ther, as we would have others do to us : all fobriety and felf-government, &c. And will any man say that these things are but heathenish virtues? Let not us therefore, to whom the grace of the gofpel is declared, be averfe from hearing and practising those duties and virtues, that are founded in our creatureftate for thou canst not be an intelligent agent, but thou art under the obligation to all these. And yet to make you full and compleat chriftians, I have two things more.

1. Repent of all your fins, failings, and miscarriages.

2. Be fure hold the head; make due acknowledgment to the son of God, whom he hath fet up to be a prince and a Saviour, whom God in love and good will, hath given to us, that we believing in him, may be faved. And fo now I have brought you through religion; from the beginning of God's creation, from that part of it which is connatural to our make, to that that is final in it, God in Christ.

I have but one word more, and that is in the fubfequent verfe. Looking for the blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jefus Chrift. These things are confiftent with, and connatural, and in order to the bleffed hope. Where you may observe.

1. This blefled hope is an argument to all holinefs.

2. It is proposed to us in fcripture as fuch.

3. That we are fo to ufe it. Now, he that hath this hope in him, purifies himself, even as he is pure, I John iii. 3. And it is Chrift's intent to purify to

himself

himself a peculiar people zealous of good works; which agrees fully with this, that the grace of God which bringeth falvation, teacheth us, that denying ungodliness and worldly lufts, we should live foberly, righteously, and godly in this prefent world.

Whence it is apparent, that we are christians only in external denomination, and have not a prin→ ciple of divine and heavenly life, if we are not reconciled in nature and difpofition to the law of righteousness, goodness, and truth.

DISCOURSE XLI.

The Reconciliation of SINNERS, by the Death of CHRIST.

HE B. ii, 17.

Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high-priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the fins of the people.

I.

IT

T behoved him.) In the greek 'tis, he made him→ felf a debtor; he became under obligation; and it is no more than is fit and becoming. 'Tis no difparagement to the highest and wifeft to be ruled and determinated by the reafon of things, and to obferve that order they require. In this there is real goodness, and the fullest liberty; and all beQ 2 fides

fides this, is pride, haughtiness, impotency, and exorbitancy. It is faid here, it became our Saviour, or he made himself a debtor, to do what he did. Though he acted willingly, and laid down his life freely; yet this became him in refpect of his compaf-fion and great good-will to men. That is the first.

2. It became him in respect of his father's will, -and the pursuit of that business in which he was engaged. From whence you may take notice, that if we speak worthy things of God and Chrift, we speak without danger, and we do not difparage the Almighty or caft limitations upon omnipotency itfelf, to fay, upon fuppofition of one thing, that another muft of neceffity follow. As for inftance : if God make a promife, he muft perform it if he makes a creature intelligent and voluntary, he must use him as fuch: if the creature he hath made, be finite and fallible, he must give him allowance. And therefore, you have many scriptures that speak of God's juftification in this respect; in which he appeals to human faculties. Let us reafon together, faith the Lord, Ifa. i. 18. Judge, I pray you, between me and my vineyard, Ifa. v. 3. And elfewhere he faith, remember and fhew yourselves men, Ifa. xlvi. 8.

C

'Tis well refolved by one, that it was not fo much boldly, as worthily spoken by him that faid; there is that in God that is more beautiful than power, than will, and sovereignty, viz. his righteousness, his goodness, his justice, wisdom, and the like. But to go on,

3. It behoved him in all things, to be made like unto us.) What, fin and all? No: God forbid; thatis excepted. He was in all things made like unto us fin only excepted. Heb. iv. 15. Hence we learn. 1. That

1. That fingle texts of fcripture are not to be wrested ; but must be interpreted according to the consent and harmony of other fcriptures. This is a good rule for fcripture, as it is a matter of faith, is not a fingle text, but all the fcripture; and not fo much the words, as the fenfe, that fenfe which is verified by other fcriptures. For you may take it for granted, that there is no matter of faith, or duty that ftands upon the authority of one fingle text and that sense which is not otherwhere, is no where to be taken. But if this will not fatisfy, fin need not be excepted. For God doth not take notice of it, nor own it as any production of his. Therefore when he speaks of all things, fin doth not come into the number, as not being a thing that depends upon divine production, but is our deficiency; not God's efficiency, but our exorbitan cy and iniquity. 'Tis not fo much an effect, as a defect; it is impotency, deformity, and it is just like motion in the paralytick, which is not from ftrength of nature, but from its weakness. Every inordinate paffion and irregular motion is of this nature. And this is fpoken to our just reproof. But then I will make this advantage of it; the scripture doth not take notice of an exception of any thing in this place; from which we are to know, that God expects that the reader of fcripture fhould be of an ingenuous spirit, and use candor, and not lie at the catch for the fcripture is to be read as a man would read a letter from a friend, in which he doth only look after what was his friend's mind and meaning, not what he can put upon the words. Q 3 2. Since

2. Since fcripture, which is God's inftrument, and conveys to us directions in matter of faith and hope, useth this liberty, fometimes to leave out fo neceffary an exception as you have heard; let us be fair condition'd one towards another, and give one another allowance. If we mistake any man's meaning, or find cause of offence in his words, give him leave to speak again, and interpret his own mind and meaning, either to retract or to fupply. For in truth, a man did not say that which he did not mean. And we have reason to give one another this liberty; fince we are fo eafily mistaken, and oftentimes speak fuddenly, and in a paffion. And fcripture itself must have candor in the perufal of it. Certainly, we ought not to make one another offenders for a word. But I must not stand upon this.

It became him in all things to be made like unto us.) You see here is an exception: and we have a rule, where there is an exception, the rule holds more ftrong in all other things. If only fin then be excepted, nothing else is to be excepted: therefore, our Saviour was made like unto us.

1. In our limitation, contraction, bodily fhape. He was as we are, confined to time, place, bodily weaknefs and infirmity; and therefore his body was no more in every place than ours is. And where is then the doctrine of tranfubftantiation? If this were true, what need our Saviour travel from place to place, as we read in the gospel he did? But