642 T .he Wzfdow of God Vol. I. Afcenfon, and fitting at the, right hand of God , were eminently fubfervient to the perfedting and carrying on of this Defign. The Refurrellion of Chrift is the great Confirmation of the Truth of all that he deliver'd, Rom. t. 4. Declared to be the Son ofGod with Power, 3ff e vzc; yn ved by theRefurrellion from the Dead. This great Miracle of his Refurre- Ellen from the Dead did determine the Controverfy, and put it out of all Doubt and Queftion, that he was the Son of God. And then his Afce4en, and fitting at the right hand of God, thisgives. us the Affurance of a Blefi"ed Immortality, and is a Demonftration of a Life to come, and a Pledge of Everlafting Glory and Happinefs. And can any thing tend more to the Encouragement of Obedience, and to make us dead to the Pleafures and Enjoyments of this Life , than the Af- furanceof Eternal Life and Happinefs ? And then the Confequents of his Exaltation , they do eminently conduce to our Recovery. The fending of the Holy Ghoft to lead us intoall truth, to fandti- fy us, to aflîft us; and to comfort us under the greateft Troubles and Afiudgdtrnians and the powerful Intercefon of Chrift in our behalf ; and his return to ent; the Exped`ìation whereof is the great Argument to Repentance, and Holinefs of Life. Ac`ls 17. 3 o, 31. And'the times of this ignorance Gad winked at, but now com- mandeth all Alen every where to repent : Becaufe he bath appointed a day, in the which he willjudge the World in righteoufnefs, by that Man whom he bath ordained, where- of he bath given afurance unto all Men , in that he bath raifed himfrom the dead. And thus I have endeavoured to prove that the Redemption of Man by Jefi a Chrift is a Defign of admirable Wfdom. The.ufe I (hall make of it, is to convince us of the Unreafonabienefsof Un- belief, and the Folly and Madnefs of Impenitency. Firf, The Unreafonablenefs of Unbelief. The Gofpel reveals to us the wife. Counfel and Difpenfationof God for our Redemption ; and thofe who disbelieve the Gofpel, they rejet! the Counfel of God againft themfelves, as it is Paid of the un- believing Pharifees and Lawyers, Luke 7. 3o. The Gofpel reveals to us a Defign fo reafonable and full of Wifdom, that they who can disbelieve it are defperate Perlons, devoted to ruin, a Cor. t. 18. The Crof of Chrif is to them that perifh foelifhnefs. a. Cor. 4. 3, 4. But if our Gofpel lehid, it is hid to them that are loft ; in whom the Godof this World bath blinded the eyes of them that believe not, left the light of the glorious Gofpel of Chrift, who is the image ofGod, fhouldThine unto them. TheGolpel carries fo much Light and Evidence in it, that it cannot be hid from any but filch whole Eyes are blindedby the Devil and their Lufts. He that will duly weigh and confider Things, and look narrowly into this wife, Difenfation of God, fhall find nothing to objet againft it ; nay Thall difcover in it the greateft Motives and Inducements to believe. We are apt to believe any thing that is-reafonable, efpecially if it be for our Advantage ; now this wife Dif- penfation of God is not only reafonable in it felf, but beneficial to us ;'it does at once highly gratify our Underftandings, and fatisfy our Intereft ; Why fhould we not then believe and entertain it I. The Defign ofthe Gofpel is reafonable, and gratifies our Underftandings. And in this Refpedt the Gofpel hath incomparable Advantages above any other Religi- on. The end of all Religion is to advance Piety and Holinefs, and real Good- nefs among Men ; and the more any Religion advanceth thefe, the more reafona- ble it is. Now the great Incitements and Arguments to Piety, are the Excellen- cy and Perfeûion of the Divine Nature ; Fear ofPunifhment and Hopesof Pardon and Rewards. Now the Gofpel reprefents all thefe to the greateft Advantage. 1. It reprefents the Perfedtions of God to the greateft Advantage, efpecially thofe which tend molt to the Promotion of Piety, and the Love of God in us ; his 5uftice and Mercy. (a.) His 7uftice. The Gofpel reprefents it inflexible in its. Rights, and inexo rable, and that will not in any cafe let Sin go unpunifh d. The Impartiality of the Divine Juflice appears in this Difpenfation, that when God pardons the Sin- ner, yet he will punifh Sin fo feverely in his own Son who was theSurety. Now what could more tend to difeountenance Sin, and convince us of the great Evil of it ? (a.) His
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