SER M.
XIII.

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
to conceive how fo great a Person as the
Son of God, fhould condefcend fo far, in ta-
king care of fuch mean perfons as the Sons
of Men.
But This difficulty arises only
from our Narrowness of Thought. For if
'tis not beneath the incomprehenfible Ma-
jesty of God himself to inspect, direct, and
ove-rule the Motions of every even the
fmallest particle of inanimate Matter in the
Universe; as his Providence in the course
of Nature demonftrates that it is not; (fince
not only not a sparrow falls to the ground
without our Father, but even the very
Hairs of our head, as our Saviour affures
us, are all numbred by him:) I fay, if 'tis
not beneath the incomprehenfible Majesty
of God himself to inspect, direct, and over-
rule the Motions of every particle of inani-
mate Matter in the Univerfe, much lefs is
it any Difparagement to the Dignity of
the Son of God, (tho' a very wonderful con-
defcenfion indeed it is,) to redeem the im-
mortal Souls of Men.

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.
Impoffibility of Pardon without it. That XIII.
men cannot otherwife become happy, than
by the Practice of Virtue; and that Sinners
cannot become capable of Pardon, but by
forfaking their Sins; is evident both from
what we know by Reafon, concerning the
nature of God, of Men, and of Things;
and from all former Revelations of the
divine Will. But by the Gospel, the Wif
́dom of God has in a more illuftrious man-
ner, and with greater Weight of Argu-
ments, set forth the indispensable neceffity
of Repentance and Amendment, and the im-
poffibility of obtaining Pardon without it;
when even with it, he did not think fit
to manifest his mercy to Sinners directly,
but through the Interceffion of Christ, and
by the merits of his Death; Appointing
that the Manner of accepting even Repen-
tance itself, fhould be through the Media-
tion of his beloved Son, by men's being
baptized into his Death, and washing their
robes in the blood of the Lamb: In This
very Difpenfation of mercy, revealing more
exprefly his wrath from Heaven against all
ungodliness and unrighteousness of Men; and
commanding us in the ftricteft manner, to
walk

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