Orthodoxy and Charity United, Half title – Table of contents
Dr. Watts ON Orthodoxy and Charity In ſeveral Reconciling Eſſays.
Books Sold by Rogers and Fowle.
Mall's Hiſtory of the Martyrs, or the Sufferers Mirrour.
Colman's Practical Diſcourſes on the Parable of the Ten Virgins.
Colman's Life and Character.
Shepard's Meditations and Experiences, Select Caſes reſolv'd, &c.
Watts's Catechiſms and Prayers: Or, ſome Helps to Religion.
Mrs. Row's Life, and Letters from the Dead to the Living.
Watts's Sermons on various Subjects Divine and Moral.
Barnard on the Imperfection of the Creature.
A Preſent for an Apprentice. By a late Lord Mayor of London.
Preſent for a Servant Maid, with Directions for dreſſing Victuals.
Douglaſs's Summary Hiſtorical and Political of North America.
Watts's Diſcourſes on the World to come:
Watts's Lyrick Poems, Sacred to Devotion, &c.
Beach's Reply to Dickinſon's Second Vindication of Free Grace.
Remarks upon Mr. Mills's Vindication of Goſpel-Truth, &c.
Johnſon's New Syſtem of Morality.
Johnſon Of loving and delighting in the Public Worſhip of God.
Hooper On the Truth & Reaſonableneſs of the Chriſtian Religion.
Chauncy On the various Gifts of Miniſters.
Wetmore's Vindication of the Profeſſors of the Church of England.
The Art of Preaching, in Imitation of Horace's Art of Poetry.
Breck On the Duty of Miniſters to exhort to Good Works.
Foſter's Account of the Behaviour of the Earl of Kilmarnock.
Account of the Apparition of the Earl of Kilmarnock to Foſter.
Mather's Two Witneſſes to produce a well eſtabliſh'd Aſſurance.
Willard's Peril of the Times diſplay'd.
Watt's on Prayer.
Guthery's Trial of a ſaving Intereſt in Chriſt.
Fox on Time.
Dickinſon's Second Vindication of Sovereign Free Grace.
Mills's Vindication of Goſpel Truth, and Refutation of Errors.
The Diſſenting Gentleman's Anſwer to White's Three Letters.
Croſwell's Defence of the Doctrine of Juſtifying Faith.
William's Anſwer to Croſwell on Juſtifying Faith.
Croſwell's ſecond Defence of Juſtifying Faith.
Bunyan's Grace abounding.
The Engliſhman directed in the Choice of his Religion.
Remarkable Paſſages in the Life of Col. Gardiner.
Orthodoxy and Charity united: In ſeveral Reconciling ESSAYS ON THE Law and Goſpel, Faith and Works; VIZ.
ESSAY I. The Subſtance or Matter of the Goſpel.
II. The Form of the Goſpel.
III. The Uſe of the Law under the Goſpel.
IV. Miſtaken Ways of coming to God without Chriſt.
V. A plain and eaſy Account of Saving Faith, or coming to God by Jeſus Chriſt.
VI. A Reconciling Thought on various Controverſies about Faith and Salvation.
VII. Againſt Uncharitableneſs.
VIII. The Difficulties in Scripture, and the different Opinions of Chriſtians.
IX. An Apology for Chriſtians of different Sentiments.
Speaking the Truth in Love. Eph. iv. 15.
The Second Edition.
BOSTON, N. E. Re printed and Sold by ROGERS and FOWLE in Queen-ſtreet. MDCCXLIX.
THE PREFACE.
ALMOST every one of theſe Eſſays was written above twenty Years ago, and ſome of them more than thirty. The Author finds Reaſon to offer his ſincere Acknowledgments and Thanks to Almighty God, who has preſerved him, even to this Day, in the ſame Sentiments and Principles of Chriſtian Faith and Love, amidſt the numerous Follies and Errors of the Times.
One of theſe Papers indeed, found its way into the World the very Year in which it was written; the very Deſign of it was to exemplify the Title of this Book, and it has been often ſince ſollicited to be printed again: But it was delay'd for many Years, till the Author had formed a Collection of Papers of this Sort large enough to compoſe a moderate Volume; and the Reader will be ſufficiently informed of the preſent Reaſon of this Publication, by a mere explaining of the Words of the Title, Orthodoxy and Charity united.
By the Word Orthodoxy, the Author means all thoſe Chriſtian Doctrines which were generally approved in the laſt Age, ſo far as he knows at leaſt, by almoſt all the Proteſtant Diſſenters in the Nation; even thoſe great Doctrines on which the Reformation from the Church of Rome was built; and they continued ſo all the time theſe Eſſays were writing, and long before, in the general good Eſteem of the Churches, as being conformable to the Inſ…uctions of Chriſt and his Apoſtles. It is needleſs in this Place to reckon them all up particularly, but in general they were ſuch as theſe.
1. By the Fall of the firſt Man, he, together with his Poſterity, loſt their Innocence and their Immortality, their Bodies were ſubjected to Diſeaſes and Death, their natural Inclinations were perverted from that which is good, and there was a ſtrange prevailing Biaſs in human Nature, even from its Infancy, to that which in Evil.
2. In order to their Recovery from this Ruin, there is not only a Neceſſity of the Pardon of their Sins, and Reconciliation of their Perſons to God, but there is need alſo that their ſinful Natures be healed, and renewed by ſanctifying Grace, in order to reſtore Men to Virtue and Piety, i. e. to the Love of God and their Fellow-Creatures.
3. The Son of God, who in the Language of Scripture is one with the Father, came down from Heaven to take Fleſh, and therein to fulfil the Duties of the Law, and give an Example of perfect Holineſs: And then he was appointed to ſuffer Death as a Sacrifice and Atonement for the Sins of Men, that Mankind might thereby obtain Pardon and the Favour of God.
4. There is a Neceſſity alſo that Sinners ſhould heartily repent of their Sins, return to God, and be renew'd to the Principles and Temper of Holineſs, in order to their complete Recovery to Eternal Life and Happineſs.
5. Beſides this Repentance and Returning to God, it is alſo required that they believe in the Name of Jeſus Chriſt their Saviour, or truſt in him with a humble Expectation of the Favour of God through him: And 'tis through this Faith they are to be juſtified and accepted of God.
6. They are alſo obliged to obey the Law of God, as far as this feeble and Imperfect State admits of, during their whole Life, and ſtill to grow up towards Perfection therein.
7. When ſuch Perſons die, their Souls are convey'd to a State of Peace and Reſt in the Preſence of God, till the great Day of the Reſurrection, when their Bodies ſhall riſe again from the Dead, and the whole Perſon, Body and Soul, be made happy for ever in the Favour and Preſence of God their Maker.
Theſe Doctrines were generally profeſs'd at the time of the Reformation, by Proteſtants abroad and at home, and theſe are the Sett of Principles which have been uſually called Orthodoxy or right Sentiments.
Now it has unhappily fallen out, that many of thoſe who have received and profeſs'd theſe important Doctrines, have differ'd alſo in many leſſer Points, ſuch as the Logical Relations of ſome of theſe Doctrines to one another, that is, Whether Faith or Works be Conditions or Conſequents of their Juſtification and Acceptance; what is the eſſential Difference between the Covenant of Works and the Covenant of Grace, or the Law and the Goſpel, &c. as well as in ſeveral particular Practices of divine Worſhip, ſuch as Ceremonies, Veſtures, impoſed Forms of Prayer, &c. and they have ſo far quarrelled about theſe Things as too much to neglect and abandon that Chriſtian Love and Charity they ought to have maintained, according to their general Acknowledgement of the great and neceſſary Truths and Rules of Chriſtianity, and hereby they have in many Inſtances loſt that Duty and Character of good Chriſtians, (viz.) to Love one another.
Now ſince theſe unhappy and uncharitable Practices, even amongſt ſome good Men, have prevail'd even to this Day, it is the Deſign of theſe Eſſays to endeavour the Recovery of theſe Perſons, who unite in theſe Principles, to charitable Sentiments and Practices towards one another.
Here it will be very natural to enquire, Where is there found amongſt all theſe Eſſays, any Attempt to reconcile thoſe to the Chriſtian Love and Charity of others, who while they profeſs the Chriſtian Religion, yet oppoſe, renounce or deny the great Doctrines of the atoning Sacrifice of Chriſt, or his Propitiation for Sin by his Death?
All the Anſwer that can be given is this: The Author would gladly have done it, that the whole Book might be of a Piece, and every Page might overflow with Love, if he could, after the turning over his New Teſtament, have met with any evident Inſtances, or Examples, any plain Rules or Requirements of ſuch Chriſtian Charity expreſſed towards Perſons of this Character in all the ſacred Writings.
But the Language of Scripture gives no Encouragement to ſuch a Charity; for this Doctrine is not any where number'd among the doubtful Diſputables of our Religion, the leſſer Things of Chriſtianity, ſuch as Meats and Drinks, and Obſervation of Days, and outward Forms of Worſhip; but it is ſpoken of as a matter of far higher Importance, and I think ſeems to be neceſſary to conſtitute Chriſtianity itſelf.
This Doctrine contains in it the higheſt and the kindeſt Deſign toward Men, for which our bleſſed Saviour came down from Heaven; 'twas for this very Reaſon he came into this World, (viz.) to give his Life a Ranſom for Sinners, Matth. xx. 28. and 'tis repeated in Mark x. 45. So that thoſe who depart from and renounce this Article, renounce the kindeſt Deſign of the Coming and the Death of Chriſt, and they ſeem, by the Words of the holy Writings, to be expoſed to another ſort of Sentence, from which may the Grace of God recover and preſerve them!
In the mean time, I hope thoſe who heartily unite in their Sentiments of theſe great Doctrines which I have mentioned, and maintain a correſpondent Practice of ſtrict Holineſs and Dependance upon Jeſus Chriſt our great High-Prieſt, and our Sacrifice, will be taught by ſome of theſe Papers, to learn the Duties of Chriſtian Love more perfectly, agreeable to the original Deſign of the holy Founder of our Religion.
It ſhould be obſerved here, that though the chief part of theſe Eſſays were written at the time which is mention'd, yet there happen to be now and then a few Lines or Pages, and ſome few Citations from elder or later Authors, which were not all written or inſerted at that time.
Let it be obſerved alſo, that all the Characters here mentioned are general and indefinite; and there is not one Character or Name, that is now written in theſe Papers, or ever was, that was deſign'd to be apply'd to any particular Perſon: For the Author avoided it with Care in all theſe Writings, and in all his Reviews of them, that no ſingle Perſon whatſoever ſhould be ſo particularly deſcribed, as to imagine himſelf to be intended, and much leſs to be diſtinguiſhed by any Reader. May the divine Bleſſing attend every humble Attempt to eſtabliſh the Chriſtian Faith, and to confirm and enlarge our Love. Amen.
THE CONTENTS.
ESSAY I.
THE Subſtance or Matter of the Goſpel. Page 1
Sect. 1. The Senſe of the Word Goſpel. Page 1
Sect. 2. The Subſtance of the Goſpel argued and proved. Page 8
Sect. 3. Anſwers to Objections. Page 20
ESSAY II.
The Form of the Goſpel. Page 25
Sect. 1. Is the Goſpel a Conditional Promiſe? Page 25
Sect. 2. Is the Goſpel a New Law? Page 32
Sect. 3. Objections anſwer'd. Page 44
Sect. 4. Reconciling Sentiments. Page 52
Sect. 5. Advices or Requeſts. Page 65
ESSAY III.
The True Uſe of the Moral Law under the Goſpel, from Matt. xix. 17. Page 73
Sect. 1. The Introduction. Page 73
Sect. 2. The Senſe of Chriſt's Anſwer to the Inquirer. Page 80
Sect 3. An Anſwer to ſome Objections. Page 90
Sect. 4. Of what Uſe is it to keep the Law? Page 103
Sect. 5. Reflections drawn from th… Diſcourſe. Page 111
ESSAY IV. The Miſtaken Ways of coming to God without Chriſt, from John xiv. 6. Page 125
ESSAY V. A plain and eaſy Account of a Sinner's coming to God by Jeſus Chriſt, from John xiv. 6. Page 140
ESSAY VI.
A View of the Manifold Salvation of Man by Jeſus Chriſt, repreſented in order to reconcile Chriſtians of different Sentiments. Page 166
Sect. 1. The Characters of Chriſt as our Deliverer from the Sinfulneſs of our Natures. Page 167
Sect. 2. The Characters of Chriſt as our Deliverer from the Guilt and Puniſhment of Sin. Page 169
Sect. 3. The Reaſons why Chriſt and his Salvation may be repreſented to us under theſe various Characters. Page 179
Sect. 4. The Difficulties which are relieved by this various Repreſentation of the Salvation of Chriſt. Page 183
ESSAY VII.
Againſt Uncharitableneſs. Page 192
Sect. 1. The Cauſes of Uncharitableneſs. Page 194
Sect. 2. An occaſional Vindication of the Apoſtles from the Charge of Uncharitableneſs. Page 214
Sect. 3. The miſchievous Effects of Uncharitableneſs. Page 219
Appendix to the firſt Edition. Page 235
ESSAY VIII.
Of the Difficulties of Scripture, and different Opinions in Things leſs neceſſary. Page 239
Sect. 1. A ſhort Account of theſe Difficulties. Page 239
Sect. 2. An Inſurrection of contending Chriſtians. Page 253
Sect. 3. Some Reaſons why theſe Differences are permitted to ariſe among Chriſtians. Page 260
ESSAY IX. An Apology for Chriſtians of different Sentiments. In a Letter to a Friend. Page 270