kept nothing back from you, which was profitable unto you, but have showed you, and have taught you publicly, and from house to house; testifying both to the Jews and to the Greeks, repentance towards God, and faith towards our Lord Jesus Christ." And so again: "When they [the Jews at Rome] had appointed him [Paul] a day, there came many to him into his lodgings, to whom he expounded and testified the kingdom of God; persuading them concerning Jesus, both out of the law of Moses and out of the prophets, from morning to evening. And some believed the things which were spoken, and some believed not.* And the history of the Acts is concluded with this account of St. Paul's preaching: "And Paul dwelt two whole years in his own hired house, and received all that came in unto him; preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus, the Messiah." We may

tory of our Saviour written by the evangelists, and to the history of the apostles written in the Acts, which St. John does to his own gospel. "Many other signs did Jesus before his disciples :" and in many other places the apostles preached the same doctrine, "which are not written" in these books; 'but these are written, that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God; and, that believing, you may have life in his name."

to believe him to be the Messiah, notwithstanding what had happened; nay, they ought, by his suffering and death, to be confirmed in that faith, that he was the Messiah. And "beginning at Moses and all the phrophets, he expounded unto them in all the Scriptures, the things concerning himself; how, that the Messiah ought to have suffered these things, and to have entered into his glory." Now, he applies the prophesies of the Messiah to himself, which we read not that he did ever do before his passion. And afterwards appearing to the eleven, Luke xxiv., he said unto them, "the words which I spoke unto you while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled which are written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the Psalms concerning me. Then opened he their understandings, that they might understand the Scripture; and said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoveth the Messiah to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day; and that repent-therefore here apply the same conclusion to the hisance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem." Here we see what it was he had preached to them, though not in so plain open words before his crucifixion; and what it is he now makes them understand; and what it was that was to be preached to all nations, viz., that he was the Messiah, that had suffered, and rose from the dead the third day, and fulfilled all things that were written in the Old Testament concerning the Messiah; 133. What St. John thought necessary and sufand that those who believed this, and repented, ficient to be believed for the attaining eternal life, should receive remission of their sins through this he here tells us. And this, not in the first dawnfaith in him. Or, as St. Mark has it, ch. xvi., "Going of the gospel, when, perhaps, some will be apt into all the world, and preach the gospel to every to think less was required to be believed than after creature: he that believeth, and is baptized, shall be the doctrine of faith, and mystery of salvation, was saved; but he that believeth not, shall be damned." more fully explained in the epistles written by the What the gospel, or good news was, we have apostles. For it is to be remembered, that St. showed already; viz., the happy tidings of the John says this not as soon as Christ was ascendMessiah being come: and "they went forth and ed; for these words, with the rest of St. John's preached every where, the Lord working with gospel, were not written till many years after, not them, and confirming the word with signs follow-only the other gospels, and St. Luke's history of ing." What the word was which they preached, and the Lord confirmed with miracles, we have seen already out of the history of their acts: I have already given an account of their preaching every where, as it is recorded in the Acts, except some few places, where the kingdom of the Messiah is mentioned under the name of "the kingdom of God," which I forbore to set down, till I had made it plain out of the evangelists, that that was no other but the kingdom of the Messiah.

132. It may be seasonable therefore now, to add to those sermons we have formerly seen of St. Paul (wherein he preached no other article of faith, but that Jesus was the Messiah, the king, who being risen from the dead, now reigneth, and shall more publicly manifest his kingdom in judging the world at the last day) what further is left upon record of his preaching. At Ephesus, Paul went into the synagogues, and spake boldly for the space of three months; disputing and persuading concerning the kingdom of God.* At Miletus he thus takes leave of the elders of Ephesus: "And now, behold, I know that ye all among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom of God, shall see my face no more." What this preaching the kingdom of God was, he tells you, verse 20, 21: "I have

the Acts, but, in all appearance, after all the epistles written by the other apostles. So that above threescore years after our Saviour's passion, (for so long after, both Epiphaninus and St. Jerome assure us this gospel was written,) St. John knew nothing else required to be believed for the attaining of life, but that "Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God."

134. To this it is likely it will be objected by some, that to believe only that Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah, is but an historical and not a justifying or saving faith. To which I answer, that I allow to the makers of systems, and their followers, to invent and use what distinctions they please, and to call things by what names they think fit. But I cannot allow them, or to any man, an authority to make a religion for me, or to alter that which God hath revealed. And if they please to call the believing that which our Saviour and his apostles preached, and proposed alone to be believed, an historical faith, they have their liberty; but they must have a care how they deny it to be a justifying or saving faith, when our Saviour and his apostles have declared it so to be, and taught no other which men should receive, and whereby they should be made believers unto eternal life; unless they + Chap. xx.

* Acts xxviii.

can so far make bold with our Saviour, for the sake the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, The of their beloved systems, as to say, that he forgot time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at what he came into the world for; and that he and hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel."* This his apostles did not instruct people right in the was not only the beginning of his preaching, but way and mysteries of salvation: for that this is the sum of all that he did preach; viz. that men the sole doctrine pressed and required to be believ- should repent, and believe the good tidings which ed in the whole tenor of our Saviour's and his apos- he brought them; that the time was fulfilled for tles' preaching, we have showed through the whole the coming of the Messiah. And this was what history of the evangelists and the Acts. And I his apostles preached, when he sent them out: challenge them to show that there was any other" and they going out, preached that men should doctrine, upon their assent to which, or disbelief of repent." Believing Jesus to be the Messiah, it, men were pronounced believers or unbelievers; and repenting, were so necessary and fundamenand, accordingly received into the church of Christ, tal parts of the covenant of grace, that one of them as members of his body, as far as mere believing alone is often put for both. For here St. Mark could make them so, or else kept out of it: this mentions nothing but their preaching repentance; was the only gospel article of faith which was as St. Luke, in the parallel place, chapter ix. 6., preached to them. And if nothing else was preach- mentions nothing but their evangelizing, or preached every where, the apostle's argument will holding the good news of the kingdom of the Messiah. against any other articles of faith to be believed And St. Paul often, in his epistles, puts faith for under the gospel, Rom. x. 14: "How shall they the whole duty of a Christian. But yet the tenor believe that whereof they have not heard?" For of the gospel is what Christ declares, Luke xii.: to preach any other doctrines necessary to be be-"Unless ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish." lieved, we do not find that any body was sent.

And in the parable of the rich man in hell, delivered by our Saviour, repentance alone is the means proposed of avoiding that place of torment. And what the tenor of the doctrine, which should be preached to the world, should be, he tells his apostles after his resurrection, Luke xxiv. 27, viz. "That repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name," who was the Messiah.And accordingly believing Jesus to be the Messiah, and repenting, was what the apostles preached. So Peter began, Acts ii. 38: "Repent, and be baptized." These two things were required for the remission of sins, viz. entering themselves in the kingdom of God, and owning and professing themselves the subjects of Jesus, whom they believed to be the Messiah, and received for their Lord and King; for that was to be baptized in his name: baptism being an initiating ceremony known to the Jews, whereby those, who leaving heathenism, and professing a submission to the law of Moses, were received into the commonwealth of Israel. And so it was made use of by our Saviour, to be that solemn visible act, whereby those who believed him to be the Messiah, received him as their King, and professed obedience to him, were admitted as subjects into his kingdom: which in the Gospels is called "the kingdom of God;" and in the Acts and epistles often by another name, viz. the Church. The same St. Peter preaches again to the Jews, "Repent, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out."||

135. Perhaps it will be further argued, that this is not a saving faith, because such a faith as this the devils may have, and it was plain they had; for they believed and declared Jesus to be the Messiah. And St. James tells us, "the devils believe, and tremble;" and yet they shall not be saved. To which I answer, 1. That they could not be saved by any faith, to whom it was not proposed as a means of salvation, nor ever promised to be counted for righteousness. This was an act of grace shown only to mankind. God dealt so favorably with the posterity of Adam, that if they would believe Jesus to be the Messiah, the promised king and Saviour, and perform what other conditions were required of them by the covenant of grace, God would justify them because of this belief; he would account this faith to them for righteousness, and look on it as making up the defects of their obedience; which being thus supplied by what was taken instead of it, they were fooked on as just or righteous, and so inherited eternal life. But this favor shown to mankind, was never offered to the fallen angels. They had no such proposals made to them; and therefore whatever of this kind was proposed to men, it availed not devils whatever they performed of it. This covenant of grace was never offered to them. 2. I answer, that though the devils believed, yet they could not be saved by the covenant of grace; because they performed not the other condition required in it, altogether as necessary to be per- 137. What this repentance was, which the new formed as this of believing, and that is repentance. covenant required as one of the conditions to be Repentance is as absolute a condition of the cove-performed by all those who should receive the nant of grace as faith, and as necessary to be performed as that. John the Baptist, who was to prepare the way for the Messiah, "preached the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins."

136. As John began his preaching with "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand,"* so did our Saviour begin his: "From that time began Jesus to preach, and to say, Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." Or, as St. Mark has it in the parallel place: "Now, after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching

* Matt. iii. iv.

benefits of that covenant, is plain in the Scripture, to be not only a sorrow for sins past, but (what is a natural consequence of such sorrow, if it be real)

* Mark i.

+ Mark vi.

a turning from them, into a new and contrary life. that he (as images used to do) represented God in And so they are joined together, Acts iii.: "Re- any corporeal or visible resemblance. And there pent, and turn about;" or, as we render it, be is further subjoined, to lead us into the meaning of converted. And, Acts xxvi.: "Repent and turn it, "The first-born of every creature ;" which is to God." And sometimes turning about is put further explained, verse 18, where he is termed, alone to signify repentance.* Which in other "The first-born from the dead" thereby making words is well expressed by newness of life. For out, and showing himself to be the image of the it being certain, that he who is really sorry for his invisible God; that death hath no power over him: sins, and abhors them, will turn from them, and but being the Son of God, and not having forfeited forsake them; either of these acts, which have so that sonship by any transgression, was the heir of natural a connection one with the other, may be, eternal life; as Adam should have been, had he and is often put for both together. Repentance continued his filial duty. In the same sense the is a hearty sorrow for our past misdeeds, and a apostle seems to use the word image in other sincere resolution and endeavor, to the utmost of places, viz. "Whom he did foreknow, he also did our power, to conform all our actions to the law of predestinate to be conformed to the image of his God. So that repentance does not consist in one Son, that he might be the first-born among many single act of sorrow, (though that being the first brethren." This image, to which they were conand leading act, gives denomination to the whole,) formed, seems to be immortality and eternal life. but in doing works of repentance, in a sincere For it is remarkable, that in both these places St. obedience to the law of Christ, the remainder of Paul speaks of the resurrection, and that Christ our lives. This was called for by John the Bap- was "the first-born among many brethren;" he tist, the preacher of repentance: "Bring forth being by birth the Son of God, and the others only fruits meet for repentance." And by St. Paul here, by adoption, as we see in this same chapter: "Ye "Repent and turn to God, and do works meet for have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we repentance." There are works to follow belong-cry, Abba, Father: the Spirit itself bearing witing to repentance, as well as sorrow for what is ness with our spirits, that we are the children of past. These two, faith and repentance; that is, God. And if children, then heirs; and joint-heirs believing Jesus to be the Messiah, and a good life, with Christ: if so be that we suffer with him, that are the indispensable conditions of the new cove- we may also be glorified together." And hence nant, to be performed by all those who would ob- we see that our Saviour vouchsafes to call those, tain eternal life. The reasonableness, or rather who at the day of judgment are through him ennecessity of which, that we may the better com- tering into eternal life, his brethren: "Inasmuch prehend, we must a little look back to what was as ye have done it unto one of the least of these, said in the beginning. my brethren." May we not in this find a reason 138. Adam being the Son of God, and so St. why God so frequently in the New Testament, Luke calls him, chapter iii. 38, had this part also and so seldom, if at all, in the Old, is mentioned of the likeness and image of his Father, viz. that under the single title of the Father? And therehe was immortal. But Adam transgressing the fore our Saviour says, "No man knoweth the command given him by his heavenly Father, in- Father save the Son, and he to whomsoever the curred the penalty, forfeited that state of immor-Son will reveal him." God has now a Son again tality, and became mortal. After this, Adam begot children, but they were "in his own likeness, after his own image;" mortal like their father. God, nevertheless, out of his infinite mercy, willing to bestow eternal life on mortal men, sends Jesus Christ into the world; who being conceived in the womb of a virgin (that had not known man) by the immediate power of God, was properly the Son of God; according to what the angel declared to his mother, "The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the highest shall overshadow thee therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee, shall be called the Son of God." So that being the Son of God, he was, like his Father, immortal; as he tells us, John v. "As the Father hath life in himself, so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself."

in the world, the first-born of many brethren, who all now, by the Spirit of adoption, can say, Abba, Father; and we, by adoption, being for his sake made his brethren, and the sons of God, come to share in that inheritance which was his natural right, he being by birth the Son of God: which inheritance is eternal life. And again: "We groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption; to wit, the redemption of our body;" whereby is plainly meant the change of these frail mortal bodies, into the spiritual immortal bodies at the resurrection: "When this mortal shall have put on immortality," which he further expresses thus: "So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption: it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power: it is sown a 139. And that immortality is a part of that natural body, it is raised a spiritual body," &c.image, wherein these (who were the immediate To which he subjoins, "As we have borne the sons of God, so as to have no other father) were image of the earthy" (that is, as we have been made like their father, appears probable, not only mortal, like earthy Adam, our father, from whom from the places in Genesis concerning Adam, we are descended, when he was turned out of above taken notice of, but seems to me also to be paradise) "we shall also bear the image of the intimated in some expressions concerning Jesus, heavenly;" into whose sonship and inheritance the Son of God. In the New Testament, he is being adopted, we shall, at the resurrection, recalled "the image of the invisible God." Invisi-ceive that adoption we expect; "even the reble seems put in, to obviate any gross imagination, demption of our bodies;" and after his image, * Matt. xiii. 15; Luke xxii. 32.

+ Col. i. 15.

*Rom. viii. 29.

which is the image of the Father, become immortal. Hear what he himself says: "They who shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry nor are given in marriage. Neither can they die any more; for they are equal unto the angels, and are the sons of God, being the sons of the resurrection." And he that shall read St. Paul's argument, Acts xiii., will find, that the great evidence that Jesus was the Son of God was his resurrection. Then the image of his Father appeared in him, when he visibly entered into the state of immortality. For thus the apostle reasons: "We preach to you, how that the promise which was made to our fathers, God hath fulfilled the same unto us, in that he hath raised up Jesus again; as it is also written in the second Psalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee." 140. This may serve a little to explain the immortality of the sons of God, who are in this, like their Father, made after his image and likeness. But that our Saviour was so, he himself further declares, John x., where, speaking of his life, he says:-"No one taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself: I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again." Which he could not have had if he had been a mortal man, the son of a man of the seed of Adam; or else had by any transgression forfeited his life: for "the wages of sin is death." And he that hath incurred death for his own transgression, cannot lay down his life for another, as our Saviour professes he did. For he was the Just One, "who knew no sin, who did no sin; neither was guile found in his mouth." And thus, " As by man came death, so by man came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ shall all be made alive."

that every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord."

142. Thus God, we see, designed his Son Christ Jesus a kingdom,-an everlasting kingdom in heaven. But "though as in Adam all die, so in Christ shall all be made alive ;" and all men shall return to life again at the last day; yet all men having sinned, and thereby "come short of the glory of God," as St. Paul assures us; (that is, not attaining to the heavenly kingdom of the Messiah, which is often called the "glory of God;" as may be seen, Rom. v. 2, and xv. 7, and ii. 7; Matt. xvi. 27; Mark viii. 38; for no one who is unrighteous, that is, comes short of perfect righteousness, shall be admitted into the eternal life of that kingdom; as is declared, 1 Cor. vi. 9: “The unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God) -and death, the wages of sin, being the portion of all those who had transgressed the righteous law of God, the Son of God would in vain have come into the world, to lay the foundations of a kingdom, and gather together a select people out of the world, if (they being found guilty at their appearance before the judgment-seat of the righteous Judge of all men at the last day) instead of entrance into eternal life in the kingdom he the just reward of sin, which every one of them had prepared for them, they should receive death, was guilty of. This second death would have left him no subjects; and instead of those ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands, there would not have been one left him to sing praises unto his name, saying, " Blessing, sitteth on the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and honor, and glory, and power, be unto him that and ever." God, therefore, out of his mercy to mankind, and for the erecting of the kingdom of his Son, and furnishing it with subjects out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and na141. For this laying down his life for others, tion, proposed to the children of men, that as our Saviour tells us, " Therefore does my Father many of them as would believe Jesus his Son love me, because I lay down my life that I might (whom he sent into the world) to be the Messiah, take it again." And this, his obedience and suf- the promised deliverer, and would receive him for fering, was rewarded with a kingdom, which he their king and ruler, should have all their past tells us, "his Father had appointed unto him;"sins, disobedience, and rebellion forgiven them; and which it is evident, out of the epistle to the Hebrews, he had a regard to in his sufferings:— Who, for the joy that was set before him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God."Which kingdom, given him upon this account of his obedience, suffering, and death, he himself takes notice of in these words: "Jesus lift up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee. As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. And this is life eternal, that they may know thee, the only true God, and Jesus the Messiah, whom thou hast sent. I have glorified thee on earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do." And St. Paul, in his epistle to the Philippians: "He humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name that is above every name: that at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow, of things in heaven and things in earth, and things under the earth: and

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and if for the future they lived in a sincere obedience to his law, to the utmost of their power, the sins of human frailty for the time to come, as well as all those of their past lives, should, for his Son's sake, because they gave themselves up to him to be his subjects, be forgiven them; and so their faith, which made them be baptized into his name, (that is, enrol themselves in the kingdom of Jesus the Messiah, and profess themselves his subjects, and consequently live by the laws of his kingdom) should be accounted to them for righte ousness: that is, should supply the defects of a scanty obedience in the sight of God; who counting this faith to them for righteousness, or complete obedience, did thus justify, or make them just, and thereby capable of eternal life.

143. Now, that this is the faith for which God, of his free grace, justifies sinful man, (for it is God alone that justifieth,) we have already showed, by observing through all the history of our Saviour and the apostles, recorded in the evangelists, and in the Acts, what he and his apostles preached and proposed to be believed. We shall show now, that besides believing him to be the Messiah their