And lastly, thefe having fulfilled their miniftry, before they laid down their lives for the truths they had preached, they (as Jefus Christ had commanded them) ordained others to fupply their places, to preach these truths, to offer these terms of mercy to all fucceeding generations, with whom he promised his prefence and bleffing unto the world's end.

To these he has given power to receive all that are willing into his family, which is his church; to reconcile fuch as fall, and return from their evil ways; and to represent unto God the fatisfaction which his Son has made in our nature for our fins.

This is what Jesus Christ has done for us. He has reconciled us to God; he has put us into a way of falvation; he has given us all neceffary affistance, to fupport our weakness, to refift our enemies, to renew our nature, and to make us fit for heaven and happiness.

But have all men a right to this falvation purchased by Jefus Chrift? This we shall fee now we come to confider the EXTENT of these words, That Chrift Jefus came into the world to fave finners.

And truly, the fcriptures are in nothing more plain than in this truth, That God fo loved the world, that he fent his Son, that the world through him might be faved.

That God had no refpect of perfons in thus loving the world, his will being this, THAT

VOL. I.

▷ John iii. 17.

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ALL

ALL MEN SHOULD BE SAVED:-That even fuch as perish, through their own wilful difobedience, are of the number of those whom Jefus Chrift came to fave. They denied, faith St. Peter, the Lord that bought them; that bought and would have faved them, but that they brought upon themselves deftruction.

d

Nay; to take away all manner of scruple, and to apply this comfortable truth to the minds of afflicted penitents, St. Paul speaks of this after a moft convincing manner: As the fin of Adam (faith he) affected all his pofterity; as by one offence, judgment came upon all men to condemnation; fo the merits of Chrift were defigned to redeem all the pofterity of Adam: forafmuch as by the righteousness of one, that is, Jefus Chrift, the free gift came upon all men unto juftification of life.

As fure then as I am one of those, who by Adam's tranfgreffion am become corrupt and a finner before God, fo fure am I redeemed by Jefus Chrift. This every Christian man may fay to himself.

This was the very doctrine of Chrift himfelf, and this he taught by his own example, when he prayed for the very perfons who crucified him, who had an intereft in the very death they made him to fuffer; otherwife he would not have prayed that God would forgive them.

And the Church of Chrift ftill continues to intercede with God for all mankind, holding

this truth, that the love of God, and the merits of Jefus Chrift, extend to the whole race of men. By this practice, endeavouring to bring the hearts of believers to that godlike temper of charity and good-will for all that bear the image of God; and by this practice, supporting the fpirits of dejected penitents, who will have no reason to defpair, fince the greatest finners are in a capacity of being faved.

We are obliged to fay, in a capacity of falvation; for the truth is, All are not faved that Chrift came to fave. Salvation is indeed offered to all, to whom the gospel is or has been preached; but all are not difpofed to receive it, especially on the terms on which it is offered.

Many are not fenfible of the danger they are in; others will not forfake their fins for any confideration whatever; and even too, too many defpife the very offers of a Redeemer, of pardon and grace through him.

In all these cafes, the Saviour of the world affures us, that it is their own fault, purely their own fault, if they are not faved. Ye will not come unto me, (faith he) that ye might

bave life.

If people, when falvation is offered them, will notwithstanding unworthily flight the mercy; if men, to whom God has made himself known, will not retain God in their knowledge; if those that have been enlightened,

and have escaped the pollutions of the world, through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jefus Chrift, if they are again entangled therein, and are finally loft; this is not for want of means to fave them, but they will not be faved,-they will not attend to the word preached unto them,-they will not believe the terrors of the world to come,-they will not fubmit to the terms of falvation. This being their cafe, their destruction is from themselves.

II. And this brings us to confider, how very dreadful the cafe is of thofe who deny the Lord that bought them, or neglect the offers of falvation made by him to all finners.

And indeed, when we confider what Jefus Chrift has done in order to redeem and fave us, we shall have the greatest reason to believe, that the punishment of those who are not faved by him will be unspeakably great. For can we imagine that Chrift, the Son of God, would have left the glories of heaven, and would have lived a miferable life on earth, and died a more miserable death, but that he knew, that if finners were not reconciled to God, but died in their fins, their punishment would be terrible, and their condition miferable, and without remedy.

So that the greatnefs of the mercy may convince us of the greatness of the punishment of those that defpife the falvation offered them. The Spirit of God, from whom only we can

know

know what becomes of men after death, affures us, that fuch fhall be fhut out of heaven, and have their portion in a place where there nothing but weeping, and wailing, and gnashing of teeth.

And whatever may become of those who have never had the gospel preached unto them, they who have had falvation offered to them, and mind it not, must not expect to escape a fevere judgment.

And, left we fhould think ourselves fafe, because we have 'embraced the gospel, let us always remember, that the gofpel requires faith and repentance of all that expect any benefit by it. We must not only fay, we believe the gofpel, but we must live like men that do fo; like men that are in the midft of enemies, with fear and care, left we fhould miscarry; like those that have escaped eternal mifery, with thankful hearts; and like those who hope to go to heaven, where no impure thing can enter.

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But if, instead of doing fo, we lead a carelefs or a wicked life; if we neglect the means grace, the ordinances of God, and turn our backs upon the word and facraments; if we confefs we are finners, and yet take no care to amend our ways; if we are taken up with the business or pleasures of this life, fo as to forget that there is another to come; why then, in truth, we are not of the number of those who shall be faved; neither will it be