of God, concerning mankind, is justly and fully expressed in the following particulars. First, That nothing but a conformity of mind and life to that eternal and unvariable rule of action, which refults from and is founded in the natural and effential differences in things, will render men pleasing and acceptable to God. Secondly, That if men have greatly departed from this rule, by leading wicked and vicious lives; then nothing but repentance and reformation of their evil ways, will recommend them to God's mercy and acceptance, and that such a personal change will be fufficient for that purpose. Thirdly, In order that the forementioned truths might have their proper effect and influence upon the minds and lives of men, Chrift hath affured us, that God hath appointed a time, in which he will judge the world by him, (viz. Chrift,) and that then every man will be acquitted or condemned, rewarded punished, according as he has, or has not conformed his mind and life to that righteous rule before mentioned; or as he has, or has not repented and amended his evil ways. * This is that revelation of God's will, which was once made to mankind by the ministry of Jefus Chrift. And as it has nothing mysterious or difficult in it, it being exactly conformable to our natural notions of things, or * This is more fully confidered in my discourse, entitled, The true gospel of Jesus Christ afferted; which discourse may perhaps sometime or other be offered to publick confideration. and and level to the meanest capacity: so were I to argue from analogy in its favour, then, I think, I might justly insist on it, that the whole frame of nature is analogous to it, as one great and generous design, viz. a common and most extensive good, is constantly and uniformly pursued thro' both. Tho to attempt to get clear of those made difficulties, that arife from what has been annexed to, and blended with the christian religion, by arguing from analogy in their favour, or shewing that there are difficulties in nature which are analogus to them, may, poffibly, prove a very dangerous experiment; because, perhaps, the fame kind of reasoning, may answer the fame purpose, to every scheme of religion that now takes place in the world, by clearing them, in like manner, of all those difficulties which may be supposed to incumber them. For what difficulty is there that attends either the Popish, the Mahometan, or the Pagan religion; but artful and inqui. sitive men may find out something or other in nature which they may call a difficulty, and represent as analogous to it? And perhaps the application may be as just as in the former cafe. These are truths which probably will be greatly distastful to the zealots of this age, as they run counter to the current and received opinions of the times; and yet, I think, they are such as the most fubtile and crafty in argument will not be able to gainsay nor refift. E2 fift. And now, Where is the wife? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of, and for this world? Let him come forth and try his skill in sophistry, and see, whether he can baffle and set aside the propositions before laid down; only I beg leave to remind him, that the collecting together any number of lofty or figurative and borrowed exprefsions, which lie scattered up and down in the New Testament, will be insufficient for that purpose. From what I have observed, I think, it plainly appears, that the forementioned doctrines, viz. that men are rendred acceptable to God, and that finners are recommended to his mercy, either by the perfect obedience, or the meritorious fufferings, or the prevailing interceffion of Chrift, or by one, or other, or all of these, are repugnant to truth; and that they are corruptions of chriftianity, our Lord hath as plainly shewn, in the parable I have been confidering; and these things, I presume, will plead my excufe, for calling upon the clergy, to take this matter into their most serious, confideration. The clergy are, or at least they confider themselves to be the ministers of Jesus Christ, and preachers of his gospel, that is, they are persons who, under Christ, are to affist and help men in the great affair of their salvation. And as Chrift hath plainly shewn, that repentance and reformation is the only ground upon which God will shew mercy to finners; so it must be be the business and duty of the clergy, (confidered as ministers of Jesus Christ,) to deliver this truth plainly, and clearly, and undisguisedly to the people; and not blend any thing with it, which may render the gospel ineffectual for the saving of mankind. Alas! Wicked men would rather any thing were the ground of God's mercy, than the change before mentioned; and therefore they readily entertain any doctrine that gives them ground, or that encourages them to hope or trust in God's mercy, whilst they continue in their fins. And as the forementioned doctrines have plainly fuch a tendency, therefore it must be the business and duty of the clergy to guard against this evil, by shewing the people the falfeness, and groundlessness, and danger of them. And it will not be sufficient for the clergy to urge, by way of excuse, or in justification of themselves, that they teach the people, and insist upon it, that repentance and reformation are neceffary qualifications for, tho' not the ground or reafon of God's shewing mercy to finners; I say, that this will not be a sufficient juftification of the clergy, because it may not prevent the damage to men's fouls, which those doctrines are liable, and likely to do, as wicked men will be apt to reason too justly upon the point. They will be apt to think, that if repentance and reformation be not the ground or reason of God's shewing mercy to finners, that is, if repentance and reforma tion does not in itself render finners the proper objects of God's mercy, then it is not neceffary to that end; prefuming, that God will not needlessly lay such a burthen upon them, as the condition of his mercy, which mercy, (upon the present supposition,) may as well be shewn without it; and therefore they readily, and too justly (upon this principle) excuse themselves from it. This I fear has been too often the cafe; wicked men have trufted and relied upon God's mercy from those falfe grounds, while they have continued in their vicious courses, and thereby have continued to be the proper objects of his highest difplcafure. And here I dare appeal to the clergy themselves, with regard to their knowledge of wicked men, when brought upon a fick and dying bed, whether their bope and trust in God's mercy, has not been grounded upon the forementioned doctrines; whether their expectation of acceptance with God, has not arisen from a sense of what Chrift hath done, and fuffered for them; and not from any perfonal valuableness in themselves, the latter of which, perhaps, they have been taught to exclaim againft. If therefore the forementioned doctrines are abfurd, and falfe in themselves, and are cor ruptions of chriftianity, as they most certainly are; and if they are liable, and likely to be greatly injurious to the fouls of men, which most certainly is the truth of the cafe; then furely, it becomes the clergy, as they |