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their Merits in proportion to their Abilities. Allowing this Maxim to be true, yet it plainly goes no farther than this; That God will not punish Men for not doing the Things which their natural Powers enabled them not to do. The Argument cannot go farther: You cannot argue from the Weakness or Stupidity of Men, that they shall be rewarded. It may be a good Reason not to beat a Man when he does amifs, because he is a Fool, and knows not what he does; but it is no Reason to honour or to advance him. And therefore a Religion founded in this favourite Principle cannot be faid to have the Words of eternal Life; for no Plea, no Claim for eternal Life can poffibly be raised out of it.

Confidering therefore Religion under the Character given in the Text, That it has the Words of eternal Life; we fhall have Reason to conclude with St. Peter, That our only Hope is in God, and in him whom he hath fent, our bleffed Lord and Redeemer; and with him to fay, Lord, whither fhall we go? Thou, Thou only, haft the Words of eternal Life. And we believe, and are fure, that thou art that Chrift, the Son of the living God,

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DISCOURSE II.

HEBREWS Vii. 25.

Wherefore he is able alfo to fave them to the uttermoft, that come unto God by him, feeing he ever liveth to make Interceffion for them.

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HEN we confider the great and wonderful Work of our Redemption, though we cannot account for every Step of it to our own Reafon and Underftanding, yet neither can we imagine it to be the Effect of mere Will and arbitrary Appointment, and void of all Foundation in the Reason and Propriety of Things. All the Works of God are Works of Wisdom; and, as far as our Capacities give us leave to judge, we difcern evident Marks of Wisdom

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in them all, and discover a Fitness and Propriety in every thing with refpect to the End which it is intended to ferve or promote. If this be fo in every Inftance in which we are able to make any Judgment, it is a great Prefumption that it is, and muft be, fo in all other Inftances, which are too high and great to be viewed and measured by human Understanding: And we have one pofitive Argument that it is fo, arifing from the natural Notion we have of God, and of his Attributes of Wisdom and Justice. It is impoffible to fuppofe fuch a Being to do any thing by Chance, or in compliance to mere Will and Humour. No: Every Act of God is the Act of infinite Wifdom, and is founded in the neceffary Reason and Propriety of Things: And it is as true of the Works of Grace, as it is of the Works of Nature, That in Wisdom he has ordained them all.

It is one thing not to be able to difcern the Reasons of Providence, and another to fuppofe there is no Reafon in them. The Reafons, that made it either neceffary or proper for Chrift to die for the Sins of Mankind, may be removed out of our Sight: But to fuppofe that Chrift really did die for the Sins of the World, and yet that there was no Reafon or Propriety in his fo doing,

is to found Revealed Religion upon a Principle deftructive of Natural Religion; for no Religion can fubfift, with an Opinion that God is a Being capable of acting without Reason.

The Publication of the Gospel has made an Alteration in the Scheme of Religion, by revealing to us the Son of God, whom God hath appointed Heir of all Things, by whom alfo be made the Worlds; who is the Brightness of his Glory, and the express Image of his Perfon; who upholdeth all Things by the Word of his Power. Heb. i. 2, 3.

The Knowledge of the Son of God, of his Power and Dominion in the creating and upholding all Things, became neceffary, as the Foundation of the Faith required to be placed in him as our Redeemer. The Character of Redeemer would be but ill fupported by any Perfon who had not Power equal to the great Undertaking. The NewTeftament Doctrines therefore, relating to the Dignity and Authority of Jesus Christ, are relative to his Office of Redeemer; and therefore there was no explicit Declaration of them either before or under the Law of Mofes.

Natural Religion leads us by certain Conclufions to the Acknowledgment of one fupreme

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