X.

Saviour, which he fhed on us through Je-SER M. fus Chrift our Saviour. The Apostle St John in like manner, 1 John iii. 1, 16. Behold (faith he) what manner of Love, the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we Should be called the Sons of God: Hereby perceive we the Love of God, because He (that is, Chrift) laid down his Life for us: And ch. iv. 9. very nearly repeating the Words of our Saviour in the Text, In This (faith he) was manifefted the Love of God towards us, because that God fent his only-begotten Son into the World, that we might live through Him.

These and numberlefs other the like paffages in Scripture, do fufficiently declare, what I at firft proposed to prove in Vindication of the Divine Attributes, viz. that the Salvation of men by the Coming of Chrift, is and ought to be afcribed primarily to the Antecedent Love, and Original effential Goodness of the Father Almighty. God so loved the World, that he gave his only-begotten Son, that whosoever belie veth in him, fhould not perish, but have everlafting Life.

X.

SERM. IT remains, that I conclude, with drawing fome useful Inferences from what has been faid upon This Subject.

And Ift, FROM hence we may obferve, that every Doctrine of Truth is confiftent both with itself, and with every other Truth; and ftands clear of Objections, equally on All fides. Upon fome Reprefentations of the Severity of God, and of the Mifery of Men, Unbelievers have been encouraged to object: If perfect Goodness be an effential Attribute of the Divine Nature, how then could God, who is infinitely Good, leave all men to perish, antecedently to the confideration of the Coming of Chrift? The Anfwer is obvious: God did not cause Men to perish, but their own Wickedness made it neceffary for the Wisdom of a perfectly Good Governour to punish and deftroy them. And yet his Juftice and Wifdom were not more speedy in condemning them, than his Goodness in moving him to find a means of bringing them to Recovery by Repentance, and to Salvation by Chrift. And This Goodness did not first manifeft itfelf at the Coming of Chrift; but the Apostle

Apoftle affures us it was given us in SER M. Chrift Jefus before the World began, X. 2 Tim. i. 9. It was promised to Adam, it was repeated to the Patriarchs, it was declared by the Prophets; it was fulfilled in Christ: And both before and fince the Coming of Chrift, it has been made good to those who obferved the Law, and who obeyed the Gospel, and to those who (without the Knowledge of Either have been (as St Paul defcribes them) a Law unto themselves. In this whole Tranfaction, the Goodness of God has manifested itself abundantly, in doing what he was by no means bound to do, what no Power could have constrained him to do, what to Himfelf was no Benefit or Advantage; (For he could as eafily out of the Stones have raised up Children unto Abraham, according to the elegant expreffion of St John the Baptist, as have prevailed with the real Children of Abraham to bring forth Fruits meet for Repentance :) Laftly, 'twas doing that which brought the greatest Sufferings, (not indeed neceffarily, for That would not have been juft; but freely and voluntarily,) upon the Perfon who was

SERM. most dear to him, even his only-begotten X. and most beloved Son. And What greater Inftance of Goodness and Bounty than This, can poffibly be conceived? Had God, without requiring any Propitiation at all, freely forgiven all Sins upon Repentance; This (no doubt) would by all have been esteemed an Act fufficiently evidencing that perfect Goodness and Mercy which is an effential Attribute of the Divine Nature; But now, freely and of his own mere Bounty, to find out and appoint a Propitiation; is, with regard to his Goodnefs towards Us, the very fame thing, as requiring no Atonement at all would have been; and, at the fame time, 'tis more agreeable to the Exercife of his Other Attributes, in the Government of the World. Neither therefore is the effential Goodness of God, in any wife inconfiftent with that Severity against Sin, which made the Incarnation of Chrift neceffary to mens Salvation; Nor on the other fide is that Severity, wherewith God condemns men antecedent to their redemption by Christ, at all inconfiftent with the most perfect Notion of effential Goodness,

2dly, FROM what has been faid, we SER M. X. may observe, of how great Importance it is to Religion, to frame right and worthy. Notions concerning the Attributes and the Actions of God. The Foundation of Religion is the Love of God; and no man can love whom he does not think well of. The Service of a Tyrant, is Slavery And where there is not a Reverence, mixt with the Affection of Love as well as Fear, there the Obedience can be but Formal and External, without the Heart and without Life. 'Tis therefore of the greateft Confequence in Religion, that men entertain not hard and difhonourable Thoughts of God. To repre fent God, as choofing and delighting to make Men extremely miserable, or as being originally and of Himself mercilessly fevere, may indeed at first Sight to inconfiderate Perfons feem to magnify the Redemption purchased by Chrift: But in reality, by destroying our natural Notion of God's effential Goodness, it deftroys the first Principle and Foundation of Religion. God is, of Himfelf, the Father of Mercies: But becaufe, in the All-wife government of the World, it was fit and

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