we must be saved *."

I can discover here, also,

no other doctrines but the unity of God, the humanity

of

"Did

[* Mr Fuller has, here, the following animadversions. "Peter," he asks, " speak as would a modern Unitarian,' when "he said to his countrymen, Neither is there salvation in any other: "for there is none other name under heaven given amongst men, "whereby we must be saved ?' such language, I fear, is seldom, if

ever, used in their pulpits. It is such, however, as I have never "met with in their writings. On the contrary, one of their "principal writers endeavours to explain it away, or to prove that "it is not meant of salvation to eternal life, but of deliverance "from bodily diseases(1).”—Dr. Priestley is not alone or singular in this interpretation of the passage: nor is the meaning which he affixes to it peculiar to Unitarians. For while Erasmus, Beza, du Veil, Doddridge, Limborch and l'Enfant understand Peter, as speaking of spiritual salvation, so do some Unitarians. Wissovatius, a Pole, thus glosses the words. "Non per Mosem, Patriarchas, &c. To le "saved means to be delivered from our sins, from the guilt and pun"ishment of them, i. e. from eternal death; and perfect, eternal "deliverance from sin is to be had by Jesus Christ only, not by "Moses, the Patriarchs, Prophets, and Priests (2)." Mr. Haynes, likewise, explains the word spiritual salvation: and expresses his sense of the passage thus: "There is no other or different way of salvation than what Christ taught, nor any different "Teacher. The way of Salvation is but one and a different "Teacher must be a false Teacher (3)." Dr. Chandler, whom it may be supposed Mr. Fuller will not class with Calvinists and Trinitarians, in a copious and animated strain, pursues this sense

[(1) Dr. Priestley's Familiar Letters, No. 14.]

[(2) Wolzogenii Opera, tom. ii. in loc.]

[(3) "Scripture Account of the Attributes and Worship of God "and of the Character and Offices of Christ," ch. 24.]

of

of Christ, his resurrection from the dead, and salvation through him. Peter speaks as would an Unitarian. He

of the place through a whole sermon on the words(1). Socinus and Crellius, also, explain them, exclusively of spiritual and eternal salvation. Whereas Cornelius a Lapide, as quoted by Pool, applies them to both spiritual and bodily healing. The learned Dr. Whitby, while he embraced the orthodox faith concerning the doctrine of the Trinity, took great pains to prove that the word ownval, to be saved, here signified healing, and argued it from the connection and many texts, especially in the evangelists. And more lately, Bp. Pearce asserts that the salvation meant here is a temporal one, and thus interprets the words: "Neither is there cure by any other name:" so the Exorcists seem to have thought in ch. xix. 13. The fact is, that neither the one sense nor the other is necessarily connected with any peculiar opinions concerning the nature of Christ and the influence of his death. The question, with candid critics, is, whether the important truth, that Christ is the only name whereby we can attain to eternal salvation, is to be deduced from THIS text. That it is the doctrine of OTHER texts, or that Jesus Christ is "the only "Mediator between God and Man," modern Unitarians, Mr. Fuller is to be informed, admit with a firm faith and lively gratitude. Dr. Priestley, who endeavours to prove that deliverance from bodily. diseases is meant in the text, has clearly and strongly expressed himself on this point, adopting the words of Bp. Hurd; “That it "pleased God to give us eternal life only in his Son, and in his "Son only as living and dying for us, I readily admit. This is "certainly the doctrine of the New Testament (2)."—A late learned author, in the Arian scheme, supposeth that the apostle, from the particular instance of a bodily deliverance before his eyes, raised his thoughts to a nobler salvation: yet he shows, with much judg

[(1)

"Posthumous Sermons," vol. iv. No. 10.]

[(2) "History of the Corruptions of Christianity," vol. ii, p. 486.]

ment

He and John were dismissed with a strict charge, not to speak at all, nor to teach in the name of Jesus. On being dismissed, they went to their company and reported all the chief priests and elders had said unto them, on which they all, with one accord, lift up their voices in an act of devotion, addressing Jehovah as one person, saying:-"THOU art GOD "who hast make heaven and earth, and the sea, and "all that in them is; who by the mouth of THY "servant, David, didst say, why did the heathen 66 rage, &c. for of a truth against thy holy child "(or servant) Jesus whom THOU hast anointed, "both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, " and the people of Israel gathered together; and now, Lord, grant unto thy servants that with all boldness they may speak thy word; and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of "THY holy child (servant) Jesus." The historian informs us that upon this, " all were filled with the

66

holy spirit, and spake the word of God with bold"ness." I pursue the history to learn what was the word which they preached, and I am told, y. 33, that," with great power gave the apostles witness "of the resurrection of Jesus, and great grace was

ment, that the words understood of a temporal salvation contain a pertinent and interesting meaning, and form an appeal on the excellence of Christ's character and truth of his mission (1).]

[(1) Bulkley's "Sermons on the Parables and Miracles," vol iv. p. 257-264.]

66 upon

εν

upon them all." [The preaching of the apostles was very successful, though the doctrine which they inculcated was plain and simple: consisting not in abstruse speculations, but in incontestible facts. Other principles, besides what they expressly advanced, might be "influential in the conversions of those "early times." The minds of the Jews, it is not to be denied, were in a state to receive the impressions produced by the doctrine, which the apostles taught. They already admitted the first principles of religion, such as the being of God, the excellence and purity of his moral government, and the divine origin of the Mosaic dispensation. Manure cast on the ground has an influence on a future harvest: but it is from sowing the seed the harvest im

1

[* "To suppose that the principles which are particularly spe"cified in the history of the Acts were the only ones which were "influential in the conversions of those times, would be to exclude,

86

not only those doctrines which are commonly called Calvinistic, "but various others which are allowed on all hands to be the first principles of religion; such as the being of a God, the excellency and purity of his moral government, the divine origin of "the Old Testament, &c. The Apostles, in preaching to the Jews, "did not assert these principles, but they supposed them. It were "unreasonable to expect they should have done otherwise, seeing "these were principles which their hearers professedly admitted : "and undoubtedly had an influence in their conversion by pres paring and disposing their minds for the reception of those "truths; on the hearing of which the change of heart and character immediately depended." Fuller's "Socinianism Indefensible,"

P. 44.]

mediately

mediately arises and on the nature of the seed sown ·· does that of the harvest depend. The effect of the apostles' preaching is properly and peculiarly ascribed, not to the principles already admitted, which prepared the minds of men for further discoveries, for new truths, but to those truths themselves; to those truths, which were appropriate to the occasion and accompanied, v. 33, "with great power;" with a divine and commanding evidence; or to the seed sown. This consisted in the principles specified in the preceding passages.] Here is no mention of any other doctrines but those fundamental principles, which Unitarians hold. All corresponds with their ideas of the primitive christian doctrine There is not a hint of those principles, which you conceive so essentially necessary to the conversion of the sinner..

The boldness with which, in contradiction to the order of their superiors, these holy men resumed their province of preaching Christ, did not go long unobserved. In the next chapter I find them imprisoned: and, by a miraculous power being delivered from their confinement, again preaching in the temple, and again summoned before the council, defending their conduct and stating their doctrine. My attention is again awakened to the truths they deliver. I ask, whether they be different from those plain, but divine, principles I have before heard from their lips? I ask, whether they now begin, after

this