gofpel can fcarcely receive a greater injury, than when any profeffing attachment to it, condefcend to enter the lifts with fuch abfurdities, or give ground of fufpicion that they ftand in need of a ferious refutation.

But there is another quarter from which we have much greater reafon to apprehend danger, viz. that clafs of men, who, being nominal Chriftians, difguife or alter the gospel, in order to defend it. Thefe often endeavor to give fuch views of Chriftianity, as will render it palatable to a corrupt worldly mind; and infiead of abafing, will footh and gratify the pride of man. Hence the unnatural mixture often to be feen of modern philofophy with ancient Chrif tianity. Hence the fundamental doctrines of the gospel are foftened, concealed, or denied; as, the loft and guilty flate of man by nature, his liablenefs to everlafting mifery, and the neceflity of that fatisfaction and ranfom which was paid by our Redeemer when he died upon the crofs. Inftead of thefe, are we not many times prefented with a character of Chrift as a teacher only, and not a Saviour; as one excellently qualified to reforin the abufes that had fome how or other crept into the world, but the real fource of which is hardly confeffed, and never willingly brought into view? Is not our blessed Redeemer thereby put on a level, and exprefsly claffed with mortal reformers? Perhaps indeed, a fmall compliment of fuperiority is paid him; which, however, there is reafon to fufpect arifes more from a prudent compliance with established faith, than from any inward and cordial esteem.

What could be reafonably expected as the effect of fuch conduct? No other than we find by experience hath actu ally taken place, that a caufe fo ill defended muft daily lofe ground. The nearer Chriflianity is brought to the principles of infidels to folicit their efteem, the lefs occafion will they fee for it at all; and when it is perverted from

all fin, by founding virtue on a delufive feeling. These writings are far from being hurtful in proportion to the intention of their authors: for though the principles contained in them are often retailed in converfition, yet it is only by way of amufement, on account of their beldnets or novelty, not one in an hundred appearing to have any ferious conviction of their truth.

its original purpose, it can expect no countenance from its real author. The truth is, if there be no more in the gospel than many by their language and writings would lead us to conceive, it is of fmall confequence whether it be embraced or not; and there can be little merit in a fociety who have this as the design of their union, to fpread and propagate Chriftian knowledge. But very different are the fentiments expreffed by the apoftle Peter in the text; where, speaking of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, he fays, "Neither is there falvation in any other: for there is none "other name under heaven given among men whereby "we must be faved."

I am fenfible, there are some of the very perfons hinted at above, who endeavor to explain away this text, and give it a very different meaning from that in which you will cafily perceive I understand it. They make falvation to refer to the cure recorded in the preceding chapter, wrought upon the lame man? as if the apoftle had faid, Neither is there a power of healing in any other, &c. This is but one inftance among many of the force and conflraint they put upon Scripture, in order to accommodate it to their own fentiments. I fhall not waste your time by a tedious refutation of this criticism, as the fenfe I affix to the words will be fufficiently fupported by what fhall follow on the fubject. They appear to me plainly to affirm, that there is no other way by which finners of mankind can cfcape everlasting misery, but through Chrift.

In difcourfing on this fubject, I propofe, through divine affiftance,

I. After a little illuftrating the meaning of the afertion, to establish and confirm its truth from the word of God.

II. To make a few reflections on this fcheme, and fhew, that it is not only moft fell-confifient, but moft agreeable to the other parts of Scripture, as well as to the visible state of the world; and therefore that thofe who, in reasoning with infidels, depart from it in any meafure, do thereby betray the caufe which they profefs to fupport.

III. I fhall make fome practical improvement of what may be faid.

I return to the first of these.

And as to the meaning of the affertion, the word faving or falvation evidently fuppofes a ftate of mifery from which our deliverance must be wrought; and therefore no more than the full meaning of the paffage is expreffed in what follows, That all the pofterity of Adam are conceived in fin, and brought forth in iniquity; alienated in heart from the love of God, and expofed to the dreadful confequences of his difpleafure. That they have not only access to falvation through Chrift, but that in this work he hath no rival; it is his, exclufive of all others: fo that no man, whatever be his character, or whatever be his hope, fhall enter into reft, unless he be reconciled to God through Jefus Chrift.

Now, that all mankind are by nature in a state of guilt and condemnation, is evident from the whole strain of the holy Scriptures. This originally conftituted the neceffity of a Saviour, and alone illuftrates the love and mer. cy of God in the appearance of his Son in our nature. Unless this is fuppofed, the whole difpenfations of the grace of God, both in the Old teftament and in the New, lofe their beauty, and lofe their meaning; nay, and would be justly esteemed foolishness, as they are in fact by all who fee not this foundation upon which they are built. As our firft parents, and the earth for their fakes, were laid under a curfe immediately after the original tranfgreffion; fo the effects of this apoftacy on their pofterity are amply declared in Scripture. We have this repeated teftimony from God himfelf concerning the old world, "And God "faw that the wickednefs of man was great in the earth, "and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart "was only evil continually."* And again," And the "Lord faid in his heart, I will not again curfe the ground any more for man's fake; for the imagination of man's "heart is evil from his youth."†

The rites and ceremonies of the Mofaic difpenfation alfo, together with the whole hiftory of providence contained in the Old Teftament, fuppofe the guilt and impurity of our nature. But the gospel, as it is in all refpects a clearer difpenfation than the former, fo it is moft full and express upon this fubject. Inftead of enumerating many paffages, we may confult the epiftle of the apostle Paul to the Romans, where there is a diftinct and labored illuf tration of the guilt and apoftacy of all mankind; towards the conclufion of which he thus expreffes himself: "For we before proved both Jews and Gentiles that they are "all under fin; as it is written, There is none righteous, "no not one: there is none that understandeth, there is "none that feeketh after God. They are all gone out of "the way, they are together become unprofitable; there "is none that doth good, no not one."*—And a little after, "That every mouth may be ftopped, and all the world "become guilty before God." To this I fhall only add one paffage from the fame apostle: "Among whom alfo "we had our conversation in times paft, in the lufts of

our flesh, fulfilling the defires of the flesh, and of the "mind; and were by nature children of wrath, even as "others."

That the fame Scriptures point out to us one only remedy for this our misery, is equally evident. Chrift Jefus was promifed to our firft parents under the defignation of the feed of the woman, who fhould bruise the head of the ferpent. He is afterwards promised to Abraham as his feed, in whom all the nations of the earth fhould be bleffed; to Jacob as Shiloh, to whom the gathering of the people should be. He is pointed out by Mofes as the great prophet that should come into the world. And unless we fuppose a typical reference to Chrift in the legal wafhings, facrifices, and other fervices, they will appear altogether unworthy of God, and altogether infufficient for the purposes for which they were used. This indeed is affirmed by the apostle to the Hebrews, "For it is not poffible that the

Rcm. iii. 9-12. † Rom. iii. 19. + Eph. i 2.

"blood of bulls and of goats fhall take away fins."* In the later prophets, there are many diftinct and particu lar, many high and magnificent defcriptions of the glory of Chrift's perfon, and the greatness of his work. The attention and expectation of every believer is directed to him; and he is ftyled "the defire of all nations."t

And in the New Teftament, at his conception it is faid, "Thou fhalt call his name Jefus, for he fhall fave his "people from their fins." At his entrance on his public miniftry, he is thus defignated by John the Baptift," Be"hold the Lamb of God that taketh away the fin of the "world." The great defign of his appearing in our na ture, is declared in many paffages of fcripture. And as falvation is promifed to those who believe, fo the condemnation of all unbelievers is neceffarily implied as its counter-part, and often exprefsly affirmed. Thus the apoftle John reprefents our Saviour himself as teaching, "God fo "loved the world, that he gave his only-begotten Son, "that whofoever believeth in him, fhould not PERISH, "but have everlasting life."* And when he gave commiffion to his difciples to preach the gospel, it was in these terms: "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel "to every creature. He that believeth, and is baptized, "fhall be faved; but he that believeth not, fhall be damn"ed." The very meaning of the word Gofpel is glad tidings; importing not only the great, but the distinguishing happiness of those who hear the meffage, and comply with the call. The apoftles, who fpread thefe glad tidings through the world, confidered themselves as bringing falvation to those who before fat in darkness, and in the region of the fhadow of death. And by the following defcription given by the apostle Paul of the ftate of the Ephefians before converfion, may be feen what view he had of the condition of all who knew not God, as well as who believed not the gofpel, "That at that time ye were with"out Chrift, being aliens from the common-wealth of