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VII. PRACTICAL CONSEQUENCES OF THE ABOVE

DOCTRINES.

THE found knowledge of chriftianity is not of importance as a matter of fpeculation merely; though abstract truths, especially truths that relate to God, and the maxims of his moral government, are not without their utility and obligation: but the truths that I here contend for nearly affect the fentiments of our hearts, and our conduct in life; as, indeed, has been shewn in many respects already. Confidering God as poffeffed of the character in which some divines represent him, it is impoffible, while human nature is what it is, that he should appear in an amiable or refpectable light. Such a God may, indeed, be the object of dread and terror to his creatures; but by no means of their love or reverence. And what is obedience without love? It cannot be that of the heart, which, however, is the only thing that is of any real value in religion. Alfo, how can a man love his fellow-creatures in general, when he confiders the greatest part of them as the objects of the divine abhorrence, and doomed by him to an everlafting destruction, in which he believes that he himfelf must for ever rejoice? And what can remain of virtue, when these two great sources of it, the love of God and of mankind, are thus grofsly corrupted? Laftly, how muft the genuine fpirit of mercy and forgiveness, which fo eminently distinguishes the gospel

of

of Chrift, be debased, when God himself (whose conduct in this very respect is particularly proposed to our imitation) is confidered as never forgiving fin without fome previous atonement, fatisfaction, or interceffion?

On the other hand, loving God, as the compaffionate Father of all his offspring, as willing that all men fhould be faved, and come to the knowledge of his truth; and alfo loving all mankind as our brethren, as, together with ourfelves, the children of the fame gracious Father, we cannot want the most generous and powerful motives to do the will of God, and to provoke one another to love and to good works; being in no fear of counteracting the fecret defigns of the Almighty, which we believe are aimed, not at the deftruction, but the happiness of all his creatures.

Think not, however, that I am fo uncharitable as to suppose that all those who profefs to maintain the doctrines I have been arguing againft, are univerfally deftitute of the genuine love of God, or of their fellow-creatures, I am fenfible, and truly thankful, that it is not always the confequence; but it is because the hearts of fuch perfons are really influenced by better principles than those which they avow. They by no means habitually regard the Divine Being in the light in which their principles reprefent him, but as the true Father of all the creatures that he has made, and, as such, fincerely defirous to promote their best interests.

Alfo,

Alfo, notwithstanding, if they be asked, they will not hesitate to fay, that Chrift is God, the fupremacy of the Father, even with respect to the Son, is, at the fame time, the real fentiment of their minds; and when they lift up their hearts to God, it is only God the Father that is the proper object of their adoration. The conftant tenor of the fcriptures is fo contrary to their profeffed creed, that though they dare not call it in question, it is not able to counteract the plainer, the more confiftent, and the better principles which will force themselves upon their minds from converfing with the bible.

Befides, it requires more fubtlety and refinement to enter into the principles above-mentioned, than the common people are masters of. They cannot conceive how one man should fin, and another perfon, fix thousand years after, be guilty of that fin, and punishable for it; how one perfon's righteoufnefs should be confidered as the righteousness of another; or that three diftinct perfons fhould each of them be God, and yet that there fhall be no more Gods than one.

Men of plain understandings, in fact, never do believe any fuch thing; nor can it be fuppofed that the gofpel, which was intended to be the folid foundation of the faith, hope, and joy of common people, fhould require fo much acutenefs, as is neceffary to give even a plausible colour to these strange affertions. The attempt to explain them (and, 'till they be explained,

they

they can no more be believed than a propofition in an unknown tongue) can lead to nothing but endless and unprofitable controversy. It is happy, therefore, that so many persons make a better ufe of the gofpel than their tenets would lead them to do, and that they confider it chiefly as a rule of life, and the foundation of hape after death. But, as far as the principles I have been arguing against are believed, they cannot but do harm to those who entertain them, as well as bring difgrace upon the chriftian name; both which every lover of the gospel fhould endeavour to prevent.

A CONCISE HISTORY OF THE ABOVEMENTIONED DOCTRINES.

I. A CONCISE HISTORY OF OPINIONS CONCERNING JESUS CHRIST.

You will fay, if Chrift be not really God, but merely a man, though inspired and affifted by God, how came the christian world to fall into fo great an error? In return, I might afk, how, if Chrift be truly God, equal to the Father, so many christians, and especially the jewish chriftians, and many others in the very early ages of the chriftian church, came to think him to be merely a man; when it may be eafily conceived that, on many accounts, chriftians, who were continually reproached with the meannefs of their master, would be disposed to add to, rather than to take from his dignity? But it is not

difficult to

fhew

thew by what means, and by what Steps, chriftians, came to think as the generality of them now do.

It was the univerfal opinion of philofophers, at the time of the promulgation of christianity, that the fouls of all men had existed before they were fent to animate the bodies that were provided for them here, and alfo that all fouls were emanations, or parts detached from the deity. For at that time there was no idea of any fubftance being properly immaterial, and indivifible. When these philofophers became chriftians, and yet were ashamed of being the difciples of a man who had been crucified, they naturally gave a distinguished rank to the foul of Christ before he came into the world. They even went one ftep farther, and maintained that Chrift had a body in appearance only, and not in reality, and therefore that he suffered nothing at all when he was fcourged and crucified.

This opinion the apostle John reprobates with great severity, and even calls it Antichriftian, 1 John iv. 3. whereas though it is acknowledged that the other opinion, viz. that of Chrift being merely a man, existed in the times of the apostles, it is remarkable that this apostle takes no notice of it. It was plainly the doctrine of those only who maintained that Chrift was not truly a man that gave this apostle any bance, or he would never have faid as he does, I John iv. 2. Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is some in the flesh (that is, was truly a man) is of God.

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