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DISCOURSE XII.

The Second Homily for Good Friday.

HEBREWS ix. latter part of 26th VERSE.

But now once in the end of the world bath he appeared to put away fin by the facrifice of himself.

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S this is the anniversary of a day which exacts the praise and wonder of both men and angels, in confequence of that aftonishing humility and love difcovered in behalf of a fallen finful race of creatures by Jefus Chrift; how can you employ the time better at this particular feafon, than to make this wonderful event the principal fubject of your moft ferious reflections? In order then that you may the better understand and become more fenfible of the prodigious mercy of our Savior Christ in fuffering even to the death, for all mankind, it concerns us to examine closely into our own great unworthiness, by which inquiry, and confeffion, we fhall be led to confider duly the firft and urgent. cause which inclined him to difplay fuch marvellous condefcenfion towards the fons of men.. L

VOL. II.

The

The history of our redemption can at no time require to be more fully related and explained, than on the day our deliverance was completed. For the inftruction therefore of all who may be ignorant in this most effential knowledge, it may be proper to premise that this difcourfe is intended to contain a full and clear account of this very interefting fubject; and in proportion as you regard the welfare of your fouls, you will lend due attention to the alarming reafons that induced God's gracious care of them.

When our first parent Adam had broken his Maker's commandment, in eating of the forbidden fruit (which was the trial of his obedience), to which he was ftrongly tempted by the example and perfuafion of the companion God had given him, he by that act of difobedience attracted a fallen, or altered nature, not only to himself but to all his pofterity; to all that should proceed from him in the way of natural generation, and which must neceffarily partake of the nature whence they were derived, For as, had our first parents continued innocent, their offfpring would of courfe have shared that unpolluted difpofition they at firft enjoyed, fo when they were changed in their nature, in confequence of the tranfgreffion which deftroyed their holinefs and purity, they could only produce such a race, as they were then become themselves. This must be very clear and natural to any perfon's apprehenfion. But this obvious cause of human degeneracy produced another effect, no lefs unavoidable and unhappy, and that was, the juft difpleasure of an offended God, and merited punishment for the Almighty, according to his firft fentence, pronounced at the time of giving the commandment to his creatures, condemned both Adam and all his progeny to the inevitable penalty of everlafting death, that is, eternal punishment of both foul and body; because it was impoffible for

creatures

creatures in a ftate of wilful, unatoned rebellion, or for any thing impure, to partake of God's peace and favor; who is too pure to behold iniquity, or to receive his creatures in any inferior state to what his wifdom and goodness originally made them, or to which they may arrive by regeneration; and this the very nature of God renders equally felf-evident.

The law, or trial of man's faith, was eafy, clear, full of mercy, and liberality, and worthy of him who gave it. For God faid unto Adam, Of every tree of the garden thou mayeft freely eat; but of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it; for in the day thou eateft thereof thou shalt furely die; or as the hebrew text more correctly expreffes itDying, thou shalt die; that is, by falling from thy first state of purity and innocence, thou fhalt incur the certain penalty due to every thing imperfect and impure; thou shalt be liable to death, and punishment. The expreffion does not imply, that man was immediately to fall into his original state of nothingness; his body to duft, and the fpirit to the Lord who gave it, that is, that he was prefently to die the mortal death: but the tempter took advantage of the letter of the expreffion, and craftily converted it to man's destruction, by his treacherous mode of proving to him that he might eat (might fin) and yet preferve his mortal being; (for Adam was deceived in that he faw the ferpent continued to live after he had eaten of the fruit,) or in other words, he pretended to prove God a liar. Now the import of the threatening was not inftant natural death, (as before observed) but that in the moment man became difobedient, he fhould forfeit God's favor and protection; and consequently must be miferable; and in time, be fubject to the fate of every creature deferted by its Maker and Preferver. And as the Lord had spoken, fo it came to pafs. Adam, notwithstanding he was forbidden, prefumed to eat

of the tree; and by fo doing he died, he became mortal, was expofed to the effect of the fentence, and was caft out of Paradife (a bleffed region originally prepared for him) into a world which underwent a curfe on his account. He was no longer a candidate for heaven, but having believed the devil in preference to God, was certainly from that time under the power of the former, and a flave to his further evil fuggeftions. To this ftate of man doth our bleffed Lord testify in the gofpel, in calling us loft fkeep that have gone aftray, and wandered from the chief fhepherd of our fouls. To this ftate of Adam alfo, doth St. Paul allude, when he fays, in the vth Rom. 14th ver. That death reigned from Adam to Mofes; and in the 17th and 18th, that by one man's offence death reigned by one; for by the offence of one, judgment came upon all to condemnation. So that, upon his fall, neither himself nor any that defcended from him-even though they had not finned after, the very fimilitude of his tranfgreffion, could have any claim or intereft at all to the kingdom of heaven, because they were become ccrrupt in their general nature, and incapable of it. They were reprobates, or outcafts, from God, Adam their reprefentative having forfeited their inheritance through tranfgreffion. But he was still the type or figure of HIM who was to come, Rom. v. 14. in whom all men fhould have life by the change or renovation of that nature, which Adam had defiled (for the fake of indulging his own will), and on account of what Chrift, the fecond Adam, should do for them in it.

Now, if under this ftate of depravity and mifery, mankind could have recovered again, and obtained forgivenefs of God, the cafe would not have been fo very deplorable; becaufe he might then have endeavoured fome means of preferving himself from eternal death, though he had experienced the curse of the law as to his temporal difolution; but it is felf-evident, that he had no fuch power, or there

could

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