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that was due to them; fo that no true Difciple of his fhall ever be called to an Account for them in another World. And this is that Notion of Redemption that doth commonly obtain among us. When we fpeak of Chrift as our Redeemer, we mean it with relation to his dying for our Sins, or making fuch Satisfaction to God for them, that we, upon the Account thereof, are acquitted or juftified, though this be indeed only one Branch of our Redemp

tion.

3. For, in the third Place, Chrift came as much to redeem us from the Dominion of our Sins, as from the Guilt of them. It was never his Defign that a wicked Man fhould be juftified before God, and continue ftill wicked: but he was fent as well to destroy Sin in our mortal Bodies (to fubdue it fo by the Power of the Spirit, that it fhould not reign in us) as he was fent to deliver us from the dreadful Confequences of it, viz. the Punishments of another Life, which would otherwife have fallen upon us. And this is another Notion of Redemption that we meet with in Scripture; Tit. 2 14 as for Inftance, Chrift gave himself for us,

that he might redeem us from all Iniquity, and purify to himself a peculiar People, zealous of good Works. In this Place it is plain that Chrift's Redemption of us is the enabling us to mortify all our Lufts and evil Habits, and to become holy and virtuous

Livers;

Livers; that as before we were the Slaves of Sin and of the Devil, fo we should from henceforward walk as the Freemen of Jefus Christ.

4. But then, befides these three Notions of Redemption already mentioned, there is alfo a fourth in the New Teftament, and which indeed is the Confummation of all the reft, without which they would not have been compleat and that is the eternal Glorification both of our Souls and Bodies at the laft Appearance of our Lord Jefus Chrift. As we were obnoxious to eternal Punifhment for our Sins, which Chrift by his Death redeemed us from; as likewife we were the Slaves and Vaffals of Sin, which Slavery Chrift, by fending his Holy Spirit, redeemed us from; fo after thefe Redemptions were wrought, there ftill remained a fourth, viz. the Redemption of our Bodies from the Grave, and the uniting them with our Souls in perfect Happiness. And this to be effected by that Spirit which raised up Jefus from the Dead at the Day of the general Refurrection. Now in this Senfe, as well as in the other fore-named, we have the Word Redemption frequently used in the New Teftament; as Heb. 9. 12. Chrift by entering into the holy Place (that is, the highest Heavens) hath obtained eternal Redemption for us. That is to fay, Our Saviour afcending up into Heaven with his Body, to fit at the right Hand of God for

evermore,

evermore, is an Evidence to us, that he hath obtained an eternal Redemption for us: and he is a Pledge and Affurance to us, that our Bodies fhall be redeemed from the Grave, and live in Heaven eternally with him. This likewife is the Notion of Redemption in the 8th Chapter to the Romans; Ver. 23. there, fays the Apoftle, We ourselves, who have the Firft-fruits of the Spirit, even we ourfelves groan within ourselves, waiting for the Adoption, to wit, the Redemption of the Body. Where you may observe, that that Confummation of Happiness at the general Day of Judgment, which St. Paul and other Chriftians here waited for, and groaned after, is called by two Names; firft, the Adoption, or Sonship: And the Reafon of this Name is clear, becaufe Chriftians are not, and shall not be compleatly manifested to be the Sons of God, till they be made Partakers of the Refurrection. For this we have our Saviour's exprefs Authority, who, fpeaking of those who fhall be thought worthy of the Rewards of the other World in Luke 20. that Day, tells us, that they are the Children of God, being (or because they are) the Children of the Refurrection. The other Term, by which that State of future Happiness is expreffed, is the Redemption of the Body; which is a very proper Expreffion. As for our Souls, they were redeemed before, by being delivered from the Power of Sin, and from the eternal Punishment

36.

Rom. 8.

19.

confe

ye

be-Ver. 13,

confequent upon it; and to no other Kinds of Death were they obnoxious. But our Bodies are not redeemed till that glorious happy Day, when they fhall be restored from the Grave to live for ever with the Soul in unspeakable Happiness. Another Text, wherein the Word Redemption is taken in that Notion we are speaking of, is in the first Chapter to the Ephefians, where the Apoftle faith, After that lieved ye were fealed with the Holy Spirit of 14. Promife, which is the Earneft of our Inheritance, until the Redemption of the purchafed Poffeffion. In which Text there is no Difficulty, when we know what is meant by the purchased Poffeffion, or, as it is render'd in the Margin, peculiar Treasure. And, without doubt, this must be underftood of the Church, the whole Body of faithful Chriftians, whom Chrift purchased with his Blood; upon which Account they may truly be called his purchased Poffeffion, or his peculiar Treafure, as the Ifraelites Exod. 19, were called by God after he had brought them out of Egypt. Well then, if the Re- Pfal. 135. demption of the purchafed Poffeffions be no more than the Redemption of the Church, or the whole Body of Chriftians; then the plain Senfe of the Place is, that God gives us his Holy Spirit as an Earneft of that Inheritance which he will beftow upon us at the general Redemption of the Church, which will be at the Day of the Resurrec

5.

4.

Luke 21. 28.

tion.

And there is no doubt but this Paffage and my Text are directly parallel, and mean the fame Thing. No doubt but the Redemption here must be the fame with the Redemption there, viz. not any Redemption that is past or prefent, but that of Chriftians, which is yet to come at the general Judgment. In truth, there is no other Notion of Redemption that will fit the Place. And of this it is that our Lord himself feems to fpeak, where, having mentioned the Signs that fhould precede his Approach to Judgment, he fays, When ye fee thefe things come to pass, then lift up your Heads, and look up, for your Redemption draweth nigh.

Having thus given a particular Account of the feveral Notions of Redemption, and fhewn from thence how we are to underftand the Day of Redemption in my Text; let us, in the next place, enquire what is meant by being fealed to this Day of Redemption of which I fhall fpeak more briefly.

II. A Seal hath always been used for two efpecial Purposes; either for the Confirmation of Covenants and Contracts between God and Man, or for marking any Thing for one's own. Now to either of thefe Ufes of a Seal, we may fuppofe the Apostle to allude, when he fays that we are fealed by the Spirit. If we take it in

the

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