reduced to two or three points, which must be in a manner self-evident to a mind rightly disposed; or, to use our Savior's words, to those who have "a good and honest heart;" for, as all Christians were baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, so right apprehensions of the character and offices of these three is the sum of all Christian knowledge. For he who believes God the Father, the Supreme Governor of the world, to be by nature God, an absolutely perfect, an infinitely glorious and amiable Being, infinitely worthy of that supreme love and honor, and universal obedience, which the divine law requires at our hands, and that, consequently, his law is holy, just, and good; and he who believes that God the Son, the express image of the Father, became incarnate, and died to do honor to the divine law, was set forth to be a propitiation to declare his Father's righteousness, that he might be just, and yet the justifier of the believer; and he who believes that God the Holy Ghost is appointed to be an enlightener and sanctifier, to bring sinners to understand the truth, see it in its glory, believe, love, and obey it: he who understands and believes these points cannot fail to understand and believe all the rest; for all doctrinal, experimental, and practical religion natively results from these fundamental truths. Besides, these fundamental truths give light to each other; so that, if once the glory of God, the Supreme Governor of the world, is seen, the reason and nature of his law will be plain; and, if that is plain, the design of the incarnation and death of the Son of God will be evident. And then the whole gospel plan will naturally open to view, and appear to contain a complete system of religious sentiments, harmonious and consistent throughout, perfect in glory and beauty. And, while we discern the opposition of this system of truths to every vicious bias in the human mind, the nature and necessity of the regenerating and sanctifying influences of the Holy Spirit to bring us rightly to understand the gospel, see it in its glory, and love and practise it, will be easily discerned; and, at the same time, every one, well acquainted with his own heart, may discern the true source of all the various errors which have been

broached in the Christian world; for the root of them all is in the heart of every child of Adam.

To assist the candid, inquisitive reader to look down into the bottom of truth and error, and see things in their original sources and in their mutual connections, that the true Scripture scheme may rise into clear view, and the first spring of all the chief errors now in vogue may be clearly discerned, is the design of the following sheets.

The reasonings are not built upon here and there a Scripture text, detached from its connection with its context, to carry away the reader's mind with the mere sound of words; rather all the reasonings are at bottom founded on Scripture facts, viewed in a Scripture light; facts which cannot be denied without giving up our baptism, and overthrowing Christianity by wholesale. And a chief design is, to lead all parties, if they will but attend to the subject, to see that the great doctrines of the gospel are not disputable points; yea, so far from it, that there is no consistent medium between the ancient apostolic Christianity and infidelity.

The subject is noble; the design is good; the execution, far as it is from being equal to so noble a subject, is presented to the candid reader's critical perusal and mature judgment. With a becoming generosity, overlook the blemishes of the manner; with the greatest eagerness, attend to the matter; seek the truth, search for it as for silver, dig for it as for hid treasure; neither believe nor disbelieve, but in exact proportion to evidence to the law and to the testimony, like the noble Bereans.

N. B. The reader may be advertised, that, some time after this Essay was begun, Mr. Cudworth's further defence of Theron and Aspasio came to hand; some remarks upon which are, therefore, inserted here and there in the margin, so far as appears needful to clear and establish the truth.

March 11, 1762.

INTRODUCTION,

CONTAINING

AN INVITATION TO STUDY THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST; AS IT GIVES THE MOST GLORIOUS DISPLAY OF ALL THE DIVINE PERFECTIONS THAT EVER WAS MADE.

THE first and fundamental principle of all religion, natural and revealed, is this, namely: That there is a God, an absolutely perfect and infinitely glorious and amiable Being. And it is universally agreed to, by all who believe the inspiration of the Holy Scriptures, that this God is the Creator of all things; that in the beginning he created the heavens and the earth; and that by him were created all things that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers; all things were created by him. And if there is a God, an absolutely perfect Being, and if he created all things, then all things are his, by an original, entire, underived, independent right; and if so, it must of course naturally belong to him to take care of his own world, to order and dispose all events. according to his pleasure; and the whole of his conduct in the government of the universe must be, of necessity, like himself, perfect in wisdom, glory, and beauty; worthy to be admired and rejoiced in by all created intelligences. And if all God's works are glorious, much more must the work of redemption by Jesus Christ, the chief, by far the chief of all his works, exceed in glory.

It is evident from the whole tenor of Scripture, that, as God is by nature invisible, one whom no eye hath seen or can see, and into whose essence no created intelligence can look; so

one chief design of all his works is to manifest himself; to exhibit the clearest and completest representation of all his perfections; and particularly to hold forth to the view of the intellectual system, the most lively image of his heart, of his moral perfections; that, as it is above the capacity of finite intelligences to look immediately into his heart, and discern how he views things, and is affected towards them, they might hereby be enabled to form right conceptions of his nature, and so under advantages to behold his infinite, incomprehensible glory, so far as their finite capacities will admit.

The visible creation, the heavens and the earth, the sun, moon, and stars, with all the laws, order, and harmony, in the natural system, as they are specimens of the almighty power, infinite wisdom and goodness; so they may be considered as a designed manifestation of these perfections, as inanimate pictures of the invisible glories of the invisible God. But if we turn our eyes off from the material world, the meanest part of God's creation, to the view of holy intelligences, who were, in a peculiar sense, made after the image of God, here we shall behold living images of the living God. But still all this is finite; the inanimate pictures and the living images are finite; but God himself is absolutely infinite. These representations, therefore, are very scanty, very deficient; and but a small portion of God can be known by them. Wherefore infinite wisdom hath laid a plan, in which he himself, as it were, may cease to be invisible, may come out to the view of the intellectual system in all his glory, in the person of Jesus Christ his Son, who is the image of the invisible God, even the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person. The vail is rent; the holy of holies is exposed to public view, and the glory of the Lord is to be seen by saints on earth, and principalities and powers in heaven, in the face of Jesus Christ. This manifestation, therefore, of God in and by Jesus Christ, which is called the Gospel, is the completest and brightest exhibition of all the divine perfections that ever was, or that, perhaps, ever will be made. The inspired apostle might well then call the gospel "the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ;" as, beyond all doubt, the glory of the work of our redemption by Christ, exceeds, far exceeds in glory, not only the glorious works

of men, or more glorious works of angels, but even exceeds in glory all the other glorious works of God himself.

While, therefore, men of the greatest genius think themselves well employed in contemplating the laws, order, and harmony of the natural world, let us now, with the greatest attention and ardor, join with principalities and powers in heaven, in prying into the glorious mysteries of God's moral system, all presupposed or implied in the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ.

And the rather, because it is possible that, while we live under the clear light of the gospel, we may be blind to all its peculiar glories; and so never believe it to be true, nor reap any saving benefit from it; but be finally lost―eternally lost. For, as St. Paul observes, "If our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost; in whom the God of this world hath blinded the minds of them that believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them." Wherefore, while we search into the nature and glory of the gospel of Jesus Christ, let us pray that "he who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, would shine in our hearts, to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ; that we all with open face, beholding, as in a glass, the glory of the Lord, may be changed into the same image, from glory to glory, as by the spirit of the Lord."

In these words of the apostle just cited, to which a special reference will be had in the following Essay, these things may be observed that the gospel of Christ is a glorious gospelthat the glory of the gospel is seen by all who sit under it, that are not blind; and all who see its glory do believe, savingly believe that those who are blind to the glory of the gospel, do not believe it; the gospel is hid from them, and they are lost that the devil's grand scheme is to keep men blind to the glory of the gospel; as knowing, that this is the direct method to prevent their ever believing it, to the saving of their souls that spiritual illumination, whereby men are brought to see the glory of the gospel, to see the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ, is as immediately from God, as was natural light, when God commanded the light to shine out of darkness; saying, "Let there be light, and there was light"—that all