5?«3ill'^:^*i'''''J-"'-'^*> '¦¦¦<-' 1- r-J>-. 'i-s -v^Ci. - f'-jV."^ YALE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY Gift of S. R, Betts 'I'HK WOEKS PRESIDENT EDWAEDS IN FOUR VOLUMES. A RIPRINT OF THE WORCESTER EDITIOM, VALUABLE ADDITIONS AND A COPIOUS GENESAL INDEX, TO WHICH, FOR THE PIKST TIME, HAS BEEN ADDED, AT GSEAT EIPEMSE, A COMPLETE INDEX OF SCRIPTURE TEXTS. EIGHTH EDITION IN FOUR VOLUMES. VOL. 1. eXlNTAININS .1. Memoirs op President Edwards. IL Farewell Sermon. III. Inquiry concejiningGIualifications for Communion. IV. Reply to Rev. Solomon 'Williams. V. History of the Work op Redemp tion. J VI. Distinguishing Marks op a Work OP THE Spirit of God. VII. Miscellaneous Observations on ^ Important Doctrines. VIII. Account op the Life of P,vvid Brainerd. NEW-yORK: PUBLISHED BY LEAVITT & ALLEN, 379 BROADWAY. J s 5 1; . ADVEETISEMENT. The present Edition of the Works of President Edwards, iis a reprint o. that published at Worcester, with some variation of the arrangement, and considerable additions from other sources. The pieces added are as follows I, Distinguishing Marks of a Work of the Spirit. 2. God's Moral Govern ment, a Future State, and the Immortality of the Soul. 3. The necessity and reasonableness of the Christian doctrine of Satisfaction for Sin. 4. The Perseverance ofthe Saints. 5. The Endless Punishment of those who die Impenitent. 6. Fourteen Sermons. While the accuracy of the Worcester Edition has been carefully preserved, the value of the present publication has been greatly enhanced, not only by the introduction of the above mentioned matter, but by the Copious General Index, inserted at the close of the 4th volume. This has been prepared with much labor, and will be found to be unusually complete. For obvious reasons, the references are generally made in fhe very language of Edwards. Thus has all suspicion of partiality and misrepresentation been precluded ; and the reader is presented, besides, on many points, with a brief synopsis of the author's views and trains of argument. The publishers flatter themselves that they have done a service to the cause both of theological learning and prac tical piety, by making an improved edition of these invaluable works more accessible to the religious public than any former one has been. New- York, March 1843. CONTENTS OF VOL. I, I. MEMOIRS OF PRESIDENT EDWARDS. FAOa CHAP. I. Mr. Edwards's Birth, Parentage, Education, and Entrance into the Ministry ......... 5 II. Extracts from his Private Writings . . . . . .7 Sect. i. His Resolutions . . . . . . . . ib. II. Extracts from his Diary . . . . . . .10 III. Some account of his Conversion, Experience, and Religious Exercises, written by himself . . . . . . . .17 CHAP. III. .His General Deportment, particularly while at Northampton . 27 ' IV. His Dismission from Northampton, with the occasion and circumstances of it 35 V. Frora his Mission to the Indians until his death . . . .46 Sect. i. His Mission to the Indians at Stockbridge . , . . ib. II. His being chosen President of New-Jersey College . . .48 OHAP. VI. His Publications, Manuscripts, and Genius as a Writer . 53 II. FAREWELL SERMON. Preface The Result of a Council 59 81 III. INQUIRY CONCERNING QUALIFICATIONS FOR COMMUNION Preface PART I. The Question stated and explained .... II. Reasons for the Negative of the Question .... III. Objections answered ....... IV. MISREPRESENTATIONS CORRECTED AND TRUTH VINDICATED, IN REPLY TO THE REV. SOLOMON WILLIAMS. 85 8994 149 Preface . . ... PART I. General Misrepresentations by Mr. Williams Sect. i. What is the Question II. Degree of evidence .... PART. II. Examination of Mr. Williams's Scheme Sect. i. His concessions .... II. Consequences .... III. Of ungodly men's communing IV. Of an indeterminate profession V. Mr. W. inconsistent with Mr. Stoddard VI. Visibility without probability VH. A converting influence VIII. Of sincerity. IX. Public covenanting .... PART III. Remarlfs on Mr. Wilhams's Reasoning Sect. i. Method of disputing II. Misrepresentations .... III. Irrelevant arguments IV. Extraordinary notions V. Assertions instead of arguments . . VI. Sacramental actions VII. Begging the question VII . Mr. W. begs the question . . 195 . 197 , lb. . 200 . 209 , ib. . 211 , 216 . 219 . 22a . 229 231 234 241 24 253254 253 26C 2626326'- 1 CONTENTS. Sect. ix. Mr. W. is inconsistent with himself X. Other inconsistencies XI. Arguments hostile to both sides XII. The passover and circumcision XIII. Of Judas's communicating XIV. Of being born in covenant XV. Of coming without a known right XVI. Tendency to perplexity XVII. Of commanding to partake V. A HISTORY OF THE WORK OF REDEMPTION. Preface ........ Advertisement ....... PERIOD I. From the Fall to the Incarnation Part i. From the Fall to the Flood .... II. From the Flood to the Calling of Abraham . III. From the calling of Abraham to Moses IV From Moses to David ..... V. From David to the Babylonish Captivity . VI. From the Babylonish Captivity to the Coming of Christ . Improvement of the First Period ..... PERIOD II. From Christ's Incarnation to his Resurrection Part i. Of Christ's Incarnation ..... n. The Purchase of Redemption .... Improvement of the Second Period ..... PERIOD III. From Christ's Resurrection to the End of tlie World Introduction ........ Part i. How Christ was capacitated for effecting his Purpose . II. Established 'Means of Success .... Improvement of the Whole ..... . 268 . 272 . 274 . 277 . 279 . 281 . 285 . 288 29C . 295 . 296 . 305 . 306 . 3r . S22 . 332 . 348 . 367 . SSS . 395 . 39t . 401 . 416 . 423 . 424 . 431 . 433 . 507 VI. DISTINGUISHING MARKS OF A WORK OF THE SPIRIT OP GOD. Mr. Cooper's Preface to the Reader Introduction ..... Sect. i. Negative Signs ofa Spiritual Work 11. Positive Signs III. Practical Inferences . . 519 . 525 . 526 . 538 . 546 VII. MISCELLANEOUS OBSERVATIONS ON IMPORTANT DOCTRINES. CHAP. I. God's Moral Government, a Future State, and the Immortality of the Soul .......... 565 II. Ofthe Necessity and Reasonableness ofthe Christian Doctrine of Satisfac tion for Sin . . . . . . . . .582 III. Of the Endless Punishment of those who die Impenitent . . .612 VIII. AN ACCOUNT OF THE LIFE OF THE REV. DAVID BRAINBRE Closing Scene of his Life, and Extracts fiom his Journal Reflections and Observations on the Memoirs . 64. . 657 4 MEMOIRS OF THE LATE REV. JONATHAN EDWARDS, A. M. CHAPTER I. MK. EDWAEDS'S BIETH, PARENTAGE, EDUCATION AND ENTRANCE INTO THE MNISTRY. President Edwards was one of those men of whom it is not easy to speak with justice without seeming, at least, to border on the marvellous, and to incur the guilt of adulation. The Christian Biographer labors under a difficulty, in describing the characters of extraordinary men, which the writers of other lives are but too generally allowed to forget ; for he is bound so to represent actions and motives, as to remind his readers, that the uncommon excellencies of a character flow entirely from the bounty of heaven, for the wisest and best purposes, and are not the result of natural vigor and acumen. Otherwise, instead of placing these excellencies in a view advantageous for imitation, or describing a char acter attainable, as to its most valuable traits, only by gracious aids, there would be danger of setting up an idol, more precious indeed than gold, but still an idol, whereby the mind would be led astray from the one great object of the Christian life, Jesus Christ, whose fulness j^/Ze^A all in all. While we have a just view of him, it is a privilege to hear of his wonder ful works in and by his honored servants ; and to be enabled to imitate them is a great augmentation of the privilege. If their graces, exempli fied in a variety of circumstances, in a manner force us to a throne of grace, and thereby prove the means of quickening ours ; then do vve make a right use of their history, and follow them who through faitli and patience inherit the promises, BIr. Jonathan Edwards was born on the 5th of October, 1703, at Winasor, in the then Province of Connecticut, North America. 'His father, the Rev. Timothy Edwards, was minister of that place almost sixty years, and resided there from November, 1694, till January, 1758, when he died in the 89th year of his age, not X^o months before this his only son Jonathan. He was very universally beloved and esteemed, as an upright, pious, exemplary man ; a faithful and very useful minister of the gospel. A few more particulars of this excellent man will be accept able. He was born at Hartford, in Connecticut, May 14, 1669, received the honors of the college at Cambridge, in New England, by having the degrees of Bachelor and Master of Arts given him the same day, July 4th, 1694, one in the forenoon, and the other in the afternoon. On No vember 6th, 1694, he married Esther Stoddard, daughter ofthe Rev. and celebrated Soloman Stoddard, of Northampton, in the 23d year of her age. They lived together in the married state above sixty-three years. Mrs. Edwards, our author's mother, was born June 2d, 1672, and lived' to about ninety years of age (some years after her s«n), a remarkable in.-- VoL. I. 1 2 THE LIFE OF PRESIDENT ED'WARDS. stance of the small decay of mental powers at so advanced an age. This venerable couple had ekven children ; one son, the subject of these Me moirs, and ten daughters, four of whom were older, and six youngei than himself.* Mr. Edwards entered Yale College when about twelve years of age, and received the degree of Bachelor of Arts in Sept. 1720, a little before he was seventeen. "While at college, his character was marked with sobriety and improvement in learning. In the second year of his collegiate course he read Locke on the Human Understanding with much delight. His uncommon genius, by which he was naturally formed for close thought and deep penetration, now began to discover and exert itself. From his own account, he was inexpressibly entertained and pleased with that book when he read it at college ; more so than the most greedy miser, when gathering up handfuls of silver and gold from some newly d'scovired trea-iure. Though he made good proficiency in all the arts and sciences, and had an uncommon taste for Natural Philosophy (which he cultivated to the end of his life), yet Moral Philosophy, including divinity, was his favorite subject, in which he made great progress in early life. He lived at college nearly two years after he took his first degree, preparing for the work of the ministry. After which, having passed the usual trials, he was licensed to preach the gospel as a candidate. In con sequence of an application from a number of ministers in New England, who were intrusted to act in behalf of the English Presbyterians in New- York, he went to that city the beginning of August, 1722, and preached there with great acceptance about eight months. But on account of the * We shall here subjoin a sketch of Mr. Edwards's more remote ancestors, as it may gratify some readers. Jonathan Edwards's grandfather was Richard Edwards, who married Elizabeth Tuttle, daughter of William Tuttle, of New Haven, in Connecticut, and Elizabeth his wife, who came from Northamptonshire, in Old England. By this connexion he had seven children, ol whom the eldest was Timothy, our author's father. His second marriage was to Mrs. Talcot, by whom he had si.x children. The father of Richard was William Edwards, Jonathan's great grandfather, who came from England young and unmarried. The person he married, whose Christian name was Agnes, and who had left England for America, had two brothers in England, one of them Mayor of Exeter, and the other of Barnstable. The father of William, Richard Ed wards, our author's great-great-grandfather, was minister of the gospel in London, in the reign of queen Elizabeth; and his wife, Anu Edwards, was employed in making some part of the royal attire. After the death of Mr. Edwards, she married Mr. James Cole, who with her son William accompanied her to America, and all died at Hartford in Connecticut. President Edwards's grandfather on the motlier's side. Rev. Solomon Stoddard, of Northamp ton, New England, married Mrs. Mather, the relict ofthe Rev. Mr. Mather, his predecessor, who was the first minister at Northampton. Her maiden name was Ester Warham, daughter, and the youngest child of the Rev. John Warham, minister at Windsor, in Connecticut, and who, before he left England, had been minister at Exeter. This lady had three children by Mr. Mather, viz., Eunice, Warham, and Eliakim; and twelve children' by Mr. Stoddard, six sons and six daughters. Three of the sons died in infancy, and three lived to adult years, viz., Anthony, John, and Israel ; the last of whom died a prisoner in France. Anthony was minister of the gospel at Woodbury, in Connecticut; he was in the ministry about sixty years, and died September 6, 1760, in the 82d year of his age. John lived at Northampton, and often, especially in his younger years, served the town as their representative, at the General Court at Boston ; and was long head ofthe county of Hampshire, as chief colonel, and chief judge ofthe court of common pleas. He moreover served in the province of Massachusetts Bay, as one of his Majesty's council. He distinguished himself as an able politician, a wise counsellor, an upright and skilful judge; possessed in an eminent degree the spirit of government, and ever proved a great and steady friend to the interest of religion. He was a great friend and admirer of our Mr. Edwards, and to tlie time of his death, greatly strengthened his hands in the work of the ministry. A more particular account of the life and character of this truly great man may be seen in the sermon which Mr. Edwards preached and published on the occasion of hia death. The father of Mr. • Solomon Stoddard, and Mr. Edwards's great-grandfather, on the mother's side, was Anthony Stoddard, Esq., of Boston, a zealous congregational man. He had five wives, the first of whom was Mary Downing, sister to Sir George Downing, whose other sister married Governor Brad- street. Soloraon was the first child of this first marriage. From these particulars it appears, that Mr. Edwards's ancestors were from the west of England, who, upon their emigration, allied them selves to some ofthe raost respectable farailies in America. THE LIFE OF PRESIDENT ED'WARDS. 3 smallness of that society, and some special difficulties that attended it, he did not think there was a rational prospect of answering the good end proposed, by his settling there as their minister. He therefore left them the next spring, and retired to his father's house, where he spent the sum mer in close study. He was earnestly solicited by the people' to return again to New- York ; but his former views were not altered, and therefore, however disposed to gratify them, he could not comply with their wishes. In Sept. 1723, he received his degree of Master of Arts. About this time several congregations invited him to become their minister ; but being chosen tutor of Yale College, he chose to continue in that retire ment, and attended the business of tuition there above two years. Du ring his stay there, he was applied to by the people of Northampton, who had some powerful motives to offer, in favor of his exercising his ministry there ; and especially that his grandfather Stoddard, by reason of his great age, stood in need of assistance. He therefore resigned his tutorship in Sept. 1726, and accepted their invitation, and was ordained as colleague with his grandfather, Feb. 15, 1727, in the twenty-fourth year of his age, and continued at Northampton twenty-three years and four months. CHAPTER II. EXTRACTS FROM HIS PRIVATE WRITINGS. Between the time of his going to New- York and his ^settlement at Northampton, Mr. Edwards formed a number of resolutions, which are still preserved. The particular time and special occasion of making many of these resolutions, he has noted in a diary which he then kept ; where we also find many other observations and rules relative to his own exercises and conduct. As these private writings may be justly consid ered the basis of his conduct, or the plan according to which his whole life was governed, it may be proper here to give the reader some idea of them by the following extracts. SECTION I. His Resolutions. Mr. Edwards was too well acquainted with human weakness and frailty, where the intention is most sincere, to enter on any resolutions rashly. He therefore looked to God for aid, who alone can afl!brd success in the use of any means. This he places at the head of all his other im portant rules, that his dependence was on grace, while he frequently recurred to a serious perusal of them : — " Being sensible that I am unable to do any thing without God's help, I do humbly entreat him by his grace to enable me to keep these resolutions so far as they are agreeable to his will, for Christ's sake." He then adds : "REMEMBER TO EEAD OVER THESE RESOLUTIONS ONCE A WEEK."* I. Resolved, that I will do whatsoever I think to be most to God's glory and my own good, profit and pleasure, on the whole ; without any • The Resolutions, as contained in the original manuscript, wjre seventy in number ; a part only is here transcribed, as a specimen of the whole. The figures prefixed to them are those by which thev were numbered in that manuscript; and they are her; retained for the sake of the 4 THE LIFE OF PRESIDENT ED'WARDS. consideration of the time, whether now, or never so many myriads of ages hence ; to do whatever I think to be my duty, and mosf for the good and advantage of mankind in general — whatever difficulties I meet with, how many and how great soever. 2. Resolved, to be continually endeavoring to find some new contri vance to promote the forementioned things. 4. Resolved, never to do, be, or suffer, any thing in soul or body, less or raore, but what tends to the glory of God. 5. Resolved, never to lose one moment of time ; but improve it in the most profitable way I possibly can. 6. Resolved, to live with all my might, while I do live.* 7. Resolved, never to do any thing, which I should be afraid to do if it were the last hour of my life. 9. Resolved, to think much, on all occasions, of my own dying, and of the common circumstances which attend death. 11. Resolved, when I think of any theorem in divinity to be solved, immediately to do what I can towards solving it, if circumstances do not hinder. 13. Resolved, to be endeavoring to find out fit objects of charity and liberality. 14. Resolved, never to do any thing out of revenge. 15. Resolved, never to suffer the least motion of anger to irrational beings. 17. Resolved, that I will so live as I shall wish I had done when I come to die. 18. Resolved, to live so at all times, as I think is best in my devout frames, and when I have clearest notions of the gospel and another world, 20. Resolved, to maintain the strictest temperance in- eating and drinking. 21. Resolved, never to do any thing, which if I should see in another, I should count a just occasion to despise him for, or to think any way the more meanly of him. 24. Resolved, whenever I do any evil action, to trace it back, till 1 come to the original cause ; and then both carefully endeavor to do so no more, and to fight and pray with all my might against the original of it. 28. Resolved, to study the Scriptures so steadily, constantly, and fre quently, as that I may find, and plainly perceive myself to grow in the knowledge of the same. 30. Resolved, to strive to my utmost every week to be brought higher in religion, and to a higher exercise of grace, than I was the week before. 32. Resolved, to be strictly and firmly faithful to my trust, that Prov. XX. 6 {A faithful man who can find ?) may not be partly fulfilled in me. references made to some of them in the Diary, as the reader will find in the subsequent part of these Memoirs. It may be proper to add, that we should regard the spirit of these Resolutions and of the following extracts from the Diary, without a minute attention to the critical nicety of his language. In fact, as these extracts were penned at a very early period of life, his style was not formed ; and his chief concern was to deal plainly with himself, in the presence of God and to record for his own private inspection wbat he thought might be of most use to hiin in future * This is the full and exact import of the Latin motto, " Duin tivimus, viva-mus ;" which waa the motto of Dr. Doddridge's family arms, and which he paraphrased with so much beauty : " Live, while you live, the Epicure would say. And seize the pleasures of the present day. Live while you live, the sacred preacher cries; And give to God each moment as it flies. Lord, in my view let both united be ; I live in pleasure when I live to ihee " THE LIFE OF PRESIDENT ED'WARDS. 5 B3. Resoived, always to do what I can towards making, maintaining, anu establishing peace, when it can be done without an overbalancing detriment in other respects. 34. Resolved, never to speak in narrations any thing but the pure and simple verity. 36. Resolved, never to speak evil of any person, except some particu lar good call for it 37. Resolved, to inquire every night, as I am going to bed, wherein I have been negligent, what sin I have committed, and wherein I have de nied myself ; also at the end of every week, month, and year. 38. Resolved, never to speak any thing that is ridiculous, or matter of laughter, on the Lord's day. 39. Resolved, never to do any thing that I so much question the law fulness of, as that I intend, at the same time, to consider and examine afterwards, 'whether it be lawful or no : except I as much question the lawfulness of the omission. 41. Resolved, to ask myself at the end of every day, week, month, and year, wherein I could possibly in any respect have done better. 42. Resolved, frequently to renew the dedication of myself to God, which was made at my baptism ; which I soletnnly renewed, when I was received into the communion of the church ; and which I have solemnly ratified this twelfth day of January, 1723. 43. Resolved, never to act as if I were any way my own, but entirely and altogether God's. 46. Resolved, never to allow the least measure of any fretting or un easiness at my father or mother. Resolved, to suffer no effects of it, so much as in the least alteration of speech, or motion of my eye ; and to be especially careful of it, with respect to any of our family. 4'7. Resolved, to endeavor to my utmost to deny whatever is not most agreeable to a good, and universally sweet and benevolent, quiet, peace able, contented, easy, compassionate, generous, humble, meek, modest, submissive, obliging, diligent and industrious, charitable, even, patient, moderate, forgiving, sincere temper ; and to do at all times what such a temper would lead me to. Examine strictly every week, whether I have done so. 48. Resolved, constantly, with the utmost niceness and diligence, and the strictest scrutiny, to be looking into the state of my soul, that I may know whether I have truly an interest in Christ or no ; that when I come to die, I may not have any negligence respecting this to repent of. 50. Resolved, I will act so as I think I shall judge would have been best and most prudent, when I come into the future world. 52. I frequently hear persons in old age say how they would live, if they were to live their lives over again : Resolved, that I will live just so as I can think I shall wish I had done, supposing I live to old age. 54. Whenever I hear any thing spoken in conversation of any person, if I think it would be praiseworthy in me, Resolved to endeavor to imi tate it. 55. Resolved, to endeavor to my utmost to act as I can think I should do, if I had already seen the happiness of heaven, and hell torments. 56. Resolved, never to give over, nor in the least to slacken my fight with n"y corruptions, however unsuccessful I may be. 57. Rt^solved, when I fear misfortunes and adversities, to examine 0 THE LIFE OF PRESIDENT ED'WARDS. whether I have done my duty, and resolve to do it ; and let it be just aa Providence orders it, I will, as far as I can, be concerned about nothing but my duty, and my sin. 62. Resolved, never to do any thing but duty ; and tben, according to Eph. vi. 6 — 8, do it willingly and cheerfully as unto the Lord, and not to man ; knowing that whatever good thing any man doth, the same shaJ he receive of the Lord. 65. Resolved, to exercise myself much in this all my life long, viz with the greatest openness to declare my ways to God, and lay open mj soul to him ; all my sins, temptations, difficulties, sorro-ws, fears, hopes desires, and every thing, and every circumstance ; according to Dr. Man ton's 27th sermon on the 119th Psalm. 67. Resolved, after afflictions, to inquire, what I am the better for them ; wbat good I have got, and what I might have got by them." SECTION II. Extracts from his Diary. Though Mr. Edwards wrote his Diary for his own private use, exclu sively, it is not apprehended that the following extracts are unfairly ex posed to public view. Whatever is calculated to do good, and is perfectly consistent with an author's real reputation, may be published with honor, whatever his design might be while writing. Besides, what Mr. Edwards wished to have effectually concealed from every eye but his own, he wrote in a particular short-hand. After having written pretty much in that character, he adds this remark in long-hand ; " Remember to act according to Prov. xii. 23, A prudent man concealeth knowledge." Saturday, Dec. 22, 1722. This day, revived by God's Holy Spirit. Affected with a sense of the excellency of holiness. Felt more exercise of love to Christ than usual. Have also felt sensible repentance for sin, because it was committed against so merciful and good a God. This night, made the 37th Resolution. Sabbath night, Dec. 23. Made the 38th Resolution. Monday, Dec. 24. Higher thoughts than usual of the excellency of Jesus Christ and his kingdom. Wednesday, Jan. 2, 1723. Dull. I find by experience, that let me make resolutions, and do what I will, it is al! nothing, and to no purpose at all, without the motions of the Spirit of God : for if the Spirit of God should be as much withdrawn from me always, as for the week past, not withstanding all I do, I should not grow ; but should languish, and misera bly fade away. There is no dependence upon myself. It is to no pur pose to resolve, except we depend on the grace of God ; for if it were nol for his mere grace, one might be a very good man one day, and a very wicked one the next. Sabbath, Jan. 6, at night. Much concerned about the improvement of precious time. Intend to live in continual mortification, without ceas ing, as long as in this world. Tuesday, Jan. 8, in the morning. Higher thoughts than usual of the excellency of Christ, and felt an unusual repentance for sin therefrom. "Wednesday, Jan. 9, at night. Decayed. I am sometimes apt to think T have a great deal more of holiness than I really have. I find, now and THE LIFE OF PRESIDENT EDWARDS. 7 then, that abominable corruption, which is directly contrary to what I read respecting eminent Christians. How deceitful is my heart ! I take up a strong resolution, but ho-^ soon does it weaken ! Thursday, Jan. 10, about noon. Reviving. It is a great dishonor to Christ, in whom I hope I have an interest, to be uneasy at my worldly state and condition ; when I see the prosperity of others, and that all things go easy with them ; when the world is smooth to them, and they are happy in many respects and very prosperous, or are advanced to much honor, &c., to envy them, or be tlie least uneasy at it ; or even to wish fpr the same prosperity, and that it would ever be so with me. Wherefore concluded, always to rejoice in every one's prosperity, and to expect for myself no happiness of that nature as long as I live; but reckon upon afflictions, and betake myself entirely to another happiness. I think I find myself much more sprightly and healthy, both in body and mind, for my self-denial in eating, drinking, and sleeping. I think it would be advantageous every morning to consider my business and tempations ; and what sins I shall be exposed to that day : and to make a resolution how to improve the day, and to avoid those sins. And so at the beginning of every week, month and year. I never knew before what was meant by not setting our hearts upon these things. It is, not to care about them, depend upon them, afflict ourselves much with fears of losing them, or please ourselves with expectation of obtaining them, or hope of their continuance. At night made the 41st Resolution. Saturday, Jan. 12, in the morning. I have this day solemnly renewed my baptismal covenant and self-dedication, which I renewed when I was received into the communion of the church. I have been before God : and have given myself, all that I am and have, to God, so that I am not in any respect my own : I can claim no right in myself, no right in this understanding, this will, these affections that are in me ; neither have I any right to this body, or any of its members : no right to this tongue, these hands, nor feet ; no right to these senses, these eyes, these ears, this smell or taste. I have given myself clear away, and have not retained any thing as my own. I have been to God this morning, and told him that I gave myself wholly to him. I have given every power to him ; so that for the future, I will challenge or claim no right in myself, in any respect. I have expressly promised him, and do now promise Almighty God, that by his gi-ace I will not. I have this morning told him, that I did take him for my whole portion and felicity, looking on nothing else as any part of my happiness, nor acting as if it were ; and his law for the constant rule of my obedience ; and would fight with all my might against the world, the flesh, and the devil, to the end of my life. And did believe in Jesus Christ, and receive him as a Prince and a Saviour ; and would adhere to the faith and obedience of the gospel, how hazardous and diffi cult soever the profession and practice of it may be. That I did receive the blessed Spirit as my teacher, sanctifier and only comforter ; and cherish all his motions to enlighten, purify, confirm, comfort, and assist me. This I have done. And I pray God, for the sake of Christ, to look upon it as a self-dedication ; and to receive me now as entirely his own, and deal with me in all respects as such ; whether he afflicts me or pros pers me, or whatever he pleases to do with me, who am his. NoW; henceforth I am not to act in any respect as my own. I shall act as my own, if I ever make use of any of mj' powers to any thing that is not to 8 THE LIFE OF PRESIDENT ED'WARDS. the glory of God, or do not make the glorifying of him my whole and en tire business ; if I murmur in the least at afflictions ; if I grieve at the prosperity of others ; if I am any way uficharitable ; if I am angry be cause of injuries ; if I revenge my own cause ; if I do any thing purely to please myself, or avoid any thing for the sake of my ease, or omit any thing because it is great self-denial ; if I trust to myself; if I take any of the praise of any good that I do, or rather God does by me ; or if I am any way proud. This day made the 42d and 43d Resolutions. Monday, Jan. 14. The dedication I made of myself to my God, on Saturday last, has been exceeding useful to me. I thought I had a more spiritual insight into the Scripture while reading the 8th chapter to the Romans, than ever in my life before. Great instances of mortification are deep wounds given to the' body of sin, hard blows that make him stagger and reel ; we thereby get firm ground and footing against him. While we live without great instances of mortification and self-denial, the old man keeps whereabouts he was ; for he is sturdy and obstinate, and will not stir for small blows. After the greatest mortifications, I always find the greatest comfort. Supposing there was never but one complete Christian, in all respects, of a right stamp, having Christianity shining in its true lustre, at a time in the world ; resolved, to act just as I would do, if I Strove with all my might to be that one, that should be in my time. Tuesday, Jan. 15. It seemed yesterday, the day before, and Satur day, that I should always retain the same resolutions to the same height, but alas, how soon do I decay ! O how weak, how infirm, how unable to d.0 any thing am I ! What a poor, inconsistent, miserable wretch, without the assistance of God's Spirit ! While I stand, I am ready to think 1 stand in my own strength ; and am ready to triumph over my enemies, as if it were I myself that 'caused them to flee ; when alas ! I am but a poor in fant, upheld by Jesus Christ ; who holds me up, and gives me liberty to sniile to see my enemies flee, when he drives them before me ; and so I laugh as though I myself did it, when it is only Jesus Christ leads me along, and fights himself against my enemies. And now the Lord has a little left me, how weak do I find myself! O, let it teach me to depend less on myself, to be more humble, and to give more of the praise of my ability to Jesus Christ. The heart of man is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked, who can know it ? Saturday, Feb. 15. I do certainly know that I love holiness, such as the gospel requires. At night. I have been negligent for the month past ¦n these three things : I have not been watchful enough over my appetite • m eating and drinking ; in rising too late ; and in not applying myself enough to the duty of secret prayer. Sabbath day, Feb. 17, near sunset. Renewedly promised, that I will accept of God, for my whole portion ; and that I will be contented, what ever else I am denied. I will not murmur, nor be grieved, whatever prosperity, upon any account, I see others enjoy, and I am denied. Saturday, March 2. 0, how much pleasanter is humility than pride ! O, that God would fill me with exceeding great humihty, and that he would evermore keep me from all pride ! The pleasures of humility are really the most refined, inward and exquisite delights in the world. How hateful is a proud man ! How hateful is a worm that lifts up itself with pride ! What a foolish, silly, miserable, blind, deceived, poor wonv am I, when pride works ! THE LIFE OF PRESIDENT ED'WARDS. 9 Wednesday, March 6, near sunset. Felt the doctrines of election, free grace, and of our not being able to do any thing without the grace of God ; and that holiness is entirely, throughout, the work of God's Spirit, with more pleasure than before. Monday morning, April 1. I think it best not to allow myself to laugh at the follies and infirmities of others. Saturday night, April 6. This week I found myself so far gone, that it seemed to me, that I should never recover more. Let God of his mercy return unto me, and no more leave me thus to sink and decay ! I know, O Lord, that without thy help, I shall fall innumerable times, not withstanding all my resolutions, how often soever repeated. Saturday night, April 13. I could pray more heartily this night, for the forgiveness of my enemies, than ever before.. Wednesday, May 1, forenoon. Last night I came home, after my melancholy parting from New- York. I have always, in every different state of life I have hitherto been in, thought the troubles and difficulties of that state to be greater than those of any other that I proposed to be in ; and when I have altered with assurance of mending myself, I have still thought the same ; yea, that the difficulties of that state, are greater than those of that I left last ; Lord, grant that from hence I may learn to with draw my thoughts, alTections, desires and expectations, entirely from the world, and may fix them upon the heavenly state ; where there is fulness of joy ; where reigns heavenly, sweet, calm, and delightful love without alloy ; where there are continually the dearest exgressions of this love ; where there is the enjoyment of the persons loved, without ever parting; where those persons, who appear so lovely in this world, will really be inexpressibly more lovely, and full of love to us. How sweetiy will the mutual lovers join together to sing the praises of God and the Lamb ! How will it fill us with joy to think, this enjoyment, these sweet exercises, will never come to an end, but will last to eternity. Remember, after journeys, removes, overturnings, and alterations in the state of my life, to consider, whether therein I have managed the best way possible, respect ing my soul; and before such alterations, if foreseen, to resolve how to act. Thursday, May 2. I think it a very good way to examine dreams every morning when I awake ; what are the nature, circumstances, prin ciples and ends of my imaginary actions and passions in them, to discern what are my chief inclinations, &c. Saturday night, May 4. Although I have in some measure subdued a disposition to chide and fret, yet I find a certain inclination which is not agreeable to Christian sweetness of temper and conversatiori : too dogmatical, too much of egotism ; a disposition to be telling of my own dislike and scorn ; and freedom from those things that are innocent, or the common infirmities of man ; and many such like things. 0 that God would help me to discern all the flaws and defects, of my temper and conversa tion, and help me in the difficult work of amending them ; and that he would fill me so full of Christianity, that the foundation of all these disagreeable irregularities may be destroyed, and the contrary beauties may follow. Sabbath day, May 5, in the morning. This day made the 47th Reso lution. Sabbath day, May 12. I think I feel glad from the hope that my eter nity is to be spent in spiritual and holy joys, arising from the manifestation of God's love, and the exercise of holiness and a burning love to him. 10 THE LIFE OF PRESIDENT ED'WARDS. Saturday night, May 18. I now plainly perceive what great obliga tions I am under to love and honor my parents. I have great reason to believe, that their counsel and education have been of great use to me ; notwithstanding, at the time, it seemed to do me so little good. I have good reason to hope that their prayers for me have been in many things very powerful and prevalent ; that God has in many things taken me under his care and guidance, provision and direction, in answer to their prayers. I was never made so sensible of it as now. Wednesday, May 22, in the morning. Memorandum. To take special care of these following things : evil speaking, fretting, eating, drinking, and sleeping, speaking simple verity, joining in prayer, slight ness in secret prayer, listlessness and negligence, and thoughts that cherish sin. Saturday, May 25, in the morning. As I was this morning reading the 17th Resolution, it was suggested to me, that if I was now to die, I should wish that I had prayed more that God would make me know my state, whether it be good or bad ; and that I had taken more pains to see, and narrowly search into this matter. Wherefore, Mem. For the future most nicely and diligently to look into our old divines concerning con version. Made the 48th Resolution. Friday, June 1, afternoon. I have abundant cause, O merciful Father, to love thee ardently, and greatly to bless and praise thee, that thou hast heard me in my earnest request, and hast so answered my prayer for mercy to keep from decay and sinking. O, graciously, of thy mere good ness, continue to pity my misery by reason of my sinfulness. O, my dear Redeemer, I commit myself, together with my prayer and thanksgiving, into thine hand. Monday, July 1. Again confirmed by experience of the happy efifects of strict temperance, with respect both to body and mind. Resolved for the future to observe rather more of meekness, moderation, and temper in disputes. Thursday, July 18, near sunset. Resolved to endeavor to make sure of that sign the Apostle James gives of a perfect man, James iii. 2, // any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also io bridle the whole body. Monday, July 22. I see there is danger of my being drawn into transgression by a fear of seeming uncivil, and of oflTending friends. Watch against it. Tuesday, July 23. When I find those groanings which cannot be uttered, that the apostle speaks of; and those soul breakings for the long ing it hath, which the Psalmist speaks of, Ps. cxix. 20, let me humor and promote them to the utmost of my power, and be not weary of earnestly endeavoring to vent my desires. I desire to count it all joy when I have occasion of great self-denial, because then I have a glorious opportunity of giving deadly wounds to the body of sin, and greatly confirming and establishing the new nature ; to seek to mortify sin, and increase in holi ness ; these are the best opportunities (according to January 14) to im prove afflictions of all kinds, as blessed opportunities of forcibly bearintr on in my Christian course, notwithstanding that which is so very apt to discourage me, to damp the vigor of my mind, and to make me lifeless ; also as opportunities of trusting and confiding in God, habitually, accord ing to the 57th Resolution ; and of rending my heart off from the world, THE. LIFE OF PRESIDENT ED'WARDS. U and setting, it upon heaven alone ; to repent of, and bewail iny sin, and abhor myself; and as a blessed opportunity to exercise patience, to trust in God, and divert my mind from the affliction, by fixing myself in reli gious exercises. Also, let me comfort myself, that it is the very nature of afflictions to make the heart better ; and if I am made better by them, what need I be concerned, however grievous they seem for the present ? Friday, July 26. To be particularly careful to keep up an inviolable trust and reliance, ease, and entire rest in God, in all conditions, accord ing to the 57th Resolution ; for this I have found to be wonderfully advantageous. Monday, July 29. When I am concerned how I shall perform any thing to public acceptance, to be very careful that I do what is duty and prudence in the matter. Wednesday , July 31. Never in the least to seek to hear sarcastical relations of others' faults. Never to give credit to any thing said against others, except there is very plain reason for it ; nor to behave in any respect otherwise for it. Wednesday, August 7. To esteem it an advantage that the duties of religion are difficult, and* that many difficulties are sometimes to be gone through in the way of duty. Religion is the sweeter, and what is gained by labor is abundantly more precious ; as a woman loves her child the better for having brought it forth with travail. And even as to Christ Jesus himself in his mediatorial glory, (including his victory and triumph and the kingdom which he hath obtained,) how much more glorious how much more excellent and precious, for his having wrought it out by such agonies ! Friday, August 9. One thing that may be a good help towards thinking profitably in tirhe of vacation or leisure is, that when I light on a profitable thought, I can fix my mind in order to follow it, as far as possible to advantage. Sabbath day, after meeting, August 11. Resolved always to do that which I shall wish I had done, when I see others do it. x\s for instance, sometimes I argue with myself, that such an act of good-nature, kindness, forbearance or forgiveness, &c., is not my duty, because it will have such and such consequences ; yet, when I see others do it, then it appears amiable to me, and I wish I had done it ; and I see that none of these feared inconveniences do follow. Tuesday, August 13. I find it would be very much to my advantage, to be thoroughly acquainted with the Scriptures. When I arn reading doctrinal books, or books of controversy, I can proceed with abundantly more confidence ; can see upon what foundation I stand. Thursday, August 29. The objection my corruptions make against doing whatever my hand finds to do with my might is, that it is a con stant mortification. Let this objection by no means ever prevail. Monday, Sept. 2. There is much folly, when I am quite sure I am in the right, and others are positive in contradicting me, in entering into a vehement or long debate upon it. Monday, Sept. 23. I observe that old men seldom have any advan tage of new discoveries ; because these are beside a way of thinking they have been so long used to. Resolved, if ever I live to years, that I will be impartial to hear the reasons of all pretended discoveries, and receive them, if rationa], how long soever I have been used to another way of thinking. 12 THE LIFE OF PRESIDENT EDWARDS. Thursday, Oct. 18. To follow the example of Mr. B , who, though he meets with great difficulties, yet undertakes them with a smiling countenance, as though he thought them but little ; and speaks of them as if they were very small. Thursday, Nov. 26. It is a most evil and pernicious practice in meditating on our afflictions, to ruminate on the aggravations of the affliction, and reckon up the evil circumstances thereof, dwelling long on the dark side ; it doubles and trebles the affliction. And so, when speak ing of them to others as bad as we can, and use our eloquence to set forth our own troubles, we thus are all the while making new trouble, and feeding the old ; whereas the contrary practice would starve our afflictions. If we dwelt on the light side of things in our thoughts, and extenuated them all that we possibly could when speaking of them, we should then think little of them ourselves ; and the affliction would really, in a great measure, vanish away. Thursday night, Dec. 12. If at any time I am forced to tell persons of that wherein I think they are sometimes to blame ; for avoiding the important evil that would otherwise ensue, resolved not to tell it them in such a manner, that there should be a probability of their taking it as the effect of little, fretting, angry emotions of mind. Dec. 31, at night. Concluded never to suffer nor express any angry emotions of mind more or less, except the honor of God calls for it, in zeal for him, or to preserve myself from being trampled on. Wednesday, Jan. 1, 1724. Not to spend too much time in thinking even of important and necessary worldly business. To allow every thing its proportion of thought according to its urgency and importance. Friday Jan. 10. [After short-hand notes] Remember to act accord ing to Prov. xii. 23. A prudent man concealeth knowledge. Monday, Feb. 3. Let every thing have the value now, that it will have on a sick-bed ; and frequently in my pursuits of whatever kind, let this come into my mind : " How much shall I value this on my death bed ?" Wednesday, Feb. 5. Have not in time past, in my prayers, insisted enough upon glorifying God in the world, and the advancement of the kingdom of Christ, the prosperity of the church, and the good of men. Determined that this objection is without weight, viz., " That it is not likely that God will make great alterations in the whole world, and over- turnings in kingdoms and nations, only for the prayers of one obscure person, seeing such things used to be done in answer to the united earnest prayers of the whole church ; and if my prayers should have some in fluence, it would be but imperceptible and small." Thursday, Feb. 6. More convinced than ever of the usefulness of religious conversation. I find by conversing on natural philosophy, I gain knowledge abundantly faster, and see the reasons of things much clearer, than in private study. Wherefore, resolved earnestly to seek at all times for religious conversation ; and for those persons that I can with profit, delight, and freedom so converse with. Sabbath day, Feb. 23. If I act according to my resolution, I shall desire riches no otherwise than as they are helpful to religion. But this 1 determine, as what is really evident from many parts of Scripture, that to fallen man they have a greater tendency to hurt religion. Saturday, May 23. How it comes about I know not ; -but 1 have THE LIFE OF PRESIDENT EDWARDS. 13 remarked it hitherto, that at those times when I have read the Scriptures most, I have evermore been most lively, and in the best frame. Saturday night, June 6. This has been a remarkable week with me, with respect to despondencies, fears, perplexities, multitudes of cares and distraction of thought ; being the week I came hither (to New Haven) in order to entrance upon the office of tutor of the college. I have now abundant reason to be convinced of the troublesomeness and perpetual vexation of the world. Tuesday, July 7. When I am giving the relation of a thing, let me abstain from altering, either in the matter or manner of speaking, so much, as that if every one afterward should alter as much, it would at ast come to be properly false. Tuesday, Sept. 22. By a sparing diet, and eating what is light and easy of digestion, I shall doubtless be able to think more cleariy ; and shall gain time, 1st, By lengthening my life: 2dly, Shall need less time for digestion after meals; 3dly, Shall be able to study closer without wrong to my health ; 4thly, Shall need less time to sleep ; 5thly, shall more seldom be troubled with the headache. Sabbath day, Nov. 22. Considering that bystanders always espy some faults which we do not see, or at least are not so fully sensible of ourselves ; for there are many secret workings of corruption which escape our sight, and others only are sensible of; resolved, therefore, that I will, if I can by any convenient means, learn what faults others find in me, or what things they see in me that appear any way blameworthy, unlovely, or unbecoming. SECTION IIL Some Account of his Conversion, Experience, and Religious Exercises, written by himself. The foregoing extracts were written by Mr. Edwards when about twenty years of age, as appears by the dates. The judicious reader, therefore, keeping this in mind, will make proper allowance for some things which may appear like the productions of a young Christian, both as to the matter, and the manner of expression. And indeed, the whole being taken together, these apparent blemishes have their important use. For hereby all appears more natural and genuine ; while the strength of his resolution, the fervor of his mind, and a skill in discriminating divine things so seldom found- even in old age, appear the more striking. A picture of human nature in its present state, though highly improved by grace, cannot be a true resemblance of the original, if it be drawn all light, and no shades. In this view we shall be forced to admire his con scientious strictness, his diligence and zeal, his deep experience in some particulars, and his accurate judgment respecting the most important parts of true religion, at so early an age. Here we have, not only the most convincing evidence of his sincerity in religion, and of his engaging in a life devoted to God in good earnest, so as to make religion his one great business ; but also, through his great attention to this matter, how in many instances he acquired the judgment and experience of gray hairs. Behold, reader, the beginning of a life so eminently holy and useful ! Behold the views, the exercises, the resolutions of a man who became one o^ the -greatest divines of his age ; one who had the applause and ad- 14 THE LIFE OF PRESIDENT EDWARDS. miration of America, Britain, Holland, and Germany, for his piety, judgment, and great usefulness. Behold here an excitement to the young, to devote themselves to God with great sincerity, and enter on the work of strict religion without delay, and more especially, those who are look ing forward towards the work of the ministry. Behold then, ye students in divinity, our future preachers and writers, the most immediate and direct, yea, the only way to answer the good ends which you profess to seek. " Go, ye, and do likewise." It is to be lamented, that there is so much reason to think there are few instances of such early piety in our day. If the Protestant world abounded with young persons of this stamp ; young men, preparing for the work of the ministry with such a temper, such exercises, and such re solutions, what a delightful prospect would this afford of the near ap proach of happier days than the church of God has ever yet seen ! What pleasing hopes, that the great and merciful Head of the church was about to send forth laborers, faithful, successful laborers into his harvest ; and bless his people with " pastors which shall feed them with knowledge and understanding !" But if our youth neglect all proper improvement of the mind ; are shy of seriousness and strict piety ; choose to live at a distance from all ap pearance of it ; and are given to carnal pleasures ; what a gloomy pi;o- spect does this afford ! If they who enter into the work of the ministry, from a gay, careless, and what may justly be called a vicious life, betake themselves to a little superficial study of divinity, and soon begin to preach ; while all the external seriousness and zeal they put on, is only from wordly motives ; they being without any inward, experimental ac quaintance with divine things, and even so much as any taste for true divinity ; no wonder if the people perish for lack of spiritual knowledge. But, as the best comment on the foregoing Resolutions and Diary ; and that the reader may have a more full and instructive view of Mr. Edwards's entrance on a religious life, and progress in it, as to the views and exercises of his mind ; a brief account thereof is here inserted, which was found among his papers, in his own hand- writing ; and which, it seems, was written near twenty years after, for his own private advantage. " I had a variety of concerns and exercises about my soul from my childhood ; but had two more remarkable seasons of awakening, before I met with that change by which I was brought to those new dispositions, and that new sense of things, that I have since had. The first time was when I was a boy, some years before I went to'college, at a time of re markable awakening in my father's congregation. I was then very much aflfected for many raonths, and concerned about the things of religion, and ray soul's salvation ; and was abundant in duties. I used to pray five times a day in secret, and to spend rauch time in religious talk with other boys ; and used to meet with them to pray together. I experienced I know not what kmd of delight in religion. My mind was much en gaged in it, and had much self-righteous pleasure ; and it was my delight to abound in religious duties. I with some of my school-mates joined together, and built a booth in a swamp, in a very retired spot, for a place of prayer. And besides, I had particular secret places of my own in the woods, where I used to retire by myself; and was from time to time much affected. My affections seemed to be lively and easily moved, and I seemed to be in my element when engaged in religious duties. And THE LIFE OF PRESIDENT EDWARDS. 15 I am ready to think, many are deceived with such affections, and such a kind of delight as I then had in religion, and raistake it for grace. " But in process of time, my convictions and affections wore off; and I entirely lost all those affections and delights and left off secret prayer, at least as to any constant performance of it ; and returned like a dog to his vomit, and went on in the ways of sin. Indeed I was at times very uneasy, especially towards the latter part of my time at college ; when it pleased God to seize me with a pleurisy, in which he brought me nigh to the grave, and shook me over the pit of hell. And yet, it was not long after my recovery, before I fell again into ray old ways of sin. But God would not suffer rae to go on with any quietness ; I had great and violent inward struggles, till, after many conflicts with wicked inclinations, re peated resolutions, and bonds that I laid myself under by a kind of vows to God, I was brought wholly to break off all former wicked ways, and all ways of known outward sin ; and to apply myself to seek salvation, and practice many religious duties ; but without that kind of affection and delight which I had formerly experienced. My concern now wrought more by inward struggles and conflicts, and self-reflections. I raade seeking my salvation the raain business of ray life. But yet, it seeras to rae I sought after a raiserable raanner ; which has made rae sometimes since to question, whether ever it issued in that which was saving ; being ready to doubt, whether such raiserable seeking ever succeeded. I was indeed brought to seek salvation in a raanner that I never was before ; I felt a spirit to part with all things in the world, for an interest in Christ My concern continued and prevailed, with raany exercising thoughts and inward struggles ; but yet it never seeraed to be proper to express that concern by the name of terror. " From my childhood up, my mind had been full of objections against the doctrine of God's sovereignty, in choosing whom he would to eternal life, and rejecting whom he pleased ; leaving them eternally to perish, and be everlastingly tormented in hell. It used to appear like a horrible doctrine to me. But I remember the time very well, when I seemed to be convinced, and fully satisfied, as to this sovereignty of God, and his justice in thus eternally disposing of men, according to his, sovereign pleasure. But I never could give an account how, or by what raeans, I was thus convinced, not in the least imagining at the tirae, nor a long tirae after, that there was any extraordinary influence of God's Spirit in it ; but only that now I saw further, and my reason apprehended the justice and reasonableness of it. However, my mind rested in it ; and it put an end to all those cavils and objections. And there has been a wonder ful alteration in my mind, with respect to the doctrine of God's sove reignty, from that day to this ; so that I scarce ever have found so much as the rising of an objection against it, in the most absolute sense, in God's showing mercy to whom he will show mercy, and hardening whom he will. God's absolute sovereignty and justice, with respect to salvation and dara nation, is what ray mind seems to rest assured of, as much as of any thing that I see with my eyes ; at least it is so at tiraes. But I have often, since that first conviction, had quite another kind of sense of God's sovereignty than I had then. I have often since had not only a conviction, but a delight ful conviction. The doctrine has very often appearec exceeding pleasant, bright, and sweet. Absolute sovereignty is what I lo'. i to ascribe to God. But ray first conviction was not so. 15 THE LIFE OF PRESIDENT EDWARDS. " The first instance that I remeraber of that sort of inward, sweet delight in God and divine things that I have lived much in since, was on reading those words, I Tim. i. 17, Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honor and glory forever and eve?; Amen. As I read the words, there came into my soul, and was as it were diffused through it, a sense of the glory of the Divine Being ; a new sense, quite different frora any thing I ever experienced before. Never any words of Scripture seeraed to me as these words did. I thought with myself, how excellent a Being that was, and how happy I should be, if I might enjoy that God, and be rapt up to him in heaven, and be as it were swallowed up in him forever ! I kept saying, and as it were singing over these words of Scripture to myself; and went to pray to God that Imight enjoy hira, and prayed in a manner quite different from what I used to do ; with a new sort of affection. But it never came into my thought, that there was any thing spiritual or of a saving nature, in this " From about that time, I began to have a new kind of apprehensions and ideas of Christ, and the work of redemption, and the glorious way of salvation by him. An inward, sweet sense of these things, at times, came into my heart ; and my soul was led away in pleasant views and contera- plations of thera. And my mind was greatly engaged to spe'nd my time in reading and meditating on Christ, on the beauty and excellency of his person, and the lovely way of salvation by free grace in him. I found no books so delightful to me, as those that treated of these subjects. Those words, Cant. ii. 1, used to be abundantly with me, I am the Rose of Sha ron, and the Lily of the valleys. The words seemed to me sweetly to represent the loveliness and beauty of Jesus Christ. The whole book of Canticles used to be pleasant to rae, and I used to be rauch in reading it, about that time ; and found, from time to time, an inward sweetness, that would carry me away, in my contemplations. This I know not how to express otherwise, than by a calm, sweet abstraction of soul from all the concerns of this world ; and sometimes a kind of vision, or fixed ideas and imaginations, of being alone in the mountains, or sorae solitary wil derness, far frora all raankind, sweetly conversing with Christ, and rapt and swallowed up in God. The sense I had of divine things, would often of a sudden kindle up, as it were, a sweet burning in my heart ; an ardor of soul that I know not how to express. " Not long after I first began to experience these things, I gave an account to ray father of sorae things that had passed in my mind. I was pretty rauch affected by the discourse we had together ; and when the discourse was ended, I walked abroad alone, in a solitary place in my father's pasture, for conteraplation. And as I was walking there, and looking up on the sky and clouds, there carae into my raind so sweet a sense of the glorious majesty and grace of God, that I know not how to express. I seemed to see them both in a sweet conjunction ; majesty and meekness joined together ; it was a sweet and gentle, and holy raajesty ; and also a majestic meekness ; an awful sweetness ; a high, and great, and holy gentleness. " After this my sense of divine things gradually increased, and became more and more lively, and had raore of that inward sweetness. The appearance of every thing was altered ; there seemed to be, as it were, a calm, sweet cast, or appearance of divine glory, in almosi every thing. God's excellency, his wisdom, his purity and love, seemed to appear in THE LIFE OF PRESIDENT EDWARDS. 17 every thing ; in the sun, and moon, and stars ; in the clouds and blue sky ; in the grass, flowers, trees ; in the water, and all nature ; which used greatly to fix my mind. I often used to sit and view the moon for con tinuance ; and in the day spent much time in viewing the clouds and sky, to behold the sweet glory of God in these things ; in the mean time, sing ing forth, with a low voice, my contemplations of the Creator and Re deemer. And scarce any thing, among all the works of nature, was sc sweet to me as thunder and lightning ; formerly, nothing had been sc terrible to me. Before, I used to be uncomraonly terrified with thunder, and to be struck with terror when I saw a thunder storm rising ; but now, on the contrary, it rejoiced me. I felt God, so to speak, at the first appearance of a thunder storm ; and used to take the opportunity, at such times, to fix myself in order to view the clouds and see the lightnings play, and hear the raajestic and awful voice of God's thunder, which oftentiraes was exceedingly entertaining, leading rae to sweet contempla tions of my great and glorious God. While thus engaged, it always seemed natural to me to sing, or chant forth my meditations ; or, to speak my thoughts in soliloquies with a singing voice. " I felt then great satisfaction, as to my good state ; but that did not content me. I had vehement longings of soul after God and Christ, and after raore holiness, wherewith ray heart seemed to be full, and ready to break ; which often brought to ray mind the words of the Psalmist, Psal. cxix. 28, My soul breaketh for the longing it hath. I often felt a mourn ing and lamenting in ray heart, that I had not turned to God sooner, that I might have had raore tirae to grow in grace. My mind was greatly fixed on divine things ; almost perpetually in the contemplation of thera: I spent raost of my time in thinking of divine things, year after year ; often walking alone in the woods, and solitary places, for meditation, soliloquy, and prayer, and converse with God ; and it was always my manner at such times, to sing forth my contemplations. I was almost constantly in ejaculatory prayer, wherever I was. Prayer seemed to be natural to me, as the breath by which the inward burnings of my heart had vent. The delights which I now felt in the things of religion, were of an exceeding different kind from those before mentioned, that I had when a boy ; and what I had then no more notion of, than one born blind has of pleasant and beautiful colors. They were of a more inward, pure, soul-animating and refreshing nature. Those forraer delights never reached the heart ; and did not arise from any sight of the divine excellency of the things ofGod ; or any taste of the soul-satisfying, and life-giving good there is in them. " My sense of divine things seemed gradually to increase, until I went to preach at New- York, which was about a year and a half after, they began ; and while I was there I felt them, very sensibly, in a much higher degree than I had done before. My longings after God and holiness were much increased.. Pure and humble, holy and heavenly Christianity, ap peared exceedingly amiable to me. I felt a burning desire to be in every thing a complete Christian ; and conformed to the blessed iraage of Christ; and that I might live, in all things, according to the pure, sweet, and blessed rules of the gospel. I had an eager thirsting after progress in these things ; which put me upon pursuing and pressing after them. It was my continual strife day and night, and constant inquiry, how I should be more holy, and live more holily, and more becoming a child of God, and a disciple of Christ. I now sought an increase of grace and holiness, Vol. I. 2 Jg THE LIFE OF PEESIDENT EDWARDS. and a holy life, with much more earnestness than ever I sought grace before I had it. I used to be continually examining myself, and studying and contriving for likely ways and means, how I should live holily, with far greater diligence and earnestness, than ever I pursued any thing in my life ; but yet with too great a dependence on my own strength ; which afterwards proved a great damage to rae. My experience had not then taught me, as it has done since, my extreme feebleness and impotence, every manner of way ; and the bottomless depths of secret corruption and deceit there was in my heart. However, I went on with my eager pursuit after more holiness, and conforraity to Christ. " The heaven I desired was a heaven of holiness ; to be with God, and to spend ray eternity in divine love, and holy coraraunion with Christ. My mind was very much taken up with contemplations on heaven, and the en joyments there ; and living there in perfect holiness, humility, and love ; and it used at that time to appear a great part of the happiness of heaven, that there the saints could express their love to Christ. It appeared to rae a great clog and burden, that what I felt within, I could not express as I de sired. The inward ardor of my soul seeraed to be hindered and pent up, and could not freely flarae out as it would. I used often to think, how in heaven this principle should freely and fully vent and express itself. Heaven ap peared exceedingly delightful, as a world of love ; and that all happiness consisted in living in pure, humble, heavenly, divine love. " I remember the thoughts I used then to have of holiness ; and said sometiraes to rayself, ' I do certainly know that I love holiness, such as the gospel prescribes.' It appeared to me that there was nothing in it but what was ravishingly lovely; the highest beauty and amiableness — a divine beauty ; far purer than any thing here upon earth ; and that every thing else was like mire and defilement, in comparison of it. " Holiness, as I then wrote down sorae of my contemplations on it, ap peared to rae to be of a sweet, pleasant, charming, serene, calm nature ; which brought an inexpressible purity, brightness, peacefulness and ravish ment to the soul. In otlier words, that it made the soul like a field or garden of God, with all manner of pleasant flowers ; all pleasant, delightful, and undisturbed ; enjoying a sweet calm, and the gentle vivifying beams of the sun. The soul of a true Christian, as I then wrote ray meditations, ap peared like such a little white flower as we see in the spring of the year ; low and humble on the ground, opening its bosom to receive the pleasant beams ofthe sun's glory ; rejoicing as it were in a calm rapture ; diffusing around a sweet fragrancy ; standing peacefully and lovingly, in the midst of other flowers round about ; all in like manner opening their bosoras, to drink in the light of the sun. There was no part of creature holiness, that I had so great a sense of its loveliness, as huraility, brokenness of heart, and Soverty of spirit ; and there was nothing that I so earnestly longed for. Iy heart panted after this, to lie low before God, as in the dust ; that I might be nothing, and that God might be all, that I might become as a little child. " While at New- York, I was sometiraes much affected with reflections on my past life, considering how late it was before I began to be truly re ligious ; and how wickedly I had lived till then ; and once so as to weep abundantlv, and for a considerable time together. "On fanuary 12, 1723, I made a soleran dedication of myself to God, and wrote it down ; giving up myself and all I had to God ; to be for the future in no respect my own ; to act as one that had no right to himself in THE LIFE OF PRESIDENT EDWARDS. I9 any respect. And solemnly vowed to take God for my whole portion and felicity ; looking on nothing else as any part of my happiness,'nor acting as if it were ; and his law for the constant rule of my obedience ; en- f aging to fight with all my might, against the world, the flesh, and the evil, to the end of my life. But I have reason to be infinitely humbled, when I consider how much I have failed of answering my obligation. " I had then abundance of sweet rehgious conversation in the family where I lived, with Mr. John Smith and his pious mother. My heart was knit in affection to those in whom were appearances of true piety ; and I could bear the thoughts of no other companions but such as were holy, and the disciples of the blessed Jesus. I had great longings for the advance ment of Christ's kingdom in the world ; and my secret praye]^ used to be, in great part, taken up in praying for it. If I heard the least hint of any thing that happened, in any part of the world, that appeared, in some re spect or other, to have a favorable aspect on the interests of Christ's kingdom, my soul eagerly catched at it; and it would much animate and refresh rae. I us§d to be eager to read public news letters, mainly for that end ; to see if I could not find some news favorable to the in terest of religion in the world. " I very frequently used to retire into a solitary place, on the banks of Hudson's river, at some distance from the city, for contemplation on divine things, and secret converse with God ; and had many sweet hours there. Sometimes Mr. Smith and I walked there together, to converse^ on the things of God ; and our conversation used to turn much on the advance ment of Christ's kingdom in the world, and the glorious things that God would accomplish for his church in the latter days. I had then, and at other times, the greatest delight in the holy Scriptures, of any book what soever. Oftentimes in reading it, every word seemed to touch my heart. I felt a harmony between something in my heart, and those sweet and powerful words. I seemed often to see so much light exhibited by every sentence, and such a refreshing food communicated, that I could not get along in reading ; often dwelling long on one sentence, to see the wonders cpntained in it ; and yet almost every sentence seeraed to be full of wonders. " I came away from New- York in the raonth of April, 1723, and had a most bitter parting with Madam Smith and her son. My heart seemed to sink within me at leaving the family and city, where I had enjoyed so many sweet and pleasant days. I went from New- York to Wethersfield, by wa ter, and as I sailed away, I kept sight of the city as long as I could. How ever, that night, after this sorrowful parting, I was greatly comforted in God at Westchester, where we went ashore to lodge ; and had a pleasant time of it all the voyage to Saybrook. It was sweet to me to think of meet ing dear Christians in heaven, where we should never part more. At Say brook we went ashore to lodge on Saturday, and there kept the Sabbath; where I had a sweet and refreshing season, walking alone in the fields. " After I came home to Windsor, I reraained rauch in a like frame of mind, as when at New- York ; only sometimes I felt my heart ready to sink with the thoughts of my friends at New- York. My support was in contemplations on the heavenly state ; as I find in my Diary of May 1, 1723. It was a comfort to think of that state, where there is fulness of joy ; where reigns heavenly, calm, and delightful love, without alloy ; where there aire continually the dearest expressions of love ; where is the enjoyment ofthe persons loved, without ever parting; where those persons 20 IHE LIFE OF PRESIDENT EDWARDS. who appear so ovely in this world, will really be inexpressibly more lovely and full of love to us. And how sweetly will the mutual lovers join to gether to sing the praises of God and the Lamb ! How will it fill us with joy to think, that this enjoyment, these sweet exercises will never cease, but will last to all eternity ! I continued much in the same frame, in the general, as when at New- York, till I went to New Haven as tutor to the college ; particularly once at Bolton, on a journey from Boston, while walking out alone in the fields. After I went to New Haven I sunk in religion ; my mind being diverted from ray eager pursuits after holiness, by some affairs that greatly perplexed and distracted my thoughts. " In September, 1725, I was taken ill at New Haven, and while en deavoring to go horae to Winder, was so ill at the North Village, that I could go no'further ; where I lay sick for about a quarter of a year. In this sickness God was pleased to visit me again with the sweet influences of his Spirit. My mind was greatly engaged there in divine, pleasant contemplations, and longings of soul. I observed that those who watched with rae, would often be looking out wishfully for the morning ; which brought to ray mind those words of the Psalmist, and which my soul with delight raade its own language, My soul waiteth for the Lord, more than they that watch for the morning, I say, more than they that watch for the morning ; and when the light of day carae in at the windows, it refreshed my soul from one morning to another. It seemed to be some image of the light of God's glory. " I remember, about that time, I used greatly to long for the conver sion of some that I was concerned with ; I could gladly honor them, and with delight be a servant to thera, and lie at their feet, if they were but truly holy. But, some time after this, I was again greatly diverted in my mind with some teraporal concerns that exceedingly took up my thoughts, greatly to the wounding of my soul ; and went on through various exer cises, that it would be tedious to relate, which gave me much more ex perience of my own heart, than ever I had before. " Since I came to this town,* I have often had sweet complacency in God, in views of his glorious perfections and the excellency of Jesus Christ. God has appeared to me a glorious and lovely Being, chiefly on the ac count of his holiness. The holiness of God has always appeared to me the raost lovely of all his attributes. The doctrines of God's absolute sove reignty, and free grace, in showing mercy to whom he would show mercy; and man's absolute dependence on the operations of God's Holy Spirit, have very often appeared to me as sweet and glorious doctrines. These doctrines have been rauch my delight. God's sovereignty has ever appeared to rae, great part of his glory. It has often been my delight to approach God, and adore him as a sovereign God, and ask sovereign mercy of him " I have loved the doctrines of the gospel ; they have been to my soul like green pastures. The gospel has seemed to me the richest treasure ; the treasure that I have most desired, and longed that it might dwell richly in me. The way of salvation by Christ has appeared, in a general way, glorious and excellent, most pleasant and most beautiful. It has often seemed to rae, that it would in a great measure spoil heaven, to receive it in any other way. That text has often been affecting and delighful to me, Isa. xxxii. 2, A man shall be a hiding place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest, &c. * Northampton. THE LIFE OF PRESIDENT EDWARDS. 21 " It has often appeared to me delightful, to be united to Christ ; to have him foV my head, and to be a meraber of his body ; also to have Christ for my teacher and prophet. I very often think with sweetness, and longings, and pantings of soul, of being a little child, taking hold of Christ, to be led by him through the wilderness of this world. 'That text Matth. xviii. 3, has often been sweet to me, Except ye be converted and become as little children, &c. I love to think of coming to Christ, to receive salvation of him, poor in spirit, and quite empty of self, humbly exalting him alone ; cut off entirely from my own root, in order to grow into, and out of Christ ; to have God in Christ to be all in all ; and to live by faith on the Son of God, a life of humble, unfeigned confidence in hira. That scripture has often been sweet to rae, Psal. cxv. 1, Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory, for thy mercy, and for thy truth's sake. And those words of Christ, Luke x. 21, In that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit, and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes ; even so, Father, for so it seemed good in thy sight. That sovereignty of God wliich Christ rejoiced in, seemed to me worthy of such joy ; and that rejoicing seemed to show the excellency of Christ, and of what spirit he was. " Sometimes, only mentioning a single word caused ray heart to burn within rae ; or only seeing the name of Christ, or the name of some attri bute of God. And God has appeared glorious to me, on account of the Trinity. It has made me have exalting thoughts of God, that he subsists in three persons ; Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. The sweetest joys and delights I have experienced, have not been those that have arisen from a hope of my own good estate ; but in a direct view of the glorious things of the gospel. When I enjoy this sweetness, it seems to carry me above the thoughts of my own estate ; it seems at such times a loss that I cannot bear, to take off my eye from the glorious pleasant object I behold with out rae, to turn my eye in upon myself, and my own good estate. " My heart has been much on the advancement of Christ's kingdom in the world. The histories of the past advancement of Christ's kingdom have been sweet to me. When I have read histories of past ages, the plea santest thing in all my reading has been, to read of the kingdom of Christ being promoted. And when I have expected, in ray reading, to come to any such thing, I have rejoiced in the prospect, all the way as I read. And my mind has been much entertained and delighted with the Scrip ture promises and prophesies, which relate to the future glorious advance ment of Christ's kingdom upon earth. " I have soraetiraes had a sense of the excellent fulness of Christ, and his meetness and suitableness as a Saviour ; whereby he has appeared to me, far above all, the chief of ten thousands. His blood and atonement , have appeared sweet, and his righteousness sweet ; which was always accompanied with ardency of spirit ; and inward strugglings and breath ings, and groanings that cannot be uttered, to be emptied of myself, and swallowed up in Christ. " Once, as I rode out into the woods for ray health, in 1737, having alighted from my horse in a retired plaee, as ray manner commonly has been, to walk for divine contemplation and prayer, I had a view that for me was extraordinary, of the glory of the Son of God, as Mediator be tween God and man, and his wonde.ful, great, full, pure and sweet grace 22 THE LIFE OF PRESIDENT EDWARDS. and love, and meek and gentle condescension. This grace that appeared so calm and sweet, appeared also great above the heavens. The person of Christ appeared ineffably excellent, with an excellency great enough to swallow up all thought and conception — which continued, as near as I can judge, about an hour ; which kept me the greater part of the time in a flood of tears, and weeping aloud. I felt an ardency of soul to be, what I know not otherwise how to express, emptied and annihilated ; to lie in the dust, and to be full of Christ alone ; to love him with a holy and pure love ; to trust in him ; to live upon him ; to serve and follow him ; and to be perfectly sanctified and made pure; with a divine and heavenly purity. I have, several other tiraes, had views very much of the same nature, and which have had the same effects. " I have many times had a sense of the glory of the third person in the Trinity, in his office of sanctifier ; in his holy operations, communicating divine light and life to the soul. God, in the communications of his Holy Spirit, has appeared as an infinite fountain of divine glory and sweetness ; being full and sufficient to fill and satisfy the soul ; pouring forth itself in sweet coraraunications ; like the sun in its glory, sweetly and pleasantly diffusing light and life. And I have sometimes had an affecting sense of the excellency of the word of God, as the word of life ; as the light of life ; a sweet, excellent, life-giving word ; accompanied with a thirsting after that word, that it might dwell richly in my heart. " Often, since I lived in this town, I have had very affecting views of my own sinfulness and vileness ; very frequently to such a degree as to hold me in a kind of loud weeping, sometimes for a considerable time to gether ; so that I have often been forced to shut myself up. I have had a vastly greater sense of my own wickedness, and the badness of my heart, than ever I had before my conversion.* It has often appeared to me, that if God should mark iniquity against me, I should appear the very worst of all mankind ; of all that have been since the beginning of the world to this time ; and that I should have by far the lowest place in hell. When others, that have come to talk with me about their soul concerns, have expressed the sense they have had of their own wicked ness, by saying that it seemed to them, that they were a§ bad as the devil himself; I thought their expressions seemed exceeding faint and feeble, to represent my wickedness. " My wickedness, as I am in myself, has long appeared to me perfectly ineffable, and swallowing up all thought and imagination ; like an infinite deluge, or mountains over my head. I know not how to express better what ray sins appear to me to be, than by heaping infinite upon infinite, and multiplying infinite by infinite. Very often, for these manyyearsi these expressions are in my mind and in my mouth, • Infinite upon infinite — Infinite upon infinite !' When I look into my heart, and take a view of my wickedness, it looks like an abyss infinitely deeper than hell. And it appears to me, that were it not for free grace, exalted and raised up to * the infinite height of all 'he fulness and glory of the gi-eat Jehovah, and * Our author does not say, that he had more wieljeJness, and badness of heart since his con version, than he had before ; but that he had a greater sense thereof. Thus the blind man mav have his garden/ai; of noxious weeds, and yet not see or be sensible of them. But should the garden be in great part cleared of these, and furnished with many beautiful and salutary plants • and sun- posing the owner now to have the power of discriminating objects of sight; in this case he would hare Ifss, but would see, and have a sense of more. To which may be added, that the better the organ, and clearer the light may be, the stronger will be the sense excited by sin or holiness. THE LIFE OF PRESIDENT EDWARDS. 23 the arm of his power and grace stretched forth in all the majesty of his power, and in all the glory Of his sovereignty, I should appear sunk down in my sins below hell itself; far beyond the sight of every thing, but the eye of sovereign grace, that can pierce even down to such a depth. And yet it seems to me, that my conviction of sin is exceeding small, and faint ; it is enough to amaze me, that I have no raore sense of my sin. I know certainly, that I have very little sense of ray sinfulness. When I have had turns of weeping for my sins, I thought I knew at the time that my repentance was nothing to my sin. " I have greatly longed of late for a broken heart, and to lie low before God ; and, when I ask for humility, I cannot bear the thoughts of being no more humble than other Christians. It seems to me, that though their degrees of humility may be suitable for them, yet it would be a vile self-ex altation in me, not 'to be the lowest in huraility of all mankind. Others speak of their longing to be ' humbled in the dust ;' that may be a proper expression for them, but I always think of myself, that I ought, and it is an expression that has long been natural for me to use in prayer, ' to lie in finitely low before God.' And it is affecting to think, how ignorant I was, when a young Christian, of the bottomless, infinite depths of wicked ness, pride, hypocrisy and deceit, left in my heart. " I have a rauch greater sense of my universal, exceeding dependence on God's grace and strength, and raere good pleasure, of late, than I used formerly to have ; and have experienced more of an abhorrence of my own righteousness. The very thought of any joy arising in me, on any consideration of my own amiableness, performances, or experiences, or any goodness of heart or life, is nauseous and detestable to me. And yet I am greatly afflicted with a proud and self-righteous spirit, much more sensibly than I used to be formerly. I see that serpent rising and putting forth its head continually, every where, all around me. " Though it seems to me, that, in some respects, I was a far better Christian, for two or three years after my first conversion, than I am now; and lived in a more constant delight and pleasure ; yet, of late years, I have had a more full and constant sense of the absolute sovereignty of God, and a delight in that sovereignty ; and have had more of a sense of the glory of Christ, as a Mediator revealed in the gospel. On one Satur day night, in particular, I had such a discovery of the excellency of the gospel above all other doctrines, that I could not but say to myself, ' This is my chosen light, my chosen doctrine;' and of Christ, 'This is my chosen Prophet.' It appeared sweet, beyond all expression to follow Christ, and to be taught, and enlightened, and instructed by hira ; to learn of him, and live to him. Another Saturday night (January, 1739) I had such a sense, how sweet and blessed a thing it was to walk in the way of duty ; to do that which was right and meet to be done, and agreeable to the holy mind of God ; that it caused rae to break forth into a kind of loud weeping, which held me sorae tirae, so that I was forced to shut rayself up, and fasten the doors. I could not but, as "t were, cry out, ' How happy are they which do that which is right in the sight of God I They are blessed indeed, they are the happy ones !' I had, at the sarae time, a very affecting sense, how meet and suitable it was that God should govern the world, and order all things according to his own pleasure ; and I re joiced in it, that God reigned, and that his will was done." 24 THE LIFE OF PRESIDENT EDWARDS. CHAPTER IIL HIS GENERAL DEPORTBIENT, PAETICITLAKLY WmLE AT NORTHAMPTON. In the first chapter of these Memoirs, we have seen that Mr. Edwards, having taken his Master's degree, was very soon invited to be tutor of that college where he received his education, and which conferred upon him that degree ; a clear proof, that the managers had a high opinion of his talents and qualifications, when only in the twenty-first year of his age. It must be owned, that this was an engagement of great consequence for so young a man ; especially, considering that no small portion of his time had been devoted to ministerial occupations, and the requisite preparato ry studies wnich relate exclusively to that important business. But the strength of his raind overcame difficulties, which to the generality of stu dents appear insuperable. It must be allowed, indeed, that our author was not in the highest class of learned raen ; for his time, his means, and his duties, did not allow of such an attainment. We should recollect, however, what Mr. Locke somewhere very properly observes, that though men of much reading " are greatly learned, they may be but little know ing." In some situations and circumstances, he might have been a great linguist, a profound mathematician, a distinguished natural philosopher ; but (without any designed reflection on those who excel in these, or any other branches of literature and science) he was far more happily em ployed, both for himself and others. In fact, he has given proofs of a mind so uncomraonly vigorous and enlightened, that it is rather a matter of joy it was not engrossed by studies, which would have rendered him only the admiration of a few, but prevented him from producing those works which are of universal importance, and in which he appears as the instructor of all. He had, in short, the best and sublimest kind of know ledge, without being too much encumbered with what was but little com patible with his calling. We have also seen that Mr. Edwards resigned his tutorship at Yale College, when he had been there, in that capacity, a little more than two years, in consequence of an invitation from Northampton, in Massachu setts, in order to assist the aged and venerable Mr. Stoddard. In the present chapter we propose to detail his general manner of life more par ticularly while at this place ; which, in connection with the uncomraon revival of religion there, of which he was the happy and honored instru ment, is a very interesting period of his life. He who enters into the true spirit of our author's writings, and espe cially of the extracts we have given from his private papers, cannot ques tion that he made conscience of private devotion ; but, as he raade a se cret of such exercises, nothing can be said of them but what his papers discover, and what may be fairly inferred from circumstances. It appears, by his Diary, that in his youth he determined to attend secret prayer more than twice a day, when circumstances would allow ; and thereis much evidence that he was frequent and punctual in that duty, often kept days of fasting and prayer, and set apart portions of time for devout medita tions on spiritual and eternal things, as part of his religious exercises in retirement. This coil stant, solemn converse with God in these exercises made his THE LIFE OF PRESIDENT EDWARDS. 25 face, as it were, to shine before others. His appearance, his countenance, words, and whole demeanor, though without any thing of affected grim ace, or sour austerity, were attended with a seriousness, gravity, and so lemnity, which were the genuine indication of a deep, abiding sense of divine things on his mind, and of living constantly in the fear of God. Agreeably to his Resolutions, he was very careful and abstemious in eating and drinking ; as doubtless it was necessary for so great a student, and a person of so delicate a make as he was, in order to be comfortable and useful. When he had, by careful observation, found what kind, and what quantity of diet best suited his constitution, and rendered him most fit to pursue his work, he was very strict and exact in coraplying with it. In this respect he lived by rule ; and herein he constanly practised great self-denial ; which he also did in his constant early rising, in order to re deem tirae for study. He accustomed himself to rise at four, or between four and five, in the morning. Though he was of a tender constitution, yet few students are capable of more close application, or for raore hours in a day, than he was. He commonly spent thirteen hours, every day, in his study. His most usual diversion, in summer, was riding on horseback and walking. He would commonly, unless diverted by company, ride two or three miles after din ner to some lonely grove, where he would dismount and walk a while. At which times he generally carried his pen and ink with him, to note any thought that might be suggested, and which promised some light on any important subject. In the winter, he was wont almost daily to take an axe, and chop wood raoderately, for the space of half an hour or more. He had an uncommon thirst for knowledge, in the pursuit of which he spared no cost nor pains. He i»ead all the books, especially, books of di vinity, that he could corae at, from which he could hope to get any help, in his pursuit of knowledge. And in this, he did not confine himself to authors of any particular sect or denoraination ; but even took rauch pains to corae at the books of the most noted writers who advanced a scheme of divinity most contrary to his own principles. But he studied the Bible more than all other books, and more than most other divines do. His uncomraon acquaintance with the Bible appears in his sermons, and in most of his publications ; and his great pains in studying it are raan ifest in his manuscript notes upon it ; of which a more particular account will be given hereafter. He took his religious principles from the Bible, and not from any human system or body of divinity. Though his prin ciples were Calvinistic, yet he called no man Father. He thought and judged for himself, and was truly very much of an original. Reading was not the only method he took to improve his mind ; he was much given to writing, without which, probably no student can make improve ments to the best advantage. Agreeably to Resolution Ilth, he applied himself, with all his might, to find out the truth ; he searched for under standing and knowledge as for silver, and digged for it as for hid treasures. Every thought, on any subject, which appeared to him worth pursuing and preserving, he pursued as far as he then could, with a pen in his hand. Thus he was all his days, like the busy bee, collecting from every opening flower, and storing up a stock of knowledge, which was indeed sweet to him, as the honey and the honey-comb. And, as he advanced in years and in knowledge, his pen was more and more employed, and his manuscripts grew much faster on his hands. 26 THE LIFE OF PRESIDENT EDWARDS. He was thought by some,' who had but a slight acqua ntance with him, to be stiff" and unsociable ; but this was owing to want of better ac quaintance. He was not a man of many words indeed, and was some what reserved among strangers, and those on whose candor and friend ship he did not know he could rely. And this was probably owing to two things. First, the strict guard he set over his tongue from his youth, which appears by his Resolutions, taking great care never to use it in any way that might prove mischievous to any ; never to sin with his tongue; nor to employ it in idle, trivial, and impertinent talk, which generally makes up a great part of the conversation of those who are full of words in all companies. He was sensible that, in the multitude of words, there wanteth not sin ; and therefore refrained his lips, and habituated himself to think before he spoke, and to propose some good end even in all his words ; which led him to be, above others, conformable to an apostolic precept, slow to speak. Secondly, this was in part the effect of his bodily constitution. He possessed but a comparatively small stock of animal life ; his spirits were low, and he had not strength of lungs to spare, that would be necessary in order to make him what raight be called art affable, facetious gentleman. They who have a great flow of animal spirits, and so can speak with less expense than others, may doubtless lawfully prac tise free conversation in all companies for a lower end, e. g. to please, or to render themselves acceptable. But not so, he who has not such a stock ; it becomes him to reserve what he has, for higher and more ira portant service. Besides, the want of aniraal spirits lays a man under a natural inabihty of exercising that freedom of conversation, which those of more life naturally glide into ; and the greatest degree of a social dis position, humihty and benevolence, will not remove this obstacle. He was not forward to enter into any dispute among strangers, and in companies where there raight be persons of different sentiments ; being sensible, that such disputes are generally unprofitable, and often sinful, and of bad consequence. He thought he could dispute to the best advantage with his pen ; yet he was always free to give his sentiments on any sub ject proposed to him, and to remove any difficulties or objections offered by way of inquiry, as lying in the way of what he looked upon to be the truth. But how groundless the imputation of stiff and unsociable was, his known and tried friends best knew. They always found him easy of access, kind and condescending ; and though not talkative, yet afl^able and free. Among such,' whose candor and friendship he had experienced, he threw off reserve, and was quite patient of contradiction, while the ut most opposition was made to his sentiments,' that could be by any plausi ble arguments or objections. And indeed, he was, on all occasions, quite sociable and free with all who had any special business with him. In his family he practised that conscientious exactness which was con spicuous in all his ways. He maintained a great esteem and regard for his araiable and excellent consort. Much of the tender and kind was expressed in his conversation with her, and conduct towards her. He was wont frequently to converse freely with her on matters of religion ; and he used commonly to pray with her in his study, at least once a day, unless something extraordinary prevented. The time for this, commonly, was just before going to bed, after prayers in the family. As he rose very early himself, he was wont to have his family up betimes in the morning ; after which, before they entered on the business of the day, he THE LIFE OF PRESIDENT EDWARDS. 27 attended on family prayers : when a chapter in the Bible was read, com monly by candle light in the winter ; upon which he asked his children (Questions according to their age and capacity ; and took occasion to ex plain some passages in it, or enforce any duty recommended, &c., as he thought raost proper. He was thorough in the governraent of his children ; and, as a conse quence of this, they reverenced, esteemed and loved him. He took spe cial care to begin his government of them in good time. When they first discovered any considerable degree of self-will and stubbornness, he would attend to them till he had thoroughly subdued them and brought them to submit. Such prudent discipline, exercised with the greatest calmness, being repeated once or twice, was generally sufficient for that child ; and effeqtually established his parental authority, and produced a cheerful obedience ever after. He kept a watchful eye over his children, that he might admonish them of the first wrong step, and direct them in the right way. He took oppor tunities to converse with them in his study, singly and closely, about their souls' concerns ; and to give them warning, exhortation and direction, as he saw need. He took much pains to instruct them in the principles of religion ; in which he made use of the Assembly's Shorter Catechism ; not raerely by taking care that they learned it by heart ; but by leading them into an understanding of the doctrines therein taught, by asking them questions on each answer, and explaining it to them. His usual time to attend to this was on the evening before the Sabbath. And, as he be- lieved that the Sabbath, or holy tirae, began at sunset the evening before the day, he ordered his faraily to finish all their secular business by that time, or before ; when all were called together, a psalm was sung, and prayer made, as an introduction to the sanctification of the Sabbath. This care and exactness effectually prevented that intruding on holy time, by attend ing to secular business, which is too comraon even in families where the evening before the Sabbath is pretended to be observed. He was a great eneray to young people's unseasonably associating to gether for vain amusements, which he regarded as a dangerous step to wards corrupting and bringing them to ruin. And he thought the excuse many parents make for tolerating their children in it (viz., that it is the custom, and others' children practise it, which renders it difficult, and even impossible to restrain theirs) was insufficient and frivolous ; and manifested a great degree of stupidity, on supposition the practice was hurtful and pernicious to their souls. And when his children grew up, he found no difficulty in restraining them from this pernicious practice ; but they cheerfully complied with the wifl of their parents. He allowed none of his children to be from home after nine o'clock at night, when they went abroad to see their friends and companions ; neither were they allowed to sit up much after that time, in his own house, when any came to make them a visit. He had a strict and inviolable regard to justice in all his dealings with his neighbors, and was very careful to provide things honest in the sight bf all men ; so that scarcely a man had any dealings with him, that was not satisfied of his uprightness. He appeared to have a sacred regard to truth in his words, both in promises and narrations, agreeable to his Res olutions. This doubtless was one reason why he was not so full of words as many are. No man feared to rely on his veracity. 28 THE LIFE OF PRESIDENT EDWAilDS. He was cautious in choosing his intimate friends, and therefore had not many that might properly be called such ; bu,', to them he showed himself friendly in a peculiar manner. He was indeed a faithful friend, and able above most others to keep a secret. To them he discovered himself more than to others, led thera into his views and ends, and to his conduct, in particular instances : by which they had abundant evidence that he well understood human nature ; and that his general reservedness, and many particular instances of his conduct, which a stranger might im pute to ignorance of men, were really owing to his uncommon knowledge of mankind. His conversation with his friends was always profitable. He was not wont to spend his time with them in scandal and backbiting, or in foolish jesting, idle chat, and telling stories : but his mouth was that of the just, which bringeth forth wisdom, and whose lips dispense knowledge. His tongue was as the pen of a ready writer, while he conversed about im portant, heavenly, divine things, which his heart was so full of, in such a natural and free manner, as to be most entertaining and instructive ; so that none of his friends could enjoy his company without instruction and profit, unless it was by their own fault. His great benevolence to raankind discovered itself, among other ways, by the uncommon regard he showed to the poor and distressed. He was much in recommending charity, both in his public discourses and private conversation. He often declared it to be his opinion, that professed Christians in these days are greatly deficient in this duty ; and much more so than in raost other parts of external Christianity. He often observed how much this is spoken of, recommended and encouraged in the Holy Scripture, especially in the New Testament. And it was his opinion that every particular church ought, by frequent and liberal contributions, to maintain a public stock, that might be ready for the poor and necessitous members of that church ; and that the principal business of deacons is to take care of the poor in the faithful and judicious distribution and improve ment of the church's temporals, lodged in their hands. And he did not content himself with recomraending charity to others, but practised it rauch himself. He was forward to give on all public occasions of charity, though when it could properly be done, he always concealed the sum given. And some instances of his giving raore privately have accident ally come to the knowledge of others, in which his liberality appeared ir a very extraordinary degree. One of the instances was this : upon hi> hearing that a poor obscure man, whora he never saw, or any of hii' kindred, was by an extraordinary bodily disorder brought to great straits he, unasked, gave a considerable sura to a friend to be delivered to the distressed person ; having first required a proraise of him, that he would let neither the person who was the object of his charity, nor any one else know by whom it was given. This may serve both as an instance of his extraordinary charity, and of hisgreat care to conceal it.* Mr. Edwards had the character of a ^oorf^reacAer, almost beyond any minister in America. His eminence as a preacher seems to have been owing to the following things : First, The great pains he took in composing his sermons, especially in • As both the giver, and the object ?f his charit," are dead, and allthe ends of the proposed secrecy are answered; it is thought no: inconsistcri-; with the above-mentioned promise, to make known the fact, as it is here related. THE LIFE OF PRESIDENT EDWARDS. 29 the first part of his life. As by his early rising and constant attention to study, he had more time than most others, so he spent more tirae in making his sermons. He wrote most of them in full, for near twenty years after he first began to preach ; though he did not wholly confine himself to his paper in delivering them. Secondly, His great acquaintance with divinity, and knowledge of the Bible. His extensive knowledge and great clearness of thought enabled him to handle every subject with great judgment and propriety, and to bring out of his treasure things new and old. Every subject he handled was instructive, plain, entertaining and profitable ; which was much owing to his being master of the subject, and his great skill to treat it in a most natural, easy and profitable manner. None of his composures were dry speculations, unmeaning harangues, or words without ideas. When he dwelt on those truths which are much controverted and opposed by many, which was often the case, he would set them in such a natural and easy light, and every sentiment, from step to step, would drop from his lips, at tended with such clear and striking evidence, both from Scripture and reason, as even to force the assent of every attentive hearer. Thirdly, His excellency as a preacher was very much the effect of his great acquaintance with his own heart, his inward sense and high relish of divine truths, and experimental religion. This gave him a great in sight into human nature : he knew much what was in man, both the saint and the sinner. This helped him to be skilful, to lay truth before the mind so as not only to convince the judgment, but also to touch the heart and conscience ; and enabled him to speak out of the abundance of his heart what he knew, and testify what he had seen and felt. This gave him a taste and discernment, without which he could not have been able to fill his sermons, as he did, with such striking, affecting sentiments, all suited to move, and to rectify the heart of the hearer. His sermons were well arranged, not usually long, and coramonly a large part taken up in the improvement ; which was closely connected with the subject, and consisted in sentiments naturally flowing frora it. But no description of his sermons will give the reader the idea of them which they had who sat under his preaching. His appearance in the pulpit was graceful, and his delivery easy, natural, and very solemn. He had not a strong, loud voice ; but appeared with such gravity, and solemnity, and spake with such distinctness, clear ness and precision ; his words were so full of ideas, set in such a plain and striking light, that few speakers have been so able to command the attention of an audience. His words often discovered a great degree of inw ard fervor, without much noise or gesture, and fell with great weight on the minds of his hearers. Though he was wont to read what he delivered, he was far from thinking this the best way of preaching in general, and looked upon his using notes so much as he did, a defect and infirraity. And in the latter part of his hfe he was inclined to think it had been better, if he had never accustomed himself to use his notes at all. It appeared to him that preaching wholly without notes, agreeably to the custom in most •Protest ant countries, and what seems evidently to have been the raanner of the apostles and primitive rainisters ofthe gospel, was the raost natural way; and had the greatest tendency, on the whole, to answer the end of preach mg : and supposed that none who had talents equal to the work ol the 30 THE LIFE OF PRESIDENT EDWARDS. ministry, was incapable of speaking memoriter, if he took s'aitable pains for this attainment from his youth. He would have the young preacher write his serraons, at least most of them, out at large ; and instead ot reading them to his hearers, take pains to commit them to memory. Which, though it would require a great deal of labor at first, yet would soon become easier by use, and help him to speak more correctly and freely, and be of great service to him all his days.* His prayers were indeed extempore. He was the farthest from any appearance of a form, as to his words and manner of expression, of al most any raan. He was quite singular and inimitable in this, by any who have not a spirit of real and undissembled devotion ; yet he always expressed himself with decency and propriety. He appeared to have much of the grace and spirit of prayer ; to pray with the spirit and with the understanding ; and he performed this part of duty much to the ac ceptance and edification of those who joined with him. He -was not wont, in ordinary cases, to be long in his prayers : an error which he observed was often hurtful to public and social prayer, as it tends rather to damp than promote true devotion. He gave himself altogether to the work of the ministry, and entangled not himself with the affairs of this life. He left the particular oversight and direction of the temporal concerns of his family, almost entirely to Mrs. Edwards. He was less acquainted with most of his temporal affairs than many of his neighbors, and seldora knew when, and by whom his forage for winter was gathered in, or how many milk kine he had, or whence his table was furnished, &c. He did not make it his custora to visit his people in their own houses, unless he was sent fdr by the sick ; or he heard that they were under some special affliction. Instead of visiting from house to house, he used to preach frequently at private raeetings in particular neighborhoods ; and often call the young people and children to his own house, when he used to pray with them, and treat with them in a manner suited to their years and circurastances ; and he catechised the children in pubhc every Sab bath in the summer. And he used soraetiraes to propose questions to particular young persons in writing, for them to answer after a proper time given them to prepare. In putting out these questions, he en- ' deavored to suit them to the age, genius, and abilities of those to whom they were given. His questions were generally such as required but a short answer ; and yet could not be answered without a particular know- * Different preachers, like all other public speakers, are possessed of exceedingly different gifts ; and therefore one plan, however excellen t on the whole, cannot be adopted advantageously by all. In one, clearness of understanding and correctness ot judgment are most prominent ; in another, a lively and fertile imaginatiun prevails ; and a third excels in strength of -me-mm-y. Some have a greater facility of expression at leisure, by. the pen ; and others experience more freedom when their senses and feelings are roused by their appearance in public. The man who excels in a sound judgment seldom possesses a lively imagination ; he therefore should write the more with a view togive anima^Km. to his compositions. He should secure in his notes pertinent quotations of Scripture, apt comparisons. Scripture allusions, and historic facts. The preacher, whose fancy is active and excursive, should labor to secure a well digested plan, argumentatively just, and naturally connected. This will prevent his running into a wordy, declamatory strain. — As to memory, there are two sorts, the verbal, and the scientific or systematic. He who has the former may soon Jireaoh memoriter ;— after writing aU, or wilhout writing any. But let him ever watch, lest he enter into the temptation of plagiary ; his quoting, however, long passages from the holy Scriptures, when apposite, will be always acceptable ; and occasionally, when avowed, the words of other authors. 'The scientific memory should guard against too much analysis in a serraon, and often choose for the subject of discussion historical passages, or any others which are best treated in the way of observation; which in time will effectually counteract the opposite tendency to ex plain what is clear, and to analyze without profit, THE LIFE OF PRESIDENT EDWARDS. 31 ledge of some historical part of the Scripture ; and therefore led, and even obliged persons to study the Bible. He did not neglect visiting his people from house to house because he did not look upon it, in ordinary cases, to be one part of the work of a gospel minister; but because he supposed that ministers should, with re spect to this, consult their own talents and circumstances, and visit more or less, according to the degree in which they could hope thereby to promote the great ertls of the ministry. He observed, that some had a talent for entertaining and profiting by occasional visits among their people. He supposea such had a call to spend a great deal of their time in visiting their people ; but he looked on his own talents to be quite otherwise. He was not able to enter into a free conversation vvith every person he met, and in an easy manner turn it to what topic he pleased, without the help of others, and, it may be, against their inchnation. He therefore found that his visits of this kind must be in a great degree unprofitable. It appeared to him, that he could do the greatest good to souls, and most promote the interest of Christ, by preaching and writing, and conversing with persons under religious impressions in his study; whither he encouraged all such to repair ; where they raight be sure, in ordi nary cases, to find him, and to be allowed easy access to him ; and where they were treated with all desirable tenderness, kindness, and familiarity. In times, therefore, of the revival of religion among his people, his study was thronged with persons who came to lay open their spiritual concerns to him, and seek his advice and direction. These he received with great freedom and pleasure, and there he had the best opportunity to deal in the raost particular manner with each one. He was a skilful guide to souls under spiritual difficulties ; and was therefore sought unto, not only by his own people, but by many who lived scores of railes off. He became such, partly by his own experiraental acquaintance with divine things, and unwearied study of God's word, and partly by his having so much concern with souls under spiritual troubles ; for he had not been settled in the work of the ministry many years before the Spirit of God was wonderfully poured out on his people, by which a great concern about their souls becarae almost universal, and a great number were hope fully the subjects of saving conversion. There was a very remarkable outpouring of God's Holy Spirit in this part of America, in the years 1740 and 1741, and in which Northampton largely partook. ^Mr. Edwards, at this time, had to deal not only with his own people, but with multitudes of others. The report that the same things were at Northampton some years before, and Mr. Edwards's fame for knowledge, piety, and great acquaintance with experimental religion, naturally led both ministers and people, from almost all parts of New England, to look to him for direction and assistance, in this extraordinary time. Being earnestly solicited by ministers and people to come and preach among thera, he went to raany ; though he was not able to gratify all who desired him ; and his preaching was attended with great success. As many of the ministers and people in New England had been un acquainted with such things, they were greatly exposed to run wild, and (by the subtle temptations of the devil) actually did go into great ex tremes, both as opposers and friends to the work of God. Mr. Edwards was greatly helpful by his direction and assistance against the two opposite sxtremes, in conversation preaching and writing. His publications on 32 THE LIFE OF PRESIDENT EDWARDS. this occasion were of great and extensive service ; especially a sermon preached at New Haven, Sept. 10th, 1741, on The distinguishing marks of a work of the Spirit of God, ^c. — his Thoughts concerning the present revival of Religion in New England, ^c, and his Treatise on Religious Affections. All which might be justly considered by the church of Christ as a wise and friendly voice behind them, saying, " This is the way, walk therein :" especially the last mentioned Treatise, which has been esteemed by many the best that has been writen on that subject; setting the distinction between true and false religion in the most clear and striking light. And to the same purpose is The Life of the Rev. David Brainerd, with refiections and observations ; published by Mr. Edwards in 1749. Mr. Edwards was, what some would call, a rigid Calvinist. Those doctrines of Calvinism which have been most objected against, and given the greatest oflience, appeared to him scriptural, reasonable and important ; and he thought that to give them up, was in eflfect to give up all. He therefore looked upon those who, calling themselves Calvinists, were for softening down the truth, that they might conform it more to the taste of those who are most disposed to object against it, were really betraying the cause they pretended to espouse; and were paving the way not only to Arminianism, but to Deism. For if these doctrines were re linquished, he did not see where a man could set his foot down with consistency short of Deism, or even Atheism itself; or rather, universal Skepticism. — He judged that nothing was wanting, but to have these doctrines properly stated and judiciously defended, in order to their ap pearing most agreeable to reason and comraon sense, as well as doctrines of revelation ; and that this therefore was the only effectual method to convince, or silence and put to shame the opposers of them. All will be able to satisfy themselves of the truth of this by reading his works : and especially his books on The Freedom ofthe Will, and Original Sin. In this view of things, he thought it of importance that ministers should be very critical in examining candidates for the ministry, with respect to their principles, as wefl as their religious dispositions and morals. And on this account he met with considerable difficulty and opposition in some instances. His opinion was, that an erroneous or unfaithful minister was likely to do more hurt than good to the church of Christ ; and therefore he could not have any hand in introducing a man into the ministry, unless he appeared sound in the faith, and mani fested, to the judgment of charity, a disposition to be faithful. CHAPTER IV. HIS DISMISSION FROM NORTHAMPTON, WITH THE OCCASION AND CIRCUMSTANCES OF IT. Whatever belongs to man, or more correctly, whatever is properly his oiun, bears the mark of mutability. Mr. Edwards's labors at Northamp ton were crowned, at diflferent periods of his ministry there, with eminent success. But a root of bitterness sprung up, and many were defiled. The transactions contained in this chapter, though unpleasant, may aflibrd, to a serious and reflecting raind, rauch instruction. If that people were more depraved than Christian churches in common, after enjoying for so long THE LIFE OP PRESIDENT EDWARDS. 33 a period the stated instructions and prayers of so eminent a pastor ; how great the depravity of human nature, to be capable of such ingratitude and such a reverse ! Thus it was with Ephraim of old: "When I would," saith God, " have healed Israel, then the iniquity of Ephraim was disco vered, and the wickedness (or the evils) of Samaria." But if the people in question were no more depraved than ourselves, let us learn caution, and beware of unreasonable and inordinate attachment to customs — let us contemplate with proper emotions the instability of all human affairs — rthe folly and danger of trusting in man — and remember that we depend on God for the preservation of the closest friendships — and that the best ministers, without the continued supply of the Holy Spirit on the minds of their people, have no sure interest in their affections ; people to whom they have been most useful, and who were long most attached to thern. — Human nature has occasionally shown itself in every age to be the same. After the most extraordinary manifestation of divine power and goodness, " the whole congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness." And after the raost awful and irapressive instructions, thc Lord had to say to Moses, " Go, get thee down ; for thy people, which thou broughtest out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves." For many years, Mr. Edwards was very happy in the love and esteem of his people, and there was during that period the greatest prospect of his living and dying so. Indeed he was almost the last rainister in all New England {hat would have been thought likely to be opposed by his people. But the event proved, how incompetent we are to decipher those consequences which depend on human volitions. — In the year 1744, about six years before the final rupture, Mr. Edwards was informed that some young persons in town who were raembers of the church, had books in their possession which they eraployed to promote lascivious and obscene discourse among the young people. Upon inquiry, a nuraber of persons testified, that they had heard one and another, from tirae to time, talk obscenely ; as what they were led to by reading a book or books, which they had among them. Mr. Edwards thought the brethren of the church ought to look into the matter ; and in order to introduce it, he preached a sermon from Heb. xii. 15, 16, " Looking diligently, lest any man fail of the grace of God ; lest any root of bitterness springing up, trouble you, and thereby many be defiled ; lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau," &c. After sermon, he desired the brethren of the church to stay, and told them what information he had got ; and pro posed, whether they thought proper to take any measures to examine into the matter. They with one consent, and much zeal, manifested it to be their opinion, that it ought to be inquired into ; and proceeded to choose a number of men, to assist their pastor in examining into the aflfair. Upon which Mr. Edwards appointed the time for their meeting at his house, and then read a catalogue of the names of young persons, whom he desired to come to his house at the same time. Some were the accused, and sorae witnesses ; but it was not then declared of which number any particular person was. When the names were published, it appeared that there were but few of the considerable families in the town, to which some of the persons named did not belong, or were nearly related. Whether this was the occasion of the alteration or not, before the day appointed camie. how Vol. I. 3 34 THE LIFE OF PRESIDENT EDWARDS. ever, a great nuraber of the heads of families altered their minds, and de clared, that they did not think proper to proceed as they had done ; that their children should not be called to an account in such a way, &c.. The town was suddenly all in a blaze. This strengthened the hands of the accused, some refused to appear, and others who did appear behaved with a great degree of insolence, and contempt of the authority of the church. And little or nothing could be done further in the affair. This was the occasion of weakening Mr. Edwards's hands in the work of the ministry, especially among the young people, with whom by this means he greatly lost his influence. It doubtless laid a foundation, and will help to account for the surprising events which will be related. He certainly had no great visible success after this ; the influences of God's Holy Spirit were greatly withheld, and security and carnality much increased.* Mr. Stoddard, Mr. Edwards's grandfather and predecessor, was of the opinion that unconverted persons, considered as such, had a right in the sight of God, or by his appointment, to the sacrament of the Lord's supper ; that therefore it was their duty to come to that ordinance, though they knew they had no true goodness, or gospel holiness. He maintained, that visible Christianity does not consist in a profession or appearance of that wherein true holiness or real Christianity consists ; that therefore, the pro fession which persons raake in order to be received as visible raembers of Christ's church, ought not to be such as to express or iraply a real com pliance with, or consent to the terms of the covenant of gr,ace, or a hearty embracing of the gospel. He formed a short profession for persons to make, in order to be admitted into the church, answerable to this princi ple ; and accordingly persons were admitted into the church, and to the sacrament, on those terras. Mr. Stoddard's principle at first raade a great noise in the country ; and he was opposed, as introducing something con trary to the principles and practice of almost all the churches in New England : and the matter was publicly controverted between him and Dr. Increase Mather, of Boston. However, through Mr. Stoddard's great influence over the people of Northarapton, it was introduced there, though not without opposition ; by degrees it spread yery much among rainisters and people in that county, and in other parts of New England. Mr. Edwards had some hesitation about this matter when he first settled at Northarapton, but did not receive such a degree of conviction, as to pre vent his adopting it with a good conscience, for some years. But at length his doubts increased, which put hira upon exaraining it thoroughly, by searching the Scripture, and reading such books as were written on the subject. The result was a full conviction that it was wrong, and that he could not retain the practice with a good conscience. He was fully .convinced, that to be a visible Christian was to put on the visibility or appearance of a real Christian ; that the profession of Christianity was a profession of that wherein real Christianity consists ; and therefore that no person who rejected Christ in his heart, could raake such a profession consistent with truth. And as the ordinance of the Lord's supper was instituted for none but visible professing Christians, none but those who * What an awful warning to all professors, and especially to young people! Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth ! Little do the giddy and the gay think how their levities operate, and what seeds of distress and sorrow they are sowing for themselves and others Wo unto you that thus laugh now, for ye shall mourn and weep ! How desirable it should be' ptni. tenlially have, and not despairingly hereafter. ^ THE LIFE OF PRESIDEN'P EDWARDS. 35 are real Christians have a right in the sight of God to come to that ordi nance : and consequently that none ought to be admitted thereto, who do not make a profession of real Christianity, and so be received in a judgment of charity as true friends to Jesus Christ. When Mr. Edwards's sentiments were known (in the spring of the year 1744) it gave great offence, and the town was put into a great ferment : and before he was heard in his own defence, or it was known by many what his principles were, the general cry was to have hira dismissed, as what alone would satisfy them. This was evident from the whole tenor of their conduct, as they neglected the most proper means of understand ing tho matter in dispute, and persisted in a refusal to attend to what Mr. Edwards had to say in defence of his principles. From beginning to end, they opposed the measures which had the best tendency to com promise and heal the difficulty ; and with rauch zeal pursued those which were calculated to make a separation certain and speedy. He thought of preaching on the subject, that they might know what were his senti ments, and the grounds of them (of both of which he was sensible that most of them were quite ignorant), before they took any step for a sepa ration. — But that he might do nothing to increase the turault, he first proposed the thing to the church's standing committee ; supposing that if he entered on the subject publicly with their cousent, it would prevent the ill consequences which otherwise he feared would follow. But the most of them strenuously opposed it. Upon which he gave it over for the present, as what in such circumstances would rather blow up the fire to a greater height, than answer the good ends proposed. Mr. Edwards was sensible that his principles were not understood, but misrepresented through the country ; and finding that his people were then too warm calmly to attend to the matter in controversy, he pro posed to print what he had to say on the point ; as this seemed to be the only way left hira to have a fair hearing. Accordingly his people con sented to put off calling a council, till what he should write was published. But they manifested great uneasiness in waiting, before it came out of the press ; and when it was published, it was read but by very few of them. Mr. Edwards being sensible of this, renewed his proposal to preach upon it, and at a meeting of the brethren of the church asked their consent in the following terms : " I desire that the brethren would manifest their consent, that I should declare the reasons of my opinion relating to full coraraunion in the church, in lectures appointed for that end ; not as an act of authority, or as putting the power of declaring the whole counsel of God out of my hands ; but for peace' sake, and to pre vent occasion cf strife." This was answered in the negative. He then proposed that it should be left to a few of the neighboring ministers, whether it was not, all things considered, reasonable that he should be heard in this matter from the pulpit, before the aflfair should be brought to an issue. But this also passed in the negative. However, having had the advice of the ministers and messengers of the neighboring churches, who raet at Northampton to advise them under their difficulties, he proceeded to appoint a lecture in order to preach on the subject, proposing to do so weekly till he had finished what he had to say. On Monday there was a society raeeting, in which a vote was passed to choose a committee to go to Mr. Edwards, and desire him not to preach lectures on the subject in controversy, according to his declaration and 36 THE LIFE pF PRESIDENT EDWARDS. appointment : accordingly, a committee of three men, chosen for this pur pose, waited on him. However, Mr. Edwards thought proper to proceed according to his proposal, and consequently preached a number of sermons, till he had finished what he had to say on the subject. These lectures were very thinly attended by his own people ; but great numbers of strangers from the neighboring towns attended them, so many as to make above half the congregation. This was in February and March, 1750. The calling of a decisive council to determine the matter of difference was now more particularly attended to on both sides. Mr. Edwards had before this insisted, from time to time, that they were by no means ripe for such a procedure ; as they had nbt yet given him a fair hearing, where by perhaps the need of such a council would be superseded. He observed, " That it was exceedingly unbecoming to manage religious affairs of the greatest importance, in a ferment and turault, which ought to be managed with great solemnity, deep humiliation, submission to the awful frowns of heaven, humble dependence on God, with fervent prayer and supplication to hira ; that therefore, for them to go about such an aflfair as they did, would be greatly to the dishonor of God and religion ; a way in which a people cannot expect a blessing." Thus having, without effect, used all means to bring them to a calm and charitable temper, he consented that a decisive council should be called without any further delay. But a difficulty attended the choice of a council, which was for some time insuperable. It was agreed, that the council should be mutually chosen, one half by the pastor, and the other half by the church ; but the people insisted upon it, that he should be confined in his choice to the county. Mr. Edwards thought this an unreasonable restraint, as it was known that the ministere and churches in that county were almost uni versally against him in the controversy. He indeed did not suppose that the business of the proposed council would be to determine whether his opinion was right or not ; but whether any possible way could be devised for an accommodation between pastor and people, and to use tbeir wis dom and endeavor in order to efiect it. And if they found this impracti cable, they must deterraine, whether what ought in justice to be done had already actually been attempted, so that there was nothing further to be demanded by either of the parties concerned, before a separation should take place. And if he was dismissed by them, it would be their business to set forth to the world in what manner and for what cause he was dismissed : all which were matters of great importance to him, and required upright and impartial judges. Now considering the great pre judice a difference in religious opinions is apt to beget, and the close connection of the point in which raost of the ministers and the churches in the county diflfered from him, with the matter to be decided, he did not think they could be reasonably looked upon so impartial judges, as that the matter ought to be wholly left to them. Besides, he thought the case, being so new and extraordinary, required the ablest judges, in the land. For these reasons, and some others which he oflfered, he insisted upon liberty to go out of the county, for those members of the proposed council in which he was to have a choice. The people strenuously and obstinately opposing him in this, at length agreed to leave the matter to a council, consisting of the ministers and messengers of the five neigh boring churches ; who, after they had met twice upon it, and had the case largely debated before them, waf^ equally divided, and therefore left the matter undetermined. THE LIFE OF PRESIDENT EDWARDS. 37 However they were all agreed, that Mr. Edwards ought to have liberty to go out of the county for some of the council. And at the next church meeting (the 26th of March) Mr. Edwards offered to join with them in calling a council, if they would consent that he should choose two of the churches out of the county, in case the council consisted of but ten churches. The church however refused to comply with this at one meeting after another repeatedly ; and proceeded to call a church meeting and choose a moderator, in order to act without their pastor. But, to pass by many particulars, at length, at a meeting of the church, convened by their pastor. May 3d, they voted their consent to his pro posal of going out of the county for two of the churches that should be applied to. And then they proceeded to make choice of the ten ministers and churches, of which the council should consist. Accordingly the churches were applied to, and the council was convened on the I Oth of June. After they had made some fruitless attempts for a composition between the pastor and the church, they passed a resolution by a majority of one voice * only, to the following purpose : " That it is expedient that the pastoral relation between Mr. Edwards and his church be immediately dissolved, if the people still persist in desiring it." And it being publicly put to the people, whether they still insisted on Mr. Edwards's dismission from the pastoral office over them ? A great majority (above two hun dred against twenty) voted for his dismission ; and he was accordingly dismissed, June 22, 1750. The dissenting part of the council entered their protest against this proceeding, judging that it was too much in a hurry, considering the past conduct and present temper of the people. And some of that part of the council who were for the separation, expressed themselves surprised at the uncommon zeal manifested by the people in their voting for a dismission ; which evidenced to them, and all observing spectators, that they were far from a temper of mind becoming such a solemn and awful transaction, considered in all its circumstances. Being thus dismissed, he preached his farewell sermon on the 1st of July, from 2 Cor. i. 14. The doctrine he observed from the words was this, " Ministers, and the people that have been under their care, must meet one another before Christ's tribunal, at the day of judgment." It was a remarkably solemn and affecting discourse, and was published at the desire of some of the hearers. After Mr. Edwards was dismissed from Northamptom, he preached there occasionally, when they had no other preacher to supply the pulpit : till at length a great uneasiness was manifested by many of the people, at his preaching there at all. Upon which the committee for supplying the pulpit, called the town together, to know their minds with respect to that raatter ; when they voted that it was not agreeable to their minds that he should preach among them. Accordingly, while Mr. Edwards was in the town, and they had no other minister to preach to them, they carried on public worship among them selves. Every one must be sensible that this was a great trial to Mr. Edwards. He had been nearly twenty-four years among that people ; and his labors * One of the churches which Mr. Edwards chose did not see fit to join the council. However, (he minister of that church being at Northampton, was desired by Mr. Edwards and the church to sit in council and act, whicli he did. But there being no messenger from the church, the council was not full, and there was a disparity; by which mfans there was one vote more for an immediate dismission, than against it. 38 THE LIFE OF PRESIDENT F.DWARDS. had been, to all appearance, from time to time greatly blessed among them : and a great number looked on him as their spiritual father,, who had been the happy instrument of turning them from darkness to .ight, and plucking them as brands out of the burning. And they had from tirae to time professed that they looked upon it as one of their greatest privileges to have such a minister, and manifested their great love and esteem of him, to such a degree, that (as St. Paul says of the Galatians) "ifit had been possible, they would have plucked out their own eyes, and given them to hira." And they had a great interest in his aflfection ; he had borne them on his heart, and carried them in his bosom for many years ; exercising a tender concern and love for them : for their good he was always writing, contriving, laboring ; for them he had poured out ten thousand fervent prayers ; in their good he had rejoiced as one that findeth great spoil ; and they were dear to him above any other people under heaven. Now to have this people turn against him, and thrust him out from among them, stopping their ears, and running upon him with furious zeal, not allowing him to defend himself by giving him a fair hearing ; and even refusing so much as to hear him preach ; many of them surmising and publicly speaking many ill things as to his ends and designs ! Surely this must corae very near to him, and try his spirit. The words of the Psalmist seem applicable to this case : " It was not an enemy that reproached rae, then I could have borne it ; neither was it him that hated me, that did magnify himself against me, then I would have hid myself from him. But it was thou — my guide and mine acquaintance. We took sweet counsel together, and walked unto the house of God in company." Let us, therefore, now behold the man ! — The calm sedateness of his raind ; his raeekness and humility in great and violent opposition, and injurious treatment ; his resolution and steady conduct through all this dark and terrible storm were truly wonderful, and cannot be set in so beautiful and aflfecting a light by any description, as they appeared in to his friends, who were eye-witnesses. Mr. Edwards had a numerous and chargeable faraily, and little or no income, exclusive of his salary ; and, considering how far he was ad vanced in years ; the general disposition of people, who want a minister, to prefer a young raan who has never been settled, to one who has been disraissed from his people ; and what misrepresentations were made of his principles through the country, it looked to him not at all probable that he should ever have opportunity to be again settled in the work of the ministry, if he was dismissed from Northampton : and he was not inclined or able to take any other course, or go into any other business to get a living : so that beggary as well as disgrace stared him full in the face, if he pei-sisted in his principles. When he was fixed in his principles, and before they were publicly known, he told some of his friends, that if he discovered and persisted in them, it would most likely issue in his dismission and disgrace ; and the ruin of himself and family, as to their temporal interests. He therefore first sat down and counted the cost, and deliberately took up the cross, when it was set before him in its full weight and magnitude ; and in direct opposition to all worldly views and motives. And therefore his conduct in these circumstances, was a remarkable exercise and discovery of his conscientiousness ; and his readiness to deny himself, and forsake all that he had, to follow Christ. THE LIFE OF PRESIDENT EDWARDS. 39 A man must have a considerable degree of the spirit of a martyr, to go on with the steadfastness and resolution with which he did. He ventured Wherever truth and duty appeared to lead him, unmoved at the threaten ing dangers on every side. However, God did not forsake him. As he gave him those inward supports by which he was able in patience to possess his soul, and coura geously row on in the storm, in the face of boisterous winds beating hard upon him, and in the midst of gaping waves threatening to swallow him up ; so he soon appeared for him in his providence, even beyond all his expectations. His correspondents and other friends in Scotland, hearing of his dismission, and fearing it might be the means of bringing him into worldly straits, generously contributed a considerable sum, and sent it over to him. And God did not leave him without tender, valua ble friends at Northampton. For a small number of his people who opposed his dismission from the beginning, and some who .acted on neither side, but after his dismission adhered to him, under the influence of their great esteem and love of Mr. Edwards, were willing, and thought them selves able to maintain him ; and insisted upon it that it was his duty to stay among them, as a distinct and separate congregation from the body of the town, who had rejected him. Mr. Edwards could not see it to be his duty to stay among them, as this would probably be a means of perpetuating an unhappy division in the town ; and there was to him no prospect of doing the good there, which would counterbalance the evil. However, that he raight do all he could to satisfy his tender and afflicted friends, he consented to ask the advice of an ecclesiastical council. Accordingly a council was called, and met at Northampton on the ISthof May, 1751. The town on this occa sion was put into a great tumult. They who were active in Mr. Edwards's dismission supposed, though without any good ground, that he was con triving with his friends, again to introduce himself at Northampton. They drew up a remonstrance against their proceedings, and laid it before the council (though they would not acknowledge them to be an ecclesiastical council), containing many heavy, though groundless insinuations and charges against Mr. Edwards, and bitter accusations of the party who had adhered to him ; but refused to appear and support any of their charges, or so much as to give the gentlemen of the council any oppor tunity to confer with thera about the affair depending, though it was diligently sought. The council having heard what Mr. Edwards and they who adhered to him had to say, advised, agreeably to Mr. Edwards's judg ment, that he should leave Northampton, and accept of the mission to which he was invited at Stockbridge ; of which a more particular account will be given. Many other facts relative to this sorrowful and surprising affair (the most so doubtless of any of the kind, that ever happened in New-England, and perhaps in any part of the Christian world) raight be related ;. but as this more general history of it may be sufficient to answer the ends pro posed, viz., to rectify some gross misrepresentations that have been made of the matter, and discover the great trial Mr. Edwards had herein, it is thought best to suppress other particulars. As a proper close to this me lancholy story, and to confirra and further illustrate what has been re lated, the following letter from Joseph Hawley, Esq. (a gentleman who was very active in the transactions of this whole affair, and very rauch a 40 THE LIFE OF PRESIDENT EDWARDS. leader in it) to the Rev. Mr. Hall, of Sutton, published in a weekly news paper in Boston, May 19th, 1760, is here inserted. TO THE REV. MR. HALL, OF SUTTON. Northampton, May 9, 1760. Rev. Sir : — I have often wished that every member of the two ecclesiastical councils that formerly sat in Northampton, upon the unhappy differences between our forraer most worthy and Rev. pastor, Mr Jona than Edwards, and the church here, whereof you were a member ; I say, sir, I have often wished that every one of them truly knew my o-wn sense of my own conduct in the affairs that the one and the other of said councils are privy to. As I have long apprehended it to be my duty not only to humble myself before God for what was unchristian and sinful in my conduct before the said councils, but also to confess my faults to them, and take shame to myself before them ; so I have often studied with myself in what manner it -v^as practicable for me to do it. When I un derstood that you, sir, and Mr. Eaton, were to be at Cold Spring at the tirae of the late council, I resolved to improve the opportunity fully to open my mind then to you and him thereon ; and thought that probably some method might be then thought of in which my reflections on rayself. touching the matters above hinted at, might be communicated to most if not all the gentlemen aforesaid who did not reside in this county. But you know, sir, how difficult it was for us to converse together by our selves, when at Cold Spring, without giving umbrage to that people ; I therefore proposed writing to you upon the matters which I had then opportunity only most summarily to suggest ; which you, sir, signified ¦would be agreeable to you. I therefore now undertake what I then pro posed, in which I hurably ask the divine aid ; and that I may be made most freely willing to confess my sin and guilt to you and the world in those instances which I have reason to suppose fell under your notice, as they were public and notorious transactions, and on account whereof, therefore, you, sir, and all others who had knowledge thereof,, had just cause to be offended at rae. And in the first place, sir, I apprehend that, with the church and people of Northampton, I sinned and erred exceedingly in consenting and laboring that there should be so early a dismission of Mr. Edwards from his pastoral relation to us, even upon the supposition that he was really in a mistake in the disputed point ; not only because the dispute was upon matters so very disputable in theraselves, and at the greatest remove from fundamental, but because Mr. Edwards so long had approved himself a most faithful and painful pastor to the said church. He also changed his sentim^pts in that point, wholly from a tender regard to what appeared to him to, be truth ; and had made known his sentiments with great mo deration, and upon great deliberation, against all worldly motives, from mere fidelity to his great Master, and a tender regard to the souls of his flock, as we had the highest reason to judge. These considerations now seem to me sufficient ; and would (if we had been of a right spirit) have greatly endeared him to his people, and made us to the last degree re luctant to part with him, and disposed us to the exercise of the greatest candor, gentleness and moderation. How much of the reverse whereof appeared in us, I need not tell you, sir, who were an eye-witness of our temper and conduct. THE LIFE OF PRESIDENT EiSWARDS. 41 And although it does not become me to pronounce decisively on a point so disputable as what was then in dispute ; yet I beg leave to say, that I really apprehend that it is of the highest moraent to the body of this church, and to me in particular, most solicitously to inquire, whether, like the Pharisees and lawyers in John the Baptist's time, we did not reject the council of God against ourselves, in rejecting Mr. Edwards, and his doctrine, which was the ground of his dismission. And I humbly con ceive that it highly imports us all of this church most seriously and im partially to examine what that most worthy and able divine published, about that time, in support of the same, whereby he being dead yet speak eth. But there were three things, sir, especially in my own particular conduct before the first council, which have been justly matter of great grief and much trouble to me almost ever since, viz. : In the first place, I confess, sir, that I acted very immodestly and abu sively to you, as well as injuriously to the church and myself, when, with much zeal and unbecoming assurance, I moved the council that they would interpose to silence and stop you in an address you were making one morning to the people, wherein you were, if I do not forget, briefly ex horting them to a tender reraerabrance of the forraer affection and har mony that had long subsisted between them and their Rev. Pastor, and the great comfort and profit which they apprehended that they had re ceived from his ministry ; for which, sir,. I heartily ask your forgiveness ; and I think that we ought, instead of opposing an exhortation of that na ture, to have received it with all thankfulness. Another particular of my conduct before that council, which I now apprehend was criminal, and was owing to the want of that tender affec tion and reverend respect and esteem for Mr. Edwards, which he had highly merited of rae, was my strenuously opposing the adjournment of the matters submitted to that council, for about two months ; for which I declare myself unfeignedly sorry ; and I with shame remember, that I did it in a peremptory, decisive, vehement, and very immodest manner. But, sir, the most criminal part of my conduct at that time, that I am conscious of, was my exhibiting to that council a set of arguments in writing, the drift whereof was to prove the reasonableness and necessity of Mr. Edwards's dismission, in case no accommodation was then effected with rautual consent ; which writing, by clear implication, contained some severe, uncharitable, and, if I remember right, groundless and slan derous imputations on Mr. Edwards, expressed in bitter language. And although the original draft thereof was not done by me, yet I foolishly and sinfully consented to copy it ; and, as agent for the church, to read it, and deliver it to the council ; which I could never have done if I had not a wicked relish for perverse things ; which conduct of mine I confess was very sinful, and highly provoking to God ; for which I am ashamed, con founded, and have nothing to answer. As to the church's remonstrance, as it was called, which their com mittee preferred to the last of the said councils (to all which I was con senting, and in the composing whereof I was very active, as also in bring ing the church to their vote upon it) ; I would, in the first place, only ob serve that I do not remember any thing, in that small part of it which was plainly expressive of the expediency of Mr. Edwards's resettlement hero as pastor to apart of the church, which was very exceptionable. But a,s to all the residue, which was much the greatest part thereof (and I am 42 THE LIFE OF PRESIDENT EDWARDS. not certain that any part was wholly free), it was everywhere inter.arded with unchristian bitterness, sarcastical and unmannerly insinuations. It contained divers direct, grievous and crirainal charges and allegations against Mr. Edwards, which I have since good reason to suppose, were all founded on jealous and uncharitable raistakes, and so were really gross slanders ; also many heavy and reproachful charges upon divers of Mr. Edwards's adherents, and some severe censures of them all indiscrimi nately ; all of which, if not wholly false and groundless, yet were alto gether unnecessary, and therefore highly criminal. Indeed I am fully convinced, that the whole of that composure, excepting the small part thereof above-mentioned, was totally unchristian, a scandalous, abusive, injurious libel, against Mr. Edwards and his particular friends, especially the former, and highly provoking and detestable in the sight of God ; for which I am heartily sorry and ashamed ; and pray I raay reraeraber it with deep abasement and penitence, all ray days. Nor do I now think that the church's conduct in refusing to appear, and attend before that coun cil to support the charges and allegations in the said remonstrance against Mr. Edwards and the said brethren, which they demanded, was ever vin dicated by all the subtle answers that were given to the said demand ; nor do I think that our conduct in that instance was capable of a defence. For it appears to me, that by making such charges against them before the said council, we necessarily so far gave that council jurisdiction ; and I own, with sorrow and regret, that I zealously endeavored that the church should perseveringly refuse to appear before the said council for the pur pose aforesaid ; which I humbly pray God to forgive. Another part of my conduct, sir, of which I have long repented, and for which I hereby declare my hearty sorrow, was my obstinate opposi tion to the last council's having any conference with the church ; which the said council earnestly and repeatedly moved for, and which the church, as you know, finally denied. I think it discovered a great deal of pride and vain sufficiency in the church, and showed them to be very opinion ative, especially the chief sticklers, one of whom I was, and think it was running a most presumptuous risk, and acting the part of proud scorners, for us to refuse hearing, and candidly and seriously considering what that council could say or oppose to us ; among whom there were divers, justly in great reputation for grace and wisdom. In these instances, sir, of my conduct, and in others (to which you were not privy) in the course of that most melancholy contention with Mr. Edwards, I now see that I was very much influenced by vast pride, self- sufficiency, ambition, and vanity. I appear to myself vile, and doubtless rauch raore so to others who are raore impartial ; and do in the review thereof, abhor myself, and repent sorely : and if my own heart condemns me, it behooves rae soleranly to reraember, that God is greater and know eth all things. I hereby own, sir, that such treatment of Mr. Edwards, wherein I was so deeply concerned and active, was particularly and very aggravatedly sinful and ungrateful in me, because I was not only under the common obligations of each individual of the society to him, as to a most able, diligent and faithful pastor; but I had also received many instances of his tenderness, goodness, and generosity to me, as a young kinsman, whom he was disposed to treat in a most friendly manner. Indeed, sir, I must own, that by my conduct, in consulting and acting igainst Mr. Edwards within the time of our most unhappy disputes with THE LIFE OF PRESIDENT EDWARDS. 43 him, and especially in and about that abominable "remonstrance," I have so far symbolized with Balaam, Ahitophel, and Judas, that I am con founded and filled with terror oftentimes when I attend to the most pain ful similitude. And I freely confess, that on account of my conduct above-mentioned I have the greatest reason to tremble at those most sol emn and awful words of our Saviour, Matt, xviii. 6, " Whoso shall offend one of these," &c., and those in Luke, x. 16, "He that despiseth you," &c. ; and I am most sorely sensible that nothing but that infinite grace and mercy which saved some of the betrayers and murderers of our olessed Lord, ^and the persecutors of his martyrs, can pardon me ; in which alone I hope for pardon, for the sake of Christ, whose blood, blessed be God, cleanseth from all sin. On the whole, sir, I am convinced, that I have the greatest reason to say as David, "Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy loving-kindness, according to the multitude of thy tender mercies, blot out my transgressions ; wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from ray sin ; for I acknowledge my trans gressions, and my sin is ever before me. Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all raine iniquities ; create in me a clean heaj-t, O God, and re new a right spirit within me ; cast me not away from thy presence, ana take not thy Holy Spirit from me : restore unto me the joy of thy salva tion, and uphold me with thy free Spirit." Psalm li. 1-3, 9-12. And I humbly apprehend that it greatly concerns the church of Nor thampton most seriously to examine, whether the many hard speeches, spoken by many particular members against their former pastor, some of which the church really countenanced (and especially those spoken by the church as a body, in that most vile " remonstrance "), are not so odious and ungodly, as to be utterly incapable of defence : whether the said church were not guilty of a great sin in being so willing and disposed, for so slight a cause, to part with so faithful and godly a rainister as Mr. Edwards was ; and whether ever God will hold us guiltless till we cry to him for Christ's sake to pardon and save us frora that judgment which such ungodly deeds deserve. And I most heartily wish and pray that the town and church of Northarapton would seriously and carefully exa mine whether they have not abundant cause to judge that they are now lying under great guilt in the sight of God ; and whether those of us who were concerned in that most awful contention with Mr. Edwards, can ever more reasonably expect God's favor and blessing, till our eyes are opened, and we become thoroughly convinced that we have greatly pro voked the Most High, and have been injurious to one of the best of men ; and until we shall be thoroughly convinced that we have dreadfully per secuted Christ, by persecuting and vexing that just man and servant of Christ ; until we shall be humble as in the dust on account of it, and till we openly, in fufl terms, and without balking the raatter, confess the sarae before the world, and most humbly and earnestly seek forgiveness of God, and do what we can to honor the raeraory of Mr. Edwards, and clear it of all the aspirations which we unjustly cast upon him ; since God has been pleased to put it beyond our power to ask his forgiveness. Such terms I am persuaded the great and righteous God will hold us to, and that it will be in vain for us to hope to escape with impunity in any other way. This I am convinced of with regard to myself, and this way I most solemnly propose to take myself (if God in his mercy shall give me opportunity), that by so making free confession to God and man of my 44 THE LIFE OF PRESIDENT EDWARDS. sin and guilt, and publicly taking shame to myself, I may give glory to the God of Israel, and do what in me lies, to clear the memory of that vener able man from the wrongs and injuries I was so active in bringing on his reputation and character ; and I thank God that he has been pleased to spare my life to this time, and am sorry that I have delayed the affair so long. Although I made the substance of almost all the foregoing reflections in writing, but not exactly in the same raanner, to Mr. Edwards and the brethren who adhered to him, in Mr. Edwards's life, and before he re moved from Stockbridge, and I have reason to believe that he, from his great candor and charity, heartily forgave me and prayed for me : yet be cause that was not generally known, I look on myself obliged to take further steps ; for while I kept silence, my bones waxed old, &c. For all these my great sins therefore, in the first place, I humbly and most earnestly ask forgiveness of God; in the next place, of the relatives and near friends of Mr. Edwards. — I also ask the forgiveness of all those who were called Mr. Edwards's adherents ; and of all the members of the ecclesias tical councils above-mentioned ; and lastly, of all Christian people, who have had any knowledge of these matters. I have no desire, sir, that you should make any secret of this letter ; but that you would communicate the same to whom you shall judge pro per : and I purpose, if God shafl give me opportunity, to procure it to be published in sorae one of the public newspapers ; for I cannot devise any other way of raaking known my sentiments of the foregoing matters to all who ought to be acquainted therewith, and therefore I think I ought to do it, whatever remarks I raay foresee will be made thereon. Probably when it comes out, some of my acquaintance will pronounce me quite overrun with vapors ; others will be furnished with matter for mirtH and pleasantry ; others will cursorily pass it over, as relating to matters quite stale : but some, I am persuaded, will rejoice to see me brought to a sense of my sin and duty ; and I rayself shall be conscious that I have done something of what the nature of the case admits, toward undoing what is, and long has been, to my greatest remorse ahd trouble that it was ever done. Sir, I desire that none would entertain a thought from my having spoken respectfully of Mr. Edwards, that I am disaflfected to our present pastor ; for the very reverse is true ; and I have a reverend esteem, real value, and hearty affection for him, and bless God, that he has, notwith standing all our unworthiness, given us one to succeed Mr. Edwards who, as I have reason to hope, is truly faithful. I conclude this long letter, by heartily desiring your prayers, that mj repentance of my sins above-mentioned raay be unfeigned and genuine and such as God in infinite mercy, for Christ's sake, will accept ; and 1 beg leave to subscribe myself. Sir, your real, though very unworthy friend, and obedient servant, JOSEPH HAWLE Y. THE LIFE OF PRESIDENT EDWARDS. 45 CHAPTER V. T3.0M. His MISSION TO THE INDIANS UNTIL HIS DEATH. SECTION I. His Mission to the Indians at Stockbridge. If we regard Mr. Edwards's deep acquaintance with the Holy Scriptures, and the influence of divine truth on his own heart ; if we consider, also, his long experience in the work of the mmistry, with his disposition to observe the operations of human minds and passions, and to improve such knowledge to the raost profitable purposes, we may safely say, that there were but few men, if any, better qualified to conduct a mission among the Indians. But, on the other hand, it may be questioned, whether his recluse turn, his natural reserve, his contemplative habits, and the strong propensity of his mind closely to investigate abstractedly every difficult subject that presented itself, were not unfavorable traits for such a situation, however beneficial it might be for his own improve ment. Mr. Edwards was qualified to shine in some departments of the seats of learning, and was afterwards called to preside over one ; but when he was delegated to instruct savage Indians, there was occasion to suspect there was not a perfect suitableness in the appointment. On this, how ever, diflferent persons may form different opinions ; and it is our business now to give some account of this appointment. The Indian mission at Stockbridge, a town in the western part of Massachusetts Bay, fifty miles frora Northampton, being vacant by the death of the Rev. Mr. Sergeant, the honored and reverend commissioners for Indian affairs in Boston, who have the care and direction of it, applied to Mr. Edwards as the most suitable person they could think of to be in trusted with that raission. At the sarae time he was invited by the in habitants of Stockbridge ; and being advised by the council above-men tioned to accept of the invitation, he repaired to Stockbridge, and was introduced and fixed as a raissionary to the Indians there, by an ecclesias tical council called for that purpose, August Sth, 1751. When Mr. Edwards first engaged in the mission, there was a hopeful prospect of its being extensively serviceable, under his care and influence ; not only to that tribe of Indians which was settled at Stockbridge, but among the Six Nations, some of whora were coming to Stockbridge to settle, bringing their own, and as many of their neighbors' children aa they could get, to be educated and instructed there. For this end, a house for a boarding-school, which was projected by Mr. Sergeant, was erected on a tract of land appropriated to that use by the Indians at Stockbridge ; where the Indian children, male and female, were to be educated, by be ing clothed and fed, and instructed by proper persons in useful learning. The boys were to be taught husbandry or mechanic trades, and the girls all sorts of women's work. For the encouragement of this design, some generous subscriptions were raade both in England and America. The general court of the province of Massachusetts Bay did much to promote the aflfair, and provided lands for the Mohawks who should incline to come. And the generous Mr. Hollis, to encourage the scheme, ordered twenty- four Indian children to be educated on '^lo same footing, wholly at his 46 T.'tE LIFE OF PRESIDENT EDWARDS. cost. Also the Society in London, for propagating the gospel nmong the Indians in and about New England, directed their coraraissioners in Boston to do something considerable towards this design. But partly by reason of some unhappy differences that took place among those who had the chief management of this affair at Stockbridge, of which a particular account would not be proper in this place ; and partly by the war break ing out between England and France, which is generally very fatal to such affairs among Indians, this hopeful prospect came to nothing. Mr. Edwards's labors were attended with no remarkable visible suc cess while at Stockbridge ; though he perforraed the business of his mission to the good acceptance of the inhabitants in general, both English and Indians, and of the commissioners, who supported him honorably, and confided very much in his judgment and wisdora, in all matters relating to the mission. Howevei, Stockbridge proved to Mr. Edwards a more quiet, and, on many accounts, a much raore corafortable situation than he was in before. It being so much in one corner of the country, his time was not so much taken up with company, as it was at North ampton, though raany of his friends, frora almost all parts of the land, often made him pleasant and profitable visits. And he had not so much concern and trouble with other churches as he was obliged to have when at Northampton, by being frequently sought to for advice, and called to assist in ecclesiastical councils. Here therefore he followed his beloved atudy more closely, and to better purpose than ever. In these six years he doubtless made swifter advances in knowledge than ever before, and added more to his manuscripts than in any equal space of time. And this was probably as useful a part of his life as any. For in this time he wrote the two last books that have been published by him* (of which a more particular account wifl be given hereafter), by which he has doubt less greatly served the church of Christ, and will be a blessing to many thousands yet unborn. Thus, after his uprightness and faithfulness had been sufficiently tried at Northampton, his Divine Master provided for him a quiet retreat, which was rendered the raore sweet by the preceding storm ; and where he had a better opportunity to pursue and finish some important work which God had for him to do : so that when in his own judgment, as well as that of others, his usefulness seemed to be cut off, he found greater opportunities of service than ever. SECTION II. His being chosen President of New Jersey College. While at Stockbridge, Mr. Edwards appears to have given full scope to his propensities and genius, stimulated by his ardent love of truth, and under the control of a correct judgment While at Northampton his avocations were unavoidably numerous, and scarcely compatible with a profound attention to subjects he might be disposed to investigate ; but at Stockbridge he found himself more at liberty in that respect. After having been so long in the ministry elsewhere, his pulpit preparations would require less time than before. — His studies were less interrupted by company and calls. — Former anxieties were now removed ; his mind • His Treatise on "The Will," and on "Original Sin." THE LIFE OF PRESIDENT EDWARDS. 47 Wd!r drawn more closely to God, from his past experience of the fickleness of men ; and thereby his mind became more composed, more enlightened, and more elevated. Here he was led to investigate subjects of radical importance in morals and theology, and to trace them to their first prin ciples. And here he published his masterpiece of inquiry and close reasoning, his Treatise on the Will, which completely established his character as an adept in metaphysical science, and a profound divine. The celebrity he obtained by this work, and very deservedly obtained, had, doubtless, no small influence on the trustees of New Jersey College, among other considerations, in looking to Mr. Edwards to become their President, on the death of Mr. Burr, his son-in-law. The Rev. Aaron Burr, President of New Jersey College, died on the 24th of Sept. 1757 ; and, at the next meeting of the trustees, Mr. Ed wards was chosen his successor; the news of which was quite unex pected, and not a little surprising to hira. He looked on himself in many respects so unqualified for that business, that he wondered that gentlemen of so good judgment, and so well acquainted with hira, as he knew some of the trustees were, should think of him for that place. He had many objections in his own mind against undertaking the business, both from his unfitness, and his particular circumstances ; yet could not certainly determine that it was not his duty to accept it. The following extract of a letter which he wrote to the trustees, will give the reader a view of his sentiments and exercises on this occasion, as well as of the great de signs he was deeply engaged in, and zealously prosecuting. Stockbridge, 19th October, 1757. Rev. AND Hon. Gentlemen — I was not a little surprised on receiving the unexpected notice of your having made choice of me to succeed the late President Burr, as the head of Nassau Hall. I am much in doubt whether I am called to undertake the business, which you have done me the unmerited honor to choose me for.. If some regard may be had for my outward corafort, I raight raention the many inconveniences and great detriment which may be sustained by ray removing with my numerous family, so far frora all the estate I have in the world (without any pros pect of disposing of it, under present circumstances, but with great loss), now when we have scarcely got over the trouble and damage sustained by our removal from Northampton, and have just begun to have our affairs in a comfortable situation for a subsistence in this place ; and the expense I must immediately be at to put rayself into circurastances tol erably comporting with the needful support of the honor of the office I am invited to ; which will not well consist with my ability. But this is not my main objection : the chief difficulties in my mind, in the way of accepting this important and arduous office, are these two: First, my own defects, unfitting me for such an undertaking, many of which are generally known ; besides other, which my own heart is con scious of. I have a constitution, in raany respects peculiarly unhappy, attended with flaccid solids ; vapid, sizy and scarce fluids, and a low tide of spirits ; often occasioning a kind of childish weakness and contempti bleness of speech, presence, and demeanor ; 'with a disagreeable dulness and stiffness, much unfitting me for conversati m, but more especially for the government of a college. ,This raakes rae shrink at the thoughts of taking upon me, in the decline of life, such a new and great business. 48 THE LIFE OF PEESIDENT EDWARDS. attended with such a multiplicity of cares, and requiring such a degree of activity, alertness, and spirit of government ; especially as succeeding one so reraarkably well qualified in these respects, giving occasion to every one, to remark the wide difference. I am also deficient in some parts of learning, particularly in algebra, and the higher parts of mathe matics, and in the Greek classics ; my Greek learning having been chiefly in the New Testament. The other thing is this ; that my engaging in this business will not well consist with those views, and that course of employ in my study, which have long engaged and swallowed up my raind, and been the chief entertainment and delight of my life. And here, honored sirs, (emboldened, by the testimony I have now received of your unmerited esteem, to rely on your candor,) I will with freedom open myself to you. My method of study, from my first beginning the work of the ministry, has been very much by writing ; applying myself in this way, to improve every important hint ; pursuing the clue to my utmost, when any thing in reading, meditation, or conversation, has been suggested to- my mind, that seemed to promise light, in any weighty point ; thus penning what appeared to me ray best thoughts, on innumerable subjects for my own benefit. The longer I prosecuted ray studies in this method, the more habitual it became, and the more pleasant and profitable I found it. The further I travelled in this way, the more and wider the field opened, which has occasioned my laying out many things in my mind to do in this raanner, if God should spare my life, which my heart hath been much upon : particularly many things against most of the prevailing errors of the present day, which I cannot with any patience see maintained (to the utter subverting of the gospel of Christ) with so high a hand, and so long continued a triuraph, with so little control, when it appears so evi dent to rae, that there is truly no foundation for any of this glorying and insult. I have already published something on one of the main points in dispute between the Arminians and Calvinists ; and have it in view, God willing (as I have already signified to the public), in like manner to con sider all "the other controverted points, and have done much towards a preparation for it. But besides these, I have had on my mind and heart (which I long ago began, not with any view to publication) a great work, which I call a History of the Work of Redemption, a body of divinity in an entire new raethod, being thrown into the fprm of a history ; con sidering the affaii; of Christian theology, as the whole of it, in each part, stands in reference to the great work of redemption by Jesus Christ ; which I suppose to be of all others the grand design of God, and the summum and ultimum of all the divine operations and decrees ; particu lariy considering all parts of the grand scheme in their historical order. The order of their existence, or their being brought forth to view, in the course of divine dispensations, or the wonderful series of successive acts and events ; beginning from eternity and descending from thence to the great work and successive dispensations of the infinitely wise God in time, considering the chief events coming to pass in the church of God. and revolutions in the worid of mankind, aflfecting the state of the church and the affairs of redemption, which we have account of in history or prophecy ; till at last we come to the general resurrection, last judgraent, and consuraraation of all things ; when it shall be said, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. Concluding my work. THE LIFE OF PRESIDENT EDWARDS. 49 with the consideration of that perfect state of things, which shall be finally settled, to last for eternity. This history will be carried on with regard to all three worlds, heaven, earth, and hell ; considering the con nected successive events and alterations in each, so far as the Scriptures give any light ; introducing all parts of divinity in that order which is most scriptural and most natural ; a raethod which appears to me the most beautiful and entertaining, wherein every divine doctrine will appear to greatest advantage, in the brighest light, in the most striking manner, showing the admirable contexture and harmony of the whole. I have also, for my own profit and entertainment, done much towards another great work, which I call the Harmony ofthe Old and New Testa ment, in three parts. The first considering the prophecies of the Messiah, his redemption and kingdom ; the evidences of their references to the Mes siah, &c., comparing them all one with another, demonstrating their agreement, true scope, and sense ; also considering all the various parti culars wherein these prophecies have their exact fulfilment ; showing the universal, precise, and admirable correspondence between predictions and events. The second part, considering the types of the Old Testa ment, showing the evidence of their being intended as representations of the great things of the gospel of Christ ; and the agreement of the type with the antitype. The third and great part, considering the harmony of the Old and New Testament, as to doctrine and precept. In the course of this work, I find there will be occasion for an explanation of a very great part of the holy Scripture ; which may, in such a view, be explained in a method, which to me seems the most entertaining and profitable, best tending to lead the mind to a view of the true spirit, de sign, hfe and soul of the Scriptures, as well as their proper use and im provement. I have also many other things in hand, in some of which I have made great progress, which I will not trouble you with an account of. Some of these things, if divine Providence favor, I should be willing to attempt a publication of. So far as I myself am able to judge of what talents I have for benefiting my fellow-creatures by word, I think I can write better than I can speak. My heart is so much in these studies, that I cannot feel willing to put myself into an incapacity to pursue them any more in the future part of my life to such a degree as I must, if I undertake to go through the same course of employ, in the office of a president, that Mr. Burr did, instruct ing in all the languages, and taking the whole care 6f the instruction of one ofthe classes in all parts of learning, besides his Other labors. If I should see light to determine me to accept the place offered me, I should be willing to take upon rae the work of a president, so far as it consists in the general inspection of the whole society ; and to be subservient to the school, as to their order and methods of study and instruction, assisting myself in immediate instruction in the arts and sciences (as discretion should direct and occasion serve, and the state of things require), es pecially the senior class : and added to all, should be willing to do the whole work of a professor of divinity, in public and private lectures, proposing questions to be answered, and some to be discussed in writing and free conversation, in raeetings of graduates and others, appointed in proper seasons for these ends. It would be now out of my way, to spend time in a constant teaching of the languages, unless it be the Hebrew tongue ; w.hich I should be willing to improve myself in, by instructing others. Vol. I. 4 50 THE LIFE OF PRESIDENT EDWARDS. On the whole, I am much at a loss, with respect to the way of duty in this important affair : I am in doubt, whether, if I should engage in it, I should not do what both you and I would be sorry for afterwards. Nevertheless, I think the greatness of the aflfair, and the regard due to so worthy and venerable a body, as that of the trustees of Nassau Hall, requires my taking the matter into serious consideration. And unless you should appear to be discouraged by the things which I have now represented, as to any further expectation from me, I shall proceed to ask advice, of such as I esteem mosi wise, friendly and faithful : if after the mind of the commissioners in Boston is known, it appears that they consent to leave me at liberty, with i-espect to the business they have employed me in here." In this suspense he determined to ask the advice of a number of gentlemen in the ministry, on whose judgment and friendship he could rely, and to act accordingly ; — who, upon his and his people's desire, met at Stockbridge, January 4, 1758 ; and having heard Mr. Edwards's re presentation of the matter, and what his people had to say by way of objection against his removal, determined it was his duty to accept of the invitation to the presidency of the college. When they published their judgment and advice to Mr. Edwards and his people, he appeared un comraonly moved and affected with it, and fell into tears on the occasion, which was very unusual for him in the presence of others : and soon after said to the gentlemen, who had given their advice, that it was matter of wonder to him, that they could so easily, as they appeared to do, get over the objections he had made against his reraoval. — But as he thought it his duty to be directed by their advice, he should now endeavor cheerfully to undertake it, believing he was in the way of his duty. Accordingly, having had, by the application of the trustees of the college, the consent of the commissioners to resign their mission ; he girded up his loins, and set oflf from Stockbridge for Princeton in January. He left his faraily at Stockbridge, not to be removed till spring. He had two daughters at Princeton, Mrs. Burr, the vvidow of the late President Burr, and his oldest daughter that was unmarried. His arrival at Prince ton was to the great satisfaction and joy of the college. The corporation met as soon as could be with convenience, after his arrival at the college, when he was by them fixed in the president's chair. While at Princeton, before his sickness, he preached in the college hall. Sabbath after Salabath, to the great acceptance of the hearers ; but did nothing as president, unless it was to give out some questions in divinity to the senior class, to be answered before hira ; each one having opportu nity to study and write what he thought proper upon them. When they came together to answer them, they found so much entertainment and profit by it, especially by the light and instruction Mr. Edwards com municated in what he said upon the questions, when they had delivered what they had to say, that they spoke of it with the greatest satisfaction and wonder. During this tirae Mr. Edwards seemed to enjoy an uncomraon degree of the presence of God. He told his daughters he once had great exercise, concern and fear, relative to his engaging in that business ; but since il now appeared, so far as he could see, that he was called of God to that place and work, he did cheerfully devote himself to it, leaving himself and the event with God, to order what seemed to him good. THE LIFE OF PRESIDENT EDWARDS. 51 The small-pox had now become very common in the country, and was then at Princeton, and likely to spread. And as Mr. Edwards had never had it, and inoculation was then practised with great success in those parts, he proposed to be inoculated, if the physician should advise to it, and the corporation should give their consent. Accordingly by the advice of the physician, and the consent of the corporation, he was ino culated February 13th. He had it favorably, and it was thought all danger was over ; but a secondary fever set in, and by reason of a num ber of pustules in his throat, the obstruction was such, that the medicines necessary to check the fever, could not be administered. It therefore raged till it put an end to his life on the 22d of March, 1758, in the 55th year of his age. After he was sensible that he could not survive that sickness, a little before his death he called his daughter to him, who attended him in his sickness, and addressed her in a few words, which were imraediately taken down in writing, as near as could be recollected, and are as follows : — " Dear Lucy, it seems to me to be the will of God that I must shortly leave you ; therefore, give my kindest love to my dear wife, and tell her, that the uncommon union which has so long subsisted between us, has been of such a nature, as I trust is spiritual, and therefore will continue forever: and I hope she will be supported under so great a trial, and submit cheerfully to the will of God. And as to my children, you are now like to be left fatherless, which I hope will be an inducement to you all to seek a father who will never fail you. And as to my funeral, I would have it to be like Mr. Burr's ; and any additional sum of money that raight be t. ;pected to be laid out that way, I would have it disposed of to charitable uses."* He said but very little in his sickness ; but was an admirable instance of patience and resignation to the last. Just at the close of life, as some persons who stood by, expecting he would breathe his last in a few min utes, were lamenting his death, not only as a great frown on the college, but as having a dark aspect on the interest of religion in general ; to their surprise, not imagining that he heard, or ever would speak another word, he said, " Trust in God, and ye need not fear." These were his last words. What could have been more suitable to the occasion! And what need of more ! In these is as much raatter of instruction and sup port, as if he had written a volume. This is the only consolation to his bereaved friends, who are sensible of the loss they and the church of Christ have sustained in his death ; God is all sufficient, and still has the care of his church. He appeared to have the uninterrupted use of his reason to the last, and died with as much calmness and composure, to all appearance, as that with which one goes to sleep. The physician who inoculated and con stantly attended him in his sickness, has the following words in his letter to Mrs. Edwards, on this occasion : " Never did any mortal man more fully and clearly evidence the sincerity of all his professions, by one con tinued, universal, calm, cheerful resignation, and patient submission to the ,, divine will, through every stage of his disease, than he. Not so much * President Burr ordered, on his death-bed, that his funeral should not be attended with pomp and cost. He ordered that nothing should be expended but what was agreeable to the dictates of Christian decency ; and that the sum which must be expended at a modish funeral, above the necessary cost of a decent one, should be given to the poor, out of his estate. 52 THE LIFE. OF PRESIDENT EDWARDS. as one discontented expression, nor the least appearance of murmuring through the whole ! And never did any person expire with more perfect freedom from pain ; not so much as one distortion ; but in the most pro per sense of the words, he really fell asleep." CHAPTER VL HIS PUBLICATIONS, MANUSCRIPTS, AND GENIUS AS A WRITER. Mr. Edwards was greatly esteemed, and indeed celebrated, as an au thor, both in Araerica and Europe. His publications naturally raise in the reader of judgraent and raoral taste a high opinion of his greatness and piety. His books raet with a good reception in Scotland espe cially, and procured for aim great esteem and applause. A gentleman of note there has the following words concerning Mr. Edwards, in a letter to one of his correspondents in America : "I looked on him as incompar ably the greatest divine and [moral*] philosopher, in Britain or her colo nies ; and rejoiced that one so eminently qualified for teaching divinity was chosen president of New Jersey College." And in another letter, the same gentleman says: "Ever since I was acquainted with Mr. Ed wards's writings, I have looked upon him as the greatest divine this age has produced." And a reverend gentieraan from Holland observed: "That Mr. Edwards's writings, especially on the Freedom of the Will, were held in great esteem there ; and that the professors of the celebrated academy presented their compliments to President Edwards." This gen tleman further observes, that " Several raembers of the Classes of Am sterdam gave their thanks, by hira, to pious Mr. Edwards, for his just ob servations on Mr. Brainerd's Life ; which book was translated in Hofland, and was highly approved by the University of Utrecht." As these Memoirs are introductory to a complete edition of Mr. Ed wards's Works, a professed enumeration of all his publications must be needless. Yet, as it is not desirable, on many accounts, to observe a chronological order in their arrangement, a view of those works which were published by himself, and the chief of his posthumous publications, according to the order of time, may be acceptable to many. For this, the reader is referred to the note below. f Viewing Mr. Edwards as a writer of serraons, we cannot give him the epithet eloquent, in the common acceptation of the term. We see in * This must have been the writer's meaning. t 1731. A Sermon preached at Boston, on 1 Cor. 1754. On the Freedom of the Will i. 29, 30. 1758. On Original Sin. 1734. Do. at Northampton, on Matt. xvi. 17. N.B. This last was in the press when 1736. A Narrative of the work of God, &c. the autjior died. All his olher works 1738. Five Discourses at Northampton. were collected from his papers after 1741. A Sermon preached at Enfield. his decease; the principal ofwhich 1741. Do. at New Haven, on 1 John iv. 1. were published in the followine or- 1741. Do. at Hatfield. der: 1742. Thoughts on the Revival. 1765. Eighteen Sermons, with his Life pre. 1746. Religious Affections. fixed. 1747. On Prayer for a Revival. 1774. The History of Redemption 1749. Ordination Sermon. 1788. On the Nature of Virtue 1749. Life of the Rev. David Brainerd. 1788. God's Last End in the Creation 1749. On Qualifications for Communion. 1798. Thirty-three Sermons 17B2. A Reply to S, Williams's Answer. 1789. Twenty Sermons 1752. A Sermon preached at Newark, on 1793. Miscellaneous Observations James ii. 19. 1796. Miscellaneous Remarks. THE LIFE OF PRESIDENT EDWARDS. 53 him nothing of the great masters of eloquence, except good sense, con- elusive reasoning, and the power of moving the passions. Oratorical pomp, a cryptic method, luxurious descriptions presented to the imagina tion, and a rich variety of rhetorical figures, enter not into his plan. But his thoughts are well digested, and his reasoning conclusive , he produces considerations which not only force the assent, but also touch the con science ; he urges divine authority, by quoting and explaining Scripture, in a form calculated to rouse the soul. He moves the passions, not by little artifices, like the professed rhetorician, but by saying what is much to the purpose, in a plain, serious, and interesting way ; and thus making reason, conscience, fear, and love, to be decidedly in his favor. And thus the passions are moved in the most profitable manner; the more generous ones take the lead, and they are ever directed in the way of practical utility. From what has been said, it is easy to conjecture, that close discus sions were peculiarly suited to Mr. Edwards's talents. And as a further evidence to show which way his genius had its prevailing bent, it is ob servable, that his style improves in proportion to the abstruseness of his subject. Hence, generally speaking, the productions, especially those published by himself, which enter into close, profound, metaphysical dis tinctions, seem to have as much perspicuity as the nature of the case will admit. To be convinced of the propriety of this reraark, the reader need only consult the Treatise on the Will ; a work justly thought by able judges to be one of the greatest efforts of the huraan intellect. Here the author shows such force and strength of mind, such judgraent, pen etration, and accuracy of thought, as justly entitles him to the character of one of the greatest geniuses of his age. We may add, that this treatise goes further, perhaps, towards settling the main points in controversy be tween Calvinists and Arminians, than any thing that had been written. Herein he has abundantly demonstrated the chief principles on which Arminians build their whole scheme, to be false and most absurd. When ever, therefore, this book comes to be generally attended to, it will doubt less prove fatal to Arminian and Pelagian principles. Though the work now mentioned afforded the fairest opportunity for metaphysical investigation, yel the same penetrating turn, the same ac curacy of discrimination, and the same closeness of reasoning, distinguish many of his other productions. Among these we might mention, partic ularly, his book on Original Sin, his Discourse on Justification, his Dis sertation on the Nature of true Virtue, and that concerning the End for which God created the World. If the advocates of selfish virtue, and of universal restoration, will do themselves the justice to examine these Dis sertations with candor and closeness, they may see cause to be of the au thor's mind. His other discourses are excellent, including much divin ity, and tending above most that are published to awaken the conscience of the sinner, as well as to instruct and quicken the Christian. The ser mon (preached at Enfield, Sth July, 1741,) entitled "Sinners in the hands of an angry God," was attended with remarkable impressions on many of the hearers. In his treatise). entitled "An humble attempt to promote explicit agreement, and visible union of God's people in extraordinary prayer for the revival of leligion," he shows great acquaintance with Scripture, and a remarkable attention to the prophetic part of it. Mr. Edwards left agreat number of volumes in manuscript, which h» 54 THE LIFE OF PRESIDENT EDWARDS. wrote in a miscellaneous way on almost all subjects in divinity. This he did, not with any design that they should ever be published in that form, but for the satisfaction and improvement of his own mind, and that he might retain the thoughts, which appeared to him worth preserving, Some idea of the progress he had raade, and the materials he had collected in this way, he gives in his letter to the trustees of the College, when assign ing his reasons against accepting the presidentship. He had written much on the prophecies concerning the Messiah, on justification, the divinity of Christ, and the eternity of hell torments. He v/rote much on the Bible, in the same way ; penning his thoughts on particular passages, as they occurred to him in reading or meditation. As the method he took to have his miscellaneous writings in good order, so as to be able with ease to turn to any particular subject, is per haps as good as any, if not the best that has been proposed to the public ; some account of it is here given, for the use of young students who have not yet adopted any method, and are disposed to improve their minds by writing. He numbered all his miscellaneous writings. The first thing he wrote, is No. 1, the second, No. 2, and so on. And when he had occasion to write on any particular subject, he first set down the number, and then wrote the subject in large characters, that it might not escape his eye, when he should have occasion to turn to it. For instance, if he was going to write on the happiness of angels, and his last No. was 148, he would begin thus — 149. Angels, their happiness. When he wrote what he designed, he would turn to his alphabetical table, and under the letter A, he would write, Angels, their happiness, if this was not there already, and then set down the number 149, close at the right hand of it. And if he had occasion to write any new thoughts on the same subject, if the number of his miscellanies were increased, so that his last number was 261, he would set the number 262, and then the subject as before. And when he had done writing for that time, he turned to his table, to the word angels ; and at the right hand of the number 149, set down 262. By this means he had no occasion to leave any chasms, but began his next subject where he left oflf his last. The number of his misceUa- neous writings ranged in this manner, amounts to above 1400. And yet by a table contained in a sheet or two of paper, any thing he wrote can be turned to at pleasure. A just picture of this eminent servant of God, is given in the follow ing expressive lines, taken from The Triumph of Infidelity, an ingenious, satirical poem, ascribed to Dr. Dwight, President of Yale College. " But, my chief bane, my apostolic foe, In life, in labors, source of every wo, From scenes obscure did Heav'n his Edwards call, That moral Newton, and that second Paul. He, in clear view, saw sacred systems roll. Of reasoning worlds, around their central soul ; Saw love attractive every system bind. The parent linking to each filial mind ; The end of Heaven's high works resistless show'd ; Creating glory, and created good, And in one little life the gospel more Disclos'd than all earth's myriads kenn'd before.* » The reader will consider this proposition as poeticaUy strong, but not as literatty accurate THE LIFE OF PRESIDENT EDWARDS. 55 Beneath his standard, Io ! what numbers rise, To care for truth, and combat for the skies ! Arm'd at all points, they try the battling field. With reason's sword, and faith's ethereal shield." The inscription upon the stone which is over the grave of Mr. Ed wards in Princeton, composed originally by President Finley, has been very obligingly sent on by a particular friend, and is here gratefully insert- d as the close of these Memoirs. M. S. Reverend! admodum viri, JONATHAN EDWARDS, A. M. Collegii novje CEesaris PrsESJdia. Natus apud Windsor, Coimecticutensium, V Octobris, A. D. MDCCni. S. V. Patre Reverendo Timotheo Edwards oriundus, Collegio Yalensi educatus, Apud Northampton Sacris initiatus XV Februarii, MDCCXXVI— VII. mine dimissus XXII Junii MDCCL, Et munus Barbaros instituendi accepit, Praeses Aulas Nassovicae creatus XVI Februarii MDCCL Vm. Defunctus in hoc vico XXII Martii sequentis, S. N. iEtatis LV. heu nimis brevis His jacit mortalis Pars. Qualis Persona quaeris, Viator? Vir, Corpore procero, sed gracili, Studiis intensissimis, Abstinentia, et Sediditate Attenuato. Ingenii Acumine, judicio acri, et Prudentia, Secundus nemini Mortalium. Artium liberalium et scientiarum Peritia insignis, Criticorum sacrorum optimus, Theologus eximius, Ut vix alter aequalis ; disputator candidus. Fidei Christianae Propugnator invictus, Concionator Gravis, Solennis, Discrimians; Et, Deo favente, Successu Fehcissimus. Pietate praeclarus, moribus suis severus, Ast aliis aequus et benignus, Vixit dilectus veneratus— Sed ah ! lugendus Moriebatur. Quantos Gemitus discedens ciebat ! Heu Sapientia tanta ! heu Doetrina et Religio I Amissum plorat Collegium, plorat et Ecclesia: At, eo recepto, gaudet Coelum. Abi, Viator, et pia sequere Vestigia. FAREWELL SERMON, PREACHED AT THE FIRST PRECINCT IN NORTHAMPTON, AFTER THE PEOPLE'S PUBLIC REJECTION OF THEIR MINISTER, AND RENOUNCINfl THEIR EELATION TO HIM AS PASTOR OF THE CHURCH TKEBE rjNE 22. 1750. PREFACE. It is not unlikely, that some ofthe readers ofthe foUovidng sermon may be inquisi tive concerning the circumstances of the difference between me and the people of Northampton, that issued in that separation between me and them, which occasioned the preaching of this farewell sermon. There is, by no means, room here for a full account of that matter ; but yet it seems to be proper, and even necessary, here to correct some gross misrepresentations, which have been abundantly, and (it is to be feared) by Bome affectedly and industriously made, of that difference : such as, that I insisted on persons being eissured of their being in a state of salvation, in order to my admitting them into the church ; that I required a particular relation ofthe method and order of a person's inward ejcperience, and of the time and manner of his conversion, as the test of his fitness for Christian communion; yea, that I have imdertaken to set up a pure church, and to make an exact and certain distinction between saints and hypo crites, by a pretended infallible discerning of the state of men's souls ; that in these things I had fallen in with those wild people, who have lately appeared in New Eng land, called Separatists ; and that I myself was become a grand Separatist ; and that I arrogated all the power of judging ofthe qualifications of candidates for communion wholly to myself, and insisted on acting by my sole authority, in the admission of members into the church, &c. In opposition to these slanderous representations, I shall at present only give my reader an account of some things which I laid before the council, that separated be tween me and my people, in order to their having a just and full view of my princi ples relating to the affair in controversy. Long before the sitting of the council, my people had sent to the Reverend Mr. Clark of Salem village, desiring him to write in opposition to my principles. Which gave me occasion to write to Mr. Clark, that he might have true information what my principles were. And in the time of the sitting of the council, I did, for their informa tion, make a public declaration of my principles before them and tiie church, in the meeting-house, ofthe same import with that in my letter to Mr. Clark, and very much in the same words : and then, afterwards, sent in to the council in writing, an extract of that letter, containing the information 1 had given to Mr. Clark, in the very words of my letter to him, that the council might read and consider it at their leisure, and have a more certain and satisfactory knowledge what my principles were. The ex tract which I sent to them was in the following words : " I am often and I do not know but pretty generally, in the country, represented as of a new and odd opinion with respect to the terms of Christian communion, and as being for introducing a peculiar way of my own. Whereas, I do not perceive that I differ at all from the scheme of Dr. Watts, in his book entitled, The rational Founda tion ofa Christian Church, and the Terms of Christian Communion, ; which, he says, is the common sentiment of all reformed churches. Ihad not seen' this book of Dr. Watts' when I published what I have vn-itten on the subject. But yet, I think my sentiments, as I have expressed them, are as exactly agreealble to what he lays dovni, as if I had been his pupil. Nor do I at all go beyond what Dr. Doddridge plainly shows to be his sentiments, in his Rise and Progress of Religion, and his Sermons on Regeneration, and his Paraphrase and Notes on the New Testament. Nor indeed, sir, when I consider the sentiments you have expressed in your letters to Major Pomroy and Mr. Billing, can I perceive but that they come exactly to the same thing that I maintain. You suppose the sacraraents are not converting ordinances : but that, tu seals of the cbvena-nt, theq presuppose conversion, especially in the adult; a-nd that 60 PREFACE. it is visible saintship, ar, in other words, a credible profession offaitk and repentance, a solemn consent to the gospel covenant, joined -with a good conversation, and compe tent measure of Christian knowledge, is what gives a gospel right to all sacred ordi nances : but that it is necessary to those that come to these ordinances, a-nd in tlwse that profess a consent to the gospel covenant, tliat they be sincere in their profession, or at least should think themselves so. The great thing which I have scrupled in the estab lished metiiod of this church's proceeding, and which I dare no longer go on in, is fheir publicly assenting to the form of words rehearsed on occasion of their admission to the communion, without pretending thereby to mean any such thing as any hearty consent to the terms of the gospel covenant, or to mean any such faith or repentance as belong to the covenant of grace, and are the grand conditions of that covenant : it being, at the same time that the words are used, their known and established prin ciple, which they openly profess and proceed upon, that men may and ought to use these words, and mean no such thing, but something else of a nature far inferior ; which I think they have no distinct, determinate notion of; but something consistent with their knowing that they do not chose God as their chief good, but love the world . more than him, and that they do not give themselves up entirely to God, but makk reserves ; and in short, knov?ing that they do not heartily consent to the gospel cove- ' nant, but live still under the reigning power of the love of the world, and enmity to God and Christ So that the words of their public profession, according to their open ly established use, cease to be of the nature of any profession of gospel faith and re-' pentance, or any proper compliance with the covenant : for it is their profession, that the words, as used, mean no such thing. The words used under these circumstances do at least fail of being a credible profession of these things. I can conceive of na such virtue in a certain set of words, that it is proper, merely on the making these. sounds, to admit persons to Christian sacraments, without any regard to any pretended' meaning ofthese sounds : nor can I think, that any institution of Christ has established- any such terms of admission into the Christian church. It does rot belong.to the, controversy between me and my people, how particular or large the profession should be that is required. I should not choose to be confined to exact limits as to that matter ¦ hvt rather than contend, I should content myself with a few words, briefly expressing^ the cardinal virtues or acts implied in a hearty compliance with the covenant, made (^as should appear by inquiry into the person's doctrmal knowledge) understandingly ;' if there were an external conversation agreeable thereto: yea, I should think, that, such a person, solemnly making such a profession, had a right to be received as the; object of a public charity, however he himself might scruple his own conversion, on account of his not remembering the time, not knowing the method of his coriversion,- or finding so much remaining sin, &c. And (if his own scruples did not hinder hia. coming to the Lord's table) I should think the minister or church had no right to de bar such a professor, though he should say he did not think himself converted ; — for I call that a profession of godliness, which is a profession of the great things wherein godliness consists, and not a profession of his own opinion of his good estate." Northampton, Mai/ 7, 1750. Thus far my Letter to Mr. Clark. The council having heard that I had made certain draughts of the covenant, or forms of a public profession of religion which I stood ready to accept of from the candidates for church communion, they, for their further information, sent for them. Accordingly I sent them four distinct draughts or forms, which I had drawn up about a twelvemonth before, as what 1 stood ready to accept of (any one of them) rather than contend and break with my people. The two shortest ofthese forms are here inserted for the'satisfaction ofthe reader. They are as follows. " I hope 1 do traly find a heart to give up myself wholly to God, according to the tenor of that covenant of grace which was sealed in my baptism ; and to walk in a way of that obedience to all the commandments ofGod, which the covenant of grace requires, as long as I live." Another, "Ihope I truly flnd in my heart a willingness to comply with allthe command- ments of God, which require me to give up myself wholly to him, and to serve him I PREFACE 61 with my body and my spirit. And do accordingly now promise to walk in a way oi obedience to all the commandments of God, as long as I live." Such kind of professions asthese I stood ready to accept, rather than contend and break with my people. Not but that I think it much more convenient, that ordinarily the public profession of religion that is made by Christians, should be much fuller and more particular. And that (as I hinted in my letter to Mr. Clark) I should not choose to be tied up to any certain form of words, but to have liberty to vary the expressions of a public profession the more exactly to suit the sentiments and experience of the ¦professor, that it might be a more just and free expression of what each one finds in is heart. And moreover it must be noted, that I ever insisted on it, that it belonged to me as a pastor, before a profession was accepted, to have full liberty to instruct the candi date in the meaning of the terms of it, and in the nature ofthe things proposed to be professed ; and to inquire into his doctrinal understanding of these things, according to my best discretion ; and to caution the person, as I should think needful, against rashness in making such a profession, or doing it mainly for the credit of himself or his family, or from any secular views whatsoever, and to put him on serious self-exam ination, and searching his own heart, and prayer to God to search and enlighten him that he may not be hypocritical and deceived in the profession he makes ; vcithal pointing forth to him the many ways in which professors are liable to be deceived. Nor do I think it improper for a minister in such a case, to inquire and know ofthe' candidate what can be remembered ofthe circumstances of his Christian experience; as this may tend much to illustrate his profession, and give a minister great advan tage for proper instructions : though a particular knowledge and remembrance of the time and method of the first conversion to God, is not to be made the test of a person's sincerity, nor insisted on as necessary in order to his being received into full charity. Not that I think it at all improper or unprofitable, that in some special cases a declaration of fhe particular circumstances ofa person's firat awakening and the manner of his convic tions, illuminations, and comforts, should be pubhcly exhibited before the whole congre gation, on occasion of his admission into tlie church ; though this be not demanded as necessary to admission. I ever declared against insisting on a relation of experience, in this sense (viz., a relation of the particular time and steps of the operation of the Spirit, in first conversion), as the term of communion : yet, if by a relation of experiences, be meant a declaration of experience ofthe great things vsrrought, wherein true grace and the essential acts and habits of holiness consist; in this sense, I think an account of a person's experiences necessary in order to his admission into full communion in the church. But that in whatever inquiries are made, and whatever accounts are given, neither minister nor church are to set up themselves as searchers of hearts, but are to accept the serious, solemn profession of the well instructed professor, of a good life, as best able to determine what he finds in his own heart. These tilings may serve in some measure to set right those of my readers who have been misled in their apprehensions ofthe state of the controversy between me and ray people, by the forementioned misrepresentations. JONATHAN EDWARDS. A FAREWELL SERMON. 2 CosiNTHiAifg i. U.^-As also you have acknowledged us in part, that we are yoix rejoicing, evea as ye also are ours in the day of the Lord Jesus. The apostle, in the preceding part of the chapter, declares what great troubles he met with in the course of his rainistry. In the text and two fore going verses, he declares what were his comforts and supports under the trou bles he met with. There are four things in particular. 1. That he had approved himself to his own conscience, ver. 12 : " For our rejoicing is this, the testiraony of our conscience that in siraplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, we have had our conversation in the world, and mot'e abundantly to you-ward." 2. Another thing he speaks of as matter of comfort, is, that as he had ap proved himself to his own conscience, so he had also to the consciences of his hearers, the Corinthians, whora he now wrote to, and that they should ap prove of hira at the day of judgment. 3. The hope he had of seeing the blessed fruit of his labors and sufferings in the ministry, in their happiness and glory, in that great day of acccounts. 4. That, in his ministry among the Corinthians, he had approved himself to his Judge, who would approve and reward his faithfulness in that day. These three last particulars are signified in my text, and the preceding verse ; and, indeed, all the four are implied in the text : it is implied that the Corinthians had acknowledged hira as their spiritual father, and as one that had been faithful among thera, and as the means of their future joy and glory at the day of judgment, and one whom they should then see, and have a joy- ful meeting with as such. It is implied, that the apostle expected at that time to have a joyful meeting with them before the Juilge, and with joy to behold their glory, as the fruit of his labors ; and so they would be his rejoicing. It is implied also that he then expected to be approved of the great Judge, when he and they should meet together before him ; and that he would then ac knowledge his fidelity, and that this had been the means of their glory ; and that thus he would, as it were, give them to him as his crown of rejoicing. But this the apostle could not hope for, unless he had the testimony of his own conscience in his favor. And therefore the words do iraply, in the strongest manner, that he had approved himself to his own conscience. There is one thing implied in each of these particulars, and in every part of the text, which is that point I shall make the subject of my present dis course, viz. : DOCTRINE. Ministers, and thfe people that are under their care, must meet one an other before Christ's tribunal at the day of judgment. Ministers, and the people that have been under their care, must be parted in this world, how well soever they have been united : if they are not separa ted before, they must be parted by death ; and they may be separated while life is continued. We live in a world of change, where nothing is certain or 64 A FAREWELL SERMON. stable J and where a little time, a few revolutions of the sun, bring to pass strange things, surprising alterations, in particular persons, in families, in towns and churches, in countries and nations. It often happens, that those who seem most united, in a little time are most disunited, and at the greatest distance. Thus ministers and people, between whom there has been the great est mutual regard, and strictest union, may not only differ in their judgments, and be alienated in affection, but one may rend from the other, and all rela tion between them be dissolved; the minister may be removed to a distant place, and they may never have any more to do with one another in this world. But if it be so, there is one meeting more that they must have, and that is in the last great day of accounts. Here I would show, 1. In what manner ministers, and the people who bave been under their care, shall meet one another at the day of judgment. 2. For what purposes. 3. For what reasons God has so ordered it, that ministers and their peo ple shall then meet together in such a manner, and for such purposes. I. I would show, in some particulars, in what manner ministers, and the people who have been under their care, shall meet one another at the day of judgment. Concerning this I would observe two things in general. 1. That they shall not then meet only as all mankind must then meet, but there will be something peculiar in the manner of their meeting. 2. That their meeting together at that timeshall be very different from what used to be in the house of God in this world. 1. They shall not meet at that dajr as all the world must then meet to gether. I would observe a difference in two things. (1.) As to a clear actual view, and distinct knowledge and notice of each other. -Although the whole world will be then present, all mankind of all gene- fations gathered in one vast assembly, with all of the angelic nature, both elect and fallen angels ; yet we need not suppose that every one will have a distinct and particular knowledge of each individual of the whole assembled multitude, which will undoubtedly consist of many millions of millions. Though it is probable that men's capacities will be much greater than in the present state, yet they will not be infinite ; though their understanding and compre hension will be vastly extended, yet men will not be deified. There will pro bably be a very enlarged view that particular persons will have of various parts and members of that vast assembly, and so of the proceedings of that great day ; but yet it must needs be, that according to the nature of finite minds, some persons and some things, at that day, shall fall more under the notice of particular persons than others j and this (as we may well suppose) according as they shall have a nearer concern with some than others, in the transactions of the day. There will be special reason why those who have had special concerns together in this world, in their state of probation, and whose rautual affairs will be then to be tried and judged, should especially be set in one another's view. Th'us we may suppose, that rulers and subjects, earthly judges and those whom they have judged, neighbors who have had mutual Converse, dealings, and contests, heads of families and their children and servants, shall then meet, and in a peculiar distinction be set together And especially will it be thus with ministers and their people. It is evident by the text, that these shall be in each other's view, shall distinctly know each other, and shall have particular notice one of another at that time. FAREWELL SERMON. 65 (2.) They shall meet together, as having a special concern one with another in the great transactions of that day. Although they shall meet the whole world at that time, yet they will not have any immediate and particular concern with all. Yea, the far greater part of those who shall then be gathered together, will be such as they have had no intercourse with in their state of probation, and so will have no mutual concerns to be judged of. But as to ministers, and the people that have been under their care, they will be such as have had much immediate concern one with anothei, in matters of the greatest moment, that ever mankind have to do one with ano ther in. Therefore they especially must meet and be brought together before the judge, as having special concern one with another in the design and busi ness of that great day of accounts. Thus their meeting, as to the manner of it, will be diverse from the meeting of mankind in general. 2. Their raeeting at the day of judgment will be very diverse from their meetings one with another in this world. Ministers and their people, while their relation continues, often meet toge ther in this world : they are wont to meet from Sabbath to Sabbath, and at other times for the public worship of God, and administration of ordinances, and the solemn services of God's house : and besides these meetings, they have also occasions to meet for the deterraining and managing their ecclesiastical af fairs, for the exercise of church discipline, and the setthng and adjusting those things which concern the purity and good order of public administrations. But their meeting at the day of judgment will be exceeding diverse, in its manner and circumstance, from any such meetings and interviews as they have, one with another in the present state. I would observe how, in a few particulars. ( 1.) Now they meet together in a preparatory mutable state, but then in an unchangeable state. Now sinners in the congregation meet their minister in a state wherein they are capable of a saving change, capable of being turned, through God's bless ing on the ministrations and labors of their pastor, from the power of Satan unto God ; and being brought out of a state of guilt, condemnation and wrath, to a state of peace and favor with God, to the enjoyment of the privileges of his children, and a title to their eternal inheritance. And saints now meet their minister with great remains of corruption, and soraetimes under great spiritual difficulties and affliction : and therefore are yet the proper subjects of means of a happy alteration of their state, consisting in a greater freedom from these things, which they have reason to hope for in the way of an attendance on ordinances, and of which God is pleased commonly to make his ministers the instruments. And ministers and their people now meet in order to the bringing to pass such happy changes ; they are the great benefits sought in their solemn meetings in this world. But when they shall meet together at the day of judgment, it will be far otherwise. They will not then meet in order to the use of means for tbe bring ing to effect any such changes ; for they will all meet in an unchangeable state. Sinners vvill be in an unchangeable state : they who then shall be under the guilt and power of sin, and have the wrath of God abiding ou them, shall be beyond all remedy or possibility of change, and shall meet their ministers with out any hopes of relief or reraedy, or getting any good by their means. And as for the saints, they will be already perfectly delivered from all their before remaining corruption, temptation, and calamities of every kind, and set forever out of their reach ; and no deliverance, no happy alteration, will remain to b« Vol. I. 6' fi6 FAREWELL SERMON. accomplished in the way of the use of means of grace, under the administra- tions of ministers. It will then be pronounced, " He that is unjust, let hira be unjust still ; and he that is filthy, let hira be filthy still; and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still ; and he that is holy, let him be holy still. (2.) Then they shall meet together in a state of clear, certain and infallible iVlinisters are set as guides and teachers, and are represented in Scripture a* lights set up in fhe churches ; and in the present state meet their people from lime to time in order to instruct and enlighten them, to correct their mistakes, and to be a voice behind them, when they turn aside to the right hand or to the left, saying, " This is the way, walk ye in it ;" to evince and confirm the truth by ex hibiting the proper evidences of it, and to refute errors and corrupt opinions, to convince the erroneous and establish the doubting. But when Christ shall come to judgment, every error and false opinion shall be detected ; all deceit and illusion shall vanish away before tbe light of that day, as the darkness of the night vanishes at the appearance of the rising sun ; and every doctrine of the word of God shall then appear in full evidence, and none shall remain uncon vinced ; all shall know the trulh with the greatest certainty, and there shall be no mistakes to rectify. Now ministers and their people may disagree in their judgments concerning .some matters of religion, and may sometimes meet to confer together concern ing those things wherein they differ, and to hear the reasons that may be offered on one side and the other ; and all may be ineffectual as to any conviction of the truth : they may meet and part again, no more agreed than before ; and that side which was in the wrong, may remain so still ; sometimes the meetings of ministers with their people in such a case of disagreeing sentiments, are at tended wilh unhappy debate and controversy, managed with much prejudice and want of candor ; not tending to light and conviction, but rather to confirra and increase darkness, and establish opposition to the truth, and alienation of affection one from another. But when they shall hereafter meet together, at the day of judgment, before the tribunal ofthe great Judge, the mind and will of Christ will be made known ; and there shall no longer be any debate or difference of opinions ; the evidence of the truth shall appear beyond all dis pute, and all controversies shall be finally and forever decided. Now ministers meet their people, in order to enlighten and awaken the consciences of sinners : setting before them the great evil and danger of sin, the strictness of God's law, their own wickedness of heart and practice, the great guilt they are under, the wrath that abides upon them, and their impo tence, blindness, poverty, and helpless and undone condition : but all is often in vain ; they remain still, notwithstanding all their ministers can say, stupid and unawakened, and their consciences unconvinced. But it will not be so at their last meeting at the day of judgment ; sinners, when they shall meet their minister before their great Judge, will not meet him with a stupid conscience : >they will then be fully convinced of the truth of those things which they for merly heard from him, concerning the greatness and terrible majesty of God, /lis hohness, and hatred of sin, and his awful justice in punishing it, the strict- jiess of his law, and the dreadfulness and truth of his threatenings, and their own ennspeakable guilt and misery : and they shall never more be insensible of these .things : the eyes of conscience will now be fully enhghtened, and never shall be blinded again : the mouth of conscience shall now be opened, and never .Ehallibe shut any raore Now ministers meet with their people, in public and private, in order to FAREWELL SERMON. 67 enlighten them concerning the state of their souls ; fo open and apply the rules of God's word to them, in order fo fheir searching their own hearts, and dis cerning the state that they are in ; but now ministers have no infallible discerning of the state of the souls of their people ; and the most skilful of them are liable to mistakes, and often are mistaken in things of this nature; nor are ihe people able certainly fo knovv fhe state oftheir minister, or one another's state ; very often those pass among them for saints, and it may be eminent saints, that are grand hypocrites; and on fhe other hand, those are sometimes censured, or hardly received into fheir charity, that are indeed some of God's jewels. And nothing is more common than for men tobe raistaken concerning fheir own state : many that are abominable to God, and the children of his wrath, think highly of themselves, as his precious saints and dear children. Yea, there is reason fo thinlf, fhat often some that are most bold in their confidence of their safe and happy state, and think themselves not only true .saints, bat fhe mosf eminent saints in the congregation, are in a peculiar manner a smoke in God's nose. And thus it undoubtedly often is in those congregations where the word of God is most faithfully dispensed, notwithstanding all that ministers can say in fheir clearest explications, and most searching applications of the doctrines and rules of God's word to the souls of their hearers, in their meetings one with another. But in the day of judgment they shall have another sort of meeting ; then the secrets of every heart shall be made manifest, and every man's state shall be perfectly known : 1 Cor. iv. 5, " Therefore, judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who will both bring fo light fhe Ijidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels ofthe hearts; and then shall every man have praise of God." Then none shall be deceived concerning his own state, nor shall be any more in doubt about it. There shall be an eternal end fo all the ill conceit and vain hopes of deluded hypocrites, and all the doubts and fears of sincere Christians. And then shall all know the state of one another's souls : the people shall know whether fheir minister has been sincere and faithful, and fhe ministers shall know the state of every one of their people, and to whom the word and ordinances of God have been a savor of life unfo life, and fo whom a savor of death unto death. Now in this present state it often happens that when ministers and people meet together to debate and manage their ecclesiastical affairs, especially in a stafe of conf roversy, fhey are ready fo judge and censure one another with regard fo each other's views and designs, and the principles and ends fhat each is influenced by ; and are greatly mistaken in their judgment, and wrong one another with regard fo each other's views and designs and the principles and ends thaf each is influenced by, and are greatly mistaken in fheir judgment, and wrong one another in fheir censures. But af thaf future meeting, things will be set iu a frue and perfect light, and the principles and aims that every one has acted from shall be certainly known ; and there will be an end to all errors of this kind, and all unrighteous censures. (3.) In this world, ministers and fheir people often meet together fo hear of and wait upon an unseen Lord ; but at the day of judgment, fhey shall meet in his most immediate and visible presence. Ministers, who now often meet fheir people fo preach to thera fhe King eternal, imraortal, and invisible, fo convince thera fhat there is a God, and declare to them what manner of being he is, and to convince thera that he governs, and will judge the world, and that there is a future state of rewards and punishraents, and to preach to thera a Christ in heaven, and at the right hand of God, in an unseen world, shall then meet their people in the most im 68 FAREWELL SERMON. mediate sensible presence of this great God, Saviour, and Judge, appearing in the most plain, visible, and open manner, with great glory, with all his holy angels, before them and fhe whole world. They shall not meet them fo hear about an absent Christ, an . unseen Lord, and future Judge ; buf to appear before fhat Judge, and as being set together in the presence of that supreme Lord, in his immense glory and awful majesty, whom fhey have heard so often of in their raeetings together on earth. (4.) The raeeting at the last day, of ministers, and fhe people that have been under fheir care, will not be attended by any one with a careless, heedless heart. With such a heart are fheir meetings often attended in this world by many persons, having little regard fo hira whom they pretend unitedly to adore in fhe solemn duties of his public worship, taking little heed to their own thoughts or frame of their minds, not attending to the business they arc engaged in, or considering the end for which they are come together. But the meeting at fhat great day will be very different : there will not be one careless heart, no sleep ing, no wandering of mind from fhe greaf concern of the meeting, no inatten- tiveness fo fhe business of fhe day, no regardlessness of the presence they are in, or of those greaf things which they shall hear from Christ at thaf meeting, or that they formerly heard from him, and ofhim, by fheir ministers, in their meeting in a state of trial, or which they shall now hear their ministers declar ing concerning fhem before their judge. Having observed these things, concerning the manner and circurastances of this future meeting of ministers and fhe people fhat have been under their care, before fhe tribunal of Christ at fhe day of judgment, I now proceed, II. To observe to what purposes they shall then meet. 1. To give an account before the greaf Judge, of fheir behavior one fo another, in fhe relation fhey stood in to each other in this world. Ministers are sent forth by Christ fo fheir people on his business, are his servants and messengers; and, when they have finished their service, fhey must return fo their master fo give him an account of what fhey have done, and of the entertainment they have had in performing their ministry. Thus we find, in Luke xiv. 16 — 21, fhat when the servant who was serit forth to call fhe guests fo fhe great supper, had done his errand, and finished his appointed service, he returned to his master, and gave him an account of what he had done, and of fhe entertainment he had received. And when the master, being angry, sent his servant to others, he returns again, and gives his master an account of his conduct and success. So we read, in Heb. xiii. 17, of ministers being rulers in the house of God, " that watch for souls, as those that must give account." And we see by the forementioned Luke xiv., that ministers must give an account to fheir master, not only of fheir own behavior in the discharge of their office, buf also of their peoples' reception oi them, and ofthe treatment they have met with among them. And therefore, as they will be called to give an account of both, they shall give an account at the great day of accounts in fhe presence of their people; they and fheir people being both present before fheir Judge. Faithful ministers will then give an account with joy, concerning those who have received thera well, and made a good improvement of their ministry ; and these will be given them, at thaf day, as their crown of rejoicing. And, at the same time, they will give an account of the ill treatment of such as have nof well received them and fheir messages from Christ : they will meet these, not as they used to do in this world, fo counsel and warn them, but to bear witness against them ; aiid as their judges, and assessors with Christ, to condemn thera. FAREWELL SERMON. 69 And, on the other hand, fhe people will, at fhat day, rise up in judgment against wicked and unfaithful ministers, who have sought their own temporal interest more Ihan the good of the souls of their flock. 2. At that time ministers, and the people who have been under fheir care, shall meet together before Christ, fhat he may judge between fhem, as to any controversies which have subsisted between them in this world. So it very often comes fo pass in this evil world, thaf great differences and controversies arise between ministers and the people fhat are under their pas toral care. Though fhey are under the greatest obligations to live in peace, above persons in almost anv relation whatever ; and although contests and dissensions between persons so related are the most unhappy and terrible in fheir consequences, on many accounts, of any sort of contentions ; yet how frequent have such contentions been! Sometimes a people contest with fheir minis ters, about their doctrine, sometimes about their administrations and conduct, and sometimes about their maintenance ; and sometimes such contests continue a long time ; and sometimes they are decided in this world, according to the prevailing interest of one party or the other, rather than by the word of God, and fhe reason of things ; and sometiraes such controversies never have any proper determination in this world. But at fhe day of judgment there will be a full, perfect, and everlasting decision of them. The infallible Judge, the infinite fountain of light, truth and justice, will judge between fhe contending parties, and will declare what is the truth, who is in the right, and what is agreeable fo his mind and will. And in order hereto the parties must stand together before him al the last day ; which will be fhe great day of finishing and determining all controversies, rectifying all mistakes, and abolishing all unrighteous judgments, errors, and confusions, which have before subsisted in the world of mankind. 3. Ministers, and the people fhat have been under their care, must meet to gether at thaf time fo receive an eternal sentence and retribution from the judge, in the presence of each other, according to their behavior in the relation they stood in one to anotlier, in fhe present state. ? The Judge will not only d^lare justice, but he will do justice between min isters and their people. He will declare what is right between them, approving irim that has been just and faithful, and conderaning fhe unjust ; and perfect truth and equity shall take place inthe sentence which he passes, in the rewards he bestows, and the punishments which he inflicts.' There shall be a glorious reward to faithful ministers ; to those who have been successful. Dan. xii. 3, "And they thaf be wise, shall shine as fhe brightness ofthe firraaraent, and they that turn many to righteousness, as fhe stars forever and ever :" and also f o those who have been faithful, and yet not successful, Isa. xlix. 4 : " Then I said, I have labored in vain, I have spent my strength for nought ; yet surely my judgment is wilh tbe Lord, and my reward with my God." And those who have well received and entertained them shall be gloriously rewarded : Matt. x. 40, 41, " He thafre- ceivetbyou, receiveth me; and hethat receiveth me, receiveth him fhat sent me. He that receiveth a prophet, in the name of a prophet, shall receive a prophet's reward; and he that receiveth a righteous man, in the name of a righteous man, shall receive a righteous man's reward." Such people, and their faithful min isters, shall be each other's crown of rejoicing. 1 Thess. ii. 19, 20, "For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing 1 Are not even ye in the pre sence of our Lord -Jesus Christ-at his coming ? For ye are our glory and joy.''' And in the text, we are your rejoicing, as ye also are ours, in the day of the Lord Jesus, But fhey that evil en'reat Christ's faithful ministers, especially in 70 FAREWELL SERMON. that wherein they are faithful, shall be severely punished : Matt. x. 14, 15» " And whosoever shall nof receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off fhe dust of your feet. Verily, I say unto you. If shall be more tolerable for fhe sinners of Sodom and Goraorrah, in fhe day of judgment, than for that city." Deut. xxxiii. 8—11, " And of Levi he said, Let thy Urim and thy Thummim be with thy holy one. They shall teach Jacob thy judgments, and Israel thy law. Bless, Lord, his substance, and accept the work of his hands, sraite through fhe loins of them that rise against him, and of them that hate him, thaf they rise not again." On the other hand, those ministers who are found to have been unfaithful, shall have a most terrible pun ishment. See Ezek. xxxiii. 6, Matt, xxiii. 1 — 33. Thus justice shall be administered at fhe greaf day fo ministers and their people : and to that end fhey shall meet together, fhat they may not only re ceive justice to themselves, but see justice done to the other party : for this is the end of that greaf day, to reveal or declare the righteous judgment of God ; Rom. ii. 5. Ministers shall have justice done fhem, and they shall see justice done to their people : and fhe people shall receive justice and see justice done to their minister. And so all things will be adjusted and settled forever between fhem; every one being sentenced and recompensed according to his works, either in receiving and wearing a crown of eternal joy and glory, or in suffer ing everlasting sharae and pain. I come now to fhe next thing proposed, viz., III. To give some reasons why we may suppose God has so ordered if, fhat ministers and fhe people that have been under their care, shall meet together at the day of judgment, in such a manner and for such purposes. There are two things which I would now observe : 1. The mutual concerns of ministers and their people are of the greatesi importance. The Scripture declares, thaf God will bring every work info judgment witb every secret thing, whether it be good or whether it be evil. It is fit fhat all the concerns, and all the behavior of mankind, bolh public and private, should be brought at last before God's tribunal, and finally determined by an infallible * Judge : but it is especially requisite that it should be thus, as fo affairs of very great importance. Now the mutual concerns of a Christian minister and his church and congre gation, are of fhe vastest importance : in many respects, of much greater mo ment than the temporal conc-erns of the greatest earthly monarchs, and their kingdoms or empires. It is of vast consequence how ministers discharge fheir office, and conduct themselves towards fheir people in fhe work of the ministry, and in affairs appertaining to it. It is also a matter of vast importance, how a people receive and entertain a faithful minister of Christ, and what improve ment they make of his ministry. These things have a more iraraediate and di rect respect to the great and la«t end for which raan was made, and fhe eternal welfare of mankind, than any of the temporal concerns of men, whether public or private. And therefore it is especially fit that these affairs should be brought into judgment and openly determined and settled in truth and righteousness ; and that fo this end, ministers and their people should meet together before the omniscient and infallible judge. 2." The mutual concerns of ministers and fheir pecple have a special relation ^ to fhe main things appertaining to the day of judgment. They have a special relation to fhat greaf and divine person who will then appear as Judge. Ministers are bis messengers, sent forth by him ; and, in tbeir FAREWELL SERMON. 71 office and administrations among their people, represent his person, stand in his stead, as those that are sent to declare his mind, fo do his work, and to speak and act in his narae. And therefore it is especially fit that fhey should return to him to give an account of their work and success. The king is judge of all his subjects, fhey are all accountable fo him. But it is raore especially requisite that the king's ministers, who are especially intrusted with the administrations of his kingdom, and that are sent forth on some special negotiation, should return to him, to give an account of themselves, and their discharge of their trust, and fhe reception they have met wilh. Ministers are not only messengers of fhe person who at fhe last day wi.l appear as Judge, but the errand they are sent upon, and the affairs they have committed to them as his ministers, do most immediately concern his honor, and the interest of his kingdom. The work they are sent upon is to promote the designs of his administration and government ; and therefore their business with their people has a near relation to fhe day of judgment ; for the great end of that day is completely to settle and establish the affairs of his kingdom, to adjust all things fhat pertain to it, that every thing fhat is opposite to the interests of his kingdom may be removed, and that every thing which contributes' to fhe completeness and glory of if raay be perfected and confirmed, that this great King may receive his due honor and glory. Again, the mufual concerns of ministers and fheir people have a direct rela tion to the concerns of fhe day of judgment, as the business of ministers with their people is to promote fhe eternal salvation of the souls of men, and their escape from eternal daranation ; and the day of judgment is the day appointed for that end, openly to decide and settle men's eternal state, to fix some in a stafe of eternal salvation, and to bring their salvation to its utraost consumma tion, and to fix others in a state of everlasting damnation and most perfect misery. The mutual concerns of ministers and people have a most direct rela tion to fhe day of judgment, as the very design of the work of the ministry is the people's preparation fbr thaf day. Ministers are sent to warn them of the approach of that day, to forewarn fhem of the dreadful sentence then fo be pronounced on the wicked, and declare to fhem the blessed sentence then fo be pronounced on the righteous, and to use means with fhem fhat fhey may escape the wrath which is then fo come on the ungodly, and obtain the reward then to be bestowed on the saints. And as fhe mutual concerns of ministers and fheir people have so near and direct a relation to thaf day, it is especially fit that those concerns should be brought in to that day, and there settled and issued ; and that in order to this, ministers and their people should meet and appear together before the great Judge at fhat day. APPLICATION. The improvement I would make of the things which have been observed, is to lead the people here present who have been under my pastoral care, fo some reflections, and give them sorae advice suitable fo our present- circumstan ces ; relating to what has been lately done in order to our being separated, as to fhe relation we have heretofore stood in one to another ; but expecting to raeet each other before the great tribunal af the day of judgment. The deep and serious consideration of that our future raost soleran meeting, is certainly most suitable at such a time as this ; there having so lately been that done, which, in all probability, will (as to the relation we have heretofore stood in) be followed with an everlasting separation. 72 FAREWELL SERMON. How often have we met together in the house of God in this relation ! How often have 1 spoke to you, instructed, counselled, warned, directed, and fed you, and administered ordinances araong you, as the people which were commilted to my care, and whose precious souls I had fhe charge of ! But in ail probability this never will be again. The prophet Jeremiah, chap. xxv. 3, puts the people in mind how long he had labored among them in the work of the ministry : " Frora fhe thirteenth year of Josiah, the son of Amon, kin^ of Judah, even unto this day (that is, the three and twentieth year), the word ofthe Lord came unto me, and I have spoken unfo you, rising early and speaking." I ara nof about to corapare myself with the prophet Jeremiah ; but in this respect I can say as he did, fhat " I have spoken the word of God to you, unto the three and twentieth year, rising early and speaking." It was three and twenty years, the 15th day of last February, since I have labored in the work of the ministry, in the relation of a pastor to this church and congregation. And though my strength has been weakness, having always labored under great infirmity of body, besides my insuflSciency for so great a charge in other respects, yet I have not spared my feeble strength, but have exerted it for the good of your souls. I can appeal to you as fhe apostle does to his hearers. Gal. iv. 13, " Ye know how through infirmity of fhe flesh, I preached the gospel unfo you." I have spent the prime of my life and strength in labors for your eternal welfare. You are my witnesses, fhat what strength I have had I have not neglected in idleness, nor laid out in prosecuting worldly schemes, and raanaging temporal affairs, for the advancement of my outward estate, and aggrandizing myself and family ; but have given rayself wholly to the work of the ministry, laboring in it night and day, rising early and applying myself fo this great business to which Christ appointed me. I have found the work of the ministry among you to be a great work indeed, a work of exceeding care, labor and difficulty : many have been the heavy burdens thai 1 have borne in it, which ray strength has been very unequal to. God called me to bear these burdens ; and I bless his name, fhat he has so supported me as to keep me from sinking under fhem, and that his power herein has been manifested in my weakness; so that although Ihave often been troubled on every side, yet I have not been distressed ; perplexed, but nof in despair ; cast down, but not destroyed. But now I have reason fo think my work is finished which I had fo do as your minister : you have publicly rejected rae, and ray opportunities cease. How highly therefore does it now become us fo consider of tbat time when we must meet one another before the chief Shepherd ? When I mjist give an account of my stewardship, of the service I have done for, and the reception and treatment I have had among the people he sent me to : and you raust give an account of your own conduct towards me, and fhe improvement you liave made of these three and twenty years of ray ministry. For then bolh you and I must appear together, and we both must give an account, in order to an in fallible, righteous and eternal sentence fo be passed upon us, by him who will judge us with respect fo all that we have said or done in our meeting here, all our conduct one towards another, in the house of God, and elsewhere, on Sab bath days, and on other days ; who will try our hearts and manifest our thoughts, and the principles and fraraes of our rainds, will judge us with respect to all the controversies which have subsisted between us, with fhe strictest iraparfiahty, and will exaraine our treatraent of each other in those controversies : there is nothing covered fhat shall nof be revealed, nor hid which shall not be* known ; all will be examined in fhe searching, penetrating light of God's omniscienc^' FAREWELL SERMON. 73 and glory, and by hira whose eyes are as a flarae of fire ; and truth and right shall be made plainly to appear, being stripped of every veil ; and all error, falsehood, unrighteousness, and injury shall be laid open, stripped of every dis guise ; every specious pretence, every cavil, and all false reasoning shall vanish in a moraent, as nof being able fo bear the light of fhat day. And then our hearts will be turned inside out, and the secrets of them will be raade more plainly to appear than our outward actions do now Then if shall appear what fhe ends are which we have aimed .at, what have been the governing principles which we have acted from, and what have been fhe dispositions we have exer cised in our ecclesiastical disputes and contests. Then if will appear whether I acted uprightly, and frora a truly conscientious, careful regard to ray duty to my great Lord and Master, in some former ecclesiastical controversies, which have been atiended with exceeding unhappy circumstances and consequences : it will appear whether there was any just cause for the resentment which was manifested on those occasions. And then our late grand controversy, concern ing the qualifications necessary for admission to the privileges of members, in complete standing, in the visible church of Christ, will be examined and judged in all its parts and circumstances, and the whole set forth in a clear, certain, and perfect light. Then it will appear whether the doctrine which I have preached and published concerning this matter be Christ's own doctrine, whether he will not own it as one of the precious truths which have proceeded from his own mouth, and vindicate and honor as such before the whole universe. Then it will appear what is meant by " the man fhat comes wjlhout the wedding garment ;" for that is the day spoken of. Matt. xxii. 13, " wherein such a one shall be bound hand and foot, and cast into outer darkness, where shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth." And then it will appear whether, in declar ing this doctrine, and acting agreeable to it, and in my geneial conduct in the affair, 1 have been influenced from any regard to ray own temporal interest or honor, or desire to appear wiser than others ; or have acted from any sinister, secular views whatsoever ; and whether what I have done has not been frora a careful, strict, and tender regard to the will of ray Lord and Master, and be cause I dare not offend hira, being satisfied w^hat his will was, after a long, dil igent, irapartial, and prayerful inquiry ; having this constantly in view and pros pect, to engage me fo great solicitude not rashly to deterraine truth to be on this side of fhe question, where I ara now persuaded it is, thaf such a deterralnation would nof be for ray teraporal interest, but every way against it, bringing a long series of extrerae difficulties, and plunging me into an abyss of trouble and sorrow. And then it will appear whether my people have done fheir duty to their pastor with respect to this raatter; whether they have shown a right tem per and spirit on this occasion ; whether they have done me justice in hearing, attending to and considering what I had fo say in evidence of what I believed and taught as part of the counsel of God ; whether I have been treated wilh that impartiahty, candor, and regard which fhe just Judge esteemed due ; and whether, in fhe raany steps which have been taken, and fh« raany things that have been said and done in fhe course of this controversy, righteousness and charity, and Christian decorura have been maintained; or, if otherwise, to how great a degree these things have been violated. Then every step of the con duct of each of us in this affair, from first fo last, and fhe spirit we have exer cised in all sball be examined and manifested, and our own consciences shall speak plain and loud, and each of us shall be convinced, and the world shall know ; and never shall there be any more mistake, misrepresentation, or mis- ajiprehension of the affair to eternity. Vol. I . 10 74 FAREWELL SERMON. This controversy is now probably brought to an issue b( f Ween you and me as to this world ; if has issued in the event of fhe week before last : buf it must have another decision at thaf great day, which certainly will corae, when you and I shall meet together before the great judgraent seat : and therefore I leave it to fhat time, and shall say no more about it at present. But I would now proceed to address myself particularly to several sorts of persons. 1. To those who are professors of godliness amongst us. I would now call you to a serious consideration of that great day wherein you must raeet him who has heretofore been your pastor, before the Judge whose eyes are as a flarae of fire. I have endeavored according to my best ability, fo search fhe word of God, with regard to the distinguishing notes of true piety, those by which persons might best discover their state, and most surely and clearly judge of themselves. And these rules and raarks I have from tirae to time applied to you, in fhe preaching of the word to the utmost of ray skill, and in fhe mosf plain and searching manner fhat I bave been able, in order to fhe detecting the deceived nypocrite, and establishing the hopes and coraforts of the sincere. And yet it is to be feared, that after all that I have done, I now leave sorae of you in a deceived, deluded state ; for it is nof fo be supposed that araong several hun dred professors, none are deceived. Henceforward I am like to have no more opportunity to take the care and charge of your souls, to examine and search fhem. But still I entreat you to remember and consider the rules which 1 have often laid down fo you during my ministry, with a solemn regard fo the future day when you and I raust meet together before our Judge ; when the uses of examination you have heard frora me must be rehearsed again before you, and those rules of trial must be fried, and it will appear whether they have been good or not ; and it will also appear whether you have impartially heard them, and fried yourselves by fhem ; and fhe Judge himself, who is infallible, will fry both you and me : and after this none will be deceived concerning the state of their souls. I haye often put you in mind, fhat whatever your pretences to experiences, ' discoveries, comforts, and joys have been, af fhat day every one will be judged according to his works ; and then you will find it so. May you have a minister, of greater knowledge of the word of God, and befter acquaintance with soul cases, and of greater skill in applying himself fo souls, whose discourses may be raore searching and convincing; thaf such of you as have held fast deceit under my preaching, may have your eyes opened by his ; that you may be undeceived before fhat great day. What means and helps for instruction and self-examination you may here after have is uncertain ; but one thing is certain, that the time is short, your opportunity for rectifying mistakes in so important a concern will soon come to an end. We live in a world of great changes. There is now a great change come to pass ; a controversy is at an end which you have continued for so many years : but the time is coming, and will soon corae, when you will pass out of time into eternity; and so will, pass from under all means of grace whatsoever. The greater part of you who are professors of godliness have (fo use the phrase of the apostle) "acknowledged me, in part:" you have heretofore acknowledged me fo be your spiritual father, fhe instrument of the greatest good to you that ever is, or can be obtained by any of fhe children of raen. Consider of that day when you and I shall meet before our Judge, when it shall be examined whether you have had from me fhe treatment which is due to FAREWELL SERMON. 75 spiritual children, and whether you have treated me as you ought fo have treated a spiritual father. As fhe relation of a natural parent brings great obligations on children in the sight of God ; so much more, in many respects, does the relation of a spiritual father bring great obligations on such whose conversation and eternal salvation they suppose God has made thera fhe instru ments of: 1 Cor. iv. 15, "For though you have fen thousand instructors in Christ, yet have ye not many fathers ; for in Christ Jesus, I have begotten you through fhe gospel." II. Now I ara faking my leave of this people I would apply myself fo such araong fhem as I leave in a Christless, graceless condition ; and would call on such seriously fo consider of that solemn day when they and I must raeet before the Judge of fhe world. My parting with you is in sorae respects in a peculiar manner a melancholy parting; inasmuch as I leave you in most melancholy circumstances; because I leave you in fhe gall of bitterness, and bond of iniquity, having the wrath of God abiding on you, and remaining under condemnation to everlasting misery and destruction. Seeing I must leave you, it would have been a comfortable and happy circumstance of our parting, if I had left you in Christ, safe and blessed in that sure refuge and glorious rest ofthe saints. But it is otherwise. I leave you far off, aliens and strangers, wretched subjects and captives of sin and Satan, and prisoners of vindictive justice ; wilhout Christ, and without God in fhe world. Your consciences bear me witness, fhat while I had opportunity, I have not ceased to warn you, and set before you your danger. I have studied fo repre sent the misery and necessity of your circumstances in the clearest manner pos.sible. I have fried all ways that I could think of fending fo awaken your consciences, and make you sensible of fhe necessity of your improving your time, and being speedy in flying from fhe wralh to come, and thorough in fhe use of means for your escape and safety. I have diligently endeavored to find out and use the most powerful motives fo persuade you fo fake care for your own welfare and salvation. I have not only endeavored fo awaken you, fhat you might be moved with fear, but I have used my utmost endeavors fo win you : I have sought out acceptable words, that if possible I might prevail upon you fo forsake sin, and turn fo God, and accept of Christ as your Saviour and Lord. I have spent ray strength very much in these things. But yet, with regard to you whom I am now speaking to, I have not been successful ; but have this day reason to complain in those words, Jer. vi. 29 : " The bellows are burnt, the lead is consumed of fhe fire, fhe founder melteth in vain, for the wicked are nof plucked away." It is fo be feared fhat all my labors, as fo many of you, have served no other purpose buf to harden you ; and that the word which I have preached, instead of being a savor of life unto life, has been a savor of death unto death. Though I shall not have any account to give for the future of such as have openly and resolutely renounced my ministry, as of a betrustmenf comraitted fo me : yet remember you raust give account for your selves, of your care of your own souls, and your improveraent of all raeans past and future, through yonr whole lives. God only knows what will becorae of your poor perishing souls, what means you may hereafter enjoy, or what dis advantages and temptations you raay be under. May God in his mercy grant, thaf however all past raeans have been unsuccessful, you raay have future means which may have a new effect ; and fhat the word of God, as it shall be here after dispensed to you, may prove as the fire and the hamraer that breaketh the rock in pieces. However, let me now at parting exhort and beseech you not wholly to forget the warnings you have had while under my ministry. When 76 FAREWELL SERMON. you and I shall meet at fhe day of judgment, then you will rememoer them : the sight of me, your former minister, on that occasion, will soon revive them in your memory ; and that in a very affecting raanner. 0 do not let fhat be fhe first time that they are so revived ! You and I are now parting one frora another as fo this world ; let us labor that we may not be paried after our meeting at the last day. If I have been your faithful pastor (which will that day appear whether I have or no), then I shall be acquitted, and shall ascend wilh Christ. 0 do your part, that in such a case, it may not be so, fhat you should be forced eternally fo part frora rae, and all that have been faithful in Christ Je.sus. This is a sorrowful parting that now is between you and me, but that would be a more sorrowful parting to you than this. This you may perhaps bear without being much affected with if, if you are not glad of it; but such a parting in that day will most deeply, sensibly, and dreadfully affect you. III. I would address myself fo those who are under some awakenings. Blessed be God that there are sorae such, and that (although I have reason to fear I leave multitudes in this large congregation in a Christless state) yet I do not leave tbem all in total stupidity and carelessness about their souls. Some of you, that I have reason to hope are under some awakenings, have acquainted me with your circumstances ; which has a tendency to cause me, now I am leaving you, to take my leave of you with peculiar concern for you. What will be the issue of your present exercise of mind I know nof: but it will be known at fhat day, when you and 1 shall meet before the judgment seat of Christ. Therefore now be much in consideration of fhat day. Now I am parting with this flock, I would once more press upon you fhe counsels I have heretofore given, to take heed of being slighty in so great a concern, to be thorough and in good earnest in the affair, and to beware of backsliding, to hold on and hold out fo fhe end. And cry mightily to God, fhat these great changes thaf pass over this church and congregation do not prove your overthrow. There is great temptation in them ; and the devil will undoubtedly, seek to make his advantage of them, if possible to cause your pre sent convictions and endeavors to be abortive. You had need fo double your diligence, and watch and pray, lest you be overcome by temptation. Whoever raay hereafter stand related fo you as your spiritual guide, my desire and prayer is, that the great Shepherd of the sheep would have a special respect to you, and be your guide (for there is none teacheth like him), and fhat he who is fhe infinite fountain of light, would " open your eyes, and turn you from darkness unto light, and from the power of Salan unfo God ; thaf you may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance araong thera that are sanctified, through faith that is in Christ ;" thaf so, in that great day, when I shall meet you again before your Judge and mine, we may meet in joyful and glorious circumstances, never tb be separated any more. IV. I would apply myself fo fhe young people of fhe congregation. Since I have been settled in the work of fhe ministry in this place, I have ever had a peculiar concern for the souls ofthe young people, and a desire fhat religion might flourish among them : and have especially exerted myself in order to it ; because I knew the special opportunity they had beyond others, and that ordinarily those whora Gqd intended mercy for, were brought to fear and love hira in their youth. And it has ever appeared to me a peculiarly amiablt thing, fosee young people walking in the ways of virfue and Christian piety, having fheir hearts purified and sweetened with a principle of divine love And it has appeared a thing exceeding beautiful, and what would be much fo FAREWELL SERMON. Ti the adorning and happiness ofthe town, if the young people could be persuad ed when fhey meet fojrether, fo converse as Christians, and as fhe children of God ; avoiding irapurity, levity and extravagance ; keeping strictly to the rules of virfue, and conversing together of the things of God, and Christ, and hea ven. This is what I have longed for : and it has been exceeding grievous tc me when I have heard of vice, vanity and disorder among our youth. And so far as I know ny own heart, it was from hence that I forraeriy led this church to some measures, for fhe suppressing vice among our young people, which gave so greaf offence, and bywhich 1 became so obnoxious. I have sought the good, and not the hurtcf our" young people. I have desired their truest ho nor and happiness, and nof their reproach ; knowing thaf true virtue and reli gion fended not only to the glory and felicity of young people in another world, but their greatest peace and prosperity, and highest dignity and honor in this world ; and above all things fo sweeten, and render pleasant and delightful, even the days of youth. But whether I have loved you, and sought your good more or less, yet God in bis providence, novv calling me to part with you, committing your souls to him who once committed the pastoral care of them to rae, nothing remains. but oniv (as I am now faking my leave of you) earnestly to beseech you, from love to yourselves, if you have none to me, not fo despise and forget the warn ¦ ings and counsels I have so often given .you; reraembering the day when you and I must meet again before the great Judge of quick and dead ; when it will appear whether the things I have taught you were true, whether the counsels I haj'e given you were gopd, and whether I truly sought your good, and whether you have wsll improved my endeavors. I have, from time to time, earnestly Warned you against frolicking (as it is called), and some other liberties commonly taken by young people in the land. And whatever some raay say in justification of such liberties and customs, and 'may laugh at warnings against thera, I now leave you my parting testimony against such things ; nof doubting buf God will approve and confirm it in fhat day when we shall raeet before him. V. I would apply myself to fhe children of the congregation, tbe lambs of this flock, who have been so long under my care. I have just now said that I have bad a peculiar concern for fhe young people ; and in so saying I did nof intend to exclude you. You. are in youth, and in the most early youth : and therefore I have been sensible that if those that were young had a precicus opportunity for fheir souls' good, you who are very young- had, in many respects, a peculiarly precious opportuni'.y. And accordingly 1 have not neglected you : I have endeavored to do the part of a faithful shepherd, in feedinty the lambs as well as the sheep. Christ did once commit the care of your souls to me as your minister ; and you know, dear children, hew I have instructed you, and warned you from time to tirae ; you know how I have often called you together for that end ; and some of you, sometimes, have seemed to be affected with what I have said to you. But I am afraid it has had no saving effects as to many of you ; but that you remain still in an unconverted condi tion, without any real saving work v/rought in your souls, convincing you tho roughly of your sin and misery, causing you lo see fhe great evil of sin, and tc mourn for it, and hate if above all things, and giving you a sense of the excel lency of the Lord Jesus Christ, bringing you with all your hearts fo cleave to him as your Saviour, weaning your hearts from the world, and causing you to love God above all, and to delight in holiness more than in all the pleasanf things of this earth ; and ao fhat I now leave you in a miserable condition, 73 FAREWELL SERMON. having no interest in Christ, and so under the awful displeasure and anger of God, and in danger of going down to the pit of eternal misery. Buf now I must bid you farewell : 1 must leave you in the hanils of God ; I can do no more for you than to pray for you. Only I desire you not to forget, but often think of the counsels and warnings I have given you, and the eridea- vors I have used, thaf your souls might be saved from everlasting destruction. Dear children, I leave you in an evil world, that is full of snares and temp tations. God only knows what will become of you. This the Scripture hath told us, thaf there are but few saved ; and we have abundant confirmation of it frora what we see. This we see, fhat children die as well as others : multi tudes die before they grow up ; and of those that grow up, comparatively few ever give good evidence of saving conversion fo God. I pray God to pily you, and take care of you, and provide for you fhe best means for the good of your souls ; and that God himself would undertake for you fo be your heavenly Father, and the mighty Redeemer of your immortal souls. Do not neglect to pray for yourselves : take heed you be not of fhe nuraber of those who cast off fear, and restrain prayer before God. Constantly pray to God in secret ; and often remember that great day when you must appear before the judgraent seat of Christ, and meet your minister there, who has so often counselled and warned you. I conclude with a few words of advice to all in general, in sorae particulars, which are of great importance in order to the welfare and prosperity of this church and congregation. 1. One thing fhat greatly concerns you, as you would be a happy people, is fhe maintaining of family order. , ^ We have had greaf disputes how the church ought fo be regulated ; and • indeed fhe subject of these disputes was of great i.mportance : but the due regu lation of your families is of no less, and, in some respects, of much greater impor tance. Every Christian family oughf to be as it were a little church, consecra ted to Christ, and wholly influenced and governed by his rules. And family education and order are some of the chief of the means of grace. If these fail, all other means are like fo prove ineffectual. If these are daily maintained, all the raeans of grace will be like to prosper and be successful. Let me now, therefore, once more, before I finally cease to speak to this con gregation, repeat and earnestly press the counsel which I have often urged on heads of families here, while I was their pastor, to great painfulness, in teach ing, warning, and directing their children ; bringing thera up in the nurture and adraonition of the Lord ; beginning early, when there is yet opportunity, and maintaining a constant diligence in labors cf this kind ; remerabering that, as you v.'ould nof have all your instructions and counsels ineffectual, there must be government as well as instructions, which must be maintained with an even hand, and steady resolution, as a guard to the religion and morals of the family, and the support of its good order. Take heed thaf it be not with any of you as wilh Eli of old, who reproved his children but restrained them not ; and thaf, by this means, yoa do not bring the like curse on your faraiUes as he did on his. And let children obey their parents, and yield to their instructions, and sub mit to their orders, as they would inherit a blessing and not a curse. For we have reason to think, frora many fhlngs in the word of God, that nothing has a greater tendency to bring a curse on persons in this world, and on all fheir temporal concerns, than an undutiful, unsubmissive, disorderly behavior in chil dren towards their parents. 2. As you would seek the future prosperity of this society, it is of vast im portance that you should avoid contention. FAREWELL SERMON. 79 A contentious people will be a miserable people. The contentions which have been among you, since I first became your pastor, have been one of fhe greatest burdens 1 have labored under in the course of ray rainistry : not only the contentions you have had with rae, but those which you have had one with another, about your lands and other concerns. Because I knew that contention, heat of spirit, evil speaking, and things of the like nature, were directly con trary fo the spirit of Christianity, and did, in a peculiar raanner, fend fo drive away God's Spirit frora a people, and to render all means of grace ineffectual, as well as to desttoy a people's outward comfort and welfare. Let me therefore earnestly exhort you, as you would seek your own future good hereafter, to watch against a contentious spirit. " If you would see good day.s, seek peace, and ensue it," 1 Pet. iii. 10, 11. Let fhe contention, which has lately been about the terms of Christian coraraunion, as it has been the greatest of your contentions, so be the last of thera. I would, now I am preach ing my farewell sermon, say to you, as fhe Apostle to the Corinthians, 2 Cor. xiii. 11,12: "Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect: be of one mind : live in pesce ; and fhe God of love and peace shall be with you." And here I would particularly advise those that have adhered to me in fhe late controversy, fo watch over their spirits, and avoid all bitterness towards others. Your temptations are, in some respects, the greatest ; because what has been lately done is grievous fo you. But however wrong you may think others have done, maintain, with great diligence and watchfulness, a Christian meekness and sedateness of spirit ; and labor, in this respect, fo excel others who are of the contrary part. And this will be fhe best victory : for ""he that rules his spirit, is better than he that takes a city." Therefore let nothing be done through strife or vain-glory. Indulge no revengeful spirit in any wise ; but watch and pray against it ; and, by all means in your power, seek the pros perity of the town : and never think you behave yourselves as becomes Chris tians, but when you sincerely, sensibly, and fervently love all men, of whatever party or opinion, and whether friendly or unkind, just or injurious, fo you or your friends, or to fhe cause and kingdom of Christ. 3. Another thing that vastly concerns the future prosperity of this town, is, fhat you should watch against the encroachraents of error; and particularly Arminianism, and docfrines of like tendency. You were, raany of you, as I well reraeraber, much alarmed with fhe ap prehension ofthe danger of the prevailing ofthese corrupt principles, near six teen years ago. But the danger then was small in comparison of what appears now. These doctrines at fhis day are much more prevalent than they were then : the progress they have made in fhe land, within this seven years, seems to have been vastly greater than at any time in the like space before : and they are still prevailing and creeping info almost all parts of fhe land, threatening fhe utter ruin of the credit of those docfrines which are the peculiar glory of fhe gospel, and fhe interests of vital piety. And I have of late perceived some things among yourselves, fhat show thaf you are far from being out of danger, but on the contrary reraarkably exposed. The older people may perhaps think themselves suflacienfly fortified against infection ; but if is fit fhat all should be ware of self-confidence and carnal security, and should reraeraber those needful warnings of sacred writ, " Be not high-minded, buf fear ; and let him fhat stands, take heed lest he fall." Buf let the case of the oldei* people be as it will, the rising generation are doubtless greatly exposed. These principles are exceeding faking with corrupt nature, and are what young people, at least such as have not their hearts established with grace, are easily led away with. so FAREWELL SERMON. And if these principles should greatly prevail in this town, as they very lately have done in another large town I could narae, forraeriy ^greatly noted for religion, and so for a long time, it will threaten the spiritual and eternal ruin of this people, in the present and future generations. Therefore you haye need oi the greatest and most diligent care and watchfulness with respect fo fhis matter 4. Another thing which I would advise to, that y-ou may hereafter be a prosperous people, is, fhat you would give yourselves much to prayer. God is fhe fountain of ail blessing and prosperity, and he will be sought to for his blessing. I would therefore advise you not only to be constant in secret and family prayer, and in the public worship of God in his house, but also often to assemble yourselves in private praying societies. I would advise all such as are grieved for the afflictions of J'-.seph, and sensibly affected with the calami ties of this town, of whatever opinion they be with relation to the subject of our late controversy, often to raeet together for prayer, and to cry fo God for his mercy to themselves, and mercy to this town, and mercy fo Zion and the people of God in general through the world. 5. The last article of advice I would give (which doubtless does greatly concern your prosperity), is, that you would take greaf care with regard fo fhe settlement of a minister, to see to if who, or what manner of person he is that you settle ; and particularly in these two respects, (1.) That he be a man of thoroughly sound principles in the scherae of doc trine which he raaintains. This you will stand in the greatest need of, especially at such a day of cor ruption as this is. And in order to obtain such a one, you had need to exer cise extraordinary care and prudence. I know the danger. I know fhe man ner of many young gentlemen of corrupt principles, fheir ways of concealing themselves, tho lair, specious disguises fhey are wont to put on, by which they deceive others, fo raaintain their own credit, and get theraselves into others' confidence and improvement, and secure and establish fheir own interest, until they see a convenient opportunity to begin more openly fo broach and propa gate their corrupt tenets. (2.) Labor to obtain a man who has an established character, as a person of serious religion and fervent piety. It is of vast importance thaf those who are settled in fhis work should be raen of frue piety, af all times, and in all places ; but more especially at some tiraes, and in some towns and churches. And this present time, which is ji time wherein religion is in danger, by so raany corruptions in doctrine and practice, is in a peculiar raanner a day wherein such rainisters are necessary. Nothing else but sincere piety of heart is at all to be depended on, at such a tirae as this, as a security to a young raan, just coraing into the world, from the prevailing infection, or thoroughly fo engage him in proper and successful endeavors to withstand and oppose the torrent of error, and prejudice, against the biorh, mys terious, evangelical doctrines of the religion of Jesus Christ, and their genuine effects in true experimental religion. And fhis place is a place that does pe culiarly need such a minister, for reasons obvious to all. If you should happen to settle a minister who knows nothing fruly of Christ, and fhe way of salvation by him, nothing experimentally ofthe nature of vital religion ; alas, how will you be exposed as sheep without a shepherd ! Here is need of one in fhis place, who shall be eminently fit to stand in fhe gap, and make up the hedge, and who shall be as fhe chariots of Israel, and the horse men thereof. You need one fhat shall stand as a champion in fhe cause of truth and the power of godliness. RESULT OP A COUNCIL. 81 Having briefly mentioned these important articles of advice, nothing remains, but that I now take my leave of you, and bid you all farewell ; wishing and praying for your best prosperity. I would now coraraend your imraortal souls to Him, who forraeriy coramitted thera fo me, expecting the day, when I must meet you again before Him, who is fhe Judge of quick and dead. I desire fhat 1 may never forget this people, who have been so long ray special charge, and that I raay never cease fervently to pray for your prosperity. May God bless you with a faithful pastor, one that is well acquainted wilh his mind and will, thoroughly warning sinners, wisely and skilfully searching professors, and con ducting you in the way fo eternal blessedness. May you have truly a burning and shining light set up in fhis candlestick ; and raay you, not only for a sea son, but during his whole life, and that a long life, be willing fo rejoice in his hght. And let rae be reraerabered in the prayers of all God's people thaf are of a calra spirit, and are peaceable and faithful in Israel, of whatever opinion they may be with respect to terms of church coraraunion. And let us all reraeraber, and never forget our future solemn meeting on that great day of fhe Lord ; the day of infallible decision, and of the everlast ing and unalterable sentence. Amen. THE RESULT OF A COUNCIL OP NINE CHURCHES, MET AT NORTH AMPTON, JUNE 22, 175C. AT A COUNCIL OF NINE CHURCHES, viz., The church in Enfield, Rev. Peter Reynolds, pastor; Mr. Edward Collins, delegate. Sheffield, Jonathan Hubbard, pastor ; Mr. Daniel Kellogg, delegate. Sutton, David Hall, pastor ; Mr. Jonathan Hall, delegate. Reading, William Hobby, pastor ; Mr. Samuel Bancroft, delegate. The first church in Springfield, Robert Breck, pastor; Mr. Thomas Steb- bins, delegate. Sunderland, Joseph Ashley, pastor ; Mr. Samuel Montague, delegate. Hatfield, Timothy Woodbridge, pastor ; Oliver Partridge, Esq., delegate. The first church in Hadley, Chester Williaras, pastor ; Mr. Enos Nash, de legate. Pelhara, Robert Abercrorabie, pastor ; Mr. Matthew Gray, delegate. Convened af the call of the first church in Northampton, together with fhe elder of the church in Cold Spring,* added by the consent of both fhe pastor and church of Northampton, in order to advise to a remedy from fhe ealaraities arising from the unsettled, broken state of fhe first church in Northampton, by reason of a controversy subsisting about fhe qualifications for full communion In the church. The Reverend Mr. Hubbard was chosen moderator, and fhe Reverend Mr. Williams, scribe. The council, after seeking fhe divine presence and direction, had the mat- * Rev. Mr. Billing. Vol, L 11 82 RESULT OF A COUNCIL. ter in controversy laid before thera, and finding the sentiments of fhe pastor and church concerning fhe qualifications necessary for full communion, to be diamet rically opposite fo each other; the pastor insisting upon it as necessary fo the admission of raembers fo full coraraunion, fhat they should make a profession of sanctifying grace ; whereas the brethren are of opinion thaf the Lord's sup per is a converting ordinance, and consequently thaf persons, if they have a competency of knowledge and are of a blameless life, may be^adraitted to fhe Lord's fable, although they make no such profession : and also finding thaf, by reason of fhis diversity of sentiments, the doors of the church have been some years, so that there has been no admission : and not being able fo find out any method wherein the pastor and brethren can unite ; consistent with their own sentiments, in admitting members fo full coraraunion : the council did then, ac cording to the desire of fhe church, expressed in their letters raissive, proceed to consider the expediency of dissolving the relation between pastor and peo ple; and, after hearing the church upon it, and mature deliberation ofthe case, the questions were put f o fhe merabers of fhe council severally : 1. Whether it be fhe opinion of fhis council that the Reverend Mr. Edwards persisting in his principles, and the church in theirs in opposition fo his, and insisting on a separation, it is necessary fhat the relation between pastor and people be dissolved 1 Resolved in the affirmative. 2. Whether it be expedient that this relation be immediately dissolved ? Passed in the affirmative. However, we take notice that notwithstanding the unhappy dispute which has arisen, and so long subsisted between the pastor and church of Northampton, upon fhe point before mentioned, we have no other objection against him, but what relates to his sentiments upon the point aforesaid, laid before us : and al though we have heard of somestories spread abroad, reflecting upon Mr. Edwards' sincerity with regard to the change of his sentiments about fhe qualifications for full coraraunion ; yet we have received full satisfaction fhat they are false and groundless : and although we do not all of us agree with Mr. Edwards in our sentunents upon the point, yet we have abundant reason fo believe that he took rauch pains fo get light in that raatter ; and that he is uprightly following fhe dictates of his own conscience ; and with great pleasure reflect upon the Christian spirit and teraper he has discovered in the unhappy controversy sub sisting among thera ; and think ourselves bound to testify our full charity to wards hira, and recoinraend him fo any church or people agreeing with hira in sentiraents, as a person erainently qualified for the work of the gospel rainistry. And we would recommend it fo fhe Rev. Mr. Edwards and the first church in Northampton, to take proper notice of the'heavy frown of divine Providence, in suffering fhem tq be reduced to such a state as to render a separation neces sary, after they have lived so long and amicably together, and been mutual blessings and coraforts to each other. And now, recomraending the Rev. Mr. Edwards, and the church in North ampton, to the grace of God, we subscribe, JONATHAN HUBBARD, Moderator, In the name of fhe Council. JVorthampton, June 22, 1750. A frue copy examined by Chester Williams, Scribe. AN HUMBLE INQUIRY INTO THE RULES OF THE WORD OF GOD, CONCERNING THE aUALIFIGATIONS REQUISITE TO A COMPLETE STANDING AND FULL COMMUNI()!« IN THE VISIBLE CHRISTI ATs^ CHURCH. PREFACE. Mr appearing in ttis jiublic manner on that side of ihe question, which is defended tn the following sheets, will probably be surprising to many, as it is well known, that Mr. Stoddard, so great and eminent a divine, and my venerable predecessor in the pastoral office over the chnrch in Northampton, as well as my own grandfather, public ly and strenuously appeared in opposition to the doctrine here maintained. However, I hope, it will not be taken amiss, that I think as I do, merely because I herein diff'er from him, though so much my superior, and one whose name and mem ory I am under distinguishing obligations on every account, to treat with great respect and honor. Especially may I justly expect, that it will not be charged on me as a crime, that I do not think in every thing just as he did, since none more than he him self asserted this scriptural and Protestant maxim, that we ought to call no man on earth Master, or make the authority of the greatest and holiest of mere men the ground of our belief of any doctrine in religion. Certainly we are not obliged to think any man infallible, who himself utterly disclaims infallibility. Very justly Mr. Stoddard observes in his Appeal to the Learned, p. 97 : " All Protestants agree that there is no infallibility at Rome ; and I know nobody else that pretends to any since the apostles' days." And he insists in his preface to his sermon on the same subject, that it argues no want of due respect in us to our forefathers, for us to examine their opinions. Some of his words in that preface contain a good apology for me, and are worthy to be re peated on this occasion. They are as follow : " It may possibly be a fault (says Mr. Stoddard) to depart from the ways of our fathers : but it may also be a virtue, and an eminent act of obedience, to depart from them in some things. Men are wont to make a great noise, that we are bringing in innovations, and depart from the old way : but it is beyond me to find out whei ein the iniquity does lie. We may see cause to alter some practices of our fathers, without despising of them, without priding ourselves in our wisdom, without apostasy, without abusing the advantages God has given us, witliout a spirit of compliance with corrupt Tien, without inclination to superstition, without maldng disturbance in the church ol God : and there is no reason, that it should be turned as a reproach upon us. Surely it is commendable for us to examine the practices of our fathers ; we have no sufficient reason to take practices upon trust from them. Let them have as high a character as belongs to them ; yet we may not look upon their principles as oracles. Nathan himself missed it in his conjecture about building the house of God. He that believes princi ples because they affirm them, makes idols of them. And it would be no humility, but baseness of spirit, for us to judge ourselves incapable to examine the principles that have been handed down to us. If we be by any means fit to open the mysteries of the gospel, we are capable to judge of these matters : and it would ill become us, so lo indulge ourselves in ease, as to neglect the examination of received principles. If the practices of our fathers in any particulars were mistaken, it is fit that they should be rejected ; if they be not, they will bear examination. If we be forbidden to examine their practice, that will cut oft" all hopes of reformation." Thus in these very seasonable and apposite sayings, Mr. Stoddard, though dead, yet speaketh : and here (to apply them to my own case) he tells me, that I am not at all blamable, for not taking his principles on trust ; that notwithstanding the high character justly belonging to him, I ought not to look on his principles as oracles, as though he could not miss it, as well as Nathan himself in his conjecture about build ing the house of God ; nay, surely that I am even to be commended, for examining his practice, and judging for myself; that it would ill become me, to do othenvi.'se ; that this would be no manifestation of humility, but rather show a baseness of spirit ; that if I be not capable to judge for myself In these matters, I am by no means fit to open the mysteries of the gospel; that if I should believe his principles, because he advanced them, I should be guilty of making him an idol. Also he tells his and my flock, with all others, tliat it ill becomes them, so to indulge their ease, as to neglect examining received principles and practices ; and that .t is fit, mistakes in any partie- 86 PREFACE. ulars be reiected : that if in some things I differ in my judgment from him, it woiUd be very unreasonable, on this account to make a great noise, as though I were brmging m innovations, and departing from the old way ; that I may see cause to alter some practices of my grandfather and predecessor, without despising him, without priding myself in my wisdom, without apostasy, without despising the advantages God has given me without inclination to superstition, and without making disturbance in the churchof God; in short, that it is beyond him, to find out wherein the iniquity of my so doing lies ; and that there is no reason why it should be turned as a reproach upon me. Thus, I think, he sufficiently vindicates my conduct in the present case, and warns all with whom I am concerned, not to be at all displeased with me, or to find the least fault with me, merely because I examine for myself, have a judgment of my own, and am for practising in some particulars diff'erent from him, how positive soever he was that his judgment and practice were right. It is reasonably hoped, and ex pected, that they who have a great regard to his judgment, will impartially regard hia judgment, and hearken to his admonition in these things. I can seriously declare, that an affectation of making a show as if I were some thing wiser than that excellent person, is exceeding distant from me, and very far from having thc least influence in my appearing to oppose, in this way of the press, an opinion which he so earnestly maintained and promoted. Sure I am, I have not affected to vary from his judgment, nor in the least been governed by a spirit of con tradiction, neither indulged a cavilling humor, in remarking on any of his arguments or expressions. I have formerly been of his opinion, which I imbibed from his books, even from my childhood, and have in my proceedings conformed to his practice ; though never with out some difficulties in my view, which I could not solve : yet, however, a distrust ol my own imderstanding, and deference to the authority of so venerable a man, the seem ing strength of some of his arguments, together with the success he had in his minis try, and his great reputation and influence, prevailed for a long time to bear down my scruples. But the difficulties and uneasiness on my mind increasing, as I became more studied in divinity, and as I improved in experience ; this brought me to closer diligence and care to search the Scriptures, and more impartially to examine and weigh the arguments of my grandfather, and such other authors as I could get on hie side of the question. By which means, after long searching, pondering, viewing and reviewing, I gained satisfaction, became fully settled in the opinion I now maintain, as in the discourse here offered to public view ; and dared to proceed no further in a practice and administration inconsistent therewith : which brought me into peculiar circumstances, laying me imder an inevitable necessity publicly to declare and main tain tho opinion I was thus established in ; as also to do it from the press, and to do it at this time without delay. It is far from a pleasing circumstance of this publication, that it is against what my honored grandfather strenuously maintained, both from the pulpit and press. I can truly say, on account of this and some other considerations, it is what I engage in with the greatest reluctance, that ever I undertook any public ser vice in my life. But the state of things with me is so ordered, by the sovereign dispo sal of the great governor of the world, that my doing this appeared to me very neces sary and altogether unavoidable. I am conscious, not only is the interest of Religion concerned in this affair, bnt my own reputation, future usefulness, and my very subsis tence, all seemed to depend on my freely opening and defending myself, as to my principles, and agreeable conduct in my pastoral charge ; andon my doino- it from the press : in which way alone am I able to state and justify my opinion, to any purpose, befoie the country (which is full of noise, misrepresentations, and many censures con cerning this affair), or even before my own people, as all would be fully sensible, if ihey knew the exact state ofthe case. I have been brought to this necessity in divine providence, by such a situation of affairs and coincidence of circumstances and events, as I choose at present to be silent about ; and which it is not needful, nor perhaps expedient for me to publish to the world. One thing among others that caused me to go about this business with so much backwardness, was the fear of a bad improvement some ill minded people micht be ready, at this day to make ofthe doctrine here defended; particularly that wfld en thusiastical sort of people, who have of late gone into unjustifiable separations, even renouncing the mmisters and churches ofthe land in general, under pretence of setting up a pure church._ It is well known, that I have heretofore publicly remonstrated, both fromthe pulpit and press, agamst very many ofthe notions and practices of this kmd of people ; and shall be very sorry if what I now otfer to the pubUc, should be any PREFACE. 87 occasion of their encouraging or strengthening themselves in those notions and prac tices of theirs. To prevent which, I would now take occasion to declare, I am still of the same mind concerning them, that I have formerly manifested. I have the same opimon concerning the religion and inward experiences chiefly in vogue among them, as I had when I wrote my Treatise cm Religioiis Affections, and when I wrote my Observations and Reflections on Mr. Brainerd's Life. I have no better opinion of then- notion of a pure church by means of a spirit of discerning, their censorious outcries against the standing ministers and churches in general, their Lay ordinations, their Lay preachings, and public exhortings, and administering Sacraments; their assum ing, self-confident, contentious, uncharitable, separating spirit; their going about the country, as sent by the Lord, to make proselytes ; with their many other extravagant and wicked ways. My holding the doctrine that is defended in this discourse, is no argument of any change of my opinion concerning them ; for when I wrote those tTvo books before mentioned, I was ofthe same mind concerning the qualifications of com municants at the Lord's Table, that I am of now. However, it is not unlikely, that some will still exclaim against my principles, as being of the same pernicious tendency with those ofthe Separatists: to such I can only by a solemn protestation aver the sincerity of my aims, and the great" care I have exercised to avoid whatsoever is erroneous, or might be in any respect mischievous. But as to my success in these my upright aims and endeavors, I must leave it to every reader to judge for himself, after he has carefully perused, and impartially considered the following discourse ; which, considering the nature and importance of the subject, I hope, all serious readers will accompany with their earnest prayers to the Father ol ho-hts, for his gracious direction and influence. And to him be glory inthe churches by Christ .Tesus. Amen. JONATHAN EDWARDS. HUMBLE INQUIRY. PART FIRST. THE QUESTION STATED AND EXPLAINED. The main question I would consider, and for fhe negative of which, I would offer some arguments in the following discourse, is this : Whether, according to fhe rules of Christ, any ought to be admitted fo fhe communion and privileges of membeis of fhe visible church of Christ in complete standing, but such as are in profession, and in the eye of the church's Christian judgment, godly or gracious persons 1 When I speak of members of fhe visible church of Christ, in complete standing, I would be understood of those who are received as the proper imme diate subjects of all the external privileges Christ has appointed for the ordi nary members of his church. I say ordinary members, in distinction from any peculiar privileges and honors of church officers and rulers. All allow, there are some thaf are in some respect in the church ofGod, who are not members in complete standing, in the sense that has been explained. All fhat acknow ledge infant baptism, allow infants, who are fhe proper subjects of baptism, and are baptized, fo be in some sort members of fhe Christian church ; yet none suppose them to be members in such standing as fo be fhe[proper immediate subjects of all ecclesiastical ordinances and privileges. * But that some further qualifications are requisite in order fo fhis, to be obtained, either in a course of nature, or by education, or by divine grace. And some who are baptized in infancy, even after they come to be adult, may yet remain for a season short of such a standing as has been spoken of ; being destitute of sufficient knowledge, and perhaps some other qualifications, through fhe neglect of parents, or fheir own negligence, or otherwise ; or because they carelessly neglect to qualify themselves for ecclesiastical privileges by making a public profession of fhe Christian faith, or owning the Christian covenant, or forbear fo oflfer themselves as candidates for these privileges ; and yet not be cast out of the church, oi cease to be in any respect its members. This, I suppose, will also be generallj allowed. One thing mainly intended in the foregoing question is, whether any aduli persons but such as are in profession and appearance endued with Christian grace or piety; (ought to be admitted f o the Christian Sacraments : particularly whether they ought fo be admitted to the Lord's supper ; and, if fhey are sucb as were nof baptized in infancy, ought to be admitted fo baptisra. Adult per sons having those qualifications fhat ^oblige others to receive fhem as fhe proper immediate subjects of the Christian sacramenfs,lis fhe main thing intended in the question, by being such as ought to be admitted to fhe communion and privileges of members of the visible church, in complete standing. There are many adult persons that by the allowance of all are in some respect within fhe church of God, who are not members in good standing, in fhis respect. There are many, for instance, that have not at present the qualifications proper to re- VoL. I 12 90 QUALIFICA'HONS commend thera to admission to theLord's supper. There are many scandaloiis persons, who are under suspension. The late venerable Mr. Stoddard, and many other great divines suppose, thaf even excommunicated persons are still- mem hers of fhe church of God ; and some suppose the worshippers of Baal in Israel, even those who were bred up such from their infancy, remained still members of fhe church of God. And very many Protestant divines suppose, that the members of fhe church of Rome, though fhey are brought up and live con tinually in gross idolatry, and innumerable errors and superstitions thaf fend utterly fo make void the gospel of Christ, still are in the visible church of Christ. Yet, I suppose, no orthodox divines would hold these f o be properly and regularly qualified for fhe Lord's supper. It vvas therefore requisite, in fhe question before us, fhat a distinction should be made between members of fhe visible church in general, and members in complete standing. It was also requisite fhat such a distinction should be made in the question, fo avoid lengthening out fhis discourse exceedingly with needless questions and debates concerning the state of baptized infants ; — that is needless as to my present purpose. Though I have no doubts about the doctrine of infant bap tism ; yet God's manner of dealing Avith such infants as are regularly dedicated to him in baptism, is a matter liable fo great disputes and many controversies, and would require a large dissertation by itself fo clear it up ; which, as it would extend this discourse beyond all bounds, so it appears not necessary in order to a clear determination of the present question. The revelation of God's word is much plainer and more express concerning adult persons, tbat act for them selves in religious matters, than concerning infants. The Scriptures were writ- fen for the sake of adult persons, or those that are capable ofknowing what i? written. It is f o such fhe apostles speak in their epistles, and f o such only does God speak throughout his word. And the Scriptures especially speak for the sake of those, and about those fo whom fhey speak. And therefore if fhe word of God affords us light enough concerning those spoken of in the ques tion, as I have stated it, clearly to determine the matter with respect to them, we need not waif until we see all doubts and controversies about baptized infants cleared and settled, before we pass a judgraent with respect to fhe point in hand. The denorainations, characters, and descriptions, which we find given in Scripture to visible Christians, and to the visible church, are principally with an eye to the church of Christ in ifs adulf state and proper standing. If any one was about fo describe fhat kind of birds called doves, it would be most proper to describe grown doves, and not young ones in fhe egg or nest, without wings or feathers. So if any one should describe a palm-tree or olive-tree by ifs visible form and appearance, it would be presuraed tbat he described those of these kinds of trees in fheir mature and proper stafe ; and nof as just peeping from the ground, or as thunder-struck or blown down. And therefore I would here give notice, once for all, that when in the ensuing discourse I use such like phrases as visible saints, raerabers of the visible church, &c., I, for the' most part, mean persons fhat are adult and in good standing. The question is nof, whether Christ has made converting grace or piety itself the condition or rule of his people's adraitting any fo fhe privileges of merabers in full coraraunion with them There is no one qualification of mind whatsoever, that Christ has properly made fhe term of fhis ; not so much as a common belief that Jesus is the Messiah, or a belief of the being of a God. It is the credible profession and visibility of these things, that is fhe church's rule in fhis case. Christian piety or godliness may be a qualification requisite to commu nion in the Christian sacraments, just in the same manner as a belief fhat Jesus FOR FULL COMMUNION. 91 IS the Messiah, and the Scripture fhe word of God, are requisite qualifications ; and in the sarae manner as some kind of repentance is a qualification requisite in one that has been suspended for being grossly scandalous, in order to his coming again fo the Lord's supper ; and yet godliness itself not be properly fhe rule of the church's proceeding, in like manner as such a belief and repentance, as I have mentioned, are not their rule. It is a visibility to the eye of a Chris tian judgment, that is the rule of the church's proceeding in each of these cases. Two distinctions raust be here observed ; as, 1. We raust distinguish between such qualifications as are requisite to give a person a right to ecclesiastical privileges in foro ecclesice, or a right fo be admitted by fhe church to those privileges, and those qualifications fhat are a proper and good foundation for a man's own conduct in coming and oflfering hiraself as a candidate for immediate admission to these privileges. There is a difference between these. Thus, for instance, a profession of fhe belief of a future state and of revealed religion, and sorae other things that are internal and out of sight, and a visibility of these things to the eye of a Christian judgment, is all, relating fo these things, fhat is requisite to give a man a right in foro ecclesice, or before the church ; but it is the real existence of these things, that is what lays a proper and good foundation for his making this profession, and so deraanding these privileges. None will suppose that he has good and proper ground for such a conduct, who does not believe another world, nor believe the Bible fo be thc word of God. And then, 2. We must distinguish between, that which nextly brings an obligation on a man's conscience to seek admission to a Christian ordinance, and that which is a good foundation for the dictate of an enlightened, well informed conscience, and so is properly a solid foundation of a right in him to act thus. Certainly this distinction does really fake place among mankind in innumerable cases. The dictates of men's consciences are what do bring them under a next or raost immediate obligation to act: buf it is that which is a good foundation for such a dictate of an enhghtened conscience, that alone is a solid foundation of a right in him so to act. A believing the doctrine of the Trinity with all the heart, in some sense (let us suppose a moral sense) is one thing requisite in order to a person's having a solid foundation of a right in him fo go to and demand bap tism in the name of the Trinity : but his best judgment or dictate of his con science, concerning his believing this doctrine with fhis sincerity, or with all his heart, may be sufficient to bring an obligation on his conscience. Again, when a delinquent has been convicted of scandal, it is repentance in some respect sincere (suppose a moral sincerity) thaf is the proper foundation of aright in him to offer hiraself for forgiveness and restoration : but it is the dictate of his con science or his best judgment concerning his sincerity, that is the thing which immediately obliges him f o offer himself. It is repentance itself, that is the proper qualification fundamental of his right, and what he cannot have a proper right without ; for though he may be deceived, and think he has real repentance when he has not, yet he has not properly a right fo be deceived ; and perhaps deceit in such cases is always owing to something blamable, or fhe influence of some corrupt principle : but yet his best judgment brings him under obligation. In the same manner, and no otherwise, I suppose that Christian grace itself is a qualification requisite in order to a proper solid ground of a right in a person to , come to the Christian sacraraents. Buf of fhis I may say something more when I come to answer objections. When I speak, in the question, of a being godly or gracious in fhe eye ofa Christian judgment, by. Christian judgraent I intend something further than a 92 QUALIFICATIONS kind of mere negative charity, implying that we forbear to censure and con demn a man, because we do nof know but fhat he may be godly, and therefore forbear fo proceed on the foot of such a censure or judgment in our treatment of him : as we would kindly entertain a stranger, not knowing but in so doing we entertain an angel or precious saint of God. But I mean a positive judgraent, founded on some positive appearance, or visibility, sorae outward raanifestations that ordinarily render the thing probable. There is a difference between sus pending our jiKlgment, or forbearing to condemn, or having some hope that pos sibly the thing may be so, and so hoping the best ; and a positive judgment in favor of a person. For a having some hope, only implies fhat a man is not in utter despair of a thing, though his prevailing opinion may be otherwise, or he may suspend his opinion. Though we cannot know a man believes that Jesus is the Messiah, yet we expect some positive manifestation or visibility of it, to be a ground of our charitable judgraent : so I suppose the case is here. When I speak of Christian judgment, I mean a judgment wherein men do properly exercise reason, and have their reason under fhe influence of love and other Christian principles ; which do not blind reason, but regulate its^exercises ; being not contrary to reason, though they be very confrary fo eensoriousness or unreasonable niceness and rigidness. I say in the eye of the church's Christian judgment, because it is properly a visibility to fhe eye of fhe public charity, and not of a private judgraent, that gives a person a right to be received as a visible saint by fhe public. If any are known to be persons of an honest character, and appear to be of good un derstanding in the doctrines of Christianity, and particularly those doctrines that teach the grand condition of salvation, and fhe nature of true saving religion, and pubhcly and seriously profess the great and raain things wherein the essence of true religion or godliness consists, and their conversation is agreeable; fhis justly recommends thera to fhe good opinion of fhe public, whatever suspicions and fears any particular person, either fhe minister or some other, may entertain, from what he in particular has observed, perhaps from fhe manner of his expressing himself in giving an account of his experiences or an obscurity in the order and raethod of his experiences, &c. The minister, in receiving him to the coraraunion of fhe church, is to act as a public officer, and in behalf of the public society, and not merely for himself, and therefore is to be governed in acting, by a proper visibility of godliness in the eye of the public. It is not my design, in holding the negative of the foregoing question, to affirra, fhat all who are regularly admitted as merabers of the visible church in coraplete standing, ought to be believed to be godly or gracious persons, when taken collectively, or considered in fhe gross, by the judgment of any person or society. Tbis may not be, and yet each person taken singly may visibly be a gracious person to the eye of the judgment of Christians in general. These two are not the same thing, but vastly diverse ; and the latter may be, and yet not the former. If we should know so much of a thousand persons one after another, and from what we observed in them should have a prevailing opinion concerning each one of thera, singly taken, that they were indeed pious, and think the judg ment we passed, when we consider each judgraent apart, to be right ; it will nof follow, when we consider fhe whole company collectively, that we shall have so high an opinion of our own judgraent, as fo think it probable, there was not one erroneous judgment in the whole thousand. We all have innumerable judg ments about one thing or other, concerning religious, moral, secular, and phi losophical affairs, concerning past, present, and future matters, reports, facts, persons, things, &c.,&c. And concerning all the many thousand dictates of FOR FULL COMMUNION. 93 ludgment that we have, we think them every one right, taken singly ; for if there was any one that we thought wrong, it would not be our judgment ; and yet there is no man, unless he is stupidly foolish, who when he considers all in the gross, will say he thinks that every opinion he is of, concerning all persons and things whatsoever, important and trifling, is right, without the least error. But the more clearly to illustrate this matter, as it relates to visibility, or prob able appearances of holiness in professsors : supposing it had been found by ex perience concerning precious stones, fhat such and such external raarks were probable signs of a diamond, and it is made evident, by putting together a great number of experiments, that the probability is as ten to one, and no more nor less; i. e. fhat, take one time with another, there is one in ten of the stones fhat have these marks (and no visible signs to the contrary) proves nof a frue diamond, and no more ; then it will follow, that when I find a particular stone with these marks, and nothing to the contrary, there is a probability of ten to one, concerning that stone, that it is a diaraond ; and so concerning each stone that I find with these raarks : but if we fake fen of these together, it is as prob able as not, that sorae one of the ten is spurious ; because, if it were not as likely as not, that one in fen is false, or if faking one fen with another, there were not one in ten fhat was false, then the probabihty of those, fhat have these marks, being true diamonds, would be more than fen to one, confrary to the supposition ; because that is what We mean by a probability of fen to one, thaf fhey are not false, viz., that take one ten with another there will be one false one among fhem, and no more. Hence if we fake a hundred such stones together, the probability will be just ten to one, that there is one false araong fhem ; and as likely as nof fhat there are ten false ones in fhe whole hundred : and the probability of the individuals must be much greater than fen fo one, even a probability of raore than a hundred to one, in order to its making it probable that every one is frue. It is an easy mathematical demonstration. Hence fhe negative of fhe foregoing question by no means iraplies a pretence of any scherae, that shall be effectual fo keep all hypocrites out of the church, and for fhe estab lishing in fhat sense a pure church. When it is said, those who are adraitted, &c., ought to be by profession godly or gracious persons, it is not meant, they should raerely profess or say that they are converted, or are gracious persons, that they know so, or think so ; but that they profess the great things wherein Christian piety consists, viz., a su preme respect to God, faith in Christ, &c. Indeed it is necessary, as men would keep a good conscience, that they should think fhat these things are in them, which they profess to be in them ; otherwise fhey are guilty of the horrid wickedness of wilfully making a lying profession. Hence it is supposed to be necessary, in order to men's regularly and with a good conscience coraing into communion with the church of Christ in the Christian sacraraents, fhat fhey theraselves should suppose the essential things, belonging fo Christian piety, to be in thera. It does not belong fo fhe present question, to consider and deterraine what fhe nature of Christian piety is, or wherein it consists. This question may be properly determined, and the deterralnation demonstrated, without entering into any controversies about the nature of conversion, &c. Nor does an asserting the negative of the question determine any thing how particular the profession of godliness ought to be, but only, that fhe raore essential things, which belong to it, ought to be professed. Nor is it deterrained, but that the pubhc profes sions made on occasion of persons' adraission to the Lord's supper, in some of our churches, who yet go upon that principle, that persons need not esteera them- g4 QUALIFICATIONS selves truly gracious in order to a coming conscientiously and properly to the Lord's supper :' I say, it is not determined but fhat sorae of these professions are sufficient, if those fhat made thera were taught to use the words, and others to understand them, in no other than their proper meaning ; and principle and cus tom had not established a meaning very diverse from it, or perhaps a use of the words without any distinct and clear deferrainafe meaning. PART SECOND. KEASONS for the negative of the foregoing QUESTION. Having thus explained what I mean when I say, that none ought fo be ad mitted to fhe coraraunion and privileges of members ofthe visible church of Christ in complete standing, but such as are in profession and m fhe eye of the church's Christian judgment, godly or gracious persons : I now proceed to observe some things which may tend fo evmce fhe truth of fhis position. And here, L I begin with observing, I think if is both evident by the word of God, and also granted on all hands, that none ought fo be admitted as membere of fhe visible church of Christ buf visible saints and professing saints, or visible and professing Christians. We find fhe word saint, when applied fo men, used two ways in fhe New Testament. The word in some places is so used as to raean those that are real saints, who are converted, and are fruly gracious persons ; as 1 Cor. vi. 2, " Do ye nof know fhat fhe saints shall judge the world *?" Eph. i. 18, " The riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints." Chap. iii. 17, 18, " That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith, that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all saints, what is fhe breadth," &c. 2 Thes. i. 10, " When he shall corae f o be glorified in his saints, and admired in all them that believe." So Rev. v. 8, chap. viii. 4, and xi. 18, and xiii. 10, and xiv. 12, and xix. 8. In other places fhe word is used so as to have respect not only to real saints, but fo such as were saints in visibility appearance, and profession : and so were outwardly, as to what concerns theii acceptance among men and their outward treatment and privileges, of the com pany of saints. So fhe word is used in very many places, which it is needless to mention, as every one acknowledges it. In like manner we find fhe word Christian used two ways. The word is used fo express fhe sarae thing as a rigTifeous man fhat shall be savedyl Pet. iv. 16, 17, 18. Elsewhere it is so used as fo fake in all that were Chris tians by profession and outward appearance, Acts xi. 26. So there is a two fold use of the word disciples in the New Testaraent. There w^ere disciples in name, profession, and appearance ; and there were those whom Christ calls dis ciples indeed, John viii. 30, 31. The word is aX-tj6ag, truly. The expression plainly supposes fhis distinction of true or real disciples, and those who were the same in pretence and appearance. See also Luke xiv. 25, 26, 27, and John XV. 8. The sarae distinction is signified in the New Testament, by those (hat live, being alive from the dead, and risen with Christ, 2 Cor. iv. 11, Rom vi. 11, and elsewhere ; and those who have a narae to live, having only a pre tence and appearance of life. And the distinction of the visible church of Chris* into these two, is plainly signified of fhe growth of the good ground, arid that in the stony and thorny ground, which had the same appearance and show with/ FOR FULL COMMUNION. 95 the other, imfil it carae to wither away ; and also by fhe two sorts of virgins, ¦Matt. XXV., who both had a show, profession, and visibility of fhe sarae thing. By these things, and raany others which raight be observed, it appears that the distraction of real saints and visible and professing saints is scriptural, and that the visible church was raade up of these two, and thaf none are according fo Scripture admitted into the visible church of Christ, but those who are visible and professing saints or Christians. And it is the raore needless to insist longer upon it, because if is not a thing in controversy. So far as ray small reading will inforra rae, it is owned by all Protestants. To be sure, the raost eminent dirine in New England, who has appeared to raaintain the Lord's supper fo be properly a converting ordinance, was very full in it. In his Appeal to the Learned, in fhe title page, and through the treatise, he supposes that all who corae to the Lord's supper, raust be visible saints, and sometimes speaks of them as professing saints, pages 85, 86 : and supposes that it is requisite in order to their being admitted to the coraraunion of the Lord's table, that they make a personal, public profession of their faith and repentance to the just satisfaction of the church, pages 93, 94. In these things the whole of the position that I would prove is in effect granted. If it be allowed (as it is allowed on all sides) that none ought to be admitted to fhe coraraunion of fhe Christian visible church, but visible and professing saints or Christians ; if these words are used in any propriety of speech, or in any agreeraent with Scripture representations, fh whole of fhat which 1 have laid down is either implied or will certainly foi low. As real saints are fhe same with real converts, or really gracious persons, so visible saints are the same with visible converts, or those that are visibly converted and gracious persons. 'Visibility is the same with manifestation or appearance to our view and apprehension. And, therefore, to be visibly a gracious person, is the same thing as to be a truly gracious person to our view, apprehension, or esteem. The distinction of real and visible does not only take place with regard to saintship or holiness, but with regard fo innumerable other thing.?. There is visible and real truth, visible and real honesty, visible and real money, visible and real gold, visible and real diamonds, &c., &c. Fw- ihle and real are words that stand related one to another, as the words real and seeming, or true and apparent. Some seera fo speak of visibility with i-egard to saintship or holiness, as though it had no reference to the reality, or as though it were a distinct reality by itself, as though by visible saints were not meant those who fo appearance are real saints or disciples indeed, but properly a dis tinct sort of saints, which is an absurdity. There is a distinction between real money and visible money, because all that is esteemed money and passes for money, is not real money, but some is false and counterfeit. But yet by visible money, is nof meant thaf which is taken and passes for a different sort of mo ney from true money, but thereby is meant that which is esteemed and taken as real money, or which has that appearance that recomraends it to men's judg ment and acceptance as true money ; though raen may be deceived, and some of it may finally prove nof fo be so. There are not properly two sorts of saints spoken of in Scripture : though the word saints may be said indeed fo be used two ways in Scripture, or used so as to reach two sorts of persons ; yet the word has not properly two significa- - tions in fhe New Testament, any more than the word gold has two significa tions among us. The word gold among us is so used as to extend to several sorts of substances ; it is true, it extends to frue gold, and also fo that which only appears to be gold, and is repute;! gold, and by that appearance or visi- 96 QUALIFICATIONS bility some things fhat are not real gold obtain fhe name of gold ; but this is not properly through a diversity in the signification of the word, buf by a di versity of the application of it, through fhe imperfection of our discerning. It does not follow that there are properly two sorts of saints, because there are some who are not real saints, that yet being visible or seeming saints do by fhe show and appearance fhey make obtain the name of saints, and are reputed saints, and whom by the rules of Scripture (which are accommodated to our im perfect state) we are directed to receive and treat as saints ; any more than it follows fhat there are two sorts of honest men, because some who are not fruly honest men, yet being so seemingly or visibly, do obtain fhe narae of honest men, and ought fo be treated by us as such. So there are not properly two distinct churches of Christ, one the real, and another the visible ; though they fhat are visibly or seeraingly of the one only church of Christ, are many more than fhey who are reallj of his church ; and so fhe visible or seeming church is of larger extent than the real. "Visibility is a relative thing, and has relation to an eye that views or beholds. Visibility is fhe same as appearance or exhibition to the eye ; and to be a visible saint is the same as to appear fo be a real saint in the eye thaf beholds ; not 'the eye of God, but the eye of raan. Real saints or converts are those that are so in the eye of God ; visible saints or converts are those who are so in the eye of man ; not his bodily eye, for thus no man is a saint any more in fhe eye of a man than he is in the eye of a beasf ; but fhe eye of his mind, which is his judgraent or esteera. There is no more visibility of holiness in the brightest professor fo the eye of our bodies, without the exercise of fhe reason and judg ment of our minds, than raay be in a machine. But nothing short of an ap parent probability, or a probable exhibition, can araount fo a visibility to the eye of man's reason or judgment. The eye which God has given to man is the eye of reason ; and fhe eye of a Christian is reason sanctified, regulated, and enlightened, by a principle of Christian love. But it iraplies a contradic tion to say, that that is visible to fhe eye of reason, which does not appear pro bable fo reason. And if there be a raan that is in this sense a visible saint, he is in fhe eye of a rational judgment a real sainL To say a man is visibly a saint, but not visibly a real saint, but only visibly a visible saint, is a very absurd way of speaking ; if is as much as fo say, he is fo appearance an appearmg saint ; which is in effect fo say nothing, and to use words without signification. The thing which must be visible and probable, in order to visible saintship, must be saintship itself, or real grace and true holiness ; not visibility of saintship, not unregenerate morality, nof mere raoral sincerity, i To pretend to, or in any respect to exhibit moral sincerity, makes nothing visible beyond what is pretended fo, or exhibited : for a man f o have fhat visibly, which if he had it really, and have nothing more, would not make him a real saint, is not to be visibly a saint. Mr. Stoddard, in his Appeal to the Learned, seems to express the very same notion of visibility, and fhat visibility of saintship which is requisite to a per son's coming to the Lord's supper, fhat I have here expressed. In page 10, he makes a distinction between being visibly circumcised in heart, and being really so; evidently raeaning by the latter saving conversion; and he allows the forraer, viz., a visibility of heart circuracision, fo be necessaiy to a coming to the Lord's supper. So that according to hira, it is not a visibility of moral sincerity only, buf a visibility of circuracision of heart, or saving conversion, that is a necessary requisite fo a pereon's coraing fo the Lord's table. And in what manner fhis must be visible, he signifies elsewhere, when he allows that it FOR FULL COMMUNION. 97 must be so to a judgment of charity ; a judgment of rational charity. This he expressly allows over and over ; as in pages 2, 3, 28, 33, 72, and 95 : and a having reason to look upon thera as such, page 28. And towards fhe close of his book, he declares himself steadfastly of the mind, that it is requisite those be not admitted to the Lord's supper, who do not make a personal and public profession of their faith and repentance, to the just satisfaction of the church, pages 93, 94. But how he reconciled these passages with the rest of his treatise, I would modestly say, I raust confess myself at a loss. And particular ly I cannot see how they consist with what this venerable and ever honored au thor says, page 16, in these words : " Indeed by the rule that God has given for adraissions, if it be carefully attended, raore unconverted persons will be adrait ted than converted." I would humbly inquire, how those visible qualifications can be the ground of a rational judgment, fhat a person is circumcised in heart, which nevertheless, at the same tirae, we are sensible are so far frora being any probable signs of if, that fhey are more frequently without it. The appearance of that thing surely cannot iraply an- appearing probability of another thing, which at the sarae time we are sensible is raost frequently, and so raost proba bly, without that other thing. Indeed I can easily see, how fhat raay seera visible, and appear probable to God's people, by reason of the iraperfect and dark state fhey are in, and so may oblige their charity, which yet is not real, and which would not appear at all probable to angels, who stand in a clearer light ; and the different de grees of light, that God's church stands in, in different ages, raay raake a dif ference in this respect. The church under the New Testament being favored by God with a vastly greater light in divine things, than the church under the Old Testament. That might make sorae difference, as to the kind of profes sion of religion that is requisite, under these different dispensations, in order fo 1 visibility of holiness ; also a proper visibility may fail in the greater number m sorae extraordinary case, and in exerapt circumstances : but how those signs can be a ground of a rational judgment that a thing is, which, at that very time, and under that degree of light we then have, we are sensible do oftener fail than not, and fhis ordinarily, I own myself rauch at loss. Surely nothing buf appearing reason is the ground of a rational judgraent. And indeed it is impossible in the nature of things, to form a judgment, which af fhat very time we think fp be not only without, but against probability. If it be said fhat although persons do not profess that wherein sanctifying grace consists, yet seeing they profess fo believe the doctrines of the gospel, which God is wont to raake use of in order fo raen's sanctification, and are called the loctrine whichis according to godliness ; and since we see nothing in their lives to make us determine, that they have not had a proper effect on their hearts, we are obliged in charity to hope, that they are real saints, or gracious persons, and fo treat them accordingly, and so to receive them info the Christian church, and to its special ordinances. I answer, this objection does in effect suppose and grant fhe very thing mainly in dispute ; for if supposes, that a gracious character is the thing that ought to be looked at and airaed at in adraitting persons info fhe coraraunion oi the church ; and so that it is needful f o have this charity for persons, or such a favorable notion of them, in order to our receiving fhem as properly qualified members of fhe society, and properly qualified subjects of the special privileges they are admitted to. Whereas, the doctrine taught is, that sanctifying grace is nof a necessary qualification herefor, and fhat there is no need that the per son himself, or any other, should have any imagination, that he is a person so Vol. I 13 98 QUALIFIC-'iTIONS qualified; because we know, it Ls no qualification requisite in itself; we know the ordinance of the Lord's supper is as proper for them, that are not so qualifi ed as for those that are ; it being according to the design of the institution a converting ordinance, and so an ordinance as much intended for the good of fhe unconverted, as of the converted ; even as it is with the preaching of fhe gos pel. Now if fhe case be so, why is there any talk about a charitable hoping they are converted, and so adraitting them 1 What need of any charitable hope of such a qualification, in order to admitting them fo an ordinance that is as proper for those who are without this qualification, as for those that have it ? We need not have any charitable hope of any such qualification in order to admit a person to hear fhe word preached. What need have we to aim at any thing beyond fhe proper qualifications ''. And what manner of need of any charitable opinion or hope -of any thing furthei 1 Some sort of belief, fhat Jesus is the Messiah, is a qualification properly requisite to a coming to the Lord's supper ; and therefore it is necessary that we should have a charitable hope, fhat those have such a belief whom we admit ; though it be not necessary that we should know it, it being what none can know of another. But as fo grace or Christian piety, it cleariy follows, on the principles which I oppose, that if there be any visibility of it, more or less, of any sort, yet no kind of visibility or appearance, whether raore direct or indirect, whether to a greater or less de gree, no charity or hope of if, have any thing at all fo do in the affair of admission to the Lord's supper ; for, according to them, it is properly a converfing ordinance. What has any visibility or hope of a person's being already in health to do in ad mitting him into a hospital for fhe use of those means fhat are fhe proper appoint ed means for fhe healing of the sick, and bringing thera to health 1 And there fore it is needless here to dispute about the nature of visibility ; and all arguing concerning a profession of Christian doctrines, and an orderly life being\asufhcient ground of public charity, and an obligation on the church to treat theiu as saints, are wholly impertinent and nothing to fhe purpose. For on the principles which I oppose, there is no need ofany sort of ground for treating fhem as saints, in order to admitting thera f o fhe Lord's supper, fhe very design of which is to make them saints, any more than there is need of sorae ground of treating a sick man as being a raan in health, in order to adraitting hira into a hospital. Persons, by the doctrine that I oppose, are not taught fo offer themselves as candidates for church coraraunion under any such notion, or with any such pretence, as their being gracious persons ; and therefore surely when those that teach them, re ceive them fo fhe ordinance, they do nof receive fhem under any such notion, nor has any notion, appearance, hope or thought of it, any thing to do in the case. The apostle spealcs of the members of the Christian church, as those fhat made a profession of godliness. 2 Cor. ix. 13, " They glorified God for your professed subjection to the gospel of Christ." 1 Tira. ii. 9, 10, " In like raan ner also that women adorn themselves in modest apparel — not with costly ar ray ; buf, which Becometh women professing godliness, with good works." The apostle is speaking of the woraen fhat were members of that greaf church of Ephesus, which Timothy for the present had fhe care of; and he speaks of them as supposing that they all professed godhness. By the allowance of all, profession is one thing belonging to fhe visibility of Christianity or holiness, that there is in the members of the visible church. Visible holiness is an ap pearance or exhibition of hohness, by those things which are external, and so fan under our notice and observation. And these are two, viz., profession and outward behavior, agreeable to that profession. That profession which belongs FOR FULL COMMUNION. 99 to visible saintship, must be a profession of godliness, or real saintship ; for a profession makes nothing visible beyond what is professed. What is it, to be a saint by profession but fo be by profession a true saint 1 For fo be by pro fession a false saint, is to be by profession no saint ; and only to profess thaf, which if ever so true, is nothing peculiar to a saint, is not to be a professing saint. In order to a raan's being properly a professing Christian, he raust profess the religion of Jesus Christ : and he surely does not profess the religion that was taught by Jesus Christ, if he leaves out of his profession the raost essential things that belong to that religion. That which is most essential in that reli gion itself, the profession of that is essential in a profession of that religion ; for (as I have observed elsewhere) that which is raost essential in a thing, in order to its being fruly denominated that thing, the sarae is essentially necessary to be expressed or signified in any exhibition or declaration of that thing, in order to its being truly denominated a declaration or exhibition of that thing. If we take a more inconsiderable part of Christ's religion, and leave out the raain and raost essential, surely what we have cannot be properly called fhe religion of Jesus Christ : so if we profess only a less important part, and are silent about the raost important and essential part, it cannot be properly said thaf we pro fess the religion of Jesus Christ. And therefore we cannot in any propriety be said to profess the Christian or Christ's religion, unless we profess those things wherein consists piety ojF heart, which is vastly the most important and essential part of that religion thaf Christ came fo teach and establish in the world, and is in effect all ; being that without which all the rest that belongs f o it, is noth mg, and wholly in vain. But they who are admitted to the Lord's supper, proceeding on the principles ofthose who hold it to be a converting ordinance, do in no respect profess Christian piety, neither in whole nor in part, neither explicitly nor implicitly, directly nor indirectly ; and therefore are not professing Christians, or saints by profession. I mean, though they raay be godly per sons, yet as they come to the ordinance without professing godhness, they can not properly be called professing saints. Here it may be said, fhat although no explicit and formal profession of those things which belong fo frue piety, be required of thera ; yet there are many*fhings they do, that are a virtual and implicit profession of these things : such as their owning the Christian covenant, their owning God fhe Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, to be their God ; and by fheir visibly joining in the public prayers and singing God's praises, there is a show and implicit profession of supreme respect fo God and love to him ; by joining in the public confessions, they raake a show of repentance ; by keeping Sabbaths and hearing fhe word, they raake a show of a spirit of obedience ; by offering fo corae fo sacraments, they make a show of love to Christ and a dependence on his sacrifice. To this I answer : It is a great mistake, if any one imagines, that all these external perforraances are of a nature of a profession of any thing at all that belongs to saring grace, as they are coramonly used and understood : and to be sure none of them are so, according to the doctrines fhat are taught and em braced, and the custoras fhat are established in such churches as proceed on the foot of the principles forementioned. For what is professing, but exhibiting, uttering, or declaring, either by intelligible words, or by other established signs that are equivalent ? But in such churches, neither their publicly saying, that they avouch God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, to be their God, and that they give theraselves up to him, and proraise to obey all his coraraands, nor their coming to the Lord's supper, or to any other ordinances, are taken for ex pressions or signs of any thing belonging to the essence of Christian piety. But 100 QUALIFICATIONS on the contrary, the public doctrine, principle, and custom in such churches es tablishes a diverse use of these words and signs. People are taught that they may use thera all, and not so much as raake any pretence to the least degree of sanctifying grace; and this is fhe established custora: so they are used, and so they are understood. And therefore whatever sorae of these words and signs may in theraselves most properly and naturally iraport or signify, fhey entirely cease to be significations of any such thing araong people accustomed fo under stand and use thera otherwise ; and so cease fo be of fhe nature of a profession of Christian piety. There can be no such thing among such a people, as either an exphcit or impUcif profession of godliness by any thing which (by their es tablished doctrine and custora) an unregenerate raan may and ought to say and perform, knowing himself to be so. For let the words and actions other wise signify what they will, yet that people have in effect agreed among thera selves, that persons who use thera, need not intend them so, and fhat others need not understand thera so. And hence they cease to be of the nature of any pretension fo grace. And surely it is an absurdity fo say, that men openly and solemnly profess grace, and yet do not so rauch as pretend to it. If a cer tain people should agree, and it should be an established principle araong fhem, thaf men might and ought to use such and such words to fheir neighbors, which according fo their proper signification were a profession of entire love and de voted friendship towards fhe man fhey speak fo, and yet not think thaf he has any love in his heart to hira, yea, and know at fhe same tirae that he had a reigning enraity against him ; and it was known that this was fhe established principle of the people; would nof these words, whatever their proper signifi cation was, entirely cease fo be any profession or testimony of friendship fo his neighbor 1 To be sure, there could be no visibility of if fo fhe eye of reason. Thus it is evident, fhat those who are admitted into the church on the prin ciples that I oppose, are not professing saints, nor visible saints ; because fhat thing which alone is fruly saintship, is not what they profess, or make any pretence fo, or have any visibility of, to fhe eye of a Christian judgment. Or if they in fact be visible and professing saints, yet, fhey are not adraitted as such ; no profession of true saintship, nor any manner of visibility of if, has any thing fo do in fhe affair. There is one way fo evade these things, which has been taken by some. They plead, although it be true, that the Scripture represents the merabers of the visible church of Christ as professors of godliness ; and fhey are abundantly called by the name of saints in Scripture, undoubtedly because they were saints by profession, and in visibility, and fhe acceptance of others ; yet fhis is not with any reference fo saving holiness, but to quite another sort of saintship, viz., moral sincerity ; and that fhis is fhe real saintship, discipleship, and godli ness, which is professed, and visible in thera, and with regard to which, as having an appearance oflf fo fhe eye of reason, they have the name of saints, disciples, &c., in Scripture. _ It must be noted, thaf in this objection the visibility is supposed to be of real saintship, discipleship, and godliness, but only another sort of real godliness, than that which belongs fo those who shall finally be owned by Christ as his people, at fhe day of judgraent. To which I answer, This is a mere evasion ; the only one, that ever I saw or heard of; and I think the only one possible. For it is certain, they are not professors of sanctifying grace, or true saintship : the principle proceeded on, being, that they need make no pretence to thaf ; nor has any visibility of saving holiness any thing to do in the affair. If then they have any holiness at all, iJ FOR FULL COMMUNION, 101 must be of another sort. And if this evasion fails, all fails, and the whole matter in debafe must be given up. Therefore, I desire that this matter may be iraparfially considered and exarained fo fhe very bottora ; and fhat it may be thoroughly inquired, whether fhis distinction of these two sorts of real Christianity, godliness, and holiness, is a distinction, that Christ in his word is the author of ; or whether it be a huraan invention of soraething which fhe New Testament knows nothing of, devised fo serve and maintain an hypothesis. And here I desire that the following things may be observed. 1. According to this hypothesis, the words saints, disciples, and Christians, are used four ways in the New Testaraent, as applied to four sorts of persons. (1.) To those that in truth and reality are fhe heirs of eternal life, and fhat shall judge the world, or have indeed that saintship which is saving.- (2.) To those who profess this, and pretend to and raake a fair show of a supreme regard to Christ, and fo renounce fhe world for his sake, but 'have not real ground for these pretences and appearances. (3.) To those who, although they have not saving grace, yet have that other sort of real godliness or saintship, viz., raoral sincerity in religion ; and so are properly a sort of real saints, true Christians, sincerely godly persons, and disciples indeed, though they have no saving grace. And (4,) to those who make a profession and have a visibility of this latter sort of sincere Christianity, and are nominally such kind of saints, but are not so indeed. So that here are two sorts of real Christians, and two sorts of visible Christians ; two sorts of invisible and real churches of Christ, and two sorts of visible churches. Now will any one that is well acquainted with the New Testament say, there is in that the least appearance or shadow of such a four fold use of the words, saints, disciples, &c. 1 If is manifest by what was observed before, that these words are there used but two ways ; and that those of raankind to whora these names are applied, are there distinguished into but two sorts, viz., those who have really a saving interest in Christ, spiritual con formity and union to him, and those who have a name for it, as having a pro fession and appearance of it. And fhis is further evident by various represen tations, which we there find of the visible church ; as in the corapany of virgins that went forth to meet the bridegroora, we find a distinction of thera into but two sorts, viz., fhe wise that had both laraps and oil ; and those who had lamps indeed hke fhe wise virgins, (therein having an external show of the sarae thing, viz., oil), but really had no oil ; signifying that they had the same profession and outward show of the same sort of religion, and entertained the same hopes with the wise virgins. So when the visible church is represented by fhe husbandman's floor, we find a distinction but of two sorts, viz., the wheat and the chaff. So again, when fhe church is compared fo fhe husbandman's field, we find a distinction but of two sorts, fhe wheat and the tares, which (naturalists observe) show or appear exactly Kke the wheat, until it comes to bring forth its fruit ; representing, fhat those who are" only visible Christians, have a visibility or appearance of fhe nature of that wheat, which shall be gathered into Christ's barn ; and that nature is saving grace. 2. It is evident, that those who had the name of disciples in the tiraes of fhe New Testaraent, bore that narae with reference to a visibility and pretence of the same relation to Christ, which fhey had who should befinally owned as his. This is raanifest by John viii. 30,31 : " As he spake these words, many beheved on hira. Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on hira. If ye continue in ray word, then are ye ray disciples indeed." (Corapare Luke xiv. 25, 26, 27, and John xv. 8.) The phrase, disciples indeed, is relative ; and has reference to a visibility, pretence or natne, only, which it is set in opposition to, and has a 102 QUALIFICATIONS reference to that narae and visibility that those, who then bore the name of disciples, had ; which makes it evident, that those who then bore the name of disciples, had a visibility and pretence of fhe same discipleship Christ speaks of, which he calls true discipleship, or discipleship indeed ; for true discipleship is not properly set in opposition to any thing else but a pretence to the same thing that is not true. The phrase, gold indeed, is in reference and opposition fo soraething thaf has fhe appearance of fhat same metal, and not to an appearance of brass. If there were another sort of real discipleship in those days, besides saving discipleship, persons might be Christ's disciples indeed, or truly (as the word in the original is) without continuing in his word, and without selling all fhat fhey had, and without hating father and mother and their own lives, for his sake. By fhis it appears, fhat those who bore fhe name of disciples in those times were distinguished info but two sorts, disciples in name or visibility, and disciples indeed ; and that the visibility and profession of the former was of the discipleship of the latter. 3. The same thing is evident by 1 John ii. 19 : " They went out from us, because fhey were not of us : if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us." The words naturally suggest and imply, fhat those professing Christians, who at last proved false, did, before they went out, seem to belong to fhe society of the true saints, or those endued with persevering grace and holiness ; they seemed to be of their nuraber ; i. e., fhey were so in pretence and visibility, and so were accepted in the judgment of charity. 4. The name and visibility, fhat nominal or visible Christians had in fhe days of the New Testaraent, was of saving Christianity, and not of moral sin- cerity ; for they had a name fo live, though many of them were dead. Rev. iii. 1. Now it is very plain what that is in religion which is called by fbe name of life, all over fhe New Testaraent, viz., saving grace ; and I do not know that any thing else, of a religious nature, is ever so called. 5. .The visibility, that visible Christians had of saintship in the apostles' days, was not of moral sincerity, but gracious sincerity, or saving- saintship. For they are spoken of as being visibly of the number of those saints who shall judge fhe world, and judge angels. 1 Cor. vi. 1, 2, 3, " Dare any of you, hav ing a matter against another, go to law before the unjust, and not before the samts 1 Do ye not know, that the saints shall judge the world 1 And if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters ? Know ye not that we shall judge angels V These things do manifestly imply, that if the Christian Corinthians were what fhey supposed fhey were, and what they professed to be, and what fhey were accepted fo be, fhey were sorae of those saints who at the day of judgment should judge angels and men. 6. That fhe visibility was nof only of moral sincerity, but saving grace, is raanifest, because the apostle speaks of visible Christians as visible « members of Christ's body, of his flesh, and of his bones, and one spirit with him, and tem ples of fhe Holy Ghost," Eph. v. 30, and 1 Cor. vi. 16, 19. And fhe Apostle Peter speaks of visible Christians as those who were visibly such righteous per sons as should be saved ; and that are distinguished from the ungodly, and them that obey not fhe gospel, who shall perish. 1 Pet. iv. 16, 17, 18, " Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let hira not be ashamed, but et him dorify God on this behalf For the tirae is come that judgment must begin at the house of God; and if it first begin at us " (us Christians, comprehending himself, and those fo whora he wrote, and all of that sort), « what shall fhe end of them be thaf obey not the gospel of God ? And if the righteous scarcely be saved where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear 1" FOR FULL COMMUNION. 103 7. That the visibility was not merely of raoral sincerity, but of that sort of saintship which the saints in heaven have, is raanifest by this, that they are often spoken of as visibly belonging to heaven, and as of the society of the saints in heaven. So the apostle in his Epistle to the Ephesians speaks of thera as visibly of the sarae household or faraily of God, a part of which is in heaven. Chap. ii. 19, " Now therefore ye are no raore strangers and foreign ers, but fellow citizens with fhe saints, and of the household of God." Together with the next chapter, ver. 15, " Of whom the whole faraily in heaven and earth is naraed." Where fhe context and continuation of discourse demonstrate, that he is still speaking of fhe sarae family or household he had spoken of in the latter part of the preceding chapter. So all visible Christians are spoken of as visibly the children of the church which is in heaven. Gal. iv. 26, " Je rusalem which is above, is free, which is the mother of us all." The sarae apostle speaks of visible Christians as being visibly corae fo the heavenly city, and having joined the glorious corapany of angels there, and as visibly belong ing fo the " general asserably and church of the first born, that are written in heaven, and fo the spirits of just men made perfect," Heb. xiL 22, 23. And elsewhere they are spoken of as being visibly of the number of those who have their " names written in the book of life," Rev. iii. 5, and xxii. 19. They who truly have their names written in the book of life, are God's frue saints, fhat have saving grace, as is evident by Rev. xiii. 8 : " And all that dwell on the earth, shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of fhe Larab slain frora the foundation ofthe world." And chap. xx. 12, " And an other book was opened, which was the book of life." Ver. 15, " And whoso ever was not found written in fhe book of life, was cast into the lake of fire." We are told, in the conclusion of this chapter, how they were disposed of whose naraes were not written in fhe book of life ; and then the prophet proceeds, in the next chapter, fo fell us, how they were disposed of whose naraes were found there written, viz., that they were adraitted info the New Jerusalera. Yer. 27, " And there .shall in no wise enter into it any thing fhat defileth, neither what soever worketh aboraination, or maketh a lie ; but they which are written in the Lamb's book of life. And yet in fhe next chapter it is imphed, that sorae who were not truly gracious persons, and sorae that should finally perish, were visibly of the nuraber of those that had both a part in the New Jerusalera, and also their naraes written in fhe book of life. Ver. 19, " And if any man shall take away frora fhe words of the book of this prophecy, God shall fake away his part out of the book of life, and out of fhe holy city." 8. That baptisra, by which fhe primitive converts were adraitted into fhe church, was used as an exhibition and token of fheir being visibly " regenerated, dead to sin, alive to God, having the old raan crucified, being delivered frora the reigning power of sin, being raade free from sin, and becorae fhe servants of righteousness, those servants of God thaf have their fruit unto that holiness whose end is everlasting life ;" as it is evident by Rora. vi. throughout. In fhe forraer part of the chapter, he speaks of the Christian Roraans, as " dead to sin, being buried with Christ in baptism, having their old man crucified with Christ," &c. He does not mean only, that their baptism laid thera under special obli gations fo these things, and was a raark and token of fheir engageraent to be thus hereafter ; but was designed as a raark, token, and exhibition, oftheir be ing visibly thus already. As is raost raanifest by the apostle's prosecution of his argument in fhe following part of the chapter. Ver. 14, " For sin shal! not have dominion over you, for ye are not under the law. but under grace." Ver. 17, 18, " God be thanked, ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from 104 QUALIFICATIONS the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you Being then made free frora sin, ye becarae the servants of righteousness." Ver. 22, " But now being raade free frora sin, and becorae servants fo God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life." . 9. It is evident, fhat it is not only a visibility of raoral sincerity in religion, which is the Scripture qualification of admission into the Christian church, but a visibility of regeneration and renovation of heart, because it was foretold that God's people and the ministers of his house in the days of the Messiah, should not admit into the Christian church any that were not visibly circumcised in heart. Ezek. xliv. 6—9, " And thou shalt say fo the rebellious, even fo the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord God, 0 ye bouse of Israel, let it suffice you of all your aborainations, in that ye have brought into ray sanctuary strangers uncircumcised in heart, and uncircuracised in flesh, tobe in my sanctuary fo pol lute it, even ray house, when ye offer ray bread, the fat, and fhe blood ; and they have broken my covenant, because of all your abominations. And ye have not kept the charge of raine holy things, but ye have set keepers of ray charge in ray sanctuary for yourselves. Thus saith the Lord, No stranger uncircuracised in heart, nor uncircuracised in flesh, shall enter info my sanctuary, of any stranger that is araong the children of Israel." The venerable author of the Appeal to the Learned, says, page 10, " That this Scripture has no particular reference to the Lord's supper." I answer, though 1 do not suppose it has merely a reference to thaf ordinance, yet I think it raanifest, fhat it has a reference to admitting persons info the Christian church, and to external church privileges. It might be easy to prove, that these nine last chapters of Ezekiel raust be a vision and prophecy of fhe state of things in the church of God in the Messiah's days. But I suppose it will not be denied, it being a thing wherein divines are so generally agreed. And I suppose, none will dispute but fhat by fhe house of God and his sanctuary, which it is here foretold the uncircuracised in heart should not be adraitted info in the days of the gospel, is raeant the same house, sanctuary, or teraple of God, thaf fhe prophet had just before been speaking of, in fhe foregoing part of fhe same chapter, and been describing throughout the four preceding chapters. But we all know, that the New Testaraent house of God is his church. Heb. iii. 3, " For this raan was counted worthy of raore glory than Moses, inasrauch as he who builded the house, hafh more honor than fhe house." Ver. 6, " But Christ as a Son over his own house, whose house are we," &c. 2 Tim. ii. 20, " In a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and of earth," &c 1 Tim. iii. 15, " That thou mayest know how thou oughtest fo behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God." Eph. ii. 20, 21, " And are built upon the foundation of the prophets and apostles, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone ; in whora all fhe building, fitly fraraed together, groweth into a holy teraple in fhe Lord." 1 Cor. iii. 9, " Ye are God's building." Ver. 15, " Know ye not, thaf ye are fhe teraple of God ?" 1 Pet. ii. 5, " Ye also as lively stones are built up a spiritual house." Chap. iv. 17, " For the tirae is corae that judgraent raust begin at the house of God. And if '\* begin at us, what shall the end be ?" &c. Heb. x. 21, " And having a high priest over the house of God." Ezekiel's teraple is doubtless the same fhat it is foretold fhe Messiah should build. Zech. vi. 12, 13, " The man whose narae is the Branch — he shall build tbe teraple of the Lord, even he shall build fhe teraple of the Lord." And what fhe teraple fhat Christ builds is, the apostle fells us, Heb. iii. 3, 6. The temple that Ezekiel in his vision was bid to observe the measures of, as it was raeasured with a reed (Ezek. xl. 3, 4), we have rea- FOR FULL COMMUNION. 105 son to think, was the same the Apostle John in his vision was bid to raeasure with a reed, Rev. xi. 1. And when it is here foretold, that the uncircuracised in heart should not enter info fhe Christian sanctuary or church, nor have cora raunion in fhe offerings of God's bread, of the fat and blood, that were made there, I think so rauch is at least iraplied, that fhey should not have coraraunion in those ordinances of fhe Christian sanctuary, in which that body and blood of Christ were syrabolically represented, which used of old fo be syrabolically re presented by the fat and the blood. For the adraission info fhe Christian church here spoken of, is an adraission into the visible, and not the raystical church ; for such an admission is spoken of as is made by the officers of fhe church. And I suppose it will not be doubted, but that by circuracision of heart is raeant fhe spiritual renewing of the heart ; not any coramon virtues, which do not in the least change fhe nature, and raortify fhe corruption of fhe heart ; as is held by all orthodox divines, and as Mr Stoddard in particular abundantly insisted. However, if any body disputes it, I desire thaf the Scripture raay be allowed to speak for itself; for it very often speaks of circuracision of heart ; and fhis every where, both in the Old Testament and New, manifestly signifies that great change of heart that was typified by the ceremony of circumcision of the flesh. The sarae which afterwards was signified by baptisra, viz., regeneration, or else the progress of that work in sanctification ; as we read of the washing of re generation, &c. The apostle tells us what was signified both by circuracision and baptism, Col. ii. 11, 12: " In whom also ye are circumcised with the cir curacision raade without hands, in putting off the sins of fhe flesh by the cir cumcision of Christ, buried with hira in baptism ; wherein also you are risen with hira, through the faith of the operation of God." Where I would observe by the way, he speaks of all the raerabers of the church of Colosse as visibly circumcised with this circumcision ; agreeably fo Ezelnel's prophecy, that fhe raerabers of the Christian church ^hall visibly have tbis circumcision. The apostle speaks in hke raanner, of fhe raerabers of fhe church of Philippi as spiritually circuracised (i. e. in profession and visibility), and tells wherein this circuracision appeared. Phihp. iii. 3, " For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh. And in Rora. ii. 28, 29, the apostle speaks of this Christian circura cision and Jewish circumcision together, calling the forraer the circumcision of the heart : " But he is not a Jew which is one outwardly, neither is fhat cir cumcision which is outward in the flesh ; but he is a Jew, which is one inwardly, and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, not in the letter ; whose praise is not of men, but of God." And whereas in fhis prophecy of kiel it is foretold, that none should enter into the Christian sanctuary or church, but such as are circuracised in heart and circumcised in flesh ; thereby I suppose is intended, that none should be adraitted but such as were visibly regenerated, and also baptized with outward baptisra. By the things which have been observed, I think it abundantly evident, that the saintship, godliness, and holiness^ of which, according to Scripture, profess ing Christians and visible saints do make a profession and have a visibility, is. not any religion and virtue that is fhe result of coramon grace, or moral sincer ity (as it is called), but saving grace. Yet there are raany other clear evidences of the sarae thing, which raay in sorae measure appear in all fhe following part of this discourse. Wherefore, IL I corae now to another reason, why I answer the question at first pro posed, in the negative, viz., thaf if is a duty which in an ordinary state of things is required of all that are capable of it, to make an explicit open profession ot Vol. L 14 106 QUALIFICATIONS the frue religion, by owning God's covenant ; or, in other words, professedly and verbally to unite themselves to God in his covenant, by fheir own public act. Here I would (first) prove this point, and then (secondly) draw the conse quence, and show how this demonstrates the thing in debafe. ]?irst, I shall endeavor to establish tbis^ point, viz., that it is the duty of God's people thus publicly fo own fhe covenant ; and that it was not only a duty in Israel of old, but is so in the Christian church, and to fhe end of the world ; and that it is a duty required of adult persons before they come to sacra ments. And this being a point of great consequence in this controversy, buf a matter seldora handled (though it seeras to be generally taken for granted), I shall be the more particular in the consideration of it. This not only seeras to be in itself most consonant fo reason, and is a duty geiierally allowed in New England, but is evidently a great institution of the word of God, appointed as a very important part of that public religion by which God's people should give honor fo his name. This institution we have in Deut. vi. 13 : " Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God, and serve hira, and shalt swear by his narae." It is repeated, chap. x. 20, "Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God, him shalt thou serve, and fo hira shalt fhou cleave, and swear by his name." In both places it raight have been rendered ; thou shalt swear in his name, or into his name. In the original, bishmo, the prefix is beth, which signifies in or info, as well as by. And whereas, in fhe latter place, in our translation, it is said, to him shalt thou cleave, and swear by his name, the words are thus in fhe Hebrew, ubho thidhbak ubhishmo tisshabheang. The literal translation of which is, into hira shalt fhou cleave [or unite], and info his name shalt thou swear. There is the same prefix, beth,hefore him, when it is said, thou shalt cleave to him, as before his name, when it is said, thou shalt swear by his name. Swearing into God's name, is a very emphatical and significant way of expressing a person's taking on hiraself, by his own solemn profession, the name of God, as one of his people ; or by swearing to or covenanting with God, uniting hiraself by his own act fo fhe people fhat is called by his narae. The figure of speech is something like that by which Christians in fhe New Testaraent are said fo be baptized eis 'io ovofia, info the narae of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. So Christians are said fo be baptized into Christ, Gal. iii. 17. This swearing by the narae, or info the narae of the Lord is so often, and in such a manner spoken of by the prophets as a great duty of God's soleran public worship, as rauch as praying or sacrificing, that it would be unreasonable to understand it only, or chiefly, of occasionally faking an oath before a court of judicature, which, it may be, one tenth part of the people never had occasion to do once in their lives. If we well consider the raatter, we shall see abundant reason fo be satis fied, thaf the thing intended in fhis institution was publicly covenanting with God. Covenanting in Scripture is very often called by the name of swearing, and a covenant is called an cath.* And particularly God's covenant is called his oath : Deut. xxix. 12, " That fhou shouldst enter into covenant with the Lord thy God, and into his oath." Ver. 14, " Neither with you only do I make this covenant and this oath." 1 Chron. xvi. 15, 16, " Be ye mindful always of his covenant : even of fhe covenant which he made with Abraham, and his oath unto Isaac." 2 Chron. xv. 12, " And they entered into covenant fo seek fhe Lord God of their fathers." 'Verses 14, 15, " And they sware unto the * As Gen. xxi. 23, to tlie end, xxvi. 28, to the end, xxxi. 44, 53 ; Josh. ii. 12, &c. ; 1 Sam. xx. 16, 17 42 ; 2 Kings xi. 4 ; Eccl. viii. 2 ; Ezek. xvi. 59, xvii. 16, and many other places. FOR FULL COMMUNION. 107 Lord with a loud voice : and all Judah rejoiced at the oath." Swearing f o the Lord, or swearing in, or into the narae of the Lord, are equipollent expressions in fhe Bible. The prefixes beth and lamed are evidently used indifferently in this case to signify the same thing. Zeph. i. 5, " That swear by fhe Lord, and that swear by Malchara." The word translated to the Lord, is, Laihovah, with the prefix lamed ; but to Malcham is Bemalcham with the prefix beth, into Malcham, In 1 Kings xviii. 32, it is said, " Elijah built an altar in the narae of the Lord ;" beshem. Here the prefix beth is manifestly of the sarae force with lamed, in 1 Kings viii. 44, " The house I have built for thy narae or to thy name ;" leshem. God's people in swearing fo his name, or info his name, according to fhe institution, solemnly professed two things, viz., fheir faith and obedience. The former part of this profession of religion was called. Saying, fhe Lord liveth. Jer. V. 2, " And though they say, fhe Lord liveth, yet surely fhey swear false ly." Ver. 7, " They have sworn by fhem fhat are no gods :'' fhat is, fhey had openly professed idol worship. Chap. iv. 2, " Thou shalt swear, fhe Lord liveth, in truth, in judgment, and in righteousness ; and the nations shall bless theraselves in hira, and in hira shall they glory." (Compare this with Isa. xiv. 23, 24, 25.) Jer. xliv. 26, "Behold I have sworn by my great narae, saith the Lord, that my name shall no more be named in fhe mouth of any raan of Judah in all the land of Egypt, saying, fhe Lord liveth :" i. e., they shall never any more raake any profession of fhe true God, and of fhe true religion, but shall be wholly given up to Heathenisra. See also Jer. xii. 16, and xvi. 14, 15, and xxiii. 7, 8, Hos. iv. 15, Amos viii. 14, and ver. 5. These words CHAI JEHOVAH, Jehovah liveth, suraraarily comprehended a profession of faith in fhat all-sufficiency and irarautability of God, which is im phed in fhe name JEHOVAH, and which attributes are very often signified in the Scripture by God's being the LIVING GOD, as is very manifest from Josh. iii. 10, 1 Sam. xvii. 26, 36, 2 Kings xix. 4, 16, Dan. vi. 26, Psal. xviii. 46, and innumerable other places. The other thing professed in swearing into the Lord was obedience, called. Walking in fhe name of the Lord. Micah iv. 5, " All people will walk every one in the name of his God, and we will walk in the name of the Lord our God forever and ever." Still with the prefix beth, beshem, as fhey were said to swear beshem, in fhe narae, or info fhe narae of the Lord. This institution, in Deuteronoray, of swearing into fhe narae of the Lord, or visibly and explicitly uniting themselves to hira in covenant, was not pre scribed as an extraordinary duty, or a duty to be perforraed on a return from a general apostasy, and some other extraordinary occasions : but is evidently men tioned in the institution, as a part of the public worship of God to be perform ed by all God's people, properly belonging to the visible worshippers of Jeho vah ; and so it is very often raentioned by the prophets, as I observed before, and could largely deraonstrate, if there was occasion for it, and would not too much lengthen out fhis discourse. And this was not only an institution belonging to Israel under the Old Tes tament, but also to Gentile converts, and Christians under the New Testaraent. Thus God declares concerning the Gentile nations, Jer. xii. 16 : " If fhey will diligently learn the ways of my people, to swear by my narae, the Lord liveth, as they taught my people to swear by Baal : then shall they be built in the midst of my people :" i. e., fhey shall be added to ray church ; or as fhe Apostle Paul expresses it, Eph. iii. 19 — 22, " They shall be no more strangers and foreigner, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God, and be built 108 QUALIFICATIONS upon fhe foundation of Christ ; in whom all the building, fitly framed together, &c. In whora they also shall be builded for a habitation of God through fhe Spirit." So if is foretold, fhat the way of public covenanting should be in the way of the Gentiles joining themselves fo the church in fhe days ofthe gospel : Isa. xliv. 3. 4, 5, " I will pour wafer upon him fhat is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground ; I will pour my Spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring, and fhey shall spring up as among fhe grass, as willows by fhe water-courses; one shall say, I am the Lord's, and another shall call himself by the narae of Jacob, and another shall subscribe with his hand unto the Lord." As subscribing an instruraent whereby fhey bound themselves fo fhe Lord. This was subscribing and covenanting theraselves info fhe name of Israel, and swearing into fhe narae of fhe Lord, in the language of those forementioned texts in Deuteronoray. So faking hold of God's covenant, is foretold as the way in which the sons of the strangers in the days of the gospel should be joined to God's church, and brought into God's sanctuary, and fo have communion in his worship and ordinances, in Isa. Ivi. 3, 6, 7. So in Isa. xix. 18, fhe future conveision of fhe Gentiles in the days of fhe gospel, and their being brought to profess the frue religion, is expressed by that, that they should swear to the Lord of Hosts. " In that day shall five cities in fhe land of Egypt speak fhe language of Canaan, and swear fo fhe Lord of Hosts." So in Jer. xxiii. 5 — 8, it seems to be plainly foretold, fhat after Christ is corae, and has wrought out his great redemption, the same way of publicly professing faith in the all-suffi cient and immutable God, by swearing, the Lord liveth, should be continued, which was instituted of old ; but only with fhis difference, and whereas former iy they covenanted with God as fheir Redeemer out of Egypt, now they shall as it were forget that work, and have a special respect to a much greater re demption. " Behold, the days come, saith fhe Lord, that I will raise up unto David a righteous Branch. Theiefore they shall no more say, fhe Lord liveth, which brought up the children of Israel out of fhe land of Egypt ; but, the Lord liveth, which brought up, and which led the seed of the house of Israel out of the north country," &c. Another reraarkable place wherein if is plainly fore told, fhat fhe like method of professing religion should be continued in the days of the gospel, which was instituted in Israel, by swearing or pubhc covenanting, is that, Isa. xiv. 22—25, " Look unto me, and be ye saved, all ye ends of the earth ; for I ara God, and there is none else ; I have sworn by myself, fbe word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, that unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear : surely shall one say, In Ihe Lord have I righteousness and strength : even to him shall men come : in fhe Lord shall all the seed of Israel be justified, and shall glory." This prophecy will have its last fulfilment at the day of judgraent ; but it is plain, thaf the thing most directly intended is fhe conversion of fhe Gentile world to the Chris tian religion. What is here called swearing, the apostle, in citing this place, once and again calls confessing : Rom. xiv. 11, " Every tongue shall confess to God." Philip, ii. 10, " That every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord." Which is the word commonly used in fhe New Testament, to signify making a public profession of religion. So Rom. x. 9, 10, " If thou shalt con fess with thy mouth fhe Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart, that God hafh raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved : for with the heart man be lieveth unfo righteousness, and with fhe mouth confession is made unfo salva tion." Where a public profession of religion with the mouth is evidently spoken of as a great duty of all Christ's people, as well as beheving in him ; and ordinarily requisite to salvation ; not that it is necessary in the same man- FOH FULL COMMUNION. 109 ner that fa'th is, but in like manner as baptisra is. Faith and verbal profes sion are jointly spoken of here as necessary fo salvation, in Ihe sarae raanner as fakh and baptism are, in Mark xvi. 16, " He thaf believeth and is baptized, shall be saved." And I know no good reason why we should not look on oral profession and covenanting with Christ, in those who are capable of it, as much ofa stated duty in the Christian church, and an institution universally pertain ing to the followers of Christ, as much as baptisra. And if it be so that explicit open covenanting with God be a greaf duty re quired of all, as has been represented ; then if ought to be expected of persons before they are admitted to the privileges of fhe adult in the church of Christ. Surely it is proper, if this explicit covenanting take place at all, that it should lake place before persons corae to those ordinances wherein they, by their own act, publicly confirm and seal this covenant. This public transaction of cove nanting, which God has appointed, ought to be, or have an existence, before we publicly confirm and seal fhis transaction. It was that by which the Isra elites of old were introduced into fhe communion of God's norainal or visible church and holy city, as appears by Isa. xlviii. 1,2: " Hear ye this, 0 house of Jacob, which are called by fhe narae of Israel, and are come forth out of the waters of Judah, which .swear by the name of the Lord, and make mention of the God of Israel, but not in trutn nor in righteousness : for they call themselves of the holy city," &c. When and after what manner particularly the Israelites ordinarily performed this explicit covenanting, I do not know that we can be certain ; but as it was first done on occasion of God's first promulgating his law or covenant at Mount Sinai, and was done again on occasion of a repetition or re newed promulgation of it on the plains of Moab, and was done on occasion of fhe public reading of the law in Josiah's time (2 Kings xxiii. 3), and was done after the return frora the captivity, on occasion of the public reading of it at the feast of tabernacles (Neh. viii. ix. and x.), so it appears to rae raost likely, that it was done every seventh year, when the law or covenant of God was, by divine appointraent, read in the audience of all the people at the feast of tabernacles ; at least done then by all who then heard fhe law read the first time, and who never had heard, nor publicly owned the covenant of God before. There are good evidences fhat they never had communion in those ordinances which God had appointed as seals of his covenant, wherein fhey themselves were to be ac tive, such as their sacrifices, &c., until fhey had done it : it is plainly implied in Psal. 1., that it was the manner in Israel vocally to own God's covenant, or fo take it info fheir mouths, before they sealed that covenant in their sacrifices. See ver. 16, taken with fhe preceding part of the Psahn, frora verse 5. And that they did if before they partook of the passover (which indeed was one of their sacrifices), or entered into the sanctuary for coraraunion in the teraple wor ship, is confirraed by the words of Hezekiah, when he proclaimed a passover, 2 Chron. xxx. 8 : " Now be ye not stiff-necked, as your fathers were ; but yield yourselves unto the Lord (in the Hebrew, give the hand fo fhe Lord), and enter info his sanctuary, which he hafh sanctified forever, and serve fhe Lord your God." To give fhe hand, seems fo be a Hebrew phrase for entering into cove nant, or obliging themselves by covenant : Ezra x. 19, " And fhey gave their hands that they would put away their wives." And, as has been already ob served, it was foretold fhat Christians should in this way be adraitted fo com munion in fhe privileges of fhe church of Christ. Having thus established fhe premises of fhe arguraent I intend, I now corae. Secondly, To that which I think must be the consequence, viz., that none ought to be adraitted to the privileges of adult persons in the church of Christ, 110 QUALIFICATIONS ' but such as make a profession of real piety. For the covenant, to be owned or professed, is God's covenant, which he has revealed as the method of our spir itual union with him, and our acceptance as the objects of his eternal favor _: which is no other than the covenant of grace ; at least it is so, without dispute. in these days of the gospel. To own this covenant, is to profess fhe consent of our hearts to it ; and that is fhe sum and substance of frue piety. If is not only a professing the assent of our understandings, fhat we undersfand there is such a covenant, or that we undersfand we are obliged fo comply with if ; but it is to profess the consent of our wills, it is to manifest that we do coraply with it. There is mufual profession in fhis affair, a profession on Christ's part, and a pro fession on our part ; as it is in marriage. And it is the same sort of profession that is made on both sides, in this respect, fhat each professes a consent of heart. Christ in his word declares an entire consent of heart as to what he offers ; and the visible Christian, in the answer that he makes to it in his Christian pro fession, declares a consent and compliance of heart to his proposal. Owning fhe covenant is professing fo make fhe transaction of that covenant our own. The transaction of that covenant is that of espousals to Christ ; on our part, it is giving our souls to Christ as his spouse. There is no one thing that fhe covenant of grace is so often compared to in Scripture, as fhe marriage cove nant ; and the visible transaction, or mutual profession there is between Christ and the visible church, is abundantly corapared to fhe mufual profession there is in marriage. In marriage the bride professes to yield fo the bridegroora's suit, and fo fake hira for her husband, renouncing all others, and to give up herself to hira to be entirely and forever possessed by him as his wife. But he fhat professes fhis towards Christ, professes saving faith. They thaf openly cove nanted with God according lo the tenor of fhe institution, Deut. x. 20, visibly united themselves to God in the union of fhat covenant ; they professed on their parts fhe union of the covenant of God, which was the covenant of grace. It is said in fhe institution, " Thou shalt cleave to fhe Lord, and swear by his name;" or as fhe words raore literally are, " Thou shalt unite unfo the Lord, and swear into his narae." So in Isa. Ivi. it is called a " joining themselves to the Lord." But the union, cleaving, or joining of that covenant is saving faith, the grand condition of the covenant of Christ, by which we are in Christ : this is what brings us into the Lord. For a person explicitly or professedly to enter into the union or relation of fhe covenant of grace with Christ, is the sarae as professedly to do fhat which on our part is the uniting act, and that is fhe act of faith. To profess fhe covenant of grace, is fo profess the covenant, not as a spectator, but as one iraraediately concerned in the affair, as a party in fhe covenant professed ; and this is to profe.ss fhat in the covenant which belongs to us as a party, or to profess our part in fhe covenant ; and fhat is the soul's believing acceptance of fhe Saviour. Christ's part is salvation, our part is a saving faith in hira ; not a feigned, but unfeigned faith; not a common, but special and saving faith ; no olher faith than fhis is the condition of the cove nant of grace. I know fhe distinction that is raade by sorae, between the intemal and ex ternal covenant ; buf, I hope, the divines that make this distinction, would not be understood, fhat there are really and properly two covenants of grace j but only that those who profess the one only covenant of grace, are of two sorts; there are those who coraply with it infernally and really, and others who do so only externally, that is, in profession and visibility. But he that externally and visibly complies with the covenant of grace, appears and professes to do so really. This distinction takes place also concerning the covenant of grace; FOR FULL COMMUNION. Ill the one only covenant of grace is exhibited two ways, fhe one externally by the preaching of fhe word, fhe other internally and spiritually by enlightening the raind rightly to undersfand the word. But it is with the covenant, as it is with the call of fhe gospel : he fhat really complies with the external call, has the internal call ; so he fhat fruly complies with fhe external proposal of God's covenant, as visible Christians profess fo do, does indeed perforra fhe inward condition of it. But the Ne,w Testaraent affords no more foundation for sup posing two real and properly distinct covenants of grace, than if does fo sup- - pose two sorts of real Christians ; fhe unscripturalness of which latter hypothe sis I observed before. When those persons who were baptized in infancy do properly own their baptismal covenant, fhe raeaning of it is, that they now, being become capable to act for theraselves, do professedly and explicitly make fheir parents' act, in giving fhem up to God, their own, by expressly giving themselves up fo God. But this no person can do, without either being deceived, or dissembhng and professing what he hiraself supposes fo be a falsehood, unless he supposes that he in his heart consents fo be God's. A child of Christian parents never does that for himself which his parents did for hira in infancy, until he gives himselt wholly to God. But surely he does not do it, who not only keeps back a part, but fhe chief part, his heart and soul. He that keeps back his heart, does in in effect keep back all ; and therefore, if he be sensible of it, is guilty of solemn wilful mockery, if he at the sarae tirae solemnly and publicly professes that he gives hiraself up to God. If there are any words used by such, which in their proper signification imply fhat they give themselves up fo God ; and if these words, as they intend them to be understood, and as they are understood by those thaf hear fhem, according fo fheir established use and custora among fhat people, do nof implj', that fhey do it really, but do truly reserve or keep back the chief part ; it ceases f o be a profession of giving themselves up lo God, and so ceases to be a professed covenanting with God, or owning God's cove nant ; for the thing which they profess, belongs to no covenant of God, in being; for God has revealed no such covenant, nor has any such covenant of God any existence, in which our transacting of the covenant is a giving up our selves to him with reserve, or holding back a part, especially holding back our souls, our chief part, and in effect our all. There is no covenant of God at all, fhat has these for its terras ; to be sure, fhis is nof fhe covenant of grace. And therefore although such public and soleran professing raay be a very unwarran table and great abuse of words, and taking God's narae in vain, it is no pro fessed covenanting with God. One thing, as has been observed, thaf belonged to Israel's swearing into the narae of the Lord, was the Lord liveth ; whereby fhey professed their faith in God's all-sufficiency, irarautability and faithfulness. Buf if fhey really had such a faith, it was a saving grace. They who indeed trust in fhe all-suffi ciency of God, he will surely be fheir all-sufficient portion ; and they who frust . in God's iraraufabihty and faithfulness, he surely will never leave »nor forsake thera. There were two ways of swearing Jehovah liveth, that we read of in Scripture ; one we read of, Jer. iv. 2, " Thou shalt swear. The Lord livetb, in truth, in judgment, and in righteousness :" and the other way is swearing false ly, which we read of in fhe next chapter, ver. 2, 3, " And though fhey say, The Lord liveth, yet surely they swear falsely." (And certainly none ought to do this.) It follows, " 0 Lord, are not thine eyes upon fhe truth 1" i. e., God desires sincerity of heart in those fhat profess religion. Here a gracious siricer- 'ty is opposed to a false profession ; for when it is said, " 0 Lord, are not thine 112 QUALIFICATIONS eyes upon the truth 1" the expression is parallel with those, Psal. li. 6, " Be hold fhou desirest fhe fruth in the inward parts." 1 Sam. xvi. 7, "Man look eth on the outward appearance, but fhe Lord looketh on the heart." Psal. xi. 7, " His countenance doth behold fhe upright." But these texts speak of a gracious sincerity. Those spoken of, Jer. iv. 2, that " sware. The Lord liveth, in truth, in judgment, and righteousness," were gracious persons, who had a thorough conversion to God, as appears by fhe preceding verse, " If fhou wilt return, 0 Israel, saith fhe Lord, return unfo me ;" i. e., Do not do as you or Judah was charged with doing in the foregoing chapter, ver. 10, " Judah hath not turned unto me with her whole heart, but feignedly." Do not do thus, " but if thou wilt return, return unto me." And then it is added in the second verse, " And fhou shalf swear. The Lord liveth, in truth," &c., that is, then your pro fession of religion will be worth regarding, you will be indeed what you pre tend fo be, you will be Israelites indeed, in whose profession is no guile. They who said, " The Lord liveth, in truth, in judgment, and in righteousness;" fhey .said, the Lord liveth, as David did, Psal. xviii. 46, " The Lord liveth, and bless ed be my Rock." And did as the apostle says he did, 1 Tim. iv. 10, " We trust in the Living God, who is fhe Saviour of all men, especially of those fhat believe." And as he would have Timothy exhort rich men to do, chap. vL 17, ''That they trust not in uncertain riches, but in the living God." When fhe apostle speaks of a profession of our faith in Christ, as one duty which all Christians ought to perforra as fhey seek salvation, it is fhe .profession of a sav ing failh that he speaks of: his words plainly imply it; " If fhou shalt confess wilh thy mouth fhe Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart thaf God hath raised him from fhe dead, fhou shalt be saved." The faith which was to be professed with the mouth, was the same vvhich the apostle speaks of as in the heart, but that is saving faith. The latter is yet plainer in the following words* " for with the heart man believeth unto righteousness, and with fhe mouth con fession is made unto salvation." Believing unto righteousness is saving faith j but it is evidently the same faith which is spoken of, as professed with fhe mouth, in the next words in the same sentence. And that fhe Gentiles, in pro fessing fhe Christian religion, or swearing to Christ, should profess saving faith, is implied, Isa. xiv. 23, 24, " Every tongue shall swear : surely shall one say In fhe Lord have I righteousness and strength ;" i. e., should profess entirely fo depend on Christ's righteousness and strength. For persons merely fo promise, fhat they will believe in Christ, or that they mil hereafter comply with fhe conditions and duties of the covenant of grace, is not to own fhat covenant. Such persons do nof profess now fo enter info the covenant of grace with Christ, or into fhe relation of thaf covenant to Christ. All fhat fhey do at present, is only a speaking fair ; they say they will do it hereafter ; they profess fhat they wfll hereafter obey that coramand of God, fo believe on the narae of his Son Jesus Christ. But what is such a profession good for, and what credit is fo be given to such promises of future obedience ; when at th,e same time fhey pretend noother at present, than to live and con tinue in rebellion against those great coramands which give no allowance or license for delay 1 They who do thus, instead of properly owning the covenant, do rather for the present visibly reject it. It is not unusual, in sorae churches, where the doctrine I oppose has been established, for persons at the sarae time that they come into the church, and pretend to own the covenant, freely to de clare to their neighbors, they have no imagination that they have any true faith in Christ, or love to him. Such persons, instead of being professedly unit ed to Christ, in the union ofthe coven an; if grace, are rather visibly destitute POR FULL COMMUNION. 113 of the love of Christ, and so, instead of being qualified for adraission to the Lord's supper, are rather exposed, to fhat denunciation of the apostle, 1 Cor. xvi. 22, " If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema, Maranatha." That outward covenanting, which is agreeable fo Scripture institution, is not only a promising what is future (though that is nof excluded), but a pro fessing what is present, as it is in the marriage covenant. (Though indeed it is true, that it was chiefly on account of the proraise or vow which there is in the covenant, that it is called swearing.) For a woraan to proraise, fhat she will hereafter renounce all other men for the sake of hira who makes suit to her, and will in some future time accept of him for her husband, is not for her now to enter into fhe raarriage covenant with him : she fhat does this with a man, professes now to accept of hira, renouncing all others ; though promises of here^ after behaving towards him as a wife, are also included in the transaction. It seems as though the primitive converts fo Christianity, in the profession fhey made of religion, in order to their admission into the Christian church, and in their visibly entering into covenant, in order to the initiating seal of the cove nant in baptism, did not explicitly make any promises of any thing future, fhey only professed fhe present sentiments and habit of their minds, they professed that they believed in Christ, and so were admitted info fhe church by baptism ; and yet undoubtedly Ihey were, according fo forementioned prophecies, ad mitted in the way of public covenanting, and as the covenant people of God they owned the covenant before the seal of the covenant was applied. Their professing faith in Christ was visibly owning fhe covenant of grace, because faith in Christ was fhe grand condition of that covenant. Indeed, if the faith which they professed in order fo baptism, was only an historical or docfrinal faith (as some suppose), or any common faith, it would not have been any visible entering info the covenant of grace ; for a comraon faith is not fhe con dition of that covenant ; nor would there properly have been any covenanting in the case. If we suppose, the faith they professed was the grace by which the soul is united to Christ, their profession was a covenanting in this respect also, that it iraplied an engagement of future obedience : for frue faith in Christ includes in its nature an acceptance of hira as our Lord and King, and devoting ourselves to his service : buf a profession of historical faith implies no profes sion of accepting Christ as our King, nor engagement to submit to him as such. When the Israelites publicly covenanted with God, according to fhe insti tution in Deuteronomy, they did not only promise something future,' buf pro fessed something present ; they avouched Jehovah to be their God, and also promised fo keep his command. Thus it was in their soleran covenant trans actions between God and fhe people on the plains of Moab, which is sum marily described, Deut. xxvi. 17, 18 : " Thou hast avouched the Lord this day to be thy God, and to walk in his ways, and fo keep his statutes, and his com mandraents, and his judgraents, and to hearken unfo his voice ; and the Lord hath avouched thee this day to be his peculiar people, as he hath promised thee, and that thou shouldst keep all his commandments." The people, in avouch ing God for then- God, professed a compliance with the terms of the covenant of grace ; as the covenant of grace is summarily expressed in those words, " I will be thy God, and thou shalt be my people." They Jhat avouch the Lord to be their God, do profess to accept of Jehovah as their God ; and fhat is to accept him as the object of their supreme respect and trust. For that which we choose as the object of our highest regard, that, and that only, do we take as our God. None therefore that value and love the world more than Jehovah, Vol. I. 15 114 QUALIFICATIONS can, without lying, or being deceived, avouch Jehovah to be their God : and none fhat do nof trust in Christ, but trust more in their own strength or righteous ness, can avouch Christ to be their Saviour. To avouch God to be our God, is to profess that he is our God by our own act ; i. e., that we choose him to be our chief good and last end, fhe supreme object of our esteem and regard, that we devote ourselves to, and depend upon. And if we are sensible that we do not this sincerely, we cannot profess thaf we actually do if; for he that does not do if sincerely, does not do it at all : there is no room for fhe distinction of a raoral sincerity and gracious sincerity in fhis case : a supreme respect of heart to God, or a suprerae love fo hira, which is real, is but of one sort : if would be absurd, to talk of a morally sincere supreme love f o God in those who really love dirt and dung raore than him. Whoever does with any reality at all raake God the object of fhe supreme regard of his heart, is certainly a gracious person. And whoever does not make God fhe supreme object of his respect with a gracious sincerity, certainly does not do it with any sincerity. I fear, while leading people in many of our congregations, who have no thought of their having fhe least spark of true love lo God in their hearts, do say, publicly and soleranly, fhat they avouch God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, to be fheir God, and fhat they give themselves up fo him, we have led thera to say they know net what. To be sure, they are very obscure expressions, if fhey mean any thing fhat a carnal man does, under fhe reigning power of sin and enraity against God. Here possibly it may be objected, thaf it is unreasonable to suppose any such thing should be intended, in fhe profession of fhe congregation in fhe wil derness, as a gracious respect to God, fhat which is the condition of God's cove nant, when we have reason fo think that so few of them were truly gracious. But I suppose, upon raature consideration this will not appear at all unreason able. It is no more unreasonable fo suppose this people fo make a profession of thaf respect to God, which they had not in their hearts now, than af other times when we are informed fhey did so, as in Ezek. xxxiii. 31 : " They come unto thee as the people coraeth, and fhey sit before thee as my people" [i. e. as though fhey were ray saints, as they profess fo be] : " for with fheir moutb they show much love, but fheir heart goeth after covetousness." So in the apostle's time, that people professed that to be in their hearts towards God, which was not there. The apostle is speaking of thera, when he says. Tit. i. 16, " They profess fhat they know God, but in works fhey deny him." This was coramon araong that people : God declares them fo be an hypocritical nation, Isa. x. 6. And it is certain, this was fhe case with them in fhe wilder ness ; they there professed that respect to God which they had not ; as is evi dent by Psal. Ixviii. 36, 37 : " They did flatter hira with fheir mouth, and they lied unto hira with fheir tongue ; for their heart was not right with hira, nei ther were fhey steadfast in his covenant." In owning the covenant with God, they professed their heart was right with hira, as appears, because if is mention ed as an evidence oftheir having lied or dealt falsely in their profession, that their heart was not right with hira, and so proved not steadfast in God's cove nant, which they had owned. If fheir heart had been right with God, they would have been truly pious persons; which is a demonstration, that what they professed was true piety. If also appears fhat if they had had such a heart in them as fhey pretended to have, they would have been truly pious persons, from Deut. v., where we have a rehearsal oftheir covenanting at Mount Sinai. Con cerning this It IS said, ver. 28, 29, « And fhe Lord heard the voice of your words, when ye spake unto me ; and the Lord said unto me. They have well said all that they have spoken. 0 that there were such a heart in them, that fhey FOR FULL COMMUNION. 115 would fear me, and keep all ray comraandraents always, fhat it raight be well with thera ahd with their children forever." The people were raistaken about their disposition and preparation of heart fo go through the business of God's service, as the raan in the parable, that undertook to build a tower without counting the cost. Nor need it seem at all incredible, that that generation who covenanted at Mount Sinai, should, fhe greater part of thera, be deceived, and think fheir hearts thoroughly disposed to give up themselves forever fo God, if we consider how much they had strongly to move their affections ; the wonders wrought in Egypt and at fhe Red Sea, where fhey were led through on dry ground, and the Egyptians were so miraculously destroyed ; whereby their affections were greatly raised, and they sang God's praises : and particu larly what fhey now saw at Mount Sinai, of fhe astonishing raanifestations of Goci's raajesty there. Probably the greater part of fhe sinners araong them were deceived with false affections : and if there were others thaf were less af fected and who were not deceived, it is not incredible that they, in those cir curastances, should wilfully dissemble in their profession, and so in a raore gross sense flatter God with fheir lips, and lie to him with their tongues. And these things are raore credible concerning fhat generation, being a generation pecu liarly left to hardness and blindness of raind in divine matters, and peculiarly noted in the Book of Psalms for hypocrisy. And as to fhe generation of their children that owned fhe covenant on the plains of Moab, they not only in hke manner had very rauch to raove fheir affections, fhe awful judgraents of God they had seen on their fathers, God having brought them through the wilder ness, and subdued Sihon king of fhe Amorites, and Og the king of Bashan be fore thera, Moses's affecting rehearsal of the whole series of God's wonderful dealings with them, together with his most pathetical exhortations ; but if was also a time of great revival of rehgion and powerful influence of the Spirit of God, and thaf generation was probably the most excellent generation that ever was in Israel ; to be sure, there is raore good and less hurt spoken of thera, than of any other generation that we have any account of in Scripture.* A very great part of thera swore in fruth, in judgment, and in righteousness : and no wonder, that others at such a tirae fell in, either deceiving, or being deceived, with comraon affections ; as is usual in tiraes of great works of God for his church, and of fhe flourishing of religion. In succeeding generations, as the people grew raore corrupt, I suppose, their covenanting or swearing into the narae of fhe Lord degenerated into a raatter of raere forra and cereraony ; even as subscribing religious articles seems fo have done wilh fhe church of Eng land ; and, as it is fo be feared, owning the covenant, as it is called, has too rnuch done in New-England ; it being visibly a prevailing custora for persons to neglect fhis, until they come to be married, and then to do it for their credit's sake, and that their children may be baptized. And I suppose, there was com monly a great laxness in Israel araong fhe priests who had the conduct of this affair : and there were many things in the nature of that comparatively carnal dispensation, which negatively gave occasion for such things ; that is, whereby it had by no means so great a tendency to prevent such like irregularities, though very wrong in themselves, as the raore excellent dispensation, introdu- eed by Christ and his apostles. And though these things were testified against by the Prophets, before the Babylonish captivity ; yet God who is only wise, did designedly in a great raeasure wink at these, and many other great irregu- 9. fter the pride of va'in man, while it tends to aggrandize those things in ir.ea'f eyea, FOR FULL COMMUNION. 187 which they, of theraselves, are strongly disposed lo magnify and trust in -witn- out such encouragements fo prompt them to it, yea, against all discouragements and dissuasives that can possibly be used with thera. This way of proceeding greatly lends lo establish the negligence of parents, and to confirm the stupidity and security of wicked children. If baptism were denied lo all children, whose parents did not profess godliness, and in a judg ment of ralional charity appear real saints, it would tend to excite pious heads of families to raore thorough care and pains in the religious education of their children, and lo raore fervent prayer for them, that ihey mighl be converted in youth, before they enter into a married stale ; and so if they have children, the entail of the covenant be secured. And il would tend to awaken young people theraselves, as yet unconverted, especially when about to settle in the world. Their having no right to Chrislian privileges for their children, in case they should become parents, would tend to lead them at such a lime seriously lo re flect on their own awful state ; which, if they do not get out of it, must lay a foundation for so rauch calaraity and reproach lo their farailies. And if, after their becoming parents, fhey still reraain unconverted, the raelancholy thought oftheir children's going about without so much as the external mark of Chris tians, would have a continual tendency lo pul them in mind of, and affect them wilh their own sin and folly in neglecting to turn to God, by wbich they bring such visible calamity and disgrace on themselves and families : they would have this addition-al motive continually to stir them up to seek grace for them selves and their children : whereas the contrary practice bas a natural tendency to quiet the minds of persons, bolh in their own and their children's unregene racy. Yea, may il not be suspected, that the way of baptizing the children of such as never raake any proper profession of godliness, is an expedient origin ally invented for that very end, to give ease lo ancestors with respect to their posterity, in times of general declension and degeneracy ? This way of proceeding greatly lends to establish the stupidity and irre- hgion of children, as well as negligence of parents. It is certain.- that uncon verted parents do never truly give up their children to God ;. since they do not truly give up themselves fo him. And if neither of the parents appears truly pious, in the judgment of rational charily, thereis not in this case any ground to expect that the children will be brought up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, or fhat fhey -will have any thing worthy the name of a Chrislian education, how solemnly spever the parents may promise it. The faithfulness of Abrahara was such as inight be trusted in fhis matter. See Gen. xviii. 19. But men that are not so much as visi'bly godly, upon what grounds are they to be trusted ? How can it be reasonably expected, thai they should faithfully bring up fheir 'children for God, who were never sincerely willing thai their children or theraselves should be his 1 And il will be but presumption, to ex pect that those children who are never given up fo God, nor brought up for hira, should prove religious and be God's children. There is no raanner of reason fo expect any other than thaf such children ordinarily will grow up in irreligion, whether they are baptized or nol. And for persons to go about with the narae and visible seal of God, and the sacred bailge of Christianity upon thera, having had their bodies, by a holy ordinance, consecrated to God as his teraples, yet living in irreligion and ways of wickedness, this serves exceedingly to harden them, and establish in them an habitual conterapt of sacred things. Such persons, above all raen are like lo be the most hardened and abandoned, and most difficultly reclaimed : as il was wilh the wicked Jews, who were much more confirraed in their wickedness, than those heathen cities of Tyre and Si- ISS QUALIFICATIONS don. To give that which is holy fo ffiose who are profane (or that we have no inanner of reason frora fhe circurastances of parentage and education fo ex pect will be otherwise), is not the way to make them better, but worse : it is the way lo have thera habitually trample holy things under their feet, and in crease in contempt of them, yea, even lo turn again and rend us, and be more mischievous and hurtful eneraies of thai whicb is good, than otherwise they would be. Objection XX. Sorae ministers have been greatly blessed in the other way of proceeding, and sorae men have been converted at the Lord's supper. Answer. Though we are to eye the providence of God, and not disregard his works, yet to interpret them to a sense, or apply thera fo a use inconsistent wilh the scope of the word of God, is a misconstruction and misapplication of them. God has not given us his providence, but his word, to be our governing rule. God is sovereign in his dispensations of providence ; he bestowed the blessing on Jacob, even when he had a lie in his mouth ; he was pleased to meet with Solomon, and make known himself fo him, and bless him in an ex traordinary raanner, while he was worshipping in a high place ; he raet with Saul, when in a course of violent opposition to him, and out of the -way of his duty fo the highest degree, going to Damascus to persecute Christ ; and even then bestowed the greatest blessing upon him, that perhaps ever was bestowed on a raere man. The conduct of divine Providence, with its reasons, is too little understood by us to be improved as our rule. " God has his way in the sea, his path in the mighty waters, and his footsteps are not kno-wn : and he giv3S none account of any of his matters." But God has given us his word, lo this very end, that it might be our rule ; and therefore has fitted it lo be so ; has so ordered it that it may be understood by us. And strictly speaking, this is our only rule. If we join any thing else to il, as making-if our rule, we do fhat which we have no warrant for, yea, fhat which God hiraself has forbidden. See Deut. iv. 3, Prov. xxx. 6. And with regard lo God's blessing and succeeding of rainisters, have not sorae had remarkable experience of it in the -way which I plead for, as well as sorae who have been for tbe way I oppose 1 However, we cannot conclude, that God sees nothing at all amiss in ministers, because he blesses thera. In general he raay see those things in thera which are very right and excellent ; these he approves and regards, while he overlooks and pardons their mistakes in opinion or practice, and notwithstanding these is pleased to crown their labors with his blessing. As to the two last arguraents in the Appeal to the Learned, concerning the subjects of fhe Christian sacraraents, their being merabers of fhe visible church, and not Ihe invisible ; the force of those arguraents depends entirely on the re solution of that question. Who are visible saints ? Or what adult persons are regularly adraitted to the privileges of raerabers of the visible church? Whicb question has already been largely considered : and, I think, it has been demon strated that they are those who exhibit a credible profession and visibility of gospel holiness or vital piety, and not merely of moral sincerity. So that there is no need of further debating the point in this place. I raight here raention many things not yet taken notice of, which some ob ject as incoveniences attending the scherae I have maintained : and if men should set up their own wit and wisdom in opposition to God's revealed will, there is no end ofthe objections of this kind, whioh might be raised against any FOR FULL COMMUNION. |I89 of God's institutions. Sorae have found great fault even with the creation of the worid, as being very inconveniently done, and have iraagined that they could tell how it raight be raended in a great raany respects. But however God's altar raay appear horaely to us, yet if we lift up our tool upon it to raend it, we shall pollute it. Laws and institutions are given for the general good, and not to avoid every particular inconvenience. And however il may so happen, that sometimes inconveniences (real or imaginary) raay attend the scheme I have maintained ; yel, I think, they are in no measure equal to fhe manifest conve niences and happy tendencies of it, or to the palpable inconveniences and per nicious consequences of the other. I have already mentioned some things of this aspect, and would here briefly observe some others. Thus, fbe way of making such a difference between outward duties of mo rality and worship, and those great inward duties ofthe love of God and acceptance of Christ, that the former must be visible, but thatthere need fo be no exhibition nor pretence of the latier, in order to persons being adraitted into the visible family of God ; and that under a nolion of the latier being impossibilities, but the other being within men's power ; fhis, I think, has a direct tendency to con firra in raen an insensibility of fhe heinousness of those heart sins of unbelief and enmity against God our Saviour, which are the source and sura of all wick edness ; and tends fo prevent their coming under a hurabling conviction of the greatness and utter inexcusableness of these sins, which men raust be brought to if ever they obtain salvation. Indeed it is a way fhat not only has this ten dency, but has actually and apparently this effect, and fhat to a great degree. The effect of this raethod of proceeding in the churches in New England, which have fallen info it, is actually this. There are some that are received into these churches under the notion of their being in the judgment of rational charily vm6/e saints oi professing saints, who yet at the same time are actually open professors of heinous wickedness ; I mean the wickedness of living in known impenitence and unbelief, the wickedness of living in enmity against God, and in the rejection of Christ under the gospel : or, which is the same thing, they are such as freely and frequently acknowledge, that they do not profess to be as yet born again, but look on theraselves as really unconverted, as having never unfeignedly accepted of Chrisi ; and they do either explicitly or iraplicitiy number theraselves araong those fhat love not the Lord Jesus Christ ; of whom the apostle says, let such be Anathema, Maranatha ! And accordingly it is known, all over the town where they live, that they make no pretensions fo any sancti fying grace already obtained ; nor of consequence are they coramonly looked upon as any other than unconverted persons. Now, can this be judged the comely order of the gospel ? Or shall God be supposed the author of such con fusion ? In this way of church proceeding, God's own children and the true disciples of Christ are obliged to receive those as their hrethren, admit thera to'the com munion of saints, and embrace thera in thehighest actsof Christian society, even in their great feast of love, where they feed together on the body and blood of Christ, whom yet they have no reason to look upon otherwise than as enemies ofthe cross of Christ, and haters of fheir heavenly Father and dear Redeemer, they raaking no pretension to any thing at all inconsistent with those characters ; yea, in many places, as I said before, freely professing fhis fo be actually the case with thera. Christ often forbids the merabers of his chwrch judging one another: but in this way of ecclesia,stical proceeding, itis done continually, and looked upon as ao hurt ; a great part of those adraitted into the church are by others of the 190 QUALIFICATIONS sarae communion judged unconverted, graceless persons ; and il is impossible tvi avoid il, while we stretch not beyond the bounds of a rational charity. This method of proceeding must inevitably bave one of these two conse quences: either there must be no public notice at all given of it, when so signal a work of grace is wrought, as a sinner's being brought to repent and turn to God, and hopefully becomes Ihe subjecl of saving conversion ; or else this notice must be given in the way of conversation, bythe persons themselves, frequently freely, and in all companies, declaring fheir own experiences. But surely either of these consequences raust be very unhappy. The forraer is so, viz., tht forbidding and preventing any public notice being given on earth of the repent ance of a sinner, an event so muck to the honor of God, and so rauch taker. notice of ia heaven, causing joy in the presence ofthe angels of God, and lendint, so rauch to the advanceraent of religion in the world. For it is found by expe rlehce, that scarce any one thing bas so great an influence fo awaken sinners, and engage them lo seek salvation, and to quicken and aniraate saints, as tht tidings of a sinner''s repentance, or hopeful conversion : God evidently raakes use of it as an erainent means of advancing religion in a tirae of reraarkable re vival of religion. And to take a course effectually lo prevent such an event's being- notified on earth, appears to rae a counteracting of God, in that which he ever makes use of as a chief means of fhe propagation of true piety, and which we have reason to think he will make use of as one principal means of fhe conversion of the world in the glorious latter day. But now as to the other way, the way of giving notice to the public of this event, by iiarficular per sons themselves publishing their own experiences from time to time and from place fo place, on all occasions and before all companies, I must confes.s, fhis is a practice that appears to rae atiended wilh raany inconveniences, yea, big with mischiefs. The abundant trial of Ihis method lately made, and the large expe rience we have had of fhe evil consequences of it, is enough to put all sober and judicious people forever out of conceit of il. I shall not pretend to enu-* merate all the mischiefs attending it, which would be very tedious ; but shall now only mention two things. One is, the bad effect it has upon the persons themselves that practise it, in the great tendency it has to spiritual pride ; in sensibly begetting and establishing an evil habit of mind in that respect, by the frequent return of the temptation, and this many times when they are not guard ed against il, and have no time, by consideration and prayer, to fortify their minds. And then it has a very bad effect on fhe minds of others that hear their communication, and so on the stateof religion in general, in fhis way. Il being thus fhe custom for persons of all sorts, young and old, wise and unwise, supe riors and inferiors, freely to tell their own experiences before all companies, it is coraraonly done very injudiciously, often very rashly and foolishly, out of season, and in circurastances lending to defeat any good end. Even sincere Christians too frequently in their conversation insist mainly on those things that are no part of their true spiritual experience ; such as irapressions on their fancy or imagination, suggestions of facts by passages of Scripture, &c. ; in which case children and weak persons that hear, are apt to forra their notions of reli gion and true piety by such experimental coraraunications, and much more than they do by the most solid and judicious insiructions out of the word they hear from the pulpit : which is found to be one of the devices whereby Satan has an inexpressible advantage to ruin the souls of men, and utterly to confound the interest of religion. This matter of making a public profession of godliness or piety of heart, is certainly a very iraportant affair, and ought to be under sorae public regulation, and under the direction of skilful guides, and not left to tht FOR FULL COMMUNION. 191 management of every raan, woraan, and child, according to their huraor or fancy : and when it is done, it should be done with great seriousness, prepara tion and prayer, as a soleran act of public respect and honor to God, in hi.=^ house and in the presence of his people. Not that I conderan, but greatly ap prove of persons speaking sometimes of their religious experiences in private conversation, lo proper persons and on p'-oper occaisions, wilh modesty and dis cretion, when the glory of God and the benefit or just satisfaction of others re quire it of thera. In a word, the practice of promiscuous admission, or that way of taking all into the church indifferently as visible saints, who are not either ignorant or scan dalous, and at the same time fhat custora's taking place of persons' publishing their own coTiwersion in common conversation; where these two Ihings meet together, they unavoidably raake two distinct kinds of visible churches, or dif ferent bodies of professing saints, one within another, openly distinguished one frora another, as if were by a visible dividing line. One corapany consisting of those who are visibly gracious Christians, and open professors of godliness ; anrther consisting of those who are -visibly moral hvers, and only profess cora raon virtues, without pretending to any special and spiritual experiences in their hearts, and who therefore are nol reputed to be converts. I raay appeal to those acquainted with the state of the churches, whether this be not actu ally the case in sorae, where this raethod of proceeding has been long estab lished. But I leave the judicious reader to raake his own reraarks on this case, and to deterraine, whether there be a just foundation in Scripture or reason for a.ny such state of things; which to me, I confess, carries fhe face of glaring absurdity. And now I corarait this whole discourse (under God's blessing) to the read er's candid reflection and impartial judgment. I am sensible, it will be very difficult for raany to be truly irapartial in this affair ; their prejudices being very great against the doctrine which I have maintained. And I believe, I rayself am the person, who, above all others upon the face of the earlh, have had raost in ray circurastances to prejudice me against this doctrine, and to make rae un willing to receive conviction of the trulh of il. However, the clear evidence of God's mind in his word, as things appear to me, has constrained me lo think and act as I have now done. I dare not go contrary to such texts as these. Lev. X. 10, Jer. xv. 19, Ezek. xxii. 26, and xliv. 6, 7, 8. And having been fully persuaded in ray own raind, what is the Scripture rule in this raatter, after a raost careful, painful, and long search, I ara willing, in the faithful prosecu tion of what appears to rae of such importance and so plainly fhe raind and will of God, to resign to his providence, and leave the event in his hand. It raay not be iraproper to add here, as I have often had suggested to me, the probabihty of ray being answered from the press : if any one shall see cause to undertake this, I have these reasonable requests to make fo him, viz., that he would avoid the ungenerous and unmanly artifices used by too many polemid writers, while they turn aside to vain jangling, in carping at incidental passages, and displaying their wit upon some minute particulars, or less raaterial things, in the author they oppose, wilh much exclamation, if possible to excite the ig norant and unwary reader's disrelish of the author, and to raake him appear contemptible, and so to get the victory that way ; perhaps dwelhng upon and glorying in some pretended inconsistencies in sorae parts ofthe discourse, with out ever entering thoroughly into the raerits of fhe cause, or closely encounter ing any of the raain arguraents. If any one opposes me frora the press, I de- she he would attend to the true stale of the question, and endeavor fairly fo 192 QUALIFICATIONS, fee- take off Oai force of each argument, by answciing the same directly, and di» tinctly, wili'i calra and close reasoning ; avoiding (as rauch as may be) both . dograafical i-^ssertion and passionate reflection. Sure I am, I shall not envy hun the applause of a victory over rae, however signal and complete, if only gained by superior light and convincing evidence. I would also request hira lo set his narae to his perforraance, that I raay in thai respect stand on even ground wilh hira before the world, in a debaie wherein the public is to judge between us. This will be the more reasonable in case he should mingle any thing of accu sation with his arguing : it was the manner even with the Heathen Romans, and reputed by fhtm but just and equal, to have accusers face to face May the God of all grace and peace unite us more in judgment, affection, and practice, that wilh one heart, dvA one mouth, we may glorify his name through Jesus Clirist. Amen. ilLSREPRESENTATIONS CORRECTED. TKUTH VINDICATED: Pi A P.EPLY TO THE REV. SOLOMON WILLIAMs's BOOK, ENTITLED " THE TKUS SV'ATE OF THE QUESTION CONCERNLNG THE QUALIFICATIONS NECESSARY TO L.\WFUL COMMUNION IN THE CHRISTIAN SACRAMBNTS." PREFACE, Since 1 have been so repeatedly charged by Mr. 'V\''illiams, with indecent and in- prioas treatment of Mr. Stoddard (whom doubtless I ought to treat with much res pect), I may expect from what appears of Mr. 'WiUiams's disposition this way, to be charged with ill treatment ofhim too. I desire therefore that it may be justly consid ered by the reader, what is, and wliat is not, injurious or unhandsome treatment of an author in a controversy. And here I would crave leave to say that I humbly conceive, a distinction ought to L.e-:iiad'! be-.wneii opposing end exposing a cajAMS. 249 ihip done by those that do not love God nor believe in Christ, he expressly says, p. 77, " They are in their oivn nature a lie ; a false pretence of soraething within, that is not there. See (says Mr. Williaras) this interpretation of it, in Psal. Ixxviii. 34 — 37, They did flatter him vnth their mouths ; they lied to him with fheir tongues," &c. Ibid. p. 74, " Christ's visible church are such as visibly and outwardly profess to be his subjects, and act outwardly as if they believed on hira. But these outward acts in theraselves are not that religion and obedience, which Christ requires ; nay, of theraselves they have no religion in them ; and Christ has nothing to do with thera, buf as they are the fruits and expressions of fhe heart, as they are the language and index of fhe mind and conscience, and outward declarations of the inward frame, femper and act ings of the soul. If they are not so, they are so far from having any religion in them that are hateful to him, being only the visible reserablance, the pre tence and feigning of religion ; i. e., they are mockery, hypocrisy, falsehood and lies ; and belong not to the kingdom of Christ, but of the Devil." Let the reader now compare this with my gloss on the text. CONCLUSION OF THIS SECOND PART. Thus I have considered the various parts and principles of Mr. Williams's scheme, whicb are the foundations on which he builds all his superstructure, and the ground on which he proceeds in all his reasonings, through his book ; and many particulars in his answers and arguments have been already con sidered. Mr. WUhams says thus, p. 135, " I own, that at present I have no more expectation to see the scheme which Mr. Edwards airas to establish, de fended upon Calvinistic principles, than the doctrine of fransubstanfiafion." On which I shall only say, it raight perhaps be thought very iraperlinenl in rae, to tell ray readers what I do, or wbat I do not expect, concerning his scheme. Every reader, that has reason enough of his own not to fake the big words and confident speeches of others for demonstration, is now left fo judge for himself, whose scherae is most akin to the doctrine of transubstantiation, for inconsist ence and self-contradiction. Nevertheless, I will proceed to consider our author's reasonings a little more particularly, in the ensuing part. PART III. CONTAINING SOME REMARKS ON MR. -WlLLIAMS's EXCEPTIONABLE WAY OF REASONING, IN SUPPORT OF HIS OWN SCHEME, AND IN OPPOSITION TO THE CONTRARY PEINCIP\E.S, SECTION I. General Observations upon his Way of arguing, and answertng Arguments ; -with some Instances of the first Method excepted ao-ainst. Mk. Williams endeavors fo support his own opinion, and to confute the book he pretends lo answer,- by the following methods. 1. By frequently misrepresenting what I say, and then disputing or ex claiming against whal he wrongfully charges as mine. 2. By misrepresenting what others say in their writings, whose opinions he pretends to espouse. Vol. L 32 250 REPLY TO WILLIAMS. 3. By seeming to oppose and ccmfufe arguments, and yet only saying things which have no reference at all to thera, but relate entirely fo other matters, that are altogether /oretjgTi to the argument in hand. 4. By advancing new and extraordinary notions ; which are both manifestly confrary to truth, and also contrary to the common apprehensions of fhe Chris tian church in all ages. 5. By making use of peremptory and confident assertions, instead of argu ments. 6. By using great exclamation, in the room of arguing ; as though he would amuse and alarm his readers, and excite terror in them, instead of ralion al conviction. 7. By wholly overlooking arguraents, and not answering at all ; pretend ing, fhat there is no argument, nothing to answer, when the case is raanifestly far otherwise. 8. By frequently turning off an argument with fhis reflection, fhat it is begging the question ; when there is not the least show or pretext of it. 9. By very frequently begging the question himself, or doing that which is etquivalent. 10. By often alleging and insisting on things in which he is inconsistent mih hiraself. As the first of these methods used by Mr. Williams, i. e., his misrepresenting ivhat I say, and then disputing or exclaiming against what he injuriously charges as mine, many instances have been already observed : I now would take nofici of some other instances. In p. 15, he charges me wilh " affirraing vehemently, in a number of re^e- tif ions, that the doctrine taught is, that no manner of pretence to a?iy visible holiness is made or designed to be made." These he cites as my words, mark ing them with notes of quotation. Whereas I never said any such words, nor said or thought any such thing, but the contrary. I knew, that those whose doctrine I opposed, declared that visible holiness was necessary : and take par ticular notice of it, p. 8, where I say, " It is granted on all hands, fhat none ought to be admitted, as merabers of the visible church of Christ, but visible saints ;" and argue on this supposition for fifteen pages together, in that same part of my book where Mr. Williams charges me with asserting fhe contrary. What I say is, that people are taught fhat they come into the church uifhotti any pretence to sanctifying grace (p. 15), I do not say without a pretence lo visible holiness. Thus Mr. Williams alters my words, to raake them speak ¦soraething, not only diverse, but confrary to -vvhat I do say, and say very often ; and so takes occasion, or rather makes an occasion, to charge rae before the world, wilh felling a manifest untruth, p. 15. Again, Mr. WUliaras in answering my argument concerning brotherly love (p. 70, 71), represents me as arguing, " That in fhe exercise of Christian love described in fhe gospel, there is such a union of hearts, as there cannot be of a saint to an unsanctified man." Which is a thing I never said, and is quite con trary to the sentiments which I have abundantly declared. I indeed speak of that hrotherly love, as what cannot be of a saint to one that is not apprehended and judged to he sanctified. But fhat notion of a peculiar love, which cannot be to an unsanctified raan, or without the reality of holiness in the person beloved, IS what I ever abhorred, and have borne a most loud and open and large testi mony against, again and again, frora the press, and did so in the preface to thai very book which Mr. Williaras writes against. In p. 74, Mr. Williaras represents me as supposing, that in the sacramenl REPLY TO WILLIAMS. 251 of the Lord's supper, both the covenanting parties, viz., Christ and the commu nicant, seal fo the truth of the communicant's faith ; or fhat both seal to this as true, that the coraraunicant does receive Christ. Whereas, by me, no such thing was ever thought ; nor is any thing said that has such an aspect. What I say, is very plain, and express (p. 75.), That Christ hy his minister professes his pari of the cmienant, presents himself, and professes the willingness of his heart to be theirs who receive him. That on the other hand, the communicant, in receiving the offered symbols, professes his part in the covenant, and the wil lingness of his heart fo receive Christ who is offered. How different is this from ^oth parlies sealing lo the truth of the coraraunicant's faith ! In p. 76, 77 and 80, he greatly raisrepresenls ray arguraent frora 1 Cor. xi. 9-8, "Let a raan exaraine hiraself," &c., as though I supposed the Greek word translated exaraine, must necessarily imply an examination fo a-pprohafion ; fhat it signifies to approve ; and that a man's examination must mean his ap- prori;ig himself fo himself fo be sanctified. This representation he makes over and over, and builds his answer to the argument, upon it ; and in opposition to this,, he says,(p 77)," Wherever the word means to exaraine to approbation, it is not used in its natural sense, but metonyraically." Whereas, there is nof the least foundation for such a representation : no such thing is said or suggested by rae, as if I supposed that the raeaning of fhe word is to approve or to exam ine to approbation. What I say is, that it properly signifies promng or trying a thing, whether if be true and of the right sort (p. 77). And I there, in the sarae place, expressly speak of the word (in the manner Mr. Williaras does) as not used in its natural sense, but raefonyraically, when it is used to signify ap prove. So that Mr. WUliaras's representation is not only diverse frora, but con trary to what I say. Indeed I suppose (as well I may) that when the apos tle directs persons to try theraselves wilh respect fo their quahfications fbr fhe Lord's supper, he would nof have them come, if upon trial they find theraselves not qualified. But it would be ridiculous to say, that I therefore suppose the raeaning of the word, fry or examine, is to approve, when it is evident that fhe trying is only in order to knowing whether a thing is to be approved, or disap proved. In p. 98, on the arguraent from John's baptisra, Mr. Williams alters my words, bringing thera the better to coraport with fhe odious representation he had made of ray opinion, viz., that I required a giving an account of eooperiences, as a terra of coraraunion ; he puts in words as mine, which are not mine, and distinguishes fhem with marks of quotation ; charging me with representing it as " probable that John had as much tirae to inquire into their experiences as into their doctrinal knowledge." Whereas, my words are these, p. 101, " He had as much opportunity to inquire into the credibility of their profession, as he had to inquire into their docfrinal knowledge and moral character." In p. 1 18, and to the like purpose, p. 134, our author represents me, and others of ray principles, as holding, that the gospel does peremptorily sentence men to damnation for eating and drinking without sanctifying grace. But surely Mr. Williams would have done well to have referred to the place in my Inquiry, where any thing is said that has such a look. For, I find nothing that I have said in that book, or any other writing' of mine, about the gospel's pe remptorily sentencing such men fo damnation, or signifying how far I thought they were exposed to damnation, or expressing ray sentiraents more or less about the matter. In p. 130 and 131, Mr. Williaras says, when one sees with what epithets of honor Mr Edwards fn sorae parts of his book has coraphraented Mr. Stod- 252 REPLY TO WILLIAMS. dard, it must look like a strange medley to tack to them, — Thai he was a weak beggar of his question ; a supposer of what was proved ; taking for granted tht point in controversy ; inconsistent with himself; ridiculously contradicting his own arguments." These expressions, which Mr. Williaras speaks of as tacked to those honorable epithets, he represents as expressions Avhich I had used con cerning Mr. Stoddard: and his readers that have not consulted my book would doubtless fake it so frora his manner of representation. Whereas, fhe trulh is, no one of these expressions is used concerning Mr. Stoddard anywher ' in ray book ; nor is there one disrespectful word spoken of him there. All the ground Mr. Williaras had to make such a representation, was, that in arguments against ray opinion I endeavored to show them fo be weak (though I do not find that I used that epithet), and certainly for one fo pretend fo answer argu ments, and yet allow them to be strong, would be fo show himself to be very weak. In answering sorae of these arguments, and endeavoring to show where in the inconclusiveness of them lay, I have sometiraes taken notice that the defect lay in what is called begging the question, or supposing the thing to be proved. And if I had said so concerning Mr. Stoddard's arguments, speaking of them as his, I do not know why it should be represented as any personal re flection, or unhandsorae, dishonorable treatment of him. Every inconclusive arguraent is weak ; and the business of a disputant is to show wherein the weakness lies : but to speak of arguments as weak, is not to call men weak. All the ground Mr. Williaras has to speak of me as saying that Mr. Stoddard ridiculously contradicted his own arguments, is, that in p. 11, citing some pas sages out of Mr. Stoddard's Appeal, I use these words : " But how he recon cUed these passages with fhe rest of his treatise, I would modestly say, I must confess myself at a loss." And particularly I observed, that I could not see how tbey consist with what he says, p. 16, and so proceed to mention one thing which appears fo me nof well fo consist with thera. But certainly this is nol indecently lo reflect on Mr. Stoddard any more than Mr. Wilhams inde cently reflecls on the first reformers, in his answer to Mr. CrosweU, p. 74, 75, where speaking of their doctrine of a particular persuasion as ofthe essence of saving faith, he says, " they are found inconsistent with theraselves, and fheir doctrine lighter than vanity." And again, p. 82, " if ever (says Mr. Wilharas) any raen were confuted frora their own concessions, these divines are." And more to the like purpose. W-hich gives me a fair occasion to express the like wonder at hira, as he does at me, p. 131, but I foihear personal reflections. Mr. WiUiams, in fhe same page, has these words : " And to say, that all un sanctified men do profess and seal their consent fo the covenant of grace in the Lord's supper, when they know at the sarae time they do not consent to it, nor have their heart at all in the affair, is soraething worse than begging the question." That is, as I suppose (fhe sarae that he charged me with before), telling a manifest untruth. By which he plainly suggests fhat I have said thus. Whereas I nowhere say, nor in any respect signify, that I suppose all unsanctified coraraunicants do know that they do nof consent to the covenant of grace. I neyer made any doubt, but fhat multitudes of unsanctified commu nicants are deceived, and think they do consent fo if. In p. 132, he says of rae, " The author endeavors fo show, fhat the admit ting unsanctified persons tends to fhe ruin and reproach of the Christian church; and to the ruin of the persons adraitted." But how widely different is this from what I express in the place he refers to ! Inq. p. 121. That which I say there, is, that " by express liberty given, to open .the door to as many as please, of those who have no risibility of real saintship, and make no profes- REPLY TO WILLIAMS. 253 Sion of it, nor pretension to it, is a method which tends to the ruin and great reproach ofthe Christian church, and also fo the ruin ofthe persons admitted." I freely grant, and show abundantly in ray book, it is never to be expected, fhat ail unsanctified raen can be kept out, by the raost exact attendance on the rules of Christ, by those that adrait members. In p. 136, Mr. WiUiaras, wholly wilhout grounds, speaks of me as repre senting, that "unconverted men make pretension to nothing but what God's enemies have, reraaining in open and avowed rebellion against him." Where as, I suppose that some natural men do profess, and profess fruly many things, which those have nol, who are open and avowed enemies of God. They may truly profess that sort of moral sincerity in raany things belonging to morality and religion, which avowed enemies have not : nor is there any sentence or word in my book, wbich implies or intimates the contrary. In p. 141, Mr. WUliams evidently insinuates, that I ara one of those -who, " if raen live never so strictly conforraable to the laws of the gospel, and never so diligently seek their own salvation, lo outward appearance, yet do not slick to speak of them, and act openly towards fhem, as persons giving no more public evidence, that they are nol the enemies of God and haters of Jesus Christ, than the very worst of the heathen." But surely eveiy one that has read my book, every one thai knows my constant conduct, and manner of preaching, as well as writing, and bow much I have written, said and done against judging and censuring persons of an externally moral and religious behavior, must know how injurious this representation of rae is. SECTION II. Instances ofthe second thing mentioned as exceptionable in Mr. Williams's Method of raanaging this controversy, viz., his misrepresenting wliat is said in the writ ings of others, that he supposes favors his opinion. Perhaps instances enough of this have already been taken notice of; yet I would now mention .some others. In whal he says in reply to my answer fo the eighth objection, he says, p. 108, " Mr. Stoddard does not say, if sanctifying grace be necessary to a per son's lawful partaking of the Lord's supper, then God would have given sorae certain rule, whereby those who are to admit them, raay know whether they have such grace, or not.'' Mr. Williaras there intiraates (as the reader raay see) as if Mr. Stoddard spake so, that it is to be understood disjunctively, meaning he would either have given sorae certain rule to the church who ad mit fhem, or else to the persons themselves : so that by one means or other, the Lord's supper might he restrained to converted men. And he exclaims against me for representing as though Mr. Stoddard's argument were concern ing a certain rule, whereby those who are to admit fhem, may know whethei fhey have grace (see the foregoing page), and speaks of it as nothing akin to Mr. Stoddard's argument. Now let the reader lake notice of Mr. Stoddard's words, and see whether his arguraent be not .something akin to this. He says expressly, ./zppea/, p. 75, "God does not bind his church to impossibilities. If he had raade such an ordinance, he would give gifts fo his churcb, to distin guish sincere raen frora hypocrites, whereby the ordinance might have been atiended. Theminor is also evident : he has given no such rule to his church, whereby it may be restrained lo converted men. This appears, because by 254 REPLY TO WILLIAMS. the rule they are to go by, they are alio ived to give the Lord's supper to many unconverted men. For all visible signs are common to men converted, and un converted." So that Mr. Stoddard in fact does say, " If sanctifying grace be necessary fo a person's lawful partaking of the Lord's supper, then God would have given some certain rule, whereby the church (those wlio are fo adroit them) may know, whether fhey have grace, or not." Though Mr. Williams denies it, and says, this is nothing akin to Mr. Stoddard's argument ; contrary to the plainest fact. Ill p. 99, Mr. Williams, replying to my answer to the sixth objection, mis represents Mr. Hudson, in the following passage. " This [i. e., baptism], says Mr. Hudson, raakes them merabers of the body of Christ. And as for a par ticular, explicit covenant, besides the general, iraposed on churches, I find no mention of il, no example nor warrant for it in all the Scripture." Here Mn Williaras is still manifestly endeavoring fo discredit ray doctrine of an explicit owning fhe covenant of grace ; and he so manages and alters Mr. Hudson's words, as naturally leads the reader to suppose that Mr. Hudson speaks against this : whereas, he says not a word about it. Wbat Mr. Hudson speaks of, is not an explicit owning the covenant of grace, or baptismal covenant ; but a particular church covenant, by which a particular society binds themselves ex plicitly, one fo another, jointly to carry on the public worship. Mr. Hudson's words are, p. 19, " I dare not make a particular, explicit, holy covenant to le the FORM of a particular church, as this description seemeth to do ; because I find no raention ofany such covenant, besides the general iraposed on churches, nor exaraple nor warrant for it in all the Scripture." And then afterwards Mr. Hudson says, "But it is the general covenant sealed by baptism, and not this, that raakes them members of the body of Christ." Mr. WUliams, by citing distant passages in Mr. Hudson, and joining thera, in his own way, by particles and conjunctions, which Mr. Hudson does not use, and leaving out these words — To be the form of a particular church, as fhis description seemeth to do — quite blinds the raind of his reader, as to Mr. Hudson's true sense, which is nothing to Mr. Williaras's purpose. Mr. Hudson says not a word here against, or about an express or explicit covenanting, or owning the cove- ,gA,nt, in my sense : but in other places, in the sarae book, he speaks of it, and for it, as necessary for all Christians. Thus, in p. 69, " There is one individual, express, external covenant ; not only on God's part, but also it is one external, visible covenant, on raen's part ; which all Christians, as Christians, enter into, by their professed acceptance, and express restipulation, and proraised subjec tion and obedience ; though not altogether in one place, or at one tirae." He speaks again to the same purpose, p. 100. SECTION III. Instances ofthe third thing observed in Mr, Williams's manner of arguing, viz, his pretending to oppose and answer arguments, by saying things which have no ref erence to them, but selate to other matters perfectly foreign to the subject of the argument. Such is his answer (p. 37) to my arguraent from Isa. Ivi. Particularly frora those words, v. 6, 7, " Also the sons of the stranger, that join themselves to the Lord, to serve him, fo love fhe name of the Lord, to be his servants-— even them will I brmg to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house REPLY TO WILLIAMS. 255 of prayer," &c. For I say nothing under that argument (as Mr. Williams in his answer presumes) which supposes any antithesis or opposition here between the state of the Gentiles and eunuchs under the Old Testament, and under the gospel, as to terms of acceptance to God : nor any opposition as to a greater ne cessity of sanctifying grace, to the lawful partaking of ordinances, under the gospel, than under the law ; as Mr. WUliams also supposes in his arguings on this head. But fhe opposition I speak of, as plainly pointed forth in fhe chap ter, is this : that whereas under the law, not only piety of heart and practice " were required, but something else, even soundness of body and circuracision, it is foretold, that under the gospel, piety of heart and practice only should be re quired ; that although they were eunuchs or uncircuracised, yet if it appeared that they loved the name ofthe Lord, &c., they should be admitted. So when I argued, that Christ, in the latier part of the 7fh chapter of Matt. representing the final issue of things, with regard to the visible church in gen eral, speaks of all as being such as had looked on theraselves to be interested in hira as their Lord and Saviour, and had an opinion of their good estate ; though the hope of sorae was buUt on tbe sand, and others on a rock : Mr. WUliams, in his reply, p. 40, 41, entirely overlooks the argument, and talks about other things. He says, " Christ does not fault those that cried Lord, Lord, for entering into covenant, but for not keeping covenant," p. 41. Here he runs back to another thing, relating fo another arguraent, to which this bas no re ference, which he dwells wholly upon ; and says nothing to the argument I use in that place. So in his reply to what I say on the parable of the wheat and fares, p. 98, &c. He has entirely overlooked the argument. He says, to vindicate the ob jection p. 99, " Which we think shows us the raind and will of Christ in this malter is, that his servants shall proceed only on certain established rules of his visible kingdom, and not upon any private rules of judging about them." Whereas, I never said, or supposed, that Christ's servants must not proceed on certain established rules of his visible kingdom, or that they ought to go upon any private rules of judging ; but particularly and largely expressed my mind to the confrary, in my explaining the question : and say, Inq. p. 5, " That it is properly a visibility to the eye of the public charity, and not of a private judg raent, that gives a right to* be received as visible saints by fhe public." And repeat the same thing again, p. 125. And as to what Mr. Williams says in fhis place about infants being horn in the church, it entirely diverts the reader to another point (which I shall here after particularly consider) wholly distinct from the subject of the arguraent ; which is about rules of admission in the church, whenever fhey are adraitted. If persons are born in the church in coraplete standing, as Mr. WUliams supposes, then they are not admitted at all, but in their ancestors. But however, fhe question returns, whether ancestors that are unsanctified, can have a lawful right to corae into the church 1 Mr. WiUiaras holds they may. The subject of the argument is about bringing in tares info the field, whenever they are brought in, whether sooner or later : and whenever tares have a lawful right, by warrant frora Christ, to be in the field ; supposing this fo intend the church of Christ. The arguraent I produced to the contrary was, that the fares were introduced contrary to the owner's design, through raen's infirmity, and Satan's procureraent. Which argument, being entirely overlooked by my opponent, I desire it may be now particularly considered. When the Devil brought in ihe tares, it is manifest, he brought in something that did not belong there ; and therein counteracted the owner of the field, 256 REPLY TO WILLIAMS. and did it under fhat very notion of crossing his design. An enemy (says fhe parable) hath done this. But how does this consist with the tares having a lauful -right, by the owner's warrant and appointment, fo have a .standing in his field 1 If Christ by his institution has, in mercy to unsanctified men, given them a lawful light to come info tbe church, that it may be a means of fheir conversion; then it is a work of his kindness, as fhe compassionate Redeemer of souls, to bring fhem in ; and not the doing of the great enemy and destroy er of souls. If fhe great Phyaician of souls has built his church, as an infirmary, in compassion to those that are sick, for fhis end, fhat fhey may be brought in and healed there; shall it be said with surprise, when such are found there, How came these sick people here ? And shall the corapassionate physician, who built the hospital, raake answer. An enemy hath done fhis ? Besides, if Christ had appointed that unsanctified raen should corae into the church, in order to their conversion, it would be an instance of the faithfulness of his servants to bring in such. But the bringing in tares'mto the field, is not represented as owing to the faithfulness and watchfulness of the servants; but on the contrary, is ascribed to their sleepiness and remissness : they were brought in while they slept, who ought to have done the part of watchmen in keeping (hem out, and preventing the designs of the subtle enemy fhat brought fh«n in. Perhaps some would be ready to make the reflection, that those churches whose practice is agreeable to the loose principles Mr. WiUiaras espouses, do that al , noonday, in the presence of God, angels and raen, which the devil did in the dread of fhe might, while men slept ! Again, Mr. Williams, in his reply to my argument from that Christian hrotherly love, which is required towards all members of the visible church, goes entirely off frora the argument, to things quite alien frora it. His first answer, p. 69, is, fhat " the exercise of this Chrislian love is not the term of communion or adraission info fhe visible church ;" which is perfectly foreign tc the business. For the arguraent respects the object of fhis love, viz., visible saints thaf are to be thus beloved ; and not at all the qualifications of the inherent suh ject of it, or the person fhat exercises fhis love. If tbey that are adraitted, are to be loved as frue saints, or for the image of Christ appearing in them, or sup posed to be in them (as Mr. Williams allows, p. 68), then it will follow that none are lo be admitted, but such as can reasonably be the objects of Christian love, or be loved as true saints, and as those who have the image of Christ appearing in fhem. Whether the exercise of this love be the term of commu nion, or nof ; yef if Ave are comraanded fo exercise fhis love to all that are ad mitted to communion, then it wiU certainly follow, that some reasonable ground for being thus beloved, must be a terra of coraraunion in such as are admitted. To suppose it appointed, that we should love all thai are admitted as true saints, and yet that it is not appointed that such as are adraitted should exhibit any reasonable grounds for such a love, is certainly fo suppose very inconsistent ap. pointments.* Mr. Williams's second answer, p. 70, is no less impertinent, viz., " That men's right to coraraunion in gospel ordinances does not depend upon the cor ruptions of other raen, in their forbearing fo love thera." As if ray argument • " The aposties looked on all those, whom they gathered into churches or Christian congregations to eat the Lord's supper, as having the truth dwelling in them ; and so they behoved, every one of them, to look upon one another : seeing they could not love one another as brethren in the truth, ivithout acknowledg ing tliat truth as dwelhng m them. And so we see the apostles, in their writings to Ihe churches, sup posing all their members objects of this brotherly love. Christ's visible church then is the congregatjr- of those whom the apostle could call the saints and faithful in Christ Jesus. — Gla.is's Notes on Seriplv Texti Numb. 5, p. 32. REPLY TO WILLIAMS. 257 were, that unless men are actually loved, as true saints, they have no right fo coraraunion ! Whereas, fhe arguraent was very diverse, viz.. That unless raen have a right to be so loved, they have no right to coraraunion. If raen have an appearance, to reason, of being true saints, fhey raay bave a right fo be loved as true saints, and to be admitted as such ; however corrupt and void of love other raen are : but without such an appearance to reason, it is no corruption, not to love thera as true saints ; unless it be corrupt, not fo act without reason.* As to Mr. Williaras's third answer, and the misrepresentations it is built upon, it has already been taken notice of In Mr. Williaras's reply to my answer fo the first objection, p. 81, &c., he wholly leaves the argument, and writes in support and defence of olher mat ters, quite different flora those wbich I raentioned, or had any concern with. The objection which I mentioned, and which had been much insisted on by some against my opinion, was, that church merabers are called disciples, or scholars; a name that gives us a notion of the visible church as a school ; and leads us to suppose, that all who profess fhat sort of failh and sincerity, whicb im plies a disposition to seek Christian learning and spiritual attainments, are quali fied for admission. But Mr. Williams says nothing at all in support of this objection. In answer lo it, I endeavored to .show, thai the name disciples given to cburch merabers, does not argue that unsanctified persons are fit to be mera bers. He says nothing lo show that it does. He says, if it will not follow frora Christ's visible church's being represented as Christ's school, that il is in order to all good attainments ; yet it is in order to all that they have nof yef attained Which is nothing to the purpose, but foreign fo the thing in debaie, viz.. Whether sanctifying grace is one of those things which are not yet attained by those that are laiofully in fhe church. He there says nothing to prove tbat it is ; and especially to prove it from the meaning of the word disciples, which was the arguraent in hand. He insists, that men may be sufficiently subject to Christ as their master and teacher, in order to be in his school or churcb, wilh out grace : but then the thing to be proved, was, fhat church merabers being called disciples raakes this evident, in order to support the arguraent or objec tion I was upon : which arguraent is entirely neglected throughout all his dis course under this head. So in his reply to ray answer to the Ilth objection, p, 123, &c., he wholly neglects the arguraent, and labors to support a different one. I endeavored, without concerning myself about the words ofany argument in Mr. Stoddard's Appeal, to answer an arguraent abundantly used al Northarapton against ray- doctrine, of unsanctified raen's not having a right to corae fo the Lord's supper ; which was this, " You may as well say, thai unsanctified men raay not attentl any other duty of worship ;" and particularly, " you may as well forbid thera to pray." As for Mr. Stoddard's objection, in these words, " If unsanctified men may attend all olher ordin-ances or duties of worship, then they may lawfully attend the Lord's supper ;" it was an argument I was not obhged lo attend lo in the words in which he delivered il, because it was not an arguraent brought against my scheme of things, but one very diverse : since it is not my opinion, that unsanctified raen raay attend " all other ordinances or duties of worship, * a good argument might also be drawn from the corraption of unsanctifled men ; for that the) are all so under the power of corruption, that they are not able to love saints, or any one else, with tiuly Christian love. Agreeable to what Mr. Stoddard says in his Three Sermons, p. 40, " Men are obliged to love their neighbors as themselves. But no natural men do in any measure Uve up to that rule * but men ire great enemies to one another, hateful lil\ God thus appears gloriously above all evil ; and triumphing over all his enemies, was one great thing that God intended by the work of redemption ; and the work by which this was to be done, God immediately went about as soon as man fell ; and so goes on till he fully accomplishes if in the end of the world. II. In doing fhis God's design was perfectly to restore all fhe ruins of the fall, so far as concerns fhe elect part of the world, by his Son ; and therefore we read of the restitution of all things : Acts iii. 21, " Whom the heaven must receive, until the times of tbe restitution of all things ;" and of the times of refreshing from the presence of the Lord Jesus : Acts iii. 19, " Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from tbe presence of the Lord." Man's soul was ruined by fhe fall ; the image of God was ruined ; man's nature was corrupted and destroyed, and man became dead in sin. The de sign of God was, to restore the soul of man ; to restore life fo it, and fhe image of God, in conversion, and to carry on the restoration in sanctification, and to perfect it in glory. Man's body was ruined ; by the fall it became subject to death. The design of God was, to restore if from fhis ruin, and not only to de liver it from death in fhe resurrection, but to deliver it from mortality itself, in making if like unto Christ's glorious body. The world was ruined, as to man, as effectually as if it had been reduced to chaos again ; all heaven and earth were overthrown. But fhe design of God was, fo restore all, and as if were to create a new heaven and a new earth : Isaiah lxv 17, " Behold, I create 304 WORK OF REDEMPTION. new heavens, and a new earth ; and the forraer shall not be remembered, nor come into mind." 2 Pet. iii. 13, " Nevertheless we, according to his promise; look for new heavens, and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness." The work by which this was to be done, was begun immediately after the fall, and so is carried on till all is finished at fhe end, when the whole world, heaven and earth, shall be restored ; and there shall be, as it were, new heav ens, and a new earth, in a spiritual sense, at the end of the world. Thus it is represented. Rev. xxi. 1 : " And I saw a new heaven, and a new earth ; for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away." III. Another great design ofGod in the work of redemption, was, to gather together in one all things in Christ, in heaven and in earth, i. e., all elect crea tures ; to bring all elect creatures, in heaven and in earth, fo a union one to another in one body, under one head, and to- unite all together in one body to God the Father. This was begun soon after the fall, and is carried on through all ages of the world, and finished at the end of fhe world. IV. God designed by fhis work to perfect and complete the glory of all fhe elect by Cbrist. It was a design of God to advance the elect to an exceeding pitch of glory, " such as eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, nor has it ever entered into the heart of raan." He intended fo bring thera fo perfect excellency and beauty in his iraage, and in holiness, which is the proper beauty of spiritual be ings ; and to advance thera to a glorious degree of honor, and also fo an inef fable pitch of pleasure and joy ; and thus to glorify the whole church of elect men in soul and body, and with them fo bring the glory of the elect angels to its highest pitch under one head. The work wbich tends to this, God began immediately after the fall, and carries on through all ages, and will have per fected at the end of the world. V. In all this God designed fo accomplish fhe glory of fhe blessed Trinity in an exceeding degree. God had a design of glorifying hiraself from eternity ; to glorify each person in the Godhead. The end must be considered as first in the order of nature, and then fhe means ; and therefore we must conceive, fhat God having professed this end, had then as it were fhe means to choose ; and the principal means that he pitched upon was fhis great work of redemption that we are speaking of It was his design in fhis work to glorify his only begotten Son, Jesus Cbrist ; and it was his design, by the Son to glorify the Father : John xiu. 31, 22, "Now is the Son of raan glorified, and God is glorified in him. If God be glorified in him, God also shall glorify him in himself, and shall straightway glorify hira." It was his design that the Son should thus be glorified, and should glorify fhe Father by what should be accomplished by the Spirit fo the glory of the Spirit, fhat the whole Trinity, conjunctly, and each person singly, raight be exceedingly gl orified. The work that was the appointed means of this, was begun immediately after fbe fall, and is carried on till, and finished at, the end of the world, when all fhis intended glory shall be fully ac complished in all things. Having thus explained fhe terms made use of in fhe doctrine, and shown what the things are which are to be accoraplished by this great work of God, I proceed now to the proposed History ; that is, to show how what was designed by fhe work of redemption is accomplished, in the various steps of this work, from the fall of man to the end of the world. In order to this, I would divide this whole space of time into three periods J the 1st Reaching frora the fall of man to the incarnation of Christ ; the WORK OF REDEMPTION. 306 2d, From Christ's incarnation till his resurrection : or the whole time of Christ's humiliation : the 3d, From thence to the end of the world. It may be some may be ready to think this a very unequal division : and it is so indeed in sorae respects. It is so, because the second period is so rauch the greatest : for although it be so much shorter than either of the other, being but between thirty and forty years, whereas both the other contain thousands ; yet in this affair that we are now upon, it is more than both the others. I would therefore proceed to show distinctly how the work of redemption is carried on from the fall of man to the end of the world, through each of these periods in their order : which I would do under three propositions ; one concerning each period. I. That from the fall of man till the incarnation of Christ, God was doing those things that were preparatory to Christ's coining, and working out rederap tion, and were forerunners and earnests of it. II. That the time from Christ's incarnation, fill his resurrection, was spent in procuring and purchasing redemption. III. That the space of time from the resurrection of Christ to the end of the world, is all taken up in bringing about or accomplishing the great effect or success of tbat purchase. In a particular consideration of these three propositions, the great truth taught in the doctrine may perhaps appear in a clear light, and we may see how the work of redemption is carried on from the fall of man to fhe end of the world. PERIOD I. FROM THE FALL TO THE INCARNATION. My first task is, to show how the work of redemption is carried on from the fall of man to the incarnation, of Christ, under the first proposition, viz., That the space of time from the fall of man fo fhe incarnation of Christ. was taken up in doing those things fhat were forerunners and earnests of Christ's coming, and working out redemption, and were preparatory fo if. The great works of God in the world during fhis whole space of time, were all preparatory to this. There were many great changes and revolutions in the world, and they were all only fhe turning of the wheels of Providence in order to fhis, to raake way for the coming of Christ, and what he was to do in the worid. They all pointed hither, and all issued here. Hither tended espe cially all God's great works towards his church. The church was under vari ous dispensations of Providence, and in very various circumstances, before Christ came. Buf all these dispensations were fo prepare the way for his com ing. God wrought salvation for the souls of men through all that space of tirae, though the number was very small to what it was afterwards ; and all this salvation was, as it were, by way of anticipation. All the souls that were saved before Christ came, were only as it were the earnests of the future bar- vest. Vol. L 39 306 WORK OF REDEMPTION. God wrought many lesser salvations and deliverances for his church ana people before Christ came. These salvations were all but so raany images and forerunners of the great salvation Christ was to work out when he should come. God revealed hiraself of old, from time to time, from the fall of man fo the coming of Cbrist. Tbe church during that space of tirae enjoyed the light of divine revelation, or God's word. They had in a degree the light of the gospel. But all these revelations were only so many forerunners and earnests of the great light fhat he should bring who came to be fhe light of the worid. That whole space of tirae was, as it were, the time of night, wherein the church of God was not indeed wholly without light : but it was like the light of fhe moon and stars thaf we have in fhe night ; a dira light in coraparison of the light of the sun, and raixed with a great deal of darkness. It had no glory, by reason of the glory that excelleth, 2 Cor. iii. 10. The church had indeed the light of tbe sun ; but it was only as reflected frora fhe raoon and stars. The church all that while was a minor. This the apostle evidently teaches in Gal. iv. 1, 2, 3 : " Now I say thaf the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing frora a servant, though he be lord of all ; but is under tutors and governors, until the time appointed of the Father. Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world." But here, for the greater clearness and distinctness, I would subdivide this period, from the fall of raan to the coming of Christ, into six lesser periods, oi parts : the 1st, Extending frora fhe fall to the flood : the 2d, Frora thence fo the calling of Abraham : fhe 3d, From thence to Moses : the 4th, From thence to David : the 5tb, From David to the captivity info Babylon : and the 6th, From thence to fhe incarnation of Christ. PART I FROM THE FALL TO THE FLOOD. This was a period farthest of all distant from Christ's incarnation ; yet then this great work was begun fo be carried on ; then was this glorious building begun, and will not be finished fill the end of the world, as I would now show you how. And fo this purpose I would observe, I. As soon as ever man fell, Christ entered on his raediatorial work. Then it was thaf Christ first took on him the work and oflice ofa mediator. He had undertaken if before fhe world was raade. He stood engaged with the Father to appear as raan's mediator, and fo take on him that office when there should be occasion, from all eternity. But now the time was corae. When man fell, then the occasion carae ; and then Christ iramediately, without further delay, entered on his work, and took on him thaf office fhat he had stood engaged to fake on him from eternity. As soon as ever raan fell, Christ the eternal Son of God clothed himself with fhe mediatorial character, and therein presented him self before the Father. He immediately stepped in between a holy, infinite, offended Majesty, and offending mankind ; and was accepted in his interposition ; WORK OF REDEMPTION. 307 and so wrath was prevented from going forth in the full execution of fhat amazing curse fhat man had brought on himself. It is manifest that Christ began to exercise the office of mediator between God and man as soon as ever man fell, because mercy began fo be exercised towards man iramediately. There was raercy in fbe forbearance of God, fhat he did not destroy him, as he did the angels when they fell. But there is no mercy exercised towards fallen man but through a raediator. If God had not in mercy restrained Satan, he would iramediately have seized on his prey. Christ began to do the part of an intercessor for man as soon as he fell. There is no mercy exercised towards man but what is obtained through Christ's inter cession ; so that now Christ was entered on his work that he was to continue in throughout all ages of the world. From that day forward Christ took on him the care of the church of the elect ; he took on him tbe care of fallen man in the exercise of all his offices ; he undertook thenceforward fo teach mankind in the exercise of his prophetical office ; and also to intercede for fallen man in his priestly office ; and he took on him, as it were, tbe care and burden of the government of the church, and of the world of mankind, from fhis day forward. He from thaf time took upon him the care of tbe defence of his elect church from all their enemies. When Satan, the grand enemy, had conquered and overthrown man, tbe business of resisting and conquering him was committed to Christ. He thenceforward undertook to manage that subtle powerful adver sary. He was tben appointed the Captain of the Lord's hosts, and the Captain of their salvation, and always acted as such thenceforward ; and so he appeared from lime fo time, and he will continue fo act as such to the end of the world. Henceforward this lower world, with all its concerns, was, as if were, devolved upon fhe Son of God : for when man had sinned, God the Father would have no more to do with raan immediately ; he would no more have any immediate concern with this world of mankind, that had apostatized from, and rebelled against him. He would henceforward have no concern with man, but only through a raediator, either in teaching men, or in governing or bestowing any benefits on fhem. And therefore, when we read in sacred history what God did frora tirae to time towards his church and people, and what he said to them, and how he revealed himself to them, we are to understand it especially of fhe second person of the Trinity. When we read of God's appearing after the fall, from time to time in some visible form or outward symbol of his presence, we are ordinarily, if not universally, to understand it of the second person of the Trinity ; which may be argued from John i. 18 : " No man hath seen God at any time ; fhe only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him." He is therefore called "the image of the'invisible God," Col. i. 15; intimating, that though God the Father be invisible, yet Christ is his image or representation, by which be is seen, or by which the Church of God hath often had a representation of him, th'at is not invisible, and in particular that Christ has after appeared in a human form. Yea, not only was this lower world devolved on Christ, that he raight have the care and government of it, and order it agreeably to his design of redemp tion, but also in some respect the whole universe. The angels from that time were committed to him, fo be subject to him in his mediatorial office, to be min istering spirits to hira in fhis affair ; and accordingly were so from this time forward, as is manifest by the Scripture history, wherein we have accounts from time to time of their acting as rainistering spirits in the affairs of fhe Church of Christ. 308 WORE OF REDEMPTION. And therefore we may suppose, thaf iraraediately on fhe ff.ll of man, it was made known in heaven araong fhe angels, that God had a design of redemption with respect to fallen man, and that Christ had now taken upon him fhe office and work of a mediator between God and man, ifhat they raight know their business henceforward, which was fo be subservient to Christ in this office, and as Christ, in this office, has since that, as God-man and Mediator, been solemnly exalted and .installed the King of heaven, and is thenceforward as God-man, Mediator, the Light, and as it were, fhe Sun of heaven, agreeable to Rev. xxi. 23, " And fhe city had no need of the sun, neither of fhe moon, to shine in it ; for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof;" so this fevelation that was made in heaven among the angels, of Christ's now having taken on him fhe office of a mediator between God and man, was as it were fhe first dawning of this hght in heaven. When Christ ascended info heaven after his passion, and was soleranly installed in the throne, as King of heaven, then this sun rose in heaven, even the Lamb that is the light of fhe new Jerusalem But the light began fo dawn immediately after the fall. II. Presently upon fhis fhe gospel was first revealed on earth, in these words. Gen. iii. 15 : " And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed : it sball bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel." We must suppose, fhat God's intention of redeeming fallen men was first signified in heaven, before it was signified on earth, because the busi ness of the angels as ministering spirits of fhe Mediator required it ; for as soon as ever Christ had taken on him the work of a mediator, it was requisite that the angels should be ready immediately to be subservient fo hira in that ofiice : so tbat fhe light first dawned in heaven ; but very soon after the same was sig nified on earth. In those words of God there was an intimation of anothei surety to be appointed for man, after the first surety had failed. This was the first revelation of the covenant of grace ; this was the first dawning of fhe light of fhe gospel on earth. This lower world before the fall enjoyed noonday light ; the light of the knowledge of God, the light of his glory, and the light of his favor. But when raan fell, all this light was at once extinguished, and the world reduced back again to total darkness ; a worse darkness than fhat which was in the beginning of fhe world, that we read of Gen. i. 2 : " And fhe earth -«'as without form, and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep." This was a darkness a thousand times more remediless than fhat. Neither men nor angels could find out any way whereby fhis darkness might be scattered. This darkness appeared in its blackness then, when Adam and his wife saw Ihat they were naked, and sewed fig leaves, and when they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden, and hid themselves among the trees of the garden ; and when God first called them to an account, and said to Adam, " What is this that thou hast done ? Hast fhou eaten of the tree, whereof I com manded thee, that thou shouldest not eat 1" Then we may suppose thaf their hearts were filled with shame and terror. But these words of God, Gen. iii. 15, were fhe first dawning of the light of the gospel after this darkness. Now first appeared some ghmmering of light after 1;his dismal darkness, whicb before tbis was without one glimpse of light, any beam of comfort, or any the least hope. It was an obscure revelation of the gospel ; and was nof made to Adam, or Eve directly, but it was in what God said to the serpent. But yet it was very comprehensive, as might be easily shown would it not take up too much time. Here was a certain intimation of a merciful design by " the seed of tbe WORK OF REDEMPTION. 309 woman," which was like the first ghmraerings of the light of the sun in the east when the day first dawns. This intimation of mercy was given them even before sentence was pronounced on either Adam or Eve, from tenderness to them to whom God designed mercy, lest they should be overborne with a sentence of condemnation, without having any thing held forth whence they could gather any hope. One of those great things fhat were intended fo be done by the work of re demption, is more plainly intimated here than the rest, viz., God's subduing his enemies under the feet of his Son. This was threatened now, and God's design of this was now first declared, which was the work Christ had now un- smite hira even to the wall ; and again preserving hira when he sent messenge-* to his house, fo watch hira, and to kill hira, when Michal, Saul's daughter, k' him down through a window ; and when he afterwards sent messengers, once and again, to Naioth in Raraah, to take him, and they were reraarkably pre^ vented tirae after tirae, by being seized with miraculous impressions of the Spiif. of God ; a.nd afterwards, when Saul, being resolute in the affair, wenl himself, he also was among fhe prophets. And after fhis, how wonderfully was David's life preserved at Gath among the Philistines, when he went in Achish fhe king of Gath, and -was there in fhe hands of fhe Philistine?, who, one would have thought, would have despatched hira at once, he having so rauch provoked them by his exploits against tbem: and he was again w^onderfully preserved af Kedab, when he had entered into a fenced town, where Saul thought he was sure of hira. And how wonderfully was he pre served from Saul, when he pursued and hunted him in the mountains ! How remarkably did God deliver him in the wdderness of Maon, when Saul and his army were compassing David about ! How -w-as he delivered in the cave of Engedi, when, instead of Saul's kdling David, God delivered Saul into his hands in tbe cave, and he cut off his skirt, and raight as easily have cut off his head ; and afterwards delivering hira in like manner in the wilderness of Ziph ; and afterwards again preserving him in the land of the Philisrines, though David had fought against the Philistines, and conquered thera at Keilah, since he was last araong thera ; which, one ¦v\'ould think, would have been suflicient warning to them not fo trust him, or let him escape a second time, if ever they had hira in theirhands again ; but yet now, when they had a second opportunity, God wonderfully turned their hearts to him fo befriend and protect hira, insf-ad of destroying hira. Thus was fhe precious seed fhat virtually contained the Redeeraer and all the blessings of his rederaption, wonderfully preserved, when hell and earth were conspired against it to destroy it. How often does David himself take notice of this with praise and admiration in the book of Psalms! III. About this t^rae, the written word of God, or the canon of Scripture, was added to by Sarai'el. I have before observed, how that the canon cf the Scripture was begun, and the first wriften word of.God, the first written rnle of faith and manners that ever was, was given to fhe church about Moset <', time : and many, and I know not but most divines, think it was added to b) Joshua, ahd that he wrote the last chapter of Deuteronoray, and raost of the Dook of Joshua. Others think fhat Joshua, Judges, Ruth, and part of fhe first book of Samuel, were written by Samuel. However fhat was, this we have good evi- WORK OF REDEMPTION. 351 4ence of, that Sarauel made an addition to fhe canon of Scripture ; for Sarauel is raanifestly mentioned in fhe New Tesfament, as one of the prophets whose writings we have in the Scriptures, in that forementioned Acts. iii. 24 : " Yea, and all the prophets frora Sarauel, and those that follow after, as many as have spoken, have likewise foretold of these days." By that expression, " as raany as have spoken," cannot be raeant, as raany as have spoken by word of 'raouth ; for never was any prophet but what did that : but the raeaning must be, as many as have spoken by writing, so that what they have spoken has come down to us, that we raay see what it is. And the^way that Sarauel spoke of these tiraes of Christ and the gospel, was by giving the history of .those things fhat typified thera, and pointed to thera, particularly the tbings concerning David that he wrole. The Spirit ofGod raoved hira to corarait those things to writing, chiefly for that reason, because fhey pointed to Christ, and the times of the gospel ; and, as was said before, his was the main business of all that succession of prophets, that began in Samuel, to foreshow those tiraes. That Samuel added to the canon of the Scriptures, seeras further to appear frora 1 Chron. xxix. 29 ; " Now the acts of David the king, first and last, be hold, tbey are written in the book of Sarauel the seer." Whether the book of Joshua was written by Sarauel or not, yet it is the general opinion of divines, that fhe books of Judges, and Ruth, and part of the first book of Sarauel, were penned by hira. The book of Ruth was penned for that reason, because, though it seeraed to treat of private affairs, yet the per sons chiefly spoken of in that book were of the family whence David and Christ proceeded, and so pointed fo what the apostle Peter observed of Sarauel and the other prophets, in the 3d chapter of Acts. The thus adding fo fhe canon ofthe Scriptures, the great and raain instruraent of t'he application of rederap tion, is to be looked upon as a further carrying on of that work, and an addition raade fo that great building. IV. Another thing God did towards this work, at that tirae, was his in spiring David to show forth Christ and his rederaption, in divine songs, which should be for the use of fhe church, in public worship, throughout all ages. David was himself endued with the spirit of prophecy. He is called a prophet. Acts. ii. 29, 30 : " Let rae freely speak to you of fhe patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto fhis day: therefore be ing a prophet, and knowing fhat God had sworn with an oath," &c. So that herein he was a type of Christ, that he was both a prophet and a king. We have no certain account of fhe time when David was first endued with fhe spirit of prophecy ; but it is raanifest that it either was at fhe tirae that Sarauel anointed him, or very soon after ; for he appears soon after acted by fhis spirit in the affair of Gabith : and then great part of fhe psalms were penned in the time of bis troubles, before he carae to the crown ; as raight be made raanifest by an induction of particulars. The oil that was used in anointing David w-as a type of the Spirit of God ; and fhe type and the antitype were given both together ; as we are told, 1 Sam. xvi. 13 : " Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in tbe midst of his brethren ; and the Spirit of fhe Lord came upon David from that day forward :" and it is probable, that it now came upon him in ifs pro phetical influences. The way that this Spirit influenced hira was, fo inspire him to show forth Christ, and fhe glorious things of his redemption, in d'tvine songs, sweetly ex pressing fhe breathings of a pious soul, full of adrairation of fhe glorious things 352 WORK OF REDEMPTION of the Redeemer, inflaraed with divine love, and lifted up with praise ; and therefore he is called the sweet psalmist of Israel, 2 Sam. xxiii. 1 • " Now these be the last words of David : David the son of Jesse said, and the raan who was raised up on high, the anointed of the God of Jacob, and the sweet psalra ist of Israel." The main subjects of these sweet songs were the gloriouii thino-s of the gospel ; as is evident by the interpretation that is often put upon them, and fhe use thaf is raade of thera in the New Testaraent ; for there is no one book of fhe Old Testament that is so often quoted in the New, as the book of Psalms. Joyfully did fhis holy man sing of those great things of Christ's redemption, that had been the hope and expectation of God's church and people frora the beginning of fhe church of God on earth ; and joyfully did others follow hira in it, as Asaph, Heraan, Ethan, and others ; for the book of Psalras was not all penned by David, though the greater part of it was. Hereby the canon of Scripture was further added to ; and an excellent portion of divine writ was it fhat was added. This was a great advanceraent that God made in this budding ; and fhe light of fhe gospel, which had been gradually growing from the fall, was ex ceedingly increased by it; for whereas before there was but here and there a prophecy given of Christ in a great many ages, now here Christ is spoken of by his ancestor David abundantly, in multitudes of songs, speaking of his incarnation, life, death, resurrection, ascension into heaven, his satisfaction, in tercession ; his prophetical, kingly, and priestly office ; his glorious benefits in this life and that which is fo corae ; his union with the cburch, and fhe blessedness of the church in hira ; the calUng of fhe Gentiles, the future glory of the cburch near the end of the world, and Christ's coraing fo the final judgment. All these things, and raany raore, concerning Christ and his re demption, are abundantly spoken of in the book of Psalras. This was also a glorious advancement of the affair of rederaption, as God hereby gave his cburch a book of divine songs for their use in that part of their public worship, viz., singing his praises throughout all ages to the end ofthe world It is manifest the book of Psalras was given of God for fhis end. It was used in the church of Israel by God's appointraent : fhis is raanifest by fhe title of many of the psalms, in which fhey are inscribed to the chief musi cian ; i. e., to the raan that was appointed fo be the leader of divine songs in the temple, in the public worship of Israel. So David is called the sweet psalmist of Israel, because he penned psalras for the use of the church of Israel ; and accordingly we have an account that they were actually made use of in the church of Israel for thaf end, even ages after David was dead ; as 2 Chron. xxix. 30 : " Moreover, Hezekiah the king, and the princes, command ed fbe Levites fo sing praises unfo the Lord, with the words of David, and of Asaph the seer." And -we find that fhe same are appointed in fhe New Testa ment fo be made use of in the Christian church, in their worship : Eph. v. 19, " Speaking to yourselves in psalms, hymns, and spiritual song^." Col. iii. 16, " Admonishing one another in psalms, hymns, aaid spiritual songs." And so they have been, and will to the end of the world, be raade use of in the church to celebrate the praises of God. The people of God were wont sometimes to worship God by singing songs to his praise before ; as fhey did at the Red Sea ; and they bad Moses's prophetical song, in the 32d chapter of Deutero noray, coramitted fo fhem for fhat end ; and Deborah, and Barak, and Han nah, sung praises to God ; but now first did God corarait fo his church a book of divine songs for their constant use, V The next thing I would fake nofne ot, is God's actually exalting David WORK OF REDEMPTION. 3.53 to the throne ot Israel, notwithstanding all fhe opposition made to it. God was deterrained to do it, and he raade every thing give place that stood in the way of it. He reraoved Saul and his sons out of the way ; and first set David over the tribe of Judah ; and then, having reraoved Ishbosheth, set hira over all Israel. Thus did God fulfil his word fo David. He took hira frora the sheepcote, and raade hira king over his people Israel, Psal. Ixxviii. 70, 71 And now the throne of Israel was established in that faraily, in which it was to continue for ever, even for ever and ever. VI. Now first it was that God proceeded fo choose a particular city out of all the tribes of IsraM fo place his narae there. There is several tiraes raen tion made in the law of Moses of the children of Israfel's bringing their obla tions to fhe place which God should choose ; as Deut. xii. 5, 6, 7, and so in many other places ; but God had never proceeded to do if till now. The tabernacle and ark were never fixed, but soraetiraes in one place, and sorae times in another ; but now God proceeded to choose Jerusalem. The city of Jerusalem was never thoroughly conquered, or taken out of the hands of the Jebusites, till David's time. It is said in Joshua xv. 63, " As for the Jebusites, the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the children of Judah could not drive thera out : but fhe Jebusites dwell with the children of Judah at Jerusalem unfo this day." But now David wholly subdued it, as we have an account in 2 Sara. V. And now God proceeded to choose fhat city to place his narae there, as appears by David's bringing up fhe ark thither soon after ; and therefore this is raentioned afterwards as the first time God proceeded fo choose a city fo place his narae there, 2 Chron. vi. 5, 6, and chap. xii. 13. Afterwards God proceeded to show David the very place where he would have his teraple built, viz., in the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. The city of Jerusalem is therefore called the holy city ; and it was the greatest type of the church of Christ in all the Old Testament. It -was re deemed by David, the captain of the hosts of Israel, out of the hands of the Jebusites, to be God's city, the holy place of his rest for ever, where he would dwell ; as Christ, the captain of his people's salvation redeems his church out of the hands of devils, to be his holy and beloved city. And therefore how often does the Scripture, when spe'pking of Christ's redemption of his church, call it by the naraes of Zion and Jerusalem. ! This was the city that God had appointed to be the place of fhe first gathering and erecting of the Christian church after Christ's resurrection, of that reraarkable pouring out of the Spirit of God on the apostles and priraitive Christians, and the place whence the gospel was to sound forth into all fbe world ; the place of the first Christian church, that -was to be, as it were, the raother of all other churches through the world ; agreeably to that prophecy, Isa. ii. 3, 4 : " Out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem : and he shall judge araong the nations, and shall rebuke mauy people." &c. Thus God chose Mount Sion, whence the gospel was to be sounded forth, as fhe law had been from Mount Sinai. VII The next thing to be observed here, is God's solemnly renewing the covenant of grace with David, and promising that the Messiah should be of his seed. We have an account of it in the 7th chapter of fhe second book of Samueh It was done On occasion of the thoughts David entertained of build ing God a house. On this occasion God sends Nathan the prophet fo hira, with the glorious proraises of the covenant of grace. It is especially contain ed in these words in the 16th verse : " And thy house and thy kingdom shal! be established for ever before thee ; thy throne shall be established for ever." 45 354 WORK OF REDEMPTION. Which promise has respect to Christ, fhe seed of David, and is fulfilled in him only : for the kingdora of David has long since ceased, any otherwise than as it is upheld in Christ. The teraporal kingdom of the house of David has now ceased for a great raany ages ; much longer than ever it stood. That this covenant fhat God now established wilh David by Nathan the prophet, was the covenant of grace, is evident by the plain testiraony of Scrip'- ture, in Isa. Iv. 1, 2, 3. There we have Christ inviting sinners fo corae to the waters, &c. And in the 3d verse he says, "Incline your ear, corae unfo me; bear, and your souls shall live ; and I will make with you^n everlasting cove nant, even the sure mercies of David." Here Christ offCTS fo poor sinners, if they will come fo him, fo give thera an interesf: in the sarae everlasting cove nant that he had made with David, conveying to thein the sarae sure mercies. But what is that covenant that sinners obtain an interest in, when they come to Christ, but the covenant of grace ? This was the fifth solemn establishment of the covenant of grace with fhe church after the fall. The covenant of grace was revealed and established aU along. But there had been particular seasons, wherein God had in a very solemn manner renewed this covenant witb his church, giving forth a new edi tion and estabUshment of if, revealing if in a new manner. This was now the fifth solemn estabUshraent of that covenant. The first was with Adam, the second was with Noah, the third was vvith the patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, fhe fourth was in the wilderness by Moses, and now the fifth is this made to David. This establishment of the covenant of grace with David, David always es teemed the greatest smile of God upon hira, the greatest honor of all that God had put upon him ; he prized it, and rejoiced in it above all the other blessings of his reign. You may see how joyfully and thankfully he received it, when Nathan came to hira with fhe glorious raessage, in 2 Sara. vu. 18, &c. And so David, in his last words, declares this fo be all his salvation, and all his desire ; as you may see, 2 Sam. xxiii. 5 : " He hath raade with me an ever lasting covenant, ordered in all things and sure : for fhis is all my salvation, and all my desire." VIII. It was by David that God first gave his people Israel the possession of the whole proraised land. I have before shown, how God's giving fhe pos session of fhe promised land belonged to fhe covenant of grace. This was done in a great measure by Joshua, but not fully. Joshua did not wholly subdue that part of fhe promised land that was strictly called the land of Canaan, and that was divided by lot to the several tribes ; but there were greaf nurabers of fhe old mhabitants left unsubdued, as we read in the books of Joshua and Judges ; and there were many left fo prove Israel, and to be thorns in their sides, and pricks in their eyes. There -were the Jebusites in Jerusalera, and raany of the Canaanites, and the whole nation of the Philistines, who all dwelt in that part of the land fhat was divided by lof, and chiefly in that part of the land fhat belonged to the tribes of Judah and Ephraira. And thus these remains of the old inhabitants of Canaan continued unsub dued till David's time ; but he wholly subdued them all. Which is agreeable to what St. Stephen observes. Acts vii. 45 : " Which also our fathers brought in with Jesus (i. e. Joshua) into the possession of the Gentiles, whom God drove out before the face of our fathers, unto the days of David." They were fill the days of David in driving them out, before they had wholly siibdued them But David entirely brought them under. He subdued the Jebusites, and he subdued the whole nation of the Philistines, and all the rest of the re- WORK CF REDEMPTION. 355 mains of the seven nations of Canaan : 1 Chron. xviii. 1, " Now after this it came to pass, that David sraote the Philistines, and subdued thera, and took Gath and her towns out of fhe hands of the Philistines." After this, all the reraains of the forraer inhabitants of Canaan were made bond servants to the Israelites. TUp posterity of fhe Gibeonites becarae servants before, hewers of wood, and drawers of wafer, for the house of God. But Solomon, David's son and successor, put all the other remains of the seven nations of Canaan to bond service, at least made thera pay a tribute of bond service, as you raay see, 1 Kings ix. 20, 21,22. And hence we read of the children of Soloraon's servants, after the return from the Babylonish cap tivity, Ezra ii. 55, and Neh. xi. 3. They were fhe children or posterity of fhe seven nations of Canaan, that Soloraon had subjected fo bond service. Thus David subdued the whole land of Canaan, strictly so called. But then that was not one half, nor quarter, of the land God had promised to their fathers. The land fhat God had often proraised fo their fathers, included all the coun tries frora the river of Egypt to the river Euphrates. These were the bounds of th'e land proraised to Abrahara, Gen. xv. 18 : " In that sarae day fhe Lord raade a covenant with Abrara, saying. Unto thy seed bave I given this land, frora fhe river of Egypt, unfo the great river, the river Euphrates." So again God promised at Mount Sinai, Exodi xxiu. 31 : " And I will set thy bounds from the Red Sea even unto the sea of Ihe Phdistines, and frora the desert unto the river ; for I will deliver fhe inhabitants of tbe land into your hand ; and thou sbalt drive thera out before thee." So again, Deut. xi. 24 : " Every place whereon the soles of your feet shall tread, shall be yours ; from the wilderness, and Lebanon, frora fhe river, fhe river Euphrates, even unto fhe uttermost sea, shall your coast be." Again, the sarae proraise is made fo Joshua, Josh. i. 3, 4 : " Every place that the sole of your feet shall tread upon, have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses ; frora fhe wilderness and this Lebanon, even unto the great river, fhe river Euphrates, all the land of fhe Hittites, and unto the ?;reatsea, towards the going down ofthe sun, shall be your coast." But tbe and that Joshua gave the people the possession of, was but a little part of this land. And the people never had had the possession of it, till now when God gave it thera by David. This large country did not only include that Canaan that was divided by lof to those who carae in wilh Joshua, but the land of fhe Moabites and Ara- monifes, fhe land of the Araalekites, and the rest of the Edoraites, and the country of Zobaii. All these nations were subdued and brought under the children of Israel by David. And he put garrisons in the several countries, and they became David's servants, as we have a particular account in the 8lh chapter of 2d Samuel; and David extended their border to the river Euphrates, as was proraised ; see the 3d verse : " And David sraote also Hadadezer the son of Rehob, king of Zobah, as he went to recover his border at the river Euphrates." And accordingly we read, that Solomon his son reigned over all fhe region on fhis side fhe river, 1 Kings iv. 24 : " For he had dominion over all the region on this side the river, frora Tiphsab even unto Azzah, over all the kings on this side the river." This, Artaxerxes, king of Persia, takes notice of long after, Ezra iv. 20 : " There have been raighty kings also over Jerusalera, which have ruled over all countries beyond fhe river ; and toll, tribute, and custom was paid unto thera." , So fhat Joshua, that type of Christ, did but begin the work of giving Israel the possession of the proraised land ; but left it to be finished by that much greater type and ancestor of Christ, even David, who subdued far raore of that 356 WORK OF REDEMPTION. land than even Joshua had done. And in this extent of his and Solomon's dorainion was sorae resemblance of fhe great extent of Christ's kingdora ; and therefore fhe extent of Christ's kingdora is set forth by this very thing, of its being over all lands, from the Red Stea to the sea of the Philistines, and over all lands from thence to the river Euphrates, as Psal. Ixxii. 8 : " He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the river unto fhe ends of the earth." See also 1 Kings viii. 56. IX. God by David perfected the Jewish worship, and added to it several new institutions. The law was given by Moses, but yet all the institutions of fhe Jewish worship were not given by Moses ; some were added by divine direction. So tbis greatest of all personal types of Christ did not only perfect Joshua's work, in giving Israel fhe possession of the promised land, but he also finished Moses's work, in perfecting the instituted worship of Israel. Thus theie must be a nuraber of typical prophets, priests, and princes, fo complete one figure or shadow of Christ, the antitype, he being fhe substance of all the types and shadows. .Of so much more glory was Christ accounted worthy, than Moses, Joshua, David, and Solomon, and all fhe great prophets, priests, princes, judges, and saviours of the Old Testament put together. The ordinances of David are raentioned as of parallel validity with those of Moses, 2 Chron. xxiii. 18 : " Also Jehoiada appointed the offices of the bouse of the Lord by the hand of the priests the Levites, whom David had distri buted in fhe house of the Lord, to offer fhe burnt-offerings of the Lord, as it is written in the law of Moses, with rejoicing and with singing, as it was ordained by David." The worship of Israel was perfected by David, by the addition that he made to the ceremonial law, which we have an account of in fhe 23d, 24fh, 26th, and 26th chapters of the first book of Chronicles, consisting in tht several orders and courses into which David divided the Levites, and the work and business to which he appointed them, different from what Moses had ap pointed thera fo ; and also in tbe divisions of the priests the sons of Aaron into four and twenty courses, assigning to every course their business in the houst of fbe Lord., and their particular stated tiraes of attendance there ; and appoint ing sorae of the Levites to a new office, fhat had not been appointed befoie and that was the office of singers, and particularly ordering and regulating ot them in that office, as you may see in the 25th chapter of 1 Chronicles; and appointing others of fhe Levites by law to fhe several services of poners, trea surers, officers, and judges. And these ordinances of David were kept up henceforth in fhe church of Israel, as long as the Jewish church lasted. Thus we find the several orders of priests, and the Levites, the porters, and singers, after the captivity. So we find the courses of the priests appointed by David stdl continuing in the New Tesfament ; so Zacharias the father of John the Baptist was a priest ofthe course of Abia; which is the sarne with the course of Abijah, appointed by David, that we read of, 1 Chron. xxiv. 10. Thus David as well as Moses was made* like to Christ the son of David, in this respect, that by him God gave a new ecclesiastical establishment, and new institutions of worship. David did not only add to fhe Institutions of Moses, buf by those additions he abolished some of the old institutions of Moses that had been in force till that time ; particularly those laws of Moses thaf appointed the business ofthe Levites, which we have in the 3d and 4fh chapters of Numbers, which very much consisted in their charge of fhe several parts and utensds of the tabernacle there assigned to thera, and in carrying those several parts of the tabernacle. But those laws were now abolished by David ; and fhey were no more to carry those things, as they had been used to do till David's tim WORK OF REDEMPTION. 357 But David appointed them to other work instead of it ; see 1 Chron. xxiii. 26 : " And also unto fhe Levites, they shall no more carry fhe tabernacle, nor any vessels of it for the service thereof." A sure evidence that the ceremonial law given by Moses is not perpetual, as fhe Jews suppose; but might be wholly abolished by Christ. For if David, a type of the Messiah, might abolish the law of Moses in part, rauch more might the Messiah hiraself abolish the whole. David, by God's appointraent, abolished all use of the tabernacle fhat was built by Moses, and of wbich be had fhe pattern frora God. For God no,w re vealed it to David fo be his will, that a temple should be built, that should be instead ofthe tabernacle. A great presage of what Christ, the son of David, would do, when he should corae, viz,, abolish the whole Jewish ecclesiastical constitution, which was but as a movable tabernacle to set up fhe spiritual gospel teraple, which was fo be far more glorious, and of greater extent, and was to last forever. David had the pattern of all things pertaining to the temple showed hira, even in Uke manner as Moses had tbe pattern of the taber nacle. And Solomon built the temple according to that pattern which he had from his father David, wbich he received from God. 1 Chron. xxviii. 11, 12, " Then David gave fo Solomon his son fhe pattern of fhe porch, and of the houses thereof, and of the treasuries thereof, and of the upper chambers thereof, and of the inner parlors thereof, and of the place of the mercy seat, and the pattern of all that he bad by fhe Spirit, ofthe courts of the house of the Lord, and of all the chambers round about, of the treasuries of Ihe house of God, and of the treasuries of the dedicated things." And ver. 19 : " Ali this, said David, IheLord made tne understand in writing by his hand upon me, even all the works of this pattern." X. The canon of Scripture seems at or after fhe close of David's reign to be added to by (he prophets Nathan and Gad. It appears probable by the Scriptures, Ihat they carried on the history of the two books of Sarauel fiom the place where Samuel left it, and finished if. These two books of Samuel seem to be tbe book that in the Scripture is called the book of Samuel the ster, and JVathan tlie prophet, and Gad the seer, as in 1 Chron. xxix. 29 : " Now fhe acts of David the king, first and last, behold they are written in fhe book of Sam- >iel the seer, and in the book of Nathan the prophet, and in the book of Gad fhe seer." XI. The next thing I would take notice of, is God's wonderfully continuing ihe kingdom of his visible people in the line of Christ's legal ancestors, as long- as they reraained an independent kingdom. Thus if was without any interrup tion worth notice. Indeed the kingdora of all the tribes of Israel was nof kept in fhat line ; but the dominion of tbat part of Israel, in wbich the true worship ofGod was upheld, and so of that part that were God''s visible people, was al ways kept in the faraily of David, as long as there was any such thing as an independent king of Israel ; according to his promise to David : and not only in fhe faraily of David, but always in that part of David's posterity that was the line whence Christ was legally descended ; so that the very person that was Christ's legal ancestor was always in fhe throne, excepting Jehoahaz, who reigned tbree months, and Zedekiah ; as you may see in Matthew's genealogy of Christ Cbrist was legally descended from the kings of Judah, though he was not "naturally descended from fhem. He was bolh legally and naturally descended from David. He was naturally descended frora Nathan the son of David ; for Mary his mother was one ofthe poslerily of David by Nathan, as you may see in Luke's genealogy : but Joseph, the reputed and legal father of Christ, was 358 WORK OF REDEMPTION. naturally descended of Soloraon and his successors, as we have an account ia Matthew's genealogy. Jesus Christ, though he was not the natural son of Jo seph, yef, by the law and constitution of the Jews, he was Joseph's heir; be cause he was the lawful son of Joseph's lawful wife, conceived whde she was his leo-ally espoused wife. The Holy Ghost raised up seed to him. A person by the law of Moses, raight be fhe legal son and heir of another, whose natu ral son be was not ; as sometimes a man raised up seed to his brother ; a bro ther, in some cases, was to build up a brother's house ; so the Holy Ghost built up Joseph's house. And Joseph being in the direct line of the kir^s of Judah, of the house of David, he was the legal heir of the crown of David : and Christ, being legally his first-born son, he was his heir ; and so Christ, by the law, was the proper heir of the crown of David, and is therefore said to sit upon the throne of his father David. The crown of God's people was wonderfully kept in the line of Christ's le gal ancestors. When David was old, and not able any longer to manage the affairs of the kingdom, Adonijah, one of his sons, set up to be king, and seemed fo have obtained his purpose ; all things for a while seemed fan on his side, and he thouo-ht himself strong; the thing he aimed at seemed to be accomplished. But so it was, Adonijah v;as not fhe son of David that was the ancestor of Jo seph, the legal father of Christ ; and therefore, how wonderfully did Providence work here ! What a sfrange and sudden revolution ! All Adonijah's king dom and glory vanished away as soon as it was begun ; and Solomon, fhe legal ancestor of Christ, was established in the throne. And after Soloraon's death, when Jeroboam had conspired against the fam ily, and Rehoboara carried hiraself so fhat it was a wonder all Israel was nol provoked to forsake him, and ten tribes did actually forsake him, and set up Jeroboam in opposition to hira ; and though he was a wicked raan, and deserv ed to have been rejected altogether from being king ; yet he being the legal ancestor of Christ, God kept the kingdora of the two tribes, in which the true religion was upheld, in his possession : and though he had been wicked, and his son Abijara was another wicked prince ; yet they being legal ancestors ol Christ, God still continued the crown in the family, and gave it to Abijam's son Asa. And afterwards, though raany of the kings of Judah were very wicked men, and horridly provoked God, as particularly Jehoram, Ahaziah, Ahaz, Manasseh, and Araon ; yef God did not take away the crown from their family, but gave it to their sons, because they were the ancestors of Christ. God's re membering his covenant that he had established with David, Is given as the reason why God did thus, notwithstanding their wicked Uves, as 1 Kings xv. 4 : speaking there of Abijara's wickedness, it is said, " Nevertheless, for David's sake did the Lord his God give him a larap In Jerusalem, to set up hisson after him, and to establish Jerusalem :" so 2 Chron. xxi. 7; speaking there of Jehoram's great wickedness, it is said, " Howbeit the Lord would not destroy the house of David, because of the covenant that he had made with David, and as he prom ised to give a light unfo him, and to his sons forever." The crown of fhe ten tribes was changed from one family to another con tinually. First, Jeroboam took it ; but the crown remained In his faraily but for one generation after his death ; it only descended to his son Nadab : and then Baasha, that was of another faraily, took it ; and it remained in his pos terity but one generation after his death : and then Zimri, that was his servant, and not of his posterity, took It ; and then, without descending at all to his pM- terlty, Omri, that was of another faraily, took It ; and the crown contmued m WORK OF REDEMPTION. 359 his faraily for three successions ; and then Jehu, that was of another faraily, took If ; and the crown continued In his family for three or four successions ; and then Shallum, that was of another faraily, took it ; and fhe crown did not descend at all to his posterity } but Menahera, that was of another faraily, took it ; and it reraained In his faraily but one generation after hira : and then Pekah, ihat was of another faraily, took it ; and after hira Hoshea, that was still of an other faraily, took it : so great a difference was there between fhe crown of Israel and the crown of Judah ; the one was continued everraore in fhe sarae fiiraily, and with very liftle Interruption, In one right line ; the other was con tinually tossed about frora one faraily to another, as if it were fhe sport of for tune. The reason was not, because the kings of Judah, raany of tbem, were betier than the kings of Israel ; buf fhe one had fhe blessing In thera ; they were the ancestors of Christ, whose right it was to sit on the throne of brael. But with the kings of Israel it was not so ; and therefore divine Providence exercised a continual care, through all the changes that happened through so many generations, and such a long space of time, fo keep the crown of Judah in one direct line, In fidfilraent of the everlasting covenant he had made with David, the raercies of which covenant were sure raercies ; but In fhe other case there was no sucb covenant, and so no such care of Providence. And here it must not be emitted, that there was once a very sfrong conspiracy of the kings of Syria and Israel, In the tirae of tbat wicked king of Judah, Ahaz, to dispossess Ahaz and his faraily ofthe throne of Judab, and to set one of an other faraily, even tbe son of Tabeal, on It ; as you raay see in Isa. vii. 6 : " Let us go up against Judah, and vex it, and let us make a breach therein for us, and set a king in the midst of it, even the son of Tabeal." And they seemed very likely fo accomplish their purpose. There seemed fo be so great a likelihood of it, thaf the hearts of the people sunk within them ; they gave up tbe cause. It is said, " The heart of Ahaz and his people was raoved, as the trees of the wood are moved with the wind." And on this occasion God sent the prophet Isaiah to encourage the people, and tell them that It should not corae to pass. And because it looked so rauch like a gone case, that Ahaz and tbe people would very difficultly believe that it would not be, therefore God directs the prophet fo give fhem tbis sign of It, viz., tbat Christ should be born of the legal seed of Ahaz ; as Isa. vii. 14, " Therefore tbe Lord himself shall give you a sign ; Behold, a virgin sball conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his narae Iraraanuel." This was a good sign, and a great confirmation of the truth of what God promised by Isaiah, viz., that the kings of Syria and Israel should never accoraplish their purpose of dispossessing the faraily of Ahaz of fhe crown of Judah, and setting up the son of Tabeal ; for Christ the Iraraanuel was lo be of thera. I have raentioned this dispensation of Providence in this place, because, though it was continued for so long a tirae, yet it began In Solomon's succes sion to the throne of his father David. XII. The next thing I would fake notice of. Is the building of the temple : a great type of three things, viz., of Christ, especially the human nature of Chrisi ; of the church of Christ ; and of heaven. The fabern-acle seemed rather to represent the church in Its movable, changeable state, here in this worid. But fhat beautiful, glorious, costly structure of tbe temple, that succeeded the tabernacle, and was a fixed, and not a movable thing, seems especially to represent the church in its glorified state in heaven. This temple was built according lo the pattern shown by the Holy Ghost to David, and by divine direction given to David, in fhe place where was the threshing floor of Oman 3f^ WORK OF REDEMPTION. the Jesubite, in Mount Moriah, 2 Chron. ill. 1 ; in the same mountain, and doubtless In fhe very same place, where Abraham offered up his son Isaac ; for thaf is said fo be a mountain in the land of Moriah, Gen. xxii. 2, which moun tain was called the mountain of the Lord, as this mountain of the teraple was, Gen. xxii. 14 : " And Abraham called the narae of that place Jehovah-jireh ; as it is said fo tbis day. In fhe raount of the Lord It shall be seen." This was Ihe house where Christ dwelt, till he came to dwell In the temple of his body, or huraan naiure, which was tbe antitype of his temple ; as appears, because Christ, on occasion of showing him the temple of Jerusalem, says, " Destroy this temple, and in three days will I raise It up," speaking of the teraple of his body, John ii. 19, 20. this house, or a house built in this place, continued fo be the house of God, the place of the worship of his church, till Christ carae. Here was fhe place that God chose, where all fheir sacrifices were offered up, fill the gre-at sacrifice carae, and made the sacrifice and obla tion fo ce-ase. Into his temple in tbis place fhe Lord carae, even the messenger of the covenant. Here he often delivered his heavenly doctrine, and wrought rairacles; here bis cburch was gathered by fbe pouring out ofthe Spirit, after his ascension. Luke xxiv. 53, speaking of fhe disciples, after Christ's ascen sion, it is said, " And they were continually in the temple, praising and blessing God." And, Acts ii. 46, speaking of fhe multitudes that were converted by that great outpouring of the Spirit that was on fbe day of Pentecost, It is said, " And tbey continued daily with one accord in the teraple." And, Acts v. 42, speaking of fhe apostles, " And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ.' And hence the sound of the gospel went forth, and fhe church spread into all fhe world. XII-I. It is here worthy to be observed, tbat at this time, in Solomon's reign, after the temple was finished, the Jewish church was risen to ifs highest exter nal glory. The Jewish cburch, or fhe ordinances and constitution of if, is corapared fo the moon, in Rev. xii. 1 : " And there appeared a great wonder in heaven, a woman clothed with fhe sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars." As this church was like the moon in many other respects, so it was In this, fhat It waxed and waned like the moon. From the first foundation of it, that was laid in the covenant raade with Abrahara, when this raoon was now beginning to appear, it had to fliis tirae been gradually increasing In Its glory. This time, wherein the temple was finished and dedicated, was about the middle, between the calling of Abraham and fhe coming of Christ, and now it was full moon. After this the glory of the Jewish cburch gradually decreased, till Christ carae; as I shall have occasion more particularly to observe afterwards. Now tbe church of Israel was In its highest external glory. Now Israel was multiplied exceedingly, so that fhey seemed fo have becorae like the sand on the sea-shore, 1 Kings iv. 20. Now the kingdom of Israel was firmly es tablished in fhe right family, the faraily of whicb Christ was to come. Now God had chosen the city where he would place his narae. Now God had fully given his people the possession of fhe proraised land : and fhey now possessed fhe dorainion of If all In quietness and peace, even from the river of Egypt, to the great river Euphrates; all those nations that had forraeriy been fheir ene^ rales, quietly subraitted to them ; none pretended fo rebel against them. Now fhe Jewish worship in all its ordinances was fully settled. Now, Instead ofa raovable tent and tabernacle, fhey had a glorious teraple ; the raost raagniti- cent, beautiful, and costly structure, that there was then, ever had been, or ever has been since Now the people enjoyed peace and plenty, and sat every man WORK OF REDEMPTION. 361 under his vine and fig-tree, eating and drinking, and making merry, as 1 Kings iv. 20. Now they were in the highest pitch of earthly prosperity, silver being as plenty as stones, and the land full of gold and precious stones, and other precious foreign coraraodities, which were brought by Soloraon's ships from Ophir, and which carae from other parts of the world. Now they had a king reigning over them that was the wisest of men, and probably the greatest earthly prince that ever was. Now fheir fame went abroad into all the earth, so that they carae from the utraost parts of the earth to see their glory and their happiness. Thus God was pleased, in one of fhe ancestors of Christ, remarkably fo shadow forth the kingdora of Christ, reigning in his glory. David, fhat was a raan of war, a man who had shed much blood, and whose life was full of troubles and conflicts, was raore of a representation of Cbrist in his stafe of humiliation, his militant state, wherein he was conflicting with his enemies. But Solomon, that was a man of peace, was a representation more especially of Christ exalted, triuraphing, and reigning in his kingdom of peace. And fhe happy glorious state of the Jewish church at that time, did reraarkably repre sent two things : 1. That glorious state of fhe church on earth that shall be in the latter ages of the world ; those days of peace, when nation shall not Uft sword against nation, nor learn war any raore. 2. The future glorified state of fhe cburch in heaven. The earthly Canaan never was so lively a type of the heavenly Canaan, as if was then, when fbe happy people of Israel did indeed enjoy it as a land flowing with mdk and honey. XIV. After this fhe glory of fhe Jewish church gradually declined more and more fill Cbrist carae ; yef not so but that the work of rederaption stdl went on. Whalever failed or declined, God still carried on this work frora age to age ; this building was still advancing higher and higher. Things still ¦went on, during the decline of the Jewish church, towards a further preparation of things for fhe coraing of Christ, as well as during Its increase ; for so won derfully were things ordered by tbe infinitely wise governor of the world, that whatever happened was ordered for good to fhis general design, and raade a means of promoting if. When the people of the Jews flourished, and were in prosperity, he made thaf to contribute to fhe proraoting this design ; and when they were In adversity, God made that also to contribute fo the carrying on of fhe sarae design. Whde the Jewish church was in ifs increasing state, fhe work of rederaption was carried ori by their increase; and when they carae to their decUning state, which they weie in frora Soloraon's time till Christ, God carried on the work of rederaption by that. That decUne itself was one thing that God made use of as a furlher preparation for Christ's coraing. As the raoon, from fhe tirae of its full, is approaching nearer and nearer to her conjunction with the sun ; so her light Is stdl more and raore decreasinp', fill at length, when the conjunction coraes, If Is wholly swallowed up in the light of the sun. So It was with the Jewish church frora the time of ifs high est glory in Soloraon's tirae. In the latter end of Soloraon's reign, the slate of things began to darken, by Soloraon's corrupting hiraself with Idolatry, which much obscured the glory of this mighty and wise prince ; and withal troubles began to arise in his kingdom ; and after his death the kingdora was divided, and ten tribes revolted, and withdrew fheir subjection from the house of David, withal falling away from the true worship of God in the teraple at Jerusalera, and setting up the golden calves of Bethel and Dan. And presently after this the nuraber of the ten tribes was greatly dirainished in the battle of Jeroboam with Abijah, wherein there fell down slain of Israel five hundred thousand Vol j 46 362 WORK OF REDEMPTION. chosen raen ; which loss fhe kingdom of Israel probably never in any measure recovered. The fen tribes finally apostatized frora the true God under Jeroboam, and the kingdora of Judah was greatly corrupted, and frora that tirae focward were more generally in a corrupt state than otherwise. In Ahab's time the kingdora of Israel did not only worship the calves of Belhel and Dan, but the worship of Baal was Infroduced. Before, they pretended to worship the frue God by these images, fhe calves of Jeroboam ; but now Ahab infroduced gross idolatry, and the direct worship of false gods In the room of the true God; and soon after the worship of Baal was introduced info the kingdom of Judah, viz., In Jehoram's reign, by his raarrying Athaliah the daughter of Ahab. After this God began to cut Israel short, by finally destroying and sending info captivity that part of the land that was beyond Jordan, as you may see In 2 Kings x. 32, &c. And then after fhis Tiglath-pileser subdued and captivated all the northern parts of fbe land, 2 Kings xv. 29. And then at last all the land ofthe ten tribes was subdued by Salmaneser, and they were finally carried captive out of their own land. After this also the kingdom of Judah was carried captive Info Babylon, and a o-reat part ofthe nation never ref urned. Those that returned were but a small number, corapared with what had been carried captive ; and for fhe most part after this fhey were dependent on the power of other states, being subject one while to the king of Persia, then fo the raonarchy of tbe Grecians, and then to the Romans. And before Christ's tirae, the church ofthe Jews was become exceeding corrupt, overrun with superstition and self-righteousness. And how sraall a flock was fhe church of Christ in the days of his incarnation ! God, by tbis gradual decline of the Jewish state and church from Solomon's tirae, prepared fbe way for the coraing of Christ several ways. 1. The decline ofthe glory of this legal dispensation made way for fhe in troduction of the raore glorious dispensation of the gospel. The decline of the glory of the legal dispensation, was to raake way for fhe introduction of fhe evangelical dispensation, thaf was so rauch raore glorious, fhat the legal dispen sation had no glory in coraparison with It. The glory ofthe ancient dispensa tion, such as It was in Solomon's time, consisting so much in external glory, was but a childish glory, compared with the spiritual glory of fhe dispensation introduced by Christ. The cburch under the Old Te-sfament, was a child undei tutors and governors, and God dealt with It as a child. Those porapous exter nals are called by the apostle, weak and beggarly elements. It was fit that those tbings should be dirainished as Christ approached ; as John fhe Baptist, the forerunner of Christ, speaking of Christ, says, " He raust increase, but I must decrease," John iii. 30. It is fit that the twinkling stars should gradually with draw their glory, when the sun is approaching towards his rising. The glory of fhe Jewish dispensation must be gradually dirainished, to prepare (he way for the raore joyful reception of the spiritual glory of the gospel. If the Jew ish churcb, wben Christ carae, had been in fhe sarae external glory that It was in. In the reign of Soloraon, raen would have had their eyes so dazzled wilh it, fhat they would not have been likely joyfully to exchange such greaf external glory, for only the spiritual glory of the poor despised Jesus. Again, 2. This gradual decline of the glory of the Jewish state, tended to prepare the way for Christ's coming another way, viz., as it tended fo make the glory of God's power, In the great efifects of Christ's redemption, the more conspicuous. God's people being so diminished and weakened by one step after another, tdl Christ came, was very much like fhe diminishing Gideon's army. God told Gideon, that the people that were with him, were too many WORK OF REDEMPTION 363 for hira fo deliver the Midianites Into their hands, lest Israel should vaunt theraselves against hira, saying, " My own hand hath saved rae." And there fore all that were fearful were comraanded to return ; and there returned twenty and two thousand, and there remained ten thousand. But still they were too many ; and then, by frying fhe people at the water, they were reduced to three hundred men. So "the people In Soloraon's tirae were too many, and mighty, and glorious for Christ; therefore he dirainished thera ; first, by sending off the ten tribes ; and then he dirainished thera again by the captivity into Babylon ; and then they were further diminished by the great and general corruption that there was when Christ came ; so that Christ found very few godly persons among thera : and with a sraall handful of disciples, Christ conquered fhe worid.— Thus high things were brought down, that Christ raight be exalted. 3. This prepared the way for Christ's coraing, as It raade the s-alvalion of those Jews that were saved by Christ, to be raore sensible and visible. Though the greater part of the nation of the Jews was rejected, and the Gentiles called in their roora; yef there were a great many thousands of the Jews that were saved by Christ after his resurrection, Acts xxi. 20. They being taken from so low a state under temporal calamity in their bondage fo the Romans, and frora a state of great superstition and -wickedness, thaf the Jewish nation was then fallen into ; it raade their rederaption the more sensibly and visibly glorious. I bave taken notice of fhis dispensation of Providence in the gradual decline ofthe Jewish church in this place, because it began in the reign of Solomon. XV. I would here fake notice ofthe additions fhat were made to the canon of Scripture in or soon after the reign of Solomon. There were considerable additions made by Soloraon hiraself, who wrote tbe books of Proverbs and Ec clesiastes, probably near the close of his reign. His writing fhe Song of Songs, as it is called, is what is especially here to be taken notice of, which is wholly on the subject that we are upon, viz., Christ and his rederaption, representing the high and glorious relation, and union, and love, fhat are bel^een Christ and his redeemed church. And the history of the Scripture S6>eras, in Soloraon's reign, and sorae of the next succeeding reigns, to have been added fo by the prophets Nathan and Ahijah, and Sberaaiah and Iddo. It Is probable that part ofthe history which we have in the first of Kings was written by thera, by what Is said 2 Chron. Ix. 29, and in chap. xii. 15, and In chap. xiii. 22. XVI. God's wonderfully upholding his church and the true reUgion through this period. It was very wonderful, considering the raany and great apostasies that there were of that people to idolatry. When fhe ten tribes had generally and finally forsaken fhe true worship of God, God kept up the frue religion In the kingdom of Judah ; and when they corrupted theraselves, as fhey very often did exceedingly, and idolatry was ready totally to swallow all up, yet God kept fhe lamp alive, and was offen pleased, when things seemed fo be come to an extremity, and religion at its last gasp, fo grant blessed revivals by re markable outpourings of his Spirit, particularly in Hezekiah's and Josiah's tirae. • XVII. God reraarkably kept the book of the law frora being lost In times of general and long continued neglect of, and enmity against If. The most re markable instance of this kind that we have, was the preservation of the book of the law in the time of the great apostasy, during the greatest part of the long reign of Manasseh, which lasted fifty-five years, and then after that the reign of Araon his son. This while fhe book of the law was so much neglect ed, and such a careless and profane management of fhe affairs of the temple 364 WORK OF REDEMPTION. prevailed, that the book of fhe law, that used to be laid up by the side of the ark In fhe Holy of Holies, was lost for a long time ; nobody knew where it was. But yet God preserved It frora being finally lost. In Josiah's tirae, when they came to repair tbe temple, it was found buried In rubbish, after It had been lost so long that Josiah hiraself seeras to have been much a stranger to It tdl now. See 2 Kings xxii. 8, &c. XVIII. God's remarkably preserving the tribe of which Christ was fo pro ceed, from being ruined through the many and great dangers of fhis period. The visible church of Christ from Soloraon's reign, was raainly In fhe tribe of Judah. The tribe of Benjarain, that was annexed to them, was but a very small tribe, and the tribe of Judah exceeding large ; and as Judah took Benja rain under his covert when he went into Egypt to bring corn? so the tribe of Ben jarain seeraed fo be under the covert of Judah ever after ; and though, on occa sion of Jeroboara's setting up tbe calves at Belhel and Dan, the Levites resorted to Judah out of all fhe tribes of Israel (2 Chron. xi. 13), yet they were also small, and not reckoned araong fhe tribes : and though raany of the fen tribes did also on tbat occasion, for the sake of fhe worship of God In the temple, leave fheir in heritances In their several tribes, and removed and settled In Judah, and so were Incorporated with thera, as we have an account In fhe chapter just quoted, and 16th verse ; yet the tribe of Judah was so much the prevading part, fhat they were called by one narae, they were called Judah : therefore God said fo Soloraon, 1 Kings xi. 13, " I will not rend away all fhe kingdom ; but wdl give one tribe to tby son, for David ray servant's sake, and for Jerusalera's sake, which I have cho sen," and so ver. 32, 36. So when the ten tribes were carried captive, It is said, there was none left but the tribe of Judah only : 2 Kings xvii. 18, "There fore the Lord was very wroth with Israel, and reraoved them out of his sight : there was none left but the tribe of Judah only." V/hence they were all caUed Jews, which Is a word that comes from Judah. This was the tribe ofwhich Christ was fo come; and in this chiefly did God's visible clfurch consist, from Solomon's time. And fhis was fhe people over whora the kings that were legal ancestors of Christ, and were of the house of David, reigned. This people was wonderfully preserved from destruction during this period, when they often seemed to be upon fhe brmk of ruin, and just ready fo be swallowed up. So it was in Rehoboam's tirae, when Shishak king of Egypt carae against Judah with such a vast force ; yet then God mani festly preserved thera frora being destroyed. Of this we read in the beginning ofthe 12th chapter of 2 Chronicles. So It was again in Abijah's tirae, when Jeroboara set the battle in array against him with eight hundred thousand chosen men ; a mighty army indeed. We read of It, 2 Chron. xiii. 3 : " Then God vyrought deliverance to Judah, out of regard fo fhe covenant of grace established with David," as is evident by verses 4 and 5; and the victory they obtained was because fhe Lord was on thelrsi.de, as you may see, verse 12. So It vvas again in Asa's time, when Zerah fhe Ethiopian carae against hira with a yet larger army of a thousand thousand, and three hundred chariots, 2 Chron. xiv. 9. On iRis occasion Asa cried to fhe Lord, and frusted In him, being sen sible that it was nothing with hira to help those that had no power, ver. 11: " And Asa cried unto the Lord his God, and said. Lord, it is nothing with thee to help, whether with many, or with those that have no power." And accord- Ingly God gave them a glorious victory over fhis mighty host. So again it was in Jehoshaphat's tirae, when the children of Moab, and the children of Ammon, and the inhabitants of Mount Seir, combined together against Judah with a mighty army, a force vastly superior to any that Jehosha- WORK OF REDEMPTION. 36£ phat could raise; and Jehoshaphat and his people were greatly afraid ; yet fhey set themselves fo seek God on this occasion, and trusted In him ; and God told thera by one of his prophets, fhat fhey need not fear thera, nor should fhey have any occasion fo fight In this battle, they should only stand still and see the sal vation of the Lord. And according to his direction, they only stood still and sang praises to God, and God raade their enemies do tbe work themselves, and set them to killing one another ; and ihe children of Judah had nothing to do, but to gather the spoil, which was raore than they could carry away. We ha^ve the story in 2 Chron. xx. So it was again In Ahaz's tirae, when Rezin the king of Syria, and Pekah the son of Reraaliah, the king of Israel, conspired against Judah, and seemed to be sure of their purpose ; of which we have spoken already. So It was again in Hezekiah's tirae, when Sennacherib, that great king ff Assyria, and head of the greatest monarchy that was then in the world, carae up against all the fenced cities of Judah, after he had conquered raost of the neighboring countries, and sent Rabshakeh, fhe captain of his host, against Jerusalera, who came, and in a very proud and scornful raanner insulted Hezekiah and his people, as being sure of victory ; and the people were trembling for fear, like lambs before a lion. Then God sent Isaiah the prophet fo comfort thera, and assure fhem that fhey should nof prevail ; as a token ofwhich he gave them this sign, viz., that the earth, for two years successively, should bring forth food of itself, from the roots of the old stalks, wilhout their ploughing or sowing; and then the third year fhey should sow and reap, and plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them, and live on tbe fruits oftheir labor, as they were wont fo do before. See 2 Kings xix. 29. This is mentioned as a type of what is pro mised in ver. 30, 31 : "Andthe reranant that is escaped of the house of Judab, shall yet again take root downward, and bear fruit upward. For out of Jeru salera shall go forth a reranant, and they that escape out of Mount Zion. The zeal ofthe Lord of Hosts shall do this." The corn's springing again after it had been cut off wilh the sickle, and bringing forlh another crop frora fhe roots, that seeraed fo be dead, and so once and again, represents the church's reviving again, as it were, out of its own ashes, and flourishing like a plant, after it had seeraingly been cut down past recovery. When the eneraies ofthe churcb bave done their utmost, and seera fo have gained tbeir point, and fo have overthrown fhe church, so fhat the being of it is scarcely visible, but like a living root hid under ground ; yet there is a secret life in it that will cause it to flourish again, and to take root downward, and bear fruit upward. This was fulfilled now at this tirae ; for the king of Assyria had already taken and carried captive fhe 'ten tribes : and Sennacherib had also taken all the fenced cities of Judah, and ranged the counfry round about, and Jerusalera only remained ; and Rabshakeh had in his own Iraagination already swallowed that up, as he had also in the fearful apprehensions ofthe Jews theraselves. Butyet God wrought a vvonderful deliverance. He sent an angel, that in one night sraote a hundred fourscore and five thousand in the enemy's carap. XIX. In fbe reign of Uzziah, and the following reigns, God was pleased to raise up a set of erainent prophets, who should corarait their prophecies to writing, and leave thera for fbe use of his church in all ages. We before ob served how tbat God began a constant succession of prophets in Israel in Samuel's tirae, and raany ofthese prophets wrote by divine Inspiration, and so added lo the canon of Scripture, before Uzziah's time. But none of thera are supposed to have written books of prophecies fill now. Several of fhem wrote histories of the wonderful dispensations of God towards his chirch. This we 366 WORK OF REDEMPTION. have observed already of Sarauel, who is supposed to have written Judges and Ruth, and part of the first of Sarauel, if not the book of Joshua. And Nathan and Gad seera to have written the rest of the two books of Saniuel. And Nathan, with Ahijah and Iddo, wrote the history of Solomon, which Is probably that which we have in the first book of King.s. The history of Israel seeras to have been further carried on by Iddo and Sberaaiah : 2 Chron. xii. 15, " Now the acts of Rehoboam, first and last, are they not written In the book of She maiah fhe prophet, and Iddo the seer, concerning genealogies V And after that the history seeras to have been further carried on by the prophet Jehu, the son of Hanani: 2 Chron. xx. .34, "Now the rest of the acts of Jehoshaphat, first and last, behold they are written in the book of Jehu, the son of Hanani, who Is inentioned In the book of fhe kings of Israel," as we find hira to be, 1 Kings xvi. 1, 7. And then it was further continued by the prophet Isaiah : 2 Chron. xxvi. 22, " Now tbe rest of the acts of Uzziah, first and last, did Isaiah the prophet, the son of Araos, write." He probably did it as well In the second book of kings, as in the book of his prophecy. And the history was carried on and finished by other prophets after hira. Thus tbe prophets, even frora Samuel's time, had from time to tirae been adding to the canon of Scripture by their historical writings. But now, in the days of Uzziah, did God first raise up a set of great prophets, nof only to write histories, but fo write books of their prophecies. The first of these is thought to be Hosea, the son of Beeri, and therefore bis prophecy, or the word of the Lord by hira. Is called the heginning of the word of the Lord, as Hosea I. 2: " The beginning of fhe word of fhe Lord by Hosea ;" fhat Is, the beginning, or fbe first part, of the written word of thaf kind, viz., fhat which is written ir books of prophecy. He prophesied In the days of Uzziah, Jothara, Ahaz, and , Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam, the son of Joash, king of Israeh There were many other witnesses ; for God raised up about fhe same tirae to corarait their prophecies fo writing, Isaiah, and Amos, and Jonah, and Micah, and Nahum, and probably sorae others ; and so from that time forward God seeraed fo continue a succession of -writing prophets. This was a great dispensation of Providence, and a great advance made in the affair of redemption, which appears, if we consider what was said before, that fhe main business of fhe prophets was to foreshow Christ and his redemp tion. They were all forerunners of the great prophet. The main end why the spirit of prophecy was given them was, that they raight give testiraony to Jesus Christ, the great Redeeraer, that was to corae ; and therefore the testi mony of Jesus, and the spirit of prophecy, are spoken of as the same thing: Rev. xix. 10, " And I fell at his feet to worship him : and he said unto me, See fhou do It not : I ara thy fellow-servant, and of thy brethren that have the testiraony of Jesus : worship God : for fhe testiraony of Jesus Is the spirit of prophecy." And therefore we find that the great and main thing that the most of the prophets in tbeir written prophecies insist upon. Is Christ and his rederaption, and the glorious times of the gospel, which should be In the latter days, according fo their manner of expression. And thoiigh many other things were spoken of In their prophecies, yet It seems to be only as Introductory to their prqphecy of these great things. Whatever they prophecy of, here their prophecies comraonly terminate, as you may see by a careful perusal of their writings. Thesb- prophets vyere set to writing their prophecies by the Spirit of Cbrist that was in them, chiefly for fhat end, to foreshow and prepare the way for the coming of Christ, and the glory that should follow. And In what an exalted WORK OF REDEMPTION. 367 strain do fhey all speak of those things 1 Many other things fhey speak of In men's usual language. But when they corae upon this subject, what a joyful heavenly sublimity is there In fhe language they use about it ! Some of them are very particular and full In their predictions of these things, and above all fhe prophet Isaiah, who Is therefore deservedly called the evangelical prophet. He seeras to teach the glorious docfrines of fhe gospel alraost as plainly as the apostles did, who preached after Christ was actually corae. The Apostle Paul therefore takes notice, fhat fhe prophet Esaias is very bold, Rora. x. 20 ; i. e., as fhe raeaning ofthe word, as used in the New Testament, Is very plain, he speaks out very plainly and fully ; so being " very bold " Is used, 2 Cor. Hi. 12, we use " great plainness of speech," or " boldness," as It Is in fhe margin. How plainly and fully does fhe prophet Isaiah describe fhe manner and circurastances, the nature and end of the suffering and sacrifice of Christ, In the 53d chapter of his prophecy ! There is scarce a chapter In the New Testaraent Itself which is raore full on it. And how rauch, and in what a glorious strain, does the sarae prophet speak frora time to tirae of the glorious benefits of Christ, the unspeakable blessings which shall redound to his church through his re deraption ! Jesus Christ, the person that this prophet spoke so rauch of, once appeared to Isaiah in fhe forra of tbe human nature, the nature fhat he should af terwards take upon him. We have an account of if In fhe 6th chapter of his prophecy at the beginning : " I saw also fhe Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the teraple," &c. This was Christ that Isaiah now saw, as we are expressly fold in the New Testament. See John xii. 39, 40, 41. And If we consider the abundant prophecies of this and the other prophets, what a great Increase is there of the light of the gospel, which had been grow ing from the fall of raan to this day ! How plentiful are the revelations and prophecies of Christ now, to what they were in fhe first period of the Old Tes taraent, from Adam to Noah ! Or to wbat they were In the second, from Noah to Abrahara ! Or to what they were before Moses, or in the tirae of Moses, Joshua, and fhe Judges ! This dispensation that we are now speaking of, was also a glorious advance of the work of rederaption by the great additions that were raade to the canon of Scripture. Great part of the Old Testaraent was written now, frora fhe days of Uzziah fo the captivity into Babylon. And how excellent are those portions of it ! What a precious treasure have those pro phets coramitted to the church of God, tending greatly to confirra the gospel of Christ ! and which has been of great corafort and benefit to God's church in all ages since, and doubtless will be to fhe end of the world. PART VI. Fromthe Babylonish Captivity to the Coming of Christ. I COME now fo the last period of the Old Testaraent, viz., that which begins with the Babylonish Captivity, and extends to the coming of Christ, being the greatest part of six hundred years, to show how the work of rederaption was carried on through this period. But before I enter upon particulars, I would observe, in three things, wherein 368 WORK OP REDEMPTION. this period Is distinguished from the preceding periods of the times of tbe Old Testaraent. 1. Though we have no account of a great part of this period in the Scrip ture history, yet the events of tbis period are raore the subject of Scripture prophecy, than any of fhe preceding periods. There are two ways wherein tbe Scriptures give account of the events by which the work of rederaption is carried on ; one is by history, and another is by propheriy : and In one or the other of these ways we have contained in fhe Scriptures an account how the work of rederaption Is carried on from the beginning to the end. Although the Scriptures do not contain a proper history of the whole, yet there is con tained the whole chain of greaf events by which this affair hath been carried on frora the foundation, soon after the fall of man, to fhe finishing of it at the end of the world, either In history or prophecy. And It is to be observed, that where the Scripture is wanting in one of these ways, it Is raade up In fhe olher Where Scripture history fails, there prophecy takes place ; so fhat the account is still carried on, and the chain is nof broken tdl we come fo the very last link of if In the consuraraation of all things. And accordingly it is observable of this period or space of tirae that we are upon, that though it is so rauch less the subject of Scripture history than raost of the preceding periods, so that ihere is above four hundred years of it fhat the Scripture gives us no history of; yet the events of this period are raore the sub ject of Scripture -prophecy than fbe events of all the preceding periods put to gelher. Most of those reraarkable prophecies of the book of Daniel do refer to events that were accoraplished in this period : so raost of those prophecies in Isaiah, and Jereralah, and Ezekiel, against Babylon, and Tyrus, and against Egypt, and raany other nations, were fulfilled in this period. So that tbe reason why the Scriptures give us no history of so great a part of this period, is not because the events of this period were not so iraportant, or less worthy fo be taken notice of, than the events of the foregoing periods ; for I shall hereafter show bow great and distinguishedly reraarkable the events of this period were. But there are several other reasons which may be given of it. One is fhat It was fhe will of God tbat the spirit of prophecy should cease In this period (for reasons that maybe given hereafter), so fhat there were no pro phets to write the history of these tiraes ; and therefore God, designing this, took care that the greaf events of this period should not be without raention In his word ; and so ordered It that the prophecies of Scripture should be raore fiiU here, than in the preceding periods. It is observable, that that set of writing prophets tbat God raised up in Israel, were raised up at the latter end of the foregoing period, and at fhe beginning of this, which it Is likely was partly for that reason, thaf the time was now approaching, of which the spirit of prophe- :.y having ceased, there was to be no Scripture history, and therefore no other Scripture account but wbat was given in prophecy. And another reason that raay be given why there was so great a part of this period left without an historical account in Scripture Is, that God in his providence took care that there should be authentic and full accounts of the events of this period preserved in profane history. It is reraarkable, and very worthy to be taken notice of, fhat with respect to the events of fhe five prece ding periods, of which fhe Scriptures give the history, profane history gives us no account, or af least of but very few of them. There are many fabulous and uncertain accounts of things that happened before ; but the beginning of fhe tiraes of authentic profane history is judged to be but a Utile before Nebuchad nezzar's time, about a hundred years before. The learned men among the WORK OF REDEMPTION. 369 Greeks and Romans used fo call the ages before that the fabulous age ; but the times after that they called the historical age. And from about that time to the coming of Christ, we have undoubted accounts in profane history of fhe principal events ; accounts tbat wonderfully agree with the many prophecies that we have in Scripture of those times. Thus did the great God, that disposes all things, order If. He took care to give anliisforical account of things frora the beginning of the world, through all those forraer ages which profane history does not reach, and ceased not tdl he carae fo those latter ages in which profane history related ihings with sorae certainty : and concerning those tiraes, he gives us abundant account in prophecy, that, by coraparing profane history with those prophecies, we raight see the agreeraent. 2. This period being the last period of the Old Testaraent, and the next to the coming of Christ, seems to have been remarkably distinguished from all others in the great revolutions that were among fhe nations of the earth, to make way for fhe kingdom of Christ. The time now drawing nigh, wherein Christ, the great King and Saviour of the world, was to come, great and mighty were the changes that were brought to pass in order fo it. The way had been preparing for the coraing of Christ frora the fall of man, through all the fore going periods : but now the tirae drawing nigh, things began fo ripen apace for Christ's coraing ; and therefore divine Providence wrought wonderfully now. The greatest revolutions that any history whalsoevei gives an account of, that ever had been frora the flood, fell out In tbis period. Almost all the tben known world, i. e., all the nations that were round about fhe land of Canaan, far and near, that were within fhe reach of tbeir knowledge, were overiurned again and again. All lands were in their turns subdued, captivated, and as it were eraptied, and turned upside down, and that raost of thera repeatedly, in fhis period; agreeablyto that prophecy, Isa. xxiv.' 1, " Behold, the Lord maketh the earth erapty ; he raaketh it waste, and turneth it upside down, and scatter eth abroad the inhabitants thereof" This eraptying, and turning up.side down, began with God's visible church, in their captivity by the king of Babylon. And then fhe cup frora thera went round to all other nations, agreeably to what God revealed tothe prophet Jere miah, xxv. 15 — 27. Here special respect seeras to be bad to the great revo lutions that there were on the face of the earth in Ihe times of fhe Babylonish empire. But after that there were three general overturnings of the world be fore Cbrist came, in the succession of the three greaf raonarchies of the world that were after the Babylonish empire. The king of Babylon is represented in Scripture as overturning fhe world : buf after that the Babylonish empire was overthrown by Cyrus ; who founded tbe Persian empire in the room of if ; which was of much greater extent than fhe Babylonish empire In its greatest glory. Thus the world was overturned the second time. And then, after fhat, the Persian erapire was overthrown by Alexander, and the Grecian empire was set up upon the ruins of it ; which was still of rauch greater extent than tbe Per sian empire : and thus there was a general overturning of the world a third time. And then, after thaf, the Grecian erapire was overihrown by tbe Ro mans, and the Roraan erapire was established ; which vastly exceeded all tbe foregoing erapires in power and extent of dorainion. And so the world was overturned the fourth lirae. These several monarchies, and the great revolutions of the world under thera, are abundantly spoken of in the prophecies of Daniel. They are repre sented in Nebuchadnezzar's image of gold, silver, brass, and iron; and Daniel's Vol. L 47 370 WORK OF REDEMPTION. interpretation of It, in the second chapter of Daniel ; and then in Daniel's vision nf the four beasts, and the angel's Interpretation of it in the seventh chapter of Daniel And the succession of the Persian and Grecian monarchies Is more particularly represented In fhe Sth chapter in Daniel's vision of the ram and the he-goat, and again in the lllh chapter of Daniel. And besides these four general overturnings of fhe world, the world was kept in a constant tumult between whiles : and indeed the world was as it were in a continual convulsion through this whole period till Christ came. Before this period, the face of the earth was coraparatively In quietness : though there were many great wars among the nations, yet we read of no such raighty and universal convulsions and overturnings as there were in this period. The nations of the worid, mosf of thera, had long reraained on their lees as it were, without being eraptied frora vessel to vessel, as Is said of Moab, Jer. xlviii. 11. Now these great overturnings was because the tirae of the great Messiah drew nigh. That they were to prepare the way for Christ's coraing. Is evident by Scripture, particularly by Ezek. xxi. 27 : "I wilf overturn, overturn, overturn It, and It .shall be no more, until he corae whose right It Is, and I will give it hira." The prophet, by repeating the word overturn three tiraes, has respect to three overturnings, as in the Revelation, viii. 13. The repetition of the word wo three tiraes, signifies tbree distinct woes ; . as appears by what follows, Ix. 12, " One wo is past ;" and ix. 14, " The second wo Is past, and behold the third wo coraeth quickly." It raust be noted, thaf the prophet Ezekiel prophesied In the tirae of the Babylonish captivity ; and therefore there were three great and general over- turnings of fhe world f o corae after this prophecy, before Christ carae ; the first by fhe Persians, fhe second by the Grecians, the third by the Roraans ; and then after fhat, Christ, whose right it was to fake the diadera, and reign, should corae. Here these great overturnings are evidently spoken of, as pre paratory to the coraing and kingdom of Christ. Buf to undersfand the words aright, we raust note the particular expression, " I will overturn, overturn, over turn it ;" I. e., fhe diadem and crown of Israel, or the supreme temporal do minion over God's visible people. This God said should be no raore, I. e., the crown should be taken off, and the diadera reraoved, as it Is said in the forego ing verse. The suprerae power over Israel should be no more in the royal line of David, to which it properly belonged, but should be removed away, and given to others, and overturned from one to another : first the suprerae power over Israel should be In the hands of the Persians ; and then it should be over turned again ; and then it should be in the hands of the Grecians ; and then it should be overturned again, and corae into the hands of the Romans, and should be no raore in the line of David, till that very person should corae, that was the son of David, whose proper right it was, anS then God would give It to him. That those great shakings and revolutions ofthe nations of tfie world were all to prepare the way for Christ's coining and setting up his kingdora In the world, is further manifest by Haggai ii. 6, 7 : " For thus saith the Lord of hosts ; Yet once. It is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and fhe dry land ; and I will shake all nations, and the De sire of ail nations shall corae, and I will fill this house with glory, saith the Lord of hosts." And again, ver. 21, 22 and 23. It Is evident by this, that these great revolutions and shakings of the nations, whereby the thrones of king doras, and armies were overthrown, and every one came down by the sword of his brother, were to prepare the way for the coming of him who is fhe desire of all nations. WORK OF REDEMPTION. 371 The great changes and troubles that have sometiraes been In the visible church of Christ, are In Rev. xii. 2 compared to the church's being in travail to bring forth Christ ; so these great troubles and mighty revolutions thaf were in the world before Christ was born, were, as It were, the world's being In travail to bring forih (he Son of God. The apostle, In the Sth of Roraans, rep resents fhe whole creation as groaning and travailing in pain together until now, to bring forth the liberty and manifestation of fhe children of God. So fhe world as it were travailed in pain, and was In continual convulsions for several hundred years together, to bring forth tbe first-born child, and the only begotten Son of God. And those mighty revolutions were as so many pangs and throes in order to it. The world being so long a tirae kept in a stale of war and bloodshed, prepared the way for the coming of the Prince of Peace, as It showed the great need the world stood in of such a prince to deliver the world from its miseries. It pleased God to order It In his providence, tbat earthly power and do minion should be raised to ifs greatest height, and appear in Its utraost glory, in those four great monarchies that succeeded one another, and that every one should be great and more glorious than the preceding, before he set up the kingdom of his Son. By this if appeared how much more glorious his spiritual kingdora was than the most glorious teraporal kingdora. The strength and glory of Satan's kingdora In these four mlg-hfy monarchies, appeared In its greatest height : for those monarchies were the monarchies of the Heathen world, and so the strength of them was the strength of Satan's kingdom. God suffered Satan's kingdom to rise to so great a height of power and magnificence Oefore his Son came fo overthrow it, to prepare the way for the more glorious triuraph of his Son. Goliath must have on all his splendid armor when the stripling David comes against him with a sling and stone, for the greater glory of David's victory. God suffered one of those great monarchies to subdue another, and erect itself on the other's ruins, appearing stdl in greater strength, and the last fo be the stongest and mightiest of all ; that so Cbrist, In over throwing tbat, might as it were overthrow thera all at once ; as the stone, cut out of the raountain without hands. Is represented as destroying fhe whole Image, the gold, the silver, the brass, the iron, and the clay ; so that all became as the chaff of the sumraer threshing floor. These mighty erapires were suffered thus to overthrow the world, and des troy one another ; and though fheir power was so great, yet tbey could not up hold themselves, but fell one after anoiher, and carae to nothing, even the last of them, that was fhe strongest, and had swallowed up the earth. It pleased God thus fo show In them the Instability and vanity of all earthly power and great ness ; which served as a foil to set forth the glory of fhe kingdom of his Son, which never shall be destroyed, as appears by Dan. Ii. 44 : " In the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdora, which shall never be destroyed : and the kingdora shall nof be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces, and consurae all these kingdoras, and it shall stand forever." So greatly does this kingdom differ frora all those kingdoras ; they vanish away, and are left to other people ; but this shall not be left to other people, but shall stand forever. God suffered the devd to do his utmost, and to establish his interest, by setting up fhe greatest, strongest, and most glorious kingdoms in the world that he could, before tbe despised Jesus overthrew him and his era pire. Christ carae into the worid to bring down fhe high things of Satan's kingdom, that fhe hand of the Lord raight be on every one fhat is proud and lofty, and every high tower, and every lofty mountain ; as the prophet Isaiah 372 WORK OF REDEMPTION. says, chap li. 12, &c. And therefore these things were suffered to rise very high, that Christ might appear so rauch the more glorious in being above thera. Thus wonderfully did fhe great and wise Governor of fhe world prepare fhe way for fhe erecting of the glorious kingdom of his beloved Son Jesus. 3. Another thing for w'bich this last period or space of time before Christ was particularly remarkable, was the wonderful preservation of the church through all those oveifurnings. The preservation of fhe church was on some accounts more reraarkable through this period, than through any of the fore going. It was very wonderful thaf the cburch, which in this period was so weak, and in so low a state, and raostly subject to Ihe dorainion of Heathen monarchies, should be preserved for five or six hundred years together, while the world was so often overturned, and the earth was rent in pieces, and made so oflen empty and waste, and the inhabitants of It carae down so often every one by the sword of bis brother. I say it was wonderful that fhe church, in its weak and low state, being but a little handful of men, should be preserved in all these great convulsions ; especially considering that the land of Judea, fhe chief place of fhe church's residence, lay in the midst of them, as it were in the middle between the contending parties, and was very much the seat of war amongst them, and was offen overrun and subdued, and sometiraes in the hands of one people, and sometiraes another, -and very rauch the object of fhe envy and hatred of all Heathen nations, and offen almost ruined by them, often great multitudes of its inhabitants being slain, and the li*id in a great me-asure depopulated ; and those who had fhem in their power, often Intended the utter destruction of the whole nation. Yet they were upheld ; they were preserved in tbeir captivity in Babylon, and tbey were upheld again under all the dangers tbey passed through under the kings of Persia, and the much greater dangers fhey were liable to under the erapire of the Greeks, and afterwards when the world was -Todden down by the Roraans. And tbeir preservation through this period was also distinguishingly remark- ible, in that we never read of the church's suffering persecution In any former period in any measure to such a degree -as fhey did in this, under Antiochus Epiphanes, of which more aflerwards. This wonderful preservation of the church through all these overturnings of fhe world, gives Ught and confirma tion to what we read in the beginning of the 46th Psalm : " God is our refuge and strength, a very present help In trouble. Therefore will not we fear though the earth be removed, and though fhe raountains be carried into the midst ofthe sea ; though the waters thereof roar, and be troubled; thoughthe mountains shake with the swelling thereof" Thus I bave taken notice of sorae general things wherein this last period of the Old Testament times were distinguished. I corae now fo consider how the work of rederaption was carried on in particulars. — And, I. The first thing (hat here offers is the captivity of fhe Jews info Babylon. This was a greaf dispensation of Providence, and such as never was before. The children of Israel in tbe time of the judges, had often been brought under their eneraies ; and many particular persons were carried captive at other times. But never had fhere been any such thing as destroying the whole land, fhe sanctuary, and the city of Jerusalera, and all the cities and villages ofthe land, and carrying the whole body of the people out oftheir own land into a country raany hundred miles distant, and leaving the land of Canaan empty of God's visible people. The ark had once forsaken fhe tabernacle of Shiloh, and was carried captive into the land of the Philistines : buf never had there been any WORK OF REDEMPTION. 373 such thing as burning fhe sanctuary, and utterly destroying fhe ark, and carry ing away all the sacred vessels and utensils, and breaking up all their stated worship in tbe land, and the land's lying waste and erapty for so raany years together. How lively are these Ihings set forth in the Lamentations of Jeremiah ! The work of rederaption was promoted by fhis remarkable dispensation in these following ways. 1. If finally cured fhat nation of their itch after idolatry. The prophet Isaiah, speaking of fhe setting up of the kingdora of Cbrist, chap. ii. 18, speaks of tbe abolishing of idolatry as one thing that should be done to fhis end : " And the Idols he shall utterly abolish." When (be time was drawing near, thatGod would abolish Heathen Idolatry, through fhe greater part ofthe known world, as he did by the preaching of the gospel after Christ carae, It pleased him first to abolish Heathenism araong his own people ; and he did it now by their captivity into Babylon ; a presage of that abohshing of idols, fhat God was about to bring to pass by Christ through so great a part of the Hea then world. This nation fhat was addicted to idolatry before for so raany ages, and that nothing would cure them of, not all the reproofs, and warnings, and corrections, thaf fhey had, and all the judgments God inflicted on them for it ; yet now were finally cured ; so that however some might fall into this sin afterwards, as they did about the time of Antiochus's persecution, yet (he nation, as a nation, never showed any hankering after this sin any more. This was a reraarkable and wonderful change In that people, and what directly proraoted the work of redemption, as it was a great advanceraent ofthe interest of religion. 2. It was one thing that prepared the way of Christ's coraing, and setting up fhe glorious dispensation of the gospel, as if took away many of those tbings wherein consisted tbe glory of the Jewish dispensation. In order to introduce the glorious dispensation of fhe gospel, the external glory of the Jewish church must be diminished, as we observed before. This the Babylonish captivity did raany ways; it brought the people very low. First, It removed the temporal diadera of the house of David away from thera, i. e., the supreme and independent governraent of theraselves. It took away fbe crown and diadem from fhe nation. The time now approaching when Christ, (he great and everlasting king of his church, was fo reign, it was time for tbe typical kings fo withdraw. As God said by Ezekiel, chap. xxi. 26 : " He removed the crown and diadera, fhat It might be no more, tdl he should corae, whose right it was." The Jews henceforward were always de pendent on the governing power of other nations, until Christ came, for near six hundred years, excepting about ninety years, during which space Ihey maintained a sort of independence, by continual wars, under fhe dorainion of fhe Maccabees and fheir posterity. Again, by tbe captivity, the glory and raagnificence of the temple was taken away, and the temple that was built afterwards, was nothing in comparison with it. Thus It was meet, when the time drew nigh that the glorious antitype f f the teraple should appear, thaf fhe typical temple should have Ifs glory withdrawn. Again, another thing that they lost by fhe captivity, was fhe two tables of the testimony delivered to Moses, written wilh the finger of God ; the two tables on which God with his own finger wrote the fen coinrnandmenfs on Mount Sinai. These seem fo have been preserved In fhe ark fill fhe captivity. These were in the ark when Solomon placed the ark In fhe temple, 1 Kings viii. 9. There was nothing In the ark, save the two tables of stone, which Moses 374 WORK OF REDEMPTION. put there at Horeb. And we have no reason to suppose any other, hut fhat they reraained there as long as that temple stood. But the Jews speak ofthese as finally lost at fhat time ; thoughthe sarae comraandraents -were preserved Inthe book of the law. These fables also were withdrawn on the approach of their antitype. Again, another thing that was lost that the Jews had before, was the Urira and Tburamira. This is evident hy Ezra Ii. 63 : " And the Tirshatha said unfo thera, tbat fhey should not eat of the mosf holy tbings, till fhere should stand up a priest with Urim and Thuraraim." And we have no account that this was ever restored ; but the ancient writings of the Jews say fhe contrary. 'WTiat this Qrim and Thumraira was, I shall not now inquire ; but only observe, that it was something by which the high priest Inquired of God, and received Im mediate answers from him, or by which God gave forth imraediate oracles on particular occasions. This was now withdrawn, the time approaching when Christ, fhe antitype of the Urim and Thummim, the great word and oracle of God, was fo come. Another thing thaf the ancient Jews say was wanting in fhe second temple, was fhe Sbechinah, or cloud of gkry over fhe mercy seat. This was promised to be in the tabernacle, Levit. xvi. 2 : " For I will appear In the cloud upon the mercy seat." And we read elsewhere of fhe cloud of glory descending Intc the tabernacle, Exod. xl. 35 ; and so we do likewise wilh respect fo Solomon's temple. But we have no account that this cloud of glory was in the second temple. And fhe ancient accounts of fhe Jews say, that fhere was no such thing in the second teraple. This was needless In fhe second teraple, consider ing that God had proraised that he would fill this temple with glory another way, viz, by Christ's coraing info it ; which was afterwards fulfilled. See Haggai ii. 7 : "I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come, and I will fill this house with glory, saith the Lord of hosts." Another thing, that the Jews In their ancient writings raention as being now withdrawn, was the fire frora heaven on the altar. "When Moses built fhe tabernacle and altar in the wilderness, and the first sacrifices were offered on it, fire came down from heaven, and consumed the burnt-offering, as in Levit. ix. 24 ; and so again, when Solomon built the temple, and offered the first sacrifi ces, as you may see In 2 Chron. vii. 1. And fhis fire was never fo go out, but with the greatest care f o be kept alive, as God comraanded, Levit. vi. 13 : " The fire sball ever be burning upon the altar : it shall never go out." And there is no reason to suppose the fiie in Soloraon's time ever went out till the temple was destroyed by the Babylonians. But then it was extinguished, and never was restored. We have no account of its being given on the building of fhe second temple, as we have at the building of the tabernacle and first teraple. But fhe Jews, after their return, were forced to make use of their common fire instead of If, according fo the ancient tradition of fhe Jews. Thus the Ughts of fhe Old Testaraent go out, on fhe approach of fhe glorious Sun of righteousness. 3. The captivity into Babylon was the occasion of another thing which did afterwards much promote fbe setting up of Christ's kingdom in the worid, and* that was the dispersion of the Jews through the greater part of the known world, before fhe coming of Christ. For the whole nation being carried away far out of their own land, and continued in a state of captivity for so. long a time, Ihey got fhem possessions, and built them houses, and settled themselves in the land of their captivity, agreeably fo fhe direction that Jeremiah gave them. In the letter he wrote to them in the 29th chapter of Jeremiah. And therefore, WORK OF REDEMPTION. 376 when Cyrus gave them liberty to return to the land where they had forraeriy dwek, many of them never returned ; fhey were not wiUing to leave their settlements and possessions there, to go into a desolate country, many hundred miles distant, which none but the old raen araong fhem had ever seen ; and therefore tney were but few, but a sraall nuraber that returned, as we see in the accounts we have In fhe books of Ezra and Nehemiah. Great numbers tarried behind, (hough they still retained the same religion wilh those that returned, so far as it could be practised in a foreign land. Those messengers that we read of In the 7th chapter of Zechariah, tbat carae to inquire of the priests and prophets in Jerusalera, Sherezer and Regeramelech, are supposed to be messen gers sent from the Jews that remained still in Babylon. Those Jews that remained stih in that country were soon, by the great changes that happened In the world, dispersed thence info all the adjacent countries. And .hence we find, fhat in Esther's time, which was after fhe return frora the captivity, the Jews were a people that were dispersed through out all parts ofthe vast Persian erapire, that extended frora India fo Ethiopia; as you raay see, Esth. iii. 8 : "And Haman said unto King Ahasuerus, There is a certain people scattered abroad, and dispersed araong the people in all the provinces of thy kingdom," &c. And so they continued dispersed till Christ came, and fill the apostles went forth to preach the gospel. But yet these dispersed Jews retained their religion In this dispersion. Their captivity, as I said before, thoroughly cured them of their idolatry ; and it was their manner, for as raany of fhem as could from time to lirae, to go up to the land of Judea to Jerusalera at their great feasts. Hence we read in fhe 2d chapter of Acts, that at the tirae of the great feast of Pentecost, there were Jews abiding at Jerusalera out of every nation under heaven. — These were Jews corae up from ad countries where they were dispersed, to worship at fhat feast. And hence we find, In the history of the Acts of tbe Apostles, fhat wherever the apostles went preaching through the world, they found Jews. They carae to such a city, and fo such a city, and went into the synagogue of the Jews. Antiochus the Greaf, about two hundred years before Christ, on a certain occasion, transplanted two thousand farailies of Jews from the country about Babylon into Asia fhe Less ; and so they and their posterity, raany of thera, settled In Pontus, Galatia, Phrygia, Paraphilia, and in Ephesus ; and frora thence settled in Athens, and Corinth, and Rorae. Whence carae those synagogues In those places that the Apostle Paul preached in. Now, this dispersion ofthe Jews through the world before Christ carae, did many ways prepare the way for his coraing, and setting up his kingdora In the world. One was, that this was a means of raising a gen Tal expectation of the Messiah through fhe world about fhe time that he actually carae. For the Jews, wherever they were dispersed, carried the holy Scriptures- with thera, and so the prophecies of the Messiah ; and being conversant with the nations araong wbom they lived, tbey, by that raeans, becarae acquainted with these prophecies, and wilh the expectations of fbe Jews of their glorious Messiah ; and by this raeans, t'he birth of such a glorious person in Judea about that tirae began to be the general expectation of the nations of fhe world, as appears by the writings of the learned raen of the Heathen that lived about that tirae, which are still extant ; particularly Virgil, fhe faraous poet that lived in Italy a little before Christ was born, has a poera about the expectation of a great prince that was to be born, and fhe happy tiraes of righteousness and peace that he was to in troduce ; some of it very much In the, language of the prophet Isaiah. 376 WORK OF REDEMPTION. Another way fhat fhis dispersed state of fhe Jews prepared fhe way for Christ was, that it showed the necessity of abolishing the Jewish dispensation, and introducing a new dispensation of fbe covenant of grace. It showed the necessity of abolishing the cereraonial law, and fhe old J'ewish worship ; for, by this raeans, the observance of that ceremonial law became Irapracticable even by the Jews themselves ; for tbe cereraonial law -was adapted to the stafe of a people dwelling together in the same land, where was fhe city that God had chosen ; where was the temple, the only place where they might offer sacrifices ; and where it was lawful for their priests and Levites fo officiate, where fhey were to bring fheir first fruits, and where were fheir cities of refuge and fhe like. But fhe Jews, by tbis dispersion, lived, raany of thera. In other lands, more than a thousand miles distant, when Christ carae; which made fhe observation of their laws of sacrifices, and the like, irapracticable. And though their forefathers might be to blarae in not going up to the land of Judea when they were perraitted by Cyrus, yef fbe case was now, as fo many of thera at least, becorae impracticable ; which showed fhe necessity of introducing a new dispensation, thaf should be fitted, not only to one particular land, but to fhe general circumstances and use of all nations of the world. Again, another way that this dispersion of the Jews through the world pre pared the way for the setting up of the kingdora of Christ in tbe world, was, that it contributed to tbe making fhe facts concerning Jesus Christ publicly known through the world. For, as I observed before, the Jews thaf lived in other countries, used frequently to go up f o Jerusalem at their three great feasts, which were frora year fo year ; and so, by fhis means, they could nof buf be come acquainted witb fhe news ofthe wonderful things that Christ did in that land. We find fhat tbey were present af, and took great notice of that great miracle of raising Lazarus, which excited fhe curiosity of those foreign Jews, that carae up fo the feast of the Passover, fo see Jesus ; as you raay see in John xii. 19, 20, 21. These Greeks were foreign Jews and proselytes, as is evident by tbeir coraing fo worship at the feast of the Passover. The Jews that lived abroad araong the Greeks, and spoke their language, were called Greeks, or Hellenists ; so fhey are called Grecians, Acts vi. 1. These Grecians here spoken of were not Gentile Christians ; for this was before fhe calling of fhe Gentiles. By the same ineans, fhe Jews that went up from other countries becarae ac quainted with Christ's crucifixion. Thus the disciples, going to Eraraaus, say to Cbi ist, wben they did not know him, Luke xxiv. 18: "Art thou only a stranger In Jerusalem, and hast not known fhe things which have corae to pass there in these days'?" plainly intiraating, tbat the things concerning Jesus were so publicly known to dl men, that it was wonderful fo find any raan unac quainted with thera And so afterwards tbey became acquainted with the news of his resurrtction ; and when they went home again info fheir own counfries, fhey carried the news witb thera, and so raade these facts public through the world, as fhey had made the prophecies of thera public before. After fhis, those foreign Jews that carae to Jerusalera, took great notice of the pouring out of the Spirit at Peiitecost, and the wonderful effects of it ; and many of them were converted by it, viz., Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and the dwellers in Mesopotamia, and in Egypt, and fhe pads of Lybia about Cyrene, and '.he strangers of Rorae, Jews and proselytes, Cretes and Arabians. And so they did not only carry back the news of tbe facts of Christianity, but Christianity itself, into tbeir own countries with fhem ; which confributed much to the spreading of it through the world. WORK OF REDEMPTION. 377 Again, another way that fhe dispersion of the Jews contu'buted to the set ting up of the gospel kingdom In the world was, thaf it opened a door for the introduction of the Apostles, in all places -where they carae fo preach the gos pel. For alraost in all places where they carae fo preach fhe gospel, they found Jews, and synagogues of fhe Jews, where fhe holy Scriptures were wont to be read, and tbe true God worshipped ; which was a greaf advantage f o fhe apostles in their spreading fhe gospel through fhe world. Fof their way was, into whatever city they came, first to go info fhe synagogue of the Jews (they being people of the sarae nation), and fhere to preach the gospef unto them. And hereby their coraing, and their new doctrine, was taken notice of by their Gentile neighbors, whose curiosity excited Ihem to hear what fhey had fo say ; -«'hich became a fair occasion fo the apostles fo preach the go,spel to thera. It appears th at it was thus, by the account we have of things in the Acts of the Apostle." And these Gentiles having been before, many of them, prepared in some measure, by fhe knowledge fhey bad of the Jews' religion, and of their worship of one God, and of their prophecies, and expectation of a Messiah ; which knowledge tbey derived frora the Jews, who had long been their neigh bors : this opened the door for the gospel fo have access to thera. And the work ofthe apostles witb fhem was doubtless much easier than if fhey never bad heard any thing before of any expectation of such a person as the apostles preached, or any thing about tbe worship of one only true God. So raany ways did the Babylonish captivity greatly prepare the way for Christ's coraing. II. The next particular thaf I would fake notice of is, fhe addition madeto the canon of Scripture in the time of the captivity, in those two reraarkable portions of Scripture, the prophecies of Ezekiel and Daniel. Cbrist appeared to each of these prophets in the forra of that nature which he was afterwards to take upon hira. 'The prophet Ezekiel gives an account of his thus appear ing fo hira repeatedly, as Ezek. j. 26 : " And above the firraaraent fhat was over (heir heads, was fhe likeness of a throne, as fhe appearance of a sapphire stone, and upon fhe likeness of the throne was fhe likeness as tbe appearance of a raan above upon it ;" and so chap. viii. 1, 2 : " There stood before me as tbe appear ance ofa raan. And I heard a raan's voice between tbe banks of Ulai, which called, and said, Gabriel, make fhis man to understand tbe vision." There are several things that make it evident, fhat fhis was Christ, that I cannot now stand to mention particularly. So Christ appeared again as a man fo this pro phet, chap. X. 5, 6 : " Then I lift up mine eyes and looked, and behold, a cer tain man clothed in linen, whose loins were girded with fine gold of Uphaz ; his body also was like the bery], and his face as the appearance of hghtning, and his eyes as lamps of fire, and his arras and his feet like In color to pol ished brass, and the voice of his words like the voice of a multitude." Com paring this vision v/ith thaf of the Apostle John in fbe 1st chapter of Revela tion, makes it manifest fhat it was Christ. And fhe prophet Daniel, In the historical part of his book, gives an account of a very reraarkable appearance of Christ in Nebuchadnezzar's furnace, with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. We have the account of it in fhe 3d chapter. In the 25th verse, Christ is said to be like tbe Son of God ; and It Is manifest that he appeared in the form of man ; " Lo I see four men loose — and fhe forra of the fourth is like the Son ofGod." Cbrist did not only here appear In fhe forra of fhe human nature, but he appeared in a furnace, saving tbose persons who believed on him from that furnace ; bv which is represented to us, how Christ, by coming himself Vol. L ' -18 378 WORK OF REDEMPTION. into (he furnace of God's wrath, saves those that believe n him frora that fur- nace, so that it has no power on thera ; and the wrath of God never reaches or touches them, so much as to singe the hair of their head. These two prophets. In many respects, were more particular concerning the coming of Christ, and his glorious gospel kingdora, than any of the prophets had been before. They both of thera raention those (hree great overturnings of the world fhat should be before be carae. Ezekiel is particular In several places concerning the coraing of Christ. The prophet Daniel is more particular in fore telling the time of the coraing of Christ than ever any prophet had been before, in the 9lh chapter of his prophecy ; who foretold, that if should be seventy weeks, I. e., seventy weeks of years, or seventy times seven years, or four hun dred and ninety years, frora the decree to rebuild and restore the state of the Jews, till the Messiah should be crucified ; which must be reckoned from the coraraission given to Ezra by Artaxerxes, that we have an account of in (he 7th chapter of Ezra ; whereby fhe very particular tirae of Christ's crucifixion was pointed out, which never had been before. The prophet Ezekiel is very particular in the mystical description of the gospel church, in his account of his vision of the teraple and city. In the latter part of his prophecy. The prophet Daniel points out the order of particular evenis fhat should come fo pass relating to the Christian church after Christ was come, as the rise of Antichrist, and the continuance of his reign, and hia fall, and the glory that should follow. Thus does gospel light still increase, the nearer we corae to the time of Christ's birth. III. The next particular I would mention is, fhe destruction of Babylon, and fhe overthrow of fhe Chaldean erapire by Cyrus. The destruction of Babylon was in fhat night In which Belshazzar the king, and the city in gen^ eral, were drowned in a drunken festival, which they kept to their gods, when Daniel was called to read the hand-writing on tbe wall, Dan. v. 30 ; and It was brought about in such a raanner, as wonderfully to show the hand of God, and reraarkably fo fulfil his word by his prophets, which I cannot now stand partic ularly fo relate. Now fhat greaf city, which had long been an eneray fo the city of God, bis Jerusalera, was destroyed, after It had stood ever since the first building of Babel, wbich was about seventeen hundred years. If the check that was put to the building of tbis city at its beginning, whereby they were prevented frora carrying of it to thaf extent and raagnificence that they intend ed ; I say, if this proraoted the work of rederaption, as I have before shown it did, rauch raore did this desfruction of If. It was a reraarkable Instance of God's vengeance on fhe eneraies of his re deeraed church ; for God brought this desfruction on Babylon for the Inju ries they did to God's children, as is often set forth In fhe prophets. It also promoted the work of rederaption, as thereby God's people, fhat were held cap tive by thera, were set at liberty to return fo their own land to rebuild Jerusa lem ; and tberefore Cyrus, who did It, Is called God's shepherd therein, Isa. xliv. latter end ; and xiv. 1. And these are over and above those ways wherein fhe setting up and overihrowing the four raonarchies of the world did promote the work of rederaption, which bave been before observed. IV. What next followed this was fhe return of fhe Jews to their own land, and rebuilding Jerusalem and the teraple. Cyrus, as soon as he had destroyed (he Babylonish erapire, and had erected the Persian erapire on Its ruins, made a decree in favor of the Jews, fhat they inight return to their own land, and re build their city and teraple. This return of fhe Jews out of the Babylonish WORK OF REDEMPTION. 379 captivity is, next to the rederaption out of Egypt, the most reraarkable ot all the Okl Testaraent rederaptions, and most insisted on in Scripture, as a type of the great redemption of Jesus Christ. It was under the hand of one of the le gal ancestors of Christ, viz. Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, whose Babylonish name was Shesbazzar. He was fhe governor of the Jews, and their leader in their first return out of captivity ; and together with Joshua the son of Jozedek the high priest, had the chief hand in rebuilding the temple. This rederaption was brought about by fhe hand of Zerubbabel and Joshua the priest, as the rederaption out of Egypt was brought about by fhe hand of Moses and Aaron. The return out of the captivity was a reraarkable dispensation of Providence. It was reraarkable, thaf the heart of a Heathen prince, as Cyrus was, should be so inclined to favor such a design as he did, not only In giving the people liberty to return, and rebuild the city and temple, but in giving charge that they should be helped with silver and gold, and with goods, and with beasts, as we read In Ezra I. 4. And aflerwards God wonderfully Inclined the heart of Darius fo further the building of tbe house of God with his own tribute money, and by coraraanding fheir bitter eneraies, the Saraaritans, who had been striving to hinder thera, to help thera without fail, by furnishing thera with all that they needed In order fo if, and to supply thera day by day ; raaking a de cree, that whosoever failed of it, timber should be pulled down out of his house and he hanged thereon, and his house made a dunghdl ; as we have an account In fhe 6th chapter of Ezra. And after this God Inclined the heart of Artaxerxes, another king of Persia, to proraote the work of preserving fhe state of the Jews, by his araple commission fo Ezra, which we have an account of In the 7th chapter of Ezra; helping thera abundantly with silver and gold of his own bounty, and offering more, as should be needful, out of the king's treasure-house, and coraraanding his treasurers beyond the river Euphrates to give more, as should be needed, unto a hundred talents of silver, and a hundred raeasures of wheat, a hundred baths of wine, and a hundred baths of od, and salt without prescribing how much ; and giving leave to establish magistrates in the land ; and freeing the priests of toll, tribute, and custora, and other things, which ren der Ihis decree and coramission by Artaxerxes the most full and araple in the Jews' favor of any that, at any tirae, had been given for the restoring of Jerusa lem : and therefore. In Daniel's prophecy, this is called the decree for restoring and building Jerusalera ; and hence fhe seventy weeks are dated. And then, after this, another favorable comraission was granted by the king of Persia to Nehemiah, which we have an account of in the 2d chapter of Ne hemiah. It was reraarkable that the hearts of heathen princes should be so inclined. It was the effect of his power, who hath fhe hearts of kings in his hands, and turneth fhem whithersoever he will ; and it was a remarkable Instance of his favor to his people. Another reraarkable circumstance of this restitution of the state of the Jews to their own land, was, that It 'was accoraplished against so much opposition of fheir bitter indefatigable enemies, the &iraarltans, who for a long time to gether, with all the malice and craft they could exercise, opposed the Jews in this affair, and sought their destruction ; dne while by Bishlara, Mithridath, Tabeel, Rehum, and Shimshai, as in Ezra iv., and then by Tatnai, Shelharboz- iiai, and their companions, as in chap, v., and afterwards by Sanballat and To biah, as we read In the book of Neheralah. We have showed before how fhe settlement of the people in this land In Joshua's tirae promoted the work of redemption. On the sarae accounts does 380 WORK OF REDEMPTION. their restitution belong fo the same work. The resettlement of the Jews in fhe land of Canaan belongs to this work, as It was a necessary means of pre serving the Jewish church and dispensation in being, fill Christ should come. If it bad not been for fhis restoration of tbe Jewish churcb, and temple, and worship, the people had remained without any temple, and land of their own, that should be as it were their bead-quarters, a place of worship, habitation, and resort ; the whole constitution, which God had done so much to establish, would have been in danger of utterly fading, long before that six hundred years had been out, which was from about the time of the captivity till Christ. And so all that preparation which God had been making for the coming of Christ, from the time of Abrahara, would have been in vain. Now tbat very temple was built that God would fill with glory by Christ's coming info if, as the prophets Hag gai and Zechariah fold tbe Jews, to encousage thera in building if. V. The next particular I would observe, is the addition raade to the canon of the Scriptures soon after tbe captivity by the prophets Haggai and Zechariah, who were prophets sent fo encourage fbe people in their work of rebuilding the city and temple ; and tbe raain arguraent they raake use of to that end, is fhe approach of fbe tirae of the coming of Christ. Haggai foretold tbat Christ should be of Zerubbabel's legal posterity ; last chapter, last verse. This seems to be the last and raost particular revelation of the descent of Cbrist, fiU the angel Gabriel was sent to reveal if to his raother Mary. VI. The next thing I would take notice of, was the pouring out of the Spirit of God tbat accompanied (be rainistry of Ezra fhe priest after fhe captivity. That fhere was such a pouring out of the Spirit of God that accompanied Ezra's rainistry, is raanifest by raany things In fhe books of Ezra and Nehemiah. Pres ently after Ezra carae up from Babylon, with fhe araple coraraission which Artaxerxes gave hira, whence Daniel's seventy weeks began, he set hiraself to reform the vices and corruptions he found among the Jews, and his great suc cess in it we have an account of in the 10th chapter of Ezra ; so that there appeared a very general and greaf mourning of fhe congregation of Israel for their sins, which was accorapanied with a solemn covenant thaf the people en tered into with God ; and fhis was followed with a great and general reforraa tion, as we have there an account. And the people about the sarae tirae, with greaf zeal, and earnestness, and reverence, gathered theraselves together to hear the word of God read by Ezra, and gave diligent attention whde Ezra and the other priests preached to thera, by reading and expounding the law, and were greatly affected in fhe hearing of if. They wept when fhey be-ard fhe words of the law, and set themselves to observe fhe law, and kept fhe feast of taber nacles, as the Scripture observes, after such a manner as it had not been kept since the days of Joshua the son of Nun, as we have an account of in the 8th chapter of Nehemiah. And after fhis, having separated themselves from ad strangers, fhey solemnly observed a fast, by hearing fhe word of God, confess ing their sins, and renewing tbeir covenant with God ; and manifested their .sincerity in that transaction by actually reforraing raany abuses In religion and morals, as we learn frora the 9th and following chapters of Nehemiah. It Is observable, that it has been God's manner in every remarkable new estabUshraent ofthe stafe of his visible churcb, to give a reraarkable outpouring of his Spirit. So it was on the first establishment of the church of the Je-ws al tbeir first coraing Into Canaan under Joshua, as has been observed; and so It was now in this second settlement of fhe church in the sarae land In the time of Ezra ; and so it was on the first estabUshraent of fhe Christian church after Christ's resurrection, God wisely and graciously laying fhe foundation of those WORK OF REDEMPTION. 381 establishraents in a work of fhe Holy Spirit, for the lasting benefit of the state of his church, thenceforward continued in those establishraents. And thispour- .ng out of the Spirit of God, was a final cure of that nation of that particular sin which just before they especially run into, viz., interraarrying wilh the Gen tiles ; for however Inclined fo it fhey were before, they ever after showed an aversion to it. VII. Ezra added to the canon of the Scriptures. He wrote the book of Ezra, and he is supposed to have written tbe two books of Chronicles, at least to have corapded them, if he was not the author of the raaterials, or all (be parts of these writings. That these books were written, or compiled and completed, after the captivity, fhe things contained in the books themselves make manifest ; for the genealogies contained therein, are brought down below tbe captivity, as 1 Chron. iii. 17, &c. We have there an account ofthe posterity of Jehoiachin for several .successive generations. And there is mention in these books of this caplivily into Babylon, as of a thing past, and of things fhat were done on the return of the Jews after fhe captivity, as you may see in fhe 9th chapter. The chap(er Is raosdy filled up wi(h an account of things that carae fo pass after the captivity into Babylon, as you may see by comparing it wilh wbat is said in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah. And that Ezra was tbe person that compiled these books, is probable by this, because they conchide with words that we know are the words of Ezra's history. The two last verses are Ezra's words in the history he gives in the two first verses of the book of Ezra. VIII. Ezra Is supposed fo have collected all the books of which the Holy Scriptures did then consist, and to have disposed them in their proper order. Ezra is often spoken of as a noted and erainent scribe of the law of God, and the canon of Scripture in bis tirae was manifestly under his special care ; and the Jews, frora the first accounts we have frora thera, bave always held tbat the canon of Scripture, so much of it as was then extant, was collected and orderly disposed and settled .by Ezra ; and from him they have delivered it down in the order in which he disposed it, tdl Christ's time, when the Chrislian church re ceived it frora them, and have delivered it down to our tiraes. Tbe truth of this is allowed as undoubted by divines in general. IX. The work of rederaption was carried on and promoted in this period by greatly multiplying the copies of the law, and appointing the constant public reading of them In all the cities of Israel in (heir synagogues. It is evident that before fhe captivity there were buf few copies ofthe law. There was the ori ginal, laid up beside fhe ark ; and fhe kings were required fo write out a copy of fhe law for tbeir use, and the law was required to be read to the whole con gregation of Israel once every seventh year. And we have no account of any olher stated public reading ofthe law before the captivity but this. And it is manifest by several things that might be raentioned, that copies of fhe law were exceeding rare before the captivity. Buf after the captivity, the constant read ing of the law was set up in every synagogue throughout the land. First, Ihey began with reading the law, and then they proceeded to establish the cons(ant reading of tbe other books of fhe Old Testament. And lessons were read out ofthe Old Testament, as made up of both (he law and (he other parts of (he Scripture then extant, in all fhe synagogues, which were set up in every city, and everywhere, wherever fhe Jews In any considerable nuraber dwelt, as our meeting-houses are. Thus we find It was in Christ's and the apostles' tirae : Acts XV. 21 " Moses of old tirae hath In every city them that preach bim, be ing read in the synagogues every Sabbath day." This custora is universally supposed, both by Jews and Christians, to be begun by Ezra. There were 382 WORK OF REDEMPTION. doubtless public assembUes before the captivity into Babylon. They used to asserable at the teraple at then- great feasts, and were directed when they were at a loss about any thing in the law, to go to the priest for instruction ; and they used also to resort to fhe prophets' houses, and we read of synagogues In the land before, Psal. lxxiv. 8. But It Is not supposed that they had copies ol the law for constant pubhc reading and expounding through the land before, as afterwards. This was one great raeans of their being preserved from idolatry. X. The next thing I would mention, is God's reraarkably preserving fhe church and nation of the Jews, when they were in Irarainent danger of being universally destroyed by Haman. We have fhe story In the book of Esther, with which you are acquainted. This series of providences was very wonder ful in preventing this destruction. Esther was doubtless born for this end, fo be the Instrument of this reraarkable preservation. XI. After this the canon of Scripture was further added to In the books of Nehemiah and Esther; the one by Neheralah himself : and whether the other was wriften by Nehemiah, or Mordecai, or Malachi, is not of importance for us fo know, so long as It is one of those books that were always adraitted and re ceived as a part of their canon by the Jews, and was araong those books that the Jews called their Scriptures in Christ's time, and as such was approved by him. For Christ does often. In his speeches to the Jews, manifestly approve and confirra those books which araongst them went by the name of the Scrip tures, as raight easily be shown. If there were time for it. XII. After this fhe canon of the Old Tesfament was completed and sealed by Malachi. The raanner of his concluding his prophecy seeras to iraply, tha* they were to expect no more prophecies, and no more written revelations from God, till Christ should corae. For in the last chapter he prophesies of Christ's coming, ver. 2, 3 : " But unfo you fhat fear my name shall fhe Sun of Right eousness arise with healing In his wings ; and ye sball go forth and grow up as calves of the stall ; and ye shall tread down the wicked ; for fhey shall be as ashes under the soles of your feet. In the day thaf I shall do this, saith the Lord of hosts." Then we read in ver. 4, " Remeraber ye fhe law of Moses ray ser vant, whicb I coraraanded unto him in Horeb for all Israel, with the statutes and judgments," I. e., Reraeraber and improve -what ye have ; keep close to that written rule you have, as expecting no more additions to if till the night of the Old Testaraent is over, and the Sun of Righteousness shall at length arise. XIII. Soon after this, the spirit of prophecy ceased araong that people tdl the time of the New Testament. Thus fhe Old Testament light, the stars of the long night, began apace to hide their heads, fhe time of the Sun of Right eousness now drawing nigh. We before observed, how the kings of the house of David ceased before the true king and head of the church carae ; and how fhe cloud of glory withdrew, before Christ, the brightness of the Father's glory, appeared ; and so as fo several olher things. And now at last the spirit of prophecy ceased. The tirae of the great Prophet of God was now so nigh, it was tirae for their typical prophets to be sdent. Wc have now gone through with the tirae that we have any historical ac count of In the writings of the Old Testaraent, and the last thing that was men tioned, by which the work ffi"? redemption was promoted, was the ceasing of the spirit of prophecy. I now proceed to show how the work of redemption was carried on through the reraaining tiraes that were before Christ : in which we have not that thread of Scripture history to guide us fhat we have had hitherto : but have these WORK OF REDEMPTION. 383 three things to guide us, viz., the prophecies of the Old Testaraent, huraan his tories of those tiraes, and some occasional mention made, and sorae evidence given, of sorae things which happened in tbose tiraes. In the New Testament. Therefore, XIV. The next particular that I shall mention under this period. Is the des truction of the Persian empire, and setting up of fhe Grecian empire by Alex ander. This came fo pass about sixty or seventy years after the times wherein the prophet Malachi is supposed to bave prophesied, and about three hundred and thirty years before Christ. This was fbe third overturning of the world that carae to pass in fhis period, and was greater and raore reraarkable than either of fhe foregoing. It was very reraarkable on account of the suddenness of that conquest ofthe -^orld which Alexander made, and the greatness of the empire which he set up, which rauch exceeded all fhe foregoing in its extent. This event is rauch spoken of in the prophecies of Daniel. This erapire is represented by fhe third kingdom of brass, in Daniel's interpretation of Nebu chadnezzar's dreara, as in Dan. ii. ; and in Daniel's vision of the four beasts, is represented by the third beast that was like a leopard, that had on his back four wings of a fowl, to represent the swiftness of its conquest, chap. vii. ; and Is more particularly represented by the he-goat in the 8(h chapter, that came from the west on the face of the whole earth, and touched not tbe ground, fo repre sent how swiftly Alexander overran fhe world. The angel hiraself does ex pressly Interpret fhis he-goat tosignifythe king of Gfeci'd, ver. 21. The rough goat is fhe king of Grecia; and the great horn th'dt is between bis eyes is the first king, i. e., Alexander hiraself. After Alexander had conquered the world, he soon died ; and his dorainion did nof descend to his posterity, but four of his principal captains divided his empire between thera, as it there follows. Now that being broken, whereas four stood up for it, four kingdoras shall stand up out of the nation, but not in his power; so you raay see inthe Ilth chapter of Daniel. The angel after foretelling of the Persian erapire, then proceeded to foretell of Alexander, ver. 3 : " And a raighty king shall stand up, fhat .shall rule with great dominiorf, and do according to his will." And then he foretells, in the 4th verse, of fhe divi ding of his kingdora between fiis four captains : " And when he shall stand up, his kingdora shall be broken, and shall be divided towards the four winds of heaven ; and not to his posterity, nor according to his dorainion which he ruled : for his kingdora shah be plucked up, even for others besides those." Two of these four captains, whose kingdoras were next to Judea, the one had Egypt and the neighboring counfries on fhe south of Judea, and the other had Syria and the neighboring countries north of Judea ; and these two are those that are called the kings of the north and of fhe south In the Ilth chapter of Daniel. Now, this setting up of the Grecian erapire did greatly prepare the way for Christ's coraing, and setting up his kingdom in the world. Besides those ways common fo the other overturnings of the world in fhis period, that have been already mentioned, there is one peculiar to this revolution which I would take notice of, which did reraarkably promote fbe workof redemption; and that was, that It made the Greek language coramon in the world. To have one coraraon language understood and used through the greater part of the world, was a thing that did greatly prepare the way for flip setting up of Christ's kingdom. This gave advantage for spreading the gospel from one nation to another, and BO through all nations with vastly greater ease, than If every nation had a dis tinct language, and did not understand each other. For though some of the 384 WORK OF REDEMPTION. 5rst preachers of fhe gospel had the gift of languages, so that they could preaca In any language ; yet all had not this particular gift ; and they thaf had, could •nof exercise it when they would, but only af special seasons, when the Spirit ot God was pleased to Inspire thera in this way. And the church in different parts of the world, as the churches of Jerusalera, Antioch, Galatia, Corinth, and others, whicb were in counfries distant one from another, could not have had that comraunication one with another, which we have an account of in the book of Acts, If fhey had had no common language. So it was before the Grecian empire was set up. But after this, raany in all these counfries weU understood the same language, viz., fhe Grpek language; which wonderfully opened the door for mutual comraunication between those churches, so far sepa rated one frora another. And again, the raaking the Qreek language coramon throuo-h so great a part of the world, did wonderfully raake way for the setting up of the kingdora of Christ, because it was the language In which the New Testament was to be originally written. The apostles propagated fhe gospel through many scores of nations ; and if they could not have understood the Bible any otherwise than as It was translated into so many languages, it would have rendered fhe spreading of tbe gospel vastly raore difficult. But by the Greek language being raade comraon fo all, tbey all understood the New Tes tament of Jesus Christ in fhe language In which the apostles and evangelists originally wrote it; so that as soon as ever it was written by its original pen men, it iinmediately lay open to the world in a language thaf was coramonly understood everywhere, as there was no language that was so comraonly un derstood in the world in Christ's and fhe apostles' tirae as the Greek ; the cause of which was the setting up of fhe Grecian empire in the world. XV. The next thing I shall fake notice of is, the translating of the Scrip tures of the Old Testament into a language that was comraonly understood by .he Gentiles. Tbe translation that I here speak of Is that Into the Greek lan guage, that is coraraonly called the Septuagint, or the translation of the Seventy. This is supposed to have been raade about fifty or sixty years after Alexander's conquering the world. This is fhe first translation that ever was raade ofthe Scriptures thaf we have any credible account of The canon of the Old Testament had been corapleted by the prophet Malachi but about a hundred and twenty years before, in ifs original ; and hitherto the Scriptures had remained locked up from all other nations but the Jews, In fhe Hebrew tongue, whicb was understood by no other nation. Buf now It was translated into the Greek language, which, as we observed before, was a language that was coramonly understood by fhe nations of fhe world. This translation of the Old Testaraent is sdll extant, and is coramonly in .he hands of learned raen in these days, and is raade great use of by thera. The Tews have many fables about tbe occasion and manner of fhis translation ; but the truth ofthe case is supposed to be this, that multitudes of fhe Jews living In olher parts of the world besides Judea, and being born and bred among fhe Greeks, the Greek became fheir common language, and fhey did not understand the sriginal Hebrew ; and therefore they procured tbe Scriptures to be translated for their use into the Greek language ; and so henceforward fhe Jews, In all countries, except Judea, were wont in their synagogues to make use of this translation instead of the Hebrew. This translation of the Scriptures into a language, comraonly understood .brough tbe worid, prepared the way for Christ's coraing, and setting up his iringdom in tbe world, and aflerwards did greatly proraote it. For as the apostles went preaching through fhe world, fhey made great use of the Scrl^- WORK OF REDEMPTION. 385 hires of the Old Testament, and especially of the prophecies concerning Christ that were contained in thera. And by means of this translation, and by fhe Jews being scattered everywhere, they had the Scriptures at hand in a language that was understood by the Gentiles: and they did principally raake use of this translation in their preaching and writings wherever they went ; as is evident by this, thaf in all the innuraerable quotations that are made out of the Old Testaraent in their writings in the New Testaraent, they are alraost everywhere in the very words of the Septuagint. The sense is the sarae as it is in tbe original Hebrew ; but very often the words are different, as all fhat are acquainted with their Bibles know. When the apostles in their epistles, and the evangelists in their histories, cite passages out of tbe Old Testaraent, if is very often in differ ent words frora what we have in the Old Testaraent, as all know. But yef these citations are alraost universally in the very words of the Septuagint version ; for that raay be seen by coraparing thera together, fhey being both written in the same language. This makes it evident, that the apostles. In their preaching and writings, coraraonly raade use of fhis translation. So this very translation was that which was principally used in Christian churches through raost nations of the world for several hundred years after Christ. XVI. The next thing is the wonderful preservation of the church when it was Iraininently threatened and persecuted under the Grecian erapire. The first tirae they were threatened was by Alexander hiraself. When he was besieging the city of Tyre, sending fo the Jews for assistance and supplies for his army, and fhey refusing, out of a conscientious regard to their oath to the king of Persia, he being a raan of a very furious spirit, agreeable lo the Scripture representation of the rough he-goaf, marched against fhem, with a de sign to cut them off. But the priests going out to meet him in their priestly garments, when he met them, God wonderfully turned his heart to spare them, and favor ^thera, much as he did the heart of Esau when he met Jacob. After this, one of fhe kings of Egypt, a successor of one of Alexander's four captains, entertained a design of destroying the nation of the Jews ; but was remarkably and wonderfully prevented by a stronger interposition of heaven for fheir preservation. But the raost wonderful preservation of them all. In this period, was under the cruel persecution of Antiochus Epiphanes, king of Syria, and successor of another of Alexander's four captains. The Jews were at that time subject to the power of Antiochus ; and he, being enraged against thera, Jong strove fo his atmost utterly fo destroy them, and root thera out ; at least all of thera fhat would not forsake fheir religion and worship his idols : and he did indeed in a great measure waste the country, and depopulate the city of Jerusalem ; and profaned the teraple, by setting up his idols in some parts of if ; and persecuted the people with insatiable cruelty ; so that we have no account of any persecu tion Uke his before. Many of the particular circumstances of this persecution would be very affecting. If I had time f o Insist on thera. This cruel persecution began about a hundred and seventy years before Christ. It Is much spoken of In tbe prophecy of Daniel, as you may see, Dan. viii. 9 — 25, xi. 31 — 38. These persecutions are also spoken of In the New Testaraent, as Heb. xi. 36, 37, 38. Antiochus intended not only fo extirpate the Jewish religion, but, as far as in hira lay, the very nation ; and particularly labored fo the utraost to destroy aU copies of the law. And considering how weak they were. In comparison with a kino- of such vast dominion, fhe providence of God appears very wonder ful In defeating his design. Many times the Jews seemed to be on fhe very Vol. I. 49 386 WORK OF REDEMPTION. brink of ruin, and just ready to be wholly swallowed up : their enemies often thought themselves sure of obtaining their purpose. They once came against the people with a raighty array, and with a design of killing all, except the women and children, and of selling these for slaves ; and they were so confident of obtaining their purpose, and others of purchasing, that above a thousand merchants came with fhe army, with money in tbeir hands, to buy fhe slaves that should be sold. But God wonderfully stirred up and assisted one Judas, and others bis successors, thaf were called the Maccabees, who, with a small handful in comparison, vanquished their eneraies time after time, and delivered their nation ; wbich was foretold by Daniel, xi. 32. Speaking of Antiochus's persecution, he says, " And such as do wickedly against fhe covenant, shaU he corrupt by flatteries : but the people fhat do know their God, shall be strong, and do exploits." God afterwards brought fhis Antiochus to a fearful, miserable end, by a loathsorae disease, under dreadful torments of body, and horrors of raind ; which was foretold, Dan. xi. 45, In these words, " Yet he shall corae to his end, and none shall help him." After his death, there were atterapts still to destroy the church ofGod; but God baffled Ihera all. XVII. The next thing to be taken notice of is the desfruction of fhe Grecian empire, and setting up of the Roman empire. Tbis was the fourth overturning of the world that was in this period. And though It was brought to pass more gradually than fhe setting wp of fhe Grecian empire, yet It far exceeded that, and was much the greatest and largest teraporal monarchy that ever was Inthe world ; so tbat fhe Roman erapire was commonly called all the world ; as it is In Luke ii. 1 : " And fhere went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be faxed ;" I. e., all fhe Roman erapire. This erapire is spoken of as much the strongest and greatest of any of the four : Dan. ii. 40, " And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as Iron ; forasrauch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things : and as Iron that breaketh all these, shall it break in pieces, and bruise." So also Dan. vii. 7, 19, 23. The tirae fhat the Roraans first conquered and brought under fhe land of Judea, was between sixty and seventy years before Christ was born. And soon after tbis, the Roman erapire was established In its greatest extent ; and the world Continued subject to this empire henceforward till Christ carae, and raany hundred years afterwards. The nations of fhe world being united in one monarchy when Christ came, and when the apostles went forth fo preach fhe gospel, did greatly prepare the way for the spreading of fhe gospel, and fhe setting up of Christ's kingdora in the world. For the world being thus subject to one government, it opened a communication from nation to nation, and so opportunity was given for the more swiflly propagating the gospel through the world. Thus we find It to be now ; as if any thing prevails in the English nation, fhe communication is quick from one part of fhe nation to another, throughout all parts fhat are subject (o the English government, much easier and quicker than fo other nations, which are not subject fo fhe English government, and have liftle to do with fhem. There are Innumerable difficulties in travelling through different nations, that are under different independent governraents, which there are not in travelling through different parts of tbe sarae realra, or different dorainions of the same prince. So fhe world being under one governraent, the government of the Roraans, in Christ's and the apostles' times, facilitated the apostles' travelling, and the gospel's spreading through the world WORK OF REDEMPTION. 387 XVIII. About fhe same time learning and philosophy were risen fo their greatest height in the Heathen world. The time of learning's flourishing m the Heathen world was principally in this period. Almost all the faraous philo sophers that we have an account of araong the Heathen, were after fhe captiv ity into Babylon. Almost all the wise men of Greece and Rome flourished in this time. 'These philosophers, raany of thera, were indeed men of great tem poral wisdom ; and thaf which they in general chiefly professed to make their business, was to inquire wherein men's chief happiness lay, and the way in which raen raight obtain happiness. They seeraed earnestly to busy theraselves In this Inquiry, and wrote raultitudes of books about it, raany ofwhich are still extant. And tbey were exceedingly divided in fheir opinions about it. There have been reckoned up several hundreds of different opinions that they had con cerning it. Thus they wearied theraselves In vain, wandered in the dark, not having the glorious gospel to guide thera. God was pleased to suffer raen to do the utmost that fhey could with huraan wisdora, and fo fry the extent of their own understandings to find out the way to happiness, before fhe frue light came to enlighten the world ; before he sent the great Prophet to lead men in the right way to happiness. God suffered these great philosophers to fry what they could do for, six hundred years together ; and then it proved, by the events nf so long a time, that all fhey could do was in vain ; fhe world not becoraing wiser, better, or happier under their Instructions, but growing raore and raore foolish, wicked, and raiserable. He suffered their wisdora and philosophy to corae to the greatest height before Christ carae, that it raight be seen how far reason and philosophy could go in their highest ascent, that the necessity of a divine teacher might appear before Christ carae. And God was pleased to make foolish the wisdora of this world, and show raen the folly of fheir best wisdom, by the doctrines of this glorious gospel, which were above the reach of all their philosophy. See 1 Cor. I. 19, 20, 21. And after GOd had showed the vanity of human learning, when set up in .the room of the gospel, God was pleased to make it subservient to the purposes of Christ's kingdom, as a handraaid to divine revelation ; and so fhe prevaiUng of learning In the world before Cbrist carae, made way for his coming both these ways, viz., as thereby tbe vanity of huraan wisdora was shown, and the necessity of the gospel appeared ; and also as hereby a handmaid was prepar ed to the gospel ; for so it was raade use of in tbe Aposile Paul, who was famed for his rauch learning, as you may see Acts xxvi. 24, and was skilled not only in the learning of the Jews, but also of the philosophers ; and ira proved It to the purposes of the gospel; as you may see he did In disputing with the philosophers at Athens, Acts xvii. 22, &c. He by his learning knew how to accoraraodate himself in his discourses to learned raen, as appears by this discourse of his : and he knew well how to Improve what he had read in their -writings ; and he here cites their own poets. And now Dionysius, fhat was a phllosoplier, was converted by hira, and, as ecclesiastical history gives us an account, raade a great instruraent of promoting fhe gospel. And there were many others in that and the following ages, who were eminently useful by their huraan learn ing in proraoting the interests of Christ's kingdora. XIX. Just before Cbrist was born, the Roraan erapire was raised to its greatest height, and also settled In peace. About four and twenty years before Christ was born, Augustus Csesar, the first Roraan eraperor, began to rule as emperor of the world. Till then the Roraan erapire had of a long tirae been a commonwealth, under the government of fhe senate : but then it becarae an absolute monarchy. This Augustus CsBsar, as he was the first, so he was th€ 388 WORK OF REDEMPTION greatest of all the Roraan eraperors : he reigned in fhe greatest glory. Thus the power of the heathen world, wbich was Satan's visible kingdom, was raised to its greatest height, after it had been rising higher and higher, and strength ening itself more and more from the days of Solomon to this day, which was about a thousand years. Now It appeared at a greater height than ever it appeared. from tbe first beginning of Satan's heathenish kingdora, which was probably about the time of the building of Babel. Now the heathen world was in its greatest glory for sfrength, wealth, and learning. God did two tbings fo prepare the way for Christ's coraing, wherein he took a contrary raethod frora that which huraan wisdora would have taken. He brought his own visible people very low, and made fhem weak ; but the heathen, that were his enemies, he exalted fo the greatest height, for the more glorious triumph ofthe cross of Christ. Wilh a small number, In their greatest weakness, he conquered his enemies in their greatest glory. Thus Christ tri umphed over principalities and powers in his cross. Augustus Caesar had been for many years establishing the stafe of fhe Ro man empire, subduing his enemies in one part and another, till the very yeap fhat Christ was born ; when, all his eneraies being subdued, his dominion over (he world seemed to be settled in Its greatest glory. All was established in peace, in token whereof fhe Roraans shut the teraple of Janus, which was an established syrabol araong thera of there being universal peace throughout the Roman erapire. And this universal peace, which was begun thaf year fhat Christ was born, lasted twelve years, till the year that Christ disputed with the doctors In the teraple. Thus the world, after it had been, as it were, in a continual convulsion for so raany hundred years together, like the four winds striving together on the turaultuous raging ocean, whence arose those four great monarchies, being now established in the greatest height of the fourth and last monarchy, and settled in quietness ; now all things are ready for the birth of Christ. This remarka ble universal peace, after so many ages of tumult and war, was a fit prelude for the ushering of the glorious Prince of Peace into the world. Thus I have gone through the first grand period of fhe whole space be tween fhe fall of raan and the end of fhe -world, viz., thaf from fhe fall to the time of the incarnation of Christ, and have shown the truth of the first propo sition, viz., that from the fall of man to the incarnation of Christ, God was doing those things that were preparatory to Christ's coming, and were forerun ners of It. IMPROVEMENT. Before I proceed to fhe next proposition, I would make some few remarks, by way of improveraent, upon what has been said under this. I. Frora what has been said, we raay strongly argue, fhat Jesus of Naza reth is Indeeti the Son of God, and the Saviour of fhe world ; and so fhat the Christian religion is the true religion, seeing that Christ Is the very person so evidently pointed af. In all fhe great dispensations of Divine Providence, from the fall of man, and was so undoubtedly In so many instances foretold from age to age, and shadowed forth in a vast variety of types and figures. E we seri ously consider fhe course of things from the beginning, and observe the mo tions of all the great wheels of Providence frora one age fo another, we shall discern that they all tend hither. They are all as so many lines, whose course, if it be observed and accurately followed, it will be found that every one cen- ¦WORK OF REDEMPTION. 389 tres here. It is so very plain In many things, fhat it would argue stupidity to deny it. This therefore is undeniable, fhat this person Is a divine person, sent frora God, that came into the world with his coraraission and authority, to do his work, and to declare his mind. The great Governor of the world, in all his great works before and since fhe flood, fo Jews and Gentiles, down fo fhe time of Christ's birth, has declared it. It cannot be any vain imagination, but a plain and evident truth, that fhat person that was born at Bethlehem, and dwelt at Nazareth, and at C'apernaura, and was crucified witbout the gates of Jerusalera, must be the great Messiah, or anointed of God. And blessed are all they that believe in, and confess him, and miserable are all tbat deny hira. This shows the unreasonableness of the Deists, who deny revealed religion, and of the Jews, who deny that this Jesus Is the Messiah foretold and proraised to their fathers. Here it raay be sorae persons raay be ready to object, and say, That it raay be, sorae subtle, cunning raen contrived this history, and these prophecies, so that they should all point to Jesus Cbrist on purpose fo confirra It, that he is ,the Messi-dh. To such if raay be replied. How could such a thing be contrived by cunning men to point to Jesus Clirist, long before he ever was born ? How could tbey know that ever any such person would be born 1 And how could their craft and subtlety help thera to foresee and point af an event fhat was fo corae to pass raany ages afterwards 1 For no fact can be more evident, than that fhe Jews had those writings long before Cbrist was born, as they have them stdl in great veneration, wherever they are, in all their dispersions through the world ; and fhey would never have received such a contrivance frora Chris tians, to point to and confirra Jesus to be the Messiah, whom they always de nied to be the Messiah ; and much less would they have been madte to believe that they always had had those books in their hands, when they were first made and iraposed upon thera. II. What has been said affords a strong arguraent for fhe divine authority of the books of fhe Old Testaraent, frora that admirable harraony there Is in thera, whereby they all point to the sarae thing. For -we raay see by what has been said, how all the parts of the Old Testaraent, though written by so many different penmen, and in ages distant one from another, do all harmonize one with another ; all agree In one, and all centre in the sarae thing, and that a future thing ; an event which It was impossible any one of thera should know but by divine revelation, even the future coraing of Christ. This is raost evi dent and raanifest in thera, as appears by what has been said. Now, if the Old Tesfament was not inspired by God, what account can be given of such an agreement ? For if these books were only human writings, written without any divine direction, then none of these penraen knew that there would come such a person as Jesus Christ into the world ; his coming was only a mere figment of fheir own brain ; and if so, how happened it, that this figment of theirs carae fo pass ? How carae a vain iraagination of theirs, which (hey fore(old without any raanner of ground for their prediction, fo be so exactly fulfilled ? And especially how did they corae all to agree in it, all pointino- exactly to the same thing, though many of them Uved so many hun dred years distant one from anoiher 1 This adrairable consent and agreement in a future event, is therefore a clear and certain evidence of the divine au(hori(y of those writings. III. Hence we may learn what a weak and Ignorant objection it Is that some raake against sorae parts of the Old Testament's being the word of God, thaf they consist so much of histories of the wars and civil transactions of the 890 WORK OF REDEMPTION. kings and people of fhe nation of the Jews. Some say, we find here among the books of a particular nation, histories which they kept of the stafe of then: nation, from one age fo another ; histories of their kings and rulers, histories of their wars with fhe neighboring nations, and histories of the changes that happen from (irae to tirae in their state and government; and so we find fhat other na tions used to keep histories of their public affairs, as well as they ; and why then should we think fhat these histories which the Jews kept are the word of God, more than those of other people 1 Buf what has been said, shows the folly and vanity of such an objection. For hereby if appears fhat the case of these histories Is very different from fhat of all other histories. This history alone gives us an account of fhe first original of all things ; and this history alone deduces things down iji a wonderful series from fhat original, giving an Idea of fhe grand scheme of divine Providence, as fending to Its great end. And together wilh fhe doctrines and prophecies contained in if, the same book gives a view of fhe whole series ofthe great events of divine Providence, from the first original to the last end and consummation of all things, giving an ex cellent and glorious account of tlie wise and holy designs of the governor of the world in all. ' No coraraon history has such penmen as fhis history, which was all written by men who carae with evident signs and testimonies of fheli; being prophets of the most high God, iraraediately inspired. And the histories that were written, as we have seen from what has been said under this proposition, do all contain those great events of Providence, by Avhich It appears how God has been carrying on the glorious divine work ol rederaption frora age fo age. Though they are histories, yet they are no less full of divine instruction, and of these things that show forth Christ and his glo rious gospel, than other parts of the holy Scriptures, which are not historical. To object against a book's being divine, merely because it Is historical, is a poor objection ; just as if that could not be fhe word of God which gives an account of what is past ; or as though It were nof reasonable to suppose, that God, in a revelation he should give mankind, would give us any relation of the dispensations of his own providence. If it be so, it must be hecause his works are not worthy to be related ; if must be because the scheme of his government, and series of his dispensations towards his cburch, and towards the world that he has made, whereby he has ordered and disposed It from age to age, is not worthy that any record should be kept of it. The objection that is raade, fhat itis a coramon thing for nations and king doms to write histories and keep records of their wars, and the revolutions fhat come to pass In their territories. Is so far from being a weighty objection against the historical part of Scripture, as though It were not fhe word ofGod, that it Is a sfrong argument m favor of it. For if reason and fhe light of nature teaches all civilized nations fo keep records of fhe events of their human governraent, and the series of their adrainistrations, and to publish histories for the information of others ; how much more may we expect that God would give the world a record of fhe dispensations of his divine govemment, which doubtless Is infi nitely more worthy of a history for our inforraation 1 If wise kings have taken care that fhere should be good histories written ofthe nations over which fhey have reigned, shall we think It incredible, that Jesus Christ should fake care fhat his church, which is his nation, his peculiar people, should have in their hands a certain Infaihble history of their nation, and of his government of them'? If il had not been for the history of the Old Testament, how wofully should WORK OF REDEMPTION. 391 we have been left In the dark about many things which fhe church of God needs to know ! How Ignorant should we have been of God's dealings towards raankind, and towards bis church, from the beginning ! And we should have been wholly in the dark about the creation of tbe world, fhe fall of man, the first rise and continued progress of the dispensations of grace towards fallen mankind ! And we should have known nothing how God at first set up a churcb in fhe world and how It was preserved ; after what manner he govern ed it from the beginning ; how the light of the gospel first began to dawn in the world ; how it increased, and how things were preparing for the coming of Christ. If we are Christians, we belong to that budding of God that bas been fhe subject of our discourse frora fhis text : but if It bad not been for the history of the Old Testaraent, we should never have known what was the first occa sion of God's going about this building, and how the foundation of if was laid at first, and how it has gone on frora the beginning. The times of the history of the Old Testament are mostly times that no other history reaches up to ; and therefore, if' God had not taken care fo give and preserve an account of these things for us, we should have been wholly without thera. Those fhat object against the authority of tbe Old Testaraent history of the nation of the Jews, may as well make it an objection against Moses's account of fhe creation, that It Is historical ; for In the other, we have a history of a work no less impbrfant, viz., the work of redemption. Yea, this is aifar greater and more glorious work, as we observed before ; fhat if it be inquired which of the two works, the work of creation or fhe work of providence. Is greatest ; it must be answered, the work of providence ; but the work of re demption is the greatest of the works of providence. And let those who make this objection consider whaf part ofthe Old Testa ment history can be spared without raaking a great breach in that thread or series of events by which this glorious work has been carried on. —This leads me to observe, IV. That, frora what has been said, we raay see much of fhe wisdora of God in the coraposition of the Scriptures of the Old Testaraent, i. e., in the parts of which it consists. By wbat has been said, we raay see that God hath wisely given us such revelations in the Old Testaraent as we needed. Let us briefly take a view of the several parts of it, and of the need there was of thera. Thus if was necessary that we should have sorae account of fhe creation of the world, and of our first parents, and of" the fall, and a brief account of the old world, and of the degeneracy of It, and of the universal deluge, and sorae account of the origin of nations after this destruction of raankind. It seeras necessary that there should be some account of the succession of fhe churcb of God from the beginning : and seeing God suffered all fhe world to degenerate, and only took one nation fo be his people, to preserve the frue worship and religion till the Saviour of the worid should come, fhat in thera the world might gradually be prepared for thaf greaf light, and those wonderful Ihlno-s that he was to be the author of, and that they might be a typical nation, and that In thera God might shadow forth and teach, as under a veil, all future glorious things of the gospel ; it was therefore necessary that we should have sorae account of this thing, how it was first done by the calUng of Abrahara, and by their bond-slaves In Egypt, and how they were brought to Canaan. It was necessary that we should have some account of the revelation wbich God made of himself to that people, in giving their law, and in the appointment of 392 WORK OF REDEMPTION. their typical worship, and those things wherein tbe gospel is veiled, and of tbe forralno" of that people, both as to tbeir civd and ecclesiastical state. It seeras exceeding necessary fhat we should have some account of their being actually brought to Canaan, the country that was their proraised land, and where tbey always dwelt. It seeras very necessary thaf -we should have a history of tbe successions of the church of Israel, and of those providences of God towards thera, wbich were raost considerable and fullest of gospel mystery. It seems necessary that we should have some account of the highest promised external gloi-y of that nation under David and Solomon, and fhat we should have a very particular account of David, whose history is so full of the gospel, and so necessary in order fo Introduce tbe gospel into the world, and in whom began the race of their kings ; and that we should have some account of the building ofthe teraple, which was also «o full of gospel mystery. And it is a matter of great consequence, that we should have sorae account of Israel's dividing frora Judab, and of the ten tribes' captivity and utter rejec tion, and a brief account why, and therefore a brief history of thera till that tirae. It Is necessary that we should have an account of the succession of the kings of Judah, and of the church, fill their captivity into Babylon ; and that we should have some account oftheir return frora. their captivity, and resettle ment in their own land, and of tbe origin of fhe last sfate'that the church was In before Christ came. 'A little consideration will convince every one, fhat aH'these things were necessary, and that none of thera could be spared ; and in the general, fhat it was necessary thaf we should have a history of God's church fill such tiraes as are within the reach of huraan histories ; and it was of vast importance that we should have an inspired history of those times of the Jewish church, wherein there was kept up a more extraordinary intercourse between God and thera, and while he used to dwell araimg them as it were visibly, reveaUng himself by the Sbechinah, by Urim and Thumraira, and by prophecy, and so raore im mediately to order their affairs. And It was necessary fhat we should have some account of the great dispensations of God in prophecy, which were to be after tbe finishing of inspired history ; and so it was exceeding suitable and needful that there should be a number of prophets raised up who should foretell the coraing of the Son of God, and tbe nature and glory of his kingdora, to be as so raany harbingers to make way for hira, and that their prophecies should remain in the church. It was also a matter of great consequence fhat the church should have a book of divine songs given by inspiration from God, wherein there should be a lively representation of tbe true spirit of devotion, of faitb, hope, and divine love, joy, resignation, humiU(y, obedience, repentance, &c. ; and also that we should have from God such books of moral instructions as we have in Proverbs and Ecclesiastes, relating fo fhe affairs and state of mankind, and the concerns of human Ufe, containing rules of true wisdora and prudence for our conduct In all circumstances ; and that we should have particularly a song representing the great love between Christ and his spouse the church, particularly adapted to the disposition and holy affections of a true Christian soul towards Christ, and representing his grace and raarvellous love to, and delight in his people ; as we have in Soloraon's Song ; and especially that we should have a book to teach us how to conduct ourselves under affliction, seeing the church of Gort here is in a raditant state, and God's people do, through much tribulation, en ter into fhe kingdom of heaven ; and tbe church Is for so long a tirae under trouble, and raeets with such exceedingly fiery trials, and extrerae sufferings . WORK OF REDEMPTION. 393 Before her time of peace and rest in the latter ages of the world shall corae : therefore God has given us a book raost proper in these circurastances, even the book of Job, written upon occasion of the afflictions of a particular saint and was probably at first given to fhe church in Egypt under her afflictions there; and is made use of by tbe apostle to corafort Christians under persecu tions, James v. 11 : " Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and bave seen the end of the Lord ; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy." God was also pleased, in this book of Job, fo give some view of the ancient divinity, before the giving of the law. Thus, frora this brief review, I think it appears thaf every part of fhe Scrip tures of the Old Testaraent is very useful and necessary, and no part of it can be spared, without loss to the church. And therefore, as I said, the wisdora of God Is conspicuous in ordering that the Scriptures of fhe Old Testaraent should consist of those very books of which fhey do consist. Before I dismiss this particular, I would add, that it is very observable, that the history of the Old Testament Is large and particular, where the great affair of redemption required it; as where fhere was raost done towards tbis work, and most to typify Cbrist, and to prepare the way for hira. Thus it is very large and particular In the history of Abraham and the other patriarchs ; but very short in the account we have of fhe time which the children of Israel spent In Egypt. So again It Is large In the account ofthe redemption out of Egypt, and the first settling of the affairs of the Jewish church and nation in Moses and Joshua's time ; but rauch shorter In the account of the tiraes of the judges. So again, it is large and particular In the account of David's and Soloraon's tiraes, and then very short in the history of the ensuing reigns. Thus fhe ac counts are large or short, just as there is raore or less of fhe affair of rederap tion to be seen in them. V. Frora what has been said, we raay see, that Christ and his rederaption are the greaf subject of the whole Bible. Concerning the New Testaraent, fhe matter is plain ; and by what has been said on this subject hitherto, it appears to be so also with respect to the Old Testaraent. Christ and his redemption is the greaf subject of the prophecies of the Old Testament, as has been shown. It has also been shown, that he ia the greaf subject ofthe songs of the Old Tes fament ; and the moral rules and precepts are all given In subordination to him. And Christ and his redemption are also the great subject of fhe history of the Old Testament, from the beginning all along ; and even fbe history of the creation Is brought In, as an introduction to fhe history of rederaption that imraediately follows it. The whole book, both Old Testament and New, is filled up with the gospel ; only with this difference, that the Old Testament contains the gospel under a veil, buf the New contains it unveiled, so that we raay see the glory of the Lord with open face. VI. By what has been said, we may see the usefulness and excellency of the Old Testaraent. Some are ready to look on the Old Testaraent as being, as it were, out of date, and as if we, in these days of fhe gospel, have but liftle to do with it ; which is a very great raistake, arising from the want of observ ing the nature and design of fhe Old Testaraent, which, If it were observed, would appear full of the gospel of Christ, and would in an excellent raanner dlusfrate and confirra fhe glorious docfrines and promises of the New Testament Those parts of tbe Old Testaraent which are comraonly looked upon as con taining fhe least divine instruction, are as It were raines and treasures of gospel knowledge ; and the reason why they are tho-aght to contain so little, is, be cause persons do but superficially read fhem The treasures which are hid Vol. I. 50 394 WORK OF REDEMPTION. underneath are not observed. They only look on the top of the ground, and so suddenly pass a judgment fhat there is nothing fhere. But they never dig into the raine : if they did, they would find it richly stored with silver and gold, and would be abundantly requited for their pains. What has been said, may show us what a precious treasure God has com mitted into our hands, in that he has given us the Bible. How little do most persons consider, how much they enjoy, in that they have the possession of tbat holy book the Bible, which they have in their hands, and raay converse wilh it as they please. What an excellent book is this, and how far exceeding all human writings, that reveals God to us, and gives us a view of the grand de sign and glorious scherae of Providence frora the beginning of the world, either in history or prophecy ; that reveals fhe great Redeeraer and his glorious re demption, and the various steps by which God accomplishes it frora the first foundation to the topstone ! Shall we prize a history which gives us a clear ac count of sorae great earthly prince, or mighty warrior, as of Alexander (he Great, or Julius Cesar, or fhe Duke of Mariborough ? And shall we not prize the history that God gives us of the glorious kingdom of his Son Jesus Christ, the Prince and Saviour, and of the wars and other great transactions of that Kino- of kino-s, and Lord of armies, fhe Lord mighty in battle ? The history of the things which he has wrought for the redemption of his chosen people 1 VII. What has been said, may make us sensible how much most persons are fo blarae for their inattentive, unobservant way of reading fhe Scriptures. How rauch do the Scriptures contain, if it were but observed ! The Bible is the most coraprehensive book in the world. But what wdl all this signify to us, if we read It without observing what Is the drift of fhe Holy Ghost in It ] The Psalmist, Psal. cxix. 18, begs of God, ". that he would enlighten his eyes, tbat he might behold wondrous things out of his law." The Scriptures are full of wondrous things. Those histories which are comraonly read as If they were only histories of the private concerns of such and such particular persons, such as the histories of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and Joseph, and the histo ry of Ruth, and the histories of particular lawgivers and princes, as the history of Joshua and the Judges, and David, and the Israelitish princes, are accounts of vastly greater things, things of greater iraportance, and more extensive con cernment, than they that read them are commonly aware of The histories of Scripture are coraraonly read as if they were stories written only to entertain raen's fancies, and to while away their leisure hours, when the infinitely great things contained or pointed at in them are pa.ssed over and never taken notice of Whatever treasures the Scriptures contain, we shall be never the better for them if we do not observe them. He that has a Bible, and does not observe what is contained in it, Is like a man who has a box full of silver and gold, and does not know it, does not observe fhat it is any thing more than a vessel filled with coraraon stones. As long as It is thus with him, he will be never the better for his treasure : for he that knows not that he has a treasure, will never raake use of what he has, and so might as well be with out it. He who has a plenty of the choicest food stored up in his house, and does not know it, will never taste what he has, and will be as Ukely to starve as if his house were empty. VIII. What has been said, may show us how great a person Jesus Christ is, and how great an errand he came into the world upon, seeing there was so much done to prepare the way for his coming. God had been doing nothing else but prepare the way for fjis coming, and doing fhe work which he' had to do In fhe world, through all ages of the world from the ver/ beginning. If WORK OF REDEMPTION. 395 we had notice of a certain stranger's being about to come into a country, and should observe that a great preparation was made for his coming, that many months were taken up in It, and great things were done, many great alterations were raade in the state of the whole country, and that many hands were em ployed, and persons of great note were engaged In making preparation for the coming of this person, and the whole country was overturned, and all fhe af fairs and concerns of fhe country -were ordered so as to be subservient fo the design of entertaining that person when he should come; It would be natural for us to think with ourselves, why, surely, this person Is some extraordinary person indeed, and it Is sorae very great business that he is coraing upon. How great a person then must he be, for whose coming into the world }he great God of heaven and earth, and governor of all things, spent four thousand years In preparing the way, going about it soon after the world was created, and from age to age doing great things, bringing mighty events to pass, accoraplishing wonders without nuraber, often overturning the world in order to it, and causing every thing in the state of raankind, and all revolutions and changes in the habitable world from generation to generation to be subser vient to this great design ! Surely this must be some great and extraordinary persofi^indeed, and a great work Indeed It must needs be that he Is coming bout. We read. Matt. xxi. 8, 9, 10, that when Christ was coming Into Jerusalem, and the multitudes ran before hira and cut down branches of palra frees, and strewed thera in the way, and others spread their garraents in the way, and cried, "Hosannah to the son of David," that the whole city was moved, saying. Who is this ? They wondered who that extraordinary person shoidd be, that there should be such an ado raade on occasion of his coraing Into the city, and to prepare fhe way before hira. But if we consider what has been said on fhis subject, what great things were done In all ages to prepare the way for Christ's coming into the world, and how the world was often overturned to raake way for it, rauch more may we cry out, W^ho Is this ? What great person is this 1 And say, as in Psal. xxiv. 8, 10, " Who Is this King of glory," thatGod should show such respect, and put such vast honor upon him 1 Surely this person Is honorable indeed In God's eyes, and greatly beloved of hira ; and surely it is a great errand upon which he Is sent Into the world. PERIOD II. Having shown how the woik of rederaption was carried on through the first period, frora the fall of man to the incarnation of Christ, I corae now to the second period, viz., the time of Christ's humdiation, or the space frora the in carnation of Christ to his resurrection. And this Is the most remarkable article of tirae that ever was or ever wdl be. — Though It -\vas but between thirty and forty years, yet more was done In it than had been done from the beginning of the world to that tirae. We have observed, that all that had been done frora the fall to the incarnation of Christ, was only preparatory for what was done now. And it raay also be observed, that all that was done before the beginning of tirae, in the eternal counsels of God, and that eternal transaction there was between the persons of the Trinity, cnlefly respected this period. We therefore now proceed fo consider fhe second proposition, viz., 396 WORK OF REDEMPTION. That during the time of Christ's humiliation, from his incarnation to his resurrection, fhe purchase of redemption was made. Though fhere were many tbings done in fhe affair of redemption frora the fall of man fo this tirae, though millions of sacrifices had been offered up ; yet nothing was done fo purchase redemption before Christ's incarnation : no part of the purchase was raade, no part of fhe price was offered tdl now. But as soon as Christ was incarnate, then the purchase began immediately without any delay. And fhe whole time of Christ's huraiUation, frora tbe morning that Christ began to be incarnate, fill the morning that he rose from the dead, was taken up in tbis purchase. And then the purchase was entirely and completely finished. As nolhing was done before Christ's incarnation, so nothing was done after his resurrection, fo purchase redemption for men. Nor will there ever be any thing raore done to all eternity. But tbat very raoment that the human nature of Christ ceased to reraain under the power of death, the utmost farthino- was paid ofthe price ofthe salvation of every one ofthe elect. But for the raore orderly and regular consideration of the great tbings done by our Redeeraer fo purchase rederaption for us, 1. I would speak of Christ's becoming Incarnate to capacitate hiraself for this purchase; — and, 2. I would speak of the purchase itself. PART L First, I would consider Christ's coraing into the world, or his taking upon fiira our nature to put himself in a capacity to purchase rederaption for u Christ becarae incarnate, or, which Is the sarae thing, becarae man, to put hira self in a cap'dclty for working out our redemption : for though Christ, as God, was infinitely sufficient for the work, yet to his being in an imraediate capacity for it, it was needful that he should not only be God, buf raan. If Christ had reraained only in the divine nature, he would not have been In a capacity to have purchased our salvation ; not frora any iraperfection of the divine nature, but by reason of Ifs absolute and infinite perfection : for Christ, raerely as God, was not capable either of that obedience or suffering that was needful. The divine nature Is not capable of suffering; for It is infinitely above all suffering. Neither is it capable of obedience to that law that was given fo raan. It Is as Irapossible that one who is only God, should obey the law fhat was given to man, as it Is that he should suffer raan's punishraent. And It was necessary not only that Christ should take upon hira a created nature, but that he should take upon hira our nature. It would not have suf ficed for us for Christ to have become an angel, and to have obeyed and suffer ed in the angelic nature. But it was necessary that he should becorae a man, and that upon three accounts. 1. It was needful to answer the law, that that nature should obey the law, io which fhe law was given. Man's law could not be answered, but by being obeyed by raan. God insisted upon It, that the law which he had given to man should be honored and subraitted fo, and fulfilled by fhe nature of man, otherwise the law could not be answered for men. The words that were spo- WORK OF REDEMPTION. 397 ken. Thou shalt not eat thereof, Thou shalt, or Ihou shalt nof, do thus or thus, were .spoken to the race of mankind, to the human natufe ; and therefore fhe huraan nature raust fulfil thein. 2. It was needful to answer the law, that the nature that .sinned should die. These w'^rds, " Thou shalt surely die," respect tbe human nature. The sarae nature to which fhe coraraand was given, was fhe nature to which the threaten ing was directed. 3. God saw meet, that the same world which was the stage of man's fall cmd ruin, should also be the stage of his redemption. We read often of his coraing intp fhe world fo save sinners, and of God's sending hira into tbe world for this purpose. It was needful that he should corae into this sinful, raiserable, undone world, to restore and save it. In order to raan's recovery, it was need ful that he should corae down to raan, to fhe world that was raan's proper hab itation, and that he should tabernacle with us: John i. 14, " The word was raade flesh, and dwelt among us." Concerning the incarnation of Christ, I would observe these following things. I. The incarnation itself; in which especially two things are to be consid ered, viz. 1. His conception, which was in the womb of one of fhe race of mankind, whereby he becarae truly the Son of raan, as he was often called. He was one of tbe posterity of Adara, and a child of Abrahara, and a son of David, ac cording to God's proraise. But his conception was not in the way of ordinary generation, but by the power of the Holy Ghost. Christ was forraed in the womb of the 'Virgin, of tbe substance of her body, by the power of the Spirit of God. So that he was tbe immediate son of the woraan, but not the imrae diate son of any raale whatsoever; and so was the seed of the woman, and the son of a virgin, one thaf had never known man. 2. His birth. — Though the conception of Christ was supernatural, yef after he was conceived, and so (he Incarnadon of Christ begun, his human nature was gradually perfected in fhe womb of the virgin, in a way of natural progress ; and so his birth was in the way of nature. But his conception being super natural, by fhe power of the Holy Ghost, he was botb conceived and born without sin. II. The second thing I v,'ould observe concerning the Incarnation of Christ, Is the fulness of the time in which it was accomplished. It was after things had been preparing for If frora the very first fall of mankind, and when all things were ready. If came to pass at a time, which In infinite wisdom was the most fit and proper : Gal. iv. 4, " But when the fulness of time was corae, God sent forth his Son, made of a woraan, made under the law." It was now the most proper time on every account. .Any time before the flood would not have been so fit "a time. For then the mischief and ruin that the fall brought on mankind, was not so fully seen. The curse did nof so fully come on fhe earth before fhe flood, as It did after-wards : for though tbe ground was cursed in a great raeasure before, yef it pleased God that the curse should once, before fhe restoration by Christ, be executed in a universal destruction, as it were, of the very form of the earth, that the dire effects of tbe fall might once in sucn a way be seen before (he recovery by Christ. Though mankind were mortal before the flood, yet their lives were the greater part of a thousand years in length, a kind of imraortality in coraparison with what the life of raan IS now. It pleased God, fhat that curse, " Dust thou art, and unto dust fhou shalt return," should have its full accomplishraent, and be executed in its 398 WORK OF REDEMPTION. greatest degree on mankind, before the Redeeraer came to purchise a never ending life for man. If would not have been so fit a time for Christ fo corae, after the flood, be fore Moses's time : for fill then mankind were not so universally apostatized frora fhe true God ; they were not fallen universally into Heathenish darkness ; and so the need of Christ, the light of the world, was not so evident : and the woful consequence of the fall with respect to man's mortality, was not so fully manifest fill then ; for man's life was not so shortened as to be reduced to the present standard till about Moses's tirae. It was most fit that the time of the Messiah's coming should nof be fill many ages after Moses's time ; tdl all nations, but fbe children of Israel, had lain long in Heathenish darkness ; that fhe remedilessness of their disease raight by long experience be seen, and so the absolute necessity of the heavenly physician, before be carae. Another reason why Christ did not come soon after the flood probably was, that the earth raight be full of people, that Christ might have the more exten sive kingdora, and that the effects of his light, and power, and grace, raight be glorified, and that bis victory over Satan might be attended with the more glory in the raultitude of his conquests. It was also needful that the coraing of Christ should be many ages after Moses, that the church might be prepared which was formed by Moses for his coraing, by the Messiah's being long pre figured, and by bis being many ways foretold, and by bis being long, expected. It was not proper that Christ should come before the Babylonish captivity, be cause Satan's kingdora was not then corae to the height. The Heathen world before that consisted of lesser kingdoras. But God saw meet that the Messiah should come In the time of one of the four greaf monarchies of the world. Nor was it proper tbat he should corae in the time of fhe Babylonish monarchy ; for it was God's will that several general monarchies should follow one another, and that the coraing of the Messiah should be In the time of the last, which appeared above them all. The Persian raonarchy, by overcoming the Baby lonian, appeared above It : and so the Grecian, by overcoming the Persian, appeared above that ; and for thesame reason, the Roman above the Grecian. Now It was fhe will of God, that his Son should make his appearance In the world in fhe time of this greatest and strongest monarchy, which was Satan's visible kingdom In the world ; thaf, by overcoming this, he might visibly over come Satan's kingdom In Its greatest strength and glory, and so obtain the more coraplete triuraph over Satan hiraself It was not proper that Christ should corae before tbe Babylonish captivity. For, before that, we have not histories of fhe state of the Heathen world, to give us an idea of the need of a Saviour. And besides, before that, learning did not rauch flourish, and so there had not been an opportunity to show the insufficiency of huraan learning and wisdom to reform and save raankind. Again, before that, the Jews were not dispersed over the worid, as fhey were afterwards ; and so things were not prepared In this respect for the coraing of Christ. The necessity of abolishing the Jewish dispensation was not then so apparent as it was afterwards, by reason of the dispersion of the Jews ; neither v^-as the way prepared for the propagation of the gospel, as It was afterwards, by the same dispersion. Many other things might be mentioned, by which it would appear, that no other time before that very time In which Christ did come, would have been proper for his appearing In the world to purchase the redemp tion of raen. III. The next thing that I would observe concerning the Incarnation of WORK OF REDEMPTION. 3V9 Christ, is the greatness of this event. Christ's incarnation was a greater and more wonderful thing than ever had come to- pass ; and fhere has been buf one that has ever come to pass which was greater, and that was fhe death of Christ, which was afterwards. But Christ's incarnation was a greater thing than had ever corae to pass before. The creation of the world was a very great thing, but not so great a thing as the Incarnation of Christ. It was a great thing for God fo make the creature, buf not so great as for God, as for the Creator him self, to become a creature. We have spoken of many great things that were accomplished frora one age to another, in the ages between the fall of raan and the incarnation of Christ : but God's becoraing raan was a greater thing than they all. When Christ was born, the greatest person was born tbat ever was, or ever will be born. IV. What I would next observe concerning the Incarnation of Christ, are the remarkable circumstances of It ; such as his being born of a poor virgin, that was a pious, holy person, but poor, as appeared by her offering at her puri fication : Luke ii. 24, "And to offer a sacrifice according to tbat which Is said in the law of the Lord, a pdr of turtle doves, or two young pigeons." Which refers to Lev. v. 7, " And If she be not able to bring a lamb, then she shall bring two turtle doves, or two young pigeons." And this poor virgin was es poused to a husband who was a poor man. Though they were both of the royal faraily of David, the raost honorable faraily, and Joseph was the rightful heir fo the crown ; yet the faraily was reduced to a very low .state ; which is represented by the tabernacle of David's being fallen or broken down : Amos ix. 11, " In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David fhat is fallen, and close up the breaches thereof, and I will raise up his ruins, and I will build It as in the days of old." He was born in the town of Bethlehera, as was foretold : and fhere was a very reraarkable providence of God fo bring about the fulfilraent of this pro phecy, the taxing of all the worid by Augustus Ceeser, as in Luke ii. He was born In a very low condition, even in a stable, and laid In a raanger. V. I would observe the concoraitants of this great tvent, or the reraarkable events with which it was attended. — And, 1. The first thing I would fake notice of that attended the incarnation of Christ, was the return of fhe Spirit ; which indeed began a little before the incarnation of Christ ; but yet was given on occasion of thaf, as it was to re veal either his birth, or tbe birth of his forerunner John tbe Baptist. I have hefore observed how fhe spirit of prophecy ceased, not long ^fter the book of Malachi was written Frora about tbe same tirae, visions and iraraediate reve lations ceased also. But now, on this occasion, they are granted anew, and the Spirit in these operations returns again. The first instance of its re.stora- tion fhat we have any account of is In the vision of Zacharias, tbe father of John the Baptist ; which we read of in the 1st chapter of Luke. The text is In (he vision which fhe Virgin Mary had, of whicb we read also in fhe sarae chap ter. The third is in the vision which Joseph had, of which we read In the 1st chapter of Matthew. In the next place, the Spirit was given fo Elisabeth, Luke I. 41. Next, It was given fo Mary, as appears by her song, Luke i. 46, &c. Then to Zacharias again, ver. 64. Then it was sent to the shepherds, ofwhich we nave an account in Luke Ii. 9. Then It w^s given to Siraeon, Luke ii. 25. Then tO Anna, ver. 36. Then to the wise raen In the east. Then fo Joseph again, directing him to flee into Egypt, and after that directing his return. 2. The next concomitant of Christ's Incarnation that I would observe Is, the greaf notice that was taken of It in heaven, and on earth. How It was noticed 40C WORK OF REDEMPTION by Iht glorious inhabitants of fhe heavenly world, appears by their joyful songs on this occasion, heard by the shepherds in the night. This was the greatest event of Providence that ever the angels had beheld. We read of '.heir singing praises when they saw fhe formation of this lower world : Job xxxviii. 1, " When fhe morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy." And as they sang praises then, so fhey do now, on this much greater occasion, of the birth of fhe Son of God, who is the Creator of the world. Tbe glorious angels had all along expected fhis event. — They had taken great notice of the prophecies and proraises of these things all along ': for we are fold, that the angels desire fo look info fhe affairs of rederaption, 1 Pet i. 12. They had all along been the ministers of Christ in this affair of redemp tion, in all the several steps of it down frora fhe very fall of raan. So we read, that they -were employed in God's dealings with Abrahara, and in his dealings with Jacob, and in his dealings with the Israelites frora tirae to time. And doubtless they bad long joyfully expected the coming of Christ ; but now they see it accomplished, and therefore greatly rejoice, and sing' nraises on this occasion. Notice was taken of It by sorae araong the Jews ; as particularly by Elisa beth and the Virgin Mary, before tbe birth of Christ ; not to say by John the Baptist before he was born, wben he leaped in his raother's worab as It were for joy, at tbe voice of the salutation of Mary. But Elisabeth and Mary do raost joyfully praise' God together, when fhey raeet with Christ and his forerun ner in their worabs, and the Holy Spirit In their souls. And afterwards what joyful notice is taken of this event by fhe shepherds, and by those holy persons, Zacharias, and Siraeon, and Anna ! How do tbey praise God on tbis occasion! Thus the church of God in heaven, and the church on earth, do as it were unite in tbeir joy and praise on this occasion. Notice was taken of it by the Gentiles, which appears in the wise raen of the east. Great part of fhe universe does as if were take a joyful notice of the incarnation of Christ. Heaven fakes notice of it, and fhe inhabitants sing for joy. This lower world, the world of mankind, does also fake notice of if In both parts of it, Jews and Gentdes. It pleased God to put honor on his Son, by wonderfully stirring up sorae of the wisest of the Gentiles to corae a long journey to see and worship tbe Son of God at bis birth, being led by a rairacu lous star, signifying the birth of that glorious person, who is the bright and morning star, going before, and leading tbem to thevery place where the young child was. Some think they were Instructed by the prophecy of Balaara, who dwelt in tbe eastern parts, and foretold Christ's coraing as a star that should rise out of Jacob. Or fhey raight be Instructed by that general expectation there was of the Messiah's coraing about fhat tirae, before spoken of, from the notice they bad of it by the prophecies the Jews had of hira in their disper sions in all parts of the world at tbat tirae. 3. The next concorailant of the birth of Christ 'was his circuracision. But fhis raay raore properly be spoken of under another head, and so I wIU not in sist upon it now. 4. The next concomitant was his first coming Into the second temple, whicb was his being brought thither when an infant, on occasion of the purification of fhe blessed Virgin. We read, Hagg. ii. 7, "Tbe desirtfof all nations shall come, and I wdl fill this house (or teraple) with glory." And in Mal. iii. 1, " The Lord, whom y. seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even fhe messenger of the covenant.* And now was the first instance of the fulfilment of these prophecies. WORK OF REDEMPTION. 401 5. The last concomitant I shall mention is the sceptre's departing frora Ju dah, in the death of Herod the Great. The sceptre had never totally departed from Judah tdl now. Judah's sceptre was greatly dirainished in the revolt of the ten tribes in Jeroboam's tirae ; and the sceptre departed frora Israel or Ephraim at the time of the captivity of the ten tribes by Shalnianeser. But yet the sceptre reraained in the tribe of Judah, under fhe kings of the house of David. And when the tribes of Judah and Benjarain were carried captive by Nebuchadnezzar, the sceptre of Judah ceased for a little while, till the return frora the captivity under Cyrus: and then, though fhey were not an indepen dent governraent, as they had been before, but owed fealty to the kings of Persia ; yet their governor was of theraselves, who bad the power of life and death, and they were governed by their own laws; and so Judah had a lawgiver frora be tween his feet during the Persian and Grecian raonarchies. Towards fhe latter part of the Grecian monarchy, the people were governed by kings of fheir own, of the race of the Maccabees, for tbe greater part of a hundred years ; and after fhat they were subdued by tbe Roraans. But yet fhe Romans suffered fhem fo be governed by their own laws, and to have a king of their own, Herod fhe Great, who reigned about forty years, and governed vvith proper kingly authority, only paying homage to the Romans. But presently after Christ was born he died, as we have an account, Matt. ii. 19, and Archelaus succeeded him ; but was soon put down by the Roman Eraperor ; and then the sceptre departed frora Judah. There were no raore teraporal kings of Judah after that, neither had that people fheir governors from fhe midst of theraselves after that, but were ruled by a Roraan governor sent araong them ; and they ceased any more to have the power of life and death araong theraselves. Hence the Jew^ say to Pilate, " It is not lawful for us to put any raan fo death," John xviu. 31 Thus the sceptre departed from Judah when Shiloh came. PART II. Having thus considered Christ's coraing into fhe world, and his faking ow hira our nature, to put himself in a capacity for fhe purchase of redemption, I come now, secondly, to speak of the purchase itself — And in speaking of this I would, 1. Show what Is Intended by the purchase of redemption. 2. Observe some things in general concerning those things by which fhis purchase was made. 3. I would orderly consider those things which Christ did and suffered, bv which that purchase was made. SECTION I. I would show what is here intended by Christ's purchasing redemption And fhere are two things that are intended by it, viz., his satisfaction, and his merit. All is done by the price that Christ lays down. But the price that Christ laid down does two things : it pavs our debt, and so it satisfies : by its intrinsic Vol. L ' 51 402 WORK OF REDEMPTION. value, and by the agreeraent between the Father and the Son, it procures a title to us for happiness, and so It merits. The satisfaction of Christ is to free us from misery, and the raerit of Christ isto purchase happiness for us. The word purchase, as If is used with respect to fhe purchase of Christ, is taken either raore strictly, or more largely. It is oftentimes used more strictly, fo signify only the merit of Cbrist ; and sometimes more largely, to signify both his satisfaction and merit. Indeed most of the words which are used in this af fair have various significations. Thus soraetimes divines use merit in this affair for tbe whole price thaf Christ offered, both satisfactory, and also positively meritorious. And so the word satisfaction Is sometimes used, not only for his propitiation, but also for his meritorious obedience. For in some sense, not only suffering the penalty, but positively obeying, is needful to satisfy the law. The reason of fhis various use of these terms seems to be, fhat satisfaction and merit do not differ so much really as relatively. They both consist in paying a valuable price, a price of infinite value ; but only that price, as It respects a debt to be paid, is called satisfaction ; and as it respects a positive good to be obtained, is called merit. The difference between paying a debt and raaking a positive purchase is raore relative than It Is essential. He who lays down a price to pay a debt, does in sorae sense make a purchase : he purchases hberty from tbe obligation. And he who lays down a price to purchase a good, does as It were make satisfaction : he satisfies the conditional demands of him to whom he pays it. This may suffice concerning what Is meant by the purchase of Christ. SECTION II. I now proceed to sorae general observations concerning those fhlngs by which this purchase was made. — And here, 1. I would observe, that whatever In Christ had fhe nature of satisfaction. It was by virtue of fhe suffering or humiliation that was in if. But whatever had the nature of merit, it was by virtue of the obedience or righteousness there was in it. The satisfaction of Christ consists In his answering the deraands of fhe law on raan, which were consequent on the breach of the law. These were answered by suffering the penalty of the law. The merit of Christ consists in what he did to answer the demands of the law, which were prior to man's breach of the law, or to fulfil what the law demanded before man sinned, which was obedience. The satisfaction or propitiation of Christ consists either In his suffering evd, or his being subject to abasement. For Christ did not only make satisfaction by proper suff'ering, but by whatever had the nature of humUiation, and abase ment of circumstances. Thus Christ made satisfaction for sin, by continuing under the power of death, while he lay buried xi the grave, though neither his body nor soul properiy endured any suffering after he was 5ead. Whatever Christ was subject to tbat was fhe judicial fruit of sin, had the nature of satis faction for sin. But not only proper suffering, but all abaseraent and depres sion of the state and circurastances of mankind below ifs primitive honor and dignity, such as his body reraaining under death, and body and soul remain ing separate, and other things that might be mentioned, are the judicial fruits of sin. And all that Christ did In his stafe of hurailiation, that had the nature of obedience or moral virtue or goodness in it. In one respect or another had the WORK OF REDEMPTION. 403 nature of merit in It, and was part of the price with which he purchased hap piness for the elect. 2. I would observe, that both Christ's satisfaction for sin, and also his raeriting happiness by his righteousness, were carried on through the whole tirae of his humiliation. Christ's satisfaction for sin was not only by his last sufferings, though it was principally by them ; but all his sufferings, and all the humilialion fhat he was subject to, from the first moraent of his incarnation to his resurrection, were propitiatory or satisfactory. Christ's satisfaction was chiefly by his death, because his sufferings and huraiUation in thaf was greatest. But all his other sufferings, and all his other humiliation, all along had fhe nature of satisfaction. So had the rnean circurastances in which he was born. His being born in such a low condition, was fo raake satisfaction for sin. His being born of a poor virgin, in a stable, and his being laid in a manger ; his taking the huraan nature upon hira in Its low state, and under those infirraities brought upon it by the fall ; his being born in the, forra of sinful flesh, had fhe nature of satisfaction. And so all his sufferings In his infancy and childhood, and all that labor, and conterapt, and reproach, and temptation, and difficulty of any kind, or that he suffered through the whole course of his life, was of a propitiatory and satisfactory nature. And so his purchase of happiness by his righteousness was also carried on through the whole time of his humiliation till his resurrection ; not only in that obedience he performed through ttie course of his life, but also in fhe obedience he perforraed in laying down his life. 3. It was by the sarae things that Christ hath satisfied God's justice, and also purchased eternal happiness. This satisfaction and purchase of Christ were not only both carried on through the whole time of Christ's humiliation, but they were both carried on by fhe sarae things. He did not make satisfac tion by sorae things that he did, and then work out a righteousness by other different things ; but in the same acts by which he wrought out righteousness, he also raade satisfaction, but only taken in a different relation. One and the same act of Christ, considered with respect to the obedience there was in if, was part of his righteousness, and purchased heaven: but considered with respect to the self-denial, and difficulty, and hurailiation, wilh which he per formed it, had the nature of satisfaction for sin, and procured our pardon. Thus his going about doing good, preaching the gospel, and teaching his dis ciples, was a part of his righteousness, and purchase of heaven, as it was done In obedience to the Father ; and the sarae was a part of his satisfaction, as he did it wilh great labor, trouble, and weariness, and under great teraptation, exposing himself hereby to reproach and contempt. So his laying down his Hfe had tbe nature of satisfaction to God's offended justice, considered as his bearing our punishraent in our stead : but considered as an act of obedience to God, who had given him fhis comraand, that he should lay down his life for sinners, it was a part of his righteousness, and purchase of heaven, and as rauch the principal part of his righteousness as it was the principal part of his satis faction. Anci so to instance in his circumcision, -what he suffered in that, had the nature of satisfaction : the blood that was shed in his circuracision was propitiatory blood; but as it was a conforraity to the law of Moses, if was part of his raeritorious righteousness. Though it was not properly the act of his human nature, he being an infant ; yet it being what fhe huraan nature was the subject of, and being the act of that person, it was accepted as an act of his obedience as our raediator. And so even his being born in such a low condIt'<3n had the nature of satis- 404 WORK OF REDEMPTION. faction, by reason of the humdiation fhat was in it, and also of righteousness; as It was the act of his person in obedience to the Father, and what the human nature was the subject of, and what the will of the huraan nature did acquiesce in, though there was no act of the wdl of the huraan nature prior fo If. These things may suffice fo have observed in the general, concernmg the purchase Christ made of rederaption. ' SECTION III. I now proceed to speak more particularly of those things which Christ did, and was tbe subject of, during the tirae of his hurailiation, whereby this pur chase was made. — And the nature of the purchase of Christ, as it has been ex plained, leads us to consider these things under a twofold view, viz. 1. 'With respect to his righteousness, which appeared in thera. 2. With respect to ihe sufferings and humiliation that he was subject to In them In our stead. I. I will consider the things that passed during the time of Christ's humi liation, with respect to the obedience and righteousness that he exercised In thera. And this is subject to a threefold distribution. I shall therefore consi der his obedience. ' 1. With respect fo the laws which he obeyed. 2. With respect fo fhe different stages of his life In which he performed It. 3 With respect to tbe virtues he exercised in his obedience. I. The first distribution of the acts of Christ's righteousness is with respect to the laws which he obeyed in that righteousness which he perforraed. But here it raust be observed In general, that all the precepts which Christ obeyed may be reduced to one law, and that Is fhat which fhe apostle calls the law of warks, Rora. iii. 27. Every coramand that Christ obeyed may be reduced to that great and everlasting law of God fhat Is contained In the covenant of works, that eternal rule of right which God had established between himself and man kind. Christ carae into the world to fulfil and answer fhe covenant of works ; that Is, fhe covenant that is fo stand forever as a rule of judgment ; and that Isifhe covenant that we had broken, and that was fhe covenant that must be fulfilled. This law of works indeed includes all the laws of God which ever have been given to mankind ; for if Is a general rule of the law of works, and in deed of the law of nature, that God is to be obeyed, and that he raust be sub mitted to in whatever positive precept he Is pleased to give us. It Is a rule of the law of works, fhat men should obey their earthly parents ; and it is cer tainly as rauch a rule of the sarae law, fhat we should obey our heavenly Father : and so fhe law of works requires obedience fo all positive coramands of God. It required Adara's obedience fo that positive coraraand, not to eat of the forbidden fruit ; and it required obedience of the Jews to all the positive coraraands of their institution. When God comraanded Jonah to arise and go to Nineveh, fhe law of works required hira fo obey : and so it required Christ's obedience fo all fhe positive coraraands which God gave him. But, raore particularly, the commands of God which Christ obeyed, were of three kinds ; they -vi'ere either such as he was subject fo merely as man-, or such as he was subject to as he was a Jew, or such as he was subject to purely as Mediator. 1 He obeyed those commands which he was subject to merely as mar. • WORK OF REDEMPTION. 405 and they were the commands of the moral law, which was the sarae wilh fhat which WKS given at Mount Sinai, written in tw-o tables of .stone, which are ob ligatory on raankind of all nations and all ages of the world, 2. He obeyed all those laws he was subject fo as he was a Jew. Thus he was subject to- the ceremonial law, and was conformed fo it. He was conform ed to it in his being circuracised the eighth day ; and he strictly obeyed it In going up tq Jerusalem to the temple three times a year ; at least after he was come to the age of twelve years, which seeras to have been tbe age when fhe males began to go up to the temple. And so Christ constantly attended the service of the teraple, and of the synagogues. To this head of his obedience fo the law fhat he was subject to as a Jew, may be reduced his subraission fo John's baptisra. For if was a special cora mand to the Jews, to go forth fo John the Baptist, and be baptized of him ; and therefore Christ being a Jew, was subject to this coramand ; and therefore, when he came to be baptized of John, and John objected, that he had more need fo corae to hira to be baptized of hira, he gives this reason for it, that It was needful that he should do it, that he might fulfil all righteousness. See Matt. Iii. 13, 14, 15. 3. Another law fhat Christ was subject to was the mediatorial law, wbidi contained those commands of God to whicb be was subject not merely as man, nor yel as a Jew, but which related purely fo his mediatorial office. Such were the coraraands which fhe Father gave him, fo teach such doctrines, fo preach the gospel, to work such rairacles, to call such disciples, lo appoint such ordi nances, and finally lo lay down his life : fot he did all these things In obedience to coramands he had received of the Father, as he often tells us. And these commands be was not subject to merely as man ; for they did nof belong fo ¦ olher raen ; nor yet was he subject to thera as a Jew ; for they were no part of the Mosaic law ; but they were commands that he had received of fhe Father, fhat purely respected the work he was to do In the world In his media torial office. And it is to be observed, that Christ's righteousness, by which he merited heaven for himself and all who believe in bim, consists principally in his obe dience to this- mediatorial law; for in fulfilling this law consisted his chief work and business in the world. The hislory of the evangelists is chiefly taken up in giving an account of his obedience to tbis law, and this part of his obedi ence was that which was attended with the greatest difficulty of all ; and there fore his obedience in it was raost raeritorious. Wbat Cbrist had fo do in the world, by virtue of his being mediator, was infinitely raore difficult than what he had fo do merely as a man, or as a Jew. To his obedience fo this mediato rial law belongs his going through his last sufferings, beginning with his agony in the garden, and ending with his resurrection. As fhe obedience of fhe first Adam, wherein his righteousness would have consisted, if he had stood, would have mainly consisted, not in his obedience to the moral law, to wbich he was subject merely as man, but in his obedience to that special law that he was subject to as raoral bead and surety of mankind, even (he command of abs(aining from the free of knowledge of good and evil; so the obedience of the second Adara, wherein his righteousness consists, lies mainly, not In his obedience to the law Ihat he was subject to merely as man, but to that special law which he was subject to in his office as mediator and surety for raan. Before I proceed to fhe next distribution of Christ's righteousness, I would observe three things concerning Chr'ist's obedience to these lavvs- 406 WORK OF REDEMPTION. 1. He performed that obedience to them which was in every respect perfed. It was universal as to the kinds of laws that he was subject to ; he obeyed each of these three laws ; and it was universal with respect to every individual pre cept contained in these laws, and it was perfect as to each coramand. It was perfect as fo piosifive transgressions avoided, for he never transgressed in one instance ; he was guilty of no sin of coraraission. And it was perfect with re spect to tbe work coraraanded ; he perfected the whole work that each cora mand required, and never was guilty of any sin of omission. And it'was perfect with respect to the principle frora which he obeyed. His heart was perfect, his principles were wholly right, fhere was no corruption In his heart. And it was perfect wilh respect fo the ends he acted for, for he never had any by-ends, but airaed perfectly at such ends as the law of God required And it was per fect with respect to the raanner of performance ; every circurastance of each act was perfectly conformed to the coramand. And it was perfect with re spect fo the degree ofthe perforraance; he acted wholly up lo tbe rule. And it was perfect with respect to tbe constancy of obedience ; he did not only per fectly obey sometimes, but constantly, without any Interruption. And it was perfect wilh respect to perseverance ; he held out in perfect obedience to the very end, through all the changes he passed, and all the trials that were before him. Tbe raeritoriousness of Christ's obedience depends on fhe perfection of it. If It had failed In any instance of perfection, it could not have been meritorious : for imperfect obedience is not accepted as any obedience at all in the sight of the law of works, which was that law that Christ was subject to ; for that is not accepted as an obedience to a law that does not answer that law. 2. Tbe next thing I would observe of Christ's obedience is, fhat it was per formed through tbe greatest trials and temptations tbat ever any obedience was. His obedience was attended wilh the greatest difficulties, and most extreme abasement and sufferings that ever any obedience was, which was another thing that rendered it more meritorious and thankworthy^ To obey another when his coramands are easy, is not so worthy, as it is to obey when it cannot be done without great difficulty. 3. He performed this obedience with infinite respect to God, and fhe honoi of his law. The obedience be performed was with infinitely greater love to God, and regard to his authority, than fhe angels perform their obedience with. The angels perforra their obedience witb that love which is perfect, with sinless perfection; but Christ did nol do so^but he performed his obedience with much greater love than the angels do theirs, even infinite love; for though fhe human nature of Christ was not capable of love absolutely infinite, yet Christ's obedi ence that was performed in that human nature, is not to be looked upon as merely the obedience of the human nature, but the obedience of bis person as God-raan ; and there was infinite love of fhe person of Christ raanifest in fhat obedience. And Ibis, together with fhe infinite dignity of the person that obeyed, rendered his obedience infinitely meritorious. II. Tbe second distribution ofthe acts of Christ's obedience. Is with respect to the different parts of his life, wherein they were performed. And In this respect tbey may be divided into those which were performed in private life and those which were performed in his public ministry. \st. Tbose acts he performed during Mis private life. He was perfectly obedient in his childhood. He infinitely diflfered from other children, who, as soon as they begin fo act, begin to sin and rebel. He was subject to his earthly parents, though he was Lore' of all, Luke Ii. 51. He was found about las WORK OF REDEMPTION. 407 Father's business at twelve years of age In the temple. Lake ii. 42. He then began that work that he had to do In fulfilraent of fhe raediatorial law, which the Father had given hira. He continued his private life for about thirty years, dwelling at Nazareth, in fhe house of his reputed father Joseph, where he served God in a private capacity, and In following a mechanical trade, the busi ness of a carpenter. 2dly. Those acts which he perforraed during his public ministry , which be gan when he was about thirty years of age, and continued for the three last years and a half of his life. Most ofthe history ofthe evangelists is taken up in giving an account of what passed during these three years and a half; so is all the history of the evangelist Matthew, excepting the two first chapters. So is the whole of the history of fhe evangelist Mark ; it begins and ends with if. And so also is all the gospel of John, and all the gospel of Luke, excepting tbe two first chapters ; excepting also what we find in the evangelists concerning the rainistry of John the Baptist. Christ's first appearing In his public rainis try, is what is often called his coming in Scripture. Thus John speaks of Christ's coraing as what is yet to be, though he had been born long before. Concerning fhe public ministry of Christ, I would observe the following things : 1. The forerunner of it. 2. The manner of his first entering upon It. 3. The works in wbich he was eraployed during the course oflf; — and 4. The manner of his finishing it. 1. The forerunner of Christ's coraing in his public ministry was John the Baptist. He came preaching repentance for fhe reraission of sins, fo raake way for Christ's coraing, agreeably to the prophecies of hira, Isa. xl. 3, 4, 5, and Matt. iv. 5, 6. It is supposed that John the Baptist began his rainistry about three years and a half before Christ ; so that John's rainistry and Christ's put together, raade seven years, which was the last of Daniel's -weeks ; and this time is intended In Dan. ix. 27, "He wdl confirm the covenant with many for one week." Christ carae in the raidst of tbis week, viz.. In fhe beginning of the last half of it, or the last three years and a half, as Daniel foretold, as in fhe verse just now quoted : " And in the raidst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease." John the Baptist's rainistry consisted principally In preaching fhe law, f o awa ken raen and convince thera of sin, to prepare raen for fhe coraing of Christ, to comfort them, as the law is to prepare the heart for fhe entertainment of the gospel. A very reraarkable outpouring of the Spirit of God attended John's minis try, and the effect of It was that Jerusalera, and all Judea, and all the region round about Jordan, were awakened, convinced, went out to hira, and subraitted to his baptis.m, confessing their sins. John is spoken of as fhe greatest of all the prophets who carae before Christ: Matt. xi. 11, "Araong those that are born of woraen, there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist ; I. e., he tiad the raost honorable office. He was as the raorning star, which is the har binger of the approaching day, and forerunner of the rising sun. Tbe other prophets were stars that were fo give light in the night ; but we have heard how those stars went out on the approach of the gospel day. But now the coming of Christ being very nigh, the morning star comes before him, the brightest of all the stars, as John the Baptist was the greatest of all the prophets. And when Christ came in his public ministry, the light of that morning star decreased too, as we see when the sun rises, It diminishes the light of fhe morn- 408 WORK OF REDEMPTION. ing star. So John fhe Baptist says of hiraself, John ni. 30, " He must increase. but I raust decrease." And soon after Christ began his public rainistry, John the Baptist was put to death ; as the raorning star is vlsdile a little while after the sun is risen, yet soon goes out. 2. The next thing to be taken notice of is Christ's entrance on his public rainistry, which was by baptism, followed with the temptation in fhe wilder ness. His baptism was as it were his solemn Inauguration, by which he en tered on his ministry ; and was attended with his being anointed with fhe Holy Ghost, in a solemn and visible raanner, tbe Holy Ghost descending upon him in a visible shape like a dove, attended witb a voice frora heaven, saying, « This Is ray beloved Son, In whom I am well pleased," Matt. ill. 16, 17. After this he was led by the devd Info fhe wilderness. Satan made a vio lent onset upon hira at his first entrance on bis work ; and now he had a re raarkable trial of his obedience ; but he got the victory. He who had such success with the first Adam, had none with the second. 3. I would take notice of the work In which Christ was eraployed during his rainistry. And here are three things chiefly to be taken notice of, viz., his preaching, his working rairacles, and his calling and appointing disciples and ministers of his kingdom. (1.) His preaching the gospel. Great part of the work of his pubhc min istry consisted In this; and much of that obedience by which he puichased sal vation for us, was in his speaking those things which fhe Father coraraanded hira. — He raore clearly and abundantly revealed the mind and will of God, than ever it had been revealed before. He carae frora the bosora of the Father, and perfectly knew his raind, and was iii the best capacity to reveal It. As the sun, as soon as it Is risen, begins to shine ; so Christ, as soon as he came info his public ministry, began to enlighten the world wilh his doctrine. As the law was given at Mount Sinai, so Christ delivered his evangelical doctrine, full of bless ings and not curses, to a multitude on a mountain, as we have an account in fhe 5th, 6tb, and 7th chapters of Matthew. When he preached he did not teach as fhe scribes, but he taught as one having authority ; so that his hearers were astonished at his doctrine. He did not reveal the raind and will of God in tbe style which tbe prophets used fo preach, as nof speaking their own words but the words of another ; and used to speak in such a style as this, " Thus saith the Lord ;" but Christ, in such a style as fhis, " I say unfo you," thus or tbus ; " Verily, verily, I say unto you." He delivered his doctrines, not only as fhe docfrines of God tbe Father, but as his o-wn doctrines. He gave forth his coraraands, not as the prophets were wont to do, as God's comraands, but as his own commands. He spake In such a style as this, " This is my commandment," John xv. 12 ; " Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you," verse 14. (2.) Another thing that Christ was employed in during the course of his min istry, was working miracles. Concerning which we raay observe several things. Their multitude. Besides particular instances, we often have an account of raultitudes coraing at once with diseases, and his healing thera. They were works of mercy. In thera was displayed not only his Infinite power and greatness, but his Infinite raercy and goodness. He went about do ing good, healing the sick, restoring sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, and the proper use of their lirabs fo tbe larae and halt ; feedhig the hungry, cleans ing the leprous, and raising the dead. They -were alraost all of thera such as had been spoken ofas the peculiar works qf Qod, In the Old Testament. S) with respect to stilling the sea, Psal. cvii. WORK OF REDEMPTION. 409 29, " He maketh fhe storm a calra, so that the waves thereof are stdl." So as to walking on the sea in a storm : Job ix. 8, " Which alone — treadeth upon the waves of fhe sea." So as to casting out devils : Psal. lxxiv. 14, " Thou breakest the heads of leviathan In pieces." So as to feeding a raultitude in a wilderness : Deut. vni. 16, " Who fed thee In the wdderness with manna." So as to telhng raan's thoughts : Amos iv. 13, " Lo, he that — declareth unto man what is his thought — fhe Lord, the God of hosts is his narae." So as fo rais ing tbe dead : Psal. Ixviii. 20, " Unfo God the Lord belong the issues from death." So as to opening the eyes of the blind : Psal. cxlvi. 8, " Tbe Lord openeth the eyes of the Wind." So as to heaUng the sick : Psal. ciu. 3, " Who healeth all thy diseases." So as to llftmg up those who are bowed together : Psal. cxlvi. 8, " The Lord raiseth them that are bowed down." They were In general such works as were images of the greaf work which he came to work on man's heart : representing that irfward, spiritual cleansing. healing, renovation, and resurrection, wbich all his redeemed are the subjects of. He wrought them in such a manner as to show, that he did fhem by his own power, and nof hy the power of another, as the other prophets did. They were wont to work all their miracles in the narae of the Lord; but Christ wrought in his own name. Moses was forbidden to enter into Canaan, because he seeraed by his speech to assurae the honor of working only one miracle to him self Nor did Christ work miracles as tbe apostles did, who wrought thera all In the narae of Christ ; but he wrought them In his own name, and by his own authority and wdl: thus saith he, " I will, be thou clean," Matt. vni. 3. And Inthe same strain he puts the question, " Believe ye that I am able to do this.?" Matt. ix. 28. (3.) Another thing fhat Christ did in tbe course of his ministry, -was fo call his disciples. He called many disciples. There were many fhat he eraployed as ministers : he sent seventy disciples at one time in fhis work : but there were twelve that he set apart as apostles, who were the grand rainisters of his kingdom, and as it were tbe twelve foundations of his church. ' See Rev, xxi. 14. These were the raain instruraents of setting up his kingdom in fhe world, and therefore shall sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 4. I would observe how he finished his ministry. And this wa.?, (1.) In giving his dying counsels to his disciples, and all thaf should be his disciples, which we have recorded particularly in the 14th, 15th, and 16th chap ters of John's gospel. (2.) In instituting a soleran meraorial of his death. This he did in institu ting the sacraraent of the Lord's supper, wherein we have a representation of bis body broken, and of his blood shed. (3.) In offering up himself, as God's high priest, a sacrifice to God, which he did In his last sufferings. This act he did as God's minister, as God's anointed priest ; and It was the greatest act of his public ministry, the greatest act of his obedience by which he purchased heaven for beUevers. The priests of old used to do many other things as God's ministers; but then were fhey in the highest execution of their office when they were actually offering sacrifice on the altar. So the greatest thing that Christ did in the execution of his priestly office, and the greatest thing fhat he ever did, and the greatest thing that ever was done, was the offering up himself a sacrifice to God. Herein he was the antitype of all th;it had been done by all fhe priests, and in all fheir sacrifices and offerings, frora fhe beginning of the world. III. The thir'? distribution of tl.-j acts by which Christ purchased redemp- VoL. I. 52 410 WORK OF REDEMPTION. tion, regards the virtues that Christ exercised and manifested In them. And here I would observe, that Christ in doing the work that he had to do here In the world for our rederaption, exercised every possible virtue and grace. In deed there are some particular virtues that .«inful man may have that were not in Christ ; not frora any want or defect of virfue, but because his virtue was perfect and without defect. Such is fhe virtue of repentance, and brokenness of heart for sin, and raortification, and denying of lust. Those virtues Were not in Christ, because he had no sin of his own to repent of, nor any lust to deny. But all virtues which do not presuppose sin, were In bim, and tbat in a high er degree than ever fhey were in any other man, or any mere creatine. Every virtue in him was perfect. Virfue itself was greater in hira than In any other; and it was under greater advantages fo shine In hira than in any other. Strict virtue shines raost when most tried : but never any virtue had .such trials as Christ's had. The virtue fhat Christ exercised in the work he did, may be divided info three sorts, viz., the virtues which raore iraraediately respect God, those which immediately respect hiraself, and those which immediately respect raen. 1. Those virtues which more immediately respect God, appeared in Christ in fhe work that he did for our rederaption. There appeared in hira a holy fear and reverence towards God the Father. Christ had a greater trial of his virtue in this respect than any other had, from fhe honorableness of his person. This was the teraptation of the angels that fell, to cast off fheir worship of God, and reverence of his raajesty, that they were beings of such exalted dig nity and worthiness theraselves. But Chiist was infinitely raore worthy and honorable than they ; for he was tbe eternal Son of God, and his person was equal to the person of God the Father : and yef, as he had taken on hira the office of mediator, and the nature of raan, he was full of reverence towards God. He adored hira in fhe most reverential manner, time after time. So he raanifest ed a wonderful love towards God. The angels give great testiraonies of then love towards God, in their constancy and agility in doing fhe will of God ; and raany saints have given great testimonies of their love, who, from love fo God, have endured great labors and sufferings : but none ever gave such testiraonies of love to God as Christ has given ; none ever perforraed such a labor of love as he, and suffered so rauch frora love to God. So he manifested the most wonderful subraission to the will of God. Never was any one's subraission so tried as his was. So he manifested the most wonderful spirit of obedience thai ever was manifested. 2. In this work he most wonderfully manifested those virtues which more immediately respected himself ; as particularly huraility, patience, and contempt of the world. Christ, though he was the most excellent and honorable of all men, yel -was the most humble ; yea, he was fhe most humble of all creatures. No angel or man ever equalled him in huraility, though he was the highest of all creatures in dignity and honorableness. Christ would have been under fhe greatest teraptations to pride. If It had been possible for any thing fo be a temp tation fo bim. The teraptation of fhe angels fhat fell was the dignity of their nature, and fhe honorableness oftheir circumstances; but Christ Was infinitely more honorable than they. The human nature of Christ, was so honored as to be in the sarae person with the eternal Son of God, who was equal with God ; and yet thaf huraan nature was not at all lifted up with pride. Nor was the man Christ Jesus at all lifted up with pride with" all those wonderful works which he wrought, of healing the sick, curing the blind, lame, and mairaed, and raising the dead. And though he knew that God had appointed him to be the WORK OF REDEMPTION. 411 king over heaven and earth, angels and men, as he says, Matt. xi. 27, " All things are deUvered unto me of ray Father;" though he knew he was such an infinitely honorable person, and thought It nof robbery fo be equal with God ; and though he knew he was fhe heir of God the Father's kingdora ; yet such was his huraiUty, that he did not disdain fo be abased and depressed down into lower and viler circurastances and suff'erings than ever any other elect creature was; so that he becarae least of all, and lowest of all. The proper trial and evidence of humility, is stooping or coraplying with those acts or circumstances, when called to it, which are very low, and contain great abasement. Buf none ever stooped so low as Christ, if we consider either the infinite height that he stoop ed from, or fhe great depth to which he stooped. Such was his huraility, that though he knew his infinite worthiness of honor, and of being honored ten thousand tiraes as much as the highest prince on earth, or angel in heaven ; yet he did not think If too much when called to it, to be bound as a cursed malefactor, and to becorae (he-laughing-stock and spitting-stock ofthe vilest of men, and to be crowned with thorns, and lo have a mock robe put upon hira, and to be crucified like a slave and raalefactor, and as one of the meanest and worst of vagabonds and miscreants, and an accursed eneray of God and raen, who was not fit to live on the earth : and this nof for hiraself, but for some of fhe raeanest and vdest of creatures, sorae of those accursed wretches that cru cified hira. Was not fhis a wonderful manifestation of humility, when he cheerfully and raost freely subraitted to this -abaseraent ? And how did his patience shine forth under all the terrible sufferings which he endured, wben he was durab, and opened not his raouth, but went as a larab to the slaughter, and was like a patient larab under all the sufferings he endured frora first to last 1 - And what conterapt of the glory of tbis world was there, when he rather chose this conterapt, and raeanness, and suffering, than fo wear a teraporal crown, and be invested with the external glories of an earthly prince, as fhe multitude often solicited him ! 3. Cbrist, in fhe work whicb be wrought out, in a wonderful raanner exer cised those virtues which more immediately respect other men. And these may be suraraed up under two heads, viz., raeekness and love. Christ's meekness was his humble calraness of spirit under the provocations that he met with. None ever met with so great provocations as he did. The greatness of provocation lies in two Ihings, viz., in the degree of opposition by which the provocation Is given ; and, secondly, in the degree of the unreason ableness of that opposition, or in its being very causeless, and wilhout reason, and tbe great degree of obligation to fhe contrary. Now, if we consider both these things, no man ever met with such provocations as Christ did, when he was upon earth. If we consider how rauch he was hated, what abuses he suf fered frora tbe vilest of men, how great his sufferings frora men were, and how spiteful and how conteraptuous they were, in offering hira these abuses ; and also consider how causeless and unreasonable these abuses were, how undeserv ing he was of thera, and how much deserving of the contrary, viz., of love, and honor, and good treatment at tbeir hands : I say. If we consider these things, no man ever met with a thousandth part of the provocation that Christ met with frora raen : and yet how raeek was he under all ! How- coraposed and quiet his spirit ! How far frora being in a ruffle and turault ! When he was reviled, he reviled not again ; and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he opened not his mouth. No appearance was there of a revengeful spirit ; on the contrary, what a spirit of forgiveness did he exhibit ! So that he fervently 412 WORK OF REDEMPTION. and effectually prayed for their forgiveness, when they were In the highest act of provocation that ever fhey perpetrated, viz., naiUng him f o the cross : Luke xxiii. 34, " Father, forgive thera, for they know not what they do." And never did there appear such an instance of love to men. Christ's love to raen fhat he showed when on earth, and especially in going through his last sufferings, and offering up his life and soul under those sufferings, which was his greatest act of love, was far beyond all parallel. There have been very remarkable manifestations of love in sorae of the saints, as in the Apostle Paul, the Apostle John, and others : but the love to men that Christ showed when on earth, as much exceeded the love of all other men, as the ocean exceeds a sraall stream. And it is to be observed, that all the virtues which appeared in Christ shone brightest In the close of his life, under the trials he met with then Erainent virtue always .shows brightest In the fire. Pure gold shows Its purity chiefly In the furnace. If was chiefly under those trials which Christ under went in fhe close of his life, that his love fo God, his honor of God's raajesty, and his regard fo tbe honor of his law, and his spirit of obedience, and his hu mility, and conterapt of the world, and his patience and his raeekness, and his spirit of forgiveness towards raen, appeared. Indeed every thing thaf Christ did to vvork out rederaption for us appears raainly In the close of his life. Here mainly Is his satisfaction for sin, and here chiefly is his merit of eternal life for sinners, and here chiefly appears fhe brightness of his example, which he hath set us to follow. Thus we have taken a brief view of the things whereby the purchase of rederaption was raade with respect to his righteousness that appeared In them. — I proceed now, . . II. To take a view of thera with respect to the satisfaction that he there by made for sin, or fhe sufferings and humiliation that he was the subject of In them on our account. And here, I. He was subject to uncoramon hurailiation and sufferings in his Infancy. He was born to that end that he might die ; and therefore he did as it were begin to die as soon as be was born. His mother suffered in an uncommon manner in bearing him. When her travail came upon her, if is said, " there was no room In the inn," Luke Ii. 7. She was forced to betake herself fo a stable; and therefore Christ was born in the place of fhe bringing forlh of beasts. Thus he suffered in bis birth, as though he bad been meaner and viler than a man, and not possessed of the dignity of the huraan nature, but had been of the rank of the brute creatures. And we may conclude, that his mother's circumstances In other respects were proportionably strait and difficult, and thaf she was desti tute of fhe conveniences necessary for so young an Infant which others were wont to have ; for want of which the new-born babe without doubt suffered much. And besides, he was persecuted in his Infancy. They began to seek his life as soon as he was born. Herod, fhe chief raan of the land, was so engaged to kiU him, fhat, in order fo it, he kiUed all the children in Bethlehem, and In all the coasts (hereof, from two years old and under. And Christ suffered banishraent in his infancy, was driven out of his native country Into Egypt, and without doubt suffered rauch by being carried so long a journey, when he was so young, into a strange country. II. Christ was subject to great hurailiation in his private life at Nazareth. He there led a servile obscure life, in a mean laborious occupation : for he Is called not only the carpenttr's tow, but the carpenter: Mark vi. 3, "Is not WORK OF REDEMPTION. 413 this the carpenter, the brother of Jaraes and Joses, and Juda, and Simoni" He, by hard labor, earned his bread before he ate if, and so suffered thaf curse wbich God pronounced on Adara, Gen. Iii. 13, " In the sweat of tby face shalt thou eat bread." Let us consider hpw great a degree of hurailiation the glorious Son ofGod, the Creator of heaven and earth, was subject to in this, that for about thirty years he should live a private obscure life araong laboring men, and all fhis while be overlooked, and not taken notice of in the world, as raore than other coramon laborers. Christ's hurailiatinn in sorae respects was greater in private life than In the tirae of his public rainistry. There were raany raani festations of his glory in the W'ord he preached, and tbe great miracles he wrought : but the first thirty years of his life he spent araong mean ordinary raen, as it were in sdence, without tbose raanifestations of his glory, or any thing to raake hira to be taken notice of raore than any ordinary mechanic, but only the spotless purity and erainent holiness of bis life; and fhat was in a great raeasure hid In obscurity ; so that he was Uttle taken notice of fill after his baptisra. III. Christ was the subject of great hurailiation and suffering during his public life, frora his baptisra tid tbe night wherein he was betrayed. As par ticularly, 1. He suffered great poverty, so fhat be had not " where fo lay his head," Matt. vui. 20 ; and coraraonly used to lodge abroad in the open air, for want if a shelter fo betake hiraself to; as you will see is raanifest, if you corapare Ihe following places together, which I sball but name to you, even Malt. viii. 20, and John xviu. 1, 2, and Luke xxi.. 37, and chap. xxii. 39. So that what was spoken of Cbrist in Cant. v. 2, " My head is filled with dew, and my locks wilh fhe drops of the night," was Uterally fulfilled. And through his poverty he doubtless was often pinched with hunger, and thirst, and cold. We read Matt. iv. 2, that he was an hungered : and so again in Matt. xxi. lb'. His raother and natural relalions were poor, and not able fo help hira; and he was maintained by tbe charity of some of his disciples while be lived. So we read in Luke viii. at the beginning, of certain woraen that followed him, and minis tered to him of their substance. He was so poor, tbat he was not able to pay the tribute that was deraanded of hira, without the rairaculous coraing of a fish fo bring hira fhe money out of the sea in his mouth. See Matt, xvii 27. And Avhen he ate his last passover, it was not at his own charge, but at Ihe charge of another, as appears by Luke xxn. 7, &c. And frora his poverty he had no grave of his own (o be buried in. It was fhe raanner of tbe Jews, unless they were very poor, and were not able, to prepare theraselves a sepulchre while they lived. But Christ had no land of his own, though he was possessor of heaven and earth ; and therefore was buried by Joseph of Ariraathea's charity, and In his torab, which he had prepared for himself 2. He suffered greaf hatred and reproach. He was despised and rejected of men. He was by most esteemed a poor, insignificant person ; one of little account, slighted for his low parentage, and his mean city Nazareth. He was reproached as a glutton and drunkard, a friend of publicans and sinners ; was called a deceiver of fhe people ; sometimes a madman, and a Samaritan, and one possessed with a devil, John vii. 20, and viii. 48, and x. 20. He was called a blasphemer, and was accounted by many a wizard, or one that wrought miracles by tbe black art, and by comraunication with Beelzebub. They ex- coraraunicated hira, and agreed fo excoraraunicate any man that should own him, as John Ix. 22. They wished hira dead, and were continually seeking to murder him ; sometiraes by force, and sometiraes by craft. They often took up 414 WORK OF REDEMPTION. stones to stone hira, and once led him fo the brow of a hill, intending to throw hira down the precipice, fo dash him in pieces against the rocks. He was thus hated and reproached by his own visible people: John I. 11, " He came to his own, and his own received hira not." And he was princi- nally despised and hated by those who were in chief repute, and were their greatest men. And the hatred wherewith he was hated was general. Into whatever part of fhe land he went, he met with hatred and contempt. He rae.^ witb these in Capernaura, and when he went to Jericho, when he went fo Jeru salera, which was fhe holy city, when he went to the temple to worship, and also in Nazareth, his own city, and among his own relations, and his'old neighbors. 3. He suffered fhe buffetings of Satan in an uncoramon inanner. We read of one time in particular, when he had a long conflict with the devd, when he was in fhe wilderness forty days, with nothing but wild beasts and devils; and was so exposed fo the devil's power, that he was bodily carried about by him frora place to place, while he was otherwise In a very suffering state. And so rauch for the huraiUation and suffering of Christ's pubhc life, from his baptisra to the night wherein he was betrayed. IV. I corae now to his last humiliation and sufferings, frora fhe evening of the night wherein he was betrayed to his resurrection. And here was his greatest hurailiation and suffering, by which principally he made satisfaction fo the justice of God for the sins of men. First, his life was sold by one of his own disciples for thirty pieces of silver, which was the price of the life of a servant, as you may see in Exod. xxi. 32. Then he was in thaf dreadful agony in fhe garden. There carae such a disraal gloom upon his soul, that he began to be sorrowful and very heavy, and said, his " soul was exceeding sorrowful, even unto death, and was sore amazed." So violent was the agony of his soul, as to force the blood through fhe pores of his skin ; so fhat while his soul was overwhelraed with araazing sorrow, his body was all clotted with blood. The disciples, who used to be as his friends and family, at this time, above all, ap peared cold towards hira, and unconcerned for him, at the same tirae that his Father's face was bid from hira. Judas, fo whom Christ had been so very merciful. and treated as one of his family, or farailiar friends, coraes and betrays him in the raost deceitful, treacherous manner. The officers and soldiers apprehend and bind hira ; his disciples forsake hira and flee ; his own best friends do not stand by hira to corafort hira, In this time of his distress. He Is led away as a malefactor to appear before fhe priests and scribes, his venomous, raortal eneraies, that tbey raight sit as his judges, who sat up all night, to have the pleasure of Insulting him, now fhey had got hira into their hands. But because they airaed at nolhing short of his life, they set theraselves fo find some color to put him to death, and seek for witnesses against him. When none appeared, they set some to bear false witness ; and when their witness did not agree together, then they go to examining him to catch soraething out of his own raouth. They hoped he would say, that he was the Son of God, and then they thought they should have enough. But because they see they are not like to obtain it without it, fhey then go fo force him fo say if, by adjuring bim In fhe narae of God, fo say whether he was or not : and when he confessed fhat he was, then they supposed they had enough ; and then it was a tirae of rejoicing with them, which they show, by falling upon Christ and spitting in his face, and blindfolding him, and striking hira in the face with fhe palras of their hands, and then bidding him prophesy who it was that struck hira : thus ridiculing hira for pretending to be a prophet. And the very servants have a hand In the sport : Mark xiv. 65, ¦" And the servants did strike him with the palras of their hands." WORK OF REDEMPTION. 416 During the sufferings of that night, Peter, one of fhe chief of his own disci ples, instead of standing by him to corafort hira, appears asharaed to own hira, and denies and renounces hira wilh oaths and curses. And after the chief priests and elders had finished the night In so shamefully abusing hira, when fhe raorn ing was corae, which was the raorning of the raost wonderful day that ever was, they led hira away to Pdate, to be condemned to death by him, because they had not the power of life and death in their own hands. He is brought before Pilale's.judgment seat, and there the priests and elders accuse hira as a traitor. And when Pilate, upon exaraining into tbe raatter, declared be found no fault in hira, the Jews were but the raore fierce and violent to bave hira conderaned. Upon which Pilate, after clearing hira, very unjustly brings hira upon a second trial ; and then, nof finding any thing against hira, acquits hira again. Pilate treats hira as a poor worthless fellow ; but Is asharaed on so lillle pretence to condemn hira as a traitor. And tben he was sent to Herod to be tried by hira, and was brought before Herod's judgraent seat ; and his enemies followed, and virulently accused hira before Herod. Herod does not conderan hira as a traitor, or one that would set up for a king, hut looks upon hira as Pdate did, as a poor worthless creature, not worthy to be taken notice of, and does but make a mere laugh of the Jews accusing him as a dangerous person to Csesar, as one that was in danger of setting up to be a king against hira; and therefore, in derision, dresses him up in a mock robe, and raakes sport of hira, and sends him back through the streets of Jerusalem fo Pilate, wilh the mock robe on. The Jews prefer Barabbas before hira, and are instant and violent with loud voices to Pilate, to crucify hira. So Pilate, after he had cleared hira twice, and Herod once, very unrighteously brings hira on frial the third tirae, to try if he could not find soraething against him sufficient to crucify him. Christ was stripped and scourged : thus he gave his back to the smiter. After that, though Pdate still declared that he found no fault in him ; yet so unjust was he, that for fear of the Jews he deUvered Christ to be crucified. But before they ex ecuted tbe sentence, his spiteful and cruel eneraies take the pleasure of another spell of mocking hira ; fhey get round hira, and raake a set business of it. They stripped hira, and put on hira a scarlet robe, and a reed in his hand, and a crown of thorns on his head. Both Jews and Roman soldiers were united in the transaction ; fhey bow the knee before him, and In derision cry, " Hail, king of the Jews." They spit upon him also, and take the reed out of his hand and smile him on the head. After this they led hira away to crucify bim, and raade him carry his own cross, tdl he sunk under it, his strength being spent ; and then they laid It on one Simon a Cyrenian. At length, being corae to Mount 'Jalvary, tbey execute the sentence which Pdate had so unrighteously pronounced- They nail hira to his cross, by his hands and feet, then raise It erect, and fix one end in the ground, he being stdl suspended on it by the nails which pierced his hands and feet. And now Christ's sufferings are corae f o the extreraity : now fhe cup which he so earnestly prayed fhat It migbt pass from hira, is corae, and he must, he does drink if. In those days crucifixion was tbe raost tormenting kind of death by which any were wont to be executed. There was no death wherein the person ex pired so rauch of mere torraent : and hence fhe Roraan word which signifies torment, is taken frora this kind of death. And besides what our Lord endured in this excruciating death In his body, he endured vastly raore in his soul. Now was that tr-avail of his soul, of which we read in fhe prophet ; now it pleased God to bruise him, and to put hira to grief ; now he poured out his soul unto 416 WORK OF REDEMPTION. death, as in Isa. Iin. And If the mere forethought of fhis cup ra'ade him sweat blood, how much more dreadful and excruciating must the drinking of it have been ! Many martyrs have endured much i* their bodies, whde their souls have been joyful, and have sung for joy, whereby they have been supported under the suff'erings of their outward man, and have triumphed over thera. But this was nof the case witb Christ ; he had no such support ; but bis sufferings were chiefly those of fhe raind, though the other were extreraely great. In his cru cifixion Christ did not sweat blood, as he had before, becau.se his blood had vent otherwise, and not because his agony was now not so greaf. But though he did not sweat blood, yef such was the suffering of his soul, that probably If rent his vitals ; as seeras probable by this, that when his side was pierced, there carae forth blood and wafer. And so here was a kind of literal fulfilraent of that in Psalra xxu. 14, " I am poured out like water : ray heart Is like wax, it is melted in the raidst of my bowels." Now, under all these sufferings, the Jews stdl mock him : and wagging their beads say, " Tbou fhat destroyest fhe temple, and buildest it in three days, save thyself : if fhou be tbe Son of God. corae down frora the cross." And even tbe chief priests, scribes, and elders, joined In the cry, saying, "He saved others ; himself he cannot save." And probably fhe devil at the sarae time tormented hira to the utraost of his power ; and hence it is said, Luke xxii. 53, " This is your hour, and the power of darkness." Under these sufferings, Christ having cried out once and again with a loud voice, at last he said, " It is finished," (John xix. 30,) " and bowed the head, and gave up the ghost." And tbus was finished the greatest and raost wonder ful thing that ever was done. Now the angels beheld the raost wonderful sight that ever they saw. Now was accoraplished the main thing that had been pointed at by the various institutions of the ceremonial law, and by ad the typical dispensations, and by all the sacrifices frora the beginning of the world. Christ being thus brought under the power of death, continued under it till the raorning of the next day but one ; and then was finished fhat great work, the purchase of our rederaption, for which such great preparation had been made frora tbe beginning of the world. Then was finished all that was required in order to satisfy fhe threatenings of the law, and all that was necessary in order to satisfy divine justice ; then the utmost that vindictive justice demand ed, even the whole debt was paid. Then was finished (he whole of fhe purchase of eternal life. And now there Is no need of any thing raore fo be done towards a purchase of salvation for sinners ; nor has ever any thing been done since, nor will any thing more be done forever and ever. IMPROVEMENT. In surveying the history of rederapfioL , from the fall of man to the end of the world, we have now shown how this work was carried on through the two former of the three raain periods, into which this whole space of time was divided, viz., frora the fall fo the incarnation of Christ, and from thence to the end of fhe tirae of Christ's humihation ; and have particularly explained how in (he first of these periods God prepared the way for Christ's appearing and purchasing rederaption ; and how in the second period, that purchase was raade and fin ished. I would now raake some improvement of what has been said on botb these subjects, considered conjunctly. And fhis I would do, 1. In a use of reproof. 2 In a use of encouragement. WORK OF REDEMPTION. 417 SECTION I. I begin with a use of reproof ; a reproof of three things : 1 Ofunbehef 2 Of self-righteousness. 3. Of a careless neglect of the salvation of Christ. I. If it be as we have heard, how greatly do these things reprove those who do not believe in, but reject fhe Lord Jesus Christ I I. e., all those who do not heartily receive hira. Persons raay receive him In profession, and carry well outwardly towards hira, and may wish that they had some of those benefits that Christ has purchased, and yet fheir hearts not receive Christ : tbey may be hearty in nolhing that fhey do towards Christ ; they may have no high es teera of Christ, nor any sincere honor or respect to Christ ; fhey raay never have opened the door of their heart to Christ, but have kept hira shut out all their days, ever since they first heard of hira, and his salvation has been offered to thera. Though their hearts have been opened to others, fheir doors have been flung wide open to thera, and they bave had free adraittance at all tiraes, and have been embraced and raade rauch of, and fhe best roora in their hearts has been given thera, and the throne of their hearts has been allowed thera ; yet Cbrist has always been shut out, and they bave been deaf fo all his knocks and calls. They never could find an Inchnation of heart fo receive hira, nor would they ever trust in him. Let me now call upon you with whom it is thus, to consider how great your sin, in thus rejecting Jesus Christ, appears to be from those things that have been said. You slight the glorious person, for whose coming God raade such great preparation in such a series of wonderful providences frora the begin ning of the world, and whom, after all things were made ready, God sent into tbe world, bringing fo pass a thing before unknown, viz., the union of the divine naiure wilh the huraan, in one person. You have been gudty of shght- Ing that great Saviour, who after such prep-arafion, actually accoraplished the purchase of redemplion ; and who, after he bad spent three or four and thirty years in poverty, labor, and conterapt, in purchasing redemption, at last finished the purchase by closing his life under such extreme sufferings as you have heard ; and so by his death, and continuing for a time under the power of death, com pleted the whole. This is tbe person you reject and despise. You raake light of all tbe glory of his person, and of all the glorious love of God the Father, in sending hira into the world, and all his wonderful love appearing in the whole of this affair. That precious stone that God hath laid In Zion for a foundation in such a manner, and by such wonderful works as you have heard, is a stone set at nought by you. Sinners soraetimes are ready to wonder why the sin of unbeUef should be looked upon as such a great sin : but ifyou consider whaf you have heard, how can you wonder 1 If It be so, that this Saviour Is so great a Saviour, and this work so great a work, and such great things have been done in order to if, truly there is no cause of wonder that the sin of unbelief, or fhe rejection of this Saviour, is spoken of in Scripture as such a dreadful sin, so provoking to God, and what brings greater guilt than the sins of the worst of the Heathen, who never heard of those things, nor have had fhis Saviour off'ered fo them. II. What has been said, affords matter of reproof fo tbose, who, instead of believinp- in Christ, frust In theraselves for salvation. It is a comraon thino; Vol? I 53 418 WORK OF REDEMPTION. With men fo take it upon themselves to purchase salvation for themselves, and so to do that great work whicb Christ came into the world fo do. Are fhere none such here who frust In tbeir prayers, and their good conversations, and the pains they take in religion, and the reforraation oftheir lives, and In fheir self- denial, to recoramend them fo God, to raake some atonement for their past sins, and to draw fhe heart of God to them 1 Consider tbree things : 1. How great a thing that is which you take upon you. — You take upon you to do the work of the great Saviour of the world. You trust in your own doings fo appease God for your sins, and to incline the heart of God fo you. Though you are poor, worthless, vde, polluted worras of the dust ; yet so arrogant are you, fhat you take upon you that very work that fhe only 'ne- gotten Son of God did when upon earth, and fhat he became man fo capacitate himself for, and In order fo which God spent four thousand years in all the greaf dispensations of his providence in the government of the world, aiming chiefly at this, to raake way for Christ's coining to do this work. This is the work tbat you take upon yourself, and foolishly think yourself sufficient for it ; -as though your prayers, and other performances, were excellent enough for this purpose. Consider how vain is the thought which you entertain of yourself How must such arrogance appear in the sight of Christ, whom It cost so much to make a purchase of salvation, when It was not to be obtained even by him, so great and glorious a person, at a cheaper rate than his wading through a sea of blood, and passing through the midst of the furnace of God's wrath. And how vain must your arrogance appear in the sight of God, when he sees you imagining yourself sufficient, and your worthless, polluted performances excellent enough for the accomphshing of fhat work of his own Son, to prepare the way for which he was employed In ordering all the great affairs of the world for so raany ages ! 2. If there be ground for you to trust, as you do, in your own righteousness, then all that Christ did to purchase salvation when on earth, and all that God did from the first fall of man to -ihat time fo prepare the way for it, is in vain. Your self- righteousness charges God with the greatest folly, as though he has done all things in vain, even so rauch in vain, that he has done all this to bring about an accomplishment of that which you alone, a little worm, with your poor polluted prayers, and tbe little pains you fake In reUgion, mingled with all that hypocrisy and fillhiness, are sufficient to accoraplish for yourself without Christ's help. For ifyou can appease God's anger, and can coraraend yourself fo God by these means, then you have no need of Christ ; but he is dead in vain : Gal. ii. 21, " If righteousness corae by the law, then Christ Is dead in vain." If you can do this by your prayers and good works, Christ raight have spared his pains, he might have spared his blood : he might have kept within the bosora of bis Father, without coraing down into this evd world to be des pised, reproached, and persecuted to death ; and God needed not to have busied himself, as he did for four thousand years together, causing so many changes in the stafe of the world all that while, in order to the bringing about that which you, as Utile as you are, can accomplish In a few days, only with the trouble of a few sighs, and groans, and prayers, and some other religious performances Consider with yourself what greater folly could you have devised to charge upon God than this, fo do all those things before and after Christ carae into the world so needlessly ; when, instead of all this he raight only have called you forth, and committed the business to you, which you think you can do so easily WORK OF REDEMPTION. 419 Alas1 How blind are riatural men! How- sottish are the thoughts fhey have of things ! And especially how vain are the thoughts which they have of theraselves ! How ignorant of fheir own littleness and pollution I How do they exalt themselves, up to heaven ! What great things do they assume to theraselves ! 3. You that trust to your own righteousness, arrogate fo yourselves the honor of the greatest thing that ever God hiraself did ; not only as If you were sufficient to perforra divine works, and to accomplish some of the great works of God ; but such is your pride and vanity, that you are not content without taking upon you to do fhe very greatest work that ever God himself wrought, even the work of rederaption. — Yousee by what has been said, bow God has subordinated all his olher works to this work of rederaption. You see how God's works of providence are greater than his works of creation, arid thaf all God's works of providence, frora the beginning of the generations of men, were in order to this, to make way for the purchasing of rederaption. But tbis is what you take upon yourself To take on yourself lo work out redemption, is a greater thing than if you had taken it upon you to create a world. Consider with 'yourself what a figure you, a poor worm, would make, if you should seriously go about to create such a world as God did, should swell in your own conceit of yourself, should deck yourself with majesty, pretend to speak the word of power, and call a universe out of nolhing, Intending to go on in order, and say, " Let there be light : Let there be a firraaraent," &c. But then consider, that in attempting fo work out rederaption yourself, you atterapt a greater thing than tbis, and are serious in It, and will not be beat off frora it ; but strive in it, and are full of the thought of yourself that you are sufficient for It, and always big with hopes of accomplishing if. You fake upon you to dp the very greatest and most difficult part of this work, viz., to purchase redemption. Christ, can accoraplish other parts of this work without cost, without any trouble and difficulty : but fhis part cost him his life, as well as innuraerable pains and labors, with very great ignominy and conterapt besides. Yef this is that part which self-righteous persons go about to accoraplish for themselves. If all the angels In heaven had been sufficient for this work, would God have set hiraself to effect such things as he did In order to It, before he sent his Son info the world '? And would he ever have sent his own Son, the great Creator and God of the angels. Info the world, to have done and suffered such ihings ? What self-righteous persons takes to themselves. Is tbe sarae work that Christ was engaged in when he was in bis agony and bloody sweat, and when he died on the cross, which was the greatest thing that ever the eyes of angels beheld. This, as great as it is, they imagine they can do the same that Christ accomplished by It. Their self-righteousness does In effect charge Christ's of fering up himself in these sufferings, as the greatest Instance of folly that ever men or angels saw, instead of being the raost glorious display of the divine wisdora and grace fhat ever was seen. Yea, self-righteousness makes all that Christ did Ihrough the whole course of his life, and all fhat he said and suffered through that whole tirae, and his incarnation itself, and not only so, but all that God had been doing in fhe great dispensations of his providence from fhe be ginning of the world to fhat tirae, as all nothing, but a scene of fhe most wild, and extreme, and transcendent folly. Is It any v\'onder then that a self-righteous spirit Is so represented In Scrip ture, and spoken of, as tbat which is most fatal to the souls of men ? And Is it any wonder, that Christ Is represented In Scripture as being so provoked with 420 WORK OF REDEMPTION. the Pharisees and others, who trusted in themselves that they were nghteous and were proud of their goodness, and thought fhat fheir own performances were a valuable price of God's favor and love 1 Let persons hence be warned against a self-righteous spirit. You that are seeking your salvation, and faking pains In religion, fake heed to yourselve* that you do not trust in what you do ; that you do not harbor any sucbthoughts- th-at God now, seeing how much you are reformed, how you take pains in reli gion, and how you are sometimes affected, will be pacified towards you witb respect fo your sins, and on account of It will not be so angry for your former sins ; and that you shall gain on him by such things, and draw his heart fo show you mercy; or at least that God ought fo accept of what you do, so as fo be inclined by it In some raeasure to forgive you, and have mercy on you. Ifyou entertain this thought, that God Is obliged to do It, and does not act justly if he refuse to regard your prayers and pains, and so quarrel with God, and com plain of him for nol doing, this shows what your opinion is of your own right eousness, viz., thaf it is a valuable price of salvation, and ought to be accepted of God as such. Such coraplaining of God and quarrelling with hira, for not taking raore notice of your righteousness, plainly shows that you are gudly of all that arrogance that has been spoken of, thinking yourself sufficient to offer the price of your own salvation III. What has been said on this subject, affords matter of reproof fo those who carelessly neglect fhe salvation of Christ ; such as live a senseless kind of Hfe, neglecting the business of religion and their own souls for the present, not taking any course f o get an interest In Christ, or what he has done and suffered, or any part In that glorious salvation he has purchased by that price, but rather have their minds taken up about tbe gains of the world, or about the vanities and pleasures of youth, and so make light of whaf they hear from firiie fo time of Christ's salvation, that they do not at present so much as seek after it. Let me here apply myself to you in some expostulatory interrogations. 1. Shall so many prophets, and kings, and righteous men, have fheir minds so much taken up with the prospect, that tbe purchase of salvation was to be wrought out in ages long after their death ; and will you neglect it when actually accoraplished *? You have heard what great account the church in all ages raade of the future rederaption of Christ ; how joyfully tbey expected it, how they spoke of it, how fhey studied and searched Into these things, how they sung joyful songs, and had their hearts greatly engaged about it, and yet never expected to see it done, and did not expect that It would be accomphsh ed till many ages after fheir death, 1 Pet. i. 10, 11, 12. How much did Isaiah and Daniel, and other prophets speak concerning fhis redemption ! And how much were fheir hearts engaged, and their attention and study fixed upon it ! How was David's mind taken up in this subject ! He declared that It was all his salvation, and all his desire, 2 Sam. xxiii. 5. How did he employ his voice and harp in celebrating if, and the glorious display ofdivine grace therein exhibit ed ! And all this although fhey beheld it not as yet accoraplished, but saw that it was to be brought fo pass so long a tirae after their day. And before this, how did Abrahara and the other patriarchs rejoice in the prospect of Christ's. day, and the rederaption which he was to purchase! And even fhe saints before fhe flood were affected and elated in the expectation of this glori ous event, though it was then so long future, and it was so very faintly and obscurely revealed fo fhem. Now these things are declared to you as actually fulfilled. The churcb now has seen, accomplished all those great things which they so joyfully pro WORK OF REDEMPTION, 421 phesied of; and you are abundantly shown how those things were accomplish ed : Matt. xiii. 17, " Verily I say unto you, thaf many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen ; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard fhem." And yet when these things are thus abundantly set before you as already accoraplished, how do you slight them ! How light do you make of them ! How little are they taken notice of by you ! How unconcerned are you about thera, following other things, and not so much as feeling any Interest in them ! Indeed your sin Is extreraely aggravated in the sight of God. God has put you urider great advantages for your eternal salvation, far greater than those saints of old en joyed. He has put you under a more glorious dispensation ; has given you a more clear revelation of Cbrist and his salvation ; and yet you neglect all these advantages, and go on in a careless course of life, as though nothing had been done, no such proposals and offers had been made you. 2. Have the angels been so engaged about this salvation which is by Christ ever since the fall of man, though they are not immediately concerned in it, and will you, who need it, and have it offered to you, be so careless about it 1 You have heard how fhe angels at first were subjected to Cbrist as mediator, and how they have all along been rainistering spirits fo him in fhis affair. In all the great dispensations which you bave heard of frora the beginning of the world, they have been active, and as a flame of fire in this affair, being most diligently eraployed as rainistering spirits to minister fo Christ in this great af fair of man's rederaption. And, when Christ carae, how engaged were their minds ! Tbey carae to Zacharias, to Inform him of the coraing of Christ's forerunner. They came fo the Virgin Mary, to inforra her of the approaching birth of Christ : they carae to Joseph, to warn him ofthe danger which threat ened the new-born Saviour, and to point out to him the means of safety. And how were their rainds engaged at the time of the birth of Christ ! Tbe whole multitude of the heavenly host sang praises upon the occasion, saying, " Glory to God In the highest, and on earth peace, and good will towards men." And afterwards, from time to time, they ministered to Christ when on earth ; they did so at the time of his temptation, at the tirae of his agony In the garden, at his resurrection, and at his ascension. All these things show, that they were greatly engaged in this affair ; and fhe Scripture inforras us, that they pry into these things : 1 Pet. I. 12, " Which things the angels desire to look into." And how are they represented in the Revelation as being employed in heaven in singing praises to hira that sitteth on the throne, and to the Lamb ! Now shall these take so rauch notice of fhis rederaption, and of the purchaser, who need it not for themselves, and have no immediate concern or interest in it, or offer of it ; and will you, to whom it is offered, and who are in such extreme necessity of it, neglect and take no notice of it 1 3. Was it worth the while for Christ to labor so hard, and do and suffer so rauch to procure fhis salvation, and Is it not worth the while for you to be at sorae labor in seeking it 1 Was it a thing of so great Importance, that salva tion should be procured for sinners, as that it was worthy to lie with such weight on the mind of Christ, as to induce hira to become man, and to suffer such contempt, and labor, and even death itself, in order to procure it, though he stood in need of nothing, though he was like to gain no addition to his eternal happiness, though he could get nothing by those fhat he saved ; though he did not need them ; was it of such iraportance that sinners should be saved, thaf he might properly be induced to submit to such hurailiation and suffering ; and yet is It not worth the while for you, who are one of those mis- 422 WORK OF REDEMPTION. erable sinners that need this salvation, and must perish eternally wifhoit it> to take earnest pains to obtain an interest in it after it is procured, and all things are ready 1 4. Shall the great God be so concerned about fhis salvation, as so often to overturn tbe world to make way for it ; and when all Is done. Is It not worth your seeking after ? How has the Lord of heaven and earth been as it were engaged about this affair ! What great, what wonderful things has he done frora one age to another, removing kings and setting up kings, raising up a great nuraber of prophets, separating a distinct nation from the rest of fhe world, overturning one nation and kingdora, and another, and often overturning the stafe of fhe world ; and so has continued bringing about one change and revolution after another for forty centuries in succession, to make way for the procuring of this salvation T And when he has done all ^ and when, at the close of these ages, the great Saviour comes, and becoming incarnate, and passing through a long series of reproach and suffering, and then suffering all the waves and billows of God's wrath for men's sins, Insomuch that they overwhelmed his soul : after all these tbings done to procure salvation for sinners, is it not wortby of your taking so much notice of, or being so much concerned about, though you are those persons who need this salvation, but fhat it should be thrown by, and made nothing of in comparison of worldly gain, or gay cloth ing, or youthful diversions, and other such trifling tbings ? 0 ! fhat you who live negligent of this salvation, would consider what you do ! What you have heard fi'om this subject, may show you what reason there JS in fhat exclamation of tbe Apostle, Heb. ii. 3 : " How shall we escape. If we neglect so greaf salvation ?" And in that. Acts xiii. 41, " Behold, ye des pisers, and wonder, and perish ; for I work a work In your days, a work which you shall in no wise believe, though a raan declare it unto you." God looks on such as you as great eneraies ofthe cross of Christ, and adversaries and des pisers of all the glory of fhis great work. And if God has raade such accounf of the glory of salvation as to destroy many nations, and so often overturn al nations, to prepare fhe way for the glory of his Son in this affair; how litde account wdl he make of the lives and souls of ten thousand such opposers and despisers as you thaf continue irapenitent, in comparison of that glory, when ht shall hereafter come and find that your welfare stands inthe way of that glory? Why surely you shall be dashed to pieces as a potter's vessel, and trodde down as fhe mire of the streets. God may, through wonderful patience, hea wi'di hardened, careless sinners for a -while ; but he will nof long bear wit such despisers of his dear Son, and his greaf salvation, the glory of which h has had so much at heart, before he will utterly consume without reraedy o mercy. SECTION II. I will conclude with a second use, of encouragement to burdened souls fc put their trust In Christ for salvation. To all such as are not careless and neg ligent, but do make seeking an interest In Christ their main business, being sen sible In some measure of their necessity of an interest In Christ ; being afraid of fbe wrath to come ; fo sucb, whaf has been said on fhis subject holds forth great matter of encouragement, to come and venture their souls on the Lord Jesus Christ : and as motives proper to excite you so to do, let me lead you io consider two things In particular. WORK OF REDEMPTION. 423 1. The completeness of the purchase which has been made. As you have heard, fhis work of purchasing salvation was wholly finished during the tirae of Christ's huraiUation. When Christ rose frora fhe dead, and was exalted from that abasement fo which he submitted for our salvation, the purchase of eternal life was completely raade, so thaf fhere was no need of any thing raore to be done in order to It. But now the servants were sent forth wilh the mes sage which we have account of in Matt. xxii. 4 : " Behold, I have prepared ray dinner : my oxen and my fatUngs are killed, and all things are ready : corae unto (he marriage." Therefore all things being ready, 'are your sins many and great ? Here Is enough done by Christ to procure their pardon. There is no need of any righteousness of yours to obtain your pardon and justification : no, you raay corae freely, without raoney and without price. Since therefore there is such a free and gracious invitation given you, come ; corae naked as you are ; corae as a poor conderaned criminal ; come and cast yourself down at Christ's feet, as one justly condemned, and utterly helpless in yourself Here is a com plete salvation wrought out by Christ, and through hira offered fo you. Corae, therefore, accept of it and be saved. 2. For Christ to reject one that thus comes f o him, would be to frustrate all those great things which you have heard tbat God brought to pass from the fall of man to the Incarnation of Christ. It would also frustrate all that Christ did and suffered while on earth ; yea, if would frustrate the incarnation of Christ itself, and all fhe great things done in preparation for his incarnation ; for all these things were for that end, that those raight be saved who should corae to Christ. Therefore, you raay be sure Christ will not be backward In saving those who corae to hira, and trust in hira ; for he has no desire to frustrate him self in his own work; it cost hira too dear for fhat. Neither wdl God the Father refuse you ; for he has no desire to frustrate hiraself in all that he did for so many hundreds and thousands of years, fo prepare fhe way for the salvation of sinners by Christ. Come, therefore, hearken to the sweet and earnest calls of Christ to your soul. Do as he invites, and as he comraands you, Matt. xi. 28, 29, 30, " Corae unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me ; and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and ray burden is light." PERIOD III. In discoursing on this subject, we have already shown how the work of re deraption was carried on through tbe two first of the three periods Into which we divided the whole space of time frora the fall fo the end of fhe world ; and we are now corae to The third and last period, beginning with Christ's resurrection, and reach ing to the end of fhe world ; and would now show how this work was also carried on through this period frora this Proposition, That the space of tirae frora the end of Christ's hurailiation to the end of the world, Is all taken up in bringing about the great effect or suc cess of Christ's purchase. Not but tbat there were great effects and glorious success of Christ's pur chase of redemption before, even from the beginning of the generations of 424 WORK OF REDEMPTION. men. But all that success of Christ's redemption which was before, was only preparatory, and was by way of anticipation, as some few fruits are gathered before the harvest. There was no more success before Christ came than God saw needful to prepare the way for his coraing. The proper time of fhe suc cess or effect of Christ's purchase of rederaption Is after the purchase has been made, as the proper tirae for the world fo enjoy the light of the sun is the day time, after the sun is risen, though we raay have sorae small matter of It re flected from the moon and planets before. And even the success of Christ's redemption whi>le he hiraself was on earth, was very small in comparison of what it was after the conclusion of his humiliation. But Christ, having finished tbat greatest and most difficult of all works, the work of the purchase of rederaption, now Is come the time for obtaining the end of it, the glorious effect of it. This is the next work he goes about. Having gone through the whole course of his sufferings and humiliation, there is an end to all things of thaf nature : he is never to suffer any more. But now is the time for hira to obtain the joy fhat was set before hira. Having made his soul an offering for sin, now is the time for him to see his seed, and to have a portion divided to him with the great, and to divide the spoil with the strong. One design of Christ In -what he did In his humiliation, was to lay a foun dation for fhe overthrow of Satan's kingdom ; and now is corae the time to effect it, as Christ, a little before his crucifixion, said, John xii. 31 : " Now is the judgment of this world ; now shall fhe prince of this world be cast out." Another design was, to gather together in one all things in Christ. Now is come the time for this also : John xn. 32, " And I, if I be lifted up, wdl draw all men unfo me ;" which is agreeable to Jacob's prophecy of Christ, fhat when " Shiloh should come, fo hira should the gathering of the people be," Gen. xlix. 10. Another design Is the salvation of the elect. Now when his sufferings are finished, and his hurailiation Is perfected, the tirae is corae for that also : Heb. v. 8, 9, " Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by tbe things which he suffered : and being made perfect, he became fhe author of eternal salvation unfo all them fhat obey him." Another design was, fo accoraplish by these things great glory to the persons of the Trinity. Novv also Is come the tirae for that : John xvn. 1, " Father, the hour is come ; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also raay glorify thee." Another design was the glory of the saints. Now is the tirae also for this : John xvii. 2, " As thou bast given him power over all flesh, that he should give .eternal life to as many as tbou hast given him." And all the dispensations of God's providence henceforward, even to the final consuraraation of all things, are to give Christ his reward, and fulfil his end in what he did and suffered upon earth, and to fulfil the joy fhat was set before hira. INTRODUCTION. Bfifore I enter on the consideration of any particular things accomplished in this period, I would briefly observe some tbings in general concerning it; and particularly how the tiraes of this period are represented In Scripture. 1. The times of fhis period, for the most part, are those which In the Old Testament are called the latter days. We often, In the prophets of the Old Testaraent, read of such and such things that should corae to pass in the latter days, and soraetimes In the last days. Now these expressions of the prophets are most commonly to be understood of fhe times of the period that we are WORK OF REDEMPTION. 425 now ur-on. They are called the latter days, and the last days ; because this is tho last period of the series of God's providences on earth, the last period of that great work of providence, the work of rederaption ; which is as It were the sura of God's works of providence, the tirae wherein the church is under the last dispensation of the covenant of grace that ever it wdl be under on earth. II. The whole tirae of fhis period Is sometiraes in Scripture called the end of tke world as, 1 Cor. x. 11 : " Now all these fhlngs happened urito fhem for sn.saraples : and they are written for our admonition, upon whora the ends of the world are come." And the Apostle, Heb. Ix. 26, in this expression of the end of the world, means the whole of tbe gospel day, frora the birth of Christ to the finishing of the day of judgment : "But now once in the end of -che world, hath he appeared, to put away sin by the sacrifice of hiraself" This space of tirae may well be called the end of the world; for tbis whole tirae is taken up in bringing things to their great end and issue, tbat great issue that God had been preparing the way for, in all fhe great dispensations of providence, from the first fall of man to this time. Before, things were in a kind of preparatory stafe ; but now fhey are in a finishing stafe. It is the winding up of things which is all this whde accomplishing. An end is now brought to the former carnal state of things, which by degrees vanishes, and a spiritual state begins to be established, and fo be established more and raore. First, an end is brought fo fhe forraer state of the church, which raay be called its worldly state, the state wherein it was subject to carnal ordinances, and the rudiraents of the world : and then an end is brought to the Jewish stafe, in the destruction of their city and country : and then, after that, an end Is brought to tbe old Heathen erapire In Constantine's time ; which is another and further degree of the winding up and finishing of the world : and fbe next step Is the finishing of Satan's visible kingdom in the world, upon the fall of Antichrist, and the calling of fhe Jews : and last will come the desfruction of the outward frame of the world itself, at the conclusion of the day of judgment. But the world is all this while as it -were a finishing, though it coraes to an end by several steps and degrees. Heaven and earth began to shake, in order to a dissolution, according to the prophecy of Haggai, before Christ carae, that so only those things that cannot be shaken may reraain, I. e., fhat those things that are to come to an end may come to an end, and that only those things may reraain which are to reraain to all eternity. So, in the first, place, the carnal ordinances ofthe Jewish worship carae to an end, to make way for the establishment of fhat spiritual worship, fhe wor ship of the heart, which is to endure of all eternity: John iv. 21, "Jesus saith unto the woman. Believe me, the hour coraeth when ye shall neither in tbis mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father." Ver. 23, " But the hour coraeth, and now Is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father In spirit and' In truth : for the Father seeketh such to worship him." This is one instance of the temporary world's coming to an end, and the eternal world's beginning. And then, after that, the outward temple and the outward city Jerusalem carne to an end, to give place to fhe setting up ofthe spiritual temple and the spiritual city, which are to last to eternity ; which Is another instance of removing those things which are ready to vanish away, that those things which cannot be shaken may reraain. And then, after that, the old Heathen erapire coraes to an end, fo make way for fhe empire of Christ, which shad last to all eternity ; which is another step of bringing fhe temporal world to an end, and of the beginning of the world to come, which is an eternal Vol. I 54 425 WORK OF REDEMPTION. world. And after fhat, and upon the fall of Antichrist, an er,d is put to Satan's visible kingdora on earth, to establish Christ's kingdora, which Is an eternal kingdora ; as the prophet Daniel says, chap. vii. 27 : " And the kingdom and dominion, and the p-reatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of.the saints of fhe Most High, whose kingdora is an ever lasting kingdora, and all dorainions shall serve and obey him ;" which Is another instance of the ending of the teraporary world, and fhe beginning of fhe eter nal one. And then, lastly, the very frarae of fhis corruptible -ivorld shaU come fo an end, to make way for tbe church fo dwell In another dwelling place, which shall last to eternity ; which is the last Instance of the sarae thing. Because fhe world is thus coraing to an end by various steps and degrees, the Apostle perhaps uses this expression, that ,fhe ends of fhe world are come on us ; not the end, but tbe ends, of the plural number, as though the world has several endings one after another. The gospel dispensation is the last stafe of things In the world ; and this state is a finishing st&te : It is all spent in finishing things off which before had been preparing, or abolishing things which before had stood. It is aU spent as it were in summing things up, and bringing thera to their Issues, and their proper fulfilraent. Now all the old types are fulfilled, and all the prophe cies of all fhe prophets from the beginning of the world shall be accomplish ed in tbis period. III. That state of things which is attained In the events of fhis period is called a new heaven and a new earth : Isa. lxv. 17, 18, " For behold, I create new heavens, and a new earth : and fhe former shall not be remembered, nor corne into mind. But be you glad and rejoice for ever In that which I create : for behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy." And ch. lxvi. 22, " For as fhe new heavens and (he new earth whichi make, shall remain before me ; so shall your seed and your narae reraain." Sec also ch. li. 16. As the forraer state of things, or the old world, by one step after another, Is through fhis period coraing fo an end ; so the new stafe cf things, or the new world, which is a spiritual world, Is beginning and setting up. The heaven and earth which are corruptible, are shaking, thaf the new heavens and new eartb, which cannot be shaken, may be established and remain. In consequence of each of these finishings of the old state of things, there is a new beginning of a new and eternal state of things. §o was that which accorapanied the destruction of Jerusalem, which -was an establishing of the spiritual Jerusalera, instead of fhe literal. So with respect to the destruction of fhe old Heathen empire, and all the other endings of the old state of things, till at length fbe very outward forra of the old world Itself shall corae to an end ; and the church shal! dwell in a world new to it, or to a o-reat part of it, even heaven, which will be a new habitation ; and then shall the utraost he accomplished fhat Is meant by the new heavens and the new earth. See Rev. xxi. 1. The end of God's creating the world was to prepare a kingdom for his Son (for he is appointed heir of the worid), and that »-e might have the possession of it, and a kingdora in it, which should remain fo all eternity. So that, so far forth as the kingdom of Christ is set up in the world, so far is fhe world brought to ifs end, and fhe eternal state of things set up. So far are all the great changes and revolutions of the ages of the world brought to their everlasting Issue, and all things come to their ultimate period. So far WORK OF REDEMPTION. 427 are the waters of the long channel of divine Providence, which has so many branches, and so many windings and turnings, emptied out Into their proper ocean, which they have been seeking from the beginning and head of their course, and so are corae to their rest. So far as Christ's kingdom is estab lished in the world, so far are things wound up and settled in their everlast ing slate, and a period put to the course of things In this changeable world ; so far are the first heavens and the first earth come to an end, and the new heavens and the new earth, the everlasting heavens and earth, established in their roora. This leads rae to observe, IV. That the state of things which is attained by the events of this period, is what is so often called the kingdom of heaven, or the kingdom of God. We very often read in the New Testaraent of the kingdom of heaven. John fhe Baptist preached, that fhe kingdom of heaven was at hand ; and so did Christ, and bis disciples after hira ; referring to something that the Jews in those days expected, and very much talked of, which they called by fhat narae. They seera to have taken their expectation and the name chiefly frora that prophecy of Daniel in Nebuchadnezzar's dreara, Dan. ii. 44, " And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom ;" together with that in chap. vii. 13, 14. Now fhis kingdom of heaven is fhat evangelical state of things in his church, and In tbe world, wherein consists the success of Christ's redemption in this period. There had been often great kingdoras set up before, which were earthly king doras ; as the Babylonish, the Persian, the Grecian, and the Roraan monarchies. But Christ carae to set up the last kingdom, which is not an earthly kingdom, but a heavenly, and so is fhe kingdom of heaven : John xvin. 36, " My kingdora is not of this world." This is the kingdora of which Christ speaks, Luke xxii. 29, " My Fathef halh appointed to rae a kingdora." This kmgdora began soon after Christ's resurrection, and was accompUshed in various steps from thattirae to the end ofthe world. Soraetiraes by the kingdom of heaven, is raeant that spiritual state of the church which began soon after Christ's resurrection ; soraetiraes that raore perfect stafe of the church which shall obtain after the downfall of Antichrist ; and soraetiraes that glorious and blessed state to which the church shall be received at the day of judgment : 1 Cor. xv. 50, the apostle, speaking ofthe resurrection, says, " This I say, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom ofGod." Under this head I would observe several things particularly, for the clearer understanding of what the Scripture says concerning this period. 1. The setting up ofthe kingdom of Christ is chiefly accomplished by four successive great events, each of which is in Scripture called Christ's coming in his kingdom. The whole success of Christ's rederaption is comprehended in one word, viz., his setting up his kingdom. This is chiefly done by four great successive dispensations of Providence ; and every one of fhem Is repre sented In Scripture as Christ's coming in his kingdora. The first is Christ's appearing in those wonderful dispensations of Providence in the apostles' days in setting up his kingdom, and destroying the enemies of his kingdom, which en ded In the desfruction of Jerusalem. This Is called Christ's coming In his king dom. Matt. xvi. 28 : " Verily I say unto you, there be sorae standing here, which . shall not taste of death till they see fhe Son of raan coming in his kingom." And so It is represented in Matt. xxiv. The second Is that which was accom- ollshed in Constantine's time, in the destruction of the Heathen Roman empire. 428 WORK OF REDEMPTION. This Is represented as Christ's coraing, and is compared f o his coming to judg ment, in the 6th chapter of Revelatipn at the latter end. The third is that which is to be accomplished at fhe destruction of Antichrist. This also is repre sented as Christ's coming in his kingdom in the 7th chapter of Daniel, and in other places, as I may possibly show hereafter, when I come to speak of if. The fourth and last Is his coming to fhe last judgraent, which is fhe event principally signified. In Scripture by Christ's coming in his kingdom. 2. I would observe, that each of the three former of these is a lively Image or type of the fourth and last, viz., Christ's coming to the final judgment, as the principal dispensations of Providence before Christ's first coming, were types of that first coming. As Christ's last coming to judgment is accom panied with a resurrection of tbe dead, so is each of the three foregoing with a spiritual resurrection. That coming of Christ which ended In fhe destruction of Jerusalera, was preceded by a glorious spiritual resurrection of souls In the calling of Ihe Gentiles, and bringing horae such multitudes of souls to Christ by fbe preaching of the gospel. So Christ's coming in Constantine's time, was accompanied with a glorious spiritual resurrection of the greater part of the known world, in a restoration of it to a visible church state, from a state of Heathenism. So Christ's coraing at fhe desfruction of Antichrist, will be attended with a spiritual resurrection of the church after it had been long as It were dead in the times of Antichrist. This is called the first resurrection In the 20th chapter of Revelation. Again, as Christ inthe last judgraent will gloriously manifest himself, com ing In fhe glory of his Father, so in each of the three foregoing events, Christ gloriously manifested hiraself in sending judgments upon his enemies, and in showing grace and favor to his church ; and as fhe last coming of Christ wdl be attended with a literal gathering together of the elect from the four winds of heaven, so were each of tbe preceding attended with a spiritual gathering m of the elect. As this gathering together of tbe elect will be effected by God's angels, with a great sound of a trumpet, as in Matt. xxiv. 31 ; so were each of the preceding spiritual ingatherings effected by the trumpet of the gospel, sounded by the ministers of Christ. As there shall precede the last appearance of Christ, a time of great degeneracy and wickedness, so this has been, or will be, the case with each of the other appearances. Before each of thera is a tirae of great opposition to fhe church. — Before the first, by the Jews, In their persecutions that we read of in the New Testament ; before fhe second, viz., in Constantine's time, by the Heathen, in several successive persecutions raised by the Roman eraperors against the Christians; before the third, by Antichrisf ; and before the last, by Gog and Magog, as described in the Revelation. By each of these coraings of Christ, God works a glorious deliverance for his church. Each of them is accompanied with a glorious advancement of the state ofthe church. The first, which ended in the desfruction of Jerusalem, was attended with bringing fhe church info the glorious stafe of fhe gospel, a glorious state of the church very much prophesied of old, whereby the church was advanced Info far more glorious circumstances than it was In before under the Jewish dispensation. The second, which was in Constantine's tirae, was a-?companied with an advancement of the church into a stafe of liberty from persecution, and the countenance of 'civil authority, and triuraph over their Heathen persecutors. The third, which shall be at the downfall of Antichrist, will be accompanied with an advan :ement of the church into that state of the glorious prevalence of truth, liberty, peace, and joy, that we so often read of WORK OF REDEMPTION. 429 m the prophetical parts cf Scripture. The last will be attended with the advancement of the church to consummate glory in both soul and body in neaven. Each of these comings of Christ is accorapanied with a terrible destruction ofthe wicked, and the enemies ofthe church.- The first, with the destruction ofthe persecuting Jews, which was amazingly terrible ; tbe second, with dread ful judgraents on fhe Heathen persecutors of tbe church, of which raore here after ; the third, wilh the awful destruction of Antichrist, fhe most cruel and bitter enemy that ever the church had ; the fourth, with divine wrath and vengeance on all the ungodly. Further, there is in each of these coraings of Christ an ending of the old heavens and the old earth, and a beginning of new heavens and a new earth ; or an end of a temporal state of things, and a beginning of an eternal state. 3. I would observe, that each of those four great dispensations whicb are represented as Christ's coming In his kingdora, are but so raany steps and degrees ofthe accomplishraent of one event. They are not tbe setting up of so many distinct kingdoms of Christ ; they are all of them only several degrees of the accomplishment of tbat one event prophe,sied of, Dan. vii. 13, 14 : " And I saw in the night visions, and behold, one like the Son of man carae with the clouds of heaven, and carae to the Ancient of days, and they brought hira near before him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, thaf all people, nations, and languages, should serve him : his dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed." This is what the Jews expected, and called " the coming of the kingdom of heaven ;" and what John the Baptist and Christ had respect to, when they said, " tbe kingdora of heaven is at hand." This great event is gradually accomplished, or is accompUshed by several steps. Those four great events which have been raentioned, were several steps towards the accoraplishment of this grand event. Wben Christ came with tbe preaching of the apostles, to set up his kingdom in the world, whicb dispensation ended with fhe destruction of Jerusalem, then It was accomplished in a glorious degree ; when the Heathen empire was des troyed in Constantine's tirae, it was fulfilled in a further degree ; when Antichrist shall be destroyed, it will be accomplished in a yet higher degree : but when the end of the -\vorld is come, then wdl it be accomplished in its most perfect degree of all; then it will be finally and completely accomplished. And be cause these four great events are but images one of another, and fhe tbree former but types of the last, and since fhey are all only several steps of the accoraplishment of the same thing ; hence we find fhem all frora tirae to tirae prophesied of under one, as they are in fbe prophecies of Daniel, and as fhey are in the 24th chapter of Matthew, where some things seem raore applicable to one of them, and others to another. 4. I would observe, thaf, as there are several steps of fhe accomplishment of the kingdom of Cbrist, so in each one of thera the event is accoraplished in a further degree than in the foregoing. That in the time of Constantine wa.s a greater and further accomplishraent of tbe kingdom of Christ, than that which ended in the destruction of Jerusalera ; that which shall be at the fall of Antichrist, will be a further accoraplishment of the sarae thing, than tbat which took place in the time of Constantine ; and so on with regard to each : so that the kingdom of Christ is gradually prevailing and growing by these several great steps of Ifs fulfilment, from the time of Christ's resurrection, to he end of the world. 430 WORK OF REDEMPTION. 5. And lastly, it may be observed, that the great providences of God be tween these four great events, are to make way for the kingdom and glory of Christ in the great event following. Those dispensations of Providence which were towards the church of God and the world, before the destruction of the heathen erapire in the time of Constantine, seem all to have been to make way for the glory of Christ, and tbe happiness of fhe church in that event. And so the great providences of God which are after that, till the destruction of Antichrist, and the beginning of fhe glorious times of the church which follow, seera all to be to prepare the way for the greater glory of Christ and his church in that event ; and the providences of God -«'hich shall be after that to the end of the world, seem to be for the greater manifestation of Christ's glory at the end of the world, and In fhe consummation of all things. Tbus I thought it needful to observe those things in general concerning this last period of the series of God's providence, before I take notice of the par ticular providences by which the work of rederaption is carried on through this period, in their order : and before I do that, I wdl also briefly answer to an Inquiry, viz., Why the setting up of Christ'.- kingdora after his humiliation should be so gradual, by so many steps fhat are so long in accomplishing, since God could easily have finished it at once 1 Though it would be presumption In us to pretend to declare all the ends of God in this, yet doubtless much of fhe wisdom of God may be seen in it by us ; and particularly in these two things. 1. In tbis way the glory of God's wisdora,in the manner of doing fhis, is more visible f o the observation of creatures. If It h ad been done at once, in an instant, or in a very short tirae, there would not have been such opportunities for ' creatures to perceive and observe the particular steps of divine wisdora, as when the work is gradually accoraplished, and oue effect of his wisdom is held forth to observation after another. It Is wisely deterrained of God, to accoraplish his great design by a wonderful and long series of events, that the glory of his wisdora raay be displayed in tbe whole series, and that the glory of his perfections raay be seen, appearing, as it were, by parts, and in particular successive manifestations : for if all that glory which appears In all these events had been raanifested at once, it would have been too rauch for us, ai)d raore than we at once could take notice of; it would have dazzled our eyes, and over powered our sight. 2. Satan is more gloriously triumphed over. God could easily, by an act of alraighty power, at once have crushed Satan. But by giving him tirae to use his utmost subtlety to hinder fhe success of what Christ had done and suf fered, he is not defeated merely by surprise, but has large opportunity to ply his utmost power and subtlety again and again, to strengthen his own interest all that he can by the work of many ages. Thus God destroys and confounds hira, and sets up Christ's kingdora tirae after tirae, in spite of alibis subtle ma chinations and great works, and by every step advances It still higher and higher, till at length It Is fully set up, and Satan perfectly and eternally van quished in the end of all things. I now proceed to take notice of the particular events, whereby, from the end of Christ's hurailiation to fhe end of the world, the success of Christ's pur chase has been or shall be accomplished. 1. I would take notice of those things whereby Christ was put into an im mediate capacity for accorapUshing the end of his purchase. 2. I would show how he obtained or accomplished that success WORK OF REDEMPTION. 431 PART I. I WOULD take notice, first, of those things by which Christ was put mto a capacity for accomplishing the end of his purchase. And they are two things, viz., his resurrection, and his ascension. As we observed before, the incarna tion of Christ was necessary in order to Christ's being in a near capacity for the purchase of rederaption ; so the resurrection and ascension of Christ were requisite. In order to his accoraplishing the success of his purchase. I. His resurrection. It was necessary. In order to Christ's obtaining the end and effect of his purchase of rederaption, that he should rise frora tbe dead. For God the Father had coraraltted the whole affair of redemption, nof only the purchasing of if but the bestowing of the blessing purchased, to bis Son, that he should not only purchase It as a priest, but actually bring it about as king ; and that he should do this as God-man. For God the Father would have nothing to do with fallen man In a way of mercy, but by a raediator. Buf in order that Christ raight carry on the work of rederaption, and accom plish the success of his own purchase as God-raan, it was necessary that he should be alive, and so fhat he should rise frora the dead. Therefore Christ, after he had finished this purchase by death, and by continuing for a tirae un der the power of death, rises frora the dead, to fulfil the end of his purchase, and hiraself to bring about that for which he died : for this raatter God fhe Father had comraitted unto hira, that he raight, as Lord of all, manage all fo his own purpose : Rora. xiv. 9, " For fo this end Christ both died and rose, and revived, that he raight be Lord both of the dead and the living." Indeed Christ's resurrection, and so his ascension, -was part of the success of what Christ did and suffered in his humiliation. For though Christ did not properly purchase redemption for hiraself, yet he purchased eternal life and glory for hiraself, by what he did and suffered ; and this eternal life and glory was given hira as a reward of wbat he did and suffered : Phil. ii. 8, 9, " He humbled himself and becarae obedient unto death, even the deatb of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted hira." And it raay be looked upon as part of the success of Christ's purchase, if it be considered, tbat Christ did not rise as a private person, but as tbe head of the elect church ; so that fhey did, as it were, all rise with him. Christ was justified in his resurrection, i. e., (jod acquitted and discharged him hereby, as having done and suffered enough for the sins of all the elect : Rom. iv. 25, " Who was delivered for our offences, and raised again for our justification." And God put hira in possession of eternal life, as the head of the church, as a sure earnest that they should fol low. For when Christ rose from the dead, that was the beginning of eternal life m him. His life before his death was a mortal life, a temporal life ; but his hfe after his resurrection was an eternal life : Rora. vi. 9, " Knowing that Christ being raised from fbe dead, dieth no more : death hath no more dominion over him." Rev. I. 18, " I ara he tbat livelh and was dead ; and behold, I ara alive forevermore, Araen." — But he was put in possession of this eternal life, as fhe head of fhe body ; and took possession of it, not only to enjoy hiraself, but to bestow on all who believe in hira : so that the whole church, as it were, rises In hira. And now he who lately suffered so much, after fhis is to suffer no more forever, but to enter into eternal glory. God the Father neither expects nor desires any more suffering. This resurrection of Christ is the most joyful event that ever came to pass • 432 , WORK OF REDEMPTION. "lecause hereby Christ rested frora the great and difficult work of purchasing rederaption, and received God's testiraony, that It was finished. The death of Christ was the greatest and raost wonderful event that ever came to pass ; buf that has a great deal in it that is sorrowful. But by the resurrection of Christ, tbat sorrow is turned info joy. The head of the whole church, in thai great event enters on fhe possession of eternal life ; and the whole church is, as it were, " begotten again fo a lively hope," 1 Pet. I. 3. Weeping had continued for a night, but now joy coraeth in the morning, the mosf joyful morning fhat ever was. This Is tbe day of the reigning of the head of fhe cburch, and all the churcb reigns with hira. This is spoken of as a day which was worthy to be comraemorated with tbe greatest joy of all days : Psal. ex .-•iii. 24. " This is the day which the Lord hath made, we will rejoice and be glad in it." And tberefore this, above all other days, is appointed for fhe day of the church's spiritual rejoicing to the end of fhe world, fo be weekly sanctified, as their day of holy rest and. joy, that the church therein may rest and rejoice with her head. And as the third chapter of Genesis is fhe most sorrowful chapter in the Bible ; so those chapters In the evangelists, that give an account of fhe resurrection of Christ, may be looked upon as fhe most joyful chapt-ers in all the Bible : for those chapters give an account of the finish ing of the purchase of rederaption, and fhe beginning of fhe glory ofthe head of the church, as the greatest seal and earnest of the eternal glory of all the rest. It is further fo be observed, that the day of the gospel most properly begins 'with the resurrection of Christ. Till Christ rose from the dead, the Old "Tes taraent dispensation reraained : but now it ceases, all being fulfilled that was shadowed forth in the typical ordinances of that dispensation : so that here most properly is the end of the Old Testaraent night, and Christ rising from the grave with joy and glory, was as fhe joyful bridegroom of fhe church, as a glorious conqueror, to subdue their enemies under their feet ; or was like the sun, rising, as it were frora under fhe earth, after a long night, of da-rk- ness, and coraing forth as a bridegroom, prepared as a strong man to run his race, appearing in joyful light to enlighten the world. Now that joyful and excellent dispensation begins, that glorious dispensation, of which the prophets prophesied so rauch ; now fhe gospel sun is risen In glory, " and with healing In his wings," that those who fear God's name, may " go forth and grow up as calves of the stall." II. Christ's ascension info heaven. In fhis I would include his sitting at the right hand of God. For Christ's ascension and sitting af fhe right hand of God, can scarcely be looked upon as two distinct things : for Christ's as cension was nothing else, but ascending to God's right hand ; it was coming to sit down at his Father's right hand in glory. This was another thing whereby Christ was put into a capacity for the accoraplishing the effect of his purchase ; as one that comes fo be a deliverer of a people as fheir king, In order- to it, and that he may be under tbe best capacity for it, is first installed In his throne. We are fold that Christ was exalted for this end, that he raight accom plish the success of his rederaption : Acts. v. 31, " Him hath God exalted with his right hand, for to give repentance unto Israel, and the reraission of sins." Christ's ascension into heaven was, as it -were, his soleran enthronization, whereby the Father did set bim upon the throne, and invest him with the gloryof his kingdom which he had purchased for hiraself, thaf he might thereby obtain the success of his redemption in conquering all his enemies : Psal. ex. 1, '^ Sit thou at my right hand, untd I make thine enemies thy foot stool." Christ entered into heaven, in order to obtain the success of his pur- WORK OF REDEMPTION. 433 chase, as the high priest of old, after he had offered sacrifice, entered into the holy of holies with fhe blood of the sacrifice, in order to obtain the success of the sacrifice which he had offered. See Heb. Ix. 12. He entered into heaven, there to raake Intercession for his people, to plead the aicrifice which Le had made in order fo the success of it, Heb. vii. 25. And as he ascended Into heaven, God the Father did in a visible raanner set hira on the throne as king of the universe. He then put the angels all under him, and subjected heaven and earth under him, that he might govern them for the good of the people for whom he had died, Eph. i. 20, 21, 22. And as Christ rose from the dead, so he ascended Into heaven as fbe head of the body and forerunner of all the church ; and so they, as it were, ascend with him, as well as rise with him : so that we are both raised up together, and raade to sit together in heavenly places in Christ, Eph. n. 6. The day of Christ's ascension Info heaven was doubtless a joyful, glorious day in heaven. And as heaven received Christ, God-raan, as ifs king, so doubtless it received a great accession of glory and happiness, far beyond what it had before. So that the tiraes in both parts of the church, both that part which is In heaven, and also that which is on earth, are becorae raore glorious since Christ's huraiUation than before. So much for those things whereby Christ was put into fhe best capacity for obtaining the success of rederaption. PART II. I NOW proceed to show how he accomplished this success. And here I would observe, fhat this success consists In two things, viz., either In Grace, or In Glory. Tbat success which consists in fhe forraer, is to be seen in those works of God which are wrought during those ages of the church wherein the church Is continued under the outward raeans of Grace. That success which consists in the latter of these, viz.. Glory, has its chief accoraplishment at fhe day of judgment. SECTION I. I would first consider the forraer kind of success, consisting In God's grace here ; which mainly appears in the works of God during the tirae that the Christian church continues under the raeans of grace; which is frora Christ's resurrection to his appearing in the clouds of heaven fo judgraent ; which in cludes tbe three former of those great events of providence before mentioned, which are called Christ's coming in his kingdom. In speaking of this suc cess, I -would, 1. Mention those things by which the raeans of this success were establish ed after Christ's resurrection ; and, 2. Consider the success, itself § I. I would consider those dispensations of Providence, by which the means of fhis success were established after Christ's resurrection. I. The abolishing of the Jewish dispensation. This indeed was gradually done, but it began from the tirae of Christ's resurrection. In which the aboli tion of it is founded. This was the first thing done towards bringing the Vol. I 55 434 WORK OF REDEMPTION. former state of the world to an end. This is to be looked upon as the great means of the success of Christ's rederaption. For the Jewish dispensation was nof fitted for more ban one nation : it was not fitted for the practice of the world in general, or for a church of God dwelling in all parts of the world : nor would It have been in any wise practicable by them : it would have been irapossible for men living In all parts of the world to go to Jerusalem three times a year, as was prescribed In that constitution. When therefore God had a design of enlarging his church, as he did after Christ's resurrection, it was necessary that this dispensation should be aboUshed. If It had been con tinued, it would bave oeen a great block and hinderance fo the enlargement of the church. And besides, their ceremonial law, by reason of its burden someness, and great peculiarity of sorae of its rites, was, as it were, a wall of partition, and was the ground of enraity between the Jews and Gentiles, and would have kept the Gentdes from coraplying with the true reUgion. Thia wall therefore was broken down, to make way for the more extensive success of the gospel ; as Eph. u. 14, 15. II. The next thing in order of tirae seeras to be the appointraent of the Christian Sabbath. For though this was gradually established in tbe Chris tian church, yet those things by which the revelation of God's raind and will was raade, began on the day of Christ's resurrection, by his appearing then to his disciples, John xx. 19 ; and was afterwards confirraed by his appearing from time fo tirae on that day rather than any other, John xx. 26, and by hi" sending down the Holy Spirit so remarkably on that day, Acts. ii. 1, and afterwards in directing that public asserablies and the public worship of Chris tians should be on that day, which may be concluded frora Acts xx. 7, 1 Cor. xvi. 1, 2, and Rev. I. 10. And so the day of the week on which Christ rose from the dead, fhat joyful day, is appointed to be the day of fhe church's holy rejoicing fo the end of the world, and the day of their stated public wor ship. And this is a very great and principal means of the success which the gospel has had in fhe world. III. The next thing was Christ's appointment of the gospel rainistry, and coraralssloning and sending forth his apostles to teach and baptize all na tions. Of these things we have an account in Matt, xxviii. 19, 20 : " Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost ; teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have coraraanded you : and lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end 'of the world." — There were three things done by this one instruc tion and comraission of Christ to his apostles, viz., 1. The appointment of the office of the gospel ministry. For this com mission which Christ gives fo his apostles, in the most essential parts of It, belongs to all ministers ; and the apostles, by virtue of it, were ministers or elders of the church. 2. Here is soraething peculiar in this coraraission of the apostles, viz., to go forth frora one nation to another, preaching the gospel in all the world. The apostles had something above what belonged to their ordinary character as ministers ; they had an extraordinary power of teaching and ruling, which ext,mded fo all the churches ; and not only all the churches which then were, but all that should be fo fhe end of the world by their ministry. And so fhe apostles were, as it were in subordination to Christ, made foundations of the Christian church. See Eph. ii. 20, and Rev. xxi. 14. 3. Here is an appointment of Christian baptism. This ordinance Indeed had a beginnmg before ; Jplin the Baptist and Christ both baptized Bui WORK OF REDEMPTION. 435 now especially by this institution is it established as an ordinance to be upheld in theChristian church to the end ofthe world. Tbe ordinance ofthe Lord's supper had been established before, just before Christ's crucifixion. IV. The next thing to be observed, is the enduing fhe apostles, and others, with extraordinary and miraculous gifts of the Holy Ghost ; such as fhe gift of tongues, the gift of healing, of prophecy, &c. The Spirit of God was poured out in great abundance In this respect ; so fhat not only ministers, h\it a very great part of the Christians through fbe world were endued with them, both old and young; not only officers, and more honorable persons, but the meaner sort of people, servants and handmaids, were comraonly en dued with thera, agreeable to Joel's prophecy, Joel ii. 28, 29, of which prophecy the Apostle Peter takes notice, that it is accoraplished in this dispensa tion. Acts ii. 16. How wonderful a dispensation was this 1 Under the Old Testaraent, but few had such honors put upon thera by God. Moses wished that all the Lord's people were prophets, Nurab. xi. 29 ; whereas Joshua thought it rauch fhat Eldad and Medad prophesied. But now we find the wish of Moses fulfilled. And this continued in a very considerable degree to the end of fhe apostolic age, or the first hundred years after fhe birth of Christ, which is therefore called the age of miracles. This was a great raeans of the success of fhe gospel in tbat age, and of establishing the Christian church in all parts of fhe world ; and not only in i:hat age, but in all ages to tbe end of the world : for Christianity being by this means established through so great a part of the known world by miracles, it was after that more easily continued by tradition ; and then, by means of these extraordinary gifts of the Holy Ghost, the apostles, and others, were enabled fo write the New Testament, to be an infallible rule of faith and manners to the church, to the end ofthe world. And furthermore, these rairacles stand recorded in those writings as a standing proof and evidence of the truth of the Christian religion to all ages. V. The next thing I would observe is fhe revealing those glorious doctrines of fhe gospel fully and plainly, which had under the Old Testament been ob scurely revealed. The doctrine of Christ's satisfaction and righteousness, his ascension and glory, and the way of salvation, under the Old Testament, were in a great measure hid under the vail of types and shadows and more obscure revelations, as Moses put a vail on his face fo hide fhe shining of it ; but now the vail of the teraple is rent from fhe top to the bottora ; and Christ, the antitype of Moses, shines : the shining of his face Is without a vail; 2 Cor. iii. 12, 13, and 18. Now these glorious mysteries are plainly revealed, which were in a great raeasure kept secret frora the foundation of the world, Eph. iii. 3, 4, 5. Rom. xvi. 25, " According to the revelation of the raystery which Was kept secret since the world began, but now is raade raanifest ;" and Col. i. 26, " Even the raystery which hath been hid from ages, and generations, but now is raade manifest to his saints." Thus the Sun of righteousness, after it is risen frora under fhe earth, begins 10 shine forth clearly, and not only by a dira reflection as it did before. Christ, before his death, revealed raany things raore clearly than ever they had been revealed in tbe Old Testaraent ; but the great mysteries of Christ's redemption and reconciliation by his death, and justification by his righteousness, were not so plainly revealed before Christ's resurrection. Christ gave this reason for it, that he would not put new wine into old bottles ; and it was gradually done after Christ's resurrection. In all'llkellhoalj Christ much more clearly instructed 436 WORK OF REDEMPTION. them personally after his resurrection, and before his ascension; as we read that he continued with them forty days, speaking of fhe things pertaining to the kingdora. Acts. i. 3 ; and that " he opened fheir understandings, that they might understand the Scriptures," Luke. xxiv. 45. But the clear revelation of these things was principally after the pouring out of the Spirit on the day of Pentecost, agreeable to Christ's promise, John xvi. 12, 13, " I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit, when he, the Spirit of truth is corae, he shall guide you Info all truth." This clear revelation of the mysteries of the gospel, as they are delivered, we have chiefly through tji^ hands of the Apostle Paul, by whose writings a child may corae to know more of the doctrines of the gospel. In many respects, than the greatest prophets knew under the darkness of the Old Testament. Thus we see how fhe light of the gospel, which began to dawn immediately after the fall, and gradually grew and increased through all the ages of the Old Tesfament, as we observed as we went along, is now come to fhe Ught of perfect day, and the brightness ofthe sun shining forth in his unveiled glory. VI. The next thing that I would observe, is *he appointment of fhe office of deacons in the Christian church, which we have an account of in the 6th chapter of the Acts, to take care for the outward supply of fhe members of Christ's church and fhe exercise of fhat great Christian virtue of charity. VII. The calling, and qualifying, and sending the Apostle Paul. This was begun in his conversion as he was going to Daraascus, and was one of fhe greatest means of fhe success of Christ's redemption that followed : for this success was more by the labors, preaching, and writings of this Apostle, than all the other apostles put together. For, as he says, 1 Cor. xv. 10, he " la bored more abundantly than they all ;" so his success was more abundant than that of them all. As he was fhe apostle of the Gentiles, so it was raainly hy his ministry that the Gentdes were called, and the gospel spread through the worid ; and our nation, and the other nations of Europe, have the gospel among them chiefly through his means ; and he was more eraployed by fhe Holy Ghost in revealing the glorious docfrines of the gospel by his writings, for the use of the church in all ages, than all the other apostles taken together. VIII. The next thing I -would observe, is tbe Institution of ecclesiastical councils, for deciding controversies, and ordering fhe affairs of the church of Christ, of which we have an account in the 15th chapter of Acts. IX. The last thing I shall mention under this head, is fhe coraraitting the New Testament fo writing. This was all written after the resurrection of Christ ; and all written, either by the apostles, or by the evangelists, who were companions of the apostles. All the New Tesfament was written by the apostles theraselves, excepting whaf was written by Mark and Luke, viz., the gospels of Mark and Luke, and the book of the Acts of the Apostles. He that wrote the gospel of Mark, is supposed to be he whose raother was Mary, in whose house they were praying for Peter, when he, brought out of prison by fhe angel, came and knocked at the door ; of which we read. Acts xii. 12 : " And wben he had considered the thing, he came to fhe house of Mary the mother of John, whose «urnarae was Mark, where many were gathered together, praying." He was the companion of the apostles Barnabas and Saul : Acts xv. 37, " And Bar nabas determined to take with them John, whose surname was Mark." He was Barnabas's sister's son, and seems sometiraes to have been a companion of the Apostle Paul : Col. iv. 10, " Aristarchus, ray fellow prisoner, salufedi you, and Marcus, sister's son fo Barnabas ; touching whom ye received com mandment : If he come unfo you, receive him." The apostles seem tp havf WORK OF REDEMPTION. 437 made great account of him, as appears by those places, and also by Acts xii. 25 : " And Barnabas and Saul returned frora Jerusalem, and took with thera John, whose surnarae was Mark ;" and Acts xin. 5, " And when they were at Salarais, they preached the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews; and they had also John to their minister;" and 2 Tim. iv. 11, " Only Luke is with rae : take Mark and bring him with thee, for he Is profitable to me for the ministry." This Luke, who wrote the gospel of Luke and the book of Acts, was a great companion ofthe Apostle Paul. He Is spoken of as being with hira in the last raentioned place, and speaks of hiraself as accompanying hirn m his travels in the history of fhe Acts ; and therefore he speaks in the first person plural, when speaking of Paul's travels, saying, We went to such and such a place : we set sail : we launched from such a place ; and landed at such a place. He was greatly beloved by the Apostle Paul: he Is tbat beloved physician spoken of. Col. iv. 14. The apostle ranks Mark and Luke among his fellow laborers ; Philemon 24, " Marcus, Aristarchus, Demas, Lucas, my fellow laborers." The rest of the books were all v/ritfen by the apostles theraselves. The books ofthe New Testaraent are either historical, or doctrinal, or prophetical. The historical books are the writings of the four evangelists, giving us the history of Christ and his purchase of rederaption, and his resurrection and as cension ; and the Acts of the Apostles, giving an account of the great things by which fhe Christian church was first estabUshed and propagated. The doctrinal books are the epistles. These, raost of fheni, we have from the great Apostle Paul, And we bave one prophetical book, which takes place after the end of the history of the whole Bible, and gives an account of fhe great events which were to come to pass, by which the work of redemption was to be car ried on fo the end of fhe world- All these books are supposed to have been written before fhe destruction of Jerusalera, excepting those which were written by the Apostle John, who lived the longest of all the apostles, and wrote what he wrote after the destruction of Jerusalera, as is supposed. And to this beloved disciple it was that Christ revealed those wonderful things which were to corae to pass in his church to the end of time ; and he was the person that put the finishing hand to fhe canon of the Scriptures, and sealed the whole of it. So that now the canon of Scripture, that great and standing written rule, which was begun about Moses's time, is completed and settled, and a curse denounced against him that adds any thing to it, or diminishes any thing from it And so all things are estab lished and completed which relate to the appointed raeans of grace. All the stated means of grace were finished in the apostolical age, or before the death ofthe Apostle John, and are to reraain. unaltered to the day of judgraent. Thus far we have considered those things by which the means of grace were given and established in the Christian church. § II. The other thing proposed, relating to the success of Christ's rederaption during the church's continuance under means of grace, was to show how this success was carried on ; which Is what I would now proceed to do. And here it is worthy to be remembered that the Christian church, during its continuance under -means of grace. Is In two very different states. 1. In a suffering, afflicted, persecuted state ; as, for the most part it Is, from the resurrection of Christ till the fall of Antichrist. 2. In a state of peace and prosperity; wbich is the state that the church, for the most part, is to be In after the fall of AntlclM-ist. 438 WORK OF REDEMPTION First, I would show how the success of Christ's redemption Is carried on during tbe continuance of fhe church's suffering state, frora the resurrection of Christ to the fall of Antichrist. Tbis space of time, for the most part, is a state of the church's sufferings, and Is so represented In Scripture. Indeed God is pleased, out of love and pity to his elect, to grant many intermissions ofthe church's sufferings during this tirae, whereby fhe days of tribulation are as if were shortened. But frora Christ's resurrection till the fall of Antichrist, IS the appointed day of Zion's troubles. During this space of tirae, for the most part, some part or other of the church is under persecution ; and great part of the time, fhe whole church, or at least the generaUty of God's people, have been persecuted. For the first three hundred years after Christ, the church was for fhe most part in a state of great affliction, the object of reproach and persecution ; first by the Jews, and then by the Heathen. After this, frora the beginning of Constantine's tirae, fhe church had rest and prosperity for a liftle while ; which is represented In Rev. vii. at the beginning, by the angel's holding the four winds for a little while. But presently after, the church again suffered per secution frora fhe Arians ; and after thaf. Antichrist rose, and the church was driven away info the wilderness, and was kept down In obscurity, and contempt, and suffering for a long tirae, under Antichrist before the reformation by Luther and others. And since the Reformation, the church's persecutions have been beyond all that ever were before. And though sorae parts of God's church soraetiraes have had rest, yet fo fhis day, for the raost part, the true church is very much kept under by its enemies, and sorae parts of It under grievous per secution ; and so we raay expect it will continue till the fall of Antichrist ; and then will come the appointed day of the chiu'cb's prosperity on earth, the set lime in which God will favor Zion, fhe time when the saints shall not be kept under by wicked raen, as it has been hitherto ; but wherein they shall be uppermost, and shall reign on earth, as it is said. Rev. v. 10, " And the kingdom shall be given to fhe people of fhe saints of fhe Most High," Dan. vii. 27. This suffering state of the church is In Scripture represented as a state of the church's travail, John xvi. 20, 21, and Rev. xii. 1, 2. What the church Is in travail striving to bring forth during this time, is that glory and pros perity of tbe church which shall be after the fall of Antichrist, and then shall she bring forth her child. This is a long tirae of the church's trouble and affliction, and is so spoken of in Scripture, though it be spoken of as being but for a little season, in coraparison of the eternal prosperity ofthe church. Hence the church, under (be long continuance of this affliction, cries out, as in Rev. vi. 10, " How long, 0 Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on thera that dwell on fhe earth V And we are told, that " white robes were given unto every one of them ; and it was said unto thera, thaf they should rest yet for a Uttle season, until their fellow servants also, and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled." So Dan. xii. 6, " How long shall it be to the end of these wonders 1" It Is to be observed, thaf during the tirae ofthese sufferings ofthe church, the main instruraent of their sufferings has been the Roraan government: her afflictions have almost all along been from Rome. That is therefore In the New Testament called Babylon ; because, as of old, the troubles of the city Jerusalera were mainly from fhat adverse city Babylon, so the troubles of the Christian church, the spiritual Jerusalera, during the long time of Its tribulation, is mainly from Rome. Before the time of Constantine, the troubles WORK OF REDEMPTION 439 ofthe Christian church were frora Heathen Rorae : since that tirae its troubles have been mainly from Antichristian Rorae. And, as of old the captivity of the Jews ceased on the destruction of Babylon, so the tirae of the trouble of the Christian church will cease with the destruction of fhe church of Rome, that spiritual Babylon. In showing how the success of Christ's rederaption is carried on, during this tirae of the church's tribulation, I would, 1. Show how it was carried on till the destruction of Jerusalera, with which ended the first great dispensation of Providence whicb is called Christ's coming in his kingdom. 2. How it was carried on from thence to fhe destruction of the Heathen empire in the time of Constantine, which is the second dispensation called Christ's coming. How it was carried on frora thence to the destruction of Antichrist, when will be accomplished fhe third great event called Christ's coming, and with which the days ofthe church's tribulation and travail end. I. I would show how the success of Christ's purchase of rederaption was carried on frora Christ's resurrection fo fhe destruction of Jerusalera. In speaking of fhis, I would, 1, take notice of tbe success Itself; and, 2, the op position raade against it by the eneraies of it : and, 3, the terrible judgments of God on those eneraies. 1. I would observe the success itself Soon after Christ had finished the purchase of rederaption, and was gone into heaven, and entered Into tbe holy of holies with his own blood, there began a glorious success of what he had done and suffered. Having underrained the foundation of Satan's kingdora, it began to fall apace. Swiftiy did it hasten to ruin in the world, which raight well be corapared fo Satan's falling like lightning frora heaven. Satan before had exalted his throne very high in this world, even to the very stars of heaven, reigning with great glory in his Heathen Roman empire : but never before had he such a downfall as he had soon after Christ's ascension. He had, we may suppose, been very lately triumphing in a supposed victory, having brought about the death of Christ, which he doubtless gloried in as the greatest feat thaf ever he did ; and probably iraagined he had totally defeated God's design by hira. But he was quickly raade sensible, that he had only been ruin ing his own kingdora, when he saw it turabling so fast so soon after, as a con sequence of the death of Christ. For Christ, by his death, having purchased fhe Holy Spirit, and having ascended, and received the Spirit, he poured it forth abundantly for the conversion of thousands and millions of souls. Never had Christ's kingdora been so set up In fhe world. There proba bly were raore souls converted in the age of fhe apostles than had been before frora the beginning of the world till that time. Thus God so soon beo-ins gloriously to accoraplish his proraise to his Son, wherein he had promised, that he should see his seed, and that fhe pleasure of the Lord should prosper in his hand, if he would make his. soul an offering for sin. And, (1.) Here is to be observed the success which the gospel had among the Jews : for God first began witb thera. He being about fo reject fhe main body of that people, first calls in his elect from araong thera, before he forsook them, to turn to the Gentiles. It was so in former great and dreadful judg ments of God on that nation : the bulk of them were destroyed, and only a remnant saved, or reformed. So it'was in the rejection of the ten tribes, long before this rejection : the bulk of the fen tribes were rejected, when tbey left the true worship of God In Jeroboara's tirae, and afterwards more fully in Ahab's 440 WORK OF REDEMPTION time. But yet there was a remnant of them that God reserved. A numbci! left tbeir possessions in these tribes, and went and settled in the tribes of Judah and Benjamin. And afterwards there were seven thousand in Ahab's time, who had not bowed fhe knee to Baal. And so, in fbe captivity into Babylon, only a remnant of thera ever returned to fheir own land. And so now again, by far the greater part of the people were rejected entirely, but some few were saved. And therefore the Holy Ghost corapares this reservation of a nuraber tbat were converted by tbe preaching of the apostles, to those forraer remnants : Rora. ix. 27, " Esaias also crieth concerning Israel, Though the number of the children of Israel be as tbe sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved." See Isa. x. 22. Tbe glorious success of the gospel araong the Jews after Christ's ascension, began by the pouring out of the Spirit upon the day of Pentecost, of which we read in Acts ii. So wonderful was this pouring out of the Spirit and so reraarkable and swift fhe effect of it, that we read of three thousand who -were converted fo the Christian faith in one day. Acts ii. 41. And probably the greater part of these were savingly converted. And after this, we read of God's adding to the cburch daily such as should be saved, verse 47. And soon after, we read, that the nuraber of thera were about five thousand. Thus were not only a raultitude converted, buf the church was then eminent in piety, as appears by Acts ii. 46, 47, and iv. 32. Thus the Christian cburch was first of all of the nation of Israel ; and therefore, when fhe Gentiles were called, they were but as it were added to Israel, to fhe seed of Abrahara. They were added to the Christian church of Israel, as the proselytes of old were to the Mosaic church of Israel ; and so were as it were only grafted on the stock of Abrahara, and were not a distinct tree ; for they are all still the seed of Abraham and Israel ; as Ruth fhe Moabitess, and Uriah fhe Hittite, and other proselytes of old, were the same people, and ranked as the seed of Israel. So fhe Christian church at first began at Jerusalem, and from thence was propagated to all nations : so tbat tbis cburch of Jerusalem was the church that was as It were the mother of all other churches in the world ; agreeable to fhe prophecy, Isaiah ii. 3, 4, " Out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord frora Jerusalem ; and be sball judge among the nations, and rebuke many people." So that tbe whole church of God is still God's Jeru salera ; they are his spiritual Jerusalera, and are as it vrere only added fo the church, which was begun In the literal Jerusalem. After fhis, we read of many thousands of Jews that believed in Jerusalem, Acts xxi. 20. And so we read of mulfifudes of Jews who were converted in other cities of Judea ; and not only so, but even in other parts of the world. For wherever tbe apostles went, if there were any Jews fhere, their manner was first to go into the synagogues of the Jews, and preach tbe gospel to them, and raany in one place and another beUeved; as in Daraascus and Antioch, and many other places fhat we read of In the Acts of the Apostles. In this pouring out of fhe Spirit, which began at the Pentecost following Christ's ascension, began fhat first great dispensation which is called Christ's coming in his kingdom. — Christ's coming thus in a spiritual manner for the glorious setting up of his kingdom In the world, Is represented by Christ him self as his coining down frora heaven, whither he had ascended, John xiv. 18. There" Christ, having been speaking of his ascension, says, " I will not leave you corafortless ; I will come unto you," speaking of his coraing by the coraing of the Coraforfer, the Spirit of truth. And verse 28, " Ye have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come again unfo you." And thus the apostles WORK OF REDEMPTION. 441 began to see the kingdora of heaven come with power, as he promised they 'should, Mark Ix. 1 (2.) What is next to be observed is the success of fhe gospel among the Saraaritans. After the success of fhe gospel had been so gloriously begun araong the proper Jews, fhe Spirit of God was next wonderfully poured out on the Saraaritans, who were not Jews by nation, but fhe posterity of those whora the king of Assyria reraoved from different parts of his dorainions, and settled in the land that was inhabited by the ten tribes whora he carried cap tive. But yet they had received tbe five books of Moses, and practised most of the rites of the law of Moses, and so were a sort of mongrel Jews. We do not find thera reckoned as Gentdes In the New Testaraent : for the calling of the Gentiles is spoken of as a new thing after ibis, beginning witb the cop- version of Cornelius. But yet it was an instance of making that a people that were no people : for they had corrupted fhe reUgion which Moses cora manded, and did not go up to Jerusalera to worship, but had another teraple of their own in mount Gerizim ; which Is the mountain of wbich tbe woraan of Saraaria speaks, when she says, " Our fathers worshipped in this mountain " Christ there does not approve of their separation frora the Jews ; but tells fhe woraan of Samaria, that they worshipped they knew not what, and that salva tion is of the Jews. But now salvation is brought from the Jews to them by the preaching of Phdip (excepting fhat before Christ bad sorae success among them), with whose preaching there was a glorious pouring out of the Spirit of God in the city of Samaria ; where we are told that " the people believed Philip, preach ing the things concerning fhe kingdom of Christ, and were baptized, both men and woraen ; and tbat there was great joy in fhat city," Acts vni. 8 — 12. Thus Christ had a glorious harvest in Saraaria ; which is what Christ seeras to have had respect to. In what he said to his disciples at Jacob's well, three or four years before, on occasion of the people of Samaria's a]ipearing at a distance in fhe fields coraing to the place where Christ was, at the insti gation of the woraan of Saraaria. On that occasion he bids his disciples lift up fheir eyes to the fields, for fhat fhey were white to the harvest, John iv. 35, 36. The disposition which the people of Samaria showed towards Christ and his gospel, showed that they were ripe for the harvest. But now the harvest Is come by Philip's preaching. There used to be a most bitter enmity be tween the Jews and Saraaritans ; but now, by their conversion, the Christian Jews and Saraaritans are all happily united ; for In Christ Jesus is neither Jew nor Saraaritan, but Christ is all in all. This was a glorious instance of fhe wolf's dwelling with fhe larab, and fhe leopard's lying down with the kid. (3.) The next thing to be observed is the success there was of the gospel in calling fhe Gentiles. This was a great and glorious dispensation of divine providence, much spoken of in the prophecies of the Old Testament, and spoken of by the apostles, time after time, as a most glorious event of Christ's rederaption. This was begun in the conversion of Cornelius and his faraily, greatly to the adrairation of Peter, who was used as the instruraent of It, and of those who were with him, and of those who were Inforraed of It ; as you may see. Acts x. and xi. And the next instance of It that we have any account of, was in the conversion of great nurabers of Gentiles in Cyprus, and Cyrene, and Antioch, by fhe disciples that were scattered abroad by the persecution which arose about Stephen, as we have an account in Acts xi. 19, 20,21. And present ly upon this tbe disciples began to be called Christians first at Antioch, verse 26. And after this, vast raultitudes of Gentlle-i were converted in many different parts of the world, chiefly by the ministry of the Apostle Paul, a glorious pour- VoL. L 56 442 WORK OF REDEMPTION. ing out of the Spirit accorapanying his preaching in one place and anothei Multitudes flocked into the church of Christ in a great number of cities where the Apostle carae. So the number of the raerabers of the Christian ct.urch that were Gentiles, soon far exceeded fhe nuraber of ifs Jewish members ; yea, so fhat in less than fen years time after Paul was sent forth from Antioch to preach to the Gentdes, it was said of hira and his corapanions,. that fhey had turned the world upside down: Acts xvii. 6, "These that have turned fbe world upside down are corae hither also." But the raost reraark able pouring out of fhe Spirit In a particular city that we have any account of in the New Testament, seeras to be fhat in the city of Ephesus, which was a very great city. Of this we have an account In Acts xix. There was also a very extraordinary ingathering of souls at Corinth, one of the greatest cities In all Greece. And after this raany were converted in Rorae, the chief city of all the world ; and the gospel was propagated Into all parts of the Roman empire. Thus the gospel sun, which had lately risen on the Jews, now rose upon, and began fo enlighten the Heathen world, after they had continued In gross Heathenish darkness for so many ages. This was a great thing, and a new thing, such as never had been before. All nations but the Jews, and a few who had af one tirae and another joined with thera, had been rejected frora about Moses's tirae. The Gentile worid had been covered over with the thick darkness of Idolatry : but now, at the joyful, glorious sound of the gospel, they began In all parts to forsake their old idols, and to abhor thera, and to cast thera to fhe moles and to the bats, and to learn to worship fhe true God, and to trust in his Son Jesus Christ; and God owned Ihem for his people : those who had so long been afar off, were made nigh by fbe blood of Christ. Men were changed frora being Heathenish and brutish, to be tbe children of God ; were called out of Satan's kingdora of darkness, and brought into God's raarvellous light ; and in alraost all coun tries throughout the known world were asserablies of the people of God ; joyful praises were sung to the true God, and Jesus Christ fhe glorious Re deeraer. Now that great building which God began soon ajFfer the fall of man rises gloriously, not in the sarae raanner that if had done in forraer ages, but In quite a new manner; now Daniel's prophecies concerning fhe last kingdom, which should succeed the four Heathenish monarchies, begins to be fulfilled ; now the stone cut out of tbe mountain without hands, began to smite the image on its feet, and to break It In pieces, and to grow great, and to raake great advances towards filling the earth ; and now God gathers together the elect from the four winds of heaven,(.by fbe preaching of the apostles and other ministers the angels of fhe Christian church sent forth with the great sound of fhe gos pel trumpet), before the destruction of Jerusalem, agreeable to what Christ foretold, Matt. xxiv. 31. This was the success of Christ's purchase during this first period of the Christian cburch, which terminated in the destruction of Jerusalem. 2. I would proceed now. In the second place, to take notice of the oppo sition which was made to fhis success of Christ's purchase by the enemies of it. — Satan, who was so ready to triuraph and exult, as though he had gain ed the victory in putting Christ to death, now finding himself faUen Into the I^It which he had digged, and finding his kingdom falling so fast, and seeing Christ's kingdora raake such amazing progress, such as never had been be fore, -we may conclude he was filled with the greatest confusion and astonish ment, and hell seemed fo be effectually alarmed by It to make the most violent opposition against it. And, first, the devil stirred up fhe Jews, who had be- WORK OF REDEMPTION. 443 fore crucified Christ, to persecute the church : for it is observable^ that the persecution which fhe church suffered during this period, was mostly frora the Jews. Thus we read In the Acts, when, at Jerusalem, tbe Holy Ghost was poured out at Pentecost, how the Jews mocked, and said, " These men are full of new wine ;" and how the scribes and Pharisees, and the captain of the teraple, were alarraed, and bestirred theraselves to oppose and persecute the apostles, and first apprehended and threatened thera, and afterwards imprison ed and beat thera ; and breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, they stoned Stephen in a turaultuous rage ; and were not content to persecute those that they could find in Judea, but sent abroad to Daraascus and other places, fo persecute all that they could find every where. Herod, who was chief araong thera, stretched forth his hands to vex fhe church, and killed Jaraes with fhe sword, and proceeded to take Peter also, and cast hira Into prison. So in other countries, we find that alraost wherever the apostles came, the Jews opposed the gospel in a most malignant manner, contradicting and blas pheming. How many things did the blessed Apostle Paul suffer at their hands in one place and another ! How violent and bloodthirsty did they show theraselves towards him, when he came to bring alms to his nation ! In this persecution and cruelty was fulfilled that saying of Christ, Matt, xxiii. 34, " Behold, I send you prophets, and wise raen, and scribes ; and sorae of thera ye shall kill and crucify, and sorae of thera shall ye scourge In your syna gogues, and persecute thera frora city to city." 3. I proceed to take notice of those judgraents which were executed on those eneraies of Christ, tbe persecuting Jews. (1.) The bulk of the people were given up fo judicial blindness of raind and hardness of heart. Christ denounced such a wo upon thera in fhe days of his flesh ; as Matt. xiii. 14, 15 — This curse was also denounced on them by the Apostle Paul, Acts xxviii. 25, 26, 27 ; and under this curse, under this judicial bUridness and hardness, they remain to this very day, having been subject to It for about 1700 y^ars, being the most awful instance of such a judgment, and raonuraenls of God's terrible vengeance, of any people that ever were. That they should continue from generation to generation so ob stinately to reject Christ, so that it Is a very rare thing tbat any one of them is converted to the Christian faith, though tbeir own Scriptures of the Old Testament, which they acknowledge, are so full of plain testimonies against them, is a reraarkable evidence of their being dreadfully left of God. (2.) They were rejected and cast off from being any longer God's visible people. They were broken off from the stock of Abrahara, and since that have no raore been reputed his seed, than the Ishraaelites or Edoraites, who are as rauch his natural seed as they. The greater part of the two tribes were now cast off, as the ten tribes had been before, and another people were taken in their room, agreeable to the predictions of their own prophets ; as of Moses, Deut. xxxii. 21, " They bave moved me to jealousy with that wbich is not God ; they have provoked me to anger with their vanities ; and I will raove thera to jealousy with those which are not a people, I will provoke them to anger with a foolish nation ;" and of Isa. lxv. 1, " I ara sought of tbem that asked not for me ; I am found of them that sought me not." — They were visibly rejected and cast off, by God's directing his apostles to turn away frora thera, and let thera alone, as Acts xui. 46, 4"? : " Then Paul and Bar nabas waxed bold, and said. It was necessary fhat the word of God should first have been spoken to you : but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yeurselves 444 WORK OF REDEMPTION. unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles : for so hafh the Lord comraanded us." And so Acts xviii. 6, and xxviu. 28. Thus far we have had the Scripture history to guide us : henceforw'ard we shall have the guidance only of fwo things, viz., of Scripture prophecy, and God's providence, as related in huraan histories. But I proceed. (3.) The third and last judgment of God on those enemies of the success of the gospel which I shall mention, is the terrible destruction of their city and country by the Romans. They had great warnings and many means used with them before this destruction. First, John the Baptist warned them, and told fhem, fhat the axe was laid at the root of the tree ; and that every tree which should not bring forth good fruit, should be hewn down, and cast Into the fire. Then Christ warned fhem very particularly, and told thera of their approaching destruction, and at fhe thoughts of It wept over thera. And then the apostles after Christ's ascension abundantly warned thera. But fhey proved obstinate, and went on In their opposition fo Christ and his church, and in fheir bitter persecuting practices. Their so malignantly persecuting the Apostle Paul, of which we have an account towards the end of the Acts of the Apostles, is supposed to have been not more than seven or eight years before their desfruction. And after this God was pleased to give them one more very remai-kable warning by the Apostle Paul, in his epistle to the Hebrews, which is an epis tle written to fhat nation of fhe Jews, as Is supposed, about four years before their destruction ; wherein the plainest and clearest arguraents are set before them from their own law, and from their prophets, for whora fhey professed such a regard, to prove that Christ Jesus raust be the Son of God, and that all fheir law pointed to him and typified him, and that their Jewish dispensa tion raust needs have now ceased. For though the epistle was raore imme diately directed to the Christian Hebrews, yet the mafter of the epistle plainly shows that the apostle intended it for the use and conviction of the unlielieving Jews. And in this epistle he mentions particularly the approaching destruc tion, as chap. x. 25, " So much the more, as ye see fhe day approaching;" and in verse 27, he speaks of fhe approaching judgment and fiery indignation which should devour the adversaries. But fhe generality of them refusing to receive conviction, God soon de stroyed fhem with such terrible circumstances as the destruction of no country or city since the foundation of the world can parallel ; agreeably to what Christ foretold. Matt. xxiv. 21 : "For then shall be tribulation, such as was not from the beginning ofthe world to this time, no, nor ever shall be." The first destruction of Jerusalera by the Babylonians was very terrible, as It Is In a most affecting manner described by the prophet Jereralah, in his Lamenta tions ; but this was nothing to the dreadful misery and wrath which they suf fered in this destruction : God, according as Christ foretold, bringing on them all fhe righteous blood that had been shed frora the foundation of the worid. Thus the eneraies of Christ are made his footstool after his ascension, agreea bly to God's proraise in Psalm ex. at the beginning ; and Christ rules them with a rod of iron. They had been kicking against Christ, but they did buf kick against the pricks. The briers and thorns set themselves against him in battle : but he vyent through fhem ; he bound them together. This destruction of Jerusalem was in all respects agreeable to what Christ had foretold of It, Matt. xxiv. as appears by the account which Josephus gives of -t, who was then present, and was one of the Jews, who had a share in the calaraity, and wrote the history of their destruction. Many circumstances of WORK OF REDEMPTION. 445 this desfruction refjcmbled fhe destruction of the wicked at fhe day of judg ment, by his account, being accompanied with many fearful sights In the heavens, and with a separation of the righteous from tbe wicked. Their city and temple were burnt, and razed to tbe ground, and the ground on which the city stood was ploughed ; and so one stone was not left upon another, Matt. xxiv. 2. The people had ceased for the most part to be an Independent governraent after the Babylonish captivity : but the sceptre entirely departed frora Judah on the death of j4rchelaus; and then Judea was made a Roraan province; after this they were cast off from being the people of God ; but now their very city and land are utterly destroyed, and they carried away frora if ; and so have continued in fheir dispersions through the world for now above 1600 years. Thus there was a final end to the Old Testament world : all was finished with a kind of day of judgraent. In which the people of God were saved, and his enemies terribly destroyed.— Thus does he who was so lately mocked, despised, and spit upon by these Jews, and whose followers they so malig nantly persecuted, appear gloriously exalted over his enemies. Having thus shown how the success of Christ's purchase was carried on till the destruction of Jerusalera, I come now, II. To show how it was carried on from that time fill tbe destruction of . the Heathen erapire in the tirae of Constantine the Great, which is fhe second great event which is in Scripture corapared to Christ's coraing to judgraent. Jerusalera was destroyed about fhe year of our Lord 68, and so before that generation passed away which was contemporary wilh Christ ; and it was about thirty-five years after Christ's deatb. The destruction of the Heathen erapire under Constantine, was about 260 years after fhis. In showing bow fhe success of the gospel was carried on through tbis time, I would, 1. Take notice of fhe opposition made against it by the Roman empire. 2. How fhe work of the gospel went on notwithstanding all that opposition. 3. The pe culiar circumstances of tribulation and distress that tbe cburch was in, just before their deliverance by Constantine. 4. Tbe great revolution in Consfantine-stime. 1. I would briefly show what opposition was made against the gospel, and the kingdom of Christ, by the Roman erapire. The opposition whaf was raade to the gospel by fhe Heathen Roraan empire, was raainly after the destruction of Jerusalem, though their opposition began before ; but the opposition that was before the destruction of Jerusalem, was mainly by tbe Jews. But when Jerusalera was destroyed, the Jews were put out of a capacity of rauch froubUng fhe church. Now therefore fhe devil turns his hand elsewhere, and uses other Instruments. The opposition whicb -was made in tbe Roraan erapire against the kingdora of Christ, was chiefly of fwo kinds. (1.) They eraployed all their learning, and philosophy, and wit, in opposing It. Christ came into tbe world in an age wherein learning and philosophy were at tbeir height in the Roraan empire. This was eraployed to the utmost against the kingdora of Cbrist. The gospel, which held forth a crucified Sa viour, was not at all agreeable to the notions of the philosophers. The Chris tian scheme of trusting in such a crucified Redeemer, appeared foolish and ridiculous to thera. Greece was a country fhe raost faraous for learning of any In the Roraan erapire ; but fhe apostle observes, that the doctrine of Christ crucified appeared foolishness to the Greeks, 1 Cor. I. 23 ; and there fore the wise men and phdosopbers opposed the gospel with all the wit they had. We have a speciraen of their manner of opposing, in the story we have 446 WORK OF REDEMPTION. oftheir freatment of the Apostle Paul at Athens, which was a city that had been for many ages the chief seat of philosophers of any In the whole world. We read in Acts xvn. 18, that the phdosopbers of the Epicureans and Stoics encountered him, saying, " What will this babbler say ? He seemeth to be a setter forth of strange gods." So they were wont to deride and ridicule Christianity. And after the destruction of Jerusalem, several ofthese philoso phers published books against it ; the chief of whom were Celsus and Por phyry. These wrote books against fhe Christian religion with a great deal of virulence and conterapt, rauch after fhe manner that fhe Deists of the present age oppose and ridicule Christianity. Soraething of fheir writings yet reraains. As great eneraies and despisers as they were of fhe Christian re ligion, yet tbey never denied tbe facts recorded of Christ and bis apostles in the New Testaraent, particularly the miracles which they wrought ; buf al lowed thera. They lived too near the tiraes wherein these miracles were wrought to deny them ; for fhey were so pubUcly done, and so lately, fhat neither Jews nor Heathens in those days appeared to deny them ; but they ascribed thera to the power of raagic. (2) Tbe authority of the Roraan empire employed all their strength, time after time, to persecute, and if possible f o root out Christianity. This fhey did in fen general successive persecutions. We have heretofore observed, fhat Christ carae Info the world when the strength of Heathen dorainion and authority was tbe greatest that ever it was under the Roman monarchy, fhe greatest and strong- ' est huraan raonarchy that ever was on earth. All tbe strength of this raonarchy. w-as eraployed for a long time to oppo.se and persecute the Christian church, if possible to destroy it, in ten successive attempts, which are called the ten Heathen persecutions, which were before Constantine. The first of these, which was fhe persecution under Nero, was a hide be fore the destruction of Jerusalera, In which the Apostle Peter was crucified, and tbe Apostle Paul beheaded, soon after he wrote his second epistle to Timothy. When he wrote fhat epistle, he was a prisoner at Rorae under Nero, and was soon after he wrote it beheaded, agreeably to what he says, chap. Iv. 6, 7, " I ara now ready fo be offered, and tbe tirae of ray departure is at hand. 1 have fought a good fight, I have finished ray course, I have kept the faith." — And there were many thousands of other Christians slain in that persecution. The other nine persecutions were all after the destruction of Jerusalera. Some of these were very terrible indeed, and far exceeded fhe first persecution under Nero. One emperor after another set hiraself with fhe utmost rage to root out the Christian church frora fhe earth, that there should not be so rauch as the name of Christian left in fhe world. And thousands and raillions were put to cruel deaths in these persecutions ; for fhey spared neither sex nor age, but killed thera as fast as they could. Under the second general persecution, that which was next after the de sfruction of Jerusalera, the Apostle John was banished to fhe Isle of Patmos, where he had those visions of which he has given an account in the Reve lation. Under that persecution it was reckoned, that about 40,000 suffered martyrdora ; which yet was nothing to what were put to death under some succeeding persecutions. Ten thousand suffered that one kind of c.iiel death, crucifixion. In the third persecution under tbe Emperor Adrian. Under the fourth persecution, wbich began about the year of Christ 162, raany suffered raartyrdom In England, fhe land of our forefathers, where Christianity had been planted very eariy, and, ae is supposed, in fhe days of fhe apostles. And In the later persecutions, the Roraan emperors being vexed at fhe frustration of fheir pre- WORK OF SEDEMPTION. 447 deeessors, who were not able fo extirpate Christianity, or hinder Its progress, were enraged to be the more violent in fheir attempts. Thus a great part of the first three hundred years after Christ was spent in violent and cruel persecutions of the churcb by the Roraan powers. Satan was very unwilling to let go his hold of so great a part of the world, and every way the chief part of it, as the countries contained in the Roraan era pire were, of which he had had the quiet possession for so many ages ; and therefore, when he saw it going so fast out of his hands, he bestirred himseif to his utmost ; all hell was, as it were, raised against it to oppose It vi'ith ifs itraost power. Satan thus exerting hiraself by the power of fhe Heathen Roraan erapire, IS called the great red dragon in Scripture, having seven heads and ten horns, fighting against the woman clothed with fbe sun, as in the 12fh of Rev. And the terrible conflict there was between the church of Christ and the powers of the Heathen erapire before Constantine's tirae, is fhere, in verse 7, represented by the war between Michael and his angels, and the dragon and his angels : "And there was war in heaven; Michael and his angels fought, and fhe dragon fought and his angels." 2. I would take notice what success the gospel had in the world before the time of Constantine, notwithstanding all this opposition. — Though the learning and power of the Roman erapire were so greaf, and both were era ployed to the utraost against Christianity to put a stop to it, and to root it out for so long a tirae, and in so raany repeated attempts ; yet all was in vain, tbey could neither root it out, nor put a stop to it. — But still, in spite of all that they could do, tbe kingdora of Christ wonderfully prevaded, and Satan's Heathen kingdora raouldered and consuraed away before it, agreeably to the words of the text, " The raoth shall eat thera up Uke a garraent, and the worra shall eat thera like wool." And it was very observable that, for the most part, the more fhey persecuted the church, the more it increased ; in somuch that it becarae a coramon saying, The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church. Herein the church of Christ proved to be like a pajra tree ; of which free it is reraarked, that the greater weight is laid upon it, or hung to its branches, tbe raore it grows and flourishes ; on wbich account probably the church is corapared to a palra tree in Cant. vn. 7 : " This thy stature is like to a palm free." Justin Martyr, an eminent father in fhe Christian church, who lived in the age next after tbe apostles, In sorae -writings of his, which are yet extant, says, that in his days there was no part of raan kind, whether Greeks or barbarians, or by what names soever they were call ed, even the most rude and unpolished nations, where prayers and thanksgiv ings were not made fo fhe great Creator of the world, through fhe name of the crucified Jesus. TertuUian, another eminent father in the Christian church, who lived in fhe beginning of fhe following age, in sorae of his writings which are yet extant, sets forth how tbat in bis day the Christian religion had extend ed itself to fhe utraost bounds of fhe then known world, in which he reckons Britain, the country of our forefathers ; and thence deraonstrates, that the kingdora of Christ was then raore extensive than any of the four great mon archies ; and raoreover says, that though the Christians were as strangers of no long standing, yet they had filled all places of fhe Roraan dorainions, their cities, islands, castles, corporations, councds, arraies, tribes, the palace, senate and courts of judicature ; only they had left lo the Heathen their temples; and that If they should all agree to retire out of the Roraan erapire, the world would be araazed at the solitude and desolation fhat would ensue upon it 448 • WORK OF REDEMPTION. there would be so few left ; and that the Christians were enough to be able easily to defend theraselves, if they were disposed fo rise up in arms against the Heathen magistrates. And Pliny, a Heathen who lived In those days, says multitudes of each sex, every age and quality, were become Christians; this superstition, says he, having infected and overrun not the city only, but towns and countries, the temples and sacrifices are generally desolate and forsaken. And it was reraarked by both Heathen and Christian writers in those days, that tbe faraous Heathen oracles in their teraples, where princes and others tor many past ages had been wont to inquire and receive answers with an audible voice from their gods, which were indeed answers from the devil ; I say, those oracles were now sdenced and struck dumb, and gave no more answers; and particularly the oracle at Delphos, which was the raost faraous Heathen oracle in the whole world, which both Greeks and Romans used fo consult, began to cease fo give any answers, even from the birth of Christ ; and fhe false deity who was worshipped, and used to give answers from bis oracle in that temple, being once inquired of why he did not now give answeis as he was wont to do, made this reply, as several Heathen historians who lived about those times re late : There is a Hebrew boy, says he, who is king of fhe gods, who has com manded rae to leave this house, and be gone to hell, and therefore you are to expect no raore answers. And raany of the Heathen- writers who lived about that tirae speak much of the oracles being sdenced, as a thing at which they wondered, not knowing what fhe cause should be. Plutarch, a Heathen writer of those tiraes, wrote a particular treatise about it, which Is stdl extant. And Porphyry, one ofthe Heathen writers beforemenfioned, who opposed theChris tian religion, in his writings has these words : " It is no wonder if the city for these so many years has been overrun with sickness; Esculapius, and the rest of the gods, having withdrawn their converse with raen ; for since Jesus began to be worshipped, no raan has received any public help or benefit by the gods." Thus did the kingdora of Christ prevail against the kingdora of Satan. 3. I now proceed to take notice of the peculiar circurastances of tribulatioij and distress just before Constantine fhe Great came to the throne. This dis tress they suffered under the tenth Heathen persecution, which, as It was the last, so it was by far the heaviest and most severe. The church before this, af ter the ceasing of the ninth persecution, had enjoyed a time of quietness for about forty years together ; but abusing their liberty, began to grow cold and lifeless in religion, and carnal, and contentions prevailed among thera ; by which they offended God to suffer this dreadful frial to come upon thera. And Satan having lost ground so much, notwithstanding all his attempts, now seeraed to bestir hiraself with more than ordinary rage. Those who were then In authority set theraselves with the utraost violence to root out Christianity, by burning all Bibles, and destroying all Christians ; and therefore fhey did not stand to try or convict thera in a formal process, but fell upon thera wherever they could ; soraetimes setting fire to houses where multitudes of them were asserabled, and burning fhem all together ; and at other times slaughtering multitudes together ; so that soraetiraes their persecutors were quite spent with the labor of killing- and tormenting fhem ; and in sorae populous places, so many were slain together, thaf the blood ran like torrents. It is related, that seventeen thousand raartyrs were slain In one month's tirae ; and that during the continuance of this persecution, in the province of Egypt alone, no less than one hundred and forty-four thousand Christians died by the violence of their persecutors, besides 700,000 fhat died through the fatigues of banishment, or the public works to which fhey were condemned. WORK OF RELEMPTION. 449 This persecution lasted for fen yeais together ; and as it exceeded all fore going persecutions in the nuraber of merfyrs, so it exceeded them in the variety and raultitude of Inventions of torture and cruelty. Sorae authors who lived at that time, say, they were Innuraerable, and exceed all account and expression. This persecution in particular was very severe in England; and this is that persecution which was foretold in Rev. vi. 9, 10 : " And when he had opened tbe fifth seal, I saw under tbe altar fhe souls of thera thaf were slain for the word of God, and for the testiraony wbich they held. And they cried with a loud voice, saying. How long, 0 Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on thera that dwell on the earth 1" And at the end of the ten years, during which tbis persecution continued, the Heathen persecutors thought they had finished their work, and boasted that they had utterly destroyed the narae and superstition of the Christians, and had restored and propagated the worship of the gods. Thus It was the darkest tirae with the Christian church just before the break of day. They were brought fo the greatest extremity just before God appeared for their glorious deliverance, as the bondage of the Israelites in Egypt was the raost severe and cruel, just before their deliverance by the hand of Moses. Their enemies thought they had swallowed fhem up just before their destruction, as It was with Pharaoh and his host, when they had hemmed in the chddren of Israel at the Red Sea 4. I corae now. In the fourth place, to fhe great revolution -which was in the -ft'orld in the days of Constantine, which was in raany respects like Christ's appearing in the clouds of heaven, fo save his people and judge the world. The people of Rorae being weary of the governraent of those tyrants to whora they had lately been subject, sent to Constantine, who was then in the city of York in England, fo corae and take the throne. And he being encouraged, as is said, by a vision of a piUar of light in fhe heavens, in fhe forra of a cross, in the sight of his whole array, with this inscription, Tovtoi nxa. In this overcome ; and the night following, by Christ's appearing fo hira in a dreara with the same cross In his hand, who directed hira to raake a cross like thaf fo be his royal standard, that his array might fight under that banner, and assured bim that he should overcorae. Accordingly he did, and overcame bis eneraies, and took possession of the imperial throne, and erabraced the Christian religion, and was the first Christian eraperor tbat evef reigned. He carae to the throne about 320 years after Christ. There are several things which I would take notice of which attended or immediately foUowed Constantine's coraing to the throne. (1.) The Christian church was thereby . wholly delivered frora persecution. Now fhe day of her deliverance came after such a dark night of affliction. Weeping had continued for a night, but now deliverance and joy carae in the moining. Now God appeared to judge his people, and repented himself for his servants when he saw their power was gone, and fhat there was none shut up or left. Christians had no persecutions now fo fear. Their persecutors now were all put down, and their rulers were sorae of thera Christians Uke theraselves. (2.) God now appeared to execute terrible judgraents on their enemies. Remarkable are the accounts which hislory gives us of the fearful ends to which the Heathen eraperors and princes, and generals, and captains, and other great men carae, who had exerted theraselves in persecuting the Christians ; dying miserably, one and another, under exquisite torments of body, and horrors of - conscience, with a most visible hand of God upon thera. So fhat what now carae to pass raight very fitly be corapared to their hiding themselves in the dens and rocks of the mountains. Vol. L 57 450 WORK OF REDEMPTION. (3.) Heathenisra now was In a great raeasure aboUshed throughout the Roraan empire. Iraages were now destroyed and Heathen temples pulled down. Iraages of gold and silver were melted down and coined Info money. Some of tbe chief of their idols, which were curiously wrought, were brought to Con stantinople, and there drawn with ropes up and down the streets for the people fo behold and laugh af. The Heathen priests were dispersed and banished. (4.) The Christian church was brought into a state of great peace and prosperity. Now all Heathen magistrates were put down, and only Christians were advanced to places of authority all over the empire. They had. now Christian presidents, Christian governors. Christian judges and officers, instead of (heir old Heathenish ones. Constantine set himself to put honor upon Christian bishops or ministers, and to build and adorn churches; and now large and beautiful Christian churches were erected in all parts ofthe worid. Instead of the old Heathen temples. This revolution was the greatest revolution and change in fhe face of things fhat ever carae to pass ih the world since the flood. Satan, the prince of dark ness, that king and god of the Heathen world, was cast out. The roaring hon was conquered by the Larab of God, In fbe strongest dorainion fhat ever he had, even tbe Roraan erapire. This was a reraarkable accorapUshraent of Jer. x. 11 : " The gods that have not raade the heavens and fhe earth, even they shall perish from the earth, and frora under these heavens." The chief part of the world was now brought utterly to cast off their old gods and their old reUgion, to which they had been accustoraed rauch longer than any of their histories give an account of They had been accustoraed to worship the gods so long that tbey knew not any beginning of It. It was forraeriy spoken of as a thing unknown for a nation to change their gods, Jer. ii. 10, 11, but now fhe greater part of tbe nations of the known -world were brought to cast off all their former gods. That raultitude of gods that they worshipped were all forsaken. Thousands of them were cast away for fhe -worship ofthe frue God, and Christ the only Saviour : and there was a most reraarkable fulfilraent of that In Isa. ii. 17, 18, " And the loftiness of man shall be bowed down, and Ihe haughti ness of men shall be raade low ; and the Lord alone shall be exalted in fhat day. And the idols he shall utterly abolish." And since that it has come to pass, that those gods that were once so faraous in the world, as Jupiter, and Saturn, and Minerva, and Juno, &c., are only hear.d of as things which were of old. They have no temples, no altars, no worshippers, and have not had for many hundred years. Now is come tbe end of the old Heathen world in fhe principal part of it, the Roraan empire. And this great revolution and change of the stafe ofthe world, with that terrible destruction of the great men who had been persecutors, is corapared in Rev. vi. to the end of the world, and Christ coraing fo judg ment ; and is what is most iraraediately signified under the sixth seal, which followed upon fhe souls under fhe altar crying, " How long, 0 Lord, holy and true, dost thou not avenge our blood on thera that dwell on the earth V This vision of tbe sixth seal, by the general consent of divines and expositors, has respect to this downfall of fhe Heathen Roraan erapire ; though It has a more reraote respect fo the day of judgraent, or this was a type of it. The day of judgtaent cannot be what is iramediately intended ; because we have an account of raany events which were to corae to pass under the seventh seal, and so were to follow after those ofthe sixth seal What carae to pass now is also represented by fhe devil's being cast out of heaven to the earth. In his great strength ani glory, in that mighty Roman WORK OP REDEMPTION. 451 empire, he had as it were exalted his throne up to heaven.' But now he fell Uke Uofhlning from heaven, and was confined fo the eartrh. His kingdom was confined to the meaner and raore barbarous nations, or to the lower parts of fhe world of mankind. This is the event foretold. Rev. xii. 9, &c. : " And the great drao-on was cast out, fhat old serpent, called the devil and Satan, which de ceiveth the whole world : he was cast out into fbe earth, and his angels were cast out with hira," &c. Satan terapted Christ, and promised to give him the glory of the kingdoras of fhe world; but now he is obliged to give it to hira even against his will. This was a glorious fulfilment of that proraise which God raade to his Son, that we have an account of in Isa. liii. 12: "Therefore will I divide hira a portion with Ihe great, and he shall divide tbe spoil with the strong; because he hath pouretl out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors, and he bare the sin of raany, and raade inter cession for fhe transgressors." This was a great fulfilment of fhe prophecies ofthe Old Testaraent concerning the glorious time of the gospel, and particular ly of the prophecies of Daniel. Now the kingdom of heaven is come in a glorious degree. It pleased the Lord God of heaven to set up a kingdom on the ruins of Satan's kingdora. And such success is there of the purchase of Christ's rederaption, and such honor does tbe Father put upon Christ for the disgrace he suffered when on earth. And now see to what a height that glori ous building is erected, which had been budding ever since fhe fall. Inference. From what has been said of fhe euccess of fhe gospel from Christ's ascension fo fhe tirae of Constantine, we raay deduce a strong argu ment ofthe truth ofthe Christian religion, and that the gospel of Jesus Christ is really frora God. This wonderful success of it wbich has been spoken of, and the circurastances of it which have been mentioned, are a strong arguraent of it several ways. 1. We raay gather from wbat has been said, that It Is fhe gospel, and fhat only, which has actually been fhe means of bringing the world to the know ledge of the true God. That tbose are no gods whora fhe Heathen worshipped, and that there is but one only God, is what, now since the gospel has so taught us, we can see to be truth by our own reason : it is plainly agreeable to the light of nature : it can be easily shown by reason to be deraonstrably true. The very Deists themselves acknowledge thaf it can be demonstrated, that there is one God, and but one, who has made and governs the world. But now it Is evident that It is the gospel, and that only, which has actually been the means of bringing men to the knowledge of tbis truth : it was not the in structions of philosophers. , Tbey tried in vain ; — " The world by wisdom knew not God." Till the gospel and the Holy Scriptures came abroad in the world, all the world lay in ignorance ofthe true God, and in fhe greatest dark ness with respect to the things of religion, embracing tbe absurdest opinions and practices, wbich all civilized nations now acknowledge to be childish fool eries. And so they lay one age after anoiher, and nothing proved effectual to enhghten thera. The Ught of nature, and tbeir own reason, and aU the wis dom of learned men, signified nothing- till the Scriptures carae. But when these came abroad, they 'were successful to bring fhe worid fo an acknowledgraent ofthe one only true God, and to worship and serve hira. And hence it Is that all that part of fhe world which now does own one only true God, Christians, Jews, Mahometans, arid even Deists too, originally carae by the knowledge of hira. It is owing to this that they are not in general at this day left In Heathenish darkness. They have it all, either iinmediately from 452 WORK OF REDEMPTION. the Scriptures, or by tradition frora their fathers, who had it first from the Scriptures. And doubtless those who now despise fhe Scriptures, and boast of the sfrength of their own reason, as being sufficient fo lead info the knowledge ofthe one true God, if the gospel had never come abroad in fhe world to en lighten their forefathers, would have been as sottish and brutish idolaters as fhe world in general was before tbe gospel carae abroad. Tbe Mahoraetans, who own but one frue God, at first borrowed tbe nation from fhe Scriptures : for the first Mahometans had been educated In tbe Christian religion, and apostatized frora it. And this Is evidential, that the Scriptures were designed of God to be the proper means to bring fbe world to tbe knowledge of hiraself, rather than huraan reason, or any thing else. For it Is unreasonable to suppose, thaf the gospel, and that only, which God never designed as tbe proper means for obtain ing this effect, should actually obtain it, and that after human reason, which he designed as the proper raeans, had been tried for a great many ages wilhout any effect. If the Scriptures be not the word of God, then they are nothing but darkness and delusion, yea, the greatest delusion that ever was. Now, is it reasonable to suppose, that God In his providence would make use of false hood and delusion, and tbat only, to bring the world fo tjie knowledge of him self, and that no part of it should be brought to fhe knowledge of hira any other way? 2. The gospel's prevailing as it did against such powerful opposition, plainly shows the hand of God. The Roraan governraent, that did so violently set itself to hinder fhe success of the gospel, and to subdue the church, of Christ, was the most powerful huraan governraent that ever was in fhe world; and not only so, but they seemed as It were to have the church In their hands. The Christians were mostly their subjects, under their comraand, and nevei took up arras to defend themselves : they did not gather together, and stand in their own defence; fhey armed themselves with nothing but patience, and such like spiritual weapons : and yet this mighty power could nof conquer them ; but, on the contrary, Christianity conquered thera. The Roraan erapire had subdued fhe world; they had subdued many mighty and potent kingdoms; they subdued the Grecian monarchy, when they were not fheir subjects, and made the utmost resistance ; and yet fhey could not conquer fhe church which was in their hands ; but, on t'he contrary, were subdued, and finally triuraphed over by fhe church. 3. No other sufficient cause can possibly be assigned of this propagation of the gospel, but only God's own power. Nothing else can be devised as the reason of It but this. There was certainly some reason. Here was a great and wonderful effect, the most remarkable change that ever was In the face of the world of mankind since the flood ; and this effect was nof wilhout some cause. Now, what other cause can be devised but only fhe divine power? It was not the outward strength of the instruments which were employed In it. At first, fhe gospel was preached only by a few fishermen, who were without power and worldly interest to support thera. It was not their craft and policy fhat produced this wonderful effect ; for they were poor Illiterate men. It was not the agreeableness of fhe story fhey had to tell fo fhe notions and principles of mankind. This was no pleasant fable : a -crucified God and Saviour was to the Jews a stumbling-block, and to the Greeks foolishness It was not fbe agreeableness of their doctrines to the dispositions of raen for nothing is more confrary to the corruptions of men than fhe pure doc trines of the gospel. This effect therefore can have proceeded from no other cause than the power and agency of God : and if the power of God WORK OF REDEMPTION, 453 was what was exercised to cause the gospel to prevail, then the gospe^ is his word ; for surely God does not use his atoiighty power to proraote a raere im posture and delusion. 4. This success is agreeable fo whaf Christ and his apostles foretold . Matt. xvi. 18, " Upon this rock will I budd ray church : and the gates of hell shall not prevail against It." John xii. 24, "' Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground, and die, it abideth alone : but if it die, it bringeth forlh rauch fruit." And verses 31, 32, " Now is the judgraent of this world : now shall tbe prince of this world be cast out. And 1, if I be lifted up frora the earlh, wdl draw all raen unto rae." John xvi. 8, " When he (the Comforter) is come, he wid reprove fhe world of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment — because tbe prince of fhis world is judged." So the Apostle Paul, in 1 Cor. chap. i. 21 — 28, declares, how that after the world by wisdora knew not God, it pleased God, by the foolishness of preach ing, to save them that believe; and that God chose the foolish things of the world to confound the wise ; and weak things of the world, to confound the things which are raighty ; and base things of the world, and tbings which are despised, yea and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are. If any raan foretells- a thing, very likely in itself to corae to pass, frora causes which can be foreseen, it is no great arguraent of a revelation frora God : but when a thing Is foretold which is very unlikely ever to corae fo pass, is entirely contrary to the coraraon course of things, and yet it does corae to pass just agreeable to the prediction, this is a strong arguraent that the prediction was frora God. Thus the consideration ofthe raanner ofthe propagation and success ofthe gospel during the lirae which has been spoken of, affords great evidence that the Scriptures are the word of God. III. I am now to show how the success of Christ's rederaption is carried on from the time of the overthrow of the Heathen Roman empire in the time of Constantine the Great till the fall of Antichrisf, and the destruction of Satan's visible kingdom on earth, which is the third great dispensation, wbich is in Scripture corapared to Christ's coraing to judgraent. Tbis is a period wherein raany great and -«'onderful things are brought to pass. Herein is contained a long series of wonders ofdivine Providence towards the Christian church. The greater part of the book of Revelation is taken up in foretelling the events of this period. The success of Christ's purchase of rederaption in this period, appears mainly at the close of it, when Antichrist coraes to fall, when fhere will be a far raore glorious success of fhe gospel than ever was before ; and that long series of events which are before, seera to be only fo prepare fhe way for It. And in order to a raore clear view of fhe great works of God In accoraplishing the success of Christ's rederaption, and our seeing the glory of thera, it will be necessary, as we have done in the foregoing periods, to consider not only the success itself, but the opposition raade to it, and the great works of Satan in this period against the church and kingdom of Christ : and therefore, in taking a view of this period, I would take notice of events which may be referred to either of these beads, viz., either to the head of Satan's opposition to fhe success of Christ's redemption, or to the head of tbe success of Christ's redemption : and for the raore orderly consideration of the events of fhis period, I would divide it into these four parts : the first reaching from the destruction of the Heathen erapire to the rise of Antichrist; the second, frora the rise of Antichrist to the Reforraation in Luther's time ; the third, from thence to the present time 454 WORK OF REDEMPTION. the fourth, frora the present time tdl Antichrist is fallen, and Satan's -visible kingdom on earth is destroyed. 1st. I would consider the events of the first part of this period, reaching from the destruction of the Heathen erapire to the rise of Antichrist. And here, first, 1 would take notice of the opposition Satan raade In this space of tirae to the church : and, secondly, fhe success that the gospel had in it. 1. The opposition. Satan being cast out of his old Heathen erapire, the great red dragon, after so sore a conflict with Michael and his angels, fbr the greater part of three hundred years being at last entirely routed and vanquished, so tbat no place vv'as found any more In heaven for him, but be was cast down, as it were, frora heaven to the earlh ; yef does not give over his opposition to the woraan, tbe church of Christ, concerning which all this conflict had been. But he is still in a rage, and renews bis attempts, and has recourse to new de vices against the churcli. The serpent, after he Is cast out of heaven to the earth, casts out of his raouth water as a flood, to cause the woraan fo be carried away of the flood. The opposition that he made to the church of Christ before the rise of Antichrist, was principally of two sorts. It was either by cor rupting the cburch of Cbrist with heresies, or by new endeavors to restore Paganism. (1.) I would observe, that after the desfruction of fhe Heathen Roman empire, Satan infested the church with heresies. Though there had been so glorious a work of God in delivering the church frora her Heathen persecutors, and overthrowing fhe Heathen erapire; yet tbe days ofthe church's travail nof being ended, and fhe set tirae of her prosperity not being yet come, as being what was to succeed (he fall of Antichrist, therefore the peace and prosperity whicb (be church enjoyed in Constantine's tirae, was but very short : It was a respite, which gave the churcb a time of peace and sdence, as it were /or half an hour, wherein the four angels held the four winds frora blowing, fdl (he servants of God should be sealed in their foreheads. But fhe church soon began to be greatly infested with heresies ; the two principal, and those which did most infest the churcb, were the Arian and Pelagian heresies. The Arians began soon after Constantine came to tbe throne. They denied the doctrine ofthe Trinity, and the divinity of Christ and the Holy Ghost, and maintained that they were but mere creatures. This heresy increased more and more in the church, and prevaded like a flood, which threatened fo overflow all, and entirely fo carry away the church, Insorauch that before that age was out, that is, before the fourth century after Christ was finished, the greater part of the Christian church were becorae Arians. There were some eraperors, (he successors of Cons(antine, who were Arians ; so that the Arians being the pre vailing party, and having the civil authority on fheir side, did raise a great persecution against the true church of Christ ; so that this heresy raight well be compared fo a flood out of the mouth of fhe serpent, which threatened to overthrow aU, and quite carry away the woman. The Pelagian heresy arose in the beginning of the next century. It began by one Pelagius, who was born in Britain : his British narae was Morgan. He denied original sin, and tbe influence of the Spirit of God in conversion, and held the power of free will, and raany other things of Uke tendency ; and this heresy did for a while greatly infest the church. Pelagiaus's principal antago nist, who wrole in defence of the orthodox faith, was St. Augustin. (2.) The other kind of opposition, which Satan made against the church, was in his endeavors to restore Paganisra. And his first atterapt to restore it in the Roraan empire, was by Julian the apostate. JuUan was nephew to Con- WORK OF REDEMPTION. 455 stantine fhe Great. When Constantine died he left his erapire i© his three sons, and when they were dead, Julian the apostate reigned in their stead. He had been a professed Chrislian ; but he fell from Christianity, and turned Pagan ; and therefore is called the apostate. When he carae to the throne, he used his utraost endeavors to overthrow the Christian church, and set up Paganisra again In (he empire. He put down tbe Christian magistrates, and set up Heathens in their roora : he rebuilt the Heathen teraples, and set up the Heathen worship in the erapire, and becarae a raost notorious persecutor of the Christians, and, as is thought, against his own light : he used to call Christ, by way of reproach, the Galilean. He was kiUed with a lance in his wars with the Persians. When he saw that he was mortally wounded, he took a handful of his blood, and threw it UD towards heaven, crying out. Thou hast overcome, 0 Galilean. And he is commonly thought by divines, to have comraitted the unpardonable sin. Another way that Satan atterapted to restore Paganisra in the Roraan era pire, was by the invasions and conquests of Heathen nations. For in tbis space of lirae that we are upon, the Golhs and Vandals, and other Heathen barbarous nations, that dwelt in the north of the Roraan erapire, invaded the empire, and obtained great conquests, and even overran tbe empire, and in the fifth century took the city of Rome, and finally subdueil and conquered, and took possession of the Western erapire, as it was called, or the western half of the erapire, and divided it araongst thera ; divided it into ten kingdoms, with which began the ten horns of the beast; for we are told that the ten horns are ten kings, who should rise in the latter part of the Roman empire : these are al.so represented by the ten toes of Nebuchadnezzar's Iraage. The Invasion and conquests of these Heathen nations are supposed to be foretold in fhe 8tb chapter of Revela tion, in what carae fo pass under fhe sounding of the four first trumpets. Now these nations, who took possession of the Western erapire, were Heathens ; so that by fheir raeans Heathenisra was again for a while restored, after it had been rooted out. So rauch for the opposition of Satan against fhe success of the gospel dur ing this space before the rise of Antichrist. I proceed, 2. To show what success there was of the gospel in this space, notwith standing this opposition. (1.) I would observe tbat fhe opposition of Satan in those things was baffled. Though the dragon cast out of bis raouth such a flood after the woman to carry her away, yet he could not obtain his design ; but the earth helped the woraan, and opened her moutb, and swallowed up fhe flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth. These heresies which for a while so rauch prevailed, yet after a while dwindled away, and orthodoxy was again restored : and his atterapt by Julian was baffled at his death. (2.) The gospel, during this space offline, was further propagated araongst many barbarous Heathen nations In the confines of fhe Roraan erapire. In the time of Constantine fhere was a considerable propagation of fhe gospel in the East Indies, chiefly by the rainistry of one Fruraentius. — Great numbers of the Iberians, a Heathen people, were converted to Christianity by a Christian woman of erainent piety, whom tbey had taken captive. And some account is given of several other barbarous nations who were not within the Roraan em pire, tbat great numbers of thera were brought fo receive fhe gospel by the teaching and exaraple of captives whora Ihey had taken in war. And after this, about the year of Christ, 372, the gospel was propagated among the bar barous people fhat dwelt in Arabia ; as if was also araong some of the northern nations ; particularly a prince of the country of the Goths about this tirae be 456 WORK OF REDEMPTION. came Christian, and a great nuraber of his people with him. Towards the lat ter end of tbis century, the gospel was also furlher propagated among the Per sians, and also the Scythians, a barbarous people, that the apostle mentions in Col. iii. 11, " Barbarian, Scythian, bond or free." And after tbis, about the year 430, there was a remarkable conversion of a Heathen people, called the Burgundians, to the Christian faith. About fhe sarae time, In this age, the gospel began to be propagated in Ireland ; and the Irish, who till now had been Heathen, began to receive fhe Christian faith. About the same time it was further propagated araong sorae barbarous people in Scotland, and also In sorae other places. In fhe next century to this, one Zathus, a Heathen king, who ruled over a people called the Colchians, was brought to renounce his Heathenism, and to erabrace fhe Christian religion. Several other barbarous nations are recorded to bave renounced Heathenism and embraced Christianity about this time, that I cannot stand to raention. Thus I have briefly considered tbe principal events of Providence which con cern the success of fhe gospel of Christ, frora Constantine to the rise of Anti christ. 2dly. I come now fo fhe second part of the time from Constantine to the destruction of Antichrisf, viz., that whibh reaches from the rise of Antichrist to the reforraation by Luther and others. And this is the darkest and raost dismal day tbat ever the Christian church saw, and probably the darkest that ever it will see. The tirae of the church's affliction and persecution, as was observed before, is frora Christ's resurrection tdl the destruction of Antichrisf, excepting that the day is, as it were, shortened by sorae interraissions and tiraes of respite, which God gives for the elect's sake. But this tirae, frora the rise of Antichrist till the Reforraation, was a space wherein tbe Christian church was in Its greatest depth of depression, and in its darkest time of alb The true church in this space vvas for many hundred years in a state of great obscurity, like the woraan in the wilderness : indeed she was almost hid from sight and observa tion. In speaking of the events of this space of time, I would, 1, Take notice ofthe great machinations ofthe devil against fbe kingdora of Christ during (his tirae ; 2, Show how the church of Christ was upheld during this tirae. 1. I would take notice ofthe great works ofthe devil against the kingdom of Cbrist during this time. Satan had done great tbings against the Chrislian church before, buf had been baffled once and again. Michael and his angels had obtained a glorious victory. How terrible was his opposition during the contin uance of the Heathen empire ; and how glorious was Christ's victory and tri umph over him in the tirae of Constantine ! It pleased God now fo prepare fhe way for a yet raore glorious victory over hira, to suffer hira fo renew his sfrength, and to do the utmost tbat his power and subtlety can help him to ; and there fore he suffers him to have a long time fo lay his scheraes, and to esfaiblish his interest, and raake his raatters strong; and suffers him fo carry his designs a greaf length indeed, alraost to the swallowing up of his church ; and to exercise a high, and proud, and alraost uncontrolled dominion in the world, a long time before Christ finally conquers and subdues, and utierly ruins his visible kingdom on earth, as he will do in Ihe time of the destruction of Antichrist : thus gloriously triumphing over him after he has done fhe utmost that his power and subtlety can extend to, and showing tbat he is above hira, after he has dealt most proudly, and lifted hiraself highest of all. The fwo great works of the devil which he In this space of tirae wrought against tbe kingdora of Christ, are his creating bis Antichristian and Mahome tan kingdoras, which have been, and still are, two kingdoms of great extent and WORK OF REDEMPTION. 457 strength, both together swallowing up the ancient Roraan empire; the kingdom of Antichrist swallowing up the Western empire, and Satan's Mahoraetan king dora the Eastern erapire. As the Scriptures In the book of the Revelation re present it. It is in fhe destruction of these that the glorious victory of Christ, at the introduction of the glorious tiraes of the church, will raainly consist. And here let us briefly observe how Satan erects and maintains these two great kingdoms of his in opposition to the kingdom of Christ. (1.) With respect to the kingdom of Antichrist. This seems to be the masterpiece of all the contrivarnces of the devil against fhe kingdom of Christ, and is evidently so spoken of in Scripture, and therefore Antichrist is tbe man of sin, or