SERM. 1.7 INWARD WITNESS TO CHRISTIANITY. 9 doubting, till we arriveat full glory. When a soul is made sensible, that all its iniquities are for ever cancelled, that God will never avenge any of his crimes upon him, when he knows that this God, who has a right to punish with everlasting revenge, is at peace, and will demand no more satisfaction for his sins; this soul then has the beginning of heaven. This is a part of final blessedness, and of complete eternal life. Now this is, in some measure, found in believers. here : They that have trusted in the Son of God, begin to find 'peace in their own consciences, they can hope. God is reconciled to them through the blood of Christ, that their iniquities are atoned for, and that peace is made betwixt God and them. This belongs only to the doctrine of Christ, and witnesses it to be divine : For there is no religion that ever pretended to lay such a foundation of pardon and peace, as the religion of the Son of God does; for he has made himself a propitia- tion; Jesus the righteous is become our reconciler by becoming a sacrifice : Ram. iii. 25. Him hath God set forthfor a propitiation through faith in his blood to declare his righteousnessfar the remission of sins that arepast, that he might be just, and thejustifier of hint that believes in Jesus : Therefore beingjusted byfaith, we have peace with God, Rom. v. 1. Behold the Lamb of God, that takes away the sins of the world! was the language of John, who was but the forerunner of our religion, and took a prospect of it at a little distance: And much more of the particular glories and blessings of this atonement is displayed by the blessed apostles the followers of the Lamb. Other religions, that have been drawn from the re- mains of the light of nature, or that have been invented by the superstitious fears and fancies of men, and ob- truded on mankind by the craft of their fellow-creatures, are all at a loss in this instance, and can never speak solid peace and pardon. 1. The religion of the Heathens, and the best of phi- losophers, could never assure us, Whether God would pardon sin at all, or no. The light of nature indeed would. dictate thus much, that God is, in his own nature, gracious, and compassionate, and kind; but whether
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