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CHAP. venant was as exactly adjusted to the Circum1. ftances and Capacity of Man then, as now it is mitigated to his prefent erring and straying Con

dition.

THUS commenced the Religion of the Means, or the Recovery and Reftoration of Man to the Performance of the Religion of the End, as his frail weak Condition, and Imperfection, is now capable of. Had Man never once prefumptuously tranfgreffed, nor fubjected himself to farther Tranfgreffion; neither Repentance, nor Remiffion of Sins, nor any remedial pofitive Parts of Religion, nor any Mediator of Reconciliation, nor any Revelation of that Sort had ever been heard of. Neither his Mind, nor his Body would have known the Want of any Thing in his pri vate, or publick Capacity; and where no Want in any Refpect, no room for coming to God in Supplication, or Interceffion, i. e. PRAYER.

Now whatever is beneficial in promoting, and fubfervient to the furtherance of any Thing, may, in that Respect, be called a MEANS, and accounted more or lefs useful, or neceffary, refpectively to its Tendency and intrinfick Efficacy in advancing the other: And confequently, can have no other, but will have all that Appointment, Duty, or Morality go along with it, as it promotes, or has a native Tendency to promote the End, it was ordained to answer. Media ordinem, modum, menfuram, amabilitatem fumunt, a Fine. The Religion of the End being neceffary to be performed, gives us, at once, the whole Reafon and Religion of the other, why it is commanded: For whatever Authority commands the End, must be fuppofed to oblige to all the proper Means in the Power of the Performer. As fure, therefore, as God has laid us under Obligations

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to Himself, our Neighbour, and Ourselves, and CHAP as often moreover as thofe Engagements are I. tranfgreffed, he obliges all Mankind to that REPENTANCE and PRAYER, which are the best natural Means of undoing what has been done amifs, and doing better for the future, in each of thofe Particulars And becaufe fuch Repentance and Prayer towards God are neceffary; whatever explicit Faith or Knowledge moft actuates, and best enlivens both of them, when the World is grown cold and dead to the Performance of either of them, becomes ufeful in the Reason of the Thing, as well as neceffary by the Command of God. Therefore FAITH in our Lord Jefus Chrift, who has obtained Remiffion of Sins, and Accefs to the Father, is neceffary, where-ever made known, tam neceffitate medii, quam præcepti; because it beft operates upon that Repentance and Prayer, which are to reftore us to the Religion of the End, and improve our Obedience to the fame.

THE performing the Religion of the End, through the Means in our Power, is called Rigbteoufness in the Scripture-Style; and to endeavour with all Sincerity, to the utmost of our frail Ability, to obferve it through the Means afforded in the Gospel, is to bunger and thirst after Rigbteousness, to be bluffed in fo doing, and to be filled and fatisfied, that thofe Means are All-fufficient for that End. Thus Chriftianity, the Remedy, is co-eval with the Disease: And thus true Religion, or the Recovery of Man to his Duty, by the Means of a competent Mediator between God and Man, has been, and will be the fame in Subftance, from the first to the laft Sinner of our Race. This gives a right Notion of the Neceffity of, embracing that Faith, where it is pro

mulged,

I.

CHAP. mulged, not for itself, but fubordinately to fomething elfe. And as in all other Laws, fo in the Divine, the Reason and Ground of them is the only fure Way of ever knowing the true Conftruction, or the right Measure of their Obligation, or their real Design upon us. And this Way of referring to the End, affords the true Moment and Importance of all Opinions touching that one Faith. And as the End of Words is to fignify Things, Words themselves (being for the most Part fubject to Ambiguity in all Languages, the Reafon why moft Controverfies are generally little elfe but about Words) are to be measured from Things, and the best Reason of Things, not Things from Words altogether. The next Enquiry is,

How, after the Appearance of Chriftianity in the World, that Grand Revolution of the Redress of human Grievances, promifed foon after the firft Entrance of Sin, for redeeming us from the Slavery and Dominion of arbitrary Mafters, to the Liberty of a better Government, Faith in Chrift, or the Chriftian Religion, actuates the natural Religion of the Means for accomplishing the Religion of the End. First, it approves of allthat is Good in the old perpetual Religion, both of the End, and the Means. Secondly, it mends and improves by its Corrections and Inftructions whatever was corrupted in either, and mightily recommends and enforces both of them.

I. IT approves of all that is Good. And what better Proof of the Gofpel coming from God, than its fhewing itself in its most apparent, moft declared Defign, to have the fame End, as right Reason, which certainly comes from him, has, viz. for regulating our whole Conduct aright in those three forefaid Relations? Now

I.

Now that moral Part of the Gospel stood in CHAP. need of no Proof from Miracles, by Reafon it carried its own Evidence and Recommendation along with it. The Ufe which our Lord and his Difciples made of them, was to attract Attention, and fix the Confideration of the reasoning Faculties of the Jews; whether thofe he wrought himfelf in the Name of him that fent him; and those wrought by the Disciples in the Name of their Lord and Mafter that fent them, did not abundantly and unexceptionably prove to them, that he was actually the expected Meffiab*, the HE That was the very Thing, and the only Thing to be proved to them, by Miracles, in concurrence with other Characteristicks of Prophecy, with Refpect to them, and to the Gentiles.

that was to come.

THE numerous inconteftable Miracles did clearly ascertain the World, that it affuredly was the Will of Heaven, for all Men, and, in Time, all Nations, to embrace that most advantageous Medium for performing their Duty, prefented to them in the Knowledge of the appointed Mediator between God and Man. And that there could be no manner, not the leaft Umbrage of Impofture in the Cafe; feeing and hearing the old Doctrine set forth to be purfued for the End, was the best and pureft that ever was heard, their own Confcience bearing Witnefs; and the new Doctrine of the Means (to which the greatest and best Miracles before Witness) declared their Aim and Design to be the furthering and promoting natural Religion, or the Religion of the End, at the fame Time it propofed, and expounded the compleatest of all Means, the one only true Way,

John vii. 31. x. 38.

for

CHAP. for carrying on, and perfecting the Whole Duty I. of Man, and gaining Acceptance with God moreover, though imperfectly performed, at the best.

IT is therefore a palpable Mistake, and Mifnomer in such Writers as our Author, to affirm and accufe, that we Chriftians argue in a Circle, making the Goodness of the Doctrine, a Proof of the Truth of the Miracle; and the Miracle a Proof of the Doctrine. The Miracle is, indeed, according to its Defign, a Proof of the Doctrine; but not the fame Doctrine, but of a new one. viz. That of the most efficacious Means from Heaven, by a Perfon fent, his own Son fent by his and our Father there, for carrying on the primary, neglected, diflocated Doctrine, the Religion of the End. This laft was evermore abfolutely neceffary for every Worker of truly commiffioned Miracles, to profefs never to fwerve from, but to be his Aim to promote always, as a collateral inconteftable Proof of the Reality of his Miffion; and of the miffive Friendship of God, as well as of the Superiority of the Power that effected it, above all other inferior, permitted Powers, skilful, as many of them are, in very ftrange Things. And that He, advancing one and the fame Defign, though by, a new and better Mean, muft certainly be authorized by that fupreme God, who, by the Confeffion of all Men, is the God of the Religon of Nature.

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St. JOHN, at the End of his Gofpel, fets forth the true Ufe and End of Evangelical Miracles. Thefe Things were done, that we might believe be was the Son of God; agreeably to his own pro fefs'd Defign of his own Miracles, the Works that I do, bear Witness of me that the Father bath fent me; the Works that I do in my Father's Name, • John wo 36..

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