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"the unprofitable fervant fhall be caft into outer darkness, where will be weeping, wailing, and gnafning of teeth: " And that he himself, far from conniving at fin, will fix the doom of all impenitent finners, by this dreadful fentence: "Depart from me, ye cursed into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels," Mat. xxv. 41.

Now fuppofing that we had no other foundation whatever for our belief in Original Sin, I apprehend we have here before us proof fufficient to convince even incredulity itself. But thefe are only a very small number of texts compared with thofe which might be adduced: allowing alfo that this doctrine were not only above the reach of our reason, but abfolutely contrary to it in every fenfe, it would not appear to me in the least to invalidate the ftrength of the evidence above flated. For human reason is fallible; God's word is truth; and if a perfon were to object to me, that he could not believe in the doctrine of Original Sin, because he could not reconcile it to reafon, I might anfwer, that, this is the very caufe why it is moft likely to be true, for had the knowledge of it been attainable by reafon alone, there would have, been lefs neceffity for God to have revealed it.

afford us God is a

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But reafon and common obfervation will, if poffible, ftill further confirmation of the truth of this doctrine. being of infinite juftice, wisdom, power, and goodness. not therefore be the author of any thing abfolutely evil. Now, a great deal both of moral and phyfical evil, exifts in the world; It cannot then proceed from God. Moreover, God has denounced curse upon finners; God therefore cannot be the author of fin, because he could not curse the work of his own hands. We must look then for the origin of fin, in man's abuse of that gift of Free Will, which he was endowed with by the Creator. If we attend to the natural operation of our own minds, we fhall perceive, that inclination generally prevails over duty, and that in our dealings with one another we are more frequently prompted by paffion, than governed by reason. On reviewing the scenes of paft life, and bringing back to our recollection the days that are gone, we cannot but lament, to what little purpose we have lived; how much time has been fquandered away in the pursuit of vanity and folly, how many opportunities of doing good we have neglected; and that we should have fo fhamefully abufed the talents God had given us to be employed to his glory, and the working out our own falvation. Neither fhould we be furprized at the unhappy confequences of fuch a conduct. On the contrary, we might naturally expect disappointment, disgust, and remorfe, to be our portion. The experience of all ages, has fhown that vice and mifery are infeparably connected, and that in proportion as a man deviates from the path of virtue, fo, in general, he becomes unhappy. This unhappiness is not confined to the fate of his mind, independent of other contingent circumftances. VOL. XIX. May, 1796.

But

But he finds, in a variety of inftances, his favourite schemes fruftrated, his brighteft profpects clouded. Exclufive of that dif

quiet of mind which is the invariable attendant on a guilty confcience, he fees that he has been all the time pursuing a fhadow, and at the very moment when he flatters himself with the hope of attaining his object, and being happy in the poffeffion of it, it eludes his grafp, and leaves him nothing but vexation and repentance. Nay how often is even health facrificed to the fordid views of intereft; how often do we accumulate disease, and haften the approach of death itself, by the intemperate indulgence of our paffions! How frequently does our misconduct not only involve ourselves, but our families and our friends, in one common ruin! By this animofities are engendered, the ties of affection broken; malice, envy, and all the diabolical paffions which torment the human breast, fpring up in their room. The world indeed at large presents a vaft fcene of wretchedness and woe, which could only have arifen from the innate depravity of our nature, and the juft vengeance of Almighty God, which our fins had excited against us.

What a terrible ftate then are we in by nature! but how inconceivably more dreadful it would have been, had we been left in this ftate without hope, without refuge, and without a remedy! Bleffed be God, this is not our cafe: which leads me to the confideration of the fecond doctrine I mentioned, viz. of the atone

ment.

[To be continued.]

A DISCOURSE ON SANCTIFICATION.

BY MR. PAWSON.

"For their fakes I fanctify myself, that they alfo might be fanctified through the truth." John xvii. 19.

I

F we duly confider this, and the foregoing chapters, we shall fee the truth of what the Evangelift fpeaks, refpecting the conduct of our Lord towards his difciples; "Jefus having loved his own, who were in the world, he loved them to the end." Our Lord discovered his love to his difciples now, at the close of his own life, because he well knew, what a diftreffing trial his removal from them would prove; he not only gave them timely notice of it, but alfo informed them of the advantages with which it would be attended even to themfelves. "I go, fays he, to prepare a place for you: And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you to my felf; that where I am, there ye may be alfo." And not only fo," but I will fend you another Comforter, even the Spirit of Truth, that he may abide with you for ever."

But our Lord alfo difcovered his love to his difciples, becaufe he well knew that they were shortly to go forth into the world,

as

as theep among wolves. He forefaw the great oppofition, the violent perfecution, and the fharp temptations which they would have to encounter with. He, in the most devout and folemn manner, recommended them to the care and protection of his heavenly Father, when he himself fhould be removed from them. In our Lord, on this occafion, we may difcern, such an heavenly sweetness of temper, fuch a devout frame of mind, together with fuch meeknefs, humility, and love, as were well worthy of him, who was now going to lay down his life for the redemption of mankind.

Sorrow had filled the hearts of the difciples; the thoughts of parting with fo kind a Friend, with fo gracious a Master as Jesus had been to them, were very diftreffing: But we may suppose, that to hear him pray for them, in that heart melting and affectionate manner which he did, would affect them much more. And if they understood the meaning of the words of the text, we need not wonder if their hearts were like melting wax; inafmuch as he declares, that it was for their fakes, out of unbounded pity and love to their fouls, that he was going to be offered up as a facrifice upon the altar of the cross.

From these words, it may be neceffary to enquire, I. What are we to understand by our Lord's fanctifying himself?

II. What was his defign in doing this; "That they also may be fanctified."

III. By what means fhall his defign be accomplished in us? That they alfo may be fanctified through, or by means of the truth.

I. What is meant by our Lord's fanctifying himself? In order to understand this, we must attend to the fcriptural meaning of the word which he uses. In the Old Teftament, it generally fignifies to Separate any perfon or thing, from a common, to a facred ufe, fo that the perfon or thing fo feparated might be employed about the worship of God only. In this fenfe, the Jewifh High-Prieft was fanctified. He was folemnly confecrated to the service of God. He was not to concern himself with the common affairs of life, and HOLINESS TO THE LORD, was written in large letters upon the mitre which he had upon his head, when he miniftered in the Temple. All the Priefts and all the Levites were fanctified. The former were to offer up gifts and facrifices, in behalf of the people And the latter were to ferve in their feveral courses in the Temple of the Lord. All the vessels which were made use of in the fervice of God, were fanctified. They were all accounted holy, and it was deemed a very grievous crime to make use of them on any other occafion, but about the worship of God, as we may fee in the cafe of Belfḥazzar, Dan. v. 23. And was it not in this fenfe, that the prophet Jeremiah is faid to have been fanctified from the womb? But in the New Teftament, the word is generally applied to perfons, rather than to things, and therefore fignifies to cleanfe, purify, or make holy. So the Apostle uses 2 G 2

the

the word when fpeaking of the benefits which believers receive through faith in the Redeemer; "But of him are ye in Christ Jefus, who of God is made unto us, wisdom, righteoufnefs, fanctification, and redemption." And again; "Such were some of you, but you are washed, but you are fanctified, but you are justified, in the name of the Lord Jefus, and by the Spirit of our God." Now according to this fenfe of the word, our Lord could not be faid to fanctify himself. For whether we confider him as God, or as God and Man united, he was fanctified in as high a degree as he was capable of being. If we confider him as the mighty God, the everlafting Father, then he is a Being poffeffed of all poffible perfection, from eternity to eternity. And if we confider him as God and Man, the Prince of Peace, then he is holy, harmless, and undefiled: he knew no fin, neither was guile ever found in his mouth. But according to the former sense of the word, our Lord might very properly be faid to fanctify himself, when he fet himfelf apart to accomplish the work-of man's redemption. He was under no neceffity, but that of infinite Love to mankind, to engage in this work; but he entered upon it freely, and of his own accord. He alfo knew well, what it would coft him to redeem mankind, before he left his Father's kingdom, He knew that he must not only become a man of forrow, and be acquainted with griefs; that he must not only be hated, defpifed, rejected, and bitterly perfecuted: But alfo, that his garments must be dyed with his own blood, before he could finish this great work. Yet fuch was his inconceivable and unbounded love towards us, that he sanctified himself; He willingly undertook our dreadful caufe.

So likewife, our Lord might be faid to fan&tify himself, after he had taken our nature upon him, when being a child of twelve years old, he was found in the Temple, fitting among the learned Doctors, both hearing them, and alking them queftions, fo that all prefent were amazed at his understanding and anfwers. When his mother faid, "Son, why haft thou thus dealt with us? Thy Father and I have fought thee forrowing," He mildly answered,

How is it that ye fought me? Wift ye not that I must be about my father's bufinefs?" Which is the fame thing as if he had faid, Are you fo ignorant as not to know my defign in coming into the world, and that I must santify myself?

But our Lord might more especially be faid to sanctify himself, when the hour of his paffion was come. Then it was that he began to tread the wine-prefs of the Father's wrath alone, and to drink the very dregs of the cup of trembling. He well knew the defigns of Judas, and what he was about when he went out from him. He knew that he was acquainted with the garden of Gethfemane, and that he would certainly meet him there with his band of men, and betray him into their cruel hands. Never. theless, he fan&ified himself. He went thither of his own ac cord, no man either conftraining or perfuading him so to do.

And

And when in his dreadful agony in this garden, his fufferings were fo extreme, that his fweat was like great drops of blood falling down to the earth, yet he fanctified himself; faying, “O my Father, if it be poffible, let this cup pafs from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt." As if he had faid, "O my Father, if in infinite wifdom and boundless love, thou canft find out a way to redeem and fave a loft and ruined world, without my drinking this bitter cup, then let it be fo. But if not, then here I am, thy devoted fervant; let the heaviest wrath fall upon me; let the fword of divine juftice be sheathed in my bowels, fo that guilty man may escape eternal death, and obtain mercy at thy hand." He then went forth to meet his enemies, and delivered himself into their hands. Soon after this, we fee him fan&tified upon the crofs, bearing the punishment due to our fins in his own body: and we hear him cry out with his last breath, "It is finished." Thus did the holy Jefus fanctify himfelf, thus did he finifh tranfgreffion, and make an end of fin, and bring in everlafting righteoufnefs, for loft mankind. Which

brings us to enquire,

II. What was the design of our Lord in doing this? "That they alfo may be fan&tified." Now as these words are expreffive of the defign of our Lord with refpect to the Apostles themselves, they may be thus understood, That they may be feparated to the work of the miniftry, and being endued with wifdom, and power from on high, they may go forth in the name of the Lord, and preach the gospel with the Holy Spirit fent down from heaven.

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From thefe words we alfo learn the defign of our Lord with refpect to all mankind. It certainly was, that we might be fanctified both in the former, and the latter fenfe of the word. And firft, He defigned that we fhould be fanctified: That we should folemnly and unrefervedly dedicate ourselves to the God of our falvation. And that we thould join ourselves unto the Lord in the bonds of a perpetual covenant never to be forgotten. The Apoftle tells us, that the defign of Chrift in caufing the gospel to be preached was, "That he might take out from among the Gentiles a people prepared for his name; who doubtlefs were de. figned to live to his honour and praife. So likewife St. Paul; "Come ye out from among them, and be ye feparate, touch not the unclean thing, and I will receive you." And we shall find, upon due confideration, that the children of God in all ages have feparated themfelves from the reft of mankind, they have joined together in holy fellowship, and in this way have greatly affifted each other in working out their falvation. If we look back as far as the days of the prophet Malachi, we fhall find that thofe who feared God met often together, and fpoke one to another, "and that the Lord hearkened and heard it, and a book of re. membrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord, and that thought upon his name: and they fhall be mine, faith the Lord of hofts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I

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