facrificed his only begotten Son, in whomSERM. he was well pleafed; the Son of his Love; XI. he gave him out of his Bofom to die for us, and to attone for our Sins and Offences: He gave him up to Death, even the Death of the Cross, that painful and ignominious Death, that we might not die everlastingly. This is Love, that infinitely transcends all human Affection; a Miracle of Kindnefs, which even the Angels defire to pry into, which those glorious and exalted Spirits admire, but cannot comprehend: That a Man fhould lay down his Life for his Friend, is the highest Pitch of human Love Some fuch Inftances there have been in the World, tho' very rare: But herein is the Love of God, in Chrift, manifefted to us, that, while we were yet Sinners, God fent his Son, out of his Bofom, to die for us. The wonderful Love of God to Mankind, in the Work of Man's Redemption, is a Theme of fuch large Extent, that our Lives ought to be fpent in admiring and meditating upon it, and rendering unto God the Praise due un to his holy Name. I fhall therefore leave it to your private Meditations; and proceed,

SERM.

III. and Laftly, To make some Infe

XI. rences from what has been faid, and fo conclude. And,

1. IF God is thus infinitely good to us, then, from hence, we may infer what mighty Obligations lie upon us to Gratitude and Thankfulness. For how can we confider the Love and Mercy of God, in the Redemption of the World, by Jefus Chrift; the wonderful Contrivances of Providence, both to fecure the Divine Juftice and Honour, and, at the fame Time, to give Pardon to finful Man; and not be wound up to an holy Extafy of Love and Admiration? Can we confider the most wife Methods whereby God brought this wonderful Design to Perfection, and trace the Footsteps of it thro* all Ages? Can we think upon the Majefty of him who condefcended to fuffer for us, and the Unworthiness of Man to receive fo great a Favour, without filling our Understandings with awful and reverend Conceptions of him; our Wills with a paffionate Defire of Union with him; and engaging all the Faculties of our Souls, to approach his Prefence and receive his Influence ?

THE

2. THE Confideration of God's Good- SERM ness may administer Comfort to us under XI. all our Afflictions, of what Kind foever. A good God will deliver us out of all our Troubles, if we put our Truft in him; he is more ready to give than we are either to defire, or deferve: God's Eyes are Pf. xxxivà upon the Righteous, and his Ears are open 15. unto their Cry. Let us confider how often he has multiplied his Bleffings, when we did deserve his Anger; how he has fent one unexpected Benefit on the Heels of another, to bring, with a swift Pace, the Tidings of good Will to us. How often has he delivered us from a Disease which had the Arrows of Death in its Hand, ready to pierce us through? How often has he turned our Fears into Joys, and made our Calamities the Occafions of promoting our Felicity? How often has he enabled us to fubdue a Temptation, and fent feasonable Supplies in the Midst of a fore Difeafe? And let the Confideration of God's Goodness towards us make us ftill depend upon him, that he, who has hitherto delivered us, will ftill continue to protect and defend us, and upon this Rock of Ages we shall dwell in Safety.

SERM. 3. If God is thus good, then no Man XI. has Reason to defpair, or to fay within himself, that he fhall not be able to withstand the Temptations of the Devil, or to persevere in a holy and religious Course of Life. If God is a Being of infinite Goodness and Mercy, who defires the Happiness of all his Creatures, and has made Use of the most proper and reasonable Means to make them fo; we have Reason to believe that he is ready to pardon our Sins, and to blot out our Offences, when we return unto him by Repentance; that he will affift us, by his Grace, to perform whatsoever he requires of us; and that he, who has given us his only begotten Son, in whom he is well pleased, will, with him, give us all Things.

4. HENCE We may learn to imitate God's Goodness, and endeavour to resemble our heavenly Father, both in being and doing Good. The Perfection of our Nature doth confift in cur Likenefs to God: And in what Perfection can we resemble him, but his Holiness and Goodnefs? His Wifdom and Power are the Objects of our Admiration, but are infinitely removed from our finite Capacities; but he ftoops his Goodness to our daily View, and en

courages

Let us SERM

courages our Pursuits after it. therefore endeavour to transcribe this XI. glorious Attribute of God's Goodness, in all our Words and Actions, through the whole Course of our Lives. Let us imitate it in the first Notion of it, as that fignifies the Holinefs and Rectitude of his Nature. Let us purify our Minds, and furnish them with every good Grace and heavenly Quality, being holy, as God is holy; just, as he is juft; merciful, as he is merciful, in Kind, if not in Degree: Let us make his Word the Rule of our Lives, and live up to the Dignity of our Natures, according to the Laws of fanctified Reafon, wherein our true Interest and Happinefs doth confift. And let us not only be good to ourselves, but let us make it our Bufinefs to do Good to others, confidering, that, if God fo freely loved us, how much more Reafon have we to love one another? For there is no Man in the World can be fo ungrateful to us, as we have been to God; no one can be fo unfit to receive a Kindness from us, as the best Man in the World is, to deserve any Favour from God. Alas! the Debts we owe to one another are but a few Mites, but our Sins and Offences against God are innu

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