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SER M. therein; for this fuppofition he ufeth as an argument IV. proving God's univerfal defire of man's converfion Tim. ii. 4, and falvation: Who would have all men to be faved, and to come to the knowledge of the truth For there is one God, and one Mediator between God and man, the man Chrift Jefus. h By virtue of which covenant it is, that any fuch degrees of love or fear toward God, fuch as men are capable of, are available, any righteous performances, fuch as our weakness can produce, are acceptable, any honeft endeavours do receive countenance and encouragement; and that (as Acts x. 35. St. Peter obferved) in every nation he that feareth God, and worketh righteousness, is accepted by him; although his fear of God be not fo intenfe, or pure; his righteousness not fo exact and unblameable, as, according to extremity of law and duty, they should be. From which covenant fo far is any man, according to God's intention and defire, from being excluded, that all men are seriously invited, vehemently exhorted, earneftly intreated to enter into it, and to partake the benefits exhibited thereby. Every man that feeleth himself to want those benefits, and is defirous of mercy and ease from the guilt and burthen of his fins, may come and welcome. Ho, every one that thirfteth, come ye to the waters; fo the evangelical Prophet proclaims; and, If any man thirfteth, let him come to me and drink, crieth our Lord; and, Come to me all ye that are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you reft. (AEUTE TάVTES, Come all to me: All men therefore, faith Origen, who from the nature of fin do labour and are burthened, are called to that reft; which is with 2 Cor. v. 20. the Word of God.) And, In Chrift's name (faith St. Paul) we are ambassadors, as though God by us entreat

Ifa. Iv. 1.

John vii.

37.

Matt. xi. 28.

Acts xvii.

30.

h Quo dicto oftenditur nullum hominem fecundum naturam effe pollutum, fed æqualiter omnes ad Chrifti Evangelium provocari. Hier. ad Aug. Epift. 11.

1 Πάντες ἂν οἱ ἄνθρωποι διὰ τὴν τῆς ἁμαρτίας φύσιν κοπιῶντες καὶ πεφορ τισμένοι καλοῦνται ἐπὶ τὴν παρὰ τῷ λόγῳ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἀνάπαυσιν. Orig. in Celf. 3.

eth:

IV.

eth: we pray you for Chrift's fake, be ye reconciled to God; S ER M. the purport of which embaffy, together with its extent, he otherwhere thus expreffeth, Tavy wagayyiλλει τοῖς ἀνθρώποις πᾶσι πανταχε μετανοεῖν, He now proclaimeth to all men every where that they should repent; he confequently holds forth to all the benefits annexed to repentance. But of this we spake formerly.

Colof.ii. 13.

Eph. v. 8.

&c.

σχρὰ ὄλισθος

4. Our Lord Jefus is the Saviour of all men, as having purchased and procured for them competent aids, whereby they are enabled to perform the conditions required of them in order to their falvation; to acquire a fufficient knowledge of their duty, to fubdue Eph. ii. 1, their bad inclinations and lufts, to withstand temp-ovi tations; or briefly, whereby they are enabled fincere- 14, 15. ly to repent of their fins, and acceptably to perform 2 Cor. iv. 6. their due obedience. The truth of this point, taking 2 Pet. i. 19, in the confideration of man's natural ftate, may by good confequence be inferred from the truth of the points foregoing. If men are naturally fo dead in o iìrà aitrefpaffes and fins, fo enflaved and fold under fin; auropus so very prone to evil, and averfe to good; fo dark as igand blind, that they cannot well difcern what they Max. Tyr. should do; fo corrupt and weak, that they cannot Diff. 22. perform what they know and confefs to be good, (as St. Paul affirmeth men to be,) and confequently are of themselves indifpofed to perform the duties acceptable to God, and requifite by his appointment toward their falvation, then either our Lord hath provided for them a communication of grace fufficient to countervail or furmount that natural impotency, or all his defigns for their good are imperfect or inconfiftent, (aiming at an end, without proving requifite means, or removing neceffary obftructions,) and his performances, whereby the forementioned be

* Si Deus non operatur in nobis, nullius poffumus effe participes virtutis; fine hoc quippe bono nihil eft bonum, fine hac luce nihil eft lucidum, fine hac fapientia nihil fanum, fine hac juftitia nihil rectum. De Voc. Gent. I. 8.

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you.

IV.

SER M. nefits were procured, do prove ineffectual and fruitlefs. For God being appeafed, and become well-áffected to man's falvation, divine juftice being fatisfied, the rigour of law being mitigated, repentance being made available, and an obedience, agreeable to man's frailty, becoming acceptable, with all other the immediate refults of our Saviour's tranfactions for man, would fignify nothing in regard to him, who ftill lieth under a neceffity of finning, or an inability of performing that which is indifpenfably exacted from him toward a complete enjoyment of thofe benefits and favours. In vain is the debt paid, and the bond cancelled, and the prifon fet open, and liberty proclaimed, and the prisoner called forth, if he be not himself able to knock off the fetters which detain him, and there is no help afforded, by which he may do it. But our Lord hath furely laid his defigns more advisedly, and hath profecuted his work more perfectly. Wherefore we may suppose that a competency of grace and fpiritual affiftance is by virtue of our Saviour's performances really imparted to every man, qualifying him to do what God requires, and is ready to accept from him in order to his welfare; that our Saviour hath fent abroad his Holy Spirit, (that fountain of all true goodness, of all spiritual light, ftrength, and comfort,) like the fun, to fhine, to warm, to difpenfe benign influences over the world; although it fhineth not fo brightly and vigorously, and its presence is not fo vifible and fenfible in one place as another; which Holy Spirit, as it is in its effence omniprefent, so it is likewife in its energy inceffantly working (in reasonable measure, right manner, and fit feafon, as wifdom ordereth) upon the minds and affections of men, infufing good thoughts and motions, impreffing arguments and motives to good practice, cherishing and promoting good purposes, checking bad defigns, Clem. Alex. reftraining and reclaiming from bad courfes. Our Strom. 7. reafon, however aided by exterior inftruction and excitement, being unable to deal with those mighty

Toist bi iranen

νοις ἰσχὺν πρὸς τὴν

ρίαν ἐμπνεῖ.

P. 523.

temptations,

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