Sermon I. " Lord, my heart is not haughty, nor my eyes lofty ; neither do I exercise myself in great matters, nor in things too high for me," II. " Lord, my heart is not haughty,"
III. " Neither do I exercise myself in great matters,
nor -in things too high for me,"
IV. " Surely I have behaved and quieted myself, as
a child that is weaned of his mother; my soul is even as a weaned child," V. " Let Israel hope in the Lord from henceforth and for ever," ....
Sermons upon Ezekiel xviii. 23 —
Sermon I. " Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die 1 saith the Lord God ; and not that he should return from his ways, and live 1." .
II. '* Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die ? " Sermon upon Jeremiah xlv. 5, .
SERMONS
SEVEEAL TEXTS OF SCRIPTURE.
VOL. XXL
SERMONS UPON 1 JOHN III.
{CONTINUED.)
SEKMON VIII.
And ye hnoio that he ivas manifested to take avjay sin, and in him loas no sin. — 1 John iii. 5.
The apostle still pnrsueth his scope and purpose, which is to persuade christians to take heed of sin, and living in sin. He argueth —
1. From our adoption, and how much that inferreth a likeness to God whose children we are.
2. With respect to the law, or the orders of God's family, not to forfeit the offered privilege.
3. With respect to Christ, he urgeth two things — (1.) The holiness of his design ; (2.) The innocency of his person. Both which dissuade us from living in sin. That which Christ came to destroy, and that which maketh us so unlike Christ, should not be allowed by christians :
* And ye know that he was manifested to take away sin.'
1. In the first argument redemption by Christ is propounded — [1.] As an evident truth. The sin and misery of the whole world
was such, tliat it groaned for a saviour. Sin was the mortal disease that we were all sick of ; then came the spiritual physician to take it away. The common necessity of mankind showed the misery, and the common light of Christianity showed the remedy.
[2.] It is propounded as his great end and scope why he was mani- fested. Christ is manifested two ways — in the gospel and in the flesh. In the gospel : Titus ii. 11, * The grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men ; ' 1 Peter i. 20, ' But was manifest in these last times for you,' Now the gospel showeth he came to take away sin : 1 Tim. i. 15, ' This is a true and faithful saying, that Jesus Christ came to take away sin.' But here manifested in the flesh : 1 Tim. iii. 16, ' Great is the mystery of godliness, God was manifested in the flesh ; ' and 1 John i. 2, ' The life was manifested, and we have seen it.' Christ, who heretofore lay hid in the bosom of God, now appeared, and was discovered to the world as his only-begotten Son.
2. In the second argument the innocency of Christ is propounded :
* In him was no sin.' This clause may be added —
[1.] To show the value of his sacrifice, having no sin of his own to
4 • SERMONS UPON 1 JOHN Ilf. [SkR. VIII.
expiate : ' For such a high priest became ns, who is holy, harmless, iiudefilecl, and separate from sinners ; ' who needeth not daily, as those higli priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for their own sins, and then for the people's.
[2.J To show the greatness of his love : ' He made him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.'
[3.] To show that while we live in sin we can have no commerce and communion with him, his nature being so opposite to sin; for what communion is there between light and darkness, Christ and Belial?
[4] To set him forth for an example and pattern to us, which is chiefly to be regarded. To imitate Christ we must abstain from sin, be holy as he is holy, and pure as he is pure.
Doct. That those who are partakers of Christ should by no means allow themselves in a life or course of sin.
I shall prove it by the two arguments of the text : that we must not continue in sin, because Christ came to take away sin, and had no sin in himself Christ is here propounded, first, as our ransom ; secondly, as our pattern. In each I shall open the expressions used, and then consider the force of the argument.
I. As a ransom, ' Ye know that he was manifested to take away sin.' There are three things must be opened — (1.) In what sense Christ is said to take away sin ; (2.) By what means he doth accomplish it ; (3.) How is this a binding argument.
First, In what sense Christ is said to take away sin. Sin is consi- derable either as to the guilt of it, or the power, life, and reign of it.