stantly apparent) the finfulness, profligacy, and heavy guilt of the world. That all have finned, and thereby fallen fhort of the favour, love, and glory of God. This is manifeft by the hiftory of the world, which is the hiftory of the fin and mifery of all ages: It is full of the wicked devices, defigns, and efforts of men against God and Religion, against honefty and peace, and one another. It appears by the neceflity of civil government, of laws and fanctions, for preserving some order in the world; and by the conftant employment there is for magiftrates, judges, prifons, and exccutioners. What an intolerable world would it be (or how little a while fhould we be in it) if it were once let loose from penal laws and fanctions? It appears by the con-feffions of the Gentiles, that knew not the fource of it, Audax omnia perpeti, gens humana ruit per vetitum nefas. And a continual degeneracy, they confess, Ætas parentum pejor avis tulit nos nequiores, mox daturos progeniem vitiofiorem. When fober men confider their own times, they take them to be the worst of all; and yet when we confult their predeceffors, we find them, making the fame complaint of their times; and others of theirs. So that it is plain, that all are extremely bad. Great criminals, many times wonder, how they did to break through fo many fences, as they did, to commit the villanies they run into. The good confess, that they find a sort of a law (a conftant difpo fition) in their members (in their inferior, fenfitive powers) warring against the law (and dictates) of their mind. Let the way of the tranfgreffor be never fo hard, men will venture upon it. They will af front their own light, conviction and confcience; offend their nearest and beft relations, run upon poverty, fhame and distress, venture upon death and deftruction, rather than not fulfill their lufts and vicious humours. No wonder, the righteous God is much withdrawn from such a world, as this. His judgments frequently alarm the world, but it will not hear. He reveals his wrath against the unrighteousness of men, in fevere exccutions, in wars and defolations, in peftilence and deleterious diftempers, in inundations, tempefts, thunders, lightnings, and earthquakes, and yet mens hearts are still fet in them to do evil. If these are omitted, yet there is one fatal catastrophe, that reigns over all human nature. This muft reign over good and bad, over infants

and adult, as a token of the common depravation, and a penal difpenfation upon the account of fin. Of all this reafon and obfervation af fures us.

The world being thus depraved and guilty, there is room made for divine mercy and philanthropy. If divine mercy and grace are not now displayed (and eminently too) the whole race muft perish. If fin muft not be pardoned, but the difpleasure of God muft infallibly pursue the fin of the world, then all must dye in their fin, and fo be loft for ever. Now it may be fuitable to the divine wisdom, not to allow, that this world fhould be made in vain, as to any happiness of it. That the fun, moon, and stars, the beafts of the field and fowls of the air, and all the furniture of heaven and earth fhould only ferve, a curfed race, that are only rebelling against their Creator, abufing his creatures, multiplying their fins, and running themselves into eternal deftruction. It may become divine goodness and benignity to pity a fallen part of his creation, to have compaffion on his own depraved workmanship, and fhew the power and amplitude of pardoning grace and mercy, and the efficacy of his fpirit in renewing and reftoring degenerate fpirits. It may become the divine honour and greatnefs, not to fuffer fin ftill to reign over his own fubjects, the powers of heil ftill to tyrannize over their captives, and triumph in their conquefts. Not that we are to fuppofe, upon thefe confiderations, that the great God is obliged to love and fave the finful world; but, as it may be congruous to divine majesty to display such perfections in fome part or other of his dominions, fo it may be as fuitable to difplay them here, as elfewhere.

If pardon and falvation are defigned for the world, it is altogether meet, that they should be proclaimed and promifed. If they are not proclaimed and promised, there will be no fufficient affurance of them. Patience is not pardon; forbearance is not forgiveness. And if the divine Patience adminifter fome hope; yet the judgments of God upon the world will fuggeft as much anxiety and dread. And fo through fear of death and deftruction, the felf-conscious mind must be, all its

time,

time, fubject to terror and bondage. Befides, the lefs affurance there is of pardon and forgiveness; the more the mind will run into defpair; and thereupon, be the more hardned against repentance and return to God. 'Tis the view of a pardoning, reconciling God, that must diffolve the foul into a kindly grief and remorfe for fin against his Majefty. If it be fo hard for a fenfible mind now, upon a public proclamation and promife, to believe the forgiveness of his fins, it would be much more difficult to believe it without any fuch security.

If pardon and falvation must be fublickly proclaimed and promised to the guilty world, there will be an impediment or bar laid against it by the divine purity and juftice. Such an attribute (or attributes, if they are diftinguished) the Deift (or natural Religionift) muft allow. What fort of Deity muft that be, to which natural purity and juftice does not belong? That has an equal respect to good and evil? and that equally regards those that love, and those that hate his Being and Exiftence How fit is fuch an One to be Governour of the world, who is neither pleased, nor displeased with any thing? Qui neque pro meritis capitur, nec tangitur ira? Univerfal goodness requires, that goodness should be fupported and vindicated. Univerfal re&itude requires, that equity and equable law fhould be maintained and executed in the territories, that are to be governed. Poffibly, we may not know the fullness of that Attribute, the divine Holiness. But the more we fuppofe, that the great God loves himself, and his own intrinfic, unbounded excellencies, the more we fhall fuppofe that he will be inclined to vindicate himself and them against all obftinate defpifers and reproachers of them. According to that expreflion, And the Egyptians fhall know, that I am the Lord (fuch an One as Jehovah ought to be) when I have gotten me konour upon Pkaraok, upon his chariots and his horsemen (a). The more we fuppofe, he loves his law, the inftrument of government (or fceptre of his kingdom) the more we shall suppose, that he will be inclined to vindicate the authority, equity, and honour of it. According to that, The Lord is well pleafed for his righteousness fake (or has complacency in his own rightousness, or in himfelf, upon the account of his righteousness) he will (a) Exod. 14. 18.

magnify

magnify the law (his own law) and make it honourable (a). The more he is supposed to love his own fervants (and with them, the love and service, that is paid him) the more we must fuppofe him inclined to efpouse their cause, and to avenge himself and them, upon their implacable adverfaries; according to that, feeing it is a righteous thing with God (it is fuitable to the equity of his nature and government) to recompence (or retaliate) tribulation to them that trouble you; and to you who are troubled (for his fake) rest with us.

That there is vindictive justice with God, feems evident. 1. From the excellency and perfection of his nature, by which he muft hate all moral turpitude, and all the workers of iniquity. 2. From his jealoufy and concern for his own glory; by which he will be difpleafed with all that is contrary thereto. 3. By all the judgments that are continually executed in and upon the world for tranfgreffion; and fometimes by such special judgments, that have been an evident retaliation ; or have marked out the fin in the punishment. 4. By the dictate of natural conscience, that often trembles upon the commiffion of great enormities, and expects, that great tranfgreffors fhould meet with fome fignal token of divine vengeance; when the Barbarians faw the venomous animal hanging on Paul's hand, they concluded him fome great criminal, whom, though escap'd from the rage of the sea, yet vengeance (divine, vindictive justice) would not fuffer to live. s. By the offence that men ufually take at divine providence, when it permits men to proceed and profper in their notorious villanies. They thereupon readily conclude, either that there is no God, or that he is extremely wanting to himself and his own honour. 6. By the early and univerfal practice of propitiatory facrifices in the world. If they were at first inftituted by God, then God would have an acknowledgement of our fin, and his righteous difpleafure, in the atonement, that was made him. If they were voluntarily taken up and practifed by men, there is an indication of mind and confcience, that fome deference must be paid to divine juftice; and that, to fuch a degree, that they were fometimes ready (in their ungovern'd imaginations) to facrifice the fruit of their body, for the fin of their foul.

(4) Efa. 42.2.

T

The

The righteousness of God being thus evident in it felf, and acknow ledg'd by the world, that was to be pardoned by public edict and covenant, it was altogether congruous thereto, that there should be fome great, valuable facrifice flain and offered to God, for the fin of the world. It was meet, that there fhould be a public demonstration of the holiness and purity of God; and of his hatred of fin; that the world may not be tempted to abuse his goodness and prefume upon his mercy. It is meet, that his dominion and authority fhould be fupported, that had been so rejected by the world. That his law (the rule of his government) should be afferted and maintain'd. That his honor and glory (after fo much contempt and difgrace, as the impious world had caft upon him) fhould be raised up and illuftrated. That the pardoning edit (being founded in facred blood) fhould be eftablished and ratified. That by a joint demonstration of justice and love, the world may be driven from fin and drawn to repentance and God. And here divine wisdom fhines in reconciling righteousness and grace together, and accomplishing our falvation in the way and method of an eternal redemption.

This facrifice should be valuable above all created excellence and power. There is a world of moft heinous, aggravated offences, that are to be atoned for. It is an infinite Majefty, that has been offended, It is an infinite juftice that is to be propitiated. It is an infinite impunity (an exemption from an endless punishment, an advancement to an endless felicity) that is to be procured. All that the intelligent creation can do for the Creator, is due to him on its own account. Let all the intelligent creatures take heed to themselves, that they do not, by their own fault and failure, fall under the displeasure of God. His Majefty and Juftice may defpife their interpofure on the behalf of an apoftatized, finful world.

Here is a fuitable, worthy, facrifice prefented. The uncreated Son of God will undertake the propitiation, and make the atonement. He will affume the nature, that had offended; will be made under the au

thority