gravations; but will receive them to his Ipecial Grace and Favour, and reward even their imperfect Obedience, mixed with many Failures and Defects, with eternal Glory and Felicity. But, when it is confidered that for this Purpose God hath himfelf been pleased to fend his own Son into the World, and hath appointed him to make Atonement for our Sins, and to fulfil the Office of a Mediator for us, this hath a happy Tendency to remove our Doubts, and to infpire an ingenuous Hope and Confidence, and giveth us the higheft poffible Affurance of his wonderful Love and Grace towards

us.

But, that we may the better judge of the Wifdom and Propriety of this Conftitution, it will be proper to confider the Representation the Scripture makes to us of the State of the human Race, and on the Account of which they stood in great Need of a Mediator and Saviour. It is there declared, that all bad finned and come short of the Glory of God. They were all chargeable with manifold Tranfgreffions of his holy and righteous Law, fo that, if God fhould enter into Judgment with them, no Flesh could be juftified in his Sight. The whole World was become guilty before God, ὑπόδικος τῷ Θεῷ, obnoxious to the Judgment of God, and to

the

the Sentence of his violated Law. Rom. iii. 19, 20, 23. They were all in a State of Condemnation, and under the Curse. Their State is fitly represented by our Lord in one Word: They were loft. Matt. xviii. 11. Luke xix. 10. loft to the principal noble End of their Being, and to the Happiness and Perfection for which they were originally defigned. And St. Paul fignifieth the fame Thing by that emphatical Expreffion, that they were all dead: If one died for all faith he, then were all dead. 2 Cor. v. 14. And he elsewhere obferves, that they were without Strength, Rom. v. 6. utterly unable to fave or deliver themselves out of that wretched and finful State into which they had fallen. Thus Man, the chief Inhabitant of this Part of the Syftem, instead of fhewing forth the Praises and Virtues of his Creator, had dishonoured and disobeyed him: So that a Cloud feemed to be caft over the Glory of God's moral Government and Excellencies here below. The Work of our Redemption is to be understood of the Method fixed upon by the Divine Wisdom and Goodness for recovering Men from their finful perishing State to Holiness and Happinefs, and raifing them to eternal Glory and Felicity.

This most wife and benevolent Defign the Scripture nobly reprefents as having.

been originally formed in the Divine Counfels before the Foundation of the World. He to whofe omnifcient Eye all Things are prefent from the Beginning, and who perfectly forefaw the corrupt and miferable State into which Mankind would fall by their Sins and Difobedience, did in the Counfels of his eternal Wisdom and Grace lay the glo rious Plan of our Redemption and Salvation, and appointed his own Son, the Object of his infinite Delight, for undertaking and accomplishing it. This is fignified by St. Peter, when, fpeaking of our being redeemed by the precious Blood of Chrift, as of a Lamb without Blemish and without Spot, he faith, that be verily was fore-ordained, i. e. fore-appointed to this great Work, before the Foundation of the World. Pet. i. 20, 21. And St. Paul obferves, that God hath chofen us in Chrift, before the Foundation of the World. Eph. 1. 4. And that be bath faved us and called us with an koly Calling, according to his own Purple and Grace, which was given us in Chrift Jefus before the World began. 2 Tim. i. 9.

Accordingly this feems to have been the great Thing which the Divine Wisdom had all along in View. And though the glorious Perfon, who was defigned in God's everlafting Counfels to the Work of Saving and

Redeeming

Redeeming Mankind, did not actually take upon him human Flesh, till the Fulness of the Time was come appointed for that Purpose; yet it is reasonable to believe, that the most benevolent Lord and Father of all had a Regard to Chrift's future Undertaking, and to what he was to do and fuffer in Purfuance of it, in his gracious Dealings towards Mankind from the Beginning. No fooner had our unhappy firft Parents by their Tranfgreffion and Difobedience brought Sin and Death into the World, but it pleased God in his great Goodness to give them Intimations of his Grace and Mercy, and of the great Redeemer that was to come. And from that Time the gracious Covenant, of which he was the Mediator, was virtually in Force, and good Men were pardoned and accepted according to the merciful Terms of it. Afterwards, in the fucceffive Ages of the Church, the Saviour, who had been promised from the Beginning, was variously prefigured and foretold at fundry Times and in divers Manners. He was defcribed by many remarkable Characters, that, when he actually came, he might be more easily and certainly known and diftinguished. The Nation, yea the Tribe and Family from which he was to fpring according to the Flefb, the Town where he was to be born, H 2 and

1

and the Time of his appearing to the World, were distinctly marked out by the antient Prophets, thofe holy Men of God, who spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghoft. They teftified before-hand the falutary End and Defign of his Coming, and the important Offices he was to fuftain; they spoke of his Dignity and Glory in the most exalted Terms, and yet represented him as descending to the loweft Depths of Humiliation and Suffering. He was foretold and pointed out to the Faith and Hope of the People

God, under the Character of a great Prophet and heavenly Teacher, to whom they were to hearken; under that of a Prieft, who should make his Soul an Offering for Sin, and who should make Reconciliation for Iniquity, and should make Interceffion for the Tranfgreffors; and of a glorious King invested with a Divine Authority and univerfal Dominion. Finally, It was fignified that his Coming fhould be Matter of great Joy; that he should be a Bleffing to Mankind, a Light to lighten the Gentiles. and the Salvation of God unto the Ends of the Earth. Thus it pleased God in his great Wisdom to prepare the Way for the Redeemer's Coming by a Series of illuftrious Prophecies, which had been delivered through a long Succeffon of Ages, and at a great Distance of