long by Chrift and his Apoftles, the Generality of them rejected Chrift and his Gofpel, with extreme Pertinacioufnefs of Spirit. They not only went on still in that Career of Corruption which had been increafing from the Time of the Maccabees; but Chrift's Coming, and his Doctrine and Miracles, and the Preaching of his Followers, and the glorious Things that attended the fame, were the Occafion, thro' their perverfe Mifimprovement, of an infinite increase of their Wickedness. They crucified the Lord of Glory, with the utmoit Malice and Cruelty, and perfecuted his Followers; they pleafed not God, and were contrary to all Men; and went on to grow worfe and worse, till they filled up the Measure of their Sin, and Wrath came upon them to the uttermoft; and they were deftroyed, and caft out of God's Sight, with unfpeakably greater Tokens of the divine Abhorrence and Indignation, than in the Days of Nebuchadnezzar. The bigger Part of the whole Nation were flain, and the reft were scattered abroad through the Earth, in the most abject and forlorn Circumftances. And in the fame Spirit of Unbelief and Malice against Chrift and the Gospel, and in their miferable difperfed Circumftances, do they remain to this Day.

And as to the Gentile Nations, though there was a glorious Succefs of the Gospel amongst them, in the Apostles Days; yet probably not one in ten of those that had the Gospel preached to them, embraced it. The Powers of the World were fet against it, and perfecuted it with infatiable Malignity. And among the Profeffors of Chriftianity, there presently appeared in many a Difpofition to Corruption, and to abufe the Gospel unto the Service of Pride and Licentioufnefs. And the Apoftles

Chap

. VIII

Apoftles in their Days foretold a grand Apoftacy of the Chriftian World, which fhould continue many Ages; and obferved, that there appeared a Difpofition to fuch an Apoftacy, among profeffing Chriftians, even in that Day. 2 Theff. ii. 7. And the greater Part of the Ages which have now elapfed, have been spent in the Duration of that grand and general Apoftacy, under which the Chriftian World, as it is called, has been tranfformed into that which has been vaftly more deformed, more difhonourable and hateful to God, and repugnant to true Virtue, than the State of the Heathen World before: Which is agreeable to the prophetical Defcriptions given of it by the Holy Spirit.

In thefe latter Ages of the Christian Church, God has raised up a Number of great and good Men, to bear Teftimony against the Corruptions of the Church of Rome, and by their Means introduced that Light into the World, by which, in a fhort Time, at least one Third Part of Europe was delivered from the more grofs Enormities of Antichrift: Which was attended at firft with a great Reformation, as to vital and practical Religion. But how is the Gold foon become dim! To what a Pafs are Things come in Proteftant Countries at this Day, and in our Nation in particular! To what a prodigious Height has a Deluge of Infidelity, Profanenefs, Luxury, Debauchery,' and Wickedness of every Kind, arisen! The poor favage Americans are mere Babes and Fools (if I may fo fpeak) as to Proficiency in Wickednefs, in Comparifon of Multitudes that the Chriftian World throngs with. Dr. T. himfelf, as was before obferved, reprefents, that the Generality of Chriftians have been the most wicked,

lewd, bloody, and treacherous of all Mankind; and fays, (Key, $388.) "The Wickedness of the "Chriftian World renders it fo much like the

Heathen, that the good Effects of our Change "to Chriftianity are but little feen."

And with refpect to the dreadful Corruption of the prefent Day, it is to be confidered, befides the Advantages already mentioned, that great Advances in Learning and philofophic Knowledge have been made in the prefent and paft Century, giving great Advantage for a proper and enlarged Exercife of our rational Powers, and for our feeing the bright Manifeftation of God's Perfections in his Works. And it is to be obferved, that the Means and Inducements to Virtue, which this Age enjoys, are in Addition to moft of those which were mentioned before, as given of old; and among other Things, in Addition to the fhortening of Man's Life to 70 or 80 Years, from near a Thousand. And with regard to this, I would obferve, that as the Cafe now is in Chriftendom, take one with another of them that ever come to Years of Discretion, their Life is not more than forty or forty-five Years; which is but about the twentieth Part of what it once was: And not fo much in great Cities, Places where Profanenefs, Senfuality, and Debauchery, commonly prevail to the greatest Degree.

Dr. T. (Key, § 1.) truly obferves, That God has from the Beginning exercised wonderful and infinite Wisdom, in the Methods he has, from Age to Age, made ufe of to oppofe Vice, cure Corruption, and promote Virtue in the World; and introduced feveral Schemes to that End. It is indeed remarkable, how many Schemes and Methods

Methods were tried of old, both before and after the Flood; how many were used in the Times of the Old Teftament, both with Jews and Heathens, and how ineffectual all these ancient Methods proved, for 4000 Years together, till God introduced that grand Difpenfation, for the redeeming Men from all Iniquity, and purifying them to himself, a People zealous of good Works; which the Scripture represents as the Subject of the Admiration of Angels. But even this has now fo long proved fo ineffectual, with refpect to the Generality, that Dr. T. thinks there is Need of a new Difpenfation; the prefent Light of the Gospel being infufficient for the full Reformation of the Chriftian World, by Reafon of its Corruptions: (Note on Rom. i. 27.) And yet all thefe Things, according to him, without any natural Biafs to the contrary; no Stream of natural Inclination or Propensity at all, to oppofe Inducements to Goodness; no native Oppofition of Heart, to withstand thofe gracious. Means, which God has ever ufed with Mankind, from the Beginning of the World to this Day; any more than there was in the Heart of Adam, the Moment God created him in perfect Innocence.

Surely Dr. T-r's Scheme is attended with ftrange Paradoxes. And that his mysterious Tenets may appear in a true Light, it must be obferved, at the fame Time while he supposes these Means, even the very greatest and beft of them, to have proved fo ineffectual, that Help from them, as to any general Reformation, is to be defpaired of; yet he maintains, that all Mankind, even the Heathen in all Parts of the World, yea, every fingle Person in it, (which must include every Indian in America, before the Eurapeans

I 2

came

came hither; and every Inhabitant of the unknown Parts of Africa and Terra Australis) has Ability, Light, and Means fufficient to do their whole Duty; yea, (as many Paffages in his Writings plainly suppose) to perform perfect Obedience to God's Law, without the least Degree of Vice or Iniquity *.

But I must not omit to obferve,-Dr. T. fuppofes, that the Reason why the Gospel-Difpenfation has been fo ineffectual, is, that it has been greatly misunderstood and perverted. In Key, $389, he fays, "Wrong Reprefentations of the "Scheme of the Gospel have greatly obfcured "the Glory of divine Grace, and contributed "much to the Corruption of its Profeffors.-Such "Doctrines have been almoft univerfally taught “and received, as quite fubvert it. Mistaken "Notions about Nature, Grace, Election and Reprobation, Juftification, Regeneration, Redemption, Calling, Adoption, &c. have quite "taken away the very Ground of the Chriftian "Life."

66

But how came the Gospel to be fo univerfally and exceedingly misunderstood? Is it becaufe it is in itself fo very dark and unintelligible, and not adapted to the Apprehenfion of the human Faculties? If fo, how is the Poffeffion of fuch an obfcure and unintelligible Thing, fo unfpeakable and glorious an Advantage?-Or is it because of the native Blindness, Corruption, and Superftition of Mankind? But this is giving up the Thing in Queftion, and allowing a great Depravity of Nature.And Dr. T. fpeaks of the Gofpel as far otherwife than dark and unintelligible

* See p. 259. 63, 64, 72. 5.

he