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is not agreeable to the oracles of God! Upon this law and teftimony we ought to keep our eye, with conftant, painful care and ftudy, to understand it, and a readiness immediately to reject every thing which is not warranted by that, as dangerous delufion, from whatever quarter, or by whomsoever it may be propofed, and however plaufible and tempting it may be.

III. THE particular fuggeftion of fatan, contrary to revealed truth, by which he tempted our mother Eve to tranfgrefs, is worthy to be confidered as a warning to us. "The ferpent faid unto the woman, Ye fhall not furely die." By hearkening to this lie of fatan fhe fell into fin and ruin. We may be fure the devil has been ever fince urging this fame lie upon men, as the great and principal delufion by which he holds them fecure in his fnare, and tempts them to go on boldly in rebellion. Those who are perfuaded to believe this lie, which fatan tries by all means and ways in his power to propagate, are fallen into his fnare; and in their attempts to promote it, they are his inftruments and fervants; and he influences them to the utmoft of his power to make their bands ftrong, and to heighten their confidence, that they fhall have peace, and no evil fhall come upon them, though they walk after the imagination of their own hearts And they have his affiftance in fearching and ftudying the fcriptures to find paffages, and to pervert them, fo as to ftrengthen themselves and others in this dangerous delufion, by which their hearts are steeled against any impreffion by the many awful threatnings in the word of God.

And where he cannot perfuade men to believe there is no future punishment for impenitent finners, he does all he can to keep them ftupid and thought!efs, with respect to it, and make them feel and act as if they were expofed to no fuch punishment; and to flatter themselves with peace

peace and fafety, until fudden deftruction cometh upon them. This is one special mean of holding men in fecurity and ease in fin, in the chriftian world. And fatan has great advantage againft mankind in promoting this delufion, because it is agreeable to their hearts, and it is the nature of fin to be pleased with it and to make men flupid and unbelieving with refpect to the reality and dreadfulnefs of future punishment, and the danger in which they are of falling into it.

Let all beware of this delufion, by which fin firft entered into the world, and which has been the mean of thousands and millions falling into that endless punishment, which they have not believed, or not realized that it would ever come. "Though hand join in hand, the wicked fhall not be unpunished." "Wo unto the wicked, it fhall be ill with him; for the reward of his hands fhall be given him. Who fhall be punished with everlafting deftruction from the prefence of the Lord, and the glory of his power."

Let the minifters of the gospel, the watchmen on the walls of Jerufalem, not be filent, but cry aloud, and warn the wicked, to whom God has faid, Ye fhall surely die; and found an alarm to all the fecure in their fins, if by any means, they may be awaked from their deadly fleep, and delivered from their delufions, and fly from the wrath to come, before it shall be too late.

IV. THIS fubject leads us to fee and reflect upon the infinitely guilty, miferable and loft ftate into which mankind are fallen by fin. They begin to fin, as foon as they are capable of moral exercise; and by one finful exercise, were they guilty of no more, they undo themselves forever, if not delivered by mere fovercign grace. All their exercises are wrong and finful, by which they are growing more and more guilty and ill deferving; and all the light they have, and the favours

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they enjoy, being abufed, render them unf inal. They are fo wholly inclined to fin, and with fuch ftrength and obftinacy of heart, fixed in enmity against God and his law, that they ftand ready to oppose all means and every method that can be taken and used to recover them from fin and reclaim them; and if left to themselves, will only wax worfe and worfe, until they plunge into endless ruin, and intolerable mifery. They are continually provoking God to caft them into everlafting deftruction, on whose fovereign mercy they depend every moment, to fave them from dropping into hell; and by whofe forfeited grace, and almighty power alone, they can be recovered to repentance, and from fin and infinite evil. And at the fame time they are flattering themselves in their evil ways, involved in the darkness and delufion of fin; loving darkness, and hating the light, and cannot be told in what an infinitely evil and dangerous cafe they are; that is, cannot be made to believe it, though they be told, and are ready to hate their beft and only friends, and look upon them as their enemics; while they love their enemies, who are doing all they can to deftroy them forever. But who can de

fcribe, or fully conceive the finful, miferable, ruined condition into which mankind are fallen; and in which we all naturally are, and fhall be forever, unlefs delivered by infinite, fovereign grace!

PART

PART II. .

Concerning the Redemption of fallen, loft Man, by Jefus Chrift.

CHAP. I.

Some general Obfervations on the Redemption of

Man.

1. WE depend wholly on divine revelation for all we know concerning the redemption of man By this only we learn, that it is poffible that man may be recovered from a ftate of fin and ruin; and that God has determined to redeem man, and is profecuting this defign. And by this only we can know what is implied in this, and what is the way and manner in which it is effected.

Man might justly be left to endless deftruction, without any remedy, having fallen under the curfe of the di vine law, which is righteous and good. And that he could be faved confiftent with this law, and the maintenance and honour of divine government, could not be known by any creature. And if it were known that it was poffible for man to be delivered and faved, confiftent with the honour of the divine law and government,

PART II. it could not be known that God would fee fit to do it, until he revealed his will and defign in this matter. God was infinitely far from being under any obligations to fhow favour to man; it depended upon his fovereign will to determine whether man fhould be redeemed, or not; and if he were redeemed, it must be by the most free, undeferved fovereign mercy. Therefore that God would fhow any mercy to finners, could not be known by men. or angels; or that this was poffible, with the holy law of God, and with wisdom and righteoufnels. This was hid in God from all creatures, until he was pleased to reveal his defign. This indeed was done immediately upon the apoftacy of man; and this important and glo. rious purpose of God, has been opening more and more from that time to this: Which has been fuited to excite and increase the attention and wonder of men and angels, through all ages.

In this revelation is comprehended what God has made known by declarations, promises and predictions in the holy fcriptures, and by his providence, in ordering the events recorded in the hiftorical part of fcripture, and accomplishing many things which he has pro-. mifed or predicted; by which the declarations, promifes and prophecies are opened and explained, and light is thrown upon this grand defign; while the word of God, and his providence in governing the world, and ordering all events, do most exactly agree and illuftrate each other.

And the providence of God, as it refpects the natural world, confidered by itself, unconnected with his word in the holy fcriptures, in preserving mankind, and giving them eafe and health, and fo many comforts and good things in this life, carries a language in it, and is a kind and degree of revelation of the difpofition and will of God, declaring not only the being of God, and his univerfal and particular providence, and care of all his creatures; but also that he is good and kind to man,

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