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Means conducive to thofe Purposes.----He SERM. recovered Lunaticks to a right Mind, and 1. rescued Dæmoniacks from the Tyranny of evil Spirits.He difcerned the Thoughts, Reafonings, Opinions and Purposes of Men; and, what is above all, by his inherent Omnipotence he raised the Dead: By which divine Work Men might fee and be affured, that although he appeared among them only as a Man, yet he was at the fame Time truly and effentially God.----He fpake as the Jews themselves confeffed, as never Man fpake; and his Answers to the Questions propounded to him were, as if a Man had enquired of the Oracle of God.---He declared moft graciously, that the End of his being made the Son of Man was to die for finful Men, and of his coming as fuch into the World, was not to condemn, but to fave the World.--He revealed many great Truths which had before been hid in dark Obfcurity, thofe especially, which were neceffary to the purifying Men's Hearts with a right Faith in God.----He vindicated the Law, published on Mount Sinai, from the falfe and immoral Gloffes, the Jewish Doctors had corrupted it with.------He taught Men their whole Duty to God, their Neighbours, and themselves, and enforced it by the most

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SERM. awful Sanctions of eternal Happiness and MiI. fery, Rewards and Punishments, in his own Power to difpenfe. For the Father judgeth no Man, but bath committed all Judgment to the Son (n). I have, fays he the Keys of Hell and of Death (o). And the Hour is coming, in which all that are in their Graves Shall bear the Voice of the Son of God, and fball come forth, they that have done Good, to the Refurrection of Life, and they that have done Evil, to the Refurrection of Damnation (p).---He has put it in every Man's Power to obtain the Good, and to escape the Evil Portion, by prefcribing to us a very equitable Rule of Action; and he has fhewed us likewife the Way to keep his Commandments by going before us in it, exemplifying his Precepts by his own Practice, and living in all Refpects as he taught Mankind to live.----Befides, to obviate all Difficulties flowing from the Weakness of human Nature, he promised to fupport the beft Endeavours of the Sincere with his Grace, and to take off the difcouraging Terrours of Guilt, he engaged to attone for the Tranfgreffions of the Penitent by his Merit.

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(7) S. John v. 22.
() St. John v. 28, 29.

(0) Rev. i. 18.

THUS have we with hafty Steps attended our Bleffed Lord through his Life, and feen, how the only begotten Son of God, of one Substance with the Father, converfed with Men in their Likeness. They were great Things, it must be confeffed, which we already obferve to have been done for us; yet, if we reft here, we shall not have difcovered the half of his Love; the most amazing Scene is still behind, and, if his Actions were beneficent, his Sufferings were meritorious. To thofe he freely offered himfelf; and, when he had taken all the previous Steps, he then of his own Accord permitted his Sacred Perfon to be apprehended, arraigned, condemned and crucified, as if he had been fome notorious Malefactor.

AND, indeed, unless he had fo died, he would not have anfwered the End of his being born. It was ultimately for this Caufe he came into the World, that he might fave the World,----might be fubftituted in the room of finful Men, and be punished for them, in order to their being released from their perfonal Obligation to Punishment. And however impious Men may make this Doctrine the Subject of their prophane.. Mirth,

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SERM. Mirth, and reject the Counsel of God against I. themselves, yet it concerns all, who would entertain rational Hopes of Reconciliation and Acceptance with him, fo found them: wholly on the Sufficiency of Chrift's Redemption; for which we have the fulleft. Authority of divine Revelation,, derived not from fingle Paffages, but the entire. Scope of holy Scripture. I am the good Shepherd, fays our dear Redeemer, and I lay down my Life for my Sheep (q), Who, as St. Paul declares to Titus, gave himself for us, that be might redeem us from all Iniquity (r)---both from the Punishment and the Tyranny of it; i. e. he parted with his Life in exchange for ours----he laid it down for us, as the Price of our Propitiation with God, and poured forth his moft precious Blood! for the Remiffion of Sins; and accordingly he is described, and reprefented to have given his Life a Ranfom, or Price of Redemption for many (s) to have died for our Sins (t)----to have once fuffered for our Sins, the Just for the Unjuft (u)----Expreffions, which evidently make it appear, that our Sins were the Caufe, and the Expiation of them the End of Chrift's Sufferings and Death, and very

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(1) St. John x. 14, 15.
(s) St. Mark x. 45.
(u) Pet. iii. 18.

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(r) Titus ii. 14. (4) 1 Cor. xv. 3.

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very fully open to us the Reason of St. SERM. Paul's laying fuch a fingular Strefs on the I. Knowledge of Chrift crucified. 305 ardaslov od

Ir is upon this Account, that he is faid to bear our Sins in his own Body on the Tree (x), i. e. to undergo the Punishment of them in those exquifite Torments, he endured upon the Crofs ;----and to be made Sin for us (y) as the expiatory Sacrifices among the Jews were made Sin, or made to undergo the Punishment of Sin for the Offenders who offered them ;----and alfo to be made d Curfe for us (z), by having the Guilt of our Sins transferred on him, even as the legal Victims were curfed by the Tranfla tion of the People's Guilt upon them.

THUS, as it was foretold of him, he was wounded for our Tranfgreffions, he was bruifed for our Iniquities: the Chaftifement of our Peace' was upon him; the Lord hath laid on him the Iniquity of us all (a)----and thofe Things' which God before had fhewed by the Mouth of all his Prophets, that Chrift should fuffer, be bath fo fulfilled (b).

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