sacrifice also; Eph. v. 2. Christ hath given himself for us as an offering and sacrifice to God. Again,

One christian will perhaps be ready to maintain, that Christ saves us as a great friend and benefactor, who has, by the price of his blood, purchased the blessings of grace and glory for us, and bestows them upon us; another may choose to fix his eye more upon Christ as a Redeemer, and say, he has bought or purchased our persons from the hands of divine justice, or he has redeemed us from the curse of the law, and from the bonds wherein we, as criminals, were held by the law of God: But neither of them should dare to say, he bought or purchased these blessings for us, and therefore he did not purchase our persons; for he has done both these under different characters.

Yet further, one christian may delight more to fix his eye and hope on Christ as a surety or representative of his elect, or of those whom he certainly and finally saves, and on that account he suffered death particularly in their room and stead, and secured to them certain deliverance and salvation; yet he cannot therefore affirm, that Christ did not, in any sense, die for all men, as a general friend of man, or suffer death for their good; nor can he say, that the benefits of his death do not any way reach to all mankind. Another perhaps will say since all are dead, he died for all as a common Mediator between God and man, or as a general benefactor to procure conditional salvation for all men, and offer it to them if they are willing to come to him and receive it; but he cannot say that he was not a proper surety, or representative of his elect, whereby he has secured certain salvation to them only: For as I have shewn in former papers, that he by his righteousness and death has directly and absolutely procured this salvation for his elect, as their head and representative, but yet he has also procured salvation, with all the glories of it, conditionally, for the rest of mankind, upon which foundation these blessings are offered to all men in the gospel.

II. There is another sort of difficulty from which these various representations of the salvation of Christ may deliver and relieve us. viz. The actions or the sufferings of our Lord Jesus Christ, have not precisely the same relation, character, or effect, with regard to one of his offices, as they have with regard to another; and therefore what is pronounced safely, with regard to the death of Christ under one character, cannot be with safety pronounced concerning it under another. As for example, When so glorious and illustrious a person as Jesus Christ appears as our friend and benefactor, he paid so sublime a price by his death and sufferings, as in a strict sense to satisfy or make full recompence for all our violations of the law of God, and to merit pardon and eternal life at the hand of God for us: But when we consider him merely as our representative, or our surety, and to answer what the law demanded of us, he cannot be so properly said to merit our pardon, or to make full and abundant recompence to the justice of God for our offences; for this might lead or encourage persons to infer, that we ourselves have satisfied God, or made recompence to him in the person of Christ, or that we have merited our pardon and our salvation, because what he did entirely as our representative, we may in some sort be esteemed to have done in and by him.

Again, the death of Christ as a surety and the second Adam was his suffering of the curse of the law, and the penalty thereof in our stead, which we had incurred; and in this view his death and his dereliction, or being forsaken of the Father, was the idem, or same which sinners should have suffered; though in other respects, and when we consider him as a glorious Mediator, or super-eminent benefactor, then he appears with

all the dignity of his indwelling godhead, and in this sense he paid a price of superior value, his death is the tantundem; and more; he makes an abundant compensation for sin, and a satisfaction to the demands of the law, and honours the justice of God more than our everlasting punishment could do, and hereby he merits for us those blessings which are above all our reach, or pretences, or obligations to procure or merit for ourselves. Again, as he was a Redeemer, his death is a price paid for our souls to divine justice, in order to release us from the bonds of condemnation: But his death as a benefactor, may be rather considered as a price for the blessings which he purchased for us, and of which we are made partakers through him.

III. There are other difficulties which are started among the several controversies of christians with regard to our faith, and the way and manner whereby this faith interests us in Christ and his salvation: And since Christ has sustained so many characters and offices, and stands in so many relations to us, our faith is exercised towards him in a correspondency to each of these relations and characters; and therefore when we read or assert that our faith saves us in this way, or under this logical relation, we dare not therefore assert, that it cannot save us in any other way, or under another logical relation. I would endeavour to make this thing a little more clear, because there have many controversies arisen upon this head. Let us then briefly recollect or take a short survey of the several representations which are given us of faith in Christ, according to these different characters of our blessed Saviour.

Faith in its most general sense, nature and design, as it refers to Jesus Christ, is the application or address of the soul to Christ, or to God by him, under any or all these characters, whereby he and his salvation are set forth in scripture. Now these characters being so very different and various, require different manners of address to him, which are represented in scripture, which perhaps may be all included in faith taken in its largest sense, together with those necessary acts of the soul which must accompany, attend, or follow it.

Particularly then faith is sometimes represented by believing his gospel: Mark i. 15. Repent and believe the gospel: But here it is supposed, that all the proper and sanctifying effects of this faith must attend it, and it must not rest in a mere assent. It is a knowledge of Christ; John xvii. 3. This is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent. Isaiah liii. 11. By his knowledge, or the knowledge of him, shall he justify many: And here I might add, that this our knowledge requires a correspondent practice, otherwise it will be of no more avail towards salvation, than the knowledge of devils, who believe and tremble; James ii. 19. It is a believing in Christ, which perhaps ought rather to be rendered trusting in Christ; Isaiah xi. 10. compared with Rom. xv. 12. In him shall the gentiles trust. 2 Tim. i. 12. I know whom I have believed, or trusted. Eph. i. 12, 13. Who first trusted in Christ, or hoped in him, as in the original.

Believing in his name; John i. 12. To them gave he power to become the Sons of God, even to as many as believed on his name. Seeking to him, Isaiah xi. 10. To him shall the gentiles seek. Receiving Christ, John i. 12. To as many as received him,—Col. ii. 6. As you have received Christ,—so walk in him. Laying hold of Christ; Isaiah xxvii. 5. Let him take hold of my strength that he may make peace with me. Heb. vi. 18. Those who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before them. Hearing of Christ, or hearken

ing to him; Luke ix. 35. This is my beloved Son, hear ye him, or hearken unto him. Calling upon Christ, Rom. x. 12, 13. Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. Coming unto Christ, Matt. xi. 28. Come unto me all ye that labour, &c. John v. 40. Ye will not come unto me that ye may have life. Flying to him for refuge; Heb. vi. 18. as before. Looking unto Christ, or beholding him, Isaiah xlv. 25. Look unto me all ye ends of the earth and be saved. Isaiah lxv. 1. I said, behold me, behold me, to a nation not called by my name. Obeying Christ, Heb. v. 9. He became the author of eternal salvation to them that obey him. Believing in God through Christ; 1 Pet. i. 21. Who by him do believe in God. Coming to God by Christ; John xiv. 6. No man cometh to the Father but by me.

Thus you see faith, together with its various concomitants, or consequent exercises of soul, is represented as our address or application to Christ for salvation by and with almost all the senses or powers of nature: It is looking to him with the eye, it is hearkening to him with the ear, it is receiving or laying hold of him with the hand, it is coming to him with the feet, it is knowledge of him in the head, trust in him with the heart, calling upon him with the tongue, and obeying him with all the powers of soul and body.

Now it is well known, that there have been great disputes about the particular influence which this act of faith has, in order to interest us in the salvation of Christ: And here I will readily grant, that the word faith primarily and chiefly implies such a knowledge of Christ, such a belief of his gospel, such a sense of our wants, and his sufficiency to supply them, as leads the soul to receive him under any of those characters in which the gospel sets him forth, and more particularly to trust in him for this salvation:* But there are many poor souls who have learned sincerely to address themselves to our Lord Jesus Christ, by one or two of these characters and representations of faith, but were never carried on so far as explicitly to make an address to Christ, under all his distinct relations, or to perform every one of these actions in their addresses to Christ; And can I suppose where the soul is very sincere in its desires of the whole salvation of Christ, both in the holiness and happiness of it, and seeks it from him, that such souls shall be excluded, because they have not well learned all the metaphors and figures under which these sacred things are exhibited in the gospel?

Again, on the other hand, if one should say, faith saves us as it is an eye to look to Christ that we may be saved, he cannot thence infer it does not save us as an ear to hearken to him, as a hand to lay hold of him, or as a tongue to call upon him, or a heart to trust in him. Again, if another should say, faith saves us as an instrument† to receive Christ, and his righteousness and grace, he cannot argue that it does not save us, as it is a condition, or a term of our being accepted of God through him;

It may be observed here, that almost every character or action, whereby faith in Christ is represented in scripture, carries in it the notion of trust, hope, or dependance, so that the original and most proper sense of the word faith" is still maintained, and every sinner who sincerely applies himself to Christ for salvation, does certainly put forth an act of trust or hope in him, though he may not always so evidently and distinctly apprehend and judge of the inward acts of his own soul, or distinguish them so exactly.

+ Perhaps there have been no greater quarrels upon this subject than amongst those who have maintained that faith saves us as it is an instrument, whereby we receive Christ and his righteousness, and those who assert it is a condition upon which Christ has appointed us to be interested in his blessings: And though I think they may both be true, according to the representation I have made in this and other of these essays; yet we have no great reason to be fond of either of these terms, especially when they are made a matter of controversy, because they are neither of them the expressions of scripture, which is our supreme rule of instruction in the matters of salvation.

or if another should say, faith saves us, as it is a laying hold of his person, or as a bond of union between Christ and us, yet he cannot argue, therefore faith does not save us, as it is a looking or seeking to him from afar off, or as it is a calling upon the name of the Lord. God has been pleased in many ways to manifest these most important things of our salvation, and revealed them to us in a variety of human expressions, similitudes, actions, and relations, that the poorest and the weakest christian might have support and encouragement for his hope.

Conclusion: It is confessed, that these thoughts are not sufficiently digested into perfect form, nor put together with all that accuracy as theological controversies require; but my sense and meaning in them is pretty obvious and evident: Perhaps this design might be more improved and promoted much farther by a wiser head, and a better-pen: and it might assist the solution of many difficulties, and relieve the quarrels and contentions of different parties to a greater degree; for it is evident, that the characters which our blessed Lord sustains, and the exercises of our faith, on him are very various, and we are made partakers of this salvation, perhaps as many ways as our acts of faith bear different respects to the several blessed characters and offices which Christ sustains, in order to our salvation. Now, to him who has redeemed us by power and by price; to him who has saved us by his blood and his Spirit; to him who has purchased our souls from the bondage of the law, and from death and hell, and has purchased for us the blessings of grace, the pardon of our sins, and an inheritance in heaven, be glory and honour in endless varieties, and eternal praises from all the redeemed, Amen,

ESSAY VII.

AGAINST UNCHARITABLENESS, WHEREIN THE SECRET SPRINGS OF THAT VICE ARE TRACED, AND THE MISCHIEVOUS EFFECTS OF IT BRIEFLY SURVEYED.

Written to Expose that most Unchristian Iniquity of Censures, Revilings, and ChurchAnathemas, on the Account of Smaller Disputables in Christianity.

ROM. xiv. 3.

LET NOT HIM WHICH EATETH NOT, JUDGE HIM THAT EATETH: FOR GOD HATH RECEIVED HIM.

LUKE ix. 54, 55.

HIS DISCIPLES-SAID, LORD, WILT THOU THAT WE COMMAND FIRE TO COME DOWN FROM HEAVEN AND CONSUME THEM?-BUT HE TURNED AND REBUKED THEM, AND SAID, YE KNOW NOT WHAT MANNER OF SPIRIT YE Are of.

"Tantæne animis cælestibus iræ ?

"Tantum religio potuit suadere malorum ?"

INTRODUCTION.

CHARITY in the soul of man is the very picture of the godhead, taken as it stands in the fairest light. Wisdom and holiness, power, sovereignty, and justice, are various features of the Deity: They are indeed his very nature and essence; yet the scripture rather chooses to express, that God is love, and that twice in one chapter, 1 John iv. 8. and 16. The beloved disciple that leaned on the bosom of Jesus, took peculiar delight in the contemplation of God, under this character. This appears in his gospel, as well as in his epistle. The other glories of that infinite beauty shine with awful beams, and command my reverence: But methinks, I love to look upon so glorious a being, in his most condescending air, and to converse with him in his mildest and most inviting aspect.

Charity in man is a grace of that alluring sweetness, that my pen would fain be attempting to say something in favour of it: I find a strange pleasure in discoursing of this virtue, hoping that my very soul may be moulded into its divine likeness. I would always feel it inwardly warming my heart. I would have it look through my eyes continually, and it should be ever ready upon my lips to soften every expression of my tongue. I would dress myself in it as my best raiment. I would put it on upon my faith and hope, not so as entirely to hide them, but as an upper and more visible vesture, constantly to appear in among men. For our christian charity is to evidence our other

virtues.