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many make a fatal mistake upon this subject. They rejoice in the effects of that goodness of God, which they do not taste, but perfectly hate.

3. If tasting the goodness of God produces such happy effects as have been mentioned, then it is impossible, that sinners should be so happy as saints, even in this life. Sinners never do, nor can enjoy any higher happiness, than that which they derive from the effects of divine goodness; but saints enjoy a purer and higher felicity, which flows from the enjoyment of the fountain of all blessedness. Sinners drink at the streams, which they know may, and must soon fail; but saints drink at the fountain which never can fail. The thought which sinners cannot entirely banish from their minds, that all the streams of goodness which are at present flowing in upon them, will soon cease to flow, often drinks up all their joy, and sinks them in fearful gloom and despondency. They are all their lifetime subject to bondage, through fear of death, which must destroy all their hopes and happiness. Their happiness is short, uncertain, and mixed with misery; while "the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day." They taste the goodness of God and its happy effects, which is a prelude to their future and eternal enjoyment of all good.

4. If saints sometimes taste the goodness of God, and enjoy its happy effects, then they are extremely unwise as well. as criminal, in neglecting their duty. Their duty is, "to keep themselves in the love of God." And if they would only do this, they would bring God near to them, and continually taste his goodness. For while they keep themselves in the love of God, they dwell in God, and God in them. This they know to be true, by their actually tasting the goodness of God from time to time. If they would constantly exercise that disinterested benevolence, which God constantly exercises towards them and all mankind, they would be perfectly satisfied with his dealings with them, and every other person. They would see and feel no cause to murmur or repine with respect to themselves or any other person, object, or event. They would see and taste God's goodness in every place, and in every event. Angels who attend them, see, and enjoy, and taste the goodness of God towards them; and why should not they see, and taste, and enjoy the goodness of God continually? They can find no excuse for their neglect of this important duty.

5. If none can taste the goodness of God, who do not exercise goodness themselves, then it is extremely absurd and dangerous for impenitent sinners to rely upon the mere good

ness of God to save them. For though his goodness be as boundless as they are apt to imagine, and as it certainly is, yet it affords no ground of hope to them. They have no taste for it. The waters of life are bitter to them. Universal, disinterested benevolence loathes and abhors their selfishness; and their selfishness loathes and abhors that pure love. This they may know from what they see and observe of it, in respect to themselves and others. They think it does them too little good, and does too much good to others. It promises everlasting good to others; but denounces everlasting evil to them. It is sovereign goodness, and sovereign goodness they will not take and enjoy. It must therefore leave them wretched and forlorn.

6. If all who taste the goodness of God shall be saved; then the terms of salvation are as low as possible. The prophet says, "Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labor for that which satisfieth not? Hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness. Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live: and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David." Again we read, "And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely." It is not conceivable, that salvation should be offered upon lower terms.

7. Let all inquire, whether they have tasted that the Lord is good. Have you ever tasted of the fountain, instead of the streams? Have you found the happy effects of tasting divine goodness?

SERMON IX.

NATURE OF ATONEMENT.

"BUT with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot."-1 Peter, i. 19.

THE apostle Peter wrote this epistle to Christians in general, throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, with a principal design to encourage and animate them to perform the duties, and endure the trials of their pilgrimage on earth. Accordingly, he reminds them of their glorious hope of a future and eternal inheritance, reserved for them in heaven. He next turns their attention to their absent and invisible Redeemer, whom they had professed to love, and in whom they supremely rejoiced. But to make them more sensibly feel their strong and endearing obligations to pass the time of their sojourning here in fear, he tells them that they knew that they "were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot." The paschal lamb was a type of Christ, and for this reason, when John saw Jesus coming to him, he said, "Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world!" The paschal lamb was to be perfect, and without blemish. This was designed to denote the immaculate purity and moral perfection of the life of Christ. And this is what is meant in the text, by his being a lamb without blemish and without spot. But it is worthy of peculiar notice here, that the apostle does not intimate to Christians that they had been redeemed by his pure and spotless life, but by his precious blood, or vicarious death. It was not the perfect, unblemished form of the paschal lamb, that made the ceremonial atonement; nor was it the unblemished and unspotted obedience of Christ, that made the atonement for the sins of the world. The text, therefore, plainly teaches us,

That it was not the perfect obedience, but the blood of Christ, which made atonement for the sins of the world.

I shall show,

I. In what Christ's perfect obedience consisted.

II. That he made no atonement by his obedience. And, III. That he did make a complete atonement by his blood. I. I am to describe the obedience of Christ, or show in what it consisted. Christ repeatedly professed to be perfectly obedient. He said, "I came down from heaven not to do my own will, but the will of Him who sent me." Again he said, "The Father hath not left me alone; for I do always those things that please him." And the very day before his death, he said to his Father, "I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do." He was perfectly "holy, harmless, undefiled, and separate from sinners," through the whole course of his life. From the beginning to the end of his life, he never deviated from the path of duty in a single instance. For,

1. He perfectly obeyed the moral law, which required him to love both God and man. He actually and constantly loved God supremely, and he as constantly loved mankind with pure and perfect benevolence. When he was a child, he obeyed his parents. When he was a man, he obeyed the laws of the land, and gave to Cæsar the things that were Cæsar's. He labored from day to day, and from year to year, in a lawful calling; and every day perfectly performed the duties of the day. He was indefatigably industrious, and labored even to weariness.

2. He perfectly obeyed the ceremonial law. He attended the passover with great punctuality and strictness. He submitted to be baptized by John, and urged this reason for it, that "it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness." As a Jew, he was holden to observe all the rites and ceremonies of divine appointment; though he resolutely refused to obey the traditions. of the elders, which were repugnant to the laws of God. But lest his refusing to observe the vain traditions which the Scribes and Pharisees so superstitiously observed, should be misinterpreted, he declared that he came not to destroy the law or the prophets, but to fulfill them. He paid as strict a regard to every divine rite and ceremony, as to every precept of the moral law. Let him be in what part of Judea he would, he never failed to go up to the temple in Jerusalem three times in a year, after he was old enough to attend the passover. He likewise regularly attended the service of the temple and synagogue, and every religious institution enjoined by the laws of Moses.

3. He was no less obedient to the mediatorial, than to the moral and ceremonial law. The mediatorial law had respect

to him, and to him alone. This law required him to do many things which he was not required to do as a mere man, but only as mediator between God and man. It required him to preach the gospel to the poor, and to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord. And in obedience to this command, immediately after he was baptized, he went into the principal towns and cities in Judea, declaring the glad tidings of salvation, and calling upon sinners to repent and believe the gospel. And he continued in this sacred work for about three years and a half; though it seems he met with very little success among the stupid and self-righteous Jews. Another mediatorial precept required him to work miracles; and this precept he perfectly obeyed with peculiar tenderness and dignity. The miracles which he wrought, were not only very various and numerous, but very great and marvellous. He healed the sick, when present and when absent. He caused the blind to see, the deaf to hear, the dumb to speak, the lame to walk, and the dead to rise and live. He dispossessed those who were possessed of evil spirits, and made the devils obey his voice. He commanded the winds and waves into silent submission. And without speaking a word, he miraculously multiplied a few barley loaves and a few fishes so as to satisfy the craving appetites of more than five thousand persons. And we are told, that he would have wrought many more miracles, had it not been for the prejudice and unbelief of his enemies. But after he had wrought so many miracles, and preached in so many places, the mediatorial law required him to perform a far more arduous, painful, and self-denying act of obedience; and that was to lay down his life, and be obedient even to the death of the cross. This commandment, he expressly says, he had received of his Father. He knew that his Father had appointed the time, the place, and the circumstances of his death. Accordingly, when the appointed time was come, he steadfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem, and there make his soul an offering for sin. Though the prospect of this awful event filled his soul with sorrow, and caused him to sweat as it were great drops of blood, and his agonies finally extorted the exclamation, " Eloi, eloi, lama, sabachthani,-My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me!" yet he submissively gave up the ghost, and became obedient even unto the cruel death of the cross. Thus Christ paid perfect obedience to every moral, ceremonial, and mediatorial precept, from the beginning to the end of his life. And in this respect, he was "as a lamb without spot and without blemish."

II. He made no atonement for sin by his perfect obedience.

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