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πίν.

part, of inftitutions and ceremonies practifed among Chriftians, as the whole frame of government in their churches, feem to have been drawn from, or according to, the pattern of God's ancient Church, (Christianity not affecting novelty or difference from that, but so far as confifted with its main defign of reforming men's minds, and promoting the spiritual service of God, and suited with reason or expediency, endeavouring conformity to it, and resemblance thereof;) so it seems our Saviour, in this particular, did but accommodate and veft in the governors of his Church a power used in that of the Jews; for we fhall find this power in its several parts not only represented in type, but expreffed in direct and real practice. We fee that the Jewish Church was opened to profelytes by circumcifion, by washing, by expiatory facrifices; that unclean and Levit. xiii, leprous perfons were excluded from the camp and con-Numb. v.2. gregation, prohibited contest and conversation, that they might not annoy or infect those which were pure and found; that upon their recovery and purification they were reftored to fociety and converfation; that that Church was wholly fhut upon enormous offenders, (fuch who could not be kept in order, who presumptuously neglected some great duty, or violated fome great commandment, who difgraced the religion by fcandalous practice, or disturbed the peace by contumacious carriage, refufing to hear the judge and the priest;) that, I fay, fuch perfons were quite fhut out by total extermination and excifion. We find alfo feveral degrees of ecclefiaftical cenfure (answerable to the Vid. Ez. x. degrees of offence) practifed among them, alluded to in Luke vi. 22. the New Teftament; feparating from communion and con- John xi. 22. verfe, exclufion from the fynagogue, anathematizing or Gal. i. 8, 9, imprecating, and devoting to God's judgment: the prac- &c. tice of which things being grounded in reason, and fuitable to the state of the Chriftian Church, (as well as to that of the Jews,) and conducible to the welfare thereof, it is no wonder a power of doing the like was granted unto the Christian Church, and exercised by the fuperintendency thereof. But these things I cannot ftand to pursue minutely and distinctly.

8.

xii. 42.

6.

I fhould, laftly, confider the neceffity and usefulness of this power; how neceffary and conducible it is to promote the ends of Chriftian religion; to preserve the honour of the Church and of its governors; to fecure the members thereof from contagion of bad manners and influences of bad example; to maintain good order and peace; to refrain from offending, and reform them that fhall offend; and to the like purposes. But I fhall leave this point to your farther confideration.

The Forgiveness of Sins; the Resurrection of the
Body; the Life evezlaffing,

THAT it is the natural condition of mankind to lie under a violent proclivity (or rather an unavoidable neceffity) of frequently tranfgreffing the plaineft dictates of reafon, the fureft rules of equity, however fortified by the authority of God himself, commanding and requiring duty, promifing reward, and threatening punishment, continual experience fhews; that hereby men do not only much difgrace and abuse themselves, (doing against the Deut.xxxii. dignity of their nature and their own particular welfare,) but highly injure, difhonour, and ill requite God, (their Maker, their natural Lord, their Benefactor, from whom they have received their being, under whose power they wholly are, to whom they owe all their good, and confequently to whom all obedience, respect, and gratitude is due from them,) is alfo manifeft; their own confciences will tell them fo much; their own reafon will therefore condemn them: that hereby they are involved in a state of guilt and debt, become obnoxious to the just wrath Rom. v. 19. and vengeance of God, beyond all poffibility of making (by themselves) any reparation or fatisfaction; (for they are more apt to incur new, than able to make amends for old, blame; to accumulate more than to discharge foregoing debts;) that hence they must fall into a condition of restless fear and inextricable perplexity of mind, dreading the effects of divine justice and vengeance fometime to come upon them; that there cannot in reality be any

ὑπόδικοι.

naturaliter

Tert.

other relief or deliverance from this diftrefs than from the benignity of God difpofing him to bear patiently, to for give mercifully these offences; not in their apprehenfion any fuch relief, (any freedom from fuch difcomfort and anxiety,) than from a plain fignification of God's being fo graciously disposed, is alfo clear from the fame light. Now of fuch a difpofition in God (to be appeafed and to pardon Teftimonioffences) we find a general prefumption among those who um anima have had any knowledge or opinion concerning God, Chriftianæ. (drawn, I suppose, partly from primitive tradition, partly from experience of God's forbearance to punish and continuance to beftow the common benefits of Providence upon offenders, partly from an opinion that bounty and clemency are perfections and excellences worthy of God; or, lastly, from a natural inclination in men (neceffary to that quiet and comfort of their minds) to flatter themselves with pleafing hopes ;) we find, I fay, fuch a general prefumption concerning God's difpofition to be reconcileable and merciful to offenders, especially upon their acknowledgment of guilt and need of favour, together with a declaration of their willingness to make him fuch amends as they are able to do: fuch a prefumption to have been; that univerfal cuftom of presenting facrifices and obligations to God doth fufficiently fhew; which implied in them who prefented them a confeffion of guilt to be expiated, of punishment to be deserved, (fuch as was reprefented in the destruction of a living creature,) as also a defire of making fatisfaction, (intimated by their cheerful parting with somewhat dear and valuable to them ;) upon which confiderations of humble acknowledgment, of willingness to fatisfy in a manner fo fignal and folemn, declared they did hope God's wrath would be appeased, and his judgments averted from them. Such, it seems, was the common prefumption of mankind; which yet could not fatisfy or quiet the minds of them who fhould confider, that as fuch performances could not really take away guilt, nor fufficiently repair thofe ineftimable wrongs and affronts put upon God, fo God had never plainly declared his intention to confider or accept them; fo that in effect

Rom. ii.

Gal. iii.

27, &c.

their opinion was fomewhat unreasonable, and their hope groundless. This obfervation I propound, as yielding a good argument (the general confent of mankind) to prove that the doctrine (concerning remiffion of fins obtainable from God) is a fundamental point and a principal part of all religion, and that yet (as to any folid and certain ground of believing or hoping it) it is peculiar to Chriftian religion, God never before the revelation (evangelical) having clearly and fully fignified that he would pardon offences (at least all of them, heinous and prefumptuous offences) committed against him. What God would have done he had taught partly by a natural law and light implanted in every man's foul, partly by exprefs promul gation made to the Patriarchs of old, and derived to pofterity from them by tradition; how men in respect thereto behaved themselves, their confcience (accufing or excufing them) could testify; but how, in cafe of tranfgreffing those dictates and laws, he would deal with them, he never Numb. xv. plainly had discovered. Indeed the Jewish difpenfation (which was particular and preparatory to Christianity) did appoint and accept expiations for some leffer faults committed out of ignorance and infirmity; but did not preAfts xiii.38. tend to justify from all things, (as St. Paul in the Acts fpeaks,) nor promise or give hope of pardon upon any terms for great prefumptuous fins committed wilfully with a high hand; it rather threatens an indelible continuance of guilt upon an extreme and inevitable vengeance againft Numb. xv. the perpetrators of them; The foul, faith the Law, that doth presumptuously, the fame reproacheth the Lord; and that foul fhall be cut off from among his people: because he hath defpifed the word of the Lord, and hath broken his commandment, that foul fhall utterly be cut off, (by God's special providence ;) his iniquity shall be upon him. And we know how folemn and dreadful imprecations were pronounced against not only the tranfgreffors of fome parDeut. xxvii. ticular laws, but generally againft all those who did not Gal. iii. 10. continue in all things written in the Law to do them: fo that the remiffion tendered by Mofes was of a very narrow extent, and fuch as could hardly exempt any man

30, 31.

26.

from obligation to and fear of punishment. Indeed, to prevent utter despair, and that which is naturally confequent thereupon, a total neglect of duty, God was pleased by his Prophets among that people occafionally to intimate fomething of farther grace referved; and that he was willing (upon condition of humble and fincere repentance) to receive even those, who were guilty of the higheft offences, to mercy. But these discoveries, as they were special and extraordinary, fo were they farther preparatory to the Gofpel, and as dawnings to that bright Luke i. 77, day of grace, which did by Christ spread its comfortable 2 Cor. vi. 3. light over the world, revealing to mankind a general capacity of God's favour, (procured in a manner admirable and ftrange,) obtainable by means declared, upon terms propounded therein.

78.

Thereby is fully and clearly manifefted to us how God, in free mercy and pity to us, (all our works being unworthy of any acceptance, all our facrifices unfit in the leaft part to fatisfy for our offences,) was pleased himself to provide an obedience worthy of his acceptance, and thoroughly well-pleafing to him, (imputable to us as performed by one of our kind and race, and apt to appease God's just wrath against such a generation of rebels ;) to provide a sacrifice in nature so pure, in value fo precious, as might be perfectly fatisfactory for our offences: in regard to which obedience God is become reconciled, and opens his arms of grace to mankind; in refpect to which facrifice he tenders remiffion to all men that upon his terms (most equal and eafy terms) are willing to embrace it. This is the great doctrine, so peculiar to the Gospel, Vid. Luke i. from whence especially it hath its name, from whence it' is ftyled the Gospel of grace; this is the good tidings of Acts xx. 24« great joy to all people, which the angel first preached at Luke ii. 10. our Saviour's birth, which the Apostles were ordained to Luke xxiv. preach and testify unto all nations, as the main point of 47, 48. Christian religion, (that in our Saviour's name repentance and remiffion of fins should be preached unto all nations ;) that God had exalted him to his right hand as a Prince Acts v. 31. and a Saviour, to give repentance unto Ifrael, and remiffion

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