in Contriving Man's Redemption. The Objell: of it is Man in his lapfed State. In thistefpetl: it excels theGoo~ne_fs that prevented him at the beginning. In the Creation as there was no Object r_o mvite, ~o nothing repugnant to Man's Being and Happinefs : The Du!t of the Earth dtd not ment fuch an exc~llent Condition as it received from t)le pure Bounty of God; but there was no moral Unworthinefs. But the Grace of the Gofpel hath a different Object, the Wretched and Unworthy, and it produces different Operations, 'ris healing and medicinal.' ranComing and delivering, and bath a peculiar CharaCI:er among the Divine Attnbutes. 'Tis Goodnefs that crowns the Angels, but 'tis Mercy, the Sanctuary of the Guilty, and Refuge of the Miferable, that faves Man. The Scripture bath confecrated the Name ?f Gr4Ce in a fpecial manner, to fignify the mort excellent and admirable Favour of God m recovering us from our ju{(ly deferved Mifery. We arejtiflijled freely hJ his Grace, Rom. 3· 24. By Grace we arefaved, Eph. 2. 5· Grace a!ld Tritth Is come byJejiuChrifl,_John I. 17· 'Tis the Grace of God, that brings Salvation; Tit. 2. r 1. And this is glonou(]y manife!ted towards Man in that, 1. Confidered in himfelf he is altogether unworthy of it. 2. As compared with the fallen Angels, who are left under perfect irremediable Mi~i~; Man confidered in hirrifelf is unworthy of the Favour of God. The ufual Motives of Love are, , , r. The Goodnefs of Things.or Perfons. This is the proper AUe/Jive Of the Rational Appetite: There is fuch a ravi!hing Beauty in it, that it powerfully calls forth Affection. When there is an Union of amiable Qualities in a Perfon, every one finds an AttralJive. ih:~o~~~nri~;i~~~~~i;3i[1nf~~0i~ ~!~u:e~i~~;L{~~~~~~t~~r:: b~n~~hen~~=~t~:~~ej~ Senjltive Creatures alfociate with thofe of their kind. And Love, which is an affeCI:ionate Union and voluntary Band, proceeds from a fimilitude of Wills and Inclinations. The Harmony of Tempers is the !honge!t and fweete!t tie of Friend!hip. ~- Lbve is an innocent and powerful Charm to produce Love: Tis of uiliverfal Vir- . !~:·r~ft~e~n~:: r~e~~~t~;.ffi~~c;;~-m~~ne :r~~f;~~~e~~eu~~~~u~~ ~a;t.n;~d~c~~;~r, ~liE£~~ to incline God to love Man. ~1edicunento, I. He was utterly de!titute of moral Goodnefs: As the exact Temperament of the Bo- ~~\~lb;:· fi: dy, fo the order arid beauty of the Soul, was fpoil'd by Sin. Nothing remain'd but De- n<fi"' ~,;~. ~~d::xp~lo~~;fi~efr:~1~avb~~," ;~tv:x%~0gy~~~e~~sr::~fb~imbthtatd!~c~~~sfi~~ b~t {~~ ~;';~,:·~:~:: Grace of him thatdifpenfes it; Herein God commended hii Love to tti, that while we were Sinners Chrift died fo~ us, Rbm. 5· 8. Our Goodnefs was not the Motive of his Love, but his Love the Original of our Goodnefs. 2. There is a fixed Contrariety in the corrupted Nature of Man to the holy Nature and Will ofGod: For which he' is not only umyorrhy of his Love, but worthy of his Wrath. We are oppofite to Him in our Minds, AffeCI:ions, and Aftions: A !hang Alltipatby is feared in all our Faculties. . How unqualified were we for his Love? There is infinite Holinefs in Him, whereby he is eternally oppofite to all Sin, yet he eipre!t infini te Love to Sinners iri favi ng them from Mifery. 3· There was not the lea!t fpark of Love in Man to God: Noth!tanding his infinite Beauty and Bounty to us, (Rov1. 5· to.) yet we renewed Acts of Ho!tility again!t him every Day. And it was the wor!t kind of Ho!tility arifing from the hatred of God, ( Rom. r. 30.) and that for his Holinefs, his mort amiable Perfection: Yet then in his LDVe he pitied 11s. The fame favour be!towed on an Enemy, is morally more valuable than given to a Friend. For 'tis Love that puts a price on Benefits: And the more undeferved they are, the more they are endeared by the AffeCI:ion that gives them. Here is ltnJe, not th4t we loved God, bJtt that He IO'Ved us, and font hi.t Son to be a Propitiation for our Sins, t Job. 4· ro. We were Rebels againft God, and at Enmity with the Prince of Life, yet then He gave Himfelf for us. It will further appear that our Salvation comes from pure Favour, if we confider Man not only as a rebellious Enemy to God, but impotent and ob!tinate, without Power to re~!t Ju!tice, and without Affection to defire Mercy. Sometimes the Intere!t of a Pnnce may induce him to fpare the Guilty, he may be compell'd to pardon, whom be cannot Puni!h. The Multitude is the greate!t Potentate. The Sons of Zerviah were too ftron!S.for f?avid: .And then 'tis not pity, but policy to fufpend the Jud!(ment. But ?ut' condmon lS defcnbed by the Apofl:le, Rof}t. 5· 6. That when we lf'Cre Sinners, and wrthout Jlrength, then Chrifl died for us. Man is a defpicable Creature, [o weak that he tr:mbles at the appearance of a Worm, and yet fo wicked that he lifts up his head agamft U o Heaven.
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