In the text under confideration he fays, "Whatsoever fhall afk the father in my name, he will give it you.” ye At another time he faid, "Whatsoever ye fhall afk in my pame, that will I do. If ye fhall afk any thing in my name, I will do it"+ And we ask the father in the name of Jefus Chrift, when we go to Christ, and ask him ; for in this way we approach to the father, through him. We ask in the name of Chrift, when we go immediately to Jefus Chrift, and through him as a medium to the father, as really and as much as if we apply exprefsly to the father, and afk exprefsly in the name of Chrift: For to afk in the name of Chrift, is to rely on the atone sment he has made, and on his merit and righteousness for the favour we ask. And this may be done when we apply immediately to Chrift, as really and as much as if we apply expressly to the father in his name.

VII. THIS fubject is fuited to excite in our minds a conviction, and imprefs a fenfe of the amazing, infinite crime and folly of flighting and rejecting the Redeemer of men. The crime of this is great in proportion to the greatnefs, worthiness and excellence of this perfon, and his amazing condefcenfion and goodness exercised and manifested in what he has done and fuffered for man. And the folly of it is great, in proportion to the greatnefs of the evil from which he offers to deliver us ; and of the good and happiness which he has obtained for man and invites him to accept, both of which are infinite. How unspeakably great then must be this wickedness and folly! They are to us as incomprehenfible in their magnitude, as are the person and works of the Redeemer; they are truly boundless and infinite! They are attended with innumerable other aggravations, which far exceed our thought. How much more guilty are they who reject and caft contempt upon Christ, than they could have been, had there been no fuch perfon, no fuch Redeemer ! And their endless punishment who perfift in flighting him and

+ John xiv. 13, 14.

and neglecting this falvation, and die impenitent, will be inconceivably greater. They flight, they reject and dispise God, the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, and declare themselves to be irreconcilable enemies to him, while he is offering to be reconciled to them, to pardon their multiplied and infinitely aggravated offences, and bestow on them eternal life, in consequence of the Redeemer's undertaking in behalf of man, and obeying, and fuffering unto death, for them. This ferves to discover the univerfality, the exceeding greatness, and the malignity of the moral depravity of man. Jews and Gentiles acted this out, in the horrid action, never to be forgotten, in condemning and crucifying the Son of God, the Redeemer, when he was in their reach and power. And every man and woman who have lived fince, and had opportunity to know the person and character of the Redeemer, have been guilty of the fame crime, in a greater or lefs degree; as we have all flighted and abused him more or less; and fo have, in this way, in fome meafure at least, joined with them who put him to death.

CHAP. III.

CHA P. III.

Concerning the Defign and Work of the Redeemer.

HIS is a fubject upon which profeffing christ. ians are far from being agreed. They differ in opinion. relecting it, according to their different views of the moral ftate and character of man ; from what he is to be redeemed; and of what is neceffary to be done or fuffered in order to his redemption. And this lays the foundation of their difference of opinion refpecting the perlon and character of the Redeemer. For he must be answerable to the ftate of man, and to that which muft be done or fuered in order to his being delivered from fin and mifery, and made completly happy forever, confiftent with the divine law, and the wisdom and honour of the moral Governor of man.

There are not a few in the chriftian world who entertain such ideas of God, his law and moral government; of the character of man, and the nature and crime of fin, that they fee no need of a Mediator and Redeemer, in order to the pardon and falvation of men: And therefore confider Jefus Chrift as an impoftor, and all who believe in him as deluded; and wholly discard divine revelation, and plunge into the darkness of Deism.

The Jews are fo ignorant of the nature of the moral law, and their own ftate, that they think they ftand in need of no Redeemer, but one who fhall deliver them from the power and oppreffion of man, and beftow on

them

PART If them temporal, worldly dominion, prosperity and happi ness. They therefore reject Jesus Christ, and hope for the deliverance they defire, by their expected Mef fiah.

There are many profeffing chriftians, who have much the fame fentiments refpecting God, law, fin, and the moral state of man, with Jews and Deifts; and confe quently, though they profefs to believe that Jefus Chriftis the Saviour of men, they see no need of a Saviour that is more than a man, or a mere creature; and therefore do not believe in his divinity.

Others have fuch views of God, his law and moral government, of the character and state of man in his apoftacy, and of what is neceffary to be done and fuffered in order to their redemption, that they feel the need of a divine Redeemer; whose person and character has been described in the foregoing chapter, and which they are prepared to fee plainly exhibited in the Bible.

From this view, it appears that in order to understand the work of the Redeemer, the defign of his undertaking and what he does effect, we must have right views of the law of God which man has tranfgreffed; and of the ftate into which he is fallen by this rebellion.

The law of God points out the duty of man, and requires of him what is perfectly right, and no more, or lefs. It cannot therefore be altered in the leaft degree, fo as to require more or less, without rendering it lefs perfect and good. It is therefore an eternal unalterable rule of righteoufnefs,which cannot be abrogated or altered in the leaft iota, by an infinitely perfect, unchangeable legislature and governour, consistent with his character, his perfect rectitude and righteoufnels. This law neceffarily implies, as effential to it, a fanction or penalty, confifting in evil, or a punishment, which is in exact proportion to the magnitude of the crime of tranfgreffing it; or the defert of

the

the tranfgreffor, which is threatened to be executed on the offender. This penalty which is threatened, must be no more, nor lefs, than the finner deferves, or the demerit of the crime. The leaft deviation from this would render the law fo far imperfect, and wrong. Every creature under this law, is under infinite obligations to obey it without any deviation from it in the leaft poffi ble inftance, through the whole of his exiftence; and every inftance of rebellion tends to infinite evil, to break up the divine government, and bring ruin and misery on all the moral world: Therefore every tranfgreffion of this law, or neglect to obey it, deserves infinite evil as the proper punishment of it. Confequently this evil, this punishment, must be the threatened penalty of the law; which has heen shown in a former chapter.

Man by tranfgreffion has incurred the penalty of this law, and fallen under the curfe of it; "For it is written, curfed is every one that continueth not in all the things. which are written in the book of the law to do them." This curse cannot be taken off, and man released, until it has its effect, and all the evil implied in it be suffered, which man can never do, fo as to be delivered from it, or from suffering, because a finite creature is not capable of fuffering the evil contained in the curfe in any limited duration; and therefore his fufferings must be without end, or everlasting. And no future obedience, should man repent and live perfectly obedient after he had tranfgreffed, would atone for his fin, or remove the curse in the least degree, according to law; for his obedience, though ever fo perfect, and continued ever fo ong, would be no more than what he conftantly owed, and therefore no more than his duty, had he'never tranfgreffed. Thus man by fin fell into an irrecoverably oft ftate, and brought the curfe of the law of God upon. im, from which it is impoffible he should deliver him