Genuine Christianity. Yu £8 ND: Ne A. 3-4. hk 8 E have been long disputing about onHAISG6E TIANS, about CHRISTIANITY, and the EVIDENCE whereby it is supported. But what do these terms mean? Whois a christian indeed ? What is real, genuine christianity? And what is the surest and most, acce slible evidence (if I may so speak) whereby I may Low, that it is of God? May the God of the christians enable me to speak on these heads, in a manner suitable to the importance of them. Sect. I. 1. I would confider, first, who is a christian arty ? What does that term properly imply? It has been io long avuled, I sear, not only to mean nothing at all, but, what was far worle than nothing, to be a cloak for the vilest hypocrisy, for the grolsest abominations and immoralities of every kind, that it is high time to rescue it out of the hands of wretches that are a een to human nature: to shew determinately, what manner of man he is, to whom this name af: right belongs, 2. A christian cannot think of the author of his being, without abasing himlelf before him: without a deep sense of the distance between a worm of earth and him that sitteth on the circle of the heavens. In his presence he inks into the dust, knowing himself to be less than nothing in his eye: and being conscious. in a manner words cannot express, of his own littlenels, 1 ignorance, foolishness. So that he can only cry out, from the fulness of his heart, "O God! what man! What am I!" Ile has a continual sense of his dependence on the parent of good, for his being, and all; the blessings that attend it. To him he refers every natural, and every moral endowmeitt, with all that is commonly Ha WP

commonly ascribed either to fortune, orto the wisdom, courage, or merit of the possossor. And hence he acq ncices in e ee e e his will, not only with patience, but with thankfulness. He willi ingly religns all he 1s, all he has, to his wise and gracious disposal. The ruling temper of his heart, is. the most ablolute submission, and the tenderest rel 'tude to his sovereign benefaftor. And this grateful love creates filial fear; an awful reverence toward him; and an earnest care no to give place to any disposition, not to admit an action. Ha or thoug zit, Which might in any degree displeas (ec that indulgen power, to whom he owes his life, breath, am all things, 4. And as he has the strongest affe tion for the fountain of all good, fohe has the firmest confidence in him: a confidence which her pleature n Or pain, neither life nor death can But yet this, far from creating lloth or indolcnce, She: him on to the most vigorous industry. It OE s him to put forth all his strength, in obevins him in whom ng consides. So that he i is never faint in his mind. ver weary of doing whatever he believes to be bis will. And as he knows, the most acceptable worship of God, is to imitate him he worships, so he is continually labouring to transcribe into himself, all his imitable perfections: in particular, his jullice, mercy, and truth, so eminently displayed in all his Creatures, 5. Above all, remembering that God is love, he is conformed to the same likeness. He is full of love, to his neighbour: of universal love; not confined to one sect or party; not restrained to those who agree with him in opinions, or in outward modes of worship; or to those who are allied to him by blood, or recommended by nearness of place. Neither 0e love those only that love him, or that are indeared to him by intimacy of acquaintance. But his love re sembles that of him whose mercy is over all his works. It soars above all these scanty bounds ; embracing neighbours and strangers, friends and enemies: yea, not only the good and gentle, but also the froward; the evil and unthankful. For he loves A 2 J every

every soul that Cod has made; every child of man, of whatever place or nation, And yet this universal benevolence docs in no wile intersere with a peculiar regard forhisrelations, friends and benctaGtors: a f:rvent love for his country: and the molt indeared affection to all men of integrity, of clear and generous virtue, 6. His love, as to these, fo to all mankind, is itfelf generous and disinterested; springing from no view of advantage to himself, from no regard to profit or praise; no, nor even the pleasure of loving. This is the daughter, not the parent of his affection. By experience he knows, that social love (11 1t means the love of our neighbour) is absolutely, essentially diferent from self love, even of the most allowable kind. And yet it is sure, that, if they are under due regulations, each will give additional force to the other, till they mix together, never to be divided. 7. And this universal, disinterested love, is praductive of all right affections. It is fruitsul of gentleness, tenderness, sweetness; of humanity, courtesy, and affability. It makes a christian reJoice in the virtues of all, and bear a part in their happiness; at the same time that he sympathizes with their pains, and compassionates their infirmities. It creates modesty, condescension, prudence, together with calmness and evenness of temper. It is the parent of generosity, opennels, and frankness, void of jealousy and suspicion, It begets candour, and willingness to believe and hope whatever is kind and friendly of every man; and invincible patience, never overcome of evil, but overcoming evil with good, 8. The same love constrains him to converse, not only with a stri regard to truth, but with arilels sincerity and genuine simplicity, as one in whom there is no guile. And not content with abstaining from all such expressions as are contrary to justice or truth, he endeavours to resrain from every unloving word, cither to a present or of an absent person : inall his conversation aiming at this, either to improve himself in knowledge or virtue, or make ® - 5 "AST 4 1 yy" _ Fe? CEE 3.8. ds. 1 "IT 2 N Sa : ww - 15 1 1 H N

make those with whom he converses some way wiler, or better, or happier than they were before. 9. The same love is productive of all right actions. It leads him into an carnest and steady dilcharge of all social offices, of whatever is due to relations of every kind; to his friends, to his country, and to any particular community w hereof he 1s a member, It prevents his willingly hurting or grieving any man, It guides him into an uniform practice of justice and mercy, equally extensive with the prin- 3 whence it flows. It constrains him to do all poilible good, of every poslible kind, to all men: and makes him invariably relolv ed. in every CIrcumstance of lite, to dot! at, and that only, to others, which supposing he were! himself in the same situation, he would desire hey should do to him, 10. And as he is casy to others, fo he is easy in nimself. He is free from the painful swellings of Pride, from the flames of anger, trom the impetuous gusts of irregular self-u ill, Ile is no longer tortured with envy or malice, or with unreasonable or hurtful desires. He is no more enslaved to the pleasures of sense, but has the full power both over his mind and body, in a continued chearful course ot lobriety, of temperance ang chastity, He knows how to ule all things in their place, and yet is superior to them all. He A above 'thole low plealures of imagination, which captivate vulgar minds, whether arising from what mortals term greatness or novelty, or beauty. All these too he can taste, and till look upward; still aspire to nobler enjoyments. Neither is he a slave to fame: popular breath affects not him; he tands steady, and collected in himself. 11. And he who seeks no praise, cannot fear dispraise. Censure gives him no uncasiness; being conscious to himself, that he would not willingly oflend, and that he has the approbation of the Lord of all. He cannot sear want: knowing in whose hand is the earth and the fulness thereof, and that it is impossible for him to with-hold, from one that fears him, any manner of thing that is good, A 3 He He cannot fear pain, knowing it will never he sent,

unless it be for his real advantage ; and that then hls strength will be proportioned to it, as it has always been in times past, He cannot fear death being able 2 to trust him he loves, with his soul as well as his 3819 body; yea, glad to leave the corruptible body in the dust, 'till it is raised incorruptible and immortal, 50 that i in honour or shame, in abundance or want, in case or pain, in life or 4 'ath, always, and in all things he has learned to be content, to be caly, I thank ful, Joy 'tul, happy. 12, Heis happy in knowing there is a God, an intelligent cause and Lord of all, and that he is not the produce either of blind chance or incxorabie neceihty, He is happy in the full ailurance he has, that this creator and end of all things, is a being boundless wisdom, of insinite power to execute all the defigns of his wisdom, and of no lels infinite goodness to direct all his power to the advantage of all his creatures, Nay, even the consideration of his immutable justice, rendering to all their due, of 1 his unspotted ness: of his ll ushciency in him- selt, and of that immense ocean of all perfet: ons, which center in God from eternity to cternity, is a continual addition to the happinek of a christian, 13. A farther addition is made thereto, while. in contemplating even the things that surround him, that thought strikes warmly upon his heart: « The fe are thy glorious works, parent of good," While takes knowledge ol tlie inv ible things of God, even his eternal power and wisdom, in the things that are scen, the heavens, the carth;the fowls of the air, the lillies of the sield. How much more, while, rejoicing in the constant care which he stik takes of the work of his own hand, he breaks out, in a Hobart of love and praise, "O Lord, our governor! how excellent is thy name 1n all the earth! T hou that hast set thy g flory above the heavens!" while he, as it were ces the Lord sitting g Upon his throne; and ruling all things well : while he observes "Bhs general prov! idence of God lo extended

with his whole creation, and surveys all the effeëts r 4 y "Y K 1 F K "4 L 3 A 4 4 No - o 8 . 0 a "4 ha 4 P's 4, I © ok 4M " 2 7 N == 88 tt DEE of it in the heavens and earth, as a well pleased spectator; while he sees the wisdom and goodness of Is general government descending to every particular; o presiding over the whole universe, as over a lingle person ; lo watching over very single person, as if he were the whole universe. How does he exult, when he reviews the various traces of the uy ghty goodness, in what has befallen himself, in the Gel ral circumstances and changes of his own life ! All which, he now sees, have been allotted to him and dealt out, in number, weight, and measure, With what triumph of foul; in farv cying either the general or particular prov idence of Go d. does hie observe every line pointing out an hereafter, every scene opening into eternity! 14. He is peculiarly and ine xpressibly happy, in the clearest and fullest conviction, his all power ful, all wise, all gracious being, t this govenor of al, loves ur. This lover of my foul is always with me, is never absent, no not for a moment. And I love him; there is none in heaven but thee, none on carth that I desire beside thee: and he has given me to resemble himself. He has stamped his image on my heart. And I live unto him; I do only his will; Iglorisy him with my body and my pirit. And it will not be long before I shall die unto him; I shall die into the arms of God. And then farewel fin and pain ; then 1t only remains, that I should hve with him for ever."

15. This is the plain, naked 5 ortraiture of a christian; be not prejudiced avainst him for his name. Forgive his particularities of 05 inion and (what you th ink) superstitious modes of worfhip. These are circumstances but of small concern; and do not enter into the essence of his character, Cover them with a vcil of love. and look at the lubstan ace; his tempers, his holiness, his happinels, Gon calm reason conceive cither a more amiable or a more desirable character? Is it your own? Away with names ! Away with opinions! I care not what vou are called, I ask not (it does not deserve a thought) what opinion ou - o 2 a you are of; so you are conscious to yourself, that ou are the man, whom I have been (however faintly) describing, Do not you know, you ought to be such? Is the governor of the world well pleased that you are not ? Do you at least) desire it? I would to God that desire may penetrate your inmost soul; and that you may have no rest in your spirit, till you are not only almost but altogether a christian ! " Sect. II. 1. The second point to be considered is, what is real genuine christianity ? Whether we speak of it as a principle in the foul, or as a scheme or iystem of doctrine, Christianity, taken in the latter sense, 1s, that system of dottrine, which describes the charatter above recited ; which promises, it shall be mine , (provided I will not rest 'till I attain) and which tells me, how I may attain it. 2, First, it describes this character in all its parts, and that in the most lively and affecting manner. The main lines of this picture are beautifully drawn in many passages of the Old Testament. These are filled up in the new, retouched and finished with all the art of God, The same we have in miniature more than once, Particularly in the thirteenth chapter of the former epistle to the Corinthians, and in that discourse which St. Matthew records as delivered by our Lord, at his entrance upon his public ministry,

g. Secondly, Christianity promises this character shall be mine, if I will not ret till I attain it. This . 15 promised both in the Old Testament and the new. A Indeed the news is, in effect, all a promise : seein every description of the servants of God e therein, has the nature of a command: in conse 0 quence of those general injunttions, "Be ye fol- lowers of me, as I am of Christ: + Be ye fol- « lowers of them, who through faith and patience inherit the promises," And every command has the force of a promile ; in virtue of those general i promises; Cor, xi Heb. vi. 12. promises; ® A new heart will I give you, and I "will put my spirit within you : and cause you te "walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judg- ments and do them, Þ+ This is the covenant that « I will make aster those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their minds and write them in their hearts," Accordingly, when it is said, T Thou shalt love the Lord thy God, with all "thy heart, and with all thy foul, and with all " thy mind;" it is not only a direction, what I shall do; but a promise of what God will do in me; exactly equivalent with what is written elsewhere, © The Lord thy God will circumcise thy heart, and the hcart of thy secd" (alluding to the custom then in use) © to love the Lord thy God, with all " thine heart, and with all thy foul." 4. This being observed, it will readily appear to every serious person, who reads the New Testament with that care, which the importance of the subject demands, that every particular branch of the preceding character is manifestly promised therein: either explicitly, under the very form of a promise, or virtually, under that of a description or command. 5, Christianity tells me, in the third place, how I may attain the promise, namely, by faith,

But what is faith ? Not an opinion, no more than it is a form of words: not any number of opinions put together, be they ever so true, A string of Opinions is no more christian faith, than a string of beads is christian holiness, It is not an assent to any opinion, or any number of opinions. A man may assent to three, or three and twenty creeds: he may assent to all the Old and New Testament (at lcast as far as he understands them) and yet have no christian faith at all. 6. The faith by which the promise is attained, is represented by christianity, as a power wrought by the Almighty in an immortal spirit, inhabiting an houle of clay, to see thro' that veil into the world of spirits, into things invisible and eternal: a power to Ezek. xxxvi. 26, 27. + Heb. viii. 10, 1 Matt, XXli. 37» Deut. xxx. 6. to discern those things which the eyes of flesh and blood of no man have seen or can see: either by reason of their nature, which (tho' they surround us on every hde) is not perceivable, by these grols senses : or by reason of their distance, as being yet atar oft, in the bosom of eternity, 7. This is christian faith in the general notion of it. In its more particular notion it is, A divine evidence or conviction wrought in my heart, that God is reconciled to me through his Son: inleparably joined with a confidence in him, as a gracious, reconciled Father, as for all things so especially for !1 those good things which are invisible and eternal, To believe (in the christian sense) is then, to walk in the light of eternity: and to have a clear sight of, and confidence in the molt High, reconciled to me, through the Son of his love.

8. Now, how highly desirable is such a faith, were it only on its own account? For how little does the wisest of men know, of any thing more than he can see with his eyes? What clouds and darkness cover the whole sense of things invisible and eternal ? What does he know even of himself as to his invisible part? What of his future manner of existence ? How melancholy an account does the prying learned 8 (perhaps the wisest and best of all eathens) the great, the venerable Marcus Antoni nus give of these things? What was the result of all his serious researches? Of his high and deep contemplation ? Either dissipation (of the soul as well as the body, into the common, unthinking mass) or re-aborpation into the universal fire, the unintelligent source of all things: or, some unknown manner of conscious existence, after the body sinks to rise no more. One of these three he supposed must succeed death; but which he had no light to determine. Poor Antoninus! with all his wealth, his honour, his power, with all his wisdom and philosophy ! « What points of knowledge did he gain? That Gfe is sacred all and vain ? Sacred Sacred how high ? and vain how low ? He could not tell but died to know," 9. He died to know! and so must you; unless you are now a partaker of christian faith. O confider this. Nay, and consider, not only how litttle you know of the immeniity of the things that are beyand sense and time, but how uncertainly do you know even that little? How faintly gllmmering a light is tat you have? Can you propes'y be laid to know any of these things? Is that knowledge any more than bare conjecture? And the reason is plain. You have no senses suited to invisible or eternal objects. What desiderata then, especially to the rational, the reflecting part of mankind are thele ? Amore extensive knowledge of things invisible and eternal, A greater certainty in whatever knowledge of them 5 we have: and, in order to both, faculties capable of discerning things invifible. 10. Is it not so? Let 1mpartial reason speak, Does not every thinking man want a window, not wy fo much in his neighbour's, as in his own breast ? He

wants an opening there, of whatever Kind, that 1 might let in light from eternity. Ile is pained to be thus feeling aster God, lo darkly, fo uncertainly : to know lo little of God, and indeed lo little of any beside material objects, He is concerned, that he must ec even that little not directly, but in the dim, sullied glass of sense: and consequently fo imperfectly and obscurely, that it is all a mere ænigma still. 11. Now these very desiderate faith supplies. It gives amore extensive knowledgeot things invisible, shewing what eye had not seen, nor ear heard, net- f ther could it be fore enter into our heart to conceive, And all these it shews in the clearest light, with the fullest certainty and cvidence, For it does not leave us to receive our notions of them, oy mere, reflection from the dull glass of fenle : but refolves a thousand ænigmas of the highest concern, by giving faculties suited to things invisible. Oh! who would not with 'F for such a Faith, were it only on these 3 1 how much more, if by this I may receive the promise, I may attain all holiness and happiness ? 12, 80 Nr tells me: and fo I find it, may every real cliristian say: I now am aflured, that these things are so: I experiencethemin ow breast, What christianity (considered as a doctrine promised, is accomplished in my soul, And chrittianity, considered as an inward principle is the completion of all those promises. It is holiness and happiness, the image of God impressed on a created spirit: a fountain of peace and love springing up into everlasting life, Se. III. 1. And this I conceive to be the strongest evidence of the truth of christianity. I do not undervalue traditional evidence. Let it have its place and its due honour, It is highly serviceable in its kind, andits degree, And yet I cannot set it on a level with this.

It is generally supposed, that traditional evidence is weakened by length of time; as it must necessarily pass thro' so many hands, in a continual succession of ages. But no length ol time can possibly effect the strength of this internal evidence. It is equally strong, i jaw new, thro' the course of seventeen hundred years. It passes now, even as it has done from the beginning, direttly from God into the believing soul. Do you suppose time will every dry up this stream ? O no, It shall never be cut off, Labitur labetur in omne volubilis avium, 2. Traditional evidence is of an extremely compli- cated nature, necessarily including so many, and fo various considerations, that only men of strong and clear understanding can be sensible of its full force. On the contrary, how plain and simple is this? And how level to the lowest capacity ? Is not this the sum? © One thing I know : I was blind: but I now see." An argument so plain, that a pealant, a woman, a child may feel its force. 3. The traditional evidence of christianity stands. as it were a great way off; and therefore altho' it Ipeaks loud and clear, yet makes a leis lively impres- lion, 2 TT» Wa 9 Fe oy 7 fion, It gives us an account of what was transafted long ago, in far distant times as well as places, It is nigh thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, if thou believed! in the Lord Jesus Christ. This then is the record, this is, the evidence, emphatically so called, That God hath given unto us eternal life: And this life is in his Son. 4. If then it were poslible (which I conceive it is not) to shake the traditional evidence of christianity, still he that has the internal evidence (and every true believer hath the witness or evidence in himself) would stand firm and unshaken, Still he could say to those who were striking at the external evidence, Beat on the sack of Anaxagoras." But you can no more hurt my evidence of christianity, than the tyrant could hurt the spirit of that wise man,

5. I have sometimes been almost inchned to believe, that the wisdom of God has in molt latter ages, permitted the external evidence of christianity to be more or less clogged and encumbered, for this very end, that men (of reflection especially) might not altogether rest there, but be constrained to look into themselves also, and attend to the light shining into their hearts Nay, it feems (if it be allowed for us to pry so far into the reasons of the divine dispensations) that particularly in this age, God suffers all Kinds of objections to be raised against the traditional evidence of christianity, that men of understanding, tho' unwilling togive it up, yet, at the fame time they defend this evidence, may not rest the whole strength of their cause thereon, but have a deeper and firmer support for it. 6. Without this, I cannot but doubt, whether they can long maintain their cause: whether, if they do not obey the loud call of God, and lay more stress, than they have hitherto done, on this internal evidence of christianity, they willnot, one after another, give up the external, and (in heart at least) go over to those whom they are now contend- ing with: so that in a century or two, the poop un 1 2 eee ee CCS J 4 " d4 "© . F a 9 2 IS N SITES, if ! Fa" 4 5 = Ly 9 . A Cr! 1 4 7 CT PY TY AJEASSS a6. 4 4.3 SARESL 2 TE 7. ES os Ts. 7 . 0 4 . j -S K. = i 8 13 a 1 0 7 0 bh 7 19 1 A 8 : 4 F 2 8 . p K 2-24 by 4 2 99 2 3 e. 9 4 ET - © Tx J " I 42 T- FE OF 7". hd r 7 7 Ls 9 SB FURY 1 J F P ff = " . A arne n N R 24 5 4.) TI YEY us 22 o ". i l . 6 us : i "7 x 4 .

of England will be fairly divided into real deists, and real christians. And I apprehend this would be no loss at all, but rather an advantage to the christian cause : nay, per- haps it would be the speediest, yea the only effectual way, of bringing all reasonable deists to be christians, 7. May I be permitted to speak freely? May TI, without offence, ask, of you that are called christians, what real loss would you sustain, in giving up your present opinion, that the christian system 1s of God? Tho' you bear the name, you are not chriltitans now: you have neither christian faith nor love, You have no divine evidence of things un- cen : you have not entered into the holiest by the blood of Jesus. You do not love God with all your heart: neither do you love your neighbour as yous- felf. You are neither happy nor holy. You have not learned in every state therewith to be content:: to rejoice evermore, even in want, pain, death; and in cvery thing to give thanks, You are not holy in heart; superior to pride, to anger, to foolish desires. Neither are you holy in life: you do not walk as Christ also walked. Does not the main of your christianity he in your opinion? Decked with a few outward oblervances ? For as to morality, even Honest heathen morality, (O let me utter a melancholy truth) many of thole whom you stile deists, there 1s reason to fear, have far more of it than you, 8. Go on, gentlemen, and prosper. Shame these nominal christians out of that poor superstition which they call Christianity, Reason, rally, laugh them out of their dead, empty forms, void of spirit, of faith. In love convince them, that such unmeaning pageantry (for such it manifestly is, if there is nothing in the heart correspondent with the out- ward shew) is absolutely unworthy, you need not fay of God, but even of any man that is endued with common understanding. Shew them, that while they are endeavouring to please God thus, they are only beating the air, Know your time! press on; push your victories, till you have con- quered - _ n N oy N 1 857 ae bo id rr We ls" e

= Y , . 8 7 F 5 a oF 7 a FN LL = as "1 ud 1 PETS RL; a N quered all that know not God. And then he whom neither they nor you know now, shall arise and gird himself with strength, and go forth in his Almighty love, and sweetly conquer you all together, 9. O that the time were come! How do J long for you to be partakers of the exceeding great and precious promises! How am I pained when I hear any of you using thole filly terms, which the men of form have taught you, calling the mentioning of the holy thing you want, cant! the deepest wisdom, the thighest happiness, zxTHUSIASM! What igro- - Yance is this? How extremely despicable would it make you in the eyes of any but a christian ? But he cannot despise you, who loves you as his own soul, who is ready to lay down his life for your lake, 10, Perhaps you will say, © But this internal evidence of christianity affects only those in whom the romise is fulfilled. It is no evidence to me." here is truth in this: objection. It does affect them chiefly: but it does not affect them only. It cannot, in the nature of things, be so strong an evidence to others, as it is to them. And yet it ma bring a degree of evidence, it may reflect some light on you allo, For, first, you see the beauty and lovliness of christianity, when it is rightly understood, And you are sure there is nothing to be desired in com- arison of it. Secondly, you know the scripture promises this, and says, it is attained by faith, and by no other way. Thirdly, you see clearly how desirable christian faith is, even on account of its own intrinsic value, Fourthly, you are a witness that the holiness and happiness above described can be attained no other way. The more you have laboured after virtue and happiness, the more convinced you are of this, Thus far then you need not lean upon other men: thus far you have personal experience. Fifthly, what reasonable assurance can you have of things, whereof you have not personal expe- rience ?

FS. a L 16 J Tience? Suppose the question were, can the blind be restored to fight? This you have not yourself experienced? How then will you know that such a thing ever was? Can there be an easter or surer way than to walk with one or some number of men who were blind, but are now restored to fight ! they cannot be deceived as to the fatt in question ; the nature of the thing leaves no room for this, And if they are honest men (which you may learn from other circumstances) they will not deceive Ou, 7 Now transfer this to the case before us ; and those who were blind, but now see, those who were sick many years, but now are healed, those who were miserable, but now are happy, will afford you also a very strong evidence of the truth of christianity; as strong as can be in the nature of things, till you experience it in your own soul: and this, tho" it be allowed they are but plain men, and, in general, of weak understanding ; nay, though some of them should be mistaken in other points, and hold opinions which cannot be defended