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Nor, laftly, was he pre-obliged by any kindness or SER M. benefit from us; fo far from that, that we had given him all poffible provocation to the contrary, and had reafon to expect the effect of his heaviest difpleasure: and yet though he was the pars lafa, the party that had been disoblig'd and injur'd; though we were first in the offence and provocation, he was pleafed to make the first overtures of peace and reconciliation; and tho' it was wholly our concernment, and not his; yet he was pleased to condefcend so far to our perverfeness and obftinacy, as "to fend his SON "to us, and to befeech us to be reconciled."

Now herein (fays the apostle, immediately after the text)" herein is love, not that we loved GOD, "but that he loved us, and fent his Son to be the "propitiation for our fins:" herein is the love of GOD manifested, that the kindness began on his part, and not on ours; that being neither obliged nor defired by us, he did freely and of his own accord, "fend his only-begotten Son into the world, that "we might live through him."

What now remains but to apply this to ourselves? 1. Let us propound to ourselves the love of GoD for our pattern and example. This is the inference which the apostle makes in the next verse but one after the text, "Beloved, if GOD fo loved us, we "ought alfo to love one another." One would have thought the inference fhould have been, "if Gop "fo loved us, that we ought alfo to love him." But the apostle doth not speak fo much of the affection, as the effect of love; and his meaning is, if GOD hath bestowed fuch benefits upon us, we ought, in imitation of him, to be kind and beneficial one

to

SER M. to another. Not but that we ought" to love Gop
LXXXV.« with all our hearts, and fouls, and ftrength;" but
We cannot

in this sense we are not capable of it.
be beneficial to him; because he is felf-fufficient, and
ftands in need of nothing; and therefore the apostle
adds this as a reafon, why he does not exhort men
to love God, but one another; "no man hath seen
"GoD at any time;" he is not fenfible to us, and
therefore none of these fenfible things can fignify any
thing to him. But he hath friends and relations here
in the world, who are capable of the fenfible effects of
our love, and to whom we may fhew kindness for his
fake; we cannot be beneficial to God, but we may
testify our love to him, by our kindness and charity
to men who are made after the image of GOD; and
if we fee any one miferable, that is confideration
enough to move our charity. There was nothing
but this in us to move him to pity us, " when we
were in our blood, and no eye pitied us.'

God is a pattern of the moft generous kindness and charity. Tho' he be infinitely above us, yet he thought it not below him to confider our cafe, and to employ his only Son to fave us; he had no obligation to us, no expectation of advantage from us, and can never be in a poffibility to ftand in need of us; and yet he loved us, and hath conferred the greatest benefits upon us: fo that no man can have deferved fo ill at our hands, but that if he be in want, and we in a condition to help him, he ought to come within the compafs and confideration of our charity.

And this is the proper feafon for it, when we commemorate the greatest bleffing and benefit that was

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ever conferr'd on mankind, "the Son of GOD fentS ER M. "into the world, on purpose to redeem and fave us. And therefore I cannot but very much commend the custom of feeding and relieving the poor, more efpecially at this time, when the poor do ufually ftand moft in need of it, and when we commemorate "the

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grace of our LORD JESUS CHRIST, who being "rich became poor for our fakes, that we through "his poverty might be made rich."

2. Let us readily comply with the great defign of this great love of GOD to mankind. He hath fent "his Son, that we might live through him." But though he had done all this for us, though he hath purchased so great bleffings for us, as the pardon of our fins, and power against them, and eternal life and happiness; yet there is fomething to be done on our parts, to make us partakers of these benefits. GoD hath not fo loved us, as to fend his Son into the world, to carry men to heaven whether they will or no; and to rescue those from the flavery of the devil, and the damnation of hell, who are fond of their fetters, and wilfully run themselves upon ruin and deftruction. But the Son of GOD came to offer happiness to us, upon certain terms and conditions, such as are fit for GOD to propound, and neceffary for us to perform, to make us capable of the blessedness which he offers; as namely, " repentance towards "GOD, and faith in our LORD JESUS CHRIST;" a fincere and conftant endeavour of obedience to the laws and precepts of our holy religion.

‘દ

ડેડ

These are the terms of the gofpel; " and the grace "of Gop which brings falvation," offers it only upon these terms, "that we deny ungodliness and VOL. VI.

B

worldly

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ઃઃ

SERM." worldly lufts, and live foberly, righteously, and godly" in this prefent world:" then we may "ex"pect the bleffed hope." But if we will not fubmit to thefe conditions, the Son of GOD will be no SAVIOUR to us; for he is the author of eternal

falvation only to them that obey him." If men will continue in their fins, the redemption wrought by CHRIST will be of no advantage to them. ; fuch as obftinately perfift in an impenitent courfe, Ipfa fi velit falus fervare non poteft, falvation itself cannot fave them."

A

Thefe are the conditions of our happiness, and if we fubmit to them we are heirs of eternal life; if we refufe, we are fons of perdition, eternally loft and undone; for we may affure ourselves, that these are the beft and eafieft terms that can ever be offered to us, becaufe Gop fent them by his Son. This is the laft effort of the divine love and goodnefs, towards the recovery and falvation of men; fo the apoftle tells us, Heb. i. i, 2. " that GOD, who at fundry times, "and in divers manners, fpake to the fathers by the "prophets, hath in these last days fpoken unto us by "his Son, and if we refufe to hear him, he will fpeak no more. After this it is not to be expected, that GOD fhould make any farther attempts for our recovery; for he can fend no greater nor dearer perfon to us, than his own Son; and if we refufe him, whom will we reverence? if after this we ftill wilfully go on in our fins; "there remains no more facrifice for fin; but a fearful looking for of judgment, "and fiery indignation to confume us."

3. With what joy and thankfulnefs fhould we commemorate this great love of God to mankind, "in

fending.

fending his only-begotten Son into the world, SERM "that we might live through him!"

This is the proper end of the bleffed facrament, which we are now going to receive, to represent to our minds the incarnation and paffion of our dear LORD, by the fymbols of his body broken, and his blood fhed for us. With what acknowledgments should we celebrate the memory of this wonderful love, which the Son of GOD hath fhewn to the fons of men; endeavouring to make all the world in love with him, who hath fo loved all mankind!

Whenever we see his blood poured forth, and his body broken for us, fo moving a fight should raise ftrange paffions in us, of love to our SAVIOUR, and hatred to our fins; and fhould infpire us with mighty refolutions of service and obedience to him; and whenever the pledges and feals of thefe benefits are delivered into our hands, the fight of them should at once wound and revive our hearts, and make us cry out, "LORD, how unworthy am I, for whom "thou fhouldft do and fuffer all this! I am over"come by thy love, and can no longer hold out "against the mighty force of fuch kindness! I render

myfélf to thee, and will ferve thee for ever, who "haft redeemed me at fo dear a rate!"

“Now to him that fitteth upon the throne, and to "the lamb that was flain, to GOD even our FATHER, and to the LORD JESUS CHRIST, the first-begotten from the dead, and the prince of the kings "of the earth; unto him that hath loved us, and "washed us from our fins in his own blood, and "hath made us kings and priests to Gop and his "FATHER, to him be glory and dominion for ever

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