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His atoning blood will reconcile you to God: his grace and love will captivate your fouls: his holy and blessed Spirit will write his laws in your hearts. Believe in him, and you will be more holy than ever, and yet ftand aftonifhed at your profane and blind pride and vanity. He will create in you a clean heart, and you will then bluf at the thoughts of your remaining pollution. You will apply yourselves to his fervice with zeal and diligence, and yet ftill fay you are unprofitable fervants. One view of the cross of Chrift will make fin more odious than a thoufand fine descriptions of the beauty of virtue, which commonly ferve only to nourish and fortify the pride of man. If ever you defire to fee the face of God in mercy, or to dwell in his prefence, believe in Chrift, for there is no other way to the Father.

6. In the laft place, fuffer me to preach the gospel to the Chief of finners. It is the glory of our Redeemer, that he faves" to the uttermoft all that come to God by him." The dignity of his person, the greatness of his sufferings, and the infinite value of his atonement founded on both, makes him "mighty to fave." Let fuch finners attend to this, who are without excufe, whofe hearts have been a fink of the greatest impurity, whofe lives are ftained with the fouleft and groffeft crimes, whofe fins have been numerous and heinous, and fcandalous; who have no plea to offer, but are fenfible that they have justly merited the wrath of God in its utmost rigor. Let fuch attend to this, as are trembling at the thoughts of a righteous judgment, and faying, "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of "the living God.-Men and brethren, what shall we "do?" Behold, I bring you good tidings of mercy unmerited, pardon unfolicited, a full and free remiffion of all your fins. "I have blotted out thine iniquities as a "cloud, and as a thick cloud thy fins: return unto me, "for have redeemed thee." Receive this teftimony, and "fet to your feal that God is true."

Think not to do injury to the grace of God, by weaving a felf-righteous cobweb, and refufing to believe, till you have laid down fome rules of a new life, and effected fome partial reformation, as if you would firft fave yourselves,

that you may be fit for falvation by Christ. These hopes will foon be dafhed in pieces. Faith in the imputed righte oufnefs of Chrift is the finner's only plea. The more vile you are in your own apprehenfion, the more need you have to put on Chrift." The fubfequent change of heart and practice must be the effect of his power, is a part of his purchase, and ought to be received as his gracious gift. And I will venture to foretel, that you will make the greater progrefs in true holiness, the lefs you are difpofed to boast of, or to trust in it.

This, I apprehend, is the gospel itself, ftiled in fcripture, with the highest propriety, the "gofpel of the grace of God." "Chrift came not to call the righteous, but "finners to repentance." If you will rely on him for falvation, he will shed abroad the love of God in your hearts by the Holy Ghoft, which will be a powerful and operative principle of new obedience. I beseech you, therefore, in the most earnest manner, not to reject the counsel of God against yourselves. Nothing can be more liberal, or more gracious, than the offer of the gospel: "I will give "to him that is athirft of the fountain of the water of life "freely." There is no fin of fo deep a dye, or fo infectious a ftain, but the blood of Chrift is fufficient to wash it out. There is not any flave of Satan fo loaded with chains, but he is able to fet him free. If you perifh, it is of yourfelves. I have given you warning, from a fincere and ardent concern for your everlafting intereft; and may God himself, for Christ's fake, by his Holy Spirit, effectually perfuade you to comply with it.

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[Dr. Witherspoon published a separate volume of Sermons on the leading truths of the gospel, with the design of forming something like a connected fyftem of these truths. The sermons

that were thus published are kept together in this edition of his works. They begin with the discourse that immediately foilows, on Rom. iii. 23; and end with that entitled "Obedience "and Sacrifice compared."]

ALL MANKIND BY NATURE UNDER SIN.

SERMON 1.

ROMANS iii. 23.

For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.

TH

HE whole revelation of the will of God to mankind, both in the Old Teftament and the New, proceeds upon the fuppofition that they are finners; that is to fay, tranfgreffors of his law, and liable to the ftroke of his juftice. This only can give meaning to the doctrine of redemption. None can understand, at leaft none can relish or embrace it, unless they believe, and are perfuaded of this preliminary truth.

What I have now faid, appears from many express paffages of the holy fcriptures; and is particularly evident from the general ftrain, and from the very ftructure, of the epiftle to the Romans. In it the apostle, who had never been at Rome, gives a full and particular account of the doctrine of Chrift; and he lays the foundation for this by a diftinct and laboured proof, that all mankind, both Jews and Gentiles, are under sin. In imitation of his example, I intend to begin my difcourfes on practical religi

on, by endeavoring to imprefs your minds with a fenfe of the fame truth. This muft lead the way to the faving knowledge of the Redeemer; and as he only can build fecurely, who takes care that every part of the fuperftructure reft immediately or ultimately upon the foundation, it is as neceflary to be remembered by faints, as to be received by finners.

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It may perhaps, on a flight view, appear to be fuperfluous. All mankind,' fome will fay, are ready to ac knowledge that they are finners; and there is great rea'fon to believe they are fincere in this confeffion.' But, my brethren, a little reflection may convince you, that this general acknowledgment is either very infincere, or very imperfect and defective. It is plainly a light fenfe of fin that enables the multitude to fleep in fecurity. It is plainly a light fenfe of fin that betrays men into the commiffion of it, and emboldens them to continue in it. It is plainly a light sense of fin that blunts the edge of all the threatenings in the word of God, and the admonitions of his providence. Is it not from a light fenfe of fin, that when the preaching of the gospel is not wholly deferted, its ineflimable truths are received without thankfulness, and heard without profit ?

For these reasons, I propofe, through the affiftance of divine grace, to difcourfe a little on the words of the apof tle now read: "For all have finned, and come fhort of the "glory of God:" And, in fo doing, fhall

1. Endeavor to confirm the truth contained in them, That all mankind are finners, or tranfgreffors of the law of God, and liable to his righteous judgment. And,

2. Shall make a practical improvement of the fubject.

I. In the first place, then, let us endeavor to confirm the truth contained in the text, That all mankind are finners, or tranfgreffors of the law of God, and liable to his righteous judgment. And here, my brethren, it puts me a little to a ftand, in what manner to handle this impor tant subject; whether in the way of reafon or affection; whether in the way of cool and conclufive arguments directed to the judgment, or pointed interrogatories direct

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