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First, The greatest Inftance of the Divine Love, that was ever fhew'd to the Sons of Men; and that was, God's giving them his on y-begotten Son.

Secondly, The End or Defign of God's giving him; and that was, that Mankind fhould not perish, but have everlasting Life.

Thirdly, The Perfons for whom he was given, and the Conditions upon which they are to receive Benefit by him ; and that is Faith, or believing in him: Whosoever believ eth, &c.

Fourthly, The Danger of rejecting and disbelieving of him, which will inevitably bring upon them Shame and Condemnation; And this is the Condemnation, &c. Of these things fomething particularly. And,

First, Of the great and unparallel'd Inftance of the Divine Love unto Mankind, in giving them his Son, in these words, God fo loved the World, that he gave his only-begotten Son: This was the highest Inftance of Love that could be fhewn, or the nobleft Teftimony of Affection that could poffibly be given. And that will appear, by confidering, It, The Greatnefs of the Perfon loving us. 2dly, The Vileness of the Perfons beloved. 3dly, The Manner of loving them. And, 4thly, The Gift by which it is exprefs'd.

ift, For the Perfon here faid to love us; 'tis God blessed for ever, who was infinitely happy in himself, in the Contemplation of his own Excellencies and Perfections, and needed nothing of the Complacence or Concurrence of his Creatures to add to or compleat his Happiness.

2dly, For the Perfons beloved; 'tis here faid to be the World, God fo loved the World, that is, Mankind, the prin cipal Inhabitants and Governours of the World, who, by their Revolt from their Maker, had brought fuch a heavy Load of Miferies upon themselves and their Pofterity, as they were neither able to bear, or to remove. Their Dif

obedience to God's Command entail'd Death and Damnation upon all Men, and the whole Creation groan'd under the Weight of their Tranfgreffion. They who were made but little lower than the Angels, are funk by their Sins, and become worse than the Beast that perifheth, being Enemies unto God by evil Works, yea, Rebels and Traitors againft him, and fo liable to his Justice, and under the Sentence of

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eternal Death. In this their fad and deplorable Condition God Almighty was pleas'd to caft an eye of Pity and Compaffion upon them, and to contrive a way to help them out of this Mifery, which they could never do of themselves. Thefe worthless and finful Sons of Adam are the Objects of this Divine Love.

3dly, For the Manner of loving them, the Apostle feems here to labour, and to be at a lofs how to fet it forth, faying, God fo loved the World, so wonderfully, so intensely, fo undefervedly, fo unconceivably, that he knew not how to express it, but by Extafy and Admiration; which made another Apostle, in taking the Dimensions of it, to cry out, O the Height and Depth, the Length and Breadth of the Love of God, that paffeth Knowledg! where he feems to be fwallow'd up with Wonder and Aftonishment at the Greatnefs and Freeness of this Divine Love: Which will farther appear, by confidering,

4thly, The Greatness of the Gift, which he hath bestow'd and exprefs'd his Love by, and that was, in giving his own only-begotten and beloved Son: He gave not (as one hath obferv'd) a Creature, or a Servant, or a Prophet, or an Angel, which might have been all Tokens of Refpect; but he hath gone higher, and given us his Son, and that not a common or ordinary Son, but his only Son, his only-begotten Son, whom he gave to take our Nature and Guilt upon him; and by that gave him up to Death, a cruel and accurfed Death, the juft Punishment of it: which is an Inftance of the biggest Affection that can refide in any Breast. Abraham's yielding up his only Son Ifaac to be facrific'd at God's Call, was an Inftance of his great Love, as well as of his Faith and Obedience to his Maker: but that comes infinitely fhort of the Love of God, in yielding up his only begotten Son to death for us.

Secondly, But what was the End or Defign of God's giving us his only-begotten Son? Why that (as we are here told) was, that Mankind should not perish, but have everlafting Life: without this Gift all Mankind must have perifh'd everlastingly, for there is no other Name given under Heaved, whereby we can be faved, than the Name of our Lord Jefus, Acts 6. This Son of God was pleas'd to humble himfelf not only to the Nature of Man, but to the Form of a Servant, merely to ferve us; and became obedient to Death, even the Death of the Cross, to make an Atonement for our

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Sins,

Sins, to rescue us from the Power of the Devil, and to reconcile us unto God: which things we could not do for our felves; for where there is no Sacrifice or Satisfaction for Sin, there is no Salvation. Nothing then remains but a fearful looking for of Judgment and fiery Indignation to be poured out upon us; and without that Sacrifice we must have for ever fuffer'd, because we could never fatisfy. But now Chrift hath redeem'd us from all Iniquity, and given his Life a Ranfom for all, whereby he hath not only fecur'd us from perishing, but procur'd for us everlafting Life. In fhort, the End of Chrift's Coming was not to destroy, but to fave: for fo the

Next words tell us, that God fent not his Son into the World to condemn the World, but that the World thro him might be faved. This was the primary Defign of his Miffion, not to condemn the World, but to rescue it from Condenination; tho, by reafon of Mens rejecting of him, that which was intended for their rifing, becomes accidentally an occafion of falling. So Simeon's Prophecy foretold of him, that the Child Jefus was fet for the Fall as well as the Rifing again of many in Ifrael, and for a Sign that shall be spoken against, Luke 2. 34. And this will lead me, in the next place, to enquire,

Thirdly, Whether this Son of God was given up to death for all Men, or only for fome particular Perfons under particular Conditions and Qualifications; and if so, who and what they are.

In answer to which, I fay, (1.) That Christ's Death and Satisfaction is fufficient for all Men. The Greatnefs and Dignity of his Perfon put an infinite Value and Merit into his Sufferings, and that render'd it a fufficient Price and Compenfation for the Sins of all Mankind. Hence he was ufher'd in by St. John, as the Lamb of God that taketh away the Sins of the World: where the Love of God, in fending his Son for our Redemption, is extended to all; which is more exprefly deliver'd in 1 John 2. 1,2. If any Man fin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jefus Chrift the Righteous, and he is the Propitiation for our Sins, and not for ours only, but for the Sins of the whole World. And St. Paul teaches us, that Chrift gave himself a Ransom for all, 1 Tim. 2. 6. meaning, that he had laid down a fufficient Price to redeem and ranfon them all, whereby they were deliver'd from a Neceflity of perishing, and put in the way of eternal Happiness and Salvation. He tafted Death for every Man, faith

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the Author to the Hebrews, Chap. 2. 9. And this is a faithful Saying, and worthy of all Men to be receiv'd, that Jefus Chrift came into the World to fave Sinners, 1 Tim. 1. 15. where, if Sinners are not excluded from Mercy, we may be well affur'd that the Tender of this Salvation extends to all. But,

(2.) Tho the Merits and Virtue of Chrift's Death and Satisfaction be fufficient for, yet they are not effectual to all Men: for there are many thousands perish everlaftingly, notwithstanding this Propitiation; and more fall into the Gulph of Perdition, than efcape it. But yet this proceeds not from any Defect or Imperfection in the Sacrifice, nor from any want of Love or Readiness in our Saviour to confer the Benefit and Efficacy of it; but from Mens being wanting to themselves, in not confidering or obferving the Terms upon which it is tender'd to them. And here we muft note,

(3.) That the Promifes of Redemption and Salvation by Jefus Chrift are not abfolute, but conditional; they are made and perform'd only upon the Conditions of Faith and Repentance, and none but fuch as obferve thofe Terms and Conditions can reap any Advantage from them. We must die unto Sin, before his dying for Sin can be of any avail to us; for he came to fave his People from their Sins, not to make them fecure in them. He gave himfelf for them, to redeem them from all Iniquity, not to allow them in any; and to purify to himself a peculiar People, zealous of good Works. 'Tis whofoever believeth in him fhall not perish, but have everlafting Life: where Faith is made the Condition of the Promife, and we must believe, that is, receive his Doctrine, and become his Difciples and Followers, if we expect to receive Life and Salvation from him. He that believeth on him (faith he) is not condemned; that is, is not condemn'd here by his own Confcience, but may find Peace, Eafe and Reft to his Soul; nor fhall be condemn'd hereafter, but thall be commended and acquitted at the laft and great Day of Account, when he fhall be refcu'd from eternal Death, and reftor'd to eternal Life: for if our Hearts condemn us not, then have we Confidence in God. But he that believeth not, is condemned already; that is, by his own Confcience, which ftings and upbraids him here, and fills him with many Fears and Terrors for his Unbelief; and will be much more condemn'd hereafter, because he hath not believed in the Name of the only-begotten Son of God, but hath refus'd the only Remedy

Remedy vouchfafed him by the Son of God, the only Saviour of the World: And if our Hearts condemn us for it already, God, who is greater than our Hearts, and knoweth all things, will furely bring upon us a greater Condemnation. (1 John 3. 20, 21.

And having mention'd this future and eternal Condemnation, the Apostle gives us in the next words fome account of the Ground and Cause of it, faying, This is the Condemnation, that Light is come into the World, and Men love Dark nefs rather than Light, because their Deeds are evil: Where this Condemnation is aggravated,

it, From the Greatness of the Bleffing vouchsafed, that Light is come into the World.

2dly, From the Ingratitude or bad Ufe that is made of it; Men love Darkness rather than Light. And,

3dly, From the Ground and Reason here given for their fo doing; Because their Deeds are evil. All which must mightily enhance the Guilt, and aggravate their Condemnation. For the

ift, By the Light's coming into the World, is meant the Son of God's appearing in it, to reveal the Mind and Will of his Father for the Salvation of Mankind; who is therefore ftil'd, The Light of the World, or the Light that lightens every one that cometh into the World; John 1. 9. The Prophet Malachi, before his Appearance, call'd him, The Sun of Righteoufnefs, who was shortly to arife with Healing in his Wings: Which Prophecy St. Luke tells us was fulfil'd, when this Day Spring from on high visited us with his Salvation. The World before his coming was wrapt in Clouds and thick Darkness; the Jews had but a very imperfect Knowledg of a Saviour, and the Gentiles had none at all, being without God, without Chrift, and fo without Hope in the World. But Chrift at his Coming difpel'd this Darkness of Error and Ignorance, and scatter'd the bright Beams of Light and Knowledg over the benighted World: He fhin'd by the Luftre of his Doctrine and Miracles to the ends of the Earth, and all Nations may now fee the Salvation of God, for he hath brought Life and Immortality to light by the Gofpel; he hath enlighten'd the World with the Knowledg of all neceffary and Divine Truths, and thereby fhew'd himself to be the Way, the Truth, and the Life. By following his Doctrine we cannot err, and by treading the Steps of his Example we fhall furely arrive to everlasting Life, fo that we are not left in Ignorance of our Duty, but the Way

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