who easily could, and with transport would have detected and expofed their falfehood, and at once have precluded the facred records from that glorious triumph, which they afterwards obtained, from the numberlefs perfons of all ages and countries, who, with an unexampled conftancy, bore atteftation to the truth and value of them with their lives. In fhort, fo ftrong and fecure is the evidence, on which the authority of the holy fcriptures is founded, that amidst the daring attacks with which the christian religion hath been affaulted in every form which malice and ingenuity could fuggeft, few have been the attempts made to overthrow that evidence, though the fuccefs of fuch an effort must have enfured the fall of the whole fystem, and without which all other attacks could make but little impreffion.

1

THE

THE bible being thus firmly established as the revelation of God, it follows that it is incumbent upon all, without exception, to whom it is made known, first, to examine with care, and then to believe with reverence, and to practise with fincerity whatever it requires. Limited as our faculties. are, we cannot wonder that in a revelation given by infinite wisdom there should be fome things which exceed our reason, which, however, fince they do not, when rightly confidered, contradict it, we are bound upon fuch a teftimony to receive as implicitly, and believe as firmly, as we do those truths which our reafon is competent to understand.

AND fince the Almighty created us at firft, and fupports us continually, and thus has an absolute right to our obedience, he might with perfect juftice have prescribed to us any commands within our power to perform

N 4

perform, And we could not have reafon to complain of any want of goodness, what ever had been the conditions of obtaining his favor, fince he has proposed to us no lefs a recompence than eternal happiness, and promised us fuch affiftance as will enable us to attain it. Infinite wifdom and goodness certainly would not have established the chriftian difpenfation, if it had not been proper and neceffary for mankind. But fince God has thought fit to establish it, he undoubtedly requires our compliance with it; and according to his conftant denunciations, will refent and punish, as a most affronting indignity, our neglect of it,

ABSOLUTE univerfal obedience to God in all respects, i. e. a total furrender to our Creator of our understandings, our hearts, and our lives, is what both fcripture and reafon dictate-doctrines the moft unçonnected with the present state of things, and apparently

apparently of little importance, if delivered on his authority, ought ever to command our respect, and may have confequences at tending them, of which we are not aware. And we know not what we do, when we presume to reject any thing which he hath taught, or difregard any thing which he hath commanded: only this we know, that in both inftances, he that wilfully infringes a part of the law, is confidered as a tranfgreffor of the whole; and forfeits his. title to all the benefits of the chriftian dif penfation. But are no allowances to be made for human frailty and the practice of the world: and must we entirely refign all power of judging for ourselves?

FOR frailty, moft undoubtedly, much allowance will be made, otherwise what will become of the best of men? But not for wilful tranfgreffion perfifted in without penitence and amendment: nor indeed have

we any reafon to expect allowance for fuch frailties as we do not fincerely endeavor to overcome whenever we are fenfible of them. For it is our duty and our happiness, to make the improvement of our nature in all its parts, the leading object of our lives. All fins which we repent of and forfake, and all failings, which as far as we know them, we pray against and faithfully strive to fubdue, the gofpel affures us, that for the merits of Chrifts death, God will not remember to our condemnation: but if the wilful obftinate perfevering offender, i. e. the rejecter of his Maker's defign to render him happy, could finally efcape; what dif honour would this reflect on the justice and fovereignty of God. Happy would it be for those perfons, who feek to obtain the rewards of duty, in other ways than those which he has pointed out; if they would' confider this, and conform with reverence to the declarations of him, who is truth itself,