SERMONS

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MINISTERS OF STATE.

SERMON I

MARK XVI. 15.

And he faid unto them, Go ye into all the World, and preach the Gospel to every Creature.

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S the words that follow are a little uncourtly, I have left them out, left my audience, by being difgufted in the beginning of my difcourfe, fhould not be difpofed to give attention to what I have to fay in the following parts thereof. The words of the text are the words of our Lord and Saviour JESUS CHRIST, who had lately rifen from the dead, and was declared to be the Son of God with power.

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power. He had now finifhed a work which all the hofts in Heaven, and men upon earth, by their united wisdom and power could not have performed: He had given a greater difplay of the divine attributes, than had hitherto been feen in all the works of creation and providence. By fulfilling righteousness and pleafing God,-by magnifying the law and making it honourable,-and by fhewing the harmony between justice and mercy in the forgiveness of the ungodly, he had now laid a fure founda. tion of preaching peace to the worthless of all ranks and degrees in the world. He had laid the foundation of publishing mercy to mankind in his own blood, and has thereby fully fhewn, that, without shedding of blood, there would have been no remiflion of fin. Perhaps it may appear strange to my noble audience, that a perfonage of fo mean a vifible character in the world, fhould have pretended to perform fuch extraordinary

works

works, and claim fuch prerogatives as JEsus of Nazareth did, and fill doth. It is, my Lords, exceeding frange and wonderful, beyond even the comprehenfion of all the cabinets in Europe. It is amazing that a God, who can make a world by his word, fhould have been at fo much pains with this guilty and corrupt world, as to fend his beloved Son to die for it. Your Highneffes and your Reverences muft remember, and ye ought to know, that all mankind were in actual rebellion against the Sovereign of heaven and earth: they first tranfgreffed his law, then hated him, and pursued the courfe of their rebel lion with unrelenting malignity. Is it not amazing that Omnipotence did not punish them for their rebellion, and for ever exclude them from all hopes of mercy. and favour?That inftead of purfuing them, according to the frictness. of law and juftice, in their own perfons, he was pleafed in mercy to accept of an

atonement

atonement from his own Son, whom he fent into the world on purpose to fave them? Before he drove the first man out of paradife, which he had forfeited, he was mercifully pleafed to make a better provifion for him, and to restore him to a more glorious ftate of liberty; -And, my Lords, what is ftill more ftrange, to free his enemies from the fear of his indignation, he put his beloved Son to grief, and mortal forrow. *It pleajed JEHOVAH to bruife him and put him to grief; when he shall make his foul an offering for fin, he shall fee his feed. By his knowledge fhall my righteous fervant justify many, for he fhall bear their iniquities. All this is fo furprizing, that you never heard any of thing like it in the annals of time. The great, fupreme, omnipotent JEHOVAH, who created this univerfe by a word out of nothing, and who counts the nations as a drop of a bucket, and as the fmall duft in the balance, could have deftroyed all finners with

* Ifa. l. 10.

with a word, as well as he made the world thereby. But he is merciful and

gracious, flow to anger, and of great kindnefs; he pours not out all his anger at once, because he delights in mercy. You are furprized, are you not, to hear of fo much mercy in a Being poffeffed of abfolute power, and authority? Truely it is a rare thing; a thing not to be met with where pride prevails; it is not be found in the kingdoms of this world. And it is a good reason why no men fhould have abfolute power and authority over others, because they are not poffeffed of a fufficient degree of mercy to regulate that power. Suppofe, my Lords, you had as much might as you. have inclination, what would become of thofe whom you account your enemies? Would you imitate the Almigh ty, in forgiving their offences and fhewing them mercy? Or, would you not rather choose to exert your power in making them feel the heavy effects of your vengeance and indignation?

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