self I know neither how to please, nor how to appease him when offended; this must needs fill my foul with fear for myself. And this is the cafe, this the condition, of every man, without the knowledge of Jefus Chrift; the cafe, not only of Jews, Turks, and Infidels, but of all Chriftians, who know not that they want a Redeemer, who are not fenfible of the bleffing of a Redeemer, and of God's infinite goodness in fending his own Son-to fhew us the way to eternal life, to teach us by his precepts and by his example, and to make atonement for our fins.

Now, it being impoffible to make any Christian fenfible of these things, until he is first made fenfible of his deplorable condition by nature, I will firft fet before you, in as fhort and as plain a manner as I can, the true, that is, the very miferable condition of man, of every man living, without the knowledge of Jefus Chrift.

It is common, and it is eafy, to fay, We are all finners, and to fay this without being much concerned, without feeling our misery, without fearing the confequence, and even without any thought of amendment. And indeed there is nothing which more plainly fhews the corruption of our nature, and the danger we are in, than this does, to own that we are finners, and not to fear what must follow.

For to be a finner is to be at enmity with our Creator; with a most holy God, who

cannot

cannot but hate fin; with a most just God, whose righteous laws we have broken; and with an Almighty God, who can destroy us both body and foul; who cannot but be highly displeased to fee his own creatures, who know his will and his power, yet going on to provoke him.

It is not material now to enquire, how we came to be fuch corrupt creatures: it should be enough, one would think, to awaken us, to know that we are fuch.

To know, for instance, that of ourselves we are prone to evil continually; that the laws of our Creator are grievous to us; that we find a pleasure in doing the very things which he has forbidden us:-to know, moreover, that every foul of us have, within ourfelves, the feed of every wickedness that ever any other man was guilty of; and a feed which will certainly fpring up, and bring forth fruit, upon a fuitable temptation, if not prevented by the power of God; we being all of one race and make with those who we are convinced are going headlong to destruction.

The confequence of all which is, that men need not take pains to go to hell; they will go thither of course, if they make not refiftance; and resistance they will not make, without the grace of God.

All this is too plain to be denied; and daily experience fhould convince us, that there are no remedies within ourfelves for thefe evils,

and

anger

and the fears they cause in us; fince neither the of God who made us, nor the fear of everlasting mifery, have, too often, had any power to restrain men, when they are eagerly bent either upon their pleasures, or worldly interests.

This, we fay again, is the condition of every man living without the knowledge of Jefus Chrift. And every man, whofe eyes God has opened to fee this to be his fad condition, can have no peace in his foul, till he can have some hopes of a way to escape the wrath of Almighty God, which he has fo much reafon to fear. It is then, and not till then, that he will fee the bleffing of a Redeemer; that is, of fome one who can make his peace with God; who can obtain his pardon for what is past; and enable him to live in the favour of God for the time to come.

And this none but Jefus Chrift could do; and Jefus Chrift has done this for us; he has prevailed with God, his father, to be reconciled to us; he has obtained for us, that our repentance when fincere fhall be accepted; that none of our paft offences fhall be remembered against us; that we fhall have all the help we fhall ftand in need of, to carry us through the difficulties we may meet with; and that, when we die, our poor endeavours, however imperfect, if fincere, fhall be rewarded with eternal life and happiness.

And

'

And now, Christians, you are (one would hope) better prepared to understand this part of your Creed concerning Jefus Chrift; and the amazing mercy of God, in feeking the welfare of his rebellious creatures; and in fending his own Son, to take our nature upon him, by being born of the Virgin Mary.

You will be better able to perceive the reafon of all that Jefus Chrift did and suffered while he was upon earth; and that it was purely for us, and for our falvation, that he came down from heaven.

It was, to declare God's readiness to forgive the greatest finners upon their repentance, and return to their duty.

It was, to put us in the way of happiness; to give us fuch rules, and to direct us to fuch means, as are neceffary and fufficient to lead us through all the difficulties we shall meet with; and to let us know what things they are which will certainly shut us out of heaven.

Particularly, he affured us, that it is no great matter what our lot is in this world, provided we can fecure the favour of God; for that this short life is only a state of trial, and a paffage to a life that is to laft for ever.

To convince us more effectually of this, he made choice of a life of poverty himself, and was very eafy and content with any thing that the providence of God afforded him.

And to convince mankind that it is no indifferent matter whether they close with this mercy

mercy of God or not, he made known this important truth, which before they knew little of, That after this life is ended, we shall every foul of us be adjudged to an everlasting state of happiness or mifery, according as we fhall have behaved ourselves in this world.

And to affure us of the truth of all this, after he had wrought infinite miracles to shew that he came from God, he fealed the truth of these things with his own blood; for he laid down his life for us, and fuffered the punishment of death which we had deferved; the punishment and fentence which God had paffed upon Adam and all his pofterity for his fin and difobedience.

And God, to give us the utmost affurance that all which he had told us was true, and that what he had fuffered for our fakes was accepted, RAISED HIM THE THIRD DAY FROM THE DEAD, and in the fight of all his difciples, HE ASCENDED INTO HEAVen.

And to convince the whole world, that HE SITTETH AT THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD;

that is, that he hath all power in heaven and earth; he fent down the Holy Ghost to enable his difciples to do the fame wonderful things that he had done amongst them; which Holy Spirit will continue to guide, and protect, and affift, his faithful fervants, until his COMING AGAIN TO JUDGE BOTH THE QUICK AND THE DEAD.