turn to him by a fincere Repentance, how great foever their paft Offences may have been; but that he will inveft them with the most glorious Privileges, he will give them his Holy Spirit to affift, guide, and comfort them; he will raise their dead Bodies from the Grave, and even bestow upon them eternal Glory and Felicity in a better World as the Reward of their fincere, though imperfect, Obedience in this; a greater Reward than they could have challenged as ftrictly due to them, even though they had perfectly obeyed. To have all these Things clearly revealed to us by the Son of God himself, fent from the Father's Bofom for that Purpose, and conftituted by him the Mediator or grand Inftrument in the Reconciliation and Salvation of loft Sinners, muft certainly, if duly attended to, have a wonderful Effect; infinitely fuperior to what these Things would have had, if built only on the Opinions and Conjectures of fallible uninfpired Men; yea, and fuperior to the Influence they would have had, if brought to us by an inferior Meffenger, though truly fent from God.

Accordingly this Dignity and Authority of our Lord Jesus Christ is infifted upon in the Sacred Writings, as what giveth a peculiar Force and Weight to the evange

lical Difpenfation. Thus the Sacred Writer to the Hebrews begins his Epistle with observing, That God who at fundry Times, and in divers Manners, Spake in Time paft unto the Fathers by the Prophets, hath in thefe laft Days Spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed Heir of all Things, by whom alfo be made the Worlds: Who, being the Brightness of his Glory, and the exprefs Image of his Perfon, and upholding all Things by the Word of his Power, when he had by himself purged our Sins, fat down on the right Hand of the Majefty on High. Heb. i. 1, 2, 3. And fo he goes on to fhew his excellent Dignity and Pre-eminence, even above the highest Angels, the moft glorious Order of created Beings, and draws this Inference from it, If the Word spoken by Angels (i. e. the Law which was delivered by the Ministry of Angels) was stedfaft, and every Tranfgreffion and Difobedience received a juft Recompence of Reward, How Shall we efcape, if we neglect fo great Salvation, which at the first began to be Spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him. Heb. ii. 2, 3. So the Apostle Peter, in his Difcourfe to Cornelius, fpeaking of the Word which God fent unto the Children of Ifrael, preaching Peace by Jefus Chrift, adds, be is Lord of all. Acts x. 36. John the D 2

Baptift

Baptift, in the illuftrious Testimony he gives to our Lord Jefus Chrift, taketh particular Notice of his Divine Dignity and Authority, as what fhould engage Men to pay the greatest Regard to the Doctrines he taught, and the Laws he delivered: He that cometh from above is above all; be that is of the Earth is earthly, and speaketh of the Earth; he that cometh from Heaven is above all. Thus diminutively doth he speak of himself, though one of the greatest of the Prophets, in Comparifon of Jefus Chrift. He addeth, He whom God hath fent Speaketh the Words of God; for God giveth not the Spirit by Measure unto him. The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all Things into his Hand. And then he concludes thus, He that believeth on the Son bath everlasting Life; and be that believeth not the Son shall not fee Life, but the Wrath of God abideth on him. John iii. 31, 34, 35, 36.

Let us therefore receive the Revelations Chrift hath brought us, viz. the Doctrines he hath taught, the Precepts he hath delivered, the Promises he hath given, the Threatenings he hath denounced, with an unfhaken Faith, and with a profound Reverence. For, if Jefus was such a Perfon as the Gospel reprefenteth him to be, sent for fuch excellent Purposes, and whose Divine

Divine Miffion and Authority was confirmed by fuch illuftrious Atteftations, it cannot poffibly be an indifferent Matter that we receive or reject him, and his Doctrines and Laws. And, if we profefs to believe in him, we must take great Care that our Faith be not a bare fpeculative Affent, but fuch a practical vital Perfuafion as to have a governing Influence over our whole Temper and Conduct; that we may anfwer the Defign of his coming into the World, and giving himfelf for us, which was to redeem us from all Iniquity, and to purify unto himself a peculiar People zealous of good Works.