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385. From all thefe Confiderations, it feems very clear to me, That the Juftification the Apoftle is contending for, in the five firft Chapters of this Epistle, is the Calling of the Gentiles, and their being admitted, upon Faith, into the peculiar Family and Kingdom of God. And we need not wonder he has fo much laboured this Point, if we confider; That this Salvation of the Heathen World, or the bringing the Gentiles into the Church, made a glorious Figure in the Promises and Prophecies of the Old Teftament, how low foover our Senfe of it may now run. Besides, it was the grand Article in the Apoftle's Commiffion, and the great Point in which he was opposed by the Jews. It was here they laboured to unfettle the Gentile Converts, and to demolish all that the Apostle had built up, by his Preaching. Therefore the Right of the believing Gentile to a Place in the Church, and an Interest in the special Covenant of God, was the first and principal Thing the Apoftle had to eftablifh; which if it were not true, both his Miniftry and his Gofpel, as well as our Faith and Hope, muft come to the Ground.

386. And that the Admiffion of the Gentiles into the Church and Covenant of God fhould be expreffed by being justified *, will not seem ftrange, when we confider; that it is expreffed by other Terms, which are full as ftrong as this. For inftance; it is expreffed by being faved. Rom. x. I, "My Heart's Defire and Prayer to God for [unbelieving] Ifrael is that they might be faved." xi. 26, " And fo all Ifrael [who are now in Unbelief] fhall be faved." 1 Thef, ii. 16, The Jews "forbid us to speak to the Gentiles that they might be faved." It is alfo expreffed by obtaining Mercy, Rom. xi. 30. 1 Pet. ii. 10. Whence we may conclude, that being juftified is not too ftrong an Expreffion, when rightly understood, to denote our being taken into the vifible Church and Kingdom of God.

387. And indeed it was in itself a great Deliverance and Salvation; confidering

to Faith; and Faith must have a Being before they were produced; " and [by the Addition of Works to Faith] the Scripture was fulfilled, [or had its full and compleat Senfe], which faith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed to him for Righteoufnefs." Ver. 23, The Apostle James manifeftly fpeaks of Works confequent to Faith, or of fuch Works as are the Fruit and Product of Faith. Whereas St. Paul, Rom. iii. 20-29, fpeaks of, and rejects, Works confidered as antecedent to Faith [380]. According to St. Paul, Abraham's Juftification refers to his State before he believed; or when he was arn, ungodly, Rom. iv. 5. According to St. James, to his State after he believed; or when Faith wrought with his Works. But Juftification, or Salvation, by Works, after a Man believes; by Works produced by Faith, is full or final Juftification. And of this he speaks, when he faith, Ver. 14, that Faith without Works cannot fave a Man;" that is, cannot fave him finally. And St. Paul argues as ftrenuoufly as James, or any of the Apofiles, for Works confequent to Faith; or, for a Life of Piety and Virtue, as abfolutely neceffary to full and final Juftification, or Salvation; as appears from all his Writings; efpecially Rom. vi. and Heb. xi.—Thus St. James and Paul are truly and perfectly reconciled.

* Poffibly the Apoftle chofe the Term Righteoufnefs, or Juftification, and confequently Juftify, to fignify our Title to the Bleffings of the Covenant, because it is the very Word by which the Grant of Pardon, and of Covenant Bleffings, is fignified to Abraham, Gen. xv. 6.

confidering how obnoxious the Gentile World was to the Wrath of God. This Mercy the old World, exceeding corrupt and wicked, did not obtain; but were all cut off by the Flood of Waters. And our being preferved from a like Deftruction, and being put into a State of Pardon, and a Capacity of being finally and for ever faved, ought to be regarded as a great Inftance of God's Grace and Goodnefs. The Senfe of being juftified, faved, and not deftroyed, but taken into the Bofom of God's Love, would ftand more clear and full before the Thoughts of thofe, who had been immerfed in all the Darknefs, Error and Wicked. nefs of an Idolatrous State; and were then turned to the Light and glorious Privileges of the Gofpel. And indeed, this ineftimable Benefit of Pardon and Salvation, whereby the World is preferved from Wrath, and still enjoys the great Advantages and Bleffings of the Gospel, would much more affect our Hearts, even at this Time, and engage our Atten tion, were it nor for the following Caufes.

388. (1.) The Wickednefs of the Chriftian World, which renders it fo much like that of the Heathen *, that the good Effects of our Change to Chriftianity, or of our being the People and Children of God, are but little feen; and therefore the Grace, which grants us the Privileges and Bieffings we abufe, is but little regarded and valued.

389. (2.) Wrong Reprefentations of the Scheme of the Gofpel have grea ly obfcured the Glory of Divine Grace, and contributed much to the Corruption of its Profeffors. For, not only have very grofs Abfurdities been introduced into the Gofpel Scheme, which have prejudiced great Numbers againft it, and confounded the Underftandings of the Generality, who have embraced it; but fuch Doctrines have been, almoft univerfally, taught and received, as quite fubvert it. Miltaken Notions about Nature and Grace, Election and Reprobation, Juftif cation, Regeneration, Redemption, Calling, Adoption, &c. have quite taken away the very Ground of the Chriftian Life, the Grace of God, and have left no Object for the Faith of a Sinner to work upon. [268, 269.] For fuch Doctrines have reprefented the Things, which are freely given to us of God, as uncertain; as the Refult of our Obedience; or the Effect of fome arbitrary, fortuitous Operations, and the Subject of doubtful Enquiry, Trial, and Examination of ourselves: As, whether we" have an Intereft in Chrift," whether we are "in a State of Pardon, delivered from the Power of Darkness, and tranflated into the Kingdom of God's Son;" whether we be "called into the Fellowship of his Son," whether we have obtained Redemption by him," and "have a Promile left us of entering into his Reft;" whether we be "elected, adopted," &c. All which Things are the free Gift of God's Grace; and therefore are not the Subject of Self-Examination; but of Praife and Thanksgiving. The proper Subject of the Chriftian's Self-Examination is; whether he lives agreeably to

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*As God in his righteous Judgment gave up the Gentile World to cor rupt and dishonour themfelves; because they had abufed their Understanding, and corrupted the Religion of Nature: So in like Manner, God has given up the Chriftian World to corrupt and debate themfelves by the vileft Affections, Principles and Practices; because they also have fhamefully abused their La de ftanding, and have corrupted, in a Degree very aftonishing, the Chri

Revelation.

thofe great Favours conferred upon him by the Divine Grace. But thofe Favours have been reprefented as uncertain; as the Refult of our Obedience or Holiness; and as the Subject of Self-Examination. This is to make our Juftification, as it invefts us in thofe Bleffings, to be of Works, and not by Faith alone. Thus the very Ground of the Chriftian Life, the Grace of God, is taken away, and no Object left for the Faith of a Sinner to act upon.

390. (3.) The Chriftian Church, chiefly through Ambition and worldly Views, has, for many Ages, been broke into various Sects and Factions, diftinguifhed by fome peculiar Opinions, or Modes of Wor ship; which have been made the Tefts and Terms of Admiffion into particular Churches. And the Zeal and Thoughts of Chriftians have been fo much imployed about thefe party Tefts and Terms of Communion, that they have loft Sight of the only Condition of a Right to a Place in the Church, which Chrift and his Apoftles established; namely, that profeffed Faith in Chrift, upon which the firft Converts were baptifed, and of the Advantages and Privileges thence refulting. Instead of attending to what the Apostles have taught, concerning our common Juftification, and Admiffions to the Bleffings of the Kingdom and Covenant of God, they have been bufy in fupporting with great Zeal their various Pretences and Peculiarities. Hence have arifen the bittereft Animofities and Quarrels. And thus the Minds of Men have been fo far led aftray from the pure, fimple Doctrine of the Gofpel, that it would, probably, have been wholly loft to the World, had not the good Providence of God preferved the Writings of the New Teftament, as a Mean and Standard of Reformation. Which Writings the more we ftudy with Care and Impartiality, the more we fhall difcern the Truth and Glory of the Chriftian Scheme; and, if we are wife to submit our Hearts to its Influences, it will be an infallible Guide to eterAmen.

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PLAIN REASONS

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INTRODUCTIO N.

SI was born of parents, who bear the Christian Name, and was inftructed by them from my earliest infancy in the principles and duties. of Chriftianity, though this in itself is no reafon why I should believe and fubmit to it; yet I think in gratitude to them for their care in my education, and from the deference I owe to their natural authority over me, I am bound to examine the Religion in which they have brought me up, that I may know whether it be confiftent with the truth and reafon of things, and confequently worthy my acceptation and belief.

I am, indeed, abundantly perfuaded, that religion ought to be my own free and rational choice, and that conviction, and not human cu thority, must be the rule of my judgment concerning it; and as I was directed by my parents to examine and judge for my felf, and find the Chriftian Religion in particular appealing to the reafon and confciences of mankind, I have endeavoured to make the most impartial enquiry I am capable of, and upon the ftricteft examination.

I. The reafon of my mind tells me, that there is a God, i. e. an eternal, all-perfect Being, the original caufe and preferver of all things, the great author of all the relations and dependences of things upon each other, the creator, proprietor, and therefore natural lord and governour of all the reafonable creation.

From hence it follows, that all creatures who are capable of underftanding their derivation from him, their dependance on him, and

their relation to him, are indifpenfably and neceffarily obliged to pay him thofe acknowledgments and fervices, which refult from, and are fuitable and proper to their refpective circumftances and conditions..

And by confequence religion, i. e. the worship and fervice of God, is the neceffary duty of every reasonable creature, and ought to be maintained and kept up in the world; and every man in particular is bound to make choice of that religion, which appears to him most confonant to reason, and to carry in it the most evident marks of its being from God, and moft agreeable to his nature and will.

II. As I find that religion is the neceffary duty of every reasonable creature, I am farther convinced of my obligation to make ufe of all the helps I can, to understand wherein the nature of it doth confift, And upon enquiry, I can think of but two ways by which I can come to the knowledge of it; and thefe are either the dictates of my own mind, and reafon, or fome informations, difcoveries and revelations from God, the great object of my religious worship.

The reafon of my mind is that which renders me capable of dif cerning what is fit and unfit in difpofition and behaviour; and from hence I derive the notion, and infer the reality of moral obligation: and when I farther confider the first independent mind as the author of these relations, and fitneffes which arife from them, I am convinced that it is his will that I fhould act fuitable to them, and that I offend when I do not; and from hence I infer the certainty of religious obligation. And fince this moral and religious obligation owes its rife only to my reflections upon the nature of man, and the relation I stand in to God and other beings, this is properly natural religion, or the religion of Nature,

Now tho' the religion of Nature be prior to and diftinct from revealed religion, and gives the characters by which we are to judge of the truth of revelation; yet the infufficiency of it, and therefore the expediency of a divine revelation, to lead men into a due knowledge of the principles, duties, and advantages of religion, appears;

From that grols ignorance of God, and duty, which fprung from the general corruption and degeneracy of mankind; which rendered it highly improbable that any one in fuch circumftances fhould arife, who fhould be able to make the neceffary difcoveries of God and his perfections, and with clearnefs and folidity to reprefent men's obligations in their proper extent and compafs; at least not without thole mixtures of weakness and fuperftition, which might occafion the vicious and prejudiced to difregard his inftructions, and thus abate the general fuccels of them.

But if we could fuppofe his doctrines to be pure and unmixed, it is not probable, they would have a general or indeed any confiderable influence over the ftrong byafs that vice univerfally practifed had given to men, without the marks of a proper authority to awaken them to confideration; especially as those doctrines could not but want the motives and encouragements proportionate to fuch an effect.

'Tis indeed probable, that in fuch a fituation men might be led to fee, that by acting contrary to the reafon and fitness of things they had offended the firft and moft perfect mind; the natural confe

quence

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