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and the greatness of divine power, confpire in blafting every hope of the finner but what is centered in Chrift.

2. Confider the perfect fufficiency of this at onement. It is fufficient to answer all the demands of law and juftice. It is fufficient to vindicate the honour of the divine government, and to illuftrate the holinefs and juftice of God in the forgiveness of fin. It is fufficient to pur chafe a full and complete remiffion to the greateft finner. Whoever reflects upon the infinite wifdom of God, must be fenfible that it is not without reason that so much is faid on this fubject in fcripture; that fo much pains is taken to fet forth the glory and greatness of the Saviour of finners. The greatness of his perfon, and dignity of his character, are fet before us in the moft ftriking light. He is "the eternal and

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only begotten Son of God; the brightness "of the Father's glory, and the express image " of his perfon." And Phil. ii. 6. " Who being "in the form of God, thought it not robbery to "be equal with God." If. ix. 6. "For unto us

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a child is born, unto us a fon is given, and "the government fhall be upon his fhoulder: "and his name fhall be called, Wonderful, "Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlast"ing Father, The Prince of peace.”

It is not cafy indeed to enumerate the magnificent titles with which he is adorned in fcripture: The Alpha and Omega,-The first and the laft,-The Prince of the kings of the earth,-The King of kings, and Lord of lords-The King of

glory,

glory, and The King of faints. What mighty works are ascribed to him in creation and providence ! We are told,"He fhall reign till all "enemies are brought under his feet." The propriety of his facrifice as the Son of man, and the purity of his facrifice as the Holy one of God, are taken notice of in fcripture: Heb. ii. 17. "Wherefore in all things it behoved him

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to be made like unto his brethren; that he "might be a merciful and faithful high-priest, "in things pertaining to God, to make recon❝ciliation for the fins of the people." Heb. ix. 13. 14. "For if the blood of bulls, and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling "the unclean, fanctifieth to the purifying of "the flefh; how much more fhall the blood "of Chrift, who through the eternal Spirit,

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offered himself without fpot to God, purge 66 your confcience from dead works to ferve the living God?" To this you may add the continued fulness that dwells in him: John i. 16. "And of his fulness have all we received, and

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grace for grace." Col. i. 19. "For it plea"fed the Father, that in him fhould all fulness "dwell." What is this, my brethren, but to encourage and embolden finners to put their truft in him, and to carry home with power this truth, which I fhall give you in the words of the Holy Ghoft? Heb. vii. 25. "Wherefore he

is able alfo to fave them to the uttermost, "that come unto God by him, seeing he ever "liveth to make interceffion for them."

II.

II. I proceed now to the fecond thing propofed, which was, to confider the extent of this propitiation, founded on the laft claufe of the text: "And not for ours only, but alfo for the "fins of the whole world." In general, when we remember that this epiftle was written chiefly to the converts of the circumcifion, it may convince us, that in all probability this expreffion was intended against the great and national prejudice of the Jews, of which we fee very frequent notice taken in the New Teftament. As they had the oracles of God committed to them, as for the wife purposes of his providence he had feparated them from other nations, and the Meffiah was to defcend from them according to the flesh, they apprehended that all the bleffings of his reign were to be confined to themselves therefore they are often given to understand, that the purpofe of mercy was far more extenfive, and that Chrift came with a view to fulfil that promise made to the father of the faithful, Gen. xxii. 18. "In thy feed "fhall all the nations of the earth be blessed ; "because thou haft obeyed my voice." The expreffion in the text then undoubtedly implies, that redemption through the blood of Chrift was to be preached to finners of 'the Gentiles; that as he had been the Saviour of all ages by the efficacy of that facrifice which he was to offer in the fulness of time, fo that the virtue of it was not to be confined to the houfe of Ifrael, but to belong to finners of every nation under heaven.

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I am fenfible, my brethren, that very great controverfies have been raised in another view, as to the extent of Chrift's death, and the import of this and other fuch general expreffions in the holy fcriptures. In this, as in most other debates, matters have been carried a far greater length than the interest of truth and piety requires; and, as is alfo ufual, they have arifen from an improper and unskilful mixture of what belongs to the fecret counfels of the Moft High with his revealed will, which is the invariable rule of our duty. Without entering, therefore, into these debates, which are unfuitable to our prefent employment, or rather giving my judgement, that they are for the most part unneceffary, unprofitable, or hurtful, I fhall lay down three propofitions on this fubject, which I think can hardly be called in question, and which are a fufficient foundation for our faith and practice.

1. The obedience and death of Chrift is of value fufficient to expiate the guilt of all the fins of every individual that ever lived or ever fhall live on earth. This cannot be denied, fince the fubjects to be redeemed are finite, the price paid for their redemption is infinite. He fuffered in the human nature, but that nature intimately and perfonally united to the divine; fo that Chrift the mediator, the gift of God for the redemption of finners, is often called his own and his eternal Son: Rom. viii. 32. "He that fpared not his own Son, but "delivered him up for us all, how fhall he not VOL. I. "with

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"with him alfo freely give us all things?" Such was the union of the divine and human nature in Chrift, that the blood which was the purchase of our redemption is exprefsly called the blood of God, Acts xx. 28. "To feed the "church of God, which he hath purchased

with his own blood." This is the great myftery of godlinefs, God manifested in the flesh, in which all our thoughts are loft and fwallowed up.

2. Notwithstanding this, every individual of the human race is not in fact partaker of the bleffings of his purchase; but many die in their fins, and perifh for ever. This will as little admit of any doubt. Multitudes have died, who never heard of the name of Christ, or salvation through him; many have lived and died blafpheming his person, and despifing his undertaking; many have died in unbelief and impenitence, ferving divers lufts and paffions; and if the fcripture is true, he will at last render unto them according to their works. So that if we admit, that the works of God are known to him from the beginning of the world, it can never be true, that, in his eternal counfels, Chrift died to fave those, who, after all that he hath done, fhall be miserable for ever. "He is a rock, his work is perfect." His defign never could be fruftrated; but, as the apoftle Paul expreffes it, Rom. xi. 7. "The elec❝tion hath obtained it, and the reft were blind❝ed." But,

3. There is in the death of Christ a fuffi

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