., I ., I e T177Un the apoflle of the Gentiles, AEs 13. 3S, 39. which we, 4 the name of the Lord, fay over again to you, Be it knocwri untoyou, men and brethren, that through this Man is preach- ed unto you forgivenef, of fins : And by him all that believe are jufi ffed from all things, from which ye could not be ju- fified by the lam of Mofes ! And it is the great end and defign of the Gofpel, to proclaim the market of grace, and to make this offer unto you (inners freely : Seeing, I fay, all this is, O take with, and be humbled under, the fenfe of your guilt, from which ye cannot be poífibly dew livered any other way, and come forward and make ufe of it : And bethink yourfelves ferioufly, I befeech you, if this day of falvation be fatten, and if this offer of grace be defpifed, your Confcience may, and will certainly, waken upon you, yea war upon you muff terribly, and ye will never get it quieted : But, if ye will now in time em- brace, and make ufe of the offer, we dare confidently fay, to the commendation of God'i grace, and of the efficacy of this preciousBlood of YefusCbri ft,that the firmer can never lay before Chrift that fn, with whatever aggravations of it, nor the difeafe, how filthy and lothfom "foever it be, but the blood of Chrift applied by faith can' abundantly fa- tisfy God's juftice for it, and pacify and purge the Confci- ente from the guilt and defilement of it; And, if God be pacified, the Confcience (being his deputy) dare no more challenge and purfue to death, no more than the aven- ger of blood could the man- ilayer, when once got within the city of refuge ; or the deflroying angel, who (more all the firff -born of Egypt, could, or did deftroy the Tins - elites, whole houles were hefprinkled with the blood of the Paffover -lamb. ' The 3d ufe is for ftrong confolation to believers in Chriff. > And it is threefold, r. Under the rife of a chaff.. lenge, when the Confcience purfues becaufe there is /Jere a City of refuge to run unto, a Mediator for fanners, a iheild or targe to keep off fuch a dart, and to quench or ward off the deadly wound of it : Let us make the fuppofition (and bleft eternally be -God, through aefus Chriff, 'tis but a fuppofition) What if this had not been How dreadful would the very apprchenfion of a chal- lenge,
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=