forgive Sin without full Satisfaction made to Juftice. And when they form fuch Notions of Juftice and Goodness, as contradict and destroy each other, and can never meet, in these utmoft Extremities, in the fame Perfon, it is very probable, that they are both in the wrong, though they pretend both to conclude the Neceffity, and no Neceffity of Satisfaction, with the fame Clearnefs and Demonftration, from the natural Notions of infinite Juftice, and infinite Goodness. It may makethose who believe any thing of the Scripture, if they confider the Cafe of fallen Angels, to fufpect their Arguments from the Notions of the Divine Goodness; for the fallen Angels, who have no Saviour, are not admitted to a State of Repentance and Pardon neither: Nor are those miserable Wretches who die impenitent. And yet their Argument from the Divine Goodnefs extends as much to fallen Angels, as to fallen Man, and to repenting Sinners, whenever they repent: And yet it is impoffible to conceive, but that Devils and damn'd Spirits would repent, were there any Place for Repentance, or Hopes of Pardon which fhews that when Sentence is past, Repentance comes too late, and cannot of itself reverse the Divine Judgment.

Now this is in fome refpect the Cafe of fallen Man: The Sentence of Death is paft on him, and executed in every Age, as one Generation fucceeds another: The Queftion then is not in general, whether a good God can or will forgive Sin; for there is no doubt, but a Sovereign and Abfolute Lord can forgive Sin upon what Terins foever he pleases; but the Question is, whether a good God will think mere Repentance a fufficient Reafon by his own immediate Act to reverse a Sentence, which he himself has paft and exeR 4 cuted

cuted upon Sinners. It is certain he does not, for the best Men and the most penitent Sinners , die, as well as the wicked; there never having been but two Exceptions, Enoch and Elias, fince the Fall of Man; and there had not been one, had not God promised a Saviour, who fhould redeem all Mankind from Death; and when the Redemption of Mankind from Death was undertaken by our Saviour, there might be, and certainly were, very wife Reasons for God to excufe two Men from dying. Now then if the Goodnefs of God does not oblige him upon our Repentance to reverfe that Sentence of Death, which he hath pafs'd upon all Mankind; we need a Saviour to deliver us from the Power and Dominion of Death, and to raise us again into Immortal Life. To forgive Sin is to deliver us from the Punishment of it; and when Death is the Punishment of Sin, he who will obtain the Pardon of our Sins, must redeem and deliver us from Death, that is, muft redeem our Bodies from Corruption, and re-unite Soul and Body in Immortal Life. This is to be our Saviour, to expiate our Sins, and to conquer Death for us, without which our Sins are not perfectly expiated; for while we are in a State of Death we have the visible Marks of God's Difpleasure, and feel the Punishment of our Sins in the Lofs of our Bodies; and must for ever perifh under the Guilt and Punishment of our Sins, without fuch a Saviour, as can conquer Death, and raise us into Immortal Life.

So that what our Saviour tells us of himself, I am the Refurrection and the Life, is the true and neceffary Character of the Saviour of the World: None can be the Saviour of Sinners, but he who can raise them from the Dead. He does

does not indeed finally fave all whom he raises from the Dead; for there is a Refurrection to Condemnation, as well as a Refurrection to Life; but none are faved but those who rife from the Dead; we are not redeemed from the Curfe of the Law, which is Death, till that Curfe be taken away in the Resurrection of the Dead. And if it does not become God by his own immediate Act to reverse that Sentence which he has finally pafs'd upon all Mankind, this must be done by the Interpofition of a Saviour and Deliverer, who has Authority and Power to raise the Dead.

Did the Deift and Socinian believe this, that the Refurrection of our Bodies is an effential Part of our Salvation, they would foon be fenfible, how neceffary a Salvation is to deliver them from the Power of Death. But the Deift at most satisfies himself with the Belief of the Soul's Immortality, and that the Souls of good Men fhall be happy in the next World in a State of Separation from their Bodies: and the Socinian will talk of the Resurrection, at least our modern Socinians feem to have no great Opinion of the Resurrection of the Body, but think that Resurrection fignifies only a Revivifcence or returning to Life again, after the long Death or Sleep of the Soul, call it which you will. Now thofe, who hope to be faved without the Expiation of their Sins, or the Conqueft of Death, who can reconcile the Notion of Salvation with a State of Death, which is the Punishment of Sin, may defpise a Saviour: But if the Redemption of our Bodies by their Refurrection from the Dead be an effential Part of our Salvation; if the re-union of Soul and Body immortal and glorious be Immortal Life, as the Gospel reprefents it; then we want a 6a

viour, who can expiate our Sins by his Death, and conquer Death by his Refurrection from the Dead, and has Authority and Power to raise us from the Dead, to change our vile Bodies, that they may be fashion'd like unto his own most glorious Body, according to the mighty working of his Power, whereby he is able to fubdue all Things to himfelf.

Secondly, By the Fall of Man human Nature is greatly corrupted; the fleshly Principle, which is fond of all the prefent Enjoyments of Senfe, is too ftrong for the Government of mere Natural Reason, which is it felf greatly corrupted, and either mifguides us, or takes part with the Lufts of Men, and encourages Wickednefs and Vice. The Experience of all Mankind confirms what St. Paul tells us of the Law in our Members, which wars against the Law of our Minds, and without the fpecial Affiftance of the Divine Grace, leads us into Captivity to the Law of Sin, which is in our Members. Which made the Apostle very fenfible of the Neceffity of a Saviour and Deliverer; O wretched Man that I am! who shall deliver me from the Body of this Death? I thank God through Jefus Chrift my Lord, Rom. vii. 23, 24, 25. as he adds Rom. viii. 2. For the Law of the Spirit of Life in Jefus Chrift, hath made me free from the Law of Sin and Death. So that Mankind wanted a Saviour to deliver them from themselves, from their own corrupt Wills, Affections and Lufts; to redeem them from their vain Converfation receiv'd by Tradition from their Fore-fathers, to quicken thofe who were dead in Trespasses and Sins; which is a Work of no lefs Divine Power than raising the Dead. It is in Scripture called Regeneration, being born again, and that not of Blood, nor by the Will of the Flesh, nor by the Will

of

of Man, but of God; that is, not by the mere Powers of Nature, but by the Power of the Divine Grace; they are born of Water and of the Spirit, by the washing of Regeneration, and the renewing of the Holy Ghost. Nay, fuch Men are New Creatures, created in Chrift Jefus to good Works. Now this is not all Metaphor, but fignifies a new making us, a true fpiritual Creation and Birth, which gives new Light to our Minds, renews and fanctifies our Wills, fubdues the Flesh to the Spirit, and tranfplants our Affections, our Hopes, our Treafure, from Earth to Heaven.

The Heathens themselves were fenfible of the Corruption of human Nature, and fome of the wifeft of them attributed at leaft all great Proficiencies and Attainments in Virtue to a Divine Aid. For though Cotta in Tully fays, that no Man prays the Gods to make him a good Man, which he fuppofed every Man might make himfelf if he pleased; yet this was not the general Senfe either of their Poets or Philofophers, as Maximus Tyrius proves at large in a Differtation upon this very Queftion, whether any Man be made good i uoise, by a Divine Aid and Help; where taking Notice of that ftroug Biafs and Propensity that is in Mankind to Sin, he exprefly tells us, that to refift this Torrent, and to conquer all the Charms of fenfual Pleasure, we want συναγωνες θεῖ καὶ συλλήπτορα, that God fhould fight for us, and help us. Now if the Sanctification of our Natures, the Purity of Heart, and Innocence and Holinefs of Life, be neceffary to entitle us to the Favour of God, and the Eternal Rewards of the next Life; and in this corrupt and degenerate State, we cannot renew and fanctify our felves without a Divine Power, to work in us both to will and to do; we want fuch a Saviour, as

can