 
 lies here ; lest our faith should not be the faith of God's 
 elect ; lest our hope should not be the hope of the gospel ; 
 and lest our obedience should not be the obedience of faith. 
 Whether our faith, hope, and obedience, be of the right kind, 
 can only be known by its being produced, supported, or in- 
 fluenced by the gospel. Let us then look a little closely into 
 this matter. Every person, except one that is in despair, 
 has some hope ; and that hope of his is supported by some 
 thoughts or sentiments in his mind and heart. Now, I say, 
 that if the sentiment which gives a person his peace of con- 
 science, be any thing opposite to, or separate from the gos- 
 pel, as proclaiming a free and perfect Saviour, he does not 
 
272 CONCERNING A BELIEVER's 
 
 believe it^ but he has, or desires to have, a satisfaction which 
 the gospel does not administer. Perhaps it is an enthusias- 
 tic satisfaction, formed upon a persuasion or appropriation 
 wrought by some spirit, which speaks to him more than, or 
 aside from what the gospel, properly understood, will war- 
 rant. Or perhaps his satisfaction is Antinomian ; such as 
 affords liim reason to fear sin less than otherwise he might 
 see a necessity for, if he had not this hope. Whereas we 
 must always take it for granted, if we can dare to sin, or 
 can dare to neglect our duty, under an apprehension of the 
 safety of our state, however obtained, or however proved, 
 that we do not now understand the true grace of Grod ; for 
 that makes all who understand it to know and feel, that it 
 teaches them to " deny all ungodliness, and worldly lusts," &c. 
 The satisfaction which the gospel affords is such, that a 
 person cannot indulge sin, without losing that satisfaction ; 
 because, in so doing, his heart says, that not Clirist, but self 
 and sense are his hope and portion. Or perliaps a person's 
 peace may be Pharisaical or self-righteous in some shape or 
 other, supported by some species of self-confidence ; saying 
 in his heart, " I cannot be contented with a Saviour freely 
 and openly proclaimed : I do not like to be set upon a level 
 Avith the vilest of sinners, and to receive my hope and com- 
 fort upon the same plan with such ; I will not stand upon 
 the same footing with them." Or else he will say, " I have, 
 or I must have something distinguishing in me, some niark^ 
 or sign, or I will not, I dare not believe and rest upon 
 Christ." 
 
 But after all, you may say, " How can I be satisfied, un- 
 less I am conscious that I believe truly and savingly; since 
 the scriptures say, ' He that belicveth shall not be damned?' 
 Must I not then, by examination and proof, have it appear 
 to my conscience, that I am a true believer, before I can 
 have any well-grounded satisfaction?" 
 
 This I find to be the grand objection, frequently made 
 and urged against the present view of the gospel : and since 
 it may be considered as a case of conscience, by which many 
 are perplexed in their souls, as well as a sentimental objec- 
 tion, whereby many may be stumbled, I shall therefore take 
 the more particular notice of it in the following observations. 
 
SATISFACTION ABOUT HIS STATE. 273 
 
 5. If we attend then to common sense, and constant ex- 
 perience, as to the nature, manner, and proof of believing, or 
 seeing, we shall find, that these things are of such a nature, 
 that they entirely resolve themselves into their objects, so 
 far as experience is concerned therein. A person is no farther 
 conscious that he sees an object, than as the object seen does 
 some way affect him: neither is a person properly conscious 
 that he believes a proposition of importance, any farther 
 than what he believes impresses him. When we behold an 
 object, in common cases, our minds are not employed in 
 thinking about the manner of our seeing, but are only led to 
 attend to the object seen; and so in believing, we are not 
 thinking about any exercises of our own minds therein, but only 
 about the thing believed. So that a person comes to know 
 that he sees or believes, not by reflection upon, or examina- 
 tion into any thing in himself; but by finding or experiencing, 
 that what he sees or believes affects his mind. Thus there 
 is produced a sort of experimental union between him that 
 sees and believes, and what is seen or believed by him; so 
 that he is affected with pleasure or pain, according to the 
 light in which the thing appears, that is seen, heard, or 
 believed. Now let us apply this plain thought to the report 
 of the gospel. 
 
 6. The doctrine of free grace in Jesus Christ to sinners as 
 such, proclaimed in the word, is in itself most joyful, com- 
 fortable, encouraging, and soul-pacifying news: therefore 
 we cannot know that we believe it, but by feeling, or be- 
 coming conscious, that we are comforted, encouraged, or 
 pacified thereby. Accordingly, the first effect of this belief 
 must be peace of conscience before Grod through the blood 
 of Christ, and some sense of the divine favour through the 
 righteousness of Christ, proclaimed as free in the gospel. 
 This must be, more or less, the necessary consequence, unless 
 there remain in the mind some ignorance, doubt, or mistake, 
 about the gospel itself; or unless the mind be drawn oft' to 
 something else distinct from it or opposite to it, whereby 
 the efficacy of the truth proclaimed may be enervated or 
 undermined. When this appears to be the case, nothing 
 can be more suited to remove any impediment in the way of 
 its efficacy, than the declaring, explaining, proving, or vindi- 
 
 s 
 
274 CONCERNING A BELIEVEr's 
 
 acting the truth, with its importance. If this method be 
 rendered, effectual by the Spirit of God, who alone can do 
 it, then the mistake is rectified, the mind enlightened, and 
 the doubt solved; whereupon the person is encouraged and 
 comforted by the blessed word, on which he is caused 
 to hope. 
 
 7. Though what the person now sees and beheves be in 
 itself a general truth, openly proclaimed, yet the effect pro- 
 duced in believing it, is a peculiar experience of spiritual 
 peace, rest, and refreshment. So that while others may be 
 supposed to remain strangers to it, or to disbelieve it, or to 
 be under some mistake about it, he that believes it according 
 as it is declared in the word, becomes possessed of a distin- 
 guishing experience, whereby he differs from what he was 
 before, and from what many others are. 
 
 8. This distinguishing experience is of such a nature, that 
 it contains or produces, more or less, an experimental consci- 
 ousness of an interest in, and enjoyment of, the blessings 
 comprehended in the declaration of free grace. 
 
 For when a person sees the Son, and believeth on him, as 
 freely exhibited, he becomes conscious, that wliat he sees in 
 Christ becomes his light ; that Christ, in whom he believes, 
 becomes his hope ; that his soul is supported by that on 
 which he trusts and leans ; and that he is quickened and at- 
 tracted by that glorious gospel which he believes and loves. 
 This is the way in which all spiritual blessings come to be 
 experienced and enjoyed by us. In this way we may arrive 
 at satisfaction and support. And it is in vain, and unsafe 
 for us, to desire or to seek after any other knowledge of 
 special interest, than what arises out of, and is accompanied 
 with, this sense and experience of a vital union and connec- 
 tion between our souls and Cln-ist in a way of believing. 
 Christ is brought so exceedingly near to us in the gospel of 
 his grace, tliat he is no sooner seen and known, as there ex- 
 hibited, but this peace and hope must arise in the soul more 
 or less; otherwise, neither Christ, nor the gospel, nor the 
 divine grace, as revealed, can be said to be quite free. 
 
 9. If a person does not become conscious, in some degree, 
 of peace, satisfaction and support, purely from what he per- 
 ceives and believes standing fortli in the free declaration of 
 
SATISFACTION ABOUT HIS STATE. 275 
 
 grace, he does not understand, nor does he credit the gospel ; 
 for therein is exhibited to us freely all our salvation. 
 
 Our faith can be proved only by this, That the truth itself, 
 or which is the same, the blood and righteousness of Christ 
 freely revealed, first pacifies the conscience before God, and 
 then woi'king by love, has a purifying eftect upon our souls. 
 If this kind of peace does not enter the mind, through the 
 revelation of grace, a person will still be seeking after spirit- 
 ual comfort and support separate from it, or opposite to it: 
 so that his heart despises, or his thoughts evade the true 
 gospel ; and he is accordingly in real danger, and under 
 some awful delusion. Where the gospel is not discerned by 
 any person in its proper freeness, and its primitive glory, the 
 objection now under consideration will return and continue 
 upon his mind ; and his defective and mistaken view of the 
 gospel will still leave him under the influence of the spirit of 
 self-dependence, as he will see no other way of obtaining or 
 enjoying peace, but by a reflection upon something found in 
 him, or experienced by him. Thus it appears, that the whole 
 force of this objection proceeds at bottom from a disbelief of 
 the proper immediate freeness of divine grace revealed in 
 the gospel. For either a person does believe it, or he does 
 not ; if he does, he is in some measure pacified, comforted, 
 and attracted thereby : if he does not, then he cannot see 
 how he can have any proper peace to his mind, but by re- 
 flection upon himself; and accordingly seeks after, or rests 
 upon some false and dangerous prop. This he is to be 
 warned against by being reminded, that he who believes not 
 shall be damned. 
 
 While Jesus Christ is proclaimed as a foundation so sure, 
 that whosoever believeth shall not make haste as one in con- 
 fusion ; it is likewise to be added that the hail shall sweep 
 away the refuges of lies ; and such a refuge every thing is, 
 besides the Redeemer himself. Isa. xxviii. 16, 17. 
 
 10. All the scripture exhortations and promises to believ- 
 ing conspire to support this view of our subject, if they are 
 rightly understood. These gracious exhortations and pro- 
 mises of the word may be briefly expressed thus : Believe, 
 and live ; look, and be saved ; trust, and be safe ; come, and 
 find rest. Now all these declarations ha\e evidently a most 
 
276 CONCERNING A BELIEVER's 
 
 encouraging and conscience-pacifying meaning in them ; for 
 they plainly contain, to an enlightened understanding, such 
 a refreshing import, as carries the mind at once beyond its 
 own exercises, to the glorious, gracious object presented in 
 them. A person apprehending the true meaning of such 
 expressions, is not stopped in, or perplexed about the acts 
 mentioned ; but seeing that, by these calls and promises, 
 salvation in Jesus Christ is freely presented, this sense of the 
 divine freeness plainly suggested, becomes the life, the 
 strength, and the hope of the soul, in all its actings towards 
 God in Christ. 
 
 I could dwell upon this subject with abundance of pleasure, 
 and illustrate it by various similitudes. But to be brief, let 
 us take only one of these phrases into present consideration : 
 " Come to me," says Christ, " and I will give you rest." 
 Now one that is entangled with some legal thought, will im- 
 mediately fix upon the act of coming ; desiring to know how 
 to perform this act aright, or to see whether he has performed 
 it or no ; thinking that he can have no peace nor rest, but 
 from the consideration of the right performance thereof. 
 Whereas one that is taught the proper freeness of divine 
 grace, as thus exhibited, will fix his eye directly upon the 
 word me. " Does Jesus Christ say, Come to me, and I will 
 give you rest ? Surely this is enough to encourage and 
 attract my soul : I need nothing more for my hope, than to 
 be assured of such a free welcome." With this thought his 
 soul is pacified ; and its motion towards Christ being, as I 
 may say, excited by, and filled with a sense of this divine 
 free love, he comes, and finds rest. We may suppose one 
 deep in debt, and ready to be arrested, to be addressed thus, 
 " Go to such an one, he is able and ready to pay your whole 
 debt." Would not this testimony itself set his mind at rest 
 directly ? Yes, surely ; and his act of going would not be 
 at all considered as previously necessary to the ease of his 
 mind, but would be found to flow from it. 
 
SATISFACTION ABOUT HIS STATE. 277 
 
 CONCLUSION. 
 
 By these plain thoughts I would hope, through the blessing 
 of the Spirit of grace, some may be led to see how much 
 unbelief and self-righteousness must lie at the bottom of 
 such a frame of spirit, as makes a person endeavour to per- 
 form a certain act, in order to obtain peace to his mind ; or 
 makes him examine whether he has performed it aright, in 
 order to have peace from that consideration. For this is 
 certainly a denial of the freeness of grace as revealed, and 
 turns the gospel as it were into a new law, for peace and 
 hope towards God ; yea it seems evidently to proceed from 
 souie spirit of self-dependence, which will not permit a per- 
 son to believe the immediate freeness of divine grace, or to 
 be satisfied by it, or to rest in it, for want of discerning 
 some previous change in himself for the better. 
 
 But some may here reply, with an anxious concern, "Are 
 there not some who are true believers, who yet are not fully 
 assured of the safety of tlieir state in Clirist." I readily 
 answer. Yes, there are ; for the least degree of true faith is 
 connected with salvation. Yet as none can come to a clear 
 satisfaction about themselves but in this way of believing, 
 therefore I cannot consistently and safely take any other 
 method of promoting the comfort of such, but by presenting 
 before them a free and complete Saviour, to be rested upon, 
 and rejoiced in ; and if a person cannot receive comfort 
 through such a gospel-declaration, it is both unsafe, and in 
 vain for him to seek it any other way, in such circumstances. 
 But if, through the operation of the blessed Spirit, by means 
 of this gospel, his hope and comfort is promoted, the more 
 he advances in hope and love this way, the more clearly he 
 will be able to say with the apostle, 2 Tim. i. 12, " I know 
 whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to 
 keep that which I have committed unto him against that day." 
 While he perceives the all-sufficiency of Christ's free grace, 
 the satisfaction of his soul is maintained by it, and he is 
 more or less persuaded of the safety of what he has committed 
 into Christ's hands. Here then lies the centre, the spring, 
 the strength, of all that hope which is necessary to support 
 and comfort our hearts. 
 
278 CONCERNING A BELIEVER's 
 
 Should any ask again, " But is there no hope to be ob- 
 tained farther than that which is exhibited in the gospel to 
 all ? Can there be no room for thankfulness for distinguish- 
 ing grace?" I answer, that unless we have this first hope, 
 this beginning of confidence, for our support and strength 
 continually, it is quite impossible that any distinguishing 
 experience should ever be produced and maintained, or that 
 any true evidences should appear in us. For ]£ this be not 
 the life and strength of the soul, namely, a free revealed 
 Christ, the person has reason to suspect all his duties, evi- 
 dences, and experiences. But if a person be comforted and 
 quickened ; if he be encouraged to trust, and constrained 
 to love Christ hereby ; he may well find reason to be 
 abundantly thankful for distinguishing grace, crying out 
 with holy admiration and gratitude, " How is it that thou 
 wilt manifest thyself to us, and not unto the world !" John 
 xiv. 22. Yea, while he is under this blessed influence of 
 the gospel by the Spirit, he i^ taught to say with the apostle, 
 " The life I live in the flesh, is by the faith of the Son of 
 God, who loved me, and gave himself for me." Gal. ii. 20. 
 In this manner a believer makes use of his experiences to 
 judge of his state ; and such experiences as these, with their 
 genuine fruits, are indeed the surest marks of our election. 
 1 Thess. i. 4, 5. 
 
 But instead of all this, we are too generally taught, 
 that our consciences cannot be pacified by the blood of 
 Christ immediately, as flowing freely to sinners; nor be 
 truly comforted thereby. But on the contrary, almost 
 the whole stress must be laid upon our discerning some 
 previous gracious work ; which must be made out to be 
 saving, by the exercise of self-examination. Accordingly 
 this duty is most commonly explained, enforced, and per- 
 formed, with this view. As to that exhortation, 2 Cor. 
 xiii. 5, "Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; 
 prove your own selves : What, know ye not your own selves, 
 how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates ? " 
 Nothing can be more evident to one who reads it with atten- 
 tion, and views it in its connection, than that the design of 
 it is to intimate thus much ; viz. That if any thing appears 
 in the temper or conduct of a professor, which is disagree- 
 
SATISFACTION ABOUT HIS STATE. 279 
 
 able to the gospel, he ought to take occasion from thence to 
 suspect whether he be in the faith. But this very text 
 plainly suggests, by the surprise couched under these words, 
 " What, know ye not your own selves ? " that if our experi- 
 ences are of the right stamp, they will evidence themselves. 
 — It is by faith that Christ dwells in the heart ; and faith or 
 believing is of such a nature, that it does more or less evi- 
 dence itself to our consciences : and to confirm this witness 
 of our own spirits, we may be sure, that the divine Spirit 
 Avill not fail in joining his testimony, as we proceed loving 
 and obeying the gospel we believe. So that there is no oc- 
 casion for a laborious search, followed by a train of reason- 
 ing, to obtain peace and comfort. We need not be so sus- 
 picious of the hope of the gospel, or of the faithfulness of the 
 Spirit as a Comforter. We may well leave this part to God, 
 since he has proclaimed enough in the free gospel to afford 
 us sufficient relief; and has promised that those who know, 
 love, and obey him, shall not be forsaken by him. I remem- 
 ber the Psalmist once, in a disconsolate frame, was for calling 
 to remembrance his song in the night, to obtain comfort. 
 Psalm Ixxvii. But he was unsuccessful in pursuing this 
 method ; and at length obtained comfort, by remembering 
 the years of the right hand of the Most High : by which he 
 meant, not his own past experiences, but the. wonders God 
 had formerly Avrought for his people by Moses and Aaron. 
 If then we would follow his example, we are to call to mind 
 the accepted time, and the day of salvation, when Christ 
 arose from the dead, having obtained complete salvation for 
 them that believe. 
 
 I know you will here be ready to say, " Are all our past 
 experiences then to be forgotten, or not improved as evi- 
 dences and encouragements?" I answer, Far be it; for 
 though they are not to be used for pacifying our consciences, 
 &c., yet they are to be remembered as confirmations of the 
 faith to our minds, since, if they are genuine, they are so 
 many proofs of the truth and power of the gospel ; and like- 
 wise to make it more fully appear that we are in the faith ; 
 as also to encourage a further dependence upon the same 
 free grace and love, which was the root of all those former 
 gracious experiences. According to what the Psalmist says, 
 
280 CONCERNING A BELIEVEr's 
 
 Psalm Ixiii. 7, " Because thou hast been my help, therefore 
 in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice." 
 
 Notwithstanding this, I will venture to say, that profes- 
 sors cannot be too suspicious of themselves, as to any expe- 
 riences they have felt, or any duties they have performed. 
 The scriptures are full of exhortations to watchfulness, jea- 
 lousy, caution, and self-examination ; always taking it for 
 granted, that joy and peace come into tlie mind in believing 
 and loving the testimon}'^ of God's grace in Christ. Such 
 suspicion cannot do us any real damage ; for if, in the midst 
 of all our jealousies, the free-grace-truth in its glory and 
 beauty appears to our view, that will prove an anchor to our 
 hope, and an incentive to our love, even when we can find 
 nothing about us but what would tend to discourage and 
 sink us. And it will be found, tliat tlie comfort flowing 
 thus into our souls from the gospel by the Spirit, as a con- 
 trast to the effects of our own self-jealousy, will be much 
 more safe, solid, satisfying, and truly sanctifying, than what 
 we think to obtain any other way. 
 
 Though these thoughts look as if they were intended to 
 make believers always question their state, yet it will be 
 found far otherwise ; because they serve only to lead and 
 keep them close to that foundation, which alone is secure, 
 and where they will find rest. But however, in a case of so 
 great importance, there is no room for flattery or compli- 
 ment. Either you do, or do not question your state : if you 
 do, there is no other way, that I know of, to obtain satisfac- 
 tion, but by believing on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ 
 directly as standing forth to view in the gospel ; for it is in 
 this way, and tlirough this medium, that God conveys to liis 
 people a sense of his favour. If you do not question your 
 state, but are well assured concerning it, then this assurance, 
 if solid, will bear the trial : neither need you be afraid to 
 look into the worst of it. But if a suspicion, arising in the 
 mind upon this, should shake your confidence, it then becomes 
 evident, that so far it was not placed upon Christ, but upon 
 some good opinion you had formed concerning yourselves. 
 
 I shall therefore conclude the whole with one indubitable 
 maxim, which it becomes all Christians constantly to retain ; 
 it is this : An uncertain foundation is an unsafe foundation. 
 
SATISFACTION ABOUT HIS STATE. 281 
 
 However then Christians are of the number of the elect, re- 
 deemed and adopted ; however they may, or ought to be 
 esteemed such, by themselves or others, agreeable to their 
 profession, practice, or experience ; and however it be their 
 duty to be thankful for any experiences or comforts which 
 they have felt ; all which is readily allowed : yet there is no 
 absolute certainty to be gathered upon this plan, by reason 
 of the deceitfulness of the heart. From whence it is plain, 
 tliat God never intended his people should take their rest 
 herein ; but that they should, in the midst of all their hopes 
 and fears about their personal interest, be led, confined, and 
 kept to that hope and refuge that is in itself safe and sure. 
 Nothing is more necessary than this, nor is there any thing 
 that we are naturally more averse to. Some make the world 
 their portion, others make criminal indulgences their delight ; 
 and many make their own righteousness, in some shape or 
 other, their confidence : and shall I add, that some are for 
 placing it upon their experiences, and upon what they call 
 the work of the Spirit in their hearts ; and upon any thing, 
 rather than on the freeness of gospel-grace, which the work 
 of the Spirit is designed to lead us to. 
 
 But if we are led and taught by the Holy Spirit to rest 
 directly upon Christ alone, then we have the anchor of our 
 souls both sure and steadfast : then the superstructure of gos- 
 pel experience and obedience, built upon this foundation, 
 will be good and solid ; receiving all its solidity and firmness 
 from its immediate connection with the foundation whereon 
 it is built. Neither can we attain to any steady hope con- 
 cerning our own interest, but in working upon this plan, and 
 resting upon this prop. If a person looks upon the hope 
 held forth in the gospel to be only an uncertain conditional 
 hope, apprehending he may not securely rest upon it, unless 
 through the consciousness of something previously wrought 
 in him, or done by him, he is of course induced to seek after, 
 or look to something in himself, for the reason, or immediate 
 ground of his confidence before God ; and while this senti- 
 ment prevails in his heart, every duty he performs is legal- 
 ized, and every experience he may have felt is perverted, by 
 being placed exactly in the room of a revealed Christ. But 
 if, on the contrary, the person sees that God's love in Christ, 
 
282 CONCERNING A BELIEVEr's SATISFACTION, &C. 
 
 as revealed in tlie free gospel, points directly towards him 
 for his only foundation, then the more he is apprehensive of 
 his own guilt and danger, the more he is obliged to trust in 
 Christ, and constrained to love him : and so the gospel-hope 
 becomes a spur to all cheerful obedience. The believer 
 then does not take his comfort from his obedience ; but 
 taking it immediately fi'om Christ, he enjoys comfort in 
 the exercise of love and obedience. For every exercise 
 of evangelical love, and every act of gospel -obedience, 
 has some comfort attending it ; while every departure from 
 Christ produces darkness and distress, unless the soul be 
 deluded and deceived by some false comfort. Thus, upon 
 the whole, it ap])ears, that if the Lord the Spirit gives us 
 right views of the full free grace held forth in the gospel, we 
 shall be thereby kept at a distance from the self-righteous 
 hope of the Pharisee, the licentious hope of the Antinomian, 
 the self-sufficient hope of the free-wilier, the conditional hope 
 of the Neonomian, tlie presumptuous hope of him who is 
 confident of his own interest without sufficient evidence for 
 it ; and we shall be prevented from taking up with the un- 
 certain hope of him who does, more or loss, place his evi- 
 dences or experiences in the room of Christ, for his immediate 
 and chief reason of encouragement and confidence. Then 
 we shall have joy and peace in believing ; and abound in 
 hope, and in holiness, through the power of the Holy Spirit. 
 
THE 
 
 LEADING DOCTPJNES OF THE GOSPEL 
 STATED AND DEFEM)ED. 
 
 BY JOHN SNODGRASS, D.D. 
 
PREFATORY NOTICE. 
 
 Doctor John S\odgrass was bom of respectable parents in Paisley, 
 August 8th, 1740. Intended originally for a mercantile life, hia 
 strong literaiy tendencies and his serious disposition induced his 
 parents to change their purpose, and give him au education which 
 might qualify him for the Christian ministry. Having finished 
 the ordinary course of literary, philosophical, and theological study 
 at the university of Glasgow, he was, in 1766, by the presbytery 
 of Paisley, licensed to preach the gospel. Soon after his license 
 he for some time became assistant to the Rev. James Stirling, the 
 predecessor of Dr. Balfour in the Outer High Church of Glasgow, 
 and afterwards officiated as a probationer in a small chapel at 
 Thomhill. In 1774 he was ordained one of the ministers of 
 Dundee. After seven years of very acceptable ministry there, 
 he was translated to his native town. On December 19th, 1781. 
 he was inducted to the charge of the Middle Church, and on the 
 same day his friend, Mr. Colin Gillies, son of Dr. John Gillies, of 
 the College churcli, Glasgow, was inducted to the charge of the 
 Laigh Church. In the year 1785, through the instnimentality of 
 Dr. Witherspoon, who at an early period had formed a favourable 
 opinion of his talents and character, he received the honorary de- 
 gree of D.D. from the college of New Jersey, of which at that 
 time his venerable friend was p;-esident. On the 28th May, 1794, 
 he preached the very able discourse forming the subsequent 
 Tract, before "The Society in Scotland for Propagating Christian 
 Knowledge," which was printed in the following year. In April, 
 1796, he took an active part in the formation of the Paisley Mis- 
 sionaiy Society, auxiliary to " The Missionary Society " formed in 
 London in May 1795. He wrote an eloquent and impressive cir- 
 cular letter recommending the institution to public attention and 
 
286 PREFATORY NOTICE. 
 
 support, and on the 19th of June following he preached in the 
 High Church before the directors at their first annual meeting. 
 This sermon, on " The Prospects of Divine Providence respecting 
 the Conversion of the World to Christ," with a valuable historical 
 appendix, was afterwards published. On the 22d of September in 
 that year he was rendered incapable of public ministerial work by 
 paralysis. From this he so far recovered as to make the attempt on 
 a week day to resume his much loved employment ; but the effect 
 was only to convince himself and his friends, that henceforth he 
 must take his place among those ministers of God who really sen-e 
 though they "only stand and wait." He had not long to wait — his 
 expressed desire not to outlive his usefulness was granted. In the 
 beginning of the summer of 1797 he was removed to the sea-coast, 
 and for a day or two seemed to gain an increase of strength and 
 spirits ; but on the 21st June, when walking in the fields with his 
 wife and children, he sustained another and a severe attack from 
 the disease under which he v/as labouring. On reaching his lodg- 
 ings with difficulty, he expressed his gratitude to God that Mrs. 
 Snodgrass had been with him when so suddenly struck down, and 
 was laid on the bed from which he was to rise no more. From the 
 nature of the disease, he could speak but little and inarticulately ; 
 but he so retained the possession of his mind as to express his con- 
 fidence in the great Redeemci', and repeatedly said to those around 
 his death-bed, " All is well." He died on the morning of next 
 day, being June 22d, 1797. He was buried on the 27th; and on 
 the Lord's day following, being July 1st, his death was improved 
 to his sorrowing congregation by his intimate friend, the Rev. Dr. 
 Balfour of Glasgow, who so long occupied so liigh a place as an 
 eloquent preacher and good minister of Jesus Christ. In the ac- 
 count he gave of his departed friend, he stated that "his natural 
 powers were great, his sense strong and manly, his genius fertile, 
 his application to every useful study intense and successful, and 
 his knowledge of men and books in eveiy branch of literature un- 
 commonly extensive. Furnished with i-eal erudition, and fitted to 
 make a figure in the learned world, his highest and unceasing am- 
 bition was to grow in and to communicate sacred scriptural know- 
 ledge. He excelled in Biblical learning and saci'ed criticism. 
 These enabled him often to throw light on dark and difficult pas- 
 sages, and to strike the attentive hearer with ingenious remark 
 
PREFATORY NOTICE. 287 
 
 and illustration. With critical disquisition, however, he always 
 mingled sound doctrinej solid practical instruction, and deeply im- 
 pressive address. All his views in preaching centred in Christ 
 and the salvation that is in him. To secure faith, and affection, 
 obedience, and submission, he set forth and recommended the 
 Saviour of sinners, not only by the highest perfection of human 
 character but with all the attributes of true and proper divinitj'^ ; 
 with all the merit and grace of the only appointed and accepted 
 High Priest over the house of God ; with all the supreme majesty 
 of the King of Zion ; and the almighty gi-ace of the author of eter- 
 nal salvation. Though a zealous and steady friend of lawful 
 authority and good order, he was warmly attached to the principles 
 of civil and religious liberty, and abhorred every encroachment on 
 them. Able to fill any station in the church with personal credit 
 and public honour, he never sought great things for himself. While 
 others of much inferior talents pressed forward to hold the pre- 
 eminence, he delighted in the enjoyment of the shade. To improve 
 his own mind in private, and to be useful to his people in public, 
 seemed to be the height of his ambition." — In 1799, two years 
 after Dr. Snodgrass' death, an 8vo volume of more than 600 pages 
 was issued from the Paisley press, entitled " A Commentaiy, with 
 Notes, on part of the Book of the Revelation of John, by the late 
 John Snodgrass, D.D., minister of the Middle church of Paisley." 
 It is quite fragmentary, and though containing indications of supe- 
 rior talents in the author, is by no means such a work as he would 
 have chosen to give to the world. His two published sermons, 
 especially that included in this volume, are of such a character as 
 to induce a feeling of regret that one so gifted should not have left 
 more abundant memorials of his superior endowments and acquire- 
 ments. — For the facts in this short notice I am indebted to notes 
 from the Minute-book of the Presbytery of Paisley, kindly com- 
 municated to me by their clerk, the Eev. Mr. Makellar of Mearns, 
 and to " A Memoir of the Life and Character of the Kev. John 
 Findlay, D.D., minister of the High church of Paisley, with an 
 Appendix and Biographical Notes by Thomas Crichton, master of 
 the Hospital, Paisley." Paisley, 1821; — furnished me by my 
 esteemed friend, Principal Lee. 
 
THE 
 
 LEADING DOCTRINES OF THE GOSPEL 
 STATED AND DEFENDED. 
 
 Romans i. 16. — " I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ : for it is the 
 power of God unto salvation, to every one that believeth." 
 
 When mankind at large were about to be favoured with a 
 revelation from heaven, in which their everlasting interests 
 were most deeply concerned, nothing could appear, at first 
 sight, more natural than to suppose that the truths which it 
 contained should be level to every capacity ; — that they 
 should be entirely accommodated to human modes of con- 
 ception ; — that every thing offensive to human prejudices 
 should be softened, if not concealed; — and that both its 
 doctrines and its laws should be represented in the most in- 
 viting form, so as to recommend them at once to the under- 
 standing and to the heart. It could not, surely, have been 
 imagined, that this revelation would contain any thing mys- 
 terious or incomprehensible. Far less could it be supposed, 
 that it should wear such an unfavourable aspect in the eye 
 of the world, as to make it either necessary or proper, for 
 any of those by whom it was published, to assert, that " he 
 was not ashamed of it." 
 
 The fact, however, is directly contrary to what we should 
 have expected. The gospel undoubtedly contains doctrines 
 which are mysterious and incomprehensible in their very 
 nature. Even that leading article, on the belief of which 
 the salvation of men is suspended, that " Jesus is the Son of 
 God," possesses this character in a high degree. But the 
 
 T 
 
290 THE LEADING DOCTRINES OP THE GOSPEL 
 
 very idea of a crucified Saviour is so repugnant to the natural 
 sentiments of the human mind, and so apparently incredible 
 in the judgment of this world, that perhaps nothing that 
 could be proposed, was more fitted to excite general aversion 
 and contempt. " Physician, heal thyself," was a proverb 
 well understood and easy to be applied. And tlie insulting 
 language of his enemies at his crucifixion, " He saved others, 
 himself he cannot save," proceeds upon the same original 
 judgment. 
 
 The treatment which this doctrine met with perfectly 
 accords with what has now been asserted. For, notwith- 
 standing the resurrection of the Lord, and all the wonderful 
 events with which it was followed, yet the ofience of the 
 cross was not removed. It still continued " to the Jews a 
 stumbling-block, and to the Greeks foolishness." The 
 preaching of this doctrine was styled "the foolishness of 
 preaching ;" and those who espoused it were " everywhere 
 spoken against." 
 
 But these circumstances, however discouraging, seem only 
 to have stimulated the great apostle of the Gentiles in the 
 discharge of his arduous ofiice. He had, when he wrote 
 these words, already preached the gospel througli a wide 
 extent of country ; from Jerusalem round about unto lllyri- 
 cum. He had often purposed to visit Home, that he might 
 impart to the Cliristians there some extraordinary gifts of 
 the Holy Ghost ; no apostle, it ajipears, having as yet been 
 among them. Hitherto, however, he had been prevented 
 from executing his design. But this was owing to certain 
 necessary causes, and not to any carelessness on his part ; 
 far less to his being unwilling to hazard his reputation, in 
 ])reaching the desj>ised doctrines of the gospel even in that 
 celebrated seat of learning and politeness. For he tells them 
 with a bold and manly spirit, " I am debtor both to tl>o 
 Greeks and to the barbarians, both to the wise and to the 
 unwise ; so, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the 
 gospel to you that are at Rome also. For I am not ashamed 
 of the gospel of Christ : for it is the power of God unto sal- 
 vation, to every one that believeth." 
 
 It is scarcely to be doubted, that many who are called 
 Christians think very difiercntly from the apostle upon this 
 
STATED AND DEFENDED. 291 
 
 point. Tliey cannot conceive that the doctrines which 
 Christianity has been generally supposed to teach, can ever 
 be reconciled to any principles of reason or probability. 
 This, however, is nothing new or unexampled. The truth 
 is, that the gospel has had inveterate prejudices to combat, 
 both from the understanding and from the passions of men ; 
 and therefore, it is no great wonder that it should have me^ 
 with much opposition in the world ; as in fact has been the 
 case, in every age, and in every country, where it has been 
 preached. 
 
 It must, therefore, be of importance, to vindicate the scheme 
 of religion and salvation to men, which it discloses, in op- 
 position to these prejudices ; and particularly, if it can be 
 done, to show that it contains nothing which, even in the eye 
 of sober reason itself, there is any cause to be ashamed of. 
 
 This I shall attempt, at least with respect to several of its 
 essential and distinguishing doctrines, in the following dis- 
 course. After which, I shall endeavour to show, that the 
 effect which it produces upon all who cordially receive it, is 
 so divinely great and excellent, that, instead of being ashamed 
 of it, there is the highest reason to glory in it. 
 
 First of all, however, it will be necessary to inquire, what 
 are the essential and leading doctrines which the gospel eon- 
 tains. For these, it is evident, we must have recourse to the 
 sacred record alone. But let it be observed, that this ines- 
 timable record was not left as a deposit to which only the 
 learned and the speculative could have access. It was in- 
 tended equally for the use and benefit of the poor, " that 
 their faith might not stand in the wisdom of man ; " and con- 
 sequently, it must be accommodated, in all its essential ar- 
 ticles, to their situation and capacities. 
 
 This therefore, I lay down as a principle, which, one should 
 think, could scarcely be disputed. Upon the contrary sup- 
 position, how deplorable the situation to which the great bulk 
 of mankind must be reduced ! The right of private judgment, 
 that inestimable privilege which every reasonable creature so 
 justly claims, can be of little benefit to them, if they must 
 depend upon the determinations of men of superior endow- 
 ments even for the knowledge of " the words of eternal life." 
 If they cannot clearly discern, from the face of the revelation 
 
292 THE LEADING DOCTRINES OF THE GOSPEL 
 
 itself, what are the leading characters of that scheme of doc- 
 trine which it unfolds, how shall they be able to decide 
 upon the various opinions which may be formed respecting 
 it ? How easy is it for the sophistry of human reasonings, 
 especially when embellished with the fascinating charms of 
 eloquence, to throw an air of plausibility upon the most 
 visionary schemes, the fallacy of which it will be impossible 
 for them to detect ? If then a principle of this kind should 
 be maintained, it would as effectually be " locking up the 
 father's will in a strong box," as what was done by the policy 
 of the Roman pontiff himself. For if the people cannot ex- 
 ercise their judgment, even upon the great essential doctrines 
 of salvation, but through the medium of learned and inge- 
 nious disquisition, it is of little consequence whether they be 
 under the influence of the fancy of philosophy, or the cunning 
 of priestcraft. The question, therefore, is not. In what 
 manner this sacred record may be interpreted by men of ex- 
 traordinary ability and learning ? But, What is the easy and 
 natural meaning in which it would be understood by a plain 
 simple inquirer, who should give himself up implicitly to the 
 instructions which it contains. * 
 
 In order to place this matter in a just and proper light, I 
 will take the liberty to introduce a sliort memoir of a humble 
 searcher after truth, in one of those distant parts of the world, 
 where the beams of the Sun of Righteousness have never 
 shone, but where some original ideas derived from early tra- 
 dition are still to be found. Long had he felt the deficiency 
 of nature's light. Much had he wished to be more perfectly 
 instructed. At length, by the dispositions of providence, 
 
 * I hope none will so far misunderstand mc as to suppose that I 
 am ])lea(iing against the necessity of talents and learning to the study 
 of the Scripture. On the contrary, 1 am convinced, that, perhaps, 
 no study requires a greater variety of acconii)lishmcnts. Of this there 
 cannot be a stronger proof than that, notwithstanding the labours of 
 ages, in which men of the best qualitications, both natural and acquired, 
 have been engaged, many obscm-ities and difficulties in the sacred 
 volume are still unremoved ; many passages seem not to have received 
 a just or adequate interpretation, and many more continue evidently 
 despoiled of tiieir native elegance and beauty. I only contend, tliat 
 all the essential doctrines of Scripture are delivered in so i)lain a 
 manner that he that runs rajiy read them. 
 
STATED AXD DEFENDED. 293 
 
 he became acquainted with this precious record. He under- 
 stood that it contained a revelation from the Father of the 
 universe. He learned that it discovered a wonderful plan 
 for regenerating the human character ; for delivei'ing men 
 from their distresses, and making them happy for ever. 
 Therefoi'e, with the most sincere and honest anxiety he ap- 
 plies to study it. — Let us follow him a little in his important 
 research. 
 
 What is the first discovery in the order of this plan that 
 opens to his view ? It is a melancholy one indeed : but he 
 cannot resist its evidence, unless he will shut his eyes from 
 beholding it. It is this : that man is degraded and ruined 
 by sin ; — that the vengeance of heaven is hanging over his 
 head ; — and that without a sovereign remedy, beyond the 
 ])Ower of creation to produce, he must inevitably perish. He 
 feels his situation ; conscience bears testimony to the truth ; 
 his anxieties are increased, and his inquiries quickened. 
 
 He next percci\'es a truth which at once astonishes and 
 gladdens his heart : that there is an almighty Deliverer 
 jirovided for man, who is distinguished by the appellation of 
 the Son of God; that he possesses divine perfection and glory, 
 and is the object of divine homage ; that this wonderful per- 
 son became a man ; that he was born ; that he lived in this 
 world ; that he laboured, and that he suftered, and that he 
 died : that by his death he made atonement for our guilt ; 
 that by the infinite value of his sacrifice and of his service he 
 obtained a glorious happiness for all his saints ; and that he 
 is now gone into the heavens to prepare it for them. 
 
 In the progress of his research, he becomes acquainted with 
 another divine person, who is called the Spirit of God, and 
 the Spirit of Christ. By his almighty energy, he learns, that 
 the souls of men are quickened ; that their understandings 
 are illuminated; that their affections are purified, and elevated 
 to heavenly objects ; and that they are at length made fit 
 inhabitants of that happy world. Finally, he learns, that 
 God dispenses these inestimable benefits according to his 
 sovereign good pleasure, and claims the right of " doing what 
 he will with his own." He comes away astonished at the 
 doctrines he had been taught ; but without a single doubt 
 
294 THE LEADING DOCTRINES OF THE GOSPEL 
 
 upon his mind that these doctrines are certainly declared in 
 this book of God. 
 
 Do you ask to whom this history particularly refers ? I 
 answei*, It is the history of every man, who comes to the 
 New Testament with an earnest desire to know and to re- 
 ceive the truth which it reveals. Indeed how can it be 
 otherwise ? The doctrines we have been reciting are there 
 written in the clearest and most determinate expressions ; so 
 that the common meaning of language must be entirely 
 altered before it is possible to get quit of them. 
 
 Notwithstanding this, I know it has been a frequent prac- 
 tice of late, to endeavour to bring down Christianity almost 
 to the same level with what is called natural religion, (a thing 
 that has never yet been defined,) by denying that there are 
 any such doctrines contained in it. In this way, it is ima- 
 gined the prejudices of unbelievers may be best removed, and 
 its credit effectually established in the world. But the event 
 which has happened here is such as might reasonably have 
 been expected. For the nearer Christianity is brought to 
 natural religion, its importance will be the more diminished ; 
 till at length there will appear to be little occasion or need 
 for it at all. But when one considers what violence must 
 be done to the sacred writings before these doctrines can be 
 expunged from them, is it not fitted to create in the minds 
 of unbelievers no very favourable suspicion concerning them, 
 when even in the judgment of those who defend them, their 
 plain and obvious meaning must be rejected, and they must 
 be turned and wrested in so strange a manner, to make them 
 speak the words of truth and soberness. Nothing is more 
 injurious to Christianity than this mistaken zeal to promote 
 its interest. It increases instead of lessoning the prejudices 
 of xnabelievers. And with respect to the faithful, it is a most 
 useless labour, as it is an attempt to defend the external 
 revelation at the expense of the doctrines which it contains ; 
 on account of which, alone, it is valuable and excellent in 
 their esteem. 
 
 But, indeed, scarcely any thing can be more preposterous, 
 than to attempt to eradicate these doctrines from tlie sacred 
 volume, which it bears so evidently on its very front. It is 
 one of those hisrh absurdities which nothine: but the all-famil- 
 
STATED AND DEPENDED, 295 
 
 iarizing power of custom prevents us from perceiving. Was 
 the gospel really intended for the use of the people at large ? 
 and can we suppose it delivered in such a manner that not 
 one of a thousand can understand its real meaning ? But, 
 was it necessary that it should speak in a peculiar phraseology, 
 that the people of that age might be able to understand it ? 
 and can we suppose that no adequate provision should be 
 made for those of future ages to prevent them from misap- 
 prehending it ? Or rather, is it not most unreasonable to 
 imagine, that, for the sake of a handful of Jewish converts, 
 this divine revelation should be set forth, with such a con 
 stant reference to their history, and opinions, and circum- 
 stances, and ceremonies, that neither the Gentiles of that 
 age, nor of any future age of the world, should be able to 
 understand it ? 
 
 What a strange figui^e would a professed teacher of Cliris- 
 tianity make, were he to carry this sacred record to one of 
 those distant parts of the world to which we have been al- 
 luding, and endeavour to propagate from it a religion so 
 contrary to what it a]>parently teaches ! — In consistency with 
 the testimony which it bears of itself, he must put it into the 
 hands of the people, as intended for their use. He must 
 desire them carefully to read and to ponder it ; and he must 
 be candid enough to inform them, that it is his sole authority 
 for the doctrines in which he is come to instruct them. It 
 makes little difference which of its great and leading doctrines 
 we suppose to occupy their attention. We shall therefore at 
 present consider him, as instructing them in the doctrine of 
 our Lord's person and character, upon which the whole 
 scheme of our' redemption hangs. Let us listen for a moment 
 to what passes between them. 
 
 He informs them, that he was a prophet mighty in word 
 and deed, whom God had commissioned to direct mankind 
 in the way to happiness ; — that there was something very 
 extraordinary and admirable in his character : — that, notwith- 
 standing, there is little reason to believe that he was more 
 than human ; but, at any rate, they must beware of consider- 
 ing him as God, because there can be no God but one. 
 
 How then does it happen, says one of that untutored peo- 
 ple, that he is represented as God in this sacred record ? 
 
296 THE LEADING DOCTRIXES OP THE GOSPEL 
 
 There I find he is not only called God in a variety of jDlaces, 
 but he is called "the great God;" and described as "over 
 all God blessed for evermore." 
 
 Why, says the enlightened teacher, these are to be under- 
 stood only as magnificent titles, expressive of his delegated 
 iiuthority and miraculous endowments. 
 
 But, replies the other, I find those qualities, by -which God 
 is distinguished from every creature, ascribed to him ; and 
 I see him held forth as the object of worship both to angels 
 and men. 
 
 But do not you hear him telling you likewise, that his 
 Father is greater than he ? 
 
 Undoubtedly I do. But this can occasion no great dif- 
 ficulty. For, as he is represented both in the character of 
 God and man, he speaks of himself sometimes in the one 
 character and sometimes in the other. Besides, he sustains 
 an ofiicial character as Mediator ; by which this seeming 
 difficulty may be aptly resolved. 
 
 But still, continues the rational and philosophic divine, 
 you must not interpret the Scripture in any sense which is 
 unreasonable. 
 
 Well, then, replies the astonished catechumen, when I read, 
 in this infallible record, that the Saviour is God, and the 
 great God; it seems I must believe that he is not God! — 
 •when I see the perfections of God ascribed to him, I must 
 believe that there is no proper deity belonging to him ! — and 
 when I behold him receiving the adoration both of angels 
 and of saints, I must believe that it is idolatry for me to wor- 
 ship him ! Tell me now, I beseech you, which of these is 
 the most unreasonable interpretation. — 
 
 The same absurdity will be found to adhere to every at- 
 tempt to explain away any of the other leading doctrines 
 which the gospel contains. 
 
 Let us now endeavour to vindicate these doctrines fi'om the 
 misrepresentations which they have suftered ; and to show 
 that, notwithstanding all that severity of censure which has 
 been passed upon them, and notwithstanding all that con- 
 tem]>t and derision in which they have been frequently held, 
 — there is nothing in their character which, even in the eye 
 of sober reason itself, there is any cause to be ashamed of. 
 
STATED AND DEFENDED. 297 
 
 ' I might here safely rest the whole of their defence upon 
 this general ground, — that it is a dictate of the highest reason, 
 to receive whatever we know of a truth that God has revealed 
 for our instruction and benefit. This is one of those unques- 
 tionable maxims which can scarcely admit either of illustration 
 or proof; and yet it carries something along with it so mor- 
 tifying to human pride, that it is the most difficult thing in 
 the world to persuade men to reduce it to practice. Hence 
 it is that we find them going on in direct opposition to it 
 every day, and running into the most flat and palpable ab- 
 surdity. What can be more presumptuous, than to bring the 
 schemes of infinite and unsearchable Wisdom to the test of 
 human ignorance and weakness ? What can be more pre- 
 posterous and arrogant, than for that veiy reason, which 
 confessedly stands in need of a divine instructor to enlighten 
 it, to sit as sovereign judge upon the propriety of the instruc- 
 tions which he delivers ; and, in opposition to his plainest 
 declarations, to pronounce that these things cannot be so ? 
 With infinitely greater decorum would the most unenlightened 
 peasant reprobate the inventions of an Archimedes as im- 
 practicable, or the discoveries of a Newton as incredible, be- 
 cause he could not understand them; and indeed, in some in- 
 stances, they ran contrary to the evidence of his very senses. 
 
 Let candour then acknowledge, what it is impossible to 
 deny, that it is unreasonable in the extreme to reject the 
 plain and obvious meaning of revelation, either because we 
 cannot comprehend it, or because we are unable to reconcile 
 it with some other principles which must of necessity be held. 
 
 But perhaps it may be proper to go more fully into the 
 subject than can be done upon any general ground. I begin 
 then with observing, what is strong to our purpose, that 
 several of the important doctrines which the gospel teaches 
 are of such a nature, that they will be found to remain after 
 all the endeavours that can be used to get rid of them. This, 
 if I mistake not, is the case with the doctrine of original sin, 
 as it is commonly called ; and likewise with some other doc- 
 trines, which I shall have occasion to take notice of. And if 
 this can be clearly proved, we have surely no reason to be 
 ashamed of the religion which we profess, because it teaches 
 us that the state and nature of things are what thev are. 
 
298 THE LEADING DOCTRINES OP THE GOSPEL 
 
 With respect to tlie doctrine of original sin, perhaps it is 
 not sufficiently considered, that to deny that mankind are in 
 a guilty and ruined state, is to subvert the very design of 
 the gospel ; as it makes Christ to come upon a mistaken and 
 viseless errand, namely to save a world \vhich was not lost : 
 and to admit this general guilt and ruin, is in eflect to ac- 
 knowledge the very doctrine which is now in question. Be- 
 sides, have we not the clearest evidence, from the uniform 
 conduct of Providence every day, that human creatures are 
 ti'eated as guilty, even in their infant state, and before they 
 can have done any thing personally to occasion it, by being 
 subjected to death, and all those excruciating agonies by 
 which it is often preceded? — Nothing can be more feeble 
 than the attempt to explain this away, by insisting that it is 
 not necessarily connected with guilt or demerit in the suffer- 
 ers ; as the same God who bestows life has undoubtedly a 
 right to take it away when and in what manner he pleases.* 
 For, is it not one of the plainest declarations of the word of 
 God, that death is the wages of sin ? Every circumstance 
 that is mentioned respecting it confirms this declaration. 
 By sin it was introduced into the world. It was threatened 
 beforehand as the punishment of sin ; and it has been inflicted, 
 under this idea, in every period from the fall of Adam to the 
 present time. 
 
 When death, therefore, is carrying on its ravages without 
 exception or reserve, it is not merely as suftering, but as 
 penal suffering, that we are constrained to view it. And 
 that man must reason in a very singular manner, indeed, who 
 sliould choose to maintain, that though God has been infliet- 
 
 * I ought here to have excepted the apology which is marie for 
 this part of the divine conduct by a late celebrated advocate for the 
 integrity and innocence of human nature as it comes into the world; 
 because, while it possesses a still worse quality, it is the weakest 
 that can be imagined. lie seems to be sensible, that it is not con- 
 sistent with perfect equity tiiat suilerings and death should be in- 
 flicted upon innocent creatures. But he observes, " that the Lord of 
 all beings can never want time and place and power abundantly to 
 compensate tlieir sufferings," [see Dr. Taylor on Original Sin] : — 
 not considering, that the very idea of a compensation being necessary 
 proceeds upon the siippositiou of injustice; and that God can no 
 more be unjust for a single moment than he can be unjust for ever. 
 
STATED AND DEFENDED. 299 
 
 ing this punishment, from age to age, upon vast multitudes 
 of the human species, who have never sinned in their own 
 persons ; yet this is no sufficient or satisfying evidence that 
 they are treated as guilty in being subjected to it. 
 
 But what deserves our particular attention is, that the 
 other part of this doctrine, the corruption of our nature, is 
 itself a matter of fact which can scarcely be disputed ; and 
 therefore it must be accounted for equally upon every scheme. 
 Every production of the divine Worker must be absolutely 
 perfect as it comes from his hand. The question, therefore, 
 is shortly this : — Whether it be most reasonable to suppose, 
 that this corruption in which we are involved, and all the 
 misery which is consequent upon it, have befallen us on ac- 
 count of a transgression which some way or other is charged 
 upon us ; or for no cause or reason that can be assigned 
 at all ? 
 
 But still, perhaps, it will not be allowed that there is any 
 original or native corruption in the human breast. Perhaps 
 it will be said, that the corrupt tendency which appears in 
 every j^erson as soon as he may be denominated a moral 
 agent, is the eflect of the evil example alone under which he 
 was formerly educated. This, however, is only removing 
 one difficulty by introducing another. For it will be found 
 as hard to reconcile it with the equity of the divine govern- 
 ment, that human creatures should be placed in circumstances 
 in which they shall all be infallibly perverted by the time 
 that they are capable of distinguishing between good and 
 evil ; as that the ditferent parts of their constitution should 
 be unequally balanced, and consequently, that they should 
 possess the evil bias when they come into the world. 
 
 The Scripture doctrine, therefore, of original sin, is so far 
 from being absurd or unreasonable, that it goes a greater 
 length in accounting for appearances than any other princi- 
 ple that has yet been discovered. The ancient moralists ac- 
 knowledged the fact ; but were unable to explain it. Whence 
 Cometh evil ? was the question to which none of them could 
 give a satisfying answer. But the Scripture leads us to the true 
 solution of this puzzling problem. It informs us, that human 
 nature, Avhich then only existed in the persons of our first 
 parents, fell from its integrity, when it was put to the trial in 
 
300 THE LEADING DOCTRINES OP THE GOSPEL 
 
 its most perfect state : a trial not only most equitable and fair, 
 but likewise so apparently easy, that no person whatever, had 
 he been then present, could have hesitated a moment in resting 
 his future fortunes upon it. This, therefore, ought to be 
 considered, not as the trial of one man, or of one pair only, 
 but of the whole species ; all the individuals of which seem 
 to be much more the same in the divine constitution than 
 ■we at present can easily conceive of. And accordingly we 
 find, that the taint which human nature received in the ori- 
 ginal transgression has universally overnm it ; and has be- 
 come like " the little leaven which leavened the whole lump." 
 
 To go over all the evidence for this doctrine, and to an- 
 swer all the objections, many of them idle enough, which 
 have been brought against it, would require a volume. I 
 only meant to take it up under one particular aspect, in order 
 to impress the mind with the insignificance and folly of en- 
 deavouring to prevent Christianity from asserting as a prin- 
 ciple, what we see founded in nature and existing in fact. 
 
 It were no difficult matter to show, that something of the 
 same character belongs even to the mysterious doctrine of 
 the decrees of God. It will readily be supposed that this 
 doctrine is as for removed from experience as any that was 
 ever the subject of human speculation; and yet, strange as 
 it may appear, I doubt not that a penetrating eye will, in 
 some of tlie most important instances, discover the decree 
 lurking in the event which is connected with it. At present 
 I shall only spend an observation or two upon this particular 
 point, before we go on to the other doctrines which remain 
 chiefly to be considered. 
 
 I am aware that this is a doctrine so very oflensive to the 
 carnal reasonings of the mind of man, that every possible 
 endeavour has been used to explain it away. By some it is 
 denied that there are any particular decrees at all ; an opin- 
 ion so apparently inconsistent with the divine perfection, 
 that it does not merit a serious confutation. By others it is 
 mahitained, that the decrees are not absolute, but condi- 
 tional ; and that they proceed ujion foreseen faith and obe- 
 dience in those who are the objects of the divine favour. It 
 is, however, generally allowed, that God foresaw from eter- 
 nity every future event ; none professedly denying it, except 
 
STATED AND DEFENDED. 301 
 
 those who believe so very little of Christianity that they 
 scarcely deserve to be reckoned among its votaries. And 
 this foreknowledge, if it be attentively considered, will be 
 found, as to all the effects and consequences of it, to be the 
 very same thing with a decree. For no person, I suppose, 
 will have the boldness to affirm, that the foreseen incredulity 
 of a sinner could not be prevented or overcome even by the 
 power of almighty grace itself. And accordingly, some of 
 the most candid and able defenders of the last mentioned 
 opinion, when pushed to the uttermost, and asked. Why this 
 foreseen incredulity was not prevented, and the sinner saved 
 from destruction? have been obliged simply to resolve it 
 into the sovereignty of the divine counsels, and to say with 
 the Scripture, " because it so pleased God." 
 
 This every one must perceive is giving up the point. But 
 how is it possible consistently to maintain it ? Will it be 
 laid down as a principle, that it was the ultimate design of 
 God, that every individual of the human race should be 
 saved ? How then can we conceive that his design should 
 be frustrated ? But will it be said, that he carries on this 
 design by communicating only such a measure of grace as 
 might be sufficient for the salvation of all men ? To super- 
 ficial inquirers this will be a plausible salvo. But did he not 
 foresee that this measure of grace would be eflfectual in some, 
 but not in all? How then can we suppose him candying 'on 
 this great benevolent design, upon a plan by which he cer- 
 tainly knew it would never be accomplished ? We must 
 therefore, in all consistency, relinquish the principle that has 
 been now laid down. And, unless we choose to be so ab- 
 surd as to reject the doctrine altogether, this will oblige us 
 to take up with that absolute and sovereign election which 
 the Scripture teaches ; and of which, what it is impossible to 
 doubt of as matter of fact, the final destruction of those who 
 are not the objects of it, is a confirming proof. 
 
 I am not unacquainted with the difficulties which arise 
 upon such a subject; — difficulties which will recur upon us, 
 in some degree, upon every scheme that can be adopted. 
 It is indeed a subject on which it becomes us both to speak 
 and to think with deep humility and self-diffidence, as what 
 is beyond the power of any mortal, and probably of any 
 
302 THE LEADING DOCTRINES OF THE GOSPEL 
 
 created being, to comprehend. But if we would regulate 
 our judgments by the dictates of revealed truth, we should 
 lind these difficulties greatly diminished. The chief of them 
 relates to that impenetrable mystery, the introduction of sin 
 under the administration of an all-perfect Being. But this 
 is a point upon which, I conceive, we are not permitted to 
 speculate. The Scripture never leads our views, upon this 
 subject, beyond the apostaey and fall of man. The decree 
 always considers man as a guilty and perishing creature. 
 And, when this fact is once admitted, it will go far to enable 
 us to vindicate the divine procedure; as it is a righteous 
 thing with Grod to sutler the wicked to go on in their evil 
 courses; while his mercy is displayed in snatching whom he 
 pleases as brands from the burning, and making them the 
 trophies of his victorious grace.* 
 
 * It is cmnous to observe the weakness and folly of human inven- 
 tion, when applied to correct or improve the schemes of God. This 
 is really the light in which it is often to be viewed ; although it is 
 not to be expected that men will acknowledge it; and indeed it 
 ought in candour to be supposed that they themselves are not sensi- 
 ble of it. They set out with an opinion, that what the Scripture 
 appears to declare, in several instances, cannot be true, because it 
 leads to inconsistency and contradiction. Therefore they form mea- 
 sures of conduct for the divine Being more simple and probable, 
 which they scruple not to lay down as the scheme which he has 
 pursued. This folly is nowhere more manifest than with respect to 
 the subject which we are now treating. When they have explained 
 away the doctrine which the gospel teaches, and substituted their 
 own invention in its room ; have they made the matter more clear 
 and consistent than it was before '? — have they found out a scheme 
 more worthy of God, as they often speak, or more effectual to the 
 purpose which he may be supposed to liave had in view ? — Let us 
 examine the fictions which their imaginations have suggested. 
 
 To maintain that there are no particular decrees at all, involves 
 the very unseemly conclusion, that God has formed a world, and has 
 left all the events which should take place in it, at least so far as 
 human actions are concerned, uncertain and desultory, to be deter- 
 mined in any way whatever as chance may direct them. Besides, 
 in order to give this scheme the appeai'ance of consistency, it is 
 found necessary to deny that the foreknowledge of God extends to 
 human actions : from which it unavoidably follows that the great 
 design of God in saving sinners from destruction, by being suspended 
 upon the caprice of the liiunan will, might be entirely defeated. 
 What can be more dishonouring to the divine Perfection than tliis ? 
 What more degrading to the infinite wisdom of God, than to suppose 
 
STATED AND DEFENDED. 
 
 303 
 
 Let us now turn our attention to those very momentous 
 doctrines in which the method of our salvation is unfolded ; 
 and which therefore require a more particular examination. 
 Were we to take them up in their full extent, it is easy to 
 perceive that it would be impossible to do any justice to 
 them within the bounds of a single discourse. I shall, there- 
 
 him laying down a plan, of which, by the very supposition, it is im- 
 possible for him to ensure the success, and of which, indeed, he can- 
 not perceive the issue ? How can it ever be reconciled to the pnn- 
 ciples of inviolable integrity and truth, that He should deliver a vast 
 variety of predictions, of events depending upon the will of man, and 
 make us firmly to expect their accomplishment, when at best they 
 can be no more than probable conjectures ; such events, according 
 to them, being absolutely uncertain till they actually take place ? 
 
 On the other hand, to maintain the doctrine of particular decrees, 
 not absolute, but conditional, and proceeding upon foreseen faith and 
 obedience, or the want of them, leads to evident absurdity and con- 
 tradiction. It supposes God certainly to foresee the future determi- 
 nations of the human mind, although these are held to be really con- 
 tingent and uncertain. It agrees with the former scheme in this 
 contingency and uncertainty of human actions, in order to make it 
 consistent with God's design of saving all men ; and yet it deter- 
 mines the character and state of every particular person as unal- 
 terably as the doctrine of absolute decrees does. For, as no 
 truth can be more evident, than that what is certainly foreseen 
 must certainly happen ; the decree passing upon this certain fore- 
 knowledge makes the whole matter as fixed and necessary as any 
 thing that can be conceived. Every objection, then, that can be 
 brought against the doctrine of absolute decrees, from the ineiUcacy 
 of all arguments and motives upon the non-elected, may be turned 
 against this scheme with undiminished force: for those, who are 
 certainly foreseen to resist all the means that shall be used for their 
 salvation, cannot be prevailed upon or overcome by any. Every 
 measure, then, that can be taken to reclaim them, must be as fruit- 
 less upon the one scheme as upon the other : while this last possesses 
 the high absurdity, of representing God as labouring to accomplish 
 the salvation of those very persons by means which he knew in fact 
 would be inadequate to the design.— I say nothing at present upon 
 a middle scheme for solving the difficulties upon this mysterious 
 subject, though adopted by a Watts, and commended by the descrip- 
 tive powers of a Milton ; because, while it does little to obviate the 
 above-mentioned objections, it induces additional ones. I have in- 
 deed already observed, that it is no sufficient reason for rejecting a 
 doctrine of revelation, that it is attended with insuperable difficulties 
 in our manner of conceiving it : but it is certainly a poor recoinmen- 
 dation of any scheme, when, in order to escape these difficulties, it 
 turns aside from the Scripture truth, and falls into greater. 
 
304 THE LEADING DOCTRINES OF THE GOSPEL 
 
 fore, select the two following as the subject of our present 
 inquiry ; which are of principal importance, and wliich indeed 
 in some measure include the rest. 
 
 I. That the atoning sacrifice, and meritorious obedience 
 of Christ are the only grounds upon which we can obtain 
 pardon of sin, and acceptance with God unto eternal life. 
 
 II. That it is only by the all-powerful energy of the Holy 
 Spirit upon the soul, that we can be renewed and sanctified 
 after the image of God. 
 
 I. There is no article of our Christian faith which comes 
 more closely home to the deepest interests and feelings of 
 the human heart, than that of our reconciliation and accept- 
 ance with God in virtue of the death and righteousness of 
 Christ, as it has just now been stated. What intimation can 
 be more animating and joyful than that " through this man 
 is preached to us the forgiveness of sins?" Acts xiii. 38. 
 What history can be more affecting than the simple narrative, 
 — that "he bare our sins on his own body upon the tree," 
 1 Pet. ii. 24 ; — that " he gave himself a ransom for all," 1 
 Tim. ii. G ; — and that " he was made sin for us, who knew 
 no sin, that we might bo made the righteousness of God in 
 him ?" 2 Cor. v, 21. This is that inestimable doctrine which 
 is the wonder and glory of the gospel. Tlie early Christians 
 exulted in it as the strong foundation of all their hopes. 
 And one should think, that if ever there was a truth fitted 
 to command the highest admiration, and the most transport- 
 ing gratitude, it must be this. 
 
 Blessed be God, it is likewise a truth for which we have 
 the fullest evidence in the sacred volume. This was neces- 
 sary to quiet the anxieties of conscious guilt ; and to give 
 us that peace with God, which it was tlie gracious design of 
 the gospel to impart. Accordingly, it is there set forth, in 
 a great variety of places, in the most express and determinate 
 language. There our Lord is not only represented as having 
 expiated sin by his death ; but we are informed of the very 
 manner in which this expiation was made : — That he was 
 substituted in tlie room of the guilty ; — that he suilered the 
 punishment Avhich their sins deserved ; — that, in this way, he 
 made ample satisfaction to the justice of his Father ; — and, 
 as his crivincr himself to death was likewise the highest act of 
 
STATED AND DEFENDED. 305 
 
 obedience to his Father's will, he thereby procured, not only 
 pardon, but acceptance and blessedness for all his saints. 
 What other proper or natural sense can be put, either upon 
 the passages already recited, or upon the following aftecting 
 declarations : that " Christ gave himself for our sins," Gal. 
 i. 4 ; — that " he was wounded for our transgressions, and 
 bruised for our iniquities ; " — that " the chastisement of our 
 peace was upon him, and with his stripes we are healed," Isa. 
 liii. 5 ; — that " he once suftered for sins, the just for the un- 
 just, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in 
 the flesh," 1 Pet. iii. 18 ; — that '' he was made a curse for us," 
 Gal. iii. 18 ; — and that " he hath redeemed us to God by 
 his blood," Eev. v. 9. Is it in the power of language to con- 
 vey more clearly the idea of vicarious suffering, or suftering 
 in the room and for the benefit of others, than is here ex- 
 pressed ? 
 
 But, as it was necessary that a matter of such vast impor- 
 tance to the encouragement and comfort of the sinner should 
 be not only clearly but early notified, without which indeed 
 he would be in danger of sinking into despair ; w^e behold 
 the attention and tenderness of God towards man, displayed 
 in the institution of sacrifices immediately after the fatal 
 period of the original apostacy, which was both wonderfully 
 fitted to bring him to the knowledge of this most interesting 
 doctrine, and to penetrate his soul -with the affecting dis- 
 coveries which it contains.* From the account of the cere- 
 
 * I have here taken it for granted that the institution of sacrifice 
 was divine : being persuaded, that, were not the mind of man disposed 
 to call in question almost every thing that comes before it, it could 
 scarcely be disputed. We find saciifices in practice within a short 
 period of the fall of man, and have reason to conclude that their com- 
 mencement is to be dated from that fatal event, as the only method 
 of access by which he could then draw near unto God. We sec God 
 from the beginning expressing his approbation of that mode of wor- 
 ship. We see it continued with acceptance through the whole of the 
 patriarchal ages : and when he was giving laws to a people, whom 
 he had separated for himself, he made sacrifices such an essential 
 and necessary part of their worship, that without these they could 
 have no access into his gracious presence. What a presumption is 
 this that they derived their origin from his divine authority alone ! 
 Indeed the contrary supposition carries the strongest marks of incredi- 
 bility along with it. As man could not discover the grand mysterious 
 
 U 
 
306 THE LEADING DOCTRINES OF THE GOSPEL 
 
 monial with which offerings of this kind were afterwards 
 accompanied, and which, it is probable, in all its essential 
 formalities had been originally enjoined, — the idea of a sub- 
 stitution must be manifest to every intelligent and impartial 
 reader. What can more significantly denote it than this 
 necessary rite, that the hands of the offerer should be laid 
 upon the head of the sacrifice before it was slain? This was, 
 as it wei'e, laying the guilt upon the devoted victim, which 
 was immediately to suffer to make atonement for it : and the 
 leading aim of the whole was to give a symbolical represen- 
 tation, and an anticipating prospect, of the manner in which 
 sin was to be borne by an infinitely greater sacrifice which 
 was to be offered for it. 
 
 As this mysterious institution, then, ministered the most 
 important information to the ancients, it is a confirming evi- 
 dence of the truth even to us, upon whom the ends of the 
 world are come. We see that the method of saving sinnei's 
 from destruction in every age has been the same. Our con- 
 ceptions of the great sacrifice itself, receive a friendly aid 
 from the reflection of that light by Avhich they were led for- 
 ward to behold it ; and we can enter more fully into the 
 meaning of those scriptures where it is said, that " Christ 
 was once offered to bear the sins of many ;" — that " the Lord 
 laid on him the iniquities of us all ;" — and that " God (in his 
 sacrifice) condemned sin in the flesh." 
 
 objeet to which sacrifices ifftimatcly referred, and to which a divine 
 institution alone could attach them ; how coukl it ever have entered 
 into his mind to offer them ? Could he tliink it a likely way of ap- 
 peasing the vengeance of heaven, to desti'oy the very creatures which 
 God had made, and which he daily supported, under pretence of offer- 
 ing them to him in sacrifice? Could he entertain so gross a notion 
 as to imagine that God would eat the flesh of bulls, or drink the blood 
 of goats ? Or, if ho did, must he not, like Israel of old, have met 
 Avith a severe reproof from the Almighty, for such an insult to his 
 perfection, and such an indignity offered to the glory of his character? 
 Finally, shall we suppose with some, that sacrifices might arise ori- 
 ginally from a natural sentiment of the human mind, as an attempt 
 to procure the favour of God by hardships and losses wliich men were 
 willing to impose upon themselves? What is this but to reduce 
 them to the notion of penances ? one of the greatest corruptions of 
 the truth that has hitherto appeared; and, therefore, instead of being 
 acceptable to God, they must have been rejected by him with abhor- 
 rence. 
 
STATED AND DEFENDED. 307 
 
 What stronger evidence could be desired for this precious 
 doctrine than what has now been produced ? language can- 
 not more forcibly express it. And to show that it is one of 
 the most essential principles of revelation, it is woven into 
 its very texture from beginning to end. 
 
 But perhaps it will be said, How can such a doctrine 
 proceed from God ? Is it not contrary to the first principle 
 of justice ? Is it not to reward men for a service which they 
 have not performed, and to punish the innocent that the 
 guilty may go free ? How much more reasonable to suppose, 
 that God will receive the returning sinner without any atone- 
 ment ! Does he stand in need of a compensation for the evil 
 which we have done ? " If we sin, what do we against 
 him? and if our transgressions be multiplied, what do we 
 unto him ? " 
 
 And will men oppose their weak and narrow reasonings 
 to the plainest testimony of the word of God ; and that, too, 
 in a matter which is evidently beyond their comprehension ? 
 Or, do they mean to employ them as arguments against its 
 authenticity, because it incorporates into its very frame a 
 doctrine so apparently absurd and incredible ? This would 
 be the most fair and consistent conduct. But I address my- 
 self only to those who acknowledge its divine authority. 
 Come, then, let us reason together for a moment upon this 
 interesting point. 
 
 You conceive that sin may very well be remitted without 
 any atonement, without any penal satisfaction for it. But, 
 can you show clearly that God has ever acted upon this prin- 
 ciple in a single instance ? Are you sure that you know all 
 the reasons that God can have for the punishment of sin ; 
 and that there is nothing, either in his character or in the 
 ends of his government, that makes it necessary to inflict it ? 
 Are you sure that justice does not require it ; and that the 
 truth of God may be broken, which is pledged for it ? But, 
 not to speak either of the justice or faithfulness of God; 
 must not his holiness itself, and the infinite abhorrence of sin 
 which belongs to his very nature, lead him to treat it with 
 all that awful severity which it deserves ? How unbecoming 
 is it, then, to advance suph a groundless assertion, especially 
 when the evidence certainly lies upon the opposite side ? 
 
308 THE LEADING DOCTRINES OF THE GOSPEL 
 
 But you are confident that the atoning sacrifice of Chi-ist 
 cannot be admitted, because vicarious punishment is contrary 
 to the very nature of justice. 
 
 Now it is surely somewhat strange, if it be so contrary to 
 all our notions of justice, that an opinion of this kind should 
 have universally prevailed. Nothing is more certain than 
 that it has made a part of all the religions, both true and 
 false, that ever appeared in the world ; the several votaries 
 of which, however widely they have differed in other respects, 
 have united in the belief that sin may be expiated by vicarious 
 sufferings, or sufferings in the room and for the benefit of 
 others. Wlience, then, has this universal opinion been de- 
 rived ? If it is the dictate of nature or of experience, then 
 the dispute is at an end. If it has been derived from reve- 
 lation, the only other source of information with which we 
 are acquainted, the dispute will be equally at an end. For, 
 I presume, you will not choose to maintain, against the pre- 
 vailing voice, either of nature, of experience, or of revelation, 
 that the ends of justice cannot be answered by accepting 
 a satisfaction from a substitute who is able and wiUing to 
 give it. 
 
 Still, however, you cannot but reject the doctrine of im- 
 putation, as at once absurd and iniquitous ; because merit 
 and demerit are altogether personal, and cannot be transferred 
 to those to whom they do not really belong ; nor can the 
 rewards nor punishments be transferred which are annexed 
 to them. 
 
 If, by the transference of merit or demerit, you mean, that 
 the personal guilt or righteousness of one becomes the per- 
 sonal guilt or righteousness of another, — this is a position 
 which no Christian, who understands what he says, will ever 
 maintain : and it is so far from receiving any countenance 
 from the doctrine of imputation, that it is evidently excluded 
 by it. It is blasphemy to suppose that our Lord contracted 
 any personal guilt, by the sins of his people being laid upon 
 him when he was bearing the chastisement of their peace : 
 and if it were possible, by any means, that what was personal 
 righteousness or merit in him, should become personal right- 
 eousness or merit in us, — then it would not be imputed, for 
 it would be truly and properly our own. But does it there- 
 
STATED AND DEFENDED. 309 
 
 fore follow, that the guilt or righteousness of one cannot be 
 so for devolved upon another, or reckoned to his account, as 
 that he shall suffer or be rewarded for it? A calm and 
 thoughtful inquirer will certainly be cautious of hazarding 
 such an assertion, lest he should run in opposition to matter 
 of fact and experience. 
 
 It is not a little remarkable, that it seems tojbe the very 
 constitution of Providence, in this world, that one set of 
 creatures should derive their support and enjoyment from the 
 sufferings, and even from the destruction of their fellow- 
 creatures around them. When we examine the inferior 
 creation, what vast multitudes of the irrational tribes do we 
 see daily yielding up their lives for the subsistence and ben- 
 efit of others ! what numbers of them are continually put to 
 death for the nourishment and comfort of man ! Nay, do 
 we not behold even the lower orders of the human species 
 themselves ministering by their toils and hardshij^s and suf- 
 ferings, to the ease and convenience and enjoyment of the 
 rest ? It is true there is nothing of imputation in any of 
 these cases. Notwithstanding, they lessen the difficulties on 
 this interesting point. For, if it be the plan of God, in the 
 natural world, that the good of some is promoted by the 
 sufferings and services of others ; why may not the govern- 
 ment of the moral world admit of a similar principle ? If 
 we find in experience that our temporal interest is often 
 promoted by the labours and sufferings of others ; nay, that 
 we are delivered even from distress and calamity by their 
 intervention, and sometmies by their sustaining the very 
 stroke which was ready to destroy us ; — why should it appear 
 incredible that our spiritual interest should be advanced in a 
 similar manner, and that we should be delivered from that 
 load of; vengeance, which would sink us down to everlasting 
 perdition, by the friendly intervention of one who is able to 
 sustain all its weight ? 
 
 But, what is more directly to the point before us, it is one 
 of the most obvious truths relating to human life, that the 
 effects of the good or bad actions of men are not confined to 
 the persons themselves by whom they are performed : they 
 shed a corresponding influence around them, to a greater or 
 smaller extent, wherever they are found. How are the 
 
310 THE LEADING DOCTRINES OF THE GOSPEL 
 
 families of those, for example, who have been eminently dis- 
 tinguished as public benefactors to mankind, esteemed and 
 caressed by all who know them ! On the other hand, how 
 does the detestation in which those are held, who have been 
 the scourges and pests of society, descend in some measure 
 upon their very offspring, so that it requires more than or- 
 dinary character in these to countervail it ! 
 
 It must indeed be confessed, that there is no instance, but 
 that of the great atonement itself, in which men have been 
 delivered from guilt by sufferings which are not their own : 
 for this plain reason, that no sufferings of a mere creature 
 could make that satisfaction which justice requires. We 
 have, however, many undoubted examples of what perhaps 
 it is not less difficult to account for ; — men suffering in the 
 righteous judgment of God, and sometimes immediately 
 and visibly from his hand, not for their own sins only, but 
 likewise for those of others. Let it not be thought that such 
 sufferings are only of an outward or temporal nature. This 
 has often been maintained in order to evade the argument 
 arising from them. But the following instances will show 
 that it is far from being the case. 
 
 What is the situation to which the Jewish people are re- 
 duced for an offence which was committed by their fathers 
 more than seventeen hundred years ago ! Is it only temporal 
 disgrace or disadvantage to which they are subjected? Alas ! 
 this is the least part of the indignation which has been poured 
 upon them. If we believe the apostle Paul, they are labour- 
 ing under spiritual judgment, — the heaviest of all calamities: 
 for " God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that 
 they should not see, and ears that they should not hear, unto 
 this day," Eom. xi. 8. — How melancholy is the state to which 
 the posterity of those who composed the ancient churches of 
 Asia are now reduced, because their fathers repented not at 
 the call of the Redeemer, when he threatened to remove his 
 candlestick out of its place ! Are they not now deprived of 
 the light and grace of the gospel, which they would otherwise 
 have enjoyed, and sitting in the region and shadow of death? 
 — And how deplorable is the condition of those who are sunk 
 in the corruption and idolatry of antichrist ! Are they not 
 suffering that awful judgment Avith which God visited their 
 
STATED AND DEFENDED. 311 
 
 fathers, when he "sent them strong delusion, that they 
 should believe a lie; because they -received not the love of 
 the truth, that they might be saved?" 2 Thess. ii. 10, 11. 
 
 What is this now but the doctrine of imputation verified 
 and vindicated by experience itself? And will it still be 
 traduced as unworthy of God, when we see it a part of that 
 order which he has established, and one of the evident prin- 
 ciples upon which his government pi'oceeds ? The instances 
 which have been recited are awful and standing monuments 
 of it. And though we could expunge it entirely from the 
 sacred code, yet, like the articles which have been formerly 
 mentioned, it would still remain ; for we should meet with 
 it in one shape or another in almost every occurrence that 
 passes before us. The institution of sacrifice, as I have par- 
 ticularly shown, had familiarized the idea of atonement to 
 the human mind from very early times. And how many are 
 the instances of those that we continually meet with, in whom 
 that proverb is truly fulfilled, that " other men laboured, and 
 they have entered into their labours ? " Is it not astonish- 
 ing, then, that men, professing fair and candid principles, 
 should charge that as an incredibility upon revelation, which 
 they are obliged to admit as a part of the plan of Providence 
 itself? 
 
 But, there are two circumstances respecting the satisfac- 
 tion of Christ, which, when carefully considered, wiU in a 
 great measure remove the difficulties which attend it. The 
 first is, that it was voluntarily offered, by one who had 
 power to lay down his life, and power to take it up again ; 
 and therefore, neither was it incompetent for him to devote 
 himself to sufferings and death, nor could any injury be 
 done by inflicting them upon him. The second is, that it 
 was a satisfaction by a kindred substitute, so intimately re- 
 lated, and indeed united, to those for whom it was made, 
 that " they are members of his body, and of his flesh, and of 
 his bones." 
 
 This is a truth of vast magnitude in the Christian scheme, 
 though the pride of human reason has shown the same aver- 
 sion to it as to most of the other doctrines which the gospel 
 contains. Men cannot understand the principle upon which 
 such an union is constituted : therefore they pronounce it 
 
312 THE LEADING DOCTRINES OF THE GOSPEL 
 
 impossible that it can exist ; and go about to explain into 
 insignificance the sti'ong and impressive language in which 
 God has been pleased to reveal it. But do they clearly un- 
 derstand the principle which constitutes xniity, either in the 
 natural or moral world, in the various instances that come 
 before them ? Those who are accustomed to speculations of 
 this kind will readily acknowledge that they are involved in 
 much greater obscurity than is commonly imagined. And 
 yet, upon the score of ignorance alone, not the union between 
 Christ and his disciples only has been rejected, but likewise 
 the union between the divine and human natures in his won- 
 derful person, and the union of the Father and the Son, in 
 whom, notwithstanding the diversity of persons, the divinity 
 is the same. 
 
 I mean not, however, to enter into any defence or illus- 
 tration at present of the Christian's union with his divine 
 Lord. The Scripture, undoubtedly represents it in a great 
 variety of beautiful and striking images, employing the most 
 intimate unities in nature to denote it.* And if it only be 
 admitted as a principle, and applied to the subject which is 
 now before us, it will set the doctrine of imputation and 
 substitution in a consistent and intelligible view. For where 
 is the difficulty in conceiving, according to the strictest rule 
 of justice, that Christ sliould bear the punishment which was 
 due to his people's sins, and that his righteousness and merits 
 should be reckoned to their account ; when they are con- 
 joined together in so intimate a manner, that he is the head, 
 and they are the members of his body, and make up " the 
 fulness of him," or as it were the completeness of his person, 
 " wlio filleth all in all," Eph. i. 23. 
 
 Behold, now, what full and satisfying evidence we have 
 for this precious doctrine of the atonement and merits of 
 Christ, as the ground of our pardon and acceptance with 
 God ; and how it remains firm and unshaken amidst the 
 strongest efforts of human wisdom rto overtlu-ow it! Upon 
 this principle, the Scripture revelation stands forth at once 
 intelligible and consistent : the ancient institution of sacri- 
 fice appears to have been of the most important and neces- 
 
 * See John xv. 5 ; Eph. ii. 20, 21, and iv. 15, 16. 
 
STATED AND DEFENDED. 313 
 
 sary use ; — the glory of the divine perfection is highly illus- 
 trated ; — the comfort of the humbled sinner is secured ; — 
 and even experience lends its aid in confirmation of the 
 truth. But, in maintaining the contrary supposition, every 
 thing is thrown into obscurity and disorder : the Scripture 
 becomes unintelligible ; — the ancient sacrifices are little bet- 
 ter than childish ceremonies ; — the character of God is de- 
 faced ; — the sensible ground of the sinner's comfort is with- 
 drawn ; — and the Christian doctrine is opposed by reasonings, 
 Avhich, before they can be of any avail, must annihilate fact, 
 and unhinge the measures of Providence in the government 
 of the world. 
 
 I cannot leave this part of the subject, without taking 
 notice of what is set up in the room of the true and proper 
 atonement of Christ, by those who have laboured to deprive 
 us of it. The most of Christians admit of something which 
 they call atonement ; though many of them reject it in the 
 only sense in which it can justly be understood. They ac- 
 knowledge that the death of Christ was an expiatory sacrifice 
 for sin ; and that God, out of regard to this sacrifice, conde- 
 scends to pardon the believing penitent. Notwithstanding 
 this, they strenuously deny that our iniquities were in any 
 sense devolved on him, or that he made any penal satisfaction 
 for them : and they tell us, that the atonement of Christ is 
 only a wise expedient, which God has introduced, to prevent 
 men from imagining that mercy is a facility in tlie divine 
 nature, and to deter them from sin, by raising up this awful 
 monument of his indignation against it. 
 
 It is not a little surprising that this account of the atone- 
 ment should be proposed and adopted by men of ability and 
 discernment, as that which reason and Scripture concur to 
 authenticate, when it runs in direct opposition to both. At 
 first sight, indeed, it carries a plausible aspect ; but, when 
 attentively examined, it will appear fraught with absurdity 
 and contradiction. If our iniquities were in no sense de- 
 volved upon Christ ; if the sufferings which he endured had 
 nothing to do with the punishment of our guilt ; and if the 
 hand of justice was no way concerned in these sufferings ; 
 — with what propriety of language can the Scripture affirm, 
 that " our iniquities were laid upon him ;" that " he suffered 
 
314 THE LEADING DOCTRINES OF THE GOSPEL 
 
 and died for our sins ;" and that " God set him forth a pro- 
 pitiation, through faitli in his blood, to declare his righteous- 
 ness for the remission of sins ; — that he might be just, and 
 the justifier of him Avho believeth in Jesus ! " If these, and 
 such expressions as these, with which the Scripture abounds, 
 must be understood in so strange and unnatural a meaning 
 as to exclude entirely the sense which they obviously con- 
 tain, we need not hesitate to pronounce, that they are the 
 worst chosen, and the most calculated to mislead that were 
 ever employed by any writer. 
 
 But let us listen to the voice of reason itself upon the 
 subject. Where is the wisdom of this singular expedient 
 upon the principles that are here laid down ? How can the 
 sufferings of perfect rectitude, without any imputation of 
 guilt to occasion them, be considered as a monument of God's 
 indignation against sin ? In this view, should we not rather 
 be led to conclude, that his indignation was pointed at a 
 very different object, when we behold innocence suffering 
 Avithout any adequate cause that can be assigned for it ? 
 And is it not quite inconceivable, how all the pains and 
 agonies which the Saviour endured, can deter men from sin, 
 if tliey are by no means to be understood as the punishment 
 of it ? Must Ave then, in rejecting the only foundation of a 
 sinner's hope, admit all these gross and palpable absurdities : 
 — that the Scripture is best understood in the sense which 
 appears most contrary to it ; — that the indignation of God 
 against sin is most awfully displayed when it seems to be 
 pointed at innocence and rectitude ; — and that the most 
 effectual Avay of deterring men from iniquity, is to exhibit a 
 scene of the deepest suffering which is quite unconnected 
 with the punishment of it? At least, let us beware of as- 
 cribing such a scheme to the wisdom of God, which is one 
 of the greatest demonstrations of the weakness and folly of 
 man. You see then, that there is no other alternative, but 
 either flatly to deny the doctrine of atonement altogether, or 
 else to receive the plain scri})tural account of it, as a satisfac- 
 tion which Clirist made to the justice of his Father by bear- 
 ing the punishment which our sins deserved ; for there is 
 nothing which can be set up as a medium between these, 
 which does not evidently betray its false and spurious origin. 
 
STATED AND DEFENDED, 315 
 
 I shall have occasion afterwards to show, that this doc- 
 trine, so far from being unfriendly to the interests of holi- 
 ness, supplies its most animating motives. In the meantime, 
 let me only observe, that, as it is of the utmost importance 
 in itself, in every view in which it can be contemplated, it is 
 likewise such a radical principle in the scheme of our re- 
 demption, that most of the other distinguishing doctrines of 
 the gospel will stand or fall with it. They who believe the 
 true Scripture doctrine of the atonement and righteousness 
 of Christ, must of course believe his real and proper deity. 
 For, were he not possessed of divine perfection and excel- 
 lency, it is impossible that he could either have borne the 
 weight of almighty vengeapce in expiating human guilt, or 
 that, by the merit of his obedience he could have procured 
 the richest blessings of heaven for an inheritance to his 
 saints. On the other hand, as it is highly incredible that a 
 person of infinite perfection and dignity should have come 
 down from heaven to earth, merely to publish a doctrine 
 which was more fully revealed by his apostles after him, and 
 to die a martyr for its truth, which has been done by many 
 of his disciples with less anxiety and apprehension than he 
 discovered ; we find, in fact, those who reject this precious 
 doctrine, disparaging the dignity of the Redeemer, and, in 
 the awful language of Scripture, " denying the Lord that 
 bought them, and bringing upon themselves swift destruc- 
 tion." And as there is no higher evidence for the divine 
 personality of the Holy Spirit than for that of the Son, this 
 likewise is given up ; the consequence of which is, that the 
 whole doctrine of sanctification, which is ascribed to his in- 
 fluence, falls to the ground. In a word, if this pillar and 
 stay of the truth be once removed, the whole fabric of Chris- 
 tianity will be laid in ruins ; and the forlorn and helpless 
 sinner, bereaved of his only security and comfort, must be 
 driven for shelter to the miserable patchwork of human in- 
 vention, which, in the day of trial and decision, will be 
 swept entirely away. 
 
 Think now, ye humble followers of a crucified Lord, in 
 what high estimation you should hold this interesting doc- 
 trine. What prospects of God, of providence, and of grace, 
 does it lay open to your view ! Here alone you see the 
 
316 THE LEADING DOCTRINES OF THE GOSPEL 
 
 character of God unmutilated and consistent, and his plans 
 harmonious. Here you behold the glory of his perfection 
 most radiantly displayed, in the united exercise of justice, 
 and mercy, and sanctity, and truth ; in that scheme of his 
 unsearchable wisdom which the highest created intelligences 
 contemplate with admiration. From this doctrine, likewise, 
 what a divine tranquillity, and what a lively hope, do you 
 happil}' experience ! You feel your souls at once humbled 
 and purified and exalted by it. And O ! when that 
 solemn period shall arrive, which shall introduce you into 
 the presence of 3'our Saviour and of your God, how will 
 you triumph and exult in it ! Then shall you join the hea- 
 venly church, with equal accents, ^in that enraptured song, — 
 " Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his 
 own blood, and hath made us kings and priests unto God 
 and his Father, to him be glory and dominion for ever." 
 And again, "Salvation to our God who sittcth upon the 
 throne, and unto the Lamb." 
 
 11. The other very momentous doctrine, in which the 
 method of our salvation is still farther unfolded, is now to 
 be considered. It has already been announced in the follow- 
 ing terms : — That it is only by the all-powerful energy of 
 the Holy Spirit upon the soul, that we can be renewed and 
 sanctified after the image of God. 
 
 If mankind are really in such a state of corruption, as 
 that in which the Scripture represents them till they are 
 recovered by the grace of the gospel ; we need no other 
 evidence to convince us of the necessity of supernatural 
 divine influence to the conversion and sanctification of every 
 sinner. There they are represented as " dead in trespasses 
 and sins," Eph. ii. 1. Their very mind, it is said, " is carnal, 
 is enmity against God ; and is not subject to the law of God, 
 neither indeed can be." From which it is peremptorily con- 
 cluded, that " they that are in the flesh," that is, in the cor- 
 rupt state of nature, " cannot please God," Kom. viii. 7, 8. 
 Mankind, then, being thus lost in corruption, and in spiritual 
 death, can only be revived and purified by the power of 
 almighty grace. 
 
 The Scripture informs us, that the Spirit of God is the 
 divine operator in this great work : that, by his wonderful 
 
STATED AND DEPENDED. 317 
 
 agency, those that were dead in sins are quickened, Eph. ii. 
 1 ; — that they pass from death to life, 1 John iii. 14 ; — that 
 " they are born again," John iii. 3, being, as it were, in- 
 troduced into a new state of existence, and endowed with 
 desires, affections, and dispositions, corresponding to it ; — 
 that they become "new creatures," 2 Cor. v. 17, and "are 
 saved by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the 
 Holy Ghost," Titus iii. 5 ; — that " the eyes of their under- 
 standing are opened," Acts xsvi. 18 ; and whereas formerly 
 they were darkness, now " they are light in the Lord," Eph. 
 V. 8 ; — and that their principles of action, and the great 
 objects of their pursuit, are entirely changed. " Old things 
 are passed away ; behold, all things are become new," 2 Cor. 
 V. 17. The Scripture likewise informs us, that, to accom- 
 plish these purposes of unmerited and sovereign grace, the 
 Spirit of God is " given to them," 1 John iii. 24 ; — that he 
 "dwells within them," Rom. viii. 11, and "abides with 
 them for ever," John xiv. 16 ; — that they are " led by the 
 Spirit," Rom. viii. 14 ; — that, through his influence, " they 
 mortify the deeds of the body," Rom. viii. 13, and bring- 
 forth his genuine " fruit, which is in all goodness, and right- 
 eousness, and truth, proving what is acceptable unto the 
 Lord," Eph. v. 9, 10: and thus God not only "begins the 
 good work " in the soul, but " performs it unto the day of 
 Jesus Christ," Phil. i. 6 ; " wofking in them both to will and 
 to do of his good pleasure," Phil. ii. 13. 
 
 These, and many other passages of the New Testament, 
 do most certainly declare, not only the necessity of divine 
 snpernatural influence, but likewise its sure and infallible 
 efficacy in the conversion and sanctification of every sinner. 
 Nay, they ascribe the whole of that blessed Avork, from be- 
 ginning to end, to the all-quickening and purifying grace of 
 the Holy Ghost. And that man must have a strange aver- 
 sion to the truth as it is in Jesus, who can pervert them to 
 any different meaning. How indeed is it possible, with any 
 degree of plausibility, to divest them of this their native and 
 obvious import ? Will it be said, that the giving of the 
 Spirit to Christians is to be understood only of the commu- 
 nication of his miraculous powers to the church, which have 
 been long since withdrawn ? Melancholy would the consequence 
 
318 THE LEADING DOCTRINES OF THE GOSPEL 
 
 of this evasion be : for then it would necessarily follow, that 
 Christians could not any longer be " renewed and sanctified unto 
 obedience," nor could they " mortify the deeds of the body," 
 or cease to " fulfil the lusts of the flesh ;" because all these 
 eflfects are as really ascribed to the operation of the Spirit, as 
 casting out devils, or making the lame to Avalk, And it 
 cannot be shown that now, more than formerly, " any one 
 can bring a clean thing out of an unclean, but God only." 
 
 Will it then be pretended, that the quickening and sancti- 
 fving grace of the Holy Spirit is nothing more than the 
 efl'ect of the superior light and power of the gospel revela- 
 tion, which possesses the distinguishing character of "the 
 ministration of the Spirit," and the very words of which are 
 said " to be spirit and to be life ?" Upon this interpretation 
 we should never have read, that " Paul planted, and Apollos 
 Avatered, but God gave the increase," 1 Cor. iii. 6 ; — that 
 " the Lord opened the heart of Lydia, that she might attend 
 to the things that were spoken of Paul," Acts xvi. 14 ; — and 
 that when the preaching of the gospel was followed with re- 
 markable success, " it came not in word only, but in power, 
 and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance," 1 Thess. 
 i, 5. Upon this principle likewise we should never have 
 heard such prayers for Christians as these : — " That the 
 Spirit of wisdom and revelation might be given them," Eph. 
 i. 17; — that they "might be comforted and stablished in 
 every good work and work," 2 Thess. ii, 17 ; — and " that 
 the God of peace might sanctify them wholly, working in 
 them that which is well pleasing in his sight," 1 Thess. v. 
 23. and Heb. xiii. 21 ; — nor could the apostles have given 
 thanks to God on their behalf, " because he had chosen them 
 to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of 
 the truth," 2 Thess. ii. 13. In all these instances, a divine 
 supernatural energy, quite distinct from the word, and ab- 
 solutely necessary to give it eftect, is too evidently supposed 
 for any fair and reasonable man to deny it. 
 
 I say nothing about the scheme of reducing all the high 
 and honourable appellations, by which Christians are distin- 
 guished in the New Testament, to the mean inadequate 
 sense of denoting only the outward privileges of the gospel 
 which wicked men may enjoy as well as the saints. Were 
 
STATED AND DEFENDED, 319 
 
 it deserving of credit, it would indeed subvert the v^hole 
 method of salvation which the scripture lays down. But is 
 it possible to believe, that the Spirit of truth and of holiness 
 should call those who are the slaves of sin, children of God, 
 new creatures, faithful, sanctified in Christ Jesus, and by such 
 like appellations, for no other reason but because they have 
 enjoyed the privileges of the gospel dispensation, Avhile they 
 have perverted and abused them all ; and thereby have made 
 themselves much more the children of hell, than if the word 
 of salvation had never reached their ears ? This is such an 
 insult to the common sense of mankind, that it is not entitled 
 to a serious refutation. But unluckily for the inventors of 
 this scheme, it cannot entirely exclude the work of the Spirit 
 upon the souls of Christians, notwithstanding all the length 
 which it has been carried. For, we have already seen, that 
 even after they have attained the dispositions and habits of 
 holiness, they are represented as led by the Spirit in every 
 instance of their exertion. And if his divine energies are 
 necessary to the saints, even in the most advanced stages of 
 their character on earth, how can we suppose that that char- 
 acter could be originally formed without them ? 
 
 But though the schemes which have been devised to ex- 
 plain away the precious doctrines of the gospel were attended 
 with no absurdities, one should think that men of sensibility 
 would almost blush to reject them with so great violence, 
 considering what poor provision they make to supply their 
 room. This is nowhere more remarkable than with respect 
 to the renewing and sanctifying grace of God. What con- 
 temptible effect have the finest theories of virtue produced 
 where this doctrine has been neglected? I cannot better 
 express myself upon this point than in the words of a late 
 excellent writer. Speaking of the enemies of this doctrine, 
 he says, " Their conduct shows that their morality consists 
 chiefly in fruitless speculations, and that their schemes are 
 contrived and made use of for amusement, more than any- 
 thing else. They may have the same effect Avith other arts 
 and sciences, to gratify men's curiosity, and perhaps their 
 vanity ; but the art of making men truly virtuous and happy, 
 by their own skill and strength, is not yet invented. The 
 result of all efforts of this kind has only been, to expose the 
 
320 THE LEADING DOCTRINES OF THE GOSPEL 
 
 weakness and folly of the iindertakers, and to confirm the 
 truth of the gospel, and the necessity of the grace which is 
 offered in it." * 
 
 But this doctrine, in the manner in which we have stated 
 it from the word of God, has not escaped the censure even 
 of those who hold the general notion of divine influence upon 
 the mind. It will therefore be necessary, in justice to the 
 subject, to consider the chief objections which they have 
 brought against it ; whicli indeed are, for the most part, the 
 same with those which infidels themselves have insisted on. 
 
 In the first place, then, it has been strongly urged, that if 
 men by nature are unable to perform any thing that is spirit- 
 ually good, it is in vain for them to attempt it, and it is most 
 inconsistent in those who maintain this principle to exhort 
 them to it. 
 
 When we reflect, that the doctrine of rich and sovereign 
 grace is held out in the gospel as the remedy for the evil 
 which is here complained of, and is offered to every sinner 
 who is desirous to receive it ; this objection is divested of all 
 its force. With what colour of reason can a man pretend 
 to excuse himself from the performance of his duty, because 
 of the disability which is natural to him, when he is warrant- 
 ed to have recourse to almighty aid? And where is the 
 inconsistency, upon this well-adapted plan, in the ministers 
 of Christ addressing to sinners the instructions, and warnings, 
 and calls of the gospel, when they are the very means which 
 God has appointed, of awakening them to spiritual sensibility, 
 of convincing them of their weakness, as Avell as of their 
 misery, and of leading them to that grace by which out of 
 weakness they may be made strong ? 
 
 But the chief deception upon this point arises from over- 
 looking or mistaking the distinctive character of that inability 
 in which man is involved. It does not consist in the want 
 of natural faculties and talents for the service of God ; for 
 these are the very principles by which he is constituted a 
 reasonable and moral agent ; but it consists in a total and 
 obstinate dislike to those holy exercises for which they were 
 originally bestowed. Were this rightly understood and at- 
 
 * M'Laurin's Essays. 
 
STATED AND DEFENDED. 321 
 
 tended to, it would effectually deprive the sinner of every 
 plea wliich he could offer in his own excuse. It is impossible 
 for him to deny, that the faculties and talents which he 
 possesses, might be as fitly and profitably employed in the 
 service of Grod, as in the slavery of sin. He is obliged like- 
 wise to acknowledge, that conscience itself condemns him 
 for applying them to any difterent purpose. But then he 
 feels such an extreme and fixed aversion to that service, that 
 he cannot in good earnest bring his mind and his heart to 
 engage in it. And what is the consequence ? Will he be 
 so unreasonable as to suppose, that his obligation to duty is 
 dissolved by his unwillingness to perform it ? As well might 
 a debtor expect to be excused from the payment of what he 
 owed, because he had such a strong and unconquerable at- 
 tachment to his pelf, that he could not possibly part with it. 
 Upon this clear and evident principle, then, every mouth 
 must be stopped : and the sinner must be conscious of his 
 obligation, even while the perversity of his nature is disposed 
 to remonstrate against it ; for it is impossible to set up any 
 reasonable plea in his defence. 
 
 Men do not seem to understand what they say, when they 
 represent a sinner as having ground, either to murmur at this 
 doctrine, or to draw apologies and excuses from it. While he 
 remains insensible of his inability, he surely can neither be 
 supposed to complain of it, nor can it prevent him from ex- 
 erting any of those fancied powers which he may imagine he 
 possesses. And to suppose him to feel and to regret it, and 
 yet, with the remedy full in his offer, not to avail himself of so 
 great a privilege, is a state of the human mind which is quite 
 inconceivable. The very discovery of his forlorn and wretch- 
 ed condition must make him to feel the necessity and value 
 of the offered mercy. And it is as unnatural to suppose, 
 that he should not instantly and thankfully receive it, as to 
 suppose, that a man ready to perish for want would reject a 
 morsel of bread that was given him for his relief. Indeed, 
 to speak more properly, whenever the sinner is deeply pene- 
 trated with a sense of that obstinate aversion to what is good 
 in which his inability consists, and is anxious to counteract 
 it, this ought to be considered as the remedy in some measure 
 already applied ; for this desire in the very nature of the 
 
 X 
 
322 THE LEADING DOCTRINES OF THE GOSPEL 
 
 case must destroy the aversion so far as it goes. It is there- 
 fore a most encouraging presumption that the work of grace 
 is begun in his soul. And ! when it shall have accom- 
 plished its grand achievements, and wlien he shall have tasted 
 its blessed and wonderful fruits, how will he stand astonished 
 at the riches of divine and sovereign mercy to him ! With 
 what humility and self-abasement will he acknowledge, that 
 God might have justly left him for ever to those perverse 
 dispositions to which he was formerly a willing captive ! 
 And how will his heart burn with gratitude for that unmerit- 
 ed grace by which he has obtained so great a deliverance ! 
 
 I should scarcely take notice of the objection against the 
 absolute efficacy of this grace, that it is inconsistent with the 
 liberty of human actions, were it not that it still continues 
 to be urged with a kind of apparent triumph. Nothing can 
 be more devoid of any shadow of evidence than this objection. 
 It proceeds equally from a lamentable ignorance of the nature 
 of divine influence in the conversion and sauctifieation of a 
 sinner, and of the very constitution of the human mind. I 
 appeal to the common understanding and judgment of man- 
 kind. Is it not the very nature of the human mind to be 
 influenced by the truth, when it is made strongly to perceive 
 it ? Is the mind less voluntary in its operations by being 
 subject to that influence ? On the contrary, does it not more 
 cordially choose, and more firmly and unalterably acquiesce 
 in the choice which it has made, the more it is determined 
 by its prevailing energy ? And will any man presume to 
 assert, that the Spirit of God cannot open the eyes of the 
 mind, and, in a manner perfectly consentaneous to its rational 
 and moral character, give it such a perception of the infinitely 
 interesting objects of religion and eternity, as shall infallibly 
 attach the will and the atiections to them ? And where the 
 determination is still a matter of choice, although of a choice 
 that can scarcely admit of a moment's hesitation, it cannot 
 surely be said that any violence is done to the liberty of the 
 human mind, or that any sort, of restraint is imposed upon it. 
 This charge, then, appears utterly destitute of all foundation 
 in truth ; and I have chosen to combat it upon these obvious 
 principles, as level to the capacities of ordinary Christians, 
 
STATED AND DEFENDED. 323 
 
 rather than by entering into any of those bewildering specu- 
 lations which it has so often occasioned.* 
 
 One other objection it may be proper to consider. It is 
 this : that if the grace of God be so infallible in its operation 
 that it effectually converts and sanctifies the sinner who re- 
 ceives it, then it cannot be the privilege of all men. But 
 this, it is alleged, is contrary to the most express declarations 
 of Scripture, — that " Grod will have all men to be saved, 
 and to come to the knowledge of the truth," 1 Tim. ii. 4 ; 
 and that " he is long-suffering to us-ward, not willing that 
 any should perish, but that all should come to repentance," 
 2 Pet. iii. 9. As this objection is an appeal to several pas- 
 sages of Scripture, it will be sufficient to repel it, if it can be 
 shown, that they give it neither foundation nor support. 
 
 In the first of these passages, the apostle cannot be under- 
 stood to speak of individuals, but of ranks, and orders, and 
 bodies of men. This is evident from his exhorting that 
 " prayers, and supplications, and giving of thanks, be made 
 for all men ; " that is, for persons in all the various ranks and 
 conditions of life, and particularly, " for kings, and for all 
 that are in authority." To enforce this, he observes, " that 
 it is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour, 
 who will have all men to be saved." As the reason therefore 
 ought not to be stretched beyond the subject to which it is 
 applied, the meaning can only be, that salvation was not to 
 be confined to any one nation or rank or order of men wliat- 
 
 * I am not however of opinion, that the whole of the Spirit's in- 
 fluence, in the conversion of a sinner, is confined to illumination alone. 
 Not to speak of the energy which is requisite to quicken the soul 
 that is dead in sin, so great is the force of evil habits, that the new 
 convert must enter veiy awkwardly upon his Christian course, and 
 feel much resistance from their influence, unless it were removed by 
 a supernatural power. But experience shows us that this is far from 
 being the case. Let the history of the saints declare how many 
 trophies of grace have been raised up even of those who have been 
 under the most inveterate habits of sin, who have instantly engaged 
 in the service of religion, and performed its most difficult duties with 
 as much readiness and ease as if they had been accustomed to them 
 from their earliest years. This cannot be accounted for upon the 
 principle of mere illumination. But as it lies beyond the limits 
 of the above objection, it is not necessary at present to enlarge 
 upon it. 
 
324 THE LEADING DOCTRINES OP THE GOSPEL 
 
 ever. It was to be extended to persons of every condition ; 
 and even heathen kings and rulers themselves were to come 
 to the knowledge of the truth, who had least opportunity of 
 being acquainted with it. This intimation was admirably 
 fitted to soften the prejudices of the Jewish converts against 
 their Pagan neighbours, and to prevent Christians in those 
 times from imagining that salvation was to be confined to the 
 poor ; a mistake into which they might readily fall, because 
 " not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not 
 many noble were called." 
 
 With respect to the other passage, it is confessedly very 
 obscure, and hard to be understood. It can scarcely be 
 doubted that it is of a prophetical nature ; and it probably 
 refers to the future conversion of the whole Jewish nation, 
 an event which must take place before the coming of the day 
 of the Lord.* At any rate it is plain, that it cannot be 
 understood in the sense which this objection requires, were 
 it only for the reason which the passage itself assigns. It 
 would be a strange reason indeed, for the long delay of the 
 coming of the day of the Lord, to any generation of men to 
 whom it could hitherto be addressed, to tell them, "that 
 God was not willing that any of them should perish." If it 
 had been the day of their death that was delayed on this 
 account, that more means might be used for their salvation, 
 and that if possible they might be persuaded to turn from 
 the evil and live, the argument would have been both intel- 
 ligible and aftecting ; but when that solemn period arrives, 
 then the long-suftering of God towards sinners is finished : 
 then their character can never be altered. No calls to re- 
 pentance can be addressed to them any more. And it cannot 
 have the smallest eftect in bettering their condition, whether 
 the day of the Lord should come immediately after their 
 departure out of this world, or should be delayed for 
 thousands of years.f 
 
 * See Mede's exposition of 2 Pet. ch. iii. 
 
 f It must surely be matter of regi-et to the friends of religion, that 
 the Sci-ipture should be interpreted in such a manner, whether from 
 inadvertency or from any other cause, as to make the Spirit of truth 
 use arguments, and assign reasons, which would not be received 
 from any ordinary author. The above are the only passages in the 
 
STATED AND DEFENDED. 325 
 
 Let none however presume to draw any such consequence 
 from this doctrine, as that the calls of the gospel are not 
 addressed with sincerity and earnestness to all who hear them. 
 There is indeed a difficulty here which we cannot fully re- 
 solve. But this difficulty will recur upon us with equal force 
 on every scheme. We may find it hard to reconcile the 
 many expostulations that are addressed to all, to turn from 
 their evil ways that they may live, and the great concern 
 which is expressed for their salvation, by that God who has 
 the hearts of all men in his hand, and turneth them whither- 
 soever he will, with any limitation of his grace to a deter- 
 minate number. But we are as little able to reconcile them 
 with the melancholy and fatal event that any should finally 
 perish. And it is not unreasonable to suppose that this may 
 be beyond the power of any created understanding. It is, 
 however, only fulfilling the Scripture, " that God's ways are 
 past finding out." The reasons of the divine procedure lie 
 often concealed from our view. And even if they were 
 communicated to us, it might be doubtful, in many cases, 
 whether we should be able to comprehend them. It becomes 
 us therefore to receive with simplicity the plain declarations 
 of Scripture on this subject, though we cannot fully account 
 for them, saying in the spirit of humble adoration, " How 
 unsearchable are thy judgments, Lord!" 
 
 Such now is the vindication which 1 have offered of these 
 precious doctrines of the grace of God, from which I hope it 
 will evidently appear, that there is nothing in their character 
 which, even in the eye of sober reason itself, there is any 
 cause to be ashamed of. The pride of human wisdom may 
 indeed sometimes stagger at the mysterious truth, through 
 unbelief. But candid and inquiring men have always ac- 
 knowledged that its mysteriousness is no sufficient ground 
 for rejecting it. — Let us hear the judgment of a late cele- 
 
 Kew Testament where the supposed declaration seems to be expressly 
 made ; and yet we have seen that they have no such meaning. I 
 have therefore taken no notice of expressions of a similar kind in 
 other books of Scripture, being persuaded, that when a doctrine is 
 not revealed in the New Testament, wbich contains the clearest and 
 fullest discovery of the mind of God, in vain do we look for it in 
 the Old. 
 
326 THE LEADING DOCTRINES OF THE GOSPEL 
 
 brated academician upon this point, who was never accused 
 of the weakness of an over easy belief. " The doctrines of 
 Christianity," says he, " have never yet been proved to be 
 impossible. They are only obscure, and they cannot be 
 otherwise. If God should reveal to men any of the secrets 
 upon which he has formed the plan of things, these must ap- 
 pear to us incomprehensible. The degree of clearness in 
 any case, depends on the proportion between the ideas of 
 him that speaks, and of him that hears ; and what immense 
 disproportion is there in the case before us ! — If any of the 
 sacred writers had been so inspired, that, instead of giving 
 us some detached doctrines, he had deduced these doctrines 
 from their dependence on, and delivered them in their con- 
 nection with, the universal plan, there is no reason to think 
 that we should have been able to understand him. The 
 principles with which he must have set out wjould have been 
 too much raised above us, and the chain of propositions would 
 have been far too long ; and besides, it is not to be doubted, 
 that ideas must enter into such a plan, of quite a diiferent 
 order from those with which we are acquainted." * And let 
 us listen to the observation of another distinguished writer, 
 that '* difficulties in speculation are a part of our trial, just 
 in the same manner as difficulties in practice." f To which 
 I may add, that it is one of the glorious triumphs of revealed 
 truth, when it once enters into the heart, that it " casts down 
 imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against 
 the knowledge of God, and bringeth into captivity every 
 thought to the obedience of Christ," 2 Cor. x. 5. 
 
 All that now remains is, to describe the holy and blessed 
 effects which are produced by the much injured but ines- 
 timable doctrines of the gospel, wherever they are cordially 
 received. They are " the power of God unto salvation, to 
 every one that believeth." 
 
 It may seem strange to some, when I assert that the doc- 
 trines of the gospel not only most effectually secure the great 
 interests of morality, but that they form a character so sub- 
 lime and excellent, that, wliile it cannot be produced by any 
 different principles, the general mass of nominal Christians 
 
 * CEuvres de Maupertuis. f Butler's Analogy. 
 
STATED AND DEFENDED. 327 
 
 seem scarcely able to reach it even in conception. This 
 however is as certain as the existence of real holiness upon 
 the earth in the midst of prevailing corruption. There is 
 nothing that is more frequent in the mouths of many, espe- 
 cially of those who are enemies to these doctrines, than the 
 morality of the gospel. Its obligation indeed is universally 
 acknowledged, and its excellency praised ; and yet perhaps 
 there is nothing which in its distinguishing and supereminent 
 qualities is less generally understood. Men understand 
 something of the nature of common justice and fidelity, in 
 their intercourse with one another. They know the obliga- 
 tion of a becoming regularity in their own deportment ; and 
 they have learned the duties of kindness and beneficence 
 from the dictates of humanity itself. But do they under- 
 stand aright either the extent or the importance of Christian 
 piety, sobriety, humility, self-denial, contempt of the world, 
 and heavenly mindedness ? Do they understand the mean- 
 ing and obligation of " laying down their lives for the bre- 
 thren," ] John iii. 16, and of "loving their very enemies?" 
 Matt. V. 44. Do they know the import of " being crucified 
 to the world," and " having the world crucified to them ? " 
 Gal. vi. 14. Have they learned the meaning of these great 
 moral maxims which our Lord delivered : " Blessed are they 
 that mourn ; for they shall be comforted. Blessed are ye poor ; 
 for ye shall be rich. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile 
 you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil 
 against you falsely, for my sake : rejoice and be exceeding 
 glad ; for great is your reward in heaven ? " On the contrary, 
 do we not see them acting in direct opposition to these princi- 
 ples every day, while they seem scarcely to imagine that they 
 have done amiss ? The truth is, they either have no concep- 
 tion of those holy and elevated tempers, or if they have, they 
 consider them as forming only an ideal character, which can- 
 not be realized. Happily, however, it has been exemplified 
 in the lives of genuine Christians in every age. Let us take 
 a view of it, as it shines with lustre in the conduct and spirit 
 of the primitive disciples. 
 
 In what an amiable light are they exhibited in the sacred 
 volume ! They are represented as a society " not of the 
 world," and " therefore the world hated them," John xv. 19 ; 
 
283 THE LEADING DOCTRINES OF THE GOSPEL 
 
 because they reversed all its maxims. The love of God was 
 their supreme affection ; and the offices of devotion were 
 their most delightful exercise. They looked "not to the 
 things which are seen and are temporal, but to the things which 
 are not seen, and which are eternal," 2 Cor. iv. 18. They 
 had their " conversation," and their treasure, and their hearts, 
 all " in heaven," and were " like men that wait for the com- 
 ing of their Lord," Phil. iii. 20. " They were troubled on 
 every side, but not distressed ; apparently sorrowful, yet 
 always rejoicing," 2 Cor. iv. 8, and vi. 10. " Nay, they even 
 gloried in tribulation " itself, Rom. v. 3, knowing that it was 
 for " the trial " and triumph " of their faith, that it might be 
 found unto praise, and honour, and glory, at the appearing 
 of Jesus Christ," 1 Pet. i. 7. They were humble, self-diffi- 
 dent, and self-denied ; placing all their dependence upon the 
 grace that is in Christ. "They walked" continually "in 
 the fear of the Lord, and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost," 
 Acts ix. 31. Their souls were filled with admiration of re- 
 deeming love ; and their mouths with the high praises of 
 God. And the whole "multitude of them that believed, 
 were of one heart, and of one soul," Acts iv. 32 ; — " they 
 loved as brethren," 1 Pet. iii. 8 ; and were benevolent and 
 friendly to all. What an admirable picture is here exhibited 
 to our view ! What a total renovation of the human char- 
 acter ! What elevation of sentiment and spirit ! What fer- 
 vent piety ! What warmth of affection ! What purity and 
 rectitude of disposition ! And what superiority to all worldly 
 considerations, by which mankind everywhere are almost 
 universally swayed ! 
 
 Such is the characrer wliich the gospel forms. It is pro- 
 duced by its peculiar doctrines. And despised as they com- 
 monly are, were it not for them, no such character could 
 ever be formed. — Let us examine this matter a little, in 
 which the credit of Christianity is so deeply concerned. 
 
 It will readily be granted, that the more powerful the 
 discovery of the evil and danger of sin, the better is it fitted 
 to deter men from every appearance of it, and to make them 
 seek and strive to the utmost to be preserved and delivered 
 from it. But how is this most powerful discovery to be ob- 
 tained 1 Whether is it by supposing Him who can best judge 
 
STATED AND DEFENDKD. 329 
 
 of its deformity and demerit to pardon the sinner without 
 any expiation of his guilt ; or by beholding him exacting 
 complete satisfaction for it, even when his own Son was the 
 sufferer ? What is it that can impress us with the most 
 alarming sense of the malignity and inveteracy of this 
 ruinous disease ? Is it the doctrine which teaches us that 
 we can remedy it by our own endeavours, or that which in- 
 forms us that nothing but the power of almighty grace can 
 overcome and destroy it ? And if these awful discoveries 
 are necessary, in the judgment of unerring wisdom, for 
 awakening and convincing sinners, and persuading them to 
 listen to the gospel call ; is it likely that this will be accom- 
 plished by any less affecting representations ? 
 
 But the doctrines of the gospel, when they are set home 
 upon the conscience, are not only dissuasive of sin in the 
 highest possible degree ; but they bind the soul to holiness 
 by the most animating considerations, and are fitted to pro- 
 duce an obedience, of a far more generous and elevated 
 kind, than what can ever result from any of those spurious 
 schemes by which Christianity has been so often disgraced. 
 No principle can more effectually warm and enliven the 
 heart than a sense of the obligation which the Christian owes 
 to God's pardoning mercy. But how is this obligation most 
 deeply felt ? Is it by receiving the communication of that 
 mercy as due to our repentance ? or rather, is it not evi- 
 dently by beholding the very pardon which we have obtained, 
 and which we had in us nothing to merit, written, as I may 
 speak, even with the blood of the Son of God, shed to pro- 
 cure it for us ? In this way alone, we are penetrated with a 
 sense of the inestimable benefit, and are made to feel that 
 we are infinitely indebted to that rich and sovereign mercy 
 which has bestowed it. Upon this principle, likewise, what 
 an irresistible force do we perceive in the afi'ecting argument, 
 that we are "not our own, but bought with a price," and there- 
 fore should "glorify God in our bodies and spirits which are 
 his!" And how constraining the influence of the love of 
 Christ in making us " to live not to ourselves, but to him 
 who died for us, and rose again ! " 
 
 These moving considerations, likewise, do not diminish 
 but increase the force of the other arguments and motives to 
 
330 THE LEADING DOCTRINES OF THE GOSPEL 
 
 holiness, and against sin, which are commonly used. The 
 Christian perceives as strongly as others, that sin is tlie ruin 
 and misery of the soul, that it is a deadly poison, and that 
 it makes men at last like vessels of wrath, fitted for destruc- 
 tion. The beauty of holiness, to say the least, appears as 
 bright and splendid in his eyes as in those of others, and its 
 necessity as indispensable. And can he be supposed to feel 
 the less, either the evil of the one, or the importance and 
 excellency of the other, because he believes that "Christ 
 gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all ini- 
 quity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of 
 good works," Titus ii. 14. It is too evident to be insisted 
 on, that this astonishing truth must heighten all these inter- 
 esting sentiments, and add greatly to the impression which 
 they would otherwise make. 
 
 " Do we then make void the law through faith ? Grod 
 forbid : yea, we establish the law." The obligations to 
 holiness upon this scheme are not only fully maintained, but 
 they are brought down upon the conscience with such a 
 weight of evidence, and such an energy of persuasive argu- 
 ment, as, were it not for the experience of the malignity of 
 the human heart, one would be tempted to pronounce to be 
 almost quite irresistible. Let me ask noAv, where do we 
 meet with the best friends to the interests of genuine holi- 
 ness ? Is it among those who employ only a part of the 
 motives which Christianity proposes in its support, or among 
 those who urge and inculcate the whole? To whom are 
 mankind most indebted as the instruments of maintaining its 
 vast concerns ? Is it to those who enliven every other con- 
 sideration in its behalf, by the moving arguments which 
 evangelical truth supplies ; or to those who deny the very 
 doctrines in which alone they are to be found ? I leave it 
 with every candid person to answer these questions calmly 
 and seriously for himself. 
 
 But to make ample provision for the sanctification of a 
 sinner, is not the sole excellency of the gospel. It likewise 
 builds his security and hope upon the surest grounds. It is 
 the very genius of Christianity to communicate peace and 
 joy to all who have imbibed its spirit. There God has pre- 
 pared " strong consolation for those who have fled for refuge, 
 
STATED AND DEFENDED. 331 
 
 to lay hold upon the hope set before them," Heb. vi. 18. 
 Of this the early Christians afford a demonstrative and a de- 
 lightful proof. It is impossible to read their history in the 
 New Testament, without perceiving that they were under 
 the' prevailing influence of this elevated temper. " They 
 joyed in God through our Lord Jesus Christ," Rom. v. 11 ; 
 " whom having not seen they loved, and in whom though 
 they saw him not, yet believing, they rejoiced with joy un- 
 speakable, and full of glory," 1 Pet. i. 8. What an anima- 
 tion and ardour did this give to their obedience! Their 
 dutiful service stands eminently distinguished from every 
 thing of the kind, where this elevated frame is wanting. 
 " They served God in newness of spirit, and not in the old- 
 ness of the letter," Rom. vii. 6. But how is this heavenly 
 joy to be inspired ? Is it by the assured persuasion, that, 
 believing in Christ, we shall never perish ; and that, being 
 justifiied freely through the redemption that is in him, we 
 shall most certainly be glorified also ? Or is it by being told 
 that we may enjoy all the privileges and benefits of the 
 divine favour to-day, and to-morrow be totally deprived of 
 them ? Upon this last principle, it is absolutely impossible 
 that the soul could arise to any thing like holy confidence 
 or triumph, or that we could ever join in that bold unanswer- 
 able challenge, " Who shall separate us from the love of 
 Christ?" or in what is afterwards asserted, "For I am per- 
 suaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor princi- 
 palities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 
 nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able 
 to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus 
 our Lord," Rom. viii. 35, 38, 39. Here, then, we evidently 
 see, that these precious doctrines of the gospel produce a 
 more refined and animated obedience than any other princi- 
 ples can possibly do ; and I cannot help observing, by the 
 way, that the firmest conclusion might be drawn from this 
 circumstance, that these were the very doctrines which the 
 first Christians believed, because they are the only doctrines 
 that could inspire their sublime and generous spirit. 
 
 One other remark shall finish the evidence on this import- 
 ant subject. It has been the complaint of moralists, both in 
 former and latter times, that the qualities which are necessary 
 
332 THE LEADING DOCTRINES OF THE GOSPEL 
 
 to constitute a perfect character, are so opposite in their ten- 
 dencies, that they can scarcely be made to operate together 
 in any great degree: — That those, for instance, Tvho are 
 formed to softness and gentleness of disposition, are seldom 
 capable of any great and noble actions ; and that those, on 
 the other hand, who are of an aspiring temper, are for the 
 most part of a troublesome and restless spirit, and strangers 
 to that peace in which the comfort of society so much con- 
 sists. And hence it has gone into a maxim, which is, alas ! 
 too well justified in experience, that great virtues are nearly 
 allied to great vices. This is an evil which must ever be 
 irremediable upon the principles of human wisdom. But 
 " those things which are impossible with men, are possible 
 with God." By the doctrines of the gospel these apparent 
 contrarieties are reconciled; and the character which is 
 formed upon them has often exhibited the gentleness of the 
 lamb united to the boldness of the lion, and the humility of 
 a child combined with the dignity of an angel. 
 
 We are now, I hope, prepared to explain this curious fact. 
 We have seen already, how much these doctrines are calcu- 
 lated to awaken every tender sensibility in our frame, and 
 at the same time to carry us on, by the strongest impulse, to 
 whatever is excellent and great. And when we reflect, that 
 the wonderful plan of redemption which they unfold, is en- 
 tirely of unmerited and sovereign grace, that we owe every 
 holy disposition to supernatural influence, and are accepted 
 in every service only through the merits of the Saviour ; 
 self-estimation falls prostrate before these humbling truths, 
 and a sense of unworthiness and obligation pervades the 
 heart. *' Where is boasting, then ? It is excluded. By what 
 law ? Of works ? Nay ; but by the law of faith." A high 
 degree of improvement in every amiable and excellent qual- 
 ity, untarnished by vanity, and untainted with pride, is justly 
 held to be a most finished character in the eye of the world 
 itself. And it is the glory of the gospel, that, by its doc- 
 trines alone, this character can be produced. 
 
 What accumulated evidence have we now before us, that 
 the doctrines we have been contemplating are divine, and 
 that they contain the plan, the only plan of infinite wisdom, 
 for delivering sinners from destruction, and making them a 
 
STATED AND DEFENDED. 333 
 
 holy people to the Lord ? This wonderful plan shall be 
 fully accomplished. The providence of God knows how to 
 advance its progress ; and there is no " understanding, or 
 counsel, or might," that can prevail against it. 
 
 Melancholy thoughts indeed are apt to rush into our 
 minds, when we survey the present external appearance of 
 the Christian churches. Alas ! how are they fallen from 
 their former purity and zeal ! There we behold religion 
 languishing, infidelity lifting up her head, and licentiousness 
 unashamed leading her votaries along. And what is the 
 reason ? It is because they have mostly departed from those 
 great and cardinal doctrines which were once their glory ; 
 and therefore we need not be surprised at this sad reverse. 
 
 It is likewise a discouraging reflection, that, during the 
 long period of almost eighteen hundred years since its first 
 publication, Clii'istianity has only had a partial and circum- 
 scribed extension; not to speak of its having been reduced, for 
 a considerable part of that period, to so low a state that it 
 was scarcely visible. This has always been considered as a 
 very gravelling fact ; and it is impossible to account for it, 
 without admitting the same sovereignty of the divine coun- 
 sels, in the propagation of the gospel, by which the plan 
 itself is so remarkably distinguished. But when we look 
 forward to its future triumphs, through the medium of pro- 
 phetic vision, our faith is strengthened, and our spirits are 
 exhilarated with the glorious prospect. We see the time 
 approaching, and probably now at no great distance, when it 
 shall make the most rapid progress, and every opposition shall 
 be beat down before it, till it extend its salutary influence 
 over all the earth. Then " the mountain of the Lord's house 
 shall be established in the top of the mountains, and all na- 
 tions shall flow unto it," Isa, ii. 2. Then " the kingdoms of 
 this world shall become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of 
 his Christ," Rev. xi. 15. Then "the lofty looks of man 
 shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed 
 down, and the Lord alone shall be exalted," Isa. ii. 11. 
 And then " all the ends of the earth shall turn to him," Psal. 
 xxii. 27 ; " and all nations shall serve him," Psal. Ixxii. 11. 
 There is scarcely any thing that seems more to have elevated 
 the conceptions of the ancient prophets than this glorious 
 
334 THE LEADING DOCTRINES OF THE GOSPEL, &C. 
 
 period, though they beheld it only in distant prospect. 
 They employed and even exhausted their boldest imagery 
 in describing it. I forbear at present collecting the many 
 admirable passages on this point, with which their , writings 
 abound. Let me only observe, that the discoveries they 
 have made afford the strongest encouragement to Christians, 
 to exert their utmost endeavours for the propagation and 
 success of the gospel, from the persuasion that ther labour 
 shall not be in vain. 
 
 In promoting this benevolent design, the suggestions of 
 human ingenuity must be excluded ; the means which un- 
 erring wisdom has appointed must be adopted ; the word of 
 salvation must be clearly and faithfully declared ; and, like 
 the first teachers of Christianity, those to whom it is com- 
 mitted must " by manifestation of the truth, commend them- 
 selves to every man's conscience as in the sight of God." 
 The same doctrines by which the conversion of the world 
 was begun, must finally accomplish it ; and it will be found, 
 in the issue, that in vain shall men attempt it upon any dif- 
 ferent plan. But let it not be forgotten, that after all that 
 can be done in this important work, the whole is in the hand 
 of God, and therefore success is to be expected only from 
 his favour and blessinsr. 
 
THE 
 
 PPtOGKESS OF THE CHEISTIAN EELIGION. 
 
 BY THOMAS HARDY, D.D,, 
 
 ONE OF THE MINISTERS OF THE CITY, AND REGIUS PROFESSOR OK 
 
 DIVXNITr AND ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY IN THE 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH. 
 
PREFATORY NOTICE. 
 
 Thomas Hardy, D.D., the only son of the Eev. Henry Hardy, one 
 of the ministers of Culross, — described by Sir Henry Moncreiff, 
 in his Life of Dr. Erskine, as "a faithful and conscientious minister, 
 who died in the prime of life, universally respected and regretted," 
 — was born in 1748, and lost his father in 1752. Under the care 
 of his mother he was carefully educated, and after passing through 
 the ordinary course of study at the grammar-school, university 
 and divinity hall, was licensed at an early age to preach the 
 gospel. His first charge was that of the parish of BaUingiy in 
 Fifeshire, in which he had a small estate inherited from his father. 
 As his first publication, entitled " The Views which Revelation ex- 
 hibiteth of the General Histoiy of Man considered," was a Discourse 
 preached before the Commissioner at the meeting of the General 
 Assembly of 1775, his ordination probably took place two or three 
 years previovis to that date. While in this retired situation, he 
 published, in 1782, a tract bearing the impression of powers of 
 thought and composition of no ordinary kind, under the title of 
 " The Principles of Moderation, addressed to the Clergy of the 
 popular interest of the Church of Scotland," proposing a modifica- 
 tion of the law of patronage. The ability of the publication was 
 universally admitted, but the proposal it made and advocated found 
 no favour with either of the great ecclesiastical parties. It contri- 
 buted, however, to make its author known ; and thus probably was 
 not without its influence in procuring his removal to Edinburgh in 
 1784, to what was accounted then one of the highest dignities of 
 the Established chui-ch, — the collegiate charge of the High church 
 in Edinburgh, where he had as his senior colleague, the celebrated 
 Dr. Hugh Blair. Naturally of a delicate constitution, he soon began 
 
 Y 
 
338 PREFATORY NOTICE. 
 
 to suffer from speaking in so large a church and addressing so 
 large a congregation, and symptoms indicating the hazard of his 
 contracting serious pulmonary disease having appeared, he was 
 induced, in 1785, to resign his charge in the High church, and 
 travelling into the south of France and into Spain, spent the winter 
 of 1785-6 there. This alteration of climate produced a very happy 
 change on the state of his health, and was probably the means of 
 prolonging his valuable life some years. On his return to Scotland, 
 the magistrates of Edinburgh, considering that the High church 
 was too large for his voice, and the duties of the charge too arduous 
 for his constitution, yet unwilling to lose the advantage of his high 
 talents, presented him to the collegiate charge of the New North, 
 or the Little church as it was frequently called. In this charge 
 he continued till his death, and had for his associate the Rev. Dr. 
 Gloag, a man of great worth, with whom he lived on terms of cor- 
 dial friendship. Soon after his return from the continent, he was 
 appointed by the Crown Regius professor of Ecclesiastical History 
 in the University of Edinburgh, a situation for which his turn of mind 
 and course of study peculiarly fitted him. He entered upon the dis- 
 charge of the duties of his new office in the session 1788-9, and con- 
 tinued them till the session 1795-6. The plan which he had laid down 
 for himself was very extensive. It included an Introductory course 
 on the various forms of superstition : the Eastern — viz. the Sabean, 
 the Magian, the Braminic, the Tartar, and the Chinese ; and the 
 Western — the Egyptian, the Syrian, the Greek, the Roman, the 
 Arabian. Of this course he had only written out lectures on the 
 first great division, — the Eastern superstitions. Then followed a 
 course of lectures on the History of the Jewish Church, from the 
 call of Abraham to the coming of our Lord. In the histoiy of the 
 Christian church, properly so called, after a considerably minute 
 account of the history and doctrines of Jesus Christ and the apos- 
 tles, he divided the remaining part of his course into four periods : 
 I. The period of progress, from the fall of Jerusalem to the edict of 
 Constantine, in A.D. 312. II. The period of decline, from the edict 
 of Constantino to the Arabian conquest. III. The period of cor- 
 ruption, from the Arabian conquest to the Reformation. IV. The 
 period of recovery, from the Reformation to the present time. He 
 lived to bring down the history to the time of Constantine ; and it 
 required two sessions to deliver^ the lectures he had composed. 
 
PREFATORY NOTICE. 339 
 
 No person acquainted witli Dr. Hardy's occasional publications, 
 indeed no one who has read the sermon on " The Progress of the 
 Christian Religion," with which this volume of Tracts is enriched, 
 can doubt that these lectures must contain in them much that is 
 worthy of publication. It would be a subject of deep regret should 
 the best thoughts of such a man be lost ; and it seems desirable 
 that at any rate a selection of the most striking of them should be 
 given to the world, along with a reprint of his occasional publica- 
 tions, and a brief memorial of their accomplished author. In the 
 year 1791, Dr. Hardy published a sermon on " The Benevolence of 
 the Christian Spirit." This sei'mon was preached before the society 
 for the benefit of the sons of the clergy of the Church of Scotland, 
 — a society in the formation and management of which he took an 
 active part. In 1793, he published an elaborate and eloquent tract 
 entitled " The Patriot. Addressed to the people in the present state 
 of affairs in Britain and in France," which went through more 
 than one impression. The sermon on " The Progress of the Chris- 
 tian Religion," was the anniversary sermon for the Society in 
 Scotland for propagating Christian knowledge, in 1793, and was 
 published in the succeeding year. In 1793 he was elected moder- 
 ator of the General Assembly, and at its meeting in 1794 he preached 
 a most eloquent sermon on " The Importance of Religion to Na- 
 tional Prosperity," which was published. There is also another ot 
 his sermons published, in the fourth volume of the Scottish Preach- 
 er, " On the Resurrection of Jesus," preached in the High church, 
 after the celebration of the Lord's supper, in March 1785, a very 
 favourable specimen of his rhetorical powers. In the year 1796 
 his health gave way; the symptoms of deep-seated pulmonary 
 complaint manifested themselves, and he found it necessary to re- 
 tire into the country, and spend the summer on a small estate which 
 had been left him in the parish of Mid-Calder. His complaint be- 
 came confirmed phthisis, and after lingering under it for nearly 
 two years, he died in November 1798, in the 50th year of his age. 
 The impression produced by reading Dr. Hardy's few publications 
 is that in philosophical spirit he was not inferior to any of his con- 
 temporaries in the Scottish church, not excepting the deservedly 
 celebrated Principal Robertson, and that in genius he was perhaps 
 superior to them all. The testimony of Sir Henry Moncreifi" is not 
 liable to the suspicion of partiality, for Dr. Hardy and he belonged 
 
340 PREFATORY NOTICE. 
 
 to different parties of the church, and it is equally honourable to him 
 who gave it and to him of whom it is given. " The late Dr. Hardy 
 of Edinburgh, the distinguished Professor of Church History in 
 the university, and one of the ministers of the city, whose talents 
 were equal to any situation in his profession, but who, like his re- 
 spectable father, was taken from the world in the middle of life, 
 when his faculties were in full vigour ; before he had been able to 
 do more than give a few detached specimens of his literary and 
 professional abilities ; but not before he had convinced his contem- 
 poraries of the extent of capacity, discernment and integrity, which 
 was lost by his death." * 
 
 It is scarcely needful to remark that the Discourse which follows 
 is, in the Editor's judgment, doctrinally defective, and the causes 
 of the progress of Christianity during the primitive age, and of its 
 subsequent retardation, are but impartially stated in it. The 
 depths of this subject in neither of its aspects can be reached, 
 without distinct reference to the atoning sacrifice of Christ — the 
 influence of the Holy Spirit — and the state of human nature which 
 makes that atonement and influence requisite. The merits of the 
 Tract, however, both in thought and expression, are of a very high 
 order ; and no person capable of appreciating these will doubt of 
 its claim to a place in this Collection, 
 
 * Life of Dr. Erskine, page 187. For the materials of this brief notice, I have 
 been indebted to tlie only surviving member of Dr. Hardy's family. 
 
THE 
 
 PROGRESS OF THE CHRISTIAN RELIGIOK 
 
 Hebrews ii. 8. — " But now we see not yet all things put under him." 
 
 The idea of an universal religion is liberal and great. It 
 was not found among the polished nations of antiquity ; it 
 was not even a topic of speculation in the philosophic schools : 
 it was preserved, however, where least of all it might have 
 been expected, in the treasures of the sanctuary, among a 
 people who inhabited the mountains of Palestine. That 
 people were distinguished by the pride of exclusive privilege, 
 rather than by any tendency to liberality of sentiment ; and 
 their laws, government, and worship, were visibly calculated 
 to prevent all religious communion with other nations. The 
 descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, imagined that 
 the divine favour, like the covenant of peculiarity, did not 
 extend beyond the line in which the blood of the patriarchs 
 flowed ; yet they held in their hands the oracles repeated 
 from heaven to each of these men, that " in their seed should 
 all the families of the earth be blessed." 
 
 The prophets, who in succession foretold the advent of the 
 Messiah, exhibited him as the head of an universal religion. 
 In the prophetic page, he is introduced laying his claim to 
 this character, as assigned to him by the will of God : " I 
 will declare the decree. The Lord hath said unto me, Thou 
 art my Son, this day have I begotten thee. Ask of me, and 
 I shall give thee the heathen for an inheritance, and the 
 uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession." The very 
 title of the Son, in various instances in holy writ, implies the 
 extent of the grant, as comprehending the whole humaa 
 
342 THE PROGRESS OF 
 
 race, according to the plenitude of power, in contradistinction 
 to the powers both of the angels and of the prophets, who 
 were as servants under limited commissions, possessing author- 
 ity over a part only of the household. " For unto which of 
 the angels said he at any time. Thou art my son ; this day 
 have I begotten thee ? Are they not all ministering spirits 
 sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?" 
 " God spake to the fathers by the prophets, but to us he has 
 spoken by his Son, w^hom he hath appointed heir of all things." 
 
 The unbounded success of the Messiah is expressed in such 
 terms as these : " Listen, isles, unto me ; and hearken, ye 
 people, from far. — Though Israel be not gathered, yet shall 
 I be glorious in the eyes of the Lord, and my God shall be 
 my strength. And he said. It is a light thing that thou 
 shouldest be my servant, to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and 
 to restore the preserved of Israel ; I will also give thee for a 
 light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto 
 the ends of the earth. — Behold my servant whom I uphold, 
 mine elect in whom my soul delighteth : I have put my Spirit 
 upon him, and he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles. 
 — He shall not fail nor be discouraged till he have set judg- 
 ment in the earth, and the isles shall wait for his law. For 
 from the rising of the sun even unto the going down of the 
 same, my name shall be great among the Gentiles. And in 
 every place incense shall be offered to my name and a pure 
 offering : for my name shall be great among the heathen, 
 saith the Lord of hosts," Isa. xlix. 5, 6 ; xlii. 1, 4. Mai. i. 11. 
 
 The prophets whom God inspired to foretell the universal 
 religion, gave those consistent assurances on this great sub- 
 ject which were suitable to the wisdom of the ways of Provi- 
 dence ; for they showed that the new covenant should be 
 distinguished from the old in its substance, as well as in its 
 extent ; that the law of God should bo written in the heart, 
 and the sceptre of his kingdom a sceptre of righteousness. 
 The institutions of the Mosaic law were absolutely incapable 
 of an universal establishment. Sacrifices limited to a single 
 temple ; the sanctity of places ; a burdensome ritual ; a sacer- 
 dotal tribe ; an high priest on earth ; these, and many other 
 arrangements in that provisional system, were not only in- 
 compatible with general religious union, but, as Paul reasoned 
 
THE CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 343 
 
 irresistibly, in proof of their necessary abolition under an 
 universal religion, the peculiarities of the Mosaic economy 
 were actually framed and intended to exclude the Gentiles 
 while that system should stand. This law of commandments 
 contained in ordinances, was a handwriting against them, an 
 edict of separation limiting the covenant to a few, which was 
 rescinded and nailed to the cross, when the Messiah was cut 
 off, and " confirmed the covenant with many." 
 
 The religion of nature was the first universal dispensation, 
 simple in its characters, holy in its laws, and accommodated 
 to every situation of man upon the earth. It had been 
 gradually corrupted by various superstitions, and its state 
 had become hopeless ; for the superstitions had been con- 
 firmed and entailed by power and craft in every age. The 
 complaint of nature went up in memorial before God ; and 
 Christianity, the second universal dispensation, was introduced 
 in the fulness of time. The gospel interpreted the hand- 
 writing on the heart, restored the original record in its 
 beauty, and added new illustrations of the grace of God and 
 of the duty of man ; while it possessed every requisite for 
 obtaining that reception among the nations which the oracles 
 of God had foretold. 
 
 The apostle, who wrote to the Hebrews about thirty-five 
 years after the ascension of Christ, had seen a part of the 
 scene which the prophets had sketched filled up by the hand 
 of Providence. Jesus, who had been made lower than the 
 angels for a little, had been crowned with glory and honour ; 
 his religion had been embraced by thousands and tens of 
 thousands in Asia, in Africa, and in Europe ; it was advanc- 
 ing with a rapidity which was astonishing and delightful : 
 every thing seemed to presage its unlimited success, though 
 the short period which had as yet elapsed had not afforded 
 time for the completion of its victories. " But now we see 
 not yet all things put under him.'' Seventeen hundred years 
 more have been numbered to the human race, and many 
 generations of men have passed in succession over the scene 
 of time, and gone down into the grave ; and now we see 
 not yet all things put under Christ. For some ages after the 
 death of his apostles, the religion of Jesus continued to pros- 
 per and to prevail ; it then declined from its purity, and its 
 
344 i^ THE PROGRESS OP 
 
 progress was suddenly suspended. Long it lay enfeebled 
 and degraded under the yoke of corruption, imposed by the 
 same means, and fastened upon it by the same hands which 
 had ruined natural religion. Within these three centuries it 
 has been gradually recovering its pure and simple honours, 
 but has not yet been able to go forth to make new conquests 
 among the heathen. 
 
 Let us reverently inquire into these things, and consider, 
 
 I. The causes of the success of Christianity in the first ages. 
 
 II. The causes of the suspension of its progress. 
 
 III. The present aspect of the Christian world. 
 
 I. We are to consider the causes of the success of Chris- 
 tianity in the first ages. 
 
 During the age of the apostles, the truth and authority of 
 the Christian dispensation were evinced to the world by ex- 
 traordinary proofs. Miraculous works were performed under 
 the ministry of the teachers ; the sick were healed, the 
 knowledge of languages was instantaneously conveyed, and 
 by various other gifts of the Spirit an external evidence at- 
 tended and sustained the progress of the faith. These pal- 
 pable characters of the divine interposition were necessary 
 in the first introduction of the great cause upon earth, and 
 they were to go into the record of the New Testament, as- 
 certained by the testimony of apostles and martyrs, for the 
 instruction of future ages. But the miraculous powers could 
 not be permitted to attend Christianity through the whole 
 of its progress ; nor even to continue through any long course 
 of time, consistently with the order of providence in the 
 moral government of mankind. The exact time of the ces- 
 sation of these powers cannot now be fixed. But there re- 
 mains no good evidence of any one specific miracle within 
 the Christian church later than the period of the fall of Jer- 
 usalem. For ages after that event, however, the religion of 
 Jesus continued to make a rapid and decisive progress among 
 the nations ; and that it did make this progress without the 
 presence of miraculous attestations, furnishes an experimental 
 proof, that the means of the propagation of Christianity are 
 attainable at all times under ordinary providence ; that the 
 same causes which in the second and third centuries carried 
 "righteousness unto victory," would, if fairly brought into 
 
THE CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 345 
 
 operation, produce the like effects in any other age ; and that 
 if the progress of the gospel has been obstructed, and is still 
 obstructed, it must be owing to the church itself presenting 
 a different aspect to the heathen, from that which it exhibited 
 in the days of its power. 
 
 The leading cause of the success of the gospel in the early 
 ages was the essential excellence of the system. The apos- 
 tle Paul, who was deeply sensible of the inherent strength 
 of Christianity, as founded in its permanent characters, ab- 
 stracted from the miraculous gifts which suited only its infant 
 condition, observed, that when the extraordinary communica- 
 tions of prophecy, of tongues, and of knowledge, should 
 cease and vanish away, there should still remain the unalter- 
 able glories of Christianity, its faith, its hope, its charity ; that 
 these belong to the church in its maturity, " when that which 
 is perfect is come ;" and that of these charity is the greatest. 
 
 When the Christians reasoned with the heathens on the 
 vanity of polytheism and idolatry ; and when in opposition 
 to the prejudices of the popular superstition, they declared 
 the truth in its native simplicity, their success was certain ; 
 they prevailed through the obvious goodness of their cause. 
 The doctrine of the gospel beaming its pure light on the 
 understanding, produced immediate and steady conviction : the 
 facts of the New Testament acting upon the heart, created 
 an interest which was fervent and effective ; while the sound 
 morality of the whole system impressed on the conscience 
 the direct and instant sense of obligation. 
 
 In conferences between the subjects of the Pagan system 
 and the followers of the new religion, the Christian advocate 
 stood on the strong ground of nature, when he testified the 
 first and most sublime truth in the universe, " God is one, 
 he is holy, he is good." The moment that this primitive 
 doctrine was restored to the mind of men, and fuUy under- 
 stood and embraced, heathenism fell to pieces ; the profligate 
 visions of Olympus disappeared ; superstition was left utterly 
 defenceless ; the hearer was already almost persuaded to 
 become a Christian ; and he was altogether persuaded, as 
 soon as he understood the religion in its body and spirit, and 
 perceived its uniform reference to the moral character of the 
 Eternal One. 
 
346 THE PROGRESS OF 
 
 Christianity as a scheme of doctrine declares, among other 
 great and attractive principles, that God has made of one 
 blood all the nations ; that they are alike related to him the 
 great Parent in his family of mankind ; that he dvvelleth not 
 in temples made with hands, neither is worshipped with gifts 
 or sacrifices, as though he needed anything; but is served with 
 piety and humanity, and worshipped in spirit and in truth : 
 that his providence is particular and universal ; that his cares 
 and influence extend to the spirits of men, as well as to their 
 outward condition ; that he has looked with compassion on his 
 oftspring, distressed and toiling amidst ignorance, sorrow, sin, 
 and death ; that Jesus Christ is come from God, sent accord- 
 ing to the riches of divine grace, to enlighten, to save, and 
 to bless mankind ; that God, according to his infinite wisdom, 
 in restoring his sons, perfected the Leader of their deliverance 
 by sufferings, and has now exalted him as a Prince and a 
 Saviour, to give them repentance and the remission of sins ; 
 that this life is a state of probation ; that after death is the 
 judgment, in which will be peculiarly respected, our benignity 
 and mercy, our probity and holiness in the conduct of life, 
 and our progress in religious attainments, corresponding to 
 the advantages which we have enjoyed. 
 
 Christianity, as a declaration of facts, shows the incarnation 
 of the Saviour in humility ; his life perfect in sanctity and 
 eminent in goodness ; his affection to his friends, his com- 
 passion to his enemies, his rejection of all earthly honours, 
 his avoiding both alliance and hostility with political systems, 
 his disclaiming on the part of his followers any power civil 
 or spiritual, as attached either to the profession of Christianity 
 or to the office of teachers of his religion ; his requiring from 
 his followers a strictness of principle, which should never be 
 overcome of evil ; his own unalterable fidelity amidst reproach, 
 persecution, and the pains of death ; his resurrection in power; 
 his ascension in glory. These are the historical characters 
 of the grand interposition : they are interesting, and they 
 are also credible; for to tlie eye of reason and reflection they 
 appear to be most eminently calculated to introduce with 
 advantage a dispensation of piety and virtue, and to unite 
 mankind in a holy and catholic church. 
 
 Christianity as an institute of the divine law speaks home 
 
THE CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 347 
 
 to the natural conscience ; it sets at nought the whole artifice 
 of superstition, the folly or the fraud by which the world has 
 been held in bondage ; the contrivances to insure the soul 
 without the sacrifices of its vices ; tlie pageantry, the formal- 
 ities, or the bribery by Avhich men have sought to please 
 God without the practice of virtue, and to escape from 
 punishment, without the trouble of repentance unto newness 
 of life. Christianity declares that virtue is the law of God ; 
 that this is his will, even our sanctification ; that as God is 
 holy, we ought to be holy ; and that as he is good, we ought 
 to conform to his image in kindness, forbearance, mercy, even 
 in that charity which is the genuine transcript of the Father's 
 goodness, and which is enthroned in the Christian dispen- 
 sation above faith and hope. These views of religious ob- 
 ligation claim the assent of the conscience. Men feel the 
 power of the truth in this case from the first moment, and 
 before they have courage to own their convictions, or have 
 got any complete victory over their prejudices. And this 
 whole scheme of doctrines, facts, and laws, even Christianity 
 as it was spoken by the Lord and confirmed to us by them 
 that heard him, is calculated for universal reception as the 
 religion of the human race. It has nothing local, nothing 
 exclusive, no holy places, no stated fasts or festivals, no 
 laborious ritual, no sacerdotal domination, no altar, no blood- 
 shed but that of its Founder and his witnesses, no special 
 accommodation to particular forms of government or modes 
 of life. In all its parts it alike applies to the families of the 
 simple hunters in the wilderness, of the shepherds on their 
 mountains, of the polished citizen, of the freeman, and 
 the slave. 
 
 We have here to meet a prejudice which has been often en- 
 tertained on this subject, that some considerable progress in 
 civilization is previously necessary to prepare a people for the 
 reception of Christianity. You must first make them men, say 
 the patrons of this opinion, before you think of making them 
 Christians. You must teach them to live in fixed habitations, 
 to associate in villages, to cultivate the soil, and then you may 
 hope that they will hear and understand when you unfold the 
 sublime principles of the gospel. This opinion has been sup- 
 ported by the abilities of a prelate, who, whether defending 
 
348 THE PROGRESS OP 
 
 the legation of Moses or discussing the Christian doctrine, 
 scorned to avail himself of the advantage of ground, but 
 generally made the forlorn hope his option. 
 
 The opinion itself supposes a wider difference between the 
 understanding of the man of the woods and the man of the 
 city than what does in fact take place ; and it supposes the 
 gospel to be something more intricate than any of the words 
 of Christ seem to imply. It opposes the claim of Christianity 
 to be an universal religion, considering it as adapted to man- 
 kind in some situations, but not in all ; and it would place a 
 final bar in the way of our hopes Of any success to our religion 
 on the side of Tartary and America, where the reluctance of 
 the people to a stationary life is a part of the national char- 
 acter. That in the case of the Americans, a change of life to 
 fixed habitations, to agriculture, to civilization and the arts, 
 would be a matter of immense benefit to the people themselves, 
 is undoubted : it is indeed the only expedient which can save 
 the whole old nations of the Continent from that extermina- 
 tion which they are threatened by the European colonists. 
 But the aid of Christianity seems to be necessary to facilitate 
 this change of situation to civil life, instead of depending for 
 its own reception on the previous accomplishment of this 
 change. Christianity does not require any specific alterations 
 to be made in the regulations of civil or political society ; but its 
 spirit is propitious to all good works, it mitigates the tempers 
 of men, it unites them in worship, in humanity, and in love, 
 and is thus highly favourable to civilization, and to the essen- 
 tial improvement of the nations. 
 
 Shall it be said that the Indian wanderer has not a com- 
 prehension equal to the admission of the Christian doctrine ? 
 This is the current apology for the failure of the missions, 
 but is not the real truth of the case. — The human mind is not 
 in any country below the reach of discipline and religious 
 instruction. The American Indian, the Pacific islander, and 
 the African Negro are shrewd men, whose intellectual capa- 
 city will not suffer in the comparison with the uneducated 
 classes of peoi)le on the Continent of Europe. Indeed the 
 popular speculation on national diversities of character, as 
 fixed appearances in the human species, and the classification 
 of intellects, according either to physical causes or modes of 
 
THE CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 349 
 
 living, is at best but hypothesis ; and in the degree to which 
 it has been sometimes carried, is extravagant hypothesis and 
 presumption. The savage people now mentioned possess 
 already the sublime doctrines on which Christianity is reared. 
 They acknowledge the great Spirit, and adore him with 
 humble prostration ; and they trust that they shall again meet 
 their friends and companions in the world of spirits. With so 
 much true religion they have almost no superstition ; and have 
 little to unlearn except in some moral habits, which Christi- 
 anity would correct and reform. What is there then in the 
 state of these people which should wholly obstruct their re- 
 ception of the truth ? Were the poor of Syria and Palestine, 
 to whom Christ and his apostles preached the gospel, so much 
 superior in mental accomplishments to the sagacious Indian 
 and the honest Negro ? This will not satisfy an impartial 
 inquirer, who knows the historical facts, and who knows 
 further how plain and simple, and how happily adapted to 
 the comprehension of mankind at large, the Christian doctrine 
 is in its substance, even in all that is necessary to salvation. 
 It certainly does not require any previous proficiency in arts 
 and sciences, to understand that God is good, and to love 
 him ; to own Jesus Christ as a spiritual Prince and Saviour ; 
 to love one another; to be harmless, and patient, and gentle; 
 to have pure thoughts and kind aftections ; and in fine, to 
 receive the whole inheritance of faith, hope, and charity. 
 " I thank thee, O Father," said our Lord, " that those things 
 which have been hid from the wise and prudent are now 
 revealed unto babes." It is true, that the full elucidation of 
 Christian theology is a work for the scholar and philosopher, 
 and that the most profound research into this subject will be 
 repaid with new and glorious views of the riches of divine 
 grace, and of the treasures of the gospel ; but the great lines 
 of the Christian dispensation are plain and obvious. It is 
 also true, that if the teachers of Christianity themselves 
 mistake their subject, which is a possible case, under the 
 seduction of any false philosophy ; if they go to the Missis- 
 sippi, or to the Gambia, with a system of metaphysics in their 
 hands, instead of the rational and attractive theology of the 
 New Testament, they will find that the natives are indeed 
 utterly unprepared to attend to the jargon which is offered 
 
350 THE PROGRESS OF 
 
 to them for religion, and that it is absolutely impossible to 
 make converts to a scheme of hard words, nice distinctions, 
 and the quirks which European divines have been accustomed 
 to employ in their scholastic or synodical litigations. 
 
 The essential excellence of the Christian religion was the 
 first and leading cause of its success in the early ages ; it 
 was supported and justified before the heathen by the lives 
 of the Christians, and by the character and conduct of the 
 teachers. The lives of the early Christians formed an ex- 
 perimental argument in favour of their religious principles ; 
 and a most interesting argument it must have been, when, 
 even in the third century, the writers in defence of Christi- 
 anity were able to lay their appeal to the records of the 
 Eoman tribunals in support of their assertion, that no Chris- 
 tian had ever been brought before the imperial judges charged 
 with any crime except his religion. To such innocence in 
 civil life the Christians added the most cordial attachment to 
 each other, proved by the daily practice of good works. 
 This however was what might have been expected in a set of 
 men who were as yet the minority in the ranks of society, 
 and who were treated with harshness and indignity by the 
 ruling powers : and their brotherly kindness within the pale 
 of the church is less surprising than their charity to all other 
 men. The principle of benevolence, which they learned 
 among the earliest and the most sacred lessons in the school 
 of Christ, led them to look upon every man as a neighbour, 
 even though a pagan or an infidel. The zeal for good works 
 which glowed in their bosoms rendered them all ready in- 
 structors of others, and advocates for their religion amidst 
 their civil transactions with the heathen. Tlie business of 
 extending the progress of the gospel was not left merely to 
 a fow ecclesiastical missionaries, but was the object of the 
 faithful at large, as far as the influence and connections of 
 each individual respectively extended. 
 
 The presbyters of the church, the public teachers, were 
 indeed peculiarly active in advancing the progress of the 
 great cause, and the obvious characters of their ministry 
 were favourable to their success. They had no selfish pur- 
 poses to servo, no professional ambition to be gratified, by 
 extending the bounds of ecclesiastical dominion ; they made 
 
THE CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 351 
 
 no invasion on the rights of the people, no association of the 
 idea of conversion to Christianity with that of subjection to 
 a new sacerdotal authority in all the points of opinion, dis- 
 cipline, and worship. The Christian teachers were as hum- 
 ble in spirit as they were zealous of good works ; they rea- 
 soned on the subject of their message with calmness, good 
 temper, and kind aftection : with nothing of that pride of 
 system which substitutes arrogance for reasoning ; which 
 commands where it ought to persuade ; and which, in the 
 impatience of opposition, calls for fire from heaven to con- 
 sume the gainsayers, instead of acquainting them with the 
 spirit of Him who came not to destroy but to save. 
 
 Christianity, then, as it was tendered to men in the early 
 ages, could not fail of success. At length, however, it in- 
 curred a great and lasting check. — We are now to consider, 
 
 II. The causes of the suspension of its progress. — The 
 countenance of the imperial government, which the church 
 obtained in the reign of Constantine, was naturally calcu- 
 lated to promote, instead of obstructing, the progress of the 
 faith. That great revolution, however, by which the church 
 was brought forward from persecution and affliction to vic- 
 tory and triumph, required above all things to have been 
 followed out in the exercise of prudence, and with the most 
 delicate and scrupulous attention to those principles by 
 which Christ and his apostles had regulated the first move- 
 ments in the great cause. Unhappily the early Christian 
 emperors departed alike from prudence and from evangelical 
 principle in their public measures relative to Chriitianity. 
 These measures had three objects : To oblige their heathen 
 subjects to become Christians ; to oblige all the Christians 
 to hold the same opinions in speculative subjects ; and to 
 increase the power of the clergy. 
 
 The continued pursuit of these ends for several reigns 
 produced eSects which were decisive and fatal. The pagans, 
 perceiving that Christianity was become the road to prefer- 
 ment, and finding themselves first subjected to disabilities, 
 and afterwards to penalties, for continuing to worship the 
 gods of their ancestors, abandoned their profession, and 
 flocked into the church by hundreds and by thousands. 
 Their conversion was nominal, and was not founded on con- 
 
352 THE PROGRESS OF 
 
 viction; they retained the prejudices of their superstition 
 unsubdued, instead of throwing them down at the foot of 
 the cross. They could not see the kingdom of God in its 
 proper character, for they were not born again in the Spirit 
 of truth ; they came not as little children under the tuition 
 of Christ ; they introduced into the church itself the essen- 
 tial principles of paganism ; by their numbers they gave to 
 those principles a footing which was permanent, and which 
 a great part of Christendom has not even yet been able to 
 remove. 
 
 The terrible influx of the pagans, upon the conversion of 
 the court, corrupted the church ; and the resolution of the 
 emperors to have but one religion among their subjects, 
 brought unspeakable detriment to the cause which they 
 meant to support. The other two objects of the imperial 
 policy were not more fortunate in the event ; for, in endea- 
 vouring by the secular arm to compel all the Christians to 
 entertain the same speculative opinions on the questions then 
 debated, the sovereigns at once turned free discussion into 
 controversy and strife ; they inflamed, instead of extin- 
 guishing, party spirit ; they formally divided the church into 
 sects ; they entailed the disputes of their own times as an 
 inheritance of sorrow to posterity, and wrote intolerance over 
 the portal of the house of God. 
 
 The elevation of the clergy to power, by which the teach- 
 ers of the humble religion of Jesus were transformed into 
 an ambitious priesthood, was the creation of a formidable 
 support to any superstitions which might find access to the 
 church, and at the same time an eftectual clog to prevent 
 the progress of the Christian faith in new regions. Thus, 
 in consequence of fatal indiscretion in the measures of the 
 court, and of a system of policy erroneous in principle, 
 (!!hristianity suflered infinitely more mischief from Constan- 
 tino, than it had done from Diocletian ; and received wounds 
 from the hands of Theodosius, such as Julian couldnever 
 have inflicted. 
 
 The mode of corruption which Christianity experienced, 
 during its period of decline in the fourth and fifth centu- 
 ries, consisted partly in an extension of the ritual, which 
 transformed the religion in its obvious characters from the 
 
THE CHRISTIAJ^ RELIGION. 353 
 
 discipline of the heart, to a pitiful exhibition of gestures, 
 forms, and pageantry; and partly in the introduction of 
 dark theories imported^ from the academies of the Egyptian 
 sophists, and mixed with the doctrine of the gospel, as alloy 
 and dross, debasing the gold of the sanctuary. By the ex- 
 tended ritual and the mysticism together, the beauty and 
 authority of religion as a practical rule was lost, the actual 
 redemption from vice, and the improvement of men indivi- 
 dually in piety and holiness, for which the Lord of the 
 Christians had laboured and bled, were in effect set aside, 
 and supplanted by new contrivances which were adopted as 
 substitutes for eternal virtue. From all this it followed, 
 that to tender to a new nation the religion as now altered 
 in substance, was to ofler something else than that which 
 the experience of three centuries had proved to be calcu- 
 lated for success ; it was to offer something, which having 
 no foundation in human nature, no support from right rea- 
 son, no accommodation to the general exigencies of the hu- 
 man race, could not succeed ; of course it did not succeed ; 
 men would not exchange for it the opinions and rites of their 
 fathers, and their reluctance is in no degree surprising. 
 
 The present argument places us on strong ground to meet 
 a prejudice by which many speculative and sagacious men 
 have been misled. It is, that superstition is necessary in 
 human life ; that simple and rational religion cannot attract 
 and fix the bulk of mankind ; that either pageantry or mys- 
 ticism, or both, must be employed to keep religion afloat ; 
 and, that the people must in some degree be deceived for 
 their good. 
 
 If these maxims were well founded, they would present a 
 more humiliating view of the nature of man than any other 
 principles in the philosophy of our species, for they im])ly 
 that prejudice and folly are actually to be depended on as 
 the giiides of human life, and not truth and reason. 
 
 Now, it is to be observed, that the plan of Jesus Christ 
 for gaining and keeping the people, proceeded on principles 
 directly opposite to these. His doctrine, in the simple ma- 
 jesty of truth, was without any addition or fictitious embel- 
 lishment revealed unto babes ; it was unfolded by degrees 
 indeed, as they were able to bear it ; but in no case was it 
 
 z 
 
354 THE PROGRESS OP 
 
 contaminated by the smallest particle of superstition, folly, 
 or deception. The entire fairness of the gospel dispensa- 
 tion, as one doctrine given alike to the wise and the simple, 
 was its character, announced in prophecy, in opposition to 
 the double doctrine of the philosophic schools ; and to this 
 character Jesus appealed : " Go and show John," said he, 
 " the things which ye see and hear ; — the blind receive their 
 sight, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and to the poor the 
 gospel is preached." 
 
 We have now seen, that the additions of superstition and 
 mystery, which were made to the Christian doctrine in the 
 fourth and fiftli centuries, instead of rendering it more fit 
 to attract the affections of mankind, as the priests vainly and 
 ignorantly imagined, arrested its progress, affected the body 
 of the church as with a mortal palsy, and left mankind to 
 wonder as much at its imbecility after that period, as they 
 had admired its strength before it was thus diseased. 
 
 The removal of the prejudices now under discussion is a 
 matter of consequence to mankind. I mean therefore far- 
 ther to expose it by stating, that in various ages and coun- 
 tries the men who have endeavoured to simplify religion, and 
 to throw off superstition, have been supported by the multi- 
 tude, while there is no instance in which the people have 
 freely consented to exchange a simple faith for a complicated 
 and superstitious ritual. It is only by gradual steps that 
 superstition has ever gained ground; it is an unnatural 
 state of the human mind : men have been cheated into su- 
 perstition. So far from being cherished by the people for 
 its own sake, they have on every opportunity manifested the 
 eagerness of impatience to throw it off; and unless when 
 held back by the force of the civil arm, they have flocked 
 around every reformer who would venture to pronounce 
 that their superstition was all folly, and who would treat 
 them as reasonable creatures, by uttering a few plain fc-uths, 
 of which their own understandings and consciences could 
 form a judgment. 
 
 Wlien Zoroaster undertook to reform the religion of Persia, 
 and, in opposition to the leaders of the Magi, restored to the 
 popular faith tlie doctrine of the Eternal One, the Source of 
 existence and of glory, the Superior of the Angel of Good 
 
THE CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 355 
 
 and the Angel of Evil, the joint ministers of Providence ; 
 when he restricted the worship of his followers to the good 
 beings only, and taught that the dead should be judged in 
 equity, instead of being staked in the lottery of fate according 
 to the predominance of the good or the evil being ; he had 
 nothing to support him but the superiority of his system in 
 its plainer accommodation to the unsophisticated dictates of 
 the mind ; yet he was successful, and the effects of his re- 
 formation are not to this day wholly lost in Persia. 
 
 When Confucius, in whose family the patriarchal traditions 
 liad fortunately been preserved in considerable purity, per- 
 ceived with sorrow the degeneracy of China, he spoke to his 
 countrymen as a philosopher and a reformer ; he claimed no 
 divine commission ; he declared that his doctrine was not his 
 own, but that of the ancients, handed down by tradition : 
 he was listened to with avidity wherever he went ; whole 
 provinces declared their conversion ; and his system, which 
 consisted in the simple worship of the God of heaven, and 
 the practice of moral virtue, became predominant for ages in 
 the empire. 
 
 Let us attend to the facts in the Christian history which 
 naturally bear respect to the same argument. During the 
 long period in which superstition had fixed its throne on the 
 ruins of Christianity before the Reformation, the people felt 
 the weight of their oppression ; they groaned under it, though 
 they durst not complain ; they turned a wishful eye on every 
 side, looking for deliverance. Eagerly did they listen to 
 every voice which ventured to speak of reason and spiritual 
 liberty, and were ready to throw down their burdens and to 
 obey the call which accorded with the genuine tones of nature. 
 The Waldenses in Italy and Spain, the Albigenses in France, 
 the followers of Huss in Germany, and of Wickliffe in Eng- 
 land, all of whom aimed at the rejection of superstition, and 
 the restoration of the truth in simplicity, were on popular 
 ground ; they jiossessed the respect and received the blessings 
 of the people in the ages and countries in wliich tliey aj>- 
 ]jeared ; they failed merely because they were borne down by 
 force, and massacred by the troops which the interested 
 patrons of superstition armed against them. Tlie truth had 
 foul play, otherwise it would have prevailed. The Cliristian 
 
356 THE PROGRESS OP 
 
 people had been at first cheated into superstition, and tliey 
 were held in it only by fraud and by force. 
 
 The Reformation, for which the people had groaned for 
 ages, was at last brought forward with success in Germany 
 and in Switzerland. The cause was popular beyond pre- 
 cedent ; from province to province, and from kingdom to 
 kingdom, it spread its influence like the sunbeams of morning 
 after a long night of gloom. From the dreams of delusion 
 and terror, the Christian man awoke, he gave thanks unto 
 God who had said, " Let there be light." 
 
 The Eeformation, which, spurning superstition, reverted to 
 the simplicity of the gospel in faith and worship, Avas for that 
 very reason gladly embraced by the people ; mankind natu- 
 rally love the plain truth, and in their hearts despise the mys- 
 tical chicane, or the ceremonial evolutions by which they are 
 enslaved. The Reformers were revered as the friends of the 
 human race. Their success was great ; and if the cause had 
 been left to the fair decision of mankind indi\idually, and to 
 the effect of free discussion, all Europe would have regen- 
 erated its creed and its worship in the course of a few j'ears ; 
 but thei'e were various interests necessarily confederated and 
 arrayed against it. The Pharisees, the Sadducees, and the 
 Herodians of the age, with the chief priests and scribes, tliese 
 trusty battalions which compose the standing army of spirit- 
 ual usurpation, resisted its progress from obvious motives. 
 It was force alone exerted or menaced against the people 
 which checked their growing inclination, prevented the gen- 
 eral success, and restricted the Reformation to a few countries 
 of Europe. 
 
 From the whole deduction which has now been made, it 
 appears, tliat superstition is useless ; that truth and reason 
 are alone to be de]iended on in giving a regular and safe de- 
 termination to human actions ; and that the idea of manag- 
 ing mankind by means of jirojudices and by arts of deception 
 is false philosophy, as unwise as it is immoral. 
 
 That su])crstition, M'hen admitted in any extent within the 
 Christian cluirch, must necessarily produce the consequence 
 of arresting the progress of tlie gospel, admits of being jiroved 
 a priori, from the genius of the doctrine of the New Testa- 
 
THE CHRISTL\X RELIGION. 357 
 
 ment, without the induction which ecclesiastical history 
 affords. 
 
 The plain and open spirit of the Christian system, the ap- 
 plication to the natural impressions and to the good sense of 
 mankind, which was invariably made by our Lord and his 
 apostles, were essential circumstances (as has been already 
 shown) of the universal character attributed to the religion 
 in its original fabric. Besides the considerations which show 
 the impossibility of rendering any mode of superstition uni- 
 versal, it is remarkable tliat precautions were taken in the 
 very first arrangements of the Christian system, to impede its 
 progress under the contingent circumstance of its corruption, 
 and to prevent the visible church from going beyond the 
 bounds of the real church, which is according to simplicity 
 and truth. The cares of our Lord to secure this object, 
 account for a striking circumstance in his history, a shyness 
 to admit among his followers many who offered to share his 
 fortunes. It Avas because they only wished to share his 
 fortunes in the expected dominion, and not to follow him in 
 his humility and contempt of the world, that he declined 
 their attendance until they sliould come to him upon his own 
 terms. The conduct of Providence towards the Jewish nation, 
 in various parts of the New Testament history, manifests an 
 unremitted attention to the same principle ; that the cause 
 should be preserved pure, at least in its progress ; and that 
 it should not be tendered to the Gentiles mixed with any 
 portion of Jewish prejudice or of useless ceremonies. 
 
 Tiie care of Providence has been exerted over the Christian 
 church in all ages to the same purpose. Men may by de- 
 grees corrupt Christianity where it is, but they shall not 
 propagate it in this state ; they shall not spread error over 
 the earth in the name of Christ ; they shall not give to the 
 Gentiles an institute of pageantry and mysticism, calling it 
 Christianity ; they may offer it if they will, but Providence 
 in its general conduct shows that the Gentiles will not ac- 
 cept it. 
 
 The only exceptions which appear in history to these ob- 
 servations, occurred in some of the northern nations of Europe 
 to whom the religion reached after the growth of the cor- 
 ruption ; but there were in these cases such strong peculiarities 
 
358 THE PROGRESS OF 
 
 of situation as fully account for the facts, without weakenint? 
 the force of the general rule, which stands confirmed, by the 
 stated experience of the world. 
 
 Among the circumstances of the grand corruption which 
 have been most visibly calculated to obstruct the progress of 
 the faith in new lands, considerable stress is to be laid on 
 the errors and vices of the priests, especially in the Roman 
 Catholic system. They have erred in laying claims to power 
 and revenue on divine right, and in so connecting Cliristi- 
 anity with professional ambition as to excite in the civil 
 rulers of the unconverted nations a reasonable jealousy, and 
 an alarm at the high demands of a body of ecclesiastical 
 leaders, lords of the people's faith, by whose confederated 
 hostility the state might be endangered, or whose alliance it 
 might be reduced to solicit. The teachers have further 
 erred against the success of the great cause, in their strife 
 of opinions among themselves, when in their impatience of 
 contradiction they have arrayed their anathemas as the guards 
 of abstract propositions, and have given a sword instead of 
 peace to the earth. Too often in various ages have they been 
 seen to pass their own uncharitableness for religious jirinciple ; 
 xo consecrate in the name of God the rancour and antipathies 
 which have been inspired by the jealousy of dominion and 
 the pride of party ; and to exhibit themselves to the world 
 as the patrons of intolerance. Among the Christian priests, 
 in defiance of the orders, of the tears, and of the blood of 
 their Master, was that foul spii'it generated ; and in their 
 councils it was nursed. They have polluted the sanctuary 
 by human sacrifices, and still wishing to inflict more than 
 temporal vengeance, they have wrought a fatal prejudice 
 against the cause of the Redeemer, by pretending to exclude 
 from eternal mercy the whole body of heathens, heretics, and 
 the members of every rival church and sect ; by scattering 
 curses around them w-here tliey were commanded to bless ; 
 and giving the heathens room to suspect that tlie Christian 
 system itself is a gloomy, wratliful, and vindictive scheme, 
 instead of a covenant of grace. 
 
 III. Let us consider the present aspect of the Christian 
 world. — Although a serious man, in meditating on the state 
 of the church on earth, will see many things to deplore, yet 
 
THE CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 359 
 
 when he takes into view the leading features of the times, he 
 will be able to discern the causes in their full operation, which 
 seem destined to bring forward the season of ultimate success 
 to the Christian religion. 
 
 1. Learning is wholly and exclusively in the possession of 
 the Christian nations. It revived among them after the long 
 darkness of the middle ages ; it taught the Eeformers to 
 fulfil and to defend their work ; and learning in its turn 
 derived from the Reformation an established footing in Europe, 
 through the ardour and the freedom of inquiry which that 
 great event nourished in the human mind. For above two 
 centuries and a half it has advanced with a rapidity whicli 
 has been uniformly accelerated ; it has not only added 
 splendour to the kingdoms of the Reformation, but has made 
 an impression upon the regions of popery, where its effects 
 must and will be decisive in the subversion of that super- 
 stition. Learning gives to the Christian nations a marked 
 superiority of character which the heathen must feel and 
 respect ; it forms the means by which Christianity itself be- 
 comes better understood, by which it is separated from the 
 folUes which have been attached to it, and by which the 
 genuine beauty of scripture is unfolded to the world. 
 
 2. The Christians are improving in the article of forbear- 
 ance. The tempers of men, in respect to religious differences, 
 are mitigated. The spirit of persecution, the demon of in- 
 tolerance, which is the Man of Sin, is enfeebled. God grant 
 that it may never again obtain power to stain the countenance 
 of the blessed Jesus, to expose him in a purple robe, and to 
 put him to open shame. Would to God we could say, that 
 in this nation at least, favoured as it has been of heaven, the 
 spirit of Antichrist is extinct. But our lips must here be 
 closed, under the humiliating recollection of the scenes of 
 violence which were exhibited in London and in Edinburgh 
 in the year 1780, by persons pretending to support the 
 Protestant interest, even while they were borrowing from 
 Popery its worst attribute, incurring the guilt of persecution, 
 and tarnishing the best honours of the Reformation. " How 
 long, O Lord, holy and true, shall the image of the beast yet 
 speak? and has its deadly wound been healed?" Christi- 
 anity has received a new affront, and we must yet blush in 
 
360 THE PROGRESS OP 
 
 silence under the recent recollection of the scenes at Birming- 
 ham and its neighbourhood within these two years, where 
 fierce incendiaries assumed the character of Churchmen, and 
 abused tlie venerable fabric of the English establishment, by 
 pretending that its honour and interest were their motives 
 for applying firebrands to the houses and property of the 
 Dissenters. This is indeed sacrilege; to rob the church, not 
 of its silver, its gold, or its vestments ; but to rob the church 
 of its honour and glory, and of the charter of its Christianity, 
 by committing violence and persecution in its name. 
 
 Notwithstanding some instances such as these now men- 
 tioned, by which it appears that the old leaven is not wholly 
 jHit away, it is certain that in respect of forbearance there is 
 a sensible improvement of the Christian world ; and there is 
 reason to hope that the time is not far distant when there 
 shall be no more suffering for conscience' sake, and when 
 men shall not hurt nor destroy in the holy mountain of God. 
 
 3. The commerce of the world is in the hands of the Chris- 
 tian nations. The commercial system in modern times has 
 risen to a magnitude which is without precedent in the 
 history of human affairs. It is a new operative power intro- 
 duced into the scheme of providence, and is obviously capable 
 of producing great effects. Under the influence of this 
 system, tlie Clu'istians traverse every sea, visit every island, 
 and explore every continent. No people nor tribe are so 
 obscure as not to be in some degree affected by their oper- 
 ations, or brought within the sphere of their influence. The 
 Christians themselves are stationed in numbers on every 
 shore, and posted near the heathen in all his dwellings. 
 
 The preparations are visibly in forwardness ; they are ad- 
 vanced ; it requires only that the Christians should do their 
 duty, and the great work will be accomplished. 
 
 Wherefore then is nothing done ? Attempts have been 
 often made both by Catholics and by Protestants, every one 
 of which has totally failed, and ended in nothing. The 
 Hindoo and Chinese, in the bosom of civilization, have been 
 as inflexible to the efforts of a thousand missionaries, as the 
 African or American. Tlie Catholics have carried the scheme 
 of missions to the greatest extent, they have been indefatiga- 
 ble in the work, and have turned their attention to every 
 
THE CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 361 
 
 land ; never was so much labour lost as in this case. Why 
 will not the nations listen ? Because God has given reason 
 to them all. Will the American Indian obey the stranger 
 who bids him give up his simple adoration of the great 
 Spirit, to repeat words in an unknown tongue before a picture 
 or over a string of beads ? — Will the Chinese renounce the 
 institutions of Confucius, to commit his soul and conscience to 
 the custody of an Italian Priest and his emissaries, and give 
 up his understanding to be confounded with fictitious duties 
 and fictitious sins ? — Will the Hindoo abandon the Divine 
 Being, whom he reveres under the threefold character of the 
 Creator, the Preserver, and the Destroyer, to bow the knee 
 to St. Antony, St. Francis, and St. Dominic ; to submit to 
 a fantastic ritual addressed to a whole host of dead men and 
 women of the western nations ? The undertaking of these 
 missionaries is desperate in its own nature ; it cannot suc- 
 ceed anywhere. 
 
 The missions from the Protestant churches present a differ- 
 ent aspect. They reject the whole apparatus on which the 
 Catholics lay the stress of religion, yet neither have they 
 succeeded at all. The fact must not be disguised, they have 
 totally failed. For this there may be various reasons. Per- 
 haps the missionaries are incapable men ; perhaps they teach 
 on a different principle from that which marked Christian 
 instruction in the days of its progress ; perhaps it is their 
 object to procure followers to a sect, instead of converts to a 
 religion ; mistaking the pecuharities of their own party, 
 whatever it is, for the essence of Christianity, and teaching 
 these as the leading objects of their mission. If these things 
 are so, if they deliver anything local, partial, and unreason- 
 able, or produce any of the dark and intricate theories of 
 scholastic divinity, instead of the plain doctrine of the New 
 Testament, they must fail. 
 
 Christianity, that it may advance, must be preserved in its 
 characters of universality ; we may add, that it must also be 
 seen in its regenerating power ; and that, in this respect, we 
 can trace a decisive obstacle to the success of the missions, 
 in the vices of the Christian people. Let the missionary 
 show with both understanding and fervour, that Christianity 
 teaches men to live soberly in the world ; is he likely to be 
 
362 THE PROGRESS OF 
 
 credited, when the Indian can reply, that the men of hi?" 
 nation were temperate until the Christians came to corrui>t 
 them ; that these strangers have brought among them the 
 means and the habits of intemperance, and are profligate in 
 their manners beyond any example known in savage life ? 
 Would the teacher show that the Christian law requires men 
 to live godly in the world ; the pagan will here also be in- 
 credulous ; he sees the Europeans whom the business of war 
 or of commerce has brought upon his coast, living without 
 God in the world, disregarding religious ordinances, and only 
 using the name of God in cursing and profanity. Let the 
 missionary also whisper, that Christianity teaches men to live 
 righteously in the world ; but where has he the face to say 
 so ? Is it to the tribes of America, where the first steps of 
 the Europeans were marked with rapine and bloodshed ; 
 where, by a great and regular system of unrighteousness, the 
 natives are yearly robbed of fresh tracts of their land, and 
 are driven from valley to valley, and from river to river ; and 
 where the white men in every transaction study to cheat 
 their red brethren, the men of the woods ? Is it in Africa 
 that the missionary would speak of righteousness as the law 
 of the Christians? perhaps the native might reply: "When I 
 was a child, I heard of the Christians, I have known them in 
 riper years, and my opinion of their principles is not likely 
 to alter ; for from them my heart received its first wound, 
 and now they have broken it. My father was bringing water 
 to us from the brook when the Christians fell upon him. 
 They sprung from the thicket, like the tiger on its prey ; 
 they beat him to the ground with clubs, they chained him 
 down in a canoe, and bore liim oft' into slavery. In my youth 
 they made me drink of affliction, but now in my age its waters 
 have overwhelmed me. I was at a distance from my home, 
 when the Christians and their menhunters but two moons 
 ago made war as they call it, in our valley ; at the dead of 
 night they beset the village, they set fire to the houses, they 
 seized the flying families ; and among the rest, my wife, my 
 only son, and my infant daughter were carried oft', and are 
 now on the ocean, fastened to bolts of iron in your ships, 
 never to know rest or peace until the grave shall become their 
 refuge from the Christians. Christians, your ships are red 
 
THE CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 363 
 
 with innocent blood ; ye make merchandise of the souls of 
 men ; your crimes hold Africa in ruins ; the broken families 
 of its natives appeal to God against you ; it is you who de- 
 stroy our morals and our comfort together ; it is you who 
 spread treachery, cruelty, despair and heartbreak over a whole 
 continent. Until the Christians abandon this monstrous 
 system of outrage, Africa will never become Christian." 
 
 The manners of the Christians at large have an essential 
 connection with the credit and success of Christianity in the 
 world. A great work is to be done before it can go further ; 
 the general reformation of the Christians themselves. Vice 
 and superstition must fall ; there must be a turning from sin 
 to righteousness, and also a turning from darkness to light. 
 
 To etfect an improvement in the morals of the Christians 
 at large, corresponding to the improvements which they have 
 made and are daily making in science, literature, and arts, 
 may seem to be a problem of peculiar difficulty ; it is so no 
 doubt, but it is not desperate. We know that at one period 
 Christians did adorn their doctrine, and in general lived as 
 became them. The work is possible then ; the New Tes- 
 tament is still as capable as ever to display its regenerating 
 power ; and the Spirit in the New Testament has shown 
 us that it shall display this pow^r, and shall then prevail. 
 For the approach of that season means are to be used : pa- 
 rents may do much ; teachers of youth may work with benefit ; 
 ministers of religion may unfold the Scriptures in their genuine 
 and eftective character ; civil rulers may encourage the pro- 
 gress of libei'al knowledge, or at least permit mankind to 
 improve. 
 
 The removal of superstition, which must either precede or 
 attend any moral improvements in the Christian world, is to 
 be conducted with delicacy and wisdom, though it is certain 
 that it may be effected completely and with entire safety, as 
 well as with infinite benefit in the result, provided only that 
 no force or influence shall ever be used in this case, but the 
 influence of reason and the force of truth. 
 
 An opinion of the strength of superstition has been without 
 due examination adopted by some speculative men. The 
 experience of the world, in numberless instances, some of 
 which have been brought forward in this discourse, shows 
 
364 THE PROGRESS OF 
 
 that the opinion is a mistake. Superstition is not strong ; it 
 is founded, not in nature, but in imposition ; in sounds witli- 
 out sense, in ceremonies without moral worth, and in author- 
 ities of men who lived in darker ages, and whose opinion or 
 advice in any ordinary concern would be deemed of no con- 
 sequence whatever. Superstition as an operative power in 
 human affairs, is a clumsy machine, requiring all the props of 
 interested art to sustain it, and to prevent it from breaking- 
 down by its own weight. Eidicule can destroy it ; sophistry 
 can subvert it ; at the touch of philosophy it will vanish. 
 
 True religion, on the contrary, possesses a strength which 
 is effective and durable. It is principle, it is sentiment, it is 
 explicit and personal conviction. Against it ridicule has no 
 point ; in its presence sophistry is silent, and to its wortli 
 philosophy bears witness. 
 
 But is there no danger that in letting go superstition, true 
 religion may fall with it? The subjects have been connected, 
 and even the two ideas associated for ages. There is force 
 in the observation, in so far as it suggests that the measures 
 which are adopted to deliver the church from superstition 
 ought to be characterized by prudence, by gentleness, and by 
 charity ; that the work is to be intrusted to the operation of 
 reason, set free on every side from restraint and fear ; and 
 that truth should have fair play under the sacred shade of 
 entire and universal forbearance. But the state of the Chris- 
 tian interest does not permit it to remain in question whe- 
 ther superstition should be preserved on account of any 
 hazards real or supposed attending its removal, for it will 
 not now be spared, it will fall, no human hands can bear 
 it up much longer. Superstition, while it has shut out the 
 glories of true I'eligiou from the view of man, has from the 
 horrors of its darkness generated a monster which threatens 
 to tear it in pieces : even as sin produced death to become its 
 destroyer, so superstition hath brought forth infidelity, and is 
 already smitten by its offspring. The question now for the 
 Christian nations to consider is, whether infidelity which the 
 intolerance of the Popish system has fostered, or genuine 
 Christianity which is nursed by religious freedom, is to be- 
 come the conqueror of superstition and to reign in its stead. 
 The danger in the case is, that infidelity may become sue- 
 
THE CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 365 
 
 cessful, or may share too widely in the conquest. This is an 
 event on which philosophy had not reckoned, and of which 
 men were not aware, until of late that it has been exhibited 
 with its most dreadful consequence. At the Reformation, 
 when the Catholic superstition received its first great shock, 
 this danger was happily avoided. The Reformers were men 
 of piety and of sound views ; and while they day by day threw 
 oft' from the Christian church large portions of the rubbish 
 which had been accumulating for ages, they became still the 
 more attached to the original fabric, and the more sensible of 
 dignity and perfection. 
 
 If in any case matters should be conducted on opposite prin- 
 ciples, if the transition should be made from superstition to 
 infidelity, the event must be deplorable ; civil society must 
 be torn in pieces ; for even humanity would be gone, and 
 without a substitute. 
 
 To illustrate this point, let it be considered that superstition 
 itself is an awkward substitution of certain trifling things, in- 
 stead of moral virtue ; and of principles fierce and overbear- 
 ing, instead of a reasonable faith : that it abounds with obli- 
 gations such as they are ; that it holds mankind quiet through 
 fear ; but has no humanity in its system, and has a tendency 
 to repress generosity and mercy in the spirits of men. When 
 therefore superstition has done its work in fixing a national 
 character, and has rendered the tempers of men surly, fero- 
 cious, or sanguinary ; if infidelity shall then come forward, 
 and without correcting the evil, shall cut asunder all the 
 remaining bonds and checks of obligation, and set society 
 adrift in this state of its desolation, all is lost : the people to 
 whom this happens are in moral ruin. Superstition has first 
 destroyed humanity, and when itself is destroyed, not by prin- 
 ciple, but by want of principle, there remains not even a feel- 
 ing which can stay the hand of violence or mitigate the lot of 
 mankind. A great neighbouring nation has experienced this 
 catastrophe ; it is the first instance in the history of mankind, 
 and it has been incurred by the blind policy which induced 
 its rulers to resist the progress of the Reformation, and to 
 crush by a long series of oppression those Huguenots, who 
 by reasoning and good sense alone would have supplanted the 
 superstition by degrees, and gained over the people to a 
 
366 THE PROGRESS OF 
 
 purer faith and better principles. But the Catholic religion, 
 the great engine which operated destruction on the moral 
 character of the people, was supported exclusively by the 
 secular power, and the necessary consequence was, that its 
 fall was delayed for a time, only that it might become more 
 dreadful. The philosophers, confounding Christianity with 
 its corruptions, drew their premises from the latter to dis- 
 credit both. The French people, not knowing what religion 
 in its simplicity was, felt the force of the arguments which 
 exposed the national superstition, and were convinced that 
 its principles were absurd, its service trifling, and its arrange- 
 ments priestcraft. They thought that this was rehgion which 
 had been refuted, and they threw the whole away. It was 
 then that God Almighty was renounced in the National As- 
 sembly, that civil blood streamed without remorse, and that 
 the poniard became the law of the people. The judicial 
 ])rinciple of providence enters into the connection of cause 
 and effect in the fate of nations. The massacre of St. Bar- 
 tliolomew, and the revocation of the edict of Nantes, were 
 deeds of enormous sacrilege ; they are in the book of remem- 
 Ttrance, and in the series of causation ; they crushed the 
 regenerating influence of spiritual freedom, they added fero- 
 city to the national character, and taught the people the 
 lessons of murder and extermination, as the treatment of the 
 weaker party : and dreadful has the application been. The 
 lieavens still lower over the scene ; the end is not yet. To 
 a thinking Christian there remains only this consolation, that 
 all things shall work together for good ; that the overruling 
 providence of God makes the wrath of man to praise him; 
 and that in his own unsearchable ways he will accomplish his 
 preparations for the reign of virtue in the ages of peace. 
 
 In the present aspect of the CluMstian world, we see many 
 cii'cumstances which have a visilile tendency to facilitate the 
 progress of the gospel in some future period ; and other cir- 
 inniistances which obstruct its advancement at present, and 
 may continue to do so until they are removed. The want 
 of success in time past is no reason for the friends of religion 
 to desist from all attempts in future ; it is only a reason for 
 trying the efliects of some different modes from those which 
 have always failed, and for proceeding upon a full knowledge 
 
THE CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 367 
 
 of the case, with wisdom and discretion, as well as with zeal. 
 What the modes are which may be adopted in the foreign 
 service with any prospect of success it is not easy to say ; per- 
 haps they ought to be as various as are the characters of the 
 nations. With regard to one great nation, the Hindoos, 
 where the leading casts are composed of men of study, and 
 habituated to profound reflection ; it has been suggested by 
 the president of the Asiatic Society in Calcutta,* of all men 
 the most competent judge on this subject, that there occurs 
 only one mode in which an impression may be possible. Let 
 no missionaries be employed, let a book be prepared consist- 
 ing of the clearest prophecies of the Old Testament which 
 relate to the Christian dispensation, accompanied with his- 
 torical proofs. that these prophecies existed before the Chris- 
 tian era. Let it next contain one of the four Gospels, and 
 the Acts of the Apostles, — accompanied simply with proofs 
 of the authenticity of the writings ; but let no commentary 
 nor reflections be admitted. The copies of this book in the 
 languages of the country might be placed within the reach of 
 the reading men all over India ; it is necessary that Europeans 
 should take no farther charge of it ; let it be found as the 
 treasure which has been hid in a held, let it work its way in 
 silence upon the Asiatic mind. If this beginning should be 
 l)rosperous, it w^ould be easy to introduce in due season the 
 other books of scripture to a willing people. 
 
 This proposal, which carries with it the strong characters 
 of genius, suggests to the mind some topics of important 
 I'eflection. If Christianity should thus be sown rather than 
 planted in a new land, without anything which has been de- 
 rived through the ecclesiastical or civil literature of the 
 western nations, but the scriptures and the ancient history 
 which is collateral with the scriptures ; and if in this state of 
 total and essential detachment from any traditions or usages 
 later than the apostolic age, it should become the predominant 
 religion ; what would be the form of the Christian church in 
 that laud ? how would its divines reason and decide in specu- 
 lative questions ? what regulations in the conduct of wor- 
 siiip would they embrace ? what ceremonies or plans of church 
 
 * Sir William Jones. 
 
368 THE PROGRESS OF 
 
 government would they adopt ? To a philosophical divine 
 nothing could be more curious and interesting than a new 
 church, formed in the circumstances now supposed. In what- 
 ever country this should take place, the new system might 
 no doubt be expected to bear in some degree the character 
 of the soil ; yet much might be learned from examining a 
 scene so peculiar. Although the specific arrangements which 
 a church in such circumstances might adopt, cannot be ante- 
 cedently known, the mind may dwell on a topic like tliis with 
 edification. It may at least throw us out of the line of our 
 ])rejudices and habits for a moment, and teach us to bear 
 with one another. The Christian communities now men- 
 tioned, might in many particular articles of opinion, worship 
 and government, exhibit very different features fi'om any or 
 all of the churches of the West, yet hold the essential char- 
 acters of Christianity as truly as they. Would it not then 
 be our duty to receive them as brethren, and to meet them 
 in the fellowship of the gospel, and in the communion of its 
 ordinances ? You think it would ; and that your Christian 
 communion, in such a case as this, ought not to be dependent 
 upon uniformity in opinion or observance. It is well, your 
 ])rinciple is liberal and good ; but it needs not be laid asleep 
 until an opportunity such as has now been supposed shall 
 occur ; there is work for it here. We have Christian churches 
 variously constituted : and we have many classes of sectaries 
 and dissenters, sincere and honest Christians, who do not by 
 any means differ so widely from our notions of doctrine, 
 worship, and government, as a new church might. Go then 
 and respect now in Europe what you own would form a 
 Christian obligation in Asia. 
 
 It were to be wished that men of talents, whose engage- 
 ments lead them to reside among the other nations who are 
 yet strangers to Christianity, would turn their attention to 
 tiie subject of introducing Christian knowledge, and com- 
 municate their thoughts upon the means of making a proper 
 impression upon the countries with which they are connected. 
 It is possible that by resorting to plans hitherto unthought 
 of, adapted respectively to different countries, many of the 
 difficulties which have hitherto operated fatally in this service 
 may be avoided. 
 
THE CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 369 
 
 These things, however, are hypothetical. The general 
 reformation of the Christians is the great object, which when 
 accomplished will operate the certain success of the religion 
 of our Lord. Every undertaking which contributes to this 
 end, performs its part in the plan of providence, by which 
 Christianity shall become universal. 
 
 " Now we see not yet all things put under him." Chris- 
 tians, let not the partial success which the cause of truth has 
 as yet obtained, disquiet your minds. It was intended to be 
 a work of ages in its progress, and like the other works of 
 Grod to proceed gradually to the consummation. The lofti- 
 est trees of the forest have sprung up from small seeds, and 
 have borne the strife of the elements through many winters, 
 before they have come to their perfection : so the tree which 
 the Lord hath planted must encounter the tempest during its 
 growth, and sufter many chilling blasts, which may arrest 
 its progress in their seasons ; but it shall at last send forth its 
 boughs on every side, and its shade shall be for the refresh- 
 ing of the nations. 
 
 It is not yet eighteen hundred years since the introduc- 
 tion of Christianity. In the plan of God, with whom a 
 thousand years are but as one day, eighteen centuries may 
 form but a small part of the duration of the kingdom of 
 Christ in this scene of things. The prophets have given 
 notice of a scheme of immense extent, and only a small part 
 of it is as yet filled up. God will be glorified in its real and 
 durable success. The Christian churches shall be purified, 
 and united in afteetion ; the gospel shall be seen in its moral 
 character and its attractive power ; every false religion shall 
 give way, and all the families of the earth shall be blessed in 
 Jesus, and call him blessed ; infidelity shall disappear, war 
 shall cease, and slavery shall be heard of no more. 
 
 The actual eflects of the great interposition shall then be 
 displayed, through long periods of time, which are indefin- 
 itely expressed in prophecy by the term of a thousand years. 
 For how many thousand years in eventual numeration the 
 promised state of things may endure, it is impossible to tell ; 
 but, it is consolatory to the human mind, amidst the sorrows 
 and anxieties with which many of the events in the history 
 of mankind are viewed, to reflect that the Lord reigneth, 
 
 2 a 
 
370 THE PROGRESS OP THE CHRISTIAN RELIGION. 
 
 and that under his providence the preparations are making 
 in secret for the manifestation of his universal kingdom, in 
 the recovery of the nations to virtue, piety, and peace. 
 " The wolf also shall dweU with the lamb, and the leopard 
 shall lie down with the kid ; and the calf, and the young 
 lion, and the fatling together ; and a little child shall lead 
 them. And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the 
 asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the den of 
 the viper. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy 
 mountain : for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of 
 the Lord, as the waters cover the sea." Amen. Even so, 
 come Lord Jesus. 
 
OBSERVATIONS 
 
 OS THE 
 
 CONDUCT AM) CHARACTER OF JUDAS ISCARIOT. 
 BY THE REV. JOHN BONAR. 
 
PREFATORY NOTICE. 
 
 John Bonae, the author of the following observations, was de- 
 scended from ancestors who held a conspicuous place as faithful 
 and able ministers in the Church of Scotland.* He was the eldest 
 son of John Bonar, minister of the united parishes of Fetlar and 
 North Yell, in Zetland ; and grandson of John Bonar, minister of 
 Torphichen, in the presbytery of Linlithgow. He was bom at 
 Clackmannan, upon the 4th of December 1721 ; and having com- 
 pleted his studies at the university of Edinburgh, was licensed as 
 a preacher, 9th June 1745. In the following year he was settled 
 minister of Cockpen, in the presbytery of Dalkeith ; and while 
 there, was presented to the church of Jedburgh, then vacant. Op- 
 position, howevei", having l)een shown to him by the people, who 
 were attached to another, he voluntarily relinquished the appoint- 
 ment — determined upon no account to intrude into a charge, with- 
 out the consent of the congregation. In 1756, he accepted of an 
 invitation to Perth, where his ministerial gifts and labours were 
 most acceptable and useful, " and where his name is yet remem- 
 bered with that affectionate veneration which ministerial usefulness 
 alone can produce." f 
 
 His labours here, however, were of short duration, as it pleased 
 the great Disposer of events to cut him off by an inflammatory 
 fever in the midst of the fairest prospects of usefulness, about the 
 end of the year 1761, in the 42d year of his age. 
 
 * See the Memoir prefixed to the second volume of Sermons by the Rev. Archi- 
 bald Bonar, Minister of Cramond, who was the son of the author of the following 
 tract. Four of his grandsons are liighly esteemed ministers of the Free cliurch of 
 Scotland, two of whom are well known by their writings. 
 
 t Thomson's Memoirs ot the Rev. James Scott of Perth, page 40. 
 
374 PREFATORY NOTICE. 
 
 From the commencement of his ministry, he gave evident proofs 
 of superior talent, as a zealous and evangelical preacher, and a 
 profound and accomplished scholar. Several small tracts which 
 he published after he was a minister, gave room to hope that, had 
 his life been prolonged, the church might have derived essential 
 benefit from his future labours. His sermon on " The nature and 
 necessity of a religious education," preached before the Society in 
 Scotland for Propagating Christian Knowledge, in 1752 : and one 
 on " The nature and tendency of the ecclesiastical constitution of 
 Scotland," preached before the Synod of Perth and Stirling, in 
 1760, have been much and desei-vedly esteemed, and the latter has 
 been republished since his death, in the " Scots Preacher." In 
 1745, he published without his name a small pamphlet, entitled, 
 " An Analysis of the moral and religious sentiments contained in 
 the writings of Sopho (Lord Kames) and David Hume, Esq." ad- 
 dressed to the consideration of the General Assembly of the Church 
 of Scotland. The object of this pamphlet was, by a fair induction 
 from the writings of these two authors, then in great celebrity, to 
 collect and bring into view some very obnoxious opinions, which it 
 was pretty evident were meant to be inculcated, though not expli- 
 citly avowed. The exposure gave great oflfence to the friends and 
 admirers of the two authors, and soon produced a rude and angry 
 tract in reply, under the title of " Observations upon the Analysis," 
 written with considerable acrimony, but no great force of argument. 
 But his first, and perhaps his best publication was a tract, en- 
 titled " Observations on the Conduct and Character of Judas Is- 
 cariot," in a letter addressed to Mr. James Primrose, minister of 
 Crichton, at whose request it was written. It contains an ingenious, 
 and at the same time satisfactory argument in favour of the divine 
 mission of our Saviour ; and is particularly recommended by Dr. 
 Doddridge, as setting " in a most just and beautiful light," * the 
 important testimony of the apostate Judas to the innocence of his 
 Master. It has, however, been for many years out of print, though 
 much desired, both in this countiy and in England; and it is 
 therefore hoped, that its pubhcation at this time will not prove 
 altogether unacceptable to the friends of religion.f 
 
 • Doddridge's Lectures, vol. ii. p. 5. 
 
 t This notice is borrowed from the edition of the tract published by Mr. Oliphant 
 in 1822. 
 
OBSERVATIONS ON JUDAS ISCARIOT. 
 
 A LETTER TO A FRIEND. 
 
 Sir, — Could I have forced you from that retirement in which 
 you studiously labour to conceal the fruits of an excellent 
 genius and unwearied application, the following argument, 
 of which you suggested the first hint, had appeared with supe- 
 rior strength and advantage. But since all my endeavours to 
 that purpose have been ineffectual, I have ventured to send 
 abroad the result of my own reflections on that head, rather 
 than that any thing which tends to support Christianity, 
 should remain unobserved in an age of so much scepticism 
 and infidelity. 
 
 When you first mentioned the conduct of Judas as a proof 
 of the Christian religion, the newness of the fancy struck 
 me : for new it was to me. Nor can I yet find any one writer 
 who has sufficiently attended to it ;* though I must own that 
 the more I reflect upon it, the more am I convinced of its 
 strength and solidity. 
 
 Nothing perhaps contributed more to the uncommon ap- 
 plause and success of Mr. Lyttleton's late ingenious perform- 
 ance, than the compendiousness of his proof, and its depend- 
 ing entirely upon one chain of facts. But however favourable 
 its reception, no man was surprised to find the apostle Paul 
 
 * " The testimony of Judas is briefly touched upon by Dr. Benson, 
 in the history of tlie Life of Jesus Christ, and by Dr. Craig, in his 
 essay on the same subject. In the Theological Repositorj^, vol. iii. 
 No. 2. is an essay on the history and character of Judas. See also 
 vol. ii. No. 14." — Note to Dod. Lectures, vol. ii. page 5. 
 
376 OBSERVATIONS ON JUDAS ISCARIOT. 
 
 adduced as an evidence of Christianity. But to find Judas 
 Iscariot forced into the same service, will doubtless seem 
 whimsical to some, and absurd to others : yet as people gen- 
 erally allow the testimony of an enemy to be less suspicious 
 than that of a friend, so possibly the setting this matter in 
 a just light, may help to remove the prejudices of those who 
 will credit nothing that comes from the friends of Jesus. 
 
 If ever there were an enemy to Christ in the world, Judas 
 was that enemy ; — if ever there was an apostate from the 
 faith, Judas was that apostate ; — and if ever there was a 
 traitor, he too was the man. And yet to find this malicious, 
 this traitorous, this apostate Judas, instead of disproving 
 Christianity in any point, proving it in every one — sealing a 
 testimony to the truth of it even with his blood, and giving 
 solemn evidence against himself; this, sure, is a phenomenon 
 pretty surprising, and what even the warmest friends of 
 Christianity could scarce have expected. If the infidel sus- 
 pects the integrity of Paul, let him now hear the testimony 
 of Judas : if the one has no weight with him, surely the 
 other will. 
 
 The following observations therefore claim a fair and dis- 
 passionate hearing. This is all the favour that they ask ; 
 and, it is hoped, it is all that they need. 
 
 As it is from the writings of the Evangelists that we have 
 any knowledge of the character and conduct of Judas Is- 
 cariot, we must beg leave to quote these as genuine records 
 of the events they pretend to narrate — an honour which I 
 hope our adversaries will not deny them ; or, if they should, 
 they must be sensible that as strong a proof can be brought 
 in favour of Luke, and the other New Testament writers, as 
 of any who wrote at an equal distance of time.* 
 
 Taking this therefore for granted, I beg leave to tran- 
 scribe what we find concerning Judas in these ancient records. 
 
 The first time Judas is mentioned in the New Testament, 
 is when Christ chooses twelve from the multitude who at- 
 tended his ministry, and appoints them to be apostles, or 
 
 * See Conybeare's Defence of Revealed Religion, cap. 9. Cainp- 
 liell on the Four Gospels, vol. ii. p. 180. sec. 9. Lardner's Credibility 
 of the Gospel History. 
 
OBSERVATIONS ON JUDAS ISCATIIOT. 377 
 
 particular messengers for propagating his religion. We 
 have the catalogue of these apostles given us by three evan- 
 gelists, who all conclude it with the name of " Judas Iscariot, 
 who also betrayed him." Matt. x. 4 ; Mark iii. 19 ; Luke 
 vi. 16. 
 
 Some short time after we find him, together with the 
 other eleven, receiving from his great Master power over all 
 unclean spii-its — diseases — nay death itself; — and commis- 
 sioned to go and preach the gos[)el to the lost sheep of tlie 
 house of Israel. See Luke ix. 
 
 After this we hear nothing of him till a little before the 
 third passover of Christ's public ministry, when many of his 
 disciples left him, upon his declaring, in the synagogue of 
 Capernaum, that he was the " bread of life, which came 
 down from heaven." On this occasion Christ puts the ques- 
 tion to the apostles, "Will ye also go away?" Whereupon 
 they all reply, by the mouth of Simon, " Lord, to whom shall 
 we go ? Thou hast the words of eternal life ; and we believe, 
 and are sure, that thou art that Christ the Son of the living 
 God." In answer to which, Christ assures them, that al- 
 though he had chosen them twelve, yet one of them was " a 
 devil," or should prove his accuser ; as the Greek word 
 A/a£/3sXsj literally signifies :* which the evangelist assures us 
 he spake of Judas. John vi. 70. 
 
 The next time we find him spoken of, is on the Sabbath 
 immediately preceding the passion-week ; when Christ, being 
 arrived at Bethany, is invited, with his disciples, to an enter- 
 tainment in the house of Simon the Leper. During which 
 entertainment a box of very precious ointment is poured 
 out upon Christ's head. Upon which the historian remarks, 
 that some present had indignation ; and that Judas Iscariot, 
 Simon's son, expressly said, " Why was not this ointment 
 sold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor ? and 
 this he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he 
 was a thief, and had the bag, and bare what was put there- 
 in." John xii, 4 ; Matt. xxvi. ; and Mark xiv. 
 
 On the third day of the passion- week, he entered into the 
 infamous contract with the high-priest and rulers of the 
 
 * It is so used 1 Tim. iii. 11 ; 2 Tim. iii. 3 ; Titus ii. 3. 
 
378 OBSERVATIONS ON JDDAS ISCARIOT. 
 
 Jews, to deliver his Master into their hands, of which the 
 Evangelists give us this account : — 
 
 " Then assembled together the chief priests, and the scribes, 
 and the elders of the people, into the palace of the high-priest, 
 who is also called Caiaphas ; and consulted how they might 
 take Jesus by subtilty, and put him to death. But they 
 said, ' Not on the feast-day, leet there be an uproar among 
 the people/ Then entered Satan into Judas, surnamed 
 Iscariot, one of the twelve ; and he went his way, and com- 
 muned with the chief priests and captains, how he might be- 
 tray him unto them; and said unto them, 'What will ye 
 give me, and I will deliver him unto you ?' And when they 
 heard it, they were glad, and promised to give him money ; 
 and covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver. And he 
 promised ; and from that time sought opportunity to betray 
 him unto them in the absence of the multitude." Compare 
 Matt. xxvi. Mark xiv. and Luke xxi. 
 
 " Towards the evening of the fourth day of the passion- 
 week, Jesus comes Avith liis disciples from Bethany to Jeru- 
 salem ; and having ordered the passover to be prepared, at the 
 appointed time sits down to eat it with the twelve. During 
 which solemnity, he takes occasion to let them know tliat he 
 was thoroughly acquainted both with the treachery and the 
 traitor. For being troubled in spirit, he said, ' Verily, verily, 
 I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me ; for the 
 hand that betrayeth me, is with me on the table.' Then the 
 disciples were exceeding sorrowful, and looked one on another, 
 doubting of whom he spake ; and began every one by turns 
 to say, ' Lord, is it I ? ' — Now there was leaning on Jesus' 
 bosom, one of the discijjles whom Jesus loved. Simon Peter, 
 who probably sat on the other side of the table, therefore 
 beckoned unto him, that he should ask who it was of whom 
 he spoke. He then leaning himself down on Jesus' breast, 
 saith unto him, 'Lord, who is it?' Jesus answered with a 
 low voice, so that none of the rest heard, ' He it is to whom 
 I shall give a sop, when I have dipped it.' And when he 
 had dipped the sop, he gave it to Judas ; who, just as he 
 was reaching out liis hand to take it, says, ' Lord, is it I ? ' 
 To which Jesus replied, ' Tliou liast said.' And immediately 
 after the sop, Satan entered into him ; and, fired with indig- 
 
OBSERVATIONS ON JUDAS ISCARIOT. 379 
 
 nation, he rose from the table. Upon "which Christ says, 
 ' What thou doest, do quickly/ But none of the disciples, 
 except John, seem to have known with what intent he said 
 so." John xiii. 
 
 "After the paschal supper, and the institution of the 
 eucharist, Jesus goes out with his disciples to a garden at 
 the foot of the Mount of Olives ; a place Judas was well 
 acquainted with, and where he knew his Master was to spend 
 part of that night. Having therefore received a band of men 
 and officers from the chief priests and Pharisees, he came 
 thither with lanterns, torches, and weapons ; and having given 
 them this as a sigh whereby they should know the person 
 whom they were to apprehend, he goes up to Christ, and 
 kissing him, saith, ' Hail, Master.' Whereupon Jesus saith, 
 * Man, wherefore art thou come ? — Judas, betrayest thou the 
 Son of Man with a kiss?' — Upon which it appears that he 
 shrunk back again amongst the crowd : for immediately, when 
 Christ by a word strikes them all to the ground, it is observed 
 that Judas also stood with them." John xviii. 
 
 "Jesus being thus taken, and next day condemned by 
 Pilate to be crucified, Judas repented of what he had done, 
 and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief 
 priests and elders, saying, ' I have sinned, in that I have be- 
 trayed innocent blood ;' and easting down the pieces of silver 
 in the temple, he went and hanged himself." Matt, xxvii. 
 
 Luke, in his history of the Acts of the Apostles, has added 
 one circumstance more — that " falling headlong, Judas burst 
 asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out." Acts 
 i. 15.* 
 
 This is all the account that the Evangelists give of Judas : 
 and the argument thence arising in favour of Christianity, 
 seems to be this : — Here is a man of sense and ability, thor- 
 
 * It may be proper to observe, that amongst other instances from 
 which Mr. Tindal endeavours to overthrow the credit of the gospel 
 history, this of the conduct of Judas is one. — Christianiti) as old as the 
 Creation, p. 245. 
 
 And it seems a little odd, that the learned Dr. Conybeare, in his 
 elaborate reply, should leave his adversary in full possession of this 
 objection ; saying nothing in answer to it, but that it will be time 
 enough to allege the miscarriage of Judas, when we build anything 
 on his evidence. — Defence of Revealed Beligion, p. 446. 
 
380 OBSERVATIONS ON JUDAS ISCARTOT. 
 
 oughly acquainted with the most secret conduct and views 
 of Jesus, and therefore capable to detect any fraud or im- 
 posture that might be carrying on by him ; — a man, not only 
 able to inform against Jesus, but highly willing ; — engaged 
 from principles of honour, interest, and self-preservation ; — 
 tempted by reward, by avarice, by ambition, by resentment, 
 to make the discovery ; — yet this man, after having delivered 
 up Christ through the strength of these temptations, no soon- 
 er reflects on what he had done, than his conscience, taking 
 the alarm, makes him in the strongest manner retract, and at- 
 test his Master's innocence, before those very rulers to whom 
 he had sold him but a few hours ago ; and finding all had no 
 effect, in an excess of grief and remorse he expires almost in 
 their very presence. — " I have sinned," cried he, " in that I 
 have betrayed innocent blood : " — an attestation of the inno- 
 cence of Christ, so circumstantiated, that it is scarce possible 
 to suppose a stronger ; and which nothing but the most 
 thorough conviction could have extorted. 
 
 If by " innocent blood," Judas meant no more than that 
 Christ was a person who had done nothing worthy of death, 
 sure this is the very lowest sense in which the words can be 
 taken. However, taking them no higher, they plainly seem 
 to intimate, 
 
 1. That Judas believed that Jesus was the true Messiah, 
 and Son of God, as he all along affirmed himself to be : for 
 otherwise, Christ could not have been a man of truth and 
 veracity, if he laid claim to a character which in no ways 
 belonged to him. In that case, too, he would have been 
 guilty of blasphemy, and consequently worthy of death by 
 the Jewish law.* 
 
 2. As he hereby declares his belief that Jesus was the true 
 Messiah, so he in effect declares, that, in as far as he could 
 discern, his miracles were all true, his doctrine divine, and 
 
 * That Judas knew Christ to be the true Messiah, seems also evi- 
 dent from Matt. xxvi. 49. and Luke xxii. 48. where Christ says to him, 
 upon receivhig the treacherous kiss, "Judas, betrayest thou the Son 
 of man?" i. e. the person whom thou knowest to be the Son of man, 
 or Messiah. Which interpretation gives tlie words a force and spirit, 
 which I have not seen attended to by any but the devout and learned 
 Dr. Doddridge — Family Expositor, vol. ii. p. 507. 
 
OBSERVATIONS ON JUDAS ISCARIOT. 381 
 
 his life pure and holy : for it was from these things that he 
 must have been convinced that Jesus was the Messiah. 
 
 3. Judas hereby declares, that, for his part, he was privy 
 to no design formed by Christ of erecting a temporal king- 
 dom ; otherwise he must have reckoned, that he ought to 
 have suffered death, if not by the Jewish, at least by the 
 Roman law. 
 
 4. By this expression, Judas strongly declares his opinion, 
 that Christ was innocent of the crimes laid to his charge by the 
 Sanhedrim ; particularly, of deceiving the people by pretended 
 miracles ; — stirring them up to sedition against Csesar, saying, 
 " that he himself was a king ; " — and casting out devils by 
 magic, or Beelzebub the prince of the devils : — and con- 
 sequently, he hereby declares, in the strongest manner, his 
 total and profound ignorance of those frauds and collusions, 
 of which some quick-sighted modern deists have made sur- 
 prising discoveries. 
 
 But one is apt to think, that the words " innocent blood" 
 imply somewhat more than all this. — They seem to point out, 
 that Judas was convinced, not only that Jesus was an in- 
 nocent man, but a beneficent one ; — one constantly employed 
 in doing good ; — and particularly, that he was a man remark- 
 able for meekness of temper ; of a merciful, compassionate, 
 and harmless disposition ; void of ambition, innocent, and 
 quiet. 
 
 Now, if it can be made appear, that the person giving such 
 a strong attestation to the innocence of Christ, was one well 
 acquainted with his most secret views ; — was one able to 
 form a just judgment of them ; — was one who would have been 
 fond to find out and expose any fraud ; — and was one who 
 could have no worldly interest to serve by adhering to Christ, 
 but, on the contrary, had every inducement to detect his 
 design : if, I say, these things can be made appear, will it 
 not" strongly conclude, that Jesus was what he professed 
 himself to be, the true Messiah, the Son of God, and the 
 Saviour of the world ? 
 
 This is an argument founded on the few simple facts above 
 set down ; which it requires no deptli of thought to compre- 
 hend, and no abstract reasoning to discover. The con- 
 sequence, I apprehend, is undeniable, provided the premises 
 
382 OBSERVATIONS ON JUDAS ISCARIOT. 
 
 are able to support such a fabric. It must therefore be the 
 business of the following pages, to examine these with be- 
 coming accuracy. 
 
 And here the leading inquiry will be, Whether the person 
 giving such a strong attestation to the innocence of Jesus, 
 in these peculiar circumstances, was one of sense and ability ; 
 able to form a just opinion of Christ and his designs? — For 
 unless we can be assured of his capacity, his testimony wUl 
 have very little weight ; since it is impossible to draw any 
 argument from the freakish inconsistencies of conduct into 
 which a man of a weak mind may run ; whereas, when a man 
 of sense changes his conduct, we are naturally led to inquire 
 into the grounds upon which he proceeds. 
 
 We are not indeed able to trace out the birth and education 
 of Judas, which lies in equal obscurity with that of the other 
 apostles. He is called the son of Simon, and Judas Iscariot ; 
 but neither of these epithets gives much light into the matter. 
 They are probably added, to distinguish him from the other 
 Judas, who was faithful to the death. Some have supposed 
 him the son of Simon the leper, in whose house Jesus was so 
 elegantly entertained a few days before he suffered. The 
 ingenious Mr. Fleming concludes him the son of Simon the 
 Canaanite. But both opinions are merely conjectural; though 
 either of them seems more probable than the fancy of those 
 who will have him a native of Corcyra, where his house and 
 posterity, say they, may yet be seen ; * or the notion of the 
 Cainites, wlio make him the head of a considerable family in 
 the tribe of Issachar. f 
 
 I should not have mentioned these uncertain conjectures, 
 did they not seem to intimate a general notion that prevailed 
 very early in the church, that Judas was some considerable 
 person ; which I scarce know how to account for, but by 
 supposing, that, by birth or education, he was somehow con- 
 spicuous in the college of the apostles. For why should the 
 earliest writers, by a sort of general consent, in this manner 
 aggrandize the traitor, while they speak of the other apostles, 
 in a ditierent style ? 
 
 As to his name Iscariot, some refer it to the oflBce of purser 
 
 * Petrus a Valle, in itineribus suis, pars 1. Tare, Epist. 1. 
 f Cahuct's Dictionary, art. Jl'das. 
 
OBSERVATIONS ON JUDAS ISCARIOT. 383 
 
 which he bore in Christ's family, from a Hebrew word of 
 much the same sound, aiid correspondent meaning. But the 
 opinion of those seems better founded, who, deriving it from 
 the place of his birth, read Judas Ish-Carioth, that is, Judas 
 a man of Carioth, a small town beyond Jordan.* 
 
 But it is much more to the present purpose to observe, 
 that this person was made choice of by Jesus to be one of 
 his apostles and constant attendants ; which will sufficiently 
 warrant our concluding him a man of good natural sense and 
 ability.! ^^^ although Christ made choice of men in low 
 life to be his apostles ; yet I can see no reason why we must 
 conclude them fools too, unless we will say that good sense 
 is only to be found among the sons of learning and fortune. 
 So that Judas being of the number of the apostles, gives a 
 strong presumption in his favour ; since there is the very 
 best reason to conclude them all men of sound minds and 
 good understandings, though not brought up at the feet of 
 Gamaliel. 
 
 To this we must add, that Judas was raised by Christ to a 
 sort of superior station in the family. — He was appointed 
 treasurer ; a place which would doubtless be given to the 
 man of greatest activity, and acquaintance with the world. 
 In this office he not only had the custody of what presents 
 were made to Jesus and his disciples, which required a per- 
 son of reputed honesty ; but also he had the laying out of 
 that money, for their daily maintenance and support, which 
 called for a man of activity and discretion. Nay, it appears 
 that to him Jesus had been in practice of leaving the dis- 
 tributions for the poor ; Avhich supposes a high opinion of his 
 judgment and prudence ; qualifications essentially necessary 
 to the prudent conferring of charity. 
 
 And if we may build anything upon the opinion of those 
 who had best access to know him, his fellow-disciples and 
 
 * The different conjectures as to the meaning and derivation of 
 the name may be seen in Bartoloccii Bib. Rab. tom. iii. p. 24. 
 
 f That the apostles were men of superior sense to the bulk of people 
 in their station, will scarce be denied by the Deists ; who upon that 
 very supposition build all the phenomena of Christianity, which, ac- 
 cording to them, were contrived by Jesus Christ, and these twelve 
 cunning impostors. 
 
384 OBSERVATIONS ON JUDAS ISCARIOT. 
 
 apostles, he seems to have been in no small repute among 
 them ; for when the plainest intimations were given by Christ, 
 as we have seen above, that one of them should betray him, 
 nay, that Judas was the person, yet no man suspected him ; 
 which doubtless would have been the case, had they judged 
 him either a deceitful or a weak man, capable of acting such 
 a base and dishonourable part. 
 
 The manner too in which he conducted the treachery from 
 first to last, gives no bad specimen of his abilities. 
 
 That he commenced a disciple of Jesus from worldly views 
 and prospects, will scarce be denied. With the rest of the 
 Jews of that time, he had long expected the promised Mes- 
 siah, hoping to find him a temporal monarch who should res- 
 cue their nation from the oppression of the Eomans, and 
 raise it to the highest pitch of grandeur. The fame of Jesus 
 had reached his ears ; and jjossibly the miracle wrought on 
 the lame man at the pool of Bethesda, made him conclude 
 that certainly he must be the person ; for it is soon after this 
 miracle that he is numbered with the apostles.* 
 
 As these views made him commence a disciple, the same 
 views soon made him resolve to abandon that way. Covet- 
 ousness was the reigning passion of his soul. He found in 
 Christ's family nothing to gratify it, nor any prospect of tlie 
 matter mending in that respect ; and therefore he resolved 
 to abandon his new profession ; but in such a way as he 
 miglit make something by the bargain. Knowing the hatred 
 of the Jewish rulers to his Master, he resolved to deliver him 
 into their hands, hoping they would generously reward such 
 a service. But that he might make the most possible of his 
 treachery, he resolved to delay the execution of it until there 
 sliould be something considerable in the bag; which he 
 shrewdly enough conjectured might be the case wlien his 
 Master should go up to Jerusalem to the passover ; where 
 the very sacrifices they were to ofter, and the other necessary 
 ox]ienses, would require a larger stock than was necessary in 
 
 * It appears from the liistory, that Christ did not make choice of 
 the twelve till some weeks after the second passovov ; for though there 
 is mention made of his calling I'liilip, Natlianael, Peter, .James, John, 
 and Andrew, long l)efore ; yet it was only at tlie above period that 
 tliey were appointed to he apostles, or messengers. 
 
OBSERVATIONS ON JUDAS ISCARIOT. 385 
 
 their country retirement.* And this I think will naturally 
 account for delaying the execution of his design so long after 
 he had formed it ; for it is beyond all question, from the plain 
 intimations that our Lord gives long before of the intended 
 treachery, that there was such a design in his head.f 
 
 But however Judas had formed such a design, he so art- 
 fully concealed it, that none but the all-searching eye could 
 penetrate the disguise. Often do the other disciples betray 
 their expectations of a worldly kingdom ; but we never hear 
 a syllable to this purpose drop from the lips of Judas. Two 
 forward disciples may pray down fire from heaven, to con- 
 sume the Samaritans, who would not receive and honour their 
 Lord : but Judas discovers no such imprudent zeal. — The 
 sons of Zebedee may solicit to sit one on the right hand and 
 the other on the left, in his kingdom ; but Judas betrays no 
 such ambitious weakness. And when we find him reproving 
 Mary for anointing Jesus, it is under the specious pretence of 
 giving to the poor. — As to the perpetrating the treachery, 
 how artfully is it managed ? His agreement with the priests 
 is privately made, and the most private opportunity taken to 
 put it in execution. Nay, when he gave the treacherous kiss 
 he seems to have hoped to pass undiscovered. He came in the 
 dark, went at some distance before the multitude, and after- 
 wards mingled with the crowd. In short, a design could not 
 have been better laid, more artfully carried on or cautiously 
 executed, than this of Judas betraying Christ ; which shows 
 him master of no small address and cunning. 
 
 I might conclude this head, with observing, that to his 
 natural sagacity there was added superior powers by Jesus, 
 when he sent him out with the other apostles, and gave him 
 power over all unclean spirits,^ diseases, and death itself; 
 
 * For it is pretty evident, that the apostles never attended Christ to 
 Jerusalem till the last passover. They were not appointed till after the 
 second passover ; our Lord went not up to the third ; so that this fourth 
 was the first they attended in company with him. And it is probable, 
 that our Lord did not choose to appear with such a retinue until his 
 time should be fully come ; that so he might not too much alarm the 
 Jewish rulers. 
 
 f See Apostolic Constitutions, book v. ch. 14, where we find these 
 words, 'E« traXXoy fiiv ^ixirT^ti(piis. 
 
 I It seems to me an excessive refinement to distinguish unclean 
 2 B 
 
386 OBSERVATIONS ON JUDAS ISCAWOT. 
 
 from which moment he must be considered as a person en- 
 dued in a very extraordinary manner. 
 
 So that, upon the whole, the first observation made, namely, 
 that Judas was a man of sense and ability, and sufRcientlv 
 able to judge if Christ was carrying on any fraud, is abun- 
 dantly evident. 
 
 But as this is the basis upon which all the subsequent argu- 
 ment rests, I must not dismiss it till I have obviated one 
 objection, that seems to lie against this part of Judas' char- 
 acter, as a man of sense and sagacity ; and that is, his selling 
 his Master for such a trifle as thirty pieces of silver, little more 
 than £3 15s., or, according to Dean Prideaux, £4 10s, of our 
 money : Avhich seems rather to represent him as a greedy fool, 
 who knew not how to make use of the opportunities which 
 offered of gratifying his covetousness ; as none can doubt but 
 that the Jewish rulers would have given a much greater sum 
 rather than allowed Jesus to have escaped them. 
 
 I frankly own, that there has been no part of his conduct 
 for which I have found it so difficult to account, as this. Once 
 I was in hopes of finding, that 'a piece of money' might be 
 applied to other coins as well as to the shekel, so tliat the sum 
 might be greater than what interpreters generally fix it. And 
 in this I thought myself not a little supported, by what the 
 Evangelist assures us, that with that money they were able to 
 purchase a field in Jerusalem for a burying-place to strangers. 
 But I am now convinced, that it is not to be accounted for 
 in this way. For, 
 
 1. I cannot find that a piece of silver, or a silverling, is ever 
 applied to any Jewish coin but to the shekel ; whereas to that 
 it is very often applied in the Old Testament. 
 
 2. Nor would increasing the value of the pieces of silver at 
 all agree with what we find in the pro]>het Zechariah concern- 
 ing this very transaction, of the price given by the Jews 
 for Jesus ; where the thirty pieces of silver given to the prophet 
 
 spirits from other evil spirits which might possess men, supposing the 
 word only to signify such kind of spirits as drove men to dwell among 
 tombs, by which they became ceremoniously unclean ; for it is evident 
 that unclean and evil spirits are generally used as synonymous, refer- 
 ring to tlic moral impurity and malignity of their natures. Compare 
 Al itt. xii. 13; Luke xi. 24; and Rev. xvi. 13, 14. 
 
OBSERVATIONS ON JUDAS ISCARIOT. 387 
 
 as his hire, is spoken of as a sign of the contempt in Avliich 
 they held him and his services.* A goodly price (says he) 
 at which they have valued me. It was the very price which 
 a slave was to give for his liberty, and at which slaves were 
 bought among them. 
 
 3. And as to the purchasing a field with these thirty pieces 
 of silver, which seems to intimate a much greater sum, it may 
 not be difficult to account for that, especially if we grant tlie 
 place which is at present shown to travellers, to be the very 
 spot ; for it is not above thirty yards long, and fifteen broad. f 
 And when the evangelist calls it the potter's field, he gives 
 us a reason why it might be such a cheap purchase, as having 
 been employed formerly in making and burning earthen ware, 
 it must have been marred for any valuable use. 
 
 For these reasons, I apprehend we cannot reasonably in- 
 crease the value of the thirty pieces of silver ; but must 
 endeavour to account for Judas' conduct in selling his Master 
 for such a trifle, in some other way. And to this the history 
 itself seems to give us a key. For, however covetousness 
 might have been the reigning passion of his soul, yet it is 
 very evident, that resentment pushed him on to the immediate 
 execution of his design. He judged himself affi'onted by 
 Jesus, when at the last supper he pointed him out as the un- 
 grateful person who was to betray him. The discovery seems 
 to have exasperated him to the last degree ; for he instantly 
 sprung from the table ; and, leaving the room, went directly 
 to the chief priests, to conclude the infamous bargain about 
 which he had formerly treated with them. And if we attend 
 to the then temper of his mind, we shall find the part which 
 he acted, a natural consequence of covetousness and resent- 
 ment. His covetousness would not allow him to give up 
 Jesus for nought ; whereas, on the otlier hand, his resent- 
 ments were so keen and pungent, that he had not coolness 
 enough to make the most advantageous bargain, but impatient 
 for revenge, accepted what they offered. For which this 
 further reason may be assigned, That, as his design was now 
 
 * Zecli. xi. 12. Ignatii epist. ad Philip. Sv Irif^r.trdvTo avl uu-jv 'itr^aTJx. 
 This whole prophecy is set in a very clear light, in Dr. Doddridge's 
 Family Expositor, vol. ii. p. 590. 
 
 t Maundrel's Travels, p. 101. 
 
388 OBSERVATIONS ON JUDAS ISCARIOT. 
 
 known, he must either immediately accept of the offer that 
 had been made him, otherwise the opportunity was for ever 
 lost. — And as for the Jewish rulers offering no higher a bait, 
 it may naturally enough be accounted for, from that contempt 
 in which they professed to hold Christ and his adherents : 
 whereas had they offered a much greater sum, it would have 
 convinced others, that these very rulers judged him more 
 formidable than they were willing to own. — Wherefore I 
 cannot see, that from this part of his history any objection 
 can be brought against what was formerly alleged in favour 
 of his sense and sagacity.* 
 
 But it will not be sufficient to our present purpose, that 
 Judas was a man of good understanding, perfectly capable 
 of penetrating into the most secret designs of Jesus and his 
 disciples, unless we can also show, that he had sufficient op- 
 portunities of informing himself a'; to these. This therefore, 
 in the second place, must be canvassed and examined. 
 
 Various reasons have been assigned by those who comment 
 upon Christ's life and history, for his making choice of Judas 
 to be an apostle, while yet he was thoroughly acquainted 
 with the badness and insincerity of his heart ; as if he there- 
 by intended to teach us only to judge by the external conduct: 
 — that ordinances derive not their virtue and efficacy from 
 the administrator ; and that even in the purest societies upon 
 earth we must expect a mixture of good and bad men. 
 
 These indeed are pious instructions ; but they seem far 
 from containing the whole of the case. The scheme now 
 under consideration suggests, in my apprehension, a still more 
 important reason, namely, that by choosing Judas into his 
 family, who should afterwards prove a traitor, Christ would 
 show the world, that he was not afraid to have his most secret 
 conduct witnessed by his enemies ; and lest they should sus- 
 pect that there was some fraud privately carrying on, he would 
 
 * Though many fanciful solutions of this difficulty have been 
 given, yet none of them scorn equal to that of Martin Kempius, who 
 aftinns, that Judas got the tenth of whatever was put into the bag. 
 When therefore Mary had poured out tlie precious box of ointment 
 which might have been sold for 300 pence, or pieces of silver, of which 
 his tenth would just have been thirty, he goes to the Jews, and 
 promises, if they will make up that sum, to deliver Ins Master into 
 their hands. — Mart. Kempius dr onculo Juilte. 
 
OBSERVATIONS ON JUDAS ISCARIOT. 389 
 
 venture to initiate one of tlieir own party into all the mys- 
 teries of his religion : a conduct which, I dare say, every 
 man must be convinced, stands clear of the least suspicion of 
 imposture.* 
 
 I apprehend it will readily be granted, that, upon the sup- 
 position that Jesus was carrying on a fraud, this could not 
 have been done without accomplices. It was an imposture 
 of that nature, as could not have been managed by one man 
 alone. Jesus aspired to nothing lower than being thought 
 the Messiah ; in consequence whereof he not only pretended 
 to work miracles himself, but to give the power of doing so 
 to others. 
 
 Now, if accomplices were necessary, none, I dare say, will 
 be thought so proper for this purpose as the twelve apostles ; 
 nay, our adversaries will not scruple to grant that these were 
 the very persons. They were pitched upon from the whole 
 multitude of his disciples, to be stated and constant attendants 
 upon him ; they were present at his public teachings ; they 
 were the companions of his most private hours : so that if he 
 held any esoteric or secret opinion, if he carried on any pri- 
 vate design which he artfully disguised from the world, it 
 must certainly have been known to them. 
 
 Judas was one of this number ; and by the whole of the 
 history, appears to have been admitted into as great con- 
 fidence and familiarity as the other apostles. And, however 
 it may be pretended that the eleven, deeply tinctured witli 
 enthusiasm, might easily be imposed upon : yet this cannot 
 be alleged of Judas, who afterwards made it evident, that he 
 had never so fully entered into their designs. Free then 
 from this bias, with all his senses alert, nay, as will appear, 
 with the design of quitting their party full in his eye, and 
 therefore watching every occasion against them ; was he not 
 able to discover in their most free and private conversation 
 
 * Amongst other valuable hints on this argument which occur in 
 'Koecheri notis in Grotium de ver. relig. Christ.' there is the following, 
 taken from the ' Oblationes spontaneas,' obi. 31. N. 4. p. 78. "Haud 
 dubie propterea in Apostolorum numerum adscitus a Jesu olim Judas 
 fuit, ut intime omnia pernosceret qnse Christus agebat, atque deinde 
 testimonium prtebere posset. Quod si igitur in doctrinis aut moribus 
 Christi quid animadvertisset, quod cui turpe ac nefaiium culpari jure 
 potuisset, id sane haud tacuisset." 
 
390 OBSERVATIONS ON JUDAS ISCARIOT, 
 
 the bottom of the plot ? Must he not have known whether 
 Jesus lived as he taught ? or if, while he recommended the 
 strictest morality to others, he indulged himself in any private 
 crimes ? Avhich would certainly have been the case had he 
 been an impostor. 
 
 To which I must add one very strong consideration on this 
 head, of Judas' opportunities of knowing if any fraud was 
 carrying on by Jesus Christ and his disciples ; and that is, 
 that Christ not only pretended to work miracles himself, but 
 also pretended to give the same power to his disciples : " Then 
 he called his twelve disciples together, and gave them power 
 and authority over all devils, and to cure diseases : and they 
 departed, and went through the towns preaching the gospel, 
 and healing everywhere." And lest we should suspect that 
 Judas was not so highly endued, the evangelist Matthew 
 takes care, immediately after this commission, to subjoin a 
 com])lete catalogue of the apostles who received these powers, 
 in which Judas is particularly mentioned.* 
 
 Judas Jieard his Master pretend to give him such powers ; 
 and, in consequence thereof, he goes and makes the experi- 
 ment on the first diseased person he meets. Must he not 
 then immediately have known whether the eft'ect followed, and 
 whether the lame and the blind received their sight and 
 strength ? If he saw this undeniably the case, what a strong 
 conviction must it have wrought in his mind that his Master 
 was the Messiah? And how naturally does it account for 
 that anguish he afterwards endured, upon his basely betraying 
 him ? Whereas, on the other hand, had Judas discovered all 
 to be trick, had he discovered that the pretended cures were 
 only the etl'ect of a collusion betwixt the persons who feigned 
 the disease and Christ, would he have failed to lay open the 
 cheat? Especially if we add, that in case there was any fraud 
 
 * Knechems, in his forecited book, p. 172. nmong other proofs that 
 Christ did not work his miracles by magic, or acquaintance with tlie 
 secret powers of nature, sa}^s — '" Judas Iscariot, cum ii)se quoqre 
 opera miraculosa perfecit, Matt. x. 1. hand dubie artes illas calluit. 
 Id vcro si scse liabuisset, aut Judas usus fuisset isto aicano, ad avari- 
 tiam suam explendam, aut cum Dominum suura proderet, miracula 
 ejus ineras esse imposturas, nitiqne occultis naturse viribus, revelasset. 
 Neutrum vero cum fecit Judas, ilhid manifesto est argumentum, mir- 
 acula Jesu prsestigias baud fuisse." 
 
OBSERVATIONS ON JUDAS ISCARIOT. 391 
 
 carrying on by Jesus and his disciples, Judas had every sup- 
 posable inducement to make the discovery : which, joined to 
 what has ah-eady been said of his knowledge and opportuni- 
 ties, will, in my apprehension, go a great way to make the 
 argument conclusive. 
 
 This will hold true whatever the personal character of 
 Judas is supposed to be. Had he been a man of conscience 
 and 'lonesty, who waited for the consolation of Israel, and had 
 coranenced a disciple of Jesus, in hopes of finding in him the 
 long-wished-for Messiah ; we may easily be convinced what 
 part he would have acted, upon finding his hope disappointed, 
 and that, instead of a prophet, he was following an impostor. 
 — Eegard to truth, and the glory of God, would not have 
 allowed him to hesitate one moment. He must not only have 
 abaidoned the party himself, but have fairly laid open their 
 frauds and secret practices to others. Regardless of whatever 
 reflection the dishonest or unthinking part of mankind might 
 throw upon him, as having once been of the party, he would 
 abour to undeceive the multitude, and wish to confront the 
 mpostor himself. 
 
 Regard to the religion of his country would greatly have 
 strengthened such a resolution. It is well known how zealous 
 the bulk of the Jews were on this head ; which alarmed them 
 the more at the pretensions of Jesus to be the Messiah, while 
 his doctrine tended so evidently to set aside their numerous 
 rites and ceremonies : so that, as a good son of the church, 
 Judas would have been led to use the utmost care to prevent 
 the dangerous infection. 
 
 All the principles of benevolence and love to mankind 
 would have awaked in his breast, in order to induce him to 
 a speedy discovery, that so others might be prevented from 
 falling into the snare in which he was well nigh caught. And 
 this too would he have judged the best return of gratitude 
 to that God who had saved him from being entirely led aside 
 by the error of the wicked. 
 
 In fine, to such a speedy discovery he would have been 
 strongly excited by the powerful motive of love to his country. 
 — It was one reason why the more politic Jews gave so little 
 regard to the various circumstances that concurred to prove 
 Jesus the Messiah, lest by seeming to acknowledge any other 
 
392 OBSERVATIONS ON JUDAS ISCARIOT. 
 
 king than Csesar, they should give a handle to the Romans, 
 under whose yoke they lay, to take away their city and nation. 
 The force of which argument was the greater, as they could 
 not yet have forgot the many inconveniences which two 
 pretenders to that character had brought upon them a (ew 
 years before : instances which, as they happened in Judas' 
 own time, must have been more than enough to overbalance 
 any argument that might be brought to the contrary by the 
 false shame of commencing informer. 
 
 By such views and motives must Judas have been actuated, 
 had Jesus been an impostor, and he a man of integrity and 
 conscience. 
 
 But supposing, what indeed is the fact, that this Judas 
 was a man of a very opposite character, was an abandoied 
 wretch, destitute of honour, conscience, and love to his 
 country ; yet, even in that case, interest, powerful private in- 
 terest, must soon have determined him to make a diseoverj 
 of the fi'aud, if any such was carrying on. 
 
 A man of such a character must certainly have commenced 
 disciple from woi'ldly views, concluding that Christ was to 
 erect a temporal kingdom. He hoped, by joining him s(j 
 early, to merit the highest preferments in that future mon- 
 archy. But finding himself disappointed, and that there was i 
 neither honour, riches, nor fame to be got in his service ; 
 nay that the very Master himself seemed, by some unaccount- 
 able conduct, always to decline any advantages that were 
 thrown in his way, and whimsically talked of a spiritual 
 kingdom ; observing this to be the case, would not rage at 
 his disappointment naturally lead him to divulge tlie secret ? 
 which, too, would have been a sufficient apology for abandon- 
 ing a sect which he had once espoused. 
 
 If covetousness was the chief bent of his mind, this was 
 most likely to be gratified by a discovery. He knew how 
 inveterate the chief priests and rulers were against Jesus, and 
 with what malice and keenness they sought his ruin : so that 
 he might reasonably expect to be well paid for what discovery 
 he should make to them. 
 
 Nor can it be alleged that such a discovery would either 
 have subjected him to odium or danger. 
 
 To odium or reproach it could never have exposed him 
 
OBSERVATIONS ON JUDAS ISCARIOT. 393 
 
 with any man of sense and reflection ; for his discovering 
 such a fraud, stood justified by every motive and considera- 
 tion which can have weight in such a case. So that instead 
 of reproacli his uncommon honesty would have merited uni- 
 versal applause. Nay, we may go one step further, and 
 affirm, that the applauses which he merited would have been 
 liberally conferred upon him ; immediately he must have 
 become the darling of all the rulers ; and this fully obviates 
 the other part of the objection, that possibly he might have 
 been deterred through fear from making the discovery. But 
 of whom, pray, was he to be afraid ? Of Jesus and his fol- 
 lowers ? A very inconsiderable party indeed, without either 
 number, power, or influence ; Mho, so far from being able to 
 injure others, could not even defend themselves. 
 
 Ere I dismiss this head, it will be proper to add, that the 
 manner in which Jesus all along treated his followers, and 
 the apostles themselves, makes it evident that he was never 
 afraid of what discoveries they could make. 
 
 It is the interest of every impostor, not only to gain parti- 
 sans, but also to manage those whom he may have gained 
 with the utmost delicacy and address, lest, forsaking his 
 party, they should work his ruin : an observation which stands 
 confirmed by the practice of all impostors that have yet ap- 
 peared in the world. But instead of this address and man- 
 agement, we find Jesus always treating his disciples with 
 the greatest plainness and freedom. When two of them, 
 incensed at the conduct of the Samaritans, would have 
 prayed down fire from heaven upon those despisers of their 
 Master, instead of applauding their zeal, Jesus tells them, 
 that they knew not what spirits they were of. How oft in 
 presence of the multitude, does he blame the twelve for their 
 dulness and incredulity ? And, when, from the tenderest 
 aftection, Peter had declared himself unwilling to hear of his 
 sufferings and death, he receives the sharp rebuke, " Get 
 thee behind me, Satan ; for thou savoui-est not the things 
 which be of God." 
 
 But not to insist on these, and many instances of the 
 same kind which occur in the gospel with regard to the other 
 disciples, let us observe the behaviour of Jesus towards this 
 very Judas, and we shall find it such as naturally tended to 
 
(• 
 
 o94: OBSERVATIOXS OX JUDAS ISCARIOT. 
 
 irritate and provoke him to a discovery, if he had any di?*- 
 covery to maivO. 
 
 If Judas had conceived a design of betraying his Master 
 some considerable time before he put it in execution, we find 
 Jesus speaking- of it even then as a thing lie was well acquainted 
 with. " Behold I have chosen you twelve, and one of you 
 shall prove my accuser." This he repeats at sundry times. 
 And though, as afterwards appears, he was as well acquainted 
 with the person of the traitor as the treachery in general ; 
 yet he by no means observes any particular delicacy of con- 
 <luct towards him. When he was to be ti'ansfigured, he 
 keeps him back from the honour of that glorious transaction. 
 When this Judas animadverts upon Mary's anointing his 
 Master's feet, we find Jesus soon silencing him, by openly 
 vindicating the woman, and condemning the reflection thrown 
 out against her. But as if all this had not been suffi- 
 cient, at the last paschal supper we find him pointed out by 
 Jesus as the ungrateful monster who, though lie dipped 
 with him in the dish, should in a i'ew hours betray him. 
 Then too does he hear the most dreadful judgments de- 
 nounced against himself, which immediately filled his mind 
 with the keenest desires of revenge ; so that in fury he 
 springs from the table. But Jesus, instead of being alarmed 
 at this, as he must certainly have been had not all his con- 
 duct been fair and honest, puts him, as it were, to the defi- 
 ance ; bids him go do what he intended ; and that, instead 
 of flying from him, he would even so far countenance his 
 design as to retire to the private garden of Gethsemane, a 
 place with which the traitor was well acquainted, and where 
 he might apjirehend him without disturbance. 
 
 To all which I may add, that, knowing the covetous tem- 
 per of Judas, he had before committed the bag to him, that 
 he might always have it in his power to run ofl'with advantage. 
 
 Now, let any man say if he discerns ought in such a con- 
 duct that can give the least suspicion of imposture. Nay, 
 does not the fair and open part which Jesus acts, strongly 
 argue the contrary ? 
 
 Thus I have endeavoured to show that Judas was 
 thoroughly acqu.ainted with the most secret designs of Jesus ; 
 that he had sulHcient capacity to discover any fraud that 
 
OBSERVATIONS ON JUDAS ISCARIOT. 395 
 
 miglit be carrying on ; and that he had all possible induce- 
 ments to lead him to make such a discovery : so that it only 
 remains that we inquire in fact what part this Judas acted. 
 
 Does he, in consequence of having got to tlie bottom of 
 the plot, go to the rulers of the Jews and make the discov- 
 ery? Sure, nothing could have so much ingratiated him. 
 into their favour. Such a discovery would have been of far 
 greater importance to them than the death of the impostor. 
 Hereby should they have been enabled eflectually to oppose 
 his designs, and ruin his credit with the people. Hereby 
 should they have been furnished with a just ground of ac- 
 cusation against him ; an accusation not founded on matters 
 of doubtful disputation, or questions of their law, but on the 
 reason of things, — on common justice and equity. 
 
 This too would have most successfully gratified Judas' 
 revenge against Christ, and fully exonerate him in forsaking 
 a party he had once espoused. 
 
 How wide of this was the part he acted ! From covetous- 
 ness and revenge he resolves to deliver his Master into the 
 hands of the Jewish priests. This resolution he executes in 
 the manner above mentioned ; yet he has not the eftrontery 
 to allege any one crime of which he was guilty ; although I 
 think it pretty evident from the history, that the Jewish 
 Sanhedrim had examined Judas very particularly about 
 Jesus — about his miracles — his doctrine — and his predictions ; 
 and that he had told them every thing he knew about these.* 
 
 Had Judas made any discoveries to the prejudice of Christ, 
 which no doubt he would have done, had he been able, it 
 would not long have remained a secret. Our Lord had been 
 twitted with it at his trial — itjiad been thrown up to Judas 
 when he came, saying, " I have betrayed innocent blood," — 
 and it would have been objected to his apostles afterwards 
 when brought to a trial for propagating the same religion. 
 But in none of these cases was there the least insinuation to 
 this purpose ; but, on the contrary, after all they could ex- 
 
 * It seems probable that it was Judas who informed the Sanhe- 
 drim of what Christ had said abont his resun-ection on the third day ; 
 otherwise, I cannot see how they came to be so distinctly informed 
 about it, as they tell Pilate they were ; for, so far as I can recollect, 
 Christ never spoke of his resurrection plainly to any but the apostles. 
 
396 OBSERVATIONS ON JUDAS ISCARIOT. 
 
 piscate, we find them entirely at a loss how to lay their ac- 
 cusation against Christ, or how to prove it even after it was 
 laid. 
 
 And as for Judas, no sooner does he see what the conse- 
 quences of his treachery would be, and that the Jews were 
 actually proceeding to put Christ to death, than his conscience 
 takes the alarm, and drives him in despair to be his own 
 executioner. For it is the same thing as to the present ar- 
 gument, whether, according to our translation, we make 
 Judas to have hanged himself, or, as the Greek words might 
 be rendered, that, falling down on his face, he was suttbcated 
 through the excess of his grief, and burst asunder in the 
 middle. Only, if we take this last to be the fact, it is worth 
 observing, that the Talmudists make such a suffocation the 
 punishment which Grod was wont to inflict on such persons 
 as bore false witness against their neighbour.* 
 
 Now, let any man attempt to account rationally for this 
 excess of grief and remorse, upon the supposition that Jesus 
 was an impostor, and that Judas knew him to be such. In 
 which case his discovery would have stood justified by the 
 most rational arguments, and no foundation could have 
 been laid for such anguish of mind. But allowing the 
 fact as it stands, and tliis to have been the end of Judas, 
 does it not strongly conclude that after Judas, a man of 
 sense and ability, had been thoroughly acquainted with 
 Christ's life and doctrine, and for a considerable time had 
 watched every occasion against him, and at last, from cove- 
 tousness and revenge, had delivered him into the hands of 
 his enemies ; yet he was firmly persuaded that Jesus was an 
 innocent person, and the trua Messiah ; whose religion we 
 are bound to receive as a revelation sent from God. 
 
 Having thus observed the consequences of Judas' treach- 
 
 * What it was that drove Judas to despair, rather than to ask 
 forgiveness of this meek and meieiful Ijanib of Crod, I shall not detei'- 
 mine. But it seems to me evident, tliat two things contributed 
 greatly to it : 1st, A conviction tiiat he had betrayed tiie true Messiah ; 
 and 2dly, A remembrance of those awful warnings that Clirist had 
 formerly given him. "The Son of man," saitli Christ, " goeth as it 
 is written of liim ; but woe unto tliat man by wliom the Son of man 
 is betrayed ; good were it for that man tliat he had never been born." 
 
OBSERVATIONS ON JUDAS ISCARIOT. 397 
 
 ery with regard to himself, it may not be improper, before I 
 shut up the argument, to show what influence it had on 
 Jesus and his apostles. 
 
 As to Jesus himself, I am persuaded that every man who 
 reads the Gospels must be charmed with his behaviour in 
 this last period of his life. Whether Jesus was the Messiah 
 or not, this will be allowed, that he was one betrayed by a 
 pretended friend ; than which no circumstance can tend more 
 to sour the mind, and ruffle the temper, and every one must 
 know what bitter reproaches such traitors receive, and ought 
 to receive. But Jesus, superior to all trials, meets this horrid 
 treachery with an heroic fortitude, and reproaches the traitor 
 in no harsher terms than these, " Judas, betrayest thou the 
 Son of man with a kiss ? " 
 
 As to the disciples of Jesus, especially the eleven, notwith- 
 standing this horrid treachery of one of their number, and 
 the crucifixion of their Master, which happened thereupon ; 
 yet they continue firmly united in carrying on the design of 
 Christ, and establishing his religion in the world ; which it 
 was impossible for them to do had they been carrying on a 
 fraud, or aggrandizing an impostor. For the case is the 
 same here as in common life. If any twelve persons were 
 engaged in a conspiracy, and one of them should go and 
 discover the plot, this would at once put an end to the de- 
 signs of the other eleven, and render it impossible for them 
 any longer to carry them into execution. That union and 
 harmony which is the very soul of combination, would hence- 
 forward be broken ; and to that would succeed a mutual 
 jealousy and distrust, every one suspecting that his neigh- 
 bour might also become a traitor. — Tlie same must have 
 been the case with the disciples of Jesus, had they not been 
 entirely honest in their views.. But as they were only ad- 
 hering to truth, neither the treachery of Judas, nor the 
 denial of Peter, in the least influenced them to abandon the 
 cause in which they were engaged. 
 
 Thus I have endeavoured to state an argument in favour 
 of Christianity from the conduct and character of Judas the 
 traitor. I have examined it with all the attention I am 
 capable of, and have endeavoured to show that it is conclu- 
 sive : though I am far from laying the stress of the whole 
 
398 OBSERVATIONS ON JUDAS ISCARIOT. 
 
 cause upon it. No ; blessed be God, we have a cloud of 
 witnesses attesting the innocence of Jesus, and the truth of 
 our holy religion, upon which all our hopes for time and 
 eternity are founded ; — witnesses whose characters have been 
 canvassed, and their evidence illustrated, not only by those 
 of former times, but also by the most masterly writers of 
 this and the preceding age, laymen as well as clergy.* 
 Against whom I may safely say, the advocates for infidelity 
 have maintained a vei'y unequal conflict ; since, notwith- 
 standing their keenest efforts for these hundi'ed years, they 
 have not been able to weaken the smallest pillar by which 
 the noble fabric stands supported. 
 
 Would to God I could say, that they had succeeded no 
 better against the life and practice of religion. As a heart- 
 love to wickedness is at the bottom of their opposition to tlie 
 gospel, their impiety has still kept pace with their infidelity ; 
 and, as the most effectual Avay to debauch our principles, 
 they have laboured hard to debauch our practice : and what 
 melancholy success they have had in this respect, every one 
 who hath eyes or ears can tell. — While on the other hand, 
 many of the friends of Christianity have been more careful 
 to preserve our principles than to reform our lives. But, 
 sure it is now high time to awake, and to stand in the gap 
 against impiety as well as infidelity. Nor can we hope with 
 success to discourage the latter, unless we shall be able to 
 suppress the former. For so long as men are vicious, they 
 will have a strong propensity to throw ofi' those restraints 
 which Christianity would lay upon their passions, and free 
 themselves from that dread which it naturally inspires into 
 the wicked. 
 
 1 am, 
 
 Sir, 
 
 Yours, «S:c. 
 
 * Besides the observations on the conversion of St. Paul, already 
 referred to, I have in inine eye Mr. West's elegant and strikin.sf re- 
 marks on tKe evidences of Christ's resurrection ; and the present 
 bishop of London's (Sherloek) Trial of the Witnesses ; a book which, 
 I am persuaded, will stand tlie test of acres, notwitlistanding the 
 ungcntecl insinuation which Dr. Middleton has lately thrown out 
 against it. 
 
ON 
 
 THE -PERFECTION AND USEEULNESS 
 OF THE DIVINE LAW. 
 
 BY JOHN SMALLEY, D.D, 
 
In an able article on " Modern Explanations of the doctrine of In- 
 ability," which originally appeared in the " Biblical Kepertoiy and 
 Princeton Review," and which has been reprinted in the tenth 
 number of the " British and Foreign Evangelical Review," Dr. 
 Smalley and his writings are spoken of in the following tenns : — 
 " Dr. Smalley's little treatise " (on the Inability of the Sinner, &c., 
 inserted in the first volume of these "Theological Tracts") "has 
 long been accounted standard among those who attach importance 
 to the distinction between natural and moral inability, which it 
 elaborately explains and vindicates. It is for the most part char- 
 acterized by candour and good judgment. It clearly and ably sets 
 forth much important truth." — " The author was among the most 
 judicious and weight}'^ of the circle commonly known as the New 
 England divines. He protested al)ly and earnestly against the 
 extravaganzas of Emmons. Ho contributed largely to give the 
 distinction of natural and moral inability the prominence which it 
 has had in American theology." The following discourse "On the 
 Perfection and Usefulness of the Divine Law," is not inferior to 
 the able dissertation " On the Sinner's Inability." It was origin- 
 ally preached before the students of Yale college, and has never, 
 so far as I know, been before printed in this countrj'. 
 
ONi 
 
 THE PERFECTION AM) USEFULNESS OF 
 THE DIVINE LAW. 
 
 Psalm sis. 7. — " The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul " 
 
 Some are said to te^ch sucli doctrine concerning regenera- 
 tion, as supposes that no means can be of any efficacy or use 
 in the case of the unregenerate. Many, undoubtedly, have 
 no opinion of legal preaching, as adapted to promote the 
 salvation of men. It will, however, be universally agreed, 
 that means are to be used for the conversion of sinners, as 
 well as for the perfecting of the saints. And I believe 
 there are few who will not admit that the law ouglit 
 to be preached, for both these purposes, as well as the 
 gospel. 
 
 Good men may dispute about words ; and they may have 
 different ideas, in many matters of nice speculation : but all 
 good men delight to meditate in the law of the Lord ; and all 
 good gospel ministers desire, by all lawful means, to be instru- 
 mental of the conversion of souls. For these reasons it is 
 presumed that the words now read, if properly opened and 
 illustrated, will not be uninteresting or luientertaining to 
 the present audience. 
 
 The general subject of this Psalm, is the glorious manifes- 
 tation which God had given of himself, by the light of nature, 
 and by the light of revelation. In the first six verses are 
 set forth, in lofty language, the illustrious displays of the 
 divine perfections, in the works of creation and of common 
 providence. " The heavens," it is said, " declare the glorv 
 
 2c 
 
402 THE PERFECTION AND USEFULNESS 
 
 of God, and the firmament showeth his handy-work. Day 
 unto day iittereth speech," &c. At this seventh verse, the 
 Psalmist passes from the works, to celebrate the word of God, 
 as discoverhig yet greater glories, and as being productive of 
 still more wonderful effects. " The law of the Lord is perfect," 
 says he, " converting the soul : the testimony of the Lord is 
 sure, making wise the simple. The statutes of the Lord 
 are right, rejoicing the heart : the commandment of the Lord 
 is pure, enlightening the eyes." 
 
 By the law of the Lord may be meant, the whole revelation 
 of God's mind and will which had then been given to mankind. 
 But wliat is here said of it is especially applicable to the moral 
 law ; and to this only, particular attention will be paid in the 
 present discourse. Two things are asserted in the text con- 
 cerning the divine law. In regard to its intrinsic excellence, 
 it is said to be perfect; respecting its use, in the present fallen 
 state, it is spoken of as converting the soul. Accordingly it 
 is pro])osed to consider, 
 
 I. The perfection of the law of God ; and, 
 
 IL Its subserviency to the conversion of the souls of men. 
 
 The perfection of the divine law first claims our careful 
 attention. 
 
 If it be asked in what respects the law of the Lord is per- 
 fect ; the general answer is, in all respects. Like its glorious 
 author, it is light, and in it '' is no darkness at all." But 
 since an apostle hath said, " the law is holy, and the com- 
 mandment is holy, ?a\^just, and (^ood;'^ it may be proper to 
 illustrate these three perfections of the moral law more par- 
 ticularly. 
 
 First, then, the law of God is perfectly holi/. This ap- 
 pears in its prohibitions, in its requirements, and in its 
 sanctions. " I have seen an end of all perfection," says the 
 Psalmist, " but thy conunandment is exceeding broad." 
 
 So extensive is the divine law tliat it forbids all sin, even 
 in the very inclination of the mind, as well as in all manner 
 of conversation. Human expositions, of old time, had indeed 
 given it a more limited construction ; as though, like the laws 
 of man, it respected only overt acts, and the grosser instances 
 of ini(iinty. But our divine Teacher, who was in the bosom 
 of tlie Father, hath expounded it in a latitude becoming the 
 
OP THE DIVINE LAW. 403 
 
 law of the most holy God, who looketh on the heart. In his 
 exposition it forbids not only actual murder, gross adultery, 
 and bearing false witness ; but every idle word, every las- 
 civious look, and every first emotion of unreasonable resent- 
 ment. 
 
 Nor hath he explained the law only as forbidding all posi- 
 tively evil volitions and exercises, as if no positive duty, on tiie 
 contrary, were required, — as if, " to him that knoweth to do 
 good," only not to do it, were no sin, — as if bare omissions 
 and neglects were no more criminal in a rational creature, 
 than in stocks and stones. According to our Saviour, and 
 indeed, according to the letter of Moses, the law saith, not 
 merely thou shalt not hate ; but thou shalt love. Being bene- 
 volent and doing good, to the utmost of our capacity, is 
 plainly enjoined ; as well as every thing that is positively evil 
 totally forbidden. 
 
 The law is likewise glorious in holiness, in its awful sanc- 
 tions. It requires sinless perfection, as now explained, on no 
 less severe a penalty than everlasting " indignation and wrath, 
 tribulation and anguish." It says, " The soul that sinneth, it 
 shall die." " The wages of sin," without exception, according 
 to law, "is death," — the soul's death, its eternal perdition. 
 
 Secondly, I am to show that this law is just, perfectly just ; 
 in all the strictness of its precepts, and in all the severity of 
 its curse. These will require a distinct consideration. Both 
 are disputed by the carnal mind. 
 
 To the justice of the preceptive part of the divine law, 
 indeed, what can human reason object ? May we not justly 
 be required not to sin ? Not to sin at all, in omission or 
 commission ? — The only objection is grounded on imbecility. 
 * Were we able, doubtless we ought to keep ourselves from all 
 sin, and might justly be so required. But this is by no means 
 possible for the best of men. " There is not a just man upon 
 earth, that doth good, and sinneth not.' And certainly 
 to require that of us which is not in our power, is palpably 
 unjust." 
 
 The objection seems strong, though built upon weakness. 
 It is plausible, but it is not unansweiable. If the meaning 
 be, that more is required of us than would be in our power 
 were we of a perfect heart ; I deny that, in this sense, any 
 
404 THE PERFECTION AND USEFULNESS 
 
 thing in the commandments is above our capacity. " If there 
 be first a willing mind, it is accepted," in all cases ; God's 
 perfect law always accepts it, " according to that a man 
 hath." Where much is given, much is required; and where 
 little, so much the less. Whether we have five talents, or 
 two, or one, the perfect improvement of the talents we have, 
 is all that is exacted. However weak our minds, or little our 
 strength, to love the Lord our God with all our hearts — with 
 all our ivealc minds and little strength, is the whole of the 
 first commandment of the law. There is none other greater 
 than this, or more difiicult to obey. Did we thus love God, 
 we should keep all his commandments ; and none of them 
 would be grievous. 
 
 But if it be meant, that we have not a "perfect heart and 
 willing mind," and therefore sinless perfection cannot justly 
 be required of us ; what is this more or less than saying. We 
 have not a disposition to do our whole duty, and therefore 
 our whole duty cannot in justice be enjoined ? Wliat is it 
 but saying. We have a great inclination to do iniquity, and 
 tlierefore we ought to be allowed to do some iniquity, in all 
 reason and righteousness ? " Is the law sin," because we are 
 sinners ? Is that to be condemned because we are disposed to 
 transgress ; when it would be altogether unreasonable, had we 
 only an inclination to obey! — If the divine law, in order to its 
 being just, ought to be lowered at all, on account of the de- 
 pravity of the hearts of men ; for the same reason it must be 
 brought down entirely to every man's heart, however depraved, 
 or it will not be just. Let this objection be carried as far as 
 it will necessarily go, if there be really anything in it, and it 
 will come to this, that no law can be just, which requires any 
 man to be or do, more or better, than exactly as he is disposed. 
 
 I am sensible that it is one of the hardest things in the 
 world to beat this objection out of the heads and hearts of men : 
 notwithstanding the stupidity of it is so exceedingly obvious. 
 And no wonder ; for as long as any man can wink hard enough 
 not to see the absurdity of such a way of reasoning, from the 
 painful reproaches of his own conscience, he is so tar entirely 
 free, and feels completely self-justified ; whether an imperfect 
 saint, or a most profligate al)andoned sinner. But I believe 
 it will be found at last that there is the same law, as a rule 
 
, OP THE DIVINE LAW. 405 
 
 of duty, for the one and for the other, — a law which alters 
 not as men alter in degrees of moral depravity. And that 
 according to this law, which requires the wickedest of all 
 mankind to be perfectly righteous, every mouth will be 
 stopped, and all the world, notwithstanding the present 
 boasted plea of being sinful fallen creatures, be found guilty 
 before God. — The only question is, which ought to be con- 
 demned, an imperfect creature, or a perfect law ? The 
 creature, because his heart is set in him to do that which is 
 perfectly wrong ; or the law, because it insists upon that 
 which is perfectly right ? 
 
 We are next to consider the justice of the penalty of God's 
 holy law ; and to show, that as he doth not lay upon man 
 more than is right in its perfect requirements, so neither will 
 he in the infliction of its awful threatenings. 
 
 Eternal death for every transgression and disobedience, 
 is a dreadful punishment, indeed, and undoubtedly it seems 
 to many, when they seriously think of it, excessively severe. 
 ' Can every idle word, every evil thought, every unlawful 
 wish, every deviation, in the smallest punctilio, from perfect 
 righteousness, really deserve everlasting destruction ? Can 
 even any crimes, of a finite creature, committed in a moment- 
 aiy life, justly merit endless misery ? ' 
 
 To this it may be replied : The sins we commit, however 
 little many of them may appear in other respects, are trans- 
 gressions of the law of the great eternal God. In this the evil 
 even of the grossest immoralities, as it were, wholly consists. 
 Hence David, when he had been guilty of the atrocious crimes 
 of adultery and murder, says, in his penitential confession to 
 God, " Against thee, thee only have I sinned." And hence 
 St. Paul speaks of sin as becoming, by " the commandment, 
 exceeding sinful." If all the evil of sin consisted in the 
 present injury done to creatures like ourselves, temporal death 
 would be a punishment too great by far for most oftenees. 
 Were there no God, or had God given us no law in any way 
 whatever, and had our iniquities no respect to him, many of 
 them would be truly very trivial. But " disobedience is as 
 the sin of witchcraft." And the criminality of disobedience 
 is ever supposed to be enhanced, in some proportion to the 
 authority commanding, and the obligation we are under to 
 
406 THE PERFECTION AND USEFULNESS 
 
 obey. Now the authority of God our Maker, and the obli- 
 gations we are under to be obedient in all things to him, are 
 absolutely infinite. Infinite, therefore, must be the sin of 
 breaking his laws, and dishonouring him. 
 
 This is the common way of vindicating the justice of end- 
 less punishments. And certainly, known transgression of an 
 express command of the infinitely great and glorious God, 
 must be sinful beyond conception. But that every moral 
 evil, in the most ignorant rational creature, so far partakes of 
 this aggravation as to be a crime absolutely infinite, is a thing 
 which cannot perhaps easily be "made manifest to all men." 
 I therefore desire that it may be seriously considered, 
 whether the ill desert of sin, whatever may be its aggravations, 
 be not of such a permanent nature, that it may justly be pun- 
 ished with the fire which never shall be quenched. It may 
 be a question worthy of consideration, whether any crime, be 
 it greater or less, will not deserve the same punishment for 
 ever, that it deserves at first. Perhaps suft'ering pain can 
 never take away blameworthiness on account of sin : and 
 perhaps as long as blameworthiness remains, just desert of 
 punishment must remain. Both these, I believe, are real truths, 
 and that they would be felt as such by every man's conscience, 
 could all misapprehensions be prevented. 
 
 That suftering doth not, in any measure, take away the 
 blameworthiness of one who hath committed sin, may easily 
 be perceived to be a plain dictate of common sense. After 
 any criminal hath been punished as much as the laws of men 
 require, is he ever thought to bo at all less blameworthy than 
 he was before ? The damage which his crime has done, or 
 had a tendency to do, to the public or to individuals, may be 
 compensated or prevented by his punishment : but does any 
 one suppose he is, for that reason, blameless, just as if he had 
 never offended ? Is he ever thought to be any freer from 
 actual guilt, than if he had been permitted to escape with 
 impunity ? Has he less sin to repent of, or less reason to 
 judge and condemn himself, because he has been imprisoned 
 or scourged, or branded, according to law ? The lash may 
 change the Ethiopian's skin or the leopard's spots ; but it can 
 never make a criminal innocent. Nothing is more evident 
 than this, that crimes are not to be obliterated and innocence 
 
OF THE DIVINE LAW. 407 
 
 restored, by involuntary sufferings. Sin is ever so written 
 with a pen of iron, and the point of a diamond, as never to be 
 eft'aced in regard, to the ill desert, or bianieworthness of the 
 sinner. 
 
 That as long as blameworthiness remains, just desert of 
 punishment must remain, is what I apprehend would also 
 appear a plain dictate of common sense, were it not for some 
 confusion of thought arising from inadequate comparisons ; 
 or for confounding ideas which are really different. I know 
 we are apt to think that when a culprit Imth suffered a certain 
 number of stripes for a crime, for that particular offence he 
 deserves no more. But I supjjose the only reasons why we 
 think thus are, either because in that case we measure desert 
 by the law of the land, which is the judge's rule beyond 
 which he has no right to go : or else, because we measure 
 desert by the supposed need there is of punishment. To 
 punish beyond law, is wrong in a judge ; it is illegal. To 
 punish beyond necessity, is wrong in a legislator ; it is un- 
 merciful. But deserving punishment according to human 
 laws, and deserving it in justice, are two things. Whether 
 it would be necessary to punish, and whether it would be 
 just, are also two things. In point of strict justice, abstractly 
 from mercy, and from all idea of a limiting law, I think it 
 must be a clear case that blameworthiness and punishment- 
 worthiness, are ever exactly commensurate ; — that just as 
 much, and just as long, as blame is deserved, punishment is 
 deserved. Till therefore the sinner can stand up before his 
 eternal judge, and truly say, I have suffered so much or so 
 long, that I am become perfectly innocent, and deserve not 
 to be faulted at all ; he cannot plead releasement from prison, 
 and from all further pains and penalties, as a matter of 
 absolute justice. But I believe a sinner may suffer to all 
 eternity, before he will be able truly to say this, of whatever 
 magnitude his sins may have been. 
 
 This way of accounting for endless punishments, is far 
 from supposing that all sins are of equal demerit. It does 
 not go upon the supposition that they all, nor any of them 
 deserve infinite punishment. It only supposes that the ill de- 
 sert of every sin is durable, unalterable, and everlasting. The 
 degree of punishment, which men deserve, is in proportion to 
 
408 THE PERFECTION AND USEFULNESS 
 
 the numbers and aggravations of their iniquities : but that 
 degree of punishment, whatever it may be, they will deserve 
 for ever. Little things may be as lasting as things that are 
 great. The soul of man is not infinite, yet we sujipose it will 
 exist without end. 
 
 If neither of the foregoing solutions should satisfy ; there is 
 yet another way of vindicating the sentence of eternal con- 
 demnation as perfectly just. It may be considered as a 
 sentence of reprobation to endless sin, and to endless misery 
 as the necessary consequence. Certainly it is a righteous 
 thing in God to say, whenever he sees fit, " He that is unjust, 
 let him be unjust still ; and he that is filthy, let him be filthy 
 still." The Most High is not under obligation in justice, to 
 keep his creatures from falling into a state of sin and misery ; 
 surely then we cannot suppose him under any such obliga- 
 tion to recover fallen creatures to holiness and happiness. 
 Those finally left to themselves will for ever sin ; and for this 
 they will deserve to be for ever vessels of wrath. Sin can 
 never be innocent, or undeserving of punishment, by reason 
 of the peculiar circumstances in which the sinner is placed. 
 Being in a state of probation, and in a world of hope, is not 
 certainly the only thing which renders impenitence, blas- 
 phemy, malice, or any kind of iniquity, culpable, and worthy 
 of divine indignation. It is true we read that in the other 
 world, every one shall receive according to the deeds done 
 " in the body," whether good or bad. But this needs not 
 be understood as implying that nothing shall ever be received 
 for things done after tliis life is ended. It may only mean that 
 all, by the sentence of the supreme Judge, will commence 
 their fixed future existence in a degree of happiness, or misery, 
 proportioned to their good or evil conduct in the present 
 probationary state. There are ways, undoubtedly, in which 
 the perfect justice of God's holy law in its penalty, as well 
 us in its precepts, may be fairly and fully vindicated. 
 
 We ])roceed to the vindication of its perfect goodness. A 
 good law is one that is necessary and well-adapted to answer 
 good ends. However pure or equitable a law may be, yet if 
 it be needless, and will do no good, it cannot well be called a 
 good law. A law perfectly good, lays no duty on the subject, 
 nor any penalty on the transgressors, however justly it might 
 
OF THE DIVINE LAW. 409 
 
 be laid, but what is requisite for some important or benefi- 
 cent purpose. 
 
 That the divine law, in the preceptive part of it, is thus 
 perfectly good, may very easily be evinced. We may be 
 sure that the commandments of God are perfectly good, be- 
 cause they require perfect goodness, and nothing but good- 
 ness. From those summaries of the moral law, which are 
 given both in the Old Testament and in the New, and indeed 
 from an attentive perusal of the whole book of the law, it is 
 easy to see that the " law of kindness" comprehends the whole 
 law of God ; or that every duty enjoined in the law and the 
 prophets will readily and necessarily flow from love to God 
 and our neighbour. "Love is the fulfilling of the law;" and 
 such a law must certainly be dictated by love. No laboured 
 proof will be required to convince any man that a law is good 
 which obliges all others to be perfectly benevolent and good 
 to him: and will any one be so inconsistent as not to ac- 
 knowledge that it must be likewise a good law, which com- 
 mands him to be perfectly benevolent and good to all others ? 
 
 Besides, it is easy to show, that all the duties enjoined upon 
 us are necessary for our own good, as well as for the glory of 
 God and the good of our fellow-creatures. We may truly 
 say as Moses did, Deut. vi. 24, " The Lord commanded us to 
 do all these statutes, for our good always." 
 
 Is not this evidently the case in regard to the personal 
 duties of sobriety and temperance ? Certainly it would not 
 have consisted vpith a perfect attention to our private temporal 
 happiness, for God to have given us a law allowing us to live 
 in luxury and excess, in gluttony and drunkenness. It is 
 requisite for our worldly interest, for our bodily health, and 
 for our best enjoyment even of the pleasures of sense, that 
 we should deny ourselves those inordinate, sensual gratifi- 
 cations which are made unlawful in the word of God. Flesh- 
 ly lusts war against the soul, and against the body too. To 
 abstain from them as we are commanded, is necessary for the 
 comfort of the life that now is, as well as in order to the 
 happiness of that which is to come. 
 
 Is not this evidently the case in regard to the commands 
 of righteousness and charity towards our neighbour ? It is 
 generally found to be most for the security and advancement 
 
410 THE PERFECTION AND USEFULNESS 
 
 of a man's wealth and outward estate, and is always most for 
 his real happiness, to do justly and love mercy; to provide 
 things honest in the sight of all men, and to be as liberal as 
 the divine law" requires. All the commanded social affections 
 are delightful affections; and all the forbidden unfriendly 
 passions are painful passions. Had nothing been in view but 
 only our own felicity, the feelings and duties of humanity 
 could not have been enjoined otherwise than they are. 
 
 Is not this also evidently the case in regard to the duties 
 of religion? the tempers and exercises commanded immediately 
 toward God? Can anything be more essential to our highest 
 happinsss, than to remember our Creator, and trust in him ? 
 to fear and love the greatest and best of beings, and to wor- 
 ship him in spirit and in truth? 
 
 Every one who rightly understands the statutes of the Lord, 
 and knows what it is to obey them in sincerity, can testify 
 with David in the context; "more to be desired are they 
 than gold, yea, than much fine gold; sweeter also than honey, 
 and the honey-comb. Moreover, by them is thy servant 
 warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward." 
 The ways of God's commandments are all ways of our truest 
 wisdom. Not only will they be infinitely profitable in the 
 end, but for the present they are ways of jtleasantness, and 
 paths of peace. How much more would good men find them 
 to be so, if they observed them wholly, and with a perfect 
 heart. 
 
 But perhaps it will be supposed, that the perfect goodness 
 of the curse of the law, cannot so easily be made evident. I 
 think, however, it may be shown beyond contradiction, that 
 we have no reason to believe the contrary. Not only the 
 threatening, but the actual infliction of eternal death, for 
 transgression and disobedience, for any thing that we can tell, 
 may be dictated by pei'fect goodness. Not goodness to the 
 individuals who are made to suffer this awful penalty, to be 
 sure. Their good is given up. But goodness to the universe. 
 We know not what severity against sin is necessary, for all 
 the important purposes of perfect government, in the vast 
 dominion of God. Tiiat otlier ends are proposed by penal 
 laws, and the execution of them, in all connnunities, besides 
 the good of the punished, we well know. A regard to the 
 
OF THE DIVINE LAW. 411 
 
 safety of society, to the support of go\ernnient, and to the 
 support of his own character, will influence a good earthly 
 judge to condemn criminals of certain descriptions to per- 
 petual imprisonment, or to death; notwithstanding the ten- 
 derest feelings of humanity towards the unhappy sufterers. 
 The same reasons will influence a good legislator to enforce 
 his salutary laws with such terrible sanctions, when he sup- 
 poses nothing less severe would be sufficient. In like manner, 
 it must unquestionably seem good in the sight of the Supreme 
 Euler, who is jierfectly benevolent, to punish the transgressions 
 of his inlinitely important statutes with eternal death, if the 
 support and display of his own holy character, and the great- 
 est good of the creation, so require? And why should it be 
 thought a thing incredible, that this should be the case ? The 
 characters of lawgivers and judges among men are important 
 characters; and it is incumbent on those who sustain these 
 cliaracters, carefully to suppoi't them, by enacting just laws, 
 and by judging righteous judgment. How much more im- 
 portant the character of the Supreme Legislator and Judge 
 of all worlds? And how much greater the necessity of its 
 being perfectly supported? 
 
 The declarative glory of God, as it concerns himself, is an 
 end of inconceivable weight. It is the highest end that can 
 possibly be promoted. It is also a matter of the utmost 
 consequence to all the good part of the intellectual creation ; 
 to holy angels and just men. In His light they see light. 
 In the light of his countenance — in the knowledge and con- 
 templation of his perfections, is their supreme felicity. By 
 the declarative glory of God is meant, the manifestation of 
 his essential glory; the giving rational creatures true ideas 
 of his real attributes. In order to this, it seems necessarv 
 that he should make himself known by his works and ways. 
 This therefore is the method he hath taken, and which it is 
 to be supposed, he will for ever pursue. By Avorks of power 
 he shows that he is omnipotent; by doing good, he shows 
 that he is good ; and by awful judgments on the workers of 
 iniquity, he shows that he is, beyond comparison, " glorious 
 in holiness." It may reasonably be presumed, that, for the 
 sake of his declarative glory, in which he so much delights, 
 and which is so essential to the good of created intelligences, 
 
412 THE PERFECTION AND USEFULNESS 
 
 it is necessary that these, his several perfections, should <>e 
 thus eternally displayed. This seems to be the account which 
 we have in the Scriptures, of the wise and good ends both of 
 tem))oral and eternal punishments. 
 
 When Pharaoh was drowned in the Red sea, there was 
 this good end to be answered by it, that Grod's name might 
 be declared throughout all the earth. And the apostle says, 
 "What if God, willing to show his wrath, and to make his 
 power known, endured with much long-suflering the vessels 
 of wrath, fitted to destruction: and that he might make known 
 the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had 
 afore prepared unto glory ? " We are sufficiently let into the 
 reasons and ends of the wrath to come, to have rational 
 grounds to believe that the law which punishes sin with 
 eternal death, on the larger and universal scale, is perfectly 
 good. Certainly it must argue great arrogance, rather than 
 superior penetration, in any man to be confident of the con- 
 trary. Who but one who knows how to govern the universe, 
 in the wisest and best manner, can safely pretend to say, that 
 endless punishments, though just, cannot be necessary, nor 
 answer any sufficiently important purpose? But it is time 
 we proceed to consider, as was proposed, 
 
 II. The subserviency of the perfect law of God, to the 
 conversion of the souls of men. 
 
 There is such a thing as giving a new heart, or renewing 
 a sinner in the spirit of his mind, which I conceive is by the 
 supernatural power of the Holy Ghost; and in which the 
 power of means can do nothing, more than in other super- 
 natural works. But by converting the soul, I suppose, is here 
 meant, correcting the errors of the understanding, and caus- 
 ing the heart actively to turn from evil and false ways, to the 
 ways of truth and righteousness. This is by moral suasion, 
 or by the moral power of the word; not indeed, indepen- 
 dently of divine power, for thus no ordinary effects are pro- 
 duced. In this active conversion, this turning men from 
 darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, I 
 conceive the divine law has an essential instrumentality from 
 first to last; and that it is as necessary for thus converting 
 souls under the present dispensation of grace, as it was in the 
 days of David. 
 
OF THE DIVINE LAW. 413 
 
 It is by the law, that a sensible man will most likely be 
 converted from infidelity. As long as men are ignorant of 
 the law of perfection, or do not believe that they are under 
 any such law, they will naturally, if rational and free thinkers, 
 reject the grace of God which bringeth salvation. They see 
 no need of it ; and are therefore ready to look upon it as a 
 cunningly, or rather, perhaps, a foolishly devised fable. But 
 let them once be convinced, by sound reasoning, that they 
 are bound by the law of nature, to sinless perfection ; let them 
 once see themselves shut up under perfect law, to the faith 
 ol Christ, as the only certain door of hope ; and they will no 
 longer make light of the Christian revelation, and discard it 
 as a needless, trifling aifair. 
 
 It is by the law that men must be converted from any gross 
 heresy. All essential errors, respecting the doctrines and 
 design of the gospel, begin in loose notions of the law ; and 
 the most effectual way to correct them, is by bringing men 
 back to this original standard of right between God and man. 
 Here the ideas are most plain and simple. Here the truth 
 most readily commends itself to every man's conscience. And 
 the law, rightly understood, is the only easy, the only possible 
 key, to all the grace and truth which come by Jesus Christ. 
 Had no learned doctors in divinity been without law, some 
 other elaborate and very curious keys to the apostolic writings, 
 Avould probably never have been invented. Viewing the law, 
 as not requiring us to be any other than imperfect creatures, 
 just such depraved creatures as we actually are, it is reallv 
 necessary to have recourse to very subtile criticisms, and to dig 
 deep for unknown Greek and Hebrew roots, in order to make 
 the gospel at all consistent with our natural notions of hare 
 jtistice. Whereas let the law be understood, as requiring 
 sinless perfection, and that most justly, and the New Testa- 
 ment, in its obvious plain English, immediately opens to view, 
 as full of glorious grace. 
 
 It is by the law that orthodox unbelievers are converted 
 fi-om stupidity and self- righteousness. How many are there 
 in all our congregations who make light of a preached gospel, 
 and pay little attention to it, though in speculative sentiments 
 they are not infidels, nor gross heretics? They do not believe 
 enough to make them tremble. They have no sense of their 
 
414 THE PERFECTION AND USEFULNESS 
 
 sins. However much they may hear of the wrath of Grod, 
 yet they inwardly say, " Because we are innocent, surely his 
 anger shall turn from us. Every way of a man is right in 
 his own eyes." The reason is, men have loose notions of the 
 rule of right. They conceive nothing but imperfection can 
 be expected or required of fallen creatures. Hence th'^ man 
 who has ever been what the world calls moral, supposes he 
 hath kept all the commandments from his youth up; and is 
 ready to say, " What lack I yet?" Such were the apprehen- 
 sions of St. Paul before his conversion. " I was alive," says 
 he, " without the law once." Without the knowledge of the 
 law, and supposing all it did or could require, was only such 
 obedience as is consistent with the moral depravity of fallen 
 men, he imagined he had kept it very perfectly, and that he 
 was justified by it, and in no danger of its curse. " But when 
 the commandment came," says he, "sin revived, and I died." 
 When he found that the law was as perfect as if we were not 
 at all depraved; when he saw that it required him to be 
 perfectly holy in heart and life, and most justly so required, 
 "sin revived." It appeared alive in him, and in every thing 
 that he did. All his supposed religious aftections, and all his 
 most specious moral duties, wore seen to be full of sin. 
 " And he died." He felt himself not only condemned, but 
 spiritually dead; utterly unable to do anything but dead 
 works, till quickened by renewing grace. Such knowledge 
 of sin, and of ourselves, is by the law ; and such knowledge 
 of sin and of ourselves is necessary in order to a sound con- 
 version. I may add. 
 
 It is by the law that the soul is actually converted, as well 
 as brought to those convictions which are prerequisite. Sav- 
 ing convei'sion consists in repentance toward God and in faith 
 toward our Lord Jesus Christ: and in ettecting both tliese, 
 the law of jjei'fect righteousness is of great and necessary use. 
 
 Repentance toward God, is from a sight of the glorious 
 holiness, justice and goodness of the divine law; and can never 
 be produced by all tlie grace of the gospel, while the law is 
 not thus seen. I am sensil)lo it hath been common, and is 
 still, to distinguish two kinds of repentance, by the names of 
 legal and evangelical repentance; and to consitler the former 
 as hypocritical and false, the latter only as rej)entaiice unto sal- 
 
OF THE DIVINE LAW. 415 
 
 vation. But perhaps, what might properly enough be called 
 by either of these names may be true repentance ; though as 
 they have often been explained, I apprehend both are false. 
 According to some, the former is the efiect of fear ; the latter 
 the effect of hope ; but neither of tliem the fruit of love, ex- 
 cept self-love. Tiie legal penitent is supposed to repent, 
 because he is afraid he shall go to hell; the evangelical peni- 
 tent because he hopes he shall go to heaven; but neither the 
 one nor the other because he liates sin, or has any concern 
 for the glory of God, ultimately considered. All Antinomians 
 make their legal and their evangelical repentance equally 
 selfish, and equally void of virtue; unless it be more virtuous 
 to be actuated by mercenary hopes than by slavish fears. 
 Many, it is true, who, in conformity to long established 
 custom, make use of these distinguishing epithets, explain 
 them in a manner that does not imply Antinomianism. By 
 evangelical repentance they mean, that which implies sorrow 
 for sin, and a hearty turning from it, because it is against 
 God: by legal repentance, only being sorry for our sins, and 
 purposing to forsake them, because they are seen to be of 
 dangerous consequence to ourselves. I have no objection to 
 this as a just account of true and false repentance; but the 
 propriety of calling one legal, and the other evangelical, I do 
 not readily comprehend. The difference in repentance, as 
 being selfish or ingenuous, liypocritical or sincere, I conceive 
 is not owing to the different representations of God and sin, 
 in law and gospel ; but to the dift'erent dispositions of the 
 men to whose minds these representations are made. The 
 man who has the pious feeling heart of the psalmist David, 
 will repent truly, when he sees his sins in the light of God's 
 holy law. The man who has the hard selfish heart of the 
 traitor Judas, will not repent truly when he sees his sins in 
 all the additional light reflected on them by the cross of Christ 
 and the grace of the gospel. Before genuine repentance can 
 be produced, by any means, the heart must be changed by 
 the renewing of the Holy Ghost. When the law finds a soul 
 thus prepared, it will work in it godly sorrow, and repentance 
 not to be repented of. When the commandment comes, and 
 is seen to be perfectly good, holy, and just, unless we have 
 perfect hearts of stone, we shall abhor ourselves, and repent 
 
416 THE PERFECTION AND USEFULNESS 
 
 in dust and ashes. When we think on our ways, and see 
 how contrary they have been to the reasonable requisitions 
 of our most rightful Sovereign, if we have the least spark of 
 godly sensibility, we shall mourn and be in bitterness for the 
 dishonour we have done to him; and not merely on account 
 of the evils to which we have exposed ourselves. Apprehen- 
 sions of the mercy of God in Christ will quicken and increase 
 true repentance; but can never begin it, without a pre\dous 
 true discovery and cordial approbation of the divine law. 
 
 The other part of a sound and saving conversion, namely, 
 faith toward Jesus Christ, is also in consequence of right 
 views of the divine law, and cannot take place without them. 
 " The law was our schoolmaster," says the apostle, " to bring 
 us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith." The 
 humiliating lessons concerning (rod's righteousness, and our 
 own unrighteousness, which are taught in the school of the law, 
 must be thoroughly learned and have their effect on the heart, 
 in the first place; and then a sinner will be easily reconciled 
 to the way of life and peace. To think of persuading men 
 to embrace the gospel before ever they have understood and 
 submitted to the law, is absurd and impossible. It is reading 
 the book wrong end upward It is beginning at the last 
 end of the line. 
 
 Lastly, it is by the law of perfection that good men are 
 made better. They are hereby turned still more and more 
 from darkness to light, and from sin to holiness. By being 
 converted, is not always meant in Scripture the first conversion 
 of a sinner. Our Saviour said to Peter, " When thou art 
 converted, strengthen thy brethren." The godly, when they 
 have fallen into great sins, are recovered again by repent- 
 ance; and in order to this a new law-work is necessary. 
 Such a law-work David repeatedly experienced, long after he 
 had been eminently pious, as appears by many passages in 
 his psalms. In the .'^2d he says, " When I kept silence, my 
 bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long. For 
 day and night thy hand was heavy upon me: my moisture is 
 turned into the drought of summer," And in the 38th, 
 " For thine arrows stick fast in me, and thy hand presseth 
 me sore. There is no soinidness in my fiesh, because of thiiae 
 anger : neither is there any rest in my bones, because of my 
 
• OF THE DIVINE LAW. 417 
 
 sin." Nor is it only after grievous backslidings that good 
 men feel the powerful influence of the holy law, converting 
 their souls. They experience its humbling and sanctifying 
 efficacy, turning them from the errors of their ways, in a 
 gradual progression, all their lives. Through God's precepts 
 they get understanding ; therefore they hate every false way. 
 " The commandment is a lamp, and the law is light." Hence, 
 " The path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth 
 more and more unto the perfect day." 
 
 All that remains is the improvement, and in this there is 
 time only for one or two particulars. We may hence infer, 
 
 First, The exceeding unreasonableness of imagining that 
 the divine law is abated ; or that Christ hath redeemed us, in 
 any measure, from the moral law, as a rule of duty. What 
 has been said, both of the perfection and the salutary use of 
 this law, shows the extreme absurdity of such an imagination. 
 
 Can it be supposed that an all-perfect Being should, on 
 any consideration, disannul a law which was, and always will 
 be, holy, just, and good in perfection ; and enact another 
 not so holy, not so just, nor so good ? Can it be supposed 
 that the Son of (lod, the brightness of the Father's glory, and 
 express image of his person, should come down from heaven, 
 and bleed and die, to procure an alteration on an all-perfect 
 law ? an alteration which could not be for the better, but 
 must be for the worse 1 It is true, Christ hath opened a 
 glorious way for the gracious pardon and acceptance of 
 penitent believers, though very imperfect. But certainly he 
 hath not liberated, either believers or unbelievers, from the 
 obligation they were under to observe and obey the original 
 perfect law of his heavenly Father. At his first entrance 
 on the execution of his prophetic mission, he gave a solemn 
 caveat to the great congregation in which he preached right- 
 eousness, not to think that inculcating such licentious doc- 
 trine, or opening a door for it, was any part of his design. 
 He assured the multitude, in his sermon on the mount, that 
 to alter " one tittle " of the moral law, was as far from his 
 intention, as it was a thing in itself utterly impossible. 
 
 Nor would sullying the lustre, or lessening the purity and 
 perfection of the divine law, at all have comported with the 
 benevolent office he came to perform in favour of mankind. 
 
 2d 
 
418 THE PERFECTION AND USEFULNESS 
 
 He came to convert souls. He came to "save his people 
 from their sins." He " gave himself for us, that he might 
 redeem us from all iniquity." He loved the church, and gave 
 himself for it, that he might sanctify and cleanse it, with the 
 washing of water by the word ; that he might present it to 
 himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle, or any 
 such thing ; but that it might be holy and without blemish." 
 But in order to all this, it was surely necessary that the 
 law of perfect holiness should remain steadfast and unaltered. 
 How could sinners be converted by a flexible law ? a law 
 which was itself converted to their depraved hearts and 
 crooked ways ! How could men be saved from their sins, or 
 even have the knowledge of sin, by such a law ? What end 
 could be answered by giving to imperfect creatures an im- 
 perfect law ; unless to keep them imperfect and to justify 
 their imperfections ? The notion of a fiillen law for fallen 
 men, must certainly be, not from the Saviour, but from the 
 adversary/ of souls. It is one of the most capital devices 
 of the god of this world, who was a nmrderer from the 
 beginning. As long as he can blind the minds of them that 
 believe not, with the imagination of such a divine law, he is 
 sure of their souls. They will never be converted. The 
 light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of 
 God, cannot shine unto them. 
 
 Secondly, We hence infer, that legal-preaching, truly so 
 called, ought not to be censured, and must by no means be 
 omitted. Some would have the constant strain of the preach- 
 er what they call purely evangelical, — all laith and no works. 
 To hear moral duties explained and inculcated, they do not like. 
 It is not experimental. They are not fed. But such are as 
 ill-aftectcd to the real gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, as to 
 the holy law of God. Ministers may keep back nothing that 
 is profitable; they must not shun to declare all tlie divine 
 counsel, and surely they must not shun to declare tlie divine 
 law, whether men will hear or whether they will forbear. 
 "This is a faithful saying," says the apostle to Titus, "and 
 these things I will that tliou athrm constantly, that tliey which 
 have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works: 
 these things are good and profitable unto men." They are 
 profitable to the doers of them, as well as to their neighbours. 
 
OF THE DIVINE LAW, 419 
 
 They are profitable not only in regard to the life that now is, 
 but likewise in relation to that which is to come. The more 
 good works men do on earth, the greater will be their reward 
 in heaven: nor can they get to heaven at all without good 
 works. " Know ye not," says St. Paul, " that the unrighteous 
 shall not inherit the kingdom of Grod? Be not deceived." 
 Preaching the law is certainly necessary, " for the perfecting 
 of the saints," and for the detection of false professors. But 
 it is also necessary for the conviction and conversion of sinners. 
 Accordingly we find that the inspired preachers and writers 
 of the New Testament insisted much on the law, in order to 
 awaken attention to the gospel. John the Baptist did so, 
 we may be sure; and he had wonderful success. Jerusalem 
 and all Judea, and all the region round about Jordan, went 
 out to him to be baptized, confessing their sins. James and 
 John, who were surnamed Boanerges, that is, the sons of 
 thunder, were doubtless great preachers of the law ; and not 
 merely loud and noisy preachers. Paul reasoned of right- 
 eousness, temperance, and judgment to come ; that is, he 
 preached law rationally when Felix trembled. This was the 
 common apostolic method. See 2 Cor. v. 11. "Knowing the 
 terrors of the Lord, we persuade men." And certainly, never 
 was there a more perfect preacher of law, than the author and 
 finisher of our faith. 
 
 It is true there is a kind of legal preaching, so called, which 
 is justly censurable ; and which tends not to the conversion 
 or edification, but to the destruction of souls. Should we 
 represent that all the duty which God requires of the unre- 
 generate, is only abstaining from external immoralities, and 
 attending upon the outward and ordinary means of grace, 
 from such principles, and with such hearts, as they at present 
 have; and that if they do these things, they need not fear 
 failing of divine mercy ; we should heal the heart of awak- 
 ened sinners slightly : we should only assist them in going 
 about to establish their own righteousness. Or should we 
 teach that good men are under an abated law, which requires 
 only such imperfect goodness as God hath given them, our 
 doctrine would tend to make them feel, as far as they believed 
 it, altogether self-justified; instead of leading them to see their 
 
420 THE PERFECTION, &;C. OF THE DIVINE LAW. 
 
 constant entire dependence on free grace, through the re- 
 demption that is in Jesus Christ. 
 
 But such preaching to sinners or to saints, is not properly 
 legal preaching. It is not properly preaching the law of the 
 Lord, but a law of our own. It is making " the command- 
 ment of God of none effect by our tradition." 
 
 Preaching the divine law, as it really is, and as our Saviour 
 and the apostles preached it, has no tendency to quiet the 
 consciences of unbelievers, nor to make good men self-right- 
 eous, but quite the reverse. By this, " the loftiness of man 
 is bowed down, and the haughtiness of men is made low, and 
 the Lord alone is exalted." From the law of perfection, 
 principally, are those " weapons of our warfare, which are 
 mighty through God to the judling down of strong holds: 
 casting down imaginations, and every high thing which ex- 
 alteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into 
 captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ." Let the 
 law be truly preached, and divinely impressed, and sinnws 
 will see the necessity of fleeing to a better refuge than their 
 own graceless duties. The best of men will also see that they 
 "stand by faith," and will "not bo high-minded, but fear." 
 They will see that they must be "justified by the faith of 
 Christ, and not by the works of the law." They will see 
 that in point of justification, "all our righteousnesses are as 
 filthy rags." " Through the law they will be dead to the 
 law," though more than ever engaged to "live unto God." 
 The man of the greatest attainments in grace and holiness 
 will not feel as if he " had already attained, either were al- 
 ready perfect; but this one thing he will do, forgetting the 
 things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things 
 which are before, he will jiress toward the mark, for the prize 
 of the hiffh callinc- of God in Christ Jesus." 
 
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