news of the kingdom of the Meffiah. And St. Paul often in his epiftles puts faith for the whole duty of a Chriftian. But yet the tenor of the gospel is what Chrift declares, Luke xii. 3. 5. "Unlefs "ye repent, ye fhall all likewife perifh." And in the parable 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 tenor of the doctrine, which fhould be preached to the world, fhould be, he tells his apoftles after his refurrection, Luke xxiv. 27. viz. "That repentance and remiffion "of fins fhould be preached in his name," who was the Meffiah. And accordingly believing Jefus to be the Meffiah, and repenting, was what the apoftles preached. So Peter began, Acts ii. 38. "Re"pent, 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 themfelves the fubjects 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 heathenifm, and profeffing a fubmiffion 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 profeffed obedience to him, were admitted as fubjects into his kingdom: which in the gofpels is called " The kingdom of "God" and in the Acts and epiftles often by another name, viz. "The church."

The fame St. Peter preaches again to the Jews, Acts iii. 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 those who fhould receive the benefits of that covenant, is plain in the fcripture, to be not only a forrow for fins paft, but (what is a natural confcquence of fuch forrow, if it be real) a turning from them, into a new and contrary life. And fo they are joined together, Acts iii. 19. "Repent, and turn about," or, as we render it, Be converted. And, Acs xxvi. "Repent and turn' to God."

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And fometimes turning about is put alone to fignify repentance, Matt. xiii. 15. Luke xxii. 32. Which in other words is well expreffed by newness 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 acts, which have fo natural a connexion one with the other, may be, and is often, put for both together. Repentance is a hearty forrow for our paft mifdeeds, and a fincere refolution and endeavour, to the utmoft of our power, to conform all our actions to the law of God. So that repentance does not confift in one fingle act of forrow (though that, being the firft and leading act, gives denomination to the whole), but in doing works of repentance, in a fincere obedience to the law of Chrift, the remainder of our lives. This was called for by John the Baptift,

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the preacher of repentance, Matt. iii. 8. " Bring forth fruits meet "for repentance. And by St. Paul here, Acts 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 past.

Thefe two, faith and repentance, i. e. believing Jefus to be the Meffiah, and a good life, are the indifpenfable conditions of the new covenant to be performed by all thofe who would obtain eternal life. The reasonableness, or rather neceflity of which, that we may the better comprehend, we must a little look back to what was faid in the beginning.

Adam being the fon of God, and fo St. Luke calls him, chap. iii. 38. had this part alfo of the "likeness" and "image" of his father, viz. that he was immortal. But Adam tranfgreffing 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 likeness, after his "own image ;" mortal, like their father.

God nevertheless, out of his infinite mercy, willing to bestow, 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 fon of God; according to what the angel declared to his mother, Luke i. 30-35. "The Holy Ghoft fhall come upon thee, and the power

of the highest fhall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which fhall be born of thee, fhall be called THE SON OF "GOD." So that, being the fon of God, he was, like his father, immortal," as he tells us, John v. 26. "As the father hath life, "in himself, so hath he given to the fon to have life in himself."

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And that immortality is a part of that "image," wherein these (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 Genefis concerning Adam, above taken notice. of, but feems to me alfo to be intimated in fome expreffions concerning Jefus the fon of God. In the New Teftament, Col. i. 15, he is called "the image of the invifible God." "Invifible" feems put in, to obviate any grofs imagination, that he (as images used to do) reprefented God in any corporeal or visible refemblance. And there is farther fubjoined, to lead us into the meaning of it, "first-born of every creature," which is farther explained, ver. 18. where he is termed, "The first-born from the dead:" thereby making out, and fhewing himself to be the "image" of the invifible God; that death hath no power over him: but being the fon of God, and not having forfeited that fonfhip by any tranfgreffion, 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 fon, that he might be the first-born among many brethren."

"brethren." This image," to which they were conformed, feems to be "immortality" and eternal life. For it is remarkable, that in both thefe places St. Paul fpeaks of the refurrection, and that Chrift was "the firft-born among many brethren;" he being by birth the fon of God, and the others only by adoption, as we fee in this fame chapter, ver. 15-17. "Ye have received the fpirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, father: the fpirit itself bearing "witnefs with our fpirits, that we are the children of God. And "if children, then heirs; and joint-heirs with Chrift: if so be that. "we fuffer with him, that we may also be glorified together." And hence we fee, that our Saviour vouchfafes to call thofe, who at the day of judgement are through him entering into eternal life, his brethren;" Matt, xxv. 40. "Inafmuch as ye have done it unto "one of the leaft of these 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 mentioned under the fingle title of THE FA THER? And therefore our Saviour fays, Matt. xi. "No man know"eth the father fave the fon, and he to whomfoever the fon will "reveal him." God has now a fon again in the world, the firftborn of many brethren, who all now, by the fpirit of adoption, can fay," Abba," father; and we by adoption, being for his fake made his brethren, and the fons of God, come to fhare in that inheritance which was his natural right, he being by birth the fon of God: which inheritance is eternal life. And again, ver. 23. "We groan "within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption "of our body;" whereby is plainly meant the change of these frail mortal bodies, into the fpiritual immortal bodies at the refurrection; "When this mortal fhall have put on immortality," 1 Cor. xv. 54. which in that chapter, ver. 42-44, he farther expreffes thus: "So "alfo is the refurrection of the dead. It is fown in corruption, it " is raised in incorruption: it is fown in difhonour, it is raised in "glory: it is fown in weakness, it is raised in power: it is fown a "natural body, it is raised a spiritual body, &c." To which he fubjoins, ver. 49. "As we have borne the image of the earthy" (i. e. As we have been mortal, like earthy Adam our father, from whom we are descended, when he was turned out of paradife), "fhall alfo bear the image of the heavenly;" into whofe fonfhip and inheritance being adopted, we fhall, at the refurrection, receive that" adoption" we expect, "Even the redemption of our bodies;" and after his " image," which is the "image" of the father, become immortal. Hear what he himself fays, Luke xx. 35, 36. "They who fhall be accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the re"furrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage. Neither can they die any more; for they are equal unto the angels, and are the SONS OF GOD, being the fons of the re"furrection." And he that fhall read St. Paul's argument, A&ts. xiii. 32, 33, will find, that the great evidence that Jefus was the "fon of God," was his refurrection. Then the image of his father appeared in him, when he vifibly entered into the state of im

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mortality.

THE REASONABLENESS or CHRISTIANITY, mortality. For thus the apostle' reafons; We preach to you,

how that the promise which was made to our fathers, God hath fulfilled the fame unto us, in that he hath raised up Jefus again; ic as it is alfo written in the fecond Pfalm, Thou art my fon, this. day have I begotten thee."

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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 himself 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 son of a man, of the feed of Adam; or elfe had by any tranfgreffion forfeited his life for the wages of fin is death." And he that hath incurred death for his own tranfgreffion, cannot lay down his life for another, as our Saviour profeffes he did. For he was the juft one, Acts vii. 57. and xii. 14. "who knew no fin." 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 refurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, fo in Chrift fhall 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, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again." And this his obedience and fuffering was rewarded with a kingdom, which he tells as, Luke xxii. "His father had appointed unto him;" and which, it is evident out of the epiftle to the Hebrews, chap. xii. 2. he had a regard to in his fufferings "who for the joy that was fet before

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him, endured the crofs, defpifing the fhame, 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 himfelt takes notice of in thefe words, John xvii. 1-4. "Jefus "lift up his eyes to heaven, and faid, Father, the hour is come, glorify thy fon, that thy fon 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 Meffiah, whom thou haft fent. I have glorified thee on earth: I “have finished the work which thou gaveft me to do." And St. Paul, in his epiftle to the Philippians, chap. ii. 8-11. "He humbled 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 fhall bow, of things in heaven, and things "in earth, and things under the earth; and that every tongue "fhould confefs that Jefus Chrift is Lord."

Thus God, we fee, defigned his fon Chrift Jefus a kingdom, an everlafting kingdom in heaven. But "though as in Adam alt die, "fo in Chrift fhall all be made alive," and all men fhall return to

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life again at the last day: yet all men having finned, and thereby come short of the glory of God," as St. Paul affures us, Rom. iii. 23. (i. e. not attaining to the heavenly kingdom of the Meffiah, 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 perfect righteousness, fhall be admitted into the eternal life of that kingdom; as is declared, I Cor. vi. 9. "The unrighteous fhall not inherit the kingdom of " God"). And death, the wages of fin, being the portion of all those who had tranfgreffed the righteous law of God, the fon of God would in vain have come into the world, to lay the foundations of a kingdom, and gather together a felect people out of the world, if (they being found guilty at their appearance before the judgement-feat of the righteous judge of all men at the last day) instead of entrance into eternal life in the kingdom he had prepared for them, they fhould receive death, the juft reward of fin, which every one of them was guilty of. This fecond death would have left him no fubjects; and instead of those ten thousand times ten thoufand, and thousands of thoufands, there would not have been one left him to fing praises unto his name, faying, "Bleffing, and honour, 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 erecting of the kingdom of his fon, and furnishing it with fubjects out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation, propofed to the children of men, that as many of them as would believe Jefus his fon (whom he fent into the world) to be the Meffiah, the promised deliverer, and would receive him for their king and ruler, fhould have all their paft fins, difobedience, and rebellion forgiven them; and if for the future they lived in a fincere obedience to his law, to the utmost of their power, the fins of human frailty for the time to come, as well as all those of their past lives, fhould, for his fon's fake, because they gave themselves up to him to be his fubjects, be forgiven them and fo their faith, which made them be baptized into his name (i. e. enrol themselves in the kingdom of Jefus the Meffiah, and profefs themselves his fubjects, and confequently live by the laws of his kingdom), fhould be accounted to them for righteoufnefs; i. e. fhould fupply the defects of a fcanty obedience in the fight of God; who, counting this faith to them for righteousness, or complete obedience, did thus justify, or make them juft, and thereby capable of eternal life.

Now, that this is the faith for which God of his free grace juftifies finful man (for it is God alone that juftifieth," Rom. viii. 33. Rom. iii. 26.), we have already fhewed, by obferving through all the history of our Saviour and the apoftles, recorded in the evangelifts, and in the Acts, what he and his apoftles preached and propofed to be believed. We fhall fhew now, that, befides believing him to be the Meffiah their king, it was farther required, that thofe who would have the privilege, advantage, and deliverance of his

kingdom,