Hast thou been pained at heart under the present power of indwelling sin? And hast thou fled for refuge to the hope set before thee in the gospel? Hast thou joyfully received Jesus the Saviour by faith in his blood? by a living and active faith? Hast thou committed thyself to him, to be delivered from the reign of sin, as well as from the condemnation of it? Then mayest thou join with the blessed apostle, and speak in the language of faith," He loved me, and gave himself for me." Let me meditate again the sorrows and agonies of my dear, my adored Redeemer, infinite agonies and sorrows, beyond all the powers of language. Is my heart made of stone, that it can hear such an history and not melt within me? Have I no tender part within me, to bleed at the rehearsal of such anguish, and such love? Blessed Jesus, smite the rock of my heart, and let it pour out new streams of repentance and affectionate gratitude. I was dead, and the Son of God gave himself up to death, in order to raise me to life again. I was a traitor and an enemy, and he hath sustained the arrows of the Almighty to reconcile me to his Father, and turn away his infinite indignation. My great High-priest has offered up himself a bloody sacrifice for me, that my guilt might be forgiven and cancelled for ever. Think, O my soul, study, contrive, speak, what wilt thou render to the Lord for such astonishing condescension, and such unexampled grace. How wilt thou shew thy inestimable value of his atonement? What does he require of thee, but to keep those garments clean, which he has washed in so rich a fountain as his own blood? And shall I ever wilfully indulge the practice of sin again, and return to my own defilements? Shall I ever consent to break the law of my God? Have I not seen the dreadful nature and dismal effects of it, in the 8 2 agonies and death of my dearest Lord? What shall I do that I may never sin more? Lord, I cannot preserve myself from the fatal infection, while I dwell in a world where sin reigns all around me, in a world that lies in wickedness; and while I am so nearly allied to flesh and blood, where folly, vice, and sin run through every vein to my heart. Jesus, I commit myself afresh to thy care, thou wilt save the soul that thou hast purchased at so dear a rate; thou wilt accept and save a returning penitent. Here I devote my life, my self, my flesh and spirit, and all my powers to thy obedience, and the purposes, of thy glory for ever and ever: my soul looks up to thee with an eye of humble confidence, and my faith and hope rest on thy everlasting love Amen. H HYMN FOR SERMON XII. COMMON METRE. OW is our nature spoil'd by sin! Yet nature ne'er hath found The way to make the conscience clean, In vain we seek for peace with God The threatenings of the broken law But thine illustrious sacrifice Hath answer'd these demands: And peace and pardon from the skies, Here all the antient types agree, "Tis by thy death we live, O Lord; 'Tis on thy cross we rest: For ever be thy love ador'd, Thy name for ever blest. SERMON XIII. THE ATONEMENT OF CHRIST. ROMANS. iii. 25. Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation. AVING explained the manner in which Christ His a propitiation for sin; I come in the second place to propose some reasons to evince the truth of this doctrine, viz. that God hath ordained his Son Jesus to be our propitiation or sacrifice of atonement. And here I shall proceed by degrees, from some apparent probabilities, to more evident and convincing proofs. 1. The first reason I shall give for it is this, that an atonement for sin, and an effectual method to answer the demands of an offended God, is the first great blessing which guilty mankind stood in need of; but the powers of nature could never procure it, nor could the light of reason ever shew them how to obtain it now it is the design of the gospel of Christ to supply the wants and deficiences, of guilty nature, that is both impotent and blind; it is to introduce an effectual reconciliation between God |