in Contri-ving Man's Redemption. with fincere and humble Thankfulnefs to acknowledge this invaluable Mercy, it will be ~ ufeful o refleCt on the !late of the Heathen World, who are intircly ignorant of this My- ~ fiery . . . . . The Apo:llc defcnbes the cafe of the Gentrles 111 fuch terms as argue 1t to be extreamly dan~erot.IS if not defpcrate, Ephe(_z. 12. Tlmr ,~,J~erfl-ttndmgs H'ere darl:~ed, being _altena· ted J~om t!Je ttjC of God, throttgb the tgnorance that u zn them. They ll'ere wtthout.~'hrijl_, ,t/1ens from the CommonJVealth oj If!ae!, .Jlrangers from tl~e CoveJ:Jant of the Promife, wtthout hope. They had no fcnfe oftheu· M1fery, no expcEtanon, nor defireof Mercy. Not only the barbarous and fa\•age, but the poJdl1t and ~iviliz1~ Nations are calicd .t:~·w, being without the lmowl edge of the true God, and of a Savrour. Phylofophy never made one Believer. And as the want of a Soveraign Remedy expofes a Man that bath a mortal Difcafe to certain ruin; fo the Jingle Ignorance of the Gofpcl leaves Men in a !late of Perdition. 't is true, where the Faculties are not carable, or the ObJea IS. not revealed, God cloth not impute the want of Knowledge as a cnmc. But Salvation IS obtain'd ?nly by the Covenant of Grace, which is founded in the Satis13.El:ion of the Redeemer. t\nd 't1s by the kn01vledge of hirn that he jtd1ijies many, I fit. S>• 1 •· God would have all Men (;wed by commg to the k11o,vledge of the Truth, 1 Tun. 2. 4· that IS the DoC:hme of the Gofpel, (o called in rcfpcCl: of its excellency, being the moll profitable that ever was reveal'd. The Infants of Believers arc fav'd by fpcctal Privilege, for the Merits of Chrifl, wrthout any apprehenfion of him. But others, who are come to the ufe .or. Reafon, are made partakers of Blelfednefs by the Knowledge of God in Chrifl. Tlm ts Life Eternal, to kno/V Tbee to be the only true God, and Jeftu Chrift IVhom thou haft fint, John 1 7· ~· The Sun quickens fame Creatures by its vttal Influences, w.h1ch are b~ried _in the caves of the Earth and never fee the L1ght, But the Sun of R1ghteou[ne(s 1llumu~ates all whom he {;1 ves.' Wltat degree of Knowledge is neceffary of the Dignity of IllS Perfon, and the ~~~~lr~~i~;s %c;:~~t~~]y ~C:,~~o~f ~~~r~~~~~ry~u:n~,d~ ~~~ ~~~t~:n~~ 2~~or~~~.:C?I~d in the Son ot Ius Love, 01ould partake of favmg Mercy ; I do not fee any tlung m the ~o~~~id(awtl~~~~n~l ~~p~cv~~~~:d,0ff~~~sH~:\:e~~~~~;~i''fcr~~O:a;.~~~e~? ,utod wi~if~ f:'o:c~~J;g t!];~n~::o'~Z~~~t,ra;bz:v~i~~~~ :~a:roO::~ ~~~yHf~;~t~~t~a!~~~~:?;'i;;y hj;: 'llruEt him in the ncceOary lmowledge of onr Saviour, than fuffer him to pcrin1. But Repentance as well as Forgivenefs is purchafcd and difpenfed alone by our Saviour, .Ac1s S· 31. And that any rece~ved this b:nefit, who are intirely ign?r~nt ~f the BenefaCl:or, we cannot tell. Now tlus frould ratfe our el\eem of the d•[irtmmattng favour of God to us. What a Oood of Errors and Miferies cover'd the Em:th, when the Grace of God that brings Salvation jirft appear'd? The Del~ge was univerfal, and fo was the DefrruElion. Thofe that were mort renowned for W tldom, the Philofophers of Greece, and the Orators of Home, were [wallowed up, only the Church of Chrirt is triumphant over the mercilefs Waters. When Noab, h·om the top of the Mountain, faw the fad remains of that dreadful Inundation , What a lively fcnfe of Joy polfell his Breall? As Mifery is heightened, fo Happmefs is fet off by comparifon: (h) Not that there is any regular ( h J Eft .mi. ~~~~~nt~~~~l~ :~~fe~e~~:~~~~nt~~t~tf,f~t,~llb~l~vt!~1o;,en\~~e0ft~}::~rkr~~e~:~j~nag~rmhi~ ~':m;:~:,~~ d~liverancc, was ~o bwld an Altar, on wluch to oflCr the Sacrifices of Thankfgiving to . hts Prcferver. ( t) We il10uld imitate his Example. . . . qufa ~~x~~n quenq11a tji: finart voluplo/S; S~J q~1bus ip(e m.tlis fJ.rear , qwa anure fu:z-.:e eft. Lucret. Jiow many Nations, unknown to our World, remain in tT1e Darknefs and Shadow of Death, now tke Da]'(prmg from on high batb vrjited u<? This fpecial Favour calls for fpeCial !hanldulncfs. \V ere there any qualities in us ro i~cline God to prefer us before others, tt would lelfcn our elleem of the Benefit. But thrs dillingui{[Jing Mercy is one of thofe fm ACts of God, for which there lS no reafon in the ObjeCts on wh1ch they are excrc1fcd. St. A{({ltn calls lt, Projttndum Crucis. ( k ) As the lowcl1 part of the ( k ) .. fJ.:.•art Crofs is ~nder ground u.nfeen. but the upper part is expofcd ro fight : So the ejjec1s ~}f0 rf'u~4':;; of the D1vi1~C l'redejl-inal!on, tl_te_ fruits of the Crofs, are vdible, but the ~l~afons are not J,.:u~ 1 N_rrn ;~~~~~~~~~fcv~~-~~~c .:;:~;, ~~~ 1;f:~~~e';;~1~~r!~,i~l~~~~d1~~crc~~~~~[~~· ~!~-~~~~:~:a~~c~~ ~~~~i~~ Jrr~¥~r~!J!i: appJ:rent caufc of th.Is u~equality; fvr t~1ey all fprang_ from the fame c~rrupt root, and ~}r7;~a;:;u;o(. fum, dijjurmo11e dfm1J11{rr.<re J;On poffum, qu;:m mJgnift.t {um Qrtrll f!f,l Dor~mc! .t',ug. de Verb, Apoltol. Jerm. 7, equally
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