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Article of our Religion, having told the SERM. Corinthians (b), that be delivered it unto II. them first of all, laid it as the grand Corner-ftone of their fpiritual Building, bow that Chrift died for our Sins, according to the Scriptures. For in Cafe he did not truly die for us, we must be yet in our Sins, they cannot but remain unatoned for, and the dreadful Vengeance of an angry God ftill hangs over us.

IF then, fo very much depends upon the Death of Chrift, it must be of great Moment to us to acquire right Apprehenfions of it. The Fact, indeed, is not contested, and is, perhaps, the only one in his whole Revelation, which is now acknowledged on all Hands. Had his Difciples ever ftrove to conceal it, his Enemies would have proclaimed it; the bittereft of them have in all Ages triumphed on this Head, boafting, that all his Projects were hereby blafted, and impioufly denying, that he rose again the third Day, according to the fame Scriptures, which declare his Death (i).

WHAT no Perfon difputes, it were Labour thrown away to undertake the formal Proof

of:

(b) 1 Cor. xv. 3.

(i) V. 4.

SERM. of That Chrift Jefus yielded up the Ghoft II. on the Cross, is an Event, which may fair

ly be taken for granted. But the End and the Effect of fo extraordinary a Transaction are both of them variously represented. Some attribute too much to it, and fome too little,---thofe magnify the Merit of it to a Degree inconfiftent even with the Divine Atributes, and these will not allow it to have any proper Merit at all, or at least not a Sufficiency of Meritoriousness to become a Ranfom for the Sins of the whole World: And there are others likewife, who overftrain it as much on one Side, as they contract it on the other; and whilft they profefs and contend, that our Saviour died for a few unconditionally, deny that he did fo on any Terms for all.

THOUGH then the Doctrine of Chrift's Satisfaction has been before touched upon in the preceding Difcourfe, I may yet be permitted the Liberty of giving it a particular and separate Confideration; as it has met with the most vehement Oppofition, and been attacked either in the Whole, or in Part, from all Quarters. But, I conceive, the Doctrine will be eftablished on a very folid Basis, by fhewing the Ranfom of our Saviour to be altogether necessary, fufficient, univerfal.

St.

Sr. Paul reprefents the Deliverance wrought by the Son of God under the Notion of a Ranfom; which fignifies either a Price paid. down to a conqueror for the Redemption of a Captive, or a valuable Confideration advanced to a Creditor for the Release of a Debtor, or a Satisfaction made to Justice for the Pardon of a Criminal. In all these Views Chrift Jefus may be truly faid to have given himself a Ranfom for Mankind; who are to be regarded as Captives, Debtors, and Criminals: And he releafed them from Captivity, by becoming their Hostage, and yielding in one Nature to the Power of the Enemy, which he vanquished in another,---he discharged their Debt, by acting as their Security,---he obtained their Pardon by fuffering as their Substitute.

THAT Man is a Slave to Sin, and by Means thereof a Debtor and a Criminal in God's Account, is a certain, though a mortifying Truth. Every Sinner has evidently loft the Government of himfelf:---his Reafon is fubverted, his Judgment is over-rul'd, his fuperior Faculties are degraded, and the inferior ones have fhamefully ufurped their Seat, fo that his blind Appetites and Paffions,

which

SERM.
II.

SERM. which were formed for Obedience, domiII. neer, and each acts the Tyrant in his Turn, fometimes one of them, fometimes another taking him a Prisoner at their Will. Hence are incurred immenfe Debts, above the human Ability to pay off, and are committed Crimes, which everlasting Destruction will hardly compenfate for.

AND where was the Man ever to be found (him excepted, who was infinitely more than Man) that ftood clear of this moft deplorable State? Our whole Species groans under the heavy Thraldom together: There is a vicious Byafs to Iniquity ingrafted in our very Being,---it is born and grows up with us, and in numerous Inftances caufes us to offend; nor is it in the Power of Nature always to withstand its Force. From this Spring have conftantly iffued the moft impure Streams; and no otherwife can a fatisfactory Reafon be given, why Mofes declared, that before the Flood all Flefb bad corrupted his Way upon the Earth (k),why under the Law holy David complained, that the Children of Men were all gone afide, were altogether become filiky, there was none that did Good, no

(k) Gen. vi. 12.

not

II.

not one (1),---why under the Gospel one SERM. Apostle afferts, that in me, that is, in my Flesh, dwelleth no good Thing (m), and another, that if we say that we have not finned, we make God a Liar, and his Word is not in us (n).

FOR any one to deny, or doubt of the Foundation of these Testimonies, is as weighty an Argument, as can be produced, to prove the Reality of his wretched Bondage to Corruption; it being the fame Caufe, which perverts the Will, and darkens the Understanding: And it is fo far from being a Symptom of Health, when a Perfon is not fenfible of his Malady, that he is in the most imminent Danger, who is fick to the Degree of not knowing it. Yet how ftrenuoufly do fome Men plead for the Soundnefs of their natural Knowledge and Power, and maintain, that they can of themselves judge rightly and choose wifely in all Things pertaining to Happiness and Salvation.

BUT here seems to be the Fallacy of their. Reasonings on this Topic, that they blend and confound two very diftinct Conceptions

(1) Pf, xiv. 2, 3.
fn) 1 St. John i, 19.

E

(m) Rom. vii. 18.

of

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