But what has Jesus Christ done to save sinners from this sad condition? Why; he took upon him the nature of man; he dwelt amongst men; made known to them this comfortable truth, that God, for his sake, will accept of our repentance; receive us into favour notwithstanding our past offences; assist us with helps sufficient to do what he expects from us; and will make us eternally happy when we die, if we will suffer ourselves to be governed by his holy laws while we live. To convince us more effectually of the truth and importance of these things, after he had wrought many wonderful miracles, to shew that he came from God, be. willingly laid down his life for our sake, for our sins, for our offences; and that God might spare us, and not punish us as we had deserved. And God, to convince mankind how entirely he was reconciled to them, on account of his Son's death, raised him from the dead, received him into heaven, set him at his own right-hand, where he is continually interceding for all those that come unto God by him, that pray to God for his sake.

And, that we may have no doubt in our minds, but that all this is done in heaven for us, our Lord sent down the Holy Ghost to supply his place on earth; who, having appointed an order of men to publish these glad tidings to the whole world, enabled them to work miracles; to speak languages which before they were ignorant of; to heal the sick with a word,

of

of their mouth; to raise the dead; in one word, to do such things, as none but such as were sent by God could do. And, lastly, these having fulfilled their ministry, before they laid down their lives for the truths they had preached, they (as Jesus Christ had commanded them) ordained others to supply their places; to preach these truths; to offer these terms of mercy to all succeeding generations, with whom he promised his presence and blessing unto the world's end. To these he has given power to receive all that are willing into his family, which is his church; to reconcile such as fall, and return from their evil ways; and to represent unto God the satisfaction which his Son has made in our nature, for our sins.

This is what Jesus Christ has done for us. He has reconciled us to God; he has put us into a way of salvation; he has given us all necessary assistance, to support our weakness, to resist our enemies, to renew our nature, and to make us fit for heaven and happiness.

But have all men a right to this salvation purchased by Jesus Christ? This we shall see now we come to consider the extent of these words, "That Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners." And truly the Scriptures are in nothing more plain than in this truth, "That God so loved the world, that he sent his Son, that the world, through him, might be saved." That God had no respect of persons in thus loving the world, his will being this, that all

men

men should be saved. [1 Tim. ii. 4.] That even such as perish, through their own wilful disobedience, are of the number of those whom Jesus Christ came to save. They denied, saith St. Peter, the Lord that bought them: that bought and would have saved them, but that they brought upon themselves destruction. Nay to take away all manner of scruple, and to apply this comfortable truth to the minds of afflicted penitents, St. Paul speaks of this after a most convincing manner: [Rom. v.] As the sin of Adam, saith he, affected all his posterity; as, by one offence, judgment came upon all men, to condemnation; so the merits of Christ were designed to redeem all the posterity of Adam; forasmuch as, by the righteousness of one, that is Jesus Christ, the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.

As sure then as I am one of those, who by Adam's transgression am become corrupt, and a sinner before God, so sure am I redeemed by Jesus Christ. This, every Christian man may say to himself.

This was the very doctrine of Christ himself; and this he taught by his own example, when he prayed for the very persons who crucified him, who had an interest in the very death they made him to suffer, otherwise he would not have prayed that God would forgive them. And the church of Christ still continues to intercede with God for all mankind, holding this truth, that the love of God, and the merits of

Jesus

Jesus Christ, extends to the whole race of men. By this practice, endeavouring to bring the hearts of believers to that god-like temper of charity and good-will for all that bear the image of God; and, by this practice of supporting the spirits of dejected penitents, who will have no reason to despair, since the greatest sinners are in a capacity of being saved. We are obliged to say, in a capacity of salvation; for the truth is, all are not saved that Christ came to save. Salvation is indeed offered to all, to whom the Gospel is, or has been preached; but all are not disposed to receive it, especially on the terms on which it is offered. Many are not sensible of the danger they are in; others will not forsake their sins for any consideration whatever; and even too, too many despise the very offers of a Redeemer, of pardon and grace through him.

In all these cases, the Saviour of the world assures us that it is their own fault, purely their own fault, if they are not saved. "Ye will not come unto me," saith he, "that ye might have life." [John v. 40.] If people, when salvation is offered them, will notwithstanding unworthily slight the mercy if men, to whom God has made himself known, will not retain God in their knowledge; if those that have been enlightened, and have escaped the pollutions of the world, through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, if they are again entangled therein, and are finally lost;

this is not for want of means to save them, but they will not be saved; they will not attend to the word preached unto them; they will not believe the terrors of the world to come; they will not submit to the terms of salvation. This being their case, their destruction is from themselves.

II. And this brings us to consider, how very dreadful the case is of those who deny the Lord that bought them, or neglect the offers of salvation made by him to all sinners. And indeed, when we consider what Jesus Christ has done, in order to redeem and save us, we shall have the greatest reason to believe, that the punishment of those who are not saved by him will be unspeakably great. For, can we imagine, that Christ, the Son of God, 'would have left the glories of heaven, and would have lived a miserable life on earth, and died a more miserable death, but that he knew, that if sinners were not reconciled to God, but died in their sins, their punishment would be terrible, and their condition miserable and without remedy. So that the greatness of the mercy, may convince us of the greatness of the punishment of those that despise the salvation offered them. The Spirit of God, from whom only we can know what becomes of men after death, assures us, that such shall be shut out of heaven; and have their portion in a place where there is nothing but "weeping and wailing, and gnashing of teeth." And, whatever may become of

those