the World, it is altogether as rational an Act of Faith to rely upon the Method which he has declared, as it is in Natural Religion to rely upon his Goodness to do the Thing, without being able to affign any Method in which it shall be done: For if it be reasonable in Natural Religion to rely upon God's Goodness for the Pardon of Sin, is it not as reasonable, under the Gospel, to rely upon Pardon through Jefus Christ, God having declared himself reconciled to the World through Jefus Chrift? The Dif ference lies not in the Nature of Faith in one Cafe and in the other, but in the Extent of our Knowledge in one Cafe and in the other. Under Natural Religion we fee only this, that God is merciful; and therefore our Trust and Faith can go no further than this, to rely on his Mercy: Under the Gospel God has declared, that he has given his only Son to die for the Sins of the World; and therefore we believe, that through the Death of Christ we shall receive Pardon and Redemption. In Natural Religion, the general Belief that God will fave us, implies that fome Means fhall be used for our Salvation: Under the Gospel the Means are afcertained; and therefore

the

the Faith of a Chriftian embraces the Means, as well as the End of this Hope.

In Things which are within our Power to do, or to conceive, we can judge of the Fitnefs or Unfitness of the Means made use of to do them; but in Things which exceed our Power and our Conceptions, we have not this Judgment. We judge the Earth to be a proper Place to receive the Seeds of Vegetables: The Seed of Animals have their proper Repofitories alfo. But we judge of the Propriety in these Cases from Experience only: We think them proper, because we fee they are; for we have no Notion of the Propriety of these Means, or any clear Conception of the Operations of Nature in one Cafe or the other: And could thefe Methods be proposed to one quite a Stranger to the Works of Nature; and fhould he be told, that the Way to make ten Bushels out of one, was to throw the one into the Ground, and there let it lie and rot, very probably he would think the Propofal exceedingly abfurd. Now, to give Life to one dead, or to conceive how it is to be given, is the remotest Thing that can be from our Powers and Capacities. Let the proper Means therefore be what they will, they must be VOL. IV. G above

above our Comprehenfion. In this Article, Natural Religion throws itfelf upon the unlimited Power of God; which is owning itself no Judge of the Means for effecting this great Work. The Gospel has opened to us the Purposes of God for effecting this Work: We complain that we do not fee the natural Tendency of these Means to the End propofed; not confidering that the Work itself is myfterious, and therefore the proper Means to effect it must be fo too.

That the Death of Chrift fhould be the Life of the World, is a surprising Propofition: And yet to say this is not a proper Method for redeeming the World, without having a clear View of the whole Difpenfation of Pro→ vidence with respect to Mankind, is utterly abfurd.

The Scriptures of the New Testament have discovered to us, that we are the immediate Workmanship of the Son of God, by whom all Things were made which were made; being created by him, and for him. How far this Relation between Chrift and the Children of Men made it proper for him to offer, and for God to accept the Sacrifice of his Death, as an Expiation for the Sins of the World, we are not directly informed, nor

is it expedient for us to be wife above what is written: But fomething of this Sort feems to be intimated in Scripture. The Fall of Man was the Lofs of fo many Subjects to the Christ, their natural Lord under God, in virtue of his having created them: The redeeming them was the recovering of them again, the reestablishing his Power over his own Works. See how St. Paul defcribes this Work of our Redemption: God hath delivered us from the Powers of Darkness, and tranflated us into the Kingdom of his dear Son, Col. i. 13. In the next Verse he recites the Means made use of for our Deliverance: In whom we have Redemption through his Blood, even the Forgiveness of Sins. For the Confirmation and Establishment of this Doctrine of the Gofpel, he immediately fubjoins the Relation in which Chrift ftands towards us as our Maker, and the new Relation acquired in virtue of his Redemption. In the first View, he ftyles him, The Image of the invifible God, the Firstborn of every Creature; for by him were all Things created and by him all Things confift. In the fecond View, he calls him, The Head of the Body, the Church, who is the Beginning, the First-born from the Dead, that in all Things

he might have the Preeminence. As we owed to him our first Life, fo we owe to him our fecond: The Reason of this Difpenfation of Providence in the Redemption of Mankind is added by the Apoftle: For it pleafed the Father, that in him should all Fulness dwell; and (having made Peace by the Blood of his Cross) by him to reconcile all Things to himSelf. The Scheme of Thought which runs through this Paffage of Scripture seems to be this; That as Chrift was Head of the Creation, and made all Things, fo when God thought fit to reftore the World from Sin, it pleafed him that Christ should be Head alfo of this new Work, the First-born from the Dead himself, and the Giver of Life to every Believer: For this Purpose he made Peace by the Blood of his Cross, and reconciled all Things to God, that in all Things he might have the Preeminence. Thus much we collect from the Apostle's Reasoning; and difcern plainly, that the Preeminence of Chrift, as Head of the Church, is connected and related to his Preeminence as Head of the Creation. Therefore we have Reafon to believe, that the whole Tranfaction of our Redemption through Chrift, his Incarnation, his Life on

Earth,