Of the promulgation of Christianity. The establishment of churches, particularly of the church of Rome: containing the most remarkable transactions of that church, and the variations in the constitution, doctrine, worShip, and ceremonies thereof, for seventeen centuries..

CENTURY THE FIRST.

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HEN man was funk into ignorance and superftition, and there were scarce any mains of the uncorrupt religion of nature; when the powers of reason and philosophy were either not employed, or their efforts proved ineffectual to recover mankind to the knowledge of the one true God, the maker and governor of the universe, and to give them just and worthy notions of his perfections and providence, and the worship due to him. To restore religion to its native purity and luftre; to fettle morality and the social virtues upon their true and native foundation, and to give divine laws a proper sanction

and influence, the supreme God and Father of all, Vol. I. Numb. I. who,

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who, at sundry times, and by divers methods of divine revelation, spake unto the fathers by the mouth of his holy prophets, did, in the fulness of time, and in the riches of his grace, speak unto us with peculiar authority and excellence by his own Son.

an

This great event was predicted by many ancient prophecies, and ushered in with seraphic joy; angel proclaiming his advent with repeated Hallelujab! Glory to God in the highest! on earth, peace and good will towards men !

This event came to pass in the reign of the emperor Augustus, which, with the confequent fall of heathenith idolatry, and the conversion of the Gentiles by the preaching of the gospel, was as amazing a revolution as ever happened in the world, and is with propriety stiled the Christian Æra or Epocha.

When the kingdom of the Messiah approached, John the Baptift was appointed and sent by God, to preach and exhort his hearers to repentance, and to forsake every course of vice, and thereby to prepare their minds for the reception of that dispensation, and the fit fubjects of that kingdom, in which eternal and immutable righteousness should be chiefly and ultimately recommended.

And when, in divine wisdom, our Lord was baptised and entered on his public ministry, we find his doctrines fuitable to the dignity of his character and miffion, and to the excellent and important end of his coming; of which it may be necessary to give a general

account.

Jesus Chrift, the great author and founder of the Christian faith, not only explained and inculcated the great principles and duties of natural reliNatural re- gion, spiritual adoration, purity and inteligion. grity of heart, unblameableness of life and conversation: The effence of all which he declares to be love intensely towards God, and extensively towards men, included in living foberly, righteoufly, and godlily

*

godlily. But he lays open, by his public ministry, his divine character and miffion, confirmed by inconteftable proofs, in order to awaken the attention of mankind, and engage them upon a rational conviction to become his disciples and followers *; in order to which he taught and instructed his audience, what were the great principles and duties of his gofpel - repentance towards God, and Gospel docfaith in him, as the Son of God, and the only mediator between God and man-strictly enjoining an unfeigned, impartial, uniform, and perfevering obedience, an entire fubmiffion to his laws, as neceffary to constitute us christians, the subjects of his kingdom, and entitle us to the privileges and rewards promifed in his gospel. This is called, the doctrine according to godliness §.

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trines.

Jesus Christ having thus begun to establish his kingdom, and prescribe rules to his subjects and votaries, in order the better to answer the important purposes of religion, recommended, and enjoined, their uniting together in communities for public worship, and the increase of their knowledge and virtue. He likewife instituted two rites, commonly called Pofitive institutions, to be observed, viz. baptism Positive Inand the Lord's fupper; the former as a ftitutions. rite whereby they were publicly to profess their difcipleship to him ||; the latter, as a memorial of his deatht, which he was shortly to fubmit to, in obedience to the divine will, for their salvation; and that he should rife again as the pledge and affurance of the refurrection

* Rational Catechism, p. 59.

§ 1 Tim. vi. 3. See also Tillotson's Sermons, Locke's Reasonableness of Chriftianity, Lawrences's Christian Morals and Christian Prudence, Dr. Chandler's and Dr. Foster's Defence of the Christian Revelation.

|| See Fofter's Truth of the Christian Revelation, p. 310. Hoadly's Plain Account. Whitby's Paraphrafe on Rom. vi. 4.

† Lawrence's Christian Morals, vol. 1. Dr. Clark's Effay on Baptifm.

I Grotius' Annot. on Matt. xix. 14.

of all men, and of the infallible accomplishment of the promises of reward, or denunciation of future punishment, which were the sanction of his gospel ||.

It was Christ's appointment, that people should first be proselyted and gained to profess themselves his difciples; then to be admitted to outward communion; and then were further taught

Church members.

and required, to observe all things whatfoever he had commanded, these constituted the members of Chrift's church. And without a supplement to the New Testament, proof will be wanting, that Jefus Christ hath vested any with authority to alter or make void his original institution*.

And if we examine the writings of the New Testament, we shall find that one end and design of our Lord, in laying a foundation for those friendly focieties, was, that his disciples being united, and living under the power and influence of his gospel, might be

Nature and
design of the
Christian
Church.

actuated by a friendly and brotherly affection, to encourage, support and comfort each other under every difficulty, and, by a good example, to provoke one another to love and to good works.

Another valuable purpose intended to be answered hereby, was, that those societies might be lights to the world, become public examples of virtue, and thereby recommend the gospel to more general acceptance. Christian societies are intended to be like a city fet on a hill, that cannot be hid; that is, they are intended to be a collection of persons, who for their plainness and simplicity, their justice, honesty, and in. tegrity; their modesty, temperance, and fobriety; their peaceable, and quiet, their loving, friendly, and benevolent behaviour, may be an evidence of the blessed effects of the gospel of Chrift.

True Nature of faith in

Chrift.

This is indisputably evident from the general tenour of our Lord's discourse in his excellent fermon on the mount; and from thence we find what our Lord means, by believing in him; not a bare affent to the truth of this proposition, that Jesus is the Chrift; but he means by it, the attending to that message which he was sent to deliver to the world, and the conforming our minds and lives according to it: and having thus shewn what temper and behaviour his disciples and followers ought to put on, he represents to them the mighty consequence of such temper and actions. Mat. vii. 21, 22, 23. Not every one that faith unto me, Lord! Lord! shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but be that doth the will of my Father, which is in Heaven. And our Lord, ver. 24, 25, says, Therefore, whoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doth them, I will liken bim to a wise man who built his house upon a rock; hereby intimating, that it was the Christians best security in times of trial, not merely professing Christ, or giving him the highest appellation, nor even prophefying in his name, would recommend them to the rewards promised in his gospel, without a temper of mind and course of life conformable thereto.

To believe in, and submit to be governed by the laws of Chrift, are what denominate a Christian, and contract the relation betwixt him and them, and which constitute him the head, and they the members of his body; fo that Christians, as Christians, have no other head, that is, they have no other authoritative power or governor over them, but their one common head or governor, viz. Christ Jesus, our Lord; they have no other law, considered as christians, but the laws of Christ to direct their behaviour by.

Catholic Church

From hence we fee what is to be understood by the term universal or catholic church, viz. that it includes all those who, through- defined. out the face of the whole earth, profess faith in