SER M. 2dly, THE fecond End or Defign of the Gofpel; is to manifeft at the fame time, and in a confiftent manner, God's Mercy and Compaion towards Sinners. Mercy, is an Attribute as effential to the divine Nature, as Juftice; and its proper Office, is to fhew forth itself in all truly compaffionable cafes. Man, tho' an actual Sinner by the corrupt Choice indeed of his Will, yet in his very Nature was frail and fallible, and liable to be deceived. His cafe therefore, was, upon That confideration, a proper object of compaffion : For God knew whereof we were made, and remembred that we were but duft, Pf. ciii. 14, That which in This cafe became infinite Wisdom to do, was to extend mercy and compaffion unto finful Man; and yet to do This in fuch a manner, as might at the fame time be perfectly confiftent with his unalterable Juftice and Indignation against Sin. Now This End would not have been fo completely answered, by God's making use of his abfolute Sovereignty and Supreme Authority alone, in the Forgivenefs of Sin. But it was perfectly anfwered by the All-wife difpenfation of the Gofpel, when God XIII. m God manifested his Love to the World by SER M. fending his only-begotten Son, that in him we might have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of Sins, according to the riches of his grace, wherein he has abounded towards us in all Wisdom and * Prudence, Eph. i. 7, 8. These last words, in all Wisdom and Prudence, feem defignedly added by the Apostle, to express the wonderful Fitnefs of the Gofpel fully to anfwer the End I am now speaking of For nothing could poffibly be a greater C Inftance and Affurance of God's Love and Compaffion towards Men, than This fending of his own Son for their Redemption; He that fpared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all; how shall he not with Him allo freely give us all things? Rom. viii. 32. And yet at the fame time, in this difpenfation, the heinoufnefs of Sin, and God's irreconcileable Anger against it, is fet forth in the strongest manner; in the very circumstances of Mercy itself, even while he is pardoning and accepting of Sinners. So that we may justly say with the Pfalmift, Mercy and Truth, (that is, Mercy and Justice) are here met together; Righteoufness and Peace, (that is, Justice and X 2 Forgiveness) SERM. Forgiveness) have kiffed each other. XIII. The only confiderable difficulty in this matter, is 3dly, THE third End of the Gospel, is to fhow the abfolute Neceffity of Re-pentance to Sinners, and of their effectual Amendment ; m Amendment and Reformation and the SER M. X 3 SERM. walk worthy of fo great a vocation, be XIII. having ourselves exemplarily, as children of the Day and of Light, in all Holiness and godly converfation: For that, whereas God winked at the former times of ignorance, he now peremptorily commands all men every-where to repent, because he has appointed a day wherein he will judge the world in righteoufness: (Acts xvii. 30.) and if judgement must begin at the house of God, what will the End be of them that obey not the Gofpel? This is the ftrongeft reproof in the World, to all the vain Contrivances, by which wicked men deceive themselves; by Pilgrimages and Abftinences, by Purifications and Oblations, by the Merits of Saints, by Death-bed Sacraments, by the Abfolutions of the Prieft, or Any other means of reconciliation whatsoever, befides that One of cleaning themfelves from all filthiness both of flesh and Spirit, and perfecting Holiness in the Fear of God. 4thly, THE fourth and last End or Defign of the Gofpel, is to give to fuch as are truly Penitent a full Aurance of Hope, that they fhall be Objects of the divine Mercy; and to inftruct and affift them in their duty accordingly. And |