their fins they dearly love, and take delight in. And therefore they do not look upon it as a falvation, but as a spoil, to have them taken from them. And yet it is most certain, that this was the great falvation which Chrift defigned us, and which he became man to procure for us: He fhall be called Jefus, faith the angel, because he fhall fave his people from their fins.

Our greatest evils are our fins; and Chrift's faving, is his reforming, and reducing the hearts of the finful and difobedient to the obedience of the juft. He faves, when he makes the bold and hardened finner to tremble, and the proud man humble; when he poffeffeth the hearts of the peevish and contentious, of the envious and revengeful,-with meeknefs and patience, charity and peace. He delivers the covetous man, from his unfa tiable love of riches; the carnal mind, from its intemperate defire of fenfual pleafures. In fhort, he faves us from our own felf-will; and makes us to become entirely refigned to the will of God.

This reformation of our hearts and lives, by rescuing us from all finful defires and wicked practices, was the great deliverance which Chrift was fent to effect for us; as might be evidenced,--from the bleffing promised to Abraham, which did principally intend it ;-from the predictions of prophets concerning the Meffiah, which clearly foretold it;-from the covenant promised to be made with the house of Ifrael in those days, which doth in plain terms exprefs it ;-from the declarations of Chrift and his apoftles, who every where proclaim, that the end of his coming was, to call finners to repentance; to turn men from darkness to light; to redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works; and that his gofpel appeareth bringing falvation, in teaching us, that denying all ungodlinefs and worldly lufts, we should live foberly, godly, and righteously, in this prefent world.-All these are fo many direct arguments, and clear proofs, of Chrift's defign to fave men, by making them better; and that his deliverance was

to confift chiefly in their reformation, and in refcuing them from the bondage of their fins.

But in regard the gospel of Chrift is the great means of working this deliverance, and is (as St. Paul calls it) the power of God unto Salvation; I fhall rather chuse at prefent to infift more particularly upon fuch parts of it, as are peculiarly fitted for this defign; which will be the best way of clearing up this doctrine.-And thofe are chiefly three; the precepts, the promises, and the threatenings, which are declared to us therein.

AND FIRST, I fhall confider the precepts. of the gofpel.-And that the great falvation which these are defigned to promote among us, is this deliverance from our fins, is plain from hence; because they do most fully, and indifpenfibly exact it. Never did the precepts of former lawgivers, extend the compafs of virtue fo wide, and advance it to fuch a pitch, as the laws of Chrift do. They require a more full obedience, and a more perfect reformation, than before that Time the world had ever

heard

heard of. They teach virtue in the highest degrees, and require obedience in all imaginable instances; reprefenting plainly the nature of feveral fins, and discovering clearly an irregularity and finfulness in several actions, which the Gentiles, nay even the Jews themselves, never dreamed of.

As to the Gentiles,-it is well known, that they difcerned no evil in worshipping of images, and inferior deities, in idolatrous rites, and fuperftitious obfervances. They knew no fin, in hating of an enemy, in curfing and reproaching of him, in returning his affronts, and revenging his injuries. In thefe actions, as in feveral others, they had no fenfe of fin, nor any fears of punishment. These things, as the Pfalmift fays, God afterwards thewed to Jacob, and declared to Ifrael; but as for the Heathen nations, they have not known them.But now, as for the finfulness of these things, and the dreadful fentence which fhall be denounced upon all, who continue in thefe practices, the law of Chrift is exprefs and peremptory. He who hateth his brother, faith St. John, is

a murderer; and he who is angry with his brother without a caufe, faith our Saviour, especially if he fuffer his anger to transport him into reproachful words, and contumelious expreffions, fhall be in danger of hell-fire.-Render no man evil for evil, fays our religion; but love your enemies; blefs them that curse you; do good to them that hate you; and pray for them that defpitefully ufe you; that fo you may be perfect, and the true children of your Father which is in heaven, who is kind even to the unthankful, and to the evil.

although they

And as to the Jews, had a more perfect way to walk by, than the Heathens had; yet even their obedience fell much short of that pitch which Ours must attain to. For in feveral things, the law itself was indulgent to them, by reafon of the hardness of their hearts. And as for other things, whofe finfulness the law did really discover to them; they were still kept in a general ignorance of them, through the corrupt gloffes, and perverse interpretations of their wife men.-But