grace, or treaty of peace with a rebellious world, which he accomplishes in reconciling rebels to his original effential properties and characters as the abfolute Lord and governor of the world and this he doth on the only ground of the merits and mediation. of Christ, and by the means of the word and miniftry of reconciliation.

In order to illuftrate this propofition I fhall confider,

I. The cause and nature of the enmity or breach of friendship there is between God and man.

II. The meritorious caufe of God's reconciliation to finners.

III. The efficient cause of man's reconciliation to God.

IV. The object to which men are hereby reconciled, together with the moral reasons or cause of reconciliation to this object. And

V. The ordinary means by which God brings men to be reconciled to himself.

I. I fhall confider the cause and nature of the enmity, or breach of friendship there is between God and man.

That there is a woful breach of the friendship, which once fubfitted between God and man, is fo evident, that he who denies it betrays the groffeft ignorance and want of modefty. Not only divine revelation, but daily and univerfal experience confirms this point. The numberlefs calamities under which mankind groan; the curfe that lies on the earth which naturally produces a plenty of useless and noxious things, but requires much nu fing and care in order to bring forth neceffaries for the fupport of our lives; the fickness, diseases, pains and miferies we fuffer, the wars, the earthquakes, inundations and vulcanos which often lay whole cities and countries waite; the loffes in name, estate and friends we meet with; and especially the torments of an accufing confcience to which men are fubject;

fubject; all thefe but too plainly demonftrate, that God is angry, and engaged against us. And on the other hand, the daily and numberlefs tranfgreffions of the divine law, and the ungrateful requitals of God's love and kindness which are to be round every where among men, clearly demonftrate that they are full of enmity against him. If tuch things do not difcover enmity, what can? That which is an expreffion of hatred to our fellow men, will be so when done toward God. Now we juftly judge that a perfon hates us, when he will not hear us, when, if we speak to him, he is ever ready to pervert the meaning of what we fay, and put a wrong fenfe upon it; when he raises evil reports and fcandals concerning us; when he hates to be in our company, and cannot hear our names mentioned without disgust, unless it be in a manner difhonourable to us; when we fee him daily acting counter to what we defire, and fetting himself in oppofition to what he knows will pleafe us; when he is ready to beat and abuse, bely and accufe our children when ever it is in his power, and is glad of any pretence to vilify or punish them; when we fee him endeavouring to abuse every thing that belongs to us, and ufing every art to get fomething we have into his hands for this very purpose: When we fee these things in any man, does not common fenfe fhew that fuch an one hates us? And do not fuch a character and conduct, as they respect God, belong to all men, in one view or other, till they are renewed by divine grace? It is then too evident that men naturally hate God, and therefore there. is a fad and woful breach of friendship between God and man; and not the least hope of a reconci-. liation appears in the original conftitution of things,

or in the covenant of works.

But where does the fault of this enmity or breach of friendship lie? God and man once were friends; whence then this dreadful breach? but who will venture to charge the fault on God? Surely he is clear,

quite clear in this matter, He will be justified when be Speaketh, and clear when be judgeth. Yea, let God be true, and every man a liar.

Where then does the fault lie? Surely at man's door,› who without any just cause and against the most facred obligations, revolted from God his Creator and Lord, joined with the grand enemy, and refused obedience! to his maker. This then is the ftate of the cafe, man) is wholly and only to blame; I shall therefore proceed to fhew the cause which will discover the nature of this. enmity. And

1. The cause of this breach is man's revolt from and rebellion against his Creator and Lord. God created man after his own image, in righteousness andi true boliness, (to which he is again restored, in part, in his new creation, Eph. iv. 24.) and placed him in an state of happiness, capable of knowing and enjoying him as the fountain of all bleffednefs and joy; fet him, as Lord, at the head of his lower creation, and put all things here under his feet, and gave him all things richly to enjoy; with the fingle prohibition of: one tree as a teft of his obedience, to which was annexed the most positive and plain threatning of death in cafe of disobedience. But man being placed in bonour abode not, but foon became like the beafts that perifh.

Through the fubtilty of fatan he was perfuaded to difbelieve the divine threatening, and fo to admit the devil's declaration, that God is not just; that his threatenings were not to be regarded, nor his word relied on. This was evidently the fnare the devil laid; it confifted in the denial of God's righteoufnefs; and he never could have carried his point, hau he not prevailed with our first parents to join with him in this grand and capital fin; which as it was the first step to the ruin of man, fo it is the chief engine by which men are burried on in fin and prevented from coming to Chrift for lite, to this very day. Did they know, approve and believe the righteousness of God, and that he is as just as

he

he hath declared in his word, they would not dare to run on his neck, upon the thick boffes of his buckler, as they do; neither would they attempt to work out and establish their own righteoufnefs; but look out for that which will answer the righteous law of a holy God, which is to be found no where but in Chrift. Man being thus feduced to deny God's righteoufnefs, and thereby lofing all reverence and holy fear of him,broke the bonds he was under to him as his Lord, Creator, and: Benefactor.

This conduct rendered man justly obnoxious to divine difpleafure; and it was perfectly right that God fhould be difpleafed with him; and therefore it was infinitely juft to caft him off, and punish him according to the nature and aggravation of his offence. Now if this was just and right, then it could not be just and right to acquit and reftore man to favour, as things then flood: for it is an abfolute impoffibility,that two directly oppofite acts should, under the fame circumftances, be confiftent with infinite perfection. And therefore God could not, or, if you chufe another manner of speaking, it was inconfiftent with his attributes, to forgive and fave man, as things then were.

Man's rebellion then is the caufe why God became his enemy, and this enmity* or anger of God is moft reafonable and righteous. It is altogether becoming the

* Mr. H. blames me for reprefenting the holy displeasure of God against man-as the fame with enmity," D. p. 9. I think it a fufficient answer to all he has faid about this, to obferve, that the fcripture keeps me in countenance here, Ifai. Ixiii. 10. But they rebelled against þim and vexed his holy Spirit, therefore he was turned to be their enemy and fought against them: And all this was confiftent with his purposes of mercy toward them as appears by the fequel. All then that Mr. H. fays againft me here, he fays against the prophet And although a fofter word might have been ufed, yet I think there was not fufficient reafon for Mr. H's fevere remarks, fince, in the very place referred to, It explain enmity, by anger and reasonable resentment.

the infinitely holy and righteous God, to fhew his displeasure against a creature who hath revolted from him, and risen up in rebellion against the majesty and glory, right and dominion of his Creator, and who had joined with faran in denying his righteoufnefs. God never did the leaft injury to man to provoke him to rebel; for if he had, his refentment would not have been altogether juft, and he must have made ample amends for fuch injury in order to a reasonable reconciliation. But this was not the cafe; for man revolted without any cause or reason whatever, and by his fin loft the principle of divine love in which confifted his original righteousness and purity; the glorious image of God was obliterated, and the image of fatan impreffed on his foul; for by joining in league with him, he contracted the fame temper, and viewed the glorious moral perfections of God in the fame manner he did; and, having loft all taste for moral beauty and excellency, the perfections of the Deity became hateful in his view, the objects of his utter averfion; fo that it is faid with great truth, the carnal mind is enmity against God: And therefore it was and is infinitely just and reasonable for God to treat him as an enemy. And there was no ground or caufe to move God to feek a reconciliation with man, but what arofe from the eternal fountain of love which is, and always was in his own heart. Yea, fo far from this, that God could not find, either in himself or in the creature, any reafonable ground to justify his conduct, or make it confiftent with his perfections, to make the propofal of reconciliation,till he had formed a reason which had no existence before, by giving his fon to be a propitiation.

Whether this hatred of God or depravity arises from the withdrawing the aids of his fpirit; or from tome pofitive vicioufnels [infufed,] I fhall not fpend time to determine,though I believe the former. But, whatever is the fource of it, it is a fact, that man is at enmity with God, the greatest and best of beings,in the know

ledge,