Every true believer, in the fenfe | thou Father art in me and I in thee, that they may be one in us, that the world may know that thou haft fent me. And the glo ry which thou gavest me, I have given them, that they may be one, even as we are one, I in them and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one." In virtue of this prayer, all who believe, become One Body, informed and animated by One Spirit, even the fpirit of God. The God and of this paffage, eats the flesh and drinks the blood of Chrift. It is an act of faith, and is neceffarily involved in the general notion of faving faith; every true believer, then, hath eternal life; and he hath it in prefenti, in the very at of feeding upon Chrift; which eternal life will of courfe continue through the prefent ftate, and will .be perfected in heaven. The fame is manifeft from Christ's words to Peter, juft before his deplorable fall. "And the Lord faid, Simon, Simon, behold Satan hath defired to have you, that he may fift you as wheat. But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not.' He makes the fame interceffion for all Saints, and we know that the Father heareth him always; the faith of the Saints, therefore, never fails. But faith worketh by love, or charity. Charity, therefore, never fails, which the apostle Paul fays, in fo many words, as we have feen before. The love of God and man, then, once inkindled in the heart, is a boly flame, which is never extinguished, but lives forever. 66 Father of all, who is above all, and through all, is in them all. Chrift dwells in them, in like manner, as the Father dwells in him. Juft before Chrift had faid, "I will pray the Father, and he fhall give you another comforter, that he may abide with you forev er; Even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it feeth him not, neither knoweth him, but ye know him, for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you." Thus it is evident, that the three perfons of the ever adorable Trinity dwell in the redeemed, not only collectively, but individually, and fhall dwell in them forever. They are, and each one is, an holy temple of the Lord, and a habitation of God. through the fpirit. But furely all this implies a principle of fpiritual life, nay of eternal life in every Saint, and can by no means confift with the notion, that the Saints are perfectly finful when they have finful exercifes or volitions, and that at fuch times they have no vital principle of holiness within them, by which they are diftinguished from the unfanctified. Again, Chrift is formed in the foul of every Chriftian, of which, his being formed in the womb of his virgin mother is a fcriptare em blem. "To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Chrift in you the hope of glory." 'My little children," fays the fame divine writer, in his letter to the Galatians, "of whom I travail in birth again, until Chrift be formed in you." Now Chrift, "Is the true God and eternal life." Eternal life, then, is formed in the foul of every Chriftian. Fur-will conclude with this reflection, in ther Chrift in behalf of all the words of scripture. who believe on him in these words, eye hath not feen, nor ear heard, "That they all may be one, as nor have entered into the heart of VOL. I. No. 9. S s prays Having faid what I purpose, in proof of the point in question, I "That man the things that God hath pre- | unfavorable to Godliness. pared for them that love him.' The Gospel a Doarine according to IV. NUMBER III. HE gofpel in its requifitions, as to the principal condition of pardon and falvation, is a doctrine according to Godliness. If men are juftified by faith, and not by works, and he that believes will certainly be faved, what need have we to trouble ourselves about per-. fonal holiness?—Hence fome may have thought, the gofpel tended to encourage or countenance the neglect of practical religion; and to open a door to immorality and wickedness. That fome have thus perverted and abused the doctrine of grace will not be denied: but that the doctrine of falvation by grace, through faith, or any of the doctrines of grace, as ftated in the gospel, warrant or afford juft ground for any fuch conclufion, is utterly denied. All fuchlike inferences from the gofpel doctrine of juftification by faith, or from the affertion, that he who be The principle condition of pardon and falvation, is faith in Christ. This will appear by the following fpecimen of its declarations upon this head. "As Mofes lifted up the ferpent in the wildernefs, even fo muft the fon of man be lifted up; that whofoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.-He that believeth fhall be faved, are founded lieveth on him is not condemned: on imperfect, defective, partial, or but he that believeth not is con- erroneous notions of the nature and demned already. He that be- properties of the faith required in lieveth on the Son hath everlasting the gofpel, as being neceffary to life. He that believeth, and is and connected with falvation. baptized, fhall be faved; but he that believeth not fhall be damned. -Whom God hath fet forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteoufnefs, that he might be juft, and the juftifier of him who believeth in Jefus. -Therefore we conclude, that a man is juftified by faith without the deeds of the law. Believe on the Lord Jefus Christ, and thou fhalt be faved." Hence, it is undeniably manifeft, that faith in Chrift is the grand capital condition of pardon, juftification, and falvation-that this implies, involves, and is connected with, every thing really neceffary to falvation, and will iffue in eternal life. Some, indeed, have feemed to think, that in this particular, the gofpel contains a doctrine rather If men think the faith, with which the gofpel connects falvation, confifts in a bare belief or conviction of the truth, and implies neither love nor repentance, nor any other right exercise of heart, it is not ftrange, if they think themselves warranted, by the gofpel, to expect falvation without perfonal holiness, or any real piety; and of course that the gofpel tends to encourage ungodlinefs, or opens a door to licentioufnefs. Suchlike appear to have been the notions of fome in the apoftolic age; who are reproved and confuted, in James ii. 14-26. Or if the faith, with which falvation is, by gofpel promife, connected, confifted in a firm belief, that we are juftified-that our fins are forgiven-that God is our reconciled God and Father, and that we shall certainly be faved; and if it was wrong and wicked, even the great fin of unbelief, to call in question or to doubt the truth of these propofitions, however unholy and carnal we our felves are, as thofe originally called Antimonians appear to have held; it would indeed appear, that the gofpel countenanced and opened a wide door to iniquity. But thefe and all fuchlike notions of faith, are as oppofite to the truth, as darknefs is to light, or fin to holinefs. Hence, in order clearly to show how the gofpel in its requifitions, as to the principle condition of pardon and falvation, is a doctrine according to Godliness, it will be proper to point out fome of thofe things, which, according to the plain tenor of the fcriptures, are effential to, as being implied in, or indiffolubly connected with, the faith required in the gofpel, in order to forgiveness and eternal life. 1. The faith required in the gofpel, is more than a bare conviction or belief of the truth; it is receiving the love of the truth, and implies cordial confent to and acquiefcence in the character and mediation of Jefus Christ, and in the import of his death and refurrection; with every correfpondent exercise and affection. Paul plainly foretold, to the Theffalonians, that ftrong delufion would be fent upon fome, "because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be faved;" plainly importing that the faith neceffary to falvation, implies receiving the love of the truth. He accordingly faid to the Galatians, "In Jefus Chrift neither circumcifion availeth any thing, nor uncircumcifion; but faith which worketh by love ;" and taught the Romans, that it is with the heart that man believeth unto righteousness. Hence I am led to remark, 2. Faith implies a new heart, and is found in thofe only, who are born of God. Paul ufes the expreffions, a new creature, and, faith which worketh by love, in the fame fenfe, or as implying or fig nifying the fame thing. Gal. v. 6, and vi. 15. John tells us, that they who received Chrift, even they who believe on his name, "were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God;" and fays exprefsly, " Whofoever believeth that Jefus is the Chrift is born of God." This leads me to remark, 3. True faith in Chrift implies and cannot exist without true repentance of fin. This is evident from the nature of faith.-The fame is proved by all thofe paffages of fcripture, which declare the neceffity of repentance in order to pardon, and call upon men to repent that they may be forgiven and faved, and connect forgiveness and falvation with repentance, juft as they do with faith. they do with faith. A fpecimen of these may be feen in Mark i. 15. Luke xiii. 1-5, and xxiv. 47. Acts ii. 38, and iii. 19, and v. 31. and xi. 18. and xx. 21. Hence, 4. Faith in Chrift implies a difpofition to, or the principle of all holy obedience, and is expreffed and appears in good works, in conformity to the general tenor of the divine law, and to the peculiar precepts and inftitutions of the gofpel. Paul fays, faith worketh by love. Love is the principle or life of all true obedience. "If a man love me," said Christ, "he will keep my words." Such, as now briefly fuggested, is the faith required in the gospel. And what can be plainer, than that the gofpel, by making this faith the grand condition of all its bleffings, and indifpenfibly neceffary to pardon and final falvation, teaches a doctrine according to Godliness, favorable to the intereft of real piety and true holiness, and admirably adapted to enforce and promote it? Hence, we may well be excited to examine ourselves, with refpect to the nature and properties of our faith; and cautioned againft refting in any faith, fhort of that which is ftampt with the aforementioned characters. (To be continued.) N fhowing the confiftency of vifiting the iniquity of the father upon the children" with individual refponfibility, or divine juftice; it is neceffary to obferve, that mankind are all finners. As the apoftle declares, "All have finned; and the whole world has become guilty before God." All therefore being finners, they juftly deserve the curfe or penalty of the divine law, which implies all the evils of the prefent life, and everlafting deftruction in the future world. Confequently God may, in perfect juftice, bring upon any of mankind, whatever temporal calamities he fees fit. Should he bring these evils upon them without any reference to the conduct or iniquity of their parents, he would do them no wrong. Confequently it cannot be at all inconfiftent with juftice or individual refponfibility for God to bring fuch calamities upon perfons in confequence of the wickedness of their parents; ferve thefe evils. fince they themselves justly de For inftance, the children of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram were finners. They were also creatures, whofe lives were at the had a perfect right to take their divine difpofal. God therefore have had a jult right to caufe the lives, as he pleafed. He would earth to open her mouth and swal low them up, though their fathers He had been the best of men. had the fame right to take their lives in this way, as by fickness, burning of houfes, or any other calamity. Therefore God did them no injuftice, in thus destroying them on account of the daring wickedness of their parents, and as a token of his difpleafure against it. And this is always the cafe, when children fuffer evils in confequence of the wickedness of their parents. They themfelves are finners, and fo juftly deferve far more than all these temporal fufferings at the hand of God. Confequently his bringing fuch calamities upon them, on account of the iniquities of their parents, is perfectly confiftent with the ftrict eft juftice and perfonal refponfi- | being vifited with temporal or bility. fpiritual judgments; yet they will never, in this life, fuffer any thing more than they deferve. And in the future, which is to be a state of complete retribution, their punifhment will be exactly in proportion to their criminality. Thefe confiderations may vindi. cate the justice of God, in the evils which mankind experience in confequence of the fall of Adam. For although in confequence of his fin, they are born with depraved dif Nor is it lefs confiftent for God, in confequence of the peculiar wickednefs of parents, to fuffer their pofterity to go on in fin, or to fall into fuch vicious courses, as will ruin them for time and eternity. Mankind through their native depravity of heart, if left to themselves, will run into all manner of vice, and will never repent and go to Chrift, unlefs drawn by the Father. But God is under no obligation in juftice to difpofitions, which lead to finful expenfe his grace to any by renewing their hearts, or to restrain their finful inclinations; but may leave them to impenitence and their own heart's lufts, whenever he fees belt. Thus he might confiftently have left Abfalom to rife up in his wicked, unnatural rebellion, had David never been guilty of adultery and murder. Therefore God's leaving him to fall into this wickednefs in confequence of David's heinous fin in the matter of Uriah, and as a punishment to him for this fin, cannot be inconfiftent with juftice and individual refponfibility. For Abfalom juftly deferved what he fuffered, although his wicked conduct and wretched end were also a juft and grievous punishment to David. So God, in perfect rectitude, may leave any of mankind, by following their own finful inclinations, to fall into vice, or go on in impenitence and unbelief, without any regard to the conduct or iniquities of their parents. Therefore it cannot be inconfiftent or unjuft in God to leave them to thefe things, in confequence of the wickedness of their parents, and as a token of the divine difpleaf ure against it. For whatever may be the immediate occafion of their ercifes, and on account of their own fins, originating from this depravity, they are expofed to the moft dreadful evils in the prefent and future world; yet they are not punished, either in the prefent or future life, any more than they juftly deferve for their own perfonal finfulness. Therefore God's dealing with them in this manner is entirely just. Thus God," in vifiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children," is perfectly confiftent with juftice or individual refponfibility; which implies, that each one fhall be punished for his own fins only, or no more than he justly deferves. What has been faid on this fub ject furnishes an easy solution to the |