What the "gofpel," or "good news," was, we have fhowed already, viz. The happy tidings of the Messiah being come. Ver. 20, And "they went forth and "preached every where, the Lord working with them, "and confirming the word with figns following.' What the "word" was which they preached, and the Lord confirmed with miracles, we have feen already, out of the history of their Acts. I have already given an account of their preaching every-where, as it is recorded in the Acts, except fome few places, where the kingdom of "the Meffiah" is mentioned under the name of "the kingdom of God;" which I forbore to fet down, till I had made it plain out of the evangelifts, that that was no other but the kingdom of the Meffiah.

It may be feasonable therefore, now, to add to those fermons we have formerly feen of St. Paul, (wherein he preached no other article of faith, but that " Jefus "was the Meffiah," the King, who being risen from the dead, now reigneth, and fhall more publicly manifest his kingdom, in judging the world at the last day) what farther is left upon record of his preaching. Acts xix. 8, at Ephefus, "Paul went into the fynagogues, and

fpake boldly for the space of three months; difputing "and perfuading concerning the kingdom of God." And, Acts xx. 25, at Miletus he thus takes leave of the elders of Ephefus: "And now, behold, I know that ye

all, among whom I have gone preaching the king"dom of God, fhall fee my face no more.' What this preaching the kingdom of God was, he tells you, ver. 20, 21, "I have kept nothing back from you, "which was profitable unto you; but have fhowed you, " and have taught you publicly, and from house to "houfe; teftifying both to the jews, and to the greeks, repentance towards God, and faith towards our Lord Jefus Chrift." And fo again, Acts xxviii. 23, 24, "When they [the jews at Rome] had appointed him [Paul] a day, there came many to him into his lodging; to whom he expounded and teftified the king"dom of God; perfuading them concerning Jefus, "both out of the law of Mofes, and out of the pro

phets, from morning to evening. And fome believed

"the

"the things which were spoken, and fome believed not.” And the hiftory of the Acts is concluded with this account of St. Paul's preaching: "And Paul dwelt two "whole years in his own hired house, and received all "that came in unto him, preaching the kingdom of "God, and teaching those things which concern the "Lord Jefus the Meffiah." We may therefore here apply the fame conclufion to the hiftory of our Saviour, writ by the evangelifts, and to the hiftory of the apoftles, writ in the acts, which St. John does to his own gofpel, chap. xx. 30, 31, "Many other figns did Jesus "before his disciples ;" and in many other places the apostles preached the fame doctrine, "which are not "written" in these books; "but thefe are written that << you may believe that Jefus is the Meffiah, the Son of "God; and that believing you may have life in his "name."

What St. John thought neceffary and fufficient to be believed, for the attaining eternal life, he here tells us. And this not in the firft dawning of the gofpel; when, perhaps, fome will be apt to think lefs was required to be believed, than after the doctrine of faith, and myftery of falvation, was more fully explained, in the epiftles writ by the apoftles, for it is to be remembered, that St. John fays this, not as foon as Chrift was afcended; for these words, with the reft of St. John's gofpel, were not written till many years after not only the other gospels, and St. Luke's hiftory of the Acts, but in all appearance, after all the epiftles writ by the other apoftles. So that above threescore years after our Saviour's paffion (for so long after, both Epiphanius and St. Jerom affure us this gofpel was written) St. John knew nothing else required to be believed, for the attaining of life, but that " Jefus is the Meffiah, the Son

"of God."

To this, it is likely, it will be objected by fome, that to believe only that Jefus of Nazareth is the Meffiah, is but an historical, and not a juftifying, or faving faith.

To which I anfwer, That I allow to the makers of fystems and their followers to invent and use what dif tinctions they please, and to call things by what names

they think fit. But I cannot allow to them, or to any man, an authority to make a religion for me, or to alter that which God hath revealed. And if they please to call the believing that which our Saviour and his apoftles preached, and proposed alone to be believed, an historical faith; they have their liberty. But they must have a care, how they deny it to be a juftifying or saving faith, when our Saviour and his apoftles have declared. it fo to be; and taught no other which men should receive, and whereby they fhould be made believers unto eternal life: unless they can fo far make bold with our Saviour, for the fake of their beloved systems, as to say, that he forgot what he came into the world for; and that he and his apostles did not inftruct people right in the way and myfteries of falvation. For that this is the fole doctrine preffed and required to be believed in the whole tenour of our Saviour's and his apostles preaching, we have showed through the whole history of the evangelifts and the Acts. And I challenge them to show that there was any other doctrine, upon their affent to which, or disbelief of it, men were pronounced believers or unbelievers; and accordingly received into the church of Chrift, as members of his body; as far as mere believing could make them fo; or elfe kept out of it. This was the only gofpel-article of faith which was preached to them. And if nothing else was preached every where, the apoftle's argument will hold against any other articles of faith to be believed under the gofpel, Rom. x. 14, "How fhall they believe that where

of they have not heard?" For, to preach any other doctrines neceffary to be believed, we do not find that any body was fent.

Perhaps it will farther be urged, that this is not a "faving faith;" because fuch a faith as this the devils may have, and it was plain they had; for they believed' and declared" Jefus to be the Meffiah." And St. James, ch. ii. 19, tells us, "The devils believe and tremble;" and yet they shall not be faved. To which I answer, I. That they could not be faved by any faith, to whom it was not proposed as a means of falvation, nor ever pròmifed to be counted for righteoufnefs. This was an act

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of grace fhown only to mankind. God dealt fo favourably with the pofterity of Adam, that if they would believe Jefus to be the Meffiah, the promised King and Saviour, and perform what other conditions were required of them by the covenant of grace; God would justify them, because of this belief. He would account this faith to them for righteousness, and look on it as making up the defects of their obedience; which being thus fupplied, by what was taken instead of it, they were looked on as juft or righteous; and fo inherited eternal life. But this favour fhown to mankind, was never offered to the fallen angels. They had no fuch proposals made to them: and therefore, whatever of this kind was proposed to men, it availed not devils, whatever they performed of it. This covenant of grace was never offered to them.

2. I anfwer; that though the devils believed, yet they could not be faved by the covenant of grace; because they performed not the other condition required in it, altogether as neceffary to be performed as this of believing and that is repentance. Repentance is as abfolute a condition of the covenant of grace as faith; and as neceffary to be performed as that. John the Baptift, who was to prepare the way for the Meffiah, "Preached the baptifm of repentance for the remiffion " of fins," Mark i. 4. inv

As John began his preaching with " Repent; for "the kingdom of heaven is at hand," Matt. iii. 2. So did our Saviour begin his, Matt. iv. 17, " From that "time began Jefus to preach, and to fay, Repent; for "the kingdom of heaven is at hand." Or, as St. Mark has it in that parallel place, Mark i. 14, 15, "Now, "after that John was put in prifon, Jefus came into

Galilee, preaching the gofpel of the kingdom of God, " and faying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of "God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.' This was not only the beginning of his preaching, but the fum of all that he did preach; viz. That men fhould repent, and believe the good tidings which he brought them; that "the time was fulfilled" for the coming of the Meffiah. And this was what his apostles preached,

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preached, when he sent them out, Mark vi. 12. "And "they, going out, preached that men fhould repent." Believing Jefus to be the Meffiah, and repenting, were fo neceffary and fundamental parts of the covenant of grace, that one of them alone is often put for both. For here St. Mark mentions nothing but their preaching repentance: as St. Luke, in the parallel place, chap. ix. 6, mentions nothing but their evangelizing, or preaching the good news of the kingdom of the Meffiah: and St. Paul often, in his epiftles, puts faith for the whole duty of a christian. But yet the tenour of the gospel is what Chrift declares, Luke xii. 3, 5, "Unless ye rer pent, ye fhall all likewife perish." And in the parable of the rich man in hell, delivered by our Saviour, Luke xvi. repentance alone is the means proposed, of avoiding that place of torment, ver. 30, 31. And what the tenour of the doctrine which should be preached to the world should be, he tells his apoftles, after his refurrection, Luke xxiv. 27. viz. That repentance and "in remiffion of fins fhould be preached" in his name,' who was the Meffiah. And accordingly, believing Jefus to be the Meffiah, and repenting, was what the apoftles preached. So Peter began, Acts ii. 38, "Repent, and "be baptized." Thefe two things were required for the remiffion of fins, viz. entering themselves in the kingdom of God; and owning and profeffing themfelves the fubjects of Jefus, whom they believed to be the Meffiah, and received for their Lord and King; for that was to be "baptized in his name:" baptifm being an initiating ceremony, known to the jews, whereby thofe, who leaving heathenifm, and profeffing a fubmiffion to the law of Mofes, were received into the commonwealth of Ifrael. And fo it was made ufe of by our Saviour, to be that folemn vifible act, whereby those who believed him to be the Meffiah, received him as their King, and profeffed obedience to him, were admitted as fubjects into his kingdom: which in the gofpel, is called "the kingdom of God;" and in the Acts and epiftles, often by another name, viz. the "Church.”

The fame St. Peter preaches again to the jews, Acts

iii. 19,