them all; Job xxii. 2, 3, 4. "Can a man be profitable "unto God, as he that is wife may be profitable unto him"felf? Is it any pleasure to the Almighty, that thou art

righteous? or is it gain to him, that thou makeft thy "ways perfect? Will he reprove thee for fear of thee? "will he enter with thee into judgment?" And to the fame purpose, Job xxxv. 5. 6, 7, 8. "Look unto the "heavens, and fee, and behold the clouds, which are "higher than thou. If thou finneft, what doft thou against "him? or if thy tranfgreffions be multiplied, what doft "thou unto him? If thou be righteous, what givest thou "him? or what receiveth he of thine hand? Thy wicked"nefs may hurt a man as thou art, and thy righteousness

may profit the fon of man." The effential glory and happiness of the Diety, and confequently of the Eternal Word, can receive no addition, nor fuffer the smallest diminution, from the fate of any, or of all his creatures. He was infinitely happy in himself from all eternity, before there was man or angel to ferve him, and would have continued fo though they had never been. How infinitely then are we indebted to this generous Saviour! with what gratitude ought we to celebrate his pure and difinterested love, who graciously interpofed in our behalf, and delivered us from the wrath of God, by bearing it in our room!

7. In the last place, the love of Chrift was a most fruitful, active, and beneficent love. The effects of it are unfpeakably great; the bleffings which we reap from it are not only infinite in number, but ineftimable in value. They are indeed almost as valuable as their price was coftly. It was not to be fuppofed, that fo great a perfon would be employed upon a trivial work, or an infinite price paid for an inconfiderable purchase. But how, my brethren, fhall we form any adequate conception of the benefits that flow from our Redeemer's death? All that is neceffary for us, all that is defirable to us, all that is truly precious in itself, is effectually made ours: Rom. viii. 32. "He that fpared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how fhall he not with him alfo freely give "us all things?" 1. Cor. i. 30. "But of him are ye in

86

"Chrift Jefus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and "righteousness, and fanctification, and redemption."

(1.) We are through Chrift delivered from condemnation: Rom. viii. 1. "There is therefore now no con"demnation to them which are in Chrift Jefus, who walk "not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." Do you know any thing of a fenfe of guilt? Does your Creator's power and greatness ever make you afraid? Have afraid? Have you trembled at the approach of the king of terrors? or of that day of righteous judgment, when God fhall render to every man according to his works? Chrift our Saviour hath delivered us" from the wrath to come." This is the first ground of the apoftle's afcription in the text: Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood. Hear alfo the apoftle's triumphant affurance, Rom. viii. 33, 34. "Who fhall lay any thing to the charge of "God's elect? It is God that juftifieth: who is he that "condemneth? It is Chrift that died, yea rather, that is "rifen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who "alfo maketh interceffion for us."

nature.

(2.) Through Chrift the believer is affured, that he shall receive every thing that is neceffary for him in his paffage through the world. The Spirit is purchased and bestowed to lead him into all truth, and to fanctify him wholly. Chrift did not fatisfy himself with cancelling our guilt, but made effectual provifion for the renovation of our The Spirit is alfo given as a spirit of confolation. He is ftyled the Comforter, who fhall abide with us forever. Without enlarging at this time on the comforts of the gospel, they are fufficiently commended in the following words of the apoftle, Phil. iv. 7. "And the peace of "God which paffeth all understanding, fhall keep your "hearts and minds through Chrift Jefus." To thefe add a fanctified providence. As many as are reconciled to God through Chrift, may reft fatisfied that all things fhall work together for their good. The most oppofite events, profperity and adverfity, health and sickness, honor and reproach, nay, every thing without exception, fhall be fubfervient to their intereft: 1 Cor. iii. 21, 22, 23. "For all "things are yours: whether Paul or Apollos, or Cephas,

❝or the world, or life, or death, or things prefent, or things "to come, all are yours; and ye are Chrift's; and Chrift " is God's."

66

(3.) Through Christ the believer is entitled to everlasting glory and happiness in the enjoyment of God to all eternity. This was among the laft things he told his difciples before he left the world: John xiv. 2, 3. “In my Father's house are many manfions; if it were not so, I "would have told you: I go to prepare a place for you. "And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come "again, and receive you unto myfelf, that where I am, "there ye may be alfo." You are this day to commemorate your Redeemer, who died once upon a crofs, but who has now been many ages upon a throne: Rev. i. 18. "I am he that liveth, and was dead; and behold, I am "alive for ever niore, Amen; and have the keys of hell "and death." He is able to make his faithful difciples more than conquerors over all their spiritual enemies; or, as it is expreffed in the paffage where the text lies, he will make them kings and priests to God and his Father. In the paffage immediately preceding the text, he is called the first begotten from the dead; and elsewhere we are told, that the order of the refurrection is, "Chrift the first "fruits, and afterwards they that are Chrift's at his com"ing." It fhall both finifh and illuftrate his love when he fhall raise them that fleep in the duft; when he "fhall change their vile bodies, that they may be fafhioned like "unto his own glorious body, according to the working "whereby he is able to fubdue all things unto himself." At prefent, how imperfect are our difcoveries? how weak and feeble our conceptions? how cold and languid our affections! Now we "fee through a glafs darkly, but "then face to face." O how joyful to every believer the deliverance from a ftate of fuffering, temptation and fin, and the poffeffion of perfect holinefs and unchangeable happiness! And O how great the oppofition of the future to the prefent ftate! No more ftruggling with the evils of life: No more perplexity or anxious care for food and raiment; no more diftrefs from fickness or pain; no prifons nor oppreffors there; no liars nor flanderers there;

¢

no complaints of an evil heart there, but the most perfect fecurity of ftate, and most unremitted vigor of affection. How fhall the ranfomed of the Lord then fing their Redeemer's praife! Rev. i. 5, 6. "Unto him that loved us, " and washed us from our fins in his own blood, and hath "made us kings and priefts unto God and his father; to "him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen."

II. I proceed now to make fome practical improvement of what hath been faid. And,

I

1. Let me intreat every perfon in this houfe to make the following obvious reflection: If fo great are the obligations of believers to the love of Chrift, how dreadful must be the condition of those who die in their fins! The one of thefe explains and illustrates the other. The believer can owe but little, if the deliverance is not great. have been lately speaking of the happiness of the elect of God, in being freed from the miseries of the prefent state; but, oh! unhappy they who fhall depart from this life unreconciled to God: "He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life; but he that believeth not on the Son, "fhall not fee life, but the wrath of God abideth on him." When the heirs of glory "fit down with Abraham, Ifaac, "and Jacob, in the kingdom of their Father," the unbelieving and impenitent fhall be caft into he lake of fire, "where the fmoke of their torment afcendeth up for ever

and ever." I defire to put you in mind of this, under the impreffion of this important truth, That nothing but the fovereign grace of God can make the warning effectual; and therefore befeeching him to accompany it with the powerful operation of his Holy Spirit. At the fame time, I affure you, that if you reject the counfel of God against yourselves, your blood fhall be upon your own heads. Do not pretend to fay, " If it depends upon elec"tion, and almighty grace is neceffary, all our endeavors "will be vain." Secret things belong only to God. His purpofe is not more unchangeable than his promife is faithful. Nay, though you may not be able to fee it, nor I to explain it, they are perfectly confiftent the one with the other. He will be just when he speaketh, and clear

when he judgeth; and therefore give heed to the exhortation, not in my words, but in the words of the Holy Ghoft, Phil. ii. 12, 13. "Work out your own falvation "with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh "in you, both to will and to do of his good pleasure.”

Know, I beseech you, your own mercy. The neceffity is urgent, and the time is uncertain. With what propriety may the words of the apostle be addressed to every perfon in every fituation, and in every age! 2 Cor. vi. 1, 2. "We then as workers together with him, befeech you "alfo, that ye receive not the grace of God in vain : "for he faith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and "in the day of falvation have I fuccored thee: behold, "now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of "falvation." Happy they who ftill hear the joyful found! Happy the finner who is not yet gone to his own place! Flee, flee to your ftrong hold, ye prisoners of hope. Confider the aggravated guilt and feven-fold condemnation of the defpifers of the gofpel. All that you have heard of the love of Chrift ferves to fhew the danger of his enemies. Read the words immediately following the afcription of which the text is a part (ver. 7.): "Be"hold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye fhall fee "him, and they also which pierced him; and all kin"dreds of the earth fhall wail because of him." Read alfo this awful description, Rev. vi. 14, 15, 16, 17. “ And the "heavens departed as a fcroll when it is rolled together; " and every mountain and ifland were moved out of their

places and the kings of the earth, and the great men, "and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the migh"ty men, and every bond-man, and every free-man, hid "themselves in the dens, and in the rocks of the moun"tains; and faid to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, "and hide us from the face of him that fitteth on the "throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: for the great day of his wrath is come; and who fhall be able to "ftand?" Mark this extraordinary expreflion, the wrath of the Lamb, that meekeft and gentleft of all creatures; teaching us, that his former meeknefs, and patience, and fuffering, fhall inflame and exafperate his future ven