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fery, and put into a way of fecuring both S ER M. our prefent Happiness and that which is XI. to come: This is the Offer of a great Salvation; This whoever fhall neglect, is absolutely inexcufable, and justly deferves to fall into that Misery, from which he would not accept a deliverance. The Light of Nature itself directs us thus far, and that which all true Philofophy pretended to, was to convince men of the reasonableness and neceffity of endeavouring, by all the helps of Reason and natural Religion, to deliver themselves from this bondage and flavery of Sin. The Gospel proposes to us an infinitely more effectual way of obtaining this end, than any Philosophy under the Light of Nature was ever able to do; fhowing us moft clearly the heinous Nature of Sin, and the dreadful Confequences of it; all the Obligations of our Duty in a more clear and particular manner, and the infinite Advantage of complying with them; the true expiation of Sin, and the certainty of our Repentance being acceptable in the fight of God, and effectual to obtain

Pardon;

SER M. Pardon; and affording us fufficient Helps XI. and Affiftances, to enable us to perform

what it requires of us, in order to our future and eternal Happiness. This is, in the Nature of the Thing itself, a great Salvation; and the neglecting of which, (even feparate from the Confideration of the particular Dishonour done to God by rejecting an immediate Revelation of his Will,) is intrinfically in itself a most inexcufable Neglect, and juftly deferving the feverest of Punishments.

BUT then 2dly, This further Confideration, that the Gospel is an express and pofitive revelation of the Will of God, is a very high Aggravation of the Sin of neglecting fo great a Salvation. He that defires not to be delivered from the Dominion of Sin, and has no thirst after a Life of Righteousness; for That very reafon deserves not to be saved from the punifhment of Sin, and is in his Nature unqualified for the Rewards of Holiness. But when to this choice of Wickedness, there is added moreover a direct Con

tempt

XI.

tempt of God; when God has de- SER M. clared to men his Will by an immediate Revelation, and confirmed the Obligations of Nature by his positive Command ; when he has offered us Pardon upon our fincere Repentance, and vouchfafed us the Affiftance of his Spirit to enable us to perform it, and promifed us eternal Life upon our performance of it, and has obliged us to accept this Salvation under pain of the fevereft penalties; the wrath of God being now most expressly revealed from Heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men; After all this, to continue still to despise fo great Salvation, is adding Rebellion to our Sin, and with a high hand exalting ourselves against God; 'tis an avowed defpifing and contemning his Authority, and expressly declaring that we will not have Him to reign over us. If therefore Sinning barely against the Law of Nature, was fufficient to confign men to unavoidable Destruction; how shall We escape, if we continue to Sin both against Nature and Revelation? If the Servant that knew not his

Lord's

SER M. Lord's Will, was yet to be beaten with XI. ftripes, because he did things in them

selves worthy of stripes; how much more feverely muft They expect to be punished, who do the fame things in direct oppofition to the exprefs Will and known Command of their Master? This was the Reason why God punished the Sins of his own people the Jews, with greater Severity than those of the Heathen: And fo Now in like manner, whereas the times of ignorance God winked at, as the Apostle expreffes it, Acts xvii. 30. that is, he was lefs ftrict and fevere with men before the Revelation of the Gofpel; Now, on the contrary, under pain of his feverest difpleasure, he peremptorily commands all men every where to repent; There being no excufe left, nothing that can alleviate their condemnation, if men, after that the cleareft Light is come into the World, will still obftinately continue in their works of Darkness.

3dly, THE Dignity and Excellency of the Perfon, by and through whom this great Salvation is propofed to us, is a

further

n

further Aggravation of the Sin of reject- SER M2 ing it. It was at first begun to be spoken XI. by the Lord; that is, as the fame Apostle expreffes it in the foregoing chapter, God who at fundry times and in divers manners fpake in time paft unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days Spoken unto us by his Son. The Dignity of the Person, by whose interpofition any Favour is procured, and by whom it is transmitted, shows both the Greatness and Importance of the Thing itself, and the Love and Condefcenfion of the Original Author of it; And the neglecting it in this cafe, implies not only Folly, Infolence, and Rebellion, but moreover, the greatest Obftinacy alfo, which no Authority can prevail over; and the basest Ingratitude, which no Kindness or Condefcénfion can overcome: Which therefore whofoever is guilty of, must be confeffed most justly to deserve the feverest of Punishments. This (the Ingratitude of rejecting a Mercy, offered with so much Love and Condefcenfion, by the hands of a Person of fo great Dignity,) is what VOL. V.

S

Our

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