Bates - HP BX5200 B3 1700

i 92 'The Har:no'!Y of the 'Di'Vine Attributes r-..A/1·-,- S::-ac-,ri7 fic-es-w-ere-i-n!l:-it-ut-ed-fo_r_Id-ol...:.atr-y,-A-d-ul-ter-y,-M-u-rd-er-,-an_d_o-th-er_C_r-im-es-;-w-h-ich «;:hap. 14. were certainly punHb'd with Death. But under the Gofpel, fins of what quality foeV'V"\..J ver, if repented of, are pardoned. The Apo{lle having reckoned up Idolaters, Adulterers, and many other notorious Sinners that fhall not inherit the Kingdom of Heaven, tells the Corinthians, (1 Cor. 6. 11.) rhatftchwerefonrcofthem; but they werefanai- ~:=·H~~; ~t~~ ~;et!~c~:':d 1,~':; ~:;~!n'1\~~'~; ~~~sr~~uf;, ~~c~~f;~~ef~~~hi~1 C,hri!l was not appointed for the Expiation of it: And there being no Sacrifice, there is m;> Satisfaction, ( Heb. 1 o. 2 6.) and confequently no Pardon. The Wifdom and JuJ,Hce of God requires this Severity againft them: For if he th•t difpifed Mofes Law died without Mercy, of how ntuch forer Ptmijbment fl.lflU he be thought rvorthy, who hath troden under foot the Son of God, and bath counted the Blood of the Cove1umt wherewith he w1u fan/Jijied an •nhofJ thing, and bath done defpite to the Spirit of Grnce? Heb. 10. 28, '9· that is, they renounce their Redemer as if he were not the Son of God, and vertuall y confent to the cruel Sentence pa{\ again{\ him, as if he had blafphemed when he declared himfelf to be fo, and thereby out-fin his Sutferings. How rea(onab!e is it they lbould be for ever deprived of the Benefits, who ob!linately rejelt the Means that purchafed them? 2. The Peath of Chri!l hath procured Grace for Men. We made a Forfeiture of our Original Holine(s, and were righreoufly deprived of it. And till Divine Juflice was appeafed, all Influences of Grace were fu(pended. NoW the Death of Chri{\ opened :::.~;;~~,ai~d.,~;%~J"t;;r~on'q~~e ;.pi;~t., a7~0d:r~~~e r:i~~pbe:te~f~~~Gt~~;~~ i~'i10~~~ :iild corruption. The holy Spirit bath infpired it with a new Life, and by a marvellous Change bath caufed Purity to (ucceed Pollution. his3sa;ffic;~ce~~~gJ~n\~~v~:l;n~~tH;:;~~t i~ha~0~r~~~i~~f'f~~~~t~~~y~1 ~~,i~hi":,~t~: Priviledges of the Righteous, lbould be given to guilty and defiled Creatures. There• fore our Saviour's fir{\ and greate{\ Work was to remove the Bar that excluded us from the place of Felicity. 'Tis more difficult to ju!lify a Sinner, than to glorifie a Saint. The goodnefs of God inclines Him to be!low Happinefs on thofe who are not obnoxious to the Law; but his Juftice was to be atton'd by futferings. Now what fironger fu1e~~df~~a;i:~:~P~:: :~:~~~;;k\~;n~~%f~~~~~ hi~~~~~c~i:osg~ h~:t~l~~~e ~h~ Apojlle fets down this Order in the Work of our Redemption, Heb. 5· 9· Th•• Chrift being made perfi/1 by Sufferings ; that is, having confummated that part of his Office which refpelted the Expiation of Sin, He became tbe Author of eternal Salvation to aU that pbey him. To fum up all, 'tis obfervable, that the Scripture attributes to the Death of Chri{\, not only fatisfaltiou, whereby we are redeemed from Punilhment; but fuch a redundant Merit, as purchafes for us Adoption, and all the glorious Prerogatives of the Children of God. Upon thefe accounts his Blood bath a double Efficacy, Gal. ;. 4, f. As the Blood of the Covenant, it procured our Peace, Heb. '3· 20. as the Blood of the ofs:~p::z, L~:b: 2I)~. 2~9. iWeoz::!~ol~nifs ~o:!~~~ ~~t~;,~;Hoi;!Jel; 1i!B~:o~.ng to that I will remove two flender Prejudices again{\ this Dotlrin: 1. That Repentance and Faith are required in order to the partaking of the precious :~~l~~~~~~f~~~~a~i~t.£~~~~1; t~o~~:lbty l~t~enF~~e!!e~~)tc~~r,,Pe~~th, and the There is a great difference between the payment of that the Law requires.by the Debtor, and the payment of that which was not it) the original Obligation by another in his !lead. Upon the payment of the fir{\, altual Freedom immediately follows. If a Debtor pays the Sum he ows, or a Criminal endures the Puni!hment of the Law, they are altually difcharged, and never liable to be fued or futfer again. But when the fum that the Law . requires is not paid, bur fomething elfe, by another; thereleafe of the Guilty is fufpended upon thofe Conditions, which he that freely makes SatisfaCtion, and the Governour who by favour accepts it, are pleafed to appoint. Now 'tis thus in the tranfaltion of our Redemption : Chri{\ laid down his Life for us, and this was not the very thing in !hilt fenfe that the Law required ; for according to the thre•tning, the Sou/that fins jhaU die; the Delinquent in his own Perfon was to futfer the Penalty : And there was no b~~ei~~g~~t~~1J;;n~~h~ ~f~h~b;~f~fe ~.od I~th~~~~v0~~Js ;~~~~nlt:~~t~h~~fn~;~c~~'~f; Surety lbould futfer, there had been no need of a better Covenant. But in this the Grace of God (o illu!lrioully appears, that by his appointment the Puni!hment of the Gu~i,

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