their own Confciences, with fome confidence, altho' never fo groundless, of their fhare in this Salvation. But then, Secondly, As for those other evils which Chrift came to fave us from, viz. Our fins; men are not ordinarily fo fully perfwaded of their illness, nor think they have any great need to be faved from them. For their fins they dearly love and take delight in ; and therefore they do not look upon it as a Salvation, but as a fpoil, to have them taken from them. And yet it is moft certain, that this was the great Salvation which Chrift defigned us, and which he became man to procure for us; he shall be called Jefus, faith the Angel, becaufe he fhall fave his People from their fins. Our greatest Evils are our fins, and Christ's faving is his reforming, and reducing the hearts of the finful and difobedient to the Obedience of the Juft: He faves when he makes the bold, irreligious man awful, and the proud man humble; when he poffeffeth the hearts of the peevish and contentious, of the envious and revengeful, with Meeknefs and Patience, Charity and Peace. He delivers the covetous man from his unfatiable love of riches, the carnal mind from its intem perate perate defire of fenfual Pleasures. In one word he faves us from our own Self-will, and makes us to become entirely refign'd to the will of God. This reformation of our hearts and lives, by rescuing us from all finful Lufts and wicked Practices was the great Deliverance which Chrift was fent to effect for us, as might be evidenced from the bleffing promifed to Abraham; which as St. Peter expounds it, did principally intend it; Act. 3. 25, 26. from the Predictions of Prophets concerning the Meffiah, which clearly foretold it, Ezek. 11. 19,20. Ifa.62.25. Jer. 32. 39. from the Covenant promised to be made with the houfe of Ifrael in those days; whereof Jeremiah Ipeaks, which in plain terms expreffes it; Jer. 31. 33. from the, Declarations of Chrift and his Apostles, who every where proclaim, that the end of his coming was to call Sinners to repen tance, Mat. 9. 13. To turn men from darknefs to light, Act.26.18. To redeem us from all iniquity, and purifie unto himself a peculiar people zealous of good works, Tit.2.14. and that his Gospel appears bringing Sal vation in teaching us, that denying all ungodlinefs and worldly Lufts, we should live Jaberly, godly, and righteously in this preB 4 Sent fent world, Tit. 2.11, 12. All thefe are fo many direct Arguments, and clear Proofs of Chrift's defign to fave men, by making them better, and that his Deliverance was to confift chiefly in their Reformation, and in refcuing them from the Bondage of their fins. But in regard the Gospel of Chrift is the great means of working this Deliverance, and the and the power of God as St. Paul calls it, to Salvation, I fhall rather chuse at present to infift more particularly upon fuch parts of it, as are peculiarly fitted for this defign, which will be the best way of demonftrating this Doctrine. And those are chiefly Three; the Precepts, the Promises the Threatnings, which are declared to us therein. First, I fhall confider the Precepts of the Gofpel; and that the great Salvation which these are defigned to promote among us is this Deliverance from our fins, is plain from hence, because they do most fully, and indifpenfibly exact it. Never did any Laws of former Legislators, extend the compass of Vertue fo wide, and advance it to fuch a pitch, as the Laws of Christ do; they require a more full Obedience, and a more more perfect reformation,than before that time the world had ever heard of; they teach Vertue in the highest degrees, and require Obedience in all imaginable Instances; representing plainly the Nature of feveral fins, and difcovering clearly an irregularity, and Sinfulness in feveral Actions, which the Gentiles, nay even the Jews themselves never dreamed of. 1. They represent the Nature of several fins, and discover an irregularity in feveral Actions, which by the bare Light, and Law of Nature the Gentiles never faw: They difcern'd no evil in worshipping of Images, and inferiour Deities, in idolatrous Rites, and fuperftitious Obfervances; they knew no fin in hating of an Enemy, in curfing and reproaching of him, in returning his Affronts, and revenging his Injuries; Uncleanness and Lasciviousness, Fornication and Whoredoms were held generally among them to be as lawful as their Meats and Drinks; in these Actions as in several others, they had no fenfe of fin, nor any fears of punishment; these things as the Pfalmift fays, God afterwards fhew'd to Jacob and declared to Ifrael, but as for the heathen Nations, they have not known ເ known them, Pfalm 147. 19, 20. but as for the Sinfulness of all these things, and the dreadful Sentence which fhall be denounced upon all, who continue in these Practices, the Law of Chrift is express and peremptory. He that looks upon a woman, faith our Saviour, te luft after ber, hath committed adultery with her already in his heart, Matt. 5.28. The works of the flesh, faith St. Paul, are manifest, Adultery, Fornication, Uncleanness, Laf civioufnefs; of the which I tell you, that they who do fuch things, fhall not inherit the Kingdom of God, Gal. 5. 19, 21. He who hates his Brother, faith St. John, by the Sentence of our Law, is a Murderer, 1 Joh. 3. 15. and he who is angry with him without a caufe; especially, if he fuffer his anger to tranfport him into reproachful words, and contumelious Expreffions, fuch as Fool, and Racha, or empty Fellow, He is liable, fays our Saviour, to Hell fire, Matt. 5. 22. Render to no man evil for evil, fays our Religion, but love your enemies; bless them that curfe you; do good to them that hate you; and pray for them, that despitefully ufe you ; that fo you may be perfect, and the true Children of your Father which is in Heaven, who is kind even to the unthankful, and |