condition of man, or more effectual to determine men in that course of duty which the gospel recommends.

IF

3dly. THE ancient law-givers and philofophers, who it is faid, had no certain belief of the immortality of the foul, or a ftate of future rewards and punishments, yet found it neceffary to propagate a firm belief of these doctrines among the people, in order to give force to their laws, and keep mankind in a state of civil order and fubjection. If there fore a belief of thefe doctrines was neceffary to obtain and fecure the most valuable ends and purposes of civil government, how much more mult they be fo, to fecure the duties of moral and religious obligation, which are much more numerous, difficult and important?

4thly. We find, by fad experience, that all the omnipotent motives of the gospel, in their united force, have enough to do to call men off from the pursuit of finful pleasures, and engage them to an evangelical obedience; how much lefs proper and effectual, then, muft the gospel be, as an inftrument for reforming mankind, were it robbed of its moft powerful motives, and brought down to the standard of natural religion, by mutilating and weakening the reft, according to the tafte of a few dreaming philofophers?

5thly. If the Chriftian inftitution really is, what it pretends to be, namely, the most noble and effectual inftrument, in the hand of GoD, for converting and faving finners, for bringing them to a ftate of moral perfection and happinefs, then the damnatory claufes contained in it are perfectly fit and realonable: Becaufe, to have left fuch an inftitution unguarded and unenforced by any fanctions or penalties, would have been to leave mankind at an entire li. berty to confider it, or not to confider it, to embrace

it,

If we confider the author or revealer of the Chriftian inftitution, we fhall find him to have been

it, or not to embrace it, at mere pleasure. And who does not fee that men, devoted to finful pleasures and interefts, would have thought themfelves well warranted to neglect a religion, which, as its precepts are extremely cross to their natural inclinations, feemed, at the fame time, to leave it as a matter wholly indifferent whether they fubmitted to it, or not. To this I might also add,

THAT the gofpel, containing not only a promife, but also a law, it is perfectly fit that it should be guarded and enforced by rewards and penalties, and that these penalties fhould be fuitable to the immortal nature and duration of the foul, i. e. eternal; and if these penalties and rewards are not imaginary and fictitious, but real and certain, as the gofpel fupposes, then it is highly reasonable that mankind fhould be acquainted of this, that fo they might fully underftand the unspeakable advantage of embracing the Christian inftitution, and the extreme danger of neglecting it.

LET us for once fuppofe that the Chriftian fcheme were as difinterested as these men would have it, that it caft an impenetrable vail over a life to come, and a future ftate of rewards and punishments ;-that it contained no other motives to obedience but fuch as arife purely from the reasonableness and excellency of its precepts; that it commanded us to love and ferve GOD, purely for his own amiablenefs, to practice virtue on account of the peace and ferenity of mind which attends it, and to renounce fleshly and finful lufts, because they are unmanly and unbecoming, and greatly prejudicial to the prefent interefts of society and of individuals, and what would be the probable confequences? Why, firft, fuch a religion would carry in itfelf ftrong prefumptions of its being

a mere

been a very extraordinary perfonage, whofe character, pretenfions and works merit our highest attention and regard. Although he appeared in low circumftances of life, and was a perfon of a moft humble, meek and condefcending deportment, yet he speaks of himself in a most exalted ftrain, as the only begotten son of GOD, as coming down from heaven, and com

a mere human and political invention, ferving only prefent purposes; and therefore, thinking men would have much stronger temptations to infidelity than they now have: And, fecondly, fenfual men who are willing to forget the prefent fatisfactions arifing from virtue for the gratification of their paffions and appetites, would freely indulge them, having no future punishment to fear.

In a word, if mankind are really to be rewarded. and punished in a future ftate, according to their moral character here, I think it will be very difficult to affign a reafon why the gospel (fuppofing it to be of divine original) should not give a true and unflattering reprefentation of this future ftate of rewards and punishments.

UPON the whole it feems to appear, that that life and immortality, that future ftate of rewards and pu nishments, fo clearly and fully brought to light in the gospel, is fo far from being an objection against the Chriftian inftitution, that it is a high recommendation of it; it has a ftrong prefumption that it cometh from that God, who has a more folicitous concern for the future and eternal, than for the prefent and temporal interefts of his creatures; and, confequently, that thofe perfons who go about to depreciate thefe difcoveries, and reprefent them as improper motives to virtue, will be found ftrangers to the true interefts of morality, and enemies to mankind, whether ve confider them in a civil or religious capacity.

ing

ing out from the eternal Father, with whom he poffeffed peculiar glories before the world was;-as being fent into the world and commiffioned by GOD to feek and fave that which was loft;-as having power over all flesh, to give eternal life to men ;-as having life effentially in himself, and confequently having power to lay down his own life and take it up again, and to raise up his difciples at the laft day; as being, in some sense, one with the father, and partaking of his effential perfections and glories;-as having perfect knowledge of his father's will, and as the Chrift, or anointed, fully impowered to reveal this will to finners. As feeing the I AM who exifted before Abraham; yea, before the foundation of the world; the alpha and omega, the first and the laft, the fearcher of reins and hearts, having the keys of hell and of death, and as finally to fit on a throne of glory, and fummon and judge the affembled world, and diftribute rewards and punishments; which laft act neceffarily fuppofes fupreme authority and infinite perfection. And as the author of the Chriftian inftitution fpeaks thus of himself, fo his apostles, who must be fuppofed best to know his character and pretenfions, fpeak of him in the fame language. They tell us that he was the wORD, or LOGOS, which was in the beginning with GOD, and which was GOD; that he thought it no robbery to be equal with GOD;-that he is the true GOD and eternal life;-that the world was made by him ;-that by him were all things created in heaven and earth, vifible and invifible, and that by him all things confift and are governed;-that he is the brightnefs of his father's glory, and the exprefs

image of his perfon; the image of the invifible GOD, having all fulness dwelling in him even the fulness of the God-head bodily; that he is every where prefent, the Lord and judge of angels and men ;-that he is mighty to fave all finners that come to GOD by him, himself being without fin or guile, holy, harmless, undefiled, feparate from finners.

NOR were these vain and arrogant claims, as appears by the series of wonderful works which Chrift wrought, and the aftonishing proofs which he gave of the truth and justice of his pretenfions. He healed the most inveterate and otherwife incurable difeafes by a word, or a touch. He gave proof of his empire over the devils, by difpoffeffing them of the fouls and bodies of men. He fhewed himself the lord and ruler of universal nature, by governing its two moft unruly elements, the wind and fea. He fhewed his dominion over death and the invifible world, by recalling departed fpirits, and raising the dead. He manifefted a creating power, by turning water into wine, and multiplying bread and fish in the hands of the eaters. It was evident, that he was the fearcher of hearts, and knew what was in man, by telling their inward thoughts, and the fecret reasoning of their minds. He gave many plain proofs of his omniscience, which it would be tedious here to mention. His prefcience of future events was manifested by a number of remarkable and important predictions. He foretold, with the greatest exactness, and in the moft circumftantial manner, the cowardice of Peter and the other apoftles; the perfidy of Judas; his own fufferings, death and refurrection at Jerufalem; the longevity of John;

the