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SERM. to be extremely flurred by disaster, to be blasted by flanXXXI. der, to be fupplanted by envy or malice; but will bring Pf. xxxvii. forth his righteousness as the light, and his judgment as the noon-day.

6.

Heb. xiii. 20, 21.

3. God will thus exalt the bountiful man's horn even here in this world, and to an infinitely higher pitch he will advance it in the future ftate: he fhall there be fet at the right hand, in a moft honourable place and rank, among the chief friends and favourites of the heavenly King, in happy confortship with the holy angels and bleffed faints; where, in recompence of his pious bounty, he fhall, from the bountiful hands of his moft gracious Lord, receive an incorruptible crown of righteoufnefs, and an unfading crown of glory. The which God of his infinite mercy grant unto us all, through Jefus Chrift our Lord; to whom for ever be all praise. Amen.

Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jefus, that great Shepherd of the Sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make us perfect in every good work to do his will, working in us that which is well-pleafing in his fight, through Jefus Chrift: to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

SERMON XXXII.

UPON THE PASSION OF OUR BLESSED

SAVIOUR..

PHIL. ii. 8.

And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the

crofs.

WHEN, in confequence of the original apoftasy from SERM. God, which did banish us from paradife, and by conti- XXXII. nued rebellions against him, inevitable to our corrupt and Cyril. c. impotent nature, mankind had forfeited the amity of Jul. viii. p. God, (the chief of all goods, the fountain of all happi- 303. nefs,) and had incurred his difpleasure; (the greatest of John iii. 36. all evils, the foundation of all mifery :)

278. ix. p.

Col. iii. 6.

34.

When poor man having deferted his natural Lord and Iren. iii. 33, Protector, other lords had got dominion over him, fo that Ifa. xxvi. he was captivated by the foul, malicious, cruel fpirits, and 13. enflaved to his own vain mind, to vile lufts, to wild paffions:

Iren. iii. 8.

ii. 17.

When, according to an eternal rule of juftice, that fin Gen. iv. 7. deferveth punishment, and by an exprefs law, wherein death was enacted to the tranfgreffors of God's command, the root of our ftock, and confequently all its branches, Iren. v. 16. ftood adjudged to utter deftruction:

19.

When, according to St. Paul's expreffions, all the world Rom. iii. was become guilty before God, (or, fubjected to God's judgment:) all men (Jews and Gentiles) were under fin, under condemnation, under the curfe; all men were concluded in-v. 16, 18. to difobedience, and shut up together (as close prisoners) Rom. xi.

Rom. iii. 9.

Gal. iii. 10.

32. εἰς ἀπείθεια». Gal. iii. 22.

Rom. iii.

Rom. vi.

SERM. under fin; all men had finned, and come short of the glory XXXII. of God: death had paffed over all, because all had finned : . When for us, being plunged into fo wretched a condi33. v. 12. tion, no vifible remedy did appear, no poffible redress could be obtained here below: (for what means could we have of recovering God's favour, who were apt perpetually to contract new debts and guilts, but not able to discharge any old scores? What capacity of mind or will had we to entertain mercy, who were no less stubbornly perverse and obdurate in our crimes, than ignorant or infirm? How could we be reconciled unto Heaven, who had an innate antipathy to God and goodnefs? [Sin, according to our natural state, and fecluding evangelical grace, reigning in our mortal bodies, no good thing dwelling in us; there being a predominant law in our members, warring against the law of our mind, and bringing us into captivity to the law of fin; a main ingreRom. vi. 6. dient of our old man being a carnal mind, which is enmity Coloff. iii. to God, and cannot fubmit to his law; we being alienated Ephef. iv. from the life of God by the blindness of our hearts, and Rom. viii. enemies in our minds by wicked works:] How could we revive to any good hope, who were dead in trefpasses and fins, God having withdrawn his quickening Spirit? How at least could we for one moment ftand upright in God's fight, upon the natural terms, excluding all fin, and exacting perfect obedience?)

12, 14, 20.

Rom. vii. 18, 5.

Rom. vii. 23.

9.

22.

7.

οὐχ ὑποτάσε

σεται.

Ephef. iv.

18.

Coloff. i.

21.

Rom. v. 10. Ephef. ii. 5. (Rom. vi. 13, 11.)

2.

Exod.

When this, I fay, was our forlorn and desperate cafe, then Almighty God, out of his infinite goodness, was Pfal. cxliii. pleased to look upon us (as he fometime did upon Jerufalem, lying polluted in her blood) with an eye of pity and xxxiv. 7. mercy, fo as graciously so as graciously to design a redemption for us out of all that woful diftrefs: and no fooner by his incomprehenfible wifdom did he forefee we fhould lofe ourfelves, than by his immenfe grace he did conclude to reftore us.

Ezek. xvi.

6.

Eph. i. 4,

11.

But how could this happy defign well be compaffed? 9, 11, & iii. How, in confiftence with the glory, with the justice, with 2 Tim. i. 9. the truth of God, could fuch enemies be reconciled, fuch Rev. xiii. 8. offenders be pardoned, fuch wretches be faved? Would

1 Pet. i. 20.

25.

Tit. i. 2.

Incarn.

the omnipotent Majefty, so affronted, design to treat with SERM. his rebels immediately, without an interceffor or advo- XXXII. cate? Would the fovereign Governor of the world fuffer Rom. xvi. thus notoriously his right to be violated, his authority to be flighted, his honour to be trampled on, without fome notable vindication or fatisfaction? Would the great Patron of justice relax the terms of it, or ever permit a gross breach thereof to pafs with impunity? Would the im- Athan. de mutable God of truth expofe his veracity or his conftancy Gen. ii. 17. to fufpicion, by fo reverfing that peremptory fentence of death upon finners, that it fhould not in a fort eminently be accomplished? Would the most righteous and moft holy God let flip an opportunity so advantageous for demonftrating his perfect love of innocence, and abhorrence of iniquity? Could we therefore well be cleared from our guilt without an expiation, or reinflated in freedom without a ranfom, or exempted from condemnation without fome punishment?

No: God was so pleased to prosecute his defigns of goodness and mercy, as thereby nowife to impair or obfcure, but rather to advance and illuftrate the glories of his fovereign dignity, of his fevere juftice, of his immaculate holinefs, of his unchangeable steadiness in word and purpofe. He accordingly would be fued to for peace and mercy: nor would he grant them abfolutely, without due compenfations for the wrongs he had sustained; yet fo, that his goodness did find us a Mediator, and furnish us with means to fatisfy him. He would not condefcend to a fimple remiffion of our debts; yet so, that, saving his right and honour, he did ftoop lower for an effectual abolition of them. He would make good his word, not to let our trefpaffes go unpunished; yet fo, that by our punishment we might receive advantage. He would manifeft his deteftation of wickednefs in a way more illuftrious than if he had persecuted it down to hell, and irreversibly doomed it to endless torment.

But how might these things be effected? Where was there a Mediator proper and worthy to intercede for us? Who could prefume to folicit and plead in our behalf?

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SERM. Who fhould dare to put himself between God and us, XXXII. or offer to screen mankind from the divine wrath and vengeance? Who had fo great an intereft in the court of heaven, as to ingratiate fuch a brood of apoftate enemies thereto? Who could affume the confidence to propofe terms of reconciliation, or to agitate a new covenant, wherewith God might be fatisfied, and whereby we might be faved? Where, in heaven or earth, could there be found a prieft fit to atone for fins fo vaftly numerous, fo extremely heinous? And whence fhould a facrifice be taken, of value sufficient to expiate for fo manifold enormities, committed against the infinite Majesty of Heaven? Aivía - Who could find out the everlasting redemption of innumeTerrable fouls, or lay down a competent ransom for them pesvos. Heb. all? Not to say, could also purchase for them eternal life and blifs?

ix. 12.

Heb. vii.

26.

Pfal. xlix.

7.

These are queftions which would puzzle all the wit of man, yea, would gravel all the wifdom of angels to refolve for plain it is, that no creature on earth, none in heaven, could well undertake or perform this work.

Where on earth, among the degenerate fons of Adam, could be found fuch an high priest as became us, holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners? and how could a man, however innocent and pure as a feraphim, so perform his duty, as to do more than merit or fatisfy for himself? How many lives could the life of one man ferve to ranfom; feeing that it is afferted of the greatest and richeft among men, that none of them can by any means redeem his brother, or give to God a ransom for him.

And how could available help in this cafe be expected from any of the angelical host; seeing (befide their being in nature different from us, and thence improper to merit or fatisfy for us; befide their comparative meannefs, and infinite diftance from the majefty of God) they are but our fellow-fervants, and have obligations to discharge for themselves, and cannot be folvent for more than for their own debts of gratitude and service to their infinitelybountiful Creator; they alfo themselves needing a Saviour, to preserve them by his grace in their happy state?

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