SERMON XXXIV. The Advantage of Man's Redemption. PSALM viii. 4. Lord, what is man, that thou art mindful of him? SERMON - p. 425. XXXV. The Duty of setting a good Example. I COR. X. 24. Let no man feek his own, but every man another's wealth. SERMON P. 439 XXXVI. The Duty of returning Good for Evil. ROM. xii. 21. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good. SERMON P. 451. XXXVII. The fame Subject continued: p. 463. SERMON SERMON I. THE JEWISH DISPENSATION. EXODUS xix. 3, 4, 5, 6. Mofes went up unto God: and the Lord called unto him out of the mountain, faying, Thus fhalt thou fay to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Ifrael:-Ye have feen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles' wings, and brought you unto myfelf.-Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine. And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests and an holy nation. GOD's OD's purpose in the call of Abraham, and the revelations which he gave him, was, to separate a peculiar people for the fervation of true religion in the world, and the introduction of an univerfal bleffing on man VOL. I. B pre.. kind. kind. Accordingly God made a covenant with Abraham, confifting of two parts, the one of a temporal nature, containing a promise of the land of Canaan, the other of a spiritual nature, containing a purpose of the redemption of mankind to be wrought by Christ, who was to fpring from the feed of Abraham; this latter part of the covenant is called in fcripture God's everlasting covenant, to distinguish it from the other part, which was only temporary. and This covenant, confifting of these two parts, went down through the patriarchal age; it is to be obferved, that the patriarchs acted upon the mere hopes only which it fuggefted, for neither of its parts was accomplished in their time. As to the fpiritual part, or the everlasting covenant, the accomplishment of that was plainly deferred to a very diftant period of time; nor was even the temporal part executed in the days of the patriarchs. It concerned their posterity, and the object of it was the poffeffion of a country, which at prefent was occupied by those who were not immediately to be turned out of it. Yet, upon. thefe hopes the patriarchs behaved well and obediently; they were never corrupted with idolatry; and, having true notions of God's providence, 3 providence, and favoured as they were with a repetition of the promise which had been given to Abraham, their faith was fteady, though the object of it lay far into futurity. But when, afterwards, Abraham's, pofterity had been fojourners in Egypt for above two hundred years, God was then pleased to enter upon the execution of the temporal part of the covenant; the mere hopes of it, though fufficient to maintain the religion of a few good patriarchs and their families, would not continue to work the fame effect upon a numerous nation, long tainted with idolatry, and disheartened by oppreffion. The Ifraelites during their bondage in Egypt did not lofe the remembrance of the covenant God made with their fathers, but they loft that purity of worship and manners which became it. therefore was pleased to fupply them with fresh direction and support for their religion, and as there was a covenant fubfifting, which contained under it the two promises of a temporal and of an everlasting bleffing, God now thought fit to enter upon an actual execution of the former. God In the feveral conferences, which God had with Mofes, from the time he called him in the burning bufh to his appearance upon B 2 mount |