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for many ages, and probably will maintain it to the end and confummation of all things.

These additional fupports make the fecond great branch of Chriftian doctrine: they are revived upon the authority of revelation, and ftand upon the evidence of external proofs. That we ought to turn from idols, and ferve the living God; that we ought to ferve him in holiness and purity, in conforming ourselves to the example of his juftice, equity, and goodness, are truths which every man may feel to be fuch, who has any reafon or natural feeling about him: but that we have been delivered from the wrath to come by Jefus the Son of God; that God raised him from the dead, and hath appointed him to be judge both of the dead and of the living, are articles which no man's reafon can fuggeft; which, when fuggefted, reafon cannot receive upon any internal evidence, but muft take them upon an authority fufficiently confirmed and eftablished upon external evidence.

This diftinction, conftantly attended to, will go a great way in fhewing us the true temper and genius of the Chriftian religion, and the end propofed by its divine author. Confider the Gospel in its precepts and morality; and is there any doctrine advanced, any duty required, but what reafon must admit and approve, or which it can reject without doing violence to itself? Is there, in this refpect, any objection against the Chriftian religion, but what is and must be equally an objection against all natural religion? Confider the Gospel with respect to its new doctrines, its articles of belief: you will find them all defigned to fupport and encourage

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true religion, and to preferve the world from falling again into that confufion of idolatry and fuperftition, which for many ages held it in darknefs. This might be fhewn in the feveral particulars of the Gofpel difpenfation: but I fhall confine myself to thofe specified in the text.

St. Paul teaches us to wait for the Son of God from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jefus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.

To wait for the Son of God from heaven, fignifies. to continue with patience and well-doing, in expectation of the coming of our Saviour and Judge; which fenfe is completely expreffed, Philip. iii. Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk fo, as you have us for an enfample-for our converfation is in heaven; from whence alfo we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jefus Chrift, who fhall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to fubdue all things unto himself.

The expectation of Chrift coming to judge the world is peculiar to Chriftians; and it is fupported by the belief of the refurrection of Chrift, that great and main point of faith, which the Apoftles were commiffioned to teach and establish in the church of God: for which reafon, when an Apoftle was to be chofen in the room of Judas, the qualification required in the perfon to fucceed was, that he fhould be one capable of bearing teftimony of the refurrection of Chrift. Take the account in St. Pe ter's own words: Of thefe men which have companied with us all the time that the Lord Jefus went in and out amongst us, beginning from the baptifm of John,

unto that fame day that he was taken up from us, muft one be ordained to be a witness with us of his refurrection, Acts i. 21, 22. And, in the next chapter, St. Peter, vindicating to the Jews the miraculous gift of tongues bestowed on the day of Pentecoft, renders this account of the work and miniftry of the apofleship: Ye men of Ifrael, hear these words; Jefus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and figns, which God did, by him, in the midst of you-Him, being delivered by the determinate counfel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and flain, ver 22, 23. This Jefus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses, ver. 32. To the fame purpose again, in the third chapter, Ye denied the Holy One and the Juft, and defired a murderer to be granted unto you; and killed the Prince of life, whom God hath raifed from the dead; whereof we are witnesses, ver. 14, 15. In the fourth chapter an account is given us of the courage and boldness of the Apoftles in preaching Chrift to the rulers, and of the fuccefs of their miniftry among the people: the fum of it we have in thefe words: With great power gave the Apoftles witness of the refurrection of the Lord Jefus; and great grace was upon them all, ver. 33. In the fifth chapter the Apoftles are called again before the council: the high prieft charges them with difobeying the injunctions given them not to preach in Chrift's name: St. Peter and the reft answer him and the council, by opening to them the commiffion and authority by which they acted, and the doctrine which they taught: We ought, fay they, to obey God rather than men. The God of our fathers raised

up Jefus, whom ye flew and hanged on a tree: him. hath God exalted with his right hand, to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Ifrael, and forgiveness of fins. And we are his witnesses of these. things; and fo is alfo the Holy Ghoft, whom God hath given to them that obey him, ver. 29, 30, 31, 32. From these paffages of Scripture, taken together, it plainly appears how much the Chriftian religion, confidered as a distinct system from natural religion, depends upon the belief of the refurrection of Chrift. The Apostles were ordained to be witneffes of this article this article is the foundation upon which they build all the hopes and expectations peculiar to Chriftians if they preach repentance to Ifrael and forgiveness of fins, it is in his name, whom God raised from the dead: if they turn to the Gentiles with offers of peace and reconciliation, it is ftill in his name, whom God raised from the dead, and ordained to be the Judge of quick and dead.

When St. Paul preached at Athens, they thought him an introducer of fome new deities, he talked fo much of Jefus and the refurrection, Acts xvii. 18. Which doctrine of a refurrection he afterwards fully expounded to them, together with the confequents belonging to it: Now, fays the Apostle, God commandeth all men every where to repent, because he hath appointed a day in the which he will judge the world in righteousness, by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given afsurance unto all men, in that he hath raifed him from the dead, ver. 30, 31. This pasfage of St. Paul gives a very plain account of the concern to propagate and establish the article of Chrift's refurrection. The refurrection of Chrift was defigned

to be an evidence and affurance to the world of God's intention to judge the world in righteousness. This new article was introduced to be a new evidence of a future ftate of rewards and punishments, and to fupport the finner's hopes of pardon and reconciliation through the promises of Chrift, whom God had appointed to be his judge.

You fee then the ufe of this great article of Chriftian faith. Let us confider now whether we are beholden to the Gospel, and how much, for this new evidence of a life to come; and what there is in this article, and the doctrines grounded upon it, that any fober Deist, or profeffor of natural religion, can justly blame.

Natural religion pretends to fupport itself upon the expectation of future rewards and punishments: it confiders God as governor and judge of the world. Christian religion ftands upon the fame foundation, and admits for genuine all thefe hopes and fears of nature. Thus far there is no difference. The queftion is, which brings the best proof, and moft fitted to perfuade the world of this great truth? Natural religion appeals to confcience, and that fenfe which all men have of their being accountable for their actions. The Christian religion embraces all this evidence, and whatever elfe can be fuggefted by reason to render the hopes of futurity probable, or certain to these evidences it adds the exprefs teftimony and affurance of God given to mankind in the refurrection of his beloved Son Chrift Jefus.

But what need, you will fay, of this new evi. dence? Were not the arguments, which natural re

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