this Manner? Yes, every where, and conftant ly. Our bleffed Lord teaches us not to confide in our own Virtues, but in his Mercy, and Grace; inftructs us to call our felves unprofitable Servants *, after we have done our beft, and all that was commanded us: And he lets us know further, that whatever our moral Virtues may be, yet except we eat the Flesh of the Son of Man, and drink his Blood, we have no Life in us,† that is to fay, unless we partake of the Benefits of his Paffion. The Apostle Paul, almoft in every Epiftle, teaches and inculcates the fame Doctrine; that no Man fhall be faved on Account of his Works, or his moral Virtues (tho' required as neceffary Conditions,) but by the Blood of Chrift. And St. John fays, The Blood of Jefus Chrift cleanfeth us from all Sin . Can any Man call these plain certain Principles in question?

THE Objector goes on: Did our Saviour or his Apostles ever in any one Inftance declare, that moral Virtues have no proper Efficacy towards procuring Salvation? Yes, in the Inftance of Cornelius, whom I before mentioned. But befides that, the whole Tenour of the New Teftament declares, that the Blood of Chrift, and his Merits have a proper Efficacy towards procuring the Salvation of Men, and that nothing else has. But the Objector wants Scripture Proof for my saying; that moral Virtues could only lead to the Door of Salvation, which the Ufe of the Sacrament must at length open. It would be tedious to anfwer

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*Luke xvii. 10. ↑ John vi. 53.

JI John i. 7.

anfwer at large every trifling Queftion: It may fuffice to fay, in short, that let a Man's moral Virtues be what they will, yet unless he be born of Water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God. Moral Virtues may prepare the Way, but Baptifm gives Entrance, and lets us in. The Cafe is plain: Our Salvation ftands in the Covenant, and the Sacraments are the Seals of the Covenant, the Rites of Initiation into it, and Continuance in it, and without them the Covenant either never commences at all,or is never renewed.

THE Answer further asks (p. 77.) how the Remiffion of Sins appears to be promifed more to the worthy Receiver in the Sacraments, than upon any Act of Obedience to Chrift's moral Laws: Or in particular; how the Promise of it appears more to worthy Receiving, than it does to forgiving our Brother his Trefpaffes? To which I anfwer, that receiving the Sacrament, confidered merely as an Act of Obedience, brings no Remiffion of Sins, confers no Pardon, any more than other Duties, which all want Pardon, and confer none. But the Sacraments confidered as Seals of the Covenant, or Solemnities by which it is transacted, are the Inftruments of Pardon, or the Channels of Conveyance, by which God confers it. Forgiving our Brother, is a Condition of Pardon, and fuch as without which we have no Forgivenefs at God's Hands: But it it is no Seal of Covenant, no Inftrument of Pardon, as the Sacraments are. I have now done with the Objector, having

* John iii. 5. +See the additional Note below, p. 85.

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having paid a due Refpect to all his Inquiries, as many as came under this Head. There remain only two or three flight Things, to be taken potice of under the next Article.

IV. THE Ufe of the Sacraments may be compared to moral Duties, and in some Cafes preferred before them, according as the Circumstances direct. I should here premise, that as the Commands for the Ufe of the Sacraments are affirmative, not negative, fo the Comparison ought to lie between them and the affirmative moral Precepts only. And now the Queftion is, whether Obedience to the Divine Commands in refpect of these two pofitive Duties, be not as strict and as indispensable, and of as great Importance, as Obedience to moral Duties. I maintain that it is fo in the general, and shall now give my Reasons. Moral Precepts and positive Precepts, are equally divine Precepts, so that in that Respect there is no Difference: Obedience to positive Precepts is moral Duty, as much as Obedience to moral Precepts, fo in that Respect also they are equal. But in order to ftate the comparative Worth and Value of any Precepts, we must confider their Ends and Ufes. All the Ends and Uses, as I conceive, of moral Precepts, resolve in these two.

Firft, THE difpofing Men to fuch Actions as are from the present Peace and Happiness of Mankind. And Secondly, The forming in Mens Minds fuch good Difpofitions as fhall qualify

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them for a heavenly State hereafter. Now let us confider whether, or how far, the two pofitive Preceps about the Sacraments are contrived to anfwer the Ends and Uses which we have just now mention'd.

1. As the Christian Religion is the best Religion that ever was given for procuring the Peace of Society, and indeed for fecuring and inforcing all moral Virtues; and as the Sacraments are the main Support of this Religion, and serve to keep it alive in the World; on this fingle Account, they must be conceived as highly ufeful to Mankind in this State: And fo the fame temporal Ends and Ufes are served by a religious Performance of these Duties, as by a religious Performance of moral Duties. Whatever can be faid in favour of the Christian Religion as an useful Religion, useful to Kings and States, useful to human Society, the fame may be faid of the two Chriftian Sacraments, the distinguishing Badges of the Chriftian Profeffion. Or if we confider them only as folemn Acts of Worship paid to that great and good Being, who fteers the whole Universe, and in whofe Hands all fublunary Things are; and further, how much it is for the prefent Interefts of Mankind, that all becoming Awe and Reverence for the divine Majefty, be kept up in the World: In this View, the devout Obfervance of the Sacraments is as useful to the publick Happiness, as Acts of moral Virtue. But this is the leaft, and the lowest Part of their Commendation.

2. As

2. As the Sacraments are Rites of covenanting with God, are folemn Engagements to all Manner of Virtue, are Means of Grace, and are themfelves Exercises of Piety, Faith, Hope, Charity, Worship, &c. in this View, they exceed any two moral Duties that can be named, being more comprehenfive, and are apt to beget all Manner of good and godly Difpofitions, fuch as will qualify a Person for the heavenly State hereafter. It is true, that these two pofitive Duties will cease with this World: And fo will many moral Duties also, such as feeding the Hungry, clothing the Naked, &c. But then the general Habits or Difpofitions of Love and Charity, learned by the Practice of moral Duties, will remain: And fo will all the pious and virtuous Difpofitions formed in the Mind by the confcientious Use of the Sacraments: They also will abide for ever. Ma

ny of the moral Duties have an immedite Respect to Man, and to Man confidered as an Inhabitant of this World only: But the Sacraments raise the Mind higher up to God the Father, Son, and Holy-Ghost, to Archangels, and Angels, and the whole Hoft of Heaven, tending to beget Difpofitions proper for living in Conjunction or Union with that bleffed Society. So that with respect at least to a Life to come, the Sacraments have the Advantage above other Duties called Moral, forming the Mind to higher Views, and being more perfective of Man's Nature, In fecular Duties, Secularity is apt to creep in too much, and it is not very eafy always, in the per

forming