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is moft excellent and admirable in all Science human and divine; and, in Effect, to throw away our Arms to expofe ourselves naked to our Adverfaries. I fay, for the Reasons above given, as alfo for this, that (if thefe Expreffions are rightly understood and taught) all the frivolous Objections of corning Oppofers will be no longer heard; we ought to insist on thein the more. However,

As our Saviour, convincing the Sadduces, (who only receiv'd the Pentateuch for Scripture) anfwer'd ad Homines, to their cavilling Queftion, out of the Pentateuch; so, (though by the Way, it never was our Lord's Defign to give a full and perfect Account of the Reafon and End of his Sufferings, before he fuffer'd, yet) have we ftore of Evidence to ftop the Mouths of these Modern Sadduces (who do pretend to receive only the Gospels, or fome fcatter'd Parts of them, for Scripture) from fufficiently clear Declarations of this Matter, occafionally given, in the Gospels, and from the very Words of our Saviour himself (which is the Thing they seem much to infift upon) in a great Number of Places. But, one, cited in the Difcourfes, may fuffice, viz. The Son of Man came not to be minifter'd unto, but to Minifter, and to give his Life a RANSOM for many. Now, thefe are the very Words of our Lord himself, recorded by two Evangelifts. Mat. xx. 28. and Mark x. 45. And, let the whole Fraternity of Scripture-Perverters try

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if they can, by any Chymistry of theirs, tranmute this Reason of our Saviour's yielding himfelf to Death, given in the Expreffion before us by himself, viz. to be a Ranjom; into their forged Reafon, of his Dying in Defence of their Strange Doctrine of fimple Repentance; And, then, I will Confent that they fhall be allow'd to have talk'd [as they think] licentiously, to fome Purpofe; but, till then, not a Word they fhall fay or write, on this Argument, will, by my Suffrage, merit to be heard, or read.

Obferv. 3. As to what he fays of the Apoftle's Difcourfe concerning Melchifedek, Heb. vii. 3. It is to be obferv'd, that it was the Apoftle's Intention in that Difcourfe to exprefs, that Melchifedek ftrictly and properly was eternal: For, that Exhibition of Melchifedek, made to the Patriarch Abraham and referr'd to by the Apostle, was indeed no other than an Exhibition of that Perfon of the Ever-Blefjed Trinity, who was to take Manhood to redeem Man, as on Occafion may at large be prov'd.

Obferv. 4. The Pamphleteer has a deal of felf-contradictory Nonfenfe, about the propitia-. tory Sacrifices of the Law being but Signs of God's propitioufnefs to penitent Sinners, and no more; as alfo, about the propitiatory Sacrifice of Chrift having been only made in Defence of the Doctrine of fimple Repentance, and, in no Propriety, for Propitiation: That is, these Sacrifices were Propitiatory, only they were not Propitiatory;

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Propitiatory; or their Propitiatoriness was for quite another Ufe than for Propitiation: And, Sacrifices themselves were none of them, in any proper Senfe, Sacrifices; but, Signs only of fomewhat else not facrifical; there having never been any thing properly facrifical in the World. But,

When he talk'd at this Rate, he either knew not what the Terms, Sacrifice, and Propitiation, meant; or hoped none of his Readers. wou'd know; and, fo, he might impose upon them what ridiculous Comments he thought fit. But, fo long as the Terms, Sacrifice, Propitiation, Attonement, &c, do ftand in our Bibles; or, indeed, in any of the Heathen Books; all Perfons of common Sense must know, that his Simple Repentance, Repentance without any Attonement or Propitiation, never cou'd or can ftand. All Monuments of Religion, Ethnic, Jewish, or Chriftian, are Evidence of the contrary to what he has endeavour'd on this Argument to advance.

Obferv. 5. He ftrives to fqueeze out of the Words of St. Paul, a quaint Conclusion against St. Paul. For thus, having explain'd upon the Text, Heb. x. 4. [it is not poffible that the Blood of Bulls and of Goats fhou'd take away Sins] that "as it is not poffible the fhedding of the Blood of thefe Animals "fhou'd render a Sinner lefs a Sinner than he was before; or, that the fame fhou'd render "the Deity more propitious than he wou'd o

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"therwife be; fo is it an Impoffibility in Nature for the Blood of thefe Animals to take ແ away Sins," I fay, having explain'd upon the above-cited Text thus, he thereupon affumes, that" if this be the Cafe with refpect "of the Blood of thefe Animals, it must equally be the fame, with refpect of shedding of the Blood of Chrift, or of any other Blood "whatsoever; it being as much an Impoffibility in Nature, for the bedding of the Blood of Chrift to render a Sinner lefs a Sinner, or "less the Object of God's Difpleasure than he << was before; or, that it fhou'd render God more propitious than he wou'd otherwise be;

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as it is, that the bedding of the Blood of "thofe Animals fhou'd do it; and therefore is "it equally impoffible that the Blood of Chrift "fhou'd, in a ftrict and proper Senfe, take a

way Sins." Was ever fuch deteftable Wref ting and Infinuating? Does not every Child, that can Read, know that the Apostle, from the Infufficiency of the Legal Sacrifices in themfelves to attone for Sins, argues the Neceffity of the one all-fufficient Sacrifice of Chrift, properly and effectually to Attone for them? But, perhaps, this Writer Thought, from his own fimple Suppofition of the Impoffibility in Nature (as he calls it) of any Sinner's being rendred lefs a Sinner, or lefs the Object of God's Difpleafure than he was before, &c. to faften a falfe Conclufion even on the Apoftle himself. If so, and he continues hardned, fo as not to Repent

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in another manner than his own Pamphlet fets forth; I doubt, he must expect one Day to have another kind of Reckoning to make, than what I am here to call him to, for that. Mean while,

To what Purpose is talking of his Impoffibilities in Nature, when the Difcourfe is concerning Acts furpaffing all the Powers of Nature? And perform'd by him who was, and is, the Lord of Nature? To reftore what had been decay'd, and loft, in Nature? Then, as for Sacrifices, the Typical ones of the Law, and the Real one of Chrift; to which (in giving the Rationale in general, of the Sacrifices) we muft add the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper; the first of these, the Typical Sacrifices were Memorials, for Believers, then, of the Engagement of their Surety to pay their Debt, and Cancel the Securities, given on their Part. By the fecond, the real Sacrifice of Christ, the faid Debt was actually discharg'd, and the Securities, to all that do Believe, Cancel'd. And, in the last, the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper, fince given, we have other Memorials, not only of the actual Payment of the Debt and Cancelling of the Securities, as aforefaid; but alfo, of an Inheritance incorruptible and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, referved in Heaven for us. 1. Pet. i. 4. And, by each of these Acts (whatsoever the Author may talk) Men have been, and are made lefs Sinners than they were before. As, I fuppose,

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