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God's Juftice for all the Sins of the World, from the Beginning to the End thereof.

So that now every one hath free Accefs to God, and a Right to his Favour through the Blood of Jefus Chrift. And though we have been never so bad, never fo unworthy; yet if we have but the Hearts to forfake our Sins, and come to Jefus Chrift, we shall as certainly obtain the Acceptance, and the Love of our Heavenly Father, as if we had been Innocent, and never finned at all.

Nay, God is not only willing to receive us, but he earnestly begs and follicits us to take his Mercy. And fo pleafed he is at the Return of a Sinner, that our Saviour has told us, There is Joy in Heaven over fuch a one. Nay, more Foy among the Angels over a Sinner that repenteth; than over Ninety-nine just Persons that need no Repentance.

O how welcome ought this News to be to s! How tranfported fhould we be at the infinite Kindness of God manifefted to us by our Saviour! O praised be God, for his aftonishing Love. For ever adored be our Lord Je fus, that has made a Propitiation for us by his Blood. O let us for ever kifs and hug the precious unvaluable Scriptures of the New Testament, if there was nothing elfe in them but that faithful Saying, that Saying, worthy of all Men to be received, That Jefus Christ came into the World to fave Sinners; to fave you, and me, and all Sinners, even the greatest of Sinners.

O! who is there that is in his Wits, would chufe to be out of the Chriftian Difpenfation;

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or be left to the Methods of Nature and Philo. fophy, for the attaining their Happiness, as some loose People among us do fometimes talk! Were the natural Talents of Mankind exalted far above what they either are, or ever have been; yet I would value that one Saying, That Jefus Christ came into the World to fave Sinners, more than all the Notions and Speculations of Reafon and Philofophy. I would defire to know nothing but Jefus Christ, and him crucified. I would, with the Apostle, count all Things as Loß, nay, as Dung, in Comparifan of the Excellency of the Knowledge of Christ Jefus my Saviour; and that I may be found in him, not having my own Righteousneß, which is by Nature, but that Righteoufneß, which is by the Faith of Jefus Christ, who gave himfelf for me. thus much of Chrift's appearing to put away Sin, in the first Notion of that Expreffion.

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But, Secondly, Chrift appeared to put away Sin in another Senfe: That is to fay, to des ftroy the Power and Dominion of it from amongst Men; to abolish it, fo as that it fhould not henceforth reign in our mortal Bodies. To free us from Sin, as the Apostle fpeaks, that is, to enable us to lead Holy and Vertuous Lives. So that whereas Mankind heretofore yielded their Members Servants to Uncleanneß, and to Iniquity unto Iniquity; fo they bould now yield their Members Servants to Righteoufneẞ unto Holiness.

Thus to put away Sin, was as principal an End of Chrift's Coming, as the other beforementioned; Nay, perhaps, more principal: For the other, in true Reafoning, may be said

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to be wholly in order to this. Certain it is, unless this End be attained, the other will fignifie nothing to us; for we are not capable of any Benefit from that Remiffion of Sin which was purchased for us by Chrift, until our Sins be put away by Repentance, and we become holy Perfons by the Change and Renewal of our Natures.

Never therefore let us deceive ourselves; though Chrift hath actually put away all the Sins of the World in the former Senfe, by his Satisfaction; that is to fay, hath procured the Pardon of them; hath raken away the Sting of them, fo as that they fhall not be deadly to any Yet all this is upon Suppofition, that the Strength of them be take away in us; that they have no Dominion over us; that we mortifie them in all our Members; that we daily die to them, and live a Life of Righteousness. All that Chrift merited or purchased for the World, will not do us the leaft Good, unless we be made conformable to him in his Death and Refurrection, by our dying to Sin, and living to Righteousness.

And in Truth, if we will mind it, the putting away Sin in this Sense of it, hath as great Weight laid upon it in Scripture, and is as often affigned for the great End and Business of Chrift's Appearance, as the other.

St. John tells us plainly, that for this Purpose was the Son of God manifested, that he might deftroy the Works of the Devil.

And St. Paul likewise tells us, that he therefore gave himself for us, that he might redeem us

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from all Iniquity, and purifie to himself a peculiar People zealous of good Works.

And Laftly, St. Peter gives the fame Account of his coming, Acts 3. 26. where he tells us, That therefore God raised up his Son Jefus, that is, fent him into the World (for his raifing up there spoken of, as any one will fee that looks into the Context, was not his being raised from the Dead, but his being manifefted to Mankind; For here the Apostle's Business is to apply that Promise or Prophecy of Mofes unto our Saviour, viz. That God would, in due Time, raife up to his People a Prophet like unto him, whom they fhould all be obliged to hearken to: I fay therefore, God raised up bis Son Jefus, i. e. fent him into the World) that he might blefs his People, in turning every one of them from their Iniquities. This turning every one from their Iniquities, was the great End for which our Lord Jefus Chrift was manifefted unto Mankind.

And, indeed, Reafon will teach us all this, as well as Revelation: For, in the Nature of the Thing, none can be truly Happy but thofe that are truly Pious: And in the fame Degree and Proportion that any one is wicked, or is under the Power of his Lufts, in the fame Degree he muft needs be miferable. So that if Chrift came to be our Saviour, and in that, meant either to make us happy, or to keep us from being miserable; there was an absolute Neceffity, that his firft and principal Design mult be to root out of our Nature all Sin and Wickedness; and to restore the Image of God in

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our Minds which confifts in unchangeable Purity, and Holiness, and Goodness.

Away, therefore, with all thofe Hypothefes, that give fuch an account of Chrift's coming into the World, as to make the ultimate End of it, to be the freeing us from Hell and Damnation, and purchafing Heaven and Eternal Life for us; but without any respect had to the renewing our Natures, or the making us fincerely Holy and Vertuous. All fuch Accounts of Chrift's Undertaking, are monftrously unreasonable and abfurd.

For not to infift upon the manifeft Affront they put upon God's Justice and Holineß, in making Him the great Patron of Sin, whilft they affert Him to be the Fuftifier of wicked Men, even whilft they continue Wicked.

You cannot, as I faid, but fee (in the First Place) how very much fuch Doctrines do difparage the Love of our Saviour, and leffen his Undertaking: For whilft he is here fupposed to have Redeemed us only from his Father's Wrath, and the Punishment confequent thereupon; leaving us in the mean Time to the Wickedness and Impurity of our own Nature, which alone, without the acceffion of any other external Evil, is a Mifery great enough; He is hereby rendred but half a Saviour; One that freed us, indeed, from an External Evil, but left us irremediably expofed to an Internal one, as grievous as the other. One that delivered us from the Apprehenfions of a Gibbet, or an Executioner; but could not, VOL. I.

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