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Atonement, and delivered thereby from an evil or guilty Confcience. He proceeds then to make another Inference, (viz.) that the Jewish Converts or Hebrews fhould hold fast their Profeffion of the Chriftian Faith without wavering, and not forfake the Chriftian Affemblies and Worship, v. 24, 25. " for,

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fays he, if we fin wilfully after we have "received the Knowledge of the Truth, if we' depart from Chriftianity, and particularly "from the Great and Important Doctrines "of it which my Pen has juft written, that "is, the Sacrifice of Chrift for the obtaining "the Pardon of our Sins, and that after fuch " evident Conviction and conftraining Rea"fon to believe it, there remains no more

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Sacrifice for Sin to thofe who deny or "evacuate this Sacrifice of Chrift." Now if Blood was appointed to make Atonement for the Soul, Levit. xvii. 22. if there was no Re-miffion of Levitical Defilement to be obtained under the Jewish Law without shedding of Blood; if the Prieft was never to enter into the most holy Place, nor appear before God there without the Blood of the Sacrifice, Lev. xvi. if Chrift himself as the High Priest and Reprefentative of his People, would not once enter into Heaven to appear there in the Prefence of God for us, without his Blood, Heb. ix. 12, 24. furely they run a moft dreadful Rifque of unpardon'd Guilt and divine Indignation who renounce the only effectual

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Sacrifice for Sin, even that which the Son of God has offered, and venture into the Prefence of God without the Blood of Sprinkling upon them, without Faith in the Blood of Chrift. The very clofe Connexion of these dreadful Words of threatning, with fo long and particular a Difcourfe on the Atonement made by the Blood of Chrift, feems to point this threatning, not merely against those who are Apoftates from all the Chriftian Doctrine, but particularly against thofe who forfake and renounce this great Truth of the Sacrifice of Chrift for Sin. And let it be obferved that the form of the Threatning, There remains no more Sacrifice, seems to have a peculiar Reference to the Denial or Renunciation of this Doctrine.

Some think the Words of St. Peter may confirm this of St. Paul, Ep. 2. ch. ii. v. 1. where he foretels of falfe Teachers, who shall bring in damnable Hereftes, (in Greek, Herefies of Destruction) denying the Lord that bought them, and bring on themselves fwift Deftruction. Now as in Natural Religion, a Denial that God made us, is in effect the fame thing as a Denial of the God that made us, fo in Reveal'd Religion to deny that the Lord Jefus bought us, is it not much the fame as to deny the Lord Jesus that bought us? For 'tis a Renouncing him under that Character or Office by which he becomes a Saviour, and therefore fwift Deftruction follows upon it.

But.

But I will not infist on this, the other is fufficient.

SECT. IV.

The Neceffity of this Doctrine represented in the express Words of two Learned' Men of well-known Charity, and of a Catholick Spirit.

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UT that I may not appear to ftand alone in this Sentiment, which may feem uncharitable, fays Ferventio, I would appeal to the late Reverend and Learned Dr. John Evans, who in a Book he wrote in exprefs Vindication of Chriftian Charity, entitled, A Second Letter to Mr. Cumming about Scrip-ture Confequences, p. 88, &c. expreffes him-felf in fuch ftrong Language as I would re-hearfe at large, that the force of his Arguments may appear. I have transcribed it into a little Pocket Book to carry it always about me in these Seafons of Error and Apoftacy, that I might have it ready to fhew upon every Occafion, how zealous a Defender of this Doctrine he was, tho" we know he was a Man of fome Latitude in other Points of ftrict Orthodoxy. "There are fome Scrip"ture Paffages, fays he, which contain Pro"pofitions that are declared in the Paffages themselves neceffary to be believed in or-F 6

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"der to Salvation, as that Jefus is the Mef

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fiah, John viii. 24. that he is come in the "Flesh, John iv. 2, 3, &c." This, fays he, are the first fort of Fundamentals or neceffary Articles, because the Holy Ghost in Scripture hath expressly made the Belief of "them Terms of Salvation." Then he adds fecondly, "I think the Spirit of God may have fignify'd the univerfal Neceffity of believing fome Truths, by other ways of "exprefs Declaration, which are as full and

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obligatory, as his faying in fo many Words, "that he that believes them fhall be faved, or "be that believes them not fhall perish: As, "when the Revelation of a Doctrine is very "exprefs and plain: When it is fet in fe"veral Lights, or exprefs'd by feveral "Phrafes, all pointing very forcibly to one "and the fame common Senfe: When the

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Spirit of God lays great ftrefs upon it, "either by mentioning it at every turn in "the facred Writings, or by interweaving "it with the main Doctrines and Inftitu.

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tions of Christianity; or by making the "Bleffings, without which we cannot be faved, to depend upon it, and even upon the Belief of it; or by reprefenting it as the "Foundation of Practical Godliness. When, "I fay, I find thefe Marks affix'd to any "Doctrine of Revelation in the Revelation itself, I mean, all or moft of them concurring; Iapprehend them to be an ex

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"prefs

"prefs Teftimony of the Spirit of God, that "fuch a Truth is universally necessary, fully

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equivalent to the former. I fhall only in"ftance in one Truth, which tho' it hath,"as I have juft obferved, the former Mark " alfo of univerfal Neceffity, has these ad"ditional Marks too, viz. That Chrift died "a Propitiatory Sacrifice for our Sins.

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"I know no Truth more plainly ex

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prefs'd, or more frequently inculcated in "the Scriptures, and this in a Variety of "Phrases of obvious Meaning, efpecially "comparing the Old and New Teftament "together: That God laid on him the Iniqui"ties of us all that he was wounded for our Tranfgreffions, bruifed for our Iniquities; "died for our Sins; was deliver'd for our Offences; bore the Sins of many; bore our "Sins in his Body on the Tree; made his Soul "an Offering for Sin; was made Sin and a "Curfe for us; fuffered, the Just for the Un"just; gave himself a Ransom for all; made.

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Reconciliation for the Sins of the People; is. fet forth as a Propitiation: besides many "other Phrases used in the Cafe; with the plain Senfe of which I cannot but think 66 any honeft Mind may be fafely trufted, "tho' he knew none of the Hypothefes built upon it on the one hand, and notwithstanding all the Subtilties of the Socinians "to enervate the force of them on the other. "At the fame time I find the greatest Stress

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