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thine Enemies thy Footstool. Are they
not all miniftring Spirits, fent forth to mi-
nifter for them who shall be Heirs of
Salvation.
P. 469

ERRA T A.

PAGE 34, Line

AGE 34, Line 24, for how read who.
Page 52, Line 17, for was not, read
were not. Page 171, Line 1, dele that.
Page 174, Line 25, dele that.

HEBR.

HEBR. 5. 9.

And being made perfect, he became the Author of Eternal Salvation unto all them that obey him.

S

T. Paul, who is generally allowed to be the Writer of this Epiftle, had obferved before, and proves more

largely afterwards, that Chrift was called by God to the Office of a Priest, and that he performed that Function, by offering himself as a Sacrifice upon the Crofs: And that he was not only a true Prieft, but an high Prieft, who after he had made that Sacrifice, afcended into Heaven, the true Holy of Holies, there to act the Part of a Mediator and Interceffor in Virtue of his own Blood; and which is ftill more, that he was an high Prieft after the Order of Melchifedeck, who was King as well as Prieft. For he tells them in the 8th Ch. V. the ift. We have fuch an High Prieft

B

who

who is fet at the Right Hand of the Throne of the Majefty in the Heavens; and in Ch. 2. 9. But we fee Jefus who was made a little lower than the Angels, for the fuffering of Death, crowned with Glory and Honour. And we learn from the following Verse, that this Captain of our Salvation ought to be made perfect thorough Sufferings. That is, he could not be a compleat Saviour, without being a Mediator, nor a Mediator without being a High Prieft, nor a High Priest without offering Sacrifice; which comes home to the Expreffion in my Text, that being made perfect, and duly qualified for that Office, he became the Author of Eternal Salvation to all them that obey him.

The Words clearly fuggeft three Things to our Confideration.

ift, A moft extraordinary Benefit that may be obtained by all true Chriftians, and that is Eternal Salvation.

2dly, The Author and Procurer of this Benefit which is our Saviour Chrift Jefus.

3dly,

3dly, The Condition upon which it is to be obtained, and that is Obedience to his Commands.

These shall be the three general Heads of my Discourse, beginning,

ift, With the extraordinary Benefit that may be obtained by all good Chriftians, which is Eternal Salvation.

This is an Expreffion peculiar to the New Teftament; but as the New Teftament is the Completion of the Old, and has a neceffary Connection with it, we may gain much Light by going back to that antient Record. And there we find that God created Man innocent and immortal, and gave him fuffi cient Powers to perfevere in that State.

As he was defigned to be a religious Creature, it was neceffary that he should be a free Agent, with a Principle of felf Motion and Action, and capable of Vice as well as of Virtue; for there can be no Virtue where there is an Impoffibility of Vice; because it is of the very Nature of Virtue to be free, and our own Choice. Were all our Actions neceffary, they could not be religious, for they would then be the meer Effects of B 2 Force

Force and Compulfion, in which Cafe we could not be called Agents but Patients. All moral Goodness implies Obedience to certain Rules and Laws, and it would be abfurd to prefcribe Rules and Laws to a Creature whofe Motions were all under irrefiftible Force, for fuch Force would be the only Law to it.

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It was therefore agreeable to the Wisdom and Goodness of God, to create Man a free Creature, and to fet Good and Evil, Life and Death before him in order to his Probation. But how the first Man behav'd himself under this Trial, and what was the Iffue, we all know to our Sorrow. The History of Mofes fhews us that his fleshly Appetites prompted him to make an ill Choice, and that his Reafon, for want of due Care and Attention, was eafily fubdued, and carried away Captive by his Senfes. In short, he finn'd, and by finning he Fell; that is, he fell from his original Purity, he fell from the Favour of God, and incurr'd his Difpleasure, he fell from his Immortality, and became fubject to Death and Corruption, Things he had never known if he had continued innocent. This I conceive to be evident

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