The All-fu!Jicicncy of Chrift Toil and LabO\J t they fcek to fer up other Saviours of their own, as if it were juft reafon to diftruft the Mercy of God, becaufc they have deferved his Wrath. There is not any of us here, but we ha\•e all hopes of Heaven, and of a Bleffed Eternity, and fomethin g we all rely upon as fuffi cient to heart us up in it. If I fuould go firft to one, and then to another, and put the Qucftion, Do you hope to be faved? Where fits the Pcrfon that will not fhew his ftrong hopes, and almoit difdain illch a Q].1cftion fuonld be ask'd him? Yes, would every one fay, we have all good hopes, and though the mo(t perifh, and that few arc faved, yet we l1ave all hopes that we arc of the number of thofc few. Were but the grounds and reafons of Mens hopes made vifiblc, we fhould find that that which they moft fnpport themfelves upon, is J::o better than that mentioned in the Book of ']ob , To fay of Gold thou art my hope, and of the fine Gold th~u art my confidmce: Some trufi:: p~efumptuouOy to the Mercy of God to be faved, and this is the plea of many Ignorant Perfons; here it may be it is a fecret to thofe who can pretend more knowledge in the Myftcrics of Salvation, th3t God is merciful and gracious, and that the World is but fc:~r'd out of their Wits, when we rcprefent God in fuch furious fuapes as if llC were all Vengeance; his Mercy is infinite, and who would not hope? 'Tis true, but his Juftice and Severity is as Infin ite as his Mercy, why then daft thou not fear? Muft God remit the Attribute of his Mercy if ht: doth not fave thee? Why thou thy fclf judgeft he is Infinite in Mercy, though he hath condemned Thoufands of others, but we will never believe that God which made us will deftroy us; if this be all, know that the DevilJrh"ave as good a plea as this. Were not they the Workmanfhip of God, were not they more Chryftal Pieces than thou art ? And he that {partd not the Angels which fell, will leaft of all fpare thee. Doth not the Prophet direCt us againft this plea, lfa. 11. I I. It iJ a people of no undrrflanding, therefore he that made them will not fave them, and he that formed them will not jhcw them Mercy. Queft. But how can it confift either with the Goodnefs of God to puni/h momentary Sim! Tho[e that arc but as a fl~~fh, i!md gone in the twinkling of an Eye, how can he punijh thefe with Everlafting Deftruflion! ' .Anfn,, It is true, the Afr of Sin is momentary and tranficnt, but yet there is fomething in Sin that is Permanent and Eternal, and that arifeth from the guilt of it; God doth not Punilh. for the Act of Sin that is pact and gone, but for the guilt of it that remains; the black guilt of that Sin which was committed an hundred Years ago, remains ftil1 upon the Souls ot the Damned, and therefore God juftly Punifheth them, and will do fo Eternally, becaufe all their Eternity of Sufthings can never fatisfie the offended Juftice of the Divine Majeity, thefe Hopes therefore are all vain. Some truft to their own Righteoufnefs, and fet up their own good Works and Duties for their All·fufficient Saviour. There is nothing harder than to perfwade Men to look beyond themfelves for Life. As they have been their own Deftroyers, fo they would fain be their o.wn Saviours, and yet what is this but a delufory SottHhnefs? And thofe are hardlieft beaten off from relying upon their own Righteoufnefs, who have the feweft good Works; but this is a weak ground of hope which Men venture their Souls upon for Eternal Happinefs. It is obfervable that the hope of a Hypocrite is compared to a Spider's Web, 'Job 8. 4· Spiders Webs, you know, are fpun out of their own Bowels; when the Spider bath made its Web with much pains, and fct it felt in the midft of it, it is but a weak and dcfencelefs thing, caGe to be fwept away; fo is it with thefe vain hopes of Sinners, they are fpun out of their own Bowels, out of their good Works and Righteoufnefs, and when they fer up themfelves in the midft of them, expecting to catch Heaven in their Web, they will find it but a weak and indefenfible thing; for Conviaion of Sin will break this Web, if not, Death and Judgment will, and then the Sinner will unexpeCtedly drop into Hell, Now from the Confideration of all this, it greatly concerns us not to truft to, or rely upon our own, but Chrift 's Righteoufnefs, left we fall into Condemnation. Chrift hath done Two Things for us as our Saviour; 1. Re hath made a full SatisfaCtion and Expiation of the Guilt of our Sins. 2, He bath procured Acceptation of our Perfons and Performances with God, Now if we trufr to our own Righteoufnefs for either of thefe, we ma ke that our Saviour, and not Chrift. Examine your felvcs now, and fearch what it is that you propound to your felycs when you perform Duties towards God. Do none of.yon pertonn
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