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which has appeared in the gift of his Son, and in Christ's gift of himself, to be the Redeemer and Saviour of his people, and to be their atoning facrifice and reconciler, teaches them most effectually to deny ungodliness and worldly lufts, and to live foberly, righteously, and godly in this evil world, 2 Cor. v. 14. 1 Cor. vi. 20. 1 Peter i. 17, 18. Titus ii. 11, 12. To close with a word or

two:

1. We may learn from hence the vile nature of fin, the exceeding finfulness of it, what an evil and bitter thing it is; that nothing can make atonement and give fatisfaction for it, but the bloodshed, sufferings, and death of Christ.

2. We may obferve the ftrictness of divine juftice, that would make no abatement, but infifted upon Chrift's doing and fuffering all that the law could require to make fatisfaction for the fins of his people; and if it fpared not the Son of God, ftanding in their room and ftead, but demanded and had full fatisfaction at his hands, it will not fpare chriftless finners, who have no interest in his fatisfaction; and what a fearful thing will it be to fall into the hands of the living God, the judge of the whole earth, who will do right?

3. Let us admire and adore the perfections of God, his wifdom, righteousness, and holiness, as well as his love, grace, and mercy, which fhine fo gloriously in this affair of fatisfaction and reconciliation for fin made by the blood of Chrift; for it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many fons unto glory, to make the captain of their falvation perfect through sufferings.

SERMON

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The quiet and eafy Paffage of Chrift's purchafed People through

Death to Glory.

Preached to a Congregation of Proteftant-Diffenters, in Carter-lane, Southwark.

EXODUS XV. 16.

Fear and dread fall fall upon them; by the greatness of thine arm, they fhall be as ftill as a flone, till thy people pass over, O Lord; till the people pass over which thou hast purchased.

TH

HESE words are part of the song which Mofes and the children of Ifrael fung at the Red fea, after they had paffed fafely through it, and the Egyptians were drowned in it: a fong worthy of notice, being the first and moft ancient fong that is on divine record; for though there were doubtleis longs of praise to God fung before this by the people of God, there being ever more or less occafion for them; yet this is the firtt the fcriptures give us any account of: a fong that not only concerned the children of Ifrael, and their then present cafe and circumftances; but what was typical of other things, and had refpect to times to come. Mofes, the penman of it, and who was an inftrument in the hand of God of the deliverance fung in it, was a type of Chrift the Redeemer of his people. Ifrael, who fhared in this deliverance, and joined with Mofes in finging this fong, were a typical people, a figure of the church of God, called the Ifrael of God, confifting of whatfoever nation; whom God has chofen, Chrift has redeemed, and the holy Spirit effectually calls and fanctifies; and the redemption and falvation, the fubject-matter of this fong, was typical of redemption and salvation by the precious blood of Chrift: a fong this, that not only respects the then present fituation of the people of Ifrael, but looks forward to future times, and reaches to the kingdom of Chritt in all ages of the world, to the end of time, even to eternity itself; as appears from the close of it; The Lord fhall reign for ever and ever: a fong, the like to which will be fung by the church and people of God in the latter day, upon a fimilar occafion; the destruction of Egypt, fpiritually or myftically fo called; the ruin of the antichriftian

a Gal. vi. 16.

SS 2

christian Pharaoh; the conqueft that will be made by the faints over the beast, his image, his mark, and the number of his name; when they will stand upon a fea of glass, as Ifrael of old by the Red sea, with the harps of God in their hands, and fing the fong of Mofes, and the fong of the Lamb and indeed this fong of Mofes and the children of Ifrael, at the Red fea, may with fufficient propriety be called the fong of the Lamb, or of Chrift; fince he is the principal perfon concerned in it, and to whom it is fung; he being the Redeemer of Ifrael, in a literal fenfe, and the author of that falvation, the praise of which they now celebrated. He is the Angel of the Lord, (for Jehovah the Father is never fo called) who appeared to Mofes in the burning bufh, and fent him to Pharaoh, to demand the difmiffion of the children of Ifrael; and it was he that did all the figns and wonders by him in the land of Egypt, and in the plains of Zoan; it was he that brought Ifrael from thence, and went before them in a pillar of cloud by day, and in a pillar of fire by night. He is the fame Angel of the Lord, that went before the camp of Ifrael, who removed behind them at the Red sea, and looked through the pillar upon the Egyptians, troubled their hoft, took off their chariot-wheels, returned the waters of the fea upon them, and covered and drowned them in it; on account of all which this fong is directed to him; and all the characters in it agree with him. He is the ftrength and fong of his people, in whom they have peace and joy, righteousness and ftrength; he is become their falvation, the author of spiritual and eternal salvation; he is their Lord and God, and exalted by them; he is a Man of War, inured to it, expert in it, and has fought the battles of his people for them with all their spiritual enemies, and has got the victory over them. The Lord of Hofts, of armies above and below, is his name; his right hand has difplayed its glorious power in the deftruction of Pharaoh and his hoft; and will still more gloriously display the fame in the ruin of antichrift and all his powers. He is preferable to all others for the holiness of his nature, both divine and human, in which he is glorious; and for the matter of his praise, the glories and excellencies of his perfon, the bleffings of his grace, and the great things done by him; in many of which he is fearful, tremendous and terrible, and in all to be feared and reverenced; and for his works which he did both before and in his incarnate state; which are wonders, amazing and furprifing, and efpecially the great work of our redemption: and he it is that had led forth the people of Ifrael out of Egypt, in mercy; and was leading them into Canaan's land, and guiding them thither in his ftrength; and who brings forth all his people out of worse than Egyptian bondage, and leads and guides them safely to his holy habitation in heaven.

The former part of this fong, to ver. 13. in the letter of it, respects things paft, real facts, what were already done, for which praise is given. The latter

part

b Rev. xv. 2, 3.

part from thence is wholly prophetic, and contains a prediction of future events, of the dread of Ifrael that should fall on feveral nations as they paffed along, who would hear what great things had been done for them, and by them; and of their quiet and eafy paffage over the river of Jordan into the land of Canaan; and of their firm and fure fettlement in it, ver. 14-17. all which had its certain accomplishment. It is faid, the people shall bear and be afraid; that is, the nations of the world in general; for the affair of the plagues of Egypt, and of the deliverance of the children of Ifrael from thence, their paffage through the Red fea, and the drowning of Pharaoh and his army in it, were heard all over the world, and struck a panic in all the nations of it; fee Deut. ii. 25. forrow shall take hold on the inhabitants of Palestina; the land of the Philistines adjoining to Canaan, and through which, in the common way, the road of the Ifraelites lay to it; and fo they would be, and were in great concern left they should suffer by them then the dukes of Edom fhall be amazed; the people of Idumea, then governed by dukes; who upon the tidings of the wonderful things done for Ifrael in Egypt, at the Red fea, and in the wilderness, were furprized, and aftonished, and filled with fear, Deut. ii. 4. the mighty men of Moab, trembling shall take bold upon them; as it did on Balak king of Moab, and on his princes, which literally fulfilled this prophecy, Numb. xxii. 2, 3. all the inhabitants of Canaan fhall melt away; as their heart did melt through fear when they heard what God did for Ifrael against the Egyptians and the Amorites; and understood they were on their march toward their land, to invade it, and difpoffefs them of it, as appears from Joshua ii. 9, 11, 12. with this compare the cafe of the kings of the earth, when Egypt, fpiritually or myftically fo called, will be deftroyed, and the people of God faved out of it, Rev. xviii. 2, 4, 9, 10. next follow the words which have been read; fear and dread shall fall upon them; upon all the nations in general, and upon thofe before mentioned in particular, and especially on the Canaanites: By the greatness of thine arm, they shall be as ftill as a stone, till thy people pass over, O Lord; till thy people pass over which thou haft purchased; the people of Ifrael, to whom it is faid of God, Is not he thy father that bath bought thee? They were a people in a fenfe purchased by him; being redeemed by him: out of Egypt, and wonderfully taken care of by him in providence; whilst these paffed over the river Jordan, in order to go into Canaan's land and poffefs it;. their enemies, awed by the power of God, visible in what he had done for them, were like stocks and stones, stood stupified and immoveable; had not power to act, nor stir a foot in their own defence, or against Ifrael, come to invade them; nor in the least to moleft them, nor to attempt to stop them in their paffage. through the river, nor difpute it with them; but were as ftupid as stones, having

с

• Deut. xxxii. 6.

having no spirit or courage left in them; fee Joshua iii. 15-17. and chap. v. 1. which may be confidered as an emblem of the quiet paffage of Chrift's purchafed people through the ford or river of death, to the Canaan of everlasting rest and happiness. And in this view of things I fhall endeavour a little to improve the words of our text, by observing,

I. That Chrift has a people, and these are a purchased people.

II. That this purchased people muft pafs through death to glory, and will pass through it fafely.

III. That this their paffage, as it is always fafe from their fpiritual enemies, it is, generally speaking, quiet and easy from them; they are not fuffered to disturb them.

IV. That this is owing to the greatness of the arm of the Lord, or to his almighty power.

I. That Chrift has a people which are his purchase; concerning whom may be obferved the following things.

1. Who the people are that are Chrift's, and are purchased by him. These are men; for as for angels, they cannot come into the account of purchased ones; the evil angels Chrift has nothing to do with as a Saviour, nor they with him the good angels, though they are the objects of electing, yet not of redeeming grace; though Chrift is the head of election to them, yet not the author of the redemption of them: for as they never were in bondage, they cannot be faid to be redeemed, or bought again; besides their nature is incapable of dying, or of fuch a paffage as the purchased people of Chrift are obliged unto: but the purchafed people are men, the fons of men, with whom the delights of Chrift were from everlasting; whofe perfons and caufe he efpoused, and for whom he undertook as a furety to obey, fuffer and die in their room and stead, and by fo doing to redeem and fave them. In order to which he took on him their nature, and not the nature of angels, and in that nature made a purchase of them; ye are bought with a price, be not ye the fervants of mena; of whofe race they are, and among whom they live, and to whom they are liable to be fervants, whom Chrift has bought with the price of his blood: but then these are not all men, or all the individuals of mankind; for they are redeemed from among men, and out of every kindred, tongue, people and nation*; and therefore cannot be all men, or all of every kindred, tongue, people and nation; if Chrift had made a purchase of all men, all would be faved, for his purchase cannot be loft: indeed we read of fome, that deny the Lord that bought them,

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