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If man would attempt to do this himself, he should eternally perish, in satisfying that, which through eternity he shall never be able to do; "(pay that thou owest", would still be the unalterable claim of law and justice). Yes, for it is a task infinitely too hard for men or angels: none of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him, Psal. xlix. 7.

What then must be done? Shall all the sons of Adam everlastingly perish? No: blessed, and for ever blessed, be the Lord our God, who in his infinitely wonderful, astonishing, and unspeakable love and free mercy, hath provided a surety every way sufficient to answer the demands of law and justice, even no less a person than his own eternal, only-begotten, and well-beloved Son, one in essence with himself; for all such, and only for such, who should believe in him; "for God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son, that whoso"ever believeth in him should not perish, "but have everlasting life," John iii. 16.

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Doth it then follow, that God will not shew mercy to any of the sons of Adam, un

less in and through an atonement? And if so, as certainly it doth, how cometh it then that the wicked, who have no interest in Christ as their Saviour, receive mercies, and many comforts in this life? for that they do is evident both from scripture and daily observation, Psal. cxlv. 9. lxxiii. 3.---13,

Although the wicked have no special interest in him as their Mediator, yet they have as their Creator, and in the sufficiency of his merits to save them, if they would believe; for God is called the Saviour of all men, especially of those that believe, 1 Tim. iv. 10. hence the wicked, for a time, are suspended out of the pit of misery, that their rejection of a Saviour, and of the offers of mercy, may be clearly seen to be of themselves, and God may be justified in their own consciences when he judgeth them, Psal. li. 4. Ye will not come unto me that ye may have life, saith our ever blessed Lord, John v. 40. And again, "How often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen ga"thereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not?" Matth, xxiii 37.

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To be made willing to come to Christ and be saved, is a work of God's free grace, which Christ hath merited for his people; but not to will to come to Christ and be saved, is wholly owing to the wicked themselves, and for which they shall be condemned: “Be"cause I have called, and ye refused," saith the Lord, "I have stretched out my hand, " and no man regarded; but ye have set at

nought all my counsel, and would none "of my reproof: I also will laugh at your

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calamity, I will mock when your fear "cometh; when your fear cometh as deso"lation, and your destruction cometh as a "whirlwind; when distress and anguish "cometh upon you. Then shall they call

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upon me, but I will not answer; they shall "seek me early, but they shall not find me, "for that they hated knowledge, and did not "choose the fear of the Lord; they would none of my counsel, they despised all my "reproof: Therefore shall they eat of the "fruit of their own way, and be filled with "their own devices," Prov. i. 24.---31. And again, "He that believeth not shall be damn"ed," Mark xvi. 16.

All the mercies which the wicked are privileged with on this side of time will only tend to their greater condemnation, because they do not improve them. Many waters, we are told in scripture, cannot quench love; neither can the floods drown it, Cant. viii. 7. This was perfectly verified in the case of our blessed Lord and Saviour; for though from all eternity he foresaw what our ransom would cost him, he willingly and cheerfully undertook our redemption. The many waters of deep abasement which he saw he must wade through in his human nature, could not quench his love to his elect: neither could the great floods of persecution from men and devils, which ran with an impetuous current over him, from his cradle to his grave, drown it no, nor yet the flood of God's infinite wrath, though it overwhelmed his soul, and cast him down to the ground in an agony and bloody sweat, Luke xxii. 44. drown his love, or in the least abate it. to those for whom he suffered: nor all the floods of resistance and backsliding, of which he foresaw his own, even those for whom he died, would be guilty.

Amazing love! love without a parallel! Was ever love equal to this? "Bless the

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Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his be"nefits," Psal. ciii. 2. Seeing that those many waters could not quench his love, nor these mighty floods drown it; shall the small streams, either of adversity or prosperity that I meet with in a present life, quench my love to him who is the only lovely object in heaven or earth? Forbid it, O God; but grant that my love may burn to him with an encreasing ardour, until at length it be fected in heaven, in beholding his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth, John i. 14.

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This brook also bringeth to my memory that over which Jacob sent his cattle, goods, wives, children, and all that he had; but remained himself by the side of it that night, in which there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day, who said unto Jacob, "Let me go, for the day breaketh; "but he said unto him, I will not let thee go except thou bless me," Gen. xxxii. 22, 23, 24, 26.

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