444 2 Vfe. John 18. ;. Ails 17. 3>• Ma.tth. 9• 12• Luke '3· 14· Matth-'7· •9· ~nd pangs, death and damnation? On the other fide, fee our Savio~r (GodAh~iJ;~ take on htm the nature of a mau, a poor ma11, a Jheep, a lamb a worm ;;noth. g Y) I I ~ S I ~ ' , tnn tn e 1eem ; and why all this ? but on y to ave our ou s, and to give them heaven ~ d ( 1vatiou : yet fuch is the conditton of a flubborn heart, that (to choofe) it will r, n a - heavens crown, and run upon hell, and be a flav_c to Satan, and fcoffe at Chrih~r~uf~ Lrmg, yea and let out ht~ blood, and pull out hts. heart,. and bring them a de ree lo. wer than very Becl:ub~tb hunfclf, rather than tt wtll fubmtt to his will and mg h der his banner to the Kingdome of heaven. Hence it is, that that the Devil fo t;.~ uh. over Chrifl,As for llljfollowm (faith he) I never diedfor them as Chrift died for\ m~' 5 Devil, th?u never dicdfi for them, but thou wilt f>Ut them to a death without alt ~;?e or end. 1htnk of thts, ye unbeltevers; methtnks ltkc a thunderbolt it might a 1 k 11 your hearts, and d~fh them into pieces. ' a c a Buta word more to you~ of whom I hope better things; let me exhor&'the Saints that you for your parts, will ever love, and ferve, and honour, and obey, and pr ·~ the Lord of glory for this fo wonderful" mercy; I pray, have you not caufe , ~1 ~ your Saviour only fent his creatures to ferve you, or fome Prophets to advifc y~u a the way of falvation ; had he only fent his Angels to auend yo~, and to mmifler un;n you; or hld he come down in his glory, like a King that would not only fend to tho prifon , b•Jt coma hi~felfto the dungeon; and ask, faying, isfuch a man here? or ha~ he oncly come a~d wept over you: fa_ying, Oh that you ht!dnever finned! all thefe had been great merCies: But that Chrtft htmfclf lhould come, and fl:nve with you in mere and patience, that he fl10uld be fo dear to a company of Rebels and Hell-hounds, (ana yet we arc not at the lowefl:) that he would for us become a man, a mea" man, a Lamb a Worm<, a nothing in eftecm, 0 all ye fl:ubborn hearts, (too much fl:ubborn are we all) if judgement and the hammer cannot break your hearts, yet let this mercy break you, and let every one fay, 0 ']ejit! haft thou done all thu forme ? certainly lwtlllove rbee, aJd praife thee, andfcr-ve thoe, and obey thee as long as I l.ve, Sayfo, and the Lord fay Amen to the good defires of your hearts. To whet this on the more: remember fiil, it is you that fhould have fuffered; but to prevent thts, tt IS he that. was humbled, .itis he that was crucified, it is he that waspurged: what needs more? I am he] faid Chrift to the Jews when they apprehended him: He ? what he? l know not what: but be /;e what he will, he it is : our Saviour, Redeemer, Phyfician, Patient, Who had by him– fcif purged our ftm. Thus far we have meafured his fl:eps downwards,and lhould we go up again the fame fiairs, we might bring him as high as we have placed him low : but his afcent be– longs rather to the words following my Text; for after he hadpurged, then he fae down on Gods nght hand on high. Come we then to the next words, and as you have feen the J'crfon, fo let us look for acompan10n; This may i11 mifiryyieldfame comfort, tf but '"'Y fcciety bears aJhare in his mifcry; But methinks l hear you fay to n1e, as the .Athcnzvms faid toP~tel, We will hear thee again of thu r111!ttcr another time. By himfclf] THe Time and Phyftcian have prepared a }'urge; but who is the Patient to receive it? tt is man is fick, and it is man mu!l: purge, or othcrwifc hedies without all reme– dy or recovery: but alas! what Purge (what Purgatory) mu!l: that be which can evacu– ate fin? Should man take all thcvertue of herbs and minerals, and diflill them into one fublime and purc!l: quinteffence, yet impolliblc were it to wafh away fin, or tee lea!! dregs of its corruption : not Galen nor H1ppacrates, nor all the Artttrs, or_ Naturalifls that ever lived on earth could finde out, or mvcnt any remedy f-or fin; th1s mu!l: be a work of Grace, and not of Nature; yea, and fuch ~ grace as neither man nor Angels could affor-d: Behold then, who it is that both adminill:ers and takes the receipt pre– pared; it is tnJn that finned,_ and God is become man, that fo being both,he might ad· mini!l:cr it as God, and recetVC 1t as man, the fame pcrfvn bemg Phyfictan and Pattent, Compounder and Purger. . . But what a wonder is this? Are we a dymg, and mull: he purge for 1t? can Phyfid; given ~o the found, heal the party that is fick? It was thefayinp of our Saviour, 'TI" whole need not the Phyftcian, b11t they that 11reftck__; an~ Chnft Je.us for htspart JS ~vhole indeed ; No fault in this man, fatth Ptlate; and he IS a ;ufl mmz, fa1d p,fates Wtfe of him: to what end then fhould he purge that 1s whok, and we cfcape thot arc fick? 0 this is to manifcft the dcareft love of our Soul-PhyGctan,our cndcaredSavwur;'": wh,le mdccd
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