How hardly will men believe this, though God hath declared it unto them!

But further. 'Tis revealed from heaven, that the defert of every fin is no less than the pains of hell for ever. What criminal that is apprehended, tried, caft, and condemned, but is judged worthy of punishment? And why? Because he hath broken the law of his governors. Shall the eternal law of Jehovah be less regarded? Hearken my friends-Whofoever committeth fin tranfgreffeth alfo the law: 'for fin is the tranfgreffion of the law, 1 John iii. 4. Curfed is every one that continueth not in ALL things written in the book of the law to do them, Gal. iii. 10. again; The wages of fin is death! Rom. vi. 23. Let this be remembered by every intelligent being in the world, the smallest of thy fins deferve to be punished with everlafting deftruction from the presence of the LORD, and from the glory of his power.

And

Thus hath God fet man's pitiable cafe before him in the Scriptures; that he was pure, that he is fallen, guilty, deferves to die the fecond death that he is blind, helpless, stubborn, in the pit, yea in the deep dungeon of nature's darkness, and that all his works are filthy and worthlefs (whilft in that ftate) and, like Ifrael in their captivated ftate, his righteoufneffes are ftamped with that ignominious and mortifying epithet, Filthy rags! Ifa. lxiv. vi. But,

III. I am this day thankful that I have fomething more to relate, which is implied in believing in God were it not fo, I should be a messenger bearing heavy tidings to poor diftreffed finners.

But

But I have to tell you my fellow finners, that God hath made a declaration concerning his Son, and our ever adorable Redeemer. It is certainly a mistake, to fuppofe that believing in God, has nothing to do with believing in JESUS CHRIST: for, believing in the Father is fo far from excluding, that it directly implies believing alfo in CHRIST*: Our LORD told the Jews, that to believe the prophets, and to believe in him was one and the fame thing +, for they are infeparably connected, that he that believes the Fa

ther,

* There are many profeffors in the world, both teachers and hearers who have reprefented believing in JESUS, in a very unfcriptural, as well as unintelligible manner, (viz.) that believing in CHRIST is a perfuafion that he died for them, that he gave himself for them, that he loves them freely, and hath forgiven their fins but let it be enquired, what reafon have I thus to conclude? That the true faint hath a right thus to infer, when he can prove that the good spirit of God hath wrought in him both to will and to do, I doubt not; but how a person must know his fin is pardoned any other way, than by knowing that he bears the marks of the pardoned, I know not.

:

Moreover, the fallacy of thinking that faith is a conclufion that a perfon's fins are forgiven, will appear more obvious, if we confider; God has never called upon us to believe that our fins are forgiven, nor is such a conclufion, (so far as I remember) ever once called faith in all the fcriptures: nay, fuch a notion of the fubject ferves only to confound every ferious, thinking perfon; for when they find various reasons to doubt whether their fins be forgiven, then their faith is gone; and fo according to the doctrine of fome, a man may be a believer and under the promife in the forenoon, but before fun-fet, he has loft his faith, is an unbeliever and under the curfe: a tenet more big with falseshood than which I know not.

+ If any should object, that, John xiv. 1. feems to contradict the above, I would beg leave juft to obferve, that that paffage feems to be of doubtful conftruction; as it is well known, that thofe two verbs (piftuete, piftuete) are in the fame mood in the original, and may both be read in the indicative, and fome judicious divines have doubted, whether it were just to give one in the indicative, and the other in the imperative mood.

ther, believes the Son; and he that believes the Son believes the Father; and he that believes the prophets, believes both. God is one, his word is his voice, and contains all that he hath to fay unto us in this ftate. Let us then attend unto that record God hath given of his Son, which is by us to be believed.

We fhall find in the first place, to the unspeakable comfort of all true Chriftians, that the Father of Lights hath publicly declared to all the world, (wherever the bible comes) that JESUS CHRIST, as to his divinity, or divine nature, is in every respect equal to himself, coeffential and co-eternal, God over all, blessed for evermore. If you look in Zech. xiii. 7. you have the Father calling to the fword of Justice to awake, but against whom? Who fhall be the mark? Who fhall be the victim? In whofe throbbing heart fhall the bloody fword be plunged? It is called forth, not against the man that deferves to be flain by it, but against the man, who as to his original, is God's fellow. That this is a most affecting prophecy of CHRIST'S fuffering, none can deny; if you look to Matt. xxvi. 31. you find JESUS expounds it as referring directly to himself when he was about to fuftain the awful ftroke.

By fellow, we in general understand one object equal to another with which it is compared, and whether our Immanuel be equal with the Father, let the word of truth fay. Remember, all the effential properties of the God-head manifeftly appeared in him-all the titles peculiar to Deity are given unto him-worship which

is

is due to God alone was offered to, and received by him-creation, preservation, and government are ascribed to him. If all this can be in, and afcribed to a mere man, then may we not fay "Jehovah hath communicated his effence to a worm." Rather let us humbly adore than cavil, and be content to say with the great apostle, Great is the mystery of godliness, God was manifeft in the flesh. Let us in the face of all oppofition rejoice and give thanks, that, As for our redeemer, the LORD of hosts is his name, the holy One of Ifrael, Ifa. xlvii. 4.

2d, We have declarations from heaven, setting forth the great end for which this illuftrious perfonage made his humble appearance in the world. And for what did he come ? Wonder O heavens ! He came to redeem finners by death, and fave criminals from everlasting woe and mifery. See a few paffages where the end of CHRIST'S Coming into the world is fully fer forth. Ifa. ix. the lxix. and lxi. chapters. Matt. i. Luke ii. Rom. v. Gal. iv. Eph. v. with many others that might be mentioned, fhewing that of old it was ordained, that in the fulness of time, the Meffiah should visit the earth to do the will of his Father, in raising up the tabernacle of David which was broken down. This he himfelf announced when he appeared, The Son of man is come to feek, and to fave that which was loftDry up your tears, ye mourning fouls! The Captain of your falvation lived, bled, died, and rofe again, that he might be able to fave

to

to the uttermoft all who come unto God by him *.

ver.

3d, Jehovah hath let the world know, that all his works terminate in his own glory: the heavens and the earth, with their magnitude, motion, and order, fhew forth the matchless perfections of the great former of all things: but, when the LORD fpeaks of the perfon and work of the Mediator, he expreffes himself as being more delighted with, and more highly honoured by bim, than by any of his other works whatfoeIt PLEASED the LORD to bruife bim-The PLEASURE of the LORD fhall profper in his hand. This is my beloved Son in whom I am WELL PLEASE D-In the various works of the LORD, he hath dif played the glory of one attribute at one time, and manifefted another at another time; but here, every perfection of Deity meets with its proper complement of honour! here, mercy and grace are difcovered like a bottomlefs, boundless ocean: here, juftice, truth, and faithfulness fhine forth as the fun in its full ftrength,

whilft

* I know perfons differ in Judgment, respecting the end for which CHRIST came into the world: fome tell us he came only to fet an example of life and manners. Others, that he came to redeem upon condition, or, to put the whole world into what they call a falvable ftate: but this would have been to do nothing, for they were falvable before, and therefore he came to fave them, as Paul fays refpecting the redemption of the LORD'S heritage, Ye are bought with a price. And again; CHRIST bath redeemed us from the curfe of the law, being made a curfe for us. And again; Who hath faved us. With that ftrong phrafe, Who bath DELIVERED us from the wrath to come. Whether those lax notions will comport with these paffages, I leave the candid reader to judge.