perfonal interference, by which he does any thing to reconcile us to God and fave us from his displeasure: yet it is a thing not to be doubted, but he that prays for, and in that fense of the word, intercedes for us, in the heavenly world where he now is. He that was fo true a friend, and loved us fo as to give up his life to promote our happiness, and whom we have a promise of being with hereafter for ever, cannot but be ardently interested for us, and at proper seafons offer up his prayer to God for his brethren of mankind.

But then there is no encouragement given in the fcriptures, for any particular dependence upon, or expectation from his prayers, any more than the jews might have upon thofe

By taking this language in the literal fenfe, many poffefs themselves with a notion, that Chrift is continually pleading for mankind before God; as if the almighty and merciful needed to be stunn'd as it were with repeated petitions, or Chrift had no other employment. But the real meaning of the expreffion, which is borrowed from human things, is to inform us, that by Chrift and his gofpel, his followers are as much affured of the favour of God for ever upon their forfaking their fins, as if they had the most powerful advocate in heaven perpetually pleading for them.

thofe of the prophet Elijah, who they knew would carry along with him his concern for them into the other world, into which he was taken up alive, as Christ

was.

Those however, who infist so much on the office and employment of Christ, in praying and interceding for mankind, do not confider, that it neceffarily implies his being a dependent creature. For it cannot, without impiety, be fuppofed, that God fhould pray for any thing, to any one. And

the doctrine of the two natures of Christ, of his being a mortal man, and also the eternal God, and of his praying, as man only, in his human nature, and therefore praying to himself in his divine nature, is a metaphyfical fubtlety, chimera, and contradiction, which rational beings should long ago have been afhamed of and abandoned.

You have now feen, that the Divine Being is always of himself difpofed to fhew mercy to his penitent creatures, that their repentance alone is fufficient to recommend them to his favour, without Chrift or any one interpofing in their behalf; and that the fcriptures

fcriptures are misinterpreted and mifreprefented when it is concluded that Chrift did any thing to reconcile God, or to make him more kindly difpofed to us, from his being therein stiled our high priest, advocate, interceffor, or a facrifice for fin: thefe being all of them figurative expreffions, aplied to Chrift, and alluding to religious. rites and ceremonies, to which the jews and other nations, to whom the facred writers addreffed themselves, had been accuftomed, and are to be explained in the manner you have feen.

SECTION XII.

The late Bp. Butler's great error, that repentance alone is not fufficient to obtain pardon of God, without the interpofition of Jefus Chrift. The melancholy defcription given by him of the divine government. The fources of his unhappy mistake. His mifreprefentations of the world we live in, and its inhabitants. God, and the world, men and their expectations hereafter, far better than his fyftem would make them.

THERE is an author of great and deferved respect,

refpect, • bishop Butler, whofe Analogy of religion, natural and revealed', was put into the hands of youth in the university, in my time, and I am told is ftill much read. The feriousness of his fpirit, and his deep concern for piety and virtue cannot be too much. commended, and I profefs myself to owe many obligations to him on these accounts. But as he takes a direct contrary road to what we have seen the fcripture to point out, upon this fubject, and through ignorance, charges the divine administration over us with not being fo merciful and gracious as it really is, and fills the mind with dark fufpicions of the Divine Being himself being under fome ftrange conftraints; I hold it of confequence to point out to you his mistakes, left his authority fhould prejudice you against the truth.

P. 295. This author fays, Revelation teacheth us, that the rules of divine government are fuch as not to admit of pardon, immediately, and directly upon repentance, or by the fole efficacy of it. And a little after he adds, p. 296. Christ • interpofed

6

interpofed in fuch a manner, as was necef

fary and effectual to prevent that execution of juftice upon finners, which God had appointed should otherwife have been exe'cuted upon them; or in fuch a manner, as to prevent that punishment from actually following, which, according to the general laws of divine government, must ' have followed the fins of the world, had it not been for fuch an interpofition.'

REMAR K ́S.

1. It is allowed, that repentance will not prevent present sufferings in confequence of paft fins; it will not secure a man from the diseases confequent upon venereal exceffes, for inftance, or immoderate drinking. But what ground has our author to conclude, that it will not fecure the man from future fufferings. Surely the conclufion ought to have been quite the contrary; that fince the fufferings had accomplished the end defigned by them, in making the man ceafe from vice and become virtuous, therefore they would not continue in the next flate, be

caufe