4. That, in all our meetings, we fhall endeavour to avoid all idle and trifling converfation,-curious quef tions about matters of fmall moment, and not plainly revealed ;—alfo all difcourfes upon things of doubtful difputation, or affairs, in which the Society hath no immediate concern, Tit. iii. 9.

5. That in all our reasonings we shall guard against anger or contention, pofitiveness in our own opinions, and reflections on the fentiments of others. And if, at any time, heats or paffions be like to arife among the members, he, who laft officiated in worship, shall interpose, by defiring him whose turn it is, to pray, Jam. i. 19.

6. That we fhall carefully fhun every thing that favours of vain-glory;-not affuming fuperiority over our brethren; not undervaluing what was faid by any of them;-nor prefuming ever to interrupt others when fpeaking. And if any member fhall ufe expreffions, which feem to favour of error, he fhall be asked to explain his meaning, and, in the fpirit of meeknefs, defired to forbear fuch for the time to come, Phil. ii. 3.

7. If any of our number fall into fome crime, fuch as, drunkenness, profanation of God's name, &c. the meeting fhall appoint a member privately to admonish the offending brother.-If this hath not the defired effect, two fhall be appointed to fpeak with him.-If he tuill remains obftinate, the Society fhall caufe one of their number to reprove him in prefence of the meeting.And if, after much Chriftian dealing with him, he acquiefce not in the cenfure of the Society, he shall be excluded from it, Pfal. cxli. 5.

8. That

8. That every perfon in the Society fhall beware of divulging, or spreading abroad, any thing that is faid or done in the meeting, to the prejudice of any of the inembers of it, Pfal. xv. 3.

9. That no person shall be admitted into our Society without the confent of the majority of members; nor shall any particular member presume to bring one along with him, until the mind of the Society be thus known, 1 Cor. xiv. 26, 40.

10. That once a quarter of a year, or rather when any remarkable providence calls for it, the Society shall fet apart a night for fafting and thanksgiving; and that on this night, if poffible, they fhall meet an hour fooner, and occupy the time, especially in prayer and praise, Efth. iv. 16.

11. That we shall keep a correspondence with other Societies in the neighbourhood, by appointing one or two of our number to join their MEETINGS, on fome occafions, in order that brotherly love may be promoted; and that all may be edified.

12. That we shall endeavour, in our several stations, to have a converfation becoming the gofpel; and to use every mean in our power to raise up a feed to ferve our glorious LORD JESUS CHRIST.

A BRIEF

A

BRIEF DISSERTATION

CONCERNING

THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF CHRIST.

NOTHING is more certain than the infinite value of Christ's fatisfaction and righteousness; Who dare attempt to fet limits to its excellency? Who dare deny that he, as vefted with it, is infinitely righteous? The infinite God, the great Lawgiver, fifted himself the subject of his own law; in our stead he gave perfect and unblemished obedience to its pure and spiritual precept: on him the curfe of the broken law was executed in its fulleft extent. The law was magnified, by having the Son of God in our nature for its glorious fervant, and made honourable by the faithful fervice which it obtained from him. It was indeed only in our nature that he could obey the law's precept, or fuffer the vengeance that its curfe denounced; yet the value of his obedience, both active and paffive,* is to be estimated from

Z

*I do not separate, but, according to the difference between the precept and penalty of the broken law, do, as most Proteftant divines, diftinguish betwixt the active and passive obedi ence of Chrift, both which are conjunctly imputed, as one i tire complete righteousness, or conformity to the law.

from the dignity of his perfon, who thought it no robbery to be equal with God. Hence it appears, that this righteousnefs, as lodged in his perfon, is divine, and altogether unlimited in its intrinfic worth and dignity, and fo is ftrictly meritorious, being fulfilled by him who owed the law of works no obedience for himfelf, and yielded to its precept an obedience of infinitely greater value than it could poffibly claim from any of the human race; which, therefore, must be as valuable as the reward of eternal life.

It is the unspeakable happiness of every believer, to be interested in the infinite person of the glorious Immanuel, which naturally infers an intereft in his infinitely valuable righteousness: these two are infeparably connected; and what God hath fo clofely joined together, none shall be able to pluck afunder; nor can this righteousness be divided, and partly imputed to one, and partly to another, but all faints are clothed with the very fame robe of the whole furety-righteousness of the bleffed Redeemer.

The question, therefore, is not, If the righteoufnefs of Christ be so in infinitely valuable, as might purchase falvation for millions of loft worlds, and is and must be meritorious of our justification, both in respect of paction and the strictest merit? this glorious truth I need not establish, as none presently, in my way, do oppose it. Nor is it my present inquiry, If believers, by virtue of their intereft in the infinite person of Chrift, are interested in his righteousness in the fuil and infinite value thereof? this none, that are found in the faith, will impugn or pretend to difpute. But imputation and in

terest are far from being equally co-extenfive in their fignification; imputation indeed always infers interest, but interest is far from always inferring imputation: every believer is interested in the perfon, natures, and glorious exaltation of Chrift; nay, he is interested in an infinite God, in all his perfections, relations, and operations, in all the glory thereof; and yet who durft, who could, without the moft horrid blafphemy, affirm, that these things are imputed to believers; that is, affirm, that believers are in law reckoned and fuftained to be God-men, infinite perfons, infinite deities, creators, &c. But as this righteousness may be confidered in two different views, either, as it is formally the righteousness of a God-man, and wholly infinitely dignified by the infinite excellency of its fubject, the perfon of Chrift; or, as it is formally a righteoufnefs fimply confidered a perfect conformity to its rule, the broken law, a furetyrighteoufnefs precifely proportioned to our debt to the law and juftice of God, the principal query, to be refolved in this effay, must be the following: Whether in juftification the righteousness of Chrift be imputed to us in its whole infinite value, as it is formally the righteoufnefs of a God-man, fo as to conftitute us, in law, reckoning, as infinitely righteous as the perfon of Chrift God-man: Or, whether it be imputed MERELY as it denotes a conformity to its rule, the broken law; ONLY in proportion to our need, and the demands which the law, as a broken covenant of works, makes upon us; ONLY fo as to constitute us as perfectly righteous in law, as the law requires we should be.