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off, as well as to them that are near; unto SER M. us Sinners, of all Nations and of all Ages; even unto all Mankind, who are willing to repent, and reform their manners, and make acknowledgment of the Truth; For God would have all men to be faved, and wills not that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance: Nay even to Them therefore which never heard of him, must the Benefit of his Coming extend, according to the proportion of their Capacities unknown to us; For the Mercy of God is, without exception, over all his works.

To Us is This Son given. It is not without reason, that the word given is so carefully and constantly inferted, and fo great an emphasis and stress laid upon it, in almost all the Texts of both the Old and New Testament, which mention the coming of Christ into the World. The intent of it is, to express to us diftinctly the respective parts, which the Father and the Son bore in the redemption of the World; that neither the One, nor the Other, neither he that gave, nor he that was willing to be given for us, fhould be defrauded

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SER M. of their proper Honour. That God gave his Son, out of his bofom; is expreffive to us of the Father's Supreme Authority, and of his original, effential, and eternal Goodness: That the Son gave himself for us, or was willing to be given, denotes the Love of Chrift towards Mankind; and explains the Justice of his being appointed to fuffer, tho' he was an innocent perfon; because That appointment, as 'twas by the Will of the Father, fo 'twas alfo by his own free consent. The first of thefe, viz. the Supreme Authority of the Father, is fet forth in those Texts of Scripture, where it is affirmed that in the fulness of Time God fent forth his Son, Gal. iv. 4; that he faved us according to his own purpose and grace in Christ Jesus, 2 Tim. viii. 9; even according to the purpofe of Him who worketh all things after the counfel of his own Will, Eph. i. 11. And indeed in the Nature of things it is evident, that the Supreme Power to whom the fatisfaction is to be made, muft appoint what fatisfaction he will be pleafed to accept. The Second of thefe, viz. the original Goodness of the Father, is

fet

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fet forth in thofe Texts, where the Scrip- SER M. ture teaches us, that God fo loved the World, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whofoever believeth on him should not perish, but have everlasting life, Joh. iii. 16; and 1 Joh. iv. 9. In this was manifefted the Love of God towards us, because that God fent his only-begotten Son into the World, that we might live thro' Him; and ver. 10. he loved us, and fent his Son to be the propitiation for our Sins. The third particular, viz. the Love of Chrift in being willing to be thus fent or given for us, is expreft in thofe Texts, wherein we are taught, that Chrift gave himself a ransom for all, 1 Tim. ii. 6; that he gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, Tit. ii. 14. And Both thefe together, (the Authority and Goodness of the Father in giving his Son, and the Love of Christ in being willing to be given for us,) are expreft in one, Gal. i. 4. who gave himself for us, according to the Will of God and our Fa

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THE Uses of This particular, are; 1, that we acknowledge primarily the original effential Goodness and Compassion of God our Father, as the first Cause and Author of our Salvation; upon which account, St Paul frequently ftiles the Father, God our Saviour; and that therefore we look not upon him as a cruel and implacable Judge; but on the contrary extoll with all thankfulness our Redemption thro' Chrift, to the praife of the glory of His Grace, who has made us accepted in the beloved, and has given us the adoption of children by Jefus Chrift to himself, according to the good pleasure of his own Will, Eph. i. 5. 2dly, That in the next place we thankfully express our Gratitude alfo to our Saviour himself, who condescended for our fakes to become Man; who lo

Eph. v. 2. ved us, and gave himself for us; and Rev.i.5. washed us from our Sins in his own blood,

and has made us Kings and Priests to God and his Father. 3dly, That from This Great inftance of the divine Grace and Goodness, we learn to depend upon the fame Beneficence for all other good things likewife: For He that spared not his own

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Sen, but delivered him up for us all, how SER M. Shall be not with Him alfo freely give us all things, Rom. viii. 32. Not, a Liberty to fin, that Grace may further abound; God forbid; But all good things, all things really profitable to our present and future Happiness. Laftly, that from this wonderful Love of God towards Us, we learn our own Obligation to love one another; 1 Joh. iv. 11. Beloved, if God fo loved Us, we ought also to love one another.

AND thus much concerning the first part of the words, Unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given.

IT follows, And the Government shall be upon his Shoulder. The Jews, tho' they acknowledged thefe words were to be applied to the Meffiah, yet they understood them of the Dominion only of a temporal Prince, who should fubdue their enemies for them. But the opening of this Prophecy by degrees in further predictions, was such as ought to have given Them better Notions of this matter; and the Account We have in the New Teftament of the accomplishment of all those VOL. V. D 2 predictions,