fetting afide the Chriftian, or any Revelation, if what is offered in its favour carries with it the greater and higher degree of probability. When any queftion admits of a dispute, common justice requires that every thing should be brought into the cafe which makes either for, or against that question; and wherever upon a fair comparison, the greater and higher degree of probability lies, that ought in reason to determine our judgments, either for or against that question.

THE

TRUE GOSPEL

OF

JESUS CHRIST

ASSERTED.

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SECTION I

HE great end and the professed defign of our Lord Jesus Christ as to his coming into the world, and with respect to what he has revealed to it, performed in it, and suffered from it, and for it, is manifestly and apparently this, viz. to fave mens fouls; that is, it is to prepare men for, and to insure to them the favour of God, and their happiness in another world, and to prevent them from bringing great and lasting misery upon themfelves. And that this is the truth of the cafe is most evident from Christ's own repeated declarations concerning this matter. Matth. xviii. 11. For the fon of man is come to fave that which was loft. Luke ix. 56. For the fon of man is not come to destroy mens lives, but to save them. Chap. xix. 10. For the fon of man is come to seek and to fave that which was lost. John iii. 16, 17. For God fo loved the world, that he gave his only begotten fon; that

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that whosoever believeth in him, should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God fent not his fon into the world to condemn the world; but that the world thro him might be saved. Chap. v. 24. Verily, verily I say unto you, he that heareth my word, and believeth on him that fent me, bath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation: but bath passed from death unto life. Chap. vi. 40. And this is the will of him that fent me, that every one which feeth the fon, and believeth on bim, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day. Chap. x. 10. I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. Chap. xii. 47. And if any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not; for I am not come to judge the world, but to save it. From these and fuch like declarations which Chrift has made, it is most evident and apparent, not only that men by their vices and wickedness had rendred themselves unworthy of God's favour, and had exposed themselves to his just dif pleasure; but alfo that the great end and the profeffed design which Christ came into the world to prosecute, was to procure their falvation; which in other words is the fame as to say, that his great end and design was to prepare men for, and to insure to them, the favour of God, and their happiness in another world; and to prevent them from being greatly and lastingly miserable. And,

As this was the main or chief end which Christ came into the world to profecute; fo in confe quence thereof, and thereby in a secondary and less proper sense, he may be faid to come into the world to promote and secure the present well-being of mankind; namely, to lead men to present plea fure,

fure, and to secure them from prefent mifery, as the pleasures and pains of this world, are generally connected with the pains and pleasures of another; that is, what fits and prepares a man for future felicity, generally tends to make him easy and happy here; and what exposes a man to the miseries of another world, generally tends to make him unhappy and miferable in this. And in this view of the cafe, Christianity may as truly be faid to be subservient to mens present as to their future wellbeing; not by investing any Christian with any temporal power or jurifdiction over his brethren or fellow Christians, out of which his present good or temporal advantage might arife; but only by engaging each and every individual to put on fuch a temper of mind, and fuch a behaviour, as renders each perfon a blessing to himself, and to fociety, and from which temper and behaviour the present temporal good of each individual generally flows. Christianity was not intended, and therefore it has made no provision, for the investing any Chriftian, nor any fet, or order, or body of men amongst Chriftians, with any the least degree of temporal power or wealth, any otherwise than as it engages each individual in the practice of that virtue which may render him worthy to be intrusted with the former in civil society, and as it leads him to that diligence, industry, and frugality, which is productive of the latter. And,

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As the grand design of Christ and the Christian revelation is to promote the future good and being of mankind, and not the present interest of any person, but only as the latter is connected with, and naturally flows, from the former: fo whenever the name of the revelation of Christ is made

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made use of to support and carry on the temporal interest of any Christian, or any fet, or order, or body of men among Christians, by investing them with any the least degree of temporal power out of which their present intereft might arife, this is manifestly an abuse of the name and of the revelation of Christ, by making these subfervient to other and contrary purposes than what they were intended. I would not be understood to mean that Christians as Christians have not a right to make use of the name and the revelation of Chrift, by way of argument or motive in order to perswade and engage each other to the practice of justice, gratitude, and benevolence, out of which the temporal good of many Christians must arife, there being in these cases no temporal power or jurifdiction at all; but what I intend is, that no Christian confidered as a Christian, and by virtue of his being fuch, has any coercive power or jurisdiction over the perfons or properties of any other Chriftians, so as to have a right forcibly to oblige them to any thing, or to mulet or punish them for their non-compliance, Chrift not having delegated any fuch power; and when, or wherever it has been claimed and exercised, it has been fubversive of the great end and purpose of his coming, and of his preaching and ministry; that is, it has been injurious to the prefent and future happiness of mankind..

To believe in, and to submit to be governed by... the laws of Christ, is what, and what alone, conRitutes a Chriftian; and it is this which con tracts the relation betwixt Christ and his people. Whoever therefore believes in, and fubmits to be governed by the laws of Chrift, by

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