ope of Glory: How comes the Body of Chrift, the Members of Chrift to be called these Nickames? But now, as I am one that do profefs aith in God through the Lord Jefus Chrift, and o ftand before you all, and before the Lord, I now no other God, but the eternal and living God, that hath made the World, and that rules nd reigns, and difpofes all his Creatures; I do elieve in this God, he has been gracious to me -poor Sinner, and to all poor Sinners, that when ve, by reafon of Sin, had forfeited all our Mercies, and were under Wrath and everlasting Detruction, and muft perifh for ever; that God did out of his rich Grace and tender Mercies give his only begotten Son, according to his Promise, to be the Bleffing of God to the poor Gentiles, according as the Scripture did declare; the Scripture forefeeing that God would juftify the Heathens through Faith, preached before the Gospel to Abraham, faying, In thee fhall all the Nations of the Earth be bleffed: He fpeaks not of the natural Seed of Abraham, but of Chrift; fo that all the Bleffings that God did convey to the finful World, are by the means of Jefus Chrift, whom God in the Fulness of Time did fend his Son, born of a Woman, to redeem poor Sinners under the Law; and herein was the great Grace and Mercy of God towards all Sinners, that he was fo gracious to fend his beloved Son out of his own Bofom to take our Natures upon him, who were defiled, and curfed, and condemned, and feparated from God. I fay, Jefus Chrift took our Natures upon him, and for this very End to do the Will of his heavenly Father, Lo it is written in the Volume of thy Book, I come to do thy Will, O God; and it was his Meat and Drink to do his Will; and what was that, but that we might be fanctified through the offering up of the Body of Jefus Chrift

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Chrift for our Sins, to tread the Wine-prefs of his Father's Wrath, and to endure the Crofs, and bear all our Sins in his own Body, that made his Soul heavy unto Death: He was a Surety for us and our Sins, and for our fakes the Lord laid on him the Iniquity of us all, and he hath borne our Grief and endured our Punishment; it made his Soul cry out, My God, my God, why haft thou forsaken me? or elfe we muft for ever be banished out of the Prefence of God, and never have any Hopes of Glory, of Faith, or of Salvation, had not the Son of God become our Mediator and Surety; fo there is one God, and one Mediator, the Man Chrift Jefus. He gave himself a Ranfom for all our Sins, to free us from the Wrath to come, everlafting Destruction, and from the Worm that never dies. O that we could ever be thankful to God, live to him that hath fo loved us, as to fend his Son to die for us, and is by the almighty Pow er of God raised from the Dead, and now fits at the Right Hand of God, and ever lives to make Interceffion.

Truly, Friends, this is not the Love of Man, but the Love of God, and therefore eternal Love. God fo loved the World; it is God's Love, he loved Sinners, ungodly ones; he did fo love them as to give his only begotten Son to fave them, to reconcile them, to uphold them, to redeem them from Wrath to come; it was to feek and fave them that were loft. This is a faithful Saying, and worthy of all Acceptation, that Jefus Chrift came into the World to fave Sinners. We all, like Sheep, had gone aftray, and must perish in our Şins, had not the Lord Jefus been fent of his Father, out of his Bofom, to declare the good Will of God, and did it, by which we are fanctifed through the offering up of the Body of Jefus Chrift; and this Lord Jefus Chrift the eternal Son

of

of God, he is the Mediator between God and poor Sinners. Come unto me all ye that are weary and heavy laden, fays Chrift, and I will give you Reft; now this Grace is from God, we are faved by Grace, and that not of our felves, it is the Gift of God, through Faith in Chrift we are faved; and all things that do pertain to Life and Godliness it is the Gift of God; now all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jefus Chrift, to wit, that God was in Chrift reconciling the World to himself, not imputing their Trefpaffes unto him. Would you know the Forgiveness of your Sins, your Peace with God, and that God is well-pleafed with you? God is reconciled by Jefus Chrift unto you, and does not impute your Sins unto you, but looks on the Righteoufnefs of Chrift as Satisfaction, that thereby you might have the Remiffion of your Sins through the Blood of Christ. Be it known unto all Men, that through this Man's preaching, the Forgiveness of Sins, Acts 13. 38, 39. and by him all that do believe are justified from all things, from which they could not be by the Law of Mofes. Now Juftification from Sin, and Redemption from Iniquity, is thro' the Knowledge of Chrift's Death for your Sins, and his Resurrection; and now there is no other Name given under Heaven whereby we can be faved, but by the Name of Jefus, and whofoever believeth in his Name shall not perish, but have everlafting Life, Joh. 5. 24. It is the Doctrine of Jefus Christ, it is his Word, and I hope you will fearch the Scriptures, and look into those things for your Souls Good, when Christ says, Verily, verily, I fay unto you, he that heareth my Words and believeth them, he hath everlafting Life, and fhall not come into Condemnation, but is pafled from Death to Life. The Reason why God does affure poor Sinners they X 4 fhall

fhall not pafs into everlafting Condemnation and perish, is through his rich Grace, through his Promife; for he hath promised, he will be merciful to our Iniquities, and our Sins will remember no more; and these his Promises of Grace, which are all Yea and Amen in Chrift, are ratifid by the Blood of Chrift; the Blood of Chrift is this Blood of the New Covenant, and it is that by which we have the Forgiveness, Remiffion, and Cleansing of all our Sins,

Und. Sher. Mr. Gibbs, let me interrupt you, this is very good and pertinent, but you have faid these things over and over; there is another of your Friends to fpeak, and the Time grows fhort, pray go on to the Matter, or conclude.

Gibbs. I fhall fpeak a Word or two as to the Knowledge of Forgivenefs of Sins, by and thro' Jefus Chrift; and fo the Knowledge of the Refurrection of the Dead, it is the Fruit of Jesus Christ; for by the first Man came Death, and by the fecond Man, Chrift, came Life; and God that has by his exceeding great and mighty Power raised up Jefus Christ from the Grave and Power of Sin, he alfo fhall raife us up by the fame Power, and when he comes again the fecond time, at his appearing and coming, we fhall fee him, and be made like to him, and he will receive us to himfelf; he is gone to prepare a Place for us, and in his Father's House are many Manfions, and if it were not fo, he would have told us: And now God that hath given eternal Life, and Forgivenefs of Sins unto his poor Servants, he will also, when Jefus Chrift fhall come to judge the World, receive him into his everlasting Glory, which is my Faith, Expectation, and Hope, in God through Jefus Chrift. A Man may bear his Infirmities, but a wounded Confcience who can bear? When God fmites, who can bear? And therefore I de

Gre, as I believe the Forgiveness of all my Sins, through the rich Grace of God, through the Bloodthed of Jefus Chrift his Son; every one muft give account to God, and as their Works are, fo will their Reward be, either accepted by God, as Workers of Christ, or condemned as Workers of Iniquity. Laft of all, as to the separated Con gregations to whom I belong, I have obferved in those few Days that I have lived, there is a great deal of Animofity, evil Will, hard Cenfuring, and Abusing the precious Saints of Jefus Chrift. If they are in an Error, you that are in the Truth instruct them, and you may recover them out of the Claws of the Devil: Are you Chriftians, and have the Light of God in your Souls? O then ftrengthen your Brethren, do not give them NickNames, and abuse them; that's not the way; Christ teaches another Leffon, That if thine Enemy hunger, you should feed him; and if he be a thirsty, give him Drink: We should pray to the Lord that he would turn thofe that be out of his way, into the right way.

Und. Sher. You know we must be all fubject to Government, every Congregation must not have a Ruler, their Meetings are prohibited by good Authority, and because they will not be obedient to good Government.

Gibbs. I do not fay, that every Congregation must have a Ruler, and I hope I speak the Words of Sobriety; I hope you will put a charitable Conftruction upon what I fay. As to the Magiftrates, I have a Word or two.

Und. Sher. Speak well of them.

Gibbs. Be not afraid, I will not fpeak any Evil of them; Magiftracy is an Ordinance of God, and the End of Magiftracy is for the Punishment of Evil-doers, and the Praife of them that do well; and for this purpose, I do defire that the Lord

would