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offerings, but not those that were made for fin: and a facrifice; with us the word via. facrifice is general, but the original word,

in this place, properly denotes the facrifice of peace offerings: and lastly he adds, for a sweet smelling favour; which expreffion is not applicable to the fin offering, but is common, and continually in ufe concerning burnt offerings, and the facrifices of peace offerings.

Let us with devout thankfulness reflect that our Saviour Chrift did that truly and fully for us, and for all men, which was done, in part, or in shadow, for the Jews by all their oblations and facrifices. He is the propitiation for our I John ii.

fins:

2.

I know not that there is above one place in all the Old Teftament, in which mention is ever made of the Sweet Smelling favour in the cafe of a facrifice for fin: and there it is applied to a certain part separated from the reft of the fin offering, and treated, and spoken of exprefsly, as if it had appertained to a peace offering. He shall take Levit. iv. away all the fat thereof, as the fat is taken 31. from off the facrifice of peace offerings, and the priest fball burn it upon the altar for a fweet favour.

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away

18, 19.

Ephef. ii. fins through him we have access to the Father, and are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the faints, and of the houfhold of God.

Ephef. ii.

3.

It hath pleased the Father of all, in the depth of his unsearchable 'wisdom, out of the bowels of his infinite love, to effect the recovery of fallen man, through the interpofition of his only begotten Son. To his wonderful incarnation, to his holy life and doctrine, his meritorious and bloody death and paffion, his powerful interceffion, and the prefence and help of that Divine Comforter whom he hath fent down to us in his ftead, is owing every step we make in our progress from fin and mifery to everlasting glory and virtue.

We were by nature the children of wrath. But he hath abolished in his flesh the env. 15. 13. mity: and now in Christ Jesus, ye, who Sometimes were far off, are made nigh by the

blood

blood of Chrift: not only fubjects of God's kingdom, and fervants in his houshold;

but predeftinated unto the adoption of chil- Ephefi.5. dren by Jefus Chrift. Wherefore thou art Gal. iv. 7. no more a fervant, but a son: and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ. He Rom. viii. that spared not his own fon, but delivered 32. him up for us all, how fhall he not with him alfo freely give us all things?

Instead of difputing with prefumptuous blindness against the method which God hath chofen for the falvation of mankind; let us be wife enough to accept his mercy with obedient thankfulnefs. Is it for us to fay, on what conditions it is fit for God to forgive fins? Or do we know all the poffible efficacy of the death of his Son?

The word was with God, and was John i. I, God; and the word was made flesh. And 14, 12. as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the fons of God. Is there

15.

nothing in all this, but what must needs be plain and obvious to the meanest capacity?

The minuteft infect, the fimpleft vegetable, every particle of inanimate matter contains in it's nature an abyfs of wonders, which no human understanding can fathom. And is there nothing of Mystery in the incarnation of the Son of God? Can no benefit redound to mankind through his death, but what we muft needs be able to trace through all the darkness of the divine counfels ?

Ecclef.vii. All things have I feen in the days of my vanity: the upright man perisheth in his righteousness: yet God is juft. How much more, when He who loved us washed us in his blood, and was made a willing facrifice for the fins of the whole world?

I

IO.

Even in natural fubjects, the perfon who meets with no difficulties, learns nothing. How much more in the deep 1 Cor. ii. things of God? If any man thinketh that he knoweth any thing, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know.

viii. 2.

SER

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