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fins in his own blood, and hath made us Kings ands E R M. Priefis unto God, and his Father; to him be glory II. and dominion for ever and ever.

Amen.

Bleffing, and bonour, and glory, and power, be unto him Apoc. v. 13. that fitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever. Amen.

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SERMON III.

Upon the Paffion of our bleffed Saviour.

PHIL. ii. 8.

And being found in fafhion as a man, he humbled himfelf, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

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HEN, in confequence of the original apo-s E R M. ftasy from God, which did banish us from III. paradife, and by continued rebellions against him, inevitable to our corrupt and impotent nature, man- Cyril. c. kind had forfeited the amity of God, (the chief of Jul. viii. p. all goods, the fountain of all happiness,) and had in- 303. curred his displeasure, (the greatest of all evils, the Col. iii. 6. foundation of all mifery ;)

278. ix. p.

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John iii. 36.

Ifa. xxvi.

When poor man having deferted his natural Iren. iii. 33, lord and protector, other lords had got dominion over 34. him, fo that he was captivated by the foul, mali- 13. cious, cruel fpirits, and enflaved to his own vain Iren. iii. 8. mind, to vile lufts, to wild paffions :

When, according to an eternal rule of juftice, Gen. iv. 7. that fin deferveth punishment, and by an express ii. 17. law, wherein death was enacted to the tranfgreffors

of God's command, the root of our stock, and con- Iren. v. 16. fequently all its branches, ftood adjudged to utter deftruction:

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When,

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SERM.

19.

III.

When, according to St. Paul's expreffions, all the world was become guilty before God, (or, fubjected to God's judgment :) all men (Jews and Gentiles) were Rom. iii. under fin, under condemnation, under the curfe; all men indoor were concluded into difobedience, and shut up together Rom. ii. 9. (as clofe prifoners) under fin; all men bad finned, and V. 16, 18. come fhort of the glory of God: death had passed over Rom. xi. all, because all bad finned:

Gal. iii. 1o.

32.

εἰς ἀπείθει

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Rom. iii.

23. v. 12.

Rom. vi.

12. 14. 20.

22.

When for us, being plunged into so wretched a condition, no visible remedy did appear, no poffible Gal. iii. 22. redrefs could be obtained here below: (for what means could we have of recovering God's favour, who were apt perpetually to contract new debts and guilts, but not able to discharge any old fcores? What capacity of mind or will had we to entertain mercy, who were no lefs ftubbornly perverfe and obdurate in our crimes, than ignorant or infirm? How could we be reconciled unto Heaven, who had an innate antipathy to God and goodness? [Sin (according to our natural ftate, and fecluding evangeliRom. vii. cal grace) reigning in our mortal bodies, no good thing Rom. vi. dwelling in us; there being a predominant law in our members, warring against the law of our mind, and bringing us into captivity to the law of fin; a main ingreRom. vi. 6. dient of our old man being a carnal mind, which is Coloff. iii. enmity to God, and cannot fubmit to his law; we being Ephef. iv. alienated from the life of God by the blindness of our Rom. viii. hearts, and enemies in our minds by wicked works :] How could we revive to any good hope, who were dead in trefpaffes and fins, God having withdrawn his Ephef. iv. quickening fpirit? How at least could we for one moment ftand upright in God's fight, upon the natural terms, excluding all fin, and exacting perfect Ephef. ii. 5. obedience ?)

18.5.

23.

9.

22.

7.

οὐχ ὑποτάσ.

σεται.

18.

Coloff. i.

21.

Rom. v. 10.

(Rom. vi.

13. 11.)

2.

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When this, I say, was our forlorn and desperate Pfal. cxliii. cafe, then Almighty God, out of his infinite goodnefs, was pleased to look upon us (as he fometime xxxiv. 7. did upon Jerufalem, lying polluted in her blood) with an 6. eye of pity and mercy, fo as gracioufly to defign a

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redemption for us out of all that woeful diftrefs Is E R M. and no fooner by his incomprehenfible wifdom did 111. he foresee we should lofe ourselves, than by his immenfe grace he did conclude to restore us.

11.

Rev. xiii. 8.

Tit. i. 2.

But how could this happy defign well be com- Eph. i. 4. paffed? How in confiftence with the glory, with the 9. 11. & iii. justice, with the truth of God, could fuch enemies 2 Tim. i. 9. be reconciled, fuch offenders be pardoned, fuch 1 Pet. i. 20. wretches be saved? Would the omnipotent Majefty, Rom. xvi. fo affronted, defign to treat with his rebels imme-25. diately, without an interceffor, or advocate? Would the fovereign Governor of the world fuffer thus notorioufly his right to be violated, his authority to be flighted, his honour to be trampled on, without some notable vindication or fatisfaction? Would the great Patron of juftice relax the terms of it, or ever permit a grofs breach thereof to pafs with impunity? Would the immutable God of truth expofe his ve- Athan. de racity or his conftancy to fufpicion, by fo reverfing Incarn that peremptory sentence of death upon finners, that it fhould not in a fort eminently be accomplished? Would the most righteous and moft holy God let flip an opportunity fo advantageous for demonstrating his perfect love of innocence, and abhorrence of iniquity? Could we therefore well be cleared from our guilt without an expiation, or reinftated in freedom without a ransom, or exempted from condemnation without fome punishment?.

No: God was fo pleafed to profecute his defigns of goodness and mercy, as thereby nowife to impair or obfcure, but rather to advance and illuftrate the glories of his fovereign dignity, of his fevere juftice, of his immaculate holiness, of his unchangeable fteadiness in word and purpofe. He accordingly would be fued to for peace and mercy: nor would he grant them abfolutely, without due compenfations for the wrongs he had fuftained; yet fo, that his goodness did find us a Mediator, and furnish us with means to fatisfy him. He would not condefcend

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Gen. ii. 17.

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