ground, that it can have the evil tendency alledged. It cannot have it, on the fuppofition that all faints infallibly know their election of God, if governed in their lives by difinterefted and holy motives. But the fact is, their higheft motive, and that by which they are fupremely influenced to hold on their way, is their fupreme and difinterested love to God, the Redeemer, and his caufe. It is not founded in an apprehenfion of God's love to them in particular, and the prospect of theirown happiness. They delight in God's law, after the inward man; and that because it is holy, just and good. It is therefore their meat and drink to do his will. They would

furance of falvation is a very high attainment in religion, which is not to be expected, in ordinary cafes, without time fufficient to have bro't forth much fruit. As religion is liable to be counterfeited, and as the counterfeit very ftrikingly resembles the reality, it must be tried, and thence proved, before the fubjects of it can have warrant for any high degree of affurance. That from which men apoftatize when tried, is thence proved not to have been genuine. Accordingly, whatever ground of affured confidence there is, that all, who have once been made holy, will persevere in holinefs, and finally be faved, ftill a great proportion of real faints have not the fame confidence refpecting them-prefer a life of holinefs, from the felves. Nay, they may, at times, have the moft ferious doubts, whether they belong to the household of faith. Hence the certain perfeverance and falvation of all, who have once been fanctified in Chrift, has no tendency to make them loiter, in the race fet before them ;-it affords no confolation or hope, refpecting themfelves, any farther than they continue in the way of holinefs, and thereby furnish the proper evidence, that their names are written in heaven. -The evidence, that the faints will endure to the end and be faved, is of one fort, and that which proves men to be faints, of another. The former is found in the promise and faithfulness of God, and the latter, in the holy experiences and lives of the faints. Again, the fecond thing taken for granted, in the objection of unholy tendency, to the doctrine of perfeverance, is not true; viz. That the governing motive with faints to perfevere is a fupreme regard to their own happiness. It is, in a fort, exclusively on this

delight which they take, in pleafing and honoring their God and Saviour, were there no object of either hope or fear, beyond the grave. But if fuch be their gov erning motive, its influence cannot be deftroyed, or even leffened, by any certainty, that all faints will continue to act under such influence, and thence to perfevere in well doing.

It hence appears, that thofe, who urge the objection here confidered, miftake both the nature and the effential evidence of true religion. They neceffarily found their love to God, on an apprehenfion of his love to them, and not on his fupreme and infinite lovelinefs. Hence they make it the fame in effence with the love which finners have towards thofe who love them. It is accordingly true, that thofe whofe religion is founded in fupreme felfifanefs, and who thence love God, under a miftaken apprehenfion that he loves them, do often, in the time of temptation, fall away from the religion which they feem to have.

Nor is this at all furprising. Such perfons have no root in them which fhould be expected to bring forth fruit, when put to the teft. A religion of fuch fort may doubtless be loft. Yea, it is what we are taught to expect, not only from the nature of it, but from the express declaration of Chrift; Every plant which my heavenly father hath not planted, fhall be plucked up.

ing wholly to the working of his mighty power. Therefore, faith the apoftle, You bath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and fins. But God, who is rich in mercy, for the great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in fins, hath quickened us together with Chrift. Not by works of righteousnefs. which we had done, but according to his mercy he faved us, by the walking of regeneration and the renewing of the Holy Ghoft. Who, therefore, hath made thee to differ from another? The anfwer must be in the words of the apoftle, by the grace of God I am what I am. Therefore bath he mercy on whom he will have mercy: and, he, who hath begun a good work in them, will carry it on, until the day of the Lord Jesus. He bath faid, I will never leave thee, nor forfake thee. Hence, tho' the righteous fall, he fhall not be utterly caft down, for the Lord upholdeth him with his band. Agreeably to all this faith the God of grace, I will put my laws in their hearts, and in their minds will I write them, and their fins and iniquities will I remember no more.

It is natural here to notice, that thofe generally who deny the certain perfeverance of faints, deny alfo the fpecial and diftingufhing grace of God, in renewing and fanctifying the human heart. They infift, that God does no more for one than another; that the fpirit is given to all, in the fame measure. They accordingly hold, that when any become holy, it is because they do more than others, in the improvement of that grace which is common to all; and hence, that they make themselves to differ. Nor is it wonderful, that a religion originating in felf and ftanding in their own ftrength, fhould fometimes be loft. It frequently is, in fact. This is one reason why the word of God, fpeaking on this fubject, is fo often mifunderstood. All this is confiftent with the nature of a religion, which is acquired by felfish creatures, and under the influence of felfifh motives. Such a religion must ncceffarily be felfifn, and therefore in its nature lience, when made, is in their own able to wax old and vanifh away. keeping, and, therefore, may be But true faints have not fo learned loft, cannot feel the fame obligaChrist. They are taught of God, tion to God, as thofe, who hold both by his word and fpirit, to be- with the apostle, that it is not of lieve, that men are by nature dead him who willeth, nor of him wha in trefpaffes and fins; that they runneth; but of God, who fheweth never do any thing towards their mercy. Those who believe, that recovery to fpiritual life; accord- the righteous will hold on their ingly, that when made alive unto way to the end, and are fuch Ged, thro' Jefus Chrift, it is ow-themfelves, must feel a vaft weight

It hence appears, from a fcriptural view of this fubject, that the objection of unholy tendency lies fairly against those who deny, instead of those who hold the perfeverance of faints. Those who imagine they have made themfelves to differ,-that the differ

of obligation to God, for having | pecially of the gospel of Chrift. chofen them to falvation in Chrift, He is the firft, who hath plainly and renewed them by his fpirit; declared, that all who are in the for carrying on the work of grace graves fhall hear the voice of the in their hearts; and ftill farther, Son of God, and fhall come forth; yea above all, for the two immu- they that have done good, unto the table things of God, his oath and refurrection of life; and they that faithfulness, in which it is impoffi- have done evil, unto the refurrection ble for him to lie, and by which of damnation. This being true, they have ftrong confolation, with the righteous have cause to re.. an hope, which is a fure and ftead-joice; and the unrighteous to fear faft anchor to their fouls. The whole tendency of the doctrine, in this view of it, is to quicken and constrain them to render unto the LORD, according to benefits re-ed death and the grave, and arose ceived; to run with patience the race fet before them, and to do whatsoever their hand findeth to do with their might.

It is hence evident, that the doctrine of perfeverance, when fairly stated, instead of the contrary, is of a moft holy tendency, and must have anfwerable effect on all the upright in heart. This is the only plan, on which the grace of God, as difplayed in the falvation of finners, can be properly feen and felt. We fee, accordingly, that the objection here confidered, is wholly applicable to the oppofite doctrine; that the whole tendency of men's thinking they have made themselves to differ, and that the difference when effected, depends on themselves, and not on the promife and grace of God, is to eradicate a fenfe of obligation to him, and to cherish a felfrighteous fpirit, which prepares the way for apoftacy and ruin.

TROPHIMUS.

and tremble. But let it be remembered, that this truth refts on the idea, that Christ gave his life a ranfom for us—that he conquer

triumphant.-Now if Christ be not rifen, our ransom is not paid-we are yet in our fins All our preaching all our attendance on means are vain: All our faith in Chrift, all our hopes and expectations concerning a future world are vain, and without any rational foundation.

The ferious attention of the reader is afked, while I attempt to bring into view, fome of the evidences of the refurrection of Jesus Chrift from the dead. This is a fubject, in which, it is of infinite importance to be well established. On this, depend the use of the means of falvation, and the refur rection of the dead.

The truth of the refurrection of Chrift depends, altogether, on hiftorical facts; and, for the fake of brevity, I will confine myself to the apoftolic teftimony, which will be abundantly fufficient, if we will allow the fame degree of cre dit to attach to it, which we give to common hiftory; and, that

On the Refurrection of Jefus Chrift. human nature was the fame then,

as now. And this much,.no candid infidel will refuse.

It will be needless to enter into particulars, concerning the trial, death and refurrection of Chrift, as reported by the evangelifts: Every Bb b

and for the truth of them, we pledge our lives, and our all.

This is the plain and obvious teftimony of the apoftles, for the

ne has, or ought to have read them with care and attention. And if any ftill doubt of the truth of the facts, reported in the gofpel, concerning the death and re-death and refurrection of Jefus furrection of Chrift, let them re- Chrift, and is directly in point; peruse them, and they will better the witneffes are numerous; and, judge of what I fhall fay. in any court of juftice, would be deemed fufficient to fubftantiate the facts which they atteft. On this evidence, we ground our faith in the refurrection of Chrift; and no infidel will deny, that it is the true apoftolic teftimony. Thus far we are agreed. But, to evade the force of this evidence, the enemies of the cross plead the incompetency of the witnesses, as being, either deceived themselves, or having a defign to deceive others. This we deny. Here then we are at issue.

It is certain, the apostles could not be deceived in this cafe. They were of age and knowledge to judge of any facts, which were to be tefted by the bodily fenfes. They had been long acquainted with Jefus, and knew him as well, as any man can know another. And though illiterate men, they could judge whether Jefus was

The fum of the evidence of the apoftles, for the death and refurrection of Chrift, in the form of an affidavit, would ftand thus, viz. We, the apoftles of Jefus Chrift, declare, that we saw him crucified, dead and buried that neither we, nor any of his disciples have taken him away; nor could we have done it, if we would, for the chief priefts and rulers had fecured the doors of the tomb, with the governor's feal, and fet a guard of foldiers to watch it, hoping to prevent his rifing on the third day, as he had predicted. Yet, early in the morning of the third day, fome of us, with others, went to the tomb, and found the guard gone; and the ftone rolled away. Two of us, John and Peter, and two women, went into the tomb and found it empty of the body of Jefus: Ther eft of us heard from thofe, who were eye-wounded or not-whether he was witneffes. Furthermore, we know his body was not taken away by others; because, we faw it when dead, and afterwards when alive. We faw him, repeatedly, for forty days together, and converfed with him, after his refurrection. We had been long and intimately acquainted with him, and knew his perfon perfectly well.-We, alfo, handled the body we faw, and know it had flesh and bones."We are fure it was the fame body which hung upon the crofs, for we faw the wound in his fide, and the print of the nails in his hands and feet." These things we testify before God and man;

dead or alive whether they faw, heard and handled him; and converfed with him for forty days-together, after they had feen him dead and buried. Of fuch facts, they were capable of judging as well as Pilate himself, and could not be deceived: All the proof! of Chrift's refurrection were tefted by the bodily fenfes, and not by reafoning: They could fee, hear, and feel, as well as the moft acute philofopher; confequently, they were proper judges, and could not be mistaken in this cafe of the refurrection of Jefus Christ.

Nor could they have any de fign to deceive others. They

were, to fay the leaft, as much concerned to know and speak the truth, as any men on earth; nor could any men have less motives to mifreprefent. Chrift had cho fen them for his immediate at tendants and apoftles. He declared himself the true Meffiah and Son of God; and wrought a variety of miracles to prove it. He informed them, that he came to give his life a ransom for the life of the world that he must be killed by the Jews; but, fhould arise the third day, and would meet and converfe with them again; after which, he fhould afcend to his God and their God, to his Father and their Father, to prepare everlasting abodes for them. He conftituted them his ministers; and promised them his holy fpirit to direct and affift them in all their duty, and to comfort and support them under all their trials; and, through them, to spread the gofpel and build his church through the world, notwithstanding all oppofition.

what human nature ever has been, we may fafely conclude, in such a cafe, their love would have changed into hatred; and that they would have curfed him, with their bitter curses, for deceiving them, Yet, how different was their conduct? Their hearts burned with love to Jefus and his caufe; and nothing could ftay them from his work. Having received the promised comforter, they boldly affirmed that Jefus is the Chrift, and was rifen from the dead-that they had seen and handled him, and conversed with him, and knew he was the very fame whom they had feen crucified.

To all this, the fcribes and priests could make no reply, but the pitiful tale, "while the fol diers flept, his disciples came and ftole him away." How filly! How perverfe! The foldiers were placed there, by the governor's order, to watch the tomb, which was made faft and fealed. It was a cafe of high importance; and for the foldiers to fall asleep, fubjected them to death by the law. But how could they know, what: was done by the disciples, while they flept? Had the body been fo taken away, the priests would have been the first to demand the execution of the law on the folé diers. This tale is an implicit acknowledgment, that they believ

Now, as the apoftles knew Chrift was put to death by the Jews, they knew all this account was a grand impofture-a mere farce, unless he arose from the dead on the third day. Except they knew Jefus was alive from the dead, they knew they were ftill in their fins, and withouted the refurrection of Jesus Christ. hope towards God; and that❘ they could have no dependance on his promises. As apoftles, it was their intereft, above all men, to know the truth in this cafe. And if they knew, or had reafon to believe he was not rifen, it was peculiarly their intereft to have publifhed their reafons; it would have fettled all difficulties between them and the chief priests, scribes and pharifees. Yea, confidering

Thus far, as in view of Christ'spretenfions to divinity and the Meffiahfhip; and his promifes to the apostles, they could have had no motive to deceive; and had they not known he was rifen, it would have been highly their intereft to deny his refurrection.

Again, had not the apofles certain knowledge of the refur rection of Christ, they could not, reasonably, have expected any fuc