-;36 - -- -The AU-(ufficiency ofChrijl ferent Temper, and i't may be to a finful and wicked Life ; this, though it be very fad :md dreadful, yet the Man is both pardonable and recoverable. Sec that moft: comfortable place, 1tr. 3· 22. Rtturrtye backjliding Children, and I n)ill htlfl your back· jlidings. Behold we r.ome unto thee-, for thou art the Lord our God. I fhall not inftance in any other Aggravations which makes fin otit of mcafurc fi nful ., and makes the finncr out of mcafure dangerous, fince if the Old Sinner if the Rtlapfing, if the Apoftat il..ing Sinner be pardonable and favcablc, there is no~1c then have rcafon to exclude themfclves from the hopes of Eternal Life. Indeed the only danger is left the wickedncfs of Men abufc this mofl: comfortable DoClritu, and turn that into Prefumption, which is only i~tte~ded to arm them. againll: Defpair. Indeed both Pre{umption and Defpair do tend 111 dLvers manners to mrage and harden Men in fin. The Dcfpairing Perfon judgeth, ifl mull: not be faved, if my fins arc fuch as tl'mt there is no pardon for them, to what purpofe do l then live 11:ric.tly, and vex, and crofs my felf, and perplex my Life? !'!!let loofe the Reigns, and enjoy my felf. and reap as great a Crop as 1 can of pleafure, and if I mu11: to He/11 will make the' way as delightful as I can. And the 4rgu~nent o~ tl~e other fide that encourageth and hardcneth the Prefumptuous Sinner IS thts, Chnft IS able to fave to the uttermoft the ~ileft Sinners. VVe hear no fins arc beyond his All-fhfficiency to fave, therefore (fay they) what need we trouble our felves to repent and reform, we will yet a while indulge our felves in fin, for the Efficacy ofChrift is able to fave in the laft moment of our Lives, as after many years preparations. We fee iniquity every-where fe:nfully abounding: And though we ufc to fay Defpair kills its Thonfands, and Prefumption its Ten Thoufands, yet if we narrowly confider, poffibly it may be found that this kind .of Defpair in Men arifing from Sloth and Carelcfnefs, is as great a fonrcc of impiety as Pufumption. Whence elfe is it that many who are conv inced, and their Confcienccs blackened with the fenfe of Wrath, perfift frill to add iniquity to iniquity, but bccmfe they think that there is no Salvation for them, that their Doom is fixed, and that their ,State Is determined, and therefore fince they muft pay fo dear as Eternal Damnation, they are refolved to make up their Pennyworths in their prcfent plcafuresoffin, likethofein'Jcr. J8. 12. .AAd theyfaid., there is no hope, but 1ue wiff walk after our own device; , and we will every one do the imagination of hiJ evil hMrt ? [ fuonld judge it one of the moft condncible means to promote Mens endeavours after Godlinefs, ifl could but bring them to a ferious and fettled Belief that their Salvation is attainable, for certainly fo good a thing as Salvation is, it cannot but ftir np Affec.tions and Induftry proportionable to our Apprchenfions of the valuablenefs of it. Hence then to tell Men what great fins Chrift can pardon, what great finncrs he can f.we, is no cncourap;ement to Prefumption, bur rather to the cx:ercife ofHolincfs; for fin cc the way to Heaven is cleared from impoffibilities, it is moft unrcafonable for Men to !tick at difficulties; but if any abufe this Doctrine of Chrifl's A/1- .fufficimcy to .fave the grettteft Sinners, to Ooth, and the fhpport of their wickcdnefs, ])romifing thcmfelvcs peace and happinefs in the end, though they go on in fin prc1iimptuou0y, adding iniquity to iniquity, let me only tell them (and it will be enough to damp all their vain hopes) that though Chrifr be able to fave to the uttermoll:, yet he is not able to fave them in their fins, but only from their fins; that is ttlC firft Demonfhation of Chrift's All-fufficiency to fa.ve finners in thefe partiC11l:us. He is an All-fi.Ifficient Sav iour, becaufe he is able to faveMen from the greateft number, and from the moft heinous fins in their Nature, though they be as many as the Sands, and as great as the Motmtains : 1 he is able by his fanCHfying Grace to remove the fi lth of our fins, and by his juftifying Grace to remove their guilt, and he isahlt: to<onver.t and change the finner at fuch an unlikely feafon when he is hotteft and moft eager in t he profccution of his Lnfts, he is able to do this by the malt contcmpti~)le means; he is able to fave the Oldeft Sinners , thofe ~hat have ~reque~tly rcIapfed mto the fame fins, and the greateft and moft .Q.Otonous Backl11ders~ If they do but at laft repent and return to him. 2 • .Another Demonftration i& thU, Chrift's All-f11ficimcy to {ave appears in thi&, _that he;, able to be{fo1t? upon m All-fufficinj Mercy. He is able to inftate us in the choiCeft an~t richeft Bleffin~s, that we are able either to receive or imagine, and therefore he IS able to f.wc to the uttermoft. If I fhould now mention Temporal Bleffings in this account the inftance would fink too low. TJ1c World ft:ands but as an empty Cy~ ph er, and fignifies but a great round nothing, when it is reckoned up with BI~ffir1 F;S which flow in upon us through Chrift's A\1-fufficienc'y,and yet what ab~~ Vanity 1s thJ5 World in the eftimation of moft Men? It may be if they have but a little part of it to
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