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SERMONS ^ 
 
 ON THE 
 
 CHRISTIAN DOCTRINE 
 
 AS RECEIVED BY THE 
 
 DIFFERENT DENOMINATIONS 
 
 O F 
 
 CHRISTIANS. 
 
 TO WHICH ARl ADDED, 
 
 SERMONS 
 
 ON THE 
 
 SECURITY AND HAPPINESS 
 
 OF A 
 
 VIRTUOUS COURSE, 
 
 O N T H E 
 
 GOODNESS OF GOD, 
 
 AND THE 
 
 RESURRECTION OF LAZARUS. 
 
 By RICHARD PRICE, D.D. LL.D. F.R S. 
 
 And Fellow of the American Philolbphical Societies at 
 Philadelphia and Boston. 
 
 DUBLIN: 
 
 Printed by John Exshaw, N*?. 98, Grafton-Street. 
 Mdcclxxxvii. 
 
TO 
 
 THE CONGREGATION OF 
 
 PROTESTANT DISSENTERS 
 
 ASSEMBLING AT THE 
 
 GRAVEL. PIT MEETING-HOUSE 
 
 IN HACKNEY, 
 
 TH£SE DISCOURSES, 
 
 PUBLISHED AT THEIR REQUEST, 
 
 ARE DEDICATED, 
 
 BY THEIR OBLIGED 
 
 AND AFFECTIONATE PASTOR, 
 
 RICHARD PRICE, 
 
ADVERTISEMENT. 
 
 TJEFORE the Reader enters on the 
 ^^ following Difcourfes, I think it 
 neceffary to acquaint him, that, being 
 determined not to engage in Contro- 
 verfy, I fhall make no reply to any 
 Animadverfions on the account which, 
 in the firft five of them, I have given of 
 the Dodrines of Chriftianity ; except, 
 by acknowledging the miftakes into 
 •which I may have fallen, when con- 
 vinced of them. 
 
 Newington Green, 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 O 
 
 E R M O N I. 
 
 F the Chriftian Dodrine as held by 
 all Chriftians - Page i. 
 
 From I Tim. i. ii. 
 
 *The glorious go/pel of the blejfed God. 
 
 SERMON IL 
 Of the Chriftian Dodrine as held by 7r/- 
 
 nitarians and Cahimjls. - Page 28. 
 From the fame text. 
 
 SERMON IIL 
 
 Of the Chriftian Dodrine as held by Urn- 
 tarians and Socinians, - Page 69. 
 From the fame text, 
 
 S E R. 
 
vi CONTENTS. 
 
 SERMON IV. 
 
 Of the pRE-ExisTENCE and dignity of 
 Chrift. ... Page 105. 
 
 From I John iv. 14. 
 
 We jbave feen and do teftify^ that the Father 
 fait the Son to be the Saviour of the 
 world. 
 
 SERMON V. 
 
 Of the charader of Chrift as the Saviour 
 OF THE WORLD. - Page 157. 
 
 From the fame text. 
 
 SERMON VI. 
 
 Of the SECURITY of a Virtuous Courfe. 
 
 Page 201. 
 From Prov. x. 9. 
 
 He that walketh uprightly, walketh furely. 
 
 SERMON VII. 
 
 Of the HAPPINESS of a Virtuous Courfe. 
 
 Page 227. 
 
 From 
 
CONTENTS. vii 
 
 From Prov. ii. 17. 
 Her ways are ways of pleafantnefs^ and all 
 her paths are peace. She is a tree of life 
 to them that lay hold of her ; afid happy is 
 every one who receiveth her. 
 
 SERMON VIII. and IX. 
 Of the GOODNESS OF God. - Page 259. 
 
 From PsAL. xxxiv. 8. 
 O tajie and fee that the Lord is good, Blef 
 
 fed is the man that trufteth in him. 
 
 SERMON X, 
 
 Of the RESURRECTION OF LazARUS. 
 
 lage 321. 
 From John xi. 43, 44. 
 
 And when he had thus fpoken, he cried with 
 a loud voicey Lazarus, come forth. 
 And he that was dead came forth bound 
 hand and foot with grave-clothes. And 
 his face was bound about with a napkin, 
 Jefus fays to them-, Loofe him, and let 
 him go. 
 
SERMON I. 
 
 OF THE CHRISTIAN DOGTRINfi AS HELO 
 BY ALL CHRISIANS. 
 
 I Tim. i. ii. 
 
 ^he glorious gofpel of the klejjed God. 
 
 WE are all agreed in applying to the 
 religion we profefs the charadter 
 of it given by St. Paul in thefe words. 
 It is ihe glorious Gofpel of the blejfed God^ 
 It is a heavenly gift, important and in- 
 terefting in the higheft degree. Nothing, 
 therefore, can be more proper than that 
 We fliould examine it carefully, and en- 
 deavour to underftand clearly its nature 
 and contents. All our attachment to it 
 without this muft be unmeaning and ab- 
 furd. My prefent defign is to give you 
 fome affiftance in making this cxamina- 
 
 B tion, 
 
2 Of the Chrijiian DoBrine 
 
 tion, by anfwering in the beft manner I 
 can the following enquiries. 
 
 What is the Gofpel ? What inftruc- 
 tion does it convey ? What is the infor- 
 mation which renders it a glorious 
 GOSPEL worthy of the bleffed God? 
 
 The word Gofpel^ as you well know, 
 is derived, both in the Englijh and the 
 Greek languages, from two words which 
 fignify GOOD news. The very title given 
 it, therefore, in my text intimates to us 
 its general nature and defign. It is a 
 communication of good tidings to man- 
 kind from the bleffed God. 
 
 Before I enter upon an account of the 
 particulars of this information, my views 
 in this and fome following difcourfes re- 
 quire me to obferve to you, that there is 
 a great diverfity of opinions among chrif- 
 tians on this fubjed. The different ac- 
 counts which have been given of the 
 Gofpel of Chrift are indeed numberlefs 
 
 and 
 
as held by all Chrijlians-. g 
 
 and they have given rife to many great 
 evils ; particularly, the two following. 
 
 Firft. An objedion to Chriftianity has 
 been founded upon them on which great 
 ftrefs has been laid ; and which, I fear, 
 has prevented fome from giving the evi- 
 dence for it a patient^ and favourable 
 hearing. It has been urged that, if the 
 Gofpel was indeed a revelation from hea- 
 ven, it would be fo clear and explicit as 
 to leave no room for fuch differences, and 
 to preclude all difputes about its meaning, 
 a dark revelation being, as unbelievers fay, 
 an inconfiftency, which implies a reflec- 
 tion on the perfedions of the Deity, and 
 equivalent to no revelation. Thofe who 
 make this objedion go upon the fuppofl- 
 tion, that God can be the author of no 
 information which is capable of beinp* 
 mifunderftood, and confequently of cre- 
 ating difputes. There cannot be a more 
 groundlefs fuppofition, God conveys in- 
 formation to us by our reafon as well as 
 by revelation. The light of nature is a 
 B 2 light 
 
4 Of the Chriflian Dodirine 
 
 light derived from him as well as the 
 light of the Gofpel j and there is no more 
 reafon to exped that the one (hould be 
 fo clear as to exclude miftakes and dis- 
 putes than the other. While we conti- 
 nue fuch frail and fallible creatures as we 
 are, it is impoffible that we (hould not 
 be in danger of falling into differences of 
 opinion, and fometimes into grofs errors ; 
 and to complain of this would be much 
 the fame with complaining becaufe we 
 are not made omnifcient" and perfedl 
 beings. There is not a principle of 
 common fenfe that has not been contro- 
 verted, nor a truth difcoverable by the light 
 of reafon of which different accounts 
 have not been given, and which has not 
 been mifconceived and perverted. And 
 yet no one ever thinks of inferring from 
 hence that reafon is not the gift of God, 
 or that it is not a valuable gift. There 
 is juft as little reafon for drawing the like 
 inference concerning Chriftianity from 
 
 the 
 
as held by all Chrijlians. 5 
 
 the difFerent opinions and the difputes 
 among its profeffors. 
 
 But there is another anfwer to this ob- 
 jedion which is more to my prefent pur- 
 pofe; and which I fhall take notice of, 
 after mentioning the next great evil ari- 
 sing from the difputes among Chriftians, 
 I mean; the embarraffments they occa^ 
 fion in the minds of many good men. 
 
 It is impoffible, when plain and honeft 
 men hear the different parties among 
 Chriftians contradiding one another in 
 the manner they do j one faying, this is 
 the Gofpel of Chrift ; and another faying 
 the contrary; and all pofitive and dog- 
 matical: it is, I fay, impoffible that, in 
 fuch circumftances, a plain man unac- 
 xuflomed to enquiry fhould not be puz- 
 zled, and thrown into a ftate of perplex- 
 ity and diftraflion. Moft of thefe par- 
 ties lay the greateft ftrefs on their 
 accounts of the Gofpel; and too 
 many go fo far as to conned fahation 
 with them, and to confign to hell all that 
 B 3 do 
 
6 Of the Chrijiian DoBrine 
 
 do not receive them. I {hould do an cf- 
 fential fervice could I remove the ftum- 
 bling-blocks which thefe litigations throw 
 in the way of common Chriftians. And 
 my chief intention in the prefent dif- 
 courfe is to attempt this, by fhewing you 
 that Chriftians of all parties, however 
 they may cenfure one another, and what- 
 ever oppofition there may feem to be 
 in their fentiments, are agreed in all 
 that is effential to Chriftianity, and with 
 refped to all the information which it i§ 
 its principal defign to communicate. 
 Should this appear, it will fet our minds 
 at eafe amidft the controyerfies that 
 take place in the Chriflian church, and 
 enable us to look with an equal eye of 
 charity and candour on all our fellow- 
 chriflians: and it will alfo efFedtually re- 
 move that objection to Chriftianity which 
 I have mentioned. 
 
 In attempting this, I will recite to you 
 thofe dodrines and fads of Chriliianity 
 which all Chriflians beheve, and which 
 
 arq 
 
jas held by all Chrijiians. 7 • 
 
 are fo plainly revealed as to exclude the 
 pofllbility of difputes about them; after 
 which, I will fhew you the nature of the 
 differences among Chriftians, in order to 
 prove that the dodrines univerfally re- 
 ceived are all that are effential. 
 
 In the firft place j the Gofpel teaches us 
 that there is only one living and true God. 
 This is a fundamental dodrine which the 
 New Teftament holds forth to us in al- 
 moft every page. There is but one being 
 good, fays Jefus Chrift, that is God. 
 There are, fays St. Paul, Gods many ; but 
 to lis there is but 07te God^ the father. 
 Many of our fellow-chriftians, indeed, 
 maintain dodrines which feem to clafh 
 with this effential dodrine- but they all 
 profefs to believe it, and with fo much 
 zeal as to be greatly offended whenever 
 they are charged with contradiding it. 
 Though the Divine nature, according to 
 them, confifts of three perfotis -, and the 
 Son (one of thefe perfons) confifls of t^uuo 
 natures j yet thefe three perfons make but 
 P 4 o?ie 
 
8< Of the Chrijlian Do5irine 
 
 one being. If there is a palpable abfurdi- 
 ty ia this, it only proves that the Gofpel 
 teaches the Divine Unity fo decifively as 
 to force every Chriftian to acknowledge 
 it, however inconfiftent with his other 
 opinions his acknowledgrnent of it may 
 be. 
 
 But farther 5 the Gofpel teaches us, 
 with perfect clearnefs, that this one 
 God is poffeffed of all poffible perfedion 5 
 that he is infinitely wife, powerful, righ- 
 teous, and benevolent ; that he is the 
 moral governor of the world, an enem)r 
 to all wickednefs, and a friend to all 
 goodnefs ; and that he direds all events 
 by his providence fo particularly as that 
 the hairs of our head are all numbered, 
 and that a fparrow does not fall to the 
 ground without him. It teaches us alfo 
 to imitate, to ferve, and to worfhip him, 
 and to put our truft in him^ and com- 
 prehends the whole of our duty in \ov\ng 
 him with all our hearts, and in loving 
 our neighbour a3 ourfelves. It declare:: 
 
 to 
 
as held by all Chrijlians. q 
 
 to us the neceflity of repentance and a 
 holy life j a future ftate of rewards and 
 punishments ; and a future period of uni- 
 verfal retribution when all mankind ihall 
 be judged according to their works. 
 
 There are no doubts about any of thefe 
 particulars among Chriftians ; and they 
 include all that it is moft neceffary for us 
 to know. But the doflrines which moft 
 properly conflitute the Gofpel are thofe 
 which relate to Jefus Chrift and his me- 
 diation. Here, alfo, there is an agree- 
 ment with refped to all that can be 
 deemed effential; for there is no fed of 
 Chriftians who do not believe that Chrift 
 was fent of Godj that he is the true 
 Meffiah ; that he worked miracles, and 
 fufFered and died and rofe again from 
 the dead as related in the four Gofpels ; 
 that after his refurredion he afcended to 
 heaven and became poffefTed of univerfal 
 dominion, being made head over all 
 things in this world ; and that he will 
 hereafter make a fecond appearance on 
 
 this 
 
lo Of the Chrijiian DoBrine 
 
 this earth, and come from heaven to raifp 
 all mankind from death, to judge the 
 world in righteoufnefs, to beftow eternal 
 hTe on the truly virtuous, and to punifh 
 the workers of iniquity. 
 
 Thefe are the grand fadls of Chriftia- 
 nity, which Cahinifis and Arminiajis^ Tri- 
 nitariafis and Unitarians^ Papifts and Pro^ 
 tejlants^ Churchmen and Dijfenters all 
 equally believe. More efpecially j with 
 refped to the purpofe of Chrift's miffion, 
 we all equally hold that he came to call 
 finners to repentance, to teach us the 
 knowledge of God and our duty, to fave 
 us from fin and death, and to publifh a 
 covenant of grace by which all fincere 
 penitents and good men are affu red of fa- 
 vour and complete happinefs in his future 
 everlafting kingdom. 
 
 But to bring all nearer to a point. 
 
 The information which moft properly 
 conftitutes the Gofpel does not confift- 
 of many particulars. It may be reduced 
 to o?te propofition. The word gospel, 
 
 I have 
 
{ts held by all Chrijlians, ir 
 
 I have faid, lignifies good news ; or (as 
 the New Teftament calls it) glad tidings 
 of great joy to all people. And the New- 
 Teftamcnt when it thus defcribes the 
 Gofpel has one particular information in 
 view. An information which is indeed 
 completely joyful. 1 mean, the future 
 coming of Chrift to deftroy death, and 
 to reinftate us in a happy immortality ; 
 or, in other words, the glad tidings 
 of pardon to penitents, and a re- 
 furredion from death to eternal life 
 through Jefus Chriji. It is impoffible 
 there Ihould be any information fo 
 important as this j and all Chriflians 
 believe it ; and maintain that the truth 
 of it has been demonflrated by figns and 
 miracles, and, particularly, by the refur- 
 rediion of Chrift, and his confequent af- 
 cenfion and exaltation. This informa- 
 tion includes all that we have any reafon 
 to be anxious about 5 and we fhould re- 
 gard with indifference all difputes that 
 leave ps in polTeffion of it 5 and there are no 
 
 difputes 
 
12 Of the Chrijlian Do5irine 
 
 difputes among thofe who take the New 
 Tejiamejtt for a rule of faith which do not 
 leave us in poffeffion of it. A deliverance 
 from death, through the power of Chrift, 
 to be judged according to our works 5 
 and, if virtuous, to enter upon a new 
 and happy hfe which (hall never end: 
 This is the fum and fubftance of the GoC- 
 pel ; and, alfo, the fum and fubftance of 
 all that fhould intereft human beings. 
 The evidence for it which the Gofpel 
 gives removes all doubts about it ; and is 
 fufficient, whether we believe any thing 
 elfe or not, to carry us (if virtuous) with 
 triumph through this world. What then 
 fignify the differences among Chriftians 
 about other points? Or of what confe- 
 quence is it that they have different ways 
 of explaining this point itfelf ? Give me 
 but the fad that Chrift is the refurre^iion 
 and the life^ and explain it as you will. 
 Give me but this fingle truth, that eter-* 
 NAL LIFE is tbe gift of God through Jefus 
 Chrift our Lord and Saviour ^ and I ill all 
 
 be 
 
as held by all Chrijlians. 1 3 
 
 be perfedly eafy with refped to the con- 
 trary opinions which are entertained 
 about the dignity of Chrift j about his 
 nature, perfon, and offices j and the 
 manner in which he faves us. Call him, 
 if you pleafe, limply a man endowed with 
 extraordinary powers; or call him a fu- 
 per-angelic being who appeared in human 
 nature for the purpofe of accomplifhing 
 our falvation ; or fay (if you can admit 
 a thought fo (hockingly abfurd) that it was 
 the fecond of three co-equal perfons in 
 the Godhead forming one perfon with a 
 human foul that came down from heaven 
 and fuffered and died on the crofs : Say 
 that he faves us merely by being a mef- 
 fenger from God to reveal to us eternal 
 life and to confer it upon us 5 or fay, on 
 the contrary, that he not only reveals to 
 us eternal life and confers it upon us, but 
 has obtained it for us by offering himfelf 
 a propitiatory facrifice on the crofs, and 
 making fatisfadion to the juftice of the 
 Deity for our fins : I £hall think fuch 
 
 dif- 
 
14 Of the Chrijiian DoBrine. 
 
 differences of litle moment provided the 
 fa6l is allowed, that Chrift did rife from 
 the dead and will raife us from the dead ; 
 and that all righteous penitents will, 
 through God's grace in him, be accepted 
 and made happy for ever* 
 
 In order to aflift you in forming a juffi 
 idea of the nature of the differences 
 among Chriftians, I will dwell a little on 
 fome of them. 
 
 The chief of thefe differences have beeft 
 thofe which I have juft recited with re- 
 fped to the perfon and offices of Chrifl, 
 fome maintaining his fimple humanity 5 
 others his fuperiority to man and pre-ex- 
 iftence ; and others his fupreme divinity. 
 And, again •, fome maintaining that he 
 faves us only by his inflrudion and ex- 
 ample, and government : and others, 
 that he faves us by being the procuring 
 caufe of our falvation, and paying down 
 an equivalent for it. Js it not ob- 
 vious with refpc(3 to thefe differences, 
 
 that 
 
as held by all Chrijlians. 15 
 
 that they afFed not the dodrine itfelf of 
 our falvation by Chrift ; and that how- 
 ever they are determined, the foundation 
 of our hopes remains the fame ? I will en- 
 deavour to illuftrate this by putting a 
 fimilar cafe. 
 
 Suppofe a man to have loft a rich in- 
 heritance, and to be languifhing under a 
 diftemper which will foon cut him off for 
 ever from this world. Suppofe, in thefe 
 circumftances, a benefador to appear, 
 who brings with him, at the expence of 
 much trouble, a remedy for the diftem- 
 per and adminifters it to him, faves 
 his life, and at the fame time reftores him 
 to his inheritance, and to riches, fplendour, 
 and happinefs. Would he, in this cafe, be 
 very anxious about determining whether 
 his benefador was a native or a foreigner^ 
 a private man or a prince? Or whether 
 the toil which he had gone through to 
 fave him was derived from his own fpon- 
 taneous benevolence, or from an inftru- 
 mentality to which he had fubmitted in 
 
 order 
 
17 Of the Chrifiian Do5lrine, 
 
 order to convey the benevolence of ano* 
 ther? Though fuch enquiries might en- 
 gage his curiofity, would he reckon them 
 of great importance to his intereft? v\^ould 
 he not, whatever the true anfwer to them 
 was, have equal reafon to rejoice in the 
 fervice done him, and to be thankful 
 for it? 
 
 Another fubjed of difpute among 
 Chriftians has been the origin of that ftate 
 of fin and mortality in which we find our- 
 felves, and which gave occafion to the 
 coming of the Mefliah. All agree in de- 
 riving it from an event called the fall of 
 man, which happened at the commence- 
 ment of this world. But very oppofite ac- 
 counts are given by divines of the nature 
 and confequences of this fall 5 fome tak* 
 iog the hiflory of it in Genefis in tlie ftridly 
 literal fenfe, and maintaining the dodrine 
 of the imputation of Adam's fin to all his 
 pofterity ; and others denying this doc- 
 trine, and believing the account of the 
 
 faU 
 
m held by all Chrijliam, 1 7 
 
 fall to be in a great meafure allegorical. 
 But, in reality, it does not much fignify 
 whether we are able or not to fatisfy our- 
 felves on thefe points. This is of no 
 more importance in this cafe than it would 
 be in the cafe juft mentioned, that a per- 
 fon dying of a diftemper fhould be able 
 to account for it, and to trace the events 
 which brought it upon him. We find 
 ourfelves frail, degenerate, guilty, and 
 mortal beings. The caufes under the Di- 
 vine government which brought us into 
 this ftate lie far out of our fight 5 and, 
 perhaps, were a naked reprefentation of 
 them made to us we fhould be only per- 
 plexed and confounded. It is enough to 
 know that a Deliverer has been provided 
 for us, who has fhed his blood for the 
 remiffion of his fins, and conquered death 
 for every man by fubmitting to it himfelf, 
 Inftead of quarrelling about Adam's fall, 
 and lofing our time and our tempers 
 in litigations about original fin im- 
 puted and inherent, we fliould learn 
 C to 
 
l8 Of the Chrijlian DoBrine, 
 
 to take our ftate as we find it, and to em- 
 ploy ourfelves earneftly about nothing but 
 fecuring that better ftate, that glorious 
 immortality, to the affured hope of which 
 we have been raifcd by the redemption 
 that is in Chrift. 
 
 I will further inftance in the difputes 
 about juftification. There are no dif- 
 putes which have difturbed the Chrifiian 
 church much more j nor are there any 
 which can appear to a confiderate man 
 more unmeaning and trifling. The prin- 
 cipal fubjed of thefe difputes has been the 
 queftion, whether we are juftified by faith 
 alone, or by faith in conjundion with 
 good works. You fhould confider, with 
 refped to this queftion, that thofe who 
 hold notions the moft rigid make juftify- 
 ing faith to be the feed and principle of 
 perfonal holinefs j and that there is no 
 fed of Chriftians (hov/ever extravagant 
 their dodrines may be) which has not 
 fome expedient ox falvo for maintaining the 
 
 necef- 
 
as held by all Chrijlians. 19 
 
 neceflity of good works. If they fay that 
 perfonal hoHnefs is not a condition of juf- 
 tification, they fay what amounts to the 
 fame, that it is a qualijication vi\nch muft 
 be found in all juftified perfons, and that 
 without it we cannot be accepted. If they 
 fay that we are juftified by faith alone, 
 they add, that we cannot be juftified by 
 that faith which is alone (that is, by a 
 faith not accompanied with good works) 
 and that it is only on the virtuous be- 
 liever, or the man who proves the truth 
 of his faith by his works, that the grace 
 of God in Chrift will confer future hap- 
 pinefs. How trifling then have been the 
 controverfies on this fubjed ? As long as 
 all acknowledge that it is only that faith 
 w*hich works by love, which purifies the 
 heart and reforms the condud, that can 
 juftify us J of what confequence is it to 
 determine the particular manner in which 
 it juftifies us? As long as all hold that 
 the pradice of righteoufnefs is neceflary 
 to bring us to heaven, what does it fig- 
 C 2 nify 
 
^o Of the Chrijltan Do6irine 
 
 nify whether it is neceflary as the condition 
 of heaven, or as an indifpenfible qualified^ 
 tion for it ? 
 
 Farther. There have been violent dif- 
 putes about the future refurredion of 
 mankind 5 fome maintaining that the 
 very body which had been laid in the 
 grave (and afterwards made a part, per- 
 haps, of a million of other bodies) is 
 to be raifed up ; and others denying this, 
 and afferting more rationally, that the 
 dodrine of the refurredion relates more 
 to the man than to the body^ and 
 means only our ?'evivifcence after the in- 
 capacitation of death, or our becoming 
 again embodied and living fpirits in a new 
 fiate of exiftence, it being, in their opi- 
 nion, a circumftance of no confequence 
 (provided the living agent is the fame) 
 whether the body is the fame or not. In 
 truth, it feems very plain, that our 
 prefent and our future bodies muft be 
 effentially different. The one is fejh 
 and blood. The other is not te he flejh 
 
 and 
 
as held by all Chrijlians. 21 
 
 and blood '^ for St. Paul tells us cxprefsly, 
 that fejlj and blood cannot inherit the king- 
 dom of God. But be this as it willj the 
 difpute on this fubjed is of no particular 
 Gonfequence, Provided we know that we 
 are to be raifed up, we need not be very 
 anxious to know with what bodies we are 
 to be raifed up. There is no more reafon 
 for difturbing ourfelves about this, thaa 
 there would be (were we going to take 
 poffeffion of an inheritance; to difturb 
 ourfelves about the materials of the drefs 
 in which we fhall enter upon it. 
 
 x4.kin to this fubjed of difpute is another 
 which has much perplexed the minds of 
 many good Chriftians, ^nd about which 
 they have given way to many very unrea- 
 fonable prejudices. I fhall hope that 
 thofe who now hear me are fuperior to 
 thefe prejudices j and, therefore, I will be 
 explicit on this fubjed. The fubjed I 
 mean, is " the intermediate flate between 
 *' death and the refurredion." The com- 
 mon perfuafion is, that this intermediate 
 ftate is to be a ftate of rewards and pu- 
 C 3 nifhmcnta* 
 
22 Of the Chrifiian DoBrhte 
 
 nifhments. But many think the fcrip- 
 ture account to be, that rewards and pu- 
 nifliments are not to begin till the general 
 judgment ; and, confequently, that a fuf- 
 penfion of all our powers takes place at 
 death which will continue till the morn- 
 ing of the refurrecSion, when the wicked 
 fhall awake to everlafting (hame and con- 
 tempt, but the righteous to life eternal 
 The obfervation I have made on the other 
 fubjeds of difpute which 1 have mention- 
 ed, is particularly applicable to this. It 
 is a difpute about the manner and circum- 
 ftances of a fcripture dodrine and not 
 about the dodrine itfelf. Let the fad be 
 acknowledged (as it is by every Chriftian) 
 that we are to be raifed up from death j 
 and, if virtuous, to live for ever m a bet- 
 ter ftate through the grace of God in 
 Chnft: Let, I fay, this fad be acknow- 
 ledged, and we need not care fhould the 
 truth be that it is to be preceded by a flate 
 of fleep and infenfibility. On this fuppo- 
 fition, death will only be rendered more 
 awful J for when the txercife of our men- 
 tal 
 
ds held by all Chrijiiam^ 23 
 
 tal powers ceafes, the flux of time ceafes 
 with it ; the lapfe of ages becomes no 
 more than the tick of a watch, or the 
 vibratian of a pendulum 5 and, were we 
 never to be recovered, eternity itfelf would 
 be nothing to us. Whether, therefore, 
 there is an intermediate (late or not, death 
 will to every man be the fame with an im^ 
 mediate entrance on another world, and 
 that which many of our brethren are anxi- 
 ous about will happen. This is evident if 
 there i$ an intermediate ftate : And if there 
 is not^ it is equally evident; becaufe, in 
 this cafe, the moment of death will ap- 
 pear to be the moment of our refurreflion 
 though myriads of ages may have. inter- 
 vened, and clofing our eyes on this world 
 w^iil be opening them on the day of retri- 
 bution, and feeing Chrift coming to judge 
 mankind, and to be admired in all the 
 virtuous and faithful. And, let me here 
 aik, is not this a more pleafing profpedl 
 to good men, and a more dreadful one to 
 wicked men, than the profped of a long 
 C 4 in* 
 
24 Of the Chriflian DoBrine 
 
 interval of delay and expedation in an 
 intermediate flate? Were you now going 
 to embark for a voyage, would it be dif- 
 agreeable to [you to think that, what- 
 ever feas may intervene, the moment 
 of your taking fail would to you be the 
 very fame with the moment of your land- 
 ing on the (hore of a better country ? Or, 
 were you now ftepping into a bed after a 
 fatiguing day, would it be difagreeable 
 to you to know that a deep deep will 
 feize you, lock up all your powers, an- 
 nihilate the night to you, and join 
 the time of your lying down to the 
 time of your getting up frefli and hap- 
 py the next morning? 1 do not, how- 
 ever, mean to fay, that I believe this will 
 be adually the cafe. There are texts of 
 fcripture which I cannot eafily reconcile to 
 it. God only knovv's what the truth is 
 in this inftance. I only mean to fay, 
 that the difference of opinion about it 
 fliould give us no trouble. In a little time 
 our doubts will be refolvcd, and death 
 
 itfelf, 
 
m held by all Chrijlians. 25 
 
 itfelf, that great teacher, will inform and 
 fatisfy us. 
 
 But it is time to come to a conclufion. 
 
 The ufe we (hould make of what I have 
 been faying, is to learn tranquillity and 
 charity amidft the jai;ring opinions which 
 prevail in the Chrifti^ln church. None of 
 them, you have heard, extend to funda- 
 mentals. In truth, there is but one thing 
 fundamental, and that is, " an honeft 
 " mind.'* But by fundamentals I mean 
 the dodrines which are mod properly the 
 fundamentals of the Chriftian religion, 
 and conftitute the information which it 
 was in tented to communicate to us. He 
 that runs may read thefe dodrines in the 
 New Tejlament ; and it is not poffible to 
 miftake them. Extremes the moft diftant, 
 I have (hewn you, agree in them, and 
 leave us every thing that is effential to our 
 fupport and comfort in paffing through 
 the world. Pardon to fnful men -, and a 
 refurredlion to dying men are all that near- 
 
26 ' Of the Chrijiian DoBrine 
 
 ly concern us. Thefe, according to all 
 opinions, are affured to us by the. Gofpel; 
 and they make it, indeed, what my text 
 calls it, a glorious Gofpel. Glory be to 
 God in the higheft. On earth peace j and 
 good-will towards men. Let us then love 
 one another, and embrace with afFedion 
 our fellow-chriftians of all perfuafions, 
 making allowances for their miftakes and 
 prejudices. Many of them will indeed 
 look upon lis with averfion,. and judge 
 hardly of us, if we do not receive their 
 fchemes of Chriflianity, and worfhip God 
 as they do. But let us fhew our fuperior 
 wifdom and candour by not judging hard- 
 ly of them. 
 
 I (hall, in my next difcourfes, give you 
 an account of thefe fchemes of Chriflia- 
 nity. In this difcourfe my intention has 
 been to prepare you for this account, by 
 inculcating this truth ; that however 
 great the differences among Chriflians 
 are, and however unreafonable many of 
 their creeds may be, yet we are all agreed 
 
 in 
 
as held by all Chrijlians. 27 
 
 i^n what is moft important j and, particu- 
 larly, in believing that Chrift has abolijbed 
 deathy and brought life and immortality to 
 light '^ and that ^ through the grace of God^ 
 he will be the author of eternal fahation to 
 all that obey him^ 
 
 SER. 
 
[ 28 3 
 
 SERMON II. 
 
 OF THE CHRISTIAN DOCTRINE AS HELD BY 
 TRINITARIANS AND CALVINISTS. 
 
 I TlM» ?• II. 
 
 "The glorious gofpel of the blejfed God. 
 
 THE molt important of all enquiries 
 are thofe which relate to the being, 
 perfedions, and providence of God, Next 
 to thefe in importance are the enquiries, 
 whether there is fufficient evidence for the 
 truth of the Gofpel j and if there is, v^hat 
 inftrudion it communicates? In my laft 
 difcourfe I entered on the difcuflion of the 
 laft of thefe queftions, and endeavoured 
 to fhew you, that amidft all their differ- 
 
 encesji 
 
Of the Chrijlian Dedirine, &c. 29 
 
 ences, Chriftians are fufficiently agreed 
 with refped to thofe effentials of the Gof- 
 pel which make it, indeed, what the word 
 Go/pel imports, glad tidings and a glori- 
 ous Gofpel. According to all fchemes, it 
 is a difpenfation of mercy to Jinful mor-^ 
 tab, conveying to them, ■ through the 
 miniftry, death, and exaltation of Chrift, 
 the knowledge of God and their duty, 
 pardon and favour, a refurredion from 
 death, and a happy immortality. AH ac- 
 counts of Chriftianity agree, that it not 
 only reveah and announces thefe ineftimable 
 benefits, but afcertaim them by fads; and 
 that Jefus Chrift is the way, the truth* 
 and the life, the conqueror of death, the 
 future judge of mankind, and the author 
 of eternal falvation to all that obey him. 
 This, I have thought, a topic very necef- 
 fary to be infifted upon and explained be- 
 fore I proceed to what I farther propofe, 
 which is, to give you fome account of the 
 different fchemes of Chriftianity, and of 
 that fcheme in particular which I think 
 
 neareft 
 
30 Of the Ghrijlian DoStrine 
 
 neareft the truth. While, therefore, I 
 fhall be giving you fueh an account, I 
 wifli you to recoiled what I have faid on 
 this topic, and to carry along w^ith you 
 the refledion, that there is no fcheme of 
 Chriftianity received among its profeffors 
 which contradids the only dodrine about 
 which we have reafon to be very anxious ; 
 I mean, " the dodrine of falvation and 
 «' eternal life by Jefus Chrift." 
 
 Were a well-authenticated deed brought 
 to you which gave you a title to a good 
 eftate, would you (while its general de- 
 fign and purport were acknowledged) be 
 very folicitous about the decifion of any 
 difputes relating to the caufes to which 
 you owed the deed^ the meaning of parti- 
 cular claufes in it, or the charader and 
 rank of the friend by whofe inftrumenta- 
 lity you had received it. The Gofpel is 
 our title to immortality. It contains that 
 covenant of grace which fecures it to us; 
 and Chrift is the friend by whofe inftru- 
 mentality it has been declared and con- 
 firmed^ 
 
as held by Trinitarians and Calvinijts, 31 
 
 firmed, and will be beftowed upon us. 
 
 While agreed thus far, let us not fufFer 
 
 ourfeives to indulge impatience or refent- 
 
 ment when we hear fome faying that 
 
 Chrift was a mere man^ others that he was 
 
 a fuper-angelic beings and others that he 
 
 was God himfelf in union with a many 
 
 or when we are told by one party that he 
 
 died to make fatisfadion to Divine juftice 
 
 for the fins of the world, and by another 
 
 party that he died only to bear teftimony 
 
 to the truth, to prove and confirm the 
 
 forgiving mercy of God, and to acquire 
 
 the power of conferring upon us the blef- 
 
 fings of the covenant of graca 
 
 But, though I would thus caution you 
 againft being {hocked by the oppofite 
 opinions which are entertained among 
 Chriftians, and prepare you for hearing, 
 without being difturbed, the account I 
 fhall give of them; I do not mean to in- 
 timate that it is of no confequence how we 
 think about the points difputcd among 
 
 Chrif. 
 
^2, Of the Chrijiian Do5trine 
 
 Chriftians. Though, for the reafons I 
 have given, this is not of fuch confe- 
 quence as to juftify that diftrefs which 
 fome good men feel when they hear of 
 opinions of the Gofpel contrary to their 
 own ; yet it is without doubt the duty of 
 every one, as far as he has abilities and 
 opportunities, to endeavour to think 
 rightly about thefe difputed points, and 
 by careful and impartial enquiry to avoid 
 grofs errors. The better we are inform- 
 ed about the controverfies among Chrif- 
 tians, and the more corred our judge- 
 meats, the more refpedable we fhall be, 
 and alfo the more ufeful and valuable 
 members of the Chriftian church; pro- 
 vided we take care to add to our know- 
 ledge brotherly kindnefs, and fupprefs in 
 ourfelves every tendency to intolerance 
 and uncharitablenefs. 
 
 I have, therefore, thought that, after 
 fhewing you how far we are all agreed in 
 our conceptions of the Gofpel, it would 
 
 not 
 
as held by l^rinitarians & Cahinijis. 3 3 
 
 not be improper to (hew you how far 
 Chriftians differ^ and to give a brief repre- 
 fentation of the principal fchemes of 
 Chriftianity which they have adopted. In 
 executing this defign, I fhall give an ac- 
 count of only three fchemes^ becaufe they 
 are the principal, and all other fchemes 
 may be ranged under one or other of them. 
 Ofthefe three fchemes, two form extremes-^ 
 and one a middle fcheme. I fhall begin 
 with giving you an account of the two 
 extremes, after which I fhall make fome 
 obfer,vations on them, and then proceed 
 to an account of that middle fcheme, which 
 I think the true one, and which I fhall 
 endeavour to fupport by fome arguments. 
 The firfl of the two extremes juft 
 mentioned has been diftinguifhed under 
 the names of Athanafianifm and Cahinifm ; 
 and the other under the name of Socini^ 
 anifm. One of thefe carries our notions 
 very high of Chriflianity j and the other 
 links them very low. The differences be- 
 tween them refped four points. 
 
 D Firft. 
 
34 Of the Chriftian DoSirine 
 
 Firft. The nature of the Deity. 
 
 Secondly. The nature and confeqtiences 
 of that fall of man which brought us into 
 our prefent ftate. 
 
 Thirdly. The nature and dignity of 
 Chrift. 
 
 And Fourthly. The nature of that in- 
 terpofition of Chrift by which he is the 
 Saviour of the world. 
 
 I fhall firft mention to you the chief 
 particulars in the Athanajian and Cahi^ 
 niJHc fcheme, as far as it refpeds thefe 
 four points. 
 
 With refped to the Supreme Deity, 
 this fcheme makes him to confift of three 
 ferfons the fame in fubjiance^ and equal in 
 power and glory. The firft of thefe three 
 perfons, and the fountain of Divinity to 
 the other two, it makes to be the Fa- 
 ther. The fecond perfon is called the 
 Son ; and faid to be derived from the Fa- 
 ther by an eternal generation of an inef- 
 fable and incomprehenfible nature in the 
 
 eflence 
 
as held by Trinitariam & Cahinljis, 3 5 
 
 eflence of the Godhead. The third per- 
 fon is the Holy Ghost, derived from the 
 Father and the Son ; but not by genera- ' 
 tion as the Son is derived from the Fa- 
 ther, but by an eternal and incompre- 
 henfible procession. Each ofthefcper- 
 fons are (according to this fcheme) very 
 and eternal God as much as the Father 
 himfelfj and yet, though diftinguifhed 
 in the manner I have faid, they do not 
 make three Gods but oite God \ 
 
 D 2 With 
 
 a *' In the unity of the Godhead there be three per^ 
 *^ fons of one fubftance, power, and eternity j the 
 " Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghoft. The Son 
 *' begotten from everlafting of the Father, very and 
 c* eternal God, of one fubftance with the Father. 
 *' The Holy Ghoft proceeding from the Father and 
 '' the Son, of one fubftance, majefty, and glory with 
 '^ the Father and the Son, very and eternal God." 
 Flrjiy Second^ and Fifth Articles of the Church of 
 England. 
 
 " God the Father of Heaven ; God the Son, Re- 
 " deemer of the world ; God the Holy Ghoft pro- 
 *' ceeding from the Father and the Son j Holy, Blef- 
 
 « fed, 
 
36 Of the Chrijlian Dodirine. 
 
 With refped to the fall of man, this 
 fcheme maintains the dodrine of original 
 fin imputed and inherent^ whereby every 
 perfon born into this world deferves, be- 
 fore he has contraded adiual guilt, 
 
 God's 
 
 *' fed, and Glorious Trinity, three perfons and one 
 *' God: Have mercy upon us." Litany. 
 
 " The Father is made of none ; neither created 
 '' nor begotten. The Son is of the Father alone ; 
 " not made, or created, but begotten. The Holy 
 «' Ghoft is of the Father and the Son j neither made, 
 " nor created, nor begotten, but proceeding." 
 
 " There are three perfons in the Godhead, the 
 ** Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghoft; and thefe 
 *' three are one God, the fame in fubftance, and equal 
 '^ in power and glory." ^lejlton Sixth in the Shorter 
 Catechifm of the Reverend AJfemhly of Divines. 
 
 *' I believe, firft, in God the Father, vi^ho made 
 '' me and all the v^orld. Secondly, in God the Son, 
 " who hath redeemed me and all mankind. Thirdly, 
 <' in God the Holy Ghoft, who fan6iifieth me and all 
 *' the ele61: people of God. Church Catechifm, 
 
 Divines have laboured to fhew, that believing in 
 thefe three Gods is confiftent with believing in but 
 one God. But what a riddle muft this appear to a 
 child ? 
 
as held by Trinitarians & Cahinijis, 37 
 
 God's wrath and future damnation. By 
 original fin imputed is meant the imputa- 
 tion of Adam's fin to all his pofterity: 
 And by original fin inherent is meant that 
 fault and corruption of the nature of man 
 whereby he is rendered prone to all evil, 
 and fo averfe to all good as not to have 
 the power of doing any thing acceptable 
 to God, or, by his own natural ftrength, 
 of turning to God, or even preparing 
 himfelf for calling upon God^ In fhort, 
 
 D 3 thi3 
 
 ^ " Original fin is the fault and corruption of the 
 " nature of every man engendered of the offspring of 
 " Adam, whereby he is very far gone from original 
 '^ righteoufnefs, and of his own nature inclined to 
 " evil; and, therefore, in every perfon born into 
 " this world it deferves God's wrath and damnation/' 
 Nint J? Article of the Churck of England. ^' The con- 
 *' dition of man after the fall of Adam is fuch, that 
 *' he cannot turn or prepare h/mfelf by his own na- 
 *' tural ftrength ^nd good works to faifeh and calHng 
 *' upon God." Tenth Article. " Being by nature 
 ^' born in fm and children of wTath, we are by bap- 
 f« tifm made the children of ^race." Church Caic^ 
 fhifm. 
 
38 Of the Chrijlian Dodirim 
 
 this part of this (cheme cannot be better 
 expreffed than it is in that catechifm 
 which has been received as the ftand- 
 ard of orthodox divinity among Proteftant 
 Diffenters, and v^hich many of our good 
 brethren ftill hold in high veneratioa. 
 The words of this Catechifm are " That 
 " all mankind fell in Adam and were 
 *' brought by his tranfgreffion into a ftate 
 *^ of^;^ and of mifery -^ that ihc fmfulnefs 
 *' of this ftate confifls in the guilt of 
 " Adam's fin, the want of original righ- 
 '' teoufnefs, and the corruption of our 
 ^* whole nature ^ and that the mifery of 
 *' this ftate confifts in the lofs of com- 
 « munion with God, and in being under 
 «' his wrath and curfe, and liable to all 
 *' the miferies of this life, and to the 
 *' pains of hell for eyer V 
 
 With 
 
 c AfTembly's Catechifm, Quefllons i6th, 17th, 
 18th, and 19th. " The fall brought upon mankind 
 " the Icfs of communion with God, and his dif- 
 <^ pleafure aiiu curfc j fo that we are by nature chil- 
 
 '* dren 
 
as held by Trmitaria?is G? Cahfmjis. 39 
 
 With refpea to the third great 
 point, or the nature and dignity of 
 Chrift, this fcheme teaches us that 
 he confifts of two natures; by one of 
 which he is (imply a man-^ and by the 
 other, the fecond perfon in the Trinity, 
 of one fubftance with the Father, begot- 
 ten from eyerlafting, and veiry and eter- 
 nal God', Thefe two natures arc, ac- 
 D 4 cording 
 
 « dren of wrath, bond-flaves to Satan, and juftly 
 " liable to all puniOiments in this world and in that 
 ** which is to come. And the punifhments in the 
 ♦' world to come are reparation from God, and moji 
 *' grievous torments in Jlul and body without intermijfion 
 " in hell-fire for ever,'' Aflembly's Larger Catechifm. 
 " Man by the fall hath wholly loft all ability of will 
 *' to any fpiritual good 5 fo that a natural man, 
 " being dead in fm, is not able to concert himfelf, 
 '' or to prepare himfelf for converfion." Scotch Con- 
 fejfion of Faith^ chap. 9th. 
 
 •» " The Son, of one fubftance with tlie Father, 
 «« took man's nature, fo that two whole and perfect 
 " natures, the Godhead and manhood, were joined 
 <' together in one perfon, making one Chrift, very 
 «« God and very man, who truly fuffered, was cru- 
 
 << pifiedv 
 
40 Of the Chrifiian DoBrine. 
 
 cording to this fcheme, whole and per- 
 fedl natures diftind from one another* 
 but joined together in one perfon making 
 one Chrift, very God, and, at the fame 
 time, very man. In the catechifm juft 
 quoted this is expreffed in the following 
 words. " The Redeemer of God's eledl 
 " is the Lord Jefus Chrift, who being the 
 ** eternal Son of God became man, and 
 
 " fo 
 
 *' cified, dead, and buried, to reconcile his Father 
 *' to us, and to be a facrifice, not only for original 
 " guilt, but alfo for the a6tual fins of men." Second 
 Jrticle of the Church of England, " The right 
 " faith is, that we believe that Jefus Chrift is God 
 *' and man ; perfect God and perfect man ; a«d yet 
 *' that he is not iwo^ but one ; one, by taking the 
 ^' manhood into God, and unity oi perfon**^ Jtha* 
 naftan Creed, 
 
 " I believe in our Lord Jefus Chrift, begotten of 
 " his Father before all worlds ; God of God, light 
 " of light, very God of very God; legotten^ not 
 *' made^ being of one fubftance with the Father, by 
 *' whom all things were made \ who, for us men 
 " and our falvation, came down from heaven and 
 *' was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, &c." Nicen^ 
 Creed, 
 
as held by Trinitarians & Cahinijis. 4 1 
 
 ** fo was and continues to be God and 
 " man in two diflind natures, and one 
 *' perfon, for ever%" I will here only 
 add, that this union of two natures in 
 Chrift fo as to make one perfon^ has been 
 called by a very peculiar name, in order 
 to diftinguifh it from the union of three 
 ferfons making one nature in the Deity. 
 It has been called, the Hypostatical 
 Union. 
 
 The Fourth great poii^t about which 
 I have faid that Chriftians differ, is the 
 nature of that interpofition of Chrift by 
 which he is the Saviour of the world. 
 The fcheme I am defcribing makes it to 
 confift in a tranflation of the guilt of fin- 
 ners from them to Chrift, and his fubfti- 
 tutlng himfelf for them, and undergo- 
 ing in his own perfon the punifhment 
 due to them, and thus purchafing their 
 ftlvation by making fatisfadion to God's 
 juftice, and offering an equivalent for 
 
 it. 
 
 '^ AiTembly's Catechlfm. 2iil. Queftion. 
 
42 Of the Chrijliaji Dodlrine 
 
 it. But this is a part of this fcheme fo 
 Important, that it will be proper to trace it 
 a little higher and to give a more explicit 
 reprefentation of it. ^ 
 
 One of its leading dodrines is, the doc- 
 trine of abfolute and unconditional pre- 
 deftination. According to this doflrine, 
 God has for his own glory (as our cate- 
 chifm tells us^) fore-ordained whatever 
 comes to pafs ^ and, in particular, appoint- 
 ed a part of the fallen race of man to 
 everlafling happinefs, but left the greateft 
 jjart to perifli and to fink without remedy 
 into everlafling mifery. In order to bring 
 about the falvation of the eleded part, a 
 covenant of redemption was entered into 
 before the world began, between the three 
 pcrfons in the trinity (the Father, the 
 Son, and the Holy Ghoft) by which the 
 fecond perfon engaged to make fatisfadion 
 to the Godhead, and to offer on the cnofs 
 ^propitiatory facrijice in order to expiate 
 
 the 
 
 f Queftlon 7th. 
 
as held by Trinitarians & Cahinijls. 43 
 
 the ofFcDces of the ele^^ and to obtain for 
 them the benefits of efFedual calling, juf- 
 tification, fandification, adoption, and fu- 
 ture eternal glory. In purfuance of this 
 compad, the fecond perfon in the Tri- 
 nity came down from heaven, entered 
 the Virgin's womb, and fufFered and died 
 to fulfil (as the Articles of the Church of 
 England fay) "the everlafling purpofe of 
 *' God whereby, before the foundations 
 " of the world were laid, he had decreed 
 *' by his counfel to deliver from ciirfc and 
 " damnation thofe whom he had chofen 
 " in Chrifi out of mankind -, and to bring 
 <' them, by Chrift, to everlafling falvati- 
 '* on as veflTels made for honour." Where- 
 fore (as the fame Articles declare) they arc 
 called in time, juftified freely by God's 
 grace, fandified by his fpirit, made his 
 fons by adoption, walk religioufly in all 
 good works, and at length attain to ever- 
 lafling felicity \ 
 
 This 
 
 5 Article 17 th. 
 
44 Of the Chri/iian Dodirine 
 
 This is a brief recital of that j(yflem of 
 Chriftian faith which has been generally 
 called Calvinifm: And you may obferve, 
 that it includes in it (befides the dodrines 
 of three co-ordinate perfons in the God- 
 head forming one nature, and oi two natures 
 in Jefus Chrift forming one perfon) the five 
 following dodrines. 
 
 Firft, The dodrine of abfolute predefti- 
 nation and eledion. 
 
 Secondly, The dodrine of original fin. 
 
 Thirdly, The dodrine of the total im- 
 potence of man and irrefiftible grace, in 
 oppofition to free-will. 
 
 Fourthly, The dodrine of particular in 
 oppofition to univerfal redemption. 
 
 And Fifthly, The dodrine of the perfe- 
 verance of faints after being once called 
 and converted. 
 
 Thefe Jive dodrines have been called, 
 by way of diftindion and eminence, the 
 FIVE POINTS. They are the points about 
 which the ied called Arminiam differ from 
 Calvinijls : And, in litigating them, vo- 
 lumes 
 
as held by Trinitarians & Cahinijls. 4 5 
 
 lumes without number have been written, 
 much zeal employed, and an infinity of 
 what is moft important in religion (I mean, 
 charity and a good temper) has been 
 loft. But there is one other point con- 
 neded with thofe now fpecified, which 
 forms an effential part of this fyflem ; 
 and which, in juftice to it, ought to be 
 mentioned. That is ; the dodrine of 
 juftification by faith alone, and the im- 
 puted righteoufnefs of Chrift. All the 
 orthodox confeffions of faith agree in de- 
 claring that we are accounted righteous 
 before God, not for our good works, but 
 only for the merit of Chrift. And this 
 dodrine our Church Articles declare to 
 be a moft wholefome dodrine^ And fo 
 
 im- 
 
 J» «« We are accounted righteous before God only 
 ** for the merit of our Lord and Saviour Jefus Chrifl, 
 •' by faith j and not for our own good works or de- 
 *' fervings. Wherefore that we are juftified by faith 
 " only is a moft wholefome dodlrine, and very full of 
 '« comfort as more largely is expreffed in the homi- 
 
 " ]y 
 
46 Of the Chriftian Dodiritie 
 
 iii^portant has it been held, that it ha$ 
 been called the dodrine by which, as it is 
 received or rejeded, the church of Chrift 
 muft ftand or fall\ You ihould remem- 
 ber, however, that thofe who maintain 
 this dodrine do not mean that we may 
 be juflified without good works. For, 
 though thj^y fay that our good works can- 
 not recommend us to God, and that 
 '' when done before the grace of Chrift 
 " they have even the nature of ^;^ ^" yet 
 they at the fame time fay, that they are 
 neceffary as fruits of a true and living 
 faith ''j and, by a very nice diflindion 
 
 noticed 
 
 " ly of j unification*" Article nth, '' Juftincatlon 
 " Is an a6l of God's free grace wherein he pardoneth 
 *' all our fins, and accepteth us as righteous in his 
 *^' fi.t^ht only for the righteoufnefs of Chrift imputed 
 *< to us, and received by faith alone." AJfemblys 
 Catcch'ifm ^Ji. 33. 
 
 i Articulus Stantis aut cadentis Ecclefinf* 
 
 fc '* Works done before the grace of Chrift afid the 
 " infplration of his fpirit are not pleafant Co God, 
 ''• forafmuch as they fpring not of faith in Chrift. 
 ^' Yea rather, we doubt not but they Jiave the na- 
 
 " ture 
 
as held by Trinitaricins & Calvinijis. 47 
 
 noticed in my laft difcourfe, they affert, 
 '* that it is indeed faith alone that juftifics 
 " us, but not that faith which is alone \" 
 
 But I will proceed no farther in this re- 
 cital left I (hould lead you too far into the 
 labyrinth of church divinity. What I 
 have faid is fufficient to give you a juft 
 idea of the firft of the two extremes in the 
 fyftems of faith adopted by Chriftians 
 which I have propofed to ftate. I fhould 
 now proceed to ftate that fcheme of Chrif- 
 tian faith which makes the other extreme. 
 But chufing to referve this for the next 
 difcourfe, I will now conclude with a 
 few obfervations on the fcheme juft de- 
 fcribed. 
 
 I fancy 
 
 <* tare of fin." nirteenih Article of the Clmrch cf 
 England, <* Albeit that good works which are the 
 •' fruits of faith and follow juflification cannot put 
 '« away our fins ; yet are they pleafing to God ia 
 *« Chriil, and fpring necefTarily out of a true ani 
 " lively faith," &c. Article 14th. 
 . ^ Fides fob pijiifcat fed nan fides qn<f fola ffi. 
 
48 Of the Chrijlian Do5irtne 
 
 I fancy that by fome parts of it your 
 good fenfe as well as your feelings of be- 
 nevolence muft be fhocked. Many en- 
 quiries concerning it will, upon the leaft 
 reflexion, offer themfelves to you which 
 cannot be eafily anfwered. You may a{k 
 how we can be juftified freely by the grace 
 of God if a full equivalent has been paid 
 for our redemption ? How it is poffible that 
 God fhould make fatisfadion to himfelfiox 
 the fins of the world? And how, \i three 
 ferfons ading different parts and fuflain- 
 ing dijfferent charadlers are each of them 
 equally God, there can be but one God? 
 Or, if this is poffible, and three perfons 
 make but one nature^ how it can'' be pof- 
 fible 
 
 » Such It feems (In the opinion o{ Trniitarians) is 
 this union of the divine and human nature in Chrift, 
 while yet the individuality of each is prcferved, that 
 it makes all that is true of the one equally true of the 
 other. If this cannot be ima2:ined, it muft be im- 
 poflible for an attentive perfon to join in one part of 
 our cftablifhed worfhip without fhuddering. I mean, 
 
 that 
 
as held by Trinitarians & Cahinijls, 49 
 
 fible that two fiatures fhould make but 
 one perfon in Jefus Chrifl ? — You might 
 farther aik, how a fin committed at the 
 creation can be imputed to thofe who did 
 not commit it, fo as to fubjed them to 
 wrath and punifhment ? How, in parti- 
 cular, this can be true of innocent babes 
 of whom Chrifl: fays, that of fuch 
 is the kingdom of heaven ? How, if 
 by denying to the greatefl: part of man- 
 kind the means of falvation, he has de- 
 voted them to eternal mifery, he can be 
 a jufl: and a benevolent being ? And why, 
 if we have not free-will and can do no- 
 thing, it does not follow that we have 
 
 " NOTHING TO DO ?" 
 
 Thefe and numberlefs other queftions 
 may be aiked concerning the dodrines 
 taught by this fyflem 5 and it feems in- 
 deed to be, in mofl: parts of it, a fyftem 
 E in 
 
 that part of the Litany which fupplicates the mercy of 
 God — by his holy nativity and circumciiion- — by his 
 fallings and temptations — by his agony and bloody 
 fwcat — by his precious death and burial. 
 
5© Of the Chrijlian Do5irine 
 
 inconfiftent with reafon, injurious to the 
 character of the ever-blcfled Deity, and 
 in the higheft degree comfortlefs and dif-^ 
 couraging. I will add, that it feems to 
 me no lefs contrary to fcripture than to 
 renfon ; and I will juft mention to you 
 two inftances of this. 
 
 The fcripturcs tell us that Chrift died 
 for all ; thai he was made lower than the 
 angels for a little time to tafte death for 
 every man; and that he is the propitia^ 
 tion, not of the lins of Chriftians only, 
 but for the fins of the whole world. But 
 the advocates of this fcheme tell us 
 the contrary ; that Chrift died only for 
 the eleB, and that his dying for all means 
 only his dying for fome men of all ranks 
 and conditions.-— .In like manner •, the fcrip- 
 tures tell us that the one living and true 
 God is God the Father of whom are all 
 things, and who fent Chrift into the 
 world. This is life eternal ^ fays our Sa- 
 viour himfclf, to know thee the only true 
 God^ and J ejus Chrift whom thou haft fent. 
 
 There 
 
as held by Trinitarians & Cahinijls 5 1 
 
 There are gods many, fays St. Paul, a?2d there 
 are lords many ^ but to us there is but one God 
 the Father of whom are all things j and one 
 Lord Jefus through whom are all things, I 
 need not point out to you the repugnancy 
 between fuch declarations and fome parts 
 of the fyfteni I have reprefented. In truth, 
 were any man (fuppofed unacquainted 
 with the controverfies which have arifen 
 among Chriftians) to fet himfelf to invent 
 a fyftem of faith fo irrational and unfcrip- 
 tural as to be incapable of being received 
 by Chriftians, he could fcarcely think of 
 one concerning which he would be more 
 ready to form fuch a judgment. And yet — 
 Oh ! miferable imperfedlion of human 
 beings— it is the fyftem of chriflian divinity 
 which has been for many ages generally 
 received in the Chriftian church. It is 
 the fyftem which formerly all our " chil- 
 E ^ dren 
 
 "^ Li the Church Catechifm it is taught children 
 ^ith the addition of a do(Strine very hke to iranfub- 
 
$2 Of the Chrijiian Do&rine , 
 
 dren were made to imbibe with their mo- 
 ther's milk, and to confider as mofl facred. 
 It is the fyftem inculcated in all efta- 
 tlifhed formularies of faith ^ and, parti- 
 cularly, in thofe of England, Ireland, 
 and Scotland. And, what is worft of all, 
 it is the fyftem to which the eftablifhcd 
 clergy in Britain and Ireland declare their 
 affent on entering their office as public 
 teachers, and without believing the very 
 abfurdeft part of which, pne particular 
 creed pronounces that we cannot be 
 faved \ 
 
 I muft, however, obferve to you, that 
 this fyftem is held by different divines 
 with very different degrees of ftridnefs, 
 fome carrying it much higher than others 
 
 For 
 
 Jianiiaticn ; for it is fcarcely poiTible a child fhould 
 have any other meaning when he is made to fay, " that 
 f' the body and blood of Chrifl are verily and indeed 
 " taken andreceivcd in the Lord's fupper." 
 
 n In Scrjtland^ if 1 am not miflaken, the clergy are 
 required not only to declare their belief of this fyftem, 
 but that they will " conftantly adhere to it," that is, 
 never crrow v.'ifcr. 
 
as held by T^rirtitarians & Cahlnifis. 53 
 
 For inftance. Some divines have thought 
 the three perfons in the trinity only three 
 different charadlers under v^^hich the fu- 
 preme Deity ads ; or three different attri- 
 butes of his nature j while others have 
 maintained that they are three different 
 beings united by a common confciouf- 
 nefs. 
 
 In the dodrine oi predejiination fome 
 include reprobation as well as eleSiion ; 
 while others make reprobation to be only 
 perterition : That is, not an appointment 
 to damnation, but an abandonment of all 
 the non-eleded pofterity of Adam by 
 which they are left neceffarily to periflb. 
 
 According to fome, the eternal decree of 
 predeftination refpeded men as fallen be- 
 ings ; and this clafs of divines have been 
 diftinguiftied under the name of fub -hp-- 
 tarians. But according to other divines 
 ( called yi^/m-lapfarians ) prcdeftination 
 was an arbitrary decree which refpeded 
 men merely as creatures^ and by which 
 God, from his fovereign good pleafure 
 E 3 only, 
 
§4 Of the Chriftian DoStrine 
 
 only, without any confideration of Adam's 
 fall, made fome of his pofterity to be veC- 
 fels of honour, and the reft to be veffels 
 of wrath and mifery, juft as a potter from 
 his good pleafure forms different portions 
 of the fame clay for noble or ignoble pur- 
 pofes. 
 
 Again ; with refped to thofe confe- 
 quences of the fall in which that half of 
 mankind who die in infancy and between 
 infancy and maturity are involved 5 fome 
 divines have maintained that, in confe- 
 quenceof the imputation of Adam's trant- 
 greffion, the taint of original fin, and the 
 lofs of original righteoufnefs, they are fo 
 depraved and polluted, as to be the ob- 
 jeds of God's vindidive jufiice and fub- 
 jed to the pains of hell for ever"": While 
 others of a milder ftamp have only main- 
 tained 
 
 '' "All mankind by the fall have loft communion 
 " with God, are under his wrath and curfe, and fo 
 " made liable to all the miferies of this life, and to 
 <« the pains of hell for ever." JJfemhlfs Catechijm^ 
 
as held by Trimtariam & Calvinijls. 55 
 
 tained that, if defcended from wicked 
 parents, they will be annihUated -^ and 
 that, if the offspring of righteous parents, 
 they will be happy. This was the opi- 
 nion of that eminent man and excellent 
 poet to whom moft of the congregations 
 of Proteftant Diffenters are indebted for 
 the Pfalms and Hymns they conftantly 
 ufe in public worihip* 
 
 But I muft reftrain myfelf I feel that I 
 am in danger of tiring and perplexing you. 
 I will, therefore, only add the following 
 reflections. 
 
 Firft, How pernicious are the effefls 
 of civil eflablifhments of religion ? That 
 fyftem of faith which I have defcribed, and 
 againft which your feelings as well as your 
 reafofi muft revolt, is upheld by all the 
 church eftablifhm.ents in Chriftendom, 
 and the reception of it enforced by pains 
 and penalties. This is true of even this 
 laud of diftinguifhed light and liberty, 
 An aa of ^een Elizabeth ft ill in 
 force inflids on all who fpeak in dero- 
 E 4 gation^ 
 
56 Of the Chrifiian DoSfrine 
 
 gation of the Book of Common Prayer 
 fines for the firft and fecond offence j for- 
 feiture of ^oods for the third 5 and im- 
 prifonment for life for the fourth of- 
 fence. And an a6l of King William en- 
 afls, that " every perfon educated in the 
 ^ Chriftlan religion denying by writing, 
 ** printing, teaching, or fpeaking, any 
 " one of the three perfons in the Holy 
 '^ Trinity to be God, or maintaining that 
 •' there are more Gods than one, fliall, 
 *' for the firft offence, be rendered incap- 
 *' able of holding any ofiice ; and, for the 
 " fecond offence, be rendered incapable of 
 *' bringing any adion, or buying any 
 •' lands, and fuffer three years imprifon- 
 '' ment." By fpeaking, therefore, to you 
 in the manner I have now done, I 
 fhould, at the time thefe ads pafTed, 
 have expofed myfelf to great dan- 
 ger. But, thanks be to God, the times 
 in this country are happily altered. We 
 can now think as we pleafe, and profefs 
 
 what 
 
as held by 'Trifiifarians & Cakinijis, 5 y 
 
 what we think: And, though the laws 
 continue the fame, we can rely on the ge- 
 nerofity (not to fay the juftice) of the 
 public for proteflion againft them, while 
 we keep within the limits of fair difcuffion 
 and argument. — But I am wandering from 
 the point I had in view. 
 
 I obferved, that we may learn from 
 what I have faid the pernicious effedls of 
 civil eftablilliments of religion. Had it 
 not been for the fupport which the fyftem 
 I have defcribed has derived from hence, 
 it is fcarcely conceivable that it could have 
 flood its ground long in oppofition to in- 
 creafing light and knowledge. During 
 the three firft centuries from our Savi- 
 our's birth it was little known ; nor did 
 it gain a full fettlement till civil power 
 took Chriftianity under its patronage 
 and the grand apoftacy foretold in the 
 Scriptures begun in the Chriflian Church. 
 Nothing, indeed, can be more horrible than 
 the accounts in Ecclefiaftical Hiaory of 
 
 the 
 
5 8 Of the Chrijlian T)o5irine 
 
 the furious controverfies which the intfa-* 
 dudion of this fyflem occafioned, and the 
 torrents of blood which wxre fhed before 
 its principal articles came to be generall3r 
 received. I refer to the difputes between 
 Athanafius and Arius in the fourth century, 
 which ended in the eftablifhment of the 
 prefent dodirine, " that Chrift and the 
 '' Holy Spirit are confubjlantial with the 
 *' Father/' — The difputes between the 
 Nejiorians and their opponents, which 
 ended in the eftablifhment of the prefent 
 doflrine of the Hypojtatical union. — The 
 difputes between St. Aiiftin and the Pela* 
 giansy which ended in the eftablifhment 
 of the prefent dodlrines of predeflination 
 and original fin. — And to the difpute, whe- 
 ther the Holy Ghoft proceeded from the 
 Father only^ which ended in the eftablifh* 
 ment of the prefent dodrine, '* that he 
 " proceeds both from the Father and the 
 '' Son." 
 
 It is not paffible to defcribe to yoa 
 the convulfions into which thefe dif- 
 putes 
 
as held by T'rinitarians & Cahinifts, 59 
 
 putes threw the Chriftian church in the 
 fourth and fifth centuries ; the Ana^ 
 themas which the contending parties 
 hurled againft one another ; and the 
 dreadful rage with which the flronger 
 party always harraffed the weaker 
 party. I fuppofe I do not exaggerate 
 when I fay, that in thefe controverfies 
 rnillions of human facrifices were offered 
 at the fhrine of religious bigotry. In 
 truth ; ecclefiaftical hiftory in general, 
 and this part of it more efpecially, is little 
 more than a hiflory of the worfl paf- 
 fions of the human heart worked up by 
 ecclefiaflical zeal into a diabolical viru- 
 lence and madnefs. Chriftians have late- 
 ly grown wifer, and, I hope, better. 
 We can now look back with aflonifh- 
 ment on thofe days of ignorance, and 
 welcome the approach of that period 
 when the Gofpel fhall be better un- 
 derflood, jargon give way to reafon, 
 and peace and tolerance prevail univer- 
 
 fallv. 
 
6o Of the Chriftian DoBrine^ 
 
 fally. This leads me to give you a necet- 
 fary caution. 
 
 I have expreffed pretty Orongly my 
 difapprobation of the fyftem of Divinity 
 which I have Rated. But I would exhort 
 you eanieftly to avoid all uncharitable-' 
 nefs w^ith refped to thofe of our fellow- 
 chriflians who ftill hold this fyftem. In 
 confequence of the fpread of the princi- 
 ples of humanity, it is now held by its 
 warmeft advocates with milder difpofiti- 
 ons than formerly ^ and though, in the 
 laft century and the beginning of this, 
 they would probably have devoutly burnt 
 me, yet now there are fev/ of them in 
 whofe hands I would not truil myfelf^ 
 without the leafl apprehenfion of being 
 at all injured in my perfon, property, or 
 liberty. We have had lately, among Pro- 
 teftant Diflenters, a ftriking proof of this 
 change of temper in our ^Trinitarian and 
 Cahinijlical brethren. Not long ago, as I 
 have juft intimated, it w^ould \v}vt been 
 
 a Doint 
 
a% held by Trinitarians & Cahinijls. 6i 
 
 a point of piety with them not to tolerate 
 minifters who profefs, as moll of the 
 Prefbyterian minifters now do, Vnitarian 
 principles. But had it been propofed to 
 them to concur \m^.\\Juch minifters m feel- 
 ing a toleration, they would have been 
 ftiocked. This, however, has lately been 
 the eondud of our T^rinitarian brethren. 
 They have joined with me and others in 
 applications to parliament, which at lad 
 proved fuccefsful, for granting the bene- 
 fit of toleration to all Proteftant preachers 
 of all denominations, reprobating all 
 penal laws in religion, difdaining to afk 
 a liberty for themfelves which would not 
 be equally enjoyed by Unitarians and So- 
 cinians, and even declaring a preference, 
 could it have been obtained, of a tolera- 
 tion which would have given legal pro- 
 tedion to the worfliip of all peaceable 
 men of all (ids and religions. Nothing 
 can do them greater honour. 
 
 Without ail doubt, neither virtue nor 
 crood fenfe belongs exclufively to any one 
 
 re 
 
6% Of the Chriftian Do Brine 
 
 religious fed. We fee continually that 
 wife and worthy men fall into great mif- 
 takes, and are capable of receiving as fa- 
 cred the groffeft abfurdities. But this is 
 of little confequence ; our acceptance 
 with God depending on the fincerity of 
 of our hearts and the faithfulnefs of our 
 endeavours to find out truth, and not on 
 the redlitude of our judgments. Many 
 an Athanajian and Calvinijl will hereafter 
 rejoice in heaven with many of thofe Vni- 
 tarians and Arminiam whom now, from 
 miftaken views, he configns to hell'' j and 
 
 he 
 
 ** By delivering this fentiment I have fubjefled my- 
 felf to the Anathema in the i8th Article of the Church 
 of England^ which declares thofe " accurfed vi^ho 
 *' prefume to fa/ that every man fhall be favedby the 
 " law or feci: which he profeffes, if he be diligent to 
 '^ frame his life according to that law and the light 
 " of nature ; holy Scripture fetting out to us only 
 " the name of Chrift whereby men muft be faved." 
 It is ftrange that our rulers can continue the impo^ 
 fition of this article, the Athanafian Creed, &c. &c. 
 
as held by Trinitarians & Calvinijls, 63 
 
 fie will then be farprifed at his own rafh- 
 nefs. Let us, therefore, learn to refped 
 one another amidft all our differences. 
 
 What is moft to be lamented in the 
 iyftem I have flated, is its tendency to 
 
 lead 
 
 The enemies of reformation do not fufficlently 
 confider, that by oppofmg, in enlightened times, all 
 attempts to remove fuch (hocking blemifhes from our 
 eftabliflicd code of faith and worfhip, they expofe the 
 hierarchy to particular danger of z. fudden and total 
 overthrow. As a friend to the free progrefs of truth, 
 and an enemy to all flavilh hierarchies, I could al- 
 moft vi'ifh they may perfevere in their obftinacy. 
 
 I am fenfible that the Article juil quoted may be 
 vnderftood to fignify no more than that virtuous Hea- 
 thens, Jews, and Mahometans, will be faved only 
 through Jefus Chrift. But this could not be the 
 meaning of the framers of thefe Articles. It is pro- 
 bable that no fuch Catholic idea ever entered their 
 niinds as the polTibility of the . falvation of virtuous 
 men of all religions. Much lefs could they think 
 that thofe Heretics might be faved in another world 
 ',vhom they thought it their duty to burn in this 
 >\'orld ; and concerning whom the nation in its public 
 devotions is ordered to declare, that they will with- 
 out doubt perilh cverlaftingly. 
 
 The 
 
64 Of the Chrijiian DdBrine 
 
 lead thofe who embrace it to lay an un- 
 due ftrefs upon it, and to think that 
 all who rejed it deny the Lord that 
 bought them, and are enemies to God 
 
 and 
 
 The decifions of the Reverend AfTembly of Pref- 
 byterian Divines fitting at TVeJitriinJier^ are the fame 
 on thefe fubjecSts with thofe of the church of England. 
 *' Good works, they fay, done by unregenerate men, 
 ** fmce they proceed not from a heart purified by 
 " faith, are finful, and cannot pleafe God, or make 
 ^' a man meet to receive the grace of God; and yet 
 *' the neglect of them is more finful and difpleafing 
 « to God." JJfemhlfs Confejfton of Faith ^ chap. i6th 
 Sed. "yth. " Infants and others, if ele£ied^ are 
 *' faved. But all not eleded, though called by the 
 '« minifl:ry of the v/ord, never come to Chrift, and, 
 «' therefore, cannot be faved; much lefs can men 
 " not profeiTing the Chriftian religion be faved in 
 *' any other way whatever, be they never fo diligent 
 " to frame their lives according to the light of na- 
 *' ture and the law of that religion they profefs; and 
 " to aflert they may, is very pernicious and to be 
 •' detefted." lb, ch. 10, ki\, 3 and 4. Concern- 
 ing all who oppofe fuch doctrines as thefe, and 
 maintain ooinions contrary to the known prin- 
 ciples of Chriflianity, they fay, " they may be 
 
 *' law. 
 
as held by Trinitarians & Cahinijls, 65 
 
 and Chrift. This contrads their bene- 
 volence, and difpofes them to view with 
 difguft a confiderable part of their Chrif- 
 tian brethren, it being fcarcely poffible 
 F they 
 
 " fully called to account and proceeded agalnft by 
 '^^ the cenfures of the church and the power of the 
 " civil magiflrate ; who has authority, and whofe 
 *' duty it is to preferve unity in the church, to keep 
 " the truth of God pure and entire, and to fupprefs 
 " herefy." But at the fame time it is added, that, 
 in doing this, the civil magiflrate is to be only the 
 executioner of prefbyteries and fynods, " with whom 
 " he is to confult and advife, and to whom it be-» 
 " longeth to deciide controverfies of faith, and to f^t 
 *' down rules for the ordering of the public worfhip 
 '' of God and government cf his church, and autbo- 
 *' ritatively to determine the fame ; which determina- 
 " tions are to be received, with reverence and fub- 
 *' milTion, as coming from a power which is the or- 
 '' dinance of God." Ibid,, ch. 20. fe£l. 4. ch. 23, 
 fe6i:. 3. and ch. 31. (q^, 3. How adverfe to every 
 principle of religious liberty and charity are thefe de- 
 cifions ? Many in this affembly had fmarted fe- 
 verely under the exercife of prelatical authority ; 
 and this fhould have led them to deteft fuch prin* 
 ciples. But it appears from this Confeflion of 
 
 Faith 
 
66 Of the Chrijiian DoSirine 
 
 they (hould love thofe whom they tlifAls 
 God hates. Such uncharitablenefs is 
 miferablc and frightful Let us avoid 
 it as much as we can. It will be mora 
 ^nexcufable in us than it is in therriy m 
 proportion to the degree in which our 
 
 fen- 
 
 F'aith and their fubfequent condu6^, that they Wanted 
 onjy to transfer the feat of church tyranny and the 
 powers of perfecution from the bijhops to themfelves. 
 In juftice, however, to their charadlers, it fhould be 
 confidered, that their narrownefs and intolerance were 
 the faults of the age in which they lived. They had 
 not yet efcaped far enough from the darknefs of popery 
 to enjoy the light and comfort of enlarged fentiments. 
 Thofe venerable reformers, in particular, to whom we 
 owe our prefent Church Service and the 39 Articles, 
 were excellent men ; and though, from a regard to 
 what they thought to be facred truth, they would burn 
 Gibers, they proved that, from the fame principle, they 
 would alfo burn themfehes. — I muft add, that this is an 
 • apology for them which renders their fucceflbrs in the 
 prefent times more inexciifable. The dark age is gone ; 
 and yet its errors and barbarities are continued to bur- 
 den the confciences of good men> and to miflead and 
 difgrace the national worfliip. 
 
as held by "Trinitarians & Cahinijis. 67 
 
 fentiments are more liberal. And in this 
 lies one unfpeakable advantage of li- 
 beral fentiments. They open our 
 hearts to all about us, and communi- 
 cate catholic difpofitions. By connec- 
 ting the favour of God with nothing 
 but an honeft mind, and caufing us to 
 think of him as a friend to every fin- 
 cere enquirer, they leave room for the 
 exercife of all the kind afFedions. They 
 extirpate the wretched prejudices which 
 make us (hy of one another ^ and enable 
 us to regard, with equal fatisfaflion and 
 pleafure, our neighbours, friends, and 
 acquaintance, be their modes of wor- 
 ship or their fyftems of faith what they 
 v/ill. 
 
 But I have detained you too long. 
 What I am next to proceed to is an ac-» 
 count of the fcheme of Chriftianity which 
 has been commonly called Socinianifm, 
 This (hall be referved for the next dif- 
 courfe,. 
 
 Fa SER- 
 
[ 69 ] 
 
 SERMON III. 
 
 QF THE CHRISTIAN DOCTRINE AS HELD BY 
 UNITARIANS a AND SOCINIANS. 
 
 I 
 
 I Tim. i. ii. 
 
 I'he glorious gofpel of the blejfed God. 
 
 N difeourfing to you from thefe words 
 I have propofed to give you an account 
 of that Gofpel here called by St. Paul the 
 F 3 gh- 
 
 a By Unitarians I mean thofe Chriftians who be- 
 lieve there is but one God and one object of religious 
 worfhip ; and that this one God is the Father only, 
 and not a Trinity confifting of Father, Son, and 
 Holy Ghoft. An Unitarian^ therefore, may or may 
 not be a believer in Chrift's pre-exiftence ^ and it 
 
 wiii 
 
^o Of the Chriftian DoBrine 
 
 glorious Gofpel of the bleffed God. In doing 
 this I have propofed to (hew you. 
 
 Firft, What thofe Articles of the Chrif- 
 tian faith are about which all Chriftians 
 are agreed. This was the fubjedt of my 
 firft difcourfe ; and, in fpeaking to you 
 upon it, I endeavoured to llicw you, that 
 all Chriftians are agreed with refped to 
 what is moft important in the informa- 
 tion given us by the Gofpel — That the 
 differences among them are chiefly dif- 
 ferent modes of explaining thofe fun- 
 damental fa6ts which all equally be- 
 lieve. — And that, confequently, thefe 
 differences afford no juft reafon for any 
 alarm to thofe Chriftians who may be 
 unacquainted with the difputes which 
 have taken place in the Chriftian church. 
 We all believe, I obferved, that the glad 
 
 tidings 
 
 will appear in the fecuel, that thofe who deny this doc- 
 trine have, on this account, no more right to this ap- 
 |>ellation than thofe antient Heathens had, who, though 
 they might believe in one Supreme Divinity, yet wor- 
 Ojvpped deififid human fpirits. 
 
a& held by Unitarians & Socinians. 71 
 
 tidings which the Gofpel brings are, Peace 
 on earth and good will towards men^ by the 
 promife it makes of pardon and favour 
 and a refurredion from death to an 
 endlefs life, through that great Mefliah 
 who died and rofe again. And this is 
 all that can be interefting to us as guilty 
 and mortal creatures. 
 
 I proceeded from hence to give you an 
 account of the different fchemes of the 
 Gofpel which have been adopted by Chrif- 
 tians, after which I have propofed to give 
 you an account of that fcheme which, I 
 think, the true fcheme-, and to endea^ 
 vour to fupport it by fome arguments. 
 
 I have divided the different fchcmes of 
 Chriflianity into three ; namely, the Cal-^ 
 'vinijls^ the Socinian^ and a middle fcheme 
 between thefe two. I have already given 
 a fufHcient account of the firfl of thefe 
 fchcmes ^ and I fhall now give you a brief 
 account of the Socinian fcheme. Thefe 
 fchemes form (as I obferved in my former 
 difcourfe) the two extremes into which 
 F 4 Chrif. 
 
72 Of the Chrijlian DoBrine 
 
 Chrifiians have gone in their opinions of 
 the Gofpel. One carries our notions very 
 high on the narrow fide ; and the other 
 links them as low on the contrary fide. 
 Againft this laft fcheme there are ftrong 
 prejudices among many good Chriftians, 
 and you will find that in two leading 
 points I think it wrong: But that it 
 maintains all that we need be anxious 
 about in Chriftianity, and that confe- 
 quently the prejudices againft it have no 
 juft foundation, will probably appear 
 from the following recital of its principal 
 dodrines. 
 
 In order to go along with me here you 
 fhould carry in your minds the four 
 heads under whch I have ranged the fub- 
 jeds of difference in the opinions of 
 Chriftians. Firft, the nature of the Deity 
 —Secondly, the nature and dignity of 
 Chrift— Thirdly, the fall of man and its 
 eonfequences— And, Fourthly, the nature 
 mdi effed of Chrill's interpofition. 
 
 Firft, 
 
^as held by JJmtariam & Sod mans, 73 
 
 Firft, with refped to the nature of the 
 Deity Socinians differ from T^rinitariajis 
 and Cahinifis in holding the dodrine of 
 his UNITY with more flridnefs. In 
 oppofitidn to the doQrine of three per- 
 fons making one God, they maintain 
 that the effence of the Deity is fimple 
 and undivided • that God the Father only 
 (and not the Father, the Son, and the 
 HolyGhofl) is the true and living God, 
 and the fountain of all power and perfec- 
 tion in the univerfe ; and that to elevate 
 any other beings to an equality with him 
 is idolatry and impiety, 
 
 Secondly, With refped to the fall, So- 
 cinians allow that there has been fuch an 
 event, and that by it mankind have been 
 brought lower in the fcale of beings, and 
 fubjeded to the imperfedions of the pre- 
 fent flate and particularly to the evil of 
 death \ But they rejed the dodrine of 
 
 the 
 
 b There are ibme who give fuch interpretations of 
 the account in the 3d chap, of Genefis and the fubfe- 
 
 quent 
 
*74 Of the Chrijiian DoBrine. 
 
 the imputation of Adam's tranfgreffion to 
 his pofterity, and fuch a total corruptioa 
 of our natures by original fin as deprives 
 us of free-will, and fubjeds us before we 
 have committed aBual fin (and, therefore, 
 even infants) to the difpleafure of God ancji 
 future puniftiment. 
 
 Thus far I go entirely with them, as do 
 many other Chriftians who yet are by no 
 means to be confidered as holding the opi- 
 nions which moft properly form the Soci-^ 
 man fyftem of Chriftianity. What difiin- 
 guiflies this fyftem is the dodlrine they 
 maintain with refped to the two other 
 fubjeds of difference which I have men- 
 tioned ^ or the dignity of Chrift, and the 
 fenfe in which he is our Saviour. 
 
 With 
 
 quent references to it in the facred writings (and par- 
 ticularly in Rom. the 5th chap, and i Cor. 15th chap.) 
 as make them no evidence of any fuch event (intro- 
 ductory of death) as is commonly underftood by the 
 FAiL. But thefe interpretations, and the opinion 
 grounded upon them are fo fmgular, that I have HQt 
 thought them vt^orth particular notice, 
 
as held by Unitarians & Socinians. 75 
 
 With refped to the dignity of Chrift, 
 they hold that he was fimply a man •, and, 
 confequently, that he had no exiftence 
 before his birth and appearance in this 
 world-, maintaining, however, at the 
 fame time, that by the extraordinary 
 powers with which he was endowed, and 
 a communication of the Spirit of God to 
 him without meafure, he was raifed far 
 above common men, and diftinguifhed fo 
 much from them as to be infallible and 
 impeccable % and capable of becoming, 
 immediately after his refurredion, the 
 Sovereign of angels and the Judge of 
 mankind. They have in particular gone 
 fo far in their ideas of the prefent dignity 
 of Chrift, though a mere man, as to af- 
 fert that he is exalted to a fovereignty 
 over all creatures, and become a proper 
 objed of religious worfhip and adoration. 
 
 On 
 
 c Such was the Socinim dodlrine formerly. It will 
 appear in the next difcourfe that modern Socinians 
 of the firft charader do not carry their ideas of Chriil 
 fo high. 
 
7 6 Of the Chrijlian Do6trine 
 
 On this laft point, however, they have 
 been of different opinions : Many of them, 
 (and particularly Socinus) maintaining zeal- 
 oufly that Chrift ought to be invoked 
 and worfhipped, while others of them 
 fcrupled this. And fo miferable has been 
 the difpofition of religious men of all per- 
 fuafions to intolerance, that even the So- 
 cinians formerly perfecuted one another 
 on account of this difference j and 
 there is too much reafon to believe 
 that Sociims himfelf contributed to an 
 imprifonment which occafioned the 
 death of an amiable and worthy man 
 among his followers who could not 
 concur with him in this opinion \ 
 
 At 
 
 «» See Mr. Tciilman^s Memoirs of theL'tfe^ Chara£ler^ 
 Sentiments^ and Writings of Faiijiiis Socinus^ p. 82, &<?. 
 See aifo Mr. Lindfefs Hiflorical view of the State of the 
 Unitarian Do^rine and IVorfhip. A work which, 
 while it gives the moft humiliating view of the 
 wretched blindnefs of many good men, manifjefts a 
 candour in the author which does honour to his priji*? 
 ciples find character, 
 
as held by Unitarians & Socinians, ^"f 
 
 At prefent all that embrace Socima?iifm 
 feem to be agreed (and, I think, very 
 rightly) in condemning the dodrine as well 
 as in reprobating the condud of Socinus in 
 this inflance. 
 
 But, fourthly, with refp^dl to the doc- 
 trine of our falvation by Jefus Chrift, 
 they hold that he is our Saviour by his 
 example, by his inftrudions, and by that 
 power to which he has been exalted to 
 govern the Chriftian church, to raife 
 mankind from death, and to beftow upon 
 us the future reward of virtue. In other 
 words J they make him a Redeemer 
 and Deliverer not only as he was the 
 greateft of all teachers and reformers ; 
 but, likewife as he has been made, in 
 confequence of his fufFerings and death, 
 the conveyer of God's forgiving mercy 
 and favour to mankind in a future happy 
 eternity. They receive, therefore, in 
 common with all other Chriftians, thofe 
 great fads which are the foundation of 
 
 the 
 
yS Of the Chrijlian DoSlrine 
 
 the Chtiftian religion — the wonderful mi- 
 racles of Chrift by which he proved that 
 the fullnefs of the Godhead dwelt in 
 him— his perfeS innocence — his deep hu- 
 miliation — his obedience unto death, even 
 the death of the crofs — his conqueft of 
 death — his afcenfion to heaven and in- 
 veftiture with univerfal dominion— his 
 prefent mediatorial kingdom j and his fu- 
 ture defcent from heaven to reftore this 
 part of God*s creation, to deftroy the 
 workers of iniquity, and to gather the 
 virtuous of all nations and times into that 
 kingdom which was prepared for them 
 from the foundation of the world — In 
 fhort ; he was, as they believe, that Son 
 of God and great Meffiah who had been 
 .promifed from the creation, and was fent 
 in the fullnefs of time to proclaim peace 
 and favour to guilty men, to lead them to 
 the knowledge of the only true God and 
 to affure them of his placable charatler, 
 ,to fet before them the beft example, to 
 ipiiblifli the covenant of grace, to confirm 
 
 this 
 
as held by Unitarians & Socinians. 79 " 
 
 this covenant by his blood, to (hew us 
 the path of life in his own refurredion, 
 and to take upon him that invifible go- 
 vernment which, according to the Scrip- 
 tures, he is now carrying on, and which 
 is to terminate in the extirpation of fin 
 and death, and the eftablilhment of an 
 everlafting kingdom of peace and virtue in 
 another world. 
 
 The enumeration of thefe particulars 
 is enough to fhew you that there is no 
 reafon for that averfion with which many 
 good men think of this fcheme of ChriC- 
 tianity. One of its chief peculiarities has 
 been mentioned under the former head. 
 Under this head I muft obferve to you, 
 that, while its advocates admit all the 
 fads juft recited relating to the dodrine 
 of our falvation by Chrift, and therefore 
 all that any good man need be very anxi- 
 ous about, they rejed the common modes 
 of interpreting this dodrine, and parti- 
 cularly the opinion that he faved us by 
 making fatisfadion to the juflice of the 
 
 Deity 
 
So Of the Chrijiian DoSirine 
 
 Deity for our fins, and by fufFering in 
 himfelf the very punifliment due to fin- 
 ners in order to let them go free. He 
 died for us, they fay, not as a fubjiitute^ 
 but as one man dies for another when he 
 gives up his life in order to ferve him. 
 He died, not to reconcile God to iis-^ but, 
 on the contrary, to afTure us of God's 
 love, and to induce us to be reconciled to 
 God. He was a facrifice and a Redeemer, 
 not by offering an equivalent or paying 
 down a price, but by devoting himfelf in 
 the caufe of truth and virtue, and by 
 fealing the covenant of grace and the 
 promife of pardon which he publifhed 
 with his blood. 
 
 In thefe affertions there is a great deal 
 that is true; for indeed nothing can be 
 lefs reafonable than feme of the explana- 
 tions which have been given of our re- 
 demption by Chrift. According to the 
 moft common of thefe explanations, fin 
 being committed againft an infinite being 
 is an infinite evil, and deferves infinite 
 
 punifli- 
 
as held by Unitarians &' Socinia?is, 8 1 
 
 punifhment ; and, conftquently, none 
 but an infinite being could make fatisfac- 
 tion for it. Chrift, being a man making 
 one perfon with the fecond perfon in the 
 Trinity (and, therefore, having by this 
 union infinite merit communicated to his 
 fuffcrings) made this fatisfaQion by fuf- 
 fering and dying on the crofs. But he 
 did not make it for all. On the con- 
 trary J though one drop of his blood was 
 fufficient to purchafe univerfal falvation, 
 it was (hed only for the eled; and the 
 reft of mankind having had no fatisfadion 
 made for their fins, were left in the ftate 
 into which Adams's fall brought them ; 
 that is, in a ftate which fubjeded them 
 ~ necelTarily, unlefs redeemed, to everlaft- 
 ing mifery. — God the Father was pro- 
 voked, and required fatisfadion. God 
 the Son ftepped in to appeafe him, and 
 to make the required fatisfadion by his 
 vicarious facrifice ; excluding, however, 
 from the benefit of it the greater part of 
 mankind. 
 
 G This 
 
82 Of the Chriftian DoBrine 
 
 This is a juft account of the ideas which 
 many of our fellow chriftians have enter- 
 tained of the method of our falvation by 
 Chriftj and they lead us moft abfurdly to 
 conceive of one part of the Divine nature 
 as making fatisfadion to another part of 
 it; and, therefore, this other part as itfelf 
 left unfatisfied. It likewife follows from 
 them, that our redemption having been 
 bought, and the full price given for it, 
 could not have been derived from the free 
 grace of God. But what is worftof all in 
 this account of our redemption is, that, by 
 reprefenting the Deity in the charader of 
 an angry and inexorable Judge, and Jefus 
 Chrift in the oppofite charader of a mild 
 and benevolent Pacifier and Friend, it 
 tends to transfer our love from that Being 
 who is the Father of mercies and the firft 
 caufe of all good, to that Mejfe?iger whom 
 he fent into the world to carry on the 
 purpofes of his goodnefs. Such fenti. 
 ments as thefe cannot be condemned 
 too ftrongly. It was neeeffary that on 
 
 this 
 
as held by Unitaria?2s & Socinians, 83 
 
 this occaiion I fhould mention them to 
 you in order to guard you againft them. 
 They are a wretched mifconception of 
 one of the moft important of all doc- 
 trines ; and they muii have a very un- 
 happy effcd on the tempers of thofe who 
 receive them, with refped to ih2iijirji and 
 beji^ as well as greatejl^ of all beings who is 
 the proper objed in all cafes of our Jirji 
 and beji regards. 
 
 But though, even on the fubjed of our 
 redemption by Chrift, I agree in this in- 
 ftance with that denomination of Chrif- 
 tians whofe opinions I am now defcribing, 
 I can by no means think of it in every re- 
 fped as they do. I believe Chrift to be a 
 Saviour in a much higher fenfe than they 
 allow. I view his charader in a much 
 higher light. He died, they fay, to bear 
 witnefs to the truth, and to confirm the 
 dodrine he taught by laying down his 
 life for it ^ and he faves us by leading us 
 to repentance and virtue, and by convey- 
 ing to penitent finners a remiflion of pu- 
 G 2 nifhment 
 
§4 Of the Chrijliaji Do5irine 
 
 nifhment and future happinefs. I affent 
 to this, but cannot think it the whole 
 truth, as you will find when I have given 
 you an account of the third of thofe 
 fchemes into which I have divided the 
 opinions of Chriflians concerning the 
 Gofpel, and which 1 (hall now proceed to 
 explain. 
 
 After what I have already faid, a few 
 words will be fufficient for this purpofe. 
 
 This THIRD fcheme agrees with the 
 fcheme laft ftated in all that relates to the 
 nature of the Deity and the confequences 
 of the fall J and alfo, in rejeding the doc- 
 trines of abfolute predeftination, particu- 
 lar redemption, irrefiftible grace, and 
 juftification by faith only. It differs from 
 it principally on the two lafl of the four 
 points I have mentioned; and I have cal- 
 led it the middle fcheme, becaufe, on thefe 
 two points, it neither carries our fenti- 
 ments fo high as Athanafanifm and CaU 
 vinifm^ nor finks them fo low as Socifii, 
 
 anifm 
 
as held by Unitarians & Socima?2s. 8 5 
 
 amjm. It makes Chrift more than a hu- 
 man being ; his charader more than that 
 of a reformer J and our falvation by him 
 more than a mere conveyance of benefits. 
 It teaches that Chrift defcended to this 
 earth from a ftate of pre exiftent dignity ; 
 that he was in the beginning with God) 
 and that by him God made this world ; 
 and that hy a humiliation of himfelf 
 which has no parallel, and by which he 
 has exhibited an example of benevolence 
 that pafles knowledge, he. took on him 
 flefli and blood and pafTed through hu- 
 man h'fe, enduring all its forrows in order 
 to fave and blefs a finful race. By de- 
 livering himfelf up to death he acquired 
 the power of delivering us from death. 
 By offering himfelf a facrifice on the crofs 
 he vindicated the honour of thofe laws 
 which finners had broken, and rendered 
 the exercife of favour to them confiftent 
 w^ith the holinefs and wifdom of God's 
 government ; and by his refurreflion 
 from the dead he proved the efficacy and 
 G 3 . ac- 
 
86 Of the Chrijlian DoBrine 
 
 acceptablenefs of his facrifice. In a word ; 
 according to this fcheme, Chrift not only 
 declared but obtained the availablenefs of 
 repentance to pardon ; and became, by 
 his interpofition, not only the Cojiveyer 
 but the Author and the means of our fu- 
 ture immortality. This was a fervice fo 
 great that no meaner agent could be rqual 
 to it J and, in confequence of it, offers of 
 full favour are made to all ; no human 
 beinp' will be excluded from falvation ex- 
 cept through his own fault ; and every 
 truly virtuous man from the beginning 
 to the end of time (be his country or his 
 religion what it will) is made fure of be- 
 ing raifed from death and made happy 
 for even It is neceffary to add, that in 
 all this the Supreme Deity, according to 
 the fame principles, is to be confidered as 
 the lirft caufe, and Chrift as his Gift to 
 fallen man ; and as ading under that eter- 
 nal and feif-cxiflent Being compared with 
 wliom no other being is either great or 
 good, and c/ whom and through whom and 
 
 to ivhom are all things. 
 
 Thi* 
 
as held by Unitarians & Socinians. 87 
 
 This is the account of the Gofpel which 
 appears to me to be the neareft the truth ; 
 and, as it is a mean between two oppofite 
 fchemes, it is more likely to deferve our 
 preference. There are, however, fome 
 modifications of it which approach too 
 nearly to the fcheme firft explained ; and 
 this, in my opinion, is true in particular 
 of the account which has been given of 
 the dignity of Chrift and the dodrine .of 
 OUT redemption by the truly great and 
 excellent Dr. Clarke. In the explications 
 he gives of the dodrine of our redemption, 
 he feems to have carried his ideas to fub- 
 ftitution, fatisfadiion, and vicarious pu- 
 nifliments: And he feems alfo to have 
 held fuch a pre-eminence of Chrift above 
 all creatures, and fuch a peculiar manner 
 of his derivation from God as is perfedly 
 incomprehenfible, and grounded on a 
 mifinterpretation of the language of Scrip- 
 ture. But I muft not now dwell on fuch 
 obftrvations. 
 
 G 4 Mv 
 
88 Of the Chrijiia?t DoBrine 
 
 My bufinefs in what remains of thefe 
 difcourfes (hall be to give you an account 
 of the reafons which determine me to pre- 
 fer this third fcheme of Chriftianity to the 
 Socinian fcheme. In doing this I fliall con- 
 fine myfelf to the two points I have fo 
 often mentioned, and endeavour to ftate 
 my reafons, Jirjl of all, for believing that 
 Chrift, with refped to his nature or per- 
 fon was more than a vmn-y 2LnA^ fecondly^ 
 for believing that, with refped to his of- 
 fice as a Saviour, he was more than a 
 teacher and example. At prefent I will 
 only make a few obfervotions previous to 
 the difcuffion of the firft of thefe points. 
 
 Firft. I would point out to your notice 
 a particular coincidence between Socini^ 
 anifm and the high Trinitarian doftrine. 
 You will find, upon refleflion, that there 
 cannot be a more remarkable inftance 
 of a trite obfervation, " that extremes 
 " are apt to meet." According to the 
 Athanajian dodlrine, that fefiis who was 
 born of a virgin, who bled on the crofs, 
 
 and 
 
as held by Unitarians & Socinians, 89 
 
 and who rofe again, was fimply a man 
 feeling all our wants and fubjeft to all our 
 infirmities and fufFerings. It is impoffible 
 that any one who has the ufe of his 
 reafon fliould believe that God was born, 
 and fufFered, and bled, and died. This 
 was true only of the man Jefus. The 
 contrary is too (hocking to be even ima- 
 gined 5 nor is it afferted by the advo- 
 cates of the proper Deity of Jefus Chrift. 
 What they fay is, that though Chrift was 
 very man^ yet he was alfo very God ; and 
 when they fay he was very God they do not 
 mean that he loft his nature ^ as a man 
 
 by 
 
 e Dr. Horfley (in a fermon on the incarnation 
 lately publifhed) has made an obfervation on this 
 fubje(St which feems curious. According to him 
 the hypoftatical union could not have taken place if 
 the principle of individual exiftence in the man Jefus 
 had not been that union itfelf ; and the nece/Iity of 
 this created the neceffity of the miraculous concep- 
 tion, a man produced in the common way, or (as he 
 fpeaks) by the phyfical powers of generation, being 
 "incapable of fuch an union. 
 
go Of the Chrijlian Dodirine 
 
 by a converfion of it into the fubftance of 
 the Deity (this alfo being an abfurdity 
 too grofs to be admitted by any human 
 mind) but that there was an union be- 
 tween it and the Divine nature which 
 gave value and efficacy to the fufferings 
 of the man. The Socinians fay much the 
 fame j for they fay, that God dwelt in Je- 
 fus and aded and fpoke by him, and that 
 there was fuch an extraordinary commu- 
 nication of Divine influence to him as 
 raifed him above other mortals and ren- 
 dered him properly God with iis^ that is, 
 God manifefting himfelf to us and difplay- 
 ing his power and perfedions on earth in 
 the perfon, difcourfes, and miracles of 
 Chrift. The advocates of ,the Athanafian 
 dodlrine cannot mean more than this by 
 the union they talk of between God and 
 Chrift. They call it indeed an union of 
 two natures into one perfon ; an union 
 which made the Godhead and the manhood 
 one complex fubjed of adion and paffion. 
 But this is a language to which they can- 
 not 
 
as held hy Unitarians & Socinians. 9 1 
 
 not poffibly fix any ideas : For, whatever 
 they may pretend, they cannot really be- 
 lieve that any two natures, much lefs two 
 natures fo effentially different as the hu- 
 man and Divine, can make one perfonj 
 or that there could have been fuch an 
 union between Jefus and the Supreme 
 Deity as to make it flridly true, that when 
 Jefus was born, God was born ; or that 
 when ye/us was crucified, God was cruci- 
 fied. They are no more capable of be- 
 lieving this than the Papifis, when they 
 maintain tranfubftantiation, are capable 
 of believing that the body of Chrift may 
 be eaten at one and the fame time in a 
 million of places, or that Chrift at his 
 laft fupper really held his body in his 
 hand and gave it to his apoftles. As far, 
 therefore, as Trinitarians and Socinians 
 have ideas they are agreed on this fubjed ; 
 and the war they have been maintaining 
 againft one another has been entirely a 
 war of words. — What an inflance is this 
 
 of 
 
92 Of the Chrijiian DoBrine 
 
 of human weaknefs ? There are no two 
 parties of Chriftians who talk languages 
 about Chrift more feemingly oppofite> 
 one maintaining zealoufly that he was the 
 eternal God, and the other that he was a 
 man ; and yet when their ideas are exa- 
 mined we find that they coincide, the one 
 making him in reality as much a mere 
 man as the other, and the only difference 
 being, that the one talk a plain language 
 about the union of this man to the Deity 5 
 and that the other run it up to a myftery 
 which admits of no explanation or mean- 
 ing. But what is a flill more melancholy 
 proof of human weaknefs is the firefs 
 which one of thefe parties have laid on 
 their myflerious dodrine ; and the horrid 
 barbarity with which, in former ages, 
 they pcrfecuted all who could not receive 
 it. Even now, in this enlightened and 
 happy country, there is (as you well 
 know) a creed, in conftant ufe and obfti- 
 nately retained, which declares that with- 
 out 
 
as held by Unitarians & Socinians. 93 
 
 out doubt all who rej^d this dodrine will 
 perifla everlaftingly ^ 
 
 But 
 
 g There is an opinion concerning Chrift which I 
 have thought not neceflary to be noticed in thefe dif- 
 courfes. It is the opinion in which a very amiable 
 divine (the late Dr. Watts) fettled after fpending 
 many years in perplexing enquiries, and taking much 
 pains to keep within the limits of the do6trines com- 
 monly reckoned orthodox. It agrees with Jrianifm 
 in the ftrange doci:rine, as Dr. Watts calls it {k,^ his 
 Solemn Jddrefs to the Deity in the 4th volume of his 
 works) of a threefold Deity confiding of Father, 
 Son, and Holy Ghoft in one undivided eflence ; and 
 in maintaining, that the Saviour who died for us was a 
 fuper-angclic fpirit, the firft of God's productions and 
 the limit between him and his creatures, and not a mere 
 man, as Athanafiam and Socinians fay. But it differs 
 from Jrianifm in afferting a doctrine which fcems even 
 more ftrange than that concerning the Deity which 
 Dr. Watts rejected. I mean, the doctrine of a two- 
 fold Chrift confifting of two natures in one perfon ; 
 or of two beings (the felf-exiftent Creator and a crea- 
 ture) made, as Dr. Watts fpeaks, in one complex 
 being by an ineffable union and indwelling, which 
 renders all the fame titles, attributes, and honours, 
 equally applicable to both. See Dr. JVaifs Treatife 
 on the Glory of Chriji as God- man. 
 
 The 
 
94 Of the Chrijiian DoBrine. 
 
 But fecondly; another previous obfer- 
 vation which I would make is, that tho', 
 in oppofition to the dodrine both of Tr/- 
 72tt avians and Socinians^ I look upon Chrift 
 
 as 
 
 The Jrlan part of this fcheme (now generally dif- 
 tinguifhed by the name of the indwellmg fcheme) gave 
 fo much offence to Dr. Watt's more orthodox bre- 
 thren, that the latter part of it could not fave him 
 from their cenfures, or make him an obje6l of their 
 charity. This (hould have taught him charity to 
 all his lefs orthodox brethren. But it had not 
 this efFe(5l. Concerning Socinians he intimates 
 (in the Preface to his book entitled Orthodoxy and 
 Charity united) that the Scriptures did not vi'arrant 
 him to extend his charity to them ; and that they are 
 expofed to a fentence from v^hich he prays that the 
 grace of God may recover and preferve them. In a 
 Poem alfo on Mr. Lock's Annotations inferted among 
 his Lyric Poems, he makes an apology for invoking 
 the help of Charity to find Mr. Lock in heaven, by 
 intimating that he could not have done this had he 
 not concluded from his explanation of Rom. v. 21. 
 that he was not a Socinian, — How ftrongly does this 
 {hew that allcv/ances ought fometimes to be made 
 even for uncharitablenefs ? And what a proof is it of 
 the unhappy influence of the prejudices to which we 
 
 are 
 
as held by Unitarians & Socinians. / 9 5 
 
 as more than any human being, I do not 
 prefume to be able to determine the degree 
 of his fuperiority, or to know any thing of 
 the particular rank which he held in God's 
 univerfe before his defcent from heaven. 
 This is a point which we have neither 
 means for difcovering, nor faculties for 
 underftanding. The Scriptures are in a 
 great degree filent about it, informing us 
 only that he was before Abraham j that he 
 had glory with God before the world was -^ and 
 that, thro' his intermediate agency, God 
 made this world. I fay this, world, for you 
 (h« jld never forget that when the Scrip- 
 tures fpeak of the world they mean only 
 this world with its connexions and de- 
 pendencies, the facred 'writers having 
 probably never carried their views farther, 
 
 or 
 
 are all liable, and which often contrail: and darken 
 the beft minds ? — Thefe prejudices would be exter- 
 minated, and all Chriftians would refpeii: one another, 
 were the dodtrine I have endeavoured to inculcate in the 
 firft of thefe difcourfes univerfally received. 
 
96 Of the Chrijlian Doctrine 
 
 or formed any conception of thofe in- 
 numerable worlds and Jyjlems of worlds 
 which have been difcovered by the mo- 
 dern improvements in philofophy and 
 aftronomy. Thofe learned men, there- 
 fore, feem to me to have gone much too 
 far, who (though they deny Chrift's equa- 
 lity to his God and our God) yet fpeak of 
 him as a Being who cxifted before all 
 worlds and as at the head of all worlds. 
 This feems almoft as little warranted by 
 rcafon and Scripture as the doQrine which 
 makes him the one supreme j and it 
 makes the dodrine of his having humbled 
 himfelf to death even the death of the 
 crofs to fave this world, almoft equally in- 
 credible. When in the ColoJJians he is 
 ftyled the image of the invifible Deity ^ and 
 the Firjl-born of every creature^ the meaning 
 is, that by the Divine power which he 
 difplayed he was a reprefentation on earth 
 of the ever bleffed Deity ; and that by 
 riling from the dead he became, what he is 
 elfewhere called, the Firft-fruits of them 
 
 that 
 
as held by Unitarians & Socinians, gy 
 
 that fleep, and the Firft-born from the 
 dead of human beings, 
 
 Thirdly, There is one previous ob- 
 fervation more which I would re- 
 commend to your particular confidera- 
 tion. 
 
 Amidft all the fpeculations and contro- 
 verfies about the perfon and offices of 
 Chrift, I wi(h you would never forget that 
 the only objed of religious worfhip is the 
 one Supreme Deity. This, I think, a point 
 of great confequence, There is no other 
 being concerning whom we have fufficient 
 reafbn to think, that he is continually pre. 
 fent with us, and a witnefs to all our 
 thoughts and defires. There is, therefore, 
 no other being to whom our prayers ought 
 to be direded. It was to this Being that 
 our Lord himfelf direded his prayers . 
 And his language to us is, thou Jhalt wor- 
 Jhip the Lord thy God and him only Jhalt 
 fhou ferve^ Mat. iv. lo. Tou Jhall ajk me 
 nothing. Whatever ye jhall aJk the Father 
 H in 
 
98 Of the Chrijlian DoBrine 
 
 in my name^ he will give it to you^ John 
 xvi. 23. This is the Scripture rule of 
 worrtiip. We are to pray to God in the 
 name of Chrift j that is, as his difciplcs, 
 and with a regard to him as the Mediator 
 between God and man. To this purpofe 
 St. Paul exhorts us in Col. iii. 16. Do 
 every thing in the name of Chrift giving 
 thanks to God and the Father by him. The 
 injundion to St. John, when he would 
 have fallen down to worfhip the angel 
 that fliewed him the prophetical vilions 
 in the book of Revelation, we fhould con- 
 fider as given to every Chriftian who is 
 difpofed to worfhip any being except the 
 ONE Supreme— 5^^ thou do it not. Worfmp 
 God, All other worfhip is an idolatry 
 which the Chriflian religion forbids. The 
 pronenefs to it, however, among Chrif- 
 tians, as well as Heathens, has been in 
 all ages melancholy and fhocking. The 
 religion of Heathens confifled chiefly in 
 the worfhip of human fpirits fuppofed to 
 
 have 
 
as held by Unitarians © Socinians. gg 
 
 have been elevated after their deaths into 
 a participation with the Supreme Deity in 
 the government of the world. The reli- 
 gion of Papijis is in a great degree the 
 fame. Their prayers are direded much 
 more to the Virgin Mary^ and deijfied 
 human fpirits called faints^ than to God. 
 —Nor are Profejlants guiltlefs. For, if the 
 dodrine of the Trinity be falfe, what 
 muft the worfhip be that is grounded 
 upon it ? How much muft the reformed 
 churches themfelves want ^reformation ? — 
 Even Sociiiians have not kept clear of this 
 great error of Chriftendom ^ You have 
 heard that, in former times, they con- 
 tended zealoufly for the obligation to 
 invoke and worfhip Chrift, though, in 
 H 2 their 
 
 h It Is remarkable that Sacinus^ whofe zeal on thfs 
 point was fo great as to make him a perfecutor, at the 
 fame time aflerted that idolaters could not be faved. 
 How happy is it for us, that even our own fentences 
 here fhall not condemn us hereafter, provided we are 
 fmcere ? 
 
lOO Of the Chrijiian DoBrine 
 
 their opinion, not a creature only, but a 
 mere man. 
 
 Suffer me here to addrefs you in the 
 words with which the apoftle John con- 
 ^cludes his firft Epiftle — Little children keep 
 yourfehes from idols. Adhere to the wor- 
 ship of the one living and true God, and 
 admit no other beings to a fhare with him 
 in your adorations. That grand apoftacy 
 among Chriftians which is predifled in the 
 New Teftament, confifts principally in 
 their falling into idolatrous worfhip*. 
 
 This 
 
 J The learned Mr. Jofeph Mede^ in the laft century, 
 has given an intimation of " Some fm which the 
 " whole body of the reformation is guilty of, but 
 " which is counted no fm.'* And Sir Ifaac Newton^ 
 in his Commentary on the Revelations, /peaks of 
 *« all nations having corrupted the Chriftian religion, 
 " and of a recovery of the long ioji truth which is to 
 *•« be effected- hereafter." — " 1 can by no means con- 
 *' i:eive (fays an excellent clergyman and valuable 
 *' writer) what it is thefe writers point at except it 
 *' be the fupremacy of the God and Father of all, 
 
 " which 
 
as held by Vnit avians & Sod mans, loi 
 
 This is that fpiritual fornication for 
 which the Jews were fo often punifhed 5 
 and which, according to all the beft com- 
 mentators, has given the name of the mo-^ 
 ther of harlots to the church oi Rome. Avoid 
 it then carefully and anxioufly. You 
 cannot be wrong when you follow, in this 
 and other inftances, the example of Jefus 
 Chrift. 
 
 It is the convidion that the true objedl 
 
 of religious worfhip is God the Father 
 
 only^ that in a great meafure makes us 
 
 Protejlant Diffenters. Let us keep on 
 
 H 3 this 
 
 *' which they might poffibly believe to be a truth 
 *' that has been denied and loft by the general decla- 
 " ration of the churches, that two other perfons are 
 *' his equals. This is ib far from being looked upon 
 " as a fin that it is a fign of orthodoxy, and is a 
 <* do6trine that pervades the whole reformation." 
 See ReflecSlions on the 15th chapter of Mr. Gibbon's 
 Hiftory, &c. p. ']i^^ by the late Mr. Henry Taylor, 
 Re6lor of Crawley, and Vicar of Portfmouth, 
 Hants. 
 
102 Of the Chrijiian Do5trine 
 
 this ground. It is impoffible we fhould 
 find better. There are probably fupe- 
 rior invifible beings without number. 
 Eot we have nothing to do with them 
 as objeQs of our devotions. Our invo- 
 cations in prayer muft be confined to 
 that one felf-exiftent being who governs 
 all beings. There are other lords 5 but 
 their authority is derived from him. 
 There are other faviours, but they are 
 his gifts ; and of thefe the firft and beft 
 is that Saviour who left heaven to de- 
 liver us from fin and death, and to lift 
 xxs to a happy immortality. To this Sa- 
 viour we owe an ardent gratitude ^ but 
 the gratitude we owe to him is nothing 
 compared with that which we owe to 
 the God who gave him, and whom 
 alone we know to be ever near us to hear 
 and notice our prayers and praifes. 
 
 Having made thefe previous obferva- 
 tions, I fhall next proceed to fet before 
 
 you fome arguments which appear to me 
 
 to 
 
as held by Unitarians & Socinians, 103 
 
 to prove the two dodrines of the pre- 
 cxiftent dignity of Chrift, and his having 
 performed a higher fervice for us than any 
 being merely human could have perform- 
 ed. But this I muft referve for fome fu- 
 ture difcourfes. 
 
 H 4 S E R. 
 
[ I05 ] 
 
 SERMON IV. 
 
 OF THE PRE-EXISTENCE AND DIGNITY 
 OF CHRIST. 
 
 I John iv. 14. 
 
 We have feen^ and do tejiify^ that the Father 
 fent the Son to be the Saviour of the 
 world. 
 
 IN difcourfing to you on the different 
 fchemes of Chriftianity you may re- 
 member that (after {hewing that we are 
 all agreed with refped to the ejjentials of 
 it, and the information which it was in- 
 tended principally to communicate, and 
 which is moft interefting to us as finful 
 and dying creatures) I arranged the dif- 
 ferent fentiments which have been enter- 
 tained 
 
io6 Of the Pre-exijlence 
 
 tained concerning it under three fchemcs> 
 each of which I ftated, giving the prefer- 
 ence to that which I did' not know how 
 better to diflinguilh than by calling it 
 the middle fcheme between Calvinifm and 
 Sociniajiifm, 
 
 My defign, in what is to follow of thefe 
 difcourfcs, is to ftate the reafons which 
 feem to me to fliew that this fcheme comes 
 neareft the truth. At the clofe of my laft 
 diicourfe, I made fome preparatory obfer- 
 vations which I thought neceffary j and, 
 with this view, I 
 
 Firft pointed out to your notice a coin- 
 cidence which there is, on the fubjed of 
 Chrift's dignity, between the opinions of 
 Trinitarians and Socinians. Both make 
 the Jefus who bled and died on the crofs 
 a mere man^ but diftinguiflied from com- 
 mon men by a miraculous conception and 
 a particular communication of Divine 
 powers. In oppofition to this doflrine, I 
 have propofed to ftate the reafons which 
 lead me to believe, that he was more than 
 
 a man, 
 
and Dignity of Chriji. 107 
 
 3 man, and that he not only was endow- 
 ed with extraordinary powers, but had ex- 
 ifted before his appearance in this world in 
 a ftate of dignity and glory. 
 
 Secondly 5 I defired you to obferve that, 
 while I believe this to be the truth, I do 
 not mean to affert any thing with refped: 
 to the degree of our Lord's pre-exijlent 
 dignity, this being a point about which 
 the Scriptures are filent except by fay- 
 ing that God made this world by him. 
 
 Thirdly ; I defired you to obferve, that 
 whatever may be the dignity of Chrift or 
 our obligations to him, the only objed of 
 our religious worfhip is that one Supreme 
 Being who fent him into the world j and 
 that all prayer direded to other beings is 
 an idolatry which we ought anxioufly to 
 avoid. 
 
 I fliall now proceed to ftate my reafons 
 for receiving that account of the Gofpel 
 to which I have given the preference. It 
 differs, I have faid, from Socinianifm in 
 
 two 
 
io8 Of the Pre-exijience 
 
 two particulars. Firft, in afferting Chrift 
 to have been more than any human being. 
 And, fecondly, in afferting that he took 
 upon him human nature for a higher pur- 
 pofe than merely revealing to mankind 
 the will of God, and inftruding them in 
 their duty and in the dodrines of religion. 
 In difcourfing on thefe fubjeds, I have 
 thought the words I have juft read to you 
 better adapted to my views than the words 
 on which I grounded my former difcourfes. 
 JVe have Jeen and do tejiify (fays St. John) 
 that the Father fent the Son to be the Saviour 
 of the world, — Thefe words imply the fol- 
 lowing very important truths. 
 
 Firft ; that Jefus Chrift was the Mejfenger 
 of God the Father Almighty j and that, 
 therefore, we are to afcribe to him ulti- 
 mately all that Chrift did and all that we 
 owe to him. The Father, my text fays, 
 SENT the Son. 
 
 Secondly, that this Meffenger was one 
 of peculiar excellence and dignity. By 
 way of diftindion, and in order to mark 
 
 his 
 
 V 
 
and Dignity of Cbriji. 109 
 
 his peculiar eminence, he is called the Son. 
 So like wife in the firft verfe of the Epiftlc 
 to the Hebrews it is faid that God, who at 
 fundry times and in divers manners /poke in 
 times paji to the fathers by the prophets, hath 
 in thefe laji times fpoken to lis by his Son, by 
 whom he made the worlds. 
 
 Thirdly 5 thefe words imply that Chrift 
 was fent into the world to perform for it a 
 fervice of the lafl importance. He was 
 fent to SAVE it. The Father fent the Son 
 to be the Saviour of the world.— Thefe 
 words, therefore, lead me to anfwer the 
 following enquiries. 
 
 I ft. Whether the peculiar dignity of 
 Chrift, as pointed out to us in the Srip- 
 tures, means any more than what Atha^ 
 nafians and Socinians fay ; that is, his being 
 a man the fame with ourfelves, but in 
 union with the Deity and endowed with 
 extraordinary powers ? 
 
 2dly. What the nature was of that /;/- 
 Jlrumentality in the work of our redemp- 
 tion, which is exprefled when it is faid 
 
 that 
 
no Of the Pre^exifience 
 
 that God SENT him to be th^ Saviour of 
 the world. 
 
 And 3dly. Whether he is a Saviour in 
 any other way than by his inflru<9ions and 
 example. 
 
 Firft, let us enquire what leafons there 
 are for believing that Chrift's peculiar dig- 
 nity, as defcribed in the Scriptures, implies 
 that he was more than any being merely 
 human. 
 
 As one who wifhes to be a candid en- 
 quirer after truth, I mull here tell you, 
 that I think the mere appellation (Son of 
 God) applied to Chrift decides nothing on 
 this fubjedl. The manner in which he is 
 fo ftyled in my text and in other places of 
 Scripture implies, as I have juft obferved, 
 his pre-eminence as a Prophet and MefTen- 
 ger from God ; but the appellation, taken 
 by itfelf and abftraded from the circum- 
 ftances of its application, affords no proof 
 of his being more than a man. It is in- 
 deed a phrafe which has been deplorably 
 
 mif- 
 
and Dignify of Chrijl. 1 1 1 
 
 mifintcrpreted ; and on which a doflrine 
 concerning God the moft unintelligible 
 has been grounded. By Trinitarians and 
 Calvinijls^ it has been fuppofed to refer 
 to an eternal derivation of one part of the 
 Divine nature from another, or of the 
 fecond perfon in the Trinity from the frjl ; 
 and their language is, that Chrift was nei- 
 ther made nor created^ but begotten from 
 everlafting, and of one fubliance W\\h the 
 Father. And, even by many more rati- 
 onal divines, this phrafe has been thought 
 to refer to fame peculiar manner in which 
 Chrift derived his exiftence from the 
 Deity before all worlds, and by which he 
 is diftinguifhed from and raifcd above alt 
 the other produdlions of the Divine will 
 and power, For this reafon they think 
 Chrift is called the Only Begotten of the 
 father, there exifting no other being Ac- 
 riyed from him in the fame way j that is, 
 by generation^ and not by creation. There 
 is fcarcely any thing that ftrikes me more, 
 with a convidlion of the infirmity of the 
 
 human 
 
112 Of the Pre-exiftence ■ 
 
 human underftanding, than the zeal with 
 which this mod groundlefs and abfurd 
 notion has been received by fome of the 
 ableft and beft men. That it is wholly 
 groundlefs will appear from the following 
 confiderations. 
 
 Firft ; with refped to the epithet only- 
 begotten applied to Chrift as the Son of 
 God, it is plain that it means no more 
 than his being his beloved Son, as he is 
 likewife often called in the Scriptures. — 
 Thus is this epithet ufed in Prov. iv. 3. 
 For I was my father s fon tender and only 
 (that is, peculiarly) beloved in the fght 
 of my mother. And it is remarkable, that 
 the Greek tranflators of the Old Tefta- 
 ment frequently render the words which, 
 in the original, fignify 07ily fon, by beloved 
 fon. 
 
 It deferves your notice here, that Chrift 
 is flyled God's frd-begotten as well as his 
 only-begotten Son ; and that he is fo ftyled 
 plainly for no other reafon, than that he 
 was the firii that rofe from the dead. 
 
 Thus 
 
and Dignify of Chrijl. 1 1 3 
 
 Thus Rev. i. 5. Grace be to you from him 
 which is and which was and which is to come ; 
 and from Jefus Chriji the Faithful Witnefs^ 
 the FirJi'Begotten from the deady and the 
 Prince of the kings of the earth And Col. 
 i. 1 8. He is the Head of the churchy the Be- 
 ginning^ the Firji-Born from the dead^ that 
 in all thi72gs he might have the pre-eminence. 
 Can any one imagine, that in thefe texts 
 the facred writers had any view to the 
 mode of Chrift's derivation from the Fa- 
 ther before all worlds ? It is equally un- 
 reafonable to imagine, they had any fuch 
 view when they apply the title Son of God 
 generally to him, without any epithet. In 
 reality; it is only a particular kind of 
 phrafeology ufed in the Scriptures j and 
 which is frequently applied to many be- 
 fides our Saviour. Angels are ftyled the 
 Sons of God^ Job xxxviii. 7. When the 
 morning Jlars fang together^ and all thefons 
 of God Jldouted for joy. See likewife Dan. 
 iii. 25. — Adam is called the fm of God, 
 Luke iii. 38. — Magiftrates are called the 
 
 1 fifis 
 
ii4 Of the Pre-exijiencd. 
 
 Jons of God, Pfal. Ixxxii. 6. and John x. 
 34. — Ifrael is called Go A' sfirjl -born ^ Exod. 
 iv. 22. And thou Jhalt fay unto Fharoah^ 
 thus faith the Lord-^ Ifrael is my fon^ even 
 my firfi'bonu — But this title is; in a more 
 particular manner, applyed to good men 
 and virtuous Chriftians in the New Tef- 
 tament. As many as are led by the fpirit 
 of God, St. Paul tells us, are the fons of 
 God', and if fons, then heirs -^ heirs of God, 
 and joint heirs "with Chrif, Rom. viii. 14, 
 and 17. So likewiie, Rev. xxi. 7. He 
 that ov er Cometh f) all inherit all things, and 
 I will be his God, and he Jhall be my fon. 
 And in John i. 12. it is faid that to as. 
 ?nany as receive Chrijl, he gave the potver 
 to become the fons of God, 
 
 In fhortj according to the Scripture 
 language, we are all the fons of God j but 
 Chrift is fo more particularly and emi- 
 nently. God is the Father of us all, as 
 well as of Chrift ; but he is the firft-born 
 among many brethren, having God for 
 his God no lefs than he is our God. / af 
 
 cend 
 
and Dignity of Chrifi. 1 1 5 
 
 cend (faid our Saviour to Martha) to my 
 God and to your God^ to- my Father and to 
 your Father. 
 
 The title Son of God then being appli- 
 cable to Chrift, with all the epithets added 
 to it, were he only a man, nothing can be 
 inferred from it with refped to his pre- 
 exiftent dignity. And this will appear 
 yet more plainly from confidering, that he 
 is flyled in the Scriptures the Son of Man 
 as well as the Son of God ; and that both 
 thefe titles took their rife from two re- 
 markable prophecies in the Old Tefla- 
 ment concerning the Mefliah. The firfl 
 took its rife from Daniel the 7th chapter 
 and 13th verfe. I Jaw in the night vifions^ 
 and behold one like the Son of*Man came 
 v)iih the clouds of heaven to the Ancient of 
 days':^ ahdthere was give?i him dominion and 
 glory and a kiftgdom that all people and na- 
 tions, and languages fmild ferve him. The 
 latter took its rife from the prophecy in 
 the three firft verfes of the 42d chapter of 
 Ifaiah, Behold my Servant (or, as it is 
 I 2 quoted 
 
1 16 Of the Pre-extfience 
 
 quoted in Mat. xii. i8.) Behold my Son 
 whom I have chofen^ my Beloved in whom my 
 foul delighteth, I will put my fpirit upon 
 him^ and he fialljhew forth judgment to the 
 Gentiles. But it will be proper to be more 
 explicit here, and to obferve that Chrift 
 is called the Son of God on three accounts 
 in the New Telia men t. 
 
 Firft. On account of his miraculous 
 conception. This is evident from Luke 
 i. 35. The angel fat d to her ^ the Holy Ghof 
 Jhall come upon thee. The power of the 
 Highejl fiall overjhadow thee. Therefore^ 
 that holy thing which fiall be born of thee 
 Jhall be called the Son of God. 
 
 Secondly. On account of his refurrec- 
 tion. This appears from Rom. i. 4. De^ 
 dared to be the Son of God with power by his 
 refurredtion from the dead. And more 
 plainly from Ads xiii. 33. The promife 
 which was made to our fathers^ God hathful^ 
 filled to us their children, in that he hath raifed 
 up Jefusfrom the dead, as it is written in the 
 
 fecond 
 
and Dignity of Chrijl. 117 
 
 Jecond Pfahn. Thou art my Son-, this day 
 have I begotten thee. 
 
 Thirdly. On account of his office as 
 the Meffiah. In confequence of Ifaiah*s 
 prophecy juft quoted, the phrafe Sm of 
 God C2imc to be the moft common title by 
 which the Meffiah was charaaerized 
 among the Jews. So true is this, that it 
 appears plainly in the Gofpel hiftory that 
 thefe two titles, the Son of God and the 
 Mejfiah, were fynonimous among the Jews 
 at the time of our Lord's public miniftry. 
 When St. John at the end of his Gofpel 
 declares, that what he had written was in 
 order that they might believe that Jefus was 
 the Chrijt, the Son of God-, it is plain that 
 he ufes the phrafe Son of God as only ano- 
 ther phrafe for the Chrif, that is, the 
 Meffiah. The fame is true of Nathanael's 
 •declaration on feeing our Saviour. Rabbi^ 
 thou art the Son of God. Thou art the King 
 of Ifrael And alfo, of the confeffion made 
 by the demoniacs mentioned Luke iv. 41* 
 JOemons alfo came out of many crying out 
 I 3 md 
 
T« Of the Pre-eyJJlence 
 
 andjaying^ Thou art the Meffiah^ the Son of 
 God. When the Jews afked our Lord, 
 Luke xxii. 7a Art thou the Son of God? 
 their meaning undoubtedly was, Art thou 
 the MeJJiah? And thus that very queftion 
 is expreffed in Mark xiv. 61. Art thou the 
 Meffiah^ the Son of the blejed'? 
 
 It would be wafting your time to fay 
 more on this fbbjed. Such is the true 
 account of a phrafeology in Scripture 
 which has nothing in it that is not eafy 
 and inteUigible; but which has, among 
 Chrijlians^ produced fome of the groffeft 
 conceptions of the Deity J and among In- 
 fideh expofed Chriftianity to ridicule and 
 fcorn. 
 
 Having thus fhewn you that no conclu- 
 fion, with refped to the dodlrine of Chrift's 
 
 pre- 
 
 a The account here given of Chrift's being called 
 the Son of God, is nearly the fame with that given 
 by Dr. Watts in his Treatife entitled, Ufefttl and Im- 
 portant ^leftiom, concerning 'Jejin the Son of God freely 
 propofedy with a humble a^te?npt to anfwer them* 
 
and Dignity of Chrijl. 1 19 
 
 pre-exiftence, can be drawn merely from 
 his being called the Soil of God, I fhall now 
 ftat^ to you thofe reafons which influ- 
 ence my judgment in this inftance, and 
 which feem to me to prove this doflrine. 
 Firft, I will obferve that the denial of 
 it feems, in a great meafure, derived from 
 narrow ideas of tlie extent of the creation, 
 and of the eonnedlions and dependencies 
 that take place in it. We are too apt to 
 look upon ourfelvesas placed by ourfelves 
 on this globe, as unconneded with any 
 fuperior world of fpirits, and the fun and 
 ftars as made only for us. This is all 
 miferable narrownefs and fliortfighted- 
 nefs. That earth, which appears to us 
 fo great, is (comparatively fpeaking) no- 
 thing to the folar fyflem : The folar 
 fyftem, nothing to the fyftem of the fix- 
 ed ftars : And the fyftem of the fixed ftars 
 nothing to that fyftem of fyftems of which 
 it is a part. — I refer now to fome difco- 
 veries in the heavens which have been 
 I 4 lately 
 
1 20 Of the Pre-exijlence 
 
 lately made. The planets are fo many 
 inhabited worlds ; and all the ftars which 
 twinkle in the Iky fo many funs enlight- 
 ening other worlds. This no one now 
 doubts. But late obfervations have car- 
 ried our views much farther, by difcover- 
 ing that this whole vaft colledion of worlds 
 and fyftems bears a relation to other 
 colledions of worlds and fyftems 5 that 
 our fyftem moves towards other fyftems ; 
 that all the vifible frame of fun, planets, 
 ftars, and milky-way forms one clujler of 
 fyftems ; and that, in the immenfe ex- 
 panfe of the heavens, there are myriads 
 of thefe clufters which to common glaffes 
 appear like fmall white clouds, but to 
 better glafles appear to be affemblages of 
 ftars mixing their light. This fets before 
 us a profpeft which turns us giddy ; but, 
 however afloniihing, we have reafon to 
 believe that all that it prefents to us is 
 mthing to the real extent and grandeur of 
 the univerfe ^ for all thefe myriads of 
 words, of fyliems of worlds, and of af- 
 femblages 
 
and Dignify of Chrijl, 121 
 
 femhlages of fyftems being formed fo 
 much on one plan as all to require 
 light, it is more than probable that fome- 
 where in the immenfity of fpace, other 
 plans of nature take place; and that, 
 far beyond all that it is poffible for us to 
 defcry, numberlefs fcenes of exiftence 
 are exhibited different in this refped, and 
 of which we can no more form a notion 
 than a child in the womb can form a no. 
 tion of the folar fyftem, or a man born 
 blind of light and colours. But I am in 
 danger of going farther than is fuitable to 
 my prefent purpofe in fpeaking on this 
 fubjed. What I have jufl faid relates 
 chiefly to /:(?r/(?r^^/ nature; and my defign 
 has been to lead you to this refledion— 
 *' That fince corporeal nature is thus ex- 
 " tenfive and grand; incorporeal nature, 
 '' (that is, the intelledliial univerfe) mod 
 '' be much more fo." The former is in 
 itjelf of no value. The fnaterial univerfe 
 is the loweft part of created exiftence, and 
 defigned only to be the feat and receptacle 
 of living and fpiritual beings. Thefe 
 
 fpiritual 
 
122 Of the Pre-extflence 
 
 fpiritual beings rife above one another in 
 endlefs gradation from the oyfter to the 
 ONE Supreme. They have, undoubtedly, 
 connedions and dependencies like thofe 
 which are eflabliflied in the material uni- 
 verfe. Man, in particular, is only one 
 link in this chain. It would be the great- 
 (eft folly to imagine that he ftands alone 5 
 or that he has no connexions with fupe- 
 jior orders of creatures. His prefent ftate 
 niay be derived from thefe connedionsj 
 atid the adminiftration of the Divine go- 
 vernment with refped to him may have a 
 Inference to them, and be in fome man- 
 per dependent upon them. The Scripr 
 tures, I think, teach us plainly that this 
 is the truth, by the account they give us 
 of the fal!, of angels good and bad, and 
 of the Mejjiah. Nor can any dodrine ap- 
 pear more credible to a perfon who at- 
 tends properly to the order and laws of the 
 creation. 
 
 We fee the whole of exiftence below us 
 ^tjiat is, between rnan and nothing) filled 
 
 with 
 
md Dignity of Cbrijl. 123 
 
 with a variety, almoft infinite, of difFer- 
 ent claffes of beings all related and con- 
 nefled. Who can doubt whether all 
 above us is alike full ? — Let us here think 
 of the poffible dignity pf fuperior intelli- 
 gent beings. 
 
 It is felf-evident, that the Almighty 
 Being who exifted from eternity might 
 have exerted his power from eternity ^ 
 and to affert the contrary is to affert that 
 he mud have paffed an eternity without 
 power.— But not to infift on this, it will 
 come to the fame to fay, that from a time 
 in pad duration, at a greater diftance than 
 any affignable, he has been exerting his 
 Almighty power and perfed goodnefs. 
 There are, therefore, reafonable beings 
 who have exifted from indefinite ages. 
 During all thefe ages they have been 
 growing and rifing. What then muft 
 they now be ? To what dignity mull they 
 have arrived ? Of what confequence muft 
 their agency be in the creation r— We are 
 DURSELviDs (fhould we not lofe our ex- 
 
 iflence 
 
124 Of the Pre-exijlence 
 
 iftence by vicej to exift and to rife through 
 eternal ages. What dignity then fhall 
 we our/elves feme time or other reach? 
 What importance muft our agency fome 
 time or other acquire ? 
 
 But to come to fome evidences more to 
 my prefent purpofe. 
 
 I would obferve, Secondly, that the 
 hiftory of our Saviour as given in the 
 New Teftament, and the events of his life 
 and miniflry, anfwer beft to the opinion 
 of the fuperiority of his nature. — Of this 
 kind are his introduflion into the world 
 by a miraculous conception ., the annun- 
 ciations from heaven at his baptifm and 
 transfiguration proclaiming him the Son 
 of God, and ordering all to hear him 5 his 
 giving himfelf out as come from God to 
 offer his life for the life of the world, and 
 to fhed his blood for the remiffion of finsj 
 hisperfeB innocence and finlefs example j 
 the wifdom which difcovered itfelf in his 
 doQrinc, and by which he fpoke as never 
 
 maq 
 
and Dignity of Chriji. 1 2 5 
 
 man fpoke j that knowledge of the hearts 
 
 of men by which he could fpeak to their 
 
 thoughts as we do to one another's words ; 
 
 his intimations that he was greater than 
 
 Abraham, Mofes, David, or even angels \ 
 
 thofe miraculous powers by which, with 
 
 a command over nature like that which 
 
 firft produced it, he ordered tempefts to 
 
 ceafe, and gave eyes to the blind, limbs 
 
 to the maimed, reafon to the frantic, 
 
 health to the fick, and life to the deadj 
 
 his furrender of himfelf to the enemies 
 
 who took away his life, after demon- 
 
 flrating that it was his own confent ^ gave 
 
 them 
 t 
 
 *» But of that day knoweth no man ; no not the angels 
 which are in heaven^ neither the So^y but the Father 
 only, Mark xiii. 32. 
 
 *= See John xviii. 14, &c. There was unfpeak- 
 able dignity in our Lord's conduft as defcribed in this 
 paflage. The band of officers and foldiers who came 
 to apprehend him, ftruck by invifible pov/er, were 
 thrown backward and fell to the ground upon ap- 
 proaching him. After this it is probable they were 
 afraid of again approaching him. He was, there- 
 fore, 
 
12.6 Of the Pfe-exijlence 
 
 them their power over him ; the figns 
 which accompanied his fuffcrings and 
 death; his refurredion from the dead and 
 triumphant afcenfion to heaven. — Never 
 was a charader fo auguft exhibited on the 
 ftage of this w^orld '.^The Evangelifts 
 
 have 
 
 fore, obliged to offer himfelf to them, and to defire 
 they would take him. He faw now before him a 
 dreadful fcene of humiliation and torture. In a few 
 hours he was to be nailed to a crofs, and to be held up 
 before a whole kingdom as an obje6t of infult. In 
 thefe circumftances, it was proper there fhould be de- 
 monftrations given of his fuperiority and greatnefs. 
 When he fuffered nature feemed to fuffer with him. 
 The earth fliook, and the light of day withdrew it- 
 felf. And after hanging on the crofs a fufficient 
 time, and crying with a loud voice it ' is f.nijhedy he 
 bowed his head and difmiiTed his fpirit (^r^psSft^y^g t© 
 'TrnviLx.) This was dying as no one ever died. It 
 verified his declaration that no one took his life from him ; 
 hut that he gave it tip of himfelf , 
 
 '^ This is a fubject which has been well treated by 
 fome of our beft writers, and particularly by Dodlor. 
 Newcombe, the learned and excellent Bilhop of Wa- 
 terford, in his Obfervations on our Lord's conduif as a 
 Divine InJiruSfor* 
 
and Dignity of Chrijl. 1 27 
 
 have drawn it by the recital of fads only, 
 without any appearance of art or effort. 
 And when I contemplate it in all its cir- 
 cumftances, I am difpofed indeed to cry 
 cut, in language fimilar to that of the 
 Roman centurion who attended his cru- 
 cifixion, " Surely this was a fuperior 
 being." 
 
 You muft be fenfible that I mention 
 this as a prefumptive argument only. It 
 is, indeed, a confideration of fome weight 
 with me, that had a fuperior being come 
 down from heaven for fome purpofe wor- 
 thy of his interpofition, the events re- 
 corded of Chrift are juft fuch as we rriight 
 have reafonably expeded would have bore 
 witnefs to his greatnefs, and marked his 
 entrance into the world, his palTage 
 through it, and his departure from it. 
 Some, however, of the fads I have men- 
 tioned afford more than a prefumptive 
 argument. Such, in particular, is that 
 immactdafenefs of charader which the 
 Scriptures afcribe to him. This, I think, 
 
 the 
 
J 28 Of the Pre-exijlence 
 
 the Socinians in general allow. But it is 
 conceivable that it could have belonged to 
 a mere man'?-— Another fadl of the fame 
 kind is his raifing himfelf from the dead. 
 This he feems to have intimated when he 
 
 faid 
 
 ^ Chrift, \i 'nnpeccahle and infallible (as Socinians a$ 
 well as other Chriftians have hitherto believed) muft 
 have been not fimply a man like ourfclves, but (fup- 
 pofing kim not to have pre-exifted) an angelic being 
 created on purpofe at the time of his conception, and 
 endowed immediately with the powers and knowledge 
 of a fuperior being, without any of thofe previous ac- 
 quifitions and gradual advances, which the natures 
 of things as well as the ufual courfe of the Divine 
 government, feem to require. — What can be lefs 
 probable than a creation fo extraordinary ? — The cre- 
 ation of an Unique amongft men ; and for a purpofe 
 too, which a man, fallible and peaceable like our- 
 felves, might have anfwered as well ; and, in fome 
 refpecls, even better ! — Compare with this, the def- 
 ^cent from heaven to give life to the world of a being 
 v/hohad before rifen to' high powers.—How different} 
 as to credibility as well as dignity, are the miflion 
 and character of Chrift according to thefe different 
 accounts of them ? 
 
 A modern 
 
and Dignity of Chrijl. 1 29 
 
 faid to the Jews, — " Dejiroy this tempky 
 " und in three days I will raife it up again ;" 
 but more exprefsly in John x. 11, 18. 
 Therefore doth my Father love me becaufe I 
 
 K % 
 
 A modern Socinian of the firft character and ability 
 appears to have felt this difficulty, and, therefore, has 
 fuggefted that Chrifl: was peccable and fallible like 
 ourfelves ; and fo much fo, as to have been mifled by 
 vulgar prejudices, and capable of mifapplying the 
 Scriptures of the Old Teftament — to have been con- 
 quered by the profpect of his crucifixion to a degree 
 that flievi^ed lefs fortitude than has been ftiewn by fome 
 common men in fimilar fiti^itions, tho' he forefaw his 
 own immediate refurre£lion and the glory that was to 
 follow it — to have been ignorant, before his baptifm, 
 of his own charadter as the Mefliah ; and, like the pro- 
 phets that preceded him, even inferior in knowledge 
 (except as far as he was taught by infpiration) to an 
 enlightened man in modern times. — See Objervatlons on 
 the Infpiration cfChriJi in the Theological Repofitory, 
 vol. iv. p. 435, (Sec. The Scripture ailertion, that 
 Chrift knew no fin, means much the fame, according 
 to this author, with St. John's allertion (i John iii. 9.] 
 that a true Chriftian cannot commit fin^ that is, cannot 
 commit any a6ts of grofs fm= 
 
 How- 
 
^3^ Of ^^^ Pre-exijlence 
 
 Jay down my life that I may take it again. 
 No one taketh it from me \ but I lay it down 
 of niyfelf I have power to lay it down^ and 
 I have power to take it again. This com- 
 mandment have I received of my Father. — In 
 all other places God is faid to have raifed 
 
 Chrift 
 
 However contrary this account of Chrift may be to 
 the general faith of Chriftians, I muft think, that it 
 fhews the good fenfe of the writer, and is the only 
 ground on which the Socinian dodlrine is tenable. — 
 The confequence, however, of thus lowering Chrift 
 before his death is the neceffity of lowering him Wk^- 
 Vf\{e Jince his death. And, accordingly, this able 
 writer, whofe candour appears to be fuch as will not 
 fuffer him to evade any fair inference from his opini- 
 ons, has farther intimated {lb. p. 458) that Chrift's 
 judging the world may mean lefs than is commonly 
 believed, and perhaps the fame that is meant in 
 I Cor. vi. 2. when it is faid, that the faints are to 
 judge the world. — I hope, that fome time or other he 
 will have the geodnefs to oblige the public by ex- 
 plaining himfelf on this fubjetSt; and when he does, 
 I hope he will farther ftiew, how much lefs than Is 
 commonly believed, we are to underftand by Chrift's 
 
 RAISING THE WORLD FROM THE DEAD. 
 
and Dignity of Chrijl. 1 3 1 
 
 Chrift from the dead ; and thefe words 
 inform us liow this is to be underftood. 
 God raifed Chrift from the dead by giving 
 him a power to raife himfelf from the 
 dead, and not only himfelf bat all the 
 world ; or (as it is exprelTed in chap. xx. 
 26.) by giving to the Son of man to have 
 life in himfelf that as the Father raifeth up 
 the dead and quickeneth them^ fo might the 
 Son quicken whom he will j the Father now 
 judging no man^ but having, committed all 
 judgment to the Son, It is in this fenfc, the 
 Scripture tells us fometimes, that God is 
 to raife the dead hereafter, while yet its 
 common language is, that Chrijl is to raife 
 the dead — But 
 
 Thirdly, It feems to me that there are in 
 the New Teftament exprefs and dired de- 
 clarations of the pre-exiftent dignity of 
 Chrift. Of this fort I reckon the follow^ 
 ing paflages— John i. i. compared with 
 the 14th verfe. In the beginni?2g was the 
 word^ and the word was with Gad^ &c. 
 And the word was madefiefh and dwelt among 
 K %, us. 
 
132 Of the Pre-exi flense 
 
 us, — John iii. 13. No one hath afcended up 
 to heaven^ but he that came down from hea» 
 ven-y even the Son of Man who is in heaven. 
 — John vi. 62. What and if ye Jhall fee the 
 Son of Man afcend up where he was before K 
 
 —John 
 
 f In this chapter we find that our Lord took occa- 
 fion, from the miracle of the loaves and flfhes, to 
 rpeak of himfelf as the true bread which was come dowh 
 from heaven to give life to the world. The Jews un- 
 derftood this to be an intimation that he had exifted in 
 heaven before he came into this world, and therefore 
 murmured at him and faid (ver. 42.) Is not this 
 Jefus the fon of Jofeph whofe father and mother we 
 know? How is it then that he fays, I came down 
 from heaven ? — There is, in this cafe, a prefumption 
 that the fenfe in which the Jews underftood our Lord 
 was the moll obvious and natural fenfe. If, how- 
 ever, it v;as not, and the Jews had perverfely mifin- 
 terpreted his words, it was reafonable to expe£l: that 
 he would have faid fomething to correct their miftake : 
 But, inftead of this, we find that in his reply he re- 
 peated the fame declaration in ftronger language, and 
 intimated that they had underftood him rightly — 
 Verfe 6l. Does this offend you ? What and if ye Jhall 
 fee the S&n of Man afcend up where he was before ? 
 
 A like 
 
and Dignity of Chriji. 133 
 
 —John viii. 58. Before Abraham was, I 
 am,— And John xvii. 5. And now O Fa-- 
 ther, glorify thou me with the glory which I 
 had with thee before the world was, 
 
 K J The 
 
 A like obfervation may be made on the words in 
 John viii. 18. Before Abraham luas, lam. It is in 
 this inftance alfo a circumftance of fome confequence, 
 that thefe words were occafioned by an ofFence which 
 Jefus had given the Jews by an expreffion which they 
 thought implied, that he had exifted in the days of 
 Abraham. Ver. 57. Then /aid the Jews to him. Thou 
 art not fifty years old, andhajl thou fe en Abraham f Jefus 
 anfwered. Verily, verily, I fay utito you, before Abraham 
 tuas, Iam» 
 
 The whole context in which the words next quoted 
 Hands, is as follows.— Thefe luords fpake Jefus, and 
 lifted up his eyes to heaven and f aid. Father, the hour is 
 come. Glorify the Son that thy Son may alfo glorify thee ; 
 as thou haji given him power over all fiefh that he fiould 
 give eternal life to as many as thou hajl given him. And 
 this is life eternal that they may know thee the only true 
 God, and Jefus Chrifi whom thou hajlfent. I have glo- 
 rified thee on earth, I have finifhed the work which thou 
 gaveji me to do. And notv, O Father, glorify thou tne 
 with thine Givn felf, vjith the glory xvhich I had with thee 
 before the luorld was.-^lx Ibems to me that in this paf- 
 
 fagr. 
 
134 Of the Pre-exijlence 
 
 The limits to which I mufl confine my- 
 felf will not allow me to enter into a criti- 
 cal examination of thefe texts. The in- 
 terpretations which the Socinians give of 
 them are fuch as cannot eafily occur to 
 any plavn man. Some of them have faid 
 that Chrift was taken up to heaven at 
 the commencement of his public minif- 
 try ; and that it is to this he refers 
 when he fpeaks of his coming down 
 from heaven, and having been in hea- 
 ven. But this is a groundlefs affertion 
 which has been given up by modern 
 Socinians, who maintain that thefe 
 phrafes fignify only Chrifl's having been 
 
 fent 
 
 lage Chrift has, with particular propriety and wif- 
 dom, added to the declaration that power over all 
 ilcfii (or as he fpeaks in Matth, xxviii. i8. all power 
 in heaven and earth) was given him, an intimation 
 of his having exifieri before this world was made. 
 Such a declaration mufi have otherwife appeared ex- 
 travagant. For v/hat could be more extravagant than 
 to fiippofe that fo high a power could belong to fuch 
 a helplcfs and impotent creature of yefierday as a 
 mere man?— But more to this purpole will be faid 
 prefently. 
 
and Dignity of Chriji. 135 
 
 fentof God into the world, and having 
 had communications from him. By his 
 being made flefh they think no more is 
 meant than that he was flefh and appeared 
 in the world as a man. By faying that 
 he exifted before Abraham, they think 
 he only meant that his exiftence was in-' 
 tended before Abraham •, and by the glory 
 which he had with the Father before the world 
 was, they underftand the glory which he 
 had, in the Divine forefight and appoint- 
 ment ^ before the world was.— I muft own 
 to you, that I am inclined to wonder that 
 wife and good men can fatisfy themfelves 
 with fuch explanations.— But I corred 
 myfelf. I know that Chriftians, amidft 
 their differences of opinion, are too apt 
 to wonder at one another-, and to forget 
 the allowances which ought to be made for 
 the darknefs in which we are all involved, 
 Senfible of this truth, and hoping to be ex- 
 cufed if I fliould ever exprefs my convic- 
 tions in too ftrong language, I proceed to 
 recite to you fome other texts which feem 
 K 4 to 
 
136 Of the Pre-exiftence 
 
 to be no lefs clear than thofe I have juft 
 quoted. — Heb. ii. 9. Jefiis^ who was made a 
 little lower than the an^eh^ that he might 
 tajie death for every man. And verfe 16. 
 He took not on him the nature of (he helped 
 not) angeh ; but he took on him (he helped) 
 the feed of Abraham. Confider here how 
 abfurd it would be to mention, as an in- 
 ftance of condefcenfion and merit in a 
 mere man, that he fubmitted to be made 
 lower than the angels, and that he affifted 
 not them but the feed of Abraham?— Oi 
 the fame kind, though not fo expreflivc, 
 are the words in Gal. iv. 4. God Jent forth 
 Msfon made of a woman ; and in i John iv. 2. 
 fefus Chrifi is come in the fiefh. This lan- 
 guage is perfedly proper on the fuppofition 
 of Chrifl's pre-exiftence; but very impro- 
 per on the contrary fuppofition : For how 
 could a mere man be otherwife ynade than 
 of a woman; or c(jme otherwife than in the 
 flefh.? 
 
 Again-, 1 Cor. Viii. 9. Te know the ^.ra<:e 
 of our Lord Jefus Chrijl, that though he was 
 
 nch 
 
and Dignity of Chrift. 137 
 
 rich yet for our fakes be became poor^ that 
 we through his poverty might be made rich. — 
 When did our Lord poffefs riches? When 
 did he exchange riches for poverty in order 
 to make us rich? In this world he was 
 always poor and perfecuted. — But, in my 
 opinion, the moft decifive text of all is 
 that in Phil. ii. and the 5 th and following 
 verfes : Let the fame mind be in you that was 
 in Cbrijl'^ who^ being in the form of God^ 
 thought it no robbery to be equal with Gody 
 but made himfelf of no reputation. There is 
 an incoherence in thefe words which 
 fhews they are not a right tranflationj 
 and it is generally agreed among the beft 
 commentators that the true rendering is 
 as follows. Who being in the form of God 
 did not covet "to be honoured as God ^, but di- 
 vejied himfelf and took on him the form of a 
 fervant, and was made in the likenefs of men ; 
 and being found in fajhion as a ma7i^ humbled 
 
 him^ 
 
 s See Dr. Clark's Scripture Doctrine of the Tri- 
 nity, chap. xi. rc<5t. 5. N^ 934. 
 
'3^ Of the Pre-exijience 
 
 himfelf to deaths even the death of the crofs. 
 I have often confidered carefully the in- 
 terpretation which the Socinians give of 
 thefe words ; and the more I have confi- 
 dered it the more confirmed I have been 
 in thinking it forced and unnatural. The 
 fenfe they give is this- Who being in the 
 form of God (by the power which he pof- 
 feflTed of working miracles) did not chufe 
 to retain that power and fo to appear 
 like God, but divefted bimfelf of it, and 
 took on him the form of a fervant and was 
 made in the likenefs of men. Here they add 
 the epithet ORDINARY, and read this paf- 
 fage as if it had been - And was made in the 
 likenefs of an ordinary man -^ and, being 
 found in fafiion as an ordinary man^ hum^ 
 bled himfelf to death.— It is natural to alk 
 here, When did Chrift diveft himfelf of 
 the power of working miracles ? The Gof. 
 pel hifiory tells us that he retained it to 
 the laft ; and that he was never more dif- 
 tinguifhed than when at his crucifixion 
 ll)e earth fiiook, the rocks were fplit, and 
 
 the 
 
and Dignity of Chrijl. 139 
 
 the fun was darkened?— Indeed the turn 
 and ftrudure of this pafTagc are fuch, that 
 I find it impoffible not to believe, that the 
 humiliation of Chrift which St. Paul had in 
 view was (not his exchanging one con- 
 dition on earth for another) but his ex- 
 changing the glory he had with God be- 
 fore the world was for the condition of a 
 man, and leaving that glory to encounter 
 the difficulties of human life, and to fuf- 
 fer and die on the crofs. This was, in 
 truth, an event worthy to be held forth 
 to the admiration of Chriftians. But if 
 the apoftle means only that Chrift (though 
 exalted above others by working miracles) 
 yet confented to fufFer and to die like other 
 men 5 if, I fay, St. Paul means only this, 
 the whole paffage is rendered cold and 
 trifling, no more being faid of Chrift than 
 might have been faid of St. Paul himfelf, 
 
 or any of the other apoftles \ 
 
 There 
 
 ^ He who wlfhes to be affiftcd, in judging how far 
 the texts which 1 have here quoted can be reconciled 
 
 to 
 
140 Of the Pre-exijience 
 
 There remain to be quoted the texts 
 which mention the creation of the world 
 by Jefus Chrift. — In Heb. i. 2. we read 
 that God whoJn former times fpoke to 
 
 the 
 
 to the Socinian doctrine, fhould confult Mr. Lind- 
 sey's interpretations of them in the fequel to his 
 Apology on refigning the vicarage of Cattericky York- 
 Ihirej and alfo, the fecond of the two Eflays in the 
 fourth number of the Commentaries and EJfays publijhed 
 by the Society for promoting the Knowledge of the Scrip- 
 tures, 
 
 The paflages of Scripture which call Chrift a man^ 
 and in which he is faid to have been born^ have been 
 infifted upon as making ftrongly for the Socinian doc- 
 trine. But this is an argument which makes no im- 
 preiFion upon me. According to all opinions, Chrift 
 \v2.s truly a man, and is properly fo called. Had the 
 Scriptures called him a man, and added that he 
 was 710 more than a man, this queftion would have 
 been decided ; but they have, I think, plainly 
 enough afierted tbe contrary. — That humiliation of 
 Chrift, and fufpenfion of bis powers, which is im- 
 plied in his being made a man and growing up, from 
 infancy to mature age, fubjecl to all our wants and 
 ibrrows, is indeed, as to the manner of it, entirely 
 incomprehsnribl:? to a?. But is this to be wondered 
 
 at 
 
and Dignity of Chrijl. 141 
 
 the fathers by the prophets, hath in thefe 
 
 lajt times fpoken to us by his Son whom hi 
 
 hath appointed heir of all things ; and by 
 
 whom alfo he made the worlds. Again ; in 
 
 the Gofpel of John i. 3. it is faid, that the 
 
 word was in the beginning with God; and 
 
 that all things were made by him ; and that 
 
 without him nothing was made that was made, 
 
 — And, in the tenth vcrfe, Tihat he was in 
 
 the worlds and that the world was made by 
 
 him^ but the world knew him not. — And in 
 
 Col. i, 16. By him were all things created 
 
 that are in heaven and that are in earthy 
 
 vijible and inviJibleK 
 
 This 
 
 at confidering our ignorance of the nature of matter 
 and fpirit, and of the laws which govern the fuperior 
 invifible world ? Are we not continually witnefies to 
 fa£ls in fome d^^e fiinilar to this ? — In fhort ; thofc 
 who will believe nothing the manner andcaufes of which 
 they cannot comprehend, muft be in the way to believe 
 nothing at all. 
 
 Mt is a circumftance a little difcouraging in re- 
 citing this evidence from Scripture, that fome mo- 
 dern Socinians would not be convinced by it were it 
 
 ever 
 
142 Of the Pre-exijlence 
 
 This is a fad that raifes our ideas of 
 the pre-exiflcnt dignity of Chrift higher 
 thaa any thing elfe that is faid of him in 
 the New Teftament. But it is, in ge- 
 neral, 
 
 ever fo clear and dccifive. I find a proof of this in a 
 late publication by a highly valued friend, and one of 
 the moll: diftinguifhed writers of the prefent times. 
 \^T. Prieftley, in the Introdudtion to his Htjlory of the 
 early Opinions concerning Chriji^ has given fuch an ex- 
 planation of the texts which feem to declare the cre- 
 ation of the world by Chrift as he thinks may recon- 
 cile them to the JSocinian do(Si:rine. But, at the 
 fame time, he intimates, that had this been the 
 opinion of the apoftles we fhould not be bound to re- 
 ceive it. " As it is not pretended, he fays, page 63, 
 " vol. i. that there are any miracles adapted to prove 
 *' that Chrift made and fupports the world, I do not 
 *' fee that we are under any obligation to believe it 
 " merely becaufe it was an opinion held by an apoftle" 
 — And p. 70. " It is not, certainly, from a few cafual 
 *' expreftions, which fo eafily admit of other inter- 
 " pretations, and efpecially in epijiolary writings, 
 *' that we can be authorized to infer that fuch was 
 " the ferious opinion of the apoftles. But if it had 
 " been their real opinion, it would not follow that it 
 " was true, unlefs the teaching of it fliould appear 
 
 to 
 
and Dignity of ChriH. 143 
 
 neral, mifinterpreted. In order to un- 
 dcrftand it properly, we (hould remem- 
 ber 
 
 Firft, that the term world in Scripture 
 means only this world j and that all things 
 mean only all things belonging to this 
 world. The apoftles probably never 
 thought of that plurality of worlds 
 which has been lately difcovered. Indeed, 
 had their minds been thus far enlightened, 
 they would only have been embarraffed, 
 and no good end could have been anfwer- 
 ed. — This earth, with its inhabitants and 
 
 con* 
 
 *« to be included in their general commiffion, with 
 <' which, as I have fhewn, it has no fort of connec- 
 « tion." 
 
 I have here, and every where elfe in thefe dif- 
 courfes, called the believers in the fimple humanity 
 of Chrift Socinians, for want of knowing how better 
 to diftinguifh them. They chufe to be called Unita- 
 rians. But they have no excluftve right to this title 5 
 on6. former Socinians had no right to it at all ; for they 
 concurred with Trinitarians in worfhipping a deified 
 man. — It is an eflential point of religion with nie to 
 worlhip God only. 
 
144 Of the Pre-exiHence 
 
 connedions, ipxludes all of nature that 
 we have any concern with ; and it would 
 be folly to imagine that the Scripture his- 
 tory and dodrines have any view to other 
 worlds. — This obfervation is applicable 
 to the account of the creation in the firft 
 chapter of Genefis j that account, moft 
 probably, being an account only of the 
 creation of this earth with its immediate 
 dependencies. 
 
 Secondly, You fhould remember that 
 the formation of this world by Chrift does 
 not imply creation from nothings that pro- 
 bably being peculiar to Almighty power; 
 but only an arrangement of things into 
 their prefent order, and the eftablilhment 
 of that courfe of nature to which we are 
 witneffes. 
 
 Again. You fhould remember that 
 Chrift is reprefented, not as the original 
 creator, but as God's minifter in creation. 
 God made the world (this is the language 
 of Scripture but he made it by or through 
 Chrift. The agency of Chrift, in this 
 
 in- 
 
and Dignity of Chriji. 145 
 
 inftance is reprefented as entirely inftru- 
 mental, like that agency of his in work- 
 ing miracles which he defcribes when he 
 fays, I can of fnine ownfelf do iiothing. The 
 Father who dwelleth in me^ he doth the 
 works. — It is the conftant mechod of God's^ 
 government, as far as it falls under our 
 notice, to employ fubordinate agency in 
 bringing about events ^ and, had I wanted 
 in this cafe the authority of Scripture, I 
 (hould have thought it highly probable, 
 that it was by fuch agency the changes 
 among worlds are often produced ; and, 
 in particular, that this globe was reduced 
 from a chaotic ftate to its prefent habit- 
 able form, that mankind and other ani- 
 mals were planted upon it, and the laws 
 fettled by which it is governed \ 
 
 L I can- 
 
 k Even men, in this earlieft ftage of their exift- 
 ence, pofTefs a power (conftantly on the increafe) ot 
 changing the face of nature, and of introducing on 
 this globe new fcenes of being and enjoyment, which 
 is not totally unlike a power of raifing new crea- 
 tions. 
 
146 Of the Pre-exijlence 
 
 I cannot help taking this opportunity 
 to add, that the dodrine of God's form- 
 ing this world by the agency of the Mef- 
 fiah gives a credibility to the dodrine of his 
 interpofition to fave it, and his future 
 agency in ;2d"Z£?-creating it ; becaufe it leads 
 us to conceive of him as ftanding in a 
 particular relation to it, and having an 
 intereft in it. 
 
 It is time to proceed to the next 
 argument which I would offer.— It ap- 
 pears to ,me, that the dodrine of 
 Chrift's fimple humanity, when viewed 
 in connedion with the Scripture ac- 
 count of his exaltation, implies an in- 
 confiftency and improbability which falls 
 little (hort of an impoffibility^ and, con- 
 fequently, that this dodrine not only 
 renders the Scripture unintelligible^ but 
 Chriftianity itfelf incredible, — The Scrip- 
 tures tell us that Chrift, after his refur- 
 redion, became Lord of the dead and 
 living J that he had all power given him 
 
 in 
 
and Dignity of Chrifi, 147 
 
 in heaven and earth; that angels were 
 made fubjed to him; and that he is here- 
 after to raife all the dead, to judge the 
 world, and to finifh the fcheme of the 
 Divine moral government with refped to 
 this earth, by conferring eternal happi- 
 nefs on all the virtuous, and punifhing 
 the wicked with everlajling dejlriiBion, — 
 Confider whether fuch an elevation of a 
 mere man is credible^ or QvcnpoJ/ible? Can 
 it be believed that a mere man could be 
 advanced at once fo high as to be above 
 angels, and to be qualified to rule and 
 judge this world ? Does not this contra- 
 dict all that we fee, or can conceive of the 
 order of God's works ? Do not all beings 
 rife gradually, one acquifition laying 
 the foundation of another and prepar- 
 ing for higher acquifitions? What 
 would you think were you told, that 
 a child juft born, inflead of grov/ing 
 like all other human creatures, had ftart- 
 ed at once to complete manhood, and 
 the government of an empire? This 
 L 2 is 
 
148 Of the Pre'€xiftence 
 
 This is nothing to the fad I am confider- 
 ing. — The power, in particular, which 
 the Scriptures teach us that Chrift pof- 
 feffes of raifing to Hfe all who have died 
 and all who 'will die, is equivalent to the 
 power of creating a world. How incon- 
 liftent is it to allow to him one of thefe 
 powers, and at the fame time to queftion 
 whether he could have poffeffed the other ? 
 — to allow that he is to reftore and new- 
 create this world ; and yet to deny that he 
 might have been God's agent in originally 
 forming it \? 
 
 Ac 
 
 ^ Our brethren among modern Socinians feem to feel 
 this difficulty ; and therefore give a new interpretation 
 of the Scripture account of Chrift's prefent power 
 and dignity. — Mr. Linbsey fays, in his Sequel, page 
 466, &c. that the exaltation of Chrift to God's right- 
 hand, far above all might and dominion^ and every name 
 that is named^ not only in this world but in that which 
 is to come', angels, author ities^ and powers being made 
 fubjeSl to him ; is fpoken of in accommodation to the 
 ideas of the Jews and Gentiles of thofe days who be- 
 lieved there were fuch fpiritual beings as angels and 
 
 demons, 
 
and Dignity of Chriji, 149 
 
 According to fome of the old Socinian 
 
 writers, Chrifl, after his refurredion, 
 
 reigned over all nature, and became the 
 
 L 3 obje£t 
 
 demons, and means only the difplay of a Divine power 
 in the fupport of the Gofpel and its eftablifhment 
 among men. The throne to which Chrifl was ad- 
 vanced was, according to him [lb, p. 243.) not any 
 ftation of dignity in heaven, but the fubjeftion of the 
 world to his Gofpel ; and his glory with the father, 
 mentioned John xvii. 5. was the glorious fuccefs 
 of the Gofpel. His power over all fiejh (John xvii. 2.) 
 to give eternal life to as many as the Father had given 
 him^ was only his power *' to afFord men full af- 
 " furance of the benevolent purpofe of God to beftow 
 " eternal life upon them, and to furnifh them with 
 " the means of virtue that lead to it." P. 249. 
 *' Agreeably to the prejudices and imaginations of 
 " Jews and Gentiles, the fubje6tion of all mankind 
 " to the rules of piety and virtue delivered by Chrift 
 '' is fhadowed out under the imagery of a mighty 
 " king to whom all power was given in heaven and 
 <' earth, placed above angels, principalities, &c." 
 P. 473. However fmgular thefe interpretations may 
 appear, no one ought haftily to condemn them, with- 
 out confidering what fo excellent a man fays to juf- 
 tify them in the paflages to which I have referred. It 
 
 is 
 
1 5© Of the Pre^exijlence 
 
 objcd of religious worfhip''. It is fur- 
 prifing that men fo enlightened on religi- 
 ous fubjedis as to be the wonder of the 
 times in which they lived, did not feel the 
 extravagance there is in afcribing to a 
 mere man an advancement fo fudden and 
 
 aftonifh- 
 
 is probable that he interprets in a like fenfe Chrift's 
 declaration that he is the Resurrection and the 
 Life, and underftands by it only his being the Re- 
 VEALER of a future life. But I fhall indeed wonder 
 if his good fenfe and candour will allow him to give 
 the fame fenfe to fuch texts as the following. — John 
 vi. 40. jind I will raife him up at the laft day. — John 
 V. 29. T^he hour is coming in which all thQt are in their 
 graves /hall hear the voice of the Son of Man andjhall come 
 forth \ they that have done good to the rcfurreSiion of life, 
 and they that have done evil to the refurreclion of damna- 
 tion. — Phil. V. 20, 21. Our converfation is in heaven^ 
 from whence we look for the Saviour^ the Lord fefus 
 Chrifi ; zvho /ball change our vile body that it m^y be 
 fiflnoned like unto his glorious hody^ according to the work- 
 ing whereby he is able even to fubdiie all things to himfelf. 
 
 n> Chriftus ad dextram dei in caelis collocatus eti- 
 ?.m ab angelis adorandus eft. Catachefis Ecclcftarum 
 Folonicarum^ fe6l. 4. Omnem in caelo et in terra po- 
 teflatem accepit ; et omnia, Deo folo excepto, ejus 
 pedibus fimt fubjedla. Ibid. 
 
and Dignity of Chrijl. 1 51 
 
 aftonifliing. I do not think that there is, 
 in Athanafianifm itfelf, any thing more ex- 
 travagant. It is a circumftance much in 
 favour of Chriftianity that, inftead of af- 
 ferting any fuch dodrine, it teaches us that 
 the fame Chrift who after his refurrec- 
 tion had all power given him in heaven 
 and earth, poffeffed glory with God before 
 the world was '^ and that, when he afcended 
 to heaven, he only regained a former fta- 
 tion, and entered upon a dignity to which 
 he had long rifen, with fuch additions to it 
 and fuch encreafed powers, as w^ere the pro- 
 per effed and reward of his having paffed 
 through human life to fave the world. 
 
 The inconfiftency of the Socinian doc- 
 trine will, in this inftance, appear more 
 palpable, if we will confider what the 
 inerit was for which a mere man was thus 
 exalted ^ and what the end was for which 
 a ftep {o extraordinary was taken, and an 
 effort fo violent made. His merit was, 
 facrificing his life in bearing witnefs to 
 the truth ^ a merit by no means pecuhar 
 L 4 to 
 
1 5^ Of the Pre^exijlence 
 
 to him, many other men having done the 
 fame. The end was, the conveyance of 
 bleffings which would have been granted 
 (becaufe proper to be granted) whether 
 conveyed by him or not, But on this fub- 
 jed, a good deal more will be faid here- 
 after. 
 
 Fifthly. The dodrine I am confider- 
 ing lefTens the ufefulnefs and force of 
 Chrift's example, — He has, the fcriptures 
 fay, left us an example that we Jhoidd foU 
 low hisjleps. It was an example of blame- 
 lefs and perfed virtue ; but he was, ac- 
 cording to ail opinions of him % qualified 
 
 for 
 
 « This obfervation is applicable to the opinions, 
 concerning Chrift which have hitherto been gene- 
 rally held by Sccinians^ who, in reality, make him 
 more properly zfuperior being than a tfian^ and difFer 
 from Arians chiefly by afligning, contrary to all that 
 is credible, a different date to his exiftence. — Lately, 
 feme of them have lowered him into a man ignorant 
 and peccable, and no way diflinguifticd from the 
 coOTmon men of his time except by being infpired ; 
 ?,nd this, I am fenfible, by bringing him down .more 
 
 to 
 
and Dignity of Chrift. 153 
 
 for exhibiting it by high endowments 
 which we do not poffefs, and communi- 
 cations of the fpirit without meafure 
 which we cannot expedl ; and it is, on 
 this account, lefs fitted to influence us. 
 On other accounts, however, it is more 
 forcible in proportion to his fuperiority ; 
 and this is true, in particular, of his con- 
 defcenfion, humility, meeknefs, and pa- 
 tience under fufferings, The greater he 
 was, the more we are obliged to admire 
 thefe virtues in him ; and the more we 
 muft be incited to pradife them. — But 
 there is one part of his example which, 
 being founded on his pre-exiftent dignity, 
 is loft entirely in the Socinian fcheme. I 
 mean ; his quitting that dignity, and de- 
 grading himfelf to the condition of a mortal 
 man in order to fave men. This is an 
 inftance of benevolence to which we can 
 
 con- 
 
 to our own level, makes his example, in fome refpeas. 
 more an encouragement to us, and more fit to be pro- 
 pofed to our imitation. See the note in page 133. 
 
154 Of the Pre-exijience 
 
 conceive no parallel ; which is probably 
 the admiration of angels j and which 
 (were it duly believed and attended to) 
 would make us incapable of not being 
 ourfelves examples of condefcenfion and 
 benevolence. This is the part of Chrift's 
 example which St. Paul has particularly 
 recommended to our imitation in the paf- 
 fage in Phillippians which 1 have already 
 quoted. Let this mind be in you which was 
 alfo in Chrijl Jefus j who^ being in the form 
 of God^ did not affeSi to retain that form^ but 
 emptied himfelf of it^ and took on him the 
 form of a man and a fervant^ and be^ 
 came obedient to deaths even the death of 
 the crofs Wherefore^ God hath highly ex- 
 alted him^ and given him a name that is 
 above every name^ that at the name of 
 fefus every knee Jhould bow and every 
 tongue confefs that he is Lord^ to the glory 
 of God the Father, — I reckon this one of 
 the mod llriking paffages in the New 
 Teftament. — Let us comply with the ex- 
 hortation delivered in it, and be always 
 
 ready 
 
and Dignity of Chriji. 1 5 5 
 
 ready to fpend and be fpent in doing good, 
 that we may rife as Chrift rofe. 
 
 I fhall conclude v/ith the following re- 
 fledion. 
 
 If Chrift was indeed poffeft of that fupe- 
 riority of nature which I have been af- 
 ferting, how important muft the fervice 
 be which he came to perform. Would one 
 fo high have ftooped fo low to do only 
 what a meaner agent might have done? 
 I often feel myfelf deeply impreffed by 
 this coniideration. The dignity of the 
 fervice^ and the dignity of the agents im- 
 ply and prove one another. — Think, 
 Chriftians, how dreadful the danger muft 
 be which Chrift left heaven to fave you 
 from ; and negled not fo great a falvation. 
 Remember that, at an expence greater 
 than can be defcribed, you have been 
 raifed to the hope of a refurredion from 
 death to an endlefs life of ever-increafing 
 happinefs. Take care that you do not 
 lofe a benefit fo tranfcendant, and fink at 
 
 laft 
 
156 Of the Pre-exijlence^ &c. 
 
 laft into a death from which there will be 
 no redemption. This cannot happen ex- 
 cept through your own fault But ihould 
 it happen, Chrift will not lofe the fruits of 
 his labour j for though you (hould have no 
 fhare in them, others wmII, and myriads de- 
 livered by him from fin and death will 
 hereafter unite in raifing fongs of praife 
 and triumph, and afcribing bleffing, and 
 glory, and honour, and power to the hamb 
 that wasjlain^ and iioho hath redeemed us to 
 God by his blood. 
 
 S E R. 
 
[ 157 
 
 S E R JNI O N V. 
 
 OF THE CHARACTER OF CHRIST AS 
 THE SAVIOUR OF THE WORLD. 
 
 I John iv. 14. 
 
 We have feen, and do tejiify, that the Father 
 fent the Son to be the Saviour of the 
 world, 
 
 I HAVE thought it a proper part of the 
 duty of my office in this place to give 
 you a particular account of my ideas of 
 that Gofpel which we all profefs, and on 
 which we build our hopes of a future 
 happy immortality. I have, already, pro- 
 ceeded a good way in the execution of this 
 defign. Before I proceed farther, I muft 
 
 defire 
 
158 Of the CharaBer of Chrift 
 
 defire you to bear in mind as I go along, 
 that, knowing how liable I am to error, 
 I feel no difpofition to be very anxious 
 about bringing you over to my opinions. 
 The rage for profelytifm is one of the 
 curfes of the world. 1 wi(h to make no 
 profelytes except to candour, and charity^ 
 and honeft enquiry. You muft judge for 
 yourfelves j and fhould any thing I have 
 faid in my former difcourfes, or Jhall fay 
 in the prefent difcourfe, give you any af- 
 fiftance in doing this, my principal end 
 will be anfwered. 1 can, in this inftance, 
 as in moft others, wath much more con- 
 fidence fay what is fiot^ than what is the 
 truth. The Athanafian or Cahinijiic 
 fcheme of Chriftianity I rejed with ftrong 
 con V id ion. The Socinian fcheme alfo, on 
 the two points which chiefly diftinguifh 
 it, I find myfelf incapable of receiving. 
 The reafons which determine my judg- 
 ment on one of thefe points I have fiated 
 in my laft difcourfe. I am now to ftate 
 
 my 
 
as the Saviour of the World 1 59 
 
 my reafons for not receiving the Socinian 
 dodrine on the other of thefe points. 
 
 God, my text fays, sent his Son to be 
 the Saviour of the world. 
 
 I have obferved that thefe words lead 
 us to confider three particulars in the 
 dodrine of our falvation by Chrift. 
 
 Firft. The dignity of the Saviour. He 
 was the Son of God. This has been ex- 
 plained. 
 
 Secondly. The nature of the injiru^' 
 mentality^ expreffed by his having been 
 
 SENT. 
 
 Thirdly. The nature of the fervice, 
 expreffed by his having h^Qnfentio be the 
 Saviour of the world. 
 
 After I have faid what I think neceffa- 
 ry on the two laft of thefe heads, you will 
 be in full poffeflion of my fentiments of 
 the Gofpel. 
 
 I am firft of all to give you an account 
 of the nature of that infiriimentality in the 
 
 work 
 
1 6o Of the CharaBer of Chrijl 
 
 work of our redemption which is afcribed 
 to Chrift, when it is faid that he was 
 SENT of God to be the Saviour of the 
 world. The following obfervations on 
 this fubjed appear to me of fome im- 
 portance. 
 
 In the communication of benefits from 
 one being to another there are two forts 
 of inftrumentality. There is an inftru- 
 mentality which (being conftrained and 
 paffive) does not imply obligation to the 
 inftrument ^ and which, therefore, re- 
 quires no gratitude except to the donor 
 himfelf. And there is an inflrumentality 
 which (being fpontaneous and adive) does 
 imply obligation to the inftrument ; and 
 which, therefore, calls for gratitude to 
 htm as well as to the donor. Of the 
 Jormer fort is the inflrumentality of a fer- 
 vant in conveying a benefit to another 
 from his mafter. In this cafe, the fervant 
 being merely the conveyer, and having no 
 choice with refped to the communication 
 of the benefit, the perfon benefited car- 
 ries 
 
as the Saviour of the World, 1 6 1 
 
 lies his views entirely to the mafter, and 
 confiders him alone as the caufe of the be- 
 nefit— r-Of the to/f'r fort is the inftrumen- 
 tality of one employed by another as a truf- 
 tee to diftribute his bounty, but who, at 
 the fame time, is left at liberty, and may 
 be unfaithful if he pleafes. In this cafe, 
 thofe who partake of the bounty feel ob- 
 ligation and gratitude to the trujiee as 
 well as to his principal. Room is left 
 for the exercife of the free-will and dif- 
 cretion of the trujiee-^ and the reception 
 of the bounty is made to depend on his 
 benevolence and honour in fuch a mariner 
 that, but for thefe, the recipient would 
 have loft it. 
 
 Of this laft fort is the inftrumentality 
 employed by the Deity in the diftribution 
 of his bounty among his rcafonable crea- 
 tures. He makes them, not pa/live inftru- 
 ments, but trujiees and voluntary agents, in 
 conveying to one another the bleffings of 
 his goodnefs. Hemakes them inflruments 
 in fuch a fenfe that the-bkllings received 
 M Ihall 
 
1 62 Of the CharaHer of Chriji 
 
 fhall come from them^ as well as primarily 
 ffom him. He makes them, in (hort, 
 grantors of benefits at the fame time that 
 they are conveyers. In no other way, could 
 there have been room for gratitude to 
 inferior beings for any benefits. 
 
 You muft be fenfible, that the principal 
 bleffings of our exiftence are not received 
 by us immediately from the hands of the 
 Deity. We fee that he ads by inftru- 
 ments ^ by pajjtve inftruments in the ma- 
 terial world J and by voluntary inflru- 
 ments in the intelledual world. In both, 
 there is a feries eftabliftied of intermediate 
 caufes between us and that Divine power, 
 wifdom, and goodnefs in which all caufes 
 terminate, on which they all depend, and 
 to which ultimately they owe all their ef- 
 ficacy. Every reafonable and moral agent, 
 placed in fociety and furrounded with fel- 
 low-creatures, is a trujiee for diftributing 
 God's bounty. But, in the diftribution, he 
 is fubjeded to no reftraints or limitations, 
 
 except 
 
 ^ 
 
a^ the Saviour of the World, 163 
 
 except fuch as his own prudence and vir- 
 tue may prefcribe to him. He has the 
 option of being either flothful and treach- 
 erous, or diligent and faithful ; and, con- 
 fequently, of either with-holding happi- 
 nefs from his fellow-creatures, or grant- 
 ing it. — We have all of us commijjiom from 
 God (as Chrift had) to relieve diftrefs, and 
 to feek and to fave that which is loft ; and 
 we Ihould confider ourfelves as fent of 
 God for this purpofe. Thefe com millions 
 have been given us, not by any fpecific 
 orders or formal agreements, as among 
 men Tto conceive thus of even Chrift's 
 commiffion would, I doubt, be conceiv- 
 ing of the ways of God as too like our 
 own ways) but by endowing us with 
 powers to help our fellow-creatures, by 
 planting ' within us kind afFedions 
 promoting us to it, and by placing us in 
 lituations where we fhall have opportu- 
 nities for it. Beyond this we do not fee 
 that the Deity goes in making moral 
 agents inftruments of his goodnefs; nor 
 M a was 
 
164 Of the Char alter of Chriji 
 
 was it fit that he (liould.— By conftitut. 
 ing, in this manner, the plan of his uni- 
 verfal government, he has given confe-. 
 quence to the agency of his reafonable 
 creatures j for their agency would be of 
 comparatively little confequence, were it 
 employed merely in carrying benefits the 
 enjoyment of whiph did not depend upon, 
 and was not at all derived from, the beings 
 who convey them. — In fliort ; by the me- 
 thod of government of which I am endea- 
 vouring to give you an account, his crea- 
 tures are made a kind of Deities to one 
 another. They become real benefadors 
 in the very fame inflances in which God 
 is to be acknowledged as the Supreme 
 Benefaflor. Obligation to them takes 
 place as well as to him ; and, while our 
 firft gratitude is due to him (the caufe of 
 all caufes) gratitude becomes due likewife 
 to thofe inferior beings, on whofe free-will 
 and fpontaneous inflrumentality, he has 
 been pleafed to fufpend the fruits of his 
 beneficence.—There is, therefore, in this 
 
 part 
 
as the Saviour of the World. 165 
 
 part of the conftitution of nature un- 
 fpeakable wifdom and goodnefs. Had 
 nature been otherwife conftituted j had 
 no abfolute dependence of the ftates of 
 beings on one another been eftablifhed 5 
 were there in the univerfe no precariouf- 
 nefs of condition, no liablenefs to loffes 
 and calamities ; were all the happinefs of 
 beings afccrtained to them, independently 
 of their own adive choice and endeavours 
 to blefs one another.— Were this the plan 
 of nature, the moral world would be lit- 
 tle more than a kind of dead machinery. 
 Moral agents would be incapable of doing 
 any good to one another. No fcope 
 would be given to the exercife of benevo- 
 lence ; and, confequently, all poflibility of 
 the greateft happinefs would be excluded. 
 
 But to come nearer to the point I have 
 in view, 
 
 I fcarcely need tell you, that the inftru- 
 
 mentality I afcribe to Chrift in the work 
 
 of our redemption is of the kind I have 
 
 laft defcribed. He was fent of God to be 
 
 M 3 the 
 
1 66 Of the CharaBer of Chrijl. 
 
 the Saviour of the world in a manner that 
 makes him (his benevolence) the caufe of 
 our falvation, as well as that original be- 
 nevolence of the Deity from which all 
 other benevolence is derived. He was the 
 Conveyer of pardon and immortality to us, 
 in fuch a fenfe that we owe them to him^ 
 as well as primarily to God. 
 
 This is a point of vaft importance, and 
 perhaps I may not be able fufficiently to 
 explain it. I do not, however, think it 
 attended with any peculiar difficulties; 
 and if any oiie does, his difficulties muft 
 be owing to inattention and prejudice.— 
 Were a good man, in the common courfe 
 of life, to interpofe, from principles of 
 benevolence and pity, to fave you from 
 a calamity which, but for his exertions, 
 would have ruined you ^ would you find 
 any difficulty in reconciling your obliga- 
 tion to your deliverer to your obligation to 
 the Deity ? Though your bencfadlor was a 
 free agent in delivering you, and though 
 probably you would have been undone 
 
 but 
 
as the Saviour of the World, 167 
 
 but for his goodnefs ^ would you, on this 
 account, think yourfclf lefs indebted to 
 God's goodnefs ? Would your feelings of 
 gratitude to him interfere at all with your 
 feelings of gratitude to the Deity ? Would 
 you not fay properly, that it was God put 
 it into his heart to help you ; and that it 
 was he fent him and provided him for 
 you ? Would you not confider him 
 as God's inftrument ; and would not 
 this (while it left you under the full 
 impreffion of gratitude to God) improve 
 and heighten your gratitude to your 
 friend ?--Suppofing then the truth to 
 be, that Chrift is the author of our fal- 
 vation in a way fimilar to this 3 that is, 
 fuppofing that, by a voluntary interpofi- 
 lion from obedience to God and benevo- 
 lence to man, he has delivered us from 
 calamities' under which we might have 
 M 4 perifh- 
 
 ^ " God gave his Son In the fame way of good- 
 *' nefs to the world, as he affords particular perfons 
 
 " the 
 
1 68 Of the CharaSler of Chriji 
 
 periflied ; and that he condefcended to be 
 born and to fufFer and die, not merely to 
 convey^ in the fenfe firft explained, blef- 
 fings to us, but likewife to obtain them; 
 fuppofing, 1 fay, this to be the truth, no 
 objedion to it can be drawn from the ne- 
 ccffity of acknowledging the goodnefs of 
 God in all our benefits^ and afcribing to 
 him the glory of them. 
 
 Let us, therefore, in the next place en- 
 quire whether there is fufEcient reafon for 
 believing this. 
 
 It 
 
 <* the friendly aiTiftance of their fellow- creatures, 
 '* when, without it, their temporal ruin would be 
 ^' the certain confequence of their follies : In the 
 «■' fame way of goodnefs, I fay ; though in a tran- 
 " fccmlcnt and infinitely higher degree. And the 
 *• Son of God loved us and gave himfelf for us\ with 
 »« a love which he himfelf compares to that of human 
 *-<• fricndlhip: though in this cafe, all comparifons 
 " muft frill infinitely fhort of the thing intended to 
 " be illuflrated by them." Biihop Butler*s Ana- 
 loc^y of Religion natural and revealed to the conftitii- 
 lion and courfe of nature, Part ii, ch. v, fee. 5. 
 
as the Saviour of the World. 169 
 
 It appears from what has been already 
 faid, that this enquiry is the fame with 
 the enquiry whether Chrift is a real Sa- 
 viour or not. For if he only announces 
 falvation to us; if, properly fpeaking, he 
 obtains nothing for us; if no extraordi- 
 nary bleflings were fufpended on his be- 
 nevolence, and we receive nothing on his 
 account which we fhould not have other- 
 wife equally had from God's goodnefsj 
 if this is the truth, the importance of 
 Chrift as a Saviour is in a great degree 
 loft, and, inftead of viewing him in the 
 light of the Reftorer of a world confign- 
 cd to the grave and the caufe of eternal 
 happinefs to it, we muft view him in the 
 lower light of a Teacher, an Example, 
 and a Martyr. I am fatisfied that, ac- 
 cording to the Scripture account, we are 
 to view him principally in the former of 
 thefe lights. 
 
 Before I enter on the proof of this, it is 
 neceffary I (hould take notice of that diC 
 treft ftate of mankind which it fuppofes, 
 
 and 
 
170 Of the Chara6ler of Chrijl, 
 
 and of the need in which they might 
 ftand of a Saviour. The whole Chriftian 
 fcheme is founded on the fuppofition of a 
 calamity in which our race had been in- 
 volved, and which has been generally 
 termed the fall of man. What the true 
 and full account of this event is, it is 
 probably impoffible for us to difcover, or 
 even to underftand were it communicated 
 to us. It is recorded in the third chapter 
 of Genefis, but in a manner fo mixed 
 with emblems (derived, perhaps, from 
 the ancient hieroglyphical manner of 
 writing) and confcquently fo veiled and 
 obfcure, that I think little more can be 
 learnt from it, than that there was a tranf- 
 adion, at the origin of our race and the 
 commencement of this world, which de- 
 graded us to our prefent ftate, and fub- 
 jeded us to death and all its concomitant 
 evils. — The credibility of fuch events in 
 the creation cannot reafonably be denied. 
 We fee, in what falls under our notice of 
 the Divine government, that in confe- 
 
 quencc 
 
as the Saviour of the World. 17 1 
 
 quence of the connexions which have 
 been eftabliflied and the powers given to 
 beings, events are often happening which 
 involve, not only individuals, but ftates 
 and kingdoms in calamity. — What num- 
 bers of beings are there who are continu- 
 ally entering upon exiftence and happi- 
 nefs in this world, but by various caufes 
 are cut off and perifh ? What numbers of 
 individuals are there among mankind w^ho 
 have loft valuable privileges, and are re- 
 duced to want and difeafe after enjoying 
 health and affluence? How many king- 
 doms, once happy in the poffeffion of 
 peace, plenty, and liberty, have been 
 plundered and ravaged, and at laft con- 
 quered and ruined by favage oppreffors 
 and tyrants? Why fhould it be thought 
 impoffible, that even a ^whole /pedes fhould 
 alfo fometimes fall into calamity, and lofe 
 valuable bleffmgs ? What reafons can 
 there be for expefling, that orders of be- 
 ings lliould have their advantages abfo- 
 lutely fecured to them, which will not 
 
 like- 
 
172 Of the CharaBer of Chrift 
 
 likewife apply to individuals and to com- 
 munities \ — In the latter cafe, our fenfes 
 demonftrate fuch an expe£tation to be 
 unreafonable. Should not this lead us to 
 conclude, that it may be fo likewife in the 
 former cafe ? 
 
 The views of thofe perfons muft be very 
 narrow who can imagine that the con- 
 nexions among God's creatures extend 
 no higher than man. Undoubtedly, .man 
 himfelf is connecled with higher orders 
 of beings, and fhould be confidered as 
 only one link in a chain that reaches from 
 
 inanimate matter to the Deity. And 
 what revolutions \ in particular circum- 
 fiances and among particular beings, 
 
 thefe 
 
 b The Scriptures feem to inform us of three great 
 » revolutions in the ftate of this habitable world. — 
 Firft, the introducflion of evil and of death among 
 mankind, and a correfpondent change in external 
 nature, by the fall. — Secondly, an increafe of this 
 evil, and a farther change in external nature by the 
 DELUGE — Thirdly, the deftru£l:ion of death, the re- 
 novation of nature, and the undoing of evil by the 
 MeiHah at his future coming. 
 
as the Saviour of the World, i'j'3 
 
 thefe connexions may produce, we can- 
 not know* It is enough to know, that, 
 whatever they are, and whatever the loffeS 
 and fufFerings may be which are fome- 
 times occafioned by them, they are all 
 under a perfedl fuperintendency, and the 
 refult of a plan contrived in the beft man- 
 ner for bringing about the greateft pof- 
 fible happinefs. — Such would be our wifeft 
 mode of reafoning did the light of revela- 
 tion offer us no information. But you 
 muft be fenfible that revelation has not 
 been filent on this fubjed. It acquaints 
 us, as has been juft obferved, that a ca- 
 lamity has happened to the human race j 
 that we have fuifered by our connexions 
 under God's government ; that we were 
 made for immortality, but loft it and 
 were brought down to our prefent finful 
 and mortal ftate. In Adam all have died. 
 The fentence paiTcd upon him has pafTed 
 upon us all J Duji thou art^ and into diifi 
 thou Jhalt return. By one man (St. Paul 
 tells us) Jin entered into the world and death 
 
 by 
 
174 Of the CbaraEler of Chrifi 
 
 by fin^ and fo death has pajfed upon all men, 
 —The appearances of the world, and the 
 circumftances of our condition are fuch 
 as make it very credible that our ftate 
 may be a fallen ftate. We find ourfelves 
 in a fituation where we are expofed to 
 numberlefs temptations, and where the 
 pradice of virtue is often attended with 
 great difficulties. We fee that all man- 
 kind have finned and come ftiort of the 
 glory of God '. There is no one who 
 muft not acknowledge himfelf a guilty 
 being ; who has not many tranfgrcffions 
 to lament, and many inexcufable offences 
 to repent of Multitudes fall into atroci- 
 ous vice. — May we not eafily bc-ieve, that 
 
 fuch 
 
 = " Whoever will confider the manifold miferies 
 " and extreme wickednefs of the world, &c. will 
 " think he has little reafon to object againft the 
 *' Scripture account that mankind is in a ftate of 
 " degradation, how ditiicult foever he may think it 
 '« to account for, or even to form a diftinft concep- 
 *< tion of the occafions and circumftances of it.'* 
 See Bifhop Butler's Analogy^ &c. Part. ii. chap. 5. 
 
as the Saviour of the World, 1^5 
 
 fuch beings want a Saviour ? A Saviour, 
 not only to bring them to repentance and 
 virtue, but to avert from them the con- 
 fequences of paft guilt, and to render re- 
 pentance itfelf available to happinefs? — 
 This, however, is a point which has 
 been much contefted by the favourers 
 of Socinianifm. They maintain, that 
 no Saviour could be wanted for this 
 purpofe, the perfedions of God re- 
 quiring him to receive repenting finners. 
 A return to virtue fuppofed, pardon and 
 happinefs, they think, follow of courfe 
 under the Divine government, whatever 
 vice may have preceded it. — I cannot but 
 think this a groundlefs affertion. It fup- 
 pofes, that the only end of punifhment is 
 t|ie reformation of the offender. But 
 there is in vice an intrinfic demerit which 
 (independently of '^ confequences) makes 
 
 punifh- 
 
 •1 See a Review of the principal ^ejiions and Diffi- 
 culties in Morals^ chap. ^. 
 
176 Of the CharaSier of Chrijl 
 
 punifliment proper j and it is rendered 
 further proper by the neceflity of vindi- 
 cating the honour of God's broken laws, 
 and of deterring beings who have not of- 
 fended from wickednefs. Thefe are rea- 
 fons for punilhment which the reforma- 
 tion of the offender does not anfwer. 
 And, in general, it feems fit, that in 
 treating moral agents a regard (hould be 
 had to what they have been, as well as to 
 what they are-, and that a diflindion (hould 
 be made between the cafes oi. innocents and 
 penitents^ as well as between the cafes oi pe-- 
 nitents and impenitents. — It is not, indeed, 
 credible, that the connexion, cftabliflied 
 by the Divine laws between guilt and pu- 
 nilhrnent, (hould be fo cafily broken as 
 that every confequence of guilt (hould 
 be immediately removed by repentance. 
 This is contradided by general and con- 
 (tant experience. When a perfon has loft 
 a limb in a criminal purfuit, repentance 
 will not reft ore it. When he has wafted 
 his fortune or ruined his health by his 
 
 back. 
 
iis the Saviour of the World, 177 
 
 Vices, repentance will not bring them 
 back. In fuch cafes, remedies may be 
 fometimes found, or the cornpaffion of 
 friends may rcliet^e ; but the mifchief ge- 
 nerally remains, notwJthftarlding any al- 
 teration of cdndiidl. 
 
 With our cdriditibn as Jinful and guilty 
 is cdnneded bur condition as rnoriai crea- 
 tures. Thefe are the two circumftances 
 in our condition which make it ^ dijl^ejl 
 condition. All men have corrupted their 
 ways, and expofed themfelves to the pe- 
 nalties annexed to guilt ; and all men 
 ftand condemned to death. The Scrip- 
 tures inform us that a deliverer from 
 death was promifed at the time it v^aS 
 introduced. (T^he feed of the woman jhall 
 bruife the ferpent" s head^ Gen. iii. 15.) But 
 this implies that, without a deliverer, we 
 muft have remained under the power of 
 death, and confequently loft a future ftate. 
 It feems a break in the thread of confcious 
 exiftence, which cannot be ufual in the 
 tranfition of reafonable beihg^ from lower 
 
 tl to 
 
178 Of the CharaBer of Chnjl 
 
 to higher ftates. It is a catajirophe 
 iiniverfally dreaded, threatening extinc- 
 tion, and bearing every appearance of 
 being what the Scriptures make it, an ad-^ 
 ventitious evil' and not an original part 
 of God*s plan. 
 
 Such 
 
 * Some think the account in Grcnefis of the intro- 
 du6lIon of death to be an Allegory intended to teach 
 not a FACT, but a moral lesson > and, confequent- 
 ly, they think the prefent ?nortal ftate of man to be 
 not an adventitious ftate, but that for which he was 
 at firft intended. Were this triie, it would be necef- 
 fary to look upon Chrift's faving the world by de- 
 livering it from death, as an interpofition to fave it 
 from the ftate for vl'hich it was made, and in which the 
 Creator had placed it ; and it is, I think, an argu- 
 ment in favour of Chriftianity, that, by grounding 
 our redemption on a/^//, it has led us to jufter con- 
 ceptions. 
 
 The following words in the Apochryphal bckjk en- 
 titled the TVifdom of Solomon^ arc very remarkable. 
 Chap. ii. 24. God created man to be immortal. He made 
 him to be an image of his ozvn eternity, Nevej'ihelefs -^ 
 through envy of the Devil^ came death into the world j and 
 ibey that held of his fide dofndit,'—'The interpretation, 
 in thefe words of the account of the fall has been ge- 
 nerally received by Jews and Chriftians -, and it de- 
 
 ferves 
 
m the Saviour of the World. i^g 
 
 Siich is the condition of man: A condi- 
 tion which, though it leaves abundant 
 proofs of the wifdom and goodnefs of the 
 Creator^ fliews tis that we might have 
 Jieeded falvation. And it alfo (hews us in 
 what this falvation muft confift. It ap- 
 pears, that it muft confift in the deliver- 
 ance of g-^/Zfy creatures froni the connexion 
 eftablifhed by the Divine laws between 
 guilt and punifhment ; and in the deliver- 
 ance oi mortal creatures from death. 
 
 This, therefore, is the first argument 
 
 I would ufe t6 prove that Chrift was 
 
 N 2 aSa- 
 
 terves notice, tH at Chrift has referred to it in the words 
 (John Viii. 44.) The Devil was a murderer from 
 the beginning ; and the apoftle John in the words 
 ^l John ii, 8.) The Devil fihneih from the beginning* 
 For this purpofe the Son of God was manifejledy that he 
 might dejiroy the works of the Devil. And in the Reve- 
 lation, by calling Satan, the old serpent.— But the 
 cleareft reference to this interpretation is in theepiftle 
 to the Hebrews^ chap. ii. 14. Forafmiich as the chil- 
 dren are partakers offejh and bloody he alfo hlmfelf took 
 part of the fame ; that^ through death he might dejiroy him 
 that had the power of death ; thai is, the devtl; and deli- 
 ver them who, through fear of death, vjere all their life^ 
 iimefubjeSf to bondage. 
 
i8o Of the CharaBer of Chrifi 
 
 a Saviour in a higher fenfe than by being 
 a teacher. Our cafes as fmful and mortal 
 creatures required more than inftrudtion. 
 Inftrudion could only bring us to repen- 
 tance. It could not make repentance the 
 means of remiffion 5 or an exemption from 
 the efFeds of guilt. It could not create a 
 fitnefs that offenders (hould be favoured 
 as if they had never offended. It could 
 not raife from death, or reflore to a new 
 life. 
 
 I could, however, even allow all this 5 
 and fiill maintain that Chrifi was more 
 than a teacher. For, granting the neceffa- 
 ry availablenefs of repentance in all cafes 
 to favour and happinefs, it may be afked 
 to what degree of favour and happinefs it 
 is neceffarily available ? Mufl our imper- 
 fect virtue, a virtue preceded, perhaps, by 
 atrocious wickednefs as well as accompa- 
 nied with numberlefs infirmities ^ mufl 
 fuch virtue be entitled to fuch favour as 
 Chriftianity promifes, including in it, not 
 only pardon and a remifrion of punifh- 
 
 ment, 
 
as the Saviour of the World. i8i 
 
 ment, hut a, glorious mmortality ', an eter- 
 nal exiftence in ever-increafing felicity 
 and honour. If fo, then indeed it will fol* 
 low that we can owe no more to Chrift 
 than inftrudion. — But there cannot be a 
 fliadow of reafon for fuch an affertion. 
 'EsVQnJinlefs virtue can have no title to that 
 fuper-abundance of grace promifed by 
 Chriftianity. It might then have been 
 made precarious, and left to depend on 
 a voluntary exertion of benevolence in 
 our favour. 
 
 But the main evidence on this point 
 muft be taken from the Scriptures. I 
 fhould run this difcourfe to an immode- 
 rate length, were I to attempt to give you 
 any particular account of thofe declara- 
 tions of Scripture which might be here 
 quoted, — Chrift is fly led the propitiation for 
 our fns. In him^ we are told, we have 
 redemptio?i through his bloody even the for-' 
 givenefs of our fms. He made his life an 
 offering for iniquity^ Jhed his blood for the 
 N 3 re- 
 
l82 Of the CharaBer of Chrijt 
 
 remijjton of fns^ and appeared once in the eni 
 of the world for ever to put away fn by the 
 facrifice of himfelf — I cannot think that 
 fuch expreffions fignify only, that he 
 died to feal the covenant of grace, and 
 to aflure us of pardon. Their obvious 
 meaning feems to be, that, as the facri- 
 fices under the law of Mofes expiated 
 guilt and procured remiffion, fo Chrift's 
 Ihedding his blood and offering up his 
 life was the means of remiffion and favour 
 to penitent finners.— But the declarations 
 of moil confequence, are thofe which ac- 
 quaint us that Chrift carpe that we might 
 have life^ and that we might have it more 
 abundantly, — Tthat he laid down his life for 
 the life of the world, — ^hat he is that eternal 
 life which was with the Father. — That by 
 death he dejlroyed death ; and that^ as by 
 Adam came fin and deaths fo by Chrijl Jhall 
 come the rcfurreBion of the deaj^ and 
 7race reign through righteoufnefs unto eter- 
 nal life. The JSIew Teftament is full of 
 language to this purpofe. — And, furely, 
 
 it 
 
as the Saviour of the World. 183 
 
 it fignifies that he is more than a prophet 
 and reformer. It fets him before us as 
 the Author of life to a race obnoxious to 
 punifliment and devoted to death j as their 
 Deliverer from the grave, and the Reftorer 
 of a diftreft w^orld. It imphes that our 
 refurredion from destth to an endlefs life 
 depended on his interpofition j and that by- 
 uniting himfelf to our nature, pafling 
 through human life, and fuffering and 
 dying as he did, he acquired the power 
 of making us happy for ever.— Having been 
 made perfect through fufferings^ he became 
 the Author of eternal falvation to all that 
 obey him. He died for tis that whether we 
 fieep $r wake we Jhould live with him. 
 Eternal life is the gift of God through him--: 
 through him not merely as the Revealer ; 
 but likevyife as the Difpenfer \ and (under 
 Gpd) the Procurer of it. 
 
 N 4 Thirdly, 
 
 f It is univerfally agreed among Chriftians, that 
 the power of difpenfmg to penitent Tinners the bleffings 
 
1 84 Of the Charadier of Chrifi 
 
 Thirdly. I would dpfirp you to confider 
 that Chrift is called the Sayiour of the 
 
 WORLD ; that is, of ALL MAN^CIND ; and 
 
 that he could not be fo merely ^s a prophet 
 
 and 
 
 of the Chriftian covenant (that is, pardon and im- 
 mortality) is a part of the reward of Chrift's fervice^ 
 and merit. And it was, indeed, a reward worthy of 
 them if bis difpenfing them, in confequence of hi$ 
 obediencp to death, was, like all that we fee of God'S; 
 government, the means and the condition of the en- 
 joyment of them : And, I have no doubt, but this was 
 chiefly the joy fet before htm for which he endured the crofi 
 defpifmg the J}:ame^ Heb. xii. 2. But if thefe were blef- 
 fmgs which had not been loft j which could not be 
 v/itliheld without a violation of the Divine perfec- 
 tions j and which, therefore, penitent and virtuous 
 men would have equally enjoyed with or without. 
 Chrift ; the fervice^ the merit, and the reward all 
 vanifh. Mankind wanted only to be inftru6i:ed and 
 brought to repentance ; and Chrift, being fimply a 
 man, was equal to no higher fervice. 
 
 It defcrves particular confideration here, that none 
 who think a future ftate not to be difcovcrable by the 
 light of nature, can think that human virtue gives a 
 claim to a future immortality ; for, on thrs fuppofition, 
 there would be the fame reafon for expecting a future 
 
 im- 
 
tffj the Saviour of the World. jSj 
 
 and a reformer. In thefe capacities, he 
 can be the Saviour only of thofe who re^ 
 ceive his inftrudions, and to whom the 
 iaflucnce of his Gofpel has reached ; and 
 confequently, all virtuous men before hi$ 
 icoming, and all virtuous Heathens fme 
 his coming can owe nothing to him. But 
 the language of Scripture is, that he tafted 
 death for every man,—T\\2it the benefits he 
 has obtained extend as far as the efFeds 
 pf Adam's fall. — And that by his obedi- 
 ence, the free gft came upon all men tojuf 
 tif cation of life. 
 
 Fourthly. 
 
 immortality that there is for believing the moral pei'- 
 fedions of the Deity. But this is far from being the 
 opinion of thofe who hold the Socinian do6lrine. On 
 the contrary; Dr. Priestley aflerts, that all the 
 appearances of nature are againft a future Hate ; and, 
 that the evidence for it refts folely on the miiTion and 
 refurre6lion of Jefus Chrifl:. I cannot concur with 
 Dr. Prieftley in this opinion ; but: were it right, there 
 would be no room for doubting whether (agreeably 
 to the Scripture account) immortality is a bkiBiig 
 which may have been loil and afterwards regained 
 through the redemption that h in Chrift« 
 
J 86 Of the Charadier of Chrijl 
 
 Fourthly. Itdefervesyour confideration, 
 that the fuperiority of Chrift's nature evi- 
 dently implies, that he came to perform a 
 fervice which no mere n^an could perform ; 
 and, therefore, greater than ^ny fervice 
 confiding only ia enlightening and re- 
 forming the vyrorld. The dignity of the 
 agent and the dignity of the fervice prove 
 one another, ^s I pbferved in mj^ former 
 difcourfe. 
 
 Admit that Chrift was indeed the Life 
 as well as the Light of the world. — Admit 
 that he was not only the Revealer and 
 Conveyer^ but the Obtainer of- pardon and 
 immortality to mankind. — And a fervice 
 will appear tranfcendent and unfpeakable, 
 adequate to that ftupendous humiliation 
 which was the means of it, and worthy of 
 the interpofition of that Messiah who 
 was in the beginning with God. 
 
 But fuppofe that he came to do no more 
 than a man could do — fuppofe that for no 
 higher fervice, he was fo greatly rewarded 
 ?is to have a name given pirn that is aboi:? 
 
 ev^ry 
 
^s the Saviour of the World. 1 87 
 
 l^ery name^ not only in this "world but in that 
 which is to come^ angels^ authorities^ and 
 powers being made JubjeB to him.^hxiA the 
 confequence will be introducing a difpro- 
 portion between the means and the end, 
 (between Chrift-s fervice and his reward) 
 which is entirely incomprehenfible and 
 incredible. 
 
 Let me farther afk. In what, accord- 
 ing to the dodrine I am oppofing, con- 
 fifted that love of Chrift which passes 
 KNOWLEDGE mentioned by St. Paul ; and 
 that fcheme of redemption into which he 
 reprefcnts angels as (looping to look? 
 The one is funk down to a love that men 
 have exercifedj and the other into a 
 fcheme for teaching and reforming man- 
 kind that men could carry on. 
 
 This leads me to defire you to confider 
 fifthly i that, according tp this dodrine, 
 Ghrift was a Saviour in no higher fenfe 
 than that in which the Apoflles, or any 
 other ufeful teachers of religion, may be 
 fo called. But would not the apoftles 
 
 have 
 
iS8 Of the Cbaradler of Chriji 
 
 have been Shocked at any fuch ideas of 
 them. St. Paul alks the Corinthians — 
 Was Paul cnicified for you ? Plainly im- 
 plying, that it was not poffible for him to 
 be crucified for them in any fenfe like that 
 in which Chrift was crucified for them, — 
 In like manner, had he been called the 
 Saviour of the World as Chrift was, on ac- 
 count of what he did and endured to teach 
 and reform the world ; he would probably 
 have replied with indignation — '^ Did 
 *^ Paul die for the fins of the world?'* 
 '^ Will Paul raife the world from thq 
 **deadr 
 
 Once more I would obferve to you on 
 this fubjed (as I did in my former dif- 
 courfe on the fubjed of Chrift 's dignity) 
 that the prejudices againft the dodirine 
 lam defending are derived in a great de-^ 
 gree from inattention to the nature and 
 the extent oi the connexions and de^ 
 pendencies which take place in the crea- 
 tion. The plan of the Deity in govern-* 
 
as the Saviour of the World. 1S9 
 
 ing his creatures is to fufpend their par-* 
 ticipation of his bounty on their agency, 
 and to make their fpontaneous inftru- 
 mentality the channel and the condition 
 of the communication of the fruits of his 
 goodnefs. — This is, certainly, the plan 
 which all we fee of the Divine govern- 
 ment exhibits ; and it Ihould be carefully 
 remembered, that what we fee is in this 
 ^afe the beft clue we can ufe in our en- 
 quiries, and that we cannot go upon fafer 
 ground than when we judge that part of 
 the Divine government which extends 
 abo^ae man to be analogous to that part of 
 it which lies before us. 
 . It is here, I think, remarkable, that we 
 are able to difcover that the plan thus ex- 
 hibited to our view is the beft plan, be- 
 caufe it gives fcope and weight to the 
 agency of intelligent beings, and makes 
 them capable of being ufeful to one ano- 
 ther, and, therefore, of enjoying that 
 happinefs which aflimiilatcs them moft to 
 the Deity,— I have made fome of tbefe 
 
 ob. 
 
xgo Of the CbaraSf'er rf Chrift 
 
 obfervations at the beginning of this dit 
 courfe ; but they are of fo much impor- 
 tance^ that they cati hardly be repeated too 
 often.— Had there been no poffibiHty of 
 lofles and fufFerings in the creation -, had 
 all beings and all orders of beings flood 
 fingle and unconneded; and had their 
 privileges been fecured to them without 
 depending on either their own exertions 
 or the exertions of other beings — had this 
 been the plan of God's government, this 
 world w'ould have loft its value and dignity. 
 It would have been a world without room 
 in it for generofity, for gratitude, for great 
 atchievements, and all the fublimeft joys 
 that can be felt by a reafonable creature. 
 —Had, in particular, that fyftem of or- 
 ders of beings iii virhich probably man is 
 a link been thusconftituted, that Messiah 
 revealed by Chriftianity could have known 
 nothing of the joy for which he endured 
 the crofs. Hte muft have been a ftranger 
 to the fatisfadidn he felt when he faw of 
 the travail of his foul 5 and he muft have 
 
 loft 
 
^s the Saviour of the IVorld. 191 
 
 loft that addition to his happinefs which 
 he has derived from promoting our hap- 
 pinefs. 
 
 It IS high time to relieve you from your 
 attention to this important fubjed. In 
 delivering my fentiments upon it I have 
 faid nothing oi fubjiitution^ ov fatisfaBiotiy 
 or any of thofe explanations of the man- 
 ner of our redemption by Chrift which 
 have been given by Divines. Some of 
 thefe explanations are in the highcft de- 
 gree abfurd, and I receive none of them, 
 thinking that the Scriptures have only re- 
 vealed to us the fad that Godfenf his Son 
 to be the Saviour of the Worlds and chufing 
 to fatisfy myfelf with thofe ideas refpec- 
 ting it which I have laid before you^. 
 
 Per- 
 
 g " Some have endeavoured to explain the efficacy 
 *' of virhat Chrift has done and fufFered for us beyond 
 *' vi^hat the Scripture has authorized. Others, pro- 
 *' bably, becaufe they could not explain it, have 
 '' been for taking It away, and confining his office 
 
 « as 
 
tgz Of the CharaSier of Chrifi 
 
 Perhaps fome of thefe ideas are wrori^; 
 and, fliould that be the cafe, I am undct 
 no apprehenfions of any ill confequences> 
 
 being 
 
 " as Redeemer of the world to his m-ftru£^i6n, ex- 
 *' ample^ and government of the Church. Whereas 
 *' the do6trine of the Gofpel appears to be, not only 
 *' that he taught the efficacy of repentance, but ren- 
 *' dered it of the efficacy which it is by what he did 
 " and fuffered for us ; that he obtained -for us the 
 ** benefit of having our repentance accepted to eter- 
 <« nal life, &c. How, and in what particular way 
 ^^ it bad this efficacy, there are not wanting perfons' 
 " who have endeavoured to explain j but I do not 
 «* find that the Scriptures have explained it. It is 
 *:' our wifdom thankfully to accept the benefit Vi'ith- 
 *> out difpirting how it was procured."— —»Bifhop 
 Butler's Analogy cf Religion natural and revealed to the 
 conjiitution and courfe of nature^ Part ii. chap. 5. 
 
 " Let reafon be kept to, and if any part of the 
 ^ Scripture account of the redemption of the worl<J 
 *• by Chrift can be fhewn to be really contrary to it, 
 *^ let the Scripture, in the^name of God, be given 
 « up. But let not ilich poor creatures as we go onf 
 " objefling to an infinite fcheme that we do not fee 
 *' the neceffity or ufefulnefs of all its parts, and caU 
 *' this reafoning." Ih^ 
 
as the Saviour of the World. 193 
 
 being perfuaded that my intereft in this 
 redemption depends not on the juftnefs of 
 my conceptions of it, or thereditude of my 
 judgment concerning it, but on the fin- 
 cerity of my heart. — Indeed, I feldom feel 
 much of that fatisfadion which fome de- 
 rive from being fure they have found 
 out truth. But I derive great comfort 
 from believing, that error, when involun- 
 tary, is innocent j and that all that is re- 
 quired of me, as a condition of acceptance, 
 is faithfully endeavouring to find out and 
 to pradifc truth and right. 
 
 I will conclude with exhorting you 
 
 Firft, to make it your ftudy, by a holy 
 
 life, to fecure an intereft in this falvation. 
 
 — We fhould be often putting to our- 
 
 felves the queftion in Heb. ii. 3. How 
 
 Jhall we efcape if we 7iegle5l fo great a faU 
 
 nation ? — A great falvation is wrought out 
 
 for us and offered us ; but it is only of 
 
 fered us. We cannot be made aflual par- 
 
 O takers 
 
194 Of the ChardBer of Chriji 
 
 takers of it without the concurrence of 
 our own wills and endeavours. We do 
 not fee, in any cafe, that it is God's plan 
 to force any one to be happy. The impe- 
 nitent and vicious are incapable of happi- 
 nefs. — Let us then forfake every evil 
 way, and pradlife univerfal righteoufnefs. 
 There is no motive to this, which ftrikes 
 my mind more ftrongly, than the reflexion 
 on the vaftnefs of the danger implied in 
 the vaftnefs of the apparatus for faving us. 
 How fhocking will be our fate fhould any 
 of us after all remain unfaved; and find 
 that Chrift lived and died in vain, as to 
 any benefit we ftiall derive from him ? — 
 I am fenfible that there are fome very wife 
 and good Chriftians who think this can- 
 not be the cafe ultimately with any hu- 
 man being 5 and that even the impenitent 
 will (after a feverity of future punifhment 
 proportioned to the different degrees 
 of guilt) be recovered to virtue and 
 happinefs ; and thus Chrift's triumph 
 over fin and death become at laft univer- 
 fal 
 
as the Saviour of the World. 195 
 
 Ikl atid complete. — This is an opinion 
 which the feelings of every benevolent 
 man would determine him eagerly to em- 
 brace, could it be fhewn to be confiftent^ 
 with the language of Scripture ; and 
 I dare not pronounce that it is not 
 ^o. But God forbid, that any of us 
 ^Otld rifk upon it the exijlence of our 
 immortal fouls ; or fuffer fuch an ex- 
 pedation t^. render us lefs fearful of the 
 confequences ot uqq. Our Saviour has 
 declared (and it is one <,f the moft awful 
 declarations in the Bible) that the hour is 
 coming when all that are in their gra^oa^: JJjall 
 hear the voice of the Son of Man^ afid Jhall 
 come forth They who have done good to the 
 refurreUion of life ; but they who have done 
 evil to the refurreBion of damnatioii^ John 
 V. 29. — What this damnation w^ill be, 
 and in what it will terminate, is at pre- 
 fent unknown and inconceivable. The 
 Scriptures lead us to think of it as a 
 fecond death more terrible than the pre- 
 fent, and fometimes call it everlajiing de- 
 O 2 flruflion, 
 
196 Of the Character of Cbrijl. 
 
 flrudlion, and compare it to a fire which 
 
 burns up and confumes what is thrown 
 
 into it. The h^xQ poffibility that thefe ex- 
 
 preffions fignify total extermination is 
 
 frightful ; and fhould be fufficient to deter 
 
 effedually from wickednefs. And if it 
 
 does not, there is reafon to believe that no 
 
 certainty of fuch a punifhment would h?"^^ 
 
 a much greater efFed. 
 
 Secondly, Let us, as far as ve are con- 
 
 fcious of having returned ^ our duty, rely 
 
 on Chrift as our 5^viour; and rejoice in 
 
 the hope of et-^^nal life through him. We 
 
 may collider him as addreffing us as he did 
 
 his apoflles in John xiv. i. Let not your 
 
 hearts be troubled, " You believe in God, Be-- 
 
 lieve alfo in me. He is that word of God 
 
 and great Meffiah, who was made flefh 
 and dwelt among us to blefs us with lights 
 
 inftruflion, pardon, and immortality ^ and 
 it will be inexcufable not to carry 
 about with us a deep fenfc of our obli- 
 gations to him,, and to. honour and love 
 him. But, 
 
 Thirdly, 
 
as the Saviour of the World. igy 
 
 Thirdly, While we do this, let us take 
 care not to overlook that firft caufe and 
 giver of all good to whofe antecedent love 
 we ov^e Jefus Chrift. This is an admoni- 
 tion of the laft confequence ; and you 
 muft not be difpleafed w ith me for taking 
 every occafion to inculcate it. Mankind 
 have always been too prone to pay undue 
 honours to inferior benefadors, and to 
 terminate their views in fecond caufes. It 
 is this that has produced that bafe idolatry 
 which in all ages has difgraced the world, 
 and led even Chriftians to worfhip the 
 creature rather than the Creator. Let 
 us fludy to be wtifer. Let us, in the blef- 
 fings of redemption as well as all our 
 other bleffihgs, learn to center our views 
 in God, and fly from every form of public 
 devotion that has any other objed than 
 that ONE Being of 'whojn^ and through 'whom ^ 
 and to ivhom are all thhigs.—VJe fhould 
 honour Chrift ardently as our Lord and 
 Saviour ; but we fliouid honour him as 
 having the fame God and Father with cur- 
 O 3 fckcs. 
 
198 Of the Character of Chrijl 
 
 fehes, and never think of any thing fo ab- 
 furd and (hocking as elevating him whq 
 was fent to an equality with the felf-exif- 
 tent Being who fent him. 
 
 Laftly, The doflrine on which I have 
 infifled has a tendency to confole us under 
 the troubles of life ; and, particularly % 
 under the diftreffes arifing from the havock 
 which death is making continually among 
 our friends. Chrift rofe from the dead 
 as the frft'fuits of them that fleep. He 
 has affured us that fince he lives, we fhall 
 live alfo. Had we not been bleft with 
 this information, our profpedj in circum- 
 ftances of forrow would have been dif. 
 couraging. We (hould have looked for- 
 ward to death, not (as we now may) 
 with hope and triumph, but with doubt 
 
 and 
 
 h What follows was occafioned by the death of one 
 of the principal members of the fociety to which thefe 
 difcourfes were addrefled ; and by the attendance of 
 his family, the firft time after his death, on the morn- 
 ing when this difcourfe was delivered. 
 
as the Saviour of the World. 199 
 
 and anxiety^ and this king of terrors, in- 
 ftead of appearing a friend and a deliverer, 
 would have appeared an enemy and de- 
 flroyer. Happy then is the lot of every 
 true Chriflian. His religion kindles for him 
 a bright light in this benighted world, and 
 enables him to defcry beyond the grave 
 a better world, and millions in it raifed 
 to honour and blifs, and uniting in tak- 
 ing up St. Paul's fong of triumph — Oh! 
 death where is thy ding ? Oh ! grave where 
 is thy vidfory? 'Thanks be to God who 
 giveth us the victory through our Lord 
 Jefus Chrijl. 
 
 The apprehenfion of our liablenefs to 
 fuch fufferings as fometimes attend a 
 dying illnefs (and as the friend went 
 through for whom fome of us now appear 
 in mourning) has a tendency to dejeft us. 
 But we ought not defpond. All is wifely 
 ordered, and all will end well. While 
 waiting for our laft conflift, we fhould 
 ftudy to keep our minds undifturbed, 
 committing our exiftence to him who gave 
 O 4 i^ 
 
200 Of the Chara5ter ofChrili^ &c. 
 
 ft, refolving not to feel paia till it comesj 
 attending to nothing anxioufly but our 
 duty, and looking forward with joyful 
 hope to that period when, at the call of 
 the Saviour of the world, we fhall fpring 
 np from the dull, and draw immortal 
 breath, in thofe new heavens and that new 
 earth where all the virtuous are to meet 
 and never more to feel pain or forrow. 
 Wherefore let us comfort one another with 
 thefe words. 
 
 S E R. 
 
[ 20I 3 
 
 SERMON VI 
 
 OF THE Security of a virtuous course, 
 
 Proverbs x. 9. 
 He that walketh uprightly, walketh furely, 
 
 THESE words exprefs one of the 
 moft important of all maxims. 
 They tell us, that in the pradice of vir- 
 tue there is safety. Much higher praife 
 may be beftowed upon it. We may fay 
 that v^ith it are conneded peace, honour, 
 dignity, the favour of God, happinefs 
 now^ and eternal happinefs hereafter: 
 And v^re have reafon enough to think 
 this true. But whether true or not, it 
 
 is 
 
202 Of the Security 
 
 is at leaft true, that there is safety 
 in it. 
 
 Chriftianity informs us, that good men 
 will be raifed from death to enjoy a glori- 
 ous immortality, through that Saviour of 
 the world who tailed death for every man. 
 But let the evidence for this be fuppofed 
 precarious and unfatisfadory. — Let it be 
 reckoned uncertain whether a virtuous 
 courfe will terminate in fuch infinite 
 bleffings under the Divine government as 
 Chriftians are taught to exped. — Still there 
 will remain fufEcient evidence to prove, 
 that in all events it muft be the fafeji^ and 
 therefore our ivifeji courfe. 
 
 1 cannot better employ the prefent time 
 than in endeavouring to explain and illuC- 
 trate this truth. But previoufly to this, it 
 will not be amifs to make a few obferva- 
 tions on the charader of the man who 
 walks uprightly. 
 
 Uprightnefs iGgnifies the fame with in^ 
 t^grity or fincerity. It implies a freedom 
 
 from 
 
of a mrtuous Coiirfe, 203 
 
 from guile and the faithful difcharge of 
 every known duty. An upright man al- 
 lows himfelf ia nothing that is inconfift- 
 ent with truth and right. He complies 
 with all the obligations he is under, and 
 avoids every kind of prevarication and 
 falfehood. He maintains an equal and 
 uniform regard to the whole of righteouf- 
 nefs. He hates alike all fm, and pradifes 
 every part of virtue, from an unfeigned 
 attachment to it eftabliflied in his foul. 
 This is what is moft effential to the cha- 
 rader of an upright man. He is governed 
 by no finifter ends, or indired views, in 
 the difcharge of his duty. , It is not the 
 love of fame, or the defire of private ad- 
 vantages, or mere natural temper that 
 produces his virtuous condud j but an 
 afFedion to virtue as virtue ^ a fcnfe of 
 the weight and excellence of the obligati- 
 ons of righteoufnefs j and a- zeal for the 
 honour of God and the happinefs of man- 
 kind. But to be a little more parti- 
 cular. 
 
 Up- 
 
204 Of the Security 
 
 Uprightnefs of charader comprehends in 
 it right condud with refped to God, and 
 man, and ourfelves. — The perfon I am 
 defcribing is firft of all upright in all his 
 tranfadions with God. His religion is 
 not an hypocritical fliew and oftentation. 
 He is that which he appears to be to his 
 fellow-creatures. His religious ads are 
 emanations from a heart full of piety. 
 He makes confcience of private as well as 
 public devotion, and endeavours to walk 
 blamelefsly in all God's ordinances. He 
 attends on religious fervices not to be 
 {ten of men ; but from a fenfe of duty 
 and gratitude to his Maker j and, inftead 
 of making them a cover for bad defigns, 
 or compenfations for immorality, he makes 
 them incentives to the difcharge of all 
 moral duties, and the means of render- 
 ing him more benevolent, amiable, and 
 worthy. 
 
 Again. Uprightnefs implies faithfulnefs 
 in all our tranfadions with ourfelves. 
 It is very common for men to impofe 
 
 upon 
 
of a virtuous Courfe. 205 
 
 upon themfelvesj to wink at ofFenfive 
 truths 5 and to pradife unfair arts with 
 their own minds. This is entirely incon- 
 fiftent with the charadter of an upright 
 man. He endeavours to be faithful to 
 himfelf in all that he thinks and does, and 
 to diveft his mind of all unreafonable 
 biaffes. He is fair and honeft in all his 
 enquiries and deliberations, ready to own 
 his miftakes, and thankful for every help 
 to difcover them. He wifhes to know 
 nothing but what is true, and to praBife 
 nothing but what is right. He is open 
 to convidion, indifferent where he finds 
 truth, and prepared to follow it wherever 
 it can lead him. He is often difciplining 
 his heart, fearching into the principles 
 of condud within him, and labouring 
 to deted his faults in order to redify 
 them. 
 
 Further. Uprightnefs includes in it 
 candour, fairnefs, and honefty in all our 
 tranfadions with omx fellow-creatures. An 
 upright man may be depended ^pon in all 
 
 his 
 
2q6 Of the Security 
 
 his profeffions and engagements. He ne- 
 ver, in any affair, goes beyond the limits 
 of juftice and equity. He never deceives 
 or over-reaches. He is true to his pro- 
 mifes, and faithful to every truft repofed 
 in him. All his gains are the gains of vir- 
 tuous induftry. All falfehood and lies, 
 all low cunning and fraudulent pradlifes 
 are his abhorrence. — In fhort \ he main- 
 tains a ftrid regard to veracity in his 
 words, and to honour in his dealings. 
 He adheres fleadfaftly in all circumflances 
 to Vv^hat he judges to be righteft and beft 5 
 and were it poffible for you to look thro' 
 his foul, you would fee the love of good- 
 nefs predominant within him. You would 
 fee benevolence and piety governing his 
 thoughts. You would fee him, within the 
 inclofure of his own breaft, as honeft and 
 worthy as he is on the open ftage of the 
 world. 
 
 Such is the charader of the man who 
 
 walks uprightly. I am next to fhew you 
 
 how furel^ he walks. 
 
 In 
 
of a virtuous Courfe, aoy 
 
 In order to acquire ajuft notion of this, 
 it is proper we fhould take into confide- 
 ration, firft, the fafety which fuch a per- 
 fon enjoys with refped to the happinefs 
 of the prefent life. Nothing is plainer 
 than that, if wx regard only our temporal 
 intereft, an upright courfe is the fafeft 
 courfe. In order to be fenfible of this, 
 you fhould think of the troubles which 
 men very often bring upon themfelves by 
 deviating from integrity. It is very dif- 
 ficult to go on for any time in diflionefty 
 and falfehood, without falling into per- 
 plexity and diftrefs. A man in fuch a 
 courfe fufpeds every body, and is fuf- 
 peded by every body He wants the love 
 and efteem of his fellow-creatures. He 
 is obliged to be continually on his guard, 
 and to ufe arts to evade law and juflice. 
 He walks in the dark along a crooked path 
 full of fnares and pits. — On the contrary. 
 The path of uprightnefs is ftrait and 
 broad. It is fmooth, open, and eafy. 
 He that walks in it walks in the light, 
 
 and 
 
2o8 Of the Security 
 
 and may go on with refolution and confi- 
 dence, inviting rather than avoiding the 
 infpedion of his fellow-creatures. He is 
 apprehenfive of no dangers. He is afraid 
 of no detedion. He is liable to none of 
 the caufes of fhame and difgrace. It is 
 an advantage to him to be obferved and 
 watched. The more narrowly his con- 
 dudl is examined, the more he will be 
 loved and refpeded. 
 
 A perfon, for inftance, who, in the 
 affairs of trade, deviates from truth and 
 honour, is likely to fink into great cala* 
 mities. Want, and trouble, and infamy 
 often prove his lot. Mofl of us have 
 been witneffes of this. How many in- 
 ftances are there of perfons who, forfaking 
 the plain path of uprightnefs, have en- 
 tangled themfelves beyond the poflibility 
 of being extricated, and involved their fa- 
 milies in the deepeft mifery j but who, 
 probably, had they been honefl, would 
 have efcaped every difficulty, and pafTed 
 through life eafily and happily. We 
 
 know 
 
of a virtuotn Courfe, 209 
 
 know not, indeed, what we do when we 
 tarn afide from virtue and righteoufnefs. 
 Such a train of confequences may follow 
 as will iffue in the lofs of all that is valu^ 
 able. It is paft doubt, that, in every 
 profeflion and calling, the way of up- 
 rjghtnefs is the moft free from perplexity. 
 It is ths way of peace and fatisfadion. 
 He that keeps in it will at leaft avoid the 
 pain of a reproaching confcience. He is 
 fure of enjoying his own approbation ; 
 and it may be expeded that his worldly 
 affairs will go on fmoothly, quietly, and 
 comfortably. 
 
 This puts me in mind of defiring you 
 to confider particularly, that an upright 
 condud is commonly the moft fure way 
 to obtain fuccefs in our worldly concerns. 
 You will obferve, that I fay it is the moft 
 fure way ; not that it is the Jhorteji. There 
 are many more expeditious ways of getting 
 money and acquiring fortunes. He that 
 will violate the rules of juftice, or break 
 the laws of his country, or not fcruple to 
 P take 
 
aio Of the Security 
 
 take falfe [oaths, may eafily get the ftart 
 of an upright man, and rife in a little 
 time to wealth and preferment. It is of- 
 ten in a man's power, by a bafe adion, to 
 introduce himfelf at once into eafe and 
 plenty. But wretched are thofe men who 
 fecure any worldly advantages by fuch 
 methods* There is a canker at the root 
 of their fucceffes and riches. What thejr 
 gain is unfpeakably lefs than what they 
 lofe. It is attended with inward anguifh^ 
 with the curfe of heaven, and inconceiv- 
 able future danger. — But though it muft 
 be thus acknowledged, that there are 
 fiorfer ways to profit and fuccefs than by 
 walking Uprightly, there are certainly 
 none fo fure. Univerfal experience has 
 proved that (agreeably to a common and 
 excellent maxim.) " honeily is the beft 
 policy." It may be flow in its opera-- 
 tion 5 and, for this reafon, many perfons 
 have not patience enough for it. But 
 it is in the end generally certain. An 
 upright man muft recommend himfelf by 
 
 degrees 
 
of a mrtmm Coiirfe. i\i 
 
 degrees to all that know him. He has 
 always the greateft credit, and the moft 
 unembarraffed affairs. There are none 
 who are not difpofed to place a confidence 
 in him, and who do not chufe to deal 
 with him. The difadvantages, there- 
 fore, already mentioned, under which he 
 ^e^bours, are counterbalanced by many 
 great advantages. He may not be able 
 to thrive fo faft, nor perhaps fo much as 
 others. He is c^hliged to deny himfclf the 
 gains which others tnake by the wrong 
 pradices common in their trade j and, on 
 this account, he may be under a neceffity 
 of contenting himfelf with fmall gains. 
 But it muft be [confidered, that he can 
 feldom fail of a tolerable fubfiftence^ 
 attended with comfort and the trueft en- 
 joyment of himfelf Though his gains 
 may be fmall, they are always fweet. He 
 has with them an eafy confcience, the 
 bleffing of God, and fecurity againft num- 
 berlefs grievous evils. And the fmalleft 
 gains of this fort are infinitely preferable 
 
 P 2 to 
 
21 a Of the Security 
 
 to the greateft gains th^t can be obtained 
 by wrong methods. 
 
 Thus you fee that, with refped to our 
 intereft in this world, he that walketh up- 
 rightly walketh furely.— Let us next con- 
 fider the fecurity which an upright con- 
 dud gives with refped to another world. 
 
 After this life is over we ar^ to 
 enter on another vvorld. "The moft 
 fceptical principles give us no fuffici- 
 ent reafon for denying thi^. Whatever 
 may be true of the order and adminiftra- 
 tion of nature, it muft be pojjtbk that there 
 ihould bea future ftate. And, if there is, 
 it is highly probable, that it will be a flate 
 of much greater extent and longer dura- 
 tion than the prefent. Nothing, therefore, 
 can be of more confequence to us than to 
 know by what means we may fecure the 
 bell condition and tlie greateft fafety in 
 it : And it is not poffible to doubt, but 
 the pradjife of religious goodnefs is the 
 proper means to be ufed for this purpofq. 
 
 If 
 
of a 'uirfuous Courji. izt^ 
 
 If any thing is clear, it is fo, that the up- 
 right and the worthy, in all events, and 
 through every period of duration, muft 
 fland the beft chance for efcaping mifery 
 and obtaining happiriefs.^— That our hap- 
 pincfs hereafter may depend on our con- 
 dud here is certain, becaufe we find, in the 
 prefent ftate, that the happinefs of every 
 fucceffive period of human life is made to 
 depend, in a gteat meafure^ on our con- 
 dud in the preceding periods. The hap^ 
 pinefs of mature life depends on the ha- 
 bits acquired and the pains taken in early 
 life; and mature life fpent in folly and 
 vice generally makes a rriiferable old age. 
 It is, thelrefore, very credible that a virtu- 
 bus condud may have an efFed on our 
 condition heireaften — No one, intieed, 
 can well carry infidelity fo far as to deny, 
 that, if there is a future ftate, it is likely 
 that the righteous will fare better in it 
 than the wicked. All we obferve of the 
 government of the Deity, and all that w6 
 tan learn with refpedt to his charader, 
 P 3 leads 
 
:2i4 Of the Security 
 
 leads us to believe that he mufl: approve 
 righieoufnefs and hate wickednefs : And, 
 in the fame proportion that he does this, 
 he muft favour the one and difcounte- 
 nance the other. We fee, iri what lies 
 before us of the conftitution of the vvcrid, 
 many great evils annexed to wickednefs 5 
 and many great bleffings annexed to righ- 
 teoufnefs; and v/e fee, likewife, in the 
 one an eifential tendency to produce uni- 
 verfal evil, and in the other an effential 
 tendency to produce univerfal good. 
 This demonftratcs to us the holy dif- 
 pofition of the Author of nature ; and 
 what we ought to reckon upon is, that 
 he will manifeft this difpoiition more 
 and more j and that the fcheme of moral 
 government now begun will be hereafter 
 competed. — To a£l righteoufly is to a£l 
 like God. \i is to promote the order of 
 his creation. It is to go into his confii- 
 tution of nature. It is to follow that con- 
 fcience which he has given us to be the 
 guide of our condudt. It muft, there- 
 fore, 
 
cf a wtiious Courfe. 215 
 
 fore, be the likelieft way to arrive at hap- 
 pinefs, and to guard againft mifery under 
 his government. The accountablenefs of 
 our natures, and our neceffary percep- 
 tions of excellence and good defert in vir- 
 tue, demonftrate this ; nor is it at all con- 
 ceivable, that we do not go upon fure 
 grounds when we draw this conclufion. 
 —But there is much more to be here faid* 
 There are many reafons which prove, that 
 the negled of virtue may be followed by 
 a dreadful punifhment hereafter. The 
 prefages of confcience; the concurring 
 voice of mankind in all ages ; our una- 
 voidable apprehenfions of ill-defert in 
 vice J and the diftreffes now produced by 
 it, are enough to lead us to expeft this. 
 The Chriftian religion confirms this ex« 
 pedation in a manner the moft awful, by 
 teaching us that the wicked Jhall he turned 
 into hell with all that forget God ; that they 
 Ihall be excluded from the fociety of wife 
 and good beings; and punifhed with ever- 
 Iqjiing deftruBion from the prefence of the 
 P 4 Lord 
 
11 6 Of the Secunfy 
 
 Lord and the glory of his power. It is, at 
 leaft, poffible this may be the truth. 
 The arguments for a righteous govern- 
 ment in nature, and for the truth of 
 Chriflianity, have at lead force enough 
 to prove that it is not certain but that 
 wickednefs will produce the greateft loffes 
 and evils in another v^orld; and that, 
 confequently, there is a real and incon- 
 ceivable danger attending it. — Confider, 
 now, that an upright life is a fure pre- 
 fervative from this danger. If all Vv^ho 
 forget God and pra6tife iniquity are here- 
 after to be rejeded by the Deity, and to be 
 configned to everJaJiing deJlruBicn-, if, I 
 fay, this fliould prove to be the truth, the 
 good man will be fafe and the wicked 
 man undone. But (hould all that rea- 
 fon and Chriflianity teach us on this 
 point prove a delufionj ftill a good man 
 will lofe nothing, and a bad man will get 
 nothing. Nay, a good man, even in this 
 cafe, will gain a great deal ; For he will 
 gain all that fatisfadion which goodnefs 
 
 gene- 
 
of a virtuous Courfe. ^17 
 
 generally brings with it in this life, and 
 which vice muft want. 
 
 Thus you fee what fecurity an "upright 
 man enjoys. He goes upon even and firm 
 ground. He has on his fide all good be- 
 ings 5 the conviSions of his confcience; 
 the order of nature ; and the power of the 
 Deity. It is impofRble he (hould be de- 
 ceived in thinking, that it is right to ad- 
 here inviolably to the laws of righteouf- 
 nefs. Should there be that execution of 
 Divine juflice on wickednefs which we 
 have been taught to exped, he will have 
 nothing to fear. The worji that can hap- 
 pen to him is better than the beji that may 
 happen to an unrighteous man. The bejl 
 that wicked men generally exped is the 
 lofs of exiftence at death ; and this is the 
 worJi that can happen to a good man. But 
 upon the one, it will come after a life of 
 fhame, and difeafe, and folly ; and on the 
 other like fleep at night after a day fpent 
 in peace, and health, and honour, and ufe- 
 
 ful 
 
2r$ Of the Security 
 
 ful labour. — I need not tell you what a 
 recommendation this is of a courfe of up- 
 rightnefs. — It is our fureft guard in all 
 events: our beft Ihelter againft evils un- 
 der God's government. Safety is what 
 every perfon, in the common concerns of 
 life, values and feeks. Here alone is it to 
 be found completely and certainly. No- 
 thing but virtuous conduct can preferve 
 us from the danger of God's difpleafure, 
 and of ruin after death. Without it we 
 muft ftand expofed to the fevereft cala-* 
 mities that can come upon reafonable 
 beings. 
 
 I will conclude this difcourfe with the 
 following inferences. 
 
 Firft, From all I have faid we learn, in 
 the plaineft manner, how much we are 
 bound in prudence to walk uprightly. 
 This appears to be prudent if we regard 
 only our prefent intereft. The way in 
 which an upright man walks (it has beea 
 Ihewn) is plain and open. It is fo eaf> to 
 
 find 
 
of a 'uirtuous Courfe. sig 
 
 find it, that we can never fwerve from it 
 while we retain an honeft deli re to keep 
 in it. It is liable to no hazards ; and it is 
 always pleafant and joyous. More com^ 
 pe?tdious ways, I have acknowledged, wc 
 may fometimes find to wealth and power 5 
 but they are full of danger, and he who 
 forfakes integrity in order to go into them, 
 and thus by a fhort cut to get at worldly 
 advantages, a6ts like a man who forfakes 
 a quiet and fure path in order to run the 
 rifk of being loft among quickfands, or of 
 breaking his neck by going over rocks 
 and precipices. If, therefore, we love 
 prudence, w^e fhall not, in our tempo- 
 ral concerns, ever fwerve from upright- 
 nefs. 
 
 But we have reafon to apprehend that 
 we fhali exift in another ftate ; and if we 
 confider this, we Ihall be forced to con- 
 clude from what has been faid, that the 
 prudence of a virtuous courfe is greater 
 than can be expreffed. If this life is not 
 our whole exiftence, fame precautions 
 
 ought 
 
220 Of the Security. 
 
 ought to be ufed with refped to the flat^ 
 that is to fucceed it j and the beft precau- 
 tion is the pradife of true piety and good- 
 nefs. If there is a life to come, it will» 
 in all probabiHty, be a ftate of retribu- 
 tion, where prefent inequahties will be fet 
 right, and the vicious fink into infamy 
 and mifery. The pradife of virtue is, ill 
 this cafe, our fecurity. It is the image of 
 the Deity in our fouls ; and what we ought 
 to reckon upon is, that nothing amifs 
 will ever happen to it. Let us then ad- 
 here to it in all events. Let us endea* 
 vour, in this inflance, to ufe the fame 
 prudence that the children of the world 
 ufe in their affairs. What pains will they 
 take, and what precautions will they em- 
 ploy, to avoid any dangers which they 
 forefee, or to prevent evils which may 
 poffibly come upon them ?-^There is a 
 danger hanging over us, as moral agents, 
 greater than any this world can threaten 
 us with 5 a danger dreadful and unutter- 
 able j the danger of falling into the pu<. 
 
 nifhment 
 
of a virtuous Courje. 2.21 
 
 nifliment of fin, and of lofing eternal 
 happinefs. Were there ever fo hard and 
 expenfive a method propofed to us of be- 
 ing fecured againft this danger, it would 
 be our wifdom chearfully to pradife it.— 
 But true goodnefs affords us, not a hard 
 and expenfive, but a cheap and eafy me- 
 thod of being fecured againft it Walking 
 uprightly will add to our prefent comfort, 
 at the fenje time that it will preferve us 
 from future danger. What is required 
 of us, in this inftance, is only to part 
 with our follies and difeafes 5 and to make 
 ourfelves happy now^ in order to be fafe 
 for ever. 
 
 All I have been faying is true, though 
 there ihould be the greateft uncertainty 
 with refpedl to the principles of religion. 
 I have been all along fpeaking on the fup- 
 pofition of fuch an uncertaijity, in ordet 
 to fet before you, in a ftronger light, the 
 ^^ifdom of being virtuous, and the folly of 
 a finful courfe. — But if we will fuppofe 
 that there is no fuch uncertainty : If we 
 
 will 
 
azz Of the Security 
 
 will fuppofe it not only poffible, but pro- 
 bable or morally certainj that the princi- 
 ples of religion are true 5 that Chrifiianity 
 comes from God ; and that, agreeably to 
 its affurances, all who are now in their 
 graves (hall hereafter Joear the voice of the 
 Son of God, and come forth ; thofe who have 
 done good to the refurreBion of life^ and 
 thofe who have done evil to the refur-^ 
 region of dam?tation : If, I fay, we fup- 
 pofe this to be the truth, how great will 
 the wifdom of a virtuous courfe appear, 
 and how fhocking the* folly of wicked- 
 nefs ? 
 
 There are, probably, few fpeculative and 
 enquiring men who do not fometimes 
 find themfelves in a ftate of dejeflion, 
 which takes from them much of the fatis- 
 fadtion arifing from their faith in very 
 important and interefting truths. Happy, 
 indeed, is the perfon who enjoys a flow 
 of fplrits fo even and conflant as never 
 to have experienced this. Of myfelf 
 1 mull fay, that I have been far from 
 
 being 
 
ef a ijtrtuom Coiirfe, 223 
 
 being fo happy. Doubts and difficulties 
 have often perplexed me, and thrown a 
 cloud over truths which, in the general 
 courfe of my life, are my fupport and 
 confolation. There are, however, many 
 truths, the convidion of which I never 
 lofe. — One convi£lion in particular re- 
 mains with me amidft all fluduations of 
 temper and fpirits. I mean my belief 
 of the maxim in my tcxt^ that he who 
 niDalketh uprightly moalketh furely. There 
 has not been a moment in which I have 
 found it poffible to doubts whether the 
 wifeft and beft courfe I can take is to 
 pradife virtue and to avoid guilt. Low 
 fpirits only give new force to this convic- 
 tion, and caufe it to make a deeper im- 
 preffion. Uncertainty in other inftances 
 creates certainty here 5 for the more dark 
 and doubtful our flate under God's go- 
 vernment is, the more prudent it muft 
 be to chufe that courfe which is the 
 
 I will 
 
Z2^ Of the Security 
 
 I will only farther defire you to confi- 
 der on this fubje^l, with that ferenity of 
 mind a good man may proceed through 
 life. Whatever is true or falfe, he has 
 the confcioufnefs of being on ih^fafe fide 5 
 and there is, in all cafes, a particular fatis- 
 fadion attending fuch a confcioufnefs. A 
 man who knows himfelf in a fafe way 
 goes on with compofure and boldnefs. — 
 Thus may you go on in a courfe gf well- 
 doing, You have none of thofe calamities 
 to fear to which others are liable. If the 
 dodrines of religion are true, you will be 
 completely happy through the Saviour of 
 mankind. But fliould they not prove true, 
 you will not be worfe off than others. 
 I have fliewn, on the contrary, that you 
 will ftill be gainers. — Your !ofs, in (hort, 
 ca?2 be nothing. Your gain fnay be infinite, 
 — Forfake, then, every thing to follow 
 righteoufnefs. Never confent to do a wrong 
 adion, qr to gratify an unlawful paffion. 
 This will give you a fecurity that is worth 
 more than all the treafures of the earth. 
 
 You 
 
of a virtuous Courfe, 225 
 
 You may alfo, on all principles, entertain 
 the apprehenfion that the gofpel has given 
 right information concerning the aboli- 
 tion of death, and the happinefs referved 
 for the faithful, in the future kingdom of 
 Jefus Chrift. That perfon muft have 
 confidered the arguments for Chriftianity 
 very fuperficially, who does not fee, that 
 they amount to an evidence, which is at 
 leafl: fufficient to give a juft ground for 
 this apprehenfion ; and, confequently, for 
 a hope the moft animating and glorious. 
 Let us cherifh this hope^ and endeavour 
 to keep the objed of it always in fight— 
 The flightcft glimpse of that eternal 
 LIFE which the New Teftament promifes, 
 is enough to elevate above this world. 
 The bare pojfibility of lofing it, by finful 
 pradifes, is enough to annihilate all temp- 
 tations. Wherefore ; let us be fiedfafl and 
 immoveable^ always abounding in the work of 
 the Lord^ forajmuch as we know that our la* 
 hour MAY end in a blifsful eternity ; but^ 
 happen what will, cannot be in vain, 
 
 Q. S E R- 
 
[ 227 3 
 
 SERMON VII. 
 
 OF THE HAPPINESS OF A VIRTUOUS COURSE, 
 
 Proverb s ui. 17, 
 
 Her ways are ways of pleafantnejs^ and all 
 her paths are peace. She is a tree of life 
 to them that lay hold of her ; and happy 
 is every one that receiveth her. 
 
 IN my laft difcourfe I reprefented to 
 you the fecurity of a virtuous courfe. 
 In doing this, I was led to touch upon 
 its tendency to make us mod happy^ as 
 w^ell as moft fecure^ under God's govern- 
 ment. — I (hall now infill more particu- 
 larly on this fubjed ; and endeavour to 
 Q, 2 give 
 
228 Of the Happinefs 
 
 give you a dlftincl account of the princi- 
 pal arguments and fads which prove the 
 happinefs of virtue^ meaning, on this 
 occafion chiefly, its prefent happinefs. 
 
 The ways ofwifdom (my text fays) are 
 ways of pkajajitnefs ; and happy is every one 
 that receiveth her. — Previoufly to any ex- 
 amination of the aBnal flate of mankind, 
 we may perceive a high probability that 
 this aflfertion muft be true. Virtue is the 
 image of God in the foul, and the nobleft 
 thing in the creation; and, therefore, it 
 muft be the principal ground of true hap- 
 pinefs. It is the rule by which God 
 meant that we fhould ad; and, there- 
 fore, muft be the way to the blifs for 
 which he intended us. That Being who 
 gave us our fenfe of moral obligations, 
 muft have defigned that we fhould con- 
 form to them ; and he could not defign 
 this, and at the fame time defign that we 
 fhould find it moft for our advantage not 
 to conform to them. This would have 
 been to eflablifli an inqonfiftency in the 
 
 frame 
 
of a virtuous Courfe, 229 
 
 frame of nature; and ading in a manner 
 which cannot be fuppofed of that Su- 
 preme power which, in every other part 
 of nature, has difcovered higher wifdom 
 than we are able to comprehend. 
 
 But waving fuch reafonings, let us ap- 
 ply ourfelves to the confideration of the 
 aSual ^ate of mankind in this refped. 
 And, 
 
 Firft, Let us confider, that by prac- 
 tifing virtue we gratify the higheft powers 
 in our natures. — Our higheft powers are, 
 undoubtedly, our fenfe of moral excel- 
 lence, the principle of reafon and re« 
 flexion, benevolence' to our fellow-crea. 
 tures, and the love of the Deity. To 
 pradife virtue is to ad in conformity to 
 thefe powers, and to furnifh them with 
 their proper gratifications. Our other 
 powers, being inferior to thefe and of lefs 
 dignity, the happlnefs grounded upon 
 them is alfo of an inferior nature, and of 
 lefs value. Reafon is the nature of a rea- 
 Q^ 3 fonable 
 
2 3^ ^f ^^^ Happinefs 
 
 fonable being ; and to affert that his chief 
 happinefs confifts in deviating from rea- 
 fon, would be the fame as to fay that his 
 chief happinefs confifts in violating his 
 nature^ and contradifting himfelf. 
 
 Secondly, In connexion with this we 
 ought to remember, that virtue, in the 
 very idea of it, implies health and order 
 of mind. The human foul is a ^ompo- 
 iition of various afFedions ftanding in 
 different relations to one another; and 
 all placed under the diredion of con- 
 fcience, our fupreme faculty. When we 
 are truly virtuous, none of thefe affec^ 
 tions are fuffered to err either by excefs 
 or defed. They are kept in their proper 
 fubordinations to one another. The fa- 
 culty that was made to govern preferves 
 its authority ; and a due balance is main- 
 tained among our inward powers. To 
 be virtuous, therefore, is to be in our 
 natural and found ftate. It is to be freed 
 from all inward tumult, anarchy, and 
 tyranny. It is to enjoy health, and order, 
 
 and 
 
of a virtuous Courje. 231 
 
 and vigour, and peace, and liberty ; and, 
 therefore, the greateft happinefs. — Vice, 
 on the contrary, is flavery, diforder, and 
 licknefs. It diftorts our inward frame, 
 and unfettles the adjuftments of our 
 minds. It unduly raifes fome of our 
 powers, and deprefles others. It ' de- 
 thrones Gonfcience, and fubjeds it to the 
 defpotifm of blind and lawlefs appetites. 
 In fhort; there is the fame difference, in 
 refped of happinefs, between a virtuous 
 and a vicious foul, as there is between a 
 dijlempered body and a body that is welly 
 or, between a civil flate where confufion, 
 fadion, and licentioufnefs reign; and a 
 ftate where order prevails, and all keep 
 their proper places, and unite in fub- 
 miillon to a wife and good legiflature. 
 
 Again thirdly 5 It i§ worth our confider- 
 ation, that, by pracSifing virtue, we again 
 more of the united pleafures, arifing from 
 the gratification of all our powers, than 
 we can in any other way. That is, in 
 other words ; our moral powers, when 
 Q.+ pre- 
 
23^ Of the Happmefs 
 
 prevalent, encroach lefs on the inferior 
 enjoyments of our natures than any of 
 our other powers when they are prevalent. 
 In order to explain this, I would defire 
 you to confider, that the courfe moft fa- 
 vourable to happinefs, muft be that which 
 takes from us the leaft that is poffible of 
 any of the gratifications and enjoyments 
 we are capable of. We can t^ce no 
 courfe that will give us an equal and full 
 fhare of all the gratifications of our ap- 
 petites. If we will gain the ends of fome 
 of our afFedions, me muft facrifice others* 
 If, for inftance, we will rife to fame and 
 power, we muft give up eafe and plea- 
 fure. We muft cringe and truckle, and 
 do violence to fome of our ftrongeft in- 
 clinations. In like manner ^ if we make 
 money our principal purfuit, and would 
 acquire wealth j we muft often contra- 
 did our defires of fame and honour. We 
 muft keep down generofity and benevo- 
 lence, and the love of fenfual indulgences. 
 We muft pinch, and toil, and watch, and 
 
 eat 
 
of a virtuous Courfi, 233 
 
 eat the bread of carefulnefs. — An amhi^ 
 tious man muft facrifice the gratifications 
 of the covetous man. A covetuous man, like- 
 wife, muft facrifice the indulgences of a 
 man of pleafure : And a man of fleafure 
 thofe of the ambitious and worldly minded^ 
 — Since, then, in every courfe of life, 
 there is fuch an interference between the 
 feveral objeds of our afFedions, that 
 courfe in which there is the leaf oi it, 
 mufl be likely to make us moft happy^ 
 And it is certain, that there is lefs of it 
 in a virtuous courfe than any other. Vir- 
 tue brings with it many exquifite plea- 
 fures of its own (as I fhall prefently ob- 
 ferve more particularly) and, at the fame 
 time, does not neceffarily encroach on 
 other fources of pleafure. Jt is the very 
 beft means of obtaining the ends of mofl 
 of our lower powers and affedions. It is, 
 for inflance, the beft means of gaining 
 honour and diftindion among our fellow- 
 creatures ; for the virtuous man is always 
 the man who is moft honoured and loved. 
 
 It 
 
^34 Of the Happinefs 
 
 It is, likewife, one of the beft means of 
 becoming profperous in our affairs, and 
 gaining a competent fliare of worldly blef- 
 fingsj for, agreeably to a maxim which 
 we hear often repeated, " honefty is the 
 beft policy." A virtuous man is the man 
 who is moft induftrious, and likely to be 
 moft encouraged and trufled in every 
 trade and profeffion. — In (hort ; it is a 
 part of virtue to make ufe chearfully of 
 all the materials of happinefs with which 
 Divine bounty has fupplied us. There is 
 no lawful and natural pleafure of which 
 it does not leave us in poffeffion. It is 
 favourable to every innocent purfuit, and 
 an excellent friend to every juft and laud- 
 able undertaking. 
 
 Thefe obfervations remove entirely the 
 objedion to the happinefs of virtue, taken 
 from its requiring labour and circumfpec- 
 tion, and obliging us to reftrain our 
 paffions, and to pradlife felf-denial. It 
 is, indeed, true, that virtue requires this : 
 But you fhould recoiled, that it is by no 
 
 means 
 
of a virtuous Courfe. 235 
 
 means peculiar to virtue. I have, on the 
 contrary, been (hewing that it is lefs ap- 
 plicable to virtue than to any other objcd 
 of purfuit. — What labour and felf-denial 
 do men often pradife in purfuing fame, or 
 honour, or money ? What a facrifice does 
 the man of pleafure make of his health 
 and fortune j and to what fatigues does 
 he often put himfelf ? — It is, therefore, the 
 utmoft injuftice to virtue to imagine that 
 the reftraint of inclination, and the prac- 
 tife of felf-denial, are peculiar to it. 
 Thefe are common to virtue and vice, and 
 neceffary whatever courfe we take. — It 
 would be very unreafonable to mention as 
 an objedion here, that virtue may oblige 
 us to facrifice to it even our lives. For 
 this is what happens perpetually in vici- 
 ous courfes. Thoufands are every day 
 dying miartyrs to ambition, to luft, to co- 
 vetoufnefs, and intemperance. But feL 
 dom does it happen, that virtue puts us 
 to any fuch trial. On the contrary; its 
 
 generaj 
 
^3^ Of ^^^ Happinefs 
 
 general efFed is to preferve and lengthen 
 life. 
 
 It ought to be particularly obferved on 
 this occafion, that, in comparing the in- 
 fluence of different courfes on our happi- 
 nefs, we fhould confider the influence 
 they have on our moral and intelledtual 
 powers, as well as our other powers. 
 Confcience is one important part of our 
 natures. To leave it out, therefore, in 
 forming a fcheme of enjoyment, or in de- 
 termining what courfe will ^^bring us moft 
 iiappinefs, would be prepofterous and 
 \v\\i. That a courfe of condud obliges 
 us to run counter to our fenfe ''of moral 
 good and evil, and to give up the fatis- 
 fadions founded on this fenfe, ought to 
 be allowed its juft weight in judging of 
 the happinefs of an agent ; and to be con- 
 lidered as a circumftance diminifliing his 
 pleafures, in the fame manner as if he 
 ran counter to any of his other powers, or 
 gave up any other gratifications.— Now, 
 every fpecies of vice interferes diredly 
 
 with 
 
of a virtuous Courfe. 237 
 
 with our fenfe of moral good and evil. It 
 gratifies one part of our natures at the ex- 
 pence of onr judgment and reafon ; and 
 this is as much an argument proving its 
 hurtfulnefs, as if it oppofed our defires 
 of eafe, or honour, or any of our other 
 particular afFedions. There is, therefore, 
 on this account, a fevere and cruel felf- 
 denial in vice. At the fame time that it 
 encroaches on many of the lower fprings 
 of adion, it puts a force upon the higheft. 
 It obliges us to deny our confciences j and, 
 thefe being moft properly ourfelves, it ob- 
 liges us to pradife a more proper and un- 
 natural felf-denial than any denial of paf- 
 lion and appetite. 
 
 But to fay no more on this head. What 
 I have meant chiefly to inculcate is, that 
 the courfe mofl: conducive to happinefs 
 mull be that which is moft agreeable to 
 our whole natures j and that, this being 
 evidently true of a virtuous courfe, it fol- 
 lows that it is our gr«ateft happinefs. 
 
 Hitherto, 
 
238 \0f the Happinefs 
 
 Hitherto, you have feen, that I have 
 argued for the happinefs of virtue from 
 the confiderations, " that it affords our 
 " higheft powers their proper gratificati- 
 *' ons ; that it impHes health, and liberty, 
 *^ and order of mind • and that it is more 
 " agreeable than any other end we can 
 " purfue, to all the parts of our natures 
 *' taken as making together one fyftem." 
 There is a great deal more to be faid, to 
 which I muft requeft your attention ; 
 for 
 
 Fourthly, It deferves your confidera- 
 tion, that much of the pleafure of vice 
 itfcif depends on fome fpecies or other of 
 virtue combined with it. All the joys wc 
 derive from friendfhip, from family con- 
 nexions and affinities, from the love and 
 confidence of our fellow-creatures, and 
 from the intercourfe of good offices, are 
 properly 'virtuous joys : And there is no 
 courfe of life which, were it deprived of 
 thefe joys, would not be completely mifer- 
 able. The enjoyments, therefore, of vici- 
 ous 
 
of a 'virtuous Courfe. ^239 
 
 ous men are owing to the remains of vir- 
 tuous qualities in them. — There is no man 
 fo vicious as to have nothing good left in 
 his charadler 5 and could v^e conceive 
 any fuch man ; or meet with a perfon 
 who was quite void of benevolence, 
 temperance, good-humour, fociablenefs, 
 and honour 5 we Ihould deteft him as an 
 odious monfter, and find that he was in- 
 capable of all happinefs. Wickednefs, 
 when confidered by itfelf and in its naked 
 form, without any connexion with lovely 
 qualities, is nothing but fhame, and pain, 
 and diftrefs. If the debauchee enjoys any 
 thing like happinefs, it is becaufe he 
 joins to his debauchery fomething laud- 
 able J and his tender and fecial feelings 
 are not extirpated. In like manner ; if 
 a covetous man has any thing befides 
 perplexity and gloominefs in his heart, 
 it is becaufe there are fome virtues 
 which he pradiifes, or becaufe he difguifcs 
 his covetoufncfs under the forms of 
 the virtues of prudence and frugality, 
 
 —This 
 
z^o Of tk Happi?iefs 
 
 — ^This then being the cafe j lince even 
 the pleafure that vice enjoys is thus 
 founded upon and derived from virtu- 
 ous qualities, how plain is it that thefe 
 conftitute our chief good ; and that the 
 more of them we pofTefs, fo much the 
 more muft we poffefs of the fources 
 of pleafure ? — The virtuous man is the 
 moft generous man, the moft friendly, 
 the moft good-natured, the moft pati- 
 ent and contented. He has moft of the 
 fatisfadions refulting from fympathy,^ and 
 humanity, and natural affedlion 5 and 
 fo certain is it, that fuch a perfon 
 muft be the happieft, that the wicked 
 themfelves, if in any refped happy, can 
 be fo only as far as they either are the 
 fame that he is, or think themfelves the 
 fame. 
 
 Fifthly, I have already obferved, that 
 virtues leaves us in pofleffion of all the 
 common enjoyments of life. It is necef- 
 fary now to add, that it goes much be- 
 yond 
 
of a virtuous Courfe. %a^x 
 
 yond this. — It not only leaves us in pof- 
 feffion of all innocent and natural plea- 
 fares ; but improves and refines them. It 
 not only interferes lefi with the gratifica- 
 tion of our different powers than vice 
 does ; but renders the gratification of 
 many of thorn mare the caufe of pleafure. 
 This efFe(S it produces by reftraining us 
 to regularity and moderation in the grati- 
 fication of our defires. Virtue forbids 
 only the wild and extravagant gratifica- 
 tion of our defires : That is j it Forbids 
 only fuch a gratification of them as goes 
 beyond the bounds of nature, and lays 
 the foundation of pain and mifery. As 
 far as they were defigned by our Maker 
 to yield pleafure, we are at liberty to in- 
 dulge them ; and farther we cannot go 
 without lofing pleafure. — It is a truth ge- 
 nerally acknowledged, that the regular and 
 moderate gratification of appetite is more 
 agreeable than any forced and exorbi- 
 tant gratification of it. Excefs in every 
 way is painful and pernicious. We can 
 R never 
 
242 Of the Happinejs 
 
 never contradid nature without fufFering^ 
 and bringing upon ourfelves inconveni- 
 ences. — Is there any man to whom food 
 and fleep arefo pleafant as to the temperate 
 man? Are the mad arid polluted joys of 
 the fornicator and adulterer equal to the 
 pure and chafte joys of the married ftate ? 
 Do pampered and loaded appetites afford 
 as much delight as appetites kept under 
 difcipline, and never palled by riot and 
 licentioufnefs ? Is the vile glutton, the 
 loathfoitie drunkard, or the rotten de- 
 bauchee, as happy as the fober and virtu- 
 ous man who has a healthful body, a fe- 
 rene mind, and general credit ? 
 
 Thus is virue a friend even to appetite. 
 But this is not the obfervation I intended 
 to infifl: on. What I meant here princi- 
 pally to recommend to your attention was, 
 that virtue improves all the bleflings of 
 life, by putting us into a particular difpofi- 
 tion for receiving pleafure from them. It 
 removes thofe internal evils which pol- 
 lute and impair the fprings of enjoyment 
 
 within 
 
of a 'virtuous Cotirfe. 243 
 
 within us. It renders the mind eafy and 
 fatisfied within itfelf, and therefore more 
 fufceptible of delight, and more open to 
 all agreeable impreffions. — It is a com- 
 mon obfervation, that the degree of plea- 
 fure which we receive from any obje£ls 
 depends on the difpofition we are in to 
 receive pleafure. Nothing is fweet to a 
 depraved tafte j nothing beautiful to a 
 diftempered eye. This obfervation holds 
 w^ith particular force in the prefent cafe. 
 Vice deftroys the relifh of fenfible plea- 
 sures. It takes off (I may fay) from the 
 fruit its flavour, and fi'om the rofe its hue. 
 it tarnifhes the beauty of nature, and 
 communicates a bitter tinddre to every en^ 
 joyment. — Virtue, on the contrary, fweet- 
 ens every bleffing, and throws new luftre 
 on the face of nature. It chafes away 
 gloominefs and peevifhnefs • and, by 
 flrengthening the kind affedions and in- 
 troducing into the foul good humour and 
 tranquillity, makes every pleafing fcene 
 and occurrence more pleafing, 
 
 R 2 Again 
 
24+ Of the Happinefs 
 
 Agaia fixthly ; Let us confider how 
 many peculiar joys virtue has which no- 
 thing elfe can give. It is not poffible to 
 enumerate all thefe. We may, on this 
 occafion, recoiled firft thofe joys which 
 neceffarily fpring from the w^orthy and 
 generous afFedions. The love of the 
 Deity,, benevolence, meeknefs, and gra- 
 titude, are by their nature attended with 
 pleafure. They put the mind into a fe- 
 rene and chearful frame, and introduce 
 into it fome of the moft delightful fenfa- 
 tions. Virtue confifls in the exercife and 
 cultivation of thefe principles. They 
 form the temper and conftitute the cha- 
 rader of a virtuous man 5 and, therefore, 
 he muft enjoy pleafures to which men of a 
 contrary charader are ftrangers. — It is 
 not conceivable, that a perfon in whom 
 the mild and generous afFedions thrive, 
 fhould not be in a more happy flate than 
 one who counterads and fuppreffes them ; 
 and who, inftead of feehng the joy which 
 fprings up in a heart where the heavenly 
 
 graces 
 
of a 'virtuous Courfe. 245 
 
 graces and virtues refide, is torn and dif- 
 traded by anger, malice, and envy. 
 
 But farther j Peace of confcience is 
 another blefling peculiar to virtue. It 
 reconciles us to ourfelves as well as to all 
 the world. As nothing can be fo horrid 
 as to be at variance with one's fclf, fo no- 
 thing can be fo delightful as to be at peace 
 with one's felf. If we are unhappy with- 
 in our own breafts, it fignifies little what 
 external advantages we enjoy. If we 
 want our own approbation, it is of little 
 confequence how much others applaud us. 
 Virtue fecures to us our own approbation. 
 It reduces to harmony, under the domi- 
 nion of confcience, all our jarring powers. 
 It makes our reflexions agreeable to us j 
 and the mind a fund of comfort to 
 itfelf. 
 
 Again ; A fenfe of God's favour is 
 another fource of pleafure which is pecu- 
 liar to virtue. The Divine government is 
 ^n objed of terror to a wicked man. He 
 cannot think of it without trouble. But 
 |l 3 a vir- 
 
246 Of the Happinefs 
 
 a virtuous maa derives his chief confola- 
 tions from hence. He is confcious of 
 ading in concert with the Deity, of obey- 
 ing his laws, and of imitating his per- 
 fedions. He, therefore, exults in the 
 affurance of having him on his fide, and 
 of being under his Almighty protedion. 
 He knows that the Sovereign of the uni- 
 verfe loves him, and ^is his unalterable 
 friend. 
 
 Once more. A virtuous man poffeffes 
 the hope of a future reward. Everyone 
 knows how mighty the power of hope is 
 to invigorate and chear the mind. There 
 is no fuch hope as that of the virtuous 
 man. He hopes for a perfe£t government 
 in the heavens ; and this comforts him 
 amidft all the diforders of earthly govern- 
 ments. He hopes for a refurredion from 
 death to the blefTed immortality. He ex- 
 peds foon to take poffeilion of a treafure 
 in the heavens that faileth not ^ to receive 
 an incorruptible inheritance 5 to exchange 
 ignorance and doubt for knowledge j and 
 
 to 
 
of a virtuous Courfe 247 
 
 to be fixed in that world where he fhall 
 join fuperior beings, and be always grow- 
 ing more wife, and good, and great, and 
 happy, till fome time or other he fhall 
 rife to honours and powers which are 
 no more poffible to be now conceived by 
 him, than the powers of an angel can be 
 conceived by a child in the womb. — This 
 is indeed an unbounded and ravifliing 
 hope. If Chriftianity is true, we have 
 abundant reafon for it. Chrift came into 
 the world to raife us to it j and the moll 
 diftant glimmering of it is enough to 
 eclipfe all the glory of this world. 
 
 Such are the lingular bleffings of the 
 virtuous man. 
 
 Let us, in the next place, take into 
 eonlideration fome peculiar qualities of 
 the happinefs now defcribed. This will 
 complete our view of this fubjed, and 
 render it unneceflary to add any thing to 
 convince an attentive perfon of the truth 
 I am infifting upon. Virtue has a great 
 R 4 deal 
 
248 Of the Happinefe 
 
 deal of peculiar happinefs; and that 
 happinefs has many excellent quali- 
 ties which belong to no other happi- 
 nefs. — It is, for inftance, more per^ 
 manent than any other happinefs. The 
 pleafures of the vicious are tranfient j but 
 virtue is a fpring of conjlant pleafure and 
 fatisfa£lion. The pleafures v^^hich attend 
 the gratification of our appetites foon pall. 
 They are gone for ever after the moment 
 of gratification j and, when carried to ex- 
 cefs, they turn to pain and difguft. But 
 nothing like this can be faid of the plea- 
 fures of virtue. 'Thefe never cloy or fa- 
 tiate. They can never be carried to ex« 
 cefs. They are always new and frcfh. 
 They may be repeated as often as we 
 pleafe without lofing their relifh. They 
 are fuch as will not only bear repetition 
 and reflexion, but are improved by them* 
 They will go with us to all places 5 and 
 attend us through every changing fcene of 
 life. No inclofures of ftone or iron, no 
 intervention of feas and kingdoms can 
 
 keep 
 
of a ijirtuous Courfe. ^^q 
 
 keep them from us. They dehght alike 
 at home and abroad ^ by day and by 
 night; in the city and in the defart. — • 
 The aid of wine and of company is not 
 ncceffary to enable us to enjoy them. 
 They are^ in truth, enjoyed in the greateft 
 perfedion when the mind, colledling it- 
 felf within itfelf, and withdrawing itfelf 
 from all worldly objeds, fixes its atten- 
 tion only on its own ftate and profpeds. 
 
 It follows from thefe obfervations, 
 that the happinefs of virtue is a more in- 
 dependent happinefs than any other. It 
 is, if I may fo fpeak, more o?te with the 
 foul; and, therefore, lefs fubjed to the 
 operations of external caufes. The plea- 
 fure arifing from the confcioufnefs of 
 having done a worthy adion, of having 
 relieved a diftreft family, or fubdued our 
 anger, our envy, or our impatience ; this 
 is a pleafure which enters into the very 
 fubflance of the foul, and cannot be torn 
 from it without tearing it from itfelf, and 
 deftroying its cxiftence.— All other plea- 
 
 fures 
 
^5^ Q/* ^^^ Happinefs 
 
 fures are precarious in the higheft degree. 
 We have but little power over them ^ and 
 they may be taken from us the next mo- 
 ment in fpite of our ftrongeft efforts to 
 retain them. But the joy conneded v^^ith 
 right adion, with a felf-approving heart, 
 and the hope of a glorious eternity, no 
 accidents can take away. Thefe are in- 
 ward bleffings which are not liable to be 
 affeiled by outward caufesj and which 
 produce a happinefs that is immutable, 
 and not poffible to be loft except with our 
 own confent. 
 
 There is nothing that the ancient phi- 
 lofophers have taken fo much pains to in- 
 culcate, as the importance of placing our 
 happinefs only in things within our power. 
 If we place it in fame, or money, or any 
 external good, it will have a moft deceit- 
 ful foundation, and we fhall be liable to 
 perpetual difappointment : Whereas, if 
 we place it in the exercife of virtuous af- 
 fedJions, in traquillity of mind, in regu- 
 lar paffions, in doing God's will, and the 
 
 hope 
 
oj a 'dirtuom Courfe. 251 
 
 hope of his favour j we fhall have it al- 
 ways at our command. We fliall never 
 be liable to difappointments. We fhall 
 find true reft to our fouls 5 and be in a 
 fituation like to that of a perfon lifted to 
 the upper regions of the atmofphere, who 
 hears thunder roll, and fees lightenings 
 jflafli and the clouds fpread below him, 
 while he enjoys ferenity and funfhine. 
 
 I muft add, that the happinefs of 
 virtue is a pure and refined happinefs. 
 It is feated in the mind. Other hap- 
 pinefs has its feat in the body.— It is the 
 happinefs of angels. Other happinefs is 
 the happinefs of brutes.— It muft, there- 
 fore, be alfo the moft folid, the moft fub- 
 ftantial and exalted happinefs. I ob- 
 ferve this, becaufe I belive the generality 
 of men are difpofed to look upon no hap- 
 pinefs as folid, which is purely fpiri- 
 tual. What I have juft faid affords a 
 demonftration of the contrary. The moft 
 exalted happinefs muft be that of fuperior 
 
 being 
 
2$z Of the Happinefs 
 
 beings, of angels, and of the Deity. But 
 this is a happinefs that is fpiritual, and 
 which has no connexion with the gra- 
 tifications of fenfe. The happinefs of the 
 virtuous, therefore, being of the fame 
 kind, it muft be the moft real and fub- 
 flantial. 
 
 To fay no more on this head. Let me 
 defire you to confider, that the happinefs 
 of the virtuous man continues with him 
 even in afHidion. This is one of the 
 moft diftinguifhing properties of this 
 happinefs. Virtue, as it increafes the 
 reliih of profperity, blunts likewife the 
 edge of adverfity. It is, indeed, in ad- 
 verfity, that the power of virtue to make 
 us happy appears to the greateft advan- 
 tage. It kindles a hght in the foul in the 
 darkeft feafons ; and very often produces 
 then the higheft blifs when animal nature 
 is at the loweft, and other joys have de- 
 ferted us. — There is, in^this refped, a 
 moft ftriking difference between the con- 
 dition of the virtuous and vicious man. 
 
 In 
 
of a mrfuous Courfe: 253 
 
 In adverfity the vicious man becomes 
 completely wretched. He has no com- 
 fortable reflexions to fupport him ; no 
 proteding Deity to truft in ; no profpeCt 
 of future bleffings to encourage him. 
 Wherever he turns his eyes all is confu- 
 Hon and diftrefs. Reafon and confcience 
 have him to themfelves, and inflid the 
 fharpeft fufferings. — But the virtuous 
 man, in adverfity, may rejoice and exult. 
 Whatever he now fufFers, he may be at. 
 fured that all will end happily. When 
 flefli and heart fink under him, faith and 
 hope and charity unite their influence to 
 fuftain him. A heavenly voice whifpers 
 peace to him when all about him fpeaks 
 terror; and the confolations of God de- 
 light his foul when the fprings of worldly 
 comfort are dried up. — Particularly ; in 
 the folemn hour of death he has reafon to 
 be compofed and chearful. That is the 
 hour which feals the vicious man under 
 ruin; but it confirms and perfeds the 
 happinefs of the virtuous man, and fets 
 
 him 
 
254 Of the Happinefs 
 
 him free for ever from pain and danger. 
 He can, therefore, look forward to it 
 without difturbance, and meet it joyfully* 
 —Religious and virtuous principles, if 
 they have their due efficacy, will enable 
 us to die with dignity and triumph. They 
 will change the afped of the king of ter* 
 rors into that of a friend and deliverer, 
 and caufe us to defire and welcome his 
 ftroke. 
 
 Thus have I fhewn you that religious 
 virtue is our chief good. And we may 
 now, with full convidion, take up the 
 words of my text, and fay with Solomon^ 
 "That her ways are ways of pleafantnefs^ and 
 that all her paths are peace j that floe is a 
 tree of Ufe to them that lay hold of her^-^ and 
 that happy is every one that receiveth her. 
 
 I will only farther defire your attention 
 to the following inferences. 
 
 Firft. How wrong is it to conceive of 
 religious virtue as an enemy to pleafure ? 
 This i5 doing it the greateft injuftice. It 
 
 is-. 
 
cf a virfuoiis Courfe. 25$ 
 
 is, without all doubt, the very belt friend 
 to true pleafure. — Were we indeed to judge 
 of it from the ftifFnefs and feverity of 
 fome who pretend to it, we might be 
 forced to entertain a different opinion of 
 it. But fuch perfons do not fhew it us in 
 its true form. They miftake its nature, 
 and are firangers to its genuine fpirit. — 
 One part of the duty it requires of us, is 
 to accept thankfully every innocent grati- 
 fication of life, and to rejoice ever more. 
 Inftead of driving us, with the wretched 
 votaries of fuperftition, into defarts and 
 cloifters, and making us morofe and 
 gloomy ; it calls us out into fociety, and 
 difpofes us to conftant alacrity and chear- 
 fulnefs. 
 
 Secondly. What ftrong evidence have 
 we for the moral government of the Deity ? 
 You have feen that he has fo conftituted 
 nature that virtue is, by its neceffary 
 tendency, our greateft blifs. He is, there- 
 fore, on the fide of virtue. By eftabifh* 
 ing the connexion I have been repre- 
 
 fenting 
 
^$6 Of the Security 
 
 fenting between it and happinefs, he has 
 declared himfelf its friend in a manner the 
 moft decifive. What we fee takes place of 
 this connexion in the prefent life is the be- 
 ginning of a moral government ^ and it 
 fhould lead us to exped a future life, where 
 what is now begun will be compleated — 
 where every prefent irregularity will be fet 
 right — virtue receive its full reward, and 
 vice its full punifhment. 
 
 Laftly. What reafons have we for feek- 
 ing virtue above all things? You have 
 heard how^ happy it will make us. Let 
 us then pray for it earneflly -, and defpife 
 every thing that can come in compe- 
 tition with it. If we have this, we can 
 ivanf nothing that is defirable. If we wa?2f 
 this, we can have nothing that will do 
 us any fubftantial fervice. — Go then all 
 ye carelefs and irreligious men. Take 
 to yourfelves your money, your ho- 
 nours, and polluted pleafures. I would 
 defire virtue only. There is nothing 
 clfe worth an eager wifli. Here would I 
 
 center 
 
of a 'Dirt mm Courfe, 257 
 
 center all my cares and labours. May God 
 grant me this, and deny me what elfe he 
 pleafes. This is his choiceft bleffingi his 
 beft and richeft gift. This is that tree of 
 life whofe leaf never withers, and whofe 
 fruit will revive us in every hour of dejec- 
 tion, cure all our maladies, and prolong 
 our exiftence to endlefs ages ^ for, as St. 
 Paul fpeaks, if we have our fruit unto holi" 
 nefs^ our end will he everlasting life. 
 
 S E R. 
 
C 259 ] 
 
 SERMON VIII. 
 
 OF THE GOODNESS OF GOD, 
 
 Psalms 
 
 XXXIV. 
 
 O tajle and fie that the Lord is good, Blefi 
 fid is the man that trujieth in him. 
 
 THE titles GREATEST and best, 
 have in all ages been applied to the 
 Peity. We are led to this by the unavoid^ 
 able fentiments and perceptions of our 
 minds. The firft and uncreated being 
 muft be the greatest \ and the 
 GREATEST muft likcwife be the best • 
 for true greatnefs includes in it good- 
 nefs. Almighty power, univerfal do- 
 S % minion, 
 
260 Of the Goodnefs 
 
 dominion, and infinite knowledge confi- 
 dered by themfelves, can excite no other 
 emotions than awe and terror. They have 
 in them none of that dignity which en- 
 gages veneration, except they are accom- 
 panied with benevolence. This is the 
 crown of all the attributes of the Deity. 
 It is this finifhes his charader ; and no- 
 thing can be of more importance to us than 
 a thorough convidion of it, and juft fenti- 
 ments concerning it. If we either do not 
 believe it, or entertain unworthy appre- 
 henfions of it as partial or capricious ; 
 fome of the principal comforts of our ex- 
 igence muil be loft ; and our religious 
 fervices muft become an abjed and illiberal 
 drudgery and fuperflition. I cannot, there- 
 fore, be better employed than in endea- 
 vouring to explain and prove to you God's 
 goodnefs ; and this I propofe to make my 
 bufinefs in the prefent difcourfe j after 
 which, I fhali, in a future difcourfe, infift 
 particularly on the pradical improvement 
 of it. 
 
 This 
 
of God, 261 
 
 This is a fubjed of a very extenfive 
 nature ; and, were I to enter into a par- 
 ticular and full difcuffion of it, I fhould 
 take up a great deal of your time. But I 
 Ihall endeavour to avoid prolixity, and 
 aim only at making fuch obfervations as 
 appear to me moft ufeful and important, 
 without entering far into abftrufe en- 
 quiries. 
 
 Goodness, when applied to the Deity, 
 may be confidered in two views. It ma)^ 
 fignify cither the principle itfelf of good- 
 nefs ; that is, that benevolence of difpo- 
 fition which leads to the communicatioa 
 of happinefs j or, it may fignify, the ex- 
 ercife of this principle in the aBual com- 
 munication of happinefs. We ufe, in 
 common language, the word goodnefs 
 
 fometimes in the former of .thefc fenfes, 
 
 < 
 
 and fometimes in the latter j and it is o£ 
 fome importance that we take care to dif- 
 tinguifh them. Much may be faid of the 
 principle of goodnefs in the Deity which 
 cannot, without great impropriety, be 
 S 3 applied 
 
ft6^ Of the Goodnefs 
 
 applied to the exercife of it in the creation 
 and government of the world.— In parti- 
 cular, it may be juftly faid of God's good- 
 nefs, in the former fenfe, that it is necef-* 
 fary. His nature is benevolence ^ and a 
 difpofition to communicate happinefs is 
 infeparable from it. There is as much a 
 phylical impoffibility of his wanting this 
 difpofition as there is of his wanting power 
 or knowledge, or even exiftence. — But the 
 fame cannot be faid of his goodnefs in the 
 latter fenfe. Though the difpofition to 
 communicate happinefs is neceffary in 
 him, yet the exercife of it (that is, every 
 ad proceeding from this difpofition) is 
 perfectly free. And this is one of the 
 chief obfervatlons to which I would defire 
 you to attend on this fubjed. You fhould 
 always think of God's goodnefs as an un- 
 conftrained and free goodnefs. All its 
 cffeds proceed, not from irrefiftible ne- 
 ceffity, but from voluntary choice. He 
 has it in his power not to confer on his 
 creatures the bleflings they enjoy: Nor is 
 
 it 
 
tyf God. 263 
 
 it the leaft objedion to this, that the 
 principle of goodnefs within him is, as I 
 have faid, neceflary. We experience in 
 ourfelves that the principles or motives 
 of adion within us are neceflary, though 
 our adions themfelves are free. Thus, 
 felf-Iove is eflential to us. We can no 
 more diveft ourfelves of it than we can of 
 our beings. But the adions derived from 
 it are free j and we have a power not to 
 perform them. — In like manner ; the pre- 
 ference of virtue is abfolutely neceflTary; 
 but, at the fame time, we find that we 
 can, if we pleafe, determine not to fol- 
 low this preference. In other words, 
 difpofitions and views, arifing from una- 
 voidable principles in beings, are only the 
 motives and occafions of their determina- 
 tions. They only fliew, how an adion 
 is to be accounted for j not its efficient 
 caufe. This muft always be the felf-de- 
 termination of the agent. — It has, I 
 know, been objeded to this, that it 
 tend^ to deflroy the immutability of 
 S 4 God's 
 
s64 Of the Goodnefs 
 
 God's moral perfedions. But no objec- 
 tion can be lefs reafonable. In lower 
 inftances, we cannot wifh for any greater 
 certainty than that which depends only 
 on the voluntary determinations of agents 
 in particular circumftances. It would, 
 indeed, be intolerably abfurd to imagine 
 that the Deity is not good immutably-^ 
 becaufe he is i^o freely-, or to conclude, 
 that he will make his creatures mifer- 
 able, becaufe it is in his power to do 
 it. Nothing can be more certain than 
 that perfed righteoufnefs will never 
 ad unrighteoufly, or perfed goodnefs 
 cruelly: And this is not the lefs a cer- 
 tainty, becaufe it is founded on choice, 
 and not on any phyfical neceffity. Were 
 this the foundation of certainty in this 
 cafe; or, were the Deity good in all his 
 adions by the fame neceffity by which he 
 exifts, we could not perceive any moral 
 excellence in his goodnefs; and it would 
 be as impoffible to think it an objed of 
 
 grati- 
 
of God. 265 
 
 gratitude, as to think fo of his eternity 
 and immenfity. 
 
 But I have dwelt, perhaps, too long 
 on this obfervation. I will, therefore, 
 haften to defire you to remember, in con- 
 nexion with it, that God's goodnefs is 
 not to be confidered as a propenfity within 
 him of which no account is to be given 
 from REASON. This is a notion which 
 fome have entertained of it. But nothing 
 can detrad more from its honour. Ac- 
 cording to this opinion, public happineft 
 and public mifery are the fame to inteU 
 ledual difcernment. A reafonable being 
 as fiich is incapable of preferring the one 
 to the other; and, therefore, neceflarily 
 void of benevolence, except as the efFe£t 
 of fome biafs or afFeftion within him, 
 prior in the order of our ideas to reafon, 
 and independent *of it. It is not wifdom, 
 then, or intelligence, that makes the 
 Deity benevolent ; for wifdom, according 
 to this account, can never give rife to a 
 preference of any ends, but is employed 
 
 only 
 
266 Of the Goodnefs 
 
 only in direding to the beft means of at^ 
 taining an end. — It is furprifing that fuch 
 a fentiment fhould have found a place in 
 the minds of able and ingenious men. 
 Indeed, I can fcarcely think, that we are 
 certain of any thing, if it be not true that 
 goodnefs, confidered as a principle of ac- 
 tion, is a difpofition that arifes neceflarily 
 in an intelligent nature \ And I wifh 
 you to remember, in oppofition to this 
 opinion, that God's goodnefs is a reafon^ 
 able goodnefs ; a principle founded in 
 reafon, derived from reafon, and under 
 the diredion of reafon in all its opera- 
 tions. In mankind there are two fprings 
 of our afFedions — inflindive determina- 
 tion and reafon. — But we muft take care 
 to remove the former entirely from the 
 
 Deity 
 
 a A particular difcuiHon of this queftion, together 
 with a more full account of the proof here infifted 
 on, of God's goodnefs taken from its connexion with 
 his intelligence, may be found in my Treatife on 
 Morals, chap. i. iii. 5c x. 
 
of God. 267- 
 
 Deity in our conceptions of him. He 
 can poffefs nothing analogous to any of 
 the inftindive principles and inclinations 
 which have been given us. He is pure 
 and perfeft reafon ; and perfedl reafon is 
 in him the true fpring of every moral 
 principle which we aferibe to him ; and, 
 particularly, of his infinite goodnefs. He 
 purfues general happinefs as his end, be- 
 caufe it is in itfelf a right end and worthy 
 of his choice. 
 
 But this leads me to mention to you 
 the chief argument which proves th^ 
 goodnefs of God. It is included in his 
 intelligence. Benevolence is an affedlion 
 which arifes as neceffarily in an intelligent 
 nature, as felf-love does in 2ifenfitive na- 
 ture. Moral diftinflions are founded in 
 truth ; and every being who perceives 
 truth muft perceive them. The Deity, 
 therefore, who perceives all truth, muft 
 perceive them in all their extent and ob- 
 ligation, and be more under their influ- 
 ence than any other being.— The chief 
 
 of 
 
c68 Of the Goodnejs 
 
 of all moral diflindions is this—" that 
 *' it is right to communicate happinefs, 
 " and wrong to produce mifery." — This 
 difiindion, therefore, in particular, God 
 as intelligent muft perceive •, and the 
 perception of it is the very fame with the 
 approbation of beneficence, and the dif- 
 approbation of its contrary. — I cannot 
 think of a ftronger argument. — It fhews 
 us, that the principle of benevolence in 
 the Deity is implied in his perception of 
 truth ; and that it is juft as certain that 
 he is good, as it is that v^^e fay right when 
 we fay, that " happinefs is better than 
 " mifery." 
 
 It may, I know, be enquired here, 
 whether (though it thus appears that 
 God is benevolent) there may not be feme 
 oppofite principles in his nature (like thofe 
 in ourfelves) which may have a tendency 
 to lead him aftray from benevolence ?-<- 
 In anfwer to this, it fhould be remem- 
 bered, that the argument I have men- 
 tioned not only proves that he is benevo- 
 lent, 
 
of God, 269 
 
 lent, but that he is fo, as much more 
 perfedly than any other being as his in- 
 telligence is more perfed ; or, that he is 
 ;^s much more under the influence of be^ 
 nevolence as he knows truth and right 
 better. In reality j truth and right and 
 goodnefs are himfelf', and the Scriptures 
 aflTert what is more literally juft than is 
 commonly apprehended, when it tells us> 
 that " God is love."— The natures of hap- 
 pinefs and mifery are' fuch, that a prefer-, 
 ence of one of them to the other muft arifc 
 in every mind in proportion to the degree 
 in which they are known. The natures 
 of things have their foundation in the na« 
 ture of the Deity. In him, therefore, 
 every preference or affedion that has its 
 foundation in the natures of things muft 
 take place in its completeft and higheft 
 degree 5 and, more particularly, the prin- 
 ciple of reditude muft in him for this 
 reafon be fovereign and perfed, and not 
 uncertain, feeble, and precarious as in 
 inferior beings.— In a word ; fince bene- 
 volence 
 
270 Of the Goodnefs 
 
 volence is a part of the idea of intelli- 
 gence, it follows, with the plaineft evi-* 
 dence, that the Supreme intelligence muft 
 be original and fupreme benevolence; or 
 fuch a benevolence as nothing can turn 
 afide, or deceive, or counterad. 
 
 The fufpicion, therefore, that there 
 may be principles in the Deity which in- 
 terfere with goodnefs and incline him to 
 malevolence, is unreafonable and ground-^ 
 lefs. His nature is perfed and eternal 
 reafon ; and in fuch a nature there can 
 be no tendencies which are not derived 
 from reafon J much lefs, any that clafh 
 with reafon. Fie is what he is nccef- 
 farily: But the fame neceffity cannot, 
 without a contradiction, be fuppofed to 
 be the ground of the approbation of 
 beneficence, and, at the fame time, of 
 biaffes inconfiftent with it. 
 
 The caufes that lead us aftray from 
 goodnefs are partial views, the im- 
 pulfes of paffion, defeds of power, and 
 private intereft. But he cannot be 
 
 in- 
 
cf God. 271 
 
 influenced by any of thefe caufes of 
 deviation. He is omnifcient; and, 
 therefore, fubjedt to no partial views. 
 He is felf-exiftent j and, therefore, in- 
 finitely removed from the poflibihty of 
 all inftindive principles* He is Al- 
 mighty ; and, therefore, incapable of 
 being difappointed or controuled. He is 
 independent and felf fufficient; and, 
 therefore, can have no intereft fepa- 
 rate from th^t pf the beings he has 
 created. 
 
 The argument I have nov^r in fi fled on 
 is, I beHeve, that to which men have 
 alu^ays chiefly owed their belief of the 
 goodnefs of the Deity. What moft na- 
 turally leads us to apply to him this attri- 
 bute, feems to be our apprehenfion of 
 ^xcellenpe in it^ or the difcernment wc 
 haye that it is right to communicate 
 happinefs, and wrong to give pain. — But 
 I fliould not be excufable, did I not turn 
 your thoughts to another argument of the 
 
 utmoft 
 
272 Of the Goodnefs 
 
 ■utmoft confequence. I mean, that taken 
 from the efFeds of goodnefs which we fee 
 in the creation. 
 
 Thefe two arguments united are, I 
 think, when duly attended to, fufEcient 
 to give us complete fatisfadion. 
 
 Our reafonings on this point, from the 
 natures of things, are confirmed by obfer- 
 vation and experience. When we confult 
 our own ideas (without attending to what 
 takes place without us) we perceive a 
 necelfary union between infinite power, 
 wifdom, and goodnefs. Where there is 
 infinite power, there muft be infinite 
 knowledge ^ and, fince moral diftindions 
 are (as I have faid) founded in truth, 
 where there is infinite knowledge, there 
 muft be infinite goodnefs. — There can be 
 nothing fo encouraging and joyous as the 
 reflexion on this truth. But the joy it 
 gives is greatly increafed by the additional 
 reflexion, that there is the fame union of 
 thefe attributes in the conftitution of the 
 v;orld, that we fee in the natures of things 
 
 and 
 
of God. 273 
 
 and find in our own ideas. The (late 
 of the creation adually correfponds to 
 what, in this inflance, reafon, independ^ 
 ently of experience, teaches us to bclievs 
 of the firft caufe. Wherever we fee power 
 and fkill difplayed, we alfo fee goodnefs 
 difplayed. Wherever we fee defign, we 
 fee it to be not only wife defign, but kind 
 defign. The primary tendency of all the 
 laws of nature with which we are ac- 
 quainted is to happinefs and enjoyment. 
 The fruits of benevolence are fcattered 
 through the worlds and, therefore, the 
 Maker mufl: be benevolent. An univcrfe 
 fo harmonious and fair, fo orderly and 
 beautiful, and fo peopled with numberlefs 
 varieties of living beings all rejoicing in 
 exiftence, all liberally provided for, and 
 enjoying blefilngs fuitable to their na- 
 tures and fituations.— Such an univerfe 
 could never proceed from an evil or felfifh 
 or malicious being.— Every new obje6l 
 we meet with, every new difcovery we 
 make, and every ftep we advance ia the 
 T know- 
 
27+ Of the Goodnefi 
 
 knowledge of God*s works, affords us new 
 reafons for admiring the glory of his per- 
 fedions, and for adoring and praifing 
 him. 
 
 But I am fenfible it will be objeded 
 here. —Is there not evil in the world as 
 well as good ? And how can this be ac- 
 counted for, if the Author of the world 
 is perfedly good? Would he not, had 
 this been true, have excluded from the 
 creation every groan and pang? — Thefe 
 are enquiries which offer themfelves na- 
 turally to every perfon in thinking on 
 this fubjed. Were I to attempt making 
 as particular a reply to them as their im- 
 portance deferves, I fhould go much be- 
 yond the limits which I have prefcribed to 
 myfelf. I am in hopes, however, that you 
 will think the following brief obfervations 
 lufBcient. 
 
 Firft. It fhould be remembered, that 
 the evil which there is in the world is over- 
 balanced by good. We fhould, in this 
 cafe, judge of the intention of the Deity 
 
 by 
 
of God, 275 
 
 by what prevails iii his works ; and this, 
 without doubt, is happinefs. Though we 
 often fee many individuals fufFering pain, 
 and fometimes groaning under heavy cala- 
 mities, yet this is by no means \k\t geiieral 
 ftate of the world. Ail the tribes of ani- 
 mals about us were plainly made for hap- 
 pinefs ; and their natural and ordinary 
 {late is a ftate of health and fome degree 
 of enjoyment. Pain and diftrefs are out 
 of the common courfe of nature ; and this 
 caufes them to be over-rated and magni- 
 fied whenever they happen. One bad fit 
 of illnefs is remembered and talked of dur- 
 ing life, though compenfated fo far as to 
 be almoft annihilated, by many years of 
 health and eafe and comfort. — Indeed, I 
 believe the excefs of enjoyment above ab- 
 folute mifery, in the exiflence of all h'ving 
 creatures, is much greater than we are 
 willing to allow; and the latter, could we 
 compare it fairly with the former and 
 judge of it properly, would appear no 
 more to us than the fhades are in a fine 
 T % pidur^, 
 
2^6 Of the Goodnefs 
 
 pidlure, or the difcords in a grand con- 
 cert. 
 
 But fecondly. It fliould be confidered 
 that a great part of the evil in the world 
 appears plainly to be the neceffary means 
 of good, and to be intended for this pur- 
 pofe.—The former obfervation would be 
 alone fufficient to vindicate God's good- 
 nefs in the permiffion of evil ; for it is 
 extremely unreafonable to imagine, that 
 every being ought, during its whole exig- 
 ence, to be exempted from every degree 
 of pain. What goodnefs requires is the 
 produdion of happinefs ; and this is equally 
 produced w^hether the happinefs of a be- 
 ing is fo much enjoyment unmixed with 
 pain, or the fame degree of enjoyment 
 confifting of a clear excefs of pleafure 
 above pain. But we need not reft in this 
 obfervation. The pains mixed with the 
 enjoyments of beings are neceffary to 
 thofc enjoyments. They appear to be de- 
 figned, not for their own fakes, but al- 
 ways for the fake of fome good connefled 
 
 with 
 
of God, 277 
 
 with them, or of fome particular benefit 
 to the beings who fufFer them. — The pains 
 of hunger, for inftance, are neceffary to 
 put us upon taking food. The pains, oc- 
 cafioned by a wound or by difeafes, are 
 neceffary to engage us to take proper care 
 of our bodies ; and, without fuch pains, 
 we (hould fo far negledl ourfelves, as to be 
 in danger of perifhing by every malady 
 that feized us, and by every accident we 
 met with. In like manner 5 the pains of 
 felf-reproach and remorfe are neceffary to 
 reftrain us from wickednefs, and to keep 
 us in the path of virtue and duty. — In 
 thefe, and numberlefs other inftances, our 
 pains are falutary and kindly intended. 
 They are remedies for evil, and preferva- 
 tives from danger and mifery ; and, there- 
 fore, inftead of furnifhing an argument 
 againft God*s goodnefs, they are as much 
 proofs of it as any of our pleafures. 
 
 In connexion with this I muft mention 
 to you, that many of the evils we com- 
 plain of are effeds of regulations and 
 T 3 eftabiia> 
 
278 Of the Goodnefs 
 
 eftabliftitnents in the univerfe which are 
 neceffary to produce the greateft happinefs. 
 — It is abfolutely neceffary, that the affairs 
 of the univerfe fhould be governed by 
 general laws, operating uniformly and in- 
 variably in given circumftances* Were 
 not this the conftitution of nature, there 
 would be no fuch thing as a regular courfe 
 of nature j no one w^ould know what to 
 exped from any thing he did j and there 
 could be no prudence, no forefight, no 
 room for the exercife of any of the aflive 
 powers of beings. But, at the fame time, 
 it is, obvious, that the confequence of fuch 
 a conftitution muft be, in fome inftances, 
 pains and fufferings. The confequence, 
 for inftance, of the univerfal operation of 
 the law of gravitation muft be fometimes 
 broken limbs and untimely deaths: But 
 he that fhould, for this reafon, allow 
 himfelf to wifli there were no fuch law; 
 or that it were fufpended whenever it 
 might do any harm ; would wifli to have 
 the whole frame of nature unhinged, and 
 
 the 
 
of God, 279 
 
 the general happinefs deftroyed, only for 
 the fake of preventing a few bad accidents. 
 — ^To the fame purpofe, it may be ob- 
 ferved, that the ends of goodnefs require 
 that there fhould be in the univerfe crea- 
 tures of all orders; and that there fhould 
 be a dependence of their ftates on one 
 another. For, without this, there would 
 be no fphere of agency for beings; no 
 room for the excrcife of benevolence by 
 doing good to our fellovz-creatures ; nor, 
 confequently, any poffibility of the prac- 
 tice of virtue in that inflance of it which 
 brings us neareft to the perfedion of the 
 Deity. A variety, therefore, of orders of 
 beings j a dependence of them on one 
 another; and, in general, imperfedions 
 and fubordinations among them, and a 
 precarioufnefs of ftate, are neceffary to 
 render that happinefs poffible which con- 
 fifts in the exercife of the rational and 
 moral powers of beings. But it is obvi- 
 ous, that from hence mult arife a h'able- 
 nefs to calamities; and, in many circum- 
 T 4 ftances, 
 
28o Of the Goodhefs 
 
 fiances, the diftrefs of individuals^ or 
 fometimes, perhaps, of a whole fpecies. 
 — In fhort. Exclude from the world that 
 liberty which we often fee fo dreadfully 
 abufed : Exclude from it all wants and 
 fiibordinations and dangers and loffes: 
 Set all beings on a level, and emancipate 
 them entirely from the influence of one 
 another's agency • and you will leave no 
 creature any thing to do. You will lay 
 the whole rational creation afleep, and 
 exclude from it all that happinefs which 
 is moft worth producing. 
 
 Thefe obfervations are, in my opinion^ 
 a fatisfadory anfwer to the objedion I am 
 confidering. It appears that the evil we 
 fee is inconfiderable compared with the 
 good ; and that it may be the necefTary 
 confequence of a conftitution formed, i a 
 the beft manner, to produce the greateft 
 happinefs. Notwithfianding all the abate- 
 ments to be made on account of the un- 
 eafineffes and troubles in the world, a juft 
 eftimate of its ftate will convince us, that 
 
 it 
 
of Gol 281 
 
 it is an efFed of inconceivable goodnefs. 
 In order to make it anfwer to the notion 
 of malevolence in its author, it is, in 
 truth, neceffary to reverfe it in almoft 
 every inftance. — I wifli I could here re- 
 prefent to you properly, what you might 
 have expeded would have been the ftate 
 of the world, had mifery been the ultimate 
 intention of the Deity. 
 
 Evil would, in this cafe, have appeared 
 to be the aim of nature in all its appoint- 
 ments J and GOOD, we ihould have found 
 (as we do evil now) to be always the 
 confequence of either fome regulation for 
 producing general mifery, or of fome 
 unnatural violence and perverfion. — Al! 
 defign in the frame of nature we (hould 
 have feen to be cruel defign 5 and all that 
 wifdom of God in his works which we 
 now admire and adore, we fhould have 
 dreaded and curfed as a contrivance to 
 extend diftrefs, and to render pain more 
 pungent and permanent. — The ordinary 
 ftate of every being we fhould have found 
 
 to 
 
2.8 z Of the Goodnefs 
 
 to be (not a ftate of eafe and enjoyment) 
 but of trouble, dejedion, and anguifh. 
 The lower animals, and all inanimate 
 nature, inftead of being made to minifter 
 to our delight and accommodation, would 
 have been made to annoy and harrafs us. 
 The bee would have been without her 
 honey, and the rofe without its fragrance. 
 The fields would have wanted their chear- 
 ful green and gay flowers. The fire 
 would have fcorched without warming us. 
 The light of day would have dazzled 
 without chearing us. Every breath of 
 air would have cut us like the point of a 
 fword. The appetites and fenfes would 
 have been the inftruments of torture, and 
 never of pleafure to us, except when 
 turned out of their common courfe by 
 incidental caufes. Every touch would 
 have felt like the rubbing of a wound. 
 Every tafte would have been a bitter; and 
 every found a fcream. Our imaginations 
 would have prefented nothing but fright- 
 ful fpedres to us. Our thoughts would 
 
 have 
 
cf God. 283 
 
 have been the feat of a deep and conftant 
 melancholy ; and our reafon would have 
 ferved only to fhew us our wretchednefs. 
 — What we now call gratification would 
 have been nothing but a relaxation of 
 torment J and we fhould have been driven 
 to the offices neceffary for felf-preferva- 
 tion, by an increafe of fufFerings occafioned 
 by negleding them. Or if, at any time, 
 any feelings of delight were granted us; 
 they would have been (as the paroxifms 
 of pain are at prefent) tranfient and rare» 
 and intended only to fet a keener edge on 
 mifery by giving a tafte of its contrary. — 
 In the prefent ftate of the world our pains, 
 when they become extreme, foon make 
 an end of either themfelves or us : But, 
 in the ftate of things I am imagining, 
 there would have been no fuch merciful 
 appointment; for our bodies, probably, 
 would have been fo made as to be capable 
 of bearing the fevereft pains ; and, at the 
 fame time, we might have been deterred 
 
 fron^ 
 
284 Of the Goodnefs 
 
 from felf-violence by knowing, that the 
 confequence of haftening death would be 
 getting fooner into a ftate of mifery ftill 
 more dreadful, and which fhould never 
 come to an end. 
 
 . But it is high time to flop. I know 
 you mull hear with horror this reprefen- 
 tation. Such, however, be affured, and 
 infinitely worfe than I can paint, would 
 have been the condition of the world had 
 it^been made for mifery. The real ftate 
 of it is, I have (hewn, totally different j 
 and from hence it is impoffible not to con- 
 clude that the Maker of it is benevolent. 
 — We may then rejoice in our exiftence. 
 We may look up to heaven with triumph. 
 Verily, God is good. This is the dic- 
 tate of reafon. This is the voice of all 
 nature. 
 
 I have much more to fay on this fub- 
 jed J and I fhould now go on to make fome 
 farther obfervations in order to affift you 
 
 in forming juft ideas of God's goodnefs. 
 
 But 
 
of God. 285 
 
 But thefe obfervations, together with a 
 general recital of the efFedls of God's 
 goodnefs and the praflical improvement 
 of it, fliall be refer ved for another dif- 
 courfe. 
 
 S E R 
 
[ 287 ] 
 
 SERMON IX 
 
 OF THE GOODNESS OF GOD. 
 
 Psalms xxxiv. 8. 
 
 tajie and fee that the Lord is good. Blef 
 
 fed is the man that trujleth in him. 
 
 IN a- former difcourfe from thefe words^ 
 I endeavoured to explain and prove to 
 you the goodnefs of God. I then infifted, 
 among other arguments, on the traces of 
 goodnefs, as well as of wifdom, which 
 we fee in the works of God. Happinefs. 
 
 1 obferved, prevails in nature ; and all 
 that we know of its conflitution and laws 
 (hews, that the power which gave birth 
 
 to 
 
288 Of the Goodnefs 
 
 to it, and which prefidcs in it, is bene- 
 volent. 
 
 There is one objedion to this argu- 
 ment which I will juft take notice of, 
 before I proceed to what I principally 
 intend at this time. — It may occur to 
 Ibme " that, fince what we fee of nature 
 " is comparatively nothing, it cannot 
 
 afford fufEcient ground for any certain 
 " conclufion. A malevolent being may 
 *^ fometimes be the caufe of happinefs, as 
 " a benevolent being may of fufferings. 
 " A (ingle ad cannot be enough to give 
 " a proof of the charader of an agent, 
 " otherwife totally unknown to us. From 
 " what takes place in 3, point and a mo^ 
 " ment^ no judgment can be formed of 
 *' what takes place univerfally and eter- 
 " nallyr 
 
 In anfwer to this objedion, I would 
 defire you to confider, 
 
 Firft, That, in all cafes, it is moft 
 reafonable to judge of what we do not 
 know by what we do know. We are 
 
 furc. 
 
of God. 289 
 
 llire, that happincfs prevails in all that 
 we fee of nature ^ and however little that 
 is, it affords a fair prefumption that 
 happinefs prevails likewife in the reft of 
 nature. 
 
 But fecondly, This evidence from fad 
 is confirmed by arguments, taken from 
 the reafons of things and the nature of the 
 firft caufe, as reprefented in ray former 
 difcourfe : And, however unfatisfadory 
 this evidence might otherwife have been, 
 it amounts, when taken in this con- 
 nexion, to one of the flrongeft proofs. 
 But 
 
 Thirdly, The truth is, that this evi- 
 dence, even when taken by itfelf, is in a 
 high degree fatisfactory, and that the ob- 
 jedion I have ftated has no tendency to 
 lefTen its weight. — The following obfer- 
 vation will, I think, fhew this. — What- 
 ever the charader of the Deity may be, 
 his works muft, upon the whole^ correfpond 
 to it. Particular exceptions to this cor- 
 U refpondence 
 
290 Of the Goodnefs 
 
 refpondence may poffibly take place at 
 particular times in particular diftrids^ 
 but they muft, without doubt, be fingu- 
 lar and extraordinary. If mifery, there- 
 fore, is the end of the Deity, there muft 
 have been the greateft chance againft our 
 being caft into that part of the creation 
 in which mifery is not prevalent. And this 
 •chance is the fame whether the creation 
 be more or lefs extenfive. — For this rea- 
 fon, I cannot help reckoning the impro- 
 bability almoft infinite, of our happening 
 to have been brought into exiftence in 
 that period of duration and diflrid of the 
 •univerfe in which goodnefs is difplayed, 
 if, indeed, goodnefs is 7iot the charafler 
 of the Deity. — This confideration, added 
 to the other arguments on w^hich I have 
 infifted, make my thoughts fo eafy on 
 this moft interefting queflion, that I can 
 fcarcely wifh for more fatisfadiqji. 
 
 I will now requeft leave to add a few 
 obfervations to guard you againft mif- 
 
 ap- 
 
oj God. 291 
 
 apprchenfions of God's goodnefs, after 
 which I will proceed to an account of 
 fome of the principal efFeds of it, and 
 the influence which the belief of it ought 
 to have on our tempers and prafiifes. 
 
 I have already obferved, that the good- 
 nefs of God is not to be confidered as a 
 propenfity in him of which no account 
 can be given, and which produces its 
 efFeds neceffarily. On the contrary ^ I 
 have fhewn, that it is implied in the per- 
 fed intelligence of the Deity ; and that it 
 is to je confidered as under the direction 
 of reafon, and as always operating, though 
 certainly^ yet freely. 
 
 It follows from hence, that we fliould 
 confider it as a holy and juft goodnefs. 
 This obfervation appears to me of parti- 
 cular importance. If it is not remember- 
 ed, we fhall be in danger of entertaining 
 very groundlefs expedations from this 
 attribute. God's goodnefs, when moral 
 agents are confidered as the objeds of it, 
 U Q, is; 
 
292 Of the Goodnefs 
 
 is not a difpofition to make all happy in- 
 difcriminately at any rate and by any 
 means. Were this true, it would not be 
 an excellence becoming the dignity and 
 vvifdom of a Being perfeflly reafonable. 
 —On the contrary j it is a difpofition to 
 make the upright and worthy happy, pre- 
 ferably to others. It is a principle which, 
 in all its exertions, is direded by a re- 
 gard to reditude, and an averfion to 
 moral evil. The end of it is, indeed, hap- 
 pinefs. But it is the rightejl happi- 
 iiefs. It is happinefs enjoyed in the 
 practice of virtue. 
 
 In connexion with this, I would ob- 
 ferve that our expedations from God's 
 goodnefs fhould be regulated by what we 
 fee to be the eflablifhed order of nature. 
 This, in all cafes, is the beft guide of our 
 expedations and reafonings.— We are, in 
 the higheft degree, incompetent judges of 
 the method in which Divine goodnefs 
 ought to purfue its end, and it is pre- 
 fumptuous and foolifh to lay a ftrefs, in 
 
 this 
 
of God. 293 
 
 this cafe, on any theories that we can 
 form. We are no lefs unquahfied for 
 governing worlds than we are for making 
 them J and yet this is what, in our vaia 
 imaginations, we are continually doing. 
 Let us ftudy to acquire a jufter fenfe of 
 our own infufficieney j and learn to fub- 
 rnit our underftandings to that Supreme in- 
 telligence which includes in it Supreme 
 benevolence, and which, we may affore 
 ourfelves, will condud all event.s in the 
 beft ways to the beft iffues. — If we will 
 judge by what lies before us, we muft be 
 fatisfied, that the plan of the Divine go- 
 vernment is to make the happinefs of 
 reafonable beings to depend on their own 
 endeavours ; and alfo, within certain 
 limits, on the agency and benevolence of 
 their fellow-beings. The chief bleffings 
 of exiftence do not fall to our fhare of 
 courfe, without any foUicitude of our 
 own. They are offered to our acquifition^ 
 not our acceptance ; and the condition of 
 our havifig them, is our earning them by 
 U 3 the 
 
ag^ Of the Goodnefs. 
 
 the exercife of the powers given us. Our 
 
 fellow-creatures, likewife, are often the 
 
 conveyers of them ; and their voluntary 
 
 inftrumentality is, in numberlefs inftan- 
 
 ces, made to be not only the channel 
 
 by which they are communicated, but the 
 
 condition on which they are granted. — 
 
 There is no part of the conftitution of 
 
 nature that deferves more of our attention 
 
 than this. Objedlions to it are apt to rife 
 
 within us, and we may be ready to afk — 
 
 " Why does the Deity feem to grudge 
 
 *' us blifs by fufpending it on fuch con- 
 
 " ditions, and making it fo precarious ?" — 
 
 But, in reality, it is an inftance of perfed 
 
 wifdom. The natures of things render this 
 
 method of treating moral agents neceffary; 
 
 and it is the method of treating them 
 
 which muft in the end produce the greateft 
 
 good. I have obferved this in my former 
 
 difcourfe", and, therefore, will fay no more 
 
 of it now. 
 
 Again J 
 
 ^ See, likcwlfe, the fifth of thefe difeourfes, page 
 i6i, &c. 
 
cf God, 295 
 
 Again 5 I would caution you againft 
 €xpeding, that this attribute (hould, i?z 
 every Jingle injiance^ produce the greateft 
 poflible efFed. If we fee that happinefs 
 is intended and goodnefs difplayed in the 
 frame of the world, we fhould be fatisfied. 
 To complain becaufe more happinefs has 
 not been produced, and more goodnefs 
 difplayed, would be very unreafonable. 
 It would be complaining on a ground not 
 poflible to be removed ; and giving way to 
 a difpofition not poflible to be fatisfied : 
 For, were the quantity of happinefs pro- 
 duced ever fo great, there would be ftill 
 room for more happinefs. Had there been 
 never a figh, a pang or a groan on this earthi 
 we might have imagined that there fliould 
 have been higher pleafures enjoyed by its 
 inhabitants ; or, at leaft, that it fhould 
 have been better flocked and made larger. 
 Had we been happy to the utmoft extent 
 of our capacities, we might have thought 
 that we fliould have had greater capa- 
 cities ; and had w^e been angels, we 
 U 4 might 
 
296 Of the Goodjiefi 
 
 might have thought that we fhould have 
 been arch-angels. — Away then with all 
 fuch complaints. If we fee God to be 
 good, let us not aik, why he is not better? 
 If we feel that he has made us happy^ 
 let us not be fo ungrateful as to murmur 
 becaufe he has not made us happier. — It is 
 probable that, upon the whole, an infinite 
 fum of happinefs is produced ; but we are 
 by no means judges in what degree it 
 ought to be produced in particular in- 
 fiances. The goodnefs of God, like all 
 his other attributes, muft, in many re* 
 fpeds, be incomprehenfible to us. We 
 do not know (as I have already intimated) 
 w^hat meafures are beft to be purfued, or 
 what laws are beft to be eftablifhed, in 
 order to gain its ends moft eftedually and 
 completely. General regulations may be 
 neceffary which may fometimes produce 
 great calamities ; and executions of juftice 
 may be proper which may appear to us 
 fevere. Let us never forget our own igno- 
 ranee. There is no topick from which 
 
 we 
 
tf God, 20 7 
 
 we are apt to argue more wantonly thaa 
 from God's goodnefs. Jt would be flrange, 
 indeed, if we could difcover how the 
 affairs of the world ought to be admini- 
 llered j or if beings, with our narrow 
 views, were to meet with no difficulties in 
 contemplating the meafures taken by In- 
 finite Wifdom to bring about infinite 
 happinefs. 
 
 Again ; we muft conceive of the good- 
 nefs of God as impartial and univerfal 
 It does not arbitrarily difiinguifli fome 
 from others, without regarding reafon and 
 fitnefs. It has no favourites, except fuch 
 moral agents as beft pradife righteoufnefs. 
 It flows in numberlefs ftreams to all 
 living beings, according to their different 
 capacities. It has produced innumerable 
 worlds which it continually fupports and 
 maintains. It fhines through all nature. 
 It embraces and blefies the whole cre- 
 ation. 
 
 Once more. It is immutable and ever- 
 lafting. It can never fail or change. It 
 
 ha$ 
 
298 Of the Goodnefs 
 
 has exiflcd from eternity, and it will con> 
 tinue to eternity ; ftill flowing, and yet 
 never exhauftedj flill giving, and yet 
 having infinitely more to give ; the fpring 
 of all other goodnefs, and the caufe of all 
 order, joy, and perfection. 
 
 But thefe obfervations anticipate the 
 account which I have propofed to give of 
 fome of the chief effefls of Divine good- 
 nefs. This reprefentation muft be brief 
 and extremely defeflive ; but it will an- 
 fwer mv intention, fhould it be the means 
 of leading you, for a few moments, to at- 
 tend a little more clofely to this fubje<fl ; 
 and to join wnth me in endeavouring to 
 awaken our gratitude to the Deity, by 
 recollecling carefully, on this occafion, 
 w^hat it is we owe to him. 
 
 A profpeft here offers itfelf to us the 
 
 moft delightful All nature rcpleniflied 
 
 WMth the efFeds of uncreated and everlaft- 
 ing goodnefs! An univerfe boundlefs in 
 extent, and to which all that we can 
 
 imagine 
 
of God. 299 
 
 imagine is nothing, built on purpofe to 
 be the feat of blifs ! Myriads of ftarry 
 worlds, and countlefs hofts of living 
 beings, brought forth by one munificent 
 Parent to partake of his bounty; all de- 
 pendent on his- providence, fupported by 
 his power, and provided for by his care 
 and love!— With what admiration muft 
 we refled on the wife and good order of 
 that fyflem to which we belong? How- 
 does it declare, as far as we can carry our 
 views, the benevolence of its Omnipotent 
 Maker ? Every region of this earth we fee 
 abounding with inhabitants; and {o over- 
 flowing is Divine goodnefs in this part of 
 nature, that it has brought into exiftence 
 every different kind and form of animal 
 life that we can conceive to be poffible. 
 There is no chafm in the chain of being 
 from reafoning man down to the inani- 
 mate vegetable. Every rivulet, every leaf, 
 and almoft every atom of matter about 
 us is peopled. What then muft we think 
 of the furrounding planets? Are not 
 
 they 
 
30O Of the Goodnefs 
 
 they alfo flocked with a like variety of 
 happy inhabitants ? If on this earth the 
 Parent of all has been fo munificent, 
 what nobler fcenes of being and blifs may 
 w^e fuppofe to be exhibited in the remoter 
 diflrids of the creation ? — But let us con- 
 fine our thoughts to thofe objects which 
 are moil near and familiar to us. 
 
 It has been juft obferved, that every 
 region of the earth abounds with inhabi- 
 tants, and that no order of beings below 
 man feems here to have been left unpro- 
 duced. The fea and the rivers are ftored 
 with numberlefs tribes of creatures, who 
 have organs adapted to their refpedive 
 exigencies and places of refidence. The 
 dry land is appropriated to other orders 
 of beings, who have alfo the beft provifion 
 made for their fubfiftence and preferva- 
 tion. The air, likewife, has its proper 
 animals of various kinds that cut their 
 w^y through it, and are furniftied with 
 fuitable powers and faculties. All thefe 
 difcover figns of happinefs. They dif- 
 
 play 
 
of God, 301 
 
 play the exuberant goodnefs of their 
 Maker. He maketh his fun to (liine upon 
 them i and continually feeds, proteds, 
 and cherifhes them. — Hefendeth the fpri7igs 
 into the valleys which run among the hills. 
 By them the fowls of heaven have their habi- 
 tation which jing among the branches. He 
 caufes the grafs to grow for cattle^ and herbs 
 for the fervice of man. He maketh the 
 darknefs and it is nighty wherein all the 
 heafts of the for eft do creep forth. The young 
 lions roar after their prey^ and tifk their 
 meat of God, The fun arifeth j they gather 
 themfelves together^ and lie down in their 
 dens. The earth is full of his riches. So is 
 the great and wide fea^ wherein are crea- 
 tures-innumerable, Thefe all wait upon him. 
 That which he giveth them^ they gather. He 
 openeth his handy and they are filled with 
 good. Pf civ. 
 
 But let us fix our thoughts particularly 
 on MAN. — The flighteft examination will 
 convince us, that we are indeed wonder- 
 ful inftances of the goodnefs of our Maker. 
 
 Everv 
 
302 Of the Goodnefs 
 
 Every circumftance of our fituation, and 
 every power of our minds affords ns fome 
 proof of this. By the various degrees of 
 enjoyment arifing from the fenfes and ap- 
 petites of the lower part of our natures, 
 we are enabled to conceive what the en- 
 joyment is of the creatures below us. But 
 we have many fources of happinefs greatly 
 fuperior to any they poffefs. — We have 
 powers of imagination, by which we are 
 rendered capable of the pleafures arifing 
 from the perception of harmony, order, 
 and beauty. — We have memory, by 
 which we are able to recall and revive paft 
 fcenes and enjoyments. — We have a capa- 
 city of looking forward to fbturity ; and 
 thus of guarding againft expefted evils, 
 and of alleviating prefent inconveniences 
 by the anticipations of hope. — We have 
 LANGUAGE, by which we can make 
 known our thoughts to one another, and 
 enjoy the benefits of focial intercourfe and 
 communication. — We have public af- 
 fections, which prompt us to purfue 
 
 the 
 
of God. 303 
 
 the happinefs of our fellow-men, and 
 furnifh us with the joys flowing from love 
 and fympathy; from friendfhip, genero- 
 sity, and mutual kindnefs. — We have 
 JREASON, by which we can invefiigate 
 truth, fee the hand that formed us, con- 
 template his works, and caufe all nature 
 about us and every inferior order of 
 beings to contribute to our defence and 
 comfort.— We have liberty and con- 
 science, by which we can perceive the 
 eternal differences of moral good and 
 evil; and, by conforming our adions to 
 them, procure the inexpreffible fatisfac- 
 tion arifing from felf-applaufe, the con- 
 fcioufnefs of imitating the Deity, and the 
 hope of his approbation and favour. 
 
 Thefe are fome of the diilinguifhing 
 privileges which place us at the head of 
 this world, and lay the foundation 
 of our peculiar happinefs. — It is true, 
 each of them may, through our folly, 
 become the caufe of evil to us. But 
 fuch evils muft not be charged on our 
 
 Maker, 
 
304 Of the Goodnefs 
 
 Maker. The unhappinefs we bring upon 
 ourfelves by mifcondud, it would be 
 wicked to impute to him. Our crimes are 
 no part of his conflitution. The powers 
 with which we are endowed were defigned 
 to be advantages to us, though we often 
 turn them into occafions of mifchief. 
 Liberty, language, and reafon are the 
 greateft bleffings, though they often pro- 
 duce, in confequence of our perverfenefs, 
 diftreffes and calamities. We fhould 
 learn to judge of every gift and appoint- 
 i-nent of the Deity by its effential tenden- 
 cies and general efFeds, and not by any 
 incidental confequences arifing from them. 
 —Who can doubt but that fire, air, and 
 water, are unfpeakable benefits, though 
 fometimes they break out into conflagra- 
 tions, deluges, and hurricanes ? — In 
 truth, we may read the goodnefs of the 
 Creator in the evils as well as the bleffings 
 of life. Thefe evils are either kind pro- 
 vifions againft greater evils •, or the refult 
 of laws neceffary to the being of the 
 
 world. 
 
of God. 305 
 
 world, and ufeful in their defign and 
 operation. — I mads this obfervation in my 
 laft difcourfe, and endeavoured to explain 
 and illuftrate it. It is an obfervation on 
 which great ftrefs has been juftly laid by 
 all the beft writers on this fubjed. 
 
 The tragical events in human life pro- 
 duced by ungoverned paffions, by the 
 abufe of reafon, and other caufes, are, 
 without doubt, very fliocking. But I 
 feldoni feel myfelf moved by them to 
 queflion the goodncfs of God. What 
 makes fuch events imprefs us fo much is, 
 their being out of the ordinary courfe of 
 things. We generally fee that they take 
 their rife from a wife and kind conftitu- 
 tionj and if, in any inftance, we cannot 
 fee this, they are only fingle fads flanding 
 in oppofition to millions. — Look at that 
 man who has ruined his fortune and 
 broken his health by his vices. Can you 
 be difpofed to cenfure the Creator on his 
 account ? Or would you have had him 
 make the world in fuch a manner as that 
 
 X wicked- 
 
3o6 Of the Goodnefs 
 
 wickednefs fhould have gone unreflrained 
 and unpunifhed? — Had this been done, 
 you would indeed haye had reafon to doubt 
 his goodnefs. 
 
 Look at another perfon who is now 
 curfing his exiftence under the mifery of a 
 difordered imagination, and the defpair 
 and horrors of a deep melancholy. You 
 cannot but view him with compaffion, 
 and think his cafe (hocking. But confider 
 that it is not likely you can be better thaa 
 the Being who gave you your compaffion. 
 Confider, likewife, that perhaps this per- 
 fon has, in fornier life, enjoyed more 
 happinefs than is equivalent to his prefcnt 
 fufferings; and that, in future life, he 
 may again be happy, and find reafon to 
 be thankful for what he now endures. 
 Suppofe, however, the worft. His cafe is 
 plainly Angular. Had God intended 
 mifery, we fhould all of us have been fuch 
 wretched beings. 
 
 But to return to the account I was at- 
 tempting to give you of the effeds of 
 God's goodnefs to us. 
 
 It 
 
of God. 2,^-j 
 
 It was God that raifed us out of no- 
 thing, and brought us forth to enjoy the 
 light of h'fe, and to view this glorious 
 theatre of nature. To him we owe thefe 
 thoughts that wander through eternity; 
 and thofe high faculties by which we 
 claim kindred with angels, and which 
 qualify us for a^fling by the fame rule 
 with him, and for loving, ferving, and 
 adoring him. — It is he that continually 
 preferves and maintains us: Without 
 him we cannot fubfift one n^oment* 
 E very breath we draw ; every ftep we take ; 
 every thought we think depends entirely 
 upon him. Every place we are in, and 
 every inftant of our duration is crouded 
 with his mercies. It is his raiment 
 cloaths us, and his food that nourifhes 
 us. It is he that flielters us in our houfes, 
 refreflies us in fleep, watches over us in 
 danger, and defends us againft the evils 
 to which we are expofed. It is he that 
 fupplies our returning wants, that chears 
 our hearts among our friends, and that 
 X Z delighta 
 
3o8 Of the Goodnefs 
 
 delights us in every agreeable objed and 
 fcene. From him we derive every grati- 
 fication which we receive by oiirfenfes^ 
 every benefit we owe to our fellow-crea- 
 tures •, every hope that expands our 
 breads ; and every convenience which 
 renders our lives comfortable. There is, 
 in fhort, no advantage which we can pro- 
 cure for ourfelves, no joy that fprings up 
 in our hearts, no bleffing that crowns our 
 exiftence, which does not come from him 
 the Giver of every good and perfedl gift, 
 — He takes care of us at thofc feafons 
 virhen we are incapable of taking any care 
 of ourfelves. He difpenfes bleffings to us 
 when we cannot refled whence they come; 
 and, in numberlefs inftances, goes before 
 our wifhes, and prevents us with his be- 
 nefits. — He follows, with his goodnefs, 
 even the wicked and undeferving. The 
 moft inexcufable ingratitude cannot eafily 
 divert its courfe. His hand upholds and 
 conduds us w^hen we are fo blind and in- 
 fenfible as not to acknowledge it. He 
 
 promotes 
 
of God. 309 
 
 promotes the happincfs of thofe bafe people 
 who can fpend their days without addreff- 
 ing any a6ts of homage to him, or ever 
 thinking of worfhipping and thanking 
 him. He does good to the evil and unthank^ 
 fuU and fends his rain on the juft and the 
 unjuji^ Mat. v. 45. 
 
 Above all things j he has bleft us with 
 the Gofpel, and fent Jefus Chrift to fave 
 ns. This was an inftance of goodnefs to 
 finful creatures which exceeds all oar com- 
 prehenfion. — When mankind had corrupt- 
 ed their ways, and loft the knowledge of 
 the one true God, Jefus Chrift defoended ^ 
 from heaven to call them back to their 
 duty, and to redeem them from all iniqui- 
 ty. T^his is lo've^ the Scriptures tell us, 
 not that we loved God, but that he loved us^ 
 and fent his Son to be the propitiation for 
 mr fins. — In confequence of that fall, or 
 degradation of man, related in the book 
 of Genefis, and referred to throughout 
 all the fubfequent parts of the Bible, 
 we had loft immortality, and became 
 X 3 fubjea 
 
J 
 
 lo Of the Goodnefs 
 
 fubjed to that evil of death which we have 
 all of us in profped. And it is impoffible 
 to fay what this would have been to us, 
 bad not Infinite Goodnefs provided for us 
 a Saviour who, by giving himfelf up to 
 death, has delivered us from death, re- 
 ftored us to our forfeited happinefs, and 
 laid a foundation for the exercife of full 
 favour to all true penitents. By giving 
 us Chrift, God has, indeed, given us every 
 thing neceflary to raife us to the higheft 
 dignity and glory — the cleareft light — the 
 beft account of our duty — the flrongeft 
 motives to right praflice — great and pre- 
 cious promifes — and, particularly, the pro- 
 mife of a refurredion from death to a new 
 life of endlefs blifs, in that future kingdom 
 of Jefus Chrift, into which will be gathered 
 all the virtuous and worthy among man- 
 kind. 
 
 Such are the efFeds of the goodnefs of 
 God to us J fuch the bleJfRngs we owe to 
 him. — I muft add, that our fenfe of thefe 
 bleffings w^ill be rendered more intenfe, 
 
 if 
 
cf God, 311 
 
 if we can refleft that we have duly im- 
 proved them, and been led by them to 
 true piety and righteoufnefs. To this 
 important end he condudls us by every 
 proper method j urging us by his autho- 
 rity 5 inviting us by his promifes ; admo- 
 nilhing us by the remonftrances of minifters 
 and friends j affifting us by his grace ; 
 and fparing us from year to year with 
 much patience and long-fufFering. And 
 wheUj in confequence of thefe advantages, 
 we have been engaged to refolve upon 
 amendment, and to begin a life of virtue, 
 he continues his grace and influence to 
 carry us on in our courfe, and to promote 
 our endeavours after conftant improve- 
 ment, till we are taken out of this world 
 to receive our reward. — But what will 
 this reward be ? — What is the happinefs 
 referved for all the upright and virtuous? 
 — No language can defcribe this. No 
 imagination is capable of conceiving it. 
 Be glad in the Lord^ ye 7ighteous -^ mid 
 Jhout for joy^ all ye who are upright in 
 
 X 4 heart. 
 
312 Of the Goodnefs 
 
 heart All have reafon to be thankful for 
 exiftcnce ; but you have reafon for exul- 
 tation and triumph. Your happinefs 
 will never come to an end. It is to be 
 renewed in brighter regions, and there to 
 go on increafing to all eternity. While 
 you continue in this world the prefence of 
 God is alwaySj with you, and nothing 
 amifs can happen to you. And when you 
 have finifhed your courfe here, you will 
 be taken to that world where all tears will 
 be wiped away from your eyesj where the 
 hand of death {hall never again reach you ; 
 where you (hall join fuperior beings, and 
 be for ever improving under the eye and 
 care of the Almighty. — This will be the 
 finifhing effed of God's goodnefs to man- 
 kind J and to this iffue of all prefent 
 events no one of us can fail attaining who 
 does not render himfelf unfit for it, and 
 unworthy of it by vicious pra6lices and 
 habits. 
 
 The pradical improvement of this fub- 
 
 jeQ is very obvious. 
 
 Firft. 
 
of God. 313 
 
 Firft. It has a tendency to fix our minds 
 in a ftate of tranquillity and fatisfadion. 
 Did blind fate, or fickle fortune, or a re- 
 lentlefs tyrant govern all things, our con- 
 dition would be deplorable. We could 
 confider no objed with pleafure, and all 
 about us would appear dark and defolate. 
 But we are infinitely happier. Perfed 
 goodnefs is at the head of the world ; and, 
 therefore, all may be expeded to take 
 place in it that the mofl benevolent mind 
 can defire. 
 
 Secondly 5 It is obvious, that the good- 
 nefs of God is the proper objed of our 
 warmeft praifes. We mufl be lofl in in- 
 fenfibility, if we can contemplate it with- 
 out feeling ourfelves prompted to adora- 
 tion and thankfgiving, What can engage 
 our gratitude and love, if original and 
 fovereign goodnefs will not ? — ^There is no 
 property of our natures by which we are 
 more diftinguifhed from the creatures be- 
 low us, than the capacity of feeing and 
 acknowledging God's goodnefs. How 
 
 (hocking 
 
514 Of the Goodnefs 
 
 fhocking then are the charaders of thofe 
 men who difcover no fenfe of it ; and who 
 (though they live by the Deity and depend 
 every inftant on his care) yet wiUingly 
 forget him, and negledt all religious wor- 
 fhip ? What can be more fhameful ; or 
 fhew a heart more void of juft feelings 
 and fentiments? Ingratitude is one of the 
 bafeft vices; and, certainly, ingratitude to 
 the beft of Beings cannot be lefs bafe 
 than any other kind of ingratitude. On 
 the contrary j he ought to be the Jirft ob-^ 
 jed of our gratitude, and a difpofition 
 to acknowledge him in all our ways 
 ought to be the governing principle within 
 us. — Nothing beftows more dignity on a 
 charader than an unaffeded and ardent 
 piety J nor is any thing more reafona- 
 ble and becoming. But how little of it 
 do we fee? — I have juft faid, that the 
 capacity of acknowledging the Deity is 
 one of our chief diftindions from the 
 lower animals ^ but multitudes about us 
 chufe to give up this diftindion. They 
 
 can 
 
cfGol 315 
 
 can enjoy the bleflings of life without lift- 
 ing up their fouls to the donor of them. 
 They can think of the Being who is the 
 caufe of all joy and the fountain of all 
 good without being kindled into devotion. 
 Thirdly 5 The goodnefs of God fhews 
 us the folly and bafenefs of fin. All moral 
 evil is an abufe of the love, and difobedi- 
 ence to the authority, of that Being who 
 is always doing us good, and whofe cha- 
 rader comprehends in it every excellence 
 which can be a reafon for affedion and 
 veneration. It is flighting and offending 
 our befl Benefador, and turning the very 
 bleflings we derive from him into inflru- 
 ments of oppofition to him.— Had we a 
 jufl: ingenuity of temper, nothing would 
 have a ftronger tendency to produce in us 
 a deep contrition for our fins, than the 
 reflexion, that by them wx have counter- 
 aded and aff*ronted perfed goodnefs ; nor 
 would any thing imprefs us more in fa- 
 vour of virtue, than the confideration that 
 it is a concurrence with the views of In- 
 finite 
 
3i6 Of the Goodnefs 
 
 finite Goodnefs, and that by it we pleafc 
 and obey our all-benevolent Parent and 
 Preferver. If we feel that we are not in- 
 fluenced by confiderations of this kind, 
 we want one of the moft proper fprings 
 of virtue, and we may be fure that our 
 charaders are fadly defedive. 
 
 Farther. The goodnefs of God ought 
 to be imitated by us. It cannot but be 
 his will that we (hould be merciful as he 
 IS merciful, and do good to one another, 
 as he does good to us all. It fhould be 
 our ambition to ad thus j and, as far a& 
 poffible, to employ our little power in the 
 fame manner that God employs his unli- 
 mited power. No being can have a higher 
 or nobler ambition.— -What gives luftre 
 to all God's attributes is his goodnefs. 
 This chiefly is. the excellence that makes 
 him amiable. He has given us the powder 
 of acquiring fome degree of the fame ex- 
 cellence. Let us not negled or abufe fo 
 tranfporting a privilege of our natures. 
 Let us ftrtve to copy into our own hearts. 
 
 the 
 
of God. 517 
 
 the benevolence of our Maker, by culti- "^ 
 vating in ourfelves every kind afFedlion, 
 and fludying to relieve the pains and to 
 increafe the happinefs of all about us. 
 Thus fhall we be his genuine offspring, 
 and fecure his particular favour and pro- 
 te<3ion. 
 
 Laftly. The goodnefs of God (hould 
 engage us to put our truft in him. I am 
 led particularly to obferve this by the latter 
 part of the verfe I have taken for my text 
 —0/6 / tajle and fee that the Lord is good. 
 Blejfed is the man that trujietb in hiriL--' 
 God made us to make us happy. He di- 
 reds all events in the beft manner, and 
 for the beft purpofes. The whole crea- 
 tion is his family, over which he is con- 
 tinually watching. Innumerable beings 
 are every moment brought forth by him 
 to exift for ever the objeds of his libera- 
 lity. With what confidence fhoiild we 
 commit our whole exiftence to this Beingr 
 and give up ourfelves to his difpofal? 
 Haw ihould the reflexion that he reigns 
 
 revive 
 
3 1 8 Of the Goodnefs 
 
 revive our hearts, and diflipate our anx-^ 
 ieties ? What may we not hope for from 
 his boundlefs goodnefs ? How fafe are all 
 our interefts under his management ? — 
 Let us, however, take care not to forget 
 an obfervation which was made at the be- 
 ginning of this difcourfe. Let us remem- 
 ber, that our expedations from God ought 
 to be regulated by a regard to his justice. 
 Though he loves his creatures, he muft 
 hate the wicked. Sin is the fubverfion 
 of that order, and an oppofition to thofe 
 laws by which the world fubfifts; and, 
 for this reafon, even goodnefs requires 
 that it (hould be puniflied, and that vir- 
 tue ftiould be made the univerfal ground 
 and condition of happinefs. An ill man, 
 therefore, can build no hopes on the good- 
 nefs of God. To truft in him at the fame 
 time that we counterad his will and live 
 in guilt, would be a wretched folly and 
 prefumption. 
 
 But to conclude the whole.— Let us, 
 with one heart, give glory to God, and 
 
 cele- 
 
of God. 31 g 
 
 celebrate his praifes. Let ns rejoice in 
 his government, and never fhrink from 
 any thing our duty to him requires. Let 
 us love him with all our fouls and with 
 all our flrength, and let our love to him 
 l*hew itfelf by loving all his creatures. — 
 His mercies are more than we can num- 
 ber ; and it is not poffible for us to make 
 him any adequate returns. — Oh ! Jing unto 
 the Lord a new fong. (Pfal. ciii.) Sing unto 
 the Lord all the earth. Sing unto the Lord. 
 Blefs his jtame. Shew forth his falvatiofi from 
 day to day. Give unto the Lord the glory 
 due unto his name. Say among the Heathen 
 that the Lord reigneth, — Let the heavens 
 rejoice^ and the earth be glad. Let the fields 
 be joyfuly and all that is therein. For the 
 Lord is good\ his mercy is from everlafiing^ 
 and his truth endureth to all generations, — 
 Blefs the Lord ye his angels that excel in 
 flrength, Blefs the Lord all ye his hofis ; 
 ye minifiers of his that do his pleafiire, Blefs 
 the Lord all his works in all places of his 
 
 dominions. 
 
320 Of the Goodnefsy &c. 
 
 dominions — Let the whole creation join in 
 raifing a fong of praife to him.— 5^/} the 
 
 Lord^ Oh ! my foul 
 
 S E R. 
 
[ 321 ] 
 
 SERMON X, 
 
 OF THE RESURRECTION OF LAZARUS. 
 
 John xi. 43, 44. 
 
 And when he had thus fpoken^ he cried with 
 a loud voice^ Lazarus, come forth. 
 And he that was dead came forth bound 
 hand and foot with grave-clothes. And 
 his face was bound about with a napkin, 
 Jefus fays to them j Loofe him^ and let 
 him go. 
 
 MY defign from thefe words, is to 
 make a few obfervations on the 
 miraculous fa£t related in them. This is 
 one of the moft remarkable of all our Sa- 
 viour's miracles. It is related by the 
 Y Apoftle 
 
322 Refurre5tion of Lazarus. 
 
 Apoftle John with a fimplicity of ftyle ^ 
 and the main circumftances attending it 
 are told with a minutenefs, and, at the 
 fame time, a brevity, that cannot but im- 
 prefs an unprejudiced mind. Had a per- 
 fon who knew he was endeavouring to 
 gain belief to an impofition which he had 
 been concerned in contriving, given us 
 this narrative, it would have been told in 
 a very different manner. It would, pro- 
 bably, have been drawri out to a greater 
 length. No particular mention would 
 have been made of times, places, and 
 perfons ; and fome affeded apologies and 
 colourings w^ould have been introduced to 
 give it plaufibility, and to guard againft 
 obje(5lions* But, inftead of this, we find 
 it a narrative plain and artlefs in the 
 higheft degree, without a circumftance 
 that fliews an attempt to give it any drefs, 
 or an expreflion that betfays a defign to 
 furprii^e and deceive. In fhort ; the afto- 
 nifhing miracle which is the fubjedl of 
 this narrative, is told us exadly as we 
 
 (hould 
 
RefurreBion of Lazarus. 323 
 
 fliould expefl: an honeft but unlettered 
 man, who had been familiarized to mi- 
 racles, to relate a fad of this kind, to 
 which he was confcious of having been 
 an eye and ear witnefs. 
 
 It has been thought ftrange that the 
 other Evangelifts have omitted to give us 
 an account of this miracle. Several rea- 
 fons have been affigned for this omiffion, 
 which I will juft mention to you. 
 
 It (hould be confidered, that none of 
 the Evangelifts appear to have aimed at 
 giving us a complete account of all our 
 Saviour's miracles. It fhould be confi- 
 dered farther, that this miracle was per- 
 formed in the interval of time between 
 our Saviour's going into the country be- 
 yond Jordon, and his going up to his laft 
 paflbver ; and that this was a more pri- 
 vate part of his miniftry, concerning 
 which the other Evangelifts have faid 
 little. But what deferves moft to be at- 
 tended to is, that the Evangelifts muft 
 have felt a particular delicacy with refpcd 
 Y 2. to 
 
324 Refurrediion of Lazarus. 
 
 to the publication of this miracle. 
 Firft ; becaufe it was a miracle performed 
 on a friend in a family with which our 
 Saviour was intimate. And fecondly % 
 becaufe Lazarus might be ftill living 
 at the time they wrote their Gofpels, 
 and might be fubjeded to great inconve- 
 niences by having his name mentioned as 
 the fubjed of fuch a miracle. This, 
 however, was a reafon which cannot be 
 fuppofed to have exifted when John wrote. 
 Inhere was a tradition among the Fathers, 
 that Lazarus lived thirty years after his 
 refurredJion j and John did not write his 
 Gofpel till at leaft forty or fifty years af- 
 terwards. Lazarus, therefore, moft pro- 
 bably was not then alive ; and John, for 
 this reafon, muft have been more at li- 
 berty to give an account of his refur* 
 redion. 
 
 It feems proper farther to mention here, 
 that St. John, as he wrote laft, wrote 
 alfo on purpofe to give a fupplement to the 
 other Gofpels. He had read thefe Gof- 
 pels? 
 
RefurreBion of Lazarus, 325 
 
 pels, and finding that fome important 
 particulars were omitted in them, and 
 others not fully enough related, he com- 
 pofed his Gofpel to fupply their defects. 
 John's Gofpel will appear particularly 
 ftriking when viewed in this light. Who^ 
 ever will compare it with the other Gof-*. 
 pels muft find, that he is generally care^ 
 ful to avoid repeating accounts which the 
 other Evangelifts had given before him; 
 and that the bulk of it is a relation of 
 fads and inftrudlions about which they 
 have been filent. The account I am now 
 to confider is one inftance of this. Tho' 
 extremely fhort, confidering the magni-» 
 tude of the fad, it is given us more fully 
 than moft of the accounts of Chrift's 
 other miracles; and we cannot employ 
 ourfelves more profitably than ia confi« 
 dering it. 
 
 What may be firft worth your notice in 
 
 this miracle, is the charadler of the per- 
 
 fon oa whom it was performed. Our 
 
 Y 3 Saviour 
 
326 RefurreBion of Lazarus, 
 
 Saviour had a particular afFeftion for him* 
 He calls him his /r/V;/^ in the iith verfe 
 of this chapter ^ and the meffage which 
 \;vas fent him to acquaint him with his 
 illnefs was expreffed in thefe words : 
 Lord^ Behold he whom thou lovejl is JicL 
 We may well believe, that a perfon who 
 was thus diftinguiflied, muft have been 
 endowed with fome very amiable qualities, 
 Johri tells us farther, that he had two 
 lifters, whofe names were Martha and 
 Mary ; and that they lived together in a 
 village called Bethany, within fifteen fur- 
 longs of Jerufalem. When Lazarus was 
 taken i!l, our Saviour was at a confider- 
 able diftance from Bethany, It was na- 
 tural for Martha and Mary, knowing the 
 particular affedion he had for their bro- 
 ther, to hope that he would exert thofe mi- 
 raculous powers by which he had cured 
 others, in recovering this his friend. 
 They, therefore, fent to him to inform 
 him of their brother's ficknefs, hoping 
 that he would foon come to them, and 
 
RefiirreBion of Lazarus. 327 
 
 give them relief. But, we are told, that, 
 after receiving the meflage, he ftaid two 
 days in the place where he was. The 
 reafon of this delay was, that he chofe 
 Lazarus ihould die before he got to Be- 
 thany, becaufe he intended, for the fuller 
 manifeftation of his Divine Mifiion, to 
 raife him from the dead. Had he been 
 on the fpot when Lazarus died, he would 
 have fufFered, perhaps, fome troublefome 
 importunities i nor, I think, would it 
 have looked fo well for him to have per- 
 mitted Lazarus to die while he was with 
 him, and after that to raife him from the 
 dead. 
 
 Secondly 5 The humility which our 
 Lord difcovered on this occafion is worth 
 our notice. After flaying two days where 
 he was when he received the account of 
 Lazarusj's ficknefs, be told his difciples 
 that he was refolved to go into judea-^ 
 and invited them to go with him, inform- 
 ing them, at the fame time, of the dea^h 
 of Lazarus, The words in which ho 
 Y 4 gave 
 
328 RefurreStion of Lazarm. 
 
 gave this information are a little re- 
 markable. Ver. 1 1, Otir friend Lazarus 
 Jleepethy and I go to awake him out of Jleep, 
 He does not fay, Lazarus is dead. That 
 would have been too harfli. Nor does 
 he fay -^ I go to raife him from the dead^ 
 and thus to difplay my great power, A de- 
 ceiver v\rould, probably, have ufed fome 
 boafling language of this kind. But he, 
 avoiding all oftentation, expreffes himfelf 
 in the gentleft and fimpleft language, fay- 
 ing only, " that Lazarus was ajleep^ and 
 that he was going to wake him." — Another 
 circumftance to the fame purpofe, is his 
 ordering the ftone to be removed from the 
 mouth of the fepulchre juft before he or- 
 dered Lazarus to come forth. He might, 
 undoubtedly, have commanded the flone 
 to roll away of itfelf j and, perhaps, a 
 bold impoftor would have been reprefent- 
 ed as doing this. But our Lord did not 
 multiply miracles needlefsly, or do any 
 thing for the fake only of fhew and pa- 
 rade—Again J the manner in which he 
 
 refers 
 
RefurreEiion of Lazarus, 329 
 
 refers this miracle to the will and power 
 of God requires our attention. After the 
 ftone was taken away, he made, we are 
 told, a folemn addrefs to God ; and, lift- 
 ing up his eyes, faid, Father^ I thank thee 
 that thou hajl heard me. This implies, that 
 his ability to work this miracle was the 
 confequence of his having prayed for it. 
 Throughout his whole miniftry, he was 
 careful to dired the regards of men to the 
 Deity, as the fountain of all his powers. 
 His language was ; The Father who dnvelU 
 ethin me^ he doth the works. I can of mine 
 own felf do nothing. I came to do the will 
 of him that fent me. 
 
 Thirdly ^ We fhould take notice in the 
 account of this miracle, of the tenderneft 
 and benevolence of our Saviour's difpofi- 
 lion. It is faid, that when he faw Mary 
 weeping, and the Jews alfo weeping, he 
 groaned in his fpirit, and was troubled. 
 And it is added, as a circumftance parti- 
 cularly obfervable, that he like wife wept. 
 Jesus wept. Ver. 35. The remarks 
 
 which. 
 
3 JO RefurreBiojt of Lazarus, 
 
 which, we are told, the fpedators made 
 on this, are very natural. Some, ima- 
 gining that his tears flowed from his 
 concern for the death of his friend, faid. 
 Behold how he loved him. Others, wonder- 
 ing that, as Lazarus was his friend, he 
 had not exerted the miraculous powers by 
 which he had cured others in curing him, 
 faid j Coidd not this man who opened the eyes 
 of the blinds have caufed that even this man 
 Jhould not have died? Ver. 37. — The reafon 
 of his w^eeping could not be his forrow 
 for the death of Lazarus j for he well 
 knew that he fhould foon reftore him to 
 life: but, moft probably, his fympathy 
 with the forrow of Lazarus's friends, 
 heightened by reflexions, to which on this 
 occafion he might be led, on death and 
 its attendant evils. He might, likewife, 
 be much imprcfl*€d (as we find he was at 
 other times) by obferving the perverfenefs 
 difcovered by fome of the Jews who fur- 
 rounded him, and by his forefight of the 
 calamities that threatened them. We have 
 
 an 
 
RefurreBion of Lazarus, 331 
 
 an account of his weeping on another 
 occafion in Luke xix. 41. where it is faid, 
 that when he came near to Jerufalem and 
 beheld it, he wept over it. In thefe in- 
 ftances we fee plainly the workings of an 
 ardent benevolence; and we may infer 
 from them, that it is by no means below 
 the charaSer of a wife man to be, on 
 certain occafions^ fo far overcome by his 
 affedionate feelings, as to be forced into 
 tears. This happened to our Saviour on 
 the occafions I have mentioned; and he 
 only appears to us the more amiable for 
 it. Wretched, indeed, is that philofophy 
 which teaches us to fupprefs our tender 
 feelings. Such a philofophy, by aiming 
 at elevating us above human nature, finks 
 us below it. Our Saviour was greater than 
 any human being ; and yet we find that 
 even he wept. How foolifh then would it 
 be in us to be afhamed of any fimilar ten- 
 dernefs into which we may be forced ? A 
 ftoical infenfibility is certainly rather a 
 vice than a virtue. At no time does a 
 
 perfon 
 
332 RefurreBion of Laztlrus. 
 
 perfon appear more lovely than when 
 conquered by his kind afFedions, and 
 melted by them into tears. Let us then 
 learn to defpife all pretenfions to a wifdom 
 which would take from us any of our na- 
 tural fenfibilities ; remembering, how- 
 ever, to take care to keep them always, as 
 far as we can, under proper reftraint. It 
 is neither a fin nor a weaknefs to fall 
 into tears; but it is wrong to weep 
 like perfons who have no hope, or 
 who are not fatisfied with God's will. 
 Our paffions have been wifely and kindly 
 given usj and our duty is, not to eradi- 
 cate but to regulate them, by fo watch- 
 ing over them as never to fuffer them to 
 lead us into any excefles that would be- 
 tray an impotence of mind, and a diffi* 
 dence of Providence. 
 
 Fourthly ; The dignity of Chrift in 
 working this miracle deferves our atten- 
 tion. How great did he appear in his 
 converfation with Martha before he got 
 to the fepulchre ; and, particularly, when 
 
 he 
 
RefurreBion of Lazarus. 333 
 
 he declared of himfelf that he was the 
 Resurrection and the Life, and that 
 he who believeth in him^ though he were 
 dead^ yet Jhall he live ? How great did he 
 appear when, after addreffing himfelf to 
 the Deity, he cried out with a loud voice 
 at the fepulchrej Lazarus come forth? 
 And when, in confequence of this call> 
 Lazarus immediately awoke from death, 
 and (hewed himfelf in perfed health ? 
 What a manifeftation was this of his 
 glory, and how evidently did it prove 
 that the power of God dwelt in him ? 
 
 But this leads me to defire you to at- 
 tend to the affurance this miracle gives 
 us of the Divine miffion of Chrift. We 
 can fcarcely conceive of a more wonder- 
 ful exertion of power, than the inftanta- 
 neous reftoration to life and health of a 
 perfon whofe body was putrifying in the 
 grave. He that did this muft have been 
 fent of God. It is wholly inconceivable, 
 that a deceiver Ihould be able to produce 
 fuch credentials. It is only the power 
 
 which 
 
334 Refurredlion of Lazarus* 
 
 which gave life that can thus reflorc it^ 
 and re-unite our fouls and bodies after a 
 feparation. We may, therefore, affure 
 ourfelves, that the perfon who worked 
 this miracle^ and who pofTeffed fuch an 
 abfolute command over nature as Chrift 
 difcovered, was indeed what he declared 
 himfelf to be, a MefTenger from heaven 
 to fave mankind, and that great Meffiah 
 whofe coming had been promifed from the 
 beginning of the world. 
 
 It has been urged by unbelievers, that, 
 granting the reality of miracles, they are 
 no proof of the truth of dodrines, there 
 being no connexion between a difplay of 
 fupernatural power and truth. The ftrefs 
 which unbelievers have laid on this ob- 
 jedion IS mere affedation. Did they be. 
 lieve the miracles, they would, whatever 
 they may pretend, find themfelves under 
 a neceffity of receiving the dodrines of 
 ChriQianity j and, it will be time enough 
 to anfwer this objedion, when a man 
 can be found, not a lunatic, who can ho- 
 
 neftly 
 
Refurrediion of Lazarus. 335 
 
 neftly fay, that he believes the miracle in 
 particular which is the fubjed of this dif- 
 courfe, but does not believe the dodlrine 
 which it was intended to prove. 
 
 But what deferves more particular no- 
 tice here is, that it appears from this mi- 
 racle, that Chrift is hereafter to raife all 
 mankind from death. Juft before he per- 
 formed it, Martha having faid to him. 
 Lord if thou hadjl been here^ my brother had 
 not died, he told her, in order to comfort 
 her, that her brother fhould rife again. 
 She, not underftanding him, replied, I 
 know that kejhall rife again at the refurrec- 
 tion at the lajl day-^ to which he anfwered, 
 with a voice of unfpeakable dignity, I am 
 the Resurrection and the Life. He 
 that believeth in me^ though he were dead, 
 yet Jhall he live : and whofoever liveth and 
 believeth in me Jhall never die. That is, 
 "I am the perfon by whom mankind are 
 ** to be raifed from the dead. It fignifies 
 *' not whether he that is my true difciple 
 " is dead or alive. If he is deady he (hall 
 
 " live 
 
336 Refurredtion of Lazarus. 
 
 *' live again j and if he is alive^ his exift- 
 " ence fhall be continued to him beyond 
 " the grave, and his difmiffion from this 
 '^ world jfhall be his introdudion to a 
 *' better world, where he fhall never 
 *' die."— After making this declaration, 
 and to demonftrate the truth of it by- 
 giving 2ifpectmen of that power by which 
 he was to efFed the univerfal refurredion, 
 he walked to Lazarus's grave, and raifed 
 him from the dead. — What evidence could 
 be more decilive ? — ^We have in the Gofpel 
 Hiftory, accounts of his raifing from the 
 dead two other perfons ; and, after being 
 crucified and buried, he rofe himfelf from 
 the dead and afcended to heaven. — ^Thefe 
 fads exhibit him to our fenfes as indeed 
 the Resurrection and the Life. No 
 doubt can remain of a dodrine thus proved, 
 —Give me leave to hold your attention 
 
 here a little longer. In John v. 25, 
 
 our Saviour, we are told, faid to the Jews, 
 Verily^ verily^ I fay unto you, the hour is 
 coming, and now is, when the dead Jhajl 
 
 hear 
 
RefurreBion of Lazarus. 337 
 
 hear the voice of the So?i of God^ and they 
 that hear Jhall live. Soon after uttering 
 thefe words, he faid again, as we read in 
 the fame chapter, verfe 28. 'The hour is 
 comiitg when all that are in their graves 
 jhall hear the voice of the Son of Man^ and 
 jhall come forth, They that have done good 
 to the refurreBion of life-^ and they that 
 have done evil to the refurreBion of damna^ 
 tion. 
 
 In the circumftances which attended 
 the refurredion of Lazarus, our Saviour 
 feems to have referred to thefe declarations, 
 and to have intended to verify and exem- 
 plify them. He cried, we are told, ver. 43, 
 with a loud voice, like, perhaps, to that 
 by which he had faid he would hereafter 
 raife all the dead, Lazarus, come forth -^ 
 and in a moment he did come forth. — 
 Thus will the whole world at the laft day 
 hear the voice of the Son of God. Thus 
 v/ill he then hurft the bars of the grave, 
 refcue from the king of terrors his pri- 
 foners, and call to life the dead of all na- 
 
 Z tions, 
 
;538 RefurreBion of Lazarus. 
 
 tions, ranks, and times. — How awful this 
 profped ? How confoling and elevating 
 to good men, amidft the wafte that death 
 
 is continually making around them ? 
 
 What reafon have we to value our relation 
 to that Deliverer to whom, under God, 
 it is owing? And how ought we to tri- 
 umph in the affurance he has given us^ 
 that, though we muft foon lofe our 
 powers in death, we fhall hereafter reco- 
 ver them- fpring up from the duft at his 
 command, new made and improved ; 
 and, with all the faithful, enter (not on 
 fuch a. life as that to which Lazarus was 
 reftored) but on a glorious and endlefs life 
 in the heavens? 
 
 Before I proceed ' 1 (hall here requeft 
 your attention, while 1 briefly confider 
 the objedions which unbelievers have 
 made to the account given by St. John of 
 this miracle. Sufficient notice has been 
 already taken of fcveral of thefe objec- 
 tions ; 
 
 * Here this fcrmon was divided into two feiinoas. 
 
RefurreSiion of Lazarus. 33g 
 
 tions ; but there are fome which have 
 not been mentioned, and on which it 
 will not be improper to make a few re- 
 marks. 
 
 It has been afked, whether there is fuf- 
 ficient reafon to believe, that Lazarus w^as 
 really dead. The anfwer is, that he died, 
 not fuddenly^ but of an illnefs that in- 
 creafed gradually, and lafted feveral days 
 — that, in this cafe, there is no danger of 
 miftaking the figns of death — that his 
 friends had buried him; and, therefore, 
 muft have affured themfelves of his death 
 — that he had been in his grave four daysj 
 and that, had he not been dead, the nap- 
 kin which, we are told, w'as tied round 
 his face, and the grave cloths and fillet- 
 ings with which he was bound, would 
 alone have been fufficient to kill him. 
 
 It has been farther enquired, how, if 
 he was bound hand and foot, as St. John 
 tells us, he could, on our Saviour's call, 
 come forth out of the grave. The an- 
 fwer is obvious. Upon the fuppofition of 
 Z 2 the 
 
340 Refurredlion of Lazarus. 
 
 the reality of the miracle, there can be no 
 difficulty in conceiving it carried fo far, 
 as not only to bring Lazarus to life, but 
 to prefent him alfo out of the grave be- 
 fore the fpedators. But were it neceffa- 
 ry to fuppofe the miracle not carried thus 
 far, the objedion would deferve little re- 
 gard, becaufe founded on an ignorance of 
 the manner of burying among the an- 
 tients. The graves among the Jews and 
 other nations in former times, were caves 
 hewn out of rocks, in the (ides of which 
 the dead, after being embalmed, were de- 
 pofited without coffins. When, there- 
 fore, by our Saviour's order, the ftone 
 was taken away from the mouth of I^a- 
 zarus's fepulchre, it is poffible that his 
 corpfe might be expofed to view 5 and 
 w^hen it is faid, that he came forth bound 
 hand and foot, the meaning may be, not 
 that he walked out of the fepulchre; but 
 that he ralfed himfelf up in the fide of the 
 cave or cell where he was laid, and Aid 
 down from it upon his feet, and there 
 
 con- 
 
'Refurreoiion of Lazarus. 341 
 
 continued till he was unbound and could 
 walk about. 
 
 But the chief difficulty which occurs in 
 confidering the account of this miracle is, 
 the cffedl which, we are told, it had on 
 the chief priefts and Pharifees. Inftead 
 of being properly impreffed by it, we read, 
 verfe 53, that, after taking counfcl toge- 
 ther, they determined to ufe all pofiible 
 means to put Jefus to death. They even 
 went fo far as to think of meafures for 
 putting Lazarus himfelf to death. Similar 
 to this, according to the Gofpel Hiftory, 
 was the general condud of the leading 
 Jews with refped to our Lord. Inftead 
 of being engaged by the increaiing glory 
 of his charader, and the overpowering 
 evidence of his miracles, to flrike to him, 
 they were only ftimulated to greater rage, 
 and made more defperate in their refolu- 
 tion to crulh him : And this may feem a 
 pitch of wickednefs fo diabolical as to ex- 
 ceed the limits of human depravity, and, 
 therefore, to be incredible. I am in 
 Z 3 hopes, 
 
34^2 R^lfiirrcBion of Lazarus. 
 
 hopes, however, that you will think other- 
 wife, when you have attended to the fol- 
 lowing obfervations. 
 
 It is a previous obfervation neceffary to 
 ^ be attended to, that the Jewifh rulers ap- 
 pear to have been convinced of the fuper- 
 natural power and prophetical charadter 
 of our Lord. This the Gofpel Hiftory 
 plainly tells us. John xii. 42. Among the 
 chief rulers alfo many believed on him ; but 
 did not coffefs him^ becaufe they loved the 
 praife of men more than the praife of God* 
 We kno'w^ fays Nicoden'ius (the ruler who 
 came to Jefas by night) that thou art a 
 teacher come from God^ for no one can do the 
 miracles thou doji except God be with him. 
 John iii. 2. On hearing the report of 
 this miracle in particular, the language 
 of the chief priefts and Pharifees was ; 
 What do we ? for this man doth mafty mira- 
 cles. If we let him thus alo?2e, all men will 
 believe in him. John xi. 47. When we 
 read, that they did ?ioi believe in hini, the 
 meaning is, that they did not receive him 
 
 and 
 
Refiir region of Lazarus. 343 
 
 and fubmit to him as a meffenger from 
 heaven ; and v/hat, therefore, is to be ac- 
 counted for is, not fo much their want 
 of faith in him, as their rejedion and 
 perfecution of him notwithftanding their 
 faith. 
 
 In order to explain this, I would defiie 
 you to confider, 
 
 Firft, The general charader of the 
 Jews. In every age they had been infa- 
 mous for their perfecution of the pro- 
 phets who were fent to them. About 
 this time, more efpecially, it appears that 
 they were arrived at a pitch of wick- 
 ednefs which went beyond common de- 
 pravity. Jofephus fays, that he believed 
 ^' there never exifted, from the begin- 
 " ning of the world, a generation of men 
 *' more profligate than the body of the 
 *' Jewifh leaders and nobility were at the 
 *' time Jerufalem was befieged by the 
 *^ Romans:" And if they were then to 
 vicious, it is not likely they were of a dif- 
 
344 Refur region of Lazarus. 
 
 ferent charader forty years before, when 
 our Lord preached to them. 
 
 Secondly ^ The provocation our Lord 
 gave them fhould be confidered. It is re- 
 markable, that it does not appear that 
 he ever expreffed himfelf with particular 
 warmth except when he fpoke of thefe 
 men. Againft the Scribes and Pharifees 
 we find him always declaring a moft 
 pointed and irreconcilable indignation. He 
 charged them with being guilty of almoft 
 every vice that could flain a human 
 charader ; and, particularly, with reli- 
 gious hypocrify, doing all their good . 
 works to be k^n of men ; pretending un- 
 common fandity, and making long pray- 
 ers, but devouring widows houfes ; ftrain- 
 ing at a gnat, but fwallowing a camel 5 
 careful not to omit any punflilio of a cere- 
 mony, and paying tithe of mint, anife, 
 and cummin, but negleding the weightier 
 matters of the law, juftice, mercy, and 
 fidelity ; binding heavy burthens on 
 others which they would not touch with 
 
 one 
 
RefurreBion of Lazarus. 345 
 
 one of their fingers ; compaffing fea and 
 land to make one profelyte, who, when 
 made, became tenfold 'more a child of 
 hell than themfelves; claiming an abfo- 
 lute authority over the confciences of the 
 people, while they taught for dodlrines 
 the commandments of men, and corrupted 
 the law of God ; loving greetings in the 
 markets, and the chief feats in fynagogues, 
 and fludying (by going about in long 
 robes, praying in the corners of the 
 flreets, founding a trumpet when they 
 gave alms, and enlarging the borders of 
 their garments) to appear outwardly righte- 
 ous, while inwardlly they were like whited 
 fepulchres, full of dead men's bones and 
 of all uhcleannefs. In fhort, their cha- 
 ra6ler, according to our Lord's reprefen- 
 tation of it, was completely deteflable ; 
 and, perhaps, the account we have of 
 it has been providentially given us to 
 prevent our wondering at the violence 
 of their oppofition to our Saviour, not- 
 withflanding all they faw and knew of 
 
 his 
 
346 'RefurreBlon of Lazarus. 
 
 his miraculous powers. He even declared 
 a preference to them of pubhcans and fin- 
 ners, of thieves and harlots, who, he af- 
 lured them, were mor€ Hkely to enter into 
 the kingdom of the Meffiah than they 
 were. 
 
 His difcourfe in the 23d chapter of Mat- 
 thew, is particularly w^orth your attention 
 on this occafion. In this difcourfe he de- 
 nounces the judgments of heaven upon 
 them for their wickednefs, calling them 
 blind guides, and a generation of vipers 
 who could not efcape the damnation of 
 hell. He pronounces icvtvi times the 
 v,rords. Woe unto you Scribes and 
 Pharisees, Hypocrites ; and concludes 
 with faying, there was no remedy for them, 
 but that on them would come all the righte^ 
 cm blood "which had been Jhed from the be- 
 ginning of the world '^ that is, a punifli^ 
 ment fo dreadful as to bear to be fo ex- 
 preffed. Thus did he hold them up to 
 public deteftation as enemies to the pro- 
 grefs of truth and virtue, and a body of 
 pious knaves deftined to deflrudion : 
 
 And 
 
RefurreBion of Lazarus. 3 4.7 
 
 And the efFed muft have been the ruin of 
 their credit and authority. Could there 
 have been a provocation more intolerable? 
 In truth, the wonder is, that they bore 
 him fo long as they did ; and the probabi- 
 lity is, that they w^ould have brought him 
 to a quicker end, had it not been for an 
 awe produced in their minds by the fplen- 
 dor of his miracles, united to their appre- 
 henfions of danger from the people, who, 
 we are informed, all took him for a pro- 
 phet and were ready for a revolt in his fa- 
 vour. 
 
 But let us farther confider what they 
 muft have done, and how much they muft 
 have relinquiflied, had they ftruck to 
 him. They muft have made themfelves 
 the difciples of the Son of a Carpenter, fol- 
 lowed by twelve mean fiihermen, with- 
 out ftate or pomp, or even a place in 
 which to lay his head. They muft have 
 defcended from their feats of power and 
 influence, and placed themfelves under 
 the diredion of an enemy who had un- 
 
 maflicd 
 
34S RefurreBion of Lazarus, 
 
 mafkcd and expofed them, and from whom 
 they could exped no mercy. But above 
 all^ ihey muft have acknowledged them- 
 felves the wicked wretches he had declared 
 them to be, and given up their ambition, 
 their hypocrify, and their vices. Is it 
 firange, that even miracles, whatever con- 
 vidion they might extort, did not produce 
 this effed? Perhaps, indeed, there is. not 
 710W a country under heaven in which, in 
 iimilar circumftances, our Lord would not 
 meet with fimilar treatment. Suppofe, 
 for inftance, that in Italy, a prophet 
 was to arife and to go about preaching 
 repentance to the inhabitants j calling 
 them from the worfhip of the hoft, of 
 images, the Virgin Mary, and the faints, 
 to the worfhip of one God ; reprobating 
 Popery as a fydem of fuperflition and fpi- 
 ritual fraud and domination, injurious to 
 the effential interefts of men, by teaching 
 a way of being religious without being 
 virtuous, and of getting to heaven without 
 forfaking vice ; and, at the fame time, 
 
 de- 
 
Refur recti on of Lazarus. 34^ 
 
 delivering woes againft the public teachers 
 and rulers, as hypocritical corrupters of 
 true religion, as fupporters of idolatry 
 and falfehood, and enemies to the im- 
 provement and happinefs of mankind. — 
 Suppofc, I fay, this now to happen in 
 Italy ; what can you imagine would be 
 the efFed ? What evidence would be 
 fufScient to engage the Pope, the Cardi- 
 nals, and the different orders of Priefls, 
 to liften to fuch a preacher and acknow- 
 ledge his authority ; to renounce their 
 ufurped honours and dignities ; to give 
 up the abufes to which they owed their 
 wealth and their confequences, and to re- 
 form their dodrine and manners ? Would 
 not the whole force of clerical and civil 
 power be exerted to filence and crufli 
 him as foon as pofTible? Would miracles 
 themfclves, unlefs employed for the pur- 
 pofe of proteding him, long preferve 
 him ? Would he be perfedly fafe, even 
 in this country, were he to come to us 
 and to attack eftablifhed corruptions, pro- 
 voke 
 
350 Refurre5tio?i of Lazarus. 
 
 voke the vicious in high places, and un- 
 mafk religious prevaricators, the fupport- 
 ers of abufes, and the enemies of re- 
 formation in the manner our Lord did in 
 yudea ? 
 
 The obfervation I am now making has 
 been verified by the experience of all paft 
 ages. Such is the power of criminal pre- 
 judices, and fuch the ftubbornnefs, and 
 often the fury of vicious men interefled 
 in maintaining abufes, that reformers, 
 however powerful their admonitions have 
 been and eminent their charaders, have 
 feldom long efcaped perfecution and vio- 
 lent deaths. Provocations unfpeakably 
 Icfs than thofe given to the Jews by 
 our Saviour, have every where pro- 
 duced the fame effeds. In Athens, the 
 poifoning of Socrates. In Britain, 
 the burning of Cranmer, Latimer, 
 Ridley, &c. 
 
 But this is by no means all that is to 
 be faid in anfwcr to the objedion I am 
 confidering. In our Lord's circumflances 
 
 with 
 
Refurrecfion of Lazarus, 351 
 
 with refped to the Jews, there was much 
 that was peculiar, and that can never 
 again exift in any country. In order to 
 underftand this, you muft recoiled, that 
 all the Jews were, in the time of our 
 Saviour, eagerly and impatiently looking 
 for the Meffiah promifed in their facred 
 writings ; and that the only notion they 
 had of this Meffiah was % that he would 
 be a temporal prince and a great con^ 
 queror, who would come with a train of 
 fplendid courtiers and figns in the hea- 
 vens, fet himfelf at the head of a mighty 
 army, deliver them from the Roman yoke^ 
 reftore them to their long loft liberty, and 
 elevate them to the fovereignty of the 
 world. Their leading men, in particular, 
 reckoned on being the raoft favoured 
 
 men 
 
 a This opinion was not confined to the Jew?. 
 *' There had been, Suetonius tells us (Vefpaf. cap. 4.) 
 " THROUGH ALL THE East, an anclcnt and con- 
 <' ftant expeaation, that at that time fome one 
 *« from Judea ihould obtain the empire of the 
 ** world." 
 
352 RefurreBion of hazarm, 
 
 men in his kingdom, on having their 
 confequence among the people confirm- 
 ed and enlarged, aud enjoying in the 
 greateft abundance pleafures, preferments, 
 honours, and riches. When, therefore, 
 they heard the fame of Jefus, and faw 
 the difplays of his fupernatural power, 
 they could not but be led to conclude, 
 that he might prove the Meffiah, or, at 
 leaft, that the nation w^ould take him to 
 be fo ; and, as he had avowed himfelf 
 their adverfary, this would neceffarily 
 alarm them. It was impoffible they fhould 
 not diflike fitch a McITiah— a Meffiah who 
 was continlially warning the people againft 
 them, and who had funk their credit — 
 a Meffiah v^ho made humility, felf- 
 denial, repentance, and heavenly-mind* 
 ednefs, the conditions of his favour — a 
 Meffiah who publicly threatened them, 
 who had pronounced them the worft 
 of mankind, and declared, that in- 
 llcad of fliaring in the happinefs of the 
 Mcffiah's reign, they would be exclude^ 
 
 from 
 
RefurreSlion of Lazarus, 3 5 
 
 
 
 from it, become vidims of Divine juftice, 
 and fuffer a punifliment {harper than any 
 that had been ever inflidled. 
 
 It is true that, with wonderful pru- 
 dence, he avoided declaring himfelf the 
 Meffiah^ The effed of fuch a declaration 
 would have been producing tumults which 
 xnuft have defeated his views. The pro- 
 per time for this w^as after his departure 
 from this world, when it would be im- 
 poffible to miftake it for a> call to rebel- 
 lion. But the rulers of the Jews muft 
 have expeded, that he would foon quit 
 his referve, publifh his pretenfions, and 
 fet up his fiandard ; and the more he dif- 
 tinguifhed himfelf, the more they muft 
 have apprehended, that he might do this 
 with a fuccefs that (either by enabling 
 him to execute his threats, or by bring- 
 ing the Roman power upon them) would 
 occafion their ruin. Thus circumftanccd, 
 every miracle he wrought, every tefti- 
 mony he received of popular favour, and 
 every difplay he made of his prophetical 
 A a cha- 
 
354 RefurreBion of Lazarus. 
 
 charaQer, could, in their depraved minds 
 have no other effed than to encreafe their 
 alarm, to v^"ork them up to greater vio- 
 lence, and to render them more defperate 
 in their attempts to provide for their own 
 fecurity by deftroying him. 
 
 Our Lord's parable of the vineyard let 
 out to unfaithful hufbandmen, deHvered 
 not long before his crucifixion, affords a 
 particular confirmation of thefe obfervati- 
 ons. In this parable, he intimates to the 
 chief priefls and elders of the people that, 
 in fpite cf all their efforts, he fhould rife 
 to univerfal power ; and that the confe- 
 quence would be, his falling upon them 
 (like a great corner-i^one) and grinding 
 them to powder. And we are told, that 
 they underflood his meaning, and were fo 
 jexafperated by it, that they endeavoured 
 immediately to feize him, but were deter- 
 red by the people. See the 21ft chapter 
 of Matthew, from t;he 25 th verfe to the 
 end. 
 
 In 
 
RefiirreBion of Lazarus, 355 
 
 In fhort; Jefus, after raifing Lazarus 
 from the dead, became pofleft of an influ- 
 tXiZQ among the people which would, had 
 he availed himfelf of it, have been irre- 
 fiftible. They ''were ripened by it for an 
 infurredion, and the flighteft encourage- 
 A a 2 ment 
 
 ^ The difpofition of the Jews at this time to rife 
 in favour of every pretender who offered himfelf to 
 them as the temporal deliverer they expelled in the 
 Meiliah, is well kno^wn. It was this chiefly, as Jofe- 
 phus fays, that produced the v.'ar which ruined them ; 
 and it was our Lord's difappointing their views, by 
 refufmg to be made a king, and fuffering himfelf to 
 be taken and condemned, that made the people turn 
 at laft againft him. 
 
 " The Jewifh people (fays Dr. Lardner, in his 
 *« collecStion of Jewifh and Heathen teflim.onies to the 
 « truth of Chriilianity, chap. iii. feil. 7.) had met 
 « with many difappointmcnts from our Lord : and 
 *' yet, when he entered into Jerufalem in no greater 
 *' ftate than riding on an afs, they accompanied him 
 *« with loud acclamations, faying, Hofanna to the Son 
 « of David. BleJJed Is the King I'jho cometh in the 
 <« name of the Lord. And Jefus, not afiuming then 
 <' the character of an e?j-£hly Prince, v/as a freih dif- 
 *' appointment to them, and left deep refent- 
 « ments." 
 
356 Refurre5tion of Lazarus, 
 
 ment would have brought them together 
 to fight under him, and to proclaim him 
 their great Meffiah. The hypocrites who, 
 in the tone and with the authority of a 
 prophet fent from God, he had profcrib* 
 ed^ could not obferve this without terror. 
 Their danger appeared to be increafing 
 with every increafe of his popularity, and 
 growing more imminent in proportion to 
 the proofs he gave of his Divine miflion. 
 They could not but reckon, that as he 
 rofe they muft fink; and that either he 
 or they muft perifli. This produced a 
 conteft fingular and unparalelled. Our 
 Lord gave it up by yielding to their 
 power. It was a great miftake to think, 
 that his kingdom was a temporal king- 
 dom, or that he had any worldly views* 
 He did not come for flaughter and tri- 
 umph like the favage conquerors of this 
 world, but to fuffer and to die ; and it 
 was neceflTary that his death fliould be a 
 public death. His own refurrcdlion (the 
 
 ground 
 
Refurrediion of Lazarus. 357 
 
 ground of all human hope) could not 
 otherwife have been properly afcertained. 
 He, therefore, made a voluntary furrender 
 of himfcif to his enemies ; and, to fulfil 
 the counfels of Providence \ fubmitted to 
 be publicly condemned and crucified. 
 
 A a 3 Thefe 
 
 c Their fuccefs in taking and condemning him led 
 them to conclude they had obtained a complete vi6lory 
 over him, and delivered themfelves from the danger 
 with which he had threatened them. But the events 
 which foon followed proved the contrary. He roil to all 
 power in heaven and earth ; and, in a few years after 
 this, fent his armies to deftroy thefe murderers. 
 Vengeance came upon them to the uttermofl; and 
 his prophetical denunciations were fully verified. 
 Jofephus tells us, that twelve thoufand of the Jew- 
 ifh nobility periflied at the fiege of Jerufakm ; 
 that the vengeance of heaven appeared plainly 
 to be upon them ; and that, in his opinion, 
 all the calamities which had ever happened to any 
 people from the beginning of the world, were 
 not to be compared with thofe which befel the Jews 
 at this time. Multitudes, he fays, were crucified by 
 the Romans before the walls j and fo great was the 
 number of thofe who thus fuffered, that room was 
 wanting for crofles, and crofles were wanting for 
 bodie«?. 
 
358 RefurreBion of Lazarus. 
 
 Thefe obfervations feem to be a full 
 anfvver to the objedion I have ftated. 
 And they explain what is faid in Matth. 
 xxvii. 18. that it was from envy the 
 chief priefts and Pharifees had delivered 
 him ; that is, from a jealoufy of his po- 
 pularity, and a dread of its efFeds: And, 
 alfo, what we are told (in a paffage al- 
 ready quoted) thefe chief priefts faid, on 
 hearing of the refurredion of Lazarus, 
 What do we ? for this man doth many mira- 
 cles. If we let him thus alone^ all men will 
 believe in him^ and the Romans will come 
 and take away both our place and nation, 
 John xi. 47, 48. 
 
 There are two reflexions which are natu- 
 rally fuggefted to us by thefe obfervations. 
 
 Firfl ; We fliould confider how ftrik- 
 ing a proof they give us of the truth of 
 Our religion. Had Chrift been a deceiver, 
 he would have fallen v:. with the preju- 
 dices of his countrymen. He would have 
 offered himfelf to them as juft the Mefliah 
 they expeded and wanted •, for \l was 
 only in the fcheme of fuch a Mefliah the 
 
 views 
 
'RefurreBion of Lazarus. 359 
 
 views of a deceiver could be gratified. He 
 would have endeavoured to ingratiate 
 himfelf with the chief priefts and rulers, 
 encouraged their ambition, and flattered 
 their vices. You have heard how differ- 
 ently he aded ; how he provoked inftcad 
 of foothing the Jewifli rulers, and threat- 
 ened inftead of flattering them ; and thus 
 made himfelf odious and terrible to them 
 in the high^ft degree. There cannot be 
 a ftronger argument for his Divine mif- 
 fion. If there is any perfon who does 
 not feel the weight of it, he muft be either 
 very much prejudiced, or very inattentive. 
 Secondly J We are led, by the obfer- 
 vations I have made, to refled on the 
 wifdom of Divine Providence, in order- 
 ing the circumftances which attended the 
 introduflion of Chriftianity into the 
 world. Had the body of the Jewifh 
 leaders and priefts (and confequently the 
 nation in general) received Chrift, the 
 evidences of our religion would have been 
 much diminifhed. A fufpicion would 
 have been unavoidable, that it was an 
 A a 4 im- 
 
360 Refurre5iion of Lazarus. 
 
 impofition contrived by the Jews, and 
 which had made its way in the world by 
 the power and policy '^ of the Jewi(h 
 flate. 
 
 But I have gone far beyond the 
 bounds I intended in fpeaking on this 
 fubjed. 
 
 Let 
 
 d " Had the great body of your nation, and efpe- 
 " cially the rulers of it in the time of Chrift, em- 
 *^ braced Chriftianity; as it was a religion which 
 '^ fprung up among yourfelves, it would have been 
 '* faid at this day, that it was a contrivance of thofe 
 *' who had it in their power to impofe upon the com- 
 " mon people, and to make them believe whatever 
 " they pleafed ; and that your fcriptures which bear 
 *• teftimony to Chrift had been altered to favour the 
 " impofture. Whereas the violent oppontion which 
 <^ your nation in general, and the rulers of it, made 
 «' to Chriftianity, will for ever put it out of the power 
 " of unbelievers to fay, that it was a fcheme which 
 '« the founders of it carried on in concert with any 
 " human powers," — See the letters lately addrefTed to 
 the Jews by Dr. Priefily^ in v/hich, with a force of 
 perfuafion they ought to feel, he invites them to an 
 amicable difcuffion with him of the evidences of 
 Chriftianity, Fifth Letter, p. 45. 
 
RefurreBion of Lazarus. 361 
 
 Let us now paufe a moment ^ and en- 
 deavour to bring back our thoughts to 
 the refurreflion of Lazarus. — Never, ex- 
 cept when Jefus himfelf rofe from the 
 dead, was a fcene fo interefting exhibited 
 on the flage of this world. The confi- 
 deration of it fhould engage us to exer- 
 cife faith in Chrift as our Saviour, and 
 to rely on his power to deliver us from 
 the all-devouring grave. His exhorta- 
 tion to his apoflles juft before his laft fuf- 
 ferings was j Ton believe i?i God. Believe 
 alfo in me, — Thus alfo, in his words, 
 would I now exhort you. — " You believe 
 in God/* He is the One Supreme, and 
 the caufe of all the caufes of your happi- 
 nefs. " But believe alfo in Chrift." He 
 is the one Mediator, and the chofen Mini- 
 fier of God's goodnefs to you. As in 
 Adam all die '^ fo in him Jhall all be made 
 alive. I Cor. xv. 22. Soon he will de- 
 fcend again from heaven, not to labour 
 and fufFer, but to gather the fruits of his 
 labours and fufferings ; not to die, but to 
 deftroy death, and to change thefe our vile 
 
 bodies^ 
 
""St RefurreBion of Lazarus, 
 
 o 
 
 bodies^ that they may be fajhioned like unto 
 his glorious body^ according to that mighty 
 power by which he is able tofubdue all things 
 to himfelf. Phil. iii. 21. As the Father 
 hath life in himfelf fo hath he given to the 
 Son to have life in himfelf John. v. 26. 
 We have been contemplating a flriking 
 proof of this. As his call brought Laza- 
 rus to life ; ^o will it, hereafter, bring to 
 life you and me and all mankind. At his 
 coming the fea fljall give up the dead that 
 are in it^ and death and the invifible fate 
 fall give up the dead that are in them. He 
 fall ft on the throne of his glory ^ and before 
 him fall be gathered all nations to be judged 
 according to their works. — He fall feparate 
 them as a fepherd divideth his feep from the 
 'goats— T^he righteous he fall place on his 
 right hand j the wicked on his left. To the 
 former he will fay\ Come ye hlefed of my fa- 
 ther^ inherit the kingdom prepared for you 
 from the foimdation of the world. To the lat- 
 ter^ Go, ye curfed, into everlafing fire.— 
 God grant, fellow-chriflians, that we 
 may be prepared for this folemn time. A 
 
 flep 
 
RefurreBion of Lazarus. 363 
 
 flep more may bring us to it. Death is 
 prefling hard towards us j and when 
 it comes, the curtain will drop which 
 hides from our view another world, and, 
 thefe fcenes will open upon us. The in- 
 tervening time of lying amongft the dead 
 our imaginations are apt greatly to mifre- 
 prefent. There may be, to our perceptions, 
 no difference whether it is four days, as 
 in the cafe of Lazarus, or a thoufand ages. 
 Let us then be ftedfaft in every good pur- 
 pofe, never, while in the way of our 
 duty, delponding under any troubles or 
 weeping as without hope, forafmuch as 
 we. know that our Redeemer liveth^ and "will 
 fiand at the latter day on the earth ; and that 
 though our bodies mujl fiitrify in the ground^ 
 and "worms devour them, yet in our feJJj we 
 Jhallfee God. Job xix. 26. 
 
 And now, before I difmifs you, let me 
 defire you to join with me, in taking one 
 more view of what paffed at Lazarus's 
 grave. It is pleafing in the higheft de- 
 gree to fet before our imaginations that 
 
 fcene. 
 
364 RefurreBion of Lazarus. 
 
 fcene. — Chrift declares himfelf the refur- 
 reflion and the life j and then walks to the 
 grave. In his way to it (obferving the for- 
 row of Lazarus's friends, and refleding on 
 the calamities of human nature) he falls 
 into tears. When arrived at it, he orders 
 the ftone at the mouth of it to be taken 
 away • and (in anfwer to Martha, who 
 objeded that the fmell would be ofFenfive) 
 he fays, that if fhe believed, (he fliould fee 
 the glory of God — He folemnly addreffes 
 the Deity, and thanks him for hearing 
 him — The fpedators ftand around big 
 with expedation— He cries v/ith a loud 
 voxqq'^ Lazarus come forth — Immediately he 
 came forth, and (hewed himfelf alive — 
 Conceive, if you can, the aftonifhment 
 this produced. Think, particularly, of 
 the emotions of Lazarus's friends. What 
 delight muil they have felt ? How joyful 
 mud it have been to Martha and Mary 
 to receive their beloved brother from the 
 dead? With what ecftacies muft they 
 have embraced him, and welcomed him 
 
 to 
 
RefurreBioji of Lazarus. 365 
 
 to the light of life ? How, probably, did 
 they fall down before Jefus in gratitude 
 and wonder ? 
 
 But let not our thoughts flop here. 
 Let us carry them on to the morning 
 of the univerfal refurredion. What 
 happened now was a faint refemblance 
 of what will happen then. — How glad- 
 ly will virtuous men open their eyes on 
 that morning, and hail the dawning of 
 an endlefs day ? With what rapture will 
 they then meet, congratulate one another 
 on their efcape from danger and trouble 
 and unite their voices in praifing their De- 
 liver ? What will be their joy to exchange 
 corruption for incorruption, and weak- 
 nefs for powxr ; to take leave of fin and 
 forrow, and lofe all their maladies ; to 
 throw off their fetters, recover pcr- 
 fed health and liberty, mount up on 
 high to meet the Lord in the air^ and 
 draw immortal breath ? 
 
 Oh ! bleffed period ! — Come Lord 
 Jefus. Come quickly. And when thy 
 
 voice 
 
366 RefurreBion of Lazarus. 
 
 voice fhall hereafter awake all the dead; 
 may we find this happinefs ours ; and 
 be taken, with all we have loved here, to 
 live Vv^ith thee for ever. 
 
 FINIS. 
 

 ^"m^' 
 
 ^1