Otut. 'f . Eph. J. 1o. Luke •1• A :O,ermon 11pon tbe Death of the 01teen. onr:d and .PI~ce~ next to t?e. Deity, The Lord thy God. it God, the foithful God, that k(cps Cov<nllnt and Mercy. T1s fo facred and dear to !urn, that he ma~nijies hi< Wo d 1btnf< a~ hi< .Namt. Therefore he rev~aled himfelf by the Name J;hovah to Mo}i,, wh1ch 1mplyed, he would be the fame m performmg as he was in promifi9•. and acco:dingly by the Miraculous Strokes of his Power delivered his People fr~~~ the Bondage o~ Egypt. This is the ground of the Pfalmijl's Confidence, Th01• 0 Lord jh~lt e11dttre [or e;;er, 11.nd thy. remlmbrance tmto aU gemrationJ. ThoJt jbalt a\1!, and ~ave !''ercy HfOit Ston, for the tune to fovour her, thefet time is come. From the fmmutablfJty of the E:Jfence of God, he infers the conll:ancy of his Promifes which declared by his Prophets the fixed time of their rell:oration. ' · 1n fh9rt, by the Covenant of God, his Church is received into Communion with him, arrd bec:lufe he lives, 'tis impollible they fhould perifh. In this the force of our Saviour's Argument confill:s again£1: the Sadducees, who denyed the RefurreCl:ion: That Jehovah. was the God of Abraham, lfaac, and Jacob, therefore they fhould be raifed to a GlOriOUS Immortality. The Application of the Point. :· From hence we may underll:and the Reafon of the fupreme and folemn Adoration that all intelligent Creatures are obliged to pay to God ; 'tis for the abfolute and unchangeable Perfection of his Nature, whereby he is infinitely fuperiour and feparate from. all create~ Beings. There are differen~ Degrees of Excellency i_n the Creatures, ~~u;~ b~~li~;~r~~ th~t~e~i~~ ~rerh:1~t;r~~~~d~~ll:a~e!od~~~w~0~~~f,~ E~:t!,: ~h~ ~!g~e~~~eufs~"1~,:!tlb~hfs~~~~~ 7,~~dh~~~f[ i~fi~~~a;~;il~m~~ats ~~'d%m~~~: pnety of SpeeciJ he only. ir: all other Beings are derived and dependant on him, and !Jave but a Countenance and Shadow of Bemg. Let us confider Men and Angels, that in Nature are more excellent than :other Creatures. The fir£1: Man in the Perfel.tion of Paradife was mutab!e, Ius natural Life was in a continual Flux, and to be preferv'd by the Fruits of the Garden. If he had ~erfevered in his Obedience, after a fhort Immortality on Earth, he had afcended to fo~"FJ.fo •;,de Eo~jsc:~~~ fn~!~'th~u~:g~~~ ~fHea~~~~ cl~~nf,~~ 1~r~~~hA;~e~~d: but was free to fall: and that Freedom to Ev1l was~ Branch of Imperfechon. There is a woful Proof of this in his rebellious Difobedience, for which he loll: more in a Day than his Progeny can recover to all Ages. The Angels are fuperiour Spirits, yet they were charged with FoUy, that is, a Slipperinefs and Mutability from whiciJ God alone is intirely exempt. Tbe Elell: Angels, who continued faithful when fuch mighty Numbers were falfe, and deferted their Duty, ( and fell from their original Purity and Glory) are not abfolutely unchangeable : their Confirmation and Stability is ~~;:d;lfr~~nt~~~~;,r~~~~~~~s~~~s If'!:ni~~~g~{.?~~fl~e~ra~~d t~~~(e~~~~rl~ ~~~t cannot tin, nor forfeit their Felicity; for all Sin proceeds from Error in the Mind, and Diforder in 'the W[ll. In the Perfeetion of Glory the Angels are not without Change; their Underfiandine;s and Wills are varioufly tinltur'd and colour'd by Diverlity of Obje<l:s : their Mmds are il!ull:raled with new Difcoveries of the Divine Counfels ih their gradual tc~~;n~!~~~h!·m~;;:~trv:~l:~e!~o!d.v~ifr~i;l~ti~:;ilea~~~Pa;~~g~ ;;~ k~if{; receive new Imprellions of Joy. At the Incarnation of our Saviour a Chorus of Angels fang with Celell:ial Harmony. Glory to God on high, on Earth Peace, good WiU tflWards Mm. At the Converfion of a Sinner there is new Joy among thofe bleffed Spirits : but the bleffed. God is always the fame. 'Tis from the Contideration of God's Peerlefs Excellencies that the glorious Seraphims are for ever in a Poll:ure of }~':~~t~ehf~~~~!~~r~r~~u'!'e~r~feth!~~~~rk~~J~::' ~t~elJ.~;,lc[{.tZ:.;jt~o~~j Mft: the Earth is foU of thy Glory. The moll: proper Affection due to that infinitely ell~~ll~gi~~~~d ~~~£r~~~~0T~~·1,, cJ:j ~~u~;~~'~e~~r. The Pfaimi~'s Induction is from hence, Than art tltefame, a11d thy Years jha!lh~ve no E11d. The ,Children of thy 'Servaltts fbaU cdftlimte, a11d their SeedfoaU be ejlablifbd before tbcc; We Wlll confider this Security of the Church in the prefcnt and future State. If/; Whik
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