SERMONS of the Forgive11e/s of S1 Ns. and Comprchcn~on, .t!Jat be gave and ftnt !Jis OJI/y begot:en Son into the World, .th~t the World tbroug!J btm ~mgbt be}troed. The. Son of God, Wtth the frecfl: C~1oicc, dtd ~nrcrpofc between the nghteous God and gudry Man for tliat end. He willmgly left Ius Sovereign Scar in Heaven, cclips'd Ius Glory under a dark Cloud of Flcfl1, degraded hnnfelf into the Form of a Servant, and fubtmttcd to an tgnomm10us and cmcl Dcad1 for our Redemption. When he came inw the World, he declared his full Content, with a Note of Eminency : Sacrifce and Offering thou wouldjl not, but a Body hail thou prepared me ; Thenfaid I, Lo I come to do thy Will, 0 God.. Upon tl~is Confent o f the Father and the .Son, the whole Fabnck of our Rcdcmpnon tS budr. Tts the Refi1ltancc from It, that the Execution of Juflicc f>H Chrifl: is rhe Expiation of our Sins, and by his Sufle rings 343 rhc full Price is paid for our Redemption. There is a judicial Exchange of Pc~fons b::- twecn Chrit1 ;tnd Believers, their Guilt is transferr'd to him, and hi s Righteoufi1dS is impmcd to them. !le ,;~.1de him to be Si1~ for us, who /.:new no Siu, tbat_we m~gbt be made 1 Cor. 5· ~be Righteottfnefs of God m bim. . His aChve ~nd pall!ve Obedience, lus D01!1g and Dymg arc as truly accounted to BcltcYcrs for tbc1r Acceptance and Pardon, as tf they had mcritorioufly wrought our their own Salvation. The Sinner mufl: gin: his Con1Cnt to be faved by the Dc:trh of Chrifi upon rhc Terms of the Gotpd. This Conf1itution is grounded upon the eternal Articles between the Father and the Son in the Covenant of Redemption. Our Sa\·ioqr declares, that God g,a·ve bis Son, that ll'bofoe-t:er beliroes in him, jhould not perijh, but have etenial Life. ).lorwirhfl:anding the full Satisfa(..."tion made for our Sins, yet without our Confcnr, i.e. an appli t ari\·e _Faith, no Benefit could accrue ro us . I-/~ dwells in our l--Ie~rts by Faith: ;1;1d b~ that VItal Band of our Union we have Comnmn1on with h~m in Ius Death, a1~d as cntJrc an Inrcrdl: in all the ble!fcd Benefits purchafed by it, as tf whatfoever he dtd and fuflCred had been .for us alone. He is a Propitiation b.J. Faith in bis Blood. Of this full ConfCnt of the Smncr, there is an excellent Example .tn the Apofi.lc : He exprciTes it with the grcarcfi: Ardcncy of AflCChon ; I count all tbings but Du»g tbat I may win Pili!. 3£ Cbri}l, and be found in bim, not having mine own Righteoufnejj, tVhicb iS of tbe L aw, but that JIJbic/; is tbrougb the Fait/; ofChrijl. Like as a poor infolvent Debtor, ready ro - be c ~ 'l inro a perpetual Prifon, longs for a Surety _rich and lib~rab, to n1akc P~ymem f~r hi1D • Thus St. Paul dcfir'd to be found in Chnfi:, as an all-fufficicnt Surer}-, that he m;gnl ob~ain a Freedom from ~he Ghargc of the Law. The Efl:abli01menr of the Gofpcl,rhar Faith be the Condition ofour Pardon,fo that none can be juO:ilicd wirhotlt it, is from pure Grace. The Apoftlc a!iigns this Rcafon why all Works arc c xclud~d, thotC performed in the State of Narurc, or by a Ptinciple of Grace, from being the procuring CallfC of our Salvation, that it is to prevent Vainglory in Men rhar would tcfult frorh it. .Tou are fav ed by G_rac~, tiJro~t,b_ Faith, and tiJtrt Ephef. :1. not ofyour felv es .- It is tbe Gift of God. The Pardon of Sm IS a pnnc1pal Part of ou< Sah·ation. He pofit!vcly declares, that }tlfl:ification is t!Jer&f?r~ of F~itb, that it mig,bt Rom. + be by Grace. If ]ufhfication were to be _obta_jn'q by a Cdndmon of tmpo!Tible PerfOrmance, it were no Favour to offet that blcfRd Benefit to us : Bur it being affi.~r'd to a I3 e li~ver that humbly .and rhat1kftilly accepts of ir, the Grace of God i~ excecd_ingly glonficd. To make th1s more clear, Faith may b:: confidcrcd as a produChve Grace, or a receptive : As a produCtive, it purifies the Heart, works by Love; and in thi? Confiderarion we arc nor ju11ificd by it. Faith harh no Efficiency in our JuJl::ification, 'tis the foie Ad: of God: But Faith as a receptive Grace, that embraces Chdfl: With his preCious Merits offCr'd to us in t he Promife, entitles us to Pardon. And in this way Divine Grace is exalted: for he that entirely relics upon the Righrcoufi'lefs of Chrift:, 2bf0'- lutc!y renounces his own Rightcoufi1efs, and afcribes in fo li tltbii the obtaining of liis Pardon to the Clemency and Fa1·our of God, for rhe fake of the Mediator. l · That God is ready to forgive, is fully proved by many gracious Declaratiotfs in his Word, the infallible Exprellion of his Will. We are cofnm.,ded to feek his Face_ for ever, Ius Favour and Love: for the Countenance ts the Chryfial wheretn the AffcCbons appcor. Now all rhe Commands of God aifurc us of his approving and Acceptance of our Obedience to them : it follows therefore, that 'tis very pleafing to him, thn we pray for the Pardon of our Sins, and that he will difpenfe it, if we pray in a due ma!l.- ner: Wh~n he forbad the Prophet ro pray for Jfrael, it was an Argument of decreed ~~~~ aa~d~srl~~:rei;; dt:C~rll~)~~:;:or~e;ld;c~ ~~~; I:~q~:n;h;;; h~~~~~;~a&~ 0d~~ Jer. 7 " ' 6 " r~Cl's l{rael, thllf had fallen by Iniqttity, to take Words, and turn to tht Lord, and [ay unto Hof. 'i· Jn:a , 1a~ e aw~ _all Iniquity, and receive us gracioufly; fo will we rem/er ihe· Praife of our L~pJ·. ~o rh1s ts. added a folemn renouncing of. thofe Sins that provoked him to Anger. H1s gracious Anlwcr follows, I will healt/;eir Backflidings, I will love tbem freely. If a Z z Prince
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