DISCOURSE XVI.

EPHESIANS ii. 18.

For through him we both have an access by one Spirit unto the Father.

THESE words, rightly understood, will give us a diftinct conception of the nature of the Chriftian religion, as it ftands diftinguished from all others, whether natural, or pretending to revelation. All religions pretend to give access to God, by instructing men in what manner to approach him by prayer and fupplication: how to please him, and obtain his favour and protection, by fuch works as each religion accounts to be holy and acceptable to God: and how to reconcile ourselves to him, after having offended him by our tranfgreffions, through forrow and repentance, or fuch other means as have been devised and inftituted as effectual to this end. But the access to God, which the Gospel opens to us, is to be had only under the guidance and direction of God's holy Spirit, and in the name, and through the mediation, of God's own Son. This accefs is the only one which the Chriftian religion knows any thing of; for we cannot come to God, but by

his holy Spirit, and through his Son: and this is what no other religion does or can pretend to.

The end of all religion is manifeftly this, to please God by serving him according to his will, in order to obtain of him happiness in this world and in the next for the belief that God is the governor of the world, and the giver of every good thing, is the foundation of all the religious worship and honour which are paid to him. All religions being thus far the same, they differ when they come to prescribe the method, and to appoint the proper means by which God is to be ferved and applied to.

Two things there are, which must neceffarily be regarded in the choice and appointment of these means; the holiness and majefty of God, and the nature and condition of man: for unless the means prescribed are fuch as are suitable to the holiness and majefty of God, he can never be pleased by them; for whatever is contrary to his holiness, or injurious to his majesty, must ever be an abomination to him. On the other hand, the means of religion muft likewise be adapted to the ufe of man, muft be fuch as he can practife, and fuch as, his prefent condition confidered, will enable him to serve God acceptably; for without this, how proper foever the means may be in themselves, yet they can be of no use or service to him.

If we examine all the schemes of religion which either prevail in those parts of the world where the Gospel is unknown, or which are set up in oppofition to the Gospel where it is known, we fhall find that they split upon one or other of thefe rocks. The Gentile religion is inconfiftent with the holi

nefs of God, as mixing impure rites and ceremonies with its worship, and allowing the practice of fuch vices as even nature abhors: it is injurious likewise to his majesty, as dividing the honour, which is due to him alone, among the creatures; teaching men to pay religious worship to those who by nature are not gods. On the other fide, natural religion, which seems to be the most growing scheme, and is fet up in oppofition to the Gofpel, taking its rife from the purity and holiness of God's nature, and the effential difference of good and evil, prescribes a worship pure and holy; but it prescribes it to men who have loft their purity and holiness, and are no longer able to perform the rigorous conditions: it requires brick without allowing straw; exacting of men, in their prefent degenerate ftate, the purity and holiness of uncorrupted reafon and nature: it affords no strength or affiftance to men, to fecure against fin; and when they have finned, it cannot give them any certain affurance of pardon and forgiveness: fo that men, not being able to perform its conditions, and having no fecurity of the mercy of God without performing them, can have no fettled peace or fatisfaction in it.

From these two confiderations plainly appears the deplorable condition of mankind without the interpofition of God by a new revelation of himself to the world: for, after the utmost efforts that you can make to frame a religion in all refpects proper, you will still find that it will be defective in one or other of these respects. If you require fuch degrees of holiness from men, as may render their fervice acceptable to the holy God, you will require what

they cannot perform; and thereby preclude them of any access to him: or, if you confult the present powers of men, and require no more righteousness, than they by their strength can arrive at; if you indulge the paffions which you cannot correct, if you allow the vices you cannot reform, if you tolerate the infirmities which you cannot remove: by thus adapting religion to the condition of men, you will render it too impure to be accepted by God, who is of purer eyes than to behold iniquity; and the

communication between heaven and earth will ftill be fhut up against all fuch who hold the truth in unrighteousness.

The Chriftian religion alone has effectually provided against both these cafes: it requires a worship spiritual, pure, and holy; its laws are just and righteous, but abate nothing of the strictest rules of reafon and morality; it exacts from us not only an outward obedience and conformity in our actions, but it fearcheth the very heart and reins, and requireth truth in the inward parts; it restrains every diffolute thought of our minds, and every inordinate defire of our hearts. On the other fide, that the gracious purposes of God may not be defeated by the weakness and infirmity of men, it has provided proper remedies for every want: it has brought down from heaven the pardon of God to all the fins of men, which was fealed with the blood of its great author, the ever-bleffed Son of God: it has reconciled us to our offended Father, and conferred on us anew the spirit of adoption: it has put us under the direction of the Holy Spirit, who is our fellow-labourer in the work of God, and who so ef

fectually helpeth our infirmities, that when we are weak, then are we ftrong; who is our stay in profperity, and our fupport in adverfity, and the undivided companion of our spiritual warfare, leading us through Chrift to God, who is the end of all our hopes. And, as it has thus ftrengthened and enabled us to draw near to God, fo has it likewise as effectually fecured our access to him, through Christ, who fitteth at the right hand of God, to make continual interceffion for us; to offer up, and by himself to perfect, all our prayers and praises, before the throne of God; to fupply all our wants, to confirm our faith, to strengthen our virtue, and to make our repentance available to the remiffion of our fins; and, at the last, if we perform the conditions on our part, to receive us into the kingdom of his Father for ever.

The ufe I would make of the text, and of what has been already difcourfed on it, is to obferve to you,

First, that these means of falvation, which the Christian religion has provided, were neceffary to the life of the world, the state and condition of man confidered.

Secondly, that these means being neceffary, it was likewife neceffary to reveal to mankind the doctrine concerning the Son and the Holy Spirit; and that the belief of thefe doctrines is neceffary to every Christian, as far as the right ufe of the means depends upon the right faith and belief of the doctrines for, as the Apoftle to the Hebrews tells us, that whoever comes to God, muft believe that he is; fo likewife, whoever comes to God through Chrift, in