Ruin of our Race, and making them the eternal Monuments of Vengeance.

Beyond this, it deferves our Attention, that, if Mankind had been condemned to eternal Suffering, they must likewise have proved eternal Sinners; and however, by being made Examples to others, they might have kept them in the ways of Duty, yet they themselves would have gone on for-ever in their Crimes: for, Defpair of Forgiveness must have prevented every Degree of Reformation. But now, in the prefent Scheme, Care is not only taken to fecure the Interests of those who never fell, and to repair the Authority of Law, in regard to Them,—but to give it a Force even in reference to those, who, by their Difobedience, had contributed to destroy its Force. It is the Defign of God to bring them back; to rescue them from the Influence of the Evil Being; to fubdue gradually their Corruptions; and, in the End, to establish them in a Perfection of the moral State. When this is done, (and this great End is now haftening on to its Accomplishment, by the Means which our Bleffed Lord hath prescribed) then the Effects of Sin will be destroyed; then the whole Dignity of Law will be restored; and that which ought

to be the inviolable Rule of Action, be obferved for ever.

The next Thing, according to the Order of Nature, to be confidered, is the Execution of Chrift's Prophetic Office.

It hath been noted already, that Sin was brought into the World by the Fall of our firft Parents; from whom there is derived down to us a depraved and corrupted Nature. Hence both our intellectual and moral Powers have been greatly impaired ; and as, in many Instances, we know not what we ought to do; in others, where Ignorance may not be pleaded, there is a remarkable Backwardnefs, and even Perverseness, in the Will. These Evils must be remedied in fome degree: Otherwise no Advantage can be made of the Pardon, which God, for Christ's sake, offers. For it is unreasonable to expect that this should extend to any, but those who embrace it by a religious Return to God.

To prepare Men therefore to receive and be the better for that Peace, which, by his future Sacrifice, our Bleffed Lord was about to purchase, he began his Ministry with difcharging the part of a Divine Inftructor. He called Men to Repentance; and to fhew them what this Repentance imported, he pointed

out the several Duties they had violated: Not indeed in the Way which some nice Philofophers might perhaps expect ;---not in the Form of Syftem, in which every thing is orderly disposed; but in a Way more fuitable to the Capacities of vulgar Disciples: He did it occafionally, and as ordinary Occurrences furnished him with Opportunities to inculcate them with moft Advantage. Upon which account, tho' the Vain and Self-conceited might difrelish his Method, yet Scripture informs us, that the common People heard him gladly. [Mark xii. 37.ĺ

In this way he taught them Duties, which he enforced not merely as Rules of Convenience, by the Breach of which, fome Mifchief muft arise to our temporal Interests,but as the express Will of God himself; as eternal Laws, to which they were indifpenfably bound; by the Violation of which, they had already incurred Divine Difpleafure; and by the future Obfervance of which, they would as certainly regain God's Favour. He did not indeed difdain the Aids which Philosophy and natural Reason might furnish out for the Service of Religion: These may be useful to Men of Capacity and Leifure; and are never so well employed, as when directed

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rected to this Service. But on Confiderations of that Kind he dwelt more fparingly; chufing rather to infift on the great Point of Divine Will, by Him declared, as a Foundation in itself more firm, and an Argument more level to the Apprehenfions of every Hearer.

But tho' he did not make all the Use which some think might be made of philofophical Principles, yet he did what was much better, and which Philofophy could never do: He taught Men Doctrines which human Reason could not teach, and which had an especial Influence on Practice. These come in as new Aids for the Service of Re-· ligion, and diftinguish the Chriftian from. every other religious Syftem: Thefe make it properly His; because taught by no one else before Him.

There are other Matters indeed, which, tho' taught before, are yet ftrongly infifted on by our Bleffed Lord; and made by Him fo much the more ufeful, as they have been rendered by Him fo much the more certain. Such are the great Sanctions of Virtue and Religion; I mean, future Reward and Punishment: Of which, whilft fome Men expreffed themselves doubtfully, they loft a

great deal of their Advantage; and whilst others only hoped or feared them, without fuch Affurance as could put an End to every reasonable Doubt, their Apprehenfions contributed rather to amufe or to difquiet Men, than to become ruling Principles of Action. But our Blessed Lord, by bringing Life and Immortality to Light thro' the Gospel, [2 Tim. i. 10.] and by opening to Men the great future Scene of Things, (which will be varied in proportion to their Behaviour in this Life) hath given Force to Laws which was never felt before: And whilst Men attend to this, they must see the Vanity of every vicious Temptation. Such was the Effect which our Bleffed Lord's Teaching had on his first Difciples. The great Concerns of another World, in fo lively a manner impreffed upon them, made them difregard all the Terrors or Allurements of this Life; and with the trueft Greatness of Mind to maintain their Religion, notwithstanding the Lofs of all that was reckoned valuable, and the Suffering of all that was esteemed terrible. If, in Course of Time, Men have abated much of this religious Fervour, it is not owing to their Improvement, but their Degeneracy. They have attended lefs to these important Mo