II.

exprefs and distinct in their explication of this S ER M.
doctrine, was because there never was any oc-
cafion for their being fo; till the time of So-
cinus the doctrine of Chrift's fatisfaction was
not openly and exprefly denied; there was
never before that any occafion of being fo
curious in it, and diftinguishing fo nicely,
till the Socinian hypothefis had fo perplexed
the chriftian faith, that there feemed to me
no clear way of extricating people fully out of
this labyrinth without this clew; by the help
of which I meet with not one rub in the way,
no difficulty but what admits of an easy fo-
lution, and no objections of the Socinians but
what it gives an eafy and fatisfactory answer
to; and this is a great prefumption that I am
in the right.

The only thing liable to exception in all I
have faid, is that affertion of a real, proper,
fupernatural efficacy which I attribute to the
blood of Chrift; but then the manner of it I
contend to be incomprehenfible. I oppofe
thofe words to that notion of the Socinians
which runs through all their writings on this
fubject, who affirm all the virtue and merit of
it to be only that of a meer condition. And
whofoever denies this real proper efficiency,
muft in the fame breath fay that it is only a
metaphorical efficiency, and then they and the
Socinians are very good friends; for if you
grant this efficacy to be figurative in any fenfe,
they are in with you immediately.

You

SERM.

II.

You will fay the church all along expreffed the power of Chrift's death by the words virtue and merit. Yes, and I hope it will do fo to the end of the world. And fo likewise do the Socinians exprefs it by the words virtue, merit, power, energy; but when they and we come to explain our felves we divide in this very point, whether that virtue, merit, energy, &c. be that of a meer condition whether it be real and proper. If they would allow this, we have no farther controversy with them, if they would not contradict themselves again in this, as they do on all other occafions.

; or

I have this fatisfaction however, that the whole objection amounts to this, viz. that whereas the Socinians attribute too little, I attribute too much to the blood of Chrift. muft own my opinion is, we can never attribute enough to it.

I

If any person doth not like the words efficacy, or efficiency, wherever he meets them let him leave them out, and put in the word virtue inftead of them, and that will anfwer all my purposes as well. And fo we are still agreed, and all that we both affirm is, that the virtue of it is real and proper, and the manner of it's operation fpiritual and incomprehenfible.

All that I contend for is, that there is fome divine fupernatural operation fignified by those expreffions which are made ufe of to reveal this mystery to us; and for any one to take

the

the words virtue and merit in that limited SER M. fense which this objection fuppofes, is to al- II. low the power of Chrift's blood only in refpect of God; whereas it is plain the Scripture speaks very much of the power of it in respect of men, nay, is much more frequent and exprefs in it than in the other. And God forbid we fhould not understand it so, and whofoever would go about to perfwade us out of this, would endeavour to rob us of a great part of our spiritual comfort and dependance.

As to my differing from those persons who have wrote fince Socinus in defence of this great doctrine of our religion, I have only this to fay, that I leave my manner of explaining this doctrine and managing this controversy to be valued according to the evidence it carries along with it, and let the thing speak for it

felf.

If those learned men who have wrote against the Socinians had confidered this doctrine as a mystery, and treated it as fuch, they would have performed what I have done much better. And I doubt not now the hint is given, to see this improved against all our modern errors beyond any thing I can or ought to pretend to.

SER.

SERMON III.

The true Chriftian Doctrine of the
Satisfaction of Chrift vindicated.

SERM.

III.

ACTS XX. 28.

To feed the Church of God, which he hath purchafed with his own blood.

T

HE whole verfe runs thus, Take beed therefore unto your felves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overfeers, &c. The argument here used to enforce this exhortation to the paftors of the church to take care of their flock is, because they are a purchase made by the blood of Chrift, who is God. And the text is fo plain and expreffive both of the divinity and fatisfaction of our Saviour, that it cannot be conceived how they could have been expreffed to more advantage in fo few words. The word in the Greek is, Jéos, the very name by which the eternal God is fignified, ποιμαινειν τὴν ἐκκλησίαν το θεοῦ, which he (i. e.) God hath purchased dia Tou Nou amatos, with his own proper blood. The evafion of the Socinians is that the blood of Chrift is called the blood of God, as Chrift himself

4

himself is God's; he was himself in the power S ER M. and at the command of God, and fo was his III. blood, and therefore it was the blood of God. If you urge that thus it could not be faid to be his proper blood, the answer is that proper fignifies no more than his own; and his own fignifies no more than what is in his poffeffion. No other answer in truth ought to be given to this, than that if it be fo, it is not in the power of language to express this doctrine to us upon fuppofition it were true; and that we never know when we understand any thing that is faid in fcripture. My defign is not to infift on the divinity of Christ here. Their evasion of the other thing contained in the words is much of the fame nature: It is true, fay they, he purchased or bought the church with his own blood, because by that he obtained power of delivering the church from punishment, and bringing them to heaven. If If you urge that according to themselves he bought that power at least; their perpetual answer is that he bought or purchased nothing properly, that it is nothing but a mere figurative way of fpeaking, and could never be applied to the blood of Chrift in any propriety of fpeech. Now upon this principle there is nothing in the Apostle's argument. they must look to the flock of Chrift Becaufe he hath obtained power to take care of them himself. This indeed is a very figurative way of perfuafion without a motive: But upon the true principle of the VOL. I. E christian