do unto him according to his Works? If you can, Justice will do you Right: But if your Heart mifgives you; if your Confcience cries out to you, Let us not enter into Judgment with our God, for in his Sight shall no Man living be juftified; what have you to do but to feek, if happily you may find, the Mercy of God?

The Christian Religion is, in all its Parts, adapted to the present Nature and Circumstances of Mankind; and it is not poffible to see the Reasonablenefs and Beauty of the Gospel, without confidering the Quality and Condition of thofe, for whofe Ufe and Benefit it is defigned: And this, I believe, is one great Reason why the Gospel has been fo much undervalued in comparison with Natural Religion, that the End of it has not been rightly understood. But if we reflect upon the Dealings of God with Mankind from the Beginning, and the Behaviour of Men towards God, and from thence deduce the State and Condition of Mankind before the Coming of Chrift; this will enable us to judge what was wanting towards making Mankind happy; and will fhew us how proper and reasonable, how perfect and adequate a Means the Gospel of Chrift is.

I

Secondly,

Secondly, Let us confider by what Means Chrift has wrought this Redemption.

What the Scripture tells us of the Nature of God, That he is of purer Eyes than to bebold Iniquity, i. e. to behold it without being offended at it, is a Truth as difcernible by the Principles of Reason, as by the Authority of Revelation. The Fact then fuppofed, which cannot be contested, that the World was in a State of Corruption and Degeneracy, it is manifeft they were fallen under the Displeasure of God, or, in the Language of Scripture, were become Children of Wrath. To redeem the World, therefore, it was neceffary that God fhould be reconciled to Sinners, and should pardon the Offences which could not be recalled, or which, through Infirmity of Nature, could not be avoided. To think of a Redemption on any other Foot would be abfolutely absurd; it would be an Attempt to refcue Sinners from the Displeasure and Anger of God, whether he would or no.

Look now into the Gospel, and fee how this Cafe ftands there. You will find that the only-begotten Son of God took our Nature on him; and that by a perfect Obedience

H 3

dience to the Voice of his Father, and a voluntary Refignation of himself to the Crofs, he made and completed this Reconciliation, and proclaimed the Pardon of God to the loft Sons of Adam. And in this properly confifts the Work of Redemption.

But to redeem Men from the Displeasure of God, and leave them in a Condition to draw it upon themselves afresh every Day, would have been an ufelefs Undertaking, and unworthy of his Dignity who was employed in it. To fecure therefore the Benefit of the Redemption, which he had purchafed with his Blood, to Mankind, it was neceffary to restore them to fuch a State as might render them fit Objects for God to take Pleasure in. This too he did by the powerful Methods prefcribed in the Gospel for rectifying the corrupt and depraved Wills of Men, by the many Revelations relating to his own fpiritual Kingdom, given to clear and enlighten their Understanding in the Things belonging to their Salvation; the Knowledge of which had been loft, or fo darkened and obfcured by the Fall, as to be of no Efficacy in reforming the World. And to render these Means effectual to the

Purpofes

Purpofes of Salvation, he promised and beftowed the Affiftance of the Holy Spirit, to enable Men to receive and to lay hold of eternal Life.

This is a fhort Account of what Chrift has done to fave Sinners. He has reconciled God to you: Have you any Reason to be offended? He has procured your Pardon :: Has he injured you by fo doing? If not, what is it any Man has to complain of? It is true, you will fay, so far you have no Reason to complain: You are willing to be pardoned; but you cannot fee that the Death of Chrift was a proper Means to reconcile God to Sinners. But do you confider who you are, when you make this Objection? You are the Sinner, the Perfon to be pardoned: Does it belong to you, or to your offended Mafter, to judge what are the proper Means of Reconciliation? If to him only (and furely that is the Cafe) why do you debate a Point in which you have no Intereft or Concern, further than to accept the Bleffing, upon whatever Motives, it was granted? God has affured you of his Pardon, and given his Word, confirmed by Signs and Wonders, and by raifing him

to Life who died for you. If you believe him, you may reft fecure that he has not made use of improper Means to effect his. gracious Purposes to Men.

If the Wisdom of God has ordained Means for the Salvation of Man, of which we cannot fully comprehend the Reason, I know but one juft Confequence that can be. deduced from it; That the Counfels of God are too deep to be fathomed by the shortLine of human Reafon: And furely this can be no News, no Surprise to a confidering Man, who fees every Day the fame Truth confirmed in an hundred Inftances. That you live and have a Being in this World, is out of Doubt: But tell me how; fhew the Spring of Life, the Principle of Motion and Activity within you: And when you do, I may venture to undertake to explain to you the Means by which shall be brought to

you

Life hereafter. But let us leave all thefe curious Inquiries, and be content that God fhould be wifer than Man; especially confidering, that though he has concealed from us the Secrets of his Wifdom, yet he has fully exposed to our View his Love to Mankind: His Mercy fhines out in the fulleft

Luftre