THE PREFACE. ALMOST every one of these essays was written above twenty years ago, and some of them more than thirty. The author finds reason to offer his sincere acknowledgements and thanks to Almighty God, who has preserved him, even to this day, in the same sentiments and principles of christian faith and love, amidst the numerous follies and errors of the times. One of these papers, indeed, found its way into the world, the very year in which it was written; the very design of it was to exemplify the title of this book, and it has been often since solicited to be printed again: But it was delayed for many years, till the author had formed a collection of papers of this sort, large enough to compose a moderate volume; and the reader will be sufficiently informed of the present reason of this publication, by a mere explaining of the words of the title, Orthodoxy and Charity united. By the word Orthodoxy, the author means all those christian doctrines which were generally approved in the last age, so far as he knows at least, by almost all the protestant dissenters in the nation; even those great doctrines, on which the reformation from the church of Rome was built; and they continued so all the time these essays were writing, and long before, in the general good esteem of the churches, as being conformable to the instructions of Christ and his apostles. It is needless in this place, to reckon them all up particularly, but, in general, they were such as these: 1. By the fall of the first man, he, together with his posterity, lost their innocence and their immortality, their bodies were subjected to diseases and death, their natural inclinations were perverted from that which is good, and there was a strange prevailing bias in human nature, even from its infancy, to that which is evil. 2. In order to their recovery from this ruin, there is not only a necessity of the pardon of their sins, and reconciliation of their persons to God, but there is need also that their sinful natures be healed, and renewed by sanctifying grace, in order to restore men to virtue and piety, that is, to the love of God and their fellow-creatures. 3. The Son of God, who, in the language of scripture, is one with the Father, came down from heaven to take flesh, and therein to fulfil the duties of the law, and give an example of perfect holiness: And then he was appointed to suffer death as a sacrifice and atonement for the sins of men, that mankind might thereby obtain pardon and the favour of God. 4. There is a necessity also, that sinners should heartily repent of their sins, return to God, and be renewed to the principles and temper of holiness, in order to their complete recovery to eternal life and happiness. 5. Besides this repentance and returning to God, it is also required that they believe in the name of Jesus Christ, their Saviour, or trust in him, with a humble expectation of the favour of God, through him: And, it is through this faith, they are to be justified and accepted of God. 6. They are also obliged to obey the law of God, as far as this feeble and imperfect state admits of, during their whole life, and still to grow up towards perfection therein. 7. When such persons die, their souls are conveyed to a state of peace and rest, in the presence of God, till the great day of the resurrection, when their bodies shall rise again from the dead, and the whole person, body and soul, be made happy for ever, in the favour and presence of God their Maker. These doctrines were generally professed at the time of the reformation, by protestants abroad and at home, and these are the set of principles, which have been usually called orthodoxy, or right sentiments. Now, it has unhappily fallen out, that many of those who have received and professed these important doctrines, have differed also in many lesser points, such as the logical relations of some of these doctrines to one another, that is, "Whether faith or works be conditions or consequents of their justification and acceptance; what is the essential difference between the covenant of works, and the covenant of grace, or the law and the gospel," &c. as well as in several particular practices of divine worship, such as ceremonies, vestures, imposed forms of prayer, &c. and they have so far quarrelled about these things, as too much to neglect and abandon that christian love and charity they ought to have maintained, according to their general acknowledgement of the great and necessary truths and rules of christianity, and hereby they have, in many instances, lost that duty and character of good christians, viz. to love one another. Now since these unhappy and uncharitable practices, even amongst some good men, have prevailed even to this day, it is the design of these essays, to endeavour the recovery of these persons, who unite in these principles, to charitable sentiments and practices towards one another. Here it will be very natural to enquire, Where is there found amongst all these essays, any attempt to reconcile those to the christian love and charity of others, who, while they profess the christian religion, yet oppose, renounce or deny, the great doctrines of the atoning sacrifice of Christ, or his propitiation for sin by his death? All the answer that can be given, is this: The author would gladly have done it, that the whole book might be of a piece, and every page might overflow with love, if he could, after the turning over his New Testament, have met with any evident instances, or ex |