that reveals this to us, and also directs us in it. The appointed Way to partake of this Salvation is by Believing or Trufting in Chrift; that is, when from a deep Senfe of the Evil of Sin, and our Guilt and Danger on that Account, we grow weary and heavy laden with the Burden of our Sins, and furrender or betru ourselves to the Lord Jefus Chrift, that by his Death and Obedience we may be faved from Hell, and be accepted unto eternal Life, and that by the divine Aid of his Spirit, we may have all the finful Powers of our Natures renewed and fanctified, and fitted for that Life eternal which Chrift has purchased. Thus you fee this Grace of Faith neceffarily draws along with it fincere Repentance for Sin, and Defires after true Holinefs.

When we confider that we are by Nature afar off from God, ignorant and averfe to all that is holy, we fhall find that we are not more able to believe unto Salvation, nor to repent of Sin, at firft, than we are to perform Works of Holiness afterwards. Therefore this Gospel provides us with divine Strength to fulfil thefe Duties; Chrift is our Strength, as well as our Righteousness. He is exalted to beftow Repentance as well as Forgiveness; and Faith is the Gift of God, who creates us anew in Christ Jefus unto good Works, Ifa. xlv. Acts v. Eph. ii and makes us holy by his Spirit, as is before ex

B 4

preft.

preft. 'Tis by the Holy Spirit confidered eminently as the Spirit of Chrift, that we are enabled to receive this Salvation at firft, and trained up and prepared for the full Pof feffion of it..

It is further alfo comprehended in this Gospel, and promised in this gracious Conftitution of God, that when we have finished our State of Trial on Earth, our Souls shall be received at Death into the Prefence and Enjoyment of God; and our Bodies alfo fhall be raifed from the Grave in the great Refurrection Day, and thus our whole Natures fhall be made happy together to all Eternity.

This is the Matter and Subject of the gracious Revelation of God, this the Method of Salvation, and the Manner of our partaking of it, which is appointed by God himself, and this is what I call the Substance of the Gospel. There are fome other Points of Importance that belong to it, but this is the Foundation of all, and comprehenfive of the reft.

To fum up the feveral Parts of it in as few Words as I can, the Gospel of Christ is a gracious Conftitution of God for the Recovery of finful Man, by fending his own Son in the Flesh to obey his Law, which Man had broken, to make a proper Atonement for Sin by his Death, and to procure the Favour of God, and eternal Happiness for

all

all that believe and repent and receive this offered Salvation, together with a Promise of the Holy Spirit to work this Faith and Repentance in the Hearts of Men, to renew their finful Natures unto Holiness, to form them fit for this Happiness on Earth, and to bring them to the full Poffeffion of it in Heaven.

All this is fo evident from a Variety of Scriptures that might be cited here, that one would think there fhould be no need to prove it. But there have been fome Perfons in the laft and in the present Age (I chiefly intend the Socinian Writers, and those nominal Chriftians who are leaning toward Deifm) who would impoverish and curtail the Gospel of Chrift, and make it to confift in little more than mere natural Religion. Some of these Perfons juft make a Shift to perfuade themselves to believe the Bible, or at least they profefs to believe it, because it is the Religion of their Country, but they explain it in fo poor, fo narrow, fo dry, and infipid a Manner as raises it very little above the Light of Nature, viz. " That if "we follow the Dictates of our inward "Reafon and our Confcience, in worship

ping God, and in loving our Neighbours, according to the Rules which Scripture "hath given us to explain and confirm the Light of Nature, and herein imitate the holy Example of our Lord Jefus Chrift,

then

"then our Sins fhall be forgiven us by the "meer Mercy of God, through the Suppli"cation and Interceffion of fo good a Man

as Jefus Chrift, and we fhall be accepted "to eternal Life;" and this without any Dependance on the Death of Chrift as a proper Atonement or Satisfaction for Sin, or any Regard to him as a true and real Sacrifice. And as for the Spirit of God, and his Almighty Operation on the Souls of Men, to enlighten and fanctify them, at least in our Age, this is almost banished out of their Gofpel, and finds but little room in their Religion.

I think it neceffary therefore to prove, that the Gospel of Chrift is fuch a Doctrine as I have described; and that I fhall do by thefe five Reafons.

I. This Doctrine, which I have now mentioned, of the Reftoration of Believers in Jefus Chrift to the Favour of God, by the atoning Sacrifice and Obedience of Chrift, and the renewing of finful Men to God's Image by the Work of the Holy Spirit, and thereby bringing them to eternal Life, is the very Gofpel of Chrift, because it is the very Labour and Bufinefs, the chief Scope, Aim and Defign of the great Apostle of the Gentiles, in thofe of his Epiftles where he fets himself profeffedly to explain the Gospel ; and this is what he takes frequent Occafion alfa to bring into all his Writings. It is his

I

perpetual

perpetual Labour to inftruct the Jews and Gentiles in thefe glorious and unknown Truths: He uses various Forms of Speech to explain them to their Understandings; for "I defire, faith he, and determine to "know nothing among you but Jefus Chrift, "and him crucified, i. e. nothing like it; "nothing in Comparison with it. It is the

Cross of Chrift, that is and must be the "great Subject of my Miniftry; this is "what I am sent to preach, for it is the "Power of God, and the Wisdom of God,

for the Salvation of Men." Rom. i. 16. 1 Cor. i. 24. and ii. 2.

You find his Letters to the Churches full of fuch Expreffions as thefe, Chrift died for our Sins. He gave himself for us to redeem us from all Iniquity. We have Redemption thro' his Blood. God was in Chrift reconciling the World to himself, not imputing their Trefpaffes to them. He was made Sin, and a Curfe for us. He is our Propitiation, and Atonement. He appeared to put away Sin by the Sacrifice of himself. When we were Enemies we were reconciled to God by his Death. He made Peace by the Blood of bis Crofs. He was delivered for our Offences, and raised again for our Juftification. By the Righteoufnefs of one Man the free Gift came upon all Men to Fuftification of Life. By the Obedience of one, fhall many be made Righteous; and we are justify'd by Faith in bim. He teaches us alfo the Offices of the

Holy