It is

with God, falvation belongs unto the Lord. needless that I fhould particularize and point out this or that person afcribing the falvation of finners unto God, feeing all the faints, the holy men, both under the old and new teftament difpenfation with one voice give God the glory of their falvation. And indeed if it were not thus, their fong would be very different from that new fong which is fung above; for there the whole multitude of the redeemed, whom John faw standing before the throne and before the Lamb, being clothed with white robes, and palms in "their hands, they cried with a loud voice, faying, falvation to our God which fitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb."

9. 10.

Rev. vii.

It is not at all strange, that a doctrine which lays the ax to the very root of man's pride, fhould be fo much oppofed and rejected; for we make it evident that we are no degenerate plants, but the real offspring of him, who afpiring to be as God, thereby funk beneath the dignity conferred upon him as man; feeing we are naturally actuted by the fame fpirit, and are in a way little different, doing the fame thing. But this doctrine leaves us wholly at the mercy of God to fave us, or damn us; according to this no man has aught to glory in but the Lord alone, and his free grace; all boasting is excluded, and every faint in glory has been, and will be faved, as an helpless finner.

Methinks upon the whole, fome of you are ready to fay e'er this, why this man is fo far from being a meffenger of peace unto us, that we hear of nothing but a dreadful and eternal war; fo far from bringing us glad tidings, that he has arrefted us individually

dividually as malefactors, arraigned and fentenced us to everlasting mifery; for he infifts upon our being guilty, and allows us no way of exculpating or acquitting ourselves. I anfwer, the remark is juft, we all are guilty finners, nor is it poffible to acquit ourselves; yet thanks be to God there is a Saviour, a perfect, not a partial Saviour; a Saviour not compounding with finners, but compleating the whole of their falvation by his own perfect works. Let me therefore in a few words commend this Saviour unto you.

Ye are guilty creatures, and obnoxious to eternal fufferings; are ye fenfible of this? Is this the poisoned arrow that drinks up all your fpirits, and drowns all your delights? Then let, me addrefs you in the words of the baptift, be-. bold the Lamb of God; ye are obnoxious, but Jefus has undertaken for you the whole of your deliverance and falvation. David befought him faying, be furety for thy fervant.

Pf. cxix. 122.

The Lord faid, I have laid help upon one that is mighty. Pf. lxxxix. 19. Your fins have expofed you to everlasting forrows, but Jefus the eternal Son of the Father, carried our forrows, and bare our fins, in his own body on the tree. He engaged his heart to come near to the Lord, Jer. xxx. 21. as the high-prieft of his people by his own moft precious and invaluable blood; and in that exalted character he is now feated at the right hand of the majesty on high, and is a Saviour to the uttermoft for all that come to God by him, feeing he ever liveth to make interceffion.

Ye confcious finners, let the fountain of your tears be dried up, fince there is a fountain of mercy, grace, and everlasting love, opened to

you

you in the fide of a glorious Redeemer; bring your ulcerous fouls, your corrupt and depraved hearts; here is the balm of Gilead; the bloody balm of a fuffering Saviour, which tried, was never yet found ineffectual. Ye need not imitate

your parents in the garden, and attempt to cover your nakednefs with leaves. Lo, here is a compleat garment, the righteoufnefs of the adorable Jefus; cloathed with this, ye shall stand with great boldness in the prefence of those that accused you; ornamented with this ye fhall stand, not like Jofeph before a Pharaoh, or Daniel when arayed in royal robes; but ye fhall ftand in the prefence of Jehovah; abfolved from fin, purged from impurity, and cloathed in blood-bought linen, ye fhall fit down at the marriage fupper of the Lamb.

SER

SERMON III.

1 PETER,

ii.

24.

Who his own felf bare our Sins, in his own Body on the Tree.

T

HE principal scope of this large letter to the churches, appears to have been, a defire to establish them in those truths concerning Jefus Christ, which had already been preached unto them, and thro' the reception of which, by that faith which is the operation of God, they were now in the poffeffion of a lively hope of a more glorious inheritance to be poffeffed hereafter. And to animate and encourage them under the various trials and afflictions, that would neceffarily be the refult of turning their backs on the evil customs of the world, and forfaking the paths of immoral and ungodly men; and of following Jefus the defpifed Nazarene in felf-denied obedience, in the regeneration. In order to this, he reminds them of the everlasting love of God, in electing them to glory according to his foreknowledge, Ch. i. 1. 2. of the abundant mercy of God in begetting them again to a lively hope; of the

a

inestimable price with which they were redeemed, and the incorruptible word by which they were begotten to newness of life. The 2d Chap. is introduced with a warm and pathetic exhortation to brotherly love, and chriftian affection, which fhould firft evidence itfelf in putting away or laying apart all malice, and every temper and difpofition, contrary to that love, which was now to be their diftinguifhing character; and by the abounding of which, all men might know them to be the difciples of the Lord Jefus. He alfo inculcates the most exalted morality, (as flowing from the moft excellent fource, and stimulated by motives the most powerful and perfuafive,) in a confcientious discharge of every relative duty, and the moft fervent piety; in a patient acquiefcence in all fufferings, and a chearful refignation to all afflictions; which faith he, "ye ought the rather to "do, because it is thank-worthy if a man for "confcience towards God, endure grief, fuffer"ing wrongfully," and "if ye then take it pa"tiently it is acceptable, grateful with God. "Moreover, hereunto were ye called and have "the most exalted pattern for patient fuffering "fet before you; for Christ also suffered for us, "leaving us an example that we fhould follow "his fteps." And the apostle here having had occafion to mention Chrift, immediately lays down his fubject, and digreffes from the line of his exhortation, that he might at once indulge himself, and edify the church, by a fhort but plenary defcription of that great facrifice, the body of the Lord Jefus Chrift, "who without fpot prefented "himfelf to God." Of whom in the words of

the.