Serin. CLXXXIX. theChrißian Revelation, &c. 589 mane Sacrifices, and offering up their own Children to him ; and all along in the Old Teftament, though there be plain and exprefs declarations of the Goodnefs of God, yet he is generally defcrib'd as very terrible and fevere : but the Gofpel is full of gracious declarations of God's Love and Mercy to Mankind. In the old Tefta- ment he is ufually flil'd the Lord ofbolls, thegreat and terrible God: but in the New Teftament, he reprefents himfelf in a milder file, the Godof love and peace, the Father of our Lordjefa Chrifl, and in him the Father of mercies, and the God ofall Patience and Confolation. And this difference between the Style ofthe Old and New Teftament was fo remarkable, that one of the greateft Sells in the primi- tive Church, (I mean that of the Gnoßicks, which was fubdivided intomany other Sects) did upon this found their Herefie of two Principles or Gods ; the one evil and fierce and cruel, whom they call'd the God of the Old Tefament; the other kind and loving and merciful, whom they call'd the God of the New. 2. TheGofpel hath likewife more clearly difcovered to us our own finful and wretched hate ; that being made upright, and originallydefigned byGod to live in an holy and happy Condition, and enduedwith fufficient Power for that purpofe, we by our wilful tranfgreffion and difobedience ofan eafie Law given to our firft Parents, are funk into a wretched fate of ignorance and weaknefs, of Sin and furrow, and thereby are become eftranged from God, and obnoxious to his wrath and difpleafure, and utterly unable to help and recoverour felves out of this fad and miferable Gate. And this is a great Advantage to us, to underhand the truth of our Condition, and the worft of our Cafe; becaufe a juil fenfe ofit will prompt us to feek out for a re- medy, and make us ready to embrace it when it is offered to us. And therefore in the 3. Place, the Gofpel bath plainly difcovered to us the way and means ofour Re- covery out of thiswretched Condition : namely, thatin tender commiferationof our miferable and helplefs Condition, God was pleafed to fend his Son, his only Son, into the World to affume our Nature, and to be made in all things like unto us, fin only excepted, to dwell among us, to converfe with us; that he might inftru& us in the way toHappinefs, and lead us therein by theExample of his own holyLife; and that by his Death he might be a Propitiation for our fins, and purchafe theforgive- nefs of them and obtain eternal Redemption for us. So that here is an adequate and perfect Remedy difcovered in the Gofpel every way anfwerable to the weaknefs and impotency, the degeneracy and guilt of Mankind, Godhaving laid help upon one that is mighty, and able tofave to the urine allthofe that come to God by him. He took our Nature upon him, and became Man, that he might bring its toGod, and by reftoring us to his image and likenefs, might repair thofe woful ruins which fit! hadmade in us : and to obtain the Pardon and Forgivenefs of our fins, Godfpared not his own Son, but freely gavehim to death for us all ; andhaving raifed himfrom the dead, bathPent him to blefs us, in turning us away every one from our iniquity. So that by this means, the great doubts and fears of Mankind, concerning the way of appeafing the offended Jufice ofGod, are removed and fatisfied. The Gofpel having given us full affurance, not only that God is reconciled to us, and willing after all our offences and provocations to become our Friend ; but that he hath eftablilhed the way and means of it ; fo that if any Manfin, we have an Advocate with the Father fefa Chriß the Righteous, who is the propitiationfor ourfins, and for thefins of the whole world. And this is a peculiar advantage of the Chriftian Religion, to affure us of the Forgivenefs of fins, of the manner how it is procured, and the certain terms upon which it is granted , which neither by the Light of Nature, nor by any Revelation from God, was clearly difcovered before. ç. The Gofpel hath likewife revealed to us a more certain and perfect Law and Rule of Life. It hash fix'd our duty, and made it more plain and certain in all the Infantes of it, than either the light of Nature, or the utmoll Improvement of that Light by Philofophy, or than theYewifh Religion had done before. It hath cleared our duty in fouie inftances, which the Light ofNature had left doubtful, or which the fubtle difputes of men had made fo. It hath heightned our duty in feveral Inftances ; and thofe things which had. not the clear force ofLaw before, but were only theCouncils of wifer men, it bath turnd into Grid Precepts, and made
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