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God; namely, That it is juft for God not to punish Sinners, and righteous in him to receive them to Favour. If Reafon cannot discover nor comprehend how both these Propofitions fhould be true at the same time with respect to the fame Perfons, 'tis impoffible that it should discover or comprehend the Means which God makes ufe of to reconcile himself to Sinners; that is, it is impoffible for God to make use of any Means that are not myfterious, that is, above the Reach and Comprehenfion of human Wisdom.

This Difficulty muft for ever remain, as long as we attempt to fcan the divine Justice by our narrow Conceptions of it: And this is the very Difficulty that makes many Things in the Gospel to be myfterious. The Scripture tells us, That God has been reconciled to Sinners by the Death of Chrift, That he made Atonement for the Sins of the whole World. These are great Myfteries: We cannot fee that there is any Proportion between the Sufferings of one and the Sins of all; or, if there were, we cannot fee the Justice of laying the Sins upon the innocent Head. the Reasons upon which the proceeds in this Cafe, here

of the Wicked If we could fee

Juftice of God would be no

Mystery:

Mystery: And therefore the Mysteriousness of the whole Proceeding arifes only from hence, That our finite Minds cannot comprehend the Reafons and Limits of the divine Juftice. Moft certain it is, That, if God be reconciled to Sinners, Satisfaction must be made to his Juftice; for he may as well cease to be God, as to be juft. Whatever Satisfaction is made, it must be founded in the Reafons of his own Juftice, that is, of Justice directed by infinite Wifdom. The Reasons of fuch Juftice we cannot comprehend; and therefore we must either be faved by Means that are mysterious to us, or God muft give us infinite Wisdom to comprehend the Reafon of his Juftice. You fee then, that from this Notion of Religion, confidered as containing the Means by which God reconciled himself to the World, 'tis so far from being abfurd to fuppofe it in fome Parts mysterious, that it is not poffible it should be otherwife.

To redeem the World is the Work of God: He only could find the Means of Reconciliation, and he only could apply. them: 'Tis our Part merely to accept them, and to obey the Terms and Conditions upon which he offers them. Religion therefore, which is founded upon Redemption, must needs

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needs confist of these two Parts; An Account of the Redemption wrought by God, and Inftructions to Men upon what Terms they may reap the Benefit of the Redemption. As far as our Part goes in the Gospel, there is nothing mysterious; we have nothing to do for ourselves, but what we very well know how to do. As to the other Parts of the Gospel, we are not required to comprehend and account for God's Methods of Salvation, but only to accept them; which, as I before obferved, are two diftinct Acts of the Mind, and not dependent upon each other. As for the Work of God in our Redemption, 'tis indeed wonderful and mysterious: And why fhould it seem ftrange to you, that it is fo? Are there any other Works of God which are not mysterious? Confider the Creation and Formation of this World; confider the Sun, the Moon, and the Stars, the Works of his Hand; tell me by what fecret Power they move, by what Rule their different Motions were at first impreffed, and by what Secret in Nature or Providence ever fince preferved. Or, if you think it hard to be fent to confider the Heavens at a Distance, do but confider the Earth, and the meanest Creatures of it: Can you tell how they are formed? how they live, and move, and have

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their Being? Nay, can you name that Work of God, which is not myfterious? Is there any thing in Nature, the first Principles of which you can difcover and fee into? If in all the Works of God there is no fuch Thing, why should we think it ftrange, That in his Work of Redemption he has appeared fo like himself, and that in this, as in every thing elfe, his Ways are past finding out? We live by the Preservation of Providence, and enjoy the Comforts and Pleasures of this Life; and yet how mysterious is our Prefervation! How little do we know of the Methods by which we are preferved! and yet the Benefits of it we enjoy, notwithstanding our Ignorance of the Means: And why is it a greater Abfurdity to fuppofe that Men may be redeemed, without comprehending all the Means made ufe of in their Redemption? In all other Inftances whatever, the Miraculoufnefs of an Escape adds to the Pleasure and Joy of it, and is always remembered with a kind of Ecstasy in the Relation. Salvation is the only Inftance in which Men demur upon the Means, and are unwilling to receive the Mercy, because they cannot understand the Methods of obtaining it. In any other Cafe ǎ Man

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a Man would be thought befide himself, who fhould act in the fame Manner.

As to the two other Points, The cleanfing Sinners from their Iniquity, and enabling them to live virtuously for the future; or, in other Words, the Sanctification and Grace promised in the Gofpel; I fhall not enter into the Confideration of them particularly, because the fame Way of Reafoning is ap plicable in these Cafes, mutatis mutandis; and therefore I fhall leave them to your own Reflection.

Upon the whole; The only true and fair Way of judging of the Gospel is, to confider what is the true State of Mankind in the World. If Men are in a State of Purity and Innocence, no Redemption is wanting, and the Methods prefcribed in the Gospel bear no Relation to their Circumftances: But, if Men have every-where finned, and come short of the Glory of God, the Law of Nature cannot help them to those Blessings, which by the Law of Nature are forfeited; and there is manifeftly a Neceffity to have recourfe to other Means to obtain Salvation.

It may be faid, for it often is faid, That, whatever Degree of Light Men have, it will make little Difference in the Cafe; fince an equitable Judge will confider Men and

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