ESSAY Befides many other Advantages that we III. have now, beyond, what they had in the Days of Christ; befides the many Predictions and Promises that are fince accomplish'd, which confirm his Miffion; befides the Explication of a greater part of the old Teftament, by the Apoftles, than could have been done before the Death of Christ, besides the many Proofs of the Christian Religion, which we derive from the Refurrection and Afcenfion of Chrift, and the Arguments drawn from the miraculous Gifts of the Spirit, which could never have been brought in our Saviour's Life-time, we have this Advantage alfo among others, that we have the Gospel fet in a clearer Light by his Apostles, in their Sermons and Epiftles, than our Saviour himself fet it in, by his own perfonal Ministry,

That Divine Teacher explain'd the Law clearly, and fet the Commands of it in their full Light and Beauty, partly to lead us to a more fpiritual Practice than the Pharifees, and the Jewish Doctors of the Law were acquainted with, and partly to fhew our utter Incapacity of keeping the Law, or obtaining Eternal Life by it: He also began to publish the Gospel of Grace, Repentance and Forgivenefs; but (as was declared before) his fovereign Wisdom did not think proper publickly to explain and illuftrate this Gospel of Forgiveness with the Doctrine of his own Sacrifice,

Sacrifice, his Death, his Atonement for our ESSAY Sins, his Refurrection for our Juftification, III. his Interceffion for us in Heaven, and his ruling the World for the Good of his People: He left all this to be done by his Apostles, when the Spirit fhould come down upon them and teach them many things which they could not bear in his Life-time, and which therefore he did not clearly teach them. John xvi. 12.

.

Value therefore and love the Gofpel, and return not to the Law of Works, as the Means or Rule of your Juftification, Gal. iv. 21. Tell me ye that defire to be under the Law, do ye not hear the Law, how it curfes every Sinner, and condemns them all without Remedy and without Hope? 'Tis the Business of Sinners to fly to and live upon this Gospel of Forgivenefs, and not feek to establish their own imperfect Righteoufnefs before God. Rejoice in the way of Juftification by the Obedience, Death and Refurrection of the Son of God in Flefh. Never hope to obtain Pardon of Sin, and to fecure the Salvation which Christ has revealed, by your own keeping the Commandments of the Law, for your beft Righteoufneffes are all very defective and infufficient: But repent of Sin, truft in Chrift, and live upon atoning Blood and pardoning Grace, while you humbly feek after the highest Degrees of Holiness and Conformity to the Commands of the

Law.

ESSAY Law. By this means you shall magnify the
III. Law of God, and make it honourable in the

Sight of Men, even while your Hope of Sal-
vation and Eternal Life is entirely owing to
the rich Grace of God in the Gofpel of his
Son Jefus: To him that has loved us, and
washed us from our Sins in his Blood, to him
that has redeemed us from the Curfe of the
Law, by being made a Curfe and a Sacrifice
for us, be Glory, Honour and Dominion
for ever and ever.
and ever. Amen.

ESSAY

It is proper to put in a Remark here, which perhaps would have been better placed at the End of the first Effay, viz.

That that ingenious Commentator Dr. Whitby, was well known to the learned World, when he wrote his Comment on the New Teftament, to be a pretty warm Defender of the Arminian Doctrines concerning the Will of Man and Divine Grace, &c. though at the fame time he was a zealous Oppofer of the Socinian Sentiments concerning the Perfon of Chrift, and a strict and zealous afferter of the Doctrine of his Satisfaction and Atonement for Sin, and probably he borrow'd fome of his Sentiments on that Point from Dr. Owen, on the Epiftle to the Hebrews. In his latter Days, a little. before his Death, he feemed to raise the Character of the human Nature of Chrift as high as the Arians do, but fuppofed it ftill below Divinity.

The Miftaken Ways of coming to GOD without CHRIST.

I

JOHN xiv. 6.

No Man cometh to the Father but by me.

F the Race of Man were immortal on Earth, and Sinners were never fummon'd to die, or if they could put an eternal End to their Souls when the Body lies down in the Duft, there would be little Concern among us, How fball 1 come and appear before God? or What shall I do to obtain his Favour? Sinful Creatures feem to live well enough among the Cares or Amufements of this Life, though they are without God in the World; and if they could live for ever without feeing him, or could plunge into Death and the unfeen World, and not meet him there, they would take no Thought about that grand Enquiry, which Balak the King of Moab thought to be of fuch Importance, Wherewith Shall I come before the Lord, or bow my felf before the high God?

ESSAY

But when the Confciences of Men begin IV. to be convinced that they are Tranfgreffors against the Law of their Maker, and that they must one Day appear before him, as their Governor and their Judge, and anfwer for their Conduct, then they inquire in good earnest, What they shall do to ftand in his Sight with Acceptance, or to draw near his Majefty without Terror? Then Reafon and Nature exert all their Forces to find an Answer to this grand Question.

But Nature and Reafon darkened and weakened by the Fall of Man, and unaffifted by Revelation and divine Grace, lead them into many mistaken ways, fuch as will never bring them into the Favour of him who made them, nor obtain true Happiness. Poor foolish and fallen Mankind is ready to try many means of procuring Eternal Life for themselves, before they will betake themselves to the one only way which God has appointed by his Gofpel, and that is, Faith in Jefus Chrift.

Of the feveral mistaken Ways that Sinners are ready to chufe in this Cafe, these three are the chief, (viz.) The Way of fuppofed Innocency, The Way of Dependance on God's general Goodness, and the Way of their own Repentance and Self-Righteousness. Let us confider each of thefe, and enquire into the Juftness of their Pretenfions.