DISCOURSE V. On the Plea advanced by SEPARATISTS from the CHURCH, that the GOSPEL is not preached in it. A FURTHER plea commonly advanced by Separatists is, that the Gospel is not preached in our Church. Had it been said, that the Gospel of J. Calvin was not preached there, we should readily have pleaded guilty to the charge; but that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is preached there, we certainly maintain, upon the authority of those Scriptures from which it has been received. The leading doctrine of Christ's Gospel, in the judgment of some Christians, is, that it holds out salvation to certain chosen individuals, exclusive of the general bulk of mankind. The doctrine of our Church upon the subject is, that Christ died to purchase salvation for all men; all men, consequently, are interested in that great event, though all men will not be in a condition to be benefited by it. The notion of partial salvation is founded upon certain supposed absolute decrees; of which some preachers talk much, but confessedly know nothing. The doctrine of general salvation, by which we mean salvation attainable by all men upon certain conditions, is founded upon the geneScope and tenor of the holy writings, supported by particular passages direct to this purpose. ral St. John, speaking of Jesus Christ the righteous, stiles him "the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world." 99* It was the observation of St. Peter, upon his eyes being opened to the general design of the Gospel dispensation, "That God is no respecter of persons; but in every nation, he that feareth Him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with Him."+ But the doctrine of J. Calvin makes God the greatest respecter of persons; and that in a matter of the most essential importance. In another part of the sacred writings we are told by God himself, that He has no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, but that he should return from his evil way, and live.‡ But according to J. Calvin, God has determined, by an absolute decree, an event, which at the same time, in conformity with the foregoing declaration, He does not wish should take place. The absurdity of such a supposition, which makes the God of truth contradict himself, need not be pointed out. Once again; our Saviour, to the question put to him, " Lord, are there few that be saved?" returned the following answer: "Strive to enter in at the strait gate; for many will seek to enter in, and shall not be able." On this head common * 1 John ii. 2. Acts x. 34, 35. Ezek. xviii. 32. Luke xiii. 24. sense teaches us to reason thus. Upon the supposition that there was an arbitrary decree of God, ascertaining the number, and determining individually the persons, who shall be saved; this direction of our Saviour was both vain and useless; because no striving of man could, in this case, produce any alteration in his condition. To direct a man to strive, when, in consequence of his fate being determined by an over-ruling power, striving could answer no purpose; would be something like locking a man up in prison, and calling upon him to come forth, while you kept the key of the prison-door in your pocket. But if we read the whole of our Saviour's answer on this occasion, we shall be convinced that the inability of the parties to enter in at the strait grate, did not arise from any decree of God against them, but from defect in themselves. They had refused to enter in till the gate was or sought to enter in, without having gained the victory over their spiritual enemies. No grace of God was wanting in this case, but holiness in man. The parties excluded might have entered in, shut; *The original word here made use of by the Evangelist shows that it requires great constancy, diligence, and courage; a sharp conflict with the world, the flesh, and the devil, to succeed in entering through the strait gate into life eternal. The word signifies to strive to agony, with the utmost resolution, and with every faculty of body and mind. From whence we conclude, that something is left for man to do in this case. gate of eternal life is opened to him by Christ, but the Christian must so strive as to become qualified for admission into it; otherwise, though he should "seek to enter, he shall not be able." The had they been qualified for admission; but they were, as we read v. 27, "workers of iniquity.” To enter at large into the confutation of a doctrine which carries its own condemnation upon the face of it, would be a waste of time. Upon this idea we decline a particular consideration of those texts, which have been at different times so grossly misapplied to this subject; choosing rather to build what may be said upon it, on the general design of the Gospel revelation; from the consideration, that where that is once understood, the meaning of particular passages in it will be less liable to doubtful interpretation. And though this method does not give an answer to every cavil and objection which enthusiasm and error have brought forward; yet it furnishes the considerate Christian with that standard of judgment, by which every doctrine belonging to the religious system may be so measured, as to enable him to build his conclusion upon it on the most rational foundation. The grace of God to man in the Gospel revelation, teaches him to "deny ungodliness and worldly lusts, and to live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world."* Whatever man, therefore, has received the Gospel in the truth and spirit of it, must manifest its effects in his life and conversation; from whence the following axiom is deducible, that no sound member of the Church can be a bad member of society. A doctrine, then, which tends to weaken the obligation to repentance and newness of life; which supports the sinner with a false hope, or lulls him into a fatal security; which proves *Titus ii. 12. destructive of one great end of Christ's death unto sin, namely, the reformation of the sinner; thereby counteracting one great object of the Gospel revelation;-cannot be a doctrine that cometh from God. That the doctrine of absolute decrees produces this effect is certain, from the conclusion too generally drawn from it; the professors of it for the most part depending for salvation through Christ, upon the strength of a positive and irrevocable decree in their favour, antecedent to their birth, and not dependent on their actions; the too general consequence of which has been, that instead of adorning the doctrine of God their Saviour in all things, which Christians are called upon to do, many have been led to disgrace it. The remark of Erasmus, the strenuous and unanswerable opposer of this doctrine, was this: "Of old (said he) the gospel made men better; but the new-pretended gospel made them much worse." And in another epistle upon the same subject he wrote still more strongly. "This new gospel (says he) founded upon the doctrine of absolute decrees, has produced a new generation of obstinate, impudent, hypocritical people, who are revilers, liars, deceivers; and who do not agree among themselves, and are very uneasy to others; who are seditious, furious, given to cavilling; and with whom I am so much dissatisfied, that if I knew any town where none of them were, I would go thither, and choose it to live in." This decisive judgment of Erasmus upon the effects produced by the doctrine here alluded to, brings to my mind the answer made by an eminent |