Rom. iii. 23. v. 12. Rom. vi. SERM. under fin; all men had finned, and come short of the glory XXXII. of God: death had passed over all, because all had finned : When for us, being plunged into fo wretched a condition, 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 fcores? 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 secluding 12, 14, 20. evangelical grace, reigning in our mortal bodies, no good thing dwelling in us; there being a predominant law in Rom. vii. 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 enemies in our minds by wicked works :] How could we revive to any good hope, who were dead in trefpaffes and "fins, God having withdrawn his quickening Spirit? How Ephef. iv. at least could we for one moment stand upright in God's Coloff.i. fight, upon the natural terms, excluding all fin, and exacting perfect obedience?) Rom. vii. 18, 5. 23. 9. 22. Rom. viii. 7. οὐχ ὑποτάσ σεται. 18. 21. 2. Exod. When this, I fay, was our forlorn and desperate case, 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 to design a redemption for us out of all that woful diftrefs: and no fooner by his incomprehenfible wisdom 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 juftice, with 2 Tim. i. 9. the truth of God, could fuch enemies be reconciled, fuch offenders be pardoned, fuch wretches be faved? Would 1 Pet. i. 20. Rev. xiii. 8. 25. Tit. i. 2. Incarn. the omnipotent Majefty, fo affronted, defign 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 grofs 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 suspicion, by so reverfing that peremptory sentence of death upon finners, that it fhould not in a fort eminently be accomplished? Would the most righteous and most holy God let flip an opportunity fo 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 reinstated in freedom without a ranfom, or exempted from condemnation without fome punishment? No: God was so pleased to prosecute his designs of goodness and mercy, as thereby nowife to impair or obscure, but rather to advance and illuftrate the glories of his fovereign dignity, of his severe justice, of his immaculate holiness, of his unchangeable steadiness in word and purpose. He accordingly would be fued to for peace and mercy: nor would he grant them abfolutely, without due compenfations for the wrongs he had fuftained; yet fo, that his goodness did find us a Mediator, and furnish us with means to fatisfy him. He would not condescend to a fimple remiffion of our debts; yet fo, that, faving his right and honour, he did stoop lower for an effectual abolition of them. He would make good his word, not to let our trespasses go unpunished; yet fo, that by our punishment we might receive advantage. He would manifeft his deteftation of wickedness in a way more illustrious 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 presume to folicit and plead in our behalf? SERM. Who fhould dare to put himself between God and us, XXXII. or offer to fcreen mankind from the divine wrath and ven geance? Who had fo great an interest in the court of heaven, as to ingratiate fuch a brood of apoftate enemies thereto? Who could affume the confidence to propose 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 priest fit to atone for fins fo vaftly numerous, fo extremely heinous? And whence should a facrifice be taken, of value fufficient to expiate for so manifold enormities, committed against the infinite Majefty of Heaven? Airías 26- Who could find out the everlasting redemption of innumeTegrable fouls, or lay down a competent ranfom for them MEVOS. Heb. all? Not to fay, could also purchase for them eternal life and blifs? ix. 12. Heb. vii. 26. These are questions which would puzzle all the wit of man, yea, would gravel all the wisdom 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, feparate from finners? and how could a man, however innocent and pure as a feraphim, fo 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; seeing that it is afferted of the greatest and richest Pfal. xlix. among men, that none of them can by any means redeem his brother, or give to God a ransom for him. 7. And how could available help in this case be expected from any of the angelical hoft; feeing (befide their being in nature different from us, and thence improper to merit or fatisfy for us; befide their comparative meanness, 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 fervice to their infinitelybountiful Creator; they alfo themfelves needing a Saviour, to preserve them by his grace in their happy state? Indeed, no creature might afpire to fo auguft an ho- SERM. nour, none could achieve so marvellous a work, as to re- XXXII. deem from infinite guilt and mifery the noblest part of all the visible creation: none could prefume to invade that high prerogative of God, or attempt to infringe the truth of that reiterated proclamation, I, even I, am the Lord, Ifa. xliii. and befide me there is no Saviour. 11. xlv. 21. Hof. xiii. 4. Wherefore, feeing that a fupereminent dignity of perfon was required in our Mediator, and that an immense value was to be prefented for our ranfom; seeing that 'God faw there was no man, and wondered (or took fpecial Ifa. lix. 16. κατενόησε, notice) that there was no intercessor; it must be his arm LXX. alone that could bring falvation; none befide God himself could intermeddle therein. But how could God undertake the bufinefs? Could he become a fuitor or interceffor to his offended felf? Could he present a facrifice, or disburse a fatisfaction to his own juftice? Could God alone contract and ftipulate with God in our behalf? No; furely man also must concur in the tranfaction: fome amends must issue from him, fomewhat must be paid out of our ftock: human will and consent must be interposed, to ratify a firm covenant with us, inducing obligation on our part. It was decent and expedient, that as man, by wilful tranfgreffion and prefumptuous felf-pleafing, had fo highly offended, injured, and dishonoured his Maker; fo man alfo, by willing obedience, and patient fubmiffion to God's pleasure, should greatly content, right, and glorify him. Luke i. 78. Rom. v. 9. John vi. 38. Heb. x. 7. Here then did lie the ftrefs; this was the knot, which Ephef.i. 3. only divine wisdom could loofe. And fo indeed it did in Ephef. i. 5. a most effectual and admirable way: for in correspond- Tit. iii. 4. ence to all the exigences of the case, (that God and man Gal. iv. 4. both might act their parts in faving us,) the blessed eternal Word, the only Son of God, by the good-will of his John i. 14. Father, did vouchsafe to intercede for us, and to undertake our redemption; in order thereto voluntarily being Ephef. i. 6. sent down from heaven, affuming human flesh, subjecting poft. viii. himself to all the infirmities of our frail nature, and to the 12. worft inconveniences of our low condition; therein merit- Tit. ii, 14. Heb. v. 2. Conft. A 1 Tim. ii. 6. SERM. ing God's favour to us, by a perfect obedience to the XXXII. law, and fatisfying God's juftice by a moft patient endurHeb. ix. 15. ance of pains in our behalf; in completion of all, willingly laying down his life for the ransom of our fouls, and pouring forth his blood in facrifice for our fins. ii. 9. Col. i. 22. 1 Tim. iii. 16. Θανάτου δὲ σαυρᾶ. This is that great and wonderful mystery of godliness, (or of our holy religion,) the which St. Paul here doth exprefs, in these words concerning our bleffed Saviour; Who being in the form of God, thought it no robbery to be equal with God; but made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a fervant, and was made in the likeness of men and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. In which words are contained divers points very obfervable. But feeing the time will not allow me to treat on them in any measure as they deserve, I fhall (waving all the reft) infift but upon one particular, couched in the laft words, even the death of the cross; which by a special emphafis do excite us to consider the manner of that holy paffion which we now commemorate; the contemplation whereof, as it is moft feasonable, so it is ever very profitable. Now then in this kind of paffion we may confider divers notable adjuncts; namely thefe: 1. Its being in appearance criminal. 2. Its being most bitter and painful. 3. Its being moft ignominious and fhameful. 4. Its peculiar advantageousness to the defigns of our Lord in fuffering. 5. Its practical efficacy. I. We may confider our Lord's fuffering as criminal; or as in femblance being an execution of juftice upon Ifa. liii. 12. him. He, as the Prophet foretold of him, was numbered 2 Cor. v. 21. among the tranfgreffors; and God, faith St. Paul, made him fin for us, who knew no fin: that is, God ordered him to be treated as a most finful or criminous perfon, who in himself was perfectly innocent, and void of the least inclination to offend. John v. 18. x. 30, &c. vii. 12. So in effect it was, that he was impeached of the higheft crimes; as a violator of the divine laws in divers in |