with any rational creature is a common concern to all; and it is for the honour of God's government to be vindicated in the fight of every intelligent being, that he may be juftified in his faying, and overcome when he is judged.

If this be so, it must neceffarily follow, that the redemption by Chrift, though it relates immediately to men, must be agreeable to all the reafon and relation of things, known or discoverable by the highest intellectual beings; and need I add, that there are many fuch not difcoverable by us?

no.

It is certain that we are but a fmall part of the intellectual world: what relation we bear to the other parts, or to the whole, we know not; and yet undoubtedly the common Governor of the whole must in his dealings with every part have regard to this common relation, whether we understand it, or The author of the epiftle to the Hebrews tells us, that Chrift took not on him the nature of angels, but he took on him the feed of Abraham. Angels finned, and men finned: men only are redeemed. If God is juft, there must be a reason for this, though not within our reach at prefent; and, when we come to know it, perhaps we may be no longer at a lofs to know that the facrifice of Chrift was neceffary to the falvation of men.

That there are many orders of beings fuperior to man, is a propofition fo agreeable to reason, that there is little room to doubt of it. All these orders are in Scripture comprehended under the general name of angel. What relation thefe beings ftand in to us in many respects, I will not now inquire: but that they are not unconcerned fpectators in the

work of our redemption, is evident. Our Saviour tells us, There is joy in the prefence of the angels of God over one finner that repenteth, Luke xv. 10. Again; He that overcometh, the fame fhall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confefs his name before my Father, and before his angels, Rev. iii. 5. Here the angels are mentioned as witneffes of the juftice of the judgment, and not merely as attendants to make up the pomp and ceremony of judicature.

Since then the juftice and equity of God in redeeming men are things which the angels defire and are concerned to look into; it is evident, that his juftice and equity, and the reasons of providence in this great affair, may be discernible to the highest order of intellectual beings, though not difcoverable by us, the lowest.

That this is probably the cafe, may be learnt from hence; that, where the Gospel has revealed to us any of these relations, not difcoverable by human reason, so far we can see the reason and propriety of this great work of our redemption.

But let us confider how well these principles and doctrines of the Gospel agree together, and how naturally the one flows from the other. When we view the fad condition of mankind, the fin, folly, and mifery, which are in the world; and then turn to contemplate the perfections, the wisdom, and the goodness of him who made us; nature raises fome hopes in us, that this confufion will fome day find a remedy, and ourselves a release, from the goodnefs and wisdom of him who formed us. I blame not these hopes; they are juft, they are natural.

But, if nature had the knowledge of the Son of God, and could discover that the world was made and is upheld by his power, that we are his immediate creatures and fubjects; would it not be alto gether as natural to found fome hopes upon this relation? Should we not be willing to believe, that this great perfon, who made us, would have fome compaffion upon the work of his own hands? Should we not hope to find in him at least an inter ceffor on our behalf, an advocate with the Father? Should we not be inclined to recommend to him all our pleas, to put all our intereft into his hands, trufting that he could not want bowels of affection towards the creatures whom he formed after his own image and likeness? I think, this would be but natural; and what more does the Gospel require of us? It has difcovered to us this relation between Chrift and the world, between Christ and the church, and requires from us fuch hope and faith, and fuch obedience, as naturally flow from this relation; and could it poffibly require lefs? Would it not be abfurd to tell us, that Chrift is Lord of the world that is, and of that which is to come, and not to require us to have hope and confidence in him? Would it not be abfurd to tell us, that he is the Lord of life and glory, and to bid us expect life and glory through any other hands than his? Would it not be abfurd to tell us, that all judgment is committed to the Son, and yet no obedience due to him? or, that God has appointed him to be head over all, and yet no honour to be paid him?

From these and the like confiderations we may

discern, how reasonable, how natural the religion of the Gospel is. It has indeed opened to us a new scene of things, difcovering to us the ever-bleffed Son of God, the creator and governor of the world: what else it proposes to us refults naturally from this relation between Chrift and the world. The mysterious work of our redemption itself seems to have arisen from the original relation between the only Son of God, and man the creature of God; and our christian faith, in every article and branch of it, has a juft foundation and support in the power, authority, and preeminence of the Son of God. We may well believe he has redeemed us, fince we know he made us. And, though all nature seems to frown on us, and to threaten death and deftruction, from which no human power or cunning can deliver us; yet our hope is steadfast and unmoveable, being placed in him who is able to fubdue all things to himself.

This belief, that the dead fhall hear the voice of the Son of God, and arife to life, is the fundamental article of a Chriftian's faith: if this be not well established, our hope and confidence are vain, and the preaching the cross of Chrift is foolishnefs.

Let us reflect a little how our cafe ftands with refpect to the prospect beyond the grave; let us confider what hopes nature furnishes, and how they are fupported, confirmed, and enlarged, by the Gospel of Chrift Jesus.

When we view the world in its present circumftances, and fee the mifery and oppreffion that are in it; when we confider that the diftreffes and for

rows arifing from the weakness and the wickedness of men are in number and in weight ten times more than all the sufferings to which we are exposed by the mere frailty of our condition; we can hardly imagine that a wife and juft God made the world to be what we find it is. When we look farther, and find that the beft men oftentimes fare worst ; that even the defire and endeavour to please God frequently exposes them to infinite forrows in this world; we ftand amazed, and are ready to doubt whether these appearances can be reconciled with the belief that God governs the world. But, fince all nature proclaims the being and the power of God, and the vifible things of the creation declare in every language of the world the wisdom and goodness of him who made them; under the force and conviction of this evidence that there is a God, we can find no poffible way to account for his justice and goodness towards the children of men, but by fuppofing that he has appointed a day in which he will judge the world in righteousness: and fince this world evidently is not the scene of this judg ment, we conclude there must be another, in which we shall ftand before his tribunal. Thus far nature. goes all beyond this is vain philofophy and imagination, founded in conceits which are in vogue today, and forgot to-morrow. Scholars may reason of the nature of the foul, and the condition of it when feparated from the body; but the common hopes of nature receive no fupport from fuch inquiries. But yet fomething farther feems neceffary to give ease to nature in this painful fearch after life and happiness. The numberless inftances of