in that meaning, in which they have been commonly taken and understood.

However, that I may attack the objection before us, in all its quarters, it shall be fuppofed for once, that there are grounds in fcripture, for this doctrine of merits and fatisfaction, in the vulgar apprehenfion of it admitting this, yet how is it to be inferred from it, that all are perish'd that were before Meffiah? Whoever believeth in me, it is faid, shall be faved, and whoever be lieveth not, fhall be damned. This declaration, I am inclin❜d to think, concerns chiefly, or only, those, who were eye-witneffes of the works of Jefus and his Apoftles; not all those, I hope, who came to the knowledge of them only by tradition, and who cannot be induced to think the relations, we have of them, authentic, but most certainly not those who never heard, and have never had opportunity of hearing of the name of Chrift.

But be this as it will; yet how, I fay, is it to be inferred from hence, that all before our Saviour are loft? Why thus, I prefume believing in Christ being the only thing that entitles men to falvation, they

who

who lived before him, as they could not poffibly believe on him, whom they knew not, fo could not be fharers in his merits: now, the contrary to all this, I think most evident; for, as no one can believe, what he has never heard any mention of, the not believing in the text cannot be extended to any, to whom Chrift was never preached it is not therefore fair to make fuch an inference, as in the objection, from these words, fince they are capable of a different meaning, and are only an abstract of Chrift's difcourse to his Apoftles, and, like all other paffages in the gofpel, ought to be interpreted from the whole tenor of it. As the former part of the verfe fuppofes Chrift to be preach'd, and believ'd and obey'd, and tells the confequence of fuch belief and obedience; fo the latter part fuppofes Chrift to be preach'd, and not believ'd, or rejected, and the confequence of that in like manner: What relation has this to nations, or people, that liv'd before Chrift was born? Or why muft an abfurd fenfe be put upon words, that are capable of a good one, unless it be to make the fcriptures appear ridiculous?

What

What would a fenfible Chinefe, or other Pagan, fay, if he were told, that God, the all-good and righteous GoD, had damn'd had confign'd to eternal mifery, unnumber'd nations and empires, millions on millions of men, for the tranfgreffion of another, and for crimes, which, through the neceffary corruption of their nature, they could not avoid; that he had damn'd the whole race of man

kind, for the firft four thoufand years of the world, only because they were fo unfortunate, as to be born within that period! It is not, I prefume, the determin'd opinion of thinking Chriftians, that all, who liv'd before Chrift, are perifh'd; but 'tis a moot or doubtful point with fome of the weaker part of them, who feem only to with kindly, and to speak good-natur'dly in the affair; their real judgment, their fears at least, are on the fide of damnation: if it were not fo, how came it, that a true answer has not been, commonly, given to this objection, this demand of Porphyry, For what reafon a merciful GOD could for fo many ages, from Adam to Mofes, and from Mofes to Chrift, fuffer whole nations to perish, through ignorance of his will and law; and why it

was

was necessary for Chrift to come fo late, and not before an innumerable multitude of men had been loft? I am surprised, that it has not been constantly, throughout fo many centuries, replied to him, that the fact, or notion, on which his objection is grounded, has no foundation in our religion.

The fufferings, and Paffion of Christ, and his propitiation for fin, and his being a facrifice, acceptable to God, are plainly allufions to the effects, which facrifices had in the Jewish law; not to every effect, but to some particular and eminent ones: and, as thofe, who did eat at GoD's table, that is, partook of his facrifices, were deem'd friends of GOD; so because we are reconcil'd to GOD, or made friends to him, by the death of Christ, he is look'd upon as a facrifice : but whatever is intended by fuch figurative expreffions, one thing is certain, that 'tis no where fuggefted, that the good and faithful endeavours of thofe, who liv'd before Chrift, were unacceptable to GOD, because they knew nothing of Chrift.

To conclude, I hope, I fhall not be thought to have had any design, in what has been faid, to derogate from the character

or

or perfon of our bleffed Saviour: all I contend for, and thus much, furely, fhould be granted, is, that fuch notions, as manifeftly impugn the justice and goodness of GOD, however they may have got admittance into fome weak men's heads, or may be countenanc'd from miftaken and mifunderstood paffages of the facred writings, yet if they are not plainly found there, and this agreeably to the whole tenor of the fcriptures, they ought to be difown'd and difcarded. Deifm, I am fatisfied, will not fare the better for this, nor Chriftianity the worse.