TIIE SACRIFICE OF CHRIST, AND TIE OPERATIONS OF THE SPIRIT, &c. Seer. I.The Introduction; or, Agrippa's Creed recited and opposed. Is there no other way to defend christianity, saith Paulinus to his friends, is there no other way to refute thecavils of the deist, but by yielding up the peculiar glories of the gospel ? Can it never be vindicated as divine, unless we reduce it almost to the meredictates of the light of nature, with Jesus Christ set at the bead of them only as agreat prophet t Many a doubter is not gone so far from christianity as to deny the facts on which our holy religion depends ; and they will allow that the christian religion in general is supported by these facts, which have been delivered down to us by a notorious and incontestable manner of evidence : But the special and important doctrines ofthis religion, such as the sacrifice ofChrist as a proper atonement for sin, and oar sanctification by the Holy Spirit, which are taught so fret quently and so expressly in the. new Testament, carry something in them so disgustful, not only to the relishof our modern infidels, in general, but also to the prejudices of some who profess chris- tianity, that they would fain evade these truths, and quit them- selves of them by such a construction as really destroys them. Agrippa is a christian of this stamp, a gentleman, as I am told, of no considerable estate ; but it is said, he makes a shining figure when lie appears in company. A few weeks ago I saw a scheme of his gospel, and was informed it is the general sense of many of his acquaintance both in town and country. I have the paper here, and the expresses his creed in the following words : " When the gentile nations had lost the knowledgeof the true God and his worship, and buried it under an immense load of superstitious follies ; when they had banished a great part or morality from their minds as well as their practice, the blessed God thought proper to send his own Son from heaven to restore it. When the Jews, who were a people favoured with many divine revelations, had turned their religion into superstition, by- resting upon the mere ceremonies of it with the neglect of moral virtues and inward piety, God determines this great reformer should be of their nation. When the whole world of mankind was grown thus horribly degenerate, it pleased God to send this
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