works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost." (Titus iii. 3-5.) Never was there such a discovery of God as he is Love, in a way of mercy to man on earth, as in the Redeemer, and his benefits.

8. In the way of redemption the soul of man is formed to the most sweet and excellent temper, and his obedience cast into the happiest mould. The glorious demonstration of love, doth animate us with love to God; and the shedding abroad of his love in our hearts by the Spirit of the Redeemer, doth draw out our hearts in love to him again: And the sense of his wonderful love and mercy filleth us with thankfulness: so that love is hereby made the nature of the new man; and thankfulness is the life of all our obedience: for all floweth from these principles, and expresseth them: so that Love is the compendium of all holiness in one word; and Thankfulness of all evangelical obedience. And it is a more sweet and excellent state of life, to be the spouse of Christ, and his members, and serve God as friends and children, with love and thankfulness, than to serve him merely as the most loyal subjects, or with an obedience that hath less of love.

9. In the way of redemption, holiness is more admirably exemplified in Christ, than it was, or would have been in Adam. Adam would never have declared it in that eminency of charity to others, submission to God, contempt of the world, self-denial, and conquest of Satan, as Christ hath done.

10. And in the way of redemption, there is a double obligation laid upon man for every duty. To the obligations of creation, all the obligations of redemption and the new creation are superadded: and this threefold cord should not so easily be broken. Here are moral means more powerfully to hold the soul to God.

11. And in this way there is a clearer discovery of the everlasting state of man, and life and immortality are more fully brought to light by the Gospel, (2 Tim. i. 10,) than for ought we find in Scripture, they were to innocent man himself." No man hath seen God at any time: the only begotten Son that is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him." (John i. 18.) "For no man hath ascended

into heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man, which is in heaven." (John iii. 13.)

12. Man will be advanced to the judging of the ungodly and of the conquered angels: even by the goodwill of the Father, and a participation in the honour of Christ our head, and by a participation in his victories, and by our own victories in his strength, by the right of conquest, we shall judge with Christ, both devils and men, that were enemies to him, and our salvation; as you may see 1 Cor. vi. 2, 3. And there is more in that promise than we yet well understand, "He that overcometh, and keepeth my words unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations, and he shall rule them with a rod of iron, as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers, even as I received of my Father." (Rev. ii. 26, 27.)

13. And that which Augustine so much insisteth on, I think is also plain in Scripture, that the salvation of the elect is better secured in the hands of Christ, than his own or any of his posterities was in the hands of Adam. We know that Adam lost that which was committed to him : But" we know whom we have believed, and are persuaded, that he is able to keep that which we commit to him, against that day." (1 Tim. ii. 12.) Force not these Scriptures against our own consolation, and the glory of our Redeemer, and then judge. "As thou hast given him power, over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him.” (John xvii. 2.) "All that the Father giveth me, shall come to me; and him that cometh to me, I will in no wise cast out." (John vi. 37.) " And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day." (ver. 39.) "But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as I said unto you: My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me, and I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish, and none shall take them out of my hands: My Father which gave them me is greater than all, and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hands." (John x. 26-29.) "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ, according as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and

without blame before him in love: having predestinated us to the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the Beloved." (Ephes. i. 3, 4.) Being predestinated according to the purpose of him that worketh all things after the counsel of his own will." (ver. 11.)

And if faith, and repentance, and the right disposition of the will itself, be his resolved gift to his elect, and not things left merely to our uncertain wills, then the case is past all question. "In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves, if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth, and that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil." (2 Tim. ii. 25, 26.) "By grace ye are saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God." (Ephes. ii. 8.) "The fruit of the Spirit is love, faith." (Gal. v. 22.) "To you it is given on the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him.” (Phil. i. 29.) "As many as were ordained to eternal life believed." (Acts xiii. 28.) " And I will give them an heart to know me, that I am the Lord, and they shall be my people, and I will be their God; for they shall return unto me with their whole heart." (Jer. xxiv. 7.) " And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh, that they may walk in my statutes, and keep my ordinances, and do them, and they shall be my people, and I will be their God." (Ezek. xi. 19, 20.) "A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you, and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and give you an heart of flesh, and I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes." (Ezek. xxxvi. 26, 27.) See also Heb. viii. 6-10, where this is called the "new" and better "covenant." "I will put my laws in their minds, and write them in their hearts." (Jer. xxxi. 33.) And Jer. xxxii. 39, 40, "And I will give them one heart and one way, that they may me for ever. And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, and I will not turn away from them to do them good, but I will put my fear in their hearts that they shall not depart from me." "Who maketh thee to differ? and what hast thou that thou didst not receive?" (1 Cor. iv. 7.) Much

fear

more may be produced, from which it is evident that "Christ is the author and finisher of our faith;" and that the certainty of the salvation of his elect, doth lie more on his undertaking and resolution infallibly to accomplish their salvation, than upon our wisdom, or the stability of our mutable free-wills; and that thus we are better in the hands of the second Adam, than we were in the hands of the first.

14. To conclude: Vindictive justice will be doubly honoured upon them that are final rejecters of this grace. Though conscience would have had matter enough to work upon for the torment of the sinner, and the justifying of God, upon the mere violation of the law of nature or works, yet nothing to what it now will have on them that are the despisers of this great salvation. For of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, that hath trodden under foot the Son of God? when it is wilful impenitency, against most excellent means and mercies, that is to be charged upon sinners, and when they perish because they would not be saved, justice will be most fully glorified before all, and in the conscience of the sinner himself. All this considered, you may see that (besides what reasons of the counsel of God are unknown to us) there is abundant reason open to our sight, from the great advantages of this way, why God would rather save us by a Redeemer, than in a way of innocency, as our mere Creator.

But, for the answering of all objections against this, I must desire you to observe these two things following: 1. That we here suppose man a terrestrial inhabitant clothed with flesh otherwise it is confessed that if he were perfect in heaven, where he had the beatifical vision to confirm him, many of these forementioned advantages to him would be

none.

And it is supposed that God will work on man by moral means; and where he never so infallibly produceth the good of man, he doth it in a way agreeable to his nature and present state; and his work of Grace is Sapiential, magnifying the contrivance and conduct of his wisdom, as well as his power: otherwise indeed God might have done all without these or any other means.

3. The knowledge of God in Christ as our Redeemer, must imprint upon the soul those holy affections which the design and nature of our redemption do bespeak, and an

swer theese forementioned ends. As, 1. It must keep the soul in a sense of the odiousness of sin, that must have such a ramedy to pardon and destroy it.

2. It must raise us to most high and honourable thoughts of our Redeemer, the Captain of our Salvation, that bringeth back lost sinners unto God; and we must study to advance the glory of our Lord, whom the Father hath advanced and set over all.

3. It must drive us out of ourselves, and bring us to be nothing in our own eyes, and cause us to have humble, penitent, self-condemning thoughts, as men that have been our own undoers, and deserved so ill of God and man.

4. It must drive us to a full and constant dependance on Christ our Redeemer, and on the Father by him: As our life is now in the Son as its Root and Fountain, so in him must be our faith and confidence, and to him we must daily have recourse, and seek to him, and to the Father in his name, for all that we need for daily pardon, strength, protection, provision and consolation.

5. It must cause us the more to admire the holiness of God, which is so admirably declared in our redemption; and still be sensible how he hateth sin and loveth purity.

6. It must invite and encourage us to draw near to God, who hath condescended to come so near to us; and as sons we must cry, "Abba, Father," and though with reverence, yet with holy confidence must set ourselves continually before him.

7. It must cause us to make it our daily employment to study the riches of the love of God, and his abundant mercy manifested in Christ; so that above all books in the world, we should most diligently and delightfully peruse the Son of God incarnate, and in him behold the power, and wisdom, and goodness of the Father: and with Paul we should desire "to know nothing but Christ crucified;" and all things should be counted "but loss and dung for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus our Lord." (Phil. iii. 8.)` "That we may be able to comprehend with all saints, what is the breadth, and length, and depth and height, and to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge, that we may be filled with all the fulness of God."

8. Above all, if we know God as our Redeemer, we must live in the power of holy love and gratitude. His manifested