which he requires, or we are capable of, in the prefent ftate; and thereby entitling us to fome higher Degree of Happiness, and Glory in another. By his own Blood he cancels the original Covenant, and purchases a new one full of Grace and Mercy; freeing us from the whole of Adam's Curfe, viz. Death, or utter Extinction'; and finally affuring us of a complete Victory over both that, and Hell*, by the Gift of eternal Life, and Happiness. This is the true import of the Chriftian Inftitution; and in this fenfe it must appear to be indeed a Gospel, or good Tidings of great joy to ALL People: which therefore ought to be refery'd till Mankind were able to compre

9 In what fenfe Covenants are underflood, was hinted above, p.45. Not.

r See not. p. 44.

Rev. 20. 14.

In what Refpects Chriftianity exceeded all former Inftitutions, may be feen at large in Edwards's Survey, p. 313,323. The effects which it will fome time certainly produce are well defcribed by Mr. Worthington, Essay on Man's Redemption, c.11. &c. tho' he fuppofes that thefe will be attainable even in this Life. The Subftance of his Scheme is thus laid down. p. 253. My perfwafion is, that our Re'demption by Chrift will, when it hath its perfect Work, 'be productive of all thofe great and happy effects That the Human Nature fhall, before the end of the Gofpel Age and confummation of all things, be deliver'd from Sin, 'Sorrow and Sicknefs, and all the other Miferies and Evils of this Life, proceeding from the Fall of our first Parents, and in the end from Death itfelf; without tafting of which. ⚫ it shall be tranflated from an earthly Paradife, which it shall ' once more enjoy, to an Heavenly one, which it fhall en'joy for ever. And moreover, that all the Disorders of Nature in general fhall be rectified, and that there fhall be a • Redemption of the whole Creation to its first State, as well as of Man, the Lord of it.' How far this differs from the Hypothesis of Burnet, or Afgil's famous Argument, may be feen in the fame place.

hend, and duly receive fo great a Bleffing; till they were fit to make the proper ufe of fuch a Scheme of infinite Goodness, and Philanthropy. As nothing greater could come after this, and this was to be offered but once for all; (otherwife, as the Apoftle fays +, Chrift must often have fuffered fince the foundation of the World; often in every Country, and as often in vain; his offers of Salvation by their cheapness flighted, his Sufferings difregarded) as no farther manifeftation of God's Will could be made to Man either in terms more full and exprefs, or in a way more kind, and condefcending; it was fit that all suitable provifions should be made for the reception, and continuance of it in the World; all proper preparations used to fix, and afcertain its Evidence, as well as to explain its Worth, and make men fenfible of its true Ufe, and Neceffity. To this purpose the Jews were to be trained up to the expectation of it by a series of Prophecies, foretelling the Time, Place, and every Circumstance. of the Meffiah's Advent; and defcribing the Nature of his Kingdom: their Law was to continue till it had effectually guarded them from all kinds of Idolatry, and fecured their dependence on the one fupreme God; till they had attain'd to fuch rational notions of his Nature and Providence, as qualify'd them for a more pure and perfect way of worshipping him; and enabled them to communicate it to the rest of the World. The Gentiles were to have fufficient experience both of the Weakness of their Understanding in searching after God, and the infirmity + Heb.9.26.

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of their nature, in not acting up to what they might, and did discover; fufficient to make them with and hope for fome Heavenly Guide, (to inform them how they came into their present state of Ignorance and Imperfection, and how, and when they fhould be able to get out of it,) which in fact the wifeft of them did; as particu larly appears from two remarkable Inftances, in Socrates's Difcourfe upon Prayer and Sacrifice'; and in Ariftotle's declaration juft before his Death [if the account of it be genuine] concerning the reasonableness of believing that the Gods fhould come down from Heaven, to inftruct and relieve Mankind". Thus was the Confcioufnefs of their Defects requifite in the Heathens to prepare them for, and difpofe them to embrace a Remedy, when it fhould be offer'd; and the Jewish Oeconomy was equally requifite to fit them for adminiftering this Remedy; the one made its value better understood, the other render'd its Evidence more inconteftable, throughout all

t See Plato's fecond Alcibiades near the end. More passages to the fame purpose are collected by Dr. Clarke, Evidences, Prop.7. and Young, Differt. V. 1.

Auctor de Pomo [de quo v. Fabric. Bibl. Gr. Tom. 2. L. 3. p. 166.] Cal. Rhod. Ant. L. 17. 36. [fee Bayle's Dict. Art. Ariftotle, Note Q.] Stanley Vit. Phil. Concerning the Tradition of his having convers'd with a few, fee Gen. Diet. V.2. p. 267. and Prid. Conn. Part 1. B. 7. p. 475 and 480, 8th Ed. To the observation above Lord Bolingbroke replies that the Complaints and Expectations of these men were "founded in proud Curiofity and vain Prefumption.' Works V. 5. p. 220. as if it were a piece of Vanity and Prefumption in any reasonable Creature to be defirous of learning what would here moft effectually recommend it to the favour of its Creator; and merely pride and idle Curiofity to know what would become of it for ever hereafter !

Ages. No ftronger Teftimony than that of Prophecy could be given, to confirm its Truth, nor any greater Token of its Usefulness, than that which appear'd in the miferable State of the Heathen World without it; both highly contributed to procure Chriftianity its due regard, and efteem in the World; but neither of them could have taken place, had it been from the beginning; as the Objection * fuppofes.

We fee then in general that fome time must have preceded the Publication of the Gospel; and we ought to confider, that if it were delay'd a while longer than we can particularly account for, yet as much as that Period may feem to have loft, fo much we of thefe latter Ages manifeftly get by the delay; 'tis fo much nearer to us; and thereby its Light and Evidence more clear at prefent; its Heat and Influence proportionably ftronger; all which we have occafion enough for already: and well it is for us that it came fo late, if all its Evidence decrease so fast by length of time, as these very fame Objectors would infinuate. And how do we know but that it might be deliver❜d about the middle Age of the World; and by that means be nearest to the feveral Generations, and the most just proportion kept between the length of time, during which Chrift's future Advent was to be foretold and expected; and that in which his past appearance is to be acknowledg'd, and commemorated? We are hafty,

P. 39.

x Chrift. as old, c. 12. p. 163. 8vo. from Craig. of which fee Rotheram's Differtation. Edinb. 1743. Phil. Tranf. No, 257. Broughton against Tindal, Part. 3. p. 5. &c. Randolph, part 2. p. 34, &c,

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and short-fighted; our views limited to a few years, and we become impatient at seeing any of them pafs over, before the whole Plot is unravel'd; and would have all brought on the Stage at once: but it is far otherwife with the great God, to whom a thousand years are as one day; who has an immenfely large progreffive Scheme, confifting of many underparts, and intermediate steps; all placed in their proper Periods, and each rifing upon the past; and the whole conducted in that regular, gentle manner, which is best suited to the moral Government of a World of intelligent free Agents, and moft becoming a Being of infinite Wisdom and Goodness.

But to be more particular. The Period in which our Saviour came into the World may be conceiv'd to be the Fulness of Time, and fitteft for fuch a Difpenfation, on the following ac

counts.

First, as it appear'd to want it most :

Secondly, as it was the moft able to receive and propagate it: and

Thirdly, as it was the best qualify'd to examine its Evidence, confirm its Truth, and convey it down to future Ages.

Firft, it wanted it moft; and that in regard to both its Morals, and Religion:

1. That Age stood in the greatest need of a Reformation in its Morals; as it appears to have been the most wicked, and abandon'd of any upon Record.

As to the Jews, we are told, that both their Magiftracy, and Ministry were then corrupted to the last degree; their Laws against the worst

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