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bow far they may be justifiable grounds of remitting punishment amongst men, does not come into the present question. I have already obferved that the law of nature is a perfect law, as it is a rule of action in all inftances and cafes, and under all poffible circumstance in which a law or rule of action is wanting. And, for as much as nature has pointed out a plain and an obvious rule in the prefent cafe, by fhewing who, and who only, are the proper objects of mercy to the Deity: So we may be as certain, as we are that God is, that he will govern his conduct, in this particular, by this rule. And, that what I have before laid down is the truth of the cafe, is, I think, as plain and obvious as any thing in nature or reafon can poffibly be. Here then is a plain obvious rule by which every great offender may judge whether he is become truly religious, or not; and whether he shall moft certainly obtain God's mercy, or not. If he has paffed through that change which we ufually call repentance, and is become in truth and fincerity a virtuous good man; then, he will, moft certainly, obtain mercy and acceptance at the hand of his Maker. But if he ftill retains his vicious wicked difpofition of mind, and would follow that difpofition, in the practice of every vilenefs, were he not reftrained from it, either in hope of a reward, or for fear of punishment, or from fome other selfish confideration, as, in fuch a cafe, he is in truth a vicious wicked man, whatever his outward behaviour may be:

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So he is likewise an irreligious man, and the proper object of God's difpleasure. And, as true religion, in the prefent cafe, confifts in the forementioned change or renovation of mind, and in a change of life confequent upon it (for make the tree good and the fruit will be good alfo): So every thing befide this change which is represented to be the ground of God's mercy, must be falfe religion. I fay, every thing befide the forementioned change which is reprefented to be the ground of God's mercy, must be falfe religion; because it is the forementioned change, and that only, which renders finners the proper objects of mercy, and therefore, it is that change, and that only, which can poffibly be the ground or reafon of God's mercy to them. This is the ftate of the cafe independent of any revelation or promulged law; and when confidered in the abftract nature and reafon of things.

And now I expect it will be faid that I am greatly undervaluing the undertaking and fufferings of Chrift, and that upon my principles mankind had no need of a Saviour and a Redeemer; this, and fuch like, probably, the ignorant and the artful will be buzzing in the ears of the people, and will be objecting to my readers. Upon which I obferve, that as I would by no means leffen or detract from the real value of Chrift's undertaking and fufferings, by representing them to be the produce of felfishness in him, viz. that he fought himfelf, and pursued his own intereft in what

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he did, as St Paul feems to have represented the cafe to be, when he faid, that for the joy that was fet before him, he endured the cross, defpifing the fhame, and, (in confequence thereof) is fat down on the right-hand of the Majefty on high; I fay, as I would by no means thus detract from the value and merit of Chrift's undertaking and fufferings: So, on the other fide, I durft not complement thefe with what does not belong to them, and to which they can no way stand related. And, this leads me to put the question, what connection, what relation, what affinity, what analogy, is there betwixt the fins and offences of mankind, and the fufferings and death of Jefus Christ? And the answer is obvious, viz. there is none at all. Man is, by nature, an accountable creature, who is anfwerable to God for his behaviour. And as all merit and guilt is perfonal, and cannot poffibly be transferred from one agent to another: So, according to all the rules of juftice, equity, and reason, the righteousness of the righteous ought, and will be upon him, and upon him only; and the wickedness of the wicked ought, and will be upon him, and upon him only. That the father ought not, nor will be bear the iniquity of the fon, nor the fon the iniquity of the father. That the foul that finneth shall, and will die, except he repent and return to his duty, by doing that which is lawful and right, and that then he will moft affuredly fave his foul alive. That, if a man does well, then he

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will be approved and accepted of God; but if a man does evil, then the punishment due to his fin lieth at the door, and will moft certainly lay hold of him, except his repentance and reformation (which renders him the proper object of mercy) prevent it. These are the ways of righteousness and equity, and these are the righteous and equitable ways of God. For, tho' the house of Ifrael walked by other rules; yet these, and thefe only, are the rules that the God of Ifrael walks by, and that conftantly, uniformly, and everlaftingly. Yet ye, (the houfe of Ifrael) fay, the way of the Lord is not equal. Hear now O boufe of Ifrael, is not my way equal? are not your ways unequal? faith the Lord of hofts, Ezek. xviii. 25. Now, if these are the ways of truth and reafon, of juftice and equity, as moft certainly they are, then the queftion will return as above, viz. what connection, what relation is there betwixt the offences of men and the fufferings of Chrift? And the answer will be as before, viz. it plainly appears that these have no connection with, no relation to each other at all. Mankind were greatly corrupted and degenerated, as to their understandings, their affections, and actions; and under thefe circumftances, God, out of his abundant goodness, fent his Son our Lord Jefus Chrift to be their Saviour. That is, Jefus Chrift was fent to apprise mankind of their danger, and to point out to them the only certain way by which they might efcape it, and fecure to themselves the divine favour. N 2 And,

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And, in the profecution of this defign, our Lord fell into wicked hands, by which he was crucified and flain. And, out of this scene of action, viz. the crucifixion and death of Chrift, fome of his followers have extracted the most profound mysteries, than which nothing in paganifm was more abfurd or ridiculous.

I am fenfible, it is commonly urged, that fatisfaction must have been made to the justice of God for the fins of mankind, otherwife God could not have exercised his mercy in the forgiveness of our fins; and that fuch fatiffaction was made by the death and fufferings of Chrift. Good God! how abfurd? how inconfiftent is this? juftice, confidered abstractedly, is not an agent or perfon, but only a property or quality, if it may be fo called; and therefore, when men talk of making fatiffaction to the justice of God, they must mean, (if they talk fenfe) making fatisfaction to a juft God, or rather God must act justly by demanding and receiving, or by making himself full fatisfaction in the cafe. But then, this is a cafe in which fatisfaction cannot poffibly take place; because where there is no injury done, there can be no fatisfaction made: But God is not injured, in the leaft degree, by our fins, and therefore, he cannot poffibly receive any fatisfaction. God is indeed offended at, but not injured by our miscarriages, or rather he is difpleafed with us on account of the evil difpofitions that take place in us, which are the ground and cause of those miscarriages, and

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