The works of John Locke

THE

WORKS

OF

y"

JOHN LOCKE,

IN NINE VOLUMES.

THE NINTH EDITION.

VOLUME THE SIXTH.

.LONDON:

PRINTED FOR T. LONOMAN, B. LAW AND SON, J. JOHNSON,

C. DILLY, G. G. AND J. ROBINSON, T. CADELL, J. SEWELL,

W. OTRIDGE, W. RICHARDSON, F. AND C. RIVINGTON,

W. GOLDSMITH, T. PAYNE, LEIGH AND SOTHEBY,

S. HAYES, R. FAULDER, B. AND J. WHITE,

W. LOWNDES, G. AND T. WILKIE,

AND J . W A LJC E R.

I79+-

3r

CONTENTS

OF THIS

VOLUME.

THE Reafonablenefs of Chrlftianity, as delivered in the

Scriptures _ _ _ - _ i

A Vindication of the Reafonablenefs of Chriftianitv, from

Mr. Edwards's Refle6tions _ - _ i^g

A fecond Vindication of the Reafonablenefs of Chriftianity 191

Index,

Vol. VI.

THE

REASONABLENESS

o $

H R I S T I A N I T Y,

AS DELIVERED IN THE

SCRIPTURES.

Vol. VI. B

[3 ]

=«??:

THE

PREFACE,

TH E little fatisfadion and confifl^cncy that is to
be foundj in moft of the fyftems of divinity I have
met with, made me betake myfelf to the fole reading of
the Scriptures (to which they all appeal] for the un-
derftanding the Chrif^ian Religion. What from thence,
by an attentive and unbiafTed fearch, I have received.
Reader, I here deliver to thee. If by this my labour
thou receiveft any light, or confirmation in the truth,
join with me in thanks, to the Father of lights, for his
condefcenfion to our underftandings. If, upon a fair
and unprejudiced examination, thou findefl: I have mi f-
ifaken the fenfe and tenour of the Gofpel, I befeech thee,
iis a true Chriftian, in the fpirit of the Gofpel, (which
is that of charity) and in the words of fobriery, fet mc
xight, in the dodlrine qf falvation.

^ z THE

C 4 )

2==?

T >I E

REASONABLENESS

o P

CHRISTIANITY,

AS DELIVERED IN rkl

SCRIPTURES.

IT is obvious to any one, who r.^ads the New Tefla^
ment, that the dottrine of redemption, and confc-
quently of the gofpel, is founded upon the fuppoiition
of Adam's fall. I'o understand therefore, what we are
reftored to by Jefus Chrill, we muft conlider what the
icriptures fhow we loft by Adam. This I thought
worthy of a diligent and unbiafTed fearch : fmce I found
the two extremes, that men run into on this point,
either on the one hand fliook the foundations of all
religion, or, on the other, made chriftianity almofl
nothing: for while fome men would have all Adam's
pofterity doomed to eternal, infinite punifliment, for
the tranfgrelhon of Adam, whom millions had never
heard of, and no one had authorifed to tranfad: for
him, or be his reprefentative; this fcemed to others fo
little coniiftent with the jufticc or goodnefs of the great

and

The tleafonahlenejs of ChrijlianitVy <Sc. 5

iknd infinite God, that they thought there was no re-
demption neceffary, and confequently, that there was
none; rather than admit of it upon a fuppolition fo
derogatory to the honour and attributes of that infinite
Being; and fo made Jefus Chrill nothing but the re-
ftorer and preacher of pure natural religion; thereby
doing violence to the whole tenour of the New Teftament.
And, indeed, both (Ides will be fufpedled to have tref-
|)aired this way, againft the written word of God, by
any one, who does but take it to be a collection of
Writings, deligned by God, for the inftrudion of the
illiterate bulk of mankind, in the way to falvation ;
and therefore, generally, and in necelFary points, to
be underftood in the plain direct meaning of the words
and phrafes : fuch as they may be fuppofcd to have had
in the mouths of the fpeakers, who ufcd them accord-
ing to the language of that time and country v/herein
they lived; without fuch learned, artificial, and forced
fenfes of them, as are fought out, and put upon them,
in moft of the fyftems of divinity, according to the
notions that each one has been bred up in.

To one that, thus unbiafTed, reads the fcriptures,
what Adam fell from (is vifible), was the ftate of per-
fctft obedience, which is called juftice in the New Tef-
lament; though the word, which in the original fig-
nifies juftice, be tranflated righteoufnefs: and, by this
fall he loft paradife, wherein was tranquillity and the
tree of life; i. e. he loif biifs and immortality. The
penalty annexed to the breach of the law, with the fen-
tence pronounced by God upon it, fliow this. The
penalty (lands thus. Gen. ii. 17. " In the day, that
" thou eateil thereof, thou fhalt furely die." How
was this executed ? He did eat : but, in the day he did
eat, he did not avflually die; but was turned out of pa-
radife from the tree of life, and fhut out for ever from
it, left he fhould take thereof, and live for ever. This
fhows, that the ftate of paradife was a ftate of immor-
tality, of life without end; which he loft that very day
that he eat: his life began from thence to ftiorten, and
wafte, and to have an end ; and frortn thence, to his ac-
tual death, was but like the time of a prifoner, be-

B 3 tweeo

6 The Reafmablencfs of Chrljlianityt

tvveen the fentence palTcd and the execution, which was
in view and certain. Death then entered, and lliowed
his face, which before was ihut out, and not known.
So St. Paul, Rom. v. 12. ** By one man lin entered into
'* the world, and death by lin;" i. e. a ftate of death
and mortality : and, i Cor. xv. 22. " In Adam all die;'*
i. e. by reafon of his tranfgreflion, all men are mortal,
and come to die.

This is fo clear in thcfe cited places, and fo much
the current of the New Tcftament, that nobody can
deny, but that the dodrine of the gofpel is, that death
came on all men by Adam's fm; only they differ about
the lignificatiop of the word death : for fome will have
it to be a ftate of guilt, wherein not only he, but all his
pofterity v/as fo involved, that every one dcfccnded of
him deferved endlefs torment, in hell-fire. I fhall fay
nothing more here, how far, in the apprehcnfions of
men, this confifls with the juftice and goodnefs of God,
having mentioned it above : but it feems a ftrange way
of underftandinga law, which requires the plainefl and
diredeft words, that by death fliould be meant eternal
life in mifery. Could any one be llippofed, by a law,
that fays, *' For felony thou ihalt die," not that he
Ihould lofe his life; but be kept alive in perpetual,^
exquifite torments? And would anyone think himfelt
fairly dealt with, that was fo ufed ?

To this, they would have it be alfo a ftate of necelTary
iinning, and provoking God in every adion that men
do : a yet harder fenfe of the word death than^the other.
God fays, that '' mxhc day that thou eatelt of the for-
" bidden fruit, thou flialt die;" i. e. thou and thy
pofterity fliall be, ever after, incapable ofdoing' any-
thing, but what fliallbe linful and provoking to me,
•■and ihall jultly deferve my wrath and indignation,
. Could a worthy man be fuppofed to put fuch terms
. upon the obedience of his fubjeds ?. Much lefs can the
- righteous God be fuppofed, as a puniflniient of one fm,
• wherewith he is difpleafed, to put man under the ne-
. cefTity of finning continually, and fo multiplying the
provocation. The reaion of this ft range interpretation,
we fliali perhaps find, in fome niiftaken places of the

6 New

as delivered in the Scriptures. ^

New Teftamcnt. I muft confefs, by death here, I caa
tinderftand nothing but a cealing to be, the loling of
all adlions of life and fenfe. Such a death came on
Adam, and all his pofterity, by his firft difobedience in
paradife ; under which death they fliould have lain for
ever, had it not been for the redemption by Jefus Chrift.
If by death, threatened to Adam, were meant the cor-
ruption of human nature in his pofterity, 'tis ftrange,
that the New Teftament fliould not any where take no-
tice of it, and tell us, that corruption feized on all,
becaufe of Adam's tranfgreflion, as well as it tells us fo
of death. But, as I remember, every one's lin is
tharged upon himfelf only.

Another part of the fentence was, '*■ Curfed is the
** ground for thy fake : in forrow ihalt thou eat of it
" all the days of thy life; in the fweat of thy face flialt
** thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground : for
" out of it waft thou taken ;*duft thou art, and to duft
" flialt thou return," Gtn. iii. 17. — 19. This fliows,
that paradife was a place of blifs, as well as immorta-
lity; without drudgery, and without forrow. But,
■when man was turned out, he was expofed to the toil,
anxiety; and frailties of this mortal life, which fhould
epJ in the duft, out of which he was m.adc, and to
which he fliould return; and then have no more life
or fenfe, than the duft had, out of which he was made.

As Adam was turned out of paradife, fo all his pof-
terity were born out of it, out of the reach of the tree
of life ; all, like their father Adam, in a ftate of mor-
tality, void of the tranquillity and blifs of paradife.
Roni. V, 12. *' By one m.an lin entered into the world,
" and death by fin." But here will occur the commoi^
obje<ftion, thai fo many ftumble at : " How doth it
** conlift with the juftnefs and goodnefs of God, that
" the pollerity of Adam fhould fuifer for his lin ; the
** innocent be puniflied for the guilty ?" Very well, if
keeping one from what he has no right to, be called ^
punifliment ; the ftate of immortality, in paradife, is
not due to the pofterity of Adam, more than to any
other creature. Nay, if God afford rhem a tempo-
rary, mortal life, 'tis his gift; they owe it to his
bounty ; they could not claim it as their right, nor does

B 4 he

^ The Reafotmhletiefs of Chrijiinmty,

he injure them when he takes it from them. Had he
taken from mankind any thing that was their right, or
did he put men in a ftate of mif<:ry, worfc than not
being, without any fault, or demerit of their own; this,
indeed, would be hard to reconcile with the notion we
have of juftice; and much more with thegoodnefs, and
other attributes of the fupreme Being, w1ii<:h he has de-
clared of himfelf ; and reafon, as well as revelation,
muft acknowledge to be in him ; imlefs we will con-
found good and evil, God and Satan. That fuch a
Hate of extreme, irremediable torment is wyjrfc than
no being at all; if every one's own fenfe did not deter-
mine againft the vain philofophy, and foolilh metaphy^
iics of fome men; yet our Saviour's peremptory de-
cifion. Matt. xxvi. 24, has put it pad doubt, that one
may be in fuch an eftate, that it had been better for him
not toliave been born. But that fuch a temporary life,
as we now have, with all its frailties and ordinary mi-
fcries, is better than no being, is evident, by the high
value we .put upon it ourfelves. And therefore, though
all die in Adam, yet none are truly punifhed, but for
their own deeds. Rom. ii. 6. ** God will render to
*' every one," How,'' *' According to his deeds. To
** thofe that obey unrighteoufnefs, indignation and
** wrath, tribulation and anguilh, upon every foul of
** man that doth evil." ver. 9. 2 Cor. v. 10. " Wc
" muft appear before the judgment feat of Chrift, that
<« every one may receive the things done in his body,
" according to that he has done, whether it be good or
" bad." And Chrift himfelf, who knew for what he
fliould condenm men at the laft day, affures us, in the
two places, where he defcribes his proceeding at the
great judgment, that the fcntence of condemnation
paflcs only upon the workers of iniquity, fuch as ne-
glcded to fulfil the law in ads of clarity. Matt. vii»
23. Luke xiii. 27. Matt, xxv, 41, 42, &c. •** And
*' again, John v. 29, our Saviour tells the jews, that
'^ all ftiall come forth of their graves, they that have
** done good, to the refurrection of life ; and they that
" have done evil, unto the refurrcAion of damnation."
But here is no condemnation of any one, for what his

fore-

as delivefed in the Scriptures » .9

fore-father Adam had done ; which it is not likely
fhould have been omitted, if that fliould have beea
a caufe, why any one was adjudged to the fire, with the
devil and his angels. And he tells his difciples, that
when he comes again with his angels, in the glory of
his Father, that then he will render to every one ac-
cording to his works. Matt. xvi. 27.

Adam being thus turned out of paradife, and all his
pofterity born out of it, the confequence of it was, that
ull men fhould die, and remain under death for ever,
^nd fo be utterly loft.

From this eftate of death, Jefus Chrift reliorcs all
mankind to life ; i Cor. xv. 22. " As in Adam all die,
**' fo in Chrift Ihali all be made alive." How this lliali
■be, the fame apoftle tells us in the foregoing ver. ti,
" By man death came, by man alfo came the refurrec-
^' tion from the dead." Whereby it appears, that the
^ife, which Jefus Chrift reftores to all men, is that life,
which they receive again at the rcfurredion. Then they
recover from death, which otherwife all mankind ihould
have continued under, loft forever; as appears by St.
Paul's arguing, i Cor. xv. concerning the refurredlion.

And thus men are, by the fecond Adam, reftored to
4ife again ; that fo by Adam's fin they may none of them
lofe any thing, which by their own righteoufnefs they
Ynight have a title to : for righteoufnefs, or an cxadt
ebedience to the law, feems, by the fcripture, to have
R claim of right to eternal life, Rom. iv. 4.- ** To him
■*' that worketh," i. e. docs the works of the law, " is
" the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt."
And Rev. xxii. 14. ** Blelfed are they v. ho do his com-
*' mandments, that they may have right to the tree
"" of life, which is in the paradife of God." If any of
the pofterity of Adam werejuft, they Ihall not lofe the
reward of it, eternal life and blifs, by being his mortal
ilTue : Chrift will bring them all to life again ; and then
they fliall be put every one upon his own trial, and re-
ceive judgment, as he is found to be righteous, or not.
And the righteous, as our Saviour fays, Matth. xxv. 46.
ftiall go into eternal life. Norfhall anyone mils it, who
has doncj what our Saviour directed the lawyer, who

aflvcd.

lo The ReajonahUnefs of Chrijlianity\

aflied, Luke x. 25. What he fhoulddo to inherit eternal
life? *^ Do this," i.e. what is required by the law^
** and thou Ihalt live."

On the other fide, it feems the Unalterable purpofe of
the divine juftice, that no unrighteous pcrfon, no one
that is guilty of any breach of the law, fliould be in pa-
radife: but that the wages of fin fhould be to every
man, as it was to Adam, an exclufion of him out of
that happy ftate of immortality, and bring death upon
him. And this is fo conformable to the eternal and
eftabliilicd law of right and wrong, that it is fpoken of
too, as if it could not be otherwife. St. James fays,
chap. i. 15, ** Sin, when it is finiflied, bringeth forth
" death," as it were, by a natural and neceflary pro-
duftion. ** Sin entered into the world, and death by
" fin," fays St. Paul, Rom. v. 12: and vi. 23, ** The
'* wages of lin is death." Death is the purchafe of
any, of every fin. Gal. iii. 10. " Cur fed is everyone,
^' who conrinueth not in all things, which are written
** in the book of the law to do them." And of this St.
James gives a reafon, chap. ii. 10, ir. *' Whofoever
** fhali keep the whole law, and yet offend in one
*' point, he is guilty of all : for he that faid. Do not
** commit adultery, faid alfo. Do not kill:" i. e. he
that offends in any one point, fins againft the authority
which cilabliilicd the law.

Here then we have the ftanding-and fixed meafures
of life and death. Immortality and blifs belong to the
jighteous ; thofe who have lived in an exail conformity
to the law of God, are out of the reach of death ; but
an exclufion from paradife and lofs of immortality is
the portion of linners ; of all thofe, who have any way
broke that law, and failed of a complete obedience to it,
by the guilt of any one tranfgreffion. And thus man-
kind by the law, are put upon the iffucs of life or death,
as they arc righteous or unrighteous, juft or unjuft ;
i. e. exadl performers or tranfgreffors of the law.

But yet, " all having finned," Rom. iii. 23. '' and
" come fhort of the glory of God," i. c. the kingdom
*' of God in heaven, (which is often called his glory)
*' both Jews and Gentiles ;" ver. 22. fo that,. " by tfie

" deeds

as delivered in the Scriptures, r i

^ deeds of the, law," no one could be juftificd, vcr. 20.
it follows, that no one could then have eternal life and
biifs.

' Perhaps, it will be demanded, " Why did God give
** To hard a law to mankind, that to the apoflle's time,
^' no one of Adam's ilTue had kept it ? As appears by
*■ Rom. iii. and Gal. iii. 21, 22."

' Anfw. It was fuch a law as the purity of God's na-
ture required, and muft be the law of fuch a creature
as man ; unlefs God would have made him a rational
creature, and not required him to have lived by the
law of reafon ; but would have countenanced in him
irregularity and difobcdience to that light which he had,
and that rule which was fuitable to his nature; which
would have been to have authorifed diforder, confu-
.►iion, and wickednefs in his creatures : for that this law
\\as the law of reafon, or, as it is called, of nature;
we fliall fee by and by : and if rational creatures will
not live up to the rule of their reafon, who fliall ex-
Cufe them? if you wjU admit them to forfake reafon in
one point, why not in another? VVhere will you dop?
To difobey God in any part of his commands, (and 'tis
he that commands vvhat reafon does) is direct rebeU
iUon; which, if difpenfed with in any pomt, govern-
'Hient and order are at an end; and there can be no
bounds Jet to the lawlefs exorbitancy of unconfined man.
The l^ therefore was, as St. Paul tells us^ Rom. vii.
•.12, ** holy, jull, and good," and fuch as it ought, and
.could not othcrwife be.

This then being the cafe, that whoever is guilty of
.eny lin fliould certainly die, and ceafe to be ; the be-
xieiit of life, rcftored by Chrift at the refurredtion,
;.\YOuId have been no great advantage^ (for as much as^
.here again, death muft have feized upon all mankind, be-
caufe all had finned ; for the wages of iin is every where
.-death, as well after as before the refurrcdion) if God
;had not found out a way to juftify feme, i. c. fo many
,vas obeyed another law, which God gave; \\hich in the
t ^New Teftament is called *^ the law of faith," Rom. iii.
'27. and is opppfed to. " the law of works." And
therefore nJie punifliment of thofe, who would not fol-
low

1 2 The Rfiifonahteftefs of Chrijlianityt

low hirh, was to lofc their fouls, i. e. their lives,
Mark viii. 35 — 38. as is plain, coniidcring the occa-
lion it was fpoke on.

The better to uriderftand the Uw of faith, it will be
convenient, in the firft place, to confider the law of
works. The la\V of works then, in fhort, is that law
which requires perfed: obedience, without any remif-
lion or abatement j fo that, by that law, a man cannot
be jurt, or juftified, without In exadt performance di
every tittle. Such a perfect obedience, in the New
Teilanient, is termed <?iK«i()(ruj/»], which we tranflate
righteoufnefs.

The language of this law is, " Do this and live,
" tranfgrefs and die." Lev. xviii. 5. " Ye fhall keep
** my ftatutes and my judgments, which if a man do,
*' he Ihall live in them." Ezek. xx. 11. "1 gave
** them my ftatutes, and fhowcd them my judgments,
" which if a man do, he lliall even live in them.
*' Mofes, fays St. Paul, Rom. x. 5, defcribeth the
*' righteoufnefs, which is of the law, that the man,
** which doth thofe things, fliall live in them." Gal.
iii. 12. ** The law is not of faith; but that man, that
** doth them, Ihall live in them." On the other fide,
tranfgrefs and die; no difpenfation, no atonement,
yer. 10. '* Cuffed is every one that continueth not in
•* all things, which arc written in the book of the law
" to do them/'

Where this law of works was to be foiTnd, the New
Teftamcnt tells us, viz. in the law delivered by Mofes,
John i. 17. " The law was given by Mofes, but grace
** and truth came by Jefus Chrift." Chap. vii. 19.
" Did no: Mofes give you the law?" fays our Saviour,
** and yet none of you keep the law." And this is the
law, which he fpeaks of, where he al"ks the lawyer,
Luke x. 26, " What is written m the law? How readeft
*' thou ? ver. 28. This do, and thou flialt live." This
is that which St. Paul fo often ftyles the law, without
any other diftindion, Rom. ii. 13. *' Not the hearers
*' of the law are juft before Gcd, but the doers of the
*< law are juftified." 'Tis needlcfs to quote any more

places ;

ss dj^Iivered in the Scriptures, i j

places; his epiftles are full of it, efpecially this of the
Komans.

" B.ut the law given b,y Mofes, being not given tc\
" all mankind, how are all men finners ; lince, with-
♦^ out a law, there is no tranfgreiTion ?'* To this the
apoflle, ver. 14, anfwers, ** For when the Gentiles,
** which have not the law, do, (i. e. find it reafonable
" to do) by nature the things contained in the law;
" thefe, having not the law, are a law unto themfelves:
V which fliow ^he wor|c of the law written in their
^^ hearts; their confciences alfo bearing witnefs, and
*^ arr.ongft themfelves their thoughts accufing or ex-
". cuiing one another." By Vvhich, and othe^ places
in the following chapter, 'tis plain, that under the law
of works, is comprehei^ded alfo the law of nature,
knowable by reafon, as well as the law given by Mofe^.
For, fays St. Paul, Rom, iii. % 23. *' We have proved
** both jews and gentiles, that they are all under lin :
" For all h^vc finned, and come fhort of the glory of
** God:" which they could not do without a law.

Nay, whatever God requires any where to be done,
without making any allowance for faith, that is a part
of the law of worksj : ^o that forbidding Adam to cat of
the tree of knowledge was part of the law of works.
Only we mult take notice here, that fome of God's
pofitive commands, being for peculiar ends, and fuitcd
to particular circumftances of times, places, and per-
fons ; have a limited and only temporary obligation, bv
virtue of God's pofitive injunction; fuch as was that
part of Mofes's law, which concerned the outward
worlhip, or political confiitution of the jews ; and is
called the ceremonial and judicial law, in contradi-
fiin6lion to the moral part of it ; which being conform-
able to the eternal law of right, is of eternal obligation ;
and therefore remains in force dill, under the gofpel;
nor is abrogated by the law of faith, as St. Paul
found fome ready to infer, Rom. iii. ji. '' Do we then
** make void the law, through faith? God forbid; yea,
*^ we efi:ablilh the law."

Nor can it be otherwife: for, were there no law
of works, there could be no la\v of faith. For therex

eould

14 ^^^ Reafortahlenefs of Chrijfiamtyt

could be no need of faith, which fhould be counted to-
men for righteoufncfs; if there were no law, to be
the rule and mcafure of righteoufnefs, which men
failed in their obedience to. Where there is no law,
there is no fin ; all are righteous equally, with or
without faith.

The rule, therefore, of right, is the fame that ever
it was ; the obligation to obferve it is alfo the fame :
the difference between the law of works, and the law of
faith, is only this : that the law of works makes no
allowance for failing on any occalion. Thofe that
obey are righteous; thofe that in any part difobey, are
unrighteous, and muff not exped: life, the reward of
righteoufnefs. But, by the law of faith, faith is al-
lowed to fupply the defed of full obedience ; and fo
the believers are admitted %o life and immortality, as
if they were righteous. Only here we mufl take notice^
that when St. Paul fays, that the gofpel eftablifhes the
law, he means the moral parr of the law of Mofes; for
that he could not mean the ceremonial, or political
part of it, is evident, by what I quoted out of him jull
now, where he fays. That the gentiles do, by nature,^
the things contained in the law, their conferences bear-
ing witnefs. For the gentiles neither did, nor thought
of, the judicial or ceremonial inflitutions of Mofes;
'twas only the moral part their confciences were con-
cerned in. As for the reft, St. Paul tells the gala-
tians, chap. iv. they are not under that part of the
jaw, which ver. 3, he calls elements of the world ; and,
v^r* 9, weak and beggarly elements. And our Saviour
himfelf, in his gofpel fermon on the mount, tells,
them. Matt, v. 17. Ihat, whatever they might think,
he was not come to dilfolve the law, but to make it
more full andftrid;: for that that is meant by -za-Anpwo-ajj
is evident from the following part of that chapter,
where he gives the precepts in a ftrider fenfe, than
they were received in before. But they are all pre-
cepts of the moral law, which he re-inforces. What
fhould become of the ritual law, he tells the woman of
Samaria, in thefc words, John iv. 21, 23. ** The hour
" Cometh, when you fliall, neither in this mountain,

" nor

■ ds delivered in the Scriptures, i r

*' nor yet at Jerufalem, wordiip the Father. But the
** true worihippers fhall worfhip the Father in fpirit
?* and in truths for the Father feeketh fuch to worfliip
♦' him.'*

Thus then, as to the law, in fnort: the civil and
ptual part of the law, delivered by Mofes, obliges not
chriftians, though, to the jews, it were a part of the
law of works ; it being a part of the law of nature, that
man ought to obey every pofitive law of God, whenever
he fliall pleafe to make any fuch addition to the law
• of his nature. But the moral part of Mofes 's law, or
the moral law, (which is every where the fame, the
eternal rule of right) obliges chriftians, and all men,
every where, and is to all men the ftanding law of
works. But chriftian believers have the privilege to be
under the law of faith too ; which is that law, whereby
God juftifies a man for believing, though by his works
he be not juft or righteous, i. e. though he come fhort
of perfedl obedience to the law of works, God alone
does or can juftify, or make juft, thofe who by their
•works are not fo : which he doth, by counting their
faith for righteoufnefs, i. e. for a complete performance
of the liw. Rom. iv. 3. ** Abraham believed God,
*^ %Sid it was counted to him for righteoufnefs." ver.
5. " To him that believeth on him that juftifieth the
^* ungodly, his faith is counted for righteoufnefs."
ver. 6. '' Even as David alfo defcribeth the bleiTednefs
" of the man unto whom God imputeth righteoufnefs
'* without works ;" i. e. without a full meafure of works,
"which is exad obedience. Ver. 7. Saying, *' BlelTed
*^ are they whofe iniquities are forgiven, and whofe
*^- iins are covered." Ver. 8. '' Blefled is the man, to
" whom the Lord will not impute lin."

This faith, for which God juftified Abraham, what
was it ? It was the believing God, w*hen he engaged his
promife in the covenant he made with him. This will
be plain to any one, who confiders thefe places toge-
ther. Gen. xv. 6. " He believed in the Lord, or be-
*' lieved the Lord." For that the Hebrew phrafe,
" believing in," lignifies no more but believing, is
plain from St. Paul's citation of this place, Rom. iv. 3,

where

1 6 ^he- Reafonahlenefs of Chrijlianityy

where he repeats it thus: " Abraham believed God/*
which he thus explains, vcr. i8 — 22, ** Who againft:
*' hope believed in hope, that he might become the fa-
** ther of many nations: according to that which was
'* fpoken. So Ihall thy ifeed be. And, being not weak
*' in faith, he confidered not his own body now deady
*• when he was about an hundred years old, nor yet
** the deadnefs of Sarah's womb. He daggered not at
*^ the piromife of God,^ through unbelief; but wa»
** flrong in faith giving glory to God. And being fully
*' perfuaded., that what he had promifed he was alfa
'•* able to perform. And therefore it was imputed
** to him for rigktcoufnefs." By which it is clear,
that the faith which God counted to. Abraham for
righteoufnefs, was nothing but a firm, belief of what
God declared to him ; and a fleadfait relying on him,
for the accomplifliment of what he had pronaifed.

** Now this," fays St. Payl, ver. 23, 24, '-* was not
•' writ for his [Abraham's] fake alone, but for usalfo;'-*
teaching us, that as Abraham was juftified for his faith,
jfo alfo ours fhall be accounted to us far righteoufnefs,
if we believe God, as Abraham believed him. Whereby,
it is plain is meant the firmnefs of our faith, without
ftaggering, and not the believing the fame propolitiuns
that Abraham believed; viz. that though he and Sarah
were old, and paft the time and hopes of children, yet
he fhould have a fon by her, and by him become the
father of a great people, which fliould poffefc the land
of Canaan. This was what Abraham believed, and
was counted to him for righteoufnefs. But nobody, I
think, will fay, that any one's believing this now, ihall
be imputed to him for righteoufnefs. The law of faith
then, in fhort, is for every one to believe what God re-
quires him to believe, as a condition of the covenant he
makes with him: and not to doubt of the performance
of his promifes. This theapoftle intimates in theclofc
here, ver. 24. " But for us alfo, to whom it fhall be
** imputed, if we believe on him that raifed up Jefus.
'* our Lord from the dead." We muft, therefore, ex-
amine and fee what God requires us to believe now,
under the revelation of thegofpelj fojf-the belief of one

invifible.

as delivered in the Scriptures. j'j

invifible, eternal, omnipotent God, maker of heaveri'
and earth, &c. was required before, as well as now.

What we are now required to believe to obtain
eternal life, is plainly fet down in the gofpel. St.
John tells us, John iii. 36. "He that believeth on the
Son, hath eternal life; and he that believeth not the
Son, fliall not fee life." What this believing on
him is, we are alfo told in the next chapter: '* The
woman faith unto" him, I k'now that the Meffiah
Cometh: when he is come, he will tell us all things.*
Jefus faid unto her, I that fpeak-unto thee, am he.
The woman then went ihto the city, and faith to the
men, come fee a man that hath told me all things
that ever I did: is not this the Meffiah? and many of
the Samaritans believed On him for the faying of the'
woman, who teftified, he told me all that ever I
did. So when the Samaritans were come unto him,'
many more believed becaufe of his words, and faid
to the woman. We believe not any longer, becaufe'
of thy faying; for we have heard ourfelves, and we
know that this mtm is truly the Saviour of the world,
the Meffiah," John iv. 25, 2*6, 29, 39, 40, 41, 42.
By which place it is plain, that believing on the Son'
is the believing that Jefus was the Meffia|i; giving'
credit to the miracles he did, and the profeffion he
made ofhimfelf. For thofe who 'were faid to believe
ON HIM, for the faying of the woman, Ver. 39, tell the
woman that they now believed not-any longer, becailfe
of her faying: but that having heard him thcmfelves, they'
knew, i. e. believed, paft doubt, that he was the-

MESSIAH. *■

This was the great proportion that was. then con-
troverted, concerning Jefus of Nazareth, " Whetlier.he
" was the Meffiah or no?" And the affent to that -was,
that which diftinguiflied believers from -unbelievers.'
V/hen many of his 'difciples had forfaken him, upoii'
his declaring that he* was the bread of life, which came'
down from heaven, ** He faid to his apoftles. Will ye
*^ alfo go away? Then Simon Peter anfwered him,
*' Lord, to whom Hiall we go? Thou haft the words, of
" eternal life. And we believe, and are fure, that;

Vol. \T. C <' thou

J 8 the il^afonahlenefs of Chriftlanityi

** thou art the MefTiah, the Son of the living God,'*
John vi. 69. This was the faith which diftinguifhed
them from apoftates and unbelievers, and was fufficient
to continue them in the rank of apoftles : and it was
upon the fame proportion, " That Jefus was the Mef-
*' fiah, the Son of the living God," owned by St. Peter,
that our Saviour faid, he would build his church. Matt.
xvi. 16 — 18.

To convince men of this, he did his miracles: and
their afTent to, or not alTenting to this, made them
to be, or not to be, of his church; believers, or not
believers: " The jews came round about him, and
*' faid unto him. How long doft thou make us doubt?
*' If thou be the MefTiah, tell us plainly. Jefus an-
** Twered them, I told you, and ye believed not: the
•' works that I do in my Father's name, they bear
" witnefs of me. But ye believe not, becaufe ye arc
'* not of my flieep,'* John x. 24 — 26. Conformable
hereunto, St. John tells us, that " many deceivers are
** entered into the world, who confefs not that Jefus,
** the Mefliah, is come in the fiefh. This is a de-^
** ceiver, and an antichrifl: ; whofoever abideth not in
*' the dodlrine of the Mefiiah, has not God. He that
" abideth in the doArine of the MelTiah," i. e. that
Jefus is he, " hath both the Father and the Son,"
2 John 7, 9. That this is the meaning of the place, is
plain from what he fays in his foregoing epiftle, ** Who-
•* foever believeth that Jefus is the MeiTiah, is bora
" of God," I John v. i. And therefore, drawing to a
clofe of his gofpel, and fliowing the end for wHich he
writ it, he has thefe words: " Many other figns truly
"^ did Jefus in the prefence of his difciples, which arc
** not written in this book: but thefe are written that
** ye may believe that Jefus is the Mefiiah, the Son of
" God; and that, believing, you might have life
'* through his name," John xx. 30, 31. Whereby it
is plain, that the gofpel was writ to induce men into a
belief of this propolition, ** That Jefus of Nazareth w as
*' the MeiTiah;" which if they believed, they lliouLd
have life.

Accordingly

as delivered in the ScfiptureL i^

Accordingly the great queftion among the jews was>
\vhether he were the Mefliah or no? and the great
point inlifted on and promulgated in the gofpelj was,
that he was the Mefliah. The firft glad tidings of his
birth, brought to the fhepherds by an angel, was in
thefe words: " Fear not: for, behold, I bring you
** good tidings of great joy, which fhall be to all
** people: for to you is born this day, in the city of
*' David, a Saviour, who is the Mefliah, the Lord,''
Luke ii. ii. Our Saviour difcourfmg with Martha
about the means of attaining eternal life, faith to hery
John xi. 27. *' Whofoever believeth in me, fliall never
*' die. Believeft thou this? She faith unto him. Yea,
" Lord, I believe that thou art the Mefliah, the Son of
" God, which fliould come into the world." This
anfwer of hers fhoweth, what it is to believe in Jefus
Chrifl, fo as to have eternal life; viz. to believe that
he is the Mefliah, the Son of God, whofe coming was
foretold by the prophets. And thu^ Andrew and
Philip exprcfs it: " Andrew fays to hi^ brother Simon,
*' we have found the Mefliah, which is, being inter-
" preted, the Chrift. Philip faith to Nathanael, we
'' have found him, of whom Mofes in the law and the
" prophets did write, Jefus of Nazareth, the Son of
" Jofeph," John i. 41, 45. According to what the
Evangelift fays in this place, I have, for the clearer
underftanding of the fcripture, all along put Mefliah
for Chrifl: : Chrifl being but the Greek name for the
Hebrew Mefliah, and both lignifying the Anointed.

And that he was the Mefliah, v/as the great truth
he took pains to convince his difciples and apoflles of;
appearing to them after his refurreilion: as may be
feen, Luke xxiv, which we Ihall more particularly con-
iider in another place. There we read what gofpel
our Saviour preached to his difciples and apoftles ; and
that as foon as he was rifen from the dead, twice, the
very day of his refurredlion.

And, if we may gather what was to be believed by
all nations from what was preached unto them, we may
certainly know what they were commanded, Matr.
ult. to teach all nations, by what thev adually did teach

C 2 ^ ail

20 The Reajonablencjs of Cbrijlianityf

all nations. We may obferve, that the preaching of
the apolllcs every where in the Adts, tended to this one
point, to prove that Jcfiis was the MelTiah. Indeed,
now, after his death, his- refurredlion was alfo commonly
required to be believed, as a neceflary article, and
fometimes folely inlifted on: it being a mark and un-
doubted evidence of his being the Mefiiah, and necef-
fary now to be believed by thofe who would receive
him as the Mcffiah. For fincc the Mefiiah was to be a
Saviour and a king, and to give life and a kingdom to
thofe who received him, as we fliall fee by and by;
there could have been no pretence to have given him out
for the Mefiiah, and to require men to believe him to
be ^Oi who thought him under the power of death, and
corruption of the grave. And therefore thofe who be-
lieved him to be the Mefiiah, mull believe that" he was
rifen from the dead : and thofe w ho believed him to be
rifen from the dead, could not doubt of his being the
MelHah. But of this more in another place.

Let us fee therefore, hov/ the apoftles preached Chrifi:,
and what they propofed to their hearers to believe*
St. Peter at Jerufalem, Ads ii, by his firll fermon, con-
verted three thoufand fouls. What was his word,
which, as we are told, ver. 41, '^ they gladly received,
"and thereupon were baptized?" That maybe ^c(rci
from ver. 22 to 36. In Ihort, this ; which is the corr-
clulion, drawn from all that he had faid, and which he
preflTes on them, as the thing they were to believe, viz.
•' Therefore let all the houfe of Ifracl know alluredly,
*' that God hath m.ade that iame Jefus-, whom ye have'
**^_crucified, Lord and Mefiiah," ver. 2^-
- To the fame purpofe was his difcourfc to the jews,
in the temple. Ads iii. the defign whereof you have,
ver. 1 8- " But thofe things that God before had fiiowed,
*^ by the mouth of all his prophets, that the Mefiiah
" fliould fuller, he hath fo fulfilled."
• In the next chapter, Adls iv, Peter and John being
examined, about the miracle on the lame man> profcfs
it to have been done in the name of Jefus of Nazareth,
who was the Mefiiah, in whom alone there was falva-
tion, ver. 10 — 12. The fame thing they confirm to

them

\ as delivered in the ScripUires. 2 1

them again, Adts v. 29 — 32. "And daily in the tern-
*^ pie, and in every houfe, they ceafed not to teach and
■^^ preach Jefus the Meiliah," ver. 42.

What was Stephen's fpeech to the council, Acfls vii,
but a reprehenfion to them, that they were the be-
trayers and murderers of the Juft One? Which is the
title, by which he plainly deligns the Meffiah, whofe
coming was forelhown by the prophets, ver. 51, 52.
And that the Meffiah was to be without fin, (which is
the import of the word Juft) was the opinion of the
jews, appears from John ix. ver. 22, compared with 24.
Acls viii, Philip carries the gofpel to Samaria:
" Then Philip went down to Samaria, and preached to
" them." What was it he preached? You have an
account of it in this one word, " the Meffiah," ver. 5.
This being that alone which v/as required of them, to
believe that Jefus was the Meffiah : which when they
believed, they were baptized. " And when they be-
*' lieved Philip's preaching the gofpel of the kingdom
** of God, and the name of Jefus the Meffiah, they
'* were baptized, both men and women," ver. 12.

Philip being fent from thence, by a fpecial call of
the Spirit, to make an eminent convert ; out of Ifaiah
preaches to him Jefus, ver. 35. And what it was he
preached concerning Jefus, we may know by the pro-
feffion of faith the eunuch made, upon which he was
admitted to baptifm, ver. 37. *^ I believe that Jefus
*' Chrift is the Son of God:" which is as much as to
fay, I believe that he, whom you call Jefus Chrift, i-j
really and truly the Meffiah, that was promifed. For,
that believing him to be the Son of God, and to be the
Meffiah, was the fame thing, may appear, by compar-
ing John i. 45, with ver. 49, where Nathanael. owns
Jefus to be the Meffiah, in thefe terms: *• Thou art
*' the Son of God; thou art the king of Ifrael." So
the jews, Luke xxii. 70, afking Chrift, whether he
were the Son of God, plainly demanded of him, whctlier
he were the Meffiiah? Which is evident, by comparing
that with the three preceding vcrfes. They alk. hirn,
ver. 67, Whether he were the -Meffiah? He anfvvcrs,
" If 1 tell you, you will not. believe :" , but withal tells

C 3 . . : tKcm,

Tt The Keajonallenefs of Chrijlianity y

thcnrij that from thenceforth he fhould be inpofTefllon of
the kingdom of the Meffiah, expreifed in thefe words,
vcr. 69. ** Hereafter fliall the Son of Man lit on " the
^' right hand of the power of God:" which made them
all cry out, " Art thou then the Son of God?" i. e. Doft
thou then own thyfelf to be the Mefliah ? To which
he replies, ** Ye fay that I am." That the Son of God
was the known title of the Mefliah at that time,
amongft the jews, we may fee alfo, from what the
jews fay to Pilate, John xix. 7. ** We have a law, and
'' by our law he ought to die, becaufe he made him-
*^ felf THE Son of God;" i. e. by making himfelf the
Mefliah, the prophet which was to come, butfallly;
and therefore he deferves to die by the law, Deut. xviii.
20. That this was the common lignification of the
Sor^ of God, is farther evident, from what the chief
prieftsj miOcking him, faid, when he was on the
crofs, Matt, xxvii. 42. " He faved others, himfelf he
•' cannot fave : if he be the king of Ifrael, let him now
*' come down from the crofs, and we will believe him.
** He trufted in God, let him deliver him now, if he
•' will have him; for he faid, I am the Son of God;'*
i. e. He faid, he was the MefTiah: but 'tis plainly
falfe 5 for, if he were, God would deliver him: for the
MefTiah is to be king of Ifrael, the Saviour of others j
but this man cannot fave himfelf. The chief priefts
rnention here the two titles, then in ufe, whereby the
jews commonly defigned the Mefliah, viz. '' Son of
•* God, and king of ifrael." That of Son of God was
fo familiar a compellation of the Mefliah, who was
then fo much expected and talked of, that the romans,
it feems, who lived amongft them, had learned it, as
appears from ver. 54. " Now when the centurion, and
?' they that were with him, watching Jefus, faw the
V earthquake, and thofe things that were done, they
f'' feared greatly, faying, truly this was the Son or
*'' GoD;" this, was th<it extraordinary perfon that was
iooked for.

Aclsi ix. St. Paul, exercifing thecommiflion to preach
the gofpel, which he had received in a miraculous way,
■ycr. 2Q, *• Straiiway preached Chrift in the fynagogues,
'' V '' ^hiu

as delivered in the Scriptures, .33

*' that he is the Son of God;" i. e. that Jefus was the
the MeiTiah: for Chrift, in this place, is evidently a
proper name. And that this was it, which Paul
preached, appears from ver. 22. " Saul increafed the
*' more in flrength, and confounded the jews, who
** dwelt in Damafcus, proving that this is the very
" Chrift," i. e. the Meffiah.

Peter, when he came to Cornelius at Caefarea, who,
by a vifion, was ordered to fend for him, as St. Peter
on the other fide was by a vifion commanded to go to
him; what does he teach him? His whole difcourfe,
Adts X, tends to fliow what, he fays, God commanded
the apoftles, *' To preach unto the people, and to
•* tellify, that it is he [Jefus,] which was ordained of
" God to be the judge of the quick and the dead;
•*' And that it was to him, that all the prophets give
** witnefs, that, through his name, whofoever be-
*^ lieveth in him fhall have remiffion of fins," ver. 42,
43. ** This is the word, which God fent to the chiU
*' dren of Ifrael; that word, which was publilhed
'*^ throughout all Judea, and began from Galilee, after
•* the baptifm which John preached," ver. ^^^ 37,
And thefe are the words, which had been promifed to
Cornelius, Ad:s xi. 14. " Whereby he and all his houfe
" fhould be faved:" which words amount only to thus
much: that Jefus was the Meiliah, the Saviour that
was promifed. Upon their receiving of this, (for this
was all was taught them) the Holy Ghofl fell on them,
and they were baptized. 'Tis obfervable here, that the
Holy Ghofl: fell on them, before they were baptized,
which, in other places, converts received not 'till after
baptifm. The reafon whereof feems to be this, that
God, by befl:ovving on them the Holy Ghofl:, did thus
declare from heaven, that the gentiles, upon believing
Jefus to be the Meffiah, ought to be admitted into the
church by baptifm, as well as the jews. Whoever
reads St. Peter's defence. Ads xi, when he was accufed
by thofe of the circumcifion, that he had not kept that
difl:ance, which he ought, with the uncircumckfed, wiJl
be of this opinion; and fee by what he fays, ver. 15, 16,
17, that this was the ground, and an irrcfifl:ible autl^a^

C 4 fity

24 '^he Reafonahlenefs of Chrijlianityy

rity to him for doing fo ftrange a thing, as it appeared
to the jews, (who alone yet were members of the chrif-
tian church) to admit gentiles into their communion,
upon their believing. And therefore St. Peter, in the
foregoing chapter, Adls x, before he would baptize
them^ propofesthis queftion, ** to thofe of the circum-
cilion, which came with him, and were aftonifl-ied,
becaufe that on the gentiles alfo was poured out the
o-ift of the Holy Ghoft : can any one forbid water, that
thefe Ihould not be baptized, who have received the
Holy Ghoft as well as we?" ver. 47. And when fome of
the fe6l of the pharifees, whobelieved, thought it need-
ful that the converted gentiles fliould be circumcifed
and keep the law of Mofes, Ads xv, *' Peter rofe up
and faid unto them, men and brethren, you know that
a. good while ago God made choice amongft us, that the
gentiles," viz. Cornelius, and thofe here converted
with him, *' by my mouth Ihould hear the gofpel, and
believe. And God, who knoweth the hearts, bare
them witnefs, giving them" the Holy Ghoft, even as
he did unto us, and put no difference between us and
them, purifying their hearts by faith," v. 7 — 9. So that
both jews and gentiles, who believed Jefus to be the
Mefllah, received thereupon the feal of baptifm; where-
by they were owned to be. his, and diftinguiftied from
unbelievers. From what is above faid, we may ob-
, ferve, that this preaching Jefua to be the Meftiah is
called the Word, and the Word of God; and believing
it, receiving the Word of God. vid. Adls x. 36, 37.
and xi. i, 19,20. and the word of .the gofpel, Adls x v.
7. And fo likewife in the hiftory of the gofpel, what
Mark, chap. iv. 14, 15, calls limply the word, St. Luke
calls the word of God, Luke viii. 11. And St. Mat-
thew, chap. xiii. 19, the word of the kingdom ; which
were, it fecms, in the goipel-writers fynonymous
terms, and are fo to be underftood by us.

But to go on: Acls xiii, Paul preaches in the fyna-
goguc at Antioch, where he. niakes it his bufinefs to
convince the jews, that '^ God, according to his pro*-
mife, had of the feed of David raifed to Ifracl a Sa-
viour Jeius." v. 24. That he was He of whom the

prophets

as delivered in the Scriptures. 25

prophets writ, v. 25—29, i, e. the Mefliah : and
that, as a demonftration of his being fo, God had
raifed him from the dead, v. i,0: Prom whence he
argues thus, v. 32, 33. We evangel ke* to you, or bring
you this gofpel, ** how that tile promife which was
made to our fathers, God hath ttilfrlled the fame
unto us, in that he "hath taifed Jefus agatn; as it is alfo
written in the fecond pfalm, *' Thou art my Son, this
day I have begotten thee." Arid having gone bi\ to
prove him to be the Meffiah, by his refurredliort fftrm
the dead, he makes this conclulion, v. 38',- 39.^ ** Be it
known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that
through this man is preached unto you forgivenefs of
iins; and by him all who believe are juflified from all
things, from which they could not be juftified by the
law ofMofes." This- is in this chapter called "the
Word of God," over and over again: compare v. 42,
with 44, 46, 48, 49, and chap. xii. v. 24.

Ads xvii. 2 — 4. At TheiTalonica, '^ Paul, as his
manner was; werit, into the fy nagogue, and three fabbath
•days reafoned, with the jews out of the fcriptures; open-
ring and. allegi^ig, that the Meffiah mull needs have
fuffered, and rifen again from the dead: and that this
Jefus, whom I preach unto you. Is- the Meffiah. And
fome of them believed, arid -cdnforted with Paul and
Silas : but the- jews which believed rtot,-fet the city in an
uproar." Can there be any thing plainer, than that the
alTenting to this pfopofitiori, that Jefus' was the Meffiah,
was that which diflinsriifhed the believers from the un-
believers ? For this was that alone, which, three fabbaths,
Paul endeavoured to convince them of, as the text tells
us in dired; words.

From thence he went ro Beroea, and preached the
fame thing: and the beroeans are commended, v. 11,
for fearching the fcriptures, whether thofe. things, i. c.
which he had faid, v. 2, 3, concerning Jefus 's being the
Mefiiah, were true or no.

The fame dodrine we find him preaching at Corinth,
Ads xviii. 4 — 6. " And he reafoned in the fynagogue
every fabbath, and perfuaded the jews and the greeks.
And when Silas and Timotheus vrerc come from Mace-
donia,

i^ ^he Reafonahlenejs of Chrijlianity,

donia, Paul was prefled in fpirit, and teftilied to the
jews, that Jefus was the Mefliah. And when they op-
poled thenifelves, and blafphemed, he (hook his rai-
ment, and faid unto them. Your blood be upon your
own heads, I am clean; from henceforth I will go unto
the greeks."

Upon the like occafion he te'lls the jews at Antioch,
Ads xiii. 46. " It was necefTary that the word of God
fliould firft have been fpoken to you: but feeing you put
it off from you, we turn to the gentiles." 'Tis plain
here, St. Paul's charging their blood on their own heads,
is for oppofmg this lingle truth, that Jefus was the
Mefliah ; that falvation or perdition depends upon be-
lieving or rejecting this one propolition. I mean, this
is all that is required to be believed by thofe who ac-
knowledge but one eternal and invilible God, the maker
of heaven and earth, as the jews did. For that there is
fomething more required to falvation, belides believing,
we fliall fee hereafter. In the mean time, it is fit here
©n this occafion to take notice, that though the apoftles
in their preaching to the jews, and the devout, (as we
tranflate the word a-iSoju^vcj, who were profelytes of the
gate, and the worfhippers of one eternal and invifible
Crod) faid nothing of the believing in this one true God,
the maker of heaven and earth; becaufe it w^as needlefs
to prefs this to thofe who believed and profelTed it al-
ready (for to fuch, 'tis plain, were mofl of their dif-
eourfes hitherto.) Yet when they had to do with idola-
trous heathens, who were not yet come to the know-
ledge of the one only true God ; they began with that,
as nccellary to be believed; it being the foundation on
which the other was built, and without which it could
fignify nothing.

Thus Paul fpeaking to the idolatrous lyftrians, who
who would have facrificed to him and Barnabas, fays,
-Acfts xiv. I 5, '* We preach unto you, that ye fliould turri
from thefe vanities unto the living God, who made
h«tven and earth, and the fca, and all things that are
therein : who in times palt fuifercd all nations to walk
in their own ways. Neverthelefs he left not himfclf
ift i:hout vv'itncfs, in tl>at he did good, and gave us rai^

as delivered in the Scriptures, ay

from heaven, and fruitful feaions, filling our hearts with
food and gladnefs."

Thus alfo he proceeded with the idolatrous athenians,
A^s xvii, telling them, upon occafion of the altar dedi-
cated to the unknown God, " whom you ignorantly
worfhip, him declare I unto you. God who made the
world, and all things therein, feeing that he is Lord of
heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with
hands.— Forafmuch then as we are the offspring of God,
we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto
gold, or filver, or ftone, graven by art, or man's device.
And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but
now commandeth all men every where to repent; be-
caufe he hath appointed a day in which he will judge
the world in righteoufnefs, by that man whom he harh
ordained : whereof he hath given affurance unto ail
men, in that he hath raifed him from the dead." So
that we fee, where any thing more was neceffary to be
propofed to be believed, as there was to the heathen
idolators, there the apoftles were careful not to omit it.

Ads xviii. 4, " Paul at Corinth reafoned in the fyna-
gogue every fabbath-day, and teltified to the jews, that
Jefus was the Mefliah." Ver. ii, ''And he continued
there a year and fix months, teaching the word of God
amongfl: them;" i. e. The good news, that Jefus was the
MeiTiah ; as we have already fhown is meant by " the
Word of God."

ApoUos, another preacher of the gofpel, when he was
inltrudled in the way of God more perfedly, what did
he teach but this fame dodrine ? As we may fee in this
account of him. Ads xviii. 27. That " when he was
come into Achaia, he helped the brethren much, who
had believed through grace. For he mightily convinced
the jews, and that publicly, Ihowing by the fcriptures
that Jefus was the Mefliah."

St. Paul, in the account he gives of himfelf before;
Feftus and Agrippa, profeffes this alone to be the dodrine
he taught after his converlion; for, fays he. Ads xxvi.
22, " Having obtained help of God, I continue unto.
this day, witnefTmg both to fmall and great, faying none
other things tha^ t^pfe whic]i the prophets and Mofes

di4

2$ 7'he Reafonahle^tefs of Chrijlianityy

did fay fhould come : that the MeiTiah fhoiild fuffer, and
that he Ihould be the firft.that fliould rife from the dead,
and fliould fliow light unto the people, and to the gen-
tiles." Which was no more than to prove that jefus
was the MelTiah. This is that, which, as we have above
obferved, is called the Word of God; ^cts xi. r. com-
pared with the foregoing chapter, from v. 34. to the
end. And xiii. 42. compared with 44, 46, 48, 49. and
xvii. 13. compared with v. 11, 13. It is alfo called,
*' the Word of the Gofpel," Acts xv. 7. And this is that
Word of God, and that Gofpel, which, wherever their
difcoiirfes are fct down, we find the apoftles preached;
and was that faith, which made both jews and gentiles
believers and members of the church of Chrift; purifying
their hearts. Ads xv. 9. and carrying with it remiffion
of fins, A6ts X. 43. So that all that was to be believed
for juftification, was no more but this fingle propofition,
that " Jefus of Nazareth was the Chrift, or the Mcf-
fiah." All, I fay, that was to be believed for jufi:ifica-
tion: for that it was not all that was required to be done
for juftification, we fhall fee hereafter.

Though we have feen above from what our Saviour
has pronounced himfelf, John iii. 36, ** that he that be-
lieveth on the Son, hath everlafting life; and he that
believeth not the Son, fhall not fee life, but the wrath
of God abideth on him;" and are taught from John iy.
39, compared with v. 42, that believing on him, is be-
lieving that he is the MeiTiah, the Saviour of the world;
and the confeffion made by St. Peter, Matt. xvi. 16, that
he is ''the MefTiah, the Son of the living God," beingthe
rock, on which our Saviour has promifed to build his
church ; though this I fay, and what clfe we have al-
ready taken notice of, be enough to convince us what it
is we are in the gofpel required to believe to eternal
life, without adding what we have obferved from the
preaching of the apofilcs; yet it may not be amifs, foe
the farther clearing this matter, to obferve what the
evangelifis deliver concerning the fame thing, thpugh
in diiierent words ; which, therefore, perhaps, are not
fo generally taken notice of to this purpofe.

We have abov£ obferved, from the words of Andrew
and Philip compared, that " l,he Meiliah, and him of

whom

as delivered in the Scriptures. 29

"vvhom Mofes in the law and the prophets did write/*
iignify the fame thing. We Ihall now confider that
place, John i. a little farther. Ver. 41, *^ Andrew fays to
Simon, we have found the Meiliah." Philip, on the fame
occafion, v. 45, fays to Nathanael, " we have found
him of whom Mofes in the law and the prophets did
write, Jefus of Nazareth, the fon of Jofeph." Natha-
nael, who diibelieved this, when, upon Chrid's fpeak-
ing to him, he was convinced of it, declares his aflent
to it in thefe words : *^ Rabbi, thou art the Son of God,
thou art the king of Ifrael." From which it is evident,
that to believe him to be '^ Him of whom Mofes and
'^ the prophets did write," or to be the " Son of God,'*
or to be ** the king of Ifrael," was in effed: the fame as
to believe him to be the Meffiah: and an alTent to that,
was what our Saviour received for believing. For,
upon Nathanael's making a confelTion in thefe words,
*' Thou art the Son of God, thou art the king of Ifrael ;
*' Jefus anfwered and faid to him, Becaufe I faid to
'* thee I faw thee under the fig-tree, doft thou believe?
" Thou fhall fee greater things than thefe," ver. 51. I
delire any one to read the latter part of the firft of John,
from ver. 25, with attention, and tell me, whether it be
not plain, that this phrafe. The Son of God, is an ex-
preilipn ufed for the Meffiah. To which let him add
Martha's declaration of her faith, John xi. 27, in thefe
woi-ds: ** I believe that thou are the Meffiah, the Son
OF (jod, who Hioutd come into the w^orld;" and that
paffage of ^t. John xx. 31, " That ye might believe
•* that Jefus is the Meffiah, the Son of God ; and that,
•* believing, ye might have life through his name:"
and then tell me whether he can doubt that Meffiah, the
Son of God, were fynonymous terms, at that time,
amongft the iews.

The prophecy of Daniel, chap, ix, when he is called
" Meffiah the Prince:" and the mention of his govern-
ment and kingdom, and the deliverance by him, in
Ifaiah, Daniel, and other prophecies, underftood of the
Meffiiah ; were fo well known to the jews, and had fo
j-aifed their hopes of him about this time, which, by
their account, was to be the time of his coming, to rc-

itore

3 o The Rcafonahlenefs of Chrijiianity,

ftore the kingdom of Ifrael; that Herod no fooner heard
of the magi's inquiry after '* Him that was born king
" of the jews," Matt, ii, but he forthwith '' demanded
" of the chief pricfts and fcribes, where the Meffiah
" (hould be born," ver. 4. Not doubting but, if there
were any king born to the jews, it was the MefTiah :
whofe coming was now the general expectation, as ap-
pears, Luke iii. 15, " The people being in expedation,
" and all men mufing in their hearts, of John, whether
'* he were the Mefliah or not." And when the priefts
and levites fent to afk him who he was; he, underftand-
ing their meaning, anfwers, John i. 20, " That he was
not the Mefliah;" but he bears witnefs, that Jefus ** is
the Son of God," i. e. the Mefliah, ver. 34.

This looking for the Mefliah, at this time, we fee
alfo in Simeon ; who is faid to be " waiting for the con-
** folation of Ifrael," Luke ii. 21. And having the
child Jefus in his arms, he fays, he had " feen the fal-
" vation of the Lord," ver. 30. And, '^ Anna coming
<' at the fame infl:ant into the temple, fhe gave thanks
" alfo unto the Lord, and fpake of him to all them
" that looked for redemption in Ifrael," ver. 38. And
of Jofeph of Arimathea, it is faid, Mark xv. 43, That
•' he alfo expelled the kingdom of God :" by all which
was meant the coming of the Mefliah ; and Luke xix.
1 1, it is faid, " They thought that the kingdom of God
** fhould immediately appear."

This being prcmifed, let us fee what it was that John
the Baptifl: preached, when he firfl: entered upon his
miniflry. That St. Matthew tells us, chap. iii. i, 2»,
" In thofe days came John the Baptifl: preaching in the
'* wildernefs of Judea, faying, repent; for the kingdom?
**■ of heaven is at hand." This was a declaration of the
coming of the Mefliah: the kingdom of heaven, and
the kingdom of God, being the fame, as is clear out of
feveral places of the evangelifts; and both flgnifying the
kingdom of the Mefliah. The profeflion, which John
the Baptifl: made, when fent to the jews, John i, 19, was>
that ** he was not the Mefliah;" but that Jefus was.
This will appear to any one, who will compare ver.

26-*

as delhered in the Script ares* 31

...

Ag — ^^j with John iii, 27, 30. The jews being very

inquilitive to know, whether John were the MeiTiah; he
potitively denies it ; but tells them, he was only his
fore-runner; and that there flood one amongft them,
who would follow him, whofe fiioe-latchet he was not
worthy to untie. The next day, feeing Jefus, he fays,
he was the man; and that his own baptizing in water
was only that Jefus might be manifefted to the world ;
and that he knew him not, till he law the Holy Ghoft
defcend upon him : he that fent him to baptize, hav-
ing told him, that he on whom he Ihould fee the Spirit
defcend, and reft upon, he it was that Ihould baptize
with the Holy Ghoft ; and that therefore he witneffed,
that ** this was the Son of God," ver. 34, i.e. the
Mefliah; and, chap. iii. 26, &c. they come to John the
Baptift, and tell him, that Jefus baptized, and that all
men went to him. John anfwers. He has hi^ authority
from heaven; you know I never faid, I was the Meffiah,
but that I was fent before him. He muft increafe, but
I muft decreafe ; for God hath fent him, and he fpcaks
the words of God ; and God hath given all things into
the hands of his Son, " And he that believes on the
Son, hath eternal life;" the fame doclrine, and nothing
elfe, but what was preached by the apoftles afterwards :
as we have feen all through the Adls, v. g. that Jefus
■was the Meffiah. And thus it was, that John bears
witnefs of our Saviour, as Jefus himfelf fays, John v. ■^'^^
This alfo was the declaration given of him at his
baptifm, by a voice from heaven: *'^ This is my beloved
" Son in whom I am well pleafed," Matt. iii. 17,
Which was a declaration of him to be the Meftiah, the
Son of God being (as we have ftiowed) underftood to
lignify the Mefliah. To which we may add the firft
mention of him after his conception, in the words of
the angel to Jofeph, Matt. i. 21, " Thou Ihalt call
** his name Jefus," or Saviour; " for he fnall favc
" his people from their fms." It was a received doc-
trine in the jewifli nation, that at the coming of the
Mefliah, all their fins ftiould be forgiven them. Thefe
words, therefore, of the angel, we may look upon as a
<teciaration, that Jefus was the -Mefliah; whereof thefc

words.

32 The Reafonablenefs of Chrljlianilyy

words, " his people/' are a farther mark : which fiip-
pofc him to have a people, and confequently to be a
king.

After his baptifm, Jefus himfelf enters upon his mi-
niftry. But, before we examine what it was he pro-
pofed to be believed, we muft obferve, that there is a
threefold declaration of the Meffiah.

I. By miracles. The fpirit- of prophecy had now for
many ages forfaken the jews: and, though their com-
monwealth were not quite diffolved, but that they lived
under their own laws, yet they were under a foreign
dominion, fubjed: to the Romans. In this ftate, their
account of the-time being up, they were in expectation
of the Meffiah, and of deliverance by him in a kingdom
he was to fet up, according to their ancient prophecies
of him: which gave them hopes of an extraordinary
man yet to come from God, who, with an extraordinary
and-divinQ>,power, and miracles, fhould evidence his
miffion,'and work their deliverance. And, of any fuch
extraordinary, perfon, who fhould have the power of
doing miracles, they had no other expediation, but only
of their Meffiah. One great prophet and worker of mi-
racles, and only one more, they expected; who was to
be the Mefliah. And therefore we fee the people juf-
tified their believing in him, i. e. their believing him
to be the Meffiah, becaufe of the miracles he did ; John
vii. 31. *' And many of the people believed in him,
•' and faid. When the Meffiah cometh, will he do more
•* miracles; than this man hath done?" And when the
jews,- at the feaft of dedication, John x. 24, 25, com-
ing about him, faid unto him, *' How long doft thou
** make us doubt? If thou be the Meffiah, tell us
" plainly ; Jefus anfwered them; I told you, and ye be-
•^ iieved not; the works that I do in my Father's
*' name, bear witnefs' of me/' And, John v. 36, he
fays, '' I have a greater witnefs than that of John ; for
** ,thc works, which the Father hath given me to do,
'^ the fame M'Ork's that I do, bear witnefs of me, that
** the Father hath fent me." Where, by the way, we
may obferve, that his being " fent by the Father," is
but another way of cxprcffing the Meffiah; which is
2 evident

as delivered in the Scriptures. o^

evident from this place here, John v, compared with

that of John x, lafl: quoted. For there he fays, that his

Works bear witnefs of him : And what was that witnefs?

viz. That he was '' the Meffiah." Here again he fays,

that his works bear witnefs of him : And what is that

witnefs? viz. *' That the Father fent him." By which

we are taught, that to be fent by the Father, and

to be the MciTiah, was the fame thing, in his way of

declaring himfelf. And accordingly we find, John iv.

53, and xi. 45, and elfewhere, many hearkened and af-

fented to his teftimony, and believed on him, feeincr

the things that he did.

2. Another way of declaring the coming of the Me-
fiah, was by phrafes and circumlocutions, that did Sig-
nify or intimate his coming; though not in diredl
words pointing out theperfon. The mofi: ufual ofthefe
were, ** The kingdom of God, and of heaven;" be-
caufe it was that which was often fpoken of the Meffiah,
in the Old Teftament, in very plain words : and a king-
dom was that which the Jews moft looked after and
wifhed for. In that known place, Ifa. ix, *' The go-
'^ VERNMENT (hall be upon his Ihoulders ; he ihall be
*' called the Prince of peace: of the increafe of his
*' GOVERNMENT and pcacc there Ihall be no end ; upon
" the THRONE of David, and upon his kingdom, to
" order it, and to eftablifh it with judgment, and with
*^ juftice, from henceforth even forever." Micah v. 2,
" But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be lit-
*' tie among the thoufands of Judah, yet out of thee
" fhall he come forth unto me, that is to be the Ruler
" in Ifrael." And Daniel, belides that he calls him,
*' Meffiah the Prince," chap. ix. 25, in the account
of his vilion " of the Son of man," chap. vii. 13, 14,
fays, " There was given him dominion, glory, and a
" KINGDOM, that all people, nations, and languages,
'^ fhould ferve him : his dominion is an everlafting do-
** minion, which Ihall not pafs away; and his king-
*' DOM that which fliall not be dellroyed." So that the
kingdom of God, and the kingdom of heaven, were
common phrafes amongft the jews, to fignify the time$
of the Meffiah. Luke xiv. 15, *^ One of the jews that
Vol. VL D - fat

34 '^k^ Reajonahlenejs of Chrijlianilyi

*' fat at meat w ith him, faid unto him, BlciTed is he
" that iliall eat bread in the kingdom of God." Chap,
xvii. 20, The pbarifees demanded, " when the king-
** dom of God fliould come?" And St. John Baptift
** came, faying. Repent ; for the kingdom of heaven is
*' at hand;" a phrafe he would not have ufed in
preaching, had it not been undcrRood.

There are other expreiTions that fignificd the Mefliah,
and his coming, which we Ihall take notice of, as they
come in our way.

3. By plain and direcfl words, declaring the dodlrine
- of the Melliah, fpeaking out that Jefus was he; as we
fee the apoftlcs did, v/hen they went about preaching
the gofpel, after our Saviour's rcfurrcchon. This was
the open clear M'ay, and that which one Mould think
the Mefliah himfelf, when he came, fliould have taken ;
efpccially, if it were of that moment, that upon men's
believing him to be the Melhah, depended the forgive-
Txcfs of their lins. And yet we fee, that our Saviour
did not : but on the contrary, for the moil part, made
no other difcovery of himfelf, at leaft in Judea, and at
the beo-inninff of his miniftrv^, but in the two former
ways, which were more obfcurc ; not declaring himfelf
to be the Mefliah, any otherwife than as it might be
gathered from the miracles he did, and the conformity
of his life and anions, with the prophecies of the Old
Teftament concerning him ; and from fome general dif-
courfes of the kingdom of the Mefliah being come, un-
der the name of the ^' kingdom of God, and of hea-
** ven." Nay, fo far was he from publicly owning
himfelf to be the Mefliah, that he forbid the doing of
it : Mark viii. 27 — 30. *' He afl^ed his difciples,
" Whom do men fay that I am? And they anfwered
'* John the Baptifl: ; but fome fay Elias ; and otheis,
** one of the prophets." (So that it is evident, that even
thofe, who believed him an extraordinnry perfon, knew
not yet who he was, or that he gave himfelf out for the
Meitiah ; though this was in the third year of his mi-
nifl:ry, and not a year before his death.) " And he faith
** unto them, But whom fay ye that I am ? And Peter
** anfwered and faid unto him. Thou art the Mefliah.

** And

as delivered in the Sc'ripitires. 3^

^' And he charged them, that they fhould tell no man
'' of him," Luke iv. 41. "And devils came out of
*^ many, crying, Thou art theMcifiah, the Son of God:
'* and he, rebuking them, furfered them not to fpeak,
" that they knew him to be the Mefilah." Mark iii.
II, 12. ** Unclean fpirits, when they faw him, fell
" down before him, and cried, faying. Thou art the
" Son of God : and he ftraitly charged them, that they
*^ fliould not make him known." Here again we may
obferve, from the comparing of the two texts, that
*' Thou art the Son of God," or, '' Thou art the Mef-
*^ iiah," were indifferently ufed for the lame thing.
But to return to the matter in hand.

This concealment of himf^lf will feem flrange, in
one who was come to bring light into the world, and
was to fufrer death for the teftimony of the truth. This
refervednefs will be thought to look, as if he had a
mind to conceal himfelf, and not to be known to the
M^orld for the Meffiah, nor to be believed on as fuch.
But we fhall be of another mind, and conclude this pro-
ceeding of his according to divine wifdom, and fuited
to a fuller manifeftation and evidence of his being the
Mefliah ; when we conlider that he was to fill out the
time foretold of his miniftry ; and after a life illuftrious
in miracles and good works, attended with humility,
meeknefs, patience, and fufterings, and every way con-
formable to the prophelies of him ; fhould be led as a
fheep to the flaughter, and with all quiet and fubmiffioii
be brought to the crofs, though there were no guilt,
nor fault found in him. This could not have been, if,
as foon as he appeared in public, and began to preach,
he had prefently profelTed himfelf to have been the
Meffiah ; the king that owned that kingdom, he pub-
liihed to be at hand. For the fanhedrim would then
have laid hold on it, to have got him into their power,
and thereby have taken away his life ; at leafl they
would have difturbed his miniftry, and hindered the
work he was about. That this made him cautious, and
avoid, as much as he could, the occaiions of provoking
them, and falling into their hands, is plain from John
vii. I. "After thefe things Jefus walked in Galilee;"

P i out

36 7'he Reafonahlencjs of Chrlftianity^

out of the way of the chief priells and rulers ; '' for
" he would not walk in Jewry, bccaufe the jews fought
*' to kill him." Thus, making good what he foretold
them at Jerufalem, when, at the firft paflbver after his
beginning to preach the gofpel, upon his curing the
man at the pool of Bethefda, they fought to kill him,
John V. 16, **Ye have not," fays he, ver. 38, ''his
** word abiding amongft you ; for whom he hath fent,
*' him ye believe not." This was fpokcn more particu-
larly to the jews of Jerufalem, who were the forward
men, zealous to take away his life : and it imports,
that, bec^Aife of their unbelief and oppofition to him,
the word ot God, i. e. the preaching of the kingdom of
the Meiliah, which is often called, " the word of God,"
did not ftay amongft them, he could not ftay amongft
them, preach and explain to them the kingdom of the
McIliah.

That the wcrd of God, here, fignifies *' the word of
*' God," that ftiould make Jefus known to them to be
the Meftiah, is evident from the context : and this
meaning of this place is made good by the event. For,
after this, we hear no more of Jcfus at Jerufalem, 'till
the pentecoft come twelve-month ; though it is not to
be doubted, but that he was there the next paflbver,
and other feafts between ; but privately. And now at
Jerufalem, at the feaft of pentecoft", near fifteen months
after, he fays little of any thing, and not a word of the
kingdom of heaven being come, or at hand; nor did he
any miracle there. And returning to Jerufalem at the
feaft of tabernacles, it is plain, that from this time 'till
then, which was a year and a half, he had not taught
them at Jerufalem.

For, I, it is faid, John vii. 2, 15, That, he teach-
ing in the temple at the feaft of tabernacles, *' the jews
**■ marvelled, faying. How knoweth this man letters,
*' having never learned?" A lign they had not been
ufed to his preaching : for, if they had, they would not
now have marvelled.

2. Ver. 19, He fays thus to them: "Did not Mofes
*' give you the law, and yet none of you keep the law?
" Why go ye about to kill me? One work," or mira-
cle.

as delh'oered in the Scriptures. ^y

clc, " I did here amongft you, and ye all marvel.
** Mofes therefore gave unto you circumcifionj and ye
** on thefabbath-daycircumcife a man: il a man on the
'* fabbath-day receive circumcifion, that the law of
'^ Mofes fhould not be broken, are ye angry with me,
** becaufe I have made a man every way whole on the
** fabbath-day?" Which is a dired: defence of what he
did at Jerufalem, a year and a half before the Vvork he
here fpeaks of. We find he had not preached to them
there, from that time to this ; but had made good v\ hat
he had told them, ver. 38, " Ye have not the word of
" God remaining among you, becaufe whom he hath
** fent ye believe not." Whereby, I think, he fignifies
his not ftaying, and being frequent amongft them at
Jerufalem, preaching the gofpel of the kingdom ; be-
caufe their great unbelief, oppofition, and malice to
him, would not permit it.

This was manifeflly fo in faci : for the firft miracle
he did at Jerufalem, which was at the fecond palTover
after his baptifm, brought him in danger <^i his life.
Hereupon we find he forbore preaching again there,
'till the feaft of tabernacles, immediately preceding his
lafl: palTover : fo that 'till the half a year before his paf-
fion, he did but one miracle, and preached hut once
publicly at Jerufalem. Thefe trials he made chere ;
but found their unbelief fijch, that if he had liaid and
perfifted to preach the good tidings of the kingdom,
and to fhow himfelf by miracles among them, he could
not have had time and freedom to do thofe works which
his Father had given him to finilli, as he fays, ver. 36,
of this fifth of St. John.

When, upon the curing of the withered hand on the
fabbath-day, " The pharifces took council with the
" herodians, how they might defiroy him, Jefus with-
" drew himfelf, with his difciples, to the fea : and a
" great multitude from Galilee followed him, and from.
** Judea, and from Jerufalem, and from Idumea, and
" from beyond Jordan, and they about Tyre and Sidon,
** a great multitude ; when they had heard what great
'* things he did, came unto him, and he healed them all,

*' and CHARGED THEM, THAT THEY SHOULD NOT MAKE

D J " HIM

38 ^he Reajonahlencjs of Chrijiiam'ly,

*' HIM known: that it niinjhr be fulfilled which was
** fpoken by the prophet Ilalah, faying, Behold, my
•' fervant, whom I have chofen ; my bjloved, in whom
" my foul is well pleafcd : I will put my fpirit upon'
*' him, and he fliall fliow judgment to the Gentiles.
'* He fnall not ftrive, nor cry, neither fhall any man
*' heir his voice in the ftrcets. Matt. xii. Mark iii.

And, John xi. 47, upon the news of our Saviour's
laifing Lazarus from the dead, ** The chief priefts and
•* pharifees convened the fanhedrim, and faid. What
" do we? For this man does many miracles." Ver. 53,
*^ Then from that day forth they took counfel together
*^ for to put him to death." Ver. 54, Jefus therefore
" walked no more openly amongft the jews." His -
miracles had now fo much declared him to be the Mcf-
liah, that the jews could no longer bear him, nor he
truit himfelf amongft them; " But went thence unto a
** country near to the wildernefs, into a city called
** Ephraim ; and there continued with his difciples."
This was but a little before his laft paflbver, as appears
by the following words, ver. 55. *^ And the jews palT-
** over was nigh at hand," and he could not, now his
miracles had made him fo well known, have been fe-
cure, the little time that remained, 'till his hour was
fully come, if he had not, w^ith his wonted and necef-
fary caution, withdrawn; ** And walked no more
** openly amongft the jev^s," 'till his time (at the next
palTover) was fully come; and then again he appeared
amongft them openly.

Nor w^ould the rom.ans have fuffered him, if he had
gone about preaching, that he was the king whom the
jews expected. Such an accufation would have been
forwardly brought againft him by the jews, if they
could have heard it out of his own mouth ; and that had
been his public doclrine to his followers, which was
openly preached by theapoftles after his death, when he
appeared no more. And of this they were accufed.
Ads xvii, ^- — 9. " But the jews, which believed not,
" moved with envy, took unto them certain lewd fel-
" lows of the bafer fort, and gathered a company, and
^' fct all the city in an uproar, and afiaulted the houfe.

'' of

as delivered in the Scriptures. 39

" of Jafon, and fought to bring them out to the people.
*' And when they found them [Paul and SilasJ not,
** they drew Jafon, and certain brethren, unto the
" rulers of the city, crying, Thefe that have turned
*' the world upfide down, are come hither alfo ; whom
" Jafon hath received : and thefe all do contrary to the
*^ decrees of Cicfar, faying. That there is another king,
*' one Jefus. And they troubled the people, and the
** rulers of the city, when they heard thefe things : and
" when they had taken fecurity of Jafon and the other,
*' they let them go."

Though the magiflrates of the world had no great re-
gard to the talk cf a king who had fuffered death, and
appeared no longer any w here ; yet, if our Saviour had
openly declared this of himfelf in his life-time, with a
train of difciples and followers every-where owning and
crying him up for their king ; The roman governors
of Judca could not have forborn to have taken notice of
it, and have made ufe of their force affainft him. This
the jews were not millaken in; and therefore made
life of it as the ftrongelf accufation, and likelieft to pre-
vail vyith Pilate againfl: him, for the taking away his
life ; it being treafon, and an unpardonable oitence,
which could not efcape death from a roman deputy,
without the forfeiture of his own life. Thus then they
accufc him to Pilate, Luke xxiii. 2. *' We found this
*' fellow perverting the nation, forbidding to give tri-
*' bute to Casfar, laying, that he himfelf is a king;"
or rather. '* the Meffiah, the King."

Our Saviour, indeed, now^ that his time "U'as come,
(and he in cuflody, and forfaken of all the world, and.
fo out of all danger of railing any fcdition or dif-
turbance) owns himfelf to Pilat^to be a king; after
fifft having told Pilate, John xviii. 36, " That his
*' kingdom was not of this world;" and, for a king-
dom in another world, Pilate knew that his mafter at
Rome concerned not himfelf. But had there been any
the leaft appearance of truth in the allegations of the
jews, that he had perverted the nation, forbidding to
pay tribute to Cai^far, or drawing the people after him,
AS their king; Pilate would not fo readily have pro-

D 4. nounced

40 T'hc Reafonablenejs of Chrijlianity,

nounced him innocent. But we fee what he faid to his
accufcrs, Luke xxiii. 13, 14. ** Pilate, when he had
** called together the chief prielVs and the rulers of the
" people, faid unto them, you have brought this man
** unto me, as one that perverteth the people; and
*' behold, I, having examined him before you, have
** found no fault in this man, touching thofe things
** whereof you accufe him : no, nor yet Herod, for I
*' fent you to him ; and, lo, nothing worthy of death
*' is done by him." And therefore, finding a man of
that mean condition, and innocent life, (no mover of
feditions, or difturber of the publick peace) without a
friend or a foUovv-er, he would have difmilTed him, as a
king of no confequence ; as an innocent man, falfcly
and malicioufly accufed by the jews.

IIow neceltary this caution was in our Saviour, to
fay or do nothing that might juftly offend, or render
him fufped:ed to the roman governor ; and how glad
the jews would have been to have had any fuch thing
againft him, we may fee, Luke xx. 20. The chief
priefts and the fcribes *' watched him, and fent forth
** fpies, who fhould feign themfelves jufl: men, that
'* might take iiold of his words, that fo they might
** deliver him unto the power and authority of the
'* governor." And the very thing wherein they hoped
to entrap him in this place, was paying tribute to
Ca^far ; which they afterwards falfely accufed him of.
And what v.ould they have done, if he had before them
profefied himfelf to have been the Meffiah, their King
and deliverer ?

And here we may obferve the wonderful providence
of God, who had fo ordered the ftate of the jews^ at
the time when his fon was to come into the w orld, that
though neither their civil conflitution, nor religious w or-
fhip were diffolved, yet the power of life and death was
taken from them ; whereby he had an opportunity to pub-
lifti "the kingdom of the MefTiah;" that is, his own
royalty, under the name of ** the kingdom of God, and of
** heaven;" which the jews well enough underftood,
and would certamly have put him to death for, had the
power been in their own hands. But this being no mat-
ter

ds delivered in the ScriptnTcs. n^x

tcr of accufation to the romans, hindered him not from
fpcaking of the *' kingdom of heaven," as he did, fome-
times in reference to his appearing in the world, and
being believed on by particular perfons ; fomctim.es in
reference to the power Ihould he given him by the Fa-
ther at his refurredion ; and fometimes in reference to
his coming to judge the world at the laft day, in the
full glory and completion of his kingdom. Thefe were
ways of declaring himfclf, which the jews could lay no
hold on, to bring him in danger with Pontius Pilate,
and get him feizcd and put to death.

Another reafon there w^as, that hmdered him as much
as the former, from, profeihng himfelf, in exprefs words,
to be the Melliah ; and that was, that the whole nation
of the jews, expeding at this time their Mefiiah, and
deliverance by him, from the fubjecliHon they were in
to a foreign yoke, the body of the people would cer-
tainly, upon his declaring himfelf to be the Meffiah,
their king, have rofc up in rebellion, and fet him at
the head of them. And indeed, the miracles that he
did, fo much difpofed them to think him to be the
Meffiah, that, though Ihrouded under the obfcurity of
a mean condition, and a very private limple life;
though he pafled for a Galilean, (his birth at Bethle-
hem being then concealed) and alTumed not to himfelf
any povvcr or authority, or fo much as the nam^e of the
Melliah ; yet he could hardly avoid being fet up by a
tumult, and proclaimed their king. So John tells us,
chap vi. 14, 15, ''Then thofe men, when they had
" feen the miracles that Jefus did, faid. This is of a
** truth that prophet that Ihould come into the world.
" When therefore Jefus perceived that they would
" come to take him by force to make him king, he
*' departed again into a mountain, himfelf alone."
This was upon his feeding of five thoufand with five
barley loaves and two fiihes. So hard was it for him,
doing thofe miracles which w^ere necefiary to teftify
his miffion, and which often drew great multitudes af-
ter him. Matt. iv. 25, to keep the heady and hafty
multitude from fuch diforder, as would have involved
him in it J and have difturbed thecourfe, and cut fliort

the

42 The Reafonahlenejs of Chrijlianiiyy

the time of his miniftry; and drawn on him the repu-
tation and death of a turbulent, feditious malefactor :
contrary to the defign of his coming, which was, to be
ofl'ered up a lamb blamelefs, and void of oifence ; his
innocence appearing to all the world, even to him that
delivered him up to be crucified. This it would have
been impoilible to have avoided, if, in his preach-
ing every-where, he had openly alfumed to himfelf the
title of their Mefiiah ; which was all was wanting to
fet the people in aflame ; who drawn by his miracles,
and the hopes of finding a Deliverer in fo extraordinary
a man, followed him in great numbers. We read every-
where of multitudes, and in Luke xii. i, of myriads
that were gathered about him. This conflux of people,
thus difpofed, would not have failed, upon his declarmg
himfelf to be the Mefliah, to have made a commotion,
and with force fet him up for their King. It is plain,
therefore, from thefe two reafons, why (though he came
to preach the gofpel, and convert the world to a belief
of his being the Meffiah ; and though he fays fo much of
his kingdom, under the title of the kingdom of God,
and the kingdom of heaven) he yet makes it not his bu-
linefs to perfuade them, that he himfelf is the Meffiah,
nor does, in his publick preaching, declare himfelf to
be him. He inculcates to the people, on all occalions,
that the kingdom of God is come : he lliows the way of
admittance into this kingdom, viz. repentance and
baptifm ; and teaches the laws of it, viz. good life, ac-
cording to the ftriclefl rules of virtue and morality.
But who the King was of this kingdom, he leaves to his
miracles to point out, to thofe who would confider
what he did, and make the right ufe of it now; oi to
Avitnefs to thofe who fliould hearken to the apofl:les
hereafter, when they preached it in plain words, and
called upon them to believe it, after his refurredion,
when there Ihould be no longer room to fear, that it
fliould caufe any difturbance in civil focietics, and the
governments of the world. But he could not declare
himfelf to be the Mefliah, without manifeft danger of
tumult and fcdition : and the miracles he did declared
it fo much, th{it he was fain often to hide himfelf, and

withdrav/

as delivered in the Scriplures. 43

withdraw from the concourfe of the people. The leper .
that he cured, Mark i, though forbid to fay any thing,
yet *' bLiZcd it fo abroad, that Jefus could no more
" openly enter into the city, but was without in defert
" places," living in retirement, as appears from Luke
V. 16. and there " they came to him from every quar-
" ter." And thus he did more than once.

This being premifed, let us take a view of the pro-
mulgation of the gofpel by our Saviour himfelf, and fee
what it was he taught the world, and required men to
believe.

The firft beginning of his minillry, whereby he
fnowed himfelf, feems to be at Cana in Galilee, foon
after his baptifm ; where he turned water into wine : of
which St. John, chap ii. 11, fays thus: '^ This begin-
*' ning of miracles Jefus made, and manifefted his
" glory, and his difciples belreved in him." His dif-
ciples here believed in him, but we hear not cf any
other preaching to them, but by this miracle, whereby
he '* manifefted his glory," i. e. of being the Mefliah,
the Prince. So Nathanael, without any other preach-
ing, but only our Saviour's difcovering to him, that he
knew him after an extraordinary manner, prefently ac-
knowledges him to be the MelTiah ; crying, ** Rabbi,
** thou art the Son of God ; thou art the King of
" Ifrael."

From hence, flaying a few days at Capernaum, he
goes to Jerufalem to the palTover, and there he drives
the traders out of the temple, John ii. 12 — 15, faying,
*^ Make not my Father's houfe a houfe of merchan-
** dize." Where we fee he ufes a phrafe, which, by
interpretation, fignifies that he was the '* Son of God,"
though at that time unregarded. Ver. 16, Hereupon
the Jews demand, ^* What iign dofl: thou fhow us, fince
** thou doeftthefe things ?" Jefus anfwered, " Deftroy
" ye this temple, and in three days I will raife it
** again." This is an inflance of what Vv'ay Jefus took
to declare himfelf: for it is plain, by their reply, the
Jews underftood him not, nor his difciples neither; for
it is faid, ver. 22, " When, therefore, he was rifen
from the dead, his difciples remembered^ " that he

•' faid

44 ^^-'^ Reafonahlenefs of Chriftiajiityt

•* faid this to them : and they believed the fcripturc,
" and the faying of Jefus to them."

This, therefore, we may look on in the beginning, as
a pattern of Chrilt's preaching, and fhowing himfclf to
the je^vs, whii h he generally followed afterwards; viz.
fuch a manileftation of himfclf, as every one at prefent
could not iinderftand; but yet carried fuch an evidence
with it, to thofe who were well difpofed now, or would
refle<5t on it when the whole courfe of his miniflry m as
over, as was fufticient clearly to convince them that he
was the Mefliah.

The reafon of this method ufed by our Saviour, the
fcripture gives us here, at this his firll appearing in
public, after his entrance upon his minifrry, to be a
rule and light to us in the whole courfe of it : for the
next verfe taking notice, that many believed on him,
*^ becaufe of his miracles," (which was all the preach-
ing they had,) it is faid, ver. 24, " But Jefus did not
*' commit himfelf unto them, becaufe he knew all
" men;" i. e. he declared not himfelf fo openly to be
the Meffiah, their King, as to put himfclf into the power
of the jews, by laying himfelf open to their malice;
who, he knew, would be fo ready to lay hold 011 it to
accufe him; for, as the next verfe 25, fliows, he knew
well enough what was in them. We may here farther
obferve, that ** believing in his name" lignifies believ-
ing him to be the Meffiah. Ver. 22, tells us. That
*' many at the palTover believed in his name, when they
** faw the miracles that he did." What other faith
could thefe miracles produce in them who faw them,
but that this was he of whom the fcripture fpoke, who
was to be their Deliverer ?

W^hilft he was now at Jerufalem, Nicodemus, a ruler
of the jews, comes to him, John iii. 1 — 21. to whom he
preaches eternal life by faith in the Meffiah, ver. 1 5 and
17, but in general terms, without namin^^ himfelf to be
that Mcffiiah, though his whole difcourfe tends to it.
This is all we hear of our Saviour the fifft year of his
miniftry, but only his baptifm, fading, and temptation
in the bcginaing of it, and fpending the reft of it after
the paflbver, in Judca with his difciples, baptizing

there.

as delivered in the Scriptures, > 4^

there. But *' when he knew that the pharifees re-
*' ported, that he made and baptized more difciples
•* than John, he left Judea," and got out of their way
again into Galilee, John iv. 1,3.

In his v/ay back, by the well of Sichar, he difcourfes
with the famaritan woman; and after having opened to
her the true and fpi ritual worfliip which was at hand,
which the woman prefently underftands of the times of
the Meiliah, who was then looked for; thus Ihe anfwers,
ver. 25, " I know that the Mefliah cometh : when he
'^ is come, he will tell us all things." Whereupon our
Saviour, though we hear no fuch thing from him in
Jerufalem or Judea, or to Nicodemus ; yet here, to this
famaritan woman, he in plain and dired words owns
and declares, that he himfelf, who talked with her, was
the Mefliah, ver. 26.

This would feem very ftrange, that he fhould be more
free and open to a famaritan, than he was to the jews,
were not the reafon plain, from what we have obferved
above. He Vv'as now out of Judea, among a people with
whom the jews had no commerce; ver. 9. who were not
difpofed, out of envy, as the jews were, to feek his life,
or to accufe him to the roman governor, or to make an
infurrediion, to fct a jew up for their King. Whjit the
confequence was of his difcourfe with this famaritan wo-
man, we have an account, ver. 28, 39 — 42. " She left
her water-pot, and went her way into the city, and
faith to the men. Come, fee a man who told me all
things that ever I did: Is not this the Mefliah? And
many of the famaritans of that city believed on him
for the faying of the woman, which tefl:ified. He told
me all that ever I did. So when the famaritans were
come unto him, they befought him, that he would
tarry with them : and he abode there two days. And
many more believed becaufe of his own word; and
faid unto the wom.an. Now we believe not becaufe of
thy faying; for we have heard him ourfelves; and we
know," f i. e. are fully perfuaded) *' that this is indeed
the Mefliah, the Saviour of the world." By compar-
ing ver. 39, M'ith 41 and 42, it is plain, that ** believ-

46 The Reajonahlcnefs of Chrijlianity,

" ing on him" fignifics no more than believing him to
be the Mefliah.

From Sichar Jcfus goes to Nazareth, the place he was
bred up in; and there reading in the fynagogue a pro-
phecy concerning the Melliah, out of the Ixi. of Ifaiah,
he tells them, Luke iv. 21, '^ This day is this fcripture
" fulfilled in your ears."

But being in danger of his life at Nazareth, he leaves
it for Capernaum: and then, as St. Matthew informs
us, chap. iv. 17, *' He began to preach and fay, Re-
** pent; for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." Or,
as St. Mark has it, chap. i. 14, 15, " Preaching the
*^ gofpel of the kingdom of God, and faying. The
** time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand;
•* repent ye and believe the gofpel;" i.e. believe this
good news. This removing to Capernaum, and feating
himfelf there in the borders of Zabulon and Naphtali,
was, as St. Matthew obferves, chap. iv. 13 — 16, that a
prophecy of Ifaiah might be fulfilled. Thus the ac-
tions and circumftances of his life anfwered the prophe-
cies, and declared him to be the Melliah. And by what
St. Mark fays in this place, it is manifeft, that the
gofpel which he preached and required them to believe,
was no other but the good tidings of the c©ming of the
MefTiah, and of his kingdom, the time being now ful-
filled.

In his way to Capernaum, being come to Cana, a
nobleman of Capernaum came to him, ver. 47, ** And
*' befought him that he would come down and heal his
" fon ; for he was at the point of death." Ver. 48,
** Then faid Jefus unto him. Except ye fee figns and
if' wonders, ye will not believe." Then he returning
homewards, and finding that his fon began to '* mend
" at the fame hour which Jefus faid unto him. Thy fon
" liveth; he himfelf believed, and his whole houfe,"
ver. 53.

Here this nobleman' is by the apoflles pronounced to
be a believer. And what does he believe? Even that
which Jefus complains, ver. 48, *' they would not be-
** LI EVE," except they law figns and wonders; which
could be nothing but what thofe of Samaria in the fame

chapter

as delivered in the Scriptures. 47

chapter believed, viz. that he was the Mefliah. For we
no where in the gofpel hear of any thing elfe, that had
been propofed to be believed by them.

Having done miracles, and cured all their lick at
Capernaum, he fays, ** Let us goto the adjoining towns,
** that I may preach there alfo; for therefore came I
" forth," Mark i. 38. Or, as St. Luke has it, chap,
iv. 43, he tells the multitude, who would have kept him,
that he might not go from them, ** I mull evangelize,"
or tell the good tidings of ^^ the kingdom of God to
" other cities alfo; for therefore am 1 lent." And St.
Matthew, chap. iv. 23, tells us how he executed this
commifTion he was fent on: *^ And Jefus went about all
*^ Galilee, teaching in their fynagogues, and preaching
" the gofpel of the kingdom, and curing all difeafes."
This then was what he was fent to preach every where,
viz. the gofpel of the kingdom of the Meffiah; and by
the miracles and good he did he let them know who
was the Mefiiah.

Hence he goes up to Jerufalem, to the fecond palT-
over, lince the beginning of his miniftry. And here,
difcourling to the jews, who fought to kill him, upon
occalion of the man w horn he had cured carrying his bed
on the fabbath-day, and for making God his Father, he
tells them that he wrought thefe things by the power
of God, and that he fhall do greater things; for that the
dead fliall, at his fummons, be raifed; and that he, by
a power committed to him from his Father, fhall judge
them; and that he is fent by his Father; and that who-
ever lliall hear his word, and believe in him that fent
him, has eternal life. This though a clear defcription
of the Mefliah, yet we may obferve, that here, to the
angry jews, who Ibught to kill him, he fays not a word
of his kingdom, nor fomuch as names the Mefliah; but
yet that he is the Son of God, and fent from God, he
refers them to the teftimony of John the Baptift, to the
teftimony of his own miracles, and of God himfelf in
the voice from heaven, and of the fcriptures, and of
Mofes. He leaves them to learn from thefe the truth
they were to believe, viz. that he was the Meffiah fent

from

4?? '^he Reajonahlenejs of Chrijlianity,

from God. This you may read more at large, John v»
1—47.

The next place where we find him preaching, was on
the mount. Matt. v. and Luke vi. This is by much
the longell fermon we have of his, any where; and, in
all likelihood, to the grcateft auditory: for it appears
to have been to the people gathered to him from Ga-
lilee, and Judea, and Jerufalem, and from beyond Jor-
dan, and that came out of Idumea, and from Tyre and
Sidon, mentioned Mark iii. 7, 8. and Luke vi. 17.
But in this whole fermon of his, we do not find one
word of believing, and therefore no mention of the
Meiliah, or any intimation to the people who himfelf
was. The reafon whereof we may gather from Matt.
xii. 16, where " Chrift forbids them to make him
known;" which fuppofes them to know already who he
was. For that this 12th chapter of St. Matthew' ought
to precede the fermon in the mount, is plain, by com-
paring it with Mark ii, beginning at ver. 13, to Mark
iii. 8, and comparing thofe chapters of St. Mark with
Luke vi. And I deiire my reader, once for ail, here to
take notice, that I have all along obfcrved the order of
time in our Saviour's preaching, and have not, as I
think, palTed by any of his difcourfcs. In this lermon,
our Saviour only teaches them what were the laws of his
kingdom, and what they mufl: do who were admitted into
it, of which I fliall have occafion to fpeak more at large
in another place, being at prefcnt only inquiring what
our Saviour propofed as matter of faith, to be believed.

After this, John the Baptift fends to him this melTage,
Luke vii. 19, alking, " Art thou he that fhould come,
*' or do we exped: another?" That is, in Ihort, art thou
the Mefliah? And if thou art, why doll thou let me, thy
forerunner, languilli in prifon? Mult I expeft deliver-
ance from any other? To which Jefus returns this an-
fwer, ver. 22, 23, ** Tell John what ye have fecn and
** heard ; the blind fee, the lame walk, the lepers are
" cleanfed, the deaf hear, the dead are raifed, to the
*' poor the gofpel is preached; and blclfed is he who is
** not offended in me." What it is to be " offended,
" or fcandalized in him," we may fee by comparing

Matt.

as deli'vered in the Scriptures. 49

Matt. xili. 28, and Mark iv. 17, with Lnkc viii. 13.
For what the two firft call *^ fcandalizcd," the lall: call
" {landing off fronij or forfaking," i. e. not receiving
him as the Meifiah, (vid. Mark vi. i — 6.) or rcvoltmg
from him. Here Jefus refers John, as he did the jews
before, to the teftimony of his miracles, to know who
he was ; and this was generally his preaching, whereby
he declared hinifelf to be the MelFiah; who was the
only prophet to come, whom the jews had any expec-
tation of ; nor did they look for any other pcrfon to be
fent to them with the power of miracles, but only the
Melliah. His miracles, wc fee by his anfwer to John
the Baptifl:, he thought a fufficient declaration amongft
them, that he was the Mediah. And therefore, upon
his curing the poffeffed of the devil, the dumb, and
blind. Matt, xii, the people, who faw the miracles, faid,
yer. 23, ** Is not this the fon of David ?" As much as
to fay. Is not this the MeiTiah? Whereat the pharifees
being offended, faid, " He caft out devils by Beelzebub."
Jefus, fhowing the falfehood and vanity of their blaf-
phemy, juftifies the conclufion the people made from
this miracle, faying, ver. 28, That his calling out devils
by the Spirit of God, was an evidence that the king-
dom of the MeiTiah was come.

One thing more there was in the miracles done by
his difciples, which fhowed him to be the Meffiah ; that
they were done in his name. ^' In the name of Jefus of
" Nazareth, rife up and Wcilk," fays St. Peter to the
lame man, whom he cured in the temple, Ai5ls iii. 6.
And how far the power of that name reached, they them-
felves feem to wonder, Luke x. 17. ** And the feventy
*' returned again with joy, faying. Lord, even the devils
*^ are fubjed to us in thy name."

From this melfage from John the Baptift, he takes
occalion to tell the people that John was the forerunner
of the Meifiah ; that from the time of John the Baptift
the kingdom of the Mefliah began; to which time all
the prophets and the law pointed, Luke vii. and Matt.
xi.

Luke viii. i, ** Afterwards he went through every
" city and village, preaching and fhowing the good tid-

VoL. VI. L ♦' inos

5© 'The Reajonablenejs of Chrijlianityy

" ings of the kingdom of God." Here we fee as every
where, what his preaching was, and confcquently what
was to be believed.

Soon after, he preaches from a boat to the people on
the Ihoic. Hifc fcrmon at large we may read Matt. xiii.
Mark iv. and Luke viii. But this is very obfervable,
that this fecond fermon of his, here, is quite different
from his former in the mount: for that was all fo plain
and intelligible, that nothing could be more fo; whereas
this 's all ib involved in parables, that even the apoftlcs
themfeives did not underftand it. If we inquire into
the rcafon of this, we fliall poUibly have fome light,
from the different fubjccls of thefe two fermons. There
he preached to the people only morality ; clearing the
precepts of the law from the falfe glolTes which were
received in thofc days, and fetting forth the duties of a
good life, in their full obligation and extent, beyond
what the judiciary laws of the Ifraelites did, or the civil
laws of any country could prefcribe, or take notice of.
But here, in this fermon by the fea-fide, he fpeaks of no-
thing but the kingdom of the MefTiah, which he does all
in parables. One reafon whereof St. Matthew gives us,
chap. xiii. 35, ** That it might be fulfilled which was
" fpokcn by the prophet," faying, " I will open my
" mouth in parables, I will utter things that have been
" kept fecre^: from the foundations of the world."
Another rcafon our Saviour himfelf gives of it, ver. if,
12, *' Becaufe to you is given to know the myfteries of
" the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.
'* For whofoever hath, to him fhall be given, and he
" fhall have more abundantly ; but whofoever hath not,"
i. e. improves not the talents that he hath, *^ from him
" Ihall be taken away even that he hath."

One thing it may not be amifs to obferve, that our
Saviour here, in the explication of the firft of thefe pa-
rables to his apoftles, calls the preaching of the king-
dom of the Melliah, limply, *' The word;" and Luke
viii. 21, *' The word of God:" from whence St. Luke,
in the AcT:s, often mentions it under the name of the
** word," and *^ the word of God," as we have elfe-
whcre obfcrved. To which I fliall here add that of Adts

viii.

as delrcered in the Scriptures. 51

•viil. 4. *' Therefore they that were fcattered abroad,
"^ went every where preaching the word;" which word,
as we have found by examining what they preached all
through their hiftory, was nothing but this, that *' Jefus
*' was the Meffiah:" I mean, this was all the dodtrine
they propofed to be believed: for v;hat they taught, as
well as our Saviour, contained a great deal more ; but that
concerned practice, and not belief. And therefore our
Saviour lays, in the place before quoted, Luke viii. 21,
*' they are my mother and my brethren, who hear the
*'' word of God, and do it:" obeying the law of the
Mefliah their king being no lefs required, than their
believing that Jefus was the Melliah, the king and de-
liverer that was promifed them.

Matt. ix. 13, Xve have an account again of this preach-
ing; what it was, and how: '^ And Jefus went about all
** the cities and villages, teaching in their fynagogues,
*' and preaching the gofpel of the kingdom, and healing
" every licknefs and every difeafe among the people."
He acquainted theiii, that the kingdom of the Melliah
was come, and left it to his miracles to inftruct and con-
vince them, that he was the Melfiah.

Matt. X, when he fent His apollles abroad, their com-
miHion to preach we have, ver. 7, 8, in thefe words :
" As ye go, preach faying. The kingdom of heaven is
" at hand: heal the fick," &c. All that they had to
preach was, that the kingdom of the Meffiah was com.e.

Whofocver fhould not receive them, the melfengers
of thefe good tidings, nor hearken to their meffage, in-
curred a heavier doom than Sodom and Gomorrah, at
the day of judgment, ver. 14, 15. But, ver. 32, ^* Who-
*^ foever fhall confefs me before men, I will confefs
** him before my Father who is in heaven." What
this confeffing of Chrift is, we may fee by compar-
ing John xii. 42. with ix. 22. *^ Neverthelefs, among
** the chief rulers alfo many believed on him; but be-
** caufe of the pharifees they did not confess him, left
" they fhould be put out of the fynagogue." And
chap. ix. 22, *' Thefe words fpake his parents, becaufe
*' they feared the jews ; for the jews had agreed already,
*^ that if any man did confess that he was the Mes-

E 2 ** SIAH,

:;2 Tbg Reafonahlenejs of Chrijiianiiy,

*• STAH, he fliould be put out of the fynagoguc." B^
which places it is evident, that to confefs him was to
confcfs that he was the Melhah. From which, give mc
leave to obferve alfo, (what I have cleared from other
places, but cannot be too often remarked, becaufe of tha
different fcnfe has been put upon that phrafe) viz. ** that
•* believing on, or in him," (for lU olvrov is rendered
cither way by the engliih tranflation) fignifies believ-
ing that he was the McfTiah. For many of the rulers
(the text fays) " believed on him:" but they durft not
confefs what they believed, *' for fear they fliould be
** put out of the fynagogue." Now the offence for
which it was agreed that any one lliould be put out of
the fynagogue, was, if he "did confefs, that Jefus was
*' the Meffiah*" Hence we may have a clear undcr-
ftanding of that paffage of St. Paul to the romans, where
he tells them pofitively, what is the faith he preaches,
Rom. X. 8, 9, " That is the word of faith which we
^' preach, that if thou (halt confefs with thy mouth the
*' Lord Jefus, and believe in thine heart, that God hath
" raifed him from the dead, thou ffialt be faved; and
that alfo of i John iv. 14, 15, ** We have feen, and do
** tcftify, that the Father fent the Son to be the Saviour
*' of the world: whofoever fhall confefs, that Jefus is
*' the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in
*' God." Where confeiling Jefus to be the Son of God,
is the fame with confeffing him to be the Meffiah ; thofe
two exprelTions being underftood amongft the jews to
lignify the fame thing, as we have fliown already.

How calling him the Son of God, came to fignify
that he was the Mefliah, would not be hard to ffiow.
But it is enough, that it appears plainly, that it was fo
uled, and had that import among the jews at that time ;
which if any one delircs to have further evidenced to
him, he may add Matt. xxvi. 63. John vi. 69. and xi.
27. and XX. 31. to thofe places before occafionally taken
notice of.

As was the apoflles commiflion, fuch was their per-»
formance; as we read, Luke xi. 6, ** They departed
*' and went through the towns, preaching the gofpel,
" and healing every -.where." Jefus bid them preach,

" faying.

as delivered in the Scriptures. 53

'* faying. The kingdom of heaven is at hand," And
St. Luke tells us, they went through the towns preach-
ing the gofpel ; a word which in Saxon anfwers well
the Greek ivxyyixiov, and fignifies, as that does, *' good
*' news." So that what the infpired writers call the
gofpel, is nothing but the good tidings, that the Mefliah
and his kingdom was come ; and fo it is to be undcr-
ftood in the New Teftament, and fo the angel calls it,
*' good tidings of great joy," Luke ii. 10, bringing the
firit news of our Saviour's birth. And this feems to be
all that his difciples were at that time fent to preach.

So, Luke ix. 59, 60, to him that would have excufed
his prefent attendance, becaufe of burying his father ;
" Jefus faid unto him. Let the dead bury their dead,
" but go thou and preach the kingdom of God."
When I fay, this was all they were to preach, I muft be
underftood, that this was the faith they preached ; but
with it they joined obedience to the Meifiah, whom they
received for their king. So likewife, when he fent out
the feventy, Luke x, their commiffion was in thefe
words, ver. 9, ^* Heal the lick, and fay unto them,
" The kingdom of God is come nigh unto you."

After the return of his apoftles to him, he fits down
with them on a mountain ; and a great multitude being
gathered about them, St. Luke tells us, chap. ix. 11,
** The people followed him, and he received them, and
" fpake unto them of the kingdom of God, and healed
*' them that had need of healing." This was his
preaching to this alfembly, which confided of five
thoufand men, befidcs women and children : all which
great multitude he fed with five loaves and two filbes.
Matt. xiv. 21. And what this miracle wrought upon
them, St. John tells us, chap. vi. 14, 15, *' Then thefe
** men, when they had ^<zQr\ the miracle that Jefus did,
" faid. This is of a truth th^^t prophet that fiiould
" come into the world," i. e. the Mefiiah. For the
Mefiiah was the only perfon that they expeiled from
God, and this the time they looked for him. And
hnce John the Baptifi, Matt. xi. 3, ftyles him, ** He
" that Ihould come ;" as in other pliiccs, ** come from

E 3 ' \' God,"

54- 7'/j<f Reafonablenefs of Cbrijllaniiy,

" God," or " fcnt IVom God," are phrafcs ufed for
the Mclliah.

Here \vc fee our Saviour keep to his ufual method of
preaching : he fpeaks to them of the kingdom of God,
and docs miracles ; by which they might underftand
him to be the Mcfllah, whofe kingdom he fpake of.
And here we have the rcafon alfo, why he fo much
concealed himfelf, anci forbore to own his being the
MciTiah. For what the confequence was, of the mul-
titude's but thinking him fo, when they were got to-
gether, St. John tells us in the very next words:
" When Jefus then perceived, that they would come
*' and take him by force to make him a king, he de-
*^ parted again into a mountain himfelf alone." If
they were fo ready to fet him up for their king, only
becaufe they gathered from his miracles, that he was
the Mefllah, whilft he himfelf faid nothing of it : what
would not the people have done, and what would not
the fcribes and pharifees have had an opportunity to
accufe him of, if he had openly profeffed himfelf to
have been the MeiTiah, that king they looked for ? But
this we have taken notice of already.

From hence going to Capernaum, whither he was
followed by a great part of the people, whom he had
the day before fo miraculoufly fed ; he, upon the occa-
lion of their following him for the loaves, bids them
feek for the meat that endureth to eternal life : and
thereupon, John vi. 22 — 69, declares to them his being
fcnt from the Father ; and that thofe who believed in
him, fliould be raifed to eternal life: but all this very
inuch involved in a mixture of allegorical terms of eat-
ing, and of bread ; bread of life, w hich came down
from heaven. See. Which is all comprehended and
expounded in thefc fliort and plain words, vcr. 4.7 and
54, ** Verily, verily, I fay unto you, he that believcth
*• on me, hath e'^erlafling life, and I will raife him up
*' at the lait day." The fum of all which difcourfe is,
that he was the Meliiah fent from God ; and that thofe
who believed him to be fo, fliould be railed from the
dead at the laft day, to eternal life. Thefe whom he
/J^okc to here were of thofe who, the day before, w ould

by

as delivered in the Scriptures, 5^

by force have made him king ; and therefore it is no

wonder he fhould fpeak to them of himfclf, and his

kingdom and fubjedls, in obfcure and myilical terms ;

and fuch as fhould olfend thofc who looked for nothing

but the grandeur of a temporal kingdom in this world,

and the protedion and profpcrity they had promifcd

themfelves under it. The hopes of fuch a kingdom,

now that they had found a man that did miracles^ and

therefore concluded to be the Deliverer they expeded ;

had the day before almoft drawn them into an open in-

furredlion, and involved our Saviour in it. This he

thought fit to put a Hop to ; they ftill following him,

'tis like, with the fame defign. And therefore, though

he here fpeaks to them of his kingdom, it was in a

way that fo plainly baulked their expedation, and

fhocked them, that when they found themfelves difap-

pointed of thofe vain hopes, and that he talked of their

eating his fleili, and drinking his blood, that they might

have life; the Jews faid, ver. 52, *' How can this man

'^ give us his flefh to eat ? And many, even of his dif-

*' ciples, faid. It was an hard faying: Who can hear it ?'*

And fo were fcandalized in him, and forfook him, ver.

60j 66. But what the true meaning of this difcourfe of our

Saviour was, the confeflion of St. Peter, who under-

ftood it better, and anfwered for the red of the apoflles,

fhows : when Jefus anfwered him, ver. 67, *' Will ye

*' alfo go away ? Then Simon Peter anfwered him,

" Lord, to whom fhall we go ? Thou hafl: the words of

** eternal life :" i. e. thou teacheft us the way to attain

eternal life; and accordingly, '*we believe, and are

*' fure, that thou art the MciTiah, the Son of the living

*' God." This was the eating his flefh and drinking

his blood, whereby thofe who did fo had eternal life.

Some time after this, he inquires of his difciples,
Mark viii. 27, who the people took him for.-* They tell-
ing him, " for John the Baptift," or one of the old
prophets rifen from the dead ; he afked. What they
themfelves thought ? And here again, Peter anfwers in
thefe words, Mark viii. 29, ** Thou art the Melhab."
Luke ix. 20, '* The Mefliah of God." And, Matr.
^vi^ 16, *' Thou art the Mefliah, the Son of the living

E 4 *' God:'*

:;6 ^'he ReaJo7iablenefs of Chrijlianityy

" God :" Which cxprellions, we may hence gather,
amount to the fame thing. Whereupon our Saviour
tells Peter, Matt. xvi. 17, 18, That this was fuch a
truth *'as fiefh and blood could not reveal to him, but
*' only his Father who was in heaven ;" and that this
was the foundation, on which he was ** to build his
*' church:" by all the parts of which palTage it is
more than probable, that he had never yet told his
apolllcs in direct words, that he was the Melliah ; but
that they had gathered it from his life and miracles.
Fv^r which we may imagine to ourfelves this probable
reafon ; becaufc that, if he had familiarly, and in di-
re(5l terms, talked to his apollles in private, that he
was the Melliah the Prince, of whofe kingdom he
preached fo much in public every where ; Judas,
whom he knew falfe and treacherous, would have been
readily made ufe of, to tcilify againfl him, in a matter
that would have been really criminal to the roman go-
vernor. This, perhaps, may help to clear to us that
feemingly abrupt reply of our Saviour to his apoflles,
John vi. 70, when they confeffed him to be the Mef-
fiah : I will, for the better explaining of it, fet down
the palTage at large. Peter having faid, " We believe
" and are fure that thou art the Melliah, the Son of the
*' living God ; Jefus anfwercd them. Have not I chofen
** you twelve, and one of you is (Jia^oA^?" This is
a reply, fccming at firfl: light, nothing to the purpofe ;
when yet it is fure all our Saviour's difcourfes were wife
and pertinent. It fecms therefore to me to carry this
fenfe, to be underfiood afterwards by the eleven (as
that of deflroying the temple, and raifing it again in
three days was) when they fhould refle^il on it, after his.
being betrayed by Judas: you have confclTcd, and be-
lieve the truth concerning n^.e ; 1 am the MeiTiah your
king: but do not wonder at it, that I have never
openly declared it to you ; for amongft you twelv€>
whom I have chofen to be w^ith me, there is one who is
an informer, or falfe accufer, (for fo the greek word
lignifics, and may, pofllbly, here be fo tranflated, ra-
ther than devil) Vvho, if I had owned myfdf in plain
I words

as delivered In the Scriptures. ^j

words to have been the " MelTiah, the king of Ifrael,"
would have betrayed me, and informed againft me.

That he was yet cautious of owning himfelf to his
appftles, pofitivcly, to be the Meffiah, appears farther
from the manner wherein he tells Peter, ver. 1 8, that
he will build his church upon that confelTion of his,
that he was the McfTiah : I lay unto thee, " Thou arc
'* Cephas," or a rock, *' and upon this rock I will
*^ build my church, and the gates of hell fliall not pre-
" vail againft it." Words too doubtful to be laid hold
on againft him, as a teftimony that he profeffed him-
felf to be the Mefliah ; efpecially if we join with them the
following words, ver. 19, "And I will give thee the
" keys of the kingdom of heaven, and what thou fhak
** bind on earth, fhall be bound in heaven; and what
" thou fhalt loofe on earth, fhall be lopfed in heaven."
Which being faid perfonally to Peter, render the fore-
going words of our S^^viour, (wherein he declares the
fundamental article of his church to be the believing
him to be the Melhah) the more obfcure and doubtful^'
and lefs liable to be made ufe of againft him ; but yet
fuch as might afterwards be underftood. And for the
fame reafon, he yet, here again, forbids the apoftlcs to
fay that he was the Mclliah, ver. 20.

From this time (fay the evangelifts) '' Jefus began to
fhow to his difciples," i. e. his apoftles, (who are often
called difciples) '* that he muft go to Jerufalem, and
** fuft'er many things from the elders, chief priefts, and
** fcribes ; and be killed, and be raifed again the third
** day," Matt. xvi. 21. Thefe, though all marks of
the Mefliah, yet how little underftood by the apoftles,
or fuited to their expectation of the Mefliah, appears
from Peter's rebuking him for it in the following words.
Matt. xvi. 22. Peter had twice before owned him to
be the Mefliah, and yet he cannot here bear that he
fhould fuft'er, and be put to death, and be raifed again.
Whereby we may perceive, how little yet Jefus had ex-
plained to the apoftles what perfonally concerned him-
felf. They had been a good while withelTes of his life
a-nd miracles : and thereby being grown into a belief
that he was the Mefliah, were, in fome degree, prepared

to

0 The Rcajonablenefs of ChriJiianHyy

to receive the particulars that were to fill up that cha-
radlcr, and anfwer the prophecies concerning him. This,
from henceforth, he began to open to them (though in
a way which the jews could not form an accufation out
of;) the time of the accomplifhment of all, in his fuf-
fcrings, death, and refurrecltion, now drawing on. For
this was in the lafi: year of his life; he being to meet
che jews at Jcrufaleni but once more at the paflbver,
and then they ihouid have their will upon him : and,
therefore, he might now^egin to be a little more open
concerning himfelf: though yet fo, as to keep himfelf
out of the reach of any accufation, that might appear
juft or weighty to the roman deputy.

After his reprimand to Peter, telling him, '' That he
** favoured not the things of God, but of man," Mark
viii. 34, he calls the people to him, and prepares thofc,
who would be his difciples, for futfering, telling them,
ycr. 38, '* Whofoever Ihall be ailiamed of mc and my
" words in this adulterous and finful generation, of
** him alfo fliall the Son of man be afiiamed, when he
*^ Cometh in the glory of his Father, with the holy an-
f? gels:" and then fubjoins. Matt. xvi. 27, 28, two
great and folemn afts, wherein he would fliow himfelf
to be the Melliah, the king : " For the Son of man
** fliall come in the glory of his Father, with his an-
"" gels; and then he Ihall render to every man accord-
•' ding to his works." This is evidently meant of the
glorious appearance of his kingdom, when he fliall
come to judge the world at the laft day ; defcribed more
at large. Matt. xxv. ** When the Son of man fhall come
" in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then
" fhall he fit upon the throne of his glory. Then
** fhall the King fay to them on his right hand," &c.

But what follows in the place above quoted. Matt.
xvi. 28, ** Verily, verily, there be fome ftanding here,
*' who fliall not tafle of death, till they lee the Son of
** man coming in his kingdom;" importing that do-
minion, which fome there fliould fee him exercife over
the nation of the jews ; was fo covered, by being an-
nexed to the preaching, ver. 27, (where he fpoke of the
manifeifation and glory of his kingdom, at the day of

judgment)

as delivered in the Scriptures. 5^

judgment) that though his plain meaning here in ver.
28, be, that the appearance and viiible exercife of his
kingly power in his kingdom was fo near, that fome
there fliould live to fee it ; yet, if the foregoing words
had not caft a ihadow over thefe latter, but they had.
been left plainly to be underftood, as they plainly fig-
nified ; that he fliould be a King, and that it was fo
near, that fome there fliould fee him in his kingdom ;
this might have been laid hold on, and made the mat-
ter of a plaufible and feemingly juft accufation againft
him, by the jews before Pilate. This feems to be the
reafon of our Saviour's inverting here the order of the
two folemn manifeftations to the world, of his rule and
power; thereby perplexing at prefent his meaning, and
fecuring himfelf, as was neceifary, from the malice of
the jews, which always lay at catch to intrap him, and
accufe him to the roman governor; and would no
doubt, have been ready to have alleged thefe words,
*^ Some here fnall not tafie of death, till they fee the
*' Son of man coming in his kingdom," againft him,
as criminal, had not their meaning been, by the for-
mer verfe, perplexed, and the fenfe at that time ren-
dered unintelligible, and not applicable by any of his
auditors to a fenfe that might have been prejudicial to
him before Pontius Pilate. For how well the chief of
the jews were difpofed towards him, St. Luke tells us-,
chap. xi. 54, ** Laying wait for him, and feeking to
" catch fomething out of his mouth, that they might
" accufe him :" which may be a reafon to fatisfy us of
the feemingly doubtful and obfcure way of fpeaking,
ufed by our Saviour in other places ; his circumftances
being fuch, that without fuch a prudent carriage and
refervednefs, he could not have gone through the work
which he came to do ; nor have performed all the parts
of it, in a way correfpondent to the defcriptions given
of the Mefiiah ; and which would be afterwards fully
underftood to belong to him, when he had left the
world.

After this. Matt. xvii. 10, &c. he, without faying
it in diredl words, begins, as it were, to own himfelf to
his apoftles to be the Mefliah, by aftliring them, that as

the

6o The Rea/onahlenefs of Chrijlianity,

the fcribes, according to the prophecy of Malachi,
chap iv. 5, rightly faid, that Elias was to uflicr in the
Melfiah ; fo indeed Elias was already come, though the
jews knew him not, and treated him ill : whereby
*' they underflood that he fpoke to them of John the
** Baptift," ver. 13. And a little after he fomewhat
nore plainly intimates, that he is the Meffiah, Mark ix.
41, in thefe words : ** VVhofovcr fhaH give you a cup
'' of water to drink in my name, becaufe ye belong to
"■ the Mefliah." This, as I remem.ber, is the firfl:
f-ace where our Saviour ever mentioned the name of
Meffiah ; and the firft tin:ie that he went fo far towards
the owning, to any of the jewilli nation, himfelf to be
him.

In his way to Jerufalem, bidding one follow him,
Luke ix. 59, who would firft bury his father, ver. 60,
•' Jefus faid unto him. Let the dead bury their dead ;
*' but go thou and preach the kingdom of God." And
Luke X. I, fending out the feventy difciples, he fays to
them, ver. 9, ** Heal the fick, and fay. The kingdom
** of God is come nigh unto you." He had nothing
clfe for thef^, or for his apoftles, or any one, it feems,
to preach, but the good news of the coming of the king-
dom of the Meffiah. And if any city would not receive
themj he bids them, ver. 10, *' Go into the ftreets of
*' the fame, and fay. Even the very duft of your city,
" which cleavj^th on us, do wc wipe off againft you :
*' notwithftanding, be ye fure of this, that the king-
*' dom of God is come nigh unto you." This they were
to take notice of, as that which they fhould dearly an-
fwer for; viz. that they had not with faith received the
g-ood tidings of the kingdom of the Meffiah.

After this, his brethren fay unto him, John vii. 2, 3,
4, (the feaft of tabernacles being near) *' Depart hence,
*' and go into Judea, that thy difciples alfo may fee the
** works that thou doeft : for there is no nian that does
** any thing in fecrct, and he himfelf fceketh to be
"* known openly. If thou do thefe thimgs, fhow thy-
** felf to the world." Here his brethren, which, the
n-cxt vcrfe tells us, ** did not believe in him," feem to
upbraid him with the inconfiftency of his carriage ; as

if

as delivered in the Scriptures, 6l[

if he defigned to be received for the MefTiah, and yet
was afraid to fliow himfelf : to whom he juftilicd his
conduct, (mentioned ver. i.) in the following verfes, hj
telling them, "That the world," (meaning the jews
cfpecially) ** hated him, becaufe he teftificd of it, that
** the works thereof are evil ; and that his time was
•* not yet fully come," wherein to quit his referve, and
abandon himfelf freely to their malice and fury. There-
fore, though he, " went up unto the feaft," it was *' not
** openly, but, as it were, in fecrct," ver. lo. And
here, coming into the temple about the middle of the
feaft, he juftifies his being fent from God ; and that he
had not done any thing againft the law, in curing the
man at the pool of Bethefda, John v. i — 16, on the
fabbath-day ; which, though done above a year and ^
half before, they made ufe of as a pretence to deftroy
him. But what was the true reafon of feeking his life,
appears from what we have in this viith chapter, ver.
25 — 34, " Then faid fome of them at Jerufalem, Is not
" this he whom they feek to kill ? But lo, he fpeaketh
" boldly, and they fay nothing unto him. Do the
" rulers know indeed, that this is the very Messiah?
" Howbeit, we know this man whence he is ; but when
" the Mefliah cometh, no man knoweth whence he is.
" Then cried Jefus in the temple, as he taught. Ye
'* both know me, and ye knov/ whence I am : and I
" am not come of myfelf, but he that fent me is true,
** whom ye know not. But I know him ; for I am
" from him, and he hath fent me. Then they fought
*' [an occafion] to take him, but no man laid hands on
** him, becaufe his hour was not yet come. And man/
" of the people believed on him, and faid. When the
'* Mefliah cometh, will he do more miracles than thefe,
** which this man hath done ? The pharifees heard that
" the people murmured fuch things concerning him >
** and the pharifees and chief priefts fent officers to take
" him. Then faid Jefus unto them, Yet a little while
'* am I with you, and then I go to him that fent me:
" ye fhall feek me, and not find me; and where I am,
*' there you carxnot come. Then faid the jews among
** themfelves, Whither will he go, that we fhall not

" find

62 7he, Rcafouablenefs of Chrijiianiiy y

** find him ?" Here we find that the great fault in our
Saviour, and the great provocation to the jews, was his
being taken for the JVTefTiah ; and doing fuch things as
made the people ''believe in him;" i.e. believe that
he was the McfTiah. Here alfo our Saviour declares, in
words very eafy to be undcrfiood, at Icaft after his re-
furrediion, that he was the MeHiah : for, if he were
** fent from God," and did his miracles by the Spirit
of God, there could be no doubt but he was the MelTiah.
But yet this declaration was in a way that the pharifees
and priefts could not lay hold on, to make an accufa-
tion of, to the difturbance of his miniftry, or the
feizure of his perfon, how much foever they defired it :
for his time was not yet come. The officers they had
fent to apprehend him, charmed with his difcourfe, re-
turned without laying hands on him, ver, 45, 46. And
when the chief priefts afked them, " Why they brought
*' him not?" They anfvvered, ''Never man fpake like
** this man." Whereupon the pharifees reply, " Are
*' ye alfo deceived? Have any of the rulers, or of the
*' pharifees, believed on him ? But this people, who
" know not the law, are curfed." This fliows what
was meant by " believing on him," viz. believing that
he was the Meftiah. For, fay they, have any of the
rulers, who are Ikilled in the law, or of the devout and
learned pharifees, acknowledged him to be the Meffiah?
For as for thofe, who in the divifion among the people
concerning him, fay, " That he is the MelTiah," they
are ignorant and vile wretches, know nothing of the
fcripture, and being accurfed, are given up by God,
to be deceived by this impoftor, and to take him for
the Meffiah. Therefore, notwithftanding their defire
to lay hold on him, he goes on ; and ver. 37, 38, " In
** the laft and great day of the teaft, Jefus ftood and
*' cried, faying. If any man thirft, let him come unto
" me and drink: he that belicveth on me, as the fcrip-
** ture hath faid, out of his belly ftiall flow rivers of"
*' living water." And thus he here again declares him-
felf to be the Melliah ; but in the prophetic ftyle, as
we may fee by the next verfe of this chapter, and thofe

places

as delivered in the Scriptures. 63

places in the Old Teftament, that thefe words of our
Saviour refer to.

In the next chapter, John viii, all that he fays con-
cerning himfelf, and what they were to believe, tends
to this, viz. that he was fent from God his Father ; and
that, if they did not believe that he was the Melliah,
they Ihould die in their fins: but this, in a way, as St.
John obferves, vcr. 27, that they did not well under-
hand. But our Saviour himfelf tells them, ver. 28,
<( When ye have life up the Sen of man, then fhali ye
** know that I am he,"

Going from them, he cures the man born blind,
whom meeting with again, after the jews had qucftioned
him, and caft him out, John ix. 35 — 38, " Jefus faid
" to him, Doft thou believe on the Son of God?
*' He anfwered. Who is he. Lord, that I might be-
'* lieve on him ? And Jefus faid unto him. Thou hafl:
'* both feen him, and it is he that talketh with thee.
" And he faid. Lord, I believe." Here we fee this
man is pronounced a believer, when all that was pro-
pofed to him to believe, was, that Jefus was ** the Son.
*' of God;" which was, as we have already ihown, to
believe that he was the Melliah.

In the next chapter, John x. i — 21, he declares the
laying down of his life both for jews and gentiles;
but in a parable which they underftood not, ver.
6 — 20.

As he was going to the feaft of the dedication, the
pharifees alk him, Luke xvii. 20, ** When the king-
" dom of God," i. e. of the Meffiah, " fhould come?"
He anfwers. That it fliould not come with pomp and
obfervation, and great concourfe ; but that it was al-
ready begun amongft them. If he had ftopt here, the
fenfe had been fo plain, that they could hardly have
miftaken him ; or have doubted, but that he meant,
that the Mefliah was already come, and amongft them ;
and fo might have been prone to infer, that Jefus took
upon him to be him. But here, as in the place before
taken notice of, fubjoining to this future revelation of
himfelf, both in his "coming to execute vengeance on
ihe jews, and in his coming to judgment, mixed toge-
ther,

^4 ^^'^ ReafonahJentfs of ChriJUanity,

thcr, he fo involved his fenfe, that it was not eafy to
undcrftand him. And therefore the jews came to him
again in the temple, John x. 23, and faid, ** How long
*' doftthou make us doubt? If thou be the Chrift tell
** us plainly. Jefus anfwercd, I told you, and ye be-
*' LiEVED not: the works that I do in my feather's
" name, they bear witnefs of mc. But ye believed not,
" bccaufe ye are not of my flieep, as I told you." The
3EEIEVING here, which he accufes them of not doing, is
plainly their not belteVeng him to be the Mefliah, as
the foregoing words evince ; and in the fame fenfe it is
evidently meant in the following verfcs of this chapter.
From hence Jefus going to Bethabara, and thence re-
turning into Bethany ; upon Lazarus's death, John xi.
25—27, Jefus faid to Martha, ** I am the refurredtion
** and the life ; he that believeth in me, though he were
" dead, yet fliall he live, ; and whofoever liveth and
" believeth in me fhail not die for ever." So I under-

iland aTro^a,vv\ t\q %oy aluvct, ajnfwerable to .^va-elai tU TOK

^clxcifcc, of the feptuagint. Gen. iii. 22, or John vi. 51,
which we read right, in our englifh tranflation, *' live
** forever." But whether t4iis faying of our Saviour
here, can with truth be tranrllated, *' He that liveth and
** 'believeth in me fliall never die," will be apt to be
queftioned. But to go on, ** Believeft thou this ? She
** faid unto him. Yea, Lord, I believe that thou art
" the MeiTiah, the Son of God, which fliould come into
*' the world." This flie gives as a full anfwer to our
Saviour's demands ; this being that faith, which who-
ever had, wanted no more to make them believers.

We may obferve farther, in this fame ftory of the
railing of Lazarus, what faith it was our Saviour ex-
pcded, by what he fays, ver. .41, 42, " Father I thank
" thee, that thou haft heard me ; and I know that thou
** heareft me always. But becaufe of the people who
" ftand by, I faid it, that they may believe that thoi^
" haft fent me." And what the confequence of it was,
^vc may fee, ver. 45, ** Then many of the jews who
*' came to Mary, andjhad feen the things which Jefus
" did, believed on him:" which belief was, that he vv^s
" fent from the Father;" which, in.Qther wor^is, was,

that

as delivered in the Scripinres. 6^

that he was the Mcfliah. That this is the meaning, in
the evangclift.s, of the phrafe of ** believing on him/'
we have a demonftration in the following words, ver.
^7, 48, '* Then gathered the chief priefts and pharifees
** a council, and f:\id, What do we? For this man does
" many miracles; and if we let him alone, all men will
*' BELIEVE ON HIM." Thofe who here fay, all men
would BELIEVE ON HIM, Were the chief priefts and pha-
rifees, his enemies, who fought his life; and therefore
could have no other fenfe nor thouo:ht of this faith in
him, which they fpake of; but only the believing him
to be the Meffiah : and that that was their meaning, the
adjoining words (how: **.If vre let him alone, all the
*' world will believe on him;" i. e. believe him to be
the Meiliah. ** And the romans will come and take
'* away both our place and nation." Which reafoning
of theirs was thus grounded: If we ftand ftiil, and let
the people *' believe on him." i. e. receive him for the
Melhah: they will thereby take him and fet him up for
their king, and expedl deliverance by him; which will
draw the roman arms upon us, to the deftruclion of us
and our country. The romans could not be thought to
be at all concerned in any other belief whatfoever, that
the people might have on him. It is therefore plain,
that •* believing on him," v^as, bv the writers of the
gofpel, underftood to mean the " believing him to be
" the Meffiah." The fanhedrim therefore, ver. 5-^, 54,
from that day forth confultcd to put him to death.
*' Jefus therefore walked nol; yet" (for fo the word In
fignities, and fo I think it ought here to be tranflated)
'* boldly," or open-faced, '' among the jews," i. e. of
Jerufalcm. "-£-» cannot well here be tranflated "no more,"
becaufe, within a very Ihort tiii:e after, he appeared openly
at the paiibver, and by his miracles and fpeech declared
himfclf more freely than ever he had done; and all the
week before his paffion, taught daily in the temple.
Matt. XX. 17. Mark x. 32. Luke xviii. 31, &:c. The
meaning of this place feems therefore to be this: that
his time being not yet come, he durft not yet fhow him-
felf openly and confidently before the fcribes and pha-
rifees, and thofe of the fanhedrim at Jerufalem, who
Vol. VI. ' F were

€6 The Reajonahlenefs of Chrijlia^nty,

u'ere full of malice againft him, and had rcfolved his
death: *' But went thence into a country near the v\il-
** dernefs, into a city called Ephraim, and there con-
** tinued with his difciples," to keep himfelf out of
the way until the paflbver, *' which was nigh at hand/'
ver. 55. In his return thither, he takes the twelve afide,
and tells them before-hand, what fhould happen to him
at Jerufalem, whither they w-cre now going ; and that
all things that are w ritten by the prophets, concerning
the Son o«t man, lliould be accomplifhed; that he fhould
be betrayed to the chief priefls and fcribes : and that they
fhould condemn him to death, and deliver him to the
gentiles; that he fhould be mocked, and fpit on, and
fcourged, and put to death ; and the third day he fhould
xife again. But St. Luke tells us, chap, xviii. 34, That
the apoftles ** underllood none of thefe things, and this
•* faying was hid from them; neither knew they the
** things which were fpoken." They believed him
to be the Son of God, the MeiTiah fent from the Father;
but their notion of the Mefliah was the fame with the
reft of the jews, that he fliould be a temporal prince and
deliverer : accordingly we fee, Mark x. 35, that, even
in this their lalt journey with him to Jerufalem, two of
them, James and John, coming to him, and falling at
his feet, faid, " Grant unto us, that vve may fit one on
** thy right hand, and the other on thy left hand, in thy
** glory:" or, as St. Matthew has it, chap. xx. 21, "in
•* thy kingdom." That which diftinguifhed them from
the unbelieving jews, was, that they believed Jefus to
be the very Mefliah, and fo received him as their King
and Lord.

And now, the hour being come that the Son of man
Ihould be glorified, he, without his ufual referve, makes
his public entry into Jerufalem, riding on a young afs!
** As it is written, Fear not, daughter of Sion ; behold,
•* thy King cometh, fitting on an afs's colt." But
«' thefe things," fays St. John, chap. xii. 16, " his dif^
** ciples underftood not, at the firft; but when Jefus
** was glorified, then remembered they that thefe things
•* were written of him, and that they had done thefe
•* things unto him." Though the apoftles believed

him

as delivered in the Scrtpiures* 67

3bim to be the Mediah, yet there were many occurrences
t)f his life, which they underftood not (at the time when
they happened) to be foretold of the Mefnah,- which,
after his afcenlion, they found exactly to quadrate. Thus
according to what was foretold of him, he rode into the
city, *'all the people crying, Hofanna, blefied is the
*' King of Ifrael, that cometh in the name of the Lord.'*
This was fo open a declaration of his being the Mefliah,
that, Luke xix. 39, ** Some of the pharifees from among
** the multitude faid unto him, Mafter, rebuke thy dif-
** ciples." But he was fo far now from flopping them,
or difowningthis their acknowledgment of his being the
Meffiah, that he faid unto them, '' I tell you, that if
** thefe Ihould hold their peace, the flones would im-
*' mediately cry out." And again upon the like occa-
fionof their crying, "Hofanna to the Son of David," in
the temple. Matt. xxi. 15, 16, '* When the chief priefts
*' and fcribes were fore difplcafed, and faid unto him,
■*' Hearefb thou what they fay? Jefus faid unto them,
*' Yea; Have ye never read. Out of the mouths of babes
*' and fucklings thou haft perfccited praife?" And now,
ver. 14, 15, ** He cures the blind and the lame openly
*' in the temple. And when the chief priefts and
*' fcribes faw tire wonderful things that he did, and the
■*' children crying in the temple, Hofanna, they were
** enraged." One would not think, that after the mul-
titude of miracles, that our Saviour had now been doing
for above three years together, the curing the lame and
blind fhould fo much move them. But vve muft re-^
member, that though his miniftry had abounded with
miracles, yet the moft of them had been done about Ga-
lilee, and in parts remote from Jerufiilem. There is
but one left on record, hitherto dons in that city; and
that had fo ill a reception, that they fought his life for
it: as we may read John v. 16. And therefore we hear
not of his being at the next pafTover, biecaUfe he was
there only privately, as an ordinary jew : the reafon
whereof we may read, John vii. i. ** After thefe things
'* Jefus walked in Galilee; for he would not walk iri
** Jewry, becaufe the jews fought to kill him."

Hence v*e may guefs the reafon why St. John omitted

F 2 the

68 The ReaJonahUneJs of Chrijlianityt

the mention of his being at Jerufalcm, at the third paf-
fover after his baptifm ; probably becaufc he did nothing
memorable there. Indeed, when he was at the feaft of
tabernacles, immediately preceding this his laft pafTover,
he cured the man born blind : but it appears not to have
been done in Jerufalem itfcif, but in the way, as he re-
tired to the mount of Olives ; for there fcems to have been
nobody by, when he did it, but his apoftles. Compare
ver. 2. with ver. 8, lO, of John ix. This, at leaft, is
remarkable, that neither the cure of this blind man, nor
that of the other infirm man, at the paffover, above
a twelve-month before, at Jerufalem, was done in the
light of the fcribes, pharifces, chief pricfts, or rulers.
Kor was it without reafon, that in the former part of
his miniftry, he was cautiousoffhowinghimfelf i:o them
to be the Meffiah. But now, that he was come to the
laft fccne of his life, and that the paffover was come, the
appointed time, wherein he was to complete the work
he came for, in his death and refurreftion, he does many
things in Jerufalem itfelf, before the face of the fcribes,
pharifees, and whole body of the jewifh nation, to
manifeft himfelf to be the Meffiah. And, as St. Luke
fays, chap. xix. 47, 48, '* He taught daily in the tem-
•* pie: but the chief priefls, and the fcribes, and the
*' chief of the people, fought to dcftroy him; and
*' could not find what they might do ; for all the people
** were very attentive to hear him." What he taught we
are left to guefs, by what we have found him con-
flantly preaching elfewhere: bur St. Luke tells us, chap.
XX. I, ** He taught in the temple, and evangelized;" or,
as we tranflate it, ** preached the gofpel:" which, as we
have fhowed, was the making known to them the good
news of the kingdom of the MelTiah. And this we fhall
lind he did, in what now remains of his hiftory.

In the firft difcourfe of his, which we find upon re-
cord, after this, John xii. 20, &c. he foretels his cru-
cifixion, and the belief of all forts, both jews and gen-
tiles, on him after that. Whereupon the people fay to
him, ver. 34, *' We have heard out of the law, that tha
•* Mefliah abideth for ever: and how fayeft -thou, that
** the Son of man muft be lifted up ? Who is this Son

*' of

' ms delivered in the Scriptures. 69

" of Man?'* In his anfwer, he plainly defigns himfelf
linder the name of Light; which was what he had de-
clared himfelf to them to be, the laft time that they
had feen him in Jerufalem. For" then, at the feaft of
tabernacles, but fix months before, he tells them in the
very place where he now is, viz. in the temple, ** I am
'* the Light of the world ; whofoever follows me, Ihall
" not walk in darknefs, but fliall have the light of life;"
as we may read, John viii. 12. And ix. 5, he fays, '* As
** long as I am in the world, I am the Light of the
** world." But neither here, nor any where elfe, does
he, even in thefe four or five laft days of his life, (though
he knew his hour was come, and was prepared to his
death, ver. 27, and fcrupled not to manifeft himfelf to
the rulers of the jews to be the McfTiah, by doing mi-
racles before them in the temple] ever once in direft
words own himfelf to the jews to be the Mefliah ; though
by miracles and other ways he did every where make it
known unto them, fo that it might be underftood.
This could not be without fome reafon ; and the pre-
fervation of his life, which he came now to Jerufalem
on purpofe to lay down, could not be it. What other
could it then be, but the fame which had made him ufe
caution in the former part of his miniftry ; fo to con-
du(fl hipifelf, that he might do the work which became
for, and in all parts anfwer the charafter given of the
Meffiah, in the law and the prophets? He had fulfilled
the time of his miniftry; and now taught, and did
miracles openly in the temple, before the rulers and
the people, not fearing to be feized. But he would
not be feized for any thing, that might make him a
criminal to the government : and therefore he avoided
giving thofe, who, in the divifion that was about him,
inclined towards him., occafion of tumult for his fake:
or to the jews, his enemies, matter of juft accufation
againft him, out of his own mouth, by profefling him-
felf to be the MefTiah, the King of Ifrael, in direct
words- It was enough^ that by words and deeds he de-
clared it fo to theni, that they could not but unde^-ftandi
him; which it is plain they did, Luke xx. 16, 19. Matt,
xxi. 45. But yet neither his adions, which were only

F 3 doing;

7© ^he Reafonahlenejs of Chrijlianity\

doing, of good ; nor words, which were myftical and pa-
rabolical (as we may iee. Matt. xxi. and xxii, and the
parallel places of Matthew and Luke-,) nor any of his
ways of making himfclf known to be the MeiTiah;.
could be brought in tcfiimony, or urged againfl him, as
oppofite or dangerous to the government. This pre-
ferved him from being condemned as a malefadlor ;
and procured him a teftimony from the roman gover-
nor, his judge, that he was an innocent man, facrificed.
to the envy of the jewifh nation. So that he avoided
faying, that he v/as the Mcffiah, that to thofe who would
call to mind his life and death, after his refurrecflion,
her might the more clearly appear to be fo. It is far-' '
the'r to be remarked, that though he often appeals to,
the teltimony of his miracles, who he is, yet he never
tells the jews, that he was born at Bethlehem, to re-
move the prejudice that lay againft him, whilft he
pafTed for a galilean, and which was urged as a proof
that he was not the Mefliah, John vii. 41, 42. The
healing of the lick, and doing good miraculoufly, could
be no crime in him, nor accufation againft him. But.
the naming of Bethlehem for his birth-place might have.
AVTOught as much upon the mJnd of Pilate, as it did on
Herod's; and have raifed a fufpicion in Pilate, as
prejudicial to our Saviour's innocence as Herod's was
to the children born there. His pretending to be born
at Bethlehem, as it was liable to be explained by the
jews, could not have failed to have met with a finifter
interpretation in the roman governor, and have rendered
Jefus fufpeded of fome criminal defign againft the go-
vernment. And hence we fee, that when Pilate alked
him, John xix. 9, " Whence art thou? Jefus gave him
'* no anfwcr.".

Whether our Saviour had not an eye to this ftrait-
nefs, this narrow room that was left to his conduct, be-
tween the new converts and the captious jews, when he
fays, Luke xii. 50, *' I have a baptifm to be baptized
*' with, and -crw? o-ji/fp/o/xai, how I am ftraitened, until it
*• be accompli fl:ied !" I leave to be confidered. " I
** am come to fend fire on the earth," fays our Saviour,
^ and what if it be already kindled?" i. e. There be-
gin

as delivered h the Scriptures, ft

gin already to be divifions about me, John vii. 12, 43,
and ix. 16, and x. 19. And I have not the freedom,
the latitude, to declare myfcif openly to be the Mefliah ;
though I am he, thatmuft not be fpoken on, until after
my death. My way to my throne is clofely hedged in
on every fide, and much fi^raitcncd ; within which I
muft keep, until it bring me to my crofs in its due
time and manner ; fo that it do not cut fhort the time>
nor crofs the end of my miniflry.

And therefore, to keep up this inoffenfive charadler,
and not to let it come within the reach of accident or
calumny, he withdrew, with his apofiles, out of the
town, every evening; and kept himfelf retired out of
the way, Luke xxi. 37. " And in the day-time he was
** teaching in the temple, and every night he went out
** and abode in the mount, that is called the Mount of
*' Olives," that he might avoid all concourfe to him in
the night, and give no occafion of difturbance, or fuf-
picion of himfelf, in that great conflux of the whole na-
tion of the jews, now ailembled in Jerufalem at the
pafTover.

But to return to his preaching in the temple: he bids
them, John xii. ^6, '' To believe in the Light, whilfl
^* they have it." And he tells them, ver. 46, " I am
'* the Light come into the world, that every one who
'* believes in me, fliould not remain in darknefs;'*
which believing in him, was the believing him to be
the Mefliah, as I have elfewhere fhowed.

The next day. Matt, xxi, he rebukes them for not
having believed John the B^ptift, who had tcftified thai
he was the MelTiah. And then, in a parable, declares,
himfelf to be the *' Son of God," whom they Ihould de-
ilroy ; and that for it God would take away the king-
dom of the Mefiiah from them, and give it to the gen-
tiles. That they underftood him thus, is plain from
Luke xxi. 16. "And when they heard it, they laid,
*/ God forbid." And ver. 19, "For they knew that
*' he had fpoken this parable againft them."

Much to the fame purpofe was his next parable,
concerning "the kingdom of heaven," Matt. xxi.
I— 10, That the jews not accepting of the kingdom

F4 pf

•73 'The Reafonablenefs of Chrijiianityy

the MefTiah, to whom it was firft offered, other fliould
ht brought in.

The I'cribcs and pharifees and chief priefls, not able
to bear the declaration he made of himfelf to be the
MelTiah (by liis diicouifcs and miracles before them,
f/ATrpoo-Gfi/ auTw^, John xii. 37, which he had never done
before) impatient of his preaching and miracles, and
being not able othcrwife to flop the increale of his fol-
lowers, (for, ** faid the phanfees among themfelvcs,
** Perceive ye how ye prevail nothing? Behold, the
** world is gone after him,") John xii. 19. So that
" the chief priefts, and the fcribes, and the chief of the
*' people fought to deftroy him," the firft day of his
entrance into Jerufalem, Luke xix. 47. The next day>
again, they were intent upon the fame thing, Mark xi.
17, 18, ** And he taught in the temple ; and the fcribes
•*^ and the chief priefts heard it, and fought how they
*' might deftroy him; for they feared him, becaufe all
** the people were alf onifhed at his docflrine."

The next day but one, upon his telling them the
kingdom of the Meffiah fliould be taken from them,
** The chief priefls and fcribes fought to lay hands on
** him the fame hour, and they feared the people,"
Luke XX. 19. If they had fo great a defire to lay hold
on him, why did they not? They were the chief priefts
and the rulers, the men of power. The reafon St. Luke
plainly tells us in the next verfe : ** And they watched
*' him, and fent forth fpies, who fhould feign them-
*' felves juft men, that they might take hold of his
*' words ; that fo they might deliver him unto the
** power and authority of the governor." They wanted
matterof accufationagainft him, to the power they were
under ; that they v/atched for, and that they would have
been glad of, if they could have ''entangled him in his
*' talk;" as St. Matthew expreftes it, chap. xxii. 15.
If they .could have laid hold on any word, that had
dropt from him, that they might have rendered him
guilty, or fufpected to the roman governor ; that would
have ferved their turn, to have laid hold upon him, with
hopes to deftroy him. For their power not anfwering
their malice, they could not put him to death by their

own

as delivered in the Scriptures. 7j

own authority, without the permiflion and afliftance of
the governor; as they confefs, John xviii. 31, '' It is
•* not lawful for us to put any man to death." This
made them fo earneft for a declaration in dired: words,
from his own mouth, that he was the Meffiah. It was
not that they would more have believed in him, for fuch
a declaration of himfelf, than they did for his miracles,
or other ways of making himfelf known, which it ap-
pears they underllood well enough. But they wanted
plain direcft words, fuch as might fupport an accufation,
and be of weight before an heathen judge. This was
the reafon, why they prefled him to fpeak out, John x.
24, ** Then came the jews round about him, and faid
*' unto him. How long dofl thou hold us in fufpence?
** If thou be the Meffiah, tell us plainly, zsuppna-ia -,'*
i. e. in direcl words : for that St. John ufes it in that
fent'e we may fee, chap. xi. 11 — i^^ " Jefus faith to
" them, Lazarus lleepeth. His difciples faid. If he
'^ fleeps, he Ihall do well. Howbeit, Jefus fpake of
*' his death ; but they thought he had fpoken of taking
'* reft in deep. Then faid Jefus to them plainly, 7r<iep-
" f?5o-/a, Lazarus is dead." Here we fee what is meant
by zsafpnarioc, PLAIN, direct words, fuch as exprefs the
fame thing without a figure ; and fo they would have
had Jefus pronounce himfelf to be the Meffiah. And
the fame thing they prefs again. Matt. xxvi. 6^, the
high prieft adjuring him by the living God, to tell
them whether he were the Meffiah, the Son of God ;
as we fhall have occafion to take notice by-and-by.

This we may obferve in the whole management of
their delign againft his life. It turned upon this, that
they wanted and wifned for a declaration from him in.
dired: words, that he was the Meffiah ; fomething from
his own mouth that might offisnd the romanpower, and
render him criminal to Pilate. In the 21ft verfe of this
xxth of Luke, *' They afked him, faying, Mafter, we
" know that thou fayeft and teacheft rightly ; neither
" accepteft thou the perfon of any, but teacheft the
" way of God truly. Is it lawful for us to give tribute'
*' to Caefar, or no?" By this captious queftion they
hoped to catch him, which way foever he anfwered.

For

74 '^^^ Reajonahlenefs of Cbrijliantty,

For if he had faid, they ought to pay tribute to Caefar^
it would be plain he allowed their fubjeclion to the ro-
mans ; and fo in effed: difowned himfelf to be their
King and Deliverer; whereby he would have contr-a-
dided what his carriage and dodlrine feemed to aim at,
the opinion that was fpread amongft the people, that
he was the Mefllah. This would have quafhed the
hopes, and deftroyed the faith of thofe that believed on
him ; and have turned the ears and hearts of the people
from him. If on the other fide he anfwered. No, it is
not lawful to pay tribute to Ca^far ; they had had our of
his own mouth, wherewithal to condemn him before
Pontius Pilate. But St. Luke tells us, ver. 23, •* He
*' perceived their craftinefs, and faid unto them. Why
*' tempt yc me?" i. e. Why do ye lay fnares for me?
** Ye hypocrites, fhow me the tribute-money;" fo it
is. Matt. xxii. 19, *' Whofe image and infcripdon has
" it? They faid, Caefar's." He faid unto them, ** Ren-
*' der therefore to Caefar the things that are Csfar's,
•' and to God the things that are God*s." By the wif-
dom and caution of which unexpe(5led anfwer, he de-
feated their whole defign : " And they could not take
** hold of his words before. the people,- and they mar-
" veiled at his anfwer, and held their peace." Luke xx.
26. *' And leaving him, they departed." Matt. xxii. 22.

He having, by this reply, (and what he anfwered to,
the fadducees, concerning the refurrecStion, and to the
lawyer, about the firfl: commandgient, Mark xii.) an-
fwered fo little to their fatisfaClion or advantage, they-
durft: afk him no more queftions, any of them. And now,
their mouths being flopped, he himfelf begins to quef-
tion them about the MelTiah ; afking the pharifees.
Matt. xxii. 41, ** What think ye of the Mediah ? whofc
" fon is he? They fay unto him. The Son of David."
Wherein though they anfwered right, yet he fhows them
in the following wordsj that, however they pretended to
be (ludiers and teachers of the law, yet they underftood
••not clearly the fcriptures concerning the Mefliah; and
thereupon he fharply rebukes their hypocrify, vanity,
pride, malice, covetoufnefs, and ignorance ; and parti-
cularly tells them, ver. 13. " Ye fhut up the kingdom
*' of heaven againd men : for ye neither go in your^

" felvcs^

OS delivered in the Scriptures:, j^.

*«*. felves, nor fuffer ye them that are entering, to go,
*^ in." Whereby he plainly declares to them, that the
Meiliah was come, and his kingdom begun ; but that
they refufed to believe in him themfelves, and did all
they could to hinder others from believing in him ; as
is. manifeft throughout the New Teftament : the hiftory
whereof fufficiently explains what is meant here by
•/ the kingdom of heaven," which the fcribes and pha-
rifees would neither go into themfelves, nor fuffer others
to enter into. And they could not choofe but underftand
him, though he named not himfelf in the cafe.

Erovoked anew by his rebukes, they get prefently to
council. Matt. xxvi. 3, 4. " Then affembled together
*' the chief priefts, and the fcribes^ and the elders of
V the people, unto the palace of the high prieft, who
'' was called Caiaphas, and confulted that they might
" take Jefus by fubtlety, and kill him. But they faid,
'' Not on the feaft-day, left there Ihould be an uproar
*' among the people. For they feared the people,'*
fays Luke, chap. xxii. 2.

Having in the night got Jefus into their hands, by
the treachery of Judas, they prefently led him away
bound to Annas, the father-in-law of Caiaphas. Annas,
probably, having examined him, and getting nothing
out of him for his purpofe, fends him away to Caiaphas,
John xviii. 24, where the chief priefts, the fcribes, and
the elders were affembled. Matt. xxvi. 57. John xviii;
13, 19. ** The high prieft then afked Jefus of his difci-
" pies, and of his dodrine. Jefus anfwered him, I
'* fpake openly to the world : I ever taught in the fyna-
" gogue, and in the temple, whither the jews always
*' refort, and in fecret have I faid nothing." A proof
that he had not in private, to his difciples, declared
himfelf in exprefs words to be the Meffiah, the Prince.
But he goes on : "Why alkeft thou me?" Alk Judas,
who has been always with me. " Afk them who heard
" me, what I have faid unto them; behold, they know
" what I faid." Our Saviour, we fee here, warily de-
clines, for the reafons above-mentioned, all difcourfe
of his dodrine. The fanhedrim. Matt. xxvi. 59,
*' fought falfe witnefs againft him :" but when " they
" found none that were ftifficient," or came up to the

point

y6 The Reafonallenefs of Chrijlianity ,

point they de fired, which was to have fomething againll
him to take away his life, (for fo, I think, the words
io-at and 'U-A mean, Mark xiv. 56, 59.) they try again
Avhat they can get out of him himfelf, concerning his be-
ing the Mefliah ; which if he owned in exprefs words,^
they thought they iliould have enough againfl him at
the tribunal of the roman governor, to make him *' las-
*' fas majeftatis reum," and fo take away his life. They
therefore fay to him, Luke xxii. 67, *' If thou be the
«' MefTiah, tell us." Nay, as St. Matthew hath it, the
high prieft adjures him by the living God, to tell him
whether he were the Meffiah. To which our Saviour
replies, " If I tell you, ye will not believe ; and if I
** alfo afk you, ye will not anfwer me, nor let me go."
If I tell you, and prove to you, by the teftimony given
me from heaven, and by the works that I have done
among you, you v/ill not believe in me, that 1 am the
MefTiah. Or if I fhould afK where the Mefliah is to be
born, and what ftate he fhould come in j how he fliould
appear, and other things that you think in me are not
reconcileable with the MefTiah ; you will not anfwer
me, nor let me go, as one that has no pretence to be
the Mefliah, and vou are not afraid fhould be received
for fuch. But yet I tell you, " Hereafter fhall the Son
" of man fit on the right hand of the power of God,"
ver. 70. " Then fay they All, Art thou then the Son of
'* God? And he faid unto them. Ye fay that I am."
By which difcourfe with them, related at large here by
St. Luke, it is plain, that the anfwer of our Saviour,
fet down by St. Matthew, chap. xxvi. 64, in thefe
words, '' Thou haft faid ;" and by St. Mark, chap. xiv.
62, in thefe, *' I am ;" is an anfwer only to this quef-
tion, "Art thou then the Son of God?" And not to
that other, •* Art thou the Mefliah?" which preceded,
and he had anfw ered to before ; though Matthew and
Mark, contradi ng the ftory, fet them down together,
as if making but one queftion, omitting all the inter-
vening difcourfe ; whereas it is plain out of St. Luke,
that they were two dillind queitions, to which Jefus
gave two diftindt anfwcrs. In the firft whereof he, ac-
cording to his: ufual caution, declined faying in plain

exprefs

as delivered in the Scriptures. "j^

exprefs words, that he was the MefTiah ; though in the
iatter he owned himfclf to be "the Son of God.'*
Which, though they, being jews, underftood to fighify
the Mefliah, yet he knew could be no legal or weighty
accufation againft him, before a heathen; and fo it
proved. For upon his anfwering to their queftion,
^' Art thou then the Son of God ? Ye fay that I am;'*
they cry out, Luke xxii. 71, " What need we any fur-
** ther witnefs? For we ourfelves have heard out of his
" own mouth." And fo thinking they had enough
againft him, they hurry him away to Pilate. Pilate
afking them, John xviii. 29 — 32, *' What accufation
" bring you againft this man ? They anfwered and fa id,
'' If he were not a malefador, we would not have de-
*' livered him up unto thee." Then faid Pilate unto
them, *' Take ye him, and judge him accord inp- to
*' your law." But this would not ferve their turn,
who aimed at his life, and would be fatisfied with no-
thing elfc. " The jews therefore faid unto him. It is
** not lawful for us to put any man to death." And
this was alfo, " That the faying of Jefus might be fui-
" filled, v/hich he fpake, fignifying what' death he
" ftiould die." Purfuing therefore their <jQ\\gn of
making him appear, to Pontius Pilate, guilty of treafon
againft Caefar, Luke xxiii. 2, " They began to accufe
** him, faying. We found this fellow perverting the na-
" tion, and forbidding to give tribute to Cjefar ; fay-
" ing, that he himfelf is the MefTiah, the King;" all
which were inferences of theirs, from his faying, he was
** the Son of God :" which Ponti\is Pilate iindin^T^
(for it is confonant that he examined them to the
precife v.ords he had fliid) their accufation had no
weight with him. However, the name of king being
fuggeded againft Jefus, he thought himfelf concerned to
fearch it to the bottom, John xviii. 2Z — 37- " Then
" Pilate entered again into the judgment-hall, and
" called Jefus, and faid unto him. Art thou the king
*' of the jews? Jefus anfwered him, Sayeft thou this of
" thyfelf, or did others tell it thee of me ? Pilate an-
" fwered. Am I a jew ? Thine own nation and the
" cbief priefts have delivered thee unto me : V/hat haft

*' thou

7? ^he Reafonahknefs of Chriflianity,

" thou done ? Jefus anfwered. My kingdom is not of this
" world : if my kingdom were of this world, then
" would my fervants fight, that I fhould not be deli-
" vered to the jews ; but now my kingdom is not from
" hence. Pilate therefore faid unto him, Art thou a
*' king then ? Jefus anfwered. Thou fayeft that I am a
•* king. For this end was I born, and for this caufe
** came I into the world, that I fhould bear witnefs to
" the truth : every one that is of the truth heareth my
" voice.'* In this dialogue between our Saviour and
Pilate, we may obferve, i. That being afked. Whether
he were "The King of the Jews?" he anfwered fo,
that though he deny it not, yet he avoids giving the
leaft umbrage, that he had any defign upon the govern-
ment. For, though he allows himfelf to be a king, yet,
to obviate any fufpicion, he tells Pilate, " his kingdom
•* is not of this world;" and evidences it by this, that
if he had pretended to any title to that country, his fol-
lowers, which were not a few, and were forward enough
to believe him their king, would have fought for him ;
if he had had a mind to fet himfelf up by force, or his
kingdom were fo to be ereded. " But my kingdom,"
fays he, " is not from hence," is not of this falhion, or
of this place.

2. Pilate being, by his words and circumftances, fa-
tisfied that he laid no claim to his province, or meant
any difturbance of the government ; was yet a little
furprized to hear a man in that poor garb, without re-
tinue, or fo much as a fervant, or a friend, own himfelf
to be a king ; and therefore afl<s him, with fome kind of
wonder, " Art thou a king then ?"

3. That our Saviour declares, that his great bufinefs
into the world was, to teftify and make good this great
truth, that he was a king ; i. e. in other words, that he
was the MelTiah.

4. That whoever were followers of truth, and got
into the way of truth and happinefs, received this doc-
trine concerning him, viz. That he was the Mefliah,
their King.

Pilate being thus fatisfied, that he neither meant, nor
could there arife, any harm from his pretence, what-

€ver
6

as delivered in the Scriptures. 7^

«ver it was, to be a king; tells the jews, ver. 31, "I
** find no fault in this man." But the jews were the
more fierce, Luke xxiii. 5, faying, " He ftirreth up the
** people to fedition, by his preaching through all
" Jewry, beginning from Galilee to this place.'* And
then Pilate, learning that he was of Galilee, Herod's
jurifdidtion, fent him to Herod ; to whom alfo " the
*^ chief priefls and fcribes," ver. 10, ** vehemently ac-
•* cufed him." Herod, finding all their accufations
either falfe or frivolous, thought our Saviour a bare ob-
ject of contempt ; and fo turning him only into ridi-
cule, itnt him back to Pilate ; who, calling unto hini
the chief priefls, and the rulers, and the people, ver.
14, '* Said unto them. Ye have brought this man unto
** me, as one that perverteth the people ; and behold, I
" having examined him before you, have found no
•* fault in this man, touching thefe things whereof ye
** accufe him ; no, nor yet Herod ; for I fent you to
'* him : and lo, nothing worthy of death is done by
*' him." And therefore he would have releafcd him:
'' For he knew the chief priefls had delivered him
^' through envy," Mark xv. 10, And when they de-
manded Barabbas to be releafed, but as for Jefus, cried,
*' Crucify him;" Luke xxiii. 22, ** Pilate faid unto
'* them the third time. Why? What evil hath he done?
*^ I have found no caufe of death in him ; I will, there-
"" fore, chaftife him, and let him go."

We may obferve, in all this whole profecution of the
jews, that they would fain have got it out of Jefus's own
mouth, in exprefs words, that he was the MefTiah c
which not being able to do, with all their art and en-
deavour ; ail the reft that they could allege againft him
not amounting to a proof before Pilate, that he claimed
to be king of the jews; or that he had caufed, or
done any thing towards a mutiny or infurreclion among
the people (for upon thefe two, as vv-e fee, their whole
charge turned) ; Pilate again and again pronounced him
innocent : for fo he did a fourth, aiid a fifth time ;
bringing him out to them, after he had whipped him,
John xix. 4, 6. And after all, " When Pilate faw that
•* he could prevail nothing, but that rather a tumult

'^ was

8o The Reajonablenejs of Chrijliamty,

** was made, he took water, and walhcd his hands be-
*' fore the multitude, laying, I am innocent of the
" blood of this juft man: fee you to it:" Matt, xxvii.
24. Which gives us a clear reafon of the cautious and
wary condud of our Saviour, in not declaring himfelf,
in the whole courfe of his miniftry, fo much as to his
difciplcs ; much lefs to the multitude, or to the rulers
of the jews, in exprefs words, to be the MefTiah the
King; and why he kept himfelf always in prophetical,
or parabolical terms, (he and his difciplcs preaching
only the kingdom of God, i. e. of the Mefliah, to be
come) ; and left to his miracles to declare who he was ;
though this was the truth, which he came into the
world, as he fays himfelf, John xviii. 37, to teftify, and
which his difciplcs were to believe.

When Pilate, fatisfied of his innocence, would have
releafed him ; and the jews perfifted to cry out, " Cru-
** cify him, crucify him," John xix. 6. '' Pilate fays
*' to them. Take ye him yourfelves, and crucify him :
*' for I do not find any fault in him." The jews then,
fince they could not make him a ftate criminal, by
alleging his faying, that he was *^ the Son of God,"
fay, by their law it Vvas a capital crime, ver. 7. *' The
** jews anfwcred to Pilate, We have a law, and by our
" law he ought to die ; becaufe he made himfelf the
" Son of God," i. e. becaufe, by laying '* he is the Son
" of God," he has m.ade himfelf the Mefliah, the pro-
phet, which was to come. For we find no other law
but that againft falfe prophets, Deut. xviii. 20, whereby
'^ making himfelf the Son of God" defcrved death.
After this, Pilate was the more defirous to releafe him,
ver. 12, 13. "But the jews cried out, faying. If thou
'* let this man go, thou art not Cacfar's friend ; whofo-
*' ever maketh himfelf a king, fpcaketh againft Caefar."
Here we fee the ftrefs of their charge againft Jcfusi
whereby they hoped to take away his life, viz. that he
" made himfelf king." We fee alfo upon what they
grounded this accufation, viz. becaufe he had owned
himfelf to be *' the Son of God." For he had, in their
hearing, never made or profefTed himfelf to be a king.
Wc fee here, likewife, the reafon why they were fo de-
firous

{Us delivered in the Scriptures. Zl

fi'rbus to draw from his own mouth a confefllon in exprefs
words, that he was the Meffiah ; viz. That they might
have what might be a clear proof that he did fo. And,
laft of all, we fee rcafon why, though in cxpreflions
which they underftood, he owned himlelf to them to be
the Mefliah ; yet he avoided declaring it to them, in
fuch words as might look criminal at Pilate's tribunal-
He owned himfelf to be the Meffiah plainly, to the un-
derftanding of the jews ; but in ways that could not, to
the underftanding of Pilate, make it appear that he had
laid claim to the kingdom of Judea ; or went about to
make himfelf king of that country. But whether his
faying, that he was *' the Son of God,** was criminal
by their law, that Pilate troubled not himfelf about.

He that confiders what Tacitus, Suetonius, Seneca de
benef. 1. 3. c. 26. fay of Tiberius and his reign, will
find how neceffary it was for our Saviour, if he would
not die as a criminal and a traitor, to take great heed to
his words and actions ; that he did or faid not ahy thing
that might be ofFenlive, or give the lead umbrage to
the roman government. It behoved an innocent man,
whp was taken notice of, for fomething extraordinary in
him; to be very wary under a jealous and cruel prince*
who encouraged informations, and filled his reign with
executions for treafon ; under whom, words fpoken in-
nocently, or in jeft, if they could be mifconftrued,
were made treafon, and profecuted with a rigour, that
made it always the fame thing to be accufed and con-
demned. And therefore we fee, that when the jews
told Pilate> John xix. 12, that he fhould not be a friend
to Caefar, if he let Jefus go (for that v/hoever made
himfelf king, was a rebel againft Casfarj : he afks them'
no more, whether they would take Barabbas, and fparc
Jefus ; but (though againft his confcience) gives him up
to death, to fecure his own head.

One thing more there is, that gives us light into this
Wife and necefTarily cautious management of himfelf,
which manifeftly agrees with it, and makes a part of it :
and that, is, the choice of his apoftles ; exadly fuited to
the defign and forefight of the neceffity of keeping the
declaration of the kingdom of the Meffiah, which was

Vol, VI, G now

S2 The Reafonablenefs of Chrijlianityy

now expcded, within certain general terms, during his
miniftry. It was not fit to open himfelf too plainly or
forwardly to the heady jews, that he himfelf was the
Meffiah : that was to be left to the obfervation of thofe,
who would attend to the purity of his life, the tefti-
mony of his miracles, and the conformity of all with the
predi(5lions concerning him : by thefe marks, thofe he
lived amongft were to find it out, without an exprefs
promulgation that he was the Meffiah, until after his
death. His kingdom was to be opened to them by de-
grees, as mtII to prepare them to receive it, as to ena-
ble him to be long enough amongll them, to perform
what was the work of the Meffiah to be done ; and fulfil
all thofe feveral parts of what was foretold of him in the
Old Teftament, and we fee applied to him in the New.

The jews had no other thoughts of their Meffiah,
but of a mighty temporal prince, that fhould raife their
nation into an higher degree of power, dominion and
profperity, than ever it had enjoyed. They were filled
with the expectation of a glorious earthly kingdom. It
was not, therefore, for a poor man, the fon of a carpenter,
and (as they thought) born in Galilee, to pretend to it.
None of the jews, no, not his difciples, could have
born this, if he had exprefsly avowed this at firfl, and
began his preaching and the opening of his kingdom
this way, efpccially if he had added to it, that in a year
or two, he fhould die an ignominious death upon the
crofs. They are therefore prepared for the truth by de-
grees. Firfl, John the Baptift tells them, " The king-
** dom of God" (a name by which the jews called the
kingdom-of the Meffiah) "is at hand." Then our Sa-
viour comes, and he tells them " of the kingdom of
** Godi" fomctimes that it is at hand, and upon fomc
occafions, that it is come ; but fays, in his public
preaching, little or nothing of himfelf. Then conic the
apoftles and evangel ifis after his death, and they, in ex-
prefs "words, teach what his birth, life, and doctrine had
done before, and had prepared the wcU-difpofed to re-
ceive, viz. That '* Jcfus is the Meffiah."

To this dcfign and method of publiihing the gofpel,

was

as delivered in the Scriptures. 83

"^vas the choice of the apoftles exactly adjufled ; a com-
pany of poor, ignorant, illiterate men,- who, as Chrift
himfelf tells us. Matt. xi. 25. and Luke x. 21, were not
of the " wife and prudent" men of the world : they
were, in that refpedi, but mere children. Thefe, con-
vinced by the miracles they faw him daily do, and the
unblameable life he led, might be difpofed to believe
him to be the MelTiah : and though they, with others,
expected a temporal kingdom on earth, might yet reft
fatisfied in the truth of their mafter, (who had honoured
them with being near his perfon) that it would come,
without being too inquifitive after the time, manner, or
feat of his kingdom, as men of letters, more ftudied in
their rabbins, or men of bulinefs, more verfed in the
world, would have been forward to have been. Men,
great or wife in knowledge, or ways of the world,
would hardly have been kept from prying more nar-
rowly into his defign and conduct ; or from queflioning
him about the ways and meafures he would take, for
afcendimg the throne ; and what means were to be ufed
towards it, and when they fhould in earneft fet about
it. Abler men, of higher births or thoughts, would
hardly have been hindered from whifpering, at leaft to
their friends and relations, that their mafter was the
Melliah j and that, though he concealed himfelf to a
fit opportunity, and until things were ripe for it, yet
they ftiould, ere long, fee him break out of his obfcu-
rity, caft off" the cloud, and declare himfelf, as he was.
King of Ifrael. But the ignorance and lownefs of thefe
good, poor men, made them of another temper. They
went along, in an implicit truft on him, pnndlually
keeping to his commands, and not exceeding his com-
million. When he fent them to preach the gofpel, he
bid them preach *' the kingdom of God" to be at hand;
and that they did, without being more particular than
he had ordered, or mixing their own prudence with his
commands, to promote the kingdom of the Meffiah.
They preached it, without giving, or fo much as inti-
mating that their mafter was he : which men of another
condition, and an higher education, would fcarce have
forborn to have done. When he alked them, who they

G 2 though r

■^4 ^he "keaJonaUencfs of Chrijiianity,

thought him to be; and Peter anfvvcrcd, ** The Mefliah,
•* the Son of God," Matt. xvi. i6, he plainly ihows by
the following words, that he himfelf had not told them
lb ; and at the fame time, vcr. 20, forbids them to tell
this their opinion of him to any body. How obedient
they were to him in this, we may not only conclude
from the filence of the cvangelifls concerning any fuch
thing, publi(hed by them any where before his death ;
but from the exadl obedience three of them paid to a
like command of his. He takes Peter, James, and
John, into a mountain; and there Mofes and Elias.
coming to him, he is transfigured before them. Matt,
xvii. 9. He charges them, faying, *' See that ye tell
•* no man what ye have feen, until the Son of man fhall
•* be rifen from the dead." And St. Luke tells us, what
pundlual obfervers they were of his orders in this cafe,
chap. ix. 36. ** They kept it clofe, and told no man,
«* in thofc days, any of thofe things which they had
« fecn."

Whether twelve otlier men, of quicker parts, and of
% flation or breeding, which might have given them any
opinion of themfelves, or their own abilities, would have
been fo eafily kept from meddling, beyond juft what was
prefcribed them, in a matter they had fo much intereft
in ; and have faid nothing of what they might, in hu-
man prudence, have thought would have contributed to
their mafter's reputation, and made way for his advance-
ment to his kingdom ; I leave to be conlidered. And
it may fuggcll matter of meditation, whether St. Paul
vas not for this rcafon, by his learning, parts, and
"Warmer temper, better fitted for an apoftle after, than
during our Saviour's miniftry : and therefore, though a
chofen velFel, was not by the divine wifdom called, until
after ChrilVs rcfurrc(5lion.

I offer this only as a fubjedl of magnifying the admi-
rable contrivance of the divine wifdom, in the whole
work of our redemption, as far as we are able to trace
it, by the footflcps which God hath made vifible to hu-
man rcafon. For though it be as eafy to omnipotent
power to do all things by an immediate over-ruling
will, and fo to make any inftruments work, even con-

trar)!.

as delivered in the Scriptures. 5^

trary to their nature, in fubferviency to his ends ; yec
his wifdom is not ufually at the expence of miracles,
(if I may fo fay) but only in cafes that require them,
for the evidencing of fome revelation or million to be
from him. He does conftantly (unlefs where the con-
firmation of fome truth requires it otherwife) bring
about his purpofes by means operating according to
their natures. If it were not fo, the courfe and evidence
of things would be confounded, miracles would lofe
their name and force j and there could be no diftind:ion
between natural and fupernatural.

There had been no room left to fee and admire the
wifdom, as well as innocence of our Saviour, if he had
rafhly every-where expofed himfelf to the fury of the
jews, and had always been preferved by a miraculous
fufpenfion of their malice, or a miraculous refcuing
him out of their hands. It was enough for him once
to efcape from the men of Nazareth, who were go-
ing to throw him down a precipice, for him never to
preach to them again. Our Saviour had multitudes
that followed him for the loaves ; who barely feeing the
miracles that he did, would have made him king. If
to the miracles he did, he had openly added, in exprefs
words, that he was the Melliah, and the king they ex-
pedled to deliver them, he would have had more fol-
lowers, and warmer in the caufe, and readier to fet him
up at the head of a tumult. Thefe indeed God, by a
miraculous influence, might have hindered from any
fuch attempt : but then pofterity could not have be-
lieved, that the nation of the jews did, at that time, ex-
ped: the Mefliah, their king and deliverer ; or that Je-
fus, who declared himfelf to be that king and deliverer,
fliowed any miracles amongft them, to convince them
of it ; or did any thing worthy to make him be cre-
dited or received: If he had gone about preaching to
the multitude, which he drew after him, that he was
the " Meffiah, the king of Ifrael," and this had been
evidenced to Pilate ; Grod could indeed, by a fuperna-
tural influence upon his mind, have made Pilate pro-
nounce him innocent, and not condemn him as a male-
iiiclor, who had openly, for three years together, preached

G ^ fedition

86 'The Reafonahknefs of Chriftianity^

fedition to the people, and endeavoured to perfuade
them, that he was '' the MefTiah, their king/' of the
royal blood of David, come to deliver them. But then
I afk, Whether pofterity would not either have fufpedled
the rtory, or that fome art had been ufed to gain that
teflimony from Pilate? Becaufe he co;ld not (for no-
thing) have been fo favourable to Jefus, as to be willing
to relcafe (c turbulent and feditious a m.an ; to declare
him innocent, and to caft the blame and guilt of his
death, as unjuft, upon the envy of the jews.

But now, the malice of the chief priefls, fcribes and
pharifees ; the headinefs of the mob, animated with
hopes, and raifed with miracles ; Judas's treachery, and
Pilate's care of his government, and of the peace of his
province, all workmg naturally as they fhould ; Jefus,
by the admirable warinefs of his carriage, and an ex-
traordinary wifdom, vifible in his whole condudl j wea-
tht;s alLthefe difficulties, docs the work he comes ior,
uninterruptedly goes about preaching his full appointed
time, fufficiently manifefts himfelf to Le the Mefliah, in
all the particulars the fcriptures had foretold of him ;
and when his hour is come, fufters death : but is ac-
knowledged, both by Judas that betrayed, and Pilate
that condemned him, to die innocent. For, to ufe his
own words, Luke xxiv. 46, " Thus it is written, and
** thus it behoved the MefTiah to fufter." And of his
whole condudl we have a reafon and clear refolution in
thofe words to St. Peter, Matt. xxvi. 53, " Thinkeft
'* thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he
-*f fliall prefently give me more than twelve legions of
'* angels.? But how then fhall the fcripture be fulfilled,
*' that thus it muft be?"

Having this clew to guide us, let us now obfcrvc, how
our Saviour's preaching and condudl comported with it in
the laft fccne of his life. How cautious he had been in
the former part of his rniniftry, we have already ob-
fcrved. We never find him to ufe the name of ^he Mef-
fiah but once, until he now came to Jerufalem, this laft
pafTover. Before this, his preaching and miracles were
Icfs at Jerufalem, (where he ufed to make but Very Diort
flays] than any where cife. But now [le comes fix days

before

as deliver td in the Scriptures. %"}

before the feaft, and is every day in the temple teach-
ing; and there publicly heals the blind and the lame,
in the prefence of the fcribes, pharifees, and chief
priefts. The time of his miniftry drawing to an end,
and his hour coming, he cared not how much the thief
priefts, elders, rulers, and the lanhedrim, were provoked
againft him by his dodtrine and miracles : he was as
open and bold in his preaching, and doing the works
of the MeiTiah now at Jerufalem, and in the light of the
rulers, and of all the people ; as he had been before
cautious and referved there, and careful to be little taken
notice of in that place, and not to come in their way
more than needs. All that he now took care of was,
not what they fhould think of him, or defign againft
him, (for he knew they would feizc him) but to fay or
do nothing that might be a juft matter of accufatioa
againft him, or render him criminal to the governor.
But, as for the grandees of the jewilli nation, he fpares
them not, but liiarply now reprehends their mifcar-
riages publicly in the temple ; where he calls them,
more than once, " hypocrites ;" as is to be feen. Matt,
xxiii. And concludes all with no fofter a compellation
than " ferpents," and " a generation of vipers."

After this fevere reproof of the fcribes and pharifees,
being retired with his difciples into the ** Mount of
Olives" over-againft: the temple, and there foretelling
the deftrucflion of it; his difciples afk him, Matt. xxiv.
3, &c. ^* When it fhould be, and what fliould be the
" lign of his coming ?" He fays, to them, " Take heed
*' that no man deceive you : for many fhall come in my
" name," (i. c. laking on them the name and dignity of
the MeiTiah, which is only mine) faying, ** I am the
'^ MelTiah, and fliall deceive many." But be not you by
them mifled, nor by perfecution driven away from., this
fundamental truth, that I am the MelTiah ; " for many
" (hall be fcandalized," and apoftatize ; ^* but he that
" endures to the end, the fame Ihall be faved : and this
." gofptl of the kingdom Ihall be preached in all the
•' world;" i. e. the good news of me, the Mediah, and
my kingdom, ihall be fpread through the world. This
was the great and only point of belief they were warned
to ftick to; and this is inculcated again, ver. .23,-— i6,

G 4 aud

t^^ The ReafonahUnefs of Chrijliamty,

ar^d Mark xiii. 21, — 23, "with this cmphatical applica-
tion to them, in both thcfe evangclifts, " Behold, I have
** told you beforehand ; remember^ you are fore-
*' warned."

This was in anfwer to the apoftles inquiry, concern-
ing his ** coming, and the end of the world," ver. 3.
For fo we tranflate t^? o-u^IsAt/af i^a oduvoq. We muft un-
derftand the difciples here to put their queflion, accord-
ing to the notion and way of fpeaking of the Jews. For
they had two worlds, as we tranflate it, 0 vZv. aluvy ^ 0
ptXAwv a»wi/ ; " the piefent world," and the ** w^orld to
*' come." The kingdom of God, as they called it, or
the time of the Mefliah, they called 0 fj/ixxm aswi/, ** the
world to come," which they believed was to put an end
to " this world ;" and that then the juft fhould be raifcd
from the (jiead, to enjoy in that '* new world" a happy
eternity, wdth thofe of the jewifli nation, who Ihould
be then living.

Thefe two things, viz. the viflble and powerful ap-
pearance of his kmgdom, and the end of the world,
being confounded in the apofl:les queftion, our Saviour
does not feparate them, nor diftindly reply to them
apart ; but, leaving the inquirers in the common opi-
liion, anfwers at once concerning his coming to take
vengeance on the jewifli nation, and put an end to their
church worfliip and commonwealth ; which was their
^ ^u^ u\uvt ** prefcnt world," which they counted fiiould
iait till the Mefliah came ; and fo it did, and then had
an end put to it. And to this he joins his laft coming
to judgment, in the glory of his Father, to put a final
end to this world, and all the difpenfation belonging
to the pofterity of Adam upon earth. This joining
them together, made his anfwer obfcure, and hard to be
underftood by them then ; nor was it fafe for him to
fpeak plainer of his kingdom, and the deftrudlion of
Jcruf^km ; unlefs he had a mind to be accufed for hav-,
ing defigns againfl: the government. For Judas was
amongft them : and whether no other but his apoftles
were comprehended under the name of ** his difciples,'*
who were with him at this time, one cannot determine.
Our Saviour, therefore, fpeaks of his kingdom in no
other ftyle, but that which he had all along hitherto

ufcd.

as delivered in the Scrtpiures. 89

ufed, v'lT,, ** the kingdom of God,'* Luke xxi. 31.
** When you fee thefe things come to pafs, know yc
*' that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand." And
continuing on his difcourfe with them, he has the fame
expreflion. Matt. xxv. i. " Then the kingdom of
*' heaven fhall be like unto ten virgins." At the end
of the following parable of the talents, he adds, ver. 31,
** When the Son of man fhall come in his glory, and
*' all the holy angels with him, then fliall he lit upon
" the throne of his glory. And before him fhall be
^' gathered all the nations. And he fliall fet the fheep
'* on his right hand, and the goats on his left. Then
" Ihall the King fay, &c." Here he defcribes to his
difciples the appearance of his kingdom, wherein he
will Ihow himfelf a king in glory upon his throne; but
this in fuch a way, and fo remote, and fo unintelligible
to an heathen magiftrate ; that, if it had been alleged
againfl him, it would have feemed rather the dream of
a crazy brain, than the contrivance of an ambitious or
dangerous man, deligning againft the government : the
way of expreding what he meant, being in the pro-
phetic ftyle, which is feldom fo plain as to be under-
ftood, till accomplifhed. It is plain, that his difciples
themfelves comprehended not what kingdom he here
fpoke of, from their queftion to him after his refurrec-
tion, " Wilt thou at this time reftore again the king-
** dom unto Ifrael ?"

Having finilhed thefe difcourfes, he takes order for
the pafTover, and eats it with his difciples ; and at fup-
per tells them, that one of them fhould betray him ;
and adds, John xiii. 19, "I tell it you now, before it
'' come, that when it is come to pafs, you may know
" that I am." He docs not fay out, " the MefTiah ;"
Judas fhould not have that to fay againft him, if he
■would ; though that be the fenfe in which he ufes this
€xprelIion, iyu> elfMiy *' I am," more than once. And
that this is the meaning of it, is clear from Mark xii. 6.
Luke xxi. 8. In both which evangelifts the words are,
** For many fhall come in my name, faying, syw £</x», I
*' am:" the meaning whereof we fhall find explained
in the parallel place of St. Maithcvv, chap. xxiv. f.

9© Ihe Rcajdiiahlenejs of Chrifiianilyy

** For many fliall come in my name, faying, tyw n'/xt o
Xpirc?, " I am the Meffiah." Here, in this place of
John xiii, Jefus foretcls what Ihould happen to him,
viz. that he fhould be betrayed by Judas ; adding this
prediction to the many other particulars of his death
and fulFering, which he had at other times foretold to
them. And here he tells them the reafon of thefe his
predi/Ttions, viz. that afterwards they might be a con-
iirmation to their faith. And what was it that he would
have them believe, and be confirmed in the belief of?
Nothing but this, on s-yw i\^\. o Xpifog, ^' that he was the
*' MelTiah." The fame reafon he gives, John xiv. 28,
** You have heard how I faid unto you, I go away, and
** come again unto you : and now I have told you, be^
** fore it comes to pafs, that when it comes to pafs, ye
** miffht believe."

When Judas had left them, and was gone out, he
talks a little freer to them of his glory and his king-
dom, than ever he had done before. For now he fpeaks
plainly of himfelf, and of his kingdom, John xiii. 31,
*' Therefore when he [Judas] was gone out, Jefus faid.
Now is the Son of man glorified, and God is alfo glori-
fied in him. And, if God be glorified in him, God
** fhall alfo glorify him in himfelf, and fhall ll:raitwa,y
*' glorify him." And Luke xxii. 29, " And I Avill
*' appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath
'^ appointed unto me ; that ye may eat and drink with
*' me at my tai)le, in my kingdom." Though he has
every where, all along through his miniftry, preached
the " gofpel of the kingdom," and nothing elfe but
that and repentance, and the duties of a good life :
yet it has been always " the kingdom of God,*'
and '' the kingdom of heaven :" and I do not remem-
ber, that any where, till now, he ufes any fuch exprcf-
fion, as *■' my kingdom." But here now he fpeaks in
the iirfl: pcrfon, " I will appoint you a kingdom," and,
*' in my kingdom :" and this we fee is only to the ele-
ven, uvAv Judas was gone from them.

With thcfc eleven, whom he was juft now leaving, he
has a long difcourfe, to comfort them for the lofs of
liiin ^ and 10 pr( pare them for the perfecution of the

world.

as delivered in the Scriptures. ^r

world, and to exhort them to keep his commandments,
and to love one another. And here one may cxpedt all
the articles of faith fhould be laid down plainly, if any
thing elfe were required of them to believe, but what
he had taught them, and they believed already, viz.
" That he was the MefTiah." John xiv. i, " Ye be-
" iieve ii\ God, believe alfo in me." Ver. 29. " I have
*' told you before it come to pafs, that when it is come
'* come to pafs, ye may believe." It is believing on
him without any thing elfe. John xvi. 31, " Jefus an-
** fwered them, Do ye now believe ?" This was in an-
fwer to their profeffion, ver. 30, " Now are we fure
" that thou knoweft all things, and needeft not that
" any man fhould alk thee: hy this we believe that thou
.'^ cameft forth from God."

John xvii. 20, " Neither pray I for thefe alone, but
^* for them alfo which fhall believe on me through their
" word." All that is fpoke of believing, in this his
laft fermon to them, is only " believing on him," or
believing that *' he came from God 5" which was no
other than believing him to be the Meffiah.

Indeed, John xiv. 9, our Saviour tells Philip, '^ He
*' that hath feen me, hath feen the Father." And adds,
ver. 10, *' Believeft thou not that I am in the Father,
** and the Father in me ? The words that I fpcak unto
^* you, I fpeak not of myfelf : but the Father that dwel-
** leth in me, he doth the works." Which being in
anfwer to Philip's words, ver. 9, *' Show us the Father,"
feem to import thus much: *' No man ha' ^Qtn. God
" at any time," he is known only by his works. A. id
that he is my Father, and I the Son of God, i, e. the
MelTiah, you may know by the works I have done ;
which it is impoflible I could do of myfelf, but by the
union I have with God my Father. For that by
being " in God," and '' God in him," he fignifics fuch
an union with God, that God operates in and by him,
appears not only by the words above cited out of ver. 10.
(which can fcarce otherwife be made coherent fcnfe)
but alfo from the fame phrafe, ufcd again b)' our Saviojr
prefently after, ver. 20, *' At that day," viz. after his
refurrection, a\ hen they fhould fee him again, ** you ihail

** know

92 ^he Reafonablenefs of Chnjiiani/y,

*' know that I am in the Father, and you in me, and I
'* in you ;" i. e. by the works that I fliall enable you to
do, through a power I have received from the Father :
which whofoever fees me do, muft acknowledge the Fa-
ther to be in me ; and whofoever fees you do, muft ac-
knowledge me to be in you. And therefore he fays,
ver. 12, *^ Verily, verily, I fay unto you, he that believ-
•' eth on me, the works that I do ihail he do alfo, be-
** caufe I go unto my Father." Though I go away,
yet I fhall be in you, who believe in me ; and ye fhall
be enabled to do miracles alfo, for the carrying on of my
kingdom, as I have done; that it may bemanifefted to
others, that you are fent by me, as I have evidenced to
you, that I am fent by the Father. And hence it is
that he fays, in the immediately preceding ver. ii,
" Believe me, that I am in the Father, and the Father
*' in me ; if not, believe me for the fake of the works
** themfelves." Let the works that I have done convince
you, that I am fent by the Father ; that he is with me,
and that I do nothing but by his will ; and by virtue of
the union I have with him ; and that confequently I am
the Mefliah, who am anointed, fand:ified, and feparated
by the Father, to the work for which he fent me.

To confirm them in this faith, and to enable them to
do fuch works as he had done, he promifes them the
Holy Ghoft, John xiv. 25, 26. " Thefe things I have
*' faid unto you, being yet prefent with you." But
when I am gone, " The Holy Ghoft, the Paraclet,'*
(which may fignify Monitor, as well as Comforter, or
Advocate) ** which the Father lliall fend you in my
** name, he ftiall fhow you all things, and bring to your
** remembrance all things which I have faid." So that,
confidering all that I have faid, and laying it together,
and comparing it with what you Ihall fee come to pafs ;.
vou may be more abundantly alTured, that I am the
Mciliah ; and fully comprehend, that I have done and
fuffercd all things foretold of the Mcffiah, and that
MCYC to be accomplin-ied and fulfilled by him, according
to the fcripturcs. But be not filled with grief, that I leave
you, John xvi. 7, " It is expedient for you, tiiat I go
♦• away ; for if I go not away, the Paraclet will not

come

«j delivered in the Scriptures. 93

** coTTie unto you." One reafon why, if he went not away,
the Holy Ghoft could not come, we may gather from
•what has been obferved, concerning the prudent and
wary carriage of our Saviour all through his miniftry,
that he might not incur death with the lead fufpicion
of a malefadlor. And therefore, though his difciples
believed him to be the Mefliah, yet they neither under-
ftood it fo well, nor were fo well confirmed in the belief
of it, as after that, he being crucified and rifen again,
they had received the Holy Ghoft ; and with the gifts
of the Holy Spirit, a fuller and clearer evidence and
knowledge that he was the MeiTiah. They then were
enlightened to fee how his kingdom was fuch as the
fcriptures foretold ; though not fuch as they, till then,
had expedled. And now this knowledge and afTurance,
received from the Holy Ghofl, was of ufe to them after
his refurrecftion ; when they could now boldly go about,
and openly preach, as they did, that Jefus was the Mef-
liah ; confirming that docflrine by the miracles which
the Holy Ghoft empowered them to do. But till he
•was dead and gone, they could not do this. Their go-
ing about openly preaching, as they did after his refur-
red:ion, that Jefus was the Mefliah, and doing miracles
every where, to make it good, would not have confifted
with that charadler of humility, peace and innocence,
which the MefTiah was to fuftain, if they had done it
before his crucifixion. For this would have drawn upon
him the condemnation of a malefadlor, either as a ftirrer
of fedition againft the public peace, or as a pretender
to the kingdom of Ifrael. Hence we fee, that they,
who before his death preached only the " gofpel of
*' the kingdom ;" that " the kingdom of God was at
" hand ;" as foon as they had received the Holy Ghoft,
after his refurredion, changed their ftyle, and every
where in exprefs words declare, that Jefus is the Mef-
fiah, that King which was to come. This, the following
words here in St. John xvi. 8 — 14. confirm ; where he
goes on to tell them, " And when he is come, he will
** convince the world of fin ; becaufe they believed not
** on me." Your preaching then, accompanied with
miracles, by the afTiftance of the Holy Ghoft, flmll be a

convidion

94 ^^-^ ReafonahUnefs of Chrijiiamtyt

conviction to the v.crld, that the jcws finned in not be-
lieving me to be the MeiHah. *' Of righteoufhefs," or
jufticc ; ** hecaufe 1 go to my Father, and ye fee me no
more." By the fame preaching and miracles you ihall
conlirm :he do^flrine of my afcenfion ; and thereby con-
vince the world, that I was that juft one, who am, there-
fore, afcended to the Fatner into heaven, where no un-
juft perfon fhall enter, *' Of judgment ; becaufe the
prince of this world is judged." And by the fame aifif-
tance of the Holy Ghoft ye fliall convince the world,
that the devil is judged or condemned by your carting
of hini out, and deftroying his kingdom, and his wor-
Ihip, where-ever you preach. Our Saviour adds, *' I
•* have yet many things to fay unto you, but you
*' cannot bear them now." They were yet fo full of
a temporal kingdom, that they could not bear the dif-
covery of what kind of kingdom his was, nor what a
king he was to be : and therefore he leaves them to the
coming of the Holy Ghoft, for a farther and fuller dif-
covery of himfelf, and the kingdom of the McfTiah ; for
fear they fhould be fcandalized in him, and give up the
hopes they now had in him, and forfake him. This
he tells them, ver. i, of this xvith chapter : *' Thefe
*' things I have faid unto you, that you may not be
** fcandalized." The laft thing he had told them, be-
fore his faying this to them, we find in the laft verfes
6f the preceding chapter: ** When the Paraclet is come,
** the Spirit of truth, he fhall witnefs concerning me."
He ftiall ftiow you who I am, and witnefs it to th^
world ; and then, *' Ye alfo fhall bear witnefs, becaufe
*' ye have been with me from the beginnmg." He
fhall call to your mind what I have faid and done, that
ye may undcrftand it, and know, arid bear witnefs con-
cerning me. And again here, John xvi, after he had
told them they could not bear what he had more to fay,
he adds^ ver. 13, *^ Howbeit, when the Spirit of truth
** is come, he will guide you into all truth ; and he will
•* fliow you thing-s to come: he ftiall gloilfy me." By
the Spirit, when he comes, ye ftiall be fully inftrufted
concerning me ; and though you cannot yet, from what
1 have faid to you, clearly compichen^ my kingdom

and

as delivered in the Scriptures, • ,95

and glory, yet he fliall make it known to yoii wherein
it confifls : and though I am now in a mean flate, and
ready to be given up to contempt, torment, and death,
fo that ye know not what to think of it ; yet the Spirit,
when he comes, *' lliall glorify me," and fully fatisfy you
of my power and kingdom ; and that I fit on the right
hand of God, to ordeV all things for the good and in-
creafe of it, till I come again at the laft day, in the ful-
nefs of glory.

Accordingly, the apoftles had a full and clear fight
and perfuafion of this, after they had received the Holy
Ghoft; and they preached it every where boldly and
openly, without the leaft remainder of doubt or uncer-
tainty. But that, even fo late as this, they underftood
not his death and refurredion, is evident from ver. 17,
1 8, '* Then faid fome of his difciples among themfelves,
" "What is it that he faith unto us ; A little while, and
" ye fhall not fe.. me; and again, a little while, and ye
" fhall fee me ; and becaufe I go to the Father? They
•• faid therefore. What is this that he faith, A little
*' while? We know not what he faith." Upon which
he goes on to difcourfe to them of his death and refur-
rcction, and of the power they fhould have of doing mi-
racles. But all this he declares to them in a mylHcal
and involved way of fpeaking : as he tells them himfelf,
ver. 25, " Thcfe things have I fpoken to you in pro-
" verbs ;" i. e. in general, obfcure, renigmatical, or
figurative terms (all which, as well as allufive apo-
logues, the jews called proverbs or parables.) Hicherto
my declaring of myfelf to you hath been obfcure, and
with refervc ; and I have not fpoken of myfelf to you in
plain and direct words, becaufe ye *' could not bear it."
A Melliah, and not a King, you could not underiland :
and a King living in poverty and perfecution, and dy-
ing the death of a flave and malefadlor upon a crofs ;
you could not put together. And had I told you in
plain words, that I was the Mcfliah, and given you a
direcl commiflion to preach to others, that 1 profeiTedly
owned myfelf to be the Mefliah ; you and they would
have been ready to have made a commotion, to have fct
Flie uppn the throne of my father P^vid, and to fight for

me :

^6 The Reafonahlenefs of Chrijlianity,

mc; and that your Mefllah, your King, in whom arc
your hopes of a kingdom, Ihould not be delivered up
into the hands of his enemies, to be put to death ; and
of this Peter will inftantly give you a proof. But ** the
'* time Cometh, when I Ihall no more fpeak unto you
** in parables ; but I Ihall fhow unto you plainly of the
•* Father." My death and refurredion, and the coming
of the Holy Ghofl, will fpeedily enlighten you, and then
I fliall make you know the will and defign of my Fa-
ther ; 'what a kingdom I am to have, and by what means,
and to what end, ver. 27. And this the Father himfelf
will Ihow unto you ; ** For he loveth you, becaufe ye
•* have loved me, and have believed that I came out
" from the Father." Becaufe ye have believed that I
am " the Son of God, the Mefliah ;" that he hath
anointed and fent me ; though it hath not yet been fully
difcovered to you, what kind of kingdom it Ihall be, nor
by what means brought about. And then our Saviour,
without being afked, explaining to them what he had
faid, and making them underftand better what before
they ftuck at, and complained fecretly among them-
felves that they underftood not ; they thereupon declare,
ver. 30, " Now are we fure that thou knoweft all things,
•* and needed not that any man fhould afk thee." It is
plain, thou knoweft men's thoughts and doubts before
they afk. " By this we believe that thou cameft forth
•* from God. Jefus anfwercd. Do ye now believe?"
Notwithftanding that you now believe, that I came from
God, and am the Mefliah, fent by him ; " Behold, the
•* hour Cometh, yea, is now come, that ye fhall be fcat-
" tered;" and as it is Matth. xxvi. 31, and '* fhall all
*' be fcandalized in me." What it is to be fcandalized
in him, we may fee by what followed hereupon, if that
w hich he fays to St. Peter, Mark xiv, did not fufficiently
explain it.

This I have been the more particular in ; that it may
be feen, that in this lafl difcourfe to his difciplcs (where
he opened himfelf more than he had hitherto done ; and
where, if any thing more was required to make them
believers than what they already believed, wc might
have expected they fhould have heard of it) there were

ttO

%

as delivered in the Scriptures, 97

no new articles propofed to them, but what they be-
lieved before, viz. that he was the Meffiah, the Son of
God, fent from the Father ; though of his manner of
proceeding, and his fudden leaving of the world, and'
fome few particulars, he made them underftand fome-
thing more than they did before. But as to the main
defign of the gofpel, viz. that he had a kingdom, that
he fhould be put to death, and rife again, and afcend
into heaven to his Father, and come again in glory to
judge the world; this he had told them: and fo had
acquainted them with the great counfel of God, in fend-
ing him the Meffiah, and omitted nothing that was ne-
celfary to be known or believed in it. And fo he tells
them himfelf, John xv. 15, " Henceforth I call you
" not fervants ; for the fervant knoweth not what his
** Lord does : but I have called you friends ; for all
" THINGS that I have heard of my Father, I have made
"■ known unto you ;" though perhaps ye do not fo
fully comprehend them, as you will Ihortly, when I
am rifen and afcended.

To conclude all, in his prayer, which fliuts up this
difcourfe, he tells the Father, what he had made known
to his apoftles ; the refult whereof we have, John xvii. 8.
•' I have given unto them the words which thou gavefl
'* me, and they have received them, and they have

*' BELIEVED THAT THOU DIDST SEND ME." Which is,

in etfe6t, that he was the Mefliah promlfed and fent by
God. And then he prays for them, and adds, ver.
20, 21, *' Neither pray I for thefe alone, but for them
'* alfo who fliall believe on me through their word.'*
What that word was, through which others fliould be-
lieve in him, we have feen in the preaching of the apo-
ftlcs, all through the hiftory of the Acls, viz. this one
great point, that Jefus was the Meffiah. The apoftles,
he fays, ver. 25, " know that thou haft fent me;" i. e.
are affured that I am the Meiliah. And in ver. 21 and
23, he prays, *' That the world may believe" (vvhichj,
ver. 23, is called knowing} "^ that thou haft fent me."
So that what Chrift would have believed by his difci-
plcs, we may fee by this his laft prayer for them, when
Vol. VL ' H ' he

9S 9"/>«f Reafonahlenefs of Chrijiianilyy

he was leaving the world, as by what he preached whilfl:
he was in it.

And, as a tcftimony of this, one of his laft ad:ions,
even when he was upon the crofs, was to confirm his
doiltrine, by giving falvation to one of the thieves that
was crucified with him, upon his declaration, that he
believed him to be the Melliah : for fo much the words
of his rcqucft imported, v. hen he faid, " Remember
" me. Lord, when thou comeft into thy kingdom,"
Luke xxiii. 42. To which Jefus replied, ver. 43,
*' Verily, I fay unto thee. To-day fhalt thou be with
** me in paradife." An expreilion very remarkable :
for as Adam, by lin, loft: paradife, i. e. a ftate of happy
immortality ; here the believing thief, through his faith
in Jefus the Melfiah, is promifed to be put in paradife,
and fo re-inft:ated in an happy immortality.

Thus our Saviour ended his life. And what he did
after his refurredion, St. Luke tells us, A^fls i. 3, That
he fnowed himfelf to the apoftles, ** forty days, fpeak-
'* ing things concerning the kingdom of God." This
was what our Saviour preached in the whole courfe of
his miniflry, before his pallion : and no other mylteries
of faith does he now difcover to them after his refurrec-
tion. All he fays, is concerning the kingdom of God;
and what it was he faid concerning that, we Ihall fee
prcfently out of the other evangeliils ; having hill only
taken notice, that when now they aiked him, ver. 6^
** Lord, \\ ilt thou at this time rellore again the king-
*' dom of Ifrael ? He faid unto them, ver. 7, It is not
^* for you to know the times and the feafons, which the
•' Father hath put in his own power; but ye ihall
** receive power, after that the Holy Ghoft is come
•* upon you; and ye ihall be wiineires unto me, un-
*' to the utmolt parts of the, earth." Their great
bufinefs was to be witneires to Jcl\is, of his life, death,
relurreclion, and afcenlion ; which, put together, were
undeniable proofs of his being the Mclliah. This was
what they were to preach, and what he faid to them,
concerning the kingdom of God ; as will appear by
what is recorded of it in the other cvangelilfs.

When

as delivered in the Scriptures, 99

When on the day of his refurredion he appeared to
the two going to Emmaus, Luke xxiv, they declare,
ver. 21, what his dilciples faith in him was : '' But we
*' trufted that it had been he that fhould have redeemed
" Ifrael;" i. e. we believed that he Vvas the Meffiah,
come CO deliver the nation of the jews. Upon this,
Jefus tells them, they ought to believe him to be the
MelTiah, notwithflanding what had happened; nay, they
ought, by his fufFerings and death, to be confirmed in
that faith, that he was the Melliah. And ver. 26, 27,
•* Beginning at Mofes and all the prophets^ he ex-
'' pounded unto them, in all the fcriptures, the thincrs
'* concerning himfelf," how, " that the Mefliah oughc
*' to have fuffercd thefe things, and to have entered into
*^ his glory." Now he applies the prophecies of the
Mediah to himfelf, which we read not, that he did ever
do before his paflion. And afterwards appearing to the
eleven, Luke xxiv. 36, he faid unto them, ver. 44 — 47,
" Thefe are the words, which I fpake unto you, while
** I was yet with you, that all things mud be fulfilled
*^ which are written in the law of Mofes, and in the
*^ prophets, and in the pfalms concerning me. Then
*^ opened he their underftanding, that they might un-
** derftand the fcripture, and faid unto them : Thus it
'* is written, and thus it behoved the Meffiah to fuffer,
" and to rife from the dead the third day; and that re-
" pentance and remiffion of fins fliould be preached in
" his name among all nations, beginning at Jerufalem."
Here we fee what it v/as he had preached to them, though
not in fo plain open w^ords, before his crucifixion; and
what it is he now makes them underfiand ; and what it-
"uas that was to be preached to all nations, viz. That he
was the Meffiah that had fuffered, and rofe from the
dead the third day, and fulfilled all things tha,t were
written in the Old Tefiament concerning the Meffiah ;
and that thofe who believed this, and repented, fhould
receive remiffion of their fins, through this faith in him.
Or, as St. Mark has it, chap. xvi. 15, " Go into all the
" world, and preach the gofpel po every creature ; he
'* that believeth, and is baptized, fiiall be faved ; but
'' he that believeth not, ihall be damned," ver. 16.

H 2 What

100 'J'he Keajonahleneji of ChrijVuinity^

What the " gofpcl," or ** good news," was, wc have
fliowcd already, viz. The happy tidings of the Mclliah
being come. Ver. 20, And '* they went forth and
•' preached every where, the Lord working with them,
** and confirming the word with figns foUouing."
What the *' word" was which they preached, and the
Lord confirmed with miracles, we have feen already,
out of the hirtory of their AcSts. 1 have already given
an account of their preaching every-where, as it is re-
corded in the Aci:s, except fome few places, w here the
kingdom of '* the MeHiah" is mentioned under the
name of ** the kingdom of God ;" which I forbore to
fct down, till I had made it plain out of the evangelifts,
that that was no other but the kingdom of the MefTiah.
It may be feafonable therefore, now, to add to thofe
fermons we have formerly feen of St. Paul, (wherein
he preached no other article of faith, but that •* Jefus
** was the Meffiah," the King, who being rifen from the
dead, now reigneth, and fliall more publicly manifefl
his kingdom, in judging the world at the lafl day) what
farther is left upon record of his preaching. Ad:s xix.
8, at Ephefus, " Paul went into the fynagogues, and
" fpake boldly for the fpace of three months ; difputing
*' and perfuading concerning the kingdom of God."
And, Ads XX. 25, at Miletus he thus takes leave of the
elders of Ephefus : " And now, behold, I know that yc
" all, among whom I have gone preaching the king-
*' dom of God, fhall fee my face no more." What
this preaching the kingdom of God was, he tells you,
ver. 20, 21, ** I have kept nothing back from you,
*' which was profitable unto you ; but have fliowed you,
*' and have taOght you publicly, and from houfe to
** houfe ; teftifying both to the jews, and to the greeks,
** repentance towards God, and faith towards our Lord
*' Jefus ChrilL" And fo again. Ads xxviii. 2'j, 24,
*"' When they [the jews at Rome] had appointed hini
** [PaulJ a day, there came many to him into his lodg-
** ing ; to whom he expounded and tellified the king-
" dom of God ; perfuading them concerning Jefi'.s,
" both out of the law of Mofes, and out of the pro-
**■ phets, from morning to evening. And fome believed

'' the

as delivered in the Scriptures. lor

" the things which were fpoken, and fome believed not."
And the hiflory of the Acts is concluded with this ac-
count of St. Paul's preaching: "And Paul dwelt tM^o
*• whole years in his own hired houfe, and received all
" that came in unto him, preaching the kingdom of
" God, and teaching thofe things which concern the
** Lord Jefus the Meffiah." We may therefore here
apply the fame conclufion to the hiftory of our Saviour,
writ by the evangelifts, and to the hiftory of the apof-
ties, writ in the adls, which St. John does to his own
gofpel, chap. xx. 30, 31, "Many other figns did Jefus
" before his difciples ;" and in many other places the
apoftles preached the fame dodrine, " which are not
" written" in thefe books ; " but thefe are written that
" you may believe that Jefus is the Mefliah, the Son of
" God ; and that believing you may have life in his
" name."

What St. John thought neceflary and fufficient to be
believed, for the attaining eternal life, he here tells us.
And this not in the firft dawning of the gofpel ; when,
perhaps, fome will be apt to think lefs was required to
be believed, than after the doctrine of faith, and myf.-
tcry of falvation, was more fully explained, in the
epiftles writ by the apoftles, for it is to be remembered,
that St. John fays this, not as foon as Chrift was a-
fcended ; for thefe words, with the reft of St, John's
gofpel, were not written till many years after not only
the other gofpel s, and St. Luke's hiftory of the A dts,
but in all appearance, after all the epiftles writ by the
other apoftles. So that above threefcore years after our
Saviour's paftion (for fo long after, both Epiphanius and
St. Jerom afliire us this gofpel was written) St. John
knew nothing elfe required to be believed, for the at-
taining of life, but that " Jefus is the Mefliah, the Son
" of God."

To this, it is likely, it will be objeded by fome, that
to believe only that Jefus of Nazareth is the Mefliah, is
but an hiftorical, and not a juftifying, or faving faith.

To which I anfwer. That I allow to the makers of
fyftems and their followers to invent and ufe what; dif-
tindions they pleafe, and to call things by what names

H 3 they

ro2 ^he ReaJonabUn-efs of Chrijiianity y

they think lit. But I cannot allow to them, or to any
man, an authority to make a religion for me, or to alter
that which God hath revealed. And if they pleafe to
call the believing that which our Saviour and his apof-
tle§ preached, and propofed alone to be believed, an
hiilorical faith ; they have their liberty. But they muft
have a care, how they deny it to be a juftifying or faving
faith, when cur Saviour and his apoflles have declared
it fo to be ; and taught no other which men Ihould re-
ceive, and whereby they fiiould be made believers unto
eternal life : unlefs they can fo far make bold with our
Saviour, for the fake of their beloved fyftems, as to fay,
that he forgot what he came into the world for ; and
that he and his apoftles did not inftrucT: people right in
the way and myfteries of falvation. For that this is
the fole doclrine preffed and required to be believed in
the whole tcnour of our Saviour's and his apoflles
preaching, we have fhowed through the whole hiftory
of the evangelifts and the Adls. And I challenge them
to fliow that there was any other doctrine, upon their
alfcnt to which, or dilbelief of it, men were pronounced
believers or unbelievers ; and accordingly received into
the church of Chrill, as members of his body ; as far as
mere believing could make them fo ; or elfe kept out
of it. This was the only gofpel-article of faith which
was preached to them. And if nothing elfe was preached
every where, the apoftle's argument will hold againft
any other articles of faith to be believed under the gof-
pel, Rom. X. 14, *' How fhall they believe that where-
•* of they have not heard?" For, to preach any other
doctrines necelTary to be believed, we do not find that
any body was fent.

Perhaps it will farther be urged, that this is not a
'* faving faith ;" becaufe fuch a faith as this the devils
may have, and it was plain they had ; for they believed
and declared *' Jefus to be the Mefllah." And St. James,
ch. ii. 19, tells us, *' The devils believe and tremble;"
and yet they fliall not be faved. To which I anfwcr, i .
That they could not be faved by any faith, to whom it
wa.s not propofed as a means of falvation, nor ever pro-
jnifcd to bp counted for rightCQufnefji, Thi^s was an ad

pf

as delivered in the Scriptures. 103

of grace fliown only to mankind. God dealt fd favour-
flbiy with the pollerity of Adam, that if they would be-
lieve Jefus to be the Meiliah, the promifed King and
Saviour, and perform what other conditions were re^
quired of them by the covenant of grace ; God would
juftify them, becaufe of this belief. He would account
this faith to them for righteoufnefs, and look on it as
making up the defeats of their obedience ; which being
thus fupplied, by what was taken inftead of it, they
were looked on as juft or righteous; and fo inherited
eternal life. But this favour fhown to mankind, was
never offered to the tallen angels. They had no fuch
propofals made to them : and therefore, whatever of this
kind was propofed to men, it availed not devils, what-
ever they performed of it. This covenant of grace was
never offered to them.

2. I anfwer; that though the devils believed, yet
they could not be faved by the covenant of grace ; be-
caufe they performed not the other condition required
in it, altogether as neceffary to be performed as this of
believing : and that is repentance. Repentance is as
abfolute a condition of the covenant of grace as faith ;
and as neceffary to be performed as that. John the
Baptift, who was to prepare the way for the Meffiah,
*' Preached the baptifm of repentance for the remiflion
" of fins," Mark i. 4.

As John began his preaching with "Repent; for
*' the kingdom of heaven is at hand," Matt. iii. 2. So
did our Saviour begin his. Matt. iv. 17, " From that
*' time began Jefus to preach, and to fay. Repent; for
" the kingdom of heaven is at hand." Or, as St. Mark
has it in that parallel place, Mark i. 14, 15, "Now,
" after that John was put in prifon, Jefus came into
" Galilee, preaching the gofpel of the kingdom of God,
" and faying. The time is fulhlled, and the kingdom of
" God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gofpel.'*
This was not only the beginning of his preaching, but
the fum of all that he did preach ; viz. That mea
fliould repent, and believe the good tidings which he
brought them ; that " the time was fulfilled" for the
coming of the Meffiah. And this was what his apoflles

H 4 preached^ '

1 04. ^he Reajonahlenefs of Chrijiiamty^

preached, when he fent them out, Mark vi. 12. " And
** they, going out, preached that men (hould repent.'*
Believing Jefus to be the Meffiah, and repenting, were
fo necelTary and fundamental parts of the covenant of
grace, that one of them alone is often put for both. For
here St. Mark mentions nothing but their preaching
repentance : as St. Luke, in the parallel place, chap. ix.
6, mentions nothing but their evangelizing, or preach-
ing the good news of the kingdom of the MefTiah : and
St. Paul often, in his epiftles, puts faith for the whole
duty of a chrifiian. But yet the tenour of the gofpel is
what Chrift declares, Luke xii. 3, 5, " Unlefs ye re-
** pent, ye lliall all likewife perifh." And in the pa-
rable of the rich man in hell, delivered by our Saviour,
Luke xvi. repentance alone is the means propofed, of
avoiding that place of torment, ver. 30, 31. And what
the tenour of the doctrine which Ihould be preached to
the world fliould be, he tells his apoftles, after his re-
furrcdiion, Luke xxiv. 27. viz. That repentance and
remiilion of fins fhould be preached *' in his name,"
who was the Mefliah. And accordingly, believing Jefus
to be the Meffiah, and repenting, w as what the apoftles
preached. So Peter began, Adls ii. 38, " Repent, and
*' be baptized." Thefe two things were required for
the remiffion of fins, viz. entering themfelves in the
kingdom of God ; and owning and profeffing them-
felves the fubjecfls of Jefus, whom they believed to be
the Meffiah, and received for their Lord and King ; for
that was to be ** baptized in his name :" baptifm being
an initiating ceremony, known to the jews, whereby
thofe, who leaving heathcnifm, and profeffing a fub-
jniffion to the law of Mofes, were received into the
commonwealth of Ifrael, And fo it was made ufe of
by our Saviour, to be that folemn vifible act, whereby
thofe who believed him to be the Meffiah, received him
as their King, and profefi^ed obedience to him, were ad-
mitted as fubjectls into his kingdom: which in the gof-
pel, is called *Uhe kingdom of God;" and in the
A(fls and epiftles, often by another name, viz. the
•* Church."

The fame St. Peter preaches again to the jews. Ads

iii. iq>

as delivered in the Scriptures, i o^

in. 19, " Repent, and be converted, that your fins may
" be blotted out."

What this repentance was which the new covenant
required, as one of the conditions to be performed by
all thofe who Ihould receive the benefits of that cove-
nant ; is plain in the fcripture, to be not only a forrow
for fins paft, but (what is a natural confequence of fuch
forrow, if it be real) a turning from them into a new
and contrary life. And fo they are joined together, A(fts
iii. 19, ** Repent and turn about;" or, as we render it,
•* be converted." And Ad:s xxvi. 20, " Repent and
" turn to God."

And fometimes '* turning about" is put alone to fig-
nify repentance. Matt. xiii. 15. Luke xxii. 32, which
in other words is well exprefled by "newnefs of life."
For it being certain that he, who is really forry for his
fins, and abhors them, will turn from them, and forfake
them; either of thefe acfts, which have fo natural a
connexion one with the other, may be, and is often put
for both together. Repentance is an hearty forrow for
our pafi: mifdeeds, and a fincere refolution and endea-
vour, to the utmoft: of our power, to conform all our
adiions to the law of God. So that repentance does not
confift in one fingle a6l of forrow, f though that being the
firft and leading a(5t, gives denomination to the whole)
but in " doing works meet for repentance;" in a fin-
cere obedience to the law of Chrifi:, the remainder of
our lives. This was called for by John the Baptifi-,
the preacher of repentance. Matt. iii. 8, ** Bring forth
** fruits meet for repentance." And by St. Paul here.
Ads xxvi. 20. " Repent and turn to God, and do works
** meet for repentance." There are works to follow
belonging to repentance, as well as forrow for what is
paft.

Thefe two, faith and repentance, i. e. believing Jefus
to be the Mefiiah, and a good life, are the indifpenfa-
ble conditions of the new covenant, to be performed by
all thofe who would obtain eternal life. The reafona-
blenefs, or rather neceflity of which, that we may the
better comprehend, we muft a little look back to what
va^ faid in the beginning.

Adam

X o6 'The Reafonahlenefs of Cbrij}Ianity,

Adam being the Son of God, and fo St. Luke calls
him, chap. iii. 38, had this part alfo of the likenefs and
image of his Father, viz. that he was immortal. But
Adam, tranfgrelling the command given him by his
heavenly Father, incurred the penalty ; forfeited that
ftate of immortality, and became mortal. After this,
Adam begot children : but they were *' in his own
** likenefs, after his ow^n image;" mortal, like their
father.

God neverthelefs, out of his infinite mercy, willing
to bellow eternal life on mortal men, fends Jefus Chrift
into the world ; who being conceived in the womb of a
virgin (that had not known man) by the immediate
power of God, was properly the Son of God i according
to what the angel declared unto his mother, Luke i.
30 — 35, *' The Holy Ghoft llmll come upon thee, and
** the power of the Higheft ihall over-fliadow thee:
** therefore alfo that holy thing, which fliall be born of
" thee, fhall be called the Son of God." So that be-
ing the Son of God, he was, like the Father, immortal;
as he tells us, John v. 26, " As the Father hath life ia
** himfelf, fo hath he given to the Son to have . fe in
** himfelf."

And that immortality is a part of that image, wherein
thofe (who were the immediate fons of God, fo as to
have no other father) were made like their father,
appears probable, not only from the places in Genelis
concerning Adam, above taken notice of, but feems to
me alfo to be intimated in Ibme exprefTions, concerning
Jefus the Son of God, in the New Teftament. Col. i.
15, he is called " the image of the invifible God." In-
vifible feems put in, to obviate any grofs imiagina-
tion, that he (as images ufed to do) reprcfented God in
any corporeal or vifible refemblance. And there is far-
ther fubjoined, to lead us into the meaning of it, " The
** firft-born of every creature ;" which is farther ex-.
phinedi, ver. 18, where he is termed ** The firft-born
*' from the dead :" thereby making out, and ftiowing
himfelf to be the image of the invifible ; that death hath
no pow'er over him ; but being the Son of God, and
not having forfeited that fonfbip by any tranfgreflion ;
9 was

as delivered in the Scriptures, 107

was the heir of eternal life, as Adam fhould have been,
had he continued in his filial duty. In the fame fenfe
the apoftle feems to ufe the word image in other places,
viz. Rom. viii. 29, '* Whom he did foreknow, he alfo
*' did predeftinate to be conformed to the image of his
'* Son, that he might be the firft-born among many
*' brethren." This image, to which they were con-
formed, feems to be immortality and eternal life : for it
is remarkable, that in both thefe places, St. Paul fpeaks
of the refurredlion ; and that Chrift was " The firft-born
'* among many brethren;" he being by birth the Son
of God, and the others only by adoption, as we fee in
this fame chapter, ver. 15 — 17, " Ye have received the
" Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father;
" the Spirit itfelf bearing witnefs with our fpirit, that
" we are the children of God. And if children, then
'' heirs, and joint-heirs with Chrift; if fo be that we
'* fuffer with him, that we may alfo be glorified toge-
'* ther." And hence we fee, that our Saviour vouch-
fafes to call thofe, who at the day of judgment are,
through him, entering into eternal life, his brethren ;
Matt. XXV. 40, " Inafmuch as ye have done it unto one
" of the leaft of thefe my brethren." May we not in
this find a reafon, why God fo frequently in the New
Teftament, and fo feldom, if at all, in the Old, is men-
tioned under the fmgle title of the father? And there-
fore our Saviour fays. Matt. xi. " No man knoweth the
** Father, fave the Son, and he to whomfoever the Son
" will reveal him." God has now a Son again in the
world, the firft-born of many brethren, who all now,
by the Spirit of adoption, can fay, Abba, Father. And
we, by adoption, being for his fake made his brethren,
and the fons of God, come to ftiare in that inheritance,
which was his natural right ; he being by birth the Son
of God : which inheritance is eternal life. And again,
ver. 23, " We groan within ourfelves, waiting for the
*' adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body;"
whereby is plainly meant, the change of thefe frail
mortal bodies, into the fpiritual immortal bodies at the
refurre6lion ; " When this mortal fhall have put ori
'' immortality," j Cor, xv. ^4. which in that chapter,

ver»

loS The ReaJonaUeneJs of Chrijlianiiy.

ver. 42 — 44, he farther cxpreffes t;hus ; ** So alfo is the
refurrection of the dead. It is fown in corruption,
it is raifed in incorruption ; it is fown in diflionour,
it is raifed in glory ; it is fown in weaknefs, it is •
raifed in power ; it is fown a natural body, it is raifed
a fpiritual body, &c." To which he fubjoins, ver.
49, " As we have born the image of the earthy," (i. e.
as we have been mortal, like earthy Adam, our father,
from whom we are defcended, when he was turned out
of paradife) " we fhall alfo bear the image of the hea-
** vcnly ;" into whofe fonfhip and inheritance being
adopted, we fhall, at the refurreclion, receive that
adoption we expedl, " even the redemption of our bo-
*• dies;" and after his image, which is the image of
the Father, become immortal. Hear what he fays
himfelf, Luke xx. 35, 36, " They who fhall be ac-
** counted worthy to obtain that world, and the refur-
" redion from the dead, neither marry, nor are given
'* in marriage. Neither can they die any more; for
'* they are equal to the angels, and are the sons of
*' GOD, being the fons of the refurredion." And he
that fliall read St. Paul's arguing, Adls xiii. 32, 33,
will find that the great evidence that Jefus was the
•* Son of God," was his refurredion. Then the image
of his Father appeared in him, when he vifibly entered
into the Hate of immortality. For thus the apoftlc rea-
fons, " We preach to you, how that the promife which
** was made to our fathers, God hath fulfilled the fame
** unto us, in that he hath raifed up Jefus again ; as it
" is alfo written in the fecond pfalm. Thou art my
*' Son, this day have I begotten thee."

This may ferve a little to explain the immortality of
the fons of God, who are in this like their Father,
made after his image and likenefs. But that our Saviour
was fo, he himfelf farther declares, John x. 18, where
fpeaking of his life, he fays, " No one taketh it from
" me, but I lay it down of myfelf : I have power to lay
*' it down, and I have power to take it up again."
Which he could not have had, if he had been a mortal
man, the fon of a man, of the feed of Adam ; or elfe had
by any tranfgreffion forfeited his life. For '* the wages

" of

as delivered in the Scriptures, 109

*^ of fin is death :" and he that hath incurred death for
his own tranfgreflion, cannot lay down his life for ano-
ther, as our Saviour profefTes he did. For he was the
juft one. Ads vii. 52. and xxii. 14. *' Who knew no
*' lin," 2 Cor. V. 21. *' Who did no fin, neither was
** guile found in his mouth." And thus, " As by man
*^ came death, fo by man came the refurre6lion of the
*' dead. For as in Adam all die, fo in Chrili fhali all
** be made alive."

For this laying down his life for others, our Saviour
tells us, John x. 17, *' Therefore does my Father love
*' me, becaufe I lay down my life, that I might take it
** again." And this his obedience and fuffering was re-
warded w ith a kingdom : which he tells us, Luke xxii,
*' His Father had appointed unto him;" and which, it
is evident out of the epiftle to the Hebrew s, chap. xii.
2, he had a regard to in his fufFerings : ** Who for the
'* joy that was fet before him, endured the crofs, de-
** fpifing the fliame, and is fet down at the right hand
*' of the throne of God." Which kingdom, given him
upon this account of his obedience, fuffering and death,
he himfelf takes notice of in thefe words, John xvii.
I — 4, " Jefus lifted up his eyes to heaven, and faid,
*' Father, the hour is come : glorify thy Son, that thy
*' Son alfo may glorify thee : as thou haft given him
'^ power over all flefh, that he fhould give eternal life
*' to as many as thou haft given him. And this is life
*' eternal, that they may know thee the only true God,
** and Jefus, the Mcftiah, whom thou haft lent. I have
** glorified thee on earth : I have finiftied the work
" which thou gaveft me to do." And St. Paul, in his
epiftle to the philippians, chap. ii. 8 — 11, " He hum-
*' bled himfelf, and became obedient unto death, even
*' the death of the crofs. Wherefore God alfo hath
*' highly exalted him, and given him a name that is
**■ above every name; that at the name of Jefus every
'' knee fliould bow, of things in heaven, and things in
*' earth, and things under the earth ; and that every
** tongue fliould confefs, that Jefus Chrift is Lord."

Thus God, we fee, deligned his Son Jefus Chrift
a kingdom^ an everiafting kingdom in heaven. Bi^t

tjiough

1 1 o *The Reajonahlenefs of Chrifliamtyt

though, " as in Adam all die, fo in Chrifl fliall all be
** made alive ;" and all men fhall return to life again
at the laft day ; yet all men having linned, and thereby
•* come fliort of the glory of God," as St. Paul aflures
us, Rom. iii. 23, i. e. not attaining to the heavenly
kingdom of the Mediah, which is often called the glory
of God ; (as may be feen, Rom. v. 2. and xv. 7. and ii.
7. Matt. xvi. 27. Mark viii. 38. For no one who is
unrighteous, i. e. comes fhort of perfedl righteoufnefs,
fhall be admitted into the eternal life of that kingdom ;
as is declared, i Cor. vi. 9. " The unrighteous fliall not
" inherit the kingdom of God;") and death, the wages
of fin, being the portion of all thofe who had tranf-
grelTed the righteous law of God ; the fon of God would
in vain have come into the world, to lay the founda-
tions of a kingdom, and gather together a felect people
out of the world, if, (they being found guilty at their
appearance before the judgment-feat of the righteous
Judge of all men at the laft day) inftead of entrance
into eternal life in the kingdom he had prepared for
them, they Ihould receive death, the juft reward of fin
which every one of them was guilty of: this fecond
death would have left him no fubjedts ; and infl:ead of
thofe ten thoufand times ten thoufand, and thoufands
of thoufands, there would not have been one left him to
fing praifes unto his name, faying, ** Blefling, and ho-
" nour, and glory, and power, be unto him that fitteth
" on the throne, and unto the lamb for ever and ever."
God therefore, out of his mercy to mankind, and for
the eredting of the kingdom of his Son, and furnifiiing
it with fubjeds out of every kindred, and tongue, and
people, and nation ; propofed to the children of men,
that as many of theni as would believe Jcfus his Son
(whom he fent into the world) to be the MefTiah, the
promifed Deliverer ; and would receive him for their
King and Ruler; fiiould have all their paft fins, difobe-
dicnce, and rebellion forgiven them : and if for the fu-
ture they lived in a fincere obedience to his Jaw, to
the utmoft of their power; the lins of human frailty tor
the time to corrte, as well as all thofe of their paft
lives ; fhould, for his Son's flike, becaufe they gave

thcnifclves

as delivered hi the Scriptures. 1 1 1

themfelves up to him, to be his fubjedls, be forgiven
them : and fo their fciith, which made them be baptized
into his name, (i. e. enrol themfelves in the kingdom
of Jefus the Meffiah, and profefs themfelves his fubje6ls,
and confequently live by the laws of his kingdom)
fhould be accounted to them for righteoufnefs ; i. e.
fhould fupply the defedts of a fcanty obedience in the
fight of God ; who, counting faith to them for righ-
teoufnefs, or complete obedience, did thus juitify, or
make them juft, and thereby capable of eternal life.

Now, that this is the faith for which God of his free
grace juflifies fmful man, (for " it is God alone that juf-
tifieth," Rom. viii, i,^. Rom. iii. 26.) we have already
fliowed, by obferving through all the hiftory of our Sa-
viour and the apoftles, recorded in the evangelifls, and
in the Adls, what he and his apoftles preached, and pro-
pofed to be believed. We fhall fhow nov/, that befides
believing him to be the Mefliah, their King, it was far-
ther required, that thofe who would have the privilege,
advantage, and deliverance of his kingdom, fhould enter
themfelves into it ; and by baptifm being made deni-
zens, and folemnly incorporated into that kingdom, live
as became fubjed:s obedient to the laws of it. For if
they believed him to be the MeiTiah, their King, but
would not obey his laws, and would not have him to
reign over them ; they were but the greater rebels ; and
God would not juflify them for a faith that did but in-
creafe their guilt, and oppofe diametrically the king-
dom and delign of the Mcffiah ; *^ Who gave himfelf
" for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity,
*' and purify unto himfelf a peculiar people zealous of
" good works," Titus ii. 14. And therefore St. Paul
tells the galatians. That that which availeth is faith ;
but " faith working by love." And that faith without
works, i. e. the works of fmcere obedience to the law
and will of Chrift, is not fufficient for our juftification,
St. James fliows at large, chap. ii.

Neither, indeed, could it be otherwife; for life, eter-
nal life, being the reward of juftice or righteoufnefs
only, appointed by the righteous God (who is of purer
eyes than to behold iniquity) to thofe who only had no

taint

112 The Reafonahlenejs of Cbrijlianity,

taint or infedion of fin upon them, it is impoHible that
he fliould juftify thofe who had no regard to juflice at
all, whatever they believed. This would have been to
encourage iniquity, contrary to the purity of his nature;
and to have condemned that eternal law of right, which
is holy, juft, and good ; of which no one precept or
rule is abrogated or repealed ; nor indeed can be, whilft
God is an holy, juft, and righteous God, and man a ra-
tional creature. The duties of that law, arifmg from
the conftitution of his very nature, are of eternal obli-
gation ; nor can it be taken away or difpcnfed with,
without changing the nature of things, overturning the
meafures of right and wrong, and thereby introducing
and authorizing irregularity, confufion, and diforder in
the world. Chrift's coming into the world was not for
fuch an end as that ; but, on the contrary, to reform the
corrupt ftate of degenerate man ; and out of thofe who
Avould mend their lives, and bring forth fruit meet for
repentance, ered: a new kingdom.

This is the law of that kingdom, as well as of all
mankind ; and that law, by which all men fhall be
judged at the laft day. Only thofe who have believed
Jcfus to be the Melliah, and have taken him to be their
King, with a fincere endeavour after righteoufnefs, in
obeying his law ; fliall have their paft fms not imputed
to them ; and fhall have that faith taken inflead of obe-
dience, where frailty and weaknefs made them tranf-
grcfs, and lin prevailed after converfion ; in thofe who
hunger and thirft after righteoufnefs, (or perfeft obe-
dience) and do not allow themfelves in adts of difobe-
dicnce and rebellion, againd the laws of that kingdom
they are entered into.

He did not exped, it is true, a perfed: obedience, void
of Hips and falls : he knew our make, and the v.eaknefs
of our conflitution too well, and was fent with a fupply
for that defcd. Befides, perfed obedience was the righ-
teoufnefs of the lav/ of works; and then the reward
would be of debt, and not of grace; and to fuch there
was no need of faith to be imputed to them for righ-
teoufnefs. They ftood upon their own legs, were juft
already, and needed no allowance to be made them for
. . ' believing

as delivered in the Scriptures, iij

believing Jefus to be the Mefliah, taking him for their
king, and becoming his fubjedls. But that Chrift does
require obedience, fincere obedience, is evident from
the law he himfelf delivers, (unlcfs he can be fuppofed
to give and inculcate laws, only to have them difobeyed)
and from the fentence he will pafs when he comes to
judge.

The faith required was, to believe Jcfus to be the
Mefliah, the Anointed ; who had been promifed by-
God to the world. Among the jews (to whom the pro-
mifes and prophecies of the Meffiah were more imme-
diately delivered) anointing was u fed to three forts of
perfons, at their inauguration ; whereby they were fet
apart to three great offices, viz. of prielis, prophets, and
kings. Though thefe three offices be in holy writ at-
tributed to our Saviour, yet I do not remember that he
any where aifumes to himfelf the title of a prieft, or,
mentions any thing relating to his priefthood ; nor does
he fpeak of his being a prophet but very fparingly, and
only once or twice, as it were by the bye : but the gof-
pel, or the good news of the kingdom of the Mefliah,
is what he preaches every where, and makes it his great
bufinefs to publifh to the world. This he did, not only
as moft agreeable to the expectation of the jews, who
looked for their Mefliah, chiefly as coming in power to
be their king and deliverer ; but as it befl: anfv\ ered the
chief end of his coming, which was to be a king, and,
as fuch, to be received by thofe who would be his fub-
jed:s in the kingdom which he came to eredl. And
though he took not diredlly on himfelf the title of King,
until he was in cufl:ody, and in the hands of Pilate ; yet
it is plain, '* King" and *' King of Ifrael" were the fa-
miliar and received titles of the Meffiah. See John
i. CO. Luke xix. 38. compared with Matt. xxi. 9. and
Mark xi. 9. John xii. 13. Matth. xxi. 5. Luke xxiii. 2.
compared with Matt, xxvii. 1 1 . and John xviii. -^^i^ — 37.
Mark xv. 12. compared with Matih. xxvii. 22, 42.

What thofe were to do, who believed him to be the
Meffiah, and received him for their king, that they
might be admitted to be partakers with him of his
kingdom in glory, we iliall befl know by the laws he

Vol, VL I gives

114- 'the Reafonahlenefs of Chrijlianity,

gives them, and requires them to obey; and by the
fentcnce which he hinifelt will give, when, fitting on
his throne, they flail all appear at his tribunal, to re-
ceive every one his doom from the mouth of this righ-
teous judge of all men.

What he propofcd to his followers to be believed, we
have already leen, by examining his and his apoftles
preaching, flep by Hep, all through the hiftory of the
four evangelifls, and the A(?s of the Apoflles. The
fame rrethod w ill befl and plaineft fliow^ us, whether he
required of thofe who believed h-m to be the Mefliah,
any thing befidcs that faith, and what it was. For, he
being a king, we fl all fee by his commands what he
expeds from his fubjeds : for, if he did not expect
obedience to them, his corrimands would be but mere
mockery ; and if there were no punifl ment for the
tranfgreflbrs of them, his laws would not be the laws
of a king, and that authority to command, and power
to chaltife the difobedient, but empty talk, without
force, and without influence.

We fliall therefore from his injundtions (if any fuch
there be) fee what he has made necelTary to be per-
formed, by all thofe who fhall be received into eternal
life, in his kingdom prepared in the heavens. And in
this we cannot be deceived. What we have from his
o^^n mouth, efpecially if repeated over and over again,
in different places and expreffions, will be part doubt
and controvcrfy. 1 fliall pafs by all that is faid by St.
John Baptift, or any other before our Saviour's entry
upon his miniliry, and public promulgation of the laws
of his kingdom.

He began his preaching with a command to repent,
as St. Matthew^ tells us, iv. 17, *' From that time Jefus
** began to preach, faying. Repent ; for the kingdom
*' of heaven is at hand." And Luke v. 32, he tells the
fcribes and pharifees, *' I come not to call the righteous ;"
(thofe who were truly fo, needed no help, they had
a right to the tree of life,) •' but finners to repen-
" tance."

In his fcrmon, as it is called, in the mount, Luke vi.
and Matth.'v, &cq. he commands they fliould be exem-

plarjf

5

as delivered in the Scriptures. 1 1^

plary in good works : " Let your light fo fliine amongft
** men, that they may fee your good works, and glorify
" your Father which is m heaven," Matth. v. 15. And
that they might know what he came for, and what he
expelled of them, he tells them, ver. 17 — 20, ** Think
** not that I am come to dilTolve," or loofen, '' the law,
*' or the prophets: lamnot come to dilfolve," or loofen,
*^ but to make it full," or complete ; by giving it you in
its true and ilridi fenfe. Here we fee he confirms, and at
once re-enforces all the moral precepts in the Old Tefta-
ment. " For verily I fay to you. Till heaven and earth
*^ pafs, one jot, or one tittle, fhall in no wife pafs from
" the law, till all be done. Whofoever therefore fhall
** break one of thefe leaft commandments, and fliall
" teach men fo, he fhall be called the leaft (i. e. as it
" is interpreted, ftiall not be at all) in the kingdom of
" heaven." Ver. 21, " I fay unto you. That except
*' your righteoufnefs," i. e. your performance of the
eternal law of right, " fhall exceed the righteoufnefs
*^ of the fcribes and pharifees, ye fliall in no cafe enter
" into the kingdom of heaven." And then he goes on
to make good what he faid, ver. 17, viz. " That he was
'* come to complete the law," viz. by giving its full
and clear fenfe, free from the corrupt and loofening
glofles of the fcribes and pharifees, ver. 22 — 26. He
tells them. That not only murder, but caufelefs anger,
and fo much as words of contempt, were forbidden. He
commands them to be reconciled and kind towards
their adverfaries ; and that upon pain of condemnation.
In the following part of his fermon, which is to be read
Luke vi. and more at large, Matth. v, vi, vii. he not
only forbids acT:ual uncleannefs, but all irregular defires,
upon pain of hell-fire ; caufelefs divorces ; fwearing in
converfation, as well as forfwearing in judgment ; re-
venge ; retaliation; oftentation of charity, of devotion,
and of fafiing; repetitions in prayer, covetoufnefs,
worldly care, cenforioufnefs : and on the other fide
commands loving our enemies, doing good to tbofe
that hate us, blelling thofe that curfe us, praying tor
thofe that defpitefully ufe us ; patience and meeknefs
under injuries, forgivenefs, liberality, compaffion : and
clofes all his particular injundions^ with this general

1 2 ^ golden

T 1 6 The ReafonahJeneJs of ChriJUanitv,

golden rule, Matth. vii. 12, " All things wbatfoever ye
" v\ould that men fliould do to you, do you even fo to
" them, for this is the law and the prophets." And to
iliow how much he is in earneft, and expects obedience
to thefe liv\s; he tells them, Luke vi. 35, That if they
obey, '* great flail be their reward;" they " fliall be
*' called, the fons of the Higheft." And to all this, in.
the concluiion, he adds the folemn fanction ; ** Why
*' call ye me. Lord, Lord, and do not the things that
** I fay ?" It is in vain tor you to take me for the Mef-
fiah your King, unlefs you obey n e. *' Not every one
" who calls n e Lord, Lord, fliall enter into the king-
** dcm of heaven," or I e the fons of God -, ** but he
** that doth the will of my Father which is in heaven."
To fuch difobedient fuhjects, though they have prophe-
fied and done mirai les in my name, I fliall fay at the day
of judgment, ** Depart from me, ye workers of iniquity;
** 1 know you not."

When, Matt, xii, he was told, that his mother and
brethren fought to fpeak with him, ver. 49, *' Stretch-
** ing out his hands to his difciplcs, he faid, *' Behold my
** UiOther and my brethren ; for whofoever fliall do the
*' will of my Father, who is in heaven, he is my bro-
" ther, and fifler, and mother." They could not be
children of the adoption, and fellow-heirs with him of
eternal life, who did not do the will of his heavenly
Fa:l:er.

Matth. XV. and Mark vi, the pharifees finding fault,

that his difciples eat with unclean hands, he makes this

declaration to his apoflles : *' Do not ye perceive, that

whatfoever from m ithout entereth into a man, cannot

defile him, becaufc it entereth not into his heart, but

his belly ? That which cometh out of the man, that

delileth the man ; for from within, out of the heart of

men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications,

murders, thefts, falfe witnelles, covetoufnefs, wick-^

ednefs, deceit, lafcivioufnefs, an evil eye, blafphemy,

pride, foolillmefs. All thefe ill things come from

within, and defile a man."

He commands felf-denial, and the expofing ourfelves

to fuffcring and danger, rather than to deny or difown

him a

as delivered in the Scriptures, 117

him : and this upon pain of lofing our fouls ; which are
of more worth than all the world. This we may read.
Matt. xvi. 24—37, and the parallel places, Mark viii.
and Luke ix.

The apofllcs difputing among them, who fliould be
greateft in the kingdom of the MelTiah, Matt, xviii. i,
he thus determines the controverfy, Mark ix. 3c, *' If
*' any one will be hrfl", let him be lafb of all, and fervant
'* of all:" and fettinga child before them, adds. Matt.
xviii. 3, " Verily, I fay unto you, Unlefs ye turn, and
•* become as children, ye fhail not enter into the king-
** dom of heaven."

Matth. xviii. 15, " If thy brother fliall trefpafs
" againlf thee, go and tell him his fault between thee
*' and him alone : if he fhall hear thee, thou halt gained
*' thy brother. But if he will not hear thee, then take
** with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two
*' or three witneffes every word may be eftabliihed.
" And if he fnall neglect to hear them, tell it to the
" church: but if he negled to hear the church, let him
*'* be unto thee as an heathen and publican." Ver. 21,
*' Peter faid. Lord, how often fliall my brother fin againft
*' me, and I forgive him? Till {tv€:n times? Jefus faid
*' unto him, I fay not unto thee, till (twtn times; but
** until feventy times (Q\tn.'' And then ends the pa-
rable of the fervant, who being himfelf forgiven, was
jigorous to his fellow-fervant, with thefe words, ver. 34,
** and his Lord was wroth, and delivered him to the
*' tormentors, till he lliould pay all that was due to him.
*' So likewife fliall my heavenly Father do alfo unto you,
*' if you from your hearts forgive not everyone his bro-
** ther their trefpafTes."

Luke X. 25, to the lawyer, afking him, *' What fliali
''I do to inherit eternal l.fe? He faid. What is written
" in the law ? How rcadefi: thou ?" He anfwered,
** Thou fhalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart,
" and with all thy foul, and with all thy ftrcngth, and
'* with all thy mind ; and thy neighbour as thyfclf."
Jefus faid, '* This do, and thou flialt live." And when
the lawyer, upon our Saviour's parable of the good fa-
maritan, was forced to confefs, that he that iliowed

1 3 mercy

1 1 S The Rcafonahlenefs of Chrijlianiiy,

mercy was his neighbour; Jefus difmifled him with this
charge, ver. 37, ** ^o, and do thou likcvvifc."

Luke xi. 41, ** Give alms of fuch things as ye have :
*' behold, all things are clean unto you."

Luke xii. 15, ** Take heed, and beware of covetouf-
'* ncfs." Ver. 22, ** Be not folicitous what ye fhall
" eat, or what ye fhall drink, nor what ye fliali put
•^ on ;" be not fearful, or apprehenfive of want ; " for
" it is your Father's pleafure to give you a kingdom.
*' Sell that you have, and give alms : and provide your-
** felves bags that wax not old, a treafure in the heavens,
*' that faileth not : for where your treafure is, there will
" your heart be alfo. Let your loins be girded, and
*^ your lights burnmg ; andyeyourfelves like unto men
*' that wait for the Lord, when he will return. BlelTed
" are thofe fervants, whom the Lord, when he cometh,
*' lliall fmd watching. BlefTed is that fervant, whom
^* the Lord having made ruler of his houfhold, to give
'^ them their portion of meat in due feafon, the Lord,
*' when he cometh, fhall find fo doing. Of a truth I
*' fay unto you, that he will make him ruler over all
*' that he hath. But if that fervant fay in his heart,
*' my Lord delayeth his coming ; and fhall begin to
** beat the men-fervants, and maidens, and to eat and
*' drink, and to be drunken ; the Lord of that fervant
*' will come in a day when he lopketh not for him, and
*' at an hour when he is not aware; and will cut him
** in funder, and will appoint him his portion with un-
*' believers. And that fervant who knew his lord's
*^ will, and prepared not himfclf, neither did according
** to his will, fliall be beaten with many flripes. But
'^ he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of
** ftripcs, fhall be beaten with few ftripes. For unto
*' whomfocver much is given, of him fhall much be
*^ required : and to whom men have committed much,
" of him they will afl<: the more."

Luke xiv. 11, '' Whofoevcr cxalteth himfelf, fliall be
" abafcd : and he that humbleth himfelf, fliall be ex^
" alted."

Ver. 12, When thou makcft a dinner, or fuppcr, call
«' not thy friends, or thy brethren, neither thy kinfmen,

nor

US delivered in the Scriptures, 119

** nor thy neighbours ; left they alfobid thee again, and
" a recompence be made thee. But when thou makeft
'* a feaft, call the poor and maimed, the lame and the
•' blind ; and thou fhalt be blefled, for they cannot re-
*' compence thee ; for thou fhalt be recompenfed at the
" refurre(5tion of the juft."

Ver. 33, " So likewife, whofoever he be of you, that
" is not ready to forego all that he hath, he cannot be
*" my difciple."

Luke xvi. 9, " I fay unto you, malce to yourfelves
'* friends of the mammon of unrighteoufnefs ; that
** when ye fail, they may receive you into everlafting
*' habitations. If ye have not been faithful in the un-
'* righteous mammon, who will commit to your trufl the
** true riches ? And if ye have not been faithful in that
*' which is another man's, who fliall give you that '
" which is your own?"

Luke xvii. 3, ** If thy brother trefpafs againfl thee,
'* rebuke him ; and if he repent, forgive him. And
** if he trefpafs againft thee feven times in a day, and
" feven times in a day turn again unto thee, faymg, I
** repent; thou fhalt forgive him."

Luke xviii. i, "he fpoke a parable to them, to this
" end, that men ought always to pray, and not to
" faint."

Ver. 18, " One com.es to him, and alks him, faying,
•* Mafler, what fhall I do to inherit eternal Lfe ? Jcfus
** faid unto him, if thou wilt enter into, life, keep the
** commandments. He fays. Which ? Jcfus faid, Thou
" knoweft the commandments. Thou flialt not kill;
" thou flialt not commit adultery ; thou fhalt not fteal ;
" thou fhalt not bear falfe witnefs ; defraud not ; ho-
*' nour thy father and thy mother; and thou flialt love
" thy neighbour as thyfelf. He faid, all thcfe have I
** obferved from my youth. Jefus hearing this, loved
" him ; and faid unto him, Yet lackeft thou one thing:
'^ fell all that thou haft, and give it to the poor, and
"^ thou flialt have treafure in heaven ; and come, follow
'^ me." To underftand this right, we muft take no-
tice, that this young man aiks our Saviour, what he
pull do, to be admitted effeclually into the kingdom

1 4 of

I20 ^he Reafonahlenefs of Chrijlianityy

of the MefTiah ? The jews believed, that when the Mef-
liah cnmCj thofe of their nation that received him, fliould
not die ; but that they, with thofe who, being dead,
Hiould then be raifed again by him, fhould enjoy eter-
nal life with hmi. Our Saviour, in anfwcr to this de-
mand, tells the young man, that to obtain the eternal
life of the kingdom of the Mefliah, he mufi: keep the
commandments. And then enumerating feveral of the
precepts of the law, the young man fays, he had ob-
lerved thefe from his childhood. For which, the text
tells us, Jefus loved him. But our Saviour, to try whe-
ther in earnefl: he believed him to be the MclTiah, and
refolved to take him to be his king, and to obey him as
fuch ; bids him give all that he has to the poor, and
come, and follow him ; and he fliould have treafure in
heaven. This I look on to be the meaning of the
place; this, of felling all he had, and giving it to the
poor, not being a {landing law of his kingdom; but
a probationary command to this young man ; to try
whether he truly believed him to be the MefTiah, and
"was ready to obey his commands, and relinquifh all to
follow^ him, when he, his prince, required it.

And therefore we fee, Luke xix. 14, where our Sa-
viour takes notice of the jews not receiving him as the
MelTiah, he expreffes it thus : "We will not have this
*' man to reign over us." It is not enough to believe
him to be the MeiTiah, unlefs we alfo obey his laws, and
take him to be our king, to reign over us.

Matt. xxii. 11 — 13, he that had not on the wedding
garment, though he accepted of the invitation, and
came to the wedding, was caft into utter darknefs. By the
wedding-garment, it is evident good works are meant
here; that wedding-garment of -fine linen, clean and
white, which we are told. Rev. xix. 8, is the ^i)t«iw/>i«Ta,
*' righteous acls of the faints •" or, as St. Paul calls it,
Ephef. iv. T, ** The walking worthy of the vocation
*' wherewith wc are called." Thi,s appears from the
parable itfelf: "The kingdom of heaven," fays our
Saviour, ver. 2, " is like unto a king, who made a mar-
" riage for his fon." And here he diftinguiflies thofe
who were invited, into three forts: i. Thofe who were

invited.

ns delivered in the Scriptures. 121

invited, and came not ; i. e. thofe who had the gofpel,
the good news of the kingdom of God propofed to
tlipm, but believed not. 2. Thofe who came, but had
not on a wedding-garment ; i. e. believed Jefus to be
the Mefliah, but were not new clad (as I may fo fay)
with a true repentance, and amendment of life : nor
adorned with thofe virtues, which the apoflle. Col. iii,
requires to be put on. 3. Thofe who were invited did
come, and had on the wedding-garment; i. e, heard the
gofpel, believed Jefus to be the MefTiah, and lincerely
obeyed his laws. Thefe three forts are plainly defigned
here ; whereof the laft only w ere the bleffed, who were
to enjoy the kingdom prepared for them.

Matt, xxiii, *' Be not ye called Rabbi; for one is
" your mafter, even the Meffiah, and ye are all brethren.
" And call no man your father upon the earth : For
•* one is your Father which is in heaven. Neither
'* be, ye called mafters : for one is your mafter, even the
•^ Mefliah. But he that is greateft amongft you, fhall
'' be your fervant. And whofoevcr ftiall exalt himfelf,
**■ fliall be abafed ; and he that fnall humble himfelf,
*' fliall be exalted."

Luke xxi. 34. *' Take heed to yourfelves, left your
*' hearts be at any time overcharged with furfeiting and
" drunkennefs, and cares of this life."

Luke xxii. 25, "He faid unto tliem, the kings of
" the gentiles exercife lordfliip over them ; and they
" that exercife authority upon them, are called bene-
*' factors. But ye fhall not be fo. But he that is greateft
'* among you, let him be as the younger; and he that
'^ is chief, as he that doth ferve."

John xiii. 34, ** A new commandment I give unto
'^ you. That ye love one another: as I have loved you,
'' that ye alfo love one another. By this ftiall all men
*^ know that ye are my difciples, if ye love one ano-
" ther." This command, of loving one another, is
repeated again, chap. xv. 12, and 17.

John xiv. 15, " If ye love me, keep my command-
*^ ments. Ver. 21, '' He that hath my command-
'^ ments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me :
'' and he that loveth me, fliail be loved of mv Father,

" and

152 The Reafonahlenefs of Chrijlianttyt

** and I will love him, and manifefl: myfelf to him.**
Ver. 23, ** If a man loveth me, he will keep my words."
Ver. 24, " He that loveth me not, keepeth not my
** fayings."

John XV. 8. *' In this ismy Father glorified, that ye
**■ bear much fruit ; fo fliall ye be my difciples." Ver.
14, " Ye are my friends, if ye do whatfoever I com-
•* mand you.**

Thus we fee our Saviour not only confirmed the
moral law ; and clearing it from the corrupt glolTes of
the f'ribes and pharifecs, fliowed the ftridtnefs as well
as obligation of its injundions ; but moreover, upon
occafion, requires the obedience of his difciples to fevc-
ral of the commands he afrefli lays upon them ; w ith the
inforcement of unfpeakable rewards and punifliments in
another world, according to their obedience or difobe-
dience. There is not, I think, any of the duties of mo-
rality, which he has not, fomev\ here or other, by him-
felf and his apo(iles, inculcated over and over again to
his followers in exprefs terms. And is it for nothing
that he is fo inliant with them to bring forth fruit ?
Does he, their King, command, and is it an indifferent
thing? Or will their happincfs or mifery not at all de-
pend upon It, vvhether they obey or no? They were re-
quired to believe him to be the MelTiah ; which faith is
of grace promifed to be reckoned to them, for the com-
pleting of their righteoufnefs, wherein it was defcdtive :
but righteoufnefs, or obedience to the law of God, was
their great bufinefs, which if they could have attained
by their own performances, there would have been no
need of this gracious allowance, in reward of their
faith: but eternal life, after the refurrection, had been
their due by a former covenant, even that of works ; the
rule whereof was never abolillied, though the rigour
was abated. The duties enjoined in it were duties Hill.
Their obligations had never ceq,fed ; nor a w ilful ne-
glecl of them was ever difpenfed with. But their pad
tranfgreirions w ere pardoned, to thofe who received Je-
fus, the promifed Melliah, for their king; and their fu-
ture flips covered, if renouncing their former iniquities,
they entered into his kingdom, and continued his fub~

jech

as delivered in the Scriptures, 123

jecls with a fteady refolution and endeavour to obey his
laws. This righteoufnefs therefore, a complete obedi-
ence and freedom from fm, are ftill fincerely to be cn-
deavoared after. And it is no where promifed, that
thofe who perfift in a wilful difobedience to his laws,
fhall be received into the eternal blifs of his Kingdom,
how much foever they believe in- him.

A fmcere obedience, how can any one doubt to be,
or fcruple to call, a condition of the new covenant, as
well as faith ; whoever reads our Saviour's fermon in
the mount, to omit all the reft ? Can any thing be more
exprefs than thefe words of our Lord? Matt. vi. 14,
** If you forgive men their trefpalfes, your heavenly Fa-
" ther will alfo forgive you : but if you forgive not mem
*' their trefpalies, neither will your Father forgive your
" trefpalTes." And John xiii. 17, *' If ye know thefe
" thmgs, happy are ye if you do them." This is fo
indifpenfable a condition of the new covenant, that be-
lieving without it, will not do, nor be accepted ; if our
Saviour knew the terms on which he would admit men
into life. ** Why call ye me. Lord, Lord," fays he,
Luke vi. 46, "and do not the things which I fay?" It
is not enough to believe him to be the Mefliah, the
Lord, without obeying him,. For that thefe he fpeaks
to here, were believers, is evident from the parallel
place. Matt. vii. 21 — 23, where it is thus recorded:
** Not every one who fays Lord, Lord, fhall enter into
" the kingdom of heaven ; but he that doth the will of
" my Father, which is in heaven." No rebels, or re-
fradlory difobedient, fhall be admitted there, though
they have fo far believed in Jefus, as to be able to do
miracles in his name : as is plain out of the follow ing
words : " Many will fay to me in that day. Have we not
'* propheficd in thy name, and in thy name have caft
" out devils, and in thy name have done many wonderful
" works ? And then will I profefs unto them, I never
f' knew you : depart from me, ye workers of iniquity."

This part of the new covenant, the apoftles alfo, ia
their preaching the gofpcl of the Meliiah, ordinarily
joined with the doctrine of faith,

St. Peterj in his firlf fermon,, Acfls ii. when they were

pricked

124 ^^'^ Reafonahlenefs of Chrijlianityi

pricked in heart, and alkcd, " What ftiall wc do ?'*
fays, ver. 38, "Repent, and be baptized, every one of
** you, in the name of Jefus Chrift, for the remifllon of
" iins." The fair.e he fays to them again in his next
fpeech. Ads iv. 26, ** Unto you firft, God having raifed
*' up his Son Jefus, fent him toblefs you." How vas
this done? *' in turning away every one from your

*' INIQiJITIFS."

The fame dodirine they preach to the high pried and
rulers. Acts v. 30, •' The God of our fathers raifed up
'* Jefus, whom ye flew, and hanged on a tree. Him
"■ hath God exalted with his right hand, to be a Prince
** and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Ifrael, and
'* forgivenefs of fins ; and we are witnelTes of thefe
*' things, and fo is alfo the Holy Ghofl:, whom God
'^ hath given to them that obey him."

Ads xvii. 30, St. Paul tells the Athenians, That now
under the gofptl, '* God commandeth all men every
** where to repent."

Ads XX. 21, St. Paul, in his laft conference with the
elders ot Fphcfus, profefies to have taught them the
•whole dodrine neceflary to falvation : ** I have," fays
he, *' kept back nothing that was profitable unto you;
*' but have fliowed you, and have taught you publicly,
*^ and from houfe to houfe ; teflifying both to the jews
*^* and to the greeks:" and then gives an account what
h!s preaching had been, viz. ** Repentance tov^ards
" God, and faith towards our Lord Jefus the MefTiah."
This was the fum and fubftance of the gofpel which St.
Paul preached, and was all that he knew necelTary to
falvation ; viz. " Repentance, and believing Jefus to
*' be the MefTiah :" and fo takes his laft farewell of
them, whom he fliould never fee again, ver. 32, in
thcfe v\ ords, " And now, brethren, I commend you to
*^ God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to
** build you up, and to give you an inheritance among
" all them that are fancl-til cd." There is an inheritance
convevecl bv the word and covenant of o-race ; but it is
only to thofe w ho are fandified.

Adts xxiv. 24, '* When Felix fent for Paul," that he
and his Mife Drufilia might hear him, '' concerning the

'* Yaith

as delivered in the Scriptures, xit^

•' faith in Chrift;" Paul reafoned of righteoufnefs, or
juftice; and temperance; the duties we owe to others,
and to ourfelves ; and of the judgment to come ; until
he made Felix to tremble. Whereby it appears, that
*' temperance and juftice" were fundamental parts of
the religion that Paul profefied, and were contained in
the faith which he preached. And if we find the duties
of the moral law not prefled by him every where, we
muft remember, that moft of his fermons left upon re-
cord, were preached in their fynagogues to the jews,
who acknowledged their obedience due to all the pre-
cepts of the law ; and would have taken it amifs to have
been fufpeded not to have been more zealous for the
law than he. And therefore it was with realbn that his
difcourfes were directed chiefly to what they yet wanted,
and were averfe to, the knowledge and embracing of
Jefus, their promifed Meiliah. But what his preaching
generally was, if we will believe him himfelf, we may
fee Ads xxvi, where giving an account to king Agrip-
pa, of his life and dodrine, he tells him, ver. 20, '* I
" fhowed unto them of Damafcus, and at Jerufalem>
" and throughout all the coafts of Judea, and then to
*' the gentiles, that they fhould repent, and turn to
'' God, and do works meet for repentance."

Thus we fee, by the preaching of Our Saviour and his
apoflles, that he required of thofe who believed him to
be the Mefhah, and received him for iher Loid and
Deliverer, that they (hould live by his laws : a:id that
(though in confideration of their becoming his fubjeds,
by faith in him, whereby they believed and took h^m to
be the Meiliah, their former fms Ihould be for<.:iven,
yet) he would own none to be his, nor receive them as
true denizens of the new Jerufalem, into the inheritance
of eternal life; but leave them to the condemnation of
the unrighteous ; who renounced not their former mif-
carriages, and lived in a fmcere obedience to his com-
mands. What he expedts from his followers, he has
fufficiently declared as a legiflator: and that they may
not be deceived, by miftaking the doctrine of faith,
grace^ free-grace, and the pardon and forgivencfs of
fins, and falvation by him, (which w-s the great end of

his

J 26 'The Reafonahlenefs of ChrlJIianity,

his conning) he more than once declares to them, for
what omiHions and mifcarriages he fliall judge and con-
demn to death, even thofe who have owned him, and
done miracles in his name : when he comes at laft to
render to every one according to what he had done in
the tiefh, fitting upon his great and glorious tribunal,
at the end of the world.

The firft place where we find our Saviour to have
nientioncd the day of judgment, is John v. 28, 29, in
thefe words : " The hour is coming, in which all that
•* are in their graves fhall hear his [i. e. the Son of
" God's] voice, and fiiall come forth ; they that have
*' DONE GOOD, unto the refurredlion of life; and they
** that have done evil, unto the refurreclion of damna-
** tion." That which puts the di(tin6lion, if we will
believe our Saviour, is the having done good or evil.
And he gives a reafon of the neceffity of his judging or
condemning thofe " who have done evil," in the fol-
lowing words, ver. 30, " I can of myfelf do nothing.
•* As I hear I judge; and my judgment is juft ; be-
" caufe I feek not my own will, but the will of my Fa-
" ther who hath fent me." He could not judge of
himfelf ; he had but a delegated power of judging from
the Father, whofe will he obeyed in it ; and who was
of purer eyes than to admit any unjuft perfon into the
kingdom of heaven.

Matt. vii. 22, 23, fpeaking again of that day, he tells
"what his fentence will be, " Depart from me, ye work-
** ERS of iniquity." Faith in the penitent and fincerely
obedient, fupplics the dcfed: of their performances ; and
fo by grace they are made juft. But we may obfcrve,
none are fentenced or punilhed for unbelief, but only
for their mifdeeds. ** They are workers of iniquity"
on whom the fentence is pronounced.

Matt. xiii. 41, *' At the end of the world, the Son of
** man fhall fend forth his angels; and they fhall ga-
** ther out of his kingdom all fcandals, and them which
" DO iniquity ; and cafl them into a furnace of fire;
** there fliall be wailing and gnafliing of teeth." And
again, ver. 49, *' The angels fliall fever the wicked

" from

es delivered in the Scriptures. 127

*« from among the just; and fhall cafl them into the
" furnace of fire.'*

Matt. xvi. 24. " For the Son of man Ihall come in
«* the glory of his Father, with his angels : and then he
** fhall reward every man according to his works."

Luke xiii. 26, '* Then fliall ye begin to fay. We have
" eaten and drank in thy prcfcnce, and thou haft taught
" in our ftreets. But he Ihall fay, I tell you, I know
" you not ; depart from me, ye workers of iniquity."

Matt. XXV. 31 — 46, " When the Son of man fhall
*' come in his glory ; and before him fliall be gathered
** all nations ; he fliall fet the Iheep on his right hand,
" and the goats on his left. Then fhall the King fay
" to them on his right hand. Come, ye blelTed of my
" Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from
" the foundation of the world ; for I was an hungred,
•* and ye gave me meat ; I was thirfty, and ye gave me
«' drink ; I was a ftranger, and ye took me in ; naked,
«* and ye clothed me ; 1 was fick and ye vifited me ; I
" was in prifon, and ye came unto me. Then fliall the
•' righteous anfwer him, faying. Lord, when faw we
«' thee an hungred, and fed thee ? Sec. And the King
" fhall anfwer and fay unto them. Verily, I fay unto
•^ you, Inafmuch as ye have done it unto one of the
" leaft of thefe my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
" Then fhall he fay unto them on the left hand. Depart
«* from me, ye curfed, into everlafting fire, prepared for
" the devil and his angels : for I was an hungred, and
♦' ye gave me no meat ; 1 was thirfty, and ye gave me
" no drink ; I was a ftranger, and ye took me not in ;
" naked, and ye clothed me not ; fick, and in prifon,
" and ye vifited me not. ' Infomuch that ye did it not
" to one of thefe, ye did it not to me. And thefe fliall
•* go into everlaftmg puniiliment; but the righteous
•' into life eternal."

Thefe, I think, are all the places where our Saviour
mentions the lall: judgment, or defcribes his v/ay of pro-
ceeding in that great day; wherein, as we have ob-
ferved, it is remarkable, that every-where the fentence
follows doing or not doing, without any mention of be-
lieving or not believing. Not that any, to whom the

gofpel

128 ^he Kcafonahlenefs of Chrijliamtyy

gofpcl bath been preached, (hall be faved, without be-
lieving Jefus to be the MefTiah : for all being linners,
and tranlgrellbrs of the law, and fo unjufl ; are all lia-
ble to condemnation ; iinlefs they believe, and fo
through grace are jullified by God, for this faith, which
fhall be accounted to them for righteoufnefs. But the
reft wanting this cover, this allowance for their tranf-
greflions, muft anfwer for all their actions ; and being
found tranfgreflbrs of the law, fhall, by the letter and
fanCiion of that law, be condemned, for not having paid
a full obedience to that law ; and not for want of faith.
That is not the guilt on which the punilliment is laid ;
though it be the want of faith, which lays open their
guilt uncovered ; and expofes them to the fentence of
the law, againli all that are unrighteous.

The common objcdion here, is. If all finners fhall be
condemned, but fuch as have a gracious allowance made
them ; and fo arc juftified by God, for believing Jefus
to be the MefTiah, and fo taking him for their King,
whom they are refolved to obey to the utmoft of their
power ; ** What fliall become of all mankind, who
'* lived before our Saviour's time, who never heard of
" his name, and confequently could not believe in,
" him ?" To this the anfwer is fo obvious and natural,
that one would wonder how any reafonable man fliould
think it worth the urging. No body was, or can be
required to believe, what was never propofed to him to
believe. Before the fulnefs of time, which God from
the counfel of his own wifdom had appointed to fend
his Son in, he had, at feveral times, and in different
manners, promifed to the people of Ifrael, an extraor-
dinary perfon to come ; who, raifed from amongft thcm-
felves, fliould be their Ruler and Deliverer. The time,
and other circumftanccs of his birth, life, and perfon,
he had in fundry prophecies fo particularly defcribed,
and fo plainly foretold, that he was well known, and
expected by the jews, under the name of the Meifiah,
or Anointed, given him in fome of thefe prophefies.
All then that was required, before his appearing in the
world, was to believe what God had revealed, and to
rely with a full aifurancc on God, for the performance

of

as delivered in the Scriptures, 129

cf his promifc; and to believe, that in due time he
would fend them the Mefliah, this anointed King, this
promifed Saviour and Deliverer, according to his word.
This faith in the promifes of God, this relying and ac-
quiefcing in his word and faithfulnefs, the Almighty-
takes well at our hands, as a great mark of homage, paid
by us poor frail creatures, to his goodnefs and truth,
as well as to his power and wifdom : and accepts it as
an acknowledgment of his peculiar providence, and be-
nignity to us. And therefore our Saviour tells us, John
xii. 44, ** He that believes on me, believes not on me,
*^ but on him that fent me." The works of nature fhow
his wifdom and power : but it is his peculiar care of
mankind moft eminently difcovered in his promifes to
them, that fhows his bounty and goodnefs ; and confe-
quently engages their hearts in love and alfecflion to
him. This oblation of an heart, fixed w ith dependence
on, and affedlion to him, is the moft acceptable tribute
we can pay him, the foundation of true devotion, and
life of all religion. What a value he puts on this de-
pending on his word, and refting fatisfied in his pro-
mifes, M^e have an example in Abraham ; whofe faith
** was counted to him for righteoufnefs," as we have
before remarked out of Rom. iv. And his relying firmly
on the promife of God, without any doubt of its per-
formance, gave him the name of the father of the faith-
ful ; and gained him fo much favour with the Almighty,
that he was called the *' friend of God;" the higheft
and moft glorious title that can be bellowed on a crea-
ture. The thing promifed was no more but a fon by
his wife Sarah ; and a numerous pofterity by him, w hich
Ihould pofTefs the land of Canaan. Thefe were but
temporal bleilings, and (except the birth of a fon) very
remote, fuch as he fhould never live to fee, nor in his
own perfon have the benefit of. But becaufe he quef-
tioned not the performance of it ; but refted fully fatis-
fied in the goodnefs, truth, and faithfulnefs of God,
who had promifed, it was counted to him for righte-
oufnefs. Let us fee how St. Paul expreffes it, Rom. iv,
18 — 22, *' Who, againft hope, believed in hope, that.
^* he might become the father of many nations ; ac-
Vql. VI, K cording

130 the Reafdnahlenefs of Chrijlianity,

" cording to that which was fpoken. So lliall thy feej
** be. And being not weak in faith, he confidcred not
" his own body now dead, w'hen he was above an hun-
*' dred years old, neither yet the deadncfs of Sarah's
*' womb. He flaggered not at the promife of God
** through unbelief, but was flrong in faith : giving
** glory to God, and being fully perfuaded, that what
** he had promifed he was able to perform. And
** THEREFORE it was imputed to him for righteoufnefs.'*
St. Paul having here emphatically defcribcd the ftrength
and lirmnefs of Abraham's faith, informs us, that he
thereby "gave glory to God;" and therefore it was
" accounted to him for righteoufnefs." This is the
way that God deals v.ith poor frail mortals. He is
gracioufly pleafed to take it well of them, and give it
the place of righteoufnefs, and a kind of merit in his
light ; if they believe his promifes, and have a ftedfaft
relying on his veracity and goodnefs. St. Paul, Heb.
x\. 6, tells us, " Without faith it is impoflible to pleafe
" God :" but at the fame time tells us what faith that
is. " For," fays he, *^ he that cometh to God, muft
*' believe that he is ; and that he is a rewarder of them
'^ that diligently feek him." He muft be perfuaded of
God's mercy and goodwill to thofe who feek to obey
him ; and reft afllircd of his rewarding thofe who rely
on him, for whatever, either by the light of nature, or
particular promifes, he has revealed to them of his ten-
der mercies, and taught them to expedl from his bounty.
This defcription of faith, (that we might not miftake
what he means by that faith, Vvithout which we cannot
pleafe God, and which recomimended the faints of old)
St. Paul places in tjic middle of the lift of thofe who
were eminent for their faith ; and vvhom he fcts as pat-
terns to the converted Hebrews, under perfecution, to
encourage them to perfift in their confidence of deli-
verance by the coming of Jcfus Chrift, and in their be-
lief of the promifes they now had under the gofpel. By
thofe examples he exhorts them not to "drawback"
frcjn the hope that was fet before them, nor apoilatize
"from the profcfllon of the chriftian religion. This is
plain from ver. 75 — -^8, of the precedent chapter:

" Caft

as delivered in the Scriptures, 13 1

** Call not away therefore your confidence, which hath
** great recompence of reward. For ye have great need
*' of perfifting or perfeverance ;" (for fo the greek word
fignifies here, v/hich our tranflation renders "patience."
Vide Luke viii. 15.) " that after ye have done the will
" of God, ye might receive the promife. For yet a
" little while, and he that Ihall come will come, lad
" will not tarry. Now the juft fhall live by fiith. Buc
" if any man draw back, my foul fliall have no plea-
*' fure in him."

The examples of faith, which St. Paul enumerates and
propofes in the following vvords, chap, xi, plainly lliow,
that the faith whereby thofe believers of old pleafed God,
was nothing but a ftedfaft reliance on the goodnefs and
faithfulnefs of God, for thofe good things; which either
the" light of nature, or particular promifes, had given
them grounds to hope for. Of what avail this faith was
with God, we may fee, ver. 4, " By faith Abel offered
*' unto God a more excellent facrifice than Cain; by
•* which he obtained witnefs that he was righteousc"
Ver. 5, "By faith Enoch was tranOated, that he fliould
" not fee death: for before his tranflation he had this
*' teftimony, that he pleafed God." Ver. 7, " Noah
" being warned of God of things not feen as yet ;" being
wary, " by faith prepared an ark, to the favingofhis
" houfej by the which he condemned the world, and
" became heir of the righteoufnefs which is by faith."
And what it was that God fo graciouOy accepted and
rewarded, we are told, ver. 11, "Through faith alfo
** Sarah herfelf received ftrength to conceive feed, and
*^ was delivered of a child, when flie was paft age.'*
How fhe came to obtain this grace from God, the
apoftle tells us, " Becaufe fhe judged him faithful who
" had promifed." Thofe therefore, who pleafed God,
and were accepted by him before the coming of Chrifb,
did it only by believing the prom.ifes, and relying on
the goodnefs of God, as far as he had revealed it to
them. For the apoftle, in the following words, tells us,
ver. 13, " Thefe all died in faith, not having received
" (the accompliflmient of) the promifes ; but having
** feen them afar off: and were perfuaded of them, and

K 2 " embraced

132 ^he ReafonaUenefs of Chrifttamty,

" embraced them." This was all that was required of
them ; to be perfuadcd of, and embrace the promifes
which they had. They could be "perfuadcd of" no
more lh!»ji was propofed to them ; " embrace" no more
than was revealed ; according to the promifes they had
received, and the difpenfations they were under. And if
the faith of things " feen afar off;" if their trufting in
God for the promifes he then gave them ; if a belief of
the Mefliah to come ; were fufficient to render thofe who
lived in the ages before Chrift acceptable to God, and
jighteous before him : I defire thofe who tell us, that
God will not (nay, fomego fo far as to fay, cannot) ac-
cept any, who do not believe every article of their par-
ticular creeds and fyftems, to confider, why God, out of
his infinite mercy, cannot as well juftify men now, for
believing Jefus of Nazareth to be the promifed Mefliah,
the King and Deliverer ; as thofe heretofore, who be-
lieved only that God would, according to his promife,
in due time, fend the Mefliak, to be a King and De-
liverer.

There is another difficulty often to be met with>
which feems to have fomething of more weight in it :
and that is, that " though the faith of thofe before
*' Chrift, (believing that God would fend the Mefliah,
** to be a Prince and a Saviour to his people, as he had
*' promifed) and the faith of thofe fmce his time, (be-
*' lieving Jefus to be that Mefliah, promifed and fent
** by God) fliall be accounted to them for rightcouf-
*' nefs ; yet what fliall become of all the reft of man-
" kind, who, having never heard of the promife or
•* news of a Saviour; not a word of a Mcffiah to be
•' fent, or that was come ; have had no thought or be-
^* lief concerning him ?"

To this I anfwcr ; that God will require of every man,
f* according to what a man hath, and not according to
" what he hath not." He will not cxped the im-
provement of ten talents, where he gave but one ; nor
require any one Ihould believe a promife of which he
has never heard. The apoftle's reafoning, Rom. x. 14,
is veryjuft: " How fliall they believe in him, of whom
" they have not heard?" But though there be many,

wh(J

as deliver ei in the Scripture s\ 133

"^ho being Grangers to the commonwealth of Ifrael,
were alfo ftrangers to the oracles of God, committed to
that people J Many, to whom the promife of the Mef-
fiah never came, and fo were never in a capacity to be-
lieve or rejecft that revelation ; yet God had, by the
light of reafon, revealed to all mankind, who would
make ufe of that light, that he was good and merciful.
The fame fpark of the divine nature and knowledge in
man, which making him a man, fliowed him the law he
was under, as a man ; Ihowed him alfo the way of aton-
ing the merciful, kind, companionate Author and Fa-
ther of him and his being, Avhen he had tranfgrefled
that law. He that made ufe of this candle of the Lord,
fo far as to find what was his duty, could not mifs to
find alfo the way to reconciliation and forgivenefs,
when he had failed of his duty : though, if he ufed not
his reafon this way, if he put out or negledled this light,
he might, perhaps, fee neither.

The law is the eternal, immutable ftandard of right.
And a part of that law is, that a man Ihould forgive,
not only his children, but his enemies, upon their re-
pentance, afking pardon, and amendment. And there-
fore he could not doubt that the author of this law, and
God of patience and confolation, who is rich in mercy,
would forgive his frail offspring, if they acknowledged
their faults, difapproved the iniquity of their tranfgref-
fions, begged his pardon, and refolved in earncft, for
the future, to conform their actions to this rule, which
they owned tobe juft and right. This way of reconci-
liation, this hope of atonement, the light of nature re-
vealed to them : and the revelation of the gofpel, having
faid nothing to the contrary, leaves them to ftand and
fall to their own Father and Mafter, whofe goodnefs and
mercy is over all his works.

I know fome are forward to urge that place of the
Ad:s, chap, iv, as contrary to this. The words, ver. 10
and 12, ftand thus: " Be it known unto you all, and
** to all the people of Ifrael, that by the name of Jcfus
^' Chrift of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God
?* raifed from the dead, even by him, doth this man"
\\, e. the lame man rcftored by Peterl *' ftapd here be-
• ' ' ■ K 3 " ♦* for^

134 '^^^^ Reafonahlenefs of Chriflianity,

*' fore you whole. This is the (lone which is fet at
" nought by you builders, which is become the head of
" the corner. Neither is there falvation in any other :
*' for theie is none other name under heaven given
*^ among men, in which we muft be favcd." Which,
in fliort, is, thcat Jefus is the only true Mefliah, neither
is there any oiherperfon, but he, given to be a mediator
between God and man ; in whofe name we may afk, and
hope for falvation.

It will here pofTibly be afked, " Quorfum pcrditio
" hasc .'"' What need was there of a Saviour ? What ad-
vantage have we by Jefus Chrifl ?

It is enough to juftify the fitnefs of any thing to be
done, by refolving it into the ** wifdom of God," who
has done it ; though our Ihort views, and narrow un-
derftandings, may utterly incapacitate us to fee that wif-
dom, and to judge rightly of it. We know little of this
vilible, and nothing at ail of the ftate of that intelle(flual
world, wherein are infinite numbers and degrees of fpi-
rits out of the reach of our ken, or guefs ; and therefore
know not what tranfadions there were between God
and our Saviour, in reference to his kingdom. We
know not what need there was to fet up an head and a
chieftain, in oppofuion to " the prince of this world,
** the prince of the power of the air," Sec, whereof
there are more than obfcure intimations in fcripture.
And we Ihall take too much upon us, if we fhall call God's
"wifdom or providence to account, and pertly condemn
for needlefs, all that our weak, and perhaps biaifed, un-
derftanding cannot account for.

Though this general anfwer be reply enough to the
forementioned demand, and fuch as a rational man, or
fair fearchcr after truth, will acquiefcein; yet in this
particular cafe, the wifdom and goodnefs of God has
Ihown itfelf fo vilibly to common apprehenfions, that it
haih furniflied us abundantly wherewithal to fatisfy the
curious and inquifitive; who will not take a blefllng,
unlefs they be inliruded what need they had of it, and
why it was bcftov. ed upon them. The great and many
advantages wc receive by the coming of Jefus the Mef-

fiah,

as delivered in the Scriptures, j^s.

fiah, will {how, that it was not without need, that he
was fent into the world.

The evidenceof our Saviour's miffion from heaven is
fo great, in the multitude of miracles he did before all
all forts of people, that what he delivered cannot but be
received as the oracles of God, and unqueftionable ve-
rity. For the miracles he did were fo ordered by the
divine providence and wifdom, that they never were,
nor could be denied by any of the enemies, or oppofers
of chriftianity.

Though the works of nature, in every part of them,
fufficiently evidence a Deity; yet the world made fo
little ufe of their reafon, that they faw him not, where,
even by the imprellions of himfelf, he was eafy to be
found. Senfe and luft blinded their minds in fome, and
a carelefs inadvertency in others, and fearful apprehen-
lions in mod (who either believed there were, or could
not but fufped: there might be, fuperiour unknown be-
ings) gave them up into the hands of their priefts, to
fill their heads with falfe notions of the Deity, and their
worfhip with foolifh rices, as they pleafed : and what
dread or craft once begani devotion foon made facred,
and religion immutable. In this flate of darknefs and
ignorance of the true God, vice and fuperftition held
the world. Nor could any help be had, or hoped for
from reafon ; which could not be heard, and was judged
to have nothing to do in the cafe ; the priefts, every
where, to fecure their empire, having excluded reafon
from having any thing to do in religion. And in the
crowd of Vvrong notions, and invented rites, the world had
almoft loft the light of the one only true God. The rational
and thinking part of mankind, it is true, when they
fought after him, they found the one fupreme, invifible
God ; but if they acknowledged and worlhipped him,
it was only in their own minds. They kept this truth
locked up in their own breafts as a fecret, nor ever durft
venture it amongft the people ; much lefs amongft the
priefts, thofe wary guardians of their own creeds and
profitable inventions. Hence we fee, that reafon, fpeak-
ing ever fo clearly to the wife and virtuous^ had never
iiuthority enough to prevail on the multitude ; and to

K 4 perfuade

136 ^he Reqfonahhnefs of Chriftianity,

pcrfuade the focictics of men, that there was but one
God, that alone was to be owned and worfliipped. The
belief and vvorihip of one God, was the national religion
of the Ifraclites alone : and if we will confider it, it was
introduced and fupported amongft the people by reve-
lation. They were in Gofhen, and had light, whilft the
reft of the world were in almoft Egyptian darknefs,
•' without God in the world.*' There was no part of
inankind, who had quicker parts, or improved them
more ; that had a greater light of reafon, or followed it
farther in all forts of fpeculations, than the Athenians :
and yet we find but one Socrates amongft them, that op-
pofed and laughed at their polytheifrn, and wrong opi-
nions of the Deity ; and we fee how they rewarded him
for it: Whatfoever Plato, and the fobereft of the phi-
lofophers, thought of the nature and being of the one
God, they were fain, in their outward profeflions and
worihip, to go with the herd, and keep to the religion
cftablifhcd by law : which what it was, and how it had
difpofed the minds of thefe knowing and quick-fighted
Grecians, St. Paul tells us. Ads xvii. 22 — 29, ** Yc
** men of Athens," fays he, " I perceive, that in all
*^ things ye are too fuperftitious. For as I paflcd by,
*' and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this
** infcription, to the unknown God. Whom there-
'^ fore yc ignorantly worftiip, him declare I unto you.
** God that made the w^orld, and all things therein, fee-
*' ing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dvvelleth
** not in temples made with hands : neither is wor^
•* fliipped with men's hands, as though he needed any
** thing, feeing that he giveth unto all life, and breath,
** and all things ; and hath made of one blood all the
•* nations of men, for to dwell on the face of the earth ;
'* an! hath determined the times before appointed, and
** the bounds of their habitations ; that they ftiould feek
•* the Lord, if haply they might feel him out and find
*' him, though he be not far^rom every one of us."
Here he tells the Athenians, that they, and the reft of
the world (griven up to fuperftition) whatever light ther^
was in the works of cr cation and providence, to lead
them to the true God ; yet few of thcrri found him.

fis delivered in the Scriptures. 137

He was every where near them ; yet they were but like
people groping and feeling for fomfthing in the dark,
and did not fee him with a full and clear day-light ;
" But thought the Godhead like to gold and filver, and
" ftone, graven by art and man's device,"

In this ftate of darknefs and errour, in reference to the
" true God," our Saviour found the world. But the
clear revelation he brought with him, diffipated this
darknefs; made the " one invilible true God" known
to the world : and that with fuch evidence and energy,
that poiytheifm and idolatry have no where been able
to withftand it : but wherever the preaching of the
truth he delivered, and the light of the gofpel hath
come, thofe mifts have been difpelled. And, in effcd,
we fee, that fince our Saviour's time, the ** belief of one
" God" has prevailed and fpread itfelf over the face of
the earth. For even to the light that the Mefliah brought
into the world with him, we muft afcribe the owning
and profeffion of one God, which the Mahometan reli-
gion hath derived and borrowed from it. So that in
this fenfe it is certainly and manifeltly true of our Sa-
viour, what St. John fays of him, i John iii. 8, " For
" this purpofe the Son of God was manifefted, that he
•' might deftroy the works of the devil." This light
the world needed, and this light is received from him :
that there is but "one God," and he " eternal, invifi-
" ble ;" not like to any vifible objeds, nor to be repre-
fented by them.

If it be alked, whether the revelation to the patriarchs
by Mofes did not teach this, and w^hy that was not
enough ? The anfwer is obvious ; that however clearly
the knowledge of one invifible God, maker of heaven
and earth, was revealed to them ; yet that revelation
was (hut up in a little corner of the world ; amongft a
people, by that very law, w hich they received with it,
excluded from a commerce and communication with
the reft of mankind. The Gentile world, in our Sa-
viour's time, and feveral ages before, could have no at-
teftation of the miracles on which the Hebrews built
their faith, but from the Jews themfelves, a people not
kno\vi> to the greateft part of mankind j contemned

I3S ^he Reafonallenefs of Chrijlianifyy

and thought vilely of, by thofc nations that did know
them ; and therefore very unfit and unable to propagate
the dodrine of one God in the world, and difFufe it
through the nations of the earth, by the ftrcngth and
force of that ancient revelation, upon which they had
received it. But our Saviour, when he came, threw
down this wall of partition ; and did not confine his
miracles or melTage to the land of Canaan, or the wor-
fliippers at Jerufalcm. But he himfelf preached at Sa-
maria, and did miracles in the borders of Tyre and Si-
don, and before multitudes of people gathered from all
quarters. And after his reflirredion, fent his apoftles
amongll the nations, accompanied with miracles; which
were done in all parts fo frequently, and before fo many
witnefles of all fcrts, in broad day-light, that, as I have
before obferved, the enemies of chriftianity have never
dared to deny them ; no, not Julian himfelf: who nei-
ther wanted fkill nor power to inquire into the truth :
nor would have failed to have proclaimed and expofed
it, if he could have deteded any fallliood in the hiflory
of the gofpel ; or found the leaft ground to queftion the
matter of fad: publillied of Chrifl and his apoftles. The
number and evidence of the miracles done by our Sa-
viour and his followers, by the power and force of truth,
bore down this mighty and accompliflied emperor, and
all his parts, in his ov/n dominions. He durfl not deny
fo plain a matter of fad, which being granted, the truth
of our Saviour's dodlrine and niiffion unavoidably fol-
lows ; notwithftanding whatfoever artful fuggeftions
his wit could invent, or malice jQiould offer to the con-
trary.

Next to the knowledge of one God ; maker of all
things ; *' a clear knowledge of their duty was wanting
•' to mankind." This part of knowledge, though cul-
tivated with feme care by fome of the heathen philofo-
phers, yet got little footing among the people. All
men, indeed, under pain of difplcafmg the gods, were
to frequent the temples : every one went to their fa-
crifices and fervices : but the priefls made it not their
bufinefs to teach them virtue. If they were dili-
gent in their obfervations and ceremonies ; pundual

in

as delivered in the Scriptures. ' 139

in their feafts and folemnities, and the tricks of religion ;
the holy tribe alTured them the gods were pleafed, and
they looked no farther. Few went to the fchools cf
the philofophers to be inftru6led in their duties, and to
know what was good and evil in their actions. The
priefts fold the better pennyworths, and therefore had
all the cuftora. Lullrations and procefTions were much
eafier than a clean confcience, and a fteady courfe of
virtue ; and an expiatory facrifice that atoned for the
want of it, was much more convenient than a ftrid: and
holy life. No wonder then, that religion was every-
where diftinguiflied from, and preferred to virtue ; and
that it was dangerous herefy and profanenefs to think
the contrary. So much virtue as was necefiary to hold
focieties together, and to contribute to the quiet of
governments, the civil laws of commonwealths taught,
and forced upon men that lived under magiftrates.
But thefe laws being for the moft part made by fuch,
who had no other aims but their own power, reached
no farther than thofe things that would ferve to tie
men together in fubjedion ; or at moft were diredlly to
conduce to the profperity and temporal happinefs of
^Tij people. But natural religion, in its full extent, was
no where, that I know, taken care of, by the force of
natural reafon. It fliould feem, by the little that has
hitherto been done in it, that it is too hard a talk for
unaflifted reafon to eftablifti morality in all its parts,
upon its true foundation, with a clear and convincing
light. And it is at leaft a furer and fhorter way, to
the apprehenfions of the vulgar, and mafs of mankind,
that one manifeftly fent from God, and coming with
vilible authority from him, fhould, as a king and law-
maker, tell them their duties ; and require their obe-
dience ; than leave it to the long and fometimes intri-
cate deduiflions of reafon, to be made out to them.
Such trains of reafoning the greateft part of mankind
have neither leifure to weigh ; nor, for want of educa-
tion and ufe, fkiil to judge of. We fee how unfuccefsful
in this the attempts of philofophers were before our
Saviour's time. How fliort their feveral fyftems came
pf the perfedlion of a true and complete morality, is
9 very

14^ ^he Reafonahknefs of ChriJ}ianify,

very vifible. And if, fince that, the chriftian philofo*
phcrs have much out-done them ; yet we may obferve,
that the firft knowledge of the truths they have added,
is owing to revelation : though as foon they are heard
and conlidered, they are found to be agreeable to rea-
fon; and fuch as can by no means be contradidled.
Every one may obferve a great many truths, which he
receives at firft from others, and readily aiTents to, as
confonant to reafon, which he would have found it
hard, and perhaps beyond his ftrength, to have dif-
covcred himfelf. Native and original truth is not fo
cafily wrought out of the mine, as we, who have it de-
livered already dug and fafhioned into our hands, are
apt to imagine. Ani how often at fifty or threefcore
years old are thinking men told what they wonder how
they could mifs thinking of? Which yet their own
contemplations did not, and poflibly never would have
helped them to. Experience fliows, that the knowledge
of morality, by mere natural light, (how agreeable fo-
ever it be to it) makes but a flow progrefs, and litple
advance in the world. And the reafon of it is not har4
to be found in men's neceflities, paflions, vices, an^
miftaken interefts ; which turn their thoughts another
way : and the defigning leaders, as well as following
herd, find it not to their purpofe to employ much of
their meditations this way. Or whatever elfe was the
caufe, it is plain, in fad, that human reafon unalTiftcd
failed men in its great and proper bufinefs of morality.
It never from unqueftionable principles, by clear der
dudlions, made out an entire body of the " law of na-
** ture." And he that fliall collcdl all the moral rules
of the philofophers, and compare them with thofe con-
tained in the New Teftamcnt, will find them to come
fhort of the morality delivered by our Saviour, and
taught by his apoftlcs ; a college made up, for the moft
part, of ignorant, but infpired fifhermen.

Though yet, if any one fliould think, that out of the
fayings of the wife heathens before our Saviour's time,
there might be a colledion made of all thofe rules of
morality, which are to be found in the chriftian reli-
gion J yet thi? would not at all hinder^ but that the

world.

as delivered in the Scriptures, 14 1:

worldj neverthelcfs, flood as much in need of our Sa-
viour, and the morality delivered by him. Let it be
granted (though not true) that all the moral precepts
of the gofpcl were known by fomebody or other, amongft
Hiankind before. But where, or how, or of what ufc, is
not confidered. Suppofe they may be picked up here
and there ; fome from Solon and Bias in Greece, others
from TuUy in Italy : and to complete the work, let
Confucius, as far as China, be confulted ; and Anachar-
fis, the Scythian, contribute his Ihare. What will all
this do, to give the world a complete morality, that may
be to mankind the unqueftionable rule of life and man-
ners? I will not here urge the impoifibility of coUediing
from men, fo far diftant from one another, in time and
place, and languages. I will fuppofe there was a Sto-
beus in thofe times, who had gathered the moral fayings
from all the fages of the world. What would this
amount to, towards being a fteady rule ; a certain tranf-
cript of a law that we are under? Did the faying of
Ariftippus, or Confucius, give it an authority ? Was
Zeno a law-giver to mankind? If not, what he or any
other philofopher delivered, was but a faying of his.
Mankind might hearken to it, or reject it, as they pleaf-
ed ; or as it fuited their intereft, pailions, principles or
humours. They were under no obligation ; the opinion
of this or that philofopher was of no authority. And
if it were, you muft take all he faid under the fame cha-
rader. All his dicT:ates muft go for law, certain and
true ; or none of them. And then, if you will take any
of the moral fayings of Epicurus (many whereof Seneca
quotes with efteem and approbation) for precepts of the
law^of nature, you muft: take all the reft of his do6trine
for fuch too ; or elfe his authority ceafes : and fo no
more is to be received from him, or any of the fages of
old, for parts of the law of nature, as carrying with it an
obligation to be obeyed, but what they prove to be fo.
But fuch a body of ethics, proved to be the law of na-
ture, from principles of rcafon, and teaching all the
duties of life; I think nobody will fay the world had
before our Saviour's time. It is not enough, that there
^ere up and down fcattered fayings of wife men, con-
formable

142 ^he Reajonahlcnefs of Chrijlianity,

formable to right reafon. The law of nature, is the law
of convenience too : and it is no wonder, that thofe men
of parts, and ftudioiis of virtue (who had occafion to
think on any particular part of it) lliould, by meditation,
light on the right even-from the obfervable convenience
and beauty of it ; without making out its obligation
from the true principles of the law of nature, and foun-
dations of morality. But thefe incoherent apophthegms
of philofophers, and wife men, however excellent in
themfelves, and well intended by them ; could never
make a morality, whereof the world could be con-
vinced ; could never rife to the force of a law, that
mankind could with certainty depend on. Whatfoever
lliould thus be univerfally ufeful, as a ftandard to which
men fliould conform their manners, muft have its au-
thority, either from reafon or revelation. It is not every
writer of morality, or compiler of it from others, that
can thereby be eredied into a law-giver to mankind ;
and a didator of rules, which are therefore valid, be-
caufe they are to be found in his books ; under the au-
thority of this or that philofopher. He, that any one
will pretend to fct up in this kind, and have his rules
pafs for authentic dired:ions, muft fhow, that either he
builds his do(5lrine upon principles of reafon, felf-evi-
dcnt in themfelves ,- and that he deduces all the parts
of it from thence, by clear and evident demonftration :
or muft lliow his commifiion from heaven, that he
comes with authority from God, to deliver his will and
commands to the world. In the former way, no-body
that I know, before our Saviour's time, ever did, or
went about to give us a morality. It is true, there is a
law of nature : but v. ho is there that ever did, or under-
took to give it us all entire, as a law ; no more, nor no
lefs, than v/hat was contained in, and had the obligation
of that law ? Who ever made out all the parts 6f it, put
them together, and fliowed the world their obligation ?
• Where was there any fuch code, that mankind might
have recourfe to, as their unerring rule, before our Sa-
viour's time ? If there was not, it is plain there was
need of one to give us fuch a morality ; fuch a law,
which might be the fure guide of thofe who had a defire

to

as delivered in the Scriptures, 143

to go right; and, if they had a mind, need not miftake
their duty, but might be certain when they had per-
formed, when failed in it. Such a law of morality Jefus
Chrifl hath given us in the New Teftament ; but by the
latter cf thcfe ways, by revelation. We have from him
a full and fufficient rule for our direction, and conform-
able to that of reafon. But the truth and obligation of
its precepts have their force, and are put paft doubt
to us, by the evidence of his miffion. He was fent by
God : his miracles fhow it ; and the authority of God
in his precepts cannot be queftioned. Here morality
has a fure ftandard, that revelation vouches, and reafon
cannot gainfay, nor queftion ; but both together witnefs
to come from. God the great law-maker. And fuch an
one as this, out of the New Teftament, I think the world
never had, nor can any one fay, is any where elfe to be
found. Let me afk any one, who is forward to think
that the dodlrine of morality was full and clear in the
world, at our Saviour's birth ; whither would he have
directed Brutus and Caffius, (both men of parts and vir-
tue, the one whereof believed, and the other difbelieved
a future being) to be fatisfied in the rules and obliga-
tions of all the parts of their duties ; if they fhould have
afked him. Where they might find the law they were to
live by, and by which they fhould be charged, or ac-
quitted, as guilty, or innocent ? If to the fayings of the
wife, and the declarations of philofophers, he fends them
into a wild wood of uncertainty, to an endlefs maze,
from which they fhould never get out : if to the reli-
gions of the world, yet worfe : and if to their own rea-
fon, he refers them to that which had fome light and
certainty ; but yet had hitherto failed all mankind in a
perfcd rule ; and, we fee, refolved not the doubts that
had rifen amongfl the fludious and thinking philofo-
phers ; nor had yet been able to convince the civilized
parts of the world, that they had not given, nor could,
w^ithout a crime, take away the lives of their children,
by expofing them.

If any one Ihall think to excufe human nature, by
laying blame on men's negligence, that they did not
carry morality to an higher pitch; and make it out en-
tire

144 "^^P ReajonaUenefs of Chrifiianity,

tire in every part, with that clearnefs of demonflration
which fomc think it capable of; he helps not the matter.
Be the caufe what it will, our Saviour found mankind
under a corruption of manners and principles, which
ages after ages had prevailed, and mufi: be confeffed,
was not in a way or tendency to be mended. The rules
uf morality were in different countries and feds dif-
ferent. And natural reafon no where had cured, nor was
like to cure the defedls and errours in them. Thofe juft
meafurcs of right and wrong, which neceflity had any
where introduced, the civil laws prefcribed, or philofo-
phy recommended, flood on their true foundations. They
were looked on as bonds of fociety, and conveniencies
of common life, and laudable pradices. But where was
it that their obligation was thoroughly known and al-
lowed, and they received as precepts of a law; of the
highefl law, the law of nature ? That could not be,
without a clear knowledge and acknowledgement of
the law-maker, and the great rewards and punifhments,
for thofe that would, or would not obey him. But the
religion of the heathens, as was before obferved, little
concerned itfelf in their morals. The priefts, that de-
livered the oracles of heaven, and pretended to fpeak
from the gods, fpoke little of virtue and a good life.
And, on the other fide, the philofophers, who fpoke
from reafon, made not much mention of the Deity in
their ethics. They depended on reafon and her oracles,
which contain nothing but truth : but yet fome parts
of that truth lie too deep for our natural povvers cafily
to reach, and make plain and viiible to mankind ; with-
out fome light from above to diredthem. When truths
are once known to us, though by tradition, we are apt
to be favourable to our own parts ; and afcribe to our
own undcrflandings the difcovery of what, in reality,
we borrowed from others : or, at leafl, finding we can
prove, what at firft we learn from others, we are for-
ward to conclude it an obvious truth, which, if we
had fought, we could not have mifTed. Nothing fcems
hard to our underftandings that is once known: and
becaufe what we fee, we fee with our own eyes ; we are
apt to overlook, or forget the help we had from others
5 who

as delivered in the Scriptures, f 4^

V/ho fliowed it us, and firft made us fee it ; as if we
Were not at all beholden to them, for thofe truths they
opened the way to, and led us into. For knowledge
being only of truths that are perceived to be fo, we are
favourable enough to our own faculties, to conclude,
that they of their own ftrength would have attained
thofe difcoveries, without any foreign afliftance ; and
that we know thofe truths, by the ftrength and native
light of our own minds, as they did from whom we re-
ceived them by theirs, only they had the luck to be be-
fore us. Thus the whole flock of human knowledge is
claimed by every one, as his private polfefTion, as foon
as he (profiting by others difcoveries) has got it into
his own mind : and fo it is ; but not properly by his
own lingle induftry, nor of his own acquifition* He
Iludies, it is true, and takes pains to make a progrefs in
what others have delivered : but their pains were of
another fort, who firft brought thofe truths to light,
which he afterwards derives from them. He that tra-
vels the roads now, applauds his own ftrength and legs
that have carried him fo far in fuch a fcantling of time;
and afcribes all to his own vigour; little confidering
how much he owes to their pains, who cleared the
woods, drained the bogs, built the bridges, and made
the ways paflable ; without which he might have toiled
much with little progrefs. A great many things which
we have been bred up in the belief of, from our cradles,
(and are notions grown familiar^ and, as it were, natural
to us, under the gofpel) we take for unqueftionable ob-
vious truths, and ealily demonftrable ; without confi-
dering how long we might have been in doubt or igno-
rance of them, had revelation been filent. And many
are beholden to revelation, who do not acknowledge it.
It is no diminiftiing to revelation, that reafon gives its
fuff"rage too, to the truths revelation has difcovcred.
But it is our miftake to think, that becaufe reafon con-
firms them to us, we had the firft certain knowledge of
them from thence ; and in that clear evidence we now
poftefs them. The contrary is manifeft, in the defec-
tive morality of the gentiles, before our Saviour's time;
and the want of reformation in the principles and mea-
fures of it, as well as practice. Philofophy feemed to
Vol. VL L have

146 The ReafQnahlencJs of Chrijlianify,

have fpent its flrength, and done its utmod : or, if jc
Ihould h-.ve gone faiihcr, as we fee it did not, and
fron, rible principles given us ethics in a fcicnce'

like ui.u.i«.a.acics, in every "part dcnnonftrable j this*
yet would not have been fo effedual to man in this
imperfect ftate, nor proper for the cure. The grcateft
part of mankind Avant leifure or capacity for dcmonftra-
tion ; nor can carry a train of proofs, which in that way
they muft always depend upon for convidion, and can-
not be required to alFent to, until they fee the demon-
ftration. Wherever they flick, the teachers are always
put upon proof, and muft clear the doubt by a thread
of coherent deductions from the firft principle, how
long, or how intricate foever they be. And you may as
foon hope to have all the day-labourers and tradefmen,
the fpinfters and dairy-maids, perfect mathematicians,
as to have them perfecT: in ethics this way. Hearing
plain commands, is the fure and only courfe to bring
them to obedience and practice. The greateft part can-
not know, and therefore they muft believe. And I afk,
whether one coming from heaven in the power of God,
in full and clear evidence and demonftration of mira-
cles, giving plain and diredt rules of morality and obe-
dience ; be not likelier to enlighten the bulk of man-
kind, and fet them right in their duties, and bring them
fo do them, than by rcafoning with them from general
notions and principles of human reafon ? And were all
the duties of human life clearly demonftrated, yet I
conclude, when well conlidered, that method of teach-
ing men their duties w ould be thought proper only for
a few, who had much leifure, improved underftandings,
and were ufed to abftrai't rcafonings. But the inftruc-
tion of the people were belt ftill to be left to the pre-
cepts and principles of the gofpel. The healing of the
fick, the reftoring fight to the blind by a word, the raif-
ing and being raifed from the dead, are matters of facft,
which they can without difficulty conceive, and that he
who does fuch things, muft do them by the afliftance of
a divine power. Thefe things lie level to the ordina-
rieft appreheniion : he that can diftinguifh between fick
and well, lame and found, dead and alive, is capable of
this docftrine. To one who is once perfuaded that Jcfus

Chrift

■as dclmered in the Scriptures. n^'^

Qir'ift was fent by God to be a King, and a Saviour of
thole who do believe in him ; all his commands become
principles ; there needs no other proof for the truth of
\yhat he fays, but that he faid it. And then there needs
no more, but to read the infpired books, to be inftru di-
ed : all the duties of morality lie there clear, and plain,
and cafy to be underftood. And here I appeal, whether
this be not the furcfc, the fafefl, and mofi: effectual way
of teaching: efpecially if we add this farther confidera-
tion, that as it fuits the lowell: capacities of reafonable
creatures, fo it reaches and fatisfies, nay, enlightens the
higheft. The mofc elevated underftandings cannot but
ilibmit to the authority of this doclrine as divine; which,
coming from the mouths of a company of illiterate men,
hath not only the attefiation of miracles, but reafon to
confirm it : fince they delivered no precepts but fuch,
as though reafon of itfelf had not clearly made out, yet
it could not but affent to, when thus difcovered, and
think itfelf indebted for the difcovery. The credit and
authority our Saviour and his apofiles had over the minds
of men, by the miracles they did, tempted them not to
mix (as we find in that of all the feels and philofophers,
and other religions) any conceits, any wrong rules, any
thing tending to their own by-interefl, or that of a party,
in their morality. No tang of prepoffefiion, or fancy ;
no footfleps of pride, or vanity; no touch of ollentation
or ambition ; appears to have a hand in it. It is all
pure, all iincere ; nothing too much, nothing Vv'anting ;
but fuch a coiViplete rule of life, as the wifefl men muft
acknowledge, tends entirely to the good of mankind^
and that all would be happy, if all would pradlifeit.

3. The outward forms of worfliipping the Deity,
wanted a reformation. Stately buildings, coftly orna-
ments, peculiar and uncouth habits, and a numerous
huddle of pompous, fantaflical, cumberfome ceremo-
nies, every where attended divine worfliip. This, as it
had the peculiar name, fo it was thought the principal
^art, if not the whole of religion. Nor could this, pof-
libly, be amended, whilfl the jewilli ritual flood; and
there was fo niuch of it mixed with the worfliip of the
true God. To this alfo our Saviour, with the know-
ledge of the infinite, invifible, fupreme Spirit, brought

L 2 a remedy.

14^ ^^^ Reafonahlenefs of Chrijiidniiy,

a remedy, in a plain, fpiritual, and fuitable worfliip*
Jcfiis fays to the woman of Samaria, •' The hour cometh,
" when ye Ihall neither in this mountain, nor yet at
** Jeruialem, worfhip the Father. But the true wor-
'* Ihippers fhall worfliip the Father, both in fpirit and
** in truth; for the Father fecketh fuch to woriliip him."
To be worfhipped in fpirit and truth, with application
of mind, and fmcerity of heart, was what God hence-
forth only required. Magnificent temples, and con-
finement to certain places, were now no longer necelTary
for his worfliip, which by a pure heart might be per-
formed any where. The fplcndour and diflindfion of ha-
bits, and pomp of ceremonies, and all outfide perfor-
mances, might now be fpared. God, who was a fpirit,
and made known to be fo, required none of thofe, but
the fpirit only; and that in public affemblies, (where
fome aclions muft lie open to the view of the world) all
that could appear and be feen, fliould be done decently,
and in order, and to edification. Decency, order, and
edification, were to regulate all their public a6ls of wor-
fhip, and beyond what thefe required, the outward ap-
pearance (which was of little value in the eyes of God)
was not to go. Having fliut indecency and confufion out
of their affembiies, they need not be folicitous about ufe-
!efs ceremonies. Praifes and prayer, humbly offered
up to the Deity, were the worfliip he now demanded ;
and in thefe every one was to look after his own heart,
and to know that it was that alone which God had re-
gard to, and accepted.

4. Another great advantage received by our Saviour,
is the great encouragement he brought to a virtuous
and pious life; great enough to furmount the difficul-
ties and obftaclcs that lie in the way to it, and reward
the pains and hardlhips of thofe who ftuck firm to their
duties, and futfcred for the tcflimony of a good con-
fciencc. The portion of the righteous has been in all
ages taken notice of, to be pretty fcanty in this world.
Virtue and profperity do not often accompany one anal-
ther ; and therefore virtue feldom had many followers.
And it is no wonder flic prevailed not much in a flatc,
w here the inconvcnicncics th:u attended her were vifi-

ble.

fi,s delivered in the Scriptures, 14^

ble, and at hand ; and the rewards doubtful, and at a •
diftance. Mankind, who are and muft be allowed to
purlue their happinefs, nay, cannot be hindered ; could
not but think themfelvcs excufed from a ftrid obferva-
tion of rules, which appeared fo little to confift of their
chief end, happinefs ; whilft they kept them from the en-
joyments of this life ; and they had little evidence and
fecurity of another. It is true they might have argued
the other way, and concluded. That, becaufe the good
Were mofl of them ill-treated here, there was another
place where they fhould meet with better ufage ; but it
is plain they did not : their thoughts of another life
were at beft obfcure, and their expedlations uncertain.
Of nnanes, and ghofts, and the fhades of departed men,
there was fome talk; but little certain, and lefs minded.
They had the names of Styx and Acheron, of Elyfian
fields, and feats of the bleifed : but they had them gene-
rally from their poets, mixed with their fables. And
fo they looked more like the inventions of wit, and or-
naments of poetry ; than the ferious perfuafions of the
grave and the fober. They came to them bundled up
among their tales, and for tales they took them. And
that which rendered them more fufpedled, and lefs ufe-p
ful to virtue, was, that the philofophers feldom fet their
rules on men's minds and practices, by confideration of
another life. The chief of their arguments were frorr>
the excellency of virtue ; and the higheft they generally
went, was the exalting of human nature, whofe per-
fedion lay in virtue. And if the prieft at any time
talked of the ghofts below, and a life after this ; it was
only to keep men to their fuperilitious and idolatrous
rites ; whereby the ufe of this doctrine was loft to the
credulous multitude, and its belief to the quicker-
iighted ; who fufpeded it prefently of prieltcraft. Be-
fore our Saviour's time, the dodtrine of a future ftate^^
though it were not wholly hid, yet it was not clearly
known in the world. It was an imperfect view of rea-
fon, or, perhaps, the decayed remains of an ancient
tradition, which feemed rather to float on men's fan-
cies, than fink deep into their hearts. It was fome-
thing, they knew not what, between being and not be-

^ 3 %?

l?50^ '^^J^ Rcnfo'iiahlcnep of Chrifliantiyy

ing. Something in man they imagined might efcape'
the grave ; but a pcrfcdt complete life, of an eternal du-'
ration, after this, ^vas what entered little into their
thoughts, and lefs into their perfuafions. And they
"uere fo far from being clear herein, that we fee no na-
tion of the world publicly profelTed it, and built upon
it : no religion taught it ; and it was no where made an
article of faith, and principle of religion lintil Jefus
Chrifl came • of whom it is truly fiiid, that he, at his
appearing, *' brought life and immortality to light."
And that not only in the clear revelation of it, and in
inftanccs fliown of men raifed from the dead ; but
he has given us an unquefliohable alTurance and pledge
of it in his own refurredlion and afcenfion into heaven.
How has this one truth changed the nature of things iri
the world, and given the advantage to piety over all
that could tempt or deter men from it ? The philofo-
phers, indeed, fliowed the beauty of virtue ; they fet
her off fo, as drew men's eyes and approbation to her;
but leaving her unendov/ed, very few were willing to
efpoufe her. The generality could not refufe her their
cfteem and commendation ; but ftill turned their backs
on her, and forfook her, as a match not for their turn.
But now there being put into the fcalcs on her lide,
'* an exceeding and immortal weight of glory ;" intereft
is come about to her, and virtue now is vifibly the moft
enriching purchafe, and by much the belt bargain.
That file is the perfecflion and excellency of our nature ;
that fhe is herfelf a rev*ard, and will recommend our
names to future ages, is not all that can now be faid of
her. It is not ftrange that the learned heathens fatisfied
not many Vvith fuch airy commendations. It has ano-
ther relifli and efikacy to pcrfuade men, that if they
live well here, they fliall be happy hereafter. Open their
eyes upon the endlefs, iinfpeakable joys of another life,
and their hearts will find fomcthing folid and powerful
to move them. The view of heaven and hell will caft
a-flight wQOw the fhort pleafures and pains of this pre-
fent (late, and give attractions and encouragements to
\"!rtue, which reafon and interelt, and the care of our-
feivesj cannoL-but allow and prefer. Upon this foun-'
^. ' ^ - dation^

9

as delivered in the Scriptures, 151

Jation, and upon this only, morality {lands firm, and
may defy all competition This makes it more than a
name; a fubftantial good, worth all our aims and en-
deavours ; and thus the gofpel of Jefus Chrifb has deli-
vered it to us.

5. To thefe I muft add one advantage more by Jefus
Chrift, and that is the promife of affiiiance. If we. do
what we can, he will give us his Spirit to help us to do
what, and how we fliould. It will be idle for us, who
know not how our own fpirits move and ad us, to afk
in v/hat manner the Spirit of God fliall work upon us.
The wifdom that accompanies that Spirit knows better
than we, how we are made, and how to work upon us.
If a wife man knows how to prevail on his child, to
bring him to what he defires ; can we fufpecl that the
fpirit and wifdom of God fliould fail in it ; though Vv'e
perceive or comprehend not the ways of his operation ?
Chrift has promifcd it, who is faithful and juft ; and
we cannot doubt of the performance. It is not requiiite
on this occafion, for the inhancing of this benefit, to
enlarge on the frailty of our minds, and w eaknefs of our
conftitutions ; how^ liable to miflakes, how apt to go
aftray, and how eafily to be turned out of the paths of
virtue. If any one needs go beyond himfelf, and the
teftimony of his own confcience in this point; if he
feels not his own errours and paflions always tempting,
and often prevailing, againft the ftridb rules of his duty;
he need but look abroad into any ilage of the world, to
be convinced. To a man under the difficulties of his na-
ture, befet with temptations, and hedged in with pre-
vailing cuftom ; it is no fmall encouragement to fet
himfelf ferioufly on the courfes of virtue, and pracT:ice
of true religion; that he is from a fu re hand, and an
Almighty arm, promifed afTiftance to fupport and carry
him through.

There remains yet fomething to be faid to thofe, who
will be ready to objed, *' If the belief of Jefus x>f Na-
*' zarcth to be the MefTiah, together with thdfe con-
*' comitant articles of his refurredtion, rule, and com-
" ing again to judge the world, be all the faith required, "
*' as necelFary to juftification ; to what purpofe were^
** the epiflles written; I fay, if the belief of thofe many

L 4 *^ doc'triaes.

15? ^he ReafonaUenefs of Chiijlianity,

" doctrines contained in them be not alfo neceflary to
" falvation ; and what is there delivered a chriftiani
" may believe or dilbelieve, and yet, neyerthclefs, be a[
** member of Chrift's Church, and one of the faithful ?"
To this I anfwer, that the epiflles are written upori
feveral occafions : and he that will read them as he
ought, muft obferve what it is in them, which is princi-
pally aimed at ; find what is the argument in hand, and
and how managed ; if he will underftand them right,
and profit by them. The obfcrving of this will beft
help us to the true meaning and mind of the writer:
for that is the truth which is to be received and be-
lieved ; and not fcattered fcntences in fcripture-lan-
guage, accommodated to our notions and prejudices.
We muft look into the drift of the difcourfe, obferve
the coherence and connexion of the parts, and fee how
it is coniiflent with itfelf and other parts of fcripture;
if we will conceive it right. We muft not cuU out, as
beft fuits our fyftem, here and th^re a period or verfe ;
as if they were all diftind: and independent aphorifms ;
and make thefe the fundamental articles of the chriftian
faith, and neceflary to falvation ; unlefs God has made
them fo. There be many truths in the bible, which a
good chriftian may be wholly ignorant of, and fo not
believe ; which, perhaps, fome lay great ftrefs on and
call fundamental articles^, becaufe they are the diftin-
guiftiing points of their communion. The epiftles,
rnoft of them, carry on a thread of argument, which, in
the ftvle they are writ, cannot every where be obferved
without great attention, and to tonfider the texts as
they ftand, and bear a part in that- iu to view them in
their due light, and the way to ' get llie true fenfe of
them. They were writ to thofe who were in the faith,
and true chriftiang already : and fo could not be de-
figned to teach them the fundamental articles and points
jiecelTary to falvation. The epiftle to the 'romans was
writ to all ** that vvere at Rome, beloved of God, called
** to be faints, whbfe faith Was fpoken of through the
^* world," chap, i." 7, 8. To whom St. Paul's firft
cpiftl(?'to the Corinthians was, he fhows, chap. i. 2, 4,
&CC. *' Unto the church of God which is at Corinth,
«' to them that are fandificd in Chrift: Jefus, called to

• *' bs

as delivered in the Scriptures^ 153

^ be faints ; with all them that in every place call upon
" the name of Jefus Chrift our Lord, both theirs and
" ours. I thank my God always on your behalf, for the
5* grace of God which is given you by Jefus Chrift ; that
** in every thing ye are enriched by him, in all utterance,
•* and in all knowledge : even as the teftimony of Chriit
'* was confirmed in you. So that ye come behind in no
*^ gift ; waiting for the coming of our Lord Jefus
" Chrift." And fo likewife the fecond wa5, " To the
*' church of God at Corinth, with all the faints in
*' Achaia," chap. i. i. His next is to the churches of
palatia. That to the ephefians was, '^ To the faints
** t?iat were at Ephefus, and to the faithful in Chrift
:'/ Jefus." So likewife, " To the faints and faithful bre-
" thren in Chrift at Colofle, who had faith in Chrift
*/ Jefus, and love to the faints. To the church of the
*' ThefTalonians. To Timothy his fon in the faith.
" To Titus his own fon after the common faith. To
'f Philemon his dearly beloved, and fellow-labourer."
And the author to the hebrews calls thofe he writes to
*^ Holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling,"
chap. iii. i. From whence it is evident, that all thofe
whom St. Paul writ to, were brethren, faints, faithful
in the church, and fo chriftians already ; and, therefore,
wanted not the fundamental articles of the chriftian re-
ligion ; without a belief of which they could not be
faved ; nor can it be fuppofed, that the fending of fuch
fundamentals was the reafon of the apoftle's writing to
any of them. To fuch alfo St. Peter writes, as is plain
from the firft chapter of each of his epiftles. Nor is it
hard to obferve the like in St. James's and St. John's
epiftles. And St. jude diredts his thus : " To them
•' that are fanclified by God the Father, and preferved
'* in Jefus Chrift, and called." The epiftles, there-
fore, being all written to thofe who were already be-
lievers and chriftians, the occafton and end of writing
tiiem could not be to inftrud them in that which was
necelTary to make them chriftians. This, it is plain,
they knew and believed already ; or elfe they could not
have been chriftians and believers. ' And they were writ
il^pon particular occafions j and without thofe occafions,
'■•■'' ^ " had

1^4 '^^^^'^ ReaJonaUcnefs tf Chrijlianifyt

had not been writ ; and fo cannot be thought nccefTary'
to falvation: though they refolving doubts, and re-
forming miftakcs, are of great advantage to our know-
ledge and practice. I do not deny, but the great doc-
trines of the chriftian faith are dropt here and there,
and fcattcred up and down in moft of them. But it is
jiot in the epiftles wx are to learn what are the funda-
mental articles of faith, where they are promifcu-
oufly and without diftinction mixed with other truths,
in difcourfcs that were (though for edification, indeed,
yet) only occalional. We (hall find and difcern thofe
great and neceffary points befi:, in the preaching of our
Saviour and the apoltlcs, to thofe who were yet firangers,
and ignorant of the faith ; to bring them in, and
convert them to it. And what that was, we have {ten
already, out of the hiftory of the evangelifl:s, and the
adls ; where they are plainly laid down, fo that nobody
can mifiake them. The epiftles to particular churches,
befides the main argument of each of them, (which was
fome prefcnt concernment of that particular church, ta
which they fcverally were addrelTcd) do in many places
explain the fundamentals of the chriilian religion, and
that wifely ; by proper accommodations to the appre-
hcnfions of thofe they v;ere writ to ; the better to make
them imbibe the chriftian doctrine, and the more eafily
to comprehend the method, reafons, and grounds of the
great work of falvation. Thus we fee, in the epiftle to
the romans, adoption (a cuftom well knov/n amongft
thofe of Rome) is much made ufe of, to explain to them
the grace and favour of God, in giving them eternal
life; to help them to conceive how they became the
children of God, and to alTurc them of a fliare in the
kingdom of heaven, as heirs to an inheritance. Whereas
the letting out, and confirming the chrifiian faith to
the hebrews, in-the epifile to them, is by allufions and
arguments, from the ceremonies, facrifices, and oeco-
rtoniy of the jews, and references to the records of the
Old Tcfi:ament. And as for the general epiftles, they,
we may fee, regard the (late and exigencies, and fome
peculiarities of thofe times. Thcfe holy writers, in-
spired from above, writ nothing but truth ; and in- mo(^'
■■■■■' places^

as delivered in the Scriptures. i^r

places, very weighty truths to us now ; for the expound-
ing, clearing, and confirming of the chriftian dodrine,
and eltablilliing thofe in it who had embraced it. But
yet ev^ery fentence of theirs muft not be taken up, and
looked on as a fundamental article, necelTary to falva-
tion ; without an explicit belief whereof, no-body could
be a member of Chrift's church here,- nor be admitted
into his eternal kingdom hereafter. If ail, or moft of
the truths declared in the epiftles, were to be received
and believed as fundamental articles, what then became
of thofe chriftians who were fallen afleep (as St. Paul
witneiTes in his firft to the corinthians, many v,ere) be-
fore thefe things in the epiftles were revealed to them ?.
Mod of the epiftles not being written till above twenty
years after our Saviour's afcenfion, and fonie after
thirty.

But farther, therefore, to thofe who will be ready to
fay, " May thofe, truths delivered in the epiftles, which
" are not contained in the preaching of our Saviour and
** his apoftles, and are therefore, by this account, not
** necelfary to falvation ; be believed, or diihselieved
" without any danger ? May a chriftian fafely queftion
" or doubt of them?"

To this I anfwer. That the law of faith, being a co-
venant of free grace, God alone can appoint what fliall
be neceflarily believed by every one whom he will
juftify. What is the faith which he v/ill accept and ac-
count for righteoufnefs, depends wholly on his good
pleafure. For it is of grace, and not of right, that this
faith is accepted. And therefore he alone can fet the
meafures of it : and what he has fo appointed and de-
clared, is alone neceifary. No body can add to thefe
fundamental articles of faith ; nor make any other ne-
ceffary, but what God himfelf hath made, and declared
to be fo. And what thefe are which God requires of
thofe who will enter into, and receive the benefits of
the new covenant, has already been ftiown. An explicit
belief of thefe is abfolutely required of all thofe to
whom the gofpel of Jefus Chrift is preached, and falva-
tion through his Name propofed.

■ •- . The

156 The Reofonablcnefs of Chrijlianity,

The other parts of divine revelation are objects of
faith, and are fo to be received. They are truths, whereof
no one can be rejeciled ; none that is once known to be
fuch, may, or ought to be dilbelieved. For to acknow-
ledge any propolition to be of divine revelation and
authority ; and yet to deny, or difbelieve it ; is to offend
againft this fundamental article and ground of faith,
that God is true. But yet a great many of the truths
revealed in the gofpel, every one does, and muft con-
fcfs, a man may be ignorant of; nay, difbelieve, with-
out danger to his falvation : as is evident in thofe, who,
allowing the authority, differ in the interpretation and
meaning of feveral texts of fcripture, not thought fun-
damental : in all which, it is plain, the contending par-
ties on one fide or the other, are ignorant of, nay, dif-
believe the truths delivered in holy writ ; unlefs contra-
rieties and contradidlions can be contained in the fame
u-ords ; and divine revelation can mean contrary to
ilfelf.

Though all divine revelation requires the obedience
of faith, yet every truth of infpircd fcriptures is not one
of thofe, that by the law of faith is required to be ex-
plicitly believed to juftification. What thofe are, we
have {can by what our Saviour and his apoflles propofcd
to, and required in thofe whom they converted to the faith.
Thofe are fundamentals, which it is not enough not to
difbelieve : every one is required adually to allent to
them. But any other proportion contained in the fcrip-
ture, which God has not thus made a necelfary part of
the Uw of faith, (without an aftual affent to which, he
will not allow any one to be a believer) a man may be
ignorant of, without hazarding his falvation by a defect "
in his faith. He believes all that God has. made necef-
fary for him to believe, and aflent to ; and as for the reft
of divine truths, there is nothing more required of him,
hut that he receive all the parts of divine revelation,
with a docility and difpofition prepared to embrace and
aifent to all truths coming from God ; and fubmit his
mind to whatfoever ll">all appear to him to bear that cha-
rac'tcr. Where he, upoo f^ir endeavours, underftands
it not, how can he avoid being ' ignorant ? And where

as delivered in the Scriptures'. 157

lie cannot put feveral texts, and make them confifl to-
gether, what remedy ? He muft either interpret one by
thd other, or fufpend his opinion. He that thinks that
move is, or can be required of poor frail man in matters
of f^ith will do well to confider what abfurdities he will
run into. God, out of the infinitenefs of his mercy,
has dealt with man, as a companionate and tender Fa-
ther. He gave him reafon, and with it a law : that
could not be otherwife than what reafon Ihould didlate ;
unlefs we fliould think, that a reafonable creature fhould
have an unreafonable law. But, confidering the frailty
of man, apt to run into corruption and mifery, he pro-
mifcd a Deliverer, whom in his good time he fent ; and
then declared to all mankind, that whoever would be-
lieve him to be the Saviour promifed, and take him
now raifed from the dead, and conftituted the Lord and
Judge of all men, to be their King and Ruler, fliould
be faved. This is a plain intelligible proportion ; and
the all-merciful God feems herein to have confulted the
poor of this world, and the bulk of mankind. Thefe
are articles that the labouring and illiterate man may-
comprehend. This is a religion fuited to vulgar capa-
cities ; and the ftate of mankind in this world, deftined
to labour and travel. The writers and wranglers in re-
ligion fill it with niceties, and drefs it up with notions,
which they make necellary and fundamental parts of it;
as if there were no way into the church, but through the
academy or lyceum. The greatefl: part of mankind
have not leifure for learning and logic, and fupcrfinc
diftindlions of the fchools. Where the hand is ufed to
the plough and the fpade, the head is feldom elevated
to fublime notions, or exercifed in myfterious reafon-
ing. It is well if men of that rank (to fay nothing of
the other fex) can comprehend plain proportions, and
a fliort reafoning about things familiar to their minds,
and nearly allied to their daily experience. Go beyond
this, and you amaze the greatefl part of mankind ; and
may as well talk Arabic to a poor day-labourer, as the
notions and language that the books and difputes of re-
ligion are filled with ; and as foon you will be under-
flood. The dilTenting congregation are fuppofed by

their

1 5 S The Reafonahlenefs of Cbrijlianiiy^

their teachers to be more accurately inftrud:ed in mat-
ters of faith, and better to underftand the chriftian re-
ligion, than the vulgar conformifts, who arc charged
with great ignorance; how truly, I will not here deter-
mine. But I aik them to tell me fcrioufly, " Whether
** half their people have leifure to ftudy ? Nay, Whe-
'* thcr one in ten, of thofc who come to their meetings
** in the country, if they had time to ftudy them, do or
** can underftand the controverfies at this time fo
** warmly managed amongll them, about ** juftifica-
*' tion," the fubjecl of this prcfent treatife?" I have
talked with fome of their teachers, who confefs them-
felves not to underftand the difference in debate between,
them. And yet the points they ftand on, are reckoned
of fo great weight, fo material, fo fundamental in reli-
gion, that they divide commiUnion, and feparate upon
them. Had God intended that none but 'the learned
fcribe, the difputer, or wife of this world, fliould be
chrifrians, or be faved, thus religion fl:iould have been
prepared for them, filled with fpeculations and niceties,
obfcurc terms, and abfcracfl notions. But men of that
expcftation, men furniflied with fuch acquifitions, the
apodlc tells us, i Cor. i. are rather lliut out from the
iimplicity of the gofpel ; to make way for thofe poor,
ignorant, illiterate, who heard and believed promifcs of
a Deliverer, and believed Jcfus to be him; who could
conceive a man dead. and made alive again ; and believe
that he fnould, at the end of the world, come again and
pafs fentence on all men, according to their deeds.
That the poor had the gofpel preached to them ; Chrilt
makes a mark, as well as bufmefs of his mifhon. Matt,
xi. 5. And if the poor had the gofpel preached to
them, it was, without doubt, fuch a gofpel as the poor
could underlland ; plain and intelligible : and fo it was,
as v,'e have fecn, in the preachings of Chrift and hU
apollics.

A

VINDICATION

OF THE

REASONABLENESS

O F

CHRISTIANITY, &c.

FROM MR. EDWARDS'S

REFLECTIONS.

( i6i )

VINDICATION

O F T H E

REASONABLENESS

O F

CHRISTIANITY, &c.

MY Book had not been long out, before it fell un-
der the correction of the author of a Treatife, en-
titled, " Some Thoughts concerning the feveral Caufcs
" and Occafions of Atheifm, efpecially in the prefcnt
•* Age." No contemptible adverfary, I'll aiiure you ;
fince, as it fecms, he has got the faculty to heighten
every thing that difplcafes him, into the capital crime
of atheifm ; and breathes againil thofe, -vvho come in
his way, a peflilential air, whereby every the lead dif-
temper is turned into the plague, and becomes mortal.
For whoever does not juil- fay after Mr. Edwards, can-
not, it is evident, efcape being an atheift, or a promoter
of atheifm. I cannot but approve of any one's zeal, to
guard and fecurc that great and- fundamental article of
all religion and morality, " That there is a God :" but
Vol. VI. M atheifm

1 62 A Vindication of the

athcifm being a crime, which, for its madnefs as well as
guilt, ought to fhiit a man out of all fobcr and civil
Ibcicty, ihould be very warily charged on any one, by
deductions and coniequcnces, which he himfelf does not
own, or, at Icall:, do not manifcftly and unavoidably flow
from what he alTerts. This caution, charity, I think,
obliges us to : and our author would poflibly think him-
felf hardly dealt with, if, for neglecting fome of thofe
rules he himfelf gives, p. 31 and 34, againlt athcifm,
he Ihould be pronounced a promoter of it : as rational
a charge, I imagine, as fome of thofe he makes ; and as
fitly put together, as *' the treatifc of the Reafonablenefs
** of Chrillianity, &c." brought in among the caufes
of ath-^ifm. However I fhall not much complain of
him, fmce he joins me, p. 104, with no worfe com-
pany, than two eminently pious and learned * prelates
of our church, whom he makes favourers of the fame
conceit, as he calls it. But what has that conceit to do
with athcifm? Very much. That conceit is of kin to
focinianifm, and focinianifm to atheifm. Let us hear
Mr. Edwards himfelf. He fays, p. 1 13, I am " all over
*^ focinianized :" and therefore, my book, fit to be'
placed among the caufes of athcifm. For in the 64th,
and following pages, he endeavours to fliow. That ** a
" focinian is an atheift ;" or, left that ftiould feem harfh,
** one that favours the caufe of atheifm," p. 75. For
io he has been plcafcd to mollify, now it is publilbed as
a treatife, what was much more harfh, and much more
confident in it, when it was preached as a fermon. In
this abatement, he fecms a little to comply with his own
advice, againft his fourth caufe of atheifm ; which we
have in thcfe words, p. 34, ^* Wherefore, that we may
** effedlually prevent this folly in ourfelves, let us banilh
" prefumption, confidence, and felf-conceit; let us ex-
** tirpate all pride and arrogance; let us not lift ourfelves
** in the number of capricious opiniators."

I fliall leave the focinians thcmfelves to anfwer his
charge againft them, and ftiall examine his proof of my
being a focinian. It ftands thus, page 112, ** When he"

* Bp. Taylor, and the author of «' the Naked Truth."

(the

Reqfonallenefs of Chriftidnityy &c. iG^

(the author of the Reafonablcnefs of Chriftianity, Sec.)
" proceeds to mention the advantages and benefits of
" Chrift's coming into the world, and appearing in the
*' fiefh, he hath not one fyllable of his facisfying for us;
^' or, by his death, purchafing life or falvation, or any
" thing that founds like it. This, and feveral other
•* things, fhovv, that he is all over focinianized." Which
in effect is, that becaufe I have not fct down all that
this author perhaps would have done, therefore I am a
focinian. But what if I iliould fay, I fet down as much
as my argument required, and yet am no focinian ?
Would he, from my filence and omiffion, give me the
lie, and fay, I am one ? Surmifes that may be overturned
by a iingle denial, are poor arguments, and fuch as fome
men would be afhamed of: at leaff, if they are to be
permitted to men of this gentleman's flvill and zeal,
who knows how to make a good ufe of conjectures,
fufpicions, and uncharitable cenfures in the caufe of
God; yet even there too (if the caufe of God can need
fuch arts) they require a good memory to keep them
from recoiling upon the author. He might have taken
notice of thefe w^ords in my book, (page 9. of this Vol.)
*' From this eftate of death, Jesus Christ restores
" all mankind to life." And a little lower. ** The life
*' which Jefus Chrift rellores to all men." And p. 109,
" He that hath incurred death for his own tranfgreffion,
*^ cannot lay down his life for another, as our Sa-
" viour profeffes he did." This, methinks, sounds
SOMETHING LIKE '* Chrift's purchafing life for us by
** his death." But this reverend gentleman has an an-
fwer ready ; it was not in the place he would have had
it in, it was not where I mention the advantages and
benefits of Chrift's coming. And therefore, 1 not having
there one fyllable of Chrift's purchafing life and falvation
for us by his death, or any thing that founds like it : this,
and feveral other things, that might be offered, Ihow that
I am " all over focinianized." A very clear and inge-
nuous proof, and let him enjoy it.

But what will become of me, that I have not men-
tioned fatisfa6lion !

Poflibly, this reverend gentleman would have had

M 2 charity

164. A Vindicatmi of the

chanty cnongK for a known writer of the brotherhood,
to have found it by an *' innuendo," in thofc words
above quoted, of laying down his life for another. But
every thing is to be flruined here the other way. For
the author of *' the Reafonablenefs of Chriftianity, &c."
is of nccclTiry to be reprefented as a focinian; or elfc his
book may be read, and the truths in it, which Mr. Ed-
vards likes not, be received, and people put upon ex-
amining. Thus one, as. full of happy conjedurcs and
fufpicions as this gentleman, might be apt to argue.
But what if the author dcligned his treatife, as the title
fliows, chierty for thofe who were not yet thoroughly,
or firmlys chriftians, propoiing to work on thofe, \^ho
either wholly dilbclieved, or doubted of the truth of the
chriftia;! religion? Would any one blame his prudence,
if he mentioned only thofe adv:;intages, which all chrif-
tians are agreed in ? Might he not remember and ob-
ferve that command of the apoflle, Rom. xiv. i, " Him
*' that is weak in the faith, receive ye, but not to doubt-
*' ful difputations ;" without being a focinian ? Did he
amifs, that he offered to the belief of thofe w ho ftood
off, that, and only that, which our Saviour and his apo-
ftles preached, for the reducing the unconverted world :
and would any one think he in earneft went about to
perfuade men to be chriilians, who fnould ufe that as an
argument to recommend the gofpel, which he has ob-
ferved men to lay hold on, as an objection againit it?
To urge fuch points of controverfy, as ncceflary articles
of faith, when we fee our Saviour and the apoftles, in
their preaching, urged them not as neceffary to be be-
lieved, to make men chriftians, is (by our own autho-
rity) to add prejudices to prejudices, and to block up
our own way to thofe men, whom we would have accefs
to, and prevail upon. But fome men had rather you
fhould write booty, and crofs your own defign of re-
moving men's prejudices to chriflianity, than leave out
one tittle of what they put into their fyftems. To fuch,
I fay, convince but men of the miihon of Jefus Chrift,
make them but fee the truth, fmiplicity and reafonable-
nefs, of what he himfelf taught, and required to be be-
lieved by his followers ; and you need not doubt, but,

4 being

Reafonahlenefs of ChrijliiViity^ &c. 165

being once fully perfuaded of his do(flrine, and the ad-
vantages which all chriftians agree are received by him,
fuch converts will not lay by the fcriptures, but by a
conftant reading and fiudy of them get all the light they
can from this divine revelation, and nouriifh thcmfelvcs
up in the words of faith, and of good dodtrine, as St.
Paul fpeaks to Timothy. But fome men will not bear
it, that any one lliould fpeak of religion, but according
to the model that they themfelves have made of it.
Nay, though he propofes it upon the very terms, and
in the very words which our Saviour and his apoftles
preached it in, yet he Ihall not efcape cenfures and the
fevereft infinuations. To deviate in the leaft, or to
omit any thing contained in their articles, is hcrefy,
under the moft invidious names in fafliion, and 'tis well
if he efcapes being a downright athcift. Whether this
be the way for teachers to make, thcmfelvcs hearkened
to, as men in earneft in religion, and really concerned
for the falvation of men's fouls, I leave them to confider.
What fuccefs it has bad, towards perfuading men of the
truth of chriftianity, their own complaints of the preva-
lency of atheifm, on the one hand, and the number of
deifts on the other, fufficiently fliow.

Another thing laid to my charge, p. 105 and 107, is
my " forgetting, or rather wilful omitting, fome plain
'^ and obvious pafTages," and fome " famous teftimo-
*^ nies in the evangelifts ; namely Matth. xxviii. 19,
** Go, teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of
*' the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghoft.'*
And John i. i, "In the beginning was the Word, and
*' the word was with God, and the worci was God."
And verfe 14, *' And the word was made flefli." Mine,
it feems, in this book, are all fins of omillion. And yet,
when it came out, the buz, the flutter, and noife which
was made, and the reports which were raifed, would
have perfuaded the world, that it fubverted all morality,
and was deligned againft the chriftian religion. I muft
confefs, difcourfes of this kind, which I met with,
fpread up and down, at firft amazed nae ; knovving
the lincerity of thofe thoughts, which perfuaded me
to publifli It (not without fome hope of doing fome

M 3 fervice

1 66 A Vindication of the

fervice to decaying piety, and miflakcn and flandered
chriftianity. I fatisfied myfclf againft thofe heats, with
this alRi ranee, that, if there was any thing in my book
againft what any one called religion, it was not againft
the religion contained in the gofpel. And for that, I
appeal to all mankind,

But to return to Mr. Edwards, in particular, I mud
take leave to tell him, that if '' omitting plain and ob-
*' vious pafiagcs, the famous teftimonies in the evange-
** lifls," be a fault in me, I wonder why he, among fo
many of this kind that I am guilty of, n"!enticns fo few.
For I mufr ackno\\ledge I have omitted more, nay,
itiany miore, that are " plain and obvious pafTages, and
** famous teflimonies in the evangelifts," than thofe he
takes notice of. But if I have left out none of thofe
*^ paffages or teftimonies," which contain what our Sa-
viour and his apoftles preached, and required alTent to,
to make men believers, I fliall think my omiflions (let
them be what they will) no faults in the prefent cafe.
Whatever dodlrines Mr. Edwards would have to be be-
lieved, if they are fuch as our Saviour and his apoftles
required to be believed, to make a man a chriftian, he
will be fure to find them in thofe preachings and *^ fa-
*^ mous teltimonies," of our Saviour and his apoftles,
that I have quoted. And if they are not there, he may
reft fatisfied, that they were not propofed by our Saviour
and his apoftles, as necelFary to be believed, to make
men Chrift's difciples.

If the omilfion of other texts in the evangelifls (which
are all true alfo, and no one of them to be dilbclieved)
be a fault, it might have hztw expeded that Mr. Ed-
wards fliould have accufed me for leaving out Matth. i.
I 8 — 23, and Matth. xxvii. 24, 35, 50, 60, for thefe are
f* plain and obvious pafTages and famous tcrtimonies in
^' the evangelifts ;" and fuch, whereon thefe articles of
the apoftles creed, viz. ^* born of the virgin Mary, fuf-
** fered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead and
•* buried," are founded. Thefe, being articles of the
apoftles creed, are looked upon as " fundamental doc-
'* trincs :" and one would wonder, why Mr. Ed\\ ards
fo quietly pafies by their omiirion i did it not appear,

that

Reafonahlenefs of Chrijlianityy &c, 167

that he was fo intent on fixing his imputation of fo-
cinianifm upon me, that, rather than mils that, he was
content to drop the other articles of his creed. For 1
muft obferve to him, that if he had blamed me for the
omiflion of the places laft quoted out of St. Matthew
fas he had as much reafon as for any other) it would
plainly have appeared, how idle and ill-grounded his
charging focinianifm on me was. But, at any rate, he
was to give the book an ill name ; not becaufe it was
focinian ; for he has no more reafon to charge it with
focinianifm for the omiflions he mentions, than the
apoftles creed. It is therefore well for the compilers of
that creed, that they lived not in Mr. Edwards's days :
for he would, no doubt, have found them " all over
" focinianized," for omitting the texts he quotes, and
the dodrines he coUedls out of John i, and John xiv,
p. 107, 108. Socinianifm then is not the fliult of the
book, whatever elfe it be. For I repeat it agam, there
is not one word of focinianifm in it. I, that am not fo
good at conjedlures as Mr. Edwards, fliall leave it to
him to fay, or to thofe who can bear the plainnefs and
limplicity of the gofpel, to guefs, what its fault is.

Some men are flirewd guellers, and others would be
thought to be fo : but he mufl: be carried far by his for-
ward inclination, who does not take notice, that the
world is apt to think him a diviner, for any thing ra-
ther than for the fake of truth, who lets up his own
fufpicions againft the dirc6l evidence of things ; and
pretends to know other men's thoughts and reafons,
better than they themfelves. I had faid, that the epif-
tles, being writ to thofe who were already believers,
could not be fuppofed to be writ to them to teach them
fundamentals, without which they could not be be-
lievers.

And the reafon I gave, why I had not gone through
the writings in the epiftles, to colled the fundamental
articles of faith, as I had through the preachings
of our Saviour and the apoftles, was, becaufe thofe fun-
damental articles were in thofe epiilles promifcuouily,
and without diftindion, mixed with other truths. And,
therefore^ wc fliall fmd and difccrn thofe great and ne-

M 4 ccflary

1 6s A J'^indicattt))! of ihc

ceirary points bcil in the preachings of our Saviour and
the apohles, to ch^fe who were yet ignorant of the faith,
nnd unconverted. This, as far as I know my own
thoughts, was the reafon why I did (as Mr. Edwards
comphiiiis, p. 109.} '/ not proceed to the epiftles, and
** not give an account of them, as I had done of the
" gofpels and adts." This, I imagined, I had in the
clofe of my book fo fully and clearly exprcfTed, parti-
cularly p. 152. of this Vol. that I fuppofed no-body,
how willing foever, could have miftaken me. But this
gentleman is fo much better acquainted with me, than
1 am with myfelf j fees fo deeply into my heart, and
knows fo perfedly every thing that palTes there ; that
he, with aiTurance, tells the world, p. 109, *' That I
*' purpofely omitted the epiftolary writings of the apo-
*' files, bccaufe they are fraught with other funda-
** merjtal doctrines, bclides that one which I mention."
And then he goes to enumerate thofe fundamental arti-
cles, p. no. 111, viz. '* The corruption and degeneracy
*' of human nature, with the true original of it (the
*^ defection of our firft parents) the propagation of lin
*^ and mortality, (our reftoration and reconciliation by
*^ Chrift's blood, the eminency and excellency of his
** priefthood, the efficacy of his death, the full fatisfac-
*' tion made, thereby, to divine juftice, and his being
'* made an all-fufficient facrifice for lin. Chrift's
" righteoufnefs, our juftilication by it, election, adop-
*' tion, fandification, faving faith, the nature of the
*' gofpel, the new covenant, the riches of God's mercy
" in the way of falvation by Jefus Chrift, the certainty
" of the refurredion of human bodies, and of the future
*'^ glory."

Give me leave now to afic you ferioufly, whether thcfe,
which you have here {tt down under the title of *^ fun-
*'^ damental dodlrines," are fuch (when reduced to pro-
pofitions) that every one of them is required to be be-
lieved to make a man a chriftian, and fuch as, without
the aclual belief thereof, he cannot be laved. If they
are not fo, every one of them, you may call them " fun-
" damental doctrines," as much as you plcafe, they arc
not of thofc dodi:rines of faith I was fpcaking of, which

are

Reafonallenefs of Cbrijlianityy &c. 169

are only fuch as are required to be actually believed to
make a man a chriftian. If you fay, fomc of them are
fuch neccflary points of faith, and others not, you, by
jhis fpecious lift of well-founding, but unexplained
terms, arbitrarily collected, only make good what I have
faid, viz. that the neceffary articles of faith, are, in the
epiftles, promifcuoully delivered with other truths, and,
therefore, they cannot be didinguillied but bv fome
other mark, than being barely found in the epiftles. If
you fay, that they are all of them neceffary articles of
faith, I fhall then defire you to reduce them to fo many
plain docl:rines, and then prove them to be every one of
them required to be believed by every chriftian man, to
make him a member of the chriftian church. For, to
begin with the firlt, it is not enough to tell us, as you
do, that *' the corruption and degeneracy of human na-
*' ture, with the true original of it, (the defection of
f^ our firft parents) the propagation of fm and morta-
^' lity, is one of the great heads of chriftian divinity."
But you are to tell us, what are the propofttions we are
required to believe concerning this matter : for nothing
can be an article of faith, but fome propofition ; and
then it will remain to be proved, that thefe articles are
neceffary to be believed to falvation. The apoftles creed
•was taken, in the firft ages of the church, to contain all
things neceffary to falvation ; I mean, neceffary to be
believed : but you have now better thought on it, and
are pleafed to enlarge it, and we, no doubt, are bound
to fubmit to your orthodoxy.

The lift of materials for his creed (for the articles are
not yet formed) Mr. Edwards clofes, p. in, with thefe
■words, " Thefe are the matters of faith contained in the
*' epiftles, and they are effential and integral parts of
** the gofpel itfelf." What, juft thefe? Neither more
nor lefs ? If you are fure of it, pray let us have them
ipeedily, for the reconciling of differences in the chrif-
tian church, which has been fo cruelly torn, about the
articles of the chriftian faith, to the great reproach of
chriftian charity, and fcandal of our true religion.

Mr. Edwards, having thus, with two learned terms of
V effential and integral pjirts/' fufticientlj proved the

matter

jjQ A Vindication of the

matter in qiieftion, viz. That all thofc he has fet down
are articles of faith neceffary to be believed to make a
man a chriftian, he grows warm at my omiffion of them.
This I cannot complain of as unnatural : the fpirit of
creed-making always rifmg from an heat of zeal for our
own opinions, and warm endeavours, by all ways pofli-
ble, to decry and bear down thofe w-ho differ in a tittle
from us. What then could 1 exped more gentle and
candid, than what Mr. Edwards has fubjoined in thefe
words ? " And therefore it is no wonder that our au-
«' thor, being fenfible of this" (viz. That the points he
has named were efTcntial and integral parts of the gofpel}
*' would not vouchfafe to give us an abftradl of thofe
** infpired writings [the epilHes] ; but paiTes them by
<* with fome contempt." Sir, when your angry fit is
over, and the abatement of your paflion has given way
to the return of your fmcerity, I fhall beg you to read
this pafTage in page 154. of this vol. ** Thefe holy wri-
•* ters (viz. the pen-men of the fcriptures) inspired
** from above, writ nothing but truth, and, in moft
" places, very weighty truths to us now, for the ex-
^* pounding, clearing, and confirming of the chriftian
** dodlrine ; and effablifhing thofe in it who had
*' embraced it." And again, p. 156, *' The other
'* parts of DIVINE REVELATION are objcds of faith, and
•* are fo to be received. They are truths, of which none
^' that is once known to be fuch, i. e. revealed, may or
^' ought to bedifbelieved." And if this does not fatisfy
you, that I have as high a veneration for the epiftles, as
you or any one can have, I require you to publifli to the
world thofe pafTages, which fliow my contem.pt of them.
In the mean time, I fhall delirc my reader to examine
what I have writ concerning the cpiilles, w hich is all
contained between p. 151. and 158. of this vol. and then
to judge, whether I have made bold with the epiftles in
what i have faid of them, or this gentleman made bold
with truth in what he has writ of me. Human frailty
will not, I fee, cafily quit its hold ; what it lofcs in one
part, it will be ready to regain in another; and not be
hindered from taking reprifals, even on the moft privi-
leged fort of men. Mr. Edw^irds, who is intrenched

in

Reajonahlenejs of Chrijiianityi &c. 171

in orthodoxy, and fo is as fafe in matters of faith almoft-.
as infallibility itfelf, is yet as apt to err as others in
matters ot fadt.

But he has not yet done with me about the epiflles:
all his fine draught of my flighting that part of the
fcripture will be loft, unlefs the ftrokes complete it
into focinianifm. In his following words you have the
conclufton of the whole matter. His words are thefe ;
** And more efpecially, if I may conje6lure," (by all
means, fir, conjedluring is your proper talent : you have
hitherto done nothing clfe ; and I will fay that for you,
you have a lucky hand at it.) " He doth this, (i, e. pa^
*' by the epiftles with contempt) becaufe he knew that
** there are fo many and frequent, and thofe fo illuftri-
*^ ous and eminent atteftations to the dodlrine of the
" ever to be adored Trinity, in thefe epiftles." Truly,
fir, if you will permit me to know what I know, as well
^as you do allow yourfelf to conjecture what you plcafe,
you are out for this once ; the reafon why I went not
through the epiftles, as I did the gofpels and the adts,
was that very reafon I printed, and that will be found
fo fufficient a one to all confiderate readers, that I be-
lieve, they will think you need not ftrain your con-
jedures for another. And, if you think it to be fo eafy
to diftinguiih fundamentals from non-fundamentals in
the epiftles, I delire you to try your fkill again, in giv-
ing the world a perfed collection of propositions out of
the epiftles, that contain all that is required, and nq
more than what is abfolutely required to be believed by
all chriftians, without which faith they cannot be of
Chrift's church. For I tell you, notwithftanding the
{how you have made, you have not yet done it, nor
will you affirm that you have.

His next page, p. 112, is made up of the fame, which
he calls, not uncharitable conjectures. I expound, he
fays, *' John xiv. 9, &c. after the antitrinitarian mode:'*
and I make " Chrift and Adam to be Sons of God, in
*' the fame fenfe, and by their birth, as the racovians
" generally do." I know not but it may be true, that
the antitrinitarians and racovians undcrftand thofc
places as I do : but it is more than I know^ that they

172 A Vindication of the

do fo. I took not my fenfe of thofe texts from thofe
^vritcrs, but from the fcripture itfelf, giving light to
its own meaning, by one place compared with another:
what in this way appears to me its true meaning, I fnall
not decline, becaufe I am told that it is fo underflood
by the racovians, whom I never yet read ; nor embrace
the contrary, though the *' generality of divines" I
more converfc w ith, fliould declare for it. If the fenfe,
■wherein I underftand thofe texts, be a miftake, I fhall
be beholden to you, if you will fet me right. But they
are not popular authorities, or frightful names, whereby
I judge of truth or falfhood. You will now, no doubt,
applaud your conje^fturcs ; the point is gained, and I
am openly a focinian, fince I will not difown, that I
think the Son of God was a phrafe, that among the
lev.s, in our Saviour's time, was ufed for the Mcfliah,
though the foe Inians underftand it in the fame -fenfe ;
and therefore I muft certainly be of their perfuafion in
every thing elfc. I admire the acutenefs, force, and
fairnefs of your reafoning, and fo I leave you to triumph
in your conjedlures. Only I muft deiire you to take
notice, that that ornament of our church, and every
"vvay eminent prelate, the late archbilhop of Canterbury,
imderftood that phrafe in the fame fenfe that I do, with-
out being a focinian. You may read what he fays con-
cerning Nathanael, in his firft ** fermon of lincerity,"
publiftied this year: his words are thefe, p. 4, "And
*' being fatisfied that he [our Saviour] was the Mefliah„
*^ he prefently owned him for fuch, calling him the
•' Son of God, and the king of Ifrael."

Though this gentleman knows my thoughts as per-
fecftly as if he had for feveral years paft lain in my bo-
fom, yet he is mightily at a lofs about my perfon : as if
it at all concerned the truth contained in my book,
•what ha,nd it came from. However, the gentleman is
rnightily perplexed about the author. Why, ftr, what
if it were w rit by a fcribbler of Bartholomew-fair drolls,
with all that Hourifli of declamatory rhetoric, and all
that frnartnefs of wit and jeft about captain Tom, unita-
rians, units, and cyphers. Sec. which are to be found
bctwpcn pages 115, and 123 of a book, that came out

during

KeaJonaUeneJs of Chrijlianttyy &c. 173

during the merry time of rope-dancing, and puppet-
plays ? What is truth, wouldj I hope, neverthelcfs be
truth in it, however oddly fprucedup by fuch an author :
though, perhaps, it is likely fome would be apt to fay,
fuch merriment became not the gravity of my fu bjedt,
and chat I writ not in the ftyle of a graduate in divinity.
I confefs, (as Mr. Edwards rightly favs) my fault lies
on the other iidc, in a w^ant of ** vivacity and elevation;"
and I cannot wonder, that one of his charadler and
palate, iliould find out and complain of my flatnefs,
which has fo over-charged my book with plain and di~
recil texts of fcripture, in a matter capable of no other
proofs- But yet I muft acknowledge his excefs of civi-
lity to me ; he lliows m.e more kindnefs than I could ex-
ped or wilh, fince he prefers vi'hat I fay to him myfelf
to what is offered to him from the word of God ,- and
makes me this compliment, that I begin to mend,
about the clofe, i. e. when I leave off quoting of fcrip-
ture : and the dull work was done, of '' goino^ throucch
*' the hiftory of the Evangelifts and Acfls," which he
computes, p. 105, to take up three quarters of my book.
Does not all this deferve, at leaft, that I (liould, in re-
turn, take fome care of his credit? Which I know not
how better to do, than by entreating him, that when he
takes next in hand fuch a fubjed: as this, wherein the
falvation of fouls is concerned, he would treat it a little
more ferioufly, and with a little more candour ; left
men fhould find in his writings, another caufe of
atheifm, which, in this treatife, he has not thought fit to
mention. *' Offentation of wit" in general he has made
a "caufe of atheifm.," p. 28. But the world will tell
him, that frothy light difcourfes concerning the ferious
matters of religion ; and oftentation of trifling and mif-
becoming wit in thofe who come as ambalTadors from
God, under the title of fuccelTors of the apoftles, in the
great commiilion of the gofpel ; are none cf the leaft
caufes of atheifm.

Some men have fo peculiar a w^ay of arguing, that
one may fee it influences them in the repeatmg another
man's reafoning, and feldom fails to make it their own.
In the next paragraph I find thefe w'ords : *^ what makes

'' him

174 -^ Findicaiton of the

'^ him contend for one finglc article, with the cxclufioil
**■ of all the reft ? He pretends it is this, that all men
" ought to undcrftand their religion." This, I con-
fefs, is a reafoning I did not think of; nor could it
hardly, I fear, have been ufed but by one who had firft
took up his opinion from the recommendation of
fafliion or intereft, and then fought topics to make it
good. Perhaps the deference due to your character,
excufed you from the trouble of quoting the page, where
I pretend, as you fay; and it is fo little like my way of
reafoning, that I fhall not look for it in a book where I
remember nothing of it, and where, without your di-
reclion, 1 fear the reader will fcarce find it. Though I
have not ** that vivacity of thought, that elevation of
mind," which Mr. Edwards demands, yet common
fenfe would have kept me from contending that there
is but one article, becaufe all men ought to underftand
their religion. Numbers of propofitions may be harder
to be remembered, but it is the abftrufenefs of the no-
tions, or obfcurity, inconfiftency, or doubtfulnefs of the
terms or exprelTions that makes them hard to be under-
ilood : and one fingle propolition may more perplex the
underftanding than twenty others. But where did you
find *' 1 contended for one fmgle article, fo as to ex-
" elude all the reft?" You might have remembered,
that I fay, p. i6, 17, That the article of the one only
true God, was alfo neceftary to be believed. This might
have fatisfied you, that I did not fo contend for one ar-
ticle of faith, as to be at defiance with more than one.
However, you infift on the word one with great vigour,
from p. 108 to 121. And you did well, you had clfe
loft all the force of that killing ftroke referved for the
clofe, in that Iharp jeft of unitarians, and a clench or
two more of great moment.

Having found, by a careful perufal of the preachings
of our Saviour and his apoftles, that the religion they
propofed, confifted in that fhort, plain, eafy and intelli-
gible fummary which I fet down, p. 157, in thefc words :
•* Believing Jcfus to be the Saviour promifed, and tak-
" ing him, now raifed from the dead, and conftituted
** the Lord and Judge of men, to be their King and

Ruler;"

Reajonallenefs of Chrijilan'ity\ IBc, 175

^^ Ruler ;" I could not forbear magnifying the wifdoniL
and goodnefs of God (which infinitely exceeds the
thoughts of ignorant, vain, and narrow-minded man) in
thefe following words: *^ The All-merciful God feems
** herein to have confulted the poor of this world, and
*' the bulk of mankind : these are articles that the
*•■ labouring and illiterate man may comprehend."
Having thus plainly mentioned more than one article,
I might have taken it amifs, that Mr. Edwards fliould
be at fo much pains as he is, to blame me~for ** con-
*^ tending for one" article; becaufe I thought more
than one could not be underftood ; had he not had many-
fine things to fay in his declamation upon one article,
which affords him fo much matter, that lefs than io-Ntw.
pages could not hold it. Only here and there, as men
of oratory often do, he miftakes the bufinefs, as p. 115,
where he fays, ** I urge, that there mufb be nothing in
•' chriftianity that is not plain, and exadlly levelled to
'*' all men's mother-wit." I defire to know where I
faid fo, or that ** the very manner of every thing in
*^ chriftianity muft be clear and intelligible, every thing
'^ muft be prefently comprehended by the weakeft nod-
*' die, or elfe it is no part of religion, efpecially of
*^ chriftianity ;" as he has it p. 1 19. I am fure it is not
in p. 133 — 136, 149 — 151, of my book : thefe, therefore,
to convince him that I am of another opinion, I ftiall
deftre fomcbody to read to Mr. Edwards, for he himfelf
reads my book with fuch fped:acles, as make him find
meanings and words in it, neither of which I put there.
He ftiould have remembered, that I fpeak not of all the
do6trines of chriftianity, nor all that is publiftied to the
world in it ; but of tbofe truths only, which are abfo-
lutely required to be believed to make any one a chrif-
tian. And thefe, I find, are fo plain and eafy, that I
fee no reafon why every body, with me, fliould not mag-
nify the goodnefs and condefcenfton of the Almighty,
who having, out of his free grace, propofed a new law
of faith to finful and loft man; hath, by that law, re-
quired no harder terms, nothing as abfolutely neceffary
to be believed, but what is fuited to vulgar capacities,
and the comprehenfton of illiterate men.

You

5

176 A Findicatton of ihe

You arc a little out again, p. 118, where you ironi-
cally fiiy, as if it were my feiife, *' Let us have but one*
•* article, though it be with defiance to all the reft."
Jcfting apart, iir, this is a ferious turn, that what our
Saviour and his apoftles preached, and admitted men
into the church for believing, is all that is abfolutely
1-cquired to make a man a chriftian. But this is, with-
out any 'defiance to all the reft," taught in the word
of God. This excludes not the belief of any of thoic
many other truths contained in the fcriptures of the Old
and New Teftaments, which it is the duty of every
chriftian to ftudy, and thereby build himfcif up in our
moft holy faith ; receiving with ftedfaft belief, and ready
obedience, all thofc things which the fpirit of truth
hath therein revealed. But that all the reft of the in-
fpired writings, or, if you pleafe, ** articles, are of equal
*^ necefiity" to be believed to make a man a chriftian,
w ith what w as preached by our Saviour and his apoftles,-
that I deny. A man, as I have ftiown, may be a chrif-
tian and believer, without adually believing them,
becaufe thofe whom our Saviour and his apoftles, by
their preaching and difcourfes, converted to the faith^
were made chriftians and believers, barely upon the re-
ceiving M'hat they preached to them.

I hope it is no derogation to the chriftian religion,
to fay, that the fundamentals of it, i. c. all that is ne-
cefiary to be believed in it, by all men, is eafy to be
underftood by all men. This I thought myfelf autho-
rized to fay, by the very eafy and very intelligible arti-
cles, infifted on by our Saviour and his apoftles ; which
contain nothing but what could be underftood by the
bulk of mankind ; a term which, I know not Mhy, Mr.
Edwards, p. 117, is oftcnded at,- and thereupon is, after
his falhion, Iharp upon me about captain Tom and his
myrmidons, for whom, he tells me, I am *' going to
make a religion." The making of religions and creeds
I leave to others. I only fet down the chriftian religion
as I find our Saviour and his apoftles preached it, and
preached it to, and left it for, the '' ignorant and un-
•* learned multitude." For I hope you do not think,
how contemptibly foever you fpeak of the *' venerable

^' mob,".

Reafonablenejs of Chrifiianityy &c. 177

**■ mob," as you are pleafed to dignify them, p. 117,
that the bulk of mankind, or, in your phraie, the
" rabble," are not concerned in religion, or ought to
underftand it, in order to their falvation. Nor are you,
I hope, acquainted with any who are of that mufcovite
divine's mind, who, to one that was talking to him
about religion, and the other world, replied. That for
the czar, indeed, and bojars, they might be permitted
to raife their hopes to heaven ; but that, for fuch poor
wretches as he, they were not to think of falvation.

I remember the pharifees treated the common people
with contempt, and faid, '' Have any of the rulers, or
'* of the pharifees, believed in him ? But this people,
** who knoweth not the law, are curfed." But yet
thefe, who, in the cenfure of the pharifees, were
curfed, were fome of the poor; or, if you pleafe to have
it fo, the mob, to whom the ** gofpei was preached" by
our Saviour, as he tells John's difciples. Matt. xi. 5.

Pardon me, lir, that I have here laid thefe examples
and conliderations before you ; a little to prevail with
you, not to let loofe fuch a torrent of wit and eloquence
againft the *' bulk of mankind," another time, and that
for a mere fancy of your own : for I do not fee how they
here came in your way ; but that you were refolved to
fet up fomething to have a fling at, and fhow your
parts, in what you call your ** different ftrain," though
befides the purpofe. I know nobody was going to *'alk
*' the mob. What you mu ft believe?" And as forme,
I fuppofe you will take my word for it, that I think no
mob, no, not your '* venerable mob," is to be afked,
what I am to believe; nor that ** Articles of faith" arc
to be ** received by the vote of club-men," or any other
fort of men, you will namie inftead of them.

In the following words, p. 115, you afl^, " Whether
" a man may not underftand thofe articles of faith,
" which you mentioned out of the gofpels and epiftlcs,
*^ if they be explained to him, as well as that one, I
*' fpcak of?" It is as the articles are, and as they are
explained. There are articles that have been fome
hundreds of years explaining ; which there are many,
and thofe not of the moft illiterate^ who profcfs they do

Vol. VI. N not

17S ^ A Vindication of the

not yet underfland. And to inftance in no other, but
" He defcended into hell," the learned are not yet
agreed in the fenfe of it, though great pains have been
taken to explain it.

Next, I afk. Who are to explain your articles ?
The papifts will explain fome of them one way, and the
reformed another. The remonftrants, and anti-remon-
ftrants, give them different fenfes. And probably, the
trinitarians and unitarians will profefs, that they un-
derftand not each*others explications. And at laft, I
think it may be doubted, whether any articles, which
need men's explications, can be fo clearly and certainly
underftood, as one which is made fo very plain by the
fcripture itfelf, as not to need any explication at all.
Such is this, that Jefus is the Meffiah. For though you
learnedly tell us, that McfTiah is a hebrew word, and no
better underfiood by the vulgar, than arabic ; yet I
guefs it is fo fully explained in the New Teftament, and
in thofe places I have quoted out of it, that nobody,
who can undcrftand any ordinary fentence in the fcrip-
ture, can be at a lofs about it. And it is plain, it needs
no other explication, than what our Saviour and the
apoftles gave it in their preaching ; for, as they preached
it, men received it, and that fufficed to make them
believers.

To conclude, when I heard that this learned gentle-
man, who had a name for his ftudy of the fcriptures,
find writings on them, had done me the honour to con-
lider my creatife, I promifed myfelf, that his degree,
calling, and fame in the world, would have fecured to
me fomething of weight in his remarks, which might
have convinced me of my miftakes ; and, if he had found
?iny in it, juftified my quitting of them. But having ex-
amined what, in his, concerns my book, I to my wonder
find, that he has only taken pains to give it an ill name,
without fo much as attempting to refute any one
pofition in it, how much foever he is pleafed to make a
noife againft feveral propofitions, which he might be
free with, becaufe they are his own : and I have no rea-
fon to take it amifs if he has Ihown his zeal and fkill
againft them, He has been fo favourable to what is

mine^

Reafonahlenefs of Chrijiianity ^ &c. 179

mine, as not to ufe any one argument againft any paf-
fage in my book. This, which I take for a public tefti-
mony of his approbation, I fliall return him my thanks
for, when I know whether I owe it to his miftake, con-
vidion, or kindnefs. But if he writ only for his book-
feller's fake, he alone ought to thank him.

AFTER the foregoing papers were fent to the prefs,
the "WitnelTes to Chriftianity," of the reverend and
leared Dr. Patrick, now lord bifhop of Ely, fell into
my hands. I regretted the not having feen it, before I
writ my treatife of the '* Reafonahlenefs of Chriftianity,
**^ &c." I Ihould then, pofiibly, by the light given mc
by fo good a guide, and fo great a man, with more con-
fidence diredlly have fallen into the knowledge of
chriftianity ; which, in the way I fought it, in its fource,
required the comparing of texts with texts, and the more
than once reading over the Evangelifts and Ad:s, befides
other parts of fcripture. But I had the ill-luck not to
fee that treatife, until io few hours lince, that I have
had time only to read as far as the end of the introduc-
tion, or firft chapter : and there Mr. Edwards may
find, that this pious bifhop (whofe writings fhow he
ftudies, as well as his life that he believes, the fcrip-
tures) owns what Mr. Edwards is pleafed to call, " a
** plaufible conceit," which, he fays, *' I give over and
" over again in thefe formal words, viz. That nothing
" is required to be believed by any chriftian man, but
" this. That Jefus is the Meffiah."

The liberty Mr. Edwards takes, in tither places, dc-
ferves not it fhould be taken upon his word, " That
*' thefe formal words" are to be found *' over and over
" again" in my book, unlefs he had quoted the pages.
But I will fet him down the ''formal words," which
are to be found in this reverend prelate's book, p. i4„
" To be the Son of God, and to be Chrift, being but
different " expreflions of the fame thing." And, p. 10,
** It is the very fame thing to believe, that Jefus is the
" Chrift, and to believe, that Jefus is the Son of God ;
*** exprefs it how you pleafe. This alone is the faith
^/ >vhich can regenerate a man, and put a divine fpirit

N 2 '' into

l8o A Vindication y 6?<r.

" into him ; that is, make him a conqueror over
" the world, as Jcfus was." I have quoted only thefe
few words ; but Mr. Edwards, if he pleafcs, or any-
body elfe, may, in this firft chapter, fatisfy himfelf
more fully, that the defign of it is to fhow, that in our
Saviour's time, ** Son of God," was a known and re-
ceived name and appellation of the Mefliah, and fo ufed
in the holy writers. And that the faith that was to
make men chriftians, was only the believing, **that
*' Jefus is the MeiTiah." It is to the truth of this pro-
portion that he *' examines his witneiTes," as he fpeaks
p. 21. And this, if I miftake not, in his epiftle dedi-
catory, he calls *^ chriitianity ;" fol. A3, where he
calls them " witnefTes to chriftianity." But thefe two
propofitions, viz. That '' Son of God," in the gofpel,
ilands for Mefiiah ; and that the faith, which alone
makes men chriftians, is the believing " Jefus to be the
** MefTiah," difpleafes Mr. Edwards fo much in my
book, that he thinks himfelf authorized from them, to
charge me with focinianifm, and want of fincerity. How
he will be pleafed to treat this reverend prelate, whilft
he is alive (for the dead may, with good manners, be
made bold with) muft be left to his decifive authority.
This, I am fure, which way foever he determine, he
muft, for the future," either afford me more good com-
pany, or fairer quarter.

A SECOND

VINDICATION

OF THE

REASONABLENESS

O F

CHRISTIANITY, &c.

[ 183 ]

R E F A C E

TO THE

READER.

IT hath pleafed Mr. Edwards, in anfwer to the " Rea-
" fonablenefs of Chriftianity, &c." and its *' Vindi-
'* cation," to turn one of the moft weighty and impor-
tant points that can come into queftion, (even no lefs,
than the very fundamentals of the chriftian religion)
into a mere quarrel againft the author ; as every one,
with Mr. Bold, may obferve. In my reply to him, I
have endeavoured, as much as his objediions would al-
low me, to bring him to the fubjed-matter of my book,
and the merits of the caufe ; though his peculiar way o£
writing controverfy has made it neceilary for me, in fol-
lowing him ftep by ftep, to wipe off the dirt he has
thrown on me, and clear myfelf from thofe fallhoods he
has filled his book with. This I could not but do> in
dealing with fuch an antagonift ; that, by the untruths
I have proved upon him, the reader may judge of thofe
other allegations of his, whereof the proof lying on his
lide, the bare denial is enough on mine, and, indeed,
are wholly nothing to the truth or falihood of what is
contained in my *^ Reafonablenefs of Chriftianity, &c."
To which I fhall deiire the reader to add this farther
conlideration from his way of writing, not ag.'\inft my

N 4 book.

1^4 Preface^ to the Reader.

book, but agalnlt mc, for writing it, that if he had had
a real concern for truth and religion in this difpute, he
■would have treated it after another manner; and we
Ihould have had fronn him more argument, reafoning,
and cicarncfs, and lefs boating, declamation, and rail-
ing. It has been unavoidable for me to take notice of
a great deal of this fort of ftufF, in anfwering a writer,
vho has very little elfe to fay in the controverfy, and
places his ftrength in things befide the queflion : but
yet I have been fo careful, to take all occafions to ex-
plain the dodtrine of my book, that I hope the reader
•will not think his pains wholly lofl: labour, in peruling
this reply ; wherein he w ill fmd fome farther, and, I
hope, iatiifying account, concerning the writings of the
New Teftamcnt, and the Chriftian Religion contained
in it.

Mr. Edwards's ill language, which I thought perfon-
allyto m.e, (though I know not how I had provoked a
man whom I had never had to do with) I am now fatisfied,
by his rude and fcurrilous treating of Mr. Bold, is hisj
way and ftrcngth in management of controverfy; and
therefore requires a little more confideration in this dif-
putant, than otherw ife it would deferve. Mr. Bold, with
the calmnefs of a chriftian, the gravity of a divine, the
clearnefs of a man of parts, and the civility of a well-
bred man, made fome *' animadverfions" on his ** So-
" cinianifniunmalked ;" which, withafcrmon preached
on the fame fubjedl with my '* Reafonablenefs of Chri-
*' ftianity," he publiflied : and how he has been ufed by
Mr. Edwards, let the world judge.

I was extremely furprifed with Mr. Bold's book, at a
time when, there was fo great an outcry againft mine,
on all hands. But, it fcems, he is a man that does not
take up things upon hearfay ; nor is afraid to own truth,
w hatevcr clamour or calumny it m^ay lie under. Mr.
Edwards confidently tells the world, that Mr. Bold has
been drawn in to efpoufe this caufc, upon bafe and mean
confiderations. Whofe picture of the two, fuch a de-
fcription is moft likely to give us, 1 fliall leave to the
reader to judge, from what he will fmd in their writings
on this fubjcct. For as to the pcrfons thcmfclves, I am

equally

Preface to the Readef* i%^

equally a ftranger to them both : I know not the face of
either of them : and having hitherto never had any com-
munication with Mr. Bold, I fhall begin with him, as I
did with Mr. Edwards in print; and here publicly re-
turn him this following acknowledgment, for what he
has printed in this controverfy.

To Mr. Bold.

vS I R,

, Though I do not think I ought to return thanks
to any one, for being of my opinion, any more than
to fall out with him, for differing from me ; yet I
cannot but own to ail the world, the efleem, that I think
is due to you, for that proof you have given, of a mind
and temper becoming a true minifter of the gofpel ; in
appearing, as you have done, in the defence of a point,
a great point of chriftianity, which it is evident you
could have no other temptation to declare for, but the
love of truth. It has fared M'ith you herein, no better
than with me. For Mr. Edwards not being able to an-
fwer your arguments, he has found out already, that you
are a mercenary, defending a caufe againft your perfua-
lion, for hire ; and that you " are failing to Racovia by
*' a fide-wind :" fuch inconfiftencies can one (whofe
bufinefs it is to rail for a caufe he cannot defend) put
together to make a noife with : and he tells you plainly,
what you muil exped:, if you write any more on this
argument, viz. to be pronounced a downright apoftate
and renegado.

As foon as I faw your fermon and animadverfions, I
wondered what fcarecrow Mr. Edwards would fet up,
wherewith he might hope to deter men of more caution
than fenfe, from reading of them ; fince focinianifm,
from Vvhich you were knov/n to be as remote as he, I
concluded would not do. The unknown author of the
" Reafonablenefs of Chriflianity," he might make a fo-
cinian, mahometan, atheift, or what fort of raw-head
and bloody-bones he pleafed. But I imagined he had
had mofe fenfe than to venture any fuch afperlions, on

a man
9

i86 Preface to the Reader.

a man whom, though I have not yet the happinefs per-i
fonally to know ; yet, I know, hath juflly a great and
fettled reputation amongft worthy men : and I thought
that that coat, which you had worn with fo much repu-
tation, might have preferved you from the befpatterings
of Mr. Edwards's dunghill. But what is to be expeded
from a warrior that hath no other ammunition, and yet
afcribes to himfclf vidtory from hence, and, with this
artillery, imagines he carries all before him ? And fo
Skimmington rides in triumph, driving all before him,
by the ordures that he beftows on thofe that come in his
way. And, were not chriftianity concerned in the cafe,
a man would fcarce excufe to himfelf the ridiculoufnefg
of entering into the lift with fuch a combatant. I do
not, therefore, wonder that this mighty boafter, having
no other way to anfwer the books of his opponents, but
by popular calumnies, is fain to have recourfe to his
only refuge, and lay out his natural talent in vilifying
and flandering the authors. But I fee, by what you have
already writ, how much you are above that ; and, as you
take not up your opinions from fafhion or intereft, fo
you quit them not, to avoid the malicious reports of
thofe that do : out of which number, they can hardly
be left, who (unprovoked) mix, with the management
of their caufe, injuries and ill-language, to thofe they
differ from. This, at leaft, I am fure, zeal or love for
truth can never permit fallhood to be ufed in the de-
fence of it.

Your mind, I fee, prepared for truth, by refignation
of itfelf, not to the traditions of men, but the dodtrine
of the gofpel, has made you more readily entertain, and
more ealily enter into the meaning of my book, than
moft I have heard fpeak of it. And lince you fecm to
me to comprehend what I have laid together, with the
fame difpofition of mind, and in the fame fenfe that
I received it from the holy fcriptures, I fliall, as a mark
of my refpedi: to you, give you a particular account
of it.

The beginning of the year in which it was publilhed,
the controverfy that made fo much noife and heat
amongft fomc of the dilTenters, coming one day acci-
dentally

Preface to the Reader, 187

dentally into my mind, drew me, by degrees, into a
llridler and more thorough inquiry into the queftion about
juftification. The fcripture was direct and plain, that it
was faith that juftified :'The next queftion then, was.
What faith that was that juftified ; what it was which,
if a man believed, it fliould be imputed to him for righ-
teoufnefs. To find out this, I thought the right way
•was, to fearch the fcriptures ; and thereupon betook
myfelf ferioufly to the reading of the New Teftament,
only to that purpofe. What that produced, you and
the world have feen.

The firft view I had of it feem.ed mightily to fatisfy
my mind, in the reafonablenefs and plainnefs of this
dodrine ; but yet the general filence I had in my little
reading met with, concerning any fuch thing, awed me
with the apprehenfion of Angularity ; until going on in
the gofpel-hiftory, the whole tenour of it made it fo clear
and vifible, that I more wondered that every body did
not fee and embrace it ; than that I iliould affent to
what was fo plainly laid down, and fo frequently incul-
cated in holy writ, though fyftems of divinity laid no-
thing of it. That which added to my fatisfadion was,
that it led me into a difcovery of the marvellous and
divine wifdom of our Saviour's condud, in all the cir-
cumftances of his promulgating this dodlrine ; as well as
of the neceflity that fuch a law- giver fliould be fent from
God, for the reforming the morality of the world ; two
points, that, I muft confefs, I had not found fo fully
and advantageoufly explained in the books of divinity I
had met with, as the hiftory of the gofpel feenled to me,
upon an attentive perufal, to give occafion and matter
for. But the neceility and wifdom of our Saviour's
opening the dodrine (which he came to publilh) as he
did in parables and figurative ways of fpeaking, carries
fuch a thread of evidence through the whole hiftory of
the evangelifts, as, I think, is impolTible to be refifted ;
and makes it a demonftration, that the facred hiftorians
did not write by concert, as advocates for a bad caufe,
or to give colour and credit to an impofture they would
ufher into the world : fince they, every one of them, in
fome place or other, omit fome palTages of our Saviour's

life,

l8S Preface to the Reader.

life, or circum fiancee of his adtions ; which fhow the
wifdom and \varinefs of his condu6t ; and which, even
thofe of the evangtiifls who have recorded, do barely
and tranfiently mention, without laying any ftrefs on
them, or making the lead remark of what confequence
they arc, to give lis our Saviour's true character, and to
prove the truth of their hiftory. Thefe are evidences
of truth and lincerity, which refult alone from the na-
ture of things, and cannot be produced by any art or
contrivance.

How much I was pleafed with the growing difcovery,
every day, whilll I was employed in this fearch, I need
not fay. The wonderful harmony, that the farther I
went difclofed itfelf, tending to the fame points, in all
the parts of the facred hiftory of the gofpel, was of no
fmall weight with me and another pcrfon, who every
day, from the beginning to the end of my fearch, faw
the progrcfs of it, and knew, at my iirft fctting out,
that I was ignorant whither it would lead me; and there-
fore, every day afkcd me. What more the fcripture had
taught me ? So far v.-as I from the thoughts of focinian-
ifm, or an intention to write for that, or any other'party,
or to publiih any thing at all. But, when I had gone
through the w hole, and faw what a plain, limple, reafon-
ablc thing chrillianity was, fuited to all conditions and
capacities; and in the morality of it now, vvith divine
authority, eftablilhed into a legible law, fo far furpaffing
all that philofophy and human reafon had attained to,
or could poffibly make efFe<flual to all degrees of man-
kind ; I was Hattered to think it might be of fome ufe
in the world; efpecially to thcfe, who thought either
that there was no need of revelation at all, or that the
revelation of our Saviour required the belief of fuch ar-
ticles for falvation, which the fettled notions, and their
"way of rcafoning in fome, and want of underftanding
in others, made impoilible to them. Upon thefe two
topics, the obje-ilrions feemed to turn, v.hich were with
moft aliurancc inade by deifts, againft chriflianity ; but
againfl chrillianiry mifundcrflood. It feemed to me,
that there needed no n:iore to fliow them the weaknefs
©f their exceptions, but to lay plainly before them the

doiftrine

'Preface to the Reader. 1 8^

do(5lrine of our Saviour and his apoftles, as delivered in
the fcriptures, and not as taught by the feveral feels of
chriftians.

This tempted me to publifh it, not thinking it de-
ferved an oppolition from any minifter of the gofpel ;
and leaft of all, from any one in the communion of
the church of England. But fo it is, that Mr. Ed-
wards's zeal for he knows not what (for he does not yet
know his own creed, nor what is required to make him
achriftian) could not brook fo plain, fimple, and intel-
ligible a religion : but yet, not knowing what to fay
againft it, and the evidence it has from the word of God,
he thought fit to let the book alone, and fall upon the
author. What great matter he has done in it, I need
not tell you, who have i^t^n and fhowed the weaknefs of
his wranglings. You have here. Sir, the true hiftory of
the birth of my ^' Rcafonablenefs of Chriftianity, as de-
** livered in the Scriptures," and my deiign in publiih-
ing it, &c. What it contains, and how much it tends
to peace and union among chriilians, if they would re-
ceive chriftianity as it is, you have difcovered. I am.

Sir,

Your mod humble fervant,

A. B.

My readers will pardon me, that, in my preface to
them, I make this particular addrefs to Mr. Bold. He
hath thought it worth his while to defend my book.
How well he has done it, I am too much a party to fay.
I think it fo fufficient to Mr. Edwards, that I needed
not to have troubled myfelf any farther about him, on
the account of any argument that remained in his book
to be anfwered. But a great part of the world judging
of the contefts about truth, as they do of popular elec-
tions, that the fide carries it where the greateft noife is ;
it was necelTary they fhould be undeceived, and be let
fee, that fometimes fuch writers may be let alone, not
becaufe they cannot, but becaufe they deferve not to be
anfwered.

This

jQO Preface to iloe Reader,

This farther I ought to acknowledge to Mr. Bold,
and own to the world, that he hath entered into the true
fenfe of my trcatife, and his notions do fo perfectly agree
with mine, that I iliall not be afraid, by thoughts and
exprclhons very like his, in this my fecond vindication,
to give Mr. Edwards (who is exceedingly quick-fight-
ed, and pofitive in fuch matters) a handle to tell the
■world, that either I borrowed this my *' vindication"
from Mr. Bold, or writ his *' animadverlions" for him.
The former of thefe I fhall count no difcredit, if Mr.
Edwards think fit to charge me with it ; and the latter,
Mr. Bold's charadler is anfwer enough to. Though the
impartial reader, I doubt not, will find, that the fame
uniform truth, confidered by us, fuggefted the fame
thoughts to us both, without any other communi-
cation.

There is another author, who in a civiler fiyle, hath
made it necelTary for me to vindicate my book from a
reflection or two of his, wherein he feems to come Ihort
of that candour he profefTes. All that I fliall fay on this
occafion here, is, that it is a wonder to me, that having
publifhed Vv'hat I thought the fcripture teid me was the
faith that made a chriftian, and defired, that if I was
miftaken, any one that thought fo, would have the good-
nefs to inform me better ; fo many with their tongues,
and fome in print, fliould intemperately find fault with
a poor man out of his way, who defires to be fet right ;
and no one, who blames his faith, as coming fliort, will
tell him what that faith is, which is required to make
him a chriftian. But I hope, that amongft fo many
cenfurers, I fhall at laft find one, who knowing himfelf
to be a chriftian upon other grounds than I am, will
have fo much chriftian charity, as to ftiow me what
more is abfolutely neceftary to be believed, by me, and
every man, to make him a chriftian.

A SECOND

t 191 I

A SECOND

VINDICATION

O F T H E

REASONABLENESS

O F

CHRISTIANITY, &c:

A CAUSE that ftands in need of falflioods to fupport
it, and an adverfary that will make ufe of them,
deferve nothing but contempt ; which I doubt not but
every confiderate reader thought anfw er enough to *' Mr.
** Edwards's Socinianifm unmallced." But, lince in his
late ** Socinian Creed/' he fays, f' I would have an-
" fwered him if I could," that the intereft of chriftianity
may not fuffer by my filence, nor the contemptiblenefs
of his treatife afford him matter of triumph among thofe
who lay any weight on fuch boafting, it is fit it fhould
be (hown what an arguer he is, and how well he defcrves,
for his performance, to be dubbed, by himfelf, ^' irre-
^' fragable."

Thofe who, like Mr. Edwards, dare to publifh in-
ventions of their own, for matters of fad, deferve a

najne

1^2 A Second Vindication of the

name fo abhorred, that it finds not room in civil con-
verfation. This fecures him from the proper anfwer,
due to his imputations to me, in print, of matters of
fadt utterly falle, which, without any reply of mine, fix
upon him that name (which, without a profligate mind,
a man cannot expofe himfelf to} till he hath proved
them. Till then, he mull: wear what he has put upon
himfelf. This being a rule, which common jultice hath
prefcribed to the private judgments of mankind, as well
as to the public judicatures of courts, that all allega-
tions of fads, brought by contending parties, fliould be
prefumed to be falfe, till they are proved.

There are two ways of making a book unanfwerablc.
The oile is by the clearnefs, ftrcngth, and fairncfs of the
argumentation. Men who know hov/ to write thus, are
above bragging what they have done, or boafting to the
world that their adverfaries are baffled. Another way to
make a book unanfwcrable, is to lay a (Irefs on matters
of fad foreign to the quefi:ion, as well as to truth ; and
to fluff it with fcurrility and fiction. This hath been
always fo evident to common fenfc, that no man, who
had any regard to truth, or ingenuity, ever thought
matters of fad befides the argument, and fiories made
at pleafure, the way of managing controvcrfies. Which
fhowing only the want of fenfe and argument, could, if
ufed on both fides, end in nothing but downright rail-
ing: and he mufi always have the better of the caufe,
who has lying and impudence on bis fide*

The unmaiker, in the entrance of his book, fets a
great difiance between his and my way of writing. I
am not forry that mine differs fo much as it does from
his. If it were like his, I fliould think, like his, it
wanted the author's commendations. For, in his firlt
paragraph, which is all laid out in his own tefiimony of
his own book, he fo earneflly befpeaks an opinion of
mafiery in politcnefs, order, coherence, pertinence,
fVrength, ferioufnefs, temper, and all the good qualities
rcquifite in controverfy, that I think, fince he pleafe^
himfelf fo much Vv'ith his own good opinion, one in
pity ought not to go about to rob him of fo confiderable
an admirer. I fhall not, therefore, contcft any of thole

excel-

Reafonahlencfs of CbriJ}iani'i\\ o?r. iqj

(Excellencies he afcribes to himfelf, or faults he blames
in me, in the management of the difpiite between us,
any farther than as particular palTages of his book, as 1
come to examine them, fiiall fuggeft unavoidable remarks
to me. I think the world does not ^o much concern
itfelf about him, or me, that it need be told in that in-
ventory, he has given of his own good parts, in his firft
paragraph, which of us two has the better hand at
** jflouriflies, jefting, and common-places;" if I am,
as he fays, p. 2, troubled with *' angry fits, and palHo-
** nate ferments, which, though I ftrive to palliate, are
" eafily difcernible, &c." and he be more laudably inge-
nuous in the opennefs of that temper, which he fhows
in every leaf; I fliall leave to him the entire glory of
boafting of it. Whatever we brag of our performances,
they will be jufl: as they are, however he may think to
add to his, by his own encomium on them. The diffe-
rence in ftyle, order, coherence, good breeding (for all
thofe, amongft others, the unmafker mentions) the rea-
der will obferve, whatever I fay of them ; and at bed:
they are nothing to the queftion in hand. For though
I am a " tool, pert, childifh, fiarch'd, impertinent, in-
** coherent, trifling, weak, paflionate, 5dc." commen-
dations I meet with, before I get to the 4th page, befides
what follows, as, " upftart Racovian," p. 24. *' Flou-
'' rifliing fcribbler," p. 41. " Diffembler," 106. *' Fe-
" dantic," 107. I fay, although I am all this, and what
elfe he liberally beftows on me in the reft of his book,"
I may have truth on my fide, and that in the prefenc
cafe ferves my turn.

Having thus placed the laurels on his own head, and
fung applaufe to his own performance, he, p. 4, enters,
as he thinks, upon his bulinefs, which ought to be, as he
confefles, p. 3, *' to make good his former charges."
The firft whereof he fets down in thefe words : That
** I unwarrantably crowded all the ncceffary articles of
*' faith into one, with a defign of favouring foci-
*' nianifm."

If it may be permitted to the fubdued, to be fo bold

with one, who is already conqueror, I defire to know,

where that propofitioii is laid down in thefe terms, as

Vol. VI. O laid

J 94 -^ Second Vindication of ihe

laid to my charge. Whether it be true, or falfe, (liall,
if he plcafes, be hereafter examined : but it is not, at
prefent, the matter in queftion. There are certain pro-
poiitions, which he having affirmed, and I denied, are
under debate between us : and that the difpute may not
run into an endlcfs ramble, by multiplying of new, be-
fore the points in conteft are decided, thofe ought firfl:
to be brought to an ilTue.

To go on, therefore, in the order of his ** Socinian-

" ifm unmafked," (for, p. 3, he has, out of the Mifhna,

taught me good breeding, " to anfwer the firfl, and fo

** in order.") The next thing he has againft me is p. 5,

which, that the reader may underftand the force of, I

muft inform him, that in p. 105, of his ''Thoughts

** concerning the caufes of atheifm" he faid, that I

" give this plaufible conceit," as he calls it, " over

" and over again, in thefe formal words," viz. " That

** nothing is required to be believed by any chriftian

" man, but this, that Jefus is the Mefliah." This I

denied. To make it good, *' Socinianifm unmafked,"

p. 5, he thus argues. Firfl:, '* It is obfervable, that this

*' guilty man would be fhifting off the indidment, by

" excepting againft the formality of words, as if fuch

" were not to be found in his book : but when doth he

*' do this ? In the ciofe of it, when this matter was ex-

" haufted, and he had nothing clfe to fay," Vind. p.

113, *'then he bethinks himfelf of his falvo, &c.'*

Anfw. As if a falfliood were ever the lefs a falfliood, bc-

caufc it was not oppofed, or would grow into a truth, if

it were not taken notice of, before the 38th page of the

anfwer. 1 defire him to ftiow me thefe " formal words

** over and over again," in my " reafonablenefsof chrif-

** tianity:" nor let him hope to evade, by faying I

would be 'Mhifting, by excepting againft the formality

** of the words."

To fay, that " I have, over and over again, thofe for-
** mal words," in my book, is an affertion of a matter
of facl ; let him produce the words, and juilify his
allegation, or confefs, that this is an untruth pub-
liihed to the world : and fmce he makes fo bold
with truth, in a matter vifibie to every body, let the

world

Reafonahlenefs of Chrijiianityt &^c'. tg^

world be judge, what credit is to be given to his alle-.
gations of matters of fa6t, in things foreign to what I
have printed ; and that are not capable of a negative
proof. A fample whereof the reader has at the en-
trance, in his introdudion, p. A. 4, and the three or
four following pages. Where he affirms to the world,
not only what I know to be falfe ; but that every one
muft fee, he could not know to be true. For he pre-
tends to know and deliver my thoughts. And what the
charadler is of one that confidently affirms what he does
not know, no body need be told.

But he adds, " I had before pleaded to the indid:-
" ment, and thereby owned it to be true." This is to
make good his promife, p. 3, to keep at a diftance from
my *^ feeble ftrugglings." Here this ftrong arguer muft
prove, that what is not anfwered or denied, in the very
beginning of a reply, or before the nth page, "is
** owned to be true." In the mean time, 'till he does
that, I (hall defire fuch of my readers, as think the un-
mafker's veracity worth examining, to fee in my Vindi-
cation, from p. 174, &c. v^herein is contained, what I
have faid about one article, whether I have owned what
he charged me with, on that fubjedt.

This propofition then remains upon him flill to be
proved, viz.

I. " That I have, over and over again, thefe formal
*' words in my reafonablenefs of chriPaanity, viz.
" That nothing is required to be believed by
" any chriftian man, but this. That Jefus is the
" Meffiah."

He goes on, p. 5. '^And indeed he could do no
*' other ; for it was the main v/ork he fet himfelf about,
" to find but one article of faith in all the chapters of
** the four evangelifts, and the ads of the apoftles ;"
this is to make good his promife, p. 3, " To clear his
" book from thofe forry objedions and cavils I had
" raifed againft it." Several of my " forry objedions
" and cavils" were to reprefent to the reader, that a
great part of what is faid was nothing butfufpicions and

O 2 conjedures;

196 A Second Vindicai'ion of the

conjectures ; and fach he could not but then own them
to be. But now he has rid himfclf of all his conjec-
tures ; and has raifed them up into direcl, politive af-
iirmations, Avhich, being faid with confidence without
proof, Mho can deny but he has cleared, thoroughly-
cleared, that part from my *' lorry objections and ca-
'• vils?" He fays, *' it was the main work I fet myfclf
*' about, to find but one article of faith." This I muft
take the liberty to deny ; and I defire him to prove it.
A man may *' fet himfelf to find two," or as many as
there be, and yet find but one : or a man may ** fet
*' himfelf to find but one," and yet find two more. It
is no argument, from what a man has found, to prove
what was his main work to find, unlefs where his aim
was only to find what there was, whether more or lefs.
For a wTiter may find the reputation of a poor con-
temptible railcr ; nay of a downright impudent lyar ;
and yet no body will think it was his main work to find
that. Therefore, lir, if you will not find what it is like
you did not feek, you muft prove thofe many confident
alfcrcions you have publiflied, which 1 fliall give you
in talc, whereof this is the fccond, viz.

,11. That '* the main bufincfs I fet myfelf about, was
'^ to find but one article of faith."

In the following part of this fentence, he quotes my
own words with the pages where they are to be found ;
the firft time, that, in either of his two books againit
me, he has vouchfafcd to do fo, concerning one article,
wherewith he has macle fo much noife. My words in
(p. 102. of) my ** reafonablcnefs of chriftianity" Itand
thus : *' for that this is the fole dot!:trine preifed and re-
*' quired to be believed, in the whole tenour of our Sa-
*' viour's and his apofiles preaching, we have fhowed,
** through the whole hiltory of the Kvangclifis and Ad's,
*' and I challenge them to fhow, that there was any
*' other doctrine upon their alTcnt to which, or dilbelief
** of it, men were pronounced believers, or unbelievers,
" and accordingly received into the church of Chrift,
*• as members of his body, as far as mere believing

'^ could

Reafonallenejs of Chriflianityy &c. 197

" could make them fo ; or elfe kept out. This was
" the only gofpel article of faith, which was preached
** to them." Out of this palfage, the unmafker fets
down thefe words, '' This is the sole dodrine preiTed
** and required to be believed, in the whole tenour of
*' our Saviour's and his apoftles preaching," p. 129.
" this was the only gofpel article of faith, which was
" preached to them."

I Ihall pafs by all other obfervations, that this way of
citing thefe words would fuggell, and only remark, that,
if he brought thefe words, to prove the immediately
preceding aiiertion of his, viz. That " to find out but
" one article of faith v/as the main work I fet myfelf
*' about." This argument, reduced into form, will
ftand thus :

He who fays, that this is the foledo6lrine prelTed and
required to be believed in the whole tenour of our Sa-
viour's and his apoftles preaching, upon their alTent to
which, or dilbeliefof it, men were pronounced believers,
or unbelievers ; and accordingly received into the church
of Chrift, as members of his body, as far as mere be-
lieving could make them fo, or elfe kept out ; fcts him-
felf to find out but one article of faith, as his main
work. But the vindicator did fo : ergo.

If this were the ufe he would make of thofe words of
mine cited, I muft defire him to prove the major. But
he talks fo freely, and without book every where, that I
fuppofe he thought himfelf, by the privilege of a de-
claim.er, exempt from being called ftridUy to an account,
for what he ioofely fays, and from proving what he
fnould be called to an account for. Rail luftily, is a
good rule ; fomething of it will ftick, true or falfe,
proved or not proved.

If he alleges thefe words of mine, to anfwer my de-
mand, Vind. p. 175, where he found that ** I contended
*^ for one fingle article ,of faith, with the exclufion and
" defiance of all the reft," which he had charged me
with. I fay, it proves this as little as the former. For
to fay, " That I had fliowed through the whole hiftory
" of the Evangelifts, and the Acts, that this is the fole
^* dodrinc, or only gofpel-article prefTed and requirec*

O3 '' ^^

198 A Second Vindication of the

** to be believed in the \vhole tenour of our Saviour and
" his apoftles preaching ; upon their alTent to which,
•* or dilbelieving of it, men were pronounced believers
" or unbelievers, and accordingly received into the
" church of Chrifl, or kept out;" is the limple alTer-
tion of a pofitive matter of fa6t, and fo carries in it no
defiance, no, nor cxclufion of any other doctrinal, or
hiftorical truth, contained in the fcripture : and there-
fore it remains ftill on the unmafker to fliow, where it
is I exprefs any defiance of any other truth contained in
the word of God ; or where I exclude any one do6lrine
of the fcriptures. So that if it be true, that ** I contend
** for one article," my contention may be without any
defiance, or fo m.uch as exclufion of any of the reft,
notwithftanding any thing contained in thefe words.
Nay, if it fhould happen that I am in a miftakc, and that
this was not the foie docflrine, which our Saviour and
his apoftles preached, and, upon their aflent to which,
men were admitted into the church : yet the unmafker's
accufation would be never the truer for that, unlefs it
be neceflary, that he that miftakes in one matter of fa6t,
fliould be at defiance with all other truths ; or, that he
who erroneoufly fays, that our Saviour and his apoftles
admitted men into the church, upon the believing him
to be the MeiTiah, does thereby exclude all other truths
publiflied to the jews before, or to chriftian believers
afterwards.

If thefe words be brought to prove that I contended
*' for one article," barely ''one article," without any
defiance, or exclufion annexed to that contention ; I fay
neither do they prove that, as is mianifeft from the words
thcmfclvcs, as well as from what I faid elfewhere, con-
cerning the article of one God. For here, I fay, this is
the only gofpel article, &c. upon which men were pro-
nounced believers ; which plainly intimates fome other
article, known and believed in the world before, and
without the preaching of the gofpel.

To this the unmafker thinks he has provided a falvo,
in thefe words, *' Socinianifm unmafked," p. 6, ** And
*' when I told him of this one article, he knew well
•* enough, that I did not exclude the article of the

*' Deity,

Reafonahlenejs of Chrifiianit)\ i^c. 199

" Deity, for that is a principle of natural religion."
If it be fit for an unmafker to perceive what is in de-
bate, he would know, that the queftion is not, what he
excluded, or excluded not, but what articles he charged
me to have excluded.

Taking it therefore to be his meaning (which it mufl
be, if he meant any thing to the purpofe), viz. That
when he charged me fo often and pofitively, for contefl:^
ing for "one article," viz. that " Jefus was the Mef-
'' fiah," he did not intend to accufe me for excluding
*' thearticleof the Deity." To prove that he did not fo
intend it, he tells me, that "I knew that he did not."

Anf. How fhould I know it ? He never told me fo,
either in his book, or otherwife. This I know, that he
faid, p. 115, that, "I contended for one article, with
*' the exclufion of all the reft." If then the belief of
the Deity be an article of faith, and be not the article
of Jefus being the Meffiah, it is one ''of the reft ;" and
if " all the reft" were excluded, certainly that being
one of '' all the reft," muft be excluded. How then he
could fay, ** I knew that he excluded it not." i. e.
meant not that I excluded it, when he pofitively fays,
I did "exclude it," I cannot tell, unlefs he thought
that I knew him fo well, that when he faid one thing,
I knew that he meant another, and that the quite con-
trary.

He nov/, it feems, acknowledges that I affirmed,
that the belief of the Deity, as well as of Jefus being
the Meffiah, was required to make a man a believer.
The believing in " one God, the Father Almighty,
" maker of heaven and earth," is one article ; and in
" Jefus Chrift, his only Son our Lord," is another ar..
tide. Thefe, therefore, being "two articles," and
both aflerted by me, to be required to make a man a
chriftian, let us fee with what truth or ingenuity the un-
mafts:er could apply, beftdes that above-mentioned, thefe
following expreflions to me, as he does without any ex-
ception : " Why then muft there be one article and no
** more?" p. 115. "Going to make a religion for his
** myrmidons, he contrads all into one article, and will
*' trouble them with no more," p. 117. " Away with

O 4 '\ fyftems.

200 A Second Vindication of the

" fyftcms, away with creeds, let us have but one arti-
*' clc, though it be with defiance to all the rcil," p.
1 1 8. *' Thus we fee, why he reduces all belief to that
** one article before rehearfed," p. i 20. And all this,
"without any the Icaft exception of the article of a
Deity, as he now pretends. Nor could he, indeed, as
is evident from his own words, p. 121, 122. ** To con-
*' elude, this gentleman and his fellows are refolved to
*' be unitarians ; they are for One article of faith, as

*^ well as One perfon in the Godhead : But, if thefe

^* learned men were not prejudiced, they would

*' perceive, that, when tlie catholic faith is thus brought
f* down to one lingle article, it will foon be reduced to
^' none; the unit will dwindle into a cypher." By
uhich the reader may fee that his intention was, to per-
fuadc the world, that I reduced all belief, the catho-
lic FAITH, (they are in his own words) ** to one fingle
f* article, and no more." For if he had given but the
leaft hint, that 1 allowed of Two, all the wit and ftrength
of argument, contained in unitarians, unit and cypher,
with which he winds up all, had been utterly loft, and
dwindled into palpable nonfenfe.

To dcmonftrate that this was the fenfe he would
be underftood in, we are but to obferve what he fays
again, p. 50. of his ** Socinianifm unmafked," where
he tells his readers, that " I and my friends have new
*^ modelled the apoflle's creed ; yea, indeed, have pre-
•* fented them with one article, inftead of twelve."
And hence we may fee, what iincerity there is, in the
reafon he brings, to prove that he did not exclude the
1^' article of the Deity." " For, fays he, p. 6, that is a
V principle of natural religion."

Anf. Ergo, he did not in pofitive words, without
any exception, fay, I reduced '' all belief, the catholic
** faith, to one fingle article, and no more." But to
make good his prornife, ** not to rcfemble me in the
*' little artifices of evading," he wipes his mouth, and
fays at the bottom of this page, '' But the reader fees
'*■ his fthe vindicator's] fliuf^ing." Whilft the article
of " One God" is a part of '* all belief, a part of the
f* catholic faith," all which he affirmed 1 excluded,
' ■ ■ ■ but

Reajonallenefs of Chrijiianity, ^c. loi

but the one article concerning the MelTiah ; every one
will fee where the fliuffling is : and, if it be not clear
enough from thofe words themfelves, let thofe above
quoted, out of p. 50, of his " Socinianifm unmafked,'*
where he fays, that ** I have new modelled the apoftles
" creed, and prefented the world with one article in-
*' fleadof TWELVE," by an interpretation of them. For,
if the article of *' one eternal God, maker of heaven and
" earth," be one of the articles of the apoftles creed,
and the one article I prefented them with, be not that,
it is plain, he did, and would be underftood to mean,
that by my one article, I excluded that of the one eter-
nal God, which branch foever of religion, eithernatural,
or revealed, it belongs to.

I do not endeavour to "perfuade the reader," as he
fays, p. 6, "that he mifunderftood me," but yet every
body will fee that he mifreprefented me. And I chal-
lenge him to fay, that thofe exprefiions above quoted out
of him, concerning **one article," in the obvious fenfe
of the words, as they ftand in his accufation of me,
were true.

This flies fo diredlly in his face, that he labours
mightily to get it ofF, and therefore adds thefe words,
" My difcourfe did not treat, (neither doth his book run
^* that way) of principles of natural religion, but of the
*' revealed, and particularly the chriftian : accordingly,
*' this was it that I taxed him with. That, of all the
" principles and articles of chriftianity, he chofe out
'* but one, as necefiary to be believed to make a man a
** chriftian."

Anfw. His book was of atheifm, which one

may think fliould m.ake his "difcourfe treat of natural
" religion." But I pafs by that, and bid him tell me
where he taxed me, " That, of all the principles and ar-
f' tides of chriftianity, I chofe out but one :" let him
fliow, in all his difcourfe, but fuch a word, or any thing
faid, like "one article of chriftianity," and I will grant
that he meant particularly, but fpoke generally ; mifled
his reader, and left himfclf a fubterfuge. But if there
be no expreffion to be found in him, tending that way,
;^li this is but the covering of one fallliood v/ith another,

which

202 A Second Vindicdtion of the

which thereby only becomes the grofler. Though if he
had in exprefs words taxed me, " That, of all the prin-
ciples and articles of the chriftian religion, I chofe
out but one, that would not at all help him, till he far-
ther declares, that the belief of one God is not an *' ar-
•' tide of the chriftian religion." For, of ** all the ar-
** tides of the chriftian religion," he fays, ** I chofe but
** one ;" which not being that of a Deity, his words
plainly import, that that was left out amongft the reft,
unlefs it be poftible for a man to choofe but one article
of the chriftian religion, viz. That ** Jefus is the Mcf-
** ftah ;" and at the fame time, to choofe two articles of
the chriftian religion, viz. That there is one eternal
God, and that Jefus is the MciTiah. If he had fpoken
clearly, and like a fiir man, he ftiould have faid. That
he taxed me with chooftng but one article of revealed re-
ligion. This had been plain and diredl to his purpofe ;
but then he knew the fallhood of it w"ould be too obvi-
ous : for, in the feven pages, wherein he taxes me fo
much with One article, chriftianity is feveral times
named, though not once to the purpofe he here pretends.
But revelation is not fo much as once mentioned in
them, nor, as I remember, in any of the pages he be-
fcows upon me.

To conclude, the feveral pafTages above quoted out
of him, concerning one fole article, are ail in general
terms, without any the leaft limitation or reftriclion ;
and, as they ftand in him, fit to perfuade the reader,
that I excluded all other articles whatfoever, but that
one, of " Jefus the Meffiah:" and if, in that fenfe, they
are not true, they are fo miany falflioods of his, repeated
there, to m.iflead others into a wTong opinion of me.
For, if he had a mind his readers fhould have been rightly
informed, why was it not as eafy once to explain him-
felf, as fo often to affirm it in general and unreftrained
terms ? This, all the boafted ftrcngth of the unmafker
■will not be able to get him out of. This very well be-
comes one, who fo loudly charges me with fliuffling.
Having repeated the fame thing over and over again,
in as general terms as ^^as polFible, without any the
leaft limitation, in the whole difcourfe, to have nothing
elfe to plead when recjuired to prove it, but that it wast

meant

Reafonahlenefs of Chnjliamtyf Uc. 2 03

meant in a limited (tn^Q, in an unmaiker, is not fhuf-
fling. For, by this way, he may have the convenience
to fay* and unfay, what he pleafes ; to vent what ftufF
he thinks for his turn ; and, when he is called to account
for it, reply. He meant no fuch thmg. Should any one
publifti, that the unmafker had but " one article of
*' faith, and no more," viz. That the dodirines in fafhion,
and likely to procure preferment, are alone to be re-
ceived ; that all his belief was comprifed in this " one
*' lingle article:" and, when fuch a talker was de-
manded to prove his a^ertion, Ihould he fay, he meant
to except his belief of the apoftles cr^^ed : would he not,
notwithftanding fuch a plea, be thought a fliuffling
lyar? And, if the unmalker can no othcrwife prove
thofe univerfal propolicions above citcd^ bnt by faying,
he meant them- with a tacit reftridtion, (foi none is ex-
prelTed) they will ftill, and for ever remain to be ac-
counted for, by his veracity.

What he fays in the next paragraph, p. 7, of my
" fplittin^ one article into two," is juft of the fame
force, and with the fame ingenuity. I had faid. That
the belief of one God was neceflary ; which is not de-
nied : I had alfo faid, " That the belief of Jefus of Na-
•' zareth to be the Meffiah, together with thofe con-
*' comitant articles of his refurre6tion, rule, and com-
'' ing again to judge the world, was neceffary, p. 151.
" And again, p. 157, That God had declared, whoever
*' would believe Jefus to be the Saviour promifed, and
" take him now raifed from the dead, and conftituted
'' the Lord and Judge of all men, to be their King and
" Ruler, fhould be faved." This made me fay, ** Thefe,
*' and thofe articles" (in words of the plural number)
more than once ; evidence enough to any but a caviller,
that I *' contend not for one lingle article, and no
'* more." And to mind him of it, I, in my Vindica-
tion, reprinted one of thofe places, where I had done fo;
and, that he might not, according to his manner, over-
look what does not pleafe him, the words, these are
ARTICLES, were printed in great characters. Where-
upon he makes this remark, p. 7, " And though fince
^J he has tried to fplit this one into twoj p. 28, *' yet

*' he

204 'A Second Vindication of the

" he labours in vain : for to believe Jefus to be the
** MeiTiah, amounts to the fame with believing him to
'* be King and Ruler; his being anointed, (i. e. being
" the MelTiah) including that in it : yet he has the va-
** nity to add in great characters, these are articles;
" as if the putting them into thefe great letters, v/ould
" make one article two."

Anf. Though no letters will make one article two ;
yet that there is one God, and Jefus Chrift his only Son
our Lord, who rofe again from the dead, afcended into
(heaven, and fitteth at the right hand of God, Hiall come
to judge the quick and the dead, are, in the apoftles
creed, fet down as more than one article, and therefore
may, very properly, be called these articles, without
fplitting one into two.

What, in my ** Reafonablenefs of Chriftianity," I
have faid of one article, I fliall always own ; and in what
fenfe I have faid it, is eafy to be underftood ; and with
a man of the leaft candour, whofe aim was truth, and
not wrangling, it would not have occafioned one word
of difpute. But as for this unmafl<:er, who makes it
his bulinefs, not to convince me of any miftakes in my
opinion, but barely to mifreprefent me ; my bufmefs at
prefent with him is, to fliow the world, that \\ hat he
has captioufly and fcurriloufly faid of me, relating to
one article, is falfe ; and that he neither has, nor can
prove one of thofe alTertions concerning it, above cited
out of him, in his own words. Nor let him pretend a
meaning againfl his direi5t words : fuch a caviller as he,
who would flicker himfelf under the pretence of a mean-
ing, whereof there are no footfteps ; whofe difputes are
only calumnies direfted againft the author, without ex-
amining the truth or falfliood of what I had publilhed ;
is not to expedt the allowances one would make to a fair
and ingenuous adverfary, who fliowcd fo much concern
for truth, that he treated of it with a fcrioufncfs due to the
weightinefs of the matter, and ufcd other arguments,
befides obloquy, clamour and falflioods, againft what he
thought errour. And therefore I again poiitively de-
mand of him to prove thefe words of his to be true, Qr
confcfs |:hat he cannot ; viz.

5 IlL "That

Reafonahlenefs of Chrijlianity, &c. 10^

III. " That I contend for one article of faith, with
" the exclufion and defiance of all the reft."

Two other inftances of this fort of arguments, I gave
in the 175th page of my Vindication, out of the 115th
and 119th pages of his '' thoughts concerning the caufes
of •* atheifm ;" and I here demand of him again to fhow,
lince he has not thought fit hitherto to give any anfwer
to it,

JV. " Where I urge, that there mull be nothing in
*' chriftianity, that is not plain, and exactly le-
** veiled to all men's mother-wit, and every com-
" mon apprehenlion."

Or, where he finds,Jn my " Reafonahlenefs of Chrif-
** tianity," this other propofition :

V. " That the very manner of every thing in chrif-
" tianity, muft he clear and intelligible ; every
*^ thing muft immediately be comprehended by
*' the weakeft noddle ; or elfe it is no part of re-
" ligion, efpeci'ally of chriftianity."

Thefe things he muft prove that I have faid : I put it
again upon him to fhow where I faid them, or elfe to
confefs the forgery : for till he does one or the other, he
fhall he fure to have thefe, with a large catalogue of other
falfhoods,^ laid before him.

Page 26, of his ** Socinianifm unmafked," he endea--
vours to make good his faying, that ** I fet up one arti-
" cle, with defiance to all the reft," in thefe words: *'for
*' v.'hat is excluding them wholly, but defying them ?
'' Wherefore, feeing he utterly excludes all the reft, by
'* reprefenting them as useless to the making a man a
*' chriftian, which is the dcfign of his whole under-
'' taking, it is manifeft that he defies them."

Anfvv. This at leaft is manifeft from hence, that
the unmafker knows not, or cares not what he fays.
For whoever, hut he, thought, that a hare exclulion, or
palling by, was defiance ? If he undcrftands fo, I would
advifc him not to feek preferment. For cxcluiions will

happen i

2o6 -^ Second Vindication of the

happen ; and if every exclufion be defiance a man had
need be well alTured of his own good temper, who fhall
not think his peace and charity in danger, amongft fo
many enemies that are at defiance with him ? Defiance,
if, with any propriety, it can be fpoken of an article of
faith, muft lignify a profelled enmity to it. P'or, in its
proper ufe, which is to perfons, it fignifies an open and
declared enmity, raifed to that height, that he, in whom
it is, challenges the party defied to battle, that he may
there wreak his hatred on his enemy, in his deftrudion.
So that ** my defiance of all the reft" remains ftill to be
proved.

But, fecondly. There is another thing manifeft from
thefe words of his, viz. that, notwithftanding his great
brags in his firft paragraph, his main fkill lies in fancy-
ino- what would be for his turn, and then confidently fa-
thering it upon me. It never entered into my thoughts,
nor, I think, into any body's elfe, (I muft always except
the acute unmaiker, who makes no diff'erence between
ufeful and necelTary) that all but the fundamental arti-
cles of the chriftian faith, were ufelefs to make a man a
chriftian ; though, if it be tru,c, that the belief of the fun-
damentals alone (be they few, or many) is all that is ne-
celTary to his being made a chriftian, all that may any
way perfuade him to believe them, may certainly be
ufeful towards the making him a chriftian : and there-
fore here again,! muft propofe to him, and leave it with
him to be Ihowed where it is,

VI. "I have reprefented all the reft as ufelefs to the
*' making a man a chriftian ?" And how it ap-
pears, that " this is the defign of my whole under-
*' taking."

In his " thoughts concerning the caufes of atheifm,'*
he fays, page 115, *' What makes him contend for one
*' fingle article, with the exclufion of all the reft ? He
" pretends it is this, that all men ought to underftand
** their religion." This reafoning I difowned, p. 174.
of my Vindication, and intimated, that he ftiould have
quoted the page where I fo pretended.

To this, p. 26, he tells me with great confidence,

and

Reafonahlenefs of Chrijiianityy &c, 2 07

and in abundance of words, as we fhall fee by and by,
that I had done fo ; as if repetition were a proof. He
had done better to have quoted one place, where I fo
pretend. Indeed, p. 27, for want of fomething better,
he quotes thefe words of mine out of p. 157, of the
Reafonablenefs of Chriftianity : *' The all-merciful God
" feems herein to have confulted the poor of this
" world, and the bulk of mankind. These are arti-
** CLES that the labouring and illiterate man may com-
*' prehend." I afk, whether it be poffible for one to
bring any thing more dired: againft himfclf? The thing
he was to prove, was, that ** I contended for one lingle
*• article, with the exclulion of all the reft, becaufe I
*' pretended, that all men ought to underftand their
" religion;" i. e. the reafon I gave, why there was to
be *' but one fingle article in religion, v/ith the exclu-
*^ fion of all the reft," was, becaufe men ought to un-
derftand their religion. And the place he brings, to
prove my contending upon that ground, "for one ftngle
** article, with the exclufion of all the reft," is a paf-
fage wherein I fpeak of more than one article, and fay,
" thefe articles." Whether I faid, " thefe articles,"
properly or improperly, it matters not, in the prefent
cafe (and that we have examined in another place) it is
plain, I meant more than one article, when I faid,
** thefe articles ;" and did not think, that the labour-
ing and illiterate man could not underftand them, if they
were more than one : and therefore, I pretended not,
that there muft be but one, becaufe by illiterate men,
more than one could not be underftood. The reft of this
paragraph is nothing but a repetition of the fame alTer-
rion, without proof, which, with the unmaftcer, often
paftes for a way of proving, but with no body elfe.

But, that I may keep that diftance, which he boafts,
there is betwixt his and my way of writing, I ftiall not
fay this without proof. One inftance of his repetition,
of which there is fuch plenty in his book, pray take
here. His buiinefs, p. 26, is to prove, that " I pre-
■ ** tended that I contended for one fingle article, with
" the exclufion of all the reft, becaufe all men ought to
** underftand their religion;" p. 174. of my Vindication,

I denied

20 8 A Second Vindication of the

I denied that I had fo pretended. To convince me that
I had, thus he proceeds :

Unmafkcr. '' He founds his conceit" of one arti-
cle, ** partly lipon this, that a multitude of doctrines is
*' obfcure, and hard to be underftood."

Anfwer. You fay it, and had faid it before : but I
afk you, as I did before. Where I did fo ?

Unm. " And therefore he trufles all up in one article,
" that the poor people and bulk of mankind may
** bear it."

Anfvv. I defire again to know where I made that in-
ference, and argued fo, for *'one article?"

Unm. " This is the fcope of a great part of his
" book."

Anfw. This is faying again, fliow it once.

Unm. ** But his memory does not keep pace with his
*' invention, and thence he fiiys, he remembers nothing
'^ of this in his book," Vind. p. 174.

Anfw. This is to fay that it is in my book. You have
faid it more than once already ; 1 demand of you to
fliow me where.

Unm. *' This worthy writer does not know his own.
" reafoning, that he ufes."

Anfw. I aik. Where does he ufe that reafoning?

Unm. *' As particularly thus, that he troubles chrif-
•f* tian men with no more, but one article : because that
'^ is intelligible, and all people, high and low, may
^^ comprehend it."

Anfw. We have heard it affirmed by you, over and
over again, but the qucftion llill is, •' Where is that way
*' of ar^niing to be found in my book ?"

Unm. ** For he has chofen out, as he thinks, a plain
*' and eafy article. Whereas the others, which are com-
*' monly propounded, are not generally agreed on (he
** faith) and are dubious and uncertain. But the be-
" lievingthat Jefus is the Meiliah, has nothing of doubt-
'^ fulnefs or obfcurity in it."

Anfw. The word ** For," in the beginning of this
fentencc, makes it ftand for one of your reafons ; though
it be but a repetion of the fame thing in other words. ■

Unm.

Reafonahlenefs of Chriftianity^ 6?r. 209

Unm. '^ This the reader will find to be the drift and
*' defign of feveral of his pages."

Anfw. This muft fignify ** that I trouble men with no
*' more but one article, becaufe pnly one is intelligi-
" ble," and then it is but a repetition. If any thing
clfe be meant by the word This, it is nothing to the
purpofe. For that I faid, that all things necelTary to
be believed are plain in fcripture, and eafy to be under :
flood, I never denied ; and fliould be very forry, and re-
cant it, if I had.

Unm. *' And the reafon why I did not quote any fin-
" gle one of them, was, becaufe he infifts on it, fo long
*' together: and fpins it out after his way, in p. 156. of
" his ** Reafonahlenefs of Chriftianity," where he fets
*^ down the iliort, plain, eafy, and mtelligible fummary
** (as he calls it) of religion," couched in a lingle ar-
ticle : he immediately adds : " the all-merciful God
** feems herein to have confulted the poor of this world,
*' and the bulk of mankind : thefe are articles" (whereas
'' he had fet down but one) "that the labouring and
" illiterate man may cornprehend."

Anfw. If " my infilling on it fo long together" was
" the caufe why, in your thoughts of the caufes of
" atheifm," you did not quote any fingle palfage ; me-
thinks here, in your " Socinianifm unmalked," where
you knew.it was expedled of you, my ^' infifting on it,"
as you fay, " fo long together," might have afforded, at
leaft, one quotation to your purpofe.

Unm. *' He afligns this, as a ground, why it was
** God's pleafure, that there fhould be but one point
*' of faith, BECAUSE thereby religion may be underftood
" the better ; the generality of people may compre-
*• hend it."

Anfw. I hear you fay it again, but want a proof ftill,
and afk, ** where I afiign that ground ?"

Unm. " This he reprefents as a great kindnefs done
" by God to man ; whereas the variety of articles ^f<)uld
*' be hard to be underftood."

Anfw. Again the fame cabbage ; an affirmation, but
no proof.

Uni;n. ** This he enlarges upon, and flourifhes it

Vol. VI. P ' «' over.

2 lo A decmd vindication of the

" over, after his fafliion : and yet deiires to know,
'* When he faid fo?" p. 175. Vindic.

Anfw. And if I did, let the world here take a fam-
ple of the unmafker's ability, or truth, who fpends above
two whole pages, 26, 27, m repetitions of the fame af-
fertion, without the producing any but one place for
proof; and that too againft him, as I have fhovvn. But
he has not yet done with confounding me by dint of re-
petition ; he goes on,

Unm. *' Good {ir, let me be permitted to acquaint
*' you, that your memory is as defedivc as your judg-
** ment."

Anfw, I thank you for the regard you have had to
it; for often repetition is a good help to a bad memory.
In requital, I advife you to have fome eye to your own
memory and judgment too. For one, or both of them,
feem a little to blame, in the reafon you fubjoin to the
foregoing words, viz.

Unm. ** For in the very vindication, you attribute
*"* it to the goodnefs and condefccnfion of the Almighty,
'* that he requires nothing, as abfolutely necelTary to "be
*' believed, but what is fuited to vulgar capacities, and
** the comprehenfion of illiterate men."

Anfw. I will, for the unmaiker's fake, put this ar-
gument of his into a fyllogifm. If the vindicator, in his
vindication, attributes it to the goodnefs and condef-
cenlion of the Almighty, that he requires nothing to be
believed, but what is fuited to vulgar capacities, and the
comprehenfion of illiterate men; then he did, in his
" Reafonablenefs of Chrillianity," pretend, that the
reafon, why he contended for One article, with the ex-
ciufion of all the reft, wgis becaufe all rr^en ought to un-
derftand their reiigi6n.

But the vindicator, in his vindication, attributes it
to the goodnefs and condefccnfion of Almighty God,
that he requires nothing to be believed, but what is
fuited to vulgar capacities, and the comprehenfion of
illiterate men,

" 'Erg^o^*' in his " Reafonablenefs of Chriftianity,"
he pretended, that the reafon why he contended for one

article.

Reajonahlenefs of Chrijlianity^ ^c, 211

article, with the exclufion of all the reft, was, becaufe
all men ought to underftand their religion.

This was the propolition to be proved, and which, as
he confefles here, p. 26, I denied to remember to be in
my " Reafonablenefs of Chriftianity." Who can buc
admire his logic !

But, befides the ftrength of judgment, which you have
ihowed in this clear and cogent reafoning. Does not
your memory too deferve its due applaufe ? You tell
me, in your " Socinianifm unmafked," that in p. 175*
of my Tindication, I defired to know when I faid fo.
To which delire of mine, you reply in thefe words be-
fore cited : *' Good fir, let me be permitted to acquaint
^' you, that your memory is as defedlive as your judg-
" ment; for, in the very Vindication, you attribute it
*^ to the goodnefs and condefcenlion of the Almighty,
*^ that he requires nothing, as abfolutely neceflary to be
" believed, but what is fuited to vulgar capacities, and
** the comprehenfion of illiterate men," p. 30.

Sure the unmafker thinks himfelf at crofs queftions.
I afk him, in the 29th page of my Vindication, V/hen
I faid fo? And he anfwers, that I had faid fo in the 30th
page of my Vindication ; i. e. when I writ the 29th
page, I alked the queftion. When I had faid, what he
charged me with faying? And I am anfvvered, I had
faid in the 30th page ; which was not yet written : i. e.
I afked the queflion to-day. When I had faid fo ? And
I am anfwered, I had faid it to-morrow. As oppofitc
and convincing an anfwer, to make good his charge, as
if he had faid. To-morrow I found a horfe-fhoe. But
perhaps this judicious difputant will eafe himfelf of this
difficulty, by looking again into the 175th page of my
Vindication, out of which he cites thefe words for mine :
" I delire to know. When I faid fo?'* But my words
in that place are, '' I delire to know. Where I faid fo?"
A mark of his exadtnefs in quoting, when he vouchfafes
to do it. For unmafkers, when they turn difputants,
think it the bed way to talk at large, and charge home
in generals : but do not often find it convenient to qudtc
pages, i^l down words, and come to particulars. But,

P 2 - if

212 A Second Vindication of the

if he had quoted my words right, his anfwer had been
juft: as pertinent. For I aik him. Where, in my
** Reafonablencfs of Chriftianity," I had faid fo ? And
he anfwers, I had faid fo in my Vindication, lor where,
in my queftion, refers to my " Reafonablencfs of Chri-
" ftianity," which the unmafker had feen, and charged
with this faying ; and could not refer to my Vindication,
which he had not yet feen, nor to a palTage in it, which
was not then written. But this is nothing with an un-*
mafker; therefore, what is yet worfe, thofe words of
mine. Vindication, p. 175, relate not to the paflage he
is here proving, I had faid, but to another different from
it ; as different as it is to fay, ** That, bccaufe all men
*' are to underffand their religion, therefore there is to
*' be but one article in it ;" and to fay, '' that therc^
" muff be nothing in chriftianity, that is not plain, and
" exadlly levelled to all men's mother-wit:" both which
he falfly charges on me ; but it is only to the latter of
them, that my words, ** I defire to know^ where I faid
** fo?" are applied.

Perhaps the well-meaning man fees no difference be-
tween thefe propofitions, yet I fliaH take the liberty to
afk him again. Where I faid either of them, as if they
were two ? Although he fhould accufe me again, of
** excepting againft the formality of words," and doing
fo foolifti a thing, as to expedl, that a difputing un-
mafker fliould account for his words, or any propolition
he advances. It is his privilege to plead, he did not
mean as his words import, and without any more ado
he is affoiled ; and he is the fame unmafker he was be-
fore. But let us hear him out on the argument he was
upon, for his repetitions on it are not yet done. His
next words are,

Unm. '* It is clear then, that you found your one
" article on this, that it is fuited to the vulgar capaci-
" ties : whereas the other articles mentioned by me,
** are obfcure and ambiguous, and therefore furpafs the
" comprehenfion of the illiterate."

Anfw. The latter part, indeed, is now the firfl: time
imputed to me j but all the rcll is nothing but an un-
proved

"Keafonahlenefs of Chrijiianityy k£c. ii-^

proved repetition^ though ufliered in with " it is clear
*' then ;" words that fliould have a proof going before
them.

Unm. ** But yet you pretend, that you have forgot
*' that any fuch thing v. as faid by you."

Anfw. I have indeed forgot, and notwithflaftding all
yowr pains by fo many repetitions, to beat it into my
head, I fear I fhall never remember it.

Unm. ^* Which fhows that you are carelefs of your
*^ words, and that you forget what you write."

Anfw. So you told me before, and this repeating of
it does no more convince me, than that did.

Unm. '^ What fiiall we fay to fuch an oblivious au-
^' thor?"

Anfvv. Show it him in his book, or elfe he will never
be able to remember that it is there, nor any body elfe
be able to hnd it.

Unm. *' He takes no notice of what falls from his
" own pen."

Anfw. So you have told him more than once. Try
him once with ihowing it him, amongft other things
which fell from his own pen, and fee what then he will
fay : that perhaps may refrefn his memory.

Unm. *^ And therefore, within a page or two, he
*•* confutes himfelt", and gives himfelf the lye."

Anfvv. It is a fault he deferves to be told of, over
and over again. But he fays, he lliall not be able to
find the two pages wherein he " gives himfelf the Xjty"*
unlefs you fet down their numbers, and the words in
them, which confute, and which are confuted.

I beg my reader's pardon, for laying before him fo
large a pattern of our unmafker's new-fafnioned Ifuff ;
his fine tilTue of arj^u mentation not eafily to be match-
ed, but by the fam.e hand. But it lay all together in
p. 26, 27, 28; and it was fit the reader fliould have
this one iniiance of the excellencies he promifes in his
firft paragraph, in oppofition to my ** impertinencies,
** incoherences, weak and feeble ftrugglings." Other
excellencies he there promifed, upon the fame ground,
which I Ihall give my reader a tafte of in fit places :
not but that the whole is of a piecej and one cannot mifs

P 3 fome

'214 -^ Second Vindication of the

fome of them in every page ; but to tranfcribe them
all, would be more than they are worth. If any one
delires more plenty, I fend him to his book itfclf. But
faying a thoufand times, not being proving once, it re-
mains upon him ftill to fliow,

VII. Where, in my " Rcafonablcnefs of Chriftianity,
*' I pretend that I contend for one fmglc article,
" with the exclufion of all the reft, becaufe all
*' men ought to underlland their religion."

And in the next place, where it is that I fcty,

VIII. " That there muft be nothing in chriftianity
** that is not plain and exadlly level to all men's
•' mother-wit."

Let us now return to his 8th page : for the bundling
together, as was iJt, all that he has faid, in diftant places,
upon the fubjecc of One article, has made me trefpafs a
little, againft the Jewifh charadler of a v%'ell-bred man,
recommended by him to me, out of the Millina. Though
I propofe to myitis to follow him, as near as I can, ftep
by ftep, as he proceeds.

In the I loth and 1 1 ith pages of his " Thoughts con-
•* cerning the Caufes of Atheifm," he gave us a lift of
his *' fundamental articles :" upon which, I thus ap-
plied myfelf to him, Vind. p. i68, &c. ''Give me leave
** now to afk you ferioufly. Whether thefe you have
*' here fet down under the title of *' fundamental
*' dodlrines," are fuch (when reduced to propofi-
" tions) that every one of them is required, to make
*' a man a chriftian, and fuch as, without the ac-
" tual belief thereof, he cannot be faved ? If they are
*' not iOy every one of them, you may call them " fun-
*' damental dodrines," as much as you plcafe, they are
*' not of thofe dodrincs of faith I was fpeaking of;
** v;hich are only fuch as are required to be ac^tually
'* believed, to make a man a chriilian." And again,
Vindic. p. 169, lafked him, " Whether juft thefe, nei-
^^ ther more nor lefs/' were thofe neceflary articles ?

To

Reafonahlenefs of Chrifiiattify, &c. 215

To -which we have his anfwer, *' Socinianirm un~
" malked," p. 8, &c. From p. 8. to 20, he has quoted
near forty texts. of fcripturc, of which he faith, p. 21,
*' Thus I have briefly fet before the reader^ thofe evan-
** gelical truths, thofe chriftian principles, which belong
** to the very effence of chriftianity : I have proved,
" them to be fuch, and I have reduced moll of them
** to certain proportions, which is a thing the vindi-
*' cator called for."

Anfw. Yes : but that was not aH the vindicator call-
ed for, and had reafon to expecl. For I afked, ** Whe-
'* ther thofe the unmafkcr gave us, in his Thoughts
*' concerning the Caufes of Atheifm," were the funda-
mental articles, ** without an adlual belief whereof, a
" man could not be a chrillian ; jufi: all, neither more
** nor lefs ?" This I had reafon to demand from him,
or from any one, who queftions that part of my book ;
and I Ihall infill upon it, until he does it, or confeffes
he cannot. F'or having fet down the articles, which the
fcripture, upon a diligent fearch, fecmed to me to re-
quire as neceffary, and only neceffary ; I fhall not lofe
my time in examining what another fays againft thofe
fundamentals, which I have gathered out of the preach-
ings of our Saviour and his apoftlcs, until he gives me
a lift of his fundamentals, which he will abide by; that
fo, by comparing them together, I may fee which is the
true catalogue of necelTaries. For after fo ferious and
diligent a fearch, v/hich has given me light and fatisfac-
tion in this great point, I fliall not quit it, and i^tt my-
felf on float again, at the demand of any one, who would
have me be of his faith, without telling m^e what it is.
Thofe fundamentals the fcripture has fo plainly given,
and fo evidently determined, that it would be the
greatefl: folly imaginable, to part vvith this rule for afk-
ing ; and give up myfelf blindly to the condudt of one,
who either knows not, or will not tell me, what are the
points neceflary to be believed to make me a chriftian. He
that fhall find fault with mycolledlion of fundamentals,
only to unfettle me, and not give me a better of his own,
I fliall not think worth minding, until, like a fair man,
he puts himfelf upon equal terms, and makes up the de-

P 4 fects

2i6 A Second Vindication of the

fedls of mine, by a complete one of his own. For a
deficiency, or errour, in one ncceflary, is as fatal, and as
certainly excludes a man from being a chriflian, as in
an hundred. When any one offers me a complete cata-
logue of his fundamentals, he does not unreafonably de-
mand me to quit mine for nothing : I have then one,
that being fet by mine, I may compare them ; and fo
be able to choofe the true and perfeci- one, and relinquifli
the other.

He that does not do this, plainly declares, that,
(without lliowing me the certain way to falvation) he
expedls, that I Ihould depend on him with an implicit
faith, whilft he referves to himfclf the liberty to require
of me to believe, what he fhall think fit, as he fees occa-
lion; and in effect fays thus, " Diftruft thofc funda-
'* mentals, which the preachings of our Saviour and his
*' apoftles have fhowed to be all that is necefiary to be
•^ believed, to make a man a chriflian ; and, though I
*' cannot tell you, what are thofe other articles which
** are necefTary and fufficient to make a man a chriftian,
" yet take me for your guide, and that is as good as if
*' I made up, in a complete lift, the defeds of your fun-
" damicntals." To which this "is a fufficient anfwer,
•* Si quid novifti redius, impcrti ; fi non, his utcre
** mecum."

The unmafker, of his own accord, p. no, of his
'' Thoughts concerning the Caufes of Atheifm," fets
down feveral, which he calls *' fundamental dodrines."
I afk him, whether thofe be all ? For anfwer, he adds
more to them in his '' Socinianifm unmafls:ed :" but in
a great pet refufes to tell me, whether this fecond lift of
fundamentals be complete : and, inflcad of anfwering
io reafonable a dem.and, pays me with ill language, in
thefe words, p. 22, fubjoined to thofe lafi quoted, " If
" what I have faid will not content him, I am fure I
f can do nothing that will ; and, therefore, if he fhould
*^ capricipufly require any thing more, it would be as
'^ great folly in me to comply with it, as it is in him to
" jnove it." If I did alk a queff ion, w hich troubles you,
be not fo angry ; you yourfelf v.cre the occafion of it.
I propofed my colledion of fundamentals, which I had,

with

Rfafonahknefs of Chrijlianity, ^c* 217

with great care, fought ; and thought I had found clear
in the fcripture ; you tell me no, it is imperfedt, and
offer me one of your own. I afk, whether that be per-
fedl ? Thereupon you grow into choler, and tell me it
is a foolifh queftion. Why ! then I think it was not
very wife in you fo forwardly to offer one, unlefs you
had one ready, not liable to the fame exception. Would
you have me fo foolifli, to take a lift of fundamentals
from you, who have not yet one for yourfelf ; nor are
yet refblved with yourfelf, what doCirines are to be put
in, or left out of it ? Farther, pray tell me, if you had
a fettled colled:ion of fundamentals, that you would
ftand to, why fhould I take them from you, upon your
word, rather than from an anabaptill, or a quaker, or
an arminian, or a focinian, or a lutheran, orapapift;
who, I think, are not perfecftly agreed with you, or one
another in fundamentals? And yet, there is none amongfl
them, that I have not as much reafon to believe, upon
his bare word, as an unmafker, who, to my certain
knowledge, will make bold with truth. If you fet up
for infallibility, you may have fome claim to have your
bare word taken, before any other but the pope. But
yet, if you demand to be an unqueftionable propofer, of
what is abfolutely neceifary to be believed to make a
man a chriftian, you muft perform it a little better, than
hitherto you have done. For it is not enough, fome-
times to give us texts of fcripture ; fometimes propofi-
tions of your own framing, and fometimes texts of fcrip^
ture, out of which they are to be framed ; as page 14,
you fay, *' Thefe and the like places aflbrd us fuch fun-
*' damental and neceifary dodlrines as thefe :" and again,
p. 16, after the naming feveral other texts of fcripture,
you add, " which places yield us fuch propofitions as
*' thefe;" and then in both places fet down what you
think fit to draw out of them. And page 15, you have
thefe words : *' and here, like wife, it were eafy to fhow,
" that adoption, juftification, pardon of fins, &c. which
*•■ are privileges and benefits beftowed upon us by the
" Meffiah, are neceifary matters of our belief." By
all which, as well as the whole frame, wherein you make
Ihow of giving us your fundamental articles, it is plain,

that

21 5 A Second Vindication of the

that what you have given us there, is nothing lefs tha/i
a complete collcdion of fundamentals, even in your own
opinion of it.

But, good fir. Why is it a foolifh queftion in me ?
You have found fault with my fummary for being fliort :
the defeat in my coliedtion of necelTary articles, has
raifed your zeal into fo fevere cenfures, and drawn upon
me, from you, fo heavy a condemnation, that, if half you
have faid of me be true, I am in a very ill cafe, for hav-
ing fo curtailed the fundamental dodtrines of chriflianity.
Is it folly, then, for me to afk from you a complete
creed ? If it be fo dangerous (as certainly it is) to fail
in any neceffary article of faith, M^hy is it folly in me, to
be inftant with you, to give me them all ? Or why is it
folly in you, to grant fo reafonable a demand ? A fhort
faith, defective in necelTaries, is no more tolerable in
you, than in me; nay, much more inexcufable, if it
were for no other reafon but this, that you reft in it
yourfelf, and would impofe it on others ; and yet do not
yourfelf know, or believe it to be complete. For if you
do, why dare you not fay fo, and give it us all entire, in
plain propofitions ; and not, as you have in a great mea-
fure done here, give only the texts of fcripture, from
whence, you fay, neceffary articles are to be drawn?
Which is too great an uncertainty for dodtrines, abfo-
Jutely neceffary. For, poffibly all men do not under-
ftand thofe texts alike, and fome may draw articles
out, of them quite different from your fyftem ; and fo>
though they agree in the fame texts, may not agree in the
fame fundamentals : and, till you have fet down plainly
and diftindly your articles, that you think contained in
them, cannot tell whether you will allow them to be
chrillians, or no. For you know, fir, feveral inferences
are often drawn from the fame text ; and the different
fyftems of diffenting (I was going to fay chriftians, but
that none muft be fo, but thofe who receive your col-
ledion of fundamentals, when you pleafe to giyc it
them) profeffors are all founded on the fcripture.

Why, I befeech you, is mine a foolifli quellion to afk,
" What are the neceffary articles of faith ?" It is of no
kfs confequcnce than, nor much different from the jai-
ler's

Reafonahlenejs of Chriflianiiy^ ^c. 219

ler's queftion in the fi-jcteenth of the A6ts, " What ihall
" I do to be faved?" And that was not, that ever I
heard, counted by any one a foolifli queftion. You
grant, there are articles neceffary to be believed for fal-
vation : Would it not then be wifdom to know them?
Nay, is it not our duty to know and believe them ? If
not, why do you, with fo much outcry, reprehend me,
for not knowing them ? Why do you fill your books with
fuch variety of invecftives, as if you could never fay-
enough, nor bad enough, againft me, for having left out
fome of them ? And, if it be fo dangerous, fo criminal
to mifs any of them. Why is it a folly in me, to move
you to give me a complete lift ?

If fundamentals are to be known, eafy to be known,
(as, without doubt, they are) then a catalogue may be
given of them. But, if they are not, if it cannot cer-
tainly be determined, which are they ; but the doubtful
knowledge of them depends upon gueftes ; Why may
not I be permitteci to follow my gueffes, as well as you
yours? Or why, of all others, muft you prefcribe your
gueftes to me, when there are fo many that are as ready
to prefcribe as you, and of as good authority ? The pre-
tence, indeed, and clamour is reLgion, and the faving
of fouls : but your bufmefs, it is plain, is nothing but
to over-rule and prefcribe, and be hearkened to as a
dicftator ; and not to inform, teach, and inftrud: in the
fure way to falvation. Why elfe do you fo ftart and
fling, when I defire to know of you, what is neceftary
to be believed to make a man a chriftian, when this is
the only material thing in controverfy between us ; and
my miftake in it has made you begin a quarrel with me,
and let loofe your pen againft me in no ordinary way of
reprehenlion ?

Beftdes, in this way which you take, you will be in
no better a cafe than I. For, another having as good a
claim to have his gueftes give the rule, as you yours ;
or to have his fyftem received, as well as you yours ;
he will complain of you as well, and upon as good
grounds, as you do of me ,- and (if he have but as much
zeal for his orthodoxy, as you ftiow for yours) in as
civil, \yell-brcd, and chriftiau-like language.]

In

i20 A Second Vindication of the

In the next place, pray tell me. Why would it be folly
in you, to comply with what I require of you ? Would
it not be ufcful to me, to be fct right in this matter ? If
fo. Why is it folly in you to fet me right ? Confider me,
if you pleafc, as one of your pari flii oners, who (after you
have relblved w hich catalogue of fundamentals to give
him, either tliat in your '* Thoughts of the Caufes of
" Atheifm," or this other here, in your " Socinianifra
** unmafked ;" for they are not both the fame^ nor either
of them perfed} afked you, " Are thefe all fundamental
** articles neceflary to be believed to make a man a
'* chriftian; and are there no more but thefe ?" Would
you anfw^er him, that it was folly in you to comply
with him, in what he defired ? Is it of no moment
to know, what is required of men to be believed ; with-
out a belief of w^hich, they are not chriftians, nor can be
faved ? And is it folly in a minifter of the gofpel, to in-
form one committed to his inllrudion, in fo material a
point as this, which difringuillies believers from unbe-
lievers ? Is it folly in one, whofe buiinefs it is to bring
men to be chrillians, and to falvation, to refolve a quef-
tion, by which they may know, whether they are chrif-
tians or no ; and, without a refolution of which, they
cannot certainly know their condition, and the flate
they are in ? Is it befidcs your commiilion and bufinefs,
and therefore a folly, to extend your care of fouls fo far
as this, to thofe who are committed to your charge?

Sir, I have a title to demand this of you, as if I were
your parifliioner : you have forced yourfelf upon me for
a teacher, in this very point, as if you wanted a pa-
rilhioner to inftrudl : and therefore I demand it of
you, and Ihall infift upon it, till you either do it, or
confefs you cannot. Nor -fliall it excufe you, to fay it
is capricioufly required. For this is no otherwife ca-
pricious, than all qucftions are capricious to a man,
that cannot anfwer them; and fuch an one, I think,
this is to you. For, if you could anfw er it, no body
can doubt, but that you would, and that with confi-
dence : for no body will fufpecfl it is the want of that
makes you fo referved. This is, indeed, a frequent way
of anfwering queftions, by men, that cannot otherwife
3 cover

Reafofiahlenefs of Chrijlianityy &c. 221

cover the abfurdities of their opinions, and their info-
lence of expedling to be believed upon their bare words»
by faying they are capricioufly atked, and deferve no
other anfwer.

But how far foever capricioufnefs (when proved, for
faying is not enough) may excufe from anfwering a ma-
terial queftion, yet your own words here will clear this
from being a capricious queftion in me. For that thofe
texts of fcripture which you have fet down, do not, upon
your own grounds, contain all the fundamental doctrines
of religion, all that is neceflary to be believed to make a
man a chriftian ; what you fay a little lower, in this very
page, as well as in other places, does demonftrate. Your
words are, '* I think I have fufficiently proved, that
" there are other dodlrines befides that [Jefus is the
*' Mefliah] which are required to be believed to make
** a man a chriftian ; Why did the apoftles write thefe
" dodrines ? Was it not, that thofe they writ to, might
" give their alTent to them?" This argument, for the
neceifity of believing the texts you cite from their being
fet down in the " New Teftament," you urged thus,
p. 9, ** Is this fet down to no purpofe in thefe infpired
•* epiftles ? Is it not requifite that we ftiould know it
** and believe?" And again, p. 29, " they are in our
^' bibles to that very purpofej to be believed." It then
it be neceifary to know and believe thofe texts of fcrip-
ture you have coUedied, becaufe the apoftles writ them,
and they were not " fet down to no purpofe : and they
" are fet down in our bibles on purpofe to be believed :"
I have reafon to demand of you other texts, befides thofe
you have enumerated, as containing points neceffary to
be believed ; becaufe there are other texts which the
apoftles writ, and were not " fet down to no purpofe,
" and are in our bibles, on purpofe to be believed," as
well as thofe which you have cited.

Another reafon of doubting, and confequently of de-
manding, whether thofe propofttions you have fet down
for fundamental doctrines, be every one of them neceftary
to be believed, and all that are neceflary to be believed
to make a man a chriftian, I have from your next argu-
ment ; which, joined to the former, ftands thus, p. 22 :

222 A Seeond Vindication of the

•* Why did the apoftlcs write thefe dodrines ? Was it
" not that thofe they writ to, might give their aflent to
*^ them? Nay, did they not require alTent to them?
•• Yes verily ; for this is to be proved from the nature
•* of the things contained in thefe dodrines, which arc
'* fuch as had immediate refpecT; to the occafion, au-
** thor, way, means and ilTue, of their redemption and
** falvation." If therefore all "things which have an
" immediate refpe6l to the occafion, author, way,
*' means and ilfue of men's redemption and falvation,"
are thofe and thofe only, which are necelTary to be be-
lieved to make a man a chriftian ; may a man not juflly
doubt, whether thofe propofitions, m hich the unmafker
has fet down, contain all thofe things, and whether there
be not other things contained in other texts of fcripture,
or in fome of thofe cited by him, but otherwife under-
ftood, that have as immediate a ** refpedt to the occa-
*' fion, author, way, means and iilue, of men's redemp-
*' tion and falvation," as thofe he has fet down? and
therefore I have reafon to demand a completer lift.
For at beft, to tell us of " all things that have an im-
*' mediate refpedt to the occafion, author, way, means
*' and ilTue, of men's redemption and falvation," is but
a general defcription of fundamentals, with which fome
may think fome articles agree, and others, others : and
the terms, '* immediate refpedt," may give ground
enough for difference about them, to thofe who agree
that the reft of your defcription is right. My demand
therefore is not a general defcription of fundamentals,*
but, for the rcafons above mentioned, the particular ar-
ticles themfelves, which are necellary to be believed to
make a man a chriitian.

It is not my bufmefs at prefent, to examine the va-
lidity of thefe arguments of his, to prove all the propofi-
tions to be necelfary to be believed, which he has here,
in his "Socinianifm unmafked," fet down as fuch.
The ufe I make of them now, is to fliow the reafon they
afford me to doubt, that thofe propofitions, which he
has given us, for dodtrines neceflary to be believed, are
either not all fuch, or more than all, by his own rule;
and therefore, 1 muff defire him to give us a completer

creed.

Reafonahlenefs of Chriftianity^ iBc. 223

creed, that we may know, what in his fenfe, is necef-
fary, and enough to make a man a chriftian.

Nor will it be fufficient, in this cafe, to ^o what he
tells us he has done, in thefe words, p. 21, "I have
*' briefly fet before the reader thofe evangelical truths,
" thofe chriftian principles, which belong to the very

^' ciTence of chriftianity ;" and "1 have reduced

*^ moft of them to certain propofitions, which is a thing
" the vindicator called for," p, 16. With fubmifllon,
I think he miftakes the vindicator. What I called for,
was, not that, *' mojl: of them fhould be reduced to cer-
" tain propofitions," but that all of them fhould : and
the reafon of my demanding that was plain, viz. that
then, having the unmafker's creed in clear and diftind:
propofitions, I might be able to examine whether it was
what God in the fcriptures indifpenfably required of
every man to make him a chriftian, that {o I might
thereby corred: the errours or defeds of what I at pre-
fent apprehend the fcripture taught me in the cafe.

The unmafker endeavours to excufe himfelf from
anfwering my queftion by another exception againft it,
p. 24, in thefe words: " Surely none, but this upftart
** racovian, will have the confidence to deny, that thcfc
** articles of faith are fuch as are neceflary to conftitute
*' a chriftian, as to the intelledual and dodrinal part of
*' chriftianity ; fuch as muft, in some measure, be
^•^ known and aflTented to by him. Not that a man is
" fuppofed, every moment, adually to exert his affent
*' and belief; for none of the moral virtues, none of the
*' evangelical graces, are exerted thus always. Wherc-
" fore that queftion," in p. 168, ** though he fays he
" afi«it"(ferioufly) "might have been fpared," *' Whe-
" ther every one of thefe fundamentals is required to
** be believed to make a man a chriftian, and fuch as,
*' without the adual belief thereof, he cannot be faved ?"
" Here is fcrioufnefs pretended where there is none ;
*' for the defign is only to cavil, and (if he can) to ex:-
" pofe my afiertion. But he is not able to do it ; for
" all his critical demands are anfwercd in thefe few
'* words, viz. That the intelledlual (as well as moral
.'' endowments) are never fuppofed to be always in adl :

" they

224- -^ Second Vindication of the

" they- are exerted upon occalion, not all of them at a
*' time. And therefore be mirtakes, if he thinks, or
" rather as he objects without thinking, that thefe doc-
" trines, if they be fundamental and necelTary, muft be
" always actually believed. No man, belidcs himfelfy
" ever ftarted fuch a thing."

This terrible long combat has the unmxaflcer managed
with his own ihadow, to confound the ferioufnefs uf my
queftion ; and, as he fays himfelf, is come oif, not only

• 6fe and found, but triumphant. But for all that, fir,
may not a man's queftion be ferious, though he fliould
chance to exprcfs it ill ? I think you and I were not bcft:
to fet up for critics in language, and nicety of expref-
iion, for fear we fliould fet the world a laughing. Yet,
for this once, I ftiall take the liberty to defend mine

' here. For I demand, in what expreilion of mine, I faid
or fuppofed, that a man fhould, every moment, adlually
exert his alfent to any propofition required to be be-
lieved ? Cannot a man fay, that the unmafker cannot
be admitted to any preferment in the church of Eng-
land, without an adtual aftent to, or fubfcribing of the
thirty-nine articles ; unlefs it be fuppofed, that he muft
every moment, from the time he hrft read, alTented to,
and fubfcribed thofe articles, until he received inftitu-
tion and indudlion, *^ adlually exert his aflent" to every
one of them, and repeat his fubfcription } In the fame
fenfe it is literally true, that a man cannot be admitted
into the church of Chrift, or into heaven, without actu-
ally believing all the articles necefiary to make a man
a chriftian, without fuppofing that he muft ** actually
** exert that alfent every moment," from the time that
he firft gave it, until the moment that he is admitted
into heaven. He may eat, drink, make bargains, ftudy
Euclid, and think of other things between ; nay, fome-
times deep, and neither think of thofe articles, nor any
thing elfe ; and yet it be true, that he ftiail not be ad-
mitted into the church, or heaven, without an actual
alfent to them : that condition of an actual aflent, he
has performed, and until he recal that aflfent, by adtuai

" unbelief, it ftands good : and though a lunacy, or le-

- thargy, Ihould feize on him prefently after, and he

iliould

Re afonahlenejs of Chriftianityy ^c. 225

Ihould never think of it again as long as he lived, yet it
is literally true, he is not faved without an actual alTent.
You might therefore have fpared your pains, in faying,
** that none of the moral virtues, none of the evangeli-
*' cal graces, are exerted thus always," imtil you had
met with fome body who faid thus. That I did fo, I
think, would have entered into no body's thoughts but
yours, it being evident from p. 156, of my book, that by
actual, I meant explicit. You Ihould rather have given
a dired: anfwer to my queftion, which I here again feri-
oufly alk you, viz. Whether

IX. Thofe you called *' fundamental dodlrirfcefc,"
in your " Thoughts concerning the caufes of
arheifm," or thole '^ chriftian principles, which
** belong to the very elTence of chriftianity," fo
many as you have given us of them in your " So-
** cinianifm unmalked," (for you may take which
of your two creeds you pleafe) are juft thofe, nei^
ther more or lefs, that are every one of them re-
quired to be believed to make a man a chrirtian,
5ind fuchas, without the actual, or (lince that word
difpleafes you) the explicit belief whejreof, he can-
not be faved ?

When you have anfuered this queftion, we fhall then
fee, which of us two is neareft the right : but if you fhaE
forbear railing, which, I fear, you take for arguing,
againft that fummary of faith, which our Saviour and
his apoftles taught, and which only they propofed to
their hearers to be believed, to make them chriftians,
yntil you have found another perfect creed, of only ne-
celTary articles, that you dare own for fuch ; you are like
to ha<^e a large time of lilence. Before I leave the paf-
fage above-cited, I muft delire the reader to take no-
tice of what he fays, concerning his lift of fundamentals,
viz. That *' thefe his articles of faith,^' necclfary to con-
ftitute a chriftian, are fuch as muft, in some measure, be
known and aifented to by him : a very wary expreffion
concerning fundamentals ! The queftion is about articles
neceftary to be explicitly believed to make a man a

Vol. VI. Q^ chriftian.

226 A Second VindiCiiilon of ibe

chriftian* Thcfc, in his lift, the umnaCkcr tells us, are
** neceflary to conllitute a chriftian, and nnifl-, im somk
" MEASURE, be known and alientcd to." 1 would now
fain know of the reader. Whether he underftands there-
by, that the unniafker means, that thefe his necelTary
articles mud be explicitly believed or not? It he means
an explicit knowledge and belief, why does he puzzle his
reader, by fo improper a way of fpcaking? For what is
as complete and pcrfeft as it ought to be, cannot pro-
perly be faid to be ** in fome mcafure." If his, "in
** fome meafure," falls fliort of explicitly knowing and
believing his fundamentals, his nccelfary articles arc
fuch, as a man may be a chriftian, without explicitly
knowing and believing, i. e. are no fundamentals, no ne-
ceflary articles at all. Thus men, uncertain what to fay,
betray themfelves by their great caution.

Having pronounced it folly in himfelf, to make up
the defeds of my fhort, and therefore fo much blamed
colleclion of fundamentals, by a full one of his own,
though his attempt fnows he would if he could ; he goes
on thus, p. 2 2, ** From what I fthe unmaikerj have
** faid, it is evident, that the vindicator is grofsly mif-
'* taken, when he faith," " Whatever dodrines the
'* apoflles required to be believed to m.ake a man a
*' chriftian, are to be found in thofe places of fcripture
*' which he has quoted in his book." And a little
lower,^*'I think I have fufficiently proved, that there
*' are other dodrines befides that, which are required
*' to be believed to make a man a chrilHan."

Anfw^ Whatever you have proved, or fas you never
fail to do) boail you have proved, will fignify nothing,
until you have proved one of thcfe propoiitions j and
have fhown either,

X. That what our Saviour and his apoftlcs preached,
and admitted men into the church for believing, is
not all that is abfolutely required to make a man a
chrillian. Or,

That the believing him to be the Mefliah, v, as not the
only article they inlifted on, to thofe who acknow-
ledged one God; and, upon the belief whereof,

they

Reafonablenejs of Chrijlianity^ ^Sc. 227

they admitted converts into the church, in any one
of thofe many places quoted by me out of the hif-
tory of the New Teilament."

I fay, any one: for though it be evident, throughout
the whole gofpel, and the A6ls, that this was the one
dodlrine of faith, which, in all their preachings every
where, they principally drive at : yet, if it were not fo,
but that in other places they taught other things, that
would not prove that thofe other things were articles of
faith, abfolutely ncceilarily required to be believed to
make a man a chriftian, unlefs it had been fo faid. Be-
caufe, if it appears, that ever any one was admitted into
the church, by our Saviour or his apofcles, without
having that article explicitly laid before him, and with-
out his explicit affent to it, you muft grant, that an ex-
plicit allent to that article is not necelTary to make a
man a chriftian : unlefs you will fay, that our Saviour
and his apoftles admitted men into the church that were
not qualified with fuch a faith as was abfolutely neceflary
to make a man a chriftian ; which is as much as to fay,
that they allowed and pronounced men to be chriftians,
who were not chriftians. For he that wants what is ne-
ceflary to make a man a chriftian, can no more be a
chriftian, than he that wants what is neceflary to make
him a man, can be a man. For what is neceflary to the
being of any thing, is eflx^ntial to its being ; and any
thing may be as well without its eflence, as without
any thing that is neceflary to its being : and fo a man
be a man, without being a man ; and a chriftian a
chriftian, without being a chriftian ; and an unmafker
may prove this, without proving it. You may, there-
fore, fet up, by your unqueftionable authority, what ar-
ticles you pleafe, as necefl^ary to be believed to make a
man a chriftian : if our Saviour and his apoftles ad-
mitted cohverts into the church, without preaching
thofe your articles to them, or requiring an explicit af-
fent to what they did not preach and explicitly lay down,
I ftiall prefer their authority to yours, and think it was
rather by them, than by yon, that God promulgated the

0^2 Hw

2l8 A Seccnd Vindication of the

law of failh, and manifcfted \\hat that faith was, upon
\vhich he Would receive penitent converts.

And though, by his apoftlcs, our Siviour taught a
great many other truths, for the explaining this funda-
mental article of the law of faith, that Jcfus is the Mef-
fiah ; fomc whereof Ivave a nearer, und fome a more
remote connexion with it, and fo cannot be de-
nied by any chriflian, v/ho fees that connexion, or
knows they are fo taught : yet an ex-plici^ belief of any
one of them, is no more iieccltbrily required to make a
man a chrifVian, than an explicit belief of all thofe
truths, which have a connexion with the being of a
God, or are revealed by him, is neceirarily required to
make a man not to be an atheifl : though none of them
can be denied by any one who fees that connexion, or
acknowledges that revelation, without his being an
atheifl:. All thefe truths, taught us from God, either by
reafon or revelation, arc of great ufe, to enlighten our
minds, confirm our faith, Ilir up our affections, &c.
And t"he more we fee of them, the more we fnall fee,
admire, and magnify the wifdom, goodncfs, mercy, and
love of God, in the work of our redemption. This will
obli'ge us to fearch and ftudy the fcripture, wherein it is'
contained and laid open to us.

All that we find, in the revelation of the "New Tef-
*' tament," being the declared will and mind of our
Lord and Mafler, the Mefiiah, whom we have taken to
■be our king. We are bound to receive as right and truth,
or elfe we are not his fubjecSts, we do not believe him to
be the Meiriah, our King, but caft him off, and v.ith the
jews fay, *^ We will not have this man reign over us."
But it is flill what we find in the fcripture, not in this
or that fyftem ; what we, finccrely feeking to know the
^vilI of our Lord, difcover to be his miruL Where it is
jpokcn plainly, we cannot mifs it ; and it is evident he
requires our aflent : where there is obfcurity, either in
the expreffions themfelvcs, or by reafon of the Teeming
contrariety of other paffages, there a fair endeavour, as
much as our circumftanccs will permit, fecures us from
^ guilty difobedicnce of his will, or a finful errour in
faith, which way foever our inquiry refolves the doubt,

or

JxcafQUcihlenefs of Cbrifiianity^ &c, 229

or perhaps leaves it unrefolved. If he had required
more of us in thofe points, he would have declared his '
will plainer to u;., and difcovered the truth contained in
in thofe obfcure, or feemingly contradidory places, as
clearly, and as uniformly as he did that fundamental ar-
ticle, that we were to believe him to be the Mefiiah,
our KinGf.

As nien, we have God for our King, and are under
the law of reafon : as chriflians, we have Jefus the Mef-
liah for our King, and are under the law revealed by
him in the gofpel. And though every chriftian, both
as a deifl: and a chriftian, be obliged to ftudy both the
law of nature and the revealed law, that in them he may
know the will of God, and of Jefus Chrift, whom he
hath fent ; yet, in neither of thefe lav/s, is there to be
found a feled fet of fundamentals, diftincfl from the reft,
which are to make him a deift, or a chriftian. But he
that believes one eternal, inviliblc God, his Lord and
King, ceafes thereby to be an athcift ; and he that be-
lieves Jefus to be the Mefliah, his King, ordained by
God, thereby becomes a chriftian, is delivered from the
power of darknefs, and is tranflated into the kingdom of
the Son of God ; is adiually within the covenant of
grace, and has that faith, which ftiall be imputed to him
for righteoufnefs ; and, if he continues in his allegiance ■
to this his King, fnall receive the reward, eternal life.

He that confiders this, will not be fo hot as the un-
mafker, to contend for a number of fundamental arti-
cles, all neceftary, every one of them, to be explicitly
believed by every one for falvation, without knov/ing
them himfclf, or being able to enumerate th^m to ano-
ther. Can there be any thing more abfurd than to fay,
there are feveral fundamental articles, each of which
every man muft explicitly believe, upon pain of damna-
tion, and yet not be able to fay, which they be ? The
unmaftcer has fet down no fmali number ; but yet dares
not fay, thefe are all. On the contrary, he has plainly
confelied there are more j but will not, i. e. cannot tell
what they are, that remain behind : Nay, has given a
general defcription of his fundamental articles, by which
it is not evident, but there may be ten times as many as

230. , A Second Vindication of the

thofe he had named ; and amongft them (if he durfl, or
could name them) probably feveral, that many a good
chriftian. Mho died in the faith, and is now in heaven,
never once thought of; and others, uhich many, of as
good authority as he, would, from their different fyf-
tems, certainly deny and contradict.

This, as great an abfurdity as it is, cannot be other-
wife, whillT: jmen will take upon them to alter the terms
of the gofpel ; and when it is evident, that our Saviour
and his apoftles received men into the church, and pro-
nounced them believers, for taking him to be the Mef-
iiah, their King and deliverer, fent by God, have a bold-
nefs to fay, *' this is not enough." But, when you would
know of them, what then is enough, they cannot tell
you : the reafon whereof is vifible, viz. becaufe they be-
ing able to produce no other reafon for their collection
of fundamental articles, to prove them neceflary to be
believed, but becaufe they are of divine authority, and
contained in the holy fcriptures; and are, as the un-
mafker fays, *'writ there on purpofe to be believed ;"
they know not where to flop, when they have once be-
gun : thofe texts that they leave out, or from which
they deduce none of their fundamentals, being of the
fame divine authority, and fo upon that account equally
fundamental with what they culled out, though not fa
"well fuited to their particular fyftcms.

Hence come thofe endlefs and unreafonable conten-
tions about fundamentals, whilfl' each cenfurcs the de-
feat, redundancy, or falfhood of what others require,
as neceflary to be believed : and yet he himfelf gives not
a catalogue of his own fundamentals, which he will fay
is fufficicnt and complete. Nor is it to be wondered ;
fincc, in this way, it is impoffible to flop fhort of put-
ting every propofition, divinely revealed, into the lifl
of fundamentals; all of them being of divine, and fo of
equal authority ; and, upon that account, equally ne-
ceflary to be believed by every one that is a chriftian,
though they are not all neceflluy to be believed, to make
any one a chriirian. For the New Teilament contain-
ing the laws of the Mefliah's kingdom, in regard of all
the adions, both of mind and body, of all his fubjeds ;

every

Rcafonahlenejs of Chrijliamiyt i£c, 231

every chrifl'ian is bound, by his allegiance to him, to be-
lieve all that he fays in it to be true ; as well as to aiTcnt,
that all he conTmands in it is juft and good: and what
negligence, pcrverfenefs, or guilt there is, in his mif-
taiving in the one, or failing in his obedience to the
other, that this righteous judge of all men, who cannot
be deceived, will at the kit day lay open, and reward ac-
cordingly.

It is no wonder, therefore, there have been fuch fierce
contefts, and fuch cruel havock made amongft chriftians
about fundamentals ; whilft every one would fet up his
fyftem, upon pain of fire and faggot in this, and hell-fire
in the other w orld. Though, iit the fame time, whilfh
he is exercifing the utmoft barbarities againft others, to
prove himfelf a true chrifiian, he profelfcs himfelf fo
ignorant, that he cannot tell, or fo uncharitable, that he
will not tell, what articles are abfolutely necefiary and
fufficient to make a m.an a chriftian. If there be any
fuch fundamentals, as it is certain there are, it is as cer-
tain they muft be very plain. Why then does every
one urge and make a flir about fundamentals, and no
body give a lift of them ? But becaufe (as I have faid)
upon the ufual grounds, they cannot : for I will be bold
to fay, that every one who confiders the m.atter, will fee,
that either only the article of his being the Mefliah their
King, which alone our Saviour and his apoftles preach-
ed to the unconverted world, and received thofe that
believed it into the church, is the only neceiTary article
to be believed by a theift, to make him a chriftian ; or
elfe, that all the truths contained in the New Teftamicnt,
are ncceflary articles to be believed to make a man a
chriftian : and that between thefe two, it is impoffible
any where to ftand ; the rcafon whereof is plain. Be-
caufe, either the believing Jefus to be the Mefliah, i. e.
the taking him to be our King, makes us fubjeds and
denizens of his kingdom, that is, chriftians : or elfe an
explicit know ledge of, and adlual obedience to the laws
of his kingdom, is w hat is required to make us fub-
jefts; which, I think, it was never faid of any other
kingdom. For a man muft be a fubjedl, before he is
bound to obey,

0.4 l^et

232 A Second J'^indicaiion of the

Let us fuppofe it will be faid here, that an obedience
to the laws of Chrift's kingdom, is what is neccfTary to
make us fubjccfts of it, without which we cannot be ad-
mitted into it, i. e. be chriftians : and, if fo, this obe-
dience muft be univerfal ; I mean, it muft be the fame
fort of obedience to all the laws of this kingdom :
■which, fmce no body fays is in any one fuch as is wholly
free from errour, or frailty, this obedience can only lie
in a lincere difpofition and purpofe of mind, to obey
every one of the laws of the Mefiiah, delivered in the
New Tcftament, to the utmoft of our power. Now,
believing right being one part of that obedience, as well
as acting right is the other part, the obedience of aficnt
muft be implicitly to all that is delivered there, that it
is true. But for as much as the particular a6ls of an ex-
plicit afTent, cannot go any farther than his underftand-
ing, who is to afTent ; what he underftands to be truth,
delivered by our Saviour, or the apoftles com.miffioned
by him, and afTifted by his Spirit, that he muft necefla-
rily believe : it becomes a fundamental article to him,
and he cannot rcfufehis alTent to it, without renouncing
his allegiance. For he that denies any of the dod:rines
that Chrift has delivered, to be true, denies him to be
Tent from God, and confequently to be the Meffiah ; and
fo ceafcs to be a chriftian. From whence it is evident,
that if any' more be neceffary to be believed to make a
man a chriftian, than the believing Jefus to be the
Meffiah, and thereby taking him for our King, it cannot
he any fct bundle of fundamentals, culled out of the
fcripture, with an omifTion o^ the reft, according as
beft fuits any one's fancy, fyftcm, or intereft : but it
muft be an explicit belief of all thofe propofitions,
which he, according to the beft of his underftanding,
really apprehends to be contained and meant in the
fcripture •, and an implicit belief of all the reft, which
he is ready to believe, as foon as it ftiall pleafe God,
iipdn his ufcof the means, to enlighten him, and make
thcln clear to his underftanding. So that, in efted:, al-
nioft -every particular man in this fenfe has, or may
have, a diftincl catalogue of fundamentals, each whereof
it is neceirary for him explicitly to believe, now that he

is

Reafofiablenejs of Chr[ftianity, &c. 233

is a chriftlan ; whereof, if he fliould difbelieve, or deny-
any one, he would caft off his allegiance, disfranchife
himfelf, and be no longer a fubjed: of Chrifl's kingdom.
But, in this fenfc, no body can tell what is fundamental
to another, what is necelTary for another man to believe.
This catalogue of fundamentals, every one alone can,
make for himfelf: no body can fix it for him ; no body
can ''colled or prefcribe it to another : but this is, ac-
cording as God has dealt to every one the meafure of
light and faith ; and has opened each man's underltand-
ing, that he may underftand the fcriptures. Whoever
has ufcd what means he is capable of, for the informing
of himfelf, with a readinefs to believe and obey what
fhall be taught and prefcribed by Jcfiis, his Lord and
King, is a true and faithful fubjeci of Chrift's kingdom ;
and cannot be thought to fail in any thing neceffary to
falvation.

Suppofing a man and his Avife, barely by feeing the
wonderful things that Mofes did, iliould have been per-
fuaded to put themfelves under his government ; or by
reading his law, and liking it ; or by any other motive,
had been prevailed on fmcerely to take him for their
ruler and law-giver ; and accordingly (renouncing their
former idolatry and heathenifh pollutions) in token
thereof had, by baptifm and circumcifion, the initiating
ceremonies, folemnly entered themfelves into that com-
munion, under the law of Mofes ; had they not, thereby
been made denizens of the common-wealth of Ifrael,
and invcfted with all the privileges and prerogatives of
true children of Abraham, leaving to their pofterity a
right to their Ihare in the promifed land, though they had
died before they had performed any other a(5t of obedi-
ence to that law ; nay, though they had not known
whofe fon Mofes was, nor how he had delivered the
children of Ifrael out of Egypt, nor whither he was lead*
ing them ? I do not fay, it is likely they fhould be fo
far ignorant. But, whether they were or no, it was
enough that they took him for their prince and ruler,
with a purpofc to obey him, to fubmit themfelves en-
tirely to his commands and condud: ; and did nothing
afterwards, whereby they difowned or rejected his au*-

thority

a -^4 A Second P indication of the

thority over them. In that refpccl, none of his laws
were greater or more neccflary to be fubmitted to, one
than another, though the matter of one might be of
much greater confequcnce than of another. But a difo-
bedience to any law of the lead confequence, if it carry
with it a difowning of the authority that made it, for-
feits all, and cuts off fuch an offender from that com-
monwealth, and all the privileges of it.

This is the cafe, in refpecl of other matters of faith,
to thofe who believe Jefus to be the Meffiah, and take
him to be their King, fent from God, and fo are already
chriftians. It is not the opinion, that any one may have
of the weightinefs of the matter, '(if they are, without
their own fault, ignorant that our Saviour hath revealed
it) that fhall disfranchifc them, and make them forfeit
their intereft in his kingdom : they may ffill be good
fubjedls, though they do not believe a great many things,
which creed-makers may think neceffary to be believed.
That which is required of them, is a fincere endeavour
to know his mind, declared in the gofpel, and an ex-
plicit belief of all that they underftand to be fo. Not
to believe what he has revealed, whether in a lighter, or
more weighty matter, calls his veracity into queftion,
deffroys his miffion, denies his authority, and is a flat
difowning him to be the Meffiah, and fo overturns that
fundamental and neceffary article whereby a man is a
chriftian. But this cannot be done by a man's ignorance,
or iinwilful miftake of any of the truths publiilied by
our Saviour himfelf, or his authorized and infpired mi-
jiiffers, in the New Teftament. Whilft a man knows
not that it was his will or meaning, his allegiance is
lafe, though he believe the contrary.

If this were not fo, it is impoffible that any one ffiould
be a chriftian. For in fome things we are ignorant,
and err all, not knowing the fcriptures. For the holy
infpired writings, being all of the fame divine autho-
rity, muff all equally in every article be fundamental,
and neceffary to be believed ; if that be a reafon, that
makes any one propofition in it necefiary to be believed.
But the law of faith, the covenant of the gofpel, being a
covenant of grace, and not of n^itural right, or debt;

notning

Reajonahlenejs of Chrifiianity ^ ^c. 235

nothing can be abfolutely ncccfTary to be believed, but
what, by this new law of faith, God of his good plea-
fure hath made to be fo. And this, it is plain, by the
preaching of our Saviour and his apoftles, to all that be-
lieved not already in him, was only the believing the only
true God, and Jcfus to be the Meffiah, whom he hath
lent. The performance of this puts a man within the
covenant, and is chat, which God will impute to him for
righteoufnefs. All the other acfs of aflent to other truths,
taught by our Saviour, and hisapoftles, are not what make
a man a chriftian ; but are neceflary adls of obedience to
be performed by one, who is a chriftian ; and therefore,
being a chriftian, ought to live by the laws of Chrift's
kingdom.

Nor are we without fome glimpfe of light, why it
hath pleafed God of his grace, that the believing Jefus
to be the MefTiah fhould be that faith which he would
impute to men for righteoufnefs. It is evident from,
fcnpture, that our Saviour defpifed the fliame and en-
dured the crofs for the joy fet before him; which joy,
it is alfo plain, was a kingdom. But, in this kingdom,
which his Father had appointed to him, he could have
none but voluntary fubjedts ; fuch as leaving the king-
dom of darknefs, and of the prince of this world, with
all the pleafures, pomps, and vanities thereof, would
put themfelves under his dominion, and tranflate them-
fclves into his kingdom ; which they did, by believing
and owning him to be the MefTiah their King, and
thereby taking him to rule over them. For the faith
for which God juilificth, is not an empty fpeculation,
but a faith joined with repentance, and working by
love. And for this, which was, in effedl, to return to
God himfelfj and to their natural allegiance due to him,
and to advance, as much as lay in them, the glory of the
kingdom, v^hich he had promifed his Son ; God was
pleafed tp declare, he would accept them, receive them
to grac6, and blot out all their former tranfgreffions.

This is evidently the covenant of grace, as delivered
jn the fcriptures : and if this be not, I defire any one to
tell me what it is, and what are the terms of it. It is
a law of faith, whereby God has promifed to forgive all

our

2^6 A Second Vindication of the

our fins, upon our repentance and believing fomething;
and to impute that faith to us for righteoufncfs. Now I
afK, what it is by the law of faith, wc are required to
believe? For until that be known, the law of faith is
not diftindy known ; nor the terms of the covenant,
upon which the all-merciful God gracioufly offers us
falvation. And, if any one v»ill fay, this is not known,
nay, is not eafily and certainly to be known under the
gofpel, I defirc him to tell me, what the grcatcft ene-.
mies of chriftianity can fay worfe againft it? For a way
propofed to falvation, that does not certainly lead thi-,
ther, or is propofed, fo as not to be known, are very lit--
tie different as to their confequence ; and mankind
would be left to wander in darknefs and uncertainty,
with the one as well as the other.

I do not write this for controverfy's fake ; for had I
minded vidiory, I would not have given the unmafl':er
this new matter of exception. I know whatever is faid,
■he muft be bawling for his fafliionabie and profitable
orthodoxy, and cry out againft this too, which I have
here added, as focinianifm ; and caft that name upon
all thatdiifers from what is held by thofe he would re-
commend his zeal to in writmg. I call it bawling, for
whether what he has faid be reafoning, I ihall refer ro
thofe of his own brotherhood, if he be of any brother-,
hood, and there be any that will join v/ith him in his fet
of fundamentals, when his creed is made.

Had 1 minded nothing but how to deal with him, I
had tied him up iliort to his lift of fundamentals, with-
out affording him topics of declaiming, againft what I
have here faid. But I have enlarged on this point, for
the fake of fuch readers, who, with the love of truth,
read books of this kind, and endeavour to inform them-
felves in the things of their everlafiing concernment:
it being of greater confidcration with me to give any
light and fatisfadion to one lingle perfon, w ho is really
concerned to underftand, and be convinced of the reli-
gion he profeffcs, than what a thoufand fafhionable, or
titular profeffors of any fort of orthodoxy fliall fay, or
think of me, for not doing as they do ; i. e. for not fay-

ing

Reafonahlenefs of Chrljiianilyy i^c, 237

ing after others, without undcrftanding what is faid, or
upon what grounds, or caring to underftand it.

Let us now conlider his argument, to prove the arti-
cles he lias given us to be fundunnentals. In his
*"* Thoughts concerning the caufes of athcifm," p. 119,
he argues from i Tim. iii. 16, where he fays, *' Chrifii-
" anity is called a myftery ; that all things in chrifti-
** aiiity are not plain, and exa61:ly level to every com-
" mon npprehenlion ; and that every thing in chrifti-
" anity is not clear, and intelligible and comprehenlible
*' by the weakeft noddle." Letus take this for proved, as
much as he pleafes ; and then let us fee the force of this
fubtile difputant's argum.ent, for the neceiTity there is, that
every chrjftian man fnould believe thofe, which he has giv-
en us for fundamental articles, out of the epiftles. The
reafon ot that obligation, and the necefTity of ^very man's
and woman's believing in them, he has laid in this, that
they are to be found in the epiftles, or in the bible. This
argument for them we have, over and over again, in his
" Socinianifm unmafked," as here, p. 9, thus: ** Are
*' they fet down to no purpofe, in thefe infpired epiftles?
" Why did the apoftles write thefe doctrines, was it not,
" that thofe they writ to, might give their aftent to
" them?" p. 22. "They are in our bibles, for that
** very purpofe, to be believed," p. 25. Now I afls:.
Can any one morediredly invalidate all he fays here, for
the neceflity of believing his articles ? Can any one more
apparently write booty, than by faying, that '' thefe his
" doctrines, thefe his fundamental articles" (which arc,
after his faftiion, fet down between the 8th and 20th
pages of this his firft chapter) are of neceftity to be be-
lieved by every one, before he can be a chriftian, be-
caufe rhey are in the epiftles and in the bible ; and yet
affirm, that in chriftianity, i. e. in the epiftles and in the
bible, there are myfteries, there arc things " not
" plain, not clear, not intelligible to common appre-
*^ henfions?" If his articles, fome of which contain
myfteries, are neceftary to be believed to make a man a
chriftian, b'ecaufe they are in the bible ; then, according
•to this rule, it is neceftary for many men to believe what
is not intelligible to them ; what their noddles cannot

apprehend.

238 A Second Vh die at ion of the

apprehend, (as the unmafkcr is pleafcd to turn the fup-
pofition of vulgar people's undcrftanding the funda-
mentals of their religion into ridicule) i. e. it is neccf-
fary for many men to do, what is impoflible for them
to do, before they can be chriftians. But if there be
feveral things in the bible, and in the epiftlcs, that are
not necelTary for men to believe, to make them chrif-
tians ; then all the unmafker's arguments, upon their
being in the epiftlcs, are no proofs, that all his articles
are neceflary to be believed to make a man a chriftian,
becaufe they are fet down in the epiftles : much lefs,
becaufe he thinks they may be drawn, according to. his
fyftem, out of what is itt down in the epiftles. Let
him therefore, either confefs thcfe and the like queftions,
** Why did the apoftles write thefe ? Was it not, that
" thofe they writ to, might give their aflent to them ?
** Why ftiould not every one of thefe evangelical truths
'* be believed and embraced ? They are in our bibles,
" for that very purpofe ;" and the like ; to be imperti-
nent and ridiculous. Let him ceafe to propofe them
with fo much oftentation, for they can ferve only to mif-
lead unwary readers : or let him unfay what he has faid,
of things *' not plain to common apprchenftons, not
" clear and intelligible." Let him recant what he has
faid of myfteries in chriftianity. For I afk with him,
p. 8, '* where can we be informed, but in the facred and
** infpired writings ?" It is ridiculous to urge, that any
thing is neceflary to be explicitly believed, to make a
man a chriftian, becaufe it is writ in the epiftles, and
in the bible ; unlefs he confefs that there is no myftery,
nothing not plain, or unintelligible to vulgar underftand-
ings, in the epiftles, or in the bible.

This is fo evident, that the unmalker himfelf, who,
p. 119, of his *' Thoughts concerning the Caufes of
" Atheifm," thought it ridiculous to fuppofe, that the
vulgar ftiould underftand chriftianity, is here of another
mind : and, p. 30, fays of his evangelical doclrincs and
articles, necelTary to be afiented to, that they are intelli-
gible and plain ; there is no *' ambiguity and doubtfuU
'^ nefs in them ; they fliine with their own light, and

" to

Reafonahlenefs of Chrijlianityy &c. 239

** to an unprejudiced eye are plain, evident, and illuf-
*' trious."

To draw the unmafker out of the clouds, and prevent
his hiding himfelf in the doubtfulnefs of his expreflions,
I iTiall delire hirri to fay diredlly, whether the articles,
which are necefiary to be believed, to make a man a
chriftian, and particularly thofe he has fet down for
fuch, are all plain and intelligible, and fuch as may be
underftood and comprehended (I will not fay in the
unmafker's ridiculous way, by the weakefl: noddles, but)
by every illiterate country man and woman, capable of
church-communion ?

If he fays. Yes ; then all myfteries are excluded out
of his articles necelTary to be believed to make a man a
chriftian. For that which can be comprehended by every
day-labourer, every poor fpinfter, that is a member of
the church, cannot be a myftery. And, if what fuch illi-
terate people cannot underfland be required to be be-
lieved to make them chriftians, the greateft part of
mankind are fhut out from being chriftians.

But the unmafker has provided an anfwcr, in thele
words, p. 31, " There is," fays he, '' a difficulty in the
" dodrine of the trinity, and feveral truths of the gof-
*' pel, as to the exacfl manner of the things themfelves,
" which we Ihall never be able to comprehend, at leaft
*' on this fide of heaven : but there is no difticulty as
" to the reality and certainty of them, becaufe we know
" they are revealed to us by God in the holy fcrip-
" tures."

Which anfwer of " difficulty in the manner," and
*' no difficulty in the reality," having the appearance of
ii diftindlion, looks like learning ; but when it comes
to be applied to the cafe in hand, will fcarce afford us
fenfe.

The queflion is about a propofition to be believed,
which muft firft neceffarily be underftood. For a man
cannot poffibly give his alfent to any affirmation or ne-
gation, unlefs he underftand the terms as they are joined
in that propofition, and has a conception of the thing
affirmed or denied, and alfo a conception of the thing,
concerning which it is affirmed or denied, as they arc

there

1^0 A Second Vindication of the

there put together. But let the propofition be what it
will, there is no more to be underftood, than is exprcflcd
in the terms of that propofition. If it be a propofition
concerning a matter of fact, it is enough to conceive,
and believe the matter of facl. If it be a propofition
concerning the manner of the fact, the manner of the
fad: mud alfo be believed, as it is intelligibly exprefled
in that propofition*-; v. g. fliould this propofition i/£>c/5oi
lyiipoiHai be oiTcred as an article of faith, to an illiterate
countryman of England, he could not believe it : be-
caufe, though a true propofition, yet jt being propofed
in words, whofe meaning he underflood not, he could
not give any allent to it. Put it into Englifli, he un-
derftands what is meant by the ** dead ihall rife." For
he can conceive, that the fame man, who was dead and
fenfelefs, fliould be alive again ; as well as he can, that
the fame man, who is now in a lethargy, fhould awake
again ; or the fame man that is now out of his fight,
and he knows not whether he be alive or dead, fhould
return and be with him again : and fo he is capable of
believing it, though he conceives nothing of the man-
ner, how a man revives, vrakes or moves. But none of
thefe manners of thofe anions bein^ij included in thofe
propofitions, the propofition concerning the matter of
fad: (if it imply no contradidion in it) may be believed;
and fo all that is required may be done, whatever diffi-
culty may be, as to the exad manner, how it is brought
about.

But where the propofition is about the manner, the
belief too muft be of the manner, v. g. the article is,
•* The dead fliall be raifed with fpiritual bodies :" and
then the belief muft be as well of this manner of the
fad, AS of the fad itfelf. So that what is faid here, by
the unmafker, about the mianner, fignifies nothing at
all in the cafe. What is underftood to be expreflcd in
each propofition, whether it be of the manner, or not
of the manner, is (by its being a revelation from God)
to be believed, as far as it is underftood : but no more
is required to be believed concerning any article, than,
is contained in that article.

What the unmafker, for the removing of difficulties,

;idds

ReafoHahknefs of ChrlJIidnity, &c. 24!

adds farther, in thefe words, '^ But there is no difficulty
'* as to the reality and certainty of the truths of the
*' gofpel ; becaufe we know, they arc revealed to us by
^* God in the holy fcripture ;" is yet farther from ligni-
fying any thing to the purpofe, than the former. The
queftion is about underftanding,and inwhatfenfe they are
underflood ; not believing feveral propofitions, or articles
of faith, which are to be found in the fcripture. To
this, the unmalker fays, there can be '' no difficulty at
*' all as to their reality and certainty ; becaufe they are
*' revealed by God." Which amounts to no more but
this, that there is no difficulty at all in the underftand-
ing and believing this propofition, " that whatever is
*' revealed by God, is really and certainly true." But
is the underftanding and believing this llngle propofi-
tion, the underftanding and believing all the articles of
faith neceftary to believed? Is this all the explicit faith
a chriftian need have ? If fo, then a chriftian need ex-
plicitly believe no more, but this one propofition, viz.
That all the propofitions between the two covers of his
bible, are certainly true. But I imagine the unman<er
will not think the believing this one propofition, is a
fufficient belief of all thofe fundamental articles, which
he has given us, as necelTary to be believed to make a
man a chriftian. For, if that will ferve the turn, I con-
clude he may iiiake his fet of fundamentals as large and
cxprefs to his fyftem as he pleafes : calvinifts, arminians,
^nabaptifts, focinians, will all thus own the belief of
them, viz. that all that God has revealed in the fcrip-
ture, is really and certainly true.

But if believing this propofition, that all that is re-^
vealed by God in the fcripture is true, be not all tlje
faith which the unmafker requires, what he fays abo^t
the reality and certainty of all truths revealed by God,
removes nothing of the difficulty. A propofition of di-
vine authority is found in the fcripture: it is agreed
prefently between him and me, that it contains a real,
certain truth : but the difficulty is, what is the truth it
contains, to which he and I muft afTent ; v: g- the pro-
feffion of faith made by the eunuch, in thefe words,
** Jefus Chrift is the Son of God," upon which he was

Vol, VL R - admitted

242 A Second FiiiJicaN'on of ihe

admitted into the church, as a chriflian, I believe, con-
tains a ** real and certain truth." Is that enough ? No,
fays the unmalTvcr, p. 87, it " includes in it, that Chrift
Avas God ;" and therefore it is not enough for me to be-
lieve, that thcfe words contain a real certain truth : but
I muft believe, they contain this truth, that Jefus Chrift
is God ; that the cunu':h fpokc them in that fenfe, and
in that fenfe I muft affcnt to them : whereas they ap-
pear to me to be fpoken, and meant here, as well as in
feveral other places of the " New Teftamcnt," in this
fenfe, viz. " That Jefus Chrilt is the Meffiah," and in
that fenfe, in this place, I alfent to them. The mean-
ing then of thefc words, as fpoken by the eunuch, is the
difficultv: and I defire the unmaflver, by the application
of what he has faid here, to remove that difliculty. For
granting all revelation from God to be really and cer-
tainly true, (as certainly it is) how does the believing
that general truth remove any difficulty about the
fenfe and interpretation of any particular propolition,
found in any pafTage of the holy fcriptures ? Or is it
podible for any man to underftand it in one fenfe, and
believe it in another; becaufe it is a divine revelation,
that has reality and certainty in it? Thus much, as to
what the unmalker fays of the fundamentals, he has
given us, p. 30, viz. That ** no true lover of God and
*' truth, need doubt of any of them : for there is no
*' ambiguity and doubtfulnefs in them." Ifthediftinc-
tion he has ufed, *' of difficulty as to the exact manner*
** and no difficulty, as to the reality and certainty of
** gofpel-truths," will remove all ambiguity and doubt-
fulnefs from all thofe texts of fcripture, from whence he
and others deduce fundamental articles; fo that they w ill
be '* plain and intelligible" to every man, in the fenfe
he underftands them ; he has done great fervice to
chriftianity.

But he feems to diftrufl that himfelf, in the following
•words : ** They Ihine," fays he, ** with their own light,
"and, to an unprejudiced eye, are plain, evident, and
" illuftrious; and they would always continue fo, if
*' fome ill-minded men did not perplex and entangle
*' them." I fee the matter would go very fmooth, if

the

Reajhnablenefs of Chrijlianity^i ^c» 2^%

the unmaflcer might be the fole, authentic interpfeter of
fcripturc. He is wifely of that, judge's mind, who was
againfl: hearing the counfel on the other fide, becaufe
they always perplexed the caufe.

But if thofe who differ from the unmallccr, fliall in
their turns call him the '* prejudiced and ill- minded
** man," who perplexes thefe matters fas they may, with
as much authority as he) we are but where we were ;
each muft underftand for himfelf, the ba-ft he can, until
the unmalker be received, as the only unprejudiced man,
to whofe didtates every one, without examination, is
with an implicit faith to fubmit.

Here again, p. 32, the unmalker puts upon me, what
I never faid : and therefore I mufl delire him to lliow,
where it is, that I pretend,

XI. That this '* propofition," that Jefus is the Mef-
fiah, *' is more intelligible, than any of thofe he
" has named."

In his '* Thoughts concerning the Caufes of Atheifm,"
p. 120, he argues, that this propofition f Jefus is the
Meffiah] has more difficulty in it, than the article of the
holy Trinity. And his proofs are worthy of an un-
niafker. ** For," fays he, " here is an Hebrew word
** firft to be explained ;" or (as he has this ftrong argu-
ment again, *• Socinianifm unm.afked," p. 32,) ** Here
** firfl: the name Jefus, which is of hcbrew extradlion^
** though lince grecized, muft be expounded."

Anfw. Jefus being a proper name, only denoting a
certain perfon, needs not to be expounded, of what ex-
traction foever it be. Is this propoiition, Jonathan was
the fon of Saul, king of Ifrael, any thing the harder, be-
caufe the three proper names in it, Jonathan, Saul, and
Ifrael, are of Hebrew extradion? And is it not as eafy,
and as " level to the underftanding of the vulgar," as
this, Arthur was the fon of Henry, ..king of England ;
though neither of thefe nam.es be of Hebrew extraction ?
Or cannot any vulgar capacity underftand this propo-
iition, ** John Edwards writ a book, intitled," Socinian-
ifm unmafked ; until the name of John, which is of he-
brew extraction, be explained to him ? If this be fo, pa-
rents werebeft beware, how hereafter they give their chil-*

R 3 dren

244 -^ Second Fiiidicatioti of th^

drcn fcripturc-namcs, if they cannot undprftand what
they fay to one another about them, until thcfe names of
Hebrew cxtradion arc expounded to them ; and every
propoiition, that is in writings and contradts, made con-
cerning perfons, that have names of hebrevv extraction,
•become thereby as hard to be undcrllood, as the dodrine
of the holy trinity.

His next argument is juH: of the fame fize. The word
MefTias muft, he fays, be explained too. Of what cx-
tradiion foever it be, there needs no more explication of
it, than what our Englifli bible gives of it, where it is
plain to any vulgar capacity, that it was ufed to denote
that King and Deliverer, whom God had promifed. So
that this proportion, " Jcfus is the Meffiah," has no-
more difficulty in it than this, Jcfus is the promifed
King and Deliverer ; or than this, Cyrus was king and
deliverer of Perfia ; which, I think, requires not much
depth of Hebrevv to be underftood. He that underftood
this propofition, and took Cyrus for his king, was a fub-
jedt, and a member of his kingdom ; and he that un-
derrtands the other, and takes Jefus to be his King, is
his fubjed:, and a member of his kingdom. But if this
be as hard as it is to fome men, to underftand the doc-
trine of the trinity, I fear many of the kings in the world
have but few true fubjeds. To believe Jefus to be the
Mefliah, is (as he has been told, over and over again) to
take him for our King and Ruler, promifed, and fent by
God. This is that which will make any one from a jew, or
heathen, to be a chriftian. In this fenfe it is very in-
telligible to vulgar capacities. Thofe who fo underrtand
and believe it> are fo far from **^ pronouncing thefe words
*' as a fpell," (as the unmafker ridiculoully fuggefts,
p. 33.) that they thereby become chriftians.

But what if I tell the unmafker, that there is one Mr.
Edwards, who (when he fpeaks his mind without con-
fidering how it will make for, or againft him) in ano-
ther place, thinks this propofition, " Jefus is the Mcf-
•* lias,*' very eafyand intelligible? To convince him of
it, I fliall defire him to turn to the 74th page of his
*' Socinianifm unmaiked," where he will fmd, that Mr.
Edv/ards, without any great fearch into Hebrew extrac-
tions, interprets '' Jefus the Mclfiah," to fignify this.

** That

Reafmiablenefs of Chrijiianity^ £f?f. 245

'• That Jefus of Nazareth was that eminent and ex-
*' traordinary perfon prophefied of long before, and
" that he was fent and commifTioned by God :" which,
I think, is no very hard proportion to be underftood.
But it is no ftrange thing, that that which was very eafy
to an unmail\er in one place, fliould be terribly hard in
another, where want of fomething better requires to
have it fo.

Another argument that he ufes to prove the articles
he has given us to be necelTary to falvation, p. 22, is,
becaufe they are docStrines which contain things, that in
their nature have an " immediate refpec^t to tlie occa-
" fion, author, way, end, means, and ilTue of men's re-
" demotion and falvation." And here I defire hini to
prove,

XII. That every one of his articles contains things
fo immediately relating to the *^ occafion, author,
** way, rrieans, and ilfue of our redemption and
*' falvation, that no body can be faved, , without
** undcrftanding the texts from whence he draws
" them, in the very fame fenfe that he does ; and
" explicitly believing all thefe proportions that he
'* has deduced, and all that he will deduce from
*' fcripture, when he fhall pleafe to complete his
\ " creed."

Page 23, he fays of his fundamentals, " Not without
" good reafon, therefore, I called them eifential and
" integral parts of our chriftian and evangelical faith:
*' and why the Vindicator fleers at thefe terms, I know
'* no reafon, but that he cannot confute the application
" of them."

Anfvv. One would think by the word. Therefore,
which he ufes here, that m the preceding paragraph, he
had produced fome, reafon to juftify his ridiculous ufe
of thofe terms, in his " Thoughts concerning Atheifm,'*
p. III. But nothing therein will be found tending to it.
Indeed, the foregoing paragraph begins with th^fe w^ords,
** Thus I have briefly fet before the reader thofe evan-
** gelical truths, thofe chrifl:ian principles, which belong

R 3 to

246 A Second Vindication of the

*' to the very efTence of chrinianity." Amongfi thefe,
there is the word Elicncc : but that from thence, or any
thing clfc in that paragraph, the iinrnafls.cr could, with
good fenfe, or any fenfc at all, infer, as he does, " not
•* without good reafon, thkrcfore I called them the
*' ESSENTIAL and INTEGRAL patts of our chrifbian and
*' evangelical faith;" requires an extraordinary fort of
logic to make out. What, 1 befeech you, is your good
reafon too,here, upon which you infer, ** Therefore," (^c?
For it is impoffible for any one, but an unmalker, to fn^.d
one word, jullifying his ufeof the terms elfential and
integral. But it would be a great reft"raint to the run-
ning of the unmafker's pen, if you fliould not allow him
the free life of illative particles, where there are no pre-
mifcs to fupport them : and if you ihould not take affir-
mations without proof, for reafoning, you at once ftrikc
off above three quarters of his book ; and he will often,
for feveral pages together, have nothing to fay. As for
example, from p. 28. top. 35.

But to fhow, that I did not, without reafon fay, his
ufe of the terms effential and integral, in the place be-
fore quoted, was ridiculous; I muft mind my reader,
that, p. 109. of his " Thoughts concerning the Caufes
** of Atheifm," he having liiid, that ^^ the epiilolary
** w^ritings arc fraught with other fundamentals, befides
*' that one which I mention ;" and then having fer
them down, he clofes his catalogue of them thus :
" Thefe are matters of faith contained in the epillles,
^* and they are effential and integral parts of the gofpel
** itfelf," p. III. Now what could be more ridicu-
lous, than, where the queftion is about fundamental
dodrines, which are effentials of the chriftian religion,
without an afl'ent to which a man cannot be a chriitian ;
and fo he himfelf calls them, p. 21, of his *' Socinianifm
*' unmafked ;" that he fliould clofe the lift he had made
pf fundamental dodrines, i. e. eflential points of the
chriftian religion, with telling his reader, ** Thefe arc
*' eflential and integral parts of the gofpel itfelf? i. e.
Thefe, which I have given you for fundamental, for ef-
fential dodlrines of the gofpel, are the fundamental and
not fundamental, eflTential and not eflential parts of the

RcafoHdhlencfs of Chnfiianily, &'c. 247

gofpel mixed together. For integral parts, in all the
writers I have met with, befides the unmafker, are con-
tradiftinguilhed to efTentiai ; and fignify fuch parts as
the thing can be vvithout, but without them w^ill not be
fo complete and entire as with them. Juft fuch an
acutenel's, as our uamalker, would any one lliow, who
taking upon him to i'ct down the parts eflential to a
man, without the having of which,' he could not be a
man, Ihould name the foul, the head, the heart, lungs,
ftomach, liver, fpleen, eyes, ears, tongue, arms, legs,
hair, and nails ; and, to make all fure, Ihould conclude
with thefe words; " Thefe are parts contained" in a
man, " and are cflential and integral parts of a man
*' himfelf;" i.e. They are parts, v.ithout fome of which
he cannot be a man ; and others, which though they
make the man intirc, yet he may be a man without
them ; as a man ceafes not to be a man, though he wants
a nail, a finger, or an arm, which are integral parts of
a man, *' Rifum teneatis?" If the unmafker can make
any better {enfc of his " elTential and integral parts of
** the gofpel itfelf," I v/ill al"k his pardon for my laugh-
ing : until then he mull: not be angry, if the reader and
I laugh too. Befides, I mull tell him, that thofe, which
he has fet down, are not the ** integral parts of the chrif-
** tian faith," any more than the head, the trunk, and
the arms, hands, and thighs are the integral parts of a
man : for a man is not entire without the legs and feet
too. They are fome of the integral parts indeed ; but
cannot be called the integral parts, where any, that go
to make up the whole man, are left out ; nor thofe the
integral, but fome of the integral parts of the chriftiaii
faith, Put of which any of the dodirines, propofed in the
*' New Teftament," are omitted : for whatever is there
propofed, is propofed to be believed, and fo is a part of
the chriitian faith.

Before I leave his catalogue of the '^effential and in-
-** tegral parts" of the gofpel, which he has given us,
inftcad of one, containing the articles neceffary to be
believed to make a man a chriftian, I muft take notice
of what he fays, whilfl: he is making it, p. 9. " Why
** then is there a treatife publifhed, to tcU the world,

R 4 " thac

24^ -^ Second Vindication of the

*' that the bare belief of a Mefliah, is all that Is required
•* of a chrillian?" As if there uere no difference be-
tween believing a Mefliah, and believing Jcfus to be the
MelTuih ; no difference between *' required of a chrif-
** tian," and required to make a man a chriftian. As
if you fliould fay, renouncing his former idolatry, and
being circumcifcd and baptized into Mofes, was all that
was required to make a man an ifraelite ; therefore it
was all that was required of an ifraelite. For thefe two
fallhoods has he, i>n this one Ihort fentence, thought fit
flily to father upon me, the ^' humble imitator of the
*' jefuits," as he is pleafed to call me. And, there-
fore, I muft delire him to Ihow,

XIII. Where the *' world is told, in the treatife that
'* I publiihed. That the bare, belief of a Mefliah^
*' is all that is required of achriftian?"

The fix next pages, i. e. from the twenty-eighth to
the end of his fecond chapter, being taken up w ith no-
thing but pulpit oratory, out of its place ; and without
any reply, applied, or applicable to any thing I have
faid, in my Vindication ; I fhall pafs by, until he fliows
any thing in them that is fo.

In page 36, this giant in argument falls on me, and
mauls me unmercifully, about the epiflles. He begins
thus : *' The gentlem.an is not without his evafions, and
** he fees it is high time to makeufe of them. This puts
*' him in fome diforder. For, when he comes to fpeak
" of my mentioning his ill treatment of the epiftles,—
*' you may obferve, that he begins to grow warmer than
♦• before. Now this meek man is nettled, and one may
'* perceive he is fenfible of the fcandal that he hath
" givei) to good people, by his flighting the epiftolary
'^ writings of the holy apolllcs ; yet he is fo cunning as
*■* to difguife his paffion as well as he can." Let all
this impertinent and inconfiftent fluff be fo. I am angry
and cannot difguife it, I am cunning and would difguife
it, but yet, the quick-fighted unmafker has found me
out, that 1 am nettled. What does all this notable pro-
logue of "hidius dodius," of a cunning man, and in

effcd

Reajonahlenejs of Ojrijlianity, &c. -249

effed "no- cunning man, in diforder, warmed, nettled,
*' in a paflion," tend to? but to fhow, that thefe fol-
lowing words of mine, p. 170, of my Vindication, viz.
*' I require you to publiih to the world thofe pafTages
*' which ihow my contempt of the epifties," arc-fo full
of heat and diforder, that they need no other anfwer :
'* But what need I, good fir, do this, when you have
** done it yourfelf?" A reply, I own, very foft ; and
whether I may not %, very filly, let the reader judge.
The unmalker having accufed me of contemning the
epiflles, my reply, in my Vindication, ibid, was thus :
** Sir, when your angry fit is over, and the abatement
*' of your pailion has given way to the return of your
" fincerity, I (hall beg you to read this pailage in the
" 154th page of my book : Thefe holy writers (viz. the
'* penmen of the epidles) infpired from above, writ no-
•' thing but truth ; and in moft places very weighty
" truths to us now, for the expounding, clearing and
" confirming of the chriftian doclrine, and eftabliihing
" thofe in it, who had embraced it." And again, p.
156, **The other parts [i. e. belides the gofpels and the
*' Ads] of DIVINE REVELATION are objeds of faith, and
" are fo to be received ; they are truths, of which none^
" that is once known to be fuch, i. e. revealed, may, or
*' ousrht to be difbelieved. And if this does not fatisfr
*' you, that 1 have as high a veneration tor the epiftles
** as you, or any one can have, I require you to publifli
" to the world thofe passages which fhow my con-^
** tempt of them." After fuch dired words of mine,
expreiling my veneration for that part of divine revela-
tion, which is contained in the epiftles, any one, but an
unmafls.er, would blufli to charge me with contempt of
fhem ; without alleging, when fummoned to it, any
word in my book to juftify that charge.

If hardnefs of forehead were ftrength of brains, it
were two to one of his fide againft any man I ever yet
heard of. I require him to publifli to the world, thofe
paffages, that fhow my contempt of the epiltles ;
and he anfwers me, ** He need not do it, for I have
'* done it myfelf." Whoever had common fenfe,
^ould uaderll:and, that what I demanded was, that he

fhould

250 A Second Vindication of the

ihould fliow the world where, amohgfl all I had pub-
lifhed, there were any paffagcs that exprclFcd contempt
of the epiftles : for it was not expected he fliould quote
palTages of mine, that I had never publiflicd. And this
acute unmafker (to this) fays, I had publiihed them my-
fclf. So that the reafon why he cannot find them, i$,
becaufe I had publiilied them myfclf. But, fays he,
" I appeal to the reader, whether (after your tedious
'• collec^tion out of the four evangelifts) your pafjing by
*' the epiftles, and neglecfling wholly what the apoilles
*' fay in them," be not publifhing to the ** v.'orld vour
•* contempt of them ?" I demand of him to publiih to
the world thofe paiTages, which fhow my contempt of
the epiftlcs : and he anfwers, *' He need not, I have
** done it myfelf." How does that appear? I have
paffed by the epiftles, fays he. My palling them by
then, are paflages publifhed againft the epiftlcs ? For
** publiflnng of paffages" is what you faid, you " need
'* not do," and what " I had done." So that the paf-
fages I have publiihed containing a contempt of the
epiftles, are extant in my faying nothing of them ?
Surely this fame pading by has done fome very fhrewd
difpleafure to our poor unmafker, that he fo ftarts when-
ever it is but named, and cannot think it contains lefs
than exclufion, defiance, and contempt. Here there-
fore the propofition remaining to be proved by you,
is,

XIV. " That one cannot pafs by any thing, without
contempt of it."

And when you have proved it, I fliall then afk you,
Avhat will become of all thofe parts of fcripture, all
thofe chapters and verfes, that you have paffed by, in
your collection of fundamental articles ? Thofe that
you have vouchfafed to fet down, you tell us, '* are in
<* the bible, on purpofe to be believed." What muft
become of all the reft, which you have omitted ? Are
they there not to be believed ? And muft the reader un-
derftand your paffmg them by, to be a publiftiing to the
WPild vour contempt of them? If fo, you have unmalke^

yourfelf;

Reafonahlenefs of Chriftianityy &c. i^i

yoiirfelf : If not, but you may pafs by fome parts of
fcripture, nay, whole epiftlcs, as you have thofe of St,
James and St. Judc, without contempt; why may not
J, without contempt, pafs by others ; but becaufe you
have a liberty to do what you will, and I mull do but
what you, in your good pleafure, will allow me ? But if
I afk you, whence you have this privilege above others;
you will have nothing to fay, except it be, according to
your ufual fkill in divining, that you know my heart,
and the thoughts that are in it, which you find not like
yours, right orthodox, and good; but always evil and
perverfe, fuch as I dare not own, but hypocritically
either fay nothing of or declare againfl : but yet, with all
my cunning, I cannot hide them from you ; your all-
knowing penetration always finds them out : you know
them, or you guefs at them, as is belt for your turn, and
that is as good : and then prefently I am confounded.
I doubt, whether the world has ever had any two-eyed
man your equal, for penetration and a quick fight.
The telling by the fpedator's looks, what card he guelles,
is nothing to what you can do. You take the height of
an author's parts, by numbering the pages of his book ;
you can fpy an herefy in him, by his faying not a fylla-
ble of it ; difi: inguifli him from the orthodox, by his
underftanding places of fcripture, juft as feveral of the
orthodox do ; you can repeat by heart whole leaves of
what is in his mind to fiiy, before he fpeaks a word of
it ; you can difcover deligns before they are hatched, and
all the intrigues of carrying them on, by thofe who never
thought of them. All this and more you can do, by the
fpirit of orthodoxy ; or, which is as certain, by your own
good fpirit of invention informing you. Is not this to
be an errant conjurer?

But to your reply. You fay, " After my tedious
" coUecfcion out of the four evangelifts, my paffing by
^* the epiftles, and negleding wholly what the apoflles
** fay," &c. I wondered at firft why you mentioned not
the A(5ls here,^as well as the four evangelifls : for I have
not, as you have in other places obferved, been fparing
of colledions out of the Ads too. But there was, it
feerns^ a neccflity here for your ojnitting it : for that

woulci

252 A Second P^indication of the

■would have flood too near what followed, in thefe words ;
and " neglecfling wholly what the apoftles fay." For if
it appeared to the reader, out of your own confefRon,
that I allowed and built upon the divine authority of
what the apoftles fay in the Ads, he could not fo cafily
be mined :nto an opinion, that I contemned what they
fay in their epi'ftles. But this is but a flight touch of
your legcr-de-main.

And now I alk the reader, what he will think of a
minifter of the gofpel, who cannot bear the texts of
fcripture I have produced, nor my quotations out of the
four evangelifls ? This, which in his ** Thoughts of the
** Caufcs of Atheifm," p. 114, was want of *' vivacity
'* and elevation of mind," want of " a vein of fenfc
" and reafon, yea, and of elocution too;" is here, in
his " Socinianifm unmafked," a " tedious collecLion
*' out of the four evangelifls." Thofe places I have
quoted lie heavy, it feems, upon bis ftomach, and arc
too many to be got off. But it was my bufinefs not to
omit one of them, that the reader might have a full
view of the whole tenour of the preaching of our Saviour
and his apoflles, to the unconverted Jews and Gentiles;
and might therein fee, what faith they were converted to,
and upon their alTent to w hich, they were pronounced
believers, and admitted into the chriflian church. But
the unmafker complains, there are too many of them :
he thinks the gofpel, the good news of falvation, tedious
from the mouth of our Saviour and his apoftles : he is
of opinion, that before the epiflles were writ, and with-
out believing precifely what he thinks fit to cull out of
them, there could be no chriftians ; and if we had no-
thing but the four evangelifls, we could not be faved.
And yet it is plain, that every Angle one of the four con-
tains the gofpel of Jefus Chrift ; and, at leaft, they alto-
gether contain all that is necefTary to falvation. If any
one doubt of this, I refer him to Mr. Chillingworth for
fatisfaction, who hath abundantly proved it. * >

His following words (were he not the fame unmafker
all through) would be beyond parallel : '' But let us hear
*' why the Vindicator did not attempt to colled any ar-
*♦ pglcs out of thefe waitings ; he ailigas this as one

** reafon;

Reafonahlenefs of Chrijiianityy ^c. 253

** reafon: ,** The epiftles being writ to thofe who were
** already believers, it could not be fuppofed that they
*^ were writ to them, to teach them fundamentals,"
p. 167. Vindic. " Certainly no man would have con-
" jedured, that he would have ufed fuch an evafion as
** this. I will fay that for him, he goes beyond all fur-
" mifes, he is above all conjedures, he hath a faculty
** Vv'hich no creature on earth can ever fathom." Thus
far the unmalker, in his oratorical ftrain. In what fol-
lows, he comes to his clofer reafoning, againft what I
have faid. His words are, " do we not know, that the
*' four gofpels we're writ to, and for believers, as well
** as unbelievers ?" Anfvv. I grant it. Now let us fee
your inference ; therefore what thefe holy hiftorians
recorded, that our Saviour and his apoftles faid and
preached to unbelievers, was faid and preached to be-
lievers. The difcourfe which our Saviour had with the
wom.an of Samaria, and her townfmen, was addrelTcd to
believers ; becaufe St. John writ his gofpel (wherein it
is recorded as a part of our Saviour's hiftoryj for be-
lievers, as well as unbelievers. St. Peter's preaching to
Cornelius, and St. Paul's preaching at Antioch, at Thef-
falonica, at Corinth, &c. was not to unbelievers, for
their converfion ; becaufe St. Luke dedicates his hiftory
of the Adls of the apoRles to Theophilus, who was a
chriltian, as the unmaficer ftrenuoully proves in this
paragraph. Jufl: as if he fliould fay, that the difcourfes,
which Caefar records he had upon feveral occafions v/ith
the gauls, were not ad dreiled to the gauls alone, but to
the romans alfo ; becaufe his commentaries were writ
for the romans, as well as others ; or that the fayings
of the antient greeks and romans in Plutarch, were not
fpoken by them to their contemporaries only, becaufe
they are recorded by him for the benefit of pofteritv.

I perufed the preachings of our Saviour -and his apo-
ftles to the unconverted Vvorld, to fee what they taught
and required to be believed, to make men chriftians :
and all thefe I fet down, and leave the World to judge
what they contained. The epiftles, which were all
written to thofe who had embraced the faith and were
all chriftians already, I thought would not fo diftindlly

fhow,
6

2^4 -^ Second Vindication of the

Ihow, what were thofe doftrincs which were abfolutely^
nccelTary to make men chriftians; they being not writ
to convert unbelievers, but to build up thofe who were
already believers, in their moft holy faith. This is
plainly exprcfled in the epiftle to the hebrews, chap. v.
II, ike. *' Of whom (i. e. Chrift) we have many things
*' to fay, and hard to be uttered, feeing ye are all dull
** of hearing. For when for the time ye ought to be
•* teachers, ye have need that one teach you again, which
" be the firll principles of the oracles of God ; and are
** become fuch as have need of milk, and not of ftrong
** meat. For every one that ufeth milk, is unlkilful in
** the word of righteoufnefs ; for he is a babe : but
•* ftrong meat belongeth to him that is of full age, even
*' thofe, who by reafon of ufe have their fenfes cxercifed,
" to difcern both good and bad. Therefore, leaving
" the principles of the dod:rine of Chrift, let us go on
'• unto perfection, not laying again the foundation of
" repentance from dead works, and of faitii, towards
** God, and of the doftrine of baptifm, and of laying on
*' of hands, and of the rcfurredion of the dead, and of
** eternal judgment." Here the apofile iliows, what
was his delign in writing this epiftle, not to teach them
the fundamental doftrincs of the chriftian religion, but
to lead them on to more perfcdlion ; that is, to greater
degrees of knowledge, of the wife defign, and wonderful
contrivance and carrying on of the gofpel, and the evi-
dence of it; which he makes out in this epiftle, by
Ihowing its correfpondence with the Old Teftament,
and particularly with the oeconomy of the Mofaical
conftitution. Here I mia;ht afts: the unmafkcr, Whe-
ther thofe many things which St. Paul tells the hebrews,
he had to fay of Chrift, (hard to be uttered to them, be-
caufe they w^re dull of hearing) had not an " imme-
** diate refped: to the occafion, author, way, means, or
** iftue of their redemption and falvation ?" And there-
fore, ** whether they were fuch things, without the
" knowledge of which they could not be faved V' as the
unmaiker fays of fuch things, p. 23. And the like I
might afk him, concerning thofe things which the apo-
ftle tells the corinthians, i epift. chap. iii. 2, that they

«» were

Reafonahlenefs of Chriflianiiy, &c. 255

^^ were not able to bear." For much to the fame pur-
pofe he fpeaks to the Corinthians, epift. i. chap, iii, as
in the above-cited places he did to the hebrews : ** That
*' he, as a wife mailer-builder, had laid the foundation:"
and that foundation he himfclf tells us, is, '* Jefus the
" MeiTiah ;" and that there is no other foundation to
be laid. And that in this he laid the foundation of
chriftianity at Corinth, St. Luke records, Ads xviii. 4,
in thefe words, " Paul, at Corinth, reafoned in the fy-
" nagogue every fabbath-day, and teftified to the jews,
" that Jefus was the MeiTiah." Upon which founda-
tion, he tells them, there might be a fuperftrudure. But
that, what is built on the foundation, is not the founda-
tion, I think I need not prove. He further tells them_,
that he had defired to build upon this foundation ; but
withal fays, he had fed them until then " with milk, and
" not with meat ; becaufe they were babes, and had not
" been able to bear it, neither were they yet able."
And therefore this epiftle, we fee, is almoft wholly fpent
in reproofs of their mifcarriagcs, and in exhortations and
inftruclions relating to practice; and very little faid in
it, for the explaining any part of the great myftery of
falvation, contained m the gofpel.

By thefe palfagcs we may fee, (wxre it not evident to
common fenfe itfelf, from the nature of things) that the
defign of thefe epiftles was not to lay the foundations, or
teach the principles of the chriftian religion ; they being
writ to thofe who received them, and were chriflians
already. The fame holds in all the other epililes ; and
therefore the epiftles feemed not to me the properefl
parts of fcripture to give us that foundation, diftindt
from all the fuperftructures built on it; becaufe in the
epiftles, the latter was the thing propofed, rather than'
the former. For the main intention of the apoftles, in
writing their epiftles, could not be to uo what was done
already ; to lay down barely the foundations of chriftia-
nity, to thofe who were chriftians already ; but to build
"upon it fome farther explication of it, which either their
particular circumftances, or a general evidencing of the
truth, wifdom, excellerxies, and privileges, &c. of the
gofpel required. This was the rcafoa that perfuaded me

to

25 6 A Second Vindication of the

to take the articles of faith, abfolutely ncccfTary to he
received to make a man a chriftian, only from the preach-
ings of our Saviour and his apoftles to the unconverted
world, as laid down in the hiftorical part of the New
Teftamcnt : and I thought it a good reafon, it being paft
doubt, that they in their preachings propofed to the un-
converted, all that was necelTary to be believed, to make
ihem chriftians ; and alfo, that that faith, upon a pro-
feflion whereof any one was admitted into the church,
as a believer, had all that was necefiary in it to mak«
him a chriftian ; becaufe, if it wanted any thing ne-
cefTary, he had neceflarily not been admitted : unlefs we
can fuppofe, that anyone was admitted into the chriflian
church by our Saviour and his apoftles, who was not yet
a chriftian ; or pronounced a believer, who yet wanted
fomething necelTary to make him a believer, i. e. was a
believer and not a believer, at the iame time. But what
thofe articles were which had been preached to thofe, to
whom the epiftles were writ, and upon the belief whereof
they had been admitted into the chriftian church, and
became, as they are called, ** believers, faints, faithful,
•' elec^l," &c. could not be colleded out of the epiftles.
This, though it were my reafon, and muft be a reafon to
every one, who would make this inquiry ; and the un-
mafker quotes the place where I told him it was my
reafon ; yet he, according to his never-erring illumina-
tion, flatly tells me, p. 38, that it was not ; and adds,
" Here then is want of fincerity," &c. I muft defire
him, therefore, to prove what he fays, p. 38, viz.

XV. That, ''by the fame argument, that I would per-
" fuade, that the fundamentals are not to be fought
'* for in the epiftles, he can prove that they are not
*' to be fought for in the gofpels and in the Ads ;
y becaufe even thcfc were writ to thofe that be-
^* lieved."

And next I deftre him to prove, what he alfo fays in
the fame page, viz.

XVI. That

Reafonabknefs of Cbriflianity^ ^c. 257

XVI. That " the epiflles being writ to thofe that
" believed, was not an argument that I did make
" ufe of."

He tells us, p. 38, that it is the argument whereby I
vvould perfuade : and in the very fame page, a fe\v lines
lower, fays, *' That it is not the argument I did make
**.ufe of." Who, but an errant unmafker, wciuld con-
tradid him.felf fo flatly in the fame breath ? And yet,
upon that, he raifes a complaint of my ** want of lin-
** cerity."

For ** want of fincerity" in one of us, v/e need not
go far for an inftance. The next paragraph, p. 38 — 40,
affords us a grofs one of it t wherein the unmafker ar-
gues ftrongly, not againfl: any thing I had faid, but
againft an untruth of his own letting up. Towards the
latter end of the paragraph, p. 40, he has thefe words ;
" It is manifeft, that the apoftles, in their epiftles, taught
" fundamentals; which is contrary to what this gentle-
" man fays, that fuch a thing cpuld not be fuppofed."
And therefore the unmafker has taken a great deal of
pains to fliow, that there are fundamental doctrines to
be found in the epiftles ; as if I had denied it. And, to
lead the reader into an opinion that I had faid fo, he fct
down thefe words, '' could not be fuppofed ;" as if they
were my words. And fo they are, but not to that pur-
pofe. And therefore he did well not to quote the page,
lell: the reader, by barely turning to the place, fliould
have a clear fight of falfhood, inllead of that fincerity,
which he would make the reader believe, is wanting i.m
me. My words, p. 153, of ** The Reafonablenefs of
" Chriifianity," are, *' nor can it be supposed, that
" the fending of fuch fundamentals was the reafon of
** the apoftles writing to any of them." And a little
lower : '* The epiftles therefore being all written to thofe
*' that were already believers and chriftians, the occa-
*' fion and end of writing them could not be, to inftru(5t
** them in that which was neceffary to make them chrif-
** tians." The thing then, that I denied, was not, th*t
there were any fundamentals in the epiftles. For in the
nextp^ge 1 have thefe exprefs words; ''J do not deny, but

Vol. VI. S '' the

258 A Second Vindication of the

" the great dodrincs of the chriftian faith arc dropt here
*' and there, and fcattcred up and down in moft of
" them." And therefore he might have fpared his en-
deavours, in the next paragraph, to prove, that there
may be fundamentals found in the epifllcs, until he finds
fome body that denies it. And here again, I muft re-
peat my ufual qucflion, that with this fincere writer is
fo often neccffary, viz.

XVII. Where it is that I fay, *' That it cannot be
" fuppofed, that there arc fundamental articles in
" the epiflles?"

If he hopes to fliift it off by the word Taught, -which
feems fallacioufly put in ; as if he meant, that there
were fome fundamental articles taught, neccffary to be
believed to make them chrillians, in the epiftles, which
tl)ofe whom they were writ to, knew not before : in this
fenfe I do deny it : and then this will be the

XVIIIth propofition remaining upon him to prove,
viz.

** That there arc fundamental articles neccffary to be
*' believed to make a man a chriftian taught in the
" epiftles, which thofe, whom they were writ to,
" knew not before."

The former part of his next paragraph, p. 40, runs
thus : " Hear another feigned ground of his omitting
the epiftles, viz. becaufe the fundamental articles are
here promifcuouily, and without diftindlion, mixed
with other truths," p. 41. " But who fees not, that
this is a mere elufion ? For on the fame account he.
miiiht have forborn to fearch for fundamental articles
in the gofpels ; for they do not lie there together; but
are difpcrfed up and down. The dodrinal and hiflo-
rical parts are mixed with one another, but he pre-
tends to fever them. Why then did he not make a
feparation between the dodh'ines in the cpifiles, and
thofe other matters that are treated of there ^ He has

*' nothing

Reafonahlenefs of Chrijlianity y &c. 259

" nothing to reply to this, and therefore we mufl again
*' look upon what he has fuggefted, as a call of his fliuf-
" fling faculty."

The argument contained in thefe words is this : A
man cannot well diftinguifh fundamental from non-fun-
damental dodrines in the epiftles, where they are promif-
coufly mixed with non-fundamental dodlrines : there-
fore he cannot well diftinguifli fundamental doctrines
from others in the gofpels, and the Adts, where they are
mixed with matters of fadl. As if he fhould fay, one
cannot well diftinguifh a bachelor of divinity from other
divines, where fevcral of them ftand together promif-
cuoufly in the fame habit ; therefore one cannot diftin-
guifli a bachelor of divinity from a Brliingfgate orator,
where they ftand together in their diftinc5t habits : or
that it is as eafy to diftinguifh fine gold from that of a
little lower allay, where fevcral pieces of each are mixed
together ; as it is to diftinguifh pieces of fine gold from
pieces of filver, which they are mixed amongft.

But it feems, the unmafker thinks it as eafy to diftin-
guifti betvrcen fundamental and not fundamental doc-
trines, in a writing of the fame author, where they are
promifcuoufty mixt together, as it is to diftinguifh be-
tween a fundamental doArine of faith, and a relation of
a matter of fadt, where they are intermixedly reported in
the fame hiftory. When he has proved this, the un-
mafker will have more reafon to tax me with elufion,
ftiuffling, and feigning, in the reafon I gave for not col-
leding fundamentals out of the epiftles. Until then, all
that noife muft ftand amongft thofe ridiculous airs of
triumph and vidlory which he fo often gives himfelf,
without the leaft advantage to his caufe, or edification
of his reader, though he fnould a thoufand times fay,
** That I have nothing to reply."

In the latter part of his paragraph, he fays, " That
*' neceiTary truths, fundamental principles, may be dif-
" tinguifhed from thofe that are not fuch, in the epifto-
" lary writings, by the nature and importance of them,
V by their immediate refpect to the author and the means
" of our falvation." Anfv/. If this be fo, I deftre him
to give me a definitive collc(ftiorT of fundamentals out of

S 2 the

26o A Second Vindication of the

the Epilllcs, as I have given one out of the Gofpcis and
the Acts. It' he cannot do that, it is plain, he hath here
given a difUnguilhing mark of fundamentals, by which
lie himfclf cannot diltinguifli them. But yet I am the
Hiufflcr.

The argument in the next paragraph, p. 41, is
this :

*' NeccfTary dodrines of faith, fuch as God abfolutely
" demands to be believed for juftification, may be dif-
" tinguiflied from rules of holy living, with which they
" are mixed in the epiftles ; therefore dodlrincs of faith
** neceffary, and not neceffary to be believed to make a
*' man a chriftian, may be diftinguiflied, as they ftand
*' mixed in the epiftles." Which is as good fenfe as
to fay, lambs and kids may eafily be diftinguiflied in
the fame penn, where they are together, by their diffe-
rent natures : therefore the lanibs I abfolutely demand
of you, as neceffary to fatisfy me, may be diftinguiflied
from others in the fame penn, where they are mixed
without any diftindlion. Dodtrines of faith, and pre-
cepts of prad;ice, are as diftinguifliable as doing and
believing ; and thofe as ealily difcernible one from ano-
ther, as thinking and walking: but dodlrinal propoft-
tions, all of them of divine revelation, arc of the fame
authority, and of the fame fpecies, in refpe(fl of the
necefTity of believing them ; and will be eternally un-
diftinguifhable into neceffary, and not neceffary to be
believed, until there be fome other way found to diftin-
guiffi them, than that they are in a book, which is all
of divine revelation. Though therefore docftrines of
faith, and rules of pra6lice, are very diftinguifliable in
the epiftles, yet it does not follow from thence, that fun-
damental and not fundamental dodlrines, points neceffary
and not neceffary to be believed to make men chriftians,
are eafily diftinguifhable in the epiftles. Which, there-
fore, remains to be proved : and it remains incumbent
upon him,

XVIII. " To fet down the marks, whereby the doc-
** trines, delivered in the epiftles, may eafily and

** exaClly

Reajonahlenejs of Chrijiia}iit)\ <ffc. 261

*^ cxadlly be diftinguiflied into fundamental, and
" not fundamental articles of faith."

AH the reft of that paragraph, containing nothing
againft me, mud: be bound up with a great deal of the
like Huff, Avhich the unmalker has put into his book, to
Ihow the world he docs not ** imitate me in imperti-
" nencies, incoherences, and trifling excurfions," as he
boafts in his firft paragraph. Only I fliall defire the
reader to take the whole palfage concerning this matter,
as it flands in my *' Reafonablencfs of Chriflianity,"
p. 154. '' I do not deny but the great dcdlrines of
" the chriflian faith are dropt here and there, and fcat-
*' tered up and down in moft of them. But it is not
*' in the epifrles we are to learn what are the funda-
** mental articles of faith, where they are proriiifcuoufly,
" and without diftindiiion, mixed with other truths and
** difcourfes, which were (though for edification in-
*' deed, yet) only occafional. We fhall find and difcern
" thofe great and neceffary points bcft, in the prcach-
•"' ing of our Saviour and his apoliles, to thofe who were
*' yet ftrangers and ignorant of the tlith, to bring them
*' in, and convert them to it." And then let him read
thefe words, which the unmafker has quoted out of
them : " It is not in the epiltles, that we are to learn
** what are the fundamental articles of fiith j they were
*' written for the refolving of doubts, and reforming of
*' miftakes ;" with his introduction of them in thefe
words : ^' he commands the reader not to ftir a jot fur-
*' ther than the Adls." If I fliould aflc him where that
command appears, he muft have recourfe t.o his old fhift,
that he did not mean as he faid, or elfe ftand convidled
of a malicious untruth. An orator is not bound to fpeak
ftrict truth, though a difputant be. But this unmafker's
writing againft me will excufe him from being of the
latter : and then why may not falihoods pals foi rheto-
rical fiourifhes, in one who hath been ufed to popular
haranguing; to which men are not generally fo fevere
as ftri6i:ly to examine them, and expecl: that they fliould
always be found to contain nothing but precife truth
and ftrid reafoning ? But yet I mult not forget to put

S 3 upon

262 A Second Vindication of the

upon his fcore this other propofition of his, which he
has, p. 42, and afk him to fhow,

XIX. " Where it is that I command my reader not
" to ftir a jot farther than the Ads ?"

In the next two paragraphs, p. 42 — 46, the unmafker
is at his n:;itural play, of declaiming v.ithout proving.
It is pity the Milhna, out of which he takes his good
breeding, as it told him, that " a well-bred and well-
*' taught man anfwers to the firft, in t'ne firft place,"
had not given him this rule too, about order, viz. That
proving ihould go before condemning ; elfe all the fierce
exaggerations ill language can heap up, are but empty
fcurrility. But it is no wonder that the Jewilh dodors
fhould not provide rules for a chriftian divine, turned
unmafker. For where a caufe is to be maintained, and
a book to be v. rit, and arguments are not at hand, yet
fomething mull be found to fill it ; railing in fuch cafes
is much eafier than reafoning, efpecially where a man's
parts lie that way.

The firfc of thefe paragraphs, p. 42, he begins thus :
*^ But let us hear further what this vindicator faith to
*' excufe his rejedion of the dodrines contained m the
" epiftles, and his putting us off with one article of
'^ faith." And then he quotes thcfe following words
of mine : " What if the author defigned his treatife, as
*' the title (hows, chiefly for thofe who were not yet
*' thoroughly and firmly chriftians : purpofing to work
*' upon thofe, who either wholly diibelieved, or doubted
" of the truth of the chriftian religion ?"

Anfw. This, as he has put it, is a downright falfi-iood.
For the words he quotes were not ufcd by me, *' to ex-
*' cufe my rejedion of the dodrines contained in the
** epiftles," or to prove there was but one article ; but
as a reafon why I omitted the mention of fatisfadion.

To demonftrate this, I Ihall fet down the whole paf-
fage, as it is, p. 163, 164, of my Vindication, where it
runs thus:

*' But what will become of me that I have not mcn-
" tioned Hitisfadion ?

1 " PolTiblY

Reafonahlenefs of Chrijiianity, &c. 263

'' Pofllbly this reverend gentleman would have had
*^ charity enough for a known writer of the brother-
" hood, to have found it by an innuendo in thofev.ords
^' above quoted, of laying down his life for another.
** But every thing is to be ftrained here the other way.
^' For the author of the ** Reafonahlenefs of Chriftiani-
*' ty, &:c." is of neceflity to be reprefented as a foci-
" nian ; or elfe his book may be read, and the truths
^' in it, which Mr. Edwards likes not, be received ;
*' and people put upon examining. Thus one, as full
" of happy conjectures and fufpicions as this gentle-
'^ man, might be apt to argue. But what if the author
'" deiigned his treatife, as the title fhiows, chiefly for
•^ thofe who were not yet thoroughly or firmly chriftians ;
*"* propofing to work on thofe, who either wholly dilbe-
*' lieved, or doubted of the truth of the chriftian re-
" ligion?"

To this he tells me, p. 43, that my " title fays no-
" thing for me," i. e. fhows not that I defigned my
book for thofe that dilbelieved, or doubted of the chri-
ftian religion.

Anfw. I thought that a title that profefled the rea-
fonahlenefs of any dodirine, fhowed it was intended for
thofe that were not fully fatisfied of the reafonahlenefs
of it ; unlefs books are to be writ to convince thofe of
any thing, who are convinced already. But poflibly this
may be the unmafker's way : and if one fhould judge by
his manner of treating this fubjed:, with declamation
inftead of argument, one would think, that he meant it
for no body but thofe who were of his mind already.
I thought, therefore, " the Reafonahlenefs of Chriftiani-
*' ty, as delivered in the Scripture," a proper title to
fignify whom it was chiefly meant for: and, I thank
God, I can with fatisfaclion fay, it has not wanted its
effecT: upon fome of them. But the unmafker proves
for all that, that I could not defign it chiefly for dif-
believers or doubters of the chriftian religion. '* For,
*' fays he, p. 43, how thofe that wholly difregard and
*' dilbclieve the fcriptures of the New Teiiam,ent, as
*' gentiles, jews, mahometans, and atheifts do," ( 1
crave Irave to put in theifts, inftead of atheifts, for a

S 4 rcalbn

264 A Second Vindication of the

reafon prefcntly to be mentioned) *' are like to attend
" to the Rcafonablcnefs of Chriftianity, as delivered in
*' the Scripture, is not to be conceived: and therefore
*' we look upon this as all mere fham and fophiftry."
Anfw. Though the unmafkcr teaches good breeding
out of the Miihna, yet I thought he had been a miniflcr
of the gofpel, and had taught chriilianity out of the
fcripture. Why ! good (ir, would you teach jews and
mahometans chriftianity out of the talmud and alcoran;
becaufe they are the books that at prefcnt they attend
to, and believe ? Or would you, laying by the authority
of all books, preach religion to infidels, in your own
name, and by your own authority, laying afide the fcrip-
ture ? '* Is it not to be conceived," no not by a chrift-ian
divine, that the way to make unbelievers chrirtians, is
to (how them the reafonablenefs of the religion con-
tained in the fcriptures ? But it feems the unmafker has
a peculiar way of preaching and propagating chrirtianity
without the fcripture ; as fome men have a peculiar way
of diiputing without reafon.

In the beginning of this paragraph, p. 43, the un-
mafker, that is always a fair interpreter of my meaning,
and never fails to know it better than I do, tells me.
That by thofe that wholly diibelieve, ** I muft mean
*' atheifls, turks, jews, and pagans ; and by thofe that
.'' are not firmly chriftians, a few weak chriftians."
But did our unmalker never hear of unbelievers, under
a denomination diftinCt from that of atheifts, turks,
iews, and pagans ? Whilfi the pulpit and the prefs have
fo often had up the name of theifts or deifts, has that
name V, holly cfcaped him? It was thefe I chiefly de-
figned, and I believe, nobody of all that read my Vin-
dication, but the unmalkcr, miftook me, if he did. But
there at Icaft, p. 165, he might have found the name, as
of a fort of unbelievers not unknown amongft us. But,
whatever he thought, it was convenient, and a fort of
prudence in him (when he would perfuade others, that
I had not a defign, which I hy 1 had) to lelfen as much
as he could, and cover the need of aqy fuch defign ; and
fo make it, that I could not intend my book to work
upon thcfe that dilbelieved, or did not firmly believe;
6 bv

Reafonahlenefs of Chriftianityt &c. 265

hy infiiiuating, there were few or none fuch amongit
us. Hence he fays, that by thole that are not thoroughly
and firmly chrirtians, *' I mean a few weak chriftians;"
as well, as under thofe who wholly dilbelieve, he
left the theifls out of my meaning. I am very glad
to hear from the unmalker, that there are but few weak
chriftians, few that have doubts about the truth of chrif-
tianity amongft us. But if there be not a great number
of deiils, and that the preventing their increafe be not
worth every true chriftian's care and endeavours, thofe
who have been fo loud againft them, have been much to
blame ; and I wifh to God there were no reafon for their
complaints. For thefe therefore, I take the liberty to
fay, as I did before, tliat 1 chiefly deiigned my book ;
and fhall not be afliamed of this fophiilry, as you call
it, if it can be fophiftry to allege a matter of fad that
I know; until you have arguments to convince me, that
you know my intention in publifliing it, better than I
do myfelf. And I fhall think it ftill no blameable pru-
dence, however you exclaim againft prudence, (as per-
haps you have fome reafon) that " I mentioned only
" thofe advantages, that all chriflians are agreed in ;
** and that I obferved that command of the apoftle,
*' Rem. xiv. I, •* Him that is weak in the faith receive
•' ye, but not to doubtful difputations;" without being
*' a focinian. I think I did not amifs, that 1 offered to
" the belief of thofe that flood off, that, and only that,
*' which our Saviour and his apoflles preached for the
'' reducing the unconverted world. And would any one
" think, he in earneft went about to perfuadc men to be
** chriffians, who fhould ufe that as an argument to re-
" commend the gofpel, which he has obferved men to
" lay hold on as an objedion againft it ? To urge fuch
" points of controverfy as necelfary articles of faith,
*' when we fee our Saviour and the apoftles urged them
^' not as neceffary to be believed to make men chriftians,
" is (by our own authority) to add prejudices to pre-
f^' judices, and to block up our own way to thofe men,
*' whom we would have accefs to, and prevail upon."

I have repeated this again out of the 164th page of
my Vindication, where there is more to the fame pur-

pofe;

266 A Second Vindication of the

pofc ; that the reader may fee hov/ fully the unma(kcr
has anfwered it.

Becaufe, 1 faid, ** Would any one blame my prudence,
'* if I mentioned only thofe advantages, which all chrif-
** tians are agreed in?" the unmafker adds, p. 44, " fo-
*' cinian chnftians :" and then, as if the naming of that
had gained hirn his point, he goes on vidtorioufly thus :
" He has bethought himfelf better, fince he firft pub-
'* lifhed his notions, and (as the refult of that) he now
" begins to refolve what he writ into prudence. I know
*' whence he had this method, (and it is likely he has
*^ taken more than this from the fame hands) viz. from
" the m.iinonary jefuits, that went to preach the gofpel
*^ to the people of China. We are told, that they in-
*' ftrucled them in fome matters relating to our Saviour;
" they let them know that Jefus was the Meffias, the
** pcrfon promifed to be fent into the world : but they
** concealed his fufFerings and death, and they would
*' not let them know any thing of his pafllon and cruci-
** fixion. So our author (their humble :niitator) un-
** dertakcs to inftrud: the world in chriftianity, with an
*' omifiion of its principal articles ; and more efpecially
** that of the advantage we have by Chrift's death, which
** was the prime thing cieligned in his coming into the
*^ world. This he calls prudence : fo that to hide from
*^ the people the main articles of the chriflian religion,
*.' to difguife the faith of the gofpel, to betray chriftianity
" itfelf, is, according to this excellent writer, the car-
"■ djnal virtue of prudence. May we be delivered then,
*^ fay I, from a prudential racovian." And there ends
the rattling for this time ; not to be outdone by any
piece of clock-v,ork in the tov.n. When he is once let
a going, he runs on like an alarum, always in the fame
ftrain of noify, empty declamation, (wherein every thing
is fuppofed, and nothing proved) till his own weight has
brought him to the ground : and then, being Vvound up
with fome new topic, takes another run, whether it
makes for or againft him, it matters not ; he has laid
about him with ill language, let it light w here it will,
and the vindicator is paid olt.

That I may keep the due dj fiance in our different

ways

Reafonablenejs of Chrijlianitj',&c, 267

ways of writing, I fhall fhow the reader, that I fay not
this at random ; but that the place affords me occafioii
to fay fo. He begins this paragraph with thefe words,
p. 42, '' Let us hear farther, what this vindicator fays
** to excufe his rejeclion of the docilrines contained in
" the epiilles." This rejedlion of the dodlrines con-
tained in the epiftles, was the not mentioning the fatisfac-
tion of Chriftj amongil thofe advantages I fhowed that
the worlu received by his coming. This appears by the
words he here quotes, as my excufe for that omifiion.
In which place, I alfo produced fome paffages in my
.book, which founded like it, fome words of fcripture
that are ufed to prove it ; but this will not content him :
I am, for all that, a '' betrayer of chriftianity, and con-
*' temner of the epiftles." Why? Becaufe I did not,
out of them, name fatisfa(ftion. If you will have the
truth of i'c, (ir, there is not any fuch word in any one
of the epillles, on other books of the New Teftament, in
my bible, as fatisfying, or fatisfaction made by our Sa-'
viour ; and fo I could not put it into my *' Chriftianity
** as delivered in the Scripture." If mine be not a true
bible, I defire you to furnifli me with one that is more
orthodox ; or, if the tranflators have ** hid that main
*' article of the chriftian religion," they are the '* be-
" traycrs of chriftianity, and contemners of the epiftles,"
who did not put it there ; and not I, who did not take
a word from thence, which they did not put there. For
truly 1 am not a maker of creeds ; nor dare add either
to the fcripture, or to the fundamental articles of the
chriftian relic-ion.

O

But you will fay, fatisfadion, though not named in
the epiftles, yet may plainly be colle(fled out of them.
Anfw. And fo it may out of feveral places in my ** Rea-
** fonablenefs of Chriftianity," fome whereof, which I
took out of the gofpels, I mentioned in my Vindication,
p. 163, t6^, and others of them, which I took out of
the epiftles, I ftiall point out to you now : as p. 41, I
fay, the defign of our Saviour's coming was to be of-
FERED up; and p. 84. I fpeak of the vvork of our re-
demption ; words, which in the epiftles, are taken to
imply fatisfadion. And therefore if that be enough, I

fee

268 A Stcmd Vindication of the

fee not, but I may be free from betraying chriftianity ;
but it" it be neceflary to name the w ord Satisfadlion, and
he that docs not fo, is a betrayer of chriflianity, you will
do well to conlider, how you will acquit the holy apof-
tles from that bold imputation ; which if it be extended
as far as it will go, will fcarce come fliort of blaf-
phemy : for I do not remember, that our Saviour has any
where named fatisfadlion, or implied it plainer in any
U'ords, than thofe I have quoted from him ; and he, I
hope, will efcape the intemperance of your tongue.

You tell me, I had my *' prudence from the miilionary
" jefuits in China, who concealed our Saviour's fuffer-
" ings and death, becaufe I undertake to inftrudl the
•' world in chriftianity, with an omiffion of its principal
** articles." And I pray, lir, from whom did you learn
your prudence, when, taking upon you to teach the fun-
damental doclrincs of chriftianity, in your ** Thoughts
*' concerning the Caufes of Atheifm," you left out fe-
veral, that you have been pleafed lince to add in your
" Socinianifm unmafkcd?" Or, if I, as you fay here*
betray chrirtianity by this omiflion of this principal ar-
ticle ; what do you, who are a profelfed teacher of it, if
you omit any principal article, which your prudence is
fo wary in, that you will not fay you have given us all
that are neceffary to falvation, in that lift you have laft
publifhed ? I pray, who a6ls beft the jefuit, (whofe hum-
ble imitator, you fay, I am) you or 1 ? when, pretending
to give a catalogue of fundamentals, you have not re-
duced them to dire^i; propofitions, but have left fome
of them indefinite, to be colleded as every one pleafes :
and inftead of telling us it is a perfed: catalogue of fun-
damentals, plainly fliuffle it off, and tell me, p. 22, '* If
*' that will not content me, you are fure you can do no-
*' thing that will : if I require more, it is folly in you
" to comply w ith me ?" One part of what you here fay,
I own to you, favours not much of the Ikill of a jefuir.
You confefs your inability, and I believe it to be per-
fe6lly true : that if what you have done already (which
is nothing at all) '* will not content me, you arc fure,
" you can do nothing that will content me," or any
reafonable man that Ihali demand of you a complete

catalogue

Keafonahlenefs of Chriflia7iiiyy &c. 269

catalogue of fundamentals. But you make it up pretty
■uell, with a confidence becoming one of that order. For
he mufl: have rubbed his forehead hard, who in the fame
treatife, where he fo feverely condemns the imperfection
of my lift of fundamentals, confeflcs that he cannot give
a complete catalogue of his own.

You publilh to the world in this 44th, and the next
page, that '' I hide from the people the main articles of
** the chriftian religion; I difguife the faith of thegof-
" pel, betray chriftianity itfelf, and imitate the jefuits
" that went to preach the gofpel to the people of China,
** by my omiffion of its principal or main articles."

Anfw. I know not how I difguife the faith of the
gofpel, &c. in imitation of the jefuits in China ; unlefs
taking men off from the inventions of men, and recom-
mending to them the reading and ftudy of the holy fcrip-
ture, to find what the gofpel is, and requires, be '' a dif-
" guifing the faith of the gofpel, a betraying of chriftia-
" nity, and imitating the jefuits." Befides, fir, if one
may afe you. In what fchool did you learn that prudent
warinefs and referve, which fo eminently appears, p. 24,
of your ^'Socinianifm unmafked, " in thefe words: **Thefe
" articles" (meaning thofe which you had before enume-
rated as fundamental articles) of faith, **are fuchasmuft
" IN SOME MEASURE be known and aftented to by a
" chriftian, fuch as muft generally be received and
" embraced by him ?" You will do well the next time,
to fet down, how far your fundamentals muft be known,
affented to, and received ; to avoid the fufpicion, that
there is a little m.ore of jcfuitifm in thefe expreftions,
" in. fome meafure known and aflentcd to, and gene-
•^ rally received and embraced ;" than what becomes a
fmcere proteftant preacher of the gofpel. For your
fpeaking fo doubtfully of knowing and affenting to
thofe, v/hich you give us for fundamental docftrines,
which belong (as you fay) to the very cffence of chrif-
tianity, will hardly efcape being imputed to your want
of knowledge, or want of fincerity. And indeed, the
word "general," is in familiar ufe with you, and ftands
you in good ftead, when you Would fay fomething, you

know

270 A Second Vindication of the

know not what ; as I fhall have occafion to remark to
you, when I come to your 91ft page.

Further, I do not remember where it was, that I men-
tioned or undertook to fet down all the " principal or
** main articles of chriftianity." To change the terms
of the queftion, from articles nccelTary to be believed
to make a man a chriftian, into principal or main arti-
cles, looks a little jefuitical. But to pafs by that : the
apoftles, when they " went to preach the gofpel to peo-
•* pie," as much ftrangers to it as the Chinefe were,
•when the Europeans came firft amongft them, " Did
** they hide from the people the main articles of the
** chriftian religion, difguife the faith of the gofpel, and
** betray chriftianity itfelf?" If they did not, I am fure
I have not : for I have not omitted any of the main ar-
ticles, which they preached to the unbelieving world.
Thofe I have fet down, with fo much care, not to omit
any of them, that you blame me for it more than once,
and call it tedious. However you are pleafed to acquit
or condemn the apoftles in the cafe, by your fupreme-
determination, I am very indifferent. If you think fit
to condemn them for *^ difguifing or betraying the
*' chriftian religion," becaufe they faid no more of fa-
tisfadlion, than I have done, in their preaching at firft,
to their unbelieving auditors, jews or heathens, to make
them., as I think, chriftians, (for that lam now fpeaking
of) I ftiall not be forry to be found in their compan)-,
under what cenfure foever. If you are pleafed gracioufly
to take off" this your cenfure from them, for this omif-
fion, I fhall claim a ftiare in the fame indulgence.

But to come to what, perhaps, you v.ill think yourfelf
a little more concerned not to cenfure, and what the
apoftles did fo long fince ; for you have given inftances
of being very apt to make bold with the dead : Pray
tell me, does the church of England admit people into
the church of Chrift at hap-hazard ? Or without pro-
pofing and requiring a profeftion of all that is nccelTary
to be believed to make a man a chriftian ? If llie does
not, I defire you to turn to the baptifm of thofe of riper
yea'-- in our liturgy : where the prieft, alking the con-
vert

Reafonahlenefs of Chrijlianity ^ ^Sc. 271

Vert particularly, whether he believes the apoflles creed,
■which he repeats to him ; upon his profedion that he
does, and that he defires to be baptized into that faith,
without one word of any other articles, baptizes him ;
and then declares him a chriftian in thefe words : '* We
** receive this perfon into the congregation of Chrilt's
" flock, and fign him with the fign of the crofs, in to-
" ken that he &all not be afl-iamed — to continue
'•^ Chrift's faithful foldier and fervant." In all this
there is not one word of fatisfaction, no more than in
my book, nor {o much neither. And here I afk you.
Whether for this omiffion you will pronounce that the
church of England difguifes the faith of the gofpel ?
However you think fit to treat me, yet methinks you
fhould not let yourfelf loofe fo freely againft our firft
reformers and the fathers of our church ever lince, as to
call them "Betrayers of chriftianity itfelf;" becaufe they
think not fo much neceflary to be believed to make a
man a chriftian, as you are pleafed to put dov/n in your
art-icles ; but omit, as well as I, your ** main article of
" fatisfadiion."

Having thus notably harangued upon the occafion of
my faying, " Would any one blame my prudence?" and
thereby made me a " focinian, a jefuit, and a betrayer of
" chriftianity itfelf," he has in that anfwered all that
fuch a mifcreant as I do, or can fay ; and fo pafTes by
all the reafons 1 gave for what I did ; without any other
notice or anfwer, but only denying a matter of fatt,
which I only can know, and he cannot, viz. my defigri
in printing my " Reafonahlenefs of Chriftianity."

In the next paragraph, p. 45, in anfwer to the words
of St. Paul, Rom. xiv. i, ** Him that is weak in the faith
" receive ye, but not to doubtful difputations;" which
I brought as a reafon, why I mentioned not fatisfadlion
amongft the benefits received by the coming of our Sa-
viour ; becaufe, as 1 tell him in my Vindication, p. 164,
*' my Reafonahlenefs of Chriftianity," as the title (hows,
" was deiigned chiefly for thofe who were not yet tho-
*' roughly or firmly chriftians." He replies, and I de-
ft re him to prove it,

XX. - That

272 A Second Vindication of thi

XX. " That I pretend a defign of my book, which
** was never fo much as thought of, until I was
" folicitcd by my brethren to vindicate it,"

All the reft in this paragraph, being either nothing to
this place of the Romans, or what I have anfwered elfe-
where, needs no farther anfwer.

The next two paragraphs, p. 46 — 49, are meant for
an anfwer to fomething I had laid concerning the apof-
tles creed, upon the occadon of his charging my book
with focinianifm. They begin thus :

This '' author of the new chriftianity" [Anfw. This
newchriftianity is as old as the preaching of our Saviour
and his apoftlcs, and a little older than the unmafker's
fyftem] *' wifely objects, that the apoftles creed hath
** none of thofe articles which I mention," p. 591, &c.
Anfw. If that author wifely objeds, the unmafker would
have done well to fiave replied wifely. But for a man
wifely to reply, it is in the firft place requifite, that the
obje(5lion be truly and fairly fet down in its full force,
and not reprefcnted fliort, and as will bell ferve the
anfwerer's turn to reply to. This is neither wife nor
honeft : and this firft part of a wife reply the unmaiker
has failed in. This will appear from my words, and
the occafion of them. The unmafker had accufed my
book of focinianifm, for omitting fome points, which
he urged as necefiary articles of faith. To which I
anfwered. That he had done fo only *' to give it an ill
** name, not becaufe it was focinian ; for he had no
" more reafon to charge it with focinianifm, for the
•' omiflions he mentions, than the apoftles creed."
Thefe are my words, which he ihould have either fet
down out of p. 67, which he quotes, or at leaft given
the objedion, as I put it, if he had meant to have cleared
it by a fair anfwer. But he, inftcad thereof, contents
himfelf that " I object, that the apoftles creed hath
" none of thofe articles and dodrines which the un-
" mafker mentioned." Anfw. This at beft is but a
part ot my objection, and not to the purpofe which I
there meant, without the reft joined to it; which it has

p leafed

Reafonahlenefs of Chrijiianity, &c, 273

pleafed the unmafl^er, according to his laudable way,
to conceal. My objeclion, therefore, frands thus :

That the fame articles, for the omiirion whereof the
V unmalker charges my book with focinianifm, being
alfo omitted in the apoftlcs creed, he has no more
reafon to charge my book v/ith focinianifm, for the
omifTions mentioned, than he hath to charge the
apoftles creed with focinianifm.

To this objecflion of mine, let us now fee how l>c
anfvvers, p. 47.

*' Nor does any confiderate man wander at it,"
[i. e. that the apoitles creed had none of thofe articles
and do(^trines which he had m.entioned] " for the creed
*' is a form of outward prcfefiion, which is chiefly to
*' be made in the public aflembiics, when prayers are
** put up in the church, and the holy fcriptures are
" read : then this abridgment of faith is properly ufed,
*' or when there is not time or opportunity to make
*' any enlargement. But we are not to think it exprefly
*' contains in it all the neceffary and weighty points, all
" the important doctrines of belief; it being only de-
*' figned to be an abftrach"

Anfw. Another indifpenfable requifite in a v*'ife re-
ply is, that it ihould be pertinent. Now what can there
be more impertinent, than to confefs the matter of fad:
upon which the objecftion is grounded ; but inftead of
deftroying the inference drawn from that matter of fadt,
only amufe the reader with wrong reafons, why that
matter of fad: was fo ?

No confiderate man, he fays, doth wonder, that the
articles and dodlrines he mentioned, are omitted in the
apoftles creed : becaufe '^ that creed is a form of out-
" ward profeflion." Anfw. A profcflion ! of what I
befeech you? Is it a form to be ufed for form's fake?
I thought it had been a profeflion of fomething, even of
the chriftian faith : and if it be fo, any confiderate man
may wonder necelTary articles of the chriftian faith fhould
be left out of it. For how it can be an outward pro-

Vol. VI. T feffion

274 -^ Second Vindication of the

feHion of the chriftian faith, without containing the
chriftian faith, I do not fee; unlcfs a man can out-
wardly profcfs the chriftian faith in words, that do not
contain or cxprcfs it, i. e. profefs the chriftian faith,
when he docs not profcfs it. But he fays, '* It is a pro-
'* fcffion chiefly to be made \\{t of in afTemblies."
Anfvv. Do thofe folcmn affemblics privilege it from
containing the neceffary articles of the chriftian reli-
gion ? This proves not that it does not, or was not de-
ligned to contain all the articles necellary to be believed
to m.ake a man a chriftian; unlcfs the unmaftvcr can
prove that a " form of outward profeiTion" of the chrif-
tian faith, that contains all fuch necefiary articles, can-
not be made ufe of, in the public aftemblies. *' In the
" public aftemblies," fays he, *^ when prayers are put
" up by the church, and the holy fcriptures are read,
" then this abridgment of faith is properly ufed ; or
'* when there is not generally time or opportunity to
*' make an enlargement." Anfw. But that v.hich con-
tains not M'hat is abfolutely neceftary to be believed to
make a man a chriftian, can no where be properly ufed
as a form of outward profcflion of the chriftian faith,
and leaft of all, in the folemn public aftemblies. All
the fenfe I can make of this is, that this abridgment of
the chriftian faith, i. e. imperfect collection (as the un-
mafker will have it) of fon^e of the fundamental arti-
cles of chriftianity in the apoftles creed, which omits
the greateft part of them, is made ufe of as a form of
outward profeftion of but part of the chriftian faith in
the public aftemblies ; v.hcn, by reafon of reading of the
fcripture and prayers, there is not time or opportunity
for a full and pcrfcrt profciFion of it.

It is ftrange the chriftian church thould not ftnd time
nor opportunity, in lixteen hundred years, to make, in
any of her public alfemblies, a profeiftOn of fo much of
her faith, as is ncccirary to make a n^an a chriftian. But
pray tell me, has the church any fuc'n full and complete
form of faith, that hath in it all thofe propofttions, you
have given us for neceirary articles, fnor to fay any thing
of thofe which you have referved to yourfelf, in your own
breaft, and will nyt communicate) of which the apoftles

creed

Reafdnahlenefs of Chrifiianity^ t^c. 275

Creed Is only a fcanty form, a brief imperfedl abftrad:,
ufed only to fave time in the crowd of other prefling
occafions, that are always in hafte to be difpatched ? If
Ihe has, the unmafker will do well to produce it. If
the church has no fuch complete form, befides the apo-,
ftles creed, any where, of fundamental articles ; he will
do well to leave talking idly of this abftradt, as he goes
on to do in the following words :

** But" fays he, ** we are not to think that it exprefly
*' contains in it all the necefiary and weighty points, all
*^ the important docftrines of our belief; it being only
" defigned to be an abftrad^.'* Anfw. Of what, 1 be-
feech you, is it an abftraft ? For here the unmafker (tops
Ihort, and, as one that knows not well what to fay,
fpeaks not out what it is an abftradl of; but provides
himfclf a fubterfuge in the generality of the preceding
terms, of " necefiary and weighty points, and impor-
** tant dodrines," jumbled together; v.'hich can be
there of no other ufe, but to cover his ignorance or fo-
phiftry. But the queftion being only about necelTary
points, to what purpofe are weighty and important doc-
trines joined to them ; unlefs he will fay, that there is
no difference between necelTary and weighty points>
fundamental and important doctrines ; and if fo, then
the diflindlion of points into necelTary and not necefiary,
will be foolifh and ipipertinent ; and all the do6lrines
contained in the bible, will be abfolutely necefilary to be
explicitly believed by every man to make him a chrif-
tian. But taking it for granted, that the difi:indlion of
truths contained in the gofpel, into points abfolutely
necefiary, and noL abfolutely necefiary, to be believed
to make a man a chrifiian* is good ; I defire the un-
mafker to tell us, what the apofiles creed is an abfl:ra6t
of? He will, perhaps, anfwcr, that he has told us al-
ready in this very page, where he fays, it is an abridg-
ment of faith : and he has faid true in words, but faying
thofe words by rote, after others, without underfiranding
them, he has faid lb in a fenfe that is not true. For he
fuppcfes it an abridgment of faith, by containing only
a few of the recefi"ary articles of faith, and leaving out
'the far greater part of them ; and fo takes a part of a

T 3 thing

276 A Second Vindicatwi of (be

thing for an abridgment of it; whereas an abridgment
or abftrad of any thing, is the whole in little ; and if it
be of a fcience or doctrine, the abridgment confifts in
the eflential or neceflary parts of it contracted into a
narrower compafs than where it lies diffufed in the or-
dinary way of delivery, amongft a great number of tran-
fitions, explanations, illuftrations, proofs, reafonings,
corollaries, bcc. All which, though they make a part
of the difcouiTe, wherein that dcitrine is delivered, arc
left out in the abridgment of it, wherein all the neceflary
parts of it are drawn together into a lefs room. But
though an abridgment need to contain none but the
eifential and necefliiry parts, yet all thofe it ought to
contain ; orelfe it will not be an abridgment or abftrad
of that thing, but an abridgment only of a part of it.
I think it could not be faid to_be an abridgment of the
law contained in an acl of parliament, wherein any of
the things required by that ad were omitted ; which yet
commonly may be reduced into a very narrow compafs,
when ftripped of all the motives, ends, enading forms,
&:c. exprcffed in the ad itfelf. If this does not fatisfy
the unmafkcr what is properly an abridgment, I fliali
refer him to Mr. Chillingworth, who, I think, will be
allowed to underdand fcnfe, and to fpeak it properly,
at leaft as well as the unmafkcr. And what he fays hap-
pens to be in the very fame quef^ion, between Knot, the
jefuit, and him, that is here between the unmalker and
me : it is but putting the unmall^er in the jefuit's place,
and myfelf (if it may be allowed me, without vanity) in
Mr. Chillingworth, the proteflant's; and Mr. Chilling-
worth's very words, chap. iv. §. 65, will exadly fcrvc
formyanfwer : '' Ycu trifle atlededly, confounding the
" apoftlcs belief of the whole religion of Chrift, as it
" comprehends both what we are to do, and what wc
** arc to believe, with that part of it which contains not
** duties of obedience, but only the neceflary articles of
*' fimple faith. Now, though the apofllcs belief be, in
" the former {trSc, a larger thing than that which we
** call the apofl:lcs. creed ; yet, in the latter fenfe of the
** word, the creed (I fay) is a full comprehenfion of
"their- belief, which vou jourfelf have formerly con-

fefled.

Reafonahlenefs of Chriftiduity^ tfr. 277^

'* fefTcd, though fomewhat fearfully and inconfiftently.
" And here again, unwillingncfs to fpeak the truth
** makes you fpeak that which is hardly fenfe^ and call
it '' an abridgment of Tome art-icles of faith." For I
** demand, thofe fome articles, which you fpeak of,
" which are they? Thofe that are out of the creed, or
" thofe that are in it? Thofe that are in it, it compre-
*^ hends at large, and therefore it is not an abridgment
** of them. Thofe that are out of it, it comprehends
" not at all, and therefore it is not an abridgment of
** them. If you would call it now an abridgment of
*' faith; this would be fenfe ; and fignify thus much,
" that all the necelfary articles of the chriftian faith are
*^ comprized in it. For this is the proper duty of
•^ abridgments, to leave out nothing necelfary." So
that, in" Mr. Chillingworth's judgment of an abridg-
ment, it is not fenfe to fay, as you do, p. 47. That
'^ we are not to think, that the apoftles creed exprefly
" contains in it all the neceffary points of our belief, it
" being only defigned to be an abftraci, or an abridge
" ment of faith :" but on the contrary, we muft con-
clude, it contains in it all the necelfary articles of faith,
for that very reafon; becaufe it is an abridgment of faith,
as the unmafker calls it. But whether this that Mr.
Chillingworth has given us here, be the nature of an
abridgment or no; this is certain, that the apoftles
creed cannot be a form of profcflion of the chriftian
faith, if any part of the faith neceffary to make a man a
chriftian, be left out of it : and yet fuch a profeffion of
faith would the unmalker have this abridgment of faith
to be. For a little lower, in the 47th page, he fays in
cxprefs terms. That ** if a man believe no more
*' than is, in exprefs terms, in the apoftles creed,
" his faith will not be the faith of a chriftian."
Wherein he doe« great honour to the primitive church,
and particularly to the church of England. The primi-
tive church admitted converted heathens to baptifm,
upon the faith contained in the apoftles creed: a bare
profeffion of that faith, and no more, was required of
them to be received into the church, and made mem-

T 3 bers

trfS A Second Vindication of the

bers of Chrift's body. How little different the faith of
the ancient church was, from the faith I have men-
tioned, may be feen in thcfe words of Tertullian :
" Regula fidei una omnino eft, fola, immobilis, irre-
** formabilis, credendi, fcilicet, in unicum Deum omni-
*' potentem, mundi conditorem, & filium ejus Jefum
'* Chriftum, natum ex virgine Maria, crucilixum fub
*' Pontio Pilato, tertia die lefufcitatum a mortuis, re-
" ceptum in coslis, fcdentem nunc ad dextram Patris,
" venturum judicare vivos 6e: mortuos, percarnis etiam
" rcfurrecflionem. Hac lege fidei manente, cactera jam
*' difciplina^ & convcrfationis admittunt novitatem cor-
*' redlionis:" Tert. de virg. velan. inprincipio. This
was the faith, that in Tertullian's time fufficed to make
a chriftian. And the church of England, as I have re-
marked already, only propofed the articles of the apoftles
creed to the convert to be baptized ; and upon his pro-
feffing a belief of them, a(k9. Whether he will be bap-
tized in this faith ; which fif we will believe the
unmafker) ** is not the faith of a chriftian." However,
the church, without any more ado, upon the profeflion
of this faith, and no other, baptizes him into it. So
that the ancient church, if the unmafker may be be-
lieved, baptized converts into that faith, which " is
" not the faith of a chriftian." And the church of
England, when ftie baptizes any one, makes him not a
chriftian. For he that is baptized only into a faith,
that " is not the faith of a chriftian," I would fain
know how he can thereby be made a chriftian ? So that
if the omiftions, which he fo much blames in my book,
r.;ake me a Socinian, I fee not how the church of Eng-
I.ind will efcape that cenfure; fince thofe omifTions are
in that very confeffion of faith which fhe propofcs, and
i;pon a profeftion whereof, ftie baptizes thofe whom ftie
dcfigns to make chriftians. But it feems that the un-
iraiker (who has made bold to unmafk her too) reafons
light, that the church of England is miftakcn, and
makes none but Socinians chriftians ; or (as he is pleafed
now to declare) no chriftians at all. Which, if true,
the unmaftccr had bcft look to it, whether he himfelf be
a chriftian, or noj for it is to be feared, he was bap-
tized

Reafonablenefs of Chrijlianityy <or. 279

tized only into that faith, which he himfclf confcffes
" is not the faith of a chriftian."

But he brings himfelfoff, in thefe following words:
'* all matters of faith, in fome manner, may be reduced
" to this brief platform of belief." Anfvv, If that be
enough to make him a true and an orthodox chrillian,
he does not conlider whom, in this way, he brings off
with him ; for I think he cannot deny, that all matters
of faith, in fome manner, may be reduced to that ab-
ftnid: of faith which I have given, as well as to that
brief platform in the apoflles creed. So that, for aught
I fee, by this rule, we are chriftians or not chriftians,
orthodox or not orthodox, equally together.

But yet he fays, in the next words : when he calls it an
*' abilrad, or abbreviature, it is implied, that there are
" more truths to be known andaffented to by a chriftian,
" in order to making him really fo, than what we meet
" with here." The quite contrary whereof (as has been
fhown) is implied, by its being called an abllradl. But
what is that to the purpofe ? It is not fit abl1:rad:s and
abbreviatures fhould fland in an unmafker's way. They
are founds men have ufed for what they pleafed ; and
why may not the unmafl<:cr do fo too, and ufe them in a
fenfe, that may make the apoflles creed be only a
broken fcrap of the chriflian faith ? However, in great
condefcenfion, being willing to do the apofties creed
what honour he could, he fays. That *^ all matters of
" faith, in fome manner, may be reduced to this brief
" platform of belief." But yet, when it is fet in com-
petition with the creed, which he himfelfis making,
(for it is not yet finifhed) it is by no means to be allowed
as fufhcient to make a man a chriftian : ** There arc
" more truths to be known and afTcnted to, in order to
" make a man really a chriftian." Which, what they
are, the church of England fhall know, when this new
reformer thinks fit ; and then fhe may be able to pro-
pofe to thofe who are not yctfo, a collcclion of articles of
belief, and baptize them a-ne\v into a faith, which will
really make them chriftians : but hitherto, if the un-
mafker may be credited, flie has failed in it.

T 4 " Yet

2 So J Second P'lndication of ihn

'' Yet he craves leave to tell me," in the following
words, p. 48, ** That the apoRles creed hath more in it
" than.j, or my brethren, will fubfcribe to." Were it
not the undoubted privilege of the unmafker to know
me better than I dp myfclf, (for he is always telling me
fomething of myfelf, which 1 did not know) I would,
in my turn, crave leave to tell him, that this is the faith
I was baptized into, no one tittle whereof I have re-
nounced, that I know ; and that I heretofore thought,
that gave me title to be a chriflian. But the unmafker
hath otherwife determined : and I know not now whereto
find a chriftian. For the belief of the apoftles creed
•will not, it feems, mi^.ke a man one : and what other
belief will, it does not yet pleafe the unmafKer to tell us.
But yet, as to the fubfcribing to the apoftles creed, I
muft take leave to fay, however the unmafker may be
right in the faith, he ir, out in the morals of a chriftian r
it being againft the charity of one, that is really fp, to
pronounce, as he does, peremptorily in a thing that he
cannot know ; and ro affirm pofitiveiy what I know to
be a downright falfnood. But what others will do, it
is not my talent to determine ; that belongs to the un-
maiker ; though, as to all that are my brethren in the
chriftian faith, I may anfvver for them too, that they
will alfo, with me, do that, without which, in that
fcnfe, they cannot be my brethren.

Page 49, The unmafl<:er fmartly convinces me of no
fmall blunder, in thefe words : " But was it not judi-
*' ciouOy faid by this writer, that, *' it is well for the
*^ compilers of the creed, that they lived not in my
""* days?" p. 12, ** I tell you, friend, it was impoflible
" they fliould ; for the learned Ufher and Voflius, and
*' others have proved, that that fymbol was drawn up,
'' not at once, but that fome articles of it were adjoined
*^ many years after, far beyond the extent of any man's
** life; and therefore the compilers of the creed could
*' not live m my days, nor could 1 live in theirs." Anfw.
But it feems that, had they lived all together, you could
have lived in their days. *' But," fays he, ** I let this
'* pafs, as one of the blunders of our thoughtful and
*' mufing author." Anfw. And I tell you, friend, that

unlefs

Reajonahlcnefs of Chrtftianiiyy &c. 2ii

unlefs it were to Hiow your reading in Uflierand VofHus,
you had better have let this blunder of mine alone.
Does not tke unmafker give here a clear proof, that he
is no changeling ? Whatever argument he takes in hand,
weighty or trivial, material or not material to the thin«-
in queilion, he brings it to the fame fort of fcnfe and
force. He would Ihow me guilty of an abfurdity, in
faying, '' Ic is well for the compilers of the creed, that
" they lived not in his days." This he proves to be a
blunder, becaufe they all lived not in one another's
days ; therefore it was an abfurdity to fuppofe, ther
might all live in his days. As if there were any greater
abfurdity to bring the compilers, who lived, podibly,
within a fevy centuries of one another, by a fuppolition
into one time ; than it is to bring the unmafRer, and
any one of them who lived a thoufand years diftant one
froi;n another, by a fuppofition, to be contemporaries :
for it is by reafon of the compilers living at a difiance
one from another, that he proves it impoflible for him
to be their contemporary. As if it were not as im-
pofTible in fa6l, for him who was not born until above a
thoufand years after, to live in any of their days, as it is for
any one of them to live in either of thofe compilers days
that died before him. The fuppofition of their livinjr
together, is as eafy of one as the other, at what difiance
,foever they lived, and how many foever there were of
them. This bemg fo, I think it had been better for the
unmad^er to have let alone the blunder, and ihowed
(which was his bufinefs) that he does not accufe the
compilers of the creed of being all over focinianized, as
well as he does me, fince they were as guilty as I, of
the omiflion of thofe articles, (viz. " that Chrifl: is
** the word of God : that Chrift was God incarnate : the
'* eternal and ineffable generation of the Son of God :
*' that the Son is in the Father, and the Father in the
** Son, which exprelTes their unity ;" for the omifTion
whereof, the unmafker laid fccinianifm to my chari^c.
So that it remains flill upon his fcore to {how,

XXI. " Why thefe omifTions in the apoflles creed do
*' not as well make that abftrad, as my abridgment of
" faithj to befocinian?"

2 82 A Second Vindication of the

Page 57, The unmafkcr " defires the reader to ob-
" fcrve, that this lank faith of mine is in a manner no
" other than the faith of a turk." And I defire the
reader to obferve, that this faith of mine was all that
our Saviour and his apoftlcs preached to the unbeliev-
ing world. And this our unmaflver cannot deny, as I
think, will appear to any one, who obferves what he
fays, p. 76, 77, of his Socinianifm unmafked. And that
they preached nothing but a *•' faith, that was in a manner
** no other than the faith of a turk," I think none
amongft chriftians, but this bold unmafker, will have
the irreverence profanely to fay.

He tells us, p. 54, that *' the mufTelmen" (or, as he
has, for the information of his reader, very pertinently
proved, it fhould be writ, moflemim ; without which,
perhaps, we fliould not have known his (kill in arabick,
or, in plain Englifh, the mahometans) " believe that
** Chrift is a good man, and not above the nature of a
** man, and fent of God to give inftrudion to the
" world: and my faith,'* he fays, " is of the very fame
*' fcantling.'* This I fhall defire him to prove; or,
which in other words he infinuates in this and the
neighbouring pages, viz.

XXIL That that faith, which I have affirmed to
be the faith, which is required to make a man
a chriftian, is no other than what turks believe,
and is contained in the alcoran.

Or, as he exprefTes it himfelf, p. 55,

** That a turk, according to me, is a chriftian ; for I
" make the fame faith ferve them both."

And particularly to (how where it is, I fay,

XXIII. That ** Chrift is not above the nature of a
man," or have made that a necelTary article of the
chriftian faith.

And next, where it is>

XXIV.

Reafonahlencfs of Chrijlianily^ ^c. 283

XXIV. " That I fpeak as meanly of Chriit's fufFer-
** ingon the crofs, and death, as if there were no
«* fuch thing."

Forthushe fays of me, p. 54, " I feem to have con-
" fulted the Mahometan bible, which did fay, Chrifl:
*' did not fufFer on the crofs, did not die. For I, and
** my allies, fpeak as meanly of thefe articles, as if there
*' were no fuch thing."

To (how our unmafker's veracity in this cafe, I jfhall
trouble my reader with fome palTages out of my " rea-
" fonablenefs of chrillianity," p. 35, " When we
** conlider, that he was to fill out the time foretold of
*' his miniftry, and after a life illufurious in miracles
*' and good works, attended with humility, meeknefs,
*' patience and fuffering, and every way conformable to
*' the prophecies of him, fnould be led as a fheep to the
*' flaughter, and, with all quiet and fubmiflion, be
" brought to the crofs, though there were no guilt or
*' fault found in him." And, p. 42, " contrary to the
*' delign of his coming, which was to be offered up a
*' lamb, blamelefs and void of offence." And, p. 63,
" laying down his life, both for Jews and Gentiles,"
P. 96, " Given up to contempt, torment, and
death." But, fay what I will, when theunmafker thinks
fit to have it fo, it is fpeaking out of the mahometan
bible, that ** Chrift did not fuffer on the crofs, did not
" die ; or at lead, is fpeaking as meanly of thefe articles,
*' as if no fuch thing had been."

His next flander is, p. 55, in thefe words: "this
** gentleman prefents the world with a very ill notion
'* of faith; for the very devils are capable of all that
" faith, which, he fays, makes a chriftian." It is not
ftrange, that the unmafker fhould mifreprefent the faith,
which, I fay, makes a chriftian ; when it feems to be
his whole defign to mifreprefent my meaning every-
where. The frequency of his doing it, I have fhowed
in abundance of inflances, to which I fhall add an emi-
nent one here ; which fhows what a fair champion he is
for truth and religion.

Page 104,

2 §4 ^ A Second Vindication of the

Page 104, of my " Reafonablenefs of Chriftianity," I
give this account of the faith uhich makes a chriftian ;
that it is ** men's entering; themfclves in the kingdom
" of God ; owning and profefilng themfclves the fub-
" jects of Jefus, whom they believe to be the Mclfiah,
** and receive for their Lord and King : for that was to
" be baptized in his name." This fenfe of believing
Chrill to be the Meffiah, that is, to take him for our
Kingand Lord, w hois to be obeyed, 1 have exprefled over
and over again ; as, p. 1 10, in, my words arc, ** that as
** many of them as would believe Jefus the fon of God,
" (whom he fent into the world) to be the Meffiah, the
•♦ promifed Deliverer, and wo^tild receive him for their
*• king and ruler, fhould have all their pall fnis, difo-
*' bedience and rebellion, forgiven them. And if, for
** the future, they lived in fincere obedience to his law,
*' to the utmoft of their power, the fins of human frailty
** for the tim.e to come, as well as thofe of their pafl:
*' lives, iliould for his fon's fake, becaufe they gave
*' themfclves up to him to be his fubjeds, be forgiven
" them : and fo their faith, which made them to be
" baptized into his name, fi. e. inroll themfelves in
" the kingdom of Jefus, the Meffiah, and profefs them-
'* felves his fubjecTts, and confequently live by the laws
*' of his kingdom) ffiould be accounted to them for
" righteoufncfs." Which account of what is neceffiary,
I cloYe with thefe words : " this is the faith, for which
" God of his free grace juftilies finful man.*' And is
this the faith of devils ?

To the fame purpofe, p. 1 13, are thefe words : " the
'♦ chief end of his coming was to be a king ; and, as
** fuch, to be received by thofe, who would be his fubjefts
" in the kingdom which he came to credL" And again,
p. 112, *' only thofe who have believed Jefus to be the
" Meffiah, and taken him for their king, with a fmcere
** endeavour after righteoufncfs in obeying his law, Ihall
" have their paft lins not imputed to them." And fo
again, p. 1 13, and 120, and in feveral other places ; of
which I ffiall add but this one more, p. 1 20, " it is not
" enough to believe him to be the Meffiah, unlefs vvc
" obey his laws, and take him to be our king to reign

" over

Reafinahlenefs of Chri/Iianilyy &c. 2^^

'^^ over us." Can the devils thus believe him to be the
Mefliah? Yet this is that, which, by thefe and abun-
dance of other places, I have fhowed ta be the meaning
of believing him to be the MeiTiah. ■

Beiides, I have exprefly diflingutflied the faith which
makes a chriftian, from that wKich the devils have, by-
proving, that, to the believing Jefus to be the Mefliah,
muft be joined repentance, or elfe it will not make them
true chriflians : and what this repentance is, may be
feen at large in p. 105, &c. fome exprelTions whereof I
lliall here fet down ; as, p. 105, *' repentance does not
** coniift in one fingle adiof forrow, (though that being
** firfl:, and leading, gives denomination to the whole)
** but in doing works meet for repentance ; in a iincere
** obedience to the law of Chrift, the remainder of our
*' lives." Again ; to diftinguiih the faith of a chriftian
from that of devils, I fay exprefly, out of St. Paul's
epiftle to the galatians, " that which availeth is faith,
** but faith working by love ; and that faith, without
** works, i. e. the works of fmcere obedience to the law
" and will of Chrift, is not fufficient for our juftifica-
" tion." And, p, 1 17, " That to inherit eternal life, we
muft love the Lord' our God, " with all our heart, with
*' all our foul, with all our ftrength, and with all our
" mind." And, p. 121, " Love Chrift, in keeping his
" commandments."

This, and a great deal more to this purpofe, may be
{een in my " Reafonablenefs of Chriftianity ;" particu-
larly, where I anfwer that objection about the faith of
devils, which I handle in p. 102, &c. and therein at large
fliow, wherein the faith of devils comes ftiort of the
juftifying faith which makes a chriftian. And yet the
good, the fmcere, the candid unmaflcer, with his be-
coming confidence, tells his readers here, p. 55. ^^ That
" I prefent the world with a very ill notion of faith : for
*' the very devils are capable of all that faith, which I
** fay, makes a chriftian man." i

To prevent this calumny, I, in more places than one,

diftinguiflied between faith, in a ftridl fenfe, as it is a

l^are aftent toany propofttion, and that which is called

evangieHcal faith, in a larger fenfe of the word ; which

" ^ comprehends

5

ti 8 6 vf Second Vindication of ihe

comprehends under it fomething more than a bare fimpTe
aflent; as, p- 26, *' I mean, this is all that is required
** to be believed by thofe who acknowledge but or.e
** eternal, invifiblc God, the maker of heaven and earth :
** for that there is fomething more required to falvation,
" befides believing, v/e fhall fee hereafter.** P. 28,
** All I fay, that v/as to be believed for jufiification.
** For, that this was not all that was required to be
** done for juftification, v/e fliall fee hereafter. P. 51,
** Obeying the law of the MelTiah, their King, being no
** Icfs required, than their believing that Jefus was the
•* MelPiah, the King and Deliverer, that was promifed
" them." P. 102, ** As far as their believing could
" make them members of Chrift's body.** By thefe,
and more, the like palTages in my book, my meaning is
fo evident, that no-body, but an unmafker, would have
faid, that when I fpoke of believing, as a bare fpecula-
tive aflent to any propofition, as true, I affirmed that
was all that was required of a chriftian for juftification:
though that, in the ftrid fenfe of the word, is all that is
done in believing. And therefore, I fay. As far as
mere believing could make them members of Chrift's
body ; plainly iignifying, as much as words can, that
the faith, for which they were juftified, included fome-
thing more than a bare aflent. This appears, not only
from thefe words of mine, p. 104, "St. Paul often, in his
** epiftles, puts faith for the whole duty of a chriftian ;"
but from my fo often, and almoft every-where, inter-
preting •' believing him to be the Melliah, by taking
" him to be our King;" whereby is meant not a bare
idle fpeculation, a bare notional perfuaflon of any truth
whatsoever, floating in our brains; but an adilive
principle of life, a faith working by love and obedience^
** To make him to be our King," carries with it a right
difpofltion of the will to honour and obey him, joined
to that aflent wherewith believers embrace this funda-
mental truth, that Jefus was the perfon who was by God
fent to be their King; he that \\as promifed to be their
Prince and Saviour.

But, for all this, the unmaflcer, p. 56, confidently
tells his reader, that I fay no fuch thing. His words

are :

Reafonablenefs of Chrijlianityt &c. 287

are : " But, befides this hiftorical faith, (as it is gene-
** rally called by divines) which is giving credit to
** evangelical truths, as barely revealed, there muft be
" fojnething elfe added to make up the true fubftantial
" faith of a chriftian. With the affent of the under-
** ftanding, muft be joined the confent or approbation
*' of the will. All thofe divine truths Vvhich the in-
** telled; aflents to, muft be allowed of by this eledive
*' power of the foul. True evangelical faith is a hearty
** acceptation of the Meflias, as he is offered in the
" gofpel. It is a fmcere and impartial fubmilfion to
" all things required by the evangelical law, which is
" contained in the epifl:ies,as well as the other v. ritings.
** And to this practical allent and choice, there muft be
** added, likewife, a' firm trultand reliance inthebleffed
" author of our falvation. But this late undertaker,
*' who attempted to give us a mxore pcrfeA account,
** than ever was before of chriftianity, as it is delivered
** in the fcriptures, brings us no tidings of any fuch
" faith belonging to chriftianity, or difcovered to us in
" the fcriptures. Which gives us to underftand, thac
" he verily believes there is no fuch chriftian faith; for
** in fome of his numerous p?.ges, (efpecially p. loi,
'* Sec.) where he fpeaks fo much of belief and faith, he
'* might have taken occalion to infert one word about
'* his complete faith of the gofpel.'*

Though the places above quoted, out of my " Rea-
" fonablenefs of Chriftianity, " and the whole tenour, of
the latter part of it, faow the falftiood of what the un-
maflcer here fays ; yet I will fet down one paifage more
out of it; and then alk our unmafKer, w'hen he hath
read them, W>.ether he hath the brow to fay again, that
" I bring no tidings of ^any fuch faith ? " My words are
** Reafonablenefs of Chriftianity," p. 129, ** Faith in the
" promifes of God, relying ?.nd acquiefcing in his
*' word and faithfulnefs, the Almighty takes well at our
** hands, as a great mark of homage paid by us, poor
" frail creatures, to his goodnefs and truth, as well as
'* to his power and wifdcni; and accepts it as an ac-
" knowlcdgment of his peculiar providence and benig-
** nity to us. And therefore, our Saviour tells us,

'' John

288 A Second Vindication cf the

John xii. 44. " He that believes on me, believe*
not on nne, but on him that lent me." The works
of nature Hiow his wifdom and poxfer : but it is his
peculiar care of mankind, moft eminently difcovered
in his promifes to them, that fhows his bounty and
goodnefs ; and confequently engages their hearts in
love and alfection to him. This oblation of an heart
fixed with dependence aud affection on him, is the
moil acceptable tribute we can pay him, the founda-
tion of true devotion, and life of all religion. What
a value he puts on this depending on his word, and
rcfting fatislied on his promifes, we have an example
in Abraham ; whofe faith was counted to him for
righteoufnefs, as we have before remarked out of
Rom. iv. And his relying firmly on the promife of
God, v.'ithout any doubt of its performance, gave him
the name of the father of the faithful ; and gained him
fo much favour with the Almighty, that he v/as
called the friend of God, the higheft and moft glorious
title that can bebeftowed on a creature!"
The great out-cry he makes againft me in iiis two
next fe(!:tions, p. 57 — ^Oy as if I intended to intro-
duce ignorance and popery, is to be entertained rather
as the noife of a petulant fcold, faying the worft things
fhe could think of, than as the arguing of a man of
{tvS^ or linccrity. AH this mighty accufation is-
grounded upon thefe falfhoods : That " I make it my
** great bufinefs to beat men off from divine truths ;
'* that I cry down all articles of the chriftian faith, but
** one ; that I will not fuffer men to look into chrif-
" tianity ; that I blaft the epillolary writings." I ffiall
add no more to what I have already faid, about the
epifties, but thofe few words out of my ** Reafonable--
** nefs of Chriftianity, page 154, ** The epifties, re-
*' folving doubts, and reforming miftakes, are of great
** advantage to our knowledge and pradice." And,
p. 155, 156, " An explicit belief of what God requires
*' of thofe, who will enter into, and receive the bene-
** fits of the new covenant, is abfolutely required. The
'^ other parts of divine revelation are objects of faith,.
" and are fo to be received. They arc truths, whereof

4 *• none

Reafonallenefs ofChriJiicnily, &c. 289

^^ none, that is once known to be fuch, [i. e. of divine
" revelation] may, or ought to be diibelicvcd."

And as for that other faying of his, *' That I will
'^' not fuffer men to look into chriflianity :" I defire to
know where that chriitianity is locked up, which *^ I
" will not fuffer men to look into." My chriftianity,
I confefs, is contained in the written wdvd of God :
and that I am fo far from hindering any one to look in-
to, that 1 evcry-whci-e appeal to it, and have quoted fo
much of it, that the unmaHcer complains of being
overlaid with it, and tells me it is tedious. " All di-
** vine revelation, I fay, p. 156, requires the obedience
*' of faith; and that every one is to receive all the
" parts of it, with a docility and difpofition prepared
*' to embrace and alTent to all truths coming from God ;
" and fubmit his mind to whatever fliall appear to him
"■ to bear that characfler." I fpcak, in the fame page,
of men's endeavouring to underffand it, and of their
interpreting one place by another. This, and- the
whole delign of my book, fliows, that I think it every
chriftian's duty to read, fearch, and ftudy the holy
fcriptures ; and make this their great buiinefs : and yet
the good unmaiker, in a lit of zeal, difplays his throat,
and cries out, p. 59, '* Hear, O ye heavens, and give
*' ear, O earth ; judge whether this be not the way to
" introduce darknefs and ignorance into Chridendom ;
'^^ whether this be not blinding of men's eyes," &c.
for this mighty pathos ends not there. And, all
things conlidered, i know not whether he had not rea-
fon, in his want of arguments, this way to pour out his
concern. For neither the preaching of our Saviour and
his apoftles, nor the apollles creed, nor any thing eli'e,
being with him the faith of a chriftian, i. e. fufficient to
make a chriftian, but juft his fet of fundam.entai articles
(when he himfelf knows what they be;) in fine, nothing
iDcing chriftianity but juft his fyftem, it is time to cry
out. Help, neighbours! hold faft, friends! Know-
ledge, religion, chriitianity is gone, if this be once per-
mitted, that the people fliould read and underftand the
fcripture for themfelves, as God Ihall enlighten thtir
underdandings in the ufe of the means; and not be
Vol. VI , U forced

2.90 A Second Vindication of the

forced to depend upon me, and upon my choofing, and
my interpretation, for the neccllary points they are to
believe to make them chriitians: if I, the great un-
malkcr, have not the fole power to decree what is, or
is not fundamental, and people be not bound to receive
it for fuch, faith and the gofpel are given up ; darknefs
and barbarifm will he brought in upon us by this
writer's contrivance. For *' he is an underhand fador
*' for that communion, which cries up ignorance for
*' the mother of devotion and religion;" i.e. in plain
Englifli, for popery. For to this, and nothing elfc,
tends all that fputter he makes in the fec^ion before-
mentioned.

I do not think there was ever a more thorough-paced
declaimer, than our unmafker. He leaves out nothing
that he thinks will make an affrighting noife in the ears
of his orthodox hearers, though all the blame and cen-
furc he pours out upon others light only on himfclf.
For let me atk this zealous upholder of light and know-
ledge : Docs he think it reafonable, that any one, w ho
is not a chriftian, fliould be fuffered to be undifturbed
in his parifli ? Nay, docs he think fit that any fuch
Ibould live free from the lafh of the magiflrate, or from
the perfecution of the ecclefiaftical power ? He feems to
talk with another air, p. 65. In the next place I afk,
Wliether any one is a chriifian, who has not the faith of
achriftian ? Thirdly, 1 afk. Whether he has the faith of
a chriilian, who does not explicitly believe all the fun-
damental articles of chriftianity ? And, to conclude I atk
him. Whether all thofe that he has fet down, are not
fundamental neceffary articles? When the unmafls.er has
fairly anfvvcred thcfc qucllions, it will be fecn who is for
popery, and the ignorance and tyranny that accom-
pany it.

The unmaO^Gr is for making and impofing articles of
faith; but he is for this power in himfclf. He likes
not popery {which is nothing but the tyranny and im-
pofmg upon men's underilandings, taith and con-
fciences ) in the hands of the old gentleman at Rome :
but it would, he thinks, do admirably well in his own
bands. And who can blame him for it? Would not

that

Rcafonablenefs of Chrijltmiity y ^c. 29 X

that be an excellent way to propagate light and know-
ledge, by tying up all men to a bundle of articles of
his own culling? Or rather, to the authority of Chrifl
and his apoftles rcfiding in him ? For he does not, nor
ever will, give us a full view of fundamentals of his
chriftianity : but, like the church of Rome, to fecure
our dependence, referves to himfelf a power of declaring
others, and defining what is matter of faith, as he fliall
fee occalion. '

Now, therefore, veil your bonnets to the unmafl<:er,
all you that have a mind to bechriftians: break not your
heads about the fcriptures, to examine what they re-
quire of you : fubmit your faith implicitly to the un-
mafl-cer ; he will underlland and find out the necelTary
points for you to believe. Take them, juft fomany as
he thinks fit to deliver them to you ; this is the way to be
knowing chriftians. But be fure, afk not. Whether
thofe he is pleafed to deliver, be every one of them funda-
mental, and all the fundamental articles, necelTary to
be believed to make a man a chriftian? Such a capricious
queflion fpoils all, overturns chriftianity, which is in-
truftcd to the unmafker's fole keeping, to be difpenfed
out as he thinks fit. If you refufe an implicit faith to
him, he will prefently find you have it for the whore of
Babylon ; he will fmell out popery in it immediate-
ly : for he has a very fnrewd fcent, and you v/ill be
difcovered to bean underhand fador for the church of
Rome.

But if the unmafker were fuch an enemy, as he pre-
tends, to thofe fadlors, I wonder he fhould, in what he
has fa id concerning the apoftles creed, fo exadllyjump
with Knot the jefuit. If any one doubt of this, I defire
him to look into the fourth chapter of ^^ Knot's charity
*^ maintained," and there he will fee how well our un-.
mafkerarid that jefuit agree in argument ; nay, and ex-
preffions too. %it yet I do not think him io far guilty,
as to be employed as an underhand factor for popery.
Every body will, I fuppofe, be ready to pronounce him
fo far an innocent, as to clear him from that. The
cunning of his defign goes not beyond the laying out
of his preaching oratory, for the fetting up his own

\J % ' f)'ftem,

2()i A Second Vindication of the

fyftem, and making that the fole chriftianity. To that
end, he would be glad to have the power of interpreting
fcripture, of defining and declaring articles of faith, and
impofing them. This, w hich makes the abfolutc power
of the pope, he would not, I think, eftabliili at Rome;
but it is plain he would have it himfelf if he could get
it, for the fupport of thcchriftianity of his fyftem. An
implicit faith, if he might have the management of it,
and the taking fundamentals upon truft from his au-
thority, would be of excellent ufe. Such a .power, in
his hands, would fpread truth and knowledge in the
world, i. e. his own orthodoxy and fet of opinions. But
if a man differs, nay, queftions any thing of that, whether
it beabfolutely neceflary to make one a chriftian, it is
immediately a contrivance to let in popery, and to bring
" darknefs and barbarifm into the chriftian world."
But I muft tell the innocent unmafker, whether he de-
ligns or no, that if his calling his fyftem the only
chriftianity, can bring the world to receive from him
articles of faith of his own choofing, as fundamentals he-
cefTary to be believed by all men to make them chrif-
tians, which Chrift and his apoftlcs did not propofe to
all men to make them chriftians ; he does only fet up
popery in another guile, and lay the foundations of ig-
norance, darknefs, and barbarifm in the chriftian world ;
for all the ignorance and blindnefs, that popery intro-
duced, was only upon this foundation. And if he does
not fee this, (as there is reafon to excufe his innocence)
' it would be no hard matter to demonftrate it, if that
were at prefent the queftion between us. But there
are a great many other propofttions to be proved by
him, before we come to that new matter of debate.

But before I quit thefe paragraphs, I muft go on
with our unmalker's account, and deftre him to ftiow,
where it is,

XXV. " That I make it my bufinefs to beat men off
" from taking notice of any divine truths ?"

Next, where it is,

6 XXVI. Thas

Reafonahlenejs of Chrijlianityt &c, 293

XXVI. That *' I cry down all articles of chriftian
faith but one?"

■ Next, how it appears,

XXVII. That '' I will not fuffer mankind to look
" into chriftianity ?"

Again, where it is,

XXVIII. That "Ilabourinduftrioufly to keep people
" in ignorance;" or tell them, that "there is no
** neceliity of knowing any other do(5lrines of the
" bible?"

Thefe, and fevcral others of the like (train, particu-
larly concerning one article, and the epiftles, (which
are his common-places) are to be found in his 59th and
60th pages. And all this out of a prefumption, that his
fyftem is the only chriftianity ; and that if men w^re
not prefTed and perfuaded to receive that, juft every
article of it, upon pain of damnation, chriftianity
would be loft ; and not to do this, is to promote igno-
rance, and contemn the bible. But he fears where no
fear is. If his orthodoxy be the truth, and conform-
able to the fcriptures, the laying the foundation only
where our Saviour and his apoft:les have laid it, will
not overturn it. And to ftiow him, that it is fo, I defire
him again to conftder w hat I faid in my Vindication,
p. 164, 165, which, becaufe I do not remember he any
where takes notice of, in his reply, I will here offer again
to his conftderation : '' Convince but men of the miffion
** of Jefus Chrift ; make them but fee the truth, lim-
" plicity, and reafonablenefs of what he himfelf hath
** taught, and required to be believed by his follow^ers ;
'* and you need not doubt, but being once fully per-
*' fuaded of his doctrine, and the advantages which, all
*' chriftians agree, are received by him, fuch converts
" will not lay by the fcriptures ; but, by a conftant
*' reading and ftudy of them, will get all the light they
^* can from this divine revelation;i and nourifli them-

U 3 *^ fclvcs

ip^ -^ Second Vindication of thf

** felves up in the words of faith and good do6lrinc, as
** St. Paul fpeaks to Timothy."

If the reading and ftudy of the fcripture were more
prelTed than it is, and men were fairly fent to the bible
to find their religion j and not the bible put into their
hands, only to iind the opinions of their peculiar fecftor
party ; Chriftendom would have more chrillians, and
thofe that are, would be more knowing, and mohe in
the right, than they now are. That which hinders this,
is that feled: bundle of dodlrincs, which it has pleafed
every fect to draw out of the fcriptures, or their own
inventions, with an omiffion (and, as our unmafl<.cr
•would fay, a contempt) of all the reft. Thefe choice
truths (as the unmafkcr calls his) are to be the flanding
orthodoxy of that party, from which none of that
church mult recede, without the forfeiture of their
chriftianity, and the lofs of eternal life. But, whilft the
people keep firm to thefe, they are in the church, and
the way to falvation : which, in elfed", what is it but
to encourage ignorance, lazinefs, and negled: of the
fcriptures ? For what need they be at the pains of con-
Hantly reading the bible, or perplex their heads with
confidering and weighing what is there delivered ; when
believing as the church believes, or faying after, or
not contradidling their domine, or teacher, ferves the
turn?

Further, I defire it may be confidcred, what name
that mere mock-iliow, of recommending to men the
ftudy of the fcripture, deferves ; if, when they read it,
they mu ft under {land it jufl: as he (that \vould be, and
they are too apt, contrary to the command of Chrift, to
call, their mailer) tells them. If they find any thing
in the word of God, that leads them into opinions he
does not allow; if any thing they meet v.ith in holy
writ, feems to them to thwart, or fhake the received
dodlrines, the very propofing of their doubts renders
them fufpe^led. Rcafoning about them, and not ac-
quiefcing in whatever is faid to them, is interpreted
want of due rcfpecl and deference" to the authority of
their fpiritual guides ; difrepute and cenfures follow :
and if, in purfuance of their own light, they perfift in

what

Reapnatlenefs of Chrijlianilyy &c. 295

what they think the fcripture teaches them, they are
turned out of the church, delivered to Satan, and no
longer allowed to be chrillians. And is thus a fincere
and rightly diredcd ftudy of the fcriptures, that men
may underfiand and profit thereby, encouraged ? This
is the confcquence of men's alluming to themfelves a
power of declaring fundamentals, i. e. of fetting up a
chridianity of their own making. For how elfe can
they turn men of as unblameable lives as others of their
members, out of the church of Ch rift (for fo they count
their communion) for opinions, unlefs thofe opinions
were concluded inconfillent with chriflianity ? Thus
fyftems, the invention of men, are turned into fo many
oppofite gofpels ; and nothing is truth in each feci, but
what fuits with them. So that the fcripture ferves but,
like a nofcof wax, to be turned and bent, juft as may
fit the contrary orthodoxies of different focieties. For
it is thefc feveral fyftems, that to each party are the juit
ftandards of truth, and the meaning of the fcripture is to
be meafured only by them. Whoever relinquifhes any
of thofe diftinguifljing points, immediately ceafes to be a
chriftian.

This is the way that the unmafkcr would have truth
and religion prcferved, light and knowledge propagated.
But here too the different feds, giving equal authority
to their own orthodoxies, will be quits with him. For
as far as I can obferve, the fame genius feems to in-
fluence them all, even thofe who pretend moft to free-
dom, the focinians themfelves. For when it is ob-
ferved, how politive and eager they are in their difputes ;
how forward to have their interpretations of fcripture re-
ceived for authentic, though to others, in feveral
places, they feem very much flrained ; how impatieni
they are of contradi^ion ; and with what difrefpedt and
roughnefs they often treat their oppofers : m.ay it not be
fufpeded, that this fo vifible a warmth in their prefent _
circumftances, and zeal for their orthodoxy, would
(had they the power) work in them as it does in others ?
They in their turns would, I fear, be ready, w ith their
fet of fundamentals ; which they would be as forward to

U 4 impofe

2<)6 A Serond I indication of the

impofe on others, as others have been to iir.pofe con-
trary fundamentals on them.

This is, anci always Avill be, the unavoidable cffciit
of intruding on our Saviour's authority, and requiring
more now, as necelTary to be believed to make a man a
chriilian, than was at firft required by our Saviour and
his apoftles. What elfe can be expedcd among chrif-
tians, but their tearing, and beir?g torn in pieces, by
one another; whilft every fetit aiiumes to itfelf a power
of declaring fundamentals^ and feverally thus narrow
chriftianity to their diflincl' fyftems? He that has a
mind to fl-e how fundamentals come to be framed and
fafhioned, and upon what motives and confiderations
they are often taken up, or laid down, according to the
humours, intercfts, or deligns of the heads of parties,
as if they were things depending on men's pleafurc, and
to be fuited to their convenience; may find an example
■worth his notice, in the life of Mr. Baxter, part II. p.
197—205.

Whenever men take upon them to go beyond thofe
fundamental articles of chnltianity, Mhich are to be
found in the preachings of our Saviour and his apoftles,
where will they ftop ? Whenever any fet of men will
require m.ore, as necelTary to be believed, to make men
of their church, i. e. in their fenfe, chriflians, than
what our Saviour^and his apoflles propofed to thofe
whom they made*|chriil:ians, and admitted into tl^
church of Chrift ; however they may pretend to recom-
mend the fcripturcro their people, in effect, no more of
It is recommended to them, than juft comports with
what the leaders of that fcdt have refolved chriftianity
ihall confift in.

It is no wonder, therefore, there is fo much igno-
rance amongft chriftians, and fo rnuch vain outcry
againftit; whilfl: aimofl: every diftint^ fociety of chri-
ftians magifterially afcribes orthodoxy to a StXuS. fet of
fundamentals, diftindl from thofe propofed in the
preaching of our Saviour and his apoillcs ; which, in
no one point, muft be qucflioned by any of its com-
munion. By this means their people are never fent to
rhc holy fcriptures, that true fountain of light, but

hoed-

Reafonabkrefs of Chrijliafiit)\ &'c. 297

hood-winked : a veil is caft over their eyes,, and then
they are bid to read their bible. They muft make it all
chime to their church's fundamentals, or elfe they were
better let it alone. For if they find any thing there
againft the received dodlrines, though they hold it and
exprcfs it in the very terms the Holy Ghoft has delivered
it m, that will not excufe them. Herefy will be their
lot, and they fliall be treated accordingly. And thus we
fee how, amongrt other good eifedls, creed-making al-
ways has, and always will neceffarily produce and pro-
pagate ignorance in the world, however each party
blame others for it. And therefore I have often won-
dered to hear men of fevcral churches fo heartily ex-
claim againll the implicit faith of the church of Rome ;
when the fame implicit faith is as much pra6lifed and
required in their own, though not fo openly profelTed,
and ingenuoufly owned there.

In the next Ibftion, the unmafker queftions the fin-
cerity of mine, and profelTes the greatncfs of his con-
cern for the falvation of men's fouls." And tells me
of my refleiTtion on him, upon that account, in my
Vindication, p. 165. Anfw. I wifh he would, for the
right information of the reader, every-where fet down,
what he has any thing to fay to, in my book, or my de-
fence of it, and fave me the labour of repeating it. My
words in that place are, " Some men will not bear, that
" any one fliould fpeak of religion, but according to
" the model that they themfelves have made of it. Nay,
** though he propofes it upon the very terms, and in
** the very words, which our Saviour and his apoftles
'* preached it in ; yet he fhall not efcape cenfures
** and the fevereft iniinuations. To deviate in the leaft>
" or to omit any thing contained in their articles, is
^* herefy, under the moft invidious names in faQiion;
" and it is well if he efcapes being a downright atheift.
'" Whether this be the way for teachers to make them-
*' felves hearkened to, as men in earneft in religion,
" and really concerned for the falvation of men's fouls,
" I leave them to confidcr. What fuccefs it has had,
" towards perfuading men of the truth of chriftianity,
f their own complaints of theprevalency of atheifm, on

■ "the

'29S yl Second Vindication of the

** the one hand, and the number of deiils on the other,
•* fufficiently fnow."

I have fet down this paflage at large, both as a con-
firmation of what I faid butjuft now; and alfo to fhow,
that the refledlion I there made needed fome other an-
fwer, than a bare profeflion of his "regard to the fal-
•* vation of men's fouls." The afTuming an undue au-
thority to his own opinions, and ufmg manifeft untruths
in the defence of them, I am fure is no mark, that
the directing men right in the way to falvation is
his chief aim. And I wiHi, that the greater liberties
of that fort, which he has again taken in his Socinianifm
unmaiked, and which 1 have fg often laid open, had not
confirmed that refledion. 1 fliould have been glad,
that any thing in my book had been fairly controverted
and brought to the touch, whether it had, or had not
been confuted. The matter of it would have deferved a
ferious debate (if any had been neceflary) in the words
of fobriety, and the charitable temper of the gofpel, as
I defired in my preface : and that would not have mif-
become the unmafker's function. But it did not con-
fifl, it feems, with hisdefign. Chr^ftian charity would
not have allowed thofe ill-meant conjectures, and
groundiefs cenfures, which were necelfary to his pur-
pofe : and therefore he took a fliorter courfe, than to-
confute my book, and thereby convince me and others.
He makes it his bufinefs to rail at it and the author of
it, that that might betaken for a confutation. For by
what he has hitherto done, arguing feems not to be his
talent. And thus far, who can but allow his wifdom ?
But whether it be that ** wifdom that is from above ;
*' firft pure, then peaceable, gentle, eafy to be intreat-
'* ed, full of mercy, and good fruits, without partiali-
*' ty, and without hypocrify ;" I Ihall leave to other
readers to judge.

His faying nothing to that other reflection, which
his manner of exprcifrng himfclf drew from me, would
make one fufpect, it favoured not altogether of the
wifdom of the gofpel ; nor fliowed an over-great care
of the falvation of fouls. My words. Vindication, p.
173, arc : " I know not how better to fliow my care of
3 " his

Reafonahlencjs of Chrijlianity ^ &c. 299

'* his credit, than by intreating him, that when he takes
*^ next in hand fuch a fubjedl as this, wherein the fal-
"" vation of fouls is concerned, he would treat it a
" little more ferioufly, and with a little more candour,
** left men Ihould find in his writings another caufe of
*' atheifm, which in this treatife he has not thought fit
" to mention. Oftentation of wit in general, he has
*' made a caufe of atheifm, p. 28. But the world will
" tell him, that frothy light difcourfes, concerning the
*^ fcrious matters of religion, and ollentation of trifling
" mifbecpming wit, in thofe who come as amballadors
*' from God, under the title of fucceffors of theapoftles,
" in the great commiffion of the gofpel, are none of the
*^ Icaftcaufes of atheifm." But this advice, I am now
fatisfied, (by^his fecond part of the fame ftrain) w^as
very improper for him; and no more reafonable, than
if ,one fhould advife a buifoon to talk gravely, who
has nothing left to draw attention, if he lliould lay by
his fcurrility.

The remainder of this fourth chapter, p. 6r. — 67,
being fpent in fhovving, why the Socinians are for a few
articles of faith, being a matter that I am not concerned
in; I leave to that fo;-ward gentleman to examine, who
examined Mr. Edwards's exceptions againft the ** Rca-
** fonablenefs of Chriftianity ;" and who, as the un-
*' malker informs me, page 64, was chofen to vindicate
my attempt, &c.

If the unmaflcer knows that he was fo chofen, it is well.
If I had knownof fuch a choice, I Ihould liave defired
that fome-body fliould have been chofen to vindicate
my attempt, who had undcrftood it better. The un-
malker and examiner are each of them fo full of them-
fclves, and their own fyflems, that I think they may be
a fit match one for another : and fo I leave thefe cocks of
the game to try it out in an endlefs battle of wrangling
('till death them part) which of them has made the
true and exadt collection of fundamentals ; and whofe
fyftem of the two ought to be the prevailing ortho-
doxy, and be received for fcripture. Only I warn the
examiner to look to himfelf: for the unmafl<:er has the
whip hand of him, and gives him to underftand, p. 65,

that

3 GO A Second Vindication of the

that if he" cannot do it himfcif by the ftrcngth of his
kings, the vehemcncy of his oratory, and endlefs at-
tacks bf his repetitions ; the ccclefiaftical power, and
the civil magiftrate's lafh, have, in llore, demonftra-
tive arguments to convince him, that his [the un-
mailver's] fyftem is the only true chriftianity.

By the way, I mult not forget to mind the unmafker
here again, that he hath a very unlucky hand at guelling.
For whereas he names Socinus, as one from whom I re-
ceived my platform, and fays that " Crellius gave me my
cue ;" it fo falls out, that they are two authors of whom
I never read a page. I fay not this, as if I thought it a
fault if I had; for I think I fliould have much better
fpent my time in them, than in the writings of our
learned unmafker.

I was fure there was no offending the unmafker,
without the guilt of atheifm ; only he here, p. 69, very
niercifully lays it upon my book, and not upon my
defign. The " tendency of it to irreligion and atheifm,'*
he has proved in an eloquent harangue, for he is fuch
an orator he cannot ftir a foot without a fpeech (made)
as he bids us fuppofe, by the atheiftical rabble. And
who can deny, but he has chofen a fit employment
for himfelf? Where could there be found a better
fpeech-maker for the atheiftical rabble ? But let us hear
him : for though he would give the atheiftical rabble
the credit of it, yet it is the unmafker fpeaks. And be-
caufc it is a pity fuch a pattern of rhetoric and reafon
fhould be loft, I have, for my reader's edification, fct it
all down verbatim :

" We are beholden to this worthy adventurer for
*' ridding the world of fo great an incumbrance, viz.
" that huge mafs and unwieldy body of chriftianity,
'* which took up fo much room. Now we fee that it
" was this bulk, and not that of mankind, which he had
** an eye to, when he fo often mentioned this latter.
** This is a phylician for our turn, indeed ; We like this
" chymical operator, that doth not trouble us with a
" parcel of heavy drugs of no value, but contra(5ts it all
" into a few fpirits, nay doth his bufinefs with a fingle
*^ drop. We have been in bondage a long time to

" creeds

Reafonahlenefs of Chrijlianityy &c. 301

" creeds and catechifms, fyftems and confcfTions ; we
" have been plagued with a tedious bead-roll of articles,
" which our reverend divines have told us, we muft
'• make the matter of our faith. Yea, fo it is, both
" conformifts and nonconform! (Is (though difagreeing
*' in fome other things) have agreed in this, to moleft
" and crucify us. But this noble writer (we thank
" him) hath fet us free, and eafed us, by bringing down
" all the chriflian faith into one point. We have heard
** fome men talk of epiftolary compofures of the New
" Teftament, as if great matters were contained in
" them, as if thegreat myftcries ofchriftianity (as they
" call them) were unfolded there: but we could never
** make any thing of them ; and now we find that this
'* writer is partly of our opinion. He tells us, that
" thefeare letters fent upon occafion; but we are not to
" look for our religion (for now, for this gentleman's
'* fake, we begin to talk of religion) in thefe places.
'^ We believe it, and we believe that there is no religion
" but in thofe very chapters and verfes, which he has
" fet down in his treatife. What need we have any
'' other part of the New Teftament? That is bible
" enough, if not too much. Happy, thrice happy fliall
*' this author be perpetually eftecmed by us ; we will
'' chronicle him as our friend and benefaclor. It is
" not our way to faint people, otherwife we would
^* certainly canonize this gentleman; and when our
" hand is in, his pair of bookfellers, for their being i'o
*' beneficial to the world, in publilhing fo rich a trea-
" fure. It was a bleiTcd day, when this hopeful birth
" faw the light; for hereby all the orthodox creed-
*' makers and fyftematic men arc ruined for ever. Iii
" brief, if we' be for any chriftianity, it Ihall be
*' this author's: for that agrees with us fingularly
*' well, it being fo (hort, all couched in four words,
*' neither more nor lefs. It is a very fine compendium,
" and we are infinitely obliged to this great reformer
'•' for it. We are glad at heart, that chriftianity is
" brought fo low by this worthy pen-man; for this is a
" good prefage, that it will dwindle into nothing.
'* What ! but one article, and that fo brief too ! We

*' like

302 A Second Vindication of the

•' like fuch a faith, and fuch a religion, becaufe it i^
*' nearer to none."

He hath no fooncrdonc, but, as it defcrvcd, he cries
out ** Euge, Ibphos ! And is not the reader," quoth he,
*' fatisfied that fuch language as this hath real truth in
** it? Does not he perceive, that the difcarding all the
" articles but one, makes way for the cafting off that
** too?" Anfvv. It is but fuppofing that the reader is a
civil gentleman, and anfvv ers. Yes, to thefe two
queftions; and then it is demonflration, that by this fpecch
he has irrefragably proved the tendency of my book to
irreligion and atheifm.

I remember Chillingworth fom.e where puts up this
requeft to his adverfary Knot:, •' Sir, I befeech you,

* when you write again, do us the favour to write
' nothing but fyllogifms. For I find it ftill an ex-
' treme trouble to find out the concealed propofitions,

* which are to conned: the parts of your cnthymems.

* As now, for example, I profefs to you I have done
^ my bed endeavour to find fome glue, or folder, or
^ cement, or thread, or any thing to tie the antecedent
' and this confequent together." The unmafker

agrees fo much in a great part of his opinion with that
jefuit, (as I have fnown already) and does fo infinitely
out-do him in fpinning ropes of fand, and a coarfe
thread of inconfiftencies, which runs quite through his
book ; that it is with great jufiice 1 put him here in
the jefuit's place, and addrefs the fame requeft to him.

His very next words give me a frelli reafon to do it :

for thus he argues, p. 72, ** May we not exped, that

' thofe who deal thus with the creed, i. e. difcard all

' the articles of it but one, will ufe the fame method

* in reducing the ten commandments and the Lord's

* prayer, abbreviate the former into one precept, and

* the latter into one petition?" Anfw. If he will tell
me where this creed he fpeaks of is, it will be much
more eafy to anfwcr his demand. Whilft his creed,
which he here fpeaks of, is yetno-wherc, it is ridiculous
for him 10 alk queftions about it. The ten command-
ments, and the Lord's prayer, I know where to find in
cxprcfs words, fct down by thcmfcKcs, with peculiar

marks

Keajmahlenefs of Chrijlianityt &c. 303

marks of diftindion. Which is the Lord's prayer, we
are plainly taught by this 4:ommand of our Saviour,
Luke xi. 2, ** when ye pray, fay. Our Father," &c.
In the fame manner and words, we are taught what we
Ihould believe, to make us his difciples, by his. command
to the apoftles what they fliould preach. Matt. x. 7
*' As ye go, preach, faying," (What were they to fay?
Only this) *' The kingdom of heaven is at hand." Or,
as St. Luke exprelTes it, chap. ix. 2, They were fent
" to preach the kingdom of God, and to heal the
** lick:" which, what it was, we have fufficiently ex-
plained. But this creed of the unmafkcr, which he
talks of, where is it ? Let him fhow it us diflindly fet
out from the reft of the.fcripture. If he knows where
it is, let him produce it, or leave talking of it, until he
he can. It is not the apoflles creed, that is evident:
for that creed he has difcarded from being the flandard
of chriftian faith, and has told the world in words at
length. That '• if a man believes no more than is in
*' exprefs terms in the apoflles creed, his faith will not
" be the faith of a chriftian." Nay, it is plain, that
creed has, in the unmafker's opinion, the fame tendency
to atheifm and irreligion, that my fummary has. For the
apoflles creed, reducing the forty, or, perhaps, the four
hundred fundamental articles of his chriflian creed, to
twelve; and leaving out the greateft part of thofe ne-
celTary ones, which he has already, and will hereafter, in
good time, give us ; does as much difpofe men to ferve
the decalogue, and the Lord's prayer, juft fo, as my re-
ducing thofe twelve to t\\o. For fo many, at leaft, he
has granted to be in my fummary, viz. the article of
one God, maker of heaven and earth ; and the other, of
Jefus the MelHah; though he every-where calls them
but one: which, whether it be to fhow, v.ith what love
and regard to truth he continues, and confequently
began this controverfy ; or whether it be to beguile and
flartle unwary, or confirm prejudiced readers ; I fliall
leave other to judge. It is evident, bethinks his caufc
would be mightily maimed, if he were forced to leave
out the charge of one article ; and he would not know
what to do for wit or argument, if he lliould ca'l them

two :

304. A Second llndication cf the

two : for then the whole weight and edge of his rtrong
and fliarp reafoning, in his " Thoughts concerning the
** caufes of atheifni," p. 122, would be loft. There
you have it in thcfe words : " When the catholic
*' fagh is thus brought down to one lingle article, it
" will foon be reduced to nont ; the unit will dwindle
" into a cypher" And here again, it makes the whole
argument of his atheiftical fpeech, which he winds up
V ith thcfe convincing words : '* We are glad to hear
*' that chriftianity is brought fo low by this worthy pen-
" man ; for this is a good prefage, that it will dwindle
" into nothing. What ! one article, and that fo brief
" too! We like fuch a faith, and fuch a religion, be-
" caufe it is fo near none." But I muft tell this
writer, of equal wit, fenfe, and niodcfty, that this re-
ligion, which he thus makes a dull farce of, and calls
*' near none," is that very religion which our Saviour
Jefus Chriftand his apoftlcs preached, for the converfion
and falvation of mankind ; no one article whereof, which
they propofcd as neceffary to be received by unbe-
lievers, to n^^ake them chriftians, is Omitted. And I
afk him. Whether it be his errand, as one of our
Saviour's ambalfadors, to turn it thus into ridicule? For
until he has Ihown, that they preached otherwife, and
more than what the Spirit of truth has recorded of their
preaching in their hiflorics, which I have faithfully
collected, and fet down ; all that he ihall fay, refiecling
upon the plainnefs and limplicity of their dodlrinc,
however diredled againft me, will by his atheiftical
rabble of all kinds, now^ they are fo well entered and
inftru6ted in it by him, be all turned upon our Saviour
and his apoftlcs.

What tendency this, and all his other trifling, in fo
ferious a caufe as this is, has to the propagating of
atheifm and irreligion in this age, he were beft to
confider. This I am fure, the doctrine of but one ar-
ticle (if the author and finiftier of our faith, and thofc
he guided by his Spirit, had preached but one article)
has no more tendency to atheifm, than their dodlrine
of one God. But the unmafker evcry-where talks, as
iftheftrength of our religion lay in the number of its

articles;

Reafonallenefs of Chriftianityy &'c. 305

articles ; and would be prefently routed, if it had been
but a few ; and therefore he has muftercd up a pretty
full band of them, and has a referve of the Lord knows
how many more, which fhall be forth-coming upon oc-
calion. But I fliall defire to remind this learned divine,
who is fo afraid of what will become of his religion, if it
fhould propofe but one or a few articles, as necelTary to
be believed to make a man a chriftian ; that the ftrength
and fecurity of our religion lies in the divine authority
of thofewho firit promulgated the terms of admittance
into the church, and not in the multitude of articles,
fuppofed by fome necelfary to be believed to m.ake a
man a chriflian : and I would have him remember,
when he goes next to make ufeof this flrong argument
of *' one dwindling into a cypher" that one is as re-
mote as a million from none. And if this be not fo, I
defire to know whether his way of arguing will not
prove pagan polytheifm to be more remote from atheifm
than chrifrianity. He will do well to try the force of
his fpeech in the mouth of an heathen, complaining of
the tendency of chriftianity to atheifm, by reducing his
great number of gods to but one, which was fo near
jione, and would, therefore, foon be reduced to none.

The unmafker feems to be upon the fame topic,
where he fo pathetically complains of the Socinians,
p. 66, in thefe words; " Is it enough to rob us of our
" God, by denying Chrift to be fo ; but mull they fooil
** us of all the other articles of chriftian faith but one?"
Have a better heart, good fir, for I afTure you no-body
can rob you of your God, but by your ov*n confent,
nor fpoil you of any of the articles of your faith. If you
look for them, v.-here God has placed them, in the holy
fcripturc, and take them as he has framed and fafliioned
them there ; there you will always find them fafe and
found. But if they come out of an artificer's fiiop, and
be of human invention, I cannot anfwer for them : they
may, for aught I know, be nothing but an idol of your
own fetting up, which may be pulled down, fliould
you cry out ever fo much, *' Great is Diana of the
''Ephefians 1"

Vol, VL X He,

3o6 A Second Vindication of the

He, who confiders this argument of one and none, a«
managed by the unmafker, and obferves his patheiical
way of rcafoning all through his book, muft confcfs.,
that he has got the very philofophcr's Hone in dif-
puting. That which would be worthlefs lead in others,
he turns into pure gold ; his oratory changes its nature,
and gives it the noble tincture : fo that what, in plain
reafoning, would be nonfenfe, let him but put it into a
fpeech, or an exclamation, and there it becomes ftrong
argument. Whether this be not fo, I dclire mode and
figure may decide. And to thofe I Ihall delire he would
reduce the proofs, which, p. 73, he fays he has given of
thcfe following propofitions, viz.

XXIX. *' That I have corrupted men's minds.*

XXX. '' That I have depraved thegofpel."

XXXI. '' Thatlhaveabufedchriftianity."

Forallthefe three, p. 73, he affirms of me without
proof, and without honefty.

Whether it be from confufion of thought, or unfair-
nefs of delign; either becaufc he has not clear diftindl
notions of what he would fay, or finds it not to his pur-
pofe to fpeak them clearly out, or both together; fo it
is, that the unmalker very feldom, but when he rails,
delivers himfelf fo that one can certainly tell what he
v>ould have.

The quefiion is. What is abfolutely nccciTary to be
believed by every one, to make him a chriftian? It has
been clearly made out, from an exadt furvey of the
hiftory of our Saviour and his apolllcs, that the whole
aim of all their preaching evcry-Vvhere was, to convince
the unbelieving world of thcfe two great truths] firft.
That there was one, eternal, invifible God, maker of
heaven apd earth : and next, that Jefus of Nazareth
was the Mefliah, the promifed King and Saviour: and
that, upon men's belicvjng thefe two articles, they
were baptized and admitted into the church, i. e. re-
ceived as fubjeds of Chrift's kingdom^ and pronounced

believers.

Reafonahlenefs of Chrijlianit^^ 6f<r. 307

believer?. From whence it unavoidably follovvs, that
thefc two are the only truths necelTary to be believed to
make a man a chriftian.

This matter of fad: is fo evident from the whole tenour
of the four Gofpcls and the Acfls ; and preffes fo hard,
that the unmafker, who contends for a great number of
other points necelfary to be believed to make a man a
chriftian, thinks himfelf concerned to give fome anfwer
to it ; but, in his ufual way, full of uncertainty and
confufion. To clear this matter, he lays down four
particulars ; the firft is, p. 74, ^^ That the believing
** Jcfus to be the promifed Mefliah, was the firft ftep
*' to chriftianity."

The fecond, p. 76, " That thouQjh this one propo-
" fttion, (viz. of Jefus the Meftiah) be mentioned
" alone in fome places, yet there is reafon to think,
"and be perfuaded, that at the fame time other matters
*' of faith were propofed."

The third, p. 76, " That though there are feveral
" parts and members of the chriftian faith, yet they do
*^ not all occur in any one place of fcripture."

The fourth, p. 78, '' That chriftianity was eredledby
" degrees,"

Thefe particulars he tells us, p. 74, " he offers to
clear an objection." To fee, therefore, whether they
are pertinent or no, we muft examine what the objeftion
is, as he puts it. I think it might have been put in a
few words : this I am fure, it ought to have been put
very clear and diftindl. But the unmafeer has been
pleafed to give it us, p. 73, as followeth : '^ Becaufe I
** deftgned thefe papers for the fatisfying of the reader's
" doubts, about any thing occurring, concerning the
" matter before us, and for the eftablifhing of his'
" wavering mind ; I will here (before I pafs to the fe-
*' cond general head of my difcourfe) anfwer a query,
" or objedion, which fome, and not without fome
" fhow of ground, may be apt to ftart: how comes it
" to pafs, they will fay, that this article of faith, viz.
*^ that Jefus is the Meffiah, or Chrift, is fo often re-
** peated in the New Teftament t Why is this fometimcs
'* urged, without the mentioning of any other article of

X 2 <* belief?

3o8 A Second Vindication of the

** belief? Doth not this plainly fliow, that this is all
*' that is required to be believed, as neccffary to make
** a man a chriftian? May we not infer, from the fre-
** quent and fole repetition of this article in feveral
** places of the evangelifts and the Ads, that there is no
" other point of faith of abfolute neceflity ; but that
" this alone is fufficient to conftitute a man a true
" member of Chrift?"

By which he fliows, that he is uncertain which way to
put the objedlion, fo as ma}' be eafieft to get rid of it :
and therefore he has turned it feveral ways, and put
feveral queftions about it. As firft,

" Why this article of faith," viz. that Jefus is the
MefTiah, *'is fo often repeated in the New Teflament ?"

His next queftion is, ** Why is this fometimes urged
** without the mentioning any other article of belief?'*
which fuppofes, that fometimes other articles of belief
are mentioned with it.

The third queition is, " May we not infer, from the
" frequent and fole repetition of this article, in feveral
*' places of the evangelifts and Acls?"

Which laft queftion is in effed:. Why is this fo fre-
quently and alone repeated in the evangelifts and the
Ads? i. e. in the preachings of our Saviour and his
apoftles to unbelievers. For of that he muft give an
account, if he will remove the difficulty. Which three,
though put as one, yet are three as diftind queftions,
and demand a reafonfor three as diftind niatters of fad,
as thefe three are, viz. frequently propofcd : fometimes
propofed alone ; and always propofed alone, in the
preachings of our Saviour and his apoftles : for fo in
truth it was, all through the Gofpcls and the Ads, to
the unconverted believers of one God alone.

Thefe three queftions being thus jumbled together in
one objedion, let us fee how the four particulars, he-
mentions, will account for them.

The firft of them is this: " That believing Jefus to be
" thepromifed Meflias," was, fays he, '' the firft ftep
*' to chriftiahity." Let it be fo : What do you infer
from thence? The next words Ihow : " therefore this,

" rather

KeafondhJenefs of ChriJ}ia?nty, &c. 309

*' rather than any other article, was propounded to be
** believed by all thofe, whom either our Saviour or
" his apoftles invited to embrace chriftianity." Let
yourpremifes be everfo true, and your deduction of this
propolition be ever fo regular from them, it is all loft
labour. This conclufion is not the propolition you
were to prove. Your queftions were, '^ Why this article
" is fo often propofed ?'* And in thofe frequent repe-
titions, ** Why fometimes urged alone, and why always
*' propofed alone, viz. to thofe v/hom either our Saviour
** or his apoftles invited to embrace chriftianity ?" And
your anfwer is, Becaufe the believing ** Jefus to be
'' the Mcffias, was the firft flep to chriftianity." This
therefore remains upon you to be proved.

XXXII. ** That, becaufe the believing Jefus to be
" the MefTias is the firft ftep to chriftianity, there-
" fore this article is frequently propofed in the
*' New Teftament, is fometimes propofed without
" the mentioning any other article, and always
" alone to unbelievers."

And when you have proved this, I fliall defire you to
apply it to our prcfcnt controverfy.

His next anfwer to thofe queftions is in thefe words,
p. 76, ** That though this one propolition, or article,
*' be mentioned alone in fome places, yet there is reafon
" to think, and be perfuaded, that at the fame time
*• other matters of faith were propofed." From whence
it lies upon him to make out this reafoning, viz.

XXXIII. ** That becaufe there is reafon to think,
and be perfuaded, that at the fame time that this
one article was mentioned alone, (as it was
fometimes) other matters of faith were pro-
pofed : therefore this article was often propofed
in the New Teftament ; fometimes propofed
alone ; and always propofed alone, in the preach-
ings of our Saviour and his apoftles to unbe-
licvei-s."

X 3 This

310 A Second Vindication of the

This I fct down to fliow the force of his anfwer to his
queftions : fuppofing it to be true, not that I grant it to
be true, that where ** this one article is mentioned
** alone, we have reafon to think, and be perfuaded,
'* that at the fame tim.e ether matters of faith [i. e. ar-
*' tides of faith heceifary to be believed to make a man
'' a chriftian] werepropofed :" and I doubt not but to
fliow the contrary.

His third particular, in anfwer to the queftion pro-
poled in his objection, (lands thus, p. 76. . " That
** though there are feveral parts and members of the
*^ chriftian f^iith, yet they do not all occur in any one
** place of thefcripture;" which anfwer lays it upon him
to prove,

XXXIV. Thatbecaufc ''the feveral parts of the mem-
" bers of the chriflian faith do not all occur in any
*' one place of fcripture," therefore this article, that
Jefus was the ** MefTias, was often propofed in the
** New Teftament, fometimes propofed alone, and
** always propofed alone," in the preachings of our
Saviour and his apoftles, through the hiftory of
the evangelifts and the Ads.

The fourth and laft particular, which he tells us is th^
main anfwer to the objection, is in thefe words*

" That chriflianity was creded by degrees.'*
Which requires him to make out his argument, viz.

XXXV. " That becaufe chriftianity was ereded by
" degrees, therefore this article," that Jefus was
*' the Meflias, was often propofed in the new tefta-
*' ment, fometimes propofed alone, and always
*' propofed alone in the preachings of our Saviour
" and his apoflles to unbelievers, recoraed in thq
*' hiftpry of the evangelifts and Ads,"

For, as I faid before, in thefe three qvieftion? he has
put hi^ objedion ; to which, he tells qs, t.as is- the main
anfwer. . • ■

Of

Reafonahlenefs of ChriJIianity, &c. 311

Of thefe four particulars it is, that he fays, p. 74, to
" clear this objeiftion, and to give a full and fatisfadory
*' anfwer to all doubts in this affair, I offer thefe en-
" fuing particulars, which will lead the reader to the
" right underftanding of the whole cafe."

How well they have cleared the objeciion, may befeen
by barely fetting them down as anfwers to the qucftions,
wherein he puts the objedlion.

This is all I have hitherto done ; whereby is very
vifible, how well (fuppofing them true) they clear the
objedtion : and how pertinently they are brought to
anfwer thofe queftions wherein his objection is con-
tained. Perhaps it will be faid, that neither thefe, nor
any thing elfe, can be an appofite anfwer to thofe quef-
tions put fo together. I anfvv'er, I am of the fame
mind. But if the unmafl^er, t4irough ignorance or fliuff-
ling, will talk thus confufedly, he m.uft anfwer for it.
He calls all his three queffions, one objection, over
and over again : and therefore, which of thofe queftions
it does or does not lie in, I fhall not trouble myfelf to
divine; fince I think he himfelf cannot tell : for which-
ever he takes of them, it will involve him in equal dif-
ficulties. I now proceed to examine his particulars
themfelvesj and the truth contained in them. The firft,
p. 74, Rands thus :

I. '^ The believing of Jefus to be the promifed
" Meilias was the firft ilep to chriftianity. It was that
" which made way for the embracing of all the other
*' articles, a paffage to ail the reft." Anfw. If this be,
as he would have it, only the leading article, amongfl a
great many other, equally neceffary to be believed, to
make a man a chriftian ; this is a reafon why it fliould
be conftantly preached in the firft place : but this is no
reafon why this alone fnould be fo often repeated, and
the other neceffary points not be once mentioned.
For 1 delire to know what thofe other articles are that,
in the preaching of our Saviour and his apoftles, arc re-
peated or urged belides this ?

In the next place, if it be true, that this article, viz.
that Jefus is the Meffiah, .was only the fir ft in order
amongft a great many articles, as neceffuy to be be-

X 4 licvcd ;

-7 12 A second Vindication of the

lieved ; how comes it to pafs, that barely upon the
propofal and belicvin^Tof this, men were admitted into
the church as believers? The hiftory of the New Tefta-
ment is full of inftances of this, as Ads viii. 5, 12, ii^'
ix. and in other pk^ces.

Though it be true, what the unmaiker lays here,
'' That if they did not give credit to this in the firft
" place, that Jefus of Nazareth was that eminent and
*' extraordinary perfon prophciicd of long before, and
*' that he was fent and commiflioned by God ; there
*' could be no hope that they would attend to any
*' other propofals, relating to the chriftian religion;"
vet what he fubjoins, " that this is the true reafon,
*^ why that article was conftantly propounded to be bc-
*' lieved by all that looked towards chriftianity, and
** why it is mentioned fo often in the evangelical writ-
" ings," is not true. For, firft, this fuppofes that there
were other articles joined with it. This he fliould have
firft proved, and then given the reafon for it ; and not,
as he docs here, fuppofe what is in queftion, and then
give a reafon why it is fo ; and fuch a reafon that is in-
confiftent with the matter of fad:, that is every-where
recorded in holy writ. For, if the true reafon why the
preaching of this article, *^ that Jefus was the Meftiah,'*
as it is recorded in the hiftory of the New Teftament,
were only to make' way for the other articles, one muft
ne^s think, that either our Saviour and his apoftles
(with reverence be it fpoken) were very ftrange
preachers ; or, that the evangelifts, and author of the
Adls, were very ftrange hiftorians. The firft were to
inftrud the world in a new religion, confifting of a
great number of articles, fays the unmaiker, neceftary
ro be believed to make a man a chriftian, i. e. a great
number of propolitions, making a large fyftem, every
one whereof is fo neceftary for a man to underftand and
believe, that if any one be omitted, he cannot be of that
religion. What now did our Saviour and his apoftles
do ? Why, if the unmafl-ier may be believed, they went
up and down with danger of their lives, and preached
to the world. What did they preach? Even this
lingle propolition to make way for the reft, viz. " This

" is

Reafonahlenefs of ChrIJliamt)\t^c. 313

«' is the eminent man fent from God," to teach you
other things : which amounts to no more but this,
that Jefus was the perfon which was to teach them the
true religion, but that true religion itfelf is not to be
found in all their preaching; nay, fcarce a word of it.
Can there be any thing more ridiculous than this ? And
yet this was all they preached, if it be true, that this
was all they meant by the preaching every-where,
Jefus to be the MefTiah, and if it were only an introduc-
tion, and a making way for the dodtrines of the gofpel.
But it is plain, it was called the gofpel itfelf. Let the
unmaikcr, as a true fucceifor of the apoftles, go and
preach the gofpel, as the apodles did, to fome part
of the heathen world, where the name of Chrift is not
known : would not he himfelf, and every body think,
he was very foolillily employed, if he iliould tell them
nothing but this, that Jefus was the perfon promifed
and fent from God to reveal the true religion ; but
fliould teach them nothing of that true religion, but this
preliminary article ? Such the unmalker makes all the
preaching, recorded in the New Teftament, for the con-
verfion of the unbelieving world. He makes the
preaching of our Saviour and his apoftles to be no more,
but this, that the great prophet promifed to the world
was come, and that Jefus was he: but what his doctrine-
was, that they Vvere filent in, and taught not one article,
of it. But the unmafker mifreprefents it: for as to his^
accufing the hiftorians, the evangelifts, and writers of the
Acts of the apoftles, for their Ihameful omiflion of the
whole do6trine of the chriftian religion, to fave his
hypothefis, as he does under his next head, in thefe
words : **that though this one propofition be mentioned
*' alone in fome places, yet there is reafon to think,
" and be perfuaded, that at the fame time other matters .
" of faith were propofed;" I ftiall ftiow how bold he
makes with thofe infpired hiftorians, when I come to
conftder that particular.

How ridiculous, how fenfelefs, this bold unmafker,
and reformer of the hiftory of the New Teftament, makes
the preaching of our Saviour and his apoftles, as it
ftands recorded of them by infallible writers, is vilible.

But

314. ^ Second Vitidtcaiion of ihe

But taking it, as in truth it is there, wc ilia) I have a
quite other view of it. Our Saviour preached every-
where the kingdom of God; and by his miracles de-
clared himfelf to be the king of that kingdom. The
apoftles preached the fame, and after his afcenfion,
openly avowed him to be the Prince and Saviour pro-
mifcd : but preached not this as a bare fpeculative
article of fimpic belief; but that men might receive
him for their King, and become his fubje^ts. When
they told the world that he was the Chrifl, it was not as
the unmafker v/ill have it : believe this man to be a
prophet, and then he will teach you his new religion ;
which when you have received and embraced all and
every article thereof, which are a great number, you
will then be chrillians, if you be not ignorant or in-
credulous of any of them. But it was, believe this
man to be your King fcnt from God ; take him for
fuch, with a refolution to obferve the laws he has given
you ; and you are his fubjedts, you are chriftians. For
thofe that truly did fo, made themfelves his fubjed:s :
and to continue fo, there was no more required, than a
fincere endeavour to know his will in all things, and to
obey it. Such a preaching as this, of Jefus to be the
Meifiah, the King and Deliverer, that God almighty
had p'romifed to mankind, and now had effedlualy fent,
to be their Prince and Ruler, was not a fimple prepara-
tion to the gofpel : but, when received with the obe-
dience of faith, was the very receiving of the gofpfl,
and had all that was' requifite to make men chriflians.
And without it be fo underftood, no-body can clear the
preaching of our Saviour and his apoftles from that
incredible imperfection, or their hiftorians from that
unpardonable negligence, and not doing either what
they ought, or what they undertook, which our un-
maikcr hath fo impiouily charged upon them ; as will
appear yet plainer, in what I have to fay to the un-.
malker's next particular. For, as to the remainder of
this paragraph, it contains nothing but his cenfurc and
contempt of me, for not being of his mind, for not
feeing as he fees, i. e. in eftect, not laying that blame
which he does, either on the preaching of our Saviour

^n<i

Reafinahlenefs of Chrtjlianity, &c. 315

and his apoftles, or on the infpired writings of their
hiftorians, to make them comply with his lyftem, and
the chnftianity he would make.

The immalker's fecond particular, p. 76, tells us,
*' That though this one propofition or article be men-
" tioncd alone in fome places, yet there is reafon to
" think and be perfuaded, that at the fame time other
'* matters of faith were propofed. For it is confefled
" by all intelligent andobfcrving men, that the hiftory
" of the fcriptureis concife,- and that in relating matter
" of fad, many paffages are omitted by the facred
*' pen-men. Wherefore, though but this one article
" of belief, fbecaufe it is a leading one, and makes
" way for the reft) be exprefsly mentioned in fome of
*' the gofpels, yet we muft not conclude thence, that
*' no other matter of faith was required to be admitted
*' of. For things are briefly fet down in the evangelical
*' records, and we muft fuppofe many things which arc
" not in direcSt terms related."

Anfw. The unmafker here keeps to his ufual cuftom of
fpeaking in doubtful terms. He fays, that where this
one article, that Jefus is the MefTiah, is alone recorded
in the preaching of our Saviour and his apoftles; " We
** have reafon to be perfuaded, that at the fame time
*' other matters of faith were propofed." If this be to
hispurpofe, by matters of faith, muft be meant funda-
mental articles of faith, abfolutely neceflary to be be-
lieved by every man to make him a chriftian. That
fuch matters of faith are omitted, in the hiftory of the
preaching of our Saviour and his apoftles, by the facred
hiftorians ; this, he fays, " we have reafon to be per~
*' fuaded of."

Anfw. They need be good reafons to perfuade a ra-
tional man, that the evangelifts, in their hiftory of our
Saviour and hiS apoftles, (if they were but ordinarily
fair ana prudent men) did, in an hiftory publiftied to
inftruct the v/orld in a new religion, leave out the ne-
celfa. y and fundamental parts of that religion. But let
them be confidered .\s infpired writers, under the con-
dud of the iiifalliblc Spirit of God, putting them upon,
and dircdii';^^ thcui in. the writino: of this hiftory of the

goipel :

3i6 A Second Vindication of the

gofpcl : and then it is impofTiblc for any chrifrian, but
the unmafker, to think, that they made any fuch grofs
omifiions, contrary to the dclign of their writing, with-
out a demonftration to convince him of it. Now all the
reafon that our unmaflcer gives, is this: •* That it is
•' confefTed by ail intelligent and obfcrving men, that
" the hiflory of the fcripture is concifc; and that in
" relating matters of fiicTc, m.any palfagcs are omitted
'* by thefacrcd pen-men."

Anfw. The unmafker might have fpared the con-
fcflion of intelligent and obferving men, after fo plain a
declaration of St. John himfelf, chap. xx. 31, " Many
*^ other things did Jefus in the prefenceof his difciples,
" which are not written in this book." And again,
xxi. 25, *' There are aifo many other things that
** Jefus did, the which if they fhould be written every
** one, I fupppfc the world could not contain the books
** that fhould be written." There needs, therefore, na
opinion of intelligent and obferving men to convince
lis, that the hiftory of the gofpel is fo far concife, that a
great many matters of fad are omitted, and a great
many lefs material circumftances, even of thofe that
are let down. But will any intelligent or obferving
man, any one that bears the name of a chriftian, have
the impudence to fay, that the infpired writers, in the
relation they give us of what Chrift and his apoftles
preached to unbelievers to convert them to the faith>
omitted the fundamental articles, which thofe preacher^
propofed to make men chriflians; and without a belief
of which, they could not be chriflians ?

The unmafker talks after his wonted fafliion ; i. c.
feems to fay fomething, which, when examined, proves
nothing to his purpofe. He tells us, ** That in fom^e
** places," where the article of '' Jefus the Mefhah is
** mentioned alone, at the fame time other matters of
** faith were propofed." I alk were thefe other mat-
ters of faith all the unmafker's ncceffary articles? If
not, what are thofe other matters of faith to the un-
mafker's purpofe ? As for example, in St. Peter's fermon^
Ad:s ii. ** Other matters of faith were propofed with
'* the article of Jefus the Mefliah." But what does this

make,

Reafonahlenefs of Cbrifiianiljy i^c. 317

make for his fundamental articles : were they all pro-
pofed with the article of Jefus the Melliah? If not, un*
believers were converted, and brought into the church,
without the unmadver's neceffary articles. Three thou-
fand were added to the church by this one fermon. I pafs
by, now, St. Luke's not mentioning a fyllable of the
greatell part of the unmafker's neceiTary articles; and
fhall confider only, how long that fermon may have
been. It is plain from vcr. 15, that it began not until
about nine in the morning; and from ver. 41, that
before night three thoufand were converted and bap-
lifed. Novv' I afk the unmafker. Whether fo fmall a
number of hours, as Peter mull neceflarily employ in
preaching to them, were fufficient to inftrucl fuch a
mixed multitude fo fully in all thofe articles, which he
has propofed as neceflary to be believed to make a man
a chrillian; as that every one of thofe three thoufand,
that were that day baptifed, did underfiand, and ex-
plicitly believe everyone of thofe his articles, juft in
the fenfe of our unmaflver's fyftem? Not to mention
thofe remaining articles, which the unmalker will not
be able, in twice as many nionths, to find and declare
to us.

He fays, "That in fome places," where the article
of *' Jefus the Mefiiah is mentioned alone, at the fame .
*' time other matters of faith were propofed;" Let us
take this to be fp at prefefit, yet this helps not the un-
mafker's cafe. The fundamental articles^ that were
propofed by our Saviour and his apoilies, necelfary ip be
beheved to make men chriftians, are not [ct dov/n ; but
only this lingle one, of " Jefus the Mefiiah:" therefore,
will anyone dare to fay they are omitted every-where
by the evangelifts ? Did the hiftorians of the gofpel
rnake their relation fp concife and Ihort, that giving ^an
account in fo many places of the preaching of our
Saviour and his apoftles, for the converfion of the un-
believing world, they did not in any one place, nor in.
all of them together, fet down the necelfary points of
jhat faith, which their unbelieving hearers were con-
verted to ? If they did not, how can their hiflorics be
called the Gofpels of Jefus Chrift? Or how can they

ferve
S

3 1 8 A Second Vindication of the

fervc to the end for which they were written ? Which
was to piibhfli to the world the dofttine of Jcfus ChrifV,
that men might be brought into his religion. Now I
challenge the unmafker to Ihow me, not out of any one
place, but out of all the preachings of our Saviour and
his apoflles, recorded in the four Gofpels, and in the
Acts, all thofe proportions which he has reckoned up
as fundamental articles of faith. If they are not to be
found there, it is plain, that either they are not articles
of faith, necelTary to be believed to make a man a
chriflian; or elie, that thofe infpired writers have given
us an account of thegol'pel, or chriftian religion, where-
in the greatefl: part of the doctrines, neceffary to be
believed to make a man a chriftian, arc v.holly
omitted. Which in fhort is to ^^y^ that thechriftianity,
which is recorded in the Gofpels and the Ads, is not
that chriftianit- which is fufficient to make a man a
chriftian. This fas abfurd and impious as it is) is
what our unmafker charges upon the concifenefs (as he
is p leafed to call it) of the evangelical hiftory. And
this we muft take upon his word, though thefe infpired
writers tell us the diredl contrary : for St. Luke, in his
preface to his gofpel, tells Theophilus, that having a
perfed: knowledge of all things, the defign of his writ-
ing was to fet them in order; that he might know the
certainty of thofe things that were believed amongft
chriftians. And his hiftory of the Ads begins thus :
" The former treatife [i.e. his gofpel] have I made,
'* O Theophilus, of all that Jefus began to do and to
"teach." So that, how cone ife foe ver the unmafker •
will have his hiftory to be, he profefies it to contain all
that Jefus taught. Which all muft, in the narroweft
fenfe that can be given it, contain at leaft all things ne-
cefl>,ry to make a man a chriftian. It would elfe be a
very lame and imperfed hiftory of all that Jefus taught,
ifthe iiith contained in it were not fufficient to make a
m^n a chriftian. This indeed, as the unmafker hath
been pleaicd to term it, would be a very lank faith, a •
very lank gofpel.

St. John aUb fays thus, of his hiftory of the gofpel,
chap. XX. 30, 31, *- Many other ftgns truly did Jefus,

in

Reafonablenefs of Chriftianity^ (s'c. 319

^ in the prefence of his difciples, which are not written
** in this book :" fo far his hiftory is, by his own con-
fefllon, concife. *' But thefe," fays he, " are written
** that ye might believe that Jefus is the Mediah, the
^* Son of God ; and that, believing, ye might have life
** through his name." As concife as it was, there
was yet (if the apoflle's word may be taken for it
againft the unmafker's) enough contained in his gofpel>
for the procuring of eternal life, to thofe who believed
it. And, whether it was that one article that he there
fets down, viz. That Jefus was the Mefiiah, or that {et
of articles which the unmaflver gives us, I fliall leave
to this modern divine to refolve. And, if he think»
ftill, that all the articles he has fct down in his roll, arc
neceffary to be believed to make a man a chriftian, I
niuft delire him to (how them to me in St. John's gofpel,
or elfe toconvince the world, that St. John was miftakcn,
when he faid, that he had written his gofpel, that men
might believe that *' Jefus was the MelTiah, the Son of
" God ; and that, believing, they might have life
** throu2;h his name."

So that, granting the hiftoiy of the fcripture to be Co
concife, as the unmaflver v/ould have it, viz. that in
fome places the infallible writers, recording the dif-
courfes of our Saviour and his apoftles, omitted all the
other fundamental articles propofed by them to be be-
lieved to make men chriftians, but this one, that Jefus
was the Mefliah ; yet this will not rem.ove the obiec-
-tion that lies againfl: his other fundamentals, which are
not to be found in the hifl:ories of the four evangelifls ;
nay, not to be found in any one of them. If every
one of them contains the gofpel of Jefus Chrift, and '
confequently all things neceffary to falvation, whether
this will not be a new ground of accufation againft me,
and give the unmafker a right to charge me with laying
by three of the gofpels with contempt, as well as he did
before charge me with a contempt of the epiftles ; muft
be left to his fovereign authority to determine.

Having fliowcd that, allowing all he fays here to be as
he would have it, yet it clears not the objection that
lies againft his fundamentals ; I fliall now examine

\\ hat

220 A Second Vindication of the

what truth there is in what he here pretends, viz. that
thou<Th the one article. That Jefus is the McHlah, be
mentioned *' alone in fome places, yet we have reafon
** to be perfuaded, from the concifenefs of the" fcrip-
tiire hiftory, that there were, at the fame time, joined
with it other necelfary articles of faith, in the preaching
of our Saviour and his apoftles.

It is to be obferved, that the unmafker builds upon
this falfe fuppofition, that in fome places, other neccf-
fary articles of faith, joined- with that of Jefus the
Mclliah, are by the evangelifts mentioned to be pro-
pofed by our Saviour and his apoftles, as neceffary to
be believed to make thofe they preached chrirtians.
For his faying, that in fome places, that *' one necef-
•* fary article is mentioned alone," implies, that in other
places it is nof mentioned alone, but joined with other
neceifary articles. But then it will remain upon him
to fnow,

XXXVI. " In what place, either of the Gofpels or
** of the Ads, other articles of faith are joined
" with this, and propofed as neceffary to be be-
" lieved to mnke men chnftians."

The unmafker, it is probable, will tell us, that the
article of Chrift's refurredion is fometimes joined with
this of the Meffiah, as particularly in that lirft fermon
of St. Peter, Acts ii. by which there were three thou-
fand added to the church at one time. Anfw. This
fermon, well conlidercd, will explain to us both the
preaching of the apoflles ; what it was that they pro-
pofed to their unbelieving auditors, to make them chrif-
tians ; and alfo the manner of St. Luke's recording
their fcVmons. It is true, that here are delivered by St.
Peter many other matters of faith, befides that of Jefus
being the Meiliah : for all that he faid, being of divine
authority, is matter of faith, and may not be dilbeliev-
ed. The firlf part of his difcouife is to prove to the
Jews, that what they had obferved of extraordinary at
that time, amongft the difciples, who fpake variety of
tonaucs, did not proceed from wine, but from the Holy
' "" Ghoft;

Reafonahknefs of Chrijiianity y &c. 3 2 1

Ghod; and that this was the pouring out of the Spirit,
prophefied of by the prophet Joel. This is all matter
of faith, and is written, that it might be believed : but
yet I think, that neither the unmafl^er, nor any bod)'"
elfe will fay, that this is fuch a necelfary article of
faith, that no man could, without an explicit belief of
it, be a chrillian ; though, being a declaration of the
Holy Ghoft by St. Peter, it is fo much a matter of faith,
that no-body to whom it is now propofed, can deny it,
and be a chriftian. And thus all the fcripture of the
New Teftament, given by divine infpiration, is matter
of faith, and neceflary to be believed by all chriftians,
to whom it is propofed. But yet I do not think any
one fo unreafonable as to fay, that every proportion in
the New Teftament is a fondamental article of faith,
which is required explicitly to be believed to make a.
man a chriftian.

Here now is a matter of faith joined, in the fame
ferrnon, v.'ith this fundamental article, that '' Jefus is
" the Meffiah ;" and reported by the facred hiftorian
fo at large, that it takes up a third part of St. Peter's
fcrmon, recorded by St. Luke : and yet it is fuch a
matter of faith, as is not contained in the unmaflsier'ss
.catalogue of neceflary articles. I muft afk him then,
v/hether St. Luke were fo concife an hiftorian, that he
would fo at large {el down a matter of faith, propofed
by St. Peter, that was not neceftary to be believed to
make a man a chriftian, and wholly leave out the very-
mention of all the unmaiker's additional necelfary ar-
ticles, if indeed they were necefiary to be believed to
make men chriftians ? I know not how any one could
charge the hiftorian v/ithgreater unfaithfulnefs, orgreater
folly. But this the unmallcer fticks not at, to preferve
to himfelf the power of appointing what ftiall, and what
ftiall not, be neceflary articles ; and of making his
fyftem the chriilianity neceffary, and only neceflary to
be received.

The next thing; that St. Peter proceeds to, in this his

fermon, is, to declare to the unbelieving Jews that Jefus

of Nazareth, who had done miracles amongft them.

Vol. VL Y whom

j22 A Second Vindication of the

whom they had crucified, and put to death, and whom
God had raifcd again from the dead, was the Mclfiah.

Here indeed our Saviour's crucifixion, death, and re-
furredlion, are mentioned : and if they were no-whcre
elfe recorded, are matters of faith ; which, with all the
reft of the New Teftament, ought to be believed by
every chriftian, to whom it is thus propofed, as a part
of divine revelation. But that thcfe were not here
propofed to the unbelieving Jews, as the fundamental
articles, which St. Feter principally aimed at, and en-
deavoured to convince theni of, is evident from hence,
that they arc made ufe of, as arguments to perfuade them
of this fundamentcil truth, viz. that Jefus was theMefTiah,
•whom they ought to take for their Lord and Ruler.
For whatfoever is brouglit as an argument, to prove
another truth, cannot be thought to be the principal
thing aimed at, in that argumentation ; though it may
have ^o ftrong and immediate a connexion with the
conclulion, that you cannot deny it, without denying
even what is inferred from it, and is therefore the htter
to be an argument to prove it. But that our Saviour's
crucifixion, death, and refurrctftion, were ufed here a«
aro-uments to perfuade them into a belief of this funda-
mental article, that Jefus w as the Mclhah, and not as
propoliiions of a new faith they were to receive, is evi-
dent from hence, that St. Peter preached here to thofc
who knew the death and crucifixion of Jefus as well as
he : and therefore thefc could not be propofed to them,
as new articles of faith to be believed; but thofe matters
of fad; being what the Jews knew alrcad\, were a good
aro'ument, joined with his rcfurredtion, to convince
them of that truth, which he endeavoured to give them
a belief of. And therefore he rightly inferred, from
thcfe facts joined together, this concluficfn, the believing
whereof would make them chrifiians : ** Therefore let
*' all the houfe of Ifrael know ailuredly, that God hath
" made that fame Jefus^ whom ye have crucified,
** Lord and Chrift." To the making good this fole
propofition, his whole difcourfe tended : this was the
ible truth he laboured to convince them of; this the
faith he endeavoured to bring them into i which as fooa

as

^

Reafonahlenejs of Chrijlianity, &c. 323

as they had received with repentance, they were by
baptifm admitted into the church, and three thoufand
at once were made chriftians.

Here St. Luke's own confeflion, without that " of
" intelligent and obferving men," which the un-
mafker has recourfe to, might have fatisficd him
again, " that in relating matters of fad:, many palfages
** were omitted by the facrcd pen-men." For, fays
St. Luke here, ver. 40, *' And with many other words,"
which are not fet down.

One would, at firfl fight, wonder why the unmafker
negledis thefe demonftrative authorities of the holy pen-
men thcmfelves, where they own their omifTions, to
tell us, that it is *' confelTed by all intelligent and ob-
" ferving men, that in relating matters of facft, many
** pafTagcs are omitted by the facred pen-men." St.
John, in what he fays of his gofpel, diredly profcfTes
large omiflions, and fo does St. Luke here. But thefe
omilTions would not ferve the unmafker's turn ; for they
arc diredly againft him, and what he v/ould have: and
therefore he had rcafon to pafs them by. For St. John,
in that palfage above-cited, chap. xx. 30, 31, tells us,
that how much foever he had left out of his hiftory, he
had infcrted that w^hich was enough to be believed to
eternal life : '* but thefe are written, that ye might be-
" licve, and, believing, ye might have life." But this
is not all he allures us of, viz. that he had recorded all
that was necelTary to be believed to eternal life : but he,
in exprefs words, tells us what is that all, that is ne-
ceflary to be believed to eternal life; and for the proof
of which propofition alone, he writ all the reft of his
gofpel, viz. that wx might believe. What? even this :
*' That Jefus is the Chrift, the Son of God," and that,
believing this, we ** might have life through his
name."

This may ferve for a key to us, in reading the hiftory
of the New Tellament; and ihow us why this article,
that Jefus was the Mefliah, is no-where omitted,
though a great part of the arguments ufed to convince
men of it, nay, very often the whole difcourfc, made
to lead men into the belief of it, be intirely omitted.

Y 2 The

3^4 A Second Vindication of ihe '

The Spirit of God direclcd them evcry-whcrc to fct
down the article, which was abfolutcly nccefTary to be
believed to make men chrillians ; fo that that could no
V-^ys be doubted of, nor miftaken : but the arguments
and evidences, which were to lead men into this
faith, would be fufficient, if they were once found any
where, though fcattered here and there, in thofe writ-
ings, whereof that infallible Spirit was the author.
This prcfcrved the decorum ufed in all hiftories, and
avoided thofe continual, large, and unneceffary repeti-
tions, which our critical unmaiker might have called
tedious, with jufter reafon than he does the repetition
of this fliort proportion, that Jefus is the Melfiah ;
which I fet down no oftener in my book, than the Holy
Ghoft thought fit to infert it in the hiftory of the New
Teftament, as concife as it is. But this, it feems to our
nice unmafkcr, is " tedious, tedious and offenfivc."
And if a chrilfian, and a fucceiTor of the apoftlcs, can-
not bear the being fo often told, what it was that our
Saviour and his apoftles every- where preached to the
believers of one God, though it be contained in one
jhort propofition ; what caufe of exception and difguft
would it have been to heathen readers, fome whereof
might, perhaps, have been as critical as theunmafker,
if this facred hillory had, in every page, been filled with
rhe repeated difcourfes of the apollles, allof them every-
where to the fame purpofe, viz.- to pcrfuade men to be-
lieve, that Jefus was the Mclnah ? It was necelTary, even
by the laws of hiftory, as often as their preaching any
where was mentioned, to tell t» what purpofe they
fpoke; v.hich being always to convince men of this one'
fundamental truth, it is no wonder wc find it fo often
repeated. But the arguments and reafonings with
which this one point is urged, are, as they ought to be,
in moft places, left cut. A conftant repetition of thern
had been' fuperfluous, and confequently might juftly
have been blamed as *' tedious." But there is cnougli
recorded abujidantly to convince any rational man, any
one not wilfully blind, that he is that promifed Saviour.
And, in this, we have a reafon of the omifTions in the
hiftory of the New Tcftament ; which were uo other

than

Reajonahlencfs of Chrijilaniiy, &c. ja5

than fuch as became prudent, as well as faithful writers.
Much Icfs did that concifcncfs (with which the un-
•tnaikcr would cover his bold cenfure of the Gofpels and
the, Acfls, and, as itfeenas, lay them by with contempt)
make the holy writers omit any thing, in the preaching
of our Saviour and his apoftleSj abfolutely necellary to
be known and believed to make men chriftians.

Conformable hereunto^ we (liall find St. Luke writes
his hiftory of the Ads of the tipoftles. In the begining
of it, he fets down at large fome of the difcourfes made
ito the unbelieving j^ws. But in moft other places,
unlefs it be where there was foiTtething particular in the
circumflances of the matter, he contents himfelf to tell
to what purpofe they fpoke ; which was every-where
-only this, that Jefus was the Mefliah. Nay, St. Luke,
in the firft fpecch of St. Peter, Ads ii, vvhich he thought
fit to give us a great part of, yet owns the omiflion of
feveral things that the apoftlc faid. For, having ex-
preffed this fundamental dodrine, that Jefus was the
Mefliah, and recorded fcvcral of the arguments whe^re-
with St. Peter urged it, for the converfion of the un-
iielieving jews., his auditors, he adds, ver. 40, ** And
" v..ith many other words did he tellify and exhort, fay-
" ing. Save you rfelves from this untoward generation."
Here he confeffcs, that he omitted a great deal which
St. Peter had faid to perfuade them. To what ? To
that which, in other words, he had juft faid before,
ver. 2*^, '' Repent and be baptized every one of you
'' in the name of Jefus Chrifl," i. e. Believe Jefus to be
the Meffiah, take him as fuch for your Lord and King,
and reform your lives by a fmcere refolution of obedience
to his laws.

Thus v/e have an account of the omiffions in the re-
cords of matters of fad: in the New Teflament. But
will the unmafker fay. That the preaching of thofe
articles that he has given us, as necelibry to be believed
to make a man a christian, was part of thofe matters of
fa^L, which have been omitted in the hiftory of the New
Teftament ? Can any one think, that " the corruption
*^ and degeneracy of human nature, with the true
" original of it, (the defedion of our firft parents) the

Y 3' *' propagation

326 A Second Vindication of the

" propagation of fin and mortality, our rcftoration and
•' reconciliat:on by Chrifl's bicod, the cniincncy and
" excellency ot his pricdhood, the efficacy of his death,
•' the full fatisfacftion thereby made to divine juftice,
" and his being made an all-fufficient facrifice for fin,
** our juftification by Chrift's righteoufnefs, elecflion,
•' adoption," &:c. were all propofcd, and that too, in
the fenfe of our author's fyltem, by our Saviour and his
apoftles, as fundamental articles of faith, nccelTary to be
explicitly believed by every man, to make him a chri-
ftian, in all their difcourfes to unbelievers ; and yet that
the infpired pen-men of thofe hillories every-vvhere left
the mention of thefe fundamental articles wholly out?
This would have been to have writ, noc a concife, but
an imperfecl hiftory of all that Jefus and his apoRIcs
taught.

What an account would it have been of the gofpel, as
it was fuTt preached and propagated, if the grcatefl part
of the neccllary dodrincs of it were wholly left out, and
a man could not find, from one end to the other of this
whole hifiiory, that religion which is neccfi^ary to be be-
lieved to make a man a chriflian ? And yet this is that,
which, under the notion of their being concife, the un-
mafker would perfuade us to have been Gone by St. Luke
and the other evangelifls, in their hifiories, And it is
r»o lefs than what he plainly fays, in his ** Thoughts
*' concerning the caufes of atheifm," p. 109, m here, to
aggravate my fault, in palling by the cpiftles, and to
lliow the nccelTitv of fearchino; in them for fundamentals,
he in words blames me ; but in tlfed: condemns the
Jacred hifi^ory contained in the Gofpels and the Ads.
*' It is mofi: evident," fays he, ^* to any thinking man,
*' that the author of the Reafonahlcncfs of Chriftianity,
** purpofcly omits the cpifi.olary writings of theapoftles,
*' pccaufe they are fraught M'ith other fundamental
*' dodrines, befides that one which he mentions. There
** we are inftruded concerning thefe grand heads of
** chriflian divinity." Here, i. e. in the epifi"les, fays
he, ** there are difcovcries concerning fatisfadtion,"
A:c. And, in the clofe of his lift of grand heads, a?
he calls them, fomc whereof I have above fvt down ou;
- • ;; , ... ■. -■• ■ • .^-o-f

J

Reafonahlenefs of Chriftianity, ^c, 327

of him, he adds, ** Thcfe are the matters of faith con-
" tained in the epiftles," By all which expreflions he
plainly fignifies, that thcfc, which he calls fundamental
doctrines, are none of thofe we are inlirucled in, in the
Gofpels and the Al^s ; that they are not difcovercd nor
contained in the hiftorical writings of the evangelifls :
whereby he confeffcs, that cither our Saviour and his
apoftles did not propofe them in their preachings to
their unbelieving hearers ; or clfe, that the fcverai
faithful writers of their hiftory, wilfully, i. e. unfaith-
fully, every-where omitted them in the acccount they
have left us of thofe preachings ; which could fcarce
pofiibly be done by them all, and every-where, without
an actual combination amongft them, to fmother the
greateft and moft material parts of our Saviour's and his
apoftles difcourfcs. For v.-hat elfe did they, if all that
the unmalker has fct down in his lift be fundamental
doArines ; every one of them abfolutely neceliiiry to be
believed to make a man a chriftian, which our Saviour
and his apollles every-where preached, to make men
chriftians ? but yet St. Luke, and the other evangelifts,
by a very guilty and unpardonable concifenefs, every-
where omitted them, and throughout their whole
hiftory, never once tell us, they w ere fo much as pro-
pofed, much lefs, that they were thofe articles which
the apoftles laboured to cftablifli and convince men of
every-w here, before they admitted them to baptifm ?
Nay the fir greateft part of them, the hiftory they Avrit
does not any where fo much as once mention ? How,
after fuch an imputation as this, the unmafts:er will
clear himfelf from laying by the four Gofpels and the
Ai^ts with contempt, let him look ; if my not colleding
fundamentals out of the epiftles had that guilt in it.
For I never denied all the fundamental dodrines to be
there, but only faid, that there they were not eafy to be
found out, and diftinguidied from doctrines not fun-
damental. Whereas our good unmalker charges the
hiftorical books of the New Teftament with a total
omifTion of the far greateft part of thofe fundamental
dodrines of chriftianity, which he fays, are abfolutely
{leceflary to be believed io make a man a chriftian.

To
Y i.

328 A Second Vindication of the

To convince the render what was abfolutcly required
to be believed to make a man a chriftian, and thereby
clear the holy writers from the unmafkcr's llandcr, any
one need but look a little farther into the hiflory of the
Acts, and obfcrve Si. Luke's method in the \^ riting of
it. In the beginning, (as we obfervcd before) and in
forrie few other places, he fcts down at large the dif-
»:'ourfes made by the preachers of chriftianity, to their
tinhtllcving auditors. But in the procefs of his hiltory,
he generally contents himfcif to relate, what it was their
difcourfes drive at ; ^\hat was the dodlrine they en-
deavoured to convince their unbelieving hearers of, to
inake them believers. This, we may obferve, is never
omitted. Tliis is every-where fet down. Thus, Acts
V. 42, he tells us, that ** daily in the temple, and in
*' every lioufe, the apoftles ceafed not to teach, and to
** preach Jesus the Messiah." The particulars of
their difcourfes he omits, and the arguments they ufed
to induce men to believe, he omits ; but never fails to
inform us carefully, v.hat it was the apoftles traight and
preached, and would have men believe. The account
he gives us of St. Paul's preaching at Thefialonica, is
this : That ** three fabbath-days he reasoned with
*' the jews out of the fcriptures, opening and al-^
*' LEGING, that the Meiliah muft nc(;ds have fufFered,
*' and rifcn again from the dead ; and that Jefus was
" the MeiTiahj Ads xvii. 2, 3. At Corinth, that
**■ he REASONED in the fynagogue every fabbath, and
" PERSUADED the jews and the greeks, and testified
*' that Jefus vi'as the Mediah ;" xviii. 4, 5. That
*^ Apollos mightily convinced the jews, showing by
** THE Scriptures, that Jefus was the Mefliah j"
xviii. 28.

By thefe, and the like places, v/e may be fatisfied
what it was, that the apoftles taught and preached, even
this one propofition. That Jefus was the Mefliah : for
this was the fole propofition they reafoned about ; this
alone they teftificd, and they ftiowed out of the fcrip-
tures; and of this alone they endeavoured to convince
the jews and the greeks, that believed one God. So
that It is plain from hence, that St. Luke omitted no-
thing.

Reafonahlenefs 6f Cbrtjlianity, &r. 329

thing, that the apoflles taught and preached ; none of
thofe dot^rines that it was neceflary to convince unbe-
lievers of, to make them chriftians ; though he, in mofl
places, omitted, as was fit, the paflages of fcripture
which they alleged, and the arguments thofe infpired.
.preachers ufed to perfuade men to believe and embrace
that do(5lrine.

Another convincing argument, to fliow that St. Luke
omitted none of thofe fundamental docrtrines, vvhich the
apoflles any where propofed, as neccffary to be believed,
is from that different account he gives us of their
preaching in other places, and to auditors otherwife
difpofed. Where the apoftles had to do with idolatrous
heathens, who were not yet come to the knowledge of
the only true God, there, he tells us, they propofed
alfo the article of the one invifible God, maker of
heaven and earth : and this we find recorded in him
out of their preaching to the Lyftrians, Acl:s xiv. and
to the Athenians, Adts xvii. In the latter of which,
St. Luke, to convince his reader, that he, out of con-
cifenefs, omits none of thofe fundamental articles, that
were any where propofed by the preachers of the gofpel,
as necelfary to be believed to make men chriftians, fets
down not only the article of jcfus the Mefliah, but
that alfo of the one invifible God, creator of all things ;
which, if any necefi^ary one might, this of all other fun-
damental articles might, by an author that affected
brevity, with the fairert excufe, have been omitted, as
being implied in that other, of the Median ordained by'
God. Indeed in the fi:ory of v/hat Paul and Barnabas
faid at Lyfira, the article of the Meffiah is not mention-
ed. Not that St. Luke omitted chat fundamental arti-
cle, where the apoflles taught it : but, they having
here begun their preaching with that of the one livint^
God, they had not, as appears, time to proceed fiirther,
and propofe to them what yet remained to make them
chriftians : all that they could do, at that time, was, to
hinder the people from facriftcing ro them. And, be-
fore we hear any more of their preaching, they were,
by the inftigation of the jews, fallen upon, and Paul
Itoned,

This,

J30 A Second Findicafmi of the

This, l>y the way, fhows the unmalkcr's mifiake, ity
his firlt particular, p. 74. where he fays, fas he does
here again, in the fecond particular, vhich we arc now
examining) that ** believing Jcfiis to be the Mcffiah is
" the firfl Itcp to chriflianity ; and therefore this,
** rather than any other, was propounded to be be-
" lieved by all thole, whom either our Saviour, or the
" apoftles, invited to embrace chriftianity." The
contrary whereof appears here ; where the article of
one Cxod is propofed in the firlt pla^r-e, to ihofe whofc
unbelief made fuch a propofal necefiary. And there-
fore, if his reafon (which he ufes again here, p. 76.)
were good, viz. That the article of the MclTiah is ex-
prcfly mentioned alone, " becaufe it is a leading arti-
** cle, and makes way for the reR," this reafon would
rather conclude for the article of or^e God ; and that
alone fliould be exprefly mentioned, inilead of the
other. Since, as he argues for the other, p. 74, ** If
'*" they did not believe this, in the firft place," viz.
that there was one God, " there could be no hope*
*' that they Vvould attend unto any other propofal, re-
•' lating to the chrifl:ian religion." The vanity and
fiilfliood of which reafoning, viz. that " the article of
** Jeius the MeiUah was evcry-where propounded, rather
** than any other, becaufe it was the leading article,'*
we fee in the hiftory of St. Paul's preaching to the
Athenians. St. Luke mentions more than one article>
where more than one was propofed by St. Paul ; though
the firft of them was that leading article of one God,
which if not received, ** in the firft place, there could
" be no hope they would attend to the reft."

Something the unmaiker would make of this argu-
ment, of a leading article, for want of a better, though
he knows not what. In his firft particular, p. 74, he
makes ufc of it to iliow, why there was but that one
article propofed by the firft preachers of the gofpel ;
and how well that fucceeds with him, we have uen.
For this is demonftration, that if there were but d-.it
one propofed by our Saviour and the apoftles, there
\ps but that one n.cccfrary to be believed to make men
chriftians ; m\h{& he will impiouOy fay, that our

Saviour

Reafonahlenefs of Chrijiianity y ^c. 331

Saviour and the apoftles went about preaching to no
purpofe : for if they propofed not all that was neceflary
to make men chriftians, it was in vain for them to
preach, and others to hear; if when they heard and be-
lieved all that was propofed to them, they were not yet
chriftians : for if any article was omitted in the pro-
pofal, which was neceflary to make a man achriftjan,
though they believed all that was propofed to them,
they could not yet be chriftians ; unlefs a man can, from
an infidel, become a chriftian, without doing what was
neceflliry to make him a chriftian.

Further, if his argument, of its being a leading arti-
cle, proves, that that alone v/as propofed, it is a con-
tradiction to give it as a reafon, why it was fct down
alone by the hiftorian, where it was not propofed alone
by the preacher, but other neceflliry ** matters of faith
*' were propofed with it ;" unlefs it can be true, that
this article, c^ " Jefus is the Mefliah," was propofed
alone by our Saviour and his apoftles, becaufe it was a
leading article, and was mentioned alone in the hiftory
of what they preached, becaufe it was a leading article,
though it were not propofed alone, but jointly with
other necefl^ary matters of faith. For this is the ufe he
makes here again, p. 76, of his leading article, under
his fecond particular, viz. to fhow why the hiflorians
mentioned this necejTary article of Jefus the Mefliah
alone, in places where the preachers of the gofpel pro-
pofed it not alone, but with other necefl^ary articles.
But, in this latter cafe, it has no fliow of a reafon at
all. It may be granted as reafonable for the teachers
of any religion not to go any farther, where they fee
the firft article, which they propofe is rejected ; where
the leading truth, on which all the refl: depends, is not
received. But it can be no reafon at all, for an hiflorian,
who writes the hiftory of thefe firfl: preachers, to fet
dovvn only" the firfl: and leading article, and omit all the
refl:, in iiifl:ances where more were not only propofed,
but believed and embraced, and upon that the hearers
and believers admitted into the church. It is not for
hiflorians to put any diftindion between leading, or
net leading articles^ but, if they will give a true and
■ ' ufeful

332 A Second Vindication of the

ufcful account of the religion, whofe original they arc
^vriting, and of the converts made to it, they mud tell,
not one, but all thofc necelTary articles, upon alTent to
which, converts were baptized into that religion, and
admitted into the church. Whoever fays othcrwifc,
accufcs them of faUifying the flory, mifleading the rea-
ders, and giving a wrong account of the religion which
they pretend to teach the world, and to preferve and
propagate to future ages. This (if it were fo) no pre-
tence of concifencfs could excufe or palliate.

There is yet remaining one conlidcration, which
•were fufficient of itfelf to convince us, that it was the
fole article of faith which was preached ; and that if
there had been other articles necelTary to be known and
believed by converts, they could not, upon any pre-
tence of concifenefs, be fuppofed to be omitted : and
that is the commiflions of thofe, that were fent to
preach the gofpel. Which fince the facred hiftorians
mention, they cannot be fuppofed to leave out any of
the material and main heads of thofe commiflions.

St. Luke records it, chap. iv. 43, that our Saviour
fays of himfclf, ** I muft go into the other towns to
*^ tell the good news of the kingdom ; for (hV tSto)
**. upon this errand am I sekt."* This St. Mark calls
limply preaching. This preaching, what it contained,
St.JVlatthew tells us, chap. iv. 23, *' And Jefus \\ent
*' about all Galilee, teaching in their fynagogues, and
*' preaching the good news of the kingdom, and heal-
*' ing all manner of ficknefs and all manner of difeafes
*' among the people." Here y.e have his commiflion,
or end of his being fent, and the execution of it ; both
terminating in this, that he declared the good news, that
the kingdom of the MeiTiah was come ; and gave them
to underftand, by the miracles he did, that he himfelf
was he. Nor does St. Matthew feem to affecl fuch
concifenefs, that he would hav-e left it out, if the gofpel
Had contained any other fundamental parts necelTary
to be believed to make men chriflians. For he here
fays, *' All manner of licknefs, and all manner of
** difeafes," when either of them might have been better

left

ReafonaUenefs of Chrifiianity y &c. 22J

left out, than any necefTary article of the gofpel, to make ,
his hiftory concife.

We fee what our Saviour was fent for. In the next
place, let us look into the commiffion he gave the
apoftles, when he fent them to preach the gofpel. We
have it in the tenth of St. Matthew, in thefe words :
** Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into anv
** city of the Samaritans enter ye not. But go rather
*' to the loft ftieep of the houfe of Ifrael. And as ye

*' go, PREACH, SAYING, ThE KINGBOM of HEAVE>f

" IS AT HAND. Heal the lick, clcanfe the lepers,
" raife the dead, caft out devils : freely have ye re-r
*' ceivcd, freely give. Provide neither gold, nor filver,.
*^ nor brafs in your purfes, nor fcrip in your journey ;
'^ neither two coats, neither flioes, nor yet ftaves, (for
" the workman is worthy of his meat.) And into
" whatfoevcr city, or town, ye fliall enter, inquire wha
" in it is worthy, and there abide until ye ga thence,
*' And wlicn ye come into any houfe falute it. And,
** if the houfe be worthy, let your peace come upon it;
*' and if it be not worthy, let your peace return ta
** you. And whofoever fliall not receive you, nor
** hear your words ; when ye depart out of that houfe,
'* or city, {hake off the duft of your feet. Verily I
" fay unto you, it fliall be more tolerable for the land
" of Sodom and Gomorrha, in the day of judgment,
*' than for that city. Behold I fend you forth as fneep,
** in the midft of wolves: be ye therefore wife as fer-,
** pents, and harmlefs as doves. But beware of men ;
" for they will deliver you up to the councils, and they
*' will fcourge you in their fynagogues. And ye ftiall
" be brought before governors and kings for my fake,
** for a teftimony againft them and the Gentiles. But
" when they deliver you up, take no thought, how. ov
*' what ye fliall fpeak ; for it ftiall be given you ^ that
*^ fame hour, what ye fliall fpe^k. For it \f^n^t ye
" that fpeak, but the Spirit, of your , Fatheri ,. -which
*' fpeaketh in -you. And the brother (liall deliverup
" the brother to death,, and the lather the child, and
*^ the children fhall rife up againft, the parents, and
" caufethem to be put to death. And ye iLall be hated

'' of

^34 "^ $H^nd Vindication of the

** of all men, for my name's fake : but he that art-
•* dureth to the end fhall be faved. But when they
** perfecute you in this city, flee ye'into another ; for veri-
*' ly I fay unto you, ye fhall not have gone over the cities
•* of Ifrael until the Son of man be come. The difciple
** is not above his maftcr, nor the fervant above his lord.
*' It is enough for the difciple, that he be as his mafler,
•' and the fervant as his Tord. If they have called the
•* mafterofthe houfe Beelzebub, how much more fliall
«' they call them of his houfhold ? Fear rhem not
«* therefore ; for there is nothing covered, which fhall
•' not be revealed ; and hid, that fl-iall not be knov/n.
«* What I tell you in darkncfs, that fpcak ye in light :
<* and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the
** houfe-tops. x'\nd fear not them which kill the body,
** but are not able to kill the foul : but rather fear him,
«* which is able to deftroy both fouJ and body in helL
** Are not two fparrows fold for a farthing ? And one
«* of them Ihall not fall to the ground without your
<"* Father. But the very hairs of your head arc all num-
** bered. Fear ye not therefore; ye are of more value
** than many fparrows. Whofoever therefore fhall con-
** fefs me before men, him will I confefs alfo before my
<* Father, which is in heaven. But whofoever ihall
** deny me before men, him will I alfo deny before my
«* Father, which is in heaven. Think not that I am
*' come to fend peace on earth : I came not to fend
** peace, but a fword. For I am come to fet a man at
** variance againft his father, and the daughter againft
•* her mother, and the daughter-in-law againft her
** mother-in-law. And a man's foes fliali be they of
*' his own houfliold. He that loveth father and mo-
" ther more than me, is not worthy of me : and he that
** loveth fon or diaughter more than me, is not v, orthy
" of mc. And he that taketh not his ctofs, and fol-
** loweth after me, is not worthy of me. He that
" findeth his life (hall lofe it : and he that lofeth his
«* life for my fake, (hall find it. He that receivcth you,
" receivcth me : and he that receivcth mc, receiveth
" him that fenc mc. He that recciv-.th a prophet in
•' the nan^e of a prophet, Ihall receive a prophet's re-
" ward ; and he that receivcth a righteous man in the

•* name

Rcdfmahhnefi of Chrijlianity, &c, jj^

*'' name of a righteous man, lliall receive a righteous
** man's reward. And whofoever fhall give to drink
*' unto one of thefe little ones, a cup of cold water
•' only, in the name of a difciple, verily I fay unto you,
'* he Ihall in no wife lofe his reward. And it came to
"* pafs, when Jefus had made an end of commanding
" his twelve difciples"— —

This h the commillion our Saviour gave his apofHes,
when he feat them abroad to recover and fave " the
** loft Iheep of the houfe of Ifrael." And will any of
the unmalkcr's intelligent and obferving men fay, that
the hiftory of the " fcripture is fo concife, that any
" paflagcs," any ell^ntial, any material, nay, any parts
at all oftheapoftles commillion, ** are here omitted by
" the Hicred penman?" This conymilTion is fct down
fo at full, and fo particularly, that St. Matthew, who
•was one of them to whom it was given, fccms not 19
have left out one word of all that our Saviour gave him
in charge. And it is fo large, even to every particular'
article of their inftruCtion-s, that I doubt not, but my
citing fo much, " verbatim," out of the facred text,
will here ap-ain be troublcfome to the unmalker. But
whether he will venture again to call it tedious, muft be
as nature or caution happen to have the better on it.
Can any one, v»ho reads this commiftion, unlcfs he hath
the brains, as well as the brow of an unmafkcr, allege,
that the concifenefs of the hiftory of the fcripture ha's
concealed froni us thofc fundamental dodtrines, which
our Saviour and his apcftlcs preached ; but the facred
hiftorians thought fit by confent, for unconceivable
reafons, to leave out in the narrative they give us of
thofe preachings ? This paffagc here, wholly confutcth
that. They could preach nothing but v,'hat they were
fent to preach : and that we fee is contained in thefe few
■words, ** preach, faying. The kingdom of heaven is at
*• hand. Heal the lick, cleanfe the lepers, raife the
" dead, caft out devils;" i. c. acquaint them, that the
kingdom of the MeiTiah is com.e, and let them know,
by the miracles that you do in my name, that I am that
King and Deliverer they expect. If there were any
other neccflary articles that were to he believed, for the

faving

33^ -^ Second Vindication of the

faving of the loft fliccp they were fent to, can one
think that St. Matthew, who fets down fo minutely
every circumllance of their commiflion, would have
omitted the mofi: important and material of it ? He
was an ear-witnefs, and one that M'as fent : and fo
(without fuppoling him infpired) could not be miflcd
by the lliort account he might receive from others, who
by their own, or others forgetful nefs, might have drop-
ped thofe other fundamental articles, that the apoflles
■^vere ordered to preach.

The very like account St. Luke gives of our Saviour'^
commiflion to the fevcnty, chap. x. i — 16, ** After
thefe things the Lord appointed other feventy alfo,
and fent them two and two before his face, into every
city and place, whither he himfelf would come.
Therefore faid he unto them. The harvefl: truly is
great, but the labourers are few : pray ye therefore
the Lord of the harveft, that he would fend forth
labourers into his harveft. Go your ways: behold I
fend you forth as lambs among wolves. Carry neither
purfe, nor fcrip, nor fhoes : and falute no man by the
way. And into whatfocvcr hou fe ye enter, firft fay,
Peacebe to this houfc. And if the Son of peace be
there, your peace ihall red' upon it ; if not, it fliall re-
turn to you again. And in the fame houfe remain, eat-
ing and drinking fuch things as they give : for the
labourer is worthy of his hire. Go not from houfe to
houfe. And into whatfoever city ye enter, and they
receive you, cat fuch things as are fet before you.
Andheal the fick that arc therein, and say unto them.
The kingdom or God is come nigh unto you.
But into whatfocvcr city ye enter, and they receive
you not, go your ways out into the flreets of the
fame, and fay, even the very duft of your city, which
cleaveth on us, we do wipe ofTagainlt you; notwith-
franding, be ye furc of this, that the kingdom of God
is come nigh unto you. But I fay unto you, that it
Ihall be more tolerable, in that day, for Sodom, than
for that city. Wo unto thee, Chcrazin ! Woe unto
thee, Bethfaida! For if the mighty works had been
done in Tyre and Sidon, which have been done in

•' you,

Reafonahlenefs of Chrijlianityy &c, 231

•* you, they had a great while ago repented fitting in
*^ lackcloth and aihes. But it fl-iall be more tolerable
** for Tyre and Sidon, at the day of judgment, than
*' for you. And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted
** to heaven, llialt be thruft down to hell. He that
" heareth you, heareth me : and he that defpifeth you,
•' defpifeth me : and he that defpifeth me, defpifeth
" him that fent me."

Our Saviour's commiffion here to the feventy, whom
he fent to preach, is fo exadly conformable to that
v/hich he had before given to the twelve apoftles, that
there needs but this one thing more to be obfcrved, to
convince any one that they were fent to convert their
hearers to this fole belief. That the kingdom of the
Mefliah was come, and that Jefus was the Meiliah :
and that the hiitorians of the New Teftament are not •
fo concife in their account of this matter, that they
would have omitted any other neceffary articles of be-
lief, that had been given to the feventy in commiffion.
That which I mean is, the kingdom of the Meffiah is
twice mentioned in it to be come, verfe 9, and 11. If
there were other articles given them by our Saviour, to
propofe to their hearers, St. Luke mull be very fond of
this one article, when, for concifenefs fake, leaving out
the other fundamental articles, that our Saviour gave
them in charge to preach, he repeats this more than
once.

The unmaiker's third particular, p. 76, begins thus:
" This alfo muft be thought of, that though there are
'* fcveral parts and members of the chriftian faith, yet
" they do not all occur in any one place of fcripture."
Something is in it, (whether owing to his will, or un-
derftanding, I fhall not inquire) that the unmaiker al-
ways delivers himfelf in doubtful and ambiguous terms.
It had been as eafy for him to have faid, ** There are
** feveral articles of the chriftian faith neceffary to be
'* believed to make a man a chriftian," as to fay, fas
he does here) ** There are feveral parts and members
" of the chriflian faith." But as an evidence of the
clearnefs of his notions, or the fairnefs of his arguing, he
always reffs in ^etjerals. There are^ I grant, feveral

Vol, VI. Z pari

338 A Second Vindicatbon vf the

parts and rr.cmbcrs of the, chriftian faith, which do.nr>
more occur in any one place of fcripturc, tlian the whole
New Tellament can be. faid to occur in any one place
of fcripturc. P'or every propofition, delivered in the
New TcUamcnt for divine revelation, is •♦ a part and
*' member of the chriflian faith." But it is not thofe
**. parts and members of the chriftian faith," we are
fpcaking of; but only fuch ** parts and members of
••' the chriftian faith," as are abfolutely neceiTary to be
believed by every man, before he can be a chriftian.
And in that fenfe, I deny his allertion to be true, viz,
that they do not occur in any one place of the fcripture :
for they do all occur in that nrft fcrmon of St. Peter,
Acts ii. 36,. by which three thoufand were at that time
brought into the church, and that in thefe words :
"' therefore let ail the houfe of Ifrael' know affuredly,
"'that God hath made that fame Jefus, whom you have
" crucified. Lord and Chrirt. Repent, and be bap-
'* tifed every one of you in the nam.e of Jefus Chrifl."
Mere is the doctrine of Jefus the MefTiah, the Lord, and
of repentance, propofed. to thofe, who already believe
one God : which, Lfay, are all the parts of the chriftian
faith neceilary to be believed to make a man a chrifiian,
Tofuppofe, as the unmiaiker does here, that more is re-
quired, is to beg, not to prove the queftion.

If he difputes this collection of mine out of that fer-
mon of St. Peter, I will give him a more authentic
colledion of the necefiary parts of the ehriftian faith,
from an author that he will not qucfiion- LcjL him look
into Ads >:x. 20, ^:c. and there he will find St. Paul
faying thus to the elders of Ephefus, whom he was
■.taking his laft leave of, with an ailurance that he fiiould
never fee them again: " I have kept back nothing that was
*' profitable- unto you ; but have fliowcd you, and have
*' taught you publicly, and from houfe to houfe, tefii-
** fying both to the Jews, and ..alfo the Greeks, re-
" pentancc towards God, and faith towards our. Lord
" Jefus Chrift." If St. Paul knew what was nccef-
fary to miake a chrifdan, here it is; here he (if he
knew how to do it, for it is plain from his words he
'defigned to ^o it) has put it together. But there -is a

I i greater

Reafonablencfs of Chrijiianity, <^c. 339

greater yet than St. Paul, who has brought all the parts
of faith neccilary to falvation into one place; I mean
our Saviour himfelf, John xvii. 13, in thefe woids:
*' This is life eternal, that they might . know thee the
** only true God, and Jefus Chriil, whom thou haft
•' fent."

But the uniTiafker goes on : " Therefore, when, in
^* fome places, only one fmgle part of the chriftian
*' faith is made mention of, as neceffary to be em-
" braced in order to falvation, we muit be careful not
" to take it aloiie, but to fupply it from feveral other
*' places, which make -mention of other neceifary and
" indifpenfable points of belief. I will give the reader
'' a plain inftance of this, Rom. x. 9, ''If thou flialt be-
*' lieve in thine heart, that God hath^raifed him (i. e.
*' the Lord Jefus) from the dead, thou fhalt be faved.'*
^' Here one article of faith, viz. the belief of ChriiVs
*' refurredlion (becaufe it is of fo great importance in
*' chriftiahity) is only mentioned: but all the reft muft
*' be fuppofed, becaufe . they are mentioned in other
** places."

Anfw. One w^ould wonder that any one converfant in
holy writ, with ever fo little attention, much more that
an expounder of the fcripturcs, fl^ould fo miftake the
fenfe and ftyle of the fcripture. Believing Jefus
to be the MeOiah, with a lively faith, i. e. as I have
fliowed, taking,him to be our King, with a lincere fub-
miffion to the laws of his kingdom, is all that is re-
quired to make a man a chriftian ; for this includes
repentance too. The believing him therefore to be the
P4e(riah is very often, and with great reafon, put both
for faith and repentance too ;' which are fometimes fee
down fingly, where one is put for both, as implying
the other; and fometimes they are both mentioned ;
and then faith, as cont nidi ft ingui (lied to repentance, is
taken for a fimple allent of the mind to this truth, that
Jefus is the Meffiah. Now this faith is varioufly ex-
prelTed in fcripture.

There are fome particulars in the hiftory of our

Saviour, allowed to be fo peculiarly appropriated to the

Mefiiah, fuch incommunicable marks of him, that to

■-, Z 2, believe

340 A Second Vindication of the

believe them of Jefus of Nazareth, was in effetft thft
fame, as to believe him to be the Mefliah, and fo are
put to cxprefs it. The principal of thefe is his refur-
redlion from the dead ,- which being the great and de-
monltrative proof of his being theMefIiah;^it is not at all
flrange, that the believing his refurreclion fhould be put*
for believing him to be the Meifiah ; lince the declaring
his rcfurreclion, was declaring him to be the Mefliali.
For thus St. Paul argues, A6ls- xiii. 32, i^^y '* ^^ ^^-
•* clare unto you good tidings, or we preach the gofpel
*' to you, [for fo the word fignifies] how that the pro-
** mile, that was made unto the fathers, God hath ful-
" filled the fame unto us their children, in that he hath
** raifed up Jefus again." The force of which argu-
ment lies in this, that, if Jefus was raifed from the dead,
then he was certainly the Mefliah : and thus the promifc
of the MelTiah was fulfilled, in raifing Jefus from the
dead. The like argument St. Paul ufeth, i Cor. xv. 17.
** If ChriO be not raifed, your faith is vain, you are yet
'* in your fins;" i. e. if Jefus be not rifen from the
dead, he is not the MefTiah, your believing it is in vain,
and you will receive no benefit by that faith. And fo,
likewife, from the fame argument of his refurredtion, he
at ThciTalonica proves him to be the Mefilah, Ads xvii.
2, 3, " And Paul, as his manner was, went into the
*' iynagoguf, and three fabbanh-days reafoned with the
*' Jews out of the fcripures, opening and alleging,
*' that the Meiliah mufl: needs have fuffercd, and rifer\
*^ again from the dead ; and that this Jefus, whom I
" preach unto you, is the MelTiah."

The neceifary connexion of thefe two, that if he rof<r
fj'om the dead, he was the Mefliah ; aud if he rofe not
from the dead, he was not the Meffiah ; the chief priell
and pharifees, that had profecuted him to death, under-
llood very well : who therefore ** cam.e together unto
*' Pilate, faying. Sir, we remember that that deceiver
*' faid, whilft he was yet alive. After three days I will
*' rife again. Command therefore, that the fepulchre
** be made fure unto the third day, left his difciples
I* come by night, and ftcal him away, and fay unto the
people, *' He is rifcn from the dead :" '' io the lall

" errour

Reafonahlenefs of Qjrijliantly.^ i^c, 34!

*' errour fliall be worfe than the firfl." The errour they
liere fpeak of, it is plain, was the opinion, that he was
the Mefliah. To ftop that belief, which his miracles
had procured him amongft the people, they had got hira
put to death; but if, after that, it flioutd be believed,
that he rofe again from the dead, this demonftration,
that he was the Meffiah, would but eftabliih what they
had laboured to deftroy by his death ; fince no one, who
believed his refurredti-on, could doubt of his being the
MefTiah.

It is not at all therefore to be wondered, that his re-
furredtion, his afcenfion, his rule and dominion, and
kis coming -to judge the q-uick and the dead, which are
chradlerifticai marks of the Meffiah, and belong pecu-
liarly to him, fl-iould fometimes in fcripture be put
ilone, as fuffioient defcriptions of the Meffiah ; and the
believing them of him put for believing him to be the
Meffiah. Thus, Ads x, our Saviour, in Peter's dif-
courfe to Cornelius, when he brought him the gofpel,
h defcribed to be the Meffiiah, by his miracles, death,
refurredtion, dominion, and coming to judge the quick
and the dead.

Thefc, (which in my ^' Reafonahlenefs of Chriftiani-
** ty,'' I have upon this ground taken the liberty to call
concomitant articles) where they are fet alone for the
faith to which falvation is promifcd, plainly fignify the
believing Jefus to be the Mefliah, that fundamental
article, which has the promife of life ; and fo give no
foundation at all for what che unmaiker fays, in thefe
words : ** Here one article of faith, viz. the belief of
" Chrift's refurredlion, (becaufe it is of fo great impor-
'■' tance in chriftianity) is only mentioned; but all the
" reft mufh be fuppofed, becaufe they are mentioned in
*■"' other places."

Anfw. If all the reft be of abfolute and indifpenfable
neceffity to be believed to make a man a chriftian, all
the reft arc, every one of th<fm, of equal importance.
For things of equal neceffity, to any end, are of equal
j-mportance to that end. But here the truth forced its
"way unawares from the unmafkcr ; Our Saviour's refur-
f^'CHon, for I he rpafon | have given, is truly of great

Z 3 imporranQ^

342 A Second Plndication 'of the

importance in chriftianity ; fo great, that his being, or
not being the MefTiah, Hands or falls with it: fo that
thefe two important articles are infeparable, and m
effedt make but one. For, fince that time, believe one,
and you believe both ; deny one of them, and you can
believe neither. If the unnian<ier can fliow me any one
of the articles in his lift, which is not of this great im-
portance, mendoncd alone, with a promife of falvation
for bclievFng it, I will grant him to have fome colour
for what he fays here. But where is to be found in the
fcriptu.re aiiy fu'ch exprcffion as this : if thou flialt be-
lieve with thy heart ** the corruption and degeneracy
*' of human nature," thou flialt be faved .'* or the like.
This place; therefore, out of the Romans, makes not
for, but againft: his liil of neceffary articles. One of
them, alone, he cannot fhow me any where fet down,
\\\x\\ a fuppofition of the reii", as having falvation pro-
mifed to it : though it be true, that that one, w hich
alone is abfolutely neceflary to be fuperadded to the
belief of one God, is, in divers places, differently ex-
prcffcd.

That which he fubjoins, as a confequence of what he
bad faid, is a farther'prcof of this : ** And confequently,
** favs he, if we would sjive an imr:;artial account of our
*' belief, we muil confult thofe places : and they are
** not all together, but difperfed here and theic. Whcre-
*' fore we m.uft look them out, and acquaint ourfelvcs
*' with the feveral particular?, which make up cur bc-
** lief, and render it intire and confummate."

Anfw; Never was a man conllanter to a loofe way of
talking. The quedion is only about articles neceffary
to be believed to make a man a chrillian : and here he
talks of the ** feveral particulars which make up our
" belief, and render it intire and confummate ;" con-
founding', as he did before, efferitial and integral parts,
which, it fecm.s, he cannot diftinguiili. Our faith is
true and faving, when it is fuch as^ God, by the new
covenant, requires it to be : but it is not intire and con-
fummate, until we explicitly believe all the truths con-
tained in the word of God. For i\\c whole revelation
ot truth in the fcripture being the proper and intire

object

Rmfonahlenefs of Chrijiianiiyi &c^ ^'43

objecfl Off faith, our faith cannot be intire and confum-
mate, 'until it be adequate to its proper objecl, which is
the whole divine revelation contained in the fcripture :
and fo, to make our faith intirc and confummate, we
mufi norlook out thofe places, which, he fays, are not
altogether. To talk of looking out, and culling of
places, is nonfenfe, -where the whole fcripture alone c^n
" make up our belief, and render it intire and confum-
" mate:" which no one, I think, can hope for, in this
frail Rate of ignorance and errour. To make the un-
mafker fpeak fenfe and to the purpofe here, we mult
underlland him thus : " That if we will give an im-
*^*partial account" of the articles, that are necefTary to
be believed lo make a man a ^chriftian, ** we mufi: con-
" fult thofe places where they are ; for they are not all
" together, but difperfed here and there ; wherefore we
*' muft look them out," and acquaint ourfelves with the
feveral particulars, which make up the fundamental
articles of our belief, and will render a catalogue of
them intire and confummate. If his fuppofition be
true, I grant his method to be reafonable, and upon
that I join ifllie with him. Let him thus '* give an im-
** partial account of our belief; let him acquaint us
" with the feveral particulars which inake up a
** chriilian's belief, and render it intire and confum-
** mate." Until he has done this, let him not talk
thus in the air of a rpethod, that will not do : let him
not reproach me, as he does, for not taking a courfe, by
which he himfclf cannot do, what he reviles me for
failing in. " But our hafty author," -fays he, " took
*^ another courfe, and thereby deceived hjmfelf, and
** unhappily deceived others." If it be fo, I defire the
unmalker to take the courfe he propofes, and thereby
undeceive me and others ; and " acquaint us with the
*' feveral particulars which make up a chrillian's be-
■' lief, and render it intire and confummate";" for I
am willing ro be undeceived : but until he has done
that, and ihownus by the fuccefsof it, that his courfe is
better, he cannot blame us for following that courfe we
hiive done. . '

I come now to his fourth and-lafi: particular, p. 78,
■\vh-ich, he faysj '* is the main anfwer to the objection ;"

Z 4 ' an4

344 A Sfcond Vindication of the

and therefore I jfhall fet it down in his own words, in-
tire, as it (lands together. " This/' fays he, " mull
*' be born in our minds, that chriftianity was eredled
*' by degrees, according to that predidlion and promife
'* of our Saviour, that •* the Spirit fhould teach them
** all things," John xiv. 26. and that '* he fliould
'* guide them into all truth." John xvi. 13. viz,
** after his departure and afcenfion, when the Holy
" Ghofl was to be fent in a fpecial manner, to en-
" lighten men's minds, and to difcover to them the
*' great myfterics of chriftianity. This is to be noted by
** us, as that\vhich gives great light in the prcfent cafe.
•' The difcovery of the dodlrines of the gofpel was
**■ gradual. It was by certain ftcps, that chriftianity
" climbed to its height. We are not to think then,
" that all the neceflary dotflrines of the chriftian re-
•* ligion were clearly publifhed to the world in our
*' Saviour's time. Not but that all that were neceffary
** for that time, were publifhed, but fome which were
" neceffary for the fuceeding one, w^re not then dif-
'* covered, or, at leaft, not fully. They had ordinarily
** no belief, before Chrift's death and refurredion, of
*^ thofc fubftantial articles, i, e. that he fhould die and
*•■ rife again : but we read in the A6ls, and in the
*' epiftles, that thefe were formal articles of faith after-
'* wards, and are ever fince neceffary to complete the
** chriftian belief. So as to other great verities, the
•* gofpel increafed by degrees, and was not perfedl at
*^ once. Which furnifhes us with a reafon why moft of the
*' choiceft and fublimeft truths of chriftianity are to be
** met w^ith in the epiftles of the apoftles, they being
*' fuch docftrines as were not clearly difcovered ana
*' opened in the Gofpels and the A6ls." Thus far the
unmafker.

I thought hitherto, that the covenant of grace in
Chrift Jcfus had been but one, immutably the fame :
bur our unmalker here makes two, or I know not how
many. For I cannot tell how to conceive, that the
conditions of any covenant ftiould be changed, and the
covenant remain the fame; every change of conditions,
inrnyajjprchenfion, makes a nev. and another covenant.

Reafonahlenefs of ChriJIiamty, &c. 345

We are not to think, fays the unmalker, *' That all the
*' neceffary docftrines of the chriRian religion were
'* clearly publiflied to the world in our Saviour's time;
" not but that all that were neceffary for that time
'*■ were publifhed : but fome, which were neceffary for
•*' the fucceeding one, were not then difcovered, or, at
** leaft, not fully." Anfw. The unmafker, conllant
to himfelf, fpeaks here doubtfully, and cannot tell
"whether he Ihould fay, that tlie articles neceffary to
fucceeding times, were difcovered in our Sayiour's time,
or no ; and therefore, that he may provide himfelf a re-
treat, in the doubt he is in, he fays, " They were not
** clearly publifhed ; they were not then difcovered,
" or, at leaft, not fully." But we muft delire him to
pull off his maik, and to that purpofe,

T. I afk him how he can tell, that all the neceffary
dodtrines were obfcuredly publifned, or in part difco-
vered ? For an obfcure publifhing, a difcovery in part,
is oppofed to, and intimated in, ** not clearly publiffi-
'' ed, not fully difco^^ercd." And, if a clear and full
difcovery be all that he denies to them, I afk^

XXXVII. *' Which thofe fundamental articles are,
*' which were obfcurely publiilied," but not fully
difcovered in our Saviour's time ?

And next I fhall defire him to tell me,

XXXVIII. Whether there are any articles necefTary
to be believed to make a man a chriftian, that were
not difcovered at all in our Saviour's time ; and
which they are ?

If he cannot ffiow thefe diftindly, it is plain he talks
at random about them ; but has no clear and diftindl
conception of thofe that were publiflied, or not publifh-
ed, clearly or obfcurely difcovered in our Saviour's
time. It was neceffary for him to fay fomething for
fhofe his pretended neceffary articles, which are not

to

346 A Secoiui Vindication of [he

to be found anywhere propofed in the preaching of olI^
Saviour and his apoftles, to their yet unbclicving'audi-
tors ; and therefore, he fays, " We are not to think
** all the neccffary dodrines of the chriftian religion
*^ were clearly publifhcd to tlie world in our Saviour's
** time." But he barely fays it, without giving any
reafon, why " we are not to think fo." It is
enough that it is nccelTary to his hypothecs. He
fays, " we are not to think fq,'.' and we are prefently
bound not to think fo. Elfe, from another man, that
did not ufurp an authority over our thoughts, it would
have required fome reafon to make them think, that
fomething more was required to make a man a chriftian
after, than in our Saviour's time. For, as I take it, it
is not a very probable, much lefs a felf-evident propoii-
tion, to be, received without proof, that there w as fome-
thing neceffary for that time to make a man a chriftian,
and fomething more, that was neceffary to make a chrif-
tian in the fucceeding time.

However, fince this great maftcr fays, " we ought
" to think fo," let us in obedienc-c think fo as well as
we can ; until he vouchfafes to give us fome reafon to
think, that there was more required to be believed 10
make a man a chriftian, in the fucceeding time, tHan
in our Saviour's. This, inftead of removing, does but
incrcafe the difficulty : for if more were neCeff iry to be
believed to make a man a chriftian after our Saviour's
time, than was during his life ; how comes it, that no
more was propofed by the apoftles, in their preaching
to unbelievers, for the making them chriftians, after
our Saviour's death, than there was before ; even this
one article. ** that he was the Meftiah ?" For I defire
the unmaiker to ftiow me any of thofc articles mention-
ed in liis lift, (except the reiurredion and afcenfton of
our Saviour, which w^re intervening matters of facl,
evidencing him to be the Mdliali) that were propofed
by the apoftles, after our Saviour's time, to their un-
believing hearers, to make them chriftians. This one
dociirine, " that Jefus was the Meftiah," was that
which was propofed in our Saviour's time to be bcliev->
cd, as nccelfary to make a man a chriftian : the fame

doctrine

Reafonahlenefs of Chrijiianilyy &r. 24-'l

doclrine was, like wife, what was propofed aftctwards,
in the preaching of the apoftles to unbelieverSj to mak6
them chriliians.

I grant, this was more clearly propofed after, than
in our Saviour's time: but in both of them it was alT
that w^s propofed to the believers of one God, to make
them chiiftians. Let him (how, that there were any
other propofed in, or after our Saviour's time, to be
believed, to make unbelievers chriliians. If he means,
by " necciiiiry articles publiflied to the world," the
olher doctrines contained in the epiflles; I grant, they
are all of them neceiiary articles, to be believed by every
chriltian, as far as he underftands them. But 1 deny,
that they were propofed to thofe they were writ to, as
neceffary to make them chriftians,- for this demonftra-
tivereafon.; becaufe they were chriftians already. For
example. Many dodlnnes proving, and explain-
ing, and giving a farther light into the gofpel,.
are publifhed in the epiiiles to the Corinthians and
ThelTalonians. Thefe are all of divine authority, and
none of them may be diibelieved by any one w ho is a
chriftian ; but yet what was propofed or publiflied to
both the Corinthians and ThelTalonians, to make them
chriftians, was only this, doctrine, " That Jefus v>as the
*' Meiliah:" as may be feen. Ads xvii, xviii. This,
then, was the dodrine neceffary to make men chriftians,
in our Saviour's time; and this the only dodrine ne-
ceffary to make unbelievers chriftians, after our Saviour's
time. The only difference was, that it was more clear-
ly propofed after, than before his afcenfion : the reafon
whereof has been fuliiciently explained. But any other
dodrine but this, propofed clearly or obfcurely, in or
after our Saviour's time, as neceilary to be believed to
make unbelievers chriftians, that remains yet to be-
ftiown.

When the unmaflvcr fpeaks of the dodrines that were
neceilary ibr the fucCceding time after our Saviour, he
is in doubt, whether he ftiould fay they were, or were
not difcovered, in our Saviour's time; and how far
they were t'lcn difcovered : and therefore he fays,
♦* Some of them were not then difcovered, or at Jeaft,

'' not

34^ ^ Second Vindicalion of the

** not fully." We mufi: here excufc the doubtfulncfs of
his talking, concerning the difcovcry of his other ne-
ceflary articles. For how could he fay, they Mere dif-
covered, or not difcovercd, clearly or obfcurcly, fully or
not fully ; when he does not yet know them all, nor can
tell us, what thofe neceifary articles are? If he does
know them, let him give us a lift of them, and then
'we fhali fee eafily, whether they were at all publiflied or
difcovered in our Saviour's time. If there are fome of
them that were not at all difcovered in our Saviour's
time, let him fpeak it out, and leave Ihifting : and if
fome of thofe that were " not nccelTary for our Sa-
** viour's time, but for the fucceeding one only," were
yet difcovered in our Saviour's time, why were they not
neceifary to be believed in that time ? But the truth is,
he knows not what thefe doctrines, necefiafy for fuc-
ceeding times, are : and therefore can fay nothing pofi-
tively about their difcovery. And for thofe that he has
let down, as foon as he fhall name any one of them to
be of the number of thofe, " not neceifary for our Sa-
*' viour's time, but neceifary for the fucceeding one,'*
it will prefently appear, either that it was difcovered in
our Saviour's time ; and then it was as necefiary for his
time as the fucceeding : or elfe, that it was not difcover-
ed in his time, nor to feveral converts after his time,
before they were made chriftians ; and therefore it was
no more neceifary to be believed to make a man a chri-
flian in the fucceeding, than it was in our Saviour's time.
However, general pofitions and diftindtions without a
foundation ferve for fliow, and to beguile unwary and
inattentive readers.

2. Having -thus minded him, that the queftion is
about articles of faith, neceifary to be explicitly and
diftincStly believed to make a man a chriilian ; I then,
in the next place, demand of him to tell me,

XXXIX. Whether or no all the articles, neceifary
now to be dillinclly and explicitly believed, to
make any man a chrillian, were diltindly and ex-
plicitly publiflied or difcovered in our Saviour'^
time ?

Reafonallenefs of Chrlftianity y Cf?r, 34^

And then I Ihall delire to know of him,

XL. A reafon uhy they were not.

Thofe that he inflances in, of Chrifl's death and re-
furreiftion, will not help him one jot ; for they arc
not new docflrines revealed, new myfteries difcovered ;
but matters of fadl, which happened to our Saviour in
their due time, to complete in him the charader and
predicflions of the Meffiah, and demonftrate him to be
the Deliverer promifed. Thefe are recorded of him by
the Spirit of God in holy writ, but are no more neceflary
to be believed to make a man a chriftian, than any other
part of divine revelation, but as far as they have an im-
mediate connexion with his being the Meltiah, and can-
not be denied without denying him to be the MefTiah ;
and therefore this article of his refurred.ion, (which fup-
pofcs his death) and fuch other propontions as are con-
vertible with his being the Meffiah, are, as they very-
well may be, put for his being the Mefliah ; and, a^ I
have fhowed, propofed to be believed in the place
of it.

All that is revealed in fcrlpture has a confequential
neceffity of being believed by all thofe, to whom it is
propofed ; becaufe it is of divine authority, one part as
much as another. And, in this fenfe, all the divine
truths in the infpired writings are fundamental, and ne-
ceffary to be believed. But then this will deftroy our
unmafker's felecl number of fundamental articles ; and,
** the choiceft and fublimeft truths of chriftianity,"
which, he tells us, ** are to be met with in the Epiftles,'*
will not be more neceflary to be believed than any, which,
he may think the commoneft or meanefl: truths in any
of the Epiftles or the Gofpels. Whatfoever part of
divine revelation, whether revealed before,, or in, or after
our Saviour's time ; whether it contains (according to
the dirtindlion of our unmafker's nice palate) choice or
common, fublime or not fublime truths, is neceflary to
be believed by every one to whom it is propofed, as far
as he underflands what is propofed. But God, by Jefus
Chrifti has entered into a covenant of grace with man-

ki,nd a

'l^o A Second Vindication of the

kind; a covenant of faith; inftead of that of works,
wherein fonic truths are abfolutcly necelfary to be ex-
plicitly believed by them to make men chriftians-; and
therefore thofe truths are necelfary to be known and
confequently neceffary to be propofed to them to make
men chriftians. This is peculiar to them to make men
chriftians. For all men, as men, are under a necelfary
obligation to believe what God propofcs to them to be
believed ; but there being certain diftinguifliing truths,
which belong to the covenant of the gofpel, which if
men know not, they cannot be chriftians ; and they
being, fomc of them, fuch as cannot be known without
bein^^ propofed ; thofe, and thofe only, are the necef-
fary doftrines of chriftianity I fpeak of; without a
know'ledge of, and alTcnt to which, no man can be a
chriftian.

To come therefore to a clear decifion of this contro-
Terfy, I defire the unmafkcr to tell me,

XLI. What thofe dodrines are, which are abfolutely
neceffary to be propofed to every man to make
him a chriftian ?

XLII. I. Whether they are all the truths of divine
revelation contained in the Bible ?

For I grant his argum.ent, (which in another place
he ufes for fome of them, and truly belongs to them all)
viz. that they were revealed and written there, on pur-
pofe to be believed, and that it is indifpenfably necef-
fary for chriftians to believe them.

XLIII. 2. Or, whether it be only that one article, of
jefus being the MefTiah, wliich the Hiftory of our
Saviour and his apollles preaching has, with fuch a
peculiar diftind;ion, every-where propofed ?

XLiy. 3- Or, whether the doctrines neceffary to be
propofed to every one to make him a chriftian, be
any fct of truths between the two ?

And

Reafonahlenefs of Chrifiianity\^c. 351

/And if he fays this latter, then I muft aik him,

XLV. What they are ? that we may fee, why thofe>
rather than any other, contained in the New Tefta-
ment, are neceffary to be propofed to every mant
to make him a chriflian ; and, if they arc not every-
one propofed to him, and aifeuted to by him he
cannot be a chriltian.

The unmaf[<er makes a great noife, and hopes to give
his unwary, though well-meaning readers, odd thoughts,
and ftrong impreilions againfl: my book, by declaiming
agaiaft my lank faith, and my narrowing of chriftianity
to one article ; which, as he fays, is the next way to re-
duce it to none. But when it is confidered, it will be
found, that it is he that narrows chriftianity. The un-
mafker, as if he were arbiter and difpenfer of the oracles
of God, takes upon him to fingle out fome texts of
fcripture; and, where the words of fcripture will not
ferve his turn, to impofe on us his interpretations and
dedudlions, as necelfary articles of faith ; which is, in
effect, to make them of equal authority with the un-
q-ueflionable word of God. And thus, partly in the
words of fcripture, and partly in words of his own, he
makes a fet of fundamentals, with an exclulion of ali
the other truths delivered by the Spirit of God, in the
Bible ; though all the reft be of the fame divine au-
thority and original, and ought therefore all equally, as
far as they are underftood by every chriftian, to be be-
li-eved. I tell him, and I deiire him to take notice of
it, God has no-vvhere given him an authority thus to
garble the infpired writings of the holy fcriptures.
, Every part of it is his word, and ought, every part of it,
to be believed by every chriftian man, according as God
Ihall enable him to underftand it. It ought not to be
narrowed to. the cut of the unmaf!-:er's peculiar fyftem;
it. is a prefumption of the higheft nature, for him thus
to pretend, according to his own fancy, to eftablifna
fet of fundamental articles,. This is to diminifh the
authority of the .word of God, to fet up his own,- and
create a reverence to his fyftem, from which the feveral

parts

352 A Second. Vindication of the

parts of divine revelation arc to receive their weight,
dignity, and authority. Thofe paflages of holy writ
•which fuit with that, are fundamental, choice, fublime,
and neccflliry : the reft of the fcripture (as of no great
moment) is not fundamental, is not neceffary to be be-
lieved, may be neglected, or muft be tortured, to comply
with an analogy of faith of his own making. But
though he pretends to a certain fet of fundamentals, yet,
to fhow the vanity and impudence of that pretence, he
cannot tell us what they are; and therefore in vain con-
tends for a creed he knows not, and is yet no-where.
He neither does, and which is more, I tell him, he
never can, give us a coUedlion of his fundamentals
gathered upon his principles, out of the fcripture, with
the rejedlion of all the reft, as not fundamental. He
does not obferve the dift"erence there is between what is
neceftary to be believed by every man to make him a
chriftian, and what is required to be believed by every
chriftian. The firft of thefe is what, by the covenant
of the gofpcl, is neceflary to be known, and confe-
quently to be propofed to every man, to make him a
chriftian : the latter is no lefs than the whole revelation
of God, all the divine truths contained in holy fcrip-
ture : which every chriftian man is under a neceflity to
believe, fofaras it ftiall pleafe God, upon his ferious and
eonftant endeavours, to enlighten his mind to under-
ftand them.

The preaching of our Saviour, and his apoftles, has
fufficiently taught us what is neceftary to be propofed
to every man, to make him a chriftian. He that be-
lieves him to be the promifed Meftiah, takes Jefus for
his King, and repenting of his former fins, fincerely re-
folves to live, for the future, in obedience to his laws,
is a fubjedt of his kingdom, is a chriftian. If he be
not, I defire the unmafker to tell me, what more is re-
quilite to make him fo. Until he does that, I reft fi ^
tisficd, that this is all that was at firft, and is ftill necef-
fary to make a man a chriftian.

This, though it be contained in a few words, and
thofe not hard to be underftood ; though it be in one
voluntary a£l of the mind, relinquiftiing all irregular

couifes.

Reafonahlcnefs of Chrifiianityy t^c. 353

CouiTes, and fubmitting itfelf to the rule of him, whom
God hath fent to be our King, and pronnifed to be our
Saviour ; yet it luiving relation to the race of mankind,
"from the firfb man Adam to the end of the world ; it
being a contrivance, wherein God has difplayed fo
much of his wifdom and goodnefs to the corrupt and
ioft fons of men; and it being a defign, to which the
Almighty had a peculiar regard in the vvhole conftitu-
tion and oeconomy of the jews, as well as in the pro-
phecies and hiftory of the Old Teftament ; this vvas a
foundation capable of large fupcrfirudures : i. In ex-
plaining the occafion, neccility, ufe, and end of his
coming. 2. Next in proving him to be the perfon.
promifed, by a correfpondenee of his birth, life, fuf- ;
ferings, death, and refurredtion, to all thofe prophecies
and types of him, which had given the expectation of
fuch a Deliverer; and to thofe defcriptions of him,
whereby he might be known, when he did come. 3.
In the difcovcry of the fort, conftitution, extent, and
management of his kingdom. 4. In foowing from
what we are delivered by him, and how that deliverance
is M'rought out, and what are the confequences of it.

Thefe, and a great many more the like, afford great
numbers of truths delivered both in the hiftorical,
epiftolary, and prophetical writings of the New Tefta-
ment, wherein the myfteries of the gofpel, hidden from
former ages, were difcovered; and that more fully, I
grant, after the pouring out of the Holy Ghofl: upon
the apoftles. But could no-body take Chrift for their
promifed King, and rcfohe to obey him, unlefs he un-
derftood all the truths that concerned his kingdom, or,"
as I may fay, myfteries of fcate of it ? The truth of the
contrary is manifeft, out of the plain and uniform
preaching of the apoftles, after they had received the
Holy Ghoft, that was to guide them into all truth.
Nay, after the writing of thofe epifties, wherein were
contained the umnaiker's fublimell truths; they every-
where propofed to unbelievers Jefus the Mefliah, to be
their Fving, ordained of God ; and to this joined re-
pentance : and this alone they preached for the con-
venion of their unbelieving hearers. As foon as any
Vol. VI. A a one

354 ^ Second Vindication of the

one allented to this, he was pronounced a believer; and
thefe infpircd rulers of the church, thcfe infallible
preachers of the gofpel, admitted into Chrift's king-
dom by baptifm. And this after, long '* after our
•* Saviour's afcenfion, when (as our unmafker cxprelFes
it) " the Holy Gholt was to be fent in an efpecial manner
" to enlighten men's minds, and to difcovcr to them
" the great myfteries of chrirtianity," even as long as
the apoftles lived : and what others were to do, who
afterwards were to preach the gofpel, St. Paul tells us,
I Cor. iii, ii. ** Other foundation can no man lay than
*' that is laid, even Jefus the Mcfliah." Though upon this
foundation men might build varioufly things that
would, or wouM not hold the touch, yet however as
long as they kept firm to this foundation, they fhould
be faved, as appears in the following vcrfcs.

And indeed, if all thedodrines of the gofpel, which
are contained in the writings of the apoftles and evan-
gelifts, were neceflary to be undcrftood, and explicitly
believed in the true fenfc of thofe that delivered them,
to make a man a chriftian ; I doubt, whether ever any
one, even to this day, was a true chriftian ; though I be-
lieve the unmalker will not deny, but that, ere this,
chriftianity (as he exprcfTcs it) *' is by certain fteps
*' climbed to its height."

But for this the unmafker has found a convenient and
wife remedy. It is but for him to have the power to
declare, which of the dotflrines delivered in holy writ
are, and which are not necelfary to be believed, with an
additional power to add others of his own, that he can-
not find there ; and the buiinefs is done. For unlefs
this be allowed him, his fyftem cannot ftand : unlefs his
interpretations be received for authentic revelation,
we cannot have all the doctrines ncceftary for our time ;
in truth, we cannot be chriftians. For to this only
what he fays, concerning the " gradual difcovery of the
dodrines of the gofpel," tends. " We are not to think,"
fays he, ** that all the necefTary doctrines of the
*• chriftian religion were clearly publifhed to the world
*' in our Saviour's time: not but that all that wcrenc-

'' ccfTary

Keafonahlenefs of Chrijlianity\ ^c. 355

*' ceflary for that time were publilhed ; but fomc that
" were neceffaryfor the fucceeding one, were not then
*' difcovercd, or, at leaft, not fully."

I muft a(k the unmalker a fliort queftion or two ; as,
firft,

XLVI. Are not all the dodlrines, neccflary for our
time, contained in his fyftem ?

Next,

XLVII. Can all the doiflrincs, neceflary for our
time, be propofed in the exprefs words of the
fcripture ?

When he has anfvvercd thefe two plain queftions, an<i
(an anfwer to them I fhall expcdl) the world will then
fee, what he defigns by ** dodtrincs neccflary for our
•' Saviour's time, and docflrines neccflary for fucceeding
*' times;" whether he means any thing elfe by it, but
the fetting up his fyfl:em, as the exadt fl:andard of the
gofpel, and the true and unalterable meafure of chrif-
tianity, in which " it has climbed to its height."

Let not good and fmcere chriflians be deceived, nor
perplexed, by this maker of another chriflianity, than
what the infallible Spirit of God has left us in the fcrip-
tures. It is evident from thence, that whoever takes
Jefus the Mefiiah for his King, with a rcfolution to live
by his laws, and does fmcercly repent, as often as he
tranfgrefl^es any of them, is his fubjedl ; all fuch are
chriftians. What they are to know, or believe more,
concerning him and his kingdom, when they are his
fubje6ts, h<^ has left upon record in the great and facred
code and conftitutions of his kingdom ; I mean in the
holy fcripturcs. All that is contained therein, as
coming from the God of truth, they are to receive as
truth, and embrace as fuch. But flnce it is impoflibk
explicitly to believe any propofltion of the chriftian
dodirine, but what we underftand, or in any other fenfe,
than we underftand it to have been delivered in; an
explicit belief is, or can be required in no man, of more
than what he underftands of that dodrine. And thus»
A a 2 whatfoevsr

3^6 , A Second Vindication of the

Avhatfocvcr upon fair endeavour;- he undcrftands to bcv
contained in that doiflrine,. is neceflary to him to be
believed : nor can he continue a fubjed of Chrifl upon
other tcnns.

What he is pcrfuaded is the meaning of Chrifl his^
King, in any cxprcffion he finds in the facred code ;
that, by his allegiance, he is bound to fubmit his mind
to receive for true, or elfe he denies the authority of
ChrilV, and rcfufes to bcHcve him ; nor can be excufcd,
by calling any one on earth mafter. And hence it is
evidently impofliblc for a chriftian to underfland any
text, in one fenfe, and believe it in another, by whoryi-
foever diclatcd.

All that is contained in the infpired writings, is all of
divine authority, mufl all be allowed for fuch, and re-
ceived for divine and infallible truth, by every fubjed:
of Chrifi's kingdom, i. e. every chriftian. How comes
then the unmaflcer to difttnguifli thele dictates of the
Holy Spirit, into neceflary, and not neceflary truths ? .
I deflre him to produce his commifilon, whereby he
hath the power given him to tell, which of the divine
truths, contained in the holy fcripturc, are of neceflity
to be believed, and which not. Who made him a judge
or divider between them ? \Vho gave him this power
over the oracles of God, to let up one and debale an-,
other, at bis pleafure ? Some, as he thinks fit, are the
choiccft truths : and what, I befeech him, arc the
other ? Who made him a choofer, where no-body can
pick and choofe ? Every propofition there, as lar as any
chriflian can undcrfl"and it, is indifpcnfably necefl"ary
to be believed : and farther than he docs undcrftand it,
it is impolFible for him to believe it. The laws of
Chrifi's kingdom do not require impofllbilities; for they
are all reafonablc, and good.

Some of the truths delivered in the holy writ are very
plain: it is'impoflible, I think, to miflake their mean-
ing; and thofe certainly are all neceffary to be ex-
plicitly believed. Others have more difliculty in them,
and arc not eafy to be underfiood. Is the unmalkcr ap-
pointed Chrifi's vicegerent here, or the Holy Ghofl's
interpreter, with authority to p^ronounce which of thefc
9 ~ ^r^

Reafonallenefs of Chrijlianity, ^Jc. ory

are ncccflary to be believed, and in uhat fenfe, and
which not ? The obfcurity, that is to be found in feveral
palTages of the fcripture, the difficulties that cover and
perplex the meaning of feveral texts, demand of every
chriftian ftudy, diligence, and attention, in readino- and
hearing the fcriptures; in comparing and cxamminc
them ; and receiving what light he can from all mannc^-
of helps, to underfland thefc books, wherein are con-
tained the words of life. This the unmaflser, and every
one, is to do for himfelf; and thereby fmd out what is
neceffary for him to believe. But I do not know that
the unmafls:er is to underfland and interpret for mc,
more than i for hmi. If he has fuch a power, I defirc
him to produce it. Until then, I can acknow ledge no
other infallible, but that guide, which he dire(5ls me to
him.felf. here in thefe words : '' according to our Sa-
" viour's promife, the Holy Ghoft was to be itni in a
" fpccial manner to enlighten men's minds, and to
" difcover to them the great myfteries of chrif-
*' tianity." For whether by men, he here means thofc,
on whom the Holy Ghoft was fo eminently poured out.
Ads ii. or whether he means by thefe words, that
fpecial aHiftance of the Holy Ghoft, whereby particular
men, to the end of the world, are to be led into the
truth, by opening their underftandings, that they may
underftand the fcriptures, (for he always loves to fpeak
doubtfully and indefinitely) I know no other infallible
guide, but the Spirit of God in the fcriptures. No-
has God left it in my choice to take any man for fuch.
If he had, I ftiould think the unniaftvcr the unlikeliefl to
be he, and the laft man in the world to be chofen for
that guide: and herein I appeal to any fober chriftian
who hath read what the unmalker has, with fo little
truth and decency, (for it is not always men's fault, if
they have not fenfe) writ upon this queftion, whe-
ther he would not be of the fame mind .''

But yet, as very an unmafker as he is, he will be ex- "
tremely apt to call you names, nay, to declare you lio
phriftian; and boldly ai^.rm, you have no chriftianity,
if you will not fwallow it jufl as it is of his cooliing,
you muft take it juft as he has been pleafed to dofe it ;

A a 3 no

2S$ A Second Vindicattonof the

no more, nor no lefs, than what is in his fyflem. He
hath put himfelf into the throne of Chrift^ and pretends
to tell you which are, and which are not the indif-
penfablc laws of his kingdom : Avhich parts of his di-
vine revelation you mull: nccefTarily know, undcrftand,
and believe, and in what fenfc ; and which you need not
trouble your head about, but may pafs by, as not ne-
cefTary to be believed. He will tell you, that fome of
his neceflary articles are myftcries, and yet (as he does,
p. 115, of his ** Thoughts concerning the caufes of
" atheifm") that they are eafy to be underwood by any
inan, when explained to him. In anfwer to that, I
demanded of him, ** Who was to explain them ? The
" papifts, I told him, would explain fome of them
•' one way, and the reformed another ; the rcmonftrants
•* and anti-remonftrants give them different fenfes; and
*^ probably the trinitarians and unitarians will profefs,
" that they undcrftand not each other's explications."
jBut to this, in his reply, he has not vouchfafed to give
me any anfwer; which yet 1 expecT:, and I will tell him
why: becaufe, as there are different explainers, there
will be different fundamentals. And therefore unlefs
he can Ihow his authority to be the fole explainer of fun-
damentals, he will in vain make fucha pother about his
fundamentals. Another explainer, of as good autho-
rity as he, will fet up others againft them. And what
then fliall we be the better for all this ftir and noife of
fundamentals ? All the effect of it will be juft the fame
it has been thefe thoufand years and upwards ; fchifms,
feparations, contentions, animofities, quarrels, blood
and butchery, and all that train of mifchiefs, which
have ^o long haraffed and defamed chriftianity, and arc
fo contrary to the doArine, fpirit, and end of the gof-
pel ; and which muff ftill continue as long as any fuch
unmafker fhall take upon him to be the difpenfer and
di(5lator to others of fundamentals ; and peremptorily to
define which parts of divine revelation are neceffary to
be believedi and which chriffians may with fafety dif-
penfe with, and not believe.

To conclude, what was fufhcient to make a man a
chriftiaii in our Saviour's time, is futHcient flill, viz. the

taking

Reafonahlenefs of Chrij1ianit)\ &c. 359

taking him for our King and Lord, ordained fo by God.
What -was neceflary to be believed by all chriltians in
our Saviour's time, as an indifpenfable duty, -which
they owed to their lord and mafter, was the believing
all divine revelation, as far as every one could underftand
it : and juft fo it is ftill, neither more nor lefs. This
being fo, the unmafkcr may make what ufe he plcafes
of his notion, ** that chriftianity was erected by de-
*' grees," it will no way fin that fenfe, in which it is
true) turn to the advantage of his feledl, fundamental,
neceffary do(5lrines.

The next chapter has nothing in it but his great bug-
bear, whereby he hopes to fright people from reading
my book, by crying out, Socinianifm, Socinianifm !
Whereas I challenge him again, to lliow one word of
focinianifm in it. But, however, it is worth while to
write a book to prove me a focinian. Truly, I did not
think myfelf fo conliderable, that the world need be
troubled about me, whether I were a follower of Socinus,
Arminius, Calvin, or any other leader of a fed among
chriftians. A chrirtian I am fure I am, becaufe I be-
lieve " Jefus to be the Meffiah," the King and Saviour
promifed, and fent by God : and, as a fubjcA of his
kingdom, I take the rule of my faith and life from his
will, declared and left upon record in the infpired
writings of the apoftlcs and cvangelifts in the New
Tellament ; which I endeavour to the utmolt of my
power, as is my duty, to underftand in their true fenfe
and meaning. To lead me into their true meaning, I
know (as I have above declared) no infallible guide, but
the fame Holy Spirit, from whom thefe writings at
lirfl- came. If the unmalkcr knows any other infallible
interpreter of fcripture, I delire him to diredl me to
him : until then, I fliall think it according to my
maflcr's rule, not to be called, nor to call any man on
earth, Maftcr. No man, I think, has a right to pre-
fcribe to me my faith, or magifterially to impofe his
interpretations or opinions on me : nor is it material to
any one what mine are, any farther than they carry their
own evidence with them- If this, which I think makes
mc of no feet, entitles me to the name of a papift, or a

A a 4 focinian.

360 A Second Vindication of the

focinian, bccaufe the unmafker thinks thefc the worf^
and moft invidious he can give ine : and labours to fix
them on me for norther reafon, but becaufe I will not
take him for my mafter on earth, and his fyftcm for my
gofpel : 1 iball leave him to recommend himfelf to the
world by this Ikill, who, no doubt, will have reafon to
thank him for the rarenefs 3nd fubtiky of his difcovcry.
For 1 think, I am the firft man that ever was found to
be at the flime time a focinian, and a faclor for Rome.
But what is too hard for fuch an unmafker ? I muft be
what he thinks fit ; when he pleafes, a papifi: ; and when
he pleafes, a focinian ; and when he pleafes, a ma-
hometan : and probably, when he has confidcrcd a little
better, an atheift ; for I hardly efcaped it, when he writ
lall:. My book, he fays, had a tendency to it ; and if
he can but go on, as he has done hitherto, from furmifcs
to certainties, by that time he writes next, his difcovery
will be adva:iced, and he will certainly find me an
utheiil. Only one thing I dare allure him of, that he
itiall never find, that I treat the things of God or re-
ligion fo, as if I made only a trade or a jeft of them.
But let us now fee, how at prcfcnt he proves me a fo-
cinian.

His firft argument is, my not anfwering for my leav-
ing out Matrh. xxviii. 19, and John i. i,page 82, of his
Socinianifm unmafked. This he takes to be a con-
feifion, that I am a focinian. I hope he means fairly^
and that if it be fo on my fide, it muft be taken for a
ftanding rule between us, that where any thing is not
anfwered, it muft be taken for granted. And upon that
fcorc I muft defire him to remember fome paiTages of
my Vindication, which I have already, and others,
which I fiiall mind him of hereafter, which he pafied
over in filcnce, and had nothing to fay to ; which there-
fore, by his own rule, I ihall dciire the reader to obfervc,
that he has granted.

This being premifed, I muft tell the unmafker. that I
perceive he reads my book with the fame underftanding
that he writes his own. If he had done otherwife, he
ni!Ci,ht have fecn, that I had given him a reafon for my
omillion of thole two, and other \^ plain and obvious

** paftages.

Rcafmahlenejs of Chrijlianity ^ &c. 361

*' pafTages, and famous teftimonies in the evangelifls,"
as he calls them ; where I fay, p. 166, ** That if I have
" left out out none of thofe paiTages or tefiimonits,
*' which contain what our Saviour and his apollles -
** preached and required aflent to, to make men be-
** lievers, I fliall think my omiflions (let them be what
" they will) no faults in the prefent cafe. Whatever
'* doctrines Mr. Edwards would have to be believed,
*^ to make a man a chriftian, he will be fure to find
^* them in thofe preachings, and famous teftimonics,
*' of our Saviour and his apofllcs, I have quoted. And
^* if they are not there, he may reft fatisfied, that they
" were not propofcd, by our Saviour and his apoftlcs,
** as neceffary to be believed to make men Chriii's dif-
■* ciples." From which words, any one, but an un-
mafker, could have underftood my anfwer to be, that
all that was neceffary to be believed to make men
chriftians, might be found in what our Saviour and his
apoftles propofed to unbelievers for their converfion:
but the two paffages above-mentioned, as well as a
great many others in the evangelifts, being none of
thofe, I had no reafon to take notice of them. But the
unmafker having, out of his good pleafurc, put it once
upon me, as he does in his " Thoughts of the caufes of
** atheifm," p. 107, that I was an " epitoraizer of the
^* evangelical writings," though every one may fee I
make not that my bufinefs; yet it is no matter for
that, I muft be always accountable to that fancy of his.
But when he has proved,

XLVIII. That this is not as juft a reafon for my
omitting them, as feveral other obvious palfagcs
and famous teftimonies in the evangelifls, which I
there mention, for whofe omillion he dees not
blame me \

I will undertake to give him another reafon, which I
know not whether he were not better let alone.

The next proof of my being a focinian, is, that I take
the Son of God to be an expreffion ufed to fignify the
Meffiah. Slichtingius and Socinus underftood it fo ;

and"

363 A Second Vindication of the

and therefore I am, the unmafker fays, a focinian. Juft
as good an argument, as that I believe Jefiis to be a
prophet, and fo do the mahometans ; therefore I am a
mahometan : or thus, the unmalker holds, that the
apofUcs creed does not contain all things neceffary to
ialvation; and fo fays Knot thejcfuit; therefore the
unmafker is a papifl:, I.ct me turn the tables, and by
the fame argument I am orthodox again. For two or-
thodox, pious, and very eminent prelates of our church,
whom, when I follow authorities, I Ihall prefer to
Slichtingius and Socinus, underftand it as I do; and
therefore I am orthodox. Nay, it fo falls out, that if
it were of force either way, the argument would weigh
moft on this fide ; fince I am not wholly a ft ranger to
the writings of thofe two orthodox bifliops ; but I never
read a page in either of thofe focinians. The never
fufficiently admired and valued archbifhop Tillotfon's
words, which I quoted, the unmafker fays, ** do not
** neceffarily import any fuch thing.'* I know no
words that necclfarily import any thing to a caviller.
But he was known to have fuch clear thoughts, and fo
clear a ftyle, fo far from having any thing doubtful or
fallacious in what he faid, that I fliall only {tx. down his
words as they are in his fermon of fmcerity, p. 2, to
Hiow his meaning: ** Nathanael," fays he, " being
*' fatisficd, that he [our Saviour,] was the Mefilah, he
** prcfently owned him for fuch, calling him the Son
*' OF God, and the King of Ifrael.'*

The words of the other eminent prelate, the bifhop of
Ely, whom our church is ftill happy in, are thcfe : *' To
** be the Son of God, and to be Chrift, being but
" different exprcffions of the fame thing :" witncfs, p.
14. And p. 10, *' It is the very fame thing to believe,
'* that Jefus is the Chrift," and to believe, " that Jcfus
** is the Son of God, exprefs it how you pleafe.'* " This
" alone is the faith which can regenerate a man, and
•* put a divine Spirit into him, that it makes him a
•• conqueror over the world, as Jefus was." Of this
the unmafker fays, that this reverend author, *' fpeaking
** only in a general way, reprefents thefe two as the
" fame thing/' viz. that Jcfus is the Chrift, and that

Jefus

Reafonahlenefs of Chrlfiianityt ^c. 363

Jefus is the Son of God, becaufe thefe expreflions are
applied to the fame perfon, and becaufe they are both
comprehended in one general name, viz. Jefus. Anfw.
The queftion is, Whether thefe two expreflions, *' the
" Son of God," and " the Mefliah," in the learned
bifhop's opinion, lignify the fame thing? If his opi-
nion had been alked in the point, I know not how he
could have declared it more clearly. For he fays, they
are ** Expreflions of the fame thing;" and that it is
the very fame thing to believe *' that Jefus is the Mef-
" liah," and to believe, *• that he is the Son of God;"
which cannot be fo, if Mcfllah and Son of God have
different fignilications : for then they will make two
diftinCl propoiltions in different fenfes, which it can
be no more the fame thing to believe, than it is the
fame thing to believe, that Mr. Edwards is a notable
preacher, and a notable railer ; or than it is to believe
one truth, and all truths. For by the fame rcafon, that
it is the fame thing to believe two diftincft truths, it
will be the fame thing to believe two thoufand diftindt
truths, and confequently all truths. The unmafker,
that he might feem to fay fomething, fays, that ** the
** reverend author reprcfents thefe as the fame thing."
Anfw. The unmafker never fails, like Midas, to turn
every thing he touches into his own metal. The
learned bifhop fays, very diredly and plainly, that " to be
" the Son of God, and to be the MelTiah, are exprefTions
" of the fame thing:" and the unmafker fays, he
*' reprefents thefe expreflions as one thing :" for it is of
exprefTions that both the bifhop and he fpeak. Now,
exprelfions can be one thing, but one of thefe two ways :
either in found, and fo thefe two expreflions are not
one ; or in fignification, and fo they are. And then
the unmafker fays, but in other words, what the bifhop
had faid before, viz. That thefe two, ** to be the Son
•* of God, and to be the Meffiah, are expreflions of the
" fame thing," Only the unmafker has put in the
word reprefents, to amufc his reader, as if he had
faid fomething ; and fo indeed he does, after his fafliion,
i. e. obfcurely and fallacioufly ; which, when it comes
>p be examined, is but the fame thing under fhow of a

difference ;

364 -^ Srcond Vindication of the

difference; or elfe, if it has a different meaning, it is
demonftrativcly falfe. But fo it be obfcure enough to
deceive a willing reader, who Avill not be at the pains to
examine what he fays, it ferves his turn.

But yet, as if he had faid fomething of weight, he
gives reafons for putting *^ reprefcnts thefe two ex-
*' preffions as one thing," inftead of faying '^ thefe two
'* are but different exprefiions of the fame thing."

The firft of his reafons is^ Becaufc the reverend
Author is here *' fpeakingonly in a general way." Anfw.
What does the unmafker mean by a general way ? The
learned biflit>p fpeaks of two particular exprelTions ap-
plied to our Saviour. But was his difcourfe ever fo
general, how could that alter the plain fignification of
his V ords, viz. that thofe two are but *' different ex-
** preflions of the fame thing?"

Secondly, " Becaufe thefe exprefiions are applied to
the fame perfon." Anfw. A very demonftrative rea-
fon, is it not ? that therefore they cannot be different
cxprefhons of the fame thing !

Thirdly, *' And becaufe they arc both comprehended
**■ in one general name, viz. Jefus." Anfw. It requires
fome fkill to put fo many falfhoods in fo few words ;
for neither both, nor either of thefe exprefiions are com-
prehended in the name, Jefus ; and that Jefus, the name
cf a particular perfon, fliould be a general name, is a
difcovery referved to be found out by this new logician.
However, general, is a learned word, which when a man
of learning has ufed twice, as a reafon of the fame thing,
he is covered with generals. He need not trouble him-
felf any farther about fcnfe ; he may fafcly talk what
fluff he pleafcs, without the leaft fufpicion of his reader.

Having thus ftrongly proved juil nothing, he pro-:
coeds and tells us, p. 91, ** Yet it docs not follow
** thence, but that if we will fpeak flridlly and clofcly,
" we mufl: be forced to confefs, they are of dift'crcnt
'* iignincations." By which words (if his words have
any fignification) he plainly allows, that the bifliop
meant as he fays, that thefe two are but '* different cx-
*' preflions of the fame thing :" but withal tells him,
that, if he v.'ill •< fpeak clofcly and ftri(^Iy," he mufl

ReafonaUeneJs of Chr'ifiianityi &c. 365

fay,- '* they arc of different lignifications." My con-
cernment in tlie cafe being only, that in the paflage
alleged, the reverend author faid, that ?he Son of God,
and the MelTiah, were '' different expreflions of the
*' fame thing," I have no more to demand after thefe
words of the unmafker ; he has in them granted all I
would have: and I (hall not meddle with his " fpeaking
" clofely and ftriclly/' but fhall leave it to the decifive
authority of this fuperlative critic to determine whe-
ther this learned biiliop, or any one living, befides him-
felf, can undcrftand the phrafes of the New Teilament,
and " fpeak ftrictly and clofely" concerning them.
Perhaps, his being yet alive, may preferve this eminent
prelate from the malicious driveling of this unmafker's
pen, which has befpattered the aflies of two of the fame
order, who were no mean ornaments of the Englilli
church ; and if they had been now alive, no-body will
doubt but the unmalker would have treated them after
another fafhion.

But let me afk the unmafi<:er, whether if either of
thefe pious prelates, whofe words I have above quoted,
did underftand that phrafe of the Son of God to ftand
for the Melliah ; (v/hich they might do without holding
any one focinian tenet) he will dare to pronounce him A
fbcinian ? This is fo ridiculotis an inference, that I
could not but laugh at it. But withal tell him, Vindic.
p. 172. ** That it the fenfe, wherein I underfiand thofe
" texts, be a miftake, I fnall be beholden to him to fet
*' me right : but they are not popular authorities, or
*' frightful names, whereby I judge of truth or falf-
" hood." To which I fubjoin thefe words : " You
*^ will now, no doubt, applaud your conjeclures ; the
** point is gained, and I am openly a focinian; lince
" I Vs'ill not difown, that I think the Son of God was
^' a phrafe, that, among the jews, in our Saviour's
" time, was ufed for the Mcfliah, though thefocinians
*' underftood it in the fame fcnfe. And therefore I
" muft certainly be of their perfualion in every thing
" elfe. I admire the acutenefs, force, and fairnefs of
*^ your reafoning ; and fo I leave you to triumph in
" your conje(5lurcs." Nor has he failed my expedation :

'' for

366 A Second Vindication of the

*' for here, p- 91, of his Socinianifm unmafked, he,
•' upon this, credts his comb, and crows mofl: mightily.
*' We may," fays he, '* from hence, as -vvell as other
" reafons, pronounce him the fame with thofc gentle-
" men (i. e. as he is pleafed to call them, my good
" patrons and friends, the racovians ;) which you may
*• perceive he is very apprehenfive of, and thinks, that
** this will be reckoned a good evidence of his being,
*' w hat he denied himfelf to be before." '* The point is
" gained, faith he, and lam openly a focinian." " He
** never uttered truer words in his life, and they are the
*' confutation of all his pretences to the contrary. This
** truth, w^hich unwarily dropped from his pen, confirms
*' what I have laid to his charge." Now you have
fung your fong of triumph, it is fit you fhouldgain your
vidory, by fliowing,

XLIX. How my underflanding the Son of God to
be a pbrafe ufed amongft the jews, in our Saviour's
time, to fignify the Mefliah, proves me to be a
focinian?

Or, if you think you have proved it already, I defire
you to put your proof into a fyllogifiii : for I confefs
myfelf lo dull, as not to fee any fuch conclufion deduci-
ble from my undcrftanding that phrafe as I do, even
when you have proved that I am miftaken in it.

The places, which in the New Teflament fliovv, that
the Son of God Hands for the MefTiah, are fo many
and fo clear, that I imagine no-body that ever confidcr-
ed and compared them together, could doubt of their
meaning, unlefs he were an unmalker. Several of them
I have colledcd and {q.x. down in my " Reafonablenefs
of Chriftianity," p. 17,18,19,21,28,52.

Firft, John the Baptift, John i. 20, when the jews
fent to know who he was, confeifcd he himfelf was not
the Mefliah. But of Jefus he fay^ ver. 34, after having
feveral ways, in the foregoing verfes, declared him to
be the Mefliah : *' And I faw and bare record, that this
*' is the Son of God." And again, chap. iii. 26 —
36, he declaring Jefus to be, and himfelf not to be the

Mefliah,

Reafonablenefs of ChriJIianily, &c, 367

Meiliah, he does it in thefe fynonymous terms, of the
Mefllah, and the Son of God ; as appears by coinparinc^
ver. 28, 3S> 3^-

Nathanacl owns him to'be the Mefliah, in thefe words,
John u 50, ** Thou art the Son of God, thou art the
" King of Ifracl :" which our Saviour, in the next
vcrfe, calls believing ; a term, all through the hiftory
of our Saviour, ufcd for owning Jefus to be the Mefliah,
And for confirming that faith of his, that he was the
Mefliah, our Saviour further adds, that he fliould fee
greater things, i. e. Ihould fee him do greater miracles,
to evidence that he was the Mefliah.

Luke iv. 41, *' And devils alfo came out of many,
" crying. Thou art the Mefliah, the Son of God ; and
" he, rebuking them, fuffered them not to fpeak."
And fo again, St. Mark tells us, chap. iii. n, 12,
** That unclean fpirits, when they faw him, fell down
** before him, and cried, faying, Thou art the Son of
** God. And he ftridily charged them, that they fhouJd
'* not make him known." In both thefe places, which
relate to different times, and different occalions, the
devils declare Jefus to be the Son of God. It is cer-
tain, whatever they meant by it, they ufed a phrafe of a
known lignification in that country : and what may
we reafonably think they deligned to make known to the
people by it ? Can we imagine thefe unclean fpirits were
promoters of the gofpel, and had a mind to acknow-
ledge and publifli to the people the deity of our Saviour,
which the unmafker would have to be the lignification
of the Son of God ? Who can entertain fuch a thought ?
No, they were no friends to our Saviour: and therefore
defired to fpread a belief of him, that he was the
Mefliah, that fo he might, by the envy of the fcribes
and pharifees, be difl:urbed in his miniftry, and be cut
off before he had completed it. And therefore we fee,
our Saviour in both places forbids them to make him
known ; as he did his difciples themfelves, for the fame
reafon. For when St. Peter, Matt. xvi. 16, had owned
Jefus to be the MclFiah, in thefe words : *' Thou art the
" Meffiah, the Son of the living God;" it follows, ver.
20^ " Then charged he his difciples, that they fhould

" tcl]

368 A Second Vindication of the

" tell no man that he was Jefus the Mcfliah :" jufl as h«^
had forbid the devils to make him known, i. e. to be
the Mefilah. Befides, thefc words hereof St. Peter, can
be taken in no other fcnfe, but barely to fignify, that
Jefur. was the Mcfhah, tO make them a proper anfwer to
our Saviour's queftion. His firlt queltion here to hi'":
difciplcs, ver. 13, is, " Whom do m.en fay, that I, the
"Son of man," am ? The queftionisnot. Of what original
do you think the Meffiah, when he comes, will be ? For
then this queftion would have been as it is, Matt. xxii.
42, ** What think ye of the Mcili:?h, -Al^ofe Son is he?"
if he had inquired about the common opinion, concern-
ing the nature and dcfcent of the Mclliah. But this
queftion is concerning him.felf: AVhom, Of all the ex-
traordinary perfons known to the Jews, or mentioned iri
their facred writings, the people thought him to be ?
That this was the meaning of his queftion, is evident
from the anfwer the apoftles gave to it, and his further
demand, ver. 14, 15, ** They faid. Some fay thou art
John the Baptift, fome Elias, and others Jeremias, or
one of the prophets. He faith unto them. But whom
fay ye that I am ? The people take mc, fome for one of
the prophets or extraordinary meftengers from God, and
fome for another : But which of them do you take me
to be ? ** Simon Peter anfwercd and faid. Thou art the
*V Meftiah, the Son of the living God." In all which
difcourfe, it is evident there was not the leaft inquiry
inade by our Saviour concerning the perfon, nature, or
qualifications of the MeOiah ; but whether the people
or his apoftles thought him, i. e. Jefus of Nazareth, to
be the Meffiah. To which St. Peter gave him a direcl
and plain anfvi cr in the foregoing words, declaring their
belief of him to be the Mefliah : which is all that, with
any manner of congruity, could be made the fenfe of St.
Peter's anfwer. This alone of itfelf were enough to
juftify my interpretation of St. Peter's words, without
the authority of St. Mark and St. Luke, both whole
words confirm it. For St. Mark, chap. viii. 29, renders
it, '' Thou art the Meffiah ;" and St. Luke, chap. ix. 20",
'^ The Meffiah of God." To the like queftion, " Who
I* art thou ?" John the Baptift gives a like anfwer,

John

Reafonablenefs of Chrijliani'yy &c\ 369

John i. 19, 20, *' I am not the Chrid." By which
anfwer, as well as by the foregoing verfes, it is plain,
nothing was underftood to be meant by that queflion, .
but. Which of the extraordinary perfons, promifed to,
or expedled by, the jews art thou ?

John xi. 27, the phrafe of the Son of God is made
ufe of by Martha; and that it was ufcd by her to
fignify the MelTiah, and nothing elfe, is evident out of
the context. Martha tells our Saviour, that if he had
been there, before her brother died, he, by that divine
power which he had manifefted in fo many miracles
which he had done, could have faved his life; and that
now, if our Saviour would afk it of God, he m.ight ob-
tain the refloration of his life. Jefus tells her, he fliall
rife again : which words, Martha taking to mean, at
the general refurredlion, at the lall day ; Jefus there-
upon takes occalion to intimate to her, that he was the
MelTiah, by telling her, that he was *' the refurredtion.
" and the life;" i. e. that the life, which mankind
fhould receive at the general refurreclion, was by and
through him. This was a defcription of the Meffiah,
it being a received opinion among the jews, that when
the MeiFiah came, the jufl fhouki rife, and live with
him for ever. And having m.ade this declaration of
himfelf to be the r^efTiah, he aiks Martha, " Believed
*' thou this?" What? Not whofe fon the Meffiah
Ihould be ; but whether he himfelf was the Mefiiah, by
whom believers fliould have eternal life at the laft day.
And to this fne gives this dired: and appofite anfwer :
" Yea, Lord, I believe that thou art the Chrift, the Son
*' of God, which fbould come into the v.^orld." The
quedion was only. Whether flie was perfuaded, that
thofe, who believed in hirn, fhould be raifed to eternal
life ; that was in efFed-, " Vv^hether he was the Mefliah ?"
And to this Oie anAvers, Yea, Lord, I believe this of
thee : and then fhe explains what was contained in that
faith of hcr's ; even this, that he was the Meffiah, that
v/as promifed to com.c, by whom alone men were to re-
ceive eternal life.

What the jews alfo underflood by the Son of God,
is likpwife clear from that paiTage at the latter end of

Vol, VL B b . ' • Luke

210 A Second Vindication of the

Luke xxii. They having taken our Saviour, and bcin^
very dellrous to get a C(nif'!{Tiovi from his own mouth,
that he was the MciHah, that they might be from
thence able to raife a formal and prevalent accufaticn
againft him before Pilate ; the only thing the council
alked him, was. Whether he was the Mefliah ? v. 67.
To which he anfvvers fo, in the following v^ords, that
he lets them fee he underftopd, that the defign of their
queftion was to entrap him, and not tobclievc in him,
whatever he (hould declare of himfelf. But yet he tells
them, *' Hereafter Oiall the Son of man fit on the right
'^ hand of the power of God :" "Words that, to thejews
plainly enough owned him to be the MeiTiah ; but yet
fuch as could not have any force againft him with Pilate.
He having confeficd fo much, they hope to draw yet a
clearer confedion from him. *' Then fa.id they all,
" Art thou then the Son of God ? And he faid unto them,
" Ye fay that I am. And they faid. What need we
" any further witiicfs ? For we ourfelves have heard of
'' his own mouth." Can any one think, that the doc-
trine of his deity (Avhich is that which the unmafker
accufes me for waving) was that which the jews de-
ligned to accufe our Saviour of, before Pilate ; or that
they needed witnefles for? Common fenfe, as well as the
current of the whole hillory, {hows the contrary. No,
it w'as to accufe him, that he owned himfelf to be the
Mefliah, and thereby claimed a title to be King of the
Jews. The Son of God was fo known a name amongfl: the
jews, to fland for the Mciuah ; that having got that from
his mouth, they thought they had proof enough for
treafon ao-ainlt him. This carries with it a clear and
eafy meaning: But if the Son of God be to be taken,
as the unmaiker would have it, for a declaration of his
deity, I defire him to make common and coherent
fenfe of it.

I fliall add one corxfideration more to fliow that the
Son of God was a form of fpeech then ufcd among the
jews, to fignify the Mcfliah, from the perfons that ufed
it, viz. John the Baptift, Nathanael, St. Peter, . Martha,
the Sanhedrim, and the centurion. Matt, xxvii. 54.
Here are jews, heathens, friends, enemies, men, women^

believers

ReafonahJenefs of Chrijlianity, &c, 371

believers and unbelievers, all indifferently ufe this phrafe
of the Son of God, and apply it to Jefus. The queiiion
between the unmafl^er and mc, is, Whether it was ufcd
by theic feveral perfons, as an appelbtion of the Mef-
iiah, or (as the unmaikcr would have it) in a quite dif-
ferent fenfe : as fach an application of divinity to cur
Saviour, that he that fliali deny that to be the meaning
of it in the minds of thefe fpeakers, denies the divinity
of Jefus Chrift. For if they did fpeak it Vv'ithout that
meaning, it is plain it v;as a phrafe known to have
another meaning; or elfe they had talked unintelligible
jargon. Now I v/ill afic the unmafkcr, ** Whether he
" thinks, that the eternal generation, or, as the un-
*' maiker calls it, filiation of JefuS' the Son of God,
*^ was a dodtrine that had entered into the thoughts of
" all the perfons above-mentioned, even of the Roman
" centurion, and the foldiers that were Vv-ith him watching
"Jefus?" If he fays he docs, 1 fuppofe he thinks i'o
only for this time, and for this occalion : and then it
will lie upon him to give the world convincing reafons
for his opinion, that they m.ay think Co too ; or if he
does not think fo, he muft give up his argument, and
allow that this phrafe, in thefe places, docs not necef-
farily import the deity of our Saviour, and the dodlrine
of his eternal generation : and fo a man may take it to
bean expreliion franding for the Mefiiah, v,'ithout beinof
a focinian, any more than he himfelf is one.

/' There is one place, the unmaflcer tells us, p. 87,
" that confutes all the furmifes about the identity of
*' thefe terms. It is, fays he, tliat famous confeffion
" of faith which the Ethiopian eunuch made, when
" Philip told him, "he might be baptized, if he be-
" lieved. This, without doubt, was faid, according to
'' that apprehenfion, v.hich he had of Chrift, from
*' Philip's inflrucling him ; for he faid he preached
" unto him Jefus, ver. 35. Fie had acquainted him,
" that Jefus was the Chriit, the anointed of God, and
" alio, that he was the Son of God ; which includes
" in it, that he was God. And accordingly, this noble
** profclyte gives this account of his faith, in order to
'' his being baptized^ in order to his being admitted a

B b 2 *' member '

372 A Second Vindication of the

•' member of C'hrift's church:" " I believe that Jefus
*' is the Son of God :" or you may read it according to
" the Greek, I believe the Son of God to be Jefus
". Chriir," Where there are thefc two diftindt propo-
litions :

" I ft. That Jefus is the Chrifc, the MelTiah.

" 2dly, That he is not only the Mefliah, but the Son
*' of God."

The unmafkcr is evcry-where ftcadily the fame
fubtle arguer. Whether he has proved that the Son of
God, in this confefiion of the eunuch, fignifies what he
v.'ould have, we fhall examine by and by. This at leaft:
is dcmonftration, that this pafTage of his overturns his
principles ; and reduces his long lift of fundamentals to
two propolitions, the belief whereof is fufficient to
make a man a chriftian. ** This noble profelyte, fays
" the unmaiker, gives this account of his faith, in order'
" to his being baptized, in order to bis being admitted
** a member of Chrift's church." And what is that
faith, according to the unmafker? he tells you, *' there
*' are in it thefe two diftincl propolitions, viz. I be-
*' lieve, ift. That Jefus is the Chrift, the Mefhah :
** 2dly, That he is not only the MciTiah, but the Son of
" God." If this famous confeflion, containing but
ihefe two articles, were cnouoh to his beins: baotized ;
if this faith were fufTicient to make this noble profelyte
a chriftian ; what is become of all thofe other articles
of the unmafker's fyftem, v\ithout the belief whereof,
he, in other places, tells us, a man cannot be a chriilian ?
If he fiad here told us, that ** Philip had not time nor
*' opportunity," during his fliort ftay with the eunuch,
to explain to him all the immalker's fyftem, and make-
him underftand all his fundamentals ; he had had reafon
on his iide : and he might have urged it as a reafon why
Philip taught him no more., But nevcrthelefs he had,
by allowing the eunuch's confcllion. of faith fufficient
for his admittance as a member of Chrift's church,
given up his other fundamentals, as necefTary to be be-
lieved to make a man a chriftian ; even that of the Holy
Trinity ; and he has at laft reduced his neceifary articles
to thefc two, viz. " That Jefus is the Meffiah;" and

that

Reafonahlenrfs of Chrijlianityy iSc^ 37'j

that " Jefus is the Son of God." So that, after his
ridiculous calling mine a lank faith, I defire him to
confider what he will now call his own. Mine is next
to none, becaufe, as he fays, it is but one article. If
that reafoning be good, his is not far from none ; it
coniill's but in two articles, which is next to one, and
very little more remote from none than one is. If any.
cne had but as much wit as the unmafker, and could be.
but as fmart upon the number two, as he has been upon
an unit, here were a brave opportunity for him to lay
out his parts ; and he might make vehement complaints
againft one, that has thus ^' cramped our faith, cor-
" rupted men's minds, depraved the gofpel, >and
""^ abufed chri.ftianity." But if it fliould fall out, as I
think it will, that the unmafKcr's tvvo articles fliould
prove to be but one ; he has faved another that labour,
and he ftands painted to himfelf with his own charcoal.
The unmafl^er would have the Son of God, in the
confeiTion of the eunuch, to fignify fomething different
from the Mcfiiah : and his reafon is, becaufe elfe it
would be an abfurd tautology. Anf. There are many
exegetical exprellions put together in fcripture, which,
though they fignify the fame thing, yet are not abfurd,
tautologies. The unmaflver here inverts the propolition,
and would have it to fignify thus : *' The Son of God
*^ is Jefus the Meffiah;" which is a propofition fo
different from Av.hat the apollles propofed, every-wherc
elfe, that he ought to have given a reafon why, when,
every-where elfe, they made the propolition to be, of
fomething aiffirmed of Jefus of Nazareth, the eunuch
fnould make the affirmation to be of fomethino; con-
cerning the Son of God : as if the eunuch knew very
well, what the Son of God figniiied, viz. as ihc un-
mafker tells us here, that it included or fi^'-nificd God ;
and that Phiiip ,(v,ho, we read, at Samaria preached
ruv Xoif&f, the Meffiah, i. e. infiructed them who the
?/Ief]iah was) had here taken pains only to infirud: him,
that this God was Jefus the Mefli^h, and to bring him
to alfent to that propolition. Whether this be natural
to conceive, I leave to the reader.

B b 3 The

374 ^ Second Vindication of the

The tautology, on which the unmafkcr builds his
whole objedion, will be quite removed if we take
Chrift here for a proper name, in which way it is ufed
by the evangeliii.s and apoftles in other places, and par-
ticularly by St. Luke, in A(fts ii. 38. iii. 6, 20. iv. 10.
xxiv. 24, &c. In two of thefe places it cannot, with
any good {tn^Qy be taken otherwife; for, if it be not in
Adts iii. 6, and iv. 10, ufed as a proper name, we muft
read thofe places thus, *' Jefus the Mcfllah of Naza-
" reth." And I think it plain in thofe others cited, as
well as in feveral other places of the Nevv' Teftament,
that the word Chrift is ufed as a proper name. We
may eaflly conceive, that long before the Acts were
writ, the name of Chrift was grov/n, by a familiar ufe,
to denore the perfon of our Saviour, as much as Jefus.
This is fo manifeft, that it gave a name to his followers ;
who, as Si-. Luke tells us, xi. 26, were called chriRians ;
and that, if chronologifts miftake not, twenty years be-
fore St. Luke writ his hillory of the apoflles : and this
fo generally, that Agrippa, a Jew, ufes ir. Acts xxvi. 28.
And that Chrilt, as the. proper name of our Saviour,
"was got as far as Rome, before St. Luke writ the Acts,
appears out of Suetonius, 1. 5. and by that name he is
called in Tacitus, Ann. 1. 15. It is no wonder then,
that St. Luke, in writing this hiftory, fhould fometimes
fet it down alone, fometimes joined with that of Jefus,
as a proper name ; vvhich is much eafier to conceive he
did here, than that Philip propofed more to the eunuch
to be believed to make him a chriftian, than what, in
other places, was propofed for the converfion of others,
or than what he himfclf propofed at Samaria.

His 7th chapter is to prove, that I am a focinian,
becaufc I omitted Chrift's fatisfaftion. That matter
having been anfv.crcd, p. 265, where it came properly
under confidcration, 1 fiiall only obferve here, that the
great firefs of his argument lies as it did before, not
upon my total omiiiion of it out of my book, but .on
thi5, that/' I have no fuch thing in the place vv-here the
*' advantages of Chrift's coming are purpofely treated
*' of;" from whence he will have this to be an un-
avoidable inference^ viz, ^* That I was of opinion, that

Chrift

Reafonahlenefs of Chrijlianit)\ &c. 375

^•' Chrift came not to fatisfy for us." The reafon of
my omifTion of it in that place, I told himj was becaufe
my book was chiefly deiigncd for deifls ; and therefore
I mentioned only thofe advantages, which all chrifiians
mult agree in ; and, in omitting of that, complied with
the apoftle's rule, Rom. xiv. To this he tells me flatly,
that was not the defign of my book. Whether the un-
mailrer knows with what defign I publilhed it, better
than myfelf, mud be left to the reader to judge: for as
for his veracity in w'hat he knows, or knows not, he has
given fo many inftances of it, that I may fafely refer
that to any body. One inftance more of it may be
found in this very chapter, where he fays, *' I pretend
" indeed, pag. 163, that, in another place of my book,
*' I mention Chrift's reftoring all mankind from the
'* ftate of death, and reftoring them to life : and his
■** laying down his life for another, as our Saviour pro-
*' fcifes he did. Thefe few words this vindicator has
'' picked up in his book lince he v/rote it. This is all,
•* through his whole treatife, that he hath dropped con-
*' cerning that advantage of Chrift's incarnation; i. e.
** Chrift's fatisfadliqn." Anfw. But that this is not all
that I have dropped through my whole treatife, con-
cerning that advantage, may appear by thofe places
above-mentioned, p. 163, where I fay, that the defign
of Chrift's coming was to be olfered up, and fpeak of
the v.ork of redemption ; which arc expreflions taken
to imply our Saviour's fatisfadion. But the unmaftcer
thinking I Ihould have quoted them, if there had been
any more, belides thofe mentioned in my vindication,
upon that prefumption fticks not boldly to affirm, that
there were no more; and fo goes on with the veracity
of an unmafker. If afiirming v/ouid do it, nothino-
could be wanting in his caufe, that might be for his
purpofe. VvHiether he be as ^ood at provinp-, this con-
fequence (among other propofitions, which remain upon
him to be proved) will try, viz.

L. That if the fatisfadlion of Chrift" be not mentioned
in the place where the advantages of Chrift's
coming are purpofely treated of, then I am of opi-
nion, that Chrift came not to fatisfy for us :

B b 4 Which

376 A Second Findicaiion of the

\Vhich is all the argument of his 7th chapter.

His laft chapter, as his firft, begins with a commen-
dation of himfclf ; particularly, it boafts his freedom
from bigotifm, dogmatizing, ccnforioufnefs, and un-
charitablencfs. I think he hath draw n hiinfclf fo well
with his own pen, that I Ihall need refer the reader only
to what he himfelf has wrote in this controverfy, for his
charader.

In the next paragraph, p. 104, he tells mc, *' I laugh
** at orthodoxy." Anfw. There is nothing that I think
deferves a more ferious cfleem, than right opinion, (as
the word fignifies) if taken up with the fenfe and love of
truth. But this way of becoming orthodox has always
niodefty accompanying it, and a fair ackiiowledgment
of fallibility in ourf^lves, a«i v/ell as a fuppofition of
errour in others. On the other lide there is nothing more
ridiculous, than for any man, or company of men, to
aflume the title of orthodoxy to their own fct of opi-
nions, as if infallibility were annexed to their fyfiems,
and thofe were to be the flanding meafure of truth to all
the world ; from whence they ere6l to themfelves a
power to cenfure and condemn others, for difFcring at
all from the tenets they have pitched upon. The con-
fideration of human frailty ought to check this vanity:
but fmce it does not, but that, with a fort of allowance,
iit Ihows itfelf in almoft all religious focieties, the play-
ing-the trick round fufficiently turns it into ridicule.
For each fociety having an equal right to a good opinion
of themfelves, a man bypalTrngbut a river, or a hilljlofes
that orthodoxy in one company, which puffed him up
with fuch afiurance and infolcncc in another; and is
there, with equal juftice, himfelf expcfed to the like
cenfurcs of errour and hcrcfy, which he was fo forward
to lay on others at liome. \Vhen it fliall appear, that
infallibility is intailcd upon one fct of men of any de-
nomination, or truth confined to any fpot of ground,
the name and ufe of orthodoxy, as now it is in fafiiion
cvcry-whcre, will in that one place be rcafonable.
Until then, this ridiculous cant will be a foundation too
weak to fullain that ufurpation that is raifed upon it.
It is not that I do not think every one fliould be per-

fuadcd

Reafonahlenejs of Chrijiianity ^ &c. 37-7

fu-adecj of the truth of thofe opinions he profeflcs. It is
that I contend for ; and it is that which I fear the great
fticklers for orthodoxy often fail in. For we fee gene-
rally that numbers of them exadlly jump in a whole
large collecftion of doctrines, confifting of abundance of
particulars ; as if their notiojis were, by one common
Itamp, printed on their minds, even to the leaft linea-
ment. This is very hard, if not impoflible, to be con-
ceived of thcfe who take up their opinions only from
convi(ftion. But, how fully foever I am perfuaded of
the truth of what I hold, I am in common juftice to
allow the fame fmcerity to him that differs from mie ;
and fo we are upon equal terms. This perfualion of
truth on each fide, invcfts neither of us v, ith a right to
cenfure or condemn the other. I have no more reafon
to treat him ill for differing from m;e, than he has to
treat me ill for the fame caufe. Pity him, I may ; In-
form him fairly, I ought : but contemn, malign, revile,
or any otherwife prejudice him. for not thinking juft as t
do, that I ought not. My orthodoxy gives m.e no more
authority over him, than his (for every one is orthodox
to himfelf) gives him over me. When the w^ord orthoi
doxy (w hich in effed: lignifies no more but the opinions
of my party) is made ufe of as a pretence to domineer^
(as ordinarily it is) it is, and always will be, ridiculous.
He fays, " I hate, even with a deadly hatred, all cate-
" chifms and confeilions, all fyffems and models." I
do not remember, that I have once m.entioned the word
catechifm, either in my Reafonablenefs of Chriftianity,
or Vindication ; but he knows " I hate them deadly,"
and I knovv' I do not. And as for fyffems and miodels,
all that I fay of them, in the pages he quotes to prove
my hatred of them, is only this, viz. in my Vindication, p.
164, 165, " Some had rather you ihould write booty,and
^' crofs your own deiign of removing men's prejudices to
" chriftianity, than leave out one tittle of what they
"" put into their fyftems. — Some men will not bear it,
" that any one Ihould fpeak of religion, but according '
'' to the model that they themfelves have made of it."
In neither of which places do I fpeak againft fyftems or
models^ but the ill ufe that fome men make of them.

He

•j^S A Second Vindicatimi of the

He tells me aifo in the fame place, p. JO4, tliat I de-
ride myfteries. But for this he hath quoted neither
words nor place : and where he docs not do that, I have
reafon, from the frequent liberties he takes to impute to
me what no-where appears in my books, to dc(ire the
reader to take what he fays not \q be true. For did he
mean fairly, he might, by quoting my words, put all fuch
matters of fad: out of doubt ,• and not force me, fo often
as he does, to demand where it is : as I do now here
again,

LL Where it is that I deride my Series ?

His next wards, p. IC4, are very remarkable : they
are, *' O how he [the vindicator] grins at the fpirit of
** creed-making 1 p. 369, Vindic. The very thoughts
'' of which do io haunt him, fo plague and torment him,
"■^ that he cannot rell until it be conjured down. And
** here, by the way, feeing I have mentioned his ran-
'* cour againfl; fyilematic books and writings, I might
*'' rcprefent the mifery that is coming upon all book-
*' fellers, if this gentleman and bis corrcfpondcnce go
** on fuccefsfully. Here is an effectual plot to under-
*' mine Stationers-hall ; for all fyftcms and bodies of
** divinity, philofophy, &c> muft be cailiiercd : vvhat-
*■* foever looks like fyftem muft not be bought or fold.
** This v^ill fall heavy on the gentlemen of St. Paul's
** church-yard, and other places." Here the politic
immaiker feem.s to threaten me with the pmTc of Paul's
church-yard, becaufe my book might \<:{\t\\ their gain in
the falc of theological fyftems. 1 remember that " De-
** metrius the fln-ine-maker, which brought no fmali
*' gain to the craftfmen, whom he called together, with
'* the workmen of like occupation, and faid to this
** purpoic : Sirs, ye know, that by this craft we have
*' our wealth : moreover ye fee and hear, that this Paul
** hath perfuadcd, and turned away much people, faying
•* that they be no gods that are made with hands ; fo
*' that this our craft is in danger to be let at nought.
*' And when they heard thefc fayings, they were full of
" va-ath, and cried out, faying. Great is Diana of the

** KDhcfians/*

Reajonahlenefs of Chriflianity, &'c. ^•ya

*' Ephefians." Have you, fir, who are fo good at
fpeech-making, as a worthy fucceflbr of the filver-
fmithj regulating your zeal for the truth, and your
writing divinity by the profit it will bring, made a
fpeech to this purpofe to the craftfmen, and told them,
that I fay, articles of faith, and creeds, and fyftems in
religion, cannot be made by men's hands or fancies ;
but mufi: be juft fuch, and no other than what God hath
given us in the fcriptures ? And are they ready to cry-
out to your content, " Great is Diana of the Ephefians ?'*
If you have well warmed them with your oratory, it is
to be hoped they will heartily join with you, and beftir
themfelves, and choofe you for their champion, to pre-
vent the mifery^ you tell them, is coming upon them, in
the lofs of the fale of fyftems and bodies of divinity :
for, as for philofophy, which you name too, I think you
went a little too far; nothing of that kind, as I remem-
ber, hath been fo much as mentioned. But, however,
fome fort of orators, when their hands are in, omit no-
thing, true or falfe, that may move thofe they would
work upon. Is not this a worthy employment, and be-
coming a preacher of the gofpel, to be a folicitor for
Stationers-hall ? And make the gain of the gentlemen of
Paul's church-yard, a confideration for or againft any
book writ concerning religion ? This, if it were ever
thought on before, nobody but an unmafker, who lays
all open, was ever fo foolifli as to publilh. But here
you have an account of his zeal : the views of o-ain are
to meafure the truths of divinity. Had his zeal, as he
pretends in the next paragraph, • no other amis, but the
*' defence of the gofpel;" it is probable this controverfy
would have been managed after another falhion.

Whether what he fays in the next, p. 105, to excufe
his fo often pretending to " know my heart and
^' thoughts," will fatisfy the reader; I fhall not trouble
myfelf By his fo often doing it again, in his Socinia-
nifm unmafked, I fee he cannot write without it. And
fo I leave it to the judgment of the readers, whether he
C'dn be allowed to know other men's thoughts, who, on
many occafions, feems not well to know his own. The
railing, in the remainder of this chapter I fliall pafs by,

as

n%Q A Second Vindication of the

as I have done a great deal of the fame flrain in his
book : only to fliow how well he underftands or repre-
fents my fenfe, I Ihall fet down my words, as they are in
the pages he quotes, and his inferences from them.

Vindication, p. 171.

I know not but it may
be true that the anti-trini-
tarians and racovians un-
<^eriiand thofe places as I
do J but it is more than I
know, that they do fo. I
took not my fenfe of thofe
texts from thofe writers, but
from the fcripture itfelf^^
giving light to its own
meaning, by one place
compared with another.
What, in this way, appears
to me its true meaning, I
fiiall not decline, becaufe I
am told, that it is fo un-
derftood by the racovians,
whom I never yet read ;
nor embrace the contrary,
though the generality of
divines I more converfe with, fhould declare for it. If
the fenfe wherein I underfiand thofe texts be a m.iftake,
1 ihall be beholden to you, if you will fet me right. But
they are not popular authorities, or frightful names,
whereby I judge of truth or falfliood.

He tells me here of the generality of divines. If he
had'faid of the church of England, I could have under-
ftood him : but he fays, ** The profeffcd divines of Eng-
*' land;" and there being. fever2.1 forts of divines in
England, who, I think, do not every-where agree in
their interpretations of fcripture; which of them is it
I mufl: have regard to, where they ditl'er? It he cannot
tell me that, he complains here of me for a fault, which
he himfelf knows not how to mend.

Vindication,

Socinianifm Unmafkcd,
p. 108.
*' The profefTed divines
** of England you muft
*' know, are but a pitiful
"' fort of folks with this
^' great racovian rabbi.
•* EIc tells us plainly, that
" he is not mindful of ^\ hat
*' the generality of divines
*' declare for, p. jyi. He
'' labours- fo concernedly
" to ingratiate himfelf with
'* the mob, the multitude
/' (which he fo often talks
"■ cf) that he has no regard
*' tothefe. Thegeneralityof
" the rabble are more con-
*' fiderable with him than
^' thegencralityofdiv.ines."

Reafonahlenefs of ChYijltantt\\ ^c. 3^1

Vindication, p. 169.
The lift of materials for
his creed, (for the articles
are not yet formed) Mr.
Edwards clofes, p, 1 1 1, with
thefe words : "^ Thefe are
*' the matters of faith con-
** tained in the epiftles ; and
*' they are elTential and m-

Socinianifm Unmafked,
p. 109.
^"^ This author, as de-
^""^ mure and grave as he
*'^ would fometim.es feem
^^ to be, can feoff at the
" matters of faith con-
'* tained in the apoftles
" cpiflles, p. 169."

** tegral parts of the gofpel
*' itfelf." What ! juft thefe, neither more nor lefs ? If
you are fure of it, pray let us have them fpeedily, for
the reconciling of differences in the chriflian church,
which has been fo cruelly torn about the articles of the
chriftian faith, to the great reproach of chriflian charity,
and fcandal of our true religion.

Does the vindicator here "^ feoff at the matters of
" faith contained in the cpiftles?" or {liow the vain
pretences of the unmaflcer : who undertakes to give us,
out of the epiftles, a coUedlion of fundamentals, without
being able to fay, whether thofe he fcts down be all
or no ?

Socinianifm Unmalked,
p. no.
" To coax the mob,
' he profanely brings irt
' that place of fcripture;
^ Have any of the rulers
^ believed in him ?"

Vindication, p. 176.
I hope you do not think,
how contem.ptibiy foever you
fpeak of the venerable mob,
as you are pleafed to dignify
them, p. 117, that the bulk
of mankind, or, in your
phrafe, the rabble, are not

concerned in religion ; or ought not to underiland it, in
order to their falvation. I remember the pharifees
treated the common people with contempt ; and faid,
^' Have any of the rulers, or of the pharifees, believed
" in him ? But this people who know not the law, are
'^ curfed." But yet thefe, w4io in the cenfure of the
pharifees, were curfed, were ,fome of the poor, or,
if you pleafe to have it foj the mob, to whom the gofpel

was

382 A Second Vindication of the

was preached by our Saviour, as he tells John's difclplc:.
Matt. xi. 5.

Where the profanencfs of this is, I do not fee; iinlefs
fome unknown facrednefs of the unmaiker's perlbn
make it profanenefs to fhow, that he, like the pharifees
of old, has a great contempt for the common people,
i. e. the far greater part of mankind ; as if they and
their falvation were below the regard of this elevated
rabbi. But this, of profanenefs, may be well born
from him, lince in the next words my mentioning ano-
ther part of his carriage is no lefs than irreligion.

Vindication, p. 173. Socinianifm UnmafKed,

He prefers what I fay to p. no.

him myfelf, to what is offer- " Ridiculoufly and ir-
ed to him, from the word of '^ religiouflyhe pretends,"
God, and makes me this that I prefer w hat he faith
compliment, that I begin to to me to what is offered to
mend about the. clofe, i. e. mc from the word of God,
when I leave off quoting of p. 173.
fcripture, and the dull work

was done " of going through the hiftory of the Evange-
" lifts and the Adts," which he computes, p. J05, to
take up three quarters of my book.

The matter of fa6t is as I relate it, and fo is beyond
pretence ; and for this I refer the reader to the 105th
and 114th pages of his '* Thoughts concerning the
" caufes of atheifm." But had I miftaken, I know not
how he could have called it, irreligioufly. Make the
worft of it that can be, how comes it to be irreligious }
What is there divine in an unmalker, that one cannot
pretend, (true or falfe) that he prefers what I fay, to
what is offered him from the word of God, without
doing it irreligioufiy .'' Docs the very affuming the
power to define articles, and determine who are, and
who are not chriftians, by a creed not yet made, erevft
an unmafker prefcntly into God's throne, and beffow
on him the title of Dominus Deufque nofter, whereby
offences againfl: him come to be irreligious ads I I have

mif-

R.€afoTfaMenefs of Chrijlianityy i^c, jS-j:

mifreprefented his meaning ; let it be fo : Where is the
irreligion of it ? Thus it is : the power of mak ii:g a re-
ligion for others, (and thofe that make creeds do that]
being once got into any one's fancy, muft at Lift make
all oppolitiona to tliofe creeds and creed-makers irreli-,
gion. Thus we fee, in procefs: of time, it <Xidi in the
church of Rome : but it was in length of time, and by
gentle degrees. The unmailier, it feems, cannot ilayj^
is in hafre, and atone jump leaps into the chair. He
has given us yet bat a piece of his creed, and yet that^s
enough to fct him above the (late of human miflakes or
frailties ; and to mention any fuch thing in. him, is to da
irreligiouOy.

"^ We may further fee," fays the unmalker, p. iiq,,
^' how counterfeit the vindicator's gravity is, whiiO: he
*^ condemns frothy and light difcourfes," p.i73,Vindic«.
And " yet, in many pages together, moft irreverently
treats a great part of the apofloli.cal writings, and throws-
afide the main articles of religion, as unnecelfary." An-
Aver in my Vindic. p. 170, you may rememlDer thefe
words : '^ I require you to publifli to the world thofe
"■ paiTages, which lliow my contempt of the epiifles."
Why do you not (efpecially having been fo called upon
to do it) fct down thofe words, wherein ^* I moft ir-
*' reverently treat a great part of the apoftolical writ-
** ings ?" At leaft, why do you not quote thofe many
pages wherein I do it ? This looks a little fufpiciouOy,
that you cannot : and the more becaufe you have, in this
very page, not been fparing to quote places which you
thought to your purpofe. I muft take leave, therefore,
(if it may be done without irreligion] to allure the rea-
der, that this is another of your many miftakes in mat-
ters of fadf, for which you have not ^o much as the ex-
cufe of inadvcrtGncy : for, as he fees, you have beea
minded of it before. But an uivriafker, i-^y ^^'^^'^^ yoii
will to him, will be an unmalker ftill.

He clofcs what he has to fay to m.e, in his Socinianifm

unmafked, as if he were in the pulpit, with an ufe of

exhortation. The faife inlinuations it is filled with

rnake the conclulion of a piece with the introduAion.

, As he fets oyt, fo he ends, and therein friows wherein

he

384 ^ Second Vindication of the

he places his ftrength. A cuftom of making bold with
truth is fo fcldom curable in a grown man, and the un-
maflver fhows fo little ^c:\\(c of fliame, where it is charged
upon him, beyond a poflibility of clearing himfclf, that
no-body is to trouble thenifclves any farther about that
part of his cftablifliied chara(iter. Letting therefore that
alone to nature and cuftom, two fure guides, I fliall
only intreat him, to prevent his taking railing for argu-
ment, (which I fear he too often does) that upon his
entrance, every-where, upon any new argument, he
Avould fet it down in fyllogifm ; and when he has done
that (that I may know what is to be anfwered) let him
then give vent, as he pleafcs, to his noble vein of \\\t
and oratory.

The lifting a man's felf up in his own opinion, has
had the credit, in former ages, to be thought the lowell
degradation that human nature could vvell link itfelf to.
Hence, fays the wife man, Prov. xxvi. 5, ** Anfwer a
** fool according to his folly, left he be wife in his own
**■ conceit :" hereby Ihowing, that felf-conceitednefs is a
degree beneath ordinary folly. And therefore he there
provides a fence again ft it, to keep even fools from
linking yet lower, by falling into it. Whether v.hat
was not fo in Solomon's days be now, by length of
time, in ours, prrovvn into a mark of wifdom and parts,
and an evidence of great performances, I ihall not in-
quire. Mr- Edwards, who goes beyond all that ever I
yet met with, in the coinmendation of his own, bcft
knows why he fo extols what he has done in this con-
troverfy. For fear the praifcs he has not been fparing
of, in his Socinianifm unmaft^ed, ftiould not fufticiently
trumpet out his worth, or might be forgotten ; he, in a
new piece, intitled, '' the Socinian creed," proclaims
again his mighty deeds, and the vidory he has eftablifti-
ed to himfclf by them, in thcfe words: ** But he and
'^ his friends (the oni!-article men) feem to have made
*•■ fatisfac'iion, bv their profound iilence lately, whereby
•'^ they acknowledge to the world, that they have nothing
*' to fay in reply to wliat I laid to their charge, and fully
*^ proved againft them, &c." Socinian creed, p. 128.
TluS frcfli teftimonyof no ordinary conceit, which Mr..
- • Edwards

Tteafonallenefs of Chrijiianityy &c, ^8j

Edwards hath, of the excellency and ftrength of his rea-*.
foning, in his Socinianifm unrnafked, I leave with him
and his friends, to be confidered of at their leifure : and^
if they think I have mifapplied the term of conceited-
nefs, to fo wife, underflanding, and every way accom-
pliihed a difputant, (if we may believe himfelf) I will
teach them a way how he, or any body elfe, may fully
convince me of it. There remains on his fcore^ marked
in this reply of mine, feveral propofitions to be proved
by him. If he can find but arguments to prove them,
that will bear the fetting down in form, and will {o
publifh them, I will allow myfelf to be miflaken. Nay,
which is more, if he, or any body, in the 112 pages of
his Socinianifm unrnafked, can find but ten arguments
that will bear the teft of fyllogifm, the true touchftone
of right arguing ; I will grant, that that treatife derefves
all thofe commendations he has beftowed upon it, though
it be made up more of his own panegyric, than a con-
futatioh of me.

In his focinian creed, (for a creed-maker he will be;
and whether he has been as lucky for the focinians as
for the orthodox, I know not) p. 120, he begins with
me, and that with the fame conquering hand and flcill,
which can never fail of vidiory ; if a man has but wit
enough to know what propofition he is able to confute,
and then make that his adverfiry's tenet. But the re-
petitions of his old fong concerning one article, the
epiflles. Sec. which occur here again, I fhail only fee
down, that none of thefe excellent things may be lofl,
Xvhereby this acute and unanfwerable writer has fo well
deferved his own commendations : viz. " That I fay,
" there is but one fingle article of the chi-iftian truth
" neceiiary to be believed and affented to by us, p. 121.
" That I llight the chriftian principles, curtail the arti-
'* cles of our faith, and ravilh chriflianity itfelf from
*' him, p. 123. And that I turn the epiflles of the
'* apoftles into wafle paper," p. 127.

Thefe and the like flandcrs I have already given an
slnfwcr to, in my reply to his fornier book. Only one
new one here I cannot pafs over in filence, becaufe of the
remarkable profanenefs w hich feems to me to be in it ;

Vol. VL ' C c which.

386 A Second Findication of ihr

which, I think, dcfcrvcs public notice. In ray
*' Rcalbniiblenefs of Chriftianity," 1 have laid together
thofe palfages of our Saviour's life, which feeuKd to
me moll eminently to Ihow his wifdom, in that condud:
of hiniiclf, with that refcrve and caution which was
necelTary to preferve him, and carry him through the
appointed time of his miniftry. vSomc have thought I
had herein done conliderable fervice to the chriflian re-
ligion, by removing thofe objections which fomc were
apt to make from our Saviour's carriage, not rightly
undcrftood. This creed-maker tells me, p. 127, *' That
*' I make our Saviour a coward ;" a word not to be ap-
plied to the Saviour of the world by a pious or difcrete
clirillian, upon any pretence, v/ithout great neceflity,
and fure grounds 1 If he had fet down my words, and
quoted the page, (which was the leail could have been
done to excufe fuch a phrafe) we lliould then have feen
which of us two this impious and irreligious epithet,
given to the holy Jefus, has for its author. In the
mean time, I leave it with him, to be accounted for,
by his piety, to thofe, who by his example Ihall be en-
couraged to entertain fo vile a thought, or ufe fo pro-
fane an exprelTion of the Captain of our fiUvation, who
freely gave himfelf up to death for us.

He alfo fays in ihc fame page, 127, " That I every-
** where ftrike at fyilerns, the defign of which is to
** ellablifli one of my own, or to follcr fcepticifm, by
*' beating dov\ n all others."

For clera reafon, or }2;ood fenfc, I do not think our
creed-maker ever had his fellow. In the immediately
preceding words of the fame fentence he charges mc
with ** a great antipathy againfl: fylkms;" and, be-
fore he comes to the end of it, finds out my defign to
be the *' eflablifhing one of my own." So that this,
*' mv antipathy againft: f) flems" makes me in love with
one. ** My delign, he fays, is to eflablifli a fyftem of
" my own, or to fofter fccpticifm, in beating down all
'* others." Let my book, if he pleafes, be my fyfleni
of chriftianicy. Now is it in me any more foftering
fccpticifm to lay my fyftem is true, and others not, than
It is in the creed-maker to fay fo of all other fyllcms

but

Reafonahlenefs of Chrijitanityy &c. 387

but his own? For I hope he does not allow any fyftem
of chriftianity to be true, that differs from his, any more
than I do.

But I have fpoken againfl all fyftems. Anfw. And
always fhall, fo far as they are fet up by particular men,
or parties, as the juft meafure of every man's faith ;
wherein every thing that is contained, is required and
impofed to be believed to make a man a chriftian : fuch
an opinion and ufe of fyftems I fhall always be againft,
until the creed-maker Ihall tell me, amongft the variety
of them, which alone is to be received and refted in, in
the abfence of his creed ; which is not yet finiflied, and,
I fear, will not, as long as I live. That every maa
fhould receive from others, or make to himfelf fuch a
fyftemof chriftianity, as he found moft conformable to
the word of God, according to the beft of his under-
ftanding, is what I never fpoke againft : but think it
every one's duty to labour for, and to take all oppor-
tunities, as long as he lives, by ftudying the fcriptures
every day, to perfect.

But this, I fear, will not go eafily down with our
author; for then he cannot be a creed-maker for others :
a thing he fhows himfelf very forward to be ; how able
to perform it, we fhall fee when his creed is made. In
the mean time, talking loudly and at random, about
fundamentals, without knowing what is fo, may ftand
him in fome flead.

This being all that is new, which I think myfelf con-
cerned in, in this focinian creeds I pafs on to his Pofl-
fcript. In the firft page whereof, I find thefe words :
"^ I found that the manager of the Reafonablenefs of
" chriftianity had prevailed with a gentleman to make
" a fcrmon upon my refutation of that treatife, and the
" vindication of it." Such a piece of impertinency,
as this, might have been born from a fair adverfary:
but the fample Mr. Edwards has given of himfelf, in
his Socinianifm unmafked, pcrfuades me this ought to
be bound up with what he fays of me in his introdudl'ion
to that book, in thefe words : '* Among others, the/
" thought and made choice of a gentleman, who, they
" kriew, would be extraordinary ufeful to them* And

C c 3 " «^ he

388 A Second Vindication of the

** he, it is probable, was as forward to be made ufe of
" by them, and prcfcntly accepted of the oflice that was
/* affigned him :" and more there to the fame purpofe.
All which I know to be utterly falfe.

It is a pity that one who relies fo intircly upon it,
fliould have no better an invention. The focinians fct
the author of the " Reafonablenefs of chriftianity,"
&c. on work to write that book ; by which difcovcry
the world being (as Mr. Edwards fays) let into the pro-
jedt, that book is confounded, baffled, blown off, and
by this Ikilful artifice there is an end of it. Mr. Bold
preaches and publiflics a fermon without this irrefraga-
ble gentleman's good leave and liking. What now
muft be done to difcredit it, and keep it from being
read ? Why, Mr. Bold too was fet on work, by " the
" manager of the Reafonablenefs of Chriftianity," S^c.
In your whole ftorehoufe of llratagems, you that are fa
great a conqueror, have you but this one way to deftroy
a book, which you fet your mightinefs againfl", but to
tell the world it was a job of journey-work for fome-
body you do not like? Some other would have done
better in this new cafe, had your happy invention been
ready with it : for you are not fo baihful or referved,
but that you may be allowed to be as great a wit as he
•who profeffed himfclf " ready at any time to fay a good
*' or a new thing, if 1 e could but think of it." But in
good earned;, fir, if one fliould afk you. Do you think
IT- books contain truth in them, which were undertaken
by the procuration of a bookfeller? I defire you to be a
little tender in the point, not knowing how far it may
reach. Ay, but fuch bookfellers live not at the lower
end of Pater-nofter-row, but in Paul's church-yard,
and are the managers of other-guife books, than " the
** Reafonablenefs of Chriftianity." And therefore you
very rightly fubjoin, ** Indeed it was a great maflcr-
*' piece of procuration, and we can't but think that
" man muft fpeak truth, and defend it very impartially
•^ and fubftantially, who is thus brought on to under-
" take the caufe." And fo Mr. Hold's fermon is found
to have neither truth nor fenfe in it, becaufe it was
printed by a bookfeller at the lower end of Pater-nofler-

rowj

9

Reafonahlenefs of Chrijlianlty^iic. 389

TOW; for that, I dare fay, is all you know of the mat-
ter. But that is hint enough for a happy diviner, to be
fure of the reit, and with confidence to report that for
certain matter of fact, which had never any being but in
the fore-cafling fide of his politic brain.

But whatever were the reafons that moved Mr. B
to preach that fermon, of which I know nothing ; this
I am fare, it fhows only the weaknefs and malice (I will
not fay, and ill breeding, for that concerns not one of
Mr. Edwards's pitch) of any one who excepts againfl:
it, to take notice of any thing more than what the author
has publifhed. Therein alone coniifls the errour, if
there be any ; and that alone thofe meddle with, who
write for the fake of truth. But poor cavillers have other
purpofes, and therefore mufi: ufe other Ihifts, and make
a buftle about fomething befides the argument, to pre-
judice and beguile unWary readers.

The only exception the creed-maker makes to Mr.
Bold's fermon, is the contradidtion he imputes to him,
in faying : " That there is but OTiQ point or article
'^ necelTary to be believed for the making a man a chri-
*' llian : and that there are many points befides this,
**■ which Jefus Chrift hath taught and revealed, which
*' every fincere chrifli-n is indifpenfably obliged to en-
*^ deavour to underftand :" and '' that there are parti-
*' cular points and articles, which being known to be
" revealed by Chrift, chriftians mufi: indifpenfably af-
*' fent to." And where, now, is there any thing like
SL contradi(flion in this ? Let it be granted, for exam-
ple, that the creed-maker's fet of articles, (let their
number be what they .will, when he has found them all
out) are neceffary to be believed, for the making a man a
chriftian. Is there any contradiction in it to fiy, there
are many points befides thefe, which Jefus Chrift hath
taught and revealed, which every fincere chriftian is in-
difpenfably obliged to endeavour to underftand ? If this
be npt fo, it is but for any one to be perfedt in Mr.
Edwards's creed, and then he may lay by the bible, and
from thenceforth he is abfolutely difpenfed with from
fludying or underftanding any thing more of the fcrip-
ture,

C c -? But

39*^ A Second Vindication of the

But Mr. Edwards's fupremacy is not yet fo far efla-
blilhed, that he will dare to fay, that chriftians are
not obliged to endeavour to undcrfland any other points
revealed in the fcripture, but what are contained in his
.creed. He cannot yet well difcard all the reft of the
fcripture, bccaufe he has yet need of it for the complet-
ing of his creed, which is like to fecurethe bible to us
for fome time yet. For 1 will be anfwerable for it,
he will not be quickly able to refolve what texts of the
fcripture do, and what do not, contain points necelTary
to be believed. So that I am apt to imagine, that the
creedT-maker, upon fccond thoughts, will allow that
fiiying, that there is but one, or there are but twelve,
or there are but as many as he Ihall fet down, (when
he has refolved which they fhall be) necelfary to the
making a man a chriftian ; and the faying, there are
other points belides, contained in the fcripture, which
every iincere chriftian is indifpenfably obliged to endea-
vour to underftand, and muft believe, when he knows
them to be revealed by Jefus Chrift, a.re two pro-
pofitions that may conftft together without a contra-
diction,

Every chriftian is to partake of that bread, and that
cup, which is the communion of the body and blood
of Chrift. And is not every fmcere chriftian indif-
penfably obliged to endeavour to underftand thcfc
ivords of our Saviour's inrtitution, " This is my body,
and this is my blood ?" And if, upon his ferious endea-
vour to do it, he undcrftands them in a literal ^i:Yi^ey
that Chrift meant, that that was really his body and
blood/ and nothing elfe ; muft he not neceftarily believe
that the bread and wine, in the Lord's fupper, is
changed really into his body and blood, though he
doth not know how ? Or, if having his mind fet
otherwife, he undcrftands the bread and wine to be
really the body and blood of Chrift, without ceafmg to
be the true bread and wine: or clfe, if he undcrftands
them, that the body and blood of Chrift are verily and
indeed given and received, in the facrament, in a fpiri-
tual manner: or, laftly, if he undcrftands our Saviour to
rncan, by thofe words^ the bread and wine to be only gi

rcprcfcntatioa

Jlcafonahlenefs of Chrij}ianii}\ &r, 391

reprefentation of his body and blood ; in which way
foever of ihefe four, a chriftian undcrftands thefe words
of our Saviour to be meant by him, is he not obliged in
that fenfe to believe them to be true, and aflent to them ?
Or can he be a chriftian, and undcrftand thefe words to
be meant by our Saviour, in one fenfe, and deny his af-
fent to them as true, in that fenfe? Vv^ould not this be
to deny our Saviour's veracity, and confequently his
being the Mefiiah, fent from God ? And yet this is put
upon a chriftian, where he undcrflands the fcriptu.ie in
one fenfe, and is required to believe it in another. From
all which it is evident, that to fay there is one, or any
number of articles neceflary to be known and believed
to make a man a chriftian, and that there are others
contained in the fcripture, which a man is obliged to
•endeavour to underftand, and obliged alfo to aiTent to,
as he does underftand them, is no contradi(ftion.

To believe Jefus to be the McfTiah, and to take him
to be his Lord and King, let us fuppofe to be that only
which is neceflary to make a man a chriftian : may it
not yet be neceffary for him, being a chriftian, to ftudy
the dodirine and la\A^ of this his Lord and King, and
believe that all that he delivered is true? Is there any
contradidion in holding of this ? But this creed-maker,
to make fure work, and not to f.iil of a contradi(fi:ion in
Mr. Bold's words, mif-repeats them, p. 241, and quite
contrary, both to what they are in the fcrmon, and what
they are, as fee down by the creed-maker himfclf, in the
immediately preceding page. Mr. Bold fays, " There
** are other points that Jefus Chrift hath taught and
*' revealed, which every lincere chriftian is indifpenfa-
*^ bly obliged to underftand ; and which being known
*^ to be revealed by Chrift, he mufti ndifpcnfably afll'nt
*' to. From which the creed-maker argues thus, p.
" 240, Now if there be other points, and particular
** articles, and thofe many, which a ilncere chniihii is
'* obliged, and that necelfarily and indifpenfably, to un-
" derftand, believe and airent to ; then this Vvriterhath,
" in effed:, yielded to that propofition I maintained^
*- viz. that the belief of one article is not fufficient to
C c 4 *' make

392 ■ A Second Findication of the

" make a man a chriftian ; and confequentiy be runs
*^ counter to the propofuion he had hiid down."

Is there no difference, I befcech you, between being
" indifpenfably obliged to endeavour to underftand, and
*' being indifpenfably obliged to underhand any point?"
It is the lirft of thefe Mr. Bold fays, and it is the latter
pf thcfe you argue from, and fo conclude nothing againft
hini : nor can you to your purpofe. For until Mr.
Bold fays (which he is far from faying) that every lin-
cere chiift'an is necefiarily and indifpenfably obliged to
iinderffand all thofe texts of fcripture, from whence you
ihould havp drawn your neceliary articles, (when you
have perfed:ed your creed) in the fame {ti\(c that you
do ; you can conclude nothing againll what he had faid,
coiicerning that one article, or any thing that looks like
running counter to it. For it may be enough to con-
ftitute a m.an a chriftian, and one of Chrift's fubjecfls,
to take Jefus to be the Meffiah, his appointed King,
and yet, w'ithout a contradiction, fo that it may be his
jndifpenfable duty, as a fubjedt of that kingdom, to en-
deavour to undcrftand all the didtates of his fovereign,
and to aflent to the truth of them, as far as he under-.
:0:ands them,

But that which the good creed-maker aims at, with-
out which all his neceliary articles fall, is, that it fliould
be granted him, that every fincere chriftian was necef-
farily and indifpenfably obliged to underftand all thofe
parts of divine revelation, from whence he pretends to
draw his ijrticles, in their true meaning, i. e. juft as
he does. But his infallibility is not yet fo eftablillied,
but that there will need fome proof of that propofition.
And when he has proved, that every iinccre chriftian is
neccffarily and indifpenfably obliged to undcrftand thofe
texts in their true meaning ; and that his interpreta-
tion of them is that true lacaning ; I fliall then alk
him. Whether '* every finccre chriftian is not as ne-
*' ceffarily and indifpenfably obliged" to underftand
pther texts of fcripture in their true ineaning, though
they have no place in his fyftem ?

For example. To make ufe of the inftance above-
menti-oned, is not every fincere chriftian nccclTarily

and

Keafonahlenefs of Chnjlianii)\ &c. 29'^

and indifpenfably obliged to endeavour to underftand
thefe words ot our Saviour, *' This is my body, and
*' this is my blood," that he may know what he receives
in the facrament ? Does he ceafe to be a chriftian, who
happens not to underftand themjuft as the creed-maker
does ? Or may not the old gentleman at Rome (who
has fomewhat the ancienter title to mfallibility} make
tranfubftantiation a fundamental article necefTary to be
believed there, as well as the creed-maker here make his
fenfe of any difputed text of fcripture a fundamental arti-
cle neceffary to be believed ?

Let us fuppofe Mr. Bold had faid, that inftead of one
point, the right knowledge of the creed-maker's one
hundred points (when he has refolved on them) doth
conftitute and make a perfon a chrillian ; yet there are
many other points Jcfus Chrifl hath taught and reveal-
ed, which every lincere chriftian is indifpenfably obliged
to endeavour to underftand, and to make a due ufe of;
for this, I think, the creed-maker will not deny. From
whence, in the creed-maker's words, I will thus argue :
" Now if there be other points, and particular articles,
*' and thofe many, which a fincere chriftian is obliged,
** and that neceffarily and indifpenfably, to underftand,
*' and believe, and aflent to ; then this writer doth, in
*' effed:, yield to that propolition which I maintained,
*' viz. That the belief of thofe one hundred articles
*' is not fufficient to make a man a chriftian :" for this
is that which I maintain, that upon this ground the
belief of the articles, which he has fet down in his lift,
are not fufficient to make a man a chriftian ; and that
upon Mr. Bold's reafon, which the creed-maker inftfts
on againft one article, viz. becaufe there are many other
points Jefus Chrift hath taught and revealed, which
every fincere chriftian is as neceffarily and indifpenfa-
bly obliged to endeavour to underftand, and make a due
life of.

But this creed-maker is cautious, beyond any of his
predeceflbrs : He will not be fo caught by his own ar-
gument; and therefore is very fhy to give you the pre-
rife articles that every fmcere chriftian is neceffarily and
indifpenfably obliged to underftand and give his affent

to.

39-f -^ Second P'indication of the

to. Something he is fure there is, that he is indifpenfa-.
bly obliged to underftand andalTent to, to make him a
chriflian; but what that is he cannot yet tell. So that
whether he be a chriftian or no, he docs not know ; and
what other people will think of him, from his treating
of the ferious things of chriflianity, in fo trifling and
fcandalous a way, muflbe left to them.

In the next paragraph, p. 242, the creed-maker tells
us, Mr. Bold goes on to confute himfelf, in faying, " A
** true chriftian muft alTent unto this, that Chrift Jefus
" is God." But this is juilfuch another confutation of
himfelf as the before-mentioned, i. e. as much as a
faldiood, fubflitufcd by another man, can be a confuta-
tion of a man's felf, who has fpoken truth all of a-piece.
For the creed-maker, according to his fure way of
baffling his opponents, fo as to leave them nothing to
anfwer, hath here, as he did before, changed Mr. Bold's
Avords, which in the 35th page, quoted by the creed-
maker, ftand thus: *' When a true chriilian under-
'' ftands, that Chrift Jefus hath taught, that he is God,
*' he muft alfent unto it :" which is true, and con-
formable to what he had faid before, that every lincere
chriiHan muft endeavour to underftand the points taught
and revealed by Jefus Chrift ; w^hich being known to be
revealed by him, he muft aflent unto.

The like piece of honcfty the creed-maker fhows in
the next paragraph, p. 243, where he charges Mr.
Bold with faying, ** That a true chriftian is as much
** obliged to believe, that the Holy Spirit is God, as
" to believe that Jefus is the Chrift," p. 40. In which
place, Mr. Bold's words are: ** When a true chriftian
*' underftands, that Chrift Jefus hath given this ac-
•* count of the Holy Spirit, viz. that he is God ; he
" is as much obliged to believe it, as he is to believe,
" that Jefus is the Chrift:" which is an incontcfta-
ble truth, but fuch an one as the creed-maker himfelf
faw would do him no fervice ; and therefore he mangles
it, and leaves out half to fcrve his turn. But he that
Ihould give a teftimony in the llight affairs of men, and
their temporal concerns, before a court of judicature, as
the crce^-makcr does here, and ahnoft- evcry-whcre, in

the:

Reafcnahlenefs of Chnjltamfy.., &c. 395

the great affairs of religion, and the everlafting concern
of fouls, before all mankind, would lofe his ears for it.
What, therefore, this worthy gentleman alleges out of
Mr. Bold, as a contradidion to himfelf, being only the
creed-maker's contradidion to truth, and clear matter
of fa(5^, needs no other anfwer.

The reft of what he calls " Reflections on Mr. Bold's
♦* fermon" being nothing but either rude and mifbe-
coming language of him ; or pitiful childifli application
to him, to change his perfuafion at the creed-maker's
entreaty, and give up the truth he hath owned, in
courtefy to this doughty combatant ; fhows the ability
of the man. Leave off begging the queftion, and fu-
percilioufly prefuming, that you are in the right; and,
inftead of that, fhow by argument : and I dare anfu ei:
for Mr. Bold, you will have him, and I promife you,
with him, one convert more. But arguing is not, it
fcems, this notable difputant's way. If boafting of
himfelf, and contemning of others, falfe quotations, and
feigned matters of fa6l, which the reader neither can
know, nor is the queftion concerned in, if he did know,
will not do ; there is an end of him : he has fliown his
excellency in fcurrilous declamation ; and there you have
the whole of this unanfwerable writer. And for this, I
appeal to his own writings in this controverfy, if any
judicious reader can have the patience to look them
over.

In the beginning of his '' Refle«5lions on Mr. Bold's
" fermon," he confidently tells the world, " that he
** hnd found that the manager of the Reafonablenefs of
** Chriftianity had prevailed on Mr. Bold to preach a
*' fermon upon his Reflexions, &c." And adds, ** And
•" we cannot but think, that that man muft fpeak the
** truth, and defend it very impartially and fubftan-
** tially, who is thus brought on to undertake the
*' caufe." And at the latter end he addrelTes himfelf
to Mr. Bold, as one that is drawn off, to be an under
journeyman-worker in focinianifm. In his gracious
allowance, ^' Mr. Bold is, feemingly, a man of fome
** reliih of religion and piety," p. 244. He is forced
alfo to own him to be a man of fobriety and temper,

p, 245.

39^ A Second Vindication of the

p. 245. A very good rife, to give him out to the world,
]n the very next words, as a man of a proflig;,te con-
fcience : for fo he muft be, who can be drawn off to
preach, or write for focinianifm, when he thinks it a moft
dangerous crrour ; who can " diffemblc with himfeif,
** and choke his inward perfuafions," (as the creed-
maker infinuates that Mr. Bold does, in the fame ad-
drefs to him, p. 248.} and write contrary to his light.
Had the creed-maker had reafon to think in earneft,
that Mr. Bold was going off to focinianifm, he might
have reafoncd with him fairly, as with a man running
into a dangerous errour ; or if he had certainly known,
that he was by any bye-ends prevailed on to undertake
a caufe contrary to his confcience, he might have fome
reafon to tell the world, as he does, p. 239, " That we
** cannot think he fhould fpeak truth, who is thus
*' brought to undertake the caufe." If he does not
certainly know, that ** Mr. Bold was thus brought to
undertake the caufe," he could not have {hown a more
villainous and unchriftian mind, than in pubiilhing fuch
a charader of a minifter of the gofpel, and a worthy
man, upon no other grounds, but becaufe it might be
fubfervient to his ends. He is engaged in a contro-
verfy, that by argument he cannot maintain ; nor knew
any other way, from the beginning, to attack the book
he pretends to write againft, but by crying out focinia-»
nifm ; a name he knows in great difgrace with all other
fedts of chrifiians, and therefore fufficient to deter all
thofe who approve and condemn books by hearfay,
without examining their truth themfelves, from pe-
rufing a treatife, to which he could affix that imputation.
Mr. Bold's name, (who is publickly known to be no
foe inian) he fore fees, will wipe off that falfe imputation,
"with a great many of thofe who are led by names more
than things. This fcems exceedingly to trouble him,
and he labours, might and main, to get Mr. Bold to
quit a book as focinian, which Mr. Bold knows
is not focinian, becaufe he has read and coniidercd it.

But though our creed-maker be mightily concerned,
that Mr. B — d fliould not appear in the defence of it ;
yet this concern cannot raifc him one jot above that

honefly^

Keafonahlenefs ofChriftianityy ^c. 397

honefty, fkil!, and good breeding, which appears to-
Avards others. He manages this matter with Mr. B — d,
as he has done the reft of the controverfy ; juft in the
fame ftrain of invention, civility, wit, and good fenfe.
He tells him, befides what I have above fet down,
'* That he is drawn off to debafe himfelf, and the poft,
'' i. e. the miniftry he is in, p. 245. That he hath faid
" very ill things, to the lelTening and impairing, yea,
*' to the defaming of that knowledge and belief of our
•^ Saviour, and of the articles of chriftianity, v,hich are
*' necelfarily required of us, p. 245. That the devout
** and pious," (whereby he means himfelf: for one, and
jione, is his ovv n beloved wit and argument) ** obferv-
'* ing that Mr. Bold is come to the neceility of but one
*' article of faith, they expedl that he may in time hold
'^ that NONE is necefTary, p. 248. That if he writes
*^ again in the fame ftrain, he will write rather like a
*' Turkifti fpy, than a chriftian preacher ; and that he
*' is a backflider, and failing to Racovia with a fide
•' wind:" than which, what can there be more fcur-
rilous, or more malicious ? And yet at the fame time
that he outrages him thus, beyond not only what
chriftian charity, but common civility, would allow in'
nn ingenuous ad verfary, he makes fome awkward attempts
to foothe him with fome ill-timed commendations ;
and would have his undervaluing Mr. Bold's animad-
verftons pafs for a compliment to him ; becaufe he, for
that reafon, pretends not to believe fo crude and ftial-
low a thing (as he is pleafed to call it) to be his. A
notable contrivance to gain the greater liberty of rail-
ing at him under another name, when Mr. B — d's, it
feem^, is too well known to ferve him fo well to that
purpofe. Befides, it is of good ufe to fill up three or
four pages of his Reflecflions ; a great convenience to a
WTiter, who knows ail the ways of batHing his oppo-
nents, but argument ; and who always makes a great
deal of ftir about matters foreign to his fubjedt ; which,
whether they are granted or denied, make nothing at all
to the truth of the queftion on either fide. For what is
it to the ftiallov.nefs or depth of the animadverfions,
>vho writ them ? Or to the truth or falfhood of Mr.

B— d's

398 ^ Second Vindication of the

B — d's defence of the ** Reafonablencfs of Chrifllan-
ity," whether a layman, or a churchman, a focinian, or
one of the church of England, anfwered the creed-
maker as "well as he? Yet this is urged as a matter of
great weight; but yet, in reality, it amounts to no more
but this, that a man of any denomination, who wifhes
•well to the peace of chriflianity, and has obferycd the
horrible clfects the chriftian religion has felt from the
impoiitions of men, in matters of faith, may have rcafon
to defend a book, wherein the limplicity of the gofpcl,
and the doilrine propofed by our Saviour and his
apoftlcs, for the converfion of unbelievers, is made out,
though there be not one word of the diflinguilhing
tenets of his fedt in it. But that all thofe, who, under
any name, are for impofing their own orthodoxy, as
neccfiary to be believed, and perfecuting thofe who
diilent from them, fhould be all againll it, is not per-
haps very llrange.

One thing more I muft obferve of the creed-maker
on this occafion : in his focinian creed, chap. vi. the
author of the *' Reafonablencfs of Chriflianity, &c."
and his book, muft be judged of, by the characters and
writings of thofe who entertain or commend his no-
tions. ** A profelTed unitarian has defended it ;" there-
fore he is a focinian. The author of A letter to the
deifts fpeaks well of it ; therefore he is a deifl. An-
other, as an abetter of the Reafonablencfs of Chriflian-
ity, he mentions, p. 125, whofe letters I have never
feen : and his opinions too are, I fuppofe, fet down
there as belonging to me. Whatever is bad in the
tenets or writings of thefe men, infers me. But the
mifchief is, Mr. Bold's orthodoxy will do me no good ;
but bccauie he has defended my book againft Mr^
Edwards, all my faults are become his, and he has a
mighty load of accufations laid upon him. Thus con-
trary caufcs iervo fo good a natured, fo charitable, and
candid a v, ritcr as the creed-maker, to the fame pur-
pcfe of cenfure and railing. But I fhall defire him to
figure to hinifclf the lovelinefs of that creature, which
turns every thing into venom.. What others are, or
hold, who have cxprelTcd favourable thoughts of my
8 book.

Reafonablenefs of Chrijlianity^ &c. 3^9

book, I think myfelf not concerned in. What opi-
nions others have publilhcd, make thofe in my book
neither true nor falfe ; and he that, for the fake of
truth, would confute the errours in it, fliould fhow their
falfhood and weaknefs, as they are : but they who write
for other ends than truth, are always bufy with other
matters ; and where they can do nothing by reafon and
argument, hope to prevail wath fome by borrowed pre-
judices and party.

Taking therefore the Animadverfions, as well as the
fermon, to be his, whofe name they bear, I fhall leave to
Mr. B — d himfclf to take what notice he thinks lit of
the little fenfe, as well as great impudence, of putting
his name in print to what is not his, or taking it aw^ay
from what he hath fet it to, whether it belongs to his
bookfeller or anfwerer. Only I cannot pafs by the
palpable faliifying of Mr. B — d's words, in the begin-
ning of his epiftle to the reader, without mention. Mr.
B — d's words are : " whereby I came to be furnifhed
*' with a truer and more jufl: notion of the main defign
" of that TREATISE." And the good crccd-makcr fets
them down thus : " The main defign of my own
** TREATISE OR SERMON :" a furc Way for fuch a cham-
pion for truth to fecure to himfelf the laurel or the
whetftone !

This irrefiftible difputant, (who filences all that come
in his way, fo that thofe that would cannot anfwerhim)
to make good the mighty encomiums he has given him-
felf, ought (one w'ould think) to clear all as he goes, '
and leave nothing by the way unanfwered, for fear he
Ihould fall into the number of thofe poor baffled
wretches, whom he with fo much fcorn reproaches, that
they would anfwer, if they could.

JVIr. B — D begins his Animadverfions with this re-
mark, that our creed-maker had faid. That " I give it
" over and over again in thefe formal words, viz. That
*' nothing is required to be believed by any chriftian
" man but this, *' That Jefus is the Mefi'iah.'^To which
Mr. B — d replies, p. 4. in thefe words : *' Though I
'' have read over the Reafonablenefs of Chri/lianity, c&c.
" with fome attention, I have not obferved thofe

formal

400 A Setond Vindication of the

•* formal words in any part of that book, nor anv
•* words that are capable of that conftruclion ; provided
** they be coniidcred with the relation they have to, and
** the manifcft dependence they have on, what goes be-
** fore, or what follows after them."

But to this Mr. Edwards answers not.

Whether it was beca'-^ehc would not, or bccaufe he
could not, let the read- . judge. But this is down upon
his fcore already, and it is expelled he fliould anfwer to
it, or elfe confefs that he cannot. And that there may
be a fair decifion of this difpute, 1 expect the fame
ufage from him, that he fliould fet down any propofition
of his I have not anfwered to, and call on me for an an-
fwer, if I can ; and if I cannot, I promife him to own it
in print.

The creed-maker had faid, *' That it is mod evident
*' to any thinking and confiderate perfon, r^ ft I purpofely
•' omit the epiftolary writings of the upoftlcs becaufe
•^ they are fraught with other fundamental dodrines,
•* befides that which I mention.'*

To this Mr. B — d anfwers, p. 5. That if by '' funda-
" mental articles, Mr. Edwards means here, all the
•' proportions delivered in the epiftlcs, concerning juft
** thofe particular heads, he [Mr. EdwardsJ had here
*' mentioned ; it lies upon him to prove, that Jefus
" Chrift hath made it neceflar}', that every perfon muft
** have an explicit knowledge and belief of all thofe,
" before he can be a chriftian."

But to this Mr. Edwards answers not.

And yet, without an anfwer to it, all his talk about
fundamentals, and thofe which ,he pretended to fet
down in that place, under the name of fundamentals,
will fignify nothjng in the prefent cafe ; wherein, by
fundamentals, were meant fuch propofitions which
every perfon muft ncceflarily have an explicit know-
ledge and belief of, before he can be a chrillian.

Mr. B — d, in the fame place, p. 6, 7, very truly and
pertinently adds, '' That it did not pertain to [my]
** undertaking to inquire what doctrines, either in the
** Epiftlcs, or the Evangclifts and the Aclils, were of
** greatcft moment to be underftood by them who are

" chriftians ;

Reafonahlenefs of Chrifiianityy ^c, 401

chriftians ; but what was neceflary to be known and
believed to a perfon's being a chriftian. For there
are naany important doctrines, both in the Gofpels,
and in the Ads, belides this, '' That Jefus is the
Melliah." But how many foever the dodrines be,
which are taught in the epiftles, if there be no doc-
trine befidcs this, '' That Jcfus is the Meffiah,'*
taught there as neceflary to be believed to make a
man a chriftian ; all the dodrines taught there will
not make any thing againft what thi's author has
aflerted, nor againft the method he hath obferved :
efpecially, confidering we have an account, in the
Ads of the apoftles, of what thofe pcrfons, by whom
the epiftles were writ, did teach, as necelTary to be
believed to people's being chriftians."
This, and what Mr. B— d fubjoins, *' That it was
not my defign to give an abftrad of any of the in-
fpired books," is fo true, and has fo clear reafon in
it, that any, but this writer, would have thought him-
felf concerned to have anfwered fomething to it.
But to this Mr. Edwards answers not.
It not being, it feems, a creed-maker's bufinefs to
convince men's underftanding by reafon ; but to im-
pofe on their belief by authority ; or, where that i%
wanting, by fallliood and bawling. And to fuch Mr.
Boldobferves well, p. 8, *^ That if I had given the like
" account of the epiftles, that would have been as little
" fatisfadory as what I have done already, to thofe who
" are refolved not to diftinguifti ^' betwixt what is ne-
*' ceflary to be believed to make a man a chriftian, and
*' thofe articles which are to be believed by thofe who
" are chriftians," as they can attain to know that Chrift
** hath taught them."

This diftindion the creed-maker, no- where that I
remember, takes any notice of; unlefs it be p. 255,
where he has fomething' relating hereunto, which we
Ihall conftder, when we come to that place. I ftiall
now go on to ftiow what Mr. Bold has faid, to which he
anfwers not.

Mr. Bold farther tells him, p. 10, that if he will

prove any thing in oppofition to the Reafonahlenefs of

Vol. VI. D d Chriftianity,

402 A Second Vindication of the

Chriftianity, ^c. it mud be this : '* That Jcfus Chrift
" and his apoftles have taught, that the belief of fome
" one article, or certain number of articles diftind:
" from this, *' That Jcfus is the Mcfliah," either as ex-
*' clufive of, or in conjundion with, the belief of this
" article, doth conftitute and make a perfon a chrif-
" tian: but that the belief of this, that Jefus is the
" MelTiah alone, doth not make a man a chriftian."

But to this Mr. Edwards irrefragably an-
swers NOTHING.

Mr. Bold alfo, p. lo, charges him with his falfly
acculing me in thefe words : " He pretends to contend
" for one (ingle article, with the exclufion of all the reft,
*' for this reafon ; becaufe all men ought to underftand
" their religion.'* And again, where he fays, I am at
this, viz. " That we muft not have any point of doc-
" trine in our religion, that the mob doth not, at the
** very firft naming of it, perfedlly underftand and
*' agree to ;" Mr. Bold has quoted my exprefs words
to the contrary.

But to this this unanfwerablc gentleman an-
swers NOTHING.

But if he be fuch a mighty difputant, that nothing
can Hand in his way ; I Ihall expedt his dired: anfwer to
it among thofe other propofitions which I have fet down
to his fcore, and 1 require him to prove, if he can.

The creed-maker fpends above four pages of his Re-
fledlions, in a great ftir who is the author of thofe ani-
madverfions he is refleding on. To which I tell him,
it matters not to a lover of truth, or aconfuter of errours,
who was the author; but what they contain. He who-
makes fuch a deal of do about that which is nothing
to the queftion, {hows he has but little mind to the ar-
gument J that his hopes are more in the recommenda-
tion of names, and prejudice of parties, than in the
ftrength of his reafons, and the goodnefs of his caufe.
A lover of truth follows that, whoever be for or againft
it ; and can fuffer himfelf to pafs by no argument of his
adverfary, without taking notice of it, either in allowing
its force, or giving it a fair anfwer. Were the creed-
ma^er capable of giving fuch an evidence as this of his

love

Reajonahlenejs of Chrijlianity y ^c. 403

love of truth, he would not have pafTed over the twenty
firft pages of Mr. Bold's Animadverfions in filence.
The falfhoods that are therein charged upon him,
would have required an anfwer of him, if he could have
given any ; and I tell him, he mud give an anfwer, or
confefs the falfhoods.

In his 255th page, he comes to take notice of thefe
words of Mr. Bold, in the 21ft page of his Animadver-
fions, viz. *' That a convert to chriftianity, or a chrif-
** tian, mull necelTarily believe as many articles as he
" ihall attain to know, that Chrift Jefus hath taught.**
" Which, fays the creed-maker, wholly invalidates
" what he had faid before, in thefe v/ords," viz. ** That
" Jefus Chrift and his apoftles did not teach any thing
" as necelTary to be believed to make a man a chriftian,
" but only this one proportion. That Jefus of Naza-
*' reth was the Meiliah." The reafon he gives to ihow
that the former of thefe propofitions (in Mr. Bold) in-
validates the latter, and that the animadverter contra-
dids himfelf, ftands thus : ** For, fays he, if a chriftiaii
" muft give afTent to all the articles taught by our
" Saviour in the gofpel, and that necelTarily; then all
" thofe propofitions reckoned up in my late difcourfe,
*' being taught by Chrift, or his apoftles, are necelTary
" to be believed." Anf. And what, I befeech you, be-
comes of the reft of the propofitions taught by Chrift,
or his apoftles, which you have not reckoned up in your
late difcourfe ? Are not they neceftary to be believed,
" if a chriftian muft give an alTent to all the articles
" taught by our Saviour and his apoftles ?"

Sir, if you will argue right from that antecedent, it
muft ftand thus : " If a chriftian muft give an alTent to
" ALL the articles taught by our Saviour and his
*' apoftles, and that necelTarily ;" then all the propo-
fitions in the New Teftament, taught by Chrift, or his
apoftles, are necelTary to be believed. This confe-
quence I grant to be true, and necelTarily to follow from
that antecedent, and pray make your bell of it : but
withal remember, that it puts an utter end to your felecSl;
number of fundamentals, and makes all the truths de-

D d 2 livered

404 A Second VhiAiceillon of the

livcrcd in the New Teftament necelTary to be explicitly
believed by every chriftian.

But, Sir, I muft take notice to you, that if it be un-
certain, whether he that writ the Animadverfions, be
the fame perfon that preached the fermon, yet it is very
vifible, that it is the very fame perfon that reflecls on
both ; becaufe he here again ufes the fame trick, in an-
fv.ering in the Animadvcrlions the fame thing that had
been fliid in the fermon, viz. by pretending to argue
from words as Mr. Bold's, when Mr. Kold has faid no
fuch thing. The propofition you argue from here is
this : '^ if a chriftian muft give his aflent to all the ar-
*' tides taught by our Saviour, and that neceffarily."
But Mr. Bold fays no fuch thing. His words, as fet
down by yourfelf, are : *^ A chriftian muft necelTarily'*
" believe as many articles as he fliall attain to know
*' that Chrift Jefus hath taught." And is there no dif-
ference betw"een *' all that Chrift Jefus hath taught,
** and AS MANY as any one fliall attain to know that
** Chrift Jefus hath taught ?" There is fo great a dif-
ference betv/een thefe two, that one can fcarcc think
even fuch a creed-maker could miftake it. For one of
them admits all thofe to be chriftians, who, taking Jefus
for the Meffiah, their Lord and King, ftncerely apply
themfelves to underftand and obey his do6lrine and law,
and to believe all that they underftand to be taught by
him : the other ftiuts out, if not all mankind, yet nine
hundred ninety-nine of a thoufand, of thofe who profefs
themfelves chriftians, from being really fo. For he
fpeaks Vv^ithin compafs, who fays there is not one of a
thoufand, if there be any one man at all, who explicitly
knows and believes all that our Saviour and his apoftles
taught, i. e. all thtit is delivered in the New Teftament,
in the true fenfe that it is there intended. For if giving
aftent to it, in a.ny fenfe, will ferve the turn, our creed-
maker can have no exception againft Socinians, Papifts,
Lutherans, or any other, w'ho, acknowledging the
fcripture to be the word of God, do yet oppofe his
fyftem.

But the creed-maker goes on, p. 255, and endeavours
to prove that what is neceftary to be believed by every

chfiftian>

Reafonahlenefs of Chrijlianit)\ ^c. 405

chriftian, is necclTary to be believed to make a man a
chriftian, in thcfe words : *' But he will fay, the belief
** of thofe pro-pofitions makes not a man a chriftian.
*• Then, I %•, they are not necelTary and indifpenfablc;
** for what is abfolutely neceffary in chriftianity, is ab-
'* folutely requifite to make a man a chriilian."

Ignorance/ or fomething worfe, makes our creed-
maker always fpeak doubtfully orobfcurely, whenever he
pretends to argue ; for here '' abfolutely neceffary in
*' chriflianityy" either fignifies nothing, but abfolutelv
ncceifary to make a man a chriftian ; and then it is
proving the fame propofition, by the fame propofition :
or elfe has a very obfcure and doubtful lignification.
For, if I afk him. Whether it be abfolutely ncceifary in
chriftianity, to obey every one of our Saviour's com-
mands. What will he anfwer me ? If he anfvvers. No ; I
afk him. Which of our Saviour's commands is it not,
in chriftianity, abfolutely neceffary to obey? Ifhean-
fwers. Yes ; then I tell him, by this rule, there are no
chriftians ; becaufe there is no one that does in all things
obey all our Saviour's commands, and therein fails to
perform what is abfolutely neceffary in chriftianity; and
fo, by his rule, is no chriftian. If he anfwers. Sincere
endeavour to obey, is all that is abfolutely ncceifary;
I reply. And fo fmcere endeavour to underftand, is all
that is abfolutely neceffary : neither perfecl: obedience,
nor perfed underftanding, is abfolutely neceffary in
chriftianity.

But his propofition, being put in terms clear, and not
loofe and fallacious, fhould ftand thus, viz. '* Whic is
'* abfolutely neceffary to every chriftian, is abfolutely
*^ requifite to make a man a chriftian." But then I
deny, that he can infer from Mr. Bold's words, that
thofe propofitions (i. c. which he has fet down as funda-
mental, or neceffary to be believed) are abfolutely ne-
ceffary to be believed by every chriftian. For that
indifpenfablc necellity Mr. Bold fpeaks of, is not abfo-
lute, but conditional. His words are, '^ A chriftian
" murt believe as many articles, as he fliall attain to
" know that Jefus Chrift hath taught." So that he
places the indifpenfable neccffity of believing, upon the
' ' D d 3 condition

4o6 A Second Vindication of the

condition of attaining to know that ChriH: taught fo.
An endeavour to know what Jefus Chrilt taught,
Mr. B — d fays truly, is abfolutely necelTary to every
one who is a chriftian ; and to believe what he has at-
tained to know that Jefus Chrift taught, that alfo, he
fays, is abfolutely ncceffary to every chriftian. But all
this granted, (as true it is) it ft ill remains (and eternally
will remain) to be proved from this, (which is all that
Mr. Bold fays) that fomething elfe is abfolutely re-
quired to make a man a chriftian, befides the unfeigned
taking Jefus to be the Meffiah, his King, and Lord ;
and accordingly, a ftncere refolution to obey and be-
lieve all that he commanded and taught.

The gaoler, Adls xvi. 30, in anfwer to his queftion,
** What he ftiould do to be faved ?" was anfwered,
*' That he ftiould believe in the Lord Jefus Chrift.'*
And the text- fays, that the gaoler *' took them the
*' fame hour of the night and waftied their ftripes, and
*' was baptized, he and all his, ftraightway." Now,
I will afk our creed-maker, whether St. Paul, in fpeak-
ing to him the word of the Lord, propofed and ex-
plained to him all thofe propofitions and fundamental
heads of dodrine, which our creed-maker has fet down
as necefiary to be believed to make a man a chriftian ?
Let it be conlidercd the gaoler "was a heathen, and one
that feems to have no more fenfe of religion or human-
ity, than thofe of that calling ufe to have : for he had
let them alone under the pain of their ftripes, without
any remedy, or fo much as the eafe of waftiing themj
from the day before, until after his converfion ; which
was not until after midnight. And can anyone think,
that between his aft^ing what he fhould do to be favedj,
and his being baptized, which, the text fays, was the
fame hour, and ftraightway ; there was time enough for
St. Paul and Silas, to explain to him all the creed-
maker's articles, and make fuch a man as that, and ali
his houfe, underftand the creed-maker's whole fyftem;
efpecially, fmce we hear nothing of it in the converftor^
of thefe, or any others, who were brought into the faith,
in the whole hiftory of the preaching of our Saviour and
the apoftles? Now let me afk the creed -makefj whether

th^

Reafonablenefs of Chrijlianity\ i^c, 407

the gaoler was not a chriftian, when he was baptized ;
and whether, if he had then immediately died, he had
not been faved, without the belief of any one article
more, than what Paul and Silas had then taught him ?
Whence it follews, that what was then propofed to him
to be believed, (which appears to be nothing, but that
, Jefus was the Mefliah) was all that was abfolutely ne-
ceflTary to be believed to make him a chriftian ; though
this hinders not, but that afterwards it might be nc-
ceflary for him, indifpenfably necelTary, to believe
other articles, when he attained to the knowledge that
Chrift had taught them. And the reaibn of it is plain :
becaufe the knowing that Chrifb hath taught any
thing, and the not receiving it for true (which is
believing it) is inconfiftent with the believing him
to be the Mefliah, fent from God to enlighten and
fave the world. Every word of divine revelation is
abfolutely and indifpenfably neceflary to be believed by
every chriftian, as foon as he comes to know it to
be taught by our Saviour, or his apoftles, or to be
of divine revelation. But yet this is far enough from
making it abfolutely necelTary to every chriftian, to
know every text in the fcripture, much lefs to under-
ftand every text in the fcripture ; and leaft of all, to
underftand it as the creed-maker is pleafed to put his
fenfe upon it.

This the good creed-maker either will not, or cannot
underftand : but gives us a lift of articles culled out of
the fcripture by his own authority, and tells us, thofe
are abfolutely neceflary to be believed by every one, to
make him a chriftian. For what is of abfolute necefli-
ty in chriftianity, as thofe, he fays, are, he tells us, is
abfolutely requifite to make a man a chriftian. But
when he is alked. Whether thefe arc all the articles of
abfolute neceflity to be believed to make a man a chri-
ftian ? this worthy divine, that takes upon himfelf to
be a fucceflfor of the apoftles, cannot tell. And yet,
having taken upon himfelf alfo to be a creed-maker, he
muft fufFer himfelf to'becalled upon for it again and again,
until he tells us what is of abfolute neceflity to be belipved
to make a man a chriftian, or confefs that he cannot.

In the mean time, I take the liberty to fay, that every
Dd4 pro-

40 8 A Second Vindication of the •

propofition delivered in the New Teflament by our Sa-
viour, or. his apoflles, andfo received by any chriftian as
of divine revelation, is^ofas abfolutc neceffity tobeafTent-
ed to by him, in the fcnfe he underilands it to be taught
by them, as any one of thofe proportions enumerated by
the creed- maker : and if bethinks otherwife, I flialldefirc
him to prove it. The reafon whereof is this, that in
divine revelation, the ground of faith being the only
authority of the propofer : where that is the fame, there
is, no difference in the obligation or meafure of believ-
ing. V/hatever the MelTiah, that came from God,
taught, is equally to be believed by every one who re-
ceives him as the MefTiah, as foon as he underftands
what it was he taught. There is no fuch thing as garb-
ling his dod:rine, and making one part of it more ne-
cefTary to be believed than another, when it is under-
stood. His faying is, and niuft be, of unqueftionabk
authority to all that receive him as their heavenly King ;
and carries with it an equal obligation of aflent to all
that he fays as true. But fmce no-body can explicitly
aflent to any propofition of our Saviour's as true, but in
the fenfe he underftands our Saviour to have fpoken it
in ; the fame authority of the Mefliah, his King, obliges
every one abfolutely and iridifpenfably to believe every
part of the New Teftament in that fenfe he underftands
it ; for elfe he reje6ls the authority of the deliverer, if he
refufes his aflTcnt to it in that fenfe which he is perfuad-
ed it was delivered in. But the taking him for the
Mefliah, his King and Lord, laying upon every one
•vv'ho is his fubjedl, an obligation to endeavour to know
his V. ill in all things ; every true chriftian is under an
abfolute and indifpenfable neceflity, by being his fub-
jecl, to ftudy the fcripturcs with an unprejudiced mind^
according to that meafure of time, opportunity, and
helps which he has ; that in thefe facred writings, he
may find what his Lord and Mafter hath by himfclf,
or by the mouths of his apoftles, required of him, either
to be believed or done.

The creed-maker, in the following page, 256, hat^
thefe words : " It is worth the reader's obferving,
"that notwithflanding I had in twelve pages together

*' (viz.

Reafonahlenefs of Chrljlianityy t3c. 409

V (viz. from the eighth to the twentieth) proved, that
'^ feveral propoiitions are neceflary to be believed by
'* us, in order to our being chriftians ; yet this fliam-
** animadverter attends not to any one of the particulars
*' which I had mentioned, nor offers any thing againft
*' them ; but only, in a lumping way, dooms them all
" in thofe magifterial words : '^ I do not fee any proof
** he produces," p. 21. *' This is his wonderful way
" of confuting me, by pretending that he cannot fee
" any proof in what I allege : and all the world muft
'/ be led by his eyes,"

Anfw. " It is worth the reader's obferving," that
the creed-maker does not reply to what Mr. Bold has
iaid to him, as we have already ictn^ and ihall fee more
as we go on; and therefore he has little reafon to com-
plain of him, for not having anfwered enough. Mr.
iold did well to leave that which was an inlignificant
jump, fo as it was, together ; for it is no wonderful
thing not to fee any proof, where there is no proof.
There is indeed, in thofe pages the creed-maker men-
tions, much confidence, much t^ffertion, a great many
queftions afked, and a great deal faid after his fafhionz
but for a proof, I deny there is any one. And if what
I have faid in another place already, does not con-
vince him of it, I challenge him, with all his eyes, and
thofe of the world to boot, to find out, in thofe tv/eive
renowned pages, one proof. Let him fet down the
propofition, and his proof of its being abfolu rely and
indifpenfably neceffary to be believed to m.ake a man a
chriftian; and I too will join with him in his teftimo-
nial of himfelf, that he is irrefragable. But I muft tell
him before-hand, talking a great deal ipofely will not
diO It.

Mr. Bold and I fay we cannot fee any proof in thofe
twelve pages : the way to make us fee, or to convince
the world that we are blind, is to fingle out one proof
out of that wood of words there, which you feem to
take for arguments, and fet it down in a fyllogifm,
which is the fair trial of a proof or no proof. You
have, indeed, a fyllogifm in the 23d page ; but that
is pot in thofe twelve pages you mention. Bcfides, I

have

410 A Second Vindication of the

have (liowed in another place, what that proves; to
which I refer you.

In anfwer to the creed-maker's queftion, about his
other fundamentals found in the epiftles : " Why did
** the apoftles -u'rite thefe dodrines ? Was it not,
*' that thofe they writ to, might give their aflent to
^* them ?" Mr. Bold, p. 22, replies : *' But then it may
** be afked again. Were not thofe perfons chriftians
** to whom the apoftles thefe dotftrines, and whom
** they required to aiTent to them ? Yes, verily. And
^ if fo, What was it that made them chriftians before
•' their aflent to thefe dod:rines was required ? If it
•* were any thing befides their believing Jefus to be
^* the Mefliah, it ought to be inftanced in, and made out.**
But to this Mr. Edwards answers not.

The next thing in controverfy betweeq Mr. Bold and
the creed-maker, (for I follow Mr. B — d's order) is
about a matter of fad:, viz. Whether the creed-maker
has proved, " that Jefus Chrift and his apoftles have
** taught, that no man can be a chriftian, or ftiall be
«' faved, unlefs he has an explicit knowledge of all
** thofe things, which have an immediate refped: to
" the occafion, author, way, means and iflue of our
♦' falvation, and which are neceflary for the knowing
*' the true nature and delign of it?" This, Mr. Bold,
p. 24, tells him, " he has not done." To this the creed-
maker replies, p. 258.

** And yet the reader may fatisfy himfelf, that this is
** the very thing that I had been proving juft before,
•* and indeed, all along in the foregoing chapter."
Anfw. There have been thofe who have been feven
years proving a thing, which at laft they could not do ;
and I give you feven years to prove this propofttion,
which you ftiould there have proved ; and I muft ad4
\o your fcore here, viz.

IJI. That Jefus Chrift, or his apoftles, have taught,
that no man can be a chriftian, or can be faved,
unlefs he hath an explicit knowledge of all thefe
things which have an immediate refpecl: to the occa-
fion,Vuthor, way, means and iffue of our falvation, an4
^ which

Reafonahlenejs of Chrifiianity ^ i^c. 411

%vhich are neceflary for pur knowing the true nature
and defign of it.

Nor mull the poor exciife, of faying, It was no?
neceffary " to add any farther medium, and proceed
'^ to another fyllogifm, becaufe you had fecured that
** propblition before ;" go for payment. If you had
fecured it, as you fay, it had been quite as eafy^ and
much for your credit, to have produced the proof
whereby you had fecured it, than to fay you had done
it ; and there-upon to reproach Mr. Bold with heed*
leflhefs ; and to tell the world, that ** he cares not
" what he faith." The rule of fair difpute is, indif-
penfably to prove, where any thing is denied. To
evade this is ftiuffling : and he that, inftead of it, an-
fwers with ill language, in my country, is called a foul-
tnouthed wrangler.

To the creed-maker's exception to my demand,
about the adtual belief of all his fundamentals in his
new creed, Mr. Bold alks, p. 24, " Whether a man
" can believe particular propofitions, and not adually
*^ believe them ?"

But to this Mr. Edwards answers not.

Mr. Bold, p. 25, farther acknowledges the creed-
maker's* fundamental propofitions to " be in the bible ;
'^ and that they are for this purpofe there, that they
" might be believed :" and fo, he faith, " is every other
'* propolition which is taught in our bibles." But afks,
" How will it thence follow, that no man can be a
" chriftian, until he particularly know, and adtually af-
" i^ViX. to every propofition in our bibles ?'*

But to this Mr. Edwards answers not.

From p. 26. to 30. Mr. Bold fhows, that the creeds
maker's reply concerning my not gathering of funda-
mentals out of the epiftles is nothing to the purpofe ;
and this he demonftratively proves.

And TO THIS Mr. Edwards answers not.

The creed-maker had falfly faid. That " I bring no
" tidings of an evangelical faith:" and thence very
readily and charitably infers : *\ Which gives us to
^^ underftand, that he verily believes there is no fuch

** chriftian

Cf

ij.i2 A Second Vindication of the

chriftian faith." To this Mr. Bold thus foftly re-
plies, p. 31, '* I think Mr. Edwards is much mifta-
*• ken, both in his alTertion and inference :" and to
fhow that he could not ^q infer, adds : ** If the author
** of the Reafonablcnefs of Chrifeianity, &c. had not
** brought any tidings of fuch a faith, I think it could
•• not be thence juftly inferred, that he verily believes
" there is no fuch chriftian faith : becaufe his inquiry
*' and fearch was not concerning chriftian faith, confi-
^^ dered fubjedtively but obje6lively ; what the articles
*.' be, which muft be believed to make a man a chriftian;
'* and not, with what fort of faith thefe articles are to be
*' believed.'*

To this the creed-maker anfwers ind;=:ed ,■ but it is
fomething as much worfe than nothing, as faiftiood is
worfe than filence. His words are, p. 258, *• It may
** be queftioned, from what he [the animadverter] hath
" the confidence to fay, p. 31, viz. There is no in-
*f quiry in the Reafonablcnefs of Chriftianity, con-
** cerning faith fubjedlively confidered, but only ob-
*? jectively," Sec. And thus having fet down Mr.
3 — d's words, otherwife than they are ; for Mr. Bold
does not fay, there is no inquiry, i.e. no mention, (for
fo the creed-maker explains inquiries here. For to
convince Mr. Bold that there is an inquiry, i. e. men-
tion, of fubjediive faith, he aileges, that fubjedive
faith is fpoken of in the 296th and 297th pages of my
book.) But Mr. Bold fays not, that faith, confidered
fubje6tivcly, is not fpoken of any where in the Rea-
fonablcnefs of Chriftianity, &c. but " that the au-,
** thor's inquiry and fearch (i. e. the author's fearch, or
*^ defign of his fearch) was not concerning chriftian
'* faith confidered fubjeetively." And thus the creed-
maker, impofingon his reader, by perverting Mr. Bold's
fenfe, from what was the intention of my inquiry and
fearch, to what I had faid in it, he goes on, after his
fcurrilous fafhion, to infult, in th'efc words which follow :
•* I fay, it may be guelTed from this, what a liberty this
" writer takes, toaffertwhat he pleafes." Anfw. ** To
** alfert what one pleafes," without truth and without
certainty, is the worft charad:er can be given a writer ;

anc^

Reafmahlenefs of Chrijilanih, ^c, 41 ^

and with fallhood to charge it another, is no mean flan-
der and injury to a man's neighbour. And yet to thefe
Hiameful arts muft he be driven, who finding his
ilrength of managing a caufe to lie only in fiction and
taifliood, has no other but the dull Billingfgate way of
covering it, by endeavouring to divert the reader's ob-
iervation and cenfure from himfeif, by a confident re-
peated imputation of that to his adverfary, which he
himfeif is fo frequent in the commifTion of. And of
this the initances I have given, are a fufftcient proof;
in which I have been at the pains to fet down the words
on both fides, and the pages where they are to be found,
for the reader's full fatisfaftion.

The caufe in debate between us is of great weight,
and concerns every chriflian. That any evidence in the
propofal, or defence of it, can be fufficient to conquer
all men's prejudices, is vanity to imagine. But this,
I think, I may juftly demand of every reader, that fince
there are great and vifible falfhoods on one fide or the
other (for the accufations of this kind are pofitive and
frequent) he would examine on which fide they are: and
upon that I will venture the caufe in any reader's judg-
ment, who will but be at the pains of turning to the
pages marked out to him ; and as for him that will not do
that, I care not much v/hat he fays.

The creed-maker's following words, p." 258, have
the natural mark of their author. They are thefe :
" How can this animadverter come off with peremp-
*' torily declaring, that fubjedive faith is not inquired
" into, in the treatife of the Rcafonablenefs of Chri-
*' ftianity, &c. when in another place, p. 35. and 2^,
" he avers, That chriflian faith and chriftianity, confi-
" dered fubjedtively, are the fame?" Anfw. In which
words there are two manifeft untruths : the one is,
** That Mr. Bold peremptorily declares, that fubjec-
" tive faith is not inquired into, i. e, fpojcen of, in the
*' Reafonablencfs of Chriftianity," &:c. Whereas Mr.
Bold fays in that place, p. 31, " If he [i. e. the au-
** thor J had not faid one word concerning faith fub-
" jecftively confidered." The creed-maker's other un-
truth is his faying, ** That the anim*ldverter avers, p,

35*

ij.1^ A Second Vindication of the

" 35> 2^* ^^^ chriftian faiih and chridianity, confi-
" dered fubjeclively, are the fame." Whereas it is evi-
dent, that Mr. Bold, arguing againft thefe words of the
creed-maker, (" The belief of Jefus being the MefTiah,
" was one of the lirft and leading ad:s of chriftian
*' faith") fpeaks in that place of an ad of faith, as
thefe words of his demonftrate: ** Now, I appre-
" hend that chriftian faith and chriftianity, confidered
" fubjedively, (and an act of chriftian faith, I think,
*^ cannot be underftood in any other fenfe) are the
** very fame." I muft therefore defire him to fee
down the words wherein the animadverter peremptorily
declares,

LIII. That fubje6i:ive faith is not inquired into, or
fpoken of, in the treatife of the Reafonablenefs of
Chriftianity, &c.

And next, to produce the words wherein the animad-
verter avers,

LIV. That chriftian faith and chriftianity, confidered
fubjedcively^ are the fame.

To the creed-maker*s faying, *^ That the author of
" the Reafonablencfs of Chriftianity, &c. brings us no
*' tidings of evangelical faith belonging to chriftianity,"
Mr. Bold replies : That 1 have done it in all thofe
pages where I fpeak of taking and accepting Jcfus to be
our King and Ruler ; and particularly he fets down my
words out of pages 1 19, Sec.

But to this Mr. Edwards answsrs not.

The creed-maker fays, p. 59. of his Socinianifm un-
maftvcd, that the author of the Reafonablenefs of Chri-
ftianity ** tells men again and again, that a chriftian
** man, or member of Chrift, needs not know or be-
" lieve any more than that one individual point." To
which Mr. Bold thus replies, p. 33, " If any man will
•* ftiow me thofe words in any part of the Reafonable-
*' nefs, &:c. I ftiall fufpedl 1 was not awake all the
" time I was reading that book : and I am as certain

*' as

Reafonallenejs of Chrijllanltyy^c, \\t

^^ as one awake can be, that there are feveral paflages
*^ in that book diredly contrary to thefe words. And
** there are fome expreilions in the Vindication of the
*' Reafonabienefs, &c. one would think, if Mr. Edwards
'*' had obferved them, they would have prevented that
'' miftake,"

But to this Mr. Edwards answers not,

Mr. Bold, p. 34, takes notice, that the creed-maker
had not put the query, or objeclion, right, which, he
fays, ** Some, and not without fome fhow of ground, may
•* be apt to ftart : and therefore Mr. Bold puts the query
•* right, viz, ** Why did Jefus Chrift, and his apoftles,
** require aflent to, and belief of, this one article alone,
** viz. That Jefus is the MelTiah, to conftitute and make
** a man a chriftian, or true member of Chrift, (as it is
" abundantly evident they did, from the Reafonabienefs
** of Chriftianityj if the belief of more articles is ab-
" folutely neceffary to make and conftitute a man a
^' chriftian?"

But to this I^Ir. Edwards answers not.

And therefore I put the objedion, or query, to him
again, in Mr. Bold's words, and exped: an anfwer to
It, viz.

LV. Why did Jefus Chrift, and his apoftles, require
aflent to and belief of this one article alone, viz.
That Jefus is the Meftiah, to make a man a chri-
ftian, (as it is abundantly evident they did, from ail
their preaching, recorded throughout all the whole
hiftory of the Evangelifts and the Acts) if the belief
of more articles be abfolutely neceftary to make a
man a chriftian ?

The creed-maker having made believing Jefus to be
jthe Meftiah, only one of the firft and leading ads of
chriftian faith; Mr. Bold, p. 35, rightly tells him.
That " chriftian faith muft be the belief of fomething
*' or other: and if it be the belief of any thing befides
" this, that Jefus is the Chrift, or Meftiah, that other
" thing ftiould be fpecified; and it ftiould be made ap-
" pear, that the belief that Jefus is the Mefliah, without

the

j^iS A Second Vindication of the

" thcbellefofthatotherpropofition, is not chriftian faith.'*
But to this Mr. Edwards answers not.
Mr. B — d, in the four following pages, 36 — 39, has
excellently explained the difference between that faith
which conftitutes a man a chriftian, and that faith
whereby one that is a chriftian, believes the dodlrines
taught by our Saviour ; and the ground of that differ-
ence : and therein has fully overturned this propofition,
•* That believing Jefus to be the Meffiah, is but a ftep,
" or the firft ftep to chriftianity."

But to this Mr. Edwards answers not.
To the creed-maker's fuppoling that other matters of
faith were propofed with this, that Jefus is the Meiliah ;
Mr. Bold replies. That this ffiould be proved, viz. that
other articles were propofed, as requifite to be believed
to make men chriftians. And, p. 40, he gives a reafon
why he is of another mind, viz. ** Becaufe there is no-
•* thing but this recorded, which was inlifted on for that
** purpofe."

But to this Mr. Edwards answers not.
Mr. Bold, p, 42, fhows that Rom. x. 9, which the
creed-maker brought againft it, confirms the affertion
of the author of the Reafonablenefs, &:c. concerning the
faith that makes a man a chriftian.

But to this Mr. Edwards answers not.
The creed-maker fays, p. 78, " This is the main
" anfwer to the objedtion, (or query above propofed) viz.
" That chriftianity was ereded by degrees." This
Mr. Bold, p. 43, proves to be nothing to the purpofe,
by this reafon, viz. " Becaufe what makes one man a
" chriftian, or ever did make any man a chriftian, will
" at any time, to the end of the world, make another
*' man a chriftian :" and alks, *' Will not that make a
" chriftian now, which made the apoftlcs themfelves
" chriftiar'^?"

" But to this Mr. Edwards answers not.
In anfwer to his lixth chapter, Mr. Bold, p. 45, tells
him, ** It was not my buftnefs to difcourfe of the
" Trinity, or any other particular doctrines, propofed
" to be believed by them who are chriftians ; and that
'• it is no fiiir and juft ground to accufe a man, with
•* rejeding the dodrines of the Trinity, and that Jefus

" is

Reafonallenefs of Chrijiianily, &c, ^ij

'* is God, becaufe he docs not interpret fomc parti-
** cular texts to the fame purpofe others do.'*
But to this Mr. Edwards y\NswERs not.

Indeed he takes notice of thefe words of Mr. Bold,
in this paragraph, viz. ** Hence Mr. Edwards takes oc-
** cafion to write many pages about thefe terms [^v'lz.
** Mefliah and Son of GodJ ; but I do not perceive that
** he pretends to offer any proof, that thefe were not
" fynonymous terms amongft the jews at that time,
" which is the point he fliould have proved, if he de~
** figned to invalidate what this author fays about that
" matter." To this the creed-maker replies, p. 257.
*' The animadverter doth not fo much as offer one
" fyllable to difprovc what I delivered, and clofely
•' urged on that head." Anfw. What need any anfwer
to difprove, where there is noproof brought, that reaches
the proportion in queftion } If there had been any fuch
proof, the producing of it, in fhort, had been a more
convincing argument to the reader, than fomuch brag-
ging of what has been done. For here are more words
fpent, (for I have not {et them all down) than would
have ferved to have expreffed the proof of this propo-
lition, viz. that the terms above-mentioned were not
fynonymous amongft the Jews, if there had been any
proof of it. But having already examined what the
creed-maker brags he has clofely urged, I Ihall fay no
more of it here.

To the creedmaker's making me a focinian, in his
eighth chapter, for not naming Chrift's fatisfadlion
among the advantages and benefits of Chrift's coming
into the world; Mr Bold replies, " 1. That it is no
*' proof, becaufe I promifed not to name every one of
"' them. And the mention of fome is no denial of
" others." 2. He replies. That " fatisfadion is not
•' fo ftri(flly to be termed an advantage, as the eifec^s
" and fruits of it are ; and that the dodtrine of fatis-
** fadlion inftrudls us in the way how Chrift did, by di-
** vine appointment, obtain thofe advantages for us.'*
And this was an anfwer that deferved fome reply from
the creed-maker.

But to this he answers not.

Vol. VI. E e Mi*,

4iS A Second Vindication df ,the

Mr. Bold fays right, that this is a doctrine that is ' oi
jnighty importance for a chriftian to be well acquainted
with. And I will add to it, that it is very hard for a
chriftian, who reads the fcripture with attention, and an
unprejudiced mind, to deny the fatisfadlion of Chrift :
but it being a term not ufed by the Holy Ghoft in the-
fcripture, and very varioufly explained by thofe that do
ufe it. and very much Humbled at by thofe I was there
fpeaking to, who were fuch, as I there fay, *' Who will
** not take a blefiing, unlefs they be inflrucfled what
** need they had of it, and why it was beftowed upon
*' them;" I left it, with the other difputed dodtrines
of chriftianity, to be looked into, (to fee what it was
Chrift had taught concerning it) by thofe who were
chriftians, and believed Jefus to be the Saviour pro-
mi fed, and fent from God. And to thofe who yet
doubled that he was fo, and made this objection,
''What need was there of a Saviour?" I thought it
moR- reafonable to offer fuch particulars only as were
agreed on by all chriftians, and were capable of no dif^
pute, but muft be acknowledged by every body to be
needful. This, though the words above-quoted out of
the Reafonablenefs of Chriftianity, &c. p. 129, ftiow to
be my defign ; yet the creed-maker plainly gives me the
lye, and tells me it was not my defign. " All the
*' world are faithlefs, falfe, treacherous, hypocritical
** ftrainers upon their reafon and confcience, diflern-.
** biers, journeymen, mercenary hirelings, except Mr.
" Edwards:" 1 mean, all the world that oppofes him.
' And muft not one think he is mightily beholden to the
excellency and readinefs of his own nature, who is no
fooner engaged in controverfy, but he immediately finds
out in his adverfaries thefe arts of equivocation, lying
and eftrontery, in managing of it ? Reafon and learning,
and acquired improvements, might clfe have let him
gone on with others, in the dull and ordinary way of
lair arguing; wherein, pofi]bly,.he might have done no
great feats. Muft not a rich and fertile foil within,
and a prompt genius, wherein a man may readily fpy
the propenftties of bafe and corrupt nature, be acknow-r
ledged to be an excellent qualification for a difputant,

to

Reajonahlenefs ofChrfflianityy &c. 419

to help him to the quick difc( very and laying open of
the faults of his opponents ; >\'hich a mind otherwife
difpofed would not fo much aj fufpedl ? But Mr. Bold,
without this, could not have been {o foon found out to
be a journeyman, a diffembler, an hired mercenary, and
ftored with all thofe good qualities, wherein he hath his
full fhare with me. But why would he then venture
upon Mr. Edwards, who is fo very quick-fighted in
thefc matters, and knows fo well what villainous man is
capable of?

I fjiould not here, in this my Vindication, have given
the reader fo much of Mr. Bold's reafoning, which,
though clear and firong, yet has more beauty and force,
as it ftands in the whole piece in his book ; nor fhouid I
have fo often repeated this rem.ark upon each palTage,
viz. ^' To this Mr. Edwards anfwers not;" had it not
been the (liorteft and propereil comment could be made
on that triumphant paragraph of his, which begins in
the 128th page of his Socinian creed ; wherein, among
a great deal of no fmall ftrutting, are thefe words : '' By
" their profound lilence they acknowledge they have
" nothing to reply." Ele that defires to fee more of
the fame noble ftrain, may have recourfq to that eminent
place. Befides, it was fit tht reader fhouid have this
one tafte m^ore of the creed-maker's genius, who, paf-
ling by in filence all thefe clear and appofite replies of
Mr. Bold, loudly complains of him, p. 259, '' That
^' where he [Mr.' Bold] finds fomething that he dares
" not objed againft, he fiiifts it off." And again, p,
260, ** That he does not make any offer at reafon.;
*' there is not the leaft ihadow of an argument — As if
** he were only hired to fay fomething againft me, [the
^' creed-maker] though not at all to the purpofe : and
*' truly, any man may difcern a mercenary firoke all
*/ along;" with a great deal mor? to the lame purpofe.
For fuch language as this, mixed with fcurrility, neither
fit to be fpoken by, nor of, a minifrer of the gofpel,
make up the remainder of his poftfcript. But to pre-
vent this for the future ; I demand of him, that if in
either of his treatifes, there be any thing againft what I
have laid, in my Reafonablenefs of Chrillianity, which

E e ^ kut

42 o A Second Viadication of the

he thinks not fully anfvvered, he "cvill fet down the pro--
pofiLion in direcft words, and note the page of his book
where it is to be found : and I promife him to anfwer it.
For as for his railing, and other ftufF belides the matter,
I fliall hereafter no more trouble myfelf to take notice of
it. And fo much for Mr, Edwards,

THERE is another gentleman, and of another fort
of make, parts and breeding, who, (as it feems,
afhamed of Mr. Edwards's way of handling controvert
fies in religion) has had fomething to fay of my *' Rea-
** fonablenefs of Chriftianity, &c." and fo has made it
neceflary for me to fay a word to him, before I let thofe
papers go out of my hand. It is the author of *' the
*' Occaiional paper," numb, i. The fecond, third, and
fourth pages of that paper, gave me great hopes to meet
with a man, who would examine all the miftakes which
came abroad in print, with that temper and indifferency,
that might fet an exact pattern for controverfy, to thofe
who would approve themfelves to be lincere contenders
for truth and knowledge, and nothing elfe, in thedifputes
they engaged in. Making him allowance for the mif-
takes that felf-indulgence is apt to impofe upon human
frailty, I am apt to believe he thought his performance
had been fuch : but I crave leave to obferve, that good
and candid men are often niifled, from a fair unbiafled
purfuit of truth, by aq over-great zeal for fomething,
that they, upon wrong grounds, take to be fo ; and that
it is not fo eafy to be a fair and unprejudiced champion
for truth, as fome, who profefs it, think it to be. To
acquaint him with the occafion of this remark, I muft
defire him to read and confide;: bis nineteenth page ; and
then to tell me,

I. Whether he knows, that the doclrine propofed in
the ** Reafonablenefs of Chriftianity, &c." was bor-
rowed, as he fays, from Hobbcs's Leviathan ? For I
tell him, I borrowed it only from the writers of the four
Gofpels and the Acis ; and did not know thofe words,
he quoted out of the Leviathan, were there, or any thing
like them. Nor do I know yet, any farther than as I
Iselieve them to be there, from his quotation.

2. Whether

Reafonahlenefs of ChriJiiaJiity, &c.' 421

2. Whether affirming, as he does poiitively, this,
which he could not know to be true, and is in itfelf per-
fectly falfe, were meant to increafe or leffen the credit of
the author of the " Reafonahlenefs of Chriftianity, &c."
in the opinion of the world ? Or is confonant with his
own rule, p. 3, " of putting candid conilrudlions on
*' what adverfaries fiy?" Or with what follows, in
thefe words? ** The more divine the caufe is, ftill the
** greater fhould be the caution. The very difcourfing
*' about Almighty God, or our holy religion, fhould
** compofe our paffions, and infpire us with candour
*' and love. It is very indecent to handle fuch fub-
, ** jedts, in a manner that betrays rancour and fpite.
" Thefe are fiends that ought to vanifh, and fliould
" never mix, either with a fearch after truths or the de-
** fence of religion."

3. Whether the propofitions which he has, out of my
book, inferted into his nineteenth page, and fays, " are
*' confonant to the words of the Leviathan," were
thofe of all my book, which were likelieft to give the
reader a true and fair notion of the doclrine contained
in it? If they were not, I mud defire him to remember
and beware of his fiends. Not but that he will find
thofe propofitions there to be true. But that neither
he nor others may miftake my book, this is that, in
ihon, which it fays :

1. That there is a faith that makes men chriftians.

2. That this fiith is the believing ** Jefus of Naza-
reth to be the Meffiah,"

3. That the believing Jefus to be the Mefliah in-
cludes in it a receiving him for our Lord and King,
promifed and fent from God : and fo lays upon all his
iubjedts an abfolute and indifpenfableneceflity of alTent-
ing to all that they can attain the" knowledge that he
taught ; and of a fmcere obedience to all that he com-
manded.

This, whether it be the docflirine of the Leviathan, I
know. not. This appears to me out of the New Tefta-
ment, from whence (as I told him in the preface) I took
it to be the dodlrine of our Saviour and his apofi:les ;
and I would not willingly be miftaken in it. If there-

412- yl Second Vindication of tie

fore there be any other faith bcfides this, abfolutely fc-
quifiteto make a man a chriftian, I fhall here again de-
lire this gentleman to inform me what it is ; i. c. to fet
downall thofc propofitions which are fo inch fpcnfably to
be heheved, (for it is of limple believing I perceive the
controverfy runs) that no man can be a believer, i. e. a
chriftian, without an adual knowledge of, and an ex-
plicit affent to, them. Jf he Ihall do this with that
candour and fairnefs he declares to be neceffary in fuch
matters, I fliall own myfclf obliged to him: for 1 am in
earneft, and I would not be miilaken in it.

If he fliall decline it, I, ind the world too, muft con-
clude, that upon a review of my doci;rine, he is con-
vinced of the truth of it, and is fatisfied, that I am in
the right. For it is impoiTible to think, that a man of
that fairnefs and candour, which he folcmnly prefaces
his difcourfe with, fhould continue to condemn the ac-
count I have given of tla^ faith which I am perfuaded
makes a chriftiafi; and yet he himfelf will not tell me,
(when I earneftly demand it of him, as defirous to be
rid of my errour, if it be one) what is that more, which
is abfolutely required to be believed by every one, be-
fore he can be a believer, i. e. what is indifpenfably ne-
ceiTary to be known, and explicitly believed, to make a
man a chriftian.

Another thing which I muft delire this author to ex-
amine, by thofe his own rules, is, what he fays of me,
p. 30, where he makes me to have a prejudice againft
the miniftry of thcgofpel, and their office, from what I
have faid in my Reafonablends, &c. p. 135, 136, con-
cerning the priefts of the world, in our Saviour's time:
■vvhich he calls bitter refiedtions.

If he will tell me what is fo bitter, in anyone of
thofe pafiages which he. has fet down, that is not true,
or ought not to be faid there, and give me the reafon
why he is offended at it ; I promjfe him to make what
reparation he (hall think fit, to the memory of thofc
priefts, whom he, wdth fo much good-nature, patronizes,
near feventeen hundred years after they have been out of
the world ; and is i^o tenderly concerned for their repu-
tation, that he excepts againft that, at fai^ againft them;
- ' > •' - which

4

"Reajonahlcnejs of Chrijlianilyy ^c. 423

v.'hich was not. For one of the three places he fets
down, was not fpoken of priefts. But his making m/
mentioning the faults of the priefrs of old, in our
Saviour's time, to be an ** expoling the office of the
*' minifters of the gofpel now, and a vilifying thofe
" who are employed in it;" I muft delire him to ex-
amine, by his ovv'n rules of love and candour ; and to tell
me, " Whether I have not reafon, here again, to mind
*' him of his fiends, and to advife him to beware of
** them?" And to fliovv him Vvhy I think I have, I
crave leave to afk 4iim thefe queftions :

1. Whether I do not all along plainly, and in exprefs
words, fpeak of the priefls of the world, preceding, and
in our Saviour's tim^e ? Nor can my argument bear any-
other fenfe.

2. Whether all I have faid of them be not true ?

3. Whether the reprefenting truly the carriage of the
jewifh, and more efpecially of the heathen priefts, in
our Saviour's time, as my argument required, can expofe
the office of the minifters of the gofpel now ? Or ought
to have fuch an interpretation put upon it ?

4. Whether what he fays of the ** air and language I
*' ufe, reaching farther," carry any thing elfe in it, but
a declaration, that he thinks fome men's carriage now,
hath fome affinity with what I have truly faid, of the
priefts of the world, before chriftianity ; and that there-
fore the faults of thofe fliould have been let alone, or
touched more gently, for fear fome ftiould think thefe
now concerned in it?

5. Whether, in truth, this be not to accufe them,
Vv'ith a delign to draw the QVisy of it on me ? Whether
out of good-will to them, or to me. or both, let him
look. This I am fure, I have fpoke of none but the
priefts before chriftianity, both jewifti and heathen.'
And for thofe of the jews, what our Saviour has pro-
nounced of them, juftifies my refledlions from being
bitter; and that the idolatrous heathen priefts were
better than they, I believe our author will not fay : and
if he were preaching againft them, as oppoiing the mi-
nifters of the gofpel, I fuppofe he will give as ill a
charadler of them. But if any one extends my words

E e 4 farther.

4^4 ^ Second Vindication of the

farther, than to thofe they were fpoke of, I afk whether
that agrees with his rules of love and candour ?

I fiiall imparicntly expcdt from this author of the
occafional paper, ananfwer to thcfe queftions ; and hope
to find them fuch as becomes that temper, and love of
truth, which he profefles. I long to meet with a man,
who, laying alide party, and intcrefl, and prejudice, ap-
pears in controverfy fo as to make good the charader of
a champion of truth for truth's fake; a charad:er not fo
hard to be known whom it belongs to, as to bedeferved.
Whoever is truly fuch an one, his oppolition to me will
be an obligation. For he that -propofes to himfelfthc
convincing me of an errour, only for truth's fake, can-
not, I know, mix any rancour, or fpite, or ill-will, with
ift*^ He will keep himfelf at a diftance from thofe
F.icNDs, and be as ready to hear, as offer reafon. And
t v7o fo difpofed can hardly mifs truth between them, in a
^:7ir inquiry after it; at leail, they will not loofe good-
fH-ecding, and efpecially charity, a virtue much more
neceffary than the attaining of the knowledge of obfcure
truths, that are not eafy to be found ; and probably,
therefore, not neceifary to be known.

The unbiafTcd dcfign of the writer, purely to defend
and propagate truth, feems to me to be that alone which
legitimates controveriies. I am fure it plainly diftin-
cruifliesfuch from all others, in their fuccefs and ufeful-
nefs. If a man, as a fmcere friend to the perfon, and
to the truth, labours to bring another out of errour,
there can be nothing more beautiful, nor more bene-
ficial. If party, paflion, or vanity dired: his pen, and
have a hand in the controverfy ; there can be nothing
more unbecoming, more prejudicial, nor more odious.
What thoughts I ihall have of a man that (hall, as a
chriftian, go about to inform mc what is neceffary to be
believed to make a man a chrilhan, I have declared, in
the preface to my '* Reafonablenefs of Chriftianity,
** 6cc." nor do I fnd myfch' yet altered. He that, in
'print, finds fault with my imperfed difcovery of that,
M herein the fliith, Mhich makes a man a chriftian, con-
fids, and will not tell me what more is required, will do
'well to fitisfy the world what they ought to think of
him.

8 INDEX.

INDEX

TO THE

SIXTH VOLUME,

ABridgment of Faith, what it
is, 27J

Afts of the Apoftles, book fo called,
the author did not charge his
readers againft ftirring beyond
it, 248

• how wifely as well as faith-
fully written by St. Luke, 328,

Aftual aflent to fundamental arti-
cles, how neceflary, 223, 224.

Adam, wrong notions concerning
his fall, 4, 5, &c.

«— — what he fell from, ibid.

Allegations between contending
parties, to be elleemed falfe un-
til proved, 192

Apoftles, the wifdom of the Lord
in choofingfuchmean perfons, 83

■ their minds illuminated by
the Holy Spirit, 92, &c.

Article of faith, how the author
pleaded for one only, 1 74, 1 96

Articles of chriftianity, and fuch
as are necefTary to make a man a
chriftian, different, 3^2

— — of religion, have been feveral
hundreds of years explaining,
and notyet underftood, 177

Atheifm, want of ferioufnefs in
difcourfing of divine things may
occafion it, 304

' how falfely " The Rea-

fonablenefs of chriftianity" is
charged with promoting it, 305

Author of " The Reafonablenefs
of Chriftianity" falfely charged
with making one article necefla-
ry in formal words, 194

— — — falffly accufed of denying
feme articles of chriftianity, 197

falfely charged with new

modelling the apoftles creed, 20*

the feveral articles made

neceflary by him, 202, &c.

falfely charged with faying;

*' all things in chriftianity mv :
" be level tb every underftant .
" ing," _ 205, 214, &c.,

requires proof of his malr-

ing all but one article ufelefs tt^
make a man a chriftian, 205, &:c,
denies his contending for

but one, that men may under-
ftand their religion, zoj', 214
not guilty of folly in re-
quiring from his opponent a
complete lift of fundamentals,

215 22Z

his opponent compared to

a judge unwilling to hear both
fides, 245

not juftly called a fociniaa

for omitting what is not ex-
prefl!ed in the apoftles creed, 281

■ his faith unjuftly reprc-

fented as little different from that
of a turk, 282,285

his account of faith very

different from that of devils,

283—285'
unjuftly charged witli pa-
tronizing ignorance, 293
■■ his adverfary's arguing

from one to none would equally
fcrve a pagan, , 30^

how he proves himfelf a

chriftian, 3^^

fometimes reprefented a

focinian, fometimes a papift, &c,
360

INDEX.

why lie oniittcd fcvcral

paflages in the Kvangclifts, 361
fhould be judged of by

what he fays, and not the con-
trary, ' 395*, ^.

B

B.

ELf EF, what it is to believe

in our Saviour, and in his

name, 17, &c.

it is neceffary to believe

every thing known to be revealed
in fcripture, 156
what muft be believed ex-

plicitly, and what implicitly,

227, Sec.
, we muft believe the manner

of things, when revealed, 239
Bold, (Mr.) the author's letter of

thanks to him, i 85
vindicated from contradiding

himfelf, 389, 391, 394

• his opponent's fcurrilous re-

fieflions on him, 395, <i'C.

■ ■ . how falfely his words are

cited, 412

.- feveral remarkable paflages

in him not anfwered, 409,410,

&c.
• • » groundlefly charged with not

anfwering his oppofer, 419^* Scq»
— — why fo much of his reafoning

is mentioned by the author, 419
Book, two ways of making one

unanfuerable, 192

Bockfcllers, ftirred up againft our

author by his advcrfary 378, 379

C.

CHRIST, the meaning of his
anfwer, (John vi, 70.) 56
- why he did not exprefly re-
veal his Meffahfhip to his dif-
ciples, ^ ^^, Sec.

, his Meinah{hip more clearly

difcovercd a little before his fuf-
ferings, 57 — .Yet even then he
did not exprefly declare it to the
Jewifii rulers, 69

: how wifely he anfwered his

captious enemies* 74

Chrlft, why he owned himfelf to be
the Son of God before the high
priefl, 21

why he would not exprefly

own himfelf a kisg before Pilate,

„ 77.78

his innocency attefted e^'en by

Pilate and Judas, 80,86

• why he fpoke obfcurely of his

deftroying Jerufalem, (Matt,
xxiv,) 88

Judas being gone, he fpakc

more explicitly of his kingdom,

90

— — to the laft, he required dThis
difciples only to believe him to
be theMefliah, 96,^0.

exprefly applied the promifes

of the MeiTiah to himfelf after
his refurreftion, 99, 8cc\

• much oftener mentioned his

kingly office than any other,

113, &c.

— — how be fulfilled the mor<il
law, 122

■ what we m.ay think to be the

fl:ate of thofe who never heard of
him, 132

• the neceflity of his coming to

make God known, 135 — To
teach men their duty, 13H — To
inflruft in the right forms of di-
vine worlhip, 147, &c. — To give
fufiicient encouragement to a
good life, 148 — And to aflure
men of divine afiifl:ance, i c i

■ his deity not underftood by

the Jews by the phrafc " Son of
God" 370

— — the word Chrifi: often ufcd as
a proper name, 374

Clirillians, what is neceffary to be
believed to make men fo, 2 2 6, &c.

~ whether all things of

this fort were revealed in our
Saviour's time, 345', SiC.

. — what was fufiicient to

make men fuch in Chrill's time,
isfoftiU, _ 358

— are obliged to believe all

that they find our Saviour taught,
404

— -, all things neceilary to ht

believed

INDEX.

Tselleved by them, not neceflary
to their being fuch, 405, &c.

Chriftians, why they muft believe
whatever they find revealed by
Chrift, 408

Chriftianity, the fundamental ar-
ticles of it eafy to be under-
ftood, 17J

Commiffion of our Lord, was to
convince men of his being the
Meffiah, 332

Commiffion of the apodles, and of
the feventy, of the fame tenour,

335» 336

Covenant, changed, when the con-
ditions of it are changed, 344

Greed, of the apoftles, not new
modelled by the author, 20 1

•— — contains all things neceffary
to be believed to make a man a
chriftian, 277

the compilers of it may be

charged v/ith focinianifm by the
fame rule the author is, 272, 273

D.

EFIANCE, v.'hat it fignifies,
206
of any truth, unjuftly

charged on the author, 197, 205
Deills, what is neceffary to make ^

men fuch, 229

■ the ** Reafonablenefs of

*' chriftianity" written chiefly

for fuch, 268 f

Devils, why they cannot be fared

by believing, 102

E.

EDWARDS, Dr. John, com-
plained of, ^or his charge of

atheifm, 161 "
his accufing the author of

focinianifm refuted, 167 ''

' his commendation of him-

felf, 1 92
his rule for good breeding

out of the Miflina, 194

.- fometimes reprefents the

word- Meffiah as eafy, and fome-

times as hard to be underllood,
178,244.

. reprefents fundamentals

botli as eflential and integral
parts of religion, 247

charged with affuming

the power of the Pope to himfelfj

290

his harangue fortheatheilti-

cal rabble, ^00

of his arguing from one to

none, _ 3°3~3o;
his reafons of but one ar-
ticle, being fo often required,
confidered, _ 308, &c.

accufed of unfairnefs in

citations, 391

-— — charged with infifting on
what concerns not the fubjcft,
409
blamed for readinefs to find

unknown faults in his oppofers,
41S

Epiftles, of the apoftles, why writ-
ten, and how to be underfiood,
15s

' not defigned to teach funda-

mental articles of faith, ibid*

wifely explain the elTenti^Js

of chriftianity, 1^4

— — the author's notion of them
vindicated, 170, &c.

— — no contempt caft on them by
him, 249

pafling by anyof them, no

argument of defpifing them, 250,
&c.
■ ■ dodrines neceffary and not
neceffary hard to bs diflinguifh-^
ed in them, 258, 259

Evangelifts, numeriius citations out
of them ill termed a tedious col-
leftion, 251, 2 5z

though they wrote for

believers, yet relate Chrift's
doftrine to unbelievers, 25J

no good reafon to fup-

pofe them defeftive in relating
fundamentals, 316, 317

contain all doctrines ne-

ceflary to make a man a chriftian,

3'i&;&Ci

«■'■■ fomc

INDEX,

Evangelifts, fome things wrote by
them not neceflarytomakea man
a chriftian, 320, <i'C.

-.~ . when they made the

greateft omiffions, yet they re-
corded all things neceffary to
chriftianity, 323, Sec.

•- wifely obferve the ge-
nuine rules of hiftory, 324

— fundamental articles un-

juftly fuppofed to be omitted by
them, 325

to charge them with

fuch omiffions, to accufe them
of unfaithfulnefs, ibid.

' omitted no neceflary ar-
ticle for brevity's fake, 326

Exclufion of fome truths, the au-
thor vindicated from it, 197, 206

F.

FACT, common juftice makes
allegations of, falfe until prov-
ed, 192

Faith, what kind of, is required as
the condition of eternal life, 17.

&c.

•— juftifying, confifls in believ-
ing jefus to be the Meffiah, lox

■ very acceptable to God, and
why, 129

— — confifts in relying on the

goodnefs and faithfulnefs of Gcd,

ibid.

— — the fundamental articles of it,
well explained, though not
taught in tlie epiftles, i 54

the effentials of it,beft learned

from the gofpels and ads, ibid.

— — the author does not make only
one article of it neceflary, 194

— — other truths ufeful, befidc the
necefiary article of it, 227, 228

, but one article of it, not

pleaded for, that religion may
eafily be underllood, ao6, &c.

Faith, a praftical one plainly taught
by the author, 284, S<c.

. an entire one, believes every
fcripture truth, 349, 352

«.»--. how but one article was

taught by the apoftlcs, to fnake
men chriftians, 352, 35?

whether all the articles of it,

necefl"ary to the being chriftians,
were difcovered in our Saviour's
time, 255

— - the author falfely charged
with bringing no tidings of an
evangelical one, 4,4

Formal words, when charged, ought
to be cxprefly proved, 194

Fundamental articles (of faith)
where to be found, 215, &c.

1 — whence unreafonable con-
tentions arife about them,

230, 231

* how the fame things

may be fo to one and not to an-
other, 23e

how all truths may be-
come fo, ibid.

' many things not fo,

though found in the New Tefta-
ment, 228

1^ how they muft be all

plain to every capacity, 237, &c,

the mifchief of making

more than Chriftmade, 294, &c.

G.

GLORY of God, (Rom.iii.23O
what meant by, 1 1 o

God, ordinarily works by natural
means, 85

— his image confifts partly

in immortality, io6, 108

H.

HOBBES's Leviathan, our au-
thor unjuftly charged with
borrowing from it 420

Holy Ghoft, why he could not
come, until our Saviour's afcen-
fion, q;

I. ^

I Am, (Johnxiii. 19.) its mean-
ing " I am the Meffiah" 8g
Jerufalem, why Chrift preached but
little there, ^S' ^^*

Jews,

INDEX.

Jews, the power of life and death
taken from them before our Sa-
viour's time, 40

Immortality, the image of God
partly confifts in it, 106, 108

Intallible guide, only the Spirit of
God fpeaking infcripturefo, 357

Infidels, who chiefly hinder their
converfion, 1 6^

• the " Reafonablenefs of

Chriftianity" written chiefly for
them, 263

L.

LAW of God, all have fmned
againft it, 10

. thejuftice of God vindicated

in giving fo difficult a one to

man, 11

.^ of works, what is meant by

it, 12, 13

r- — is contained in the Javy of

Mofes, 1 2

-- — of faith, how it differs from

that of works, 1 2, i j

M.

MANNER, as well as reality
of things, how to be be-
lieved, 239, &c.
jVlefTiah, that Jefus is he, the pri-
mary article of chriftianity, 17,
&c.
.. . is fynonymous with " fon of
God," 21, 172, &c.

1 declared by miracles, by

circumlocution and by exprefs
words, _ 32 > 33^ 34

why our Saviour fo much

concealed his being the Meffiah,

. why our Lord exprefly

owned himfelf to the woman of
Samaria, 45

how our Saviour's wifdom

appeared in the gradual difcovery
of his being the Meffiah, 37, 81
his kingdom called by the

Jews, " the world to come,"

believing Jefus to be fo, a

juftifying faith, jci, 102

the Hebrew word fujfi*

ciently explained in the Ne\r
Teftament, j-g

. that Jefus is the Meffiaf^^

not hard tobeunderflood, thougl*
both the words are Hebrew, 245

Miracles, thofe of our Saviour ap-
pealed to by him for proving
him the Meffiah, 18, 19

Mifhna of the jews, a rule of good
breeding taken from it by Dr.
Edwards, ' i q*

Moral law, eftablifhed by the gof-
pel, 122

how fulfilled and confirmed

by our Saviour, 12

Morality of the gofpel, the moft
excellent, 138, — 1^0 143

Myfterics, the author vindicated
from the charge of deriding
them, 27S

N.

NAME of Chrifl, believing ja
it fignifies his being the Mef-
fiah, ^4

OBEDIENCE, fincere, a ne-
ceiTary condition of the Gof-
pel, J 14, &c.

Occafional paper, reply to feveral
things therein, 420

One article, how arguing from one
to none, might be ufed by a
pagan, ^ 305

Vid. Article, Faith, and Funda-
metal

Orthodoxy, when a pretence to it
is ridiculous, 276

P.

PARABLES, why Chrifl ufed
them, in fpeaking of his king-
dom, 44
Tiappr^ala, the meaning of this
Greek word, ^j
Patrick, biihop, his potion of chrifl
tianity, 179
Paul, the apoftle, the general drift
of his preaching, 124
Pilate,

INDEX,

"filatc, rould not find our Saviour
guihy of treafon, though he was
charged with it, -j-j — 80

Prieft, Jefus never affumed this cha-
rader, 1 1 3

R

R.

EASON, the infufEciency of
it, without revelation.

Redemption, the doiSnne of it
founded upon the fuppofition of
Adam's fall, 4

. • what it reftores men to, g

Refurreftion of Chrift, the neceffity
of believing it, g

' the belief of it put for

believing him to be the Meffiah,

Revelation, the neceffi?y of it, to
direft us to heaven, 13^, 157

Righteoufnefs, whence faith is
counted for it, 111,112

. what attaining to the

law of righteoufnefs fignifies, 23 c

S.

SAtisfaftion of Chrifl-, why not
diredly infilled on in " the
'* Reafonablenefs of Chriftiani-
ty," _ 163, 164

^ — the omiffion of it, no

proof of the author's being a fo-
cinian, 270, &c.

it is hard for one who

reads the fcripture with attention
to deny it, 458

Scriptures, not abfolutely neceffary
to know and bfelieve all things
contained therein, j ^6

neceifary to believe all

which we know to be taught in
them, ibid.

■ In eflentlals, fpeaks t»

the mcaneft capacity, iry. Sec,

• — _ we ftiould learn our re-
ligion out of them, 2^4

■ the mifchief of making

them chime with Oar previous
notions, _ 2^4—297

■ all things therein necef-

fary to be believed, wh-n under-
ftood, 3^3^ ^^4

Self-conceitedncfs, worfe than folly,

Socmiamfm, " The Reafonablenefs
of Chriftianity'* unjuftly charged
with it, J62, &c.

Socinians, the author charged with
being.one, 359, &c.

Son of God, a man's underfrand-

ing this phrafe, as fome focinians

do^ no proof of his being one,

361, &c.

• • fignifiesthe fame with Mef-
fiah, 366, fire.

■ the confefTion of the eu-
nuch (Ads viii.) no proof to the
contrary, 371, &c.

Syftems, not hated by the author,
who only complains o( the abufe
Qfthem> ~ 37-^

Ti

TIBERIUS, the roman em.
peror, a very jealous prince,
81
Tillotfon, (archbifhop) how he uri-
derftood the phrafe Son of God,
362
Truths, feveral, ufeful, yet not ne-
ceflary to falvation, 22 7, &c.

U.

UNITARIANS, Dr. Ed-
wards's witty remark upon
that word, zoQ

END OF THE SIXTH VOLUME,

DATE DUE

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