Section 1

THE Word, Gospel, is used in more Senses than one. Sometimes it signifies the History of the Life and Doctrine, the Death and Resurrection of Christ. So Mark 1:1. The Beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ the Son of God. And so it is used in common Speech, when we call the Writings of the four Evangelists the four Gospels. But in the most proper and usual Sense of it in Scripture, it signifies a Discovery of Divine Mercy, through a Mediator, to Mankind fallen into Sin and Misery; therefore in Greek it is called Evaggelion, or Glad Tidings.

The English Name indeed, as derived from its Saxon Original, signifies only the Word of God: Yet it is now peculiarly applied to the Word of his Grace, which reveals Salvation to sinful and miserable Man, and therefore it is often called the Covenant of Grace.

This Salvation is made up of many Benefits or Blessings, Part of which are bestowed in this World, and the rest in the World that is to come. The Revelation of these Benefits, and of the Foundation on which they stand, and of the Way whereby we come to be Partakers of them, is the Matter, Sum and Substance of the Gospel, in its most general Notion among Christians.

This Gospel was not revealed all at once in its full Glory to Mankind. There have been several Editions of it, or gradual Discoveries of this Grace in all the former Ages of the World.

As soon as ever Adam had sinned, and ruined himself and his Posterity too, by laying the Foundation of their Sin and Misery, it pleased God to publish this Gospel by the Promise of a Saviour, when he told our Mother Eve, that her Seed should bruise the Head of the Serpent that had deceived her, Genesis 3:15. This, by our Divines, is usually called the first Gospel; for, in the modern Language of the New Testament it signifies, that Jesus Christ should come into this World to destroy the Works of the Devil, 1 John 3:8.

Doubtless Noah, the second Father of Mankind, had some further Discoveries made to him, when the Rainbow was appointed as the Seal of a gracious Covenant betwixt God and Man: For the very Promise of the Continuance of the comfortable Seasons of the Year, being given to Man in a Way of Mercy, do imply that God would not be irreconcilable to his fallen Creatures. Nor can we reasonably suppose but that Adam and Noah, and all those most ancient Patriarchs, had larger Explications and Comments of the first Promise given them than Moses has recorded.

This Gospel was renewed by Revelations made to Abraham, when the Messiah, the Saviour, was promised to spring out of his Family; in your Seed shall all Nations of the Earth be blessed. Which Promise is expressly called the Gospel, Galatians 3:8. There was also a Type or Pattern of our Justification by Faith in the Way of the Gospel, when Abraham believed God in his Promises, and it was imputed to him for Righteousness, Romans 5:3.

Moses had a much larger Discovery of the Grace and Mercy of God toward sinful Man made to him, and to the Jews by him, than all the Patriarchs put together: And this was not only done in the Types, and Figures, and Ceremonies, not only in Altars, Sacrifices, Washings, Sprinklings, Purifications, and in their Redemption from Egypt, their miraculous Salvations in the Wilderness, and their safe Conduct to Canaan, the Land of promised Rest; but he had many literal and express Revelations of pardoning and sanctifying Grace, which are scattered up and down in the five Books which he wrote, and which he gave to the Children of Israel to direct their Religion. This is also called the Gospel, Hebrews 4:2. To them was the Gospel preached as well as unto us, as those Words ought to be translated. This same Gospel was afterward confirmed, illustrated and enlarged by succeeding Prophets in the several Ages of the Jewish Church.

But God, who at sundry Times and in diverse Manners spoke this Gospel to our Fathers by the Prophets, has in these later Days published the same to us in a brighter Manner, by his Son Jesus, the promised Saviour, Hebrews 1:1. And since the Death and Resurrection of Christ, the Apostles being sent by their exalted Lord, have given yet plainer and fuller Declarations of this Gospel to the Children of Men.

And upon this Account it is several Times called the Gospel of Christ, not only because the Offices and Grace of Christ run through the whole of it, but also because the clearest Discoveries of it are made to the World by Christ, and by his Messengers the Apostles.

Now, from this last and fullest Revelation of it in the New Testament, we may derive a fuller and more perfect Knowledge of the Gospel than all the former Ages could attain. Hereby we learn, that the Gospel is a Promise of Salvation from Sin and Hell, by the Death, Righteousness and Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, to every one that is sincerely willing to accept of it by coming to Christ, or trusting in him; and it includes also the promised Aid of the Holy Spirit to those who seek it, to enable them to receive this Salvation, and to fit them for the final Possession of the promised Glory. It includes also the Revelation of the future Resurrection, the last Judgment and eternal Life. To this End did the Son of God come into the World, that whosoever believes on him should not perish, but have everlasting Life, John 3:16.

This may be made out and explained more at large in the following Manner.

The Salvation which the Gospel proposes, is exactly answerable to our present State of Sin and Wretchedness, and fully supplies all the Necessities of fallen Man, his Guilt and deserved Misery, his sinful and corrupted Nature, and his utter Inability to help himself; and therefore it must contain in it Holiness and Happiness, with divine Directions and divine Aids in order to attain them. The Happiness of it is a Freedom from that Death and Punishment which we had incurred by Sin, and a Recovery to the Favour of God which we had lost, and everlasting Joy therein. The Holiness of it is the Image of God in which we were at first created, which Image was defaced and ruined by Man's first Transgression.

The Foundation of this Salvation is the eternal Mercy and Goodwill of God the Father, to his poor, perishing, sinful Creatures, by the glorious Undertaking and various Transactions and Offices of our Lord Jesus Christ as Mediator, and the several Operations of the Blessed Spirit.

This Salvation, in the whole of it, is contrived and appointed by the various Attributes of God, especially his Wisdom, Power and Goodness, exerting themselves for this Purpose: It is purchased or procured for us by the Death and Sufferings of Jesus Christ: It is applied to us by the Work of the Holy Spirit.

We are chosen to partake of all this Salvation, both the Holiness and Happiness of it, by the eternal Goodwill of the Father. We are recovered to the Favour of God, and Happiness, by the Obedience or Righteousness, the Death and Intercession of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the Son of God in our Nature. We are restored to the Image of God and Holiness by the Spirit of Christ, that is promised and sent down into this World, to change our Hearts and reform our Lives, and thereby fit us for the heavenly Happiness.

But what are we to do that we may become Partakers of this Salvation? For it is not every Son and Daughter of Adam who are Possessors of it. Now it is the Gospel that reveals this to us, and also directs us in it. The appointed Way to partake of this Salvation is by Believing or Trusting in Christ; that is, when from a deep Sense of the Evil of Sin, and our Guilt and Danger on that Account, we grow weary and heavy laden with the Burden of our Sins, and surrender or entrust ourselves to the Lord Jesus Christ, that by his Death and Obedience we may be saved from Hell, and be accepted unto eternal Life, and that by the divine Aid of his Spirit, we may have all the sinful Powers of our Natures renewed and sanctified, and fitted for that Life eternal which Christ has purchased. Thus you see this Grace of Faith necessarily draws along with it sincere Repentance for Sin, and Desires after true Holiness.

When we consider that we are by Nature afar off from God, ignorant and averse to all that is holy, we shall find that we are not more able to believe unto Salvation, nor to repent of Sin, at first, than we are to perform Works of Holiness afterwards. Therefore this Gospel provides us with divine Strength to fulfil these Duties; Christ is our Strength, as well as our Righteousness. He is exalted to bestow Repentance as well as Forgiveness; and Faith is the Gift of God, who creates us anew in Christ Jesus unto good Works, Isaiah 45, Acts 5, Ephesians 2, and makes us holy by his Spirit, as is before expressed. It is by the Holy Spirit considered eminently as the Spirit of Christ, that we are enabled to receive this Salvation at first, and trained up and prepared for the full Possession of it.

It is further also comprehended in this Gospel, and promised in this gracious Constitution of God, that when we have finished our State of Trial on Earth, our Souls shall be received at Death into the Presence and Enjoyment of God; and our Bodies also shall be raised from the Grave in the great Resurrection Day, and thus our whole Natures shall be made happy together to all Eternity.

This is the Matter and Subject of the gracious Revelation of God, this the Method of Salvation, and the Manner of our partaking of it, which is appointed by God himself, and this is what I call the Substance of the Gospel. There are some other Points of Importance that belong to it, but this is the Foundation of all, and comprehensive of the rest.

To sum up the several Parts of it in as few Words as I can, the Gospel of Christ is a gracious Constitution of God for the Recovery of sinful Man, by sending his own Son in the Flesh to obey his Law, which Man had broken, to make a proper Atonement for Sin by his Death, and to procure the Favour of God, and eternal Happiness for all that believe and repent and receive this offered Salvation, together with a Promise of the Holy Spirit to work this Faith and Repentance in the Hearts of Men, to renew their sinful Natures unto Holiness, to form them fit for this Happiness on Earth, and to bring them to the full Possession of it in Heaven.

All this is so evident from a Variety of Scriptures that might be cited here, that one would think there should be no need to prove it. But there have been some Persons in the last and in the present Age (I chiefly intend the Socinian Writers, and those nominal Christians who are leaning toward Deism) who would impoverish and curtail the Gospel of Christ, and make it to consist in little more than mere natural Religion. Some of these Persons just make a Shift to persuade themselves to believe the Bible, or at least they profess to believe it, because it is the Religion of their Country, but they explain it in so poor, so narrow, so dry, and insipid a Manner as raises it very little above the Light of Nature, namely, That if we follow the Dictates of our inward Reason and our Conscience, in worshipping God, and in loving our Neighbours, according to the Rules which Scripture hath given us to explain and confirm the Light of Nature, and herein imitate the holy Example of our Lord Jesus Christ, then our Sins shall be forgiven us by the mere Mercy of God, through the Supplication and Intercession of so good a Man as Jesus Christ, and we shall be accepted to eternal Life; and this without any Dependance on the Death of Christ as a proper Atonement or Satisfaction for Sin, or any Regard to him as a true and real Sacrifice. And as for the Spirit of God, and his Almighty Operation on the Souls of Men, to enlighten and sanctify them, at least in our Age, this is almost banished out of their Gospel, and finds but little room in their Religion.

I think it necessary therefore to prove, that the Gospel of Christ is such a Doctrine as I have described; and that I shall do by these five Reasons.