SER M. who for this very thing is called a murtheref XVIII. from the beginning; and in the fecond chapter

of the book of wisdom, it is faid, God created man to be immortal, and made him to be an image of his own eternity; nevertheless, through the envy of the Devil, death came into the world. And that, our first parents being thus corrupted, we derive the fame corruptions both of body and mind from them by a courfe of nature.

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III. The greatest and most important enquiry of all is, what remedy can be found for this corruption of human nature; and what means can be effectual enough to restore mankind to the state of perfection they were in at first?

Now in order to this, natural reafon tells us, that when a fault is committed against any one, there are two things neceffary in order to a reconciliation; there is first fome amends to be made for the injury; and fecondly a fecurity that they will not be guilty of the fame again. And accordingly upon fuppofition that we are in a corrupt and finful state, there are these two things to be done.

ft. There is fome fatisfaction to be made for the wilful corruption of our nature, and our actual fins. And that fome fatisfaction was to be made to the divine justice, feemed to be known even by an instinct of nature; because that custom of facrificing prevailed fo univerfally over the world, and in all ages,

This fhews they all imagined that fome a-SER M. tonement was to be made; and the way they XVIII. took for this was that of offering beafts upon their altars; and thus, as they imagined, ap-. peafing the anger of the Gods with their blood, by making them fuffer that death which they acknowledged as due to themfelves for their own offences. This was the true cause of their facrificing, and the very notion which continued it, the principal part of all heathen worship; and this fhews it to be the sense of all mankind. And indeed it would be a very hard thing to give a reason, why a fatisfaction fhould be made to men for an offence, and yet not to God: If they fay God is more merciful than men; then it is easy to answer that he is more just too, and that there is a great deal of mercy fhewn even in admitting of a fatisfaction.

Now thus far they were in the right, that fome atonement was to be made, especially if we confider that in cafes of publick calamities, and where whole cities and nations were concerned, they offered even human facrifices; and though this fhewed they imagined an effectual atonement was to be made by one of their own kind, yet it was impoffible to re-. concile this to the common notions of juftice why one man fhould fuffer for the fins of another. But it was befides all the fenfe and reafon of man to think as they did, that the blood of a harmlefs innocent beaft fhould take any guilt off them, and make a fuffi

SER M.cient atonement by dying in their ftead: So XVIII. that, as far as they defigned and understood their meaning, it was no other than unnatural cruelty; and inftead of atoning for them, it looked like adding one guilt to another.

But our revealed religion hath discovered us the reason of this; and now we fee plainly what was the ground of that natural instinct which led all mankind to this way of worfhip; and withal how no facrifices could be of any force or efficacy, but with refpect to that great facrifice, which was to be made for the fins of all mankind in the perfon of Chrift.

We fee plainly, as the author to the Hebrews argues, that it is not poffible that the blood of bulls, and of goats, fhould take away fin; there can be no reafon for it in nature: Wherefore when he cometh into the world he faith, facrifice and offering thou wouldst not, but a body haft thou prepared me, (i. e.) God will accept of none of thofe offerings as of a real atonement for fin, but as they are fignificative of the death of Chrift; and therefore a body hast thou prepared, (i e.) therefore it is the decree and purpose of God, that Chrift fhall come into the flesh, and, by offering of himself, fhall make fuch atonement as thofe facrifices could not do. Then faid I, lo I come (in the volume of the book written of me) to do thy will, O God, (i.e.) therefore according to that good purpose of God, I come into the world to offer fuch a facrifice as God'

will accept of. And thus revelation gives a SER M. clear folutionof this first part of the difficulty, XVIII. how atonement fhall be made for the corruption of our natures, and thofe fins which are already committed, (i..e.) by a fatisfaction in the perfon of Chrift, who was by the good purpofe of God appointed to this very thing, and who prepared himself fuch a facrifice for the fins of men as he will accept of.

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2d. Another thing to be done in order to the recovery of our corrupt natures, is the healing thefe infirmities and corruptions of ours: But how this was to be done they were wholly at lofs; and had not the least notion or glimpse of any help for human nature. is true they generally thought that this recovery was to be effected by the practice of virtue; but how, or by what means or expedients mankind fhould become fincerely virtuous and good, who in their very natures were evil and corrupt, never entered into their minds to think of: Whereas upon fuppofition that men are naturally addicted to vice and wickednefs, and their wills from the very first have a propenfity to evil, which they all allowed; then it is wholly out of their own power ever to attain one virtue, or fo much as defire it: For if the tendency of any thing be natural, there is nothing in the nature of that thing to alter it; and it must be fomething from without which can give the mind a new biafs, and incline it a quite contrary way. Now, though from a principle of reafon fome help

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Senfe of Religion more obfervable SER M. and affiftance appears thus abfolutely necef XVIII: fary, yet they never thought of this; nor if they had, could they have told what would have been the effect.

But revelation hath opened the eyes of men, fo that they now fee clearly that some such means is neceffary; and the true reafon of it is, because we are conceived and born in fin, and of ourselves have no one inclination in our minds to goodness; fo that we cannot so much as think a good thought.

And this means, as we are told in Scripture,, is the fecret influence of the holy fpirit of God upon our fouls, inclining our wills to good, which are in themselves free, and therefore can never be made virtuous and holy by force or compulfion; the renewing of our finful corrupt natures, by ftrengthening and affifting our infirmities; helping us to contradict, and fupprefs, and extinguifh all our vitious inclinations; giving us grace and ftrength in proportion to our difficulties; and working in us both to will and to do according to his good pleasure: Infomuch that by the power and efficacy of his concurrence, we perfectly conquer and beat down the strongest and most violent tendencies both of body and mind: And this affiftance, we learn, is purchased for us by the merits of that facrifice by which we are reconciled to God, which otherwife could never have been afforded us.

But perhaps it may be thought that the Heathens, even in a state of nature, arrived to great