Death; that is, we must crucifie Sin in us, we must crucifie the flesh with its affections and lufts; we must die to Sin, the body of Sin must be deftroyed, that we may no longer ferve fin; for he that is dead, is freed from fin: St. Paul argues 6 Rom. and in feveral other places. as And do we need any other proof of God's hatred of Sin, than that he gave his own Son to be a Sacrifice for Sin; that Chrift could not expiate our Sins without undergoing that Infamy, and Scorn, and Pain, and Death, which is the defert of Sin; that the Death and Deftruction of Sin is reprefented in that very Sacrifice, which expiates our Sins, and muft be acted over again in us, in the real crucifixion and Death of Sin, before we can have any Intereft in the Expiation of Chrift's Death: And can there be a more powerful Diffwafive from Sin than this? Thus it is a mighty encouragement to repent of our Sins and forfake them, to be affured of Pardon and Forgiveness, if we do: Now whatever Reafons Jews and Heathens had to hope for Pardon upon their Repentance, it is certain they had not that affurance which the Death and Sacrifice of Chrift gives us. We have now an exprefs Covenant of Grace and Pardon fealed with the Blood of Chrift, who is that Lamb of God which taketh away the Sins of the World; and God cannot condemn repenting Sinners, without denying the Purchase of Chrift's Blood, that precious Blood of infinite Price and Value; that Blood, which our great High Cc 3 High Prieft hath carried into the Holy of Holies, and which there pleads the Pardon of penitent Sinners at the Throne of Grace. God cannot deny himself, cannot deny his own Covenant, cannot deny his Son's Blood, which Speaketh better things than the Blood of Abel; cannot deny our great High Prieft, who appeareth in the prefence of God for us, who died for us, and now liveth for ever to make Interceffion for us: And he who wants greater Security than this, must tell us what greater Security Sinners can have, than the Oath and Covenant of God, and the Blood and Interceffion of Christ. When I confider this matter, with what infinite Wisdom God has contrived the Redemption of Sinners, to cure the Degeneracy of our Natures, and to raife us to a perfect Vertue, to bind us fafter to himself in those soft and charming Fetters of Love, to fpur us forward with all the Zeal and Impetus that Hope and Fear, and Indignation, and Love, the Paffions and Paroxyfms of a divine inflamed Love can give us: It amazes me to think, that any Chriftians fhould flatter themselves, that Faith in Chrift will fave them without Works; that there is lefs need for them to be fo exact and circumfpect in their Lives; that Sin is not fo damning a thing now, fince Christ has made atonement for it, and reconciled God to Sinners, as it was before; Had they no Saviour indeed, it would concern them to be very good; when they muft merit for themselves; had they not fuch a meritorious Sacrifice for Sin, and fuch a powerful High Prieft, it would 1 be be a very dangerous thing to commit Sin; but now Chrift has Righteoufnefs and Merit enough for us all, and we need none of our own, nothing but Faith to apply his Righteoufnefs to us; Chrift has pulled out the Sting of Sin, that it cannot greatly hurt; it cannot kill a Believer; though it may flightly wound him, and draw fome Tears of Repentance from him and that heals all again. This, if any thing in the World, is to turn the Grace of God into Lafcivioufnefs, to be wicked, because God is good, to fin, becaufe Grace does abound, whofe damnation is just. I beseech you, for the Love of Christ, and for the Honour of his Undertaking, of his Death and Interceffion for us, to confider this a little better. Confider what the Confider what the Gospel teaches us to believe of Chrift, and how abfurd and contradictious it is to fay, that fuch a Faith will fave us without Holinefs and Purity of Heart and Life. Do you not believe, That Chrift gave himself for us, to redeem us from all Iniquity, and to purifie to himself a peculiar People, zealous of good Works, 2 Titus 14. And is it reafonable to think, that our believing this, will fave us, unless we be redeemed from all Iniquity, unless we be purified, unless we be a People zealous of good Works? If Chrift faves thofe who are not redeemed from all Iniquity, who are not purified, who are not zealous of good Works; it is certain he must fave thofe for whom he did not give himself, or muft fave them contrary to his own Intention of giving himself for them; but however, to believe that Chrift Cc4 gave ; gave himself for us, to redeem us from all Iniquity, does not feem to be fuch a Faith, (if our Faith be true) as will juftifie us without being redeemed from all Iniquity. I fhall add but one thing more, wherein Christians have a great advantage of Jews and Heathens, and have received more from God, than they; I mean, the plentiful Effufions of the Holy Spirit on the Chriftian Church. I dare not fay, that Heathens themselves wanted all internal Affiftances to Virtue; for I can by no means perfwade my felf, that God who is an infinite Spirit, fhould for fo many Ages together, have no commerce with Men's Minds and Spirits; that he who governs the inanimate World, who fteers the Motions of the Heavens, and keeps Nature in its regular course, fhould wholly neglect the rational World, and the moral Springs of Action, fhould not influence the Thoughts and Paffions of Men, fhould not lay invifible Chains on their Lufts, nor infpire them with great and virtuous Defigns; efpecially fince he is a great Lover of Vertue, and abhors Vice, and knows the corruption and wickednefs of Human Nature, without fome reftraints; and its weakness and indifpofition to Virtue, without Divine ImNunquam pulfes. I am fure Heathens themselves called vir magnus Vertue the Gift of God, and afcribed all exfine Diving traordinary Excellencies and Perfections of Men, to the fecret Influences and Affistance of their Gods. The Jews had thefe Internal Affiftances to illuminate their Minds, to influence their Wills, to to direct their Choice, to give Warmth and Vigour to their Affections; as is plain from the Pfalms of David, wherein there are many Prayers to this purpose, which prove what his Belief was; for had he not known, that the Divine Spirit did ufe to affift good Men, he would not have prayed for fuch affiftance; and yet this he frequently does: O that my 119 Pfal. ways were directed to keep thy Statutes. With S. 10. 149 my whole heart have I fought thee, O let me not8, 19, 27, wander from thy Commandments. thy Commandments. Blessed art 36, 37. thou, O Lord, O teach me thy Statutes. Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy Law. I am a stranger upon earth, bide not thy Commandments from me. understand the way of thy Precepts. thou me, according to thy word. Lord, the way of thy Precepts, derstanding, and I shall keep thy Law. Make me to ་ 28,34,35, my Heart unto thy Teftimonies, and not to Covetoufness. Turn thou mine eyes from beholding vanity, and quicken me in thy way. And in his Penitential Pfalm he prays: Create in me a clean heart, 51 Pfal. O God, and renew a right Spirit within me: reftore 10. 13. unto me the joy of thy Salvation, and uphold me with thy free Spirit. But as devout Men among the Jews had a greater Portion of the Holy Spirit, than the Heathens had, fo there was ftill a more plentiful effufion of the Holy Spirit on the Chriftian Church, not only in thofe miraculous Gifts and Powers, which were bestowed upon the Apoftolick Age, and continued in fome meafure in after Ages, till Chriftianity was well planted |