Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB

CLXXIII.

Had we only fome faint hopes of GOD's mercy, SERM. a doubtful opinion and weak perfuafion of the rewards and punishments of another world; yet we have a law within us, which upon the probability of thefe confiderations would oblige us to repentance. Indeed if men were affured upon good grounds, that there would be no future rewards and punishments; then the fanction of the law were gone, and it would lofe it's force and obligation: or if we did despair of the mercy of God, and had good reason to think repentance impoffible, or that it would do us no good; in that cafe there would be no fufficient motive and argument to repentance: for no man can return to his duty, without returning to the love of GOD and goodnefs; and no man can return to the love of God, who believes that he bears an implacable hatred against him, and is refolved to make him miferable for ever. During this perfuafion no man can repent. And this feems to be the reason, why the devils continue impenitent.

But the heathens were not without hopes of God's mercy, and upon those small hopes which they had, they encouraged themselves into repentance; as you may see in the inftance of the Ninevites, "Let "them turn every one from his evil ways, and from "the violence that is in his hands. Who can tell, "if God will turn and repent, and turn away from "his fierce anger, that we perifh not?" Jonah iii. 8, 9. But if we, who have the cleareft difcoveries, and the highest affurance of this, who profefs to believe that God hath declared himself placable to all mankind, that "he is in CHRIST reconciling the "world to himself," and that upon our repentance "he "will not impute our fins to us; if we, to whom "the wrath of God is revealed from heaven, against U 2 "all

SERM." all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men," and CLXXIII. to whom "life and immortality are brought to light

66

by the gofpel;" if after all this, we still go on in an impenitent course, what fhall we be able to plead in excufe of ourselves at that great day?" The men "of Nineveh fhall rife up in judgment" against fuch an impenitent generation, and condemn it; because they repented upon the terror of lighter threatenings, and upon the encouragement of weaker hopes.

And therefore it concerns us, who call ourselves Christians, and enjoy the clear revelation of the gofpel, to look about us, and take heed how we continue in an evil courfe. For if we remain impenitent, after all the arguments which the gospel, fuper-added to the light of nature, affords to us to bring us to repentance, it shall not only "be more tolerable for "the men of Nineveh, but for Tyre and Sidon, for "Sodom and Gomorrah," the most wicked and impenitent heathens, " at the day of judgment, "than for us." For because we have ftronger arguments, and more powerful encouragements to repentance, than they had, if we do not repent, we fhall meet with a heavier doom, and a fiercer damnation. The heathen world had many excufes to plead for themfelves, which we have not. "The "times of that ignorance GoD winked at: but now "commands all men every where to repent; because "he hath appointed a day, in the which he will "judge the world in righteousness, by that man "whom he hath ordained, whereof he hath given "affurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him "from the dead."

SER

309

SERMON CLXXIV.

Of the immortality of the foul, as difcovered by nature, and by revelation.

2 TIM. i. 10.

But is now made manifeft by the appearing of our SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST, who hath abolished death, and bath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.

ΤΗ

this text.

HE defign of the apoftle in thefe two epi- SER M. ftles to Timothy, is to direct him how he CLXXIV. ought to demean himself, in the office which he The firft bore in the church; which he does in the firft epi- fermon on ftle and to encourage him in his work; which he does here in the fecond: in which, after his ufual falutation, he endeavours to arm him against the fear of those perfecutions, and the fhame of thofe reproaches, which would probably attend him in the work of the Gofpel, ver. 8. " Be not thou there"fore afhamed of the teftimony of our LORD, nor "of me his prisoner; but be thou partaker of the "afflictions of the gofpel, according to the power "of God, who hath faved us, and called us with an

66

holy calling," as if he had faid, the GOD whom thou ferveft in this employment, and by whofe power thou art ftrengthened, is he that hath faved "and called us with an holy calling," that is, it is he who by JESUS CHRIST hath brought falvation to us, and called us to this holy profeffion; "not according to our works," that is, not that we by any thing that we have done, have deferved this at

66

U 3

his

CLXXIV. 66

SERM. his hand, but " according to his own purpose and grace," that is according to his own gracious purpofe, "which was given us in CHRIST before the world began," that is, which from all eternity he decreed and determined to accomplish by JESUS CHRIST; "but is now made manifeft by the appear"ing of our SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST;" that is which gracious purpose of his is now clearly discovered by our SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST's coming into the world," who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light, through the gospel."

66

Which words exprefs to us two happy effects of CHRIST'S appearance: firft, "the abolishing of "death;" and, fecondly, "the bringing of life and "immortality to light." In the handling of thefe words, I fhall,

First, Open to you the meaning of the feveral expreffions in the text.

Secondly, Shew what our SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST did towards "the abolishing of death, and bringing "to light life and immortality."

For the first I fhall fhew,

I. What is here meant by "the appearing of "JESUS CHRIST."

II. What by the "abolishing of death."

III. What by "bringing to light life and immortality."

[ocr errors]

the appearing of our

The fcripture useth

I. What is here meant by "SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST." feveral phrafes to exprefs this thing to us. As it was the gracious defign of God the Father, fo it is called the giving of his Son, or fending him into the world. John iii. 16. "GOD fo loved the world, "that he gave his only begotten Son." Gal. iv. 4.

In the fulness of time GOD fent his Son." As it

was

was the voluntary undertaking of GOD the Son, fo SERM. it is called his coming into the world. In relation LXXIV. to his incarnation, whereby he was made vifible to us in his body, and likewife in reference to the obfcure promises, and prophecies, and types of the old teftament, it is called his manifestation or appearance. So the apoftle expreffeth it, 1 John iii. "Ye know that he was manifefted to take away "our fins;" by which we are to understand primarily his incarnation, his appearing in our nature, whereby he became vifible to us. As he was GOD, he could not appear to us, dwelling in light and glory, not to be approached by us in this ftate of mortality, and therefore he clothed himself in flesh, that he might appear and become manifest to us.

5.

I fay, by his appearing we are primarily to understand his incarnation: yet not only that, but likewife all that was confequent upon this, the actions of his life, and his death and refurrection; because all these concur to the producing of these happy effects mentioned in the text.

II. What is meant by the abolishing of death. By this we are not to understand, that CHRIST by his appearance hath rooted death out of the world, fo that men are no longer fubject to it. For we fee that even good men and those who are partakers of the benefits of CHRIST's death, are ftill fubject to the common law of mortality: but this expreffion of CHRIST's having abolished death, fignifies the conquest and victory which CHRIST hath gained over death in his own person, in that after he was dead, and laid in his grave, he rose again from the dead, he freed himself from the bands of death, and broke loose from the fetters of it, they not being able to hold him, as the expreffion is, Acts ii. 24. and confequently

U 4

« AnteriorContinuar »