of our Sins by and by,) may, notwithstand-SERM. VI. ing, be made over to us, or conferred upon us. To exemplify this by a familiar Inftance: A Perfon does his Country some eminent and fignal Service, for which the most advantageous Pofts, and diftinguishing Marks of Honour, are offered him: He declines them, as to his own Perfon; but defires they may be bestowed upon fuch as have been faithful to him, and are qualified for them; and he fhall look upon it as if done to himfelf.

Is there any Thing abfurd or ridiculous in fuch a Conduct? Why might not then our bleffed Saviour confer the Rewards of his meritorious Sufferings and Actions, as we may difpenfe our Favours, on whom he thought proper? Why might he not do, what he would with his own, and place them to our Account: provided he did not misplace them, upon unfuitable Objects, or prostitute them to Beings habitually immoral?

Whatever Privileges our Saviour acquired, by that inimitable Original of Love and voluntary Condefcenfion, were his: And what were bis, he might difpofe of as his. For to difpofe of them as his, was

only

SERM VI only to use them as his. Father, I will that those whom thou haft given me, may be with me; that they may behold my Glory. Here we must attend to the Distinction between Approbation, and Kindness. The Approbation of an Action cannot be tranfferred, with Juftice, from the Agent to another Perfon; yet the Kindness confequent to that Approbation, may, and often is, with the Confent of the meritorious Perfon, thus transferred; because, in being kind to others at his Inftance and Request, we are, in the last Resort, kind to himself; We reward him in others,

Thus by the Obedience of one many become Righteous. And he, who knew no Sin, was made Sin, or an Expiation for Sin, that we might be the Righteousness of God in him. Thus he was the Lord, our Righteoufnefs. And we became the Heirs of God, for his Sake, and upon his Account, who had no Pretenfions to fuch exalted Privileges upon our own.

So much may serve to prove, in what Senfe our Saviour's Merits were imputed to us. I now proceed to fhew, in what Senfe he could be faid to bear our Iniquities. And here it must be granted, that perfonal

Guilt cannot be transferred; but the legal SERM. VI. Guilt may, that is, the Obligation to Punishment, which refults from the Violation of the Law. For God does not punish merely for punishing's Sake: He does not inflict ufeless Mifery upon his Creatures: He does not punish merely because he difapproves of, or is difpleafed with, Guilt; but because of the ill Confequences which would follow, if he fuffered Guilt to go unpunished: Because it is neceffary to vindicate the Honour of his Government, to support his Authority as fupreme Lawgiver, and to fecure the Refpect due to his Laws. Now if the Reverence due to God's Laws could be maintained, and all the wife and good Ends of Punishment answered by the Subftitution of another Perfon (equal to the mighty Province) in the Room of the Offender; then the Deity might accept of a Commutation, remit the Punishment to the Offender, and trans fer it upon his Subftitute. For when the Reafons of inflicting a Penalty are taken off, there the Penalty itself undoubtedly may be taken off. The only Thing then that remains, is to prove, that our Saviour's Suf ferings were fufficient, to fecure the Ho

nour

SERM. VI.nour and Refpect due to God's Laws. Now, whatever has a Tendency to impress upon

our Mind, a most awful Sense of God's Averfion to Sin, has a Tendency to preserve a Reverence for God's Laws. And nothing could have imprinted upon our Minds, a more awful Senfe of God's Averfion to Sin, than that he would not forgive it, notwithstanding our Repentance, upon les difficult Terms, than the Son of God's giving himself a Ranfom for this World: That he would not pardon the Breach of his Laws, without our Saviour's offering up what he had as great a Value for, as he had a Hatred and Deteftation of the Of fences committed against his Law.

We know not how far the State of this World might affect other intelligent Beings, in fome other Part of the Creation, how far it might countenance a Rebellion and give them disadvantageous Ideas of their fupreme Lawgiver; if a whole World of penitent Offenders, how long, how often, or how greatly foever, they have finned, might be admitted to everlasting Glory, without any Sufferings perfonal or vicarious. They might imagine, that, what could be so easily pardoned, was not

very offenfive to their Creator, nor would SERM. VI. be deftructive to themselves. To obviate these ill Impreffions, the Deity fhewed he fo hated Sin, that he gave his only begotten Son, rather than not condemn Sin in the Flesh: He fhewed, that when Man had finned, nothing that mere Man could do, was of Worth and Efficacy enough, to reinstate him in his Favour. He laid a Plan of the Redemption fo amazing, that Creatures of a Nature not fo frail as ours, could have no Grounds to expect the like Favour, in Case they revolted from their Allegiance to him; and fo fufficient, as to leave no Room, for material Exceptions against it, to thofe enlightened Beings, who may fee farther, than the mere Shell and Surface of it.

From what has been laid down, the Weakness of the following Objection dif covers itself, viz. that Sin cannot be pu nished abstractedly from the Sinner: Because Sin abftractedly from the Sinner, is a mere abstract Notion. For the fupreme Legi flator does not punish the Sinner for his Sins, merely as fuch abstractedly from the ill Confequences, which would arise from the Impunity of Sin. The formal Reason

of