D[

; for tie founding of a, CoUege ifcihis Colony'

0

'T^LE«¥JMH¥IiI^SIirY« • iLniBiKi&iKEr -

(.lilt of the
Rev. Heber H. Beadle
1917

f1= |No.

THE

WORKS

OF

PRESIDENT EDWARDS, (nzo
IN FOUR VOLUMES.

A REPRINT OF THE WORCESTER EDITION, i

VALUABLE ADDITIONS AND A COPIOUS GENERAL INDEX,
TO WHICH, FOR THE FIRST TIME, HAS BEEN ADDED, AT GREAT EXPENSE,
A COMPLETE INDEX OF SCRIPTURE TEXTS.
EIGHTH EDITION IN FOUR VOLUMES.
VOL. I.
CONTAINING

I. Memoihs of President Edwards.
II. Farewell Sermon.
III. Inciuiry concerningQ,ualifications
for Communion.
IV. Reply to Rev. Solomon Williams.
V, History of the Work of Redemp
tion.

VI. Distinguishing Marks of a Work
of the Spirit of God.
VII. Miscellaneous Observations on
Important Doctrines.
VIIL Account of the Life of David
Brainerd.

NEW-YORK :
LEAVITT, TROW & CO., 191 BROADWAY.
LONDON :
WILEY & PUTNAM.
MDCCCXLVIII.

ADVERTISEMENT.

The present Edition of the Works of President Edwards, is a reprint of
that published at Worcester, with some variation of the arrangement, and
considerable additions from other sources. The pieces added are as follows :
1. 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 of the 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 pf 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 withi
much labor, and will be found to be unusually complete. For obvious reasons,
the references are generally made in the 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 natter 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.

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.
11. Extracts from his Diary . . . . . . .10
m. 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. From his Mission to the Indians until his death . . . .46
Sect. i. His Mission to the Indians at Stockbridge .... ib.
11. His being chosen President of New-Jersey College . . .48
CHAP. VI. His Publications, Manuscripts, and Genius as a Writer . . 53
II. FAREWELL SERMON.

Preface
The Result of a Council

5981

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 .

85 8994
149

IV. MISREPRESENTATIONS CORRECTED AND TRUTH VINDICATED,
IN REPLY TO THE REV. SOLOMON WILLIAMS.

Preface .....
PART I. General Misrepresentations by Mr. Williams
Sect. i. What is the Question
n. Degree of evidence .
PART. II. Examination of Mr. Williams's Scheme
Sect. 1. His concessions .
11. Consequences
in. Of ungodly men's communing
iv. Of an indeterminate profession
v. Mr. W. inconsistent with Mr. Stoddard
vi. Visibility without probability
vn. A converting influence
vm. Of sincerity .
ix. Public covenanting .
PART III. Remarks on Mr. Williams's Reasoning
Sect. i. Method of disputing
n. Misrepresentations .
in. Irrelevant arguments
iv. Extraordinary notions
v. Assertions instead of arguments
vi. Sacramental actions
vn. Begging the question
vm. Mr. W. begs the question .

. 195
. 197
. ib.
. 200
. 209
, ib.
. 211
, 216
, 219
, 223
, 229
231
, 234
241249 ib.
253254
258
260261263
266

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
xvn. Of commanding to partake
V. A HISTORY OF THE WORK OF REDEMPTION.

268
272274
277 27928128528829C

Preface ........
Advertisement .......
PERIOD I. From the Full to the Incarnation
Part i. From the Fall to the Flood ....
ii. From the Flood to the, Calling of Abraham.
in. 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 the World
Introduction ........
Part i. How Christ was capacitated for effecting his Purpose .
n. Established Means of Success ....
Improvement of the Whole . ...

295296 305306317
322 332
348 367
368
395 396
40i 416
423.424
431 433507

VI. DISTINGUISHING MARKS OF A WORK OF THE SPIRIT OF GOD.

Mr. Cooper's Preface to the Reader
Introduction .....
Sect. i. Negative .Signs of a Spiritual Work
ii. Positive Signs
m. 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
H. Of the Necessity and Reasonableness of the Christian Doctrine of Satisfac
tion for Sin ....... . . 582
III. Of the Endless Punishment of those who die Impenitent . . .612
VIIL AN ACCOUNT OF THE LIFE OF THE REV. DAVID BRAINERD
Closing Scene of his Life, and Extracts fiom his Journal .... 645
Reflections and Observations on the Memoirs ... \ 657

MEMOIRS
OF THE LATE
EEV. JONATHAN EDWARDS, A. M

CHAPTER I.
ME. EDWAEDS's BIRTH, PARENTAGE, EDUCATION AND ENTRANCE INTO THE MINISTRY.
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 filleth 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 we
make a right use of their history, and follow them who through faith and
patience inherit ths promises.
Mr. Jonathan Edwards was born on the 5th of October, 1703, at
Windsor, 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 intthe 89th year of his age, not two 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 of the 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 son), a remarkable in-
Vot. I. 1

2 THE LIFE OF PRESIDENT EDWARDS.
stance of the small decay of mental powers at so advanced an age. inis
venerable couple had eleven children ; one son, the subject of these 1 le-
moirs, and ten daughters, four of whom were older, and six younger
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 handful s of silver and gold from some newly
discovered treasure. 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 Tuttie, of New Haven, in Connecticut, and Elizabeth his wife, who
came from Northamptonshire, in Old England. By this connexion he had seven children, of
whom the eldest was Timothy, our author's father. His second marriage was to Mrs. Talcot, by
whom he had six 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, Ann 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 mother's side, Rev. Solomon Stoddard, of Northamp
ton, New England, married Mrs. Mather, the relict of the Rev. Mr. Mather, his predecessor, who
was the first minister at Northampton. Her maiden mme 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 J^xeter. 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 of the county of Hampshire, as chief colonel, and chief judge of the 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 i'udee-
possessed in an eminent degree the spirit of government, and ever proved a great and steadv
friend to the interest of religion. He was a great friend and admirer of our Mr. Edwards and to
the 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 his death. The father of Mr
Solomon Stoddard, and Mr. Edwards's great-grandfather, on the mother's side was Anthonv
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. Solomon was the first child of this first marriage. Prom these particulars it apnears that
Mr. Edwards's ancestors were from the west of England, who, upon their emigration allied them
selves to some of the most respectable families in America. '

THE LIFE OF PRESIDENT EDWARDS. 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 afford 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 READ OVER THESE RESOLUTIONS ONCE A WEEK-"*
1. 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, were seventy in number; a part
only is here transcribed, as a specimen of the whole. The figures prefixed to them are those by
which they were numbered in that manuscript ; and they are here retained for the sake of the

4 THE LIFE OF PRESIDENT EDWARDS.
consideration of the time, whether now, or never so many myriads of ages
hence ; to do whatever I think to be my duty, and most 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 more, 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 bigher
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 s vie 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 what he thought might be of most use to him in future
* ™ 3 is the full and exact import of the Latin motto, •¦ Dum mvimus, mramt^' whkh was
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 thee."

THE LIFE OF PRESIDENT EDWARDS. 5
33. Resolved, always to do what I can towards making, maintaining,
and 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 solemnly 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.
47. 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 my corruptions, however unsuccessful I may be.
57. Resolved, when I fear misfortunes and adversities, to examine

6 THE LIFE OF PRESIDENT EDWARDS.
whether I have done my duty, and resolve to do it ; and let it be just as
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 then, 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 shall
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 my
soul to him ; all my sins, temptations, difficulties, sorrows, 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 ; what 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 all 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 not
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
I 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 how 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
thiftgs 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 the least uneasy at it ; or even to
wish for 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 grace 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 my powers to any thing that is not to

THE LIFE OF PRESIDENT EDWARDS.

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 uncharitable ; 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 1 ^m
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
do 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
smile 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 deads 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
in these three things : I have not been watchful enough over my appetite
in 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. O, how much pleasanter is humility than pride !
0, that God would fill me with exceeding great humility, 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 worm am"
I, when pride works !

THE LIFE OF PRESIDENT EDWARDS. g
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, affections, 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 sweetly 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 conversation : 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. O 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 maybe 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 EDWARDS.
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, 0 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 effects
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 offending 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 confirmino- 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 bearino-
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 EDWARDS. H
and setting it upon heaven alone ; to repent of, and bewail my 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 time 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. As 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 am 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 rational, 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 mv 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
I 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 I 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
last 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 clearly ; 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 III.
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 of 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 diviniiy, 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 pro
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
affected for many months, and concerned about the things of religion,
and my soul's salvation ; and was abundant in duties. * I used to pray
five times a day in secret, and to spend much time in religious talk with
other boys ; and used to meet with them to pray together. I experienced
I know not what kind 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 mistake 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 my old ways of sin. But God
would not suffer me to go on with any quietness ; I had great and violent
in ward, 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 made
seeking my salvation the main business of my life. But yet, it seems to
me I sought after a miserable manner ; which has made me sometimes
since to question, whether ever it issued in that which was saving'; being
ready to doubt, whether such miserable seeking ever succeeded. I was
indeed brought to seek salvation in a manner 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 many exercising thoughts and
inward struggles ; but yet it never seemed 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 means, I
was thus convinced, not in the least imagining at the time, nor a long
time 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 dam
nation, is what my . mind seems to rest assured of, as much as of any thing
that I see with my eyes ; at least it is so at times. 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 appeared exceeding pleasant,
bright, and sweet. Absolute sovereignty is what I love to ascribe to God.
But my first conviction was not so.

16 THE LIFE OF PRESIDENT EDWARDS.
" The first instance that I remember of that sort of inward, sweet
delight in God and divine things that I have lived much in since, was on
reading those words, 1 Tim. i. 17, Now unto the King eternal, immortal,
invisible, the only wise God, be honor and glory forever and ever, 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 from any thing I ever experienced before. Never any w°™s oi
Scripture seemed 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 I might enjoy him,
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 contem
plations of them. And my mind was greatly engaged to spend 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 me, and I used to be much 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 some solitary wil
derness, far from all mankind, 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 my father of some things that had passed in my mind. I was
pretty much 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 contemplation. And as I was walking there, and
looking up on the sky and clouds, there came into my mind 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 majesty ;
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 more 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 almost every thing.
God's excellency, his wisdom, his purity and love, seemed to appear ni

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 ; 1 in the mean time, sing
ing forth, with a low voice, my contemplations of the Creator *ind Re
deemer. And scarce any thing, among all the works of nature, was so
sweet to me as thunder and lightning; formerly, nothing had been so
terrible to me. Before, I used to be uncommonly 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 majestic and awful voice of God's thunder, which
oftentimes was exceedingly entertaining, leading me 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 more holiness, wherewith my heart seemed to be full, and ready to
break ; which often brought to my 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 my heart, that I had not turned to God sooner, that
I might have had more time to grow in grace. My mind was greatly
fixed on divine things ; almost perpetually in the contemplation of them.
I spent most 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 former delights never reached the heart ; and
did not arise from any sight of the divine excellency of the things of God ;
'or any taste of the soul-satisfying, and life-giving good there is in them.
"My sense of divine thingstseemed 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 highei1
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 image 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

18 THE LIFE OF PRESIDENT 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 hohly. witn
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 me. 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 conformity to Christ.
" The heaven I desired was a heaven of holiness ; to be with God, and
to spend my eternity in divine love, and holy communion 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 me a
great clog and burden, that what I felt within, I could not express as I de
sired. The inward ardor of my soul seemed to be hindered and pent up, and
could not freely flame 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
sometimes to myself, ' 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 some of my contemplations on it, ap
peared to me to be of a sweet, pleasant, charming, serene, calm nature ;
which brought an inexpressible purity, brightness, peacefulness and ravish
ment to the soul. In other 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 my 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 pleasknt
beams of the 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 bosoms, 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 humility, brokenness of heart, and
poverty of spirit ; and there was nothing that I so earnestly longed for.
My 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 sometimes 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
abundantly, and for a considerable time together.
"On January 12, 1723, I made a solemn 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. 19
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
gaging to fight with all my might, against the world, the flesh, and the
devil, 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 religious 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 prayer 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 me. I used 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 fight 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
contained in it ; and yet almost every sentence seemed to be full of wonders.
"I came away from New- York in the month 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, 1 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 Say brook. 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 remained much 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 are continually the dearest expressions of love ; where is the
enjoyment of the persons loved, without ever parting; where those persons

20 THE LIFE OF PRESIDENT EDWARDS.
who appear so lovely 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 Hat en I sunk in
religion ; my mind being diverted from my 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 home to Windor, 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 me, would often be looking out wishfully for the morning ; which
brought to my mind those words of the Psalmist, and which my soul with
delight made its own language, My soul waiteth for ihe 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 came 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, 1 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 them, 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 temporal 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 most 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 much my delight. God's sovereignty has ever appeared
to me, 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 me, 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 ihe tempest, &c. * Northampton.

THE LIFE OF PRESIDENT EDWARDS. 21
" It has often appeared to me delightful, to be united to Christ ; to have
him for my head, and to be a member 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 him. That scripture has
often been sweet to me, 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 f hat 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
thev^unto babes; even so, Father, for so it seemed good in thy sight.
That sovereignty of God which 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 my heart to burn
. within me ; 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 me, 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 my 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 prophecies, which relate to the future glorious advance
ment of Christ's kingdom upon earth.
" I have sometimes 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 ardeney of spirit ; and inward strugglings and breath
ings, and groan ings that cannot be uttered, to be emptied of myself, and
swallowed up in Christ.
" Once, as I rode out into the woods for my health, in 1737, having
alighted from -my horse in a retired place, as my 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 wo^erful, great, full, pure and sweet grace

22 THE LIFE OF PRESIDENT EDWARDS.
and love, and meek and gentle condescension. This grace that appeare
so calm and sweet, appeared also great above the heavens. "Hie Pe son
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 times, 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 it^lf in
sweet communications ; 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 as 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 my sins appear to me to be, than by heaping infinite upon infinite,
and multiplying infinite by infinite. Very often, for these many years'
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 hke 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 the fulness and glory of the great Jehovah, and
* Our author does not say, that he had more wickedness, and badness of heart since his con
version than he had before ; but that he had a greater sense thereof. Thus the blind man mat IZe
his garden /utt of noxious weeds, and yet not see or be sensible of them. But should h» maJ/!"r
in great part cleared of these,,and furnished with many beautiful and salutary DhnYT —j I
posing the owner now to have the power of discriminating objects of sight • in thi« J.==i t ?j"
have less, but would see, and have a sense of more. To which may be added th»r ?hX ?,W°Xr
organ, and clearer the light may be, the stronger vft be the sense excited by sin or hounf

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 more sense of my sin. I
know certainly, that I have very little sense of my 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 humility 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 much greater sense of my universal, exceeding dependence
on God's grace and strength, and mere 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 greStly 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 him ; 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 me to break forth into a kind of loud
weeping, which held me some time, so that I was forced to shut myself
up, and fasten the doors. I could not but, as it were, cry out, ' How
happy are they which do that which is right in the sight of God ! They
are blessed indeed, they are the happy ones !' I had, at the same 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 III.
HIS GENERAL DEPORTMENT, PARTICULARLY WHILE 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 which relate exclusively to that important business. But the
strength of his mind 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 men ; for his time, his mftans, 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 uncommonly 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 producfng 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 uncommon
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 ffonscience of private devotion ; but, as he made a se
cret of such exercises, nothing can be said of them but what his papers
discover, andwhat 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 there'is 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 constant, 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 complying 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 time 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 more 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 moderately, 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 tfead all the books, especially books of di
vinity, that he could come 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 denomination ; but even took much pains
to come 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
uncommon acquaintance with the Bible appears in his sermons, and in
most of his publications ; and his great pains in studying it are man
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, jet 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 11th, he applied
himself, with all his might, to find out the truth ; he searched for under
standing and knowledge as for sil'ver, 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 acquaintance 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 lrom his youth,
which appears by his Resolutions, taking g*at 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 ah 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 might be called an 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 im
portant service. Besides, the want of animal spirits lays a man under a
natural inability of exercising that freedom of conversation, which those
of more life naturally glide into ; and the greatest degree of a social dis
position, humility and benevolence, will not remove this obstacle.
He was not forward to enter into any dispute among strangers, and
in companies where there might 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 affable 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 amiable 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 most proper.
He was thorough in the government 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 lo
submit. Such prudent discipline, exercised with the greatest calmness,
being repeated once or twice, was generally sufficient for that child ; and
effectually established his parental authority, and produced a cheerful
obe'dience 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 merely 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 time, began at sunset the evening before
the day, he ordered his family 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 common even in families where the
evening before the Sabbath is pretended to be observed.
He was a great enemy 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 will 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
of 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 EDWARDS.
He was cautious in choosing his intimate friends, and therefore had
not many that might properly be called such ; but to them be 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 them 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 reseryedness,
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 m foolish
jesting, idle chat, and telling stories : but his mouth was that of the ^ust,"
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 mankind 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 most 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 recommending charity to others, but practised it
much 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 more privately have accident
ally come to the knowledge of others, in which his liberality appeared in
a very extraordinary degree. One of the instances was this : upon his
hearing that a poor obscure man, whom he never saw, or any of his
kindred, was by an extraordinary bodily disorder brought to great straits ;
he, unasked, g ave a considerable sum to a friend to be delivered to the
distressed person ; having first required a promise 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 his great care to conceal it.*
Mr. Edwards had the character of a goodpreacher, 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 of his charity are dead, and all the ends of the proposed
secrecy are answered ; it is thought not inconsistent 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 mor'e time than most others, so he spent more time 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, vtould 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 commonly a large part taken up in
the improvement ; which was closely connected with the subject, and
consisted in sentiments naturally flowing from 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 infirmity. And in the
latter part of his life 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 thg custom in most Protest
ant countries, and what seems evidently to have been the manner of the
apostles and primitive ministers of the gospel, was the most natural way;
and had the greatest tendency, on the whole, to answer thef end of preach
ing ; and supposed that none who had talents equal to the work of the

30 THE LIFE OF PRESIDENT EDWARDS.
ministry, was incapable of speaking memoriter, if he took suita e P
for this" attainment from his youth. He would have the young pn saw ict
write his sermons, at least most of them, out at large ; and ins
reading them to his hearers, take pains to commit them to m y
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 ana
freely, and be of great service to him all his days.*'
His prayers were indeed extempore. He was the farthest irom any
appearance of a form, as to his words and manner of expression, of al
most any man. He was quite singular and inimitable m 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, te belong 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 seldom 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 custom to visit his people in their own houses,
unless he was sent for 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 meetings 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 circumstances ; and he catechised the children in public every Sab
bath in the summer. And he used sometimes 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 excellent on the whole, cannot be adopted advantageously
by all. In one, clearness of understanding and correctness of judgment are most prominent; ih
another, a lively and fertile imagination prevails ; and a third excels in strength of memory 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 to give animation to his compositions. He should secure in his notes pertinent quotations
of Scripture, apt comparisons, Scripture allusions, and historic facts. The preacher whose fanai
is active and excursive, should labor to secure a well digested plan, argumentati'velv iust 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 preach memoriter --after writing oU, or without writing any. But let him ever watch
lest he enter into the temptation oT plagiary; his quoting, however, long passages from the hnlv
Scriptures, when apposite, will be always acceptable; and occasionally, when avowed thp wnrrfa
of other authors. The scientific memory should guard against too much analysis in a sermon nnrf
often choose for the subject of discussion historical passages, or any others which archest /ii ted
in the way of observation ; which in time will effectually counteract the opposite ten<W» ,1 It
plain what is clear, and to analyze without profit, . WOB"e tendency to e.\-

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 ends of the ministry. He observed; that some had a
talent for entertaining and profiting by occasional visits among their
people. He supposed 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 with every
person he me,t, and in an easy manner turn it to what topic he pleased,
without the help of others, and, it may be, against their inclination. 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 might 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 most 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 miles off.
He became such, partly by his own experimental 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 became 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 witlf
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 them, he went to many ; 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
extremes, 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, fyc, 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 reflections 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 offence, appeared to him scriptural, reasonable and
important ; and he thought that to give them up, was in effect 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 common 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 of the 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 well 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 own, bears the mark of mutability. Mr. Edwards's labors at Northamp
ton were crowned, at different 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 afford, to a
serious and reflecting mind, much instruction. If that people were more
depraved than Christian churches in common, after enjoying for so long

THE LIFE OF 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 1 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
— the 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 them.
— 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 most awful
and impressive instructions, tho 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 minister in all
New England that 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 members of the church, had books in
their possession which they employed to promote lascivious and obscene
discourse among the young people. Upon inquiry, a number of persons
testified, that they had heard one and another, from time 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
affair. 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 some 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 came, how-
Vol. I. 3

34 THE LIFE OF PRESIDENT EDWARDS.
ever, a great number 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, w* 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 make in order to be received as visible members of
Christ's church, ought not to be such as to express or imply a real com
pliance with, or consent to the terms of the covenant of grace, 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 terms. Mr. Stoddard's principle at first made 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 Northampton, it was introduced there, though
not without opposition ; by degrees it spread very much among ministers
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
Northampton, 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 him upon examining 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 make 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 firekindleth! Little do the giddy ana the gay thtakhow thei • levito
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 shnu Id £ mZt
tentially here, and not despairingly hereafter. uesiraDie it should be pent-

THE LIFE OF PRESIDENT 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 him 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 the 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 much 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 tumult, 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 him 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, fenewed 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 communion 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 of 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 affair 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 met 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 meeting, 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 OF 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 not 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 tumult, which ought to be managed
with great solemnity, deep humiliation, submission to the awful frowns of
heaven, humble dependence on God, with fervent Drayer and supplication
to him ; that therefore, for them to go about sucff an affair 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 ministers 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 their wis
dom and endeavor in order to effect it. And if they found this impracti
cable, they must determine, 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 most of the ministers and the churches
in the county differed 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 offered, 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, were 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 19th 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 Northampton^, 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 matter ; 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,
the minister of that church being at Northampton, was desired "by Mr. Edwards and the cJmr?"
to sit in council and act, which he did. But there being no messenger from the church, the
council was not full, and there was a disparity; by which means there was one vote more lor an
immediate dismission, than against it.

38 THE LIFE OF PRESIDENT EDWARDS.
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 light,
and plucking them as brands out of the burning. And they had from
time 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)
"if it had been possible, they would have plucked out their own eyes, and
given them to him." And they had a great interest in his affection : 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 come 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 me, 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
mind ; his meekness 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 affecting a light by any description, as they appeared in to
his friends, who were eye-witnesses.
Mr. Edwards had a numerous and chargeable family, 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 man who has. never been settled, to one who
has been dismissed 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 persisted 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 might 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 15th of 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 them 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) might 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 confirm 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 much a

40 THE LIFE OF PRESIDENT EDWARDS.
leader in it) to the Rev. Mr. Hall, of Sutton, published in a weekly newsr
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 former 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 own
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 1 have often studied with
myself in what manner it was practicable for me to do it. When I un
derstood that you, sir, and Mr. Eaton, were to be at Cold Spring at the
time 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 myself,
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 humbly 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 me.
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 themselves, 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
sentiments 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 EDWARDS. 4 J
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 moment 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 mosl 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 remembrance of the former 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 me, 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 mutual 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 here
as pastor to a part of the church, which was very exceptionable. But as
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 every where interlarded
with unchristian bitterness, sarcastical and unmannerly insinuations.
contained divers direct, grievous and criminal charges and allegations
against Mr. Edwards, which I have since good reason to suppose, were
all founded on jealous and uncharitable mistakes, and so were really gross
slanders; also many heavy and reproachful charges upon divers ol 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 1 am fully
convinced, that the whole of that composure, excepting the small ^art
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 may remember it
with deep abasement and penitence, all my days. Nor do I now thmk 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
much more so to others who are more impartial ; and do in the review
thereof, abhor myself, and repent sorely : and if my own heart condemns
me, it behooves me solemnly to remember, 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 actinn-
against 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
blessed 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 my sin ; for I acknowledge my trans
gressions, and my sin is ever before me. Hide thy face from my sins, and
blot out all mine iniquities ; create in me a clean heart, 0 God, and re
new a right spirit within me ; cast me not away from thy presence, and
tarke 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 minister 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 from that judgment which
such ungodly deeds deserve. And I most heartily wish and pray that
the town and church of Northampton 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 full terms, and without balking the matter, confess the same
before the world, and most humbly and earnestly seek forgiveness of
God, and do what we can to honor the memory 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 manner, 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 shall give me opportunity, to procure it to be
published in some one of the public newspapers ; for I cannot devise any
other way of making 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 may 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 myself 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 and 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 disaffected 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 my
repentance of my sins above-mentioned may be unfeigned and genuine,
and such as God in infinite mercy, for Christ's sake, will accept ; and I
beg leave to subscribe myself, Sir, your real, though very unworthy' friend,
and obedient servant, JOSEPH HAWLEY".

THE LIFE OF PRESIDENT EDWARDS. 45
CHAPTER V.
FROM 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 ministry, with his
disposition to observe the operations of human minds and passions, and to
improve such knowledge to the most 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, different 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 from 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 mission. At the same 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 missionary to the Indians there, by an ecclesias
tical council called for that purpose, August 8th, 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 whom were coming to Stockbridge to
settle, bringing their own, and as many of their neighbors' children as
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 made both in England and America. The
general court of the province of Massachusetts Bay did much to promote
the affair, 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 <no same footing, wholly at his

46 THE LIFE OF PRESIDENT EDWARDS.
cost. Also the Society in London, for propagating the gospel among the
Indians in and about New England, directed their commissioners 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 performed 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 wisdom, in all matters
relating to the mission. However, Stockbridge proved to Mr. Edwards
a more quiet, and, on many accounts, a much more comfortable 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 many of his friends, from 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
study 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 will 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 more 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 o,ff, 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
was 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 him. 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 him, 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 comfort, I might mention the many inconveniences and great
detriment which may be sustained by my removing with my numerous
family, so far from 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 myself into circumstances 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 many 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 conversation, but more especially for
the government of a cellege. This makes me shrink at the thoughts of
taking upon me, in the decline of life, such a new and great business,

48 THE LIFE OF PRESIDENT 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 remarkably 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 m
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
mind, 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 my best thoughts, on innumerable subjects for my own
benefit. The longer I prosecuted my 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 manner, 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 triumph, with so little control, when it appears so evi
dent to me, 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 method, being thrown into the form of a history ; con
sidering the affair 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
larly 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 world of mankind, affecting 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 judgment,
and consummation 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 method 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 of the 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
eourse 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, life 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 of the instruction
of one of the 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 me 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 meetings 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 ;
which I should be willing to improve myself in, by instructing others.
7v,l. I. 4

50 THE LIFE QF 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 m it,
I should not do what both you and I would be sorry for afterwards.
Nevertheless, I think the greatness of the affair, 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 1 have now
represented, as to any further expectation from me, I shall proceed to ask
advice, of such as I esteem most 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 respect 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
commonly 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 removal. — 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 off from Stockbridge for Princeton in January.
He left his family at Stockbridge, not to be removed till spring. He had
two daughters at Princeton, Mrs. Burr, the widow 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 Sabbath, 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 him ; 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 time Mr. Edwards seemed to enjoy an uncommon 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 it
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 immediately
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 might be expected 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 matter 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 VI.
HIS PUBLICATIONS, MANUSCRIPTS, AND GENIUS AS A WRITER.
Mr. Edwards was greatly esteemed, and indeed celebrated, as an au
thor, both in America and Europe. His publications naturally raise in
the reader of judgment and moral taste a high opinion of his greatness
and piety. His books met with a good reception in Scotland espe
cially, and procured for him 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 gentleman from Holland observed:
"That Mr. Edwards's writings, especially on the Freedom of tlie 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 members of the Classes of Am
sterdam gaye their thanks, by him, to pious Mr. Edwards, for his just ob
servations on Mr. Brainerd's Life ; which book was translated in Holland,
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 sermons, 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
„„ '-29'F- u „ 1758. On Original Sin.
i«!- ?°Krat ]S,?rthafmP,on> on ^att. xvi. 17. JY.B. This last was in the press when
ir« FivtXZvf 6, TVf G°d' &C" the amhor died- A" h^ other works
i«?" a I Discourses at Northampton. were collected from his papers after
1741. A Sermon preached at Enfield. his ripce-i«e. tv,o „,-;  ;„ i c u- £
!3i: SS: S SESr" on ' John iv l ™^^™^0^
Mfa Zh?u£hts ?Vhe- Reviva1' "65. Eighteen Sermons, with his Life pre-
1746. Religious Affections. fixed v
\lfa- nn,?ra?er f2r a llevival- "74. 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 Creitinn
1749. On Qualifications for Communion. 1788. Thirty-three Sermons reatlon-
1752. 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
clusive 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 remark, the reader need_
only consult the Treatise on the Will ; a work justly thought by able
jlidges to be one of the greatest efforts of the human intellect. Here
the author shows such force and strength of mind, such judgment, 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, yet 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, 8th 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 religion," he shows great acquaintance with
Scripture, and a remarkable attention to the prophetic part of it.
Mr. Edwards left a great number of volumes in manuscript,, which he

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 made, 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 wrote 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 off his last. The number of his miscella
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 Newlon, 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 poetically strong, but not as literally accurate.

THE LIFE OF PRESIDENT EDWARDS. 55
Beneath his standard, lo ! 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
ed as .the close of these Memoirs. M.S.
Reverendi admodum viri,
JONATHAN EDWARDS, A. M. Collegii none Caesarian
Prasidis.
Natus apud Windsor, Connecticutensium, V Octobris,
A.D. MDCCIII. S.V.
Patre Reverendo Timotheo Edwards oriundus,
Collegio Yalensi educatus,
Apud Northampton Sacris initiatus XV Februarii,
MDCCXXVI— VII.
Illinc dimissus XXII Junii MDCCL,
Et munus Barbaros instituendi accepit,
Prases Aula3 Nassovicse creatus XVI Februarii MDCCL VIIL
Defunctus in hoc vico XXII Martii sequentis, S. N.
iEtatis LV. heu nimis brevis
His jacit mortalis Pars.
Qualis Persona qua^ris, Viator ?
Vir, Corpore procero, sed gracili,
Studiis intensissimis, Abstinentia, et Sedulitate
Attenuate.
Ingenii Acumine, judicio acri, et Prudentia,
Secundus nemini Mortalium.
Artium liberalium et scientiarum Peritia insignis,
Criticorum sacrorum optimus, Theologus eximius,
Ut vix alter Eequalis ; disputator candidus.
Fidei Christian® Propugnator invictus,
Concionator Gravis, Solennis, Discrimians ;
Et, Deo favente, Successu
Felicissimus.
Pietate praclarus, moribus suis severus,
Ast aliis eequus et benignus,
Vixit dilectus veneratus —
Sed ah ! lugendus
Moriebatur.
Quantos Gemitus discedens ciebat !
Heu Sapientia tanta ! hett Doctrina et Religio !
Amissum plorat Collegium, ploratet Ecclesia :
At, eo recepto, gaudet
Ccelum.
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 RENOUNCIN*
THEIR RELATION TO HIM AS PASTOR OF THE CHURCH THERE
JUNE 22, 1750.

PREFACE.

It is not unlikely, that some of the readers of the following 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
eome affectedly and industriously made, of that difference : such as, that I insisted on
persons being assured of their being in a state of salvation, in order to my admitting
them into the church ; that I required a particular relation of the method and order of
a person's inward experience, and of the time and manner of his conversion, as the
test of his fitness for Christian communion ; yea, that I have undertaken 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 of therqualifications 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 tilings 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 the church, in the
meeting-house, of the 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, corftaining the information I 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, ih 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, T%e rational Founda
tion of a Christian Church, and the Terms of Christian Communion ; which, he says,
is the common sentiment of all reformed churches. I had not seen this book of Dr.
Watts' when I published what I have ¦Written on the. subject. But yet, I think my
sentiments, as I have expressed them, are as exactly agreeable to what he lays down,
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 sacraments are not converting ordinances : but that,
as seals of the covenant, they presuppose conversion, especially in the adult; and thai

60 PREFACE.
it is visible saintship, or, in other words, a credible profession of faith and repentanci,
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, and m ttiose that
profess a consent to the gospel covenant, that they be sincere in their profession, or at
least should think themselves so. The great thing which I have scrupled m the estab
lished method of this church's proceeding, and which I dare no longer go on m, is
their publicly assentino- to the form of words rehearsed on occasion of their admission
to the communion, without pretending thereby to mean any such flung as any heart)'
consent to the terms of the gospel covenant, or to mean any such faith or repentance
as belong to the covenant of grace, and arc the grand conditions of that covenant :
it beino-, at the same time that Ihe 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 make
reserves; and in short, knowing 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 no
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 of these sounds : nor can I think, that any institution of Christ has established
any such terms of admission into the Christian church. It does not 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 ¦
but 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 doctrinal knowledge) underst'andingly ;
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 conversion,
or finding so much remaining sin, &c. And (if his own scruples did not hinder his
coming to the Lord's table) 1 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 tilings wherein
godliness consists, and not a profession of his own opinion of his good estate."
Northampton, May 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 I stood ready to accept of (anyone of them) rather than
contend and break with my people.
The two shortest of these forms are here inserted for the satisfaction of the reader.
They are as follows.
" I hope I do truly 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 of God, which the covenant of orace
requires, as long as I live." Another,
"I hope I truly find in my heart a willingness to comply with all the command
ments of God, which require me to give up myself wholly to him, and to serve him

PREFACE 6[
with my body and my spirit. And do accordingly now promise to walk in a way o;
obedience to all the commandments of God, as long as I live."
Such kind of professions as these I stood ready to accept, rather than contend and
break rwith 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
Erofessor, 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 of the 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 ; withal
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 of the
candidate what can be remembered of the 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
the particular circumstances of a person's first awakening and the manner of his convic
tions, illuminations, and comforts, should be publicly exhibited before the whole congre
gation, on occasion of his admission into the 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 of the great things wrought, 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 things may serve in some measure to set right those of my readers who
have been misled in their apprehensions of the state of the controversy between me
and my people, by the forementioned misrepresentations.
JONATHAN EDWARDS.

A FAREWELL SERMON.

2 Cobinthians i. 14. — Ab also you have acknowledged us in part, that we are your rejoicing, even
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 ministry. 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 testimony of our conscience that in simplicity and godly
sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, we have had our
conversation in the world, and more 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, whom he now wrote to, and that they should ap
prove of him 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 him as their spiritual father, and as one that
had been faithful among them, 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 Judge, 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 imply, 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 the people that are under their care, must meet one an
other before Christ's tribunal at the day of judgment.
Ministers, arid 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; 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 have 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 time shall be very different from
what used to be in the house of God in this world.
1. They shall not meet at that day 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
rations 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 ; 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 mutual affairs will be then to be tried and judged, should especially be
set in one another's view. Thus 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, arid 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 another,
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 meeting 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 taige-
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 determining and managing their ecclesiastical af
fairs, for the exercise of church discipline, and the settling 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 sometimes 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 the bring-
. ing to effect any such changes ; for they will all meet in an unchangeable state.
• Sinners will be in an unchangeable state : they who then shall be under the
' guilt and power of sin, and have the wrath of God abiding on them, shall be
Beyond all remedy or possibility of change, and shall meet their ministers with
out any hopes of relief or remedy, 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 be
• Vol. I. 6

66 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 him be
unjust still ; and he that is filthy, let him 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
light. .
Ministers are set as guides and teachers, and are represented m Scripture aj
lights set up in the churches ; and in the present state meet their people from
time 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 the 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 truth 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 with unhappy debate and controversy, managed with much prejudice
and want of candor ; not tending to light and conviction, but rather to confirm
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 of the 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,
his holiness, and hatred of sin, and his awful justice in punishing it, the strict
ness of his law, and the dreadfulness and truth of his threatenings, and their own
unspeakable guilt and misery : and they shall never more be insensible of these
things : the eyes of conscience will now be" fully enlightened, and never shall
be blinded again : the mouth of conscience shall now be opened, and never
shall be shut any more.
Now ministers meet with their people, in public and private, in order to

FAREWELL SERMON. 67
enlighten them concerning the state of their souls ; to open and apply the rules
of God's word to them, in order to their searching their own hearts, and dis
cerning the state that they are in ; but how 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 the people
able certainly to know the state of their 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 the other hand, those are sometimes censured, or hardly
received into their charity, that are indeed some of God's jewels. And nothing
is more common than for men to be mistaken concerning their 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 to
think, that often some that are most bold in their confidence of their safe and
happy state, and think themselves not only true saints, but the most 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 their
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
he Lord come, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and
will make manifest the counsels of the 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 to 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 their minister has been sincere and faithful, and
the 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 unto life, and to
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
state of controversy, they are ready to judge and censure one another with
regard to each other's views and designs, and the principles and ends that each
is influenced by ; and are .greatly mistaken in their judgment, and wrong one
another with regard to each other's views and designs and the principles and
ends that each is influenced by, and are greatly mistaken in their judgment,
and wrong one another in their censures. But at that future meeting, things
will be set in a true 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 their people often meet together to hear
of and wait upon an unseen Lord ; but at the day of judgment, they shall meet
in his most immediate and visible presence.
Ministers, who now often meet their people to preach to them the King
eternal, immortal, and invisible, to convince them that there is a God, and
declare to them what manner, of being he is, and to convince them that he
governs, and will judge the world, and that there is a future state of rewards
and punishments, and to preach to them a Christ in heaven, and at the right
hand of God, in an unseen world, shall then meet their people in the most ira-

88 FAREWELL SERMON.
snefiiate sensible presence of this great God, Saviour, and Judge, appearing; in
<fce most plain, visible, and open manner, with great glory, with all his holy
angels, before them and the whole world. They shall not meet them to hear
about an absent Christ, an unseen Lord, and future Judge ; but to appear
before that Judge, and as being set together in the presence of that supreme
Lord, in his immense glory and awful majesty, whom they have heard so often
«of in their meetings together on earth.
<4.) The meeting at the last day, of ministers, and the people that have been
Wnder their care, will not be attended by any one with a careless, heedless heart.
With such a heart are their meetings often attended in this world by many
persons, having little regard to him whom they pretend unitedly to adore in the
solemn duties of his public worship, taking little heed to their own thoughts or
Crxme of their minds, not attending to the business they are engaged in, or
considering the end for which they are come together. But the meeting at that
great day will be very different : there will not be one careless heart, no sleep
ing, no wandering of mind from the great concern of the meeting, no inatten-
sfiveness to the business of the day, no regardlessness of the presence they are
in, or of those great things which they shall hear from Christ at that meeting,
<ot that they formerly heard from him, and of him, by their ministers, in their
meeting in a state of trial, or which they shall now hear their ministers declar
ing concerning them before their judge.
Having observed these things, concerning the manner and circumstances of
this future meeting of ministers and the people that have been under their care,
^before the tribunal of Christ at the day of judgment, I now proceed,
II. To observe to what purposes they shall then meet.
1. To give an account before the great Judge, of their behavior one to
' another, in the relation they stood in to each other in this world.
Ministers are sent forth by Christ to their people on his business, are his
servants and messengers; and, when they have finished their service, they
must return to their master to give him an account of what they have done,
snd of the entertainment they have had in performing their ministry. Thus
we find, in Luke xiv. 16 — 21, that when the servant who was sent forth
*» call the guests to the great supper, had done his errand, and finished
ins appointed service, he returned to his master, and gave him an account
•of what he had done, and of the entertainment he had received. And when
<tJie 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.
adii. 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.,
4*aat ministers must give an account to their master, not only of their own
behavior in the discharge of their office, but also of their peoples' reception 6f
4hem, and of the 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 the presence of their people;
they and their people being both present before their Judge.
Faithful ministers will then give an account with joy, concerning those who
liave received them well, and made a good improvement of their ministry ; and
these will be given them, at that day, as their crown of rejoicing. And, at the
•same time, they will give an account of the ill treatment of such as have not
well received them and their messages from Christ : they will meet these not
as they used to do in this world, to counsel and warn them, but to bear witness
against them ; and as their judges, and assessors with Christ, to condemn them.

FAREWELL SERMON. ©
And, on the other hand, the people wiU, at that day, rise up in judgment against'
wicked and unfaithful ministers, who have sought their own temporal, interests
more than the good of the souls of their flock.
2. At that time ministers, and the people who have been under then carej
shall meet together before Christ, that he may judge between them, as to anj
controversies, which have subsisted between them in this world.
So it very often comes to pass in this evil world, that great differences ani
controversies arise between ministers and the people that are under their pas
toral care. Though they 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 theis
consequences, on many accounts, of any sort of contentions ; yet how frequent
have such contentions been! > Sometimes a. people contest with their minis
ters, about their doctrine, sometimes about their administrations and conduct, and
sometimes about their maintenance ; and sometimes such contests continue &
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 the reason of things ; and sometimes such controversies never have anj
proper determination in this world.
But at the, 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 the contending parties, and will declare what is
the truth, who is in the right, and what is agreeable to his mind and will. Andl
in order hereto the parties must stand together before him at the last day ; whieft,
will be the 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 that have been under their care, must meet tOf~
gether at that time to receive an eternal sentence and retribution from the judge,,
in the presence of each other, according to their behavior in the relation theys
stood in one to another, in the present state.
, The Judge will not only declare justice, but he will do justice between min
isters and their people. He will declare what is right between them, approving;
him that has been just and faithful, and condemning the unjust ; and perfect
truth and, equity shall take place in the 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 thqse who have been successful. Dan.-xii. 3„
" And they that be wise, shall shine as the brightness of the firmament, and they
that turn many to righteousness, as the stars forever and ever :" and also to 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;.
with the 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 thatre-
ceiveth you, receiveth me ; and he that receiveth me, receiveth him that 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, " Foe
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 1 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 they that evil entreat Christ's faithful ministers, especially ia

70 FAREWELL SERMON.
that wherein they are faithful, shall be severely punished : Matt. x. 14, 15,
" And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart
out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet. Verily, I say unto
you, It shall be more tolerable for the sinners of Sodom and Gomorrah, in the
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, smite through the loins of them that rise against him,
and of them that hate him, that 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 the great day to ministers and their
people : and to that end they shall meet together, that they may not only re
ceive justice to themselves, but see justice done to the other party: for this is
the end of that great day, to reveal or declare the righteous judgment of God ;
Rom. ii. 5. Ministers shall have justice done them, and they shall see justice .
done to their people : and the people shall receive justice and see justice done
to their minister. And so all things will be adjusted and settled forever between
them; 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 shame and pain.
I come now to the next thing proposed, viz.,
III. To give some reasons why we may suppose God has so ordered it, that
ministers and the 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 greatest
importance. The Scripture declares, that God will bring every work into judgment with
every secret thing, whether it be good or whether it be evil. It is fit that all
the concerns, and all the behavior of mankind, both 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 to affairs of very
great importance.
Now the mutual concerns of a Christian minister and his chureh and congre
gation, are of the vastest importance : in many respects, of much greater mo
ment than the temporal concerns of the greatest earthly monarchs, and their
kingdoms Or empires. It is of vast consequence how ministers discharge' their
office, and conduct themselves towards their people in the 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 immediate and di
rect respect to the great and last end for which man was made, and the 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 to this end, ministers and their people should meet together before the
omniscient and infallible judge.
2. The mutual concerns of ministers and their people have a special relation
to the main things appertaining to the day of judgment.
They have a special relation to that great and divine person who will then
appear as Judge. Ministers are his messengers, sent forth by him ; and, in their

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, to do his work, and to speak
and act in his name. And therefore it is especially fit that they should return
to him to give an account of their work and success. The king is judge of all
his subjects, they are all accountable to him. But it is more 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 the reception they have met with.
Ministers are- not only messengers of the person who at the last day will
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 the 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 that pertain to it, that every thing that is opposite to the interests of
his kingdom may be removed, and that every thing which contributes to the
completeness and glory of it may be perfected and confirmed, that this great
King may receive his due honor and glory.
Again, the mutual concerns of ministers and their people have a direct rela
tion to the concerns of the day of judgment, as the business of ministers with
their people is to promote the eternal salvation of the souls of men, and their
escape from eternal damnation ; 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
state of eternal salvation, and to bring their salvation to its utmost 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 the day of judgment, as the very design of the work of the ministry is
the peopleVpreparation for that day. Ministers are sent to warn them of the
approach of that day, to forewarn them of the dreadful sentence then to be
pronounced on the wicked, and declare to them the blessed sentence then to be
pronounced on the righteous, and to use means with them that they may escape
the wrath which is then to come on the ungodly, and obtain the reward then
to be bestowed on the saints.
And as the mutual concerns of ministers and their people have so near and
direct a'relation to that 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 that 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, to
some reflections, and give them some advice suitable to our present circumstan-
-ces; relating to what has been lately done in order to our being separated, as
to the relation we have heretofore stood in one to another ; but expecting to
meet each other before the great tribunal at the day of judgment.
The deep and serious consideration of that our future most solemn 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 j
How often have I spoke to you, instructed, counselled, warned, directed, and
fed you, and administered ordinances among you, as the people which were
committed to my care, and whose precious souls I had the charge of. But in
all probability this never will be again.
The prophet Jeremiah, chap. xxv. 3, puts the people in mmd how long he
had labored among them in the work of the ministry : " From the thirteenth
year of Josiah, the son of Amon, king of Judah,even unto this day (that is, the
three and twentieth year), the word of the Lord came unto me^ and I have spoken
unto you, rising early and speaking." I am not about to compare myself with
the prophet Jeremiah ; but in this respect I can say as he did, that " 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 insufficiency 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 the apostle
does to his hearers, Gal. iv. 13, " Ye know how through infirmity of the flesh,
I preached the gospel unto you." I have spent the prime of my life and
strength in labors for your eternal welfare. You are my witnesses, that what
strength I have had I have not neglected in idleness, nor laid out in prosecuting
worldly schemes, and managing temporal affairs, for the advancement of my
outward estate, and aggrandizing myself and family; but have given myself
wholly to the work of the ministry, laboring in it night and day, rising early and
applying myself to 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 that
I have borne in it, which my strength has been very unequal to. God called
me to bear these burdens ; and I bless his name, that he has so supported me
as to keep me from sinking under them, and that -his power herein has been
manifested in my weakness ; so that although I have often been troubled on
every side, yet I have not been distressed ; perplexed, but not in- despair ; cast
down, but not destroyed.
But now I have reason to think my work is finished which I had to do aa
your minister : you have publicly rejected me, and my opportunities cease.
How highly therefore does it now become us to consider of that time when
we must meet one another before the chief Shepherd 1 When I must 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 : andyou must give
an account of your own conduct towards me, and the improvement you have
made of these three and twenty years of my ministry. For then both you and
I must appear together, and we both must give an account, in order to an in
fallible, righteous and eternal sentence to be passed upon us, by him wbo will
judge us with respect to 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 frames of our minds, will judge us with respect to all the
controversies which have subsisted between us, with the strictest impartiality,
and will examine our treatment of each other in those controversies: there is
nothing covered that shall not be revealed, nor hid which shall not be known •
all will be examined in the searching, penetrating light of God's omniscience

FAREWELL SERMON. 73
and glory, and by him whose eyes are as a flame 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 moment, as not being able to bear the light of that day. And then our ¦
hearts will be turned inside out, and the secrets of them will be made more '
plainly to appear than our outward actions do now. Then it shall appear what
the ends are which we have aimed at,, what have been the governing principles
which we have acted from, and what have been the dispositions we have exer
cised in our ecclesiastical disputes and contests. Then it will appear whether I
acted uprightly, and from a truly conscientious, careful regard to my duty to
my great Lord and Master, in some former ecclesiastical controversies, which
have been attended 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 that comes without 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 general conduct in the
affair, I have been influenced from any regard to my 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 from
a careful, strict, and tender regard to the will of my Lord and Master, and be
cause I dare not offend him, being satisfied what his will was, after a long, dil
igent, impartial, and prayerful inquiry ; having this constantly in view and pros
pect, to engage me to great solicitude not rashly to determine truth to be on this
side of the question, where I am now persuaded it is, that such a determination
would not be for my temporal interest, but every way against it, bringing a
long series of extreme difficulties, and plunging me into an abyss of trouble and
sorrow. And then it will appear whether my people have done their duty to
their pastor with respect to this matter ; 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 to say in evidence of what I believed
and taught as part of the counsel of God ; whether I have been treated with
that impartiality, candor, and regard which the just Judge esteemed due;' and
whether, in the many steps which have been taken, and the many things that
have been said and done in the course of this controversy, righteousness and
charity, and Christian decorum 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 to last, and the spirit we have exer- '•
cised in all shall be examined and manifested, and our own consciences shall i
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-'
apprehension of the affair to eternity.
Vol. I. 10

74 FAREWELL SERMON.
This controversy is now probably brought to an issue between you and me
as to this world ; it has issued in the event of the week before last : but it must
have another decision at that great day, which certainly will come, when yon
and I shall meet together before the great judgment seat : and therefore I leave
it to that 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 meet him who has heretofore been your pastor, before the Judge whose
eyes are as a flame of fire.
I have endeavored according to my best ability, to search the 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 marks I have from time to time applied to you, in the
preaching of the word to the utmost of my skill, and in the most plain and
searching, manner that I have been able, in order to the detecting the deceived
hypocrite, and establishing the hopes and comforts of the sincere. And yet it
is to be feared, that after all that I have, done, I now leave some of you in a
deceived, deluded state ; for it is not to be supposed that among 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 them. But still I entreat you to
remember and consider the rules which 1 have often laid down to you during
my ministry, with a solemn regard to the future day when you and I must meet
together before our Judge ; when the uses of examination you have heard from
me must be rehearsed again before you, and those rules of trial must be tried,
and it will appear whether they have been good or not ; and it will also appear
whether you have impartially heard them, and tried yourselves by them ; and
the Judge himself, who is infallible, will try both you and me : and after this
none will be deceived concerning the state of their souls.
I have often put you in mind, that whatever your pretences to experiences,
discoveries, comforts, and joys have been, at that 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
better acquaintance with soul cases, and of greater skill in applying himself to
souls, whose discourses may be more searching and convincing; that such of
you as have held fast deceit under my preaching, may have your eyes opened
by his ; that you may be undeceived before that .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 come, 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 (to use the
phrase of the apostle) " acknowledged me, in part :'? you have heretofore
acknowledged me to be your spiritual father, the instrument of the greatest
good to you that ever is, or can be obtained by any of the children of men.
Consider of that day when you and I shall meet before our Judge, when it shall
be examined whether you have had from me the treatment which is due to

FAREWELL SERMON. 75
#
spiritual children, and whether you have treated me as you ought to have
treated a spiritual father.* As the 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 them the instru
ments of: 1 Cor. iv. 15, "For though you have ten thousand instructors in
Christ, yet have ye not many fathers ; for in Christ Jesus, I have begotten you
through the gospel."
II. Now I am taking my leave of this people I would apply myself to such
among them as I leave in a Christless, graceless condition ; and would call on
such seriously to consider of that solemn day when they and I must meet before
the Judge of the world.
My parting with you is in some respects in a peculiar manner a melancholy
parting; inasmuch as I leave you in most melancholy circumstances; because
I leave you in the 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 of the 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 ; without Christ, and without God in the world.
Your consciences bear me witness, that while I had opportunity, I have not
ceased to warn you, and set before you your -danger. I have studied to repre
sent the misery and necessity of your circumstances in the clearest manner
possible.^ I have, tried all ways that I could think of tending to awaken your
consciences, and make you sensible of the necessity of your improving your
time, and being speedy in flying from the wrath to come, and thorough in the
use of means for your escape and safety. I have diligently endeavored to find
out and use the most powerful motives to persuade you to take care for your
own welfare and salvation. I have not only endeavored to awaken you, that
you might be moved with fear, but I have used my utmost endeavors to win
you : I have sought out acceptable words, that if possible I might prevail upon
you to forsake sin, and turn to God, and accept of Christ as your Saviour and
Lord. I have spent my 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 the fire, the founder melteth in vain, for the
wicked are not plucked away." It is to be feared that all my labors, as to
many of you, have served no other purpose but 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
betrustment committed to me : yet remember you must give account for your
selves, of your care of your own souls, and your improvement of all means past
and future, through your whole lives. God only knows what will become of
your. poor perishing souls, what means you may hereafter enjoy, or what dis
advantages and temptations you may be under. May God in his mercy grant,
that however all past means have been unsuccessful, you may have future means
which may have a new effect; and that the word of God, as it shall be here
after dispensed to you, may prove as the fire and the hammer 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 the day of judgment, then you will remember them,:
the sight of me, your former minister, on that occasion, will soon revive them
in your memory ; and that in a very affecting manner. 0 do not let that be
the first time that they are so revived !
You and I are now parting one from another as to this world ; let us labor
that we may not be parted 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 with Christ. 0 do your part, that in such
a case, it may not be so, that you should be forced eternally to part from me,
and all that have been faithful in Christ Jesus. 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
it, 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 to those who are under some awakenings.
Blessed be God that there are some 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 them all in total stupidity and carelessness about their souta 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 not : but it will be
known at that day, when you and I shall meet before the judgment seat of
Christ. Therefore now be much in consideration of that day.
Now I am parting with this flock, I would once more press upon you the
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 to the end. And cry mightily to God,
that these great changes that 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 to double your
diligence, and watch and pray, lest you be overcome by temptation.
Whoever may hereafter stand related to 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
that he who is the infinite fountain of light, would " open your . eyes, and turn
you from darkness unto light, and from the power of Satan unto God ; that you
may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them that are sanctified,
through faith that is in Christ ;" that 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 to be separated any more.
IV. I would apply myself to the young people of the congregation. •
Since I have been settled in the work of the ministry in this place, I have
ever had a peculiar concern for the souls of the young people, and a desire that
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 whom God intended mercy for, were brought to fear and love
him in their youth. And it has ever appeared to me a peculiarly amiable
thing, to see young people walking in the ways of virtue and Christian piety,
having their hearts purified and sweetened with a principle of divine love.
And it has appeared a thing exceeding beautiful, and what would be much to'

FAREWELL SERMON. 77
the adorning and happiness of the town, if the young people could be persuad
ed when they meet together, to converse as Christians, and as the children of
God .; avoiding impurity, levity and extravagance ; keeping strictly to the rules
of virtue, 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 to
me when I have heard of vice, vanity and disorder among our youth. And so
far as I know my own heart, it was froni hence that I formerly led this church
to some measures, for the suppressing vice among our young people, which
gave so great offence, and by which I became so obnoxious. I have sought
the good, and' not the hurt of our young people. I have desired their truest ho
nor and happiness, and not their reproach ; knowing that true virtue and reli
gion tended '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 to 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 his providence, now calling me to part with you, committing your souls
to him who once committed the pastoral care of them to me, nothing remains,
but only (as I am now taking my leave of you) earnestly' to beseech you, from
love to yourselves, if you have none to me, not to despise and forget the warn
ings and counsels I have so often given you ; remembering 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 we're true, whether the counsels I
have given you were good, and whether I truly sought your good, and whether
you have well 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 may say in justification of such liberties and vcustoms, and .'
may laugh at warnings against them, I now leave you my parting testimony
against. such things ; not doubting but God will approve and confirm it in that
day when we shall meet before him.
V. I would apply myself to the children of the congregation, the lambs of
this flock, who have been so long under my car*.
I have just now said that I have had a peculiar concern for the young people ;
and iri so saying I did not intend td 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 precious opportunity for their souls' good, you who are very young
had, in many respects, a peculiarly precious opportunity. And accordingly I
have not neglected you : I have endeavored to do the part of a faithful shepherd,
in feeding 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, how I have
instructed you, and warned you from time to time ; you know how I have often
called you together for that end ; and some of you, sometimes, have seemed to
Ibe 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 remai* still in an unconverted condi
tion, without any real saving Work wrought in your souls, convincing you tho
roughly of your sin and misery, causing you to see the great evil of sin, and to
mourn for it, and hate it above all things, and giving you a sense of the excel
lency of the Lord Jesus Christ, bringing you with all your hearts to cleave to (
him as your Saviour, weaning jrour hearts from the world, and causing you to
love God above all, and to delight in holiness more than in all the pleasant
things of this earth ; and so that I now leave you in a miserable condition,

78 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.
But now I must bid you farewell : 1 must leave you in the hands 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 endea
vors I have used, that your souls might be saved from everlasting destruction.
Dear children, I leave you in an evil world, that is full of snares and tempi
tations. God only knows what will become of you. This the Scripture hath
told us, that there are but few saved ; and we have abundant confirmation of
it from what we see. This we see, that 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 to God. I pray God to pity you,
and take care of you, and provide for you the best means for the good of your
souls ; and that God himself would undertake for you to 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 the number 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 judgment 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 some particulars,
which are of great importance in order to the welfare and prosperity of this
church and congregation.
1. One thing that greatly eoncerns you, as you would be a happy people,
is the maintaining oi family order.
We have had great disputes how the church ought to be regulated ; and
indeed the subject of these disputes was of great importance : but the due regu
lation of your families is of no less, and, in some respects, of much greater impor
tance. Every Christian family ought 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 to prove ineffectual. If these are daily maintained, all
the means of grace will be like lo 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 them up in the nurture and
admonition of the Lord ; beginning early, when there is yet opportunity, and
maintaining a constant diligence in labors of this kind ; rememberino- that, as
you would not 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 that it be not with any of you as
with Eli of old, who reproved his children but restrained them not ; and that by
this means, you do not bring the like curse on your families 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, from many things in the word of God, that nothing has a
greater tendency to bring a curse on persons in this world, and on all their
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 the
greatest burdens I have labored under in the course of my ministry : not only
the contentions you have had with me, 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 to the spirit of Christianity, and did, iri a peculiar manner, tend to drive
away God's Spirit from a people, and to render all means of grace ineffectual,
as well as to destroy 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
days, seek peace, and ensue it," 1 Pet. iii. 10, 11. Let the contention, which
has lately been about the terms of Christian communion, as it has been the
greatest of your contentions, so be thelast of them. I would, now I am preach
ing my farewell sermon, say to you, as the Apostle to the Corinthians, 2 Cor.
xiii. 11, 12 : " Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect : be of one mind : live in
peace ; and the God of love and peace shall be with you."
And here I would particularly advise those that have adhered to me in the
late controversy, to 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 to 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, to excel others
Who are of the contrary part. And this will be the 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, to you or
your friends, or to the cause and kingdom of Christ.
3. Another thing, that vastly concerns the future prosperity of 'this town,
is, that you should watch against the encroachments of error ; and particularly
Arminianism, and doctrines of like tendency.
You were, many of you, as I well remember, much alarmed with the ap
prehension of the danger of the prevailing of these corrupt principles, near six
teen years ago. But the danger then was small in comparison of what appears
now. These doctrines at this day are much more prevalent than they were
then : the progress they have made in the 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 into almost all parts of the land, threatening
the utter ruin of the credit of those doctrines which are the peculiar glory of
the gospel, and the interests of vital piety. And I have of late perceived some
things among yourselves, that show that you are far from being out of danger,
but on the contrary remarkably exposed. The older people may perhaps think
themselves sufficiently fortified against infection ; but it is fit that all should be
ware of self-confidence and carnal security, and should remember those needful
Warnings of sacred writ, " Be not high-minded, but fear ; and let him that
stands, take heed lest he fall." But let the case of the older people be as it
will, the rising generation are doubtless greatly exposed. These principles are
exceeding taking with corrupt nature, and are what young people, at least such
as have not their hearts established with grace, are easily led away with.

80 FAREWELL SERMON.
And if these principles should greatly prevail in this town, as they very
lately have done in another large town I could name, formerly greatly noted
for religion, and so for a long time, it will threaten the spiritual and eternal ruin
of this people,, in the presented future generations. Therefore you have need of
the greatest and most diligent-care and watchfulness with respect to this matter
4. Another thing which I would advise to, that you may hereafter be a
prosperous people, is, that you would give yourselves much to prayer.
God is the fountain of all 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 Joseph, 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 meet together for prayer, and to cry to God for
his mercy to themselves, and mercy to this town, and mercy to 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 great care with regard to the
settlement of a minister, to see to it 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 scheme of doc
trine which he maintains.
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 the man
ner of many young gentlemen of corrupt principles, their ways of concealing
themselves, the fair, specious disguises they are wont to put on, by which they
deceive others, to maintain their own credit, and get themselves into others'
confidence and improvement, and secure and establish their own interest, until
they see a convenient opportunity to begin more openly to 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 that those who are settled in this work should be
men of true piety, at aU times, and in all places ; but more especially at some
times, and in some towns and churches. And this present time, which is a time
wherein religion is in danger, by so many corruptions in doctrine and practice,
is in a peculiar manner a day wherein such ministers are necessary. Nothing
else but sincere piety of heart is at all to be depended on, at such a time as this,
as a security to a young man, just coming into the world, from the prevailing
infection, or thoroughly to engage him in proper and successful endeavors to
withstand and oppose the torrent of error, and prejudice, against the high, mys
terious, evangelical doctrines of the religion of Jesus Christ, and their genuine
effects in true experimental religion. And this 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 truly of Christ,
and the way of salvation by him, nothing experimentally of the nature of vital
religion ; alas, how will you be exposed as sheep without a shepherd ! Here
is need of one in this place, who shall be eminently fit to stand in the gap, and
make up the hedge, and who shall be as the chariots of Israel, and the horse
men thereof. You need one that shall stand as a champion in the cause of
truth and the power of godliness.

RESULT OF 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 j wishing and
praying for your best prosperity. I would now commend your immortal souls
to Him, who formerly committed them to me, expecting the day, when I must
meet you again before Him, who is the Judge of quick and dead. I desire that
I may never forget this people, who have been so long my special charge, and
that I may never cease fervently to pray for your prosperity. May God bless
you with a faithful pastor, one that is well acquainted with his mind and will,
thoroughly warning sinners, wisely and skilfully searching professors, and con
ducting you in the way to eternal blessedness. May you have truly a burning
and shining light set up in this candlestick ; and may you, not only for a sea
son, but during his whole life, and that a long life, be willing to rejoice in his
light. And let me be remembered in the prayers of all God's people that are of a
calm spirit, and are peaceable and faithful in Israel, of whatever opinion they
may be with respect to terms of church communion.
And let us all remember, and never forget our future solemn meeting on
that great day of the Lord ; the day of infallible decision, and of the everlast
ing and unalterable sentence. Amen.

THE RESULT OP A COUNCIL OF 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 Bijeck, 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 Williams, pastor ; Mr. Enos Nash, de
legate. Pelham, Robert Abercrombie, pastor ; Mr. Matthew Gray, delegate.
Convened at the call of the first church in Northampton, together with the
elder of the church in Cold Spring* added by the consent of both the pastor
and church of Northampton, in order to advise to a remedy from the calamities
arising from the unsettled, broken state of the first church in Northampton, by
reason of a controversy subsisting about the qualifications for full communion
in the church.
The Reverend Mr. Hubbard was chosen moderator, and the Reverend Mr.
Williams, scribe.
The council, after seeking the divine presence and direction, had the mat-
« Rev. Mr. Billing.
Vol. I. 11

82 RESULT. OF A COUNCIL.
ter in controversy laid before them, and finding the sentiments of the pastor and
¦church concerning the qualifications necessary for full communion, to be diamet
rically opposite to each other ; the pastor insisting upon it as necessary to the
admission of members to full communion, that they should make a profession
of sanctifying grace ; whereas the brethren are of opinion that the Lord's sup
per is a converting ordinance, and consequently that persons, if they have a
competency of knowledge and are of a blameless life, may be admitted to the
Lord's table, although they make no such profession : and also finding that, by
reason of this diversity of sentiments, the doors of the church have been some
years, so that there has been no admission : and not being able to find out any
method wherein the pastor and brethren can unite ; consistent with their own
sentiments, in admitting members to full communion : the council did then, ac
cording to the desire of the church, expressed in their letters missive, proceed
to consider the expediency of dissolving the relation between pastor and peo
ple ; and, after hearing the church upon it, and mature deliberation of the case,
the questions were put to the members of the council severally :
1. Whether it be the opinion of this council that the Reverend Mr. Edwards
persisting in his principles, and the church in theirs in opposition to his, and
insisting on a separation, it is necessary that the relation between pastor and
people be dissolved 1 Resolved in the affirmative.
2. Whether it be expedient that this relation be immediately dissolved 1
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 the 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--
fhough we have heard of some stories spread abroad, reflecting upon Mr. Edwards'
sincerity with regard to the change of his sentiments about the qualifications
for full communion ; yet we have received full satisfaction that they are false
and groundless : and although we do not all of us agree with Mr. Edwards in
our sentiments upon the point, yet we have abundant reason to believe that he
took much pains to get light in that matter ; and that he is uprightly following
the dictates of his own conscience ; and with great pleasure reflect upon fhe
Christian spirit and temper he has discovered in the unhappy controversy sub
sisting among them ; and think,ourselves bound to testify our full charity to
wards him, and recommend him to any church or people agreeing with him in
sentiments, as a person eminently qualified for the work of the gospel ministry.
And we would recommend it to the Rev. Mr. Edwards and the first church
in Northampton, to take proper notice of the heavy frown of divine Providence,
in suffering them to 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 comforts to each other.
And now, recommending the Rev. Mr. Edwards, and the church in North
ampton, to the grace of God, we subscribe, JONATHAN HUBBARD, Moderator,
„, ±1 , In the name of the Council.
Northampton, June 22, 1750.
A true copy examined by Chester Williams, Scribe. .

AN
HUMBLE INQUIRY
INTO THE
RULES OF THE WORD OF GOD,
CONCERNING
THE ClUALIFIC ATIONS
REQUISITE TO A
COMPLETE STANDING AND FULL COMMUNION
IN THE
VISIBLE CHRISTIAN CHURCH.

PREFACE.
My appearing in tkis public manner on that side of the question, which is defended
in 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 church 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 differ from him, though so much my superior, and one whose name and mem
ory I am under distinguishing obligations on eve? y 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 tilings. 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 wherein 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, without a spirit of compliance with corrupt
men, without inclination to superstition, without making disturbance in the church of
God : and there is no reason, that it should be tamed 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
to indulge ourselves in ease, as to ne'glect 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 off all hopes of reformation."
Thus in these very seasonable and apposite payings, 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 ne 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 otherwise ;
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, that it ill becomes them, so to indulge their ease, as to neglect
examining received principles and practices ; and that it is fit, mistakes in anypartic-

86 PREFACE.
ulars be reiected : that if in some, things I differ in my judgment from him, it would be
very unreasonable, on this account to make a great noise, as though I were bringing
in innovations, ana 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 m my wisdom, without apostasy, without despising the advantages God has
given me, without inclination to superstition, and without making disturbance m the
church of 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 different 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 his
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 the 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 lay
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 ot
my own understanding, 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 his
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, aa
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 under an inevitable necessity publicly to declare and main
tain the 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, but 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 ; and on my doing it from the
press : m which way alone am I able to state and justify my opinion, to any purpose,
before 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
they knew the exact state of the case.
I have been brought to this necessity in divine providence, by such a situation of
afiarrs 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 tha
One tiling 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 mieht be
ready, at tins day to make of the doctrine here defended; particularly that wfld en-
thusiastical sort of people, who have of late gone into unjustifiable separations, even
renouncing the ministers and churches of the land in general, under nretence of spttimr
up a pure church. It is well known, that I have heretofore pubS^SKSff
both from the pulpit and press, against very many of the notions and practices of this
land of people ; and shall be very sorry if what I now offer to the public, 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
opinion concerning the religion and inward experiences chiefly in vogue among them
as I had when I wrote my Treatise on Religious Affections, and when I wrote my
Observations and Reflections on Mr. Brainerd's Life. I have no better opinion of their
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 two
books before mentioned, I was of the 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 of the 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 ol the subject,
I hope, all serious readers will accompany with their earnest prayers to the Father ot
lights, for his gracious direction and influence. And to him be glory in the churches
by Christ Jesus. Amen.
JONATHAN EDWARDS.

HUMBLE INQUIRY-

PART FIRST.
THE QUESTION STATED AND EXPLAINED.
The main question I would consider, and for the negative of which, I would
offer some arguments in the following discourse, is this: Whether, according
to the rules of Christ, any ought to be admitted to the communion and privileges
of members of the visible church of Christ in complete standing, but such as
are in profession, and in jthe eye of the church's Christian judgment, godly or
gracious persons ?
When I speak of members of the 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 that are in some respect in the church of God, who are not members
in complete standing, in the sense that has been explained. All that acknow
ledge infant baptism, allow infants, who are the proper subjects of baptism^and
are baptized, to be in some sort members of the Christian church ; yet none
suppose them to be members in such standing as to be the proper immediate
subjects of all ecclesiastical ordinances and privileges. But that some further
qualifications are requisite in order to this, 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- the neglect of parents, or their
own negligence, or otherwise; or because they carelessly neglect to qualify
themselves for ecclesiastical privileges by making a public profession of the
Christian faith, or owning the Christian covenant, or forbear to offer themselves
as candidates for these privileges ; and yet not be cast out of the church, or
cease to be in any respect its members. This, I suppose, will also be generally
allowed. One thing mainly intended in the foregoing question is, whether any adult
persons but such as are in 'profession and appearance endued with Christian
grace or piety, ought to be admitted to the Christian Sacraments : particularly
whether they ought to be admitted to the Lord's supper ; and, if they are such
as were not baptized in infancy, ought to be admitted to baptism. Adult per
sons having those qualifications that oblige others to receive them as the proper
immediate subjects of the Christian sacra'ments, is the main thing intended in
the question, by being such as ought to^be admitted to the 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 the
church of God, who are not members in good standing, in this respect. There
are many, for instance, that have not at present the qualifications proper to re-
Vol. L 12

90 QUALIFICATIONS
commend them to admission to the Lord's supper. There are many scandalous
persons, who are under suspension. The late venerable Mr. Stoddard, and many
other great divines suppose, that even excommunicated persons are still mem
bers of the 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 the church of God. And very many Protestant divines suppose, that the
members of the church of Rome, though they are brought up and live con
tinually in gross idolatry, and innumerable errors and superstitions that tend
utterly to make void the gospel of Christ, still are in the visible church of
Christ. Yet, I suppose, no orthodox divines would hold these to be properly
and regularly qualified for the Lord's supper. It was therefore requisite, in the
question before us, that a distinction should be made between members of the
visible church in general, and members in complete standing.
It was also requisite that such a distinction should be made in the question,
to avoid lengthening out this 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 with such infants as are regularly dedicated
to him in baptism, is a matter liable to great disputes and many controversies,
and would require a large dissertation by itself to 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, that act for them
selves in religious matters, than concerning infants. The Scriptures were writ
ten for the sake of adult persons, or those that are capable of knowing what is
written. It is to such the apostles speak in their epistles, and to such only does
Go,d speak throughout his word. And the Scriptures especially speak for the
sake of those, and about those to whom they speak. And therefore if the
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 wait until we see all doubts and controversies about baptized infants
cleared and settled, before we pass a judgment with respect to the point in
hand. The denominations, 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 its adult state and proper standing. If any one
was about to describe that kind of birds called doves, it would be most proper
to describe grown doves, and not young ones in the egg or nest, without wings
or feathers. So if any one should describe a palm-tree or olive-tree by its
visible form and appearance, it would be presumed that he described those of
these kinds of trees in their mature and proper state ; and not as just peeping
from the ground, or as thunder-struck or blown down. And therefore I would
here give noticte, once for all, that when in the ensuing discourse I use suchlike
phrases as visible saints, members of the visible church, &c, I, for the most
part, mean persons that are adult and in good standing.
The question is not, whether Christ has made converting grace or piety itself
the condition or rule of his people's admitting any to the privileges of members
in full communion with them. There is no one qualification of mind whatsoever,
that Christ has properly made the term of this ; 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 the church's rule in this
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 that Jesus

FOR FULL COMMUNION. 91
is the Messiah, and the Scripture the word of God, are requisite qualifications ;
and in the same 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 to the Lord's supper ; and yet godliness itself not be properly the
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 must be here observed ; as, 1. We must distinguish between
such qualifications as are requisite to give a person a right to ecclesiastical
privileges in foro ecclesia, or a right to be admitted by the church to those
privileges, and those qualifications that are a proper and good foundation for a
man's wn conduct in coming and offering himself as a candidate for immediate
admission to these privileges. There is a difference between these. Thus, for
instance, a profession of the belief of a future state and of revealed religion,
and some other things that are internal and out of sight, and a visibility of
these things to the eye of a Christian judgment, is aH, relating to these things,
that 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 demanding 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 to be the 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 take place among mankind in innumerable cases.
The dictates of men's consciences are what do bring them under a next or most
immediate obligation to act : but it is that which is a good foundation for such
a dictate of an enlightened 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 to 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 this 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) that is the proper foundation of a right in him
to offer himself 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 to 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 to be deceived ; and perhaps deceit in
such cases is always owing to something blamable, or the 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 t» the Christian sacraments. But of this I may say something more when
I come to answer objections.
- When I speak, in the question, of a being godly or gracious in the eye of a
Christian judgment, by Christian judgment 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 not know but that he may be godly, and therefore
forbear to 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 judgment,
founded on some positive appearance, or visibility, some outward manifestation?
that ordinarily render the thing probable. There is a difference between sus-
. pending our judgment, 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 that 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 judgment : 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 the 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 contrary to censoriousness or
unreasonable niceness and rigidness.
I say in the eye of the church's Christian judgment, because it is properly a
visibility to the eye of the public charity, and not of a private judgment, that
gives a person a right to be received as a visible saint by the 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 the nature of true saving religion,
end publicly and seriously profess the great and main things wherein the essence
of true religion or godliness consists, and their conversation is agreeable ; this
justly recommends them to the good opinion of the public, whatever suspicions
and fears any particular person, either the minister or some other, may entertain,
from what he in particular has observed, perhaps from the manner of his
expressing himself in giving an account of his experiences or an obscurity
in the order and method of his experiences, &c. The minister, in receiving him
to the communion of the 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
affirm, that all who are regularly admitted as members of the visible church in
complete standing, ought to be believed to be godly or gracious persons, when
taken collectively, or considered in the gross, by the judgment of any person or
society. This 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 cocerning
each one of them, singly taken, that they were indeed pious, and think thejudg*
ment we passed, when we consider each judgment apart, to be. right ; it will not
follow, when we consider the whole company collectively, that we shall have
so high an opinion of our own judgment, as to 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?
losopbical affairs, concerning past, present, and future matters, reports, facts,
persons, things, &c, &c. And concerning all the many thousand dictates oi

FOR FULL COMMUNION. 93
judgment 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 i
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 ermr.-
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, that such and such external marks 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. that, fake one time with another, there is one in ten of the stonea
that have these marks (and no visible signs to the contrary) proves not a true
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 diamond ; and so concerning each stone
that I find with these marks : but if we take ten of these together, it is as prob
able as not, that some one of the ten is spurious ; because, if it were not as
likely as not, that one in ten is false, or if taking one ten with another, there
were not one in ten that was false, then the probability of those, that have these
marks, being true diamonds, would be more than ten to one, contrary to the
supposition ; because that is what we mean by a probability of ten to one,
that they are not false, viz., that take one ten with another there will be one
false one among them, and no more. Hence if we take a hundred such stones
together, the probability will be just ten to one, that there is one false among
them ; and as likely as not that there are ten false ones in the whole hundred :
and the probability of the individuals must be much greater than ten to one, even
a probability of more than a hundred to one, in order to its making it probable
that every one is true. It is an easy mathematical demonstration. Hence the
negative of the foregoing question by no means implies a pretence of any scheme,
that shall be effectual to keep all hypocrites out of the church, and for the estab
lishing in that sense a pure church.
When it is said, those who are admitted, &c, ought to be by profession
godly or gracious persons, it is not meant, they should merely 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 that these things are in
them, which they profess to be in them ; otherwise they 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 coming into
communion with the church of Christ in the Christian sacraments, that they
themselves should suppose the essential things, belonging to Christian piety, to
be in them.
It does not belong to the present question, to consider and determine what
the nature of Christian piety is, or wherein it consists. This question may be
properly determined, and the determination 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 the more essential things, which belong
to it, ought to be professed. Nor is it determined, but that the public profes
sions made on occasion of persons' admission to the Lord's supper, in some of
Our churches, who yet go upon that principle, that persons need not esteem them-

94 QUALIFICATIONS
selves truly gracious in order to a coming conscientiously and properly to the
Lord's supper ; I say, it is not determined but that some of these professions are
sufficient, if those that made them 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 determinate meaning.

PART -SECOND.
REASONS FOR THE NEGATIVE OF THE FOREGOING QUESTION.
Having thus explained what I mean when I say, that none ought to be ad
mitted to the communion and privileges of members of the 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 : I now proceed to observe some
things which may tend to evince the truth of this position. And here,
I. I begin with observing, I think it is both evident by the word of God, and
also granted on all hands, that none ought to be admitted as members of the
visible church of Christ but visible saints and professing saints, or visible and
professing Christians. We find the word saint, when applied to men, used two
ways in the New Testament. The word in some places is so used as to mean
those that are real saints, who are converted, and are truly gracious persons ;
as 1 Cor. vi. 2, " Do ye not know that the 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 the
breadth," &c. 2 Thes. i. 10, " When he shall come to 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 the word is used so as
to have respect not only to real saints, but to such as were saints in visibility,
appearance, and profession; and so were outwardly, as to what concerns their
acceptance among men and their outward treatment and privileges, of the com
pany of saints. So the word is used in very many places, which it is needless
to mention, as every one acknowledges it.
In like manner we find the word Christian used two ways. The word
is used to express the same thing as a righteous man that shall be saved, 1
Pet. iv. 16, 17, 18. Elsewhere it is so used as to take 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 Testament. There were disciples in
name, profession, and appearance ; and there were those whom Christ calls dis
ciples indeed, John viii. 30, 31. The word is utydws, truly. The expression
plainly supposes this 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 same distinction is signified in the New Testament, by those
that live, being alive from the dead, and risen with Christ, 2 Cor. iv. 11, Rom.
vi. 11, and elsewhere; and those who have a name to live, having only a pre-.
fence and appearance of life. And the distinction of the visible church of Christ
into these two, is plainly signified of the growth of the good ground, and that
in the stony and thorny ground, which had the same appearance and show with

FOR FULL COMMUNION. 95
the other, until it came to wither away ; and also by the two sorts of virgins,
Matt, xxv., who both had a show, profession, and visibility of the same thing.
By these things, and many others which might be observed, it appears that the
¦distinction of real saints and visible and professing saints is scriptural, and that
the visible church was made up of these two, and that none are according to
Scripture admitted into the visible church of Christ, but those who are visible
-and professing saints or Christians. And it is the more needless to insist longer
upon it, because it is not a thing in controversy. So far as my small reading
will inform me, it is owned by all Protestants. To be sure, the most eminent l
divine in New England, who has appeared to maintain the Lord's supper to be
properly a converting ordinance, was very full in it. In his Jlppeal to the
Learned, in the title page, and through the treatise, he supposes that all who
come to the Lord's supper, must 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 communion of the Lord's table, that they make a
personal, public professior 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 the communion of the Christian visible church,
but visible and professing saints or Christians ; if these words are used in any
propriety of speech, or in any agreement with Scripture representations, the
whole of that which 1 have laid down is either implied or will certainly fol
low. As real saints are the 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 to innumerable
other things. There is visible and real truth, visible and real honesty, visible
.and real money, visible and real gold, visible and real diamonds, &c, &c. Vis
ible and real are words that stand related one to another, as the words real and
seeming, or true and apparent. Some seem to speak of visibility with regard
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 to 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 not meant that 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 recommends it to men's judg
ment and acceptance as true money ; though men may be deceived, and some
of it may finally prove not to be so.
There are not properly two sorts of saints spoken of in Scripture : though
the word saints may be said indeed to 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 the 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 true gold, and also to that which
•only appears to be gold, and is reputed gold, and by that appearance or visi-

96 QUALIFICATIONS
bility some things that are not real gold obtain the name of gold ; but this is
not properly through a diversity in the signification of the word, but by a di
versity of the application of it, through the 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 vet being visible or seeming saints do by the
show and appearance they 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 that there are two sorts of honest.men, because some who are not truly
honest men, yet being so seemingly or visibly, do obtain the name of honest
men, and ought to 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
that are visibly or seemingly of the one only church of Christ, are many more
than they who are really of his church; and so the 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 the same as appearance or exhibition to the eye ; and to be a visible
' saint is the same as to appear to be a real saint in the eye that beholds ; not
the eye of God, but the eye of man. 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 the eye of
a man than he is in the eye of a beast ; but the eye of his mind, which is his
judgment or esteem. There is no more visibility of holiness in the brightest
professor to the eye of our bodies, without the exercise of the reason and judg
ment of our minds, than may be in a machine. But nothing short of an ap
parent probability, or a probable exhibition, can amount to 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 the eye of a Christian is reason sanctified, regulated,
and enlightened, by a principle of Christian love. But it implies a contradic
tion to say, that that is visible to the eye of reason, which does not appear pro
bable to reason. And if there be a man that is in this sense a visible saint,
he is in the eye of a rational judgment a real saint 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 ; it is as much as to say, he is to appearance an
appearing saint ; which is in effect to 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, not mere moral sincerity. To pretend
to, or in any respect to exhibit moral sincerity, makes nothing visible beyond
what is pretended to, or exhibited : for a man to have that visibly, which if he
had it really, and have nothing more, would not make him a real saint, is not
to be visibly s saint.
Mr. Stoddard, in his Appeal to the Learned, seems to express the very same
notion of visibility, and that visibility of saintship which is requisite to a per
son's coming to the Lord's supper, that I have here expressed. In page 10,
he makes a distinction between being visibly circumcised in heart, and being
really so ; evidently meaning 'by the latter saving conversion ; and he allows
the former, viz., a visibility of heart circumcision, to be necessary to a coming
to the Lord's supper. So that according to him, it is not a visibility of moral
sincerity only, but a visibility of circumcision of heart, or saving conversion,
that is a necessary requisite to a person's coming to the Lord's table. And in
what manner this must be visible, he signifies elsewhere, when he allows that it

FOR FULL COMMUNION. 97
must be so to a judgment of chanty ; 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 them as such, page 28. And towards the
close of his book, he declares himself steadfastly of the mind, that it is requisite
those be pot 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 must 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
admissions, if it be carefully attended, more unconverted persons will be admit
ted tban converted." I would humbly inquire, how those visible qualifications
can be the ground of a rational judgment, that a person is circumcised in heart,
which nevertheless, at the same time, we are sensible, are so far from being any
probable signs of it, that they are more frequently without it. The appearance
of that thing surely cannot imply an appearing probability of another thing,
which ^t the same time we are sensible is most frequently, and so most proba
cy,' without that other thing.
Indeed I can easily see,1 how that may seem visible, and appear probable
to God's people, by reason of the imperfect and dark state they are in, and so
may oblige their charity, which yet is not real, and which would not appear
at all probable to angejs, who stand in a clearer light ; and the different de
grees of light, that God's church stands in, in different ages, may make 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 some difference, as to the kind of profes
sion of religion that is requisite, under these different dispensations, in order to
a visibility of holiness ; also a proper visibility may fail in the greater number
in some extraordinary case, and in exempt 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 this ordinarily, I own myself much at loss. Surely nothing
but appearing reason is the ground of a rational judgment. And indeed it is
impossible in the nature of things, to form a judgment, which at that very time
we think to be not only without, but against probability.
If it be said that although persons do not profess that wherein sanctifying
grace consists, yet seeing they profess to believe the doctrines of the gospel, which
God is wont to make use of in order to men's sanctification, and are called the
doctrine which is 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 to treat them accordingly, and so to receive them into the Christian church,
and to its special ordinances.
I answer, this objection ¦ does in effect suppose and grant the very thing
mainly in dispute ; for it supposes, that a gracious character is the thing that
ought to be looked at and aimed at in admitting persons into the communion ox
the church ; and so that it is needful to have this charity for persons, or such a
favorable notion of them, in order to our receiving them as properly qualified
members of the society, and properly qualified subjects of the special privileges
they are admitted to. Whereas, the doctrine taught is, that sanctifying grace
is not a necessary qualification herefor, and that there is no need that the per
son himself, or any other, should have any imagination, that he is a person sa
Vol. I. 13

98 QUALIFICATIONS
qualified; because we know, it is 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 the
unconverted, as of the converted ; even as it is with the preaching of the gos
pel. Now if the case be so, why is there any talk about a charitable hoping
they are converted, and so admitting them 1 What need of any charitable
hope of such a qualification, in order to admitting them to an ordinance that is
as proper for those who are without this qualification, as for those that have
it 1 We need not have any charitable hope of any such qualification in order
to admit a person to hear the word preached. What need have we to aim at
any thing beyond the proper qualifications '( And what manner of need of any
charitable opinion or hope of any thing further 1 Some sort of belief, that 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,
that 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 to grace
or Christian piety, it clearly 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 more direct or. indirect, -whether to a greater or less de
gree, no charity or hope of it, have any thing at all to do in the affair of admission
to the Lord's supper ; for, according to them, it is properly a converting 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 the use of those means that are the proper appoint
ed means for the healing of the sick, and bringing them 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_ordeily life being a sufficient
ground of public charity, anil an obligation on the church to treat them as saints,
are wholly impertinent aud nothing to the purpose. For on the principles whichl
oppose, there is no need of any sort of ground for treating them as saints, in order
to admitting them to the Lord'sjsupper, the very design of which is to make them
saints, any more than there is need of some ground of treating a sick man as
being a man iri health, in order to admitting him into a hospital. Perspns, by
the doctrine that I oppose, are not taught to offer themselves as candidates, for
church communion 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 to the ordinance, they do not receive them under any such notion,
nor has any notion, appearance, hope or thought of it, any thing to do in the
case. The apostle speaks of the members of the Christian church, as those that
made a profession of. godliness. 2 Cor. ix. 13, " They glorified God for your
professed subjection to the gospel of Christ." 1 Tim. ii. 9, 10, " In like man
ner also that women adorn themselves in modest apparel— not with costly ar
ray ; but, which becometh women professing godliness, with good works."
The apostle is speaking of the women that were members of that great church
of Ephesus, which Timothy for the present had the care of; and he speaks of
them as supposing that they all professed godliness. By the allowance of all,
profession is one thing belonging to the visibility of Christianity or holiness,
that there is in the members of the visible church. Visible holiness is an ap
pearance or exhibition of holiness, by those things which are external and so
fall under our notice and observation. And these are two, viz., profession and
outward behavior, agreeable to that profession. That profession whiph belongs

FOR EULL 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 to be by profession a true saint ? For to be by pro
fession a false saint, is to be by profession no saint ; and only to profess that
which if ever.so true, is nothing peculiar to a saint, is not to be a professing saint.
In order to a man's being properly a professing Christian, he must profess
the feligio'n 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 most 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 most essential in a thing, in order
to its being truly denominated that thing, the same 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 main and
most essential, surely what we have cannot be properly called the religion of
Jesus Christ :. so if we profess only a less important part, and are silent about
the most important and essential part, it cannot be properly said that 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 of heart, which is vastly the most important and essential
part of that religion that Christ came to teach and establish in the world, and.
is in effect all ; being that without which all the rest that belongs to it, is noth
ing, and wholly in vain. But they who are admitted to the Lord's supper,
proceeding on the principles. of those 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 may be godly per
sons, yet as they come to the ordinance without professing godliness, they can
not properly be called professing saints. ,
Here it may be said, that although no explicit and formal profession of
those things which belong to true piety, be required of them ; yet there are-
many things they do, that are a virtual and implicit profession of these things :
such as their owing the Christian covenant, their owning tiodthe Father, Son,
and Holy Ghost, to be their God ; and by their visibly joining in the public
prayers and singing God's praises, there is a show and implicit profession of
supreme respect to God and love, to him; by joining in the public confessions,
they make, a show of repentance ; by kee'pipg Sabbaths and hearing the word,
they make a show of a spirit of obedience ; by offering to come to 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 performances are of a nature of a profession of any thing at all that
belongs to saving grace, as they are commonly used and understood : and to be
sure none of them are so, accprding to the doctrines that are taught and em
braced, and the customs that 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 1 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 themselves up to him, and promise to obey all his commands, 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

300 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 them all, and not so much as make any pretence to the least degree
<«f. sanctifying grace; and this is the established custom: so they are used, and
so they are understood. And therefore whatever some of these words, and signs
may in themselves most properly and naturally import or signify, they entirely
cease to be significations of any such thing among people accustomed to under
stand and use them otherwise ; and so cease to be of the nature of a profession
<of Christian piety. There can be no such thing among.such a people, as either
¦an -explicit or implicit profession of godliness by any thing which' (by their es
tablished doctrine and custom) an unregenerate man may and ought to say
-and perforin, knowing himself to be so. For let the words and actipns other
wise signify what they will, yet that people have in effect agreed among them-
tselves, that persons who use them, need not intend thern so, and that others
need not understand them so. And hence they cease to be of the natureof
any pretension to grace. And surely it is an absurdity to say, that men openly
and solemnly profess grace, and yet do not so much as pretend to it. If a cer
tain people should agree, and it should be an established principle among them,
that men might and ought to use such and such words to their neighbors, which
-according to their proper signification were a profession of entire love and de-
•voted friendship towards the man they speak to, and yet not think that he has
•any love in his heart to him, yea, and know at the same time that he, had a
reigning enmity against him ; and it was known that this was the established
principle of the people; would not these words, whatever their proper signifi
cation was, entirely cease to be any profession or testimony of friendship to his
meighbor ? Td be sure, there could be no visibility of it to the eye of reason. '
Thus it is evident, that those who are admitted into the church on the prin
ciples that I oppose, are not professing saints, nor visible saints ; because that
Shmg which alone is truly saintship, is not what they profess, or make any
pretence to, or have any visibility of, to the eye of a Christian judgment. Or
if they in fact be visible and professing saints, yet, they are not admitted as
such ; no profession of true saintship, nor any manner of visibility of it, has any
thing to do in the affair.
There is one way to evade these things, which has been taken by some.
They plead, although it be true, that the Scripture represents the members of
the visible church of Christ as professors of godliness ; and they are abundantly
called by the name of saints in Scripture, undoubtedly because they were saints
4>y profession, and in visibility, and the acceptance of others ; yet this is not
with any reference to saving holiness, but to quite another sort of saintship,
wiz.j moral sincerity ; and that this is the real saintship, dispipleship, and godli-
iness, which is professed, and visible in them, and witli regard to which, as
fiaving an appearance of it to the eye of reason, they have the name of saints,
disciples, &c, in Scripture.
It must be noted, that 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 to those who shall finally be owned by Christ as his
people, at the day of judgment.
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 that ; nor has any visibility of saving
tidiness any thing to do in the affair. If then they have any holiness at all, it

FOR FULL COMMUNION. Ifjf
must be of another sort. And if this evasion fails, all fails, and the whole
matter in debate must be .given up. Therefore, I desire that this matter may
be impartially considered and examined to the very bottom ; and that it may
be thoroughly inquired, whether this distinction of these two sorts of real
Christianity, godliness, and holiness, is a distinction, that Christ in his word ia.
the author of ; or whether it be a human invention of something which the
New Testament knows nothing of, devised tp serve and maintain an hypothesis-
And here I desire that the following things may be observed.
1. Accprding to this hypothesis, the words saints, disciples, and Christians-,,
are used four ways in the ISJew Testament, as applied to four sorts of persons,.
(1.) To those that in truth and reality are the heirs of eternal life, and that shall
judge the world, or have indeed that saintship which is saving. (2.) To those
who profess this, and pretend to and make a fair show of a supreme regard to
Christ, and to renounce the 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., moral
sincerity in religion ; and so are properly a sort of real saints, true ChristiaHSj.
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 s&
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 o£
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 fouir—
fold use of the words, saints, disciples, &c. 1 It is manifest by what was.
observed before, that these words are there used but two ways ; and that those
of mankind to whom these names are applied, are there distinguished into bufe.
two sorts, viz., those who have really a saving interest in Christ, spiritual coa-
formity and union to him, and those who have a name for it, as having a pro
fession and appearance of it. And this is further evident by various represen
tations, which we there find of the visible church; as in the company of virgins;.
that went forth to meet the bridegroom, we find a distinction of them into but.
two sorts, viz., the wise that had both lamps and oil ; and those who had
lamps indeed like the wise virgins, (therein having, an external show of the
same 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 the husbandman's floor, we find a distinction but of two sorts, viz., the wheat.
and the chaff. So again, wThen the church is compared to the husbandman's,
field, we find a distinction but of two sorts, the wheat and the tares, which
(naturalists observe) show or appear exactly like the wheat, until it comes to*
bring forth its fruit ; representing, that those who are only visible Christians,.
hav.e, a visibility or appearance of the 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 times of the
New Testament, bore that name with reference to a visibility and pretence of
the same relation to Christ, which they had who should be finally owned as his..
This is manifest by John viii. 30,31 : " As he spake these words, many believed
on him. Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue
in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed." (Compare Luke xiv. 25, 26, 27„
and John xv. 8.) The phrase, disciples indeed, is relative ; and has reference
to a visibility, pretence or name, only, which it is set in opposition to, and has a

102 QUALIFICATIONS
reference to that name 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 the 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 to
something that has the appearance of that 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
that they had, and without hating father and mother and their own lives, forhis
sake. By this it appears, that those who bore the name of diseiples in those
times were distinguished into 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 frpm us,
because they were not of us : if they had been of us, they would no doubt
have continued with us." The words naturally suggest and imply, that those
professing Christians, who at last proved false, did, before they went out, seem
to belong to the society of the true saints, or those endued with persevering
grace and holiness ; they seemed to be of their number ; i. e., they were so in
pretence and visibility, and so were accepted in the judgment of charity.
4. The name and visibility, that nominal or visible Christians had in the
¦days of the New Testament, was of saving Christianity; and not of moral sin
cerity ; for they had a name to live, though many of them were dead, Rev. iii.
1. Now it is very plain what that is in religion which is called by the name
of life, all over the New Testament, 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 sincerit}', but gracious sincerity, or saving saintship. For
they are spoken of as being visibly of the number of those saints who shall
judge the 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
saints 1 Do ye not knowr, 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 1
Know ye not that we shall judge angels 1" These things do manifestly imply,
that if the Christian Corinthians were what they supposed they were, and what
they professed to be, and what they were accepted to be, they were some of
those saints who at the day of judgment should judge angels and men.
6. That the visibility was not only of moral sincerity, but saving grace, is
manifest, 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 the Holy Ghost," Eph. v. 30, and 1 Cor. vi. 16, 19. And the 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 the gospel, who shall perish. 1 Pet. iv. 16, 17, 18, " Yet if any
man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God on
this behalf. For the time ii come that judgment must begin at the house of
God; andif it first begin at us," (us Christians, comprehending himself, and
those to whom he wrote, and all of that sort), " what shall the end of them be
that obey not the gospel of God 1 And if the righteous scarcely be saved,
where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear V

FOR FULL COMMUNION. 103
7. That the visibility was not merely of moral sincerity, but of that sort
of saintship which the saints in heaven have, is manifest 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
them as visibly of the same household or family of God, a part of which is in
heaven. Chap. ii. 19, " Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreign
ers, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God." Together
with the next chapter, ver. 15, " Of whom the whole family in heaven and
earth is named." Where the context and continuation of discourse demonstrate,
that he is still speaking of the same 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 same
apostle speaks of Visible Christians as being visibly come to the heavenly city,
and having joined the glorious company of angels there, and as visibly belong
ing to the " general assembly and church of the first born, that are written in
heaven, and to the spirits of just men made perfect," Heb. xii. 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 true saints, that
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 the
Lamb slain from the foundation of the world." And chap. xx. 12, " And an
other book was opened, which was the book of life." V?r. 15, " And whoso
ever was not found written in the 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
names were not written in the book of life ; and then the prophet proceeds, in the
next chapter, to tell us, how they were disposed of whose names were found
there written, viz., that they were admitted into the New Jerusalem. Ver. 27,
" And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither what
soever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie ; but they which are written in
the Lamb's, book of life. And yet in the next chapter it is implied, that some
who were not truly gracious persons, and some that should finally perish, were
visibly of the number of those that had both a part in the New Jerusalem, and
also their names written in the book of life. Ver. 19, " And if any man shall
take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away
his part out' of the book'of life, and out of the holy city."
8. That baptism, by which the primitive converts were admitted into the
church, was used as an. exhibition and token of their being visibly " regenerated,
dead to sin, alive to God, having the old man crucified, being delivered from
the reigning power of sin, being made free from sin, and become the servants
of righteousness, those servants of God that have their fruit unto that holiness
whose end is everlasting life;" as it is evident by Rom. vi. throughout. In the
former part of the chapter, he speaks of the' Christian' Romans, 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 them under special obli
gations to these things, and was a mark and token of their engagement to be
thus hereafter ; but was designed as a mark, token, and exhibition, of their be-
ino- visibly, thus already. As is most manifest by the apostle's prosecution of
his argument in the, following part of the chapter. Ver. 14, " For sin shall not
liave 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 from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness." Ver. 22, " But now
being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto
holiness, and the end everlasting life."
9. It is evident, that it is not only a visibility of moral 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 chureh any that were not visibly circumcised in
heart. Ezek. xliv. 6—9, " And thou shalt say to the rebellious, even fo the
house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord God, O ye house of Israel, let it suffice you
of all your abominations, in that ye have brought into my sanctuary strangers
uncircumcised in heart, and uncircumcised in flesh, to be in my sanctuary to pol
lute it, even my house, when ye offer my bread, the fat, and the blood ; and they
have broken my covenant, because of all your abominations. And ye have not
kept the charge of mine holy things, but ye have set keepers of my charge in
my sanctuary for yourselves. Thus saith the Lord, No stranger uncircumcised
in heart, nor uncircumcised in flesh, shall enter into my sanctuary, of any
stranger that is among 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 that ordinance, yet I think
it manifest, that it has a reference to admitting persons into the Christian church,
and to external church privileges. It might be easy to prove, that these nine
last chapters of Ezekiel must be a vision and prophecy of the 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 that by the house of God and his sanctuary, which it is here
foretold the uncircumcised in heart should not be admitted into in the days of the
gospel, is meant the same house, sanctuary, or temple of God, that the prophet
"had just before been speaking of, in the foregoing part of .the same chapter, and
been describing throughout the four preceding chapters. But we all know, that
the New Testament house of God is his church. Heb. iii. 3, " For this man
was counted worthy of more glory than Moses, inasmuch as he who builded the
bouse, hath more honor than the 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 to 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 whom all the building, fitly framed
together, groweth into a holy temple in the Lord." 1 Cor. iii. 9, " Ye are God's
building." Ver. 15, " Know ye not, that ye are the temple of God 1" 1 Pet. ii.
5, " Ye also as lively stones are built up a spiritual house." Chap. iv. 17, " For
the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God. And if i*
begin at us, what shall the end be ?" &c. Heb. x. 21, " And having a high
priest over the house of God." Ezekiel's temple is doubtless the same that it
is foretold the Messiah should build. Zech. vi. 12, 13, " The man whose name
is the Branch— he shall build the temple of the Lord, even he shall build the
temple of the Lord." And what the temple that Christ builds is, the apostle
tells us, Heb. iii. 3, 6. The temple that Ezekiel in his vision was bid to observe
the measures of, as it was measured 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 measure
with a reed, Rev. xi. 1. And when it is here foretold, that the uncircumcised'
in heart should' not enter into the Christian sanctuary or church, nor have com
munion in the offerings of God's bread, of the fat and blood, that were made
there, I think so much is at least implied, that they should not have communion
in those ordinances of the Christian sanctuary, in which that body and blood of j
Christ were symbolically represented, which used of old to be symbolically re
presented by' the fat and the blood. For the admission into the Christian church
here spoken of, is Jin admission into the visible, and not the mystical church;
. for such an admission is spoken of as is made by the officers of the church.
And I suppose it will not be doubted, but that by circumcision of heart is meant
the spiritual renewing of the heart; not any common virtues, which do not in
the least change the nature, and mortify the corruption of the heart ; as is held
by all orthodox divines, and as Mr Stoddard in particular abundantly insisted.
However, if any body disputes it, I desire that the Scripture may be allowed to
speak for itself; for it very often speaks of circumcision of heart ; and this 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 same which afterwards was signified by baptism, 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 circumcision
and baptism, Col. ii. 11, 12: " In whom alsP ye are circumcised with the cir
cumcision made without hands, in putting off the sins of the flesh by the cir
cumcision of Christ, buried with him in baptism ; wherein also you are risen »
with him, through the faith of the operation of God." Where I would observe
by the way, he speaks of all the members of the church of Colosse as visibly
circumcised with this circumcision ; agreeably to Ezekiel's prophecy, that the
members of the Christian church shall visibly have this circumcision. The
apostle speaks in like manner, of the members of the church of Philippi as
spiritually circumcised (i. e. in profession and visibility), and tells wherein this
circumcision appeared. Philip, 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 Rom. ii. 28, 29, the apostle speaks of this Christian circum
cision and Jewish circumcision together, calling the former the circumcision of
the heart : " But he is not a Jew which is one outwardly, neither is that 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 this prophecy of
'•Vekiel it is foretold, that none should enter into the Christian sanctuary or
church, but such as are circumcised in heart and circumcised in flesh ; thereby
I suppose is intended, that none should be admitted but such as were visibly
regenerated, and also baptized with outward baptism.
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 the result of common grace, or moral sincer
ity (as it is called), but saving grace. Yet there are many other clear evidences
of the same thing, which may in some measure appear in all the following part
of this discourse. Wherefore,
II. I come now to another reason, why I answer the question at first pro- .
posed, in the negative, viz., that it 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. I. 14

106 QUALIFICATIONS
the true religion, by owning God's covenant ; or, in other words, professedly,
and verbally to unite themselves to God in his covenant, by their 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 debate.
First.— 1 shall endeavor to establish this point, viz., that it is the duty.of
God's people thus publicly to own the covenant ; and that it was not only a
duty in Israel of old, but is so in the Christian church, and to the 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, but a
matter seldom handled (though it seems to be generally taken for granted), I
shall be the more particular in the consideration of it.
This not only seems to be in itself most consonant to reason, and is a duty
generally 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 to his name. This institution we have in Deut.
vi. 13 : " Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God, and serve him, and shalt swear by
his name." It is repeated, chap. x. 20, "Thou shalt fear fhe Lord thy God,
him shalt thou serve, and to him shalt thou cleave, and swear by his name."
In both places it might 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
into, as well as by. And whereas, in the latter place, in our translation, it is
said, to him shalt thou cleave, and swear by his name, the words are thus in the
Hebrew, ubho thidhbak ubhishmotisshabheang. The literal translation of which
is, into him shalt thou cleave [or unite], and into his name shalt thou swear. There
is the same prefix, beth, before 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 himself, by his own solemn profession, the name of God, as one of his
people ; or by swearing to or covenanting with God, uniting himself by his own
act to the people that is called by his name. The figure of speech is something
like that by which Christians in the New Testament are said to be baptized
eig to ovofia, into the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. So
Christians are said to be baptized into Christ, Gal. iii. 17. This swearing hy
the name, or into the name of the Lord is so often, and in such a manner spoken
of by the prophets as a great duty of God's solemn public worship, as much as
praying or sacrificing, that it would be unreasonable to understand it only, or
chiefly, of occasionally taking 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 matter, we shall see abundant reason to be satis
fied, that the thing intended in this institution was publicly covenanting with
God. Covenanting in Scripture is very often called by the name of swearing,
and a covenant is called an oath* And particularly God's covenant is called
his oath : Deut. xxix. 12, " That thou 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 the covenant which he made with Abraham, and his
oath unto Isaac." 2 Chron. xv. 12, " And they entered into covenant to seek
the Lord God of their fathers." Verses 14, 15, " And they sware unto the
* As Geh. xxi. 23, to the end, xxvi. 28, to the end, xxxi. 44, 53 ; Josh. ii. 12, &o. ; 1 Sam. xx. 16, 17>
42; 2 Kings xi. 4 ; Eccl. viii. 2 ; Ezek. xvi. 59, xvii. 1G, and m.my other places.

FOR FULL COMMUNION. 107
Lord with a loud voice: and all Judah rejoiced at the oath." Swearino- to the
Lord, or swearing in, or into the name of the Lord, are equipollent expressions
in the Bible. The prefixes beth and lamed are evidently used indifferently in
tiiis case to signify the same thing. Zeph. i. 5, " That swear by the Lord, and
that swear by Malcham." 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 name
of the Lord;" beshem. Here the prefix beth is manifestly of the same force
with lamed, in 1 Kings viii. 44, " The house I have built for thy name or to
thy name;" leshem.
God's people in swearing to his name, or into his. name, according to the
institution, solemnly professed two things, viz., their' faith, and obedience. The
former part of this profession of religion was called, Sayin'g, the Lord liveth.
Jer. V. 2, " And though they say, the Lord liveth, yet surely they swear false
ly." Ver. 7, " They have sworn by them that are no gods :" that is, they had
openly professed idol worship. Chap. iv. 2, " Thou shalt swear, the Lord
liveth, in truth, in judgment,: and in righteousness; and the nations shall bless
themselves in him, and in him shall they glory." (Compare this with Isa. xiv.
23, 24, 25.) Jer. xliv. 26, " Behold I have sworn by my great name, saith
the Lord, that my name shall no more be named in the mouth of any man of
Judah in ail the land of Egypt, saying, the Lord liveth :" i. e., they shall never
any more make any- profession of the true God, and of the true religion, but
shall be wholly given up to Heathenism. 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, summarily comprehended a
profession of faith in that all-sufficiency and immutability of God, which is im
plied in the 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 the name of the Lord. Micah iv. 5, " All people will walk every
one in the name of hisGod, and we will walk in the name of the Lord our
God forever and ever." Still with the prefix beth, beshem, as they were said to
¦swear beshem, in the name, or into the name of the Lord.
This institution, in Deuteronomy, of swearing into the name of the Lord,
or visibly and explicitly uniting themselves "to him in covenant, was not pre
scribed as an extraordinary duty, or a duty to be performed 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 mentioned by the prophets, as I observed before,
and could largely demonstrate, if there was occasion for it, and would not too
much lengthen out this 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 Testament.
Thus God declares concerning the Gentile nations, Jer. xii. 16 : "If they will
diligently learn the ways of my people, to swear by my name, 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., they shall be added tp my church ; or as the Apostle Paul
expresses it, Eph. iii. 19 — 22, " They shall be no more strangers and foreigners,
but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God, and be built

108 QUALIFICATIONS
upon the foundation of Christ ; in whom all the building, fitly framed together,
&c. In whom they also shall be builded for a habitation of God througli the
Spirit." So it is foretold, that the way of public covenanting should be in the
way of the Gentiles joining themselves to the church in the days of the gospel :
Isa. xliv. 3. 4, 5, " I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon
the dry ground; I will pour my Spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing uppn
thine offspring, and they shall spring up as among the grass, as willows by the
water-courses; one shall say, I am the Lord's, and another shall call himself
by the name of Jacob, and another shall subscribe with his hand unto the Lord."
As subscribing an instrument whereby they bound themselves to the Lord.
This was subscribing and covenanting themselves into the name of Israel, and
swearing into the name of the Lord, in the language of those forementioned
texts in Deuteronomy. So taking 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 to have communion in
his worship and ordinances, in Isa. Ivi. 3, 6, 7. So in Isa. xix. 18, the future
conversion of the Gentiles in the days of the gospel, and their being hrought to
profess, the true religion, is expressed by that, that they should Swear to the
Lord of Hosts. " In that day shall five cities in the land of Egypt speak the
language of Canaan, and swear to the Lord of Hosts." So in Jer. xxiii. 5  8,
it seems to be plainly foretold, that after Christ is come, 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 this difference, and whereas former
ly they covenanted with God as their 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 the Lord, that I will raise up unto
David a righteous Branch. Therefore they shall no more say, the Lord liveth,
which brought up the children of Israel out of the 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 remarkable place wherein it is plainly fore
told, that the like method of professing religion should be continued in the days
of the gospel, which was instituted in Israel, by swearing or public covenanting,
is that, Isa. xiv. 22-25, " Look unto me, and be ye saved, all ye ends of the
earth ; for I am God, and there is none else; I have sworn by myself, the 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 the
Lord have I righteousness and strength : even to him shall men come :' in the
Lord shall all the seed of Israel be justified, and shall glory." This prophecy
will haveits last fulfilment at the day of judgment; but it is plain, that the
thing most directly intended is the conversion of the 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
-°t ,» ™L P: "" \ ' " That eVery tonSue should confess that J^us Christ
is Lord. Which is the word commonly used in the New Testament to signify
making a public profession of religion. So Rom. x. 9, 10, « If thou 'shalt con
fess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God
hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved : for with the heart man be-
heveth unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto 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 believing in him •
and ordinarily requisite to salvation ; not that it is necessary in the same man!

FOR FULL COMMUNION. 109
sner that faith is, put in like manner as baptism is. Faith and verbal profes
sion are jointly spoken of here as necessary to salvation, in the same manner as
faith and baptism are, in Mark xvi. 16, " He that believeth and is baptized,
shall be saved." And I know no good reason why we should not Jook on oral
profession and covenanting with Christ, in those who are capable of it, as much
of a stated duty in the Christian church, and an institution universally pertain
ing to the followers of Christ, as much as baptism.
And if it be so that explicit open covenanting with Qod be a great duty re
quired of all, as has been represented ; then it ought to be expected of persons
before they are admitted to the privileges of the 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 come 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 this transaction. It was that by which the. Isra
elites of old were introduced into the communion of God's nominal or visible
church and holy city, as appears by Isa. xlviii. 1, 2 : " Hear ye this, 0 house
of Jacob, which are called by the name 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 truth 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
the public reading of the law in Josiah's time ,(2 Kings xxiii. 3), and was done
after the return from the captivity, on occasion of the public reading of it at the
feast of tabernacles (Neh. viii. ix. and x.), so it appears to me most likely, that
it was done every seventh year, when the law or covenant of God was, by divine
appointment, read in the audience of all the people at the feast of tabernacles ;
at least done then by all who then heard the law read the first time, and who
never had heard, nor publicly owned the covenant of God before. There are
good evidences that they never had communion in those ordinances which God
had appointed as seals of his covenant, wherein they themselves were to be ac
tive, such as their sacrifices, &c, until they had done it : it is plainly implied in
Psal. 1., that it was the manner in Israel vocally to own God's covenant, or to
take it into their mouths, before they sealed that covenant in their sacrifices.
See ver. 16, taken with fhe preceding part of the Psalm, from Verse 5. And
that they did it before they partook of the passover (which indeed was one of
their sacrifices), or entered into the sanctuary for communion in the temple wor
ship, is confirmed 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 to the Lord), and enter
into his sanctuary,, which he hath sanctified forever, and serve the Lord your
God." To give the hand, seems to be a Hebrew phrase for entering into cove
nant, or obliging themselves by covenant : Ezra x. 19, " And they gave their
hands that they would put away their wives." And, as has been already ob
served, it was foretold that Christians should in this way be admitted to com
munion in the privileges of the church of Christ. t
Having thus established the premises of the argument I intend, I now come,
Secondly, To that which I think must be the consequence,, viz., that none
ought to be admitted 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
pro fessed, 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 the consent of
our hearts to it ; and that is the sum and substance of true piety. It is not only
a professing the assent of our understandings, that we understand there is such
a covenant, or that we understand we are obliged to comply with it; but it is
to profess the consent of our wills, it is to manifest that we do comply with it.
There is mutual profession in this 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, that 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 the
covenant is professing to make the 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 the
covenant of grace is so often compared to in Scripture, as the marriage cove
nant ; and the visible transaction, or mutual profession there is between Christ
and the visible church, is abundantly compared to the mutual profession 'there
is in marriage. In marriage the bride professes to yield to the bridegroom's suit,
and to take him for her husband, renouncing all others, and to give up herself
to him to be entirely and forever possessed by him as his wife. But he that
professes this towards Christ, professes saving faith. They that openly cove
nanted with God according to the tenor of the institution, Deut. x. 20, visibly
united themselves to God in the union of that covenant ; they professed on their
parts the union of the covenant of God, which was the covenant of grace. It
is said in the institution, " Thou shalt cleave to the Lord, and swear by his
name;" or as the words more literally are, "Thou shalt unite unto the Lord,
and swear into his name." 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 enteT
into the union or relation of the covenant of grace with Christ, is the same as
professedly to do that which oh our part is the uniting act, and that is the act
of faith. To profess the covenant of grace, is to profess the covenant, not as a
spectator, but as one immediately concerned in the affair, as a party in the
covenant professed ; and this is to profess that in the covenant which belongs
to us as a party, or to profess our part in the covenant; and that is the soul's
believing acceptance of the Saviour. Christ's part is salvation, our part is a
saving faith in him ; not a feigned, but unfeigned faith; not a common, but
special and saving faith; no other faith than this is the condition of the cove
nant of grace.
I know the distinction that is made by some, between the internal and ex
ternal covenant ; but, I hope, the divines that make this distinction, would not
be understood, that there are really and properly two covenants of grace ; but
only that those who profess the one only covenant of grace, are of two sorts •
there are those who comply with it internally 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 orace ;

FOR FULL COMMUNION. 1J1
the one only covenant of grace is exhibited two ways, the one externally by
the preaching of the word, the other internally and spiritually by enlightening
the mind rightly to understand the word. But it is with the covenant, as it is
with the call of the gospel : he that really cPmplies with the external call, has
the internal call ; so he that truly complies with the external proposal of God's
covenant, as visible Christians profess to do, does indeed perform the inWard
condition of it. But the New Testament .affords no more foundation for sup
posing two real and properly distinct covenants of grace, than it does to sup
pose two sorts of real Christians ; the unscripturalness of which latter hypothe
sis I observed before.
When those persons who were baptized in infancy do properly own their
baptismal covenant, the meaning of it is, that they now, being become capable
to act for themselves, do professedly and explicitly make their parents' act, in
giving them up to God, their own, by expressly giving themselves up to God.
But this no person can do, without either being deceived, or dissembling and
professing what he himself supposes to be a falsehood, unless he supposes that
he in his heart consents to be God's. A child of Christian parents never does
that for himself which his parents did for him in infancy, until he gives himselt
wholly to God. But surely he does not do it, who not only keeps, back a part,
but the 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
w-ilful mockery, if he at the same time solemnly and publicly professes that he
gives himself up to God. If there are any words used by such, which in their
proper signification imply that they give .themselves up to God ; and if these
words, as they intend them to be understood, and as they are understood by
those that hear them, according to their established use and custom among'that
people, do not imply, that they do it really, but do truly reserve or keep back
the chief part ; it ceases to be a profession of giving themselves up lb 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,
that has these for its terms ; to be sure, this is not the covenant of grace. And
therefore although such public and solemn professing may be a very unwarran
table and great abuse of words, and taking God's name in vain, it is no pro
fessed covenanting with God.
One thing, as has been observed, that belonged to Israel's swearing into the
name of the Lord, was the Lord liveth ; whereby they professed their faith in
God's all-sufficiency, immutability and faithfulness. But if they really had
such a faith, it was a saving grace. They who indeed trust in the all-suffi
ciency of God, he will. surely be their all-sufficient portion ; and they who trust
in God's immutability and faithfulness, he surely will neyer leave nor forsake
them. 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 liveth, in
truth, in judgment, and in righteousness :" and the other way is swearing false
ly, which we read of in the next chapter, ver. 2, 3, " And though they 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 the truth 1" i. e., God
desires sincerity of heart in those that profess religion. Here a gracious sincer
ity is opposed to a false profession ; for when it is said, " 0 Lord, are. not thine

112 QUALIFICATIONS
eyes upon the truth ?" the expression is parallel with those, Psal. Ii. 6, "Be
hold thou desi rest the truth in the inward parts." 1 Sam. xvi. 7, "Man look-
eth on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart." Psal. xi.
7, " His countenance doth behold the 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 the preceding verse, " If thou wilt
return, 0 Israel, saith the Lord, return unto 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 notdo thus, " but
if thou wilt return, return unto me." And then it is added in the second verse,.
" And thou shalt 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 to 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 ;" they
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 the Saviour of all men, especially of those that
believe." And as he would have Timothy exhort rich men to do, chap. vi. 17,
" That they trust not in uncertain riches, but in the living God." When the
apostle speaks of a profession of our faith in Christ, as one duty which all
Christians ought to perform as they seek salvation, it is the profession of a sav
ing faith that he speaks of : his words plainly imply it ; " If thou shalt confess
with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath
raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved." The faith which was to-be
professed with the mouth, was the same which 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 the mouth con*
fession is made unto salvation." Believing unto righteousness is saving faith ;
but it is evidently the same faith which is spoken of, as professed with the
mouth, in the next words in the same sentence. And that the Gentiles, in pro
fessing the Christian religion, or swearing to Christ, should profess saving faith,
is implied, Isa. xiv. 23, 24; " Every tongue shall swear : surely shaU one say,
In the Lord have I righteousness and strength ;" i. e., should profess entirely to
depend on Christ's righteousness and strength. . •
For persons merely to promise, that they will believe in Christ, or that they
will hereafter comply with the conditions and duties of the covenant of grace,
is not to own that covenant. Such persons do not profess now to enter into
the covenant of grace with Christ, or into the relation of that covenant to Christ.
All that they do at present, is only a speaking fair ; they say they will do' it
hereafter ; they profess that they will hereafter obey that command of God; to
believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ. But what is such a profession
good for, and what credit is to be given to such promises of future obedience ;
when at the same time they pretend no other at present, than to live and con
tinue in rebellion against those great commands which give no allowance or
license for delay ? They who do thus, instead of properly owning the covenant,
do rather for the present visibly reject it. It is not unusual, in some churches,
where the doctrine I oppose has been established, for persons at the same 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 of the covenant of grace, are rather visibly destitute

FOR FULL COMMUNION. 113
of the love of Christ, and so, instead of being qualified for admission to the
Lord's supper, are rather exposed to that 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 to Scripture institution, is
not only a promising what is future (though that is not 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 promise or vow which there is in the
covenant, that it is called swearing.) For a woman to promise, that she will
hereafter renounce all other men for the sake of him 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 the marriage covenant with him : she that does this with a man,
professes now to accept of him, 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 to Christianity, in the profession they
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, they
only professed the present sentiments and habit of their minds, they professed
that they believed in Christ, and so were admitted into the church by baptism ;
and yet undoubtedly they were, according to 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 the covenant of grace, because
faith in Christ was the grand condition of that covenant. Indeed, if the faith
which they professed in order to baptism, was only an historical or doctrinal
faith (as some suppose), or any common faith, it would not have been any
visible entering into the covenant of grace ; for a common faith is not the 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 implied an engagement of future obedience : for true faith in Christ
includes in its nature an. acceptance of him as our Lord and King, and devoting
ourselves to his service : but 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 the insti
tution in Deuteronomy, they did not only promise something future, but pro
fessed something present ; they avouched Jehovah to be their God, and also
promised to keep his command. Thus it was in their solemn covenant trans
actions between God and the 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 to keep his statutes, and his com
mandments, and his judgments, and to hearken unto 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 their God, professed a compliance with the terms of the covenant
of grace ; as the covenant of grace is summarily expressed in those words, " I
wMl be thy God, and thou shalt be my people." They that avouch the Lord
to be their God, do profess to accept of Jehovah as their God ; and that 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. No'ne 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 that do not 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, the supreme object of our esteem and regard,
that we devote ourselves to, and depend upon. And if we are sensible that we
flo not this sincerely, we cannot profess that we actually do it; for he that does
not do it sincerely, does not do it at all : there is no room for the distinction of
a moral sincerity and gracious sincerity in this case : a supreme respect of heart
to God, or a supreme love to him, which is real, is but of one sort : it would be
absurd, to talk of a morally sincere supreme love to God in those who really love,
dirt and dung more than him. Whoever does with any reality at all make God the
object of the supreme regard of his heart, is certainly a gracious person. And
whoever does not make God the 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, whohaveno thought of their having the least spark
of true love to God in their hearts, do say, publicly and solemnly, that they
avouch God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, to be their God, and that they
give themselves up to him, we have led them to say they know not what.
To be sure, they are very obscure expressions, if they mean any thing that a
carnal mandoes, under the reigning power of sin and enmity against God.
Here possibly it may be objected, that it is unreasonable to suppose any
such thing should be intended, in the profession of the congregation in the wil
derness, as a gracious respect to God, that which is the condition of God's cove
nant, when we have reason to think that so few of them were truly gracious.
But I suppose, upon mature consideration this will not appear at all unreason
able. It is no more unreasonable to suppose this people to make a profession
of that respect to God, which they had not in their hearts now, than at other
times when we are informed they did so, as in Ezek. xxxiii. 31 : " They come
unto thee as the people cometh, and they sit before thee as my people" [i. e.,
as though they were my saints, as they profess to be] : " for with their mouth
they show much love, but their 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 them, when he says, Tit. i.
16, " They profess that they know God, but in works they deny him." This
was common among that people : God declares them to be an hypocritical
nation, Isa. x. 6. And it is certain, this was the case with them in the wilder
ness ; they, there professed that respect to God which they had not ; as is evi
dent by Psal. lxviii. 36, 37 : " They did flatter him with their mouth, and they
lied unto him with their tongue ; for their heart was not right with him, nei
ther were they steadfast in his covenant." In owning the covenant with God,
they professed their heart was right with him, as appears, because it is mention
ed as an evidence of their having lied or dealt falsely in their profession, that
their heart was not right with him, and so proved not steadfast in God's cove
nant, which they had owned. If their heart had been right with God, they
would have been truly pious persons ; which is a demonstration, that what they
professed was true piety. It also appears that if they had had such a heart in
them as they pretended to have, they would have been truly pious persons, from
Deut. v., where we have a rehearsal of their covenanting at Mount Sinai. Con
cerning this it is said, ver. 28, 29, " And the 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 ih them, that they

FOR FULL COMMUNION. 115
would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well
with them and with their children forever." The people were mistaken about
their disposition and preparation of heart to go through the business of God"s
service, as the man 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, the greater part of them, be deceived,
and think their hearts thoroughly disposed to give up themselves forever to
God, if we consider how much they had strongly to move their affections ; the
wonders wrought in Egypt and at the Red Sea, where they 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 they now saw at Mount Sinai, of the astonishing manifestations of
God's majesty there. Probably the greater part of the sinners among them
were deceived with false affections : and if there were others that were less af
fected and who were not deceived, it is not incredible that they, in those cir
cumstances, should wilfully dissemble in their profession, and so in a more gross
sense flatter God with their lips, and lie to him with their tongues. And these
things are more credible concerning that generation, being a generation pecu
liarly left to hardness and blindness of mind in divine matters, and peculiarly
noted in the Book of Psalms for hypocrisy. And as to the generation of their
children that owned the covenant on the plains of Moab, they not only in like
manner had very much to move their affections, the awful judgments of God
they had seen on their fathers, God having brought them through the wilder
ness, and subdued Sihon king of the Amorites, and Og the king of Bashan be
fore them, Moses's affecting rehearsal of the whole series of God's wonderful
dealings with them, together with his most pathetical exhortations ; but it was;
also a time of great revival of religion and powerful influence of the Spirit of"
God, and that generation was probably the most excellent generation that ever
was in Israel ; to be sure, there is more good and less hurt spoken of them, than
of any other generation that we have any account of in Scripture.* A very-
great part of them swore in truth, in judgment, and in righteousness : and no
wonder, that others at such a time fell in, either deceiving, or being deceived,
with common affections ; as is usual in times of great works of God for hist
church, and of the flourishing of religion. In succeeding generations, as the
people grew more corrupt, I suppose, their covenanting or swearing into the
name of the Lord degenerated into a matter of mere form and ceremony ; evens
as subscribing religious articles seems to have done with the church of Eng
land ; and, as it is to be feared, owning the covenant, as it is called, has toot
much done in New-England ; it being visibly a prevailing custom for persons
to neglect this, 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 among the 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 more excellent dispensation, introdu
ced by Christ and his apostles. And though these things were testified against
hy the Prophets, before the Babylonish captivity ; yet God who is only wise^
did designedly in a great measure wink at these, and many other great irregu-

* See Numb. xiv. 31. Deut. i. 39, and viii. 15, 16. Josh. xxii. 2, and verse 11, to I
8. Deut. iv. 4. Josh. xxiv. 31. Judg. ii. 17, 22. Psal, lxviii. 14. Jer. ii. 2, 3, 21, an
i* in

.} the end, and jwuft
, and xxxi. 2, 9, Moa.
it. 10.

116 QUALIFICATIONS
larities in the church until the time of reformation should comd, which the Mes
siah was to have the honor of introducing. But of these things I may perhaps
have occasion to say something more, when I come to answer the objection con-
cerning the passover. . ., _ ,
Now to return to the argument from the nature of covenanting with God, oi
owning God's covenant : as to the promises, which are herein either explicitly or
implicitly made ; the making these promises implies a profession of true piety, i or
in the covenant of grace universal obedience is engaged, obedience to all the
commands of God; and the performance of inwaid spiritual duties is as much
engaged in the covenant of grace, as external duties; and in some respects
much more. Therefore he that visibly makes the covenant of grace his own,
promises to perform those internal duties, and to perform all duties with a gra
cious sincerity. We have no warrant, in our profession of God's covenant, to
divide the duties of it, to take some, and leave out others : especially have we
not warrant to leave out those great commands, of believing with the heart, of
loving the Lord our God with all our heart, and with all our souls, and our
neighbor as ourselves. He that leaves out these, in effect leaves out all ; for
these are the sum of our whole duty, and of all God's commands : if we leave
these out of our profession, surely it is not the covenant of grace, which we
profess. The Israelites when they covenanted with God at Mount Sinai, and
said, when God had declared to them the ten commandments, " All that the
Lord hath spoken will we do, and be obedient;" their promise implied, that as
they professed to know God, they would in works not deny, but own and honor
him, and would conform to those two great commandments, which are the sum
of all the ten, and concerning which God said, " These words which I com
mand thee this day, shall be in thine heart," Deut. vi. 6. So, when they
covenanted on the plains of Moab, they promised to keep and do God's commands,
" with all their heart, and with all their soul," as is very evident by Deut. xxvi.
16, 17. So it was also when the people owned their covenant in Asa's time,
2 Chron, xv. 12: '"'They entered into a covenant to seek the Lord Gcd of their
fathers, with all their heart, and with all their soul." We have also another
remarkable instance, 2 Kings xxiii. 3, and 2 Chron. xxxiv. 31.
Now he who is wholly under the power of a carnal mind, which is not
subjeet to the law of God, nor indeed can be, cannot promise these things with
out either great deceit, or the most manifest and palpable absurdity. Promis
ing supposes the person to be conscious to himself, or persuaded of himself, that
he has such a heart in him ; for his lips pretend to declare his heart. The
nature of a promise implies intention or design. And proper real intention im
plies will, disposition, and compliance of heart. But no natural man is proper
ly willing to do these duties, nor does his heart comply with them ; and to make
natural men believe otherwise, tends greatly to their hurt. A natural man
may be willing, from self-love, and from sinister views, to use means and take
pains that he may obtain a willingness or disposition to these duties : but that
is a very different thing from actually being willing, or truly having a disposition
to them. So he may promise, that he will, from some consideration or other,
take great pains to obtain such a heart : but if he does so, this is not the promise
of the covenant of grace. Men may make many religious promises to God,
and many promises some way relating to the covenant of grace, that are not
themselves the promises of that covenant ; nor is there any thing of the nature
of covenanting in' the case, because, although they should actually fulfil their
promises, God is not obliged by promise to them. If a natural man pro
mises to do all that it is possible for a natural man to do in religion, and fulfils

FOR FULL COMMUNION. 117
his promises, God is not obliged, by any covenant that he has entered into with
man, to perform any thing at all for him, respecting his saving benefits. And
therefore he that promises these things only, enters into no covenant with God ;
because the very notion of entering into covenant with any being, is entering
into a mutual agreement, doing or engaging that which, if done, the other
party becomes engaged on his part. The New Testament informs us but of
one covenant God enters into with mankind through Christ, and that is the
covenant of grace ; in which God obliges himself to nothing in us that is ex
clusive of unfeigned faith, and the spiritual duties that attend it : therefore if a
natural man makes ever so many vows, that he will perform all external duties,,
and will pray for help to do spiritual duties, and for an ability and will to com
ply wilh-the covenant of grace, from such principles as he has, he does not lay
hold of God's covenant, nor properly enter into any covenant with God : for
we have no- opportunity to covenant with God in any other covenant, than that
which he has revealed ; he becomes a covenant party in no ether covenant.
It is true, every natural man that lives under the gospel, is obliged to comply
with the terms of the covenant of grace; and if he promises to do it, his pro
mise may increase his obligation, though he flattered God with his mouth, and
lied to him with his tongue, as the children of Israel did in promising. But it
will not thence follow, that they ought knowingly to make a lying promise, or
that ministers and churches should countenance them in so doing.
Indeed there is no natural man but what deceives himself, if he thinks he is
truly willing to perform external obedience to God, universally and persever-
ingly through the various trials of life that he may expect. And therefore in
promising it, he is either very deceitful, or is like the foolish deceived man that
undertook to build when he hail not wherewith to finish. And if it be known
by the church, before whom he promises to build and finish, that at the same
time he does not pretend to have a heart to finish, his promise is worthy of no
credit or regard from them, and can make nothing visible to them but his pre
sumption. A great confirmation of what has been said under this head of covenanting,
is that text, Psa. 1. 16, " But unto the wicked God saith, What hast thou to do,
to declare my statutes, or that thou shouldest take my covenant in thy mouth V
This term, the wicked, in the more general use of it in Scripture, is applied in
that extent as to include all ungodly or graceless persons, all that are under the
reigning power of sin, and are the objects of God's anger, or exposed to his eter
nal vengeance ; as might easily be made to appear by a particular enumeration
of texts all over the Bible. All such are in Scripture called, *' workers of ini
quity, the children of the wicked one," Matt. xiii. 38. All such are said to be
of the devil, 1 John iii. 8. And to be the children of the devil, verse 10. The
righteous and the wicked are in a multitude of places in Scripture put in oppo
sition ; and they are evidently opposed one to the other, and distinguished one
from another in Scripture, as saints and sinners, holy and unholy, those that fear
God and those that fear him not, those that love him and those that hate him.
All mankind are in Scripture divided by these distinctions, and the Bible knows:
of no neuters or third sort. Indeed those who are really wicked, may be visibly
righteous, righteous in profession and outward appearance : but a sort of ment
who have no saving grace, that yet are not really wicked men, are a sort of
men of human invention, that the Scripture is entirely ignorant of. It is rea
sonable to suppose, that by wicked men here, in this psalm, is meant all that
hate instruction, and reject God's word (Psal. 1. 17), and not merely such wick
ed men as are guilty of those particular crimes mentioned, ver. 17 — 20, stealing,

118 QUALIFICATIONS
adultery, fraud, and backbiting. Though only some particular ways of wick
edness are mentioned, yet we are not to understand that all others are exclud
ed ; yea the words, in the conclusion of the paragraph, are expressly applied
to all that forget God in such a manner as to expose themselves to be torn in
pieces by his wrath in hell, ver. 22 : " Now consider this, ye that forget God,
lest I tear you in pieces, and there be none to deliver." We can no more
Justly argued that because some gross sins are here specified, that no sinners are
meant but such as live in those or other gross sins, than we can argue from Rev
xxii. 14, 15, that none shall be shut out of heaven but only those who have
lived in the gross sins there mentioned : " Blessed are they that do his com
mandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in
through the gates into the city : for without are dogs, and sorcerers, and mur
derers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie." Nothing is
ciore common in Scripture, than in the descriptions it gives, both of the godly
and ungodly, together with their general character, to insert into the descrip
tion some particular excellent practices of the one which grace tends to, and
some certain gross sins of the other which there is a foundation for in the reign
ing- corruption in their hearts. So, lying is mentioned as part of the charac
ter of all natural men, Psal. lviii. 3, 4 (who are there called wicked men, as in
Psal. 1) : " The wicked are estranged from the womb ; they go astray as soon
as they be born, speaking lies : their poison is like the poison of a serpent," &c.
<So it is said of the wicked, Psal. x. 2, 3, 4, 7, " His mouth is full of cursing and
bitterness." This the apostle, Rom. hi., cites as a description of all natural
men. So it is said of the wicked, Psal. cxl. 3, " They have sharpened their
tongues as a serpent ; adder's poison is under their lips ;" which the same apos
tle, in the same place, also cites as what is said of all natural men. The very
same gross sins which are here mentioned in the fiftieth Psalm, are from time
to time inserted in Solomon's descriptions of the wicked man, as opposed to the
righteous, in the book of Proverbs : particularly the sins mentioned in the 19th
verse of that psalm, " Thou givest thy mouth to evil, and thy tongpe frameth
deceit," are thus mentioned, as belonging to the character of the wicked man :
Prov. xii. 5, 6, "The thoughts of the righteous are right; but the counsels of the
wicked are deceit. The words of the wicked are to lie in wait for blood ; but
the mouth of the upright shall deliver them." Nevertheless it is plain, that the
wise. man in his book, in his distinction of the righteous and the wicked, means
the same as godly and ungodly. Only reading the two foregoing chapters will
be enough to satisfy any of this. Observe chap. x. 3, 7, 16, 20,21, 24, 28,
29, 30, 31, 32, and xi. 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 18, 19, 20, 21, 23, 30, 31, besides
innumerable other like texts all over the book. In chap. i. 16, it is said of sin
ners, " Their feet run to evil, and make haste to shed blood." This the apos
tle, in Romans iii. 15, cites as belonging to the description of all natural men.
So in the description of the wicked, Prov. iv. 14 — 19, it is said, that " they
sleep not unless they have done mischief ; that they drink the wine of violence,"
&c, and yet by the wicked there is meant the same with the graceless man ;
as appears by the antithesis, there made between him and the "just or right
eous, whose path is as the shining light, which shineth more and more to the
perfect day."
As a further evidence that by the wicked in this Psalm 1. 16, is meant the
same as the ungodly or graceless, it is to be observed, here is a pretty manifest
antithesis, or opposition between the wicked and the saints, that shall be gath-s.
ered to Christ at the day of judgment, spoken of verse 5. There God, speaking
of his coming to judgment, says, " Gather my saints together, those that have

FOR FULL COMMUNION. 119
made a covenant with me by sacrifice :" and then, after showing the insuffi
ciency of the sacrifices of beasts, implying that that is a greater sacrifice by
which these saints make a covenant with him, it is added, " But to the wicked"
[that are not in the number of my saints] " God doth say, What hast thou
to do, to take my covenant into thy mouth V Approving of the covenanting
of the former, but disapproving the covenanting of the latter. As to the gath
ering of God's saints, there spoken, if we consider the foregoing and following
verses, it is evidently the same with that gathering of his elect, when Christ
comes in the clouds of heaven, which is spoken of, Matt. xxiv. 30, 31; and
with that gathering of the righteous, as his wheat into his barn, at the day of
judgment, spoken of Matt. xiii. And therefore there is as much reason to sup
pose, that by the wicked, which are opposed to them, is meant all graceless per
sons, as there is so to understand the doers of iniquity, spoken of in that Matt.
xiii., as those that are opposed to the righteous, which shall then " shine forth
as the sun in the kingdom of their Father," ver. 43. And there is one thing
more which still further confirms me in my construction of Psal. 1. 16, which is,
that the plain reason here given against wicked men's taking God's covenant
into their mouths, holds good with respect to all graceless men, viz., because they
do not comply with, but reject the very covenant, which they with their mouths
profess to own and consent to. Ver. 17, " Seeing thou hatest instruction, and
castest my words behind thee :" as much as to say, " Thou rejectest and hast
a reigning enmity against my statutes, which thou declarest and professest a com
pliance with." And this is the spirit and practice of all who live in the sin of
unbelief and rejection of Christ ; they live in a way that is altogether incon
sistent with the covenant of grace ; for the sum and substance of the condition
and engagement of that covenant is what every natural man is under the reign
ing power of enmity against, and lives in contradiction to. Therefore, I think,
it follows, that they who know it is thus with them, have nothing to do to take
God's covenant into their mouths ; or, in other words, have no warrant to do
this, until it be otherwise with them.
III. The nature of things seems to afford no good reason why the people of
Christ should not openly profess a proper respect to him in their hearts, as well
as a true notion of him in their heads, or a right opinion of him in their
judgments. I can~conceive of nothing reasonably to be supposed the design or end of a
public profession of religion, that does not as much require a profession of hon
or, esteem and friendship of heart towards Christ, as an orthodox opinion about
him ; or why the former should not be -as much expected and required in order
to a being admitted into the company of his friends and followers, as the latter.
It cannot be because the former is in itself not as important, and as much to
be looked at, as the latter ; seeing the very essence of religion itself consists in
the former, and without it the latter is wholly vain, and makes us never the bet
ter ; neither happier in ourselves, nor more acceptable to God. One end of a
public profession of religion is the giving public honor to God : but surely the
profession of inward esteem and a supreme respect of heart towards God is as
agreeable to this design, and more directly tending to it, than the declaring of
right speculative notions of him. We look upon it that our friends do the more
especially and directly put honor upon us when upon proper occasions they
stand ready not only to own the truth of such and such facts concerning us, but
also to testify their high esteem and cordial and entire regard to us. When
persons only manifest their doctrinal knowledge of things of religion, and ex
press the assent of their judgments, but at the same time make no pretence to

120 QUALIFICATIONS
any other than a being wholly destitute of all true Jove to God, and a being
under the dominion of enmity against him, their profession is, in some respects,
very greatly to God's dishonor : for they leave reason for the public greatly to
suspect that they hold the' truth in unrighteousness, and that they are some of
those that have both seen and hated Christ and his Father, John xv. 24. Who
of all persons have the greatest sin, and are most to God's dishonor.
I am at a loss, how that visibility of saintship, which the honored author
of The Appeal to the Learned supposes to be all that is required in order to ad
mission to the Lord's supper, can be much to God's honor, viz., such a visibility
as leaves reason to believe, that the greater part of those who have it, are ene
mies to God in their hearts, and inwardly the servants of sin. Such a visibility
of religion as this, seems rather to increase a visibility of wickedness in the
world, and so of God's dishonor, than any thing else; i.e., it makes more
wickedness visible to the eye of a human judgment, and gives men reason to
think, there is more wickedness in the world, than otherwise would be visible
to them ! because we have reason to think, that those who live in a rejection
of Christ, under the light of the gospel, and the knowledge and common belief
of its doctrine, have vastly greater sin and guilt than other men. And that ven
erable divine himself did abundantly teach this.
Christ came into the world to engage in a war with God's enemies, sin and
Satan ; and a great war there is maintained between them ; which war is con
cerning us ; and the contest is, who shall have the possession of our hearts.
Now, it is reasonable under these circumstances, that we should ' declare on
whose side we are, whether on Christ's side, or on the side of his enemies. If
we would be admitted among Christ's friends and followers, it is reasonable
that we should profess we are on the Lord's side, and that we yield our heakts
(which the contest is about) to him^and not to his rivals. And this seems
plainly to be the design and nature of a public profession of Christ. If this
profession is not made, no profession is made that is worth regarding, or worth the
making, in such a case as this is, and to any such purpose as a being admitted
among his visible friends. There is no other being on Christ's side, in this
case, but a being so with an undivided heart, preferring him to all his rivals,
and renouncing them all for his sake. The case admits of no neutrality, or
lukewarmness, or a middle sort of persons with a moral sincerity, or such a
common faith as is consistent with loving sin and the world better than Christ.
He that is not with me (says Christ) is against me. And therefore none do
profess to be on Christ's side but they who profess to rendunce his rivals. For
those who would be called Christians, to profess no higher regard to Christ
than what will admit of a superior regard to the world, is more absurd than if
a woman pretending to marry a man, and take him for her husband, should pro
fess to take him in some sort, but yet not pretend to take him in such a manner
as is inconsistent with her allowing other men a fuller possession of her, and
greater intimacy with her than she allows him. The nature of the case, as it
stands between us and Jesus Christ, is such, that an open solemn profession of
being entirely for him, and giving him the possession of our hearts, renouncing
all competitors, is more requisite in this case, than a like profession in any other
case. The profession of an intermediate sort of state of our mind, is very dis
agreeable to the nature of Christ's errand, work, and kingdom in the world,
and all that belongs to the designs and ends of his administrations ; and for
ministers and churches openly to establish such a kind of profession of Christ
as part of his public service, which does not imply a pretence of any more than
lukewarmness, is, I fear, to make a mere sham of a solemn public profession of

FOR FULL COMMUNION. 121
Christianity, and seems to be wholly without warrant from the word of God,
and greatly to God's dishonor.
It cannot be justly here pretended, as a reason why the opinion concerning
doctrines should be professed, and not friendship or respect of heart, that the
former is more easily discerned and known by us than the latter. For though
it be true, that men may be at a loss concerning the latter, yet it is as true that
they may be so concerning the former too. They may be at a loss in many
cases concerning the fulness of the determination of their own inclination and
choice; and so they may concerning the fulness of the determination of their
judgment I know of nothing in human nature that hinders the acts of men's
wills being properly subject to their own consciousness, any more than the acts
of their judgment ; nor of any(reason to suppose that men may not discern their
own consent as well as their assent. The Scripture plainly supposes gracious
dispositions and acts to be things properly under the eye of conscience. 2 Cor.
xiii. 5, " Know ye not your own selves 1" John xxi. 15, " Simon, son of
Jonas, lovest thou me V And many other places. Nor is the nature of god
liness less made known, than the true doctrines of religion. . Piety of heart, in
the more essential things belonging to it, is as clearly revealed, as the doctrines
concerning the nature of God, the person of the Messiah, and the method of
his redemption. IV. We find in the Scripture, that all those of God's professing people, or
visible saints who are not truly pious, are represented as counterfeits, as having
guile, disguise, and a false appearance, as making false pretences, and as being
deceitful and hypocrites. Thus Christ says of Nathaniel, John i. 47, " Behold
an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile ;" that is, a truly gracious person ;
implying, that those of God's professing people, who are not gracious, are
guileful, and deceitful in their profession. So sinners in Zion, or in God's
visible church, are called hypocrites. Isa. xxxiii. 14, " The sinners in Zion are
afraid, fearfulness hath surprised the hypocrites." Isa. xi. 17, '• Every one is
a hypocrite, and an evil doer." So they are called lying children, Isa. xxx. 9,
and chap. lix. 13, and are represented as lying, in pretending to be of the
temple or church of God. Jer. vii. 2 — 4, " Hear the word of the Lord, all ye
of Judah, that enter in at these gates to worship the Lord. — Trust ye not in
lying words, saying, The temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the
temple of the Lord are these." They are spoken of as falsely calling them
selves of the holy city, Isa. xlviii. 1, 2. They are called silver dross, and re
probate or refuse silver (Ezek. xxxii. 18, Jer. vi. 30), which glisters and shows
like true silver, but has not its inward worth. So they are compared to adul
terated wine, Isa. i. 22, and to trees full of leaves bidding fair for fruitfulness,
Matt. xxi. 19. Clouds that look as if they were full of rain, yet bring nothing
but wind, Jude 12. Wells without water, that do but cheat the thirsty travel
ler, 2 Pet. ii. 13. A deceitful bow, that appears good, but fails the archer,
Psal. lxxviii. 57, Hos. vii. 16. Mr Stoddard, in his Appeal to the Learned,
from time to time supppses all visible saints, who are not truly pious, to be
hypocrites, as in pages 15, 17, 18.
Now what ground or reason can there be thus to represent those as visible
saints or members of God's visible church, who are not truly pious, if the pro
fession of such does not imply any pretence to true piety ; and when they never
made a pretence to any thing more than common grace, or moral sincerity,
which many of them truly have, and therefore are not at all hypocritical or
deceitful in their pretences, and are as much without guile, in what they make
a profession of, as Nathaniel was 1 The Psalmist speaking of sincere piety,
Vol. I. 16

122 QUALIFICATIONS
calls it the truth in the inward parts. Psal. Ii. 6, " Behold; thou desirest truth
in the inward parts." It is called truth with reference to some declaration or
profession made by God's visible people ; but on the hypothesis which I oppose,
common grace is as properly the truth, in the inward parts, in this respect, as
saving grace. God says, concerning Israel, Deut. xxxii.,5, " Their spot is not
the spot of his children." God here speaks of himself as it were disappointed
The words have reference to some profession they had made. For why should
this remark be made after this manner, that there were spots upon them, shrewd
marks that they were not his children, if they never pretended to be his chil
dren, and never were accepted under any such notion to any of the privileges
of his people 1
God is pleased to represent himself in his word as though he trusted the
profession of his visible people, and as disappointed when they did not approve
themselves as his faithful, steadfast, and thorough friends. Isa. lxiii. 8, 9, 10,
" For he said, Surely they are my people, children that will not lie. So he was
their Saviour. In all their affliction he was afflicted. But they rebelled and
vexed his Holy Spirit ; therefore he was turned to be their enemy." The same
is represented in many other places. I suppose that God speaks after this man
ner, because he, in his present, external dealings with his visible people, does
not act in the capacity of the Searcher of Hearts, but accommodates himself to
their nature, and the present state and circumstances of his church, and speaks
to them and treats them after the manner of men, and deals with them in their
own way. But,.supposing the case to be even thus, there would be no ground
for such representations, if there were no profession of true godliness. ¦¦ When
God is represented as trusting that men will be his faithful friends, we must
understand that he trusts to their pretences. But how improperly would the
matter be so represented if there were no pretences to trust to, no pretenoes of
any real, thorough friendship 1 However there may be a profession of some
common affection that is morally sincere, yet there is no pretence of loving him
more than, yea, not so much as his enemies. What reason to trus£ that they
will be faithful to God as their master, when the religion they profess amounts
to no more than serving two masters ? What reason to trust that they will be
stable in their ways, when they do not pretend to be of a single heart, and all
know that the double-minded persons used to be unstable in all their ways'!
Those who only profess moral sincerity or common grace, do not pretend to love
God above the world. And such grace is what God and man know is liable to
pass away as the early dew and the morning cloud. If what men profess
amounts to nothing beyond lukewarmness, it is not to be expected, that they
will be faithful to the death. If men do not pretend to have any oil in their
vessels, what cause can there be to trust that their lamps will not go out 1 If
they do not pretend to have any root fn them, what cause is there for any dis
appointment when they wither away 1
When God, in the forementioned place, Isa. lxiii., represents himself as
trusting Israel's profession, and saying, Surely they are my people, children that
will not lie ; it cannot be understood, as if he trusted that they were his people
in that sense, in which the ten tribes were called God's people after they had
given up themselves to idolatry for two or three hundred years together without
once repenting. But, surely they are my sincere saints and children, as they
profess to be, Israelites indeed without guile ; for surely they would not do so
evil a thing as to make a lying profession. This seems to be the plain import
of the words. It therefore shows that the profession they made was of real,
Vital godliness.

OF A FULL COMMUNION. 123
V. The eight first verses of the fifty-sixth chapter of Isaiah, I think, afford
good evidence, that such qualifications are requisite in order to a due coming to
the privileges of a visible church state, as I have insisted on. In the four pre
ceding chapters we have a prophecy of gospel times, the blessed state of things
which the Messiah should introduce. The prophecy of the same times is con
tinued in the former part of this chapter. Here we have a prophecy of the
abolishing of the ceremonial law, which was a wall of separation, that kept
two sorts of persons, viz., Eunuchs and Gentiles, out from the ordinances of the
church or congregation of the Lord (for the words congregation and church are
the same), the place of whose meeting was in God's house, within God's waMs,
verse 5, and on God's holy mountain, verse 7. That in the ceremonial law,
which especially kept out the Gentiles, was the law of circumcision, and the
law that the eunuch shall not enter into the congregation or church of the
Lord, we have in Deut. xxiii. 1. Now here it is foretold that in the days when
" God's salvation shall be come, and his righteousness revealed, by the coming
of the Messiah, this wall of separation should be broken down, this ceremonial
law removed out of the way (but still taking care to note, that the law of the
Sabbath shall be continued, as not being one of those ceremonial observances
which shall be abolished) ; and then it is declared, what is the great qualifica
tion which should be looked at in those blessed days, when these external, cer
emonial qualifications of circumcision and soundness of body should no more
be insisted on, viz., piety of heart and practice, joining themselves to the Lord,
loving the name of the Lord, to- be his servants, choosing the things that please
him, &c. Ver. 3. &c, " Neither let the son of the stranger that hath joined
himself to the Lord, speak, saying, The Lord hath utterly separated me from his
people ; neither let the eunuch say, Behold, I am a dry tree ; for thus saith the
Lord unto the eunuchs that keep my Sabbaths, and choose the things that please
me, and take hold of my covenant, even unto them will I give in my house, and
within my walls, a place, and a name better than of sons and of daughters ; I
will give unto them an everlasting name, that shall not be cut off. Also the
sons of the stranger that join themselves to the Lord, to serve him, and to love
the name of the Lord, to be his servants, every one that keepeth the Sabbath
from polluting it, and taketh hold of my covenant : even them will I bring to my
holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer ; their burnt offer
ings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine altar : for mine house
shall be called a house of prayer for all people. The Lord God which gath-
ereth the outcasts of Israel, saith, Yet will I gather others to him besides those
that are gathered unto him."
VI. The representations which Christ makes of his visible church, from
time to time, in his discourses and parables, make the thing manifest which I
have laid down.
As particularly the representation which Christ makes in the latter end of
Matthew vii., of the final issue of things with respect to the different sorts of
members of his visible church : those that only say, Lord, Lord, and those who do
the will of his Father which is in heaven ; those who build their house upon a rock,
and those who build upon the sand. They are all (of both kinds) evidently such
as have pretended to a high honor and regard to Christ, have claimed an inte
rest in him, and accordingly hoped to be finally acknowledged and received as
some of his. Those visible Christians who are not true Christians, for the pre
sent, cry, Lord, Lord; that is, are forward to profess respect, and claim relation
to him ; and will be greatly disappointed hereafter in not being owned by him.
They shall then come and cry, Lord, Lord. This compellation Lord, is com-

124 QUALIFICATIONS
monly given to Jesus Christ in the New Testament, as signifying the special
relation which Christ stood in to his disciples, rather than his universal domin
ion. They shall then come, and earnestly claim relation, as it is represented of
Israel of old, in the day of their distress, and God's awful judgments upon them,
Hos. viii. 2 : " Israel shall cry unto me, My God, we know thee."
To know does not here intend speculative knowledge, but knowing as one
knows his own, has a peculiar respect to, and owns -and has an interest in.
These false disciples shall not only claim interest in Christ, but shall plead and
bring arguments to confirm their claim ; Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in
thy name, and in thy name have cast out.devils, and in thy nameJuive done m&ny
wonderful works ? It is evidently the language of those that are dreadfully
disappointed. Then (says Christ) / will profess unto them, 1 never knew you;
depart from me, ye that work iniquity ; q. d., " Though they profess a relation to
me, I will profess none to them ; though they plead that they know me, and
have an interest in me, I will declare to them that I never owned them as any
of mine ; and will bid them depart from me as those that I will never own, nor
have any thing to do with, in such a relation as they claim." Thus all the
hopes they had lived in, of being hereafter received and owned by Christ, as in
the number of his friends and favorites, are dashed in pieces. This is further
illustrated by what follows, in the comparison of the wise man who built his
house on a rock ; representing those professed disciples who build their hope
of an interest in him on a sure foundation, whose house shall stand in the try
ing day, and the foolish man who built his house on the sand ; representing
those professed disciples or hearers of his word, who build their opinion and
hope of an interest in him on a false foundation, whose house in the great time
of trial shall have a dreadful fall, their vain hope shall issue in dismal disap
pointment and confusion.
On the whole it is manifest that all visible Christians or saints, all Christ's
professing disciples or hearers that profess him to be their Lord, according to the
Scripture notion of professing Christ, are such as profess a saving interest in
him and relation to him, and live in the hope of being hereafter owned as those
that are so interested and related. By those that hear Christ's sayings, in thi?
place, are not meant merely auditors of the word preached ; for there are marrj-
such who make no pretence to an interest in Christ, and have no such hope oi
opinion built on any foundation at all : but those who profess to hearken to,
believe, and yield submission to the word of Christ. This is confirmed by the
manner in which the matter is expressed in Luke vi. 47, " W'hosoever coraetb
to me, and health my sayings, and doeth them, I will show you to whom he
is like :" i. e., whosoever visibly comes to me, and is one of my professed dis
ciples, &c.
This matter is confirmed by that parallel representation that Christ gives us
in Luke xiii. 25—29, of his final disposal of the two different sorts of persons,
that are in the kingdom or church of God ; viz., those who shall be allowed in
his church or kingdom when it comes to its state of glory, anoT those who;
though they have visibly been in it, shall be thrust out of it. It is represented
of the latter, that they shall then come and claim relation and interest, and cry,
Lord, Lord, open unto us ; and Christ shall answer and say, / know you not
whence you are. As much as to say, " Why do you claim relation and acquaint
ance with me T You are strangers to me, I -Ao not own you." Then (it is
said) they shall begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and than
hast taught in our streets. As much as to say, "This is a strange thing that
thou dost not own us ! We are exceedingly surprised that thou shouldst ac-

FOR FULL COMMUNION. 125
count us as strangers that have no part in thee, when We have eaten and drunk
in thy presence," &c. And when he shall finally insist upon it, that he does
not own them, and will have nothing to do with them as his, then there shall
be weeping and gnashing of teeth ; then they shall be filled with dismal disap
pointment, confusion and despair, when they shall see Abraham, Isaac, and
Jacob, and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, with whom they expected
to dwell forever there, and they themselves thrust out. By this it is evident,
that those visible members of the kingdom of God, that hereafter shall be cast
out of it, are such as look upon, themselves now interested in Christ and the
eternal blessings of his kingdom, and make that profession.
The same is manifest by the parable of the ten virgins, Matt. xxv. In the
first verse it is said, The kingdom of heaven [i. e., the church of Christ] is
likened unto ten virgins. The two sorts of virgins evidently represent the two
sorts of members of the visible church of Christ ; the wise, those who are true
Christians ; and the foolish, those who are apparent, but not true Christians.
The foolish virgins were to all appearance the children of the bridechamber;
they were such as to appearance had accepted of the invitation to the weddino-,
which represents the invitations of the gospel, wherein the bridegroom and
bride say, Come ; they herein had testified the same respect to the bridegroom
and bride that the wise had. The parable naturally leads us to suppose, that
they were to appearance every way of the same society with the wise, pretend
ed to be the same sort of persons, in like manner interested in the bridegroom,
and that they were received by the wise under such a notion ; they made a pro
fession of the very same kind of honor and regard to the bridegroom, in going
forth to meet him with their lamps, as his friends to show him respect, and had
the same hope of enjoying the privileges and entertainments of the wedding :
there was a difference with respect to oil in their vessels, but there was no dif
ference with respect to their lamps. One thing intended by their lamps, as I
suppose is agreed by all, is their profession. This is the same in both ; and in
both it is a profession of grace, as a lamp (from its known end and use) is a
manifestation or show of oil. Another thing signified by the blaze of their
lamps seems to be the light oi hope: their lamps signify in general the appear
ance of grace or godliness, including both the appearance of it to the view or
judgment of others, and also to their own view, and the judgment they enter
tain of themselves : their lamps shone, not only in the eyes of others, but also in
their own eyes. This is confirmed, because on the hearing the midnight cry,
they find their lamps are gone out ; which seems most naturally to represent
this to us, that however hypocrites may maintain their hopes while they live,
and while their Judge is at a distance, yet when they come to be alarmed by
the sound of the last trumpet, their hopes will immediately expire and vanish
away, and very often fail them in the sensible approaches of death. Where is
the hope of the hypocrite, when God takes away his soul 1 But till the midnight
cry the foolish virgins seem to entertain the same hopes with the wise ; when
they first went forth with the wise virgins, their lamps shone in their own eyes,
and in the eyes of others, in like manner with the lamps of the wise virgins.
So that by this parable it also appears, that all visible members of the Christian
church, or kingdom of heaven, are those that profess to be gracious persons,
as looking on themselves, and seeming, or at least pretending, to be such.
And that true piety is what persons ought to look at in themselves as the
qualification that is a proper ground for them to proceed upon, in coming into
the visible church of Christ, and taking the privileges of its members^ I think is
evident also from the parable of the marriage, which the king made for his son,

126 QUALIFICATIONS
Matt, xxii., particularly the 11th and 12th verses: "And when the king canu
in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment;
and he saith unto him, Friend, how earnest thou in hither, not having a wed
ding garment 1 And he was speechless." Mr. Stoddard says (Appeal, pages
4, 5), " Here is a representation of the day of judgment; and such persons as
come for salvation without a wedding garment shall be rejected in that day.
So that here being nothing said about the Lord's supper, all arguing from this
Scripture falls to the ground." Upon which I take leave to observe, that the
Icing's coming in to see ihe guests, means Christ's visiting his professing church
at the day of judgment, I make no doubt : but that the guests' coming into the
king's house means persons coming for salvation at the day of judgment, I am
not convinced. If it may properly be represented, that any reprobates will come
for salvation at the day of judgment, they will do so before the king appears ;
but Christ will appear first, and then they will come and cry to him for salva
tion. Whereas, in this parable the guests are represented as gathered together
in the king's house before the king appears, and the king as coming in and
finding them there ; where they had entered while the day of grace lasted,
while the door was kept open, and invitations given forth ; and not like those
who come for salvation at the day of judgment, Luke xiii. 25, who come after
ihe door is shut, and stand without, knocking at the door. I think it is appa
rent beyond all contradiction, that by the guests' coming into the king's house
at the invitation of the servants, is intended Jews and Gentiles coming into the
Christian church, at the preaching of Christ's apostles and others, making pro
fession of godliness, and expecting to partake of the eternal marriage supper.
I showed before, that that which is called the house of God in the New Testa
ment, is his church. Here in this parable the king first sends forth his servants
to call them that were bidden, and they would not come ; and they having re
peatedly rejected the invitation and evil entreated the servants, the king sent
forth his armies and burnt up their city ; representing the Jews being first in
vited, and rejecting the invitations of the gospel, and persecuting Christ's min
isters, and so provoking God to give up Jerusalem and the nation to destruction.
Then the king sends forth his servants into the highways, to call in all sorts ;
upon which many flocked into the king's house ; hereby most plainly repre
senting the preaching of the gospel to the Gentiles, and their flocking into the
Christian church. This gathering of the Gentiles into the kind's house, is
before the day of judgment, and the man without the wedding garment
among them. It fitly represents the resorting that should be to the Christian
church, during the day of grace, through all ages ; but by no means signifies
men's coming for salvation after the day of grace is at an end, at Christ's ap
pearing in the clouds of heaven. Let this parable, be compared with that
parallel place, Luke xiv. 16 — 24. The company gathered to the marriage in
this parable, plainly represents the same thing with the company of virgins
gathered to the marriage in the other parable, Matt, xxv., viz., the company
of visible saints, or the company belonging to the visible kingdom of heaven";
and therefore both parables are introduced alike with these words, The king
dom of heaven is like unto, &c. As to the man's being cast out of the kino-'s
house when the king comes in to see his guests, it is agreeable to other repre

sentations made of false Christians being thrust out of God's kingdom at the
day of judgment ; the servant's not abiding in the house forever, though the son
^-'deth ever : God's talcing away their part out of the holy city, and blotting
ir names out of the book of life, &c.
Mr. Stoddard says, " This person that had not a wedding garment was a

FOR FULL COMMUNION. 127
reprobate; but every one that partakes of the Lord's supper without grace is
not a rebrobate." I answer, all that will be found in the king's house without
grace when the king comes in to see the guests, are doubtless rebrobates.
If it be questioned whether by the wedding garment be meant true piety,
or whether hereby is not intended moral sincerity, let the Scripture interpret
itself; which elsewhere tells us plainly what the wedding garment is at the
marriage of the Son of God : Rev. xix. 7, 8, " The marriage of the Lamb is
come, and his wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she
should he arrayed in fine linen, clean and white; for the fine linen is the right
eousness of saints." None, I suppose, will say, this righteousness that is so
pure, is the common grace of lukewarm professors, and those that go about to
serve God and mammon. The same wedding garment we have an account of
in Psal, xiv. 13, 14 : " The king's daughter is all glorious within, her clothing
is of wrought gold : she shall be brought unto the king in raiment of needle
work." But we need go nowhere else but to the parable itself ; that alone
determines the matter. The wedding garment spoken of as that without which
professors will be excluded from among God's people at the day of judgment,
is not moral sincerity, or common grace, but special saving grace. If common
grace were the wedding garment intended, not only would the king cast out
those that he found without a wedding garment, but also many with a wedding
garment : for all such as shall be found then with no better garment than moral
sincerity will be bound hand and foot, and cast into outer darkness; such a
wedding garment as this will not save them. So that true piety, unfeigned
faith, or the righteousness of Christ which is upon every one that believeth, is
doubtless the wedding garment intended. But if a person has good and proper
ground to proceed on in coming into the Icing's house, that knows he is without
this wedding garment, why should the king upbraid him, saying, How earnest
thou in hither, not having a -wedding garment 1 And why should he be speech
less when asked such a question 1 Would he not have had a good answer to
make 1 viz., " Thou thyself hast given me leave to come in hither, without a
wedding garment." Or this, " Thy own word is my warrant ; which invited
such as had only common grace or moral sincerity to come in."
VII. If we consider what took place, in fact, in the manner and circum
stances of the admission of members into the primitive Christian church, and the
profession they made in order to their admission, as we have these things record
ed in the Acts of the Apostles, it will further confirm the point I have endeavor
ed to prove.
We have an account from time to time, concerning these, of their first being
awakened by the preaching of the apostles and other ministers, and -earnestly
inquiring what they should do to be saved ; and of their being directed to repent
and believe on the Lord Jesus, as the way to have their sins blotted out, and to
be saved ; and then upon their professing that they did believe, of their being
baptized and admitted into the Christian church. Now can any reasonably
imagine, that these primitive converts, when they made that profession in order to
their admission, had any such distinction in view as that which some now make,
if two sorts, of real Christianity, two sorts of sincere faith and repentance, one
with a moral and another with a gracious sincerity 1 Or that the apostles,
who discipled them and baptized them, had instructed them in any such distinc
tion 1 The history informs us of their teaching them but one faith and repent
ance ; believing in Christ that they might be saved, and repentance for the re
mission of sins ; and it would be unreasonable to suppose, that a thought of
any lower or other kind entered into the heads of these converts, when unrne-

128 QUALIFICATIONS
diately upon their receiving such instructions they professed faith and repent
ance ; or that those who admitted them understood them as meaning any lower
or other kind in what they professed.
Let us particularly consider what we are informed concerning those multi
tudes whose admission we have an account of in Acts ii. We are told concern
ing the three thousand first converts, how that they were greatly awakened by
the preaching of the apostles, pricked in their hearts, made sensible of theii
guilt and misery ; " and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, Men and
brethren, what shall we do ?" i. e., What shall we do to be saved, and that
our sins may be remitted l Upon which they directed them what they should do,
viz , Repent and be baptized, in the name of the Lord Jesus, for the remission
of sins. They are here directed into the way of salvation, viz., faith and
repentance, with a proper profession of these. Then, we are told, that " they
which gladly received the word, were baptized;" that is, they which appeared
gladly to re.'eive the word, or manifested and professed a cordial and cheerful
compliance which the calls of the word, with the directions which the apostles
had given them. The manifestation was doubtless by some profession, and the
profession was of that repentance for the remission of sins, and that faith in
Christ, which the apostles had directed them to, in answer to their inquiry,
what they should do to be saved : I can see no ground to suppose they thought of
any lower or other kind. And it is evident by what follows, that these converts
now looked upon it that they had complied with these directions, and so were
at peace with God : their business now is to rejoice and praise God from day
to day : they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship — con
tinuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to
house, they did eat their meat ivith gladness and singleness of heart, praising
God. The account of them now is not as of persons under awakenings, wearj
and heavy laden sinners,- under an awful sense of. guilt and wrath, pricked in
their hearts, as before ; but of persons whose sorrow was turned into joy, look
ing on themselves as now in a good estate. And in the last verse it is said,
"The Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved ;" in the original
it is rovg (Twjo.ust'oiv the saved ; oi acoLojierot was a common appellation given to all
visible Christians, or to all members of the visible Christian church. It is as
much as to say, the converted, or the regenerate. Being converted is in Scrip
ture called a being saved, because it is so in effect ; they were " passed from
death to life," John v. 24. Tit. i. 4, " According to his mercy he saved us, hy
the washing of regeneration, and renewing of "the Holy Ghost." 2 Tim. i.
9, " Who hath saved us, and called us with a holy calling." Not that all who
were added to the visible church were indeed regenerated, but they were so in
profession and repute, and therefore were so in name. 1 Cor. i. 18, "The
preaching of the cross is to them that perish, foolishness ; but unto us [i. e., us
Christians] which are saved [tots cu&uerois] it is the power of God." So
those that from time to time were added to the primitive church, were all call
ed oi ocoZoperoi, the saved. Before, while under awakenings, they used to in
quire of their teachers what they should do to be saved ; and the directions that
used to be. given them, were to repent and believe in Christ ; and before they
were admitted into the church, they professed that they did so : and thencefor
ward, having visibly complied with the terms proposed, they were called the
saved; it being supposed, that they now had obtained what they inquired after
when they asked what they should do to be saved. Accordingly we find that af
ter that, from time to time, Christ's ministers treated them no'more as miserable
perishing sinners, but as true converts ; not setting before them their sin and

FOR FULL COMMUNION. 129
misery to awaken them, and to convince them of the necessity of a Saviour,
exhorting them to fly from the wrath to come, and seek conversion to God ; but
exhorting them to holdfast the profession of their foith, to continue in the grace
of God, and persevere in holiness ; endeavoring by all means to confirm and
strengthen them in grace. Thus when a great number believed and turned
to the Lord at Antioch, Barnabas was sent to them ; " who, when he came,
and had seen the grace of God, was glad, and exhorted them all, that with pur
pose of heart they should cleave to the Lord," Acts xi. 23 ; see also Acts xiii.
43, and xiv. 22, and xv. 32, 41, and xx. 32. And when the apostles heard
of the conversion of the Gentiles to the Christian faith, visible by their profes
sion when they joined themselves to the Christian church, they in charity sup
posed and believed that God had given them saving repentance, and a heart-
purifying faith. Acts xi. 18, " When they heard these thing they held their
peace, and glorified God, saying, Then hath God also granted unto the Gentiles
•repentance unto life." Chap. xv. 9, " And put no difference between us and
them, purifying their hearts by faith."
If any should here object that when such multitudes were . converted from
Judaism and Heathenism, and received into the Christian church in so short a
season, it was impossible there should be time for each one to say so much in his
public profession, as to be any credible exhibition of true godliness to the church :
I answer, this objection will soon vanish, if we particularly consider how the
case was with those.primitive converts, and how they were dealt with by their
-teachers. It was apparently the manner of the first preachers of the gospel,
when their hearers were awakened and brought in good earnest to inquire what
they should do to be saved, then particularly to instruct them in the way of sal
vation, and explain to them what qualifications must be in them, or what they
must do in order to their being saved, agreeable to Christ's direction, Mark xvi.
15, 16. This we find was the method'tliey took with the three thousand, in the
second chapter of Acts, verses 37 — 40. And it seems they were particular and
full in it : they said much more to them than the words recorded. It is said,
verse 40, " With many other words did Peter testify and exhort." And this
we find to be the course Paul and Silas took with the jailer, chap. xvi. Who
also gave more large and full instructions than are rehearsed in the history.
And when they had thus instructed them, they doubtless saw to it, either by
themselves or some others who assisted them, that their instructions were un
derstood by them, before they proceeded to baptize them : for I suppose none
with whom I have to do in this controversy, will maintain, from the apostles'
example, that we ought not to insist on a good degree of doctrinal knowledge
in the way and terms of salvation, as requisite to the admission of members
into the church. And after they were satisfied that they well understood these
things, it took up no great time to make a profession of them, or to declare that
they did, or found in themselves, those things they had been told of as necessary
to their salvation. To be sure, after they had been well informed what saving
faith and repentance were, it took up no more time to profess that faith and re
pentance, than any other. In this ease, not only the converts' words, but the
words of the preacher, which they consented to, and'in effect made their own,
are to be taken into their profession. For persons that are known to be of an
honest character, and manifestly qualified with good doctrinal knowledge of the
nature of true godliness, in the more essential things which belong to it, solemn
ly to profess fhey have or do those things, is to make as credible a professiop of
godliness as I insist upon. And we may also well suppose, that more words
were uttered by the professors, and with other circumstances to render them.
' Vol. I ¦" 17

130 QUALIFICATIONS
credible, than are recorded in that very brief summary history, which we have
of the primitive church in the Acts of the Apostles ; and also we may yet sup
pose one thing further, viz., that in that extraordinary state of things so par
ticular a profession was not requisite in order to the church's satisfaction, either
of doctrines assented to, or of the consent and disposition of the heart, as may
be expedient in a more ordinary state of things ; for various reasons that might
be given, would it not too much lengthen out this discourse.
One thing which makes it very evident, that the inspired ministers of the
primitive Christian church looked upon saving faith as the proper matter of the
profession requisite in order to admission into the church, is the story of Philip
and the eunuch, in Acts viii. For when the eunuch desires to be baptized, Phi
lip makes answer, verse 37, " If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest."
Which words certainly imply, that believing with ail his heart was requisite in
order to his coming to this ordinance properly and in a due manner. I cannot
conceive what should move Philip to utter these words, or what he should aim
at in them, if he at the same time supposed, that the eunuch had no manner of
need to look at any such qualification in himself, or at all to inquire whether he
had such a faith or no, in order to determine whether he might present himself
as the subject of baptism ; many that are without it, being as properly qualified
for this, as they that have it.
It is said by some, that Philip intended nothing more by believing with dU
his heart, than that he believed that doctrine that Jesus Christ was the Son of
God, with a moral sincerity of persuasion. But here again I desire the Scrip
ture may be allowed to be its own interpreter. The Scripture very much
abounds with such phrases as this, with all the heart, or with the whole heart, in
speaking of religious matters. And the manifest intent of them is to signify a
gracious simplicity and godly sincerity. Thus, 1 Sam. xii. 20, " Turn not aside
from following the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart." So verse 24,
" Only fear the Lord, and serve him in truth, with all your heart." 1 Kings
viii. 23, " Who keepest covenant and mercy with thy servants, that walk before
thee with all their heart." Chap. xiv. 8, " My servant David, who kept my
commandments, and who followed me with all his heart." 2 Kings x. 31,
" But Jehu took no heed to -walk in the law of the Lord God of Israel with all his
heart." 2 Chron. xxii. 9, " Jehoshaphat sought the Lord with all his heart."
Chap. xxxi. 20, 21, "Hezekiah wrought that which was good and right
and truth before the Lord his God ; and in every work that he began in the
service of the house of God, and in thelaw and in the commandments, to seek
his God, he did it with all his heart." Psal. ix. 1, " I will praise thee, 0 Lord,
with my whole heart." Psal. Ixxxvi. 12, " I will praise thee, O Lord my God,
with all my heart, and will glorify thy name." Psal. cxi. 1,"I will praise
thee, 0 Lord, with my whole heart, in the assembly of the upright." And cxix.
2, " Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole
heart." Verse 10, " With my whole heart have I sought thee." Verse 34,
*' Give me understanding, and I shall keep thy law, yea,. I shall observe it with
my whole heart." Verse 69, " The proud have forged a lie against me, hut I
will keep thy precepts with my whole heart." Jer. xxiv. 7, " And I will give
them a heart to know me — for they shall return unto me with their whole
heart." Joel ii. 12, "Turn ye even unto me with all your heart — and rend your
heart, and not your garments." And we have the like phrases in innumerable
other places. And I suppose that not so much as one place can be produced,
wherein there is the least evidence or appearance of their being used to
signify any thing but a gracious sincerity. And indeed it must be a very im-

FOR FULL COMMUNION. 131
proper use of language, to speak of those as performing acts of religion with
all their hearts, whose heart the Scriptures do abundantly represent as under
the reigning power of sin and unbelief, and as those that do not give God their
hearts, but give them to other things ; as those who go about to serve tv)o mas
ters, and as those who indeed draw near to God with their lips, but have at the
same time their hearts far from him, and running more after other things; and
who have not a single eye nor single heart. The word believe, in the New
Testament, answers to the word trust in the Old ; and therefore the phrase used
by Philip, oi believing with all the heart, is parallel to that in Proverbs iii., " Trust
in the Lord with all thine heart." And believing with the heart, is a phrase used
in the New Testament to signify saving faith — Rom. x. 9, 10, " If thou shalt
believe in thine heart, that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be
saved; for - With the heart man believeth unto righteousness." The same is
signified by obeying the form of doctrine from the heart, Rom. vi. 17. 18, " But
God be thanked that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the
heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you ; being then made free
from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness." Here it is manifest, that
saving faith is intended by obeying the form of doctrineyrom the heart. And
the same is signified as if it had been said, ye have believed with the heart the
form of doctrine. But Philip uses a yet stronger expression, he does not only
say, if thou believest with the heart, or from the heart, but with all thine heart.
And besides, for any to suppose, that those same persons which the Scriptures
represent in some places as under the power of an evil heart of unbelief ; and as
double minded with regard to their faith, James i. 6, 7, 8 ; and as those who though
they believe for a while, yet have their hearts like a rock, in which faith has no
root, Luke viii. ; and yet that this same sort of persons are in other Scriptures
spoken of as believing with all their heart ; I say, for any to suppose this, would
be to make the sound or voice of God's word not very harmonious and conso
nant to itself. And one thing more I would observe on this he ad, there is good
reason to suppose that Philip, while he sat in the chariot with the eunuch, and
(as we are told) preached unto him Jesus, had showed to him the way of sal
vation, had opened to him the way of getting an interest in Christ, or obtain
ing salvation by him, viz., believing in him, agreeably to Christ's own direction,
Mark xvi. 15, 16. And agreeably to what we find to be the manner of the
first preachers of the gospel : and therefore now, when after this discourse he
puts it to the eunuch, whether he believed with all his heart ; it is natural to
suppose, that he meant whether he found his heart acquiescing in the gospel
way of salvation, or whether he sincerely exercised that belief in Christ which
he had been inculcating ; and it would be natural for the eunuch so to under
stand him.
Here if it be objected that the eunuch's answer, and the profession he here
upon made (wherein he speaks nothing of his heart, but barely says), I believe
that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, shows that he understood no more by the
inquiry than whether he gave his assent to that doctrine : to this I answer; we
must take this confession of the eunuch's together with Philip's words, which
they were a reply to, and expound the one by the other. Nor is there any rea
son but to understand it in the same sense in which we find the words of the
like confession elsewhere in the New Testament, and as the words of such a
confession were wont to be used in those days, as particularly the words of
Peter's confession, Matt. xvi. 16, " And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou
art Christ the Son of the living God :" which was a profession of saving faith,
as appears by what Christ says upon it. And we read, 1 Cor. xii. 3, " No man

132 QUALIFICATIONS
can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost." Not but that a man
might make a profession in these words, without the Holy Ghost, but he could
not do it heartily, or with alt. his heart. . So 1 John iv. 15, " Whosoever shall
confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God."
i. e., Whoever makes this Christian confession (this profession which all Chris
tians were wont to make) cordially, or with his whole heart, God dwells in
him, &c. But it was thus that the eunuch was put upon making this, confes
sion. VIII. It is apparent by the epistles of the apostles to the primitive Christian
churches, their manner of addressing and treating them throughout all those
epistles, and what they say to them and of them, that all those churches were
constituted of members so qualified as has been represented, having such a visi
bility of godliness aS has been insisted on ; those who were reputed to be real
saints, were taken into the church under a notion of their being truly pious per
sons, made that profession, and had this hope of themselves ; and that natural
and graceless men were not admitted designedly, but unawares, and beside the
aim of the primitive churches and ministers ; and that such as remained in good
standing, and free from an offensive behavior, continued to have the reputation and
esteem of real saints, with the apostles, and one with another.
There were numbers indeed in these churches, who after their admission fell
into an offensive behavior ; some of which the apostles, in their epistles, speak
doubtfully of ; others that had behaved themselves very scandalously, they
speak of in language that seems to suppose them to be wicked men. The apos
tle Paul in his epistle to the Corinthians, oftentimes speaks of some among them
that had embraced heretical opinions, and had behaved themselves in a very
disorderly and schismatical manner, whom he represents as exposed to censure,
and to whom he threatens excommunication ; and upon occasion of so many
offences of this kind appearing among them that for a while had been thought
well of, he puts them all upon examining themselves, whether they were in
deed in the faith, and whether Christ was truly in them, as they and others had
supposed, 2 Cor. xiii. And the same apostle speaks of great numbers among
the Galatians, who had made a high profession, and were such as he had
thought well of when they were first admitted into the church, but since had
given him cause to doubt of their state, by giving heed to seducers, that denied
the great gospel doctrine oi justification by faith alone : yet notwithstanding,
the apostle speaks of them in such language as shows surprise and disappoint
ment, and implies that he had looked upon them as true Christians, and hoped
that his labors among them had had a saving effect upon them. Gal. i. 6, " I
marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of
Christ, unto another gospel." Chap. iv. 11, " I am afraid of you, lest I have
bestowed upon you labor in vain." And ver. 20, " I desire to be present with
you now, and change my voice ; for I stand in doubt of you.',' As much as to
say, " I have heretofore addressed you with the voice of -love and charity, as
supposing you the dear children of God ; but now I begin to think of speaking
to you in other language." In the same chapter, to show them what little rea
son he had to expect that they would come to this, he puts them in mind of the
great profession they had made, and the extraordinary appearances there had
formerly been in them of fervent -piety. Ver. 15, " Where is the blessedness
you spake of? For I bear you record, that if it had been possible ye would
have plucked out your own eyes, and have given. them unto me." The Apos
tle James in his epistle, speaks of scandalous persons amon* the twelve tribes
that were scattered. abroad;. some that were men oi unbridled tongues ; some

FOR FULL COMMUNION. 133-
that seem to have been a kind of Antinomians in their principles, and of a very-
bitter and violent spirit, that reproached, condemned, and cursed their brethren,
and raised wars an& fightings among professing Christians, and were also very
unclean in their practice, adulterers and adulteresses, chap, iv. 4. And in the
5th chapter of his epistle, he seems to speak to the unbelieving Jews, who per
secuted the Christians, ver. 6. And the apostles are also often speaking of
some that had once been admitted into the church, crept in unawares, who had
apostatized from Christianity, and finally proved notoriously wicked men. But
otherwise, and as to such members of the visible chureh as continued in the
same good standing and visibility of Christianity, wherein they were admitted,
it is evident by the epistles of the apostles, they were all in the eye of a Chris
tian judgment truly pious or gracious persons. And here I desire the following
things may be particularly observed.
The apostles continually, in their epistles, speak to them and of them, as
supposing and judging them to be gracious persons. Thus the Apostle Paul,
in his epistle to the church of the Romans, chap. i. 7, speaks of the members of
that church as beloved of God. In chap. vi. 17, 18, &c, he " thanks God, that
they had obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which had been delivered
them, and Were made free from sin, and become the servants of righteousness,"
&c. The apostle in giving thanks to God for this, must not only have a kind of
negative charity for them, as not knowing but that they were gracious persons,
and so charitably hoping (as we say) that it was so ; but he seems to have
formed a positive judgment that they were such : his thanksgiving must at least
be founded on rational probability ; since it would be butmocking of God to
give him thanks for bestowing a mercy which at the same time he did not see
reason positively to believe was bestowed. In chap. vii. 4, 5, 6, the apostle
speaks of them as those .that once were in the flesh, and were under the law, but
now delivered from the law, and dead to it. In chap. viii. 15, and following
verses, he tells thetn,they had received the Spirit of adoption, and speaks of them
as having the witness of the Spirit that they were the children of God, heirs of
God, andjfiint heirs with Christ. And the whole of his discourse, to fhe end
of the chapter, implies, that he esteemed them truly gracious persons. In chap.
ix. 23, 24, he speaks of the Christian Romans, together with all other Chris
tians, both Jews and Gentiles, as vessels of mercy. In xiv. 6, 7, 8, speaking
of the difference that then Was among professing Christians, in point of regard
to the ceremonial institutions of the law, he speaks of both parties as acting
from a gracious principle, and as those that lived to the Lord, and should die
unto the Lord ; " He that regardeth the day, regardefh it unto the Lord, &c.
For none of us liveth to himself, and no man [i.e. noneofus'] dieth to himself.
For whether we live, we live unto the Lord, or whether we die, we die unto
the Lord : whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord's." In chap. xv.
14, he says, " I myself also am persuaded of you, my brethren, that ye are full
of goodness." ,His being thus persuaded implies a positive judgment of charity
Arid the same apostle in his first epistle to the Corinthians, directs it tp " the
church at Corinth, that are sanctified in, Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with
all that in every place call on the name of the Lord Jesus;" i. e., to all visible
Christians through the world, or all the members of Christ's visible church ev
erywhere : and continuing his speech of these,, chap. i. 8, he speaks of them as
those, " that God would confirm to the end, that they may he blameless in the
day of our Lord Jesus Christ :" plainly speaking of them all, as persons, in
Christian esteem, savingly converted. In the next verse, he speaks of the faith
fulness of God as engaged thus to preserve them ,to salvation, having called them

134 QUALIFICATIONS
to the fellowship of his Son. And in the 30th verse, he speaks of them as hav
ing a saving interest in Christ: " Of him are ye in Christ Jesus ; who of God
is made unto us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption." In
chap. iii. 21, 22, 23, he says to the members of the church of Corinth, " All
things are yours, whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or
death, or things present, or things to come ; all are yours, and ye are Christ's."
In chapter iv. 15, he tells them, he had begotten them through the gospel. In
chap vi. 1. 2, 3, he speaks of them as " those who shall judge the world, and
shall judge angels:" and in ver. 11, he says to them, "Ye are washed, ye are
sanctified, ye are justified, in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of
God." And in chap. xv. 49, to the end, he speaks of them as having an h>
terest, with him and other Christians, in the happiness and glory of the raw-
rection of the just. And in his second epistle, chap. i. 7, he says to them, " Our
hope of you is steadfast ; knowing that as you are partakers of the sufferings,
so shall ye be also of the consolation." This steadfast hope. implies a positive
judgment. We must here understand the apostle to speak of such members of
the church of Corinth, as had not visibly backslidden, as they whom he else
where speaks doubtfully of. Again, in the 14th and 15th verses, he speaks of a
confidence which he had that they should be his rejoicing in the day of the Lord
Jesus. In- all reason, we must conclude, there was a visibility of grace, carry
ing with it an apparent probability in the eyes of the Apostle', which was the
ground of this his confidence. Such an apparent probability, and his confi
dence as built upon it, are both expressed in chap. iii. 3, 4, " Ye are manifest
ly declared to be the epistle of Christ, ministered by us ; written not with ink,
but with the Spirit of the living God ; not in tables of stone, but in the fleshly
tables of the heart ; and such trust have we through Christ to God-ward." And
in ver. 18, the apostle speaks of them, with himself and other Christians, as all
with open face, beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, and being chang
ed into ihe same image from glory to glory.
And in the epistle to the churches of Galatia, chap. iv. 26, the apostle speaks
of visible Christians, as visibly belonging to heaven, the Jerusalem which is
above. And, ver. 28, 29, represents them to be the children of the promise, as
Isac was ; and born after the Spirit. In the 6th verse of the same chapter, he
says to the Christian Galatians, because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the
Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. And in chap. vi. 1,
he speaks of those of them that had not fallen into scandal, as spiritual per
sons. In his epistle to that great church of Ephesus, at the beginning, he blesse?
God on behalf of the members of that church, as being together with himself
and all the faithful in- Christ Jesus, " chosen in him before the foundation of
the world, to be holy and without blame before him in love, being predestina
ted to the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself," according to the good
pleasure of his will, to the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein God had
made them accepted in the beloved ; in whom they had redemption through his
blood, the forgiveness of sins." In chap. i. 13, 14, he thus writes to them : " In
whom ye also trusted. — In whom after ye believed, ye were sealed with the
Holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance, until the redemp
tion of the purchased possession." And in chap. ii. at the beginning : " You
hath he quickened who were dead in trespasses and sins." With much more,
showing that they were, in a charitable esteem, regenerated persons, and heirs
of salvation. »
So in the epistle to the members of the church of Philippi, the apostie sa

FOR FULL COMMUNION. 135
luting them in the beginning of it, tells them that he " thanks God upon every
remembrance of them for their fellowship in the gospel ; being confident of
this very thing, that he which had begun a good work in them, would perform
it until the day of Christ : even (says he) as it is meet for me to think this of
you all." If it was meet for him to think this of them, and to be confident of
it, he had at least some appearing rational probability to found his judgment
and confidence upon; for. surely it is not meet for reasonable creatures to
think at random, and be confident without reason. In verses 25, 26, he speaks
of his " confidence that he should come to them for their furtherance and joy of
faith, that their rejoicing might be more abundant in Christ Jesus." Which
words certainly suppose that they were persPns who had already received Christ,
and comfort in him ; had already obtained faith and joy in Christ, and only
needed to have it increased.
In the epistle to the members of the church of Cbldsse, the apostle saluting
them in the beginning of the epistle, " gives thanks for their faith in Christ
Jesus, and love to .all saints, and the hope laid up for them in heaven;" and
speaks of " the gospel's bringing forth fruit in them, since the day they knew
the grace of God. in truth;" i. e., since the day of their saving conversion. In
chap. i. 8, he speaks of " their love in the Spirit." Verses 12, 13, 14, he speaks
of them as "made meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light;
as being delivered from the power- of darkness, and translated into the kingdom
of God's dear Son ; as having redemption through Christ's blood, and the for
giveness of sins." In chap. iii. at the beginning, he speaks of them as " risen
with Christ ; as being dead [i. e. to the law, to sin, and the world] ; as having their
life hid with Christ in God ;" and being such as " when Christ their life should
appear, should appear with him in glory." In ver. 7, he speaks of them as
" having once walked and lived in lusts, but having now put off the old man
with his deeds, and put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after
the image of him that created him."
In the first epistle to the members of the church of Thessalonica, in words
annexed to his salutation, chap, i., he declares what kind of visibility there was
of their election of God, in the appearance there had been of true and saving
conversion, and their consequent holy life, verses 3 — 7. And in the beginning;
of the second epistle, he speaks of their faith and love greatly increasing; and
in verse 7, he expresses his confidence of meeting them in eternal rest, when the
Lord Jesus .Christ should be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels. And
in chap. ii. 13, he gives thanks to God, that from the beginning he had chosen
them to salvation.
In the epistle to the Christian Hebrews, though the apostle speaks of some
that once belonged to their churches, but had apostatized and proved themselves
hypocrites; yet concerning the rest that remained in good standing, he says,
chap. vi. 9, I am persuaded better things of you, and things that accompany
salvation. (Where we may again note, his being thus persuaded, evidently im
plies -a positive judgment.) And in chap. xii. 22,- &c, he speaks of them as
visibly belonging to the glorious society of heaven. And in chap. xiii. 5, 6, he
speaks of them as those who may boldly say, The Lord is my helper.
The Apostle James, writing to the Christians of the twelve tribes which were
•scattered abroad, speaks of them as regenerated persons, meaning, as I observed
before, those which were in good standing. Chap. i. -18, "Of his own will
begat he us by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of first fruits of his
creatures. The Apostle. Peter, writing to the Jewish Christians, scattered
throughout Poritus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia (large countries, and

136 QUALIFICATIONS
therefore they must in the whole be supposed to be a great multitudeof people),
to all these the apostle in the inscription or direction of his first epistle, gives
the title of elect, according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through
sanctiflcation of the Spirit unto obedience, and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus
Christ. And in the verses next following, speaks of them as regenerated; " or
begotten again to a lively hope, to an inheritance incorruptible," &c. And as
" kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation :" and says to them in
verses 8, 9, " Whom (namely, Christ) having not seen, ye love ; in whom
though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and
full of glory ; receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls."
And in verse 18, to the end, the apostle speaks of them as " redeemed from their
vain conversation, by the precious blood of Christ. — And as having purified their
souls in obeying the truth through the Sprit.— Being born again of incorrupti
ble seed," &c. And in the former part of chap. ii. he speaks of them as
*' living stones, coming to Christ, and on him built up a spiritual house,, a holy
priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus
Christ. — And as those that believe, to whom Christ is precious. — 8s a chosen
generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people, called out of
darkness into marvellous light." The church at Babylon, occasionally men
tioned in chap. v. 13, is said to be elected together 'with them. And in his second
epistle (which appears by chap. iii. 1, to be written to the same persons) the
inscription is, To them which have obtained like precious faith with us, i. e.r
with the apostles and servants of Christ. And in the third chapter, he tells, them
both his epistles were designed to stir up their pure minds.
In the first epistle of John, written (for aught appears) to professing Chris
tians in general, chap. ii. 12, &c, the apostle tells them, " He writes to them
because their sins were forgiven, because they had known him that was from
the beginning. — Because they had overcome the wicked one," &c. In verses
20, 21, he tells them " they have an unction from the Holy One, and know all
things ; and that he did not write to them because they had not known the
truth, but because they had known it," &c. And in verse 27, he says, " The
anointing which ye have received of him, abideth in you, and ye need not that
any man should teach you ; but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things,
and is truth, and is no lie; and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in
him." And in the beginning of chap. iii. he addresses them as those " who were
the sons of God, who when he should appear should be like him, because they
should see him as he is." In chap, iv.4, he says, " Ye are of God, little chil
dren, and have overcome," &c. •
The Apostle Jude, in his general epistle, speaks much of apostates and their
-wickedness; but to other professing Christians, that had not fallen away, he
says, verses 20, 21, " But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy
faith, praying in the Holy dhost, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking
for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life :" plainly supposing that
they had professed faith with love to God our Saviour, and were by the apostle
considered as his friends and lovers. — Many other passages to the like puspose
might be observed in the epistles, but these may suffice.
Now how unaccountable would these things be, if the case was, that the
members of the primitive Christian churches were not admitted into them under
any such notion as their being really godly persons and heirs of eternal life, nor
-with any respect of.such a character appearing on them ; and that they them-:
selves joined to these churches without any such pretence, as having no such
opinion of themselves !

FOR FULL COMMUNION. 137
But it is particularly evident that they had such an opinion of themselves-,
as well as the apostles of them, by many things the apostles say in the epistles.
Thus in Rom. viii. 15, 16, the apostle speaks Pf them as " having received the
Spirit of adoption, the Spirit of God bearing witness with their spirits, that they
were the children of God." And chap. v. 2, " Of their rejoicing in hope of
the glory of God." In 1 Cor. i. 7, he speaks of them as waiting for the com- '
;ng of the Lord Jesus. In chap. xv. 17, the apostle says to the members of
the church of Corinth, " If Christ be not raised, your faith is vain, ye are yet in
your sins." Plainly supposing, that they hoped their sins were forgiven. In
Philip, i. 25, 26, the apostle speaks of his coming to Philippi, to " increase their
joy of faith, and that their rejoicing in Christ might be more abundant." Im
plying (as was observed before) that they had received comfort already, in some
degree, as supposing themselves to have a saving interest in Christ. In 1
Thess. i. 10, he speaks of the members of the church of Thessalonica as " wait
ing for Christ from heaven, as one who had delivered them from the wrath to
come." In Heb. vi. 9, 10, he speaks of the Christian Hebrews as having that
" hope which was an anchor to their souls." The Apostle Peter, 1 Epis. i. 3,
6, 8, 9, speaks of the visible Christians he wrote to, as being " begotten to a
lively hope, of an inheritance incorruptible, &c. Wherein they greatly
rejoiced," &c. And even the members of the church of Laodicea, the very
worst of all the seven churches of Asia, yet looked upon themselves as truly
gracious persons, and made that profession ; they said', " they were rich, and
increased in goods, and knew not that they were wretched and miserable," &c.
Rev. iii. 17.
It is also evident, that the members of these primitive churches had this
judgment one of another, and of the members of the visible church of Christ
in general. In 1 Thess. iv. 13, &c, the apostle exhorts the Christian Thessa-
lonians, in mourning for their deceased friends who were visible Christians,
net to sorrow as the hopeless Heathen were wont to do for their departed
friends; and that upon this. consideration, that they had reason to expect to
meet them again in glorious circumstances at the day of judgment, never to
part more. The ground of comfort concerning their dead friendsj which the
apostle here speaks of, is evidently something more than such a hope as it may
be supposed we ought to have of all that profess Christian doctrines, and are
not scandalous in life, whom we must, forbear to censure, because we do not
know but they are true saints. The members of the church of Sardis, next to
Laodicea, the worst of the seven churches of Asia, yet had a name that they
lived ; though Christ, who speaks of these seven churches from heaven, in the
character of the Searcher of Hearts (see Rev. ii. 23), explicitly tells them that
they were dead ; perhaps all in a dead frame, and the most in a dead state.
These things evidently show, how all the Christian churches through the
world were constituted in those days ; and what sort of holiness or saintship it
was, that all visible Christians in good standing had a visibility and profession
oi, in that apostolic age; and also what sort of visibility of this they had, viz.,
not only that which gave them right to a kind of negative charity, or freedom
from censure, but that which might justly induce a positive judgment in their
favor. The churches that these espistles were written to, were all the principal
churches in the world; some of them very large, as the churches of Corinth
and Ephesus. Some of the epistles- were directed to all the churches through
large countries where the gospel had had great success, as the epistle to the
Galatians. The epistle to the Hebrews was written to all the Jewish Christians
in the land of Canaan, in distinction from the Jews that lived in other countries,
Vol. I. 18

138 QUALIFICATIONS
who were called Hellenists or Grecians, because they generally spake the
Greek tongue. The epistles of Peter were written to all the Christian Jews
through many countries, :Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia;
where were great numbers of Jews, beyond any other Gentile countries. The
epistle of James was directed to all Christian Jews, scattered abroad through
the whole world. The epistles of John and Jude, for aught appears in those
epistles, were directed to all visible Christians through the whole world. And
the Apostle Paul directs the first epistle to the Corinthians, not only to the mem
bers of that church, but to all professing Christians through the face of the
earth. 1 Cor. i. 2, and chap. xiv. 33, speaking of the churches in general, he
calls them all churches of the saints. And by what Christ says to the churches
of Sardis and Laodicea in the Apocalypse, of 'whom more evil is said than of
any Christian churches spoken of in the New Testament, it appears that even
the members of those churches looked on themselves as in a state of salvation,
and had such a name with others.
Here possibly some may object, and say, it will not follow from the apostles
speaking to and of the members of the primitive church after the manner
which has been observed, as though they supposed them to be gracious persons,
that therefore a profession and appearance of this was looked upon in those
days as a requisite qualification for admission into the visible- church ; because
another reason may be given for it, viz., Such was the extraordinary state of
things at that day, that it so came to pass, that the greater part of those con
verted from Heathenism and Judaism to Christianity, were hopefully gracious
persons, by reason of its being a day of such large communications of divine
grace, and such great aud unavoidable sufferings of professors, &c. And the
apostles knowing those facts, might properly speak to, and of the churches, as
if they were societies of truly gracious persons, because there was just-ground
on such accounts, to think the greater part of them to be so; although no pro
fession or visibility of this was requisite in their members by the constitution
of those churches, and the door of admission was as open for others as for
such. But it will appear, this cannot be a satisfactory nor true account of the mat
ter, if we consider the following things.
(1.) The apostles in the very superscription or direction of their letters to
these churches, and in their salutations at the beginning of their epistles,- speak
of them as gracious persons. For instance, the Apostle Peter, in the direction
of his first letter to all professing Jewish Christians through many countries,
says thus : " To the strangers scattered through Pontus,"&c, elect, according to
the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit unto
obedience, and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ." And in directing his
second epistle to the same persons, he says thus :' " Simon Peter, a servant and
an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with
us," &c. And the Apostle Paul directs his epistle to the Romans thus: " To
them that be at Rome, beloved of God." So he directs his first epistle to the
Corinthians thus: " Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that
are sanctified in Christ Jesus." In what sense he means sanctified, his follow
ing words show, ver. 4, 7, 8, 9. The same was before observed of words
annexed to the apostle's salutations, in theibeginning of several of the epistles.
This shows that the apostles extend this character as far as they do the epistles
themselves. Which surely would be very improper, and not agreeable to truth,
if the apostles at the same time knew very well that such a character did not
belong to members of churches, as such, and that they were not received into

FOR FULL COMMUNION. 139
those churches with any regard to such a character, or upon the account of any
right they had to be esteemed such manner of persons. In the superscription
of letters to societies of men, we are wont to give them that tide or denomi
nation which" properly belongs to them as members of such a body. Thus, if
one should write to the Royal Society in London, or the Royal Academy of
Sciences at Paris, it would be proper and natural to give them the title of
Learned ; for whether every one of the members truly deserve the epithet, or
not, yet the' title is agreeable to their profession, and what is known to be
aimed at, and is professedly insisted on, in the admission of members. But if
one shonld write" to the House of Commons, or to the East India Company,
and in his superscription give them the title of Learned, this would be very
improper and ill-judged ; because that character does not belong to their pro
fession as members of that body, and learning \s not a qualification looked at
or insisted on in their admission of members. Nor would it excuse the impro
priety, though the writer might, from his special acquaintance, know it to be
fact, that the greater part of them were men of learning, If one man should
happen once thus to inscribe a letter to them, it would be something strange ;
but more strange, if he should do it from time to time, or if it should appear,
by various instances, to be a custom so to direct letters to such societies ; as it
seems to be the manner of the apostles, in their epistles to Christian churches,
to address them under titles which imply a profession and visibility of true
holiness. (2.) The Apostle John, in his general epistle, does very plainly maifest,
that all whom he wrote to were supposed to have true grace, inasmuch as he
declares this the qualification he has respect to in writing to them, and lets them
know he writes to them for that reason, because they are supposed to be per
sons of the character of such as have known God, overcome the wicked one, and
have had their sins forgiven them. 1 John ii. 12, 13, 14, 21.
(3.) The apostles, when speaking of such as they write to, viz., visible
Christians, as a society, and representing what belongs to such a kind or sort of
society as the visible church is, they speak of it as visibly (i. e., in profession
and reputation) a society of gracious persons. So the Apostle Peter speaks of
them as a spiritual house, a holy and royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar
people, a chosen or elect generation, called out of darkness into marvellous light,
1 -Pet. ii. The Apostle Paul also speaks of "them as the family of God, Eph.
ii. 19. And in the next chapter he explains himself to mean that family, a
part of which is in heaven ; i. e., they were by profession and in visibility a
part of that heavenly'and divine family.
(4.) The Apostle Paul speaks expressly, and from time to time, of the
members of the churches he wrote to, as all oi them in esteem and visibility
truly gracious persons. Philip, i. 6, " Being confident of this very thing, that
be which has begUn a good work in you will perform it until the day of the
Lord Jesus Christ : even as it is meet for me to think this of you all" (that
is, all singly taken, not collectively, according to the distinction before observ
ed). So Gal. iv. 26, "Jerusalem which is above, which is the mother of us
all." Rom. vi. 3, " As many of us as have been baptized into Christ, have
been baptized into his death." Here he speaks of all that have been baptized;
and in the continuation of the discourse, explaining what is here said, he speaks
of their being " dead to sin ; no longer under the law, but under grace ; hav
ing obeyed the form' of doctrine from the heart, being made free from sin, and
become the servants of righteousness," &c. Rom. xiv. 7, 8, "None of us liveth
to himself, and no man dieth to himself" (taken together with the context);

140 QUALIFICATIONS
2 Cor. iii. 18, " We all with open face, beholding as in a glass," &c. and
Gal. iii. 26, "Ye are all the children of God by faith."
(5.) It is evident, that even in those churches where the greater part of the
members were not true saints, as in those degenerate churches of Sardis and
Laodicea, which we may suppose were become very lax in their admissions and
discipline; yet they looked upon themselves as truly gracious persons, and had
with others the reputation of such.
(6.) If we should suppose, that by reason of the extraordinary state of things
in that day, the apostle had reason to think the greater part of the members of
churches to be true Christians, yet unless profession and appearance of true
Christianity was their proper qualification, and the ground of their admission,
and unless it was supposed that all of them esteemed themselves true Christians,
it is altogether unaccountable that the apostles in their epistles to them never
make any express particular distinction between those different sorts of mem
bers. If the churches were made up of persons who the apostles knew looked
on themselves in so exceeding' different a state, some the children of God, and
others the children of the devil, some the high favorites of heaven and heirs of
eternal glory, others the children of wrath, being under condemnation to eter
nal death, and every moment in danger of dropping into hell: I say, if this
was the case, why do the apostles make no distinction in what they say to them
or of them, in their manner of addressing them, in the things they set before
them, and in the counsels, reproofs and warnings they gave them 1 Why do
the apostles .in their epistles never apply themselves or direct their speech to
the unconverted members of the churches, in particular, in a manner tending to
awaken them, and make them sensible of the miserable condition they were in,
and press them to seek the converting grace of God ? It is to be considered,
that the Apostle Paul was very particularly acquainted with the circumstances
of most of those churches he wrote to ; for he had been among them, was their
spiritual father, had been the instrument of gathering and founding, those
churches, and they had received all their instructions and directions relating to
Christianity and their soul concerns from him ; nor can it be questioned but
that many of them had opened the case of their souls to him. And if he was
sensible, that there was a number among them that made no pretensions to be
ing in a regenerate state, and that he and others had no reason to judge them
to be in such a state, he knew that the sin of such who lived in the rejection of
a Saviour, even in the very house of God, in the midst of gospel light, and in
violation of Ihe most sacred vows, was peculiarly aggravated, and their guilt
and state peculiarly dreadful. Why should he therefore never particularly and
distinctly point his addresses to such, applying himself to. them in much com
passion to their souls, and putting them in mind of their awful circumstances 1
But instead of this, continually lumping all together, and indifferently addressing
the whole body, as if they were all in happy circumstances, expressing his char
ity for them all, and ongratulating them all in their glorious and eternal privi
leges ; and instead of speaking to them in such a manner as should have a
tendency to alarm them with a sense of danger, on the contrary, calling on att
without distinction, from time to time, to rejoice 1 Philip, iii 1 « Finally my
brethren, rejoice in the Lord." So, 2 Cor. xiii. 11, " Finally, brethren, be of
good comfort. Philip, iv. 4. " Rejoice in the Lord alway,, and again I say,
Rejoice." The matter is insisted upon, as though rejoicing were a duty espe
cially proper for them, and what they had the highest reason for. The apoV
tie not only did not preach terror to those whom he wrote to, but is careful to
guard them against fears of God's wrath; as in 1 Thess. v. at the beginning,

FOR FULL COMMUNION. 141
when the apostle there observes how that Christ will come on ungodly men
' as a thief in the night ; and when they shall say, Peace and safety, then sud
den- destruction shall come upon them, as travail on a woman with child, and
they shall not escape ;" he immediately uses caution, that the members of the
church of Thessalonica should not take this to themselves, and be terrified, as
though they were in danger ; and says, in the next .words, " But ye, brethren,
are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief; ye are all
the children of light, and the children of the day." And says, in the 9th, 10th,
and 11th verses, "For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain sal
vation by our Lord Jesus Christ ; who died for us, that whether we wake or
sleep, we should live together with him. Wherefore comfort yourselves to
gether, and edify one another; even as also ye do." And ver. 16, he says,
" Rejoice evermore." How diverse is this way of treating churches, from the
method in which faithful ministers are wont to deal with their congregations,
wherein are many that make no pretence to true piety, and from the way in
which Mr. Stoddard was' wont to deal with his congregation ! And how would
he have undoubtedly judged such a way of treating them the most direct course
in the world eternally to undo them ! And shall we determine that the Apostle
Paul was one of those prophets who daubed with untempered mortar, and sewed
pillows under all arm-holes, and healed the hurt of immortal souls slightly, cry
ing, Peace, peace, when there was no peace" 1 These things make it most evident,
that the primitive churches were not constituted k as those modern churches,
where persons knowing and owning themselves unregenerate, are admitted, on
principle. If it be here objected, that the apostle sometimes exhorts those that he
writes to, to put off the old man, and put on the new man, and to be renewed in
the spirit of their minds, &c, as exhorting them to seek conversion : I answrer,
that the meaning is manifestly but this, That they should mortify the remains
of corruption, or the old man, and turn more and more from sin tOj God. Thus
he exhorts the Ephesians to be renewed, &c, Eph. iv. 22, 23, whom yet he
had before in the same epistle abundantly represented as savingly renewed al
ready; as has been before observed. And the like might be shown of other
instances. (7.) It is a clear evidence, not only that it happened that the greater part
of the members of the primitive churches were to appearance true Christians;
but that they were taken in under that notion, and because there appeared in
them grounds of such an estimation of them ; and when any happened to be
admitted that were otherwise, it was beside their aim ; inasmuch as when
others were admitted, they are represented as brought or crept in unawares.
Thus the matter is represented by the apostles : Jude, verse 4, " There are cer
tain men crfept in unawares — ungodly men, turning the grace of God into las-
civiousness." Gal. ii. 4, "False brethren, unawares brought in." If it be
said, these here spoken of were openly scandalous persons and heretics : I
answer, they were not openly scandalous when they were brought in ; nor is
there any reason to think they were heretics when admitted, though afterwards
they turned apostates. Mr. Stoddard says, it does not follow that all hypocrites
crept in unawares because some did. (Appeal, p. 17.) To which I would
humbly say, it must be certainly true with respect to all hypocrites who were
admitted, either that the church which admitted them was aware they were ,
such, or else was not. ' If there were some of whom the church was aware that
they were hypocrites, at the time when they were taken in, then the church, in
-admitting them, did not follow the rule that Mr. Stoddard often declares him-

142 QUALIFICATIONS
self to suppose ought to be followed in admitting members, viz., to admit none
but what in a judgment of rational charity are true Christians. — (Appeal, p.
2, 3, 10, 28, 23, 67, 73, 93, 94.) But that not only heretics , and designing
dissemblers crept in unawares, but, that all false brethren, all church members
not truly gracious did so, appears by such being represented as bastards in a
family, who are false children and false heirs, brought into it unawares, and im
posed upon the disposers of those privileges by stealth : Heb. xii. 8, " If ye are
without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not
sons." . '
Thus it is abundantly manifest, from the apostolical writings, how the viable
church of Christ, through the whole world, was at first constituted and ordered,
under the direction of the apostles themselves, who regulated it according to
the infallible guidance of the Spirit of their great Lord and Master. And
doubtless, as the Christian church was constituted then, so it ought to be con
stituted now. WThat better rule have we for our ecclesiastical regulations in
other respects, than what was done in the primitive churches, under the apos
tles' own direction ; as particularly the standing officers of the church, presby
ters and deacons, the method of introducing ministers, in their ordination, &c. In
this matter that I have insisted on, I think the Scripture is abundantly more full
than in those other things.
IX. Another evidence, that such as are taken into the church, ought to he
in the eye of a Christian judgment truly gracious or pious persons, is this, that
the Scripture represents the visible church oi Christ as a society having its sev
eral members united by the bond of Christian brotherly love.
Besides that general benevolence or charity which the saints have to man
kind, and which they exercise towards both the evil and the good in common,
there is a peculiar and very distinguishing kind of affection, that every true
Christian experiences towards those whom he looks upon as truly gracious per
sons ; whereby the soul, at least at times, is very sensibly and sweetly knit to
such persons, and there is an ineffable oneness oi heart with them ; whereby,
to use the Scripture phrase (Acts iv. 32), " They are of one heart and one
soul :" which holy affection is exercised towards others on account of the spir
itual image of God in them, their supposed relation to God as his children, and
to Christ as his members, and to them as their spiritual brethren in Christ.
This sacred affection is a very good and distinguishing note of true grace, much
spoken of as such in Scripture, under. the name of ytladilynz, ihe love of the
brethren, or brotherly love ; and is called by Christ, the receiving a righteous
man in the name of a righteous man ; and receiving one of Christ's little ones
in the name of a disciple, or because he belongs to Christ (Matt x. 41, 42., Mark
ix. 41), and a loving one another as Christ has loved them (John xiii. 34, and
xv. 13, 14, 15). Having a peculiar image of that oneness which is between
Christ himself and his saints. Compare John xvii. 20, to the end.
This love the apostles are often directing Christians to exercise towards fel
low members of the visible church ; as in Rom. xii. 10, " Be ye kindly affec-
tioned one to another with brotherly love." The words are much more empha-
tical in the original, and do more lively represent that peculiar endearment thai
there is between gracious persons, or those that look on one another as such ;
zn ftlaSsXqua eis allfkovs ydogooyoi. The expressions properly signify, cleav
ing one to another with brotherly, natural, strong endearment, with the like
emphasis and energy does the Apostle Peter express himself, 1 Epis. i 22 : "See
ing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit, unto
unfeigned love of the brethren (ug (fdadeXquav avvnoxqixov), see that ye love

FOR FULL COMMUNION. 143
one another with a pure heart fervently." Again, chap. iii.. 8, " Finally, be ye
all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful,
be courteous." The words in the Greek are much more significant, elegant,
and forcible ; navtsg opocpgoveg, avp-nudeig, tfduoekyoi, evaiika.fivoi, cpdoynoveg.
The same peculiar endearment the apostle has doubtless respect to in chap, iv.,
" Above all things have fervent- charity among yourselves." The Apostle Paul
in his epistles, from time to time, speaks of the visible saints whom he writes
to, as being united one to another with this affection, and considers it as a note
of their piety. Col. i. 4, " We heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the
love which ye have to all saints." 1 Thess. iv. 9, " As touching brotherly
love, ye need not that I write unto you, for ye yourselves are taught of God to
love one another." So Philem. 5, " Hearing of thy love and faith which
thou hast towards the Lord Jesus Christ, and towards all saints." And this is
what he exhorts to, Heb. xiii. 1, " Let brotherly love continue." 1 Thess. v.
26, " Greet all the brethren with a holy kiss." Compare 1 Cor. xvi. 20; 2
Cor. xiii.. 12, and 1 Pet. v. 14.
r This yiladelyia, or love to the brethren,is that virtue which the Apostle John
so much insists on in his first epistle, as one of the most distinguishing character
istics of true grace, and a peculiar evidence that Goddwelleth inus, and we in God.
By which must needs be understood a love to' saints as saints, or on account of the
spiritual image, of God supposed to be in them, and their spiritual relation to God ;
according as it has always been understood by orthodox divines. No reasonable
doubt can be made, but that the Apostle John in this epistle, has respect to the
same sort of love, which Christ prescribes to his disciples, in that which he called
by way ofeminency ms commandment, and his new commandment, which he gave
as a great mark oi their being truly his disciples, as this same apostle gives an
account in his gospel ; and to which he plainly refers, when speaking of the love
of the brethren in his epistle, chap. ii. 7, 8, and iii. 23. But that love, which
Christ speaks of in his new commandment, is spoken of as between those that
Christ loves, or is supposed to love ; and which has his love to them for its
ground and pattern. And if this ydadeXqiia, this love of the brethren, so much
spoken of by Christ, and. by the Apostles Paul and John, be not that peculiar
affection which gracious persons or true saints have one to another, which is so
great a part, and so remarkable an exercise of true grace, where is it spoken of,
at all, in the New Testament ?
We see how often the apostles exhort visible Christians to exercise this af
fection to all other members of the visible church of Christ, and how often
they speak of the members of the visible church, as actually- thus united in
places already mentioned. Iri 2 Cor. ix. 14, the apostle speaks of the mem
bers of other churches loving the members of the church of Corinth, with this
peculiar endearment and oneness of heart, for thegrace of God in them : " And
by their prayer for you, which long after you, for the exceeding grace of God
in you." The word translated long after, is EmnoOovvrmv j-'which properly sig
nifies to love with an exceeding and dear love. And this is represented as the
bond, that unites all the members of the visible church : Acts iv. 32, " And the
multitude of them that believed, were of one heart and one soul." This is the
same thing which elsewhere is called being of one mind : 1 Pet. iii. 8, " Finally,
be ye all of one mind." And being oi the same mind: 1 Cor. i. 10, " That ye
be perfectly joined together in the same mind." And Philip, iv. 2, " I beseech
Euodias, and beseech Syntyche, that they be of the same mind in the Lord."
And being like-minded (the Word is the same in Greek) : Rom. xv. 5, 6, " Now
the God of patience and consolation grant you to be xike-minded one towards

144 QUALIFICATIONS
another ; that ye may with one mind, and one mouth, glorify God, even the
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." There is reason to think, that it is this one
ness of mind, or being of one heart and soul, is meant by that chai~ity which the
apostle calls the bond of perfectness, Col- iii. 14; and represents as the bond
of union between all the members oi the body, in Eph. iv. 15, 16 : " But speak
ing the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things which is the Head, even
Christ ; from whom the whole body fitly joined together, anu compacted by
that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure
of every part, maketh increase of the body, unto the edifying of itself in love."
Herein seems much, to consist the nature of scandal in the members of a
church,, viz., such an offence as is a wound and interruption to this kind of af
fection, being a stumbling-block to a Christian judgment, in regard to its esteem
of the offender as a real Christian, and what much lessens the visibility of his
Christian character. And therefore when scandal is removed by visible repent
ance, the church is directed to confirm their love to the offender, 2 Cor. ii. 8
Now this intimate affection towards others as brethren, in Christ and fel
low members oi him, must have some apprehension of the understanding, some
judgment of the mind, for its foundation. To say, that we must thus love others
as visible members of Christ, if any thing else be meant, than that we must
love them because they are visibly, or as they appear to our judgment, real
members of Christ, is in effect to say, that we must thus love them without any
foundation at all. In order to a real and fervent affection to another, on ac
count of some amiableness of qualification or relation, the mind must first judge
there is that amiableness in the object. The affections of the mind are not so
at command that we can make them strongly to go forth to an object as hav
ing such loveliness, when at the same time we' do not positively judge any such
thing concerning them, but only hope it may be so, because we see no sufficient
reason to determine the contrary. There must be a positive dictate of the un
derstanding, and some degree of satisfaction of the judgment, to be a around
of that oneness of heart and soul which is agreeable to Scripture representa
tions of cpdade).q;ia, or brotherly love. And a supposition only of that moral
sincerity and virtue, or common grace, which some insist upon, though it may
be a sufficient ground of neighborly and civil affection, cannot be a sufficient
ground of this intimate affection to them as brethren in the family of a heaven
ly Father, this fervent love to them in the bowels of Jesus Christ ; that imply
ing nothing in it inconsistent with being gospel sinners and domestic enemies
in the house of God ; which Christians know are the most hateful enemies to
Christ, of all the enemies that he has.
It is a thing well agreeing with the wisdom of Christ, and that peculiar
favor he has manifested to his saints, and with his dealings with them in many
other respects, to suppose, he has made a provision in his institutions, that
they might have the comfort of uniting, with such as their hearts are united
with in that holy intimate affection which has been spoken of, in special reli
gious exercises and duties of worship, and visible intercourse with their Redeem
er, joining with those concerning whom they can have some satisfaction of
mmd, that they are cordially united with them in adoring and expressing their
love to their common Lord and Saviour, that they may with one mind, with one
heart, and one soul, as well as with one mouth, glorify him; as in 'the fore-
mentioned Rom. xv. 5, 6, compared with Acts iv. 32. This seems to be what
this heavenly affection naturally inclines to. And how eminently fit and proper
for this purpose is the sacrament of the Lord's supper, the Christian church's
great feast of love ; wherein Christ's people sit together as brethren in the family

FOR FULL COMMUNION. 145
of Go3, at their Father's table, to feast on the love of their Redeemer, commem
orating his sufferings for them, and his dying love to them, and sealing their
love to him and one another 1 — It is hardly credible, that Christ has so ordered
things as that there are no instituted social acts of worship, wherein his saints
are to manifest their respect to him, but such as wherein they ordinarily are oblig
ed (if the rule for admissions be carefully attended) to join with the society
of fellow worshippers, concerning whom they have no reason to think but that
the greater part of them are unconverted (and are more provoking enemies to
that Lord they love and adore, than most of the very Heathen), which Mr. Stod
dard supposes to be the case with the members of the visible church. Appeal
p. 16. X. It is necessary that those who partake of the Lord's supper, should judge
themselves truly and cordially to accept Christ, as their only Saviour and chief
good ; for this is what the actions, which communicants perform at the Lord's
table, are a solemn profession oi.
There is in the Lord's supper a mutual solemn profession of the two par
ties transacting the covenant of grace, and visibly united in that covenant ; the
Lord Christ by his minister, on the one hand, and the communicants (who are
professing believers) on the other. The administrator of the ordinance acts in
the quality of Christ's minister, acts in his name, as representing him ; and
stands in the place where Christ himself stood at the first administration of this
sacrament, and in the original institution of the ordinance. Christ, by the
speeches and actions of the minister, makes a solemn profession of his part in
the covenant of grace : he exhibits the sacrifice of his body broken and his
blood shed ; and in the minister's offering the sacramental bread and wine to
the communicants, Christ presents himself to the believing communicants, as
their propitiation and bread of life ; and by these outward signs confirms and
seals his sincere engagements to be their Saviour and food, and to impart to
them all the benefits of his propitiation and salvation. And they, in receiving:
what is offered, and eating and drinking the symbols of Christ's body and
blood, also profess their part in the covenant of grace : they profess to embrace
the promises and lay hold of the hope set before them, to receive the atone
ment, to receive Christ as their spiritual food, and to feed upon him in their
hearts by faith. Indeed what is professed on both sides is the heart : for Christ
in offering himself, professes the willingness of his heart to be theirs who truly
receive him, and the communicants on their part, profess the willingness of
their hearts to receive him, which they declare by significant actions! They
profess to take Christ as their spiritual • food, and bread of life. To accept
Christ as our bread of life, is to accept him as our Saviour and portion ; as
food is both the, means of preserving life, and is also the refreshment and com
fort of life. The signification of the word manna, that great type of this bread
of life, is a portion. That which God offers to us as our food, he offers as our
portion ; and that which we accept as our food, we accept as our portion.
Thus the Lord's supper is plainly a mutual renovation, confirmation, and seal of
the covenant of grace. Both the covenanting parties profess their consent to
their respective parts in the covenant, and each affixes his seal to his profession.
And there is in this ordinance the very same thing acted over in profession and
sensible signs, which is spiritually transacted between Christ and his spouse in
the covenant that unites them. Here we have from time to time the glorious
bridegroom exhibiting himself with his great love that is stronger than death,
appearing clothed in robes of grace, and engaging himself with all his glory
and love, and its infinite benefits, to be theirs who receive him : and here we
Vol I. 19

146 QUALIFICATIONS
have his spouse accepting this bridegroom, choosing him for her friend, her only
Saviour and portion, and relying on hirn for all his benefits. And thus the
covenant transaction of this spiritual marriage is confirmed and sealed, from
time to time. The actions of the communicants at the Lord's table have as
expressive and significant a language, as the most solemn words. When a per
son in this ordinance takes and eats and drinks those things' which represent
Christ, the plain meaning and implicit profession of these his actions, is thus :
*' I take this crucified Jesus as my Saviour, my sweetest food, my chief portion,
and the life of my soul, consenting to acquiesce in him as such, and to hunger
and thirst after him only, renouncing all other saviours, and all other portions
for his sake." The actions, thus interpreted, are a proper renovation and rati
fication of the covenant of grace ; and no otherwise. And those that take, and
eat and drink the sacramental elements at the Lord's table with any other
meaning, I fear, know not what they do.
The actions at the Lord's supper, thus implying in their nature and signifi
cation, a renewing and confirming of the covenant, there is a declarative ex
plicit covenanting supposed to precede it ; which is the profession of religion,
before spoken of, that qualifies a person for admission to the Lord's supper.
And there doubtless is, or ought to be, as much explicitly professed in words,
as is implicitly professed in these actions ; for by these significant actions, the
communicant sets/his seal but to his profession. The established signs in the
Lord's supper are fully equivalent to words ; they are a renewing and reiterat
ing the same thing which was done before ; only with this difference, that now
it is done by speaking signs, whereas before it was by speaking sounds. Our tak
ing the bread and wine is as much a professing to accept of Christ, at least, as
a woman's taking a ring of the bridegroom in her marriage is a profession and
seal of her taking him for her husband. The sacramental elements in the Lord's
supper do represent Christ as a party in covenant, as truly as a proxy represents
a prince to a foreign lady in her marriage ; and our taking those elements is as
truly a professing to accept Christ, as in the other case the lady's taking the
proxy is her professing to accept the prince as her husband. Or the matter
may more fitly be represented by this similitude : it is as if a prince should send
an ambassador to a woman in a foreign land, proposing marriage, and by his
ambassador should send her his picture, and should desire her to manifest her
acceptance of his suit, not only by professing her acceptance in words to his
ambassador, but in token of her sincerity openly to take or accept that picture,
and so seal her profession, by thus representing the matter over again by a
symbolical action.
To suppose, persons ought thus solemnly to prof ess that which at the same
time they do not at all imagine they experience in themselves, and do not really
pretend to, is a very great absurdity. For a man sacramentally to make such
a profession of religion, proceeding avowedly on the foot of such doctrine, is to
profess that which he does no* profess; his actions being no established signs of
the thing supposed to be professed, nor carrying in them the least pretension to
it. And therefore doing thus can be no man's duty ; unless it be men's duty
to make a solemn profession of that which in truth they make no profession of.
The Lord's supper is most evidently a professing ordinance ; and the communi
cants' profession must be such as is adjusted to the nature and design of the or
dinance ; which nothing short oi faith in the blood of Christ will answer, even
faith unfeigned, which worketh by love. A profession therefore exclusive of
this, is essentially defective, and quite unsuitable to the character of a commu
nicant.

FOR FULL COMMUNION. 147
XI. When the apostle says, 1 Cor. xi. 28, " Let a man examine himself,
and so let him eat," it seems to be much the most reasonable to understand it
oi trying himself with regard to the truth of his Christianity, or reality of his
grace ; the same which the same apostle directs the same Corinthians to in his
other epistle, 2 Cor. xiii. 5, where the same word is used in the original The
Greek word (Soxipa&zcQ) will not allow of what some have supposed to be the
apostle's meaning, viz., that a man should consider and inquire into his circum
stances, and the necessities of his case, that he may know what are the wants
he should go to the Lord's table for a supply of. The word properly signifies
proving or trying a thing with respect to its quality and goodness, or in order
to determine whether it be true and of the right sort. And so the word is al
ways used in the New Testament ; unless that sometimes it is used as it were
metonymically, and in such places is variously translated, either discerning, or
allowing, approving, liking, &c, these being the effects of trial. Nor is the
word used more frequently in the New Testament for any of trial whatever,
than for the trial of professors with regard to their grace or piety. The word
(as Dr. Ames in his Catecheseos Sciagraphia, and Mr. Willard in his Body of
Divinity, observe) is borrowed from goldsmiths, properly signifying the trial
they make of their silver and gold, whether it be genuine or counterfeit : and
with a manifest allusion to this original application of the word, is often used
in the New Testament for a trying the piety of professors. It is used with this
view in all the following texts : 1 Pet. i. 7, " That the trial of your faith, be
ing much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried by fire,
might be found unto praise," &c. 1 Cor. iii. 13, " The fire shall try every
man's work of what sort it is." James i. 3, " The trying of your faith work
eth patience." 1 Thess. ii. 4, " God who trieth our hearts." The same word
is used in 2 Cor. viii. 8, " To prove the sincerity of your love." So Gal. vi. 3,
4, " If any man thinketh himself to be Something when he is nothing, he de-
eeiveth himself : but let every man prove his own work." In all these places
there is the same word in the Greek with that in the text now under consi
deration. When the apostle directs professing Christians to try themselves, using this
word indefinitely, as properly signifying the examining or proving a thing
whether it be genuine or counterfeit, the most natural construction of his ad
vice is, that they should try themselves with respect to their spiritual state and
religious profession, whether they are disciples indeed, real and genuine Chris
tians, or whether they are not false and hypocritical professors. As if a man
should bring a piece of metal that had the color of gold, with the impress of
the king's coin, to a goldsmith, and desire him to try that money, without
adding any words to limit his meaning, would not the goldsmith naturally under
stand, that he was to try whether it was true gold, or true money, yea or no 1
But here it is said by some, that the context oi the passage under debate
(1 Cor. xi. 28) does plainly limit the meaning of the word in that place ; the
apostle there speaking of those things that had appeared among the communi
cants at Corinth, which were of a scandalous nature, so doubtless unfitting
them for the Lord's supper ; and therefore when the apostle directs them to
examine or prove themselves, it is but just, to suppose his meaning to be, that
they should fry whether they be not disqualified by scandal. To this I answer,
though the apostle's putting the Corinthians upon trying themselves, was on
occasion of the mentioning some scandalous practices found among them, yet
this is by no means any argument of its being only his meaning, that they
should try themselves whether they were scandalous persons ; and not that they

148 QUALIFICATIONS
should try whether they were true, genuine Christians. The very nature of
scandal (as was observed before) is that which tends to obscure the visibility of
the piety of professors, and wound others' charity towards them, by bringing
fhe reality of their grace into doubt ; and therefore what could be more natural,
than for the Apostle, when mentioning such scandals among the Corinthians,
id-put them upon trying the state of their souls, and proving their sincerity 1
This is certainly the case in this apostle's directing the same persons to prove
themselves, 2 Cor. xiii. 5, using the same word there, which he uses here, and
giving his direction on the like occasion. For in the second epistle (as well as
3k the first) his putting them on examining and proving themselves, was on
occasion of his mentioning some scandals found among them ; as is plain from
ihe foregoing context. And yet there it is expressly said, that the thing con
cerning which he directs them to prove themselves is, whether they be in the
Jaith°and whether Christ is in them. Nor is there any thing more in the pre
ceding context of one place, than in that of the other, obliging or leading Us
to understand the apostle to intend only a trying whether they were scandalous,
and not whether they were sincere Christians.
And as to the words following in the next verse, " For he that eateth and
.drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh judgment to himself, not discerning the
-Lord's body;" these words by no means make it evident (as some hold) that
what the apostle would have them examine themselves about, is whether they
liave doctrinal knowledge, sufficient to understand, that the bread and wine in
the sacrament signify the body and blood of Christ. But on the contrary,- to
interpret the apostle in this sense only, is unreasonable upon several accounts.
5(1.) None can so much as go about such an examination, without first know
ing, that the Lord's body and blood is signified by these elements. For merely
¦a man's putting this question to himself. Do I understand that this bread and
this wine signify the body and blood of Christ ? supposes him already to know
it from previous information ; and therefore to exhort persons to go about such
an examination, would be absurd. And then (2), it is incredible, that there
should be any such gross ignorance appearing in a number of the communicants
in the Corinthian church, if we consider what the Scripture informs us concern
ing that church. As particularly, if we consider what an able and thorough
instructor and spiritual father they had had, even the Apostle Paul, who
founded that church, brought them out of their Heathenish darkness, and ini
tiated them in the Christian religion, and had instructed them in the nature and
ends of gospel ordinances, and continued at Corinth, constantly laboring in word
-and doctrine for a long while together, no less than a year and six months;
and, as we may well suppose, administering the Lord's supper among them
*every Lord's day ; for the apostle speaks of it as the manner of that church, to
communicate at the Lord's table with such frequency, 1 Cor. xvi. 2. And the
Corinthian church, at that day, when the apostle wrote this epistle, was a church
noted for excelling in doctrinal knowledge ; as is evident by chap. i. 5, 6, 7,
and several other passages in the epistle. Besides, the communicants were ex
pressly told at every communion, every week, when the bread and wine were
delivered to them in the administration, that that bread signified the body, and
that wine signified the blood of Christ. And then besides (3), the apostle by
his argument, chap. x. 16, supposes the Corinthians doctrinally acquainted
with this subject already. It therefore appears to me much more reasonable,
to apprehend the case to be thus. The offensive behavior of the communi
cants at Corinth gave the apostle reason to suspect, that some of them came to
(the Lord's table without a proper impression and true sense pf the great and

FOR FULL COMMUNION. M®
glorious things there, signified ; having no habitual hunger or relish for thee-
spiritual food there represented, no inward, vital and experimental taste for?
that flesh of the Son of Man, which is meat indeed. The word translated;0*£-
cerning, signifies to discriminate or distinguish. The taste is the proper sense*
whereby to discern or distinguish food, Job. xxxiv. 3. And it is a spiritual sense.
or taste which is that whereby we discern or distinguish spiritual food. Heb. v.
14, " Those who by reasonof use, have their senses exercised to discern both good
and eyil;" noog diuxoimv, &c. A word of the same root with that rendered
discerning, in 1 Cor. xi. 29. He that has no habitual appetite to and relish of
that spiritual food, which is represented and offered at the Lord's table ; he that
has no spiritual taste, wherewith to perceive any thing more at the Lordfe sup
per, than in common food ; or that has no higher view, than with a little seem
ing devotion to eat bread, as it were in the way of an ordinance, but without
regarding in his heart the spiritual meaning and end of it, and without being
suitably affected with the dying love of Christ therein commemorated; such a
one may most truly and properly be said not to discern the Lord's body. When*
therefore the apostle exhorts to self-examination as a preparative for the sacra
mental supper, he may well be understood to put professors upon inquiring
whether they have such a principle oi faith, by means whereof they are habitu
ally in a capacity and disposition of mind to discern the Lord's body practically
and spiritually (as well as speculatively and notionally) in then communicat
ing at the Lord's table. Which is what none can do who have but common-
grace, or a faith short of that which is justifying and saving. It is only a liv
ing faith that capacitates men to discern the Lord's body in the sacrament with
that spiritual sensation or spiritual gust, which is suitable to the nature andt
design of the ordinance, and which the apostle seems principally to intend.

PART THIRD.
objections an s w E R E D .
Objection I. •

The Scripture calls the members of the visible church by the name of
disciples, scholars, or learners ; and that suggests to us this notion of the
visible church, that it is the school of Christ, into which persons are admitted
in order to their learning of Christ, and coming to spiritual attainments, int-
the use of the means of teaching, discipline, and training up, established in the
school. Now if this be a right notion of the visible church, then reason shows;
that no other qualifications are necessary in order to a being members of this
school, than suoh a faith and disposition of mind as are requisite to persons.
putting themselves under Christ as their Master and Teacher, and subjecting-
themselves to the orders of the school. But a common faith and moral sincerity
are sufficient for this. Therefore the Scripture leads us to suppose the visible
church to be properly constituted of those who have these qualifications, though
they have not saving faith and true piety.
Answer. I own, the Scripture calls the members of the visible church by
the name of disciples. But I deny it therefore follows that the church which*

150 QUALIFICATIONS
they are members of, is duly and properly constituted of those who have not
true piety. Because if this consequence was good, then it would equally fol
low, that not only the visible, but also the invisible or mystical church is pro
perly constituted of those who have not unfeigned faith and true piety. For
the members of the mystical church, as such, and to denote the special character
of such, are called disciples, in Luke xiv. 26, 27, 33, and in John viii. 31, and
xiii. 35, and xv. 8. This shows, that in the argument I am answering, there is
no connection between the premises and the conclusion. For the force of
the objection consists in this, that the members of the visible church are called
disciples in Scripture : this is the sum total of the premises : and if there be any
connection between the premises and the conclusion, it must lie in the truth of
this proposition : The church, whose members are called by the name of disciples,
as signifying their state and quality as members of that society, that church is
properly and fitly constituted, not only of persons truly pious, but of others that
have merely a common faith and virtue. But this proposition, we have seen,
is not true ; and so there is no connection between the former and latter part
of it, which are the same with the premises and conclusion of this argument.
2. Though I do not deny, that the visible church of Christ may fitly be re
presented as a school of Christ, where persons are trained up in the use of
means, in order to some spiritual attainments : yet it will not hence necessarily
follow, that this is in order to all good attainments ; for it will not follow hut
that certain good attainments may be prerequisite, in order to a place in the
school. The church of Christ is a school appointed for the training up Christ's
little children, to greater degrees of knowledge, higher privileges, and. greater
serviceableness in this world, and more of a meetnessfor the possession of their
eternal inheritance. But there is no necessity of supposing that it is in order to
fit them to become Christ's children, or to be introduced into his family ; any
more than there is a necessity of supposing, because a prince puts his children
under tutors, that therefore it must be in order to their attaining to be of the
royal family. If it be necessary, that there should be a church of Christ ap
pointed as a school of instruction and discipline, to bring persons to all good at
tainments whatsoever, then it will follow, that there must be a visible church
constituted of scandalous and profane persons and heretics, and all in common
that assume the Christian name, that so means may be used with them in order
to bring them to moral sincerity, and an acknowledgment of the Christian
faith. 3. I grant, that no other qualifications are necessary in order to bring mem
bers of that school of Christ which is his visible church, than such as are requi
site in order to their subjecting themselves to Christ as their Master and Teacher,
and subjecting themselves to the laws and orders of his school ; nevertheless I deny
that a common faith, and moral sincerity are sufficient for this ; because none do
truly subject themselves to Christ as their Master, but such as, having their hearts
purified by faith, are delivered from the reigning power of sin : for we cannot
subject ourselves to obey two contrary masters at the same time. None do sub
mit to Christ as their Teacher, but those who truly receive him as their Prophet,
to teach them by his word and Spirit ;' giving up themselves to his teachings,
sitting with Mary, as little children, at Jesus' feet to hear his word ; and
hearkening more to his dictates, than those of their blind and deceitful lusts,
and relying on his wisdom more than their own. The Scripture knows nothing
of an ecclesiastical school constituted oi enemies of the cross of Christ, and ap
pointed to bring such to be reconciled to him and submit to him as their Mas
ter. Neither have they who are not truly pious persons, any true disposition

FOR FULL COMMUNION. 151
ef heart to submit to the laws and orders of Christ's school, the rules which his
word prescribes to all his scholars ; such as, to love their Master supremely ; to
love one another as brethren ; and to love their book, i. e., their Bible, more than
vain trifles and amusements, yea, above gold and silver ; to be faithful to the
interest of the Master, and,' of the school ; to depend, on his teachings ; to cry
to him for knowledge ; above all their gettings, to get understanding, &c.
4. Whatever ways of constituting the church may to us seem fit, proper,
and reasonable, the question is, not what constitution of Christ's church seems
convenient to human wisdom, but what constitution is actually established by
Christ's infinite wisdom. Doubtless, if men should set their wits to work, and
proceed according to what seems good in their sight, they would greatly alter
Christ's constitution pf his church, to make it more convenient and beautiful,
and would adorn it with a vast variety of ingenious inventions; as the church
of Rome has done. The question is, whether this school of Christ which they
talk of, made up very much of those who pretend to no experience Or attain
ments but what consist with their being enemies of Christ in their hearts, and
who in reality love the vilest lust better than him, be that church of Christ
which in the New Testament is denominated his city, his temple, his family,
his body, &c, by which names the visible church of Christ is there frequently
called? I acknowledge, that means, of Christ's appointment, are to be used with
those who are Christ's enemies, and do not profess themselves any other, to
change their hearts, and bring them to be Christ's friends and disciples. Such
means are to be used with all sorts of persons, with Jews, Mahometans, Hea
thens, with nominal Christians that are heretical or vicious, the profane, the
intemperate, the unclean, and all other enemies of Christ; and these means to
be used constantly, and laboriously. Scandalous persons need to go to school,
to learn to be Christians, as much as other men. And there are many persons
that are not morally sincere, who, from selfish and sinister views, do consent
ordinarily to go to church, and so be in the way of the use of means. And
none ought to forbid them thus going to Christ's school, that they may be taught
by him in the ministry of the gospel. But yet it will not follow, that such a
school is the .church oi Christ. Human laws can put persons, even those who
are very vicious, into the school of Christ, in that sense ; they can oblige them
constantly to be present at public teaching, and attend on the means of grace
appointed by Christ, and dispensed in his name : but human laws cannot join
men to the church of Christ, and make them members of his body.
Objection II.
Visible saintship in the Scripture sense cannot be the same with that which
has been supposed and insisted on, viz., a being in the eye of a rational charity
truly pious ; because Israel of old were from time to time called God's people,
when it is certain the greater part of them were far from having any such visible
holiness as this. Thus the ten tribes were called God's people, Hosea iv. 6, after
they had revolted from the true worship of God, and had obstinately continued
in their idolatrous worship at Bethel and Dan for about two hundred and fifty
years, and were at that time, a little before their captivity especially, in the
height of their wickedness. So the Jews are called God's people, in Ezek.
xxxvi. 20, and other places, at the time of their captivity in Babylon ; a time
when most of them were abandoned to all kinds of the most horrid and open
impieties, as the prophets frequently represent. Now it is certain that the peo-

152 QUALIFICATIONS
pie at that time were not called God's people, because of any visibility of true
piety to the eye of reason or of a rational charity, because most of them were
grossly wicked, and declared their sin as Sodom. And in the same manner
wherein the Jews of old were God's people, are the members of the visible
Christian Gentile church God's people ; for they are spoken of as grafted into
the same olive tree, from whence the former were broken off by unbelief.
Answer. The argument proves too much, and therefore nothing at all.
If those whom I oppose in this controversy, bring this objection, they will in
effect as much oppose themselves in it as me. The objection, if it have any
force, equally militates against their and my notion of visible saintship. For
those Jews which it is alleged were called God's people, and yet were so no
toriously, openly, and obstinately wicked, had neither any visibility of true piety,
nor yet of that moral sincerity in the profession and duties of the true religion^
which the opponents themselves suppose to be requisite in order to a proper visible
holiness, and a due admission to the privileges and ordinances of the church of
God. None will pretend that these obstinate idolaters and impious wretches
had those qualifications which are now requisite in order to an admission to the
Christian sacraments. And therefore to what purpose can they bring this ob
jection'? Which, if it proves any thing, overthrows my scheme and their own
both together, and both in an equally effectual manner ; and not only so, hut
will thoroughly destroy the scheme of all Protestants through the world con
cerning the qualifications of the subjects of Christian ordinances. And there
fore the support of what I have laid down against those whom I oppose in this
controversy, requires no further answer to this objection. Nevertheless for the
greater satisfaction, I would here observe further :
That such appellations as God's people, God's Israel, and some other like
phrases, are used and applied in Scripture with considerable diversity of inten
tion. Thus, we have a plain distinction between the house of Israel, and the
house of Israel, in Ezek. xx. 38, 39, 40. By the house of Israel, in the 39th
verse, is meant literally the nation or family of Israel : but by the house of
Israel in the 40th verse, seems to be intended the spiritual house, the body of
God's visible saints, that should attend the ordinances of his public worship in
gospel times. So likewise there is a distinction made between the house of
Israel, and God's disciples, who should profess and visibly adhere to his law and
testimony, in Isa. viii. 14 — 17. And though the whole nation of the Jews are
often called God's people in those degenerate times wherein the prophets were
sent to reprove them, yet at the same time they are charged as falsely calling
themselves of the holy city, Isa. xlviii. 2. And God often tells them, they
are rather to be reckoned among aliens, and to be looked upon as children of
the Ethiopians, or of the posterity of the ancient Canaanites, on account of their
grossly wicked and scandalous behavior. See Amos ix. 7, 8, &c, Ezek. xvi. 2,
3, &c, verses 45, 46, &c, Isa. i. 10.
It is evident that God sometimes, according to the methods of his marvel
lous mercy, and long-suffering towards mankind, has a merciful respect to a de
generate church, that is become exceeding corrupt in regard that it is constitu
ted of members who have not those qualifications which ought to be insisted on :
God continues still to have respect to them so far as not utterly to forsake them,
or wholly to deny his confirmation of, and blessing on their administrations.
And not being utterly renounced of God, their administrations are to be looked
upon as in some respect valid, and the society as in some sort a people or church
of God : which was the case with the church of Rome, at least till the Refor
mation and Council of Trent ; for till then we must own their baptisms and or-

FOR FULL COMMUNION. 153
dinations to be valid. — The church that the pope sits in, is called, The Tem
ple of God, 2. Thess. ii. 4.
Arid with regard to the people of Israel, it is very manifest, that something
diverse is oftentimes intended by that nation's being God's people, from their
being visible saints, or visibly holy, or having those qualifications which are re
quisite in order to a due admission to the ecclesiastical privileges of such. That
nation, that family of Israel, according to the flesh, and with regard to that ex
ternal and carnal qualification, were in some sense adopted by God to be his
peculiar people, and his covenant people. This is not only evident by what has been
already observed, but also indisputably manifest from Rom. ix. 3, 4, 5, " I have
great heaviness and sorrow of heart; for I could wish that myself were accurs
ed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen, according to the flesh, who are
Israelites, to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory and the covenants,
and the giving of the law and the service of God, and the promises ; whose
are the fathers ; and of whom concerning the flesh Christ came." It is to be
noted, that the privileges here mentioned- are spoken of as belonging to the
Jews, not now as visible saints, not as professors of true religion, not as mem
bers of the visible church of Christ ; but only as people of sucli a nation, such a
blood, such an external and carnal relation to the patriarchs, their ancestors,
Israelites, according to the flesh. For the apostle is speaking here of the
unbelieving Jews, professed unbelievers, that were out of the Christian church,
and open visible enemies to it, and such as had no right to the external privi
leges of Christ's people. So, in Rom. xi. 28, 29, the apostle speaks of the same
unbelieving Jews, as in some respect an elect people, and interested in the call
ing, ¦promises, and covenants God formerly gave to their forefathers, and as still
beloved for their sakes. " As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for your
sake ; but as touching the election, they are beloved for the fathers' sakes. For
the gifts and calling of God are without repentance." These things are in these
places spoken of, not as privileges belonging to the Jews now as a people of
the right religion, or in the true church of visible worshippers of God ; but as
a people of such a pedigree or blood ; and that even after the ceasing of the
Mosaic administration. But these were privileges more especially belonging to
them under the Old Testament : they were a family that God had chosen in
distinction from all others, to show special favor to, above all other nations. It
was manifestly agreeable to God's design to constitute things so under the Old
Testament, that the means of grace and spiritual privileges and blessings should
be, though not wholly, yet in a great measure confined to a particular family,
much more than those privileges and blessings are confined to any posterity
or blood now under the gospel. God did purposely so order things that that
nation should by these favors be distinguished, not only from those who were
not professors of the worship of the true God, but also in a great measure from
other nations, by a wall of separation that he made. This was not merely a
wall of separation, between professors and non-professors (such a wall of separa
tion as this remains still in the days of the gospel), but between nation and na
tions. God, if he pleases, may by his sovereignty annex his blessing, and in
some measure fix it, for his own reasons, to a particular blood, as well as to a
particular place or spot of ground, to a certain buildirig,' to a particular heap of
stones, or altar of brass, to particular garments, and other external things. And
it is evident, that he actually did affix his blessing to that particular external
family of Jacob, very much as he did to the city of Jerusalem, that he chose to •
place his name there, and to Mount Zion, where he commanded the^ blessing-
God did not affix his blessing to Jerusalem or Mount Zion, as to limit himself
Vol. I. 20

154 QUALIFICATIONS
either by confining the blessing wholly to that place, never to bestow it else
where ; nor by obliging himself always to bestow it on those that sought him
there ; nor yet obliging himself never to withdraw his blessing from thence, by
forsaking his dwelling place there, and leaving it to be a common or profane
place ; but he was pleased so to annex his blessing to that place, as to make it
the seat of his blessing ina peculiar manner, in great distinction from other
places. In like manner did he fix his blessing to that blood or progeny of
Jacob. It was a family which he delighted in, and which he blessed in a pecu
liar manner,, and to which he in a great measure conSned the blessing ; but not
so as to limit himself, or so as to oblige himself to bestow it on all of that blood,
or not to bestow it on others that were not of that blood. He affixed his blessing
to both these, both to the place and nation, by sovereign election, Psal. cxxxii.
13, 14, 15. He annexed and fixed his blessing to both by covenant To that
nation he fixed his blessing by his covenant with the patriarchs. Indeed the
main thing, the substance and marrow of that covenant which God made with
Abraham and the other patriarchs, w;as the covenant of. grace, which is con
tinued in these days of the gospel, and extends to all his spiritual seed of the
Gentiles as well as Jews : but yet that covenant with the patriarchs contained
other things that were as it were appendages to that great everlasting covenant
of grace, promises of lesser matters, subservient to the grand promise of the fu
ture seed, and typical of things appertaining to him. Such were those promi
ses that annexed the blessing to a particular country, viz., the land of Canaan,
and a peculiar blood, viz., the progeny of Isaac and Jacob. Just so it was also
as to the covenant God made with David that we have an account of, 2 Sam.
vii. and Psal. cxxxii. If we consider that covenant with regard to what the
soul and marrow of it wTas, it was the covenant of grace : but there were other
promises which were as it were appendages of things subservient to the grand
covenant, and typical of its benefits ; such were promises of the blessing to the
nation of the literal Israel, and of continuing the temporal crown of Israel to
David's posterity, and of fixing the blessing to Jerusalem or Mount Zion, as the
place that he chose to set his name there. And in this sense it was that the
very family of Jacob were God's people by covenant, or his covenant people,
and his chosen people ; yea, and this even when they were no visible saints,
when they were educated and lived in idolatry, and made no profession of the
true religion.
On the whole, it is evident that the very nation of Israel, not as visible saints,
but as the progeny of Jacob according to the flesh, were in some respect a chosen
people, a people of God, a covenant people, a holy nation ; even as Jerusalem was
a chosen city, the city of God, a holy city, and a city that God had engaged by
covenant to dwell in.
Thus a sovereign and all- wise God was pleased to ordain things with respect
to the nation of Israel. Perhaps we may not be able to give all the reasons of
such a constitution ; but some of them seem to be pretty manifest ; as,
1. The great and main end of separating one particular nation from all
others, as God did the nation of Israel, was to prepare the way for the coming
of the Messiah, who was to proceed of that blood. God's covenant with Abra
ham and the other patriarchs implied that the Messiah should be of their blood,
or their seed according to the flesh. And therefore it was requisite that their
progeny according to the flesh should be fenced in by a wall of separation, and
made God's people. If the Messiah had been born of some of the professors of
Abraham's^ religion, but of some other nation, that religion being propagated
from nation to nation, as it is now under the gospel, it would not have answered

FOR FULL COMMUNION. 155
the covenant with Abraham, for the Messiah to have been born of Abraham's
seed only in this sense. • The Messiah being by covenant so related to Jacob's
progeny according to the flesh, God was pleased, agreeably to the nature of such
a covenant, to show great respect to that people on account of that external
carnal relation. Therefore the apostle mentions it as one great privilege, that
of them according to the flesh Christ came, Rom. ix. 5. As the introducing the
Messiah and his salvation and kingdom was the special design of all God's deal
ings and peculiar dispensations towards that people, the natural result of this
was, that great account should be made of their being of that nation, in God's
covenant dealings with them.
2. That nation was a typical nation. There was then literally a land, that
was the dwelling place of God ; which was a type of heaven the true dwelling
place of God, and an external city of God, which vvas a type of the spiritual
city of God ; an external temple of God, which was a type of his spiritual tem
ple : so there was an external people and family of God, by carnal generation,
which was a type of his spiritual progeny : and the covenant by which they
were made a people of God, was a type of the covenant of grace ; and so is
sometimes represented as a marriage covenant. God, agreeable to the nature
of that dispensation, showed a great regard to external and carnal things in
those days, as types of spiritual things. What a great regard God did show then to
external carnal qualifications for privileges and services, appears in this, that there
is ten times so much said in the Books of Moses about such qalifications in the
institutions of -the passover and tabernacle services, as about any moral qualifi
cations whatsoever. And so much were such typical qualifications insisted on,
that even by the law of Moses the congregation of the Lord, or public con
gregation or church (for the word is the same) of visible worshippers of God,
and the number of public professors of the true religion, who were visible saints,
were not the same : for some were of the latter, that were not of the former ;
as particularly the eunuchs, who were excluded the congregation, though never
so externally religious, yea truly pious ; and so also bastards, &c.
3. It was the sovereign pleasure of God to choose that family, the posterity
oi Jacob according to the flesh, to reserve them for special favors to the end of
time. And therefore they are still kept a distinct nation, being still reserved
for distinguishing mercy in the latter day, when they shall be restored to the
church of God. God is pleased in this way to testify his regard to their holy
ancestors, and his regard to their external relation to Christ. Therefore the
apostle still speaks of them as an elect nation, and beloved for the fathers' sakes,
even after they were broken off from the good olive by unbelief. God's cove
nant with Abraham is in some sense in force with respect to that people, and
reaches them even to this day ; and yet surely they are not God's covenant
¦people, in the sense that visible Christians are. See Lev. xxvi. 42.
If it be here said, It was often foretold by the prophets, that in the days of
the gospel other nations should be the people of God, as well as the nation of
the Jews : and when Christ sent forth his apostles, he bid them go and disciple
all nations. I answer : By- a common figure of speech the prevailing part of a nation are
called the nation, and what is done to them is said to be done to the nation, and
what is done by them is said to be done by that nation : and it is to be hoped,
that the time is coming when the prevailing part of many nations,, yea of every
nation under heaven, will be regularly brought into the visible church of Christ
Arid if we by nations in these prophecies understand any other than the pre
vailing part, and it be insisted on that we rnust understand It of all the people

156 QUALIFICATIONS
belonging to those nations ; there never has yet been any nation in this sense
regularly brought into the visible church of Christ, evert according to the scheme
of those whom I oppose: for there never yet has been a whole nation that
were outwardly moral. And besides, what Mr. Blake says in his Treatise of the
Covenant, page 238, may be applied here, and serve as an answer to this objection :
" The prophecies of the Old Testament (says he) of the glory of the New Testa
ment times, are in Old Testament phrases, by way of allusion to the worship of
those times, set forth to us." In Rev. xxi. 24, nations are spoken of, as having
an interest in the New Jerusalem, which yet is represented as perfectly pure,
without the least degree of pollution and defilement, ver. 27. And as for the
command to the apostles, to disciple all nations, it was a direction to them as
to what they should attempt, or do as much towards as they could ; not a pre
diction of what they should bring to pass in their day : for they never brought
one half of any one nation into the visible Christian church, nor any at all in
one half of the nations in the world, it is very probable.
If it should here be further objected, that it is an evidence that Gentile
Christians are visible saints, according to the New Testament notion of visible
saintship, in the very same manner as the whole Jewish nation were till they
were broken off by their obstinate rejection of the Messiah ; that the Gentile
Christians are represented as being grafted into the same olive, from whence the
Jews were broken off by unbelief, Rom. xi. 17, &c.
I would inquire, What any one can intend by this objection 1 Whether it
be this, viz., that we ought to insist on no higher or better qualifications, in ad
mitting persons as members of the Christian church, and to all its privileges, than
the whole nation of the Jews, of that generation which lived in Christ's time were
possessed of, till they had obstinately persisted in their rejection of him ? If this
is not intended, the objection is nothing to the purpose : or if this be intended;
neither then is it to the purpose of those with whom I have especially to do in
this controversy, who hold orthodoxy, knowledge of the fundamental doctrines
of religion, moral sincerity, and a good conversation, to be qualifications, which
ought to be insisted on in order to a visible church state : for a very great part
of those Jews were destitute of these qualifications; many of them were Saddu-
cees, who denied a future state; others of them Herodians, who were occasional
conformists with the Romans in their idolatries; the prevailing sect among them
were Pharisees, who openly professed the false doctrine of justification by the
works of the law and external privileges, that leaven of the Pharisees, which
Christ warns his diciples to beware of : many of them were scandalously igno
rant, for their teachers had taken away the key of knowledge : multitudes were
grossly vicious, for it was a generation in which all manner of sin and wicked
ness prevailed.
I think that text in Rom. xi. can be understood no otherwise, in any con
sistence with plain fact, than that the Gentile Christians succeeded the Jews,
who had been either in themselves or ancestors, the children of Abraham, with
respect to a visible interest in the covenant of grace (which, as has been ob
served, was the substance and marrow of the covenant made with Abraham),
until they were broken off from the church, and ceased any longer to be visibk
saints by their open and obstinate unbelief ; as indeed either they or their an
cestors had all been thus broken off from the church of visible saints; for every
branch or family of the stock of Jacob had been in the church of visible saints,
and each branch withered and failed through unbelief. This was the highest
and most important sense in which any of the Jews were externally the chil
dren of Abraham, and implied the greatest privileges. But there was anothei

FOR FULL COMMUNION. 157
sense, in which the whole nation, including even those of them who were no
visible saints, were his children (which as has been shown), implied great
privileges, wherein Christian Gentiles do not succeed them, though they have
additional ecclesiastical privileges, vastly beyond the Jews.
Whether I have succeeded, in rightly explaining these matters, or no, yet
my failing -in it is of no great importance with regard to the strength of the ob
jection, that occasioned my attempting it ; which was, that scandalously wicked
men among the Jews are called God's people, &c. The objection, as I observed,
is as much against the scheme of those whom I oppose, as against my scheme ;
and therefore it as much concerns them, to find out some explanation of the
matter that shall show something else is intended by it, than their having the
qualifications of visible saints, as it does me ; and a failing in such an attempt
as much affects and hurts their cause, as it does mine.
Objection III.
Those in Israel, who made no profession of piety of heart, did according to
divine institution partake of the passover ; a Jewish sacrament, representing the
same things, and a seal of the very same covenant of grace with the Lord's
supper ; and particularly it would be unreasonable to suppose, that all made a
profession of godliness whom God commanded to keep that first passover in
Egypt, which the whole congregation were required to keep, and there is no
shadow of any such thing as their all first making a solemn public profession of
those things wherein true piety consists : and so the people in general partook of
the passover, from generation to generation ; but it would be hard to suppose,
that they all professed a supreme regard to God in their hearts.
Answer 1. The affair of the Israelites' participation of the passover, and
particularly that first passover in Egypt, is attended with altogether as much
difficulty in regard to the qualifications which the objectors themselves suppose
requisite in communicants at the Lord's table, as with regard to those which I
insist upon ; and if there be any argument in the case, it is fully as strong an
argument against their scheme, as mine. One thing they insist upon as a
requisite qualification for the Lord's supper, is a public profession of religion as
to the essential doctrines of it : but there is no more shadow of a public pro
fession of this.kind,, preceding that passover in Egypt, than of a profession of
godliness. Here, not to insist on the great doctrines of the fall of man, of our
undone state by nature, of the Trinity, oi our dependence on the free grace of
God for justification, &c, let us take only those two doctrines of a future state
of rewards and punishments, and the doctrine oi the Messiah to come, that Mes
siah who was represented in the passover : is there any more appearance, in
sacred story, of the people's making a public profession in Egypt of these doc
trines before they partook of the passoVer, than of their making profession of
the love of God 1 And is there any more probability of the former, than of
the latter 1 Another thing which they on the other side suppose necessary to
a due attendance on the Lord's supper, is, that when any have openly been
guilty of gross sins they should, before they come to this sacrament, openly
confess and humble themselves for their faults. Now it is evident by many
Scriptures, that a great part of the children of Israel in Egypt had been guilty
of joining with the Egyptians in worshipping their false gods, and had lived in
idolatry : but the history in Exodus gives us no account of any public solemn
confession of, or humiliation for this great sin, before they came to the pass-
over. Mr. Stoddard observes (Appeal p. 58, 59) that there was in the church
of Israel a way appointed by God for the removal of scandals ; men being re-

158 QUALIFICATIONS
quired in that case to offer up their sacrifices, attended with confession and visi
ble signs of repentance. But where do we read of the people's offering up sac
rifices in Egypt, attended with confession for removing the scandal of that most
heinous sin of idolatry they had lived in 1 Or is there any more probability
of their publicly professing their repentance and humiliation for their sin, be
fore their celebrating the passover, than of their publicly professing to love God
above all ? Another thing which they suppose to be requisite in order to ad
mission to the Lord's table, and about which they would have a particular care
betaken, is, that every person admitted give evidence of a competent know
ledge in the doctrines of religion, and none be allowed to partake who are
grossly ignorant. Now there is no more appearance of this with regard to the
congregation in Egypt, than of a profession of godliness ; and it is as diffi
cult to suppose it. There is abundant reason to suppose, that vast numbers in
that nation, consisting of more than a million of adult persons, had been brought
up in a great degree of ignorance, amidst their slavery in Egypt, where the
people seem to have almost forgotten the true God and- the true religion : and
though pains had been taken by Moses, now for a short season, to instruct the
people better ; yet it must be considered, it is a very great work, to take a
whole nation under such degrees of ignorance and prejudice, and bring every
one of them to a competent degree of knowledge in religion; and a greater
work still for Moses both thus to instruct them, ahd also by examination or
otherwise, to come to a just satisfaction, that all had indeed attained to such
knowledge. Mr. Stoddard insists, that if grace be requisite in the Lord's supper, it would
have been as much so in the passover, inasmuch as the chief thing the pass-
over (as well as the Lord's supper) has reSpect to and represents, is Christ's
sufferings. But if on this account the same qualifications are requisite in both
ordinances, then it would be as requisite that the partakers should- have know-
le dge to discern the Lord's body (in Mr. Stoddard's sense of 1 Cor. xi. 29) in
the passover, as in the Lord's supper. But this certainly is as difficult to sup
pose, as that they professed godliness : for how does it appear, that the people
in general who partook of the passover, knew that it signified the death of the
Messiah, and the way in which he should make atonement for sin by his blood?
Does it look very likely that they should know this, when Christ's own disciples
had not knowledge thus to discern the Lord's body in the passover, oi which
they partook from year to year with their Master 1 Can it be supposed, they
actually knew Christ's death, and the design of it to be thereby signified, when
they did not so much as realize the fact itself, that Christ was to die, at least
not till the year before the last passover 1 And besides, how unreasonable
would it be to suppose, that the Jews understood what was signified, pertaining
to Christ and salvation by him, in all those many kinds of sacrifices, which they
attended and partook of, and all the vast variety of ceremonies belonging to
them; all which sacrifices were sacramental representations of Christ's death,
as well as the sacrifice of the passover? The apostle tells us that all these
things had a shadow of good things to come, the things concerning Christ; and
yet there are many of them, which the church of Christ to this day does not un
derstand ; though we are under a thousand times greater advantage to under
stand them than they were; having the New Testament, wherein God uses
great plainness of speech, to guide us, and livingin days wherein the vail which
Moses put over his face is taken away in Christ, and the vail of the temple rent,
and have the substance and antitype plainly exhibited, and so have opportunity
co compare these with those shadows.

FOR FULL COMMUNION. 159
If it be objected, as a difficulty that lies against our supposing a profession
of godliness requisite to a participation of the passover, that they who were un
circumcised, were expressly forbidden to partake, and if conversion was as im
portant, and a more important qualification than circumcision, why were not
the unregenerate as expressly forbidden 1 I answer ; Why were not scandalous
sinners as expressly forbidden 1 And why was not moral sincerity as express-
1 Jy required as circumcision 1
If it be objected that they were all expressly and strictly required to keep
the passover ; but if grace was requisite, and God knew that many of the par
takers would have no grace, why would he give such universal orders ?
I answer : When God gave those commands, he knew that the commands, in
all their strictness, would reach many persons who in the time of the passover
would be without so much as moral sincerity in religion. Every man in the
nation, of every generation, and which should be in being each year, from the
first institution till the death of Christ, were all (excepting such as were cere
monially unclean, or in a journey) strictly required to keep the feast of the pass-
over ; and yet God knew that multitudes would be without the qualification of
moral seriousness in religion. It would be very unreasonable to suppose, that
every single person in the nation was morally serious, even in the very best
time that ever passed over the nation; or that ever there was such a happy day
with that nation, or any, other nation under heaven, wherein all were morally
sincere in religion. How much then was it otherwise many times with that na
tion, which was so prone to corruption, and so often generally involved in gross
wickedness 1 But the strict command of God to keep the passover reached the
morally insincere, as well as others ; they are nowhere excepted, any more
than the unconverted. And as to any general commands of God's word, these
no more required men to turn from a state of moral insincerity before they came
to the passover, than they required them to turn from a graceless state.
But further, I reply, that God required them all to keep the paisover, no
more strictly than he required them all to love the Lord their God with their
whole heart : and if God might strictly command this, he might also strictly
command them, to keep that ordinance wherein they were especially to profess
it, and seal their profession of it. That evil generation were not expressly for
bidden to keep the passover in succeeding years, for the whole forty years dur
ing which they went on provoking God, very often by gross sinning and open
rebelling ; but still the express and strict commands for the whole congrega
tion to keep the passover reached them, nor were they released from their ob
ligation. If it be said, that we must suppose multitudes in Israel attended the passover,
from age to age, without such a visibility oi piety as 1 have insisted on ; and
yet we do not find their attending this ordinance charged on them as a sin, in
Scripture; I answer: We must also suppose that multitudes in Israel, from age
to age, attended the passover, who lived in moral insincerity, yea, and scandalous
wickedness. For the people in general very often notoriously corrupted them
selves, and declined to ways of open and great transgression ; and yet there is
reason to think, that in these times of corruption, for the most part, they up
held circumcision and the passover ; and we do not find their attending on
these ordinances under such circumstances, any more expressly charged on
them as a sin, than their coming without piety of heart. The ten tribes con
tinued constantly in idolatry for about two hundred and fifty years, and there is
ground to suppose, that in the mean time they ordinarily kept up circumcision
and the passover: for though they worshipped God by images, yet they main-

160 QUALIFICATIONS
tained most of the ceremonial observances of the law of Moses, called the man
ner of the God of the land, which their priests taught the Samaritans, who were
settled in their stead, 2 Kings, xvii. 26, 27. Neverthaless we do not find Eli
jah, Elisha, or other prophets that were sent among them, reproving them for
attending these ordinances without the required moral qualifications. In
deed there are some things in the writings of the prophets, which may be in
terpreted as a reproof of this ; but no more as a reproof of this, than of attend
ing God's ordinances, without a gracious sincerity and true piety of heart and
life. How many seasons were there, wherein the people in general fell into and
lived in idolatry, that scandal of scandals, in the times of the judges, and in the
times of the kings both in Judah and Israel 1 But still amidst all this wicked
ness, they continued to attend the sacrament of circumcision ; we have every
whit as much evidence of it, as that they attended the passover without a pro
fession of godliness : we have no account of their ever leaving it off at such
seasons, nor any hint of its being renewed (as a thing which had ceased) when
they came to reform. Though we have so full an account of the particulars of
Josiah's reformation, after that long scandalous reign of Manasseh, there is no
hint of any reviving of circumcision, or returning to it after a cessation. And
where have we an account of the people's being once reproved for attending
this holy sacrament while thus involved in scandalous sin, in all the Old Testa
ment 1 And where is this once charged on them as a sin, any more than in
the case of unconverted persons attending the sacrament of the passover ?*
Ans. II. WThatever was the case with respect to the qualifications for the
sacraments of the Old Testament dispensation, I humbly conceive it is nothing
to the purpose in the present argument, nor needful to determine us with respect
to the qualifications for the sacraments of the Christian dispensation, which is
a matter of such plain fact in the New Testament. Far am I from thinking
the Old Testament to be like an old almanack out of use ; nay, I think it is ev
ident from the New Testament that some things which had their first institu
tion under the Old Testament, are continued under the New ; for instance, par
ticularly, the acceptance of the infant seed of believers as children of the cove
nant with their parents ; and probably some things belonging to the order and
discipline of Christian churches, had their first beginning in the Jewish syn
agogue. But yet, all allow that the Old Testament dispensation is out of date,
with its ordinances : and I think in a matter pertaining to the constitution and
orderof the New Testament church, that is a matter of fact wherein the New
Te lament itself is express, full and abundant, in such a case to have recourse
to the Mosaic dispensation for rules or precedents to determine our judgment,
is quite needless and out of reason. There is perhaps no part of divinity at
tended with so much intricacy, and wherein orthodox divines do so much differ,
as the stating the precise agreement and difference between the two dispensa
tions of Moses and of Christ. And probably the reason why God has left it so
intricate, is, because our understanding the ancient dispensation, and God's de
sign in it, is not of so great importance, nor does so nearly concern us. Since
God uses great plainness of speech in the New Testament, which is as it were
the charter and municipal law of the Christian church, what need we run hack
to the ceremonial and typical institutions of an antiquated dispensation, where
in God's declared design was, to deliver divine things in comparative obscurity,
hid under a vail, and involved in clouds 1
* Let the'reader here take notice of what is observed in the conclusion of my answer to the object:on
from the instance of Judas.

FOR FULL COMMUNION. 161
We have no more occasion for going to search among the types, dark reve
lations, and carnal ordinances of the Old Testament, to find out whether this
matter of fact concerning the constitution and order of the New Testament
church be true, than we have occasion for going there to find out whether any
other matter of fact, we have an account of in the New Testament be true ; as
particularly whether there were such officers in the primitive church as bishops
and deacons, Whether miraculous gifts of the Spirit were common in the apostles'
days, whether the believing Gentiles were received into the primitive Christian
church, and the like.
Answ. III. I think, nothing can be alleged from the Holy Scripture, that is
sufficient to prove a profession of godliness to be not a qualification requisite in
order to" a due and regular participation of the passover.
Although none of the requisite moral qualifications for this Jewish sacra
ment, either of one kind or other, are near so clearly made known in the Old
Testament, as the qualifications for the Christian sacraments are in the New ;
and although the supposing a visibility, either of moral siricerity, or sanctifying
grace, to be requisite, is (both respecting the one case and the other) involved
in some obscurity and difficulty ; yet I would humbly offer what appears to me
to be the truth concerning that matter, in the things that follow.
(1.) Although the people in Egypt, before the flrst passover, probably made
no explicit public profession at all, either of their humiliation for their former
idolatry, or of present devotedness of heaft to God ; it being before any parti
cular institution of an express public profession, either of godliness, or repent
ance in case of scandal ; yet I think there was some sort of public mani
festation, or implicit profession of both. Probably in Egypt they implicitly-
professed the same things, which they afterwards professed more expressly
and solemnly in the wilderness. The Israelites in Egypt had very much
to affect their hearts, before the last plague, in the great things that God had
done for them ; especially in some of the latter plagues, wherein they were so
remarkably distinguished frorn the Egyptians. They seem now to be brought
to a tender frame, and a disposition to show much respect to God (see Exod.
xii. 27), and were probably now very forward to profess themselves devoted to
him, and true penitents.
(2.) After the institution of an explicit public profession oi devotedness to
God, or (which is the same thing) of true piety of heart, this was wont to be
required in order to a partaking of the passover and other sacrifices and sacra
ments that adult persons were admitted to. Accordingly all the adult persons
that were circumcised at Gilgal, had made this profession a little before on the
plains of Moab ; as has been already observed. Not that all of them were truly
gracious ; but seeing they all had a profession and visibility, Christ in his deal
ings with his church as to external things, acted not as the Searcher of hearts,
but as the Head of the visible church, accommodating himself to the present
state of mankind ; and therefore he represents himself in Scripture as trusting
his people's profession ; as I formerly observed.
(3.) In degenerate limes in Israel, both priests and people were very lax
with respect to covenanting with God, and professing devotedness to him ; and
these professions were used, as public professions commonly are still in corrupt
times, merely as mattersof form and ceremony, at least by great multitudes.
(4.) Such was the nature of the Levitical dispensation, that it had in no
measure so great tendency to preclude and prevent hypocritical professions, as
the New Testament dispensation ; particularly on account of the vastly greater
darkness of it. For the covenant of grace was not then so fully revealed, and
Vol. I. 21

162 QUALIFICATIONS
consequently the nature of the conditions of that covenant not then so well
known. There was then a far more obscure revelation of "those great duties of
repentance towards God and faith in the Mediator, and of those things wherein
true holiness consists, and wherein it is distinguished from other things. Per
sons then had not equal advantage to know their own hearts, while viewing
themselves in this comparatively dim light of Moses's law, as now they have in
the clear sunshine of the gospel. In that state of the minority of the church,
the nature of true piety, as consisting in the spirit of adoption, or ingenuous filial
love to God, and as distinguished from a spirit of 'bondage, servile fear and Self-
love, was not so clearly made known. The Israelites were therefore the more
ready to mistake, for true piety, that moral seriousness and those warm affec
tions and resolutions that resulted from tthat spirit of bondage, which showed
itself in Israel remarkably at Mount Sinai: and which, throughout all the Old
Testament times, they were especially incident to.
(5.) God was pleased in a- great measure to wink at and suffer (though; he
did not properly allow) that laxness there was among the people, with regard-
to the visibility of holiness, and the moral qualifications requisite to an attend
ance on their sacraments ; as also he did in many other cases of great irregu
larity, under that dark, imperfect, and comparatively carnal dispensation ; such
as polygamy, putting away their wives at pleasure, the revenger of blood kill
ing the ma'nslayer, &c, and as he winked at the worshipping in high places
in Solomon's time (1 Kings iii. 4, 5); at the neglect of keeping the feast of
tabernacles according to the law, from Joshua's time until after the captivity
(Neh. viii. 17) ; and as he winked at the neglect of the synagogue worship, or
the public service of God in particular congregations, until after the captivity,*
though the light of nature, together with the general rules of the law of Moses,
did sufficiently teach and require it.
(6.) It seems to be from time to time foretold in the prophecies of the Old
Testament, that there -would be a great alteration in this respect, in the days, of
the gospel ; that under the new dispensation there should be far greater purity
in the church. Thus in the forementioned place in Ezekiel it is foretold, that
" those who are \yisibly] uncircumcised in heart, should no more enter into
God's sanctuary." Again Ezek. xx. 37, 38, " And I will cause you to pass
under the rod, and will bring you into the bond of the covenant ; and I wjll
purge out from among you the rebels, and them that transgress against me."
It seems to be a prophecy of the greater purity of those who are visiblym
covenant with God. Isa. iv. 3, " And it shall come to pass that he that is left
in Zion, and he that remaineth in Jerusalem, shall be called holy, even every
one that is written among the living [i. e., has a name to live, or is enrolled
among the saints] in Jerusalem." Isa. Iii. 1, "Put on thy beautiful garments,
O Jerusalem, the holy city; from henceforth there shall no more come into thee
the uncircumcised and the unclean." Zech. xiv. 21, " And in that day, there
shall be no more the Canaanite in the house of the Lord."
(7.) This is just such an alteration as might reasonably be expected from
what we are taught of the whole nature oi the two dispensations. As the one
had carnal ordinances (so they are called Heb. ix. 10) the other a spiritual ser
vice ; (John iv. 24) the one an earthly Canaan, the other a heavenly; the one
an external Jerusalem, the other a spiritual ; the one an earthly high priest,
the other aheavenly ; the one a worldly sanctuary, the other a spiritual ; the
, * Prid.-Comuct. Part I. p. 354, 536, and 555, 556, 9th Edit. The word translated synagogue!, Psal.
Ixxiv. 8, signifies assemblies ; and is supposed by the generality of lcarnril men to relate to another sort
ef assemblies.

FOR FULL COMMUNION. 163
one a bodily and temporal redemption (which is all that they generally discern
ed or understood in the passover), the other a spiritual and eternal. And agree
ably to these things, it was so ordered in Providence, that Israel, the congrega
tion that should enter this worldly sanctuary, and attend these carnal ordinan
ces, should be much more a worldly, carnal congregation, than the New Testa
ment congregation. One reason why it was ordered in providence that there
should be such a difference, seems to be this, viz., that the Messiah might
have the honor of introducing a state of greater purity and spiritual glory.
Hence God is said to hnd fault with that ancient dispensation of the covenant,
Heb. viii. 7, 8. And the time of introducing the new dispensation is called the
time of reformation, Heb. ix. 10. And one thing, wherein the amendment
of what God found fault with in the former dispensation should consist, the
apostle intimates, is the greater purity and spirituality oi the church, Heb. viii.
7,8,11. Objection IV.
It is not reasonable to suppose that the multitudes which John the Baptist
baptized made a profession of saving grace, or had any such visibility of true
piety as has been insisted on.
Answer. Those whom John baptized, came to him confessing their sins,
making a profession of some kind of repentance ; and it is not reasonable to sup
pose, the repentance they professed was specifically or in kind diverse from that
which he had instructed them in, and called them to, which is called repentance
for the remission of sins ; and that is saving repentance. John's baptism is
called the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins : I know not how such
a phrase can he reasonably understood any otherwise, than so as to imply, that
his baptism was some exhibition of that repentance, and a seal of the profession
of it. Baptism is a seal of some sort of religious profession, in adult persons:
but the very name of John's baptism shows, that it was a seal of a profession
oi repentance for the remission of sins. It is said, Luke iii. 3, "John preacheb
the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins." What can be understood
by this, but his preaching that men should now speedily turn to God, by true
repentance andfayth in the promised Saviour, and come and confess their sins,
and openly declare this repentance towards God, and faith in the Lamb of God,
and that they should confirm and seal this their profession by baptism, as well
as therein receive the seal of God's willingness to remit the sins of such as had
this faith and repentance. Accordingly we are told, the people came and were
baptized of him, confessing their sins, manifesting and professing that sort of re
pentance and faith which he preached. They had no notion of any other smti
of repentance put into their heads, that they could suppose John called them to
profess in baptism, but this accompanied With faith in the Lamb whom he call
ed them to behold ; for he preached no other to them. The people that John
baptized, professed both repentance for the remission of sins, and also faith, in
the Messiah ; as is evident by Acts xix. 4, 5, " John verily baptized with the
baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on hiia
that should come after him ;" i. e., on Christ Jesus : " When they heard this
[John's preaching] they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus."
If it be objected here, that we are told, Matt. iii. 5, 6, " There went out to
him Jerusalem, and all Judea, and all the region round about Jordan, and were
baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins ;" and that it is not to be imag
ined all these made any credible profession of saving repentance and faith $ I

164 QUALIFICATIONS
answer : No more is to be understood by' these expressions, according to- the
phraseology of the Scripture, than that there was a very great resort of people
from these places to John. Nor is there any more to be understood by the like
term of universality in John iii. 26, " They came to John, and said unto him,
Habbi, he that was with thee beyond Jordan, to whom thou barest witness,
behold, the same baptizeth, and all men come to him ;" that is, there was a great
(resort to him from all quarters. It is in no wise unreasonable to suppose, there
-was indeed a very great number of people that came to John from the places
¦mentioned, who being exceedingly moved by his preaching, in that time of ex
traordinary outpouring of the Spirit, made profession of the faith and repentance
¦which John preached. Doubtless there were many more professors than real
converts : but still, in the great resort to John there were many of the latter
character ; as we may infer from the prophecy ; as appears by Luke i. 16, 17:
" And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God. And
he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the
fathers to the children, and of the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make
aready a people prepared for the Lord." And from that account of fact in Matt. xi.
12, " From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven suffer-
<eth violence, and the violent take it by forcet" And in Luke xvi. 16, " The law and
she prophets were until John : since that time the kingdom of God is preached,
and every man presseth into it."' Here the expression is no less universal, than
4hat which is objected in Matt. iii. 5, 6. As to those wicked Pharisees, that so
much opposed Christ, some of them I suppose had been baptized by John, and
then had a great show of repentance and faith; but they afterwards apostatized,
and were much worse than ever before: therefore Christ speaks of them as he"
ing like a house from which the unclean spirit is visibly turned out for a while,
and is left empty, swept, and garnished, but afterwards is repossessed', and has
many devils instead of one, Luke xi. 24, &c. Yet as to the g-reafer part of
these Pharisees, they were not baptized by John ; as appears by Luke vii. 29,
30.
If it be further objected, that John in baptizing such multitudes could not
have time to be sufficiently informed of those he baptized, whether their profes
sion of godliness was credible dr no : I answer : That we are not particularly
informed of the circumstances of his teaching, and of the assistance he was fa
vored with, and the means he had of information concerning those whom he
^baptized : but we may be sure of one thing, viz., he had as much opportunity
to inquire into the credibility of their profession, as he had to inquire into their
doctrinal knowledge and moral character ; which my opponents suppose to be
.necessary, as well as I : and this is enough to silence the present objection.
Objection V.
Christ says, Matt. xx. 16, and again, chap. xxii. 14, that many are called,
but few are chosen. By which it is evident, that there are many who belong
to the visible church, and yet but Jew real and true saints ; and that it is ordi
narily thus, even under the New Testament, and in days of gospel light : and
therefore that visibility of saintship, whereby persons are visible saints ih a Scrip
ture sense, cannot imply an apparent probability of their being real saints, or
truly gracious persons.
Answer. In these texts, by those that are called, are not meant those who
=are visible saints, and have the requisite qualifications for Christian sacraments;
ibui all such as have the external call of the word of God, and have its offers

FOR FULL COMMUNION. X65.
and invitations made to them. And it is undoubtedly true, and has been mat
ter of fact, for the most part, that of those called in this sense, many have beers.
but only called, and never truly obedient to the ca\\, few have been true saints.
So it was in the Jewish nation, which the parable in the twentieth of Matthew
has a special respect to ; they in general had the external call of God's word,
and in general attended many religious duties, in hopes of God's favor and re
ward, which is called laboring in God's vineyard ; and yet but yew of them.
eventually obtained salvation ; nay, great multitudes of those who are called''
in this sense, were scandalous persons, and gross hypocrites. The Pharisees andi
Sadducees were called, and they labored in the vineyard, in the sense- of the-
parable ; for which they expected great rewards above the Gentile converts; oir
proselytes ; wherefore their eye was evil towards them, and they could not bear
that they should be made equal to them : but still these Pharisees and Saddu>-
cees had not generally the intellectual and moral qualifications, that my oppo
nents suppose requisite for Christian sacraments; being generally scandalous
persons, denying some fundamental principles of religion, and explaining away
some of its most important precepts. Thus many in Christendom are called by
the outward' call of God's word, and yet few of them are in a state of salvation:
but not all these that sit under the sound of the gospel, and hear its invitations,,
are fit to come to sacraments.
That, by those who are called, in this saying of our Saviour, is meant those
that have the gospel offer, and not those who belong to the society of visible.
saints, is evident beyond all dispute, in Matt. xxii. 14. By the many that are-
called, are plainly intended the many that are invited to the wedding. — In the
foregoing parable, we have an account of those that from time to time were bid
den or called (for the word is the same in the original) : verse 3, " And sent
forth his servants to call them that were called [xaXsaai rov$ xExlyiievovg], andi
they would not come." This has respect to the Jews, who refused not only
savingly to come to Christ, but refused so much as to come into the visible
church of Christ. Verse 4, " Again he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them,
which are bidden [or called], Behold, I have prepared my dinner," &c. Verse 8,
"They which were bidden [or called] were not worthy." Verse 9, " Go ye
therefore to the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid [or call xaXeaarsl
to the marriage," or nuptial banquet ; representing the preaching of the gospel
to the Gentiles ; who upon it came into the king's house, i. e., the visible church,,
and among them one that had not on a wedding garment," who was bound hand.
and foot and cast out when the king came : and then at the conclusion, Christ
adds this remark, verse 14, " For many are called or bidden (xlijroi) but few
are chosen ;" which must have reference, not only to the man last mentioned,,
who came into the wedding house, the Christian visible church, without a wed
ding garment, but to those also mentioned before, who were called,,hi\t would
not so much as come/into the king's house, or join the visible Christian church-
To suppose this saying fo have reference only to that one man who came with
out a wedding garment (representing one that comes into the visible churcb„
hut is not a true saint), would be to make the introduction of this aphorism, and
its connection with what went before, very strange and unintelligible, because theft
it would be as much as to say thus, " Multitudes came into the king's house,,
who were called, and the house was full of guests ; but among them was found
one man who was not chosen ; for many are called, but few are chosen."

166 'QUALIFICATIONS

Objection VI.

When the servants of the householder, in the parable of the wheat and tares
(Matt, xiii.), unexpectedly found tares among the wheat, they said to their
master, " Wilt thou that we go and gather them up 1 But he said, Nay, lest
;while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them ; let both
grow together, until the harvest." Which shows the mind of Christ,~that we
ought not to go about to make a distinction between true saints and apparent
ia this world, or aim at any such thing as admitting true saints only into the
-visible church, but ought to let both be together in the church till the day of
judgment. Answ. I. These things in this parable have no manner of reference to intro
duction, into the field, or admission into the visible church, as though no care
nor measures should be taken to prevent tares being sown ; or as though the
servants who had the charge of the field, would have done well to have taken tares,
appearing to be such, and planted them in the field amongst the wheat: no,
instead of this, the parable plainly implies the contrary. But the words cited
have wholly respect to a casting out and purging the field, after the tares had
been introduced unawares, and contrary to design, through men's infirmity and
Satan's procurement. Concerning purging tares out of the field, or casting
men out of the church, there is no difference between me and those whom I
oppose in the present controversy : and therefore it is, impossible there should
be any objection from that which Christ says here concerning this matter, against'
me, but what is as much of an objection against them ; for we both hold'the
same thing. It is agreed on all hands, that adult persons, actually admitted to
communion of the visible church, however they may behave themselves so as
to bring their spiritual state into suspicion, yet ought not to be cast out, unjess
they are obstinate in heresy or scandal ; lest, while we go about to root put the
tares, we should root out the wheat also. And it is also agreed on all hands,
that when those represented under the name oi tares bring forth such evil fruit,
such scandalous and obstinate wickedness, as is plainly and visibly inconsistent
with the being of true grace, they ought to be cast out. And therefore it is
impossible that this objection should be any thing to the purpose.
Answ. II. I think this parable, instead of being a just objection against the
doctrine I maintain, is on the contrary a clear evidence/or it.
For'(l,) the parable shows plainly, that if any are introduced into the field
of the householder, or church of Christ, who prove not to be wheat (i. e-, not
true saints) they are brought in unawares, or contrary to design ; and' that they
are what do 'not properly belong there. If tares are as properly to be sown
in the field,*as is the wheat, which must be the case if the Lord's supper be a
converting ordinance ; then surely no care ought to be taken to introduce wheat
only, and no respect ought to be had more to the qualities of wheat in sowing
the field, than the qualities of tares ; nor is there any more impropriety in the
tares having a place there, than the wheat: but this surely is altogether incon
sistent with the scope of the parable.
(2.) This parable plainly shows, that those who are in the visible church,
have all of them at first a visibility, or appearance to human sight, of true grace,
or of the nature of true saints. For it is observed, tares have this property, "that
when they first appear, and till the products of the field arrive to some maturity,
they have such a resemblance of wheat, that it is next to impossible to distin
guish them.

FOR FULL COMMUNION. 167
Objection VII.
Christ himself administered the Lord's supper to Judas, whom he knew at
the same time to be graceless ; which is a full evidence, that grace is not in
itself a requisite qualification in order to coming to the Lord's supper ; and if it
be not requisite in itself, a profession of it cannot be requisite.
Answ. I. It is to me apparent, that Judas was not present at the administra
tion of the-Lord's supper. It is true, he was present at the passover, and dip
ped with Christ in the paschal dish. The three former Evangelists do differ in
the order of the account they give of this dipping in the dish. Luke gives an
account of it after his account of the Lord's supper^ Luke xxii. 21. But Mat
thew and Mark both give an account of it before. (Matt xxvi. 23, Mark xiv-
20.) Arid the like might be shown in abundance of instances of these three
Evangelists differing one from another in the order of their narratives ; one
places those things ih hi? history after others, which another places first ; these
sacred historians not undertaking to declare precisely the date of every incident,
but regarding more the truth of facts, than the order of time. However, in the
present case, the nature of the thing speaks for itself, and shows that Judas' s dip
ping with Christ ih i'he dish, or Ins hand being with Christ on the table, or re
ceiving a sop dipped in the dish, must be in" that order wherein Matthew and
Mark place it in their history, viz., at the passover, antecedent to the Lord's sup^
per : for there is no such thing in the Lord's supper as dipping of sops and dip
ping together in the dish ; but there was such a thing in the passover, where
all had their hands together in the dish, and dipped their sops in the bitter sauce-
None of these three Evangelists give us any account of the time when Judas;
went out ; but John, who is vastly more particular as to what passed that night,
and is everywhere more exact as to the order of time than the other Evangel
ists, gives us an account, and is very precise as to the time, viz., that Jesus when
he gave him the sop, at the same time sent him away, bidding him do quickly
what he intended to do ; and accordingly' when he had received the sop he went
immediately out, John xiii. 27 — 30. Now this sop being at the passover, it
is evident he was not present at the Lord's supper which followed. Many of
the best expositors are of this opinion, such as Van Mastricht, Dr. Doddridge, and
others. . .
Answ. II. If Judas was there, I deny the consequence. — As I have observed
once and again concerning the Lord's dealings with his people under the Old
Testament, so under the New the same observation takes place-: Christ did not
come to judge the secrets of men, nor did ordinarily act in his external dealings
with his disciples, and in administration of ordinances, as the Searcher of
hearts ; but father as the Head of the visible church, proceeding according to*
what was exhibited in profession and visibility ; herein setting an example to
his ministers, v/ho should stand in his place when he was gone, and act in his
name in the administration of ordinances. Judas had made the same profession
of regard to his master, and of forsaking all for him, as the other disciples : and
therefore Christ did not openly renounce him till he himself had destroyed
his profession and visibility of saintship, by public scandalous apostasy. Sup
posing then the presence of Judas at the Lord's supper, this affords no conse
quence in favor of what I oppose.
Answ. III. If they with whom 1 have to do in this controversy, are not
contented with the answers already given, and think there is a remaining diffi
culty in this matter lying against my scheme, I will venture to tell them, that

168 QUALIFICATIONS
the difficulty lies full as hard against their own scheme; and if there be any
strength at all in the argument, it is to all intents of the same strength against
the need of those qualifications which they themselves suppose to be necessary
in order to an approach to the Lord's table, as against those which I think so.
For although they do not think renewing saving grace necessary, yet they sup
pose moral seriousness or (as they variously speak) moral sincerity in religion
to be necessary : they suppose it to be requisite, that persons should have some
kind of serious principle and view in coming to the Lord's table ; some sort of
intention of subjecting themselves to Christ, and of seeking and serving him, in
general ; and in particular some religious end in coming to the sacramental.
supper, some religious respect to Christ in it. But now did not Christ at that
time perfectly know, that Judas had none of these things 1 He knew he had
nothing of sincerity in the Christian religion, or of regard to Christ in that or
dinance, of any sort whatsoever; he knew that Satan had entered into him and .
filled his heart, and that he was then cherishing in himself a malignant, mali
cious spirit against his master, excited by the reproof Christ had lately given
him (compare John xii. 8, with Matt, x-xvi. 8 — 16, and Mark xiv. 4 — 11), and
that he had already formed a traitorous, murderous design against him, and was
now in the prosecution of that bloody design, having actually just before been
to the chief priests, and agreed with them to betray him for thirty pieces of sil
ver. (See Matt. xxvi. 14, 15, 16, Mark xiv. 10, 11, Luke xxii. 3 — 6, and
John xiii. 2.) Christ knew these things, and knew that Judas was utterly un
qualified for the holy sacrament of the Lord's supper ; though it had not yet
been made known to the church, or the disciples. — Therefore it concerns those
on the contrary part in this controversy, to find out some solution of this diffi
culty, as much as it does me; and they will find they have as much need to
take refuge in the solution already given, in one or other of the two preceding
answers to this objection.
By the way I would observe, that Christ's not excluding Judas from the
passover under these circumstances, /mowing- him. to be thus unqualified, without
so much as moral sincerity, &c.,is another thing that effectally enervates all the
strength of the objection against me, from the passover : for Judas did not only
in common with others fall under God's strict command in the law of Mo
ses, to keep this feast, without any exception of his case there to be found ; but
Christ himself, with his own hand, gave him the sop, a part of the paschal
feast ; even although at the same instant he had in view the man's secret wick
edness and hypocrisy, the traitorous design which was then in his heart, and
the horrid conspiracy with the chief priests, which he had already entered into,
and was now in prosecution of :, this was then in Christ's mind, and he intima
ted it to him, at the same moment when he gave him the sop, saying, What
thou dost, do quickly. This demonstrates that the objection from the passover is
no stronger argument against my scheme, than the scheme of those whom I
oppose ; because it is no stronger against the necessity oi Sanctifying grace, the
qualification for Christian sacraments, which I insist upon, than it is against the
necessity of moral seriousness or sincerity, the qualifications which they insist upom.
Objection VIII.
If sanctifying grace be a requisite qualification in order to persons' due ac
cess to Christian sacraments, God would have given some certain rule whereby
those who are to admit them, might know whether they have such grace o«
not.

FOR FULL COMMUNION. 169'
Answer. This objection was obviated in my stating the questiop. How
ever, I will say something further to it in this place; and would here observe,
that if there be any strength in this objection, it lies in the truth of this propo
sition., viz., That whatever qualifications are requisite in order to persons' due
access to Christian sacram,ents, God has given some certain rule, whereby those
who admit them, may know whether they have those qualifications, or not. If this
proposition is not true, then there is no force at all in the argument. But I
dare say, there is not a divine, nor Christian of common sense, on the face of
the earth, that will assert and stand to it, that this proposition is true : for there
is none will deny, that some sort of belief of the being of a God, some sort of
belief that the Scriptures are the word of God, that there is a future state of
rewards and punishments, and that Jesus is the Messiah, are qualifications re
quisite in order to persons' due access to Christian sacraments; and yet God
has given those who are to admit persons no certain rule whereby they may
know whether they believe any one of these things. Neither has he given his
ministers or churches any certain rule, whereby they may know whether any
person that offers himself for admission to the sacrament, has any degree of
moral sincerity, moral seriousness of spirit, or any inward moral qualification
whatsoever. These things have all their existence in the soul, which is out of
our neighbor's view. Not therefore a certainty, but a profession and visibility
of these things, must be the rule of the church's proceedings ; and it is as good
and as reasonable a rule of judgment concerning saving grace, as it is concern
ing any other internal, invisible qualifications, which cannot certainly be known
by any but the subject himself. *
Objection IX.
Ii sanctifying grace be requisite to a due approach to the Lord's table, then
no man may come but he that knows he has such grace. A man must not only
think he has a right to the Lord's supper, in order to his lawful partaking of it ;
but he must know he has a right. If nothing but sanctifi cation gives him a real
right to the Lord's supper, then nothing short of the knowledge of sanctifica-
tion gives him a known right to it ; only an opinion and probable hopes of a
right will not warrant his coming.
Answ. I. I desire those who insist on this as an invincible argument, to
consider calmly whether they themselves ever did or ever will stand to it. For
here these two things are to be observed :
(1.) If no man may warrantably come to the Lord's supper, but such as
know they have a right, then no unconverted persons may come unless they not
only think, but know it is the mind of God, that unconverted persons should
come, and know that he does, not require grace in order to their coming. For
unless they know that men may come without grace, they cannot know that
they themselves have a right to Come, being without grace. And will any one
assert and stand to it, that of necessity, all adult persons of every age, rank and
condition of life, must be so versed in this controversy, as to have a certainty
in this matter, in order to their coming to the Lord's supper 1 It would be
most absurd for any to assert it a point of- easy proof, the evidence of which is
so clear and obvious to every one of every capacity, as to supersede all occa
sion for their being studied in divinity, in order to a certainty of its truth, that
persons may come to the sacred table of the Lord, notwithstanding they know
themselves to be unconverted ! Especially considering, it seems a matter of
plain 'fact, that the contrary to this opinion has been in general the judgment of
Vol. I. 22

170 QUALIFICATIONS
Protestant divines and churches, from the Reformation to this day ; and that the
most part of the greatest divines that have ever appeared in the world, who
have spent their lives in the diligent, prayerful study of divinity, have been fixed
in the reverse of that opinion. This is sufficient at least to show, that this
opinion is not so plain as not to be a disputable point; and that the evidence
of it is not so obvious to persons of the lowest capacity and little inquiry, as
that all may come to a certainty in the matter, without difficulty and without
study. I would humbly ask here, What has been the case in fact in our churches,
who have practised for so many years on this principle 1 Can it be pretended,
or was it ever supposed, that the communicants in general, even persons of
mean intellectuals and low education, not excepting the very boys and girls of
sixteen years old, that have been taken into the church, had so studied divinity,
as not only to think, but know, that our pious forefathers, and almost all the
Protestant and Christian divines in the world, have been in an error in this mat
ter ? And have people ever been taught the necessity of this previous know
ledge? Has it ever been insisted upon, thatbefore persons come to the Lord's
supper, they must look so far into the case of a right to the Lord's supper, as to
come not only to a full settled opinion, but even certainty in this point 1 ' And
has any one minister or chureh in their admissions- ever proceeded on the sup
position, that all whom they took into communion were so versed in this con
troversy, as this comes to 1 Has it ever been the manner in examining them
as to the sufficiency of their knowledge, to examine them as to their thorough ac
quaintance with this particular controversy 1 Has it been the manner to put by
those who had only an opinion and not a certainty ; even as the priests who
could not find their register, were put by, till the,matter could be determined
by Urim and Thummim ? And I date appeal to every minister, and every
member of a church that has been concerned in admitting communicants, whe
ther they ever imagined, or it ever entered into their thought, concerning each
one whose admission they have consented to, that they had looked so much into
this matter, as not only to have settled their opinion, but to be arrived to a
proper certainty ?
(2.) I desire it may be remembered, the venerable author of the Appeal to
the Learned, did in his ministry ever teach such doctrine from whence it will
unavoidably follow, that no one unconverted man in the world can know he
has warrant to come to the Lord's supper. For if any unconverted man has
warrant to worship his Maker in this way, it must be because God has given
him warrant by the revelation of his mind in the Holy .Scriptures. And there
fore, if any unconverted man not only thinks, but knows, he has warrant from
God, he must of consequence, not only think, but know, that the Scriptures are
the word of God. But I believe all that survive of the stated hearers of that
eminent divine, and all who are acquainted with him, well remember it to be a
doctrine which he often taught and much insisted on, that no natural man /mows
the Scripture to be the word of God ; that although such may think so, yet
they do not know it ; and that at best they have but a doubtful opinion : and
he often would express himself thus : No natural man is thoroughly con
vinced, that the Scriptures are the word of God; if they were convinced, they
would be gained. Now if so, it is impossible any natural man in the world
should ever know, it is his right, in his present condition to come to the Lord's
supper. True, he may think it is his right, he may have that opinion ;¦ but he
cannot know it ; and so must not come, according to this argument. For it is
only the word of God in the Holy Scriptures, that gives a man a right, to wor
ship the Supreme Being in this sacramental manner, and to come to him in this

FOR FULL COMMUNION 171
way, or any other, as one in covenant with him. The Lord's supper beino- no
branch of natural worship, reason without institution is no ground of duty or
right in this affair. And hence it is plainly impossible for those that do not so
much as know the Scriptures are the word of God, to know they have any goocf
ground of duty or right in this matter. Therefore, supposing unconverted men
have a real right, yet since they have no known right, they have no warrant
(according to the argument before us) to take and use their right; and what
good then can their right do them 1 Or how can they excuse themselves from
presumption, in claiming a right, which they do not know belongs to them 1 It-
is said, a probable hope that persons are regenerate, will not warrant them to
come ; if they come, they take a liberty to do that which they do not know God
gives them leave to do, which is horrible presumption in them. But if this be
good arguing, I may as well say, a probable opinion that unregenerate men may
communicate, will not warrant such to do it. They must have certain know
ledge of this ; else, their right being Uncertain, they run a dreadful venture in
coming. Answ. II. Men are liable to doubt concerning their moral sincerity, as
well as saving grace. If an unconverted man, sensible of his being under the
reigning. power of sin, was about to appear solemnly to own the covenant (as it
is commonly called), and to profess to give up himself to the service of God in
a universal and persevering obedience ; and at the same time knew, that if he
did this-, and sealed this profession at the Lord's supper, without moral sincerity
(supposing 'him to understand the meaning of that phrase), he should eat and
drink judgment to himself ; and if, accordingly, his conscience being awakened,
he -was' afraid of God's judgment ; in this case, I believe the man would be
every whit as liable to doubts about his m.oral sincerity, as godly men are about
their gracious sincerity. And if it be not matter of fact, that natural men are
so often exercised and troubled with doubts about their moral sincerity, as godly
men about their regeneration, I suppose it to be owing only to this cause, viz.,
that godly men being of more tender consciences than those under the dominion of
sin, are more afraid of God's judgments, and more ready to tremble at his word.
The divines on the other side of the question, suppose it to be requisite, that com
municants should believe the fundamental doctrines of religion with all their
heart (in the sense of Acts viii. 37), the doctrine oi'Three Persons and One God,
in particular : but I think there can be no reasonable doubt, that natural men, who
have so weak and poor a kind of faith in these mysteries, if they were indeed as
much afraid of the terrible consequences of their being deceived in this matter,
or being not morally sincere in their profession of the truth, as truly gracious
men are wont to be of delusion concerning their experience of a work of
grace,, or whether they are evangelically sincere in choosing God for their por
tion ; the former would be as frequently exercised with doubts in the one case,
as the latter in the other. And I very much question, whether any divine on
the other side of the controversy would think it necessary, that natural men in
professing those things should mean that they know they are morally sincere, or
intend any more than that they trust they have that sincerity, so far as they know
their own hearts. If a man should come to them, proposing to join with the
church, and-tell them, though indeed he was something afraid whether he be
lieved the doctrine of the Trinity with all his heart (meaning in amoral sense),
yet that he had often examined himself as to that matter with the utmost im
partiality and strictness he was capable of, and on the whole he found reasons
of probable hope, and his preponderating thought of himself was, that he was
sincere in it ; would they think such a one ought to he rejected, or would they

172 QUALIFICATIONS
advise him not to come to the sacrament, because he did not certainly know he
had this sincerity, but only thought he had it !
Answ. III. If we suppose sanctifying grace to be requisite in order to as
teing properly qualified, according to God's word, for an attendance on the-,
Lord's supper ; yet it will not follow, that a man must know he has this quali
fication, in order to his being capable of conscientiously attending it. If he judges'
that he has it, according to the best light he can obtain, on the most careful ex
amination, with the- improvement of such helps as he can get, the advice of his
pastor, &c, he may be bound in conscience to attend. And the reason is this :
Christians partaking of the Lord's supper is not a matter of mere claim,. or
right and privilege, but a matter of duty and obligation ; being an affair wherein
another (even God) has a claim and demand on us. And as we ought to be
careful, on the one hand, that we proceed on good grounds in taking to ourselves
a privilege, lest we take what we have no good claim to ; so we should he
equally careful, on the other hand, to proceed on good grounds in what we with
hold from another, lest we do not withhold that from him which is his due, and
which he justly challenges from us. Therefore in a case of this complex na
ture, where a thing is both a matter oi right or privilege to us, and also a mat
ter of obligation to another, or a right of his from us, the danger of proceeding
without right and truth is equal both ways ; and consequently, if we cannot be
absolutely sure either way, here the best judgment we can form, after all proper
endeavors to know the truth, must govern and determine us ; otherwise we
shall designedly do that whereby, according to our own judgment, we run
the greatest risk ; which is certainly contrary to reason. If the question were
only what a man has a right to, he might forbear till he were sure : but the ques
tion is, not only whether he has a right to attend the supper, but whether God
also has not a right to his attendance there ? Supposing it were merely a priv
ilege which I am allowed in a certain specified case, and there were no com
mand to take the Lord's supper even in that case, but yet at the same time there
was a command not to take unless that be the case in fact, then, supposing I
am uncertain whether that be the case with me or no, it will be safest to abstain :
but supposing I am not only forbidden to take it, unless that be the case with
me, but positively commanded and required to take it, if that be the case in fact,
then it is equally dangerous to neglect on uncertainties, as to take on uncer
tainties. In such a critical situation, a man must act according to the best of
his judgment on his case ; otherwise he wilfully runs into that which he thinks
the greatest danger of the two.
Thus it is in innumerable cases in human life. I shall give one pla'in in
stance : a man ought not to take upon him the work of the ministry unless call
ed to it in the, providence of God ; for a man has no right to take this honor
to himself, unless called of God. Now let us suppose a young man of a liberal
education, and well accomplished, to be at a loss whether it is the will of God
that he should follow the work of the ministry ; and he examines himself, and
examines his circumstances, with great seriousness and solemn prayer, and well
considers and weighs the appearances in divine Providence : and yet when he has
done all, he has not come to a proper certainty that God calls him to this work :
but however, it looks so to him, according to the best light he can obtain, and
the most careful judgment he can form : now such a one appears obliged in
conscience to give himself to this work. He must by no means neglect it un
der a notion that he must not take this honor to himself, till he knows he has
a right to it ; because, though it be indeed1 a privilege, yet it is not a matter of
mere privilege, but a matter of duty too ; and if he neglects it under these cir-

FOR FULL COMMUNION. 173
tunistances, he neglects what, according to his own best judgment, he thinks
God requires of him, and calls him to ; which is to sin against his conscience.
As to the case of the priests,, that could not find their register (Ezra ii.),
alleged in the Appeal to the Learned, p. 64, it appears to me of no force in this
argument; for if those priests had had never so great assurance in them
selves of their pedigree being good, or of their being descended from priests,
and should have professed such assurance, yet it would not have availed ; nor
did they abstain from the priesthood, because they wanted satisfaction themselves,
but they were subject to the judgment of the Sanhedrim ; whose rule to judge
of the qualification spoken of, God had never made any profession of the par
ties themselves^ but the visibility of the thing, and evidence of the fact to their
own eyes : this matter oi pedigree being an external object, ordinarily within the
view of man ; and not any qualification of heart. But this is not the case with
regard to .requisite qualifications for the Lord's supper, which being many of
them interna], invisible things, seated in the mind and heart, such as the belief
oi a Supreme Being, &c. ; God has made a credible profession oi these things
the rule to direct ih admission of persons to the ordinance : who, in making
this profession, are determined and governed by their own judgment of them
selves, and not by any thing within the view of the church.
Objection X.
The natural consequence of the doctrine which has been maintained, is the
bringing multitude's of persons of a tender conscience and true piety into great
perplexities ; who, being at a loss about the state of their souls, must needs be
as much in suspense about their duty : and it is not reasonable to suppose, that
God would order things so in the revelations of his will, as to bring his own
people into such perplexities.
Answ. I. It is for want of the like tenderness of conscience which the god
ly have, that the other doctrine which insists on moral sincerity, does not natur
ally bring those who are received to communion on those principles, into the
same perplexities, through their doubting of their moral sincerity, of their be
lieving mysteries with, all their heart, &c, as has been already observed. And
a being free from perplexity, only through stupidity and hardness of heart, is
worse than being in the greatest perplexity through tenderness of conscience.
Answ. II. Supposing the' doctrine which I have maintained, be indeed the
doctrine of God's word, yet it will not follow, that the perplexities true saints
are in through doubting of their state, are effects owing to the revelations of
God's word. Perplexity and distress of mind, not only onoccasion of the Lord's
supper, but innumerable other occasions, is the natural and unavoidable conse
quence of true Christians doubting of their state. But shall we therefore say,
that all these perplexities are owing to the word of God ? No, it is not owing
to God, nor to any of his revelations, that true saints ever doubt of their state ;
his revelations are plain and clear, and his rules sufficient for men to determine
their own condition by : but, for the most part, it is "owing to their own sloth,
and giving way to their sinful dispositions. Must God's institutions and reve
lations be answerable for all the perplexities men' bring on themselves, through
their own negligence and unwatchfulness 1 It is wisely ordered it should be so,
that the saints should escape perplexity in no other way than that of a great strict
ness, diligence, and maintaining the lively, laborious, and self-denying exercises
of religion. It might as well be said, that it is unreasonable to suppose, God should

174 QUALIFICATIONS
order things so as to bring his own people into such perplexities, as doubting
saints are wont to be exercised with in the sensible approaches of death ; when
their doubts tend to vastly greater perplexity, than in their approaches to the
Lord's table. If Christians would more thoroughly exercise themselves unto
godliness, laboring always to keep a conscience void of offence both towards God
and towards man, it would be the way to have the comfort and taste the sweet
ness of religion. If they would so run, not as uncertainly ; so fight, not as they
that beat the air ; it would be the way for them to escape perplexity, both in
ordinances and providences, arid to rejoice and enjoy God in both. Not but
that doubting of their state sometimes arises from other causes, besides want ot
watchfulness; it may arise from melancholy, and some other peculiar disadvan
tages. But however, it is not owing to God's revelations nor institutions ;
which, whatsoever we may supp6se them to be, will not prevent the perplexi
ties of such persons.
Answ. III. It appears to me reasonable io suppose, that the doctrine I
maintain, if universally embraced by God's people/however it might- -he an
accidental occasion oi perplexity in many instances, through then own infirmity
and sin ; yet, on the whole, would be a happy-occasion of much more comfort
to the saints than trouble, as it would have a tendency, on every return of the
Lord's supper, to put them on the strictest examination and trial of the state of
their souls, agreeable to that rule of the apostle, 1 Cor. xi. 28. The neglect oi
which great duty of frequent and thorough self-examination, seems to be one
main cause of the darkness and perplexity of the saints, and the reason why
they have so little comfort in ordinances, and so little comfort in general. Mr.
Stoddard often taught his people, that assurance is attainable, and that those
who are true saints might know it, if they would ; i. e., if they would use
proper means and endeavors in order to it. * And if so,, then certainly it is not
just, to charge those perplexities on God's institutions, which arise through
men's negligence; nor would it be just on the supposition of God's institutions
being such as I suppose them to be. Objection XI.
You may as well say, that unsanctified persons may not attendant duty of
divine worship whatsoever, as that they may not attend the Lord's supper ; for
all duties of worship are holy and require holiness, in order to an acceptable per
formance of them, as well as that.
Answer, If this argument has any foundation at all, it has its foundation in
the supposed truth of the following propositions, viz., Whosoever is qualified for
admission to one duty of divine worship, is qualified for admission to all ; and
he that is unqualified for one, and may be forbidden one, is unqualified for all,
and ought to be allowed to attend none. But certainly these propositions are not
true. There are many who are qualified for some duties of worship, and may
be allowed, and are by no means to be forbidden to attend them, .who yet are
not qualified for some others, nor by any means to be admitted to them. As
every body grants, the unbaptized, the excommunicated, heretics, scandalous
livers, &c, may be admitted to hear the word preached ; nevertheless they are
not to he allowed to come to the Lord's supper. Even excommunicated per
sons remain still under the law of the Sabbath, and are not to be forbidden to
observe the Lord's day. Ignorant persons, such as have not knowledge suf
ficient for an approach to the Lord's table, yet are not excused from the duty
of prayer: they may pray to God to instruct them, and assist them in obtain-

FOR FULL COMMUNION. 175
ing knowledge. They who have been educated in Arianism and Socinianisra,
and are not yet brought off from these fundamental errors, and so are by no
means to be admitted to the Lord's supper, yet may pray to God to assist them in
their studies, and guide them into the truth, and for all other mercies which they
need. Socrates, that great Gentile philosopher, who worshipped the true God,
as he was led by the light of nature, might pray to God, and he attended his
duty when he did so ; although he knew not the revelation which God had made
of himself in his word.- That great philosopher that was contemporary with
the Apostle Paul, 1 mean Seneca, who held one Supreme Being, and had in
many respects right notions of the divine perfections and providence, though he
did not embrace the gospql, which at that day was preached in the world ; yet
might pray to that Supreme Being whom he acknowledged. And if his brother
Gallio at Corinth, when Paul preached there, had prayed to this Supreme Be
ing to giude him into the truth, that he might know whether the doctrine Paul
preached was true, he therein would have acted very becoming a reasonable
creature, and any one would have acted unreasonably in forbidding him ; but
yet surely neither of these men was qualifiedfor the Christian sacraments. So
that it is apparent, there is and ought to be a distinction made between duties
of worship, with respect to qualifications for them ; and that which is a suffi
cient qualification for admission to one duty, is not so for all. And therefore
the position is not true, which is the foundation whereon the whole weight of
this argument rests. To say that although it be true there ought to be a dis
tinction made, in admission to duties of worship, with regard to some qualifica
tions, yet sanctifying grace is not one of those qualifications that make thedif-
ference; would be but a giving up the argument, and a perfect begging the
question. It is said, there can be no reason assigned, why unsanctified persons may
attend other duties of worship and not the Lord's supper. But I humbly con
ceive this must be an inadvertence. For there is a reason very obvious from
that necessary and very notable distinction among duties of worship which fol
lows :
1. There are some duties of worship, that imply a profession of God's cove
nant ; whose very nature and design is an exhibition of those vital active prin
ciples and inward exercises, wherein consists the condition of the covenant of
grace, or that union of soul to. God, which is the union between Christ and his
spouse, entered into by an inward, hearty consenting to that covenant. Such
are the Christian sacraments, whose very design is to make and confirm a pro
fession oi compliance with that covenant, and whose very nature is to exhibit
or express the uniting acts of the soul : those sacramental duties, therefore,
cannot, by any whose hearts do not really consent to that covenant, and whose
souls do not truly close with Christ, be attended without either their being self-
deceived, or else wilfully making a false profession, and lying in a very aggra
vated manner.
2. There are other duties, which are not in their own nature an exhibition
of a covenant union with God, or of any compliance with the condition of the
covenant of grace ; but are the expression of general virtues, or virtues in
their largest extent, including both special and common. Thus prayer, or ask
ing mercy of God, is in its own nature no profession of a compliance with the
covenant, of grace : it is an expression of some belief of the being of a God, an
expression of some sense of our wants, some sense of our need of help, and
some sense of a need of God's help, some sense of our dependence, &c, but not
only such a sense of these things as is spiritual and saving. Indeed there are

176 QUALIFICATIONS
some prayers proper to be made by saints, and many things proper to be ex
pressed by them in prayer, which imply the profession of a spiritual union of
heart to God through Christ ; but such as no Heathen, no heretic, nor natural
man whatever, can or ought to make. Prayer in general, and asking mercy
and help from God, is no more a profession of consent to the covenant oi grace,
than reading the Scriptures, or meditation, or performing any duty of morality
and natural religion. A Mahometan may as well ask mercy as hear instruction :
and any natural man may as well express his desires to God, as hear when
God declares his will to him. It is true, when an unconverted man prays, the
manner oi his doing of it is sinful : but when a natural man, knowing him
self to be so, comes to the Lord's supper, the very matter of what he does, in
respect of the profession he there makes, and his pretension to lay hold of God's
covenant, is a lie, and a lie told in the most solemn manner.
In a word, the venerable Mr. Stoddard himself, in his Doctrine of Instituted
Churches, has taught us to distinguish between instituted and natural acts of
religion. The word and prayer he places under the head of moral duty, and
considers as common to all; but the sacraments, ^according to what he says
there, being instituted, are of special administration, and must be limited agree
able to the institution. Objection XII.
The Lord's supper has a proper tendency to promote men's conversion, be
ing an affecting representation, of the greatest and most important things of
God's word:- it has a proper tendency to awaken and humble sinners; here
being a discovery of the terrible anger of God for sin, by the infliction of the
curse upon Christ, when sin was imputed to him ; and the representation here
made of the dying love of Christ has a tendency to draw the hearts of sinners
from sin to God, &c.
Answer. Unless it be an evident truth, that what the Lord's supper may have
tendency to promote, the same it was appointed to promote, nothing follows from
this argument. If the argument affords any consequence, the consequence is
built on the tendency of the Lord's supper. And if the consequence be good
and strong on this foundation, as drawn from such premises, then wherever the
premises hold, the consequence holds ; otherwise it must appear, that the premises
and consequence are not connected. And now let us see how it is in fact. Do
not scandalous persons need to have these very effects wrought in their hearts,
which have been mentioned 1 Yes, surely ; they need them in a special man
ner : they need to be awakened ; they need to have an affecting discovery of
that terrible wrath of God against sin, which was manifested in a public man
ner by the terrible effects of God's wrath in the sufferings of his oWn incarnate
Son: gross sinners need this in some respect more than others :. they need to
have their hearts broken by an affecting view of the great and important things
of God's word : they need especially to fly to Christ for refuge, and therefore
need to have their hearts drawn. And seeing the Lord's supper has so great
a tendency to promote these things, if the consequence from the tendency oi the
Lord's supper, as inferring the end of its appointment, be good, then it must be
a consequence also well inferred, that the Lord's supper was appointed for the
reclaiming and bringing to repentance scandalous persons.
Here, for any to go to turn this off, by saying, Scandalous persons are ex
pressly forbid, is but a giving up the argument, and a begging the question.
It is a giving up the argument ; since it allows the consequence not to be good
For it allows, that notwithstanding the proper tendency oi the Lord's supper to

FOR FULL COMMUNION. 177
promote a design, yet it may be so that the Lord's supper was not appointed
with a view to promote that end. And it is a begging the question ; since it
supposes, that unconverted men are not evidently forbidden, as well as scandalous
persons ; which is the thing in controversy. If they be evidently forbid, that is as
much to reasonable creatures (who need nothing but good evidence) as if they
were expressly forbidden. To say here that the Lord's supper is a converting
ordinance only to orderly members, and that there is another ordinance appointed
for bringing scandalous persons to repentance, this is no solution of the
difficulty ; but it is only another instance of yielding up the argument and
begging the question : for it plainly concedes, that the tendency of an ordinance
does not prove it appointed to all the ends, which it seems to have a tendency
to promote : and also supposes, that there is not any other ordinance, appointed
for the converting of sinners that are moral and orderly in their lives, exclusive
of this, which is the thing in question.
It is at best but very precarious arguing, from the seeming tendency of
things, to the divine appointment, or God's will and disposition with respect to
the use oi those things. It looks as though it would have had a great tendency
to convince the Scribes and Pharisees, and to promote their conversion, if they
had been admitted into the Mount when Christ was transfigured : but yet it
was not the will of Christ, that they should be admitted there, or any other but
Peter, James and John. It seems as though it would have had a very great
tendency to convince and bring to repentance the unbelieving Jews, if they had
been allowed to see and converse freely with Christ after his resurrection, and
see him ascend into heaven : but yet it was the will of God, that none but dis
ciples should be admitted to these privileges. So it seems as though it might
have had a good tendency, if all that were sincere followers, of Christ, women
as well as men, had been allowed to be present at the institution of the Lord's
supper: but yet it is commonly thought none were admitted beside the
Apostles. Indeed the ever honored author of the Appeal to the Learned has supplied
me with the true and proper answer to this objection, in the following words,
pp. 27, 28 : " The efficacy of the Lord's supper does depend upon the blessing
of God. Whatever i endency ordinances have in their own nature to be servicea
ble to men, yet they will not prevail any further than God doth bless them.
The weapons of our warfare are mighty through God, 2 Cor. x. 4. It is God
that teaches men to profit, and makes them profitable and serviceable to men's
Souls. There is reason to hope for a divine blessing on the Lord's supper, when
it is administered to those that it ought to be administered to : God's blessing
is to be expected in God's way. If men act according to their own humors
and fancies, and do not keep in the way of obedience, it is presumption to ex
pect God's blessing. Matt. xv. 9, In vain do they worship me, teaching for doc
trines- the commandments of men. But when they are admitted to the Lord's
supper that God would have to be admitted, there is ground to hope that he will
make it profitable." Objection XIII.
All that are members of the visible church and in the external covenant, and
neither ignorant nor scandalous, are commanded lo perform all external cove
nant duties ; and particularly they are commanded to attend the Lord's supper,
in those words of Christ, This do in remembrance of me.
Answek. This argument is of no force, without first taking for granted
the very thing in question. For this is plainly supposed in it, that however.
Vol. I. 23

178 QUALIFICATIONS
these commands are given to such as are in the external covenant, yet they are
not given indefinitely, but with exceptions and reserves, and do not immediately
reach all such ; they do not reach those who are unqualified, though they be
in the external covenant Now' the question is, Who are these that are unqua
lified? The objection supposes, that only ignorant and scandalous persons are
so. But why are ihey only supposed unqualified ; and not unconverted persons
too ? Because it is taken for granted, that these are not unqualified. And thus
the grand point in question is supposed, instead of being proved. Why are
these limitations only singled out, neither ignorant nor scandalous ; and not
others as well 1 The answer must be, because these are all the limitations
which the Scripture makes : but this now is the very thing in question. Where
as the business of an argument is to prove, and hot to suppose, or take for
granted, the very thing which is to be proved.
If it be here said, It is with good reason that those who are ignorant or
scandalous alone are supposed to be excepted in God's command, and obliga
tions of the covenant ; for the covenant spoken of in the objection, is the ex
ternal covenant, and this requires only external duties ; which alone are what
lie within the reach of man's natural power* and so in the reach of his legal
power : God does not command or require what men have no natural power
to perform, and which cannot Le performed before something else, some ante
cedent duty, is performed, which antecedent duty is not in their natural power.
I reply, Still things are but supposed, which should be proved, and which
want confirmation.
( 1.) It is supposed that those who have externally (i. e., by oral profession
and promise) entered into God's covenant, are thereby obliged to no more than
the external duties of . that covenant : which is not proved, and I humbly con
ceive, is certainly not the true state of the case. They who have externally
entered into God's covenant, are by external profession and engagements en
tered into that one only covenant of grace, which the Scripture informs us of; and
therefore are obliged to fulfil the duties of that covenant, which are chiefly in
ternal. The children of Israel, when they externally entered into covenant
with God at Mount Sinai, promised to perform all the duties of the covenant,
to obey all the ten commandments spoken by God in their hearing, and writ
ten in tables of stone, which were therefore called, The Tables of the covenant ;
the sum of which ten commandments was, to love the Lord their God with
all their heart, and with all their soul, and to love their neighbor as themselves;
-which, principally at least, are internal duties. In particular, they promised
not to covet ; which is an internal duty. They promised to have no other God
before the Lord ; which implied that they would in their hearts regard no other
being or object whatever above God, or in equality with him, but would give
him their supreme respect.
(2.) It is supposed, that God does not require impossibilities of men, in this
sense, that he does not require tiiose things of them which are out of their
natural power, and particularly that he does not require them to be converted.
But this is not proved ; nor can I reconcile it with the tenor of the Scripture
revelation. And the chief advocates for the doctrine I oppose have themselves
abundantly asserted the contrary. The venerable author forementioned, as
every body knows, that knew him, always taught, that God justly requires men
to be converted, to repent of their sins, and turn to the Lord, to close with
Christ, and savingly to believe in him ; and that in refusing to accept of Christ
and turn to God, they disobeyed the divine commands, and were guilty of tha
most heinous sin; and that their moral inability was no excuse^

FOR FULL, COMMUNION. 179
(3.) It is supposed, that God does not command men to do those things
which are not to be done till something else is done, that is not within the reach
of men's natural ability. This also is not proved ; nor do I see how it can be
true, even according to the principles of those who insist on this objection. The
forementioned memorable divine ever taught, that God commandeth natu
ral men without delay to believe in Christ. And yet he always held, that it was
impossible for them to believe till they had by a preceding act submitted to ihe
sovereignty of God ; which yet he held, men never could do oi themselves, nor
till humbled and bowed by, powerful convictions of God's Spirit. Again, he
taught, that God commandeth natural men to love him with all their heart
And yet he held, that this could not be till men had first believed in Christ ; the
exercise of love being a fruit of faith ; and believing in Christ, he supposed not
to be within the reach of man's natural ability. Further, he held, that God
requireth of all men, holy, spiritual, and acceptable obedience ; and yet that
such obedience is not within the reach of their natural ability ; and not only
so, but that there must first be love to God, before there could be new obedi
ence, and that this love to God is not within the reach of men's natural ability.
Nor yet only so, but that before this love there must he faith, which faith is not
within the reach of man's natural power. And still, not only so, but that before
faith there must be the knowledge of God, which knowledge is riot in natural-
men's reach. And once more, not only so, but that even before the knowledge
of God there must be a thorough humiliation, which humiliation men could not
work in themselves by any natural power of their own. Now must it needs be
thought, notwithstanding all these things, unreasonable to suppose, that God
should command those whom he has nourished and brought up, to honor him
by giving an open testimony of love to him ; only because wicked men cannot
testify love till they have love, and love is not in their natural power ! And is
it any good excuse in the sight of God, for one who is under the highest obli
gations to him, and yet refuses him suitable honor by openly testifying his love
of him, to plead that he has no love to testify ; but, on the contrary, has an
infinitely unreasonable hatred 1 God may most reasonably require a proper
testimony and profession of love to him; and yet it may also be reasonable to
suppose at the same time, he forbids men to lie ; or to declare that they have
love,, when they have none. Because, though it be supposed, that God
requires men to testify love to him, yet he requires them to do it in a right way,
and in the true order, viz., first loving him, and then testifying their love.
(4.) I do not see how it can be true, that a man, as he is naturally, has not
a legal power to be converted, accept of Christ, love God, &c. By a legal
power to do a thing, is plainly meant such power as brings a person properly
within the reach of a legal obligation, or the obligation of a law or command
to do that thing. But he that has such natural faculties, as render him a pro
per subject of moral government, and as speak it a fit and proper thing for him
to love God, &c, and as give him a natural capacity herefor ; such a one may
properly be commanded, and put under the obligation of a law to do things so
reasonable ; notwithstanding any native aversion and moral inability in him to
do his duty, arising from the power of sin. This eJso, I must observe, was a
known doctrine of Mr Stoddard's, and what he ever taught.
Objection XIV.
Either unsanctified persons may lawfully come to the Lord's supper, or it
is unlawful for them to carry themselves as saints ; but it is not unlawful for
them to carry themselves as saints.

180 QUALIFICATIONS
Answer. It is the duty of unconverted men, both to become saints, and to
behave as saints. The Scripture rule is, Make the tree good, that the fruit may
be good. Mr. Stoddard himself never supposed, that the -fruit of saints was to
be expected from men, or could possibly be brought forth by them in truth, till
they were saints.
And I see not how it is true that unconverted men ought, in every respect,
to do. those external things which it is the duty of a godly man to do. It is the
duty of a godly man, conscious of his having given his heart unto the Lord, to
profess his love to God and his esteem of him above all, his unfeigned faith in
Christ, &c, and in his closet devotions to thank God for these graces as the
fruit of the Spirit in him : but it is not the duty of another that really has no
faith, nor love to God, to do thus. Neither any more is it a natural man's duty
to profess these things in the Lord's supper. Mr. Stoddard taught it to be the
duty of converts on many occasions, to profess their faith and love and other
graces before men by relating their experiences in conversation : but it would
be great wickedness for such as know themselves to be not saints, thus to do ;
because they would speak falsely, and utter lies in so doing. Now, for the like
reason, it would be very sinful, for men to profess and seal their consent to the
covenant of grace in the Lord's supper, when they know at the same time that
they do not consent to it, nor have their hearts at all in the affair.
Objection XV.
This scheme will keep out of the church some true saints ; for there are
some such who determine against themselves, and their prevailing judgment is,
that they are not saints : and we had better let in several hypocrites, than ex
clude one true child of God.
Answer. I think, it is much better to insist on some visibility to reason, of
true saintship, in admitting members, even although this, through men's infir
mity and darkness, and Satan's temptations, be an occasion of some true saints'
abstaining ; than by express liberty given,' to open the door to as many as
please, of those who have no visibility of real saintship, and make no profession
of it, nor pretensions to it ; and that because this method tends to the ruin and
great reproach of the Christian church, and also to the ruin of the persons
admitted. 1. It tends to the reproach and ruin of the Christian church. For by Ihe
rule which God hath given for admissions, if it be carefully attended (it is said),
more unconverted than converted persons, wUl be admitted. It is then confessed
ly the way to have the greater part of the members of the Christian church un
godly men; yea, so much greater, that the godly shall be but/ewin comparison
of the ungodly ; agreeable to their interpretation of that saying of Christ, many
are called, but few are chosen. Now if this be an exact state of the case, it will
demonstrably follow, on Scripture principles, that the opening the door so wide
has a direct tendency to bring things to that pass, that the far greater part of
the members of Christian churches shall not be persons of so much as a serious
conscientious character, but such as are without even moral sincerity, and do
not make religion at all their business, neglecting and casting off secret prayer
and other duties, and living a life of carnality and vanity, so fa" as they can, con
sistently with avoiding church censures ; which possibly may be sometimes to a
great degree. Ungodly men may be morally sober, serious and conscientidus,
and may have what is called moral sincerity, for a while • may have these
things in a considerable measure, when they first come into the church : . but if
their hearts arenot changed, there is no probability at all of these things continue

FOR FULL COMMUNION. 181.
ing long. The Scripture has told us, that this their goodness is apt to vanish*
Uke the morning cloud arid early dew. How can it be expected but that their
religion should in a little time wither away, which has no root ? How can ifc
be expected, that the lamp should burn long, without oil in the vessel to feed it ?
If lust be unmor'tified, and left in reigning power in the heart, it will sooner or
later prevail ; and at length sweep away common grace and moral sincerity,
however excited and maintained for a while by conviction and temporary affec
tions. It will happen to them according to the true proverb, The dog is return
ed to his vomit ; and the swine that was washed to his wallowing in the mire..
It is said of the hypocrite, Will he delight himself in the Almighty? Will he:
always call upon God ? And thus our churches will be likely to be such coni-
gregations as the Psalmist said he hated, and would not sit with, Psal. xxvi. 4,
5 : " I have not sat with vain persons, nor will I go in with dissemblers ; I have
hated the congregation of evil doers, nor will I sit with the wicked." This will
be the way to have the Lord's table ordinarily furnished with such guests as
allow themselves to live in known sin, and so such as meet together from time
to time only to crucify Christ afresh, instead of commemorating his crucifixion
with the repentance, faith, gratitude, and love of friends. And this is the way
to have the governing part of the church such as are not even conscientious
men, and are careless about the honor and interest of religion. And the direct
tendency of that is, in process of time, to introduce a prevailing negligence in
discipline, and carelessness in seeking ministers of a pious and worthy character.
And the next step will be the churches being filled with persons openly vicious
in manners, or else scandalously erroneous in opinions : it is well if this be not
already the case in fact with some churches that have long professed and prac
tised on the principles I oppose. And if these principles should be professed
and proceeded on by Christian churches everywhere, the natural tendency of
it would be, to have the greater part of what is called the church of Christ,
through the world, made up of vicious and erroneous persons. And how greatly
would this be to the reproach of the Christian church, and of the holy name
and religion of Jesus Christ in the sight of all nations 1*
And now is it not better to have a few real Christians kept back through
darkness and scruples, than to open a door for letting in such universal ruin as
this ? To illustrate it by a familiar comparison ; is it not better, when Eng
land is at war with France, to keep out of the British realm a few loyal En
glishmen, than to give leave for as many treacherous Frenchmen to come in as
please 1
2. This way tends to the eternal ruin of the parties admitted : for it lets in
such, yea, it persuades such to come in, as know themselves to be impenitent
and unbelieving, in a dreadful manner to take God's name in vain ; in vain to
worship him, and abuse sacred things, by solemnly performing those external
acts and rites in the name of God, which are instituted for declarative signs
and professions of repentance toward God, faith in Christ, and love to him, at
the same time that they know themselves destitute of those things which they
profess to have. And is it not better, that some true saints, through their own
weakness and misunderstanding, should be kept away from the Lord's table,
which will not keep such out of heaven, than voluntarily to bring in multi-
' * And this by the way answers another objection which some have made, viz., that the way I plead
for, tends to keep the chureh of Christ small, and hinder the growth of it. Whereas, I think the contrary
tends to keep- it small, as it is the wickedness of its members, that above all things in the ™°T\u preju
dices mankind against it ; and is ths chief stumbling-block, that hinders the propagation of Christianity,
and so the growth of the Christian chureh. -But holiness would cause the light of the church to shina
i*o as to induce others to resort to it.

182 QUALIFICATIONS
tudes oi false professors to partake unworthily, and in effect to seal their own
condemnation 1 Objection XVI.
You cannot keep out hypocrites, when all is said and done ; but as many
graceless persons will be likely to get into the church in the way of a profes
sion of godliness, as if nothing were insisted on, but a freedom from public
scandal. Answer. It may possibly be so in some places, through the misconduct of
ministers and people, by remissness in their inquiries, carelessness. as to the pro
per matter of a profession, or setting up some mistaken rules of judgment ;
neglecting those things which the Scripture insists upon as the most essential
articles in the character of a real saint ; and substituting others in ihe room of
them ; such as impressions on the imagination, instead of renewing influences
on the heart ; pangs of affection, instead of the habitual temper of the mind ;
a certain method and order of impressions and suggestions, instead of the nature
of things experienced, &c. But to say that in churches where the nature, the notes,
and evidences of true Christianity, as described in the Scriptures, are well un
derstood, taught and observed, there as many hypocrites are likely to get in ; or
to suppose, that there as many of those persons of an honest character, who are
well instructed in these rules, and well conducted by them, and judging of
themselves by these rules, do think themselves true saints, and accordingly make
profession of godliness, and are admitted as saints in a judgment of rational
charity; to suppose, I say, as many of these are likely to be carnal, uncon
verted men, as of those who make no such pretence and have no such hope, nor
exhibit any such evidences to the eye of a judicious charity, is not so much an
objection against the doctrine I am defending, as a reflection upon the Scripture
itself, with regard to the rules it gives, either for persons to judge of their own
state, or for others to form a charitable judgment by, as if they were of little
or no service at all. We are in miserable circumstances indeed, if the rules of
God's holy word in things of such infinite importance, are so ambiguous and
uncertain, like the Heathen oracles. And it would be very strange, if in these
days of the gospel, when God's mind is revealed with such great plainness of
speech, and the canon of Scripture is completed, it should ordinarily be the case
in fact, that those who, having a right doctrinal understanding of the Scripture,
and judging themselves by its rules, do probably conclude or seriously hope of
themselves, that they are real saints, are as many of them in a state of sin and
condemnation, as others who have no such rational hope concerning their good
estate, nor pretend to any special experiences in religion.
Objection XVII.
If a profession of godliness be a thing required in order to admission into
the church, there being some true saints who doubt of their state, and from a
tender conscience will not dare to make such a profession ; and there being
others, that have no grace, nor much tenderness of conscience, but great pre
sumption and forwardness, who will boldly make the highest profession of re
ligion, and so will get admittance ; it will hence come to pass, that the very
thing, which will in effect procure for the latter an admission, rather than the
former, will be their presumption and wickedness.
Answ. 1. It is no sufficient objection against the wholesomeness of a rule

FOR FULL COMMUNION. 183
established for the regulating the civil state of mankind, that in some instances
men's wickedness may take advantage by that rule, so that even their wicked
ness shall be the very thing, which by an abuse of that rule, procures them tem
poral honors and privileges. For such is the present state of man in this evil
world, that good rules, in many instances, are liable to be thus abused and per
verted. As for instance., there are many human laws, or rules accounted whole
some and necessary, by which an accused or suspected person's own solemn
profession of innocency, his asserting it upon oath, shall be the condition of
acquittance and impunity ; and the want of such a protestation or profession
shall expose him to the punishment. And yet by an abuse of these rules, in
some instances, the horrid sin of deliberate perjury, or that most presumptuous
wickedness of false swearing, shall be the very thing that acquits a man.
While another of a more tender conscience, -who fears an oath, must suffer the
penalty of the law.
2. Those rules, by all wise lawgivers, are accounted wholesome-, which
prove of general good tendency, notwithstanding any bad consequences arising
in some particular instances. And as to the ecclesiastical rule now in question,
of admission to sacraments on a profession oi godliness, when attended with
requisite circumstances ; although this rule in particular instances may be an
occasion of some tender-hearted Christians abstaining, and some presumptuous
sinners being admitted, yet that does not hinder but that a proper visibility of
holiness to the eye of reason, or a probability of it in a judgment of rational
Christian charity, may this way be maintained, as the proper qualification of
candidates for admission. Nor does it hinder but that it maybe reasonable and
wholesome for mankind, in their outward conduct, to regulate themselves by
such probability ; and that this should be a reasonable and good rule for the
church to regulate themselves by in their admissions ; notwithstanding its so
happening in particular instances, that things are really diverse from, yea, the
very reverse of, what they are visibly. Such a profession as has been insisted
on, when attended with requisite circumstances, carries in it a rational credibil
ity in the judgment of Christian charity. For it ought to be attended with an
honest and sober character, and with evidences of good doctrinal knowledge,
and with all proper, careful, and diligent instructions of a prudent pastor. And
though the pastor is not to act as a searcher of the heart, or a lord of con
science in this affair, yet that hinders not but that he may and ought to inquire
particularly into the experiences of the souls committed to his care and charge,
that he may be under the best advantages to instruct and advise them, to apply
the teachings and rules of God's word unto them, for their self-examination, to
be helpers of their joy, and promoters of their salvation. However, finally, not
any pretended extraordinary skill of his in discerning the heart, but the per
son's own serious profession concerning what he finds in his own soul, after he
has been well instructed, must regulate the public conduct with respect to him,
where there is no other external visible thing to contradict and overrule it
And a serious profession of godliness, under these circumstances, carries in it a
visibility to the eye of the church's rational and Christian judgment.
3. If it be still insisted on, that a r>de of admission into the church cannot
be good, which is liable to such a kind of abuse as that forementioned, I must -
observe, this will overthrow the rules that the objectors themselves go by in
' their admissions. For they insist upon it, that a man must not only have know
ledge and be free of scandal, but must appear orthodox, and profess the com
mon faith. Now presumptuous lying, for the sake pf the honor of being in the
¦church, having children baptized, and voting in ecclesiastical affairs, may pos-

184 QUALIFICATIONS
sibly be the very thing that brings some men into the church by this rule;
while greater tenderness of conscience may be the very thing that keeps others
out. For instance, a man who secretly in his mind gives no credit to the com
monly received doctrine of the Trinity, yet may, by pretending an assent to it,
and in hypocrisy making a public profession of it, get into the church, when at
the same time another, that equally disbelieves it, but has a more tender con
science than to allow himself in solemnly telling a lie, may by that very means
be kept off from the communion, and lie out of the church.
Objection XVIII.
It seems hardly reasonable to suppose, that the only wise God has made
men's opinion of themselves, and a profession of it, the term of their admission
to church privileges ; when We know, that very often the worst men have the
highest, opinion of themselves.
Answ. I. It must be granted me, that in fact this is the case, if any proper
profession at all is expected and required, whether it be of sanctifying grace, or
of moral sincerity, or any thing else that is good : and to be sure, nothing is
required to be professed, or is worthy to be professed, any further than it is
good. Answ. II. If some things, by the confession of all, must be professed, for
that very reason, because they are good, and of great importance : then cer
tainly it must be owned very unreasonable, to say, that those things wherein
true holiness consists are not to be professed, or that a profession of them should
7wt be required, for that same reason, because they are good, even in the highest
degree, and infinitely the most important and most necessary things of any in
the world : and it is unreasonable to say, that it is the less to be expected we
should profess sincere friendship to Christ, because friendship to Christ, is the
most excellent qualification of any whatsoever, and the contrary the most odious.
How absurd is it to say this, merely under a notion that for a man to profess
what is so good, and so reasonable, is to profess a high opinion of himself 7
Answ. III. Through some of the worst men are apt to entertain the highest
opinion of themselves, yet their self-conceit is no rule to the church : but the
apparent credibility of men's profession is to be the ground of ecclesiastical
proceedings. Objection XIX.
If it be necessary that adult persons should make a profession of godliness,
in order to their own admission to baptism, then undoubtedly it is necessary in
order to their children's being baptized on their account. For parents cannot
convey to their children a right to this sacrament, by virtue of any qualification
lower than those requisite in order to their own right : children being admitted
to baptism only as being as it were parts and members of their parents. And
besides, the act of parents in offering up their children in a sacrament, which
is a seal of the covenant of grace, is in them a solemn attending that sacrament
as persons interested in the covenant, and a public manifestation of their ap
proving and consenting to it, as truly as if they then offered up themselves to
God in that ordinance. Indeed it implies a renewed offering up themselves
with their children, and devoting both jointly to God in covenant ; themselves,
with their children, as parts of themselves. But now what fearful work will
such doctrine make-amongst us ! We shall have multitudes unbaptized, who will

FOR FULL COMMUNION. 185
go about without the external badge of Christianity, and so in that respect will
be like Heathen. And this is the way to have the land full of persons who are
destitute of that which is spoken of in Scripture as ordinarily requisite to men's
salvation ; and it will bring a reproach on Vast multitudes, with the families they
belong to ; and not only so, but will tend to make them profane and Heathen
ish ; for by thus treating our children, as though they had no part in the Lord,
we shall cause them to cease from fearing the Lord ; agreeable to Josh. xxii.
24,25. Answ. I. As to children's being destitute of that which is spoken of in
Scripture as one thing ordinarily requisite to salvation ; I Would observe, that
baptism can do their souls no good any otherwise than through God's- blessing
attending it ; but we have no reason to expect his blessing with baptism, if ad
ministered to those that it does not belong to by his institution.
Answ. II. As to the reproach, which will be brought on parents and children,
by children's going without baptism, through the parents neglecting a profession
of godliness, and so visibly remaining among the unconverted ; if any insist on
this objection, I think it will savor of much unreasonableness and even stupidity.
It will savor of an unreasonable spirit. Is it not enough, if God freely offers
men to own their children and to give them the honor of baptism, in case the pa
rents will turn from sin and relinquish their enmity against him, heartily give up
themselves and their children to him, and take upon them the profession of godli
ness ? — If men are truly excusable, in not turning to God through Christ, in not.
believing with the heart, and in not confessing with the mouth, why do not
we openly plead that they are so 1 And why do not we teach sinners, that '
they are not to blame for continuing among the enemies of Christ, and neg
lecting and despising his great salvation 1 If they are not at all excusable in
this, and it be wholly owing to their own indulged lusts, that they refuse sin
cerely to give up themselves and their children to God, then how unreasonable
is it for them to complain that their children are denied the honor of having God's
mark set upon them as some of his 1 If parents are angry at this, such a tem
per shows them to be very senseless of their own vile treatment pf the blessed God.
Should a prince send to a traitor in prison, and, upon opening the prison doors,
make him the offer, that if he would come forth and submit himself to him, he
should not only be pardoned himself, but both he and his children should have
such and such badges of honor conferred upon them : yet if the rebel's enmity
and stoutness of spirit against his prince is such, that he could not find in his
heart to comply with the gracious offer, will he have any cause to be angry,
that his children have not those badges of honor given them 1 And besides, it
is very much owing to parents, that there are so many young people who can
make no profession of godliness : they have themselves therefore to blame, if
the case be so, that proceeding on the principles which have been maintained,
there is like to rise a generation of unbaptized persons. If ancestors had
thoroughly done their duty to their posterity, in instructing, praying for, and
governing their children, and setting them good examples, there is reason to
think, the case would have been far otherwise.
The insisting on this objection would savor of much stupidity. For the objec
tion seems to suppose the country to be full of those that are unconverted, and
so exposed every moment to eternal damnation ; yet it seems we do not hear
such great and general complaints and lamentable outcries concerning this-
Now why is it looked upon so dreadful, to have great numbers going without *
the name and honorable badge of Christianity, that there should be loud and
general exclamations concerning such a calamity ; when at the same time it is
Vol. I 24

186 QUALIFICATIONS
no more resented and laid to heart, that such multitudes go without the thing,
which is infinitely more dreadful 1 Why are we so silent about this 1 _ What
is the name good for, without the thing ? Can parents bear to have their chil
dren go about the world in the most odious and dangerous state of soul, in re
ality the children of the devil, and condemned to eternal burnings ; when at
the same time they cannot bear to have them disgraced by going without the
honor of being baptized ? A high honor and privilege this is ; yet how can
parents be contented with the sign, exclusive of the thing signified 1 Why
should they covet the external honor of their children, while they are so careless
about the spiritual blessing 1 Does not this argue a senselessness of their own
misery, as well as of their children's, in being in a Christless state 1 If a man
and his child were both together bitten by a viper, dreadfully swollen, anti like
to die, would it not argue stupidity in the parent, to be anxiously concerned
only about his child's having on a dirty garment in such circumstances, and
angry at others for not putting some outward ornament upon it 1 But the
difference in this present case is infinitely greater, and more important. Let
parents pity their poor children, because they are without baptism ; and pity
themselves who are in danger of everlasting misery, while they have no interest
in the covenant of grace, and so have no right to covenant favors or honors for
themselves nor children. No religious honors to be obtained in any other way
than by real religion, are much worth contending for. And in truth, it is no
honor at all to a man, to have merely the outward badges of a Christian, with
out being a Christian indeed ; any more than it would be an honor to a man
that has no learning, but is a mere dunce, to have a degree at college ; or than
it is for a man who has no valor, but is a grand coward, to have an honorable
commission in an army ; which only serves, by the lifting him up, to expose
him to the deeper reproach, and. sets him forth as the more notable object of
contempt. Answ. III. Concerning the tendency of this way of confining baptism to pro
fessors of godliness and their children, to promote irreligion and profaneness;
I would observe, First, That Christ is best able to judge of the tendency of his
own institutions. Secondly, I am bold to say, that the supposing this principle
and practice to have such a tendency, is a great mistake, contrary to Scripture
and plain reason and experience. Indeed such a tendency it would have, to
shut men out from having any part in the Lord (in the sense of the two tribes
and half, Josh. xxii. 25), or to fence them out by such a partition wall as for
merly was between Jews and Gentiles ; and so to shut them out as to tell them,
if they were ever so much disposed to serve God, he was not ready to accept
them ; according to that notion the Jews seem to have had of the uncircumcis
ed Gentiles. But only to forbear giving men honors they have no title to, and
not to compliment them with the name and badge of God's people and chil
dren, while they pretend to nothing but what is consistent with their being his
enemies, this has no such tendency : but rather the contrary has very much this
tendency. For is it not found by constant experience through all ages, that
blind, corrupt mankind, in matters of religion are strongly disposed to rest in a
name, instead of the thing ; in the shadow, instead of the substance ; and to
make themselves easy with the former, in the neglect of the latter 1 This over
valuing of common grace, and moral sincerity, as it is called ; this building so
much upon them, making them the conditions of enjoying the seals of God's
covenant, and the appointed privileges, and honorable and sacred badges of
God's children ; this, I cannot but think, naturally tends to soothe and flintier the
pride of vain man, while it tends to aggrandize those things in men'? eyes.

FOR FULL COMMUNION. *97
which they, of themselves, are strongly disposed to magnify and trust in witn-
out such encouragements to prompt them to it, yea, against all discouragements
and dissuasives that can possibly be used with them.
This way of proceeding greatly tends to establish the negligence of parents,
and to confirm the stupidity and security of wicked children. If baptism were
denied to all children, whose parents did not profess godliness, and in a judg
ment of rational charity appear real saints, it woultl tend to excite pious heads
of families to more thorough care and pains in the religious education of their
children, and to more fervent prayer for them, that they might be converted in
youth, before they enter into a married state ; and so if they have children, the
entail of the covenant be secured. And it would tend to awaken young people
themselves, as yet unconverted, especially when about to settle in the world.
Their having no right to Christian privileges for their children, in case they
should become parents, would tend to lead them at such a time seriously to re
flect on their own awful state ; which, if they do not get out of it, must lay a
foundation for so much calamity and reproach to their families. And if, after
their becoming parents, they still remain unconverted, the melancholy thought
of their children's going about without so much as the external mark of Chris
tians, would have a continual tendency to put them in mind of, and affect them
with their own sin and folly in neglecting to turn to God, by which they bring
such visible calamity and disgrace on themselves and families : they would
have this additional motive continually to stir them up to seek grace for them
selves and their children : whereas the contrary practice has a natural tendency
to quiet the minds of persons, both in their own and their children's unregene-
racy. Yea, may it not be suspected, that the way of baptizing the children of
such as never make any proper profession of godliness, is an expedient origin
ally invented for that very end, to give ease to ancestors with respect to their
posterity, in times of general declension and degeneracy 1
This way of proceeding greatly tends to establish the stupidity and irre-
ligion of children, as well as negligence of parents. It is certain that uncon
verted parents do never truly give up their children td God ; since they do not
truly give up themselves to him. And if neither of the parents appears truly
pious, in the judgment of rational charity,- there is not in this case any ground
to expect that the children will be brought up in the nurture and admonition
of the Lord, or that they will have any thing worthy the name of a Christian
education, how solemnly soever the parents may promise it. The faithfulness
of Abraham was such as might be trusted in this matter. See Gen. xviii. 19.
But men that are not so much as visibly godly, upon what grounds are they to
be trusted 1 How can it be reasonably expected, that they should faithfully
bring up their children for God, who were never sincerely willing that their
children or themselves should be his? And it will be but presumption, to ex
pect that those children who are never given up to God, nor brought up for
him, should prove religious and be God's children. . There is no manner of
reason td expect any other than that such children ordinarily will grow up in
irreligion, whether they are baptized or not. And for persons to go about with
the name and visible seal of God, and the sacred badge of Christianity upon
them, having had their bodies, by a holy ordinance, consecrated to God as his
temples, yet living in irreTigion and ways of wickedness, this serves exceedingly
to harden them, and establish in them an habitual contempt of sacred things.
Such persons, above all men are like to be the most hardened and abandoned,
and most difficultly reclaimed : as it was with the wicked Jews, who were much
more confirmed in their wickedness, than those heathen cities of Tyre and Si-

18S QUALIFICATIONS
don. To give that which is holy to those who are profane (or that we havt
no manner of reason from the circumstances of parentage and education to ex
pect will be otherwise), is not the way to make them better, but worse : it is
the way to have them habitually trample holy things under their feet, and in
crease in contempt of them, yea, even to turn again and rend us, and be more
mischievous and hurtful enemies of that which is good, than otherwise they
 i.i i_-

would be Objection XX.
Some ministers have been greatly blessed in the other way of proceeding,
and some 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 them to a use inconsistent
with 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 to him, and bless him in an ex
traordinary manner, while he was worshipping in a high place ; he met with
Saul, when in a course of violent opposition to him, and out of the way of»his
duty to the highest degree, goihg to Damascus to persecute Christ ; and even
then bestowed the greatest blessing upon him, that perhaps ever was bestowed
on a mere 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 known : and he
gives 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 to 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 it, as making it om-rule, we do that
which we have no warrant for, yea, that which God himself has forbidden. See
Deut. iv. 3, Prov. xxx. 6. And with regard to God's blessing and succeeding
of ministers, have not some had remarkable experience of it in the way which
I plead for, as well as some who have been for the way I oppose ? However,
we cannot conclude, that God sees nothing at all amiss in ministers, because
he blesses them. In general he may see those things in them 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 arguments in the Appeal to the Learned, concerning the
subjects of the Christian sacraments, their being members of the visible church,
and not the invisible ; the force of those arguments depends entirely on the re
solution of that question, Who are visible saints ? Or what adult persons are
regularly admitted to the privileges of members of the visible church? Which
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 might here mention many things not yet taken notice of, which some ob
ject as incoveniences attending the scheme I have maintained : and if men
should set up their own wit and wisdom in opposition to God's reveajed will,
there is no end of the objections of this kind, which might be raised against any

FOR FULL COMMUNION. 18
of God's institutions. Some have found great fault even with the creation of
the world, as being very inconveniently done, and have imagined that they
could tell how it might be mended in a great many respects. But however
God's altar may appear homely to us, yet if we lift up our tool upon it to mendit,
we shall pollute it. Laws and institutions are given for the general good, and not
to avoid every particular inconvenience. And however it may so happen, that
sometimes inconveniences (real or imaginary) may attend the scheme I have
maintained ; yet, I think, they are in no measure equal to the 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, the way of making such a difference between outward duties of mo-
¦rulity and worship, and those great inward duties of the love of God and acceptance
of Christ, that the former must be visible, but that there need to be no exhibition
nor pretence oi the latter, in -order to persons being admitted into the visible
family of God ; and that under a notion of the latter being impossibilities, but
the other being within men's power ; this, I think, has a direct tendency to con
firm in men an insensibility of the heinousness of those heart sins oi unbelief
and enmity against God our Saviour, which are the source and sum of all wick
edness ; and tends to prevent their coming under a humbling conviction of the
gre"atness and utter inexcusableness of these sins, which men must be brought
to if ever they obtain salvation. Indeed it is a way that not only has this ten
dency, but has actually and apparently this effect, and that to a great degree.
The effect of this method of proceeding in the churches in New England,
which have fallen into it, is actually this. There are some that are received
into these churches under the notion of their being in the judgment of rational
charity visible saints or 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 themselves as really unconverted, as having
never unfeignedly accepted of Christ ; and they do either explicitly or implicitly
number themselves among those that 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 to any sancti
fying grace already obtained ; nor of consequence are they commonly 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 brethren, admit them to the com
munion of saints, and embrace them in the highest acts of 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 of the cross of Christ, and haters of their heavenly Father and dear
Redeemer, they malting no pretension to any thing at all inconsistent with those
•characters ; yea, in many places, as I said before, freely professing this to be
actually the case with them.
Christ often forbids the members of his church judging one another: but in
this way of ecclesiastical proceeding, it is done continually, and looked upon as
no hurt ; a great part of those admitted into the church are by others of th«

190 QUALIFICATIONS
same communion judged unconverted, graceless persons ; and it is impossible to
avoid it, while we stretch not beyond the bounds of a rational charity.
This method of proceeding must inevitably have 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 the subject of saving conversion ; or else this notice
must be given in the way of conversation, by the persons themselves, frequently
freely, and in all companies, declaring their own experiences. But surely.
either of these consequences must be very unhappy. The former is so, viz., the
forbidding and preventing any public notice being given on earth of the repent
ance of a sinner, an event so much to the honor of God, and so much taker.
notice of in heaven, causing joy in the presence of the angels of God, and tending
so much to the advancement of religion in the world. For it is found by expa
rience, that scarce any one thing has so great an influence to awaken sinners,
and engage them to seek salvation, and to quicken and animate saints, as the
tidings of a sinner's repentance, or hopeful conversion : God evidently makes
use of it as an eminent means of advancing religion in a time of remarkable re
vival of religion. And to take a course effectually to prevent such an event's
being notified on earth, appears to me a counteracting of God, in that which
he ever makes use of as a chief means of the propagation of true piety, and
which we have reason to think he will make use of as one principal means of
the 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 particular per
sons themselves publishing their owTn experiences from time to time and from
place to place, on all occasions and before all companies, I must confess, this is
a practice that appears to me attended with many inconveniences, yea, big with
mischiefs. The abundant trial of this method lately made, and the large expe
rience we have had of the evil consequences of it, is enough to put all sober
and judicious people forever out of conceit of if. 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 it, and have no time, by consideration and prayer, to fortify their
minds. And then it has a very bad effect on the minds of others that hear their
communication, and so on the state of religion in general, in this way.. It being
thus the 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 commonly done very injudiciously, often very rashly and foolishly, out of
season, and in circumstances tending 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 impressions 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 form their notions of reli
gion and true piety by such experimental communications, and much more than
they do by the most solid and judicious instructions 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 important affair, and ought to be under some
public, regulation, aud under the direction of skilful guides, and not left to tht

FOR FULL COMMUNION. 191
management of every man, woman, and child, according to their humor or
fancy : and when it is done, it should be done, with great seriousness, prepara-
tion and prayer, as a solemn act of public respect and honor to God, in hia
house and in the presence of his people. Not that I condemn, but greatly ap
prove of persons speaking sometimes of their religious experiences in private
conversation, to proper persons and on proper occasions, with modesty and dis
cretion, when the glory of God and the benefit or just satisfaction of others re
quire it of them.
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-
dalouSj and at the same time that custom's taking place of persons' publishing
their own conversion in common conversation ; where these two things meet
together, they unavoidably make two distinct kinds of visible churches, or dif
ferent bodies of professing saints, one within another, openly distinguished one
from another, as it were by a visible dividing line. One company consisting of
those who are msibly gracious Christians, and open professors of godliness ;
another consisting of those who are visibly moral livers, and only profess com
mon virtues, without pretending to any special and spiritual experiences in
their hearts, and who therefore are not reputed to be converts. I may appeal
to those acquainted with the state of the churches, whether this be not actu
ally the case in some, where this method of proceeding has been long estab
lished. But I leave the judicious reader to make his own remarks on this
case, and to determine, whether there be a just foundation in Scripture or reason
for any such state of things ; which to me, I confess, carries the face of glaring
absurdity. And now I commit 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 many to be truly impartial in this affair ; their prejudices being very
great against the doctrine which I have maintained. And I believe, I myself
am the person, who, above all others upon the face of the earth, have had most
in my circumstances to prejudice me against this doctrine, and to make rne un
willing to receive conviction of the truth of it. However, the clear evidence
of God's mind in his word, as things appear to me, has constrained me to 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 my own mind, what is the Scripture rule in this matter, after
a most careful, painful, and long search, I am willing, in the faithful prosecu
tion of what appears to me of such importance and so plainly the mind and will
of God, to resign to his providence, and leave the event in his hand.
it may not be improper to add here, as I have often had suggested to me, the
probability of my being answered from the press : if any one shall see cause to
undertake this, I have these reasonable requests to make to 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 material things,
in the author they oppose, with much exclamation, if possible to excite the ig
norant and unwary reader's disrelish of the author, and to make him appear
contemptible, and so to get the victory that way; perhaps dwelling upon and
glorying in some pretended inconsistencies in some parts of the discourse, with
out ever entering thoroughly into the merits of the cause, or closely encounter
ing any of the main arguments. If any one opposes me from the press, I de
sire he would attend to the true state of the question, and endeavor fairly to

192 QUALIFICATIONS, &c.
fake off the force of each argument, by answering the same directly, and dis
tinctly, with calm and close reasoning ; avoiding (as much as may be) both
dogmatical assertion and passionate reflection. Sure I am, I shall not envy him
the applause of a victory over me, however signal and complete, if only gained
by superior light and convincing evidence. I would also request him to set his
name to his performance, that I may in that respect stand on even ground with
him before the world, in a debate 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 them but just and equal, to have accusers face to face.
May the God of all grace and p^ace unite us more in judgment, affection,
and practice, that with one heart, and one mouth, we may glorify his name
through Jesus Christ. Amen.

MISREPRESENTATIONS CORRECTED,

TRUTH VINDICATED:
V
JW A EEPLY TO THE EEV. SOLOMON WILLIAMS'S BOOK, ENTITLED " THE TBTJB
STATE OF THE QUESTION CONCERNING THE QUALIFICATIONS NECESSARY TO
LAWFUL COMMUNION IN THE CHRISTIAN SACRAMENTS."

PREFACE,

Since 1 have been so repeatedly charged by Mr. Williams, with indecent e $ in
jurious treatment of Mr. Stoddard (whom doubtless I ought to treat with much res>
pect), I may expect from what appears of Mr. Williams's disposition this way, to be
charged with ill treatment oihim too. I desire therefore that it may be justly consid
ered by the reader, what is, and what 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 oug\», > be roads herween opposing and wy.-if ij; ', -.'use, or the argu
ments used to deiend it, and reproaching persons. He is a weak writer indeed, who
undertakes to confute an opinion, but dares not expose the nakedness and absurdity of
it, nor the weakness or inconsistence of the methods taken and arguments used by
any to maintain it, for fear he should be guilty of speaking evil of those things, and be
charged with reproaching them. If an antagonist is angry at this, he thereby gives
his readers too much occasion of suspicion towards himself, as chargeable .vith weak
ness, or bitterness.
I therefore now give notice, that I have taken full liberty in this respect ; only en
deavoring to avoid pointed and exaggerating expressions. If to set forth what I sup-
Eose to be the true absurdity of Mr. Williams's scheme, or any part of it, that it may
e viewed justly in all its nakedness ; withal observing the -weakness of the defence he
has made, not fearing to show wherein it is weak, and how the badness of ,h:s oause
obliges him to be inconsistent with himself, inconsistent with his own professed princi
ples in reb'gion, and with things conceded and asserted by him in the book especially
under consideration; and declaring particularly wherein I think his arguments fail,
whether it be in begging the question, or being impertinent and beside the question, or
arguing in effect against himself; also observing wherein Mr. Williams has made
misrepresentations of words or things ; I say, if to do these things be reproaching him,
and injurious treatment of him, then I have injured him. But I think I should be fool
ish, if I were afraid to do that (and to do it as thoroughly as I can) which must be the
design of my writing, if I write at all in opposition to his tenets, and to the defence he
makes of them.
Indeed if I misrepresent what he says, in order to make it appear in the worst
colors ; altering his words to another sense, to make them appear more ridiculous ; or
adding other words, that carry the sense beyond the proper import of his words, tc
heighten the supposed absurdity, and give me greater advantage to exclaim ; if I set
myself to aggravate matters, and strain them beyond bounds, making mighty things
of mere trifles ; or if I use exclamations and invectives, instead of arguments ; then
Mr. Williams might have just cause to complain, and the reader would have just rea
son for disgust. But whether I have done so or not, must be judged by the reader ;
of whom I desire nothing more than the most impartial and exact consideration of the
merits of the cause, and examination of the force and weight of every argument. I
desire that no bitter reproachful invectives, no vehement exclamations, no supercilious
assuming words and phrases may be taken for reasoning, on either side. If the reader
thinks he finds any such in what I have written, I am willing he should set them aside
as nothing worth ; carefully distinguishing between them and the strength of the ar
gument. I desire not, that the cause should be judged of by the skill which either Mr.
Williams or I do manifest, in flinging one at another.
If in places where the argument pinches most, and there is the greatest appearance
of strong reason, in Mr. Williams's book, I do (as some other disputants) instead ot
entering thoroughly into the matter, begin to flounce and fling, and go about to divert
and drown the reader's attention to the argument, by the noise of big words, or ma-

196 PREFACE.
gisterial and disdainful expressions; let the reader take it (as justly he may) for a
shrewd sign of a consciousness of the weakness of my cause in that particular, or at
least of a distrust of my own ability to defend myself well in the reader's apprehension,
and to come off with a good grace any other way.
In this case, I shall not think it any injustice done me by the reader, though he sus
pects that 1 feel myself pressed, and begin to be in trouble, for fear I should not seem to
come off like a champion, if I should trust to mere reasoning. I can uprightly say, I never
have endeavored by such means to evade a proper consideration of any part of Mr. Wil
liams's reasoning ; nor have designedly contrived, in this or any other method, to free
myself from the trouble of a just answer to any thing material in his book ; and I have
been especially careful to speak most particularly to the main parts of his scheme, and
such of his reasonings, as I could suppose those of his readers who are on his side, would
be most likely to have their chief dependence on, and to thinkmost difficult to be answered.
With regard to my method in this reply, I judged it most convenient to reduce my
remarks on Mr. Williams's principles, and the parts of his scheme, and kinds of arguing
which repeatedly appear in various parts of his book, to their proper heads. I thought,
this tended to give the reader a clearer and more comprehensive view of the whole
controversy, and the nature of the arguments made use of; and that it also would
make my work the shorter. For otherwise, I must have had the same things, or things
of the same nature, to have observed often, as I found them repeated in different parte
of his book, and the same, remarks to make over and over again. And that the reader
may not be without any advantages which he might have had in the other method, of
keeping, in my reply, to the order in which things lie in the book replied to, following
my author from one page and paragraph to another, I have therefore subjoined a table,
by which the reader may readily turn lo what is said on each particular, that is wont
to be brought into this debate, on one side or the other.
With regard to my citations from Mr. Williams's book, I have never designedly
altered his words : and where I have for brevity's sake referred to any sentiment of his,
without citing the words at large, I have used care not to change or heighten the sense,
or in any respect to vary from the just import of what he delivers. And that the
reader may himself more easily and readily judge of the fairness of my citations and
references, I have mentioned the page, and the part of the page, where the thing re
ferred to is to be found : supposing each page to be divided into five equal parts, I
have noted the several parts of the page by the letters a. b. c. d. e. So that when I
have referred to the top of the page, or the first fifth part of it, I have mentioned the
number of the page, and added the letter a. to the number : and if the middle, or third
fifth part, then I have added the letter c. And so of the rest, as the reader will see.
I have ever done thus, unless the tiling referred to is to be found through the whole or
great part of the page. I have also done the same very often, where I have occasion
to cite other authors. Only when I have before quoted the same thing I am not
always so exact and particular in noting the place again, in my second quotation or
reference.* * It was not thought necessary to insert these references, nor the table mentioned above in this work,
as it is probable few readers will possess Mr. Williams's Book, or wish to attend so closely to the con
troversy.

MISREPRESENTATIONS CORRECTED,
AND
TRUTH VINDICATED

PART I.
OBSERVING THE GENERAL MISREPRESENTATIONS MR. WILLIAMS MAKES CONCERNING
THE BOOK HE WRITES AGAINST.

SECTION I.
Concerning the Design of my writing and publishing my Book, and the question debated
in it.
Mr. Williams asserts it to be my professed and declared design, in writing
the book, which he has undertaken an answer to, to oppose Mr. Stoddard.
He has taken a great liberty in this matter. He charges me with a declared
design of writing in opposition to Mr. Stoddard, no less than nine or ten times
in his book. And he does not content himself with saying, there are passages
in my preface, or elsewhere, whence this may be inferred ; but he says ex
pressly, that I profess to be disputing against Mr. Stoddard's doctrine, p. 14.
That I tell my readers, I am disputing against Mr. Stoddard's question, p. 37. .
That I tell them so in my preface, p. 107. That I often declare that I am op
posing Mr. Stoddard's opinion, p. 132. And on this foundation he charges
me with " blotting a great deal of paper, disserving the cause of truth by chang
ing, the question, and putting it in such terms as Mr. Stoddard expressly dis
claims, and then confuting it as Mr. Stoddard's principle ; unfair treatment of
Mr. Stoddard," p. 2. " Surprisingly going off from Mr. Stoddard's argument
to cast an odium upon it, treating Mr. Stoddard and his doctrine in such a
manner as to reproach him and his principles, tending to render them odious
to the urithinking multitude, and telling a manifest untruth," p. 14, 15, &c.
Whereas. I never once signified it to be the thing I aimed at, to oppose Mr.
Stoddard, or appear as his antagonist. But the very reverse was true ; and
meddling with him, or what he had said, I studied to avoid, as much as the
circumstances of the debate with my people would allow, who had been taught
by him, and who. so greatly and continually alleged against me the things
which he had said. Nor is there any appearance in those passages Mr. Wil
liams cites from my preface, as though this was the thing I sought or aimed
at. Nay, one of those passages which he produces to prove it, shows the con
trary ; as it shows, that its being so (as I supposed) that what 1 wrote was
not consistent with, but opposite to what Mr. Stoddard had maintained, was
an unsought for and unpleasing circumstance of that publication. My words
are, " 'Ti's far from a pleasing circumstance of this publication, that it is against
what my honored grandfather strenuously maintained, both from the pulpit and
the press." Certainly my regretting and excusing such an unavoidable cir
cumstance was a thing exceeding diverse from giving notice to the world, that

198 REPLY TO WILLIAMS.
the thing I aimed at was to set myself up as Mr. Stoddard's antagonist, and to
write an answer to, and confute what he had written. It will, at first sight,
be manifest to every impartial reader, that the design of my preface was not
to state the subject and intention of the book ; this is done professedly, and
very particularly afterwards, in the first part of the essay itself. And if I
might have common justice, surely I might be allowed to tell my own opinion,
and declare my own design without being so confidently and frequently charged
with misrepresenting my own thoughts and intentions.
The very nature of the case is such as must lead every impartial person to
a conviction, that the design of my writing must be to defend myself, in that
controversy, which I had with my people at Northampton ; as it is notorious
and publicly known, that that controversy was the occasion of my writing ;
and that therefore my business must be to defend that opinion or position of
mine which I had declared to them, which had been the occasion of the con
troversy, and so the grand subject of debate between us ; whether this were
exactly agreeable to any words that might be found in Mr. Stoddard's Writings
on the subject, or not. Now this opinion or position was the same with that
which I expressed in the first part of my book. In such terms I expressed
myself to the committee of the church, when I first made that declaration of
my opinion, which was the beginning of the controversy, and when writing in
defence of my opinion was first proposed. And this was the point continually
talked of in all conversation at Northampton, for more than two years, even
until Mr. Williams's book came out. The controversy was, Whether there
was any need of making a credible profession of godliness, in order to persons
being admitted to full communion ; whether they must profess saving faith,
or whether a profession of common faith were not sufficient ; whether persons
must be esteemed truly godly, and must be taken in under that notion, or
whether if they appeared morally sincere, that were not sufficient ? And when
my book came abroad, there was no' objection made, that I had not truly ex
pressed the subject of debate, in my stating the question. But the subject
of debate afterwards, in parish meetings, church meetings, and in all conver
sation, was the question laid down in my book. No suggestion among them,
that the profession persons made in Mr. Stoddard's way, was taken as a pro
fession of real godliness, or gospel holiness ; or that they were taken in under
a notion of their being truly pious persons, as Mr. Williams would have it;
no suggestion, that the dispute was only about the degree of evidence. But
the dispute was, what was the thing to be made evident ; whether real godli
ness, or -moral sincerity ? It was constantly insisted on, with the greatest ve
hemence, that it was not saving religion, which needed to be professed, or pre
tended to ; but another thing, religion of a lower kind. The public acts of
the church and parish from time to time, show, that the point in controversy
was, whether the professors of godliness only, ought to be admitted ? Public
votes, of which I made a record, were several times passed to know the church's
mind concerning the admission of those who are able and willing to make a pro
fession of godliness ; using these terms. And once it was passed, that, such
should not be admitted in the way of publicly making such a profession. And
at another time the vote passed, that the admission of such persons in such a
way (described in the same w-ords) should not be referred to the judgment of
certain neighboring ministers. At another time, it was insisted on by the
parish, in a parish meeting, that I should put a vote in the church, in these
words, Whether there be not a dispute between Mr. Edwards pastor of the
church, and the church, respecting the question he hath argued in his book last

REPLY TO WILLIAMS. 199
published ? And accordingly the vote was put and affirmed, in a church meet
ing, in the same terms. And this was the question I insisted on in my public
lectures at Northampton, appointed for giving the reasons of my opinion. My
doctrine was in these words, " It is the mind and will of God, that none should
be admitted to full communion in the church of Christ, but such as in profes
sion, and in the eye of a reasonable judgment, are truly saints, or godly per
sons." The town was full of objections against those sermons ; but none, as
ever I heard, objected, that my doctrine was beside the controversy. And this
was all along the point of difference between me and the neighboring minis
ters. This was the grand subject of debate with them, at a meeting of minis
ters, appointed on purpose for conference on the subject. It was wholly con
cerning the matter oi profession, or the thing to be exhibited and made evident
or visible; and not about the manner oi professing, and the degree oi evidence.
And this was the doctrine directly opposed by Mr. A — y, one of the neighbor
ing ministers, whom my people had got as their champion to defend their
cause in the pulpit at Northampton. Thus one of the corollaries he drew from
bis doctrine (as it was taken from his mouth in writing) was, That " a man
may be a visible saint, and yet there be no sufficient grounds for our charity,
that he is regenerate." Quite contrary to . what Mr. Williams maintains.
Another of his corollaries was in these words, " A minister or church may judge
a man a saint, and upon good grounds, and not have grounds to judge him re
generate." He proposed this inquiry, " Do not such as join themselves to the
church, covenant, not only to be visible saints, but saints in heart 1" The
answer was in the negative ; quite contrary to Mr. Williams. Another was,
" Does not a visible saint imply a visibility of grace, or an appearance of it ?"
The answer was, " Not always ;" quite contrary to Mr. Williams. Another was,
" Is it not hypocrisy in any man, to make a profession of religion, and join
himself to the church, and not have grace 1" The answer was in the nega
tive ; also quite contrary to Mr. Williams. But these sermons of Mr. A — y,
-were highly approved by the generality of the people of Northampton, as
agreeable to their minds.
And the controversy, as I have stated it in my book, was the controversy in
which the church and I appeared before the council, who determined our sep
aration, when we each of us declared our sentiments before them. The point
of difference was entirely the matter of profession, and the thing to be made
visible ; not the degree of evidence or visibility. No hint was given as
though we both agreed, that true piety or gospel holiness was the thing to be
made visible, and that such only should be received as are truly godly persons
in the eye of the church's judgment (as Mr. Williams holds) and that we only
differed about the proper grounds of such a judgment.
And therefore it is apparent, it was this controversy, and its consequences,
that were the ground of my separation from my people ; and not any thing
like the controversy which Mr. Williams professes to manage in his answer.
This controversy, when it came out in Mr. Williams's book, was new in North
ampton, and entirely alien from all the dispute which had filled that part of the
country, and a great part of New England, with noise and uproar, for about
two years and a half. The thing which Mr. Williams over and over allows
to be true, was the very same, both in effect and in terms, which the people
had been most vehemently fighting against, from week to week, and from
month to month, during all this time. And therefore the design of my writing
led and obliged me to , maintain that position or doctrine of mine, which was
the occasion of this debate.

200 REPLY TO WILLIAMS.
And, be it so, that I did suppose this position was contrary to Mr. Stoddard's
opinion, and was opposed by him,* and therefore thought fit in my preface to
excuse myself to the world for differing from him ; did this oblige me, in all
that I wrote for the maintaining my position, to keep myself strictly to the
words which he had expressed his question in, and to regulate and limit my
self in every argument I used, and objection I answered, by the terms which
he made use of in proposing his opinion and arguments 1 And if I have not
done it, do I therefore deserve to be charged before the world with changing
the question, with unfair treatment of Mr. Stoddard, with surprisingly go
ing off from his argument, with disserving the cause of truth, &c. 1
It would have been no great condescension in Mr. Williams if he had allowed
that I knew what the question was, which was disputed between me and my
Jieople, as well as he, in a distant part of the country : yea, if he had acknow-
edged,that I was as likely as he, to understand Mr. Stoddard's real sentiments
and practice ;. since I was in the ministry two years with him, as co-pastor of
the same church, and was united with him in ecclesiastical administrations, in
admitting members, and in examining them as to their qualifications, and have
stood for more than twenty-three years in a pastoral relation to his church,
most intimately acquainted with the nature of its constitution, its sentiments
and method of administration, and all its religious concerns, have myself been
immediately concerned in the admission of more than three quarters of its pres
ent members, and have had. the greatest occasion to look into their way of ad
mission, and have been acquainted with every living member that Mr. Stoddard
had admitted before my coming ; and have been particularly informed, by many
of them, of the manner of Mr. Stoddard's conduct in admitting them, their own
apprehensions concerning the terms of their admission, and the profession they
made in order to it ; and also the sentiments of the whole of that large town,
who were born and brought up under his ministry, concerning his constant
doctrine and practice, relating to the admission of members, from their infancy.
Whereas, Mr. Williams from his youth had lived in another part of the coun
try, at seventy miles distance.

SECTION II.
Observing Mr. Williams's Misrepresentations of the principles and tenets, delivered in
the book which he undertakes to answer.
Mr. Williams does very greatly misrepresent Ihe opinion I am of, and the
principles I maintain in my book, in many respects.
I. He says, p. 5, " The whole argument, and indeed the whole controversy,
turns upon this single point, viz., What is that evidence which by divine ap
pointment the church is to have, of the saintship of those who are admitted to
the outward privileges of the covenant of grace 1 Mr. Edwards seems to sup
pose, this must be the highest evidence a man can give of sincerity ; and I ap
prehend it to be the lowest evidence the nature of the thing will admit." But
this is very strange, since I had particularly declared in my Stating of the ques
tion (p. 5), that the evidence I insisted on, was some outward manifestation,
that ordinarily rendered the thing probable. WThich shows that all I insist
ed on, was only, that the evidence should amount to probability. And if the
nature of the case will admit of some lower kind of evidence than this or if
• Whether I t.-ss mistaken in this; will appear in the sequel.

REPLY TO WILLIAMS. 201
there be any such thing as a sort of evidence that does not so much as amount
to probability, then it is possible that I may have some controversy with him
and others about the degree of evidence ; otherwise it is hard to conceive, how
he should contrive to make out a controversy with me.
But that the reader may better judge, whether Mr. Williams truly represents
me as supposing that the evidence which should be insisted on, is the highest
evidence a man can give of sincerity, I would here insert an extract of a let
ter which I wrote to the Rev. Peter Clark of Salem Village, a twelvemonth
before Mr. Williams's book was published. The original is doubtless in Mr.
Clark's hands. In that letter, I declared my sentiments in the following
words : " It does not 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. But rather than
contend, I should content myself with a few words, briefly expressing the car
dinal virtues, or acts implied in a hearty compliance with the covenant of
grace ; the profession being made (as should appear by inquiry into the per
son's doctrinal knowledge) untlerstandingly ; if there were an external conver
sation agreeable thereto. Yea, I should think that sufh 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 conversion, or
finding so much remaining sin, &c. And (if his own scruples did not hinder*)
I should think a minister or church had no right to debar 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 god
liness consists, and not a profession of his own opinion of his good estate."
Northampton, May 7, 1750.
In like manner I explained my opinion, very particularly and expressly, be
fore the council that determined my separation from my people, and before the
church, in a very public manner in the meeting-house, many people being
present, near a year before Mr. Williams's book was published ; and to make
it the more sure, that what I maintained might be well observed, I afterwards
sent the foregoing extract of my letter to Mr. Clark of Salem Village, into the
council. And, as I was informed, it was particularly taken notice of in the
council, and handed round among them, to be read by them.
The same 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 ac
cept from the candidates for 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 (near two years before the pub
lishing of Mr. Williams's book), as what I stood ready to accept (any one of
them) rather than contend and break with my people. The two shortest of
those forms were as follows.
One of them was,
" I hope, I do truly 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 of God, which the
covenant of grace requires, as long as I live."
* I added this, because I supposed that such persons as judge themselves unconverted, if of my prin
ciples, respecting qualifications for communion, would scruple coming, and could not come with a good.
conscience ; but if they were of Mr. Stoddard's^principle, viz., That unconverted men might lawfully-
come, neither a man's being of that opinion, riot- his judging himself unconverted, would hinder my
receiving him who exhibited proper evidence to the church of his being a convert
Vol. I. 26

202 REPLY TO WILLIAMS.
The other,
" I hope, 1 truly find in my heart a willingness to comply with all the com-
mandments of God, which require me to give up myself wholly to Him, and to-
serve Him with my body and my spirit ; and do accordingly now promise to
walk in a way of obedience to all the commandments of God, as long as 1
live." Now the reader is left to judge, whether I insist, as Mr. Williams represents,
that persons must not be admitted without the highest evidence a man can
give of sincerity.
II. Mr. Williams is abundant in suggesting and insinuating to his readers,
that the opinion laid down in my book is, that persons ought not to be admitted
to communion without an absolute and peremptory determination in those who
admit them, that they are truly godly ; because I suppose it to be necessary,
that there should be a positive judgment in their fayor.
Here I desire the reader to observe, that the word positive is used in two'
senses. (1.) Sometimes it is put in opposition to doubtful, or uncertain:
and then it signifies the same as certain, peremptory, or assured. But, (2.)
The word positive is very often used in a very different sense ; not in opposi
tion to doubtful, but in opposition to negative : and so understood, it signifies
"very much the same as real, or actual. Thus, we often speak of a negative
good, and a positive good. A negative good is a mere negation or absence
of evil. But a positive good is something more, it is some real, actual good,
instead of evil. So there is a negative charity, and a positive charity. A
negative charity is a mere absence of an ill judgment of a man, or forbearing
to condemn him. Such a charity a man may have towards any stranger he
transiently sees in the street, that he never saw or heard any thing of before
A positive charity is something further than merely not condemning, or no>
judging ill of a man; it implies a good thought of a man. The reader wif
easily see that the word positive, taken in this sense, is an exceeding differen'
thing from certain, or peremptory. 'A man may have something more than
a mere negative charity towards another, or a mere forbearing to condemu
him, he may actually entertain some good thought of him, and yet there may
be no proper peremptoriness, no pretence of any certainty in the case.
Now it is in this sense I use the phrase, positive judgment, viz., in opposi
tion to a mere negative charity ; as I very plainly express the matter, and
particularly and fully explain myself in stating the question. In my Inquiry
(p. 5) I have the following words : " By Christian judgment, I intend some
thing further than a kind of mere negative charity, implying that we forbear to
censure and condemn a man, because we do not know but that he may be
godly, and therefore forbear to proceed on the foot of such a censure or judg
ment 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 judgment, founded on some positive appearance or visi
bility, some outward manifestation that ordinarily renders the thing probable.
There is a difference between suspending our judgment, or forbearing to con
demn, or having some hope that possibly 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, that a man is not in utter despair of a thing ; though his
prevailing opinion may be otherwise, or he may suspend his opinion."
Here, I think, my meaning is very plainly and carefully explained. How
ever, inasmuch as the word positive is sometimes used for peremptory or cer
tain, Mr. .Williams catches at the term, and lays fast hold of the advantage he

REPLY TO WILLIAMS. 203
Inmks this gives him, and is abundant, all over his book, in representing as
though I insisted on a positive judgment in this sense. So he applies the word,
referring to my use of it, from time, to time. Thus, p. 69 : *' If there be any
thing ih this argument, I think it must be what I have observed, viz., that
a Christian must make a positive judgment and determination, that another
man is a saint, and this judgment must have for its ground something which
he supposes is, at least ordinarily, a certain evidence of his saintship, and by
which gracious sincerity is certainly distinguished from every thing else."
And p. 141 : " The notion of meri's being able and fit to determine positively
the condition of other men, or the certainty of their gracious state, has a direct
tendency to deceive the souls of men." And thus Mr. Williams makes men
tion of a positive judgment above forty /times in his book, with reference to
my use of it, and to my declared opinion of the necessity of it ; and every
where plainly uses the phrase in that Sense,, for absolute and peremptory, in.
opposition to doubtfulness; continually insinuating, that this is what I pro
fessedly insist on. Whereas, every act of the judgment whatsoever, > is a posi
tive judgment in the sense in which I have fully declared I use it, viz., in opposi
tion to negative ; .which is no act, but a mere withholding of the act of the
judgment, or fbrbearing any actual judgment* Mr. Williams himself does
abundantly suppose, that .there must be a positive judgment in this sense:
he grants the very thing, though he rejects the term : .for he. holds, there-
must be such a " visibility as makes persons to appear to be real saints," p-
5. — He allows, that " the moral image of God or Christ must appear or be
supposed to be in them, as the ground and reason of our charity ; and that
there must be some apprehension, some judgment of mind, of the saintship of
persons, for its foundation, p. 68, and 69, and 71.— That they " must have such
a' character appearing in them," p. 55. — That there must- be a judgment
founded on " moral Evidence of gospel holiness," p. 13®.
' HI. Mr. Williams to make my scheme appear the more .ridiculous, does
more than once represent it as my opinion, that in order to persons being ad
mitted into the church, there must be a judgment of their being regenerate,
founded on such a degree of evidence, as that it shall not be liable to be iiis-
taken more than once in ten times. Thus, p. 63 : " Mr Edwards himself sup
poses, in his own scheme, when he has made a positive judgment that every
one singly whom he admits into the church is. regenerate ; yet, when taker*
collectively, it is probable one in ten will be a hypocrite !" So, p. 7 1 : " if
any thing be intended to the purpose for which this argument is brought, I
conceive it must mean, that there must be such a positive judgment of the
real holiness of persons, as is not mistaken more than once in tea "'times."
* Mr. John,GIas,-ip-his Observes •upon, the original Constitution of the Christian Church (p. ,5), 55),
says as follows,, - " You seem, to have, a great prejudice at what you call positive evidences, and judging
upon them in the admission of church members. And I am at some loss to understand wli.il you
mean by them, though I have heard the expression frequently, among people of your opinion, used to
express some very ill thing. If you mean by positive evidences, infallible evidences of a thing tint
node but God infallibly knows, ana cari assure a man's own conscience of, with respect to a in ui Inn-
self j I think it would be a very great evil for-a man.to require such evidence to found Ins judgment
of charity, concerning another man's faith and holiness', or concerning his being an object oi' brotherly^
love. And I-think, he is bound by the law of Christ to form his judgment in this matter upon less
evidence. But if you mean positive evidence in . opposition to negative, which is no evidciiLe, I must
own, I know not how to form a judgment qf charity without some positive evidence. And i> hot a
credible profession something positive ? Isnot a credible profession of the faith, love, and lioj,-e ihat
is in Christ, or of Christianity, a positive evidence of a man's being an object of brotherly ' ioe, which

can evidence my love to Jesus Christ, in .the labor of love towards my brother, whom X
and my love to God, in ^my love to (hem that are begotten of aim."

204 REPLY TO WILLIAMS.
Now I desire the reader to observe what is the whole ground, on which he
makes such a representation. In explaining my opinion, in the beginning of
my inquiry (p. 6), I desired it might be observed, that I did not suppose we
ought to expect any such degree of certainty of the godliness of those who are
admitted into the church, as that when the whole number admitted are taken
collectively, or considered in the gross, we should have any reason to suppose
every one to be truly godly ; though we might have charity for each one that
was admitted, taken singly, and by himself. And to show, that such a thing
was possible, I endeavored to illustrate it by a comparison, or supposed case
of probability often to one in the example of certain stones, with such proba
ble marks of a diamond, as by experience had been found not to fail more
than once in ten times. In which case, if a particular stone were found with
those marks, there would be a probability of ten to one, with respect to that
stone, singly taken, that it was genuine : but if ten such were taken together,
there would not be the same probability that every one of them was so ; but
in this, case, it is as likely as not, that some one in the ten is spurious. Now
it is so apparent, that this particular degree of probability of ten to one is men
tioned only as a supposed case, for illustration, and because, in a particular
example, some number or other must be mentioned, that it would have been an
affront to the sense of my readers to have added any caution, that he should
not understand me otherwise. However, Mr. Williams has laid hold on this,
as a good handle by which he might exhibit my scheme to the world in a
ridiculous light; as though I had declared it my real opinion, that there must
be the probability, of just ten to one, of true godliness, in order to persons'
admission into the church. He might with as much appearance of, sense and
justice, have asserted concerning all the supposed cases in books of arithmetic,
that the authors intend these cases should be understood as real facts, and that
they have written their books, with all the sums and numbers in them, as
books of history ; and if any cases mentioned there only as examples of the
several rules, are unlikely to be true accounts of fact, therefore have charged
the- authors with writing a false and absurd history.
IV. Another thing, yet further from what is honorable in Mr. Williams is
this ; that whereas I said as above, that- there ought to be a prevailing opinion
concerning those that are admitted, taken singly, or by themselves, that they
are truly godly or gracious, though when we look on the whole number in the
gross, we are far from determining that every one is a true saint, and that not
one of the judgments we have passed, has been mistaken ; Mr. Williams,
because I used the phrase singly taken, has laid hold on the expression, and
from thence has taken occasion to insinuate to his readers, as if my scheme
were so very extravagant, that according to this, when a great multitude are
admitted, their admitters must be confident of every one's being regenerated.
Hence be observes (p. 98) : " There is no appearance, that John made a
positive judgment that every one of these people were regenerated." Plainly
using the expression as a very strong one ; leading the reader to suppose, I
insist the evidence shall be so clear, that when such a vast multitude as John
baptized are viewed, the admitter should be peremptory in it, that, his judg
ment has not failed so much as in a single instance ; the very reverse of
what I had expressed. In like manner, Mr. Williams treats the matter from
time to time. As in p. 55 : " The thing to be proved from hence is, that the
apostles and primitive Christians, not only thought that these persons were
Christians, by reason of their external calling, and professed compliance with
the call ; but had formed a positive judgment concerning eveky one of them

REPLY TO WILLIAMS. 205
singly, that they were real saints." Here the expression is plainly used as a
very strong one ; as implying much more than esteeming so great a multitude,
when taken in the gross, to be generally true saints, and with a manifest design
to carry the same idea in the mind of the reader as was before mentioned. See
another like instance, p. 62.
V. However, my opinion is not represented bad enough yet ; but to make
it appear still worse, Mr. Williams is bold to strain his representation of it to
that height, as to suggest that what I insist on, is a certainty of others' regen
eration : though this be so diverse from what I had largely explained in
stating the question, and plainly expressed in other parts of my book,* and
also inconsistent with his own representations in other places. For if what I
insist on be a probability that may fail once in ten times, as he says it is, p.
63, then it is not a certainty that I insist on; as he suggests, p. 141.
Speaking of the evil consequences of my opinion, he says, " the notion of
- men's being able and fit to determine positively the condition of other men, or
the certainty of their gracious estate, has a direct tendency to deceive the souls
of men." So again in p. 69. And he suggests, that I require more than
moral evidence, in p. 6, and p. 139.
VI. Mr. Williams represents me as insisting on some way of judging the
state of such as are admitted to communion, by their inward and spiritual
experiences, diverse from judging by their profession and behavior. So p.
7: " If their outward profession and behavior be the ground of this judgment,
then it is the inward experience of the heart." P. 55, " Which judgment
must be founded on something beyond and beside their external calling, and
visible profession to comply with it, and to be separated for God : and
therefore this judgment must be founded, either upon revelation, or a personal
acquaintance with their experiences" &c. In like manner he is abundant,
from one end of his book to the other, in representing as though I insisted
on judging of men by their inward and spiritual experiences, in some pecu
liar manner. Which is something surprising, since there is not so much as a
word said about relating, or giving an account of experiences, oi- what is
commonly so called, as a term of communion. Mr. Williams (p. 6) pretends
to quote two passages of mine, as an evidence, that this is what I insist on.
One is from the 5th page of my book. It is true I there say thus : " It is a
visibility to the eye of the public charity, and not a private judgment, that
gives a person a right to be received as a visible saint by the public." And I
there say, " a public and serious profession of the great and the main things
wherein, the essence of true religion or godliness consists, together with an
honest character, an agreeable conversation, and good understanding of the
doctrines of Christianity, and particularly those doctrines that teach the grand
cqndition of salvation, and the nature of true saving religion ; this justly re
commends persons to the good opinion of the public ; whatever suspicions and
fears any particular person, either the minister, or some other, may entertain,
from what he in particular' has observed ; perhaps the manner of his-express-
ing himself in giving an account of his experiences, or an obscurity in the
order and method of his experiences, &c." But the words do not imply, it
may be demanded of the candidate, that he should give, an account of his ex
periences to the minister or any body else, as the term of his admission into
the church ; nor had I respect to any such thing. But I knew it was the
• In stating the question j p. 5, 1 explained the requisite visibility, to<be some outvard manifestation.
that ordinarily renders the thing probable. To the like purpose, is what I say in p. 11, and p. 12. And
in'p. 106, 1 say expressly, ',' Not a certainty, but a profession and visibility of these things, must ba
the rule of the church's proceeding '

206 REPLY TO WILLIAMS.
manner in many places for those who hoped they were godly persons, to con
verse with their neighbors, and especially with their minister, about their ex
periences ; whether it was requhed of them in order to their coming into the
church, or no ; and particularly, I was sensible, that this was the manner at
Northampton, for whose sake especially I wrote ; and I supposed it the way
of many ministers, and people, to judge of others' state, openly and publicly,
by the order and method of their experiences, or the manner of their relating
them. But this I condemn in the very passage that Mr. Williams quotes;
and very much condemn, in other writings of mine which have been publish
ed ; and have ever loudly condemned, and borne my testimony against.
There is one passage more, which Mr. Williams adds to the preceding, and
fathers on me, to prove that I require an account of eocperiences .in order to
admission ; pretending to rehearse my words, with marks of quotation, saying
as follows, p. 6, and as he further explains himself, elsewhere ; " the proper
visibility which the public is to have of a man's being a saint, must be on some
account of his experience of those doctrines which teach the nature of true
saving religion." I have made long and diligent search for such a passage in
my writings, but cannot find it. Mr. Williams says, " I thus explain myself
elsewhere ;" but I wish he had mentioned in what place.
If there be such a sentence in some of my writings (as I suppose there is
not), it will serve little to Mr. Williams's purpose. If we take the word expe
rience according to the common acceptation of it in the English language, viz.,
a person's perceiving or knowing any thing by trial or experiment, or by im
mediate sensation or consciousness within himself: in this sense, I own, it may
from what I say in my book be inferred, that a man's profession of his experi
ence should be required as a term of communion. And so it may be as justly
and as plainly inferred, that Mr. Williams himself insists on a profession of
experience as a term of communion ; experience of a deep conviction of a
man's undone state without Christ: experience oi a persuasion of his judg
ment and conscience, that there is no other way of salvation ; experience of
unfeigned desires to be brought to the terms of the covenant. For such
things as these, he says, must be professed. So p. 75, and in innumerable
other places. There is no such thing possible as a man's professing any thing
within himself or belonging to his own mind, either good of bad, either com
mon or saving, unless it Be something that he finds, or (which is the same thing)
experiences, within himself.
I know the word experience is used by many in a sort of peculiar sense, for
the particular order and method of what passes within the mind and heart in
conversion. And in this sense, Mr. Williams knows I disclaim the notion of
making experiences a term of communion. I say he knows it, because (in p.
6) he quotes and rehearses the very words wherein I do expressly disclaim it,
And I am very large and particular in testifying against it in my book on Reli
gious Affections : a book I have good reason to think Mr. Williams has seen
and read, having been thus informed by a man of his own principles, that had
it from his mouth. There, in p, 300 and 301, 1 say as follows : " In order to
persons' making a proper profession of Christianity, such as the Scripture directs
t6, and such as the followers of Christ should require in order to the acceptance
of the professors with full charity, as of their "society, it is not necessary they
should give an account of the particular steps and rnethod,hy which the Holy
Spirit, sensibly to them, wrought and brought about those great essential thingsof
Christianity in their hearts. There is no footstep in the Scripture of any such way
of the apostles, or primitive ministers and Christians requiring any such relation in

REPLY TO WILLIAMS. 207
order to their receiving and treating others as their Christian brethren, to all
intents and purposes ; or of their first examining them concerning the particular
method and order of their experiences. They required of them a profession
of the things wrought ; but no account of the manner of working was required
of them. Nor is there the least shadow in the Scripture of any such custom in the
church of God, from Adam to the death of the Apostle John." To the same pur
pose again I express myself in p. 302, and in the preface to the book that Mr. ,
Williams writes against, I make particular mention of this book on Religious Af
fections, wherein these things are said; and there declare expressly, that when I
wrote that book, I was of the same mind concerning the qualifications of communi
cants that I am of now. But,
VII. To make my scheme still more obnoxious and odious, Mr. Williams once
and again insinuates, that I insist on an account of such inward feelings, as
are by men supposed to be the certain discriminating marks of grace (so p. 7,
and 141), though I never once used the phrase anywhere in my book. I said not
a word about inward feelings, from one end of it to the other : nor is any
inward feeling at all more implied in my scheme, than in his. But however,
Mr. Williams knew that these phrases, experiences and inward feelings, were
become odious of late to a great part of the country ; and especially the lat
ter of them, since Mr. Whitefield used it so much. And he well knew, that to
tack these phrases to my scheme, and to suggest to his readers that these were
the things I professed to insist on, would tend to render me and my scheme con
temptible. If he says, though I use not that phrase, yet the things I insist on,
are such as areinwardly felt ; such as saving repentance, faith, &c. ; I answer,
these things are no more inward feelings, than the things he himself insists on ;
such as a deep conviction of a man's undone state, unfeigned fervent desires
after Christ, a fixed resolution for Christ, engagedness for heaven, &c.
VIII. Mr. Williams abundantly, in almost all parts of his book, represents
my principles to be such as suppose men to be the seakchers of others' hearts.
For which I have given no other ground, than only supposing that some such
qualifications are necessary in order 'to communion, which have their seat in the
heart, and so not to be intuitively seen by others ; and that such qualifications
must by profession and practice, be made so visible or credible to others, that
others may rationally judge they are there. And Mr. Williams supposes the
same thing as much as I. In p. Ill, he expressly speaks of the qualifications
necessary to communion, as being in the heart, and not possible to be known
any other way than by their beingseeh there : and also often allows, that these quali
fications mast be exhibited, and made visible,hy a credible profession, and answera
ble practice. Yea, he goes further, he even supposes that those who admit them.
to sacraments, ought to be satisfied by their profession, that they really have these
qualifications. Thus he says, p. 54, " The baptizer ought to be satisfied by a
person's profession, that he really believes the gospel, and that Jesus Christ is
the Son of God, the Saviour."
IX. Mr. Williams is not contented with all these representations of my scheme,
but will have it appear more absurd and monstrous still ; and therefore represents
me as maintaining, that it is not the visible profession of experiences, that I
suppose the ground of the church's judgment.; but these experiences and inward
feelings themselves, by having the heart turned inside out, and viewing them
immediately in the heart itself, and judging upon the next and immediate actings
of the heart. Here, I only desire the reader to read down Mr. Williams's 7th
page, and make his own rejections.
X. Whereas in p. 16, of my book, I observed it to be the opinion of some.

208 REFLY TO WILLIAMS.
that, " Although the members of the visible church are saints in profession and
visibility, and in the acceptance of others, yet this is not with reference to saving
holiness, but to quite another sort of saintship, viz., moral sincerity ; and that
thlsisthe real saintship, discipleship, and godliness, that is professed and visible
in them," &c. Mr. Williams, p. 4, 5, says, " He does not remember that he ever
heard of this, or that any body thought of it, before he saw it in my book ; and
represents it as a poor man of straw, of my own framing : and he insists upon
it, that it is allowed on all hands, that the visibility must be with reference to
saving holiness.
I will not say, that Mr. Williams knew it to be a false representation which
he here makes : but this I will say, that he ought to have been better informed,
before he had thus publicly ridiculed this as a fiction of mine ; especially consider
ing the opportunities and advantages he has had to know otherwise : this being
the notion that had been (as was before observed) so loudly and publicly in
sisted on, for more than two years, by the people of Northampton, and by the
neighboring ministers, and those of them that were Mr. Williams's near rela
tives ; as he has had abundant opportunities to be fully informed, having withal
had great inducements to inquire. Besides, that this has been the universal
opinion of all that part of the. country (who thought themselves Mr. Stoddard's
followers) for more than twenty years, is a fact as notorious, as that the people
there generally believe Mr. Stoddard's doctrine of the necessity of a work of
conversion, in order to get to heaven. And this is the opinion professedly
maintained in a pamphlet pubUshed in Boston (anno 1741), entitled, A right
to the Lord's supper considered : a piece which has long been well known
among Mr. Williams's nearest relatives, and in good repute with them ; as I
have had occasion to observe. This pamphlet insists expressly and abundantly,
that moral sincerity is the real discipleship andholiness, with respect to which
visible Christians are called disciples and saints, in Scripture. Particularly
see pages 9, 10, 13, and 14. And which is more strange yet, Mr. Blake, the
great author Mr. Williams makes so much use of, and in a book which I know
he has long been the possessor of, speaks much of a profession of religion that
has respect only to a dogmatical, historical faith, a common faith, a faith
true indeed (as he says) in its kind,but short of that which is justifying and
saving, and a profession which goes no further, as that which entitles to
sealing ordinances. Thus he does expressly. See Blake on the Covenant, p.
241, 244, 245. The same author again and again disf inguishes between jus
tifying faith, and faith of profession ; , as in p. 284, 285. 286. And which is
more than all this, Mr. Williams (as will appear in the sequel) abundantly con-
tendsfor the same thing himself, though against himself, and although he charges
me in p. 35, with a great misrepresentation, in supposing that according to the
scheme of my opposers, the profession required in those that are admitted, does
not imply a pretence to any thing more than moral sincerity and common
grace.

REPLY TO WILLIAMS. 209
PART II.
AN EXAMINATION OF MR. WILLIAMS'S SCHEME, IN THE VARIOUS PARTS OF IT.

SECTION I.
Mr. Williams's Concessions.

Mr. Williams allows, that, in order to a man's coming to sacraments,
¦" he ought solemnly to profess and declare, that he is really and heartily con
vinced of the divine truth of the gospel, p. 30, 36, 32, 84. That he does sin
cerely, and with all his heart believe the gospel,* p. 49. And that they which
admit him, ought to be satisfied he really believes the gospel, that Jesus is the
son of God, the Saviour, p. 54. That he should profess and declare he believes
in Christ, and that the gospel is indeed the revelation of God," p. 5. He allows,
that " none ought to be admitted, but such as openly profess and declare an
hearty consent to the covenant of grace, and compliance with the call of the
gospel, and submission to the proposals of it, and satisfaction with that device
for our salvation that is revealed in the gospel, and with the offer which God
makes of himself to be our God in Christ Jesus,f and that they fall in with the
terms of salvation proposed in the gospel, and renounce all other ways," p. 5,
8, 9, 11, 18, 55, 32. He plainly supposes it " not to be lawful for them that
are lukewarm in religion, or those that serve two masters, to come to sacraments,"
p. 32, 35, 36. He supposes, that there must be " areal determination of a man's
judgment and affection for the word of God," p. 53. That there ought to be a
profession of subjection to Christ with all the heart, p. 10, and of a devotedness
to the service of God, p. 49, and a professed giving up themselves to Christ,
to be taught, ruled, and led by him in the Gospel way to salvation, p. 31, 32.
And that communicants ought to " declare, that they do, with all their hearts*
cast themselves upon the mercy of God, to help them to keep covenant," p. 125.
That " they ought to profess a proper respect to Christ in their hearts, as well
as a true notion of Him in their heads," p. 31. That they must make a pro
fession that " imports a pretence of real friendship to Christ, and love to God
above the world," p. 36. That "none ought to he admitted but visible saints,
and that this visibility must be such as to a judgment of rational charity makes
them appear as real saints, wise virgins, and endowed with gospel holiness,"
p. 5, 41, 42, 139, 14. That " there should be a charitable presumption, that
the Spirit of God has taken hold of them, and turned their hearts to God,"
p. 52. That " they should be such persons as are in the eye of a Christaih judg
ment truly gracious persons, supposed and believed in charity to be those to
whom God has given saving repentance, and a heart-purifying faith," p. 65,
and 47. " Such as have the moral image of Christ appearing in them, or sup
posed to be in them, and are to be loved on that account," p. 68. " He allows
that there ought to be some apprehension, some judgment of the mind, that fhey
* When I first proposed to a certain candidate for communion at Northampton, the publicly making
this profession, viz., that he believed the truth of the gospel with all his heart, many of the people cried
out, that I insisted on what no saint on earth could profess,-and that this amounted to a profession of
absolute perfection. Hence many reports spread about the country, that I insisted on perfection as a
term of communion.
f Mr. Williams cites Mr. Guthrie (preface p. 4) as on his side, when he speaks pf such a profession,
as that which is to be made.
Vol. I. 27

210 REPLY TO WILLIAMS.
are Christians and saints, and have the moral image of God in them,"* p. 68.
69, and 71. He allows, that " they must be taken into the church under a notion
of being godly, and with respect to such a character appearing on them : and
very often insists, that " they themselves must make such a pretence," p. 55.f
132, 136, 143. So he allows, that they must not only be endowed with Christian
piety in appearance ; but that they must be so in profession, p. 3, 41, 44.
" That they make a show of being wise virgins by the nature and purport of
their profession," p. 42. And he insists with great strenuousness, over and over,
upon its being their scheme, " that they ought to make a profession of real
saintship," p. 132. Yea, he holds, that there must be not only some visibility
and profession of reality piety, but moral evidence of it, p. 139. He often uses
notes of distinction, distinguishing between moral sincerity, and real piety ;
and insists much upon it as belonging to their scheme ; that there must be a
-visibility of the latter, as thus distinguished from the former. So, he rejects with
great contempt any suggestion of its being the scheme of my opposers, that
moral sincerity is'that saintship, which is to be professed and made visible ;
and in distinction from this, he asserts, that it is real holiness, p. 4, and 5.
And again, p. 35, he uses a note of distinction, and insists that the opposers of
my opinion hold, that communicants " must make a profession of something
more than common grace and moral sincerity." And again,.p. 139, he uses notes
of distinction or discrimination, and says, that " they mitst exhibit a credible
profession of gospel holiness, and not merely of moral sincerity ; and says, it
is not the visibility of moral sincerity, but the moral evidence of gospel sin
cerity, which God's word makes the rule of judging." And as he holds, that
communicants must profess gospel holiness, so he seems to suppose that these
professors must judge this of themselves ; several things he says, seem plainly
to imply it. This appears evidently implied in that interrogation put by Mr
Williams, p. 35, "Mr. Stoddard rightly supposes all visible saints who are not
truly pious, to be hypocrites ; and the Scripture supposes and calls them so too:
but will it therefore follow, that all hypocrites know they are so 1" And he in effect
* By this it appears, when Mr. W. speaks of the church's rational judgment that persons have real
holiness, and the like, he does not mean merely a treating them as such, in public administrations, and
external conduct : for here he speaks not of the external conduct, but of the apprehension of the under
standing, and judgment of the mind; and this as the foundation of the affection of the heart.
-f Mr. Williams's words (p. 55) are pretty remarkable : " The reader (says he) will judge, whether
the manner of Mr. Edwards's treating fhe question, and representing the opinion of Mr. Stoddard and
others, in the words I have quoted above, be not unaccountable ; though this is neither the first nor the
last time of this treating the matter in such a manner. As if Mr. Stoddard and his adherents supposed
persons were to be admitted without any notion of their being godly, or any respect to such a character,
appearing on them ; and that they themselves are without such a pretence." Whereas, Mr. Stoddard
expressly maintains, that men may be duly qualified and fit matter for church membership, without
saving grace. (Appeal, p. 15, 16.) And that they may and ought to come, though they know themselves
to be in a natural condition. (Doc. of Instituted Churches, p 21. See also his Sermon on the subject,
p. 13.) And according to Mr. Stoddard, communicants are not so much as supposed godly persons.
This (Appeal, p. 43) he says expressly, That, by the institution, communicants at the Lord's Supper are
not supposed to be real saints. And also asserts (Appeal, p. 76) , That we are not obliged to believe visible
saints to be real saints. And it seems by what he says in his Appeal (p. 17), The church may admit
persons to communion, when at the same time they are aware that they are hypocrites. For there, in
answer to Dr. Mather, who had cited certain texts to prove, that when hypocrites do come into the church,
they come in unawures;he says, But neither of the places he cites proves that all hypocrites comein unawares.
And in the next page he says, The discovery of men's hypocrisy is not the reason of their being cast out.

universally supposed t„ „„
doctrine and practice among them. Thus it was, without one dissenting voice among them, during the
iwenty-four years that I lived with them. And now the reader is desired to judge, as Mr. W. would
have him, whether my representing it to be the opinion of Mr. S. and his adherents, that persons might
be admitted into the church without any notion of their being godly, or any respect to such a character ap
pearing on them, be unaccounable. By these things it is evident, Mr. Stoddard's scheme was far from
being what Mr. Williams represents it to be, and pretends to maintain as his. And if the question he
had to controvert with me were Mr. Stoddard's question, as he asserts, yet he greatly mistakes tin
true state of the question, though that be given as the title of his book.

REPLY TO WILLIAMS. • 211
asserts, " that men should look at such a qualification, as sanctifying grace, in
themselves, and inquire whether they have it, or no, in order to determine whe
ther they should present themselves to gospel ordinances." For he greatly
finds fault with one for suggesting, as if those of a different opinion from me
supposed, that persons have no manner of need to look at any such qualification
in themselves, or at all inquire whether they have it, in order to present
themselves to sacraments. He refers to that passage in my book, p. 55, " I
cannot conceive what should move Philip to utter those words, or what he
should aim at in them, if he at the same time supposed that the Eunuch had no
manner of need to look at any such qualification in himself, or at all to inquire
whether he had such a faith, or no, in order to determine whether he might
present himself as the subject of baptism." It is plain the qualification I have
respect to, is grace or saving faith. And so Mr. Williams himself understands
me ; as appears by his reflections, p. 49 ; where, after quoting this passage,
he consigns me over to another judgment, for suggesting that my opposers
hold what I had there expressed, and for " representing the matter, as if they
looked on it as no matter whether a person coming to gospel ordinances had
any grace or no, and that he had no manner of need to inquire any thing about
his sincerity."*

SECTION'II.
Some of the plain consequences of the foregoing concessions of Mr. Williams.
1. If it be as Mr. Williams says, that " the church ought to admit none to
their holy communion, in special ordinances, but visible saints, and that this
visibility must be such as, to a judgment of rational charity, makes them appear
as real saints, and those that are admitted must be such as profess real saintship,
gospel holiness, in distinction from moral sincerity ;" then the whole of my first
argument, from the nature of a visibility and profession of Christianity, is al
lowed by him, in both premises and consequence. And indeed Mr. Williams
does this not only consequentially, but he is express in it. In p. 4, taking notice
of this argument, he says, " The sense and force of it wholly lies in this compass j
A visible saint is one that to the view, appearance, and judgment of the church,
is a real saint ; and since none but visible saints are to be admitted by the
church, therefore none are to be admitted but such as appear to the view and
judgment of the church to be real saints." But these things, which Mr. Williams
himself allows as the sum of the argument, both premises and consequence, are
expressly allowed by him in what there follows.
2. If there must be a visibility and profession of real piety in distinction from
moral sincerity, to that it can be truly said, as Mr. Williams says with discretive
terms, and notes oi discrimination, that "not merely the one must be professed,
but the other ; and that more than moral sincerity must be professed," &c.
Then it follows (or rather it is the same thing) that men must profess religion
with some discrimination or marks of difference in their words, distinguishing
what is professed from moral sincerity ; contrary to what Mr. Williams strenu
ously and frequently asserts (p. 6, 9, and many other places). For if the
* Now let all who have been acquainted with the controversy between me and my people at Nor-
thampton, consider these things, which Mr. Williams earnestly insists do belong to his scheme : and
judge whether they be agreeable to the scheme which my opposers there have so vehemently and long
contended for ; yea, whether they are not very opposite to it ; or whether in these things Mr. Williams
has not entirely yielded up, yea, vehemently asserted the chief things concerning which they contested
with me; and so, whether he has at all helped their cause by writing his book or rather, on the contrary
has fought against them.

212 REPLY TO WILLIAMS.
profession is made in words that signify no difference, then nothing different is
signified or professed by those words ; and so nothing more ; contrary also to
what Mr. Williams also asserts.
3. If it be as Mr. Williams says, that " the Scripture has determined none
ought to be admitted but such as make an open profession and declaration of a
hearty consent to the terms of the covenant of grace, such as covenant with
God with their whole hearts, and profess gospel holiness :" then the whole
of my second argument, concerning explicit covenanting with God, is expressly
allowed, in both premises and consequence ; though Mr. Williams seems at the
same time with so much labor and earnestness, to militate against it. For the
premises are, that all ought openly and explicitly to own God's covenant, or con
sent to the terms of it. This is the same thing that he asserts as above. And
the consequence, or thing which I inferred from it, was, that all that are admit
ted ought to make a profession of real godliness. And this also he expressly
and often allows.
4. Since it is supposed, that in order to admission, men ought to profess real
friendship to Christ, love to him above the world, and to profess a proper respect
to Christ in their hearts, as well as a true notion of him in their heads ; and
that they ought to profess gospel holiness, and not merely moral sincerity:
therefore the whole of what belongs to my third argument, is allowed, both
premises and consequence. Thepremises were, that the nature of things affords
as much reason for prof essing a proper respect to Christ in the heart, as a true
notion of him in the head. • This he allows. What I endeavor to infer from
hence, was, that therefore men ought to professs true piety, and not moral sin
cerity only. And this is also allowed by him.
5. It appears that the whole of my fourth argument, both premises and
consequence, is allowed. The premises were, that the Scripture reckons all
visible saints who are not truly pious, to be hypocrites. This Mr. Williams ex
pressly allows, p. 25. The consequence I inferred, was, that visible saints are
such as make a profession of true godliness, and not moral sincerity only. This
also is very fully allowed by him, p. 139.
6. Since it is supposed, that when Christ's rules are attended, they that
come to sacraments, do not know themselves to be hypocrites, but must look at
such a qualification in themselves, as grace, and make such a pretence and pro
fess gospel holiness : therefore all is in effect allowed, that I endeavored from
the latter part of the 7th chapter of Matthew, which was to show that profess
ing Christians in general, all those that said Lord, Lord, both those that built
on the sand, and those that built on a rock, were such as imagined themselves
to have a saving interest in Christ, and pretended to be his real disciples, and
made such a profession. The same was what I endeavored to show from the
parable of the ten Virgins. And therefore all that I argued from thence is in
like manner allowed.
7. Hence in vain is all the opposition Mr. Williams makes to what I allege
from the Acts of the Apostles, from chap. ii. from the story of the Eunuch, and
other parts of that book, concerning the manner and circumstances of the ad
mission of members into the primitive Christian church, and the profession they
made; seeing he grants the main point I endeavored to prove by it, viz., that
they did make, and all adult persons that are admitted into the church, must
make a profession of something more than moral sincerity, even gospel holiness.
8. Hence, in vain is all he says in opposition to my eighth argument, taken
from the manner of the apostles treating and addressing the primitive churches
hi their epistles; since he does either expressly or virtually grant each of those

REPLY TO WILLIAMS. 213-
three things, which he himself reckons up as the sum of what I intend under
that argument, viz., (1.) "That the apostles speak to the churches, and ofc
them, as supposing and judging them to be gracious persons. (2.) That the.-
members of these churches had such an opinion of themselves. (3.) That they
had this judgment one of another." Mr. Williams allows all these. He
abundantly allows and asserts, that the members of churches are such as are
supposed and judged, and rationally judged, to be gracious persons, by those
that admit them ; that they are taken in under that notion, and from respect to
such a character appearing on them; and that they are rationally judged to be
so by their fellow Christians; and that they must look at such a character in
themselves, and must make such a pretence.
9. Since Mr. Williams abundantly allows that visible Christians, must "be
believed in charity to be truly pious ; and that they are such as have the moral
image of Christ appearing in them, and supposed to be in them, and that they
are to be loved on that account :" therefore very impertinent and inconsistent
is the opposition he makes to my ninth argument, from the nature of that
brotherly love required towards all visible Christians ; which was to show, that
visible Christians by the rule of Christ were to be apprehended to be true
Christians. 10. In like manner, vain and to no purpose is the opposition he makes to
my tenth argument, from the nature of sacramental actions, supposed in their
intent and signification to be a solemn profession of those things wherein real
piety consists, viz., a cordial acceptance of Christ and his benefits ; from thence
arguing, that a profession of these things is necessary ; and so inferring that
those who perform these actions, should suppose themselves truly to accept of
Christ. Since both these things are in effect granted, that communicants must
judge that they have sanctifying grace, and also that they must profess gospel
holiness, a compliance with the call of the gospel, and falling in with the terms
of salvation proposed, &c.
11. In vain also is the opposition he makes to my eleventh argument, from
1 Cor. xi. 28, "Let a man examine himself; and so let him eat." Inferring
from thence, that a man ought to' inquire concerning such a qualification in
himself, as grace, in order to know whether he may come to the sacrament of
the Lord's supper. Since Mr Williams himself plainly supposes this very thing,
" That men ought to look at such a qualification in themselves, as grace, and
to inquire whether they have it, in order to determine whether they may pre
sent themselves to Christian sacraments."
12. If it be true, according to Mr Williams's representation of his own
scheme, " That persons may not be admitted to sacraments, but under a notion
of their being truly godly, and with respect to such a character appearing on
them ; and that persons themselves had need to look at such a qualification in
themselves, and inquire whether they have it, in order to determine whether they
may come to sacraments ; it must be because if they find they have it not, they
may not come, or (which is the same thing) it is not lawful for them to come.
For it would be ridiculous to say that others must look at such a qualification
in them, and must not admit them but from respect to such a character on
them ; and that they themselves also must look at such a qualification in them
selves, and inquire whether they have it in order to determine whether they
may come ; when yet they may come whether they have it or no, and have
as much of a lawful right without it, as with it. So that Mr. Williams has in
effect determined against himself the grand point, which he himself insists on,
as the point in dispute, according to the 'true state of the question. And therefore,

214 REPLY TO WILLIAMS.
13. It follows from the foregoing concessions, that Mr. Williams is incon
sistent with himself in all his arguments, that men may come to sacraments
without such a qualification or character as that of true piety. "Because Uod
has given no certain rule by which sacraments may be restrained to such; or
because that otherwise none might come but those that know they have such a
character;! or because the contrary doctrine tends to bring saints into great
perplexities in their attendance on sacraments ;% or from the lawfulness of un-
regenerate men's attending other duties."|| If there be any force m this argu
ing from other duties to an attendance on sacraments, then the argument will
infer, that men must not be admitted to other duties, but under the notion of
their being truly godly, and from respect to such a character appearing on them,
Sfc, as Mr. Williams insists with regard to Christian sacraments. And so if
these things which Mr. Williams concedes and asserts, are true, in vain is all
aro-uino- from " the like tendency in sacraments to convert men, as in other
duties."^ And in vain is it to argue the lawfulness of men's coming without
this character, " from their obligation to perform external covenant duties,1T and
to carry themselves like saints.''** And in vain is all arguing from pretended
bad consequences of the contrary doctrine-!!
14. The opposition Mr. Williams makes to my argument from Isa. Ivi., espe
cially those words, v. 5, 6, " The sons of the stranger that join themselves to the
Lord , to love the Lord and be his servants, will I bring into my holy moun
tain." To prove that none have a right in the sight of God to the privileges
of the Christian church, but those that love God, and are truly pious ; I say, the
opposition that Mr. Williams makes to this argument is frivolous, since he in
effect grants the same thing (as above), yea, does expressly allow, that they
must make pretences of being- God's real friends, and loving God more than the
world, p. 36.
15. If it be true as Mr. Williams allows and abundantly asserts, " That in
order to persons' being admitted to holy communion in special ordinances, the
Scripture has determined, that there must be an open profession and declaration
of a person's believing, or of a personal believing, in Christ (which is the same
thing), and of a hearty consent to the terms of the covenant of grace,JJ and that
therein must be a profession of gospel holiness ;" then avails nothing to the
contrary that great argument of his, taken from the state of baptized infants,
that " they are already in the church, and in covenant, and are members in
complete standing," &c. And that therefore no owning the covenant or profess
ing godliness can be demanded of them.|||| And in vain is all that he has said
to prove this in his discourse on the Wheat and Tares.^
16. To what purpose is it, to object from the parable now mentioned, that
the church ought not to go about to make a distinction between wheat and tares,
in their admission of members, by pretending to discern the difference 1 When
it is so apparent, that there is no pretence to any proper discerning in the case,
iior any other distinction pleaded, than what is made by a judgment of charity.
And when, according to Mr. Williams's own scheme, churches are obliged to
make a distinction, in the rational judgment they pass, and to admit none but
what they judge to be true saints ; so that those who are wheat, in the eye of
their judgment, only are to be admitted, and such as are tares, in the eye of
their judgment, are to be excluded.
17. What is said by Mr. Williams of the visible church's being the school
? See Mr. Williams's book,. p. 106. t Ibid. p. 108. $ p. 120. || p. 123. & p 126 f p. 128.
*» p. 131. ft o- 131- tt See bow Mr. Williams expresses himself, p. 5. Ml See especially, p. 3.
$$ p. 99, 100. *

REPLY TO WILLIAMS. 215
of Christ, and men's being admitted into it as " disciples or scholars, some of
them in order to attain grace" (p. 81, and 83), is nothing to the purpose, if it
be as Mr. Williams allows and asserts, that in order to be admitted into this
school, they must be supposed, in a reasonable judgment, to have this attainment
already, and make a pretence to it, and a solemn profession of it, and must give
moral evidence that they have it, and must be admitted into the school under
no other notion than that of their being already possessed of it.
18. If it be as Mr. Williams expressly says, " That persons are not visible
saints without a credible profession, visibility and moral evidence, not only
of moral sincerity, but true holiness" (p. 139), then all is wholly insignificant
and vain, that is said to prove, that the children of Israel were visible saints
without any evidence of such holiness, by reason of the idolatry and gross and
open wickedness of vast multitudes of them who are yet called God's people.
And so likewise, all that 'is said to prove that the members of the primitive
church had no other visibility of saintship than they, because they are grafted
into the same olive. And also all that Mr. Williams has said to prove, that
many of the members of the primitive churches were as grossly wicked as they.
19. Since according to Mr. Williams the terms of admission to the Jewish
ordinances, were " the same as to Christian ordinances, the like profession and
the same visibility of saintship required and no other ;" as he strenuously asserts,
p. 57, 61, 65; it will therefore follow frdm his foregoing concessions and
assertions, that none were by God's appointment, to come to the passover, and
have their children circumcised, but " such as openly professed and declared
that they were convinced of the truth of God's word, and believed it with all
their hearts ; and professed a hearty consent to the terms of the covenant of
grace. Such as covenanted with God with their whole hearts, and gave up all
their hearts and lives to Christ, such as subjected themselves to Christ with their
whoje hearts, and gave up themselves to him to be ruled, taught, and led by
him ; such as with all their hearts cast themselves on the mercy of God to enable
them to keep covenant ; such as professed to love God above the world, and
professed more than common faith and moral sincerity, even true holiness, real
piety ; and who gave moral evidence, that they had such a qualification ; and
were received to the passover, &c, under that notion, and with respect to such
a character appearing in them, and apprehended to bein them." And if these
things are so, what is become of the argument from the passover and circum
cision against the necessity of the qualifications I have insisted on !
20. To what purpose does Mr. Williams insist (p. 98) " That we read not
a word in Scripture about John the Baptist's making any inquiry, whether the
people he baptized miade a credible profession of true piety V When he him
self insists that in order to admission to Christian sacraments," men must make
a credible profession of true piety." And why does he urge (p. 96, 97) that
the profession the people made which John baptized, did not imply that they
had saving repentance, but only an engagement to repent, hereafter 1 When
he himself holds, that in order to admission to sacraments, men must profess
something more than common grace, and not only promise it hereafter.
,21. It makes nothing to any point in controversy between Mr. Williams
and me, whether Judas partook of the Lord's supper or no, since according to
Mr. Williams's own forementioned principles, as well as mine, he could not be
admitted there " under any other notion than that of being truly pious, and from
respect to such a character appearing on him, and a credible profession of
gospel holiness ; and since he might not lawfully come without some qualifi
cations he had not, viz., such a friendship for Christ, as is above lukewarmness^

216 REPLY TO WILLIAMS.
and above serving two masters, Christ and mammon, and a giving up all his
heart and life to Christ, and a real determination of his judgment and affec
tions for Christ's word, &c.
22. If it be true, as Mr. Williams allows, that ministers and churches ought
not to admit adult persons to sacraments, without a pious character appearing
on them, and their professing and exhibiting^ moral evidence of gospel holiness,
then no good argument can be brought against such a way of admission, from
the success of ministers in another way, or in any way whatsoever.
Besides these plain and obvious consequences of Mr. Williams's concessions,
some other consequences will hereafter be observed under particular heads.
Thus Mr. Williams has not only abundantly given up the main point in
that controversy I have lately been engaged in, and the main point which I
have written in defence of; but he has in effect given up every point belonging
to the whole controversy, every thing material insisted on through that whole
book which he undertakes to answer. He has established every part of the
scheme I have appeared in, and every particular argument I have used to con
firm it ; and answered, and overthrown every argument which he brings
or pretends to support against it. And I should have no further occasion to
say any thing in reply to him, if he had not really, through great part of his
performance, argued for other things, opposite to those that have been rehears
ed, which he so strenuously insists belong to his scheme ; which arguing may
seem to support another scheme, though nothing akin to his, any otherwise than
as his scheme is indeed a mixture of many schemes, one clashing with, and
destroying another ; as will appear in the ensuing part of this reply.

SECTION III.
The inconsistence of the forementioned Concessions with the Lawfulness of unsanc-
tifierl Persons coming to the Lord's Supper, and their Right to Sacraments in the
sight of God.
Mr. Williams in the book under consideration, which he entitles the true
state of the question, insists upon it that the question to be debated is the ques
tion Mr. Stoddard debated in his dispute with Dr. Mather ; in whose scheme
Mr. Williams declares himself to b,e. Mr. Stoddard in his dispute with Dr.
Mather asserted, " that it was lawful for some unsanctified men to come to the
Lord's supper, and that they had a right so to do in the sight of God." And
he declares that this was the point in dispute between him and Dr. Mather; as
in Appeal, p. 20: " That which I am to show is, that some unsanctified men
have a right before God to the Lord's supper." So Mr. Blake (who is so great
an author with Mr. Williams) says, in his treatise on the covenant, p. 244,
" That faith which is the condition of the promise, is not the condition in foro
Dei (before God) of a title to the seal." And there (in the next p.) he insists,
that " it is a common faith, that is believed by men not justified," which gives this
title. Agreeably to these things Mr. Williams says (P. 132) some men have
" a lawful right to the sacrament without sanctification." Which is the same
thing as to say, they have a. right in the sight of God. For if they have w
right in the sight of God to come to the Lord's supper, then it is not lawful i%
the sight of God that they should come.
Here I would lay down this as a maxim ;
There is some inward religion and virtue or other, some sincerity of heart,
<either moral or saving, that is necessary to a right to sacraments in the' sight of

REPLY TO WILLIAMS. 217
God, and in order to a lawful coming to them. No man, I trust, will say, that
a man has a right in God's sight, who has no sort of seriousness of mind ; and
that merely outward sounds and motions, give him this right in God's sight,
without regard to any property or quality of mind, and though this outward
show is joined with the most horrid and resolved secret irreligion and wicked
ness. Mr. Williams in particular utterly disclaims such doctrine as this in 3d
and 4th pages of his preface, and always maintains that in order to men's law
ful coming, they must be morally sincere ; as there in his preface, and also
in p. 25, 27, 30, 35, 111. In p. 115, he supposes, that if a man makes a doubt
of his moral sincerity, no divine will advise him to come till he knows.
Having observed this, 1 now desire it may be considered, whether it be rea
sonable to suppose, as Mr. Williams does, that God would give men that are
without grace, a lawful right to sacraments, so that this qualification itself
should be nothing necessary to a proper and rightful claim to these ordinances ;
and yet that he would wholly forbid them to come, and others to admit them,
without their making some pretence to it, and exhibiting moral evidence that
they have it : that moral sincerity is the qualification which by God's own ap
pointment invests persons with a lawful right to sacraments, and that by his
institution nothing fhore is requisite to a lawful right ; and yet that he has com
manded them not to come, nor others to allow them to come, without making
a profession of something more than moral sincerity, as Mr. Williams says.
Mr. Williams supposes that God requires us, before we admit persons, to seek
credible evidence of true piety, and to see to it that we have reasonable ground
to believe they have it ; otherwise not to allow them to come : and yet that
God does not look on such qualification requisite in itself, when all is done, and
that he has given them as true and lawful a right to come without it, as with
it. If God insists upon it, as Mr. Williams supposes, that members should be
admitted under no other notion than of their being truly godly, and from res
pect to such a character appearing on them, is it not plain, that God looks on
such a character in itself requisite, in order to a person's being a rightful sub
ject of such a privilege 1 If the want of this qualification does not in the least
hinder a person's lawful right to a thing, on what account can the want of an
appearance of it and pretence to it, warrant and oblige others to hinder his
taking possession of that thing ?
That we should be obliged to require a credible pretence and evidence of
the being of a thing, in order to a certain purpose, the being of which is not
requisite to that purpose ; or that some evidence of a thing should be necessary,
and yet withal no necessity there should be any foundation of such evidence, in
the being of the thing to be made evident; that it should be necessary for
us to-seek evidence that something is true, and yet thefe be no need in order
to the intended purpose, that there be any such truth to be made evident ; if
these things are the dictates of common sense, I am willing all that are possessed
of any degree of common sense should be judges.
If God has plainly revealed, that gospel holiness is not necessary in itself
in order to men's lawful right to sacraments, as Mr. Williams greatly insists,,
then his churches need not believe it to be necessary ; yea, it is their duty to be
lieve that it is not necessary, as it is their duty to believe what God says to be
true. But yet Mr. Williams holds, that God forbids his churches to admit any
to sacraments, unless they first have some rational evidence obliging them to
believe that they have gospel holiness. Now how palpable is the inconsistence,,
that we must be obliged to believe men have a qualification in order to our suf
fering them to come, which yet at the same time we need not believe to be
Vol. I. 28

218 REPLY TO WILLIAMS.
necessary for them to have in order to their coming, but which God requires us
to believe to be unnecessary ! Or in other words, that God has made it neces
sary for us to believe or suppose men are truly pious, in order to our lawfully
allowing them to take the sacrament, and yet at the same time requires us to
believe no such thing as their being pious is necessary in order to their lawfully
taking the sacraments !
Mr. Stoddard (whose principles Mr. Williams, in preface p. 3, declares
himself to be fully established in) not only says, that some unsanctified men have
" a right before God to the Lord's Supper," but strongly asserts, over and over,
that they are fit to be admitted to the Lord's Supper, that they are ouly qua
lified, fit matter for church membership" (Appeal, p. 15, 16), and Mr. Wil
liams argues that " such qualifications as some unsanctified men have, are suf
ficient to bring them into the church." Now if it be so, what business have
we to demand evidence or a pretence of any thing further 1 What case in the
world can be mentioned parallel to it, in any nation or age 1 Are there any
such laws or regulations to be found in any society, nation, city or family, civil
society, military or academic, stated society or occasional, that the society should
be required to insist on some credible pretence and evidence of a certain quali
fication, in order to persons being admitted to the privileges of the society ;
prohibiting their being admitted under any other notion than as persons possess
ed of that qualification, or without a respect, in their admission, to such a cha
racter appearing on them : and yet at the same time, by the laws of that very
society, or the head of it, that qualification is not necessary ; but persons are
declared, without any such qualification, to have a lawful right, to be m
matter, to be duly qualified, and to have sufficient qualifications to be admit
ted to these privileges, without that qualification 1
If some men have a right in the sight of God to sacraments, without true
piety, and are ft, and duly qualified without it in his sight, and by his institution,
and yet the church must not admit them unless they are? truly pious in -their
sight ; then the eye of man must require higher terms, than the infinitely holy
eye of God himself; they must look for something that the eye of God looks
not for, and which he judges them duly qualified without.
Mr. Williams when speaking of the evidence, on which he supposes the
church ought to judge persons to be real saints, from time to time adds, that on
such evidence " the church is obliged, in their external carriage, to treat them
as saints, and admit them to the external privileges of the church." So p. 9,
12, &c. p. 13 and 14, and in other places. But what does he mean by treating
them as saints, in admitting them to the external privileges of the church ? If
sinners have as much of a lawful right to these privileges, as saints, then why
is giving them these privileges, a treating them as saints, any more than as
sinners ? If it belongs to an ignorant child, to be admitted into school, as
much as one that is learned, then how is it treating him as one that is learned, to
admit him ? Mr. Williams (p. 11) giving a reason why he that professes con
viction of the truth of the gospel, &c, ought to be admitted to sacraments, says,
" though this conviction may be only by moral evidence and common illumi
nation, yet the church know not but it is done on a divine and gracious discov
ery." But how can this be a reason 1 What if the church did know that it
was not on a gracious discovery, if the man has a right in the sight of God
without, and God has made it his duty to come to sacraments without 1 Surely
the church have no right to forbid him to do that which God has given him a
right to do, and made it his duty to do; as Mr. Stoddard says (Doct. of Inst.
Churches, p. 20), " The church may not hinder any man from doing his duty."

REPLY TO WILLIAMS. 219
Therefore if this be Mr. Stoddard's question, " whether some unsanctified
men may lawfully come to the Lord's supper," and if this be the grand point
in dispute, the thing which Mr. Williams undertakes to maintain, as he often
declares, then it is most plainly evident, that in conceding and asserting those
things forementioned, he does in effect abundantly give up that which he him
self insists on as the grand point in controversy ; and so makes void and vain all
his own labor, and for himself effectually confutes all that he has written.

SECTION IV.

Concerning Mr. Williams's Notion of a public Profession of Godliness in terms of an
indeterminate and double Signification.
According to Mr. Williams the profession of godliness must be in words
not of a determinate meaning, or " without any discrimination in the meaning
of the words obliging us to understand them of saving religion," p. 6. They
must make an " open declaration of their sincere consent to the terms of the
covenant, without any discrimination, by which it can be determined, that the
consent signified by the words is a gracious consent," p. 9. And without any
marks of difference, or any distinction in the words, whereby we can be enabled
to judge when they mean a saving faith, and when a different one," p. 10, 50
and 53. That " nothing should be expressed in the words of the profession, but
what some unsanctified men may say, and speak true," p. 47. He supposes, that
the primitive Christians in the profession they made of faith, did not speak
only in that sense, viz., so as to signify justifying faith ; and that " the persons
admitted did not understand that their profession was understood by those that
admitted them, only in that sense," p. 58.
Agreeably to this notion of making a profession in words of indiscriminate
meaning, and professing godliness without godliness, and yet speaking true,
Mr. Williams (in p. 44) allows, " that men must be by profession godly per
sons, in order to come to the sacrament ;" and yet in the next sentence he de
nies, " that Christian grace itself is requisite in the person who is to come to
the sacrament, or that the dictate of his conscience that he has it, is the thing
that gives him a rignt to offer himself." And agreeably to this last clause,
Mr. Stoddard (of whose opinion Mr. Williams professes himself fully to be) ex
pressly maintains, that a man " may and ought to come to the Lord's supper,
though he knows himself to be in a natural condition." (Doct. of Inst. Churches,
p. 21, see also his sermon on this controversy, p. 13.) So that putting these
things together, it must be agreeable to Mr. Williams's scheme that a man has
a right to make a profession of godliness, without having godliness) and with
out any dictate of his conscience that he has the thing he professes, yea though
he knows he has it not ! And all this is made out by the doctrine of profess
ing godliness in words that are ambiguous and of two meanings. .
This notion of a solemn profession of godliness, in words of a double mean
ing, without any marks of difference in their signification, is the great pecu
liarity of Mr. Williams's scheme ; and in all his controversy with me, this ap
pears to be the main hinge of the whole affair. Therefore I would particularly
consider it.
And for the greater distinctness and clearness, I will lay down certain po
sitions, as of most evident truth; observing some of their no less plain and evi
dent consequences.

220 REPLY TO WILLIAMS.
Position I. Words declare or profess nothing any otherwise than by their
signification : for to declare or profess something by words, is to signify some
thing by words. And therefore if nothing is signified by words of a pretended
profession, nothing is really professed ; and if something be professed, no more
is professed than the words of the profession signify or import.
Position. II. If a man goes about to declare or profess any particular thing
by words which have no distinguishing signification, or without any signs or
discriminating marks by which men may be enabled lo distinguish what he
means, his words are vain to the pretended purpose, and wholly fail of answer
ing the end of words, which is to convey the thing meant, to others' understand
ing, or to give notice to others of the thing that is supposed or understood.*
Therefore to use words thus in common conversation, is to act in a vain tri
fling manner, more like children than men : but to use words thus in the sacred
services of God's house, and solemn duties of his worship, is something much
worse than children's play. But thus Mr. Williams expressly declares, words
are to be used in a public profession of religion. He says (p. 10), " And these
words are so used in such cases, without any marks of difference, whereby we
are enabled to judge when they mean a saving faith, and when a different one."
Position III. A profession made in words that are either equivocal, or gen
eral, equally signifying several distinct things, without any marks of difference
or distinction, by which we are enabled to judge which is meant, is not a pro
fession or signification of any one of those several things ; nor can they afford
any rational ground of understanding or apprehending any particular thing.
Thus, for instance, if a man, using an equivocal term, should say, that such an
evening a king was in that room, without any marks of difference or discrimi
nation whatsoever, by which others could discern whether by a king, he meant
the ruler of a kingdom, or a king used in a game of chess : the word thus used
would be no declaration that the head of a kingdom was there at such a time;
nor would they give any notice of any sueh thing to those to whom he spoke,
or give them any rational ground to understand or judge any such thing.
Or if a man should use a general term, comprehending various particular
sorts, without at all distinguishing or pointing forth any one particular sort, he
thereby professes no one particular sort. Thus if a man professes that he has
metal in his pocket, not saying what sort of metal, whether gold, silver, brass,
hon, lead, or tin ; his words are no profession that he has gold.
So if a man professes sincerity or religion, designedly using terms of double
signification, or (which comes to the same thing) of general signification, equal
ly signifying two entirely distinct things, either moral sincerity, or real piety,
his words are no profession of real piety ; he makes no credible profession, and
indeed no profession at all oi gospel holiness.
Position IV. If a man who knows himself to be destitute of ahv certain
qualification, yet makes a profession or pretence, in words of double meaning,
equally signifying that qualification, and something else very different with a
design to recommend himself to others' judgment, as possessed of thatqualifica-
tion, he is guilty of deceitful equivocation. This is the notion of deceitful
equivocation, viz., the using words of double meaning, or capable of double ap
plication, with a design to induce others to judge something to be true, which
* The Apostle Paul says, 1 Cor. xiv. 7, " Even things without life, giving sound, «hether pipe oi
harp, except they give a distinction in the sounds, how shall it be known what js piped or harped !"— Mr.
Locke says, Hum. Und. Vol. 2. Edit. 7, p. 103, " He that uses words of any language without distinct
ideas in his mind, to which he applies them, does so far as he uses them in discourse, only make a imise
without any sense or signification.'*

REPLY TO WILLIAMS. 221
is not true. But he that goes about to recommend himself by such terms to
others' opinion or judgment as being what he at the same time knows he is not,
endeavors to induce them to believe what he knows is not true, which is to de
ceive them.*
But if the scheme which Mr. Williams undertakes to defend, were true, it
would follow that such a kind of equivocation as this (be it far from us to sup
pose it) is what the infinitely wise and holy God has instituted to be publicly
made use of in the solemn services of his house, as the very condition of per
sons' admission to the external privileges of his people ! For Mr. Williams
abundantly asserts, that persons must be esteemed in the judgment and appre
hension of others to have true piety ; and that one thing that must be done in
"order to it, one thing pertaining to the moral evidence that recommends them
to this judgment, is the profession they make of religion, p. 5, 139, 47, 132,
44. In p. 42, speaking of the profession of visible Christians, he has these
words : " And it is from the nature and purport of this profession, we say, the
church is to judge the members to be wise virgins, or what they make a show
of." And Mr. Williams insists upon it, that according to Christ's institution,
this must be in words equally signifying true godliness, and something else,
without any discrimination or marks of difference. This is the scheme ! And,
certainly such a doctrine of deceitful equivocation in the public exercises of re
ligion, is more agreeable to the principles and practices of a religion I am loth
to name, than the true religion of Jesus Christ.
Mr. Williams says, p. 35, " I am at a loss to conceive how it will help the
cause of truth to represent those who are of Mr. Stoddard's opinion, as teaching
men that they enter into covenant with God with known and allowed guile."
Supposing 1 had made such a representation, I can tell him how it would have
helped the cause of truth (as it would be speaking nothing but the truth), if he
be one of Mr. Stoddard's opinion (as he says he is) and represents his own opin
ion truly.
But let the unreasonableness of this notion of professing gospel holiness in
words of two meanings, without any discrimination or mark of difference, be
a little further considered. Since it is allowed that gospel holiness is the thing
which is to be exhibited in the profession, and there are words which signify
this by a determinate meaning, why must they needs be avoided, and words of
doubtful and double signification only made use of If Since the design of the
profession is to exhibit to others' understanding that very thing ; if the proper
and distinguishing names of that must nevertheless be avoided in the profession,
and this, for that very reason, that they point forth to others' understanding that
very thing by a determinate meaning ; then we are brought to this gross ab
surdity, viz., that the end of a profession is to exhibit to others' understanding
and reasonable judgment a particular qualification ; but at the same time such
words only must be made use of as do not distinctly point forth to others' un
derstanding and judgment that particular qualification. The church are to
seek and demand a profession, that shall determine their rational judgment;
but yet are designedly to avoid such a profession as shall determine their un
derstandings. Be it far from us to attribute to the allwise God any such ab
surd and inconsistent constitution.
* " To advance a dubious proposition, knowing it will be understood in a sense different from what
you give it in your mind, is an equivocation, in breach of good faith and sincerity." Chambers' Diction
ary, under the word Equivocation. j
+ Mr. Williams (p. 6) speaks of a profession in terms of indiscriminate signification, when not co»
tradicted in life, as " The sole entire evidence, which the church as a church, is to have, by divine ap
pointment, in order to that public judgment it is to make of the saintship of men."

222 REPLY TO WILLIAMS.
Mr. Williams says, " Charity obliges the church to understand the words of
the professors in the most favorable sense." But charity does not oblige us
to understand their words in any other sense than that in which they professed
ly use them. But in churches which professedly act on Mr. Williams's scheme
(if any such there be) the professors who are admitted, professedly use ambig
uous words, or words equally signifying two entirely distinct things, without
discrimination or marks of difference ; and therefore charity obliges us to un
derstand their words no otherwise, than as signifying that they have one or
other of those two things; and not that they have one in particular: for their
words do not signify this, in the sense they professedly use them. If a man that
is indebted to me, professes that he has either gold or brass, which he promises
to pay me ; or if he uses an equivocal or general term, that equally, and with
out marks of difference, signifies either one or the other : charity may oblige
me to believe what he says, which is that he has either gold or brass ; but no
charity obliges me to believe that he has gold, which he does not say.
Mr. Williams, in his description of such a profession as Christ has instituted,
in order to admission to sacraments, often mentions two things, viz., " a profes
sion of something present, a present believing in Christ, and cordial consent
to the terms of the covenant of grace, &c. And a promise of something/w-
ture." And with regard to the latter he is very full in it, that what is prom
ised for time to come is saving faith, repentance and obedience* Now what rea
son can be given why we should use words of double meaning in the former
part of the profession more than in the latter ? Seeing Mr. Williams allows that
we must profess gospel holiness as well as promise it, and seeing we may and
must make use of words of indiscriminate and double meaning in professing, pre
sent gospel holiness, why should we not do so too in promising what is future;
and so equivocate in our solemn vows and oaths as the Papists do 1 If Mr.
WTilliams says it is very hard for men to discern the discrimination between
moral sincerity and gospel holiness ; I answer, there is as much need to discern
the difference in order understanding^ to promise gospel holiness with discrim
ination, as to profess it with discrimination.
Mr. Williams says (p. 8), "It is a received rule among mankind, in all
public judgments, to interpret words in the most extensive and favorable sense,
that the nature of the words or expressions will bear." I know not what he
means : but if he means (as he must jf he means any thing to the purpose) that
it is a received rule amongst mankind, to trust or accept, or regard any profes
sions or declarations that men make with professed design, in words of double
and indiscriminate meaning, without any marks of difference by which their
meaning can be known, for that very end that they may be used with a safe
conscience, though they have no dictates of their own consciences, that they
have that which others are to believe they have ; I say, if this be a received
rule among mankind, it is a rule that mankind has lately received from Mr.
Williams. Heretofore mankind, societies, or particular persons, would have
been counted very foolish for regarding such professions. Is this the way in
earthly kingdoms, in professions of allegiance to temporal princes, in order to
their admission to the privileges of good subjects 1 Do they choose equivocal
terms to put into their oaths of allegiance, to that end that men may use them
and speak true, though they are secret enemies 1 There are two competitors
for the kingdom of this world, Christ and Satan : the design of a public pro
fession of religion is, to declare on which side men are. And is it agreeable
* Preface, p. 3, 5, 24, 25, 22, 7, 58, 69.

REPLY TO WILLIAMS. 223
to the custom of mankind in such cases, to make laws that no other than am
biguous words shall be used, or to accept of such in declarations of this kind 1
There are two competitors for the kingdom of Great Britain, king George, and
the Pretender : is, it then the constitution of king George and the British Par
liament, that men should take oaths of allegiance, contrived in words of inde
terminate signification, to the end that men who are in their hearts enemies to
king George, and friends to the Pretender, may use them and speak true 1 And
certainly mankind, those of them that have common sense, never in any affairs
of life look on such professions worth a rush. Would Mr. Williams himself,
if tried, in any affair wherein his temporal interest is concerned, trust such pro
fessions as these 1 If any man that he has dealings with, should profess to
him that he had pawned for him, in a certain place, a hundred pounds, evi
dently, yea, professedly using the expression as an ambiguous one, so that there
is no understanding by it, what is pawned there, whether a hundred pounds in
money, or a hundred weight of stones : if he should inquire of the man what
he meant, and he should reply, You have no business to search my heart, or to
go to turn my heart inside out ; you are obliged in charity to understand my
words in the most favorable sense ; would Mr. Williams in this case stick to his
own received rule ? Would he regard such a profession, or run the venture of
one sixpence upon it 1 Would he not rather look on such a man as affronting
him, and treating him as though he would make a fool of him ? And would
not he know, that every body else would think him a fool, if he should suffer
himself to be gulled by such professions, in things which concern his own
private interest 1 And yet it seems, this is the way in which he thinks he
ought to conduct himself as a minister of Christ, and one intrusted by him in
affairs wherein his honor and the interests of his' kingdom are concerned.
And now I desire it may be judged by such as are possessed of human un
derstanding, and are not disabled by prejudice from exercising it, whether this
notion of Mr. Williams's, of making a solemn profession of gospel holiness in
words of indiscriminate meaning, be not too absurd to be received by the reason
God has given mankind. This peculiar notion of his is apparently the life and
soul of his scheme ; the main pillar of his temple, on which the whole weight
of the building rests, which if it be broken, the whole falls to the ground.
For if this notion of his be disproved, then, inasmuch as it is agreed, that true
godliness must be professed, it will follow, that it must be professed in words
properly signifying the thing by a determinate meaning, which therefore no
ungodly men can use, and speak true ; and that therefore men must have true
godliness in order to a right in the sight of God to make such profession, and
to receive the privileges depending thereon : which implies and infers all those
principles of mine which Mr. Williams opposes in his book, and confutes all
that he says in opposition to them.

SECTION V.
Showing that Mr. Williams, in supposing that unsanctified Men may profess such
things, as he allows must be professed, and vet speak true, is inconsistent with Mr.
Stoddard, and with himself. ,
Mr. Williams denies, that in order to men's being admitted to sacraments,
they need make any peculiar profession, distinguished from what an unregene-

224 REPLY TO WILLIAMS.
rate man may make, p. 44, 50, 6, 9, 10, 45, 46, and 53, or that they need to
profess " any thing but what an unregenerate man may say, and speak true,"
p. 47. And that they need make no profession but what is " compatible with
an unregenerate state," p. 8. And yet the reader has seen what things he says
all must profess in order to come to sacraments. One thing he says they must
profess, is " a real conviction of the heart, of the divine truth of God's word ;
that they do sincerely and with all their hearts believe the gospel." And these
things he says, are agreeable to the opinion of Mr. Stoddard, and the doctrine
he taught, p. 32, and 36. Let us compare these things with the doctrine Mr.
Stoddard taught, that natural men do not " believe the gospel," Benef. of the
~Gosp., p. 89. That they " do not properly believe the word of God," Guide fo
Christ, p. 26. That " they do not believe the testimony of God, do not lay
weight on the word of God; that they do not believe the report of the gospel,"
Safety of Ap. Edit. 2. p. 229. That they do " not receive God's testimony, nor
lay weight on it," Ibid. p. 99. That " there is ho man, how great soever his
profession, how large soever his knowledge, that continues in a natural condition,
who thoroughly believes the truth ;" i. e., that men may be saved by Christ's
righteousness, Ibid. p. 4 and 5. That " common illumination does not convince
men of the truth of the gospel," Benef. of the Gosp. p. 148, 149. How then
could it be the doctrine Mr. Stoddard taught, that natural men may really and
with all their hearts believe and be convinced of the truth of the gospel 1
And Mr. Williams himself in his sermons on Christ a King and Witness,
p. 144, 115, says, "man since the fall is naturally ignorant of divine truth,
and an enemy to it, and full of prejudices against the truth." And says, fur
ther, Ibid. p. 114, " The renewing of the Holy Ghost makes a universal change
of the heart and life. — He knows the doctrine contained in the Bible in a new
manner. — Before he had a view of the truth as a doubtful uncertain thing ; he
received it as a thing which was probably true ; — and perhaps for the most
part it appeared something likely to answer the end proposed. But now the gos
pel appears to him divinely true and real," &c. But how do these things con
sist with men's being before conversion, sincerely and with all their hearts con
vinced of the divine truth of the gospel ? Can that be, and yet men view it as
a doubtful uncertain thing, it not yet appearing to them divinely true and
real? Again, Mr. Williams supposes, that some unsanctified men may speak true,
and profess " a hearty consent to the terms of the covenant of grace, a compli
ance with the call of the gospel, submission to the proposals of it, satisfaction
with that device for our salvation that is revealed in the gospel, and with the
offer which God makes of himself to be our God in Christ Jesus, a fervent de
sire of Christ and the benefits of the covenant of grace, and an earnest purpose
and resolution to seek salvation on the terms of it (p. 11), and a falling in with
the terms of salvation proposed in the gospel, with a renouncing of all other
ways (which he speaks of as agreeable to Mr. Stoddard's opinion, p. 32).
Quite contrary to the current doctrine of Calvinistic divines ; contrary to the
opinion of Mr. Guthrie, whom he cites as a witness in his favor (Pref. p. 4). who
insists on satisfaction with that device for our salvation which is revealed in the
gospel, and with the offer which God makes of himself to be our God in Christ,
as the peculiar nature of saving faith. And contrary to the principles of Mr.
Perkins (another author he quotes as his voucher) delivered in these very words,
which Mr. Williams cites in the present point (p. 11), "That a desire of the
favor and mercy of God in Christ, and the means to attain that favor, is a spe
cial grace of God, and hath the promise of blessedness.— That wicked men

REPLY TO WILLIAMS. 225
cannot sincerely desire these means of eternal life, faith, repentance, mortifica
tion, reconciliation," &c. And exceeding contrary to the constant doctrine ofi
Mr. Stoddard (though he says it was his opinion), who ever insisted, that all
unconverted sinners under the gospel are so far from heartily consenting to the
covenant of grace, and complying with the call of the gospel, and falling in
with the terms of salvation proposed in in it, renouncing all other ways, as Mr.
Williams supposes, that they are wilful rejecters of Christ, despisers of the gos
pel, and obstinate refusers of offered mercy. So he says, " the man that has but
common grace — sets himself against the way of salvation which God prescribes,"
Nat. of Sav. Conv. p. 10. " In awakened sinners, it is not merely from weak
ness, but from pride and sturdiness of spirit, that they do not come to Christ,"
Safety of Ap., p 229. And in other places he says, that it is " from the
hardness and stubborness of natural men's hearts," that they do not comply
with the gospel : that " there is a mighty opposition in their hearts to be
lieve in Christ," because it is " cross to their haughty spirit : that they are ene
mies to this way of salvation : that they are dreadfully averse to come.to Christ."
See Book of Three Sermons, p. 84, Guide to Christ, p. 55, Safety of Ap., p.
106, and 194.
And this scheme of our author is in a no less glaring manner contrary to the
doctrine of Mr. Williams himself, in his sermon on Isa. xiv. 11 (p. 25,26, 27).
Speaking to those " whose natures remain unrenewed and unsanctified" — see
his words p. 25 — he says, p. 27, " You are opposing all the means of your own
deliverance and salvation. The offers of grace, the allurements and invitations
of the great Saviour of the world, have all been ineffectual to persuade you to
accept of deliverance from a slavery you are willingly held in. Nay, you strive
against the liberty of the sons of God, and labor to find out all manner of diffi
culties and hinderances in the way of it. If you pray for it, you do not desire it
should yet come, but would stay a while longer." And are these the persons
who can truly profess, that they comply with the call of the gospel, and submit
to the proposals of it, and are satisfied with the device for our salvation, and
with the offers of the gospel, and consent to the terms of the covenant of grace
with all their hearts, renouncing all other ways 1 — It is not much more easy to
make these things consist with what he says in his answer to Mr. Croswell (p.
26) : he there says, " there is not a son nor daughter of Adam excluded from
salvation, who will accept Christ upon God's offer, and take him in his person
and offices, and whole work of redemption, to be their Saviour, and they find
themselves willing to accept of Christ as so offered to them, and pleased with
that device for their salvation, and heartily choosing him to be to them and in
them, wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption." See also to the
same purpose, Ibid. p. 32, 33, and 94.
Mr. Williams, though he holds, that it is lawful for some unsanctified men
to come to sacraments, yet supposes it not to be lawful for those that are luke
warm in religion to come, p. 35. So that according to his scheme, some un
sanctified professors are above lukewarmness ; that is to say, their hearts within
them are truly hot or fervent with Christian zeal, and they such as Christ will
never spew out of his mouth; in a great inconsistence with the Scripture. He
suggests, that it'is an injury done to the cause of truth, in me, to represent Mr.
Stoddard as being of another opinion (p. 35), but let us see whether such a rep
resentation be an injury to truth or no. Mr. Stoddard taught, that natural men
have " no sincerity in them," Guide to Christ, p. 60, 61. That " their hearts
are dead as a stone, that there is no disposition or inclination to any thing that
is good, but a total emptiness of all goodness, Ibid. p. 63. That " some of
Vol. I. 29

226 REPLY TO WILLIAMS.
them have considerable shows of goodness, there is an appearance of good de
sires, &c, but there is nothing of goodness in all this ; that all they do is in
hypocrisy," Benef. of the Gosp. p. 73. That " they are acted by a lust of self-
love in all their religion : if they are swept and garnished, they are empty :
there may be some similitude of faith and love, but no reality, not a spark of
goodness in their hearts ; though corruption may he restrained, yet it reigns."
He speaks abundantly to the same purpose in his sermon, entitled, JVatural men
are under the government of self-love.
And Mr. Williams himself, in his sermon on Psal. xci. 1, describing carnal
men, by which he means the same with unconverted men (as is evident through
the book, particularly p. 36), says, p. 27, 28, that to such " religion looks
like a dull, unpleasant kind of exercise, and so different from the sensual joys
and pleasures which they choose, that they hate to set about it, as long as they
dare let it alone; and would do as little as ever they can at it : that when they
durst not let it alone any longer, they set about it, but would fain despatch it
as soon, and as easily as they can ; because it seems to them a miserable, un.
comfortable sort of life. Ask your own conscience (says he), see if this be not
the truth of the case." Now let the reader judge, whether this be a descrip
tion of persons whom it would be injurious to represent as having nothing above
lukewarmness. Another thing, which Mr. Williams supposes must be professed in order to
come to sacraments, and therefore according to him is what an unsanctified
man can profess, and speak true, is," That they with all their hearts cast them
selves upon the mercy of God, to help them to keep covenant," p. 31, and
32. And yet elsewhere he mentions a depending on Christ for things of this
nature, as a discriminating mark of a true Christian, Ser. on Christ a King
and Witness, p. 19. Under a use of examination, he there says, " Do you de
pend on Christ to protect you from all your spiritual enemies, to restore you to
holiness, to subdue all your heart to the will of God, to make you partakers of
his image and moral perfections, and in that way to preserve and lead you to
your true perfection and eternal happiness 1"
Mr. Williams supposes, p. 36, that the profession men must make in order
to come to sacraments, implies real friendship to God, " loving God more than
his enemies, loving him above the world ;" and therefore, according to Mr.
Williams, unsanctified men may make this profession also, and speak true ; con
trary to the whole current of Scripture, which represents unsanctified men as
" the enemies of God, those that have not the love of God in them, under the
power of a carnal mind, &c." And contrary to the unanimous voice of all
sound divines, yea, of the whole Christian world. Mr. Williams in the fore-
mentioned place blames me, that I had intimated (as he supposes) that the pro
fession which Mr. Stoddard taught to be necessary, did not imply " real friend
ship, and loving God above his enemies, and above the world." Let us then
compare this with Mr. Stoddard's doctrine, as that is extant in his writings.
He speaks of it as a " property of saving grace, wherein it specifically differs
from common grace, that a true love to God prizes God above all the world,"
Nat. ofConv. p. 7. " That every natural man prefers vain and base things
before God," Rnd. p. 96. " That they are all enemies to God, and the very
being of God," Ibid. p. 5, and 97. " That their hearts are full of enmity to
God," Ibid. p. 55. " That they have an aversion to those gracious actions
of loving, God, and trusting in Christ, and are under the dominion of a contrary
inclination," Ibid. p. 67. " That those of them whose consciences are en
lightened, and are reforming their lives, have no love ; and that it is a burden

REPLY TO WILLIAMS. 227
to them that they suspect there is such a God, that they wish there was not
such a one. And that they are haters of God, and are so addicted to their own
interest, that they have a bitter spirit towards God, have an ill affection to him,
and are adversaries to his felicity," Ibid. p. 97, Three Serm. p. 38, 39. "That
they are governed by a spirit of self-love, and are wholly destitute of love to God;
that some of them do confess that they have but little love to God ; but indeed
they have not one spark of love to God in their hearts, Three Serm.. p. 48. That
they set their interest at the right hand of God's glory — as if God's honor were
not to be regarded, compared with their interest," &c. &c, Ibid. p. 62, 63.
So^Mr. Williams himself (Christ a King and Witness, p. 145) plainly sup
poses, that before conversion, men love the world more than God. For, speak
ing of the nature of the change wrought in conversion, he says, " things are
quite turned about, God and Christ are got into the place the world had before."'
Again (Ibid. p. 18,) he says, " You must know that there is no man who is
not either a true subject to Christ, or his enemy. That man who does not sub
mit to Christ as his King and Lord, by bearing true faith and allegiance to him,.
is the enemy of Christ and his kingdom. Such are all they who will not de
pend on him, believe in him, give up themselves, and all to him." And again,,
p. 106, 107, " Man, since the fall, has a natural unlikeness to God, and hates
the holiness and purity of the divine nature." And in his sermon on Isa. xiv.
11, he says, to his hearers, " If your nature remain unrenewed and unsanctified
you are the enemies of God and Christ by wicked works, and an impure
heart." But yet now it seems, some of these may profess real friendship to>
Christ, and loving him above the world, and speak true.
And these things are no less inconsistent with what Mr. Williams says in
the very book under consideration. He here says, p. 36, " Why should any
divine now tell us, that these same professions do not imply that there are any
pretences of any real friendship, that they import no pretence of loving God more,
yea, hot so much as his enemies, no pretence to love God above the world V*
When he himself is the divine that tells us so, or plainly supposes so in this
very book of his. For, in p. 8, 9, having mentioned the profession communi
cants may be required to make, he then says that " such a profession contains
all that is essential to true religion in it ; and if this is the fruit of the love of
God, it is true godliness :" plainly supposing,, that persons may have these
things without the love of God ; as the reader will see more evidently if he
views the place. So that the profession must imply real friendship, and love to
God, even above the world ; and yet must contain only such things as may be
with or without the love of God, indiscriminately.
Mr. Williams allows, that in order to come to sacraments men ought to pro
fess a " subjection to Christ with all their hearts, p. 10, and to be devoted to the
service of God, p. 49, and to give up themselves to Christ, to be taught, ruled
and led by him in 'a gospel wayv to salvation," p. 31, and 32. And though
he and Mr. Stoddard taught, that it is lawful for some unsanctified men to come
to sacraments, yet Mr. Williams supposes it to be unlawful for any to come to
sacraments serving two masters; and says, Mr. Stoddard taught that they ought
to covenant with God with their whole hearts, and give up all their hearts and
lives to Christ." We are therefore to understand Mr. Williams, that some un
sanctified men can profess all these things, and speak true. Strange doctrine.
for a Christian divine ! Let us see whether Mr. Stoddard taught such doctrine
He taught that " faith in Christ is the first act of obedience, that any sinner
does perform ; that it is hy faith that a man first gives himself to be God's ser
vant," Safety of Ap., 228, 229. That " all those that are. not converted, are

228 REPLY TO WILLIAMS.
under the dominion of sin, enemies to God," Ibid. p. 5. That ' there is no
obedience to God in what they do," who have only common grace ; that " they
do not attend the will of God," Ibid. p. 7. That " all ungodly men are ser
vants of Satan, and live in a way of rebellion against God," Ibid. 94. That
K they are enemies to the authority of God ; to the wisdom, power and justice
of God, yea, to the very being of God ; they have a preparedness of heart to
all wickedness that is committed in the world, if God did not restrain them ;
that if they were in the circumstances that the fallen angels are in, they would
be as the very devils, Ibid. p. 95. That their hearts are like the hearts of devils,
as full of sin as a toad is full of poison, having no inclination to any thing that
is good," Guide to Christ, p. 68; see also Benef. of the Gosp., p. 103. That
** they utterly neglect the end they were made for, and make it their business
to serve themselves ; they care not whether God's glory sinks or swims," Three
Serm. p. 62. That " they hate God, because God crosses them in his laws,"
Ibid. p. 38. These are the men, which Mr. Williams supposes must, and may
{some of them) truly profess a subjection to Christ with all their hearts, and to
be devoted to Christ ; and the men which he would bear us in hand, that Mr.
Stoddard taught, might covenant with God with their whole hearts, and give up
all their hearts and lives to Christ. Mr. Stoddard taught, that " men that have
but common grace, go quite in another path than that which God directs to ;" that
** they set themselves against the way of salvation God prescribes," Safety, p. 10.
That " man in his natural state is an enemy to the way of salvation ;" that "he
is an enemy to the law of God, and the gospel of Jesus Christ," Ibid. p. 106.
But yet these, if we believe Mr. Williams, may truly profess a subjection to
Christ with all their hearts, and give up themselves to him, to be taught, ruled,
and led by him in a gospel way of salvation. Yet if we believe him, we must
have the trouble of disbelieving him again ; for in these things he is as incon
sistent with himself, as he is with Mr. Stoddard. For in his sermon on Isa. xiv.
11, p. 26, 27, he says to those whose natures are unrenewed and unsanctified,
" If you are without Christ, you are in a state of slavery to sin, led about of
divers lusts,* and under the reigning power and dominion of your corruptions,
¦which debase your souls, and bring them down from the dignity of their nature,
to the vilest, most shameful and accursed bondage. And by means of sm ye are
in bondage to the devil, the most hateful aud accursed enemy of God and your
own souls ; and are opposing all the means of your own deliverance. The of
fers of grace, the calls and invitations of the gospel, have been ineffectual to
persuade you to accept of deliverance from a slavery you are willingly held in.
Nay, you strive against the liberty of the sons of God." And yet some of these
are (if we believe what Mr. Williams now says) such as are subject to Christ
with all their hearts, give up all their hearts and lives to Christ, and give up
themselves to be taught, ruled, and led by him in a gospel way to salvation. Mr.
Williams, in his sermons on Christ a King and Witness, p. 18, under a use of
examination, giving marks of trial, says, " Have you unreservedly given up
your souls and bodies to him [viz. Christ] 1 YAU must be all Christ's and have
mo cither master. You must be given to him without reserve, both in body and
spirit, which are his." But now it seems these are no discriminating evidences
of true piety: he says, p. 118, "'A man naturally hates God should reign."
And p. 119, speaking of the natural man, he says, " He hates to be controlled,
and in all things subjected to God. — He really owns no God but himself." Bui
. Jyso, then certainly he is not subject to God with all his heart.
* A.,-! :ms, some such do serve but one master, and give up themselves to Christ to bt
fed I* ' :

REPLY TO WILLIAMS. 229
Our author in the book more especially attended to, says, p. 31, He "knows
of nobody who has any controversy with me in what he calls my loose way of
arguing," in my saying, " The nature of things seems to afford no good reasom
why the people of Christ should not openly profess a proper respect to him ia
their hearts, as well as a true notion of him in their heads." And then in that
and the following page, proceeds to show what respect Mr. Stoddard, and those
that think with him, suppose men must profess in order to come to the Lord's sup
per; and ih p. 33, speaks of such a profession as equally honorable to Christ
with aprofession of saving grace. And as according to Mr. Williams, no profes
sion, discriminating what is professed from common grace, can be required, so
common grace must be supposed to be a proper respect to Christ in the heart.
Now let us see what Mr. Stoddard says. " There is (says he) an opposition be
tween saving and common grace ; — they have a contrariety one to another, and
are at war one with the other, and would destroy one the other. Common
grace, are lusts, - and do oppose saving grace," Nat. of Sav. Conv. p. 9.
" Men that are in a natural condition — such of them as are addicted to morali
ty and religion, are serving their lusts therein. The most orderly natural mea
do live an ungodly life ; yea, their very religion is iniquity," Ibid. p. 96, 97.
" Their best works are not only sinful, but properly sins ; they are acted by a,
spirit of lust in all that they do," Saf. of App. p. 168. " Moral virtues d©
not render men acceptable to God ; for though they look like virtues, yet they •
are lusts," Ibid. p. 81. Now the question plainly is, whether Lust can be a
proper respect to Christ in the heart? And, whether aprofession which im
plies ?io more in it, be equally honorable to Christ, as a credible profession of
a gracious respect to him 1

SECTION VI.
Concerning visibility, without apparent probability.
Mr. Stoddard (Appeal p. 16) says thus : " Such persons as the apostles did
admit into gospel churches, are Jit to be admitted into them ; but they admitted
many that had not a thorough work of regeneration. Indeed by the rule thai
God has given for admissions, if carefully attended, more unconverted persons
will be admitted than converted."
This passage I took notice of in my book, where I say, " I would humbly
inquire, how those visible qualifications can be the ground of a rational judg
ment, that a person is circumcised in heart, which, nevertheless at the same time,
we are sensible, are so far from being probable signs of it, that they are more
frequently without it than with it," &c. This seems to be a terrible thing in
Mr. Williams's way, which he strikes at from time to time ; and is an impedi
ment he boggles at exceedingly. One while he pretends, he can give a suffi
cient answer, p. 7, 8. At another time he pretends, that I remove the diffi
culty myself, p. 12. Then again, in the same page he pretends to solve the
difficulty ; and then in the next page pretends, that if the case be as I say„
" That we cannot form a rational judgment that a thing is, which at the same
time, and under that degree of light we then stand in, it is more probable is a
mistaken one, than not," yet it can argue nothing to the case ; seeing the judg
ment we do form, is directed by a rule which is appointed for us. But still, as
if not satisfied with these answers and remarks, he seems afterwards to suggest

230 REPLY TO WILLIAMS.
that Mr. Stoddard did not express this as his own sentiment, but as Mr. Cotton's,
as a gentleman of the same principles with Mr. Mather, using it as argumew
turn ad hominem. See p. 33.
In p. 34, he expressly says, " Mr. Stoddard does not say, that when the
rule which God has given for admissions is carefully attended, it leaves reason
to believe, that the greater part of those who are admitted, are enemies to God,
' &c." [True, he does not say this in terms ; but he says, " More unconverted
persons will be admitted than converted ;" which is equivalent.] And in p.
133, Mr. Williams presumes confidently to affirm, that " Mr. Stoddard says this
[the thing forementioned] not with peculiar relation to his own scheme, but
only as an application of a saying of Mr. Cotton's, who> was of a different opin
ion, and said upon a different scheme ; to show that upon their own principles,
the matter will not be mended." But this is contrary to the most plain fact.
For Mr. Stoddard having said, " The apostles admitted many unconverted," he
immediately adds the passage in dispute, "Indeed by the rule," &c, plainly ex
pressing his own sentiment ; though he backs it with a saying of Mr. Cotton.
So Mr. Cotton's words come in as a confirmation of Mr. Stoddard's ; and not
Mr. Stoddard's as an application of Mr. Cotton's. However, Mr. Williams de
livers the same sentiments as his own, once and again in his book : he delivers
it as his own sentiment, p, 34, " That probably many more hypocrites, than
real saints, do make such a profession, as that which must be accepted.'' He
delivers it as his own sentiment, p. 61, That " the apostles judged it likely,
that of the Christians taken into the church under their direction, as many were
hypocrites in proportion to their number, as of those that were taken into the
Jewish church." And as to the latter, he delivers it as his sentiment, p. 24,
That " the body of the people were not regenerate." So that, according to his
¦own sentiments, when the Apostolic rule of taking in is observed, the body of
those who are admitted will be hypocrites.
Now therefore I desire that this matter may be examined to the very bot
tom. And here let it be considered, whether the truth of the following things
are not incontestable.
1. If indeed by the rule God has given for admissions, when it is .carefully
attended, more unconverted persons will be admitted than converted ; then it
will follow, that just such a visibility, or visible appearance of saintship as the
rule requires, is more frequently without real saintship than with it.
2. If Mr. Stoddard and Mr. Williams had just reason from the holy Scripture,
and divine Providence to think thus, and to publish such a sentiment, and the Chris
tian church has good reason to believe them ; then God has given the Christian
church in its present state (dark and imperfect as it is) good reason to think so too.
3. If Christ, by the rule he has given for admissions, requires his churches
to receive such a visibility or appearance, which he has given the same churches,
at the same time, reason to judge to be an appearance, that for the most part
is without godliness, or more frequently connected with ungodliness ; then he
requires them to receive such an appearance, as he at the same time has given
them reason to think does not imply a probability of godliness, but is attended
rather with a probability of ungodliness. For that is the notion of probability :
an appearance, which, so far as we have means to judge, is for the most part
-connected with the thing.* Therefore the sign or appearance, let it be what it
* Mr. Locke thus defines probability (Hum._ Und. 7th edit. 8vo . vol. 2, p. 273) : " Probability is noth
ing but the appearance of such an agreement or disagreement, by the intervention of proofs, whose con
nection is not constant and immutable, or at least is not perceived .to be so ; but. is, or appears foe thb
most pabt to be so ; and is enough to induce the mind to judge the proposition to be true or false rather
-than the contrary."

REPLY TO WILLIAMS. 231
will, implies a probability of that, which we have reason to think it is for the
most part connected or attended with. Where there is only probability with
out certainty, there is a peradventure in the case on both sides ; or in vulgar
language, the supposition on each side stands a chance to be true. But that
side which most commonly proves true in such a case, stands the best chance ;
and therefore properly on that side lies the probability.
4. That cannot be a credible visibility or appearance, which is not a proba
ble appearance. To say a thing is credible and not probable, is a contradiction.
And it is impossible rationally to judge a thing true, and at the same time
rationally to judge a thing most probably not true. Therefore it is absurd (not
to say worse) to talk of any divine institution thus to judge. It would be to
suppose, that God by his institution has made that judgment rational, which he
at the same time makes improbable, and therefore irrational.
This notion of admitting members into the church of Christ without and
against probability oi true piety, is not only very, inconsistent with itself, but very
inconsistent with what the common light of mankind teaches in their dealings
one with another. Common sense teaches all mankind, in admission of mem
bers into societies, at least societies formed for very great and important purposes,
to admit none but those concerning whom there is an apparent probability, that
they are the hearty friends of the society, and of the main designs and interests of it ;
and especially not to admit such, concerning whom there is a greater probability
of their being habitual, fixed enemies. But thus it is according to Mr. Stoddard's
and Mr. Williams 's doctrine, as well as the doctrine of the Scripture, with all un
sanctified men in regard to the church of Christ : they are enemies to the head
of the society, enemies to his honor and authority, and the work of salvation in
.the way of the gospel ; the -upholding and promoting of which is the main de
sign of the society. The church is represented in Scripture as the household
of God, that are in a peculiar manner intrusted with the care of his name and
honor in the world, the interests of his kingdom, the care of his jewels and
most precious things : and would not common sense teach an earthly prince
not to admit into his household, such as he had no reason to look upon so
much as probable friends and loyal subjects in their hearts; but rather friends
and slaves in their hearts to his enemies, and competitors for his crown and
dignity 1 The visible church of Christ is often represented as his city and his
army. Now would not common sense teach the inhabitants of a besieged
city to open the gates to none, but those concerning whom there is at least an
apparent probability of their not being enemies 1 And would any imagine, that
in a militant state of things it is a likely way to promote the interest of the
war, to fill up the army with such as are more likely to be on the enemy's
side in their hearts, than on the side of their lawful arid rightful prince, as
his faithful soldiers and subjects 1

SECTION VII.
Concerning the Lord's Supper being a converting ordinance. f
Though Mr. Williams holds, that none are to be admitted to the Lord's
supper, but such as make a credible pretence or profession of real godliness,
And Mr. Williams himself, p. 139, says, "'Tis moral evidence of gospel sincerity, which God's
word makes the church's rule," &c. Now, does such an appearance, as we have reason at the same
time to think is more frequently without gospel holiness than with it, amount to moral evidence of gospel
sincerity ?

232 REPLY TO WILLIAMS.
and are to be admitted under that notion, and with respect to such a character
appearing on them ; yet he holds at the same time, that the Lord's supper is
a converting ordinance, an ordinance designed for the bringing of some men
that have not such a character, to be of such a character, p. 14, 15, 35, 83,
100, 101, 126, 127. It is evident that the meaning of those divines who speak
of the Lord's supper as a converting ordinance, is not merely that God in his
sovereign providence will use it as an occasion oi the conversion of some ; but
that it is a converting means by his institution given to men, appointing them
to use it for this purpose. Thus Mr. Stoddard expressly declares, " That the
Lord's supper is instituted to be a means of regeneration (Bod. of Inst.
Churches, p. 22). Instituted for the conversion of sinners, as well as the con
firmation of saints, Appeal, p. 70, 71. That the direct end of it is conver
sion, when the subject that it is administered unto stands in need of conversion,"
Ibid. p. 73, 74. And thus Mr. Williams, after Mr. Stoddard, speaks of the
Lord's supper " as by Christ's appointment a proper means of the conversion"
of some that are unconverted, p. 100, 101. So he speaks of it as instituted
for the conversion of sinners, through p. 126 and 127.
Now if so, what need of men's being to rational charity converted already,
in order to their coming to the Lord's supper 1 Is it reasonable to suppose
God would institute this ordinance directly for that end, that sinners might be
converted by it ; and then charge his ministers and churches not to admit any
that they had not reasonable ground to think were converted already? Mr,
Williams, in p. 83, supposes two ends of Christ's appointing the communion of
the Christian church ; " that such as have grace already should be under pro
per advantages to gain more, and that those who have none, should be under
proper advantages to attain grace." But this ill consists with other parts of his
scheme. If a king should erect a hospital for the help of the poor, and therein
has two ends ; one, the nourishing of such as are in health, and the other, the
healing of the sick ; and furnishes the hospital accordingly, with proper food
for the healthy, and proper remedies for the sick : but at the same time charges
the officers, to whom he commits the care of the hospital, by no means to admit
any, unless it be under a notion of their- being in health, and from respect to
such a qualification in them, and unless they have reasonable ground, and moral
evidence, to induce them to believe that they are well. And if this pretence
should be made to justify such a conduct, that the hospital was indeed designed
for the healing of the sick, yet it was designed to confer this benefit only on
such diseased people as were hypocrites, and made a profession and pretence
of being in health ; will any man presume to say, that such a conduct is agree
able to the dictates of the understanding of rational beings? And to suppose,
that such should be the conduct of the infinitely wise God, is as unscriptural, as
it is unreasonable. We often read in God's word, of men's being convinced of
their wickedness and confessing their sins, as a way to be healed and cleansed
from sin. But where do we read of men's pretending to more goodness than
they have, and making a hypocritical profession and show of goodness, in order
to their becoming good men ?* Where have we a divine institution, that any
who are wolves should put on sheep's clothing, and so come to his people, that
* Mr. Williams, p. 42. owns, that persons must make a " profession wherein they make a show ol
Tieing wise virgins," in order to come into the visible Church. And, p. 35, he owns, that " all visible
saints who are not truly pious, are hypocrites." Again, it may be observed, he abundantly insists, that
men who have no more than common grace -jnd moral sincerity, may lawfully come to sacraments ¦ and
yet by what he says, p. 35, they must profess more. So that men who have no more must profess more ;
and this, it seems, according to divine institution ! Again he says, p. 35, that one end God designed by
appointing men to be brought into the Church is, that through divine grace, they mi"ht effectually be

REPLY TO WILLIAMS. 233
they may believe them to be sheep, and under this notion receive them into the
flock, to the end that they may truly become of his sheep?
But to examine this matter, of the Lord's supper being a converting ordi
nance to ungodly men professing godliness, a little more exactly. If Christ has
appointed the Lord's supper to be a converting ordinance to some such as these,
then he has appointed it either only for such of them as are mistaken, and think
' themselves godly when they are not ; or he has appointed it not only for such,
but also for such as are sensible they are ungodly.
If the former, if it be appointed as a converting ordinance only for such as
are mistaken, and think themselves godly, or converted ; then here is an insti
tution of Christ, which never can, in any one instance, be made use of to the
end for which he has appointed men to use it. It cannot be made use of for
this end by those who admit members, and administer the ordinance. For they,
as Mr. Williams says, must admit none but such as they are bound by the rule
of Christ to look upon as godly men already, and to administer the sacrament
to them under that notion, and with respect to such a character. Neither can it
be made use of to such a purpose by any of the communicants. For by the
supposition, they must be all such as think they are converted already, and also
come under that notion. So that by this scheme of things, here is an institu
tion appointed to be upheld and used in the church; which the institution itself
makes void and impossible. For, as was observed before, the notion of a con
verting ordinance has not a reference to any secret decree of God, how he in
bis sovereign pleasure will sometimes use it. But to his institution given to
men, appointing the end for which they should use it. Therefore, on the present
supposition, the institution appoints the Lord's supper to be used in some cases
for the conversion of sinners, but at the same time forbids its being either given
or received under any other notion than that of the communicant's being con
verted already : which is in effect to forbid its being either given or received
for the conversion of the communicant, in any one instance. So that the in
stitution effectually destroys and disannuls itself. But God forbid, that we
should ascribe any such inconsistent institutions to the divine Head of the church 1
Or if the other part of the disjunction be taken, and it be said, the Lord's
supper is appointed for the conversion of some that are sensible that they are
ungodly or unconverted, the consequence is no less absurd, on Mr. Williams's
principles. For then the scheme is this. The institution requires some men to
make a pretence of real piety, and to make a public, solemn profession of gos
pel holiness, which at the same time they are sensible they have none of; and
this, to the end that others may look upon them to be real saints and receive
them to the Lord's supper under that notion. Not putting on a disguise, and
making a show of what they have not, through mistake, but doing it consciously
and wilfully, to the honor and glory of God. And all this strictly required of
them, as theinstituted means oi their becoming real saints, and the children of God.
Mr. Williams says, p. 14, " Since it is God's will, that his church should
admit all such visible saints (viz., such as he had been speaking of), it follows
that the Lord's supper is a converting ordinance to such of them as are uncon
verted." But Mr. Williams is mistaken as to his consequence. The Lord's
supper is not instituted to be a converting ordinance to all unconverted men,
whom it is God's will the church should- admit. For it may be the church's
duty, and so God's will, to admit those that live secretly in the grossest wicked-
brought to Christ, "to give him the whole possession of their hearts;" and yet in the very next paragraph,
p. 35 and 36, he speaks of it as unlawful for men to come to sacraments till they " give up all their hearts
lo Christ."

234 REPLY TO WILLIAMS x
ness, as adultery, buggery, deism, &c. Such men as these may make a fan-
profession, and the church may be ignorant of their secret wickedness, and
therefore may have no warrant to reject them : but yet it will not follow, that
God by his institution has given such a lawful right to the Lord's supper, having
appoihted it to be a converting ordinance to them.

SECTION VIII.
The Notion of moral Sincerity's being the Qualification which gives a lawful Right to
Christian Sacraments, examined.
Thouo-h our author disdains the imputation of any such notion, as that of
men's being called visible and professed saints from respect to avisibility and
profession of moral sincerit y : yet it is manifest, that in his scheme (whether
consistently or no, others must judge) moral sincerity is the qualification which
entitles, and gives a lawful right, to sacraments. For he holds, that it is lawful
for unsanctified men who have this qualification, to come to sacraments; and
that it is not lawful for them to come without it. Therefore I desire this notion
may be thoroughly examined.
And for the greater clearness, let it be observed what sincerity in general
is. Now sincerity, in the general notion of it, is an honest conformity of some
profession or outward show of some inward property or act of mind, to the
truth and reality of it. If there be show or pretence of what is not, and has no
real existence, then the pretence is altogether vain ; it is only a pretence, and
nothing else : and therefore is a pretence or show without any sincerity, oi
any kind, either moral or gracious.
I now proceed to offer the following arguments against the notion of moral
sincerity's being the qualification, which gives a lawful right to sacraments.
I. There is no such thing as moral sincerity, in the covenant of grace, dis
tinct from gracious sincerity. If any sincerity at all be requisite in order to a
title to the seals of the covenant of grace, doubtless it is the sincerity which
belongs to that covenant. But there is only one sort of sincerity which belongs
to that covenant ; and that is a gracious sincerity : the covenant of grace has
nothing to do with any other sincerity. There is but one sort of faith belong
ing to that covenant ; and this is saving faith in Jesus Christ, called in Scrip
ture unfeigned faith. As for the faith of devils, it is not the faith of the cove
nant of grace.
Here the distinction of an internal, and external covenant, will not help at
all ; as long as the covenant, of which the sacraments are seals, is a covenant
of salvation, or a covenant proposing terms of eternal salvation. The sacra
ments are seals of such a covenant : they are seals of the New Testament in
Christ's blood, Matt. xxvi. 28, Luke xxii. 28, a testament which has better pro
mises than the old, Heb. viii. 6, and which the apostle tells us, " makes us heirs
of the eternal inheritance," Heb. ix. 15. Mr. Williams himself speaks of the
covenant sealed in baptism, as " the covenant proposing terms of salvation,"
p. 23. So he speaks of the covenant entered into by a visible people, as the
covenant " in which God offers everlasting happiness," p. 24, '25. But there
is no other religion, no other sincerity, belonging to this covenant of salvation,
but that which accompanies salvation, or is saving religion and sincerity. As it
is written, Psal. Ii. 6, " Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts."
There is such a thing, as what may be called a moral sincerity, in distinc-

REPLY TO WILLIAMS. 235
tion from saving, in many moral things ; as in loving our friends and neighbors,
in loving our country, in choosing the Protestant religion before the Popish, in
a conscientious care to do many duties, in being willing to take a great deal of
pains in religion, in being sorry for the commission of such and such acts of
wickedness, &c. But there are some duties, which, unless they are done with
a gracious sincerity, they cannot be done at all. As Mr. Stoddard observes,
Safety of Ap. p. 216, " There are some duties which cannot be done but from
a gracious respect to God." Thus there is but one sort of sincerity in loving
God as God, and setting our hearts on him as our highest happiness, loving
him above the world, and loving holiness above all the objects of our lusts. He
that does not do these things with a gracious sincerity, never really doth them
at all : he that truly does them, is certainly a godly man ; as we are abundantly
assured by the Word of God. So, there is but one sort of sincere and cordial
consent to the covenant of grace, but one sort oi giving all our hearts to Jesus
Christ ; which things Mr. Williams allows to be necessary, to come to sacra
ments. That which a man's heart is full of reigning enmity to, he cannot with
any reality at all, cordially consent to and comply with : but the hearts of un
sanctified men are full of reigning enmity to the covenant of grace, according
to the doctrine of Scripture, and according to the doctrine of Mr. Stoddard and
Mr. Williams too, as we have seen before.
However, if there were any such thing, as being heartily willing to accept
Christ, and giving all our hearts to Christ, without a saving sincerity, this would
not be a complying with the terms of a covenant salvation. For it is self-evi
dent,. that it is only something which is saving, that is a compliance with the
terms oi salvation. Now Mr. Williams himself often allows (as has been ob
served) that persons 'must comply with the terms of the covenant of grace, in
order to come to sacraments. Yet because he also in effect denies it, I shall say
something further in confirmation of it.
(I.) The sacraments are covenant privileges. Mr. Williams calls them so,
p. 5. Covenant privileges are covenant benefits, or benefits persons have a
right to by the covenant. But persons can have no right to any of the benefits
of a covenant, without compliance with its terms. For that is the very notion
of the terms of a covenant, viz., terms of an interest in the benefits of that
covenant. It is so in all covenants whatsoever ; if a man refuses to comply
with the conditions of the covenant, he can claim nothing by that covenant.
(2.) If we consider the sacraments as seals of the covenant, the same thing
is evident, viz., that a man can have no right to them without a compliance with
the terms. The sacraments are not only seals of the offer on God's part, or
ordinances God has appointed as confirmations of the truth of his covenant, as
Mr. Williams seems to insist, p. 74, 75. For considered merely as seals and
confirmations of the truth of the gospel, they are (as miracles and other eviden
ces of the Christian religion) seals equally given to Christians, Jews, Deists,
moral and vicious, and the whole world that knows of them. Whereas, it is
manifest, in the nature of the thing, sacraments are seals of the covenant to be
applied to fhe communicant, and of which he is the immediate subject, in a pe
culiar manner, as a party in covenant. Otherwise what need would there be of
his being one of God's covenant people, in any sense whatsoever 1
But now it is not reasonable to suppose, that the seal of the covenant be
longs to any man, as a party in the covenant, who will not accept of and com
ply with the covenant. He that rejects the covenant, and will not comply with
it, has no interest in it : and hethat has no interest in the covenant, has no right to
the seals : for the covenant and its seals go together. It is so in all covenants among

236 REPLY TO WILLIAMS.
mankind ; after a man has come into a bargain proposed and offered bj another,
yielding to the terms of it, he has a right to have the bargain sealed and con
firmed to him as a party in the covenant ; but not before.
And if what the communicant does, be a seal on his part also, as the na
ture of the thing demonstrates, seeing he is active in the matter, and as Mr.
Williams seems willing to allow, p. 75, it will follow, with equal evidence, that
a man cannot lawfully partake, unless he yields to, and complies with the cov
enant. To what purpose is a man's sealing an instrument or contract, but to
confirm it as his own act and deed, and to declare his compliance with his part
of the contract. As when a servant seals his indenture, it is a testimony and
ratification of his compliance to the proposed contract with his master. And if
a covenant of friendship be proposed between two parties, and they both put
their seal to it, hereby they both testify and declare their mutual friendship.
It has been already observed, that unsanctified men, while such, cannot, with
any sincerity at all, testify a present cordial compliance with the covenant of
grace : and as they cannot do this, so neither can they with any sincerity pro
mise a future compliance with that covenant. Mr. Williams often allows, that
in order to Christian communion men must promise a compliance with the cov
enant, in its spiritual and saving duties; that they will believe and repent in the
sense of the covenant, willingly accept of Christ and his salvation, love him and
live to him, and will do it " immediately, henceforward, from this moment,"
p. 25, 26, 28 and 76. But how absurd is this ! When at the same instant,
while they arc making and uttering these promises, they are entirely averse to
any such thing ; being " then enemies to Christ, willingly rejecting him, op
posing his salvation, striving against it, laboring to find out all manner of dif
ficulties and hinderances in the way of it, not desiring it should come yet," &c,
which our author, in a place forecited, says is the case with all unsanctified
men. And when unsanctified men promise, that they will spend the rest of their
lives in universal obedience to Christ, there is no sincerity in such promises ; be
cause there is not such a heart in them. There is no man but a true disciple of
Christ, that is willing thoroughly to deny himself for him, and follow him in a
way of obedience to all his commands, unto the end, through all difficulties
which Christ has given his followers reason to expect, or commanded them to
prepare for ; as is evident by Christ's frequent declarations, Luke xiv. 25—
33, Matt. x. 37, 38, 39, chap. xiii. 44, 45, 46, and many parallel places. If
an unsanctified man thinks he is willing, he does not know his own heart: if
he professes to be willing, he does not know what he says. The difficulty and
cost of it is not in his view ; and therefore he has no proper willingness to com
ply with the cost and difficulty. That which he is willing for, with a moral
sincerity, is something else that he conceives of, which is a great deal easier,
and less cross to flesh and blood. If a king should propose to a subject his
building him such a tower, promising him a certain reward. If the subject
should undertake it, not counting the cost, thinking with himself that the king
meant another sort of tower, much cheaper ; and should be willing only to
build that cheap one, which he imagined in his own mind ; when he would by
no means have consented to build so costly a tower as the king proposed, if he
had understood him right: such a man could not be said propeily to be wil
ling to comply with his prince's proposal, with any sincerity at all. Fqr what
he consents to with a moral sincerity, is not the thing which the king proposed.
The promises of unsanctified men are like the promises of the man we read
of, Luke ix. 57, 58, who said, " Lord, I will follow thee whithersoever thou

REPLY TO WILLIAMS. 237
goest." To whom Christ replied, " The foxes have holes, and the birds of the
air have nests, but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head." When he
made his promise, he probably quite mistook the thing, and did not imagine,
that to follow Christ wherever he went, would be to follow hiin in such pover
ty and hardship. I suppose the rich young man we read of, Mark x. 17, &c.
might have what is called moral sincerity. But he had no sincerity in the cove
nant of grace. When he came to Christ to know what he should do to have
eternal life, it is probable he ignorantly thought himself willing to yield himself
to Christ's direction. Yet when it came to a trial, and Christ told him he must
go and sell all that he had and give to the poor, it proved that he had no sincer
ity of willingness at all for any such thing. So that it is evident, however
unsanctified men may be morally sincere in some things, yet they have no sin
cerity of any sort in that covenant, of which the sacraments are seals ; and that
moral sincerity, distinct from gracious, in this covenant, is mere imagination,
there being indeed no such thing.
II. Another argument against this notion of moral sincerity's giving a right
to church communion, is this : a quality that is transient and vanishing, can be
no qualification or fitness for a standing privilege. Unsanctified men may be
very serious, greatly affected, and much engaged in religion : but the Scripture
compares their religion to a lamp not supplied with oil, which will go out, and
to a plant that has no root nor deepness of earth, which will soon wither ; and '
compares such unsanctified men to the dog that will return to his vomit, and to
the sow, which, though washed ever so clean, yet, her nature not being changed,
'will return to her wallowing in the mire.
Mr. Williams allows, that persons in order to come to sacraments must have
" deep convictions, an earnest concern to obtain salvation," &c. Now every
one who is in any degree acquainted with religious matters, knows that such
convictions are not wont to last a great while, if they have no saving issue.
Mr. Stoddard, in his sermon on the danger of speedy degeneracy, p. 11, says,
" unconverted men will grow weary of religious duties." And our author him
self, p. 78, speaking of those professors in the primitive churches, that fell away
1o heresy and other wickedness, takes notice that the apostle observes, " it will
br so — that they which are approved, might be made manifest :" and says
Mr. Williams upon it, " evil and unsanctified men, by such sins, will discover
their hypocrisy."
Now seeing this is the case with moral sincerity and common religion, how
can it be a qualification for a standing privilege 1 Nothing can be a fitness
for a durable privilege but a durable qualification. For no qualification has any
fitness or adaptedness for more than it extends to : as a short scabbard cannot
be fit for a long sword. If a man, going a journey in the night, needs a lamp
to light him in his way, who will pretend that a flaming wick without oil,
which will last but a few rods, is fit for his purpose 1 Or if a man were build
ing a house for himself and family, should he put into the frame pieces of tim
ber known to be of such a nature as that they would probably be rotten in a
few months ; or should he take blocks of ice instead of hewn stone, because
during a present cold season they appeared to be hard and firm ; and withal
should for a covering put only leaves that will soon fade away, instead of tiles
or shingles, that are solid and lasting ; would not every spectator ridicule his
folly? !
If it should be said that unsanctified men, when they lose their moral sincer
ity, may be cast out again : this is far from helping the case, or showing that
such men were ever fit to be admitted. To say, a piece of timber, though not

238 REPLY TO WILLIAMS.
of a durable nature, is fit to be put into the frame of a building, because when
it begins to rot it may be pulled out again, is so far from proving that it was ever
fit to be put in, that the speedy necessity of pulling it out rather proves the con
trary. If we had the power of constituting a human body, or it were left to
us to add members to our own bodies, as there might be occasion ; we should
not think such a member was fit to be added to the frame, that had already
radically seated in it a cancer or gangrene, by which it could last but a little
while itself, and would endanger the other members ; though it were true, that
when the disease should prevail, there were surgeons who might be procured
to cut that member off.
But to consider a little further this point of moral sincerity's qualifying per
sons for the privileges of the church, I would lay down this proposition as a
thing of clear evidence : TAo.se persons have no fitness in themselves to come to
the privileges of the church, who, if they were known, would not befit to be admit
ted by others. For to say, they are fit to be members, and yet not fit to be al
lowed to be members, is apparently absurd. But they who have no better fit
ness than moral sincerity, if that were known, would not be fit to be admitted
by others ; as is allowed by Mr. Williams. For he holds, that in order to be
fit to be admitted by others, they must credibly appear to them to have some
thing more than moral sincerity, even gospel holiness. And it is evident in it
self, as well as allowed by Mr. Williams, that if such were known, they would
not hefit to be admitted, only on their moral sincerity, and the profession and
promises they make from such a principle : and that for this reason, because
such a principle alone would not be fit to be trusted. God himself has taught
his church, that the religion of unsanctified men is not fit to be trusted ; as a
lamp without oil, and a plant without root, are things not to be trusted. God
has directly taught his church to expect, that such a religion will fail ; and that
such men, having no higher principle, will return to their wickedness. Job
xxvii. 8, 9, 10, "The hypocrite — will he delight himself in the Almighty?
Will he always call upon God 1" Dan. xii. 10, " The wicked will do wick
edly." And therefore God does not require his church to accept their profes
sion and promises. If he has taught us not to credit their profession and prom
ises, then certainly he has taught us not to accept them.
III. Another argument against this supposed rule of allowing and requiring
unsanctified men with moral sincerity, to come to sacraments, is this. That
rule, which if fully attended, would naturally bring it to pass, that the greater
part of communicants would be unfit, even according to that very rule, cannot
be a divine rule : but this supposed rule of moral sincerity is such a rule. For
if this rule be universally attended, then all unsanctified men, who have present
convictions of conscience sufficient to make them morally sincere, must come
into the communion of the church. But this conviction and common religion,
if it does not issue in conversion (as has been observed), commonly vanishes
away in a short time : and yet still these persons, if not convicted of open scan
dal, are left in the communion of the church, and remain there, without even
moral sincerity. Experience gives abundant reason fc> think, that of those who
some time or other have considerable convictions of conscience, so as to make
them for the present to be what is called morally sincere, but few are savingly
converted* And if all these must be admitted (as they must, if this rule be
fully attended), then their convictions going away and their sincerity vanishing
• How small a proportion are there of the vast multitudes, that in the time of the late religious com-
motion through the land had their consciences awakened, who gave hopeful abiding evidences of a sar-
ing conversion to God !

REPLY TO WILLIAMS. 239
with it, it will hereby be brought about, that the Lord's table is chiefly sur
rounded with the worst sort of morally insincere persons, viz., stupid backsli
ders, that are in themselves far worse than they were before, according to the
Scripture account, Matt. xii. 45, and 2 Pet. ii. 20. And this as the natural
consequence of the forementioned rule, appointing moral sincerity to be the
qualifications for communion. Thus this supposed rule supplants its own design.
IV. Another argument that moral sincerity is not the qualification to which
God has annexed a lawful right to sacraments; is, that this qualification is not
at all incdnsistent with a man's living at the same time in the most heinous
wickedness, in a superlative degree contrary to the Christian religion.
It was before observed to be a thing evident in itself, and allowed by Mr.
Williams, that there are some sins, which while wilfully continued and lived
in, though secretly, do wholly disqualify persons for Christian sacraments, and
make it unlawful for men to partake of them.
Now if it be thus with some sins, doubtless it is because of the heinousness
of those sins, the high degree of wickedness which is in them. And hence it
will follow, that those sins which are in themselves most heinous, and most con
trary to the Christian religion, do especially disqualify persons for Christian
sacraments, when wilfully- lived in.
Let it therefore now be considered, whether it will not follow from these
premises, that for men to live in enmity against God and Christ, and in wilful
unbelief and rejection of Christ (as the Scriptures teach, and as Mr. Stoddard
and Mr. Williams too assert, is the case with all unsanctified men under the
gospel), wholly disqualifies men for Christian sacraments. For it is very mani
fest by Scripture and reason, that to live in these things is to live in some of
the most heinous kinds of wickedness ; as is allowed by Calvinistic divines in
general, and by Mr. Stoddard in particular, who says, Saf. of Ap. p. 224,
" You cannot anger God more by any thing, than by continuing in the neglect
of Christ. This is the great controversy God has with sinners ; not that they
have been guilty of these and those particular transgressions, but that they
abide in the rejection of the gospel." Again he says, Ibid. p. 249, " The
great sin, that God isangry with you for, is your unbelief. Despising the gos
pel is the great provoking sin."
A man's continuing in hatred of his brother, especially a fellow communi
cant, is, generally allowed to be a thing that disqualifies for communion. The
apostle compares it to leaven in the passover, 1 Cor. v. 6, 7, 8. But now cer
tainly it is as bad, and as contrary to the nature and design of Christian sacra
ments, for a man to live in hatred of Christ, and to remain a hateful and
accursed enemy (if I may use Mr. Williams's own language) to the glorious
Redeemer and head of the Christian church.
None will deny that lying and perjury are very gross and heinous sins, and
(if known) very scandalous; and therefore it follows from what was observed
before, that such sins, if lived in, though secretly, do disqualify persons for
Christian sacraments in God's sight. But by our author's own account, all
unsanctified men that partake of the Lord's supper, live in lying and perjury,
and go on to renew these crimes continually ; inasmuch as while they continue
ungodly men, they live in a constant violation of their promise and oath. For
Mr. Williams often lays it down, that all who enter into covenant with God,
do promise spiritual duties, such as repentance, faith, love, &c. . And that they
promise to perform these henceforward, even from the present moment, unto
the end of life ; see p. 25, 26, 28, 76. And that they do not only promise,
but swear to do this, p. 18, 100, 101, 129, 130, 140. But for a man to vio-

240 REPLY TO WILLIAMS.
late the promises he makes in covenanting with God, Mr. Williams once and
again speaks of it as lying, p. 24, 130. And if so, doubtless their breaking the
oath they swear to God, is perjury. Now lying to men is bad ; but lying to
God is worse, Acts v. 4. And without doubt perjury towards God is the worst
sort of perjury. But if unsanctified men, when they entered into covenant
with God, promised and swore, that they would immediately and henceforward
accept of Christ as their Saviour, and love him, and live to him ; then while
they continue in a wilful rejection of him (which according to Mr. Williams all
unregenerate men do) they live continually in the violation of their promise
and oath.*
I would observe one thing further under this head, viz., that ungodly men
who live under the gospel, notwithstanding any moral sincerity they may have,
are worse, and more provoking enemies of God, than the very heathen, who
never sinned against gospel light and mercy. This is very manifest by the
Scriptures, particularly Matt. x. 13, 14, Amos iii. 2, Rprn. ii. 9, 2 Pet. ii.
21, Rev. iii. 15, 16.
I having- suggested concerning Mr. Stoddard's doctrine of admitting more
unconverted than converted, by attending Christ's rule, that this supposes it to
be the case of the members of the visible church, that the greater part of them
are more provoking enemies to God than most of the heathen ; Mr. Williams
represents himself as greatly alarmed at this. He calls it an extraordinary
passage, and puts five questions about it to my serious consideration, p. 72, 73.
The first and chief question is this : " Did Mr. Stoddard ever say in the Appeal,
or anywhere else, of most of our fellow-worshippers at the sacrament, that we
have no reason to think concerning them, but that they are more provoking
enemies to the Lord, whom Christians love and adore, than most of the very
Heathen ?" His three next questions are to represent the heinousness of such
supposed ill treatment of Mr. Stoddard, and I think will be sufficiently answered,
by what I shall offer in reply to the first.
I will tell him what Mr. Stoddard said. Speaking to such as do not come
to Christ, living under the gospel, he said, Safety of Ap. p. 234, 235, "You
may not think to escape as the heathen do. Your load will be heavier and
your fire will be hotter, and your judgment sorer, than the judgment of other
* Here I would observe, that not only in the general do unsanctified men, notwithstanding their
moral sincerity, thus live in the most heinous wickedness; but particularly, according to Mr. Williams's
own doctrine, their very auendance on the outward ordinances and duties of worship is the vilest,
tnost flagrant, and abominable impiety. In his sermons on Christ a King and Witness, p. 77, 78,
he says, "If a man could perform all the outward acts of worship and obedience, which the Bible
requires, from the beginning to the end of it, and not do them from faith in Christ, and love to God, and
not express by them ths thoughts, desires, and actings of his soul ; they would be so far from being
that obedience which Christ requires, that they would be a mocking of God, and hateful to him.
These outward acts ought to be no other, and in religion are designed to stand for nothing else but to
be representations of a man's soul, and the acts of that. And when they are not so they are in their
own nature a lie, and false pretence of something within, which is not there. Therefore the Lord
abhors them, and reckons these false pretences the vilest wickedness. Now when a man perforins all
outward obedience and worship, but it does not come from his heart, he practically denies the omnis
cience of Christ, while he puts before him a show and pretence of something for the reality ; and so he
belies his own profession. And all this, be it more or less, whatever it pretends to be of religion, in
stead of being that which Christ requires, is entirely different from it, yea, infinitely contrary to it.
And those same actions, which when they are in the language of the heart, and flow from it are
pleasing and acceptable to God and Jesus Christ, are true obedience to him ;' when they do not, are
reckoned the most flagrant and abominable impiety, and threatened with the severest damna
tion op hell." Now, who can believe, that God has, by his own holy institution, made that sort of
sincerity, which is nothing better than what is consistent with such a lying vile abominable
flagrantly wicked pretence and show of religion as this, the very thing that gives' a right even in his
sight, to Christian sacraments !
I might here also observe, that if moral sincerity or common grace gives a right to sacraments in
the sight of God, then that which (according to Mr. Stoddard's doctrine hefore observed) is a spirit of
lust, that which is contrary to, and at war with, and would destroy saving grace is the thin<* which
gives a right, in the sight of God, to Christian sacraments. ' °

EEPLY TO WILLIAMS. 241
men. God will proportion every man's misery to his iniquity. And as you
have enjoyed greater light and love, so you must expect more amazing and
exquisite wrath, than other men. Conscience has more to accuse you of and
condemn you for, and so has God. And you will sink down deeper into hell,
than other men. You are treasuring up a greater measure of wrath, than
others, against the day of wrath. You will wish you had lived in the darkest
corners of the earth among Scythians and Barbarians."
And Mr. Williams must allow me to remind him of what another divine
has said, and that is himself. In his sermon on Isa. xiv. 11, p. 25, 26, he says,
" It is to be feared, there are great numbers here present, that are in an uncon
verted, unrenewed, unpardoned state; strangers from God, and enemies to him.
Yet you now look with great pity and compassion on that poor captive, for
whom we have now been offering up our earnest prayers,* who has been so
long in so pitiable and sorrowful a condition, and who is now in the thickness of
popish darkness and superstition. If you are out of Christ, and destitute of
true faith in him, if your natures remain unrenewed and unsanctified, what is
your state better than hers, which looks so sorrowful and distressing 1 Rather,
is it not worse ? When you consider, that in the fulness of the means of grace
which you have enjoyed all your days, you are as far from any saving know
ledge of Jesus Christ, as those who have lived in the dregs and abyss of popish
ignorance, and know not what to believe, but what the church, that is, Anti
christ, tells them. If you die thus, your misery will be aggravated inconceiv
ably beyond theirs. Which Christ has plainly enough shown us, when he up
braided the cities wherein most of his mighty works were done, and tells them
how much in the comparison they fall below Tyre and Sidon (heathen cities,
notorious for luxury, debauchery, and the grossest idolatry), " and Sodom ; for
whom it should be more tolerable, than for them."
The same author says also, even in the book under consideration, p. 86,
" That the unbelief and impieties of visible saints, is what they will be punished
far above all men in; ihe world."
And now I think it may be proper for Mr. Williams himself to answer
his 5th question, which he puts to my serious consideration, " What honor is it
to our Lord Jesus Christ, to treat visible saints in such a manner, when at the
same time it is his revealed will they should be outwardly treated as visible
saints 1"

SECTION IX. ,
A View of what Mr. Williams says concerning the public Covenanting of Profes

sors.

I. Mr. Williams, often speaks with contempt, of my supposing it to be a
duty required of such as come to sacra ments, that they should explicitly own
the covenant, and disputes largely against it, p. 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21,22,
and many other places. He says concerning me, p. 22, " It is very unhappy,
that this good gentleman Should use the Scripture in such a manner, to prove a
divine institution which never had an existence; and after all that is said, is but
a mere imagination and chimera ; it being evident, there never was any such
divine institution for the church under the Old Testament, binding particular
— * Mrs. Eunice Williams, brought up in Canada, among the Caghnawaga Indians, sister to the ther
pastor of the church in Mansfield, where this sermon was preached, upon a day of prayer kept on het
account ; she being then in that place on a visit.
Vol. I. 31

242 REPLY TO WILLIAMS.
persons publicly and explicitly to own the covenant, in order to their enjoying
the outward ordinances of it." However it falls out something happily for me,
that I am not quite alone in this chimera, but have Mr. Williams himself to
join me in it ; who abundantly asserts the same thing, p. 5, 8, 9, and many
other places, who uses the Scripture in the same manner, and supposes the
same divine institution ; and who, in p. 5 of the treatise in hand, having stated
the following inquiry, " What is 'that evidence, which by divine appointment
the church is to have, of the saintship of those who are admitted to the outward
privileges of the covenant of grace 1" makes this answer to it : "The Scrip
ture has determined the matter thus, that the open profession and declaration
of a person's believing in Christ, — and a hearty consent to the terms of the
covenant of grace, and engagement on his part to fulfil it," &c, " is the sole
and entire ground of that public judgment, which the church is to make of the
real saintship of professors." It is manifest, he cannot intend merely that they
should be the posterity of such as thus owned the covenant, or declared their
consent to it, and so are looked upon as those that owned the covenant in their
ancestors, at the beginning of the covenant line (though sometimes he seems to
suppose, this is all that is necessary, as I shall take particular notice by and by) :
for here he expressly speaks of a personal owning the covenant, or the open pro
fession and declaration of a pep.son's consent to the covenant. And thus he often
speaks of the same matter in like manner, as a personal thing, or what is done
by the person judged of, and received. See p. 10, 31, 32, 33, 34, 73,84, 139.
And in the 2d page of his preface, he declares himself fully established in Mr.
Stoddard's doctrine concerning this affair of qualifications for the Lord's supper;
who expressly declares it to be his judgment, that "it is requisite that persons
be not admitted untoxommunion in the Lord's supper, without making a per
sonal and public profession of their faith and repentance," Appeal, p. 93, 94
And as Mr. Williams holds that there must be a public, personal owning
the covenant ; so he also maintains, that this profession must be explicit, or ex
press. He says, p. 20, " Since we have no direction in the Bible, at what time,
nor in what manner any personal, explicit covenanting should be performed, —
it appears plain to a demonstration, that the people knew nothing of any such in
stitution, as I suppose the Christian church never did until Mr. Edwards discovered
it." But if I was the first discoverer he should have owned, that since I have
discovered it, he himself and all my opposers have seen cause to follow me and
receive my discovery. For so the case seems to be, if he gives us a true ac
count (in p. 132), where he rejects, with indignation, the imputation of any
other opinion. " How often (says he) has Mr. Edwards said none but visible
saints are to be admitted 1 Do not all Mr. Edwards's opposers say, that no
man is to be admitted, who does not profess his hearty belief of the gospel, and
the earnest and sincere purpose of his heart, so far as he knows it, to obey all
God's commands, and keep his covenant 1 None, who do not make as full
and express a profession as the Israelites did, or was ever required by Christ or
his apostles, in any instances that can be produced in the Bible, of bodies of men
or particular persons' admission into visible covenant with God V He had be
fore spoken of the words which the Israelites used in their entering into covenant
with God, p. 5, which must refer to their entering into covenant in the wil-der-
ness ; for we have no account of any words at all, used by that nation, at their
entering into covenant, if not there. And this he sometimes speaks of as the
covenant they made, when God took them into covenant, p. 8, 36, 37. And p.
20, he allows that to be an instance of explicit covenanting : but ridicules my
pretending to show, that explicit covenanting was a divine institution for all'

REPLY TO WILLIAMS. 243
when he says, we have an account of but four instances of any explicit cove
nanting with God by the Jews, and those on most extraordinary occasions, and
by the body of the people. But what matter is it, whether there were four, or
hut two, or only that one instance in the wilderness 1 When he himself with
such earnestness declares, that all my opposers hold, every man must make as
full and express a profession of the covenant as ever the Israelites did, or was
ever required, in any instance that can be produced in the Bible, whether of
bodies of men or particular persons' admission, &c. If this be so, and what
he said before be also true, then all Israel, even every individual person among
them, that ever was admitted to the privileges of the church, throughout all
their generations, by his own confession and assertion, did personally make as
explicit a profession of the covenant, as the body of the people did in that in
stance in the wilderness. And not only so, but the same must every individual
person do, that ever comes to sacraments, through all ages, to the end of the
world. Thus Mr. Williams fights hard to beat down himself. But I will not
say in his own language, that in so doing he fights hard to beat down a poor
man of straw.
If any should say, that Mr. Williams, when speaking of an express profes
sion, does not mean a profession in words, but only in actions ; such as an
outward attendance on ordinances and duties of worship : I answer, if such
actions are a profession, yet certainly they are not an express profession ; they
are no more than an implicit profession. And besides, it is very plain, the pro
fession he speaks of is a verbal profession, or a profession in words. Thus p.
36, when describing the profession which ought to be made, he says, " It is in as
strong words as were used by any whom the apostles admitted." And else
where (as was before noted) he often insists, that a profession should be made
in words without any discrimination as to their meaning. Which shows, it is
a profession in words that he designs. And although, p. 104, he speaks of a
performance of the outward duties of morality and worship, as the only way
that God ever appointed of making real saintship visible : yet this is only another
instance of his great inconsistence with himself; as appears by what has already
been observed, and appears further by this, that when he speaks of a profession
of consent to the terms of the covenant, &c, he often speaks of it as a profes
sion which ought to be made in order to admission to these ordinances, p. 5, 10,
35, 36, 132, and other places. If so, then how can the attendance itself, on
these ordinances of worship, be all the profession which is to be made 1 Must
men first come to ordinances, in order to admission to ordinances 1 And more
over, Mr. Williams himself distinguishes between engaging and swearing to
keep covenant in the public profession, and attending on the ordinances and
duties of worship, which he speaks of as belonging to the fulfilment of the en
gagement and oath, p. 130. And lastly I would observe, though it could be
consistently made out (which it can never be) that Mr. Williams does not
mean a professing in words, it would be nothing to the purpose. If it be in
words, or in other signs which are equivalent to words, and which are a full and
express profession (as Mr. Williams says), it is exactly the same thing as to
my purpose, and the consequence of the argument, which was, that real god
liness must be professed. And indeed this very thing which I endeavored to
prove by all that I said on this head, is expressly, again and again, allowed by
Mr. Williams. Yet he makes a great ado, as if there was a vast difference
between him and me in this affair of public covenanting with God; and .as
though my notion of it were very singular, absurd, and mischievous.
II. Mr. Williams says a great deal in opposition to me, to show that swear-

244 REPLY TO WILLIAMS.
ing by God's name, swearing to the Lord, and the like, does not mean covenant
ing with God : but yet in p. 18, in the midst of his earnest dispute against it,
he owns it. I mentioned several Scripture prophecies, referring to the Gentile
converts in the days, of the gospel, which foretell that they should swear by
God's name, swear to the Lord of Hosts, &c, as a prediction of the Gentiles
public covenanting with God ; using that as one thing which confirmed, that
this was commonly the meaning of such phrases in the Old Testament. But
Mr. Williams despises my interpretation of these prophecies, and my argument
from them. Nevertheless, in his reply, he owns the very thing : he in effect
owns, that entering into covenant, and owning the covenant is what is meant
by these prophecies ; mentioning this, plainly with approbation, as the univer
sal sense of Protestant commentators. His words are, p. 18, " As to all these
prophecies, which Mr. Edwards has quoted, referring to the Gentiles, and their
swearino- by the name of the Lord, the sense of Protestant commentators upon
them, I think, universally is, that when the Gentiles, in God's appointed time,
should be brought into covenant with God, it should be as the Jews were, by
being persuaded to consent to the terms of the covenant of grace, and engaging
.themselves to God, to be faithful to him, and keep covenant with him. He who
heartily consents to the terms of the covenant of grace, gives up himself to the
-Lord, gives the hand to the Lord, engages to own and serve him : which is the
thing signified in all those metaphorical phrases, which describe or point out
this event, in the Old Testament language."
Mr. Williams in these last cited words, explains the phrase of giving the
hand to the Lord, as signifying engaging themselves to God in covenant, and con
senting to the terms of the covenant (as the reader sees) and yet in the next
page but two, he contemns and utterly disallows my interpreting the same
phrase in the same manner. Mr. Williams says, p. 21, " As to the words of
Hezekiah, when he called the Israelites to the passover, bidding them yield or
give the hand to the Lord ; and in Ezra, they gave the hand to put away their
wives ; which he thinks to be a Hebrew phrase for entering into covenant, it
-.carries its own confutation with it."
IV. Mr, Williams often speaks of the professions made by the ancient
Israelites and Jewish Christians, when they entered into covenant, and were ad
mitted into the Church. Whereas, according to the doctrine of the same au
thor, in the same book, we have no account of any profession made by either,
on any such occasion. For he insists, that the children of such as are in cove
nant, are born in covenant ; and are not admitted into covenant any otherwise than
as they were seminally in their ancestors ; and that the profession of their ances
tors, at the head of the covenant line, is that individual profession, whichbrings
'.them, into covenant. His words are, p. 135, 136, " It is one and the same in-
Cvickal profession and engagement, which brings them and their children into
covenant. And if there is one instance in the Bible, where God ever took any
man into covenant, and not his children at the same time, I should be glad to
see it. It is by virtue of their being in covenant, that they have a right 'to the
seals! And if these children are not cast out of covenant by God, their children
have as good a right to the seals as they had. It is God's will, that his mark
and seal should be set upon them, and their children, and their children for
ever, until God casts them out of covenant. It is certain, they have an interest
in the covenant, and they have a right to the privileges of the covenant, so long
as they remain in covenant ; and that is until God cuts them off, and casts them
cut." And accordingly he supposes John the Baptist never inquired into the doc-

REPLY TO WILLIAMS. 245'
tnnal knowledge of those he baptized, because they were already in covenant '
with God, and members of his visible church, and not yet turned out : and he •
suggests, that John knew many of them not to be of a good moral character^,
p. 98. So he largely insists, that the three thousand Jews and proselytes that
the apostles baptized, Acts ii., were not taken into covenant, but only continued
in covenant, p. 46, 47. So he supposes the Eunuch, before Philip baptized
him, Was a member of the church, and in covenant with God, p. 50. Though
he inconsistently mentions those same persons in the 2d of Acts, and the Eunuch,
as admitted into the church by the apostles, and primitive ministers, p. 9, 10,
59 And so p. 8, 26, he mentions God's taking all Israel into covenant : he.
mentions the profession which the Israelites made, p. 25 ; and p. 5, he speaks-
of the words which the Israelites used, in their entering into covenant with God.
And p. 36, 37, he speaks of their profession in Moses's time, which God trusted
so far as to admit them into covenant. Whereas indeed, according to Mr.
Williams, they were not taken in, nor did they enter into covenant, neither in the
plains of Moab, nor at Mount Sinai. He says expressly, that they were in
covenant before that time, when in Egypt, being taken in their ancestors, Abra
ham, Isaac, and Jacob, p. 91. But then we read of no words, that those
patriarchs used at their entering into covenant. And it will undoubtedly fol
low, on Mr. Williams's principles, that we must go further back still for Israel's
being taken into covenant; we must even go to Adam himself, the first father
of mankind, who was visibly in covenant, and so his posterity, in the line of
Noah's ancestors, without the line's being broken by a visible cutting off, and
casting out by God, as we have all reason to suppose. And after the flood, we
have reason to think, God had a covenant race continued in Shem's posterity,
especially in the line of Abraham's ancestors. And though Terah, Abraham's
father, was, tainted with the then prevailing idolatry; yet there is no appear
ance of the line's being then cut off, in the way Mr. Williams speaks of, by God's
visibly casting him out. On the contrary, God took a special, fatherly care of
him and his children, in bringing them from Ur of the Chaldees, the land of
graven images, to Haran, Gen. xi. 31. And God is called the God of the
father of Abraham and Nahor, that is, the God of Terah, Gen. xxxi. 5-3. And
if it be said, that in Abraham began a new dispensation of the covenant ; so
that Abraham might properly on that account be said to be taken into cove
nant, as though his ancestors had not been taken into covenant : I answer, the
alteration of the dispensation was in no measure so great as that after Christ's
resurrection and ascension-; and yet Mr. Williams will not allow, that the Jew
ish converts, received in Acts ii., on this new dispensation,were any more than.
continued in covenant, and in the church. So that, according to Mr. Williams's
scheme, it must be Adam's profession of religion that was the individual pro
fession which made all his posterity, in the line of the church, even to the
apostles' days, visible saints, or (as he himself explains visible saintship) such
as we have rational ground to think are real saints, possessed of. gospel holi
ness, and on that account have a right to sacraments. For so he says it is with
the children of them that are in covenant, and their children, and their children
forever, until cut off and cast out by God.
So that now we have the scheme in a true view of it. The Pharisees and
Sadducees that John baptized, whom Mr. Williams supposes John knew to be
not of a good moral character, and whose doctrinal knowledge he did not in
quire into before he baptized them ; because they had before been admitted in iheir
ancestors ; even these were visible saints, and such as John had rational ground
to think had sufficient doctrinal knowledge and were orthodox and real saints^

246 REPLY TO WILLIAMS.
having moral evidence that they had gospel holiness, because Adam, their original
ancestor, made a profession of religion, in words of double meaning, without any
marks of distinction or discrimination, by which any might know their meaning !
And if we should go back no further than Abraham, it would not much
mend the matter ; supposing the case had been so, that we had the words of
both Abraham's and Adam's profession written down in our Bibles : whereas
we have neither ; no, nor have we the words of the profession of any one per
son, either in the Old Testament or New, at their being taken into the church,
if the things which Mr. Williams says are true ; though he speaks so often of
professions, and words of professions, and declarations, made on such occasions,
as if we had an express account of them in Scripture.
V. As our author abundantly maintains, that unsanctified men in covenan-
tino- with God, may and do promise the exercise of saving faith, repentance,
love, &c. ; so he holds, that they promise to begin the exercise of these graces
immediately, fromihis moment, and to live in them from henceforth, p. 25, 26,
28, 76. '
Now I desire this matter may be looked into, and thoroughly examined.
Not only the holy Scriptures, and agreeable to them, Mr. Stoddard, and sound
divines in general, teach us, but Mr Williams himself maintains, that men who
are unsanctified, do for the present refuse and oppose these things. In a foreci-
ted place of his sermon on Isa. xiv. 11, our author says, that "Unregenerate
and unsanctified men oppose all means for the bringing them to these things,
are willingly without them, and labor to find out all manner of difficulties and
hinderances in the way of them ; and if they pray for them, do not desire they
should come yet, but would stay a while longer." Now, how is this consistent
with such persons' promising with any sincerity at all, that they will comply
with and perform these things immediately, from henceforth, without staying
one moment longer 1 If Gotl calls a man this moment to yield his whole heart
to him in faith, love and new obedience ; and if he, in answer to the call, sol
emnly promises and swears* to God, that he will immediately comply with the
call, without the least delay, and does it with any sincerity inconsistent with the
most vile perfidy and perjury; then how does he now willingly refuse, oppose,
and struggle against it, as choosing to stay. a while longer?
Besides, such promises and oaths of unregenerate men must not only be
contrary to sincerity, but very presumptuous, upon these two accounts. (1.)
Because herein they take an oath to the Most High, which, it is ten thousand
to one, they will break as soon as the words are out of their mouths, by contin
uing still unconverted ; yea, an oath which they are breaking even while they
are uttering it. And what folly and wickedness is it for men to take such oaths 1
And how contrary to the counsel given by the wise man, in Eccl. v. 2, 4, 5, 6 !
And to what purpose should ungodly men be encouraged to utter such promises
and oaths before the church, for the churchs's acceptance ; which are so far
from being worthy to be credited, or a fulfilment of them to be expected, that
it is many thousands, and perhaps millions of times more likely to be otherwise 1
That is, it is so much more likely they will not be converted the very next mo
ment. (2.) When an unconverted man makes such a promise, he promises
what he has not to give, or which he has not sufficiency forthe performance of;
no sufficiency in himself, nor any sufficiency in any other" that he has a claim
to, or interest in. There is indeed a sufficiency in God to enable him ; but he
* It must be observed, that Mr. Williams often speaks of the promise which an unregenerate man
makes in covenanting with God as his oath, p. 13, 100, 101, 129 130, 143 •

REPLY TO WILLIAMS. 247
has no claim to it. For God's helping a man savingly to believe in Christ is a
saving blessing: and Mr. Williams himself owns, that a man cannot by prom
ise claim any saving blessings, till he has fulfilled the conditions of the cove
nant of grace, p. 22, 28. So that in vain it is said by Mr. Williams, p. 27, " I
pray that it may be thoroughly considered what is propounded in the covenant
of grace, and on what stock a man is to finish." Meaning (as appears by the
sequel) the stock of God's sufficiency. To what purpose is this said ? When
the covenant of grace promises or makes over no such stock to him who has
no interest in the promises of it, as having not yet complied with the condition
of its promises. Nor does an unconverted man promise any thing in a humble
dependence on that stock : no such men do lay hold on God's strength, or trust
in God's sufficiency : for this is a discriminating mark of a true saint ; as our
author himself observes, in that forecited passage, in his sermons on Christ a
King and Witness, p. 19.
I would here take- notice of it as remarkable, that though Mr. Williams had
owned that a natural man can claim no saving blessings by God's promise, yet to
help out his scheme of a natural man's engaging and promising, even with an oath,
the exercises of saving grace, he (in p. 27; 28, especially 28), speaking of the
great encouragement on which unsanctified men can promise these things, supposes
God has given such encouragement to them who promise and engage them
selves to God with that degree of earnestness and sincerity which he often speaks
of as requisite to communion, that we have reason to determine that God never
will fail of bestowing on them saving grace ; so that they shall fulfil their
promises. I say, he supposes that we have reason to determine this, because
he himself determines it. His words are these : " Though there be no promise
of saving good, exclusive of faith, yet there being a command and encourage
ment, there are suitable springs of his endeavor and hope, in his engaging
himself to God and casting himself upon his mercy with all the earnestness
and sincerity he can. God never will be worse than his encouragement, nor
do less than he has encouraged, and he has said, To him that hath, shall be
given." *
Now, if this be so, and if this will make it out, that an unconverted man
who is morally sincere may reasonably, on this encouragement, promise imme
diately to believe and repent, though this be not in his own power ; then it will
follow that whenever an unconverted man covenants, with such moral sincerity
as gives a lawful right to sacraments, God never will fail oi giving him con
verting grace that moment, to enable him from thenceforward to believe and
repent as he promises. And if this be so, and none may lawfully covenant
with God without moral sincerity (as Mr. Williams also says), then it will follow
that never any one person comes, nor can come lawfully to the Lord's supperin
an unconverted state; because when they enter into covenant lawfully (suppo
sing them not converted before) God always converts them in the moment of
their covenanting, before they come to the Lord's table. And if so, what is
become of all this grand dispute about the lawfulness of persons' coming to
the Lord's table, who have not converting grace 1
VI. Mr. Williams greatly misrepresents me from time to time, in representing
as though I had asserted, that " it is impossible for an unsanctified man to enter
into covenant with God;" and that those who were unsanctified among the
Israelites, did not enter into covenant w-ith God ; that the pretended covenanting
of such is not covenanting, but only lying, wilful lying ; and that no natural
man can own the covenant, " but that he certainly lies, knows he lies, and de-,
signedly lies, in all these things, when he says them," p. 26, 22, 24, 31, 21.

248 REPLY TO WILLIAMS.
Whereas I never said nor supposed any such thing. I never doubted but that
multitudes of unsanctified persons, and in all ages of the Christian church, and
in this age, and here in New England, have entered visibly, and in profession,
into the covenant of grace, and have owned that covenant, and promised a
compliance with all the duties of it, without known or wilful lying ; for this
reason, because they were deceived, and did not know their own hearts ; and
that they (however deceived) were under the obligations of the covenant, and
bound by their engagements and promises : and that in that sense, they were
God's covenant people, that by their own binding act they were engaged to
God in covenant ; though such an act, performed without habitual holiness, be
an unlawful one. If a thing be externally devoted to God, by doing what
- ought not to have been done, the thing devoted may, by that act, be the Lord's:
as it was with the censers of Korah and his company, Numb. xvi. 37, 38.
What I asserted, was, that none could " profess'a compliance with the coven
ant of grace, and avouch Jehovah fro be their God, and Christ to be their Saviour,
i. e., that they are so by their own act and choice, and yet love the -world more
than Jehovah, without lying or being deceived. And that he, who is wholly
under the power of a carnal'mind, which is not subject to the law of God, nor
indeed can be, cannot promise to love God with all his heart and with all his
soul, without either great deceit, or the most manifest and palpable absurdity :
inasmuch as promising supposes the person to be conscious to himself, or per
suaded of himself, that he has such a heart in him ; because his lips pretend to-
declare his heart, and the nature of a promise implies real intention, will and
compliance of heart. And what can be more evident than these propositions?
Surely they that reject the covenant of grace in their hearts (as. Mr. Williams
owns all unsanctified men do) cannot own it with their lips, without either de
ceiving or being deceived. Words cannot be a true signification of more than
is in the mind. Inward covenanting, as Mr. Stoddard taught, is by an act of
saving faith. (Safety of Ap. p. 85, 86.) And outward covenanting is an ex
pression of inward covenanting : therefore, if it be not attended with inward
covenanting, it is a false expression. And Mr. Williams, in effect, owns the
same thing: for he says, p. 21, "That there is no doubt they who are wilful,
obstinate sinners, deal deceitfully and falsely when they pretend to covenant witb
God." But so do all unregenerate sinners under the gospel, according to Mr.
Stoddard's and his own doctrine. And thus the very point, about which he
contests so earnestly and so long, and with so many great words, is, in the midst
of it all, given up fully by his own concession.
VII. Mr. Williams is greatly displeased with my saying (as above) that
none who are under the power of a carnal mind can visibly own the covenant,
without lying, or being deceived, &c. And he finds great fault with my gloss
on Psal. lxxviii. 36, 37, " They did flatter him with their mouth, and lie to
him with their tongue :" which I interpret as though they lied in pretending
that respect to God, which indeed they had not, p. 35 of my Inquiry. But he
insists, that what is meant is only their " lying in breaking their, promise," p. 24.
And he insists upon it (as has been observed already) that natural men may
covenant with God and speak true. But it seems he has wonderfully changed
his mind of late: for a little while ago he declared elsewhere/or the very same
things which he here inveighs against, and spoke of natural men's profession
and pretence of respect to God, as being actually a lie in its own nature ;
and not only becoming so by their breaking covenant afterwards. Particularly*
it is remarkable, he has thus interpreted this very text now in dispute. In his
sermons on Christ a King and Witness, speaking of the outward acts of vm-

REPLY TO WILLIAMS. 249
thip done by those that do not love God nor believe in Christ, he expressly
says, p. 77, " They are in their own nature a lie ; a false pretence of something
within, that is not there. See (says Mr. Williams) this interpretation of it, in
Psal. Ixxviii. 34 — 37, They did flatter him. with their mouths ; they lied to him
with their 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
1 believed on-him. But these outward acts in themselves are not that religion
and obedience, which Christ requires ; nay, of themselves they have no religion
in them ; and Christ has nothing to do with them, but as they are the fruits
and expressions of the heart, as they are the language and index of the mind
and conscience, and outward declarations of the inward frame, temper 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 resemblance, 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 Bevil." 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, which are the foundations on w-hich 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. Williams says thus, p. 135, " I own, that at present I have no
more expectation to see the scheme which Mr. Edwards aims to establish, de
fended upon Calvinistic principles, than the doctrine of transubstantiation." On
which I shall only say, it might perhaps be thought very impertinent in me, to
tell my readers what I do, or what 1 do not expect, concerning his scheme.
Every reader, that has reason enough of his own not to take the big words and
confident speeches of others for demonstration, is now left to judge for himself,
whose scheme 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. Williams's exceptionable way of reasoning-,
in support of his own scheme, and in opposition to the contrary principles.

SECTION I.

General Observations upon his Way of arguing, and answering Arguments ; with
some Instances of the first Method excepted against.
Mr. Williams endeavors to support his own opinion, and to confute the
book he pretends to answer, by the following methods.
1. By frequently misrepresenting what I say, and then disputing or ex
claiming against what he wrongfully charges as mine.
i 2. By misrepresenting what others say in their writings, whose opinions he
pretends to espouse.
Vol. I. 32

250 REPLY TO WILLIAMS.
3. By seeming to oppose and confute arguments, and yet only saying things
which have noreference at all to them, but relate entirely to other matters, that
are al together foreign to the argument in hand.
4. By advancing new and extraordinary notions ; which are both manifestly
contrary to truth, and also contrary to the common apprehensions of the 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 ration
al conviction. 7. By wholly overlooking arguments, and not answering at all ; pretend
ing, that there is no argument, nothing to answer, when the case is manifestly
far otherwise. 8. By frequently turning off an argument with this reflection, that 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
equivalent. 10. By often alleging and insisting on things in which he is inconsistent
with himself.
As the first of these methods used by Mr. Williams, i. e., his misrepresenting
what 1 say, and then disputing or exclaiming against what he injuriously charges
as mine, many instances have been,already observed : I now would take notice
of some other instances.
In p. 15, he charges me with " affirming vehemently, in a number of repe
titions, that the doctrine taught is, that no manner of pretence to any visible
holiness is made or designed to be made." These he cites as my words, mark
ing them with notes of quotation. Whereas 1 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, that none
ought, to be admitted, as members 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 the contrary.
What I say is, that people are taught that they come into the church without
any pretence to sanctifying grace (p. 15), I do not say without a pretence to
visible holiness. Thus Mr. Williams alters my words, to make them speak
something, not only diverse, but contrary to what I do say, and say very often ;
and so takes occasion, or rather makes an Occasion, to charge me before the
world, with telling a manifest untruth, p. 15.
Again, Mr. Williams in answering my argument concerning brotherly love
(p. 70, 71), represents me as arguing, "That in the exercise of Christian love
described in the 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 brotherly love, as what cannot be of a saint to one that is not apprehended
zndjudgedto be sanctified. But that notion of a peculiar love, which cannot
be to an unsanctified man, 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, from the press, and did so in the preface to that
very book which Mr. Williams writes against.
In p. 74, Mr. Williams represents me as supposing, that in the sacrament

REPLY TO WILLIAMS. 251
of the Lord's supper, both the covenanting parties, viz., Christ and the commu
nicant, seal to the truth of the communicant's faith ; or that both seal to this
as true, that the communicant 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. by his minister professes
his part of the covenant, 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 to receive Christ who is offered. How different is this from
both parties sealing to the truth of the communicant's faith !
In p. 76, 77 and 80, he greatly misrepresents my argument from 1 Cor.
xi. 28, " Let a man examine himself," &c., as though I supposed the Greek
word translated examine, must necessarily imply an examination to approbation ;
that it signifies to approve ; and that a man's examination must mean his ap-
prori.-ig himself to himself to be sanctified. This representation he makes over
and over, and builds his answ;er to the argument, upon it ; and in opposition to
this, he says, (p 77)," Wherever the word means to examine to approbation, it
is not used in its natural sense, but metonymically." Whereas, there is not the
least foundation for such a representation : no such thing is said or suggested
by me, as if I supposed that the meaning of the word is to approve or to exam
ine to approbation. What I say is, that it properly signifies proving or trying a
thing, whether it be true and of the right sort (p. 77). And I there, in the
same place, expressly speak of the word (in the manner Mr. Williams does) as
not used in its natural sense, but metonymically, when it is used to signify ap
prove. So that Mr. Williams's representation is not only diverse from, but con
trary to what I say. Indeed I suppose (as well I may) that when the apos
tle directs persons to try themselves with respect to their qualifications for the
Lord's supper, he would not have them come, if upon trial they find themselves
not qualified. But it would be ridiculous to say, that I therefore suppose the
meanino- of the word, try or examine, is to approve, when it is evident that the
trying is only in order to knowing whether a thing is to be approved, or disap
proved. In p. 98, on the argument from John's baptism, Mr. Williams alters my
words, bringing them the better to comport with the odious representation he
had made of my opinion, viz., that I required a giving an account oi experiences,
as a term of communion ; he puts in words as mine, which are not mine, and
distinguishes them with marks of quotation ; charging me with representing it
as " probable that John had as much time 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 doctrinal knowledge and moral character."
In p. 118, and to the like purpose, p. 134, our author represents me, and
others of my 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 to damnation, or signifying how far I thought
they were exposed to damnation, or expressing my sentiments more or less
about the matter.
In p. 130 and 131, Mr. WTilliams says, when one sees with what epithets
of honor Mr Edwards in some parts of his book has complimented Mr. Stod-

252 REPLY TO WILLIAMS.
dard, it must look like a strange medley to tack to them, — That 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. Williams speaks of as tacked
to those honorable epithets, he represents as expressions which I had used con
cerning Mr. Stoddard: and his readers that have not consulted my book,
would doubtless take it so from his manner of representation. Whereas, the
truth is, no one of these expressions is used .concerning Mr. Stoddard anywhere
in my book ; nor is there one disrespectful word spoken of him there. All the
ground Mr. Williams had to make such a representation, was, that in arguments
against my opinion I endeavored to show them to be weak (though I do not
find that I used that epithet), and certainly for one to pretend to answer argu
ments, and yet allow them to be strong, would be to show himself to be very
weak. In answering some of these arguments, and endeavoring to show where
in the inconclusiveness of them lay, I have sometimes 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 unhandsome, dishonorable treatment of him. Every inconclusive
argument 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. Williams 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
ciled these passages with the 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 they consist with what he says, p. 16, and so proceed to mention one
thing which appears to me not well to consist with them. ' But certainly this
is not indecently to reflect on Mr. Stoddard any more than Mr. Williams inde
cently reflects on the first refokmers, in his answer to Mr. Croswell, p. 74,
75, where speaking of their doctrine of a particular persuasion as of the essence'
of saving faith, he says, " they are found inconsistent with themselves, and their
doctrine lighter than vanity." And again, p. 82, " if ever (says Mr. Williams)
any men were confuted from their own concessions, these divines are." And
more to the like purpose. Which gives me a fair occasion to express the like
wonder at him, as he does at me, p. 131, but I forbear personal reflections.
Mr. Williams, in the same page, has these words : " And to say, that all un
sanctified men do profess and seal their consent to the covenant of grace in the
Lord's supper, when they know at the same time they do not consent to it,
nor have their heart at all in the affair, is something worse thap beo-ging the
question." That is, as I suppose (the same that he charged me with before),
telling a manifest untruth. By which he plainly suggests that I have said
thus. Whereas I nowhere say, nor in any respect signify, that I suppose all
unsanctified communicants do know that they do not consent to the covenant
of grace. I never made any doubt, but that multitudes of unsanctified commu
nicants are deceived, and think they do consent to it.
. In P- 13?' h,e says of me> " The author endeavors to show, that the admit
ting unsanctified persons tends to the ruin and reproach of the Christian church -
and to the ruin of the persons admitted." 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 manV as
please, of those who have no visibility of real saintship, and make no proles-

REPLY TO WILLIAMS. 253
sion of it, nor pretension to it, is a method which tends to the ruin and great
reproach df the Christian church, and also to the ruin of the persons admitted."
I freely grant, and show abundantly in my book, it is never to be expected,
that all unsanctified men can be kept out, by the most exact attendance on the
rules of Christ, by those that admit members.
In p. 136, Mr. Williams, wholly without grounds, speaks of me as repre
senting, that " unconverted men make pretension to nothing but what God's
enemies have, remaining in open and avowed rebellion against him." Where
as, I suppose that some natural men do profess, and profess truly many things,
which those have not, who are open and avowed enemies of God. They may
truly profess that sort of moral sincerity in many things belonging to morality
and religion, which avowed enemies have not : nor is there any sentence or
word in my book, which implies or intimates the contrary.
In p. 141, Mr. Williams evidently insinuates, that I am one of those who,
" if men live never so strictly conformable to the laws of the gospel, and never
so diligently seek their own salvation, to outward appearance, yet do not stick
to speak of them, and act openly towards them, as persons giving no more
public evidence, that they are not the enemies of God and haters of Jesus Christ,
than the very worst of the heathen." But surely every one that has read my
book, every one that knows my constant conduct, and manner of preaching, as
well as writing, and how 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 me is.

SECTION II.

Instances of the second thing mentioned as exceptionable in Mr. Williams's Method
of managing this controversy, viz., his misrepresenting what 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 what he says in reply to my answer to 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 some
certain rule, whereby those who are to admit them, may know whether they
have such grace, or not.'' Mr. Williams there intimates (as the reader may
see) as if Mr. Stoddard spake so, that it is to be understood disjunctively,
meaning he would either have given some certain rule to the church who ad
mit them, or else to the persons themselves : so that by one means or other,
the Lord's supper might be 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 them, may know whether
they have grace (see the foregoing page), and speaks of it as nothing akin to
Mr. Stoddard's argument. Now let the reader take notice of Mr. Stoddard's
words, and see whether his argument be not something akin to this. He says
expressly, Appeal, p. 75, " God does not bind his church to impossibilities.
If he had made such an ordinance, he would give gifts to his church, to distin
guish sincere men from hypocrites, whereby the ordinance might have been
attended. The minor is also evident : he has given no such rule to his church,
whereby it may be restrained to converted men. This appears, because by

254 REPLY TO* WILLIAMS.
the rule they are to go by, they are allowed 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 to a person's lawful partaking of the Lord's supper, then God would
have given some certain rule, whereby the church (those who are to admit
them) may know, whether they 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.
In 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, makes them members of the body of Christ. And as for a par
ticular, explicit covenant, besides the general, imposed on churches, I find no
mention of it, no example nor warrant for it in all the Scripture." Here Mr.
Williams is still manifestly endeavoring to discredit my doctrine of an explicit
owning the 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. What 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, on^ to 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 be
the form of a particular church, as this description seemeth to do ; because I
find no mention of any such covenant, besides the general imposed on churches,
nor example 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 makes them members of the body of Christ." Mr. Williams, by
citing distant passages in Mr. Hudson, and joining them, 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 this description seemeth
to do — quite blinds the mind of his reader, as to Mr. Hudson's true sense,
which is nothing- to Mr. Williams's purpose. Mr. Hudson says not a word
here against, or about an express or explicit covenanting, or owning the cove
nant, in my sense : but in other places, in the same 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 men's part ; which all Christians, as Christians, enter into,
by their professed acceptance, and express astipulation, and promised subjec
tion and obedience ; though not altogether in one place, or at one time." He
speaks again to the same purpose, p. 100.

SECTION III.

Instances of the 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 relate to other matters perfectly foreign to the subject of the
argument. Such is his answer (p. 37) to my argument from Isa. Ivi. Particularly
from those words, v. 6, 7, " Also the sons of the stranger, that join themselves
to the Lord, to serve him, to love the name of the Lord, to be his servants-
even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house

EEPLY 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. Williams also supposes in his arguings on
this head. But the opposition I speak of, as plainly pointed forth in the 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 circumcision, it
is foretold, that under the gospel, piety of heart and practice only should be re
quired ; that although they were eunuchs or uncircumcised, yet if it appeared
that they loved the name of the Lord, &c, they should be admitted.
So when I argued, that Christ, in the latter part of the 7th 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 themselves to be interested
in him as their Lord and Saviour, and had an opinion of their good estate ;
though the hope of some was built on the sand, and others on a rock : Mr.
Williams, 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 to another argument, to which this has 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 tares, p. 98,
&c. He has entirely overlooked the argument. He says, to vindicate the ob
jection p. 99, " Which we think shows us the mind and will of Christ in this
matter 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 contrary, 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
ment, that gives a right to be received as visible saints by the public." And
repeat the same thing again, p. 125.
And - as to what Mr. Williams says in this place about infants being born
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 argument ;
which is about rules of admission in the church, whenever they are admitted. If
persons are born in the church in complete standing, as Mr. Williams supposes,
then they are not admitted at all, but in their ancestors. But however, the
question returns, whether ancestors that are unsanctified, can have a lawful
right to come into the church 1 Mr. Williams holds they may. The subject
of the argument is about bringing in tares into the field, whenever they are
brought in, whether sooner or later : and whenever tares have a lawful right,
by warrant from Christ, to be in the field ; supposing this to intend the church
of Christ. The argument I produced to the contrary was, that the tares were
introduced contrary to the owner's design, through men's ipfirmity, and Satan's
procurement. Which argument, being entirely overlooked by my opponent, I
desire it may be now particularly considered.
When the Bevil brought in the 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 that very notion of crossing his design. An enemy (says the
parable) hath done this. But how does this consist with the tares having a
lawful right, by the owner's warrant and appointment, to have a standing in his
field 1 If Christ by his institution has, in mercy to unsanctified men, given
them a lawful right to come into the church, that it may be a means of their
conversion ; then it is a work of his kindness, as the compassionate Redeemer
of souls, to bring them in ; and not the doing of the great enemy and destroy
er of souls. If the great Physician of souls has built his church, as an infirmary,
in compassion to those that are sick, for this end, that they 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 compassionate physician, who
built the hospital, make answer, An enemy hath done this?
Besides, if Christ had appointed that unsanctified men should come 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 torn into 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
them out, and preventing the designs of the subtle enemy that brought them in.
Perhaps some would be ready to make the reflection, that those churches whose
practice is agreeable to the loose principles Mr. Williams espouses, do that at
noonday, in the presence of God, angels and men, which the devil did in the
dread of the might, while men slept !
Again, Mr. Williams, in his reply to my argument from that Christian
brotherly love, which is required towards all members of the visible church,
,goes entirely off from the argument, to things quite alien from it. His first
answer, p. 69, is, that " the exercise of this Christian love is not the term of
communion or admission into the visible church ;" which is perfectly foreign tc
the business. For the argument respects the object of this love, viz., visible saints
that are to be thus beloved; and not at all the qualifications of the inherent sub
ject of it, or the person that exercises this love. If they that are admitted, are
to be loved as true saints j 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 to 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 them. Whether the exercise of this love.be the term of commu
nion, or not ; yet if we are commanded to exercise this love to all that are ad
mitted to communion, then it will certainly follow, that some reasonable ground
for being thus beloved, must be a term of communion in such as are admitted.
To suppose it appointed, that we should love all that are admitted as true saints,
and yet that it is not appointed that such as are admitted should exhibit any
reasonable grounds for such a love, is certainly to suppose very inconsistent ap
pointments.* Mr. Williams's second answer, p. 70, is no less impertinent, viz., "That
men's right to communion in gospel ordinances does not depend upon the cor
ruptions of other men, in their forbearing to love them." As if my argument
* " The apostles looked on all those, whom they gathered into churches or Christian congregations to
the Lord's supper, as having the truth dwelling in them; and so they behoved, "every one of them, ta

of those whom the apostle could call the saints and faithful in Christ Jesus." — Glass's"Notes on Scriptiet
Texts, Numb. 5, p. 32.

REPLY TO WILLIAMS. 257
were, that unless men are actually loved, as true saints, they, have no right to
communion ! Whereas, the argument was very diverse, viz., That unless men
have a right to be so loved, they have no right to communion. If men have an
appearance, to reason, of being true saints, they may have a right to be loved
as true saints, and to be admitted as such ; however corrupt and void of love
other men are; but without such an appearance to reason, it is no corruption,
not to love them as true saints ; unless it be corrupt, not to act without reason.*
As to Mr. Williams's third answer, and the misrepresentations it is built
upon, it has already been taken notice of.
In Mr. Williams's reply to my answer to the first objection, p. 81, &c, he
wholly leaves the argument, and writes in support and defence of other mat
ters, quite different from those which I mentioned, 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 members 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 that sort of faith and sincerity, which 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 pf this
objection. In answer to it, I endeavored to show, that the name disciples given
to church members, does not argue that unsanctified persons are fit to be mem
bers. He says nothing to show that it does. He says, if it will not follow from
Christ's visible church's being represented as Christ's school, that it is in order
to all good attainments ; yet it is in order to all that they have not yet attained.
Which is nothing to the purpose, but foreign to the thing in debate, viz.,
Whether sanctifying grace is one of those things which are not yet attained by
those that are lawfully in the church. He there says nothing to prove that it
is ; and especially to prove it from the meaning of the word disciples, which
was the argument 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 church, with
out grace : but then the thing to be proved, was, that church members being
called disciples makes this evident, in order to support the argument or objec
tion I was upon : which argument is entirely neglected throughout all his dis
course under this head.
So in his reply to my answer to the 11th objection, p. 123, &c, he wholly
neglects the argument, and labors to support a different one. I endeavored,
without concerning myself about the words of any argument in Mr. Stoddard's
Appeal, to answer an argument abundantly used at Northampton against my
doctrine, of unsanctified men's not having a right to come to the Lord's supper ;
which was this, " You may as well say, that unsanctified men may not attend
any other duty of worship ;" and particularly, " you may as well forbid them
to pray." As for Mr. Stoddard's objection, in these words, " If unsanctified men
may. attend all other, ordinances or duties of worship, then they may lawfully
attend fhe Lord's supper ;" it was an argument I was not obliged to attend to
in the words in which he delivered it, because it was not an argument brought
against my scheme of things, but one very diverse : since it is not my opinion,
that unsanctified men may attend " all other ordinances or duties of worship,
* A good argument might also be drawn from the corruption of unsanctiiied men ; for that they are
all so under the power of corruption, that they are not able to love saints, or any one else, with truly
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 live up to that rule ¦ but mea
are great enemies to one another, hateful and hating one another. They do but little good one to another.
They do a great deal of hurt one to another." Now is it reasonable to suppose, that such men have the.
proper qualifications, by divine institution, for a lawful right to be members of the visible family of God?
Vol. I. 33

258 REFLY TO WILLIAMS.
besides the Lord's.supper;" for I do not suppose, such may offer themselves to
baptism ; which Mr. Stoddard takes for granted, in bis argument. And there
fore, what Mr. Williams says in support of it, is quite beside the business. As
to the argument I was concerned with, taken especially from the lawfulness of
unsanctified men's praying, to prove, that therefore it must be lawfulfor them
to Come to the Lord's supper, certainly if there be any consequence in it, the
consequence depends on the truth of this supposition, That the same thing
which makes it lawful for a man to pray, also makes it lawful for him to come
to the Lord's supper. And seeing this position is proved to be not true, the,
argument falls to the ground. And Mr. Williams's nice observations and dis
tinctions, of a non obstante, and a simply and per se, are nothing to the purpose*
This good reason (with several others) may be given why the same that-
makes it lawful for a man to pray and hear the Word, will not make it lawful
for him to partake of sacraments, viz., that the sacraments are not only duties,:
but covenant privileges, and are never lawfully given or received but under
that notion. Whereas it is not so with prayer and hearing the word : and
therefore they who have no interest in the covenant of grace, and are in no
respect God's covenant people, may lawfully hear the word and pray. .But it
is agreed on all hands, that they who are not in some respects God's covenant
people, may not come to sacraments : and the reason is this, because sacraments
are covenant privileges. And this same reason will prove that none but true
believers, or those that have saving faith, the only condition of the covenant of
grace, have a right to sacraments. For, as was observed before, the condition
of any covenant is the condition of all the benefits or privileges of that cove
nant. See Part II. Sec. S.

SECTION IV.

The fourth thing observed in Mr. Williams's method of managing the controversy
particularly considered, viz., his advancing new and extraordinary notions, no,
only manifestly contrary to Truth, but also to the common and received principled
of the Christian Church.
Thus it is with regard to many things which have already been taken notice
of. As, that men may be ungodly men, and yet truly profess to love God more
than the world : that men may be professors of religion and have no true
grace, and yet not be lukewarm, but serve God as their only master : that such
may profess to be subject to Christ with all their hearts, and to give up all their
hearts and lives fo Christ, and speak true, &c. &c.
I shall now take notice of another remarkable instance of this, viz., that
Mr. Williams, in his reply to my argument, from the epithets and characters
given by the apostles to the members of the visible Christian churches, in their
epistles, represents, p. 56, that there " is no difference in all the epithets and
characters, which I have heaped up from the New Testament," from those that
are given in the Old Testament, to the whole body of the Jewish church ; which
he elsewhere abundantly supposes to be the whole body of the Jewish nation;
yea, even in their worst times, until the nation was rejected and cast off by God
from being any longer his people ; as I shall have occasion particularly to ob
serve afterwards.
That it may be the easier judged, how manifestly mis is contrary to truth,
I shall here repeat some of those epithets and characters I before mentioned.

REPLY TO WILLIAMS. 259
which Mr. Williams has reference to. This is very manifest concerning most
of them. But that I may not be tedious, I will now rehearse but a few instan
ces, viz., being " made free from sin, and becoming the servants of righteous
ness ;¦" having " the spirit of adoption ;" being " the children of God, heirs of
God, joint heirs with Christ ;" being " vessels of mercy prepared unto glory ;"
being such " as do not live to themselves, nor die to themselves ; but live unto
the Lord and die unto the Lord ;" and who," living and dying are the Lord's ;"
being those that have " all things for theirs, whether Paul or Apollos, or Ce
phas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come ; be
cause they are Christ's;" being " begotten through the gospel ;" being such as
" shall judge the world ;" being " washed, sanctified, justified in the name of
the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God ;" being " manifestly declared to
be the epistle of Christ, written, not with ink, but by the Spirit of the living-
.God ; not in the tables of stone, but in fleshly tables of the heart ;" being such
as " behold as in a glass the glory of the Lord, and are changed into the same
image from glory to glory ;" being " chosen in Christ before the foundation
of the world, that they should be holy, and without blame before him in love ;
and predestinated unto the adoption of children ;" being " sealed by that
holy Spirit of promise ;" being " quickened, though once dead in trespasses and
sins ;" being " made meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in
light ;" being " dead, and having their life hid with Christ in God ;" and being
those that " when Christ, who is our life, shall appear, shall also appear with
him in glory ; having put off the old man with his deeds, and having put on
the new man, which is renewed in knowledge, after the image of him that cre
ated him ;" being " begotten again to a living hope — to an inheritance incor
ruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for them ;
who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ; who love
Christ though they have not seen him ; in whom, though now they see him not,
yet believing, they rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory ; having pu
rified their souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit ; knowing him that is
from the beginning ; having their sins forgiven ; having overcome the wicked
one ; having ah unction from the holy one, by which they know, all things ; who
are now the sons of God ; and who, when Christ shall appear, shall be like
him, because they shall see him as he is."
Now let the Christian reader judge, with what face of reason our author
could represent, as though there were nothing in all these epithets and cha
racters, more than used of old to be given to the whole nation of the Jews, and
that, even in times of their greatest corruption and apostasy, till the nation was
rejected of God ! One would think, there is no need df arguing the matter
with any that have read the Bible.
This representation of Mr. Williams's is not only very contrary to truth,
but also to the common sentiments of the Christian church. Though I pretend
not to be a person of great reading, yet I have read enough to warrant this as
sertion. I never yet (as I remember) met with any author that went the same
length in this matter with Mr. Williams, but only Mr. Taylor of Norwich, in
England, the author that lately has been so famous for his corrupt doctrine. In
his piece which he calls A Key to the Apostolic Writings, where he delivers his
scheme of religion (which seems scarcely so agreeable to the Christian scheme,
as the doctrine of many of the wiser Heathen) he delivers the same opinion,
and insists largely upon it; it being a.mp.in thine h° mat"5* use of to establish.
his whole scheme. • And it evidently appears in the manner of his delivering
it, that he is sensible it is exceeding far from what has hitherto been the com

260 REPLY TO WILLIAMS.
monly received sentiment in the Christian world. He supposes that as all those
epithets and characters belong to the whole nation of the Jews, even-in theii
most corrupt times, so they belong to all Christendom, even the most vicious
parts of it ; that the most vicious men who are baptized, and profess to believe
Jesus to be the Messiah, are " chosen before the foundation of the world, pre
destinated according to the foreknowledge of God, regenerated, justified, sanc
tified children of God, heirs of God, joint heirs with Christ, the spouse of Christ,
the temple of God, made to sit together in heavenly places in Christ, being the
family of heaven," &c. &c, And certainly he may with as good reason, and
•with the same reason, suppose this of all Christendom, even the most vicious
parts of it, as of the whole nation of the Jews, however corrupt, till there was
a national rejection of them.
Indeed it is manifest there is no other way of evading the force of the
argument from the epistles, but by falling into Taylor's scheme. If his scheme
<of religion be not true, then it is plain as any fact in the New Testament, that
ail the Christian churches, through the whole earth, in the apostles' days, were
•constituted in the manner that I insist on. The Scripture says ten times as much
to demonstrate this matter, as it does about the manner of discipline, officers,
and government of the church, or as it does about the several parts of the pub
lic worship, or about the sanctification of the Christian Sabbath.

SECTION V.
Instances of the fifth and sixth particulars, in Mr. Williams's method of disputing, viz.,
his using confident and peremptory Assertions, and great Exclamations, instead of
Arguments. We have an instance of the former, in his reply to my answer to the 14th
objection, viz., that " it is not unlawful for unsanctified men to carry themselves
like saints." I objected against this, if thereby be meant, that they may law-
fally carry themselves externally like the saints in all respects, remaining un
godly ; and mentioned some things which belonged to the external duty of
godly men, which no ungodly man, remaining such, may do. To which Mr.
Williams makes no reply ; but to prove the point says, " Mr. Stoddard knew, and
all divines know, that the external carriage of some unsanctified men is, to the
¦outward appearance, and the pnblic judgment of the church, the same with the
carriage of the saints ; and they know they are bound to such a behavior." And
this peremptory, confident assertion, is all the argument he brings to prove the
thing assorted.
Again, I observe, that sometimes Mr. Williams uses great exclamation, as
though he intended to alarm, and excite terror in his readers, and raise their in
dignation : though they are perhaps never like to know for what. We have
two very remarkable instances of this, p. 136 and 137, where he says, " I shall
further take notice of two extraordinary and surprising passages, if I under
stand them. And I have with great diligence tried to find out the meaning of
them. One is p. 129, between the 17th and 23d lines ; if it be rightly print-
fid." He does not quote my words : this mighty exclamation would have be
come too flat, and appeared ridiculous, if he had. The passage referred to is
in these words : — " Indeed such a tendency (i. e., a tendency to irrelio-ion and
profaneness) it would have, to shut men out from having any part in the Lord,

REPLY TO WILLIAMS. 26.1
in the sense of the two tribes and half, Josh. xxii. 25, or to fence them out by-
such a partition wall, as formerly was between Jews and Gentiles : and so shut;
them out as to tell them, if they were never so much disposed. to serve God, he-
was not ready to accept them : according to the notion the Jews seem to have-
had of the uncircumcised Gentiles." That is, plainly, to shut them out so as t©
tellthem, that let them have hearts never so well and piously disposed to love
and serve God, their love and service could not be accepted. This doubtless
would have a tendency to discourage religion in men. And how the owning
of it is an owning my scheme to have such a tendency, I do not know. Mr-
Williams, might as well have picked out any other sentence through all the?
136 pages of the book, and Called it an extraordinary passage, and stood;
astonished over it, and told how he was ready to doubt whether it was rightly-
printed,, and what great diligence he had used to find out the meaning of it !
The other extraordinary passage he stands thunderstruck with, is in these
words; "May it not be suspected, that this way of baptizing children of such
as never make any proper profession of godliness, is an expedient, originally
invented for that very end, to give ease to ancestors with respect to their pos
terity, in times of great declension and degeneracy 1" Mr. Williams knows,
that through the whole of the book I suppose this practice of baptizing the
children of such as are here spoken of, is wrong; and so does he too ; for he
abundantly allows, that persons, iri order to be admitted to the privileges of
visible saints, must make a profession of real piety, or gospel holiness. And
if it be wrong, as we are both agreed, then surely it is nothing akin to blas
phemy, to suspect that it arosii from some bad cause.

SECTION VI.

Instances of the seventh particular, observed in Mr. Williams's way pf disputing, viz.„
his wholly overlooking arguments, pretending there is no argument, nothing to
answer ; when the case is tar otherwise.
Thus in his reply to my tertth argument, which was this, " It is necessary,,
that those who partake of the Lord's supper should judge themselves truly and-
cordially to accept Christ as their Saviour, and chief good ; for this is what the-
actions, which communicants perform at the Lord's table, are a solemn profession
of." I largely endeavored in p. 75, 76 and 77, to' prove this, from the nature-
of those significant actions, of receiving the symbols of Christ's body and blood
when offered, representing their accepting the thing signified, as their spiritual
food, &c. To all which Mr. Williams says, p. 74, " I do not find that Mr.
Edwards has said any thing to prove the proposition, which is the whole argu
ment offered here in proof of the point proposed to be proved, but only gives.
his opinion, or paraphrase of the purport and nature of the sacramental actions."*
Since Mr. Williams esteems it no. argument, I desire it may be considered im
partially whether there be any argument in it or no.
These sacramental actions all allow to be significant actions. They are a
signification and profession of something. They are not actions without a
meaning. And all allow, that these external actions signify something inward
and spiritual. And if they signify any thing spiritual, they doubtless signify
those spiritual things which they represent. But what inward thing dogs th&

262 REPLY TO WILLIAMS.
¦outward taking or accepting the body and blood of Christ represent, but the
inward accepting Christ's body and blood, or an accepting him in the heart ?
And what spiritual thing is fhe outward feeding on Christ in this ordinance a
sign of, but a spiritual feeding on Christ, or the soul's feeding on him 1 Now
there is no other way of the soul's feeding on him, but by that faith, by which
Christ becomes our spiritual food, and the refreshment and vital nourishment of
our souls. The outward eating and drinking in this ordinance is a sign of
spiritual eating and drinking, as much as the outward bread in this ordinance
is a sign oi spiritual bread; or as much as the outward drink is a sign oi spir
itual drink. And doubtless those actions, if they are a profession of any thing,
are a profession of the things they signify.* To say, that these significant
actions are appointed to be a profession oi something, but not to be a profession
of the things they are appointed to signify, is as unreasonable as to say, that
certain sounds or words are appointed to be a profession of something, but not
to be a profession of the things signified by those words.
Again, Mr Williams, in his reply to my answer to the second objection,
with like contempt passes over the main argument which I offered, to prove
that the nation of Israel were called God's people, and covenant people, in- ano
ther sense besides a being visible saints. My argument in p. 85, 86, was this:
that it is manifest, that something diverse from being visible saints, is often
intended by that nation's being called. God's people, and that that nation, the
family of Israel, according to the flesh, and not with regard to any moral and
religious qualifications, were in some sense adopted by God, to be his peculiar
and covenant people, from Rom. ix. 3, 4, 5 : "I could wish myself accursed
from Christ for my brethren according to the flesh ; who are Israelites ; to whom
pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of
the law, and the service of God, and the promises ; whose are the fathers," &c.
I observed, that these privileges here mentioned, are spoken of as belonging to
the Jews, not now as visible saints, not as professors of the true religion, not
as members of the visible church of Christ, which they did not belong to, but
only as a people of such a nation, such a blood, such an external, carnal rela
tion to the patriarchs, their ancestors ; Israelites, according to the flesh. Inas
much as the apostle is speaking here of the unbelieving Jews, professed unbe
lievers, that were out of the Christian church,,atid open, visible enemies to it;
and such as had no right at all to the external privileges of Christ's people. I
observed further, that in like manner this apostle in Rom. xi. 28,- 29, speaks of
the same unbelieving Jews, that were enemies to the gospel, as in some respect
an elect people, and interested in the calling, promises, and covenants, God
formerly gave their forefathers, and are still beloved for their sakes. " As con
cerning the gospel, they are enemies for your sakes. But as touching the elec
tion, they are beloved for the fathers' sakes. For the gifts and calling of God
are without repentance."
All that Mr. Williams says, which has any reference to 'these things, is,
« that he had read my explication of the name of the people of God, as given
* Mr. Stoddard owns, that the sacramental actions, both in baptism and the Lord's supper, signify
saving faith in Christ, Safety of, Ap. p. 170 : " By baptism is signified our fellowship with Christ hi his
sufferings. That is signified hereby, that wo have an interest in the virtue of his sufferings, that his
sufferings are made over unto us, and that we do participate in the good and benefit of them. It was
John the Baptist's manner, before he baptized persons, to teaoh them that they must believe on Christ.
And the apostles and apostolica! men would not baptize any adult persons but such as professed to
believe on Christ. He that believeth and is baptized, shall be saved. Baptism is mentioned as the
evidence of faith." So concerning the Lord's supper, Ibid. p. 122, 123 : " In this ordinance we are invited
to put our trust in ths death of Christ. Take, eat ; this is my body ; and drink ye all of it. When tbs
body feeds on the sacramental bread and wine, the south to do that which answers unto it.' The soul is
to feed on Christ crucified ; which is nothing else but the acting/aiiA on him."

REPLY TO WILLIAMS. 263
to the people of Israel, &c. But that he confesses, it is perfectly unintelligible
to him." The impartial reader is left to judge, whether the matter did not re
quire some other answer.

SECTION VII.

What is, and what is not begging the question; and how Mr. Williams charges me,,
from time to time, with begging the question, without cause.
Among the particulars of Mr. Williams's method of disputing, I observed,
that he often, causelessly charges me with begging the question, while he fre
quently begs the question himself, or does that which is equivalent.
But that it may be determined with justice and clearness, who does, and who
does not beg the question, I desire it may be particularly considered, what that
is which is called begging the question in a dispute. ' This- is more especially
needful for the sake of illiterate readers. And here,
1. Let it be observed, that merely to suppose something in a dispute, with
out bringing any argument to prove it, is not begging the question. For this
is done necessarily, in every dispute, and even in the best and clearest demon
strations. One point is proved by another until at length the matter is reduced
to a point that is supposed to need no proof ; either because it is self-evident,
or is a thing wherein both parties are agreed, or so clear that it is supposed it
will not be denied.
2. Nor is begging the question the same thing as offering a weak argu
ment to prove the point in question. It is not all weak arguing, but onepar-
ticular way of weak arguing, that is called begging the question.
3. Nor is it the same thing as missing the true question, and bringing an
argument that is impertinent, or beside the question.
But the thing which is called begging the question, is the making use of the
very point, that is the thing in debate, or the thing to be proved, as an argu
ment to prove itself. Thus, if we were endeavoring to prove that none but
godly persons might, come to sacraments, and should take this for an argument
to prove it, that none might come but such as have saving faith, taking this
for granted ; I should then beg the question : for this is the very point in ques
tion, whether a man must have saving faith or no 1 It is called begging the
question, because it is a depending as it were on the courtesy of the other side,
to grant me the point in question, without offering any argument as the price
of it. And whether the point I thus take for granted, be the main point in ques
tion in the general dispute, or some subordinate point, something under consi
deration, under a particular argument ; yet if I take this particular point for
granted, and then. make use of it to prove itself, it is begging the question.
Thus if I were endeavoring, under this general controversy between Mr.
Williams and me, to prove that particular point, that we ought to love all the
members of the Church as true saints ; and should bring this as a proof of the
point, that we ought to love all the members of the church as true Christians,
taking this for granted; this is only the same thing, under another term, as the
thing .to-be proved : and therefore is no argument at all, but only begging the
question. Or if the point I thus take for granted, and make use of as an argument, be
neither the general point in controversy, nor yet the thing nextly to be proved

264 REPLY TO WILLIAMS.
under a particular argument ; yet if it be some known controverted point be
tween the parties, it, is begging the question, or equivalent to it. Foi it is beg
ging a thing known to be in question in the dispute, and using it as if it were
a thing allowed.
I would now consider the instances, wherein Mr. Williams, assorts or sug
gests that I have begged the question.
In p. 30 and 31, he represents the force of my reasoning as built on a sup
position, that there is no unsanctified man, but what knows he has no desire
of salvation by Christ, no design to fulfil the covenant of grace, but designs to
live in stealing, lying, adultery ; or some other known sin : and then says, " Is
it not manifest that such sort of reasoning is a mere quibbling with words, and
begging the question 1" And so insinuates, that I have thus begged the question.
Whereas I nowhere say, or suppose this which he speaks of, nor any thing like
it. But on the contrary, often say, what supposes an unsanctified man may-think
he is truly godly, and that he has truly upright and gracious designs and de
sires. Nor does any argument of mine depend on any such supposition. Nay,
under the argument he speaks of, I expressly suppose the contrary, viz., that
unsanctified men who visibly enter into covenant, may be deceived.
In p. 38, Mr. Williams makes a certain representation of my arguing from
Isa. Ivi., and then says upon it, " It is no arguing, but only begging the ques
tion." But as has been already shown, that which he represents as my argii-
ment from that Scripture, has no relation to my argument.
In p. 59, in opposition to my arguing from the epistles, that the apostles
treated those members of churches which they wrote to, as those who had been
received on a positive judgment, i. e. (as I explain myself), a proper and af
firmative opinion, that they were real saints ; Mr. Williams argues, that the
apostles could make no such judgment of them, without either personal converse,
or revelation ; unless it be supposed to be founded on a presumption, that minis
ters who baptized them, would not have done it, unless they had themselves
made such a a positive judgment concerning their state : and then adds these
words, " This may do for this scheme, but only it is .a begging the question."
Whereas it is a point that never has been in question in this controversy, as ever
I knew, whether some ministers or churches might reasonably and affirmatively
suppose, the members of other churches they are united with, were admitted
on evidence of proper qualifications (whatever they be, whether common or
saving), trusting to the faithfulness of other ministers and churches. Besides,
this can be no point in question between me and Mr. Williams, unless it be a
point in question between him and himself. For he holds, as well as I, persons
ought not to be received as visible Christians, without moral evidence (which is
something positive, and not a mere negation of evidence of the contrary) of
gospel holiness.
In p. 82 of my book I suppose, that none at all do truly subject themselve*
to Christ as their master, but those who graciously subject themselves to him.
and are delivered from the reigning power of sin. Mr. Williams suggests, p
83, that herein I beg the question. For which there is no pretext, not only as
this is no known point in controversy between the parties in this debate ; but
also as it is a point I do not take for granted, but offer this argument to prove
It, That- they wlm have no grace, are under the reigning ppwer of sin, and no
man can truly subject himself to two such contrary masters, at the same' time, as
Christ and sin. I think this argument sufficient to obtain the point, without
begging it. And besides, this. doctrine, That they who have no grace do not
truly subject themselves to Christ, was no point in question between me and

REPLY TO WILLIAMS. 265"
Mr. Williams. But a point wherein we were fully agreed, and wherein he had
before expressed himself as fully, and more fully than I. In his sermons on
Christ a King and Witness, p. 18, he speaks of " all such as do not depend on
Christ, believe in him, and give up themselves, and all to him, as not true sub
jects to Christ ; but enemies to him and his kingdom." We have expressions
to the same purpose again, in p. 74 and 91 ; and in p. 94, of the same book, he
says, " It is utterly inconsistent with the nature of the obedience of the gospel,
that it should be a forced subjection. No man is a subject of Christ, who does not
make the laws and will of Christ his choice, and desire to be governed by him,
and to live in subjection to the will of Christ, as good, and fit, andbest to be the
ruje of his living, and way to his happiness. A forced obedience to Christ is
no obedience. It is in terms a contradiction. Christ draws men with the cords
of lope, and the bands of a man. Our Lord has himself expressly determined
this point" There are other passages in the same book, to the same purpose.
So that I had no need to beg this point of Mr. Williams, since he had given it
largely, and that in full measure, and over and over again, without begging.
In p. 120, he observes, " That to say such a profession of internal, invisible
things is the rule to direct the church in admission — is to hide the parallel and
beg the question. For the question here is about the persons' right to come^
and not about the church's admitting them." Here Mr. Williams would make
us believe that he does not know what begging the question is : for it is evi
dent his meaning is, that my saying so is beside the question. Butto say some
thing beside the question is a different thing from begging the question, as has
been observed. My saying' that a profession of invisible things is the church's
rule in admission, is not begging the question ; because it is not, nor ever was
any thing in question. For Mr. Stoddard and Mr. Williams himself are full in
it, that a profession of invisible things, such as a believing that Christ is the
Son of God, &c, is the church's rule. Yea, Mr. Williams is express in it, that
a credible profession and visibility of gospel holiness is the church's rule, p. 139.
Nor is my saying as above, beside the question then in hand, relating to the church
of Israel's admitting to the priesthood, those that could not find their register.
For that wholly relates to the rule of admission to the priesthood, and not to
the priests' assurance of their own right. For, as I observed, if the priests had
been never so fully assured of their pedigree, yet if they could not demonstrate
it to others, by a public register, it would not have availed for their admission.
Again, in p. 124, Mr. Williams charges me with begging the question, in
supposing that sacraments are duties of worship, whose very nature and design
is an exhibition of those vital and active principles and inward exercises, where
in consists the condition of the covenant of grace. He charges the same thing
as a begging the question, p. 131. But this is no begging the question, for
two reasons ; (1.) Because I had before proved this point, by proofs which Mr.
Williams has not seen cause to attempt to answer, as has been just now ob
served, in the last section. (2.) This, when I wrote, was no point in question,
wherein Mr. Williams and 1 differed ; but wherein we were agreed, and in
which he had declared himself as fully as I, in his sermons on Christ a King
and Witness, p. 76 : "When we attend sacraments (says he) we are therein visi
bly to profess our receiving Christ, and the graces of his Spirit, and the bene
fits of his redemption, on his own terms and offer, and giving up the all of our
souls to him, on his call, covenant and engagement." And in the next preced
ing page hut one, in a place forecited, he speaks of these acts " as mockery,
hypocrisy, falsehood and lies, if they are not the expressions of faith and hope,
and spiritual acts of obedience." So that I had no manner of need to come to
Vol. I. 34

2Q6 REPLY TO WILLIAMS.
Mr. Williams as a beggar for these things, which he had so plentifully given
me, and all the world that would accept them, years before.

SECTION VIII.
Showing how Mr. "Williams begs the Question himself.
The question is certainly begged in that argument, which Mr. Williams es
pouses and defends, viz., " That the Lord's supper has a proper tendency to pro
mote men's conversion." In the prosecution of the argument Mr. Williams
implicitly yields, that it is not the apparent natural tendency alone, that is of any
force to prove the point ; but the apparent tendency under this circumstance,
that there is no express prohibition. And thus it is allowed, that in the case of
express prohibition with respect to the scandalous . and morally insincere, no
seeming tendency in the nature of the thing proves the ordinance to be intend
ed for the conviction and conversion of such. So that it is a thing supposed in
this argument, that all morally insincere persons are expressly forbidden, but
unsanctified persons not so. Now when it is supposed, that morally insincere
persons are expressly forbidden, the thing meant, cannot be, that they are for
bidden in those very words ; for no such prohibition is to be found ; nor are
men that live in sodomy, bestiality and witchcraft, anywhere expressly forbid
den in this sense. But the thing intended* must b», that they are very evidently
forbidden, by plain implication or consequence. But then the whole weight of
the argument lies in this supposition, that unsanctified persons are not also
plainly and evidently forbidden ; which is the very point in question. And
therefore, to make this the ground of an argument to prove this point, is a man
ifest begging the question. And what Mr. Williams says to the contrary, p.
127, that Mr. Stoddard had proved this point before, avails nothing : for let it
be never so much proved before, yet after all, to take this very point and make
use of it a? a further argument to prove itself, is certainly begging the question.
The notion of bringing a new argument is bringing additional proof : but to
take a certain point, supposed to be already proved, to prove itself with over
again, certainly does not add any thing to the evidence.
Mr. Williams says my supposing unconverted persons, as such, to he as ev
idently forbidden, as scandalous persons, is as much begging the question. I
answer, so it would be, if I made that point an argument to prove itself with
after Mr. Williams's manner. But this is far from being the case in fact.
And the question is again most certainly begged, in that other thing said to
support this argument, viz., "That though the Lord's supper may seem to have
a tendency to convert scandalous sinners, yet there is another ordinance appoint
ed for that. Here the meaning must be, that there is another ordinance ex
clusive of the Lord?s supper ; otherwise it is nothing to the purpose. For they
do not deny but that there are other ordinances for -the conversion of sinners,
who are .morally sincere, as well as of those who are scandalous. But the
question is, Whether other ordinances are. appointed for their conversion exclu
sive of the Lord's supper ; or, Whether the Lord's supper be one ordinance ap
pointed for their conversion 1 This is the grand point in question. And to take
this point as the foundation of an argument; to prove this same point, is plainly
begging the question. And it is also giving up the argument from, the tenden
cy, and resting the whole argument on another thing.

REPLY TO WILLIAMS. 267
Mr. Williams again plainly begs the question in his Reply, p. 127, that
God's prohibition is an argument, that God saw there was no such tendency for
their conversion. His so saying supposes again, that there-is no evident prohi
bition of unsanctified persons. In which he again flies to the very point in
question, and rests the weight of his reasoning upon it.
Just in the same manner Mr. Williams begs the question in espousing and
making use of that argument, " That all in the external covenant, and neither
ignorant nor scandalous, are commanded to perform all external and covenant
duties." Here it is supposed, that scandalous persons (which, according to Mr.
Williams's scheme, must include all that have not moral sincerity), though in
the external covenant, are expressly, that is, evidently, excepted and forbidden :
and that unsanctified men are not also evidently forbidden ; which is the point
in question. For if unsanctified men, though in external covenant, are as evi
dently forbidden and excepted, as scandalous men that are in external covenant,
then the argument touches not one any more than the other. So that the argu
ment is entirely a castle in the air, resting on nothing. The grand thing to be
proved, first taken for granted, and then made an argument to prove itself.
In explaining the nature oi begging the question,! observed, that it is beg
ging the question, or equivalent to it, whether the point that is taken for grant
ed, and made an argument of, be the main point in controversy, or some par
ticular known disputed point between the controverting parties. I will now
illustrate this by an example, It is a known disputed point in this controversy,
whether in the parable concerning the man without the wedding garment, the
king condemned the man for coming into - the church without grace. Now
supposing that I, because I look on the matter very clear, should, besides using
it as one distinct argument, also make it the basis of other arguments; and
should use it in opposition to the strongest arguments of my opposers, as if it
were sufficient to stop their mouths, without offering any proper solution of those
arguments : as, in case I were pressed with the argument from the passover, if
I should fly to the man without the wedding garment ; and should say, it is
certain, this argument from the passover can be of no force against the express
word of God in the 22d of Matt. For there it is plain as any fact that ever the
sun shone upon, that the king condemns the man for coming into the church
without a wedding garment ; and it is plain as the sun at noon-day, that the
wedding garment is grace. And if when the argument from Judas's partaking
of the Lord's supper is alleged, I should again fly to the man without a wed
ding garment, and say, whatever reasons Christ might have for admitting Judas,
yet it is plainly revealed in Matt. xxii. 12, that God does not approve of men's
coming into the church without a wedding garment. This would be an imper
tinent way of disputing, thus to answer, one argument by throwing another in
the way, which is contested, and the validity of which is denied. It is fair that
I should have liberty to use the argument concerning the wedding garment, in
its place, and make the most of it ; but to use it as. the support of other argu
ments, is to produce no additionalproof. And thus from time to time, to pro
duce the disputed hypothesis of one argument, for answer to the arguments of
my antagonist, instead of solving those arguments, is flying and hiding from
arguments, instead of answering them : instead of defending the fortress which
is attacked, it is dodging and flying from one refuge to another.
Mr. Williams acts this part from time to time in the use he makes of his
great argument from the Old Testament church and its ordinances. Thus^in
p. 8, he takes this method to answer my argument from the nature of visibility
and profession, insisting that the Israelites' avouching and covenanting was a

268 REPLY TO WILLIAMS.
thing compatible with ungodliness ; which he knows is a disputed point in this
controversy, and what I deny. Again he makes use of the same thing in an
swer to my argument from the nature of covenanting with God, p. 23, 24,
And again he brings it in, p. 25, 26, answering what I say, by confidently as
serting that concerning the church of Israel, which he knows is disputed, and I
deny ; viz., That the covenanting of Israel did not imply a profession that they
did already believe and repent : as in these words, " This was never intended
nor understood, in the profession which the Israelites made ; but that ihey-iwuld
immediately and from thenceforth comply with the terms of the covenant; and
by the help of God, offered in it, would fulfil it. I am sure, this was what they
professed ; and I am sure, God declared he took them into covenant with him."
And the same thing is brought in again to answer the same argument, p. 31.
The same thing is thrown in, once and again, as an answer to what I say of the
unreasonableness of accepting such professions as leave room to judge the great
er part of the professors to be enemies of God, p, 34. The same thing is cast
in as a sufficient block in the way of my arguing from the unreasonableness of
accepting such professions, as amount to nothing more than lukewarmness,.^.
36. The same is brought in, and greatly insisted on, to stop my mouth, in ar
guing from the epistles, p. 56,57. The same is brought in again to enervate my
argument concerning brotherly love, p. 69^ And this is made use of as the support
of other arguments ; as that from the name disciples, and about the church's
being the school of Christ ; and to confute what 1 say, in answer to that
argument, p. 84. The same is brought in as a support of the eleventh ob
jection, and a confutation of my answer to that, p. 125. And again, in reply
to what I say in answer to the nineteenth objection, p. 137.
Another thing, near akin to begging the question, is resting the weight of
arguments on things asserted without proof ; which, though they do not.pro-
perly make a part of the controversy, yet are things not allowed by those or*
the other side. Thus does Mr. Williams in his arguing from the success of the
Lord's supper in the conversion of sinners, p. 137, 138, supposing, not only that the
Lord's supper has been the occasion of the conversion of many, but that their
communicating was the means oi it. This he offers nothing to prove, and it is
not allowed by those on the other side* And it is what would be very hard
to prove : if many were converted at the Lord's table (which yet is not evident^
it would not prove, that their partaking was the means of their conversion ; it
might be only what they saw and heard there, which others may see and hear,
that do not partake.

SECTION IX.

Mr. Williams's Inconsistence with himself, in what he says in answer to my third
and fourth arguments, and in his reply to my arguments from the Acts, and the
Epistles, '
The last thing observed in Mr. Williams's way of disputing, is his alleging
and insisting on things wherein he is inconsistent with himself. His inconsis°-
* Thus that very eminent divine, and successful minister of Christ, the late Dr. Doddrid-e in his
Sermons on Regeneration, speaking of the means of regenerat on. d 251 212 s»v. .. I A . ° .- .1..
adiuinistration of sacraments,, upon this occasion ; because, though they'hfve Jo'noWe Z eff"S
tendency to improve men's minds in piety, and to promote Christian edification ; yet I do no" remembe W
have heard of any instance, in which they have been the means of men's conversion ¦ which" bo ; to bs
wondered at, as they are appointed for a very different end.. wnicn is noi to ds

REPLY TO WILLIAMS. 269
tencies are of many sorts : sometimes he alleges those things that are incon
sistent with the doctrine of those whose principles he pretends to maintain : he
abundantly urges those things against my scheme, which are in like manner
against his own : he often argues against those things which he allows, and
strenuously insists on : he denies what he affirms, and affirms what he utterly
denies ; laying down and urging those things which are contrary to what he
says in other books ; and sometimes contrary to what he says in the.same book :
yielding up the thing wherein the arguments lies, yet strenuously maintaining the
argument ; allowing both premises and consequence, yet finding fault, and oppos
ing: sometimes urging things which are contrary to what he says under
different arguments ; and sometimes contrary to what he says under the same
argument : sometimes contradicting himself in the plain sense and meaning of
what he says; at other times even in plain terms: sometimes in effect con
tradicting himself in the same breath, and in the same sentence.
These various kinds of inconsistence have many of them been already ob
served : and will further appear by a particular consideration of what he says
on several heads in what remains.
In my third argument, I insisted, that it could not be much to God's honor,
for men to profess the assent of their judgment to the true religion, without
pretending to any real friendship or love to God in their hearts. Mr. Williams,
in opposition, p. 34, speaks of it as an honor to" God, that secret hypocrites
openly declare their conviction of the truth of God's word, &c, as in the mul
titude of subjects is the king's honor. And yet he himself represents the matter
quite otherwise in his sermons on Christ a King and Witness ; there, in p. 87,
he has these words : " to promote the kingdom of Christ, is not to do that which
may prevail with men to make pretences that they are Christians, or that they
own Jesus Christ as their Saviour, and to call him Lord, Lord, when really he
is not so."
In answer to my fourth argument, p. 35, Mr. Williams says, I make " a
great misrepresentation of the matter, in' insinuating that according to Mr.
Stoddard's scheme [which scheme he declares himself to be of], they who are ad
mitted make a pretence of no moke than moral sincerity, and common grace."
And yet he insists, that when Philip required a profession of the Eunuch's faith,
his question designed no more than an assent of the understanding, p. 51, which
he there distinguishes from saving faith : and says, that it is morally certain
that his inquiry amounted to no more. And yet in his discourse on the same
head, p. 49, he inveighs against me for supposing it a consequence of the
opinion of my opposers, that the Eunuch, in order to come to sacraments, had
no manner of need to look at any Such qualification in himself as saving faith.
Certainly the Eunuch, in making answer to Philip's inquiry, had no need to
look at any more than Philip inquired after. In p. 50, he says, " It does not
seem at all probable, that Philip inquired any thing about the regeneration or
sanctification of the Eunuch." And yet in the next preceding sentence, he
refers ine over to another judgment, for representing as though my opposers
supposed, that it was no matter whether a person coming to gospel ordinances
had any grace or not, and had no manner of need to inquire any thing about his
sincerity. And though he highly blames me for insinuating, as above, that my oppos
ers require a pretence o/no more than common grace and moral sincerity ; yet
in opposition to my insisting on a profession of saving faith, speaking of the
profession which the apostles required, he says, p. 58, " It is certain, that a pro
fession in these words, which was wont to be required, does sometimes. import

270 REPLY TO WILLIAMS.
no more than a conviction of the understanding on moral evidence." So he
says concerning those whose admission into the Christian church we have an
account of in Acts ii. (p. 45), " There is not one word said about any other
faith, but believing that Jesus was the Messiah." And if so, then certainly
no more was professed.
In p. 35, he allows, that all visible saints who are not truly pious, are hypo
crites; and yet maintains, that the profession they make is no more than what
they may make and speak honestly and truly, p. 105, and 47. How then
are they all hypocrites, if they are honestly and truly what they profess to be 1
In supporting the argument from John's baptism, he insists, that the pro
fession the people made, did not imply, that they had savingly repented : and
that John openly supposed, that their profession didnot imply it, in what he said
to them, p 97. And in p. 98, he says, " we read not a word of John's inquir
ing whether these people made a credible profession of true, piety." And he
there manifestly suggests, that John knew they were not.pious, as he knew they
were a generation of vipers. Yet how often elsewhere does Mr. Williams insist,
that men in order to come to sacraments, must make a credible profession of
true piety and gospel holiness, and that they must in a judgment of charity be
supposed to have real godliness !
In answer to my argument from the instance of the converts in Acts ii., Mr.
Williams, speaking of their convictions, and being pricked in their heart, p.,
45, says, " They were- convinced that Jesus was the true Messiah and Saviour,,
whom God had promised to Israel, whereupon convinced of their sin, they cry out,
What shall we do ? To which the apostle replies, Repent and be baptized — in
the name of the Lord Jesus Christ for the remission of sins. There is not one
word said about any other faith, but believing that the Lord Jesus was the Messiah.
And in the two next pages Mr. Williams insists, that their gladly receiving the
word can by no necessity from the text imply more, than that they now believ
ed that Jesus was the Messiah, and that it was matter of joy to them that the
Messiah was come. So that, we have this inconsistent account of the matter
from Mr. Williams. That these people are first convinced that Jesus is the
Messiah, and this is cause of distress to them ; and they ask, what they shall do.
Hereupon the apostle directs them to believe that Jesus is the Messiah ; which
they believed already, before they asked the question : but however, when they
heard this they believed that Jesus was the Messiah ; they now found it out as
a new thing they did not know of before, and are glad at the joyful discovery;
though just before they believed the same thing, and the discovery filled them
with distress.
• In p. 47, whereas it is said concerning these new converts, " that such were
added to the church, as were the saved," Mr. Williams says, " the like appel
lation is given to the whole church of Israel." And in this and the foregoing
page, he insists, that these converts were before in the church of Israel, and
were not now admitted, but only continued as some of God's people. But if
these things were so, they were the saved before their conversion to Christianity,
as much as after ; and others that were in the Jewish church, that were not
yet converted to Christianity, were .as much the saved as they. And then why
is their being saved spoken of as what was now brought to pass, and as a thing
that distinguished the believing Jews from others ?
In the Same page Mr. Williams says, " we do not dispute' but that the
apostles supposed- and believed in eh;H*". *o far aS they had anv thing to do to
suppose or believe any thing abom k, -cnat God had given these'-persons saving
repentarJee, arid a heart-purifying faith:" And yet, ih p. 61 he speaks of the

REPLY TO WILLIAMS. 271
apostles as supposing the contrary of many of those that had been admitted into
the primitive church ; in that they speak of them as such temples oi God as
might be destroyed : " which (says Mr. Williams) cannot be true of sanctified
persons, unless they can fall from grace."
In his answer to the argument from Philip and the Eunuch, he supposes,
that believing, with, all the heart is only such a belief of the doctrine of Chris
tianity as unsanctified men may have. And yet in that forementioned place,
Christ a King and Witness, p. 144, he says, a man before he is "renewed by
the Holy Ghost, has a view, of the truth as a doubtful, uncertain thing." And
in'the'book now especially attended to, he in effect owns the thing, which he
earnestly disputes against in reply to this argument. He greatly insists, that
the phrase, with all the heart, does- not signify gracious sincerity; and yet he
owns it does, p. 51 and 52': he owns, that according to the usual way of speak
ing among mankind, both in our days, and also in the times when the Scrip
tures were written, " God 'requires men to give him their hearts," " intending
by it such a sincerity as God will own and accept ; which besure (says he) is
nothing else than a gracious sincerity ; which never can be, unless the whole
soul and, all its faculties be engaged for God." Then afterwards adds, "But
how will this anyways prove, that when men use the same expressions, it must
necessarily be understood in- the same sense?" And yet in the same breath,
he had observed that God in thus using the phrase, uses it according to the
usual manner of speaking among mankind. He gives this reason why the phrase
need not be understood in the same sense when used by men, that men are not
searchers of hearts. But the argument is about the phrase as Philip put it to
the Eunuch's own conscience, which was or ought to be a searcher of his
heart. -
And by the way I must observe, that Mr. Williams would have done well,
if he was able, to have reconciled these repugnant things, taken notice of in my
book; "That with the heart man believeth to righteousness, and that if men
believe with the heart that God raised Christ from the dead, they shall be
saved ;" agreeable to Rom. x. 9, 10. And yet that men may " believe this with
their heart, yea, and'with all their heart, and still not believe to righteousness,
nor ever be saved." So likewise, " That whoever shall confess that Jesus is
the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God ;" as in 1 John iv. 15.
And that whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ, is born of God," 1 John
v. 1. And yet that man may believe this very thing with all his heart, and
confess it with his mouth ; and this in the language of the same apostles and
primitive ministers; and still not be born of God, nor have a spark of grace in
him. It may also be worthy to be considered, whether it be reasonable to sup
pose, that the faith which a man must profess, in order to being in the visible
kingdom of Christ, and not in the visible kingdom of the devil, must not be
some other sort of faith than that which the devil has : that seeing the very
design of a public profession of religion is to declare on which side we are,
whether ori Christ's or the devil's, no other faith is required to be professed,
than such as Satan himself has, and such as is not at all inconsistent with being
a "willing, cursed servant and slave of the devil,- and enemy to Christ;" as Mr.
Williams says, all unsanctified men are.
Mr. Williams, in his reply to my argument from the epistles, p. 55, speaks
of it as an unaccountable thing, that I should represent as if, according to the
principles of my opposers, the primitive Christians were not admitted " under
any such notion of their being really godly persons, or with any respect to

272 REPLY TO WILLIAMS.
such a character :"* and yet in his discourse on the same head, he abundantly
insists, that it was not real holiness, but only federal holiness, which was the
qualification, which the apostles had reference to in admitting them ; expressly
from time to time, distinguishing/ederoZ holiness from real. In p. 56, and 57,
" It makes it evident (says he) that this manner of treating churches and bodies
of men, and such expressions used to them and of them, are to be understood in
no other sense, than to signify federal holiness." So in p. 60, he affirms the
same thing once and again, distinguishing/ederaZ holiness from real. He says,
"They formed no positive judgment of their real piety. And knew nothing
at all about them, but only that they were federally holy." And again,
" They did not make a positive judgment, that these persons were really
godly ; and the high characters they gave them, and the hopes they expressed
concerning them, could be understood in no other sense than as holding forth a
federal. holiness," So that by this they express no hopes concerning any
thing more than their federal holiness, as distinguished from real. And he ar
gues earnestly through the two next pages, that they could not.be looked upon,
many of them, as having real holiness. How does this consist with .their being
treated as visible saints ; under the notion of their having real holiness, and
from respect to such a character appearing on them? Or with none's, being
visible saints, but such as have a credible visibility of gospel holiness 1
So in p. 63, he speaks of fhe gross scandals of many of those the apQstles
wrote to, as an absolute proof, that they considered them only as feaerdbj
holy ; which he in the same place distinguishes from real holiness. Then haw
were they treated (as he insists) as those that " had, the character of keal piety
appearing on them, and as making a credible profession of gospel holiness, and
real Christianity ?" Which he abundantly allows, all must make in order to
being visible saints. See also p. 64.
In p. 58, Mr. Williams insists, that it does not appear, that those who are
admitted into the primitive church, "made. a declaration that they had saving
faith, but only that they engaged to that faith." But how does this consist
with what he abundantly says elsewhere, that they must pretend to real piety,
make a profession of gospel holiness, exhibit moral evidence that they have
such holiness, &c. ? These things are something else besides engaging to
saving faith and gospel holiness for the future.

SECTION X.
The Unreasonableness and Inconsistency of Mr. "Williams's Answer to my Argument
from the Man without a Wedding Garment, and concerning Brotherly Love, and
from 1 Cor. xi. 28, and of what he says in support of the fifteenth objection.
Mr. Williams, in answering my argument from Matt. xxii. 11, allows thai
the kings house, into which the guests came is the visible church, p. 43, 44.
So that the man's coming in hither, is his coming into the visible church. Nor
does he at all dispute but that by the wedding garment is meant saving grace
(for truly the thing is too evident to be disputed) : and yet he says, p. 43, " We
read nothing of Christ's condemning the man for coming into the church with
out saving grace." So that Mr. Williams's answer amounts plainly to this :
* So in. P- 132>. he exclaims against me thus : "After all this, to repeat it again and again, that these
persons have no visibility to reason of real saintship, &c., I think, gives better ground to retort Mr.
Edwaids's words."

EEPLY TO WILLIAMS. 273"
the king, when he comes to judgment, will say, I do not at all condemn thee for
coming in hither without a wedding garment : but, friend, how earnest thou in-
hither without a wedding garment ? And no wonder ; the case is too plain to
allow of any' other than such a lamentable refuge as this is. If the wedding
garment be saving grace, which is not denied ; and if coming into the king's
house be coming into the visible church, as Mr. Williams owns : then if the
king condemns the man for coming into the house, without a wedding garment,
he condemns him for coming into the visible church without saving grace.
It is, plain, the thing the man is blamed for, is something else than simply
a being without grace, or -without a wedding garment. The king's words have
respect to this as it stands in connexion with coming into the king's house. If
Christ has commanded men who are not converted, to come into the church, that
they may be converted, he will never say to them, upon their obeying this com
mand, " Friend, how earnest thou in hither before,thou Wast converted ?" Which
would be another thing than blaming him simply for not being converted. If
a man, at his own cost sets up a school, in order to teach ignorant children to
read ; and accordingly ignorant children should go thither in order to learn
to read, would he come into the school, and say in anger to an ignorant child
that he found there ; " How earnest thou in hither before thou hast learnt to
read 1" Did the Apostle Paul ever rebuke the heathen, who came to hear him
preach the gospel, saying, " How came you hither to hear me preach, not hav
ing grace 1" This would have been unreasonable, because preaching is an
ordinance appointed to that end, that men might obtain grace. And so in Mr.
Williams's scheme is the Lord's supper. Can we suppose that Christ will say
to men in indignation, at the day of Judgment, " How came you to presume to
use the means I appointed for your conversion, before you were converted 1"
It is true the servants were to invite all, both bad and good, to come to the
feast, and to compel them to come in ; but this does not prove, that bad men,
remaining in their badness, have a lawful right to come. The servants were
to invite the vicious as well as the moral ; they were to invite the heathen, who
were especially meant by them that were in the highways and hedges : yet it
will not follow that the heathen, while remaining heathen, have a lawful right
to come to Christian sacraments. But heathen men must turn from their hea
thenism, and come ; so likewise wicked men must turn from their wickedness,
and come.
I endeavored to prove, that 'that brotherly love, which is required towards the
members of the Christian church in general, is such a love as is required to
those only whom we have reason to look upon as true saints. Mr. Williams
disputes, through two pages (p. 66, 67), against the force of my reasoning to
prove this point ; and yet when he has done, he allows.the point. He allows
it, p. 68, as an undisputed thing, that " it is the image of Gpd and Christ ap
pearing or supposed to be in others, that is the ground and reason of this love."
And so again, p. 71, he grants, that " there must be some apprehension, and judg
ment of the mind, of the saintship of persons," in order to this brotherly love.
Indeed he pretends to differ from me in this, that he denies the need of any posi
tive judgment : but doubtless the judgment or apprehension of the mind must be
as positive as the love founded on that apprehension and judgment of the mind.
In p. 78, 79, he seems to insist that what the apostle calls unworthy com
municating, is eating in a greedy, disorderly and irreverent manner : as though
men might communicate without grace, and yet not communicate unworthily,
in the apostle's sense. But if so, the apostle differed much, in his sense of
things from Mr. Williams. The latter says, in his sermon on Christ a King and
,Vol. I. 35

274 REPLY TO WILLIAMS.
Witness, p. 77, 78, " These outward acts of worship, when not performed from
faith in Christ, and love to God, are mocking God ; in their own nature a lie;
the vilest wickedness ; instead of being that religion, which Christ requires, it
is infinitely contrary to it. The most flagrant and abominable impiety, and
threatened with the severest damnation." Is not this a communicating unwor
thily enough of all reason !
In p. 132, 133, Mr. Williams strenuously opposes me in my supposition, that
the way of freely allowing all that have only moral sincerity to come into the
church, tends to the reproach and ruin of the church. On the contrary he seems
to suppose it tends to the establishing and building up of the church. But I de
sire that what Mr. Stoddard says, in his sermon on the Banger of speedy Degen
eracy, may be considered under this head. He there largely insists, that the
prevailing of unconverted, men and unholy professors among a people, is-the
principal thing that brings them into danger of speedy degeneracy and corrup
tion. He says, that " where this is the case, there will be many bad examples,
that will corrupt others ; and that unconverted men will indulge their children
in evil, will be negligent in their education ; and that by this means their
children will be very corrupt and ungoverned ;* that by this means the godly
themselves that . are among them, will be tainted, as sweet liquor put into a
corrupt vessel will be tainted ; that thus a people will grow blind, will not much
regard the warnings of the word, or the judgments of God ; and that they will
grow weary of religious duties after a while ; and that many of their leading
men will be carnal ; and that this will expose a people to have carnal ministers
and other leading men in the town and church."
And I desire also that here may be considered what Mr. Williams himself
says, in that passage forecited, p. 86, 87, of his sermons on Christ a King and
Witness; where in explaining what it is to promote the kingdom of Christ, he says
negatively, that " it is not to do that which may prevail on men to make preten
ces that they are Christians, and that they own Jesus Christ as their Saviour,
and to call him Lord, Lord, when really he is not so." Which he supposes is
the case with all unsanctified professors; for in the same book, he abundantly
declares, that they who make such pretences and have not true faith and love,
make false and lying pretences ; as has been several times already observed.

SECTION XI.

The impertinence of arguments, that are in like manner against the schemes oTboth the
controverting paw'es : and this exemplified in what Mr. Williams says concerning
the notion of Israel's being the People of God, and his manner of afo-uino- con
cerning the Members of the primitive Christian Church.
Inasmuch as in each of the remaining instances of Mr. Williams's arguing,
that I shall take notice of, he insists upon and urges arguments, which are in
like manner against his own scheme, as against mine, I desire that such a way
of arguing may be a little particularly considered.
And here I would lay down this as a maxim of undoubted verity— That an
^ If we have reason to expect it will be thus with ungodly parents, with' respect to their children,
then certainly such cannot, reasonably expect ministers and churches should admit their children to bap
tism, in a dependence that they do give them up to God, and will bring them up in the nurture and admonition
of the Lord, if they make no profession that implies more than moral sincerity: and none" but what
wicked men may as well make as the godly, and speak true. ¦

KEPLY TO WILLIAMS. S7ft
argument, brought to support one scheme against another, can avail notl'mi; io
the purpose it is brought for, if it is at the same time against the w hi-wt it
would support, in like manner as against that which it would destroy.
It is an old and approved maxim, "That argument which proves too it, tub,
proves nothing,*' j. e., if it proves too much for him that brings it, proves at;;i.n„t
himself jn like manner as against his opponent, then it is nothing to helj. his
cause. The reason of it is plain : the business of a dispute is to make ¦ . c
cause good against another, to make one scale heavier than the other. L;il
when a man uses dn argument which takes alike out of both scales, this does not
at all serve to make, his' side preponderate, but leaves the balance just as it was.
Arguments brought by any man ih a dispute, if they. are not altogether im
pertinent, are against the difference between him and his opponent, or against
his opponent's differing from him : for wherein there is no difference, there is
no dispute. But that can be no argument against his opponent's differing from
him, which is only an argument against what is common to both, and taken
from some difficulty that both sides equally share in. If- 1 charge supposed ab
surdities or difficulties against him that differs from me, as ah argument to show
the unreasonableness of his differing ; and yet the difficulty is not owing to his
differing from me, inasmuch as the same would lie against him, if he agreed
with me, my conduct herein, is both very impertinent and injurious.
If one in a dispute insists on an argument, that lies equally against his own
scheme as the other, and yet will stand to.it that his argument is good, he in
effect stands to it that his own scheme is not good ; he supplants himself, and
gives up his own cause, in opposing his adversary ; ih holding fast his argu
ment, he holds fast what is his own overthrow; and in insisting that his argu
ment is solid and strong, he in effect insists that his own scheme is weak and
vain. If my antagonist will insist upon it that his argument is good, that he
brings against me, which is in like manner against himself; then I may take
the same argument, in. my turn, and use it against him, and he can have nothing
to answer ; but has stopped his own mouth, having owned the argument to be
conclusive. Now such sort of arguments as these, Mr. Williams abundantly makes
use of.
For instance, the argument taken from the whole nation of Israel's being
called God's people, and every thing that Mr. Williams alleges, pertaining to
this matter, is in like manner against his own scheme as against mine : and
that, let the question be what it will ; whether it be about the qualifications
which make it lawful for the church to admit, or about the lawfulness of per
sons' coming to sacraments ; whether it be about the profession they should
make before men, or the internal qualification they must have in the sight of
God. And what Mr. Williams says to the contrary, does not relieve the argu
ment from this embarrassment and absurdity. After all he has said, in
turning and twisting it, to, save the force of it, the argument, if any thing re
lated to the controversy, is plainly this, " That because fhe whole nation of
Israel were God's visible people .[which is the same as visible saints'], therefore
the Scripture notion of visible saintship is of larger extent than mine; and the
Scripture supposes those to be visible saints, which" my scheme does not suppose
to be so.
But if this be Mr. Williams's argument, then let us see whether it agrees
any better-with his own scheme. Mr. Blake (Mr. Williams's great author) :n
his book on the Covenant, p. 190, insists that " Israel at the very worst is owned
as God's covenant people, and were called God's people ;" and p. 149, that

276 EEPLY TO WILLIAMS.
"all the congregation of Israel, and every one of them, are called hcly, and
God's own people, even Korah and his company." And p. 253, 254, he urges
that every one who is descended from Jacob, even the worst of Israel, in their
lowest state and condition, were God's people in covenant, called by the name
of God's people." And Mr. Williams herein follows Mr. Blake and urges the
same thing; that this nation was God's covenant people, and were called God's
people, at the time that they we're carried captive into Babylon, p. 24, when
they were undoubtedly at their worst, more corrupt than at any other time we
read of in ^Jie Old Testament ; being represented by the prophets, as overrun
with abominable idolatries, and other kinds of the most gross, heaven-daring
impieties, most obstinate, abandoned, pertinacious and irreclaimable in their re
bellion against God, and against his word by his prophets. But yet these, it is
urged, are called the people of God ; not agreeable to my notion of visible saint
ship, but agreeable to Mr. Williams's. What his notion of visible saints is, he
tells us in p. 139. He there says expressly that he " does not suppose persons
to be visible saints, unless they exhibit a credible , profession and visibility of
gospel holiness." Now do those things said about those vile wretches in Israel
agree with this 1 Did they exhibit moral evidence oi gospel holiness ? But if
we bring the matter lower still, and say, the true notion of 'visible saintship is a
credible appearance and moral evidence oi moral sincerity ; does this flagrant
open, abandoned, obstinate impiety, consist with moral evidence of such sin
cerity as that 1 It is as apparent therefore, in Mr. Williams's scheme as mine,
that when these are called God's people, it is in some other sense than that
wherein the members of the Christian church are called visible saints. And in
deed the body of the nation of Israel, in those corrupt times, were so far from
being God's church of visibly pious persons, visibly endowed with gospel holi
ness, that that people, as to the body of them, were visibly and openly declared
by God, to be a whore and a witch, and her children' bastards, or children of
adultery. Isa. lvii. 3, " Draw near hither, ye sons of the sorceress, the seed of
the adulterer and the whore." We have the like in other places. And so the
body of the same people in Christ's time (which Mr. Williams supposes even
then to be branches of the true olive, in the same manner as fhe members of the
Christian church were in the apostles' times), are visibly declared not to be
God's children, or children of the true church, but bastards, or an adulterous
brood. Matt. xii. 39, " An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a.sign"
Ver. 45, " Even so shall it be with this wicked generation." And certainly
the people were then, visibly and in the eyes of men, such as Christ had visibly
and openly and m the sight of men declared them to be.
If the question be not concerning the visibility which makes it lawful for
others to admit persons, but concerning the qualifications which render it MM
fir them to come, still the objection is no more against my scheme, than against
Mr. Williams s. He, in p. 84, 85 and 86, says, that " such openly scandalous
persons ought not to be admitted into the church;" insinuating, that these
scandalous people among the Jews were otherwise when they were admitted at
first : but that being taker, in and not cast out again, it was lawful for them to
be there and they had a lawful right to the privileges of the church. But this
supposition, that all that are lawfully admitted by others, may lawfully come
into the church, and lawfully continue to partake of its privileges till cast out,
is utterly _ inconsistent with Mr. Williams's own scheme. For according to his
scheme, it is not lawful for men that are not morally sincere, to partake -of the
privileges of the church ; but yet such may, m some cases, be lawfully admitted by
others ; for he maintains, that in admitting them, they are not to act as search-

REPLY TO WILLIAMS. 277-
ers of hearts, even with regard to their moral sincerity ; and so argues, p. 106,.
that Christ might give Judas the sacrament, when not morally sincere. If.
Christ, as. head of the visible church might admit Judas to his table, when he
knew he was not morally sincere, and when it was not lawful for Judas himself
to come ; then it is lawful for men to admit some, for whom it is not lawful to
be there ; contrary to Mr. Williams's assertion in p. 86.
It is true, that persons may become grossly scandalous, after having been
regularly admitted on Mr. Williams's principles, on a profession in words of
indiscriminate signification. And so they may, after being regularly admitted,
according to my principles, on a credible profession of gospel holiness in words
of a determinate meaning : and therefore, the gross wickedness of such apos
tates as we read of in Scripture, is no more an objection against my principles,
than his. ,
Just in the same manner is Mr. Williams's arguing, p. 59, 60, 61, 62, 63,
concerning the members of churches, mentioned in the epistles, equally against
his own scheme and mine. He largely insists upon it, that the apostle speaks
of many of them as grossly scandalous, notoriously wicked persons, idolaters,
heretics, fornicators, adulterers, adulteresses, &c. &c. In his arguing from these
things, he is inconsistent with his own principles, two ways. (1.) Such a cha
racter is as plainly inconsistent with the character he insists on as necessary to
render it lawful for persons to come to sacraments, as mine. And, (2.) It is
utterly inconsistent with what he often declares to be his notion of visible saint
ship, necessary to a being admitted by others ; so no more an argument against
my opinion of visible saintship, than his own.

SECTION XII.

The great Argument from the Jewish Sacraments, of the Passover and Circumcision,.
considered.
As has been observed concerning the argument from the Jewish nation, so
the argument from the' Jewish ordinances, if it be against my scheme, is as
plainly, in every respect, against Mr. Williams's.
This grand argument, as plainly expressed, or implied in Mr. Stoddard's
words (which Mr Williams insists I should attend to), is this :
God did expressly command all the nation of Israel to be circumcised ; and
he also expressly commanded the whole nation to come to the passover ; ex
cepting such as were ceremonially unclean, or on a journey. Therefore it was
lawful for unsanctified men to c'ome. (See Mr. Stoddard's sermon on the Con-
trov., p. 8, and Appeal, p. 51.) The want of sanctification never was alleged
by any man as a reason for forbearing the passover, Appeal, p. 51. Unsanc
tified persons' attending this ordinance is never charged on them as a sin in
Scripture, Ibid. Jesus Christ himself partook of the passover with Judas;
which proves it to be lawful for unsanctified men to come to the passover. But
such as might lawfully come to the passover, may lawfully come to the Lord's
supper. Now let us consider what are the qualifications, which are necessary, ac
cording to Mr. Williams's scheme, to a lawful coming to Christian sacraments ;
and then see whether this objection, in every part of it, and every thing that
belongs to it, be not as plainly and directly against his own scheme, as mine.

278 REPLY TO WILLIAMS.
According to Mr. Williams, it is not lawful for a man to come, unless he is
morally sincere, Prefi, p. 2, 3, 21, 25, 30, 35, 36, 111, 115. And, according
as he has explained this moral sincerity, which is necessary in order to come to
sacraments, it implies " a real conviction of the judgment and conscience of
the truth of the great things of religion ; a deep conviction of a man's undone
state without Christ, and an earnest concern to obtain salvation by him ; a fer
vent desire of Christ and the benefits of the covenant of grace, with an earnest
purpose and resolution to seek salvation on the terms of it ; a man's being wil
ling to do the utmost that he can, by the utmost improvement of his natural and
moral power, in the most earnest and diligent use of the ordinances of salva
tion ; being resolved for Christ, coming to a point, being engaged for heaven;
having a settled determination of the judgment and affections for God ; giving
up all his heart and life to Christ, &c. &c."* Such moral sincerity as this is
necessary, according to Mr. Williams, to be found in professing Christians, in
order to their lawful coming to Christian sacraments. And he says they are
received into the church, " on like terms, by entering into covenant in like man
ner, as the Jews ; and that their holiness, both real and federal, is the same
with theirs, p. 56, 57, 61, 65. So that according to this scheme, none but
those that had such qualifications as these, such a sincerity and erigagedness in
religion as this, might lawfully come to the. passover. But now do the things
alleged agree any better with this his scheme, than with mine 1 If the^case
be so, to what purpose is it alleged, that God, in Numb. chap, ix., expressly
commanded all of that perverse, rebellious and obstinate generation in the wil
derness, and the whole nation of Israel, in all generations, to keep the passover,
excepting such as were ceremonially unclean or on a journey, without the ex
ception of any other ? Was every one else of such a character as is above
described ? Was every one under deep convictions, and persons of such earnest
engagedness in religion, of such settled, strong resolution to give up their ut
most strength and all their heart and life to God, &c. 1 Mr. Williams suggests,
that "those who had not moral sincerity are expressly excepted1 from the com
mand," p. 93. But I wish he had mentioned the place of Scripture. He cites
Mr. Stoddard, 'who says, "God appointed sacrifice to be offered for scandal,
with confession." But where did God appoint sacrifice for the want of such
sincerity, for the want of such deep conviction, earnest desire, and fixed resolution,
as Mr. Williams speaks of 1 And where are such as are without these things ex
pressly excepted from the command to keep the' passover 1 And besides there were
many scandalous sins, for which no sacrifice was appointed : as David's murder
and adultery, and the sin of idolatry (which the nation in general often fell into),
and many other gross sins. Nor was there any precept for deferring the keep
ing of the passover, in case of scandalous wickedness, or moral uncleannes3,
until there should be opportunity for cleansing by sacrifice, &c., as was in the
case of ceremonial uncleanness.
Mr. Stoddard says, " The want of sanctification was never alleged by aoy
man as a reason for forbearing the passover." So, where do we read in any
part of the Bible, that ever the want of such deep conviction, &c, as Mr. Wil
liams speaks of, or indeed any scandalous moral uncleanness, was ever alleged
by any man as a reason for forbearing to eat the passover 1 Mr. Stoddard urges
that unsanctified persons attending the passover was never charged on them as
a sin. And Where do we read of persons' coming without such moral sincerity
being any more charged on them as a sin, than the' other 1 We have reason
? P. 10, 11, 30, 31, 35, 36, 53, S3, 125, and many other places.

REPLY TO WILLIAMS. 279
to think, it was a common thing for parents that had no such moral sincerity,
yea, that were grossly and openly wicked, to have their children circumcised ;
for the body of the people were often so : but where is this charged as a sin ?
Mr. Stoddard says (Serm. p. 7), Ishmael was circumcised, but yet a carnal per
son. And there is as much reason to say, he was not oi the character Mr.
Williams insists on, " under deep convictions, having- earnest desires of grace,
a full and -fixed determination, with all his heart, to the utmost of his power, to
give his whole life to God," &c. Mr. Stoddard says (Serm. p. 8), Hezekiah
sent to invite the people of Ephraim and Manasseh, and other tribes, to cele
brate the passover, though they had lived in idolatry for some ages." But if so,
this was as much of an evidence, that they were not of such a character as Mr.
Williams insists on, as that they were without sanctifying grace. Mr. Williams
says, p. 91, " The Israelites had carefully attended the seal of circumcision, from
the time of its institution, till the departure out of Egypt." But surely most of
them at the same time were without Mr. Williams's moral sincerity ; for it is
abundantly manifest, that the body of the people fell away to idolatry in
Egypt. See Lev. xvii. 7, Josh. xxiv. 14, Ezek. xx. 8, and xxiii. 3, 8, 27. And
there is not the least appearance of any more exception, either in the pre
cepts or history of the Old Testament j of the case of moral sincerity, in such, as
attended these ordinances, than of ungodliness, or an unsanctified state.
Mr. Stoddard urges that " Jesus Christ himself partook of the passover,
with Judas ;" and thence he would argue that it was lawful for an unregene
rate person to partake of the Lord's supper. But there can be no argument, ins
any sort, drawn from this to prove that it is lawful for men' to partake of the
Lord's supper without sanctifying grace, any more than that it is lawful for
them to partake without moral sincerity : for it is every whit as evident, that
Judas was at that time without moral sincerity, as that he was unregenerate.
We have no greater evidence, in all the Scripture history, of the moral insin
cerity of any one man than Judas, at the time when he partook of the passover
with Christ; he having just then been and bargained with the high priest, to
betray him, and being then in prosecution of the horrid design of the murder of
the Son of God.
If anything contrary to my principles could be argued from all Israel's
being required, throughout their generations, to come to the passover and cir
cumcision, it would be this ; that all persons, of all sorts, throughout all Chris
tendom, might lawfully come to baptism and the Lord's supper ; godly and un
godly, the knowing and the ignorant, the moral and the vicious, orthodox and
heretical, Protestants and Papists alike. But this does not agree with Mr.
Williams's principles, any better than with mine.

SECTION XIII.
Concerning Judas's partaking of the Lord's Supper.
I think, We have a remarkable instance of tergiversation, in what Mr.
Williams says in support of the argument from Judas's partaking of the Lord's
supper. By those on his side of the question, it is insisted upon, as a clear evi
dence of its being lawful for unsanctified men fo come to the Lord's table, that
Christ gave the Lord's supper to Judas, when he knew he was unsanctified. In
answer to which, I showed, that this is just as much against their own princi-

280 REPLY TO WILLIAMS.
pies, as mine ; because Christ knew as perfectly that he was not morally sin
cere, as that he was not graciously sincere; and they themselves hold, that it
is not lawful for such as are not morally sincere, to partake. Mr. Williams
ridicules this, as very impertinent and strange ; because " Christ did not know
this as head of the visible church, but only as omniscient God and searcher
of hearts." And what does this argue 1 Only, that although Judas was really
not fit to come, yet inasmuch as Christ, acting as king of the visible church, did
not know it, he might admit him: but not that it w as lawful for Judas him
self to come, who knew his own heart in this matter, and knew his own per-
fidiousness and treachery ; for Mr. Williams denies, that it is lawful for such to
come, as have no moral sincerity. So that here the question is changed, from
" Who may lawfully come 1" to " Who may lawfully be admitted 1" Mr.
Williams does abundantly, in his book, insist that the question is not, " Who
shall be admitted ? but who may lawfully come V Not, whether it be lawful
to admit those who have not a visibility of saintship, or do not appear to be true
saints ? But whether those who are not true saints, may lawfully partake 1
And this he insists upon in his discourse on this very argument, p. 104. And' to
prove this latter point, viz., that " those who are not real saints, may lawfully
come," the instance of Judas's coming to the Lord's supper is produced as an
undeniable evidence. But when it is answered, that the argument does not
prove this, any more than that the morally insincere may lawfully come ; be
cause Judas was morally insincere : then Mr. Williams, p. 106, to shelter him
self, dodges, and evidently changes the question at once, to that which he had
so much exclaimed against as not the question. Now, to serve his turn, the
question is not whether Judas might lawfully come ? But, whether Christ
might lawfully admit him, acting on a public visibility 1 And he makes an
occasion to cry out of me, as talking strangely, and soon forgetting that I had
said, Christ, in this matter, did not act as searcher of hearts. Whereas, let the
question be what it will, the argument from Judas's partaking (should the
fact be supposed), if it proves any thing relating to the matter, is perfectly and
in every respect, against the one, just as it is against the other. If the question
be about profession and visibility to others, and whom others may lawfully ad
mit, then Judas's being admitted (if he was, admitted) no mor'e proves that men
may be admitted without a visibility and profession of godliness, than without
a visibility of moral sincerity. For it no more appears, that he was without a
profession and visibility of the former, than of the latter. But if, the question
is not about visibility to others, or who others may admit, but who may law
fully come, then Judas's coming no more proves, that a man may come without
grace, than without moral sincerity ; because he was in like manner without
both : and Christ knew as perfectly, that he was without the one, as the other ;
and was not ignorant of the one case, as king of the visible church, any more
than of the other. So that there is no way to support this argument, or to
make any thing at all of it; but the only way left is, to hide- the question, by
shifting and changing it ; to have one question in the premises, and to slip in
another into the conclusion. Which is according to the course Mr. Williams
takes. In the premises, p. 104, 105, he expressly mentions Mr. Stoddard's
question, as now in view ; and agreeably must here have this for his question,
" Whether it was lawful for a man so qualified to come to the Lord's sup'per 1"
Who, according to Mr. Williams's own doctrine, p. Ill, ought to act as a dis-
cerner of his own heart. But in his conclusion, p. 106, he has this for his
question, " Whether Christ might lawfully admit a man so qualified," therein-
not acting as the searcher of hearts 1 — What shuffling is this !

REPLY TO WILLIAMS. 281

SECTION XIV.

Concerning that great Argument, which Mr. Williams urges in various parts of his
Bpok, of those being born in the church, who are Children of Parents that are in
Covenant. It is hard to understand distinctly what Mr. Williams would be at, con
cerning this matter, or what his argument is. He often speaks of parents that
are in. covenant, as born in covenant, and so born in the church. (For to be in
covenant, is the 'same with him as to be members of the visible church. See
p. 98, 88, 89, 59, 60, 136.) And he speaks of them as admitted into the church
in their ancestors, and by the profession of their ancestors, p. 135, 136. Yea,
for ought I can see, he holds that they were born members in complete stand
ing in the visible church, p.. 3.
And yet he abundantly speaks of their being-, admitted into the church, and
made members, after they are born, viz., by their baptism. And his words (un
less' we will suppose him to speak nonsense) are such as will not allow us to
understand him, merely, that baptism is a sign and public acknowledgment of
their having been admitted in their ancestors, in preceding generations. For
He speaks of baptism as " the only rite (or way) of admission into the visible
church," applying it to the baptism of children ; and as that which " makes
them members of the body of Christ," p. 99. And he grants, that " it was or
dained for the admission of the party baptized into the visible church," p. 99, t
100. That " baptism is an admission ; and that they were thus before admit
ted," p. 100, stilt speaking of the baptism of infants, and -of admission of mem
bers into churches. But surely these things do not harmonize with the doctrine
of their first- receiving being in the church (as a branch receives being in the
tree, and grows in it and from it), or their being born in the covenant, born in
the house of God. And yet these repugnant things are uttered as it were in the
same breath by Mr. Williams, p. 99. And he joins them together in the same
line, p. 46, in these words : " Baptism instituted by him, as a rite of admission
into his church, and being continued in covenant with God." Certainly a be
ing then admitted into the church, and a being continued in-covenant (or in the
church) into which they were admitted before, are not the same thing, nor con
sistent one with another. If infants are born members in complete standing,
as it seems Mr. Williams holds, then their baptism does nothing towards mak
ing them members ; nor is there any need of it to make the matter more com
plete. Again, in p. 3 (the same page where he speaks of infants as members hav ¦
ing a complete standing in the church), he maintains, that nothing else is
requisite in order to " communion and privileges of members in complete stand
ing, but only that they should be capable hereof, and ' should desire the same,,
and should not be under censure, or scandalously ignorant or immoral." See
also p. 100, to the same purpose. Mr. Williams says this in opposition to my
insisting on something further, viz., making a profession of godliness. And yet
he himself insists on something further, as much as I; which has been observ
ed before. For he abundantly insists on a personal, explicit prof ession and open
declaration of believing that the gospel is indeed the revelation of God, and of
a hearty consent to the terms of fhe covenant of grace, &c. And speaks of
the whole controversy as turning upon that single point, of the degree of evi-
1 dence to he given, and the kind of profession to be- made, whether in words of
indiscriminate meaning ? See p. 5, 6. And consequently not, whether they
Vol. I. " 36

282 REPLY TO WILLIAMS.
must make any profession at all, having been completely admitted before, in
the profession of their ancestors 1
Therefore, if it be so, that the infants of visible believers are born in fhe
church,, and are already members in complete standing, and do not drop out of
the church, and fall from a complete standing, when they grow up ; and there
fore if they are not ignorant nor immoral, and desire full communion, nothing
else can be required of them :. and it will hence follow, contrary to my princi
ples, that they cannot be required to make a profession in words oi discriminate
meaning : but then, it also equally follows, contrary to his principles, that nei
ther can they be required to make a profession in words oi indiscriminate mean
ing. If nothing else besides those forementioned things is necessary, then no
profession is necessary, in any words at all, neither of determinate nor indeter
minate signification. So that Mr. Williams, in supposing some personal pro
fession to be necessary, gives up and destroys this his grand argument.
But if he did not give it up by this means, it would not be tenable on other
principles belonging to his scheme ; such as its being'necessary in order to a
being admitted to sacraments, that persons should have a visibility that recom
mends them to the reasonable judgment and apprehension of the minds of
others, as true Christians, really pious persons, and that there should be such a
profession as exhibits moral evidence of this. , For who will say, that the indi
vidual profession of an ancestor, a thousand or fifteen hundred years ago, is a
credible exhibition and moral evidence of the real piety of his present posterity;
without any personal, explicit profession of any thing about religion, in any
one of the succeeding generations 1 And if Mr. Williams had not said, there
must be a credible exhibition of ¦ gospel holiness, but only some common faith
or virtue ; yet no such thing is made visible to a rational judgment and appre
hension of mind, by this means. How, for instance, does it make orthodoxy..
visible 1 What reasonable ground is there in it, at such a day as this in Eng
land, to believe concerning any man, that he believes the doctrine of the Trin
ity, and all other fundamental doctrines, with full conviction, arid with all his
heart, because he descended from an ancestor that made a good profession,' when
the ancient Britons or Saxons were converted from heathenism, arid because
withal he is free from open, scandalous immorality, and appears willing to at
tend duties of public worship 1 li an attendance on these public duties was in
its own nature a profession of orthodoxy, or even piety ; yet the reason of man
kind teaches them the need of joining words and actions together in public mani
festations of the mind, in cases of importance : speech being the great and
peculiar talent, which God has given to mankind, as the special means and, in
strument of the manifestation of their minds one to another. Thus treaties of'
peace among men are not concluded and finished with actions only, without
words. Feasting together was used of old, as a testimony of peace and cove
nant friendship ; as between Isaac and Abimelech, Laban and Jacob, but not
without a verbal profession. Giving the hand, delivering the ring, &c, are to
express a marriage agreement and union ; but still a profession in words is an
nexed. So we allow it to be needful, after persons have fallen into scandal,
that in manifesting repentance there should be a verbal -profession, besides at
tending duties of worship. Eajthly princes will not trust a profession of alle
giance, in actions only, such as bowing, kneeling, keeping the king's birth day,
&c:, but they require also a profession in Words, and an oath of allegiance is
demanded. Yea, it is thought to be reasonably demanded, in order to men's
coming to the actual possession and enjoyment of those privileges they are-born
heirs to. Thus, the eldest sons of noblemen in Great Britain, are born heirs to

REPLY TO WILLIAMS. 283-
the honors and estatt, of their fathers ; yet this no way hinders but they may
be obliged when they come to ripeness of age, in order to a being invested in
the actual possession, to take the oath of allegiance : though in order to their
lawfully doing it, it may be necessary they should believe in their hearts, that
king George is the lawful prince, and that they should not be enemies to him,
and friends to the pretender, in their hearts.
But moreover, if this objection of Mr. Williams about infants being born in
the church be Well1 considered, it will appear to be all beside the question, and
so nothing to the purpose. It is not to the purpose of either of the questions,
Mr. Williams's or mine. The question as I have stated it, is concerning them
that may be admitted members in complete standing ; not about them that
have a complete standing in the church already, and so are no candidates for
admission; which-he says is the case of these infants. And the question as he
often states it, is concerning them that may lawfully come : and this objec
tion,- from infants' being born in the church, as it must be understood from Mr.
Williams, does not touch this question. For when Mr. Williams objects, that
some persons are born in the church, and therefore may lawfully come to sa
craments, he cannot be understood to mean, that their being born in the church
clone is sufficient ; but that, besides this, persons must have some virtue or re
ligion, of one sort or other, in order to their lawful coming. For he is full in
it, that it is not lawful for men to come without moral virtue or sincerity.
Therefore the question comes to this in the result : seeing persons, besides their
being born in covenant, must have some sort of virtue and religion in order to
a lawful coming to the Lord's supper, What sort of virtue and religion that is,
whether common or saving? Now this question is not touched by the present
objection. Merely persons' being born in covenant, is no more evidence of
their having moral sincerity, than saving grace. Yea, there is more reason to
suppose the latter, than the former without it, in the infant children of believing
parents. For the Scripture gives us ground to think, that some infants have
the habit of saving grace, and that they have a new nature given them ; but
no reason at all to think, that ever God works any mere moral change in them,
or refuses any habits of moral virtue without saving grace : and we know, they
cannot come by moral habits in infancy, any other way than by immediate in
fusion: they cannot obtain them by human instruction, nor contract them by
use and custom. Arid especially there is no reason to think, that the children
of such as are visible saints, according to Mr. Williams's scheme, have any
goodness infused into them by God, of any kind. For in his scheme, all that
axe morally sincere may lawfully receive the privileges of visible saints: but
we have no -Scripture grounds to suppose, that God will bless the children of
such'parents as have nothing more than moral sincerity, with either common or
saving grace. There are no promises of the covenant of grace made to such
parents, either concerning themselves or their children. The covenant of grace
is a conditional covenant ; as both sides in this controversy suppose : and
therefore, by .the supposition, men have no title to the promises without the
condition. And as saving faith is the condition, the promises are all made to
that, both those which respect persons themselves, and those that respect their
seed. As it is- with many covenants or bargains among men ; by these, men
are often entitled to possessions for themselves and their heirs : yet they are en
titled to no benefits of the bargain, neither' for themselves, nor their children,
but by complying with the terms of the bargain. So with respect to the cov
enant of grace, the apostle says, Acts ii. 39, "The promise is fo you and to
your children." So the apostle says to the jailer, Acts xvi. 31, " Believe on

284 REPLY TO WILLIAMS.
the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house." And we. find
many promises, all over the Bible, made to the righteous, that God will bless
their seed for their sakes. Thus, Psal. cxii. 2, " The. generation of the upright
shall be blessed." Psal. lxix. 35, 36, " For God will save Zion : the seed also
of his servants shall inherit it ; and they that love his name shall dwell there
in." See also Prov. xiv. 26; Psal. ciii. 17, 18; cii. 28; Exod. xx. .5, 6;
Deut. vii. 9. Supposing these to be what are called indefinite promises ; yet
do they extend to any but the seed of the righteous? Where are any such
promises made to the children of unsanctified men, the enemies of God, and
slaves to the devil (as Mr. Williams owns all unsanctified men are), whatever
moral sincerity, and common religion they may have 1
The baptism of infants is the seal of these promises made to the seed of the
righteous : and on these principles, some rational account may be given of in
fant baptism ; but no account can be given of it on Mr. Williams's scheme; no
warrant can be found for it in Scripture ; for- they are promises that are the
warrant for privileges :' but there are no promises of God's word to the seed of
morally sincere men, and only half Christians.
Thus this argument of Mr. Williams's, let us take it which way we will,
has nothing but what is as much, yea, much more, against his scheme, than
against mine.
However, if this were not the case, but all the show or pretence of strength
there is in the argument, lay directly and only against me, yet the strength, of
it, if tried, will avail to prove nothing. The pretended argument, so far as I
can find out what it is, is this : The children of- visible saints are born in cove
nant ; and being already in covenant, they must have a right to the privileges
of the covenant, without any more ado : such therefore have a right to come to
the Lord's supper, whether they are truly godly, or not.
But the show of argument thereis here, depends on the ambiguity of the phrase,
being in covenant ; which signifies two distinct things : either ( 1,) being under
the obligations and bonds of the covenant; or (2,) a being conformedto the cove
nant, and complying with the terms of it. A being the subject of the obligations
and engagements of the covenant, isa thing quite distinct from a being conform
ed to these obligations, and so being the subject of the condition of the covenant
Now it is not a being in covenant in the former, but the latter sense, that
gives a right to the privileges of the covenant. The reason is plain, because it
is compliance and conformity to the terms of a covenant, that is the thing which
gives right to all the benefits ; and not merely a being under ties to that com
pliance and conformity. Privileges are not annexed merely to obligations, hut
to compliance with obligations.
Many that do not so much as visibly comply with the conditions of the
covenant, are some of God's covenant people in that sense, that they are under
the bonds and engagements of the covenant ; so were Kqrah and his company ;
so were many gross idolaters, in Israel, that lived openly in that sin ; and so
may heretics, deists^ and atheists be God's covenant people ; they may still be
held undtr the bonds of their covenant engagements to God ; for their great
wickedness and apostasy do not free tbem from the obligation of the solemn
promises and engagements they formerly entered into. But yet a being in
covenant merely in this sense, gives them no right to any privileges of the
covenant. In order to that, they must be in covenant in another sense ; they
must cordially consent to the covenant : which indeed Mr. Williams himself
owns, when he acknowledges, that in order to come to sacraments, men must
profess a cordial consent to, and compliance with the conditions of the covenant

REPLY TO WILLIAMS. 285
of grace* And if Mr. Williams inquires, why those children that were born
in the covenant are not cast out, when in adult age they make no such profes
sion ; certainly it as much concerns him to answer, as me ; for it is as much
his doctrine, as mine, that they must profess such consent. But I am willing
to answer nevertheless. They are not cast out because it is a matter held in
suspense, whether they do cordially consent to the covenant, or not ; or wheth
er their making no such profession does not arise from some other cause. And
none are to be excommunicated-, without some positive evidence against them.
And therefore they are left in the state they were in, in infancy, not admitted
actually to partake of the Lord's supper (which actual participation is a new
positive privilege) for want of a profession, or some evidence, beyond what is
merely. negative, to make it visible that they do consent to the covenant. For
it is reasonable to expect some appearance more than what is negative, of a
proper qualification, in order to being admitted to a privilege beyond what they
have hitherto actually received. A negative charity may be sufficient for a
negative privilege, such as freedom from censure and punishment ; but some
thing more "than a negative charity, is needful to actual admission to a new
positive privilege.

SECTION XV.

A particular^ Examination of Mr. Williams's Defence of the 9th Objection, or that
boasted Argument, that if it be not lawful for unconverted Men to come to the
Lord's Supper, then none may come but they that know themselves to be converted.
This argument has been greatly gloried in, as altogether invincible. Mr.
Williams seems to have been alaijmed, and his spirits raised to no small degree
of warmth at the pretence of an answer to it: and he uses many big words,
and strong expressions in his reply ; such as, " It is absolutely certain — It is
beyond my power to comprehend, and I believe beyond the power of any man
to tell me. — This I assert and stand to — As plain as the sun — A contradiction
of the Bible, of the light of nature, and of the common sense of mankind," &c.
&c. But let us get away from the noise of a torrent, and bring this matter to
the test of calm reasoning, and examine it to the very bottom.
Here let it be considered, wherein precisely the argument consists. — If it
has any strength in it, it consists in this proposition, viz., That it is not lawful
for men to come to sacraments, without a known right. This is the proposition
Mr. Stoddard himself reduces the argument to, in his Appeal, p. 62, 63. And
it is very evident, that the whole strength of the argument rests on the supposed
truth of this proposition.
And here let it be noted, what sort of knowledge of a right Mr. Stoddard,
and sb Mr. Williams, means in this argument. It is knowledge as distinguish
ed from such an opinion, or hope, as is founded in probability'. Thus Mr. Stod
dard expressly insists, that a man must not only think he has a right, but he
must know it. Appeal, p. 62. And again, p. 63, he says, probable hopes will
not warrant him to come.
Mr. Williams uses many peremptory, strong expressions, p. 109, to set forth
the certainty of that which never was denied ; viz., that a man cannot know he
has a right, unless he knows he has the qualification which gives him a right.
But this is not the' thing in question : the point is, whether a man may not have
? If it bo said here, those who have been born of baptized ancestors, though they do not comply with
the terms of the covenant, are in covenant, in this sense, that they have a right to the promises of the
covenant conditionally, in case they will hereafter comply: I answer, so are all mankind in covenant.
God may be said to have bound himself conditionally to them all ; and many have these promises de
clared %-, them, that s&U remain Jews, Mahometans, or Heathens,

286 REPLY TO WILLIAMS.
a lawful right, or may not lawfully come, and yet not know his right, with such
a knowledge and evidence as is beyond all probability ? This is the thing assert
ed, and herein lies the argument. And the negative of this cannot be stood
to and maintained, in order to maintain Mr. Williams's scheme, without the
grossest absurdity ; it being a position which, according to Scripture, reason, and
Mr. Stoddard's doctrine, and Mr. Williams's own, effectually destroys his scheme.
To this, purpose I observed, if this proposition be true, that no man may
come, save he which not only thinks, but knows he has a right, then it will
follow, that no unconverted person may come, unless he knows that doctrine to
be true, that unconverted men may have a right. Because an unconverted man
cannot know that one in particular (viz., he himself), who is an unconverted man,
has a right, unless he knows that doctrine which Mr. Stoddard maintained, to
be true, viz., that men may have a right, though they are unconverted. And
consequently no one unconverted man may lawfully come to the Lord's supper,
unless he is so knowing in this point of controversy, as not only to think, and
have probable evidence, that this opinion is right, but knows it to be So. Mr.
Williams endeavors to help the matter by a distinction of different kinds of
knowledge: and by the help of this distinction would make it out, that com
mon people in general, and even boys and girls of sixteen years old, may with
ease know that his doctrine about unsanctified men's lawfully coming to the
Lord's supper, is true. And we must understand him (as he is defending Mr.
Stoddard's argument) that they may know it with that evidence that is distin
guished from probability i and this according to Mr. Williams himself, is cer
tainty ; which he speaks of as above a thousand probabilities. See p.. 118.
But how miserable is this 1 To pretend that this doctrine about qualifications
for sacraments, is so far from a disputable point, that it is of such plain and
obvious evidence, to common people and even' children, that without being
studied in divinity, they may not only think it to be exceeding probable,hat
know it to he true! When it is an undeniable fact, that multitudes of the
greatest ability and piety, that have spent their lives in the study of the holy
Scriptures,, have never so much as thought so.
Again, I observed, that according to Mr. Stoddard's doctrine, not one uncon
verted man in the world can know that he has warrant to come to the Lord's
supper ; because if he has any warrant, God has given him warrant in the
Scriptures : and therefore if any unconverted man, not only thinks, but knows,
that he has warrant from God, he must of consequence not only think, hut know
the Scriptures to be the word of God. Whereas it was the constant doctrine of
Mr. Stoddard, that no unconverted man knows the Scriptures to he the word of
God.* But Mr. Williams would make it out, that Mr. Stoddard did hold; un
converted men might know the Scriptures to be the word of God ; but only not
know it with " a gracious knowledge, such as effectually bowed men's hearts,
and influenced them to a gracious obedience," p. 113. But let us see whether
it was so, or not. Mr. Stoddard in his Nature of saving Conversion, p. 73,
says, " The carnal man isignorant of the divine authority of the word of God ;
— his wound is, that he does not know certainly the divine authority of these
institutions ; he does not know but they are the inventions of men." Again,
Ibid. p. 74, he says, " The carnal man is uncertain bi those things that are the
foundation of his reasonings. He thinks there is a great probability of the truth
of these things ; but he has no assurance. His principles are grounded on an
, * I did not say, that it was also a doctrine according to Scripture; for there was no occasion for
this, among those with whom I had chiefly to do in this controversy ; with whom I knew it was a point
as much settled and uncontroverted, as any doctrine of Mr. Stoddard whatever. And I knew it to be
the current doctrine of orthodox divines; whoever allow this doctrine to be implied in such texts as
those, John xvii, 7 1 John iv. 14, 16, chap, v, 1, 10, and many other places.

REPLY TO WILLIAMS. 287
uncertain proposition." And he observes, p. 20, " Men when converted, do
not look upon it as probable, that the word is his word, as they did before ;
but they have assurance of the truth of it."-^So elsewhere (Guideto Christ, p.
26)| " They that have not grace, do not properly believe the word of God."
And in another book (Safety of Ap. p. 6), " The Gospel always works ef
fectually where it is believed and received as the truth of God." In another
book (Benef. of the Gosp. p. 159), " Common illumination does not convince
men of the truth of the gospel." In his discourse on the Virtue of Christ's
Blood, p. 27, speaking of such as have no interest in the blood of Christ, he
says, " They are strangers to the divine authority of the word of God." Again
(Ibid. p. 16), "Before [i. e. before saving faith], they were at a'loss whether
the word was the word of God." To the like purpose are many other passa
ges in his writings. See Jfat. of Sav. Conv. p. 72, Safety, of Ap. p. 6 7, 99,
107, 186, 187, 229, Benef. of the Gosp. p. 89.
So that here, if it be true, that some unconverted men have a divine war
rant to come to the Lord's supper ; and if the thing which is the foundation of
this argument, be also true, viz., that in order to men's warrantably coming to
the Lord's supper, they must not only, think, but know they have a right; then
it must be true likewise, that they not only think, but know, that the Scripture,
wherein this warrant is supposed tobe delivered, is the word of God. And then we
have the following propositions to make hang together : that unconverted men
are ignorant of the Scriptures being the word of God, are uncertain of it, have no
assurance of it, are not convinced of it, do not properly believe it, are at a loss whe
ther it be the word of God or not ; and yet they not only think, but know, that the
Scriptures are the word of God, and that the gospel, which is the charter of all
Christian privileges, is divine ; they have a knowledge of it which is above all pro-
bablehope or thought, and attended with evidence above a thousand probabilities.
And now let it be considered, whether this agrees better with Mr, Williams's
own doctrine, concerning men's knowing the truth and divine authority of the
gospel, in what has been before cited from his sermons on Christ a King and
Witness. Where he expressly, says, "That man,. since the fall, is ignorant of
livine truth, and full of prejudices against it ; has a view of the truth contained
in the Bible, as a doubtful, uncertain thing ; receives it as what is probably
true; sees it as a probable scheme, and something likely to answer the end
proposed : but that after conversion it appears divinely true and real." See p.
114, 115, and 144. Then unconverted men only looked on the truth of the
word of God, as probable, something likely, yet as a doubtful, uncertain thing ;
but now they not only think, but know it to be true.
No distinction about the different kinds of knowledge, or the various ways
of knowing, will ever help these absurdities,' or reconcile such inconsistencies.
If there be any such sort of knowing, as is contradistinguished to probable
thinking, and to such opinion as is built on a thousand probabilities, which is
yet consistent with being ignorant, not believing, being uncertain, not assured,
not convinced, only looking on a thing probable, looking on it doubtful and un
certain, it must certainly be a new and very strange sort of knowledge.
But this argument, that is so clear and invincible, must have such supports
as these, or must quite sink to the earth. It is indeed a remarkable kind of
argument. It is not only as much against the scheme it is brought to support,
as against that which it would confute ; but abundantly more so. For if it
were the case in truth, that none might come to the Lord's supper, but they that
lenow they have a right, yet it would be no direct and proper proof, that uncon
verted men might come. It would indeed prove, that many godly men might
not come : which, it is true, would bring some difficulty on the scheme opposed;

288 REI*LY TO WILLIAMS.
yet it would be no proof against it. But it is direct and perfect demonstration
against the scheme it would support : it demonstrates according to the Scrip
ture, and according to the doctrine -of those that urge the argument, that not
one unconverted man in the world may lawfully come to the Lord's supper;
as no one of them certainly /mows the gospel to be divine, and so no one knows
the charter to be authentic, in which alone the right of any to Christian privi
leges is conveyed ; hence no one unsanctified man is sure oi his right ; and
therefore (as they draw the consequence) no one unsanctified man may come
to the Lord's supper. And so it follows, that the more strongly Mr. Williams
stands to this argument, the more peremptory and confident his expressions are
concerning it, the more violently and effectually does he supplant himself.
And this position, that a man must not take any privilege, till he not only
thinks, but knows he has a right, is not only unreasonable, as used by Mr. Wil
liams against me, when indeed it is ten times as much against himself; but it
is unreasonable in itself, as it is an argument, which if allowed and pursued,
will prove that a man may do nothing at all, never move hand or foot, for his
own advantage, unless he first, not only thinks, but knows, it is his duty. Mr.
Williams himself owns, p. 116, that all the duties, which God requires of us in
his instituted worship, are privileges, as- well as the Lord's supper : and so is
every other duty, which we are to do for our own benefit. But all human ac
tions are, upon the whole, either good or evil : every thing that we do as ra
tional creatures, is either a duty, or a sin ; and the neglect of every thing that
is our duty, is forbidden. So that we must never so much as take a step," or
move a finger, upon only a probable judgment and hope ; but must first know
it to be our duty, before we do it : nay, we must neither move, nor voluntarily
forbear to move, without a certainty of our duty in the case, oneway or other!
As to its being alike difficult for men to know or be assured of their moral
sincerity, as of their real sanctification; I shall speak to that under the next
head ; whereby it will appear again, another way, that this argument is vastly
more against Mr. Williams's scheme, than mine.

SEC TION XVI.

A consideration of Mr. W.'s defence of the 10th Objection, against the doctrine of the
unlawfulness of unsanctified men's coming to tfie Lord's Supper, that it tends to the
great perplexity and' torment of nianygodlymen in their attendance on this ordinance.
My first reply to this objection was, that it is for want of like tenderness of
conscience, that the other doctrine which insists on moral sincerity, does not
naturally bring such as are received on those principles, into as great perplex
ities. — Mr. Williams in his animadversion upon it says, " This is an assertion
which I take to be contrary to common sense, and the experience of mankind;
and the allowing of it to be true, must overthrow the law of nature, and cast
infinite reproach upon the author of it."
These are strong expressions ; but let us bring the matter to the test of rea
son. The necessary qualification, on Mr. Williams's principles, is moral sin
cerity, and a certain degree of moral sincerity. For there is scarcely any'man,
that lives under the light of the gospel, and is not an atheist or deist, but what has
some degree of moral sincerity, in some things pertaining to Christianity and his
duty ; some degree of common faith, some degree of conviction of the need of
Christ, some desire of him, and moral willingness, though from vselfish consider
ations, to be good ; and some purpose to endeavor a conformity to the covenant of
grace and to seek salvation on the terms of it. But how shall a man know what
is a sufficient degree of these things 1 Mr. W. has determined the matter thus ,

REPLY TO WILLIAMS. 289
that his belief pf the doctrine of the gospel, and moral willingness to be conform
ed to the covenant of grace, must be with his whole heart, p. 49, 5, 36 : and that
his conviction of his undone state without Christ must be deep ; and his desire of
Christ and his benefitsym>e?i£, and his purpose earnest, p. 75, 11, so as to induce
him to enter into covenant with all the earnestness he can, and engage him to use
endeavors with all the strength and power that he has, p. 83, 32, 36.
Now how exceedingly difficult must it be for unsanctified men to determine,
with any assurance, whether they have moral sincerity to such a degree/ How
difficult for them to know, whether their convictions are thus deep ! Every
one that is used to deal with souls under conviction, knows, that when they
are indeed under deep convictions, they are especially apt to complain of the
hardpess of their hearts, and to think their convictions are not deep. How-
difficult to determine, with any assurance, whether their assent rises so high,
that they can truly be said to believe with all their hearts ! Whether their
moral willingness to be conformed to the covenant of grace, be with their
whole heart! And whether they are really engaged with all' the. solicitude
they can, and are willing to do all that they can ! These things, I am pretty
sure, are of vastly more difficult determination, than whether a man has any
true holiness, or not. For in the former case, the determination is concerning
the degree of things, that are capable of an infinite variety of degrees ; some
of which are nearer to, and others are farther from, the lowest sufficient degree :
and consequently some of the degrees that are not sufficient, may yet be very
near ; which renders the matter of very difficult determination ; unspeakably
more so, than when wrhat is to be distinguished, is the nature of things, which
in all degrees is widely diverse, and even contrary to that which it is to be dis
tinguished from : as is the case between saving and common grace ; which Mr.
Williams himself acknowledges* It is more easy to distinguish light from
darkness, though there may be innumerable degrees of light, than to determine
the precise degree of light : and so it is more easy to determine, whether a man be
alive, or dead, than whether there be exactly such a degree of vigor and liveliness.
This moral sincerity which Mr. Williams insists on, is a most indeterminate,
uncertain thing ; a phrase without any certain, precise meaning ; and must
forever remain so. It being not determined how much men must be morally
sincere ; how much they must believe with a moral sincerity ; whether the
deeply awakened and convinced sinner must believe, that God is absolutely sove
reign with respect to his salvation, and that Christ is perfectly sufficient to save him
in particular ; and to what degree of moral assent and consent, he must believe
and embrace these things, and comply with the terms of the covenant of grace ;
whether he must be willing to obey all God's commands, the most difficult, as
well as the most easy, and this in all circumstances, even the most difficult that
can arise in providence ; or whether only in some circumstances ; and what,
and how many. The Scripture gives us many infallible rules, by which to dis
tinguish saving grace, and common : but I know of no rules given in the Bible,
by which men may certainly determine this precise degree of moral sincerity.
So that if grace is not the thing which gives a right to sacraments in the sight
of God, we have no certain rule in the Bible, commensurate to the understand
ing of mankind, by which to determine when we have a right, and when not.
Now let the impartial reader judge, which scheme lays the greatest foundation
for perplexity to communicants, of tender consciences, concerning their qualifi
cations for the Lord's supper ; and whether this argument drawn from such a
» See his" sermon on Christ a King and. Witness, p. 84, where he says, " Notwithstanding the visible
likeness of nominal and real Christians, th'ere is a wide difference, as there is between the subjects of
Chi ist, and the slaves of the devil."
Vol. I. 37

290 REPLY TO WILLIAMS.
supposed tendency to such perplexity (if there by any force in it), is not vastly
more against Mr. Williams's scheme, than mine.
And, here by the way, let it be noted, that by these things' it is again de
monstrated, that the ninth objection, the great argument considered in the pre-
ceding section, concerning the necessity of a known right, in order to a lawful
partaking, is exceedingly more against Mr. Williams's principles, than mine ;
inasmuch as, on his principles, it is so much more difficult for men to know
whether they have a right, or have the prescribed qualification, or not.
I answered this argument in the second place, by alleging that this doctrine
of the necessity of saving grace in order to a right to the Lord's supper, is not
properly the cause of the perplexities of doubting saints, in their attendance on
this ordinance ; though it may be the occasion : but that their own negligence
and sin is the true cause ; and that this doctrine is no more the cause of these
perplexities, than the doctrine of the necessity of saving grace in order to sal
vation, is the cause of the perplexity of doubting saints when they come to die.
Upon which Mr. Williams says, " There is no shadow of resemblance of these
cases, because death is no ordinance," &c. But if death is no ordinance", yet it
is the required duty of the saints to yield themselves to the Lord, and resign to
the will of God, in their death. And in this respect the cases are exactly
parallel, that perplexities are just so much the consequence of the respective
doctrines, in one case as in the other ; that is, the perplexities of a doubting
saint on a death-bed, the difficulty and trouble he meets with in resigning him
self to the will of God in dying, is just in the same manner the consequence of
the doctrine of the necessity of saving grace in order to eternal salvation, as the
perplexities of a doubting saint at the Lord's table are the consequence of the
doctrine of the necessity of saving grace in order -to a right to the Lord's sup
per. And this is sufficient for my purpose.
Mr. Williams himself says, in his answer to Mr. Croswell, p. 122, " Al
though there are comparatively few that obtain assurance; yet it is through
their own sloth and negligence, that they do not. We fully agree with Mr.
Perkins that a man in this life may ordinarily be infallibly certain of his salva
tion." So Mr. Stoddard, in his sermon on One good Sign, says, " There is no
necessity that the people of God should lie under darkness and temptation ;
they may obtain assurance." Now, if this be the case, then certainly there is
no justice in laying the temptation and uneasiness, which is the effect of sloth
and negligence, to the doctrine I maintain, in those that embrace it. It is a
wise dispensation of God, that he has so ordered things, that comfort in ordi
nances, and in all duties, and under all providences, should be to be obtained in
a way of diligence ; and that slothfulness should be the way to perplexity and
uneasiness, and should be a way hedged up with thorns, agreeable to Prov. xv.
19. That it is so ordered, is for the good of the saints, as it tends to turn them
out of this thorny path, into the way of diligence. And so this doctrine, as it
has this tendency, has a tendency in the end to that solid peace and comfort,
which is the happy fruit of their holy diligence. And that, and not the saints'
perplexity, is properly the effect of this doctrine.

SECTION XVII.
Containing some further Observations on what is said by Mr. Williams in support of the
13th Objection, concerning GorJ's commanding all the Members'of the visible Church,
that are not ignorant nor scandalous, to attend all external Covenant Duties.
It has been already demonstrated (sect. 8th of this third part) that in this
argument the question is begged, notwithstanding what Mr. Williams has said

REPLY TO WILLIAMS. 291
to the contrary ; which sufficiently overthrows the whole argument. Never
theless, that I may pass by nothing, which such as are on Mr. Williams's side
may be likely to think material ; I will here make some further observations
on this objection, as represented and supported by Mr. Williams.
The chief thing that has the plausible appearance of argument in what Mr.
Stoddard and Mr. Williams say on this head, is this ; that " for God to require
aU who are in covenant to come to the Lord's supper, and yet to forbid them
to come unconverted, is to suppose, that he both commands them, and forbids
them at the same time." And this is thought to be the more manifest, inas
much as conversion is not in men's power. Though it is not denied, but that
God justly requires men to be converted, or to be truly holy. See p. 129, 130.
To this I would say,
(1.) If when they speak of commanding and forbidding at the same time,
they mean God's commanding and forbidding the same thing, at the same time,
no such consequence follows from my principles. For that thing, and that
only, which I suppose God requires of any, is to come to the Lord's supper
with a sanctified heart ; and that this God requires at all times, and never for
bids at any time ; and that to come without this qualification, is what he al
ways forbids, and requires at no time. So that what he requires, at the same
time he forbids something, is not the same thing that he forbids; but a very
different and contrary one : and it is no absurdity, to suppose, that God requires
one thing, and forbids a contrary thing at the same time.
To illustrate this by an example : it was the duty of the Jews at Jerusalem,
openly to confess Christ, to own him as the Messiah, at that hour when he
was led away to be crucified, and openly to testify their adoring respect to him
on that extraordinary occasion. But yet they did not believe him to be the
Messiah, and could not believe it (many of them at least), since they looked
on his present abject circumstances as a , demonstration, that he was not the
Messiah. It was beyond their power, at least at once, in that instant to give
their assent, with all their hearts, to such a supposition. Nor was it in their
power, to exercise an adoring respect to him : for besides their strong preju
dices-, most of them were judicially hardened, and given up to a spirit of unbe
lief and obstinate rejection of him ; as appears by that account, John xii. 39,
40, " Therefore they could not believe, because that Esaias said again, He hath
blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart, that they should not see with their
eyes," &c. See also Luke xix. 41, 42, and Matt. xiii. 14, 15. And yet it
would have been unlawful for them to have made a lying profession; to pro
fess, that they believed him to be the Messiah, and that they received and loved
him as such, when at the same time they hated him, and did not believe he
was the Messiah. But here is no requiring and forbidding the same thing at
the same time : for the only thing required of them was, to have faith and love,
and to testify it ; which was not at all forbidden.
(2.) None of the difficulties which Mr. Stoddard or Mr. Williams objects,
either God's supposed requiring impossibilities, or his requiring and forbidding
at the same time, do follow, any more on my principles, than on Mr. Williams's.
Mr. Williams maintains, that God calls men this moment to enter into cove
nant with him, and commands them to do it, p. 28. One thing implied in this,
according to his own -frequent explanation of visibly entering into covenant, is
professing a belief of the fundamental doctrines of Christianity. Now therefore
we will suppose a man to be a candidate for baptism, who has been brought up
in Arianism ; and is strongly persuaded that the doctrine of the Trinity is not
true : yet he is this moment required to profess that doctrine ; but has no ability
in a moment to believe the doctrine, because he does not at present see the

292 REPLY TO WILLIAMS.
evidence of it. For as Mr. Williams himself says, in sermon on Christ a King
and Witness, p. 91, 92, " The understanding cannot be brought to yield its
assent to any truth, which it does not see the truth or apprehend the evidence
of. If you would hire him with cart-loads, or ship-loads of gold and silver ; if
you would imprison him, whip him, burn him ; you cannot make him believe a
thing to be true, which he apprehends to be incredible, or which he sees no suf
ficient reason to believe." Now, therefore, what shall the man do, on Mr.
Williams's principles ? He is commanded to profess the doctrine of the Trinity,
which must be professed in order to be lawfully baptized in the name of tht
Trinity; and on Mr! Williams's principles, he is commanded to do it this mo
ment: yet also on his principles, if the man professes it, and is not morally
sincere, or knows he does not believe it, he is guilty of horrible falsehood and
prevarication; which God doubtless forbids. Therefore here, is certainly as
much of an appearance of commanding and forbidding the same thing at the
same time, as in the other case.
Every husbandman in Israel, that lived even in Christ's time, was required
to offer a basket of the first fruits ; and was commanded, when he offered it,
solemnly to make that profession, concerning the principal facts relating to the
redemption out of Egypt, which is prescribed in Deut. xxvi. 5 — 10, " A Syrian
ready to perish was my father," &c. Now supposing there had been an Isra
elite, who did not believe the truth of all these facts, which came to pass so
many ages before (as there are now many in Christendom, who do not believe
the facts concerning Jesus Christ), and continued in his unbelief, until the very
moment of his offering ; God peremptorily requires him to make this profession;
yet none will say, that he may lawfully profess these things, at the same time
when he does not believe them to be true. However, here is no commanding
and forbidding the same- thing at the same time : because, though God required
the Jews to make this profession, yet the thing required was to believe it and
profess it. Though some might not believe it, nor be able for the present to
believe it; yet this inability arose from depravity and wickedness of heart,
which did not at all excuse their unbelief, for one moment* Mr. Williams
himself owns, p. 129, that God may require those things which are out of men's
natural power.
Now this may be laid down as a truth, of easy and plain evidence : if God
may require what wicked men, while such, are unable to perform, then he may
also require those things which are connected with it, and which, if ihe other be
done, they would be able to do, and might do, and without which, they may not
do it. So if God may require an unsanctified man to love him, then he may
require him to testify arid profess his love, as I suppose Christians do in the act
of partaking of the Lord's supper ; and yet it may not be lawful for him to testify
and profess love, when he has it not.
* This instance may show us, that God's requiring all Israel to enter into covenant with him, and
seal their covenant m the passover, will not prove, that it was lawful for any to avouch the Lord lo be
their God, and promise and swear they would perform universal and persevering obedience when at the
same moment they had no love to God, and even then, while speaking the words, continued in a habitual,
¦wilful disobedience to God's commands, and were willing slaves to ihe devil. Nor will it follow, from
these commands given to the Israelites, concerning their covenanting with God, and sealing their cove
nant, that God ever did, since the foundation of the world, appoint or command any other coven anting
with him, than as giving up themselves wholly and without reserve, both soul and body both heart and
life ; or that ever he appointed or commanded any covenanting, wherein men give a part and' keep back
a part, give him the outside, and keep back the noblest and best part, the heart, will and affections, for sin
and Satan ; or that there is any such covenant of Gqd in being ; or that such covenanting has not always
been as much without foundation in. any institution of God, as any of the spurious sacraments of the
church of Romev or that it has not always been strictly forbidden of God ; or that it is not absolute!}
and in itself anfnl and unlawful, as truly as the act of Ananias and Sapphira

A HISTORY

WORK OF REDEMPTION.

ADVERTISEMENT
TO THE EDINBURGH EDITION.
They who have a relish for the study of the Scriptures, and have access to peruse
Ihe following sheets, will, I am persuaded, deem themselves much indebted to the
Reverend Mr. Edwards of New Haven for consenting to publish them. Though the
acute philosopher and deep divine appears in them, yet they are in the general better
calculated for the instruction and improvement of ordinary Christians, than those of
President Edwards's writings, where the abstruse nature of the subject, or the subtle
objections of opposers of the truth, led him to more abstract and metaphysical reason
ings. The manuscript being intrusted to my care, I have not presumed to make any
change in the sentiments or composition. I have, however, taken the liberty to reduce
it from the form of sermons, which it ''originally bore, to that of a continued treatise ;
and I have so altered and diversified the marks of the' several divisions and subdivisions,
that each class of heads might be easily distinguished. JOHN ERSKINE.
Edinburgh. April, 29, 1774.

PREFACE,

It has long been desired, by the friends of Mr. Edwards that a number of his man
uscripts should be published; but the disadvantage under which all posthumous
publications must necessarily appear, and the difficulty of getting any considerable
work printed in this infant country hitherto, have proved sufficient obstacles to the
execution of such a proposal. The first of these obstacles made me doubt, for a con
siderable time after these manuscripts came into my hands, whether I could, consistently
with that regard wliich I owe to the honor of so worthy a parent, suffer any- of then! to
appear in the world. However, being diffident of my own sentiments, and doubtful
whether I were not over-jealous in this matter, I determined to submit to the opinion
of gentlemen, who are friends both to the character of Mr. Eowards and to the cause
of truth. The consequence was, that they gave their advice for publishing them.
The other obstacle was removed by a gentleman in the church of Scotland, who
was formerly a correspondent of Mr. Edwards. He engaged a bookseller to under
take the work, and also signified his desire, that these following discourses in particu
lar might be made public.
Mr. Edwards had planned a body of divinity, in a new method, and in the form of
a history ; in which he was first to show, how the most remarkable events, in all ages
from the fall to the present times, recorded in sacred and profane history, were adapt
ed to promote the work of redemption; and then to trace, by the light of Scripture
prophecy, how the same work should be yet further carried on even to the end of the
world. His heart was- so much set on executing this plan, that hewas considerably
averse to accept the presidentship of Princeton college, lest the duties of that office
should put it out of his power.
The outlines of that work are now offered to the public, as contained in a series of
sermons preached at Northampton in 1739,* without any view to publication. On
that account, the reader cannot reasonably expect all that from them, which he might
justly have expected, had they been written with such a view, and prepared by the
author's own hand for the press.
As to elegance of composition, which is now esteemed so essential to all publica~
tions, it is well known, that the author did not make that his chief study. However,
his other writings, though destitute of the ornaments of fine language, have it seems
that solid merit, which has procured both to themselves and to him a considerable rep
utation in the world, and with many, a high esteem. It is hoped that the reader
will find in these discourses many traces of plain good sense, sound reasoning, and
thorough knowledge of the sacred oracles, and real unfeigned piety ; and that, as the
plan is new, and many of the sentiments uncommon, they may afford entertainment
and improvement to the ingenious, the inquisitive, and the pious reader ; may confirm
their faith in God's government of the world, in. our holy Christian religion in general,
and in many of its peculiar doctrines ; may assist in studying with greater pleasure
and advantage the historical and prophetical books of Scripture ; and may excite to a
conversation becoming the gospel.
That this volume may produce these happy effects in all who shall peruse it is the
hearty desire and prayer of The reader's most humble servant,
JONATHAN EDWARDS.
New Haven, Feb. 25, 1773.
* This is necessary to be remembered by the reader, in order to understand some chronological obser
vations in the following work.

WORK OF REDEMPTION.

Isaiah li. 8. — For the moth shall eat them up like a garment, and the worm shall eat them like wool:
but my righteousness shall be fgrever, and my salvation from generation to generation.
The design of this chapter is to comfort the church under her sufferings,
and the persecutions of her enemies ; and the argument of consolation insisted
on, is, the constancy and perpetuity of God's mercy and faithfulness towards
her, which shall be manifest in continuing to work salvation for her, protecting
her against all assaults, of her enemies, and carrying her safely through all the
changes of the world, and finally crowning her with victory and deliverance.
In t,he text, this happiness of the church of God is set forth by comparing
it with the contrary fate of her enemies that oppress her. And therein we may
observe, 1. How short-lived the power and prosperity of the church's enemies is t
The moth shall eat them up like a garment, and the worm shall eat them like wool ;
i. e., however 'great their prosperity is,, and however great their present glory,
they shall'by degrees consume and vanish away by a secret curse of God, till
they come to nothing ; aiid all their power and glory, and so their persecutions,
eternally cease, and they be finally and irrecoverably ruined: as the finest and
most glorious apparel will in time wear away, and be consumed by moths and
rottenness. We learn who those are that shall thus consume away, by the
foregoing verse, viz., those that are the enemies of God's people : Hearken un-„
tome, ye that know righteousness, the people in whose heart is my law, fear ye
not the reproach of men, neither be ye afraid of their revilings.
2. The contrary happy lot and portion of God's church, expressed in these
words, My righteousness sliall be forever, and my salvation from generation to>
generation. Who are meant as those that shall have the benefit of this, we
also learn by the preceding verse, viz., they that'- fenow righteousness, and the
people in whose heart is God's law ; or, in one, word, the church of God.
And concerning this happiness of theirs here spoken of, we may observe two
things, viz., 1. Wherein it consists* 2. Its continuance.
(1.) Wherein it consists, viz., in God's righteousness and salvation toward
Ihem. By God's righteousness here, is meant his faithfulness in fulfilling his
covenant promises to his church, or his faithfulness towards his church and people,
in bestowing the benefits of the covenant of grace upon them ; which benefits,
though they are bestowed of free and sovereign grace, as being altogether un
deserved ; yet as God has been pleased, by the promises of "the covenant of
grace, to bind himself to bestow them, so they are bestowed in the exercise
of God's righteousness or justice. And therefore the apostle says, Heb. vi. 10,
God is not unrighteous, to forget your work and labor of love. And so 1 John
i. 9, If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to
cleanse us from all unrighteousness. So the word righteousness is very often
used in Scripture for God's covenant faithfulness ; so it is used in Nehem. ix*
38

298 WORK OF REDEMPTION.
8, Thou hast performed thy words, for thou art righteous. So we are often to
understand righteousness and covenant mercy for the same thing ; as Psal.
xxiv. 5, He shall receive the blessing from the Lord, and righteousness from the
God of his salvation. Psal. xxxvi. 10, Continue thy loving-kindness to them
that know thee, and thy righteousness to the upright in heart. And Psal. Ii. 14,
Deliver me from blood-guiltiness, 0 God, thou God of my salvation ; and my
tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness. Dan. ix. 16, 0 Lord, according
to thy righteousness, I beseech thee, let thine anger and thy fury be turned away.
And so in innumerable other places.
The other word here used is Salvation. Of these two, God's righteousness
and his salvation, the one is the cause, of which the other is the effect.. God's
righteousness, or covenant mercy, is the root, of which his salvation is the fruit.
Both of them relate to the covenant of grace. The one is God's covenant
mercy and faithfulness, the other intends that work of God by which this cove
nant mercy is accomplished in the fruits of it. For salvation is the sum of all
those works of God by which the benefits that are by the covenant of grace
are procured and bestowed.
(2.) We may observe its continuance, signified here by two expressions ;
forever, and from generation to generation. The latter seems to be explanatory
of the former. The phrase forever, is- variously used in Scripture. Sometimes
thereby is meant as long as a man lives. So it is said, the servant that has his
ear bored through with an awl to the door of his master, should be hisforever.
Sometimes thereby is meant during the continuance of the Jewish state. So of
many of the ceremonial and Levitical laws, it is said that they should be statutes
forever. Sometimes it means as long as the world shall stand, orto theend of the
generations of men. So it is said, Eccles. i. 4, " One generation passeth away,
and another cometh ; but the earth abidethybreuer." Sometimes thereby is
meant to all eternity. So it is said, " God is blessed forever," Rom. i. 25. And
so it is said, John vi. 51, " If any man eat of this bread, he shall live forever."
— And which of these senses is here to be understood, the next words determine,
viz., to the end of the world, or to the end of the generations of merr. It is
said in the next words, " and my saivation_/rom generation to generation." In
deed the fruits of God's salvation shall remain after the end of the world, as
appears by the 6th verse : " Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look, upon
the earth beneath : for the heavens shall vanish away like smoke, and the earth
shall wax old like a garment, and they that dwell therein shall die in like man
ner, but my salvation shall be forever, and my righteousness shall not be abolished."
But the work of salvation itself toward the church chall continue to be wrought
till then : till the end of the world God will go on to accomplish deliverance
and salvation for the church, from all her enemies ; for that is what the prophet
is here speaking of; till the end of, the world ; till her enemies cease to be, as
to any power to molest the church. And this expression, from generation to
generation, may determine us as to the time which God continues to carry on
the work of salvation for his church, both with respect to the beginning and
end. It is from generation to generation, i. e., throughout all generations;
beginning with the generations of men on the earth, and not ending till these
generations end, at the end of the world. — And therefore we deduce from these
words this' DOCTRINE.
The work of Redemption is a work that God carries on from the fall of
man to the end of the world.

WORK OF REDEMPTION. 299
The generations of mankind on the earth did not begin till after the fall.
The beginning of the posterity of our first parents was after the fall ; for all
their posterity, by ordinary generation, are partakers of the fall, and of the
corruption of nature that followed from it ; and these generations, by which the
human race is propagated, shall continue to the end of the world : so these two
are the limits of the generations of men on the earth; the fall of man, the
beginning ; and the end of the world, or the day of judgment, the end. The I
same are the limits of the work of redemption as to those progressive works of
God, by which that redemption is brought about and accomplished, though not
as to the fruits of it ; for they, as was said before, shall be to all eternity.
The work of redemption and the work of salvation are the same thing.
What is sometimes in Scripture called God's saving his people, is in other pla
ces called his redeeming them. So Christ is called both the Saviour and the
Redeemer of his people.
Before entering on the proposed History of the Work, of Redemption, I
would, 1. Explain the terms made use of in the doctrine ; and,
2. Show what those things are that are designed to be accomplished bv this
great work of God.
First, I would show in what sense the terms of the doctrine are used. And,
1, I would show how I would be understood when I use the word redemption ;
and, 2, how I would be understood when I say, this work is a work of God,
carried on from the fall of man to the end of the world.
I. I would show how I would be understood when I use the word redemp
tion. And here it may be observed, that the work of redemption is sometimes
understood in a more limited sense, for the purchase of salvation ; for so the
word strictly signifies, a purchase of deliverance ; and if we take the word in
this restrained sense, the work of redemption was not so long in doing. But it
was begun and finished with Christ's humiliation. It was all wrought while
Christ was upon earth. It was begun with Christ's incarnation, and carried on
through Christ's life,' and finished with his death, or the time of his remaining
under the power of death, which ended in his resurrection. And so we say,
that the day of Christ's resurrection is the day when Christ finished the work of
redemption, i. e., then the purchase was finished, and the work itself, and all
that appertained to it, was virtually done and finished, but not actually.
But then sometimes the work of redemption is taken more largely, includ
ing all that God works or accomplishes tending to this end ; not only the pur
chasing of redemption, but also all God's works that were properly preparatory
to the purchase, or as applying the purchase and accomplishing the success of
it ; so that the whole dispensation, as it includes the preparation and the pur
chase, and the application and success of Christ's redemption, is here called the
work of redemption. All that Christ does in this great affair as mediator, in
any of his offices, either of prophet, priest, or king ; either when he was in
this world, in his human nature, or before, or since ; and not only what Christ
the mediator has done, but also what the Father, or the Holy Ghost, have done,
as united or confederated in this design of redeeming sinful men ; or, in one
word, all that is wrought in execution. of the eternal covenant of redemption ;
this is what I call the work of redemption in the doctrine ; for it is all but one
work, one design. The various dispensations or works that belong to it, are
but the several parts of one scheme. It is but one design that is formed, to
which all the offices of Christ do directly tends and in which all the persons of
the Trinity do conspire, and all the various dispensations that belong to it are

300 WORK OF REDEMPTION.
united ; and the several wheels are one machine, to answer one end, and pro
duce one effect.
II. When I say, this work is carried on from the fall of man to the end of
the world; in order to the full understanding of my meaning in it, I would
desire two or three things to be observed. _
1. That it is not meant, that nothing was done'in order to it, before the, fall
of man. There were many things done in order to this work of redemption
before that. Some things were done before the world was created, yea from
all eternity. The persons of the Trinity were as it were confederated in a de
sign and a covenant of redemption ; in which covenant the Father had
appointed the Son, and the Son had undertaken the work; and all things to be
accomplished in the work were stipulated and agreed. And besides these, there
were things done at the creation of the world, in order to that work, before
man fell ; for the world itself seems to have been created in order to it. The
work of creation was in order to God's works of providence. So that if it be
inquired, which of these kinds of works is the greatest, the works of creation
or the works of providence? I answer, the works of providence ; because
God's works of providence are the end of his works of creation, as the build
ing a house, or the forming an engine or machine, is for its use. But God's
main work of providence is this great work of God that the doctrine speaks of,
as may more fully appear hereafter.
The creation of heaven was in order to the work of redemption. It was
to be a habitation for the redeemed. Matt. xxv. 34, " Then shall the King say
unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the king
dom prepared for you from the foundation of the world." Even the angels
were created to be employed in this work. And therefore the apostle Calls
them, " ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs
of salvation," Heb. i. 14. As to this lower world, it was doubtless created to
be a stage upon which this great and wonderful work of redemption should be
transacted. And therefore, as might be shown, in many respects, this lower
world is wisely fitted, in the formation, for Such a state of man as he is in since
the fall, under a possibility of redemption ; so that when it is said that the work
of redemption is carried on from the fall of man, to the end of the world, it is
not meant that all that ever was done in order to redemption has been done
since the fall. Nor,
2. Is it meant that there will be no remaining fruits of this work after the
end of the world. The greatest fruits of all Will be after that. That glory
and blessedness that will be the sum of all the fruits, will remain to all the
saints after that. The work of redemption is not an eternal work, i,e.,-it is not
a work always a doing and never accomplished. But the fruits of this work
are eternal fruits. The work has an issue. But in the issue the end will be
obtained ; which end will never have an end. As those things that were in
order to this work before the beginning of the world, as God's electing love,
and the covenant of redemption, never had a beginning ; so the fruits of this
work, that shall be after the end of the world, never will have an end. And
therefore, 3. When it is said in the doctrine, that this is a work that God is carrying
on from the fall of man to the end of the world, what I mean is, that' those
things that belong to this work- itself, and are parts of this scheme, are all this
while accomplishing. There are things that are in order to it that are before
the beginning of it, and fruits of it that are after it is finished. But the work
itself is so long a doing, even from the fall of man to the end of the world, i'

WORK OF REDEMPTION. 301
is all this while a carrying on. It was begun immediately upcjn the fall, and
will continue to the end of the world, and then will be finished. The various
dispensations of God that are in this space, do belong to the same work, and
to the same design, and have all one issue ; and therefore are all to be reckoned
but as several parts of one work, as it were several successive motions of one
machine, to bring about in the conclusion one great event.
And here also we must- distinguish between the parts of redemption itself,
and the. parts of the work by which that redemption is wrought out. There is
a difference between the parts of the benefits procured and bestowed, and the
parts of the work of God by which those benefits were procured and bestowed.
As, for example, there is a difference between the parts of the benefit that the
children of Israel received, consisting in their redemption out of Egypt, and the
parts of that work of God by which this was wrought. The redemption of the
children of Israel out of Egypt, considered as the benefit which they enjoyed,
consisted of two parts, viz., their deliverance from their former Egyptian bon
dage and misery, and thefir being brought, into a more happy state, as the ser
vants of God, and heirs of Canaan. But there are many more things which
are parts of that work of God which is called his work of redemption of Israel
out of Egypt. To this belong his calling of Moses, his sending him to
Pharaoh, and all the signs and wonders he wrought in Egypt, and his bringing
such terrible judgments on the Egyptians, and many other things.
It is this work by which God effects redemption that we are speaking of.
This work is carried on from the fall of man to the end of the world ; and it is
so in two respects.
(1.) With respect to the effect wrought on the souls, of the redeemed ;
which, is common to all ages from the fall of man to the end of the world.
This effect that I here speak of, is the application of redemption with respect
to the souls of particular persons, in converting, justifying, sanctifying, and
glorifying of them. By these things the souls of particular persons are actu
ally redeemed, and do receive the benefit of the work of redemption in its
effect in their souls. And in this sense the work of redemption is carried on in
all ages of the world, from the fall of man to the end of the world. The work
of God in converting souls, 'opening blind eyes, unstopping deaf ears, raising
dead souls to life, and rescuing the miserable captivated souls out of the hands
of Satan, was begun soon after the fall of man, has been carried on in the
world ever since to this day, and will be to the end of the world. God has
always, ever since the first erecting of the church of the redeemed after the fall,
had such a church in the world. Though oftentimes it has been reduced to a
very narrow compass, and to iow circumstances ; yet it has never wholly failed.
And as God canies on the work of converting the souls of fallen men
through all these ages, so he goes on to justify them, to blot out all their sins, and
to accept them as righteous in his sight, through the righteousness of Christ, and
adopt and receive them from being the children of Satan, to be his own children ;
so also he goes on to sanctify, or .to carry on the work of his grace, which he
has begun in them, and to comfort them with the consolations of his Spirit, and
to' glorify them, to bestow upon them, when their bodies die, that eternal glory
which is the fruit of the purchase of Christ. What is said, Rom. viii. 30,
" Whom he did predestinate, them he also called ; and whom he called, them
he also justified ; and whom he justified, them he also glorified :" I say this is
applicable to all ages, from, the fall, to the end of the world.
The way that the work of redemption, with respect to these effects, of it on
the souls of the redeemed, is carried on from the fall to the end of the world, is

302 WORK OF REDEMPTION.
by repeating and continually working the same work over again, though ia
different persons, from age to age. But,
(2.) The work of redemption with respect to the grand design in general,
as it respects the universal subject and end, is carried on from the fall of man
to the end of the world in a different manner, not merely by repeating or re
newing the same effect in the different subjects of it, but by many successive
works and dispensations of God, all tending to one great end and effect1, all
United as the several parts of a scheme, and all together making up one great
work. Like a house or temple that is building ; first the workmen are sent
forth, then the materials are gathered, then the ground fitted, then the founda
tion is laid, then the superstructure is erected, one part after another, till at
length the top stone is laid, and all . is finished. Now the work of redemption
in that large sense that has been explained, may be compared to such a build
ing, that is carrying on from the fall of man to the end of the world. God
went about it immediately after the fall of man. Some things were done to
wards it immediately, as may be shown hereafter ; and so God has proceeded,
as it were, getting materials and building, ever since ; and so will proceed to
the end of the world ; and then the time will come when the top stone shall be
brought forth, and all will appear complete and consummate. The glorious
structure will then stand forth in its proper perfection.
This work is carried on in the former respect that has been mentioned, viz,,
as to the effect on the souls of particular persons that are redeemed, by its being
an effect that is common to all ages. The work is carried on in this latter re
spect, viz., as it respects the church of God, and the grand design in general, it
is carried on, not only by that which is common to all ages, but by successive
works wrought in different ages, all parts of one whole, or one great scheme,
whereby one work is brought about by various steps, one step in one age, and
another in another. It is this carrying on of the work of redemption that I
shall chiefly insist upon, though not excluding the former ; for one necessarily
supposes the other.
Having thus explained what I mean by the terms of the doctrine ; that you
may the more clearly see how the great design and work of redemption is car
ried on from the fall of man to the end of the worid ; I say, in order to this,
I now proceed, in the second place, to show what is the design of this great
work, or what things are designed to be done by it. In order to see how a de
sign is carried on, we must first know what the design is. To know how a work
man proceeds, and to understand the various steps he takes, in order to accom
plish a piece of work, we need to be informed what he is about, or what the
thing is that he intends to accomplish ; otherwise we may stand by, and see
him do one thing after another, and be quite puzzled and in the dark, seeing
nothing of his scheme, and understanding nothing of what he means by 'it. If
an architect, with a great number of hands, were a building some great palace,
and one that was a stranger to such things -should stand by, and see some men
digging in the earth,. others bringing timber, others hewing stones, and the like,
he might see that there was a great deal done; but if he knew not the design,
it would all appear to him confusion. And therefore, that the great works and
dispensations of God that belong to this great affair of redemption may not ap
pear like confusion to you, I would set before you briefly the main things de"
signed to be accomplished in this great work, to accomplish which God began
to work presently after the fall, of man, and will continue working to the end of
the world, when the whole work will appear completely finished. And the
main things designed to be done by it are these that follow.

WORK OF REDEMPTION. 303
I. It is to put all God's enemies under his feet, and that the goodness of
God should finally appear triumphing over all evi'l. Soon after the world was
created, evil entered into the world in the fall of the angels and man. Pre
sently after God had made rational creatures, there were enemies who rose up
against him from among them ; and in the fall of man evil entered into this
lower world, and God's enemies rose up against him here. Satan rose up
ao-airist God, endeavoring to frustrate his design in the creation of this lower
world, to destroy his workmanship, here, and to wrest the. government of this
lower world out of his. hands, and usurp the throne himself, and set up himself
as god of this world instead of the God that made it. And to these ends he
introduced' sin into the world ; and having made man God's enemy, he brought
guilt on man, and brought death and the most extreme and dreadful misery into
the world.
Now one great design of God in the affair of redemption was, to reduce
and subdue those enemies of God, till they should all be put under God's feet :
1 Cor. xv. 25, " He must reign till he hath put all enemies under his feet."
Things were originally so planned and designed, that he might disappoint and
confound, and triumph over Satan, and that he might be bruised under Christ's
feet, Gen. iii. 15. The promise was given, that the seed of the woman should
bruise the serpent's head. It was a part of God's original design in this work,
to destroy the works of the devil, and confound him in all his purposes : 1 John
iii. 8, " For this purpose was the Son of God manifested, that he might destroy
the works of the devil." It was a part of his design, to triumph over sin, and
over the corruptions of men, and to root them out of the hearts of his people,
by conforming them to himself. He designed also, that his grace should tri
umph over man's guilt, and that infinite demerit that there is in sin. Again, it
was a part of his design, to triumph over death ; and however this is the last
enemy that shall be destroyed, yet that shall finally be vanquished and de
stroyed. 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 it in the end of the
world. II. In doing this God's design was perfectly to restore all the ruins of fhe
fall, so, far as concerns the elect part of the world, by his Son ; and therefore
we read oi the restitution of all things : Acts iii. 21, " Whom the heaven must
receive, until the times of the restitution of all things ;" and of the times of
refreshing froni 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 the presence of the Lord."
Man's soul was ruined by the 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 to it, and the 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 it from this ruin, and not only to de
liver it from death in the resurrection, but to deliver it from mortality itself, in
making it 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 ar.-' - 'b
were Overthrown. But the design of God was, to restore all, and as it 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 former 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 the 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."
ITT. Another great design of God 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, to 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 the world.
IV. God designed by this work to perfect and complete the glory of all the
elect by Christ. 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 man." He intended to bring them to perfect excellency and
beauty in his image, and in holiness, which is the proper beauty of spiritual be
ings ; and to advance them to a glorious degree of honor, and also to 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 to bring the glory of the elect angels to
its highest pitch under one head. The work which 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 to accomplish the glory of the blessed Trinity
in an exceeding degree. God had a design of glorifying himself from eternity ;
to glorify each person in the Godhead. The end must be considered as first in
the order of nature, and then the means ; and therefore we must conceive, that
God having professed this end, had then as it were the means to choose ; and
the principal means that he pitched upon was this great work of redemption that
we are speaking of. It was his design in this work to glorify his only begotten
Son, Jesus Christ ; and it was his design, by the Son to glorify the Father :
John xiii. 31, 22, "Now is the Son of man glorified, and God is glorified in
him. If God be glorified in him, God also shall gloiify him in himself, and
shall straightway glorify him." It was his design that the Son should thus be
glorified, and should glorify the Father by what should be, accomplished by the
Spirit to the gldry of the Spirit, that the whole Trinity, conjunctly, and each
person singly, might be exceedingly glorified.' The work that was the appointed
means of this, was begun immediately after the fall, and is carried on till, and
finished at, the end of the world, when all this intended glory shall be fully ac
complished in all things.
Having thus explained the terms made use of in the doctrine, and shown
what the things are which are to be accomplished by this great work of God, I
proceed now to the proposed History ; that is, to show how what was designed
by the 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:
the 1st Reaching from the fall of man to the incarnation of Christ : the

WORK OF REDEMPTION. 305
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 some respects. It is so, because the second period is so much
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 coming, and working out redemp
tion, and were forerunners and earnests of it.
II. That the time from Christ's incarnation, till 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 that 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 the 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
ihe fall of man to the incarnation of Christ, under the first proposition, viz.,
That the space of time from the fall of man to the incarnation of Christ,.
was taken up in doing those things that were forerunners and earnests of
Christ's coming, and working out redemption, and were preparatory to it.
The great works of God in the world during this whole space of time, were
all preparatory to this. There were many great changes and revolutions in
the world, and they were all only the turning of the wheels of Providence in
order to this, to make way for the coming of Christ, and what he was to do in
the world. 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. But all these dispensations were to prepare'tne way for his com
ing. God wrought salvation for the souls of men through all that space of
time, 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 har
vest. Vol. I. 39

306 WORK OF REDEMPTION.
God wrought many lesser salvations and deliverances for his church and
people before Christ came. These salvations were all but so many images
and forerunners of the great salvation Christ was to work out when he should
come. God revealed himself of old, from time to time, from the fall of man to
the coming of Christ. The church during that space of time 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 that he should bring who came to be the light of the world.
That whole space of time 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 the
moon and stars that we have in the night ; a dim light in comparison of the
light of the sun, and mixed 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 the sun ; but it was only as reflected from the moon and stars. The
church all that while was a minor. This the apostle evidently teaches in Gal.
iv. 1, 2, 3 : " Now I say that the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing
from 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 man to the coming of Christ, into six lesser periods, or
parts : the
1st, Extending from the fall to the flood : the
2d, From thence to the calling of Abraham : the
3d, From thence to Moses : the
4th, From thence to David : the
5th, From David to the captivity into Babylon : and the
6th, From thence to the 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 to be carried on ; then was this glorious building
begun, and will not be finished till the end of the world, as I would now show
you how. And to this purpose I would observe,
I. As soon as ever man fell, Christ entered on his mediatorial work. Then
it was that Christ first took on him the work and office of a mediator. He had
undertaken it before the world was made. He stood engaged with the Father
to appear as man's mediator, and to take on him that office when there should
be occasion, from all eternity. But now the time was come. When man fell,
then the occasion came ; and then Christ immediately, without further delay,
entered on his work, and took on him that office that he had stood engaged to
take on him from eternity. As soon as ever man fell, Christ the eternal Son
of God clothed himself with the 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 that
amazing curse that 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 to be exercised
towards man immediately. There was mercy in the forbearance of God, that
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 mediator. If God had not
in mercy restrained Satan, he would immediately 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 obtainted 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 the care of fallen man
in the exercise of all his offices ; he undertook thenceforward to 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, the care and burden of the
government of the church, and of the world of mankind, from this day forward.
He from that time took upon him the care of the defence of his elect church
from all their enemies. When Satan, the grand enemy, had conquered and
overthrown man, the business of resisting and conquering him was committed
to Christ. He thenceforward undertook to manage that subtle powerful adver
sary. He was then 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 time to time, and he will continue to act as such to the end of the world.
Henceforward this lower world, with all its concerns, was, as it were, devolved
upon the Son of God : for when man had sinned, God the Father would have
no more to do with man 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 mediator, either in teaching men, or in governing or bestowing any
benefits on them.
And therefore, when we read in sacred history what God did from time
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 the
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 ; the 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 he is seen, or by which the Church of God
hath often had a representation of him, that 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 might 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, to be subject to him in his mediatorial office, to be min
istering spirits to him in this 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 ministering spirits in the affairs of the Church
of Christ. °

308 WORK OF REDEMPTION.
And therefore we may suppose, that immediately on the fall of man, it was
made known in heaven among the angels, that God had a design of redemption
with respect to fallen man, and that Christ had now taken upon him the office
and work of a mediator between God and man, Uhat they might know their
business henceforward, which was to 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, the Sun of heaven, agreeable to Rev. xxi.
23, " And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it;
for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof;" so this
revelation that was made in heaven among the angels, of Christ's now having
taken on him the office of a mediator between God and man, was as it were the
first dawning of this light in heaven. When Christ ascended into heaven after
his passion, and was solemnly installed in the throne, as King of heaven, then
this sun rose in heaven, even the Lamb that is the light of the new Jerusalem
But the light began to dawn immediately after the fall.
II. Presently upon this the 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 shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise
his heel." We must suppose, that 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 the 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 to him in that office :
so that the 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 another
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 the light
of the 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 man fell, all this light was at once extinguished, and the world reduced
back again to total darkness ; a worse darkness than that which was in the
beginning of the world, that we read of Gen. i. 2 : " And the earth was
without form, and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep." This
was a darkness a thousand times more remediless than that. Neither men nor
angels could find out any way whereby this darkness might be scattered.
This darkness appeared in its blackness then, when Adam and his wife saw that
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 1 Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I com
manded thee, that thou shouldest not eat V Then we may suppose that their
hearts were filled with shame and terror. But these words of God, Gen. iii-
15, were the first dawning of the light of the gospel after this darkness.
Now first appeared some glimmering of light after this dismal darkness, which
before this 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 not 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 the

WORK OF REDEMPTION. 309
woman,'' which was like the first glimmerings 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 that were intended to be done by the work of re
demption, is more plainly intimated here than the rest, viz., God's subduing bis
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
dertaken, and which he soon began, and carried on thenceforward, and will
perfectly accomplish at the end of the world. Satan probably had triumphed
greatly in the fall of man, as though he had defeated the designs of God in the
creation of man and the world in general. But in these words God gives him
a plain intimation, that he should not finally triumph, but that a complete
victory and triumph should be obtained over him by the seed of the woman.
This revelation of the gospel in this verse was the first thing that Christ did
in his prophetical office. You may remember, that it was said in the first of
those three propositions that have been mentioned, that from the fall of man
to the incarnation of Christ, God was doing those things that were preparatory
to Christ's coming and working out redemption, and were forerunners and
earnests of it. And one of those things which God did in this time to prepare
the way for Christ's coming into the world, was to foretell and promise it, as
he did from time to time, from age to age, till Christ came. This was the first
promise that ever was given of it, the first prediction that ever was made of it
on earth. III. Soon after this, the custom of sacrificing was appointed, to be a stand
ing type of the sacrifice of Christ till he should come, and offer up himself a
sacrifice to God. Sacrificing was not a custom first established by the Leviti-
cal law of Moses ; for it had been a part of God's instituted worship long be
fore, even from the beginning of God's visible church on earth. We read of
the patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, offering sacrifice, and before them
Noah, and before him Abel. And this was by divine appointment ; for it
was a part of God's worship in his church, that was offered up in faith, and
that he accepted : which proves that it was by his institution ; for sacrificing
is no part of natural worship. The light of nature doth not teach men to
offer up beasts in sacrifice to God ; and seeing it was not enjoined by the law
of nature, if it was acceptable to God, it must be by some positive command
or institution ; for God has declared his abhorrence of such worship aS is
taught by the precept of men without his institution : Isa. xxix. 13, " Where
fore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth,
and with their lips do honor me, but have removed their heart far from me,
and their fear towards me is taught by the precept of men ; therefore behold,
I will proceed to do a marvellous work," &c. And such worship as hath
not a warrant from divine institution, cannot be offered up in faith, because
faith has no foundation where there is no divine appointment. It cannot be
offered up in faith of God's acceptance ; for men have no warrant to hope for
God's acceptance, in that which is not of his appointment, and in that to
which he hath not promised his acceptance ; and therefore it follows, that the
custom of offering sacrifices to God was instituted soon after the fall ; for the
Scripture teaches us, that Abel offered " the firstlings of his flock, and of the
fat thereof," Gen. iv. 4 ; and that he was accepted of God in this offering,

310 WORK OF REDEMPTION.
Heb. xi. 4. And there is nothing in the story that looks as though the insti
tution was first given then, when Abel offered up that sacrifice to God ; but it
appears as though Abel only therein complied with a custom already es
tablished. And it is very probable that it was instituted immediately after God had
revealed the covenant of grace, in Gen. iii. 15 ; which covenant and promise
was the foundation on which the custom of sacrificing was built. That
promise was the first stone that was laid towards this glorious building, the
work of redemption, which will be finished at the end of the world. And
the next stone which was laid upon that, was the institution of sacrifices, to
be a type of the great Sacrifice.
The next thing that we have an account of after God had pronounced
sentence on the serpent, on the woman, and on the man, was, that God made
them coats of skins, and clothed them ; which, by the generality of divines,
are thought to be the skins of beasts slain in sacrifice ; for we have no ac
count of any thing else that should be the occasion of man's slaying beasts,
but only to offer them in sacrifice, till after the flood. Men were not wont
to eat the flesh of beasts as their common food till after the flood. The first
food of man in paradise before the fall was the fruit of the trees of paradise ;
and when he was turned out of paradise after the fall, then his food was the herb
of the field : Gen. iii. 18, " And thou shalt eat of the herb of the field."
The first grant that he had to eat flesh as his common food was after the
flood : Gen. ix. 3, " Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you :
even as the green herb have I given you all things." So that it is likely
that these skins that Adam and Eve were clothed with, were the skins of
their sacrifices. God's clothing them with these was a lively figure of
their being clothed with the righteousness of Christ. This clothing was no
clothing of their own obtaining ; but it was God that gave it them. It is
said, " God made them coats of skins, and clothed them ;" as the righteous
ness our naked souls are clothed with, is not our righteousness, but the
righteousness which is of God. It is he only clothes the naked soul.
Our first parents, who were naked, were clothed at the expense of life.
Beasts were slain, and resigned up their lives a sacrifice to God, to afford
clothing to them to cover their nakedness. So doth Christ, to afford clothing
to our naked souls. The skin signifies the life. So Job ii. 4 : " Skin for
skin, yea all that a man hath will he give for his life ;" .i e. life for life.
Thus our first parents were covered with skins of sacrifices, as the tabernacle
in the wilderness, which signified the church, was, when it was covered with
rams, skins died red, as though they were dipped in blood, to signify that
Christ's righteousness was wrought out through the pains of death, under
which he shed his precious blood.
We observed before, that the light that the church enjoyed from the fall
of man, till Christ came, was like the light which we enjoy in the night; not
the light of the sun directly, but as reflected from the moon and stars ; which
light did foreshow Christ, the Sun of righteousness, that was afterwards to
arise. This light of the Sun of righteousness to come they had chiefly two
ways : one was by predictions of Christ to come, whereby his coming was
foretold and promised ; the other was by types and shadows, whereby his
coming and. redemption were prefigured. The first thing that was done to
prepare the way for Christ in the former of these ways, was in that promise
that was just taken notice of in the foregoing particular ; and the first thing
of the latter kind, viz., of types, to foreshow Christ's coming, was that institu-

WORK OF REDEMPTION. 311
tion of sacrifices that we are now upon. As that promise in Gen. iii. 15 was
the first dawn of gospel light after the fall in prophecy ; so the institution of
sacrifices was the first hint of it in types. The giving of that promise was
the first thing that was done after the fall, in this work, in Christ's propheti
cal office ; the institution of sacrifices was the first thing that we read of
after the fall, by which especially Christ exhibited himself in his priestly '
office. The institution of sacrifices was a great thing done towards preparing the
way for Christ's coming, and working out redemption. For the sacrifices of
the Old Testament were the main of all the Old Testament types of Christ
and his redemption ; and it tended to establish in the minds of God's visible
church, the necessity of a propitiatory sacrifice, in order to the Deity's being
satisfied for sin ; and so prepared the way for the reception of the glorious
gospel, that reveals the great sacrifice in the visible church, and not only so,
but through the world of mankind. For from this institution of sacrifices that
was after the fall, all nations derived the custom of sacrificing. For this
custom of offering up sacrifices to the gods, to atone for their sins, was com
mon to all nations. No nation, however, barbarous, was found without it
anywhere. This is a great evidence of the truth of the Christian religion;
for no nation, but only the Jews, could tell how they came by this custom,
or to what purpose it was, to offer sacrifices to their deities. The light of
nature did not teach them any such thing. That did not teach them that
the gods were hungry, and fed upon the flesh which they burnt in sacrifice ;
and yet they all had this custom ; of which no other account can be given,
but that they derived it from Noah, who had it from his ancestors, on whom
God had enjoined it as a type of the great sacrifice of Christ. However, by
mis means all nations of the world had their minds possessed with this
notion, that an atonement or sacrifice for sin was necessary ; and a way was
made for their more readily receiving the great doctrine of the gospel of
Christ, which teaches us the atonement and sacrifice of Christ.
IV. God did soon after the fall begin actually to save the souls of men
through Christ's redemption. In this, Christ, who had lately taken upon him
the work of Mediator between God and man, did first begin that work, where
in he appeared in the exercise of his kingly office, as in the sacrifices he was
represented in his priestly office, and in the first prediction of redemption by
Christ he had appeared in the exercise of his prophetical office. In that pre
diction the light of Christ's redemption first began to dawn in the prophecies
of it ; in the institution of sacrifices it first began to dawn in the types of it ;
in this, viz., his beginning actually to save men, it first began to dawn in the fruit
of it. It is probable, therefore, that Adam and Eve were the first fruits of Christ's
redemption ; it is probable by God's manner of treating them, by his comfort
ing them as he did, after their awakenings and terrors. They were awakened,
and ashamed with a sense of their guilt, after their fall, when their eyes were
opened, and they saw that they were naked, and sewed fig-leaves to cover their
nakedness ; as the sinner, under the first awakenings, is wont to endeavor to
hide the nakedness of his soul, by patching up a righteousness of his own.
Then they were further terrified and awakened, by hearing the voice of God,
as he was coming to condemn them. Their coverings of fig-leaves did not
answer the purpose ; but notwithstanding these, they ran to hide themselves
among the trees of the garden, because they were naked, not daring to trust
to their fig-leaves to hide their nakedness from God. Then they were further

312 WORK OF REDEMPTION.
awakened by God's calling of them to a strict account. But while their ter
rors were raised to such a height, and they stood, as we may suppose, trembling
and astonished before their judge, without any thing to catch hold of whence
they could gather any hope, then God took care to hold forth some encourage
ment to them, to keep them from the dreadful effects of despair under their
awakenings, by giving a hint of a design of mercy by a Saviour, even before he
pronounced sentence against them. And when after this he proceeded to pro
nounce sentence, whereby we may suppose their terrors were further raised,
God soon after took care to encourage them, and to let them see, that he had
not wholly cast them off, by taking a fatherly care of them in their fallen,
naked and miserable state, by making them coats of skins and clothing them.
Which also manifested an acceptance of those sacrifices that they offered to
God for sin, that those were the skins of, which were types of what God had
promised, when he said, " The seed of the woman shall bruise the serpent's
head ;" which promise, there is reason to think, they believed and embraced.
Eve seems plainly to express her hope in, and dependence on that promise, in
what she says at the birth of Cain, Gen. iv. 1, " I have gotten a man from
the Lord ;" i. e. as God has promised, that my seed should bruise the serpent's
head ; so now has God given me this pledge and token of it, that I have t
seed born. She plainly owns, that this her child was from God, and hoped
that her promised seed was to be of this her eldest son ; though she was mis
taken, as Abraham was with respect to Ishmael, as Jacob was with respect to
Esau, and as Samuel was with respect to the first born of Jesse. And espe
cially does what she said at the birth of Seth, express her hope and dependence
on the promise of God ; see ver. 25 : " For God hath appointed me another
seed, instead of Abel, whom Cain slew."
Thus it is exceeding probable, if not evident, that as Christ took on him the
work of Mediator as soon a« man fell ; so he now immediately began his work
of redemption in its effect, and that he immediately encountered his great
enemy the devil, whom he had undertaken to conquer, and rescued those two
first captives out of his hands ; therein baffling him, soon after his triumph for
the victory he had obtained over them, whereby he had made them his captives.
And though he was, as it were, sure of them and all their posterity, Christ the
Redeemer soon showed him, that he was mistaken, and that he was able to
subdue him, and deliver fallen man. He let him see it, in delivering those
first captives of his ; and so soon gave him an instance of the fulfilment of
that threatening, " The seed of the woman shall bruise the serpent's head ;"
and in this instance a presage of the fulfilment of one great thing he had un
dertaken, viz., his subduing all his enemies under his feet.
After this we have another instance of redemption in one of their children,
viz., in righteous Abel, as the Scripture calls him, whose soul perhaps was
the first that went to heaven through Christ's redemption. In him we have
at least the first instance of the death of a redeemed person that is recorded
in Scripture. If he was the first, then as the redemption of Christ began to
dawn before in the souls of men in their conversion and justification, in him
it first began to dawn in glorification; and in him the angels began first to do
the part of ministering spirits to Christ, in going forth to conduct the souls of
the redeemed to glory. And in him the elect angels in heaven had the first
opportunity to see so wonderful a thing as the soul of one of the fallen race
of mankind, that had been sunk by the fall into such an abyss of sin and
misery, brought to heaven, and in the enjoyment of heavenly glory, which
was a much greater thing than if they had seen him returned to the earthly

WORK OF REDEMPTION. 313
paradise. Thus they by this saw the glorious effect of Christ's redemption, in
the great honor and happiness that was procured for sinful miserable creatures
ty it- V. The next remarkable thing that God did in the farther carrying on of
this great affair of redemption, that I shall take notice of, was the first re
markable pouring out of the Spirit through Christ that ever was, which was in
the days of Enos. This seems to have been the next remarkable thing that was
done toward erecting this glorious building that God had begun and laid the
foundation of in Christ the Mediator. We read, in Gen. iv. 26, " Then began
men to call upon the name of the Lord." The meaning of these words has
been considerably controverted among divines. We cannot suppose the
meaning is, that that time was the first that ever men performed the duty of
prayer. Prayer is a duty of natural religion, and a duty to which a spirit of
piety does most naturally lead men. Prayer is as it were the very breath of
a spirit of piety ; and we cannot suppose, therefore, that those holy men that
had been before for above two hundred years, had lived all that while with
out any prayer. Therefore some divines think, that the meaning is, that then
men first began to perform public worship, or to call upon the name of the
Lord in public assemblies. Whether it be so to be understood or no, yet so
much must necessarily be understood by it, viz., that there was something new
in the visible church of God with respect to the duty of prayer, or calling upon
the name of the Lord ; that there was a great addition to the performance of
this duty ; and that in some respect or other it was carried far beyond what it
ever had been before, which must be the consequence of a remarkable pouring
out of the Spirit of God.
If it was now first that men were stirred up to get together in assemblies to
help and assist one another in seeking God, so as they never had done before,
it argues something extraordinary as the cause ; and could be from nothing
but uncommon influences of God's Spirit. We see by experience, that a re
markable pouring out of God's Spirit is always attended with such an effect,
viz., a great increase of the performance of the duty of prayer. When the
Spirit of God begins a work on men's hearts, it immediately sets them to
calling on the name of the Lord. As it was with Paul after the Spirit of God
had laid hold of him, then the next news is, " Behold, he prayeth !" So it
has been in all remarkable pourings out of the Spirit of God that we have
any particular account of in Scripture ; and so it is foretold it will be at the
great pouring out of the Spirit of God in the latter days. It is foretold, that
it will be poured out as a spirit of grace and supplication, Zech. xii. 10. See
also Zeph. iii. 9 : " For then will I turn to the people a pure language, that
they may all call upon the name of the Lord, to serve him with one consent."
And when it is said, " Then began men to call upon the name of the Lord,"
no more can be intended by it, than that this was the first remarkable season
of this nature that ever was. It was the beginning, or the first, of such a kind
of work of God, such a pouring out of the Spirit of God. After such a man
ner, site j an expression is commonly used in Scripture : so, 1 Sam. xiv. 35.
" And Saul built an altar unto the Lord ; the same was the first altar that he
built unto the Lord." In the Hebrew it is, as you may see in the margin,
" that altar he began to build unto the Lord." Heb. ii. 3 : " How shall we
escape if we neglect so great salvation, which first began to be spoken by the
Lord V
It may here be observed, that from the fall of man, to this day wherein we
live, the work of redemption in its effect has mainly been carried on by re-
Vot,. I. 40

314 WORK OF REDEMPTION.
markahle pourings out of the Spirit of God. Though there be a more
constant influence of God's Spirit always in some degree attending his ordi
nances; yet the way in which the greatest things have been done towards
carrying on this work, always has been by remarkable pourings out of the
Spirit at special seasons of mercy, as may fully appear hereafter in our further
prosecution of the subject we are upon. And this pouring out of the Spirit in
the days of Enos, was the first remarkable pouring out of the Spirit of God
that ever was. There had been a saving work of God on the hearts of some
before ; but now God was pleased to grant a more large effusion of his Spirit,
for the bringing in a harvest of souls to Christ ; so that in this we see that
great building that is the subject of our present discourse, which God laid the
foundation of immediately after the fall of man, carried on further, and built
higher than ever it had been before.
VI. The next thing I shall take notice of, is the eminently holy life of
Enoch, who we have reason to think was a saint of greater eminency than
any ever had been before him ; so that in this respect the work of redemption
was carried on to a greater height than ever it had been before. With re
spect to its effect in the visible church in general, we observed just now how
it was carried higher in the days of Enos than ever it had been before.
Probably Enoch was one of the saints of that harvest ; for he lived all the
days that he did live on earth, in the days of Enos. And with respect to the
degree to which this work was carried in the soul of a particular person, it
was raised to a greater height in Enoch than ever before. His soul, as it was
built on Christ, was built up in holiness to a greater height than there had
been any instance of before. He was a wonderful instance of Christ's re
demption, and the efficacy of his grace.
VII. In Enoch's time, God did more expressly reveal the coming of Christ
than he had done before, in the prophecy of Enoch that we have an account
of in the 14th and 15th verses of the Epistle of Jude : " And Enoch also, the
seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, " Behold, the Lord cometh
with ten thousand of his saints, to execute judgment upon all, and to convince
all that are ungodly among them, of their ungodly deeds which they have
ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners
have spoken against him." Here Enoch prophesies of the coming of Christ.
It does not seem to be confined to any particular coming of Christ; but it has
respect in general to Christ's coming in his kingdom, and is fulfilled in a de
gree in both the first and second coming of Christ ; and indeed in every re
markable manifestation Christ has made of himself in the world, for the saving
of his people, and the destroying of his enemies. It is very parallel in this re
spect with many other prophecies of the coming of Christ, that were given
under the Old Testament ; and, in particular, it seems to be parallel with that
great prophecy of Christ's coming in his kingdom that we have in the 7th
chapter of Daniel, whence the Jews principally took their notion of the king
dom of heaven. See ver. 10 : " A fiery stream issued and came forth from
before him : thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times
ten thousand stood before him : the judgment was set, and the books were
opened." And ver. 13, 14: "I saw in the night visions, and behold, one like
the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of
days, and they brought him near before him. And there was given him do
minion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages,
should serve him ; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not
pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed." And though

WORK OF REDEMPTION. 315
it is not unlikely that Enoch might have a more immediate respect in this
prophecy to the approaching destruction of the old world by the flood, which
was a remarkable resemblance of Christ's destruction of all his enemies at his
second coming, yet it doubtless looked beyond the type to the antitype.
And as this prophecy of Christ's coming is more express than any had been
before ; so it is an instance of the increase of that gospel light that began to
dawn presently after the fall of man ; and is an instance of that building that
is the subject of our present discourse, being yet further carried on, and built
up higher than ever it had been before.
And here, by the way, I would observe, that the increase of gospel light,
and the carrying on the work of redemption, as it respects the elect church in
general, from the first erecting of the church to the end of the world, is very
much after the same manner as the carrying on of the same work and the
same light in a particular soul, from the time of its conversion, till it is per
fected and crowned in glory. The work in a particular soul has its ups and
downs ; sometimes the light shines brighter, and sometimes it is a dark time ;
sometimes grace seems to prevail, at other times it seems to languish for a
great while together, and corruption prevails, and then grace revives again.
But in general, grace is growing : from its first infusion, till it is perfected in
glory, the kingdom of Christ is building up in the soul.
So it is with respect to the great affair in general, as it relates to the uni
versal subject of it, as it is carried on from the first beginning of it, after the
fall, till it is perfected at the end of the world, as will more fully appear by a
particular view of this affair from beginning to end,.in the prosecution of this
subject, if God give opportunity to carry it through as I propose.
VIII. The next remarkable thing towards carrying on this work, that we
have an account of in Scripture, is, the translation of Enoch into heaven. The
account we have of it is in Gen. v. 24 : " And Enoch walked with God, and
he was not ; for God took him." Here Moses, in giving an account of the
genealogy of those that were of the line of JVoah, does not say concerning
Enoch, he lived so long and he died, as he does of the rest ; but, he was not,
for God took him ; i. e. he translated him ; in body and soul carried him to
heaven without dying, as it is explained in Heb. xi. 5 : " By faith Enoch was
translated that he should not see death." By this wonderful work of God, the
work of redemption was carried to a greater height, in several respects, than
it had been before.
You may remember, that when I was showing what were the great things
that God aimed at in the work of redemption, or what the main things were
that he intended to bring to pass ; I among other things mentioned the perfect
restoring the ruins of the fall with respect to the elect, and restoring man from
that destruction that he had brought on himself, both in soul and body. Now
this translation of Enoch was the first instance that ever was of restoring the
ruins of the fall with respect to the body. There had been many instances
of restoring the soul of man by Christ's redemption, but none of redeeming and
actually saving the body, till now. All the bodies of the elect are to be saved
as well as their souls. At the end of the world, all the bodies of the saints
shall actually be redeemed ; those that then shall have been dead, by a resur
rection ; and others, that then shall be living, by causing them to pass under
a glorious change. There was a number of the bodies of saints raised and
glorified, at the resurrection and ascension of Christ ; and before that there
was an instance of a body glorified in Elijah. But the first instance of all was
this of Enoch, that we are now speaking of.

316 WORK OF REDEMPTION.
And the work of redemption by this was carried on further than ever it
had been before ; as, by this wonderful work of God, there was a great in-
crease of gospel light to the church of God, in this respect, that hereby the
church had a clearer manifestation of a future state, and of the glorious re
ward of the saints in heaven. We are told, 2 Tim. i. 10, " That life and im
mortality are brought to light by the gospel." And the more of this is brought
to light, the more clearly does the light shine in that respect. What was
said in the Old Testament of a future state, is very obscure, in comparison with
the more full, plain, and abundant revelation given of it in the New. But yet
even in those early days, the church of God, in this event, was favored with
an instance of it set before their eyes, in that one of their brethren was actually
taken up to heaven without dying ; which we have all reason to think the
church of God knew then, as they afterwards knew Elijah's translation. And
as this was a clearer manifestation of a future state than the church had had
before, so it was a pledge or earnest of that future glorification of all the saints
which God intended through the redemption of Jesus Christ.
IX. The next thing that I shall observe, was the upholding the church of
God in the family of which Christ was to proceed, in the time of that great
and general defection of the world of mankind that was before the flood. The
church of God, in all probability, was small, in comparison with the rest of the
world, from the beginning of the time that mankind first began to multiply on
the face of the earth, or from the time of Cain's defection, and departing from
among the people of God ; the time we read of, Gen. iv. 16, " When Cain,
went out from the presence of the Lord, and dwelt in the land of Nod ;" which
being interpreted, is the land of banishment. I say, from this time of Cain's
departure and separation from the church of God, it is probable that the church
of God was small in comparison with the rest of the world. The church
seems to have been kept up chiefly in the posterity of Seth ; for this was the
seed that God appointed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew. But we cannot
reasonably suppose, that Seth's posterity were one fiftieth part of the world :
" for Adam was one hundred and thirty years old when Seth was born."
But Cain, who seems to have been the ringleader of those that were not of
the church, was Adam's eldest child, and probably was born soon after the
fall, which doubtless was soon after Adam's creation ; so that there was time
for Cain to have many sons before Seth was born, and besides many other
children, that probably Adam and Eve had before this time, agreeably to God's
blessing that he gave them, when he said, " Be fruitful, and multiply, and re
plenish the earth ;" and many of these children might have children. The
story of Cain before Seth was born, seems to represent as though there were great
numbers of men on the earth : Gen. iv. 14, 15, " Behold thouhast driven me out this
day from the face of the earth : and from thy face shall I be hid, and I shall be a fugi
tive and a vagabond in the earth ; and it shall come to pass, that every one that
findeth me shall slay me. And the Lord said unto him, Therefon-, whosoever
slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold And the Lord set a
mark upon Cain, lest any, finding him, should kill him." And all those that
were then in being when Seth was born, must be supposed then to stand in equal
capacity of multiplying their posterity with him ; and therefore, as I said before,
Seth's posterity were but a small part of the inhabitants of the world.
But after the days of Enos and Enoch (for Enoch was translated before Enos
died), I say, after their days, the church of God greatly diminished, in proportion
as multitudes that were of the line of Seth, and had been born in the church
of God, fell away, and joined with the wicked world, principally by means of

WORK OF REDEMPTION. 317
intermarriages with them ; as Gen. vi. 1, 2, and 4, " And it came to pass, when
men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto
them, that the sons of God saw the daughters of men, that they were fair ;
and they took them wives of all which they chose. — There were giants in the
earth in those days ; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto
the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty
men, which were of old, men of renown." By the sons of God here, are doubt
less meant the children of the church. It is a denomination often given them
in Scripture. They intermarried with the wicked world, and so had their hearts
led away from God ; and there was a great and continual defection from the
church. And the church of God, that used to be a restraint on the wicked
world, diminished exceedingly, and so wickedness went on without restraint.
And Satan, that old serpent, the devil, that tempted our first parents, and set up
himself as God of this world, raged exceedingly ; and every imagination of the
thoughts of man's heart was only evil continually, and the earth was filled with
violence. It seemed to be deluged with wickedness now, as it was with water
afterwards : and mankind in general were drowned in this deluge; almost all
were swallowed up in it. And now Satan made a most violent and potent
attempt to swallow up the church of God ; and had almost done it. But yet
God restored it in the midst of all this flood of wickedness and violence. He
kept it up in that line of which Christ was to proceed. He would not suffer it
to be destroyed, for a blessing was in it. The Lord the Redeemer was in
this branch of mankind, and was afterwards to proceed from it. There was a
particular family that was a root in which the great Redeemer of the world
was, and whence the branch of righteousness was afterwards to shoot forth.
And therefore, however the branches were lopped off, and the tree seemed to
be destroyed ; yet God, in the midst of all this, kept alive this root, by his
wonderful redeeming power and grace, so that the gates of hell could not
prevail against it.
Thus I have shown how God carried on the great affair of redemption ; how
the building went on that God began after the fall, during this first period of
the times of the Old Testament, viz., from the fall of man, till God brought the
flood on the earth. And I would take notice upon it, that though the history
which Moses gives of the great works of God during that space be very short ;
yet it is exceeding comprehensive and instructive. And it may also be profitable
for us here to observe, the efficacy of that purchase of redemption that had such
great effects even in the old world so many ages before Christ appeared himself
to purchase redemption, that his blood should have such great efficacy so long
before it was shed.

PART II.
From the Flood to the calling of Abraham.
I proceed now to show how the same work was carried on through the
second period of the Old Testament, that from the beginning of the flood till
the calling of Abraham. For though that mighty, overflowing, universal deluge
of waters overthrew the world ; yet it did not overthrow this building of God,
the work of redemption. But this went on yet ; and instead of being overthrown,
continued to be built up, and was carried on to a further preparation for the

318 WORK OF REDEMPTION.
great Savior's coming into the world, and working out redemption for his peo
ple. And here,
I. The flood itself was a work of God that belonged to this great affair,
and tended to promote it. All the great and mighty works of God from the
fall of man to the end of the world, are reducible to this work, and, if seen in
a right view of them, will appear as parts of it, and so many steps that God
has taken in order to it, or as carrying it on ; and doubtless so great a work,
so remarkable and universal a catastrophe, as the deluge was, cannot be excepted.
'It was a work that God wrought in order to it, as thereby God removed out
of the way the enemies and obstacles of it, that were ready to overthrow it.
Satan seems to have been in a dreadful rage just before the flood, and his
rao-e then doubtless was, as it always has been, chiefly against the church of
God to overthrow it ; and he had filled the earth with violence and rage against
it. He had drawn over almost all the world to be on his side, and they listed
under his banner against Christ and his church. We read, that the earth " was
filled with violence;" and doubtless that violence was chiefly against the church,
in fulfilment of what was foretold, J will put enmity between thy seed and her
seed. And their enmity and violence was so great, and the enemies of the
church so numerous, the whole world being against the church, that it was
come to the last extremity. Noah's reproofs, and his preaching of righteousness,
were utterly disregarded. God's Spirit had striven with them a hundred and
twenty years, and all in vain ; and the church was almost swallowed up. It
seems to have been reduced to so narrow limits, as to be confined to one family
And there was no prospect of any thing else but of their totally swallowing up
the church, and that in a very little time ; and so wholly destroying that small
root that had the blessing in it, or whence the Redeemer was to proceed.
And therefore God's destroying those enemies of the church by the flood,
belongs to this affair of redemption : for it was one thing that was done in
fulfilment of the covenant of grace, as it was revealed to Adam : I will put
enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it
shall bruise thy head." This destruction was only a destruction of the seed of
the serpent, in the midst of their most violent rage against the seed of the
woman, and so delivering the seed of the woman from them, when in utmost peril
by them. We read of scarce any great destruction of nations anywhere in Scripture,.
but that one main reason given for it is, their enmity and injuries against God's
church : and doubtless this was one main reason of the destruction of all nations
by the flood. The giants that were in those days, in all likelihood, got them
selves their renown by their great exploits against heaven, and against Christ and
his church, the remaining sons of God that had not corrupted themselves.
We read that just before the world shall be destroyed by fire, the nations
that are in the four quarters of the earth, shall gather together against the
church as the sand of the sea, and shall go up on the breadth of the earth, and
compass the camp of the saints above, and the beloved city ; and then fire shall
come down from God out of heaven, and devour them, Rev. xx. 8, 9. And it
seems as though there was that which was very parallel to it, just before the
world was destroyed by water. And therefore their destruction was a work of
God that did as much belong to the work of redemption, as the destruction of
the Egyptians belonged to the redemption of the children of Isreal out of
Egypt, or as the destruction of Sennacherib's mighty army, that had compassed
about Jerusalem to destroy it, belonged to God's redemption of that city
from them.

WORK OF REDEMPTION. 319
By means of this flood, all the enemies of God's church, against whom that
little handful had no strength, were swept off at once. God took their part,
and appeared for them against their enemies, and drowned those of whom they
had been afraid in the flood of water, as he drowned the enemies of Israel that
pursued them, in the Red Sea.
Indeed God could have taken other methods to deliver his church : he could
have converted all the world instead of drowning it ; and so he could have
taken another method than drowning the Egyptians in the Red Sea. But that
is no argument, that the method that he did take, was not a method to show his
redeeming mercy to them.
By the wicked world's being drowned, the wicked, the enemies of God's
people, were dispossessed of the earth, and the whole world given to Noah and
his family to possess in quiet ; as God made room for the Israelites in Canaan,
by casting out their enemies from before them. And God's thus taking the
possession of the enemies of the church, and giving it all to his church, was
agreeable to that promise of the covenant of grace, Psal. xxxvii. 9, 10, 11:
" For evil doers shall be cut off; but those that wait upon the Lord, they shall
inherit the earth. For yet a little while and the wicked shall not be ; yea, thou
shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be. But the meek shall
inherit the earth, and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace."
II. Another thing here belonging to the same work, was God's so wonder
fully preserving that family of which the Redeemer was to proceed, when all
the rest of the world was drowned. God's drowning the world, and saving
Noah and his family, both were works reducible to this great work. The saving
Noah and his family belonged to it two ways. As that family was the family
of which the Redeemer was to proceed, and as that family was the church that
he had redeemed, it was the mystical body of Christ that was there saved.
The manner of God's saving those persons, when all the world besides was so
overthrown, was very wonderful and remarkable. It was a wonderful and
remarkable type of the redemption of Christ, of that redemption that is sealed
by the baptism of water, and is so spoken of in the New Testament, as 1 Pet.
iii. 20, 21: " Which sometime were disobedient, when once the long-suffering
of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few,
that is, eight souls, were saved by water. The like figure whereunto, even
baptism, doth also now save us, (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh,
but the answer of a good conscience towards God,) by the resurrection of Jesus
Christ." That water that washed away the filth of the world, that cleared the
world of wicked men, was a type of the blood of Christ, that takes away the
sin of the world. That water that delivered Noah and his sons from their
enemies, is a type of the blood that delivers God's church from their sins, their
worst enemies. That water that was so plentiful and abundant, that it filled
the world, and reached above the tops of the highest mountains, was a type
of that blood, the sufficiency of which is so abundant, that it is sufficient for the
whole world ; sufficient to bury the highest mountains of sin. The ark that
was the refuge and hiding place of the church in this time of storm and flood,
was a type of Christ, the true hiding place of the church, from the storms and
floods of God's wrath.
III. The next thing I would observe is, the new grant of the earth God
made to Noah and his family immediately after the flood, as founded on the
covenant of grace. The sacrifice of Christ was represented by Noah's building
an altar to the Lord, and offering a sacrifice of every clean beast, and every
clean fowl. And. we have an account of God's accepting this sacrifice. And

320 WORK OF REDEMPTION.
thereupon he blessed Noah, and established his covenant with him, and with
his seed, promising to destroy the earth in like manner no more ; signifying how
that it is by the sacrifice of Christ that God's favor is obtained, and his people
are in safety from God's destroying judgments, and do obtain the blessing of
the Lord. And God now, on occasion of this sacrifice that Noah offered to
God, gives him and his posterity a new grant of the earth ; a new power of
dominion over the creatures, as founded on that sacrifice, and so founded on
the covenant of grace. And so it is to be looked upon as a diverse grant from
that which was made to Adam, that we have Gen. i. 28 : " And God blessed
them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful and multiply, and replenish the
earth, and subdue it ; and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the
fowl of the air, and over every living thing that movefh upon the earth." Which
grant was not founded on the covenant of grace ; for it was given to Adam
while he was under the covenant of works, and therefore was antiquated when
that covenant ceased. The first grant of the earth to Adam was founded
on the first covenant ; and therefore, when the first covenant was broken, the
right conveyed to him by that first covenant was forfeited and lost. And hence it
came to pass, that the earth was taken away from mankind by the flood : for the first
grant was forfeited ; and God had never made another after that, till after the
flood. If the first covenant had not been broken, God never would have
drowned the world, and so have taken it away from mankind : for then the
first grant made to mankind would have stood good. But that was broken;
and so God after a while, destroyed the earth, when the wickedness of man was
great. But after the flood, on Noah's offering a sacrifice that represented the sacri
fice of Christ, God in smelling a sweet savor, or accepting that sacrifice, as it
was a representation of the true sacrifice of Christ, which is a sweet savor in
deed to God, he gives Noah a new grant of the earth, founded on that sacrifice
of Christ, or that covenant of grace which is by that sacrifice of Christ, with
a promise annexed, that now the earth should no more be destroyed, till the
consummation of all things; as you may see in Gen. viii. 20, 21, 22, and
chap. ix. 1, 2, 3, 7. The reason why such a promise, that God would no
more destroy the earth, was added to this grant made to Noah, and not to that
made to Adam, was because this was founded on the covenant of grace, of
which Christ was the surety, and therefore could not be broken. And there
fore it comes to pass now that though the wickedness of man has dreadfully raged,
and the earth has been filled with violence and wickedness thousands of times,
and one age after another, and much more dreadful and aggravated wicked
ness than the world was full of before the flood, being against so much greater
light and mercy ; especially in these days of the gospel : yet God's patience
holds out ; God does not destroy the earth ; his mercy and forbearance abide
according to his promise ; and his grant established with Noah and his sons
abides firm and good, being founded on the covenant of grace.
IV. On this God renews with Noah and his sons the covenant of grace,
Gen. ix. 9, 10 : " And I, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with
your seed after you, and with every living creature that is with you," &c;
which was the covenant of grace; which even the brute creation have this
benefit of, that it shall never be destroyed again until the consummation of all
things. When we have this expression in Scripture, my covenant, it common
ly is to be understood of the covenant of grace. The manner of expression,
" I will establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after you," shows
plainly, that it was a covenant already in being, that had been made already,

WORK OF REDEMPTION. 321
and that Noah would understand what covenant it was by thai denomination,
viz., the Covenant ->i grace.
V. God's disappointing the design of building the city and tower of Babel.
This work of God belongs to the great work of redemption. For that build
ing was undertaken in opposition to this great building of God that we are
speaking of. Men's going about to build such a city.and tower was an effect of
the corruption that mankind were now soon fallen into. This city and tower
was set up in opposition to the city of God, as the god that they built it to,
was their pride. Being sunk into a disposition to forsake the true God, the
first idol they set up in his room", was themselves, their own glory and fame.
And as this city and tower had their foundation laid in the pride and vanity of
men, and the haughtiness of their minds, so it was built on a foundation ex
ceedingly contrary to the nature of the foundation of the kingdom of Christ,
and his' redeemed city, which has its foundation laid in humility.
Therefore God saw that it tended to frustrate the design of that great build
ing that was founded, not in the haughtiness of men, but Christ's blood ; and
therefore the thing that they did displeased the Lord, and he baffled and con
founded the design, and did not suffer them to bring it to perfection ; as God
will frustrate and confound all other buildings, that are set up in opposition
to the great building of the work of redemption.
In the second chapter of Isaiah, where the prophet is foretelling God's
setting up the kingdom of Christ in the world, he foretells how God will, in
order to it, bringdown the haughtiness of men, and how the day of the Lord
shall be on every high tower, and upon every fenced wall, &c. Christ's king
dom is established, by bringing down every high thing to make way for it : 2
Cor. x. 4,>5, "For the weapons of our warfare are mighty through God to
the pulling down of strong holds, casting down imaginations, and every high
thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God." What is done in a
particular soul, to make way for the setting up of Christ's kingdom, is to
destroy Babel in that soul.
They intended to have built Babel up to heaven. That building that is the
subject we are upon, is a building that is intended to be built so high, that its
top shall reach to heaven indeed, as it will to the highest heavens at the end
of the world, when it shall be finished : and therefore God would not suffer
the buildings, of his enemies, that they designed to build up to heaven in op
position td it, to prosper. If they had gone on and prospered in building that
city and tower, it might have kept the world of wicked men, the enemies of the
church, together, as that was their design. They might have remained united
in one vast, powerful city ; and so they might have been too powerful for the
city of God/and quite swallowed it up.
This city of Babel is the same with the city of Babylon ; for Babylon in
the original is Babel. But Babylon was a city that is always spoken of in
Scripture as chiefly opposite to the city of God. Babylon', and Jerusalem, or
Zion, are often opposed to each other; both in the Old Testament and New.
This city was a powerful and terrible enemy to the city of God afterwards,
notwithstanding this great check put to the building of it in the beginning.
But it might have been, and probably would have been vastly more powerful,
and able to vex and destroy the church of God, if it had not been thus checked.
Thus it was in kindness to his church in the world, and in prosecution of
the great design of redemption, that God put a stop to the building of the city
and tower of Babel.
VI. The dispersing of the nations, and dividing the earth among* its inhabit-
41

322 WORK- OF REDEMPTION.
ants, immediately after God had caused the building of Babel to cease. This.
was done so as most to suit that great design of redemption. And particularly,
God therein had an eye to the future propagation of the gospel among the nations.
They were so placed, the. bounds of their habitation so limited round about
the land of Canaan, the place laid out for the habitation of God's people, as
most suited the design of propagating the gospel among them : Deut. xxxii.
8, " When the Most High divided to the nations their inheritance, when he
separated the sons of Adam, he set the bounds of the people according to the
number of the children of Israel." Acts xvii. 26, 27, " And hath made of
one blood all nations of men, for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and
hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habita
tion ; that they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and
find him." The land of Canaan was the most conveniently situated of any
place in the world for the purpose of spreading the light of the gospel thence
among the nations in general. The inhabited world was chiefly in the Roman
empire in the times immediately after Christ, -which was in the countries round
about Jerusalem, and so properly situated for the purpose of diffusing the light
of the gospel among them from that place. The devil seeing the advantage
of this situation of the nations for promoting the great work of redemption,
and the disadvantage of it with respect to the interests of his kingdom, after
ward led away many nations into the remotest parts of the world, to that end,
to get them out of the' way of the gospel. Thus he led some into America;
and others into northern cold regions, that are almost inaccessible.
VII. Another thing I would mention in this period, was God's preserving
the true religion in the line from which Christ was to proceed, when the
world in general apostatized to idolatry, and the church were in imminent
danger of being swallowed up in the general corruption. Although God had
lately wrought so wonderfully for the deliverance of his church, and had- shown
so great mercy towards it, as for its sake even to destroy all the rest of the
world ; and although he had lately renewed and established his covenant of
grace with Noah and his sons: yet so prone is the corrupt heart of man to
depart from God, and to sink into the depths of wickedness, and so prone to
darkness, delusion, and idolatry, that the world soon after the flood fell into
gross idolatry ; so that before Abraham the distemper was become almost
universal. The earth was become very corrupt at the time of the building of
Babel; and even God's people themselves, even that line from which Christ
was to come, were corrupted in a measure with idolatry : Josh. xxiv. 2, " Your
fathers dwelt on the other side of the flood in old time, even Terah the father
of Abraham, and the father of Nahor; and they served other gods." The
other side of the flood means beyond the river Euphrates, where the ancestors
of Abraham lived.
We are not to understand, that they where wholly drawn off to idolatry, to
forsake the true God. For God is said to be the God of Nahor : Gen. xxxi
53, "'The God of Abraham, and the God of Nahor, the God oi their fathers,
judge betwixt us." But they only partook in some measure of the general
and almost universal corruption of the times ; as Solomon was in a measure
infected with idolatrous corruption ; and as the children of Israel in Egypt
are said to serve other gods, though yet there was the true church of God
among them ; and as there were images kept for a considerable time in the
family of Jacob ; the corruption being brought from Padan Aram, whence he
fetched his wives.
This was the second time that the church was almost brought to nothing

WORK OF REDEMPTION. 323
by the corruption and general defection of the world from true religion. But
still the true religion was kept in the family from which Christ was to pro
ceed. Which is another instance of God's remarkably preserving his church
ina time of .a general deluge of wickedness; and wherein, although the god
of this world raged, and had almost swallowed up God's church, yet God did
not suffer the gates of hell to prevail against it.

PART III.
From the Calling of Abraham to Moses.

I proceed now to show how the work of redemption was carried on
through the third period oi the times of the Old Testament, beginning with the
calling of Abraham, and extending to Moses. And here,
t. It pleased God now to separate that person of whom Christ was to
come, from the rest of the world, that his church might be upheld in his
family and posterity till Christ should come ; as he did in calling Abraham
out of his own country j and from his kindred, to go into a distant country,
that God should- show him, and ' bringing him first out of Ur of the Chaldees
to Charran, and then to the land of Canaan.
It was before observed, that the corruption of the world with idolatry was
now become general; mankind were almost wholly overrun with idolatry:
God therefore saw.it necessary, in order to uphold true religion in the world,
that there should be a family separated from the rest of the world. It proved
to be high time to take-this course, lest the church of Christ should wholly be
carried away with the apostasy. For the church of God itself, that had been
upheld in the lineof Abraham's ancestors, was already considerably corrupted,
Abraham's own country and kindred had most of them fallen off; and with
out some extraordinary interposition of Providence, in all likelihood, in a gen
eration or two more, the true religion in this line wrould have been extinct.
And therefore God saw it to be time to call Abraham, the person in whose
family he intended to uphold the true religion, out of his own country; and
from his kindred, to a far distant country, that his posterity might there re
main a people separate from all the rest of the world ; that so the true religion
might be upheld there, while all mankind besides were swallowed up in
Heathenism. The land of the Chaldees, that Abraham was called to go out of, was the!
country about Babel; Babel, or Babylon was the chief city of the land of
Chaldea. Learned men suppose, by what they gather from some of the most
ancient accounts of things, that it was in this land that idolatry first began ;
that Babel and Chaldea were the original and chief seat of the worship of
idols, whence it spread into other nations. And therefore the land of the
Chaldeans, or the country of Babylon, is in Scripture called the land of graven
images ; as you may see, Jer. 1. 35, together with verse 38 : " A sword is
upon the Chaldeans, saith the Lord, and upon the inhabitants of Babylon, and
upon her princes, and upon her wise men. — A drought is upon her waters, and
they shall be dried up ; for it is the land pf graven images, and they are mad
upon their idols." God calls Abraham out of this idolatrous country, to a
great distance from it. And when he came there, he gave him no inheritance
in it, no not so much as to set his foot on ; but: he remained a stranger and a
sojourner, that he and his family might be kept separate from all the world.

324 WORK OF REDEMPTION.
This was a new thing : God had never taken such a method before. His
church had not in this manner been separated from the rest of the world till
now ; but were wont to dwell with them, without any bar or fence to keep
them separate ; the mischievous consequences of which had been found once
and again. The effect before the flood of God's people living intermingled
with the wicked world, without any remarkable wall of separation, was, that
the sons of the church joined in marriage with others, and thereby almosfall
soon became infected, and the church was almost brought to nothing. ¦ The
method that God took then to fence the church was, to drown the wicked
world, and save the church' in the ark. And now the world, before Abraham
was called, was become corrupt again. But now God took another method.
He did not destroy the wicked world, and save Abraham, and his wife, and
Lot, in an ark ; but he calls these persons to go and live separate from the
rest of the world.
This was a new thing, and a great thing, that God did toward the work
of redemption. This thing was done now about the middle of the space of
time between the fall of man and the coming of Christ ; and there were about
two thousand years yet to come before Christ the great Redeemer was to Come.
But by this calling of Abraham, the ancestor of Christ, a foundation was laid
for the upholding the church of Christ in the world, till Christ should come. For the
worldhaving become idolatrous, there was a necessity thatthe seed of the woman
should be thus separated from the idolatrous world in order to that.
And then it was needful that there should be a particular nation separated
from the rest of the world, to receive the types and prophecies that were need
ful to be given of Christ, to prepare the way for his coming ; that to them
might be committed the oracles of God ; and that by them the history of God's
great works of creation and providence might be upheld ; and that so Christ
might be born of this nation ; and that from herice the light of the gospel
might shine forth to the rest of the world. These ends could not be well ob
tained, if God's peoplethrough all these two thousand years, had'lived intermixed
with the Heathen world. So that this calling of Abraham may be looked
upon as a kind of a new foundation laid for the visible church of God, in a
more distinct and regular state, to be upheld and built up on this foundation
from henceforward, till Christ should actually come, and then through him to
be propagated to all nations. So that Abraham being the person in whom
this foundation is laid, is represented in Scripture as though he were the father
of all the church, the father of all them that believe ; as it were a root whence
the visible church thenceforward through Christ, Abraham's root and offspring,
rose as a tree, distinct from all other plants ; of which tree Christ was the
branch of righteousness ; and from which tree, after Christ came, the natural
branches were broken off, and the Gentiles were grafted into the same tree.
So that Abraham still remains the father of the church, or root of the tree,
through Christ his seed. It is the same tree that flourishes from that smali
beginning, that was in Abraham's time, and has 'in these days of the gospel
spread its branches over a great part of the earth, and will fill the whole
earth in due time, and at the end of the world shall be transplanted from an
earthly soil into the paradise of God.
11. There accompanied this a more particular and full revelation and con
firmation of the covenant of grace than ever had been before. There had he-
fore this been, as it were, two particular and solemn editions or confirmations
of this covenant ; one at the beginning of the first period, which was that
whereby the covenant of grace was revealed to our first parents, soon after

WORK OF REDEMPTION. 325
the fall ; the other at the beginning of the second period, whereby God solemnly
renewed the covenant of grace with Noah and his family soon after the flood ;
and now there is a third, at the beginning of the third period, at and after the
calling of Abraham- And it now being much nearer the time of the coming of
Christ than when the covenant of grace was first revealed, it being, as was
said before, about half way between the fall and the coming of Christ, the
revelation of the covenant now was much more full than any that had been be
fore. The covenant was now more particularly revealed. It was now revealed,
not only that Christ should be ; but it was revealed to Abraham, that he
should be his seed ; and it was now promised, that,all the families of the earth
should be blessed in him. Arid God was much in the promises of this to Abra
ham. . The first promise was when he first called him, Gen. xii. 2 : " And I
will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name
great ; and thou shalt be a blessing." And again the same promise was re
newed after he came into the land of Canaan, chap. xiii. 14, &c. And the
covenant was again renewed after Abraham had returned from the slaughter
of the kings, chap. xv. 5, 6. And again, after his offering up Isaac, chap.
xxii. 16, 17, 18.
In this renewal of the covenant of grace with Abraham, several particulars
concerning that covenant were revealed mote fully than ever had been before ;
not only that Christ was' to be of Abraham's seed, but also, the calling of the
Gentiles, and the bringing all nations into the church, that all the families of
the earth were to be blessed, was now made known. And then the great
condition of the covenant of grace, which is faith, was now more fully made
known. Gen. xv. 5, 6, " And he' said unto him, So shall thy seed be. And
Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness."
Which, is much taken notice of in the New Testament, as that whence Abraham
was called the father of them that believe.
And as there was now a further revelation of the covenant of grace, so there
was a further Confirmation of it by seals and pledges, than ever had been be
fore ; as, particularly, God did now institute a certain sacrament, to be a steady
seal of this covenant in the visible church, till Christ should come, viz., circum
cision. Circumcision was a seal of this covenant of grace, as appears by the
first institution, as we have an account of it in the 17th chapter of Genesis.
It there appears fo be a seal of that covenant by which God promised to make
Abraham a father of many nations^as appears by the 5th verse, compared with
the 9th and 10th verses. And we are expressly taught, that it was a seal of
the righteousness of faith, Rom. iv. 11. Speaking of Abraham, the apostle
says, " he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of
faith." As I observed before, God called Abraham, that his family and posterity
might be kept separate from the rest of the world, till Christ should come,
which God saw to be necessary on the forementioned accounts. And this
sacrament was the principal wall of separation; it chiefly distinguished Abra
ham's seed from the world, and kept up a distinction and. separation more than
any other particular observance whatsoever.
And besides this, there were other occasional seals, pledges and confirmations,
that Abraham, had of this covenant; as, particularly, God gave Abraham a
remarkable pledge of the fulfilment of the promise he had made him, in his
victory Over Chedorlaomer and the kings that were with him. Chedorlaomer
seems to have been a great emperor, that reigned over a great part of the world
at that day ; and though he had his seat at Elam, which was not much if any

326 WORK OF REDEMPTION.
thing short of a thousand miles distant from the land of Canaan, yet he ex
tended his empire so as to reign over many parts of the land of Canaan,- as
appears by chap. xiv. 4, 5, 6, 7. It is supposed by learned. men, that he was
a king of the Assyrian empire at that day, which had been before begun by
Nimrod at Babel. And as it was the honor of kings in those days to build new-
cities to be made the seat of their empire, as appears by Gen. x. 10, 11, 12 ;
so it is conjectured, that he had gone forth and built him a city in Elam, and
made that his seat ; and that those other kings, who came -with him, were bis
deputies in the several cities and countries where they reigned. But yet, as
mighty an empire as he had, and as great an army as he now came with into
" the land where Abraham was, yet Abraham, only with his trained servants,
that were born in his own house, conquered, subdued, and baffled this mighty
emperor, and the kings that came wdth him, and all their army. This he
received of God as a pledge of what he had promised, viz., -the victory that
Christ his seed should obtain over the nations of the earth, whereby he 'should
possess the gates of his enemies. It is plainly spoken of as such in the 41st
of Isaiah. In that chapter is foretold the future glorious victory the church
shall obtain over the nations of the world ; as you may see in the 1st, 10th, and
15th verses, &c. But here this victory of Abraham over such a great emperor
and his mighty forces, is spoken of as a pledge and, earnest of this victory of
the church, as you may see in the 2d and 3d verses : " Whb raised up the
righteous man from the east, called him to his foot,' gave the nations before
him, and made him rule over kings 1 He gave them as the dust to his sword,
and as driven stubble to his bow. He pursued them, and. passed safely; even
by the way that he bad not gone with his feet."
Another remarkable confirmation Abraham received of the covenant of
grace, was when he returned from the slaughter of the kings ; when Mel-
chisedec the king of Salem, the priest of the most high God, that great type
of Christ, met him, and blessed him, and brought forth bread and wine. The
bread and wine signified the same blessings of the covenant of grace, that the
bread and wine does in the sacrament of the Lord's supper. So that as Abra
ham had a seal of the covenant in circumcision that was equivalent to baptism,
so now he had a seal of it equivalent to the Lord's supper. And Melchisedec's
coming to meet him with such a seal of the covenant of grace, on the occasion
of this victory of his over the kings of the north, confirms that that victory was
a pledge of God's fulfilment of the same covenant; for that is the mercy that
Melchisedec with his bread and wine takes notice of; as ybu may see by what
he says in Gen. xiv. 19, 20.
Another confirmation that God gave .Abraham of the covenant of grace,
was the vision that he had in the deep sleep that fell upon him, of the smoking
furnace, and burning lamp, that passed between, the parts of the sacrifice, as
in the latter part of the 15th chapter of Genesis. The sacrifice, as all sacrifices
do, signified the sacrifice' of Christ. The smoking furnace that passed through
the midst of that sacrifice first, signified fhe sufferings of Christ. But the
burning lamp that followed, which shone with a clear bright light, signifies the
glory that followed Christ's sufferings, and was procured by them.
Another remarkable pledge that God gave Abraham of the fulfilment of
the covenant of grace, was his giving of the child of whom Christ was to
come, in his old age. This is spoken of as such in Scripture, Heb. xi. 11, 12
and also Rom. iv. 18, &c.
Again, another remarkable pledge that God gave Abraham of the fulfilment
of the covenant of grace, was -his delivering. Isaac, after he was laid upon the

WORK OF REDEMPTION. 327
wood of the sacrifice to be slain. This was a confirmation of Abraham's faith
in the promise that God had made of Christ, that he should be of Isaac's pos
terity ; and was a representation of the resurrection of Christ ; as you may-
see, Heb. xi. 17, 18, 19. And because this was given as a confirmation of
the covenant of grace, therefore God renewed that covenant with Abraham on
this occasion, as you may see, Gen. xxiv. 15, &c.
Thus you see how much more fully the covenant of grace was revealed and
confirmed in Abraham's time than ever it had been before ; by means of which,
Abraham seems to have had a more clear understanding and sight of Christ
the great Redeemer, and the future things that were to be accomplished by
him, than any of the saints that had gone before. And therefore Christ takes
notice of it, that Abraham rejoiced to see his day, and he saw it, and was glad,
John viii. 56. So great an advance did it please God now to make in this
building, which he had been carrying on from the beginning of the world.
III. The next thing that I would take notice of here, is God's preserving
the patriarchs for so long a time in the midst of the wicked inhabitants of
Canaan, and from all other enemies. The patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and
Jacob, were those of whom Christ was to proceed ; and they were now separ
ated from the world,, that in them his .church might be upheld. Therefore in
preserving them, the great design of redemption was upheld and carried on.
He preserved them and kept the inhabitants of the land where they sojourned
from destroying them ; which was a remarkable dispensation of Providence.
For the inhabitants of the land were at that day exceedingly wicked, though
fhey grew more wicked afterwards. This appears by Gen. xv. 16 : " In the
fourth generation they shall, come hither again ; tor the iniquity of the Canaan-
ites is-not yet full :" as touch as to say, Though it be very great, yet it is not
full. And their great wickedness also appears by Abraham and Isaac's aver
sion to their children marrying any of the daughters of the land. Abraham,
when he was old could not be content till he had made his servant swear that
he would not take a wife for his son of the daughters of the land. And Isaac
and Rebecca were content to send away Jacob to so great a distance asPadan
Aram, to take him a wife thence. And when Esau married some of the
daughters of the land, we are told, that they were a grief of mind to Isaac and
Rebecca. Another argument of their great wickedness, was the instances we have in
¦Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboim, which were some of the cities of
Canaan, though they were probably distinguishingly wicked.
And they being thus wicked, were likely to have the most bitter enmity
against these holy men ; agreeably to what was declared at first, " I will put
enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed."
Their holy lives were a continual condemnation of their wickedness. And
besides, it could not be otherwise"-, but that they must be much in reproving
their wickedness, as we find Lot was in Sodom; who, we are told, vexed his
righteous soul with their unlawful deeds, and was a preacher of righteousness
¦to them. And they, were the more exposed to them, being strangers and sojourners
in the land, and having ho inheritance there as yet. Men are more apt to find
fault with strangers, and' to be irritated by any thing in them that offends them,
as they were with Lot in Sodom., He very gently reproved their wickedness;
and they say upon it, " This fellow came in to sojourn, and he will needs be a
ruler and a judge ;" and threatened what they would do to him.
But God wonderfully preserved Abraham and Lot, and Isaac and Jacob,

328 WORK OF REDEMPTION.
and their families, amongst them, though they were few in number, and they
might quickly have destroyed them ; which is taken notice of as a wonderful
instance of God's preserving mercy toward his church, Psal. cv. 12, &c. :
"When they were but a few men in number; yea, very few, and strangers
in it. When they went from one nation to another, from one kingdom to an
other people ; he suffered no man to do them wrong : yea, he reproved kings
for their sakes, saying, Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no
harm." This preservation was, in some instances especially, very remarkable;
those instances that we have an account of, wherein the people of the land
were greatly irritated and provoked ; as they were by Simeon and Levi's
treatment of the Shechemites, as you may see in Gen. xxxiv. 30, &c. God
then strangely preserved Jacob and his family, restraining the provoked peo
ple by an unusual terror on their minds, as you may see in Gen. xxxv. 5 :
" And the terror of God was upon the cities that were round about them, and
they did not pursue after the sons of Jacob."
And God's preserving them, not only from the Canaanites, is here to be
taken notice of, but his preserving them from all others that intended mischief
to them : as his preserving Jacob and his company, when pursued by Laban,
full of rage, and a disposition to overtake him as an enemy : God met him,
and rebuked him, and said to him, " Take heed that thou speak not to Jacob
either good or bad"." How wonderfully did he also preserve him from Esau
his brother, when he came forth with an army, witb a full design, to cut him
off! How did God, in answer to his prayer, when he wrestled with Christ
at Penuel, wonderfully turn Esau's heart, and make him, instead of meeting
him as an enemy with slaughter and destruction, to meet him as a friend and
brother, doing him no harm !
And thus was this handful, this little root that had the blessing of the
Redeemer in it, preserved in the midst of enemies and dangers ; which was
not unlike to the preserving the ark in the midst of the tempestuous deluge.
IV. The next thing I would mention is, the awful destruction of Sodom
and Gomorrah, and the neighboring cities. This tended to promote the great
design and work that is the subject of my present undertaking, two ways. It
did so, as it'tended powerfully to restrain the inhabitants of the land from in
juring those holy strangers that God had brought to sojourn amongst them.
Lot was one of those strangers; he came into the land with Abraham; and
Sodom was destroyed for their abusive disregard of Lot, the preacher of right
eousness, that God had sent among them. And their destruction came just
upon their committing a most injurious and abominable insult on Lot, and the
strangers that were come into his house, even those angels, whom they proba
bly took to be some of Lot's former acquaintance come from the country that
be came from, to visit him. They in a most outrageous manner beset Lot's
house, intending a monstrous abuse and act of violence on those strangers
that were come thither, and threatening to serve Lot worse than them.
But in the midst of this, God smote them with blindness ; and the next
morning the city and the country about it was overthrown in a most terrible
Storm of fire and brimstone ; which dreadful destruction, as it was in the sight
pf the rest of the inhabitants of the land, and therefore greatly tended to re
strain them from hurting those holy strangers any more ; it doubtless struck
a dread and terror on their minds, and made them afraid to hurt them, and
probably was one principal means to .restrain them, and preserve the patriarchs.
And when that reason is given why the inhabitants of the land did not pur-

WORK OF REDEMPTION. 32&
sue after Jacob, when they were so provoked by the destruction of the She-
chemites, viz., " that the terror of the Lord was upon them," it is very probable,
that this was the terror that was set home upon them. They remembered the
amazing destruction of Sodom, and the cities of the plain, that came upon
them upon their abusive treatment of Lot, and so durst not hurt Jacob and
his family, though they Were so much provoked to it.
Another Way that this, awful destruction tended to promote this great affair
of redemption, was, that hereby God did remarkably exhibit the terrors of his
law, to make men sensible of their need of redeeming mercy. The work of
redemption never was carried on without this. The law, from the beginning,
is made use of as a schoolmaster to bring men to Christ.
^.But under the Old Testament there was much more need of some extra
ordinary, visible, and sensible manifestation of God's wrath against sin, than
in the days of the gospel ; since a future state, and the eternal misery of hell,
is more clearly revealed, and since the awful justice of God against the sins
of men has been so wonderfully displayed in the sufferings of Christ. And
therefore' the revelation that God gave of himself in those days, used to be
accompanied with much more terror than it is in these days of the gospel.
So when God appeared at Mount Sinai to give the law, it was with thunders
and lightnings, and a thick cloud, and the voice of the trumpet exceeding
loud. But some external awfful manifestations of God's wrath against sin,
were on some accounts especially necessary before the giving of the law :
and therefore before the flood, the terrors of the law handed down by tradition
from Adam served. Adam lived nine hundred and thirty years himself, to
tell the church of God's awful threatenings denounced in the covenant made
with him, and how dreadful the consequences of the fajl were, as he was an
eye witness and subject; and others that conversed with Adam, lived till the
. flood. And the destruction of the world by the flood served to exhibit the
terrors of the lawr, and manifest the wrath of God against sin ; and so to make
men sensible of the absolute necessity of redeeming mercy. And some that
saw the flood were alive in Abraham's time.
But this was now in a great measure forgotten ; now therefore God was
pleased again, in a most amazing manner, to show his wrath against sin, in
the destruction of these cities ; which was after Such a manner as to be the
liveliest image of hell of any thing that ever had been ; and therefore the apos
tle Jude says, " They suffer the vengeance of eternal fire," Jude 7. God rain
ed storms of fire and brimstone upon them. The way that they were destroy
ed probably was by thick flashes of lightning. The streams of brimstone were
so thick as to burn up these cities ; so that they perished in the flames of di
vine wrath. By this might be seen the dreadful wrath of God against the un
godliness and unrighteousness of men, which tended to show men the necessi
ty of redemption, and so to promote that great work.
V. God again renewed and confirmed the covenant of grace to Isaac and
to Jacob. - He did so to Isaac, as you may see, Gen. xxvi. 3, 4 : "And I will
perform the oath which I sware unto Abraham thy father ; and I will make
thy seed to multiply, as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all
these countries ; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed."
And afterwards it was renewed and confirmed to Jacob ; first in Isaac's bless
ing of him, wherein he acted and spoke by extraordinary divine direction. In
that blessing, the blessings of the covenant of grace were established with
Jacob and. his seed ; as Gen. xxvii. 29 : "Let people serve thee, and nations
bow down to thee ; be lord over thy brethren, and let thy mother's sons bow-
Vol. I. 42

,330 WORK OF REDEMPTION.
down to thee : cursed be every one that curseth thee, and blessed be he that
blesseth thee." And therefore Esau, in missing of this blessing, missed of be
ing blessed as an heir of the benefits of the covenant of grace.
This covenant was again renewed and confirmed to Jacob at Bethel, in
his vision of the ladder that reached to heaven ; which ladder was a symbol
of the way of salvation by Christ, for the stone that Jacob rested on was a
type Of Christ, the stone of Israel, which the spiritual Israel or Jacob rests
upon ; as is evident, because this stone was on this occasion anointed, and
was made use of as an altar. : But we know that Christ is the anointed of
God, and is the only true altar of God. While Jacob was resting on this
stone and saw this ladder, God appears to him as his covenant God-, and re
news the covenant of grace with him ; as in Gen. xxviii. 14: " And thy seed
shall be as the dust' of the earth; and thou shalt spread abroad to the west,
and to the east, and to the north, and to the south ; and in thee and in thy seed
shall all the families of the earth be blessed."
And Jacob had another remarkable confirmation of this covenant at Penuel,
where he wrestled with God, and prevailed ; where Christ appeared to him in
a human form, in the form of that nature which he was afterwards to receive
into a personal union with his divine nature.
And God renewed his covenant with him again, after he was come out of
Padan Aram, and was come up to Bethel, to the stone that he had rested on,
and where he had the vision of the ladder ; as you may see in Gen. xxxv.
10, &c.
Thus the covenant of grace was now often renewed, much oftener than it
had been before. The light of the gospel now began to shine much brighter
as the time grew nearer that Christ should come.
VI. The next thing I would observe, is God's remarkably preserving the
family of which Christ was to proceed from perishing by famine, by the in- •
strumentality of Joseph. When there was a seven years' famine approaching,
God was pleased, by a wonderful providence, to send Joseph into Egypt, there
to provide for, and feed Jacob and his family, and to keep the holy seed alive,
which otherwise would have perished. Joseph was sent into Egypt for that
-end, as he observes, Gen. 1. 20 : " But as for you, ye thought evil against me ;
but God meant it unto good, to save much people alive." How often bad
this holy root, that had the future branch of righteousness, the glorious Re
deemer, in it, been in danger of being destroyed ! But God wonderfully pre
served it.
This salvation of the house of Israel by the hand of Joseph,, was upon some
accounts very much a resemblance of the salvation of Christ. The children
. of Israel were saved by Joseph their kinsman and brother, from perishing, by
famine ; as he that saves the souls of the spiritual Israel from spiritual famine
is their near kinsman, and one that is not ashamed to call them brethren.
Joseph was a brother, that they had hated, and sold, and as it were killed;
for they had designed to kill him. So Christ is one that we naturally hate,
and, by our wicked lives, have sold for the vain things of the world, and that
by our sins we have slain. Joseph was first in a state of humiliation fhe
was a servant, as Christ appeared in the form of a servant ; and then was
cast into a dungeon, as Christ descended into the grave ; and then when he rose
out of the dungeon, he was in a state of great exaltation, at the king's right
hand as his deputy, to reign over all his kingdom, to provide food, to preserve
life ; and being in this state of exaltation, he dispenses food to his brethren,
.and so gives them -life ; as Christ was exalted at God's right hand to be a

WORK OF REDEMPTION. 331
Prince and Saviour to his brethren, and received gifts for men, even for the re
bellious, and them that hated, and had sold him.
VII. After this there was a prophecy given forth of Christ, on some ac
counts, more particular than ever any had been before, even that which was
in Jacob's blessing his son Judah. This was more particular than ever any
had been before, as it showed of whose posterity he was to be. When God
called Abraham, it was revealed that he was to be of Abraham's posterity.
Before, we have no account of any revelation concerning Christ's pedigree,
confined to narrower limits' than the posterity of Noah : after this it was con
fined to .still narrower limits; for though Abraham had many sons, yet it was
revealed, that Christ was to be of Isaac's posterity. And then it was limited
more still : for when Isaac had two sons, it was revealed that Christ was to
be of Israel's posterity. And now, though Israel had twelve sons, yet it is
revealed that Christ should be of Judah's posterity : Christ is the lion of the
tribe of Judah. Respect is chiefly had to his great acts, when it is said here,
Gen.,xlix. 8 : " Judah, thou art he whom thy brethren shall- praise ; thy hand
shall be in the neck of thine enemies ; thy father's children shall bow down
before thee. Judah is a lion's whelp ; from the prey, my son, thou art gone
up : he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion ; who shall
rouse him up V And then this prediction is more particular concerning the
time of Christ's coming, than any had been before ; as in ver. 10 : " The
sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet,
until Shiloh come ; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be."
The prophecy here, of the calling of the Gentiles consequent on Christ's
coming, seems to be more plain than any had been before, in the expression,
to him shall the gathering of the people be.
Thus you see, how that gospel light which dawned immediately after the
fall of man, gradually increases.
VIII. The work of redemption was carried on in this period, in God's
wonderfully preserving the children of Israel in Egypt, when the power of
Egypt was engaged utterly to destroy them. They seemed to be wholly ih
the hands of the Egyptians ; they \vere their servants, and were subject to
the power of Pharaoh ; and Pharaoh set himself to weaken them with hard
bondage. And when' he saw that did not do, he set himself to extirpate the
race of them, by commanding that every male child should be drowned. But
after all that Pharaoh could do, God wonderfully preserved them ; and, not
only so, but increased them exceedingly ; so that instead of being extirpated-,
, they greatly multiplied.
IX. Here is to be observed, not only the preservation of the nation, but
God's wonderfully preserving and upholding his invisible church in that na
tion, when in- danger of being overwhelmed in the idolatry of Egypt. The
children of Israel being long among the Egyptians, and being servants under
them, and so not under advantages to keep God's ordinances among them
selves,, and maintain any public worship or public instruction, whereby the
true religion might be upheld, and there being now no written word of God,
they, by degrees, in a great measure, lost the true religion, and borrowed the
idolatry of Egypt ; and the greater part of the people fell away to the worship
of their gods. This we learn by Ezek. xx. 6, 7, 8, and by chap, xxiii. 8.
This now was the third time that God's church was almost sw-allowed up
and carried away with the wickedness of the world ; once before the flood ;
the other time, before the calling of Abraham ; and now the third time in
Egypt. But, yet- God did not suffer his church to be quite overwhelmed ; he

332 WORK OF REDEMPTION.
still saved it, like the ark in the flood, and as he saved Moses in the midst of
the waters, in an ark of bulrushes, where he was in the utmost danger of
being swallowed up. The true religion was still kept up with some, and God
had still a people among them, even in this miserable, corrupt, and dark time.
The parents of Moses- were true servants of God, as we may learn by Heb.
xi. 23 : " By faith Moses, when he was born, was hid three months of. his
parents, because they saw that he was a proper child ; and they were not
afraid of the king's commandment."
I have now gone through the third period of the Old Testament time ; and
have shown how the work of redemption was carried on from the calling, of
Abraham to Moses ; in which we have seen many great things done towards
this work, and a great advancement of this building, beyond what had been
before.

PART IV,.
From Moses to David.

I proceed to the fourth period, which reaches from -Moses to David. —
I would show how the work of redemption was carried on through this also.
I. The first thing that offers itself to be considered, is the redemption of the
church of God out of Egypt ; the most remarkable of all the Old Testament
redemptions of the church of God, and that which was the greatest pledge and
forerunner of the future redemption of Christ, of any ; and is much more in
sisted on in Scripture than any other of those redemptions. And indeed it
was the greatest type of Christ's redemption of any providential event what
soever. This redemption was by Jesus Christ, as is evident from this, that
it was wrought by him that appeared to Moses in the bush ; for that was the
person that sent Moses to redeem that people. But- that was Christ, as is
evident, because he is called the angel of the Lord, Exod. iii. 2, 3. The bush
represented the human nature of Christ, that is called the branch. The bush
/grew on Mount Sinai or Horeb, which is a word that signifies a dry place, as
the human nature of Christ was a root out of a dry ground. The bush burning
with fire, represented the sufferings of Christ, in the fire of God's wrath. It burned
and was not consumed ; so Christ, though he suffered extremely, yet perished
not ; but overcame at last, and rose from his sufferings. Because this great
mystery of the incarnation and sufferings of Christ was here represented,
therefore Moses says, " I will turn aside and behold this great sight." A
great sight he might well call it, when there wras represented, God. manifest
in the flesh, and suffering a dreadful death, and rising from the dead.
This glorious Redeemer was he that redeemed the church out of Egypt,
from under the hand of Pharaoh ; as Christ, by his death and sufferings, re
deemed his people from Satan, the spiritual Pharaoh. He redeemed them
from hard service and crnel drudgery ; as Christ redeems his people from the
cruel slavery of sin and Satan. 'He redeemed them, as it is said,/«wi the iron
furnace ; as Christ redeems his church from a furnace of fire and everlasting
burnings. He redeemed them with a strong hand and outstretched arm, and
great and terrible judgments on their enemies ; as Christ With mighty power
triumphs over principalities and powers, and executes terrible judgments on
his church's enemies, bruising the serpent's head. He saved them, when
others were destroyed, by the sprinkling of the blood of the paschal lamb ;

WORK OF REDEMPTION. 333
as God's church is saved from death 'by the sprinkling of the blood of
Christ, when the rest of the world is destroyed. God brought forth the
people sorely against the will of the Egyptians, when they could not bear
to let them go ; so Christ rescues his people out of the hands of the devil,
sorely against his will, when his proud heart cannot bear to be overcome.
In that redemption, Christ did not only redeem the people from the Egyp
tians, but he redeemed them from the devils, the gods of Egypt ; for before,
they had been in a state of servitude to the gods of Egypt, as well as to the
men. And Christ, the seed of the woman, did now, in a very remarkable
manner, fulfil the curse on the serpent, in bruising his head : Exod. xii. 12,
" For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the
first-born in the land of Egypt, both man and beast, and against all the gods
of Egypt will I execute judgment." Hell was as much and more engaged
in that affair, than Egypt was. The pride and cruelty of Satan, that old ser
pent, was more concerned in it than Pharaoh's. He did his utmost against
the people, and to his utmost opposed their redemption. But it is said, that
when God redeemed his people out of Egypt, he broke the heads of the
dragons in the waters, and broke the head of the leviathan in pieces, and gave
him to be meat for the people inhabiting the wilderness, Psal. lxxiv. 12, 13,
14. God forced their enemies to let them go, that they might serve him ; as
also Zachafias observes with respect to the church under the gospel, Luke i.
74,75. The people of Israel went out with a high hand, and Christ went before
them in a pillar of cloud and fire. There was a glorious triumph over earth
and hell in that deliverance. And when Pharaoh and his hosts, and Satan
by them, pursued the people, Christ overthrew them in the Red Sea; the
Lord triumphed gloriously ; the horse and his rider he cast into the sea, and
there they slept their last sleep, and never followed the children of Israel any
more ; as all Christ's enemies are overthrown in his blood, which by its abun
dant sufficiency, and the greatness of the sufferings with which it was shed,
may well be represented by a sea. The Red Sea did represent Christ's -blood,
as is evident, because the apostle compares the children of Israel's passage
through the Red Sea to baptismal Cor. x. 1, 2. But we all know that the
water of baptism represents Christ's blood.
Thus Christ, the angel of God's presence, in his love and his pity redeemed
his people, and carried them in the-days of old as on eagles' wings, so that
none of their proud and spiteful enemies, neither Egyptians nor devils, could
touch them.
This was quite a new thing that God did towards this great work of re
demption. God never had done any thing like it before ; Deut. iv. 32, 33, 34.
This was a great advancement of the work of redemption, that had been
begun and carried on from the fall of man ; a great step taken in divine pro
vidence towards a preparation for Christ's coming into the world, and work
ing out his great and eternal redemption : for this was the people of whom
Christ was to come. And now we may see how the plant flourished that God
had planted in Abraham. Though the family of which Christ was to come,
had been in a degree separated from the rest of the world before, in the call
ing of Abraham ; yet that separation that was then made, appeared not to
be sufficient, without further separation. For though by that separation, they ,
were kept as strangers and sojourners, kept from being united with other
people in the same political societies ; yet they remained mixed among them,
by which means, as it had proved, they had been in danger of wholly losing

334 WORK OF REDEMPTION.
the true religion, and of being overrun with the idolatry of their neighbors.
God now, therefore, by this redemption, separated them as a- nation from all
other nations, to subsist by themselves in their own political and ecclesiastical
state, without having any concern with the Heathen nations, that they might
so be kept separate till Christ should come ; and so that the church of Christ
might be upheld, and might keep the oracles of God, till that time ; that in
them might be kept up those types and prophecies of Christ, and those histo
ries, and other divine previous instructions, that were necessary to prepare the
way for Christ's coming.
H. As this people were separated to be God's peculiar people, so all other
people upon the face of the whole earth were wholly rejected and given over
to Heathenism. This, so far as. the providence of God was concerned in it,
belongs to the great affair of redemption that we are upon, and was one thing
that God ordered in his proyidence to prepare the way for Christ's coming,
and the great salvation he was to accomplish in the world ; for it was only
to prepare the way for the more glorious and signal victory and triumph of
Christ's power and grace over the wicked and miserable world, and that
Christ's salvation of the world of mankind might become the more sensible.
This is the account the Scripture itself gives us of the matter, Rom. xi. 30,
31, 32. The apostle there speaking to the Gentiles that had formerly been
Heathens, says : " As ye in times past have not believed God, yet have now
obtained mercy through their unbelief; even so have these also now not be
lieved, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy. For God hath
concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all :" i. e., it
was the will of God, that the whole world, Jews and Gentiles, should be con
cluded in visible and professed unbelief, that so God's mercy and Christ's sal
vation towards them all might be visible and sensible. For the apostle is not
speaking only of that unbelief that is natural to all God's professing people
as well as others, but that which appears, and is visible; such' as the Jews
fell into, when they openly rejected Christ, and ceased to be a professing
people. The apostle observes how that first the Gentiles, even the Gentile
nations, were included in a professed unbelief and open opposition to the true
religion, before Christ came, to prepare the way for the' calling of the Gen
tiles, which was soon after Christ came, that God's mercy might be the more
visible to them ; and that the Jews were rejected* and apostatized from the
visible church, to prepare the way for the calling of the Jews, which shall be
in the latter days : so that it may be seen of all nations, Jews and Gentiles,
that they are visibly redeemed by Christ, from being visibly aliens from the
commonwealth of Israel, without hope, and without God in the world.
We cannot determine precisely at what time the apostasy of the Gentile
nations from the true God, or their being concluded in visible unbelief, be
came universal. Their falling away was a gradual thing, as we observed be
fore. It was general in Abraham's time, but not universal : for then we find
Melchisedec, one of the kings of Canaan, was priest of the most high God.
And after this the true religion was kept up for a while among some of the
rest of Abraham's posterity, besides the family of Jacob ; and also in some of
the posterity of Nahor, as we have instances of, ih Job and his three friends,
and Elihu. The land of Uz, where' Job lived, was a land possessed by the
posterity. of Uz, or Huz, the son of Nahor, Abraham's brother, of whom we
read, Gen. xxii. 21. Bildad the Shuhite was of the offspring of Shuah, Abra
ham's son by Keturah, Gen. xxv. 1, 2 ; and Elihu the Buzite, was of Buz the
son of Nahor, the brother of Abraham. So the true religion lasted among

WORK OF REDEMPTION. 335
some other people, besides the Israelites, a while after Abraham. But it did
not last long; and it is probable that the time of their total rejection, and
giving up to idolatry, was about the time when God separated the children
of Israel from Egypt to serve him ; for they are often put in mind on that oc -
casion, that God had now separated them to be his peculiar people; or to
be distinguished from all other people upon earth, to be his people alone : to
be his portion, when others were rejected. . This seems to hold forth thus much
to us, that God now chose them in such a manner, that this visible choice of
them was accompanied with a visible rejection of all other nations in the world ;
that God visibly came, and took up his residence with them, as forsaking all
other nations.
And so, as the first calling of the Gentiles after Christ came, was accom
panied with a rejection of the Jews ; so the first calling of the Jews to be
God's people,. when they were called out of Egypt, was accompanied with a
rejection of the Gentiles.
Thus all the Gentile nations throughout the whole world, all nations, but
only the Israelites, and those that embodied , themselves with them, were left
and given up to idolatry ; and so continued a great many ages, even from this
time till Christ came, which was about fifteen hundred years. They were
concluded so long a time in unbelief, that there might be a thorough proof of
the necessity of a Saviour ; that it might appear by so long a trial, past all
contradiction, that mankind were utterly insufficient to deliver themselves from ,
that gross darkness and misery, and subjection to the devil, that they had fall- !
en under ; that it might appear that all the wisdom of the philosophers, and
the wisest men that the heathen had among them, could not deliver them from .
their darkness, for the greater glory to Jesus Christ, who, when he came, en
lightened and delivered them by his glorious gospel. Herein the wonderful
wisdom of God appeared, in thus preparing the. way for Christ's redemption.
This the Scripture teaches us, as in 1 Cor. i. 21 : " For after that, in the wis
dom of God, the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the fool
ishness of preaching to save them that believe."
Here I might consider as another work of God, whereby the general work
of redemption was carried on, that wonderful deliverance which he wrought
for the children of Israel at the Red Sea, when they were pursued by the
hosts of the Egyptians, and were just ready to be swallowed up by them, there
being, to human appearance, no possibility of an escape. But as this may be
referred to their redemption out of > Egypt, and considered as a part of that
more general work, I shall not further enlarge upon it.
III. The next thing that I shall take notice of here, that was done towards
the work of redemption, is God's giving the moral law in so awful a manner
at Mount Sinai. This was another new thing that God did, a new step taken
in this great affair. Deut. iv. 33, " Did ever a people hear the voice of God
speaking out of the midst of the fire, as thou hast heard, and live 1" And it
was a great thing that God did towards this work, and that whether we con
sider it as delivered as a new exhibition of the covenant of works, or given
as a rule of life
The covenant of works was here exhibited to be as a schoolmaster to lead
to Christ, not only for the use of that nation in the ages of the Old Testament,
but for the use of God's church throughout all ages of the world ; as an in
strument *hat the great Redeemer makes ^use of to convince men of their sin
and misery, and helpless state, and of God's awful and tremendous majesty
and 'justice as a lawgiver, and so to make men sensible of the necessity of

336 WORK OF REDEMPTION.
Christ as a Saviour. The work of redemption, in its saving effect on men's
souls, in all the progress of it to the end of it, is not carried on without the
use of this law that was now delivered at Sinai.
It was given in an awful manner, with a terrible voice, exceedingly loud
and awful, so that all the people that were in the camp trembled ; and Moses
himself, though so intimate a friend of God, yet said, I exceedingly fear' and
quake ; the voice being accompanied with thunders and lightnings, the moun
tain burning with fire to the midst of heaven, and the earth itself shaking and
trembling ; to make all sensible how great that authority, power, and justice
was, that stood engaged to exact the fulfilment of this law, and to see it fully
executed ; and how strictly God would require the fulfilment ; and how terri
ble his wrath would be against every breaker of it ; that men being sensible
of these things, might have a thorough trial of themselves, and might prove
their own hearts, and know how impossible it is for them to have salvation by
the works of the law, and might see the absolute necessity they stood in of a
mediator. If we regard this law now given at Mount Sinai, not as the covenant of
works, but as a rule of life ; so it is made use of by the Redeemer, from that
time to the end of the world, as a directory to his people, to show them the
way in which they must walk as they would go to heaven : for a way of sin
cere and- universal obedience to this law is the narrow way that leads to life.
IV. The next thing that is observable in this period, was God's giving the
typical law, in which I suppose to be included most or all those precepts that
were given by Moses, that did not properly belong to the moral law ; not only
those laws that are commonly called ceremonial, in distinction from judicial
laws, which are the laws prescribing the ceremonies and circumstances of the
Jewish Worship, and their ecclesiastical state; but also many, if not all those
divine laws that were political, and for regulating the Jewish commonwealth,
commonly called judicial laws ; these were at best many of them typical.
The giving this typical law was another great thing that God did in this period,
tending to build up this glorious structure of redemption that God had been
carrying on from the beginning of the world. There had been many typical
events of Providence befor.e, that represented Christ and his redemption, and
some typical ordinances, as particularly those two of sacrifices and circum
cision : but now, instead of representing the great Redeemer in a few,institu-
tions, God gives forth a law full of nothing else but various and innumerable
typical representations of good things to come, by which that nation were di
rected how, every year, month, and day, in their religious actions, and in their
conduct of themselves, in all that appertained to their ecclesiastical and civil
state, to show forth something of Christ ; one observance showing one thing,
exhibiting one doctrine, or one benefit; another, another; so that the whole
nation by this law was, as it were, constituted in a typical state. Thus the
gospel was abundantly held forth to that nation; so that there is scarce any
doctrine of it, but is particularly taught and exhibited by some observance of
this law ; though it was in shadows, and under a vail, as Moses put a vail on
bis face when it shone.
To this typical law belong all the precepts that relate to building the tab
ernacle that was set up in the wilderness, and all the form, circumstances, and
utensils of it.
V. About this time was given to God's church the first written word of
God that ever was enjoyed by God's people. This was another great thing
done towards the affair of redemption, a new and glorious advancement of the

WORK OF REDEMPTION. 337
building. Not far from this time, was the beginning of the great written rule,
which God has given for the regulation of the faith, worship and practice of
his church in all ages henceforward to the end of the world ; which rule grew,
and was added to from that time, for- many ages, till it was finished, and the
canon of Scripture completed by the Apostle John. It is not very material,
whether the first written word that ever was, was the ten commandments,
written on the tables of stone with the finger of God, or the book of Job; and
whether the book of Job Was written by Moses, as some suppose, or by Elihu,
as others. If it was written by Elihu, it was written before this period that
we are now upon ; but yet could not be far from it, as appears by considering
whose posterity the persons were that are spoken of in it, together with Job's
great age, that was past before this was written.
The written word of God is the main instrument Christ has made use of
to carry on his work of redemption in all ages since it was given. There was
a necessity now Of the word of God's being committed to writing, for a steady
rule to God's church. Before this, the church had the word of God by tradi
tion, either by immediate tradition from eminent men that Were inspired; that
were then living (for it was a common thing in those days, before there was
a written word, for God to reveal himself immediately to eminent persons, as
appears by the book, of Job, and many other things that might be mentioned,
in the book of Genesis), or else they had it by tradition from former generations,
which might be had with tolerable certainty in ages preceding this, by reason
of the long lives of men. Noah might converse with Adam, and receive tra
ditions from him ; and Noah lived till about Abraham's time : and the sons
of Jacob lived a considerable time to deliver the revelations made to Abraham,
Isaac, and Jacob, to their posterity in Egypt. But the distance from the be
ginning of things was become so great, and the lives of men become so short,
being brought down to the present standard about Moses's time, and God
having now separated a nation to be a peculiar people, partly for that end to
be the keepers of the oracles of God ; God'saw it to be a needful and conve
nient time now to commit his word to writing, to remain henceforward for a ,
steady rule throughout all ages. And therefore, besides the book of Job^
Christ wrote the ten commandments on tables of stone, with his own finger ;
and after this the whole law, as containing the substance of the five books of
Moses, was by God's special command committed to writing, which was called
the book of the law, and was laid up in the tabernacle, to be keptthere for the
use of the church ; as you may see, Deut. xxxi. 24, 25, 26.
VI. God was pleased now wonderfully to represent the progress of his re
deemed church through the world to their eternal inheritance, by the journey
of the children of Israel through the wilderness, from Egypt to Canaan. Here
all the various steps of the redemption of the church by Christ were repre^
sented, from the beginning to its consummation in glory. The state they are
redeemed from is represented by Egypt, and their bondage there, which they
left. The purchase of their redemption was represented by the sacrifice of the
paschal lamb, which was offered up that night that God slew all the first-born
of Egypt. . The heginning of the application of the redemption -of Christ's
church in their conversion, was represented by Israel's going out of Egypt, and
passing through the Red Sea in so extraordinary and miraculous a manner.
The travel of the church through this evil world, and the various changes
through which the church passes, in the different stages of it, were represented
by the journey of the Israelites through the wilderness. The manner of their
being conducted by Christ, was represented by the Israelites being led by the
Vol. I. 43

338 WORK OF REDEMPTION
pillar of cloud by 'day, and the pillar of fire by night. The manner of the
church's being supported in their progress, and supplied from the beginning
to the end of it, with spiritual food, and continual daily communications from
God, was represented by God's supplying the children of Israel with bread, or
manna, from heaven, and water out of the rock. The dangers that the saints
must meet with in their course through the world, were represented by the
fiery flying serpents which the children of Israel met with in the wilderness.
The conflicts the church has with her enemies, were represented By their battle
with the Amalekites, and others they met with there. And so innumerable.
other things might be mentioned, wherein the things they met with were lively
images of things which the church and saints meet with in all ages of the
world. That these things are typical of things that pertain to the Christian
church is manifest from 1 Cor. x. 11 : " Now all these things happened unto
them for ensamples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom
the ends of the world are come." Here the apostle is speaking of those very
things which we have now mentioned, and he says expressly, that they hap
pened unto them for types ; so it is in the original.
VII. Another thing here must not be omitted, which was a great and re
markable dispensation of Providence, respecting the whole world of mankind,
which was finished in this period ; and that was the shortening the days of
man's life, whereby it was brought down from being between nine hundred
and a thousand years, to be but about seventy or eighty. The life of man be
gan to be shortened immediately after the flood ; it was brought down the first
generation to six hundred years ; and the next to between four and five hun
dred years ; and so the life of man gradually grew shorter and shorter, till
about the time of the great mortality that was in the congregation of Israel,
after they had murmured at the report of the spies, and their carcasses fell in
the wilderness, whereby all the men of war died ; and then the life' of man
was reduced to its present standard, as Moses observes in that Psalm that he
wrote on occasion of that mortality : Psal. xc. 10, " The days of our years
are threescore years and ten ; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore
years, yet is their strength labor and sorrow : for it is soon cut off, and we fly
away." This great dispensation of God tended to promote the grand design of the
redemption of Christ. Man's life being cut so very short in this world, tended
to prepare the way for poor, mortal, short lived men, the more joyfully to en
tertain the glad tidings of everlasting life in another world, that are brought
to light by the gospel ; and more readily to embrace a Saviour, that purchases
and offers such a blessing. • If men's lives were still commonly about nine
hundred , years, how much less would they have to move them to regard the
proffers of a future life ; how much greater temptation would they have to rest
in the things of this world, they being of such long continuance, and to neglect
any other life but this ! This probably contributed greatly to the wickedness
of the antediluvians. But now how much greater motives have men to seek
redemption, and a better life than this, by the great Redeemer, since the life
of man is not one twelfth part of what it used to be, and men now universally
die at the age when men formerly used to be but as it were setting out in the
world !
VIII. The same work was carried on in preserving that people, of whom
Christ was to come, from totally perishing in the wilderness, by a constant
miracle of forty years' continuance. I observed before many times, how God
preserved those, of whom the Redeemer was to proceed, in a very wonderful

WORK OF REDEMPTION. 339
manner ; as he preserved Noah and his family from the flood ; and as he pre
served Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, with their families, from the wicked in
habitants of Canaan ; and as he preserved Jacob and his family from perish
ing by the famine, by Joseph in Egypt. But this preservation of the children
of Israel for so long a time in the wilderness, was on some accounts more re
markable than any of them; for it was by a continual miracle of so long du
ration. , There was, as may be fairly computed, at first two millions of souls
in that congregation, that could not subsist any better without meat and drink
than. other men. But if this had been withheld, they must all have perished,,
every man, woman, and child, in less than one month's time, so that there
would not have been one of them left. But yet this vast multitude subsisted
for forty years together, in a dry, barren wilderness, without sowing or reap
ing, or tilling any land, having their bread daily rained down to them out of
heaven, and being furnished with water to satisfy them all, out of a rock ; and
the same clothes with which they came out of Egypt, lasting without wearing
out all that time. Never was any instance like this of a nation's being so
upheld for so long a time together. Thus God upheld his church by a con
tinual miracle, and kept alive that people in whom was the blessing, the-
promised seed, and great Redeemer of the world.
IX. God was pleased, in this time of the children of Israel's being in the
wilderness, to give a further revelation of Christ the Redeemer in the predic
tions of him, than had been before. Here are thi'ee prophecies given at this
time that I would take notice of. The first is that of Balaam, Numb. xxiv. 17,
18. 19 : " I shall see him, but not now ; I shall behold him, but not nigh t
there shall come a< Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel,
and shall smite th'e corners of Moab, and destroy all the children of Sheth,
And Edom shall be a possession, Seir also shall be a possession for his enemies,
and Israel shall do valiantly. Out of Jacob shall come he that shall have
dominion, and shall destroy him that remaineth of the city." This is a plainer
prophecy of Christ, especially with regard to his kingly office, than any that
had been before. But we have another, that God gave by Moses, that 'is
plainer still, especially with regard to his . prophetical office, in Deut. xviii.
18, &c. : " I will raise them up a prophet from among their brethren, like
unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak unto them
all that I command him," &c. This is a plainer prophecy of Christ than any
that had been before, in this respect, that all the prophecies that had been be
fore of Christ, were in figurative, mystical language. The first prophecy was
so — that" the seed of the woman should bruise the serpent's head." The
promises made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob that " in their seed all the
families of the earth should be blessed," were also mystical; which prophecy
is npt so particular, because the expression, thy seed, is general, and not
plainly limited, to any particular person. The prophecy of Jacob in blessing
Judah, Gen. xlix. 8, is in mystical language ; and so is that of Balaam, which
speaks of Christ under the figurative expression of a star. But this is a plain
prophecy, without being veiled in any mystical language at all.
There are several things contained in this prophecy of Christ. Here is his
mediatorial office in general, ver. 16. Here it is revealed how he should be
a person to stand between them and God, that was so terrible a being, a being
of such awful majesty, holiness, and justice, that they could not have inter
course with him immediately, without a mediator to stand between them-
because, if they came to such a dreadful sin-revenging God immediately, they
should die ; God would prove a consuming fire to them. And then here is

340 WORK OF REDEMPTION.
a particular revelation of Christ with respect to his prophetical office .: " I
will raise them up a prophet from among their brethren like unto thee/' &c.
And further, it is revealed what kind of a prophet he should be, a prophet like
Moses, who was the head and leader of all the people, and who, under God,
had been their redeemer, to bring them out of the house of bondage, was, as
it, were, their shepherd, by whom God led' them, through the Red. Sea and
wilderness, and was an intercessor for them with God, and was. both a prophet
and a king in the congregation; for Moses had the power, of a king among
them. It is said of him, Deut. xxxiii. 5, he was king in Jeshurun, and he
was the prophet by whom God as it were built up his church, and delivered
his instructions of worship. Thus Christ was to be a prophet like unto Moses ;
-so that this' is both the plainest and fullest prophecy of Christ that ever had
been from the beginning of the world to this time. '
The next prophecy that I shall take notice of, respects only the calling
Of the Gentiles, which should be after Christ's coming, of which God gave
a very plain prophecy by Moses in the wilderness, Deut. xxxii. 21. Here is
a very plain prophecy of the rejection of the Jews, and calling the Gentiles.
They moved God to jealousy, by that which was not God, by casting him
off, and taking other gods, that were ho gods,, in his room.. So God declares
that he will move them to jealousy in the like manner, by casting them off,
and taking other people, that had not been his • people, in their room. The
Apostle Paul takes -notice of this prophecy, as foretelling the calling of the
Gentiles, in Romans x. 19, 20: "But I say, Did not Israel- know?; First,
Moses saith, I will provoke you to jealousy by them that are no people, and
by a foolish nation I will anger you. But Esaias is very, bold, and saith, I
was found of them that sought me not ; I was made manifest to them that
asked not after me."
: Thus you see how the light of the gospel, which first began to dawn and
glimmer immediately after the fall, gradually increases the nearer we come to
1/hnst's time.
* X. Another thing by which God carried on this work in this time, was a
remarkable pouring out of his Spirit on the young- generation in the wilder
ness. The generation that was grown up when they came out of Eoypt, from
twenty years old and upward, was a very froward and perverse generation.
ihey were tainted' with the idolatry and wickedness of Eoypt, and were not
weaned from it, as the Prophet Ezekiel takes notice, Ezek. xx. 6, 7,8.
Hence they made the golden calf in imitation of the idolatry of Egypt, that
was wont to worship a bull or an ox; and therefore cattle are called the
domination of the Egyptians, i. e. their idol. This generation God was ex
ceeding angry with, and swore in, his wrath, that they should not enter into
ms rest. But the younger generation were not so ; the generation thafwere
under twenty years old when they came out of Egypt, and those that Were
born in the wilderness, the generation spoken of, Numb. xiv. 31 : "But your
httle ones, whom ye said should be a prey, them will I bring in ; and they
shall know me. land that ye have despised." This was the generation with-
whom ths ; -venant was renewed, as- we have an account in Deuteronomy,
and that «-., red into the land of Canaan. This generation God was pleased
to make a • eneration to his praise, and they were eminent for piety ; as ap
pears by jnfcny things said in Scripture about them ; as, particular]! Jer ii
2, 3 : " I i, member thee, the kindness of thy youth, the love of thine espou
sals, whta ,;hou wentest after me in the wilderness; in a land that was not
sown. Is;.,, el was holiness to the Lord, and the first fruits of his increase "

WORK OF REDEMPTION. 34f!
Here the generation that went after God in the wilderness, is spoken of with-
very high commendations, as eminent for holiness ; " Israel was holiness to
the Lord, and the first fruits of his increase." And their love to God is spoken
of as distinguished, like the love of a bride at her espousals. The going after
God in the wilderness that is here spoken of, is not the going of the children
of Israel out of Egypt into the wilderness of Sinai, but their following God
through that dreadful wilderness, that the congregation long wandered in,
after they went back from Kadesh Barnea, which is spoken of Deut. viii. 15 :.
" Who led thee through the great and. terrible wilderness, wherein were fiery
serpents and scorpions, and drought, where there was no w'ater." Though*
this generation had a much greater trial than the generation of their fathers-
bad before they came to Kadesh Barnea, yet they never murmured against
God in any wise, as their fathers had done : but their trials had a contrary
effect upon them, to awaken them, convince, and humble them, and fit them
for great mercy. They were awakened by those awful judgments of God
that he inflicted on their fathers, whereby their carcasses fell in the wilderness.
And God poured out his Spirit with those awakening providences towards
their fathers, and their own travel in the wilderness, and the Word preached
to them by Moses ; whereby they were greatly awakened, and made to see
the badness of their own hearts, and were humbled, and at length multitudes
of them savingly converted, as Deut. viii. 2, 3 : " And thou shalt remember
the way which the Lord thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness,
to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether
thou wouldst keep his commandments, or no. And he humbled thee," &c.
And verse 15, " Who led thee through that great and terrible wilderness, —
that he might humble thee, and that he might prove thee, to do thee good at
thy latter end." And therefore it is said, Hos. xiii. 5, " I did know thee in
the wilderness, in the land of greai drought." God allured them, and brought
them into that wilderness, and spake comfortably to them, as it was foretold
that he would do afterwards, Hos. ii. 14.
Those terrible judgments that were executed in the congregation after their
turning back from Kadesh Barnea, in the matter of Korah, and the matter of
Peor, were chiefly on the old generation, whom God consumed in the wilder
ness. Those rebellions were chiefly among the elders of the congregation,,
who were of the older generation that God had given up to their hearts' lust ;.
and they walked in their own counsels, and God was grieved with their man
ners forty years in the wilderness.
But that this younger congregation were eminent for piety, appears by all
their history. The former generation were wicked, and were followed with
e,»rses ; but this was holy, and wonderful blessings followed them. God did
great things for them ; he fought for them, and gave them the possession of
Canaan. And it is God's manner, when he hath.very great mercies to bestow
on a visible people, first, to fit them for them, and then to bestow them on
them. So it was here : they believed in Gpd, and by faith overcame Sihon
and Og,. and the giants of. Canaan; and are commended for cleaving to the
Lord, Josh, xxiii. 8: Joshua, says unto them, " Cleave unto fhe Lord, as ye
have done unto this day." And so Israel did all the while that generation
lived. But when Joshua and all that generation were dead, there arose
another generation that knew not the Lord. This pious generation showed a
laudable and fervent zeal for God on several occasions ; on occasion of Achan's
sin j hut especially when they suspected the two tribes and a half had set up
an altar in opposition to the altar of burnt-offering. There never was any

342 WORK OF REDEMPTION.
generation of Israel that so much good and so little evil is mentioned of, as
this generation. It is further observable, that in the time of this generation
was the second general circumcision, whereby the reproach of Israel was fully
rolled away, and they became pure ; and when afterwards they were polluted
by Achan, they purged themselves again.
The men of the former generation being dead, and God having sanctified
this younger generation to himself, he solemnly renewed his covenant witfc
them, as we have a particular account in the 29th chapter of Deuteronomy.
We find that such solemn renovations of the covenant commonly accompanied
any remarkable pouring out of the Spirit, causing a general reformation : so
we find it was in Hezekiah's and Josiah's times. It is questionable whether
there ever was a time of so great a flourishing of religion in the Israelitish
-church, as in that generation ; and as, in the Christian church, religion was'in
its most flourishing circumstances in the day of its espousals, Or first setting up
of that church, in the days of the apostles, so it seems to have been with the
Jewish church in the days of its first establishment in Moses's and Joshua's times.
Thus God at this time did gloriously advance the work of redemption, both
by his word and Spirit. By this pouring out of the Spirit of God, the work
¦of redemption was promote*, not only as it was in itself a glorious instance
of the carrying on of that redemption in the application of it, but as this was
what God made use of as a means of the good and orderly establishment of
the church of Israel at its first beginning, when it was first settled in the regu
lar observance of God's ordinances in Canaan ; even as the pouring out of
the Spirit, in the beginning of the Christian church, was a great m'eans God
made use of for the well establishing the Christian church in the world in all
succeeding ages.
XI. The next thing I would observe, was God's bringing the people of
Israel under the hand of Joshua, and settling them in that land where Christ
was to be born, and which was the great type of the heavenly Canaan, which
Christ has purchased. This was done by Joshua, who was of Joseph's pos
terity, and was an eminent type of Christ, and is therefore called the shep
herd, the stone of Israel, in Jacob's blessing of Joseph, Gen. xlix. 24. Being
such a type of Christ, he bore the name of Christ. Joshua and Jesus are the
same name, only the one is Hebrew, and the other is Greek : and therefore,
in the New Testament, which was originally written in Greek, Joshua is
called Jesus, Acts vii. 45, " Which also our fathers brought in with Jesus,"
i. e. Joshua : Heb. iv. 8, " If Jesus had given them rest, he would not have
spoken of another day ;" i. e., if Joshua had given them rest.
God wonderfully possessed his people of this land, conquering the former
inhabitants of it, and the mighty giants, as Christ conquered the devil ; first
conquering the great kings of that part of the land, that was on the eastern
side of Jordan, Sihon king of the Amorites, and Og king of Bashan ; and then
dividing the river Jordan, as before he had done the Red Sea ; causing the
walls of Jericho to fall down at the sound of the trumpets of the priests; that
sound typifying the sound of the gospel by the preaching of gospel ministers,
the walls of the accursed city Jericho signifying the walls of Satan's king
dom ; and after this wonderfully destroying the mighty host of the Amorites
under the five kings, causing the sun and moon to stand still, to help the people
against their enemies, at the prayer of the typical Jesus ; plainly holding this
forth,' that God. would make the whole course of nature to be subservient to
the affair of redemption ; so that every thing should yield to the purposes of
that work, and give place to the welfare of God's redeemed people.

WORK OF REDEMPTION. 343
Thus did Christ show his great love to his elect, that he would make the
course of nature, ih the frame of the world that he had madej and that he
governed, to give place to their happiness and prosperity ; and showed that
the sun and moon, and all things, visible and invisible, were theirs by his pur
chase. At the same time, Christ fought as the captain of their host, and cast
down great hailstones upon their enemies, by which more were slain than by
the sword, of the children of Israel. And after this Christ gave the people a
mighty victory over a yet greater army in the northern part of the land, that
were gathered together at the waters of Merom as the sand of the sea-shore,
as it is said Josh. xi. 4.
Thus God gave the people whence Christ was to proceed, the land where
he was to be born, and live, and preach, and work miracles, and die, and rise
again, and whence he was to ascend into heaven, as the land which was a
great type of heaven ; which is another thing whereby a great advance was
made in the affair of redemption.
XII. Another thjng that God did towards carrying on this affair, was his
actually setting Up his stated worship among the people, as it had been before
instituted in the wilderness. This, worship was appointed at Mount Sinai,
wholly in subserviency to this great affair of redemption. It was to make
way for the coming of Christ; and the innumerable ceremonial observances
of it were typical of him and his redemption. This worship was chiefly in
stituted at Mount Sinai'; but it was' gradually setup in practice. It was part
ly set up in the wilderness, where the tabernacle and its vessels were made;
but there were many parts of their instituted worship that could not be ob
served in the wilderness, by reason of their unsettled, itinerant state there.
And then there were many precepts that respect the land of Canaan, and
their cities and places of habitation there ; which therefore could not be put
in practice, till they came into that land. But now, when this was brought
to pass, God set up his tabernacle in the midst of his people, as he had before
promised them, Lev. xxvi. 11: "I will set my tabernacle amongst you."
The tabernacle was set up at Shiloh, Josh, xviii. 1, and the priests and Levites
had their offices appointed them, and "the cities of refuge were appointed ; and
now the people were in a condition to observe their feasts of the first fruits,
and their feasts of ingathering, and to bring all their tithes and appointed of
ferings to the Lord ; and most parts of God's worship were set up, though
there were, some things that were not observed till afterwards.
XIII. The next thing I would take notice of, was God's wonderfully pre
serving that people, from this time forward, when all the males went up, three
times in the year, to the place where God's ark was. The people of Israel
were generally surrounded with enemies, that sought all opportunities to de
stroy them, and dispossess them of their land ; and fill David's time there
were great numbers in the land of the remains of the Canaanites, and the other
former inhabitants of the land, that were bitter enemies to the people of Isra
el ; and these had from year to year, three times in the year, a fair opportunity
of overrunning their country, and getting possession of their cities, when all
the males were gone, and only the women, and those who were not able to
go up, were left behind. And yet they were remarkably preserved throughout
all generations at such seasons, agreeably to the promise that God had made,
Exod. xxxiv. 24 : " Neither shall any man desire thy land, when thou shalt
go up to appear before the Lord thy God thrice in the year." So. wonderfully
did God order affairs, and influence the hearts of their enemies, that though
they were so full of enmity against Israeli and desfred to dispossess them 'of

344 WORK OF REDEMPTION.
their land, and had so fair an opportunity so often in their hands, that die
whole country was left naked and empty of all that could resist them, and it
would have been only for them to have gone and taken possession, and they
could have had it without opposition, and they were so eager to take other
opportunities' against them ; yet we never read, in all their history, of any of
their enemies taking these opportunities against them; which could be no
less than a continual miracle, that God, for the preservation of his church,,
kept up for so many generations, even throughout. the ages of the Old Testa
ment. It was surely a wonderful dispensation of divine Providence to main
tain and promote God's great design of redemption.
XD7. God's preserving his church and the true religion from being wholly
extinct in the frequent apostasies of the Israelites in the time of the judges.
How prone was that people to forsake the true God, that had done such won
derful things for them, and to fall into idolatry ! And how did the land, from'
time to time, seem to be almost overrun with idolatry ! But yet God never
suffered his true worship to be totally rooted out i his tabernacle stood, the
ark was preserved, the book of the law was kept from being destroyed, God's
priesthood was upheld, and God still had a church among the people ; and
time after time, when religion seemed to be almost gone, and it was come to
the last extremity, then God granted a revival, and sent some angel or prophet,
or raised up some eminent person, to be an instrument of their reformation.
XV. God's preserving that nation from being destroyed, and delivering
them from time to time, although they were so often subdued and brought un
der the dominion of their enemies. It is a wonder, not only that the true re
ligion was not wholly rooted out,, and so the church destroyed that way ; but
also that the very nation in which that church was, was not utterly destroyed;
they were so often brought under the power of their enemies. One while they
were subdued by Chushanrishathaim king of Mesopotamia, another while they
were brought under the Moabites ; and then they were sold into the hand oi
Jabin king of Canaan ; and then they were under the dominion of the Midian-
ites ; and then were sorely distressed by the children of Ammon ; and then by
the Philistines. But yet God, in all these dangers, preserved them, and kept
them from being wholly overthrown : and from time to time, when it was come
to extremity, and God saw that they were upon fhe very brink of ruin, then
God raised up a deliverer, agreeably to Deut. xxxii. 36 : " For the Lord shall
judge his people, and repent himself for his servants ; when he seeth their
power is gone, and there is none shut up or left."
Those remarkable dispensations of Providence are very lively and elegantly
set forth by the Psalmist, Psal. cvi. 34, &c.
These deliverers that God raised up from time to time were all types of
Christ, the. great redeemer and deliverer of his church ; and some of them very
remarkably so ; as, particularly, Barak, Jephthah, Gideon, and Samson, in
very many particulars ; and above all in the acts of Samson, as might be shown,
were it not that this would take up too much time.
XVI. It is observable, that when Christ appeared to manage the affairs of
bis church in this period, he often appeared in the form of that nature that he
took upon him in his incarnation. So he seems to have appeared to Moses
from time to time, and particularly at that time when God spake to him face
to face, as a man speaketh to his friend, and he beheld the similitude of the
LordJ^Numb. xii. 8) after he had besought him to show him his glory; which
was the most remarkable vision that ever he had of Christ. 'There was a
twofold discovery that Moses had of Christ : one was spiritual, made to his

WORK OF REDEMPTION. 345
mind by the word that was proclaimed, when he proclaimed his name, saying,
" The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant
in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and
transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the
iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto
the third and'to the fourth generation," Exod. xxxiv. 6, &c. Another was
external ; which was that which Moses saw, when Christ passed by, and put
him in a cleft of the rock, and covered him with his hand, so that Moses saw
his back parts. What he saw was doubtless the back parts of a glorious hu
man form, in which Christ appeared to him, and in all likelihood the form of
his glorified human nature, in which he should afterwards appear. He saw
not his. face ; for it is not to be supposed that any man could subsist under a
sight of the glory of Christ's human nature as it now appears.-
So it was a human form in which Christ appeared to the seventy elders,
of which we have an account, Exod. xxi v. 9, 10, 11 : " Then went up Moses
and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel : and they
6aw the God of Israel : and there was under his feet, as it were a paved work
of a sapphire stone, and as it were the body of heaven in his clearness. And
upon the nobles of the children of Israel he laid not his hand : also they saw
God, and did eat and drink." 'So Christ appeared afterwards to Joshua ih the
form of the human nature, Josh. v. 13, 14 : " And it came to pass when Joshua
was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, there stood a
man over against him with his sword drawn in his hand ; and Joshua went
unto him, and said unto him, Art thou for us, or for our adversaries ? And
he said, Nay, but as captain of the host of the Lord am I now come." And
so he appeared to Gideon, Judg. vi! 11, &c., and so also to Manoah, Judg. xiii.
17 — 21. Here Christ appeared to Manoah in a representation both of his in
carnation, and death ; of his incarnation,' in that he appeared in a human form;
and of his death and sufferings, represented by the sacrifice of a kid, and by
his ascending up in the flame of the sacrifice ; intimating, that it was he that
was. the great sacrifice, ihut must be offered up to God for a sweet savor, in
the fire of his wrath, as that kid was burned and ascended up in the flame.
Christ thus appeared time after time, in the form of that nature he was after
wards to take upon him ; because he now appeared on the same design, and
to carry on the same work, that he was to appear in that nature to work out
and carry on.
XVII. Another thing I would mention, done in this period towards the
work of redemption, is the beginning of a succession of prophets, and erecting
a school .of the prophets, in Samuel's time. There was something of this spirit
of prophecy in Israel after Moses, before Samuel. Joshua, and many of the
judges had a degree of it Deborah was a prophetess ; and some of the high
priests were inspired with this spirit ; particularly Eli: and that space of time
was not wholly without instances of those that were set apart of God especially
to this office, and so were called prophets. Such a one we read of, Judg. vi.
8 : " The Lord sent a prophet unto the children of Israel, which said, unto
them," &c. Such a one he seems to have been that we read of, 1 Sam. ii. 27 :
" And there came a man of God to Eli," &c.
But there was no such order of men upheld in Israel for any constancy,
before Samuel ; the want of it is taken notice of in 1 Sam. iii. 1 : " And the
word of the Lord was precious in those days; there \yas no open vision." But
m Samuel there was begun a succession of prophets, that was maintained con
tinually from that time, at least with very little interruption, till the spirit of
44

316 WORK OF REDEMPTION.
prophecy ceased, about Malachi's time : and therefore Samuel is spoken of in
the New Testament as the beginning of this succession of prophets, Acts iii
24: "And all the prophets from Samuel, and those that follow after, as many
as have spoken, have foretold of these days." After Samuel was Nathan, and
Gad,, and Iddo, and Heman, and Asaph, and others. And afterwards in the
latter end of Solomon's reign, we read of Ahijah; and in Jeroboam's and Re-
hoboam's time we read of prophets ; and so continually one prophet succeeded
another, till the captivity. We read in the writings of those prophets that are
inserted into the canon of the Scriptures, of prophets as being a constant order of
men upheld in the Jand in those days : and in the time of the captivity there
were prophets still, as Ezekiel and Daniel,; and after the captivity there were
prophets, as Zechariah, Haggai, and Malachi.
And because God intended a constant succession of prophets from Samuel's
time, therefore in his time was begun a school of the prophets ; that is, a school
of young men that were trained up under some great prophet, who was their
master and teacher in the study of divine things, and the practice of holiness,
to fit them for this office as God should call them to it. Those young men
that belonged to these schools, were called the sons of the prophets ; and often
times they are called prophets. These at first were under the tuition of Sam
uel. Thus we read of Samuel's being appointed over them, 1 Sam. xix. 20:
" And when they saw the company of the prophets prophesying, and Samuel
standing as appointed over them." The company of prophets that we read
of 1 Sam. x. 5, were the same. Afterwards we read of their being under Eli-
{'ah. Elisha was one of his sons ; but he desired to have a double portion of
lis spirit, as his successor, as his first-born, as the eldest son was wont to have
a double portion of the estate of his father ; and therefore the sons of the
prophets, when they perceived that the spirit of Elijah rested oh Elisha, sub
mitted themselves to him, and owned him for their master, as they had dona
Elijah before him ; as you may see, 2 Kings ii. 15 : " And when the sons of
the prophets which were to view at Jericho, saw him, they said, The spirit of
Elijah doth rest on Elisha. And they bowred themselves to the ground befora
him." And so after this, Elisha was their master or teacher; he had the care
and instruction of them ; as you may see, 2 Kings iv. 38 : " And Elisha came
again to Gilgal, and there was a dearth in the land, and the sons of the pro
phets were sitting before him : and he said unto his servant, Set on the great
pot, and seethe ppttage for the sons of the prophets." In Elijah's and Elisha's
time, there were several places where there resided companies of these sons
of the prophets ; as there was one at Bethel, arid another at "Jericho,' and an
other at Gilgal, unless those at Gilgal and Jericho were the same : and possi
bly that which is called' the college, where the prophetess Huldah resided, was
another at Jerusalem ; see 2 Kings xxii. 14. It is there said of Huldah the
prophetess, that she " dwelt in Jerusalem, in the college." They had houses
built, where they used to dwell together ; and therefore those at Jericho being
multiplied, and finding their house too little for them, desired leave of their
master and teacher Elisha, that they might go and hew timber to build a big
ger ; as you may see, 2 Kings vi. 1, 2.
At some times there were numbers of these sons of the prophets in Israel ;
for when Jezebel cut off the prophets of the Lord, it is said, that Obadiah took
a hundred of them, and hid them by fifty in a cave, 1 Kings xviii. 4.
These schools of the prophets being set up by Samuel, and afterwards
kept up by such great prophets as Elijah and Elisha, must be of divine ap-

WORK OF REDEMPTION. 347
pointment ; and accordingly we find, that those sons of the prophets were of
ten favored with a degree of inspiration, while they continued under tuition in
the schools of the prophets ; and God, commonly, when he called any prophet
to the constant exercise of the prophetical office, and to some extraordinary
service, took them out of these schools ; though not universally. Hence the
prophet Amos, speaking of bis being called to the prophetical office, says, that
he was one that had not been educated in the schools of the prophets, and was
nbt one of the sons of the prophets, Amos vii. 14, 15. But Amos's taking no
tice of it as remarkable, that he should be called to be a prophet that had not
been educated at the schools of the prophets, shows that it was God's ordinary
manner to take his prophets out of these schools ; for therein he did but bless
his own institution.
Now this remarkable dispensation of Providence that we are upon, viz.,
God's beginning a constant succession of prophets in Samuel's time, that was
to last for many ages, and to that end, establishing a school of the prophets
under Samuel, 'thenceforward to be continued in Israel, was a step that God
took in that great affair of redemption that we are upon. For the main busi
ness of this succession of prophets was to foreshow Christ, and the glorious re
demption that he was to accomplish, and so to prepare the way for his coming;
as appears by that forementioned place, Acts iii. 24, and by Acts x, 43 : "To
him give- all the prophets witness ;". and by Acts iii. 18: "But those things
which God before , had showed by the mouth of all his prophets, that Christ
should suffer, he hath so fulfilled." ,
As I observed before, the Old Testament time was like a time of night,
wherein the church was not wholly without light, but had not the light of the
sun directly, but as reflected from the stars. Now these prophets were the
stars that reflected the light of the sun; and accordingly they spoke abundant
ly of Jesus Christ, as appears by what we have of their prophecies in writing.
And they made it very much their business, when they studied in their schools
or colleges, and elsewhere, to search out the work of redemption ; agreeably
to what the apostle Peter says of them, 1 Pet. i. 10, 11 : " Of which salvation
the prophets have inquired, and searched diligently, who prophesied of the
grace that should come unto you ; searching what, or what manner of time
the spirit of Christ that was in them did signify, when it testified, beforehand
the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow." We are told that
the church of the Redeemer is built On the foundation of the prophets and
apostles, the Redeemer himself being the chief corner stone, Eph. ii. 20.
This was the first thing of the nature that ever was done in the world ; and
it was a great thing that God did towards further- advancing this great build
ing of redemption, There had been before, occasional prophecies of Christ, as
was shown ; but now the- time drawing nearer when the Redeemer should come,
it pleased God to appoint a certain order of men, in constant succession, whose
main business it should be to foreshow Christ and his redemption, and as his
forerunners to prepare the way for his coming; and God established schools,
wherein multitudes Were instructed and trained up to that end : Rev. xix. 10,
" I am thy fellow servant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of
Jesus ; for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy."

348 WORK OF REDEMPTION.
PART V.
From David to the Babylonish Captivity.
I come now to ihe fifth period of the times of the Old Testament, begin
ning with David, and extending to the Babylonish captivity ; and would now
proceed to show how the work of redemption was carried on through this period
also. — And-here,
I. The first thing to be taken notice of, is God's anointing that person that
was to be the ancestor of Christ, to be king over his people. The dispensations
of Providence that have been taken notice of through the last period, from
Moses to this time, respect the people whence Christ was to proceed. But
now the Scripture history leads us to consider God's providence towards that
particular person whence Christ was to proceed, viz., David. It pleased God,
at this time, remarkably to select out that person of whom Christ was to come,
from all the thousands of Israel, and to put a most honorable mark of distinction
upon him, by anointing him to be king over his people. It was only God that
could find him out. His father's house is spoken of as being little in Israel,
and he was the youngest of all the sons of his father, and was least expected
to be the man that God had chosen, by Samuel. God had before, in the for
mer ages of the world, remarkably distinguished the persons from whom Christ
was to come ; as he did Seth, and Noah, and Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob.
But the last that we have any account of God's marking out in any notable
manner, the very person of whom Christ was to come, was in Jacob's blessing
his son Judah ; unless we reckon Nahshon's advancement in the wilderness to
be the head of the tribe of Judah. But this distinction of the person of whom
Christ was to come, in David, was very honorable ; for it was God's anointing
him to be king over his people. And there was something further denoted by
David's anointing, than was in the anointing of Saul. God anointed Saul to
be king personally ; but God intended something further, by sending Samuel
to anoint David, viz., to establish the crown of Israel in him and in his family,
as long as Israel continued to be a kingdom ; and not only so, but what was
infinitely more still, establishing the crown of his universal church, his spiritual
Israel, in his seed, to the end of the world, and throughout all eternity.
This was a great dispensation of God, and a great step taken towards a
further advancing of the work of redemption, according as the time drew near
wherein Christ was to come. David, as he was the ancestor of Christ,
so he was the greatest personal type df Christ of all under the Old Testament
The types of Christ were of three sorts ; types of institution or instituted types,
and providential, and personal types. The ordinance of sacrificing was the
greatest of the instituted types ; and the redemption out of Egypt was the great
est of the providential types ; and David the greatest of the personal types.
Hence Christ is often called David in the prophecies of Scripture ; as Ezek.
xxxiv. 23, 2^, " And I will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed
them, even my servant David ; — My servant David a prince among them ;" and
so in many other places : and he is very often spoken of as the seed of David,
and the son of David.
David being the ancestor and great type of Christ, his being solemnly
anointed by God to be king over his people, that the kingdom of his church
might be continued in his family forever, may in some respects be looked on as
an anointing of Christ himself. Christ was as it were anointed in him ; and

WORK OF REDEMPTION. 349
therefore Christ's anointing and David's anointing are spoken of under one in
Scripture, as Psal. Ixxxix. 20, " I have found David my servant ; with my
holy oil have I anointed him." And David's throne arid Christ's are spoken
of as one : Luke i. 32, " And the Lord shall give him the throne of his father
David." Acts ii. 30, " David — knowing that God had sworn with an oath
to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up
Christ to sit on his throne."
Thus God's beginning of the kingdom of his church in the house of David,
was, as it were, a new establishing of the kingdom of Christ ; the- beginning
of it in a state of such visibility as it thenceforward continued in. It was as
it were God's planting the root, whence that branch of righteousness was af
terwards to spring up, that was to be the everlasting king of his church ; and
therefore this everlasting king is called the branch from the stem of Jesse, Isa.
xi. 1 : " And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a branch
shall grow out of his roots." Jer. xxiii. 5, " Behold the days come, saith the
Lord, that I will raise up unto David a righteous branch, and a king shall reign
arid prosper." So chap, xxxiii. 15, " In those days and at that time, I will cause
the branch of righteousness to grow up unto David, and he shall execute judg
ment and righteousness iii the land." So Christ, in the New Testament, is
called the root and offspring of David, Rev. xxii. 16.
It is observable, that God anointed David after Saul to reign in his room.
He took aWay the crown from him and his family, who was higher in stature
than any of his people, and was in their eyes fittest to bear rule, to give it to
David, who was low of stature, and in comparison, of despicable appearance .
So God was pleased to show how Christ, who appeared despicable,, without
form or comeliness, and was despised and rejected of men, should take the
kingdom from the great ones of the earth. And also it is observable, that David
was the youngest of Jesse's sons, as Jacob the younger brother supplanted
Esau,, and got the birthright and blessing from' him; and as Pharez, another
of Christ's ancestors, supplanted Zarah in the birth ; and as Isaac, another of
the ancestors of Christ, cast out his elder brother Ishmael ; thus was that fre
quent saying of Christ fulfilled, " The last shall be first, and the first last."
II. The next thing I would observe, is God's so preserving David's life.by
a series of wonderful providences, till Saul's death. I before took notice of the
wonderful preservation of other particular persons that were the ancestors of
Christ; as Noah, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob ; and have observed how, in that
Christ the great Redeemer was to proceed from them, that in their preservation
the work of redemption itself may be looked upon as preserved from being
defeated, and the whole church, which is redeemed through him, from being
overthrown. But the preservation of David was no less remarkable than that
of any others that have been already taken notice of. How often was it so,
that there was but- a step between him and death. The first instance of it we
have in his encountering a lion and a bear, when they had caught a lamb out
of his flock, which, without miraculous assistance, could at once have rent this
young stripling in pieces, as they could the lamb that he delivered from them ;
so afterwards the root and offspring of David was preserved from the roaring
lion that goes about seeking whom he may devour, and conquered him, and
rescued the poor souls of men, that were as lambs in the mouth of this lion.
Another remarkable instance was, in preserving him from that mighty giant
Goliath, who was strong enough to have taken him, and picked him to pieces
with his fingers, and given his flesh to the beasts of the field, and to the fowls
of the air, as he threatened him : but God preserved him from him, and gave

350 WORK OF REDEMPTION.
him the victory over him, so that he cutoff his head with his own sword, and
made him therein the deliverer of his people ; as Christ slew the spiritual
Goliath with his own weapon, the cross, and so delivered his people. And
how remarkably did God preserve him from being slain by Saul, when he first
sought his life, by giving him his daughter to be a snare to him, that the hand
of the Philistines might be upon him, requiring him to pay for her by a hundred
foreskins of the Philistines, that so his life might be exposed to them ; and m
preserving him afterwards, when Saul spake to Jonathan, and to all his ser
vants, to kill David ; and in inclining Jonathan, instead of killing him, as his
father bade hirn, to love him as his own soul, and to be a great instrument of
his preservation, even so as to expose his own life to preserve David ; though
one would have thought that none would have been more willing to have
David killed than Jonathan, Seeing that he was competitor with him for his
father's crown ; and again saving him, when Saul threw a javelin, at him to
smite him even to the wall ; and again preserving him when he sent messengers
to his house, to watch him, and to kill him, when Michal, Saul's daughter, let
him down through a window ; and when he afterwards sent messengers, once
and again, to Naioth in Ramah, to take him, and they were remarkably pre
vented time after time, by being seized with miraculous impressions of the Spirit
of God; and afterwards, when Saul, being resolute in the affair, went
himself, he also was among the prophets. And after this, how wonderfully was
David's life preserved at Gath among the Philistines, when he went to
Achish the king of Gath, and was there in the hands of the Philistines,
who, one would have thought, would have despatched him at once, he having
so much provoked them by his exploits against them: and he was again
wonderfully preserved at Keilah, when he had entered, into a fenced town,
where Saul thought he was sure of him. 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 wilderness of Maon, when Saul and his
army were compassing David about ! How was he delivered in the cave of
Engedi, when, instead of Saul's killing David, God delivered Saul into his
hands in the cave, and he cut off his skirt, and might as easily have cut off his
head ; and afterwards delivering him in like manner in the wilderness of Ziph ;
and afterwards again preserving him in the land of the Philistines, though
David had fought against the Philistines, and conquered them at Keilah, since
he was last among them ; which, one would think, would have been sufficient
warning to them not to trust him, or let him escape a second time, if ever they
had him in their hands again ; but yet now, when they had a second opportunity,
God wonderfully turned their hearts to him to befriend and protect him, instead
of destroying him.
Thus was the precious seed that virtually contained the Redeemer and all
the blessings of his redemption, 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!
HI. About this time, the written word of God, or the canon of Scripture,
was added to by Samuel. I have before observed, how that the canon of the
Scripture was begun, and the first written word of God, the first written rule
of faith and manners that ever was, was given to the church about Moses's
time : and many, and I know not but most divines, think it was added to by
Joshua, and that he wrote the last chapter of Deuteronomy, and most of the
book of Joshua. Others think that Joshua, Judges, Ruth, and part of thefirst book
of Sarhuel, were written by Samuel. However that was, this we have good evi-

WORK OF REDEMPTION. 351;
dence of, that Samuel made an addition to the canon of Scripture ; for Samuel
is manifestly, mentioned in the New Testament, as one of ,the prophets whose
writings we have in the Scriptures, in that forementioned Acts. iii. 24 : " Yea,
and aU the prophets from Samuel, and those that follow after, as many as have
spoken, have likewise foretold of these days." By that expression, " as many
as have spoken," cannot be meant, as many as have spoken by word of mouth ;
for never was any prophet but what did that : but the meaning must be, as
many as have spoken by writing, so that what they have spoken has come
down to-us, that we may see what it is.
And the way that Samuel spoke of these times of Christ and the- gospel,
was by giving the history of those things that typified them, and pointed to
them, particularly the things concerning David that he wrote. The Spirit of God
moved hirn to commit those- things to writing, chiefly for that reason, because
they pointed to, Christ, and the times of the gospel ; and, as was said before,
this was the main business of all that succession of prophets, that began in
Samuel, to foreshow those times.
That Samuel added to the canon of the Scriptures, seems further to appear
froto 1 Chron. xxix. 29 : " Now the acts of David the king, first and last, be
hold, they are written in the book of Samuel the seer."
Whether the book of Joshua was written by Samuel or not, yet it is the
general opinion of divines, that the books of Judges, and Ruth, and part of the
first book of Samuel, were penned by him. The book of Ruth was penned
for that reason, because, though it seemed to treat of private affairs, yet the per-
soris chiefly spoken of in that book were of the family whence David and Christ
proceeded, and so pointed to what the apostle Peter observed of Samuel and
the other prophets, in the 3d chapter of Acts. The thus adding to the canon
of the Scriptures, the great and main instrument of the application of redemp
tion, is to be looked upon as a further Carrying on of that-work, and an addition
made to that great building.
IV. Another thing God did towards this work, at that time, was his in
spiring David to show forth Christ and his redemption, in divine songs, which
should be for the use of the 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 me freely speak to you of- the patriarch Davicf, that he
isjDoth dead and buried, and his sepulchre is witbus unto this day: therefore be
ing a prophet, and knowing that 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 the time when David was first endued with the spirit
of prophecy ; but it is manifest that it either was at the time that Samuel
anointed him, or very soon after ; for he appears soon after acted by this spirit
in the affair of Gabith : and then great part of the psalms were penned in the
time of his troubles, before he came to the crown ; as might be made manifest
by an induction of particulars. ,
The oil that was used in anointing David was a type of the Spirit of God ;
and the 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 the
midst of his brethren ; and the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that
day forward :" and it is probable, that it now came upon him in its pro
phetical influences.
The Way that this Spirit influenced him was, to inspire .him to show forth
Christ, and the glorious things of his redemption, in divine songs, sweetly ex
pressing the breathings of a pious soul, full of admiration of the glorious things

352 WORK OF REDEMPTION.
of the Redeemer, inflamed with divine love, and lifted up with praise ; and
therefore he is called the sweet psalmist of Istael, 2 Sam. xxm. 1 • " Now these
be the last- words of David : David the son of Jesse .said, and the man who
was raised up on high, the anointed of the God of Jacob, and the sweet psalm
ist of Israel." The main, subjects of these sweet songs~ were the glorious
things of the gospel ; as is evident by the interpretation that is often put upon
them, and the use that is made of them in the New Testament ; for there is
no one book of the Old Testament that is so often quoted in the New, as the
book of Psalms. Joyfully did this holy man sing of those great things of
Christ's redemption, that had been the hope and expectation of God's chureh
and people from the beginning of the church of God on earth ; and joyfully
did others follow him in it, as Asaph, Heman, Ethan, and others; for the
book of Psalms 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 that was added.
This was' a great advancement that .God made in this building; and the
light of the 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 ; hisJ glorious benefits
in this life and that which is to come ; his union with the church, and the
blessedness of the church in him ; the calling of the Gentiles, the future glory
of the church near the end of the world,, and Christ's coming to the final
judgment. All these things, and many more, concerning Christ and his re
demption, are abundantly spoken of in the book of Psalms.
This was also a glorious advancement of the affair of redemption, as God
hereby gave his church 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 of the
world. It is manifest the book of Psalms was given of God for this end. It
was used in the church of Israel by God's appointment : this is manifest, by
the title of ma/iy of the psalms, in which they are inscribed to the chief musi
cian ; i. e., to the man that was appointed to 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 psalms for.' the use of the church of
Israel ; and accordingly we have an accounj; that they were actually made use
of'in the church of Israel for that end, even ages after David was dead ; as 2
Chron. xxix. 30": "Moreover, Hezekiah the king, and the princes, command
ed the Levites to sing praises unto the Lord, with the words of David, andof
Asaph the seer." And we find that the same are appointed in the New Testa
ment to be made use of in the Christian church, in their worship : Eph. v. 19,
" Speaking to yourselves in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs." Col. iii. 16,
" Admonishing one another in psalms, hymns and spiritual songs." And so
they have been, and will to the end of the worjd, be made 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 they did at the Red
Sea ; and they had Moses's prophetical song, in the 32d chapter of Deutero
nomy, committed to them for that end ; and Deborah, and Barak, and Han
nah, sung praises to God ; but now first did God commit to his church a book
of divine songs for their constant use.
V. The next thing I would take notice of, is God's actually exalting' David

WORK OF REDEMPTION. 353
to the throne of Israel, notwithstanding all the opposition made to it. God
was determined to do it, and he made every thing give place that stood in the
way of it. He removed Saul and his sons out of the way ; and first set David
over the tribe of Judah ; and then, having removed Ishbosheth, set him over
all Israel. Thus- did God fulfil his word to David. . He took him from the
sheepcote, and made him king over his people Israel, Psal. Ixxviii. 70, 71.
Arid now the throne of Israel was established in that family, in which it was
to continue for ever, even for ever and ever.
VI. Now first it was that God proceeded to choose a particular city out of
all the tribes of Israel to place his name there. There is several times men
tion made in the law of Moses of the children of Israel's bringing their obla
tions to the place which God should choose ; as Deut. xii. 5, 6, 7, and so in
many other places ; but God had never proceeded to do it till now. The
tabernacle and ark were never fixed, but sometimes in one place, and some
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 them out :
but the Jebusites dwell with the children of Judah at Jerusalem unto this
day." But now David wholly subdued it, as we have an account in 2 Sam.
v. And now God proceeded to choose that city to place his name there, as
appears by David's bringing up the ark thither soon after ; and therefore this
is mentioned afterwards as the first time God proceeded to choose a city to
place his name there, 2 Chron. vi. 5, 6, and chap, xii. 13. Afterwards God
proceeded to show David the very place, where he would have his temple
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 spef-king of Christ's redemption of his
church, call it by the names of Zion and Jerusalem ! This was the city that
God had appointed to be the place of the .first gathering and erecting of the
Christian church after Christ's resurrection, of that remarkable pouring out of
the Spirit of God on the apostles and primitive Christians, and the place
whence the gospel was to sound forth into all the world ; the place of the first
Christian church, that was to be, as it were, the mother 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 among the nations, and shall rebuke many people." &c.
Thus God chose Mount Sion, whence the gospel was to be sounded forth,
as the 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 the second book of
Samuel. It was done on occasion of the thoughts David entertained of build
ing God a house. On this occasion God sends Nathan the prophet to him,
with the glorious promises of the covenant of. grace. It is especially contain
ed in these words in the 16th verse : " And thy house and thy kingdom shall
be established for ever before thee ; thy throne shall be established for ever..'*
45

354 WORK OF REDEMPTION.
Which promise has respect to Christ, the seed of David, and is fulfilled in hire
only : for the kingdom of David has long since ceased, any otherwise than as
it is upheld in Christ. The temporal kingdom of the house of David has now
ceased for a great many ages ; much longer than ever it stood.
That this covenant that God now established with David by Nathan the
prophet, was the covenant of grace, is evident by the plain testimony of Scrip
ture, in Isa. Iv. 1, 2, 3. There we have Christ inviting sinners to come to the
waters, &c. And in the 3d verse he says, "Incline your ear, come unto me;
bear, and your souls shall live ; and I will make with you an everlasting cove
nant, even the sure mercies of David." Here Christ offers to poor sinners, if
they will come to him, to give them an interest in the same everlasting cove
nant that he had made with David, conveying to them the same sure mercies.
But what is that covenant that sinners obtain an interest in, when they come
to Christ, but the covenant of grace 1
This was the fifth solemn establishment of the covenant of grace with the
church after the fall. The covenant of grace was revealed and established all
along. But there had been particular seasons, wherein God had in a very
solemn manner renewed this covenant with his church, giving forth a new edi
tion and establishment of it, revealing it in a new manner. This was now the
fifth solemn establishment of that covenant. The first was with Adam, the
second was with Noah, the third was with the patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and
Jacob, the 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 him, the greatest honor of all that God
bad 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 him with the glorious message, in 2 Sam. vii. 18, &c. And
so David, in his last words, declares this to be all his salvation, and all his
desire ; as you may see, 2 Sam. xxiii. 5 : "He hath made with me an ever
lasting covenant, ordered in all things and sure : for this 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 promised land. I have before shown, how God's giving the pos
session of the promised land belonged to the covenant of grace. This was
done in a great- measure by Joshua, but not fully. Joshua did not wholly
subdue that part of the promised land that was strictly called the land of
Canaan, and that was divided by lot to the several tribes ; but there were
great numbers of the old inhabitants left unsubdued, as we read in the books
of Joshua and Judges ; and there were many left to prove Israel, and to be
thorns in their sides, and pricks in their eyes. There were the Jebusites in
Jerusalem, and many of the Canaanites, and the whole nation of the Philistines,
who all dwelt in that part of the land that was divided by lot, and chiefly in
that part of the land that belonged to the tribes of Judah and Ephraim.
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
till the days of David in driving them out, before they had wholly subdued
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 OF REDEMPTION. 355
mains of the seven nations of Canaan : 1 Chron. xviii, 1, " Now after this it
came to pass, that David smote the Philistines, and subdued them, and took
Gath and her towns out of the hands of the Philistines."
After this, all the remains of the former inhabitants of Canaan were made
bond servants to the Israelites. Thp posterity of the Gibeonites became
servants before, hewers of wood, and drawers of water, 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 them pay a tribute of
bond service, as you may see, 1 Kings ix. 20, 21, 22. And hence we read of
the'children of Solomon's servants, after the return from the Babylonish cap
tivity, Ezra ii. 55, and Neh. xi. 3. They were the children or posterity of
the seven nations of Canaan, that Solomon had subjected to 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 that God had often promised to their fathers, included all the coun
tries from the river of Egypt to the river Euphrates. These were the bounds
of the land promised to Abraham, Gen. xv. 18 : " In that same day the Lord
made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land,
from the river of Egypt, unto the great river, the river Euphrates." So again
God promised at Mount Sinai, Exod. xxiii. 31 : " And I will set thy bounds
from the Red Sea even unto the sea of the Philistines, and from the desert unto
the river; for I will deliver the inhabitants of the land into your hand; and
thou shalt drive them 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, from the river, the river Euphrates, even unto the uttermost sea,
shall your coast be." Again; the same promise is made to 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 ; from the wilderness and this Lebanon, even unto
the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and unto the
great sea, towards the going down of the sun, shall be your coast." But the
land 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 them by David.
This large country did not only include that Canaan that was divided by
lot to those who came in with Joshua, but the land of the Moabites and Am
monites, the land of the Amalekites, and the rest of the Edomites, and the
country ofZobah. 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 8th
chapter of 2d. Samuel; and David extended their border to the river Euphrates,
as was promised ; see the 3d verse : " And David smote 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
the region on this side the river, 1 Kings iv. 24 : " For he had dominion over
all the region on this side the river, fromTiphsah 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 mighty kings also over Jerusalem,
which have ruled over all countries beyond the river ; and toll, tribute, and
custom was paid unto them."
So that Joshua, that type of Christ, did but begin the work of giving Israel
the possession of the promised land ; but left it to be finished by that much
greater type and ancestor of Christ, even David, who subdued far more of that

356 WORK OF REDEMPTION.
land than even Joshua had done. And in this extent of his and Solomon's
dominion was some resemblance of the great extent of Christ's kingdom ; and
therefore the extent of Christ's kingdom is set forth by this very thing, of its
being over all lands, from the Red Sea to the sea of the Philistines, and over
all lands from thence to the river Euphrates, as Psal. lxxii. 8 : " He shall have
dominion also from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth."
See also 1 Kings viii. 56.
LX. 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
the Jewish worship were not given by Moses ; some were added by divine
direction. So this greatest of all personal types of Christ did not only perfect
Joshua's work, in giving Israel the possession of the promised land, but he also
finished Moses's work, in perfecting the instituted worship of Israel. Thus
there must be a number of typical prophets, priests, and princes, to Complete
one figure or shadow of Christ, the antitype, he being the substance of all the
types and shadows. Of so much more glory was Christ accounted worthy,
than Moses, Joshua, David, and Solomon, and all the great prophets, priests,
princes, judges, and saviours of the Old Testament put together.
The ordinances of David are mentioned as Of parallel validity with those of
Moses, 2 Chron. xxiii. 18 : " Also Jehoiada appointed the offices of the house
of the Lord by the hand of the priests the Levites, whom David had distri
buted in the house of the Lord, to offer the burnt-offerings of the Lord, as it is
written in the law of Moses, with rejoicing and with sinking, 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 the 23d,
24th, 25th, and 26th chapters of the first book of Chronicles, consisting in the
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 them to ; and also in the divisions of the priests the sons of Aaron into
four and twenty courses, assigning to every course their business in the house
of the Lord, and their particular stated times pf attendance there ; and appoint
ing some of the Levites to a new office, that had not been appointed before ;
and that was the office of singers, and particularly ordering and regulating o.f
them in that office, as you may see in the 25th chapter of 1 Chronicles; and
appointing others of the Levites by law to the several services of porters, trea
surers, officers, and judges. And these ordinances of David were kept up
henceforth in the 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
still continuing in the New Testament ; so Zacharias the father of John the
Baptist was a priest of the course of Abia ; which is the same 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 the institutions of Moses, "but
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 that appointed the
business of the Levites, which we have in the 3d and 4th chapters of Numbers,
which very much consisted in their charge of the several • parts and utensils of
the tabernacle there assigned to them, and in carrying, those several parts of
the tabernacle. But those laws were now abolished by David ; and they were
no more to carry those things, as they had been used to do till David's time.

WORK OF REDEMPTION. 357
But David appointed them to other work instead of it; see 1 Chron. xxiii. 26 :.
" And also unto the Levites, they shall no more carry the tabernacle, nor any
vessels of it for the service, thereof." A sure evidence that the ceremonial law
given by Moses is notperpetual, as the 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,-much more might the Messiah himself abolish the whole.
David, by God's appointment, abolished all use of the tabernacle that w:as
built by Moses, and of which he had the pattern from God. For God now re
vealed it to David to be his will, that a temple should be built, that should be
instead of the tabernacle. A, great presage of what Christ, the son of David,
would do, when he should come, viz,, abolish the whole Jewish ecclesiastical
constitution, which was but as a movable tabernacle to set up the spiritual
gospel temple* which was to 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 him, even in like manner as Moses had the pattern of the taber
nacle. And Solomon built the temple according to that pattern which he had
from his father David, which he received from God. 1 Chron. xxviii. 11, 12,
" Then ' David gave to Solomon -his son the pattern of the 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 had by the Spirit, of the courts of the house of the
Lord, and of all the chambers round about, of the treasuries of the house of
God, and of the treasuries of the dedicated things." And' ver. 19 : " All this,
said David, the Lord made me understand in writing by his hand upon me, even
all the works of this pattern."
X. The canon of Scripture seems at , or after the close of David's reign to
be added to by the prophets 'Nathan and Gad. It appears probable by the
Scriptures, that they carried on the history of the two books of Samuel from the
place where Samuel left it, and finished it. These two books of Samuel seem
to be the book that in the Scripture is called the book of Samuel the seer r and
Nathan the prophet, and Gad the seer, as in 1 Chron. xxix. 29 : " Now the acts
of David the king, first and last, behold they are -written in the book of Sam
uel the seer, and in the book of Nathan the prophet, and in the book of Gad
the seer."
XI. The next thing I would take notice' of, is God's wonderfully continuing
the kingdom of his visible people in the line of Christ's legal ancestors, as long
as they remained an independent kingdom. Thus it was without any interrup
tion worth notice. Indeed the kingdom of all the, tribes of Israel was not kept *
in that line ; but the dominion of that part of Israel, in which the true worship
of God was upheld, and so of that part that were God's visible people, was al
ways kept in the family of David, as long as there was any such thing as an
.^dependent king, of Israel ; according to his promise to David : and not only
in the family 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 the throne, excepting Jehoahaz, who
reigned three months,. and Zedekiah ; as you may see. in Matthew's genealogy
of Christ. Christ was legally descended from the kings of Judah, though he was not
naturally descended from them. He was both legally and naturally descended
from David. He was naturally descended from Nathan the son of David ; for
Mary his mother was one of the posterity 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 Solomon and his successors, as we have an account in
Matthew's genealogy. Jesus Christ, though he was not the natural son of Jo
seph, yet, by the law and constitution of the Jews, he was Joseph's heir; he-
cause he was the lawful son of Joseph's lawful wife, conceived while she was
his legally espoused wife. The Holy Ghost raised up seed to him. A person
by the law of Moses, might be the legal son and heir of another, whose natu
ral son he was not ; as sometimes a man rais.ed 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 kings 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
to have obtained his purpose ; all things for a while seemed fair on his side, and
he thouoht himself strong ; the thing he aimed at seemed to be accomplished.
But so it was, Adonijah was not the 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 strange and sudden revolution ! All Adonijah's king
dom and glory vanished away as soon as it was begun ; and Solomon, the legal
ancestor of Christ, was established in the throne.
And after Solomon's death, when Jeroboam had conspired against the fam
ily, and Rehoboam carried himself so that it was a wonder all Israel was not
provoked to forsake him, and ten tribes did actually forsake him, and set up
Jeroboam in opposition to him ; and though he was a wicked man, and deserv
ed to have been rejected altogether from being king ; yet he being the legal
ancestor of Christ, God kept Sie kingdom of the two tribes, in which the true
religion was upheld, in his possession : and though he had been wicked, and
his son Abijam was another wicked prince; yet they being legal ancestors of
Christ, God still continued the crown in the family, and gave it to Abijam's
son Asa. And afterwards, though many of the kings of Judah were very wicked
men, and horridly provoked God, as particularly Jehoram, Ahaziah, Ahaz,
Manasseh, and Amon ; yet 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 lives, as 1 Kings xv.4:
speaking there of Abijam's wickedness, it is said, " Nevertheless, for David's
Sake did the Lord his God give him a lamp in Jerusalem, to set up his son after him,
and to establish Jerusalem :" so 2 Chron. xxi. 7 ; speaking there of Jehoram's
great wickedness, it is said, " Howbeitthe 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 unto him, and to his sons forever."
The crown of the ten tribes was changed from one family to another con
tinually. First, Jeroboam took it ; but the crown remained in his family but
for' one generation after his death ; it only descended to his son Nadab: and
then Baasha, that was of another family, 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 pos
terity, Omri,.that was of another family, took it ; and the crown continued in

WORK OF REDEMPTION. 359'
his family for three successions ; and then Jehu, that was of another family,
took it ; and the crown continued in his family for three or four successions :
and then Shallum, that was of another family, took it ; and the crown did not
descend at all to his posterity ; but Meriahem, that was of another family, took
t ; and it remained in his family but one generation after him : and then Pekah,
;hat was of another family, took it ; and after him Hoshea, that was still of an
other family, took it : so great a difference was there between the crown of
Israel and the crown of Judah ; the one was continued evermore in the same
family, and with very little, interruption, in one right line ; the other was con
tinually tossed about from one family to another, as if it were the sport of for
tune. The reason was riot, because the kings of Judah, many of them, were
better than the kings of Israel ; but the one had the blessing in them ; they
were the ancestors of Christ, whose right it was to sit on the throne of Israel.
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, to keep the crown of Judah
in one direct line, in fulfilment of the everlasting covenant he had made witb
David, the mercies of which covenant were sure mercies ; but in the other case
there was no such covenant, and so no such care of Providence.
And here it must not be emitted, that there was once a very strong conspiracy
of the kings of Syria and Israel, in the time of that wicked king of Judah, Ahaz,
to dispossess Ahaz and his family of the throne of Judah, and to set one of an
other family, even the son of Tabeal, on it ; as you may 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 to accomplish their purpose. There seemed to be so great a likelihood
of it, that the hearts of the people sunk within them ; they gave up the cause.
It is said, " The heart of Ahaz and his people was moved, 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 come
to pass. And because it looked so much like a gone case, that Ahaz and the
people would very difficultly believe that it would not be, therefore God directs
the prophet to give therh this sign of it, viz., that Christ should be born of the
legal seed of Ahaz ; as Isa. vii. 14, " Therefore the Lord himself shall give
you a sign ; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his
name Immanuel." 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 accomplish their purpose of dispossessing the family of Ahaz of the crown
of Judah, and setting up the son of Tabeal; for Christ the Immanuel was to be
of them. I have mentioned this dispensation of Providence in this place, because,
though it was continued for so long a time, yet it began in Solomon's succes
sion to the throne of his father David.
XII. The next thing I would- take notice of, is the building of the temple:
¦a great type of three things, viz., of Christ, especially the human nature of,
Christ ; of the church of Christ ; and of heaven. The tabernacle seemed rather
to represent the church in its movable, changeable state, here in this world.
But that beautiful, glorious, costly structure of the temple, that succeeded the
tabernacle, and was a fixed, and not a movable thing, seems especially ta
represent the church in its glorified state in heaven. This temple was built
according to the pattern shown by the Holy Ghost to David, and by divine
direction given to David, in the place where was the threshing floor of Oman.

360 WORK OF REDEMPTION.
the Jesubite, in Mount Moriah, 2 Chron. iii. 1 ; in the same mountain, and
doubtless in the very same place, where Abraham offered up his son Isaac ; for
that is said to 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 temple was,
Gen. xxii. 14 : " And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah-jireh ; as
it is said to this day, In the mount of the Lord it shall be seen."
This was the house where Christ dwelt, till he came to dwell in the temple
of his body, or human nature, which was the 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
temple of his body, John ii. 19, 20. This house, or a house built in this place,
continued to be the house of God, the place of the worship of his church, till
Christ came. Here was the place that God chose, where all their sacrifices
were offered up, till the great sacrifioe came, and made the sacrifice and obla
tion to cease. Into his temple in this place the Lord came, even the messenger
of the covenant. Here he often delivered his heavenly doctrine, and wrought
miracles; here his church was gathered by the pouring out of the Spirit, after
his' ascension. Luke xxiy. 53, speaking of the 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 the multitudes that were converted by
that great outpouring of the Spirit that was on the day of Pentecost, it is said,
" And they continued daily with one accord in the temple." And, Acts v. 42,
speaking of the 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 the church spread into all the world.
XIII. It is here worthy to be observed, that at this time, in Solomon's reign,
after the temple was finished, the Jewish church was risen to its highest exter
nal glory. The Jewish church, or the ordinances and constitution of it, is
compared to the moon, in Rev. xii. 1 : " And there appeared a great wonder
in heaven, a woman clothed with the 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; that it waxed and waned like the
moon. From the first foundation of it, that was laid in the covenant riiade
with Abraham, when this moon was now beginning to appear, it had to this
time 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 the coming of Christ, and now it was full moon. After this the
glory of the Jewish church gradually decreased, till Christ came ; as I- shall
have occasion more particularly to observe afterwards.
Now the church of Israel was in its highest external glory. Now Israel
was multiplied exceedingly, so that they seemed to have become like the sand
on the sea-shore, 1 Kings iv. 20. Now the kingdom of Israel was firmly es
tablished in the right family, the family of which Christ was to come. Now
-God bad chosen the city where he would place his name. Now God had fully
given his people the possession of the promised land : and they now possessed
the dominion of it all in quietness and peace, even from the river of Egypt, to
the great river Euphrates; all those nations that had formerly been their ene
mies, quietly submitted to them ; none pretended to rebel against them. Now
the Jewish worship in all its ordinances was fully settled. Now, instead of a
movable tent and tabernacle, they had a glorious temple ; the most magnifi
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 commodities, which were brought by Solomon's ships from
Ophir, and which came 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 their fame went abroad into all the earth,
so that they came from the utmost parts of the earth to see their glory and their
happiness. Thus God was pleased, in one of the ancestors of Christ, remarkably to
shadow forth the kingdom of Christ, reigning in his glory. David, that was a
man of war, a man who'had shed much blood, and whose life was full of
troubles, and conflicts, was more of a representation of Christ in his state of
humiliation, his militant state, wherein he was conflicting with his enemies.
But Solomon, that was a man of peace, was a representatiori more especially
of Christ exalted, triumphing, and reigning in his kingdom of peace. And the
happy glorious state of the Jewish church at that time, did remarkably repre
sent two things : 1. That glorious state of the church on earth that shall be in
the latter ages of the world; those days of peace, when nation shall not lift
sword against nation, nor learn war any, more. 2. The future glorified state
of the church in heaven. The earthly Canaan never was so lively a type of
the heavenly Canaan, as it was then, when the happy people of Israel did indeed
enjoy it as a land flowing with milk and honey.
XIV. After this the glory of the Jewish church gradually declined more
and more till Christ came ; yet not so but' that the work of redemption still
went on. Whatever failed or declined, God still carried on this work from
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 the coming of Christ, as well as during its increase ; for so won
derfully were things ordered by the infinitely wise governor of the world, that
whatever happened was ordered for good to this general design, and made a
means of promoting it. When the people of the Jews flourished, and were in
prosperity, he made that to contribute to the promoting this design ; and when
they were in adversity, God made that also to contribute to the carrying on of
the same design. While the Jewish church was in its' increasing state, the
work of redemption was carried on by their increase ; and when they came to
their declining state, which they were in from Solomon's time till Christ, God
carried on the work of redemption by that. That decline itself was one thing
that God made use of as a further preparation for Christ's coming.
As the moon, from the time of its full, is approaching nearer and nearer to
her conjunction with the sun; so her light is still more and more decreasing,
till at length, when the conjunction comes, it is wholly swallowed up in the
light of the sun. So it was with the Jewish church from the time of its high
est glory in Solomon's time. In the latter end of Solomon's reign, the state of
things began to darken, by Solomon's corrupting himself 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 kingdom was divided,.
and ten tribes revolted, and withdrew their subjection from the house of David,"
withal falling away from the true worship of God in the temple at Jerusalem-,
and setting up the golden calves of Bethel and Dan. And presently after this
the number of the ten tribes was greatly diminished- in thebattle of Jeroboam
with Abijah, wherein there fell down slain of Israel five hundred thousand"
Vol I 46

362 WORK OF REDEMPTION.
chosen men ; which loss the kingdom of Israel probably never in any measure
recovered. The ten tribes finally apostatized from the true God under Jeroboam, and
the kingdom of Judah was greatly corrupted, and from that time forward were
more generally in a corrupt state than otherwise. In Ahab's time the kingdom
of Israel did not only worship the calves of Bethel and Dan,, but the worship of
Baal was introduced. Before, they pretended to worship the true God by these
images, the calves of Jeroboam ; but now Ahab introduced 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 into the kingdom of Judah, viz., in Jehoram's
reign, by his marrying Athaliah the daughter of Ahab. After this God began
fo cut Israel short, by finally destroying and sending into captivity that part of
the land that was beyond Jordan, as you may see in 2 Kings x. 32, &c. And
then after this Tiglath-pileser subdued and captivated all the northern parts of
the land, 2 Kings xv. 29. And then at last all the land of the 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 into Babylon,
and, a great part of the nation never returned. Those that returned were but a
small number, compared with what had been carried captive ; and for the most
part after -this they were dependent on the power of other states, being subject
one while to the king of Persia, then to the monarchy of the Grecians, and then
to the Romans. And before Christ's time, the church of the Jews was become
exceeding corrupt, overrun with superstition and self-righteousness. And how
small a flock was the church of Christ in the days of his incarnation ! ' '
God, by this gradual decline of the Jewish state and church from Solomon's
time, prepared the way for the coming of Christ several ways.
1. The decline of the glory of this legal dispensation made way for the in
troduction of the more glorious dispensation of the gospel. The decline of the
glory of the legal dispensation, was to make way for the introduction of the
evangelical dispensation, that was so much more glorious, that the legal dispen
sation had no glory in comparison with it. The glory of the 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 the dispensation
introduced by Christ. The church under the Old Testament, was a child undei
tutors and governors, and God dealt with it as a child. Those pompous exter
nals are called by the apostle, weak and beggarly elements. It was 'fit that
those things should be diminished as Christ approached ; as John the Baptist,
the forerunner of Christ, speaking of Christ, says, " He must 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 the Jewish dispensation must be gradually diminished, to prepare the way
for the more joyful reception of the spiritual glory of the gospel. If the Jew
ish church, when Christ came, had been in the same' external glory that it was
in, in the reign of Solomon, men would have had their eyes so dazzled with it,
that they would not have been likely joyfully to exchange such great 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 to make the
glory of God's power, in the great effects of Christ's redemption, the more
conspicuous. God's people being so diminished and weakened by one step
after another, till Christ came, was very much like the diminishing Gideon's
army. God told Gideon, that the people that were with him, w-ere too many

WORK OF REDEMPTION 363
for him to deliver the Midianires into their hands, lest Israel should vaunt
themselves. against him, saying, " My own hand hath saved me." And there
fore all that were fearful were commanded to return ; and there returned twenty
and two thousand, and there remained ten thousand. But still they were too
many ; and then, by trying the people at the water, they were reduced to three
hundred men. So the people in Solomon's time were too many, and mighty,
and glorious for Christ; therefore he diminished them ; first, by sending off the
ten tribes ; and then he diminished them 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 them: and with a small handful of disciples, Christ conquered the
world. — Thus high things were brought down, that Christ might be exalted.
3. This prepared fhe way for Christ's coming, as it made the salvation of
those Jews that were saved by Christ, to be more sensible and visible. Though
the greater part of the nation of the Jews was rejected, and the Gentiles
called in their room; yet 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 to the Romans,
and from a, state of great superstition and wickedness, that the Jewish nation
was then fallen into ; it made their redemption the more, sensibly and visibly
glorious. I have taken notice of this dispensation of Providence in the gradual decline
¦of the Jewish church in this place, because it began in the reign of Solomon.
XV. I would here take notice of the additions that were made to the canon
of Scripture in or soon after the reign of Solomon. There were considerable
additions made by Solomon himself, who wrote the books of Proverbs and Ec-
clesiastes, probably near the close of his reign. His writing the 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 redemption, representing
the high 'and glorious relation, and union, and love, that are between Christ and
his redeemed church. And the history of the Scripture seems, in Solomon's
reign, and some' of the next succeeding reigns, to have been added to by the
prophets Nathan and Ahijah, and Shemaiah and Icldo. It is probable that
part of the history which We have in the first of Kings was wTritten by them, 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 religion through
this period. It was very wonderful, considering the many and great apostasies
that there were of that people to idolatry. Wben the ten tribe's had generally and
finally forsaken the true worship of God, God kept up the true religion in the
kingdom of Judah ; and when they corrupted themselves, as they very often
did exceedingly, and idolatry was ready totally to swallow all up, yet God
kept the lamp alive, and was often pleased,- when things seemed to be come to
an extremity, and religion at its last gasp, to grant blessed revivals by re
markable outpourings of his Spirit, particularly in Hezekiah's and Josiah's
time. XVII. God remarkably kept'the book of the law from being lost in times
of general and long continued neglect of, and enmity against it. 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 Amon his son. This while the book of the law was so much neglect
ed, and such a careless and profane management of the affairs of the temple

364 WORK OF REDEMPTION.
prevailed, that the book of the law-, that used to be laid up by the side of the
ark in the Holy of Holies, was lost for a long time ; nobody knew where it
was. But yet God preserved it from being finally lost. In Josiah's time, when
they came to repair the temple, it was found buried in rubbish, after it had been
lost so long that Josiah himself seems to have been much a stranger to it till
now. See 2 Kings xxii. 8, &c.
XVIII. God's remarkably preserving the tribe of which Christ was to pro
ceed, from being ruined through the many and; great dangers' of this period.
The visible church of Christ from Solomon's reign, was mainly in the tribe of
Judah. The tribe of Benjamin, that was annexed to them, was but a very
small tribe, and the tribe of Judah exceeding large ; and as Judah took Benja
min under his covert when he went into Egypt to bring corn, so the tribe of Ben
jamin seemed to be under the covert of Judah ever after ; and though, on occa
sion of Jeroboam's setting up the calves at Bethel and Dan, the Levites resorted
to Judah out of all the tribes of Israel (2 Chron. xi. 13), yet they were also small,
and not reckoned among the tribes : and though many of the ten tribes did also on
that occasion, for the sake of the worship of God in the temple, leave their in
heritances in their several tribes, and removed and settled in Judah, and so were
incorporated with them, as we have an account in the chapter just quoted, and
16th verse ; yet the tribe of Judah was so much the prevailing part, that they were
called by one name, they were called Judah : therefore God said to Solomon, 1
Kings xi. 13, "I will not rend away all the kingdom ; but will give one tribe to
thy son, for David my servant's sake, and for Jerusalem'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 removed them out of his sight :
there was none left but the tribe of Judah only." Whence they were all called
Jews, which is a word that comes from Judah.
This was the trifle of which Christ was to come ; and in this chiefly did
God's visible church consist, from Solomon's time. And this was the people
over whom 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 the brink of ruin, and
just ready to be swallowed up. So it was in Rehoboam's time, when Shishak
king of Egypt came against Judah with such a vast force ; yet then God mani
festly preserved them from being destroyed. Of this we read in the beginning
of the 12th chapter of 2 Chronicles. So it was again in Abijah's time, when
Jeroboam 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 wrought deliverance to Judah, out of regard to the covenant of grace
established with David," as is evident by verses 4 and '5; arid the victory they
obtained was because the Lord was on their side, as you may see, verse 12. So
it was again in Asa's time, when Zerah the Ethiopian came against- him with
a yet larger army of a thousand thousand, and three hundred ehariots, 2 Chron.
xiv. 9. On this occasion Asa cried to the Lord, and trusted in him, being sen
sible that it was nothing with him 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 this mighty host.
So again it was in Jehoshaphat's time, 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. 365
nhat could raise; and Jehoshaphat and his people were greatly afraid ; yet they
set themselves to seek God on this occasion, and trusted in him ; and God told
them by one of his prophets, that they need not fear them, nor should they have
any occasion to 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 made their enemies do the work themselves, and
set them to killing one another ; and the children of Judah had nothing to do,
but to gather the spoil, which Was more than they could carry away. We have
the story in 2 Chron. xx.
So it was again in Ahaz's time, when Rezin the king of Syria, and Pekah
the son of Remaliah, 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 jn Hezekiah's time, when Sennacherib, that great king of Assyria, and
head of the greatest monarchy that was then in the world, came up against all
the fenced cities of Judah, after he had conquered most of the neighboring
countries, and sent Rabshakeh, the captain of his host, against Jerusalem, who
came, and in a very proud and scornful manner 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 to comfort them, and
assure them that they should not prevail ; as a token of which 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, without their ploughing or sowing ;
and then the third year they should sow and reap, and plant vineyards, and eat
the fruit "of them, and live on the, fruits of their labor, as they were wont to do
before. See 2 Kings xix. 29. This is mentioned as a type of what is pro
mised in ver. 30, 31 : " And the remnant that is escaped of the house of. Judah,
shall yet again take root downward, and bear fruit upward. For out of Jeru
salem shall go forth a remnant, and they that escape out of Mount Zion. The
zeal of the Lord of Hosts shall do this." The corn's springing again after it
had been cut off with the sickle, and bringing forth another crop from the roots,
that seemed to 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
seemingly been cut down past recovery. When the enemies of the church have
done. their utmost, and seem to have gained their point, and to have overthrown
the church, so that 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 time ; for the king of Assyria had already taken and carried captive the
ten tribes : and Sennacherib had also taken all the fenced cities of Judah, and
ranged the country round about, and Jerusalem only remained ; and Rabshakeh
had in his own imagination already swallowed that up, as he had also in the
fearful apprehensions of the Jews themselves. But yet God wrought a wonderful
deliverance. He sent an angel, that in one night smote a hundred fourscore
and five thousand in the enemy's camp. ,
XIX. In the reign of Uzziah, and the following reigns, God was pleased
to raise up a set of eminent prophets, who should commit their prophecies to
writing, and leave them for the use of his church in all ages. We before ob--
served how that God began a constant succession of prophets in Israel in
Samuel's time, and many of these prophets' wrote by divine inspiration, and so
added to the canon of Scripture, before Uzziah's time. But none of them are ¦'
supposed to have written books of prophecies till now. Several of them wrote
histories of the wonderful dispensations of God towards his church. This we

S66 WORK OF REDEMPTION.
have observed already of Samuel, who is supposed to have writttn Judges and
Ruth, and part of the first of Samuel, if not the book of Joshua. And Nathan
and Gad seem to have written the rest of the two books of Samuel. "And
Nathan, with Ahijah and Iddo, wrote the history of Solomon, which is probably
that which we have in the first book of Kings. The history of Israel seems to
have been further carried on by Iddo and Shemaiah : 2 Chron. xii. 15, " Now
the acts of Rehoboam, first and last, are they not written in the book of She
maiah the prophet, and Iddo the seer, concerning genealogies 1" And after
that the history seems to have been further carried on by the prophet Jehu, the
son ofHanani: 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 mentioned in the book of the kings of Israel," as we find him to be, 1 Kings
xvi. 1, 7. And then it was further continued by the prophet Isaiah : 2 Chron.
xxvi. 22, " Now the rest of the acts of Uzziah, first and last, did Isaiah the
prophet, the son of Amos, 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 him.
Thus the prophets, even from Samuel's time, had from time to time 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, not only fo write
histories, but to write books of their prophecies. The first- of these is thought
to be Hosea, the son of Beeri, and therefore his prophecy, or the word of the
Lord by him, is called the beginning of the word of the Lord, as Hosea i. 2:
" The beginning of the word of the Lord by Hosea ;" that is, the beginning,
or the first part; of the written word of that kind; viz., that which is written in
books of prophecy. He prophesied in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and
Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam, the son of Joash, king
of Israel. There Were many other witnesses ; for God raised up about the'same
time to commit their prophecies to writing, Isaiah, and Amos, and Jonah, and
Mieah, and Nahum, and probably some others ; and so from that time forward
God seemed to 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 the main business of the prophets was to foreshow Christ and his redemp
tion. They were all forerunners of fhe great prophet. The main end why
the spirit of prophecy was given them wras, that they, might give testimony to
Jesus Christ, the great Redeemer, that was to come ; 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 thou do it not : I am thy fellow-servant, and of thy brethren that have the
testimony of Jesus : worship God : for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of
prophecy." And therefore we find that the great and main thing that the
most of the prophets in their written prophecies insist upon, is Christ and his
redemption, and the glorious times of the gospel, which should be in the latter
days, according to their manner of expression. And though many other tilings
were spoken of in their prophecies, yet it seems to be only as introductory. to
their prophecy of. these great things. Whatever they prophecy of, here their
prophecies commonly terminate, as you may see by a careful perusal of their
writings. ' t
These prophets were set to writing their prophecies by the Spirit of Christ
that was in them, chiefly, for that 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 they all speak of those things ! Many other things they speak of in
men's usual language. But when they come upon this subject, what a joyful
heavenly sublimity is there in the language they use about it ! 'Some of
them are very particular and full in their predictions of these things, and
above all the prophet Isaiah, who is therefore deservedly called the evangelical
prophet. "
He seems to teach the glorious doctrines of the gospel almost as plainly as
the apostles did, who preached after Christ was' actually come. The Apostle
Paul therefore takes -notice, that the prophet Esaias is very bold, Rom. x. 20 ;
i, e., as the meaning of the 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.
iii. 12, we use " great plainness of speech," or " boldness," as it is in the
margin. How plainly and fully does the prophet Isaiah describe the manner and
circumstances, 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 Testament
itself which is more full on it. And how much, and in what a glorious strain,
does the same prophet speak from time to time of the glorious benefits' of Christ,
the unspeakable blessings which shall redound to his church through his re
demption ! Jesus Christ, the person that this prophet spoke so much of, once
appeared to Isaiah in the form of the human nature, the nature that he should af
terwards take upon him. We have an account of it in the 6th chapter of his
prophecy at the beginning : " I saw also the Lord sitting on a throne, high and
lifted up, and his train filled the temple," &c. This was Christ that Isaiah
now saw, as- we are expressly told 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 man to this day ! How plentiful are the revelations and
prophecies of Christ now, to what they were in the first period of the Old Tes
tament, from Adam to Noah ! Or to what they were in the second, from Noah
to Abraham ! Qr to what they were before Moses, or in the time of Moses,
Joshua,' and the Judges ! This dispensation that we are now speaking of, was
also a glorious advance of the work of redemption by the great additions that
were made to the canon of Scripture. Great part of the Old Testament was
written now, from the days of Uzziah to the captivity into Babylon. And how
excellent are those portions of it ! What a precious treasure have those pro
phets committed to the church of God, tending greatly to confirm the gospel of
Christ ! and which has been of great comfort and benefit to God's church in all
ages since, and doubtless will be to the end of the world.

PART VI.
From the Babylonish Captivity to the Coming of Christ. •
I come now to the last period oi the Old Testament, 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 redemption was
carried on through this period.
But before I enter upon particulars, I would observe, in three things, wherein

368 WORK OF REDEMPTION.
this period is distinguished from the preceding periods of the times of the
Old Testament.
1. Though we have no account of a great part of this period in the Scrip.
ture history, yet the events of this period are more the subject of Scripture
prophecy, than any of the preceding periods. There" are two ways wherein
the Scriptures give account of the events by which the work of redemption is
carried on ; one is by history, and another is by prophecy : and in one or the
other of these ways we have contained in the Scriptures an account how the
work of redemption 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 great events by which this affair hath been carried
on from the foundation, soon after the fall of man, tothe 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 made up in the other.
Where Scripture history fails,there prophecy takes place; so that the account
is still carried on, and the chain is not broken till we come to the very last link
of it in the consummation of all things.
And accordingly it is observable of this period or space of time that we are
upon, that though it is so •'much less the subject of Scripture history than most of
the preceding periods, so that there is above four hundred years of it that the
Scripture gives us no history of ; yet the events of this period are more the sub
ject of Scripture prophecy than the events of all the preceding periods put to
gether. Most of those remarkable prophecies of the book of Daniel do refer to
events that were accomplished in this period : so most of those prophecies in
Isaiah, and Jeremiah, and Ezekiel, against Babylon, and Tyrus, and ao-ainst
Egypt, and many other nations, were fulfilled in this period.
So that the 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 important, or
less worthy to be taken notice of, than the events of the foregoing periods ; for
I shall hereafter show how great and distinguishedly remarkable' the events of
this period were. But there are several other reasons which may be given of
it. One is that if was the will of God that the spirit of prophecy should cease
in this period (for reasons that maybe given hereafter), so that there were no pro
phets to write the history of these times ; and therefore God, designing this, took
care that the great events of this period should not be without mention in his
word ; and so ordered it that the prophecies of Scripture should be more-full
here, than in the preceding periods. It is observable, thatthat set of Writing
prophets that God raised up in Israel, were raised up at the latter end of the
foregoing period, and at the beginning of this, which it is likely was partly for
that reason, that the time was now approaching, of which the spirit of prophet
cy having ceased, there was to be no Scripture history, and therefore no other
Scripture account but what was given in prophecy.
And another reason that may 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 remarkable, and very
worthy to be taken notice of, that with respect to the events of the five prece
ding periods, of which the Scriptures give the history, profane history gives us
no account, or at least of but very few of them. There are many fabulous and
uncertain accounts of things that happened before; but the beginning of the
times of authentic profane history is judged to be but a little before Nebuchad
nezzar's time, about a hundred years before. The learned men among the

WORK OF REDEMPTION. 369
Greeks and Romans used to 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 the
principal events ; accounts that wonderfully agree with the many prophecies
that we have in Scripture of those times.
Thus did the great God, that disposes all things, order it. He took care to
give an historical account of things from the beginning of the world, through
all those former ages which profane history does not reach, and ceased not till
he came to those latter ages in which profane history related things with some
certainty : and concerning those times, he gives us abundant account in prophecy,
that, by comparing profane history with those prophecies, we might see the
agreement. 2. This period being the last period of the Old Testament, and the next to
the coming of Christ, seems to have been remarkably distinguished from all
others in the great revolutions that were among the nations of the earth, to
make way for the 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 to it. The way had been
preparing for the coming of Christ from the fall of man, through all the fore
going periods : but now the time drawing nigh, things began to ripen apace
for Christ's coming ; and therefore divine Providence wrought wonderfully now.
The greatest revolutions that any history whatsoever gives an account of, that
ever had been from the flood, fell out in this period. Almost all the then known
world, i. e., all the nations that were round about the land of Canaan, far and
near, that were within the reach of their knowledge, were overturned again
and again. All lands were in their turns subdued, captivated, and as it were
emptied, and turned upside down, and that most of them repeatedly, in this
period ; agreeably to that prophecy, Isa. xxiv. 1, " Behold, the Lord maketh
the earth empty ; he maketh it waste, and turnefh it upside down, and scatter-
eth abroad the inhabitants thereof."
This emptying, and turning upside down, began with God's visible church,
in their captivity by the king of Babylon. And then the cup from them went
round to all other nations, agreeably to what God revealed to the prophet Jere
miah, xxv. 15 — 27. Here special respect seems to be had to the great revo
lutions that there were on the face of the earth in the times of the Babylonish
empire. But after that there were three general overturnings of the world be
fore Christ came, in the succession of the three great monarchies of the world
that were after the Babylonish empire. The king of Babylon is represented
in Scripture as overturning the world : but after that the Babylonish empire
was overthrown by Cyrus ; who founded the Persian empire in the room of it ;
which was of much greater extent than the Babylonish empire in its greatest glory.
Thus the world was overturned the second time. And then, after that, the
Persian empire was overthrown by Alexander, and the Grecian empire was set
up upon the ruins of it ; which was still of much greater extent than the Per
sian empire : and thus there was a general overturning of. the world a third
time. And then, after that, the Grecian empire was overthrown by the Ro
mans, and the Roman empire was established ; which vastly exceeded all the
foregoing empires in power and extent of dominion. And so the world was
overturned the fourth time.
These several monarchies, and the great revolutions of the world under
them, are abundantly spoken of in the prophecies of Daniel. They are repre
sented in Nebuchadnezzar's image of gold, silver, brass, arid iron; and Daniel's
Vol. I. 47

370 WORK OF REDEMPTION.
interpretation of it, in the second chapter of Daniel ; and then in Daniel's vision
of 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 the 8th chapter in Daniel's vision of the ram and the
he-goat, and again in the 11th chapter of Daniel.
And besides these four general overturnings of the 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 comparatively in quietness : though
there were many great wars among the nations, yet we read of no such mighty
and universal convulsions and overturnings as there were in this period. The
nations of the world, most of them, had long remained on their lees as it were,
without being emptied from vessel to vessel, as is said of Moab, Jer. xlviii. 11.
Now these great overturnings was because the time of the great Messiah drew
nigh. That they were to prepare the way for Christ's coming, is. evident, by
Scripture, particularly by Ezek. xxi. 27 : " I will overturn, overturn, overturn
it, and it shall be no more, until he come whose right it is, and I will give it
him." The prophet, by repeating the word overturn three times, has respect
to three overturnings, as in the Revelation, viii. 13. The repetition of the
word wo three times, signifies three 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 cometh quickly." ,
It must be noted, that the prophet Ezekiel prophesied in the time of the
Babylonish captivity ; and therefore there were three great and general over-
turnings of the world to come after this prophecy, before Christ came ; the
first by the Persians, the second by the Grecians, the third by the Romans ;
and then after that, Christ, whose right it was to take the diadem, and reign,
should come. Here these great overturnings are evidently spoken of, as pre
paratory to the coming and kingdom of Christ. But to understand the words
aright, we must note the particular expression, " I will overturn, overturn, over
turn it ;" i. e., the diadem and crown of Israel, or the supreme temporal do
minion over God's visible people. This God said should be no more, i. e., the
crown should be taken off, and the diadem removed, as it is said in the forego
ing verse. The supreme 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 supreme 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 come into the hands of the Romans, and should
be no more in the line of David, till that very person should come, that was
the son of David, whose proper right it was, ami then God would give it to him.
That those great shakings and revolutions of the nations of the world were
all to prepare the way for Christ's coming and setting up his kingdom 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 the dry land ; and I will shake all nations, and the De
sire of all nations shall come, 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
doms, 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 the desire
of all nations.

WORK OF REDEMPTION. 371
The great changes and troubles that have sometimes 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 that were
in the world before Christ was bom, were, as it were, the world's being in
travail to bring forth the Son of God. The apostle, in the 8th of Romans, rep
resents the whole creation as groaning and travailing in pain together until
now, to' bring forth the liberty and manifestation of the children of God. So
the world as it were travailed in pain, and was in continual convulsions for
several hundred years together, to bring forth the 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 time kept in a state 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, that earthly power and do
minion should be raised to its greatest height, and appear in its utmost 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 it appeared how much more glorious his spiritual
kingdom was than the most glorious temporal kingdom. The strength and
glory of Satan's kingdom in these four mighty 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
Defore his Son came to overthrow it, to prepare the way for the more glorious
triumph 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 still in greater strength,
and the last to be the stongest and mightiest of all ; that so Christ, in over
throwing that, might as it were overthrow them all at once ; as the stone, cut
out of the mountain without hands, is represented as destroying the whole
image, the gold, the silver, the brass, the iron, and the clay ; so that all became
as the chaff of the summer threshing floor.
These mighty empires were suffered thus to overthrow the world, and des
troy one another : and though their power was so great, yet they could not up
hold themselves, but fell one after another, and came to nothing, even the last of
them, that was the strongest, and had swallowed up the earth. It pleased God
thus to 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 the 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 kingdom, which shall never be
destroyed : and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break
in pieces, and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever." So
greatly does this kingdom differ from all those kingdoms ; 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 devil to do his utmost, and to establish
his interest, by setting up the greatest, strongest, and most glorious kingdoms
in the world that he could, before the despised Jesus overthrew him and his em
pire. Christ came into the world to bring down the high things of Satan's
kingdom, that the hand of the Lord might be on every one that is proud and
lofty, and every high tower, and every lofty mountain ; as the prophet Isaiah

372 WORK OF REDEMPTION.
says, chap. ii. 12, &c. And therefore these things were suffered to rise very
high, that Christ might appear so much the more glorious in being above
them. Thus wonderfully did the great and wise Governor of the world prepare the
¦HUfty for the erecting of the glorious kingdom of his beloved Son Jesus.
3. Another thing for which this last period or space of time before Christ
was particularly remarkable, was the wonderful preservation of the church
through all those overturnings. The preservation of the church was on some
accounts more remarkable through this period, than through any of the fore
going. It was very wonderful that the church, which in this period was so
, weak, and in so low a state, and mostly subject to the dominion 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 often empty and waste, and the inhabitants of it came down so often every
one by the sword of his brother. I say it was wonderful that the 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, the
chief place of the 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 often overrun and subdued, and sometimes in the hands
of one people, and sometimes another, and very much the object of the envy
and hatred- of all Heathen nations, and often almost ruined by them, often
great multitudes of its inhabitants being slain, and the land in a great measure
depopulated ; and those who had them in their power, often intended the utter
destruction of the whole nation. Yet they were upheld ; they were preserved
in their captivity in Babylon, and they were upheld again under all the dangers
they passed through under the kings of Persia, and the much greater dangers
they were liable to under the empire of the Greeks, and afterwards when the
world was trodden down by the Romans.
And their preservation through this period was also distinguishingly remark
able, in that we never read of the church's suffering persecution in any former
period in any measure to such a degree as they did in this, under Antiochus
Epiphanes, of which more afterwards. This wonderful preservation of the
church through all these overturnings of the world, gives light 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 the mountains be carried into the
midst of the sea ; though the waters thereof roar, and be troubled ; though the
mountains shake with the swelling thereof."
Thus I have taken notice of some general things wherein this last period of
the Old Testament times were distinguished. I come now to consider how the
work of redemption was carried on in particulars. — And,
I. The first thing that here offers is the captivity of the Jews into Babylon.
This was a great dispensation of Providence, and such as never was before.
The children of Israel in the time of the judges, had often been brought under
their enemies ; and many particular persons were carried captive at other times.
But never had there been any such thing as destroying the whole land, the
sanctuary, and the city of Jerusalem, and all the cities and villages of the land,
and carrying the whole body of the people out of their own land into a country
many hundred miles distant, and leaving the land of Canaan empty of God's
visible people. The ark had once forsaken the tabernacle of Shiloh, and was
carried captive into the land of the Philistines : but never had there been any

WORK OF REDEMPTION. 373
such thing as burning the sanctuary, and utterly destroying the ark, and carry
ing away all the sacred vessels and utensils, and breaking up all their stated
worship in the land, and the land's lying waste and empty for so many years
together. How lively are these things set forth in the Lamentations of Jeremiah !
The work of redemption was promoted by this remarkable dispensation in
these following ways.
1. It finally cured that nation of their itch after idolatry. The prophet
Isaiah, speaking of the setting up of the kingdom of Christ, chap. ii. 18,
speaks of the abolishing of idolatry as one thing that should be done to this
end : " And the idols he shall utterly abolish." When the time was drawing
near, that God would abolish Heathen idolatry, through the greater part of the
known world, as he did by the preaching of the gospel after Christ came, it
pleased him first to abolish Heathenism among his own people ; and he did it
now by their captivity into Babylon ; a presage of that abolishing of idols, that
God was about to bring to pass by Christ through so great a part of the Hea
then world.
This nation that was addicted to idolatry before for so many ages, and that
nothing would cure them of, not all the reproofs, and warnings, and corrections,
that they 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 the nation, as a nation,
never showed any hankering after this sin any more. This was a remarkable
and wonderful change in that people, and what directly promoted the work of
redemption, as it was a great advancement of the interest of religion.
2. It' was one thing that prepared the way of Christ's coming, and setting
up the glorious dispensation of the gospel, as it took away many of those things
wherein consisted the glory of the Jewish dispensation. In order to introduce
the glorious dispensation of the gospel, the external glory of the Jewish church
must be diminished, as we observed before. This the Babylonish captivity
did many ways; it brought the people very low.
First, It removed the temporal diadem of the house of David * away from
them, i. e., the supreme and independent government of themselves. It took
away the crown and diadem from the nation. The time now approaching
when Christ, the great and everlasting king of his church, was to reign, it was
time for the typical kings to withdraw. As God said by Ezekiel, chap. xxi.
26 : " He removed the crown and diadem, that it might be no more, till he
should come, 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 they
maintained a sort of independence, by continual wars, under the dominion of
the Maccabees and their posterity.
Again,. by the captivity, the glory and magnificence 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
of the temple should appear, that the typical temple should have its glory
withdrawn. Again, another thing that they lost by the captivity, was the two tables of
the iestimony delivered to Moses, written with the finger of God ; the two
tables on which God with his own finger wrote the ten commandments on
Mount Sinai. These seem to have been preserved in the ark till the captivity.
These were in the ark when Solomon placed the ark in the 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, but that they
remained there as long as that temple stood. But the Jews speak of these as
finally lost at that time ; though the same commandments were preserved in the
book of the law. These tables also were withdrawn on the approach of their
antitype. Again, another thing that was lost that the Jews had before, was theUrira
and Thummim. This is evident by Ezra ii. 63 : " And the Tirshatha said unto
them, that they should not eat of the most holy things, till there should stand
up a priest with Urim and Thummim." And we have no account that this
was ever restored ; but the ancient writings of the Jews say the contrary. What
this Urim and Thummim 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 immediate oracles on
particular occasions. This was now withdrawn, the time approaching when
Christ, the antitype 'of the Urim and Thummim, the great word and oracle of
God, was to come.
Another thing that the ancient Jews say was wanting in the second temple,
was the Shechinah, or cloud of glory over the 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 the cloud of glory descending into
the tabernacle, Exod. xl. 35 ; and so we do likewise with respect to Solomon's
temple. But we have no account that this cloud of glory was in the second
temple. And the ancient accounts of the Jews say, that there was no such
thing in the second temple. This was needless in the second temple, consider
ing that God had promised that he would fill this temple with, glory another
way, viz, by Christ's coming into it ; which was afterwards fulfilled. - See
Haggai ii. 7 : " I will shake all nations, and the "desire of all nations shall
come, and I wall fill this house with glory, saith the. Lord of hosts."
Another thing, that the Jews in their ancient writings mention as being
now withdrawn, was the fire from heaven on the altar. When Moses built the
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, w-hen Solomon built the temple, and offered the first sacrifi
ces, as you may see in 2 Chron. vii. 1. And this fire was never to go out, but
with the greatest care to be kept alive, as God commanded, Levit. vi. 13 :
" The fire shall ever be burning upon the altar : it shall never go out." And
there is no reason to suppose the fire in Solomon'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 the second temple, as we have at the building of the tabernacle and first
temple. But the Jews, after their return, were forced to make use of their
common fire instead of it, according to the ancient tradition of the Jews. Thus
the lights of the Old Testament go out, on the approach of the glorious Sun
of righteousness. 3. The captivity into Babylon was the occasion of another thing which did
afterwards much promote the setting up of Christ's kingdom in the world, and
that was the dispersion of the Jews through the .greater part of the known
world, before the 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,
they got them possessions, and built them houses, and settled themselves in the
land of their captivity, agreeably to the direction that' Jeremiah gave them, in
the letter he wrote to them in the 29th chapter of Jeremiah, And therefore

WORK OF REDEMPTION. 375
when Cyrus gave them liberty to return to the land where they had formerly
dwelt, many of' them never returned ; they were not willing to leave their
settlements and possessions there,to go into a desolate country, many hundred
miles distant, which none but the old men among them had ever seen ; and
therefore they were but few, but a small number that returned, as we see in the
accounts we have in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah. Great numbers tarried
behind, though they still retained the same religion with 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, that came to inquire of the priests and
prophets in Jerusalem, Sherezer and Regemmelech, are supposed to be messen
gers sent from the Jews that remained still in Babylon.
Those Jews that remained still in that country were soon, by the great
changes that happened in the world, dispersed thence into all the adjacent
countries. And hence we find, that in Esther's time, which was after the
Teturn frorh the captivity, the Jews were a people that were dispersed through
out all parts of the vast Persian empire, that extended from India to Ethiopia;
as you may see, Esth. iii. 8 : "And Hamari said unto King Ahasuerus, There
is a certain people scattered abroad, and dispersed among the people in all the
provinces of thy kingdom," &c. And so they continued dispersed till Christ
came, and till 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 many of them as could from time to time, to go up to the land of Judea
to Jerusalem at their great feasts. Hence we read in the 2d chapter of Acts,
that at the time of the great feast of Pentecost, there were Jews abiding at
Jerusalem out of every nation under heaven. — These were Jews come up from
all countries where they were dispersed, to worship at that feast. And hence
we find, in the history of the Acts of the Apostles, that wherever the apostles
went preaching through the world, they found Jews. They came to such a
city, and to' such a city, and went into the synagogueLof the Jews.
Antiochus the Great, about two hundred years before Christ, on a certain
occasion, transplanted two thousand families of Jews from the country about
Babylon into Asia the Less; and so they and their posterity, many of them,
settled in Pontus, Galatia, Phrygia,'Pamphilia, and in Ephesus ; and from thence
settled in Athens, and Corinth, and Rome. Whence came those synagogues in
those places that the Apostle Paul preached in.
Now, this dispersion of the Jews through the world before Christ came, did
many ways prepare the way'for his coming, and setting up his kingdom in the
world. One was, that this was a means of raising a general expectation of the
Messiah through the world about the time that he actually came. For the Jews,
wherever they were dispersed, carried the holy Scriptures with them, and so the
prophecies of the Messiah ; and being conversant with the nations among whom
they lived, they, by that means, became acquainted with these prophecies, and
with the expectations of the Jews of their glorious Messiah ; and by this means,
the birth of such a gbrious person in Judea about that time began to be the
general expectation of the nations of the world, as appears by the writings of
the learned men of the Heathen1 that lived about that time, which are still
extant ; particularly Virgil, the famous poet that lived in Italy a little before
Christ was born, has a poem about the expectation of a great prince that was
to be horn, and the happy times 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 that this dispersed state of the Jews prepared the way for
Christ was, that it showed the necessity of abolishing the Jewish dispensation,
and introducing a new dispensation of the covenant of grace. It showed the
necessity of abolishing the ceremonial law, and the old Jewish worship ; for,
by this means, the observance of that ceremonial law became impracticable
even by the Jews themselves ; for the ceremonial law was adapted to the state
of a people dwelling together in the same land, where was the city that God
bad chosen ; where was the temple, the only place where they might offer
sacrifices ; and where it was lawful for their priests and Levites to officiate,
where they were to bring their first fruits, and where were their cities of refuge
and the like. But the Jews, by this dispersion, lived, many of them, in other
lands, more than a thousand miles distant, when Christ came; which made the
observation of their laws of sacrifices, and the like, impracticable. And though
their forefathers might be to blame in not going up to the land of Judea when
they were permitted by Cyrus, yet the case was now, as to many.-of them at
least, become impracticable ; which showed the necessity of introducing a new
dispensation, that should be fitted, not only to one particular land, but to the
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 kingdom of Christ in the world, was,
that it contributed to the making the facts concerning Jesus Christ publicly
known through the world. For, as I observed before, the Jews that lived in
other countries, used frequently to go up to Jerusalem at their three great feasts,
which were from year to year ; and so, by this means, they could not but be
come acquainted with the news of the wonderful things that Christ did in that
land. We find that they were present at, and took great notice of that great
miracle of raising Lazarus, which excited the curiosity of those foreign Jews,
that came up to the feast of the Passover, to see Jesus ; as you may see in John
xii. 19, 20, 21. These Greeks were foreign Jews and proselytes, as is evident
by their coming to worship at the feast of the Passover. The Jews that lived
abroad among the Greeks, and spoke their language; were called Greeks, or
Hellenists ; so they are called Grecians, Acts vi. 1. These Grecians here
spoken of were not Gerttile Christians ; for. this was before the calling of the
Gentiles. By the same means, the Jews that went up from other countries became ac
quainted with Christ's crucifixion. Thus the disciples, going to Emmaus, say
to Christ, when they did not know him, Luke xxiv. 18 : " Art thou only a
stranger in Jerusalem, and hast not known the things which have come to pass
there in these days?" plainly intimating, that the things concerning Jesus were
so publicly known to all men, that it was wonderful to find any man unac
quainted with them. And so afterwards they became acquainted with the
news of his resurrection ; and when they went home again into their own
countries, they carried the news with them, and so made these facts public
through the world, as they had made the prophecies of them public before.
After this, those foreign Jews that came to Jerusalem, took great notice of
the pouring out of the Spirit at Pentecost, 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 the parts of Lybia about Cyrene,
and ihe strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes, Cretes and Arabians. And
so they did not only carry back the news of the facts of Christianity, but
Christianity itself, into their own countries with them ; which contributed much
to the spreading of it through the world.

WORK OF REDEMPTION. 377
Again, another way that the dispersion of the Jews contributed to the set
ting up of the gospel kingdom in the world was, that it opened a door for the
introduction of the Apostles, in all places where they came to preach the gos
pel. For almost in all places where they came to preach the gospel, they
found Jews, and synagogues of the Jews, where the holy Scriptures were wont
to be read, and the true God worshipped ; which was a great advantage to the ¦
apostles in their spreading the gospel through the world. For their way was,
into whatever city they came, first to go into the synagogue of the Jews (they
being people of the same nation), and there to preach the gospel unto them.
And hereby their coming, and their new doctrine, was taken notice of by their
Gentile neighbors, whose curiosity excited them to hear what they had to say ;
which became a fair occasion to the apostles to preach the gospel to them. It
appears that it was thus, by the account we have of things in the Acts of the
Apostles And these Gentiles having been before, many of them, prepared in
some measure, by the knowledge they had of the Jews' religion, and of their
worship of one God, and of their prophecies, and expectation of a Messiah ;
which knowledge they derived from the Jews, who had long been their neigh
bors : this opened the door for the gospel to have access to them. And the
work of the apostles with them was doubtlessmuch easier than if they never had
heard any thing before of any expectation of such a person as the apostles
preached, of any thing about the worship of one only true God.
So many ways did the Babylonish captivity greatly prepare the way for
Christ's coming.
II. The next particular that I would take notice of is, the addition made to *
the canon of Scripture in the time of the captivity, in those two remarkable
portions of Scripture, the prophecies of Ezekiel and Daniel. Christ appeared
to each of these prophets in the form of that nature which he was afterwards
to take upon him. The prophet Ezekiel gives an account of his thus appear
ing to him repeatedly, as Ezek. i. 26 : " And above the firmament that was over
their heads, was the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone,
and upon the likeness of the throne was the likeness as the appearance of a man
above upon it ;" and so chap. viii. 1, 2 : " There stood before me as the appear
ance of a man. And I heard a man's voice between the banks of Ulai, which
called, and said, Gabriel, make this man to understand the vision." There are
several things that make it evident, that this was Christ, that I cannot now
stand to mention particularly. So Christ appeared again as a man to 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 TJphaz ;
his body also was like the beryl, and his face as the appearance of lightning,
and. his eyes as lamps of fire, and his arms 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 with that of the Apostle John in the 1st chapter of Revela
tion, makes it manifest that it was Christ. And the prophet Daniel, in the
historical part of his book, gives an account of a very remarkable appearance
of Christ in Nebuchadriezzar's furnace, with Shadraeh, Meshach, and Abednego.
We have the account of it in the 3d chapter. In the 25th verse, Christ is said
o he like the Son of God ; and it is manifest that he appeared in the form of
man : " Lo, I see four men loose — and the form of the fourth is like the Son
of God." Christ did not only here appear in the form of the human nature, but he
. appeared in a furnace, saving those persons who believed on him from
that furnace ; bv which is represented to us, how Christ, by coming himself
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378 WORK OF REDEMPTION.
into the furnace of God's wrath, saves those that believe in him from that fur
nace, so that it has no power on them ; 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 kingdom, than any of the prophets
had been before. They both of them mention those three great overturnings
of the world that should be before he came. Ezekiel is particular in several places
concerning the coming of Christ. The prophet Daniel is more particular in fore
telling the3 time of the coming of Christ than ever any prophet had been before,
in the 9th chapter of his prophecy ; who foretold, that it should be seventy
weeks, i. e., seventy weeks of years, or seventy times seven years, or four hun
dred and ninety years, from the decree to rebuild and restore the state of the
Jews, till the Messiah should be crucified ; which must be reckoned from the
commission given to Ezra by Artaxerxes, that we have an account of in the
7th chapter of Ezra ; whereby the very particular time 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 temple and city, in the latter
part of his prophecy. The prophet Daniel points out the order of particular
events that should come to pass relating to the Christian church after Christ
was come, as the rise of Antichrist, and the continuance of his reign, and his
fall, and the glory that should follow.
Thus does gospel light still increase, the nearer we come to the time of
Christ's birth.
III. The next particular I would mention is, the destruction of Babylon,
and the overthrow of the Chaldean empire by Cyrus. The destruction of
Babylon was in that 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 the wall, Dan. v. 30 ; and it was
brought about in such a manner, as wonderfully to show the hand of God, and
remarkably to fulfil his word by his prophets, which I cannot now stand partic
ularly to relate. Now that great city, which had long been an enemy to the
city of God, his Jerusalem, was destroyed, after it had stood ever since the first
building of Babel, which was about seventeen hundred years. If the check
that was put to the building of this city at its beginning, whereby they were
prevented from carrying of it to that extent and magnificence that they intend
ed ; I say, if this promoted the work of redemption, as I have before shown it
did, much more did this destruction of it.
It was a remarkable instance of God's vengeance on the enemies of his re
deemed church ; for God brought this destruction on Babylon for the inju
ries they did to God's children, as is often set forth in the prophets. It also
promoted the work of redemption, as thereby God's people, that were held cap
tive by them, were set at liberty to return to their own land to rebuild Jerusa
lem ; and therefore 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
the setting up and overthrowing the four monarchies of the world did promote
the work of redemption, which have been before observed.
IV. What next followed this was the return of the Jews to their own land,
and rebuilding Jerusalem and the temple. Cyrus, as soon as he had destroyed
the Babylonish empire, and had erected the Persian empire on its ruins, made
a decree in favor of the Jews, that they might return to their own land, and re
build their city and temple. This return of the Jews out of the Babylonish

WORK OF REDEMPTION. 379
captivity is, next to the redemption out of Egypt, the most remarkable of all
the Old Testament redemptions, 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 the governor of the Jews, and their leader in
their first return out of captivity ; and together w-ith Joshua the son of Jozedek
the high priest, had the chief hand in rebuilding the temple. This redemption
was brought about by the hand of Zerubbabel and Joshua the priest, as the
redemption out of Egypt was brought about by the hand of Moses and Aaron.
The return out of the captivity was a remarkable dispensation of Providence.
It was remarkable, that 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 afterwards God wonderfully inclined the heart
of Darius to further the building of the house of God with his own tribute
money, and by commanding their bitter enemies, the Samaritans, who had been
striving to hinder them, to help them without fail, by furnishing them with all
that they needed in order to it, and to supply them day by day ; making 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 dunghill ; as we have an account
in the 6th chapter of Ezra. And after this God inclined the heart of Artaxerxes,
another king of Persia, to promote the work of preserving the state of the
Jews, by his ample commission to Ezra, which we have an account of in the
7th chapter of Ezra; helping them abundantly with silver and gold of his own
bounty, and offering more, as should be needful, out of the king's treasure-house,
and commanding his treasurers beyond the river Euphrates to give more, as
should be needed, unto a hundred talents of silver, and a hundred measures of
wheat, a hundred baths of wine, and a hundred baths of oil, and salt without
prescribing how much ; and giving leave to establish magistrates in the land ;
and freeing the priests of toll, tribute, and custom, and other things, which ren
der this decree and commission by Artaxerxes the most full and ample in the
Jews' favor of any that, at any time, had been given for the restoring of Jerusa
lem : and therefore, in Daniel's prophecy, this is called the decree for restoring
and building Jerusalem ; and hence the seventy weeks are dated.
And then, after this, another favorable commission was granted by the king
of Persia to Nehemiah, which we have an account of in the 2d chapter of Ne-
hemiah. It was remarkable that the hearts of heathen princes should be so inclined.
It was the effect of his power, who hath the hearts of kings in his hands, and
turneth them whithersoever he will ; and it was a remarkable instance of his
favor to his people.
Another remarkable circumstance of this restitution of the state of the Jews
to their own land, was, that it was accomplished against so much opposition
of their bitter indefatigable enemies, the Samaritans, 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 ; one while by Bishlam, Mithridath,
Tabeel, Rehum, and Shimshai, as in Ezra iv., and then by Tatnai, Shetharboz-
nai, and their companions, as in chap, v., and afterwards by Sanballat and To-
biah, as we .read in the b,ook of Nehemiah.
We have showed before how the settlement of the people in this land in
Joshua's time promoted the work of redemption. On the same accounts-does

380 WORK OF REDEMPTION.
their restitution belong to the same work. The resettlement of the Jews in
the land of Canaan belongs to this work, as it was a necessary means of pre
serving the Jewish church and dispensation in being, till Christ should come.
If it had not been for this restoration of the Jewish church, and temple, and
worship, the people had remained without any temple, and land of their own,
that should be as it were their head-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 failing, 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 Abraham, would have been in vain. Now that very temple was built
that God would fill with glory by Christ's coming into it, as the prophets Hag-
gai and Zechariah told the Jews, to encourage them in building it.
V. The next particular I would observe, is the addition made to the canon of
the Scriptures soon after the captivity by the prophets Haggai and Zechariah,
who were prophets sent to encourage the people in their work of rebuilding
the city and temple ; and the main argument they make use of to that end, is
the approach of the time of the coming of Christ. Haggai foretold that Christ
should be of Zerubbabel's legal posterity ; last chapter, last verse. This seems
to be the last and most particular revelation of the descent of Christ, till the
angel Gabriel was sent to reveal it to his mother Mary.
VI. The next thing I would take notice of, was the pouring out of the Spirit
of God that accompanied the ministry of Ezra the priest after the captivity.
That there was such a pouring out of the Spirit of God that accompanied Ezra's
ministry, is manifest by many things in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah. Pres
ently after Ezra came up from Babylon, with the ample commission which
Artaxerxes gave him, whence Daniel's seventy weeks began, he set himself 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 lQth chapter of Ezra ; so that there
appeared a very general and great mourning of the congregation of Israel for
their sins, which was accompanied with a solemn covenant that the people en
tered into with God ; and this was followed with a great and general reforma
tion, as we have there an account. And the people about the same time, with
great zeal, and earnestness, and reverence, gathered themselves together to hear
the word of God read by Ezra, and gave diligent attention while Ezra and the
other priests preached to them, by reading and expounding the law, and were
greatly affected in the hearing of it. They wept when they heard the words
of the law, and set themselves to observe the law, and kept the 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 this, having separated themselves from all
strangers, they solemnly observed a fast, by hearing the word of God, confess
ing their sins, and renewing their covenant with God^ and manifested their
sincerity in that transaction by actually reforming many abuses in religion and
morals, as we learn from the 9th and following chapters of Nehemiah.
It is observable, that it has been God's manner in every remarkable new
establishment of the state of his visible church, to give a remarkable outpouring
of his Spirit. So it was on the first establishment of the church of the Jews at
their first coming into Canaan under Joshua, as has been observed ; and so it
was now in this second settlement of the church in the same land in the time of
Ezra ; and so it was on the first establishment of the Christian church after
Christ's resurrection, God wisely and graciously laying the foundation of those

WORK OF REDEMPTION. 381
establishments in a work of the Holy Spirit, for the lasting benefit of the state
of his church, thenceforward continued in those establishments. And this pour
ing 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., intermarrying with the Gen
tiles ; for however inclined to it they 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 the two books of Chronicles, at least
to have compiled them, if he was not the author of the materials, or all the parts
of these writings. That these books were written, or compiled and completed,
after the captivity, the things contained in the books themselves make manifest;
for the genealogies contained therein, are brought down below the captivity, as
1 Chron. iii. 17, &c We have there an account of the posterity of Jehoiachin
for several successive generations. And there is mention in these books of this
captivity into Babylon, as of a thing past, and of things that were done on the
return of the Jews after the captivity, as you may see in the 9th chapter. The
chapter is mostly filled up with an account of things that came to pass after the
captivity into Babylon, as you may see by comparing it with what is said in the
books of Ezra and Nehemiah. And that Ezra was the person that compiled
these books, is probable by this, because they conclude 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 to 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 eminent scribe of the law of God, and
the canon of Scripture in his time was manifestly under his special care ; and
the Jews, from the first accounts we have from them, have always held that 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, till Christ's time, when the Christian church re
ceived it from them, and have delivered it down to- our times. The truth of
this is allowed as undoubted by divines in general.
IX. The work of redemption 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 their synagogues. It is evident that
before the captivity there were but few copies of the law. There was the ori
ginal, laid up beside the ark ; and the kings were required to write out a copy
of the law for their 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
other stated public reading of the law before the captivity but this. And it is
manifest, by several things that might be mentioned, that copies of the law were
exceeding rare before the captivity. But after the captivity, the constant read
ing of the law was set up in every' synagogue throughout the land. First, they
began with reading the law, and then they proceeded to establish the constant
reading of the other books of the Old Testament. And lessons were read out
of the Old Testament, as made up of both the law and the other parts of the
Scripture then extant, in all the synagogues, which were set up in every city,
and everywhere, wherever the Jews in any considerable number dwelt, as our
meeting-houses are. Thus we find it was in Christ's and the apostles' time :
Acts xv. 21, " Moses of old time hath in every city them that preach him,'be- j
ing read in the synagogues every Sabbath day." This custom is universally
supposed, both by Jews and Christians, to be begun by Ezra. There were

382 WORK OF REDEMPTION.
doubtless public assemblies before the captivity into Babylon. They used to
assemble at the temple at their 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 the prophets' houses, and we read of synagogues in
the land before, Psal. Ixxiv. 8. But it is not supposed that they had copies of
the law for constant public reading and expounding through the land before,
as afterwards. This was one great means of their being preserved from
idolatry. X. The next thing I would mention, is God's remarkably preserving the
church and nation of the Jews, when they were in imminent danger of being
universally destroyed by Haman. We have the 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, to
be the instrument of this remarkable preservation.
XI. After this the canon of Scripture was further added to in the books of
Nehemiah and Esther; the one by Nehemiah himself : and whether the other
was written by Nehemiah, or Mordecai, or Malachi, is not of importance for us
to know, so long as it is one of those books that were always admitted arid re
ceived as a part of their canon by the Jews, and was among 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 confirm those books which amongst them went by the name of the Scrip
tures, as might easily be shown, if there were time for it.
XII. After this the canon of the Old Testament was completed and sealed
by Malachi. The manner of his concluding his prophecy seems to imply, that
they were to expect no more prophecies, and no more written revelations from
God, till Christ should come. For in the last chapter he prophesies of Christ's
coming, ver. 2, 3 : " But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of Right
eousness arise with healing in his wings ; and ye shall go forth and grow up as
calves of the stall ; and ye shall tread down the wicked ; for they shall be as
ashes under the soles of your feet, in the day that I shall do this, saith the Lord
of hosts." Then we read in ver. 4,." Remember ye the law of Moses my ser
vant, which I commanded unto him in Horeb for all Israel, with the statutes
and judgments," i. e., Remember and improve what ye have ; keep close to that
written rule you have, as expecting no more additions to it till the night of the
Old Testament is over, and the Sun of Righteousness shall at length arise.
XIII. Soon after this, the spirit of prophecy ceased among that people till
the time of the New Testament. Thus the Old Testament light,the stars of
the long night, began apace to hide. their heads, the 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 came ; and how
the cloud of glory withdrew, before Christ, the brightness df the Father's glory,
appeared ; and so as to several other things.' And now at last the spirit of
prophecy ceased. The time of the great Prophet of God was now so nigh, it
was time for their typical prophets to be silent.
We have now gone through with the time that we have any historical ac
count of in the writings of the Old Testament, and the last thing that was men
tioned, by which the work of 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 remaining times that were before Christ : in which we have not that thread
of Scripture history to guide us that we have had hitherto : but have these

WORK OF REDEMPTION. 383
three things to guide us, viz., the prophecies of the Old Testament, human his
tories of those times, and some occasional iriention made, and some evidence
given, of some things which happened in those times, 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 the Grecian empire by Alex
ander. This came to pass about sixty or seventy years after the times wherein
the prophet Malachi is supposed to have prophesied, and about three hundred
and thirty years before Christ. This was the third overturning of the world
that came to pass in this period, and was greater and more remarkable than
either of the foregoing. It was very remarkable on account of the suddenness
of that conquest of the world which Alexander made, and the greatness of the
empire which he set up, which much exceeded all the foregoing in its extent.
This event is much spoken of in the prophecies of Daniel. This empire is
represented by the third kingdom of brass, in Daniel's interpretation of Nebu
chadnezzar's dream, 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 8th chapter, that came from
the west on the face of the whole earth, and touched not the ground, to repre
sent how swiftly Alexander overran the world. The angel himself does ex
pressly interpret this he-goat tosignify the king of Grecia, ver. 21. The rough
goat is the king of Grecia; and the great horn that is between his eyes is the
first king, i. e., Alexander himself.
After Alexander had conquered the world, he soon died ; and his dominion
did not descend to his posterity, but four of his principal captains divided his
empire between them, as it there follows. Now that being broken, whereas
four stood up for it, four kingdoms shall stand up out of the nation, but not in
his power; so you may see in the 11th chapter of Daniel. The angel after
foretelling of the Persian empire, then proceeded to foretell of Alexander, ver.
3 : " And a mighty king shall stand up, that shall rule with great dominion, and
do according to his will." And then he foretells, in the 4th verse, of the divi
ding of. his kingdom between his four captains : " And when he shall stand
up, his kingdom shall, be broken, and shall be divided towards the four winds
of heaven ; and not to his posterity, nor according to his dominion which he
ruled : for his kingdom shall be plucked up, even for others besides those."
Two of these four captains, whose kingdoms were next to Judea, the one
had Egypt and the neighboring countries on the 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 the south in the 11th chapter
of Daniel. .
Now, this setting up of the Grecian empire did greatly prepare the way for
Christ's coming, and setting up his kingdom in the world. Besides those ways
common to the other overturnings of the world in this period, that have been
already mentioned, there is one peculiar to this revolution which I would take
notice of, which did remarkably promote the work of redemption; and that was,
that it made the Greek language common in the world. To have one common
language understood and used through the greater part of the world, was a
thing that did greatly prepare the way for the setting up of Christ's kingdom.
This gave advantage for spreading the gospel from one nation to another, and
so 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.
Irst preachers of the gospel had the gift of languages, so that they could preacn
jn any language; yet all had not this particular gift ; and they that had, could
not exercise it when they would, but only at special seasons, when the Spirit of
God was pleased to inspire them in this way. And the church in different parts
of the world, as the churches of Jerusalem, Antioch, Galatia, Corinth, and
others, which were in countries distant one from another, could not have had
that communication one with another, which we have an account of in the
book of Acts, if they had had no common language. So it was before the
Grecian empire was set up. But after this, many in all these countries well
understood the same language, viz., the Greek language ; which wonderfully
opened the door for mutual communication between those churches, so far sepa
rated one from another.. And again, the making the Greek language common
through so great a part of the world, did wonderfully make way for the setting
up of the kingdom of Christ, because it was the language in which the New
Testament was to be originally written. The apostles propagated the 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 the spreading of the gospel vastly more difficult. But by the
Greek language being made common to all, they all understood the New Tes
tament of Jesus Christ in the 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 immediately lay open to the world in a language that was commonly
understood everywhere, as there Was no language that was so commonly un
derstood in the world in Christ's and the apostles' time as the Greek ; the cause
of which Was the setting up of the Grecian empire in the world.
XV. The next thing I shall take notice of is, the- translating of the Scrip
tures of the Old Testament into a language that was commonly understood by
Ihe Gentiles. The translation that I here speak of is that into the Greek lan
guage, that is commonly called the Septuagint, or the translation of the
Seventy. This is supposed to have been made about fifty or sixty years after
Alexander's conquering the world. This is the first translation that ever was
made of the Scriptures that we have any credible account of. The canon of
the Old Testament had been completed by the prophet Malachi but about a
hundred and twenty years before, in its original ; and hitherto the Scriptures
had remained locked up from all other nations but the Jews, in the Hebrew
tongue, which was understood by no other nation. But now it was translated
into the Greek language, which, as we observed before, was a language that
was commonly understood by the nations of the world.
This translation of the Old Testament is still extant, and is commonly in
ihe hands of learned men in these days, and is made great use of by them. The
Jews have many fables about the occasion and manner of this translation ; but
the truth of the case is supposed to be this, that multitudes of the Jews living
in other parts of the world besides Judea, and being born and bred among the
Greeks, the Greek became their common language, and they did not understand the
original Hebrew ; and therefore they procured the Scriptures to be translated
for their use into the Greek language ; and so henceforward the Jews, in all
tountries, 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, commonly understood
through the world, prepared the way for Christ's coming, and setting up his
Kingdom in the world, and afterwards did greatly promote it. For as the
apostles went preaching through the world, they made great use of the Scrip-

WORK OF REDEMPTION. 335
tares of the Old Testament, and especially of the prophecies concerning Christ
that were contained in them. And by means of this translation, and by the
Jews being scattered everywhere, they had the Scriptures at hand in a language
that was understood by the Gentiles: and they did principally make use of this
translation in their preaching and writings wherever they went ; as is evident
by this, that in all the innumerable quotations that are made out of the Old
Testament in their writings in the New Testament, they are almost everywhere
in the very words of the Septuagint. The sense is the same as it is in the original
Hebrew ; but very often the words are different, as all that are acquainted with
their Bibles know. When the apostles in their epistles, and the evangelists in
their histories, cite passages out of the Old Testament, it is very often in differ
ent words from what we have in the Old Testament, as all know. But yet these
citations are almost universally in the very words of the Septuagint version ; for
that may be' seen by comparing them together, they being both written in the
same language. This makes it evident, that the apostles, in their preaching and
writings, commonly made use of this translation. So this very translation was
that which was principally used in Christian churches through most nations of
the world for several hundred years after Christ.
XVI. The next thing is the wonderful preservation of the church when it
was imminently threatened and persecuted under the Grecian empire.
The first time they were threatened was by Alexander himself. When he
was besieging the city of Tyre, sending to the Jews for assistance and supplies
for' his army, and they refusing, out of a conscientious regard to their oath to
the king of Persia, he being a man of a very furious spirit, agreeable to the
Scripture representation of the rough he-goat, marched against them, 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 them, much as he did the heart of Esau when he met Jacob.
After this, one of the 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 their preservation.
But the most 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 them, long strove to his
utmost utterly to destroy them, and root them out ; at least all of them that
would not forsake their 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 temple, by setting up his idols in some parts of it ; and persecuted
the people with insatiable cruelty ; so that we have no account of any persecu
tion like his before. Many of the particular circumstances of this persecution
Would be very affecting, if I had time to insist on them. This cruel persecution
began about a hundred and seventy years before Christ. It is much spoken
pf in the prophecy of Daniel, as you may see, Dan. viii. 9 — 25, xi. 31 — 38.
These persecutions are also spoken of in . the New Testament, as Heb. xi. 36,
37, 38.
Antiochus intended not only to extirpate the Jewish religion, but, as far as
in him lay, the very nation ; and particularly labored to the utmost to destroy
all copies of the law. And considering how weak they were, in comparison
with a king of such vast dominion, the providence of God appears very wonder
ful in defeating his design. Many times the Jews seemed to be on the 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 onee came against
the people with a mighty army, 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 the army, with money in their hands, to buy the slaves
that should be sold. But God wonderfully stirred up and assisted one Judas,
and others his successors, that were called the Maccabees,- who, with a small
handful in comparison, vanquished their enemies time after time, and delivered
their nation ; which was foretold by Daniel, xi. 32. Speaking of Antiochus's
persecution, he says, " And such as do wickedly against the covenant, shall he
corrupt by flatteries : but the people that do know their God, shall be strong,
and do exploits."
God afterwards brought this Antiochus to a fearful, miserable end, by a
loathsome disease, under dreadful torments of body, and horrors of mind ; which
was foretold, Dan. xi. 45, in these words, " Yet he shall come to his end, and
none shall help him."
After his death, there were attempts still to destroy the church of God ; but
God baffled them all.
XVII. The next thing to be taken notice of is the destruction of the Grecian
empire, and setting up of the Roman empire. This was the fourth overturning of
the world that was in this period. And though it was brought to pass more
gradually than the setting up of the Grecian empire, yet it far exceeded that,
and was much the greatest and largest temporal monarchy that ever was in the
world ; so that the Roman empire was commonly called all the world ; as it is
in Luke ii. 1 : " And there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the
world should be taxed ;" i. e., all the Roman empire.
This empire 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 ; forasmueh
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 time that the Romans first conquered and brought under the land of
Judea, was between sixty and seventy years before Christ was born. And soon
after this, the Roman empire was established iri its greatest extent ; and the
world continued subject to this empire henceforward till Christ came, and many
hundred years afterwards.
The nations of the world being united in one monarchy when Christ came,
and when the apostles went forth to preach the gospel, did greatly prepare the
way for the spreading of the gospel, and the setting up of Christ's kingdom 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 swiftly propagating the gospel through the world. Thus we find it to be
now ; as if any thing prevails in the English nation, the communication is quick
from one part of the nation to another, throughout all parts that are subject to
the English government, much easier and quicker than to other nations, which
are not subject to the English government, and have little to do with them.
There are innumerable difficulties in travelling through different nations, that
are under different independent governments, which there are ndt in travelling
through different parts of the same realm, or different dominions of the same
prince. So the world being under one government, the government of the
Romans, 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 the same time learning and philosophy were risen to their
greatest height in the Heathen world. The time of learning's flourishing in
the Heathen world was principally in this period. Almost all the famous philo
sophers that, we have an account of among the Heathen, were after the captiv
ity into Babylon. Almost all the wise men of Greece and Rome flourished in
this time. These philosophers, many of them, were indeed men of great tem
poral wisdom ; and that which they in geheral chiefly professed to make their
business, was to inquire wherein men's chief happiness lay, and the way in
which men might obtain happiness. They seemed earnestly to busy themselves
in this inquiry, and wrote multitudes of books about it, many of which are still
extant. And they were exceedingly divided in their opinions about it. There
have been reckoned up several hundreds of different opinions that they had con
cerning it. Thus they wearied themselves in vain, wandered in the dark, not
having the glorious gospel to guide them. God was pleased to suffer men to
do the utmost that they could with human wisdom, and to try the extent of their
own understandings to find out the way to happiness, before the true 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 try what
they could do for six hundred years together ; and then it proved, by the events
of so long a time, that all they could do was in vain ; the world not becoming
wiser, better, or happier under their instructions, but growing more and more
foolish, wicked, and miserable. He suffered their wisdom and philosophy to
come to the greatest height before Christ came, that it might be seen how far
reason and philosophy could go in their highest ascent, that the necessity of a
divine teacher might appear before Christ came. And God wTas pleased to
make foolish the wisdom of this world, and show men the folly of their 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 handmaid to divine revelatiqn ; and so the prevailing
of learning in the world before Christ came, made way for his coming both
these ways, viz., as thereby the vanity of human wisdom was shown, and the
' necessity of the gospel appeared ; and also as hereby a handmaid was prepare
ed to the gospel ; for so it was made use of in the Apostle , Paul, who was
famed for his much 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 im
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
accommodate himself in his discourses to learned men, 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, that was a philosopher,
was converted by him, and, as ecclesiastical history gives us an account, made
a great instrument of promoting the gospel. And there were many others in
that and the following ages, who were eminently useful by their human learn
ing in promoting the interests of Christ's kingdom.
XIX. Just before Christ was born, the Roman empire was raised to its
greatest height, and also settled in peace. About four and twenty years before
Christ was born, Augustus Caesar, the first Roman emperor, began to rule as
emperor of the world. Till then the Roman empire had of a long time been
a commonwealth, under the government of the senate : but then it became an
absolute monarchy. This Augustus Ceesar, as he was the first, so he was the

S88 WORK OF REDEMPTION.
greatest of all the Roman emperors : he reigned in the greatest glory. Thus
the power offhe heathen world, which 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 the first beginning of Satan's heathenish kingdom, which
was probably about the time of the building of Babel. Now the heathen world
Was in its greatest glory for strength, wealth, and learning.
God did two things to prepare the way for Christ's coming, wherein he
took a contrary method from that which human wisdom would have taken. .He
brought his own visible people very low, and made them weak; but the
iieafhen, that were his enemies, he exalted to the greatest height, for the more
glorious triumph of the cross of Christ. With a small number, in their greatest
weakness, he conquered his enemies in their greatest glory. Thus Christ tri-,
simphed over principalities and powers in his cross.
Augustus Caesar had been for many years establishing the state of the Ro
man empire, subduing his enemies in one part and another, till the very year
that Christ was born ; when, all his 'enemies being subdued, bis dominion
ever the world seemed to be settled in its greatest glory. All was established
in peace, in token whereof the Romans shut the temple of Janus, which was
an established symbol among them of there being universal peace throughout
the Roman empire. And this universal peace, which was begun that year that
Christ was born, lasted twelve years, till the year that Christ disputed with
the doctors in the temple.
Thus the world, after it had been, as it were, in a continual convulsion for
so many hundred years together, like the four winds striving together on the
tumultuous 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 the whole space be
tween the fall of man and the end of the world, viz., that from the 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 the next proposition, I would make some few remarks,
by way of improvement, upon what has been said under this.-
I. From what has been said, we may strongly argue, that Jesus of Naza
reth is indeed the Son of God, and the Saviour of the world ; and so that the
Christian religion is the true religion, seeing that Christ is the very person so
evidently pointed at, in all the 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. H we seri
ously consider the course of things from the beginning, and observe the mo
tions of all the great wheels of Providence from one age to 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.

38&

tres here. It is so very plain in many things, that it would argue stupidity to
deny it. This therefore is undeniable, that this person is a divine person sent
from God, that came into the world with his commission 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 the flood, to Jews and Gentiles, down to thej
time of Christ's birth, has declared it. It cannot be any vain imagination, but
a plain and evident truth, that that person that was born at Bethlehem' and
dwelt at Nazareth, and at Capernaum, and was crucified without the gates of
Jerusalem, must be the great Messiah, or anointed of God. And blessed are.
all they that believe in, and confess him, and miserable are all that deny Mm;.
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 promised to
their fathers.
Here it may be some persons may be ready to object, and say, That it may
be, some subtle, cunning men contrived this history, and these prophecies, so
that they should all point to Jesus Christ on purpose to confirm it, that he is
the Messiah. To such it may be replied, How could such a thing be contrived
by cunning men to point to Jesus Christ, long before he ever was born 1 How
could they know that ever any such person would be born ? And how could
their craft and subtlety help them to foresee and point at an event that was to
come to pass many ages afterwards ? For no fact can be -more evident, than
that the Jews had those writings long before Christ was born, as they have
them still in great veneration, wherever they are, in all their dispersions through,
the world; and they would never have received such a contrivance from Chris
tians, to point to and confirm Jesus to be the Messiah, whom they always de
nied to be the Messiah; and much less would they have been made to believe
that they always had had those books in their hands, when they were first
made and imposed upon them.
II. What has been said affords a strong argument for the divine authority.
of the books of the Old Testament, from that admirable harmony there is ia
them, whereby they all point to the same thing. For we may see by what has
been said, how all the parts of the Old Testament, 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 same thing, and that a,
future thing ; an event which it was impossible any one of them should know
but by divine revelation,' even the future coming of Christ. This is most evi
dent and manifest in them, as appears by what has been said.
Now, if the Old Testament 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 penmen knew that
there would come such a person as Jesus Christ into the world ; his coming
was only a mere figment of their own brain ; and if so, how happenetf it, that
this figment of theirs came topass 1 How came a vain imagination of theirs,,
which theyforetold without any manner of ground for their prediction, to be so.
exactly fulfilled 1 And especially how did they come all to agree in it, all
pointing exactly to the same thing, though many of them lived so many hun
dred years distant one from another ?
This admirable consent and agreement in a future event, is therefore a cleair
and certainf evidence of the divine authority of those writings.
III. Hence we may learn what a weak and ignorant objection it is that
some make against some parts of the- Old Testament's being the word of God>,
that they consist so much of histories of the wars and civil transactions of the

390 WORK OF REDEMPTION.
kings and people of the nation of the Jews. Some say, we find here among
the books of a particular nation, histories which they kept of the state of their
nation, from one age to another ; histories of their kings and.rulers, histories of
their wars with the neighboring nations, and histories of the changes that happen
from time to time in their state and government; and so we find that other na
tions used to keep histories of their public affairs, as well as they ; and why
then should we think that these histories which the Jews kept are the word of
God, more than those of other people 1 But what has been said, shows the
folly and vanity of such an objection. For hereby it appears that the case of
these histories is very different from that of all other histories. This history
alone gives us an account of the first original of all things ; and this history
alone deduces things down in a wonderful series from that original, giving an
idea of the grand scheme of divine Providence, as tending to its great end.
And together with the doctrines and prophecies contained in it, the same book
gives a view of the whole series of the 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 the wise and holy designs of the governor of the
world in all.
No common history has such penmen as this history, which was all written
by men who came with evident signs and testimonies of their being prophets of
the most high God, immediately 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
which it appears how God has been carrying on the glorious divine work of
redemption from age to age. Though they are histories, yet they are ho 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 the word of God which gives an
account of what is past ; or as though it were not reasonable to supposej 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 because his
works are not worthy to be related ; it must be because the scheme of his
government, and series of his dispensations towards his church, 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 made, that it is a common thing for nations and king
doms to write histories and keep records of their Wars, and the revolutions that
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 the word of God, that it is a
strong argument in favor of it. For if reason and the light of nature teaches all
civilized nations to keep records of the events of their human government, and
the series of their administrations, and to publish histories for the information
of others ; how much more may we expect that God would give the world a
record of the dispensations of his divine government, which doubtless is infi
nitely more worthy of a history for our information 1 If wise kings have
taken care that there should be good histories written of the nations over which
they have reigned, shall we think it incredible, that Jesus Christ should take
care that his church, which is his nation, his peculiar people, should have in
their hands a certain infallible history of their nation, and of his government
of them? If it 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 the church of God
needs to know ! How ignorant should we have been of God's dealings towards
mankind, and towards his church, from the beginning ! And we should have
been wholly in the dark about the creation of the world, the 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
church in the 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 building of God that has been the
subject of our discourse from this text : but if it had not been for the history
of the Old Testament, we should never have known what was the first occa
sion of God's going about this building, and how the foundation of it- was laid
at first, and how it has gone on from 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 to give and preserve an account of
these things for us, we should have been wholly without them.
Those that object against the authority of the Old Testament history of the
nation of the Jews, may as well make it an objection against Moses's account
of the creation, that it is historical ; for in the other, we have a history of a
work no less important, viz., the work of redemption. Yea, this is a far
greater and more glorious work, as we observed before ; that if it be inquired
which of the two works, the work of creation or the 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 proyidence.
And let those who make this objection consider what part of the Old Tes-
ment history can be spared without making 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, from what has been said, we may see much of the wisdom of
God in the composition of the Scriptures of the Old Testament, i. e., in the
parts of which it consists. By what has been said, we may see that God hath
wisely given us such revelations in the Old Testament as we needed. Let
us briefly take a view of the several parts of it, and of the need there was of
them. Thus it was necessary that we should have some account of the creation
of the world, and of our first parents, and of the fall, and a brief account of
the did world, and of the degeneracy of it, and of the universal deluge, and
some account of the origin of nations after this destruction of mankind.
It seems necessary that there should be some account of the succession of
the church of God from the beginning : and seeing God suffered all the world
to degenerate, and only took one nation to be his people, to preserve the true
Worship arid religion till the Saviour of the world should come, that in them the
world might gradually be prepared for that great light, and those wonderful
things that he was to be the author of, and that they might be a typical nationj
and that in them Ood might shadow-forth and teach, as under a veil, all future
glorious things of the gospel ; it was therefore necessary that we should have
some account of this thing, how it was first done by the calling of Abraham,
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 which 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 the gospel is veiled, and of the
forming of that people, both as to their civil and ecclesiastical state.
It seems exceeding necessary that we should have some account of their
bemg actually brought to Canaan, the country that was their promised land,
and where they always dwelt. It seems very necessary that we shoujd have
a history of the successions of the church of Israel, and of those providences
of God towards them, which were most considerable and fullest of gospel
mystery. It seems necessary that we should have some account of the highest
promised external glory of that nation under David and Solomon, and that we
should have a very particular account of David, whose history is so full of the
gospel, and so necessary in order to introduce the gospel into the world, and in
whom began the race of their kings ; and that we should have some account
of the building of the temple, which was also so full of gospel mystery.
And it is a matter of great consequence, that we should have some account
of Israel's dividing from Judah, and of the ten tribes' captivity and utter reject
tion, and a brief account why, and. therefore a brief history of them till that
time. It is necessary that we should have an account of the succession of the
kings of Judah, and of the church, till their captivity into Babylon; and that
we should have some account of their return from their captivity, and resettle
ment in their own land, and of the origin of the last state that the church was
in before Christ came.
A little consideration will convince every one, that all these things were
necessary, and that none of them could be spared ; and in the. general, that it
was necessary that we should have a history of God's church till such times
as are within the reach of human 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 them,
and while he used to dwell among them as it were visibly, revealing himself
by the Shechinah, by Urim and Thummim, and by prophecy, and so more im
mediately to order their affairs. And it was necessary that we should have
some account of the great dispensations of God in prophecy, which were to be
after the 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 coming of the Son of God, and the nature and glory of his kingdom, to be
as so many harbingers to make way for him, and that their prophecies should
remain in the church.
It was' also a matter of great consequence that the church should have a
book of divine songs given by inspiration from God, wherein there should be a
lively representation of the true spirit of devotion, of faith, hope, and divine
love, joy, resignation, humility, obedience, repentance, &c. ; and also that we
Should have from God such books of moral instructions as we have in Proverbs and
Ecclesiastes, relating to the affairs and state of mankind, and the concerns of
human life, containing rules of true wisdom 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 marvellous love to, and delight in his people.;
as we have in Solomon's Song ; and especially that we should have a book to
teach us how to conduct ourselves under affliction, seeing the church of God
here is in a militant state, and God's people do, through much tribulation, en
ter into the kingdom of heaven ; and the church is for so long a time under
trouble, and meets with such exceedingly fiery trials^ and extreme sufferings.

WORK OF REDEMPTION. 393
nefore her time of peace and rest in the latter ages of the world shall come :
therefore God has given us a book ^most proper in these circumstances, even
the book of Job, written upon occasion of the afflictions of a particular saint,
and was probably at first given to -the church in Egypt under her afflictions
there; and is made use of by the apostle to comfort Christians under persecu
tions, James v. 11 : " Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have 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, to give some view of the ancient divinity,
before the giving of the law.
Thus, from this brief review, I think it appears that every part of the Scrip/-
tures of the Old Testament is very useful and necessary, and no part of it can
be spared, without loss to the church. And therefore, as I said, the Wisdom of
God is conspicuous in ordering that the Scriptures of the Old Testament should
consist of those very books of which they 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 there was most done towards this work,
and most to typify Christ, and to prepare the way for him. Thus it . is very
large and particular in the history of Abraham and the other patriarchs ; but
very sjiort in the account we have of the time which the children of Israel spent
in Egypt. So again it is large in the account of the redemption out of Egypt,
and the first settling of the affairs of the Jewish church and nation in Moses
and Joshua's time ; but much shorter in the account of the times of the judges.
So again, it is large and particular in the account of David's and Solomon's
times, and then very short in the history of the ensuing reigns. Thus the ac
counts are large or short, just as there is more or less of the affair of redemp
tion to be seen in them.
V. From what has been said, we may see, that Christ and his redemption
are the great subject of the whole Bible. Concerning the New Testament, the
matter is plain ; and by what has been said on this subject hitherto, it appears
to be so also with -respect to the Old Testament. Christ and his redemption
is the great subject of the prophecies of the Old Testament, as has been shown.
It has also been shown, that he is the great subject of the songs of the Old Tes
tament; and the moral rules and precepts are all given in subordination to
him. And Christ and his redemption are also the great subject of the history
of the Old Testament, from the beginning all along ; and even the history of
the creation is brought in, as an introduction to the history of redemption that
immediately 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, but. the New contains it unveiled, so that we
may 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 Testament. Some are ready to look on the Old Testament as being,
as it were, out of date, and as if we, in these days of the gospel, have but little
to<do with it ; which is a very great mistake, arising from the want of observ
ing the nature and design of the Old Testament, which, if it were observed,
would appear full of the gospel of Christ, and would in an excellent manner
illustrate and confirm the glorious doctrines and promises of the New Testament.
Those parts of the Old Testament which are commonly looked upon as con
taining the least divine instruction, are as it were mines and treasures of gospel
- knowledge ; and the reason why they are thought to contain so little, is, be
cause persons do but superficially read them 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 that there is nothing there. But they never dig
into the mine : 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 that
holy book the Bible, which they have in their hands, and may converse with 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 scheme of Providence from the beginning of the world, either
in history or prophecy ; that reveals the great Redeemer and his glorious re
demption, and the various steps by which God accomplishes it from the first
foundation to the topstone ! Shall we prize a history which gives us a clear ac
count of some great earthly prince, or mighty warrior, as of Alexander the
Great, or Julius Cesar, or the Duke of Marlborough 1 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 pf that
King of kings, and Lord of armies, the Lord mighty in battle 1 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 to blame for their inattentive, unobservant way of reading the Scriptures.
How much do the Scriptures contain, if it were but observed ! The Bible is
the most comprehensive book in the world. But what will all this signify to
us, if we read it without observing what is the drift of the Holy Ghost in it 1
The Psalmist, Psal. cxix. 18, begs of God, " that he would enlighten his eyes,
that he might behold wondrous things out of his law." The Scriptures are
full of wondrous things. Those histories which are commonly 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 importance, and more extensive con
cernment, than they that read them are commonly aware of.
The histories of Scripture are commonly read as if they were stories written
only to entertain men's fancies, and to while away their leisure hours, when
the infinitely great things contained or pointed at in them are passed 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 that it is any thing
more than a vessel filled with common stones. As long as it is thus with him,
be will be never the better for his treasure : for he that knows not that he has
a treasure, will never make 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 likely 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 prepafe the way for his coming, and doing the work which he had to
do in the world, through all ages of the world from the very 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 made 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 the af
fairs and concerns of the country were ordered so as to be subservient to 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 some very great business that he is coming 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
tljousand 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, accomplishing wonders without number, often overturning the world in
order to it, and causing every thing in the state of mankind, and all revolutions
and changes in the habitable world from generation to generation to be subser
vient to this great desi gn ! Surely this must be some great and extraordinary
person indeed, and a great work indeed it must needs be that he is coming
about. We read, Matt. xxi. 8, 9, 10, that when Christ was coming into Jerusalem,
and the multitudes ran before him and cut down branches of palm trees, and
strewed them in the way, and others spread their garments in the way, and
cried, "Hqsannah to the son of David," that the whole city was moved, saying,
Who is this ? They wondered who that extraordinary person should be, that
there should be such an ado made on occasion of his coming into the city, and
to prepare the way before him. But if we consider what has been said on this
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 make way
for it, much more may we cry out, Who is this 1 What great person is this 1
And say, as in, Psal. xxiv. 8, 10, " Who is this King of glory," that God 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 him ; and surely it is a
great errand upon which he is sent into the world.

PERIOD II.

, Having shown how the work of redemption was carried on through the first
period, from the fall of man to the incarnation of Christ, I come now to the
second period, viz., the time of Christ's humiliation, or the space from the in
carnation of Christ to his resurrection. And this is the most remarkable article
of time that ever was or ever will be. — Though it was but between thirty
and forty years, yet more was done in it than had been done from the beginning
of the world to that time. We have observed, that all that had been done
from the fall to the incarnation of Christ, was only preparatory for what was
done now. And it may also be observed, that all that was done before the
beginning of time, in the eternal counsels of God, and that eternal transaction
there was between the persons of the Trinity, cniefly respected this period.
We therefore now proceed to consider the second proposition, viz.,

396 WORK OF REDEMPTION.
That during the time of Christ's humiliation, from his incarnation to his
resurrection, the purchase of redemption was made.
Though there were many things done in the affair of redemption from the
fall of man to this time, though millions of sacrifices had been offered up ; yet
nothing was done to purchase redemption before Christ's incarnation : no part
of the purchase was made, no part of the price was offered till now. But as
soon as Christ was incarnate, then the purchase began immediately without
any delay. And the whole time of Christ's humiliation, from the morning that
Christ began to be incarnate, till the morning that he rose from the dead,, was
taken up in this purchase. And then the purchase was entirely and completely
finished. As nothing was done before Christ's, incarnation, so nothing was
done after his resurrection, to purchase redemption for men. Nor will there
ever be any thing more done to all eternity. But that very moment that the
human nature of Christ ceased to remain under, the power of death, the utmost
farthing was paid of the price of the salvation of every one of the elect.
But for the more orderly and regular, consideration of the great things done
by our Redeemer to purchase redemption for us,
1. I would speak of Christ's becoming incarnate to capacitate himself for
this purchase; — and,
2. I would speak of the purchase itself.

PART I.
First, I would consider Christ's coming into the world, or his taking upon
him our nature to put himself in a capacity to purchase redemption for us.
Christ became incarnate, or, which is the same thing, became man, to put him
self in a capacity for working out our redemption : for though Christ, as God,
was infinitely sufficient for the work, yet to his being in an immediate capacity
for it, it was needful that he should not only be God, but man, If Christ had
remained only in the divine nature, he would not have been in a capacity to
have purchased our salvation ; not from any imperfection of the divine nature,
but by reason of its absolute and infinite perfection : for Christ, merely 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 to man. It is as
impossible that one who is only God, should obey the law that was given to
man> as it is that he should suffer man's punishment.
And it was necessary not only that Christ should take upon him a created
nature, but that he should take upon him 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 become a man,
and that upon three accounts.
1. It was needful to answer the law, that that nature should obey the law, to
which the law was given. Man's law could not be answered, but by being
obeyed by man. God insisted upon it, that the law which he had given to
man should be honored and submitted to, and fulfilled by the nature of man,
otherwise the law could not be answered for men. The words that were spc-

WORK OF REDEMPTION. 397
ken, Thou shalt not eat thereof, Thou shalt, or thou shalt not, do thus or thus
were spoken to the race of mankind, to the human nature ; and therefore the
human nature must fulfil them.
2. It was needful to answer the law, that the nature that sinned should die.
These words, " Thou shalt surely die," respect the human nature. The same
nature to which the command was given, was the nature to which the threaten
ing was directed.
3. God saw meet, that the same world which was the stage of man's fall
and ruin, should also be the stage of his redemption. We read often of his
coming into the world to save sinners, and of God's sending him into the world
for this purpose. It was needful that he should come into this sinful, miserable,
undone-world, to restore and save it. In order to man's recovery, it was need
ful that he should come down to man, to the world that was man's proper hab
itation, and that he should tabernacle with us : John i. 14, " The word was
made 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 the race of mankind,
whereby he became truly the Son of man, as he was often called. He was
one of the posterity of Adam, and a child of Abraham, and a son of David, ac
cording to God's promise. But his conception was not in the way of ordinary
generation, but by the power of the Holy Ghost. Christ was formed in the
womb of the Virgin, of the substance of her body, by the power of the Spirit
of God. So that he was the immediate son of the woman, but not the imme
diate son of any male whatsoever ; and so was the seed of the woman, and the
son of a virgin, one that had never known man.
2. His birth. — Though the conception of Christ was supernatural, yet after
he was conceived, and so the incarnation of Christ begun, his human nature
was gradually perfected in the 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 the power of the Holy Ghost^ he was both conceived and born
without sin.
II. The second thing I would 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 it from the very first fall of mankind, and when all thino-s
were ready. It 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 come, God sent
forth his Son, made of a woman, 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 not so fully
come on the earth before the flood, as it did afterwards : for though the ground
Was cursed in a great measure before, yet it pleased God that the curse should
once, before the restoration by Christ, be executed in a universal destruction,
as it were, qf the very form of the earth, that the dire effects of the fall might
once in such a way be seen before the 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 immortality in comparison with what the life of man
is now. It pleased God, that that curse, " Dust thou art, and unto dust thou
shalt return," should have its full accomplishment, and be executed in its

398 WORK OF REDEMPTION.
greatest degree on mankind, before the Redeemer came to purchase a never
ending life for man.
It would not have been so fit a time for Christ to come, after the flood, be
fore Moses's time : for till then mankind were not so universally apostatized
from the 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 till then ; for man's life was not so shortened as to be reduced to the
present standard till about Moses's time.
It was most fit that the time of the Messiah's coming should not be till many
ages after Moses's time ; till all nations, but the children of Israel, had lain
lone in Heathenish darkness ; that the remedilessness of their disease might by
long experience be seen, and so the absolute necessity of the heavenly physician,
before he came.
Another reason why Christ did not come soon after the flood probably was,
that the earth might be full of people, that Christ might have the more exten-
' sive kingdom, and that the effects of his light, and power, and grace, might be
glorified, and that his victory over Satan might be attended with the more
glory in the multitude of his conquests. It was also needful that the coming of
Christ should be many ages after Moses, that the church might be prepared
which was formed by Moses for his coming, by the Messiah's being long pre
figured, and by his being many ways foretold, and by his being Jong expected.
It was not proper that Christ should come before the Babylonish captivity, be
cause Satan's kingdom was not then come to the height. Tbe Heathen world
before that consisted of lesser kingdoms. But God saw meet that the Messiah
should come in the time of one of the four great monarchies of the world. Nor
was it proper that he should come in the time of the Babylonish monarchy; for
it was God's will that several general monarchies should follow one another,
and that the coming of the Messiah should be in the time of the last, which
appeared above them all. The Persian monarchy, by overcoming the Baby
lonian, appeared above it : and so the Grecian, by overcoming the Persian,
appeared above that ; and for the same reason, the Roman above the Grecian.
Now it was the will of God, that his Son should make his appearance in the
world in the time of this greatest and strongest monarchy, which was Satan's
visible kingdom in the world ; that, by overcoming this, he might visibly over
come Satan's kingdom in its greatest strength and glory, and so obtain the more
complete triumph over Satan himself.
It was not proper that Christ should come before the Babylonish captivity.
For, before that, we have not histories of the state of the Heathen world, to
give us an idea of the need of a Saviour. And besides, before that, learning
did not much flourish, and so there had not been an opportunity to show the
insufficiency of human learning and wisdom to reform and save mankind.
Again, before that, the Jews were not dispersed over the world, as they were
afterwards ; and so things were not prepared in this respect for the coming 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
was 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 men.
III. The next thing that I would observe concerning the incarnation of

WORK OF REDEMPTION. 399
Christ, is the greatness of this event. Christ's incarnation was a greater and
more wonderful thing than ever had come to' pass ; and there has been but one
that has ever come to pass which was greater, and that was the death of Christ,
which was afterwards. But Christ's incarnation was a greater thing than had
ever come 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 to make the creature, but 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 from one age to another, in the ages between the fall of man and
the incarnation of Christ : but God's becoming man was a greater thing than
they all. When Christ was born, the greatest person was born that 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 that .which is said
in the law of the Lord, a pair 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 family of David, the most honorable family, and Joseph was the rightful
heir to the crown ; yet the family 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 that 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 Bethlehem, as was foretold : and there was a
very remarkable providence of God to bring about the fulfilment of this pro
phecy, the taxing of all the world by Augustus Casser, as in Luke ii. He was
born in a very low condition, even in a stable, and laid in a manger.
V. I would observe the concomitants of this great event, or the remarkable
events with which it was attended. — And,
1. The first thing I would take notice of that attended the incarnation
of Christ, was the return of the Spirit ; which indeed began a little before the
incarnation of Christ ; but yet was given on occasion of that, as it was to re
veal either his birth, or the birth of his forerunner John the Baptist. I have
before observed how the spirit of prophecy ceased, not long after the book of
Malachi was written. From about the same time, visions and immediate 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 restora
tion that we have any account of is in the vision of Zacharias, the father of
John the Baptist ; which we read of in the 1st chapter of Luke. The text is in
the vision which the Virgin Mary had, of which we read also in the same 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 to Elisabeth,
Luke i. 41 Next, it was given to Mary, as appears by her song, Luke i. 46, &c.
Then to Zacharias again, ver. 64. Then it was sent to the shepherds, of which we
have an account in Luke ii. 9. Then it was given to Simeon, Luke ii. 25. Then
to Anna, ver. 36. Then to the wise men in the east. Then to Joseph again,
directing him to flee into Egypt, arid after that directing his return.
2. The next concomitant of Christ's incarnation that I would observe is, the
great notice that was taken of it in heaven, and on earth. How it was noticed

400 WORK OF REDEMPTION.
by the glorious inhabitants of the 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
their singing praises when they saw the formation of this lower world : Job
xxxviii. 7, "°When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God
shouted for joy." And as they sang praises then, so they do now, on this much
greater occasion, of the birth of the Son of God, who is the Creator of the world.
The glorious angels had all along expected this event. — They had taken
great notice of the prophecies and promises of tfiese things all along : for we
are told, that the angels desire to look into the affairs of redemption, 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 from the very fall of man. So we read,
that they were employed in God's dealings with Abraham, and in his dealings
with Jacob, and in his dealings with the Israelites from time to time.
And doubtless they had long joyfully expected the coming of Christ ; but
now they see it accomplished, and therefore greatly rejoice, and sing praises on
this occasion.
Notice was taken of it by some among the Jews ; as particularly by Elisa
beth and the Virgin Mary, before the birth of Christ ; not to say by John the
Baptist before he was born, when he leaped in his mother's womb as it were
for joy, at the voice of the salutation of Mary. But Elisabeth and Mary do
most joyfully praise God together, when they meet with Christ and his forerun
ner in their wombs, and the Holy Spirit in their souls. And afterwards what
joyful notice is taken of this event by the shepherds, and by those holy persons,
Zacharias, and Simeon, and Anna ! How do they praise God on this occasion !
Thus the church of God in heaven, and the church on earth, do as it were unite
in their joy and praise on this occasion.
Notice was taken of it by the Gentiles, which appears in the wise men of
the east. Great part of the universe does as it were take a joyful notice of the
incarnation of Christ. Heaven takes notice of it, and the inhabitants sing for
joy. This lower world, the world of mankind, does also take notice of it in
both parts of it, Jews and Gentiles. It pleased God to put honor on his Son,
by wonderfully stirring up some of the wisest of the Gentiles to come a long
journey to see and worship the Son of God at his birth, being led by a miracu
lous star, signifying the birth of that glorious person, who is the bright and
morning star, going before, and leading them to the very place where the young
child was. Some think they were instructed by the prophecy of Balaam, who
dwelt in the eastern parts, and foretold Christ's coming as a star that should
rise out of Jacob. Or they might be instructed by that general expectation
there was of the Messiah's coming about that time, before spoken of, from the
notice they had of it by the prophecies the Jews had of him in their disper
sions in all parts of the world at that time.
3. The next concomitant of the birth of Christ was his circumcision. But
this may more properly be spoken of under another head, and so I will not in
sist upon it now.
4. The next concomitant was his first coming into the second temple, which
was his being brought thither when an infant, on occasion of the purification
of the blessed Virgin.
We read, Hagg. ii. 7, "The desire of all nations shall come, and I will fill
this house (or temple) with glory." And in Mai. iii. 1, " The Lord, whom ye
seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the 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 from Ju
dah, in the death of Herod the Great. The sceptre had never totally departed
from Judah till now. Judah's sceptre was greatly diminished in the revolt of
the ten tribes in Jeroboam's time ; and the sceptre departed from Israel or
Ephraim at the time of the captivity of the ten tribes by Shalmaneser. But
yet the sceptre remained in the tribe of Judah, under the kings of the house of
David. And when the tribes of Judah and Benjamin were carried captive by
Nebuchadnezzar, the sceptre of Judah ceased for a little while, till the return
from the captivity under Cyrus : and then, though they were not an indepen
dent government, as they had been before, but owed fealty to the kings of Persia ;
yet their governor was of themselves, who had the power of life and death, and
they were governed by their own laws; and so Judah had a lawgiver from be
tween his feet during the Persian and Grecian monarchies. Towards the latter
part of the Grecian monarchy, the people were governed by kings of their own,
of the race of the Maccabees, for the greater part of a hundred years ; and
after that they were subdued by the Romans. But yet the Romans suffered
them to be governed by their own laws, and to have a king of their own, Herod
the Great, who reigned about forty years, and governed with proper kingly
authority, only paying homage to the Romans. But presently after Christ was
horn he died, as we have an account, Matt. ii. 19, and Archelaus succeeded
him ; but was soon put down by the Roman Emperor ; and then the sceptre
departed from Judah. There were no more temporal kingsof Judah after that,
neither had that people their governors from the midst of themselves after that,
hut were ruled by a Roman governor sent among them ; and they ceased any
more to have the power of life and death among themselves. Hence the Jews
say to Pilate, " It is not lawful for us to put any man to death," John xviii. 31
Thus the sceptre departed from Judah when Shiloh came.

PART II.
Having thus considered Christ's coming into the world, and his taking on
him our nature, to put himself in a capacity for the 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 this
purchase was made.
3. I would orderly consider those things which Christ did and suffered, by
Which that purchase was made.

SECTION I.

I would show what is here intended by Christ's purchasing redemption.
And there 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 Ohnst
laid down does two things : it pays our debt, and so it satisfies: by its intrinsic
Vol. I. 51

402 WORK OF REDEMPTION.
value, and by the agreement 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 merit of Christ is to purchase happiness for us.
The word purchase, as it is used with respect to the purchase of Christ, is
taken either more strictly, or more largely. It is oftentimes used more strictly, to
signify only the merit of Christ ; 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 sometimes divines use merit in this affair
for the whole price that 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 this various use of these terms seems to be, that 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 positivfe good to be
obtained,, is called merit. The difference between paying a debt and making a
positive purchase is more relative than it is essential. He who lays down a
price to pay a debt, does in some sense make a purchase : he purchases liberty
from the obligation: And he who lays down a price to purchase a gopd, 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 some general observations concerning those things by
which this purchase was made. — And here,
1. I would observe, that whatever in Christ had the nature of satisfaction,
it was by virtue of the suffering or humiliation that was in it. 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 demands of
the law on man, 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, evil,
or his being subject to abasement. For Christ did not only make satisfaction
by proper suffering, but by whatever bad the nature of humiliation, arid abase
ment of circumstances. Thus Christ made satisfaction for sin, by continuing
under the power of death, while he lay buried in the grave, though neither his
body nor soul properly endured any suffering after he was dead. Whatever
Christ was subject to that was the judicial fruit of sin, had the nature of satis
faction for sin. But not only proper suffering, but all abasement and depres
sion of the state and circumstances of mankind below its primitive honor and
dignity, such as his body remaining 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 state of humiliation, 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
meriting happiness by his righteousness, were carried on through the whole
time 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
humiliation that he was subject to, from the first moment of his incarnation to
his resurrection, were propitiatory or satisfactory. Christ's satisfaction was
chiefly by his death, because his sufferings and humiliation in that was greatest.
But all his other sufferings, and all his other humiliation, all along had the
nature of satisfaction. So had the mean circumstances in which he was born.
His being born in such a low condition, was to make satisfaction for sin. His
being born of a poor virgin, in a stable, and his being laid in a manger ; hiss
taking the human, nature upon him in its low state, and under those infirmities
brought upon it by the fall ; his being born in the form of sinful flesh, had the
nature of satisfaction. And so all his sufferings in his infancy and childhood,
and all that labor, and contempt, 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 the course of his life, but also in the obedience
he performed in laying down his life.
3. It was by the same 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 the same things. He did not make satisfac
tion by some 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 made satisfaction, but only taken in a different relation. One and the
same act of Christ, considered with respect to the obedience there was in it,,
was part of his righteousness, and purchased heaven: but considered witb
respect to the self-denial, and' difficulty, and humiliation, with 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 same was a part of his satisfaction, as be
did it with great labor, trouble, and weariness, and under great temptation,
exposing himself hereby to reproach and contempt. So his laying down his;
life had the nature of satisfaction to God's offended justice, considered as his
bearing our punishment in our stead : but considered as an act of obedience to
God, who had given him this command, that he should lay down his life for
sinners, it was a part of his righteousness, and purchase of heaven, and as much
the principal part of his righteousness as it was the principal part of his satis
faction. And so to instance in his circumcision, what he suffered in that, had
the nature of satisfaction : the blood that was shed in his circumcision was
propitiatory blood ; but as it was a conformity to tho- law of Moses, it was part
of his meritorious righteousness. Though it was not properly the act ot his
human nature, he being an infant ; yet it being what the human nature was the
subject of, and being the act of that person, it was accepted as an act of his
obedience as our mediator.
And so even his being born in such a low condition had the nature of satis-

404 WORK OF REDEMPTION.
faction, by reason of the humiliation that 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 human nature did acquiesce
in, though there was no act of the will of the human nature prior to it.
These things may suffice to have observed in the general, concerning the
purchase Christ made of redemption.

SECTION III,

I now proceed to speak more particularly of those things which Christ did,
and was the subject of, during the time of his humiliation, 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 them.
2. With respect to the 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
them. And this is subject to a threefold distribution. I shall therefore consi
der his obedience.
1. With respect to the laws which he obeyed.
2. With respect to the different stages of his life in which he performed it.
3. With respect to the 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 performed. But here
it must be observed in general, that all the precepts which Christ obeyed may
be reduced to one law, and that is that which the apostle calls the law of works,
Rom. iii. 27. Every command that Christ obeyed may be reduced to that
great and everlasting law of God that is contained in the covenant of works,
that eternal rule of right which God had established between himself and man
kind. Christ came into the world to fulfil and answer the covenant of works ;
that is, the covenant that is to stand forever as a rule of judgment ; and that isithe
covenant that we had broken, and that was the covenant that must be fulfilled.
This law of works indeed includes all the laws of God which ever have
been given to mankind ; for it 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 must be sub
mitted to in whatever positive precept he is pleased to give us. It is a rule of
the law of works, that men should obey their earthly parents ; and it is cer
tainly as much a rule of the same law, that we should obey our heavenly
Father : and so the law of works requires obedience to all positive commands
of God. It required Adam's obedience to that positive command, not to eat of
the forbidden fruit ; and it required obedience of the Jews to all the positive
commands of their institution. When God commanded Jonah to arise and go
to Nineveh, the law of works required him to obey : and so it required Christ's
obedience to all the positive commands which God gave him.
But, more particularly, the commands of God which Christ obeyed, were of
three kinds ; they were either such as he was subject to 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 same with that
which was given at Mount Sinai, written in two tables of stone, which are ob--
ligatory on mankind of all nations and all ages of the world.
2. He obeyed all those laws he was subject to as he was a Jew. Thus he"
was subject to the ceremonial law, and was conformed to it. He was conform-
edto it in his being circumcised the eighth day ; and he strictly obeyed it in
going up to Jerusalem to the temple three times a year ; at least after he was
come to the age of twelve years, which seems to have been the age when the
males began to. go up to the temple. And so Christ constantly attended the
service of the temple, and of the synagogues.
To this head of his obedience to the law that he was subject to as a Jew,
may be reduced his submission to John's baptism. For it was a special com
mand to the Jews, to go forth to John the Baptist^ and be baptized of him ;
and therefore Christ being a Jew, was subject to this command ; and therefore,
when he came to be baptized of John, and John objected, that he had more
need to come to him to be baptized .of him, 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 that Christ was subject to was the mediatorial law, which
contained those commands of God to which he was subject not merely as man,
nor yet as a Jew, but which related purely to his mediatorial office. Such were
the commands which the Father gave him, to teach such doctrines, to preach
the gospel, to work such miracles, to call such disciples, to appoint such ordi-
nancesj and finally to lay down his life : foi he did all these things in obedience
to commands he had received of the Father, as he often tells us. And these
commands he was not subject to merely as man ; for they did not belong to
other men ; nor yet was he subject to them as a Jew ; for they were no part
of the Mosaic law ; but they were commands that he had received of the
Father, that 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 him, consists principally in his obe
dience to this mediatorial law ; for in fulfilling this law consisted his chiel
work and business in the world. The history of the evangelists is chiefly taken
up in giving an account of his obedience to this law, and this part of his obedi
ence was that which was attended with the greatest difficulty of all ; and there
fbre his obedience in it was most meritorious. What Christ had to do in the
world, by virtue of his being mediator, was infinitely more difficult than what
he had to do merely as a man, or as a Jewr. To his obedience to this mediato
rial law belongs his going through his last sufferings, beginning with his agony
in the garden, and ending with his resurrection.
As the obedience of the 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 which he was subject merely as man, but in his obedience to
that speciallaw that he was subject to as moral head and surety of mankind,
even the command of abstaining from the tree of knowledge of good and evil ;
so the obedience of the second Adam, wherein his righteousness consists, lies
mainly, not in his obedience to the law that 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 man. Before I proceed to the next distribution of Christ's righteousness, I would
observe three things concerning Christ's obedience to these laws.

406 WORK OF REDEMPTION.
1. He performed that obedience to them which was in every respect perfect.
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 command. It was
perfect as to positive transgressions avoided, for he never transgressed in one
instance ; he was guilty of no sin of commission. And it was perfect with re
spect to the work commanded ; he perfected the whole work that each com
mand required, and never was guilty of any sin of omission. And it was perfect
•with respect to the principle from which he obeyed. His heart was perfect,
bis principles were wholly right, there was no corruption in his heart. And it
was perfect with respect to the ends he acted for, for he never had any by-ends,
but aimed perfectly at such ends as the law of God required. And it was per
fect with respect to the manner of performance ; every circumstance of each
act was perfectly conformed to the command. And- it was perfect with re
spect to the degree of the performance ; he acted wholly up to the rule. And
it was perfect with respect to the constancy of obedience ; he did not only per
fectly obey sometimes, but constantly, without any interruption. And- it was
perfect with 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.
The meritoriousness of Christ's obedience depends on the 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. The next thing I would observe of Christ's obedience is, that it was per
formed through the greatest trials and temptations that ever any obedience was.
His obedience was attended with 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 commands 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 the honor
of his law. The obedience he performed was with infinitely greater love to
God, and regard to his authority, than the angels perform their obedience with.
The angels perform their obedience with that love which is perfect, with sinless
perfection ; but Christ did not do so, but he performed his obedience with much
greater love than the angels do theirs, even infinite love ; for though the 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 i the human nature, but the obedience of his person as
God-man ; and there was infinite love of the person of Christ manifest in that
obedience. And this,, together with the infinite dignity of the person that
obeyed, rendered his obedience infinitely meritorious.
II. The second distribution of the acts of Christ's obedience, is with, respect
to the different parts of his life, wherein they were performed. And in this
respect they may be divided into those which were performed in private life,
and those which were performed in his public ministry.
1st. Those acts he performed during his private life. He was perfectly
obedient in his childhood. He infinitely differed from other children, who, as
soon as they begin to act, begin to sin and rebel. He was subject to his earthly
parents, though he was Lord of all, Luke ii. 51. He was found about his

WORK OF REDEMPTION. - 407
Father's business at twelve years of age in the temple, Luke ii. 42. He then
began that work that he had to do in fulfilment of the mediatorial law, which
the Father had given him. He continued his private life for about thirty years,
dwelling at Nazareth, in the 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 performed 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 of the history of the 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 the evangelist Mark; it begins and ends with it.
And so also is all the gospel of John, and all the gospel of Luke, excepting the
two first chapters ; excepting also what we find in the evangelists concerning
the ministry of John the Baptist. Christ's first appearing in his public minis
try, is what is often called his coming in Scripture. Thus John speaks
of Christ's coining as what is yet to be, though he had been born long
before. Concerning the 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 which hewas employed during the course of it; — and 4. The
manner of his finishing it.
1. The forerunner of Christ's coming in his public ministry was John the
Baptist. He came preaching repentance for the remission of sins, to make way
for Christ's coining, agreeably to the- prophecies of him, Isa. xl. 3, 4, 5, and
Matt. iv. 5, 6. It is supposed, that John the Baptist began his ministry about
three years arid a half before Christ ; so that Johri's ministry and Christ's put
together, made seven years, which was the last of Daniel's weeks ; and this
time is intended in Dan. ix. 27, "He will confirm the covenant with many for
one week." Christ came in the midst of this week, viz., in the beginning of
the last half of it, or the last three years and a half, as Daniel foretold, as in
the verse just now quoted : " And in the midst of the week he shall cause the
sacrifice and the oblation to cease."
John Baptist's ministry consisted principally in preaching the law, to awa
ken men and convince them of sin, to prepare men for the coming of Christ, to
comfort them, as the law is to prepare the heart for the entertainment of the
gospel. A very remarkable outpouring of the Spirit of God attended John's minis
try, and the effect of it was that Jerusalem, and all Judea, and all the region
round about Jordan, were awakened, convinced, went out to him, and submitted
to his baptism, confessing their sins. John is spoken of as the greatest of all
the prophets who came before Christ: Matt. xi. 11, " Among those that are
born of women, there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist ; i. e., he
had the most honorable office. He was as the morning star, which is the har
binger of the approaching day, and forerunner of the rising sun. The other
rOphets were stars that were to give light in the night ; but we have heard
iow 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 the morn-

li

408 WORK OF REDEMPTION.
ing star. So John the Baptist says of himself, John iii. 30, " He must increase,
but I must decrease." And soon after Christ began his public ministry, John
the Baptist was put to death ; as the morning star is visible 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
ministry, which was by baptism, followed with the temptation in the 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 the Holy
Ghost, in a solemn and visible manner, the Holy Ghost descending upon him
in a visible shape like a dove, attended with a voice from heaven, saying,
" This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased," Matt. iii. 16, 17.
After this he was led by the devil into the wilderness. Satan made a vio
lent onset upon him at his first entrance on his work ; and now he had a re
markable 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 employed during
bis ministry. And here are three things chiefly to be taken notice of, viz., his
preaching, his working miracles, and his calling and appointing disciples and
ministers of his kingdom.
(1.) His preaching the gospel. Great part of the work of his public 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 the Father commanded
him. — He more clearly and abundantly revealed the mind and will of God,
than ever it had been revealed before. He came from the bosom of the Father,
and perfectly knew his mind, and was in 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 into his
public ministry, began to enlighten the world with 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
the 5th, 6th, and 7th chapters of Matthew.
When he preached he did not teach as the scribes, but he taught as one
having authority; so that his hearers were astonished at his doctrine. He did
not reveal the mind and will of God in the style which the prophets used to
preach, as not 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 this, "I say unto you," thus or thus; "Verily, verily, I say unto you."
He delivered his doctrines, not only as the doctrines of God the Father, but as
bis own doctrines. He gave forth his commands, not as the prophets were
wont to do, as God's commands, 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 Vas employed in during the course of his min
istry, was working miracles. Concerning which we may observe several things.
Their multitude. Besides particular instances, we often have an account
of multitudes coming at once with diseases, and his healing them.
They were works of mercy. In them was displayed not only his infinite
power and greatness, but his infinite mercy and goodness. He went about do
ing good, healing the sick, restoring sight fo the blind, hearing to the deaf, and
the proper use of their limbs to the lame and halt ; feeding the hungry, cleans
ing the leprous, and raising the dead.
They were almost all of them such as had been spoken of as the peculiar works
cf God, in the Old Testament. So with respect to stilling the sea, Psal. cvii.

WORK OF REDEMPTION. 409
29, " He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still." So as
to walking on the sea in a storm : Job ix. 8, " Which alone — treadeth upon
the waves of the sea." So as to casting out devils : Psal. Ixxiv. 14, " Thou
breakest the heads of leviathan in pieces." So as to feeding a multitude in a
wilderness : Deut. viii. 16, " Who fed thee in the wilderness with manna." So
as to telling man's thoughts : Amos iv. 13, " Lo, he that — declareth unto man
what is his thought — the Lord, the God of hosts is his name." So as to rais
ing- the dead : Psal. Ixviii. 20, " Unto God the Lord belong the issues from
death." So as to opening the eyes of the blind : Psal. cxlvi. 8, " The Lord!
openeth the eyes of the blind." So as to healing the sick : Psal. ciii. 3, " Who
healeth all thy diseases." So as to lifting 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 great work which
he came to work on man's heart : representing that inward, spiritual cleansing,
healing, renovation, and resurrection, which all his redeemed are the subjects
of. '
He wrought them in such a manner as to sliow, that he did them by his own
power, and not by the power of another, as the other prophets did. They were
wont to work all their miracles in the name of the Lord; but Christ wrought
in his own name. Moses was forbidden to enter into Canaan, because he
seemed by his speech to assume the honor of working only one miracle to him
self. Nor did Christ work miracles as the apostles did, who wrought them all
in the name of Christ ; but he wrought them in his own name, and by his own
authority and will: thus saith he, " I will, be thou clean," Matt. viii. 3. And
in the same strain he puts the question, " Believe ye that I am able to do this 1"
Matt. ix. 28.
(3.) Another thing that Christ did in the course of his ministry, was to call
his disciples. He called many disciples. There were many that he employed
as ministers : he sent seventy disciples at one time in this work : but there
were twelve that he set apart as apostles, who were the grand ministers of his
kingdom, and as it-were the twelve foundations of his church. See Rev. xxi.
14. These were the main instruments of setting up his kingdom in the world,
and therefore shall sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
4. I would observe how be finished his ministry. And this was,
(1.) In giving his dying counsels to his disciples, and all that 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 solemn memorial of his death. This he did in institu
ting the sacrament of the Lord's supper, wherein we have a representation of
his 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 believers. The priests of old
used to do many other things as God's ministers ; but then were they 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 that 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 that had been done by all the priests, arid in all their sacrifices..
and offerings, from the beginning of the world.
III. The third distribution of the 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 redemption, exercised every possible virtue and grace. In
deed there are some particular virtues that sinful man may have that were not
in Christ ; not from any want or defect of virtue, but because his virtue was
perfect and without defect. Such is the virtue of repentance, and brokenness
of heart for sin, and, mortification, 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 him, and that in a high
er degree than ever they were in. any-other man, or any mere creature. Every
virtue in him was perfect. Virtue itself was greater in him than in any other ;
and it was under greater advantages to shine in him than in any other. Strict
virtue shines most when most tried : but never any virtue had such trials as
Christ's had.
The virtue that Christ exercised in the work he did,, may be divided- into
three sorts, viz., the virtues which more immediately respect God, those which
immediately respect himself, and' those which immediately respect men.
1. Those virtues which more immediately respect God, appeared in Christ
in the work that he did for our redemption. There appeared in him 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 the honorableness of his person.
This was the temptation of the angels that fell, to cast off their worship of
God, and reverence of his majesty, that they were beings of such exalted dig
nity and worthiness themselves. But Christ was infinitely more worthy and
honorable than they ; for he was the eternal Son of God, and his person was
equal to the person of God the Father : and yet, as he had taken on him the
office of mediator, and the nature of man, he was full of reverence towards God.
He adored him in the most reverential manner, time after time. So he manifest
ed a wonderful love towards God. The angels give great testimonies of their
love towards God, in their constancy and agility in doing the will of God ; and
many saints have given great testimonies of their love, who, from love to God,
have endured great labors and sufferings : but none ever gave such testimonies
of love to God as Christ has given ; none ever performed such a labor of love
as he, and suffered so much from love to God. So he manifested the most
wonderful submission to the will of God. Never was any one's submission so
hied as his was. So he manifested the most wonderful spirit of obedience that
ever was manifested.
2. In this work he most wonderfully manifested those virtues which more
immediately respected himself ; as particularly humility, patience, and contempt
of the world. Christ, though he was the most excellent and honorable of all
men, yet was the most humble ; yea, he was the most humble of all creatures.
No angel or man ever equalled him in humility, though he was the highest of
all creatures in dignity and honorableness. Christ would have been under the
greatest temptations to pride, if it had been possible for any thing to be a temp
tation to him. The temptation of the angels that fell was the dignity.of their
nature, and the honorableness of their circumstances ; but Christ was infinitely
more honorable than they. The human nature of Christ was so honored as to
be in the same person with the eternal Son of God, who was equal with God ;
and yet that human 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 maimed, 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 delivered unto me of my Father ;" though he knew he was such an
infinitely honorable person, and thought it not robbery to be equal with God ;
and though he knew he was the heir of God the Father's kingdom ; yet such
was his humility, that he did not disdain to be abased and depressed down into
lower arid viler circumstances and sufferings than ever any other elect creature was;
so that he became least of all, and lowest of all. The proper trial and evidence
of humility, is stooping or complying with those acts or circumstances, when
called to it, which are very low, and contain great abasement. But none ever
stooped so low as Christ, if we consider either the infinite height that he stoop
ed from, or the great depth to which he stooped. Such was his humility, that
though he knew his infinite worthiness of honor, and of being honored ten
thousand times as much as the highest prince on earth, or angel in heaven ;
yet he did not think it too much when called to it, to be bound as a cursed
malefactor, and to become the laughing-stock and spitting-stock of the vilest of
men, and to be crowned with thorns, and to have a mock robe put upon him,
and to be crucified like a slave and malefactor, and as one of the meanest and
worst of vagabonds and miscreants, and an accursed enemy of God and men,
who was not fit to live on the earth : and this not for himself, but for some of
the meanest and vilest of creatures, some of those accursed wretches that cru
cified him. Was not this a wonderful manifestation of humility, when he
cheerfully and most freely submitted to this abasement ?
And how did his patience shine forth under all the terrible sufferings which
he endured, when he was dumb, and opened not his mouth, but went as a lamb
to the slaughter, and was like a patient lamb under all the sufferings he endured
from first to last ?
And what contempt of the glory of this world was there, when he rather
chose this contempt, and meanness, and suffering, than to wear a temporal
crown, and be invested with the external glories of an earthly prince, as the
multitude often solicited him !
3. Christ, in the work which he wrought out, in a wonderful manner exer
cised those virtues which more immediately respect other men. And these may
be summed up under two heads, viz., meekness and love.
Christ's meekness was his humble calmness 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 things, 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 without reason,
arid the great degree of obligation to the 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 much he was hatedj what abuses he suf
fered from the vilest of men, how great his sufferings from men were, and how
spiteful and how contemptuous they were, in offering him these abuses ; and
also consider how causeless and unreasonable these abuses were, how undeserv
ing he was of them, and how much deserving of the contrary, viz., of love,
and honor, and good treatment at their hands : I say, if we consider these things,
no man ever met with a thousandth part of the provocation that Christ met
with from men : and yet how meek was he under all ! How composed and
quiet his spirit ! How far from being in a ruffle and tumult ! 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
e 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 they perpetrated, viz., nailing him to the cross : Luke
xxiii. 34, " Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do."
And never did there appear such an instance of love to men. Christ's love
to men that 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 some 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
small 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.
Eminent virtue always shows brightest in the fire. Pure gold shows its purity
chiefly in the furnace. It was chiefly under those trials which Christ under
went in the close of his life, that his love to God, his honor of God's majesty,
and his regard to the honor of his law, and his spirit of obedience, and his hu
mility, and contempt of the world, and his patience and his meekness, and his
spirit of forgiveness towards men, appeared. Indeed every thing that Christ
did to work out redemption for us appears mainly 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 the 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
redemption was made with respect to his righteousness that appeared in them.
— I proceed now,
II. To take a view of them with respect to the satisfaction that he there
by made for sin, or the sufferings and humiliation that he was the subject of in
them on our account. And here,
I. He was subject to uncommon humiliation 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 he was born. His mother suffered in an uncommon
manner in bearing him. When her travail came upon her, it is said, " there was
no room in the inn," Luke ii. 7. She was forced to betake herself to a stable ;
and therefore Christ was born in the place of the bringing forth of beasts. Thus
he suffered in his birth, as though he had been meaner and. viler than a man,
and not possessed of the dignity of the human nature, but had been of the ranlc
of the brute creatures. And we may conclude, that his mother's circumstances
in other respects were proportionably strait and difficult, and that she was desti
tute of the 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, the chief man of the land, was so engaged
to kill him, that, in order to it, he killed all the children in Bethlehem, and in
all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under. And Christ suffered
banishment in his infancy, was driven out of his native country into Egypt, and
without- doubt suffered much by being carried so long a journey, when he was
so young, into a strange country.
II. Christ was subject to great humiliation 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 carpenter's son, but the carpenter : Mark vi. 3, " Is not

WORK OF REDEMPTION. 4 13
this the carpenter, the brother of James and Joses, and Juda, and Simon 1" He
by hard labor, earned his bread before he ate it, and so suffered that curse which
God pronounced on Adam, Gen. iii. 13, "In the sweat of thy face shalt thou
eat bread." Let us consider how great a degree pf humiliation the glorious
Son of God, the Creator of heaven and earth, was subject to in this, that for
about thirty years he should live a private obscure life among laboring men,
and all this while be overlooked, arid not taken notice of in the world, as more
than other common laborers. Christ's humiliation in some respects was greater
in private life than in the time of his public ministry. There were many mani
festations of his glory in the word he preached, and the great miracles he
wrought : but the first thirty years of his life he spent among mean ordinary
men, as il were in silence, without those manifestations of his glory, or any
thing to make him to be taken notice of more than any ordinary mechanic, but
only the spotless purity and eminent holiness of his life ; and that was in a great
measure hid in obscurity ; so that he was little taken notice of till after his
baptism. III. Christ was the subject of great humiliation and suffering during his
public life, from his baptism till the night wherein he was betrayed. As par
ticularly, 1. He suffered great poverty, so that he had not " where to lay his head,"
Matt. viii. 20 ; and commonly used to lodge abroad in the open air, for want
of a shelter to betake himself to ; as you will see is manifest, if you compare
Ihe following places, together, which I shall but name to you, even Matt. viii.
20, and John xviii. 1, 2, and Luke xxi. 37, and chap. xxii. 39. So that what
was spoken of Christ in Cant. v. 2, " My head is filled with dew, and my locks
with the drops of the night," was literally 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. 18. His
mother and natural relations were poor, and not able to helphim; and hewas
maintained by the charity of some of his disciples while he lived. So we read
in Luke viii. at the beginning, of certain women that followed him, and minis
tered to him of their substance. He was so poor, that he was not able to pay
the tribute that was demanded of him, without the miraculous coming of a fish
to bring him the money out of the sea in his mouth. See Matt, xvh 27. And
when be ate his last passover, it was not at his own charge, but at the charge
of another, as appears by Luke xxii. 7, &c. And from his poverty he had no
grave of his own to be buried in. It was the manner of the Jews, unless they
were very poor, and were not able, to prepare themselves 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 Arimathea's charity,
and in his tomb, which he had prepared for himself.
2. He suffered great 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 the 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 the black art, and by communication with Beelzebub. They ex- ;
communicated him, and agreed to excommunicate any man that should own
him, as John ix. 22.' They wished him dead, and were continually seeking to
murder him ; sometimes by force, and sometimes by craft. They often took up

414 WORK OF REDEMPTION.
stones to stone him, and once led him to the brow of a hill, intending to throw
him down the precipice, to dash him in pieces against- the rocks.
He was thus hated and reproached by his own visible people : John 1. 11,
" He came to his own, and his own received him not." And he was princV
pally 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 the land he went, he met with hatred and contempt. He met
with these in Capernaum, and when he went to Jericho, when he went to Jeru
salem, which was the 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 the bufferings of Satan in an uncommon manner. We read
of one time in particular, when he had a long conflict with the devil, when he
was in the wilderness forty days, with nothing but wild beasts and devils; and
was so exposed to the devil's power, that he was bodily carried about by him
from place to place, while he was otherwise in a very suffering state.
And so much for the humiliation and suffering of Christ's public life, from
his baptism to the night wherein he was betrayed.
TV. I come now to his last humiliation and sufferings, from the evening of
the night wherein he was betrayed to his resurrection. And here was his
greatest humiliation and suffering, by which principally he made satisfaction to
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 that dreadful agony
in the garden. There came such a dismal 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 the pores of his skin ; so that while his soul was
overwhelmed with amazing sorrow, his body was all clotted witb blood. The
disciples, who used to be as his friends and family, at this time, above all, ap
peared cold towards him, and unconcerned for him, at the same time that his
Father's face was hid from him. Judas, to whom Christ had been so very merciful,
and treated as one of his family, or familiar friends, comes and betrays him in
the most deceitful, treacherous manner. The officers and soldiers apprehend
and bind him ; his disciples forsake him and flee ; his own best friends do not
stand by him to comfort him, in this time of his distress. He is led away as a
malefactor to appear before the priests and scribes, his venomous, mortal enemies,
that they might sit as his judges, who sat up all night, to have the pleasure of
insulting him, now they had got him into their hands. But because they aimed
at nothing short of his life, they set themselves to 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 something out of his own mouth. 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,
they then go to force him to say it, by adjuring him in the name of God, to say
whether he was or not : and when he confessed that he Was, then they supposed
they had enough ; and then it was a time of rejoicing with them, which they
show, by falling upon Christ and spitting in his face, and blindfolding him, and
striking him in the face with the palms of their hands, and then bidding him
prophesy who it was that struck him : thus ridiculing him 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 palms of their hands."

WORK OF REDEMPTION. 415
During the sufferings of that night, Peter, one of the chief of his own disci
ples, instead of standing by him to comfort him, appears ashamed to own him,
and denies and renounces him with oaths and curses. And after the chief priests
and elders had finished the night in so shamefully abusing him, when the morn
ing was come, which was the morning of the most wonderful day that ever was,
they led him away to Pilate, 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
Pilate's judgment seat, and there the priests and elders accuse him as a traitor.
And when Pilate, upon examining into the matter, declared-, he found no fault
in him, the Jews were but the more fierce and violent to have him condemned.
Upon which Pilate, after clearing him, very unjustly brings him upon a second
trial ; and then, not finding any thing against him, acquits him again. Pilate
treats him as a poor worthless fellow ; but is ashamed on so little pretence to
condemn him as a traitor.
And then he was sent to Herod to be tried by him, and was brought before
Herod's judgment seat ; and his enemies followed, and virulently accused him
before Herod. Herod does not condemn him as a traitor, or one that would set
up for a king, but looks upon him as Pilate 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 Caesar, as one that was in danger of
setting up to be a king against him ; and therefore, in derision, dresses him up
in a mock robe, and makes sport of him, and sends him back through the streets
of Jerusalem to Pilate, with the mock robe on.
The Jews prefer Barabbas before him, and are instant and violent with loud
voices to Pilate, to crucify him. So Pilate, after he had cleared him twice, and
Herod once, very unrighteously brings him on trial the third time, to try if he
could not find something against him sufficient to crucify him. Christ was
stripped and scourged : thus he gave his back to the smiter. After that, though
Pilate still declared that he found no fault in him ; yet so unjust was he, that
for fear of the Jews he delivered Christ to be crucified. But before they ex
ecuted the sentence, his spiteful and cruel enemies take the pleasure of another
spell.of mocking him ; they get round him, and make a set business of it. They
stripped 'him, and put on him 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 ; they 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
smite him on the head. After this they led him away to crucify him, and made
him carry his own cross, till he sunk under it, his strength being spent ; and
then they laid it on one Simon a Cyrenian.
' .At length, being come to Mount Calvary, they execute the sentence which
Pilate had so unrighteously pronounced. They nail him to his cross, by his
hands and feet, then raise it erect, and fix one end in the ground, he being still
suspended on it by the nails which pierced his hands and feet. And now
Christ's sufferings are come to the extremity : now the cup which he so earnestly
prayed that it might pass from him, is come, and he must, he does drink it.
In those days crucifixion was the most tormenting kind of death by which
any were wont to be executed. There was no death wherein the person ex
pired sp much of mere torment : and hence the Roman word which signifies
torment, is taken from this kind of death. And besides what our Lord endured
in this excruciating death in his body, he endured vastly more in his soul. Now
was that travail of his soul, of which we read in the prophet; now it pleased
God to bruise him, and to put him to grief ; now he poured out his soul unto

416 WORK OF REDEMPTION.
death, as in Isa. liii. And if the mere forethought of this cup made him sweat
blood, how much more dreadful arid excruciating must the drinking of it have
been ! Many martyrs have endured much in their bodies, while their souls have
been joyful, and have sung for joy, whereby they have been supported under
the sufferings of their outward man, and have triumphed over them. _ But this
was not the case with Christ ; he had no such support ; but his sufferings were
chiefly those of the mind, though the other were extremely great. In his cru
cifixion Christ did not sweat blood, as he had before, because his blood had
vent otherwise, and not because his agony was now not so great. But though
be did not sweat blood, yet such was the suffering of his soul, that probably it
rent his vitals ; as seems probable by this, that when his side was pierced, there
came forth blood and water. And so here was a kind of literal fulfilment of
that in Psalm xxii. 14, " I am poured out like water : my heart is like wax, it
is melted in the midst of my bowels."
Now, under all these sufferings, the Jews still mock him : and wagging
their heads say, " Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days,
save thyself : if thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross." And
even the chief priests, scribes, and elders, joined in the cry, saying, "He saved
others ; himself he cannot save." And probably the devil at the same time
tormented him to the utmost of his power ; arid 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 thus was finished the greatest and most wonder
ful thing that ever was done. Now the angels beheld the most wonderful
sight that ever they saw. Now was accomplished the main thing that had
been pointed at by the various institutions of the ceremonial law, and hy all the
typical dispensations, and by all the sacrifices from the beginning of the world.
Christ being thus brought under the power of death, continued under it till
the morning of the next day but one; and then was finished that^great work,
the purchase of our redemption, for which such great preparation had been
made from the beginning of the world. Then was finished all that was required
in order to satisfy the 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 the whole of the purchase
of eternal life. And now there is no need of any thing more to 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 redemptioi. , 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 main periods, into which this whole space of time was divided, viz.,
from the fall to the incarnation of Christ, and from thence to the end of the
time of Christ's humiliation ; and have particularly explained how in the first
of these periods God prepared the way for Christ's appearing and purchasing
redemption ; and how in the second period, that purchase was. made and fin
ished. I would now make some improvement of what has been said on both
these subjects, considered conjunctly. And this 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. Of unbelief.
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 the Lord Jesus Christ! i. e., all those who do not
heartily reoeive him. Persons may receive him in profession, and carry w^ll
outwardly towards him, and may wish that they had some of those benefits
that Christ has purchased, and yet their hearts not receive Christ : they may
be hearty in nothing that they do 'towards Christ; they may have no high es
teem of Christ, nor any sincere honor or respect to Christ ; they may never
have opened the door of their heart to Christ, but have kept him shut out all
their days, ever since they first heard of him, and his salvation has been offered
to them. Though their hearts have been opened to others, their doors have
been flung wide open to them, and they have had free admittance at all
times, and have been embraced and made much of, and the best room in their
hearts has been given them, and the throne of their hearts has been allowed
them ; yet Christ has always been shut out, and they have been deaf to all his
knocks and calls. They never could find an inclination of heart to receive him,
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 made such
great preparation in such a series of wonderful providences from the begin
ning of the world, and whom, after all things were made ready, God sent
into the world, bringing to pass a thing before unknown, viz., the union of the
divine nature with the human, in one person. You have been guilty of slight
ing that, great Saviour, who after such preparation, actually accomplished the
purchase of redemption ; and who, after he had spent three or four and thirty
years in poverty, labor, and contempt, 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 the person you reject and despise. You make light
of all the glory of his person, and of all the glorious love of God the Father, in
sending him 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 sometimes are ready to wonder why the sin of unbelief shoidd be
looked upon as such a great sin : but if you consider what 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 it,
truly there is no cause of wonder that the sin of unbelief, or the 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 this Saviour offered to them.
II. What has been said, affords matter of reproof to those, who, instead oi
¦believing in Christ, trust in themselves for salvation. It is a common thing
Vol I 53

413 WORK OF REDEMPTION.
with men to take it upon themselves to purchase salvation for themselves, and
so to do that great work which Christ came into the world to do. Are there
none such here who trust in their prayers, and their good conversations, and the
pains they take in religion, and the reformation of their lives, and in their self-
denial, to recommend them to God, to make some atonement for their past sins,
and to draw the heart of God to them 1
Consider three 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 to appease God for your sins, and to incline the heart of God to
you. Though you are poor, worthless, vile, polluted worms of the dust ; yet
so arrogant "are you, that you take upon you that very work that the only be
gotten Son of God did when upori earth, and that he became man to capacitate
himself for, and in order to which God spent four thousand years in all the
great dispensations of his -providence in the government of the world, aiming
chiefly at this, to make way for Christ's coming to do this work. This is the
work that 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 accomplishing of that 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 many 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 that time to 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 much 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 the little pains you take in religion, mingled with
all that hypocrisy and filthiness, are sufficient to accomplish for yourself without
Christ's help. For if you can appease God's anger, and can commend yourself
to God by these means, then you have no need of Christ ; but he is dead in
vain : Gal. ii. 21, " If righteousness come by the 'law, then Christ is dead in
vain." If you can do this by your prayers and good works, Christ might have
spared his pains, he might have spared his blood : he might have kept within
thevbosom of his Father, without coming down into this evil 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 state of the world all that while, in order to the bringing about that which
you, as little 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, to do all those things before and after Christ came into the
world so needlessly ; when, instead of all this he might only have called you
forth, and committed the business to you, which you think you can do so easily.

WORK OF REDEMPTION. 419
Alas ! How blind are natural men ! How sottish are the thoughts they
have of things ! And especially how vain are the thoughts which they have of
themselves ! ' How ignorant of their own littleness and pollution ! How do
they exalt themselves, up to heaven ! What great things do they assume to
themselves !
3. . You that trust to your own righteousness, arrogate to yourselves the
honor of the greatest thing that ever God himself did ; not only as if you were
sufficient to perform 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 the very greatest work that ever God himself wrought, even the
work of redemption. — You see by what has been said, how God has subordinated
all his other works to this work of redemption. You see how God's works of
providence are greater than his works of creation, and that all God's works of
providence, from the beginning of the generations of men, were in order to
this, to make way for the purchasing of redemption. B».t this is what you
take upon yourself. To take on yourself to 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 nothing, intending to go on in order, and
say, " Let there be light : Let there be a firmament," &c. But then consider,
that in attempting to work out redemption yourself, you attempt a greater thing
than this, and are serious in it, and will not be beat off from 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 it.
You take upon you to do the very greatest and most difficult part of this
work, viz., to purchase redemption. Christ can accomplish other parts of this
work without cost, without any trouble and difficulty : but this part cost him
his life, as well as innumerable pains and labors, with very great ignominy and
contempt besides; Yet this is that part which self-righteous persons go about
to accomplish for themselves. If all the angels in heaven had been sufficient
for this work, would God have set himself to effect such things as he did in
order to it, before he sent his Son into' the world 1 And would he ever have
sent his own Son, the great Creator and God of the angels, into the world, to
have done and suffered such things 1
What self-righteous persons takes to themselves, is the same work that
Christ was engaged in when he was in his 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 most glorious display of the divine
wisdom and grace that ever was seen. Yea, self-righteousness makes all that
Christ did through the whole course of his life, and all that he said and suffered
through that whole time, and his incarnation itself, and not only so, but all that
God had been doing in the great dispensations of his providence from the be
ginning of the world to that time, as all nothing, but a scene of the most wild,
and extreme, and transcendent folly.
Is' it any wonder then that a self-righteous spirit is so represented in Scrip
ture, and spoken of, as that 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 righteous,
and were proud of their goodness, and thought that their 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 taking pains in religion, take heed to yourselve«
that you do not trust in what you do ; that you do not harbor any such thoughts-
that 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 with
respect to 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 to show
you mercy ; or at least that God ought to accept of what you do, so as to be
inclined by it in some measure to forgive you, and have mercy on you. If you
-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 not doing, this shows what your opinion is of your own right
eousness, viz., that it is a valuable price of salvation, and ought t6 be accepted
of God as such. Such complaining of God and quarrelling with him, for not
taking more notice of your righteousness, plainly shows that you are guilty 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 to those
who carelessly neglect the salvation of Christ ; such as live a senseless kind of
life, neglecting the business of religion and their own souls for the present, not
taking any course to 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 the gains of the world, or about the vanities
and pleasures of youth, and so make light of what they hear from time to 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 their minds
so much taken up with the prospect, that the purchase of salvation was to he
wrought out in ages long after their death ; and will you neglect it when
actually accorriplished 1 You have heard what great account the church in all
ages made of the future redemption of Christ ; how joyfully they expected it,
how they spoke of it, how they 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 accomplish
ed till many ages after their death, 1 Pet. i. 10, 1 1, 12. How much did Isaiah
and Daniel, and other prophets speak concerning this redemption ! And how
much were their 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 it, and the glorious display of divine grace therein exhibit
ed ! And all this although they beheld it not as yet accomplished, but saw
that it was to be brought to pass so long a time after their day.' And before
this, how did Abraham and the other patriarchs rejoice in the prospect of
Christ's day, and the redemption which he was to purchase ! And even the
saints before the 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 to them.
Now these things are declared to you as actually fulfilled. The church
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, that 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 them." And yet when
these things are thus abundantly set before you as already accomplished 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 them, following
other things, and not so much as feeling any interest in them ! Indeed your
sin is extremely aggravated in the sight of God. God has put you under 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 Christ 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 the angels at first were subjected to Christ as mediator, and
how they have all along been ministering spirits to him in this affair. In all
the great dispensations which you have heard of from the beginning of the
world, they have been active, and as a flame of fire in this affair, being most
diligently employed as ministering spirits to minister to Christ in this great af
fair of man's redemption. And When Christ came, how engaged were their
minds ! They came to Zacharias, to inform bim of the coming of Christ's
forerunner; They came to the -Virgin Mary, to inform her of the approaching
birth of Christ: they came to Joseph, to warn him of the danger which threat
ened the new-born Saviour, and to point out to him the means of safety. And
how were their minds engaged at the time of the birth of Christ ! The 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, ihey ministered to Christ when on earth ; they
did so at the time of his temptation, at the time 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 the Scripture informs 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 him that sitteth on the throne, and to the Lamb ! Now
shall these take so much notice of this redemption, 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
much to procure this salvation, and is it not worth the while for you to be at
some 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 him 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 that he saved ;
though he did not heed them ; was it of such importance that sinners should be
saved, that he might properly be induced to submit to such humiliation 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 without 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 this salvation, as so often to
overturn the world to make way for it ; and when all is done, is it not worth
your seeking after 1 How has the Lord of heaven and earth been as it were
engaged about this affair ! What great, what wonderful things has he done
from one age to another, removing kings and setting up kings, raising up a
great number of prophets, separating a distinct nation from the rest of the world,
overturning one nation and kingdom, and another, and often overturning the state
of the 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 ! And when he has done all ; and when, at the close of
these ages, the great Saviour conies, and becoihing incarnate, and passing-
through a long series of reproach arid suffering, and then suffering all the waves
and billow's of God's wrath for men's sins, insomuch that they overwhelmed
his soul : after all these things done to procure salvation for sinners, is it not
worthy of your taking so much notice of, or being so much concerned about,
though you are those persons who need this salvation, but that 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 things 1
0 ! that you who live negligent of this salvation, would consider what you
do ! What you have heard from this subject, may show you what reason there
is in that exclamation of the Apostle, Heb. ii. 3 : " How shall we escape, if
we neglect so great salvation 1" 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 man declare it unto you." God looks
on such as you as great enemies of the cross of Christ, and adversaries and des-
pisers of all the glory of this great work. And if God has made such account
of the glory of salvation as to destroy many nations, and so often overturn all
nations, to prepare the way for the glory of his Son in this affair; how little
account will he make of the lives and souls of ten thousand such opposers and
despisers as you that continue impenitent, in comparison of that glory, when he,
shall hereafter come and find that your welfare stands in the way of that glory ?
Why surely you shall be dashed to pieces as a potter's vessel, and trodden
down as the mire of the streets. God may, through wonderful patience, bear
with hardened, careless sinners for a while ; but he will not long bear with
such despisers of his dear Son, and his great salvation, the glory of which he
has had so much at heart, before he will utterly consume without remedy or
mercy.

SECTION II.

I will conclude with a second use, of encouragement to burdened souls te
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 the wrath to come ; to such, what has been said on this- 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 to
consider two things in particular.

WORK OF REDEMPTION. 423
1. The completeness of the purchase which has been made. As you have
heard, this work of purchasing salvation was wholly finished during the time
of Christ's humiliation. When Christ rose from the dead, and was exalted
from that abasement to which he submitted for our salvation, the purchase of
eternal life was completely made, so that there was no need of any thino- more
to be done in order to it. But now the servants were sent forth with the mes
sage which we have account of in Matt. xxii. 4 : " Behold, I have prepared my
dinner : my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready : come
unto the marriage." Therefore all things being ready, are your sins many and
great 1 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 may come freely, without money and without price. Since therefore there
is such a free and gracious invitation given you, come ; come naked as you are ;
come as a poor condemned 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 him offered to you. Come,
therefore,, accept of it and be saved.
2. For Christ to reject one that thus comes to him, would be to frustrate all
those great things which you have heard that 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, it would frustrate the incarnation of Christ
itself, and all the great things done in preparation for his incarnation ; for all
these things were for that end, that those might be saved who should come to
Christ. Therefore, you may be sure Christ will not be backward in saving
those who come to him, and trust in him ; for he has no desire to frustrate him
self in his own work ; it cost him too dear for that. Neither will God the
Father refuse you ; for he has no desire to frustrate himself in all that he did for
so many hundreds and thousands of years, to prepare the 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 commands you, Matt. xi. 28,
29, 30, " Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give
you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of m e ; and ye shall find rest unto
your souls'. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."

PERIOD III.

In discoursing on this subject, we have already shown how the work of re
demption was carried on through the two first of the three periods into which
we divided the whole space of time from the fall, to the end of the world;
and we are now come to
The third and last period, beginning with Christ's resurrection, and reach
ing to the end of the world; and would now show how this work was also
carried on through this period from this
Proposition, That the space of time from the end of Christ's humiliation 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 that 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 coming. The proper time of the suc
cess or effect of Christ's purchase of redemption is after the purchase has been
made, as the proper time for the world to enjoy the light of the sun is the day
time, after the sun is risen, though we may have some small matter of it re
flected from the moon and planets before. And even the success of Christ's
redemption while he himself was on earth, was very small in comparison of
what it was after the conclusion of his humibation.
But Christ, having finished that greatest and most difficult of all works,
the work of the purchase of redemption, 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 that nature : he is never to suffer any more.
But now is the time for him to obtain the joy that was set before him. 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 the overthrow of Satan's kingdom ; and now is come 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 the 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 xii- 32, " And I, if I be lifted up, will draw
all men unto me ;" which is agreeable to Jacob's prophecy of Christ, that
when " Shiloh should come, to him 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 humiliation is perfected, the time is come for
that also: Heb. v. 8, 9, "Though he' were a Son, yet learned he obedience
by the things which he suffered : and being made perfect, he became the
author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him." Another design
was, to accomplish by these things great glory to the persons of the Trinity.
Now also is come the time for that : John xvii. 1, " Father, the hour is come ;
glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee." Another design was
the glory of the saints. Now is the time also for this : John xvii. 2, " As
thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as
many as thou hast given him." And all the dispensations of God's providence
henceforward, even to the final consummation 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 that was set before him.
INTRODUCTION.
Before I enter on the consideration of any particular things accomplished
in this period, I would briefly observe some things in general concerning it i
and particularly how the times of this period are represented in Scripture.
I. The times of this 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
Testament, read of such and such things that should come to pass in the latter
days, and sometimes in the last days. Now these expressions of the prophets
are most commonly to be understood of the times of the period that we are

WORK OF REDEMPTION. 425
now upon. They are called the latter days, and the last days ; because this
is the last period of the series of God's providences on earth, the last period
qf that great work of providence, the work of redemption ; which is as it were
the sum of God's works of providence, the time wherein the church is under
the last dispensation of the covenant of grace that ever it will be under on
earth. II. The whole time of this period is sometimes in Scripture called the end
of the world as, 1 Cor. x. 11 : " Now all these things happened unto them
for ensamples : and they are written for our admonition, Upon whom 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 the gospel day, from the birth of
Christ to the finishing of the day of judgment : "But now once in the end
of the world, hath he appeared, to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself."
This space of time may well be called the end of the world; for this whole
time is taken up in bringing things to their great end and issue, that great
issue that God had been preparing the way for, in all the great dispensations
of providence, from the first fall of man to this time. Before,' things were in
a kind of preparatory state ; but now they are in a finishing state. It is the
winding up of things which is all this while 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 to be established more and more.
First, an end is brought to the former state of the church, which may be called
its worldly state, the state wherein it was subject to carnal ordinances, and
the rudiments of the world : and then an end is brought to the Jewish state,
in the destruction of their city and country : and then, after that, an end is
brought to the old Heathen empire in Constantirie's time ; which . is another
and further degree of the winding up and finishing of the world : and the next
step is the finishing of Satanfs visible kingdom in the world, upon the fall of
Antichrist,, and the calling of the Jews : and last will come the destruction 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 comes 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 came, that so
only those things that cannot be shaken may remain, i. e., that those things
that are to come to an end may come to an end, and that only those things
may remain which are to remain to all eternity.
So, in the first place, the carnal ordinances of the Jewish worship came to
an end, to make way for the establishment of that spiritual worship, the wor
ship of the heart, which is to endure of all eternity: John iv. 21, "Jesus
saith unto the woman, Believe me, the hour cometh when ye shall neither in
this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father." Ver. 23, " But the
hour cometh, 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 came to an end, to give place to the setting up of the 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 remain. And then, after that, the old
Heathen empire comes to an end, to make way for the empire of Christ, which
sbail last to all -eternity ; which is another step of bringing the temporal world
to an end, and of the beginning of the world to come, which is an eternal
Vol. I 54

426 WORK OF REDEMPTION.
world. And after that, and upon the fall of Antichrist, an end is put to Satan's
visible kingdom on earth, to establish Christ's kingdom, which is an eternal
kingdom ; 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 the- Most High, whose kingdom is an ever
lasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him ;" which is another
instance of the ending of the temporary world, and the beginning of the eter
nal one. And then, lastly; the very frame of this corruptible world shall
come to an end, to make way for the church to dwell in another dwelling
place, which shall last to eternity ; which is the last instance of the same thing.
Because the world is thus coming to an end by various steps and degrees,
the Apostle perhaps uses this expression, that the ends of the world are come
on us ; not the end, but the ends, oi the plural number, as though the world
has several endings one after another.
The gospel dispensation is the last state of things in the world ; and this
state is a finishing state : it is all spent in finishing things off which before
had been preparing, or abolishing things which before had stood. It is all
spent as it were in summing things up, and bringing them to their issues, and
their proper fulfilment. Now all the old types are fulfilled, and all the prophe
cies of all the prophets from the beginning of the world shall be accomplish
ed in this period.
in. That state of things which is attained in the events of this 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 the former shall not be remembered,
nor come 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."
Arid ch. lxvi. 22, " For as the new heavens and Ihe new earth which I make,
shall remain before me ; so shall your seed and your name remain." Se«
also ch. Ii. 16. As the former state of things, or the old world, by one step
after another, is through this period coming to an end ; so the new state
of things, or the new world, which is a spiritual world, is beginning and
setting up.
The heaven and earth which are corruptible, are shaking, that the new
heavens and new earth, 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. So was that which
accompanied the destruction of Jerusalem, which was an establishing of the
spiritual Jerusalem, instead of the literal. So with respect to the destruction
of the old Heathen empire, and all the other endings of the old state of things,
till at length the very outward form of the old world itself shall come to an
end ; and the church shall dwell in a world new to it, or to a great part of
it, even heaven, which will be a new habitation ; and then shall the utmost
be accomplished that 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 world), and that he might have the
possession of it, and a kingdom in it, which should remain to all eternity. So
that, so far forth as the kingdom of Christ is set up in the world, so far is the
world brought to its end, and the 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 come to their rest. So far as Christ's kingdom is estab
lished ih the world, so far are things wound up and settled in their everlast
ing state, 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 room.
This leads me 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 Testament of the kingdom of heaven. John the
Baptist preached, that the kingdom of heaven was at hand ; and so did Christ,
and his disciples after him ; referring to something that the Jews in those days
expected, and very much talked of, which they called by that name. They
seem to have taken their expectation and the name chiefly from that prophecy
of Daniel in Nebuchadnezzar's dream, 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 this kingdom of heaven is that evangelical state of things in his church,
and in the world, wherein consists the success of Christ's redemption in this period.
There had been- often great kingdoms set up before, which were earthly king
doms ; as the Babylonish, the Persian, the Grecian, and the Roman monarchies.
But Christ came to set up the last kingdom, which is not an earthly kingdom, but
a heavenly, and so is the kingdom of heaven : John xviii. 36, " My kingdom is not
of this world." This is the kingdom of which Christ speaks, Luke xxii. 29, " My
Fafherhath appointed to me a kingdom." This kingdom began soon after Christ's
resurrection, and was accomplished in various steps fromthattimetotheendofthe
world. Sometimes by the kingdom of heaven, is meant that spiritual state of
the church which began soon after Christ's resurrection ; sometimes that more
perfect state of the church which shall obtain after the downfall of Antichrist ;
and sometimes that glorious and blessed state to which the church shall -be
received at the day of judgment : 1 Cor. xv. 50, the apostle, speaking of the
resurrection, says, " This I say, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom
of God." 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 of the 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 redemption 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 fbem is repre
sented in Scripture as Christ's coming in his kingdom. 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 destruction of Jerusalem. This is called Christ's coming in his king
dom, Matt. xvi. 28 : " Verily I say unto you, there be some standing here, which
shall not taste of, death till they see the Son of man coming in his kingom."
And so it is represented in Matt. xxiv. The second is that which was accom
plished in Constantine's time, in the destruction of the Heathen Roman empire.

428 WORK OF REDEMPTION.
This is represented as Christ's coming, and is compared to his coming to judg
ment, in the 6th chapter of Revelation at the latter end. The third is that
which is to be accomplished at the 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 it.
The fourth and last is his coming to the last judgment, which is the 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 the dead, so is each of the three foregoing with
a spiritual resurrection. That coming of Christ which ended in the destruction
of Jerusalem, was preceded by a glorious spiritual resurrection of souls in the
calling of the Gentiles, and bringing home such multitudes of souls to
Christ by the 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 stated from a state
of Heathenism. So Christ's coming at the destruction of Antichrist, will he
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 flrst resurrection in
the 20th chapter of Revelation.
Again, as Christ in the last judgment will gloriously manifest himself, com
ing in the glory of his Father, so in each of the three foregoing events, Christ
gloriously manifested himself in sending judgments upon his enemies, and in
showing grace and favor to his church;, and as the last coming of Christ will
be attended with a literal gathering together of the elect from the four winds ¦
of heaven, so were each of the preceding attended with a spiritual gathering
in of the elect. As this gathering together of the 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 them is a time of great opposition to the church. — Before the first, by the
Jews, in their persecutions that we read of in the New Testament ; before the
second, viz., in Constantine's time, by the Heathen, in several successive
persecutions raised by the Roman emperors against the Christians ; before-
the third, by Antichrist ; and before the last, by Gog. and Magog, as described
in the Revelation.
By each of these comings of Christ, God works a glorious deliverance for
his church: Each of them is accompanied with a glorious advancement of
the state of the church. The first, which ended in the destruction of Jerusalem,
was attended with bringing the church into the glorious state of the gospel, a
glorious state of the church very much prophesied of old, whereby the church
was advanced into far more glorious circumstances than it was in before under
the Jewish dispensation. The second, which was in Constantine's time, was
accompanied with an advancement of the church into a state of liberty from
persecution, and the countenance of civil authority,, and triumph over their
Heathen persecutors. The third, which shall be at the downfall of Antichrist,
will be accompanied with an advancement 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
in the prophetical parts of Scripture. The last will be attended with the
advancement of the church to consummate glory in both soul and body in
heaven. Each of these comings of Christ is accompanied with a terrible destruction
of the wicked, and the enemies of the church.- The first, with the destruction
of the persecuting Jews, which was amazingly terrible ; the second, with dread
ful judgments on the Heathen persecutors of the church, of which more here
after ; the third, with the awful destruction of Antichrist, the 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 comings 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 which are
represented as Christ's coming in his kingdom, are but so many steps and degrees
of the accomplishment of one event. They are riot the setting up of so many
distinct kingdoms of Christ ; they are all of them only several degrees of the
accomplishment of that one event prophesied of, Dan. vii. 13, 14 : " And I
saw in the night visions, and behold, one like the Son of man came with the
clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near
before him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom,
that 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, " the kingdom of heaven is at hand." This great event is gradually
accomplished, or is accomplished by several steps. Those four great events
which have been mentioned, were several steps towards the accomplishment .
of this grand event.
When Christ came with the preaching of the apostles, to set up hiskingdom
in the world, which dispensation ended with the destruction of Jerusalem, then
it was accomplished in a glorious degree ; when the Heathen empire was des
troyed in Constantine's time, 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 world is come, then will 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 the three
former but types of fhe last, and since they are all only several steps of the
accomplishment of the same thing ; hence we find them all from time to time
prophesied of under one, as they are in the prophecies of Daniel, and as they
are in the 24th chapter of Matthew, where some things seem more applicable
to one of them, and others to another.
4. I would observe, that, as there are several steps of the accomplishment
of the kingdom of Christ, so in each one of them the event is accomplished in
a further degree than in the foregoing. That in the time of Constantine was
a greater and further accomplishment of the kingdom of Christ, than that
which ended in the destruction of Jerusalem ; that which shall be at the fall
of Antichrist, will be a further accomplishment of the same thing, than that
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 its fulfilment, from the time of Christ's resurrection, to
the 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 empire in the time of Constantine, seem all to have been to make way
for the glory of Christ, and the happiness of the church in that event. And
so the great providences of God which are after that, till the destruction of
Antichrist, and the beginning of the glorious times of the church which follow,
seem all to be to prepare the way for the greater glory of Christ and his
church ih that event ; and the providences of God which 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 the consummation of all things.
Thus 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 redemption is carried on through this
period, in their order : and before I do that, I will also briefly answer to an
Inquiry, viz., Why the setting up of Christ's kingdom after his humiliation,
should be so gradual, by so many steps that 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 the wisdom, of God may be seen in it by
us ; and particularly in these two things.
1. In this way the glory of God's wisdom, in the mannerof doing this, is more
visible to the observation of creatures. If it had been done at once, in an instant,
or in a very short time, there would not have been such opportunities for
creatures to perceive and observe the particular steps of divine wisdom, as when
the work is gradually accomplished, and one effect of his wisdom is held forth
to observation after another. It is wisely determined of God, to accomplish
bis great design by a wonderful and long series of events, that the glory of
his wisdom may be displayed in the whole series, and that the glory of his
perfections may 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 manifested at once, it would have been too much for us, and more 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 almighty power, at once have crushed Satan. But by giving him time to
use his utpost sublety to hinder the success of what Christ had done and suf
fered, he is not defeated merely by surprise, but has lar^e 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
him, and sets up Christ's kingdom time after time, in spite of all his 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 humiliation to the 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 accomplishing 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 into 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 redemption ; so the resurrection and ascension of Christ were
requisite, in order to his accomplishing 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 redemption, that he should rise from the dead.
For God the Father, had committed the whole affair of redemption, not only
the purchasing of it but the bestowing of the blessing purchased, to his 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 mediator.
But in order that Christ might carry on the work of redemption, and accom
plish the success of his own purchase as God-man, it was necessary that he
should be alive, and so that he should rise from the dead. Therefore Christ,
after he had finished this purchase by death, and by continuing for a time un
der the power of death, rises from the dead, to fulfil the end of his purchase, ,
and himself to bring about that for which he died : for this matter God the
Father bad committed unto him, that he might, as Lord of all, manage all to
his own purpose : Rom. xiv. 9, " For to this end Christ both died and rose,
and revived, that he might be Lord both pf 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 himself, yet he purchased eternal life and
glory for himself, by what he did and suffered ; and this eternal life and glory
was given him as a reward of what he did and suffered : Phil. ii. 8, 9, " He
humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him." And it may be looked upon
as part of the success of Christ's purchase, if it be considered, that Christ did
not rise as a private person, but as the head of the elect church ; so that they did,
as it were, all rise with him. Christ was justified in his resurrection, i. e., God
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 him 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
in him. His life before his death was a mortal life, a temporal life ; but his
life after his resurrection was an eternal life : Rom. vi. 9, " Knowing that
Christ being raised from the dead, dieth no more : death hath no more
dominion over him." Rev. i. 18, " I am he that liveth and was dead ; and
behold, I am alive forevermore, Amen." — But he was put in possession of
this eternal life, as fhe head of the body; and took possession of it, not only
to enjoy himself, but to bestow on all who believe in him : so that the whole
church, as it were, rises in him. And now he who lately suffered so much,
after this 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.
because hereby Christ rested from the great and difficult work of purchasing
redemption, and received God's testimony, that it was finished. The death
of Christ was the greatest and most wonderful event that ever came to pass;
but that has a great deal in it that is sorrowful. But by the resurrection of
Christ, that sorrow is turned into joy. The head of the whole church, in that
great event enters on the possession of eternal life ; and the whole church is,
as it were, " begotten again to a lively hope," 1 Pet. i. 3. Weeping had
continued for a night, but now joy cometh in the morning, the most joyful
morning that ever was. This is the day of the reigning of the head of the
church, and all the church reigns with him. This is spoken of as a day which
was worthy to be commemorated with the greatest joy of all days : Psal.
cxriii. 24. " This is the day which the Lord hath made,, we will rejoice and
be' glad in it." And therefore this, above all other days, is appointed for the
day of the church's spiritual rejoicing to the end of the world, to 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 the most
sorrowful chapter in the Bible ; so those chapters in the evangelists, that give
an account of the resurrection of Christ, may be looked upon as the most
joyful chapters in all the Bible : for those chapters give an account of fhe'finish-
ing of the purchase of redemption, and the beginning of the glory of the head of
-the church, as the greatest seal and earnest of the eternal glory of all the rest.
It is further to 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
tament dispensation remained : 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 Testament night, and Christ rising from
the grave with joy and glory, was asthe joyful bridegroom of the church, as
a glorious conqueror, to subdue their enemies under their feet ; or was like
the sun, rising, as it were from under the earth, after a long night of dark
ness, and coming 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 much ; now the gospel sun is risen in glory, " and with healing
iri his wings," that those who fear God's name, may " go forth and grow up as
calves of the stall."
II. Christ's ascension into heaven. In this 1 would include his sitting at
the right hand of God. For Christ's ascension and sitting at the 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 accomplishing the effect of his
purchase ; as one that comes to be a deliverer of a people as their king, in order
to it, and that he may be under the best capacity for it, is first installed in his
throne. We are told that Christ was exalted for this end, that he might accom
plish the success of his redemption : Acts. v. 31, " Him hath God exalted with
bis right hand, for to give repentance unto Israel, and the remission of sins."
Christ's ascension into heaven was, as it were, his solemn enthronization,
whereby the Father did set him upon the throne, and invest him with the
glory of his kingdom which he had purchased for himself, that he might
thereby obtain the success of his redemption, in conquering all his enemies:
Psal. ex; 1, " Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy foot
stool." Christ entered into heaven, in order to obtain the success of his pur-

WORK OF REDEMPTION. 432
chase, as the high priest of old, after he had offered sacrifice, entered into the
holy of holies with the blood of the sacrifice, in order to obtain the sucdtess of
the sacrifice which he had offered. See Heb. ix. 12. He entered into heaven,
there to make intercession for his people, to plead the sacrifice which he had
made in order to the success of it, Heb. vii. 2.5.
And as he ascended into .heaven, God the Father did in a visible manner
set him 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 the head
of the body and forerunner of all the church ; and so they,, as it were, ascend
witb him, as well as rise with him : so that we are both raised up together,
and made to sit together in heaverily places in Christ, Eph. ii. 6.
The day of Christ's ascension into heaven was doubtless a joyful, glorious
day in heaven. And as heaven received Christ, God-man, as its king, so
doubtless it received a great accession of glory and happiness, far beyond what
it had before. So that the times in both parts of the church, both that part
which is in heaven, and also that which is on earth, are become more glorious
since Christ's humiliation than before.'
So much for those things whereby Christ was put into the best capacity
for obtaining the success of redemption.

PART II.

I now proceed to show how he accomplished this success. And here I
would observe, that this success consists in two things, viz., either in Grace,
or in Glory. That success which consists in the former, 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 means of Grace. That success
which consists in the latter of these, viz., Glory, has its chief accomplishment
at the day of judgment.'

SECTION I.

I would first consider the former kind of success, consisting in God's grace
here ; which mainly appears in the works of God during the time that the
Christian church continues under the means of grace; which is from Christ's
resurrection to his appearing in the clouds of heaven to judgment ; which in
cludes the 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 means 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 this success were established after Christ's resurrection.
1. The abolishing of the Jewish dispensation. This indeed was gradually
done, but it began from the time 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 redemption. For the Jewish dispensation
was not fitted for more than 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
impossible 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 abolished. If it had been con
tinued, it would have been a great block and hinderance to the enlargement
of the church. And besides, their ceremonial law, by reason of its burden-
someness, and great peculiarity of some of its rites, was, as it were, a wall of
partition, and was the ground of enmity between the Jews and Gentiles, and
would have kept the Gentiles from complying with the true religion. This
wall therefore was broken down, to make way for the more extensive success
of the gospel ; as Eph. ii. 14, 15.
II. The' next thing in order of time seems to be the appointment of the
Christian Sabbath. For though this was gradually established in the Chris
tian church, yet those things by which the revelation of God's mind and will
was made, began on the day of Christ's resurrection, by his appearing then to
bis disciples, John xx. 19 ; and was afterwards confirmed by his appearing
from time to time on that day rather than any other, John xx. 26, and by his
sending down the Holy Spirit so remarkably on that day, Acts. ii. 1, and
afterwards in directing that public assemblies and the public worship of Chris
tians should be on that day, which may be concluded from 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, that joyful day, is appointed to be the day of the church's
holy rejoicing to 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 the world.
III. The next thing was Christ's appointment of the gospel ministry, and
commissioning 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 commanded 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 commission of Christ to his apostles, viz.,
1. The appointment of the office of the gospel ministry. For this com
mission which Christ gives to 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 something peculiar in this commission of the apostles, viz., to
go forth from 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
extended to all the churches ; and not only all the churches which then were,
but all that should be to the end of the world by their ministry. And so the
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
bad a beginning before ; John the Baptist and Christ both baptized. But

WORK OF REDEMPTION. 435
now especially by this institution is it established as an ordinance to be upheld
in theChristian church to the end of the world. The ordinance of the Lord's
supper had been established before, just before Christ's crucifixion.
IV. The next thing to be observed, is the enduing the apostles, and others,
with extraordinary and miraculous gifts of the Holy Ghost ; such as the gift
of tongues, the gift of healing, of prophecy, &c. The Spirit of God was
poured out in great abundance in this respect ; so that not only ministers,
but a very great part of the Christians through the 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 commonly en
dued with them, agreeable to Joel's prophecy, Joel ii. 28, 29, of which
prophecy the Apostle Peter takes notice, that it is accomplished in this dispensa
tion, Acts ii. 16.
How wonderful a dispensation was this ! Under the Old Testament, but
few had such honors put upon them by God. Moses wished that all the Lord's
people were prophets, Numb. xi. 29 ; whereas Joshua thought it much that
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 the apostolic age,
or the first hundred years after the birth of Christ, which is therefore called
the age of miracles.
This was a great means of the success of the gospel in that age, and of
establishing the Christian church in all parts of the world ; and not, only in
that age, but in all ages to the 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 to write the New Testament, to be an infallible rule of faith and
manners to the church, to the end of the world. And furthermore, these miracles
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 the revealing those glorious doctrines
of the 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 to hide the shining of it ; but now
the vail of the temple is rent from the top to the bottom ; 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 measure kept secret from the foundation of the world, Eph.
iii. 3, 4, 5. Rom. xvi. 25, " According to the revelation of the mystery which
was kept secret since the world began, but now is made manifest ;" and Col.
i. 26, "Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages, and generations, but
now is made manifest to his saints."
Thus the Sun of righteousness, after it is risen from under the earth, begins
to shine forth clearly, and not only by a dim reflection as it did before. Christ,
before his death, revealed many things more clearly than ever they had been
revealed in the Old Testament ; 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 likelihood, 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 the things pertaining to
the kingdom, Acts. i. 3 ; and that " he opened their 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 nowr. Howbeit,
when he, the Spirit of truth is come, he shall guide you into all truth." This
clear revelation of the mysteries of the gospel, as they are delivered, we have
¦chiefly through the hands of the Apostle Paul, by whose writings a child may
¦come 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 the light of the gospel, which began to dawn immediately
after the fall, and gradually grew and increased through all the ages of the Old
Testament, as we observed as we went along, is now come to the light of
perfect day, and the brightness of the sun shining forth in his unveiled glory
VI. The next thing that I would observe, is the appointment of the 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 the members of
¦Christ's church and the exercise of that 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 Damascus, and was one of the
greatest means of the 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 the apostle of the Gentiles, so it was mainly by
his ministry that the Gentiles, were called,* and the gospel spread through the
world ; and our nation, and. the other nations of Europe, have the gospel among
them chiefly through his means ; and he was more employed by the Holy Ghost
in revealing the glorious doctrines 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 the institution of ecclesiastical
-councils, for deciding controversies, and ordering the 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 the committing the
New Testament to 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 Testament was written by the apostles
themselves, excepting what 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 mother was Mary, in whose house
they were praying for Peter, when he, brought out of prison by the angel, came
and knocked at the door ; of which we read, Acts xii. 12 : " And when he had
considered the thing, he came to the house of Mary the mother of John, whose
surname 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 sometimes to have been a companion
of the Apostle Paul : Col. iv. 10, " Aristarchus, fmy fellow prisoner, saluteth
you, and Marcus, sister's son to Barnabas ; touching whom ye received com
mandment : if he come unto you, receive him." The apostles seem to have

WORK OF REDEMPTION. 4gy.
made great account of him, as appears by those places, and also by Acts;
xn. 25 : And Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem, and took witb
them John, whose surname was Mark;" and Acts xiii. 5, "And when they'
were at Salamis, they preached the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews i-
and they had also John to their minister ;" and 2 Tim. iv. 11, « Only Luke-
is with me: 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 of the Apostle Paul. He is spoken of as being with him in
die last mentioned place, and speaks of himself as accompanying him in hiss
travels in the history of the 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 that 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 written by the apostles themselves. The
books of the New Testament 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 redemption, and his resurrection and as
cension ; and the Acts of the Apostles, giving an account of the great things by
which the Christian church was first established and propagated. The doctrinal
books are the epistles. These, most of them, we have from the great Apostle
Paul; And we have one prophetical book, which takes place after the end1
of the history of the whole Bible, and gives an account of the great events
which were to come to pass, by which the work of redemption was to be car
ried on to the end of the world-
All these books are supposed to have been written before the destruction of
Jerusalem, 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 Jerusalem, as is supposed. And to this beloved disciple it was that Christ
revealed those wonderful things which were to come to pass in his church to
the end of time ; and he was the person that put the finishing hand to the
canon of the Scriptures, and sealed the whole of it. So that now the Canon of
Scripture, that great ami 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 coiripleted which relate to the appointed means of grace. All the
stated means of grace were finished in the apostolical age, or before the death
of the Apostle John, and are to remain unaltered to the day of judgment.
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 redemption;
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.
Arid here it is worthy to be remembered that the Christian church, during
its ^continuance- under means of grace, is in two very different states.
l.> 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 ; which is the state that the church*
for the most part, is to be in after the fall of AnticUist.

438 WORK OF REDEMPTION.
First, I would show how the success of Christ's redemption is carried on
during the continuance of the church's suffering state, from the resurrection of
Christ to the fall of Antichrist. This 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
of the church's sufferings during this time, whereby the days of tribulation are
as it were shortened. But from Christ's resurrection till the fall of Antichrist,
is the appointed day of Zion's troubles. During this space of time, for the
most part, some part or other of the church is under persecution ; and great
part of the time, the whole church, or at least the generality of God's people,
have been persecuted.
For the first three hundred years after Christ, the church was for the 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, from the beginning of
Constantine's time, the church had rest and prosperity for a little 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 from the Arians ; and after that, Antichrist rose, and the church was
driven away into the wilderness, and was kept down in obscurity, and contempt,
and suffering for a long time, 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 some parts of God's church
sometimes have had rest, yet to this clay, for the most part, the true church is
very much kept under by its enemies, and some parts of it under grievous per
secution ; and so we may expect it will continue till the fall of Antichrist ;
and then will come the appointed day of the church's prosperity on earth, the
set time in which God will favor Zion, the time when the saints shall not be
kept under by wicked men, 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- the people of the saints of the 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 the church which shall be after the fall of Antichrist, arid then shall
she bring forth her child. This is a long time 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 comparison of the eternal prosperity of the church. Hence
the church, underthe 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
them that dwell on the earth V' And we are told, that " white robes were given
unto every one of them ; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for
a bttle 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, that during the time of these sufferings of the church,
the majn instrument of their sufferings has been the Roman 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 Jerusalem were mainly from that adverse city Babylon, so the troubles
of the Christian church, the spiritual Jerusalem, during the long time of its
tribulation, is mainly from Rome. Before the time of Constantine, the troubles

WORK OF REDEMPTION. 439
of the Christian church were from Heathen Rome : since that time its troubles
have been mainly from'Antichristian Rome. And, as of old the captivity of
the Jews ceased on the destruction of Babylon, so the time of the trouble of
the Christian church will cease with the destruction of the church of Rome
that spiritual Babylon.
In showing how the success of Christ's redemption is carried on, during
this time of the church's tribulation, I would,
1. Show how it was carried on till the destruction of Jerusalem, with which
ended the first great dispensation of Providence wbich is called Christ's coming
in his kingdom.
2. How it was carried on from thence to the destruction of the Heathen
empire in the time of Constantine,. which is the second dispensation called
Christ's- coming.
How it was carried on from thence to the destruction of Antichrist, when
will be accomplished the third great event called Christ's coming, and with
which the days of the church's tribulation and travail end.
I. I .would show how the success of Christ's purchase of redemption wast
carried on from Christ's resurrection to the destruction of Jerusalem. In
speaking of this, I would, 1, take notice of the success itself; and, 2, the op
position made against it by the enemies of it : and, 3, the terrible judgments.
of God on those enemies.
1. I would observe the success itself. Soon after Christ had finished the
purchase of redemption, and was gone into heaven, and entered into the holy
of -holies with his own blood, there began a glorious success of what he had
done and suffered. Having undermined the foundation of Satan's kingdom, it
began to1 fall apace. Swiftly did it hasten to ruin in the world, which might
well be compared to Satan's falling like lightning from heaven. Satan before
had exalted his throne very high in this world, even to the yery 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
that ever he did ; and probably imagined he had totally defeated God's
design by him. But he wras quickly made sensible, that he had only been ruin
ing his own kingdom, when he saw it tumbling so fast so soon after, as a con
sequence of the death of Christ. For Christ, by his death, having purchased
the 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 kingdom been so set up in the world. There proba
bly were more souls converted in the age of the apostles than had been before
from the beginning of the world till that time. Thus God so soon begins
gloriously to accomplish his promise to his Son, wherein he had promised, that
he should see his seed, and that the 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 with them. He being about to reject the main
body of that people, first calls in his elect from among them, before he forsook
them, to turn tothe 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 ten tribes were rejected, when they left the
true worship of God in Jeroboam's time, and afterwards more fully in Ahab's.

440 WORK OF REDEMPTION.
time. But yet there was a remnant of them that God reserved. A number
left their 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 the knee to Baal. And so, in the captivity into Babylon, only
a remnant of them ever returned to their 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 compares this reservation of a number that were
converted by the preaching of the apostles, to those former remnants : Rom. ix.
27, " Esaias also crieth concerning Israel, Though the number of the children
of Israel be as the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved." See Isa. x. 22.
The glorious success of the gospel among fhe Jews after Christ's ascension,
becan 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
remarkable and swift the effect of it, that we read of three thousand who
were converted to 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 church daily such as should be saved, verse 47. And
soon after, we read, that the number of them were about five thousand. Thus
were not only a multitude converted, but the church was then eminent in piety,
as appears by Acts ii. 46, 47, and iv. 32.
Thus the Christian church was first of all of the nation of Israel ; and
therefore, when the Gentiles were called, they were ' but as it were added to
Israel, to the seed of Abraham. 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 Abraham, and were not a distinct
tree ; for they are all still the seed of Abraham and Israel ; as Ruth the-
Moabitess, and Uriah the Hittite, and other proselytes of old, were the same
people, and ranked as the seed of Israel.
• So the Christian church at first began at Jerusalem, and from thence was
propagated to all nations : so that this church of Jerusalem was the church
that was as it were the mother of all o,ther churches in the world ; agreeable
to the prophecy, Isaiah ii. 3, 4, " Out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the
word of the Lord from Jerusalem ; and he shall judge among the nations, and
rebuke many people." So that the whole church of God is still God's Jeru
salem ; they are his spiritual Jerusalem, and are as it were only added to the
cbureh, which was begun in the literal Jerusalem.
After this, we read of many thousands of Jews that believed in Jerusalem,
Acts xxi. 20. And So we read of multitudes of Jews who were converted in
other cities of Judea ; and not only so, but even in other parts of the world.
For wherever the apostles went, if there were any Jews there, their manner
was first to go into the synagogues of the Jews, and preach the gospel to
them, and many in one place and another believed; as in Damascus and
Antioch, and many other places that we read of in the Acts of the Apostles.
In this pouring out of the Spirit, which began at the Pentecost following
Christ's ascension, began that 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 coming down from heaven, whither he had ascended, John xiv. 18.
There Christ, having been speaking of his ascension, says, " I will not leave
you comfortless ; I will come unto you," speaking of his coming by the coming
of the Comforter, the Spirit of truth. And verse 28, " Ye have heard howl
said unto you, I go away, and come again unto you." And thus the apostles

WORK OF REDEMPTION. 44 j
began to see the kingdom of heaven come with power, as he promised thev
should, Mark ix. 1. '
(2.) What is next to be observed is the success of the gospel among the
Samaritans. After the success of the gospel had been so gloriously begun
among the proper Jews, the Spirit of God was next wonderfully poured out
on the Samaritans, who were not Jews by nation, but the posterity of those
whom the king of Assyria removed from different parts of his dominions, and
settled in the land that was inhabited by the ten tribes whom he carried cap
tive. But yet they had received the 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 them reckoned as Gentiles in the New Testament : for the calling of
the Gentiles is spoken of as a new thing after this, beginning with the con
version of Cornelius. But yet it was an instance of making that a people
that were no people : for they had corrupted the religion which Moses com
manded, and did not go up to Jerusalem to worship, but had another temple
of their own in mount Gerizim; which is the mountain of which the woman
of Samaria speaks, when she says, " Our fathers worshipped in this mountain."
Christ there does not approve of their separation from the Jews ; but tells the
woman 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 Philip (excepting that before Christ had some 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 the kingdom of Christ, and were baptized, both men
and women ; and that there was great joy in that city," Acts viii. 8 — 12,
Thus Christ had a glorious harvest in Samaria ; which is what Christ
seems 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 appearing
at a distance in the fields coming to the place where Christ was, at the insti
gation of the woman of Samaria. On that occasion he bids his disciples lift
uptheir eyes to the fields, for that they 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 Samaritans ; but now, by their conversion, the Christian
Jews and Samaritans are all happily united ; for in Christ Jesus is neither Jew
nor Samaritan, but Christ is all in all. This was a glorious instance of the
wolf's dwelling with the lamb, and the leopard's lying down with the kid.
(3.) The next thing to be observed is the success there was of the gospel
in calling the 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
redemption. This was begun in the conversion of Cornelius and his family,
greatly to the admiration of Peter, who 'was Used as the instrument of it, and
of those who were with him, and of those who were informed 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 numbers of Gentiles in Cyprus, and Cyrene, and
Antioch, by the 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 the disciples began tobe called Christians first at Antioch, verse 26.
And after this, vast multitudes of Gentiles were converted in many different
parts of the world, chiefly by the ministry of the Apostle Paul, a glorious pour-
Vol. I. 56

442 WORK OF REDEMPTION.
ing out of the Spirit accompanying his preaching in one place and another.
Multitudes flocked into the church of Christ in a great number of cities where
the Apostle came. So the number of the members of the Christian church
that were Gentiles, soon far exceeded the number pf its Jewish members ;
yea, so that in less than ten years time after Paul was sent forth from
Antioch to preach to the Gentiles, it was said of him and his companions,
that they had turned the world upside down : Acts xvii. 6, " These that have
turned the world upside down are come hither also." But the most remark
able pouring out of the Spirit in a particular city that we have any account
of in the New Testament, seems to be that in the city of Ephesus, which was a
very great city. Of this we have an account ih Acts xix. There was also
a very extraordinary ingathering of souls at Corinth, one of the greatest cities
in all Greece. And after this many were converted in Rome, 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 to 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 at one time and another joined
with them, had been rejected from about Moses's time. The Gentile world
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 them, and to cast them to the moles and to the bats, and
to learn to worship the true God, and to trust in his Son Jesus Christ; and
God owned them for his people : those who had so long been afar off, were
made nigh by the blood of Christ. Men-were changed from being Heathenish
and brutish, to be the children of God ; were called out of Satan's kingdom
of darkness, and brought into God's marvellous light ; and in almost all coun
tries throughout the known world were assemblies of the people of God ;
joyful praises were sung to the true God, and Jesus Christ the glorious Re
deemer. Now that great building which God began soon after the fall of man
rises gloriously, not in the same manner that it had done in former ages, but
in quite a new manner ; now Daniel's prophecies concerning the last kingdom;
which should succeed the four Heathenish monarchies, begins to be fulfilled ;
now the stone cut out of the mountain without hands, began to smite the image
on its feet, and to break it in pieces, and to grow great, and to make great
advances towards filling the earth ; and now God gathers together the elect from
the four winds of heaven,(by the preaching of the apostles and other ministers
the angels of the Christian church sent forth with the great sound of the 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 church, 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 this success of Christ's purchase by the enemies of
it. — Satan, who was so ready to triumph and exult, as though he had gain
ed the victory in putting Christ to death, now finding himself fallen into the
pit which he had digged, and finding his kingdom falling so fast, and seeing
Christ's kingdom make 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 to be effectually alarmed by it to make the most violent
opposition, against it. And, first, the devil stirred up the Jews, who had be?

WORK OF REDEMPTION. 443
fore crucified Christ, to persecute the church : for it is observable, that the
persecution which the church suffered during this period, was mostly from the
Jews. Thus we read in the Acts, when, at, Jerusalem, the 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
temple, were alarmed, and bestirred themselves to oppose and persecute the
apostles, and first apprehended and threatened them, and afterwards imprison
ed and beat them ; and breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the
disciples of the Lord, they stoned Stephen in a tumultuous rage ; and were
not content to persecute those that they could find in Judea, but sent abroad
to Damascus and other places, to persecute all that they could find every
where. Herod, who was chief among them, stretched forth his hands to vex
the church, and- killed James with the sword, and proceeded to take Peter
also, and cast him into prison.
So in other countries, we find that almost 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 themselves 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 men, and scribes ; and some of them
ye shall kill arid crucify, and some of them shall ye scourge in your syna
gogues, and persecute them from city to city."
3. I proceed to take notice of those judgments which were executed on
those enemies of Christ, the persecuting Jews.
(1.) The bulk of the people were given up to judicial blindness of mind
and hardness of heart. Christ denounced such a wo upon them in the 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 blindness and hardness, they remain to this very day, having been
subject to it for about 1700 years, being the most awful instance of such a
judgment, and monuments 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 that any one of them
is converted to the Christian faith, though their own Scriptures of the Old
Testament, which they acknowledge, are so full of plain testimonies against
them, is a remarkable 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 Abraham, and since that
have no more been reputed his seed, than the Ishmaelites or Edomites, who
are as much 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 have moved me to jealousy with that which is not
God ; they have provoked me to anger with their vanities ; and I will move
them 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 am sought of them
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
from them, and let them alone, as Acts xiii. 46, 47 : " Then Paul and Bar
nabas waxed bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should
first have been.spoken to you : hut seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves

444 WORK OF REDEMPTION.
unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles : for so hath the Lord
commanded us." And so Acts xviii. 6, and xxviii. 28. ,
Thus far we have had the Scripture history to guide us : henceforward
we shall have the guidance only of two things, viz., of Scripture prophecy,
and God's providence, as related in human 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 warnedthem,
and told them, that 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 them very particularly, and told them of
their approaching destruction, and at the thoughts of it wept over them. And
then the apostles after Christ's ascension abundantly warned them. But they
proved obstinate, and went on in their opposition to Christ and his church,
and in their 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 destruction.
And after this God was pleased to give them one more very remarkable
warning by the Apostle Paul,' in his epistle to the Hebrews, whieh is an epis
tle written to that nation of the Jews, as is supposed, about four years before
their destruction ; wherein the plainest and clearest arguments are set before
them from their own law, and from their prophets, for whom they professed
such a regard, to prove that Christ Jesus must be the Son of God, and >that
all their law pointed to him and typified him, and that their Jewish dispensa
tion must needs have now ceased. For though the epistle was more imme
diately directed to the Christian Hebrews, yet the matter of the epistle plainly
shows that the apostle intended it for the use and conviction of the unbelieving
Jews. And in this epistle he mentions particularly the approaching destruc
tion, as chap. x. 25, " So much the more, as ye see the day approaching;"
and in verse 27, he speaks of the approaching judgment and fiery indignation
which should devour the adversaries.
But the generality of them refusing to receive conviction, God soon de
stroyed them 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 of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be." The
first destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians was very terrible, as it is in
a most affecting manner described by the prophet Jeremiah, 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 the righteous blood that had been shed from the foundation of the world.
Thus the enemies of Christ are made his footstool after his ascension, agreea
bly to God's promise in Psalm ex. at the beginning ; and Christ rules them
with a rod of iron. They had been kicking against Christ, but they did but
kick against the pricks. The briers and thorns set themselves against him in
battle : but he went through them ; 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
calamity, and wrote the history of their destruction. Many circumstances of

WORK OF REDEMPTION. 445
this destruction resembled the destruction of the wicked at the day of judg
ment, by his account, being accompanied with many fearful sights in the
heavens, and with a separation of the righteous from the wicked. Their city
and temple were burnt, and razed to the 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 government
after the Babylonish captivity : but the sceptre entirely departed from Judah
on the death of Archelaus; and then Judea was made a Roman 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 from it ; and
so have continued in their' 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 judgment, 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 Jerusalem, I come now,
II. To show how it was carried on . from that time till the destruction of
the Heathen empire in the time of Constantine the Great, which is the second
great event which is in Scripture compared to Christ's coming to judgment.
Jerusalem was destroyed about the year of our Lord 68, and so before that
generation passed away which was contemporary with Christ ; and it was
about thirty-five years after Christ's death. The destruction of the Heathen
empire under Constantine, was about 260 years after this. In showing how
the success of the gospel was carried on through this time, I would, 1. Take
notice of the opposition made against it by the Roman empire. 2. How the
work of the gospel went on notwithstanding all that opposition. 3. The pe
culiar circumstances of tribulation and distress that the church was in, just before
their deliverance by Constantine. 4. The great revolution in Constantine' time.
1. I would briefly show what opposition was made against the gospel, and
the kingdom of Christ, by the Roman empire. The opposition what was made
to the gospel by the Heathen Roman empire, was mainly after the destruction
of Jerusalem, though their opposition began before ; but the opposition that
was before the' destruction of Jerusalem, was mainly by the Jews. But when
Jerusalem was destroyed, the Jews were put out of a capacity of much troubling
the church. Now therefore the devil turns his hand elsewhere, and uses other
instruments. The opposition which was made in the Roman empire against
the kingdorh of Christ, was chiefly of two kinds.
( 1.) They employed all their learning, and philosophy, and wit, in opposing
it. Christ came into the world in an age wherein learning and philosophy
were at their height in the Roman empire. This was employed to the utmost
against the kingdom of Christ. 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 them. Greece was a country the most famous for learning of
any in the Roman empire ; but the apostle observes, that the doctrine of
Christ crucified appeared foolishness to the Greeks, 1 Cor. i. 23; and there
fore the wise men and philosophers opposed the gospel with all the wit they
had. ' We have a specimen of their manner of opposing, in the story we have

446 WORK OF REDEMPTION.
of their treatment 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 xvii. 18, that the philosophers of the Epicureans and Stoics
encountered him, saying, " What will this babbler say 1 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 of these philoso
phers published books against it ; the chief of whom were Celsus and Por
phyry. These wrote books against the Christian religion with a great deal
of virulence and contempt, much after the manner that the Deists of the
present age oppose and ridicule Christianity. Something of their writings yet
remains. As great enemies and despisers as they were of the Christian re
ligion, yet they never denied the facts recorded of Christ and his apostles in
the New Testament, particularly the miracles which they wrought ; but al
lowed them. They lived too near the times wherein these miracles were
wrought to deny them; for they were so publicly done, and so lately, that
neither Jews nor Heathens in those days, appeared to deny them ; hut they
ascribed them to the power of magic.
(2) The authority of the Roman empire employed all their strength, time
after time, to persecute, and if possible to root out Christianity. This they did in
ten general successive persecutions. We have heretofore observed, that Christ
came into the world when the strength of Heathen dominion and authority was
the greatest that ever it was under the Roman monarchy, the greatest and strong
est human monarchy that ever was on earth. All the strength of this monarchy
w7as employed for a long time to oppose 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 the persecution under Nero, was a little be
fore the destruction of Jerusalem, in which the Apostle Peter was crucified, and
the Apostle Paul beheaded,soon after he wrote his second epistle to Timothy.
When he wrote that epistle, he was a prisoner at Rome under Nero, and was
soon after he wrote it beheaded, agreeably to what be says, chap. iv. 6, 7,
"I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I
have fought a good fight, I have finished my 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 Jerusalem. Some
of these were very terrible indeedyand far exceeded the first persecution under
Nero. One emperor after another set himself with the utmost rage to root out
the Christian church from- the earth, that there should not be so much as the
name of Christian left in the world. And thousands and millions were put to
cruel deaths in these persecutions ; for they spared neither sex nor < age, but
killed them as fast as they could.
Under the second general persecution, that which was next after the de
struction of Jerusalem, the Apostle John was banished to the Isle of Patmris,
where he had those virions of which he has given an account in the Reve
lation. Under that persecution it was reckoned, that about 40,000 suffered
martyrdom ; which yet was nothing to what were put to death under some
succeeding persecutions. Ten thousand suffered that one kind of cruel death,
crucifixion, in the third persecution under the Emperor Adrian. Under the fourth
persecution, which began about the year of Christ 162, many suffered martyrdom
in England, the land of our forefathers, where Christianity had been planted
very early, and, as is supposed, in the days of the apostles. And in the later
persecutions, the Roman emperors being vexed at the frustration of their pre-

WORK OF REDEMPTION. 447
decessors, who were not able to extirpate Christianity, or hinder its progress
Were enraged to be the more violent in their attempts.
Thus a great part of the first three hundred years after Christ was spent
in violent and cruel persecutions of the church by the Roman vpowers. 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 Roman em
pire were, of which he had had the quiet possession for so many ages ; and
therefbre, when he saw it going so fast out of his hands, he bestirred himself
to his utmost ; all hell was, as it were, raised against it to oppose it with its
utmost power.
Satan thus exerting himself by the power of the Heathen Roman empire,
is called the great red dragon in Scripture, having seven heads and ten horns,
fighting against the woman clothed with the sun, as in the 12th of Rev. And
the terrible conflict there was between the church of Christ and the powers of
the Heathen empire before Constantine's time, is there, 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 the
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
leaming.and power of the Roman empire were so great, and both wjere em
ployed to the utmost against Christianity to put a stop to it, and to root it
out for so long a time, and in so many repeated attempts ; yet all was in
vain, they could neither root it out, nor put a stop to it. — But still, in spite of
aU that they could do, the kingdom of Christ Wonderfully prevailed, and
Satan's Heathen kingdom mouldered and consumed away before it, agreeably
to the words of the text, " The moth shall eat them up like a garment, and
the worm shall eat them like wool." And it was very observable that, for
the most part, the more they persecuted the church, the more it increased; in
somuch that it hecame a common saying, The blood of the martyrs is the
seed of the church. Herein the church of Christ proved, to be like a pajm
tree ; of which tree it is, remarked, that the greater weight is laid upon it, or
hung to its branches, the more it grows and flourishes ; on which account
probably the church is compared to a palm tree in Cant. vii. 7 : " This thy
stature is like to a palm tree." Justin Martyr, an eminent father in the
Christian church, who lived in the age next after the apostles, in some writings
of his, which are yet eXtant, says, that in his days there was no part of man
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 to .the great Creator of the world, through the name of
the crucified Jesus. TertuUian, another eminent father in the Christian church,
who lived in the beginning of the following age, in some of his writings which
are yet extant, sets forth how that in his day the Christian religion had extend
ed itself to the utmost bounds of the then known world, in which fie reckons
Britain, the country of our forefathers; and thence demonstrates,1 that the
kingdom of Christ was then more extensive than any of the four great mon
archies ; and moreover says, that though the Christians were as strangers of
no long standing, yet they had filled all places of the Roman dominions, their
cities, islands, castles, corporations, councils, armies, tribes, the palace, senate,
and courts of judicature; only they had left to the Heathen their temples;
and that if they should all agree to retire out of the Roman empire, the world
would be amazed at the solitude and desolation that 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 themselves, if they were disposed to 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 riot the city only, but towns
and countries, the temples and sacrifices are generally desolate and forsakem
And it was remarked by both Heathen and Christian writers in those days,
that the famous Heathen oracles in their temples, where princes and others for
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 silenced and struck dumb, and gave no more answers; and
particularly the oracle at Delphos, which was the most famous Heathen oracle
in the whole world, which both Greeks and Romans used to consult, began to
cease to give any answers, even from the birth of Christ ; and the false deity
who was worshipped, and used to give answers from his 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 the gods, who has com
manded me to leave this house, and be gone to hell, and therefore you are to
expect no more answers. And many of the Heathen writers who lived about
that time speak much of the oracles being silenced, as a thing at which they
wondered, not knowing what the cause should be. Plutarch, a Heathen writer
of those times, wrote a particular treatise about it, which is still extant. Arid
Porphyry, one of the Heathen writers before mentioned, who opposed the Chris
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 men ; for since Jesus began
to be worshipped, no man has received any public help or benefit by the gods."
Thus did the kingdom of Christ prevail against the kingdom of Satan.
3. I now proceed to take notice of the peculiar circumstances of tribulation
and distress just before Constantine the 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 them ; by
which they offended God to suffer this dreadful trial to come up*on them. And
Satan having lost ground so much, notwithstanding all his attempts, now
seemed to bestir himself with more than ordinary rage. Those who, were then
in authority set themselves with the utmost violence to root out Christianity, by
burning all Bibles, and destroying all Christians ; and therefore they did not
stand to try or convict them in a formal process, but fell upon them wherever
they could ; sometimes setting fire to houses where multitudes of them were
assembled, and burning them all together ; and at other times slaughtering
multitudes together ; so that sometimes their persecutors were quite spent with
the labor of killing and tormenting them ; and in some populous places, so
many were slain together, that the blood ran like torrents. It is related, that
seventeen thousand martyrs were slain in one month's time ; 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 that died through the fatigues of banishment, or
the public works to which they were condemned.

WORK OF REDEMPTION. 449
This persecution lasted for ten years together ; and as it exceeded all fore
going persecutions in the number of martyrs, so it exceeded them in the variety
and multitude of inventions of torture and cruelty. Some authors who lived at
that time, say, they were innumerable, 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
the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the
word of. God, and for the testimony which they held; And they cried with a
loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and
avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth V
And at the end of the ten years, during which this persecution continued,
the Heathen persecutors thought they had finished their work, and boasted that
they had utterly destroyed the name and superstition of the Christians, and had
restored and propagated the worship of the gods.
Thus it was the darkest time with the Christian church just before the break
of day. They were brought to the greatest extremity just before God appeared
for their glorious deliverance, as the bondage of the Israelites in Egypt was the
most severe and cruel, just before their deliverance by the hand of Moses. Their
enemies thought they had swallowed them up just before their destruction, as
it was with Pharaoh and his host, when they had hemmed in the children of
Israel at the Red Sea.
4. I come now, in the fourth place, to the great revolution which was in
the world in the days of Constantine, which was in many respects like Christ's
appearing in the clouds of heaven, to save his people and judge the world. The
people of Rome being weary of the government of those tyrants to whom they
had, lately been subject, sent to Constantine, who was then in the city of York
in England, to come and take the throne. And he being encouraged, as is said,
by a vision of a pillar of light in the heavens, in the form of a cross, in the sight
of his whole army, with this inscription, Tovrco vtxa, Inihis overcome ; and the
night following, by Christ's appearing to him in a dream with the same cross
in his hand, Who directed him to make a cross like that to be his royal standard,
that his, army might fight under that banner, and assured him that he should
overcome. Accordingly he did, and overcame his enemies, and took possession
of the imperial throne, and embraced the Christian religion, and was the first
Christian emperor that ever reigned. He came to the throne about 320 years
after Christ. There are several things which I would take notice of which
attended or immediately followed Constantine's coming to the throne.
(1.) The Christian church was thereby wholly delivered from persecution.
Now the day of her deliverance came after such a dark night of affliction.
Weeping had continued for a night, but now deliverance and joy came in the
mqining. Now God appeared to judge his people, and repented himself for his
servants when he saw their power Was gone, and that there was none shut up
or left. . Christians had nO' persecutions now to fear. Their persecutors now
were all put down, and their rulers were some of them Christians like themselves.
(2.) God now appeared to execute terrible judgments on their enemies.
Remarkable are the accounts which history gives us of the fearful ends to which
the Heathen emperors and princes, and generals, and captains, and other great
men came, who had exerted themselves 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 them. So that what now
came to .pass might very fitly be compared to their hiding themselves, in the.
dens and rocks of the mountains.
Vol. I. 57

450 WORK OF REDEMPTION.
(3.) Heathenism now was in a great measure abolished throughout the
Roman empire. Images were now destroyed and Heathen temples pulled down.
Images of gold and silver were melted down and coined into money. Some
of the chief of their idols, which were curiously wrought, were brought to Con
stantinople, ahd there drawn with ropes up and down the streets for the people
to behold and laugh at. 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 their 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 of the world, iristead
of the old Heathen temples.
This revolution was the greatest revolution arid change in the face of things
that ever came to pass in the world since the flood. Satan, the prince of dark
ness, that king and god of the Heathen world, was cast out. The roaring lion
was conquered by the Lamb of God, in the strongest dominion that ever he had,
even the Roman empire. This was a remarkable accomplishment of Jer. x.
11 : " The gods that have not made the heavens and the earth, even they shall
perish from the earth, and from under these heavens." The Chief part of the
world was now brought utterly to cast off their old gods and their old religion,
to which they- had been aceustomed much longer than any of their histories
give an account of. They had been accustomed to worship the gods so long
that they knew not any beginning of it. It was formerly spoken pf as a thing
unknown for a nation to change their gods, Jer. ii. 10, 1 1, but now the greater
part of the nations of the known world werebrought to cast off all their former
gods. That multitude of gods that they worshipped were all forsaken.
Thousands of them were cast away for the worship of the true God, and Christ
the only Saviour : and there was a most remarkable fulfilment of that in Isa-
ii. 17, 18, "And the loftiness of man shall be bowed down, and the haughti
ness of men shall be made low ; and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that
day. And the idols he shall utterly abolish." And since that it has come to
pass, that those gods that were once so famous in the world, as Jupiter, and
Saturn, and Minerva, and Juno, &c, are only heard 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 the end of the old Heathen world in the principal part of it,
the Roman empire. And this great revolution arid change of the state of the
world, with that terrible destruction of the great men who had been persecutors,
is compared in Rev. vi. to the end of the world, and Christ coming to judg
ment ; and is what is most immediately signified under the sixth seal, 'which
followed upon the souls urider the altar crying, "How long, 0 Lord, holy and
true, dost thou not avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth 1" This
vision of the sixth seal, by the general consent of divines and expositors, has
respect to this downfall of the Heathen Roihan empire ; though it has a more
remote respect to the day of judgment, or this was a type of it. The day of
judgment cannot be what is immediately intended ; because we have an account
of many events which were to come to pass under the seventh seal, and so were
to follow after those of the sixth seal.
What came to pass now is also represented by the devil's being cast out
of heaven to the earth. In his great strength and glory, in that mighty Roman

WORK OF REDEMPTION. 45j
empire, he had as it were exalted his throne up to heaven. But now he fell
like lightning from heaven, and was confined to the earth. His kingdom was
confined to the meaner and more barbarous nations, or to the lower parts of the
world of mankind. This is the event foretold, Rev. xii. 9, &c. : " And the o-reat
dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the devil and Satan, which de
ceived the whole world : he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were
cast out with him," &c. Satan tempted Christ, and promised to give him the
glory of the kingdoms of the world ; but now he is obliged to give it to him
even against his will. This was a glorious fulfilment of that promise which
God made to his Son, that we have an account of in Isa. liii. 12 : " Therefore-
will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil witb
the strong; because, he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was
numbered with the transgressors, and he bare the sin of many, and made inter
cession for the transgressors. " This was a great fulfilment of the prophecies
of the Old Testament 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 kingdom. And such success is there of the purchase of
Christ's redemption, and such- honor does the 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 building ever since the fall.
Inference. From what has been said of the success of the gospel from
Christ's ascension to the time of Constantine, we may deduce a strong argu
ment of the truth of the Christian religion, and that the gospel of Jesus Christ
is really from God. This wonderful success of it which has been spoken of,
and the circurnstances of it which have been mentioned, are a strong argument
of it several ways.
1. We may gather from what has been said, that it is the gospel, and that.
only, which has actually been the means of bringing the world to the know
ledge of the true God. That those are no gods whom the 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 tothe
light of nature : it can be easily shown by reason to be demonstrably true.
The very Deists themselves acknowledge that 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 beers
the means of bringing men to the knowledge of this truth : it was not the in
structions of philosophers. They tried in vain ; — " The world by wisdom
knew not God." Till the gospel arid the Holy Scriptures came abroad in tha
world, all the world lay in ignorance of the true God, and in the greatest dark
ness with respect to the thirigs of religion, embracing the absurdest opinions
and practices, which all civilized nations now acknowledge to be childish fool
eries. And so they lay one age after another, and nothing proved effectual to
enlighten them. The light of nature, and their own reason, and all the wis
dom of learned men, signified nothing till the Scriptures came. But when these
came abroad, they were successful to bring the world to an acknowledgment
offhe one only true God, and to worship and serve him.
And hence it is that all that part of the world which now does own one only
true' God, Christians, Jews, Mahometans, and even Deists too, originally came
by the knowledge of him. It is owing to this that they are not in general at
this day left in Heathenish darkness. They have it all, either immediately from

452 WORK OF REDEMPTION.
the Scriptures, or by tradition from their fathers, who had it first from the
Scriptures. And doubtless those who now despise the Scriptures, and boast of
the strength of their own reason, as being sufficient to lead into the knowledge
of the one true God, if the gospel had never come abroad in the world to en-
lighten their forefathers, would have been as sottish and brutish idolaters as the
world in general was before the gospel came abroad. The Mahometans, who
own but one true God, at first borrowed the notion from the Scriptures : for the
first Mahometans had been educated in the Christian religion, and apostatized
from it. And this is evidential, that the Scriptures were designed of God to be
the proper means to bring the world to the knowledge of himself, rather than
human reason, or any thing else. For it is unreasonable to suppose, that the
•gospel, and that only, which God never designed as the proper means for obtain
ing this effect, should actually obtain it, and that after human reason, which he
designed as the proper means, had been tried for a great many ages without
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 that only, to bring the world to the knowledge of him
self, and that no part of it should be brought to the knowledge of him any other
wayl 2. The gospel's prevailing as it did against such powerful opposition,
plainly shows the hand of God. The Roman government, that did so violently
set itself to hinder the success of the gospel, and to subdue the chureh of
Christ, was the most powerful human government that ever was in the 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 command, and nevei
took up arms to defend themselves : they did not gather together, and stand k
their own defence ; they armed themselves with nothing but patience, and such
tike spiritual weapons : and yet this mighty power could not conquer them ;
but, on the contrary, Christianity conquered them. The Roman empire had
subdued the world; they had subdued many mighty and potent kingdoms;
they subdued the Grecian monarchy, when they were not their subjects, and
made the utmost resistance ; and yet they could not conquer the church which
-was in their hands ; but, on the contrary, were subdued, and finally triumphed
•over by the 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 not without, some
<cause. Now, what other cause can be devised but only the divine power 1
It was not the outward strength of the instruments which were employed in it.
At first, the gospel was preached only by a few fishermen, who were without
power and worldly interest to support them. It was not their craft and policy
that produced this wonderful effect ; for they were poor illiterate men. It
was not the agreeableness of the story they had to tell to the 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 the agreeableness of their doctrines to the dispositions of men :
for nothing is more contrary to the corruptions of men than the 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. 453T
was what was exercised to cause the gospel to prevail, then the gospei is his
word ; for surely God does not use his almighty power to promote a mere im
posture and delusion.
4. This success is agreeable to what Christ and his apostles foretold :
Matt. xvi. 18, " Upon this rock will I build my 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 forth much fruit." And verses 31, 32, " Now is the judgment
of this world : now shall the prince of this world be cast out. And 1, if I be
lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me." John xvi. 8, " When
he (the Comforter) is come, he will reprove the world of sin, of righteousness,
and of judgment — .because the prince of this world is judged."
So the Apostle Paul, in 1 Cor. chap. i. 2 1 — 28, declares, how that after the
world by wisdom 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 mighty ; and base things of the world, and things which are
despised, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are. If
any man foretells a thing, very likely in itself to come to pass, from causes
which can be foreseen, it is no great argument of a revelation from God : but
when a thing is foretold which is very unlikely ever to come to pass, i$ entirely
contrary to the common course of things, and yet it does come to pass just
agreeable to the prediction, this is a strong argument that the prediction was
from God.
Thus the consideration of the manner of the propagation and success of the
gospel during the time 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 redemption 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 Antichrist, and the destruction of Satan's
visible kingdom on earth, which is the third great dispensation, which is in,
Scripture compared to Christ's coming to judgment. This is a period wherein
many great and wonderful things. are brought to pass. Herein is contained a
long series of wonders of divine 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 redemption in this period, appears-
mainly at the close of it, when Antichrist comes to fall, when there will be a
far more glorious success of the gospel than ever .was before ; and that long
series of eyents which are before, seem to be only to prepare the way for it.
And in order to a more clear view of the great works of God in accomplishing.
the success of Christ's redemption, and our seeing the glory of them, it will be
necessary, as we have done in the foregoing periods, to consider not only the
success itself, but the opposition made to it, and the great wprks 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 heads, viz., either to the head of Satan's opposition to the success
of Christ's redemption, or to the head of the success of Christ's redemption :
and for the more orderly consideration of the events of this period, I would
divide it into these four parts : the first reaching from the destruction of the
Heathen empire to the rise of Antichrist ; the second, from the rise of Antichrist
to the Reformation in Luther's time ; the third, from thence to the present time j

454 WORK OF REDEMPTION.
the fourth, from the present time till 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 empire to the rise of Antichrist. And
here, flrst, 1 would take notice of the opposition Satan made in this space of
time to the church: and, secondly, the success that the gospel had in it.
1. The opposition. Satan being cast out of his old Heathen empire, the
oreat red dragon, after so sore a conflict with Michael and his angels, for the
greater part of three hundred years, being at last entirely routed and vanquished,
so that no place was found any more iri heaven for him, but he was cast down,
as it were, from heaven to the earth ; yet does not give over his opposition to
the woman, the church of Christ, concerning which all this conflict had been.
But he is still in a rage, and renews his attempts, and has recourse to new de
vices aoainst the church. The serpent, after he is cast out of heaven to the
earth, casts out of his mouth water as a flood, to cause the woman to 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 church of Christ with heresies, or by new endeavors to restore
Paganism. (1.) I would observe, that after the destruction of the Heathen Roman
empire, Satan infested the church with heresies. Though there had been so
glorious a work of God in delivering the church from her Heathen persecutors,
and overthrowing the Heathen empire; yet the days of the church's travail not
being ended, and the set time of her prosperity not being yet come, as being
what was to succeed the fall of Antichrist, therefore the peace and prosperity
which the church enjoyed in Constantine's time, was but very short : it was a
respite, which gave the church a time of peace and silence, as it were for half
&n hour, wherein the four angels held the four winds from blowing, till the
servants of God should be sealed in their foreheads. But the church soon
began to be greatly infested with heresies ; the two principal, and those which
did most infest the church, were the Arian and Pelagian heresies.
The Arians began soon after Constantine came to the throne. They denied
the doctrine of the 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 prevailed like a flood, which threatened to overflow
all, and entirely to carry away the church, insomuch that before that age was
out, that is, before the fourth century after Christ was finished, the greater part
of the Christian church were become Arians. There were some emperors, the
-successors of Constantine, who were Arians ; so that the Arians being the pre
vailing party, and having the civil authority on their side, did raise a great
persecution against the true church of Christ ; so that this heresy might well
be compared to a flood out of the mouth of the serpent, which threatened to
overthrow all, 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 name was Morgan.
He denied original sin, and the influence of the Spirit of God in conversion, and
held the power of free will, and many other things of like tendency ; and this
beresy did for a while greatly infest the church. Pelagiaus's principal antago
nist, who wrote 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 Paganism. And his first attempt to restore it in
the Roman empire, was by Julian the apostate. Julian was nephew to Con-

WORK OF REDEMPTION. 455
stantine the Great. When Constantine died he left his empire to his three sons
and when they were dead, Julian the apostate reigned in their stead. He had
been a professed Christian ; but he fell from Christianity, and turned Pagan ;
and therefore is called the apostate. When he came to the throne, he used his
utmost endeavors' to overthrow the Christian church, and set up Paganism again
in the empire. He put down the Christian magistrates, and set up Heathens
in their room : he rebuilt the Heathen temples, and set up the Heathen worship
in the empire, and became a most .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 killed 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 up towards heaven, crying out, Thou hast overcome, 0 Galilean. And he is
commonly thought by divines, to have committed the unpardonable sin.
Another way that Satan attempted to restore Paganism in the Roman em
pire, was by the invasions and conquests of Heathen nations. For in this space «
of time that we -are upon, the Goths and Vandals, and other Heathen barbarous
nations, that dwelt in the north of the Roman empire, invaded the empire,, and
obtained great conquests, and even overran the empire, and in the fifth century
took the city of Rome, and finally subdued and conquered, and took possession
of fhe Western empire, as it was called, or the western half of the empire, and
divided it amongst them ; 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 also represented
by the ten toes of Nebuchadnezzar's image. The invasion and conquests of
these Heathen nations are supposed to be foretold in the 8th chapter of Revela
tion, in what came to pass under the sounding of the four first trumpets. Now
these nations, who took- possession of the Western empire, were Heathens; so
that by their means Heathenism was again for a while restored, after it had
been looted out.
So much for the opposition of Satan against the 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 that the opposition of Satan in t-hosethings was baffled.
Though the dragon cast out of his mouth such a flood after the woman to carry
her away, yet he could not obtain his design ; but the earth helped the woman,
and opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out
of his mouth. These heresies which for a while so much prevailed, yet after a
while dwindled away, and orthodoxy was again restored : and his attempt by
Julian was baffled at his death.
(2.) The gospel, during this space of time, was further propagated amongst
many barbarous Heathen nations in the confines of the Roman empire. In the
time of Constantine there was a considerable propagation of the gospel in the
East Indies, chiefly by the ministry' of one Frumentius. — Great numbers of the
Iberians, a Heathen . people, were converted to Christianity by a Christian
Woman of eminent piety, whom they had taken captive. And some account is
given of several other barbarous nations who were not within the Roman em
pire, that great numbers of them were brought to receive the gospel hy the
teaching and example of captives whom they had taken in war. And after
this, about the year of Christ, 372, the gospel was propagated among the bar
barous people that dwelt in Arabia ; as it was also among some of the northern.
Cations ; particularly a prince of the country of the Goths about this time be-

456 WORK OF REDEMPTION.
came Christian, and a great number of his people with him. Towards the lat
ter end of this century, the gospel was also further 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 this, about the year 430, there was a remarkable conversion of a
Heathen people, called the Burgundians, to the Christian faith. About the
same time, in this age, the gospel began to be propagated in Ireland ; and the
Irish, who till now had been Heathen, began to receive the Christian faith.
About the same time it was further propagated among some barbarous people
in Scotland, and also in some other places. In the 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 embrace the' Christian religion.
Several other barbarous nations are recorded to have renounced Heathenism
and embraced Christianity about this time, that I cannot stand to mention.
Thus I have briefly considered the principal events of Providence which con
cern the success of the gospel of Christ, from Constantine to the rise of Anti
christ. 2dly. I come now to the second part of the time from Constantine to the
destruction of Antichrist, viz., that which reaches from the rise of Antichrist to
the reformation by Luther and others. And this is the darkest and most dismal
day that ever the ._ Christian church saw, and probably the darkest that ever it
will see. The time of the church's affliction and persecution, as was observed
before, is from Christ's resurrection till the destruction of Antichrist, excepting
that the day is, as it were, shortened by some intermissions and times of respite,
which God gives for the elect's sake. But tbis time, from the rise of Antichrist
till the Reformation, was a space wherein the Christian church was in its
greatest depth of depression, and in its darkest time of all. The true church
in this space was for many hundred years in a state of great obscurity; like the
woman 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
of the great machinations of the devil against the kingdom of Christ during this
lime ; 2, Show how the church of Christ was upheld during this time. ,
1. I would take notice of the great works of the devil against the kingdom
of Christ during this time. Satan had done great things against the Christian
church before, but 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 time of Constantine ! It pleased God now to prepare the
way for a yet more glorious victory over him, to suffer him to renew his strength,
and to do the utmost that his power and subtlety can help him to ;' and there
fore he suffers him to have a long time to lay his schemes,* and to establish his
interest, and make his matters strong ; and suffers him to carry his designs a
great length indeed, almost to the swallowing up of his church ; and to exercise
a high, and proud, and almost uncontrolled dominion in the world, a long time
before Christ finally conquers and subdues, and utterly ruins his visible kingdom
on earth, as he will do in the time of the destruction of Antichrist : thus gloriously
triumphing over him after he has done the utmost that his power and subtlety
can extend to, and showing that he is above him, after he has dealt most
proudly, and' lifted himself highest of all.
The two great works of the devil which he in this space of time wrought
against the kingdom of Christ, are his creating his Antichristian and Mahome
tan kingdoms, which have been, and still are, two kingdoms of great extent and

WORK OF REDEMPTION. 457
strength,- both together swallowing up the ancient Roman empire; the kingdom
of Antichrist swallowing up the Western empire, and Satan's Mahometan king
dom the Eastern^ empire. As the Scriptures in the book of the Revelation re
present it, it is in the- destruction of these that the glorious victory'of Christ, at
the introduction of the glorious times of the church, will mainly 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 contrivances of the devil against the kingdom of Christ,
and is evidently so spoken of in Scripture, and therefore Antichrist is the man
of sin, or that man of sin, 2. Thess. ii. 3. He is so called emphatically, as
though he were so eminently. So he is called Antichrist, which signifies the
opponent or adversary of Christ. Not that be is the only opponent of Christ j
there were many others besides him. The Apostle John observes that in his
days there were many Antichrists; but yet this is called the Antichrist, as
though there were none but he, because he was so eminently, and above all
others. So this contrivance of the devil, is called the mystery of iniquity,
2 Thess. ii. 7. And we find no enemy of Christ one half so much spoken of in
the prophecies of Revelation as this ; and the destruction of no enemy is spoken
of as so glorious and happy for the church. The craft and subtlety of the devil,
above all, appears in this work of his ; as might be shown, were it not that it
would consume too much time.
This is a contrivance of the devil to turn the ministry of the Christian church
into a ministry of the devil, and to turn these angels of the churches into fallen
angels, and so into devils. And in the tyranny and superstition, and idolatry,
and persecution, which he sets up, he contrives to make an image of ancient Pa
ganism, and more than to restore what was lost in the empire by the overthrow
of Paganism in the time of Constantine : so that by these means the head of
the beast which was wounded unto death iri Constantine, has his deadly wound
healed in Antichrist, Rev. xiii. 3. And the dragon that formerly reigned in the
Heathen Roman empire, being east out thence, after the beast with seven
heads and ten horns rises up out of the sea, gives him his power, and seat, and
great authority ; and all the world wonders after the beast.
I am far from pretending to determine the time when the reign of Anti
christ began; which is a point that has been so much controverted among di
vines and expositors. It is certain that the 1260 days or years, which are so
often in Scripture mentioned as the time of the continuance of Antichrist's
reign-, did riot commence -before the year of Christ 479 ; because if they did,
they would have ended, and Antichrist would have fallen before now. But!
shall not pretend to determine precisely how long it was after this that that
period began. The rise of Antichrist was gradual. The Christian church cor
rupted itself in many things presently after Constantine's time, growing more
and more superstitious in its worship, by degrees bringing in many ceremonies
into the worship of God, till- at length they brought in the worship of saints,
and set up images in their churches, and the clergy in general, and especially
the bishop of Rome, assumed more and more authority to himself. In the pri
mitive times he was only a minister of a congregation ; then a standing mode
rator of a presbytery ; then a diocesan bishop ; then a metropolitan, which is
equivalent to an archbishop ; then he was a patriarch, then afterwards he claim
ed the power of universal bishop over the whole Christian church through the '
world ; wherein he was opposed for a while, but afterwards was confirmed in?
it by the civil power of the Emperor in the year 606. After that he claimed
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458 WORK OF REDEMPTION.
the power of a, temporal prince; and so was wont to carry two swords, to sig
nify that both the temporal and spiritual sword was his ; and claimed more and
more authority, till at length, he, as Christ's vicegerent on earth, claimed the
very same power that Christ would have if he was present on earth, and
reigned on his throne, or the same power that belongs, to God, and used to be
called God on earth ; and used to be submitted to by all the princes of Chris
tendom. He claimed power to crown princes, and to degrade them at his plea
sure ; and this power was owned : and it came to that, that kings and empe
rors used to kiss his feet. The emperors were wont to receive their crowns at
his hands, and princes were wont to dread the displeasure of the Pope,, as they
would dread a thunderbolt from heaven ; for if the Pope was pleased to ex
communicate a prince, all his subjects were at once freed from their allegiance
to him ; yea, and obliged not to own him any more, on pain of excommunica
tion; and not only so, but any man might kill him wherever he found him.
And further, the Pope was believed to have power to damn men at pleasure;
for whoever died under his excommunication, was looked upon as certainly
damned. And several emperors were actually deposed, and ejected, and died
miserably by his means ; and if the people of any state or kingdom did not
please him, he had power to lay that state or kingdom under an interdict, which
was a sentence pronounced by the Pope against that state or kingdom, whereby
all sacred administrations among them could have no validity. There could be
no valid baptisms, or sacraments, or prayers, or preachings, or pardons, till that
interdict was taken off; so that that people remained, in their apprehension, in
amiserable, damnable state, and therefore dreaded it as they would a storm of
fire and brimstone from heaven. And in order to execute his wrath on a '
prince or people with whom the Pope was displeased, other princes must also
be put to a great deal of trouble and expense.
And as the Pope and his clergy robbed the people of their ecclesiastical
and civil liberties and privileges, so they also robbed them of their estates,
and drained all Christendom of their money, and engrossed the most of their
riches into their own. coffers, by their vast revenues, besides pay for pardons
and indulgences, baptisms, and extreme unctions, deliverance out of purgatory,
and a hundred other things. — See how well this agrees with the prophecies,
2 Thess. ii. 3, 4, Dan. vii. 20, 21, Rev. xiii. 6, 7, and chap. 3, 4.
During this time also superstition and ignorance more and more prevailed.
The holy Scriptures by degrees were taken out of the hands of the laity, the
better to promote the unscriptural tend wicked designs of the Pope and the
clergy ; and instead of promoting knowledge among the people, they industri
ously promoted ignorance. It was a received maxim among them, that igno
rance is the mother of devotion : and so great was the darkness of those times,
that learning was almost extinct in the world. The very priests themselves,
most of them were barbarously ignorant as to any commendable learning, or
any other knowledge than their hellish craft, in oppressing and tyrannizing over
the souls of the people. The superstition and wickedness of the church of
Rome, kept growing worse and worse till the very time of the Reformation j
and the whole Christian world were led away into this great defection,.excepting
the remains of the Christian church in the Eastern empire that had not been
utterly overthrown by the Turks, as the Greek church, and some others, which
were also sunk into great darkness and gross superstition, excepting also those
few that were the people of God, who are represented by the woman in the
wilderness, and God's two witnesses, of which more hereafter.
This is one of those two great kingdoms which the devil in this period

WORK OF REDEMPTION.

459

erected in opposition to the kingdom of Christ, and was the greatest and chief.
I come now,
(2.) To speak of the other, the second, which is in many respects like unto
it, viz., his Mahometan kingdom, which is another great kingdom of mighty
power and vast extent, set up by Satan against the kingdom of Christ : he
set this up in the Eastern empire, as he did that of Antichrist in the Western.
Mahomet was born in the year of Christ 570, in Arabia.— When he was
about forty years of age, he began to give forth that he was the great prophet
of God, and began to teach his new invented religion, of which he was to be
worshipped as the head next under God. He published his Alcoran, which he
pretended he received from the angel Gabriel ; and being a subtle crafty man,
and possessed of considerable wealth, and living among a people who were
veiy ignorant, and greatly divided in their opinions of religious matters, by
subtlety and fair promises of a sensual paradise, he gained a number to be his
followers, and set up for their prince, and propagated his religion by the sword,
and made it meritorious of paradise to fight for him. By which means his party
grew, and went on fighting till they conquered and brought over the neighbor
ing countries ; and so his party gradually grew till they overran a great part
of the world. First, the Saracens, who were some of his followers, and were
a people of the country of Arabia, where Mahomet lived, about the year 700,
began dreadfully to waste the Roman empire. They overran a great many
countries belonging to the empire, and continued their conquests for a long time.
These are supposed to be meant by the locusts that we read of in the 9th chapter
of Revelation. And then after this the Turks, who were originally another people different
from the Saracens, but were followers of Mahomet, conquered all the Eastern
umpire. They began their empire about the year of Christ 1296, and beo-an
to invade Europe in 1300, and took Constantinople, and so became masters of
all the Eastern empire in the year 1453, which is near three hundred years
ago. And thus all those cities and countries where were those famous churches
of old, that we read of in the New Testament, as Jerusalem, Antioch, Ephesus,
Corinth, &c, now all became subject to the Turks. And they took possession
of Constantinople, which was named after Constantine the Great, being made
by him the head city of the Roman empire, whereas Rome had been till then. —
These are supposed to be prophesied of by the horsemen in the 9th chapter of
Revelation, beginning with the 15th verse. And the remains of the Christians
that are in those parts of the world, who are mostly of the Greek church, are
in miserable slavery under these Turks, and treated with a great deal of bar
barity and cruelty, and are "become" mostly very ignorant and superstitious.
Thus I have shown what great works of Satan were wrought during this
space of time in opposition to the kingdom of Christ.
2. I come now to show how the church' of Christ was upheld through this
dark time. — And here,
(1.) It is to be observed, that towards the former part of this space of
time, some of the nations of Christendom held out a long time before they com
plied with the corruptions and usurpations of the church of Rome. Though all
the world Wondered after the beast, yet all nations did not fall in at once.
Many of the principal corruptions .of the church of Rome were brought in with
a great deal of struggle and opposition ; and particularly, when the Pope gave
out that he was universal bishop, many churches greatly opposed him in it;
and it was a long time before they wouldyieldto his exorbitant claims. And,
so when the worship of images was first brought into the churches, there were

460 WORK OF REDEMPTION.
many who greatly opposed it, and long held out against it. And so with re
spect to other corruptions of the church of Rome. Those people that dwelt
nearer to the city of Rome complied sooner, but some that were more remote,
were a long time before they could be induced to put their necks under the
yoke; and particularly ecclesiastical history gives an account, that it was so
with great part of the churches in England and Scotland, and France, who re
tained the ancient purity of doctrine ami Worship much longer than many others
who were nearer the chief seat of Antichrist.
(2.) In every age of this dark time, there appeared particular persons in all
parts of Christendom, who bore a testimony against the corruptions and tyranny
of the church of Rome. There is no one age of Antichrist, even in the darkest
times of all, but ecclesiastical historians mention a great many by name who
manifested an abhorrence of the Pope, and his idolatrous worship, and pleaded
for the ancient purity of doctrine and worship. God was pleased to maintain
an uninterrupted succession of witnesses through the whole time, in Germany,
France, Britain, and other countries; as historians demonstrate, and mention
them by name, and give an account of the testimony which they held. Many
of them were private persons, and many of them ministers, and some magis
trates, and persons of great distinction. And there were numbers in every age
who were persecuted and put to death for this testimony.
(3.) Besides these particular persons dispersed here and there, there was a
certain people called the Waldenses, who lived separate from all the rest of the
world, who kept themselves pure, and constantly bore a testimony against the
church of Rome through all this dark time. The place where they dwelt was
the Vaudois, or the five valleys of Piedmont, a very mountainous country, be
tween Italy and France. The place where they lived was compassed about
with those exceeding high mountains called the Alps, which were almost im
passable. • The passage over these mountainous desert countries, was so, difficult,
that the valleys where this people dwelt were almost inaccessible. There this
people lived for many ages, as it were alone, in a state of separation from all
the world, having very little to do with any other people. And there they
served God in the ancient purity of his worship, and never submitted to the
church of Rome. This place in this desert mountainous country, probably was
the place especially meant in the 12th chapter of Revelation, 6th verse, .as the
place prepared of God for the woman, that they should feed her there during
the reign of Antichrist.
Some of the Popish writers themselves own, that that people never submit
ted to the church of Rome. One of the Popish writers, speaking of the Wal
denses, says, the heresy of the Waldenses is the oldest heresy in the world. It
is supposed that this people first betook themselves to this desert secret place
among the mountains, to hide themselves from the severity of the Heathen per
secutions which were before Constantine the Great. And thus the woman fled
into the wilderness from the face of the serpent, Rev. xii. 6. And so : verse 14,
" And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she. might fly
into the wilderness, into her place : where she is nourished for a time, and times,
and half a time, from the face of the serpent." And the people being settled
there, their posterity continued there from age to age afterwards : and being,
as it were, by natural walls, as well as by God's grace, separated from the rest
of the world, never partook of the overflowing corruption.
These especially were those virgins who were not defiled with the rest of
women, or when other women prostituted themselves and were defiled ; but
they kept themselves pure for Christ alone : they followed the Lamb, their

WORK OF REDEMPTION. 4QJ
spiritual husband, whithersoever he went : they followed him into this hideous
wilderness, Rev. xiv. 4, 5. — Their doctrine and their worship, as there still re
main accounts of them, appear to be the same with the Protestant doctrine and
worship ; and by the confession of Popish writers, they were a people remark
able for the strictness of their lives, for charity and other Christian virtues.
They hved in external poverty in this hideous country ; but they chose this
rather than to comply with the great corruptions of the rest of the world.
They living in so secret a place, it was a long time before they seem to
have been much taken notice of by the Romanists ; but at last falling under
observation, they went out in mighty armies against them, and fell upon them
with insatiable cruelty, barbarously massacreing and putting to death men, wo
men, and children, with all imaginable tortures; and so continued persecuting
them with but little intermission for several hundred years; by which means
many of them were driven out of their old habitations in the valleys of Pied
mont, and fled into all parts of Europe, carrying with them their doctrine, to
which many were brought over. So their persecutors could not by all their
cruelties extirpate the church of God ; so fulfilling his word, " that the gates of
hell should not prevail against it."
(4.) Towards the latter part of this dark time, several noted divines openly
appeared to defend the truth, and bear testimony against the corruptions of the
church of Rome, and had many followers. The first and principal of these was
a certain English divine, whose name was John Wickliff, who appeared about
140 years before the Reformation, and strenuously opposed the Popish religion,
and taught the same doctrine that the Reformers* afterwards did, and had many
followers in England. He was hotly persecuted in his life-time, yet died in
peace ;* and after he was buried, his bones were dug up by his persecutors, and
burnt. His followers remained inconsiderable numbers in England till the
Reformation, and were cruelly persecuted, and multitudes put to death for their
religion. Wickliff had many disciples and followers, not only in England, but in
other, parts of Europe, whither his books were carried, and particularly in Bohe
mia, among whom were two eminent divines ; the name of one was John Huss,
the other's name was Jerom, a divine belonging to Prague, the chief city of
Bohemia. These strenuously opposed the church of Rome, and had many who
adhered to them. They were both burnt by the Papists for their doctrine ; and
their followers in Bohemia were cruelly persecuted, but never extirpated till
the Reformation.Thus having gone through this dark time of the church, which is the second
part of the space from Constantine the Great to the destruction of Antichrist,
I come now,
3dly. To the third part, viz., that which begins with the Reformation, and
reaches to the present time. And here I would, 1, Speak of the Reformation
itself; 2, The opposition which the devil has made to the Reformed church ;
3, What success there has lately been of the gospel in one place and another;
4, What the state of things is now in the world with regard to the church of
Christ, and the success of his purchase.
1. Here the first thing to be taken notice of is the Reformation. This was
begun about 220 years ago : first in Saxony in Germany, by the preaching of
Martin Luther, who, being stirred in his spirit, to see the horrid practices of the
Popish clergy, and having set himself diligently to inquire after truth, by the
study of the holy Scriptures, and the writings of the ancient fathers of the church,
Very openly and boldly decried the corruptions and usurpations of the Romish

462 WOEK OF REDEMPTION.
church in his preaching and writings, and had soon a great number that fell in
with him ; among whom was the Elector of Saxony, the sovereign prinee of
the country to which he belonged. This greatly alarmed the church of Rome ;
and it did as it were rally all its force to oppose him and his doctrine, and
fierce wars and persecutions were raised against it : but yet it went on, by the
labors of Luther and Melancthon in Germany, and Zuinglius in Switzerland,
and other eminent divines, who were cotemporary with Luther, and_fell in with
him ; and particularly Calvin, who appeared something after the beginning of
the Reformation, but was one of the most eminent Reformers. ,
Many of the princes of Germany soon fell in with the Reformed religion,
and many other states and kingdoms in Europe ; as England, Scotland, Swe
den, Denmark, Norway, great part of France;' Poland, Lithuania, Switzerland,
and the Low Countries. So that it .is thought, that heretofore about half Chris
tendom were of the Protestant religion ; though, since, the Papists have gained
ground : so that the Protestants now have not so great a proportion.
Thus God began gloriously to revive his church again, and advance the
kingdom of his Son, after such a dismal night of darkness as had been before
from the rise of Antichrist to that time. There had been many endeavors used,
by the witnesses for the truth, for a reformation before. But now, when God's
appointed time was come, his work was begun, and went on with a swift and
wonderful progress; and Antichrist, who had been rising higher and higher
from his very first beginning till that time, was swiftly and suddenly brought
down, and fell half way towards utter ruin, and never has been able fo rise
again to his former height. A certain very late expositor (Mr. Lowman) who
explains the five first vials, in the 16th chapter of Revelation, with greater pro
bability perhaps than any who went before him, explains the fifth viah which
was poured out on the seat of the beast, of what came to pass in the Reforma
tion ; explaining the four preceding vials of the certain great judgments God
brought on the Popish dominions before the Reformation. It is said, Rev. xvi.
10, that " the fifth angel poured out his vial on the seat of the beast;" in the
original, it is the throne of the beast ; " and his kingdom was full of darkness,
and they gnawed their ton gues for pain, and blasphemed the God of heaven
because of their pains and their sores, and repented not of their deeds." He
poured out his vial upon the throne of the beast, i. e., on the authority and do
minion of the Pope : so the word throne is often used in Scripture ; so 1 Kings
i. 37, " As the Lord hath been with my lord the king, even be he so with Solo
mon, and make his throne greater than the throne of my lord King David;"
i. e., make his dominion and authority greater, and his kingdom more glorious.
But now in the Reformation, the vials of God's wrath were poured out on
the throne of the beast. His throne was terribly shaken and diminished. The
Pope's authority and dominion was greatly diminished, both as to the extent
and degree. He lost, as was said before, about half his dominions. And be
sides, since the Reformation the Pope has lost great part of that authority, even
in the Popish dominions, which he had before. He is not regarded, and his
power is dreaded in no measure as it was wont to be. The powers of Europe
have learned not to put their necks under the Pope's feet, as formerly they were
wont to do. So that he is as a lion that has lost his teeth, in comparison of
what he was once. And when the Pope and his clergy, enraged to see their
authority so diminished at the Reformation, laid their heads together, and joined
their forces to destroy the Reformation ; their policy, which was wont to serve
them so well, failed ; they found their kingdom full of darkness, so that they
could do nothing, any more than the Egyptians, who rose not from their seats

WORK OF REDEMPTION-. 465
Tor three days. The Reformed church was defended as Lot and the angels were
in Sodom, by smiting the Sodomites with darkness or with blindness that they
could,not find the door. God then fulfilled that in Job v. 11, &c, " To set up
on high those that be low ; that those which mourn may be exalted to safety.
He disappointeth the devices of the crafty, so that their hands cannot perform
their enterprise. He taketh the wise in their own craftiness : and the counsel
of the froward is carried headlong. They meet with darkness in the day-time,
and grope iii the noon-day as in the night. But he saveth the poor from the
sWord, from their mouth, and from the hand of the mighty."
Those proud enemies of God's people, being so disappointed, and finding
themselves so unable to uphold their own dominion and authority, this made
them as it were to gnaw their tongues for pain, or bite their tongues for mere
rage. 2. I proceed therefore to show what opposition has been made to this suc
cess of Christ's purchase by the Reformation, by Satan and his adherents ; ob
serving, as we go along, how far they have been baffled,, and how far they have
been successful.
The opposition which Satan has made against the Reformed religion has
been principally of the following kinds, viz., that which was made, 1, by a gen
eral council of the church of Rome; 2, by secret plots and devices; 3, by open
wars and invasions ; 4, by cruel oppression and persecution; and 5, by bring
ing in corrupt opinions;
(1.) The first opposition that I shall take notice of is that which w^s made
hy the clergy of the church of Rome uniting together in a general council. This
was the famous council of Trent, which the Pope called a little while after the
Reformation. In that council, there met together six cardinals, thirty-two arch
bishops, two hundred and twenty-eight bishops, besides innumerable others of
the, Romish clergy. This council, in- all their. sittings, including the times of
intermission between their sittings, was held for twenty-five years together.
Their main business all this while was to concert measures for establishing the
church of Rome against the Reformers, and for destroying the Reformation.
But it proved that they were not abler to perform their enterprise. The Re
formed church, notwithstanding their holding so great a council, and for so long
a time together against it, remained, and remains still. So that the counsel of
the froward is carried headlong, and their kingdom is full of darkness, and
they weary themselves to find the door.
Thus the church of Rome, instead of repenting of their deeds, when such
clear light was held forth to them by Luther, and other servants of God, the
Reformers, does, by general agreement in council, persist in their vile corrup
tions and wickedness, and obstinate opposition to the kingdom of Christ. The
doctrines and practices of the church of Rome, which were chiefly condemned
by the Reformed, were confirmed by the decrees of their council ; and the cor
ruptions, in many respects were carried higher than ever before ; and they ut
tered blasphemous reproaches and curses against the Reformed religion, and
all the Reformed church was excommunicated and anathematized by them ;
and so, according to the prophecy, " they blasphemed God." Thus God hardened
their hearts, intending to destroy them.
(2.) The Papists have often endeavored to overthrow the Reformation by
secret plots and conspiracies. So there were many plots against the life of Lu
ther. The Papists were engaged in contriving to despatch him, and to put
him out of their way; and he, as he was a very bold man, often very much
exposed himself in the cause of Christ : but yet they were wonderfully prevent-

464 WORK OF REDEMPTION.
ed from hurting him, and he at last died in his bed in peace. And so there
have been from time to time innumerable schemes secretly laid for the over
throw of the Protestant religion ; among which, that which seems to be most
considerable, and which seemed to be the most likely to have taken effect was
that which was in the time of King James II. of England, which is within the
memory of many of us. There was at that time a strong conspiracy between
the King of England and Lewis XIV. of France, who were both Papists, to
extirpate the Northern heresy, as they called the Protestant religion, not only
out of England, but out of all Europe; and had laid their schemes so, that they
seemed to"be almost sure of their purpose. They looked upon it, that if the
Reformed religion were suppressed in the British realms, and, in the Netherlands,
which were the strongest part, and chief defence of the Protestant interest, they
should have easy work with the rest. And just as their matters seemed to
be come to a head, and their enterprise ripe for execution, God., in his provir
dence, suddenly dashed all their schemes in pieces by the Revolution, at the
coming in of King Williain and Queen Mary; by which all their designs were
at an end; and the Protestant interest was more strongly established, by the crown
of England's being established in the Protestant house of Hanover, and a Papist
being, by the constitution of the nation, forever rendered incapable of wearing
the crown of England. Thus they groped in darkness at noon-day as in the
night, and their hands could not perform their enterprise, and their kingdom
was full of darkness, and they gnawed their tongues for pain.
After this, there was a deep design laid to bring the same thing to pass in the
latter end of Queen Anne's reign, by the bringing in of the Popish pretender, which
was no less suddenly and totally baffled by divine Providence ; as the plots against
the Reformation, by bringing in the pretender, have been from time to time.
(3.) The Reformation has often been opposed by open wars and invasions.
So in the beginning of the Reformation, the Emperor of Germany, to. suppress
the Reformation, declared war with- the Duke of Saxony, and the principal men
who favored and received Luther's doctrine. But they could not obtain their
end ; they could not suppress the Reformation. For the same end, the King
of Spain maintained a long war with Holland and the Low Countries in the
century before last. But those cruel wars issued greatly to the disadvantage
of the Romish church, as they occasioned the ' setting up of one of the most
powerful Protestant states in Europe, which, next to Great Britain, is the chief
barrier of the Protestant religion. And the design of the Spanish invasion of
England in Queen Elizabeth's time, was to suppress and root out the Reformed
religion ; and therefore they brought in their fleet all manner of instruments of
cruelty wherevvith to torture the Protestants who would not renounce the Prot
estant religion. But their design was totally baffled, and their mighty fleet in
a great measure ruined.
(4.) Satan has opposed the Reformation with cruel persecutions. The per
secutions with which the Protestants in one kingdom and another have been
persecuted by the church of Rome, have in many respects been far beyond any
of the Heathen persecutions which were before Constantine the Great, and be
yond all that ever were before. So that Antichrist has proved the greatest
and crudest enemy to the church of Christ that ever was in the world, in this,
as well as in all other respects ; agreeably to the description given of the church
of Rome, Rev. xvii. 6, " And I saw the woman drunken with the blood of the
saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus." And chap, xviii. 24, " And
in her was found the blood of prophets, and of saints, and of all that were slain
¦jpon the earth."

WORK OF REDEMPTION. 465
The Heathen persecutions had been very dreadful ; but now persecution by
the church of Rome was improved and studied, and cultivated as an art
orscience. Such ways of afflicting and tormenting were found out, as are be
yond the thought and invention of ordinary men, or men who are unstudied in
those things', and beyond the invention of all former ages. And that persecution
might be managed the more effectually, there were certain societies of men es
tablished in various parts of the Popish dominions, whose business it should be
to study, and improve, and practise persecution in its highest perfection, which
are those societies called the courts of inquisition. A reading of the particular
histories of the Romish persecution, and their courts of inquisition, will give that
idea which a few words cannot express.
When the Reformation began, the beast with seven heads and ten horns
began to rage in a dreadful manner. After the Reformation, the church of
Rome renewed its persecution of the poor Waldenses, and great multitudes of
them were cruelly tortured and put to death. Soon after the Reformation there
were terrible persecutions in various parts of Germany ; and especially in Bo
hemia, which lasted for thirty years together ; in which so much blood was shed
for' the sake of religion, that a certain writer compares it to the plenty of wa
ters of the great rivers, of Germany. The countries of Poland, Lithuania, and
Hungary, were in like manner deluged with Protestant blood.
By means of these and other cruel persecutions, the Protestant religion was
in a great measure suppressed in Bohemia, and the Palatinate, and Hungary,
which before were as it were Protestant countries. Thus was fulfilled what
was foretold of the little horn, Dan. vii. 20, 21, " — and of the ten horns that
were in his head, and of the other which came up, and before whom three fell,
even of that horn that had eyes, and a mouth that spake very great things,
whose look was more stout than his fellows. I beheld, and the same horn
made war with the saints, and prevailed against them." And what was fore
told of the beast having seven heads and ten horns, Rev. xiii. 7, " And it was
given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them : and power
was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations."
Also Holland and the other Low Countries were for many years a scene of
nothing but the most affecting and amazing cruelties, being deluged with the
blood of Protestants, under the merciless hands of the Spaniards, to whom they
were then in subjection. But in this persecution the devil in a great measure
failed in his purpose ; as it issued in a great part of the Netherlands casting off
the Spanish yoke, and setting up a wealthy and powerful Protestant state, to
the great defence of the Protestant cause ever since.
France also is another country, which since the Reformatiori, in some re
spects, perhaps more than any other, has been a scene of dreadful cruelties suf
fered by the Protestants there. After many cruelties had been exercised to
wards the Protestants in that kingdom, there was begun a persecution of them
in the year 157 1, in the reign of Charles IX, King of France. It began with
a cruel massacre, wherein 70^000 Protestants were slain in a few days' time, as
the king-boasted : and in all this persecution, he slew as is supposed, 300,000
martyrs. , And it is reckoned, that about this time, within thirty years, there
were martyred in this kingdom, for the Protestant religion, 39 princes, 148
counts,,234 barons, 147,518 gentlemen, and 760,000 of the common people.
But all these persecutions were, for exquisite cruelty, far exceeded by those
which followed in the reign of Lewis XIV, which indeed are supposed to ex
ceed all others that ever have been ; and being long continued, by reason of
the long reign of that king, almost wholly extirpated -the Protestant religion
Vol. I. 59

466 WORK OF REDEMPTION.
out of that kingdom, where had been before a multitude of famous Protestant
churches all over the kingdom. Thus it was given to the beast to make war
with the saints and to overcome them.
There was also a terrible persecution in England in Queen Mary's time,
wherein great numbers in all parts of the kingdom were burnt alive. And
after this, though the Protestant religion has been for the most part established
by law in England, yet there have been very severe persecutions by the high-
churchmen, who symbolize in many things with the Papists. Such a perse
cution was that which occasioned our forefathers to flee from their native coun
try, and to come and settle in this land, which was then a hideous howling wil
derness. And these persecutions were continued with little intermission till
King William came to the throne.
Scotland has also been the scene, for many years together, of cruelties and
blood by the hands of high-churchmen, such as came very little short of the
Popish persecution in Queen Mary's days, and in many things much exceeded
it, which continued till they were delivered by King William.
Ireland has been as it were overwhelmed with Protestant blood. In the
days of King Charles I. of England, above 200,000 Protestants were cruelly
murdered in that kingdom in a few days; the Papists, by a secret agreement,
rising all over the kingdom at an appointed time, intending to kill every Pro
testant in the kingdom at once.
Besides these there have been very cruel persecutions in Italy, and Spain,
and other places, which I shall not stand to relate.
Thus did the devil and his great minister Antichrist, rage with such vio
lence and cruelty against the church of Christ ! And thus did' the whore of
Babylon make herself drunk with the blood of the saints and martyrs of Jesus!
And thus by these persecutions, the Protestant church has been much diminished I
Yet with all have they not been able to prevail ; but still the Protestant church
is upheld, and Christ fulfils his promise, that " the gates of hell shall not pre
vail against his church."
(5.) The last kind of opposition that Satan has made to the Reformation is
by corrupt opinions. Satan has opposed the light of the gospel which shone
forth in the Reformation with many corrupt opinions, which he has brought in
and propagated in the world.
And here, in the first place, the first opposition of this kind was by raising
up the sect of the Anabaptists, which began four or five years after the Refor
mation itself began. — This sect, as it first appeared in Germany, were vastly
more extravagant than the present Anabaptists are in England. They held
a great many exceeding corrupt opinions. One tenet of theirs was, that there
ought to be no civil authority, and so that it was lawful to rebel against civil
authority. And on this principle, they refused to submit to magistrates, or any
human laws ; and gathered together in vast armies, to defend themselves
against their civil rulers, and put all Germany into an uproar, and so kept it
for some time.
The next opposition of this kind to the Reformation was that which was
made by enthusiasts. Those are called enthusiasts who falsely pretend to be
inspired by the Holy Ghost as the prophets were. These began in Germany,
about ten years after Luther began the Reformation ; and there arose various
sects of them who were exceeding wild and extravagant. The followers of
these are the Quakers in England, and other parts of the British dominions.
The next to these were the Sociriians, who had their beginning chiefly in
Poland, by the teaching of two men ; the name of the one was Lcelius Socinus,

WORK OF REDEMPTION. 467
of the other faustus Socinus. They held that Christ was a mere man, and
denied Christ's satisfaction, and most of the fundamental doctrines of the Chris
tian religion. Their heresy has since been greatly propagated anions Protes
tants in Poland, Germariy, Holland, England, and other places.
After these arose the Arminians. These first appeared in Holland about
13Q--years ago. They take their name from a Dutchman, whose name was
Jacobus Van Ha'>"min> which, turned into Latin is called Jacobus Arminius ;
and from his name the whole sect are called Arminians. This Jacobus Armi
nius was first a minister at Amsterdam, and then a professor of divinity in the
University of Leyden. He had many followers in Holland. There was upon
this a synod of all the Reformed churches called together, who met at Dort, in
Holland. The synod of Dort condemned them ; but yet they spread and pre»
vailed. They began to prevail in England in the reign of Charles I., especially
in the church of England. The church of England divines before that, were
almost universally Calvinists ; but since that, Arminianism has gradually more
and more prevailed, till they are become almost universally Arminians. And
not only so, but, Arminianism has greatly prevailed among the Dissenters, and
has spread greatly in New England, as well as Old-
Since this, Arianism has been revived. As I told you before, Arianism, a
little after Constantine's time, almost swallowed up the Christian world, like a
flood out of the mouth of the serpent which threatened to swallow up the wo
man. — And of late- years this heresy has been revived in England, and greatly
prevails there, both in the church of England, and among Dissenters. These
hold that Christ is but a mere creature ; though they grant that he is the great
est of all creatures*
Again, another thing which has of late exceedingly prevailed among Pro
testants, arid especially in England, is Deism. The Deists wholly cast off the
Christian religion, and are professed infidels. They are not like the Heretics,
Arians, Socinians, and others, who own the Scriptures to be the word of God,
and hold the Christian religion to be the true religion, but only deny these and
these, fundamental doctrines of the Christian religion : they deny the whole
Christian religion. Indeed they own the being of God ; but deny that Christ
was the Son of God, and say he was a mere cheat ; and so they say all the
prophets and apostles were : and they deny the whole Scripture. They deny
that any of it is the word of God. They deny any revealed religion, or any
word of God at all ; and say that God has given mankind no other light to
walk by but their own reason. These sentiments and opinions our nation,
which is the principal nation of the Reformation, is very much overrun with,
and they prevail more and more.
Thus much concerning the opposition that Satan has made against the
Reformation. 3. I proceed now to show what success the gospel has more lately had, or
what success it has had in these later times of the Reformed church. This
success may be reduced to these three heads : 1, Reformation in doctrine and
worship in countries called Christian ; 2, Propagation of the gospel among the
Heathen ; 3, Revival of religion in the power and practice of it.
(1.) As to the first, viz., reformation in doctrine, the 'most considerable
success of the gospel that has been of late of this kind has been in the empire
of Muscovy, which is a country of vast extent. The people of this country,
so many of them as call themselves Christians, professed to be of the Greek
church ; but were barbarously ignorant, and very superstitious till of late years.
Their late Emperor Peter the Great, who reigned till within these twenty years,

468 WORK OF REDEMPTION.
set himself to reform the people of his dominions, and took great pains to bring
them out of their darkness, and to have them instructed in religion. And, to
that end, he set up schools of learning, and ordered the Bible to be printed in
the language of the country, and made a law thatevery family should keep the
holy Scriptures in their houses, and that every, person should be able to read
the same, and that no person should be allowed to marry till they were able to
read the Scriptures. He also reformed the churches of his country of many of
their superstitions, whereby the religion professed and practised in Muscovy, is
much nearer to that of the Protestants than formerly it used to be. This em
peror gave great encouragement to the exercise of the Protestant religion in his
dominions. And since that, Muscovy has become a land of light, in compari
son of what it was before. Wonderful alterations have been brought about in
the face of religion for the better witbin these fifty years past. ,
(2.) As to the second kind of success which the gospel has lately had, viz.,
its propagation among the heathen, I would take notice of three things.
[1.] The propagation there has been of the gospel among the heathen here
in America. This American continent on which we live, which is a very great
part of the world, and, together with its neighboring seas adjoining, takes up
one side of the globe, was wholly unknown to all Christian nations till these
later times. It was not known that there was any such part of the world,
though it was very full of people ; and therefore here the devil had the people
¦that inhabited this part of the world as it were secure to himself, out of the
reach of the light of the gospel, and so out of the way of molestation in his
dominion over them. And here the many nations of Indians worshipped him
as God from age to age, while the gospel was confined to the opposite side of
the globe- It is a thing, which, if I remember right, I have somewhere lit of,
as probably supposed, from some remaining accounts of things, that the occa
sion of the first peopling of America was this, that the devil, being alarmed
and surprised by the wonderful success of the gospel which there was the first
three hundred years after Christ, and by the downfall of the Heathen empire in
the time of Constantine ; and* seeing the gospel spread so fast, and fearing that
bis Heathenish kingdom would be wholly overthrown through the world, led
away a people from the other continent into America, that they might be quite
out of the reach of the gospel, that here he might quietly possess them, and
reign over them as their god. It is what many writers give ah account of, that
some of the nations of Indians, when the Europeans first came into America,
bad a tradition among them, that their god first led them into this continent,
and went before them in an ark.
Whether this was so or not, yet it is certain that the devil did here quietly
*£njqy his dominion over the poor nations of Indians for many ages. But in
later times God has sent the gospel into these parts of the world, and now the
Christian church is set up here in New England, and in other parts of America,
where before had been nothing but the grossest Heathenish darkness. Great
part of America is now full of Bibles, and full of at least the form of the wor
ship of the true God, and Jesus Christ, where the name of Christ before had
not been heard of for many ages, if at all. And though there has been but a
small propagation of the gospel among the Heathen here, in comparison of
what were to be wished for, yet there has been something worthy to be taken
notice of. There was something remarkable in the first times of New Eng
land, and something remarkable has appeared of late here, and in other parts
of America, among many Indians, of an inclination to be instructed in the

Christian religion.

WORK OF REDEMPTION. 4C9,
'And however small the propagation of the gospel among the Heafhsn here
in America has been hitherto, yet I think we may well look upon the discovery
df so great a part of the world as America, and bringing the gospel into it, as-
one thing by which divine Providence is preparing the way for the future.'
glorious times of the church ; when Satan's kingdom shall be overthrown, net
only throughout the Roman empire, but throughout the whole habitable globe,
on every side, and on all its continents. Wben those times come, then doubt
less the gospel, which is already brought over into America, shall have glorious.
success, and all the inhabitants of this new discovered world, shall become sub
jects of thekingdom of Christ, as well as all the other ends of the earth ; and'
in all probability Providence has so ordered it, that the mariner's compas^
which is an invention of later times, Whereby men are enabled to sail over the
widest ocean, when before they durst not venture far from land, should proife.
a preparation for what God intends to bring to pass in the glorious, times of the
church-, viz., the sending forth the gospel-wherever ariy of the children of men
dwell, how far soever off, and however separated by wide oceans from those
parts of the world which are already Christianized.
(2.) There has of late years been a very considerable propagation of the
gospel among the Heathen in the dominions of Muscovy. I have already ob
served the reformation which there has lately been among those who are called
Christians there: but I now speak of the Heathen. Great part of the vast
dominions of the emperor of Muscovy are gross Heathens. The greater part
of Great Tartary, a Heathen country, has in later times been brought under
the Muscovite government; and there have been of late great numbers of
those Heathen who have renounced their Heathenism, and have embraced the
Christian religion.
[3.] There has been lately a very considerable propagation of the Christian
religion among the Heathen in the East Indies ; particularly many in a country
in the East Indies called Malabar, have been brought over to the Christian
Protestant religion, chiefly by the labors of certain missionaries sent thither to
instruct them by the king of Denmark, who have brought over many Heathens-
to the Christian faith, and have set up schools among them, and a printing
press, to print Bibles and other books for their instruction, in their own lan
guage, with great success.
(3.) The last kind of success which there has lately been of the gospel,.
which I shall take notice of, is the revivals of the power and practice of reli
gion which have lately been. And here I shall take notice of but two
instances, [1.] There has not long since been a remarkable revival of the power and
practice of religion in Saxony in Germany, through the endeavors of an emi
nent divine there, whose name was August Herman Frank, professor of divi
nity at Halle in Saxony, who, being a person of eminent charity, the great
work that God wrought by him, began with his setting on foot a charitable
design. It began only with his placing an alms-box at his study door, into-
which some poor mites were thrown, whereby books were bought for the in
struction of the poor. And God was pleased so wonderfully to smile on his.
design, and so to pour out a spirit of charity on people there on that occasion*
that with their charity he was enabled, in a little time, to erect public schools?
for the instruction of poor children, and an orphan house for the supply and
instruction of the poor ; so that at last it came to that, that near five hundred
children were maintained and instructed in learning and piety by the charity of
others; and the number continued to increase more and more for many years,

470 WORK OF REDEMPTION.
and till the last account I have seen. This was accompanied with a wonder
ful reformation and revival of religion, and a spirit of piety, in the city and
university of Halle ; and thus it continued. Which also had great influence in
many other places in Germany. Their example'seemed remarkably to stir up
multitudes to their imitation.
[2.] Another thing, which it would be ungrateful in us not to -take notice
of, is that remarkable pouring out of the Spirit of God which has been of late
in this part of New England, of which we, in this town, have had such a share.
But it is needless for me particularly to describe it, it being what you have so
lately been eye-witnesses to, and I hope multitudes of you sensible of the benefit
of. Thus I have mentioned the more remarkable instances of the success which
the gospel has lately had in the world.
4. I proceed now to the last thing that was proposed to be considered,
relating to the success of Christ's redemption during this space, viz., what the
state of things is now in the world with regard to the church of Christ, and the
success of Christ's purchase. And this I would do, by showing how things are
now, compared with the first times of the Reformation. And, 1, 1 wbuld show
wherein the state of things is altered for the worse ; and, 2, How it is altered
for the better.
(1.) I would show wherein the state of things is altered from what it
was in the beginning of the Reformation, for the worse ; and it is so especially
in these three respects.
[1.] The Reformed church is much diminished. The Reformation, in the
former times of it, as was observed before, was supposed to take place through
one half of Christendom, excepting the Greek church, or that there were as
many Protestants as Papists. But now it is not so ; the Protestant church is
much diminished. Heretofore there have been multitudes of Protestants in
France ; many famous Protestant churches were all over that country, who
used to meet together in synods, and maintain a very regular discipline; and
great part of that kingdom were Protestants. The Protestant church of
France was a great part of the glory of the Reformation. But now it is far
otherwise : this church is all broken to pieces and scattered. The Protestant
religion is almost wholly rooted out of that kingdom by the cruel persecutions
which have been there, and there are now but very few Protestant assemblies
in all that kingdom. The Protestant interest is also greatly diminished
in Germany. There were several sovereign princes - there formerly who
were Protestants, whose successors are now Papists ; as particularly, the
Elector Palatine and the Elector of Saxony. The kingdom ^of Bohemia
was formerly a Protestant kingdom, but is now in the hands of the
Papists : and so Hungary was formerly a Protestant country ; but the
Protestants there have been greatly reduced, and, in a great measure,
subdued, by the persecutions that have been there. And the Protestant
interest has no way remarkably gained ground of late of the church of
Rome. [2.] Another thing wherein the state of things is altered for the worse from
what was in the former times of the Reformation, is the prevailing of licentious
ness in principles and opinions. There is not -now that spirit of orthodoxy
which there was then ; there is very little appearance of zeal for the mysterious
and spiritual doctrines of Christianity ; and they never were so ridiculed, and
had in contempt, as they are in. the present age ; and especially in England,
the principal kingdom of the Reformation. In this kingdom, those principles,

WORK OF REDEMPTION. 471
on which the power of godliness depends, are in a great measure exploded ;
and Arianism, and Socinianism, and Arminianism, and Deism, are the things
which prevail, and carry almost all before them. And particularly history
gives no account of any age wherein there was so great an apostasy of those
who had been brought up under the light of the gospel, to infidelity ; never
was there such a casting off of the Christian, and all revealed religion ; never
any age wherein was so much scoffing at, and ridiculing the gospel of Christ,
by those who have been brought up under gospel light, nor any thing like it,
as there is at this day.
[3.] Another thing wherein things are altered for the worse, is, that there
is much less of the prevalency of the power of godliness, than there was at the
beginning of-the Reformation. There was a glorious outpouring of the Spirit
of God that accompanied the first Reformation, not only to convert multitudes
in so short a time from Popery to the true religion, but to turn many to God
and true godliness. Religion gloriously flourished in one country and another,
as most remarkably appeared in those times of terrible persecution, which have
already been spoken of. But now there is an exceeding great decay of vital
piety,; yea, it seems to be despised, called enthusiasm, whimsy, and fanaticism.
Those who are truly religiousj are commonly looked upon to be crack-brained,
and beside their right mind ; and vice. and profaneness dreadfully prevail, like a
flood which threatens to bear down all before it. But I proceed now to show,
(2.) In what respect things are altered for the better from what they were
, in the first Reformation.
[1.] The power and influence of the Pope is much diminished. Although,
since the former times of the Reformation, he has gained ground in extent of
dominion ; yet he has lost in degree of influence. The vial which, in the be
ginning of the Reformation, was poured out, on the throne of the beast, to the
great diminishing of his power and authority in the world, has continued run
ning ever since. The Pope, soon after the Reformation, became less regarded
by the princes of Europe than he had been before; and so he has been since,
less and less. Many of the Popish princes themselves seem now to regard him
very little more than they think will serve their own designs ; of which there
have been several remarkable proofs and instances of late.
[2.] There is far less persecution now than there was in the first times of
the Reformation. You have heard already how dreadfully persecution raged
in the former times of the Reformation ; and there is something of it still. Some
parts of the Protestant church are at this day under persecution, and so proba
bly will be till the day .of the church's suffering and travail is at an end, which
will npt be till the fall of Antichrist. But it is now in no measure as it was
heretofore. There does not seem to be the same spirit of persecution prevail
ing ; it is become more out of fashion even among the Popish princes. The
wickedness of the enemies of Christ, and the opposition against his cause, seem
to run in another channel. The humor now is, to despise and laugh at all re
ligion ; and there seems to be a spirit of indifferency about it. However, so
, far the state of things is better than it has been, that there is so much less of
.persecution. [3.] There is a great increase of learning. In the dark times of Popery
before the Reformation, learning was so far decayed, that the world seemed to
Be overrun with barbarous ignorance. Their very priests were many of them
- grossly ignorant. Learning began to revive with the Reformation, which was
owing very much to the art of printing, which was invented a little before the
Reformation; and since that, learning has increased more and more, and at

472 WORK OF REDEMPTION.
this day is undoubtedly raised to vastly a greater height than ever it was before -
and though no good use is made of it by the greater part of learned men, yet
the mcrease of learning in itself is a thing to be rejoiced in, because it is a good,
and, if duly applied, an excellent handmaid to divinity, and is a talent which,
if God gives men a heart, affords them a great advantage to do great things
for the advancement of the kingdom of Christ, and the good of the souls of
men. That learning and knowledge should greatly increase before the glorious '
times, seems to be foretold, Dan. xii. 4: "But thou, 0 Daniel, shut up the
words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end : many shaU run to and
fro, and knowledge shall be increased." And however little now learning is
applied to the advancement of religion ; yet we inay hope that the days are
approaching, wherein God will make great use of it for the advancement of
the kingdom of Christ.
God in his providence now seems to be acting oyer again the same part
which he did a little time before Christ came. The age wherein Christ came
into the world, was an age wherein learning greatly prevailed, and was at a
greater height than ever it had been before ; and yet wickedness never pre
vailed more than then. God was pleased to suffer human learning to come to
such a height before he sent forth the gospel into the world, that the world
might see the insufficiency of all their own wisdom for the obtaining the know
ledge of God, without the gospel of Christ, and the teachings of his Spirit :
and when, after that, in the wisdom of God, the world by wisdom knew not God, it
pleased God, by the foolishness of preaching, to save them that believe. And when
the gospel came to prevail first without the help of man's wisdom, then God was
pleased to make use of learning as a handmaid. So now learning is at a great
height at this day in the world, far beyond what it was in the age when Christ
appeared ; and now the world, by their learning and wisdom, do not know
God ; and they seem to wander in darkness, are miserably deluded, stumble and
fall in matters of religion, as in midnight darkness. Trusting to their learning,
they grope in the day-time as at night. Learned men are exceedingly divided
in their opinions concerning the matters of religion, run into all manner of cor
rupt opinions, pernicious and foolish errors. They scorn to submit their reason
to divine revelation, to believe any thing that is above their comprehension ;
and so, being wise in their own eyes, they become fools, and even vain in their
imaginations, and turn the truth of God into a lie, and their foolish hearts are
darkened. See Rom. i. 21, &c.
But yet, when God has sufficiently shown men the insufficiency of human
wisdom and learning for the purposes of religion, and when the appointed time
comes for that glorious outpouring of the Spirit of God, when he will himself
-by bis own immediate influence enlighten men's minds ; then may we hope that
God will make use of the great increase of' learning as a handmaid to religion,
as a means of the glorious advancement of the kingdom of his Son. Then shall
human learning be subservient to the understanding of the Scriptures-, and to a
clear explanation and a glorious defence of the doctrines of Christianity. And
there is no doubt to be made of it, that God in his providence has of late given
the world the art of printing, and such a great increase of learning, to prepare
for what he designs to accomplish for his church in the approaching - days of
its prosperity. And thus the wealth of the wicked is laid up for the just, agree
able to Prov. xiii. 22.
Having now shown how the work of redemption has been carried on from
the fall of man to the present time, before I proceed any further, I would make
some Application.

WORK OF REDEMPTION. 473
1 From what has been said, we may see great evidence of the truth of the
Christian religion, and that the Scriptures are the word of God. There are
three arguments of this, which I shall take notice of, which may be drawn
from what has been said.
(1.) It may be argued from that violent and inveterate opposition there has
always appeared of the wickedness of the world against this religion. The re- '
jigion that the church of God has professed from the first founding of the church
after the fall to this time, has always been the same. Though the dispensa
tions have been altered, yet the religion which the church has professed has
always, as to its essentials, been the same. The cburch of God, from the be
ginning, has been one society. The Christian church which has been since
Christ's ascension, is manifestly the same society continued, with the church
that was before Christ came. The Christian church is grafted on their root ;
they are built on the same foundation. The revelation on which both have de
pended, is essentially the same : for as the Christian church is built on the holy
Scriptures; so was the Jewish church, though now the Scriptures be enlarged
by. the addition of the New Testament ; but still it is essentially the same reve
lation with that which was given in the Old Testament, only the subjects of
divine revelation are now more clearly revealed in the New Testament than
they were in the Old. But the sum and substance of both the Old Testament
and New, is Christ and his redemption. The religion of the church of Israel,
was essentially the same religion with that of the Christian church, as evident
ly appears from what has been said. The ground-work of the religion of the
church of God, both before and since Christ has appeared, is the same great
scheme-of-redemption by the Son of God ; and so the church that was before
the Israelitish church, was still the same society, and it was essentially the same
religion that was professed and practised in it. Thus it was from Noah to
Abraham, and thus it was before the flood. And this society of men that is
called the church, has always been built on the foundation of those revelations
which we have in the Scriptures, which have always been essentially the same,
though gradually increasing. The church before the flood, was built on the
foundation of those revelations of Christ which were given to Adam, and Abel,
and Enoch, of which we have an account in the former chapters of Genesis,
and others of the like import. The chureh after the flood, was built on the
foundation of the revelations made to Noah and Abraham, to Meichisedeck,
Isaac, and Jacob, to Joseph, Job, and other holy men, of whom we have an
account in the Scriptures, or other revelations that were to the same purpose.
And after this the church depended on the Scriptures themselves as they gra
dually increased ; so that the church of God has always been built on the foun
dation, of divine revelation, and always on those revelations that were essen
tially the same, and which were summarily comprehended in the holy Scrip-.
hires, and ever since about Moses's time have been built on the Scriptures them
selves. So that the opposition which has been made to the church of God in all
ages, has always been against the same religion, and the same revelation.
Now therefore the violent and perpetual opposition that has ever been made
by the corruption and wickedness of mankind against this church, is a strong
argument of the truth of this religion, and this revelation, upon which this-
church has always been built. Contraries are well argued one from another.
We may well and safely argue, that a thing is good, according to the degree
of opposition in which it stands to evil, or the degree in which evil opposes it,,
and is an enemy to it. We may well argue, that a thing is light, by the great
Vol I. 60

474 WORK OF REDEMPTION.
enmity which darkness has to it. Now it is evident, by the things which you
have heard concerning the church of Christ, and that holy religion of Jesus
Christ which it has professed-, that the wickedness of the world has had a per
petual hatred to it, and has made most violent opposition against it.
That the church of God has always met with great opposition in the world,
none can deny. This is plain by profane history as far as that reaches ; and
before that, divine history gives us the same account. The cburch of God, and
its religion and worship, began to be opposed in Cain's and Abel's time, and was
so when the earth was filled with violence in Noah's time. And after this how
was the church opposed in Egypt! And how was the church of Israel
always hated by the nations round about, agreeable to that in Jer. xii. 9,
*' Mine heritage is unto me as a speckled bird, the birds round about are against
her." And after the Babylonish captivity, how was this church persecuted by
Antiochus Epiphanes, and others ! And how was Christ persecuted when, he
was on earth ! And how were the apostles and other Christians persecuted by
the Jews before the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans ! How violent
were that people against the church ! And how dreadful was the opposition
of the Heathen world against the Christian church after this before Constantine !
How -great was their spite against the true religion ! And since that, how yet
more violent, and spiteful, and cruel, has been the opposition of Antichrist
against the church !
There is no other such instance of opposition. History gives no account of
any other body of men that have been so hated, and so maliciously and insatia
bly pursued and persecuted, nor any thing like it. No other religion ever was
so maligned age after age. The nations of other professions have enjoyed their
religions in peace and quietness, however they have differed from their neigh
bors. One nation has worshipped one sort of gods, and 'Others another, without
molesting or disturbing one another about it. All the spite and opposition has
been against this religion, which the church of Christ has professed. All other
religions have seemed to show an implacable enmity to this ; and men have
seemed to have, from one age to another, such a spite against it, that they have
seemed as though they could never satisfy their cruelty. They put their inven
tions upon the rack to find out torments that should be cruel enough ; and yet,
after all, never seemed to be satisfied. Their thirst has never been satisfied
with blood.
So that this is out of doubt, that this religion, and these Scriptures, have
always been malignantly Opposed in the world. The only question that re
mains is, What it is that has made this opposition 1 Whether or not it has
been good or bad 1 Whether .it be the wickedness and corruption of the world,
or not, that has done this ? But of this there can be no greater doubt than of
the other, if we consider how causeless this cruelty has- always beeni, who the
opposers have been, and the manner in which they have opposed. The oppo
sition has chiefly been from Heathenism and Popery ; which things certainly
are evil. They are both of them very evil, and the fruits of the blindness, corrup
tion, and wickedness of men, as the very Deists themselves confess. The light
of nature shows, that the religion of Heathens, consisting in the worship of
idols> and sacrificing their children to them, and in obscene and abominable rites
and ceremonies, is wickedness. And the superstitions, and idolatries, and usur
pations of the church of Rome, are no less contrary to the light of nature. By
this it appears, that this opposition which has been made against the church of
God, has been made by wicked men. And with regard to the opposition of
the jews in Christ's and the apostles' times, it was in a most corrupt time of

WORK OF REDEMPTION. 475
that nation, when the people were generally become exceeding wicked, as
some of the Jewish writers themselves, as Josephus and others, who lived about
that time, do expressly say. And that it has been mere wickedness that has
made this opposition, is manifest, from the manner of opposition, the, extreme
violence, injustice, and cruelty, with which the church of God has been treated.
It seems to show the hand of malignant infernal spirits in it.
Now what reason can be assigned, why the corruption and wickedness of
the world should so implacably set itself against this religion of Jesus Christ,
and against the Scriptures, but only that they are contrary to wickedness, and
consequently are good and holy? Why should the enemies of Christ, for so
many thousand years together, manifest such a mortal hatred of this religion,
but only that it is the cause of God ? If the Scriptures be not the word of
God, and the religion of the church of Christ be not the true religion, then, it
must follow, that ;it is a most wicked religion ; nothing but a pack of lies and
abominable delusions, invented by the enemies of God themselves. And if this
were so,; it is not likely that the enemies of God, and the wickedness of the
world, ' would have maintained such a perpetual and implacable enmity
against it.
(2.) It is a great argument that the Christian church and its religionis from
God, that it has been upheld hitherto through all the opposition arid dangers it
has passed through. That the church of God and the true religion, which has been
so continually and violently opposed, with so many endeavors to overthrow it,
and which has so often been brought to the brink of ruin, and almost swallowed
up, through the greatest part of six thousand years, has yet been upheld, does
most remarkably show the hand of God in favor of the church. If we consider
it, it will appear one of the greatest wonders and miracles that ever came
to pass. There is nothing else like it upon the face of the earth. There is no
other society of men that has stood as the church has. As to the old world
which was before the flood, that was overthrown by a deluge of waters ; but
yet the church of God was preserved. Satan's visible kingdom on earth was
then once entirely overthrown ; but the visible kingdom of Christ never has
been overthrown. All those ancient human kingdoms and monarchies of which
we read, and which have been in former ages^ they are long since come to an
end. Those kingdoms of which we read in the Old Testament, of the Moab-
ites, the Ammonites, the Edomites, &c, they are all long ago come to an end.
Those four great monarchies of the world have been overthrown, one after an
other;. The great empire of proud Babylon was overthrown by the Persians;
and then the Persian empire was overthrown by the Greeks; after .this the
Grecian empire was overthrown by the Romans; and, finally, the Roman em
pire fell a sacrifice to various barbarous nations. Here is a remarkable fulfil
ment of the words of the text with respect to other things/even the greatest
and most glorious of them : they have all grown old and have vanished away :
" The moth has eaten them up like a garment, and the worm has eaten them
like Wool;" but yet -God's church remains.
Never were there so many potent endeavors to destroy any thing else, as
.here have be6n to destroy the, church. Other kingdoms and societies of men,
which have appeared to be ten times as strong as the church of God, have been
destroyed yri'tk a hundreth part of the opposition which the church of God has
met with ; which shows, that it is God who has been the protector of the
riiurch. For it is most plain, that it- has not upheld itself by its own Strength.
For the most part, it has been a very weak society. They have been a little
flock : sn they were of old. The children of Israel were but a small handful

476 WORK OF REDEMPTION.
of people, in comparison of the many who sought their ove. throw. And so in
Christ's time, and in the beginning of the Christian church after Christ's resur
rection, they were but a remnant: whereas the whole multitude of the Jewish
nation were against them. And so in the beginning of the Gentile church,
they were but a small number in comparison with the Heathen, who sought
their overthrow. And so in the dark times of Antichrist, before the Reforma
tion, they were but a handful ; and yet their enemies-could not overthrow them.
And it has commonly been so, that the enemies of the church have not only
had the greatest number on their side, but' they have had the strength on then-
side in other respects. They have commonly had all the civil authority on their
side. So it was in Egypt : the civil authority was on the side of the Egyptians,
and the church were only their slaves, and were in their hands; and yet they
could not overthrow them. And so it was in the time of the persecution of
Antiochus Epiphanes : the authority was all on the side of the persecutors, and
the church was under their dominion ; and yet all their cruelty could not ex
tirpate it. And so it was afterwards in the time of the Heathen Roman gov
ernment. And so it was in the time of Julian the apostate, who did his utmost
to overthrow the Christian church, and to restore Heathenism. And so it has
been for the most part since the rise of Antichrist : for a great many ages, the
civil authority was all on the side of Antichrist, and the church seemed to be in
their hands.
And not only has the strength of the enemies of the church been greater
than the strength of the church, but ordinarily the church has not used what
strength they have had in their own defence, but have committed themselves wholly
to God. So it was in the time of the Jewish persecutions before the destruction
of Jerusalem by the Romans ; and so it was in the time of the Heathen perse
cutions before Constantine ; the Christians did not only not rise up in arms to de
fend themselves, but they did not pretend to make any forcible resistance to their
Heathen persecutors. So it has for the most part been under the Popish per
secutions ; and yet they have never been able to overthrow the church of God ;
but it stands to this very day.
And this is still the more exceeding wonderful, if we consider how often
the church has been brought to the brink of ruin, and the case seemed to be
desperate, and all hope gone, and they seemed to be swallowed up. In the
time of the old world, when wickedness so prevailed, as that but one family
was left, yet God wonderfully appeared, and overthrew the wicked world with
a flood, and preserved his church. And so at the Red Sea, when Pharaoh and
his host thought they were quite sure of their prey ; yet God appeared, and de
stroyed them, and delivered his church. And so was it from time to time in the
church of Israel,, as has been shown. So under the tenth and last Heathen
persecution, their persecutors boasted that now they had done the business for
the Christians, and had overthrown the Christian church; yet in the midst of
their triumph, the Christian church rises out .of the dust and prevails, and the
Heathen empire totally falls before it. So when the Christian church seemed
ready to be swallowed up by the Arian heresy ; so when Antichrist rose and
prevailed, and all the world wondered after the beast, and the church for many
hundred years was reduced to such a small number, and seemed to be hidden,
and the power of the world was engaged to_destroy those little remainders of
the church ; yet they could never -fully accomplish their design, and at last God
wonderfully revived his church in the time of the Reformation, and made it to
stand as it were on its feet in the sight of its enemies, and raised it out of their
reach. And so since, when the Popish powers have plotted the overthrow of

WORK OF REDEMPTION. 477
the Reformed church, and have seemed just about to bring their matters to a
conclusion, and to finish their design, then God has wonderfully appeared for
the- deliverance of his church, as it was in the time of the Revolution by King
William. And so it has been from time to time ; presently after the darkest times
of the church, God has made his church most gloriously to flourish.
If such a preservation of the church of God, from the beginning of the world
hitherto, attended with such circumstances, is not sufficient to show a divine
hand in favor 'of it, what can be devised that would be sufficient 1 But if this
be from the divine hand, then God owns the church, and Owns her religion, and
owns that, revelation and those Scriptures on which she is built ; and so it will
follow, that their religion is the true religion, or God's religion, and that the
Scriptures, which they make their rule, are his word.
, (3.) We may draw this further argument for the divine authority of the
Scriptures from what has been said, viz., that God has so fulfilled those things
which are foretold in the Scriptures. — I have already observed, as I went along,
how the prophecies of Scripture were fulfilled : I shall now therefore single- out
but two instances of the fulfilment of Scripture prophecy.
[1.] One is in preserving his church from being ruined. I have just now
shown what an evidence this is of the divine authority of the Scriptures in itself
considered : I now speak of it as a fulfilment of Scripture prophecy. This is
abundantly foretold and promised in the Scriptures, as particularly in the text :
there it is foretold, that other things shall fail, other kingdoms and monarchies
which set themselves in opposition, should come to nothing : " The moth should
eat them up like a garment, and the worm should eat them like wool." And so
it has in fact come to pass. But it is here foretold, that God's covenant mercy
to his church should continue forever ; and so it hath hitherto proved, though
now it be so many ages since, and though the church has passed through so
many dangers. The same is promised, Isa. liv. 17, " No weapon that is form
ed against thee, shall prosper ; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in
judgment, thou shalt condemn." And again, Isa. xlix. 14, 15, 16, " But Zion
said, The Lord hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me. Can a wo
man forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of
her womb 1 Yea, they may forget, but yet will I not forget thee. Behold, I have
graven thee upon the palms of my hands, thy walls are continually before me."
The same is promised again, in Isa. lix- 21, andTsa. xliii. 1, 2, and Zech. xii.
2, 3. So Christ promises the same, when he says, " On this rock will I build
my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." Now if this be
not from God, and the Scriptures be not the word of God, and the church of
Christ, built on the foundation of this word be not of God, how could the per
sons who foretold this, know it ? for if the church were not of fttod, it was a very
unlikely thing ever to come to pass. For they foretold the great opposition, and
the great dangers, and also foretold that other kingdoms should come to nought,
and that the church should often be almost swallowed up, as it were easy to
show, and yet foretold that the church should remain. Now how could they
foresee so unlikely a thing, but by divine inspiration 1
[2.] The other remarkable instance which I shall mention of the fulfilment
of Scripture prophecy, is in fulfilling what is foretold concerning Antichrist, a
certain great opposer of Christ and his kingdom. And the way that this An
tichrist should arise, is foretold, viz., not among the Heathen, or those nations
that never professed Christianity ; but that he should arise by the apostasy and
falling away of the Christian church into a corrupt state : 2 Thess. ii. 3, " For
that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man

478 WORK OF REDEMPTION.
of sin be revealed, the son of perdition."— And it is prophesied, that this An
tichrist, or man of sin, should be one that should set himself up in the temple
or visible church of God, pretending to be vested with the power of God him
self, as head of the church, as in the same chapter, verse 4. And all this is
exactly come to pass in the church of Rome. Again, it is intimated, that the
rise of Antichrist should be gradual, as there, verse 7, " For the mystery of in
iquity doth already work ; only he who now letteth, will let, until he be taken
out of the way." This also came to pass. — Again, it is prophesied of such a
great and mighty enemy of the Christian church, that he should be a great
prince or monarch of the Roman empire : so he is represented as a horn
of the fourth beast in-Daniel, or fourth kingdom or monarchy upon earth, as
the angel himself explains it, as you may see of the little horn in the 7th chap
ter of Daniel. This also came to pass. — Yea, it is prophesied that the seat of
this great prince, or pretended vicar of God, and head of his church, should be
in the city of Rome itself. In the 17th chapter of Revelation, it is said ex
pressly, that the spiritual whore, or false church, should have her seat on seven
mountains or hills : Revw Xvii. 9, " The seven heads are seven mountains, on
which the woman sitteth :" and in the last verse of the chapter, it is said ex
pressly, " The woman which thou sawest, is that great city which reigneth
over the kings of the earth ;" which it is certain was at that time the city of
Rome. This prophecy has also come to pass in the church of Rome.
Further, it was prophesied, that this Antichrist < should reign over peoples,
and multitudes, and nations, and tongues, Rev. xvii. 15 ; and that all the world
should wonder after the beast, Rev. xiii. 3.; This also came to pass in the
church of Rome. It was foretold that this Antichrist should he eminent and
remarkable for the sin of pride, pretending to great things, and assuming
very much to himself: so in the forementioned place in Thessalonians, " That
he should exalt himself above all that is called God," or that is worshipped."
So Rev. xiii. 5, " And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things,
and blasphemies." Dan. vii. 20, the little horn is said to have a mouth speak
ing very great things, and his look to be more stout than his fellows. This
also came to pass in the Pope, and the church of Rome. — It was also prophesi
ed, that Antichrist should be an exceeding cruel persecutor, Dan. vii. 21. The
same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them : Revelation
xiii. 7, " And it was given unto him to make war with thesainfs, and to'over-
come them." Revelation xvii. 6, " And I saw the woman drunken witb.the blood
of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus." This also came to pass
in the church of Rome.— It was foretold, that Antichrist should excel in craft
and policy : Dan. vii. 8, " In this horn were eyes bke the eyes of a man." And
verse 20, " Evenfcf that horn that had eyes." This also came to pass in the
church of Rome. — -It was foretold that the kings of Christendom should be sub
ject to Antichrist : Rev. xvii. 12, 13, " And the ten horns which thou sawest,
are ten kings, which have received no kingdom as yet; but receive power as
kings one hour with the beast'. These have one mind, and shall give their
power and strength unto the beast." This also came to pass with respect to
the Romish church.— It was foretold, that he should perform pretended mira
cles and lying wonders : 2 Thess. ii. 9, " Whose coming is after the working
of Satan, with all power, and signs, and lying wonders." Rev. xiii. 13, 14,
" And he doth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven
on the earth, in the sight of men, and deceiveth them that dwell on the earth,
by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the' sight of the
beast." This also came to pass in the church of Rome. Fire's coming down

WORK OF REDEMPTION. 479
from heaven, seem? to have reference to their excommunications, which were
dreaded like fire from heaven.— It was foretold, that he should forbid to marry,
and to abstain from meats : 1 Tim. iv. 3, " Forbidding to marry, and com
manding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received witb
thanksgiving." This also is exactly fulfilled in the church of Rome.— It was
foretold, that he should be very rich, and arrive at a great degree of earthly
splendor and glory : Rev. xvii. 4, " And the woman was arrayed in purple and
scarlet color, and decked, with gold and precious stones, and pearls, having a
golden cup in her hand." And so chap, xviii. 7, 12, 13, 16. This also is
come to pass with respect to the church of Rome.— It was foretold that he
should forbid any to buy or sell, but those that had his mark : Rev. xiii. 17,
"And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name
of the beast, or the number of his name." This also is fulfilled in the church
of Rome.— It was foretold, that he should sell the souls of men, Rev. xviii. 13,
where, in enumerating the articles of his merchandise, the souls of men are men
tioned as one. This also is exactly fulfilled in the same church. — It was foretold,
that Antichrist woujd not suffer the bodies of God's people to be put into graves :
Rev. xl 8, 9, "And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city —
and they— shall riot suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves." This also
has literally come to pass with respect to the church of Rome.— I might men
tion many other things which were foretold of Antichrist, or that great enemy
of the church so often spoken of in Scripture, and show that they were fulfilled
most exactly in the Pope and the church of Rome.
How strong an argument is this, that the Scriptures are the word of God !
2. But now I come to a second inference ;. which is this : from what has
been said, we may learn what the spirit of true Christians is, viz., a spirit of
suffering. Seeing God b as so ordered it in his providence,, that his church
should for so long a time, for the greater part of so many ages, be in a suffer
ing state, yea, and often in a state of such extreme suffering, we may conclude
that the spirit of the true church is a suffering spirit, otherwise God never
would have ordered so much' suffering for the church; for doubtless God ac
commodates the state and circumstances of the church to the spirit that he has
given them. We see by what has been said, how many and great sufferings
the Christian church for the most part has been under for these 1700 years :
no wonder therefore that Christ so much inculcated upon his disciples, that it
was necessary, that if any would be his disciples, " they must deny themselves,
and take up their cross and follow him."
Arid we may argue, that the spirit of the true church of Christ is a suffering
spirit, by the spirit the church has shown and exercised under her sufferings.
She has actually, under those terrible persecutions through which she bas passed,
rather chosen to undergo those dreadful torments, and to sell all for the pearl
of great price, to suffer all that her bitterest enemies could inflict, than to re
nounce Christ and his religion. History furnishes1 us with a great number of
remarkable instances, sets in view a great cloud of witnesses. This abundantly
confirms the necessity of being of a spirit to sell all for Christ, to renounce our
own ease, our own worldly profit, and honor, and our all, for him, and for the
gospel. Let us inquire, whether we are of such a spirit. How does it prove upon
trial ? Does it prove in fact that we are willing to deny ourselves, and renounce
our own worldly interest, and to pass through the trials to which we are called
in providence? Alas, how small are our trials, compared with those of many
of our fellow Christians in former ages ! And I would on this occasion apply

480 WORK OF REDEMPTION.
that in Jer. xii. 5, "If thou hast run with the footmen, and they have wearied
thee, then how canst thou contend with horses?" If you have not been ableto
endure the light trials to which you have been called in this age, and in this
land, how- would you be able to endure the far greater trials to which the church
has been called in former ages ? Every true Christian has the spirit of a martyr,
and would suffer as a martyr, if he were called to it in providence.
3. Hence we learn what great reason we have, assuredly to expect the
fulfilment of what yet remains to be fulfilled of things foretold in Scripture.
The Scriptures foretell many great things yet to be fulfilled before the end of the
world. But there seem to be great difficulties in the way. We seem at present
to be very far from such a state as is foretold in the Scriptures ; but we have
abundant reason to expect, that these things, however seemingly difficult, will
yet be accomplished in their season. We see the faithfulness of God to his
promises hitherto. How true has God been to his church, and remembered his
mercy froin generation to generation ! We may say concerning what God has
done hitherto for his church, as Joshua said to the children of Israel, Josh, xxiii.
14, " That not one thing hath failed of all that the Lord our God hath spoken
concerning his church ;" but all things are hitherto come to pass agreeably to
the divine prediction. This should strengthen our faith in those promises, and
encourage us, and stir us up to -earnest prayer to God for the accomplishment
of the great and glorious things which yet remain to be fulfilled.
It has already been shown how the success of Christ's redemption was car
ried on through various periods down to the present time.
Athly. I come now to show how, the success of Christ's redemption will be
carried on from the present time, till Antichrist is fallen, and Satan's , yisjbje
kingdom on earth is destroyed. And with respect to this space of time, we have
nothing to guide us but the prophecies of Scripture. Through mostof the time
from the fall of man to the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans,, we had
Scripture history to guide us ; and from thence to the present time we had pro
phecy, together with the accomplishment of it in providence, as related in human
histories. But henceforward we have only prophecy to guide us. And here
I would pass by those things that are only conjectural, or that are surmised by
some from those prophecies which are doubtful in their interpretation, and shall
insist only on those things which are more clear and evident.
We know not what particular events are to come to pass before that glori
ous work of God's Spirit begins, by which Satan's kingdom is to be overthrown.
By the consent of most divines, there are but few things, if any at all, that are
foretold to be accomplished before the beginning of that glorious work of God.
Some think the slaying of the witnesses, Rev. xi. 7,8, is not yet accomplished.
So divines differ with respect to the pouring out of the seven vials, of which we
have an account, Rev. xvi, how- many are already poured out, 'or how many
remain to be poured out ; though a late expositor, whom I have before men
tioned to you, seems to make it very plain and evident, that all are already
poured out but two, viz. the sixth on the river Euphrates, and the seventh into
the air. But I will not now stand to inquire what is intended by the pouring
out of the sixth vial on the river Euphrates, that the way of the kings of the
east may be prepared ; but only would say, that it seems to be something im
mediately preparing the way for the destruction of the spiritual Babylon, as the
drying up of the river Euphrates, which ran through the midst of old- Babylon,
was what prepared the way of the kings of the Medes and Persians, the kings
of the east, to. come in under the walls, and destroy that city.-
But whatever this be, it does not appear that it is any thing which shall be

WORK OF REDEMPTION. 481
accomplished before that work of God's Spirit is begun, by which, as it goes
•on, Satan's visible kingdom on earth shall be utterly overthrown. And there
fore I would proceed directly to consider what the Scripture reveals concerning
the work of God itself, by which he will bring about this great event, as being
the next thing which is to be accomplished that we are certain of from the
prophecies of Scripture.
And, first, I would observe two things in general concerning it.
1. We have all reason fo conclude from the Scriptures* that just before this
work of God begins,"it will be a very dark time with respect to the interests of
religion in the world. It has been so before those glorious revivals of religion
that have been hitherto. It was so when Christ came ; it was an exceeding
degenerate time among the Jews : and so it was a very dark time before the
Reformation. And not only so, but it seems to be foretold in. Scripture, that
it shall be a time of but little religion, when Christ shall come to set up his
kingdom in the world.' Thus when Christ spake of his coming, to encourage
his elect, who cry to him day and night, in Luke xviii. 8, he adds this, " Never
theless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?"
Which seems to denote a great prevalency of infidelity just before Christ's com
ing to avenge his suffering church. Though Christ's coming at the last judg
ment is not here to be excluded, yet there seems to be a special respect to his
coming to deliver his church from their long-continued suffering, persecuted
state, which is accomplished only at his coming at the destruction of Antichrist.
That time that the elect cry to God, as in Rev. vi. 10, " How long, 0 Lord,
holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on
the earth ?" And the time spoken of in Rev. xviii. 20, " Rejoice over her,
thou heaven, and ye holy apostles, and prophets, for God hath avenged you on
her," will then be accomplished.
It is now a very dark time with respect to the interests of religion, and
Such a time as this prophesied of in this place ; wherein there is but a little
faith, and a great prevailing of infidelity on the earth. There is now a remark
able fulfilment of that in 2 Pet. iii. 3 : " Knowing this, that there shall come
in the last days scoffers, walking in their own lusts." And so Jude 17, 18,
" But, beloved, remember ye the words which were spoken before of the apostles
of our Lord Jesus Christ ; how that they told you there should be mockers in
the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts." Whether the
times shall be any darker still, or how much darker, before the beginning of
this glorious work of God, we cannot tell.
2- There is no reason from the word of God to think any other, than that
this great work of God will be wrought, though very swiftly, yet gradually.
As the children of Israel were gradually brought out of the Babylonish cap
tivity, first one company, and then another, and gradually rebuilt their city and
temple ; and as the Heathen Roman empire was destroyed by a gradual, though
a very swift prevalency of the gospel ; so, though there are many things which
seem to hold forth as though the work of God would be exceeding swift, and
many great and wonderful events should very suddenly be brought to pass, and
some great parts of Satan's visible kingdom should have a very sudden fall, yet
all will not be accomplished at once, as by some great miracle, as the resur
rection of the dead at the end of the world will be all at once ; but this is a
work which will be accomplished by means, by the preaching of the gospel,
and the use of the ordinary means of grace, and so shall be gradually brought
to pass. Some shall be converted, and be the means of others' conversion.
God's Spirit shall be poured out first to raise up instruments, and then those uw
Vol. I 61

482 WORK OF REDEMPTION.
struments shall be used and succeeded. And doubtless one nation shall be en
lightened and converted after another, one false religion ahd false way of
worship exploded after another. By the representation in Dan. ii. 3, A] the
stone cut out of the mountain without hands gradually grows. So Christ
teaches us, that the kingdom of heaven is like a grain of mustard seed, Matt.
xiii. 31, 32, and like leaven hid in three measures of meal, verse 33. The
same representation we have in Mark iv. 26, 27, 28, and in the vision of the
waters of the sanctuary, Ezek. xlvii. — The Scriptures hold forth as though
there should be several successive great and glorious events by which this
glorious work shall be accomplished. The angel, speaking to the prophet
Daniel of those glorious times, mentions two glorious periods, at the end of
which glorious things should be accomplished : Dan. xii. 1 1, " And from the
time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that
maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days."
But then he adds in the next verse, "Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to
the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days;" intimating, that some
thing very glorious shall be accomplished at the end of the former period, but
something much more glorious at the end of the latter.
But I now proceed to show how thisglorious work shall be accomplished.
1. The Spirit of God shall be gloriously poured out'for the wonderful re
vival and propagation of religion. This great work shall be accomplished, not
by the authority of princes, nor by the wisdom of learned men, but by God's
Holy Spirit : Zech. iv. 6, 7, " Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit,
saith the Lord of hosts. Who art thou, 0 great mountain ? Before Zerubba
bel thou shalt become a plain, and he shall bring forth the head stone thereof
with shoutings, crying, Grace, grace unto it." So the prophet Ezekiel, speak
ing of this great work of God, says, chap, xxxix. 29, " Ne^her will I hide my
face any more from them ; for I have poured out my Spirit on the house of Israel,
saith the Lord God." We know not where this pouring out of the Spirit shall
begin, or whether in many- places at once, or whether, what hath already been,
be riot some forerunner and beginning of it.
This pouring out of the Spirit of God, when it is begun, shall soon bring great
multitudes to forsake that vice and wickedness which now so generally prevails,
and shall cause that vital religion which is now so despised and laughed at in the
world, to revive. The work of conversion shairbreak forth and go on in such
a manner as never has been hitherto ; agreeable to that in Isa. xliv. 3, 4, 5. —
God, by pouring out his Holy Spirit, will furnish men to be glorious instruments
of carrying on this work ; will fill them with knowledge and wisdom, and fervent
zeal for the promoting the kingdom of Christ, and the salvation of souls, and
propagating the gospel in the world. So that the gospel shall begin to be
preached with abundantly greater clearness and power than had heretofore been :
for this great work of God shall be brought to pass by the preaching of the
gospel, as is represented in Rev. xiv. 6, 7, 8. That before Babylon falls, the
gospel shall be powerfully preached and propagated in the world.
This was typified of old by the sounding of the silver trumpets- iri Israel in the
beginning of their jubilee : Lev. xxv. 9, " Then shalt thou cause the trumpet
of the jubilee to sound on the tenth day of the seventh month; on the. day of
atonement shall ye make the trumpet sound throughout all your land." The
glorious times which are approaching, are as it were the church's jubilee, which
shall be introduced by the sounding of the silver trumpet of the gospel, as is
foretold in Isa. xxvii. 13, " And it shall come to pass in that day, that the great
trumpet shall be blown, and they shall come which were ready to perish in the

WORK OF REDEMPTION. 483
land of Assyria, and the outcasts of the land of Egypt, and shall worship the
Lord in the holy mount at Jerusalem." . And there shall be a glorious pouring
out of the Spirit with this clear arid powerful preaching of the gospel, to make
it successful for reviving those holy doctrines of religion which are now chiefly
ridiculed in the world, and turning many from heresy, and from Popery, and
from other false religions; and also for turning many from their vice and pro-
faneness, and for bringing vast multitudes savingly home to Christ.
The work of conversion shall go on in a wonderful manner, and spread
more and more. Many shall flow together to the goodness of the Lord, and
shall come as it were in flocks, one flock and multitude after another continually^
flowing in, as in Isa. Ix. 4, 5, "Lift up thine eye round about, and see; all'
they gather themselves together, they come to thee ; thy sons shall come from
far, arid thy daughters shall be nursed at thy side. Then thou shalt see and
flow together." And so verse 8, " Who are these that fly as a cloud, and as
the doves to their windows ?" And it being represented in the forementioned
place in the Revelation, that the gospel shall be preached to every tongue, and
kindred, and nation, and people, before the fall of Antichrist ; so we may sup
pose, that it will soon be gloriously successful to bring in multitudes from every
nation ; and it shall spread more and more with wonderful swiftness, and vast
numbers shall suddenly be brought in as it were at once, as you may see, Isa.
Ixvi. 7, 8, 9.
2. This pouring out of the Spirit of God will not effect the overthrow of
Satan's visible kingdom, till there has first been a violent and mighty opposition
made. Ih this the Scripture is plain, that when Christ is thus gloriously com
ing forth, and the destruction of Antichrist is ready at hand, and Satan's king
dom begins to totter, and to appear to be imminently threatened, the powers of
the kingdom of darkness will rise up, and mightily exert themselves to prevent
their kingdom being overthrown. Thus after the pouring out of the sixth vial,
which was to dry up the river Euphrates, to prepare the way for the destruc
tion of spiritual Babylon, it is represented in Rev. xvi., as though the powers
of hell will be mightily alarmed, and should stir up tbemselves to oppose the
kingdom of Christ, before the seventh and last vial shall be poured out, which
shall give them a final and complete overthrow. We have an account of the
pouring out ofthe sixth in verse 12. And then upon this, the beloved disciple
informs us in the following verses, that, " three unclean spirits like frogs shall
go forth unto the kings of the earth, to gather them together to the battle of
the great day of God Almighty." This seems to be the last and greatest effort
of Satan to save his kingdom from being overthrown ; though perhaps he may
make as great towards the end of the world to regain it.
When the Spirit begins to be so gloriously poured forth, and the devil sees
such multitudes flocking to Christ in one nation and another, and the founda
tions of his kingdom daily undermining, and the pillars of it breaking, and the
whole ready to come to swift and sudden destruction, it will greatly alarm all
hell. Satan has ever had a dread of having his kingdom overthrown, and he
has been opposing of it ever since Christ's1 ascension, and has been doing great
works to fortify his kingdom, and to prevent it, ever since the day of Constan
tine the Great. To this end he has set up those two mighty kingdoms of Anti
christ and Mahomet, and brought in all the heresies and superstitions and cor
rupt opinions, which there are in the world. But when he sees all begins to
fail, it will rouse him up exceedingly. If Satan dreaded being cast out of the
Roman empire, how much more does he dread being cast out of the whole
world !

484 WORK OF REDEMPTION.
It seems as though in this last great opposition which shall be made against
the church to defend the kingdom of Satan, all the forces of Antichrist, and
Mahometanism, and .Heathenism, will be united; all the forces of Satan's visi
ble kingdom through the whole world of mankind. And therefore it is said,
that "spirits of devils shall go forth unto the kings of the earth, and of the
whole world, to gather them together to the battle of the great day of God
Almighty." And these spirits are said to come out of the mouth of the dragon,
and out of the mouth of the beast,. and out of the mouth of the false prophet,
i. e., there shall be the spirit of Popery, and the spirit of Mahometanism, and
the spirit of Heathenism all united. By the beast is meant Antichrist ; by the
dragon, in this book, is commonly meant the devil, as he reigns over his Hea
then kingdom ; by the false prophet, in this book, is sometimes meant the Pope
and his clergy : but here an eye seems to be had to Mahomet, whom hisfollowers
call the great prophet of God. This will be as it were the dying struggles of
the old serpent ; a battle wherein he will fight as one that is almost desperate
We know not particularly in what manner this opposition shall be made.
It is represented as a battle ; it is called the battle of the great day of God
Almighty. There will be some way or 'other a mighty struggle between Sa
tan's kingdom and the church, and probably in all ways of opposition that can
be ; and doubtless great opposition by external force ; wherein the princes of the
world who are on the devil's side shall join hand in hand : for it is said, " The
kings of the earth are gathered together to battle," Rev. xix. 19. And proba
bly with all there will be great opposition by subtle disputers and carnal.reason-
ing, and great persecution in many places, and great opposition by virulent re
proaches, and also great opposition by craft and subtlety. The devil now
doubtless will ply his skill as well as strength to the utmost. The devils, and
those who belong to their kingdom, will everywhere be stirred up, and en-
figed to make a united and violent opposition against this holy religion, which
ey see prevailing so, mightily in the world. — But,
Christ and his church shall in this battle obtain a complete and entire vic
tory over their enemies. They shall be totally routed and overthrown in this
their last effort. When the powers of hell and earth are thus gathered together
against Christ, and his armies shall come forth against them by his word,and
Spirit to fight with them, in how august and pompous, and glorious a manner
is this coming forth of Christ and his church to this battle described, Rev. xix.
11, &.c. And to represent to us how great the victory should be which they
should obtain, and how mighty the overthrow of their enemies, it is said, verses
17, and 18, that " all the fowls of heaven are called together, to eat the great
supper given them, of the flesh of kings, and captains, and mighty men." &c.
and then, in the following verses, we have an account of the victory and over
throw. In this victory, the seventh vial shall be poured out. It is said, Rev. xvi.
16, of the great army that should be gathered together against Christ : " And
he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue, Armaged
don ;" and then it is said, " and the seventh angel poured out his vial into the
air ; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, frorri the throve,
saying, It is done." Now the business is done for Satan and his adherents.
When this victory is obtained, all is in effect done. Satan's last and greatest
opposition is conquered ; -all his measures are defeated ; the pillars of his king
dom broken asunder, and will fall of course. The devil is utterly baffled and
confounded, and knows not what else to do. He now sees his Antichristian,
and Mahometan, ancl Heathenish kingdoms through the world, all tumbling

WORK OF REDEMPTION. 485.
about his ears. He and his most powerful instruments- are taken captive. Now
that is in effect done which the church of God had been so long waiting andi
hoping for, and so earnestly crying to God for, saying, " How long, 0 Lord^
holy and true ?" Now the time is come.
The angel who set his right foot on the sea, and his left foot on the earth,
lift up his hand to heaven, and swore by him that liveth forever and ever, who
created heaven, and all things that therein are, and the earth, and the things
that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein, that when the
seventh angel should come to sound, the time should be no longer. And now
the time is come ; now the seventh trumpet so.unds, and the seventh vial is
poured out, both together; intimating, that now all is finished as to the over
throw of Safari's visible kingdom on earth. This victory shall be by far the
greatest that' eVer was obtained over Satan and his adherents. By this blow,
with which the storie cut out of the mountain without hands shall strike the
image of gold, and silver, and brass, and iron, and clay, it shall all be broken
to pieces. This will be a finishing blow to the image, so that it shall become
as the chaff of the summer threshing-floor.
In this victory will be a most glorious display of divine power. Christ shall
therein appear in the character of King of kings, and Lord of lords, as in Rev.
xix. 16. Now Christ shall dash his enemies, even the strongest and proudest
of them, in pieces ; as a potter's vessel shall they be broken to shivers. Then
shall strength be shown out of weakness, and Christ shall cause his church as
it were to thresb the mountains, as in Isa. xii. 15 : " Behold, I will make thee a
new sharp threshing instrument having teeth : thou shalt thresh the mountains,
arid beat them small, and shalt make the hills as chaff." And then shall be
fulfilled that in Isa. xiii. 13, 14, 15.
• ¦ 4. Consequent on this victory, Satan's visible kingdom on earth shall be
destroyed. ' When Satan is conquered in this last battle, the church of Christ
will have easy work' of it; as when Joshua and the children of Israel
had obtained that great victory over the five kings of the Amorites. When the
sun stood still, arid God sent great hail-stones on their enemies, they after that
Went from one city to another, and burnt them with fire : they had easy work
of subduing the cities anil country to which they belonged. So it was, also,
after that Other great battle that Joshua had with that great multitude
at the waters of Meram. So after this glorious victory of Christ and
his church over their enemies, over the chief powers of Satan's kingdom,
they shall destroy that kingdom in all those cities and countries to which they
belonged. After this the word of God shall have a speedy and swift
.progress through the earth ; as it is said, that on the pouring out of the
seventh vial, " the cities of the nations fell, and every island fled away,
and the mountains were not found," Rev. xvi. 19, 20. When once the stone
cut out of the mountain without hands had broken the image in pieces, it was
easy to abolish all'remains of it. The very wind will carry it away as the chaff
of the summer threshing-floor. Because Satan's visible kingdom on earth
shall now be destroyed, therefore, it is said, that the seventh vial; by which this
shall be done, shall be poured out into the air; which is represented in
Scripture as the special seat of his kingdom ; for he is called the prince
of the power of the ' air, Eph. ii. 2. Now is come the time for punishing
leviathan, that piercing sferpent, of which we read in Isa.'xxvii. 1 : " In that day
the Lord with his sore and great and strong sword, shall punish leviathan, the,
piercing.serpent, even leviathan, that crooked serpent, and he shall slay the
diagon that is in the sea."

486 WORK OF REDEMPTION.
Concerning this overthrow of Satan's visible kingdom on earth, I would,
1, Show wherein this overthrow of Satan's visible kingdom will chiefly
consist; 2, The extent and universality of this overthrow.
1. I would show wherein this overthrow of Satan's kingdom will consist.
I shall mention the particular things in which it will consist, without pretend
ing to determine in what order they shall come to pass, or which shall be
accomplished first, or whether they shall be accomplished together.
(1.) Heresies, and infidelity, and superstition, among those who have been
brought up under the light of the gospel, will then be abolished. Then there
will be an end of Socinianism, and Arianism, and Quakerism, and Arminian
ism ; and Deism, which is now so bold and confident in infidelity, shall then be
crushed, and driven away, and vanish to nothing ; and all shall agree in the
same great and important doctrines of the gospel; agreeable to that in
Zech. xiv. 9 : " And the Lord shall be king over all the earth : in that
day shall there be one Lord, and his name one." Then shall be abolished all
superstitious ways of worship, and all shall agree in worshipping God in his
own ways: Jer. xxxii. 39, "And I will give them one heart, and oneway,
that they may fear jne forever, for the good of them, and of their children after
them." (2.) The kingdom of Antichrist shall be utterly overthrown. His kingdom
and dominion has been much brought down already by the vial poured out on
his throne in the Reformation ; but then it shall be utterly destroyed. Then
shall be proclaimed, " Babylon is fallen, is fallen." When- the seventh angel
sounds, the time, times and half, shall be out, " and the time shall be no
longer." Then shall be accomplished concerning Antichrist the things which
are written in the 18th chapter of Revelation, of the spiritual Babylon, that
great city Rome, or the idolatrous Roman government, that has for so many
ages been the great enemy of the Christian church, first under Heathenism,
then under Popery : that proud city, which lifted herself up to heaven, and
above God himself, in her pride and haughtiness ; that cruel, bloody city, shall
come down to the ground. Then shall that be fulfilled, Isa. xxvi. 5, " For he
bringeth down them that dwell on high, the lofty city he layeth it low, he
layeth it low, even to the ground, he bringeth it even to the dust." She shall
be thrown down with violence, like a great millstone cast into the sea, and
shall be found no more at all, and shall become a habitation of devils, and the
hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird. Now
shall she be stripped of all her glory, and riches, and ornaments, and shall be
cast out as an abominable branch, and shall be trodden down as the mire of
the streets. All her policy and craft, in which she so abounded, shall not save
her. And God shall make his people, who have been so persecuted by her, to
come and put their foot on the neck of Antichrist, and he shall be their foot
stool. All the strength and wisdom of this great whore shall fail her, and there
shall be none to help her. The kings of the earth, who before gave their
power and strength to the beast, shall now hate the whore, and shall make
her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire, Rev.
xvii. 16.
(3.) That other great kingdom which Satan has set up in opposition to the
Christian church, viz., his Mahometan kingdom, shall be utterly overthrown.
The locusts and horsemen, in the 9th of Revelation, have their appointed and
limited time set them there, and the false prophet shall be taken and destroyed.
And then, though Mahometanism has been so vastly propagated in the world,
and is upheld by such a great empire, this smoke which has ascended out of

WORK OF REDEMPTION. 487
the bottomless pit, shall be utterly scattered before the light of that glorious
day, and the Mahometan empire shall fall at the sound of the great trumpet
which shall then be blown.
.(4.) Jewish infidelity shall then be overthrown. However obstinate they
have been now for above 1700 years in their rejection of Christ, and instances
of the conversion of any of that nation have been so very rare ever since the
destruction of Jerusalem, but they have against the plain teachings of their own
prophets continued to approve of the cruelty of their forefathers in crucifying
Christ : yet wheri this day comes, the thick vail that blinds their eyes shall be
removed, 2 Cor. iii. 16 ; and divine grace shall melt and renew their hard
hearts, " and they shall look on him whom they have pierced, and they shall
mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness as
one that is in bitterness for his first-born," Zech. xii. 10, &c. And then shall
the house of Israel be saved : the Jews, in all their dispersions, shall cast
away their old infidelity, and shall wonderfully have their hearts changed, and
abhor themselves for their past unbelief and obstinacy ; and shall flow together
to the blessed Jesus, penitently, humbly, and joyfully owning him as their glo
rious King, and only Saviour, and shall with all their hearts, as with one heart
and voice, declare his praises unto other nations.
Nothing is more certainly foretold than this national conversion of the Jews
is in the 11th chapter of Romans. And there are also many passages of the
Old Testament which cannot be interpreted in any other sense, which I cannot
now stand to mention. Besides the prophecies of the calling of the Jews, we
have a remarkable seal of the fulfilment of this great event in providence, by a
thing which is a kind of continual miracle, viz., their being preserved a distinct
nation in such a dispersed condition for above 1600 years. The world affords
nothing else like it. There is undoubtedly a remarkable hand of providence in
it. When they shall be called, then shall that ancient people, that were alone
God's people for so long a time, be God's people again, never to be rejected
more :.they shall then be gathered into one fold together with the Gentiles ; and
so also shall the remains of the ten tribes, wherever they be, and though they
have been rejected much longer than the Jews, be brought in with their breth
ren the Jews. The prophecies of Hosea especially seem to hold this forth,
that in the future glorious times of the church, both Judah and Ephraim, or
Judah and the ten tribes, shall be brought in together, and shall be united as
one people, as they formerly were under David and Solomon ; as Hos. i. 11 ;
and. so in the last chapter of Hosea, and other parts of his prophecy.
Though we do not know the time in which this conversion of the nation of
Israel will come to pass ; yet thus much we may determine by Scripture, that
it will be before the glory of the Gentile part of the church shall be fully ac
complished ; because it is said, that their coming in shall be life from the dead
to the Gentiles, Rom. xi. 12 — 15.
(5.) Then shall also Satan's Heathenish kingdom be overthrown. Gross
Heathenism now possesses a great part of the earth, and there are supposed to
he more Heathens now in the world, than of all other professions taken to
gether, Jews, Mahometans, or Christians. But then the Heathen nations shall
be enlightened with the glorious gospel. There will be a wonderful spirit of
pity towards them, and zeal for their instruction and conversion put into mul
titudes, and many shall go forth and carry the gospel unto them, and then
shall the joyful sound be heard among them, and the Sun of righteousness
shallthen 'arise with his glorious light shining on those many vast regions of
the earth that have been covered with Heathenish darkness for many thousand

488 WORK OF REDEMPTION.
years, many of them doubtless ever since the tunes of Moses and Abraham, and
have lain thus long in a miserable condition, under the cruel tyranny of the
devil, who has all this while blinded and befooled them, and domineered over
them, and made a prey of them from generation to generation. Now the glad
tidings of the gospel shall sound there, and they shall be brought out of dark
ness into marvellous light.
It is promised, that Heathenism shall thus be destroyed in many places;
God has said, that the gods that have not made these heavens and this earth,
shall perish from the earth, and from under these heavens, Jer. x. 11, and that
he will utterly abolish idols, Isa. ii. 18. Then shall the many nations of Africa,
the nations of negroes, and other Heathens who chiefly fill that quarter of the
world, who now seem to be in a state but little above the beasts, and in many
respects much below them, be enlightened with glorious light, and delivered
from all their darkness, and shall become a civil, Christian, understanding, and
holy people. Then shall the vast continent of America, which now in so great
a part of it is covered with barbarous ignorance and cruelty, be everywhere
covered with glorious gospel light and Christian love ; and instead of worship
ping the devil, as now they do, they shall serve God, and praises shall be sung
everywhere to the Lord Jesus Christ, the blessed Saviour of the world. So
may we expect it will be in that great and populous part of the world, the
East Indies, which are now mostly inhabited by the worshippers of the devil;
and so throughout that vast country Great Tartary : and then the kingdom of
Christ will be established in those continents which have been more lately dis
covered towards the north and south poles, where now men differ very little
from the wild beasts, excepting that they worship the devil, and beasts do not.
The same will be the case with respect to those countries which have never
yet been discovered. Thus will be gloriously fulfilled that in Isa. xxxv. 1,
" The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them ; and the desert
shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose." See also ver. 6, 7.
2. Having thus shown wherein this overthrow of Satan's kingdom will con
sist, I come now to the other thing to be observed concerning it, viz., its uni
versal extent. The visible kingdom of Satan shall be overthrown, and the
kingdom of Christ set up on the ruins of it, everywhere throughout the whole
habitable globe. Now shall the promise made to Abraham be fulfilled, that
*' in him and in his seed all the families of the earth' shall be blessed;" and
Christ now shall become the desire of all nations, agreeable to Hag. ii. 7.
Now the kingdom of Christ shall in the most strict and literal sense be ex
tended to all nations, and the whole earth. There are many passages of
Scripture that can be understood in no other sense. What can be more uni
versal than that in Isa. xi. 9, " For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of
the Lord, as the waters cover the sea." As much as to say, as there is no part
of the channel or cavity of the sea anywhere, but what is covered with water;
so there shall be no part of the world of mankind but what shall be covered
with the knowledge of God. So it is foretold in Isa. xiv. 22, that all the ends
of tbe earth shall look to Christ, and be saved. And to show that the words
are to Ije understood in the most universal sense, it is said in the next verse,
" I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness j and
shall not return that unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear."
So the most universal expression is used, Dan. vii. 27, " And the kingdom
and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall
be given to the people of the saints of the Most High God." You see the
expression includes all under the whole heaven.

WORK OF REDEMPTION. 489
When the devil was cast out of the Roman empire, because that was the
highest and principal part of the world, and the other nations that were left
were low and mean in comparison of those of that empire, it was represented
as Satan's being cast out of heaven to the earth, Rev. xii. 9 ; but it is repre
sented that he shall be cast out of the earth too, and shut up in hell, Rev. xx.
1; 2, 3. This is the greatest revolution by far that ever came to pass : there
fore it is said in Rev. xvi. 17, 18, that on the pouring out of the seventh vial,
there was agreat earthquake,, such as was not since men were upon earth, so
mighty an earthquake, and so great. And this is the third great dispensation
of Providence which is in Scripture compared to Christ's coming to judgment.
So it is in Rev. xvi. 15. There, after the sixth vial, and after the devil's armies
were gathered together to their great battle, and just before Christ's glorious
victory over them, it is said, " Behold I come quickly ; blessed is he that
watcheth, ahd keepeth his garments." So it is called Christ's coming in
2 Thess. ii. 8. Speaking of Antichrist, it is said, " And then shall that wicked
be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and
shall destroy with the brightness of his coming." See also Dan. vii. 13, 14,
where Christ's coming to set up his kingdom on earth, and to destroy Anti
christ, is called coming with clouds of heaven. And this is more like Christ's
last coming to judgment, than any of the preceding dispensations which are so
called on these -accounts.
(1.) That the dispensation is so much greater and more universal, and so
more like the day of judgrnent, which respects the whole world.
(2.) On account of the great spiritual resurrection there will be of the
church of God accompanying it, more resembling the general resurrection at
the end of the world than 'any other. This spiritual resurrection, is the resur
rection spoken of as attended with judgment, Rev. xx. 4.
'(3.) Because of the terrible judgments and fearful destruction which shall
now be executed On God's enemies. There will doubtless at the introducing
of this dispensation be a visible and awful hand of God against blasphemers,
Deists, and obstinate heretics, and other enemies of Christ, terribly destroying
them, with remarkable tokens of wrath and vengeance ; and especially will
this dispensation be attended with terrible judgments on" Antichrist ; and the
cruel persecutors who belong to the church of Rome, shall in a most awful
manner he destroyed ; which is compared to a casting of Antichrist into the
burning flame, Dan. vii. 11, and to casting him alive into the lake that burns
with fire and brimstone, Rev\ xix. 20.
Then shall this cruel persecuting church suffer those judgments from God,
which shall be far more dreadful than her cruelest persecutions of the saints,
agreeable to Rev. 'xviii. 6, 7. The judgments which God shall execute on the
enemies of the church, are so great, that they are compared to God's sending
great hailstones from heaven upon them, every one of the weight of a talent,
as it is said on the pouring out of the seventh vial, Rev. xvi. 21 : " And there
fellupon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a
talent : and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail ; for the
plague thereof was exceeding great." And now shall' be that treading of the
wine-press spoken of Rev. xiv. 19, 20.
(4.) This shall put an end to the church's suffering state, and shall be
attended with their glorious and joyful praises. The church's afflicted state is
long, being continued, excepting some short intermissions, from the resurrection
of Christ to this time. But now shall a final end be put to her suffering state.
Indeed, after this, near the end of the world, the church shall be greatly
Vol. I, 62

490 WORK OF REDEMPTION.
threatened ; but it is said, it shall be but for a little season, Rev. xx. 3 : for
as the times of the church's rest are but short, before the long day of her
afflictions are at an end ; so whatever affliction she may suffer after this, it will
be very short; but otherwise the day of the church's affliction and persecution shall
now come to a final end. The Scriptures, in many places, speak of this time
as the end of the suffering state of the church. So, Isa. Ii. 22, God says to his
church with respect to this time, " Behold, I have taken out of thine hand the
cup of trembling, even the dregs of the cup of my fury, thou shalt no more
drink it again." Then shall that be proclaimed to the church, Isa. xl. 1, 2,
" Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. Speak ye comfortably
to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her
iniquity is pardoned : for she hath received of the Lord's hand double for all
her sins." Also, that in Isa. liv. 8, 9, belongs to this time. And so that in
Isa. Ix. 20, "The Lord shall be thine everlasting light, and the days of thy
mourning shall be ended." And so Zeph. iii. 15, " The Lord hath taken away
thy judgments, he hath cast out thine enemy : the King of Israel, even the
Lord, is in the midst of thee : thou shalt not see evil any more."
The time which had been before this, had been the church's sowing time,
wherein she sowed in tears and in blood ; but now is her harvest, wherein she
will come again rejoicing, bringing her sheaves with her. Now the time of the
travail of the woman clothed with the sun is at an end : now she hath brought
forth her son ; for this glorious setting up of the kingdom of Christ through the
world, is what the church had been in travail for, with such terrible pangs, for
so many ages : Isa. xxvi. 17, " Like as a woman with child that draweth hear
the time of her delivery, is in pain, and crieth out in her pangs ; so have we
been in thy sight, 0 Lord." See Isa. Ix. 20, and lxi. 10, 11. And now the
church shall forget her sorrows, since a man-child is born into the world: now
succeed her joyful praise and triumph. Her praises shall then go up to God
from all parts of the earth, as Isa. xiii. 10, 11, 12. And praise shall not only
fill the earth, but also heaven. The church on earth, and the church in heaven,
shall both gloriously rejoice and praise God, as with one heart, on that occa
sion. Without doubt it will be a time of very distinguished joy and praise
among the holy prophets and apostles, and the other saints in heaven : Rev.
xviii. 20, " Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets,
for God hath avenged you on her." See how universal these praises will be in
Isa. xliv. 23, " Sing, 0 ye heavens ; for the Lord hath done it : shout, ye lower
parts of the earth : break forth into singing, ye mountains, 0 forest, and every
tree therein : for the Lord hath redeemed Jacob, and glorified himself in Israel."
See what joyful praises are sung to God on this occasion by the universal
church in heaven and earth, in the beginning of the 19th chapter of Revelation.
(5.) This dispensation is above all preceding ones like Christ's coming to
judgment, in that it so puts an end to the former state of the world, and intro
duces the everlasting kingdom of Christ. Now Satan's visible kingdom shall
be overthrown, after it had stood ever since the building of Babel ; and the old
heavens and the old earth shall in a greater measure be passed away then than
before, and the new heavens and the new earth set up in a far more glorious
manner than ever before.
Thus I have shown how the success of Christ's purchase has been carried on
through the times of the afflicted state of the Christian church, from Christ's
resurrection, till Antichrist is fallen, and Satan's visible kingdom on earth is
overthrown. Therefore I come now,
Secondly, To show how the success of redemption will be carried on

WORK OF REDEMPTION. 49 1
through that space wherein the Christian church shall for the most part be in a
state of peace and prosperity. And in order to this, I would,
1. Speak of the prosperous state of the church through the greater part of
this period.
2. The great apostasy there shall be towards the close of it : how greatly
then the church shall be threatened by her enemies for a short time.
I. I would speak of the prosperous state of the church through the greater
part of this period. And in doing this, I would, 1, Describe this prosperous
state of the church ; 2, Say something of its duration.
1st. I would describe the prosperous state the church shall be in.
And, in the general, I would observe two things.
1. That this is most properly the time of the kingdom of heaven upon earth.
Though the kingdom of heaven was in a degree set up soon after Christ's
resurrection, and in a further degree in the time of Constantine ; and though
the Christian church in all ages of it is called the kingdom of heaven ; yet this
time that we are upon, is the principal time of the kingdom of heaven upon
earth, the time principally intended by the prophecies of Daniel, which speak
of the kingdom of heaven, whence the Jews took the name of the kingdom of
heaven. 2. Now is the principal fulfilment of all the prophecies of the Old Testa
ment which speak of the glorious times of the gospel which shall be in the lat-
terdays. Though there has been a glorious fulfilment of those prophecies al
ready, in the times of the apostles, and of Constantine ; yet the expressions are
too high to suit any other time entirely, but that which is to succeed the fall of
Antichrist. This is ihost properly the glorious day of the gospel. Other times
are only forerunners and preparatories to this : other times were the seed-time,
but this is the harvest. But more particularly,
(1.) It will be a time of great light and knowledge. The present days are
days of darkness, in comparison of those days. The light of that glorious time
shall be'so great, that it is represented as though there then should be no night,
but only day ; no evening nor darkness. So Zech. xiv. 6, 7, " And it shall
come to pass in that day, that the light shall not be clear nor dark. But it
shall be one day, which shall be known to the Lord, not day, nor night ; but
it shall come to pass, that at evening time it shall be light." It is further rep
resented, as though God would then give such light to his church, that it should
so much exceed the glory of the light of the sun and moon, that they should be
ashamed : Isa. xxiv. 23, " Then the moon shall be confounded, and the sun
ashamed, when the Lord of hosts shall reign in Mount Zion, and in Jerusalem,
and before his ancients gloriously."
There is a kind of vail now cast over the greater part of the world, which
keeps them in darkness : but then this vail shall be destroyed : Isa. xxv. 7,
" And he will destroy in this mountain the face of the covering cast over
all people, and the vail that is spread over all nations." And then all coun
tries and nations, even those which are now most ignorant, shall be full of light
and knowledge. Great knowledge shall prevail everywhere. It may be
hoped, that then many of the Negroes and Indians will be divines, and that ex
cellent books will be published in Africa, in Ethiopia, in Tartary, and other
now the most barbarous countries ; and not only learned men, but others of
more ordinary education, shall then be very knowing in religion : Isa. xxxii.
3, 4, "The eyes of them that see, shall not be dim; and the ears of them that
hear, Shall hearken. The heart also of the rash shall understand knowledge."
Knowledge then shall be very universal among all sorts of persons; agreeably

492 WORK OF REDEMPTION.
to Jer. xxxi. 34, " And they shall teach no more every man his neighbor, and
every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord : for they shall all know me,
from the least of them unto the greatest of them."
There shall then be a wonderful unravelling of the difficulties in the doc-
trines of religion, and clearing up of seeming inconsistencies : " So crooked
things shall be made straight, and rough places shall be made plain, and darkness
shall become fight before God's people." Difficulties in Scripture shall then
be cleared up, and wonderful things shall be discovered in the word of God,
which were never discovered before. The great discovery of those things in
religion which had been before kept hid, seems to be compared to removing
the vail, and discovering the ark of the testimony to the people, which before
used to be kept in the secret part of the temple, and was never seen by them.
Thus, at the sounding of the seventh angel, when it is proclaimed, " that the
kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ,
' it is added, that " the temple of God was opened in heaven ; and, there was
seen in his temple the ark of his testament." So great shall be the increase
of knowledge in this time, that heaven shall be as it were opened to the church
of God on earth.
(2.) It shall be a time of great holiness. Now vital religion shall every
where prevail and reign. Religion shall not be an empty profession, as it now
mostly is, but holiness of heart and life shall abundantly prevail. Those
times shall be an exception from what Christ says of the ordinary state of the
church, viz., that there shall be but few saved ; for now holiness shall become
general : Isa. Ix. 21, " Thy people also shall be all righteous." Not that, there
will be none remaining in a Christless condition ; but that visible wickedness
shall be suppressed everywhere, and true holiness shall become general, though
not universal. And it shall be a wonderful time, not only for the multitude of
godly men, but for eminency of grace . Isa. lxv. 20, " There shall be no more
thence an infant of days, nor an old man that hath not filled his days : for the
child shall die a hundred years old, but the sinner, being a hundred years
old, shall be accursed." And Zech. xii. 8, " He that is feeble among them at
that day shall be as David ; and the house of David shall be as God, as the an
gel of the Lord before them." And holiness shall then be as it were inscribed
on every thing, on all men's common business and employments, and the com
mon utensils of life : ail shall be as it were dedicated to God, and applied
to holy purposes : every thing shall then be done to the glory of God : Isa. xxiii.
18, " And her merchandise and her hire shall be holiness to the Lord." And
so Zech. xiv. 20, 21. — And as God's people then shall be eminent in holiness
of heart, so they shall be also in holiness of life and practice.
(3.) It shall be a time wherein religion shall in every respeet.be uppermost
in the world.' It shall be had in great esteem and honor. The saints have
hitherto for the most part been kept under, and wicked men have governed.
But now they will be uppermost. The kingdoms shall be given into the hands
of the saints of the Most High God," Dan. vii. 27. " And they shall reign on
earth," Rev. v. 10. " They shall live and reign with Christ a thousand years,"
Rev. xx. 4. In that day, such persons as are eminent for true piety and religion,
shall be chiefly promoted to places of trust and authority. Vital religion shall
then take possession of king's palaces and thrones ; and those who are in high
est advancement shall be holy men : Isa. xlix. 23, " And kings shall be thy
nursing fathers, and their queens thy nursing mpthers." Kings shall employ
all their power, and glory and riches, for the advancement of the honor and
glory of Christ, and the good of his church : Isa. Ix. 16, " Thou shalt also suck

WORK OF REDEMPTION. 493
the milk of the Gentiles, and shalt suck the breast of kings." And the great
men of the world, and the rich merchants, and others who have great wealth
and influence, shall devote all to Christ and his church : Psal. xiv. 12, " The
daughter of Tyre shall be there with a gift, even the rich among the people
shall entreat thy favor."
(4.) Those will be times of great peace and love. There shall then be
universal peace and a good understanding among the nations of the world,
instead of such confusion, wars and bloodshed, as have hitherto been from one
age to another : Isa. ii. 4, " And he shall judge among the nations, and shall
rebuke many people : and they shall beat their swords into ploughshares, and
their spears into pruning-hooks : nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
neither shall they learn war any more." So it is represented as if all instru
ments of war should be destroyed, as being become useless : Psal. xlvi. 9, " He
maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth : he breaketh the bow, and
cutteth the spear in sunder, he burneth the chariot in the fire." See also Zech.
ix. 10. Then shall all nations dwell quietly and safely without fear- of any
enemy. Isa. xxxii. 18," And my people shall dwell in a peaceable habitation,
and in sure dwellings, and in quiet resting places." Also Zech. viii. 10, 1 1.
And then shall malice, and envy, and wrath, and revenge, be suppressed
everywhere, and peace and love shall prevail between one man and another ;
which is most elegantly set forth in Isa. xi. 6 — 10. Then shall there be peace
and love between rulers and ruled. Rulers shall love their people, and with
all their might ,seek their best good ; and the people shall love their rulers, and
shall joyfully submit to them, and give them that honor which is their due. And
so shall there be a happy love between ministers and their people : Mai.
iv. 6j "And he shall turnthe heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart
of the children to their fathers." Then shall flourish in an eminent manner
those Christian virtues of meekness, forgiveness, long-suffering, gentleness, good
ness, brotherly-kindness, those excellent fruits of the Spirit. Men, in their
temper and disposition, shall then be like the Lamb of God, the lovely Jesus.
The body shall be conformed to the head.
Then shall all the world be united in one amiable society. AU nations, in
all parts of the world, on every side of the globe, shall then be knit together
in sweet harmony. All parts of God's church shall assist and promote the spir
itual good of one another. A communication shall then be upheld between all
parts of the world to that end ; and the art of navigation, which is now applied
so much to favor men's covetousness and pride, and is used so much by wicked
debauched men, shall then be consecrated to God, and applied to holy uses,
as we read in lsa^ lx. 5 — 9. And it will then be a time wherein men will be
abundant in expressing their love one to another, not only in words, but in
deeds of charity, as we learn, Isa. xxxii. 5 : " The vile person shall be no
more called liberal, nor the churl said to be bountiful ;" and verse 8, " But
the liberal deviseth liberal things, and by liberal things shall he stand."
(5.) It. will be a time of excellent order in the church of Christ. The true
government and discipline of the church will then ba settled and put into prac
tice. All the world shall then be as one church, one orderly, regular, beauti
ful society. And as the body shall be one, so the members shall be in beautiful
proportion to each other. Then shall that be verified in Psal. cxxii. 3, " Jeru
salem is builded as a city that is compact together."
(6.) The church of God shall then be beautiful and glorious on these ac- '
counts ; yea, it will appear in perfection of beauty : Isa. lx. 1, " Arise, shine,
for thy fight is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee." Isa. Ixi.

494 WORK OF REDEMPTION.
10, " He hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom
decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her
jewels." On these forementioned accounts, the church will be the greatest
image of heaven itself. . '
(7.) That will be a time of the greatest temporal prosperity. Such a spi
ritual state as we have just described, has a natural tendency to temporal pros
perity : it has a tendency to health and long life ; and that this will actually
be the case, is evident by Zech. viii. 4 : " Thus saith the Lord of hosts, There
shall yet old men and old women dwell in the streets of Jerusalem, and every
man with his staff in his hand for very age." It has also a natural tendency
to procure ease, quietness, pleasantness, and cheerfulness of mind, and also
wealth, and great increase of children ; as is intimated in Zech. viii. 5 : " And
the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in the streets fhere-
0f.» — But further, the temporal prosperity of the people of God will also be
promoted by a remarkable blessing from heaven: Isa. Ixv. 21, " They shall
build houses, and inhabit them;' and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the
fruit of them." And in Mic. iv. 4, " But they shall sit every man under his
vine, and under his fig-tree, and none shall make them afraid." Zech. viii. 12,
" For the seed shall be prosperous, the vine shall give her fruit, and the ground
shall give her increase, and the heavens shall give their dew, and I will cause
the remnant of this people to possess all these things." See also Jer. xxxi. 12,
13, and Amos ix. 13. Yea, then they shall receive all manner of tokens' of
God's presence, and acceptance and favor : Jer. xxxiii. 9, " And it shall be to
me a name of joy, a praise and an honor before all nations of the earth, which
shall hear all the good that I do unto them : and they shall fear and tremble
for all the goodness and for all the prosperity that I procure unto it." Even
the days of Solomon were but an image of those days, as to the temporal pros
perity which shall obtain in them.
(8.) It will also be a time of great rejoicing : Isa. xxxv. 10, "And the
ransomed of the Lord shall return and come to Zion with songs, and everlasting
joy upon their heads : they shall obtain joy and, gladness, and sorrow and sigh
ing shall flee away." Chap. Iv. 12, " For ye shall go out with joy, and be
led forth with peace : the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you."
Chap. Ixvi. 11, "That ye may suck, and be satisfied with the breasts of her
consolations : that ye may milk out, and be delighted with the abundance of
her glory." Chap. xii. 3, " With joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of
salvation." — Then will be a time of feasting. That will be the church's glo
rious wedding day, so far as her wedding with Christ shall ever be upon earth :
Rev. xix. 7, " Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to him ; for the mar
riage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready." Vers. 9,
" Blessed are they which are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb." —
But I come now,
2dly. To say something of the duration of this state of the church's prospe
rity. On this I shall be very brief. The Scriptures everywhere represent it
to be of long continuance. The former intervals of rest and prosperity, as we
before observed, are represented to be but short ; but the representations of this
state are quite different : Rev. xx. 4, " And I saw the souls of them that were
beheaded for the witness of Jesus — and they lived and reigned with Christ a
thousand years." Isa. lx. 15, " Whereas thou hast been forsaken and hated,
so that no man went through thee, I will make thee an eternal excellency, a
joy of many generations."
This may suffice as to the prosperous state of the church through the great-

WORK OF REDEMPTION. 495,
er part of the period from the destruction of Satan's visible kingdom in the
world to Christ's appearing in the clouds of heaven to judgment.
II. 1 now come to speak of the great apostasy there should be towards the
close of this period, and how imminently the church should be for a short time
threatened by her enemies. And this I shall do under three particulars.
1. A little before the end of the world, there shall be a very great apostasy,
wherein great part of the world shall fall away from Christ and his church.
It is said in Rev. xx. 3, that Satan should be cast into the bottomless pit, and
shut up, and have a seal set upon him, that he should deceive the nations no
more till the thousand years.should be fulfilled ; and that after that he must be
loosed out of his prison for a little season. And accordingly we are told, in
the 7th and 8th verses, that when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall
be loosed out of his prison, and should go forth to deceive the nations, which
are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog. Which seems to show
as though the^apostasy would be very general. The nations of the four quar
ters of the earth shall be deceived; and the number of those who shall now
turn enemies to Christ shall be vastly great, as the army of Gog and Magog is
represented in Ezekiel, and as it is said in Rev. xx. 9, that the number of them
is as the sand of the sea, and that they went up on the breadth of the earth, as
though they were an army big enough to reach from one side of the earth to
the other. Thus after such a happy and glorious season, such a long day of light and
holiness, of love, and peace, and joy, now it shall begin again to be a dark
time. Satan shall begin to set' up his dominion again in the world. This
world shall again become a scene of darkness and wickedness. The bottomless
pit of hell shall be opened, and> devils shall come up again out of it, and a
dreadful smoke shall ascend to darken the world. And the church of Christ,
instead of extending to the utmost bounds of the world, as it did before, shall be
reduced to narrow limits again. The world of mankind being continued so
long in a state of such great prosperity, shall now begin to abuse their pros
perity, to serve their lust and corruption. This we learn from Luke xvii.
26, &c.
2. Those apostates shall make great opposition to the church of God. The
church shall seem to be imminently, threatened with a sudden and entire over
throw by them. It is said, Satan shall gather them together to battle, as the
sand on the sea-shore ; and they went up on the breadth of the earth, and
compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city. So that this
beloved city shall seem just ready to be swallowed up by them : for her enemies
shall not only threaten her, but shall actually have gathered together against
her; and not only so, but shall have besieged her, shall have compassed her
about on every side.
There is nothing in the prophecy which seems to hold forth as though the
church had actually fallen into their hands, as the church had fallen into fh«
hands of Antichrist, to whom it was given to make war with the saints, and to
overcome them. God will never suffer this to be again after the fall of Anti
christ ; for then the day of her mourning shall be ended. But the church shall
seem most imminently threatened with utter and sudden destruction.
3. Now the state of things will seem most remarkably to call for Christ's
immediate appearance to judgment. For then the world shall be filled with
the most aggravated wickedness that ever it was. For much the greater part
of the world shall have become visibly wicked and open enemies to Christ, and
their wickedness shall be dreadfully aggravated by their apostasy. Before the

496 WORK OF REDEMPTION.
fall of Antichrist, most of the world was full of visibly wicked men. But the
greater part of these are poor Heathens, who never enjoyed the light of the
Gospel; and others are those that have been bred up in the Mahometan or
Popish darkness. But these are those that have apostatized from the Christian
church, and the visible kingdom of Christ, in which they enjoyed the great
light and privileges of the glorious times of the church, which shall be incom
parably greater than the light and privileges which the church of God enjoys
now. This apostasy will be most like the apostasy of the devils of any that
ever had before been : for the devils apostatized, and turned enemies to Chris^
though they enjoyed the light of heaven ; and these will apostatize, and turn
enemies to him, though they have enjoyed the light and privileges of the glori
ous, times of the church. That such should turn open and avowed enemies to
Christ, and should seek the ruin of his church, will cry aloud for such immediate
vengeance as was executed on the devils when they fell.
The wickedness of the world will remarkably call for Christ's immediate
appearing in flaming fire to take vengeance on them, because of the way in
which they shall manifest their wickedness, which will be by scoffing and blas
pheming Christ and his holy religion ; and particularly, they will scoff at the
notion of Christ's coming to judgment, of which the church shall be in expec
tation, and of which they will warn them; For now doubtless will be another
fulfilment, and the greatest fulfilment, of 2 Pet. iii. 3, 4, " Knowing this first,
that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts,
and saying, Where is the promise of his coming ? For since the fathers fell
asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation."
They shall be in no expectation of the coming of Christ to judgment, and shall
laugh at the notion. They shall trample all such things under foot, and shall
give up themselves to their lusts, or to eat and drink, and wallow in sensual
delights, as though they were to be here forever. They shall despise the warn
ings the church shall give them of the coming of Christ to judgment, as the
people of the old world despised what Noah fold them of the approaching flood,
and as the people of Sodom did when Lot said to them, " The Lord will destroy
this city." Their wickedness on this account will cry aloud to heaven for
Christ's appearing in flaming fire to take vengeance of his enemies; and also
because another way that they shall exercise their wickedness will be in the
wicked design and violent attempt they shall be engaged in against the holy
city of God, against that holy city, wherein lately, and for so long a time, so
much of the religion of Christ had been seen. They shall then be about to
perpetrate the most horrid design against this church.
And the numerousness of the wicked that shall then be, is another thing
which shall especially call for Christ's coming : for the world will doubtless
then be exceeding full of people, having continued so long in so great a state
of prosperity, without such terrible desolating extremities, as wars, pestilences,
and the like, to diminish them. And the most of this world, which shall be so
populous, will be such wicked contemptuous apostates from God. Undoubtedly
that will be a day wherein the world will be by far fuller of wickedness than
ever before it was from the foundation of it. And if the wickedness of the old
world, when men began to multiply on the earth, called for the destruction of
the world by a deluge of waters, this wickedness will as much call for its des
truction by a deluge of fire.
Again, the circumstances of the church at that day will also eminently call
for the immediate appearing of Christ, as they will be compassed about by
their blasphemous, murderous enemies, just ready to be swallowed up by them.

WORK OF REDEMPTION. 497
And it will be a most distressing time with the church, excepting the comfort
they will have in the hope of deliverance from God : for all other help will
seem to fail. The case will be come to the last extremity, and there will be
an immediate need that Christ should come to their deliverance. And though
the church shall be so imminently threatened, yet so will Providence order it,
that it shall be preserved till Christ shall appear in his immediate presence,
coming in the glory of his Father with all his holy angels. And then will
«ome the time when all the elect shall be gathered in. That work of conver
sion which has been carried on from the beginning of the church after the fall
through all those ages, shall be carried on no more. There never shall another
soul be converted. Every one of those many millions, whose names were
written in the book of life before the foundation of the world, shall be brought
in; not one soul shall be lost. And the mystical body of Christ, which has
been growing since it first began in the days of Adam, will be complete as to
number of parts, having every one of its members. In this respect the work of
redemptioft will now be finished. And now the end for which the means of
grace have been instituted shall be obtained. All that effect which was in
tended to be accomplished by them shall now be accomplished.

SECTION II.

Thus I have shown how the success of Christ's redemption has been accom
plished during the continuance of the Christian church under the means of
grace. We have seen what great revolutions there have been, and are to be,
during this space of time ; how the great wheels of Providence have gone round
for the accomplishment of that kind of success of Christ's purchase, which con
sists in the bestowment of grace on the elect.: and we are, in the prosecution
of the subject, come to the time when all the wheels have gone round ; the
course of things* in this state of it is finished, and all things are ripe for Christ's
coming to judgmerit.
You may remember, that when I began to discourse of this third proposi
tion, viz., That from the resurrection of Christ to the end of the world, the
whole time is taken up in procuring the success and effect of Christ's purchase
of redemption, I observed, that the success of Christ's purchase is of two kinds,
consisting either in grace or glory ; and that the success consisting in the for
mer of these, is to be seen in those works of God which are wrought during
those ages that the church is continued under the means of grace ; and' that
the success, consisting in the latter, will chiefly be accomplished at the day of
judgment. Having already shown how the former kind of success has been accomplish
ed, I come now, in the second place, to the latter, viz., that kind of success
which is accomplished in the bestowment of glory on the church, which
shall chiefly be bestowed on the church at the day of judgment. And here I
would mention two or three things in the general concerning this kind of suc
cess of Christ's purchase. .
1. How great the success of Christ's purchase is, chiefly appears in this.
The success of Christ's purchase does summarily consist in the salvation of the
elect. But this bestowment of glory is erninently called their salvation : Heb.
ix. 28, " To them that look for him, shall he appear the second time, without
sin unto salvation." So it is called redemption, being eminently that whereia
Vol. I. ' 63

498 WORK OF REDEMPTION.
the redemption of the church consists : so in Eph. iv. 30, " Sealed unto the
day of redemption ;" and Luke xxi. 28, and Eph. i. 14, " Redemption of the
purchased possession."
2. All that is before this, while the church is under the means of grace, is
only to make way for the success which is to be accomplished in the bestow
ment of glory. The means of grace are to fit for glory ; and God's grace
itself is bestowed on the elect to make them meet for glory.
3. All those glorious things which were brought to pass for the church
while under the means of grace, are but images and shadows of this. So were
those glorious things which were accomplished for the cburch in the days of
Constantine the Great ; and so is allthat glory which is to be accomplished in
the glorious times of the church which are to succeed the fall of Antichrist. As
great as it is, it is all but a shadow of what will be bestowed at the day of
judgment : and therefore, as I have already often observed, all those preceding
glorious events, by which God wrought glorious things for his church, are spo
ken of in Scripture as images of Christ's last coming to judgment.
But I hasten more particularly to show how this kind of success of Christ's
purchase is accomplished.
1. Christ will appear in the glory of his Father, with all his holy angels,
coming in the clouds of heaven. When the world is thus revelling in their
wickedness, and compassing the holy city about, just ready to destroy it, and
when the church is reduced to such a great strait, then shall the glorious
Redeemer appear. He through whom this redemption has all along been car--
ried on, he shall appear in the sight of the world ; the light of his glory shall
break forth ; the whole world shall immediately have notice of it, and they shall
lift up their eyes and behold this wonderful sight. It is said, " Every eye shall
see him," Rev. i. 7. Christ shall appear coming in his human nature, in that
same body which was brought forth in a stable, and laid in a manger, and
which afterwards was so cruelly used, and nailed to the cross.
Men shall now lift up their eyes, and see him coming in such majesty and
glory as now is to us utterly inconceivable. The glory of the sun in a clear
firmament, will be but darkness in comparison of it ; and all the glorious angels
and archangels shall attend upon him. thousand thousands ministering to him,
and ten thousand times ten thousand round about him. How different a person
will he then appear from what he did at his first coming, when he was as a root
out of a dry ground, a poor, despised, afflicted man ! How different now is his
appearance, in the midst of those glorious angels, principalities, and powers, in
heavenly places, attending him as- his ordinary servants, from what it was when
in the midst of a ring of soldiers, with his mock robe and his crown of thorns,
to be buffetted and spit upon, or hanging on the cross between two thieves,
with a multitude of his enemies aboufhim triumphing over him !
This sight will be a most unexpected sight to the wicked world : it will
come as a cry at midnight : they shall be taken in the midst of their wicked
ness, and it will give them a dreadful alarm. It will at once break upon thek
revels, their eating, and drinking, and carousing. It will put a quick end to
the design of the great army that will then be compassing the camp pf the
saints: it will make them let drop their weapons out of their hands. The
world, which will then be very full of people, most of whom will be wicked
men, will then be filled with dolorous shrieking and crying ; for all the kin
dreds of the earth shall wail because of him, Rev. i. 7. And where shall they
hide themselves? How will the sight of that awful majesty terrify them when
taken in the midst of their wickedness ? Then they shall see who he is, what

WORK OF REDEMPTION. 499
kind of a person he is, whom they have mocked and scoffed at, and whose
church they have been endeavoring to overthrow. This sight. will change
their voice. The voice of their laughter and singing, while they are marrying
and giving in marriage, and the voice of their scoffing, shall be changed into
hideous, yea, hellish yelling. Their countenances shall be changed from a show
of carnal mirth, haughty pride, and contempt of God's people ; it shall put on
a show of ghastly terror and amazement ; and trembling and chattering of
teeth shall seize upon them.
But with respect to the saints, the church of Christ, it shall be a joyful and
most glorious sight to them : for this sight will at once deliver them from all
fear of their enemies, who were before compassing them about, just ready to
swallow them up. Deliverance shall come in their extremity : the glorious
Captain of their salvation shall appear for them at a time when no other help
appeared. Then shall they lift up their heads, and their redemption shall be
drawing nigh, Luke xxi. 28. And thus Christ will appear with infinite majesty,
and yet at the same time they shall see infinite love in his countenance to them.
And' thus to see their Redeemer coming in the clouds of heaven, wDl fill their'
hearts full of gladness. Their countenances also shall be changed, but not as
the countenances of the wicked, but shall be changed from being sorrowful, to
be exceeding joyful and triumphant. And now the work of redemption will be
finished in another sense, viz., .that, the .whole church- shall be completely and
eternally freed from all persecution and molestation from wicked men. and
¦ devils. •-'*
2. The last trumpet, shall- sound, and ..the dead shall, be raised,, and- the
living changed. God sent forth his angels with a great sound of a trumpet,
to gather together his elect from the four corners of the earth in a mystical sense,
before the destruction of Jerusalem ; i. e., he sent forth the apostles, and others,
to preach the gospel all over the world. And so in a mystical sense the great
trumpet was blown at the beginning of the glorious times of the church. But
now the great trumpet is blown in a more literal sense, with a mighty sound,
which shakes the earth. There will be a great signal given by a mighty sound
made, which is called the voice of the archangel, as being the angel of greatest
strength : 1 Thes. iv. 16, " For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with
a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God." On the
sound of the great trumpet, the dead shall be raised everywhere. Now the
number of the dead is very great. How many has death cut down for so long
a time as since the world has stood ! But then the number will be much greater
after the world shall have stood so much longer, and through most of the remain
ing time will doubtless be much fuller of inhabitants than ever it has been. All
these shall now rise, from the dead. The graves shall be opened everywhere in
all parts .of the world, and the sea shall give up the innumerable dead that are
in it, Rev. xx. 13.
And now all the inhabitants that ever shall have been upon the face of the
earth, from the beginning of the world to that time, shall all appear upon earth at
once ; all that ever have been of the church of God in all ages, Adam and Eve,
the first parents of mankind, and Abel and Seth, and Methuselah, and all the
saints who were their contemporaries, and Noah, and Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,
and the prophets of Israel, and the saints in the time of Antiochus Epiphanes,
and all that were of the church in their times ; and all the holy apostles of
Jesus Christ, and all the saints of their times; and all the holy martyrs under
the ten Heathen persecutions ; and all who belonged to the church in its wil
derness state, during the dark times of Antichrist, and all the holy martyrs who

500 WORK OF REDEMPTION.
bave suffered under the cruelty of the Popish persecutions; and all the saints of
the present time, and all the saints who are here in this assembly among the
rest; and all that shall be from hence to the end of the world.— Now also all
*be enemies of the church that have or shall be in all the ages of the world, shall
appear upon the face of the earth again ; all the wicked killed in the flood, and
the multitudes that died all over the world among God's professing people, or
others; all that died in all the Heathen nations before Christ, and all wicked
Heathens, and' Jews, and Mahometans, and Papists, that have died since ; all
shall come together. Sinners of all sorts ; demure hypocrites, those who have
tthe fairest and best outside, and open profane drunkards, whoremasters, heretics,
Deists, and all cruel persecutors, and all that have died or shall die in sin
amongst us.
And at the same time that the dead are raised, the living shall be. changed.
The bodies of the wicked who shall then be living, shall be so changed as to
fit them for eternal torment without corruption ; and the bodies of all the living
saints shall be changed to be like Christ's glorious body, 1 Cor. xv. 51, 52, 53 :
¦the bodies of the saints shall be so changed as to render them forever inca
pable of pain, or affliction, or uneasiness; and all that dulness and heaviness,
<and all that deformity, which their bodies had before, shall be put off; and
they shall put on strength, and beauty, and activity, and incorruptible unfading
glory. And in such glory shall the bodies of all the risen saints appear.
And now the work of redemption shall be finished in another respect, viz.,
that all the elect shall now be actually redeemed in both soul and body.- Be- ¦
fore this, the work of redemption, as to its actual suceess, was but incomplete
and imperfect ; for only the souls of the redeemed were actually saved and
glorified, excepting in some few instances : but.now all the bodies of the saints
shall be saved and glorified together ; all the elect shall be glorified in the
¦whole man, and the soul and body in union one with the other.
3. Now shall the whole church of saints be caught up in the clouds to meet
the Lord in the air, and all wicked men and devils shall be arraigned before
the judgment seat. When the dead saints are raised, then the whole church,
consisting df all the elect through all ages, will be standing together on the face
of the earth, at least all excepting those few whose bodies were glorified be
fore; and then they shall all mount up as with wings in the air to meet Christ;
for it seems that Christ, when he comes to judgment, will not come quite down
fo the ground, but his throne will be fixed in the air, in the region of the clouds,
whence he may be seen by all that vast multitude that shall be gathered before
bim. The church of saints, therefore, shall be taken up from the earth to
ascend up to their Saviour. Thus the apostle tells us, that when the dead in
Christ are raised, and the living changed, then those who are alive and remain,
shall be caught up together with them to meet the Lord in the air, and so shall
we be ever with the Lord, 1 Thes. iv. 16, 17. What a wonderful sight will
that be, when all the many millions of saints are seen thus mounting up from
all parts of the world !
Then shall the work of redemption be finished in another respect: then
shall the whole church be perfectly and forever delivered from this present
evil world, forever forsake this cursed ground : they shall take their everlast
ing leave of this earth, where they have been strangers, and which has been
for the most part such a scene of their trouble and sorrow ; where the devil for
the most part has„reigned as god, and has greatly molested them, and which
has been such a scene of wickedness and abomination, where Christ their Lord
&as been cruelly used ; and where they have been so hated: and reproached

WORK OF REDEMPTION. , 50I>
and persecuted, from age to age, through most of the ages of the world. They?
shall leave it under foot to go to Christ, and never shall set foot on it again i
And there shall be an everlasting separation made between them and wicked
men. Before, they were mixed together, and it was impossible in many
instances to determine which were which; but now all shall become visible-,,
both saints and sinners shall appear in their true characters.
Then shall all the church be seen flocking together in the air to the place
where Christ shall have fixed his throi^, coming from the east and west, and
north and south, to the right hand of Christ. What a mighty cloud of them-
will there be, when all that ever have been of the church of God, all that were
before Christ, all that multitude of saints that were in the apostles' time, an<$
all that were in the days of Constantine the Great, and all that were before
and since the Reformation, and also all that great multitude. of saints that shall
be in all the glorious times of the church, when the whole earth shall for so>
many generations be full of saints, and also all that shall be then living wher*
Christ shall come ; I say, what a cloud of them will there be, when all these
are Seen flocking together in the region of the clouds at the right hand of
Christ! And then also the work of redemption will be finished in another respect,
viz., that then the church shall all be gathered together. They all belonged
to one society before, but yet were greatly separated with respect to the place
of their habitation ; some being in heaven, and some on earth ; and those who
were on earth together wrere separated one from another, many of them by-
wide oceans, and vast continents. But now they shall all be gathered together,,
never to be separated any more. And not only shall all the members of the
church now be gathered together, but all shall be gathered unto their Head*
into his immediate glorious presence, never to be separated from him any more..
This never came to pass till now.
; At the same time, all wicked men and devils shall be brought before the
judgment seat of Christ. These shall be gathered to the left hand of Christ,,
and, as it seems, will still remain upon the et;rth, and shall not be caught up
into the air, as the saints shall be. The devil, that old serpent, shall npw be
dragged up out of hell. He, that first procured the fall and misery of man
kind, and has so set himself against their redemption, and has all along shown.
himself such an inveterate enemy to the Redeemer; now he shall never more-
have any thing to do with the church of God, or be suffered in the least to af
flict or molest any member of it any more for ever. Instead of that, now he
must be judged, and receive the due reward of his deeds. Now is come the
time which he has always dreaded, and trembled at the thought of; the time-
wherein he must be judged, and receive his full punishment. He who by his?
temptation maliciously procured Christ's crucifixion, and triumphed upon it,.
as though he had obtained the victory, even he shall see the consequences of
the death of Christ which he procured : for Christ's coming to judge him in,
his human nature is the consequence of it ; for Christ obtained and purchased
this glory to himself by that death. Now he must stand before that same Jesus?
whose death he procured, to be judged, condemned, and eternally destroyed by
him. If Satan, the prince of hell, trembles at the thought of it thousands of
years beforehand, how much more will he tremble, as proud and as stubborn*
as he is, when he comes to stand at Christ's bar !
Then shall he also stand at the bar of the saints, whom he has so hatedA
and afflicted, and molested : for the saints shall judge him with Christ : 1 Cor.
vi. 3, " Know ye not that we shall judge angels v' Now shall he be as i*.

502 WORK OF REDEMPTION.
were subdued under the church's feet, agreeable to Rom. xvi. 20. — Satan, when
he first tempted our first parents to fall, deceitfully and lyingly told them, that
they should be as gods : but little did he think that the consequence should be,
that they should indeed be so much as gods, as to be assessors with God to
judge him. Much less did he think, that that consequence would follow, that
one of that nature wh;.ch he then tempted, one of the posterity of those persons
whom he tempted, should actually be united to God, and that as God he should
judge the world, and that he himself n/ust stand trembling and astonished be
fore his judgment seat. But thus all the devils in hell, who have so opposed
Christ and his kingdom, shall now at last stand in utmost amazement and hor
ror before Christ and his church, who shall appear to condemn them.
Now also shall all Christ's other enemies be brought to appear before him.
Now shall wicked, proud scribes and Pharisees, who had such a malignant
hatred of Christ while in his state of humiliation, and who persecuted Christ
to death, those before whose judgment seat Christ was once called and stood,
as a malefactor at their bar, and those who mocked him, and buffeted him, and
spit in his face ; now shall they see Christ in his glory, as Christ forewarned
them in the time of it, Matt. xxvi. 64, 65. Then Christ was before thek judg
ment seat ; but now it is their turn. They shall stand before his judgment seat
with inconceivable horror and amazement, with ghastly countenances, and
quaking limb's, and chattering teeth, and knees smiting one against another.
Now also all the cruel- enemies and persecutors of the church that have
been in all ages, shall come in sight together. Pharaoh and the Egyptians,
Antiochus Epiphanes, the persecuting scribes and Pharisees, the persecuting
Heathen Emperors, Julian the apostate, the cruel persecuting Popes and Papists,
Gog and Magog, shall all appear at once before the judgment seat of Christ.
They and the saints who have in every age been persecuted by them, shall
come in sight one of another, and must confront one another now before the
great Judge. And now shall the saints on their glorious thrones be made the
judges of those unjust kings and rulers who have before judged and condemned
them, and cruelly put them to death. Now shall those persecutors behold the
glory to which they are arrived whom they before so cruelly despised and so
cruelly used ; and Christ will make those holy martyrs as it were to come and
set their feet on the necks of their persecutors ; they shall be made their foot
stool. Thus wonderfully will the face of things be altered from what used tb be in
the former times of the world ; now will all thing's be coming to rights.
4. The righteousness of the church shall be manifested, and all the wicked
ness of their enemies shall be brought to light Those saints who had been the
objects of hatred, reproach, and contempt in the world, and were reviled and
condemned by their persecutors without a cause, shall now be fully vindicated^
They shall now appear clothed with the glorious robe of Christ's righteousness.
It shall be most manifest before the, world, that Christ's righteousness is theirs,
and they shall as it were gloriously shine forth in it. And then also shall their
inherent holiness be made manifest, and all their good works shall be brought
to light. The good things which they did in secret shall now be manifested
openly. Those holy ones of God, who had been treated as though' they were
the filth and offscouring of the earth, as though they wrere not fit to live uppn
earth, as worse than beasts or devils, shall now, when things shall appear as
they are, appear to have been the excellent of the earth. Now God will bring
forth their righteousness as the light, and their judgment as the noon-day. And
now it shall appear who were those wicked persons that were not fit to live,

WORK OF REDEMPTION. 503,
when all the wickedness of the enemies of Christ and his church, their pride,
their malice, their cruelty, their hatred of true religion, shall be set forth in all
the horrid acts of it, and with all its aggravations, in its proper colors.
And now the righteous may be heard before this great Judge, who could
not be heard before those unjust judges. Now they shall declare their cause,
and shall rise up in judgment against their persecutors, arid shall declare how
they have been treated by them. And now all the wickedness of the wicked
of the whole world shall be brought to light. All their secret wickedness, and
their very hearts, shall be opened to view, and as it were turned inside out be
fore the bright light of that great day ; and things that have been spoken in
the ear, in the closet, and done in the dark, shall be manifested in the light,
and proclaimed before all angels and men that are, ever were,'or shall be.
5. The sentence shall be pronounced on the righteous and the wicked.
Christ, the glorious judge, shall pass that blessed sentence on the church, at his
right hand, " Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for
you from the foundation of the world." This sentence shall be pronounced
with infinite love, and the voice will be most sweet, causing every heart to flow
with joy. Thus Christ shall pronounce a sentence of justification on thousands
and millions, who have before had a sentence of condemnation passed upon
them by their persecuting rulers. He will thus put honor upon those who have
been before despised : he will own them for his, and will as it were put a
crown of glory upon their heads before the world ; iind then shall they shine
forth as the sun with Jesus Christ in glory and joy, in the sight of all their
enemies. And then shall the sentence of condemnation be passed on the wicked,
" Depart, ye cursed, into everlasting- fire, prepared for the devil and his angels."
Thus shall the church's enemies be condemned ; in which sentence of condem
nation, the holy martyrs, who have suffered from them, shall concur. When
the words of this sentence are pronounced, they will strike every heart of those
at the left hand with inconceivable horror and amazement. Every syllable of
it will be more terrible than a stream of lightning through their hearts. We
can conceive but very little of those signs and expressions of horror which there
will be upon it, of shrieking, quaking, gnashing of teeth, distortions of counte
nance, hideous looks, hideous actions, and hideous voices, through all that vast
throng. 6. Upon this Christ and all his church of saints, and all the holy angels
ministering to them, shall leave this lower world, and ascend up towards the
highest heavens. Christ shall ascend in as great glory, as he descended, and
in some respects greater : for now he shall ascend with his elect church with
him, glorified in both body and soul. Christ's first ascension to heaven soon
after his own resurrection was very glorious. But this his second ascension,
, the ascension of his mystical body, his whole church, shall be far more glorious.
The redeemed church shall all ascend with him in a most joyful and triumphant
manner ; and all their enemies and persecutors, who shall be left behind on the
accursed ground to be consumed, shall see the sight, and hear their songs.
And thus Christ's church shall forever leave this accursed world, to go into
that more glorious world, the highest heavens, into the paradise of God, the
kingdom that was prepared for them' from the foundation of the world.
7. When they are gone, this world shall be set on fire, and be turned into
a great furnace, wherein all the enemies of Christ and his church shall be tor
mented forever and ever. This is manifest by 2 Pet. iii. 7, "But the heavens
¦and the earth which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved

504 WORK OF REDEMPTION.
unto fire against the day of judgment, and perdition of ungodly men." When
Christ and his church are ascended to a distance from this world, that misera
ble company of wicked being left behind, to have their sentence executed upon
them here, then, some way or other, this whole lower world shall be set on fire,
either by fire from heaven, or by fire breaking out of the bowels of the earth,
or both, as it was with the water in the time of the deluge. However, this
lower world shall be set all on fire. How will it strike the wicked with
horror, when the fire begins to lay hold upon them, and they find no way to
escape it, or flee or hide from it ! What shrieking and crying will there be
among those many thousand and millions, when they begin to enter into this
great furnace, when the whole world shall be a furnace of the fiercest and most
raging heat ! Insomuch that the Apostle Peter says, 2 Pet. iii. 10, 12, that
'•' the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt
with fervent heat, the earth also, and the works that are therein shall be burnt
up ;" and that the " heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements
shall melt with fervent heat." And so fierce shall be its heat that it shall
burn the earth into its very centre ; which seems to be what is meant, Deut.
xxxii. 22, " For a fire is kindled in my anger, and shall burn unto the lowest
hell, and shall consume the earth with her increase, and set on fire the founda
tions of the mountains."
And here shall all the persecutors of the church of God burn in everlasting
fire, who have before burnt the saints at the stake, and shall suffer torments far
beyond all that their utmost wit and malice could inflict on the saints. And
here the bodies of all the wicked shall burn, and be tormented to all eternity, and
never be consumed ; and the wrath of God shall be poured out on their souls.
Though the souls of the wicked in hell do now suffer dreadful punishment, yet
their punishment will be so increased at the day of judgment, that what they
suffered before is, in comparison of it, as an imprisonment, to the execution
which follows it. And now the devil, that old serpent, shall receive his full
punishment ; now shall that which he before trembled for fear of, fully come
upon him. This world, which formerly used to be the place of his kingdom,
where he set up himself as God, shall now be the place of his complete punish
ment, and full and everlasting torment.
And in this, one design of the work of redemption which has been mention
ed, viz., putting Christ's enemies under his feet, shall be perfectly accomplished.
His enemies shall now be made his footstool in the fullest degree. Now shall
be the most perfect fulfilment of that in Gen. iii. 15, " It shall bruise thy head."
8. At the same time all the church shall enter with Christ their glorious
Lord into the highest heaven, and there shall enter on the state of their highest
and eternal blessedness and glory. While the lower world, which they have
left under their feet, is seized with the fire of -God's vengeance, and flames are
kindling upon it, and the wicked are entering into everlasting fire, the whole _
church shall enter, with their glorious head, arid all the holy angels attending,
in a joyful manner into the eternal paradise of God, the palace of the great Je
hovah, their heavenly Father. The gates shall open wide for them to enter,
and there Christ will bring them into his chambers in the highest sense. He
will bring them into his Father's house, into a world not like that which they
have left. Here Christ will bring them, and present them in glory to his Father,
saying, " Here am I, and the children which thou hast given me ;" as much as
to say, Here am I, with every one of those whom thou gavest me from eternity
to take the care of, that they might be redeemed and glorified, and to redeem
whom I have done and suffered so much, and to make way for the redemption

WORK OF REDEMPTION. 505
of whom I have for so many ages been accomplishing such great changes.
Here they are now perfectly redeemed in body and soul ; I have perfectly de
livered them from all the ill fruits of the fall, and perfectly freed them from all
their enemies ; I have brought them all together into one glorious society, and
united them all in myself: I have openly justified them before all angels and
men, and here I have brought them all away from that accursed world where
they have suffered so much, and have brought them before thy throne : I have
done all that for them which thou hast appointed me ; I have perfectly cleansed
them from all filthiness in my blood, and here they are in perfect holiness, shin
ing with thy perfect image.
And then the Father will accept of them, and own them all for his children,
and will welcome them to the eternal and perfect inheritance and glory of his
house, and will on this occasion give more glorious manifestations of his love
than ever before, and will admit them to a more full and perfect enjoyment of
himself. And now shall be the marriage of the Lamb in the most perfect sense. The
commencement of the glorious times of the church on earth, after the fall of An
tichrist, is represented as the marriage of the Lamb ; and this shall be the mar
riage of the Lamb in the highest sense that ever shall be on earth : but after
this we read of another marriage of the Lamb at the close of the day of judg
ment. After the beloved disciple had given an account of the day of judgment,
in the close of the 20th chapter of Revelation, then he proceeds to give an ac
count of what follows in the 21st and 22d chapters : and in the 2d verse of
the 21st chapter, he gives an account that he saw the holy city, the new Jeru
salem, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And when Christ shall
bring his church into his Father's house in heaven, after the judgment, he shall
bring her thither as his bride, having there presented her, whom he loved and
gave himself for, to himself, without spot or wrinkle, or any such thing.
The bridegroom and the bride shall then enter into heaven, both having on
their wedding robes, attended with all the glorious angels. And there they
enter on the feast and joys of their marriage before the Father ; they shall then
begin an everlasting wedding day. This shall be the day of the gladness of
Christ's heart, wherein he will greatly rejoice, and all the saints shall rejoice
with him. Christ shall rejoice over his bride, and the bride shall rejoice in her
husband, in the state of her consummate and everlasting blessedness, of which
we have a particular description in the 21st and 22d chapers of Revelation.
And now the whole work of redemption is finished. We have seen how it
has been carrying on from the fall of man to this time. But now it is complete
with respect to all that belongs to it. Now the top-stone of the building is laid.
In the progress of the discourse on this subject, we have followed the church
of God in all the great changes, all her tossings to and fro that she has been
subject to, in all the storms and tempests through the many ages of the world*
till at length we have seen an end to all these storms. We have seen her en
ter the harbor, and landed in the highest heavens, in complete and eternal glo
ry in all her members, soul and body. We have gone through time, and the
several ages of it, as the providence of God, and the word of God, have led us ;
and now we have issued into eternity after time shall be no more. We have
seen all the church's enemies fixed in endless misery, and have seen the church
presented in her perfect redemption before the Father in heaven, there to en
joy this most unspeakable and inconceivable glory and blessedness ;. and there
We leave her to enjoy this glory throughout the never ending ages of eternity.
Now all Christ's enemies will be perfectly put under his feet, and he shall
Vol. I 64

606 WORK OF REDEMPTION.
have his most perfect triumph over sin and Satan, and all his instruments, and
death, and hell. Now shall all the promises made to Christ by God the Father
before the foundation of the world, the promises of the covenant of redemp
tion, be fully accomplished. And Christ shall now perfectly have obtained the
joy that vvas set before him, for which he undertook those great sufferings which
he underwent in his state of humiliation. Now shall all the hopes and expec
tations of the saints be fulfilled. The state of things that the church was in
before, was a progressive and preparatory state : but now she is arrived to hei
most perfect state of glory. All the glory of the glorious times of the chureh
on earth is but a faint shadow of this her consummate glory in heaven.
And now Christ the great Redeemer shall be most perfectly glorified, and
God the Father shall be glorified in him, and the Holy Ghost shall be most fully
glorified in the perfection of 'his work jwi the hearts of all the church. — And
now shall that new heaven and new earth, or that renewed state of things,
which had been building up ever since Christ's resurrection, be completely fin
ished, after the very material frame of the old heavens and old earth are de
stroyed: Rev. xxi. 1, "And I saw a new heaven, and a new earth: for the
first heaven and the first earth were passed away." — And now will the great
Redeemer have perfected everything that appertains to the work of redemption,
which he began so soon after the fall of man. And who can conceive of the
triumph of those praises which shall be sung in heaven on this great occasion,
so much greater than that of the fall of Antichrist, which occasions such praises
as we have described in the 19th chapter of Revelation ! The beloved disciple
John seems to want expressions to describe those praises, and says, " It was as
the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alle
luia : for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth." But much more inexpressible
will those praises be, which will be sung in heaven after the final consummation
of all .things. Now shall the praises of that vast and glorious multitude be as
mighty thunderings indeed !
And now how are all the former things passed away, and what a glorious
state are things fixed in to remain to all eternity ! — And as Christ, when he
first entered on the work of redemption after the fall of man, had the kingdom
committed to him of the Father, and had took on himself the administration of
the affairs of the universe, to manage all so as to subserve the purposes of this
affair ; so now, the work being finished, he will deliver up the kingdom to God,
even the Father : 1 Cor. xv. 24, " Then cometh the end, when he shall have
delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father ; when he shall have put
down all rule, and all authority and power." Not that Christ shall cease to
reign or have a kingdom after this ; for it is said, Luke i. 33, " He shall reign
over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there shall be no end."
So in Dan. vii. 14, that " his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall
not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed." But the
meaning, is, that Christ shall deliver up that kingdom or dominion which he has
over the world, as the Father's delegate or vicegerent, which the Father com
mitted to him, to be managed in subserviency to this great design of redemp
tion. The end of this commission, or delegation, which he had from the Father,
seems to be to subserve this particular design of redemption; and therefore,
when that design is fully accomplished, the commission will cease, and Christ
will deliver it up to the Father, from whom he received it.

WORK OF REDEMPTION. 507

IMPROVEMENT OF THE WHOLE.

I proceed now to enter upon some improvement of the whole that has been
said from this doctrine.
I. Hence we may learn how great a work this work of redemption is. We
have now had it in a very imperfect manner set forth before us, in the whole
progress of it, from its first beginning after the fall, to the end of the world,
when it is finished. We have.seen how God has carried on this building from
the first foundation of it, by a long succession of wonderful works, advancing it
higher and higher from one age to another, till the top-stone is laid at the end
of the world. And now let us consider how great a work this is. Do men,
when they behold some great palaces or churches, sometimes admire their
magnificence, and are almost astonished to consider how great a piece of work
it was to build such a house? Then how well may we admire the greatness
of this building of God, which he builds up age after age, by a series of such
great things which he brings to pass ! There are three things that have been
exhibited to us in what has been said, which do especially show the greatness
of the work of redemption.
1. The greatness of those particular events, and dispensations of Providence,
by which it is accomplished. How great are those things which God has done,
which are but so many parts of this great work ! What great things were done
in the world to prepare the way for Christ's coming to purchase, and what
great things were clone in the purchase of redemption ! What a wonderful
thing was that which was accomplished to put Christ in an immediate capacity
for this purchase, viz., his incarnation, that God should become man ! And
what great things were done in that purchase, that a person who is the eternal
Jehovah, should live upon earth for four or five and thirty years together, in a
mean, despised condition, and that he should spend his life in such labors and
sufferings, and that at last he should die upon the cross ! And what great things
have been done to accomplish the success of Christ's redemption ! What great
things to put him into a capacity to accomplish this success ! For this purpose
he rose from the dead, and ascended up into heaven, and all things were made
subject to him. How many miracles have been wrought, what mighty revolu- .
tions have been brought to pass, in order to it !
2. The number of those great events by which God carries on this work,
shows the greatness of the work. Those mighty revolutions are so many as to
fill up many ages. The particular wonderful events by which the work of
creation was carried on filled up six days : but the great dispensations by which
the work of redemption is carried on, are so many, that they fill up six or seven
thousand years at least, as we have reason to conclude from the word of God.
—There were great things wrought in this affair before the flood, and in the
flood the world was once destroyed by water, and God's church was so wonder
fully preserved from the flood in order to carry on this work. And after the
flood, what great things did God work relating to the resettling of the world,
to the building of Babel, the dispersing of the nations, the shortening of the
days of man's life, the calling of Abraham, the destruction of Sodom and Go
morrah, and that long series of wonderful providences relating to Abraham,
Isaac, and Jacob, and Joseph, and those wonders in Egypt, and at the Red Sea,
and in the wilderness, and in Canaan in Joshua's time, and by along succession
of wonderful providences from age to age, towards the nation of the Jews .
What great things were wrought by God, in so often overturning the world

508 WORK OF REDEMPTION.
before Christ came, to make way for his coming ! What great things were
done also in Christ's time, and then after that in overturning Satan's kingdom
in the Heathen empire, and in so preserving his church in the dark times of
Popery, and in bringing about a reformation! How many great and wonder
ful things will be effected in accomplishing the glorious times of the church, and
at Christ's last coming on the day of judgment, in the destruction of the world,
and in carrying the whole church into heaven.
3. The glorious issue of this whole affair, in the perfect and eternal de
struction of the wicked, and in the consummate, glory of the righteous. And
now let us once more take a view of this building, now all is finished and the
top-stone laid. It appeared in a glorious height in the apostles' time, and much
more glorious in the time of Constantine, and will appear much more glorious
still after the fall of Antichrist ; but at the consummation of all things, it appears
in an immensely more glorious height than ever before. Now it appears in its
greatest magnificence, as a complete lofty structure, whose top. reaches to the
heaven of heavens ; a building worthy of the great God, the King of kings.
And from what has been said, one may argue that the work of redemption
is the greatest of all God's works of which we have any notice, and it is theend
of all his others works. It appears plainly from what has been said, that this
work is the principal of all God's works of providenee, and that all other works
of providence are reducible hither; they are all subordinate to the great affair
of redemption. We see that all the revolutions in the world are to subserve
this grand design ; so that the work of redemption is, as it were, the sum of
God's w7orks of providence.
This shows us how much greater the work of redemption is, than the work
of creation : for I have several times observed, that the work of providence is
greater than the work of creation, because it is the end of it ; as the use of a
house is the end of the building of the house. But the work of redemption, as
I have just said, is the sum of all God's works of providence : all are subordi
nate to it : so the work of the new creation is more excellent than the old. So
it ever is, that when one thing is removed by God to make way for another,
the new one excels the old. Thus the temple excelled the tabernacle ; the
new covenant, the old ; the new dispensation of the gospel, the dispensation of
Moses ; the throne of David, the throne of Saul ; the priesthood of Christ,
the priesthood of Aaron ; the new Jerusalem, the old ; and so the new creation
far excels the old.
God has used the creation which he has made, for no other purpose but to
subserve the designs of this affair. To answer this end, he hath created and
disposed of mankind ; to this the angels, to this the earth, to this the highest
heavens. God created the world to provide a spouse and a kingdom for his
Son. And the setting up of the kingdom of Christ, and the spiritual marriage
of the spouse to him, is what the whole creation labors and travails in pain to
bring to pftss. This work of redemption is so much the greatest of all the works
of God, that all other works are to be looked upon either as parts of it, or
appendages to it, or are some way reducible to it; and so all the decrees of
God do some way or other belong to that eternal covenant of redemption which
was between the Father and the Son before the foundation of the world.
Every decree of God is some way or other reducible to that covenant.
And seeing this work of redemption is so great a work, hence we need not
wonder that the angels desire to look into it. And we need not wonder that so
much is made of it in Scripture, and that it is so much insisted on in the histo
ries, and prophecies, and songs of the Bible; for the work of redemption is the

WORK OF REDEMPTION. 509
rreat subject of the whole of its doctrines, its promises, its types, its songs, its
histories, and its prophecies.
II. Hence we may learn how God is the Alpha and Omega, the beginning
and ending of all things. Such are the characters and titles we find often
ascribed to God in Scripture, in those places where the Scripture speaks of the
course of things, and series of events in providence : Isa. xii. 4, " Who hath
wrought and done it, calling the generations from the beginning ? I the Lord,
the first and with fhe last ; I am he." And particularly does the Scripture as
cribe such titles to God, where it speaks of the providence of God, as it relates
to, and is summed up in the great work of redemption : as Isa. xliv. 6, 7, and
xlviii. 12, with the context, beginning with the 9th verse. So God eminently
appears as the first and the last, by considering the whole scheme of divine
Providence as we have considered it, viz., as all reducible to that one great
work of redemption.
And therefore, when Christ reveals the future great events of Providence
relating to his church and people, and this affair of redemption to the end of
the world, to his disciple John, he often reveals himself under this character.
So Rev. i. 8, " I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the
Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty." So
again, verses 10, 11, " I heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet, saying,
I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last." Alpha and Omega, are the
names of the first and the last letters of the Greek alphabet, as A and Z
are of ours ; and therefore it signifies the same as his being the first and the last,
and the beginning and the ending.
Thus God is called in the beginning of this book of Revelation, before the
course of the prophecy begins ; and so again he is called at the end of it, after
the course of events is gone through, and the final issue of things is seen : as
Rev. xxi. 6, " And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the
beginning and the end." And so chap. xxii. 12, 13, " And behold, I come
quickly ; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work
shall be. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the
last." .
We have seen how this is true in the course of what I have laid before you
upon this subject. We have seen how things were from God in the beginning ;
on what design God began the course of his providence in the beginning of the
generations of men upon the earth ; and we have seen how it is God that has
all along carried things on agreeable to the same designs without ever failing ;
and how at last the conclusion and final issue of things are to God ; and so we
have seen how all things are of him, and through him, and to him ; and there
fore may well now cry out with the apostle, Rom. xi. 33, " 0 the depth of the
riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God ! How unsearchable are his
judgments, and his ways past finding out L" And verse 36, " For of him, and
through him, and to him, are all things; to whom be glory forever. Amen."
We have seen how other things came to an end one after another ; how
states, and kingdoms, and empires, one after another, fell and came to nothing,
even the greatest and strongest of them; we have seen how the world has been
often overturned, and will' be more remarkably overturned than ever it has been
yet ; we have seen how the world comes to an end, how it was first destroyed
by water, and how at last it shall be utterly destroyed by fire : but yet God re
mains the same through all ages. He was before the beginning of this course
of things, and he will be after the end of them ; agreeably to Psal. en. 25, 26.—,
Thus God is he that is, and that was, and that is to come.

510 WORK OF REDEMPTION.
We have seen, in a variety of instances, how all other gods perish ; we
have seen how the ancient gods of the Heathen, in the nations about Canaan,
and throughout the Roman empire, are all destroyed, and their worship long
since overthrown ; we have heard how Antichrist, who has called himself a
god on earth, and how Mahomet, who claims religious honors, and how all the
gods of the Heathen through the world, will come to an end : and how Satan,
the great dragon, that old serpent, who has set up himself as god of this world,
will be cast into the lake of fire, there to suffer his complete punishment : but
Jehovah remains, and his kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and of his do
minion there is no end- We have seen what mighty changes there have been
in the world ; but God is unchangeable, " the same yesterday, to-day and for
ever." We began at the head of the stream of divine Providence, and have follow
ed and traced it through its various windings and turnings, till we are come to
the end of it, and we see where it issues. As it began in God, so it ends in God.—
God is the infinite ocean into which it empties itself. — Providence is like a
mighty wheel, whose circumference is so high that it is dreadful, with the glory
of the God of Israel above upon it ; as it is represented in Ezekiel's vision. We
have seen the revolution of this wheel, and how, as it was from God, so its re
turn has been to God again. All the events of divine Providerice'are like the
links of a chain; the first link is.,froiff God, ^and the last is to him. ;;.^, ,.'^
III. We may see, by what has-been said,bow Christ, in all things,' has the
preeminence, .. For this, great work of redemption is all his work; he is the
•great Redeemer,, and" therefore the work of redemption, being as it were the
sum of God's works of providence,, this shows the glory of our Lord Jesus
Christ, as being above all, and through all, and in all. That God intended the
world for his Son's use in the affair of redemption, is one reason that is to be
given why be qreated the world by him, which seems to be intimated by the
apostle in Eph..iii49 — 12. What has been said, shows how all the purposes
Of God are purposed in Christ, and how he is before all and above all, and all
things consist by him, and are governed by him, and are for him, Colos. i. 15,
1,6, 17,' 18. We\see by what has been said, how God makes him his first
born, higher than the kings of the earth, and sets his throne above their thrones;
how God has, always upheld his kingdom, when the kingdoms of others have
come to an^erid; how that appears at Istst above all, however greatly opposed
for so many ages ; how, finally, all other kingdoms fell, and his kirigdom is the
last kingdom, and is a kingdom that never gives place to any other.
We see, that whatever changes there are, and however highly Christ's ene-
rriies. exalt themselves, that yet finally all his enemies become his footstool, and
jhe%reigns"in uncontrolled power and immense glory : in the end his people are
alrperf'ectly saved and made happy, and his enemies all become his footstool.
And thus God gives the world to his Son for his inheritance.
IV. Hence we may see what a consistent thing divine providence is. The
consideration of what has been said, may greatly serve to show us the consistency,
order, and beauty, of God's works of providence. If we behold the events of
Providence in any other view than that in which it has been set before us, it
will all look like confusion, like a number of jumbled events coming to pass
without any order or method, like the tossings of the waves of the sea ; things
will look as though one confused revolution came to pass after another, merely
by blind chance, without any regular or certain end.
But if we consider the events of providence in the light in which they have
been set before us under this doctrine, in which the Scriptures set them before

WORK OF REDEMPTION. 511
us, they appear far from being jumbled and confused, an orderly series of
events, all wisely ordered and directed in excellent harmony and consistence,
tending all to one end. The wheels of providence are not turned round by
blind chance, but they are full of eyes round about, as Ezekiel represents, and
they are guided by the Spirit of God : where the Spirit goes, they go : and
all God's works of providence, through all ages, meet in one at last, as so
many lines meeting in one centre.
It is with God's work of providence, as it is with his work of creation ; it
isbut one work. The events of providence are not so many distinct, inde
pendent works of providence, but they are rather so many different parts of
one work of providence : it is all one work, one regular scheme. God's works
of providence are not disunited and jumbled, without connection or dependence,
hut are all united, just as the several parts of one building : there are many
stones, many pieces of timber, but all are so joined, and fitly framed together,
that they make but one building : they have all but one foundation, and are
united at last in one top-stone.
God's providence may not unfitly be compared to a large and long river,
having innumerable branches, beginning in different regions, and at a great
distance one from another, and all conspiring to one common issue. After
their very diverse and contrary courses, which they held for a while, yet they
all gather more and more together, the nearer they come to their common' end,
and all at length discharge themselves at one mouth into the same ocean. The
different streams of this river are apt to appear like mere jumble and confusion
to us, because of the limitedness of our sight, whereby we cannot see from one
branch to another, and cannot see the whole at once, so as to see how all are
United in one. A man who sees but one or two streams at a time, cannot tell
what their course tends to. Their course seems very crooked, and different
streams seem to run* for a while different and contrary ways : and if we view
things at a distance, there seem to be innumerable obstacles and impediments
in the way to hinder their ever uniting and coming to the ocean, as rocks, and
mountains, and the like ; but yet if we trace them, they all unite at last, and
all come to the same issue, disgorging themselves in one into the same great
ocean. Not one of all the streams fail of coming hither at last.
V. From the Whole that has been said, we may strongly argue, that the
Scriptures are the word of God, because they alone inform us what God is
about, or what he aims at in these works which he is doing in the world. God
doubtless is pursuing some design, and carrying on some scheme, in the Various
changes and revolutions which from age to age come to pass in the world. It
is most reasonable to suppose, that there is some certain great design to which
Providence subordinates all the great successive changes in the affairs of the
world which God has made. It is reasonable to suppose that all revolutions,
from the beginning of the world to the end of it, are but the various parts of
the same scheme, all conspiring to bring topass that great event which the great
Creator and Governor of the world has tf/timately in view ; and that the scheme
will not be finished, nor the design ftf/ly accomplished, and the great and ulti
mate event fully brought to pass till the end of the world, and the last revolu
tion is brought about. . .
Now there is nothing else that informs us what this scheme and design ot
God in his works is, but only the Holy Scriptures. Nothing else pretends to
set in view the whole series of God's works of providence from beginning to end,
and to inform us how all things were from God at first, and for what end they
are, and how they were ordered from the beginning, and how they will pro-

512 WORK OF REDEMPTION.
ceed to the end of the world, and what they will come to at last, and how then
all things shall be to God. Nothing else but the Scriptures has any pretence
for showing any manner of regular scheme or drift in those revolutions which
God orders from age to age. Nothing else pretends to show what God would
effect by the things^which he has done, and is doing, and will do ; vyhat he seeks
and intends by them. Nothing else pretends to show, with any distinctness or
certainty, how'' the world began at first, or to tell us the original of things. No
thing but the Scriptures sets forth how God governed the world from the be
ginning of the generations of men upon the earth, in an orderly history ; and
nothing else sets before us how he will govern it to the end by an orderly pro
phecy of future events ; agreeable to the challenge which God makes to the
gods, and prophets, and teachers of the Heathen, in Isa. xii. 22, 23: "Let
them bring them forth, and show us what shall happen : let them show the
former things what they be, that we may consider them, and know the latter
end of them ; or declare us things for to come. Show the things that are to
come hereafter, that we may know that ye are gods."
Reason shows that it is fit and requisite, that the intelligent and rational
beings of the world should know something of God's scheme and design in his
works ; for they doubtless are the beings that are principally concerned. The
thing that is God's great design in his works, is doubtless something concern
ing his reasonable creatures, rather than brute beasts and lifeless things. The
revolutions by which God's great design is brought to pass, are doubtless revo
lutions chiefly among them, and which concern their state, and not the state of
things without life or reason. And therefore surely it is requisite that they
should know something of it ; especially seeing that reason teaches that God has
given his rational creatures reason and a capacity of seeing God in his works;
for this end, that they may see God's glory in them, and give him the glory of them.
But how can they see God's glory in his works, if they do rtot know what God's
design in them is, and what he aims at by what he is doing in the wrorld ?
And further, it is fit that mankind should be informed something of God's
design in the government of the world, because they are made capable of ac
tively falling in with that design, and promoting of it, and acting herein as his
friends and subjects ; it is therefore reasonable to suppose, that God has given
mankind some revelation to inform them of this ; but there is nothing else that
does it but the Bible. In the Bible this is done. Hence we may ^earn an ac
count of the first original of things, and an orderly account of the scheme of
God's works from the first beginning, through those ages that are beyond the
reach of all other histories. Here we are told what God aims at in the whole,
what is the great end, how he has contrived the grand design he drives at,
and the great things he would accomplish by all. Here we have a roost
rational, excellent account of this matter, worthy of God, and exceedingly
-showing forth the glory of his perfections, his majesty, his wisdom, his glorious
holiness, and grace and love, and bis exaltation above all, showing how he is
the first and the last. - •
Here we are shown the connection of the various parts of the work of pro
vidence, and how all harmonizes, and is connected together in a regular, beau
tiful, and glorious frame. — In the Bible we have an account of the whole scheme
of providence, from the beginning of the world to the end of it, either in history
or prophecy, and are told what will become of things at last ; how they will
be finished off by a great day of judgment, and will issue in the subduing of
God's enemies, and in the salvation and glory of his church, and setting up of
the everlasting kingdom of his Son.

WORK OF REDEMPTION. 5j3
How rational, worthy, and excellent a revelation is this ! And how excel
lent a book is the Bible, which contains so much beyond all other books in the
world ! And what characters are here of its being indeed a divine book ' A
book that the great Jehovah has given to mankind for their instruction, without
which we should be left in miserable darkness and confusion.
rryV-FT1'Wi?at haS been said' we may see the glorious majesty and power
of God in this affair of redemption : especially is God glorious in his power
His glorious power appears in upholding his church for so long a time, and
carrying on this work ; upholding it oftentimes when it was but as a little
spark of fire, or as smoking flax, in which the fire was almost gone out, and
the powers of earth and hell were combined to destroy it. Yet God has never
suffered them to quench it, and finally will bring forth judgment unto victory.
God glorifies his strength in his church's weakness ; in causing his people, who
are like a number of little infants, finally to triumph over all earth and hell ;
so that they shall tread on the lion and adder ; the young lion and dragon
shall they trample under foot. The glorious power of God appears in conquer
ing his many and mighty enemies by that person who was once an infant in a
manger, and appeared as a poor, weak, despised man. He conquers them, and
triumphs over them in their own weapon, the cross.
The glorious majesty of God appears in conquering all those mighty ene
mies of the church one age after another ; in conqusring Satan, that proud and
strong spirit, and all his hellish host ; in bringing him down under foot, long
after he had vaunted himself as god of this world, and when he did his utmost
to support himself in his kingdom.
God's power gloriously appears in conquering Satan when exalted in that
strongest and most potent Heathen kingdom that ever he had, the Roman
empire. Christ, our Michael, has overcome him, and the devil was cast out,
and there was found no more place, for him in heaven ; but he was cast out
unto. the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. Again, his power glo
riously appears in conquering him in that kingdom wherein his pride, and sub
tlety, and cruelty, above all appears, viz., the kingdom of Antichrist. It glo
riously appears in conquering him in that greatest and strongest combination
and opposition of the devil and his adherents against Christ and his church, just
before the fall of Antichrist, wherein his visible kingdom has a fatal blow given
it, on which a universal downfall of it follows all over the world.
The glorious power of God appears in thus conquering the devil, and bring
ing him under foot, time after time, after long time given him to strengthen
himself to his utmost, as he was once overthrown in his Heathen Roman empire,
after he had been making himself strong in those parts of the world, ever since
the building of Babel. It appears also in overthrowing his kingdom more
fatally and universally all over the world, after he had again another opportuni-
ty.given him to strengthen himself to bis utmost for many ages, by setting up
those two great kingdoms of Antichrist and Mahomet, and to establish his in
terest in the Heathen world. We have seen how these kingdoms of God's
enemies, that, before God appears, look strong, as though it was impossible to
overthrow them ; yet, time after time, when God appears, they seem to melt
away, as the fat of lambs before the fire, and are driven away as the chaff
before the whirlwind, or the smoke out of the chimney.
Those mighty kingdoms of Antichrist and Mahomet, which have made such
a figure for so many ages together, and have trampled the world under foot,
when God comes to appear, will vanish away like a shadow, and will as it
were disappear of themselves, and come to nothing, as the darkness in a room
Vol, L 65

514 WORK OF REDEMPTION.
does, when the light is brought in. What are God's enemies in his hands?
How is their greatest strength weakness when he rises up ! And how weak
will they all appear together at the day of judgment ! Thus we may apply
those words in the song of Moses, Exod. xv. 6, " Thy right hand, 0 Lord, is
become glorious in power; thy right hand, O Lord, hath dashed in pieces the
enemy." And how great doth the majesty of God appear in overturning the
world from time to time, to accomplish his designs, and at last in causing the
earth and heavens to flee away, for the advancement of the glory of his
kingdom !
VII. From what has been said, we may see the glorious wisdom of God.
It shows the wisdom of God in creating the world, in that he has created it for
such an excellent use, to accomplish in it so glorious a work. And it shows
the wisdom of Divine Providence, that he brings such great good out of such
great evil, in making the fall and ruin of mankind, which in itself in so sorrow
ful and deplorable, an occasion of accomplishing such a glorious work as this
work of redemption, and of erecting such a glorious building, whose top should
reach unto heaven, and of bringing, his elect, to a state of such unspeakable
happiness. And how glorious doth the wisdom of God appear in that long
course and series of great changes in the world, in bringing such order out of
confusion, in so frustrating the devil, and so wonderfully turning all his" most
subtle machinations to his own glory, and the glory of his Son Jesus Christ!
And in causirtg the greatest works of Satan, those in which he has most vaunted
himself, to be wholly turned into occasions of so much the more glorious triumph
of his Son Jesus Christ ? And how wonderful is the wisdom of God, in bring
ing all such manifold and various changes and overturnings in the world to
such a glorious period at last, and in so directing all the wheels of providence
by his skilful hand, that every one of them conspires, as the manifold wheels of
a most curious machine, at last to strike out such an excellent issue, such a
manifestation of the divine glory, such happiness to his people, and such a glori
ous and everlasting kingdom to his Son !
VIII. From what has been said, we may see the stability of God's mercy
and faithfulness to his people ; how he never forsakes his inheritance, and re
members his covenant to them ihrough all generations. Now we may see what
reason there vvas for the words of the text, " The moth shall eat them up like
a garment, and the wbrm shall eat them like wool ; but my righteousness shall
endure forever and ever, and my salvation from generation to generation."
And now we may see abundant reason for that name of God which he reveals
to Moses, Exod. iii. 14: " And God said unto Moses, lam that I am ;" i. e., I am
the same that I was when I entered into covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and
Jacob, and ever shall be the same ; I shall keep covenant forever : I am self-suf
ficient, all-sufficient, and immutable.
And now we may see the truth of that, Psal. xxxvi. 5, 6, " Thy mercy, 0
Lord, is in the heavens ; and thy faithfulness reach eth unto the clouds. Thy
righteousness is like the great mountains ; thy judgments are a great deep."
And if we consider what has been said, we need not wonder that the Psalmist,
in the 136th Psalm, so often repeats this, For his mercy endureth forever ; as if
he were in an ecstasy at the consideration of the perpetuity of God's mercy to
bis church, and delighted to think of it, and knew not how but continually to
express it. Let us with like pleasure and joy celebrate the everlasting duration
of God's mercy and faithfulness to his church and people, and let us be com
forted by it under the present dark circumstances of the church of God, and all
the uproar and confusions that are in the world, and all the threatenings of the

WORK OF REDEMPTION. 515
church's enemies. _ And let us take encouragement earnestly to pray for those
glorious things which God has promised to accomplish for his church.
IX. Hence we may learn how happy a society the church of Christ is
For all this great work is for them. Christ undertook it for their sakes and"
for thek sakes he carries it on, from the fall of man to the end of the worl'd ¦ it
is because he has loved them with an everlasting love. For their sakes he over
turns states and kingdoms. For their sakes he shakes heaven and earth. He
gives men for them, and people for their life. Since they have been precious
in God's sight, they have been honorable ; and therefore he first gives the
blood of his own Son to them, and then, for their sakes, gives the blood of all
their enemies, many thousands and millions, all nations that stand in their way,
as a sacrifice to their good.
For their sakes he made the world, and for their sakes he will destroy it :
for their sakes he built heaven, and for their sakes he makes his angels minis
tering spirits. Therefore the apostle says, as he does 1 Cor. iii. 21, &c, " All
things are yours : whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life,
or death, or things present, or things to come ; all are yours." How blessed is
this people who are redeemed from among men, and- are the first fruits unto
God, and to the Lamb ; who have God in all ages for their protection and
help ! Deut. xxxiii. 29, " Happy art thou, 0 Israel : who is like unto thee, O
people saved by the Lord, the shield of thy help, and who is the sword of thy
excellency! And thine enemies shall be found liars unto thee, and thou shall
tread upon their high places."
Let who will prevail now, let the enemies of the church exalt themselves
as much as they will, these are the people that shall finally prevail. The last
kingdom shall finally be theirs ; the kingdom shall finally be given into their
hands, and shall not be left to other people. We have seen what a blessed
issue things shall finally be brought to as to them, and what glory they shall
arrive at, and remain in possession of, forever and ever, after all the kingdoms
of the world are come to an end, and the earth is removed, and mountains are
carried into the depth of the sea, or where the sea was, and this lower earth
shall all be dissolved. 0 happy people, and blessed society ! Well may they
spend an eternity in praises and hallelujahs to him who hath loved them from
eternity, and will love them to. eternity.
X. And, lastly, hence all wicked men, all that are in a Christless condition,
may see their exceeding misery. You that are such, whoever you are, you are
' those who shall have no part or lot in this matter. You are never the better
for any of those things of which you have heard : yea, your guilt is but so
much the greater, and the misery you are exposed to so much the more dread
ful. You are some of that sort, against whom God, in the progress of the
work, exercises so much manifest wrath ; some of those enemies who are liable
to be made Christ's footstool, and to be ruled with a rod of iron, and to be
dashed in pieces. You are some of the seed of the serpent, to bruise the head
of which is one great design of all this work. Whatever glorious things God
accomplishes for his church, if you continue in the state you are now in, they
will not be glorious to you. The most glorious times of the church are always
the most dismal times to the wicked and impenitent. This we are taught in Isa.
lxvi, 14. And so we find, wherever glorious things are foretold concerning the
church, there terrible things are foretold concerning the wicked, its enemies.
And so it ever has been in fact ; in all remarkable deliverances wrought for
the church, there has been also a remarkable execution of wrath on its ene
mies. So it was when God delivered the children of Israel out of Egypt ; at

516 WORK OF REDEMPTION.
the same time he remarkably poured out his wrath on Pharaoh and the Egypt
ians. So when he brought them into Canaan by Joshua, and gave them that
good land, he remarkably executed wrath upon the Canaanites. So when they
were delivered out of their Babylonish captivity, signal vengeance was inflicted
on the Babylonians. So when" the Gentiles were called, and the elect of God
were saved by the preaching of the apostles, Jerusalem and the persecuting
Jews were destroyed in a most awful manner. I might observe the same con
cerning the glory accomplished to the church in the days of Constantine, at the
overthrow of Satan's visible kingdom in the downfall of Antichrist, and at the
day of judgment. In all these instances, and especially in the last, there have
been, or will be, exhibited most awful tokens of the divine wrath against the
wicked. And to this class of men you belong.
You are indeed some of that sort that God will make use of in this affair ;
but it will be for the glory of his justice, and not of his mercy. You are -some
of those enemies of God who are reserved for the triumph of Christ's glorious
power in overcoming and punishing them. You are some of that sort that
shall be consumed with this accursed world after the day of judgment, when
Christ and his church shall triumphantly and gloriously ascend to heaven.
Therefore let all that are in a Christless condition amongst us seriously con
sider these things, and not be like the foolish people of the old world, who
would not take warning, when Noah told them, that the Lord was about to
bring a flood of waters upon the earth ; or like the people of Sodom, who
would not regard, when Lot told them, that God would destroy that city, and
would not flee from the wrath to come, and so were consumed in that terrible
destruction. And now I would conclude my whole discourse on this subject, in words
like those in the last of the Revelation : " These sayings are faithful and true,
and blessed is he that keepeth these sayings. Behold, Christ cometh quickly,
and his reward is with him, to render to every man according as his work shall
be. And he that is unjust, shall be unjust still ; and he that is filthy, shall be
filthy still ; and he that is holy, shall be holy still. Blessed are they that do
his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter
in through the gates into the city : for without, are dogs, and sorcerers, and
whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whatsoever loveth and maketh
a lie. He that testifieth these things, saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen ;
even so come, Lord Jesus."

DISTINGUISHING MARKS

WORK OF THE SPIRIT OF GOD.

MR. COOPER'S PREFACE TO THE READER.

. There are several dispensations, or days of grace, which the- church of God has
been under from the beginning- of time. There is that under the ancient patriarchs ;
that under the law of Moses j- and there is that of the gospel of Jesus Christ, under
which we now are. This is the brightest day that ever shone, and exceeds the other,
for peculiar advantages. To us who are so happy as to live under the evangelical
dispensation, may those words of our Saviour be directed, which he spake to his disci
ples, when he was first setting up the Messiah's kingdom in the world, and gospel-light
and power began to spread abroad : " Blessed are the eyes which see the things that
ye see. For I tell you, that many prophets and kings have desired to see those things
which ye see, and have not seen them ; and to hear those things which ye hear, and
have not heard them."*
The Mosaic dispensation, though darkened with types and figures, yet far exceed
ed the former : but the gospel dispensation so much exceeds in glory, that it eclipses
the glory of the legal, as the stars disappear when the sun ariseth, and goeth forth in
his strength. — And the chief thing that renders the gospel so glorious is, that it is the
ministration of the Spirit. Under the preaching of it, the Holy Spirit was to be poured
out in more plentiful measures ; not only in miraculous gifts, as in the first times of
the gospel, but in his internal saving operations, accompanying the outward ministry,
to produce numerous conversions to Christ, and give spiritual life to souls that were
before dead in trespasses and sins, and so prepare them for eternal life. Thus the
apostle speaks, when he runs a comparison between the Old Testament and the New,
the law of Moses and the gospel of Jesus Christ : " For the letter killeth, but the Spirit
.giveth life. But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glori
ous, so that the children of Israel could not steadfastly behold the face of Moses, for the
glory of his countenance, which glory was to be done away; how shall not the min
istration of the Spirit be rather glorious V'\
This blessed time of the gospel hath several other denominations, which may raise
our esteem ahd value for it. It is called by the evangelical prophet, " The accepta
ble year of the Lord."J Or, as it may be read, the year of liking, or of benevolence,
or of the good will of the Lord ; because it would be the special period in Which he
would display his grace and favor, in an extraordinary manner, and deal out spiritual
blessings with a full and liberal hand.  It is also styled by our Saviour, the regen
eration^' which may refer not only to that glorious restitution of all things, which is
looked for at the close of the Christian dispensation, but to the renewing work of grace
in particular souls, carried on from the beginning to the end of it. But feW were
renewed and sanctified under the former dispensations, compared with the instances
of the grace of God in gospel-times. Such numbers were brought into the gospel-
church when it was first set up, as to give occasion for that pleasing admiring question,
which was indeed a prophecy of it, II "Who are these that fly as a cloud, and as the
doves to their windows 1" Then the power of the divine Spirit so accompanied the
ministry of the word, as that thousands were converted under one sermon.  But
notwithstanding this large effusion of the Spirit, when gospel-light first dawned upon
the world— that pleasant spring of religion which then appeared on the face of the
eactb— there was a gradual withdrawing of his saving light and influences; and so
the gospel came to be less /successful, and the state of Christianity withered m one
Place and another. ,. , , , .
Indeed at the time of the Reformation from popery, when gospel-lignt broke in
• Luke x. 23, 24. 1 2 Cor. iii. 6, 7 8 % Isa. Ia. 2. § Matt. xix. 28. II Isa. Ix. 8.

520 PREFACE.
upon the church, and dispelled the clouds of antichristian darkness that covered it, the
power of divine grace so accompanied the preaching of the word, as that it had ad
mirable success in the conversion and edification of souls ; and the blessed fruits thereof
appeared in the hearts and lives of its professors. That was one of " the days o. the
Son of man," on which the exalted Redeemer rode forth, in his glory and majesty, on
the white horse of the pure gospel, " conquering and to conquer ;" and the bow in his
right hand, like that of Jonathan, returned not empty. But what a dead and barren
time has it now been, for a great while, with all the churches of the Reformation ?
The golden showers have been restrained ; the influences of the Spirit suspended ;
and the consequence has been, that the gospel has not had any eminent success.
Conversions have been rare and dubious ; few sons and daughters have been born to
God ; and the hearts of Christians not so quickened, warmed, and refreshed under the
ordinances, as they have been.
That this has been the sad state of religion among us in this land, for many years
(except one or two distinguished places, which have at times been visited with a show
er of mercy, while other towns and churches have not been rained upon), will be ac
knowledged by ail who have spiritual senses exercised, as it has been lamented by
faithful ministers and serious Christians. Accordingly it has been a constant petition
in our public prayers, from Sabbath to Sabbath, " That God would pour out his Spirit
upon us, and revive his work in the midst of the years." And besides our annual fast-
days appointed by government, most of the churches have set apart days, wherein to
seek the Lord by prayer and fasting, that he would " come and rain down righteous
ness upon us."
And now,  " Behold ! the Lord whom we have sought, has suddenly come to
his temple." The dispensation or grace we ai e now under, is certainly such as neither
we nor our fathers have seen ; and in some circumstances so wonderful, that I believe
there has not been the like since the extraordinary pouring out of the Spirit immeuiate-
iy after our Lord's ascension. The apostolical times seem to have returned upon us :
such a display has there been of the power and grace of the divine Spirit in the assem
blies of his people, and such testimonies has he given to the word of the gospel.
I remember a remarkable passage of the late reverend and learned Mr; Howe,
which I think it may be worth while to transcribe here. It is in his discourse concern
ing the "Prosperous State of the Christian Church before the End of Time, by a
plentiful Effusion of the Holy Spirit," page 80. "In such a time," says he, " when the
Spirit shall be poured forth plentifully, surely ministers shall have their proportiona
ble share. And when such a time as that shall come, I believe you will hear much
other kind of sermons (or they will who shall live to such a time) than you are wont
to do now-a-days : souls will surely be dealt with at another rate. It is plain (says
he),too sadly plain, there is a great retraction of the Spirit of God even from us. We
know not how to speak hving sense into souls ; how to get within you: our words die
in our mouths, or drop and die between you and us. We even faint when we speak;
long-experienced unsuccessfulness makes us despond : we speak not as persons that
hope to prevail, that expect to make you serious, heavenly, mindful of God, and to
walk more like Christians. The methods of alluring and convincing souls, even that
some of us have known, are lost from amongst us in a great part. There have been
other ways taken, than we can tell now how to fall upon, for the mollifying of the ob
durate, and the awakening of the secure, and the convincing and persuading of the
obstinate, and the winning of the disaffected. Surely there will be a large share, that
will come even to the part of ministers, when such an effusion of the Spirit shall be,
as it is expected: that they shall know hotv to speak to better purpose, with more
compassion, with more seriousness, with more authority and allurement, than we now
find we can."
Agreeable to the just expectation of this great and excellent man, we have found
it in this remarkable day. A number oi preachers have appeared among us, to whom
God has given such a large measure of his Spirit, that we are ready sometimes to
apply to them the character given of Barnabas, that " he was a good man, and full of
the Holy Ghost, and of faith."* They preach the gospel of the grace of God from
place to place, with uncommon zeal and assiduity. The doctrines they insist on, are
the doctrines of the reformation, under the influence whereof the power of godliness
so flourished in the last century. The points on which their preaching mainly turns
are those important ones of man's guilt, corruption, and impotence ; supernatural rfr
* Acts » 24

PREFACE, 521
generation by the Spirit of God, and free justification by faith in the righteousness or
Christ ; and the marks of the new birth. — The manner of their preachino- is not with
the enticing words of man's wisdom ; howbeit, they speak wisdom among them that
are perfect. An ardent love to Christ and souls, warms their breasts, and animates-.
their labors. God has made those his ministers active spirits, a flame of fire in his
service ; and his word in their mouths has been, " as a fire, and as a hammer that
breaketh the rock in pieces." In most places where they have labored, God has evi
denfly wrought with them, and " confirmed the word by signs following." Such a
power and presence of God in religious assemblies, has not ben known since God set
up his sanctuary amongst us. He has indeed " glorified the house of his glory."
This work is truly extraordinary, in respect of its extent. It is more or less in the
several provinces that measure many hundred miles on this continent. " He sendeth
forth his commandment on earth ! his word runneth very swiftly." It has entered and
spread in some of the most populous towns, the chief' places of concourse and busi
ness. And— blessed be God !— it-has visited the seats of learning, bolh here, and in
a neighboring colony; O may the Holy Spirit constantly reside in them both, seize
mir devoted youth, and form them as polished shafts, successfully to fight the Lord's
battles against the powers of darkness, when they shall be called out to service ! — It is
extraordinary also with respect to the numbers that have been the subjects of this op
eration. Stupid sinners have been awakened by hundreds; and the inquiry has been
general in some places, " What must I do to be saved V I verily believe, that in this
our metropolis, there were the last winter some thousands under such religious im
pressions as they never felt before.
The work has been remarkable also for the various sorts of persons that have been
under its influence.— These have been of all ages. Some elderly persons have been
snatched as brands out of the burning, made monuments of divine mercy, and born to
God, though out of due time ; as the apostle speaks in his own case.* But here, with
as, it has lain mostly among the young. Sprightly youth have been made to bow like
willows to the Redeemer's sceptre, and willingly to subscribe with their own hands to
the Lord. And out of the mouths of babes, some little children, has God ordained to
himself praise, to still the enemy and the avenger. — They have also been of all ranks
and' degrees. Some of the great and rich; but more of the low and poor. — Of other
countries and nations. Ethiopia has stretched out her hand : some poor negroes have,
I trust, been brought into the glorious liberty of the children of God. — Of all qualities
and conditions. The most ignorant; the foolish things of the world, babes in know
ledge, have been made wise unto salvation, and taught those heavenly truths, which
have been hid from the wise and prudent. Some of the learned and knowing among
men have had those things revealed to them of the Father in heaven, which flesh and
blood do not teach :. and of these, some who had gone into the modern notions, and
had ho other than trie polite religion of the present times, have had their prejudices
conquered, their carnal reasonings overcome, and their understandings made to bow
to gospel mysteries ; they now receive the truth as it is in Jesus, and their faith no
longer "stands in the wisdom of man but in the power of God." Some of the most
rude and disorderly are become regular in their behavior, and sober in all things.
The gay and airy are become grave and serious.
Some of the greatest sinners have appeared to be turned into real saints : drunk
ards' have become 'temperate; fornicators and' adulterers of a chaste conversation;
swearers and profane persons have learned to fear that glorious and fearful Name,
the Lord their God ; and carnal worldlings have been made to seek first the king
dom of God and his righteousness. Yea, deriders and scoffers at this work and its
instruments, have 'come under its conquering power. Some of this stamp, who have
gone to hear the preacher (as some did Paul — " What will this babbler say ?"), have
not been able to resist the power and the Spirit with which he spake ; have sat trem
bling under the word,'and gone away from it weeping ; and afterward did cleave unto
the preacher, as Dionysius the Areopagite did unto Paial.f Divers instances of this
kind have fallen under my knowledge.
The virtuous and civil, have been convinced that morality is not to be relied on for
life ;' and so excited to seek alter the new birth, and a vital union to Jesus Christ by
faith. The formal professor likewise has been awakened out of his dead formalities,
brought under the power of godliness.; taken off from his false rest, and brought to
build his hope only on the Mediator's righteousness. At the same time, many of the
ehildren of God have been greatly quickened and refreshed ; have been awakened out
* 1 Cor. xv. t Acts xvii. 18, 34.
Vol. I. 66

522 PREFACE.
of the sleeping frames they were fallen into, and excited to give diligence to makft
their calling and election sure ; and have had precious, reviving, and sealing times.
Thus extensive and general the divine influence has been at this glorious season.
One thing more is worthy of remark ; and this is the uniformity of the work. By
.the accounts I have received in letters, and conversation with ministers and others,
who live in different parts of the land where this work is going on, it is the same work
that is carried on in one place and another : the method of the Spirit's operation on
the minds of the people is the same ; though with some variety of circumstances, as is
usual at other times : and the particular appearances with which this work is attended,
that have not been so common at other times, are also much the same. These are
indeed objected by many against the work ; but though conversion is the same work,
m the main strokes of it, wherever it is wrought ; yet it seems reasonable to suppose
that at an extraordinary season wherein God is pleased to carry on a work of his
grace in a more observable and glorious manner, in a way which he would have to
be taken notice of by the world ; at such a time, I say, it seems reasonable to suppose,
that there may be some particular appearances in the work of conversion, which are
not common at other times — when yet there are. true conversions wrought— or some
circumstances attending the work may be carried to an unusual degree ahd height
If it were not thus, the work of the Lord would not be so much regarded and spoken
of; and so God would not have so much of the glory of it. Nor would the work itself
be like to spread so fast; for God has evidently made use'of example and discourse
in the carrying of it on.
And as to the. fruits of this work (which we have been bid so often tp wait for),
blessed be God I so far as there has been time for observation, they appear to be
abiding. I do not mean that none have lost their impressions, or that there are no in
stances of hypocrisy and apostasy. Scripture and experience lead us to expect these,
at such a season. It is to me matter of surprise and thankfulness that as yet there
have been no more. But I mean, that a great number of those who have been awakened
are still seeking and striving to enter in at the strait gate. The most of those who
have been thought to be converted, continue to give evidence of their being new
creatures, and seem to cleave to the Lord with full purpose of heart. To be sure, a
new face of things continues in this town : though many circumstances concur to ren
der such a work not so observable here,* as in smaller and distant places. Many,
things not becoming the profession of the gospel are in a measure reformed. Taverns,
dancing-schools, and such meetings as have been called assemblies, which have al
ways proved unfriendly to serious godliness, are much less frequented. Many have
reduced their dress and apparel, so as to make them look more like the followers of
the humble Jesus. And it has been both surprising and pleasant to see how some
younger people, and of that sex too which is most foiyi of such vanities, have put off
the " bravery of their ornaments," as the effect and indication of their seeking the in
ward glories of " the King's daughter." Religion is now much more the subject of
conversation at friends' houses, than ever I knew it. The doctrines of grace are es
poused and relished. Private religious meetings are greatly multiplied. — The public
assemblies (especially lectures) are much better attended ; and our auditors were
never so attentive and serious. There is indeed an extraordinary appetite after " the
sincere milk of the word." t
It is more than a twelvemonth since an evening lecture was set up in this town :
there are now several : two constantly on Tuesday and Friday evenings ; when some
of our most capacious houses are well filled with hearers, who by their looks and de
portment seem to come to hear that their souls might live. An evening in God's
courts is now esteemed better than many elsewhere. There is also great resort to
ministers in private. Our hands continue full of work : and many times we have more
than we can discourse with distinctly and separately. — I have been thus large and
particular, that persons at a distance, who are desirous to know the present state of
religion here, into whose hands these papers will come, may receive some satisfaction.
And now, can any be at a loss to what spirit to ascribe this work? To attribute
it, as some do, to the devil, is to make the old serpent hke the foolish woman, "who
plucked down her house with her hands."t Our Saviour has taught us to argue
otherwise in such a case as this. " Every kingdom divided against itself, shall not
stand. And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself: how then shall
his kingdom stand V'%
That some entertain prejudices against this work, and others revile and reproach
* i. c. Boston, in New England. f Prov. xiv. 1. t Matt. xii. 25, 26

PREFACE.

523

it, does not make it look less like a work of God : it would else want one mark of its being-
so; for the spirit of this world, and the spirit which is of God, are contrary the one
to the other. I do not wonder that Satan rages, and shows his rage in some that are
under his influence, when his kingdom is so shaken, and his subjects desert him bv
hundreds, I hope by thousands— The prejudices of some, I make no doubt, are owine
to the want of opportunity to be rightly informed, and their having received misrepre
sentations from abroad. Others may be offended, because they have not experienced
any thing like such a work in themselves ; and if" these things be so, they must begin
again, and get another foundation laid than that on which they have built; and this
is what men are hardly brought to. And otliers, perhaps, may dislike the pffesent
work, because it supports and confirms some principles which they have not yet em
braced, and against which such prejudices hang about their minds, as they cannot
easily shake off. For it is certain, these fruits do not grow on Arminian ground. I
hope none dislike the work, because they have not been used as instruments in it. For
if we love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity, we shall rejoice to see him increase,
though we -.should decrease. If any are resolutely set to disbelieve this work, to re
proach and oppose it, they must be left to the free sovereign power and mercy of God
to enlighten and rescue them. These, if they have had opportunity to be rightly in
formed, I am ready to think, would have been disbelievers, and opposers of the mira
cles and mission of our Saviour, had they lived in his days. The malignity which
some of them have discovered, to me approaches nearer to the unpardonable sin; and
they had need beware, lest they indeed sin the sin which is unto death : for as I believe .
it can be committed in these days, as well as in the days of the apostles, so I think '
persons are now iri more danger of committing it than at other times. At least, let
them come under the awe of that word. Psal. xxviii. 5, " Because they regard not the
works of the Lord, nor the operation of his hands, he shall destroy them, and not build
them up."
But if any are disposed to receive conviction, have a mind open to light, and are
really willing to know of the present work whether it be of God, it is with great satis
faction and pleasure I can recommend to them the following sheets ; in which they
will find the " distinguishing marks" of such a work, as they are to be found in the
Holy Scriptures, applied to the uncommon operation that has been on the minds of
many in this land. Here the matter is tried by the infallible touchstone of the Holy
Scriptures, and is weighed in the balance of the sanctuary, with great judgment and
impartiality. A performance of this kind is seasonable and necessary ; and I desire heartily to .
bless God, who inclined this his servant to undertake it, and has graciously assisted
him in it. The Reverend Author is known to be " a scribe instructed unto the king
dom of heaven ;" the place where he has been called to exercise his ministry has been ,
famous for experimental religion ; and he has had opportunities to observe this work
in many places where it has powerfully appeared, and to converse with numbers that ,
have been the subjects of it. These things qualify him for this undertaking above
most. His arguments iu favor of the work, are strongly drawn from Scripture, reason,
and experience : and I shall believe every candid, judicious reader will say, he writes
very free from an enthusiastic or a party spirit. The use of human learning is asserted ;
a methodical way of preaching, the fruit of study as well as prayer, is recommended;
and the exercise of charity in judging others pressed and urged : and those things
which are esteemed the blemishes, and are like to be the hinderances of the work, are
with great faithfulness cautioned and warned against. — Many, I believe, will be thank
ful for this publication. Those who have already entertained favorable thoughts of
this work, will be confirmed by it ; and the doubting may be convinced and satisfied.
But if there are any who cannot after all see the signatures of a divine hand on the
work, it is to be hoped they will be prevailed on to spare their censures, and stop their
oppositions, lest " haply they should be found even to fight against God."
I had yet several things to say, which I see I must suppress, or I shall 'go much.
beyond the limits of a preface : and I fear I need to ask pardon both of the reader
and the publishers for the length I have run already. Only I cannot help expressing
my wish, that those who have been conversant in this work, in one place and another,
would transmit accounts of it to such, a hand as the Reverend Author of this discourse,
to be compiled into a narrative, like that of the conversions at Northampton, which
was published a few years ago ; that so the world may know this surprising dispensa
tion, in the beginning, progress, and various circumstances of it. This, I apprehend,
would be for the honor of the Holy Spirit, whose work and office has been treated so

524 PREFACE.
reproachfully in the Christian world. It would be an open attestation to the divinity
of a despised gospel : and it might have a happy effect on the other places, where the
sound oi this marvellous work would by this means be heard. I cannot but think it would
be one of the most useful pieces of church history the people of God are blessed with.
Perhaps it would come the nearest to the Acts oi the ApostTes of any thing extant ; and
all the histories in the world do not come up to that : there we have something as sur
prising as in the book of Genesis; and a new creation, of another kind, seems to open
to our view. But I must forbear.
I -frill only add my prayer, That the worthy Author of this discourse may long be
continued a burning and shining light in the golden candlestick where Christ has
placed him, and from thence diffuse his light through these provinces ! That- the
divine Spirit, whose cause is here espoused, would accompany this and the other val
uable publications of his servant, with his powerful influences ; that they may promote
the Redeemer's interest, serve the ends of vital religion, and so add to the Author's
present joy, and future crown !
W. COOPER.
Boston, Nov. 20, 1741.

THE
MARKS. OF A WORK OF THE TRUE SPIRIT.

iJoHS iv. 1.— Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because
many false prophets are gone out into the world.
In the apostolic age, there was the greatest outpouring of the Spirit of God
that ever Was ; both as to his extraordinary influences and gifts, and his ordi
nary operations, in convincing, converting, enlightening, and sanctifying, the
souls of men. But as the influences of the true Spirit abounded, so counterfeits
¦ did also abound : the devil was abundant in mimicking, both the ordinary and
extraordinary influences of the Spirit of God, as is manifest by innumerable
passages of the apostles' writings. This made it very necessary that the church
of Christ should be furnished with some certain rules, distinguishing and clear
marks, by which she might proceed safely in judging of the true from the false
without danger of being imposed upon. The giving of such rules is the plain
design of this chapter, where we have this matter more expressly and fully
treated of than anywhere else in the Bible. The apostle, of set purpose,
undertakes to supply the church of God with such marks of the true Spirit as
may be plain and safe, and well accommodated to use and practice ; and that
the subject might be clearly and sufficiently handled, he insists upon it through
out the chapter, which makes it wonderful that what is here said is no more
taken notice of in this extraordinary day, when there is such an uncommon and
extensive operation on the minds of people, such a variety of opinions concerning
it, and so much talk about the work of the Spirit.
The apostle's discourse on this subject is introduced by an occasional men
tion of the indwelling of the Spirit, as the sure evidence of an interest in Christ :
" And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him ;
and hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given
us." Whence we may infer, that the design of the apostle is not only to give
marks whereby to distinguish the true Spirit from the false, in his extraordinary
gifts of prophecy and miracles, but also in his ordinary influences on the minds
of his people, in order to their union to Christ, and being built up in him ;
which is also manifest from the marks themselves that are given, which we
shall hereafter notice.
The words of the text are an introduction to this discourse of the distin
guishing signs of the true and false Spirit. — Before the apostle proceeds to
lay down the signs, he exhorteth Christians, first, against an over credulousness,
and a forwardness to admit every specious appearance as the work of a true
Spirit : " Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are
of God." And, second, he shows, that there were many counterfeits, " because
many false prophets were gone out into the world." These did not only pre
tend to have the Spirit of God in his extraordinary gifts of inspiration, but also
to be the great friends and favorites of heaven to be eminently holy persons,
and to have much of the ordinary saving, sanctifying influences of the Spirit

526 MARKS OF A WORK
of God on their hearts. Hence we are to look upon these words as a direction
to examine and try their pretences to the Spirit of God, in both these
respects. My design therefore at this time is to show what are the true, certain, and
distinguishing evidences of a work of the Spirit of God, by which we may
safely proceed in judging of any operation we find in ourselves, or see in others.
And here I would observe, that we are to take the Scriptures as our guide in
such cases. This is the great and standing rule which God has given to his
church, in order to guide them in things relating to the great concerns of their
souls ; and it is an infallible and sufficient rule. There are undoubtedly suffi
cient marks given to guide the church of God in this great affair of judging of
spirits, without which it would lie open to woful delusion, and would be
xemedilessly exposed to be imposed on and devoured by its enemies. And we
need not be afraid to trust these rules. Doubtless that Spirit who indited the
Scriptures knew how to give us good rules, by which to distinguish his oper
ations from all that is falsely pretended to be from him. And this, as I ob
served before, the Spirit of God has here done of set purpose, and done it more
particularly and fully than any where else : so that- in my present discourse I
shall go nowhere else for rules or marks for the trial of spirits, but shall con
fine myself to those that I find in this chapter. — But before I proceed particu
larly to speak to these, I would prepare my way by, first, observing negatively,
in some instances, what are not signs or evidences of a work of the Spirit -of
God.

SECTION I.

Negative Signs; or, What are no signs by which we are to judge of a work — and
especially, "What are no evidences that a work is not from the Spirit of God.
I. Nothing can be certainly concluded from this, That a work is carried on
in a way very unusual and extraordinary ; provided the variety Or difference be
Such, as may still be comprehended within the limits of Scripture rules. What
the church has been used to, is not a rule by which we are to judge; because
there may be new and extraordinary works of God, and he has heretofore
evidently wrought in an extraordinary manner. He has brought to pass new
things, strange works ; and has wrought in such a manner as to surprise both
men and angels. And as God has done thus in times past, so we have no
reason to think but that he will do so still. The prophecies of Scripture give
us reason to think that God has things to acconplish, which have never yet
been seen. No deviation from what has hitherto been usual, let it be never so
great, is an argument that a work is not from the Spirit of God, if it be no
deviation from his prescribed rule. The Holy Spirit is sovereign in his operation;
and we know that he uses a great variety ; and we cannot tell how great a
variety he may use, within the compass of the rules he himself has fixed.
We ought not to limit God where he has not limited himself.
Therefore it is not reasonable to determine that a work is not from God's
Holy Spirit because of the extraordinary degree in which the minds of persons
are influenced. If they seem to have an extraordinary conviction of the dread
ful nature of sin, and a very uncommon sense of the misery of a Christless
condition — or extraordinary views of the certainty and glory of divine things,
— and are proportionably moved with very extraordinary affections of fear and

OF THE SPIRIT OF GOD. 537
sorrow, desire, love, or joy : or if the apparent change be very sudden, and
the work be carried on with very unusual swiftness — and the persons affected
are very numerous, and many of them are very young, with other unusual cir
cumstances, not infringing upon Scripture marks of a work of the Spirit  these
things are no argument that the work is not of the Spirit of God.— The
extraordinary and unusual degree of influence, and power of operation, if in its
nature it be agreeable to the rules and marks given in Scripture, is rather an ar
gument in its favor ; for by how much higher the degree which in its nature
is agreeable to the rule, so much the more is there of conformity to the rule ;
and so much the more evident that conformity. When things are in small
degrees, though they be really agreeable to the rule, it is not so easily seen whether
their nature agrees with the rule.
There is a great aptness in persons to doubt of things that are strange ;
especially elderly persons, to think that to be right which they have never been
used to in their day, and have not heard of in the days of their fathers. But
if it be a good argument that a work is not from the Spirit of God, that it is
very unusual, then it was so in the apostles' days. The work of the Spirit then,
was carried on in a manner that, in very many respects, was altogether new ;
such as never had been seen or heard since the world stood. The work was
then carried on with more visible and remarkable power than ever ; nor had
there been seen before such mighty and wonderful effects of the Spirit of God
m sudden changes, arid such great engagedness and zeal in great multitudes —
such a sudden alteration in towns, cities, and countries ; such a swift progress,
and vast extent of the work — and many other extraordinary circumstances
might be mentioned. The great unusualness of the work surprised the Jews ;
they knew not what to make of it, but could not believe it to be the work of
God: many looked upon the persons that were the subjects of it as bereft of reason ;
as you may see in Acts ii. 13, xxvi. 24, and 1 Cor; iv. 10.
And we have reason from Scripture prophecy to suppose, that at the com
mencement of that last and greatest outpouring of the Spirit of God, that is to
be in the latter ages of the world, the manner of the work will be very extra
ordinary, and such as never has yet been seen ; so that there shall be occasion
then to say, as in Isa. lxvi. 8, " Who hath heard such a thing 1 Who hath seen
such things 1 Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day ? Shall a na
tion be born at once 1 for as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her
children." It may be reasonably expected that the extraordinary manner of
the work then, will bear some proportion to the very extraordinary events,
and that glorious change in the state of the world, which God will bring to
pass by it.
II. A work is not to be judged of by any effects on the bodies of men ;
such as tears, trembling, groans, loud outcries, agonies of body, or the failing
of bodily strength. The influence persons are under, is not to be judged of one
way or Other, by such effects on the body ; and the reason is, because the
Scripture nowhere gives us any such rule. We cannot conclude that persons
are under the influence of the true Spirit because we see such effects upon
their bodies, because this is not given as a mark of the true Spirit ; nor on
the other hand, have we any reason to conclude, from any such outward ap
pearances, that persbns are not under the influence of the Spirit of God, because
there is no rule of Scripture given us to judge of spirits by, that does either
expressly or indirectly exclude such effects on the body, nor does reason exclude
them. It is easily accounted for from the consideration of the nature of divine
and eternal things, and the natftre of man, and the laws of the union between

528 MARKS OF A WORK
soul and body, how a right influence, a true and proper sense of things, should
have such effects on the body, even those that are of the most extraordinary
kind, such as taking away the bodily strength, or throwing the body into great
agonies, and extorting loud outcries. There are none of us but do suppose,
and would have been ready at any time to say it, that the misery of hell is
doubtless so dreadful, and eternity so vast, that if a person should have a clear
apprehension of that misery as it is, it would be more than his feeble frame
could bear, and especially if at the same time he saw himself in great danger
of it, and to be utterly uncertain whether he should be delivered from it, yea,
and to have no security from it one day or hour. If we consider human nature,
we must not wonder, that when persons have a great sense of that which is so
amazingly dreadful, and also have a great view of their own wickedness and
God's anger, that things seem to them to forebode speedy and immediate des
truction. We. see the nature of man to be such that when he is in danger of
some terrible calamity to which he is greatly exposed, he is ready upon every
occasion to think, that now it is coming. — When persons' hearts are full of
fear, in time of war, they are ready'to tremble at the shaking of a leaf, and-to
expect the enemy every minute, and to say within themselves, now I shall he
slain. If we should suppose that a person saw himself hanging over a great
pit, full of fierce and glowing flames, by a thread that he knew to be very weak,
and not sufficient to bear his weight, and knew that multitudes had been in such
circumstances before, and that most of them had fallen and perished, and saw
nothing within reach, that he could take hold of to save him, what distress
would he be in ! How ready to think that now the thread was breaking, that
now, this minute, he should be swallowed up in those dreadful flames ! And
would not he be ready to cry out in such circumstances 1 How much more
those that see themselves in this manner hanging over an infinitely more dread
ful pit, or held over it in the hand of God, who at the same time they see to be
exceedingly provoked ! No wonder that the wrath of God, when manifested
but a little to the soul, overbears human strength.
So it may easily be accounted for, that a true sense of the glorious excel
lency of the Lord Jesus Christ, and of his wonderful dying love, and the exercise
of a truly spiritual love and joy, should be such as very much to overcome the
bodily strength. We are all ready to own, that no man can see God and live,
and that it is but a very small part of that apprehension of the glory and love
of Christ which the saints enjoy in heaven, that our present frame can bear;
therefore it is not at all strange that God should sometimes give his saints such
foretastes of heaven, as to diminish their bodily strength. If it was not unac
countable that the queen of Sheba fainted, and had her bodily strength taken
away, when she came to see the glory of Solomon, much less is it unaccountable
that she who is the antitype of the queen of Sheba, viz., the Church, that is
brought, as it were, from the utmost ends of the earth, from being an alien and
stranger, far off, in a state of sin and misery, should faint when she comes to
see the glory of Christ, who is the antitype of Solomon ; and especially will
be so in that prosperous, peaceful, glorious kingdom, which he will set up in the
world in its latter aoe.
Some object against such extraordinary appearances, that we have no in
stances of them recorded in the New Testament, under the extraordinary
effusions of the Spirit. Were this allowed, I can see no force in the objection,
if neither reason, nor any rule of Scripture, exclude such things; especially
considering what was observed under the foregoing particular. I do not know
that we have any express mention in the New Testament of any. person's

OF THE SPIRIT OF GOD. 52$
weeping, or groaning, or sighing through fear of hell, or a sense of God's anger;
but is there any body so foolish as from hence to argue, that in whomsoever these
things appear, their convictions are not from the Spirit of God 1 And the rea
son why we do not argue thus, is, because these are easily accounted for, from
what we know of the nature of man, and from what the Scripture informs us
in general, concerning the nature of eternal things, and the nature of the
convictions of God's Spirit ; so that there is no need that any thing should be
said in particular concerning these external, circumstantial' effects. Nobody
supposes that there is any need of express scripture for every external, accidental
manifestation of the inward motion of the mind : and though such circumstances
are not particularly recorded in sacred history, yet there is a great deal of
reason to think, from the general accounts we have, that it could not be other
wise than that such things must be in those days. And there is also reason to
think, that such great outpouring of the Spirit was not wholly without those
more extraordinary effects on persons' bodies. The jailer in particular, seems
to have been an instance of that nature, when he, in the utmost distress and
amazement, came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas. His falling
down at that time does not seem to be a designed putting himself into a
posture of supplication, or humble address to Paul and Silas ; for he seems not
to have said any thing to them then ; but he first brought them out, and then
he says to them, Sirs, what must I do to be saved ? Acts xvi. 29, and 30.
But his falling down seems to be from the same cause as his trembling. The
Psalmist gives an account of his crying out aloud, and a great weakening of
his body under convictions of conscience, and a sense of the guilt of sin, Psal.
xxxii. 3, 4 : " When I kept silence my bones waxed old, through my roaring
all the day long ; for day and night thy hand was heavy upon me : my mois
ture is turned into the drought of summer." — We may at least argue so much
from it, that such an effect of conviction of sin may well in some cases be
supposed ; for if we should suppose any thing of an auxesis in the expressions,
yet the Psalmist would not represent his case by what would be absurd, and to
which no degree of that exercise of mind he spoke of, would have any tendency.
—We read of the disciples, Matt. xiv. 26, that when they saw Christ coming
to them in the storm, and took him for some terrible enemy, threatening their
destruction in that storm, " they cried out for fear." Why then should it be
thought strange, that persons should cry out for fear, when God appears to
them, as a terrible enemy, and they see themselves in great danger of being
swallowed up in the bottomless gulf of eternal misery 1 The spouse, once and
again, speaks of herself as overpowered with the love of Christ, so as to weaken
her body, and make her faint. Cant. ii. 5, " Stay me with flagons, comfort
me with apples ; for I am sick of love." And chap. v. 8, " I charge you,
0 ye daughters of Jerusalem, if ye find my Beloved, that ye tell him that I am
sick of love." From whence we may at least argue, that such an effect may
well be supposed to arise from such a cause in the saints, in some cases, and
that such an effect will sometimes be seen in the church of Christ.
It is a weak objection, that the impressions of enthusiasts have a great
effect on their bodies. That the Quakers used to tremble, is no argument that
Saul, afterwards Paul, and the jailer, did not tremble from real convictions of
conscience. Indeed all such objections from effects on the body, let them be
greater or less, seem to be exceeding frivolous ; they who argue thence, proceed
in the dark, they know not what ground they go upon, nor by what rule they
judge. The root and course of things is to be looked at, and the nature of
Vol. I 67

530 MARKS OF A WORK
the operations and affections are to be inquired into, and examined by the rule
of God's word, and not the motions of the blood and animal spirits.
III. It is no argument that an operation on the minds of people is not the
work of the Spirit of God, that it occasions a great deal of noise about religion.
For though true religion be of a contrary nature to that of the Pharisees — which
was ostentations, and delighted to set itself forth to the view of men for their
applause — yet such is human nature, that it is morally impossible there should
be a great concern, strong affection, and a general engagedness of mind amongst
a people without causing a notable, visible, and open commotion and alteration
amongst that people. — Surely, it is no argument that the minds of persons are
not under the influence of God's Spirit, that they are very much moved : for
indeed spiritual and eternal things are so great, and of such infinite concern,
that there is a great absurdity in men's being but moderately moved and af
fected by them ; and surely it is no argument that they are not moved by the
Spirit of God, that they are affected with these things in some measure as they
deserve, or in some proportion to their importance. And when was there ever
any such thing since the world stood, as a people in general being greatly
affected in any affair whatsoever, without noise or stir 1 The nature of man
will not allow it.
Indeed Christ says, Luke xvii. 20, " The kingdom of God cometh not
with observation." That is, it will not consist in what is outward and visible;
it shall not be like earthly kingdoms, set up with outward pomp, in some
particular place, which shall be especially the royal city, and seat of the king
dom ; as Christ explains himself in the words next following, " Neither shall
they say, Lo here, or lo there ; for behold the kingdom of God is within you."
Not that the kingdom of God shall be set up in the world, on the ruin of
Satan's kingdom, without a very observable, great effect : a mighty change in
the state of things, to the observation and astonishment of the whole world :
for such an effect as this is even held forth in the prophecies of Scripture, and
is so by Christ himself, in this very place, and even in his own explanation of
these forementioned words, ver. 24 : " For as the lightning that lightneth out
of one part under heaven, so shall also the Son of man be in his day." This
is to distinguish Christ's coming to set up his kingdom, from the coming of
false Christs, which he tells us will be in a private manner in the deserts, and
in the secret chambers ; whereas this event of setting up the kingdom of God,
should be open and public,in the sight of the whole world with clear manifestation,
like lightning that cannot be hid, but glares in every one's eyes, and shines from
one side of heaven to the other. And we find, that when Christ's kingdom
came, by that remarkable pouring out of the Spirit in the apostles' days, it occa
sioned a great stir everywhere. What a mighty opposition was there in
Jerusalem, on occasion of that great effusion of the Spirit ! And so in Samaria,
Antioch, Ephesus, Corinth, and other places ! The affair filled the world with
noise, and gave occasion to some to say of the apostles, that they had turned
the world upside down, Acts xvii. 6.
IV. It is no argument that an operation on the minds of a people, is not
the work of the Spirit of God, that many who are the subjects of it, have great
impressions made on their imaginations. That persons have many impressions
on their imaginations, does not prove that they have nothing else. It is easy
to be accounted for, that there should be much of this nature amongst a people,
where a great multitude of all kinds of constitutions have their minds engaged
with intense thought and strong affections about invisible things ; yea, it would
be strange if there should not. Such is our nature, that we cannot think of

OF THE SPIRIT OF GOD.

531
man,

things invisible, without a degree of imagination. I dare appeal to any „,,.,,
of the greatest powers of mind, whether he is able to fix his thoughts on God
or Christ, or the things of another world, without imaginary ideas attending
bis meditations ? And the more engaged the mind is, and the more intense the
contemplation and affection, still the more lively and strong the imaginary idea
will ordinarily be ; especially when attended with surprise. And this is the case
when the mental prospect is very new, and takes strong hold of the passions
as fear or joy ; and when the change of the state and views of the mind is sudden',
from a contrary extreme, as from that which was extremely dreadful, to that
which is extremely ravishing and delightful. And it is no wonder that many
persons do not well distinguish between that which is imaginary and that which
is intellectual and spiritual ; and that they are apt to lay too much weight on
the imaginary part, and are most ready to speak of that in the account they
give of their experiences, especially persons of less understanding and of
distinguishing capacity.
As God has given us such a faculty as the imagination, and so made us
that we cannot think of things spiritual and invisible, without some exercise
of this faculty ; so, it appears to me, that such is our state and nature, that
this faculty is really subservient and helpful to the other faculties of the mind,
when a proper use is made of it ; though oftentimes, when the imagination is
too strong, and the other faculties weak, it overbears, and disturbs them in
their exercise. It appears to me manifest, in many instances with which I
have been acquainted, that God has really made use of this faculty to truly-
divine purposes ; especially in some that are more ignorant. God seems to
condescend to their circumstances, and deal with them as babes ; as of old he
instructed his church, whilst in a state of ignorance and minority, by types
and outward representations. I can see nothing unreasonable in such a posi
tion. Let others who have much occasion to deal with souls in spiritual con
cerns, judge whether experience does not confirm it.
It is no argument that a work is not of the Spirit of God, that some who
are the subjects of it have been in a kind of ecstasy, wherein they have been
carried beyond themselves, and have had their minds transported into a train
of strong and pleasing imaginations, and a kind of visions, as though they
were rapt up even to heaven, and there saw glorious sights. I have been
acquainted with some such instances, and I see no need of bringing in the
help of the devil into the account that we give of these things, nor yet of
supposing them to be of the same nature with the visions of the prophets, or
St. Paul's rapture into paradise. Human nature, under these intense exercises
and affections, is all that need be brought into the account. If it may be
well accounted for, that persons under a true sense of a glorious and wonder
ful greatness and excellency of divine things, and soul-ravishing views of
the beauty and love of Christ, should have the strength of nature overpower
ed, as I have already shown that it may ; then I think it is not at all strange,
that amongst great numbers that are thus affected and overborne, there should
be some persons of particular constitutions that should have their imaginations
thus affected. The effect is no other than what bears a proportion and an
alogy to other effects cf the strong exercise of their minds. It is no wonder,
when the thoughts are so fixed, and the affections so strong — and the whole
soul so engaged, ravished, and swallowed up — that all other parts of the body
are so affected, as to be deprived of their strength, and the whole frame ready
to dissolve. Is it any wonder that, in such a case, the brain in particular
(especially in some constitutions), which we know is most especially affected

532 MARKS OF A WORK
by intense contemplations and exercises of mind, should be so affected, tnat
its strength and spirits should for a season be diverted, and taken off from im
pressions made on the organs of external sense, and be wholly employed in a
train of pleasing delightful imaginations, corresponding with the present frame
of the mind ? Some are ready to interpret such things wrong, and to lay too
much weight on them, as prophetical visions, divine revelations, and some
times significations from heaven of what shall come to pass ; which the issue,
in some instances I have known, has shown to be otherwise. But yet, it ap
pears to me that such things are evidently sometimes from the Spirit of God,
though indirectly ; that is, their extraordinary frame of mind, and that strong and
lively sense of divine things which is the occasion of them, is from his Spirit ; and
also as the mind continues in its holy frame, and retains a divine sense of the
excellency of spiritual things even in its rapture ; which holy frame and
sense is from the Spirit of God, though the imaginations that attend it are
but accidental, and therefore there is commonly something or other in them
that is confused, improper, and false.
V. It is no sign that a work is not from the Spirit of God, that example
is a great means of it. It is surely no argument that an effect is not from
God, that means are used in producing it ; for we know that it is God's man
ner to make use of means in carrying on his work in the world, and it is no
more an argument against the divinity of an effect, that this means is made
use of, than if it was by any other means. It is agreeable to Scripture that
persons should be influenced by one another's good example. The Scripture
directs us to set good examples to that end, Matt. v. 16, 1 Pet. iii. 1, 1 Tim.
iv. 12, Titus ii. 7 ; and also directs us to be influenced by the good examples
of others, and to follow them, 2 Cor. viii. 1 — 7, Heb. vi. 12, Phil. iii. 17, 1
Cor. iv. 16, and chap. xi. 1, 2 Thess. iii. 9, 1 Thess. i. 7. By which it ap
pears, that example is one of God's means ; and certainly it is no argument
that a work is not of God, that his own means are made use of to effect it.
And as it is a Scriptural way of carrying on God's work, by example, so
it is a reasonable way. It is no argument that men are not influenced by
reason, that they are influenced by example. This way of persons holding
forth truth to one another, has a tendency to enlighten the mind, and to con
vince reason. None will deny but that for persons to signify things one to
another by words, may rationally be supposed to tend to enlighten each other's
minds. But the same thing may be signified by actions, and signified much
more fully and effectually. Words are of no «se any otherwise than as they
convey our own ideas to others ; but actions, in some cases, may do it much
more fully. There is a language in actions ; and in some cases, much more
clear and convincing than in words. It is therefore no argument against the
goodness of the effect, that persons are greatly affected by seeing others so ;
yea, though the impression be made only by seeing the tokens of great and
extraordinary affection in others in their behavior, taking for granted what
they are affected with, without hearing them say one word. There may be
language sufficient in such a case in their behavior only, to convey their
minds to others, and to signify to them their sense of things more than can
possibly be done by words only. If a person should see another under extreme
bodily torment, he might receive much clearer ideas, and more convincing evi
dence of what he suffered by his actions in his misery, than he could do only
by the words of an unaffected indifferent relater. In like manner he might
receive a greater idea of any thing that is excellent and very delightful, from
the behavior of one that is in actual enjoyment, than by the dull narration

OF THE SPIRIT OF GOD. 533
of one which is inexperienced and insensible himself. I desire that this mat
ter may be examined by the strictest reason.— Is it not manifest, that effects
produced in persons' minds are rational, since not only weak arid ignorant
people are much influenced by example, but also those that make the greatest
boast of strength of reason, are more influenced by reason held forth in this
way, than almost any other way. Indeed the religious affections of many
when raised by this means, as by hearing the word preached, or any other
means, may prove flashy, and soon vanish, as Christ represents the stony-
ground hearers ; but the affections of some thus moved by example, are
abiding, and prove to be of saving issue.
There never yet was a time of remarkable pouring out of the Spirit, and
great revival of religion, but that example had a main hand. So it was at
the Reformation, and in the apostles' days, in Jerusalem and Samaria, and
Ephesus, and other parts of the world, as will be most manifest to any one
that attends to the accounts we have in the Acts of the Apostles. As in those
days one person was moved by another, so one city or town was influenced
by the example of another : 1 Thess. i. 7, 8, " So that ye were ensamples to
all that believe in Macedonia and Achaia, for from you sounded out the word
of the Lord, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your
faith to God-ward is spread abroad."
It is no valid objection against examples being so much used, that the
Scripture speaks of the word as the principal means of carrying on God's
work; for the word of God is the principal means, nevertheless, by which
other means operate and are made effectual. Even the sacraments have no effect
but by the word ; and so it is that example becomes effectual ; for all that is
visible to the eye is unintelligible and vain, without the word of God to instruct
and guide the mind. It is the word of God that is indeed held forth and ap
plied by example, as the word of the Lord sounded forth to other towns in
Macedonia, and Achaia, by the example of those that believe in Thessalonica.
That example should be a great means of propagating the church of God
seems to be several ways signified in Scripture : it is signified by Ruth's fol
lowing Naomi out of the land of Moab, into the land of Israel, when she re
solved that she would not leave her, but would go whither she went, and
would lodge where she lodged ; and that Naomi's people should be her
people, and Naomi's God, her God. Ruth, who was the ancestral mother of
David, and of Christ, was undoubtedly a great type of the church ; upon
which account her history is inserted in the canon of Scripture. In her leaving
the land of Moab and its gods, to come and put her trust under the shadow
of the wings of the God of Israel, we 'have a type of the conversion not only
of the Gentile church but of every sinner, that is naturally an alien and
stranger, but in his conversion forgets his own people, and father's house, and
becomes a fellow-citizen with the saints and a true Israelite. The same seems
to be signified in the effect the example of the spouse, when she was sick of
love, has on the daughters of Jerusalem, i. e., visible Christians, who are first
awakened, by seeing the spouse in such extraordinary circumstances, and then
converted. See Cant. v. 8, 9, and vi. 1. And this is undoubtedly one way
that " the Spirit and the bride say, come," Rev. xxii. 17 ; i. e., the Spirit in
the bride. It is foretold, that the work of God should be very much carried
on by this means, in the last great outpouring of the Spirit, that should intro
duce the glorious day of the church, so often spoken of in Scripture, Zech.
viii. 21—23 : " And the inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying,
Let us go speedily to pray before the Lord, and to seek the Lord of hosts : I

534 MARKS OF A WORK
will go also. Yea, many people, and strong nations, shall come to seek the
Lord of hosts in Jerusalem, and to pray before the Lord. Thus saith the
Lord of hosts, In those days it shall come to pass, that ten men shall take hold
out of all languages of the nations, even shall take hold of the skirt of him
that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you, for we have heard that God is
with you."
VI. It is no sign that a work is not from the Spirit of God, that many,
who seem to be the subjects of it, are guilty of great imprudences and irregu
larities in their conduct. We are to consider that the end for which God
pours out his Spirit, is to make men holy, and not to make them politicians.
It is no wonder that, in a mixed multitude of all sorts — wise and unwise, young
and old, of weak and strong natural abilities, under strong impressions of
mind — there are many who behave themselves imprudently. There are but
few that know how to conduct themselves under vehement affections of any kind,
whether of a temporal or spiritual nature ; to do so requires a great deal of
discretion, strength, and steadiness of mind. A thousand imprudences will
not prove a work to be not of the Spirit of God ; yea, if there be not only
imprudences, but many things prevailing that are irregular, and really con
trary to the rules of God's holy word. That it should be thus may be well
accounted for from the exceeding weakness of human nature, together with
the remaining darkness and corruption of those that are yet the subjects of the
saving influences of God's Spirit, and have a real zeal for God.
We have a remarkable instance, in the New Testament, of a people that
partook largely of that great effusion of the Spirit in the apostles' days, among
whom there nevertheless abounded imprudences and great irregularities ; viz., the
church at Corinth. There is scarcely any church more celebrated in the New
Testament for being blessed with large measures of the Spirit of God, both
in his ordinary influences, in convincing and converting sinners, and also in
bis extraordinary and miraculous gifts ; yet what manifold imprudences, great
and sinful irregularities, and strange confusion did they run into, at the Lord's
supper, and in the exercise of church discipline ! To which may be added,
their indecent manner of attending other parts of public worship, their jarring
and contention about their teachers, and even the exercise of their extraordi
nary gifts of prophecy, speaking with tongues, and the like, wherein they
spake and acted by the immediate inspiration of the Spirit of God.
And if we see great imprudences, and even sinful irregularities, in some
who are great instruments to carry on the work, it will not prove it not to be
the work of God. The apostle, Peter himself, who was a great, eminently
holy, and inspired apostle — and one of the chief instruments of setting up the
Christian church in the world — when he was actually engaged in this work,
was guilty of a great and sinful error in his conduct ; of which the apostle
Paul speaks, Gal. ii. 11 — 13 : "But when Peter was come to Antioch, I with
stood him to the face, because he was to be blamed ; for before that certain
came from James, he did eat with the Gentiles, but when they were come, he
withdrew, and separated himself, fearing them that were of the circumcision ;
and the other Jews dissembled likewise with him ; insomuch, that Barnabas
also was carried away with their dissimulation." If a great pillar of the
Christian church — one of the chief of those who are the very foundations on
which, next to Christ, the whole church is said to be built — was guilty of such
an irregularity ; is it any wonder if other lesser instruments, who have not
that extraordinary conduct of the divine Spirit he had, should be guilty of
many irregularities 1

OF THE SPIRIT OF GOD.

535

And in particular, it is no evidence that a work is not of God, if many
who are either the subjects or the instruments of it, are guilty of too great
forwardness to censure others as unconverted. For this may be through mis
takes they have embraced concerning the marks by which they are to judge of
the hypocrisy and carnality of others; or from not duly apprehending the
latitude the Spirit of God uses in the methods of his operations ; or, from want
of making due allowance for that infirmity and corruption that may be left in
the hearts of the saints ; as well as through want of a due sense of their own
blindness and weakness, and remaining corruption, whereby spiritual pride
may have a secret vent this way, under some disguise, and not be discovered. 
If we allow that truly pious men may have a great deal of remaining blind
ness and corruption, and may be liable to mistakes about the marks of hy
pocrisy, as undoubtedly all will allow, then it is not unaccountable that they
should sometimes run into such errors as these. It is as easy, and upon some
accounts more easy to be accounted for, why the remaining corruption of good
men should sometimes have an unobserved vent this way than most other
ways ; and without doubt (however lamentable) many holy men have erred
in this way.
Lukewarmness in religion is abominable, and zeal an excellent grace ,
yet above all other Christian virtues, this needs to be strictly watched and
searched ; for it is that with which corruption, and particularly pride and
human passion, is exceedingly apt to mix unobserved. And it is observable,
that there never was a time of great reformation, to cause a revival of zeal
in the church of God, but that it has been attended, in some notable instances,
with irregularity, and a running out some way or other into an undue severity.
Thus in the apostles' days, a great deal of zeal was spent about unclean meats,
with heat of spirit in Christians one against another, both parties condemning
and censuring one another, as not true Christians ; when the apostle had
charity for both, as influenced by a spirit of real piety : " He that eats," says
he. " tf the Lord he eats, and giveth God thanks ; and he that eateth not, to
th* ijorcl he eateth not, and giveth God thanks." So in the church of Corinth,
they had got into a way of extolling some ministers, and censuring others, and
were puffed up one agains* another ; but yet these things were no sign that
the work then so wonderfully carried on, was not the work of God. And
after this, when religion was still greatly flourishing in the world, and a Spirit
of eminent holiness and zeal prevailed in the Christian church, the zeal of
Christians ran out into a very improper and undue severity, in the exercise of
church discipline towards delinquents. In some cases they would by no means
admit them into their charity and communion though they appeared never so
humble and penitent. And in the days of Constantine the Great, the zeal of
Christians against heathenism ran out into a degree of persecution. So in
that glorious revival of religion, at the reformation, zeal in many instances
appeared in a very improper severity, and even a degree of persecution ; yea, in
some of the most eminent reformers ; as in the great Calvin in particular. And
many in those days of the flourishing of vital religion, were guilty of severely
censuring others that differed from them in opinion in some points of divinity.
VII. Nor are many errors in judgment, and some delusions of Satan inter
mixed with the work, any argument that the work in general is not of the
Spirit of God. However great a spiritual influence may be, it is not to be
expected that the Spirit of God should be given now in the same manner as
to the apostles, infallibly to guide them in points of Christian doctrine, so that
what they taught might be relied on as a rule to the Christian church. And

536 MARKS OF A AVORK
if many delusions of Satan appear, at the same time that a great religious
concern prevails, it is not an argutnent ^^^^^^
work of God, any more than it was an argument in &oJ¥ > T
no true miracles wrought there, by the hand of God because Jann es a d
Jambres wrought false miracles at the same time by the hand of the devil.
Yea, the Sandersons may be the subjects of much of the influences of the
Spirit of God, and yet in some things be led away by the delusions of Satan
and this be no more of paradox than many other things that are true of real
saints, in the present state, where grace dwells with so much corruption and
the new man and the old man subsist together in the same person; and the
kingdom of God and the kingdom of the devil remain for a while together ,n
the same heart. Many godly persons have undoubtedly in this and other
ages exposed themselves to woful delusions, by an aptness to lay too much
weight on impulses and impressions, as if they were immediate revelations from
God to signify something future, or to direct them whereto go, and what to do.
VIII. If some, who were thought to be wrought upon, fall away into gross
errors, or scandalous practices, it is no argument that the work in general is not
the work of the Spirit of God. That there are some counterfeits, is no argument
that nothing is true : such things are always expected in a time of reformation. If
we look into church history, we shall find no instance of any great revival of reli
gion, but what has been attended with many such things. Instances of this nature
in the apostles' days were innumerable ; some fell away into gross heresies, others
into vile practices, though they seemed to be the subjects of a work of the Spirit
—and were accepted for a while amongst those that were truly so, as their
brethren and companions — and were not suspected till they went out from them.
And some of these were teachers and officers — and eminent persons in the
Christian church — whom God had endowed with miraculous gifts of the Holy
Ghost ; as appears by the beginning of the 6th chapter of the Hebrews. An
instance of these was Judas, who was one of the twelve apostles, and had long
been constantly united to, and intimately conversant with, a company of truly
experienced disciples, without being discovered or suspected till he discovered
himself by his scandalous practice. He had been treated by Jesus himself, in
all external things, as if he had truly been a disciple, even investing him with
the character of apostle, sending him forth to preach the gospel, and enduing
him with miraculous gifts of the Spirit. For though Christ knew him, yet he
did not then clothe himself with the character of omniscient Judge, and search
er of hearts, but acted the part of a minister of the visible church (for he was his
Father's minister;) and therefore rejected him not, till he had discovered him
self by his scandalous practice ; thereby giving an example to guides and rulers
of the visible church, not to take it upon them to act the part of searcher of
hearts, but to be influenced in their administrations by what is visible and open.
There were some instances then of such apostates, as were esteemed eminently
full of the grace of God's Spirit. An instance of this nature probably was
Nicolas, one of the seven deacons, who was looked upon by the Christians in
Jerusalem, in the time of that extraordinary pouring out of the Spirit, as a man
full of the Holy Ghost, and was chosen out of the multitudes of Christians to
that office, for that reason ; as you may see in Acts vi. 3, 5 ; yet he afterwards
fell away and became the head of a sect of vile heretics, of gross practices, call
ed from his name the sect of the Nicolaitans,* Rev. ii. 6, and 15.
So in the time of the reformation from popery, how great was the number
* But though these heretics assumed his name, it does not follow that he countenanced their enormi
ties. See Calmet's Diet. Nicolas.

OF THE SPIRIT OF GOD. 537
of those who for a while seemed to join with the reformers, yet fell away into
the grossest and most absurd errors, and abominable practices. And it is par
ticularly observable, that in times of great pouring out of the Spirit to revive
religion in the world, a number of those who for a while seemed to partake in
it, have fallen off into whimsical and extravagant errors, and gross enthusiasm,
boasting of high degrees of spirituality and perfection, censuring- and condemn
ing others as carnal. Thus it was with the Gnostics in the apostles' times ;
and thus it was with several sects at the Reformation, as Anthony Burgess ob
serves in his book called Spiritual Refinings, Part I. Serm. 23. p. 132 : " The
first worthy reformers, and glorious instruments of God, found a bitter conflict
herein, so that they were exercised not only with formalists, and traditionary
papists on the one side, but men that pretended themselves to be more enlight
ened than the reformers were, on the other side : hence they called those that
did adhere to the Scripture, and would try revelations by it, Literists and Vow-
elists, as men acquainted with the words and vowels of the Scripture, having
nothing of the Spirit of God : and wheresoever in any town, the true doctrine
of the gospel brake forth to the displacing of popery, presently such opinions
arose like tares that came up among the good wheat ; whereby great divisions
were raised, and the reformation made abominable and odious to the world ; as
if that had been the sun to give heat and warmth to those worms and serpents
to crawl out of the ground. Hence they inveighed against Luther, and said he
had only promulgated a carnal gospel." — Some of the leaders of those wild en
thusiasts had been for a while highly esteemed by the first reformers, and pecu
liarly dear to them. — Thus also in England, at the time when vital religion
much prevailed in the days of King Charles I. the interregnum, and Oliver
Cromwell, such things as these abounded. And so in New England, in her
purest days, when vital piety flourished, such kind of things as these broke out.
Therefore the devil's sowing of such tares is no proof that a true work of the
Spirit of God is not gloriously carried on.
IX. It is no argument that a work is not from the Spirit of God, that it
seems to be promoted by ministers insisting very much or. the terrors of God's
holy law, and that with a great deal of pathos and earnestness. If there be
really a hell of such dreadful and never-ending torments, as is generally sup
posed, of which multitudes are in great danger— and into which the greater
pait of men in Christian countries do actually from generation to generation fall,
for want of a sense of its terribleness, and so for want of taking due care to
avoid it — then why is it not proper for those who have the care of souls to take
great pains to make men sensible of it ? Why should they not be told as much
of the truth as can be ? If I am in danger of going to hell, I should be glad
to know as much as possibly 1 can of the dreadfulness of it. If I am very prone
to neglect due care to avoid it, he does me the best kindness, who does most to
represent to me the truth of the case, that sets forth my misery and danger in
the liveliest manner.
I appeal to every one whether this is not the very course they would take
in case of exposedness to any great temporal calamity ? If any of you who
are heads of families saw one of your children in a house all on fire, and in im
minent danger of being soon consumed in the flames, yet seemed to be very in
sensible of Ss danger, and neglected to escape after you had often called to it-
would you go on to speak to it only in a cold and indifferent manner?
Would not you cry aloud, and call earnestly to it, and represent the danger it
was in, and its own folly in delaying, in the most lively manner of which you
Was capable? Would not nature itself teach this, and oblige you to it * If
Vol. I. 68

538 MARKS OF A WORK
you should continue to speak to it only in a cold manner, as you are wont to
do in ordinary conversation about indifferent matters, would not those about you
begin to think you were bereft of reason yourself ? This is not the way of mankind
in temporal affairs of great moment, that require earnest heed and great haste,
and about which they are greatly concerned. They are not wont to speak to
others of their danger, and warn them but a little or in a cold and indifferent
manner. Nature teaches men otherwise. If we who have the care of souls,
knew what hell was, had seen the state of the damned, or by any other means
had become sensible how dreadful their case was — and at the same time knew
that the greater part of men went thither, and saw our hearers not sensible of
their danger — it would be morally impossible for us to avoid most earnestly set
ting before them the dreadfulness of that misery, and their great exposedness to it,
and even to cry aloud to them.
When ministers preach of hell, and warn sinners to avoid it, in a cold man
ner — though they may say in words that it is infinitely terrible — they contra
dict themselves. For actions, as I observed before, have a language as well as
words. If a preacher's words represent the sinner's state as infinitely dreadful,
while his behavior and manner of speaking contradict it — showing that the
preacher does not think so — he defeats his own purpose ; for the language of
his actions, in such a case, is much more effectual than the bare signification of
his words. Not that I think that the law only should be preached : ministers
may preach other things too little. The gospel is to be preached as well as the
law, and the law is to be preached only to make way for the gospel, and in
order that it may be preached more effectually. The main work of ministers is
to preach the gospel : " Christ is the end of the law for righteousness." So
that a minister would miss it very much if he should insist so much on the ter
rors of the law, as to forget his Lord, and neglect to preach the gospel ; bat
yet the law is very much to be insisted on, and the preaching of the gospel is
like to be in vain without it.
And certainly such earnestness and affection in speaking is beautiful, as
becomes the nature and importance of the subject. Not but that there may be
such a thing as an indecent boisterousness in a preacher, something besides
what naturally arises from the nature of his subject, and in which the matter
and manner do not well agree together. Some talk of it as an unreasonable
thing to fright persons to heaven ; but I think it is a reasonable thing to en
deavor to fright persons away from hell. They stand upon its brink, and are
just ready to fall into it, and are senseless of their danger. Is it not a reasonable
thing to fright a person out of a house on fire ? The word fright is commonly
used for sudden, causeless fear, or groundless surprise ; but surely a just fear, for
which there is good reason, is not to be spoken against under any such name.

SECTION II.
What are distinguishing Scripture evidences of a work of the Spirit of God.
Having shown, in some instances, what are not evidences that a work
wrought among a people, is not a work of the Spirit of God, I now proceed,
in the second place, as was proposed, to show positively, what are the sure,
distinguishing Scripture evidences and marks of a work of the Spirit of God,
by which we may proceed in judging of any operation we find in ourselves,

OF THE SPIRIT OF GOD.

539

or see among a people, without danger of being misled.— And in this as I
said before, I shall confine myself wholly to those marks which are given us
by the apostle in the chapter wherein is my text, where this matter is particu
larly handled, and more plainly and fully than anywhere else in the Bible.
And in speaking to these marks, I shall take them in the order in which I find
them in the chapter.
I. When the operation is such as to raise their esteem of that Jesus who was
born of the Virgin, and was crucified without the gates of Jerusalem ; and
seems more to confirm and establish their minds in the truth of what the gos
pel declares to us of his being the Son of God, and the Saviour of men ; it is a
sure sign that it is from the Spirit of God. This sign the apostle gives us in
the 2d and 3d verses, " Hereby know ye the Spirit of God ; and every spirit
that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God ; and every spirit
that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God." This
implies a confessing not only that there was such a person who appeared in
Palestine, and did and suffered those things that are recorded of him, but that
he was Christ, i. e. the Son of God, anointed to be Lord and Saviour, as the
name Jesus Christ implies. That thus much is implied in the apostle's mean
ing, is confirmed by the 15th verse, where the apostle is still on the same sub
ject of signs of the true Spirit : " Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the
Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God." And it is to be observed
that the word confess, as it is often used in the New Testament, signifies more
than merely allowing : it implies an establishing and confirming of a thing by
testimony, and declaring it with manifestation of esteem and affection ; so Matt.
x. 32, " Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess
also before my Father which is in heaven." Rom. xv. 9, " I will confess to
thee among the Gentiles, and sing unto thy name." And Phil. ii. 11, " That
every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the
Father." And that this is the force of the expression, as the apostle John uses it
in the place, is confirmed in the next chapter, ver. 1, " Whosoever believeth
that Jesus is the Christ, is born of God, and every one that loveth him that be
gat, loveth him also that is begotten of him." And by that parallel place
of the apostle Paul, where we have the same rule given to distinguish the
true Spirit from all counterfeits, 1 Cor. xii. 3 : " Wherefore I give you to
understand that no man speaking by the Spirit of God, calleth Jesus accursed
(or will show an ill or mean esteem of him) ; and that no man can say that
Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost."
So that if the spirit that is at work among a people is plainly observed to
work so as to convince them of Christ, and lead them to him — to confirm their
minds in the belief of the history of Christ as he appeared in the flesh — and that
he is the Son of God, and was sent of God to save sinners ; that he is the
only Saviour, and that they stand in great need of him ; and if he seems to be
get in them higher and more honorable thoughts of him than they used to
have, and to incline their affections more to him ; it is a sure sign that it is the
true and right Spirit ; however incapable we may be to determine, whether that
conviction and affection- be in that manner, or to that degree, as to be saving or not.
But the words of the apostle are remarkable ; the person to whom the Spirit
gives testimony, and for whom he raises their esteem, must be that Jesus who
appeared in the flesh, and not another Christ in his stead ; nor any mystical,
fantastical Christ ; such as .the light within. This the spirit of Quakers extols,
while it diminishes their esteem of and dependence upon an outward Christ —
w Jesus as he came in the flesh— and leads them off from him ; but the spirit

540 MARKS OF A WORK
that gives testimony for that Jesus, and leads to him, can be no other than
the Spirit of God.
The devil has the most bitter and implacable enmity against that person,
especially in his character of the Saviour of men ; he mortally hates the story
and doctrine of his redemption ; he never would go about to beget in men more
honorable thoughts of him, and lay greater weight on his instructions and com
mands. The Spirit that inclines men's hearts to the seed of the woman, is not
the spirit of the serpent that has such an irreconcilable enmity against him.
He that heightens men's esteem of the glorious Michael, that prince of the an
gels, is not the spirit of the dragon that is at war with him.
II. When the spirit that is at work operates against the interests of Satan's
kingdom, which lies in encouraging and establishing sin, and cherishing men's
worldly lusts ; this is a sure sign that it is a true, and not a false spirit. This
sign we have given us in the 4th and 5th verses : " Ye are of God, little chil
dren, and have overcome them ; because greater is he that is in you, than he
that is in the world. They are of the world, therefore speak 'they of the
world, and the world heareth them." Here is a plain antithesis : it is evidenl
that the apostle is still comparing those that are influenced by the two opposite
kinds of spirits, the true and the false, and showing the difference ; the one is
of God, and overcomes the spirit of the world ; the other is of the world, and
speaks and savors of the things of the world. The spirit of the devil is here
called, " he that is in the world." Christ says, " My kingdom is not of this
world." But it is otherwise with Satan's kingdom ; he is " the god of this
world." What the apostle means by the world, or " the things that are of the
world," we learn by his own words, in the 2d chapter of this epistle, 15th and
16th verses : " Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world:
if any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him : for all that is
in the wor d, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of
life, is not of the Father, but is of the world." So that by the world the
apostle evidently means every thing that appertains to the interest of sin, and
comprehends all the corruptions and lusts of men, and all those acts and objects
by which they are gratified.
So that we may safely determine, from what the apostle says, that the
spirit that is at work amongst a people, after such a manner as to lessen men's
esteem of the pleasures, profits, and honors of the world, and to take off their
hearts from an eager pursuit after these things ; and to engage them in a deep
concern about a future state and eternal happiness which the gospel reveals,
and puts them upon earnestly seeking the kingdom of God and his righteous
ness; and the spirit that convinces them of the dreadfulness of sin, the guilt it
brings, and the misery to which it exposes, must needs be the Spirit of God.
It is not to be supposed that Satan would convince men of sin, and awaken
the conscience ; it can no way serve his end to make that cand! .> of the Lord
shine the brighter, and to open the mouth of that vicegerent of God in the
soul. It is for his interest, whatever be does, to lull conscience asleep, and
keep it quiet. To have that, with its eyes and mouth open in the soul, will
tend to clog and hinder all his designs of darkness, and evermore to disturb his
affairs, to cross his interest, and disquiet him, so that he can manage nothing
to his mind without molestation. Would the devil, when he is about to estab
lish men in sin, take such a course, in the first place, to enlighten and awaken
the conscience to see the dreadfulness of sin, and make them exceedingly afraid
of it, and sensible of their misery by reason of their past sins, and their great

OF THE SPIRIT OF GOD. 541
need of deliverance from their guilt 1 Would he make them more careful, in
quisitive, and watchful to discern what is sinful, and to avoid future sins ; and
so more afraid of the devil's temptations, and more careful to guard against
them ? What do those men do with their reason, that suppose that the Spirit
that operates thus, is the spirit of the devil ?
Possibly some may say, that the devil may even awaken men's con
sciences to deceive them, and make them think they have been the subjects of
a saving work of the Spirit of God, while they are indeed still in the gall of
bitterness. But to this it may be replied, that the man who has an awakened
conscience, is the least likely to be deceived of any man in the world ; it is the
drowsy, insensible, stupid conscience that is most easily blinded. The more
sensible conscience is in a diseased soul, the less easily is it quieted without a
real healing. The more sensible conscience is made of the dreadfulness of sin,
and of the greatness of a man's own guilt, the less likely is he to rest in his own
righteousness, or to be pacified with nothing but shadows. A man that has
been thoroughly terrified with a sense of his own danger and misery, is not
easily flattered and made to believe himself safe, without any good grounds.
To awaken conscience, and convince it of the evil of sin, cannot tend to estab
lish it, but certainly tends to make way for sin and Satan's being cut out.
Therefore this is a good argument that the Spirit that operates thus, cannot be
the spirit of the devil ; except we suppose that Christ knew not how to argue,
who told the Pharisees — who supposed that the Spirit by which he wrought
was the spirit of the devil — that Satan would not cast out Satan, Matt. xii.
25, 26. And, therefore, if we see persons made sensible of the dreadful nature
of sin, and of the displeasure of God against it ; of their own miserable condi
tion as they are in themselves, by reason of sin, and earnestly concerned for
their eternal salvation, and sensible of their need of God's pity and help, and
engaged to seek it in the use of the means that God has appointed, we may
certainly conclude that it is from the Spirit of God, whatever effects this con
cern has on their bodies ; though it cause them to cry out aloud, or to shriek,
or to faint ; or though it throw them into convulsions, or whatever other way
the blood and spirits are moved.
The influence of the Spirit of God is yet more abundantly manifest, if
persons have their hearts drawn off from the world and weaned from the objects
of their worldly lusts, and taken off from worldly pursuits, by the sense they
have of the excellency of divine things, and the affection they have to those
spiritual enjoyments of another world, that are promised in the gospel.
III. The spirit that operates in such a manner, as to cause in men a greater
regard to the Holy Scriptures, and establishes them more in their truth and di
vinity, is certainly the Spirit of God. This rule the apostle gives us in the 6th
verse : " We are of God ; he that knoweth God heareth us ; he that is not of
God heareth not us : hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of
error." We are of God ; that is, " we the apostles are sent forth of God, and
appointed by him to teach the world, and to deliver those doctrines and instruc
tions, which are to be their rule ; he tlud knoweth God, heareth us," &c. — The
apostle's argument here equally reaches all that in the same sense are of God;
that is, all those that God has appointed and inspired to deliver to his church
its rule of faith and practice ; all the prophets and apostles, whose doctrine God
has made the foundation on which he has built his church, as in Eph. ii. 20 ; in
a word, all the penmen of the Holy Scriptures. The devil never would attempt
to beget in persons a regard to that divine word which God has given to be the
great and standing rule for the direction of his church in all religious matters,

542 MARKS OF A WORK
and all concerns of their souls, in all ages. A spirit of delusion will not incline
persons to seek direction at the mouth of God. To the law and to the testi
mony, is never the cry of those evil spirits that have no light in them ; for it is
God's own direction to discover their delusions. Isa. viii. 19, 20, " And when
they shall say unto you, Seek unto them that have familiar spirits, and unto
wizards that peep and that mutter : should not a people seek unto their God 1
for the living to the dead ? To the law and to the testimony ; if they speak
not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them." The devil
does not say the same as Abraham did, " They have Moses and the prophets,
let them hear them :" nor the same that the voice from heaven did concerning
Christ, " Hear ye him." Would the spirit of error, in order to deceive men,
beget in them a high opinion of the infallible rule, and incline them to think
much of it, and be very conversant with it ? Would the prince of darkness, in
order to promote his kingdom of darkness, lead men to the sun ? The devil
has ever shown a mortal spite and hatred towards that holy book the Bible:
he has done all in his power to extinguish that light ; and to draw men off
from it : he knows it to be that light by which his kingdom of darkness is to
be overthrown. He has had for many ages experience of its power to defeat
his purposes, and baffle his designs : it is his constant plague. It is the main
weapon which Michael uses in his war with him : it is the sword of the Spirit,
that pierces him and conquers him. It is that great and strong sword, with
which God punishes Leviathan, that crooked serpent. It is that sharp sword
that we read of, Rev. xix. 15, that proceeds out of the mouth of him that sat
on the horse, with which he smites his enemies. Every text is a dart to tor
ment the old serpent. He has felt the stinging smart thousands of times ; there
fore he is engaged against the Bible, and hates every word in it : and we may
be sure that he never will attempt to raise persons' esteem of it, or affection to
it. And accordingly we see it common in enthusiasts, that they depreciate this
written rule, and set up the light within or some other rule above it.
IV. Another rule to judge of spirits may be drawn from those compellations
given to the opposite spirits, in the last words of the 6th verse, " The spirit of
truth and the spirit of error." These words exhibit the two opposite charac
ters of the Spirit of God, and other spirits that counterfeit his operations. And
therefore, if by observing the manner of the operation of a spirit that is at work
among a people, we see that it operates as a spirit of truth, leading persons to
truth, convincing them of those things that are true, we may safely determine
that it is a right and true spirit. For instance, if we observe that the spirit at
work makes men more sensible than they used to be, that there is a God, and
that he is a great and a sin-hating God : that life is short, and very uncertain';
and that there is another world ; that they have immortal souls, and must give
account of themselves to God, that they are exceeding sinful by nature and
practice ; that they are helpless in themselves ; and confirms them in other
things that are agreeable to some sound doctrine ; the spirit that works thus,
operates as a spirit of truth ; he represents things as they truly are. He brings
men to the light ; for whatever makes truth manifest is light ; as the Apostle
Paul observes, Eph. v. 13, " But all things that are reproved (or discovered, as
it is in the margin) are made manifest by the fight ; for whatsoever doth make
manifest is light." And therefore we may conclude, that it is not the spirit of
darkness that doth thus discover and make manifest the truth. Christ tells us
that Satan is a liar, and the father of liars ; and his kingdom is a kingdom of
darkness. It is upheld and promoted only by darkness and error. Satan has
aU his power and dominion by darkness. Hence we read of the power of

OF THE SPIRIT OF GOD. 543
darkness, Luke xxii. 53, and Col. i. 13. And devils are called " the rulers of
the darkness of this world." Whatever spirit removes our darkness, and brings
us to the light, undeceives us, and, by convincing us of the truth, doth us a
kindness. If I am brought to a sight of truth, and am made sensible of things
as they really are, my duty is immediately to thank God for it, without standing
first to inquire by what means I have such a benefit.
V. If the spirit that is at work among a people operates as a spirit of love
to God and man, it is a sure sign that it is the Spirit of God. This sign the
apostle insists upon from the 6th verse to the end of the chapter : " Beloved,
let us love one another ; for love is of God, and every one that loveth is born
of God, and knoweth God : he that loveth not, knoweth not God ; for God is
love," &c. Here it is evident, that the apostle is still comparing those two
sorts of persons that are influenced by the opposite kinds of spirits ; and men
tions love as a mark by which we may know who has the true spirit : but this
is especially evident by the 12th and 13th verses : " If we love one another,
God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us : hereby know we that we
dwell in him, and he in us, beeause he hath given us of his Spirit." In these
verses love is spoken of as if it were that wherein the very nature of the Holy
Spirit consisted ; or, as if divine love dwelling in us, and the Spirit of God
dwelling in us, were the same thing; as it is also in the last two verses of the
foregoing chapter, and in the 16th verse of this chapter. Therefore this last
mark which the apostle gives of fhe true Spirit he seems to speak of as the most
eminent : and so insists much more largely upon it, than upon all the rest ;
and speaks expressly of both love to God and men ; of love to men in the 7th,
11th, and 12th verses ; and of love to God, in the 17th, 18th, and 19th verses;
and of both together, in the last two verses ; and of love to men, as arising
from love to God, in these last two verses.
Therefore, when the spirit that is at work amongst the people, tends this
way, and brings many of them to high and exalting thoughts of the Divine
Being, and his glorious perfections ; and works in them an admiring, delight
ful sense of the excellency of Jesus Christ ; representing him as the chief
among ten thousand, and altogether lovely, and makes him precious to the
soul ; winning and drawing the heart with those motives and incitements to
love, of which the apostle speaks in that passage of Scripture we are upon,
viz., the wonderful free love of God in giving his only-begotten Son to die for
us, and the wonderful dying love of Christ to us, who had no love to him, but
were his enemies, must needs be the Spirit of God, as verses 9, 10 : " In this
was manifested the love of God towards us, because God sent his only-begotten
Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love ; not that
we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for
our sins." And ver. 16, " And we have known, and beheved, the love that
God hath to us." And ver. 19, " We love him because he first loved us."
The spirit that excites to love on these motives, and makes the attributes of
God as revealed in the gospel, and manifested in Christ, delightful objects of
Contemplation ; and makes the soul to long after God and Christ — after then-
presence and communion, acquaintance with them, and conformity to them —
and to live so as to please and honor them ; the spirit that quells contentions
among men, and gives a spirit of peace and good- will, excites to acts of out-
Ward kindness, and earnest desires of the salvation of souls, and causes a de
light in those that appear as the children of God, and followers of Christ ; I
say, when a spirit operates after this manner among a people, there is the
highest kind of evidence of the influence of a true and divine spirit.

544 MARKS OF A WORK
Indeed there is a counterfeit love, that often appears among those who are
led by a spirit of delusion. There is commonly in the wildest enthusiasts a
kind of union and affection, arising from self-love, occasioned by their agreeing
in those things wherein they greatly differ from all others, and from which they
are objects of the ridicule of all the rest of mankind. This naturally will cause
them so much the more to prize those peculiarities that make them the objects
of others' contempt. Thus the ancient Gnostics, and the wild fanatics that ap
peared at the beginning of the Reformation, boasted of their great love one to
another ; one sect of them, in particular, calling themselves the family of love.
But this is quite another thing than that Christian love I have just described :
it is only the working of a natural self-love, and no true benevolence, any more
than the union and friendship which may be among a company of pirates, that
are at war with all the rest of the world. There is enough said in this passage
of the nature of a truly Christian love, thoroughly to distinguish it from all
such counterfeits. It is love that arises from apprehension of the wonderful
riches of the free grace and sovereignty of God's love to us, in Christ Jesus;
being attended with a sense of our own utter unworthiness, as in ourselves the
enemies and haters of God and Christ, and with a renunciation of all our own
excellency and righteousness. See verses 9, 10, 11, and 19. The surest cha
racter of true divine supernatural love — distinguishing it from counterfeits that
arise from a natural self-love — is, that the Christian virtue of humility shines
in it ; that which above all others renounces, abases, and annihilates what we
term self. Christian love, or true charity, is a humble love. 1 Cor. xiii. 4, 5,
" Charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, doth not behave itself unseemly,
seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked." When, therefore, we see love
in persons attended with a sense of their own littleness, vileness, weakness, and
utter insufficiency ; and so with self-diffidence, self-emptiness, self-renunciation,
and poverty of spirit ; these are the manifest tokens of the Spirit of God. He
that thus dwells in love, dwells in God, and God in him. What the apostle
speaks of as a great evidence of the true Spirit, is God's love or Christ's love ;
as ver. 12, " His love is perfected in us." What kind of love that is, we may
see best in what appeared in Christ's example. The love that appeared in i
that Lamb of God, was not only a love to friends, but to enemies, and a love
attended with a meek and humble spirit. " Learn of me," says he, " for I am
meek and lowly in heart." Love and humility are two things the most con
trary to the spirit of the devil, of any thing in the world ; for the character of
that evil spirit, above all things, consists in pride and malice.
Thus I have spoken particularly to the several ;marks the apostle gives us
of a work of the true Spirit. There are some of these things which the devil
would not do if he could : thus he would not awaken the conscience, and make
men sensible of their miserable state by reason of sin, and sensible of their great
need of a Saviour ; and he would not confirm men in the belief that Jesus is the
Son of God, and the Saviour of sinners, or raise men's value and esteem of him :
he would not beget in men's minds an opinion of the necessity, usefulness, and
truth of the Holy Scriptures, or incline them to make much use of them ; nor
would he show men the truth, in things that concern their souls' interest ; to
undeceive them, and lead them out of darkness into light, and give them a view
of things as they really are. And there are other things that the devil neither
can nor will do ; he will not give men a spirit of divine love, or Christian humil
ity and poverty of spirit ; nor could he if he would. He cannot give those
things he has not himself: these things are as contrary as possible to his nature.
And therefore when there is an extraordinary influence or operation appearing on

OF THE SPIRIT OF GOD. 545
the minds of a people, if these things are found in it, we are safe in determin
ing that it is the work of God, whatever other circumstances it may be attend
ed with, whatever instruments are used, whatever methods are taken to promote
jt ; whatever means a sovereign God, whose judgments are a great deep, em
ploys to carry it on ; and whatever motion there may be of the animal spirits,
whatever effects may be wrought on men's bodies. These marks, that the
apostle has given us, are sufficient to stand alone, and support themselves. They
.plainly show the finger of God, and are sufficient to outweigh a thousand such
little objections, as many make from oddities, irregularities, errors in conduct,
and the delusions and scandals of some professors.
But here some may object to the sufficiency of the marks given, what the
Apostle Paul says in 2 Cor. xi. 13, 14 : " For such are false apostles, deceitful
workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ ; and no marvel,
for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light."
To which I answer, that this can be no objection against the sufficiency of
these marks to distinguish the true from the false spirit, in those false apostles
and prophets, in whom the devil was transformed into an angel of light, be
cause it is principally with a view to them that the apostle gives these marks ;
as appears. by the words of the text, " Believe not every spirit, but try the spi-
, rits, whether they are of God ;" and this is the reason he gives, because many
false prophets are gone out into the world : viz., " There are many gone out
into the world who are the ministers of the devil, who transform themselves into
the prophets of God, in whom the spirit of the devil is transformed into an
angel of light; therefore try the spirits by these rules that I shall give you,
, that you may be able to distinguish the true spirit from the false, under such a
crafty disguise." Those false prophets the apostle John speaks of, are doubt
less the same sort of men with those falsi apostles, and deceitful workers, that
. the Apostle Paul speaks of, in whom the devil , was transformed into an angel
of light: and therefore we may be sure that these marks are especially adapted
to distinguish between the true Spirit, and the devil transformed into an angel
of light, because they are given especially for that end ; that is the apostle's
declared purpose and design, to give marks by which the true Spirit may be
distinguished from that sort of counterfeits.
And if we look over what is said about these false prophets, and false apos
tles (as there is much said about them in the New Testament), and take notice
in what manner the devil was transformed into an angel of light in them, we
shall not find any thing that in the least injures the sufficiency of these marks
to distinguish the true Spirit from such counterfeits. The devil transformed
himself into an angel of light, as there was in them a show, and great boast, of
•¦extraordinary knowledge in divine things, Col. ii. 8, 1 Tim. i. 6, 7, and chap.
yi. 3—5, 2 Tim. ii. 14—18, Tit. i. 10, 16. Hence their followers called them
selves Gnostics, from their great pretended knowledge : and the devil in them
mimicked the miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit, in visions, revelations, pro
phecies, miracles, &c. Hence they are called false apostles, and false prophets :
see Matt. xxiv. 24. Again, there was a false show of, and lying pretensions
to, great holiness and devotion in words, Rom. xvi. 17, 18, Ephes. iv. 14.
Hence they are called deceitful workers, and wells and clouds without water,
2 Cor. xi 13, 2 Pet. ii. 17, Jude 12. There was also in them a show of ex
traordinary piety and righteousness in their superstitious worship, Col. n. 16
23. So they had a false, proud, arid bitter Zeal, Gal. iv. 17, 18, 1 Tim. 1. 6,
and chap. vi. 4, 5. And likewise a false show of humility, in affecting an ex
traordinary outward meanness and dejection, when indeed they were " vainly
Vol. I. 69

546 MARKS OF A WORK
puffed up in their fleshly mind :" and made a righteousness of their humility,
and were exceedingly lifted up with their eminent piety, Col. ii. 18, 23. But
how do such things as these in the least injure those ihings that have been men
tioned as the distinguishing evidences of the true Spirit ? — Besides, such vain
shows which may be from the devil, there are common influences of the Spirit,
-which are often mistaken for saving grace ; but these are out of the question,
because though they are not saving, yet are the work of the true Spirit.
Having thus fulfilled what I first proposed, in considering what are the
certain, distinguishing marks, by which we may'safely proceed in judging of
any work that falls under our observation, whether it be the work of the Spirit
of God or no ; I now proceed to the Application.

SECTION III.
Practical Inferences.

1. From what has been said, I will venture to draw this inference, viz., that
the extraordinary influence that has lately appeared causing an uncommon con
cern and engagedness of mind about the things of religion, is undoubtedly, in
the genf.ral,from the Spirit of God. There are but two things that need to be
known in order to such a work's being judged of, viz., facts and rules. The
rules of the word of God we have had laid before us; and as to facts, there are
but two ways that we can come at them, so as to be in a capacity to compare
them with the rules, either by our own observation, or by information from others
who have had opportunity to observe them.
As to this work, there are many things concerning it that are notorious, and
-which, unless the apostle John was out in his rules, are sufficient to determine
it to be in general the work of God. The Spirit that is at work, takes off per
sons' minds from the vanities of the world, and engages them in a deep concern
about eternal happiness, and puts them upon earnestly seeking their salvation,
and convinces them of the dreadfulness of sin, and of their own guilty and mis
erable state as they are by nature. It awakens men's consciences, and makes
them sensible of the dreadfulness of God's anger, and causes in them a great
desire and earnest care and endeavor to obtain his favor. It puts them upon
a more diligent improvement of the means of grace which God has appoint
ed ; accompanied with a greater regard to the word of God, a desire of hearing
and reading it, and of being more conversant with it than they used to be. And
it is notoriously manifest, that the spirit that is at work, in general, operates
as a spirit of truth, making persons more sensible of what is really true in those
things that concern their eternal salvation : as, that they must die, and that
life is very short and uncertain ; that there is a great sin-hating God, to whom
they are accountable, and who will fix them in an eternal state in another world >
and that they stand in great need of a Saviour. It makes persons more sensible
of the value of Jesus who was crucified, and their need of him ; and that it puts
them upon earnestly seeking an interest in him. It cannot be but that these
things should be apparent to people in general through the land ; for these things
are not done in a corner ; the work has not been confined to a few towns, in some
remoter parts, but has been carried on in many plaees all over the land, and in
most of the principal, the populous, and public places in it. Christ in this res
pect has wrought amongst us, in the same manner that he wrought his miracles
in Judea, It has now been continued for a considerable time ; so that there has

OF THE SPIRIT OF GOD. 547
been a great opportunity to observe the manner of the work. And all such as
have been very conversant with the subjects of it, see a great deal more, that, by
the rules of the apostle, does clearly and certainly show it to be the work of God.
And here I would observe, that the nature and tendency of a spirit that is
at work, may be determined with much greater certainty, and less danger of
being imposed upon, when it is observed in a great multitude of people of all
sorts, and in various places, than when it is only seen in a few, in some par
ticular place, that have been much conversant one with another. A few par-
' ticular persons may agree to put a cheat upon others, by a false pretence, and
professing things of which they never were conscious. But when the work is
spread over great parts of a country, in places distant from one another, among
people of all sorts and of all ages, and in multitudes possessed of a sound mind,
good understanding, and known integrity ; there would be the greatest absurdity
in supposing, from all the observation that can be made by all that is heard
from and seen in them — for many months together, and by those who are most
intimate with them in these affairs, and have long been acquainted with them
 that yet it cannot be determined what kind of influence the operation they
are under has upon people's minds. Can it not be determined whether it tends
to awaken their consciences, or to stupify them ; whether it inclines them more
to seek their salvation, or neglect it ; whether it seems to confirm them in a
belief of the Scriptures, or to lead them to deism ; whether it makes them have
more regard for the great truths of religion, or less ?
And here it is to be observed, that for persons to profess that they are so. con
vinced of certain divine truths, as to esteem and love them in a saving manner ;
and for them to profess, that they are more convinced or confirmed in the truth
of them, than they used to be, and find that they have a greater regard to them
than they had before, are two very different things. Persons of honesty and
common sense, have much greater right to demand credit to be given to the
latter profession, than to the former. Indeed in the former, it is less likely that a
people ip general should be deceived, than some particular persons. But whe
ther persons' convictions, and the alteration in their dispositions and affections,
be in a degree' and manner that is saving, is beside the present question. If
there be such effects on people's judgments, dispositions, and affections, as have
been spoken of, whether they be in a degree and manner that is saving or no,
it is nevertheless a sign of the influence of the Spirit of God. Scripture rules
serve to distinguish the common influences of the Spirit of God, as well as those
that are saving, from the influence of other causes.
And as by the providence of God, I have for some months past been much
amongst those who have been the subjects of the work in question ; and par
ticularly, have been in the way of seeing and observing those extraordinary
things with which many persons have been offended ;— such as persons crymg
out aloud, shrieking, being put into great agonies of body, &c.— and have seen
the manner and issue of such operations, and the fruits of them, for several months
together ; many of them being persons with whom I have been intimately ac
quainted in soul concerns, before and since ; so I look upon myself called on
this occasion to give my testimony, that-so far as the nature ^ jendenw oi
such a work is capable of falling under the observation of a by-standp to whom
those that have been the subjects of it have endeavored to open their hear s or
can be come. at by diligent and particular inquuy-this work has all those
marks that have been pointed out. And this has been the case m very many
KceTin every article ; and in many others, all those marks have appeared
in a very great degree.

48 MARKS OF A WORK
The subjects of these uncommon appearances, have been of two sorts ;
either those who have been in great distress from an apprehension of their sin
and misery ; or those who have been overcome with a sweet sense of the great
ness, wonderfulness, and excellency of divine things. Of the multitude of those
of the former sort, that I have had opportunity to observe, there have been very-
few, but their distress has arisen apparently from real proper conviction, and
beino- in a decree sensible of that which was the truth. And though I do not
suppose, when such things were observed to be common, that persons have laid
themselves under those violent restraints to avoid outward manifestations of
sfheir distress, that perhaps they otherwise would have done; yet there have
lieen very few in whom there has been any appearance of feigning or affecting
such manifestations, and very many for whom it would have been undoubtedly
utterly impossible for them to avoid them. Generally, in these agonies they
iiave appeared to be in the perfect exercise of their reason ; and those of them
who could speak, have been well able to give an account of the circumstances
of their mind, and the cause of their distress, at the time, and were able to re
member, and give an account of it afterwards. I have known a very few
instances of those, who, in their great extremity, have for a short space been
deprived, in some measure, of the use of reason ; and among the many hundreds,
and it may be thousands, that have lately been biought to such agonies, I never
yet knew one lastingly deprived of their reason. In some that 1 have known,
melancholy has evidently been mixed ; and when it is so, the difference is very
apparent ; their distresses are of another kind, and operate quite after another
manner, than when their distress is from mere conviction. It is not truth only
sthat distresses them, but many vain shadows and notions that will not give
place either to Scripture or reason. Some in their great distress have not been
well able to give an account of themselves, or to declare the sense they have of
things, or to explain the manner and cause of their trouble to others, that yet I
have had no reason to think were not under proper convictions, and in whom
there has been manifested a good issue. But this will not be at all wondered
at, by those who have had much to do with souls under spiritual difficulties :
some things of which they are sensible, are altogether new to them ; their ideas
and inward sensations are new, and what they therefore know not how to ex
press in words. Some who, on first inquiry, said they knew not what was the
matter with them, have on being particularly examined and interrogated, been
able to represent their case, though of themselves they could not find expressions
and forms of speech to do it.
Some suppose, that terrors producing such effects are only a fright.' But
certainly there ought to be a distinction made between a very great fear, or ex
treme distress arising from an apprehension of some dreadful truth — a cause
fully proportionable to such an effect — and a needless, causeless fright. The
latter is of two kinds ; either, first, when persons are terrified with that which
is, not the truth (of which I have seen very few instances unless in case of
melancholy) ; or, secondly, when they are in a fright from some terrible out
ward appearance and noise, and a general notion thence arising. These ap
prehend, that there is something or other terrible, they know not what; with
out having in their minds any particular truth whatever. Of such a kind of
fright I have seen very little appearance, among either old or youno-.
Those who are in such extremity, commonly express a great sense of their
exceeding wickedness, the multitude and aggravations of their actual. sins;
their dreadful pollution, enmity, and perverseness; their obstinacy and hardness
at heart ; a sense of their great guilt in the sight of God ; and the dreadfulness

OF THE SPIRIT OF GOD. 54$
of the punishment due to sin. Very oftenthey have a lively idea of the horri
ble pit of eternal misery; and at the same time it appears to them, that the
great God who has them in his hands, is exceedingly angry, and his wrath
appears amazingly terrible to them. God appears to them so much provoked,
and his great wrath so increased ; that they are apprehensive of great danger,
and that he will not bear with them any longer ; but will now forthwith cut
them off, and send them down to the dreadful pit they have in view ; at the
same time seeing no refuge. They see more and more of the vanity of every
thing they used to trust to, and with which they flattered themselves, till they
are-brought wholly to despair in all, and to see that they are at the disposal
of the mere will of that God who is so angry with them. Very many, in the
midst .of their extremity, have been brought to an extraordinary sense of their
fully deserving that, wrath, and the destruction which was then before their
eyes. They feared every moment, that it would be executed upon them ; they
have been greatly convinced that this would be altogether just, and that God!
is indeed absolutely sovereign. Very often, some text of Scripture expressing
God's sovereignty, has been set home upon their minds, whereby they have
been calmed. They have been brought, as it were, to lie at God's feet; and
after great agonies, a little before light has arisen, they have been composed!
and quiet, in submission to a just and sovereign God ; but their bodily strength
much spent. Sometimes their lives, to appearance, were almost gone ; and
then light has appeared, and a glorious Redeemer, with his wonderful, all-suffi
cient grace, has been represented to them often, in some sweet invitation of
Scripture. Sometimes the light comes in suddenly, sometimes more gradually,
filling their souls with- love, admiration, joy, and self-abasement ; drawing forth
their hearts after the excellent lovely Redeemer, and longings to lie in the dust
before him ; and that others might behold, embrace, and be delivered by him.
They had longings to live to his glory ; but were sensible that they can do-
nothing of themselves, appearing vile in their own eyes, and having much*
jealousy over their own-hearts. And all the appearances of a real change of
heart have followed ; and grace has acted, from time to time, after the same
manner that it used to act in those that were converted formerly, with the like
difficulties, temptations, bufferings, and comforts ; excepting that in many, the
light and comfort have been in higher degrees than ordinary. Many very
young children have been thus wrought upon. There have been some instan
ces very much like those (Mark i. 26, and chap. ix. 26,) of whom we read,.
that" when the devil had cried with a loud voice, and rent them sore, he came
out of them." And probably those. instances were designed for a type of such
things as. these. Some have several turns of great agonies, before they are
delivered ; and others have been in such distress, which has passed off, and net
deliverance at all has followed.
Some object against it as great confusion, when there is a number together
in such circumstances making a noise ; and say, God cannot be the author of
it; because he is the God of order, not of confusion. But let it be considered,
what is the proper notion of confusion, but the breaking that order of things,
whereby they are properly disposed, and duly directed to their end, so that the
order and due connection of means being broken, they fail of their end. Now
the conviction of sinners for their conversion is- the obtaining of the end of reli
gious means. Not but that I think the persons, thus extraordinarily moved,
should endeavor to refrain from such outward manifestations, what they well
can, and should refrain to their utmost, at the time of their solemn worship.
But if God is pleased to convince the consciences of persons, so that they can-

550 MARKS OF A WORK
not avoid great outward manifestations, even to interrupting and breaking off
those public means they were attending, I do not think this is confusion, or an un
happy interruption, any more than if a company should meet on the field to pray
for ain, and should be broken off from their exercise by a plentiful shower.
Would to God that all the public assemblies in the land were broken off from
their public exercises with such confusion as this the next Sabbath day ! We
need not be sorry for breaking the order of means, by obtaining the end to
which that order is directed. He who is going to fetch a treasure, need not be
sorry that he is stopped, by meeting the treasure in the midst of his journey.
Besides those who are overcome with conviction and distress, I have seen
many of late, who have had their bodily strength taken away with, a sense of the
glorious excellency of the Redeemer, and the wonders of his dying love ; with
a very uncommon sense of their own. littleness and exceeding vileness attending
it, with all expressions and appearances of fhe greatest abasement and ab
horrence of themselves. Not only new converts, but many who were, as. we
hope, formerly converted, have had their love and joy attended with a flood of
tears, and a great appearance of contrition and humiliation, especially for their
having lived no more to God's glory since their conversion. These have had
a far greater sight of their vileness, and the evil oi their hearts, than ever they
had ; with an exceeding earnestness of desire to live better for the time to come,
but attended with greater self-diffidence than ever ; and many have been over
come with pity to the souls of others, and longing for their salvation.— And
many other things I might mention, in this extraordinary work, answering to
every one of those marks which have been insisted on. So that if the apostle
John knew7 how to give signs of a work of the true Spirit, this is such a work.
Providence has cast my lot in a place where the work of God has formerly
been carried on. I had the happiness to-be settled in that place two years with
the venerable Stoddard ; and was then acquainted with a number who, during
that season, were wrought upon under his ministry. I have been intimately
acquainted with the experiences of many others who were wrought upon under
his ministry, before that period, in a manner agreeable to the doctrine of all
orthodox divines. And of late, a work has been carried on there, with very
much of uncommon operations ; but it is evidently the same work that was carried
on there, in different periods, though attended with some new circumstances.
And certainly we must throw by all talk of conversion and Christian experi
ence ; and not only so, but we must throw by our Bibles, and give up revealed
religion ; if this be not in general the work of God. Not that I suppose the
degree of the Spirit's influence is to be determined by the degree of effect on
men's bodies ; or, that those are always the best experiences which have the
greatest influence on the body.
And as to the imprudencies, irregularities, and mixture of delusion that has
been observed ; it is not at all to be wondered at, that a reformation, after a
long continued and almost universal deadness, should at first, when the revival
is new, be attended with such things. In the first creation God did not make a
complete world at once ; but there was a great deal of imperfection, darkness,
and mixture of chaos and confusion, after God first said, " Let there be light/'
before the whole stood forth in perfect form. When God at first began his
great work for the deliverance of his people, after their long^continued bondage In
Egypt, there were false wonders mixed with the true for a while ; which
hardened' the unbelieving Egyptians, and made them to doubt of the divinity
of the whole work. When the children of Israel first went to bring up the ark
of God, after it had been neglected, and had been long absent, they sought not

OF THE SPIRIT OF GOD. 55j
the Lord after the due order, 1 Chron. xv. 13. At the time when the sons of
God came to present themselves before the Lord, Satan came also among them.
And Solomon's ships, when they brought gold, and silver, and pearls, also
brought apes and peacocks. When day-light first appears after a nig'ht of
darkness, we must expect to have darkness mixed with light for a while, and not
have perfect day and the sun risen at once. The fruits of the earth' are first
green before they are ripe, and come to their proper perfection gradually ; and
so, Christ tells us, is the kingdom of God. Mark iv. 26, 27, 28, " So is the
kingdom of God ; as if a man should cast seed into the ground, and should
sleep, and rise night and day ; and the seed should spring and grow up, he
knoweth not how : for the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade,
then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear."
The imprud'encies and errors that have attended this work, are the less to-
be wondered at, if it be considered, that chiefly young persons have been the
subjects of it, who have less steadiness and experience, and being in the heat
of youth, are much more ready to run to extremes. Satan will keep men
secure as" long as he can ; but when he can do that no longer, he often endeav
ors to drive them to extremes, and so to dishonor God, and wound religion in
that way. And doubtless it has been one occasion of much misconduct, that in
many places, people see plainly that their ministers have an ill opinion of the
work; and therefore, with just reason, durst not apply themselves to them as
their guides in it ; and so are without guides. — No wonder then that when a
people are as sheep without a shepherd, they wander out of the way. A peo
ple in such circumstances, stand in great and continual need of guides, and
their guides stand in continual need of ,much more wisdom than they have of
their own. And if a people have ministers that favor the work, and rejoice in
it, yet it is not to be expected that either the people or ministers should
know so well how to conduct themselves in such an extraordinary state of
things — while it is new, and what they never had any experience of before,
and time to see their tendency, consequences, and issue. The happy influence
of experience is very manifest at this day, in the people among whom God has
settled my abode. The work which has been carried on there this year, has been
much purer than that which. was wrought there six years before : it has seem
ed to be more purely spiritual ; free from natural and corrupt mixtures, and
any thing sayoring of enthusiastic wildness and extravagance. It has wrought
more by deep humiliation and abasement before God and men ; and they have
been much freer from imprudencies and irregularities. And particularly there
has been a remarkable difference in this respect, that whereas many before, in
their comforts and rejoicings, did too much forget their distance from God, and
were ready in their conversation together of the things of God, and of their
own experiences, to talk with too much lightness; but now they seem to have
no disposition that way, but rejoice with a more solemn, reverential, humble
joy, as God directs, Psal. ii. 11. Not because the joy is not as great, and in
many instances much greater. Many among us who were wrought upon in
that former season, have now had much greater communications from heaven
than they had then. Their rejoicing operates in another manner ; it abases
them,. breaks their heart, and brings them into the dust. When they speak of
their joys, it is not with laughter, but a flood of tears. Thus those who laugh
ed before, weep now, and yet by their united testimony, their joy is vastly
purer and sweeter than that which before did more raise their animal spirits.
They are now more like Jacob, when God appeared to him at Bethel, when
he saw the ladder that reached to heaven, and said, " How dreadful is this

652 MARKS OF A WORK
place '." And like Moses, when God showed him his glory on the mount,
when he made haste and " bowed himself unto the earth."
II. Let us all be hence warned, by no means to oppose, or do any thing in
the least to clog or hinder, the work ; but, on the contrary, do our utmost to pro
mote it. Now Christ is come down from heaven in a remarkable and wonder
ful work of his Spirit, it becomes all his professed disciples to acknowledge
him, and give him honor.
The example of the Jews in Christ's and the apostles' times, is enough to
beget in -those who do not acknowledge this work, a great jealousy of them
selves, and to make them exceeding cautious of what they say or do. Christ
then was in the world, and the world knew him. not : he came to his ow-n pro
fessing people, and his own received him not. That coming of Christ had been
much spoken of in the prophecies of Scripture w-hich they had in their hands,
and it had been long expected ; and yet because Christ came in a manner they
did not expect, and which was not agreeable to their carnal reason, they would
not own him. Nay, they opposed him, counted him a madman, and pronounc
ed the spirit that he wrought by to be the spirit of the devil. They stood and
wondered at the great things done, and knew not what to make of them ; but
yet they met with so -many stumbling-blocks, that they finally could not ac
knowledge him. And when the Spirit of God came, to be poured out so won
derfully in the apostles' days, they looked upon it as confusion and distraction.
They were astonished by what they saw and heard, but not convinced. And
especially was the work of God then rejected by those that were most conceit
ed of their own understanding and knowledge, agreeable to Isa. xxix. 14 r
"Therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvellous work amongst this peo
ple, even a marvellous work and a wonder ; for the wisdom of their wise men
shall perish, and the understanding, of their prudent men shall be hid." And
many who had been in reputation for religion and piety, had a. great spite
against the work, because they saw it tended to diminish their honor, and to
reproach their formality and lukewarmness. Some, upon these accounts, ma
liciously and openly opposed and reproached the work of the Spirit of God,
and called it the work of the devil, against inward conviction, and so were
guilty of the unpardonable sin against the Holy Ghost.
There is another, a spiritual coming of Christ, to set up his kingdom in
the world, that is as much spoken of in Scripture prophecy as that first coming,
and which has long been expected by the church of God. We have reason to
think, from what is said of this, that it will be, in many respects, parallel with
the other. And certainly, that low state into which the visible church of God
has lately been sunk is very parallel with the state of the Jewish church, when
Christ came ; and therefore no wonder at all, that when Christ comes, his work
should appear a Strange work to most; yea, it would be a wonder if it should
be otherwise. Whether the present work be the beginning of that great and
frequently predicted coming of Christ to set up his kingdom, or not, it is evident,
from what has been said, that it is a work of the same Spirit, and of the same
nature. And there is no reason to doubt, but that fhe conduct of persons who
continue long to refuse acknowledging Christ in the work — especially those
who are set to be teachers in his church — will be in like manner provoking to
God, as it was in the Jews of old, while refusing to acknowledge Christ; not
withstanding what they may plead of the great stumbling-blocks that are in
the way, and the cause they have to doubt of the work. The teachers of the
Jewish church found innumerable stumbling-blocks, that were to therh insuper
able. Many things appeared in Christ, and in the work of the Spirit after his-

OF THE SPIRIT OF GOD. 553
ascension, which were exceeding strange to them; they seemed assured that
they had just cause for their scruples. Christ and his work were to the Jews a
stumbling-block ; " But blessed is lie," says Christ, " whosoever shall not be
offended in me." As strange and as unexpected as the manner of Christ's ap
pearance was, yet he had not been long in Judea working miracles, before all
those who had opportunity to observe, and yet refused to acknowledge him,
brough fearful guilt upon themselves in the sight of God ; and Christ condemn
ed them, that thought " they could discern the face of the sky, and of the earth,
yet they could not discern the signs of those times. " And why," says he, " even
of yourselves, judge ye not what is right 1" Luke xii. at the latter end.
It is not to be supposed that the great Jehovah has bowed the heavens, and
appeared here now for so long a time, in such a glorious work of his power
and grace — in so extensive a manner, in the most public places of the land, and
in almost all parts of it — without giving such evidences of his presence, that
great numbers, and even many teachers in his church, can remain guiltless in
his sight, without ever receiving and acknowledging him, and giving him hon
our, and appearing to rejoice in his gracious presence ; or without so mulch as
once giving him thanks for so glorious and blessed a work of his grace, wherein
his.goodness does more appear, than if he had bestowed on us all the temporal
blessings that the world affords. A long-continued silence in such a case is
undoubtedly provoking to God ; especially in ministers. It is a secret kind
of opposition, that really tends to hinder the work. Such silent ministers stand
in the way of the work of God, as Christ said of old, " He that is not with us
is against us." Those who stand wondering at this strange work, not knowing
what to make of it, and refusing to receive it — and ready it may be sometimes
to speak contemptibly of it, as was the case with the Jews of old — would
do well to cbnsider, and to tremble at St. Paul's words to them, Acts xiii. 40,
41: "Beware therefore, lest that come upon you which is spoken of in the pro
phets, Behold, ye despisers, and wonder, and perish ; for I work a work in your
days, which you shall in no wise believe, though a man declare it unto you."
Those who cannot believe the work to be true, because of the extraordinary de
gree and manner of it, should consider how it was with the unbelieving lord in
Samaria, who said, " Behold, if the Lord should make windows in heaven, might
this thing be 1" To whom Elisha said, " Behold, thou shall see it with thine
eyes, but shalt not eat thereof." Let all to whom this work is a cloud and
darkness — as the pillar of cloud and fire was to the Egyptians — take heed that.
it be not their destruction, while it gives light to God's Israel.
I would entreat those who quiet themselves, that they proceed on a princi
ple of prudence,, and are waiting to see the issue of things — and what fruits
those that are the subjects of this work will bring forth in their lives and con
versations — to consider, whether this will justify a long refraining from
acknowledging Christ when he appears so wonderfully and graciously present
in the land. It is probable that many of those who are thus waiting, know not
fo? what they are waiting. If they wait to see a work of God without difficul
ties and stumbling-blocks, it will be like the fool's waiting at the river side lo
iave the water all run by. A work of God without stumbling-blocks is never
to be expected. " It must needs be that offences come." There never yet was
any great manifestation that God made of himself to the world, without many
difficulties attending it. It is with the works of God, as with his word : they
seem at first full of things that are strange, inconsistent, and difficult to the
carnal unbelieving hearts of men. Christ and his work always was, and always
will be, a stone of stumbling, and rock of offence, a gin and a snare to many.
Vol I. 70

654 MARKS OF A WORK
The prophet Hosea (chap, xiv.), speaking of a glorious revival of religion in
God's church— when God would be as the dew unto Israel, who should grow
as the lily, and cast forth his roots as Lebanon, whose branches should spread,
Ac. — concludes all thus: "Who is wise, and he shall understand these things'?
prudent, and he shall know them 1 for the ways of the Lord are right, and- the
just shall walk in them : but the transgressors shall fall therein."
It is probable that the stumbling-blocks that now attend this work, will in
some respects be increased, and not diminished. We probably shall see more
instances of apostasy and gross iniquity among professors. And if one kind of
stumbling-blocks are removed, it is to be expected that others will come. It is
with Christ's works as it was with his parables; things that are difficult to
men's dark minds are ordered of purpose, for the trial of their dispositions and
spiritual sense ; and that those of corrupt minds and of an unbelieving, perverse,
cavilling spirit, " seeing might see and not understand." Those who are now
waiting to see the issue of this work, think they shall be better able to deter
mine by and by ; but probably many of them are mistaken. The Jews that
saw Christ's miracles, waited to see better evidences of his being the Messiah;
they wanted a sign from heaven; but they waited in "vain; their stumbling-
blocks did not diminish, but mcrease. They found no end to them, and so were
more and more hardened in unbelief. Many have been praying for that glori
ous reformation spoken of in Scripture, who knew not what they have been.
praying for (as it was with the Jews when they prayed for the coming of
Christ), and who, if it should come, would not acknowledge or receive it.
This pretended prudence, in persons waiting so long before they acknow
\edged this work, will probably in the end prove the greatest imprudence
Hereby they will fail of any share of so great a blessing, and wTill miss the most
precious opportunity of obtaining divine light, grace, and comfort, heavenly
and eternal benefits, that God ever gave in New England-. While the glorious
fountain is set open in so wonderful a manner^ and multitudes flock to it and
receive a rich supply for the wants of their souls, they stand at a distance,
doubting, wondering, and receiving nothing, and are like to continue thus till
the precious season is past. — It is indeed to be wondered at, that those who
have doubted of the work, which has been attended with such uncommon ex
ternal appearances, should be easy in their doubts, without taking thorough
pains to inform themselves, by going where such things have beento be seen,
narrowly observing and diligently inquiring into them ; not contenting them
selves with observing two or three instances, nor resting till they were fully
informed by their own observation. I do not doubt but that if this course had
been taken, it would have convinced all whose minds are not shut up against
conviction. How greatly have they erred, who only from the uncertain reproofs
of others, have ventured to speak slightly of these things ! That caution of an
unbelieving Jew might teach them more prudence, Acts v. 38, 39 : " Refrain
from these men, and let them alone; for if this counsel or this work be of men,
it will come to nought ; but if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it ; lest haply
ye be found to fight against God." Whether what has been said in this dis
course be enough to produce conviction, that this is the work of God, or not ;
yet I hope that for the future, they will at least hearken to the caution of
Gamaliel, now mentioned ; so as not to oppose it, or say any thing which has
even an indirect tendency to bring it into discredit, lest they should be found
opposers of the Holy Ghost. There is no kind of sins so hurtful and dangerous
to the souls of men, as those committed against the Holy Ghost. We had bet
ter speak against God the Father, or the Son, than to speak against the Holy

OF THE SPIRIT OF GOD. 555
Spirit in his gracious operations on the hearts of men. Nothing will so much
tend forever to prevent our having any benefit of his operations on our own souls.
If there be any who still resolutely go on to speak contemptibly of these
things, I would beg of them to take heed that they be not guilty of the un
pardonable sin. When the Holy Spirit is much poured out, and men's lusts,
lukewarmness, and hypocrisy are reproached by its powerful operations, then is
the most likely time of any, for this sin to be committed. If the work goes on,
it is well if among the many that show an enmity against it, some be not guilty
of this sin, if none have been already. Those who maliciously oppose and re
proach this work, and call it the work of the devil, want but one thing- of the
unpardonable sin, and that is, doing it against inward conviction. Amf though
some are so prudent, as not openly to oppose and reproach this work, yet it
is to be feared— at this day, when the Lord is going forth so gloriously against
his enemies— that many who are silent and inactive, especially ministers, will
bring that curse of the angel of the Lord upon themselves, Judg. v. 23 : " Curse
ye Meroz, said the angel of the Lord, curse ye bitterly the inhabitants thereof:
because they came not to the help of the Lord, to the help of the Lord against
the^mighty." Since the great God has come down from heaven, and manifested himself
in' so wonderful a manner in this land, it is vain for any of us to expect any
other than to be greatly affected by it in our spiritual state and circumstances,
respecting the favor of God, one way or other. Those who do not become
more happy by it, will become far more guilty and miserable. It is always
so ; such a season as proves an acceptable year, and a time of great favor to
them who accept and improve it, proves a day of vengeance to others, Isa. lix. 2.
When God sends forth his word, it shall not return to him void; much less
his Spirit. When Christ was upon earth in Judea, many slighted and reject
ed him ; but it proved in the issue to be no matter of indifference to them. God
made all that people to feel that Christ had been among them ; those who did not
feel it to their comfort, felt it to their great sorrow. When God only sent the
prophet Ezekiel to the children of Israel, he declared that whether they would
hear or whether they would forbear, yet they should know that there had been
a prophet among them ; how much more may we suppose that when God has
appeared so wonderfully in this land, that he will make every one to know that
the great Jehovah had been in New England. — I come now, in the last place,
III. To apply myself to those who are the friends of this work, who have
been partakers of it, and are zealous to promote it. Let me earnestly exhort
such to give diligent heed to themselves to avoid all errors and misconduct, and
whatever may darken and obscure the work; and to give no occasion to those
who stand ready to reproach it. The apostle was careful to cut off occasion
from those that desired occasion. The same apostle exhorts Titus, to main
tain a strict care and watch over himself, that bpth his preaching and behav
ior might be such as " could not be condemned ; that he who was of the con
trary part might be ashamed, having no evil thing to say of them," Tit. ii. 7,
8. We had need to be wise as serpents and harmless as doves. It is of no
small consequence that we should at this day behave ourselves innocently and
prudently. We must expect that the great enemy of this work will especially
try his utmost with us ; and he will especially triumph if he can prevail in
any thing to blind and mislead us. He knows it will do more to further his
purpose and interest than if he had prevailed against a hundred others. We had
need to watch and pray, for we are but little children ; this roaring Hon is too
stro'hg for us, and this old serpent too subtle for us.

^56 MARKS OF A WORK
Humility and self-diffidence, and an entire dependence on our Lord Jesus Christ,
will be our best defence. Let us therefore maintain the strictest watch against
spiritual pride, or being lifted up with extraordinary experiences and comforts,
and the high favors ofheaven, that any of us may have received. We had
need, after such favors, in a special manner to keep a strict and jealous eye
upon our own hearts, lest there should arise self-exalting reflections upon- what
we have received, and high thoughts of ourselves, as being now some of the
most eminent of saints and peculiar favorites of heaven, and that the secret of
the Lord is especially with us. Let us not presume, that we above all are fit
to be advanced as the great instructors and censors of this evil generation ; and,
in a high conceit of our own wisdom and discerning, assume to ourselves the
airs of prophets, or extraordinary ambassadors of heaven. When we have great
discoveries of God made to our souls,-we should not shine bright in our own eyes.
Moses, when he had been conversing with God in the mount, though his face
shone so as to dazzle the eyes of Aaron and the people, yet he did not shine in
his own eyes ; " he wist not that his face shone." Let none think themselves
out of danger of this spiritual pride, even in their best frames. God saw that
the apostle Paul (though probably the most eminent saint that ever lived) was
not out of danger of it, no, not when he had just been conversing with God
in the third heaven : see 2 Cor. xii. 7. Pride is the worst viper in the heart ;
it is the first sin that ever entered into the universe, lies lowest of all in the
foundation of the whole building of sin, and is the most secret, deceitful, and un
searchable in its ways of working, of any lusts whatever. It is ready to mix
with every thing ; and nothing is so hateful to God, contrary to the spirit of
the gospel, or of so dangerous consequence; and there is no one sin that does
so much let in the devil into the hearts of the saints, and expose them to his
delusions. I have seen it in many instances, and that in eminent, saints. The
devil has come in at this door presently after some eminent experience and ex
traordinary communion with God, and has wofully deluded and led them as
tray, till God has mercifully opened their eyes and delivered them ; and they them
selves have afterwards been made sensible that it was pride that betrayed them.
Some of the true friends of the work of God's Spirit have erred in giving
too much heed to impulses and strong impressions on their minds, as though they
were immediate significations from heaven to them, of something that should
come to pass, or something that it was the mind and will of God that they
should do, which was not signified or revealed anywhere in the Bible without
those impulses. These impressions, if they are truly from the Spirit of God,
are of a quite different nature from his gracious influences on the hearts of the
saints : they are of the nature of the extraordinary gifts of the Spirit, and are
properly inspiration, such as the prophets and apostles and others had of old ;
which the apostle distinguishes from the grace of the Spirit, 1 Cor. xiii..
One reason why some have been ready to lay weight on such impulses, is
an opinion they have had, that the glory of the approaching happy days of
the church would partly consist in restoring those extraordinary gifts of the
Spirit. This opinipn, I believe, arises partly through want of duly considering
and comparing the nature and value of those two kinds of influences of the
Spirit, viz., those that are ordinary and gracious, and those that are extraordina
ry and miraculous. The former are by far the most excellent and glorious ;
as the apostle largely shows, 1 Cor. xii. 31, &c. Speaking of the extraor
dinary gifts of the Spirit", he says, "But covet earnestly the best gifts; and yet I
show you a more excellent way ;" i. e., a more excellent way of the influence of
the Spirit. And then he goes on, in the next chapter, to show what that more ex-

OF THE SPIRIT OF GOD. 557
cellent way is, even the grace of that Spirit, which summarily consists in charitv
or divine love. And throughout that chapter he shows the great preference of that
above inspiration. God communicates his own nature to the soul in savino- grace
in the heart, more than in all miraculous gifts. The blessed ima ge of God consists
in that and not in these. The excellency, happiness, and glory of the soul im
mediately consists in the former. That is a root which bears infinitely more
excellent fruit. Salvation and the eternal enjoyment of God is promised to
divine grace, but not to inspiration. A man may have those extraordinary
gifts, and yet be abominable to- God, and go to hell. The spiritual and eternal
life of the soul consists in the grace of the Spirit, which God bestows only on
his favorites and dear children. He has sometimes thrown out the other as it
were to dogs and swine, as he did to Balaam, Saul, and Judas ; and some who
in the primitive times of the Christian church, committed the unpardonable sin,
Heb. vi. Many wicked men at the day of judgment will plead, " Have we not
prophesied in thy name, and in thy name cast out devils, and in thy name done
many wonderful works." The greatest privilege of the prophets and apostles,
was not their being inspired and working miracles, but their eminent holiness
The grace that was in their hearts, was a thousand times more their dignity
and honor, than their miraculous gifts. The things in which we find David
comforting himself; are not his being a king, or a prophet, but the holy influ
ences of the Spirit of God in his heart, communicating to him divine light,
love, and joy. The apostle Paul abounded in visions, revelations, and miracu
lous gifts, above all the apostles ; but yet he esteems all things but loss for the
excellency of the spiritual knowledge of Christ. It was not the gifts but the
grace of the apostles, that was the proper evidence of their names being written
in heaven ; in which Christ directs them to rejoice, much more than in the
devils being subject to them. To have grace in the heart, is a higher privi
lege than the blessed Virgin herself had, in having the body of the second per
son in the Trinity conceived in her womb, by the power of the Highest over
shadowing her : Luke xi. 27, 28, " And it came to pass as he spake these things,
a certain woman of the company lift up her voice, and said unto him, Blessed
is the womb that bare thee, and the paps that thou hast sucked ! . But he said,
Yea, rather blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it." See also to
the same purpose, Matt. xii. 47, &c. — The influence of the Holy Spirit, or di
vine charity in the heart, is the greatest privilege and glory of the highest
archangel in heaven ; yea, this is the very thing by which the creature has fel
lowship with God himself, with the Father and the Son, in their beauty and hap
piness. Hereby the saints are made partakers of the divine nature, and have
Christ's joy fulfilled in themselves.
The ordinary sanctifying influences of the Spirit of God, are the end of all
extraordinary gifts, as. the apostle show's, Ephes. iv. 11, 12, 13. They are
good for nothing, any further than as they are subordinate to this end ; they will
he so far from profiting any without it, that they will only aggravate their
misery. This is, as the apostle observes, the most excellent way of God's
communicating his, Spirit to his church, it is the greatest glory of the church in
all ages. This glory is what makes the church on earth most like the church
in heaven, when prophecy, and tongues, and other miraculous gifts, cease. And
God communicates his Spirit only in that more excellent way of which the
apostle speaks, viz., charity or divine love, " which never faileth." Therefore
the glory of the approaching happy state of the church does not at all require
these extraordinary gifts. As that state of the church will be the nearest of
» any to its perfect state in heaven, so I believe it will be like it in this, that all

558 MARKS OF A WORK
extraordinary gifts shall have ceased and vanished away ; and ill those stars,
and the moon, with the reflected light they gave in the night, or in a dark
season, shall be swallowed up in the sun of divine love. The apostle speaks
of these gifts of inspiration as childish things, in comparison of the influence
of the Spirit in divine love ; things given to the church only to support it in its
minority, till the church should have a complete standing rule established, and
all the ordinary means of grace should be settled ; but as things that should
cease, as the church advanced to the state of manhood. 1 Cor. xiii. 11, " When
I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child;
but when I became a man, I put away childish things;" compared with the
three preceding verses.
When the apostle, in this chapter, speaks of prophecies, tongues, and re
velations ceasing, and vanishing away in the church — when the Christian
church should be advanced from a state of minority to a state of manhood — he
seems to have respect to its coming to an adult state in this world, as well as
in heaven ; for he speaks of such a state of manhood, wherein those three things,
Faith, Hope, and Charity, should remain after miracles and revelations had
ceased ; as in the last verse, and " now abideth (fievet, remaineth) Faith, Hope,
and Charity, these three." The apostle's manner of speaking here shows an
evident reference to what he had just being saying before : and, here is a mani
fest antithesis, between remaining, and that failing, ceasing, and vanishing
away, spoken of in the 8th verse. The apostle had been showing how all those
gifts of inspiration, which were the leading-strings of the Christian church in its
infancy, should vanish away, when the church came to a state of manhood
Then he returns to observe, what things remain after those had failed and ceas
ed ; and he observes that those three things shall remain in the church, Faith,
Hope, and Charity ; and therefore the adult state of the church he speaks of,
is the more perfect one at which it shall arrive on earth, especially in the latter
ages of the world. And this was the more properly observed to the church at
Corinth, upon two accounts ; because the apostle had before observed to that
church, that they were in a state of infancy, chap. iii. 1, 2. And because that
church seems above all others to have abounded with miraculous gifts. — When
the expected glorious state of the church comes, the increase of light shall be
so great that it will in some respect answer what is said, ver. 12, of seeing face
to face. See Isa. xxv. 23, and xxv. 7:
Therefore I do not expect a restoration of these miraculous gifts in the ap
proaching glorious times of the church, nor do I desire it. It appears to me,
that it would add nothing to the glory of those times, but rather diminish from
it. For my part, I had rather enjoy the sweet influences of the Spirit, showing
Christ's spiritual divine beauty, infinite grace, and dying love, drawing forth
the holy exercises of faith, divine love, sweet complacence, and humble joy in
God, one quarter of an hour, than to have prophetical visions and revelations
the whole year. It appears to me much more probable that God should give
immediate revelations to his saints in the dark times of prophecy, than now in
the approach of the most glorious and perfect state of his church on earth. It
does not appear to me that there is any need of those extraordinary gifts to in
troduce this happy state, and set up the kingdom of Grid through the world ;
I have seen so much of the power of God in a more excellent way, as to con
vince me that God can easily do it without.
I would therefore entreat the people of God to be very cautious how they
give heed to such things. I have seen them fail in very many instances, and
know by experience that impressions being made with great power, and upon

OF THE SPIRIT OF GOD. 559-
the minds of true, yea eminent, saints — even in the midst of extraordinary
exercises of grace, and sweet communion with God, and attended with texts
of Scripture strongly impressed on the mind — are no sure signs of their
being revelations from heaven. I have known such impressions fail, in
some instances, attended with all these circumstances. They who leave the
sure word of prophecy— which God has given us as a light shining in a dark
place — to follow such impressions and impulses, leave the guidance of the polar
star, to follow a Jack with a lantern. No wonder therefore that sometimes they
are led into woful extravagances.
Moreover, seeing inspiration is not to be expected, let us not despise human
learning. They who assert that human learning is of little or no use in the
work of the ministry, do not well consider what they say ; if they did, fhey
would not say it. By human learning I mean, and suppose others mean, the
improvement of common knowledge by human and outward means. And
therefore to say, that human learning is of no use, is as much as to say that
the education of a child, or that the common knowledge which a grown man
has more than a little child, is of no use. At this rate, a child of four years
old is as fit for a teacher in the church of God, with the same degree of grace —
and capable of doing as much to advance the kingdom of Christ, by his instruc
tion — as a very knowing man of thirty years of age. If adult persons have
greater ability and advantage to do service, because they have more knowledge
than a little child, then doubtless if they have more human knowledge still,
with the same degree of grace, they would have still greater ability and advan
tage to do service. An increase of knowledge, without doubt, increases a
man's advantage either to do good or hurt, according as he is disposed. It is
too manifest to be denied, that God made great use of human learning in the
apostle Paul, as he also did in Moses and Solomon.
And if knowledge, obtained by human means, is not to be despised, then it
will follow that the means of obtaining it are not to be neglected, viz., study;
and that this is of great use in order to a preparation for publicly instructing
others. And, though having the heart full of the powerful influences of the
Spirit of God, may at some time enable persons to speak profitably, yea, very
excellently, without study; yet this will not warrant us needlessly to cast our
selves down from the pinnacle of the temple, depending upon it that the angel
of the Lord will bear us up, and keep us from clashing our foot against a stone,
when there is another way to go down, though it be not so quick. And I
would pray that method in public discourses, which tends greatly to help both
the understanding and memory, may not be wholly neglected.
Another thing I would beg the dear children of God more fully to consider
of is, how far, and upon what grounds, the rules of the Holy Scriptures will
truly justify their passing censures upon other professing Christians, as hypo
crites, and ignorant of real religion. We all know that there is a judging and
censuring of some sort or other, that the Scripture very often and very strictly
forbids. I desire that those rules of Scripture may be looked into, and tho
roughly weighed; and that it may be considered whether our taking it upon
us to discern the state of others, and to pass sentence upon them as wicked
men, though professing Christians, and of a good visible conversation, be not
really forbidden by Christ in the New Testament. If it be, then doubtless the
disciples of Christ ought to avoid this practice, however sufficient they may
think themselves for it, or however needful or of good tendency they may think
it. It is plain that the sort of judgment which God claims as his prerogative,
whatever that be, is forbidden. We know that a certain judging of the hearts

560 MARKS OF A WORK
of the children of men,.is often spoken of as the great prerogative of God, and
which belongs only to him, as in 1 Kings viii. 39 : " Forgive, and do, and give
unto every man according to his ways, whose heart thou knowest: for thou,
even thou only, knowTest the hearts of all the children of men." Andifwn
examine, we shall find that the judging of hearts which is spoken of as God's pre
rogative, relates not only to the aims and dispositions of men's hearts in parti
cular actions, but chiefly to the state of their hearts as the professors of religion,
and with regard to that profession. This will appear very manifest by looking
over the following Scriptures; 1 Chron. xxviii. 9, Psal. vii. 9, 10, 11, Psalm
xxvi. throughout, Prov. xvi. 2, and xvii. 3, and xxi. 2 ; Job ii. 23, 24, 25,
Rev. ii. 22, 23. That sort of judging, wliich is God's proper business, is for
bidden, as Rom. xiv. 4 : " Who art thou that judgest another man's seryant?
to his own master he standeth or faileth." Jam. iv. 12, "There, is one law
giver that is able to save or destroy ; who art thou that judgest another 1"
2 Cor. iv. 3, 4, " But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged
of you, or of man's judgment ; yea, I judge not mine own self; but he that
judgeth me is the Lord."
Again, whatsoever kind of judging is the proper work and business of the
day of judgment, is what we are forbidden, as in 1 Cor. iv. 5 : " Therefore judge
nothing before the time, until the Lord come ; who both will bring to light
the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the
heart ; and then shall every man have praise of God." But to distinguish
hypocrites, that have the form of godliness and the visible conversation of
godly men from true saints, or to separate the sheep from the goats, is the pro
per business of the day of judgment ; yea, it is represented as the main busi
ness and end of that day. They, therefore, do greatly err who take it upon
them positively to determine who are sincere, and who are not ;. to draw the
dividing line between true saints and hypocrites, and to separate between sheep
and goats, setting the one on the right hand and the other on the left ; and to
distinguish and gather out the tares from amongst the wheat. Many of the
servants of the owner of the field are very ready to think themselves sufficient
for this, and are forward to offer their service to this end ; but their Lord says,
" Nay, lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them.
Let both grow together until the harvest;" and, in the time of harvest, I will take
care to see a thorough separation made ; as Matt. xiii. 28, 29, 30. Agreeably
to that forementioned prohibition of the apostle, 1 Cor. iv. 5, " Judge nothing
before the time." In this parable, by the servants who have the care of the
fruit of the field, is doubtless meant the same with the servants who have the
care of the fruit of the vineyard, Luke xx., and who are elsewhere represented
as servants of the Lord of the harvest, appointed as laborers in his harvest.
These we know are ministers of the gospel. Now is that parable in the 13th
of Matthew fulfilled : " While men sleep" (during a long sleepy, dead time in
the church), " the enemy has sowed tares ;" now is the time " when the blade
is sprung up," and religion is reviving ; and now some of the servants who
have the care of the field say, " Let us go and gather up the tares." I know
there is a great aptness in men who suppose they have had some experience oi
the power of religion, to think themselves sufficient to discern and determine the
state of others by a little conversation with them ; and experience has taught
me that this is an error. I once did not imagine that the heart of man had
been so unsearchable as it is. I am less charitable, and less uncharitable than
once I was. I find more things in wicked men that may counterfeit, and make
a fair show of piety ; and more ways that the remaining corruption of the

OF THE SPIRIT OF GOD. 561
godly may make them appear like carhal men, formalists, and dead hypocrites,
than once I knew of. The longer I live, the less I wonder that God challenges
it as his prerogative to try the hearts of the children of men, and directs that
this business should be let alone till harvest. I desire to adore the wisdom of
God, and his goodness to me and my fellow-creatures, that he has not com
mitted this great business into the hands of such a poor, weak, and dim-sighted
creature ; one of so much blindness, pride, partiality, prejudice, and cleceitful-
ness of heart ; but has committed it into the hands of one infinitely fitter for it,
and has made it his prerogative.
The talk of some persons, and the account they give of their experiences,
is exceedingly satisfying, and such as forbids and banishes the thought of their
being any other than the precious children of God. It obliges and as it were
forces full charity; but yet we must allow the Scriptures to stand good that
speak of every thing in the saint, belonging to the spiritual and divine life, as
hidden, Col. iii. 3, 4. Their food is the hidden manna ; they have meat to
eat that otliers know not of; a stranger intermeddles not with their joys. The
heart in which they possess their divine distinguishing ornaments, is the hidden
man, and in the sight of God only, 1 Pet. iii. 4. Their new name, which
Christ has given them, no man knows but he that receives it, Rev. ii. 17. The
praise of the true Israelites, whose circumcision is that of the heart, is not of
men, but of God, Rom. ii. 29 ; that is, they can be certainly known and dis
cerned to be Israelites, so as to have the honor that belongs to such, only of
God ; as appears by the use of the like expression by the same apostle, 1 Cor.
iv. 5. Here he speaks of its being God's prerogative to judge who are upright
Christians, and what he will do at the day of judgment, adding, " and then
shall every man have praise of God."
The -instance of Judas is remarkable; whom — though he had been so
much amongst the rest of the disciples, all persons of true experience,
yet— his associates never seemed to have entertained a thought of his being
any other than a true disciple, till he discovered himself by his scandalous
practice. And the instance of Ahitophel is also very remarkable; David
did.not suspect him, though so wise and holy a man, so great a divine, and had
such a great acquaintance with Scripture. He knew more than all his teachers,
more than the ancients, was grown old in experience, and was in the greatest
ripeness of his judgment. He was a great prophet, and was intimately ac
quainted with Ahitophel, he being his familiar friend, and most intimate com
panion in religious and spiritual concerns. Yet David not only never disco
vered him to be a hypocrite, but relied upon him as' a true saint. He relished
his religious discourse, it was sweet to him, and he counted' him an eminent
saint; so that he made him above any other man his guide and counsellor in
soul matters ; but yet he was not only no saint, but a notoriously wicked man,
a murderous, vile wretch. Psal. Iv. 11—14, "Wickedness is in the midst
thereof; deceit and guile depart not from her streets : for it was not an open
enemy that reproached me, then I could have borne it : neither was it he that
hated me, that did magnify himself against me, then I would have hid myself from
him : but it was thou, a man mine equal, my guide and mine acquaintance : we
took sweet counsel together, and walked unto the- house of God in company."
To suppose that men have ability and right to determine the state of the
souls of visible Christians, and so to make an open separation between saints
and hypocrites, that true saints may be of one visible company, and hypocrites
of another, separated by a partition that men make, carries m it an inconsis
tency : for it supposes that God has given men power to make another
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562 MARKS OF A WORK OF THE SPIRIT OF GOD.
visible church, within his visible cburch ; for by visible Christians or visible
saints is meant, persons who have a right to be received as such in the eye of
a public charity. None can have a right to exclude any one of this visible
church but in the way of that regular ecclesiastical proceeding, which God
has established in his visible church. — I beg of those who have a true zeal for
promoting this work of God, well to consider these things. I am persuaded,
that as many of them as have much to do with souls, if they do not hearken
to me now, will be of the same'mind when they have had more experience.
And another thing that I would entreat the zealous friends of this glorious
work of God to avoid, is managing the controversy with opposers with too
much heat, and appearance of an angry zeal ; and particularly insisting very
much in public prayer and preaching, on the persecution of opposers. If their
persecution were ten times so great as it is, methinks it would not be best to
say so much about it. If it becomes Christians to be like lambs, not apt to
complain and cry when they are hurt ; it becomes them to be aumb and not to
open their mouth, after the example of our dear Redeemer ; and not to be like
swine, that are apt to scream aloud when they are touched. We should not
be ready presently to think and speak of fire from heaven, when the Samari
tans oppose us, and will not receive us into their villages. God's zealous min
isters would do well to think of the direction the apostle Paul gave to a zeal
ous minister, 2 Tim ii. 24 — 26 : "And the servant of the Lord must not strive,
but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, in meekness instructing those
that oppose themselves ; if God peradventure will give them repentance, tp the
acknowledging of the truth ; and that they may recover themselves out of the
snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will."
I would humbly recommend to those that love the Lord Jesus Christ, and
would advance his kingdom, a good attendance to that excellent rule of pru
dence which Christ has left us, Matt. ix. 16, 17 : " No man putteth a piece of
new cloth into an old garment; for that which is put in to fill it up, taketh from
the garment, and the rent is made worse. Neither do men put new wine into
old bottles ; else the bottles break and the wine runneth out, and the bottles
perish. But they put new wine into new bottles, and both are preserved," I
am afraid the wine is now running out in some part of this land, for want of
attending to this rule. For though I believe we have confined ourselves too
much to a certain stated method and form in the management of our religious
affairs ; which has had a tendency to cause all our religion to degenerate into
mere formality ; yet whatever has the appearance of a great innovation — that
tends much to shock and surprise people's minds, and to set them a talking and
disputing — tends greatly to hinder the progress of the power of religion. It
raises the opposition of some, diverts the minds of others, and perplexes many
with doubts and scruples. It causes people to swerve from their great business,
and turn aside to vain jangling. Therefore that which is very much beside the
common practice, unless it be a thing in its own nature of considerable impor
tance, had better be avoided. Herein we shall follow the example of one who
had the greatest success in propagating the power of religion : 1 Cor. ix. 20 —
23, " Unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews ; to them
that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under
the law ; to them that are without law, as without law, (being not without law
to God, but under the law to Christ,) that I might gain them that are without law.,
To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak. I am made all
things to all men, that I might by all means save some. And this I do for the
gospel's sake, that I might be partaker thereof with you."

MISCELLANEOUS OBSERVATIONS

IMPORTANT DOCTRINES.

MISCELLANEOUS OBSERVATIONS

IMPORTANT DOCTRINES.

CHAPTER I.

CONCERNING GOO S MORAL GOVERNMENT, A FUTURE STATE, AND THE IMMORTALITY OF
THE SOUL.
1 § 1. The God that is the Creator of the world, is doubtless also the Gov
ernor of it : for he is able to govern it. He that had power to give being to
the world, and set all the parts of it in order, has doubtless power to dispose
of the world that he has made ; to continue the order he has constituted,
or to alter it. He that gave being at first, can continue being, or put an end
to it; and therefore nothing can stand in his way. If any thing stands in his
way, he can put an end to its being, or diminish it, and weaken it as he pleases.
He that constituted the world in a certain order, can, if he pleases constitute
things otherwise, in another order, either in whole or in part, at once or gradu
ally ; or, what, is the same thing, he can cause what alterations he pleases in
the state of things, or cause the state of things to proceed in what course he
pleases. He that first gave the laws of nature, must have all nature in his
hands '. so that it is evident God has the world in his hands, to dispose of as he
pleases. And, as God is able, so he is inclined, to govern the world. For, as
he is an understanding being, he had some end in what he did, when he made
the world : he made the world for some end, otherwise he did not act as a
voluntary agent in making the world. And, if this world did not come into
being by the voluntary act of some cause, then it was not made. That being
never acts voluntarily, that has no end in what he does, and aims at nothing at
all in it. Neither God nor man is properly said to make any thing that neces
sarily or accidentally proceeds from them, but that only which is voluntarily pro
duced. Besides, we see in the particular parts of the world, that God had a par
ticular end-in their formation. They are fitted for such an end. By which it
appears, that the Creator did act as a voluntary agent, proposing final causes
in the work of creation : and "he that made the particular parts for certain ends,
doubtless made the whole for a certain end. And, if God made the world for
some end, doubtless he will choose to have this World disposed of to answer
that end. For his proposing the end, supposes, that he chooses it should be
obtained. Therefore, it follows, that God will choose to take care that the
world be disposed of to the obtaining of his own ends, which is the same thing
as his choosing to have the government of the world. And it is manifest, in
fact, that God is not careless how the. affairs and concerns of the world that he
has made proceed, because he was not careless of this rhatter in the creation
itself; as it is apparent, by the manner and order in which things were created,
that God, in creating, took care of the future progress and state of things in the
World. He contrived that things might so and so proceed and be regulated,
end that things might go in such and such a course, and that such- and such

566 OF GOD'S MORAL GO^iERNMENT, &c.
events might be produced. So that it is manifest, the Creator is not careiess
of the state, of things in his world. This being established, I now proceed to
show, that it must be, that God maintains a moral government over the world
of mankind. First, If it be certain, that God is concerned, and does take care how things
proceed in the state of the world that he has made, then he will be especially
concerned how things proceed in the state of the world of mankind. This i*
manifest by three things : 1. Mankind are the principal part of the visible cre
ation. They are in the image of their Creator, in that respect, that they have
understanding, and are voluntary agents, and can produce works of their own
will, design and contrivance, as God does. And the Creator looks upon them
as the principal part of his visible creation, as is manifest, because he hath set
them at the head of his creation. He has subjected other things to them. The
world is evidently made to be a habitation for man, and all things about him
are subordinated to his use. Now, if God be careful how the world that he
has made be regulated, that his end may be answered, and that it may not he
in vain, he will be especially careful of this concerning the principal part of it,
and in the same proportion that it is principal or superior in his own accoutit
to the rest. Because, if that superior part be in vain, there is much more in
vain, than if a less part was in vain ; so much more, as his loss (as I may say)
is so much the greater, in its being in vain, according as the part is superior in
his account. 2. The more God hasrespect to any part of the world he has made, the more
concerned he will be about the state of that part of the world. But it is mani
fest, by the creation itself, that God has more respect or regard to man, than
to any other part of the visible creation ; because he has evidently made and
fitted other parts to man's use. If God be concerned how things proceed in
the world he has made, he will be so chiefly in that part of his world that he
has set his heart most upon.
3. It is evident, that God is principally concerned about the state of things
in the world of mankind. In creation, he subordinated the state of things in
the inferior world, to the state of things in the world of mankind ; and so con
trived, that the affairs of the former should be subservient to the affairs of the
latter. And therefore God will not leave the world of mankind to themselves,
without taking any care to govern and order their state so, that this part of the
world may be regulated decently and beautifully, that there may be good order
in the intelligent, voluntary, active part of God's creation, as well as in the in
ferior and inanimate parts of it ; especially in what concerns it as an intelligent,
voluntary, and active, and so a superior part of the creation : or, which is the
same thing, he will take care that the world of mankind be well regulated with
respect to its moral state ; and so will maintain a good moral government over
the world of mankind. It is evident, by the manner in which God has formed
and constituted other things, that he has respect to beauty, good older and regu
lation, proportion and harmony ; so, in the system of the world, in the seasons
of the year, in the formation of plants, and of the various parts of fhe human
body. ' Surely, therefore, he will not leave the principal part of the creation,
about the state of which he is evidently, in fact, chiefly concerned without
making any proper provision for its being in any other than a state of deformi
ty, discord, and the most hateful and dreadful confusion. And especially so,
in what relates to those things in them, by which alone they are distinguished,
and are superior and more valuable than the rest of the world, viz., their intel
ligence, and will, and voluntary actions ; and therefore, upon the account of

OF GOD'S MORAL GOVERNMENT, &c. 567
¦which alone, God has more regard to them, and is more concerned about their
state. By what has been already said, God is most concerned about the state and
government of that which is highest in his creation, and which he values most;
and so he is principally concerned about the ordering the state of mankind,
which is a part of the creation that he has made superior, and that he values
most: and therefore, in like manner, it follows, that he is principally concerned
about the regulation of that which he values most in men, viz., what appertains
to his intelligence and voluntary acts. If there be any thing in the principal
part of the creation, that the Creator values more than other parts, it must be
that wherein it is above them, or, at least, something wherein- it differs ¦ from
them- But the only thing wherein men differ from the inferior creation, is in
telligent perception and action. This is that in which the Creator has made
man to differ from the rest of the creation, and by which he has set him over
it, and by which he governs the inferior creatures, and uses them for himself;
and therefore, it must needs be, that the Creator should be chiefly concerned,
that the state of mankind should be regulated according to his will, with respect
to what appertains to him as an intelligent, voluntary creature. Hence it must
be, that God does take care, that a good moral government should be main
tained over men ; that his intelligent, voluntary acts should be all subject to-
rules ; and that with respect to them all, he should be the subject of judicial
proceeding. For unless this be, there is no care taken, that the state of man
kind, with respect to their intelligent, voluntary acts, should be regulated at
all; but all things will be remedilessly in the utmost deformity, confusion and '
ruin. The world of mankind, instead of being superior, will be the worse, and
more hateful, and the more vile and miserable, for having the faculties of reason
and will ; and this highest part of the creation will be the lowest, and infinitely
'the most confused and deformed, and detestable, without any provision for
rectifying its evils. And the God of order, peace and harmony, that constitu
ted the inferior parts of the world, which he has subjected to man, and made
subservient to him, in such decency, beauty and harmony, will appear to have
left this chief part of his work, and the end of all the rest, to the reign of ever
lasting discord, confusion and ruin ; contradicting and conflicting with its own
nature and faculties ; having reason, and yet acting in all things contradictory
to it ; being men, but yet beasts ; setting sense above reason ; improving reason
only as a weapon of mischief and destruction of God's workmanship. God has
so made and constituted. the world of mankind, that he has made it natural and
necessary, that they should be concerned one with another, linked together in
society, by the manner of their propagation, their descending one from another,
and their need one of another, and their inclination to society. We see, that
in other parts of the creation, wherein many particulars are dependent and
united into one body, there is an excellent harmony ahd mutual subserviency
throughout the whole; as in all bodies natural. How then can we believe,
that God has ordered so much of the contrary in the principal part of his
creation ?
Secondly, I would argue, that God must maintain a moral government over
mankind, thus:— It is evident, that it was agreeable to the Creator's design,
that there should be some moral government and order maintained amongst
men ; because, without any kind of moral government at all, either in nations,
provinces, towns, or families, and also without any divine government over the
whole, the world of mankind could not subsist. The world of mankind would
destroy itself. Men would be not only much more destructive to each other,

568 OF GOD'S MORAL GOVERNMENT, &c.
than any kind of animals are to their own species, but a thousand times more
than any kind of beasts are to those of any other species. Therefore, the nature
that God has given all mankind, and the circumstances he has placed them all
in, lead all, in all ages throughout the habitable world, into moral government.
And the Creator doubtless intended this for the preservation of this highest
species of creatures that he has made ; otherwise he has made much less pro
vision for the defence and preservation of this species, than of any other species.
There is no kind of creature that he hath made, that he has left without proper
means for its own preservation. Every creature is some way furnished' for this.
But unless man's own reason, to be improved in moral rule and order, be the
means he has provided for the preservation of man, he has provided him with
no means at all. Therefore, it is doubtless the original design of the Creator,
that there should be such a kind of thing as moral subordination amongst men,
and that he designed there should be heads, princes or governors, to whom
honor, subjection and obedience should be paid. Now, this strongly argues,
that the Creator himself will maintain a moral government over trie whole,
several ways :
1. Without this, the preservation of the species is but very imperfectly pro
vided for. If men have nothing but human government to be a restraint upon
their lusts, and have no rule or judgment of a universal omniscient governor to
be a restraint upon their consciences, still they are left in a most woful condi
tion, and the preservation and common benefit of the species, according to its
necessities, and the exigencies of its place, nature, and circumstances in the crea
tion, is in no wise provided for, as the preservation and necessities of other spe
cies are.
2. As the Creator has made it necessary, that there should be some of
our fellow-creatures that should have rule over us, he has therein so ordered it,
that some of them should have some image of his own disposing power over*
others. {For, as was shown before, God has the disposing power of the whole
world.) Now, is it reasonable to think, that the Creator would so constitute
the circumstances of mankind, that some particular persons, that have only a
little image and shadow of his greatness and power over men, should exercise
it, in giving forth edicts, and executing judgment ; and that he who is above
all, and the original of all, should exercise no power in this way himself, when
mankind stand in so much more need of such an exercise of his power, than of
the power of human governors ?
3. He has infinitely the greatest right to exercise the power of a moral
governor, if he pleases. His relation to man as his Creator, most naturally
leads to it. He is infinitely the most worthy of that respect, honor and subjec
tion that is due to a moral governor. He has infinitely the best qualifications
of a governor, being infinitely wise, powerful and holy, and his government
will be infinitely the* most effectual to answer the ends of government.
4. It is manifest, that the Creator of the world, in constituting human moral
governments among men, has, in that constitution, had great respect to those
qualifications, and that relation, and those rights and obligations, in those that
he has appointed to be rulers, and in putting others under their moral govern
ment, which he has in himself in a vastly more eminent degree. As particu
larly, in family government, or the government of parents over their children,
which of all other kinds of human moral government is most evidently founded
in nature, and which the preservation of the species doth most immediately re
quire, and most naturally and directly lead to. Here God hath set those to be
moral rulers, that are the wiser and stronger, and that are the causes of

OF GOD'S MORAL GOVERNMENT, &c. 569
other beings, and that are their preservers, and that provide for them ; and has
appointed those to be in subjection that are less knowing and weaker, and have
received -being from their rulers, and are dependent and are preserved and
maintained. Would not he therefore maintain moral government himself over
mankind, who is their universal father, is the author of all their beings, is their
universal preserver, and maintains all, and provides all with food and raiment,
and all the necessaries and enjoyments of life, and is infinitely wiser and stronger
than they 1 Would not he maintain a moral government over men, who need
his government, as children need the government of their parents, and who are
ino more fit to be left to themselves in the world without his rules, directions,
his authority, promises, threatenings and judgment, than children are fit to be.
left to themselves in a house 1
Thirdly, As man is made capable of knowing his Creator, so he is capable
of a high esteem of his perfections, his power, and wisdom, and goodness; and
capable of loving him, and entertaining great respect for him and for his per
fections. He is capable of a proper esteem of God for his wise and excellent
and wonderful works, which he beholds ; and for their admirable contrivance,
which appears in so excellently ordering all things ; and of gratitude to him
for all the goodness that he himself is the subject of ; or, on the contrary, of
slighting and despising him, and hating him, finding fault with his works, re
proaching him for them,, slighting all his goodness which he receives from him ;
yea, hating him for ordering things in his providence to him as he has done,
and cursing and blaspheming him for it.
Now, it is unreasonable to suppose, that God should be an indifferent spec
tator of these things in his own creature, that he has made in his own image,
and made superior to all other creatures, having subjected the rest of the creation
to him, and whom he has distinguished from all other creatures, in giving him
intelligence, and making him capable of knowing himself; and in a creature
that he values above all the rest of the creation, and that he has had more respect
to in the creation than to every other species. It cannot be equally agreeable
to him, whether he gives him proper esteem, and love, and honor, and grati
tude, and pays proper respect to him in his own heart ; or on the contrary, un
reasonably despises, hates, and curses him. And if he be not an indifferent
spectator of these things,, then he will not act as a perfectly indifferent specta
tor, and wholly let men alone, and order things in no respect differently for
those ends one way or other. But so it must be, if God maintains no moral
government over mankind.
Fourthly, As man is made capable of knowing his Creator, so he is capa
ble of knowing his will in many things, i. e., he is capable of knowing his
ends in this and the other works of his, which he beholds. For it is this way
principally that he comes to know there is a God, even by seeing the final
-¦causes of things ; by seeing that such and such things are plainly designed and
¦contrived for such and such ends ; and therefore he is capable of either com
plying with the will of his Creator, or opposing it. He is capable of falling in
with God's ends, and what he sees his Creator aim at, and co-operating with
him, or of setting himself against the Creator's designs. His will may be con
trary; as, for instance, it is manifest that it is the Creator's design, that pa
rents should nourish their children, and that children should be subject to their
parents. If a man therefore should murder his children, or if children should rise up
and murder their parents, they would oppose the Creator's aims. So if men use
the several bodily organs to quite contrary purposes to those for which Ihey were
Vol I 72

570 OF GOD'S MORAL GOVERNMENT, &c.
given, and if men use the faculties of their own minds to ends quite contrary to>
those they were fitted for (for doubtless they were given and fitted for some
enr^ or other), so he may use that dominion over the creatures that the Creator
has given him, against the ends to which they were given. For, however far
we suppose man may be from being capable of properly frustrating his Creator,
yet he is capable of showing that his will is contrary to his Creator's ends. He
may oppose his Creator in his will ; he may dislike Gods ends, and seek others.
Now, the Creator cannot be an indifferent spectator of this ; for it is a con
tradiction to suppose, that opposition to his will and aims should be as agreea
ble to him in itself, as complying with his will. And if he is not an indifferent
spectator, then he will not act as such, and so he must maintain a moral gov
ernment over mankind.
This argument is peculiarly strong, as it respects man's being capable of
falling in with, or opposing God's ends in his own creation, and his endowing
of him with facilities above the rest of the world. It is exceeding manifest con
cerning mankind, that God must have made them for some end ; not only as it
is evident that God must have made the world in general for some end, and as
man is an intelligent, voluntary agent ; but as it is especially manifest from
fact, that God has made mankind for some special end. For, it is apparent,
in fact, that God has made the inferior parts of the world for some end, and
that the special end he made them for, is to subserve the beneftt.of man
kind. Therefore, above all, may it be argued, that God has made mankind
for some end. If an artificer accomplishes some great piece of -workmanship,
very complicated, and with a vast variety of parts, but the whole is so contriv
ed and connected together, that there is some particular part which all the
other parts have respect to, and are to subserve, we should well conclude that
the workman had some special design to serve by that part, and that his pecu
liar aim in the whole, was what he intended should be obtained by that part.
Now man, the principal part of the creation, is eapable of knowing his. Creator,
and is capable of discerning God's ends in the formation of other things; there
fore, doubtless, since God discovers to him the ends for which he has made
other things, it would be very strange if he should not let him know the end
for which he himself is made, or for which he had such distinguishing faculties
given hira, whereby he is set above other parts of the creation. Therefore, in
the use of his own faculties, he must either fall in with the known design of
the Creator in giving them, or thwart it. He must either co-operate with his
Creator, as complying with the end of his own being, or wittingly set himself
as his enemy. This the Creator cannot be an indifferent spectator of; and,
therefore, by what was said before, will not act as an indifferent spectator of,
and so must maintain moral government over mankind.
Fifthly, It may be argued, that it must be that God maintains a moral
government over the world of mankind, from this, that the special end of the
being of mankind is something wherein he has to do with his Creator ; some
business wherein he is especially concerned with God. The special end of the
brute creation is something wherein they are concerned with men. But man's
special end is some improvement or use of his faculties towards God. First, I
would show the truth of this, and then would show the consequence.
And, as to the truth of this assertion, the following things make it
manifest. 1. The special end for which God made mankind, is something very diverse
and very superior to those ends for which he made any part of the inferior
creation ; because God has made man very different from them. He has

OF GOD'S MORAL GOVERNMENT, &c. 571
vastly distinguifhed him in the nature that he has given him, the faculties with
which he has endowed him, and the place he has set him in the creation. Now
if he has made man for nothing different from what he has made other crea
tures, then he hath thus done in vain.
2. Man's special end does not respect any other parts of the visible
Creation. All these are below him, and all^ as we observed before, are made
for him, to be subservient to his use. Their special end respects him ; but his
special end does not respect them. For, in the first place^ this is unreasonable
in itself: if they are in their formation and end subordinated to him, and sub
jected to him, then the Maker set a greater value on him than them, and gives
them to him, and for him, to he spent for him ; and therefore he has not made
him for them. For that would be to suppose them most valuable in the eyes
of their Maker. And, secondly, it is manifest in fact that the being of man
kind does not subserve to the benefit of the inferior creatures, any farther than
is just necessary to turn them to his own use, and spend them in it.
We may add to this, that the special end of man does not only respect
him as consisting in his own happiness as separate from God, and as having
nothing to do with him, or in his own happiness consisting in the enjoyments
of the visible world. The happiness of the greater part of mankind, in their
worldly enjoyments, is hot great enough or durable enough to prove such a
supposition, as that the end of all things in the whole visible universe is only
that happiness. Therefore, nothing else remains, no other supposition is pos
sible, but that man's special end, or that which he is made for, respects the
Creator, or is something wherein he has immediately to do with his Creator.
3. If God has made men above other creatures, with capacities superior to
them, for some special end, for which other creatures are not made, that spe
cial end must be something peculiar to them, for which they are capacitated
and fitted by those superior faculties. Now, the greatest thing that men are
capacitated for, by their faculties, more than the beasts, is that they are capable
of having intercourse with their Creator, as intelligent and voluntary agents.
They are capable of knowing him, and capable of esteeming and loving him,
and capable of receiving instructions and commands from him, and capable of
obeying and serving him, if he be pleased to give commands and make a reve
lation of his mind. What business or enjoyment, in any measure so distin
guishing and peculiar, are men capacitated for, by their superior faculties, as
this 1 Indeed, there is nothing material that is entirely peculiar, and in its
nature distinguished. Men could have done as well, and better for such
things, and have been beasts or birds. It is a vast difference that God has
made between some of his creatures and others ; that he has made one kind
¦capable of knowing himself, and so of loving and serving him and enjoying
him. Surely this is not without some end. He that has done nothing in the
inferior world in vain, has not given man this capacity in vain. The sun has
not its light given it without a final cause ; and shall we suppose that mankind
has this light of the knowledge of their Creator, without a final cause 1
Thus it is evident, that the special end for which God has made man, is
something wherein he has intercourse with his Creator, as an intelligent,
voluntary agent. ' Hence the consequence is certain, that mankind are subject
to God's moral government. For there can be no such thing maintained as a
communication between God and man, as between intelligent, voluntary
agents, without moral government. For, in maintaining communication or
converse, one must yield to the other, must comply with the other ; there must
be union of wills ; one must be clothed with authority, the other with sub-

572 OF GOD'S MORAL GOVERNMENT, &c.
mission. If God has made man to converse with himself, he is not indifferent
how he is conversed with. One manner of man's behavior towards him,
must be agreeable to his will, and another not ; and therefore God cannot act
as indifferent in this matter. He cannot let man alone, to behave toward him
just as he pleases ; therefore there must be moral government. God cannot
be indifferent, whether in that intercourse between him aud man, that he has
made mankind for, he is respected and honored, or is condemned and hated.
Now, as the consequence of the whole, I would infer two things :
1. A future state of rewards and punishments. For unless there be such a
state, it will certainly follow that God, in fact, maintains no moral government
over the world of mankind. For, otherwise, it is apparent that there is no such
thing as rewarding or punishing mankind, according to any visible rule, or, in
deed, according to any order or method whatsoever. Without this there may
be desires manifested, but there can be no proper laws established, and no au
thority maintained. Nothing is more manifest, than that in this world there is
no such thing as a regular, equal disposing of rewards and punishments of men
according to their moral estate. There is nothing in God's disposals toward
men in this world, to make his distributive justice and judicial equity manifest
or visible, but all things are in the greatest confusion. Often the wicked pros
per, and are not in trouble as other men. They become mighty in power ;
yea, it has commonly been so in all ages, that they have been uppermost in
the w-orld. They have the ascendant over the righteous. They are mounted
on thrones ; while the righteous remain in cottages. And, in this world, the
cause of the just is not vindicated. Many wicked men have the righteous in
their power, and trample them under foot, and become their cruel persecutors:
and the righteous are oppressed, and suffer all manner of injuries and cruelties ;
while the wicked live and reign in great glory and prosperity,
What has been said, does invincibly argue a divine revelation. And that,
First, Because if God maintains a moral government over mankind, then there
must be rewards and punishments. But these sanctions must be declared: for
instance, the punishments which enforce God's laws must be made known. To
suppose that God keeps up an equal, perfect moral government over the world-of
mankind, and yet leaves men wholly at a loss about the nature, manner, degree,
time, place, and continuance of their punishment, or leaves it only to their guesses,
or for them to argue it out from the nature of things, as well as they can, and every
one to make his judgment according as his notions shall guide him, is a very un
reasonable supposition. If moral government be maintained, the order and method
of government mustbe visible; otherw-ise,it loses the nature of moral government.
There may be a powerful disposal, as inanimate, unintelligible things are the sub
jects of God's government, in a visible and established order ; but no moral govern
ment. The order of government serves to maintain authority, and toinfluence and
rule the subject morally, no farther than it is visible. Secondly, The notion of
a moral government, of a moral head over intelligent, voluntary agents, or of
a prince, a lawgiver, and judge over such subjects^ without a revelation or declara
tion of the mind of the head by his word, or some voluntary sign or signification,
in the whole of it is absurd. If God maintains moral government over a socie
ty of intelligent creatures, doubtless there must be a revelation. How absurd
is it to suppose, that there should be converse and moral government maintained
between the head and subjects, when both are intelligent, voluntary agents,
without a voluntary communication of minds and expressions, thoughts and in
clinations, between the head and the members of the society !
It need not be looked upon as any objection to men's remaining in being

OF GOD'S MORAL GOVERNMENT, &c. 573-
after the death of their bodies, that the beasts that are made for man cease to>
be when they die. For it is manifest, in fact, that man is the end of the rest
of the creatures in this lower world. This world, with all the parts of it, inani
mate, vegetative, and sensitive, was made for a habitation for man during his
present state: and if man be the end of the rest of the creatures, for which the
rest were made, and to whose use they are subordinated, then man is all ; he
is instar omnium. The end of all is equivalent to the whole. Therefore there
is no need of any thing else to be preserved ; nothing is lost ; no part is in
vain. If the end of all be preserved, all is preserved : because he is all, the
rest is only for his occasional use.. The beasts subserve to man's use in the
present state; and then, though they cease, yet their end is obtained, and their
good, which is their end, remains still in man. Though the tent that was set
ijp for man to sojourn in during his state of probation, ceases when that occa
sion is over, surely that is no argument that the inhabitant ceases too.
And that the beasts are made for man, affords a good positive argument for a
future state of man's existence., For that all other creatures in this lower world
are made for man, and that he himself should be made for no more than they, viz.,
a short continuance in this world, to enjoy the good things of it, is unreasonable.
§ 2. The natural world, which is in such continual labor, as is described in
the first chapter of Ecclesiastes, constantly going round in sue*) revolutions,
will doubtless come to an end. These revolutions are not for nothing. There
is some great event and issue of things that this labor is for ; some grand period
aimed at. Does God make the world restless, to move and revolve in all its
parts, to make no progress 1 To labor with motions so mighty and vast, only
to come to the same place again 1 to be just where it was before 1 Doubtless
some end is nearer approached to by these revolutions. Some great end is nearer
toan accomplishment, after a thousand revolutions are finished, than when there
was only one finished ; or before the first revolution began. The sun does not
go round day after day, and year after year, for no other end, but only to come
to the same place again, from whence it was first set out, and to bring the world
to the same state that it was in before. The watets of the sea are not so rest
less, continually to ascend into the heavens, and then descend on the earth, and
then return to the sea again, only that things may be as they were before. One
generation of men does not come, another go, and so continually from age to age,
only that at last there may be what there was at first, viz., mankind upon earth.
The wheels of God's chariot, after they have gone round a thousand times, do not
remain just in the same place that they were in at first, without having carried
the chariot nearer to a journey's end. We see it is not so in the minuter parts
of the creation, that are systems by themselves, as the world is a great system,
and where the revolutions very much resemble those in the great "system ; as in
this body of man and other animals. The reciprocation of the heart and lungs,
and the 'circulation of the blood, and the continual circular labors of all parts
of the system, are not to last always ; they tend to a journey's end.
Coroll. 1. This is a confirmation of a future state. For, if these revolutions
have not something in another state that is to succeed this that theyare subser
vient to, then they are in vain. If any thing of this world is to remain, after the
revolutions of this world are at an end, doubtless it will be that part of this
world, that is the head of all the rest; or that creature for which all the
rest is made; and that is man. For if he wholly ceases, and is extinct,
it is as if the whole were totally extinct: because he is the end ot all. Me
is that creature, to serve whom the labors and revolutions of this world ar,e,
ahd whom they affect ; and therefore, if he does not remain after the revolutions

574 OF GOD'S MORAL GOVERNMENT, &c.
have ceased, then no end is obtained by all these revolutions: because nothing
abides as the fruit of them after they are finished. But all comes to no more
than just what was before any of these revolutions, or before this world itself
began, viz., a universal nonexistence; all is extinct; all is as if the world had
never been ; and therefore all has been . in vain ; for nothing remains as the
fruit. He that is carried in the chariot, does not remain after he is brought
with so much labor and vast ado to the end of his journey ; but ceases to be, as
the chariot itself does.
Coroll. 2. This confirms the divinity of the Christian revelation ; which
gives this account of things, that this world is to come to an end ; it is to be
dissolved ; that the revolutions of the world have an appointed period ; and that
man, the end of this lower world, is to remain in being afterwards ; and gives
a most rational account of the great period, design, and issue of all things, wor
thy of the infinite wisdom and majesty of God.
§ 3. Some part of the world, viz., that which is the highest, the head, and
the end of the rest, must be of eternal duration, even the intelligent, reasonable
creatures. For, if these creatures, the head and end of all the rest of the cre
ation, come to an end, and be annihilated, it is the same thing as if the whole
were annihilated. And if the world be of a temporary duration, and then drops
into nothing, it is in vain, i. e., no end is obtained worthy of God. There is
nobody but wrhat will own, that if God had created the world, and then it had
dropped into nothing the next minute, it would have been in vain ; no end
could be obtained worthy of God. And the only reason is, that the end would
have been so small, by reason of the short continuance of the good obtained by
it : it is infinitely little : and so it is still infinitely little, if it stands a million
of ages, and then drops into nothing. That is as a moment in the sight of
God. If the good obtained by the creation of the world be of so long qontin-
uance, it is equally small, when we compare it with God, as one moment. It
is, in comparison pf him, absolutely equivalent to nothing, and therefore an end
not worthy of him. No end is worthy of an infinite God, but an infinite end ;
and therefore the good obtained must be of infinite duration. If it be not so,
who shall fix the bounds ? Who shall say a million years is long enough"?
And if it be, who shall say a good of a thousand years' continuance does not
become the wisdom of God 1 And if it does, how can we say but that a. good
of still shorter continuance would not answer the ends of wisdom 1 If it would,
who can say that fhe sovereignty of God shall not fix on a good of a minute's
continuance as sufficient ; which is as great in comparison with him as a mil
lion years ? The only reason why a good of a minute's continuance is not
great enough to become the Creator of the world, is, that it is a good so little,
when compared with him. And the same reason stands in equal force against
a good of any limited duration whatsoever.
§ 4. Besides those texts in the Old Testament, that do directly speak of a
future state, the Old Testament affords the following evidences and confirma
tions of a future state , especially Solomon's writings, and, above all, the
book of Ecclesiastes.
1st. It is often declared in the Old Testament, that God will bring every
work into judgment ; that there is verily a God that judgeth in the earth ;
that hisreyes are on the ways of men ; that he considers all his goings : that
the sins of the wicked, and the good deeds of the righteous, are exactly observed,
and written in a book of remembrance, and none of them forgotten ; that they
arc sealed up in a bag, and laid up among God's treasures ; and that he will
render to every man according to his works: that the Judge of all the earth

OF GOD'S MORAL GOVERNMENT, &c. 575
twill do right ; and that therefore God will not destroy the righteous with the
wicked : that as to the righteous, it shall be well with him, for he shall eat the
fruit of his doings ; that as to the wicked, it shall be ill with him, for the re
ward of his hands shall be given him ; that it is impossible it should be other
wise ; that there is no darkness or shadow of death, where the workers of ini
quity can hide themselves from God the Judge ; that God cannot forget his
people ; that a woman may sooner forget her sucking child ; that God has
graven them on the palms of. his hands ; that God beholds and takes notice of
all their afflictions, and pities them, as a father pitieth his children ; but that
he is the enemy of wicked men ; that their sins shall find them out ; that though
hand join in hand, the wicked shall not go unpunished; that the way of right
eousness is a certain way to happiness, and the way of sin a sure way to misery.
Solomon himself is more abundant than all other penmen of the Old TesT
tament, in observing the difference between the righteous and the wicked
in this respect, the greatness and the certainty of that difference. See Prov.
i. 31, 32; and ii. 11, 21, 22; and iii. 2, 4, 8, 13— 18, 21,-26, 32,
35; iv. 5— 13, .22; viii. 17—21, 35, 36; ix. 5, 6, 11, 12; x. 16, 17,
27,28, 29; xi. 7, 8, 18, 19, 21, 30, 31; xii. 2,3, 14, 21, 28; xiii. 9,
13, 14, 1,5, 21 ; xiv. 19, 26, 27 ; xv. 3, 6, 24; xvi. 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 ; xix. 23;
xxi. 15, 16, 18, 21; xxii. 4, 8 ; xxiii. 17, 18 ; xxiv. 1—5, 12, 15,16, 19—
22; xxviii. 10, 13, 14, 18 ; xxix. 6 ; and in many other places in the book of
Proverbs. And, in Ecclesiastes xii. 13, 14, Solomon declares, " That to fear
God and keep his commandments, is the whole duty of man : because God will
bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good or
whether it be evil." And chap. ii. 26, he says, " God giveth to a man that is
•good in his sight, wisdom, and knowledge, and joy ; but to the sinner he giveth
travail, to gather and. to heap up, that he may give to him that is good before
God." And chap. iii. 17, " I said in my heart God will judge the righteous
and the wicked." And chap. v. 8, " If thou seest the oppression of the poor,
and the violent perverting of judgment and justice in a province, marvel not
at the matter ; for he that is higher than the highest regardeth, and there be
higher than they." And yet the same wise man, in this book of Ecclesiastes,
says, chap. vi. 8, " What hath the wise more than the fool ? What hath the
poor that knoweth to walk before the living '?" And elsewhere in this, book,
particularly observes, " That all things come alike to all ; and there is one
event to the righteous and to the wicked ; and as dieth the wise man, so the
fool," &c. These things are most palpably and notoriously inconsistent, unless
there be a future state. In Eccles. viii. 13, the wise man says, " There is a vani
ty which is done upon earth, that there be just men unto whom it happeneth,
according to the work of the wicked. Again, there be wicked men, to whom
it happeneth according to the work of the righteous." And yet in the same
breath, in the two foregoing yerses, he speaks with the utmost peremptoriness,
that God will surely make a vast difference between the righteous and the
wicked ; so that he will make one happy and the other miserable ; and that it
fiever can in any instance be otherwise, yea, that it will not finally prove other
wise in those instances wherein it seems most to be otherwise, and wherein God
seems to be most unmindful of the provocations of the wicked, and of the righteous
ness of them that fear God. " Though a sinner do evil a hundred times, and his
days be prolonged, yet surely I know it shall be well.with them that fear God, which
fear before him. But it shall not be well with the wicked ; neither shall he prolong
his days, which are as ashadow, because he feareth not before God." And, in the,
beginning of the next chapter, " The righteous and the wise and their works are in

576 OF GOD'S MORAL GOVERNMENT, &c.
the hands of God. Nomanknowetheitherloveor hatred by all that is before them.
All things come alike to all. There is one event to the righteous and the wicked."
Now, if both these seemingly opposite assertions are true, then it is true there is
a future state. The wise man observes, that the righteous sentence of the Judge;
who will surely make so great a difference between the righteous and the wick
ed, is not executed in this world ; on which account wicked men are greatly
emboldened to sin; as he observes in the same place, chap. viii. 11, " Because
sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of
the sons of men is fully set in them- to do evil." And therefore, there is some
other time, besides the time of this life, for executing the sentence which he ob
serves will so surely be executed. In the 12th and 13th verses it is said,
" Though a sinner's days be prolonged, yet he shall not prolong his days, which
are as a shadow." Ho\v can both these be true, but in this sense, that though
his life be prolonged in this world, yet the longest life here is short, and is but
a shadow ; and when he dies he perishes, his life and happiness shall not be
prolonged beyond this momentary state, as those of the righteous will be. So
he says, chap. vii. 15, "There is a just man that perisheth in his righteousness;
and there is a wicked man that prolongeth his life in his wickedness." ' And
yet, in two or three verses before, verse 12, he observes, that it is a peculiar
excellency of wisdom, wherein it differs from riches and all other things, that
are an uncertain defence to a man, that wisdom gives life to them who have it.
And also, in two or three verses after, he advises to hold this fast as an unfail
ing truth, verse 18, " That he that fears God, shall come forth out of all destruc
tion and calamity." And chapter viii. 5, he says, " Whoso keepeth the com
mandments shall feel no evil thing." And therefore, it muqt be some Other life
that is meant, besides this temporal life, which he observes is sometimes pro
longed in wicked men ; and, with regard to which, righteous men sometimes
perish in their righteousness ; and, with regard to which, there is one event to
-wise men and fools; as in chapter ii. 14, 15, 16, " The wise man's eyes are in
his head ; but the fool walketh in darkness. And I myself perceived that one
event happened unto them all. Then said I in my heart, As it happeneth to the
fool, so it happeneth even to me ; and why was I tben more wise 1" " And
how dieth the wise man 1 as the fool." Compare these things with Prov. xii.
28, " In the way of righteousness is life, and in the pathway thereof is no death."
And chapter xiii. 14, " The lawr of the wise is a fountain of life, to depart, from
the snares of death." Chapter iii. 18, " She is a tree of life to them who lay
hold on her, and happy is every one that obtainefh her." Verse 22, " So shall
they be life to thy soul," Chapter iv. 22, "They are life to those who find
them." And chapter x. 17, " He is in the Way of life that keepeth instruction."
And xi. 30; " The fruit of righteousness is a tree of life ;" xiv. 27, " The fear
of the Lord is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death;" xvi 22„
" Understanding is a well-spring of life unto him who hath it." Chapter xxi.
2-1, " He that followeth after righteousness and mercy, findeth life and right
eousness and honor." So chapter xxii. 4, "By humility, and the fear of the
Lord, are riches and honor and life." Chapter iv. 4, " Keep my commandments
and live." So Eccles. vii. 2, and chapter ix. 2, "Forsake the foolish and live."'
In chapter v. ,5, it is said, " Better is it that thou, shouldst not vow, than that
thou shouldst vow and not pay. Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin ;
neither say thon before the angel, that it Was an error : wherefore should God
be angry at thy voice, and destroy the work of thy hands 1" signifying the
dreadful danger of false swearing and breach of vows. And yet, as to what
happens in this life, it is said, that all things come alike to all, and that there is-

OF GOD'S MORAL GOVERNMENT, &c. 577
one event to the righteous and to the wicked; "And as is the good, sc is the
sinner ; and he that sweareth, as he that feareth an oath." In chapter v. 8, it
is signified, that there is a remedy from the wrong, injustice, and oppression of
men in power, by the judgment of the Supreme Judge. The same is signified
in chapter iii. 16, 17. And yet what is said, chapter iv. 1, 2, implies, that often
in this case there is no remedy in this life: " So I returned and considered all
the oppressions that are done under the sun ; and beheld the tears of such as
were oppressed ; and they had no comforter ; and on the side of their oppres
sors there was power : but they had no comforter. Wherefore I praised the
Idead that are already dead, more than the living which are yet alive." In Prov.
x. 7,Solomon says, the memory of the just is blessed, but the name of the wick
ed shall rot. And of this memory or good name of the just, he says (Eccles.
vii. 1), that " it is better than precious ointment (meaning the precious oint
ment they were wont to anoint the children of great and rich men with when
first born) ; and that, upon this account, the day of a godly man's death (fol
lowed with a good name, and so a blessed memory) is better than the day of
one's birth." And yet the same wise man says, Eccles. ii. 16, " There is no re
membrance of the wise man more than of the fool ; seeing that which now is,
in the days to come shall be forgotten. And how dieth the wise man 1 as the
fool." By which it is evident, that it is with regard to something that follows
death in another wrorld, and not any thing in this world, that the death of the
righteous is thus preferred to the death of the wicked ; on the account of the
blessed memory and good name of the righteous, and the rotten stinking name
of the wicked. Again, in chapter vi. 3, 4, an untimely birth is said to be bet
ter than one who lives in great prosperity, if he have no burial, and his name
be covered with darkness ; implying, that he is in a worse state after death, for
having no burial, and his name covered with darkness. And yet it will follow,
that he is neither the worse nor the better, for any thing done in this world to
his corpse or his name, after he is dead. I say it will follow, from what is ob
served, chapter ix. 5, 6, " The dead know not any thing, neither have they any
more a portion forever in any thing that is done under the sun." Chapter iii
22, " There is nothing better, than that a man should rejoice in his own works :
for who shall bring him to see what shall be after him V So chapter vi. 12.
By which it is evident, that by burial, and the name of the deceased person, are
meant something diverse from any thing that remains, or is brought to pass in
this world.
Balaam says, " Let me die the death of the righteous ; let my last end be
like his : implying, that there is something in their death vastly preferable, to
the death of the wicked. And the Psalmist, Psal. xxxvii. 37, 38, says, " Mark
the perfect man, and behold the upright ; for the end of that man is peace
But the transgressors shall be destroyed together : the end of the wicked shall
be cut off." Psalm xxvi. 9,, " Gather not my soul with sinners, nor my life with
bloody men." Prov. x. 25, " As the whirlwind passeth, so is the wicked no
more; but the righteous is an everlasting foundation." And Prov. xi. 7,
" When a wicked man dieth, his expectation shall perish ; and the hope of un
just men perisheth." And chapter xiv. 32, " The wicked is driven away in his
wickedness, but the righteous hath hope in his death." Thus it is abundantly
represented, as if there were a vast difference between the righteous and the
wicked. And yet it is declared, that as to any thing pertaining to this world
there is no difference. Eccles. ii. 16, " How dieth the wise man 1 as the fool.
Compare Psaim xlix. 10. And although Solomon says, in Prov. xi. 7, that
" when a wicked man dieth, his expectation and hope perish, as if this were
Vol. I. 73

578 OF GOD'S MORAL GOVERNMENT, &c.
peculiar to wicked men ; yea, he says expressly, chapter xiv. 32, " The wicker}
is driven away in his wickedness ; but the righteous hath hope in his death :"
yet the same wise man, after observing that there is one event to the righteous
and wicked, both in life and in death, Eccles. ix. 3, in the next verses proceeds
to say, that to him that is joined to all the living, there is hope ; intimating
there is no more hope for him, whether he be righteous or wicked, after he is
dead ; i. e., as to any good in this world, which is plainly his meaning ; for he,
in the following words, proceeds to observe, that " they have no more a portion
forever of any thing that is done under the sun." And though it be so often,
in these writings of Solomon, observed to be the peculiar excellency of wisdom
and righteousness, that il delivers from death, and gives life and length of days,
and makes the years of life many ; and though he does abundantly set forth the-
great peace, comfort, pleasure, profit and satisfaction, and exceeding gain, ex
cellent advantage, and good reward of wisdom and virtue ; so that it is worth
the while to get it by all means ; with all our gettings, to buy it and sell it not ;
and that they that obtain it are happy, yea exceeding happy : yet this same
¦wise man does in effect tell us, that by life he does not mean this present life ;
and that the profit, gain, and happiness he speaks of, is no good of a temporal
nature. For as to this life, and ail the good that belongs to it, at best, he says,
all is vanity and vexation of spirit, and that there is no profit under the sun.
Compare Eccles. ii. 11, with the preceding part of the book. And he there
plainly shows that he means that it is thus, both with respect to wise men and
fools, righteous and wicked, verses 14, 15, 16 ; and then he tells us that he es
teemed life in this sense, even the present life, with the best it had, worse than-
nothing ; verse 17, " Therefore I hated life." And declares that he judges,
that for any good in this life, death is better than life, and that they are most
happy who have never yet received life ; Eccles. iv. 2, 3, " Wherefore I praised
the dead which are already dead, more than the living which are yet alive
Yea, better is he, than both they, which hath not yet been, who hath not seen
the evil work that is done under the sun." In chapter ii. 20, 21, 22, he speaks
expressly of the life of a righteous man, whose labor is in wisdom, and in know
ledge, and in equity ; and says of it, What hath he of all his labor 1 And that
all his days are sorrows, and his travail grief : and that a man may well despair
as to any happiness or real profit in this life. He declares, that long life in
this world is so far from being so exceeding a felicity, that if a man should
five a thousand years twice told, yet there is no good or benefit in it all: and
that the wise in this respect has no more than the fool. Eccles. vi. 6, 7, 8.
And that if a man here hath long life, and continual prosperity through the
whole of it, it is all worth nothing : Eccles. xi. 8, " But if a man live many
years, and rejoice in them all, all that cometh is vanity." And chapter vi. 12,
this whole life is called a vain life. The wise man in this book of Ecclesi
astes, does greatly recommend it to his readers to fear God ; Eccles. iii. 14 ;
chap. viii. 12; chap. xii. 13. And to fear him as a Judge that will bring
every wrork into judgment; chap. xii. 13, 14; chap. xi. 9, 10. And yet if
there be no other life but this, he in effect tells us all over this book, we have
nothing to fear, no punishment from the Judge, no calamity in a way of dis
pleasing him, any more than in a way of doing what is well pleasing in his
sight. It is an argument that the Scriptures of the Old Testament afford for a
future state, that it is so often observed in those sacred writings, as a thing
very remarkable, that man should be mortal, that in this respect he should ba
like the beasts that perish; and like the flowers, and grass of the field : Psal

OF GOD'S MORAL GOVERNMENT, &c. 579
xlix. 10, 11, 12, "For he seeth that wise men die, likewise the fool and the
brutish person perish, and leave their wealth to others. Their inward thought
is, that their houses shall continue forever ; — nevertheless man being in honor
abideth not ; he is like the beasts that perish." And verses 19, 20, " He shall
go to the generation of his fathers. They shall never see light. Man that is in
honor, and understandeth not, is like the beasts that perish." • Why should it
be taken notice of as something remarkable, that man should be mortal, and die
as the beasts do, if there be nothing in the nature and circumstances of man, by
which he is distinguished from the beasts, that would hatarally lead one to ex
pect an answerable distinction in this respect ? If.it be no more than is to be
expected, considering man's nature, capacity, state in the world, business, the
end of his creation, his views, and natural desires ; I say, if, considering these
things", there is nothing in man that should lead us any more to expect, that
man should be immortal, than the beasts, or that should make it any more won
derful or remarkable, that men should die, than that the inferior creatures
should die; then why is such a remark made upon it? And, besides, it is
plainly signified, that man's superior nature and circumstances to the beasts, or
his being in honor, does require, or naturally lead us to expect, that man should
be distinguished in this respect from the beasts. For that is mentioned as the-
thing that renders it remarkable, that man should die as the beasts, that he is
in honor. The words of Solomon are very emphatical, Ecclesiastes iii. 18, 19, 20 : "I
said in my heart concerning the estate of the sons of men, that God might imani-
fest them ; that they might see that they themselves are beasts. For that which-
befalleth the sons of men, befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them ; as
the one dieth, so dieth the other ; yea they have all one breath. So that a
man hath no pre-eminence above a beast ; for all. is vanity ; all go to one place ;
all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again." This would not be spoken-
with so much emphasis, as a thing very remarkable and difficult to conceive of,
if there was nothing in it indeed wonderful, nothing pertaining- to the nature
which God had given mankind, or the state he had set them in, leading one to
expect, that man should differ from the beasts in this ; nothing that should
make it appear congruous and fit, that God should make men, unless under
his remarkable displeasure, to be distinguished from the inferior creatures by
immunity from death ; and that he should enjoy eternal life. And, if it be so,
then we may determine, that there is great reason to suppose, that there is
some way that good men shall be delivered from death, and that they shall
enjoy eternal life in some invisible world after death. For good men are spo
ken of abundantly in the Old Testament, as fully in favor with God, having all
their sins perfectly done away, as if they had never been, and as being very
dear and precious in God's sight; that God greatly delights in them : and the
bestowment of life is abundantly spoken of as the excellent fruit of his distin
guishing love and favor. And the durableness Of the benefits of his favor is
often spoken of as a proper testimony of the greatness of it ; their being more
durable than the everlasting mountains, yea than heaven and earth ; Psalm en.
latter end— Isaiah li. 6, chap. liv. 10. And it cannot answer the design of
those great declarations of God's favor, that although particular saints shall
die, yet a succession of them shall be continued, and their posterity shall last.
For, if there be no future state, then they are never the better for what happens
to their posterity or successors after their death, as is often observed in the Old
' Testament, and especially in the book of Ecclesiastes.
If Gad has perfectly forgiven all the sins of the righteous, and they are so

580 OF GOD'S MORAL GOVERNMENT, &c.
high in his favor; and if the great evidence of this favor be the durableness of
the benefits that are the fruits of it, and the chief fruit of it is life ; then it is at
least to be expected, that they will escape that mortality which is such a re
markable disgrace to those that have the human nature, and so wonderful to
behold in those whom the Most High has made to differ so much from the beasts
in capacity, dignity, end and design. We might surely expect, that these high
favorites should, with regard to. life and durableness of. happiness, not be mere
beasts, and have no pre-eminence above them ; and that they should not be like
the grass, and the flower of the field, which in the morning flourisheth and
groweth up, but in the evening is cut down and withered ; that all theii; hap
piness and all the benefits of God's favor should not be like a shadow, like a
dream, like a tale that is told ; that it should not be as a span, and should not
pass away as the swift ships, as the eagle that hasteth to the prey ; that it should
not be swifter than aweaver's shuttle ; — to which things the life of man is com
pared in Scripture.
The things of this world are spoken of as having no profit or value, because
they are not lasting, but must be left at death, and therefore are mere vanity
(i. e., wholly worthless), and not worthy that any man should set his heart on
them, Psalm xlix. 6 to the end, Prov. xxiii. 4, 5, chap. xi. 7, Ecclesiastes ii.
15, 16, 17, chap, iii., ten first verses, verse 19, chap. v. 14, 15, 16. But the
rewards of righteousness are abundantly represented as exceedingly valuable
and worthy that men should set their hearts upon them, because they are lasting,
Prov. iii. 16, viii. 18, and x. 25, 27, Isaiah lv. 3, Psalm i. 3 to the end, Isaiah
xvii. 7, 8, and innumerable other places. How can these things consist one
with another, unless there be a future state 1
It is spoken of as a remarkable thing, and what one would not expect, that
good men should die as wicked men do, as its^emstobe, by good men'sdyinga
temporal death as wicked men dp, Eccles. ii. 16, chap, ix.- 3, 4, 5. And there
fore, it may be argued, that it does but seem to be so ; but that in reality it
shall not be so, inasmuch as, though good men die a temporal death as wicked
men do, yet, as to their happiness, they die not, but live forever iii a future state.
It is an evidence of a future state, that in the Old Testament so many promises
are made to the godly, of things that shall be after they are dead, which shall
be/testimonies of God's great favor to them, and blessed rewards of his favor ;
so many promises concerning their name, and concerning their posterity, and
the future church of God in the world ; and yet that we are so much taught in
the Old Testament that men are never the better for what comes to pass after
they are dead, concerning these things (i. e., if we look only at the present life,
without taking any other state of existence into consideration), Job xiv. 21,
Eccles. i. ii. iii. 22, and ix. 5, 6. Yea, the wise man says expressly, that the
dead have no more of a reward, i. e., in any thing in this world, Eccles. ix. 5.
That man shall die as a beast, seems to be spoken of, Eccles. iii. 16 to the
end, as a vanity, an evil, a kind of mischief and confusion, that appears in the
world. Therefore this is an argument, that God, the wise orderer of all things,
who brings order out of confusion, will rectify this disorder by appointing a
future state.
These representations of the Old Testament, wherein the life of man is set
forth as being so exceedingly short-, as a flower, as a shadow, as a dream, a
tale that is told, as a span, a moment, &c, have no propriety at all in them any
other way, than as man's life is short, in a comparative view, compared with
things pertaining to men, that would naturally lead us to expect that it should
be incomparably longer ; such as the dignity of man's nature above all other

OF GOD'S MORAL GOVERNMENT, &c. 581
creatures, his being made in the image of God, his being of-a capacity so much
superior, his being made for such an end and business, and capable of such hap
piness, made capable of looking forward and having some comprehension of
an endless life, his necessary desires of such a life, &c. Otherwise, why is not
the shortness of the duration of other things in like manner set forth and insist
ed on, which do not last longer than the life of man 1 But if it be so indeed
that man's life is exceedingly short, considering his nature, end, capacity and
desires, then doubtless the righteous, who are represented as the high favorites
of God, who shall be the subjects of his blessings every way, and particularly
shall have life as the great fruit of his favor and blessing, will have a life, or
duration, that shall be long, answerably to their nature, desires, &c.
It is an argument that the Old Testament affords for the proof of a future
life and immortality, that we are there taught, that mortality is brought in by
sin, and comes as a punishment of sin. Therefore, it is natural to suppose, that
when complete forgiveness is promised, and perfect restoration to favor, and
deliverance from death, and the bestowment of life, as the fruit of this favor,
eternal life and immortality is intended.
§ 5. That the state of divine judgment and retribution is hereafter, in ano
ther life, and not in this, is manifest from this, that some of the highest acts of
virtue consist in dying well, in denying ourselves of life in a good cause, for
God, and a good conscience, or rather than commit what is in itself vicious and
vile ; for our country, for the church of God, and the interest of that holy
society. ,
§ 6. Isaiah chap, xxxviii. 18, 19, " For the grave cannot praise thee, death
cannot celebrate thee ; they that go down to the pit cannot hope for thy truth."
—"The living, the living he shall praise thee, as I do this day ; the father to
the children shall make known thy truth." The death that is here spoken of,
is death indeed, or is properly so called. The state of death is here spoken of
as it is originally, and as being still, a state of death, and not as it is changed
by a redemption from a state of death to a state of life. Hezekiah speaks of
that death wherein men do really die, or are fully dead, and not that improperly
so called, wherein men are a thousand times more alive than they were before,
and are immortal, and beyond the possibility of dying. Death, as it is origi
nally, and when it is- properly death, is a'state wherein men cannot " praise
God," nor " celebrate him," nor " hope for his truth." It is a state of evil
without any good. It is, as Job says, " the land of darkness, as darkness itself,
and the shadow of death, without any order, and where the light is as darkness."
It is a state wherein there is no good done, no good enjoyed, no good hoped
for. It is a state of absolute emptiness of any good, act or principle, happiness
or hope. They that are in hell, are in such a state of death. Such was death
originally ; such was death as it was threatened to our first parents ; and very
Commonly, when death is spoken of in the , Old Testament, it is in this notion
of it. For the change of a state of death into a state of more glorious life, was
not fully revealed under the Old Testament. Life and immortality are brought
to lio-ht by the gospel. It is under this notion death seems to be spoken of in
Eccfes. ix. 4, 5, 6, where it is said, that " a living .dog is better than a dead
lion;" and that "the dead have no more a reward;" and that "they have no
more a portion forever of any thing that is done under the sun." Hezekiah
did not 'mean, that they that are redeemed from the power of the grave, they
that get the victory over death, and shall. never die (as Christ promises believ
ers), " shall not praise God, nor hope for his truth."
We see in this instance, that the better men are, the more terrible would it

582 OF SATISFACTION FOR SIN.
make death, if there were no future state. For the better they are, the more
they love God. Good men have found the fountain of good. Those men who
have a high degree of love to God, do greatly delight in God. They have
experience of a much better happiness in life than others; and therefore it. must
be more dreadful for them to have their beings eternally extinct by death.
Thus, this seemed above all other things to be the sting of Hezekiah's affliction
in his expectation of death, that he should no more have any opportunity of
communion with God, and worshipping and praising him ; as appears by these
two verses, together with the 11th and 22d verses : " I said, I shall not see the
Lord, even the Lord in the land of the living ; I shall behold man no more,
with the inhabitants of the world." — '•' Hezekiah also said, What is the sign
that I shall go up to the house of the Lord ?" there not being at that time a
clear and full revelation of a future state. Hence we may strongly argue a
future state : for it is not to be supposed, that God would make man such a
creature as to be capable of looking forward beyond death, and capable of
knowing and loving him, and delighting in him as the fountain of all good,
and should make it his duty so to do, which will necessarily increase in him
a dread of annihilation, and an eager desire of immortality ; and yet, so order
it, that that desire should be disappointed; so that his loving his Creator, should
in some sense make him the more miserable.
§ 7. Nothing is more manifest, than that it is absolutely necessary, in order
to a man's being thoroughly, universally and steadfastly virtuous, that his mind
and heart should be thoroughly weaned from this world ; which is a great evi
dence, that God intends another world for virtuous men. He surely would not
require them, in their thoughts, affections and expectations, wholly to relinquish
this world, if it were all the world they were to expect : if he had made them
for this world wholly and only, and had created the world for them, to be their
only country and home, all the resting place ever designed for them.
^8. If all the creatures God has made are to come to an end, and the
world itself is to come to an end, and so to be as though it had never been,
then it will be with all God's glorious and magnificent works, agreeably to
what is said of the temporal prosperity of the wicked, Job xx. 6, 7, 8 : " Though
its excellency be never so great, yet it shall perish forever ; it shall all fly away
as a dream ; it shall be chased away as a vision of the night." It shall vanish
totally, and absolutely be as though it had not been.

CHAPTER II.

-CONCERNING THE NECESSITY AND REASONABLENESS OF THE CHRISTIAN DOCTRINE OF
SATISFACTION" FOR SIN.
§ 1. The necessity of satisfaction for sin, and the reasonableness of that
Christian doctrine, may appear from the following considerations t
1. Justice requires that sin be punished, because sin deserves punishment.
What the demerit of sin calls for, justice calls for; for it is only the same thing
in different w-ords. For the notion of a desert of punishment, is the very same
as a just connection with punishment. ¦ None will deny but that there is such a
thing, in some cases, as the desert or demerit of a, crime, its calling for, or re
quiring punishment. And to say that the desert of a crime does require punish-

OF SATISFACTION FOR SIN. 583
•ment, is just the same thing as to say, the reason why it requires it is, that it de
serves it. So that fhe suitableness of the connection between the crime and the
punishment, consists in the desert; and therefore, wherever desert is, there is
such suitableness. None will deny that some crimes are so horrid, and so de
serving of punishment, that it is requisite that they should not go unpunished
unless something very considerable be done to make up for the crime; either
some answerable repentance, or some other compensation, that in some measure
at least balances the desert of punishment, and so, as it were, takes it off, or
disannuls it: otherwise the desert of punishment remaining, all will allow, that
it is fit and becoming, and to be desired, that the crime should be severely pun
ished. And why is it so, but only from the demerit of the crime, or because the
crime so much deserves such a punishment 1 It justly excites so great abhor
rence and indignation, that it is requisite there should be a punishment answer
able to this abhorrence and indignation that is fitly excited by it. But by this,
all -is granted that needs to be granted, to show, that desert of punishment car
ries in it a requisiteness of the punishment deserved. For if greater crimes do
very much require punishment, because of their great demerit, lesser crimes will
also require punishment, but only in a lesser degree, proportionably to their
demerit ; because the ground of the requisiteness of the punishment of great
¦crimes, is their demerit. It is requisite that they should be punished, on no
•other account but because they deserve it.
And besides, if it be allowed that it is requisite that great crimes should be
punished with punishment in some measure answerable to the 'heinousness of
the crime, without something to balance them, some answerable repentance or
other satisfaction, because of their great demerit, and the great abhorrence and
indignation they justly excite ; it will follow that it is requisite that God should
punish all sin with infinite punishment ; because all sin, as it is against God, is
infinitely heinous, and has infinite demerit, is justly infinitely hateful to him, and
.so stirs up infinite abhorrence and indignation in him. Therefore, by what was
before granted, it is requisite that God should punish it, unless there be some
thing in some measure to balance this desert ; either some answerable repent
ance and sorrow for it, or other compensation. Nowthere can be no repent
ance of it, or sorrow for it, in any measure answerable or proportionable to the
heinousness of the demerit of the crime ; because that is infinite, and there can
be no infinite sorrow for sin in finite creatures ; yea, there can be none but what
is infinitely short of it ; none that bears any proportion to it. Repentance is
as nothing in comparison of it, and therefore can weigh nothing when put in
the scales with it,, and so does nothing at all towards compensating it, or di
minishing the desert or requisiteness of punishment, anymore than if there were
no repentance. If any ask, w-hy God could not pardon the injury on repent
ance, without other satisfaction, without any wrong to justice ; I ask the same
person w-hy he could not also pardon the injury without repentance ? For the
same reason, could he not pardon with repentance without satisfaction ? For all the
repentance men are capable of, is no repentance at all, or is as little as none,
in comparison with the greatness of the injury ; for it bears no proportion to it.
And it would be as dishonorable and unfit for God to pardon the injury without
any repentance at all, as to do it merely on the account of a repentance that
hears no more proportion to the injury, than none at all. Therefore, we are
not forgiven on repentance, because it in any wise compensates, or takes off, or
diminishes the desert or requisiteness of punishment ; but because of the respect
that evangelical repentance has to compensation already made.
If sin, therefore, deserves punishment, that is the same thing as to say, that

584 OF SATISFACTION FOR SIN.
it is fit and proper that it should be punished. If the case be so, that sin de
serves punishment from men ; in those cases it is proper it should receive pun
ishment from men. A fault cannot be properly said, to deserve punishment
from any, but those to whom it belongs to inflict, punishment when it is deserv
ed. In those cases, therefore, wherein it belongs to men to inflict punishment,
it is proper for them to inflict that punishment that is deserved of them.
Again, if sin's desert of punishment be the proper ground of the fitness of
its connection with punishment, or rather be that wherein fitness of the connec
tion consists; it will thence follow, not only that 'it is fit that sin that deserves
punishment, should be punished, but also that it should be punished as it de
serves. It is meet that a person's state should be agreeable to the quality of his dis
positions and voluntary actions. Suffering is suitable and answerable to the
quality of sinful dispositions and actions ; it is suitable that they that will evil,
and do evil, should receive evil in proportion to the evil that they do or will.
It is but justice that it should, be so ; and when sin is punished, it receives but
its own, or that which is suitably connected with it. But it is a contradiction
to say that it is suitably connected with punishment, or that it is suitable that
it should be connected with it, and yet that •it' is suitable it should not be con
nected with it. All sin may be resolved into hatred of God and our neighbor;
as all our duty may be resolved into love to God and our neighbor. And it is
but meet that this spirit of enmity should receive a turn in its own kind, that it
should receive enmity' again. Sin is of such a nature, that it wishes ill, and
aims at ill to God and man; but to God especially. It strikes at God; it
would, if it could, procure his misery and death. It is but suitable, that with
what measure it metes, it should be measured to it again. It is but suitable
that men should reap what they sow, and that the rewards of every man's hand
should be given him. This is what the consciences of all men do naturally de
clare. There is nothing that men know sooner, after they come to the exercise
of their reason, than that, when they have done wickedness, they deserve pun
ishment. The consciences not only of Christians, and those who have been edu
cated in the principles of divine revelation, but also the consciences of heathens
inform them of this : therefore, unless conscience has been stupified by frequent
violations when men have done wickedness, there remains a sense of guilt upon
their minds ; a sense of an obligation to punishment. It is natural to expect
that which conscience or reason tells them it is suitable should come ; and
therefore they are afraid and jealous, and ready to flee when no man pursues.
Seeing therefore it is requisite that sin should be punished, as punishment
Is deserved and just ; therefore the justice of God obliges him to punish sin.
For it belongs to God, as the Supreme Ruler of the universality of things, to
maintain order and decorum in his kingdom, and to see to it that decency and
righteousness take place in all cases. That perfection of his nature whereby
he is disposed to this, is his justice : therefore his justice naturally disposes him
to punish sin as it deserves.
2. The holiness of God, which is the infinite opposition of his nature to sin,
naturally and necessarily disposes him to punish sin. Indeed his justice is part
of his holiness. But when we speak of God's justice inclining him to punish
sin, we have respect only to that exercise of his holiness whereby he loves that
holy and beautiful order that consists in the connection of one thing with an
other, according to their nature, and so between sin and punishment ; and his
opposition to that which would be so unsuitable as a disconnection of these-
things. But now I speak of the holiness of God as appearing not directly and

OF SATISFACTION FOR SIN. 585
immediately in his hatred of an unsuitable, hateful disconnection between sin
a-nd that which is proper for it; but in his hatred of sin itself, or the opposi
tion of his nature to the odious nature of sin.
If God's nature be infinitely opposite to sin, then doubtless he has a dispo
sition answerable to oppose it in his acts and works. If he by his nature be an
enemy to sin with an infinite enmity, then he is doubtless disposed to act as an
enemy to it, or to do the part of an enemy to it. And if he be disposed natu
rally to do the part of an enemy against sin, or, which is the same thing,
against the faultiness or blameworthiness of moral agents ; then it will follow,
he is naturally disposed to act as an enemy to those that are the persons faulty
and blameworthy, or are chargeable with the guilt of it, as being the persons
faulty. Indignation is the proper exercise of hatred of any thing as a fault or
thing blamable ; and there could be no such thing either in the Creator or
creature, as hatred of a fault without indignation, unless it be conceived or hoped
that the fault is suffered for, and so the indignation be satisfied. Whoever finds
a hatred to a fault,and at the same time imputes the fault to him that commit
ted it, he therein, feels an indignation against him for it. So that God, by his
necessary infinite hatred of sin, is necessarily disposed to punish it with a pun
ishment answerable to his hatred.
It does not become the Sovereign of the world, a being of infinite glory,
purity and beauty, to suffer such a thing as sin, an infinitely uncomely disorder,
an infinitely detestable pollution, to appear in the world subject to his govern
ment, without his making an opposition to it, or giving some public manifesta
tions and tokens of his infinite abhorrence of it. If he should so do, it would
be countenancing it, which God cannot do ; for " he is of purer eyes than to be
hold evil, and cannot look on iniquity," Hab. i. 13. It is natural in such a
case to expect tokens of the utmost opposition. If we could behold the infinite
Fountain of purity and holiness, and could see what an infinitely pure flame it
is, and with what a pure brightness it shines, so that the heavens appear impure
when compared with it ; and then should behold some infinitely odious and de
testable filthiness brought and set in its presence; would it not be natural to
expect some ineffably vehement opposition made to it 1 And would not the
want of it be indecent and shocking 1
If it be to God's glory that he is in his nature infinitely holy and opposite
to sin ; then it is to his glory to be infinitely displeased with sin. And if it be
to God's glory to be infinitely displeased with sin ; then it must be to his glpry
to exercise and manifest that displeasure, and to act accordingly.- But the
proper exercise and testimony of displeasure against sin, in the Supreme Being
and absolute Governor of the world, is taking vengeance. Men may show their
hatred of sin by lamenting it, and mourning for it, aud taking great pains, and un
dergoing great difficulties to prevent or remove it, or by approving God's vengeance
for it. Taking vengeance is not the proper way of fellow subjects, hatred of sin ;
but it is in the Supreme Lord and Judge of the world, to whom vengeance be
longs ; because he has the ordering and government of all things, and therefore
the suffering of sin to go unpunished would in him be a conniving at it. Taking
vengeance is as much the proper manifestation of God's displeasure at sin, as a
mighty work is the proper manifestation of his power, or as a wise work is
the proper manifestation of his wisdom., There maybe other testimonies of
God's displeasedness with and abhorrence of sin, without testifying his displea
sure in condign punishment. He might declare he has such a displeasure and
abhorrence. So there might be other testimonies of God's power and wisdom,
besides a powerfuLwise effect. He might have declared himself to be infimtely
Vol. I 74

586 OF SATISFACTION FOR SIN.
wise and powerful-. But yet there would have been wanting the proper
manifestations of God's power and wisdom, if God had only declared himself
to be possessed of these attributes. The creatures might have believed him to
be all-wise and almighty ; but by seeing his mighty and wise works, they see
his power and wisdom. Sp if they had been only a declaration of God's abhor
rence and displeasure against sin, the creature might have believed it, but could
not have seen it, unless he should also take vengeance for it.
3. The honor of the greatness, excellency and majesty of God's being, re
quires that sin be punished with an infinite punishment. Hitherto I have spoken
of the requisiteness of God's punishing sin, on account of the demerit and hate-
fulness of it absolutely considered, and not directly as God is interested in the
affair. But now, if we consider sin as levelled against God, not only compen
sative justice to the sinner, but justice to himself, requires that God should pun
ish sin with infinite punishment. Sin casts contempt on the majesty and
greatness of God. The language of it is, that he is a despicable being, not
worthy to be honored or feared ; not so great, that his displeasure is worthy to
be dreaded ; and that his tbreatenings of wrath are despicable. Now,' the
proper vindication of defence of God's majesty in such a case, is, for God to
contradict this language of sin, in his providence towards sin that speaks this
language, or to contradict the language of sin in the event and fruit of sin. Sin
says, God is a despicable being, and not worthy that the sinner should fear him ;
and so affronts him without fear. The proper vindication of God's majesty from
this is, for God to show, by the event, that he is worthy that the sinner should
regard him and fear him, by his appearing in the fearful, dreadful event to the
person guilty, that he is an infinitely fearful and terrible being. The language
of sin is, that God's displeasure is not worthy that the sinner should regard it.
The proper vindication of God from this language is, to show by the experience
of the event, the infinite dreadfulness of that slighted displeasure. In such a case,
the majesty of God requires this vindication. It cannot be properly vindicated
without it, neither can God be just to himself without this vindication ; unless
there could be such a thing as a repentance, humiliation, and sorrow for this,
proportionable to the greatness of the majesty despised. When the majesty of
God has such contempt cast upon it, and is trodden down in the dust by vile
sinners, it is not fit that this infinite and glorious majesty should be left under
this contempt ; but that it should be vindicated wholly from it; that it should
be raised perfectly from the dust wherein it is trodden, by something opposite
to the contempt, which is equivalent to it, or of weight sufficient to balance it ;
either an equivalent punishment, or an equivalent sorrow and repentance. So
that sin must be punished with an infinite punishment.
Sin casts contempt on the infinite glory and excellency of God. The lan
guage of it is, that God is not an excellent being, but an odious one ; and there
fore that it is no heinous thing to hate him. Now, it is fit that on this occa
sion omniscience should declare and manifest that it judges otherwise ; and that
it should show that it esteems God infinitely excellent ; and therefore, that it
looks on it as an infinitely heinous thing, to cast such a reflection on' God, by
infinite tokens of resentment of such a reflection and such hatred.
God is to be considered, in this affair, not merely as the Governor of a
world of creatures, to order things between one creature and another, but as
the Supreme Regulator and Rector of the universe, the orderer of things relating
to the whole compass of existence, including himself; to maintain the rights of
the whole, and decorum through the whole, and to maintain his own riohts,
and the due honor of his own perfections, as well as to preserve justice among

OF SATISFACTION FOR SIN. 587
his creatures. It is fit that there should be one that has this office ; and this
office properly belohgs to the Supreme Being. And if he should fail of doing
justice to himself in a necessary vindication of his own majesty and glory, it
would be an immensely greater failure of his rectoral justice, than if he should
deprive the creatures (that are beings of infinitely less consequence) of their
right. 4. There is a necessity of sin's being punished with a condign punishment,
from the law of God that threatens such punishment. All but Epicureans will
own, that all creatures that are moral agents, are subjects of God's moral
government ; and that therefore he has given a law to his creatures. But if
God has given a law to his creatures, that law must have sanctions, i. e., it
must be enforced with threatenings of punishment : otherwise it fails of having
the nature of a law, and is only of the nature of counsel or advice ; or rather
of a request. For one being to express his inclination or will to another, con
cerning any thing he would receive from him, any love or respect, without any
threatening annexed, but leaving it with the person applied to, whether he will
afford it or not, whether he will grant it or not, supposing that his refusal will
be with impunity ; is properly of the nature of a request. It does not amount to
counsel or advice ; because, when we give counsel to others, it is for their in
terest. But when we express our desire or will of something we would receive
from them, with impunity to them whether they grant it or not, this is more
properly requesting than counselling. No doubt it falls far short of the nature
of law-giving. For such an expression of one's will as this, is an expression
of will, without any expression of authority. It holds forth no authority, for
us merely to manifest our wills or inclinations to another ; nor indeed does it
exhibit any authority over a person applied to, to promise him rewards. So
persons may, and often do, promise rewards to others, for doing those things
that they have no power to oblige them to. So may persons do to their
.equals : so may a king do to others who are not his subjects. This is rather
bargaining with others, than giving them laws.
That expression of will only is a law, which is exhibited in such a manner
as to express fhe lawgiver's power over the person to whom it is manifested,
expressing his power of disposal of him, according as he complies or refuses ;
that which shows power over him, so as to oblige him to comply, or to make
it be to his cost if he refuses.
For the same reason that it is necessary the divine law should have a
threatening of condign punishment annexed, it is also necessary that the
threatening should be fulfilled. For the threatening wholly relates to the ex
ecution. If it had no connection with execution, it would be wholly void, and
would be as no threatening : and so far as there is not a connection with execu
tion, whether that be in a greater or lesser degree ; so far and in such a degree
is it void, and so far approaches to the nature of no threatening, as much as if.
that degree of unconnection was expressed in the threatening. As for instance,
if sin fails of threatened punishment half the times, this makes void the threaten
ing in one half of it, and brings it down to be no more than if the threatening
had expressed only so much, that sin should be punished half the times that it
is committed. ' . , . , ,
But if it be needful that all sin in every act should be forbidden by law, 1. e.,
with a prohibition and threatening of condign punishment annexed, and tha£
the threatening of sin with condign punishment should be universal ; then it is
necessary that it should be universally executed. A threatening of an i om
niscient and true being can be supposed to signify no more punishment than is

588 OF SATISFACTION FOR SIN.
intended to be executed, and is not necessarily to be understood of any more.
A threatening, if it signifies any thing, is a signification of sorae connection be
twixt the crime and the punishment. But the threatening of an omniscient.
being, cannot be understood to signify any more connection with punishment
than there is.
If it be needful that there should be a divine law, it is needful that this di
vine law should be maintained in the nature, life, authority and strength that
is proper to it as a law. The nature, life, authority and strength of every law,
consists in its sanction, by which the deed is connected with the compensation ;
and therefore depends on the strength and firmness of that connection. In pro
portion as that connection is weak, in such proportion does the law lose its
strength, and fails of the proper nature and power of a law, and degenerates
towards the nature. of requests and expressions of will and desire to receive
love and respect, without being enforced with authority.
Dispensing with the law by the lawgiver, so as not to fulfil it or execute it,
in its nature does not differ from an abrogation of it, unless the law contains in
itself such a clause, that it shall or may be dispensed with, and not fulfilled in
certain cases, or when the lawgiver pleases.
But this would be a contradiction. For, if the law contained such a clause;
then, not to fulfil it, would be according to the law, and a fulfilment of the law;
and therefore there would be no dispensing with the law in it, because it is
doing what the law itself directs to. The law may contain clauses of excep
tion, wherein particular case's may be excepted from general rules ; but it can
not make provision for a dispensation. And therefore, for the lawgiver to dis
pense with it, is indeed to abrogate it. Though it may not be an abrogating
it wholly, yet it is in some measure changing it. To dispense with the law, in
not fulfilling it on him that breaks it, is making the rule give place to the sin
ner. But certainly it is an indecent thing, that sin, which provokes the execu
tion, should procure the abrogation of the law.
The necessity of fulfilling the law, in the sense that has been spoken of,
appears from Matt. v. 18 : " For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth
pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, until all be fulfill
ed." The words will allow of no other tolerable sense.
It is necessary that the law of God should be maintained and executed, and
not dispensed with or abrogated for the sake of the sinner, for the following
reasons :
1st. The nature and being of the law requires it. For, as has been already
shown, by such dispensation it loses the life and authority of a law, as it res
pects the subject. But it does not only fail of being a law in this respect ; it
fails of being a rule to the Supreme Judge. The law is the great rule of
righteousness and decorum, that the Supreme and Universal Rector has estab
lished and published, for the regulation of things in the commonwealth of the
universality of intelligent beings and moral agents, in all that relates to them
as concerned one with another ; a rule, by which things are not only to be
regulated between one subject and another, but between the king and subjects ;
that it may be a rule of judgment to the one, as well as a rule of duty to the
other. It is but reasonable to suppose, that such a rule should be established
and published for the benefit of all that belong to this universal commonwealth,
to be a rule to direct both their actions towards each other, and their expecta
tions from each other, that they may have a fixed and known rule by which
they are to act and to be dealt with, to be both active and passive as members
of this commonwealth. The subject is most nearly concerned, not only in the

OF SATISFACTION FOR SIN. 589
measure of his own actions, but also in the consequences of them, or the method'
of his judge's determinations concerning him. ,
None that own the existence of a divine law, with threatenings annexed,
can deny that there actually is such a rule as this, that relates both to the
manner of the creature's acting, and also the judge's acting toward him as sub
ject to that law. For none will deny that the precepts relate to the manner of
the subject's acting, and that the threatenings relate to the manner of the
judge's proceeding with the subject, in consequence of his obedience or dis
obedience. It is needful that this great rule for managing affairs in this universal com
monwealth, should be fixed and settled, and not be vague and uncertain. So
far as it fails of this, it ceases to be of the nature of a rule. For it is essential
to the nature of a rule, that it be something fixed. But if it be needful that it
be something fixed, then it is needful that the author, and he by whom it sub
sists, should maintain and fulfil it, and not depart from it; because that is in a
measure to disannul it. If he doth so, therein the rule becomes unfixed, and it
so far ceases to be a rule to the judge.
2d. That the law should be made to give place to the sinner, is contrary to
the direct design of the law. For the law was made that the subject should
be regulated by it, and give place to it ; and not to be regulated by the sub
ject, and to give place to him, especially to a wicked, vile, rebellious subject.
The law is made that it might prevent sin, and cause it not to be ; and not
that sin should disannul the law and cause it not to be. Therefore it would be
very indecent for the Supreme Rector to cause this great rule to give place to
the rebellion of the sinner.
3d. It is in no wise fit that this great rule should be abrogated and give
place to the opposition and violation of the rebellious subject, on account of
the perfection of the law, and as it is an expression of the perfection of the
lawgiver. The holiness and rectitude and goodness of this great rule, which
the Supreme Lawgiver has established for the regulation of the commonwealth
of moral agents, and its universal fitness and wisdom and absolute perfection,
render a partial abrogation, for the sake of them that dislike it and will not
submit to it, needless and unseemly. If the great rule should be set aside for
the sake of the rebel, it would carry too much of the face of acknowledgment,
in the lawgiver, of want of wisdom and foresight, or of some defect in point of
holiness or righteousness in his law. He that breaks the law, finds fault with
it, and casts that reflection on it, that it is not a good law; and if God should
in part abrogate the law upon this, it would have too much the appearance of
a conceding to the sinner's objection against it.
But God will magnify his law, and make it honorable, and will give ne
occasion for any such reflections upon it, nor leave the law under such a
reflection. If this great rule of righteousness be so excellent and^good a law, it is not
only unfit that it should give place to rebellion, as this would be a dishonor
to the excellency of the law and lawgiver ; but also a wrong to the public
good, which the Supreme Rector of the world has the care and is the guardian
of. If the rule be perfect, perfectly right and just and holy, and with infinite
wisdom adapted to the good of the whole ; then the public good requires that
it be strongly established. The more firmly it is settled, and the more strongly
it is guarded and defended the better, and the more is it for the public good ;
and every thing by which it is weakened, is a damage and loss to the com

monwealth of beings.

590 OF SATISFACTION FOR SIN.
But I have already shown how every departure from it weakens it, unfixes
it, and causes it to fail of the nature of a settled rule, and, in some measure,
disannuls it.
4th. The sacredness of the authority and majesty of the Divine Lawgiver
requires, that he should maintain and fulfil his law, when it is violated by a
rebellious subject. I have before spoken of the greatness and majesty of his
Being, how that is concerned in it. I now would consider the sacredness of his
authority, as he stands related to his creatures as their Lawgiver. The majesty
of a ruler consists very much in that which appears in him ; that tends to
strike the subject with reverence and awe, and dread of contempt of him or
rebellion against him. And it is fit that this awe and dread should be in pro
portion to the greatness and dignity of the ruler j and the degree of authority
with which he is vested. But this awe and dread is by an apprehension of the
terribleness of the consequences of that contempt and rebellion, and the degree
of the danger of those terrible consequences, or the degree of connection of
that rebellion with those consequences : therefore, if it be meet that this awe
or this apprehension should be in proportion to the greatness and dignity of the
ruler, then it is fit that the consequences of contempt of the Supreme Ruler of
the -world should be infinitely terrible, and the danger that it brings of punish
ment, or connection that it has with it, be strong and certain, and consequently
that the threatenings which enforce his laws should be sure and inviolable.
It is fit the authority of a ruler should be sacred proportionably to the great
ness of that authority, i. e., in proportion to the greatness of the ruler, and his
worthiness of honor and obedience, and the height of his exaltation above us,
and the absoluteness of his dominion over us, and the strength of his right to
our submission and obedience. But the sacredness of the authority of a sove
reign consists in the strength of the enforcement of it, and guard that is about
it, i. e., in the consequences of the violation to him that is guilty, and the degre*.
of danger of these consequences. For the authority of a ruler does not consist
in the power or influence he has on another by attractives, but coercives. Tht
fence that is about the authority of a prince, that guards it as sacred, is th*
connection there is between the violations of it, and the terrible consequences 3
or, in other words, in the strength or sureness of the threatening. Therefore,
if this connection be partly broken, the fence is partly broken : in proportion
as the threatenings are weak, the guard is weak. But certainly it is fit ttoif:
the authority of the infinitely great and absolute Lord of heaven and earth
should be infinitely sacred, and should be kept so with an infinitely strong
guard, and a fence without any breach in it. And it is not becoming the
sacredness of the majesty and authority of the great navToxqattoQ, that that
perfectly holy, just and infinitely wise and good law, which he has established
as the great rule for the regulation of all things in the universal commonwealth
of beings, should be set aside, to give place to the infinitely unreasonable and
vile opposition that sinners make to it, and their horrid and daring rebellion
against it.
5th. The truth of the lawgiver makes it necessary that the threatening of
the law should be fulfilled in every punctilio. The threatening of the law is
absolute : Thou shalt surely die. It is true, the obligation does not lay in the
claim of the person threatened, as it is in promises : for it is not to be supposed,
that the person threatened will claim the punishment threatened. And, indeed,
if we look upon things strictly, those seem to reckon the wrong way, that sup
pose the necessity of the futurity of the execution to arise from an obligation on
God in executing, properly consequent on his threatening. For the necessity

OF SATISFACTION FOR SIN. 591
Of the connection of the execution with the threatening, seems to arise directly,
the other way, viz., from the obligation that was on the omniscient God in
threatening, consequent on the futurity of the execution. Though strictly
speaking, he is not obliged to execute because he has threatened, yet he was
obliged not absolutely to threaten, if he at the same time knew that he should
not and would not execute ; because this would not have been consistent with
his truth. So that, from the truth of God, there is an inviolable connection be
tween absolute threatening and execution ; not so properly from an obligation
on God to conform the execution to the past absolute threatening, as from his
obligation to conform his absolute threatening to the future execution. This
God was absolutely obliged to do, as he would speak the truth. For if God
absolutely threatened contrary to what he knew, would come to pass, then he
absolutely threatened contrary to what he knew to be truth. And how any
can speak contrary to what they know to be the truth, in declaring, promising,
or threatening, or any other way, consistently with perfect and inviolable truth,
I cannot conceive. Threatenings are significations of something ; and, if they
are made consistent with truth, or are true significations of any thing, they are
significations of truth, or significations of that which is true. If absolute threat
enings are significations of any thing, they are significations of the futurity of
the- thing threatened. But if the futurity of the thing threatened is not true,
then how can the threatenings be true significations 1 And if God, in them,
speaks contrary to what he knows, and contrary to what he intends ; how he
can speak true, is to me inconceivable. It is with absolute threatenings, as it
is with predictions. When God has foretold something that shall come to pass
hereafter, which does not concern our interest, ahd so is of the nature neither
of a promise nor threatening, there is a necessary connection betwixt the pre
diction and the fulfilment, but not by virtue of any claim we have to make ;
and so not properly by virtue of any obligation to fulfil, consequent on the pre
diction, but by virtue of an obligation on an omniscient Being in predicting,
consequent on what he knew he would fulfil ; an obligation to conform the
prediction to the future event. It is as much against the veracity of God, ab
solutely to threaten what he knows he will not accomplish, as to predict what
he knows he will not accomplish ; for to do either, would be to declare, that
that will be, which he at the same time does not intend shall be. Absolute
threatenings are a sort of predictions. God in them foretells or declares what
shall come to pass. They do not differ from mere predictions, in the nature of,
the declaration or foretelling, but partly in the thing declared or foretold, being
an evil to come upon us ; and a mere prediction being of a thing indifferent :
and partly in the end of foretelling. In a threatening, the end of foretelling is
to deter us from sinning ; and the predictions of things indifferent are for some
other end. Absolute threatenings are God's declarations of something future ;
and the truth of God does as much oblige him to keep the truth in declarations
of What is future, as of what is past or present. For things past, present, and
future, are all alike before God — all alike in his view-. And when God declares
to others what he sees himself, he is equally obliged to truth, whether the thing
declared be past, present, or to come. And, indeed, there is no need of the
distinction between present truth and future, in this case. For if any of God's
absolute threatenings are not to be fulfilled, those threatenings are declarations
or revelations contrary, not only to future truth, but such a threatening is a re
velation of the futurition of a punishment. That futurition is now present with
God, when he threatens ;— present in his mind, his knowledge. And if he
signifies that a thing. is future, which he knows not to be future; then the sig-

592 OF SATISFACTION FOR SIN.
nification he gives is contrary to present truth, even contrary to what God now
knows is future. — Again, an absolute threatening is a signification of the pre
sent intention of him that threatens : and therefore, if he threatens what he does
not intend to fulfil, then he signifies an intention to be, which is not; and so the
threatening is contrary to present truth. God's absolute threatenings are a re
velation to his subjects, of the appointed measures of their Judge's proceeding
with respect to their breaches of his law ; and if they do not reveal what is
indeed the intended method of the Judge's proceeding, then it is not a true re
velation. There is a necessity of the fulfilment of God's absolute promises both ways;
viz., both by an obligation on God to foretell or declare, or foredeclare, the
future benefit, according to what he foresaw would be, and he intended should
be; and also by an obligation on him to fulfil his promise consequent on his
predicting, and by virtue of the claim of the person to whom the promise was
made. And there is also an obligation on God to fulfil his absolute threatenings
consequent on his threatenings, indirectly, by virtue of many ill and undesira
ble consequences of the event's, being, beside the certain dependence or certain
expectations raised by God's threatenings, in the persons threatened, and others
that are spectators ; which consequences God may be obliged not to be a cause
of. But threatenings do not propeirly bring an obligation on God, that is con
sequent on them as threatenings, as it is with promises.
As to those threatenings that are not positive or absolute, they are not
necessarily followed with the punishment mentioned in them, because the pos
sibility of escaping the punishment is either expressed or understood in the
threatening. But the divine truth makes it necessary that there should be a
certain connection between them, that as much punishment be inflicted as is
signified by them. If certain suffering be not signified by them, then there is
no necessary connection between them and certain suffering. If it be only sig
nified in them, that there is great danger of the suffering, according to God's
ordinary method of dealing with men, and'that, therefore, they, as they would
act rationally, have great reason to fear it, seeing that God does not see cause
to reveal what he will do to them : if .this be all that is really contained
and understood in the. threatening, then this is all that the threatening is con
nected with. Or, if the proper meaning of the threatening be, that such suffer
ing shall come, unless they repent, and this be all that can be fairly understood,
then the truth of God makes no more necessary. But God's truth makes a
necessary connection between every threatening and every promise, and all
that is properly signified in that threatening or promise.
§ 2. The satisfaction of Christ by his death is certainly a very rational
thing. If any person that was greatly obliged to me, that was dependent on
me, and that I loved, should exceedingly abuse me, and should go on in an ob
stinate course of it from one year to another, notwithstanding all I could say to
him, and all new obligations continually repeated ; though at length he should
leave it off, I should not forgive him, unless upon gospel considerations. But
if any person that was a much dearer friend to me, and one that had always
been true to me, and constant to the utmost, and that was a very near relation
of him that offended me, should intercede for him, and, out of the entire love
he had to him, should put himself to very hard labors and difficulties, and un
dergo great pains and miseries to procure him forgiveness ; and the person
that had offended should, with a changed mind, fly to this mediator, and
should seek favor in his name, with a sense in his own mind how much his

OF SATISFACTION FOR SIN. 593
mediator had done and suffered for him ; I should be satisfied, and feel myself
inclined, without any difficulty, to receive him into my entire friendship again ;
but not without the last mentioned condition, that he should be sensible how
much his mediator had done and suffered. For if he was ignorant of it, or
thought' he had done only some small matter, I should not be easy nor satisfied.
So a sense of Christ's sufficiency seems necessary in faith.
§ 3. The apostle, when he would express his willingness to be made a sac
rifice for his brethren the Jews, says, " I could wish myself accursed from Christ
'^for my brethren," Rom. ix. 3. See, concerning Moses, Exodus xxxii. 32,
2 Sam. xviii. 33 : " O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom ! would God
I had died for thee." This text expresses substitution, Matt. xx. 28, " To give
his life a ransom for many.'' Concerning this text, and the force of the pro
position avn, see Moncrief's review and examination of the principles of Camp
bell,?. 113, 114.
The laying of hands on the head of the sacrifice, was a token of putting the
guilt of sin upon a person ; agreeably to the customary signification of the im
putation of guilt among the Hebrews. Thus the phrase, his blood shall be upon
their own head or on our heads, &c, was a phrase for the imputation of the
guilt of blood. So Joshua ii. 19, 1 Kings ii. 32, 33 : " And the Lord shall return
his blood upon his own head, who fell upon two men more righteous and bet
ter than he, and slew them with the sword, my father David not knowing there
of, to wit, Abner the son of Ner, captain of the host of Israel, and Amasa the
son of Jether, captain of the host of Judah. Their blood shall therefore return
upon the head of Joab, and upon the head of his seed forever, but upon David,
and upon his seed, and upon his house, and upon his throne, shall there bepeace for
ever from the Lord." Verse 37, " For it shall be, that on the day thou goest out, tind
passest over the brook Kidron, thou shalt know for certain that thou shalt surely
die ; thy blood shall be upon thine own head." Verse 44, " The king said moreover
to Shimei, Thou knowest all the wickedness which thine heart is privy to, that
thou didst to David my father ; therefore the Lord shall return thy wickedness
upon thine own head."
Abigail, when mediating between David and Nabal, when the former was
provoked to wrath against the latter, and had determined to destroy him, 1 Sam
xxv. 24, " fell at David's feet and said, Upon me let this iniquity be, and let
thy handmaid, I pray thee, speak in thy audience, and hear the voice of thy
handmaid." And in verse 28, she calls Nabal's iniquity her iniquity. By this
it appears, that a mediator's putting himself in the stead of the offender, so that
the offended party should impute the offence "to him, and look on the mediator
as having taken it upon him, looking on him as the debtor for what satisfac
tion should be required and expected, was in those days no strange notion, or
considered as a thing in itself absurd and inconsistent with men's natural notion
of things. Heb. xii. 24, 25, 26," And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and
to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel. See
that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused
him that spake on earth ; much more shall not We escape, if we turn away
from him that speaketh from heaven : whose voice then shook the earthy but
now he hath promised, saving, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, &c.
He that speaketh, whom the apostle warns us not to refuse, who spake once
on earth, and whose voice shook the earth, and who now speaketh from heaven,
and his voice shakes not only the earth but heaven, is he that is spoken of verse
24, Jesus the mediator, frc., whose blood speaketh. The word W««C« signifies
Vol. I. 75

594 OF SATISFACTION FOR SIN.
to speak divine oracles, and in Scripture is applied to God alone. When it is
said he spake on earth, respect is had to God's giving the law at Mount Sinai,
when his voice shook the earth. It is plain it was not the voice of Moses, or
any created angel that is intended, by the whole history of the affair in Exo
dus. The people made great preparation to meet with God : God descended on the
Mount : he was there in the midst of angels, Psalm Ixviii. 17. " From his right
hand went the fiery law," Deut. xxxiii. 2. And in giving the law he says, " I
am the Lord thy God," &c. He that in the book of Haggai ii. 6, 7, which the
apostle refers to, says, " Yet once more I shake the heaven and the earth," is
God. See Owen in loc. p. 273, 274, 278.
Christ is often represented as bearing our sins for us : Isaiah liii. 4, " Surely he
hath borne our griefs and carried our sorrows." Verse 11, " For he shall bear
their iniquities." Verse 12, " He bare the sin of many." And with an evident
reference to this last place, the apostle says, Heb. ix. 28, " So Christ was once
offered to bear the sins of many : and to them that look for him, he shall ap
pear the second time, without sin unto salvation." And with a plain reference
to verses, 4, 5, of this 53d chapter of Isaiah, the apostle Peter says, 1 Pet. ii. 24,
" Who his ownself bare our sins in his own body on the tree."
The word translated here in Isaiah liii. 4, and 12, is ntj ; the same word,
and the same phrase, of bearing sin and bearing iniquity, is often used concerning
things which are the types of Christ's priesthood and sacrifice, viz., the Levit-
ical priests and sacrifices. It was no uncommon phrase, but usual, and well
understood among the Jews ; and we find it very often used in other cases, and
applied to otliers besides either Christ or the types of him. And when it is so,
it is plain that the general meaning of the phrase is lying under the guilt of
sin, having it imputed and charged upon the person, as obnoxious to the-pun-
ishment of it, or obliged to answer and make satisfaction for it ; or liable to the
calamities and miseries to which it exposes. In such a manner it seems always
to be used, unless in some few places it signifies to take away sin by forgiveness.
See Dr.. Owen on Heb. ix. 28. and Pool's Synopsis on Isaiah iiii. And concern
ing their laying their hands on the head of the sacrifice, see also Pool's Sy
nopsis on Levit. i. 4.
That God, in the instituted ceremonies concerning the scape goat, and the
other goat that was sacrificed for a sin-offering, intended that there should be
a representation of laying the guilt of sin on those goats ; see Pool's Synopsis
on Levit. xvi. 21, 22, 28. It was an evidence that the two goats were to ap
pear as if they were made sinful with the sins of the people, or unclean with
their uncleanness, or guilty with their guilt, that he that brought the one, and
he that let go the other, were both unclean, and were therefore to wash them
selves with water, &c, Levit. xvi. 26, 28.
The translation of guilt or obligation to punishment was not a thing alien
from men's conceptions and notions of old in Scripture times ; neither the times
of the Old Testament nor New; as appears by what the woman of Tekoa
says, 2 Sam. xiv. 9 : " My Lord, 0 king, the iniquity be on me and on my
father's house, and the king and his throne be guiltless." And by what the
Jews, said, when Pilate said of Christ, " I am innocent of the blood of this just
person, see ye to it," Matt, xxvii. 24, 25, " His blood be on us and on our
children." And the words of Rebekah, when Jacob objected against doing
as she proposed, that he should bring n curse on himself and not a blessing :
Gen. xxvii. 13, " On me be thy curse, my son, only obey my voice."
1 Cor. xv. 17, " And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain ; ye are
yet in your sins," plainly shows how necessary it was that there should be

OF SATISFACTION FOR SIN. 595
something more than reformation, which was plainly in fact wrought, in order
to their being delivered from their sins ; even that atonement, the sufficiency
of which God attested by raising our Great Surety from the grave." — Dod
dridge in loc.
Defin. 1. By merit, in this discourse, I mean any thing whatsoever in any
person or being, or about him or belonging to him, which appearing in the
view of another is a recommendation of him to that other's regard, esteem or
affection. I do not at present take into consideration, whether that which thus
recommends be real merit; or something that truly, according to the nature ot
things, is worthy to induce esteem, &c. ; but only what actually recommends
and appears worthy in the eye of him to whom it recommends the other ;
which is the case of every thing that is actually the ground of respect or affection
in one towards another, whether the ground be real worth, or only agreement
in temper, benefits received, near relation, long acquaintance, &c. &c. What
ever it be that is by the respecting person viewed in the person respected, that
actually has influence, and is effectual to recommend to, respect, is merit or
worthiness of respect or fitness for it in his eyes.
Define 2. By patron, I mean a person of superior dignity or merit, that
stands for and espouses the interest of another, interposes between him and a
third person or party, in that capacity to maintain, secure, or promote the in
terest of that other, by his influence with the third person, improving his merit
with him, or interest in his esteem and regard for that end. And by client, I
mean that other person whose interest the patron thus espouses, and in this
manner endeavors to maintain and promote.
Having explained how I use these terms, I would now observe the follow
ing things. 1. It is not unreasonable or. against nature, or without foundation in the-
reason and nature of things, that respect should be shown to one on- account of
his relation to or union and connection with another : or, which is the same-
thing, that a person should be thought the proper object of respect or regard,
viewed in that relation or connection, which he is not the proper object of,
viewed as by himself singly and separately : or, which is still the same thing,
that a person should be thought worthy of respect, or meriting respect on the
account of the merit of the other person whom he stands related to, which he
would not merit viewed by himself, taking the word here as it has been
explained. 2, Whenever one is thus viewed, as having a merit of respect on the ac
count of the merit of another that he stands related to, who has not_ that ment
considered by himself, the merit of the person he is related to is imputed to
him ; and these persons so far are substituted the one in the place of the other.
This is plain : for the person now accepted as having merit of respect, has not
that merit in himself considered alone, but only as related to another that has
merit in himself, and so is respected for the sake of the merit of that other;
which is the very same thing as, in our view or consideration, transferring that
merit from that other person to him, and viewing it in him as his merit, or merit
that he is interested in, merit whose recommendihg influence becomes his in some
degree ; so that in all such cases there is an imputation and substitution in some
degree. The merit of the one becomes the merit of the other in some degree ; or,
in other words, the recommending property, virtue and influence of the one, be
comes the recommending influence of the other, or influence that prevails to re
commend the other ; which is the same thing. Thus it is when any one res
pects a near relation, or a child, or the spouse of a friend that is very dear and

e

596 OF SATISFACTION FOR SIN.
greatly esteemed for such a friend's sake, or shows the relative or friend greater
regard, seeks his welfare more, and shows him more kindness than he woulc"
do if he were viewed out of such a relation or connection, and entirely by
himself. Thus it is reasonable and natural, that one should be respected for the merit
of another, and so his merit be in some degree imputed to another, and one
person be substituted for another, according to the natural sense of all man
kind. 3. As it is the relation of one to another, or his union with him, that is the
ground of the respect that is shown towards him for the other's sake, and so
ihe ground of substitution of the other in his stead, and of the imputation of
ihe other's merit in some degree, as has been observed ; so it is manifest, that
'the greater or nearer that relation is, and the stricter the union, so much the
more does it prevail for the acceptance of the person, or the object of respect,
•for the sake of him to whom he is united ; or, in other words, the union, by how
much greater and closer it is, by so much more is it a ground of his being accepted,
as if he were one with the other, or of the other's being substituted for him, and
his merit's being imputed in a greater degree, and more, as if he were the
same. 4. If there be any such thing as a union of a person to another, as, for in
stance; a patron to a client, in such a certain degree, or in such a manner as,
4hat on the account of the degree and manner, it shall be peculiavlyfit to look
upon them as completely one and the same, as to all that concerns the interest
of the client, with relation to the regard of the friend of the patron; then es
pecially may the patron be taken by his friend as the substitute of the client^
and his merit be imputed to him.
If it be inquired, what degree or manner of union may be looked upon thus
complete; — I answr^--, When the patron's heart is so united to the client, that
when the client is to b.e destroyed, he, from love, is willing- to take his de
struction on himself, or what is equivalent thereto, so that the client may es
cape; then he may be properly accepted as perfectly one with regard to the
interest of the client ; for this reason, that his love to the client is such as thorough
ly puts him into the place of the client in all that concerns his interest, even so as
to absorb or swallow up his whole interest ; because his love actually puts him
in the room of the beloved, in that suffering or calamity which, being his total
destruction, does swallow up and consume all his interest, without leaving the
least part of it. Therefore, love that will take that destruction, evidently takes
in his whole interest. It appears to be an equal balance for it. His love puts
him thoroughly in his client's stead. If his love were such as made him will
ing to put himself in the other's stead, in many cases where his interest was
veoncerned, but yet not in a case where all is concerned, the union is not com
plete; he is partially, and not thoroughly, united. But when the love of the
patron is such as to go through with the matter, and makes him willing to put
himself in the other's stead, even in the case of the last extremity, and where the
beloved is to be utterly and perfectly destroyed ; then he is, as to his love, suf
ficiently united, so as to be accepted as completely one by his friend, in all that
concerns the client's welfare.
5. If a friend that is very dear to any person, and of great merit in the eyes
of any person, 'not only stands in a strict union with another, but also does par
ticularly express a great desire of that other's welfare, and appears much to
¦seek it ; it is agreeable to nature, that the welfare of the person united to him
thould be regarded for his sake, and on his account, as if it were his own welfare.

OF SATISFACTION FOR SIN. 59135
For,' by means of this desire of the other's welfare, his welfare becomes his own:.
For that good which any one desires, sets his heart upon, and seeks, thereby be--
somes his own good : it becomes a good that is grateful to him, or which tends to*
gratify and delight him : for it is grateful to all to have their desires gratified:
In such a case, the dear and worthy person makes the other's interest his
own by his explicit choice ; by his own act he places his interest in the interest
of.the other, and so substitutes himself in the other's stead, as to the affair o£
interest or welfare.
And the greater that desire appears, the more earnestly, he seeks the other's
welfare, and the greater things he does to obtain it : so much the more does his
interest become his own, and so much the more does he substitute himself in the
room of the other.
'6. Especially is the client's WTelfare properly and naturally regarded, for the
sake of the patron that is very dear and worthy in the ey.es of any person, when
the way in which the patron expresses his desire of the client's welfare, that he
is closely united to, and in which he seeks it, is by suffering and being at ex
pense of his own personal and private welfare in any degree, for the welfare
of the client. Expending one's good or interest for .another, is properly trans
ferring the interest in the good expended, into the good sought : the expended
good, which is the means, is properly set aside and removed, in the- regard' of
him that is at the expense, and whose regard is placed on that good which is
the end. The good of the price is parted with, for the good of the thing pur
chased ; and therefore, here is a proper substitution of one in the place of -the
other. In such a case, therefore, in a more special manner, will it be proper and
natural for one in whose eyes the patron is very worthy, and to whom he is
very dear, to have regard to the welfare of the client for the patron's sake, or
for the sake of the patron's merit: as, suppose the client of the excellent and
dear patron be a child or spouse in captivity, and the patron lays out himself
exceedingly for the client's redemption, and goes through many and very great
hardships, and is at vast expense for the obtaining of it.
7. If the patron who seeks the welfare of the client, in his seeking of it,
does particularly and directly apply himself to the person who has so high an
esteem and affection for him, expressing his desires of the client's welfare in re
quest tohim, and the endeavors that are used with him, and what is expended
for the client's welfare be given to him, expended for him, for his sake, promo
ting his ends, or for something that his friend regards as his own interest ; . then
especially is it natural that the person, of whom his client's welfare is sought^
should be ready to grant it for his sake.
8. It is still more highly proper and natural to regard the client's' welfare?
on account of the patron's merit, or to reckon the merit of the patron to his
client's account ; if the merit of the patron consists, or especially appears in-
what he does for his client's welfare ; or if the virtues and worthy' qualities.
have their chief exercise, ahd do chiefly exhibit their amiableness in those ex
cellent and amiable acts which he performs in seeking the good of the client,.
in the deeds he performs on the account of the interest of the client, and in his
applyino- to his friend for it : in the acts he performs as an intercessor with his.
friend for it, and the service he does him on this account. In this case, it is pe
culiarly natural to accept the client,. on the account of the merit of the patron j.
for the merit is' on his account, and has its existence for the sake of the client.
9 More especially is it natural, when his merit, above all, consists and ap
pears in the very expense the patron is at of his own welfare, for the welfare-

598 OJ SATISFACTION FOR SIN.
of the client, or m the act of expending or exchanging the one for the other.
For, as was observed before, such expense is properly regarded as a price of the
client's welfare ; but when such merit is added to the price, this merit becomqs
the worth, value or preciousness of the price ; preciousness of another kind,
besides merely the value of the natural good parted with. It adds a moral
good to the price, equal to the natural good expended ; so that the worthiness
of the patron, and the value expended are offered both together in one, as the
price of the welfare of the client.
10. The thus accepting the patron's merit, as being placed to" the account of
the client, will be more natural still, if the patron puts himself in the place of
that client, undertaking to appear for him, to represent him, and act in his stead
by an exceeding great change in his circumstances, clothes himself with the
form of his client, goes where he is, takes his place in the universe, puts himself
into his circumstances, and is in all things made like unto him, wherein^ this
may be consistent with maintaining his merit inviolable. If the client be un
worthy, and an offender, and has deserved ill of the person whose favor he needs,
then abating and dismissing resentment, or lessening or withholding the evil
deserved, for the sake of the merit of the patron, is equivalent to a positive
favor for his sake, in case of no offence and demerit of punishment.
11. If the person that needs favor be an offender and unworthy, then, in
order to a proper influence and effect of the union and merit of a patron, to in
duce his friend to receive him into favor on his account, the union of the patron
with his client, and his undertaking and appearing as his patron to seek favor
for him should be in such a manner, and attended with such circumstances, as
not to diminish his merit, i. e., so as that his union with, and intercession for
the client, shall not in the least infringe on these two things, viz., the patron's
own union with his friend, whose favor he seeks for the client, and his merit
strictly so called, i. e., his own virtue. For if his own worthiness be diminished,
by his union with one that is unwwthy, then his influence to recommend the
client one way, is destroyed one way, at the same time that it is established
another. For that recommending influence consists in these two things, viz.,
his merit, and his union with the client. Therefore,if one of these is diminished
or destroyed, as the other is advanced and established ; nothing is done on the
whole toward recommending the client. Therefore, in order that, on the whole,
the client be effectually recommended, it is necessary that the patron's union
to an offending unworthy client should be attended with such circumstances,
that it shall not be at -all inconsistent with these two things, his regard to his
friend, and his regard to virtue or holiness : for in these two things consists his
merit in the eyes of his friend ; and therefore it is necessary, that his appearing
united to his unworthy and offending client should be with such circumstances
as most plainly to demonstrate, that he perfectly disapproves of his offence and
un worthiness, and to show a perfect regard to virtue, and to the honor and dig
nity of his offended, injured friend. There. is no way that this can be so
thoroughly and fully done, as by undertaking himself to pay the debt to the
honor and rights of his injured friend, and to honor the rule of virtue and right
eousness the client has violated, by putting himself in the stead of the offender,
into subjection to the injured rights and violated authority of his offended friend,
and under the violated law and rule of righteousness belonging to one in the
client's state ; and so, for the sake of the honor of his friend's authority, and
the honor of the rule of righteousness, suffering the whole penalty due to the
offender, and which would have been requisite to be suffered by him, for the
maintaining the honor and dignity of those things ; and himself, by such great

OF SATISFACTION FOR SIN. 599
¦ condescension, and under such self-denial, honoring those rights and rules by
bis obedience and perfect conformity to them ; hereby giving the most evident
testimony to all beholders, that although he loves his client and seeks his wel
fare, yet he had rather be humbled so low, deny himself so greatly, and suffer so
much, than that his welfare should be in the least diminished, his authority weak
ened, and his honor and his dignity degraded.
12. If the patron be, in the eyes of him whose favor is sought, of very
great dignity, it is agreeable to reason and nature that this should have influ
ence to procure greater favor to the client than if he were of less dignity. And
when it is inquired, whether there be a sufficiency in the patron and his rela
tion to his client, to answer to such a degree of favor as is proposed to be ob
tained for him ; the dignity of fhe patron is one thing that is to be estimated
and put into the scales, with the degree of favor sought, in order to know
whether it be sufficient to countervail it. By dignity, I here intend, not only
the degree of virtue and relation to his friend, of whom he seeks favor, but the
greatness of the person of the patron.
If, in adjusting this matter, the dignity that is viewed in the patron and his
friend's regard to him, .be so great, that, considered with fhe degree of the pa
tron's .union with his client, there is a sufficiency to countervail all the favor
that the client needs, or the utmost that he is capable of receiving, then there
is a perfect sufficiency in the patron for the client, or a sufficiency completely
to answer and support the whole interest of the client ; or a sufficiency in his
friend's regard to the patron, wholly to receive, take in, and comprehend the
client, with regard to his whole interest, or all that pertains to his welfare ; or,
which is the same thing, a sufficiency fully to answer for him as his represen
tative and substitute, in all that pertains to his welfare.
13. If the patron and client are equals as to greatness of being or degree
of existence, and the degree of the patron's union with his client should be such
(and that were possible) that he regarded the interest of the client equally with
his own personal interest ; then it would be natural for the patron's friend to
regard the client's welfare for the sake of the patron, as much as he regards the
patron's own personal welfare : because, when the case is so, the patron is as
strictly united to the client as he is to himself, and his client's welfare becomes
perfectly, and to all intents and purposes, his own interest, as much as his per
sonal welfare ; and therefore, as the-love of his friend to him disposes him to
regard whatever is his interest, to such a degree as it is his interest; so it must
dispose him to regard the client's welfare in an equal degree with his own per
sonal interest ; because, by the supposition, it is his interest in an equal degree.
But this must be here provided or supposed, viz., not only that so strict a union
of the patron and. client be possible, but also that it be proper, or that there be
no impropriety or unfitness in it : because, if it be unfit, then the patron's being
so strictly united to him, diminishes his merit ; because merit, at least in part,
consists in a regard to what is proper and fit ; and if the degree of union be un
fit, it diminishes the influence of that union to recommend the client one way,
as much as it increases it another.
14. If the patron and the client are not equals, but the patron be greater
and vastly superior as to rank and degree of existence, it gives greater weight
to his union, as to its influence with the friend of his patron, to recommend
the client ; so that a less degree of union of the patron with the client may be
•equivalent to a greater union, in case of equality. Therefore in this case,
though the union be n<Jt so great as that his regard to the client s interest
.should be equal with his own personal interest, but may be much less, yet his

€00 OF SATISFACTION FOR SIN.
regard to it may be such,, that its recommending influence maybe equivalent
to that which is fully equal in the case of equality of persons ; and therefore
may be sufficient to answer the same purposes towards- the client, and conse
quently to be perfectly sufficient for the client, with regard to the client's whole
interest. 15. From these things, we may gather this as a rule whereby to judge,
whether there be a sufficiency in the patron's union with his client, to answer
for the whole interest of the client with the patron's friend, with respect to the
degree of union of the patron, and the degree of greatness, where there is no
defect of merit in other respects, viz., that the patron's union with the client
shall be such,-that considering jointly both the degree of greatness, and degree
of union, the patron's union with his client shall be as considerable and weighty,
and have as much recommending influence, as if, in case of equality of the
patron with his client, the union between them was so great, that the patron's
regard to the welfare of the client were equal to his own.
16. Then the union of the patron has its measure and proportion according
to the rule now mentioned, and so is sufficient to answer his whole interest;
when the degree of his regard to his client's interest stands in the same pro
portion to his regard to his own personal interest, as the degree of the capacity
of the client stands in to the degree of his own capacity; for the degrees of
capacity are as the greatness or the degrees of existence of the person.
17. When the patron's regard to his client is thus proportioned, that is,
when he regards the client's interest as his own, according to the client's capa
city, then such a union may most fitly and aptly be represented, by the client's
being taken by the patron to be as a part or member of himself, as though he
were a member of his body. For men love each part of themselves as them
selves, but yet not each part equally with themselves ; but each part as them
selves, according to the measure of the capacity of the part. A man loves
his little finger as himself, but not equally with the head ; but yet with the
same love he bears to himself, according to the place, measure and capacity of
the little finger.
18. The most proper and plain trial and demonstration of this sufficiency
of union of the patron with the client, consisting in such a proportion of re
gard to his welfare as has been mentioned, is the patron's being willing to bear
sufferings for the client, or in his stead, that are equivalent to sufferings which
properly belong to the latter ; which equivalence of suffering must be detei-
mined by a joint estimation of these two things, viz., the degree of suffering,
and the greatness of the sufferer. When the effect of the patron's love to the
client is a suffering for the client that is equal in value or weight to the client's
suffering, considering the difference of the degree of persons ; it shows, that the
love to the client, which is the cause of this suffering, is also equal or equiva
lent to his love for himself, according to the different degree of the persons.
The most proper and clear trial of the measure of love or regaid to the in
terest of another, is the measure of suffering, or expense of personal interest,
for the interest of the beloved. So much as the lover regards, the welfare of
the beloved, so much in value or weight of his own welfare, will he be willing
to part with for it. If the value of the welfare obtained, be, in the regard of
the sufferer, fully equal to the value of the welfare parted with, then, there be
ing an equal balance, no preponderation of self-love will hinder parting with
one for the other. The love therefore is sufficient and equal to self-love, allow
ing only for the difference of capacity or greatness of the persons ; as the suffer
ings are equal, allowing for the same difference of the degree of persons.

OF SATISFACTION FOR SIN. 601
19. There can be but one thing more requisite, according to the nature of
things, in order to its being to all intents and purposes proper and suitable that
the patron should be accepted as one with the client, in what pertains to the
client's interest, and his merits being imputed to the client, and his having
favor on the account of it ; which is this, that seeing the client is an intelli
gent being, capable of act and choice, lie should therefore actively and cor
dially concur in the affair ; that the union between the patron and him should be
mutual ; that as the patron's heart is united to the client, so the client's heart
should be united to the patron ; that as there is that disposition and those acts
appearing in the patron that are proper to the character and relation of a
patron in undertaking for the client to appear for him before his friend, as his
representative, guardian, deliverer and Saviour, and condescending to him to do
and suffer all for him needful for his help and advancement ; so there must also
appear in the client those dispositions and acts that are proper to the character
and relation of a client, cleaving to him, committing his cause to him, and
trusting in him, in an entire approbation of the patron's friendship, kind under
taking and patronage ; and not only an approbation of the patron's union to
him, by which he avails for his being looked upon as one with him, but also
of the patron's union to his friend, whose favor he seeks, which union with his
friend avails to the acceptance of the patron ; and also an entire approbation
of the benefits which the patron seeks of his friend for the client ; or, in one
word, a cordial and entire faith of the client in his patron. When there is thus
a mutual union between the patron and client, and a union throughout between
them both, and the friend whose favor is sought, together with those things be
fore mentioned, there is every thing requisite in order to the fitness of the accep
tance of the client on the account of the patron, and his receiving such favor from
the patron's friend, as is requisite to all that pertains to the client's welfare ; so
that such acceptance and such favor shall be in all respects proper, according to
the nature of things, and common sense of intelligent beings, and of no evil or
improper consequence.
§ 4. " Besides the dignity of Christ's sufferings directly arising from the dig
nity .of his person, there is another consideration, by which the value of our
Saviour's sufferings ought to be estimated. As an indignity is always rated by
the presumption, and as the presumption bears an exact proportion to the
meanness of the person insulting, and to the greatness of the party insulted ; so,
in like manner, all acts of condescension are estimated by the humility, and
that again by the dignity of the condescending person, and by the lowness and
demerit of the party condescended to." Deism Revealed, edit. 2. voL I. p.
252, 253.
§ 5. " It were (as an excellent writer has expressed it) manifestly more
honorable and worthy of God, not to" have exacted any recompense at all,
than to have accepted, in the name of a sacrifice, such as were unpropoi tiona-
ble, and beneath the value of what was to be remitted and conferred. What
had been lower, must have been infinitely lower. Let anything be supposed
less than God, and it falls immensely short of him. Such is the distance between
created being and uncreated, that the former is as nothing to. the latter. And
therefore, bring the honor and majesty of the Deity to any thing. less than an
equal value, and you bring it to nothing. And this had been quite to lose the
design of insisting upon a recompense : it had been to make the inajesty of
neaven cheap, and depreciate the dignity of the divine government instead
of rendering it august and great." Rawlin on Justification, p. 104,105.
§ 6. It is said that God is not obliged to fulfil his threatenings of punish-
Vol. I. 76

602 OF SATISFACTION FOR SIN.
munt of sin. — Not to dispute about the import of the word obliged, let it be con
sidered, whether it is not fit that God should fulfil his threatenings. If any
answer, no ; then I would inquire further, whether the fitness, of things does not
require that God should pay some regard to his threatenings that belong to his
law as its sanction ; whether the law with its sanctions be not published or
exhibited, that his subjects may view it as a rule of proceeding between the
lawgiver and his subjects ; and whether it can have the influence intended, or
indeed any sifrnificancy, if it be not understood as such in some measure. There
fore, if it be not fit that God should act impertinently and insignificantly, it
surely is fit that some regard should be paid to the law, not only in the actions
of the subject, but also in the proceedings of the Judge. And if it be fit that
some regard should be paid to it, how great a regard ? If the rule may be set
aside and departed from in one instance, why not in two 1 And why not in
four ? Where are the limits 1 The threatenings are no farther sanctions, than
they are supposed to be declarations of truth. Therefore is it not fit that the
threatenings of the law should be neglected. Truth is a thing which should
always attend them in an inviolable manner. If God has reserved to himself
the liberty of departing from the rule at his pleasure, without any signification
beforehand, or any reason given to determine what his pleasure will bef then,
how can the subject know but that he will always depart from it ?
§ 7. Texts taken from Rawlin on Justification, which show that the holiness
and justice of God insists on sin's being punished. Levit. x. 3, " Then Moses
said unto Aaron, This is it that the Lord spake, saying, I will be sanctified in
them that come nigh me, and before all the people I will- be glorified." Psal.
xi. 6, 7, " Upon the wicked he shall rain snares, fire and brimstone, and a hor
rible tempest : this shall be the portion of their cup. For the righteous Lord
loveth righteousness : his countenance doth behold the upright." Exodus
xxxiv. 7, " Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity, and transgression
and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty ; visiting the iniquity of the
fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and
to the fourth generation." Job xxxiv. 10, 11, " Therefore hearken unto me,
ye men of understanding. Far be it from God that he should do wickedness,
and frbm the Almighty that he should commit iniquity. For the work of a
man shall he render unto him, and cause every man to find according to his
ways." Job x. 14, "If I sin, then thou makest me, and thou wilt not acquit
me from mine iniquity." Chap. vii. 20, " I have sinned, what shall I do unto
thee, 0 thou preserver of men 1 Why hast thou set me as a mark against thee,
so that I am a burden to myself V Joshua xxiv. 19, " And Joshua said unto
the people, Ye cannot serve the Lord ; for he is a holy God ; he is a jealous
God ; he will not forgive your transgressions nor your sins."
§ 8. It was needful that he that was a Mediator between two parties, that
are distant and alienated one from the other, to be the middle person to unite
them together, should himself be united to both. Otherwise he could not, by
coming between them, be a bond of union between them. And if he be a
Mediator between God and guilty men, it was necessary that he should unite
himself to them, or assume them as it were to himself. But if he unites him
self to guilty creatures, he of necessity brings their guilt on himself. If he
unites himself to them that are in debt, he brings their debt on himself. He
cannot properly unite himself to a rebel against God, and one that is obnoxious
to God's wrath, and is condemned to condign punishment, to be a Mediator to
bring God to be at peace with him, without voluntarily taking his sufferings
on himself; because, otherwise, his undertaking for such a one, and uniting

OF SATISFACTION FOR SIN. 603
himself to such a one, will appear like countenancing his offence and rebel
lion. But if at the same time that he unites himself to him, he takes it upon
himself to bear his penalty, it quite takes off all such appearance. He shows
that though he loves the rebel that has affronted the Divine Majesty, yet he at
the same time has the greatest possible, abhorrence of the injury to God's
majesty, and dishonor to his name, in that he regards the honor of God's ma
jesty so much as to be willing to endure so extreme sufferings, that the divine
glory and majesty may not be injured, but fully maintained.
§ 9. Christ suffered the wrath of God for men's sins in such a way as he
was capable of, being an infinitely holy person, who knew that God was not
angry with him personally, knew that God did not hate him, but infinitely
loved him. The wicked in hell will suffer the wrath of God, as they will have
the sense and knowledge, and sight of God's infinite displeasure towards them
ahd hatred of them. But this was impossible in Jesus Christ. Christ therefore
could bear the wrath of God in no other but these two ways.
I. In having a great and clear sight of the infinite wrath of God against
the sins of men, and the punishment they had deserved. This it was most fit
that he should have, at the time when he was suffering in their stead, and
paying their ransom to deliver them from that w7rath and punishment. That
he might know what he did, that he might act with full understanding at the
time when he made expiation and paid ransom for sinners to redeem them
from he\\, first, It was requisite that at that time he should have a clear sight
of two thincs, viz., of the dreadful evil and odiousness of that sin that he suf
fered for, that he might know how much it deserved the punishment ; that it
might be real and actual grace in him, that he undertook and suffered tuch
things for those that were so unworthy and so hateful ; which it could not be
if he did not know how unworthy they were. Secondly, It was requisite he
should have a clear sight of the dreadfulness of the punishment that he suffered
to deliver them from, otherwise he would not know how great a benefit he
vouchsafed them in redeeming them fiom this punishment ; and so it could not
be actual grace in him to bestow so great a benefit upon them ; as, in the time
that he bestowed, he would not have known how much he bestowed ; he would
have acted blindfold in giving so much. Therefore Christ, doubtless, actually
had a clear view of both those things in the time of his last suffering : every
thing in the circumstances of his last suffering concurred to give him a great
and full sight of the former, viz., the evil and hateful nature of the sin of man.
For its odious and malignant nature never appeared so much in its own proper
colors, as it did in that act of murdering the Son of God, and in exercising such
contempt and cruelty towards him. Likewise every thing in the circumstances
of his last sufferings tended to give him a striking view of the dreadful punish
ment of sin. The sight of the evil of sin tended to this, and so did the endur
ing of temporal death, that is a great image of eternal death, especially under
such circumstances, with such extreme pain, God's hiding his face, his dying a
death that by God's appointment was an accursed death, having a sight of the
malice and triumph 'of devils, and being forsaken of his friends, &c. As God
ordered external circumstances to help forward this purpose ; so, there is all
reason to think, that his own influences on Christ's mind were agreeable
hereto, his Spirit acting with his providence to give him a full view of these
things Now, the clear view of each of these must of necessity be inexpres
sibly terrible to the man Christ Jesus. His having so clear an actual view of
sin and its hatefulness, was an idea infinitely disagreeable to the holy nature of
Christ • and, therefore, unless balanced with an equal sight of good that comes

604 OF SATISFACTION FOR SIN.
by this evil, must have been an immensely disagreeable sensation in Christ's
soul, or, which is the same thing, immense suffering. But that equally clear
idea of good, to counterbalance the evil of sin, was not given at that time; be
cause God forsook Christ, and hid himselffrom him, and withheld comfortable
influences, or the clear ideas of pleasant objects. Thus Christ bare our sins ;
God laid on him the iniquities of us all, and he bare the burden of them ; and
so his bearino- the burden of our sins may be considered as something diverse
from his suffering God's wrath. For his suffering wrath consisted more in the
sense he had of the other thing, viz., the dreadfulness of the punishment of sin,
or the dreadfulness of God's wrath inflicted for it. Thus Christ was tormented
not only in the fire of God's wrath, but in the fire of our sins ; ahd our sins
were his tormentors; the evil and malignant nature of sin was what Christ
endured immediately, as well as more remotely, in., bearing the consequences
ofit. Thus Christ suffered that which the damned in hell do not suffer. For
they do not see the hateful nature of sin. They have no idea of sin in itself,
that is infinitely disagreeable to their nature, as the idea of sin was to Christ's
holy nature ; though conscience in them be awakened to behold the dreadful
guilt and desert of sin. And as the clear view of sin in its hatefulness neces
sarily brought great suffering on the holy soul of Christ, so also did the view
of its punishment. For both the evil of sin and the evil of punishment are in
finite evils, and both infinitely disagreeable to Christ's nature : the former to
his holy nature, or his nature as God ; the latter to his human nature, or to
his nature as man. Such is human nature, that a great, and clear, and full
idea of suffering, without some other pleasant and sweet idea fully to balance
it, brings suffering, as appears from the nature of all spiritual ideas. They are
repetitions (in a degree at least) of the things themselves of which they are
ideas. Therefore, if Christ had had a perfectly clear and full idea of what the
damned suffer in hell, the suffering he would have had in the mere presence of
that idea, would have been perfectly equal to the thing itself, if there had been
no idea in Christ in any degree to balance it ; such as some knowledge of the
love of God, of a future reward, future salvation of his elect, &c. But pleasant
ideas in this clearness being in a great measure withholden by reason of God's
hiding his face ; hence the awful ideas of eternal death which his. elect people
deserved, and of the dismal wrath of God, of consequence filled the soul of
Christ with an inexpressible gloom.
Though Christ knew the love of God to him, and knew he should be suc
cessful in his sufferings ; yet when God forsook him, those dismal views, those
gloomy ideas so fixed and swallowed up his mind, that though he had the habitual
knowledge of those other objects, yet he could not attend to them; he could
have comparatively but little comfort and support from them ; for they could af
ford support no farther than they were attended to, or were in actual view.
Christ's great love and pity to the elect (that his offering up himself oh the
cross was the greatest act and fruit of, and consequently which he was then in
the highest exercise of) was one source of his suffering. A strong exercise of
love excites a lively idea of the object beloved. And a strong exercise of pity
excites a lively idea of the misery under which he pities them. Christ's love
then brought his- elect infinitely near to him in that great act and suffering
wherein he especially stood for them, and was substituted in their stead : and
his love and pity fixed the idea of them in his mind, as if he had really been
they ; and fixed their calamity in his mind, as though it really was his. A
>'ery strong and lively love and pity towards the miserable, tends to make their

OF SATISFACTION FOR SIN. 605
case ours; as in other respects, so in this in particular, as it doth in our idea
place us in their stead, under their misery, with a most lively, feelinp- sense of
that misery, as it were feeling it for them, actually suffering it in their stead by
strong sympathy.
Coroll. 1. Hence we may see how the same thing, the same ideas that
distressed the soul of Christ and brought on his amazing sufferings, engaged
him to go through them. It was ordered that the bitterness of the cup, though
-exceedingly dreadful, was of that nature, or consisted in that, that the tasting
of that bitterness was the thing that engaged him to go on to drink up the cup ;
and that as the bitterness of it arose from each of the forementioned things. (1.)
As it arose from the clear idea he had then given him of the infinitely hateful
and dreadful nature of sin. The more lively this idea was, the more dreadful
was it to the soul of Christ ; and yet, the more lively his idea of the hatefulness
and dreadfulness of sin was, which consists in disobedience to God, the more
did it engage him not to disobey, himself, that great command he had received
of his Father, viz., That he should drink this cup, and go through those suf
ferings. The more he had a sense how dreadful it is to contemn the authority of
God, and to dishonor his holy name ; the more would he be engaged to remove
and abolish this dishonor, and to honor the authority of God himself. The more
he had a sense of what an odious and dreadful thing sin was, the more would
his heart be engaged to do and suffer what was necessary to take away this
dreadful and odious thing, from those his heart was united to in -love, viz., those
that the Father had given him. (2.) It was the lively exercise of love and pity
to those that the Father had given him, that was one thing that occasioned so
lively a view of the punishment they had exposed themselves to, whereby his
soul was filled with a dismal sense, and so he suffered. But this lively love
and pity at the same time engaged him to suffer for them, to deliver them from
their deserved punishment that he had an idea of. And as pity towards his
elect excited a lively idea of their misery ; so, on the other hand, the increase
of his idea of their misery excited strong exercises of pity, and this pity engaged
him still to to endure those sufferings in their stead.
Coroll. 2. From what has been said, we may learn how Christ was sanc
tified in his last sufferings. The suffering of his soul in great part consisted in
the great and dreadful sense and idea that he then had given him of the
dreadful, horrid odiousness of sin ; which was done by the Spirit of God. But
this could not be, without a proportionable increase of his aversion to, and
hatred of, sin ; and consequently of his inclination to the contrary, which is the
same thing as an increase of the holiness of his nature. Beside the immediate
sight he had given him of the odious nature of sin, he had that strong sense,
and that great experience of the bitter fruit and consequences of sin, to confirm
his enmity to it. Moreover, he was then in the exercise of his highest act of
obedience or holiness, which, tending to increase the principle, the bringing
forth of such great and abundant fruit, tended to strengthen and increase the
root. Those last sufferings of Christ, were in some respect like a fire to refine
the gold. For, though the furnace purged away no dross or filthiness, yet it
increased the preciousness of the gold ; it added to the finite holiness of the hu
man nature of Christ. Hence Christ calls his offering himself up, his sanctify
ing himself : John xvii. 19, " And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they
also may be sanctified through the truth." Hence he calls those last sufferings
a baptism that he was to be baptized with. It was a baptism to him in two re
spects, as it purged him from imputed guilt, and as it increased his holiness by

606 OF SATISFACTION FOR SIN.
the Spirit of God that gave him those terrible but sanctifying views. And so
this is one way in which the Captain of our salvation is made perfect by suffer
ings; Heb. ii. 10, and v. 9, and Luke xiii. 32. Thus Christ, before he was
glorified, was prepared for that high degree of glory and joy he was to be ex
alted to, by being first sanctified in the furnace.
II. Another way in which it was possible that Christ should endure the
wrath of God was, to endure the effects of that wrath. All that he suffered was
by the special ordering of God. There was a very visible hand of God in let
ting men and devils loose upon him at such a rate, and in separating from him
his own disciples. Thus it pleased the Father to bruise him and put him to
grief. God dealt with him as if he had been exceedingly angry with him,
and as though he had been the object of his dreadful wrath. This made all the
sufferings of Christ the more terrible to him, because they were from the hand
of his Father, whom he infinitely loved, and whose infinite love he had had
eternal experience of. Besides, it was an effect of God's wrath, that he forsook
Christ. This caused Christ to cry out once and again, " My_ God, my God, why
hast thou forsaken me 1" This was infinitely terrible to Christ. Christ's know
ledge of the glory of the Father, and his love to the Father, and the sense and
experience he had had of the worth of the Father's love to him, made the with
holding the pleasant ideas and manifestations of his Father's love, as terrible to
him, as the sense and knowledge of his hatred is to the damned, that have no
knowledge of God's excellency, no love to him, nor any experience of the in
finite sweetness of his love.
It was a special fruit of the wrath of God against our sins, that he let loose
upon Christ the devil, who has the power of death, is God's executioner, and
the roaring lion that devours the damned in hell. Christ was given up to the
devil as his captive for a season. This antitype of Jonah was thrown to this great
leviathan, to be swallowed up as his prey. The rime of Christ's suffering, was
the time of the prevalency of the power of the devil, wherein Christ was de
livered up to that power, as is implied in Luke xxii. 53 : " When I was daily
with you in the temple, ye stretched forth no hands against me : but this is your
hour, and the power of darkness.". And therefore, when Christ's last suffer
ings were approaching, Christ said, John xiv. 30, "The Prince, of this world
cometh." He was let loose to torment the soul of Christ with gloomy and dis
mal ideas. He probably did his utmost to contribute to raise his ideas of the
torments of hell.
§ 10. That God should all along require sacrifices in his church,. and that
something should be done by all that came near to him and worshipped him, or '
appeared in his presence to make atonement for their sins ; insomuch that
sacrificing obtained throughout the world in all nations and ages ; and that such
a multitude of sacrifices should be appointed ; that sacrifices should be offered
so continually, and on so many occasions, and joined with all their public wor
ship ; was a plain testimony of God, that a real atonement or satisfaction to his
justice was necessary, and that God did not design, that, in his manner of deal
ing with mankind, men should be pardoned and accepted without atonement.
And if there was nothing of true and real atonement and sacrifice, in those
beasts that were offered, then doubtless they were an evidence, that there was
to be some other greater sacrifice, that was to be a proper atonement or satisfac
tion, of which they were only the presage and signs ; as those symbolical actions
which God sometimes commanded the prophets to perform, were signs and pre
sages of great events which they foretold.
God abundantly testified by the sacrifices from the beginning of the world,

OF SATISFACTION FOR SIN. 607
that an atonement for sin was necessary, and must be, insisted on in order to his.
acceptance of the sinner. This proves that a sacrifice of infinite value was
necessary, and that God would accept of no other.
For an atonement that bears no proportion to the offence, is no atonement.
An atonement carries in it a payment or satisfaction in the very notion of it.
And if satisfaction was so little necessary, that the Divine Majesty easily ad
mitted one that bears no proportion at all to the offence, i. e., was wholly equi
valent to nothing, when compared with the offence, and so was no payment or
satisfaction at all ; then he might have forgiven sin without any atone
ment ; and an atonement could not be so greatly to be insisted upon, as is re
presented by all the prodigious expense and labor, and multitude of services, and
ceremonies, and so. great an apparatus, and so great pomp, which, with so
much exactness, were prescribed to be continued through so many ages, respect
ing their typical sacrifices and atonements, and from God's church were propa
gated through the world of mankind.
That no mere creature could offer to God that true sacrifice of real atone
ment, of which the Old Testament sacrifices were resemblances or shadows, is
evident by the Old Testament. For by the Old Testament it is evident, that
that is not sufficient to be looked upon by God as any real atonement or sacri
fice for sin, which is God's before it is offered to him. In the fiftieth Psalm we
have a prophecy of Christ's coming to set up his kingdom in the world. There,
it is said in the 5th and following verses, " Gather my saints together unto me :
those that have made a covenant with me by sacrifice" (where we may ob
serve lthat the necessity of sacrifice is implied). " And the heavens shall de
clare his righteousness ; for God is Judge himself. Selah. Hear, 0 my peo
ple, and I will speak ; 0 Israel, and I will testify against thee : I am God, even
thy God. I will not reprove thee for thy sacrifices, or thy burnt-offerings, to
have been continually before me. I will take no bullock out of thy house, nor
he-goats out of thy folds. For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle
upon a thousand hills. I know all the fowls of the mountains ; and the wild
beasts of the field are mine. If I were hungry, I would not tell thee : for the
world is mine, and the fulness thereof." But no mere creature can have any
thing to offer to God, which is not his already; for all that he has is God's
gift to him.
§ 11. That Christ indeed suffered the full punishment of the sin that was
imputed to him, or offered that to God that was fully and completely equivalent
to what we owed to divine justice for our sins, is evident by Psalm lxix. 5, " Oh
God, thou knowest my foolishness, and my sins" (my guiltiness it is in the He
brew) " are not hid from thee." That the person that is the subject of this
Psalm, and that is here speaking, is the Messiah, is evident from many places
in the New Testament, in which it is applied to Christ; as John xv. 25, and-
John ii. Yl, and Rom. xv. 3, 2 Cor. vi. 2, John xix. 28, 29, 30, with Matt, xxvii.
34, 48, and Mark xv. 23, and Rom. xi. 9, 10, Acts i. 20. And by the Psahn
itself, especially when compared with other Psalms and prophecies of the Old
Testament, it is plain, that David in this Psalm did not speak in his own name,
but in the name of the Messiah. — See of the Prophecies of the Messiah, a man
uscript of the Author, to be published in a succeeding volume of these Miscel
lanies. But if it be the Messiah that is here speaking, then by the sin and guiltiness
that he here speaks of, must be intended, not sin that he himself committed, but
that sin that was laid upon him, or that he took upon him, spoken of Isaiah liii.
And when Christ says, " 0 God, thou knowest my foolishness, and my guiltiness

608 OF SATISFACTION FOR SIN.
is not hid from thee ;" thereby must be meant, that God did not forgive that
which was imputeil to him, but punished it. When God forgives sin, and does
not execute panishment for it, then he is said not to behold iniquity, nor see
perverseness ; and to cover and hide, and bury their sins, so that they cannot he
seen or found ; and to turn away his face from beholding them, and not to re
member them any more. But when God does not remit sin, but punishes it,
then, in the language of the Old Testament, he is said to find out their sins, to
set them before him in the light of his countenance, to remember them, to bring
them to remembrance, and to know them. And therefore, when it is said here,
" 0 God, thou shalt know my foolishness, and my guiltiness hast thou not hid ;"
thereby is intended, that he forgives- nothing to the Messiah, but beholds all his
guiltiness by imputed sin, has set all in the light of his countenance, and does not
cover or hide the least part of it.
§ 12. Satisfaction for sin must be complete. God declares, that those sinners
that are not forgiven, shall pay the uttermost farthing, and the last mite ; and
that all the debt shall be exacted of them, &c. Now, it seems unreasonable to
suppose, that God, in case of a surety, and of his insisting on an atonement
made by him, will show mercy by releasing the surety without a full atonement,
any more than that he will show mercy to the sinner that is punished, by not
insisting on the complete punishment.
§ 13. Christ's knowing his own infinite dignity and glory, and having it in
view in the time of his humiliation, is mentioned as a. circumstance that is im
portant and of great consequence in that humiliation : John xiii. 3, 4, " Jesus
knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he was
eome from God, and went to God," &c.
§ 14. " Those expressions of the apostle [concerning Christ's satisfaction
and righteousness, and the operations of the Spirit], are to be understood in the
common sense and meaning of the wrords, and not as far-fetched metaphors.
For it is evident, that in all this he does not affect the arts of oratory, nor assume
a magnificent air of writing, nor does he raise himself into sublimity of style,
nor rant in an enthusiastic manner, when he treats of these subjects. But while
he is explaining to us these great things of the gospel, he avoids the wisdom of
words and oratory, and he talks in a plain, rational, argumentative method, to
inform the minds of men, and give them the clearest knowledge of the truth."
Watts' s Orthodoxy and Charity.
§. 15. Let us consider how a perfectly wise, holy, and disinterested Arbiter,
whose office it should be to regulate all things within the whole compass of
existence according to the most perfect propriety, would determine, in case the
creature should injure the Most High, should cast contempt on the jnajesty,
and trample on the anthority of the infinite Lord of the universe : whether he
would not determine, that in such a case the injury should be repaired, his
majesty vindicated, and the sacredness of the authority thoroughly supported;
and that it was very requisite, in order to things being regulated and disposed
most fitly and beautifully, that such injuries should not be forgiven in the
neglect of this, or without due care taken of this matter. If it be fit that the
honor of God's majesty should be maintained at all in any degree (which I
suppose none will deny), then why is it not most fit that it should be maintained
fully? If it would be quite improper and unsuitable, that the dignity of the
Supreme Being, the sacredness of the authority of the infinitely great Governor
of the world, should be entirely neglected, should be suffered .at all rimes, and
to the greatest degree, to be trampled on, without any care to defend or support
it ; and that the majesty of this great King, as to the manifestation of it, should

OF SATISFACTION FOR SIN. 609
De obscured by his enemies to the greatest degree, and that continually and
forever, without any vindication or reparation at all ; then why is it not most
suitable and most becoming, that the vindication of it should be thorough, and
the reparation complete and perfect 1 °
What has been observed, may serve to show the reasonableness of the doc
trine of the satisfaction of Christ ; and that it is most rational to suppose, that
if God did determine to forgive such as had cast contempt on his infinite ma
jesty, and on his authority, as the infinitely high Lord over all, and to take such
into favor, infinite wisdom would some way or other so contrive the matter, that
the injury done to the appearance or. exhibition of the dignity and sacred autho
rity of the great King, should be fully repaired, and his majesty entirely vindi
cated, and set forth in all awfulness, inviolable sacredness and worthiness of
regard and reverence. It cannot here be reasonably objected^ that God is not
capable of properly receiving any satisfaction for an injury, because he is not
capable of receiving- any benefit; that a price offered to men satisfies for an
injury, because it may truly be a price to them, or a thing valuable and bene
ficial ; but that God is not capable of receiving a benefit. For God is as capa
ble of receiving satisfaction, as injury. It is true he cannot be properly profited ;
so neither can he be properly hurt. But as rebelling against him, may properly
be looked upon as of the nature of an injury or wrong done to God, and so God
is capable, in some proper sense, of being the object of injuriousness ; so he is
as capable of being the object of that which is the opposite of injuriousness, or
the repairing of an injury. If you say, what need is there that God have any
care for repairing the honor of his majesty, when it can do him no good, and
no addition can be made to his happiness by it 1 You might as well say, what
need is there that God care when he is despised and dishonored, and his autho
rity and glory trampled on ; since it does him no hurt ? It is a vain thing here
to pretend," that God cares only, because it hurts creatures' own happiness for
them to cast contempt on God. Is that agreeable to the natural light of all
men's minds, to the natural sense of their hearts, and to the dictates of conscience,
which unavoidably and necessarily arise, after some very direct, most profane,
and daring opposition to, and reproach of the Most High, that God is now
angry and much provoked, only because the audacious sinner has now greatly
hurt himself,- and hurt his neighbors, that happen to see him 1 No, this is en
tirely diverse from the voice of natural sense in such a case, which inevitably
suggests, that God is provoked, as one will regard himself for himself, as hav
ing a direct respect for his dignity and majesty. And this is agreeable to the
strictest reason. It is impossible, if God infinitely loves and honors himself, as
one infinitely worthy to be loved and esteemed, but that he should, from the
same principle, proportionably abhor and oppose opposition to himself, and con
tempt of himself. And if it be in its own nature decent and proper for him thus
to love himself, then it is in its own nature fit and becoming in him to hate oppo
sition to himself. And for the same reason, and from the same principle, God,
when he is contemned and injured, and his authority and glory are trampled
in the dust, will be disposed to repair the injury done to his honor, and raise
his injured majesty out of the dust again.
§ 17. The satisfaction of Christ, by suffering the punishment of sin, is pro
perly to be distinguished, as being in its own nature different from the merit of
Christ. For merit is only some excellency or worth. But when we consider
Christ's sufferings merely as the satisfaction for the guilt of another, the excel
lency of Christ's act in suffering, does not at all come into consideration ; but
only those two things, viz., their equality or equivalence to the punishment that
Vol. I. " 77 ,

610 , OF SATISFACTION FOR SIN.
the sinner deserved ; and, 2dly, the union between him and them, or the pro
priety of his being accepted in suffering, as the representative of the sinner
Christ's bearmg our punishment for us, is not properly meriting that we should
not bear it, any more than, if it had been possible for us ourselves to have borne
it all, that would have been meriting that we should not be punished any more.
Christ's sufferings do not satisfy by any excellency in them, but by a fulfilment.
To satisfy by a fulfilment, and to satisfy by worthiness or excellency, are dif
ferent things. If the law be fulfilled, there is no need of any excellency or
merit to satisfy it ; because it is satisfied by taking place and having its course.
Indeed, how far the dignity or worthiness of Christ's person comes into consi
deration, in determining the propriety of his being accepted as a representative
of sinners, so that his suffering, when equivalent, can be accepted as theirs,
may be matter of question and debate ; but it is a matter entirely foreign to the
present purpose.
§ 18. The blood ofChrist washes away sin. So it is represented in the Scrip
ture, that we are washed from our filthiness in Christ's blood. Whereas, although
the blood of Christ washes from our guilt, yet it is the Spirit of Christ that
washes from the pollution and stain of sin. However the blood of Christ washes
also from the filth of sin, as it purchases sanctification ; it makes way for it by
satisfying, and purchases it by the merit of obedience implied in it. The sacri
fices under the law, typified Christ's sacrifice, not only as a satisfaction, but as
meritorious obedience. They are called a sweet savor upon both these accounts.
And therefore we find obedience compared with sacrifice, Psal. xl. 6, &c.
The sacrifice of Christ is a sweet savor, because as such it was a great
honor done to God's majesty, holiness and law, and a glorious expression and
testimony of , Christ's respect to that majesty, &c. That when he loved man,
and so greatly desired his salvation, he had yet so great respect to that majesty
and holiness of God, that he had rather die than that the salvation of man
should be any injury or dishonor unto those attributes. And then, 2dly, it was
a sweet savor, as it was a marvellous act of obedience, and some expression of
a wonderful respect to God's authority. The value of Christ's sacrifice was
infinite, both as a propitiation, and as an act of obedience ; because he showed
an infinite regard to the majesty, holiness, &c, of God, in being at infinite ex
pense from regard to those divine attributes.
§ 19. The sacrifices under the law are said to be most holy ; but the sacri
fice of Christ may properly be said to be infinitely holy, as it was an expression
of an infinite regard to the holiness, majesty, &c, of God.
§ 20. Late philosophers seem ready enough to own the greatimportance
of God's maintaining steady and inviolable the laws of the natural world. It
may be worthy to be considered, whether it is not of as great, or greater import
ance, that the law of God, that great rule of righteousness between the supreme
moral Governor and his subjects, should be maintained inviolate.
§ 21. If the threatening of death be not executed, the devil's horrid sug
gestion, and our first parents' wise suspicion, will be verified and fulfilled ; viz.,
that God said otherwise than what he knew, when he threatened, Thou shalt
surely die.
§ 22. " Had God violated his word in the threatening of death for sin, he
had justified the devil in his arguments for man's rebellion. The devils' argu
ment is a plain contradiction to God's threatening. God affirms the certainty
of death ; the devil affirms the certainty of Iikv Gen. iii. 4, " Ye shall not
surely die." Had no punishment been inflicted, the devil had not been a liar
from the beginning. God would have honored the tempter, and justified the

OF SATISFACTION FOR SIN. 6H
charge he brought against him, and owned that envy the devil accused
him of, and thereby have rendered the devil the fittest object for love and
trust. As the devil charged God with a lie ; so, had no punishment been in
flicted, God would have condemned himself, and declared Safari, instead of a
lying tempter, to be the truest counsellor. He had exposed himself to con
tempt, and advanoed the credit of his enemy, and so set up the devil as God
instead of himself; It concerned God therefore to manifest himself true, and
the devil a liar, and acquaint the world, that not himself, but the evil spirit,
was their deceiver ; and that he meant as he spoke." Charnock, vol. 2 rj.
934. . ' F
As to any objection that may be made against, the force of the foregoing
arguments, from the practice of all, and even the wisest, of- human legislators,
their dispensing with their own laws, and forbearing to execute them, and
pardoning offenders, without any one's being made to suffer in their stead ;
the case is vastly different in the Supreme Lawgiver and subordinate law
givers, and in the Supreme Judge and subordinate judges. The case is vastly
different in them that give rules only to a certain small part of the common
wealth of moral agents, and with relation- only to some few of their concerns,
and for a little while — in lawgivers that are weak and fallible, and very im
perfect in the exercises of a limited, subordinate, and infinitely inferior authori
ty;; from what it is in him, who is the great, infinitely wise, omniscient, holy,
and absolutely perfect, Rector of all ; to whom it belongs to establish a rule
for the regulation of the whole university of beings, throughout all eternity,
in all that concerns them in the exercise of an infinitely strong right of supreme,
absolute dominion and sovereignty. The laws of men may be dispensed with,
who cannot foresee' all cases that may happen.; and, if they could, hate not
both the laws and the state of the subject perfectly at their own disposal, so
that it is possible for them universally and perfectly to suit one to the other.
And moreover, there is' a superior law, i. e., the divine law, that all are subject
to, and a superior tribunal, to which all are obnoxious ; to which inferior tri
bunals, when the exigence of affairs, or any thing extraordinary in the case
requires it, may refer offenders, dispensing with inferior subordinate laws made
by men. But there is no wise and good law, but that care should be taken
that it ordinarily be put in execution : and the nearer any human law ap
proaches to the supreme or divine law in perfection, and in extent of jurisdic
tion, the more care should be taken of its execution,: the wisdom of nations
teaches this. And besides, persons' repentance may ' be proportionable and
answerable, at least in some measure, to offences against men. And as to the
public truth which is to be upheld in execution of the threatenings of human
laws, there ought to be great care to uphold it, according to the true intent
and meaning of those threatenings. If all that is meant by them, and all
that, by the very nature of the public constitution (that is the foundation on
which all their laws stand), is to be understood by those threatenings, is, that
the punisment shall be inflicted, excepting when the exigence of the public
requires otherwise, or when the pleasure of the prince is otherwise ; then the
public truth obliges to no more ; and this being done, the public truth is
maintained.

CHAPTER III.
CONCERNING THE ENDLESS PUNISHMENT OF THOSE WHO DIE IMPENITENT
§ VOBjECTiotisof modernlibertines against the Scripture evidences of future
punishment, taken from an anonymous pamphlet on that subject. ,
The word Gehenna signifies only the Valley ofHinnom. That fire was
said to be everlasting, because it was kept burning night and day.
The words ever and everlasting the Greeks understand for an age.
The word everlasting is commonly used in the law of Moses for a limited
time. That fire is said to be durable, or everlasting, that goes not out till the fuel
is consumed. The fire that consumed Sodom and Gomorrah, is called eternal fire.
If the fire is everlasting, it will not follow, that what is cast into it is ever
lasting. But the wicked are compared to chaff and stubble, which is quickly
burnt up.
The Scripture often uses very hyperbolical expressions.
§. 2. The objections of Mr. Whiston ; several of which are the same with
those mentioned above.
That the words in the New Testament, translated everlasting and eternal,
are sometimes used concerning things of a temporary duration.
That the use of the same word in both cases, viz., in both the future reward
of the saints and punishment of the wicked, does not imply the equal duration
of the punishment and the reward. Because some of the precepts of the law
of Moses are called everlasting, that are moral, and shall continue to the end of
the world ; others are so called, using the same word, that were only to last
till the Christian church was established.
That if the words eternal and everlasting do signify a proper eternity,
when applied to the punishment of the wicked, it may mean only an everlast
ing privation of being.
That the fire, and smoke, and worm, &c, may be eternal, and yet the pain
not be eternal, because the wicked may be consumed, and so their pain be at an end.
That Christ speaks of them that blaspheme the Holy Ghost, as those that
shall not be forgiven, neither in this world, nor the world to come ; implying
that others shall be forgiven in the world to come.
That Christ went and preached to the spirits in prison, i. e., preached the
gospel to the departed souls of the wicked, in order to their salvation.
That aicov in the New Testament signifies an age ; that auoreg rmv amvtov
signifies, ages of ages.
That cuSlog is used for a limited time, when, in Jude 6th, the devils are
said to be reserved in everlasting chains ; where the chains spoken of last no
longer than the day of judgment.
That some shall be beaten with many stripes ; others with few : which
must naturally mean, that some shall suffer longer than others.
That eternity of punishment is inconsistent with the divine attributes, and
therefore cannot be proved 'by any pretended revelation.
That the eternal misery of sinners can be no advantage to God, to them
selves, or to others.
That it is inconsistent with God's mercy.

OF ENDLESS PUNISHMENT. 613
That it is inconsistent with justice, to punish men eternally for their sin
ning during this short life.
That the threatening such a punishment will do no good, because,' if men
will hot be deterred from sin by the expectation of a great temporary punish
ment, neither would they by the expectation of eternal misery.
§ 3. Evidences of the doctrine.
The word everlasting is used in the very sentence of the Judge at the last
day, whom we cannot suppose to use rhetorical tropes and figures. The pun
ishment of the devil will doubtless be eternal. But the wicked shall be sen
tenced to the same everlasting fire.
The wicked that, are finally impenitent, are represented as wholly cast
away, lost, made no account of, &c, which is quite inconsistent with their
punishment being medicinal, and for their good and purification, and to fit
them for final and eternal happiness.
Eternal punishment is not eternal annihilation. Surely they will not be
raised to life the last day, only to be annihilated. " The words used to sig
nify the duration of the punishment of the wicked, do, in their etymology,
truly signify a proper eternity ; and if they are sometimes used is a less strict
sense, when the nature of the thing requires it, yet that can never pass as any
reason why they are not to be understood absolutely, when the subject is ca
pable of it. They are terms the most expressive of an endless duration, of
any that can be used or imagined. And they always signify so far positively
endless, as to be express against any other period or conclusion, than what
arises from the nature of the thing. They are never used in Scripture in any
other limited sense, than to exclude all positive abolition, annihilation, or con
clusion, other than what the natural intent or constitution of the subject
spoken of must necessarily admit. The word aimvtos, which is the word gen
erally used by the sacred writers, is, we know, derived from the adverb aet,
ymich signifies forever, and cannot without force be used in any lower sense.
And particularly, this is the word by which the eternal and immutable attri
butes of Deity are several times expressed." Dodwell's Sermon in answer to
Whiston, p. 15, 16.
Those words which Christ spoke concerning Judas, are a demonstration
of the eternity of the misery of hell — " Good had it been for that man that he
had not been born," Matt. xxvi. 44.
On the supposition that God intends finally to deliver all mankind from
misery, and make all intelligent creatures eternally happy at last; and that to
suppose the contrary (viz., the everlasting continuance of the torments of
hell) is so extremely derogatory to God's moral character, and represents
him in such black and odious colors, and as so cruel a being : why have
not Christ and his apostles, who have revealed a future and eternal world so
clearly, and brought life and immortality to light ; I say, why have they not
declared this doctrine, when speaking of future punishment, and clearly reveal
ed this glorious doctrine of such a universal eternal salvation, so much more
evangelical and agreeable to the office of Christ as a Saviour, and the design
of his coming into the world 1
§ 4. Axiom 1. If the torments of hell are purifying pains, that purge
the damned from their sins, it must be by bringing them to repentance, con
vincing them of the evil of sin, and inducing them to forsake it, and with a
sincere heart to turn from sin to God, and heartily to choose and walk in the ways
of virtue and holiness. There is no other way for sinners being purged as moral
agents; and, if hell fire is the means of any other purification, it cannot be

614 OF ENDLESS PUNISHMENT
a moral purification. These flames do not purge from sin, and bring to virtue
of heart and life, merely as a hot fire purges metals from dross, and senseless
dead lumps of matter from material filth. But the defilement which ' they
purge from,, is defilement of heart or .will; and the purity which they- bring
to, must be purity- of will, intention, choice, and the active faculties and
principles. Axiom 2. If the wicked in hell are the subjects of torments . there, in
order to their purification, and so being fitted for, and finally brought to eternal
happiness.; then they are the subjects of a dispensation, that is truly a dis
pensation of love, and of divine and infinite goodness and benevolence, towards
them. Axiom 3. . If the design of the pains of. hell be that of kind and benevo
lent chastisement, to bring sinners to repentance, and a yielding to God's au
thority, and compliance with the divine will ; then we cannot suppose that
they will be continued after the sinner has repented, and is- actually brought
to yield and comply. For that would be to continue them for no purpose ;
to go on using means and endeavors to obtain the . end when the end is
accomplished, and the thing aimed at is fully obtained already.
§ 5. If the damned, after many ages suffering extreme torment in hell,
are to be delivered, and made perfectly and eternally happy, then they must
be in a state of probation during this long season of their confinement to such
extreme misery.
If they are not in a state of probation, or on any trial how they will behave
themselves under these severe and terrible inflictions of wrath,, but are to be
- delivered, and made eternally happy at the end of a certain period ; then
what restraints are they under from giving an unbounded loose and license
to their wickedness, in expressions of enmity against God, in cursing ahd
blaspheming, and whatever their hearts are inclined- to 1 And if . they are
in such a state as this, wherein they are thus left to. unrestrained wickedness,
and every curb to their, most wicked inclination is taken off, being neverthe
less sure of deliverance and everlasting happiness; how far is this state fit to
be a state of purgation of rational creatures and moral agents from sin, being
a state wherein they are so far from means of repentance, reformation, and
entirely reclaiming and purging them from sin, that all manner of means are
rather removed ; and so much is every restraint taken off, that they are given
up wholly to sin, which, instead, of purifying them, will tend above all things
that can ¦ be conceived, to harden them in sin, and desperately establish the
habits of if?
A state of purgation of moral agents, that is, a state to bring sinners to
repentance and reformation, and not a state of trial, is a gross absurdity. If
any should say, that, though we should maintain that the pains of hell are
purifying pains, to bring sinners to repentance, in order to their deliverance
and eternal happiness ; yet there will be no necessity of supposing, either that
they may sin with impunity, and so without restraints or that they are pro
perly in a state of probation : for they have no probation whether they shall
finally have eternal happiness, because it is absolutely determined by the be
nevolent Creator, concerning his intelligent creatures, that they shall finally
be brought to a state of happiness : but yet their circumstances may be such
as may tend greatly to restrain their wickedness, because the case with them
may be thus, that the time of their torment shall be longer or shorter, accord
ing as they behave themselves under their chastisements more or less per
versely ; or that their torment shall be raised to a greater height, and addi-

OF ENDLESS PUNISHMENT. 615
tions be made in proportion to the wickedness they commit in their purgatory
flames. To this, I answer : Even on this supposition they are in a state of
probation for a more speedy possession of eternal life and happiness, and de
liverance from further misery and punishment ; this makes their state as much
a state of probation, as their state in the present life. For here it is supposed
by these men, that sinners are not in a state of trial, whether ever they shall
obtain eternal happiness or no ; because that is absolutely determined, and
the determination known or knowable concerning all without any trial. But
only it is a state of trial whether they shall obtain eternal life so soon as at
the end of their lives, or at the day of judgment. Neither have they any trial
during this life, whether they shall escape all affliction and chastisement for
sin or not ; but whether they shall be relieved from a state of suffering so
soon, and shall escape those severer and longer chastisements that, with respect
to many, are to come afterwards. And on the supposition of the objection,
there must be the proper circumstances of a state of probation in hell, as well
as on earth. There they must likewise be continued in that state of free
agency, that renders them properly the subjects of judgment and. retribution.
For on the supposition of the objection, they shall be punished for their wick
edness in hell, by an addition to their misery proportioned to their sin ; and
Uhey shall be the subjects of God's merciful strivings, endeavors, and means
to bring them to repentance, as well as here. And there must be a divine
judgment after the trial, to determine their retribution, as much as after this
life. And the same, or like things, must be determined by the Supreme Judge,
as will be determined at the day of judgment. At that great day on the sup
position of such as I oppose, what will be determined concerning the im
penitent ? not what their eternal state shall be, but only whether they must
have eternal happiness immediately ; whether they have repented, and are
qualified for immediate admission to heavenly glory, or, whether the bestow
ment of it shall be delayed, and farther chastisements made use of, and so it
must be again after their castigatory purifying pains. At the end of all, there
must be a judgment, whether now they truly repent, and so have performed
the condition of deliverance, and immediate admission to the state of- the
blessed, or whether there shall be a further season of misery ; which brings it
in all respects to be a proper judgment, as much as that at the general resur
rection ; and the preceding time of the use of means and God's striving with
them to bring them to repentance, is as much a proper time of trial in order
to judgment, as the time of this life.
§ 6. But if it be so, that the damned are in a state of trial, let it be con
sidered how unreasonable this is. -
If they are in a state of trial, then they must be in a state of liberty and
moral agency, as those men will doubtless own ; and so, according to their
notion of liberty, must be under no necessity of continuing in their rebellion
and wickedness, but may cast away their abominations, and turn to God
and their duty, in a thorough subjection to his will, very speedily. And then,
seeing the end of their probationary^ state, and the severe means God uses
with them to bring them to repentance, is obtained ; how unreasonable will
it be to suppose, that God, after this, would continue them still under hell
torments for a long succession of ages ? But if not so, but God should
speedily deliver them on their speedy repentance ; how are the threatenings
and predictions of their everlasting punishment fulfilled in any sense, accord
ing to the sense even of those who deny the absolute eternity of the misery
of hell, and hold that the words everlasting and forever, &c., when applied

616 OF ENDLESS PUNISHMENT.
to the misery of the damned, are not to be taken in the strictest sense 1 They
yet allow they signify a very long time, a great many ages.
§ 7. If the devils and damned spirits are in a state of probation, and
have liberty of will, and are under the last and most extreme means to bring
them to repentance, and consequently the greatest means, having the strongest
tendency of all to be effectual, I say, if thus, then it is possible that the
greatest part, if not all of them, may be reclaimed by those extreme means,
and may be brought to thorough repentance before the day pf judgment; yea,
it is possible, it might be very soon. And, if so, how could it certainly be
predicted concerning the devil, that he would do such and such great things
in opposition to Christ and his church, from age to age 1 and that at last he
should be judged and punished, and have God's wrath more terribly executed
upon him 1 as, Rev. xx. 10 : " And the devil that deceived them, was cast
into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and false prophet are,
and shall be tormented day and night, forever and ever. And how is it said
in Scripture, that when he fell, he was cast down from heaven, and reserved
under chains of darkness unto judgment 1 The expression seems naturally
to signify strong and irrefragable bonds, which admit of no comfort or hope of
escape. And besides, a being reserved in chains unto judgment, is not con
sistent with the appointment of another time of trial and opportunity to escape
the judgment and condemnation. It is said, Jude 6, " They are reserved in
everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day." And
if any of the separate souls of the wicked, that are in the case that the soul
of the rich man was in, when he died and lift up his eyes in hell being in tor
ments, should repent and be. delivered before the day of judgment, and so
should appear at the right hand among the righteous at that day, then how
could that be verified, 2 Cor. v. 10, " For we must all stand before the judg
ment-seat of Christ, that every one may receive the things done in his body,
whether good or bad 1" And we have reason to think, that the time of stand
ing before the judgment seat of Christ, which the apostle has a special respect
to, is the day of judgment, if we compare this with other Scriptures ; as
that of the same apostle, Acts xvii. 31: "He hath appointed a day in
which he will judge the world in righteousness, by that man whom he hath
ordained." And many other places.
§ 8. And how does their being in a state of trial, many of them for so
many ages after death before the day of judgment, during all which time they
have opportunity to repent, consist with those words of Christ, Mark viii. ,38,
" Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous
and sinful generation, of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he
cometh in the glory of his Father, with the holy angels 1" How is their con
tinuing in a state of trial from the time of that generation, and from the end
of their lives to the day of judgment, consistent with its being declared to them
from God beforehand, that they shall certainly be condemned at the day of
judgment 1 or, with Ghrist's certifying them beforehand, that whatever trial
they shall have, whatever opportunity God should give them for repentance
and pardon, for so many ages, all woukTbe in vain ; which in effect is passing
the sentence.
We may argue in like manner, from those words, Matt. x. 14, 15 : " And
whosoever shall not receive you, and hear your words — Verily I say unto you,
It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in. the day of
judgment, than for that city." So Matt. xi. 21, 22 : " Wo unto thee, Cho-
razin, wo unto thee, Bethsaida — I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable

OF ENDLESS PUNISHMENT. q yj
for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment, than for you. And thou, Caper
naum, which art exalted to heaven, shalt be brought down to hell.  I say unto
you, it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judg
ment than for thee." Two things may be noted in these sayings of Christ. &
(1.) It is here declared what the state of those obstinate unbelievers should
be at the day of judgment, for their wickedness here in the body, with an
asseveraton, / say unto you. And sentence indeed is passed beforehand upon
them by their Judge, concerning the punishment that shall be executed upon
them at the day of judgment. The declaration is made in the form of a solemn
denunciation or sentence : Wo unto thee, Chorazin, wo unto thee, Bethsaida,
&c. And, is it reasonable to suppose, that the very Judge that is to judge them
at the end of the world, would peremptorily declare, that they should not escape
punishment at the day of judgment; yea, solemnly denounce sentence upon
them, dooming them to the distinguished punishment they should then suffer
for their obstinacy in their lifetime ; and yet appoint another time of triah of
a great many hundred years between their death and the day of judgment,
wherein they should have opportunity to escape that punishment "?
(2.) It is here also to be observed, that the wicked inhabitants of Sodom
and Gomorrah should be condemned to misery at the day of judgment, though
they had already been in their purifying flames, and in a state of probation,
under the most powerful means to bring them to repentance for 1900 years,
and should be after that for more than 1700 years. So we may argue, from
Rom. ii. 3 — 12, 16, where the apostle speaks of men's treasuring up wrath
against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, by
their abusing the day wherein God exericises towards them the riches of his
goodness, forbearance and long-suffering, which should lead them to repent
ance; plainly intimating, verse 6th, that the Judge in that day would render
unto every man according to his deeds ; to them who by patient continuance
in well-doing, &c, eternal life ; but to them who are contentious, &c, tribula
tion and wrath, &c. And that as many as sinned without law, should perish
without law ; and as many as have sinned in the law, should be judged by the
law : which plainly shows that they are to be judged according to their deeds
during this life, wherein alone there is this distinction of some sinning without
the law, and some sinning in the law. And then in verse 16, the apostle ,
repeatedly tells us, when these things shall be, that men shall thus receive their
retribution ; " In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men according
tomy gospel ;" which shows that this life, is the only state of trial, and that all
men shall be judged at the end of the world according to their behavior in
this life, and not according to their behavior in another state of trial, between
this life and that day ; which, with respect to most, will be so vastly longer
than this life ; and when they (as is supposed) will be under more powerful
means to bring them to repentance. So, it is apparent, by 2 Thess. i. 5 — 9,
" Which is a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God — seeing it is a
righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you.
—When the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels,
in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and obey not the
gospel of Jesus Christ ; who shall be punished with everlasting destruction,"
&G. Here it is manifest, that all that are obstinate unbelievers, rejecters of
the gospel, and persecutors of believers, shall, at the day of judgment, be
punished with everlasting destruction. So that no room is left for a state of
trial, and a space to repent before that time for ages in hell. So it is apparent,
Matt, xxv, that none will be found at the right hand, but they that have done
Vol I. 78

618 OF ENDLESS PUNISHMENT.
such good works, as can be done only in this world ; which would not be
declared beforehand, if there was an opportunity given for millions of others to
obtain that privilege.
§ 9. If it should be supposed (however unreasonably), that though it be
already declared by a peremptory sentence of the Judge, that all sinners con
tinuing obstinate during this life, should be condemned at the day of judgment,
still this is consistent with their being in a state of probation, in order to escap
ing condemnation during the space between death and the general judgrnent :
Yet the account which the Scripture gives of that day, in several of those fore-
mentioned texts, is inconsistent with men's being in a state of trial during that
space. For, if they are in a state of trial during this space, then they are ac-
• countable for their ill improvement of that space, and the proper subjects of
judgment and condemnation for their wickedness during that space ; and so those
works would come into the account, when they appear at the great judgment,
as well as those done in the body, which would be no more done during.a state
of probation than the former. This is not consistent with every one's receiving
according to the things done in the body, or in proportion to the guilt that
every one contracted then. It is inconsistent with the description Christ gives
of the day of judgment in the 25th of Matthew, where Christ says not only to
them on his right hand, I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat, &e. — and
the good works are all such as are done only in this world ; but all the wick
edness which those are condemned for, who are at the left hand, is such as is
committed in this life only.
§ 10. It may be proved, that the day of man's trial, and the time of God's
Striving in the use of means to bring him to repentance, and waiting for his
repentance under the use of means, will not be continued after this, life, from
those words, Gen. vi. 3, " My Spirit shall not always strive with man, for thai
he also is flesh ; yet his days shall be 120 years." It is as much as to say,
that it is not fit that this day of trial arid opportunity should last always t&
obstinate, perverse sinners. It is fit some bounds should be set to my striving
and waiting on such as abuse the day of my patience ;, and that merciful meant
and gracious calls should not be continued, without limits, to them that tramplft
all means and mercies under foot, and turn a deaf ear to all calls and invitations,
and treat them with constant contempt. Therefore I will fix a certain limit ,
I will set their bounds to 120 years : when, if they repent not, I will put an
end to all their lives, and with their lives shall be an end of my striving and
waiting. This, which in Genesis is called God's Spirit striving, is by the
apostle Peter expressed, by the waiting of the long-suffering of God, 1 Vet.
iii. 20. But, according to the doctrine we are opposing, instead of God's
striving and using means to bring those wicked men to repentance, and waiting
in the use of striving and endeavors 120 years, or to the end of their lives,
and no longer ; he has gone on still since that, for above 4000 years, striving
with them in the use of more powerful means to bring them to repentance, and
waiting on them, and will continue to do so for so long a time afterwards,
that the time is often called everlasting, and represented as enduring forever
and ever.
§ 11- Those words of Christ, " I must work the works of him that sent me
while it is day, the night cometh wherein no man can work," John ix. 4, prove
mat there is no other day of trial after this life. Christ having undertaken for
us, and taken on him our nature, and appearing in the form of a servant,
and standing as our surety and representative, had a great work ap
pointed him of God to do in this life for eternity. He could not obtain eternal

OF ENDLESS PUNISHMENT. 61g
life and happiness for himself any other way, than by doing that work in this
hfe, which was the time of his probation for eternity, as well as ours. And
therefore his words imply as much as if he had said, I must do that work which
God has appointed me to do for eternity, that great service which must be done,
as I would be eternally happy, now while the day of life lasts, which is the
only day appointed for the trial of man's faithfulness in the service of God in
order to his being accepted to eternal rewards. Death is coming, which will
be.the setting of the sun, and the end of this day; after which no work will
remain, nothing to be done that will be of any significance in order to the
obtaining of the recompense of eternal felicity. .
§ 12. And doubtless to the same purpose is that in Eccles. ix., " What
soever thy hand findeth to do, do it with. thy might: for there is no work"
(or no man can work), " nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom in the grave,
whither thou goest.'' As much as to say, after this life, nothing can be done,
nothing invented or devised in order to your happiness ; no wisdom or art will
serve you to any such purpose, if you neglect the time of the present life. It
is unreasonable to suppose the wise man means only that we should in this
life do all that we can in temporal concerns, and to promote our temporal
interest, and that nothing can be done towards this after this life : not only as
this would be an observation of very little importance, it being as flat and
impertinent as if he had said, whatever your hand finds to do this year, do it
with your might ; for nothing that you do or devise the next year, will signify
any thing to promote your interest and happiness this year : but also because
the wise man himself, in the conclusion of this book, informs us, that his drift
through the whole book- is1, to induce us to do a spiritual work ; to fear God
and keep his commandments, in order, not to happiness in this life (which he
tells us through the book is never to be expected), but in order to a future
happiness and retribution in consequence of a judgment to come ; chap. xii. 13,
14, "Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter. Fear God, and keep
his commandments. For this is the whole" (i. e. the whole business, the whole
concern) "of man. For God will bring every work into judgment, whether
it be good, or whether it be evil."
§ 13. If the wicked in hell are in a state of trial, under severe chastisements,
as means in order to their repentance and obtaining the benefit of God's favor
in eternal rewards, then these things will follow. 1. That they are in a state
of such freedom as makes them moral agents, and the proper subjects of judg
ment and retribution. 2. It will also follow, seeing that the torments of hell
which they suffer, being the last means God uses, or such as will be effectual
after all other means have failed or proved utterly ineffectual, so that it ap
peared in vain to use them any longer, so that there was no other way left,
than to have recourse to those severe means which will finally be effectual with
every one, will bow all their hearts, and thoroughly purge their minds, and
bring them to repentance ; I say, if this be the case, then it is evident, that
those terrible chastisements are made use of as the most powerful means of all,
more efficacious than all the means used in this life which prove ineffectual,
and -which proving insufficient to overcome sinners' obstinacy, and prevail with
their hard hearts, God is compelled to relinquish them all, and have recourse
to those torments as the last means, the most effectual and powerful. 3. If the
torments of hell are to last a very long time, ages of ages, the torments of the
sinners of the old world till the end of the world, and after that so long, that
the time is often and almost constantly represented figuratively as everlasting,
lastin0, forever and ever ; then it must be because sinners in hell all this while

620 OF ENDLESS PUNISHMENT.
are obstinate ; and though they are free agents as to this matter, yet wilfully
and perversely refuse, even under such great means, to repent, forsake their
sins, and turn to God. If the end of their torment is to bring them to repent
ance, it is unreasonable to suppose that they will be continued under their tor
ments after they are brought to repentance. They must therefore frowardly
go on in their rebellion, enmity and opposition to the great God, whose power
they feel in their misery ; who continues with the greatest peremptoriness to
command them to forsake their sins, and submit to him immediately without
delay ; adding withal severe chastisements and terrible torments to bow their
wills and bring them to compliance. They must with desperate hardness of
heart refuse to return to their duty, though they feel the dreadful effects of this
refusal, and know, that by persisting in it, they must continue to groan under
them for ages more. And, 4. It must be farther supposed, that all this is while
they not only suffer these dreadful chastisements for their obstinacy, and know
they must suffer them till they comply, though it be ever so many millions of
ages; but also that they have the offers of immediate mercy, and deliverance
made to them, if they will comply. Now, if this be the case, and they shall go
on in such wickedness, and continue in such extreme obstinacy and pertina-
ciousness, for so many ages (as is supposed, by its being thought their torments
shall be so long continued), how desperately will their guilt be increased ! How
many thousand times more guilty at the end of the term, than at the beginning!
And therefore they will be much the more proper objects of divine severity,
deserving God's wrath, and still a thousand times more severe or longer^con1-
tinued chastisements than the past ; and therefore it is not reasonable to suppose,
that all the damned should be delivered from misery, and received to -God's
favor, and made the subjects of eternal salvation and glory at that time-, when
they are many thousand times more unworthy of it, more deserving of contin
uance in misery, than when they were first cast into hell. It is not likely that
the infinitely wise God should so order the matter. And if their misery should
be augmented, and still lengthened out much longer, to atone for their new
contracted guilt; they must be supposed to continue impenitent, till that second
additional time of torment is ended ; at the end of which their guilt will still
be risen higher, and vastly increased beyond what it was before. And, at this
rate, where can there be any place for an end of their misery ?
§ 14. It farther appears from what was observed above, that the sinner
continuing obstinate in wickedness under such powerful means to reclaim him,
for so long a time, will be .so far from being more and more purged, or brought
nearer to repentance, that he will be, as it were, infinitely farther from it.
Wickedness in his heart will be vastly established and increased. For, it may
be laid down as an axiom, that the longer men continue wilfully in wickedness,
the more is the habit of sin established, and the more and more will the heart
be hardened in it. Again, it may be laid down as another axiom, that the great
er and more powerful the means are, that are used to bring men to reform and
repent, which they resist, and are obstinate under, the more desperately are
men hardened in sin, and the more the principle of it in the heart is confirmed.
It may be laid down as a third axiom, that especially does long continuance
in perverse and obstinate rebellion against any particular kind of means, tend
to render those particular means vain, ineffectual, and hopeless.
After the damned in hell have stood it out with such prodigious and devilish
perverseness and stoutness, for ages of ages, in their rebellion and enmity against
God, refusing to bow to his will under such constant, severe, mighty chastise
ments, attended all the while with offers of mercy, what a desperate degree of

OF ENDLESS PUNISHMENT. 621
hardness of heart and fixed strength of habitual wickedness will they have
contracted at last, and how inconceivably farther will they be from a penitent,
humble, and pure heart, than when first cast into hell! And if the torments
should be lengthened out still longer, and also their impenitence (as by the
supposition one will not end before the other does); still the farther will the
heart be from being purified. And so, at this rate, the torments will never at
all answer their end, and must be lengthened out to all eternity.
§ 15. Matt. v. 25, 26, " Agree with thine adversary quickly, while thou
art in the way with him ; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the
judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison. Verily
I say unto thee, thou shalt not come out thence, till thou hast paid the utter
most farthing.'^ These words imply, that sinners are in the way with their
adversary, having opportunity to be reconciled to him but for a short season,
inasmuch as it is intimated, that they must agree with him quickly, or they shall
cease to be in the way with him, or to have opportunity to obtain his favor
any more. But, if they shall be continued in a state of probation after death
to the end of the world, and after that for (as it were) endless ages, how far,
how very far, are these words of Christ from representing the matter as
it is !
§ 16. That some even in this world are utterly forsaken of God, and given
up to their own hearts' lusts, proves that these men never will be purified from
their sins. That God should, in the future world, use great means to purify
them, and fit them for eternal happiness and glory, in the enjoyment of himself,
is not consistent with the supposition, that, after the use of great means and
endeavors with them in this world, he gives them up to sin, because of their
incorrigibleness and perverse obstinate continuance in rebellion, under the use
of those great means, and so leaves them to be desperately hardened in sin, and
to go on and increase their guilt, and multiply transgressions to their utter ruin ;
which is agreeable to manifold representations of Scripture. This is not agree
able to the scheme of such as suppose, that God is all the while, both before
and after death, prosecuting the design of purifying and preparing them for
bringing them to eternal glory. Consider Prov. xvi. 4, " The Lord hath made
all things for himself; yea, even the wicked for the day of evil." Psal. xcii.
7, "When the wicked spring as grass, and when all the workers of iniquity
do flourish, it is that they shall be destroyed forever." These places show,
God has no merciful design with those whom he gives up to sin.
§ 17. The apostle, in Heb. vi. 4, 5, 6, says, " It is impossible for those
who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, &c, if they
fall away, to renew them again unto repentance, seeing they crucify to them
selves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame," &c. The apos
tle, speaks of their renovation to repentance, as (at least) never likely to hap
pen ; for this reason, that they have proved irreclaimable under such great
means to bring them to repentance, and have thereby so desperately hardened
their hearts, and contracted such great guilt by sinning against such great
light, and trampling on such great privileges. But if so, how much more
unlikely still will it be, that they should ever be renewed to repentance, after
they have gone on still more and more to harden their hearts by an obstinate,
wilful continuance in sin, many thousand years longer, under much greater
means ; and have therefore done immensely more to establish the habit of sin,
and increase the hardness of their hearts ; and after their guilt is so vastly
increased, instead of being diminished-? If it be impossible to bring them to
repentance, after they have rebelled against such light and knowledge of

622 OF ENDLESS PUNISHMENT.
Christ, and the things of another world, as they had in this life; how much
more impossible is it, when, added to this, they have had that infinitely greater
and clearer knowledge and view df those things to be manifested at the day
of judgment; ,when "they shall see Christ in the. glory of his Father, with all
his holy angels j shall see his great majesty, shall see the truth' of the things
of the word of God, and know the truth' of his promises and threatenings, by
sight and experience ; and shall see all those ineffable manifestations of the
glory of Christ, of his power, omniscience,, strict inflexible justice, infinite
holiness and purity, truth and faithfulness, and infinite mercy to penitents;
and the evidences of the dreadful consequences of rebellion and wickedness,
and the infinitely happy and glorious consequences of the contrary; withal,
even at this time, having the offers of mercy and deliverance from that dread
ful misery, and the enjoyment of the favor of their great Judge, and partici
pation of all the happiness and glory of the righteous which they shall see at
his right hand, if then they will throw down the weapons of their rebellion,
and repent, and comply with his will ; and they still, from the greatness of
their enmity and perverseness, obstinately and wilfully refuse, yea, and continue
still .thus refusing, even after they have actually felt the terrible wrath of God,
and are cast into the lake of fire ; yea, after they have continued there many
ages, all the while under offers of mercy on repentance ; I say, if it be impos
sible to renew them to repentance, after their rebelling against, and trampling
on the light and knowledge, and means used with them in this world, so that
it is not to be expected, because of the degree of hardness and guilt contracted
by it; how much less is it to be expected at the day of judgment, after all
this obstinacy manifested, and guilt contracted 1 If guilt be contracted by
despising such means and advantages as the apostle has respect to in this
life, that it may be compared to guilt that would be contracted by crucifying
Christ afresh ; how much more, when, added, to this, they shall so openly
have despised Christ, when appearing to them in all the terrors, and glories,
and love, that shall be manifested at the day of judgment, in their immediate
and most clear view, and all is offered to them, if they will but yield subjection
to him ; and their enmity shall have appeared so desperate as rather to choose
that dreadful lake of fire, and shall have continued in their choice even after they
have felt the severity of that torment without rest day or night formany ages-?
§ 18. That all shall not be finally purified and saved, is manifest from
Matt. xii. 31, 32 : " Wherefore I say unto you, all manner of sin and blas
phemy shall be forgiven unto men ; but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost
shall not be forgiven unto men. And whosoever speaketh a word against the
Son of man, it shall be forgiven him ; but whosoever speaketh against the
Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the
world to come." — Also, Mark iii. 28, 29 : " Verily I say unto you, all sins shall
be forgiven unto the sons of men, and all blasphemies wherewith soever they shall
blaspheme ; but he that shall blaspheme against the Holy Ghost, hath never for
giveness, but is in danger of eternal damnation." — And 1 John v. 16, " If any
man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall
give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a -sin unto death;
I do not say he shall pray for it." From each of these places, it is manifest,
that be that is guilty of blasphemy against the Holy Ghost, shall surely be
damned, without any deliverance from his punishment, or end to it.
But the various expressions that are used, serve much to certify and fix
the import of others. In Matt. xii. 31 it is said, " The blasphemy against the
Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men." The negative is general, and

OF ENDLESS PUNISHMENT. 623
equally respects all times. If this sin should be forgiven at a remote time, it
would be as contrary to such a negative as this, as if it were forgiven him
immediately. But, to determine us that Christ has respect to all times, even
the remotest, and that he means to deny that he shall be forgiven at any time
whatsoever, ip Mark it is said, " he shall never be forgiven," or, " hath never
forgiveness ;" and, lest this never should be interpreted to mean, never as long
as he lives, or never in this world, it is said in Matt. xii. 32, " It shall not be
forgiven him, neither in this world, nor in the world to come." And lest
it should be said, that, although he never is forgiven, yet that does not hinder
but that there may be an end to his punishment ; because he may suffer all
he deserves in suffering a temporal punishment, or punishment of a limited,
long duration ; and he that is acquitted in paying all his debt, is not said to
be forgiven his debt : another expression is used in Mark, which shows, that
he shall ever suffer damnation, and never have deliverance from his misery,
whether by forgiveness or without it — " Hath never forgiveness, but is in
danger of eternal damnation." And the forementioned expressions, " He shall
never be forgiven ;" " He hath never forgiveness ;" " Shall not be forgiven
in this world, nor the world to come," show the meaning of the word eternal
here, to be such as absolutely excludes any period, any time of favor, wherein
wrath, condemnation' and punishment, shall have ceased. And what the
apostle John says of those who commit the unpardonable sin, confirms the
whole, and proves, that he that has committed this sin remains under no dis
pensation of mercy, and that no favor is ever to be hoped for from God for
him; and therefore it is not our duty to pray for favor for. such :¦ " There is a
sin unto death, I do not say he shall pray for it ;" or, I give you no direction
to pray for them that sin this sin unto death.
Thus it is evident, that all wicked men will not have an end to their dam
nation ; but when it is said, they are in danger of eternal or everlasting dam
nation, the word eternal is to be understood in the strictest sense. The same
terms are used concerning all impenitent sinners, all that die in their sins, that
they shall be sentenced to eternal punishment, and shall go into everlasting
punishment, &c. — That their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched ;
and they shall be tormented forever and ever ; and such terms are used after
this world comes to an end; and also when they that have committed the
unpardonable sin, and others, shall be sentenced all together to an everlasting
fire, in the same terms. It is unreasonable to suppose that the punishment of
some will be everlasting, in an infinitely different sense from others jointly
sentenced ; and that the duration of the punishment of one shall be perfectly as
nothing, compared with the duration of the punishment of the other, infinitely
less than a second to a million of ages. And it is unreasonable to suppose such
a difference, also on this account, that there cannot be such a difference in the
demerit of them that commit the unpardonable sin, and the demerit of the
sins of all other wicked men, some of whom are exceedingly, and almost in
conceivably wicked,. There cannot be a truly infinite difference in their guilt,
as there must be a properly infinite difference between the dreadfulness of those
torments that have an end, however long continued, and however great, and
the torments of a truly and strictly everlasting fire.
§ 19. If the damned in hell shall all finally be saved, they shall be saved
without Christ. It is in itself unreasonable to suppose, that, since God has
done such great things for the salvation of mankind, things that are celebrated
in such a manner in Scripture, in both Old Testament and New, expressed
everywhere in such exalted terms : things that the prophet, and apostle from

624 OF ENDLESS PUNISHMENT.
him, says, " Eye hath not seen,nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart
of man from the beginning of the world ;" I say, since God has done things
so transcendently great for the salvation of sinners, to open a door for their
escape from misery, ; it is unreasonable to imagine, when these joyful tidings
are proclaimed to sinners, and this glorious Saviour and great salvation pre
offered to them, and they fail of being saved by Christ only through their wil
ful obstinacy and contempt, that, after all, God would put them into such a
state that they should have salvation offered to them at any time, whenever
they (being left to the freedom of their own wills) see cause to repent and
subject themselves to God, without Christ, or any concern in that sacrifice he
has offered up for sin. The Scripture teaches us, that there is no remission
of sin, without sacrifice to atone for sin ; that without the shedding of blood
there is no remission. But since God has provided so great a sacrifice for sin
as that of his only begotten Son, the Creator and Ruler, and great Judge of
the universe ; surely it is unreasonable to expect, that any other will be ap
pointed in the room of this for sinners' salvation, because they obstinately re
ject this. Besides, that there is salvation in no other, and no other name is
given under heaven by which men must be saved ; and that he is the true
fight that lighteth every man that ever is enlightened^ that life and happiness
for men are in him and him only ; that he only is the way to the Father, and
that his one sacrifice is the only sacrifice for sin ; is abundantly declared in
the Scriptures. The Levitical priesthood lasted long, but finally gave place
to that of Christ ; but Christ gives place to no other ; is not to be succeeded
by another sacrifice, by which the damned that have rejected this, shall at last
be saved. For by the oath of God he is a priest forever. He hath an ever
lasting priesthood. It is plainly implied in Hebrews viii. that God, finding
fault with the ancient priesthood and sacrifices, removed them, as not making
any thing perfect, not completing the design of God's holiness, wisdom and
grace ; to make way for the priesthood and sacrifice of Christ, which he finds
no fault with, and by which perfection is arrived at, and which, therefore,
God establishes with a design never to remove it, or introduce any other ; but
that this should continue forever, as an unchangeable priesthood : and there
fore, Christ by the word of the oath is consecrated forevermore. In Heb. x.
26, 27, the apostle says, " If we sin wilfully after we have received the
knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sin, but a cer
tain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the
adversaries:" by which two things are manifest; (1,) that without'a sacrifice
for sin, there is no deliverance from punishment ; and, (2,) that there is no
other sacrifice for sin, by which sinners can be delivered, but that of Christ.
But now I come to observe, that the damned in hell will never be saved
by Christ, or through his sacrifice. This is implied in Heb. ix. 27, 28 : " As
it is appointed unto men once to die, and after this the judgment ; so Christ
was once offered ;" intimating, that if after death there was not to be a final
and decisive judgment, but still there was to be a door opened for sinners' sal
vation by Christ, there might be more reason to suppose it needful that he
should be offered again ; because Christ tabernacled with men in this world,
was united to them, and conformed to them, only to save men in this world,
or in this present mortal state. But the apostle's drift plainly supposes, that
this will not be ; but that final judgment will be passed after death ; and no
door opened for salvation any more ; and so no occasion for any further sacri
fice, or this sacrifice being offered again. And further, it is manifest, that
Christ's saving work yvill be at an end at the day of judgment ; inasmuch as

OF ENDLESS PUNISHMENT.

625

Christ has a twofold office, that of the Saviour of the world, and the Judge
of the world ; so the business of the latter office properly succeeds the former ;
and it is not fit in the nature of things, that he should come into the world
and appear openly in the character and work of universal Judge, to decide
men's state, in consequence of the trial there has been for making their state
better by salvation, till that trial is over and all its effects completed, when no
more is to be hoped as to altering their state for the better by his salvation.
Then is the proper season for him to clothe himself with, and to appear in
mis other character, that of a judge, and to decide and fix men's final and ever
lasting state. Therefore Christ, at his first coming, appeared to save men from
condemnation and a sentence of eternal misery ; and not to judge them, as he
tells us, John xii. 47 : " If any man hear my words and believe not, I judge
him not : for I came, not to judge the world, but to save the world." See-
also chap. iii. 17, and viii. 15. But the great business he will come upon at
his second coming, as is abundantly declared, is to judge the world. And it is
also exceedingly plain, that Christ's saving work will be at an end at the day
of judgment ; because we read that all power was given him in heaven and
•earth, that he might give eternal life to as many as God had given him. He
was exalted at God's own right hand, to be a prince and a Saviour. He
had a commission given him of the Father to govern the kingdom and manage
the affairs of it by a universal dominion over heaven and earth, that he might
order all in subservience to the great design of accomplishing the salvation of
men. He was made head over all things to the church. But we read, 2 Cor.
xv., that at the end of the world he will deliver up this kingdom ; he will re
sign this commission : which proves, that the work of salvation, which is the
design of it, will be at an end, when all his enemies, all that rejected him, and
would not have him to rule over them, and so have failed of his salvation,
shall be made his footstool, shall be condemned and destroyed. Instead of
being the heirs of salvation, he shall come inflaming fire to take vengeance on
them that know not God, and obey not the gospel of Jesus Christ, who shall
be punished with everlasting destruction, &c. — When he shall come to be glori
fied in his saints, and admired in all them that believe, 2 Thess. i. 8, 9, 10.
§ 20, If the damned, after they have suffered a while, are to be delivered,
and to have eternal life ; then the present dispensation of grace and life to
the fallen children of men, that was introduced by Christ and his apostles,
after the ceasing of the old Mosaic dispensation, is not the last ; but another
is to be introduced after this ceases, and with regard to those with whom,
through the flesh or through their sins and corruption, it has proved unprofit
able and ineffectual. A new method must be entered upon of God's gracious
dealings with sinners. And as we must suppose that God will proceed with
them in this great affair, in a method agreeable to the intelligent, volitive and
active nature he has. given them, and will deal with them as moral agents,
and as creatures whom he has made to love him, to be in subjection to him,
and to serve him; so we must suppose, that there will be made to them a
new revelation of the designs of his wisdom, holiness and grace, with respect
to their deliverance and being received to favor and the eternal happy fruits
of it ; concerning the way in which it is to be done ; the qualifications or
acts of theirs previously requisite ; and that there must be some new treaty
set a-foot, either while they are under their punishment, or afterwards, in some
intermediate space between that and their being exalted to glory. Doubtless
they themselves must have some active concern in the affair, in a way of re--
penting, seeking, obeying, or yielding subjection to God, and in some ackuow^
Vol. I 79

626 OF ENDLESS PUNISHMENT.
ledgment of him, some yielding of themselves to him. Fot God immediately
to advance them from a state of great wickedness and misery in hell, to a
state of perfection and confirmed eternal happiness, is neither agreeable to
reason and the nature of things, nor to God's known method of dealing with
intelligent creatures. It would be much farther from it, than it would have
been for God immediately to have instated all angels and men in their con
firmed state of life and eternal glory and blessedness, in the instant of their
creation, without any terms, any previous concern or act of theirs in order
to it. But, that a new dispensation of grace should thus be introduced, because
that which was brought in by Christ and his apostles, proves weak and un
profitable through men's corruption, and there appears to be need of one which
shall be more effectual, is not agreeable to the Scripture. For this dispensa
tion is spoken of as the last and most perfect, wherein perfection was reached :
Heb. vii. 19, " For the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a
better hope did." And chap. xi. 40, " God having provided some better
thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect." The ancient
dispensation is spoken of as that which God found fault with, it proving in
effectual through the corruption of men ; and so he introduced a new adminis
tration, that should not be liable to exception, and therefore should not wax
old, or be ever liable to vanish away and give place to another ; Heb. viii. 6
to the end.
So he speaks of the things of that ancient dispensation, as things which
were liable to be shaken and removed ; but of the things of the new dispen
sation that was then introduced, as those that could not be shaken, but should
remain forever; Heb. xii. 25 to the end, and 2 Cor. iii. 11. The dispensa
tion of the New Testament is often spoken of in the prophecies of the Old
Testament as an everlasting dispensation ; Jer. xxxi. 31, 32, chap, xxxii. 40 j
Isaiah lxi. 8, Ezek. xxxvii. 26.
§ 21. To suppose that, after all the means of grace that are used in this
world, Moses and the prophets, Christ and the gospel, the warnings of God's
word, and the exhibitions of glorious gospel grace, have been despised and
obstinately withstood, so as to make the case desperate as to their success,
God has other means in reserve, to be used afterwards to make men holy, that
will be more powerful, and shall be effectual ; is not agreeable to Scripture.
Particularly, that these are the best and last means that God will use with men,
seems to be a thing that it was Christ's design to teach us, in the parable of
the rich man and Lazarus, Luke. xvi. 27 to the end : " Then he said, I pray
thee therefore, father, that thou wouldst send him to my father's house : for I
have five brethren, that he may testify to them, lest they also come into this
place of torment. Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and th e prophets,
let them hear them. And he said, Nay, father Abraham, but if one went
unto them from the dead, they will repent. And he said unto him, If they
hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one
rose from the dead." But this is especially manifest, from Rev. xxii. 10, 11,
12, " And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this
book : for the time is at hand. He that is unjust, let him be unjust still ; and
he that is filthy, let him be filthy still.— And behold I come quickly, and my
reward is with me, to give every man according as his works shall be."
I think the meaning must either be this, The time is quickly coming, wjien
¦ every man's state will be fixed, inasmuch as I am quickly coming to judgment,
to fix every man's state unalterably, according as his work shall be ; and after

OF ENDLESS PUNISHMENT. 627
that there will be no alteration, nor any means or endeavors in order to it ;
but he that is unjust, let him be unjust still; and he that is filthy, let him be
filthy still : and if this be the meaning, it makes it evident, that Christ will
not immediately proceed to the use of the most powerful and effectual means
of all, to change the state of the unjust and filthy, to purify them and make
them holy, and fit them for eternal glory, with infallible success. — Or, 2dly,
The meaning must be this, which seems to be much the most probable : Christ
having given this last revelation to his church to be added to the book of
Scripture, with which the canon was to be shut up and sealed, by the instru
mentality of the apostle John, who lived the longest of the apostles, and wrote
this book after all the rest was dead ; orders John, ver. 10, to publish this
book, wherein such great future judgments are revealed as coining on the
wicked, and such an affecting declaration of the future glory of the saints, to
enforce the rest of God's word and means of grace ; and then intimates, that no
more revelations are to be expected, no more instructions and warnings are to
be added to the word of God, as the steady means of grace, any further to
confirm and enforce the rest ; that the next revelation that is to be expected,
and that Christ will make of himself to the world, is to be his immediate ap
pearance to judgment, to fix unalterably every man's state according to his
works, according to the improvement he shall have made of those past revela
tions, instructions and warnings : and therefore, those that will not be purified
by those means, are not to expect that better, or other means, will ever be used
with them ; but he that is unjust must remain so still, and he that is filthy
must be filthy still, and he that is righteous shall be righteous still, and he
that is holy shall be holy still. Thus Christ takes leave of his church till his
last coming, warning them to improve the means of grace they have, and in
forming them that they are never to- have any other : q. d., they have Moses and
the prophets ; and, in the writings of the New Testament, they have more glorious,
powerful, and efficacious revelations of me, who spoke from heaven, and am
greater than Moses. Those writings I now finish and seal. Let them hear
these, and make a good improvement of them : for these are the last means I
shall ever use to change man's state. This is no less inconsistent with hiss
reserving his greatest and most powerful means, with a determined certain
success, to be used after the day of judgment.
§ 22. They who suppose the damned are made to suffer the torments of hell
for their purification, suppose that God is herein prosecuting his grand design
of benevolence to his creatures ; yea, benevolence to the sufferers ; and that he
does not use these severe means but from necessity for their good, because all
gentle remedies prove ineffectual. Now, it is unreasonable to suppose, that
God is Under any necessity of inflicting such extreme torments upon them, and
holding them under them for so long a time, in order to their being brought to
¦repentance; and. that,
1. If we consider the nature of things: torments inflicted have no ten
dency to bring a wicked man to repentance directly and properly, if by re
pentance we mean an alteration of the disposition, and appetites, and taste of
the mind. We know, by experience, that pain inflicted for gratifying aa
appetite, may make men afraid to gratify the appetite ; but they do not change
the inclination, or destroy the appetite. They may make men willing to comply
with those external exercises, &c, of which they have a distaste, and to whieb
their heart, in its relish and inclinations, is averse; yet not from love to the
things complied with, but from another cause and for another end, from hatred
of pain and love of ease. So that the man complies in some sense, but iss

628 OF ENDLESS PUNISHMENT.
heart does not comply. He is only driven, and as it were forced : and an in.
crease of pain alters not the nature of things. It may make a man more earn
estly to desire freedom from pain ; but still there is no more to be expected
from it than is in the tendency of pain, which is not to give a new nature, a
new heart, or a new natural relish and disposition. It is not granted, that
even long continued pains and practice will gradually raise an habitual love to
virtue. The pains of the damned being great and long continued, may more
and more convince them of the folly of their negligence and fearlessness in sin,
and may make them willing to take pains-externally in religion ; but will not
show them the beauty of holiness, or the odiousness of sin, so as to cause them
to hate sin on its own account. They have no tendency, even gradually, to
¦foecret love to God and virtue : but, to make them willing to take pains in reli
gion, and comply with the requisite outward self-denial, it is unreasonable to
suppose but that less torment would be sufficient. Can any one that considers
Iiuinan nature, especially of those that deny an innate, desperate wickedness of
heart (as the men that we have this controversy with generally do), doubt in
the least, whether, if a man should be in a furnace of fire for one day only,
alive and full of quick sense, and should retain a full and lively remembrance
¦of his misery, it would not be sufficient to make him wholly comply with all
ihe pains and outward self-denial requisite in order to a universal external
obedience to the precepts of the word of God, rather than have those torments
irenewed and continued for ages; and, indeed, rather than endure one more
such day 1 What pains would not such a man be willing to suffer 1 What
labors could be too much 1 What would he not be willing to part with in
foregoing worldly wealth or pleasures 1 Would not the most covetous man,
that had felt such a rod as this, be willing to part with all his treasures of silver
and gold 1 and the most ambitious man be willing to live in a cottage or wil
derness 1 the most voluptuous man to part with his pleasures 1 Would he
need first to endure many ages of such torment, before he would be willing
ihus far to comply 1 It is against all principles of human nature to suppose it.
Jf he retains the remembrance of the torment, in a lively idea of it, it must un
speakably outweigh the most lively and affecting and attractive ideas of the
good things of the world. The supposition, therefore, of his not being brought
to a compliance with less torment, is as unreasonable as to suppose, that a
anote of dust would sink the scale, being put in a balance with a talent of lead,
or with ten thousand talents. If the Most High compassionate these poor
¦wretches, aud has nothing but a kind and gracious design of infinite mercy and
'bounty toward them, why does he take such dreadful measures with them 1
Will no other do 1 Cannot infinite wisdom find out some gentler method to
Swing to pass the same design 1 If it be said that no other can accomplish the
«fiect, consistently with the freedom of will, — I answer, What means can be
devised, having a greater tendency to drive men, and compel them to comply
with the thing required (if there be any such thing), without acting freely,
and as persons left to their own free choice, than such a rod not only held over
but used upon them in such an amazing manner, by an omnipotent hand ?
2. It is apparent, from what has often come to pass, that God is in no ne
cessity of making use of such dreadful and long continued torments, in order to
bring such sinners (equally wicked and obstinate) as die impenitent, to repent
ance- It is most unreasonable to suppose, that no sinners that ever were con
verted in this world, were, before their conversion, as wicked and as hard
hearted as some of those that have died impenitent ; as Saul the persecutor,
afterwards the apostle Paul, and some of the converts in the 2d chapter of

OF ENDLESS PUNISHMENT. 629)
Acts, who had a hand in Christ's crucifixion, in whom Christ's prayer was
answered, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do:" and in
numerable instances of persecutors and others, who have been brought to-
repentance since those days. Such were converted by gentler means than-
those pains of hell, in what the Scripture calls everlasting burnings ; and that
without any infringement of any liberty of the persons necessary to their being
moral agents. It would be unreasonable to suppose, that all those eighteen
on whom the tower of'Siloam fell were good men : but Christ would not have
his hearers imagine they were worse than themselves ; and yet intimates, that
there was a possibility of their escaping future misery by repentance.
3. So far as pain and affliction are concerned, or made use of to bring men;
to repentance, it is apparent God can , make infinitely less severe chastisement
effectual, together with such influences and assistances of his Spirit, as are not
inconsistent with the persons' moral agency in their repentance, or in their for
saking sin and turning to God. And, if it should be said, that, it may be, they
were none of them so great sinners, and had not the habits of sin so confirmed,,
as ^ all such as die in sin ; I would answer, (1.) That this is very unreasonably
supposed : and, (2.) If it should be allowed, yet it cannot be pretended, that
the difference of guilt and hard-heartedness is proportionable at all to the seve
rity of the chastisement used for purgation. And, unless this be supposed, the
force of the argument is not hurt. If no more than ten degrees of pain, or one
year's chastisement be requisite for the overcoming of five degrees of strength
of the habit of sin, one would think, that less than 100,000 degrees, or 100,000
years chastisement, should be sufficient to overcome ten degrees of strength of
the same habit.
§ 23. If the torments of hell are purifying pains, and are used by a God of
universal benevolence towards his creatures, as necessary means for the purga
tion of the wicked from sin, and their being fitted for, and finally brought to<
eternal happiness in the enjoyment of the love of God ; then it will follow,
that the damned in hell are still the objects of God's mercy and kindness, and
that in the torments they suffer, they are the subjects of a dispensation of grace.
and benevolence. AH is for their gopd : all is the best kindness that can be
done them, the most benevolent treatment they are capable of, in their state of
mind ; and, in all, God is but chastising them, as a wise and loving father, with at
grieved and compassionate heart, gives necessary chastisement to sons whom
he loves, and whose good he seeks to the utmost; in all he does he is only
prosecuting a design of infinite kindness and favor. And indeed, some of the-
chief of those who are in the scheme of hell torments being purifying pains, do.
expressly maintain, that they, instead of being the fruits of vindictive justice*
are really the effects of God's benevolence, not only to the system of intelligent.
creatures in general, but to the sufferers themselves. Now, how far are these
things from being agreeable to the representation which is made of things in the
Holy Scriptures ? The Scriptures represent the damned as thrown away of
God ; as things that are good for nothing ; and which God makes no account
of, Matt. xiii. 48. As dross, and not gold and silver, or any valuable metal i
Psal.'cxix. 119, "Thou puttest away all the wicked of the earth as dross.'"
So Ezek. xxii. 18, Jer. vi. 28—30 ; as salt that has' lost its savor ; as good for-
nothing but to be cast out and trodden under foot of men ; as stubble that
is left, and as the chaff thrown out to be scattered by the wind, and go whither
that shall happen to carry it, instead of being gathered and laid up as that
which is of any value. Psal. i. 4, Job xxi. 18, and xxxv. 5, as that which,
shall be thrown away as wholly worthless, as chaff and stubble and tares ; all

630 OF ENDLESS PUNISHMENT.
which are thrown away as not worthy of any care to save them ; yea, are
thrown into the fire, to be burnt up as mere nuisances, as fit for nothing but to
be destroyed, and therefore are cast into the fire to be destroyed and done with.
Matt. iii. 12, and xii. 30, Job xxi. 18, as barren trees, trees that are good foi
nothing ; and not only so, but cumberers of the ground ; and, as such, shall be
cut down, and cast into the fire. Matt. iii. 10, and vii. 19, Luke xiii. 7, as
barren branches in a vine, that are cut off and cast away ; as good for nothing,
and gathered and burned. John xv. 6, as thrown out and purged away as the
filth of the world. Thus, it is said, Job xx. 7, " That the wicked shall perish
forever, as his own dung." They are spoken of as those t'uat shall be spued
out of God's mouth ; as thrown into the lake of fire ; as the great sink of all
the filth of creation : Rev. xxi. 8, " But the fearful and unbelieving, and the
abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and idolaters, and all liars,
shall have their share in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone." As
briers and thorns, that are not only wholly worthless in a field, but hurtful and
pernicious ; and as such as are nigh unto cursing, whose end is to be burned*
Heb. vi. Their end is to be burned ; i. e., the husbandman throws them into the
fire, and so has done with them forever. He does not still take care of them,
in order to make them fruitful and flourishing plants in his garden of delights.
The wicked, it is said, shall be driven from light into darkness, and chased out
of the world, Job xviii. 18. Instead of being treated by God with benevo
lence, chastening them with the compassion and kindness of a father, for their
great and everlasting good, they, at that day, when God shall gather his chil
dren together, to make them experience the blessed fruits of the love of a heav-,
enly Father, shall be shut out as dogs, Rev. xxi. 7, 8, with chap. xxii. 14, 15.
And are represented as vessels to dishonor, vessels of wrath,.fitted for nothing
eke, and designed for nothing, but to contain wrath and misery. They are spo
ken of as those that perish and lose their souls, that are lost, 2 Cor. iv. 3. Those
that lose themselves and are cast away ; those that are destroyed, consumed,
&c. — which representations do not agree with such as are under a dispensation
of kindness, and the means of a physician, in order to their eternal life, health
and happiness, though the means are severe. When God, of old, by his pro
phets, denounced his terrible judgment against Jerusalem and the people of
Israel, against Moab, Tyre, Egypt, Assyria, &c, which judgments, though long
continued, were not designed to be perpetual ; there were mixed with those awful
denunciations, or added to them, promises or intimations of future mercy. But,
when the Scripture speaks of God's dealings with ungodly men in another world,
there are nothing but declarations and denunciations of wrath and misery, and
no intimations of mercy ; no gentle terms used, no significations of divine pity,
no exhortations to humiliation under God's awful hand, or calls to seek his face
and favor, and turn and repent. The account that the Scripture gives of the
treatment that wicked men shall meet with after this life, is very inconsistent
with the notion of their being from necessity subjected to harsh means of cure,
and severe chastisement, with a benevolent, gracious design of their everlasting
good ; particularly the manner in which Christ will treat them at the day of
judgment. He will bid the wicked depart from him as cursed.
We have no account of any invitations to accept of mercy; any counsels
to repent, that they may speedily be delivered from this misery. But it is
represented that then they shall be made his footstool. He shall triumph over
them. He will trample upon them as men are wont to tread grapes in a wine
press, when they trample with all their might, to that very end that they may
effectually crush them in pieces. He will tread them in his anger, and tram-

OF ENDLESS PUNISHMENT. 631
pie them in his imj, and, as he says, their blood shall be sprinkled on his gar
ments, and he will stain all his raiment, Isaiah lxiii., at the beginning, Rev.
xiv. 19, 20,. and chap. xix. 15, in which last place it is said, he treadeth the
wine-press of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. These things do
riot savor _ of chastening with compassion and benevolence, and as still prosecut
ing a design of love towards them, that he may in the end actually be their
saviour, and the means of their eternal glory. There is nothing in the account
of the day of judgment, that looks as though saints had any love or pity for the
wicked, on account of the terrible long-continued torments which they must
suffer. Nor indeed will the accounts that are given, admit of supposing any
such thing. We have an account of their judging them, and being with Christ
in condemning them, concurring in the sentence, wherein he bids them begone
from him as cursed with devils into eternal fire ; but no account of their
praying for them, nor of their exhorting them to consider and repent.
They shall not be grieved, but rather rejoice at the glorious manifestations
of God's justice, holiness and majesty in their dreadful perdition, and shall tri
umph with Christ, Rev. xviii. 20, and xix. at the beginning. They shall be
made Christ's footstool, and so they shall be the footstool of the saints. They
shall dip their feet in their blood, at least the blood of some of them, the blood
of their persecutors. Psalm Ixviii. 23, "That thy foot may be dipped in the
blood of thine enemies, and the tongue of thy dogs in the same." If the damned
were the objects of divine benevolence, and designed by God for the enjoyment
of his eternal love, doubtless it would be required of all God's children to love
them, and to pity them, and pray for them, and seek their good ; as here in this
world it is required of them to love their enemies, to be kind to the evil and
unjust ; and to pity and pray for the wickedest and vilest of men, that were
their own persecutors, because they are the subjects of God's mercy in many
respects, and are fit objects of infinite divine mercy and love. If Christ, the
head of all the church, pities the damned and seeks their good, doubtless his
members ought to do so too. If the saints in heaven ought to pity the damned,
as well as the saints on earth are obligated to pity the wicked that dwell
here ; doubtless their pity ought to be in some proportion to the greatness of the
calamities of the objects of it, and the greatness of the number of those they
see in misery. But if they had pity and sympathizing grief in such measure
as this, for so many ages, what an alloy would it be to their happiness ! God
is represented as whetting his glittering sword, and bending his bow, and mak
ing ready his arrows on the string against wicked men, and lifting his hand to
heaven, and swearing, that he will render vengeance to his enemies, and reward
them that hate him-, and make his arrows drunk with their blood, and that his
sword shall devour their flesh. Deut. xxxii. 40, 41, 42; and Psalm vii. 11, 12,
13. Certainly this is the language and conduct of an enemy, not of a friend,
or of a compassionate chastising father.
The degree of misery and torment that shall be inflicted5 is an evidence,
that God is not acting the part of benevolence and compassion, and only chas
tening from a kind and gracious principle and design. It is evident, that it is
God's manner, when he thus afflicts men for their good, and chastens them with
-compassion, to stay his rough wind in the day of his east wind ; to correct in
measure ; to consider the frame of those that are corrected ; to remember their
weakness, and to consider how little they can bear. He turns away his anger,
and does not stir up all his wrath,- Psalm ' lxxvifi. 37, 38, 39, Isai. xxvii. 8,
-Jer. xxx. 11, and xlvi. 28. And it is his manner, in the midst even of the se
verest afflictions, to order some mitigating circumstances, and to mix some

632 OF ENDLESS PUNISHMENT.
mercy. But the misery of the damned is represented as unmixed. The wine
of the wrath of God is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indigna
tion, that they may be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of
the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb ; and the smoke of their
torment shall ascend up forever and ever, and they have no rest day nor night,
Rev. xiv. 10, 11. They are tormented in a flame that burns within them, as
well as round about them, and they shall be denied so much as a drop of water
to cool their tongues. And God's wrath shall be inflicted in such a manner,,
as to show his wrath, and make his strength known on the vessels of wrath,
fitted for no other use but to be destroyed, and which shall be punished with
everlasting destruction, answerable to that glory of Christ's power which he
shall appear in at the day of judgment, when he shall come in the glory of his
Father, with power and great glory, in flaming fire to take vengeance on them
that know not God, and obey not the gospel. Can any imagine, that in all
this God is only correcting from love, and that the subjects of these inflictions are
some of those happy ones whom God corrects in order to teaeh them out of his
law? whom he makes sore, and bindeth up 1 Job v. 17, 18, Psalrn xciv. 12.
There is nothing in Scripture that looks as if the damned were under the use of
means to bring them to repentance. It is apparent that God's manner is, when he
afflicts men to bring to repentance by affliction, to join instructions, admonitions
and arguments to persuade. But- if we judge by Scripture representations of
the state of the damned, they are left destitute of all these things. There are
no prophets, or ministers, or good men, to admonish them, to reason and ex
postulate with them, or to set them good examples. There is a perfect separa
tion made betwixt all the righteous and the wicked by a great gulf; so that
there can be no passing from one to the other. They are left wholly to the
company of devils, and others like them. When the rich man in hell cries to
his father Abraham, begging a drop of water, he denies his request ; and adds
no exhortation to repentance. Wisdom is abundantly represented in the book
of Proverbs, as counselling, warning, calling, inviting, and expostulating with
such as are under- means for the obtaining wisdom, and as waiting upon them
in the use of means, that they may turn at her reproof. But as to such as are
obstinate under these means of grace and calls of wisdom, till the time of their
punishment comes, it is represented, that their fear shall come as desolation, and
destruction as a whirlwind ; that distress and anguish shall come upon them ;
and that then it will be in vain for them to seek wisdom : that if they seek her
early they shall not find her, and if they call upon her, she will not hear ; ,bui
instead of this, will laugh at their calamity, and mock when their fear cometh :
which certainly does not consist with the idea that wisdom, or the God ot
wisdom, is still striving with them, and using means, in a benevolent and
compassionate manner, to bring theni to seek and embrace wisdom ; still
offering wisdom with all her unspeakable benefits, if they will hearken to
her voice and comply with her counsels ; and not only so, but is actually using
the most powerful and effectual means to bring them to this happiness, even
such as shall surely be successful, though they have obstinately refused all others,
and when wisdom- called, they heretofore refused, ahd when "she stretched forth
her hand, they did not regard ; and,so is still most effectually acting the part of
a friend, to deliver them from their distress and anguish, instead of laughing at
their calamity, Prov. i. latter end. This declaration of wisdom, if it ever be
fulfilled at all, will surely be fulfilled most completely and perfectly at the time ap^
pointed for obstinate sinners to receive their most perfect and complete punishment.
If all mankind, even such as live and die in their wickedness, are and ever will be

OF ENDLESS PUNISHMENT. 633
the objects of Christ's good will and mercy, and those whose eternal happiness he
desires and seeks; then surely he would pray for all: but Christ declares that
tiiere are some that he prays not for. John xvii. 9, " I pray for them : I pray not for
the world, but for them which thou hast given me ; for they are thine." Com
pared with ver. 14, " The world hath hated them, because they are not of the
world, even as I am not of the world ;" ver. 25, " The world hath not known
thee, but I have known thee ; and these have known that thou hast sent me ;"
and ver. 20, " Neither pray I'for these alone, but for them also which shall be
lieve on me through their word." By this it appears that Christ prayed for all
that should ever be true believers. But he prayed not for those who should not
be brought by the word of the apostles, and such means of grace as are used in
this vvorld, to believe in him, and should continue notwithstanding not to know
God, and in enmity against true holiness or Christianity. These were such as
Christ prayed not for.
§ 24. If sin and misery, and the second death, are to continue and prevail
for so long a time after the day of judgment, with respect to great multitudes
that Christ will finally save and deliver from those things, having perfectly
conquered and abolished them ; then how can the Scriptures truly represent,
that all enemies shall be put under his feet at the end of the world, and that
the last enemy that shall be destroyed is death ; and that then, having per
fectly subdued all his enemies, he shall resign up the kingdom to the Father,
and he himself be subject to the Father 1 as in 1 Cor. xv. 20 — 28. The time
of Christ's victory over death will be at the general resurrection and day of
judgment, as is evident by verse 54, with the foregoing context. The chief
enemies that Christ came to destroy, with regard to such as should be saved,
and be of his church, were sin and misery, or death consisting in sin, and
death consisting in suffering the second death, unspeakably the greatest enemy
that came by sin, infinitely more terrible than temporal death. But if the
notion I am opposing be true, these greatest and worst enemies, instead of
being subdued, shall have their principal reign afterwards, for many ages at
least; viz., sin, in the sad effect and consequence of it, men's misery; and
God shall have his strongest conflict with those enemies afterward ; that is,
shall strive against them in the use of the most powerful means.
§ 25. There is great evidence that the devil is not the subject of any dis
pensation of divine mercy and kindness, and that God is prosecuting no design
of infinite goodness towards him, and that his pains are not purifying pains.
It is manifest, that, instead of any influence of his torments to bring him nearer
to repentance, he has been from the beginning of his damnation, constantly,
with all his might, exerting himself in prosecuting his wickedness, his violent,
most haughty, and malignant opposition to God and man ; fighting especially
with peculiar virulence against Christ and his church ; opposing with all his-
might every thing that is good ; seeking the destruction and misery of all man
kind, with boundless and insatiable cruelty ; on which account he is called
Satan,'the adversary, and Abaddon and Apollyon, the destroyer. He is repre
sented as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour, a viper, the old ser
pent, the great red dragon, red on account of his bloody cruel nature. He is
said to be a murderer from the beginning. He has murdered all mankind, has
murdered their souls, as well as their bodies. He was the murderer of Jesus
Christ, by instigating Judas and his crucifiers. He has most cruelly shed the
blood of an innumerable multitude of the children of God. He is emphatically
called the evil one, that wicked one, &c. He is a liar and the father* of lies;
and the father of all the sin and wickedness that is, or ever has been, in the world.
Vol. I. 80

•634 OF ENDLESS PUNISHMENT.
He is the spirit that worketh in the children of disobedience, 2 Cor. iv. 3, 4.
It is said, that he that committeth sin is of the devil. For the devil sinneth
from the beginning ; and all wicked men are spoken of as his children. He
has set up himself as God of this world in opposition to the true God, and has
erected a vast kingdom over the nations ; and is constantly carrying on a war
with the utmost earnestness, subtlety, malice, and venom, against Jesus Christ,
and all his holy and gracious designs, maintaining a kingdom of darkness,
wickedness and misery, in opposition to Christ's kingdom of light, holiness and
peace; and thus will continue to do till the end of the World, as .appears by
Scripture prophecies.
And God's dealings with him are infinitely far from being those of a friend,,
kindly seeking his infinite good, and designing nothing else in the end but to
make* him eternally happy in love and favor, and blessed union with him. God
is represented everywhere as acting the part of an enemy to him, that seeks
and designs nothing in the final event but his destruction. The grand work of
God's providence, which God is prosecuting from the beginning to the end of
the world, viz., the work of redemption, is against him, to bruise or break in
pieces his head, to cast him like lightning from heaven, from that height of
power and dominion to which he has exalted himself, to tread him under foot,
and to cause his people to trample and bruise, or crush him under foot, and
gloriously to triumph over him. Christ, when he conquered him, made a show
of him openly, triumphing over him. Now, concerning this, two things may
be observed : 1. That, seeing the devils are not to have an end put to their
misery, and their pains are not purifying pains in order to their being brought
to eternal happiness at last, it appears that it is not God's design finally to
make all his creatures happy, and that the torments of hell are not purifying
pains inflicted with a merciful design with respect to all damned spirits. And,
2. It is evident, that as it will be with the devil in this respect, so it will be
with the wicked. This is reasonable to suppose from what the Scripture re
presents of the relation wicked men stand in to the devil as his children, ser
vants, subjects, instruments, and his property and possession. They are all
ranked together with him in one kingdom, in one interest, and one company.
And many of them are the great ministers of his kingdom that he has set up,
and to whom he has committed authority ; such as the beast and false prophet
that we read of in the Revelation. Now, how reasonable and natural is it to
suppose, that those who are thus united should have their portion and lot to
gether ? As Christ's disciples, subjects, followers, soldiers, children, instru
ments and faithful ministers, shall have their part with him in his eternal glory ;
so we may reasonably believe that the devil's disciples, followers, subjects,
soldiers in his army, his children, instruments and ministers of his kingdom,
should have their part with him, and be dealt with as he is dealt with ; and
not that such an infinite difference should be made between them, that the
punishment of the one should be eternal, and that of the other but temporal,
and therefore infinitely less, infinitely disproportionate ; so that the proportion
between the punishment of the latter and- that of the former, is as nothing, in
finitely less than a unit to a million of millions. This is unreasonable to be
supposed in itself, as the difference of guilt and wickedness cannot be so great,
but must be infinitely far from it ; especially considering the aggravations of
the wickedness of a great part of damned men, as committed against Christ,
and gospel grace and love; which exceeding great aggravation the sin of the
devils never had.
As the devil's ministers, servants and instruments, of the angelic nature,

OF ENDLESS PUNISHMENT. 635
those that are called the devil's angels, shall have their part with him ; for the
like reason we may well suppose, his servants and instruments of the human
nature, will share with him. And not only is this reasonable in itself, but the
Scripture plainly teaches us that it shall be so. In Rev. xix. 20, it is said,
" The beast and the false prophet were both cast alike into the lake of fire
burning with brimstone." So it is said, chap. xx. 16, " The devil that de
ceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and
false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night forever and ever,"
—thus expressing both the kind of misery and the duration. Just in the same
manner it is said concerning the followers of the beast. It is said, chap. xiv. 9,
10, 11, " Saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast, &c. — the
same shall be tormented with fire and brimstone, and the smoke of their tor
ment ascendeth up forever and ever, and they have no rest day nor night."
And chap. xxi. 8, of wicked men in general, it is said, they shall have their
part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone. So we find in Christ's
description of the day of judgment, the wicked are sentenced to everlasting fire
prepared for the devil and his angels. By which it appears most plainly, that
they share with the devils in suffering misery of the same kind, and also share
with him in suffering misery of the same everlasting continuance. And, indeed,
not only would the punishment infinitely differ as to quantity and duration, if
the punishment of the devils was to be eternal, and of wicked men only tem
poral ; but if this were known, it would, as it were, infinitely differ in kind.
The one suffering God's hatred and mere vengeance, inflictions that have no
pity of kindness in them ; ihe other, the fruit of his mercy and love, and infi
nitely kind intention : the one attended with absolute despair, and a black and
dismal sinking prospect of misery, absolutely endless ; the other with the light
of hope, and a supporting'prospect, not only of an end to their misery, but of
an eternal unspeakable happiness to follow.
§ 26. This notion we are opposing, is repugnant to the representations
which the Scripture makes, as though at the day of judgment would happen
the consummation of all things, the finishing of God's design, and end of the
revolutions and changes of a state of trial, preparation and proficience, and the
bringing all the mutations of the world to their fixed period, and the settling
of all things in their final state. Thus, the apostle says, 1 Cor. xv. 24, " Then
cometh the end." And the things there spoken of, that shall then be done,
show, that then will be the finishing of things, and settling them in their final
state ; such as, the end of Christ's kingdom given him for the subduing of all
enemies, and his resigning his commission for the conquering of all enemies,
and Subduing all evil, and the restitution of all things as ( having completed
his design), that God henceforth may be all in all, according to the most natu
ral state of things. And therefore, when the general resurrection and day of
judgment had' been represented to the apostle John, God then proclaims, Rev.
xxi. 6, " And he said unto me, If is done ; I am Alpha and Omega, the begin
ning and the end." — By which it is very manifest, that God will have so far
finished his design, as to have brought the. whole course of things, in all their
mutations, to their proper and intended period, final issue, and fixed state. Where
by it shall appear at last, that as God was the beginning, the first cause of all
tilings from whom the whole system and series of things originated at their
beginning'; so when they are brought to their final issue, he will appear to be also
their last end : so that, as things took their first rise' from him, so they shall
have their last end in him. He shall appear to be the last end of all things,
when their last end is reached, in the issue of all their changes, revolutions,

636 OF ENDLESS PUNISHMENT.
and labors. Agreeable to this, the day of judgment is from rime to time called
the last day, John vi. 40, 44, 54 ; and the great day, Jude 6.— By these things
it is most manifest, that, at that day, the moral world shall be settled in its
final state, and that the judgment of that day will be the last judgment.
But if the multitude of the damned are yet to be kept in a state of prepa
ration, and under the use of means for producing repentance, and so vast a
change as that from infernal misery to heavenly and eternal glory ; how far
are things from being all brought to their consummation, last issue, and settled
in their final state 1 And, if so, then the judgment of that day cannot be the
last judgment. For the design of the last judgment, whenever that happens,
must be to settle things in the moral world, or among such creatures as are the
proper subjects of moral government, and of a judicial proceeding, in their last
state. But the last judgment for this end, cannot be till the day of preparation
and proficience, and use of means in order to repentance ; the day of God's striv
ing and opportunity, for the obtaining the favor and rewards of the great Judge,
is over. According to the notion which I am Opposing, the judgment that shall
take place at the end of the world, will be so far from being the last judgment, or
any proper judgment to settle all things in their final.state, that it will, with respect
to the wicked, be no more than the judgment of a physician, whether more sharp
and powerful remedies must not be applied in order to the relief of sinners, and the
cure of their disease, which, if not cured, will make them eternally miserable.
§ 27. It is evident that the future misery of the wicked in hell is not to
come to an end, and to be succeeded by eternal happiness ; and that their
misery is not subservient to their happiness, because the Scripture plainly sig
nifies, concerning those that die in their sins, that they have all the good and
comfort in this life, that ever is designed for them. Luke vi. 24, "Wo unto
you that are rich, for ye have received your consolation." — Luke xvi. 25, "Son,
remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things." — Psal. xvii. 13,
14, " Deliver my soul from the wicked — from the men of the world which have
their portion in this life, and whose belly thou fillest with thy hid treasure."
§ 28. According to the opinion I am now opposing God will surely at the
last deliver all the damned from their misery, and make them happy.' So that
God will see to it, that the purifying torments shall certainly at last have their
effect, to turn them from sin. Now, how can this consist with God's treating
them as moral agents, and their acting from the freedom of their own wills, in
the affair of their turning from sin, and becoming morally pure and virtuous,
according to the notions of freedom and moral agency which now prevail,
and are strenuously maintained by some of the chief asserfers of this opinion
concerning hell torments ; which notion of freedom implies contingence, and
is wholly inconsistent with the necessity of the event 1
If after all the torments of , the damned used to bring sinners to repentance,
the consequence aimed at, viz., their turning from sin to virtue, be not necessary,
but it shall still remain a contingent event, w;hether there ever will beany such
consequence of those severe, long continued chastisements or no ; then, how
can it be determined, that this will surely be the consequence ? How can it
be a thing infallible, that such a consequence of means used will follow, when,
at the same time, it is not a consequence any way necessarily connected with the
means used, it being only a thing contingent whether it will follow or not 1 If
God has determined absolutely to make them all pure and happy, and yet their
purity and happiness depends on the freedom of their will ; then here is an ab
solute divine decree, consistent with the freedom of men's will, which is a doc
trine utterly rejected by the generality of that sort of men who deny the eter-

OF ENDLESS PUNISHMENT. 637
nify of hell torments. If it be said, that God has not absolutely determined the
duration or measure of their torments, but intends to continue them till they do
repent, or to try lesser torments first, and, if these do hot answer, to increase them
till they are effectual, determining that he will raise or continue them till the
effect shall finally and infallibly follow ; that is the same thing as to necessi
tate the effect. And here is necessity in such a case, as much as when a founder
puts a piece of metal in a furnace, with a resolution to melt it, and if continu
ing it there a little while will not dissolve it, that he will keep it there till it
does dissolve : and if, by reason of its peculiar hardness, an ordinary degree of
heat of the furnace will not be effectual, that he will increase the vehemence
of the heat, till the effect shall certainly follow.
N. B. Some of these things observed in opposition to the notion of hell
torments being only purifying pains, may be used as arguments to prove the
eternity of future misery in general. As what is said concerning the consum
mation of all things, &c, — concerning the rich man's having received his good
things, &c. — the punishment of blasphemy against the Holy Ghost — concern
ing the last dispensation, Rev. xxii. 10, 11, 12,— sinners being thrown away,
lost, &c. — the last enemy subdued — concerning the devil, and wicked men's
suffering the same punishment with him.
29. If any should maintain this scheme of temporary future punishments,
viz., that the torments in hell are not purifying pains, and that the damned are
not in a state of trial with regard to any expected admission to eternal happi
ness, and that therefore they are not the proper objects of divine benevolence ;
that the dispensation they are under, is not truly a dispensation of mercy, but
that their torments are properly penal pains, wherein God displays his vindic
tive justice ; that they shall suffer misery to such a degree, and for so long a
time as their obstinate wickedness in this world deserves ; and that indeed they
shall be miserable a very long time, so long, that it is often figuratively spoken
of in Scripture as being everlasting, and that then they shall be annihilated :
on this I would observe, that there is nothing got by such a scheme ; no relief
from the arguments taken from Scripture, for the proper eternity of future pun
ishment. For, if it be owned, that Scripture expressions denote a punishment
that is properly eternal, butit be said that it is in no other sense properly so,
than as the annihilation, or state of non-existence that the wicked shall return
to, will be eterhal ; and that this eternal annihilation is that death which is so
often threatened for sin, that perishing forever, that everlasting destruction,
being lost, perishing, utterly consumed, &c, so often denounced to wicked men ;
and that the fire of hell be called eternal fire, in the same sense that the exter
nal fire which consumed the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah is called eternal fire,
Jude 7, because it utterly consumed those cities, that they might never be built
more ; and that this fire is called that which cannot be quenched, or at least not
until it has destroyed them that are cast into it. — If this be all that these expres
sions-denote, then they do not at all signify the length of the torments, or long-
continuance of their misery ; so that the supposition of the length of their tor
ments is brought in without any necessity, the Scripture saying nothing of it, hav
ing no respect to it, when it speaks of their everlasting punishments : and it an
swers the Scripture expressions as well, to suppose that they shall be annihilated
immediately, without any long pains, provided the annihilation be everlasting.
30. If any should suppose that the torments of the damned in hell are prop
erly penal, and in execution of pehal justice, but yet that they are neither eter
nal, nor shall end in annihilation, but shall be continued till justice is satisfied,
and they have truly suffered as much as they deserve, whereby their punishment

638 OF ENDLESS PUNISHMENT.
shall be so long as to be called everlasting, but that then they shall be delivered,
and finally be the subjects of everlasting happiness ; and that therefore they
shall not in the mean time be in a state of trial, nor will be waited upon in order
to repentance, nor will their torments be used as means to bring them to it ; for
that the term and measure of their punishment shall be fixed, from which they
shall not be delivered on repentance, or any terms or conditions whatsoever,
until justice is satisfied : one thing that I would observe, in answer to this, is,
that if it be so, the damned, while under their suffering, are either answerable
for the wickedness that is acted by them while in that state, or. may properly
be the subjects of a judicial proceeding for it, or not. If the former be suppose
ed, viz., that they are answerable and accountable for all that wickedness that
is acted by them during their long state of suffering for the sins of this life, and
must also be punished for all that wickedness as much as it deserves, and so as
fully to satisfy justiee (as is supposed with respect to the sins of this life); then
it will follow, that they must have another state of suffering and punishment,
after the ages of their suffering for the sins of this life are ended. And it can
not be supposed, that this second period of suffering will be shorter than the
first : for the first is only for the sins committed during a short life, often repre
sented in Scripture, for its shortness, to be a dream, a tale that is told, a blast
of wind, a vapor, a span, a moment, a flower, &c. But the time of punish
ment is always represented as exceeding long, called everlasting; represented
as enduring forever and ever, as having no end, &c. If the sins of a moment
must be followed with such as it were endless ages of punishment, then, doubt
less, the sins of those endless ages, must be followed with another second peri
od of suffering, much longer. For it must be supposed, that the damned con
tinue sinning all the time of their punishment ; for none can rationally imagine,
that God would hold them under such extreme torments, and terrible manifes
tations and executions of his wrath, after they have thoroughly repented, and
turned from sin, and are become pure and holy, and conformed to God, and so
have left off sinning. And if -they continue in sin during this state of punish
ment, with assurance that God still has a great benevolence for them, even so
as to intend finally to make them everlastingly happy- in the enjoyment of his
love, then their sin must be attended w'ith great aggravation ; as they will have
the evil and ill desert of sin set before them in the most affecting manner, in
their dreadful sufferings for it, attended besides with evidence that God is infi
nitely benevolent towards them, and intends to bestow infinite blessings upon
them. But, if it be so, that this first long period of punishment must be follow
ed with a second as long, or longer ; for the same reason, the second must be
followed by a third, as long, or longer than that ; and so the third must be fol
lowed by a fourth, and so in infinitum ; and, at this rate, there never can be an.
end of their misery. — So this scheme overthrows itself.
And if the second thing mentioned be affirmed, viz., that the damned are
not answerable for the wickedness they commit during their state of punish
ment, then we must suppose that, during the whole of their long, and, as it
were, eternal state of punishment, they are given up of God to the most unre
strained wickedness, having this to consider, that how far soever they go in the
allowed exerc'ses,and manifestations of their malice and rage against God and
Christ; saints and angels, and their fellow damned spirits, they have nothing
to fear from it — it will be never the worse ; and surely, continuing in such un
restrained wickedness, for such an exceeding, and, as it were, endless length of
duration, must most desperately confirm the habit of sin, must increase the
root and fountain of it in the heart as it were infinitely. Now, how unreason-

OF ENDLESS PUNISHMENT. 639'
able is it to suppose, that God would thus deal with such as were objects of his
infinite kindness, and the appointed subjects of the unspeakable and endless
fruits of his love, in a state of perfect holiness .and purity, and conformity to
and union with himself; thus to give them up beforehand to a kind of eternity
of unrestrained malignity against himself, and every kind of hellish wickedness,
as it were infinitely to increase the fountain of sin in the heart, and the strength
of the principle and habit ? If they are thus given up to unrestrained wicked
ness during the period of their punishment, and there be evidence of this, then
this certain continuance in unbounded wickedness for so long a time, must be
part of the punishment they are sentenced to, and that is bound upon them by
an irreversible doom; which certainly supposes such a necessity that they are
laid under, as is not consistent with that freedom which this sort of people hold
as requisite to moral agency. Now, how incongruous is it to suppose, with
regard to those that God has great benevolence to, and designs eternal favor
for, that he would lay them under a necessity of extreme unbounded hatred of
him, blasphemy and rage against him, for so many ages ; such necessity as
should exclude all liberty of their own in the case 1 If God intends not only
nunishment, but purification by these torments ; on this supposition, instead of
their being purified, they must be set at an infinitely greater distance from puri
fication. °And if God intends them for a second time of probation, in order to
their being brought to repentance and the love of God after their punishment
is/finished ; then how can it be certain beforehand that they shall finally be
happy, as is supposed 1 How can it be certain they will not fail in their
second trial, or in their third, if there be a third 1 Yea, how much more likely
that they will fail of truly turning in heart from sinto the love of God, in their
second trial, if there be any proper trial in the case, after their .hearts have
been so much more brought under the power of a strong habit of sin and
enmity to God 1 If the habit proved so strong in this life that the most power
ful means and mighty inducements of the gospel would not prevail, so that
God was, as it were, under a necessity of cutting down and dealing thus
severely with them ; how much less likely will it be, that they will be pre
vailed upon to love God and the ways of virtue, after their hearts are set at so
much greater distance from those things? Yea, unless we suppose a divine
interposition of almighty, efficacious power, to change the heart in the time of
this second trial, we may be sure that, under these circumstances, the heart
will not turn to love God. But such an interposition of efficacious power is
not agreeable to the notions of freedom and moral agency, which that sort of
people maintain, who deny the eternity of the torments of hell. It would be
yet more plainly contrary to their notions of freedom and moral agency, to
suppose, that after their state of suffering is over, they would be immediately
made perfectly holy, and freed from such a degree of confirmed wickedness,
without any time of trial at all. Such perfect holiness, wrought so imme
diately from the greatest depth of wickedness, and the most extremely confirmed
mahgnity and depravity of heart,could not be the effect of free will, m their notion
of it ; aJd therefore would, according to their system, be no virtue no reward-
able or praiseworthy holiness. Besides the supposition of God's thus setting
his creat Jres at once ina state of confirmed and eternal holiness and happiness
is not Agreeable to God's way of dealing with his creatures : for how much
bette aid more fitly might the creature be thus confirmed, in the first . instant
of its creation" than to be thus confirmed in perfection of favor and g ory, after
so many ages'of actual enmity and most extreme wickedness, without any pre
vious trial or space of repentance ?

640 OF ENDLESS PUNISHMENT.
And besides, if it be so, that they are laid under such a necessity of hating
and blaspheming God, for so many ages, in the manner that has been spoken
of, a necessity utterly inconsistent with human liberty ; then they will have no
reason whatever to condemn themselves for all this enmity and blasphemy of
theirs, for so long a time, after they are made perfectly holy and happy, and
see that they had no reason at all for such malice and rage; but that all was
infinitely against reason, and that at the same time there was infinite reason
that they should love and honor God. But how extremely incongruous is such
an imagination, that God would lay those he intended for the eternal bounty
and blessedness of dear children, under such circumstances, that they must
necessarily hate him, and with devilish fury curse and blaspheme him for innu
merable ages in the most unreasonable manner, and yet never have cause, even
when thev are delivered and made happy in God's love, to condemn themselves
for it, though they see the infinite hatefulness and unreasonableness of it, be
cause God laid them under such necessity of it, that they could use no liberty
of their own in the case 1 I leave it for all to judge, whether God's thus order
ing things, with regard to such as he, from great benevolence, intended for eter
nal happiness in a most blessed union with himself, be credible.
§ 31. That which lasts as long as the world stands, is sometimes said to be
forever. Yet the space of man's life in comparison of the state that suciceeds
is often represented as a moment, the shortest space, yea, even as nothing. And
so the space of time to the end of the world is represented as very short, Heb.
X. 37. Here in a particular man'ner observe those words of Christ, Rev. xxii.
10, 11, 12. After Christ had shown John the end of the world, the day of
judgment, and consummation of all things, he says, " The time is at hand.
He that is unjust let him be unjust still, &c. — Behold I come quickly, and my
reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be." Here
Christ represents to his beloved disciple the space from that time to the end of
the world, to be very short, after he had from time to time represented to him
(in the course of those visions, of which this is the conclusion) the state of the
punishment of the wicked to be everlasting, and forever and e'ver ; as chap. xiv.
10, 11, and xix. 3, and xx. 10. And even in this22d chapter, 5th verse, when
Christ says, — Behold I come quickly, and so represents the time to the end of
the world to be but short, we are naturally and justly led to compare this
representation with that which is made of the duration of the future state both
of good and bad after the judgment ; and to draw inferences accordingly con
cerning the duration of that following state, on many accounts : As, 1. The
same Jesus, in the same course or series of visions, by which John is directed
in this book, makes both representations : and the future state of the righteous
and wicked, especially of the latter, is set forth in a representation that is in
sisted on, and repeated from time to time, as being forever and ever. 2. He
at this very time, and in the same vision (as may be seen verse 5 of this same
22d chapter), says of the blessedness of the righteous, that it shall be forever
and ever ; the very same phrase that is used before, from time to time, to set
forth the duration of the misery of the wicked. 3. After he had spoken of the
glory of the righteous as being forever and ever, he, in the midst of those
words, wherein he represents the time to the end of the world as very short,
joins both righteous and wicked together, representing their state as fixed, un
alterable and everlasting, in the same expressions; " The time is at hand. He
that is unjust, let him be unjust still ; and he that is filthy, let him be filthy still ;
and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still ; ahd he that is holy, let him
be holy still. Behold I come quickly." The shortness of the time to the end

OF ENDLESS PUNISHMENT. 641
of the world, is expressed in the words immediately preceding those that ex
press the endlessness of the state of both righteous and wicked ; and then again the
words immediately following express the same thing over again, " Behold I come
quickly." And, 4. The words immediately following these, naturally lead us
to the same comparison, even to compare the duration of the time before the
coming of the Judge, and the duration of those rewards and punishments which '
he will render to men according as their works shall be ; " Behold I come
quickly, and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his works
shall be." The shortness of the time before his coming to judge and recompense
men, is declared, for the comfort of the righteous, and terror of the wicked ; and
the thing that justly renders the consideration of the measure of duration before
Christ's coming comfortable to the saints, though it seems so long on some ac
counts, is, that it is very short in comparison of the duration of the reward that
shall follow ; and so the thing that should justly make the measure of time, be
fore the 'judgment, terrible to the' wicked, is, that though they may be ready to
please themselves that the time is so long, yet it is very short in comparison
of the punishment that shall follow. And in other places of Scripture, the time
preceding the punishment of the wicked in particular, is represented as very
short. Thus it is threatened that God would bring upon them swift destruction :
and it is said, the things that shall come upon them, make haste, and that ven
geance shall come. speedily on the enemies of the elect, and the like. And the
punishment of the wicked itself is always represented as everlasting and endless.
Whence we may most reasonably suppose, that those phrases, when applied to
future punishment, are used in their most proper sense, and not at all in the
same manner as when applied to the space preceding, which is here spoken of
as comparatively very short.
When the fire of hell is represented as that which shall never be quenched,
it is not thereby meant that it shall not be quenched till it has consumed its fuel
and goes out itself. For, by being quenched, as the word is used in Scripture,
is meant, not only a being extinguished or put out, but a going out, or ceasing,
Or ending in any respect. So the words are to be understood, Isai. xliii. 17, " They
are extinct, they are quenched as tow," i. e., their power and rage shall be
like the fire of tow, that lasts but for a very little while, and then goes out.
Vessels of mercy, and vessels of wrath^ are expressly distinguished. And the
apostle James speaks of some that shall have judgment without mercy, James
ii. 13 ; which proves the punishment of hell is not the effect of mercy, and that
mercy and pity never shall be exercised towards the damned.
§ 32. Hutcheson on the Passions, p. 77, 3d edition, says, " No misery is far
ther the occasion of joy to a sedate temper, than as it is necessary to some pre-
pollent happiness in the whole." It would be worth while particularly to ex
amine this matter, and inquire, whether there be not something in the natural
sense of desert, which God has implanted in creatures that are moral agents,,
which tends to acquiescence in the pains or suffering of the ill-deserving, not
merely from a natural desire of good to ourselves or others, or good to the
universal system, but as what a sense of desert naturally tends to, as a gratifi
cation of that sense. . .
§ 33. It is manifest, that God's design in punishing his enemies, is in part
to convince them of his greatness and majesty, and to make them know their
folly in despising them, as well as to make his glory and majesty visible to
others, even to the whole universe- Exod. ix. 14—17, " For I will at this time
send all my plagues upon thine heart, and upon thy servants, and upon thy
people ; that thou mayest know that there is none like me in all the earth.
Vol. I. 81

642 OF ENDLESS PUNISHMENT.
For now I will stretch out my hand, that I may smite thee and thy people with
pestilence ; and that my name may be declared throughout all the earth. And
in very deed for this cause have I raised thee up, for to show in thee my power ;
and that my name may be declared throughout aU the earth." Psal. 1. 21,
" These things hast thou done, and I kept silence : thou thoughtest that I was
altogether such a one as thyself ; but I will reprove thee, and set them in or
der before thine eyes." Therefore the punishment of the wicked is not anni
hilation. § 34. The same disposition and habit of mind, and manner, of viewing
things, that is indeed the main ground of the cavils of many of the modern
freethinkers, and modish writers, against the extremity and eternity of hell
torments, if given way to, and relied upon, would cause them to, be dissatisfied
with almost any thing that is very uncomfortable in a future punishment, so much
as the enduring of the pain that is occasioned by the thrusting of a thorn under
the nail of the finger, for a whole year together, 365 days, day and night, with
out any rest, or the least intermission or abatement. In short, it will be found,
that there will be no satisfying the infidel humor, with any thing that is very
contrary to men's inclinations : any thing that they are very averse to bear,
they would be averse to believe. There are innumerable calamities that come
to pass in this world, through the permission and ordination of divine provi
dence, against which (were it not that they are what we see with, our eyes, and
are universally known and incontestable facts) this cavilling unbelieving spirit
would strongly object ; and, if they were only proposed in the theory as matters
of faith, would be opposed as exceedingly inconsistent with the moral perfec
tions of God ; and the opinions of such as asserted them would be cried out
against, as in numberless ways contrary to God's wisdom, his justice, goodness,
mercy, &c.,- — such as, the innumerable calamities that have happened to poor
innocent children, through the merciless cruelty of barbarous enemies ; their
being gradually roasted to death at the fire by Indians, shrieking and crying for
their fathers and mothers; the extreme pains they sometimes are tormented to
death with, by some terrible diseases which they suffer ; the calamities that have
many times been brought on whole cities, while besieged, and when taken by
merciless soldiers, destroying- all, men, women and children, without any pity;
the extreme miseries which have been suffered by millions of innocent persons,
of all ages, sexes and conditions, in times of persecution, when there has been
no refuge to be found on earth ; yea, those things that come to pass universally,
which all mankind are the subjects of, in temporal death, which is so dreadful to
nature, and which the human nature which God has made is so extremely reluc
tant to. There is no trust at all to such notions and views, such seemings as are
the main ground of these men's objections against the torments of hell, as re
corded in the Scripture. The main thing is, that it is terrible, and so seems
shocking to the inward apprehension of their minds ; and this they call a being
shocking to common sense, when it is indeed no otherwise so, than as it is very
opposite to common inclinations.

AN ACCOUNT OF THE LIFE
OF THE
REV. DAVID BRAINERD,
MINISTER OF THE GOSPEL ; MISSIONARY TO THE INDIANS FROM THE HONORABLE
society, in scotland, for the propagation of christian' knowledge j
and pastor of a church of christian indians in new-jersey;
Who died at Northampton, in New England, October 9th, 1747, in the 30th tear
or His age :
CHIEFLY TAKEN FROM HIS OWN DIARY, AND OTHER PRIVATE WRITINGS, WRITTEN
FOR HIS OWN USE.

ADVERTISEMENT TO THE WORCESTER EDITION

The particular account, given in this book, of Mr. Brainerd, save that part which
relates to his last exercises and his death, we have been constrained to omit. This
omission is not only a matter of necessity, as we had not room for the entire account,
but we think of propriety, as it consists almost wholly of extracts from Mr. Brainerd's
Diary, and in Ins own words. A few brief remarks are indeed interspersed by Mr.
Ej3waeds, to connect the extracts, and give the whole the cast of a continued Narra
tive. But the account taken at large is too much of a mere compilation to be num
bered properly among his works. It will not be possible we confess to feel the perti
nency and weight of the Reflections which Mr. Edwards has made on these memoirs,
so sensibly as 2" they had been just read, as in fact they are supposed to have been.
But if the reader will consider what we have inserted, as a specimen of Mr. Brainerd's
views, exercises and efforts, as a Christian, a Preacher and a Missionary, as derailed
through more than two hundred preceding pages, he will not be badly prepared to
peruse the Reflections.

CLOSING SCENE OF THE LIFE

OF THE

REV. DAVID BEAINERD,

Mr. Brainerd, before he left Boston, had occasion to bear a very full, plain,
and open testimony against that opinion, that the essence of saving faith lies in
believing that Christ died for me in particular, and that this is the first act of
faith in a true believer's closing with Christ.— He did it in a long conference he
had with a gentleman, that has very publicly and strenuously appeared to de
fend that tenet. He had this discourse with him in the presence of a number
of considerable persons, who came to visit Mr. Brainerd before he left the town,
and to take their leave of him. In which debate he made this plain declara
tion, at the same time confirming what he said by many arguments, that the
essence of saving faith was wholly left out of that definition of saving faith
which that gentleman has published ; and that the faith which he had defined,
had nothing of God in it, nothing above nature, nor indeed above the power of
the devils ; and that all such as had this faith, and had no better, though they
might have this to never so high a degree, would surely perish. — And he declared
also, that he never had greater assurance of the falseness of the principles of
those that maintained such a faith, and of their dangerous and destructive ten
dency, or a more affecting sense of the great delusion and misery of those that
depended on getting to heaven by such a faith, while they had no better, than
he lately had when he was supposed to be at the point to die, and expected
every minute to pass into eternity. Mr. Brainerd's discourse at this time, and
the forcible reasonings by which he confirmed what he asserted, appeared to
be greatly to the satisfaction of those present ; as several of them took occasion
expressly to manifest to him, before they took leave of him.
When this conversation was ended, having bid an affectionate farewell to
his friends, he set out in the cool of the afternoon, on his journey to Northamp
ton, attended by his brother, and my daughter that went with him to Boston ;
and would have been accompanied out of the town by a number of gentlemen,
besides that honorable person who gave him his company for some miles on
that occasion, as a testimony of their esteem and respect, had not his aversion
to any thing of pomp and show prevented it.
Saturday, July 25. — I arrived here at Northampton ; having set out from
Boston on Monday, about four o'clock, p. m. In this journey, I rode about
sixteen miles a day one day with another. I was sometimes extremely tired
and faint on the road, so that it Seemed impossible for me to proceed any fur
ther : at other times I was considerably better, and felt some freedom both of
body and mind.
LQrd's day, July 26,— This day I saw clearly, that I should never be hap
py ; yea, that God himself could not make me happy, unless I could be in a

646 EXTRACTS FROM
capacity to please and glorify him forever : take away this, and admit me into all
the fine heavens that can be conceived of by men or angels, and I should still
be miserable forever.
Though he had so far revived, as to be able to travel thus far, yet he mani
fested no expectation of recovery : he supposed, as his physician did, that his
being brought so near to death at Boston, was owing to the breaking of ulcers
in his lungs : he told me, that he had several such ill turns before, only not to so
high a degree, but as he supposed owing to the same cause, viz., the breaking
of ulcers ; and that he was brought lower and lower .'every time ; and it ap
peared to him, that in .his last sickness, in Boston, he was brought as low as it
was possible and yet live ; and that he had not the least expectation of surviv
ing the next return of this breaking of ulcers : but still appeared perfectly calm
in the prospect of death.
On Wednesday morning, the week after he came to Northampton, he took
leave of his brother Israel, as never expecting to see him again in this world;
he now setting out from hence on his journey to New Haven.
When Mr. Brainerd came hither, he had so much strength , as to be able,
from day to day, to ride out two or three miles, and to return ; and sometimes
to pray in the family ; but from this time he gradually, but sensibly, decaj'ed,
and became weaker and weaker.
While he was here, his conversation from first to last was much on the
same subjects as it had been in when in Boston : he was much in speaking of
the nature of true religion of heart and practice, as distinguished from its vari
ous counterfeits ; expressing his great concern, that the latter did so much pre
vail in many places. He often manifested his great abhorrence of all such
doctrines and principles in religion, as in any wise savored of, and had any,
though but a remote tendency to Antinomianism ; of all such notions, as seem
ed to diminish the necessity of holiness of life, or to abate men's regard, to the
commands of God, and a strict, diligent, and universal practice of virtue and
piety, under a pretence of depreciating our works, and magnifying God's free
grace. He spake often, with much detestation, of such experiences and pre
tended discoveries and joys, as have nothing of the nature of sanctification in
them, and do not tend to strictness, tenderness, and diligence in religion, and
meekness and benevolence towards mankind, and a humble behavior: and he
also declared, that he looked on such pretended humility as worthy of no regard,
that was not manifested by modesty of conduct and conversation. He spake
often, with abhorrence, of the spirit and practice that appears among the great
er part of separatists at this day in the land, particularly those in the eastern
parts of Connecticut; in their condemning and separating from the standing
ministry and churches, their crying down learning, and a learned ministry, their
notion of an immediate call to the work of the ministry, and the forwardness of
laymen to set up themselves as public teachers. He had been much convers
ant in the eastern part of Connecticut, his native place being near to it, when
the same principles, notions and spirit, began to operate, which have since
prevailed to a greater height ; and had acquaintance with some of those per
sons who are become heads and leaders of the separatists; he had«also been
conversant with persons of the same way elsewhere : and I heard him say, once
and again, he knew by his acquaintance with this sort of people, that what was
chiefly and most generally in repute among them as the power of godliness,
was an entirely different thing from that true vital piety recommended in the
Scriptures, and had nothing in it of that nature. He manifested a great dis
like of a disposition in persons to much noise and show in religion, and affect-

BRAINERD'S JOURNAL. 647
ing to be abundant in proclaiming and publishing their own experiences ;
though at the same time he did not condemn, but approved of Christians speak
ing of their own experiences on some occasions, and to some persons, with due
modesty and discretion.
After he came hither, as long as he lived, he was much in speaking of that
future prosperity of Zion, that is so often foretold and promised in the Scrip
ture : it was a theme he delighted to dwell upon ; and his mind seemed to be
carried forth with earnest concern about it, and intense desires, that religion
might speedily and abundantly revive and flourish ; though he had not the least
expectation, of recovery ; yea, the nearer death advanced, and the more the
symptoms of its approach increased, still the more did his mind seem to be tak
en up with this subject. He told me, when near his end, that " he never in all
his life, had his mind so led forth in desires and earnest prayers for the flour
ishing of Christ's kingdom on earth, as since he was brought so exceeding low
at Boston." He seemed much to wonder, that there appeared no more of a
disposition in ministers and people to pray for the flourishing of religion through
the world ; that so little a part of their prayers was generally taken up about
it in their families, and elsewhere ; and particularly, he several times expressed
his wonder, that there appeared no more forwardness to comply with the pro
posal lately made, in a memorial from a number of ministers in Scotland, and
sent over into America, for united, extraordinary prayer, among Christ's minis
ters and people, for the coming of Christ's kingdom : and he sent it as his dy
ing advice to his own congregation that they should practise agreeably to that
proposal* Though he was constantly exceeding weak, yet there appeared in him a
continuarcare well to improve time, and fill it up with something that might
be profitable, and in some respect for the glory of God or the good of men ;
either profitable conversation, or writing- letters to absent friends, or noting
something in his Diary, or looking over his former writings, correcting them,
and preparing them to be left in the hands of others at his death, or giving
some directions concerning a future conducting and management of his people,
or employment in secret devotions. He seemed never to be easy, however ill,
if he was not doing something for God, or in his service.
After he came hither, he wrote a preface to a Diary of the famous Mr.
Shepard's, having been much urged to it by those gentlemen in Boston,who
had the care of the publication : which Diary, with his preface, has since
been published.
In his Diary for Lord's day, August 9, he speaks of longing desires after
death, through a sense of the excellency of a state of perfection.
In his Diary for Lord's day, August 16, he speaks of his having so much
refreshment of soul in the house of God, that it seemed to refresh his body.
And this is not only noted in his Diary, but was very observable to others ; it
was very apparent, not only, that his mind was exhilarated with inward conso
lation but also that his animal spirits and bodily strength seemed to be remark
ably restored, as though he had forgot his illness. But this was the last time
that ever he attended public worship on the Sabbath.
On Tuesday morning that week, I being absent on a journey, he prayed
* u- „^^tmn sinrp this have with great cheerfulness and unanimity fallen in with this
«nl?' tni hlveg acli ed Jr eably to the proposal from Scotland ; and have at time., appeared
fccot^

648 EXTRACTS FROM
with my family ; but not without much difficulty, for want of bodily strength :
and this was the last family prayer that ever he made.
He had been wont, until now, frequently to ride out, two or three miles •
but this week, on Thursday, was the last time he ever did so.
Lord's day August, 23. — This morning I was considerably refreshed with
the thought, yea, the hope and expectation of the enlargement of Christ's
kingdom ; and I could not but hope, the time was at hand, when Babylon the
great would fall, and rise no more : this led me to some spiritual meditations,
that were very refreshing to me. I was unable to attend public worship either
part of the day ; but God was pleased to afford me fixedness and satisfaction
in divine thoughts. Nothing so refreshes my soul, as when I can go to God,
¦yea, to God my exceeding joy. When he is so, sensibly, to my soul, 0, how
unspeakably delightful is this !
In the week past I had divers turns of inward refreshing ; though' my body
was inexpressibly weak, followed continually with agues and fevers. . Some
times my soul centered in God, as my only portion ; and I felt that I should be
forever unhappy, if he did not reign : I saw the sweetness and happiness of
being his subject, at his disposal : this made all my difficulties quickly vanish.
From this Lord's clay, viz., August 23, I was troubled very much with
-vapory disorders, and could neither write nor read, and could scarcely live ;
although, through mercy, was not so much oppressed with heavy melancholy
and gloominess, as at many other times.
Until this week he had been wont to lodge in a room above stairs ; but he
¦now grew so weak, that he was no longer able to go up stairs and down ;
Friday August 28, was the last time he ever went above stairs ; henceforward
he betook himself to a lower room.
On Wednesday, September 2, being the day of our public lecture, he
seemed to be refreshed by seeing the neighboring ministers that came hither to
the lecture, and expressed a great desire once more to go to the house of God
on that day : and accordingly rode to the meeting, and attended divine service
while the Rev. Mr. Wooclbridge of Hatfield preached. He signified that he
supposed it to be the last time that ever he should attend the public worship ;
as it proved. And indeed it was the last time that ever he went out at our
gate alive.
On the Saturday evening next following, he was unexpectedly visited by his
brother, Mr. John Brainerd, who came to see him from New Jersey. He was
much refreshed by this unexpected visit, this brother being peculiarly dear to
him ; and he seemed to rejoice in a devout and solemn manner, to see him, and
to hear the comfortable tidings he brought concerning the state of his dear congre
gation of Christian Indians : and a circumstance of this visit, that he was ex
ceeding glad of, was, that his brother brought him some of his private writings
from New Jersey, and particularly his Diary that he had kept for many years past.
Lord's day, September 6. — I began to read some of my private writings,
•which my brother brought me ; and was considerably refreshed, with what I
met with in them.
Monday, September 7. — I proceeded farther in reading my private writings,
and found they had the same effect upon me as before : I could not but rejoice
and bless God for what had passed long ago, which without writing had been
entirely lost.
This evening, when I was in great distress of body, my soul longed that
God should be glorified : I saw there was no heaven but this. I could not but
speak to the bystanders then of the only happiness, viz., pleasing God. 0 that

BRAINERD'S JOURNAL. 649
1 could forever live to God ! The day I trust, is at hand, the perfect day : O,
the day of deliverance from all sin !
Lord's day, September 13.— I was much refreshed and engaged in medita
tion and writing, and found a heart to act for God. My spirits were refreshed,
and my soul delighted to do something for God.
On the evening following that Lord's day, his feet began to appear sensibly
swelled ; which thenceforward swelled more and more ; a symptom of his dis
solution coming on.
v , The next day, his brother John left him, being obliged to return to New
Jersey on some business of great importance and necessity ; intending to return
again with all possible speed, hoping to see his brother yet once more in the
land of the living.
On the Thursday of this week, September 17, was the last time that ever
he went out of his lodging room. That day, he was again visited by his
brother Israel, who continued with him thenceforward until his death. On that
evening, he was taken with something of a diarrhoea ; which he looked upon
as another sign of his approaching death : whereupon he expressed himself
thus ; 0, the glorious time is now coming ! I have longed to serve God per
fectly : now God will gratify those desires ! And from time to time, at the
several steps and new symptoms of the sensible approach of his dissolution, he
was so far from being sunk or damped, that he seemed to be animated, and
made more cheerful ; as being glad at the appearances of death's approach.
He often used the epithet, glorious, when speaking of the day of his death,
calling it that glorious day. And as he saw his dissolution gradually approach
ing, he was much in talking about it, with perfect calmness speaking of a future
state ; and also settling all his affairs, very particularly and minutely, giving
directions concerning what he would have done in one respect and another
after he was dead. And the nearer death approached, the more desirous he
seemed to be of it. He several times spake of the different kinds of willing
ness to die ; and spoke of it as an ignoble, mean kind of willingness to die, to
be willing to leave the body, only to get rid of pain ; or to go to heaven only
to get honor and advancement there.
Saturday, September 19.— Near night, while I attempted to walk a little,
my thoughts turned thus : How infinitely sweet it is, to love God, and be all for
him ! Upon which it was suggested to me, You are not an angel, not lively
and active. To which my whole soul immediately replied, I as sincerely desire
to love and glorify God, as any angel in heaven. Upon which it was suggest
ed again, But you are filthy, not /it for heaven. Hereupon instantly appeared the
blessed robes of Christ's righteousness, which I could not but exult and triumph
in : and I viewed the infinite excellency of God, and my soul even broke with
longings, that God should be glorified- I thought of dignity in heaven ; but
instantly the thought returned, I do not go to heaven to get honor, but to give
all possible glory and praise. O, how I longed that God should be glorified on
earth also ! 0, 1 was made for eternity, if God might be glorified ! Bodily
pains I cared not for : though I was then in extremity, I never felt easier; I felt
willing to glorify God in that state of bodily distress, as long as he pleased I
should continue in it. The grave appeared really sweet, and I longed to lodge
my weary bones in it : but 0 that God might be glorified ! This was the bur
den of all my cry. 0, 1 knew I should be active as an angel, in heaven ; and
that I should be stripped of my filthy garments ! So that there was no objec
tion. But 0, to love and praise God more, to please him forever! jhls.mY
soul panted after, and even now pants for while I write. 0 that God might
Vol. L 82

650 EXTRACTS FROM
be glorified in the whole earth. Lord, let thy kingdom come. _ I longed for s-
spirit of preaching to descend and rest on ministers, that they might address, the-
consciences of men with closeness and power. I saw God had the residue of
the Spirit ; and my soul longed it should be poured from on high. I could not
but plead with God for my dear congregation, that he would preserve it and not-
suffer his great name to lose its glory in that work : my soul still longing, that
God might be glorified.
The extraordinary frame that he was in, that evening, could not be hid ;
his mouth spake out of the abundance of his heart, expressing in a very affect
ing manner much the same things as are written in his Diary : and among
very many other extraordinary expressions, which he then uttered, were such
as these : My heaven is to please God, and to glorify him, and give all to him,
and to be wholly devoted to his glory ; that is the heaven I long for ; that is
my religion, and that is my happiness ; and always was, ever since I suppose I
had any true religion ; and all those that are of that religion, shall meet me in
heaven. I do not go to heaven to be advanced, but to give honor to God.
It is no matter where I shall be stationed in heaven, whether I have a high
or a low seat there; but to love and please and glorify God is all: had I a
thousand souls, if they were worth any thing, I would give them all to God ;
but I have nothing to give, when all is done. It is impossible for any rational-
creature to be happy without acting all for God : God himself could not make
him happy any other' way. I long to be in heaven, praising and glorifying God
with the holy angels : all my desire is to glorify God. My heart goes out to
the burying place; it seems to me a desirable place : but 0 ! to glorify God;
that is it; that is above all. It is a great cpmfort to me, to think that I have
done a little for God in the world : 0 ! it is but a very small matter; yet I hare
dorie a little ; and I lament it, that I have not done more for him. There is
nothing in the world worth living for, but doing good, and finishing God's work,
doing the work that Christ did. I see nothing else in the world, that can yield
any satisfaction, besides living to God, pleasing him, and doing his whole will.
My greatest joy and comfort has been, to do something for pVomoting the interest
of religion, and the souls of particular persons : and now' in my illness, while
I am full of pain and distress from day to day, all the comfort I have, is in be
ing able to do some little char, or small piece of work for God, either by some
thing that I say, or by writing, or some other way.
He intermingled with these and other like expressions, many pathetical
counsels to those that were about him ; particulaily to my children and ser
vants. He applied himself to some of my younger children at this time ; call
ing them to him, and speaking to them one by one ; setting before them, in a
very plain manner, the nature and essence of true piety, and its great impor
tance and necessity ; earnestly warning them not to rest in any thing short of
that true and thorough change of heart, and a life devoted to God; counselling
them not. to be slack in the great business of religion, nor in the least to delay
it ; enforcing his counsels with this, that his words were the words of a dying
man. Said he, I shall die here, and here I shall be buried, and here you will
see my grave, and do you remember what I have said to you. I am going into
eternity : and it is sweet to me to think of eternity ; the endlessness of it makes
it sweet : but 0, what shall I say to the eternity of the wicked ! I cannot mention
it, nor think of it : the thought is too dreadful. When you see my grave, then
remember what I said to you while I was alive ; then think with yourself,
how that man that lies in that grave, counselled and warned me to prepare
for death.

BRAINERD'S JOURNAL. 651
His body seemed to be marvellously strengthened, through the inward vigor
and refreshment of his mind ; so that, although before he was so weak that
he could hardly utter a sentence, yet now he continued his most affecting and
profitable discourse to us for more than an hour, with scarce any intermission ;
and said of it, when he had done, it was the last sermon that ever he should
preach. This extraordinary frame of mind continued the next day ; of which he says
in his Diary as follows.
Lord's day, September 20.— Was still in a sweet and comfortable frame ;
and was again melted with desires that God might be. glorified, and withlong-
ings to love and live to him. Longed for the influences of the Divine Spirit
to descend on ministers, in a special manner. And 0, 1 longed to be with
God, to behold his glory, and to bow in his presence.
It appears by what is noted in his Diary, both of this day, and the evenino-
preceding, that his mind at this time was much impressed with a sense of the
importance of the work of the ministry, and the need of the grace of God, and
his special spiritual assistance in this work : and it also appeared in what he
expressed in conversation ; particularly in his discourse to his brother Israel
who was then a member of Yale College at New Haven, and had been prose
cuting his studies and academical exercises there, to that end, that he mi°-ht
be fitted for the work of the ministry, and was now with him.* He now, and
from time to time, in this his dying state, recommended to his brother, a life of
self-denial, of weanedn'ess from the world, and devotedness to God, and an
earnest endeavor to obtain much of the grace of God's Spirit, and God's gra
cious influences on his heart ; representing the great need which ministers stand
in of them, and the unspeakable benefit of them from his own experience.
Among many other expressions, he said thus: "When ministers feel these
special gracious influences on their hearts, it wonderfully assists them to come
at the consciences of men, and as it were to handle them with hands ; whereas,
without them, whatever reason and oratory we make use of, we do but make
use of stumps instead of hands."
Monday, September 21. — I began to correct a little volume of my private
writings : God3 I believe, remarkably helped me in it ; my strength was sur
prisingly lengthened out, and my thoughts quick and lively, and my soul re
freshed, hoping it might be a work for God. 0, how good, how sweet it is,
to labor for God.
Tuesday, September 22. — Was again employed in reading and correcting,
and had the same success, as the day before. I was exceeding weak ; but it
seemed to refresh my soul, thus to spend time.
Wednesday, September 23. — I finished my corrections of the little piece fore-
mentioned, and felt uncommonly peaceful : it seemed as if I had now done all
my work in this world, and stood ready for my call to a better. As long as I
see any thing to be done for God, life is worth having : but 0, how vain and
unworthy it is, to live for any lower end ! This day I indited a letter, I think,
of great importance, to the Rev. Mr. Byram in New Jersey : 0 that God would
bless and succeed that letter, which was written for the benefit of his church !f
0 that God would purify the sons of Levi, that his glory may be advanced I
* This young »entleman -was an ingenious, serious, studious, and hopefully truly pious person : there
appeared in him many qualities giving hope of his being a great blessing in his day. But it has pleas
ed God, since the death of his brother, to take him away also. He died that winter, at New Haven, on
Jan. 6, 1747-8, of a nervous fever, after about a fortnight's illness.
t It was concerning the qualifications of ministers, and the examination and licensing of candidates
for the work of the ministry.

652 EXTRACTS FROM
This night, I endured a dreadful turn, wherein my life was expected scarce an
hour or minute together. But blessed be God, I have enjoyed considerable
sweetness in divine things, this week, both by night and day.
Thursday, September 24.— My strength began to fail exceedingly ; which
looked further as if I had done all my work : however, I had strength to fold
and superscribe my letter. About two I went to bed, being weak and much
disordered, and lay in a burning fever until- night, without any proper rest. In
the evening I got up, having lain down in some of my clothes ; but was in the
greatest distress that ever I endured, having an uncommon kind of- hiccough ;
which either strangled me, or threw me into a straining to vomit; and at the
same time was distressed with griping pains. 0, the distress of this evening !
I had little expectation of my living the night through, nor indeed had any
about me : and I longed for the finishing moment ! I was obliged to repair to
bed by six o'clock, and through mercy enjoyed some rest ; but was grievously
distressed at turns with the hiccough. My soul breathed after God, while the
watcher was with me : When shall I come to God, even to God, my exceeding
joy 1 0 for this blessed likeness !
Friday, September 25. — This day, I was unspeakably weak, and little betler
than speechless all the day : however, I was able to write a little, and felt com
fortably in some part of the day. 0, it refreshed my soul, to think of former
things, of desires to glorify God, of the pleasures of Jiving to him ! 0 my. dear
God, I am speedily coming to thee, I hope ! Hasten the day, 0 Lord, if it be
thy blessed will : 0 come, Lord Jesus, come quickly. Amen.*
Saturday, September 26. — I felt the sweetness of divine things, this fore
noon ; and had the consolation of a consciousness that I was doing something foi
God. Lord's day, September 27. — This was a very comfortable day to my soul ;
I think, I awoke with God. I was enabled to lift up my soul to God, early this
morning ; and while I had little bodily strength, I found freedom to lift up my
heart to God for myself and others. Afterwards, was pleased with the thoughts
of speedily entering into the unseen world.
Early this morning, as one of the family came into the room, he expressed
himself thus : I have had more pleasure this morning, than all the drunkards in
the world enjoy, if it were all extracted ! So much did he esteem the joy of faith
above the pleasures of sin.
He felt that morning an unusual appetite to food, with which his mind
seemed to be exhilarated, as looking on it a sign of the very near approach of
death ; and said upon it, I was born on a Sabbath day ; and I have reason to
think I was new-born on a Sabbath day ; and I hope I shall die on this Sabbath
day : I should look upon it as a favor, if it may be the will of God that it should
be so : I long for the time. 0, why is his chariot so long in coming ? Why
tarry the wheels of his chariots? I am very willing to part with all: I am
willing to part with my dear brother John, and never to see him again, to go to
be forever with the Lord.f O, when I go there, how will God's dear ehurch
on earth be upon my mind !
Afterwards, the same morning, being asked how he did, he answered, I am
* This was the last that ever ne wrote in his Diary with his own hand : though it is continued a little
farther, in a broken manner, written by his brother Israel, but indited by his mouth in this his weak and
dying state.
t He had before this expressed a desire, if it might be tho will of God, to live until his brother return
ed from New- Jersey ; Who when he went away, intended, if possible, to perform his journey and return
in a fortnight ; hoping once more to meet his brother in the land -Of the living. The fortnight was now
near expired, it ended the next day.

BRAINERD'S JOURNAL. 653
almost in eternity ; I long to be there. My work is done ; I have done with
all my friends; all the world is nothing to me ; I long to be in heaven, prais
ing and glorifying God with the holy angels: all my desire is to glorify God.
During the whole of these last two weeks of his life he seemed to continue
in this frame of heart, loose from all the world, as having done his work, and
done with all things here below, having nothing to do but to die, and abiding
in an earnest desire and expectation of the happy moment, when his soul should
take its flight, and. go to a state of perfection of holiness and perfect glorifying
and enjoying God, manifested in a variety of expressions. He said, that the
consideration of the day of death, and the day of judgment, had a long time
been peculiarly sweet to him. He from time to time spake of his being willing
to leave the body and the world immediately, that day, that night, and that
moment, if it was the will of God. He also was much in expressing his long
ings that the church of Christ on earth might flourish, and Christ's kingdom
here might be advanced, notwithstanding he was about to leave the earth, and
should not with his eyes behold the desirable event, nor be instrumental in pro
moting it- He said to me, one morning as I came into the room, My thoughts
have been employed on the old dear theme, the prosperity of God's church on
earth. As I waked out of sleep, I was led to cry for the pouring out of God's
Spirit; and the advancement of Christ's kingdom, which the dear Redeemer
did and suffered so much for. It is this that especially makes me long for it.
He expressed much hope that a glorious advancement of Christ's kingdom was
near at hand.
He once told me, that he had formerly longed for the outpouring of the Spirit
of God, and the glorious times of the church, and hoped they were coming ;
and should have been willing to have lived to promote religion at that time, if
that had been the will of God ; but, says he, I am willing it should be as it is ;
I would not have the choice to make for myself for ten thousand worlds. He
expressed, on his death bed, a full persuasion, that he should in heaven see the
prosperity of the church on earth, and should rejoice with Christ therein ; and
the consideration of it seemed to be highly pleasing and satisfying to his mind.
He also still dwelt much on the great importance of th.e work of ministers
of the gospel ; and expressed his longings, that they might be filled with the
Spirit of God ; and manifested much desire to see some of the neighboring min
isters, whom he had some acquaintance with, and whose sincere friendship he
was confident of, that he might converse freely with them, on that subject, before
he died. And it so happened, that he had opportunity with some of them accord
ing to his desire.
Another thing that lay much on his heart, and that he spake of, from time to
time, in these near approaches of death, was the spiritual prosperity of his own
cong'regation of Christian Indians in New Jersey : and when he spake of them
it was with peculiar tenderness ; so that his speech would be presently inter
rupted and drowned with tears. .„.._,. . cn ., ...
He also expressed much satisfaction in the disposals of Providence, with
reo-ard to the circumstances of his death ; particularly that God had before his
death given him the opportunity he had had in Boston1, with so many consider
able persons, ministers and others, to give in his testimony for God, and against
false relio-ion, and many mistakes that lead to it and promote it ; and there to lay
before pious and charitable gentlemen, the state of the Indians and their neces
sities to so good'effecf ; and that God had since given him opportunity to write-
to them further concerning these affairs ; and to write other letters of importance,
that he hoped might be of good influence with regard to the state of religion

€54 EXTRACTS FROM
among the Indians, and elsewhere, after his death. He expressed great thank
fulness to God for his mercy in these things. He also mentioned it as what he
accounted a merciful circumstance of his death, that he should die here. And
speaking of these things, he said, God had granted him all his desire; and sig
nified, that now he could with the greater alacrity leave the world.
Monday, September 28. — I was able to read, and make some few correc
tions in my private writings ; but found I could not write, as I had done ; I
found myself sensibly declined in all respects. It has been only from a little
while before noon, until about one or two o'clock, that I have been able to do
any thing for some time past : yet this refreshed my heart, that I could do any
thing, either public or private, that I hoped was for God.
[This evening he was supposed to be dying : he thought so himself, and
was thought so by those who were about him. He seemed glad at the appear
ance of the near approach of death. He was almost speechless, but his lips
appeared to move ; and one that sat very near him, heard him utter such expres
sions as these, Come, Lord Jesus, come quickly. 0, why is his chariot so long in
coming ! After he revived, he blamed himself for having been too eager to be
gone. And in expressing what he found in the frame of his mind at that time,
he said, he then found an inexpressibly sweet love to those that he looked upon
as belonging to Christ, beyond almost all that ever he felt before ; so that it
seemed, to use his own words, like a little piece of heaven to have one of them
near him. And being asked whether he heard the prayer that was, at his de
sire, made with him ; he said, yes, he heard every word, and had an uncommon
sense of the things that were uttered in that prayer, and that every word reach
ed his heart.
On the evening of the next day, viz., Tuesday, September 29, as he lay in his
bed, he seemed to be in an extraordinary frame ; his mind greatly engaged in
sweet meditations concerning the prosperity of Zion : there being present here at
that time two young gentlemen of his acquaintance, that were candidates for
the ministry, he desired us all to unite in singing a psalm on that subject, even
Zion's prosperity. — And on his desire we sung a part of the 102d Psalm. This
seemed much to refresh and revive him, and gave him new strength; so that,
though before he could scarcely speak at all, now he proceeded, with some
freedom of speech, to give his dying counsels to those two young gentlemen
before mentioned, relating to their preparation for, and prosecution of that great
work of the ministry they were designed for ; and in particular, earnestly re
commending to them frequent secret fasting and prayer: and enforced his
counsel with regard to this, from his own experience of the great comfort and
benefit of it ; which, said he, I should not mention, were it not that I am a
dying person. And after he had finished his counsel, he made a prayer, in the
audience of us all ; wherein, besides praying for this family, for his brethren,
and those candidates for the ministry, and for his own congregation, he earnestly
prayed for the reviving and flourishing of religion in the world.
Until now he had every day sat up part of the day ; but after this he never
rose from his bed.]
Wednesday, September 30. — I was obliged to keep my bed the whole day,
through weakness. However redeemed a little time, and with the help of my
brother, read and corrected about a dozen pages in my MS. giving an ac
count of my conversion.
Thursday, October 1.' — I endeavored again to do something by way of writ
ing, but soon found my powers of body and mind utterly fail. Felt not so
sweetly as when I was able to do something that I hoped would do some good.

BRAINERD'S JOURNAL. 655
In the evening, was discomposed and wholly delirious ; but it was not long
before God was pleased to give me some sleep, and fully composed my mind*
0, blessed be God for his great goodness to me, since I was so low at Mr.
Broomfield's, on Thursday, June -18, last past. He has, except those few min
utes, given me the clear exercise of my reason, and enabled me to labor much
for him, in things both of a public and private nature ; and, perhaps, to do
more good than 1 should have done if I had been well; besides the comfortable
influences of his blessed Spirit, with which he has been pleased to refresh my
soul. May his name have all the glory forever and ever. Amen.
Friday, October 2. — My soul was this day, at turns, sweetly set on God :
I longed to be with him, that I might behold his1 glory. I felt sweetly disposed
to commit all to him, even toy dearest friends, my dearest flock, and my absent
brother, and all my concerns for time and eternity. 0 that his kingdom might
come in the world ; that they might all love and glorify him, for what he is in
himself; and that the blessed Redeemer might see of the travail of his soul,
¦and be satisfied. 0 come Lord Jesus, come quickly.^ Amen.
[The next evening, we very -much expected his brother John from New
Jersey ; it being about a week after the time that he proposed for his return
when he went away. And though our expectations were still disappointed,
yet Mr. Brainerd seemed to continue unmoved, in the same calm and peaceful
frame, that he had before manifested ; as having resigned all to God, and hav
ing done with his friends, and with all things below.
On the morning of the next day, being Lord's day, October 4, as my daughter
Jerusha, who chiefly- tended him, came into the room, he looked on her very
pleasantly, and said, Dear Jerusha, are you willing to part with me 1 I am
.quite willing to part with you : I ara willing to part with all my friends ; I am
willing to part with my dear brother John, although I love him the best of any
creature living : I have committed him and all my friends to God, and can
leave them with God. Though if I thought I should not see you, and be happy
with you in another world, I could not bear to part with you. But we shall
spend a happy eternity together !
In the evening, as one came into the room with a Bible in her hand, he ex
pressed himself thus : 0, that dear book ! That lovely book ! I shall soon see
•it opened ! The mysteries that are in it, and the mysteries of God's provi
dence, will be all unfolded !
. His distemper now very apparently preyed on his vitals in an extraordinary
manner : not by a sudden breaking of ulcers in his lungs, as at Boston, but by
a constant discharge of purulent matter, in great quantities : so that what he
brought up by expectoration, seemed to be as it were mouthfuls of almost clear
pus ; which was attended with very great inward pain and distress.
On Tuesday, October 6, he lay for a considerable time, as if he were dying.
At which time, he was heard to' utter, in broken whispers, such expressions as
these : He will come, he will not tarry. I shall soon be in glory. I shall soon
glorify God with the angels. But after some time he revived.
The next day, viz. Wednesday, October 7, his brother John arrived, being
returned from New Jersey; where he had been detained much longer than he
intended, by a mortal sickness prevailing among the Christian Indians, and by
some other things in their circumstances that made his stay with them neces-
» From this time forward, he had the free use of his reason until the day before his death ; except
ing that at some times he appeared a little lost for a moment, at first waking out of sleep. •
t Here ends his Diary : these are the last words that are written in it, either by his own hand, or
by any other from his mouth.

€56 REFLECTIONS ON THE
sary. Mr. Brainerd was affected and refreshed with seeing him, and appeared
fully satisfied with the reasons of his delay ; seeing the interest of religion and
of the souls of his people required it.
The next day,- Thursday, October 8, he was in great distress and agonies of
body ; and for the bigger part of the day, was much disordered as to the exer
cise of his reason. In the evening he was more composed, and had the use of
his reason well ; but the pain of his body continued and increased. He told
me it was impossible for any to conceive of the distress he felt in his breast.
He manifested much concern lest he should dishonor God, by impatience under
his extreme agony ; which was such, that he said, the thought of enduring it
one minute longer was almost insupportable. He desired that -others would be
much in lifting up their hearts continually to God for him, that God would
support him, and give him patience. He signified that he expected to die that
night ; but seemed to fear a longer delay : and the disposition of his mind with
regard to death appeared still the same that it had been all along. And not
withstanding his bodily agonies, yet the interest of Zion lay still with great
weight on his mind ; as appeared by some considerable discourse he had that
evening with the Rev. Mr. Billing, one of the neighboring ministers, who was
then present, concerning the great importance of the work of the ministry, &c.
And afterwards, when it was very late in the night, he had much very proper
and profitable discourse with his brother John, concerning his congregation in
New' Jersey, and the interest of religion among the Indians. In the latter part
of the night, his bodily distress seemed to rise to a greater height than ever ;
and he said to those then about him, that it was another thing to die, than
people imagined ; explaining himself to mean that they were not aware what
bodily pain and anguish is undergone before death. Towards day, his eyes
fixed : and he continued lying immovable, until about six o'clock in the morn
ing, and then expired, on Friday, October 9, 1747, when his soul, as we may
"well conclude, was received by his dear Lord and Master, as an eminently
faithful servant, into that state pf perfection of holiness, and fruition of God,
-which he had so often and so ardently longed for ; and was welcomed by the
glorious assembly of the upper world, as one peculiarly fitted to join them in
their blessed employments and enjoyments.
Much respect was shown to his memory at his funeral; which was on the
Monday following, after a sermon preached the same day, on that solemn occa
sion. His funeral was attended by eight of the neighboring ministers, and
seventeen other gentlemen of liberal education, and a great concourse of people.}

REFLECTIONS AND OBSERVATIONS ON THE PRECEDING ME
MOIRS OF MR. BRAINERD.
1. We have here an opportunity, as I apprehend, in a very lively instance,
to see the nature of. true religion; and the manner of its operation, when ex
emplified in a high degree and powerful exercise. Particularly it may be wor
thy to be observed,
1. How greatly Mr. Brainerd's religion differed from that of some pretend
ers to the experience of a clear work of saving conversion wrought on their
hearts ; who, depending and living on that, settle in a cold, careless and car
nal frame of mind, and in a neglect of thorough, earnest religion, in the stated

MEMOIRS OF MR. BRAINERD. 657
practice of it. Although his convictions and conversion were in all respects
exceeding clear and very remarkable ; yet how far was he from acting as
though he thought he had got through his work, when once he had obtained com
fort, and satisfaction of his interest, in Christ, and title to heaven ! On the
contrary, that work on his heart, by which he was brought to this, was with
him evidently but the beginning of his work, his first entering on the great
business of religion and the service of God, his first setting out in his race.
His work was not finished, nor his race ended, until life was ended ; agreeable
vto frequent Scripture representations of the Christian life. He continued press
ing forward in a constant manner, forgetting the things that were behind, and
reaching forth towards the things that were before. His pains and earnestness
in the business of religion were rather increased than diminished, after he had
received comfort and satisfaction concerning the safety of his state. Those
divine principles, which after this he was actuated by, of love to God, and
longings and thirstings after holiness, seemed to be more effectual to engage
him' to pains and activity in religion, than fear of hell had been before.
¦ And as his conversion was not the end of his work, or of the course of his
diligence and strivings in religion ; so neither was it the end of the work of
the Spirit of God on his heart: but on the contrary, the beginning, of that
work ; the beginning of his spiritual discoveries, and holy views ; the first
dawning of the light, which thenceforward increased more and more ; the be
ginning of his holy affections, his sorrow for sin, his love to God, his rejoicing
in Christ Jesus, his longings after holiness. And the powerful operations of the
Spirit of God in these things, were carried on, from the day of his conversion,
in a continued course, to his dying day. His religious experiences, his admira
tion, his joy and praise, and flowing affections, did not only hold up to a con
siderable height for a few days, weeks or months, at first, while hope and com
fort were new things with him ; and then gradually dwindle and die away,
until they came to almost nothing, and so leave him without any sensible or
remarkable experience of spiritual discoveries, or holy and divine affections, for
months together; as it is with many, who, after the newness of things is over,
soon come to that pass, that it is again with them very much as it used to be
before their supposed conversion, with respect toany present views of God's
glory, of Christ's excellency, or of the beauty of divine things ; and with re
spect to any present thirstings for God, or ardent outgoings of their souls after
divine objects : but only now and then, they have a comfortable reflection on
things they have met with in times past, and are something affected with them ;
and so rest easy, thinking all things are well ; they have had a good clear work,
and their state is safe, and they doubt not but they shall go to heaven when they
die. How far otherwise was it with Mr. Brainerd, than it is with such persons !
His experiences, instead of dying away, were evidently of an increasing nature.
His first love and other holy affections, even at the beginning, were very great;
but after months and years, became much greater and more remarkable; and
the spiritual exercises of his mind continued exceeding great, though not equally
so at all times, yet usually so, without indulged remissness, and without habitual
dwindlino- and dying away, eren until his decease. They began in a time of gen
eral deadness all over the land, and were greatly increased in a time of general re
viving of religion. And when religion decayed again, and a general deadness
returned, his experiences were still kept up in their height, and his holy exercises
maintained in their life and vigor ; and so continued to be in a general course,wher-
ever he was, and whatever his circumstances were, among English and Indians,
in company and alone, in towns and cities, and in the howling wilderness, in
Vol.. I. 83

€58 REFLECTIONS ON THE
sickness and in health, living and dying. This is agreeable to Scripture des
criptions of true and right religion, and of the Christian life. The change that
was wrought in him at his conversion, was agreeable to Scripture representations
of that change which is wrought in true conversion ; a great change, and an
abiding change, rendering him a new man, a new creature : not only a change
as to hope and comfort, and an apprehension of his own good estate ; and a
transient change, consisting in high flights of passing affections ; but a change
of nature, a change of the abiding habit and temper of his mind. Nor a par
tial change, merely in point of opinion, or outward reformation ; much less a
change from one error to another, or from one sin to another ; but a univer
sal change, both internal and external ; as from corrupt and dangerous princi
ples in religion, unto the belief of the truth, so from both the habits and ways
of sin, unto universal holiness of heart and practice ; from the power ahd service
of Satan, unto God.
2. His religion did apparently and greatly differ from that of many high
pretenders to religion, who are frequently actuated by vehement emotions of
mind, and are carried on in a coilrse of sudden and strong- impressions, and
supposed high illuminations and immediate discoveries, and at the same time
are persons of a virulent zeal, not according to knowledge.
His convictions, preceding his conversion, did not arise from any frightful
impressions on his imagination, or any external images and ideas of fire and
brimstone, a sword of vengeance drawn, a dark pit open, devils in terrible
shapes, &c, strongly fixed in his mind. His sight of his own sinfulness did not
consist in any imagination of a heap of loathsome material filthiness within
him ; nor did his sense of the hardness of his heart consist in any bodily feeling
in his breast, something hard and heavy like a stone, nor in any imaginations
whatever of such a nature.
His first discovery of God or Christ, at his conversion, was-not any strong
idea of any external glory or brightness, or majesty and beauty of countenance,
or pleasant voice; nor was it any supposed, immediate manifestation of God's
love to him in particular ; nor any imagination of Christ's smiling face, arms
open, or words immediately spoken to him, as by name, revealing Christ's love
to him ; either words of Scripture, or any other ; but a manifestation of God's
glory, and the beauty of his nature, as supremely excellent in itself; powerfully
drawing, and sweetly captivating his heart; bringing him to a hearty desire to
exalt God, set him on the throne, and give him supreme honor and glory, as
the king and sovereign of the universe ; and also a new sense of the infinite
wisdom, suitableness and excellency of the way of salvation by Christ ; power
fully engaging his whole soul to embrace this way of salvation, and to delight
in it. His first faith did not consist in believing that Christ loved him, and died
for him, in particular. His first comfort was not from any secret suggestion of
God's eternal love to him, or that God was reconciled to him, or intended great
mercy for him, by any such texts as these : Son, be of good cheer, thy sins are
forgiven thee ; Fear not, lam thy God, &c, or in any such way. On the con
trary, when God's glory was first discovered to him, it was without any thought
of salvation as his own. His first experience of the sanctifying and comforting-
power of God's Spirit did not begin in some bodily sensation, any pleasant
warm feeling in his breast, that he, as some others, called the feeling of the love
of Christ in him, and being full of the Spirit. How exceeding far Were his
experiences, at his first conversion, from things of such a nature !
And if we look through the whole series of his experiences, from his con
version to his death, we shall find none of this kind.

MEMOIRS OF MR. BRAINERD. 659
Mr. Brainerd's religion was not selfish ahd mercenary : his love to God
was primarily and principally for the supreme excellency of his own nature,
and not built on a preconceived notion that God loved him, had received him
into favor, and had-done great things for him, or promised great things to him :
so his joy was joy in God, and not in himself. We see by his Diary how, from
time to time, through the course of his life, his soul was filled with ineffable
sweetness and comfort. But what was the spring of this strong and abiding
consolation 1 Not so much the consideration of the sure grounds he had to think
that his state was good, that God had delivered him from hell, and that heaven
was his ; or any thoughts concerning his own distinguished happy and exalted
circumstances, as a high favorite of heaven : but the sweet meditations and en
tertaining views he had of divine things without himself; the affecting con
siderations and lively ideas of God's infinite glory, his unchangeable blessedness,
his sovereignty and universal dominion ; together with the sweet exercises of
love to God, giving himself up to him, abasing himself before him, denying
himself for him, depending upon him, acting for his glory, diligently serving
him ; and the pleasing prospects or hopes he had of a future advancement of
the kingdom of Christ, &c.
It appears plainly and abundantly all along, from his conversion to his death,
that that beauty, that sort of good, which was the great object of the new sense
of his mind, the new relish and appetite given him in conversion, and thencefor
ward maintained and increased in his heart, was holiness, conformity to God,
living to God, and glorifying him. This was what drew his heart ; this was
the centre of his soul ; this was the occean to which all the streams of his reli
gious affections tended ; this was the object that engaged his eager thirsting de
sires and earnest pursuits : he knew no true excellency or happiness but this : this
was what he longed for most vehemently and constantly on earth; and this was
with him the beauty and blessedness of heaven ; which made him so much
and so often to long for that world of glory ; it was to be perfectly holy, and
perfectly exercised in the holy employments of heaven ; thus to glorify God
and enjoy him forever.
His religious illuminations, affections and comfort, seemed to a great degree
to be attended with evangelical humiliation ; consisting in a sense of his own
utter insufficiency, despicableness and odiousness; with an answerable dispo
sition and frame of heart. How deeply affected was he almost continually with
his great defects in religion ; with his vast distance from that spirituality and
holy frame of mind that became him ; with his ignorance, pride, deadness, unstea
diness, barrenness ! He was not only affected with the remembrance of his former
sinfulness, before his conversion, but with the sense of his present vileness and
pollution. He was not only disposed to think meanly of himself as before God,
and in comparison of him ; but amongst men, and as compared with them : he
was apt to think other saints better than he ; yea, to look on himself as the
meanest and least of saints ; yea, very often as- the vilest and worst of mankind.
And notwithstanding his great attainments in spiritual knowledge, yet we find
there is scarce any thing that he is more frequently affected and abased with a
sense of, than his ignorance. _ _ -,,...
How eminently did he appear to be a meek and quiet spirit, resembling the
Iamb-like, dove-like spirit of Jesus Christ ! How full of love, meekness, quiet
ness, forgiveness and mercy ! His love was not merely a fondness and zeal
for a party, but a universal benevolence ; very often exercised in the most
sensible and ardent love to his greatest opposers and enemies. His love and
meekness were not a mere pretence, an outward profession and show ; but they

660 REFLECTIONS ON THE
were effectual things, manifested in expensive and painful deeds of love and
kindness; and in a meek behavior; readily confessing faults under the greatest
trials, and humbling himself even at the feet of those from whom he supposed
he had suffered most ; and from time to time, very frequently praying for his
enemies, abhorring the thoughts of bitterness or resentment towards them. I
scarcely know where to look for any parallel instance of self-denial, in these
respects, in the present age. He was a person of great zeal ; but how did he
abhor a bitter zeal, and lament it where he saw it ! And though he,was once
drawn into some degrees of it, by the force of prevailing example, as it were in
his childhood ; yet how did he go about with his heart bruised and broken in
pieces for it all his life after !
Of how soft and tender a spirit was' he ! How far were his experiences,
hopes and joys, from a tendency finally to stupify and harden him, to lessen
convictions and tenderness of conscience, to cause him to be less affected with
present and past sins, and less conscientious with respect to. future sins, more
easy in the neglect of duties that are troublesome and inconvenient, more slow
and partial in complying with difficult commands, less apt to be alarmed at the
appearance of his own defects and transgressions, more easily induced to a
compliance with carnal appetites ! On the contrary, how tender was his con
science! How apt was his heart to smite him ! How easily and greatly was
he alarmed at the appearance of moral evil ! How great and constant was his
jealousy over his own heart ! How strict his care and watchfulness against
sin ! How deep and sensible were the wounds that sin made in his conscience !
Those evils that are generally accounted small, were almost an insupportable
burden to, him; such as his inward deficiencies, his having no more love to
God, finding within himself any slackness or dulness in religion, any unsteadi
ness, or wandering frame of mind, &c. How did the consideration of such
things as these oppress and abase him, and fill him with inward shame and
confusion ! His love, and hope, though they were such as cast out a servile
fear of hell, yet they were such as were attended with, and abundantly cherish
ed and promoted, a reverential filial fear of God, a dread of sin, and of God's
holy displeasure. His joy seemed truly to be a rejoicing with trembling. His
assurance and comfort differed greatly from a false enthusiastic confidence and
joy, in that it promoted and maintained mourning for sin. Holy mourning,
with him, was not only the work of an hour or a day, at his first conversion ;
but sorrow for sin was like a wound constantly running : he was a mourner for
sin all his days. He did not, after he received comfort and full satisfaction of
the forgiveness of all his sins, and the safety of his state, forget his past sins,
the sins of his youth, that were committed before his conversion ; but the re
membrance of them, from time to time, revived in his heart, with renewed
grief. — That in Ezek. xvi. 63, was evidently fulfilled in him, That thou mayest
remember, and be confounded, and never open thy mouth any more, because of
thy shame ; when 1 am pacified toward thee for all that thou hast done. And
how lastingly did the sins that he committed after his conversion, affect and
break his heart ! If he did any thing whereby he thought he had in any res
pect dishonored God, and wounded the interest of religion, he had never done
with calling it to mind with sorrow and bitterness : though he was assured that
God had forgiven it, yet he never forgave himself: his past sorrows and fears
made no satisfaction with him ; but still the wound renews and bleeds afresh,
again and again. And his present sins, that he daily found in himself, were an
occasion of daily, sensible and deep sorrow of heart.
His religious affections and joys were not like those of some, who have

MEMOIRS OF MR. BRAINERD. 661
rapture and mighty emotions from time to time in company ; but have very
little affection in retirement and secret places. Though he was of a very
sociable temper, and loved the company of saints, and delighted very much in
religious conversation and in social worship ; yet his warmest affections, and
their greatest effects on animal nature, and his sweetest joys, were in his closet
devotions, and solitary transactions between God and his own soul ; as is very
observable through his whole course, from his conversion to his death. He
delighted greatly in sacred retirements ; and loved to get quite away from all
the world, to converse with God alone, in secret duties.
Mr. Brainerd's experiences and comforts were very far from being like
those of some persons, which are attended with a spiritual satiety, and put an
end to religious desires and longings, at least to the edge and ardency of them ;
resting satisfied in their own attainments and comforts, as having obtained their
chief end, which is to extinguish their fears of hell, and give them confidence ot
the favor of God. — Flow far were his religious affections, refreshments, and
satisfactions, from such an operation and influence as this ! On the contrary,
how were they always attended with longings and thirstings' after greater de
grees of conformity to God! And the greater and sweeter his comforts were,
the more vehement were his desires after holiness. For it is to be observed,
that his longings were not so much after joyful discoveries of God's love, and
clear views of his title to future advancement and eternal honors in heaven; as
after more of present holiness, greater spirituality, a heart more engaged for
God, to love and exalt and depend on him, an ability better to serve him, to
do more for his glory, and to do all that he did with more of a regard to Christ
as his righteousness and strength ; and after the enlargement and advancement
of Christ's kingdom in the earth. And his desires were not idle wishings and
wouldings, but such as were powerful and effectual, tp animate him to the
earnest, eager pursuit of these things, with utmost diligence, and unfainting
labor and self-denial. His comforts never put an end to his seeking after God,
and striving to obtain his grace ; but on the contrary, greatly engaged and en
larged him therein.
His religion did not consist only in experience, without practice. All his
inward illuminations, affections and comforts seemed to have a direct tendency
to practice, and to issue' in it ; and this not merely a practice negatively good,
free from gross acts of irreligion and immortality : but a practice positively holy
and Christian, in a serious, devout, humble, meek, merciful, charitable, and be
neficent conversation ; making the service of God, and our Lord Jesus Christ,
the great business of life, which he was devoted to, and pursued with the
greatest earnestness and diligence to the end of his days, through all trials. In
him was to be seen the right way of being lively in religion. His liveliness in
religion did not consist merely or mainly in his being lively with the tongue,
but in deed ; not in being forward in profession and outward show, and abun
dant in declaring his own experiences ; but chiefly in being active and abundant
in the labors and duties of religion ; not slothful in business, but fervent in spirit,
serving the Lord, and serving his generation according to the will of God.
It cannot be pretended, that fhe reason why he so much abhorr.ed and con
demned the notions and experiences of those whose first faith consists in believ-
ino- that Christ is theirs, and that Christ died for them ; without any previous
experience of union of heart to him, for his excellency, as he is m himself, and
not for his supposed love to them ; and who judge of their interest in Christ,
their justification, and God's love to them, not by their sanctification and the
exercises and fruits of grace, but by a supposed immediate witness of the Spirit

662 REFLECTIONS ON THE
by inward suggestion; I say it cannot be pretended, that the reason why he so
much detested and condemned such opinions and experiences, was, that he was
of a too legal spirit ; either that he never was dead to the law, never experi
enced a thorough work of conviction, was never fully brought off from his own
righteousness, and weaned from the old covenant, by a thorough legal humilia
tion ; or that afterwards, he had no great degree of evangelical humiliation, not
living in a deep sense of his own emptiness, wretchedness, poverty, and absolute
dependence on the mere grace of God through Christ. For his convictions of
sin, preceding his first consolations in Christ, were exceeding deep and tho
rough ; his trouble and exercise of mind, by a sense of sin and misery, very
great and long continued ; and the light let into his mind at his conversion and
in progressive sanctification, appears to have had its genuine humbling influence
upon him, to have kept him low in his own eyes, not confiding in himself, but
in Christ, living by the faith of the Son of God, and looking for the mercy of
the Lord Jesus to eternal life.
Nor can it be pretended, that the reason why he condemned those, and
other things, which this sort of people call the very height of vital religion, and
the power of godliness, was, that he was a dead Christian, and lived in the
dark (as they express themselves), that his experiences, though they might be
true, were not great ; that he did not live near to God, had but a small acquaint
ance with him, and had but a dim sight of spiritual things. If any, after they
have read the preceding account of Mr. Brainerd's life, will venture to pretend
thus, they will only show that they themselves are in the dark, and do indeed
put darkness for light, and light for darkness.
II. The foregoing account of Mr. Brainerd's life may afford matter of con
viction, that there is indeed such a thing as true experimental religion, arising
from immediate divine influences, supernaturally enlightening and .convincing
the mind, and powerfully impressing, quickening, sanctifying and governing
the heart ; which religion is indeed an amiable thing, of happy tendency, and
of no hurtful consequence to human society ; notwithstanding there having been
so many pretences and appearances of what is called experimental vital religion,
that have proved to be nothing but vain, pernicious enthusiasm.
If any insist, that Mr. Brainerd's religion was enthusiasm, and nothing but
a strange heat, and blind fervor of mind, arising from the strong fancies and
dreams of a notional, whimsical brain ; I would ask, if it be so, that such things
as these are the fruits of enthusiasm, viz., a great degree of honesty and sim
plicity, sincere and earnest desires and endeavors to know and do whatever is
right, and to avoid every thing that is wrong ; a high degree of love to God,
delight in the perfections of his nature, placing' the happiness of life in hire ;
not only in contemplating him, but in being active in pleasing and serving
him ; a firm and undoubting belief in the Messiah, as the Saviour of the world,
the great Prophet of God, and King of God's church ; together with great love
to him, delight and complacence in the way of salvation by him, and longing
for the enlargement of his kingdom ; earnest desires that God may be glorified,
and the Messiah's kingdom advanced, whatever instruments are made use of ;
uncommon resignation to the will of God, and that under vast trials ; great and
universal benevolence to mankind, reaching all sorts of persons without distinc
tion, manifested in sweetness of speech and behavior, kind treatment, mercy,
liberality, and earnest seeking the good of the souls and bodies of men ; at
tended with extraordinary humility, meekness, forgiveness of injuries,, and love
to enemies ; and a great abhorrence of a contrary spirit and practice ; not only
as appearing in others, but whereinsoever it had appeared in himself; causing

MEMOIRS OF MR. BRAINERD. 663
the most bitter repentance, and brokenness of heart on account of any past in
stances of such a conduct : a modest, discreet and decent deportment, among
superiors, inferiors and equals; a most diligent improvement of time, and
earnest care to lose no part of it ; great watchfulness against all sorts of sin,
-of heart, speech and action : and this example and these endeavors attended
with most happy fruits, and blessed effects on others, in humanizing, civilizing,
and wonderfully reforming and transforming some of the most brutish savages ;
idle, immoral, drunkards, murderers, gross idolaters, and wizards; bringing
them to permanent sobriety, diligence, devotion, honesty, conscientiousness, and
charity : and the foregoing amiable virtues and successful labors all ending at
last in a marvellous peace, unmovable stability, calmness . and resignation, in
the sensible approaches of death ; with longing for the heavenly state ; not
only for the honors and circumstantial advantages of it, but above all, for the
moral perfections, and holy and blessed employments of it : and these things
in a person indisputably of a good understanding and judgment : I say, if all
these things are the fruits of enthusiasm, why should not enthusiasm be thought
a desirable and excellent thing? For what can true religion, what can the best
philosophy do more 1 If vapors and whimsey will bring men to the most
thorough virtue, to the most benign and fruitful morality ; and will maintain it
through a course of life, attended with many trials, without affectation, or self-
exaltation, and with an earnest, constant bearing testimony against the wildness,
the extravagances, the bitter zeal, assuming behavior, and separating spirit of
enthusiasts ; and will do all this more effectually, than any thing else has ever
done in any plain known instance that can be produced ; if it be so, I say, what
cause then has the world to prize and pray for this blessed whimsicalness, and
these benign sort of vapors !
III. The preceding history serves to confirm those doctrines usually called
the doctrines of grace. For if it be allowed that there is truth, substance or
value in the main of Mr. Brainerd's religion, it will undoubtedly follow, that
those doctrines are divine : since it is evident, that the whole of it, from begin
ning to end, is according to that scheme of things ; all built on those apprehen
sions; notions, and views, that are produced and established in the mind by
those doctrines. He was brought by doctrines of this kind to his awakening,
and deep concern about things of a spiritual and eternal nature; and by these
doctrines his convictions were maintained and carried on ; and his conversion
was evidently altogether agreeable to this scheme, but by no means agreeing
with the contrary ; and utterly inconsistent with the Arminian notion of con
version or repentance. His conversion was plainly founded in a clear, strong
conviction, and undoubting persuasion of the truth of those things apper
taining to these doctrines, which Arminians most object against, and which
his own mind had contended most about. And his conversion was no confirm
ing and perfecting of moral principles and habits, by use and practice, and his
own labor in an industrious disciplining himself, together with the concurring
suggestions and conspiring aids of God's Spirit : but entirely a supernatural
work, at once turning him from darkness to marvellous light, and from the
power of sin to the dominion of divine and holy principles ; an effect, in no re
gard produced by his strength or labor, or obtained by his virtue ; and not ac
complished until he was first brought to a full conviction that all his own vir
tue, strength, labors and endeavors, could never avail any thing to the produ
cing or procuring this effect.
A very little while before, his mind was full of the same cavils against the
doctrines of God's sovereign grace, which are made by Arminians ; and his

664 REFLECTIONS ON THE
heart was full even of a raging opposition to them. And God was pressed to
perform this good work in him just after a full end had been put to this cavil
ing and opposition ; after he was entirely convinced, that he was dead in sin,
and was in the hands of God, as the absolutely sovereign, unobliged, sole dis
poser and author of tnie holiness. God's showing him mercy at such a time,
is a confirmation, that this was a preparation for mercy ; and consequently, that
these things which he was convinced of were true : while he opposed these
things, he was the subject of no such mercy ; though he so earnestly sought it,
and prayed for it with so much painfulness, care and strictness in religion : but
when once his opposition is fully subdued, and he is brought to submit to the
truths which he before had opposed, with full conviction, then the mercy he
sought for is granted, with abundant light, great evidence, and exceeding joy,
and he reaps the sweet fruits of it all his life after, and in the valley of the
shadow of death.
In his conversion he was brought to see the glory of that way of salvation
by Christ, that is taught in what are called the doctrines of grace ; and thence
forward with unspeakable joy and complacence, to embrace and acquiesce in
that way of salvation. He was in his conversion, in all respects, brought to
those views, and that state of mind, which these doctrines show to be neces
sary. And if his conversion was any real conversion, or any thing besides a
mere whim, and if the religion of his life was any thing else but a series of
freaks of a whimsical mind, then this one grand principle, on which depends
the whole difference between Calvinists and Arminians, is undeniable, viz., that
the grace or virtue of truly good men, not only differs from the virtue
of others in degree, but even in nature and kind. If ever Mr. Brainerd
was truly turned from sin to God at all, or ever became truly religious,
none can reasonably doubt but that his conversion was at the time when
he supposed it to be. The change he then experienced, was evidently the
greatest moral change that ever he passed under ; and he was then apparently
first brought to that kind of religion, that remarkable new habit and temper oi
mind, which he held all his life after. The narration shows it to be different,
in nature and kind, from all that ever he was the subject of before. It was ev
idently wrought at once, without fitting and preparing his mind, by gradually
convincing it more and more of the same truths, and bringing it nearer and
nearer to such a. temper : for it was soon after his mind had been remarkably
full of blasphemy, and a vehement exercise of sensible ¦ enmity against God,
and great opposition to those truths, which he was now brought with his whole
soul to embrace, and rest in, as divine and glorious, and to place his happiness
in the contemplation and improvement of. And he himself (who was surely
best able to judge) declares, that the dispositions and affections, which were then
given him, and thenceforward maintained in him, were most sensibly and cer
tainly, perfectly different in their nature, from all that ever he was the subject
of before, or that he ever had any conception of. This he ever stood to and
was peremptory in (as what he certainly knew) even to his death. He must
be looked upon as capable of judging ; he had opportunity to know : he had
practised a great deal of religion before, was exceeding strict and conscientious,.
and had continued so for a long time ; had various religious affections, with
which he often flattered himself, and sometimes pleased himself as being now
in a good estate. And after he had those new experiences, that began in his
conversion, they were continued to the end of his life ; long enough for him
thoroughly to observe their nature, and compare them with what had' been be
fore. Doubtless he was compos mentis ; and was at least one of so good ar»

MEMOIRS OF MR. BRAINERD. 665
understanding and judgment, as to be pretty well capable of discerning and
comparing the things that passed in his own mind.
It is further observable, that his religion all along operated in such a man
ner as tended to confirm his mind in the doctrines of God's absolute sovereignty,
man's universal and entire dependence on God's power and grace, &c. The
more religion prevailed in his heart, and the fuller- he was of divine love, and
of clear and delightful views of spiritual things, and the more his heart was en
gaged in God's service ; the more sensible he was of the certainty and the ex
cellency and importance of these truths, and the more he was affected with
them, and rejoiced in them. And he declares particularly that when he lay
for a long while on the verge of the eternal world, often expecting to be in that
world in a few minutes, yet at the same time enjoying great serenity of mind,
and clearness of thought, and being most apparently in a peculiar manner at a
distance from an enthusiastical frame, he at that time saw clearly the truth of
those great doctrines of the gospel, which are justly styled the doctrines of grace,
and never felt himself so capable of demonstrating the truth of them.
So that it is very evident Mr. Brainerd's religion was wholly correspondent
to what is called the Calvinistical scheme, and was the effect of those doctrines
applied to his heart : and certainly it cannot be denied that the effect was good,
uinless we turn Atheists or Deists. I would ask whether there be any such
thing in reality, as Christian devotion 1 If there be, what is it ? What is its
nature ? And what its just measure ? Should it not be in a great degree 1
We read abundantly in Scripture, of loving God with all the heart, with all the
soul, with all the mind, and with all the strength, of delighting in God, of rejoic
ing in the Lord, rejoicing with joy unspeakable and full of glory, the soul's
magnifying the Lord, thirsting for God, hungering and thirsting after righteous
ness, the soul's breaking for the longing it hath to God's judgments, praying to
God with groanings that cannot be uttered, mourning for sin with a broken
heart and contrite spirit, &c. How full is the book of Psalms, and other parts
of Scripture, of such things as these ! Now wherein do these things, as ex
pressed by, and appearing in Mr. Brainerd, either the things themselves, or
their effects and fruits, differ from the Scripture representations 1 These things
he was brought to by that strange and wonderful transformation of the man,
which he called his conversion. And does not this well agree with what is so
often said, in Old Testament and New, concerning the giving of a new heart,
creating a right spirit, a being renewed in the spirit of the mind, a being sanc
tified throughout, becoming a new creature, &c. 1 Now where is there to be
found an Arminian conversion or repentance, consisting in so great and admi
rable a change 1 Can the Arminians produce an instance, within this age, and
so plainly within our reach and view, of such a reformation, such a transforma
tion of a man, to scriptural devotion, heavenly-mindedness, and true Christian
morality, in one that before lived without these things, on the foot of their prin
ciples, and through the influence of their doctrines 1
And here is worthy to be considered, not only the effect of Calvinistical
doctrines, as they are called, on Mr. Brainerd himself, but also the effect of the
same doctrines, as taught and inculcated by him, on others. It is abundantly
pretended and asserted of late, that these doctrines tend to undermine the very
foundations of all religion and morality, and to enervate and vacate all reasona
ble motives to the exercise and practice of them, and lay invincible stumbling-
blocks before infidels, to hinder their embracing Christianity ; and that the con
trary doctrines are the fruitful principles of virtue and goodness,, set religion on
its right basis, represent it in an amiable light, give its motives their full force,
Vol. I. 84

666 REFLECTIONS ON THE
and recommend il to the reason and common sense of mankind. But where
can they find an instance of so great and signal an effect of their doctrines, in
bringing infidels, who were at such a distance from all that is civil, human,
sober, rational, and Christian, and so full of inveterate prejudices against these
things, to such a degree of humanity, civility, exercise of reason, self-denial,
and Christian virtue 1 Arminians place religion in morality : let them bring
an instance of their doctrines producing such a transformation of a people in
point of morality. It is strange, if the all-wise God so orders things in his
providence, that reasonable and proper means, and his own means, w-hich he
himself has appointed, should in no known remarkable instance be instrumen
tal to produce so good an effect; an effect so agreeable to his own word and
mind, and that very effect for -which he appointed these excellent means ; that
they should not be so successful as those means which are not his own, but very
contrary to them, and of a contrary tendency ; means that are in themselves
very absurd, and tend to root all religion and virtue out of the world, to pro
mote and establish infidelity, and to lay an insuperable stumbling-block before
pagans, to hinder their embracing the gospel : I say, if this be the true state of
the case, it is certainly pretty wonderful, and an event worthy of some attention.
I know that many will be ready to say, it is too soon yet to glory in the
work, that has been wrought among Mr. Brainerd's Indians ; it is best to wait
and see the final event : it may be, all will come to nothing by and by : to
which I answer, not to insist that it will not follow, according to Arminian prin
ciples, they are not now true Christians, really pious and godly, though they
should fall away and come to nothing, that I never supposed every one of those
Indians, who in profession renounced their heathenism and visibly embraced
Christianity, and have had some appearances of piety, will finally prove true
converts : if two thirds, or indeed one half of them, as great a proportion as
there is in the parable of the ten virgins, should persevere, it will be sufficient
to show the work wrought among them, to have been truly admirable and glo
rious. But so much of permanence of their religion has already appeared, as
shows it to be something else besides an Indian humor or good mood, or any
transient effect in the conceits, notions, and affections of these ignorant people,
excited at a particular turn, by artful management. For it is now more than
three years ago, that this work began among them, and a remarkable change
appeared in many of them ; since which time the number of visible converts
has greatly increased : and by repeated accounts, from several hands, they still
generally persevere in diligent religion and strict virtue. I think worthy to be
here inserted, a letter from a young gentleman, a candidate for the ministry, one
of those appointed by the honorable Commissioners in Boston, as Missionaries
to the Heathen of the Six Nations, so called ; who, by their order, dwelt with
Mr. John Brainerd, among these Christian Indians, in order to their being pre
pared for the business of their mission. The letter was written from thence to
his parents here in Northampton, and is as follows.
Honored and dear Parents : Bethel' in JVew JeTS^' Jan- U' 1747"8-
After a long and uncomfortable journey, by reason of bad weather, I arriv
ed at Mr. Brainerd's the sixth of this instant, where I design to stay this win
ter; and as yet, upon many accounts, am well satisfied with my coming hither.
The state and circumstances of the Indians, spiritual and temporal, much exceed
what I expected. I have endeavored to acquaint myself with the state of the
Indians, in general, with particular persons, and with the school, as much as the
short time I have been here would admit of. And notwithstanding my expec-

MEMOIRS OF MR. BRAINERD. 667
tations were very much raised, from Mr. David Brainerd's Journal, and from
particular informations from him, yet I must confess, that in many respects, they
were not equal to that which now appears to me to be true, concerning the glo
rious work of _ divine grace amongst the Indians.
The evening after I came to town, I had opportunity to see the Indians
together, whilst the Rev. Mr. Arthur preached to them ; at which time there
appeared a very general and uncommon seriousness and solemnity in the con
gregation : and this appeared to me to be the effect of an inward sense of the
importance of divine truths, and not because they were hearing a stranger ;
which was abundantly confirmed to me the next Sabbath, when there was the
same devout attendance on divine service, and a surprising solemnity appear
ing in the performance of each part of divine worship. And some who are
hopefully true Christians, appear to have been at that time much enlivened and
comforted, not from any observable commotions then, but from conversation
afterwards : and others seemed to be under pressing concern for their souls. I
have endeavored to acquaint myself with particular persons, many of whom
seem to be very humble and growing Christians ; although some of them, as I
am informed, were before their conversion most monstrously wicked.
Religious conversation seems to be very pleasing and delightful to many,
and especially that which relates to the exercises of the heart. And many
here do not seem to be real Christians only, but growing Christians also ; as
well in doctrinal, as experimental knowledge. Besides my conversation with
particular persons, I have had opportunity to attend upon one of Mr. Brainerd's
catechetical lectures, where I was surprised at their readiness in answering ques
tions which they had not been used to; although Mr. Brainerd complained
milch of their uncommon deficiency. It is surprising, to see this people, who,
not long since were led captive by Satan at his will, and living in the practice
of all manner of abominations, without the least sense even of moral honesty,
yet now living soberly and regularly, and not seeking every man his own, but
every man, in some sense his neighbor's good ; and to see those, who but a little
while past, knew nothing of the true God, now worshipping him in a solemn
and devout manner,*not only in public, but in their families, and in secret, which
is manifestly the case ; it being a difficult thing to walk out in the woods in
the morning, without disturbing persons at their secret devotion. And it seems
wonderful, that this should be the. case, not only with adult persons, but with
children also. It is observable here, that many children, if not the children in
general, retire into secret places to pray. And as far as at present I can judge,
this is not the effect of custom and fashion, but of real seriousness and thought-
fulness about their souls.
I have frequently gone into the school, and have spent considerable time
there amongst the children ; and have been surprised to see, not only their dili
gent attendance upon the business of the school, but also the proficiency they
have made in it, in reading and writing, and in their catechisms of divers sorts.
It seems to be as pleasing and as natural to the children to have their books in
their hands, as it does for many others to be at play. I have gone into a house
where there has been a number of children accidentally gathered together, and
observed, that every one had his book in his hand, and was diligently studying
of it. There is to the number of about thirty of these children, who can answer
to all the questions in the assembly's catechism ; and the bigger part of them
are able to do it, with the proofs, to the fourth commandment. I wish there
were many such schools : I confess that I never was acquainted with such an
one, in many respects. 0 that what God has done here may prove to be the

668 REFLECTIONS ON THE
beginning of a far more glorious and extensive work of grace among the Hea
then. I am your obedient and dutiful son, Job Strong.
P. S. Since the date.of this, I have had opportunity to attend upon another
of Mr. Brainerd's catechetical lectures ; and truly I was convinced, that Mr
Brainerd did not complain before of his people's defects in answering to ques
tions proposed, without reason: for although their answers at that time ex
ceeded my expectations very much ; yet their performances at this lecture very
much exceeded them.
TV. Is there not much in the preceding memoirs of Mr. Brainerd to teach
and excite us to duty, who are called to the work of the ministry, and all that
are candidates for this great work? What a deep sense did he seem to have
of the greatness and importance of that work, and with what weight did it lie
on his mind ! How sensible was he of his own insufficiency for this work ; and
how great was his dependence on God's sufficiency ! How solicitous, that he
might be fitted for it ! And to this end, how much time did he spend in prayer
and fasting, as well as reading and meditation ; giving himself to these things 1
How did lie dedicate his whole life, all his powers and talents to God ; . and for
sake and renounce the world, with all its pleasing and ensnaring enjoyments,
that he might be wholly at liberty, to serve Christ in this work; and to please
him who had chosen him to be a soldier, under the Captain of our salvation !
With what solicitude, solemnity, and diligence, did he devote himself to God our
Saviour, and seek his presence and blessing in secret, at the time of his ordina
tion ! And how did his whole heart appear to be constantly engaged, his
whole time employed, and his whole strength spent in the business he then
solemnly undertook, and was publicly set apart to !¦ And his history shows us
the rio-ht way to success in the work of the ministry. He sought it as a resolute
soldier seeks victory, in a siege or battle ; or as a man that runs a race, for a
great prize. Animated with love to Christ and souls, how did he labor always
fervently, not only in word and doctrine, in public and private, but in prayers
day and night, wrestling with God in secret, and travailing in birth, with unut
terable groans and agonies, until Christ was formed in the hearts of the people
to whom he was sent ! How did he thirst for a blessing on his ministry ; and
watch for semis, as one that must give account ! How did he go forth in the
strength of the Lord God ; seeking and depending on a special influence of the
Spirit to assist and succeed him ! And what was the happy fruit at last, though
after long waiting, and many dark and discouraging appearances ! Like a
true son of Jacob, he persevered in wrestling, through all the darkness of the
night, until the breaking of the day.
And his example of laboring, praying, denying himself, and enduring hard
ness, with unfainting resolution and patience, and his faithful, vigilant, and
prudent conduct in many other respects, which it would be too long now par
ticularly to recite, may afford instruction to missionaries in particular.
V. The foregoing account of Mr. Brainerd's life may afford instruction to
Christians in general ; as it shows, in many respects, the right way of practis
ing religion, in order to obtain the ends of it, and receive the benefits of it ; or
how Christians should run the race set before them, if they would not run in
vain, or run as uncertainly, but would honor God in the world, adorn their
{irofession, be serviceable to mankind, have the comforts of religion while they
ive, be free from disquieting doubts and dark apprehensions about the state of
their souls ; enjoy peace in the approaches of death, and finish their course
vnthjoy. In general, he much recommended, for this purpose, the redemption

MEMOIRS OF MR. BRAINERD. 669
of time, great diligence in the business of the Christian life, watchfulness, &c.
And he very remarkably exemplified these things.
But particularly, his example and success with regard to one duty in special,
may be of great use to both ministers and private Christians; I mean the duty
of secret fasting. The reader has seen, how much Mr. Brainerd recommends
this duty, and how frequently he exercised himself in it; nor can it well have
escaped observation, how much he was owned and blessed in it, and of what
great benefit it evidently was to his soul. Among! all the many days he spent
in secret fasting and prayer, that he gives an account of in his Diary, there is
scarce an instance of one, but what was either attended or soon followed with
apparent success, and a remarkable blessing, in special incomes and consola
tions of God's Spirit; and very often, before the day was ended. But it must
be observed, that when he set about this duty, he did it in good earnest ; stir
ring up himself to take hold of God, and continuing instant in prayer, with
much of the spirit of Jacob, who said to the angel, I will not let thee go, except
thou bless me.
VI. There is much in the preceding account to excite and encourage God's
people to earnest prayers and endeavors for the advancement and enlargement
of the kingdom of Christ in the world. Mr. Brainerd gave us an excellent
example in this respect. He sought the prosperity of Zion with all his might.
He preferred Jerusalem above his chief joy. How did his soul long for it,
and pant after it ! And how earnestly and often did he wrestle with God for
it ! And how far did he, in these desires and prayers, seem to be carried be
yond all private and selfish views ! Being animated by a pure love to Christ, an
earnest desire of his glory, and a disinterested affection to the souls of mankind.
As there is much in Mr. Brainerd's life to encourage Christians to seek the
advancement of Christ's kingdom, in general ; so there is, in particular, to pray
for the conversion of the Indians on this continent, and to exert themselves in
the use of proper means for its accomplishment. For it appears, that he; in
his unutterable longings and wrestlings of soul for the flourishing of religion,
had his mind peculiarly intent on the conversion and salvation of these people,
and his heart more especially engaged in prayer for them. And if we consider
the degree and manner in which he, from time to time, sought and hoped for
an extensive work of grace among them, I think we have reason to hope, that
the wonderful things, which God wrought among them by him, are but a fore
runner of something yet much more glorious arid extensive of that kind ; and
this may justly be an encouragement, to well disposed, charitable persons, to
honor the Lord with their substance, by contributing, as they are able, to pro
mote the spreading of the gospel among them ; and this also may incite and
encourage gentlemen who are incorporated, and intrusted with the care and dis
posal of those liberal benefactions, which have already been made by pious
persons, to that end ; and likewise the missionaries themselves, that are or may
be employed ; and it may be of direction unto both, as to the proper qualifications
of missionaries, and the proper measures to be taken in order to their success.
One thing in particular, I would take occasion from the foregoing history
to mention and propose to the consideration of such as have the care of provid
ing and sending missionaries among savages ; viz., whether it would not ordi
narily be best to send two together 1 It is pretty manifest, that Mr. Brainerd's
going, as he did, alone into the howling wilderness, was one great occasion of
such a prevailing of melancholy on his mind ; which was his greatest disadvan
tage. He was much in speaking of it himself, when he was here in his dy
ing state ; and expressed himself, to this purpose, that none could conceive of the

670 REFLECTIONS ON THE
disadrantage a missionary in such circumstances was under, by being alone;
especially as it exposed him to discouragement aud melancholy : and spoke of
the wisdom of Christ in sending forth his disciples by two and two ; and left it
as his dying advice to his brother, never to go toSusquehannah, to travel about
in that remote wilderness, to preach to the Indians there, as he had often done,
without the company of a fellow missionary.
VII. One thing more may not be unprofitably observed in the preceding
account of Mr. Brainerd ; and that is the special and remarkable disposal of
Divine Providence, with regard to the circumstances of his last sickness anddeath.
Though he had been long infirm, his constitution being much broken by
his fatigues and hardships; and though he was often brought very low by ill
ness, before he left Kaunaumeek, and also while he lived at the Forks of Dela
ware; yet his life was preserved until he had seen that which he had so long
and greatly desired and sought, a glorious work of grace among the Indians,
and had received the wished for blessing of God on his labors. Though as it
were in deaths oft, yet he lived to behold the happy fruits of the long continued
travail of his soul, and labor of his body, in the wonderful conversion of many
of the Heathen, and the happy effect of it in the great change of their conver
sation, with many circumstances which afforded a fair prospect of the continu
ance of God's blessing upon them : thus he did not depart, until his eyes had
seen God's salvation.
Though in that winter that he lay sick at Mr. Dickinson's in Elizabeth-
town, he continued for a long time in an extremely low state, so that his life
was almost despaired of, and his state was sometimes; such that it was hardly
expected he would live a day to an end ; yet his life was spared a while longer j
he lived to see his brother arrived in New Jersey, being come to succeed him in
the care of his Indians ; and he himself had opportunity to assist in his exam
ination and introduction into his business;, and to commit the conduct of his
dear people to one whom he well knew, and could put confidence in, and use
freedom with, in giving him particular instructions and charges, and under
whose care he could leave his congregation with great cheerfulness.
The providence of God was remarkable in so ordering it, that before his
death he should take a journey into New England, and go to Boston : which
was, in many respects, of very great and happy consequence to the interest of
religion, and especially among his own people. By this means, as has been
observed, he was brought into acquaintance with many persons of note and
influence, ministers and others, belonging both to the town and various parts
of the country ; and had opportunity, under the best advantages, to bear a tes
timony for God and trae religion, and against those false appearances of it that
have proved most pernicious to the interests of Christ's kingdom in the land-
And the providence of God is particularly observable in this circumstance of
the testimony he there bore for true religion, viz., that he there was brought so
near the grave, ahd continued for so long a time on the very brink of eternity ;
and from time to time looked on himself, and was looked on by others, as just
leaving the world ; and that in these circumstances he should be so particularly
directed and assisted in his thoughts and views of religion, to distinguish be
tween the true and the false, with such clearness and evidence ; and that after
this he should be unexpectedly and surprisingly restored and strengthened, so
far as to be able to converse freely ; and have such opportunity, and special
occasions to declare the sentiments he had in these, which were, to human ap
prehension, his dying circumstances ; and to bear his testimony concerning the
nature of true religion, and concerning the mischievous tendency of its most

MEMOIRS OF MR. BRAINERD. 671'
prevalent counterfeits and false appearances; as things he had a special, clear,
distinct view of at that time, when he expected in a few minutes to be in eter
nity ; and the certainty and importance of which were then, in a peculiar man
ner, impressed on his mind.
Among the happy consequences of his going to Boston, were those liberal
benefactions that have been mentioned, which were made by pious-disposed
persons, for the maintaining and promoting the interest of religion among his.
people : and also the meeting of a number of gentlemen in Boston, of note and
ability, to consult upon measures for that purpose ; who were excited, by their
acquaintance and conversation with Mr. Brainerd, and by the account of the
great things God had wrought by his ministry, to unite themselves, that by their
joint endeavors and contributions they might promote the kingdom of Christ,,
and the spiritual good of their fellow creatures, among the Indians in New
Jersey, and elsewhere.
The providence of God was observable in his going to Boston at a time
when not only the honorable commissioners were seeking missionaries to the
Six Nations ; but just after his journal, which gives an account of his labors
and success among the Indians, had been received and spread in Boston i
whereby his name was known, and the minds of serious people were well pre
pared to receive his person, and the testimony he there gave for God ; to exert
themselves for the upholding and promoting the interest of religion in his con
gregation, and amongst the Indians elsewhere ; and to regard his judgment
concerning the qualifications of missionaries, &c. If he had gone there the fall
before, when he had intended to have made his journey into New England, but
was prevented by a sudden great increase of his illness, it would not have been
likely to have been in any measure to so good effect : and also if he had not
been unexpectedly detained in Boston : for when he went from my house,_he
intended to make but a very short stay there : but Divine Providence, by his being
brought so low there, detained him long ; thereby to make way for the fulfilling
its own gracious designs.
The -providence of God was remarkable in so ordering, that although he was
brought so very near the grave in Boston, that it was not in the least expected
he would ever come alive out of his chamber ; yet he wonderfully revived, and
was preserved several months longer : so that he had opportunity to see, and
fully to converse with both his younger brethren before he died ; which was
a thing he greatly desired ; and especially to see his brother John, with whom
was left the care of his congregation ; that he might by him be fully informed
of their state, and might leave with him such instructions and directionsas were
requisite in order to their spiritual welfare, and to send to them his dying
charges and counsels. And he had also an opportunity, by means of this sus
pension of his death, to find and recommend a couple of persons fit to be em
ployed as missionaries to the Six Nations, as had been desired of him.
Although it was the pleasure of a sovereign God, that he should be taken
away from his congregation, the people that he had begotten through the gos
pel, who were so dear to him ; yet it was granted to him, that before he died
he should see them well provided for every way : he saw them provided for
with one to instruct them, and take care of their souls ; his own brother, whom
he could confide in : he saw a good foundation laid for the support of the school
among them ; those things that before were wanting in order to it, being sup
plied : and he had the prospect of a charitable society being established, of
able and well disposed persons, who seemed to make the spiritual interest of his
congregation their own ; whereby he had a comfortable view of their being

672 REFLECTIONS ON THE MEMOIRS, &c.
well provided for, for the future : and he had also opportunity to leave all his
dying charges with his successor in the pastoral care of his people, and by him
to send his dying counsels to them. Thus God granted him to see all things
happily settled, or in a hopeful way of being so, before his death, with respect
to his dear people. And whereas not only his own congregation, but the souls
of the Indians in North Americain general, were very dear to him, and he had
greatly set his heart on the propagating and extending the kingdom of Christ
among them ; God was pleased to grant to him, however it was his will that
he should be taken away, and so should not be the immediate instrument of their
instruction and conversion, yet that b<*fore his death, he sould see unexpected
extraordinary provision made for this also. And it is remarkable, that God
not only allowed him to see such provision made for the maintaining the inte
rest of religion among his own people, and the propagation of it elsewhere ;
but honored him by making him the means or occasion of it. So that it is
very probable, however Mr. Brainerd, during the last four months of his life,
was ordinarily in an extremely weak and low state, very often scarcely able
to speak; yet that he was made the instrument or means of much more good
in that space of time, than he would have been if he had been well, and in'full
strength of body. Thus God's power was manifested in his weakness, and the
life of Christ was manifested in his mortal flesh.
Another thing wherein appears the merciful disposal of Providence with
respect to his death, was, that he did not die in the wilderness, among the
savages at Kaunaumeek, or the Forks of Delaware, or at Susquehannah ; but
in a place where his dying behavior and speeches might be observed and re
membered, and some account given of them for the benefit of survivors ; and
also where care might be taken of him in his sickness, and proper honors done
him at his death.
The providence of God is also worthy of remark, in so overruling and
ordering the matter, that he did not finally leave absolute orders for the entire
suppressing of his private papers ; as he had intended and fuliy resolved, inso
much that all the importunity of his friends could scarce restrain him from
doing it, when sick at Boston. And one thing relating to this is peculiarly re
markable, viz., that his brother, a little before his death, should come from the
Jerseys unexpected, and bring his Diary to him, though he had received no
such order. Mr. Brainerd himself, as was before observed, was much in taking
notice, when near his end, of the merciful circumstances of his death ; and said,
from time to time, that GoeJ had granted him all his desire.
And I would not conclude my observations on the merciful circumstances
of Mr. Brainerd's death, without acknowledging with thankfulness, the gracious
dispensation of Providence to me and my family, in so ordering, that he (though
the ordinary place of his abode was more than two hundred miles distant) should
be cast hither, to my house, in his last sickness, and should die here : so that
we had opportunity for much acquaintance and conversation with him, and to
show him kindness in such circumstances, and to see his dying behavior, to
hear his dying speeches, to receive his dying counsels, and to have the benefit
of his dying prayers. May God in infinite mercy grant that we may ever
retain a proper remembrance of these things, and make a due improvement of
the advantages we have had in these respects ! The Lord grant also, that the
foregoing account of Mr. Brainerd's life and de-ith may be for the great spiritual
benefit of all that shall read it, arid prove a happy means of promoting the re
vival of true religion in these parts of the world.
end of vol. I.

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