but mere fiction and fallacy. But if we believe Christ to be God, as all men ought, and have all the reason in the world to do, then we may well believe in him for grace and virtue, every thing that is necessary to our overcoming the world, and so to our being holy here, and happy for ever. We may well believe he can give it us, if he will, because he is God: and we may as well believe he will do it if he can, because he is man, and became so on purpose to qualify himself for it; that we, who can never overcome the world without him, may be enabled to do it by him, as I have shewn already we may.

Wherefore, to sum up the whole argument, seeing we can never overcome the world, but only by Jesus. Christ; seeing we can never do it by him, unless we believe in him; and seeing we can never believe in him, unless we believe him to be the Son of God, of the same nature with the Father; therefore we may truly say with the apostle, "Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God?"

Now, from the premisses thus briefly laid down many very useful inferences may be drawn; I shall instance at present only in three. First, from hence we may observe the absolute necessity of believing the great article of our Christian religion, that upon which our whole religion is founded,-even that Jesus Christ, the founder of it, is not only a mere man, or any other creature, but the eternal Son of God, of one substance with the Father. For as it is truly declared in the profession of our faith, commonly called the Creed of St. Athanasius, Whosoever will be saved, before all things it is necessary that he hold the Catholic faith :' As, that there are three Persons in the Godhead;' that Jesus Christ is the second of these Persons,' the Son of God; and, that he is both God and man.' "This is the Catholic faith, which except a man believe faithfully, he cannot be saved:' for he cannot overcome the world, and, by consequence, can do nothing in order to his salvation. Wherefore, as ever ye desire

to be saved, you must be sure to continue firm and stedfast in this faith. Let not any Arians, Socinians, Turks, or Mahometans, ever seduce you from it and if any attempt to do it, look upon them as the devil's agents and factors, employed by him to ruin and destroy you; for so they will certainly do, if they can ever by his help prevail upon you to deny the Godhead of Christ your Saviour, that being in effect to deny him to be your Saviour: for that none can be, but only God. And if he do not save you, I am sure no body else can.

In the next place, we may from hence also observe what ground we have to believe that Article of our Church which saith, 'They also are to be had accursed, that presume to say, that every man shall be saved by the law or sect which he professeth, so that he be diligent to frame his life according to that law, and the light of nature: for Holy Scripture doth set out unto us only the name of Jesus Christ, whereby men must be saved.' For to this we may add from what we have now heard, that the same Holy Scripture doth also declare, "That no man can overcome the world, and so be saved by Christ himself, but he who believes him to be the Son of God." From whence it necessarily followeth, that whatsoever law or sect a man professeth, and how diligent soever he may be to frame his life according to it, yet, unless he believes this, he cannot be saved. I know some have thought this to be very hard; that they who never heard of Christ, and therefore cannot believe in him, should not be saved, how well soever they live. But the world is not governed by men's thoughts, but by God's will. It may seem as hard to any one that considers, that none of the apostate angels are saved. But none ever thought this to be so; why then should they think so of that? But let men think what they please, God hath said, "That no man can overcome the world, but he who believeth that Jesus is the Son of God:" and therefore that must be true.

Lastly, From hence we may observe what course we

must take if we desire to overcome the world so as to get to heaven: we must believe that Jesus is the Son of God, of infinite power and goodness, most perfectly able and willing to do every thing for us, and in us, that is any way necessary to our salvation. And, therefore, we must believe and trust on him for grace to repent of all our sins; for God's mercy in the pardon of them; for power to overcome the temptations of the world, the flesh, and the devil; and for such influences of his Holy Spirit, as will make us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light. We must heartily and constantly use the means which he hath appointed for our obtaining grace and salvation; but we must keep our faith and confidence fixed upon him, and upon him only, to make them effectual to the purposes for which he hath appointed them. If we do this, as we need not, so we ought not to doubt but that he will so assist, conduct, and guide us through the whole course of our life, that at length we shall attain the end of our faith, even the eternal salvation of our souls, by him: to whom, with the Father, and Holy Ghost, be all honour and glory now and for ever.

SERMON XXI.

HOLINESS THE GREAT DESIGN OF THE GOSPEL

DISPENSATION.

TITUS ii. 14.

"Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works."

THESE words are part of the argument which the apostle here brings why we should live "soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world ;" and it adds a great deal of force and strength to it; for, having minded us of the "blessed hope which we look for at the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ," that so he might excite and encourage us the more to the practice of what the grace of God here teacheth, he adds, moreover, for our better encouragement, what this great God, who then will appear in glory, hath done for us in order to our attainment of the blessedness we hope for, when he shall thus appear, "who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us," &c.

Which words containing the whole mystery of our salvation by Jesus Christ, we, who hope to be saved by him, cannot but look upon ourselves as highly concerned to understand the full meaning and intent of them; which that I may explain unto you as clearly as possibly I can, without taking them in pieces, I shall

give you the true sense and purport of the words as they lie in order; for, indeed, every word in the text is very emphatical and significant, and, by consequence, much to be observed by all that set themselves in good earnest to look after heaven and eternal glory.

As for the first word "who," it needs not much explaining; for you cannot but all understand whom he means, or which is the antecedent to this relative, even "the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ." Only it is to be observed that, for the right apprehending the mystery of our redemption by him, it is necessary that we understand those words conjunctly, not conceiving of Christ as only God, or only man, but as God-man; or, as it is here more fully expressed, as "the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;" as one, who, being begotten of the Father from eternity, was therefore "the great God;" and, being born of his mother in time, thereby became man; and, being thus both God and man, is likewise our Saviour.

2. "Who gave himself;" that is, who, being "the great God, gave himself to be made man ;" and, being God and man, he gave himself to be betrayed, apprehended, accused, condemned, crucified, not only in appearance, but really and truly, ἀληθῶς ἀπέθανε, οὐ δοκήσει, οὐ φαντασία, Ignat. And he gave himself voluntarily, freely, of his own accord, without any force, violence, or compulsion from any other. Judas, indeed, betrayed him to the Jews; but his betraying him had been in vain, unless Christ had given himself 2. Pilate delivered him to the soldiers; but he could not have had that power over him, "unless himself had given it him from above 3." He was derided, scoffed at, accused and condemned as a malefactor; yet so that none could have spoken one word against him, had not himself given them breath to do it. He was crucified by the Jews, not because he could not help it, but because he would not. And when he was upon the cross, he died indeed, not be

Phil. ii. 6, 7.

2 John xviii. 4, 5.

3 lb. xix. 11.